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pedroscowgirl · 4 months ago

Text

Unspoken desires

hugh jackman x afab!reader

Warnings: Smut, Minors DNI!

age gap (reader 20s, hugh is 55), angst (no bad stuff), p in v , creampie (wrap it up), choking, talking about feelings, daddy issues (again)

Words: 5.1k

A/N: You can read this separately but i imagined this as a part 2 of this fic that i wrote :) enjoy! (i have so much hugh in my concepts it's bad)

MASTERLIST

Weeks had drifted by since you and Hugh first began your casual sleeping together, and what had once been a whirlwind of passion had gradually settled into something more routine. The excitement of your initial encounters had softened into a comfortable familiarity. The chemistry was still there, moments together still brought a sense of warmth and pleasure but the raw spark that had once set your skin on fire was slowly dimming. You found yourself wondering if Hugh felt it too, or if he was simply going along with the flow, just as you were.

Today, you were set to see Hugh again, but this time it wasn’t just a private rendezvous. Instead of meeting privately, you were headed to a small gathering at his apartment to celebrate the overwhelming success of the Deadpool and Wolverine movie, which had just hit theatres and shattered expectations at the box office. It was a big moment for Hugh, and he was proud of the film, so when he invited you to join in the celebration, you didn’t hesitate.

Choosing an outfit for the occasion felt like a delicate balance,you wanted to look stunning, but also to pay homage to Hugh’s iconic role. After sifting through your closet, you decided on a little black dress that hugged your curves in all the right places. It was simple yet elegant, with gold accents that gleamed under the light, a subtle nod to the yellow of Wolverine's costume. You paired it with matching accessories,a gold bracelet, earrings that caught the light, and heels that made you feel confident with each step. As you applied the finishing touches to your makeup, you couldn’t shake the feeling of anticipation mixed with a hint of uncertainty. This was more than just another night together, it was an event, a step into his world, however small.

When you finally arrived at Hugh’s apartment, the evening air was cool against your skin, a stark contrast to the warmth you felt when you thought of seeing him. As you stood at his door, you took a deep breath, willing yourself to enjoy the night no matter what. The door swung open, revealing Hugh dressed casually but impeccably, his smile as charming as ever. The sight of him sent a familiar flutter through your chest, but as you leaned in to greet him with a kiss on the mouth, a gesture that had become natural between you, but he shifted slightly, his lips brushing against your cheek instead. It was a small, almost imperceptible movement, but it caught you off guard. The kiss on the cheek was friendly, almost distant, and you couldn’t help but feel a sting of disappointment. It was as if the shift you had sensed over the past weeks was crystallizing in this single moment.

Hugh pulled you into a warm hug, his hand lingering on your back, but the initial awkwardness of the missed kiss lingered in the air. As you stepped inside, you noticed the apartment was already buzzing with energy. Laughter echoed from the living room, where a few of Hugh’s close friends, including Ryan and Blake, were already gathered, drinks in hand. The atmosphere was lively, the kind of joyous occasion that should have made you feel welcome and at ease, but instead, a small seed of doubt had taken root in your mind.

You knew Hugh was a private person, especially when it came to his relationships. He hadn’t told anyone about the two of you—not even Ryan and Blake, who were like family to him. It wasn’t hard to understand why. Hugh had confided in you once, in a quiet moment after you’d made love, that he sometimes felt self-conscious about the age gap between you. He’d joked about being “too old” for you, but there had been a seriousness in his eyes that told you it wasn’t just a passing thought. It was something that lingered at the back of his mind, and now, it seemed like that insecurity was starting to manifest in small, subtle ways.

Despite the initial awkwardness, you resolved not to let it ruin the night. This was Hugh’s moment to shine, and you were determined to be there for him. You pushed the doubts aside, telling yourself that there was no need to overthink things. After all, this was supposed to be a celebration, not a night to get lost in your thoughts. You grabbed a glass of champagne from the counter, smiling at Hugh as you joined the others in the living room. The conversation flowed easily, and soon, you found yourself laughing along with the group, the earlier tension beginning to fade into the background.

As the night wore on, you caught glimpses of Hugh across the room, his eyes occasionally meeting yours with a softness that reassured you, if only a little. There were moments when he would come over, resting his hand on your shoulder or leaning in to share a private joke, and for those brief intervals, it felt like nothing had changed. But then he would pull away, drawn back into the conversation with his friends, and you were left wondering if he was purposely keeping a distance, or if you were just imagining it.

Even more time passed, and you found yourself deep in conversation with one of the crew members from the film. The discussion was engaging, he was sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and you were genuinely interested, laughing at the amusing anecdotes he recounted. But despite the lively conversation, a part of your attention remained elsewhere. You couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had lingered since your arrival.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of Hugh across the room. He was standing with a small group, his handsome face lit up with that familiar, heart-melting smile of his. But what caught your attention wasn’t the smile itself, it was the person he was smiling at. Beside him was a stunning blonde woman, who looked to be in her late forties. She was effortlessly elegant, with a confidence that matched her beauty. As she spoke, Hugh laughed, his deep, warm laughter carrying across the room. But it was the way he looked at her that made your heart drop. There was a softness in his gaze, an ease that you hadn’t seen in him in a while.

A pang of jealousy surged through you, sharp and unexpected. You knew you had no right to feel this way. Hugh was a free man now, having finalized his divorce about a year ago. It had been a difficult time for him, and you had been there to support him, offering comfort when he needed it. But now, seeing him with someone else, that rational understanding faded into the background, replaced by a raw, unfiltered emotion. You couldn’t help it, you loved him. It wasn’t something you had intended or even expected when you first started seeing each other, but the more time you spent with Hugh, the more you realized just how deep your feelings ran.

It felt strange, almost surreal, to acknowledge it to yourself. Hugh was a man who seemed to have it all—charm, good looks, kindness, and a genuine warmth that made people feel at ease around him. He was sweet to everyone, always the gentleman, and his sincerity was what drew you to him in the first place. How could anyone not fall in love with him? But knowing this didn’t make it any easier to watch him with someone else, especially when the woman beside him was clearly just as taken by his charisma as you were.

You watched as she leaned in closer to him, her hand resting lightly on his muscular arm, her fingers brushing against the fabric of his shirt. The sight made your stomach twist into knots. It was a casual touch, nothing overtly intimate, but it spoke volumes. Hugh didn’t pull away,instead, he smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way you found so endearing. For a moment, you couldn’t breathe, the room closing in around you as your mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions—jealousy, insecurity, fear. Did she know him better than you did? Was she someone from his past, or perhaps someone new who had caught his eye? The questions swirled in your head, unanswered and tormenting.

You suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder, pulling you out of your thoughts. One of the people in your conversation circle was looking at you with concern. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice cutting through the noise in your mind. You forced a smile and nodded quickly as you tried to gather yourself. “I’m fine,” you managed to say, even though the words felt empty. But the last thing you wanted was to draw attention to yourself, especially when you were struggling to keep your emotions in check.

“Excuse me,” you added hastily, your voice barely steady. You needed to get away, to find a place where you could breathe and collect your thoughts. But the walls of the apartment seemed to be closing in on you, the lively chatter and laughter around you becoming overwhelming. And without waiting for a response, you turned and made your way toward the bathroom, your steps quickening as you navigated through the crowded room.

As you closed the bathroom door behind you, the noise of the party was muffled, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You leaned against the sink, staring at your reflection in the mirror with your heart still pounding in your chest. The image staring back at you was composed on the surface, but you could see the cracks just beneath, the vulnerability that you had been trying so hard to hide. It was hard to reconcile the feelings that had surged within you tonight. You hadn’t expected to feel so strongly, but now that you did, it was impossible to ignore.

The truth was, you didn’t just care about Hug, you were in love with him. And seeing him with someone else, seeing that look in his eyes that used to be directed at you, was a painful reminder that whatever you had was complicated and perhaps not as secure as you had hoped. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath and tried to calm the storm of emotions inside you. You knew you couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever, but for now, it was a safe haven where you could relax and decide how to face the rest of the night.

After a few minutes, you splashed some cool water on your face, hoping it would help clear your mind. The mirror reflected your slightly dampened makeup, but you quickly touched it up, not wanting anyone to see any sign of distress. You told yourself that tonight was about celebrating Hugh’s success, not about your complicated feelings. You could deal with those later, when you were alone and away from the prying eyes of his friends and colleagues.

When you finally felt composed enough to rejoin the party, you took one last deep breath and opened the bathroom door. The lively sounds of the gathering filled your ears again, and as you stepped back into the main room, you scanned the crowd, trying to locate Hugh without being too obvious.

And after trying to push through the rest of the evening with forced smiles and half-hearted conversations, you reached your breaking point. It was too much—the tension, the uncertainty, the way Hugh seemed so comfortable with someone else while you were left questioning everything. You decided you needed to get out of there, to put some distance between you and whatever this was becoming before you snapped in front of everyone.

Without saying a word, you started making your way toward the door, weaving through the remaining guests. You had almost reached the exit when you felt a strong hand wrap around your wrist, stopping you in your tracks. You turned sharply to find Hugh standing behind you, his eyes filled with concern and a hint of confusion.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice low but firm, clearly sensing that something was wrong.

You pulled your wrist from his grip, trying to avoid his gaze as you muttered, “I need some air.”

But Hugh wasn’t letting you go that easily. He stepped closer, his presence demanding your attention. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting strange all night. Talk to me.”

You didn’t want to talk. You didn’t want to admit what was really bothering you, especially when you knew you had no right to feel this way. But the frustration that had been building inside you all evening finally boiled over. You spun around to face him, your eyes flashing with anger.

“Nothing’s wrong, Hugh. I just need to get out of here, okay?” The words came out sharper than you intended, but you didn’t care. All you wanted was to leave before you said something you couldn’t take back.

Hugh frowned, not buying your answer for a second. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s really going on,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He reached for your hand again, this time holding it more gently, his thumb brushing over your knuckles in a soothing gesture that only made you more frustrated.

You tried to pull away, but his grip tightened just enough to keep you from leaving. “Hugh, just let me go,” you snapped, but he didn’t budge.

“Come with me,” he said quietly, his voice firm but gentle as he guided you toward the hallway that led to his bedroom. You followed him, more out of exasperation than anything else, knowing that this conversation wasn’t something you couldn’t avoid any longer.

Once inside his room, Hugh closed the door behind you, shutting out the noise of the party. The silence between you was thick with tension as you stood there, your arms crossed, staring at the floor. Hugh watched you, waiting for you to speak, but when you didn’t, he finally broke the silence.

“Why are you so upset?” he asked, his voice softer now, as if trying to coax the truth out of you.

You clenched your jaw, still refusing to meet his eyes. “I’m not upset,” you lied, the words bitter on your tongue. “I just… I just don’t want to be here right now.”

Hugh sighed, stepping closer until he was right in front of you. He reached out, placing a hand on your chin and gently lifting your face so you were forced to look at him. “I know you better than that. What’s really going on?”

His concern and tenderness only made you angrier. You wanted to push him away, to run out of the room and forget this whole night ever happened. But the emotions you had been holding back finally broke free, and before you could stop yourself, the words tumbled out.

“I saw you with her, Hugh!” you burst out, your voice shaking with frustration and hurt. “That woman, you were laughing with her, looking at her like she was the only person in the room. And I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I do. I can’t help it.”

Hugh’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, his expression softening as he realized what had been bothering you. “You think… you think I’m interested in her?” he asked, disbelief colouring his tone.

You didn’t answer, but your silence spoke volumes. Hugh let out a breath, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process what you were saying. “She’s just a friend,” he said, his voice calm but insistent. “There’s nothing going on between us. I was just being friendly,” Hugh said, his tone dismissive.

You let out a sigh, your eyes narrowing as you locked onto his. “I know what your 'friendly' looks like, Hugh. I’ve seen you flirt before.” He hesitated, the realization of your words sinking in. Finally, he sighed, admitting, “Alright, maybe I was flirting a little. But there’s nothing official between us, for fucks sake I’m twice your age, so why does it bother you so much?” His voice carried a hint of annoyance as he met your gaze, clearly frustrated.

And as the heated exchange between you and Hugh unfolded in his bedroom, the air thick with tension and unspoken emotions, Hugh took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. Instead of matching your rising anger, he opted for a calmer approach, his voice measured and gentle.

"Listen," he began, his eyes searching yours earnestly. "I never meant to hurt you. I just thought... given our age difference, that this was something light, something fun for both of us. You have your entire life ahead of you. You should be out there, enjoying yourself, experiencing things with people your own age. Building a future with someone who can match your energy, your plans, your dreams."

His words felt like a cold splash of water, momentarily drowning the flames of your anger. But soon, a different kind of heat rose within you,a mix of hurt and disbelief. Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring your vision as you struggled to process his confession.

"So, you think this is just a fling for me?" you choked out, voice quivering. "That I'm just... passing time with you until someone my age comes along?"

Hugh looked pained, but he held your gaze. "I just didn't want to hold you back. I thought keeping things casual was best for both of us."

A tear escaped, trailing down your cheek. "Hugh, you idiot," you whispered, voice breaking. "I don't care about your age. I don't care about any of that. I care about you. Can't you see that?"

He reached out, gently wiping the tear from your face with his thumb. "I just didn't want to be the reason you missed out on experiences, on opportunities."

You shook your head intensely. "The only thing I'd miss out on is being with you. Can't you understand that? It's not about age or experiences. It's about how I feel when I'm with you."

Before you could even form another sentence, Hugh's lips crashed onto yours with a passion that sent a jolt of electricity through your entire body. His kiss was intense, all-consuming, and filled with a hunger that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long. You could feel the urgency in the way he held you, his hands gripping your waist tightly as if he never wanted to let go.

Without breaking the kiss, Hugh swept you off your feet, his strong arms effortlessly lifting you from the floor. You clung to him, your heart pounding in your chest as he carried you over to the bed. There was something primal in his movements, a raw need that resonated deep within you. He laid you down with a surprising gentleness, as though you were the most precious thing in the world.

His hands moved to the zipper of your little black dress, slowly drawing it down with a deliberate precision that made your breath catch in your throat. The dress slipped down your shoulders, exposing your skin to the cool air, and he paused to admire the sight of you, his eyes darkening with desire. His fingers brushed over the bare skin of your collarbone, sending shivers down your spine as the dress slid further down your body, finally pooling around your hips before he removed it entirely.

You were now laid bare before him, and the way he looked at you made you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He began to undress himself, his movements quick and sure, until his clothes lay discarded on the floor. The sight of him standing there, naked and aroused, was enough to make your mouth go dry. His body was a masterpiece, every muscle perfectly defined, his skin stretched over a frame that was the epitome of masculine perfection.

No matter how many times you had seen him like this, it never failed to take your breath away. He was all hard lines and powerful muscles, his presence dominating the room in a way that made you feel both safe and utterly desired. Why would you ever want anyone else when this man was right here?

Hugh’s eyes roamed over your body, drinking in every curve, every inch of exposed skin. There was a possessiveness in his gaze, an intensity that made your pulse race. He climbed onto the bed, his hands finding your body as he began to explore you with his lips. He started at your neck, his mouth hot and wet against your skin as he kissed his way down to your collarbone. He took his time, savouring each kiss, each caress, as if he wanted to memorize the taste and feel of you.

When his lips reached your thighs, he paused, lifting his gaze to meet yours. The look in his eyes was nothing short of predatory, and it sent a thrill of anticipation coursing through you. He leaned down, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin of your inner thigh, and then he bit down, just hard enough to leave a mark. You gasped at the sensation, your body tensing in response as a wave of heat pooled in your core.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes locking onto yours as he ran his tongue over the mark he had just made. “This is all mine, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice a low, possessive growl.

A whimper escaped your lips as you nodded, your voice trembling with need. “Yes, it’s all yours.”

A satisfied smirk curled his lips, and he didn’t waste another moment. He positioned himself between your legs, his hands gripping your thighs as he lined himself up with your entrance. He paused for a moment, just long enough to let the anticipation build, before slowly pushing inside. The sensation of him filling you was indescribable, a perfect blend of pleasure and intimacy that made your breath catch in your throat.

He moved with a slow, deliberate rhythm at first, each thrust deep and measured, as if he wanted to savour every moment of being inside you. The way he moved, the way he filled you, it was as if he was made for you, fitting perfectly into every curve, every inch of you. Your body responded to his in kind, your hips rising to meet his as you moaned softly, lost in the sensation of him moving inside you.

Hugh’s hands gripped your hips tightly, pulling you closer with each thrust as he set a steady pace. His mouth found yours again, kissing you with a passion that left you breathless. The kiss was deep, his tongue exploring your mouth in time with his movements, and it only served to heighten the pleasure coursing through your body. The connection between you was electric, a tangible bond that made every touch, every kiss, feel like fire on your skin.

As the intensity grew, he shifted slightly, lifting one of your legs over his shoulder to angle himself even deeper inside you. The new position made you gasp, your nails digging into his strong, muscular arm as the pleasure became almost unbearable. He watched your reaction with a mix of satisfaction and desire, clearly enjoying the way he was making you feel.

“Look at me, baby,” he commanded, his voice rough with need. “Look at me while I make you feel good.”

You forced your eyes open, meeting his gaze. The intensity in his eyes was nearly too much to bear, but it made your heart race even faster. His thrusts grew more urgent, each one sending shockwaves of pleasure through your body. The pressure was building inside you, coiling tighter and tighter with every movement, until you were teetering on the edge of release.

Just when you thought you couldn’t take anymore, his hand moved to your throat, his fingers wrapping around your neck with just enough pressure to make your breath hitch. The sensation was intoxicating, the mixture of dominance and desire sending you spiraling closer to the edge.

“Cum on my dick, babygirl. Now,” he growled, his voice thick with authority and desire.

It was as if your body responded to his command on instinct. Your orgasm crashed over you with a force that left you trembling, your entire body shuddering as waves of pleasure rippled through you. You cried out, the sound escaping your lips before you could stop it, but Hugh quickly shushed you, his grip on your throat tightening slightly.

“Quiet, baby,” he murmured, his voice still rough with desire. “There are people here.”

But before you could fully recover from the intensity of your orgasm, he moved again, flipping you over and pulling you on top of him. His strength was evident as he guided you effortlessly, positioning you so that you were straddling him. “Ride me,” he demanded, his voice low and commanding.

Your legs were shaky, still trembling from the powerful orgasm, but he was there to support you. His hands gripped your hips, guiding you as you lowered yourself onto him once again. The sensation of him filling you was overwhelming, but he held you steady, his strong arms lifting you up and down as if you weighed nothing.

As you rode him, he kept his hands on your thighs, his grip firm and possessive. The pleasure built again quickly, the intensity of the position driving you both closer to the edge. You could feel him tensing beneath you, his muscles tightening as he neared his own release.

Just as you were about to cum again, he gripped your thighs tighter, his fingers digging into your flesh as he thrust up into you with a powerful, final movement. “Fuck, I love you,” he groaned, the words spilling out in a raw, primal cry as he came deep inside you.

The confession sent you over the edge once more, your body shuddering as another powerful orgasm ripped through you. You collapsed against him, breathless and spent, as the reality of his words sunk in. He loved you.

As the intensity of the moment slowly faded, you both lay there, breathing heavily, your bodies still tangled together. The reality of what had just happened, Hugh's confession of love, the intensity of your connection, began to sink in, and you found yourself overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. You could feel his heart beating against your chest, the rhythmic thud steadying you as you processed everything.

Hugh’s arms remained wrapped around you, his hold strong yet gentle, as if he was afraid to let you go. He hadn’t said anything since his declaration, and you could feel the tension in the air. There was a vulnerability in the way he held you, as if he was waiting for your response, unsure of what you might say.

You lifted your head slightly, looking up at him. His eyes met yours, and in them, you saw a mix of worry and hope, emotions that mirrored your own. He reached up, brushing a strand of hair away from your face, his touch tender.

“I didn’t mean to say that,” he murmured softly, his voice still a little rough from the intensity of the moment. “It just… slipped out.”

You could see the uncertainty in his eyes, and it tugged at your heart. Hugh wasn’t the type to open up easily to you, to let his guard down, and the fact that he had done so now, meant more than words could express. But you also knew that he was scared, scared of what loving you might mean, of the risks it entailed, of the future that could be so uncertain.

“Did you mean it?” you asked quietly, your voice barely more than a whisper.

Hugh hesitated for a moment before nodding, his gaze unwavering. “Yes,” he admitted. “I meant every word. I love you… but I didn’t want to say it like that. Not in the middle of—” He trailed off, clearly unsure of how to express himself.

You smiled softly, your heart swelling with affection for this man who had so completely captured your heart. “I love you too, Hugh,” you said, your voice filled with sincerity. “And I don’t care if it slipped out in the middle of… all that. I’m just glad you said it.”

His expression softened at your words, the tension in his body easing slightly. He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment as if to seal the promise between you.

“I’ve been trying to fight it,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve been telling myself that you deserve someone younger, someone who can give you a future… but I can’t fight how I feel anymore. I want to be with you, no matter what.”

Tears welled up in your eyes at his confession, and you couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. All the doubts and fears you had been harboring seemed to melt away, leaving only the certainty that you wanted to be with him too, no matter what challenges might lie ahead.

“Hugh, I don’t care about any of that,” you said, your voice firm despite the emotion threatening to overwhelm you. “I love you, and that’s all that matters to me. We’ll figure everything else out together.”

His eyes searched yours, as if looking for any sign of doubt, but all he found was your unwavering commitment. A slow, relieved smile spread across his face, and he pulled you closer, holding you tightly against him as if he never wanted to let you go.

For a long while, the two of you lay there in comfortable silence, simply enjoying the warmth of each other’s embrace. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you, connected in a way that felt deeper and more meaningful than ever before.

Eventually, Hugh broke the silence, his voice low and filled with emotion. “I want to do this right,” he said softly. “I want to take you out, treat you like you deserve. I want us to build something real, something lasting.”

You smiled, your heart swelling with affection. “I’d like that,” you replied, your voice equally soft. “But right now, I just want to stay here with you.”

Hugh chuckled, the sound deep and soothing. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, his arms tightening around you. “We have all the time in the world.”

And with that, the two of you drifted into a peaceful, contented silence, the future ahead of you no longer filled with uncertainty but with the promise of a love that was as deep and enduring as anything either of you had ever known.

taglist (dm if u wanna be added): @ermlady @elloredef @haytchee @melaninjoys @megangovier @blue2jay @hearts4suri @narniabusinessbitch @jadenlyday25 @getmeoutofhell

#hugh jackman #hugh jackman smut #wolverine #wolverine smut #marvel smut #wolverine and deadpool #logan howlett #logan howlett smut #marvel

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punkshort · 4 months ago

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Swept Away | Chapter 3: Go with the Flow

Pairing: sugardaddy!Joel Miller x f!reader

Chapter Summary: You get to know the other hotel moguls and their partners a bit more at a lavish cocktail party, and things begin to heat up between you and Joel.

Chapter Warnings: language, angst, sexual tension, flirting, sugar daddy/sugar baby dynamics, smutty thoughts, alcohol and food consumption

WC: 8.4K

Series Masterlist

He tipped me.

Yay! How much?

I don't know, I didn't open it.

Why???

You stared down at your phone, Celine's words jumping out at you from the screen. It was a good question. Why didn't you open it? You could tell yourself it didn't matter how much it was. It wasn't like you were spending your own money for the next month, anyway. But when you looked over at the nightstand where the envelope still sat untouched, you knew deep down why you didn't open it.

I don't know, guess it took me by surprise or something

You heard a light tap on your bedroom door and you looked up from your phone. "Yeah?"

"You're up. Good," Joel's muffled voice said from the other side. "Wanted to see if you were hungry."

I gotta go get ready for breakfast, I'll call you later

Be safe!

"Ten minutes!" you called back to him before flicking your comforter off and hurrying to your closet to pick out something to wear. You settled on a pair of wide leg linen pants and a light pink sleeveless top that showed just a sliver of your midsection. There were too many accessories to choose from so you did your best to keep it simple with a dainty chain necklace and pink pearl earrings, then tossed your phone and other belongings into a white purse before swinging your door open and heading down the hall. At the last second, you turned around and grabbed the envelope of cash, tucking it into the bottom of your bag for safekeeping.

You stopped in the bathroom to put on a tiny bit of makeup and a quick brush of your teeth before running your fingers through your hair with a shrug. After meeting Glenn, you felt a lot less pressure to conform and give the appearance of some wealthy socialite and instead, leaned into the relaxed beach vibe he exuded.

"Morning," you said breathlessly when you finally entered the living room. Joel was sitting in the middle of the couch, one ankle casually resting on his knee, legs spread wide and looking completely at ease as he stared down at his phone. He pocketed the device when he heard your voice and stood up, eyes drifting down once to look at your clothes and giving you an appraising nod. If it were any other man standing before you essentially giving you his unsolicited opinion on your choice of outfit, you would have had a few unladylike things to say. But when Joel did it, something inside you preened at his approval.

"Mornin'," he answered, and when he brushed past you to walk towards the door, you caught a whiff of mint and fresh soap mixed with the scent of his hair product.

Fuck, he smelled good.

"What are we doing today?" you asked as you trailed after him.

"Thought we'd settle in, get somethin' to eat, then we got pretty much all afternoon free before headin' over to Glenn's house."

"Oh, we're going to his home?" you asked, stepping on the elevator once the doors opened. He nodded and tapped the button for the second floor, where you remembered seeing some shops and restaurants advertised.

"Yeah, invited all of us over for cocktails by his pool. Supposed to have a beautiful place," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring up at the numbers above the door tick lower.

There were only two restaurants open that served breakfast, so Joel picked the one that had open seating on the patio. The hostess led you both to a table attached to a bright red umbrella fluttering in the wind that had an absolutely breathtaking view of the ocean.

"I don't think I'll ever get sick of this," you said dreamily while Joel flipped through the menu, his sunglasses perched on the tip of his nose. He just grunted in response and kept his eyes lowered. In fact, you were beginning to think he was avoiding looking at you most of the morning. You tilted your head to the side and reached an arm across the table, tapping a finger on the wood to get his attention.

"Hm?" he said, still looking down.

"Everything okay? Did you sleep alright?"

"Slept fine."

You pressed your lips into a thin line before giving up and opening the menu with a sigh. When the server came to get your order, all you asked for was coffee and some eggs with fruit. Handing the menu over to her before she left with a smile, you looked back across the table at Joel. Once again, his phone was hidden from view. A habit you were beginning to notice happened with meals, but you almost wished he had it out because it would have been better than the thick silence that hung between you.

"So, you said we had the afternoon. Did you want to go to the beach? Or maybe-"

"I gotta work," he said abruptly, and you felt your heart sink a little.

"Oh, right, of course. Sorry."

You thought you saw guilt flicker across his face for a brief moment before he cleared his throat and looked out towards the crashing waves on the shoreline.

"You could go to the beach. Don't lemme stop you."

"What? No, no, I'll hang back. Maybe just take a dip in the pool, unpack a little bit. I'm still a little jet lagged, anyway," you found yourself saying. It wasn't even true, but the thought of going to the beach alone sounded boring.

"There's a spa in the hotel. Massages, facials, that kinda stuff. Whatever you want just bill it to the room."

"Oh... okay. Maybe, yeah," you stammered. He was utterly confusing you. He wasn't acting like the Joel who was pinching your chin in the clothing store or gazing at you with admiration over dinner last night. It felt like you were back at square one and you had no idea what happened.

Once your food arrived, you ate in relative silence. You spent most of the meal taking in the scenery and people watching the other guests staying at the hotel. It wasn't until your plates were cleared when you noticed a familiar face.

You straightened up in your chair and, without thinking, reached a hand out to rest gently on Joel's forearm. His muscles tensed under your touch but you didn't pull away. Instead, you leaned forward, eyes still focused somewhere over his shoulder.

"Isn't that Zachary?"

Joel twisted around to look and groaned before turning back to you.

"Must be stayin' here, too."

You watched as Zoe arrived moments later wearing a long, flowing patterned dress with a deep neckline, showing a generous amount of cleavage, and sporting a large sun hat and oversized sunglasses. She slid them down and glanced around, almost immediately catching your eye and tossing you a flirty wave. You smiled and let go of Joel's arm, not noticing how he retracted it under the table after, and waved back.

"They're coming this way."

"Shit."

He pushed his sunglasses on and ran his fingers through his hair just as they approached your table.

"Miller," Zachary said gruffly by way of greeting, clapping Joel on the shoulder. He glanced up and forced a friendly smile for them both.

"Mornin'."

"Heard you were staying here. Got the two bedroom villa, huh? Expecting company?"

Joel frowned and shook his head. "How'd you know that?"

"Owner's a buddy of mine," he said, tapping the side of his nose with a mischievous grin.

"I tend to travel heavy. Joel wanted to get me the extra space for all my things," you told Zachary, your voice dripping with sweetness as you shot Joel what you hoped was a look of adoration.

"How thoughtful of you, Joel," Zachary said, but you could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't very sincere. "Looking forward to drinks later. You're both coming, right? Or do you gotta hang back and work?"

Your eyes darted back and forth between the two men, trying to get a read on the sudden tension and where it stemmed from, but you were lost.

"Nope. We'll both be there."

Joel's voice was curt, fingertips tapping on the table, quite clearly wishing he would leave. Zachary got the hint and looked Zoe's way.

"C'mon, darling. Let's get you something to eat. Kept you up way too late last night," he murmured with a wink. She smiled sweetly at him and when they both turned to head back to their table, she waved to you again.

"See you tonight!" she said brightly over her shoulder, seemingly unbothered by the awkwardness you both just witnessed.

Once they were both out of earshot, you gave Joel a look.

"That last comment was kind of gross."

Joel sighed and stood up. "Yeah, that's Zachary for you."

You scrambled to stand and joined him as you walked through the restaurant, back to the elevators, giving the pair one more friendly wave before disappearing from view.

"Do you guys not get along or something?" you asked once you were safely inside the elevator alone. Joel shrugged and kept his eyes on the numbers ticking away above the door.

"End of the day, they're all competition. It's all a game."

It felt like more than that, but you let it go.

Silently, you followed him back to the villa. Once inside, you busied yourself in the kitchen, weighing your options for the day while he set up a laptop on the dining room table. You didn't want to be in his way, but you didn't feel much like exploring on your own just yet. The exterior wall of the living room was completely made of glass, giving you both a spectacular view of your pool and the ocean beyond. He had logged into work and was getting settled at the table when you finally decided to spend the day at the gorgeous, private pool just outside. As you headed in the direction of your room, you glanced over your shoulder, about to tell him of your intentions, but he had already slipped in a pair of earbuds.

That was fine. He would be able to see you from his seat at the table if he wondered where you went.

When reviewing your options for bathing suits, you were shocked to find six different choices. Who on earth would need more than two? But you shrugged and decided on a simple black bikini, changing quickly and applying some sunscreen before finding a sheer green coverup amongst your things and slipping it over your shoulders. Rifling through your duffel bag, you found a book, your headphones, and your own sunglasses, all of which you brought with you before opening the glass door leading from your bedroom to the patio outside.

There was a white linen pergola next to the pool with two lounge chairs and a cabinet underneath. You picked a chair and put your things down before opening the cabinet to find a towel and some bottles of water. The amenities in the hotel were outstanding and you found yourself still struggling to get used to it. Everywhere you turned, you had everything you could possibly need. Is this really how the other half lived?

You slipped your coverup off, tossing it on top of your phone, and ran the tips of your fingers underneath the band of your bikini bottoms, straightening out the fabric and making sure you had coverage before timidly stepping towards the pool. Even from this distance you could hear laughter and music filtering from the beach, the sounds of summer and joy bringing a smile to your face as you dipped a toe into the pool. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when you realized the pool was heated to the perfect temperature, so you glided right in, submerging yourself underwater and popping back up with a refreshing gasp.

If Joel wanted to work the whole time you were there, then that was his choice. You knew in all likelihood you wouldn't ever get an opportunity like this again, and you were determined to enjoy it.

He was supposed to be working. In fact, he was supposed to be paying attention while the head of finance went over the last quarter's numbers on his laptop screen via video call, but instead he found his eyes drifting to the massive window overlooking the pool. Every time you emerged from the water, your body slick and that skimpy bikini stuck rather obscenely to your skin, he couldn't stop himself from staring. Thank Christ the windows were tinted.

"Joel?"

His eyes dragged back to the laptop and he cleared his throat. "Sorry, WiFi's a little spotty."

"No problem. I said we made record profits last quarter and we should be in a strong financial position to expand without requiring any loans."

"Fantastic," Joel replied, his eyes darting briefly to the window, swallowing hard when you took a break to drink some water. You tipped your head back and closed your eyes, your soft lips wrapping around the plastic of the bottle. He felt his cock twitch and he forced his eyes back to the screen. This whole arrangement with you was proving to be a lot more challenging than he expected. He was doing his best to pull away from you and create some distance, but it wasn't working.

"What's the word out there? Think you got a shot at this piece of land?"

Joel shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Too early to say, but if I had to guess, it'll come down to me or Scott."

"Well, good luck, sir."

"Thanks. We'll talk next week."

Joel exited the meeting and the room was filled with silence once again. Emails popped up in the corner of his screen and he managed to focus for a couple hours, one call from HR in particular distracting him from looking at you, but around lunchtime he found his gaze wandering again. You were laid out on your lounge chair reading, legs stretched out, looking sunkissed and relaxed.

With a sigh, he looked down at his watch then stood up. Strolling to the kitchen, he picked up the phone attached to the wall while thumbing through the room service menu. He ordered a couple items for you to share before heading to his bedroom to find his swim trunks.

He never takes a break that doesn't involve clients, so what the hell? Just this once.

By the time he emerged from his bedroom and stepped out onto the patio, you had slipped back into the pool. You were gazing out towards the ocean with your chin resting on the backs of your hands as you leaned up against the edge of the infinity pool. When you heard his door close, you turned to look at him in surprise.

"Hey," you said happily, gaze flickering down his bare chest quickly before locking eyes with him again.

"Mind if I join you?"

You grinned and shook your head. "Not at all."

He tossed his sunglasses and the shirt he had clutched in his hand onto the other lounge chair, realizing for the first time he forgot his phone back inside, but he shrugged it off. He didn't need it anyway. Work could wait an hour.

"Feels nice," he said once he walked all the way into the pool, the water stopping just underneath his collarbone.

"Sure beats the above ground pool I had growing up," you joked.

"Hell, at least you had one."

"True," you sighed, wading over to a built in seat in the deep end so you could rest. "Got me in trouble a few times, though."

Joel quirked an eyebrow and slowly walked over, joining you on the other end of the seat. It gave you both the perfect view of the ocean. "What kinda trouble?"

You giggled and shook your head. "You know. Inviting my friends over to swim when I wasn't supposed to." You paused before quietly adding, "swimming with boys in the middle of the night."

"Boys?" Joel chuckled in surprise.

"Well, not boys. One boy. A boy."

He hummed and glanced at you. "Someone special?"

You shrugged, gaze still pinned on the ocean. "I guess at the time he was. He was my next door neighbor growing up."

"What happened?"

"He went away to college, I eventually moved out to LA, we just lost touch. I think he was my first real love."

For some inexplicable reason, Joel felt his chest grow tight. He rubbed it absentmindedly, refusing to give it too much thought.

"What about you?" you asked, tilting your head towards him. "Who was your first love?"

"Who says I had one?" he countered without even thinking. Now it was your turn to be surprised.

"You've never been in love?"

His eyes dragged down your face before taking a deep breath and looking away, already regretting sharing too much. "Been busy."

You laughed softly to yourself and shook your head.

"What?" he frowned.

"Nothing. I just don't think love checks with your schedule. When it happens, there's no stopping it, whether you like it or not, whether it's convenient or not."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Pretty profound."

You locked eyes and gave him an endearing smile. "I can be surprising."

"Oh, I'm very aware," he replied, his gaze dropping down briefly to look at the distorted image of your body through the water, then quickly met your eye again. "Nice suit, by the way."

Your cheeks instantly felt hot as you bit your lip and shyly looked away. "Thank you. You bought it."

"I have good taste."

"I think that's been established."

Shit. You were cute. And quick. But he already knew that.

"Wanna tell me what it's like?" he asked lowly, and you felt your breath hitch. "Bein' in love?"

"Oh, I don't want to spoil the surprise for you."

"I made it this far, ain't sure it's in the cards for me," he said, a smile pulling at his lips.

"I wouldn't count you out just yet," you replied softly.

He stared at you, your words hanging heavy in the air, as he struggled to formulate a response. Something about the way you were looking at him made him open his mouth before his brain had a chance to catch up. He was seconds away from telling you too much, from breaking one of his rules, from letting you in, but fortunately the door to the living room slid open, dissolving the tension in an instant.

"Mr. Miller? Room service."

You both turned your heads towards the two attendants holding silver trays with matching polished domed lids on top.

"Put them over there," he directed, pointing to the pergola. They nodded in unison and carefully placed the trays down, lifting the lids off with white gloves, and disappeared back inside.

"Thank you!" you called after them before the door closed. Your eyes drifted back to him but you could see the moment was over. When the living room door opened, Joel's door shut.

"Got us somethin' to eat," he explained, nodding in the direction of the pergola.

"That was thoughtful, thank you."

He spent another ten minutes outside with you, nibbling on assorted meats, cheeses and fruits until he stood with a groan, announcing he had work to get back to, and reminded you to be ready to leave by six that evening.

You nodded and bit the inside of your cheek as you watched him slip back inside his room to change, convinced more than ever that there was a good man hidden underneath all that armor, you just had to keep chipping away.

"I'll need to thank your assistant one day. Whoever they are, I gotta admit, they did a good job," you told Joel in the back of the private car that was taking you to Glenn's estate. You smoothed down the fabric of your bright yellow sundress, loving the way it hugged your curves and made your skin glow.

"Did you ever have any doubt?" he asked, sliding his sunglasses down his nose so he could look at you over the top. You grinned and shrugged.

"Maybe."

You found yourself growing excited for the evening ahead. Even though you knew it was all an act, that Joel was paying you to pretend to be someone you're not, you found yourself enjoying it more than you thought. But shamefully you especially enjoyed the way Joel acted around you when others were present. You liked his touch and his smile as opposed to the closed off version you had been stuck with the remainder of the afternoon. He was utterly confusing and his mood shifts were giving you whiplash, but at least you knew what to expect at Glenn's house that evening.

"You think you'll be alright on your own for a bit tonight?" he asked as if he somehow read your mind, dashing all your hopes at seeing that softer side of him again.

"Sure," you answered timidly.

"Good. Wanna try to get some one on one time with Glenn, make some progress with 'em."

"Of course."

You looked out the window, heart suddenly deflated. If it was apparent you were disappointed, he wouldn't have even noticed. Per usual, he was staring down intently at his phone, hardly sparing you a glance the rest of the ride.

The car dropped you off in front of a huge, sprawling manor built right on the coast. In the distance, you could see the twinkling lights from other resorts, but Glenn managed to carve out his own little private paradise smack dab in the middle of tourist country.

"This is beautiful," you said breathlessly as you gazed up at the Mediterranean-style architecture surrounded by palm trees and exotic florals. It was dusk and the outside of the house and gardens were lit up with gorgeous ambient lighting, set on the backdrop of a deep purple and pink sky.

"C'mon," was all Joel said, nodding towards the stone walkway, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his khakis. You hurried to catch up with him while your head tilted back to admire the outdoor chandeliers hanging high above the front entrance.

It appeared you arrived just after everybody else. As you walked through the foyer towards the kitchen, you could hear pleasantries and welcomes being exchanged, along with drink orders and details on what hors d'oeuvres were being served.

At the last moment you wrapped a hand around the inside of Joel's elbow, but his hand stubbornly remained in his pocket.

"Ah, welcome!" Glenn bellowed when you stepped into the massive and meticulously kept kitchen. You tried not to gawk and did your best to act like you were around homes like that every single day and not, in fact, only familiar with them through reality TV and magazines.

You waved shyly and glanced quickly around the room while Joel led you to the bar. Already, the significant others had split off from their respective hotel moguls, laughing and sipping on drinks on the other side of the room.

Joel handed you a glass of wine with a warm smile that you couldn't help but return, then subtly cleared his throat, his eyes darting to the others across the room. You got the hint but before parting ways, you planted a kiss on his cheek. His stubble felt rough against your lips yet you felt a jolt in your stomach at the sensation, anyway. Wiping your lipstick from his tanned skin with your thumb, you turned to leave, pleased to feel his eyes on your back as you walked.

Zoe noticed you first. She waved excitedly and you waved back. Even if Joel couldn't stand Zachary, it was undeniable that Zoe's energy was infectious.

"Long time, no see," you joked, and she laughed. Your eyes trailed down her outfit and you shot her an envious look. "Love that dress," you added.

"Thanks! It's Valentino," then she cupped her hand around her mouth and whispered conspiratorially, "it's not even out yet."

"Wow!" you said enthusiastically, playing along as if you had some idea how important that was.

Tammy and Lynne were huddled around Ian as he showed them photos from his phone and it was at that point you realized the three of them had been icing Zoe out completely. Your brow furrowed slightly and you looked at her, trying to figure out if you were reading the room correctly, but she didn't give anything away. She was still babbling to you about her dress and the lengths Zachary went to in order to get it for her, seemingly unbothered. Tammy glanced over her shoulder at Zoe when she heard her gushing about her boyfriend and you picked up on the unmistakable disdain written all over her face before she quickly blinked it away with a tight smile after she noticed you looking in her direction.

Tammy turned around then and greeted you by name, interrupting Zoe, and stuck her hand out. "Please let me see that ring, I was dying to get a better look at it last night."

You shot Zoe an apologetic glance but she just smiled back as she sipped her martini, watching Tammy closely over her glass. You stuck out your hand and all four of them gasped and fawned all over your ring.

"How did he propose?" Ian asked.

You repeated the fake story, hoping you remembered everything and looked sincere enough as you spoke, and when you finished up you gazed down at the ring on your finger. It really was a beautiful ring.

"The beach, huh?" Tammy repeated, and you nodded. "Doesn't sound like Joel."

A jolt of panic shot through you like lightning. "What do you mean?"

She just shrugged. "I never took Joel for a beach guy."

"Well, he knows I love the beach. He did it for me," you told her defensively. It was ridiculous to feel so protective over a fake relationship but for some reason, you didn't like her tone. Besides, what did she know about Joel? Was she implying she knew him better somehow?

"Hm. How romantic," Tammy replied sweetly, but you still picked up on the undercurrent of distaste in her words.

"Yes, I agree. He's very romantic," you couldn't help but say. You wanted to wipe that snobby look off her face. She stared at you, that fake smile still stretched across her thin lips, and you stared right back, refusing to be the first to look away.

A sharp clap of laughter came from the men across the room, breaking the tension between the two of you. You shuffled your feet and glanced back at Zoe who was giving you an amused look from behind her glass. Maybe you read her all wrong. Maybe Zoe wasn't clueless after all.

Mary, Glenn's wife, emerged from the butler's pantry with a wide smile. Her eyes drifted around the room to make sure her guests were taken care of as she headed in the direction of your group.

"So sorry! Just a little situation with the caterers," she explained, clapping her hands together gleefully. "How about we all head outside?"

You agreed and followed her dutifully towards the courtyard where a magnificent in-ground pool with built in lights that made the water look almost purple was in the center of an extraordinary backyard. There were plenty of seating and lounging areas, as well as an outdoor bar complete with bartender standing at attention. Gorgeous string lights were draped above your heads and all around the courtyard, connecting at the various palm trees and casting the area with the perfect amount of mood lighting.

"Mary, this place is absolutely stunning," Lynne gushed with a hand pressed lightly against her flushed chest. Mary smiled her thanks.

"We've been working on making this place our dream home for so many years," she replied, "it's everything we've ever wanted."

It didn't take very long for you to become a little bored with hearing the details of how their architect imported tile from Rome or how she had some prestigious artist, a name you'd never heard before, paint a mural in their master suite, but you did your best to remain polite and engaged. However, when it became clear Ian, Lynne and Tammy were legitimately interested in her interior designer's "risky" idea for her dining room, you didn't feel so bad when you let your attention wander for a bit.

Your eyes drifted around the pool in search of someone with food as you tipped your glass back, finishing your wine. Then you locked eyes with Zoe, who appeared to also be losing interest. She gave you a small smile before tilting her head toward the bar and you both politely excused yourselves in search of more drinks.

"Can you imagine living somewhere like this?" she asked when you got out of earshot.

You chuckled and shook your head. "Never. I mean, LA is nice but it's just not the same. It's so... peaceful here."

"It really is," she sighed. You both leaned up against the bar and ordered refills when you heard the door open. You twisted around excitedly, assuming it would be Joel and the others, but it turned out to be three caterers, each holding a tray at chest level. Zoe waved them down and you inwardly sighed with relief when you each took a small smattering of what they had to offer.

"Thank god," you mumbled when you popped something in your mouth that you didn't recognize but at that point, you didn't care. "I was starting to think no one eats."

She giggled and covered her mouth. "They probably don't, but I sure as hell do."

You laughed and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the others, aside from Mary, chose to decline the appetizers. "I mean, it's only polite, right?"

"Yeah, duh," Zoe answered before taking a bite of tuna tartare. "Mary'd be disappointed if no one ate. Kind of rude of the others when you think about it."

Your eyes widened and you glanced around, making sure the bartender was busy talking to another caterer and not paying attention before you spoke again. "I think that Tammy's kind of rude, regardless," you said softly, watching carefully for Zoe's reaction. She gasped dramatically as if you had committed blasphemy, then instantly dropped the act, giggling into her palm in agreement.

"Yeah, she's something alright," Zoe replied, looking once over her shoulder at the group. "You did good, though. Standing your ground, marking your territory. Still, you'd think she would be a little more subtle, considering."

You frowned and titled your head to the side. "Considering what?"

She eyed you coyly and winked. "Zach told me. Don't worry though, I won't say a word."

Your blood ran cold. Could she somehow know your relationship was all a lie? No, that wouldn't make sense. Still...

"What do you mean?"

She looked around and picked up her drink and food. "Let's go sit down."

You followed her over to a table with a semblance of privacy without looking like you were excluding yourselves. She brushed her hair off her shoulders and readjusted the straps on her dress before she continued. "He told me about Joel and Tammy. That they had an affair. You'd think after that song and dance last night about them being college sweethearts she would be a little more reserved or, god forbid, have some goddamn shame, but I guess not."

She looked down to scrape something questionable off a cracker while you tried to control your reaction to her news. How could Joel not tell you something this important? Was he crazy?

You swallowed the lump in your throat and steeled yourself, pretending you knew all along. "Does everyone know?"

She scoffed and shook her head. "Hell no. You think they'd be talking to her right now if they did?"

You breathed a sigh of relief but you still couldn't shake the tight feeling in your chest and the inexplicable anger you felt towards Tammy. Clenching your teeth, you took a deep breath in through your nose.

"That's good. Joel would freak if they knew."

She raised her eyebrows and nodded as she chewed and looked around. "Speak of the devil."

Your stunned gaze slid over to where she was looking, spotting the group of men exiting the house to join their partners, each of them carrying identical glasses of dark liquor. Joel's eyes found yours and he immediately could sense something was off. Then he looked at Zoe, his face unreadable before glancing back at you.

"C'mon, we should join them," she said.

Zoe stood up and you followed as if on autopilot.

"Maybe we can go to the spa one of these days? Get some lunch?"

"That sounds wonderful," you told her as you approached the rest of the group. She smiled and broke off to find Zachary, leaving you to face Joel alone.

"Everythin' alright?" he asked. He was smiling in case anyone looked your way but his tone was laced with concern. Worry.

"Yep," you said. You felt his hand brush against your lower back and your body stiffened. He frowned.

"You sure?"

"Mhm," you hummed, pressing your wine glass against your lips, looking anywhere but at him.

"Dad! Sorry we're late," a deep voice called from behind you. The guests turned around to find Trevor and Brooks, Glenn's oldest sons, step out into the courtyard.

"Boys! There you are!" Mary called happily. They took turns planting kisses on her cheek before shaking their father's hand and explaining some work emergency that held them up, but you couldn't stop noticing the way Brooks's fingers wiggled against his side. The longer you watched, the more you noticed. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, the energy rolling off him as his eyes darted around in search of alcohol or food or both.

Then they landed on you.

His gaze was dark and chilling, sending a shiver down your spine. You swallowed tightly and stepped a little closer to Joel, who was talking to Harry about some basketball team, completely oblivious to the way Brooks's eyes dragged appreciatively down your frame.

And just as quickly as it happened, he looked away.

Part of you wanted to tell Joel you weren't feeling well, that you wanted to leave, but you bit your tongue. You were there for a reason. You had to uphold your end of the deal. But everything about that evening made you feel uneasy and sick.

"Glenn invited us all to his yacht this weekend," Joel told you the following morning. He seemed happier than the day before. More upbeat. It should have made you happy, but you couldn't shake the dread that cloaked your shoulders since Zoe told you about Joel's affair, and then the look Brooks gave you right after. You had hardly slept, tossing and turning all night, unable to fully relax.

"Hey, you all good?"

"Huh?" you asked, sitting up straight in your chair and blinking the clouds from your eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm good. You said a yacht?"

"Yeah. Two nights- you sure?" Joel asked, cutting himself off and leaning forward. "You were real quiet last night, too."

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Sorry," you said, waving him off and focusing on the fruit bowl in front of you.

"Don't need to be sorry," he mumbled. He wasn't really buying your excuse but he chose not to push you. "Why don't we stay in today if you're tired? Relax in the room or... whatever you wanna do."

You perked up at his suggestion. "Don't you have to work?"

He nodded and shrugged before leaning back in his chair. "I'm allowed to take a break."

You grinned and he could see the bad mood instantly leave your body. "Are you sure? I heard the CEO is a handful."

He tossed his head back and laughed, startling you with its rarity. "Oh, you got no idea," he replied. You felt your cheeks heat up so you dropped your gaze back to your breakfast, hiding your smile behind your fork. "You said you wanted to go to the beach, right?" he offered, and you quickly nodded.

"But if that's not your thing..." you trailed off, remembering Tammy's words from the night before.

"Who doesn't love the beach?" he replied before finishing his eggs and standing up. "I'm gonna go get ready, meet you out here in thirty," he said over his shoulder. You watched him leave with a little smile.

So maybe Tammy doesn't know Joel as well as she thought she did.

Once back in your room, you surveyed your bathing suit options. You already wore the black one, so you decided on a white bikini with a halter tie behind the neck and matching white bottoms that had a chunky, gold-toned chain which sat on either side of your hips. You slid it on and gawked in the mirror when you realized Joel's assistant accidentally left the tag on.

"Who the hell pays almost $200 for a fucking swimsuit?" you muttered under your breath before carefully removing it and tossing it in the trash. You liked the sheer green coverup from the day before, so you put that back on and began to pack a beach tote you found amongst the endless accessories purchased for you.

Once you made sure you had all your essentials, you tucked your sunglasses on top of your head and walked towards your door. When your left hand stretched out for the handle, you frowned as you looked down at your ring. You couldn't take that to the beach. You would never be able to relax, too afraid of losing it.

Knowing Joel had a safe in his room, you lightly rapped on his door.

"Yeah?"

"Can I put my- the ring in your safe?" you said, hoping he didn't notice your slip up.

"Sure."

For some reason, you assumed that meant it was clear to enter, so you opened the door and stepped through. Your eyes bugged out of your head when you realized he was still changing, your heart practically leaping out of your chest with embarrassment.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry!" you said, shielding your eyes and backing out of the room quickly. You heard him say something but you couldn't hear him over the curses you were spitting to yourself, so you hurried into the living room and began to pace around nervously, desperately trying to wipe the image from your memory.

Oh, god, he was going to be so pissed. Just when you had him back in a sweet mood, you went and did something so fucking stupid and in all likelihood, ruined the entire day.

When Joel entered the living room, you were chewing on your nail nervously, still pacing around until you noticed him and skid to a stop.

"Joel, I'm so sorry-"

"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout," he said with a smirk. "Ready to go?"

He could have knocked you over with a feather as you stood there, blinking rapidly and trying to keep up.

"Y-yeah, I'm ready," you stammered, swiveling around to grab your tote, then jogged to catch up with him. "Wait! The ring, I never-"

"Oh, right," he said, turning around and holding his hand out. You twisted it off and gave it to him. While he took the ring back to his room, it afforded you a few more seconds to come to terms with what just transpired in the last ten minutes.

Before he joined you again, you had given yourself a mental pep talk: everything was fine, you didn't even see anything, and he wasn't mad.

Well, you saw something, but you weren't going to dwell on that.

The awkwardness only lingered in your system for thirty minutes or so. When you arrived at the beach and felt the warm sand underneath your feet, you immediately felt at ease.

"Lemme ask you somethin'," Joel said after setting down his frozen drink next to yours. Of course, he had bought a private cabana for the afternoon so you were each lounging on your chairs in the shade with silent fans aimed at each of you, spritzing you with a cool mist, keeping you perfectly comfortable in the tropical heat.

"Shoot."

"That story you told Glenn - 'bout me askin' you to marry me," he said, sitting up a bit to stretch. "That what you always wanted? You want someone to propose on the beach?"

You thought about it for a moment. "I don't know," you told him honestly. "I tried to think of the most romantic thing possible and it just popped into my head. I mean, I wouldn't mind it," you chuckled, brushing your hair from your neck.

"Well, when you were growin' up, how did you imagine it?"

"I-"

You cut yourself off, his question taking you off guard.

"I don't know if I ever thought about it."

He cocked his head to the side curiously. "Really? Hopeless romantic like yourself never fantasized 'bout it?"

You threw your head back and laughed, the sound instantly bringing a smile to his own face.

"I wouldn't call myself a hopeless romantic."

He tsked and picked his drink back up. "Yeah, you are."

You scoffed and shot him an agitated look. "What?"

"Whether you realize it or not, you are," he replied matter-of-factly. "No one comes up with those stories off the cuff without havin' a little soft spot for romance."

Your scowl melted into a grin. How was he so good at reading you? And why couldn't you do the same to him?

"How about you? When you-"

"Wanna go for a dip?" he asked, cutting you off as he stood to tug his shirt over his head. Your mouth went dry when you saw his bare chest and back, and then your gaze instinctively dropped. You instantly recalled walking in on him that morning and you had to tear your eyes away before he could see how flustered you were, but it was too late. Joel noticed everything.

"Yeah, sure," you mumbled, standing to shed your cover up. When you turned back to him you had to suppress your smirk at the way his eyes greedily drank you in.

It felt like the playing field leveled once again.

The moment you stepped out from under the protection of the cabana, the heat engulfed you both. Just the short walk to the shore made the back of your neck sweat and you couldn't wait to slip into the crystal blue water to cool down.

"This place doesn't seem real," you confessed to Joel as you waded slowly into the ocean with a ridiculous smile stretched across your face.

"Just imagine the kind of money one of these resorts rakes in," he replied before leaping forward into the water so the only skin that was exposed were his shoulders on up.

Joel didn't like to share much about his private life, that much you knew for certain, but one thing he always seemed open to talking about was work.

"If you win the lot, would this be your most successful hotel?"

He nodded and tilted his head back, eyes sliding closed as he basked in the sun's hot rays. "It would put The Parador on the map, open up countless possibilities."

"Oh, so no pressure or anything," you joked. Your foot grazed against something hard in the sand and you looked down, squinting through the water, then gasped.

"What?"

"Look!" you said excitedly, pointing down. His eyes followed your finger and he frowned.

"I don't see nothin'."

"The seashells! They're pink!"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Pink seashells, huh?"

"Yes!" you squeaked as you tried and failed to pluck one out of the sand with your toes. Joel sighed dramatically and gently pushed you back.

"What are you-"

He took a deep breath and plunged under the water, making you giggle as you watched him dig a few seashells out before popping back up. He shook his head like a wet dog, flinging water droplets at you and making you shriek before he triumphantly brought his hand up from underneath the water and gave you your prize.

"Oh, my hero," you gushed before carefully picking up each one to examine them closer. "Thank you, Joel."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Sweetheart. Your smile grew wider but you hoped he just attributed it to the seashells you were so fixated on. Realizing you had nowhere to put them without going back to the beach, you turned away so you could shove them into the cups of your bikini. You heard a deep chuckle behind you and you looked at him over your shoulder.

"I don't wanna get out!"

He laughed a little louder, the sound beginning to grow on you. He looked so young and relaxed, bobbing up and down in the ocean with his hair slicked back while the sun warmed his already tanned skin.

Turned out Tammy was wrong: Joel was a beach guy.

"I just think it's funny you're bein' so modest after you got an eyeful of me earlier," he told you, his eyes sparkling. You felt your chest and neck grow hot and you shook your head with shame.

"I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't see anything."

He cocked an eyebrow at you. "Don't lie."

You swallowed the lump in your throat, heart skipping a beat as you struggled with a response.

"Okay, I might have seen just a little bit," you confessed softly, looking anywhere but at him as you floated around, allowing the waves to push and pull your body ever so slightly.

"Ouch," he winced, and you forced yourself to meet his gaze. "Little, huh?"

"Oh, god," you groaned, burying your face in your wet hands. "That's not what I meant."

He laughed heartily, enjoying your embarrassment far too much. "I'm just messin' with you."

You splashed him angrily but couldn't stop yourself from grinning. Why couldn't he be like this all the time? This version of him was so sweet, so intoxicating that you found yourself craving it and trying to find ways to bring it out of him more. So you decided to be brave and match his energy, just a little bit. Just to see what he would do.

"You're right. Little wasn't the right word."

He raised his eyebrows in shock and the smile slipped from his face. You thought you made a mistake and already you were scrambling to apologize, but then his gaze darkened and you felt his hand brush against your hip under the water.

"That so?" he said huskily, his tone sending a shiver down your spine and your heart to beat wildly in your chest. You bit your lip and nodded, not putting much confidence in your voice as he inched even closer. You could smell his sunscreen mixing with the salt from the water and the heat of the sun, the entire combination making you feel a little lightheaded. His eyes flickered over your shoulder briefly before you felt his other hand on your waist. "Shit, Zachary 'n Zoe are watchin' us."

Using it as an excuse, you draped your arms around his neck and hummed, pulling yourself so close that your noses were practically touching.

"Suppose we should act like we're madly in love, then."

His fingers pressed harder into your skin as he stared at your mouth, his breathing becoming shallow when your lips parted.

"S'pose we should."

When he pressed his mouth against yours, it was so delicate and soft it made you wonder if he was nervous. The thought excited you and you let your body melt against his. You already felt weightless in the water but the way his lips massaged yours made you feel like you might just float away.

His tongue swiped against your lower lip and you immediately granted him access, opening your mouth a little wider to allow him to deepen the kiss. You both knew you were playing with fire but neither of you stopped to consider it. He tasted too good: like sea salt and the coconut from his drink and it was making you ache for more. Your fingers dragged through the wet curls on the back of his head as his tongue danced with yours, both of you completely forgetting where you were and getting lost in the moment.

A small wave crashed into you, splashing you both with warm sea water and causing you to pull away with a gasp. You dragged in a few deep breaths but his lips drifted to your chin, nibbling and biting along the length of your jaw. You forced your eyes to open, surprised to find you had floated around so you could now see the beach from over his shoulder.

"I don't see Zachary or Zoe."

He froze, his lips still pressed wetly against the sensitive spot below your ear and you felt him smirk. He leaned back and gave you a guilty look. "Huh."

"Huh?" you repeated, and he twisted around to scan the shore.

"Coulda sworn I saw 'em..." he said, scratching his chin and trying to hide his smile. You gasped and shoved his shoulder, pushing him away with a laugh.

"Liar," you teased.

He shrugged and kicked his legs up so he could float on his back. "Guess we'll never know."

"You're unbelievable," you told him, attempting to sound annoyed but you knew your voice held no conviction. He just grinned and closed his eyes with a sigh. You followed his lead and leaned back so you could float, your body rising and falling with each soft wave while you ignored the arousal that flared between your legs. Looking out towards the sea, you spotted various boats speckling the skyline.

"So a yacht, you said?"

"Mhmm. Two days. If you get seasick, I got pills that'll help."

"What are we going to do for two days?" you asked.

"Eat. Drink. Jet-ski. Maybe check out some small islands or somethin'," he replied, eyes still peacefully shut.

"So we're sleeping on this yacht?"

He cracked one eye opened and looked at you. "Yep," he answered. You swallowed and looked back towards the beach.

"That means we'll have to share a bed," you said, feeling ridiculous for being so nervous at the prospect when his tongue was practically down your throat moments ago.

"That a problem?"

You shook your head. "Of course not."

He smiled and closed his eyes again. "Good."

Shit. You were in trouble.

Please follow @punkshort-notifs and turn on notifications for fic updates ❤️

#joel miller #pedro pascal #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel the last of us #joel miller fanfic #joel miller tlou #joel x reader #joel x you #joel miller au #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #the last of us hbo #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fic #the last of us au #swept away fic

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wondernus · 1 year ago

Text

— DAD OF THE YEAR

SYNOPSIS: seungcheol accidentally reveals he has a daughter on a first date and doesn't know how to tell you that his daughter is a dog

PAIRING: csc x reader

GENRE: fluff

TAGS: first dates, dog dad cheol

WC: 575

MESSAGE FROM NU: s/o to this seungcheol for making it out of the dating app conversation phase & making it work bc I did it once and it did not turn out like this

seungcheol doesn't know if he has the heart to tell you that it was all a misunderstanding that he accidentally took too far. several hours of conversations on a popular dating app about various niche topics that piqued both of your interests led the two of you to skip the basics. he didn't find out about your occupation until twenty minutes into the current date.

when you accidentally drop your phone on the sidewalk, he immediately bends over to pick it up for you. but one of kkuma's several hair clips from the last time he walked her falls out of his jacket pocket and slides a few centimeters away from his hand. by the time he slips it back into his pocket, you've already seen the pastel-hued flower clip.

you tilt your head at him while he hands you back your phone as if to ask him who that clip belongs to.

"my daughter" — the answer slips out of his mouth before he can correct himself. he's already so used to calling his dog his daughter that it feels right to address her in that way.

when he realizes his mistake, he's expecting a question from you asking for an explanation about the bomb that he just dropped. his correction forms on the tip of his tongue, but you're quick to beat him. and weirdly enough, you ask him about her clips and whether or not he does her hair every day.

the several pistons that churn his brain are all firing at once. there's a frenzy happening in his mind. are you going to ignore the fact that he said he has a daughter even though the daughter is technically a dog? would you think of him differently? he already knows about how you always look at city bike riders to see if they've adjusted their seats high enough, but he doesn't even know if you're a dog person.

yet he casually continues the conversation. he's been sucked into a black hole. he loves talking about her accessories and the different ways he dresses her up. she's his daughter. of course he's going to spoil her and dote on her all the time. he can't stop talking about her and embarrassingly spends a good chunk of the date talking about her.

he talks about how she's the smartest in her class, how she's a picky eater, and how she sleeps by his side. he thinks you're fully convinced that he has a human child at this point, but he doesn't know when exactly is a good time to casually drop the fact that he has been talking about a dog the whole time.

"do you have pictures of her?" you ask him. the question causes him to physically stop in his tracks.

"huh?" he dumbly asks in response.

"your dog right? I remember seeing a pic of her in your profile." you're smiling at him.

all of the little fires in his head extinguish. smoke rises from the top of his head. gosh, it feels so nice to know that there wasn't a miscommunication. you're a good listener and you pay attention to tiny details that even he might miss. he thinks you're cute, especially the way your eyes seem to smile more than your mouth. he blushes.

"yeah. lots of them." he grins while pulling out his phone from his pocket. "we can picnic with her next time."

"great. it's a date."

#seventeen imagines #svt imagines #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol fluff #svthub #seungcheol x reader #seventeen fluff #svt fluff #wondernus imagines

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yandere-romanticaa · 5 months ago

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𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬.

🎀 in the late night of june, you sit beneath a mystic moon. well, rather, you're in a bar, all by your lonesome, pondering on what to order. in your daze, you didn't even see the strange man watching you.

yandere oc! x fem! reader

Despite being late June, the weather could not seem to make up its mind on how it was going to go. For the past few days, the sky kept going back and forth between being a beautiful blue to then suddenly changing to a gloomy grey, the air growing heavy with the threat of a downpour on any unsuspecting pedestrian.

You suppose you were no better than the weather, you figured. Toying with the the menu between your fingers, you noticed how it was filled to the brim with various drinks ranging from alcoholic to non alcoholic, hot or cold drinks, all of which was printed out on a pristine piece of jet black paper.

What to drink , what to drink?

The stress of exams was too much to bear, perhaps you could blame that for being so damn indecisive.

You let out a shiver as you noticed the waitresses cranking up the air conditioning to an insane degree. What was she trying to do, freeze you to death?! How inconsiderate...!

With a huff, you focused your attention back on the menu and came to the rational realization that perhaps it was for the best to get a simple fruit juice. But which kind? The offer was diverse and each flavor would surely satisfy your aching throat.

Just as you were getting ready to call out the waitresses, she seemingly beat you to the punch as she scurried towards you, a mysterious drink in her hand. The crystal glass shimmered softly against the dimly lit bar as the woman placed the drink in front of you, along with a scrunched up piece of paper. It couldn't be a bill as you had not ordered anything yet...

Seeing the confusion swirling in your eyes, the waitresses gave you a wink, beating you once again in terms of speed.

"See that guy in the corner over there?" she asked you, her tone laced with a sort of excitement. You nod, albeit slightly dumbly.

"It's from him!" she chirps happily.

Odd. You could have sworn that seat was not occupied just a few moments ago.

Taking the piece of paper in your hands, you unfold it to reveal neat handwriting, each letter and syllable written gently with a basic blue ink pen. It was a string of numbers, most likely his own phone number. Raising your head towards his direction, you noticed him eyeing you up and down, a boyish grin on his face.

He seemed normal enough, you reckoned. He seemed to be around his mid 20's, average height. He wore basic blue jeans and a cozy looking black t-shirt, which had no print on it. There were little to no accessories on his person other than a string which was hanging around his neck, most likely a necklace but was hidden from your view. Another thing worth taking note of was his phone case, which had a print of the Ghostface mask from the Scream franchise.

Ah, so he was a horror fan. How neat.

Feeling a little bold, you grabbed both your drink and the note and made your way towards him, never once breaking eye contact with the mystery man. Without a word, you shimmied across from him as you placed everything on the wooden table. A strange silence hovered in the air as neither one of you spoke for those few moments, but the man was clearly amused. Something was going on inside his head and he made no attempt to hide it, his light brown eyes basically dancing with pure glee. As if to ease the tension, he lightly smacked his lips and spoke:

"So. How are you on this fine evening?"

His tone was casual, as if he had known you for years, like he was chatting with an old pal back from the good ol' days. His entire demeanor was calm, dare you say friendly even. He raised his glass to his lips, the amber liquid in it swishing away as he took a sip, his gaze still not leaving yours.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

You couldn't help but to giggle a little.

"Ah, she speaks! Such delight!"

His tone was sweet like candy, lulling you in to feel safe. It was embarrassing how there was a part of you that actually seemed to be enjoying this encounter, but how could you not?

Life was so stale sometimes, so dull. The most exciting thing that would happen were the occasional outings with friends, all of which you loved dearly but... You craved more. It was unsure what you craved exactly, what you needed to get your heart beating and pulsing, but regardless you needed some excitement.

It was good to change the pace every once in a while.

The evening went on and you came to learn that the name of the mystery man was Will, an engineer student who transferred recently. He liked horror movies, mystery novels, cars and good beer. It was easy to chat and you shared many things with Will, even going as far to express the desire to see him again.

The sentiment was very much mutual.

As closing time was due, you exited the establishment with Will, his hand playfully linked with yours as he talked your ear off all of the fake guts in horror movies. He was so fascinated with the way films handled the production of those fake body parts, gooey blood and potential inducing nightmare fuel.

You made your way down the street together, the darkness of the night sky being slightly broken by the old street lights.

"Y'know..." he trailed off. He was still smiling.

"I always wondered what it would be like to actually kill a person."

It took a few seconds for you to realize just what he exactly said. Stopping dead in your tracks you turned towards Will, a flabbergasted look on your face. You felt the hair at the back of your hair stand up as the wind picked up, the leaves around you going in every direction, a warning of what was potentially to come.

Suddenly, the sound of loud and absurd laughter came bursting out of him, you soon following suit. It was borderline manic as he held your hand in his own, but being so lost in the sweet comfort of earlier you chose to not think about his worrying statement. Most horror enthusiasts were a little quirky anyway, Will was probably like that too.

And just like that, you parted ways for the evening, both parties promising to get in touch as soon as possible.

The walk home was swift as each step made you feel like a silly schoolgirl who just had her first kiss.

It was just so refreshing, like gentle rainy dew on a hot day.

Making your way back home, you fumbled with the keys inside your bag and opened the door with lightning speed. Kicking off your shoes and tossing the purse on the bed, you grabbed your phone and the piece of paper, pondering on the thought of whether you should just save his number or not. You were clearly going to be seeing him for a while, so -

Ding!

The text message was so sudden that you almost threw your phone on the ground. One mini heart attack later, you saw that the string of numbers were the same ones from before, so you quickly opened the message.

"What's your favorite scary movie ;))"

You snorted. He was so cheesy but damn it all if it wasn't cute.

"I like Scream a lot, if that makes you happy :D"

It took him a few minutes to respond.

"Good choice. But, personally, I'd really like to make my own scary movie with you... I could make you the main star."

Oh... Well. You're not sure how to respond to that. You stop and think, only for the sudden feeling of unease to come back. You remain still and try to brainstorm a response, but Will is faster.

"What wrong baby? Did I scare you? :)"

Ah. He's really committing to the part, isn't he? The best thing to do would be to just call him out.

"Haha, very funny Will! And no, you did not scare me, I'm just a slow texter!!!!"

Perhaps it was time to call it a night. It's been a rough week and you were not in the mood for these games. Halfway as you were turning away, your phone suddenly rang. You sharply turned your head back, wondering why Will was calling you so late. Perhaps he didn't get social cues? Your discomfort should have been obvious from the get go, but you still decide to pick up. Parting your lips, you started to talk but a male voice interrupted you instead.

"This isn't Will baby. But I'll be more than happy to make you my Sidney Prescott."

All the air was knocked out of your lungs as your eyes bulged so hard out of your head, threatening to pop like cheap balloons.

He was right. That was not Will's voice. The mystery caller cackled, his voice ringing loudly in your ear, the sound almost too painful for your mind.

"Didn't think you'd actually pick up." he continued. "I kept an eye on you all night, and you didn't even see me! Now that baby, is skill! "

He sounded so proud, like a child who just got a high mark on a test, as if he didn't even see just how wrong this whole situation really was. Mustering up the courage, you spoke up:

"Where's Will?"

Silence. The other line was dead silent but the caller didn't end the line.

You really did not like where this was heading.

"And why would you care where he is?" inquired the man, his voice changing from menacing to serious. Your silence spurred him on, making him more mad.

"You're my girl, even if you don't know it yet. I won't have you sweet talkin' with other men."

You let out a shocked scoff and quickly hung up. You smacked the phone against the table as an audible smack! echoed across the room. Crossing your arms close to your chest, you sprawled across the cozy bed with worry on your mind as the heart in your chest beat like crazy, pumping and pumping sheer adrenaline.

Despite all that, you somehow managed to fall asleep.

You didn't even get to see the last text the creepy caller had sent.

"I'll make you my girl, even if it's the last thing I ever do."

That was not a threat. But rather, a promise.

#fun fact: i am in fact sitting alone in a bar as i am writing this! ;)#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere imagines #yancore #yanderecore #yandere aesthetic #yandere male #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #yandere oc x you #yandere oc x y/n #yandere obsession #ghostface #yandere ghostface

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ghostofhyuck · 5 months ago

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NCT Dream when they found you after losing you in a crowd.

Mark Lee

Once Mark finds you on a corner after searching for almost ten minutes in a music festival. He swears to God that his heart stopped. He would probably ask you where have you been and how you ended up there, the signal was bad and in the middle of fun, Mark just realized that you're not by his side. He would probably ask you if you want to go back to the crowd or not, and if you do, he'll be the type to be not letting go of you anymore. Would backhug you or place his arms around your shoulder so that you won't be separated.

Huang Renjun

Renjun would let his anger senses heightened up because you got lost again. It was a busy market and you were always the type to stray away, so when you did it in a foreign market, Renjun just couldn't help but to be a bit mad at you, he'll probably nag you because he found you almost far inside the market. But !! He gives in because you'll give him your puppy eyes, telling him that you found these cute accessories and it reminds you of him. He'll give in for you but won't let go of you after that incident!

Lee Jeno

"There you are," I feel like Jeno will be super rational if ever you get lost in a crowd. He'll try to contact you immediately, and if he couldn't reach you. Then he'll just turn the place upside down lol. Once he finds you standing like a sad puppy on a side, he'll be relief, probably will ask you if you're okay and how did it happened that you got lost. You just excused yourself that you need to go the restroom but forgot your way. He was glad nothing happened to you but wouldn't let you out of his sight ever again.

Lee Donghyuck

Oh just like Renjun, Haechan will be angry if you got lost. He already told you that it'll be busy streets with lots and lots of people!! He told you to hold his hands but when he turned around and saw that you're not there anymore, he'll be so worried sick! Haechan found you not far away, almost on the verge of crying making him worry more !! Would stop nagging because he doesn't want to make you feel bad and will probably bribe you food so that you can be okay again lol.

Na Jaemin

You and Jaemin are struggling to find your way out of a crowded venue, that your hand slipped out of his. Jaemin would sense it immediately but when he turned around, you're just not there anymore! He'll be so worried, trying to find the path you two walked through but the crowd just hinders him more. He found you a few minutes later and asks you if you're okay because the crowd was pretty rough too. Would probably cling to you more, like wrap his arms around your waist type of skinship so that you wouldn't be lost again.

Zhong Chenle

Probably lost you at a busy and crowded mall that's too complicated for your brain. Would be the type to call you and if you didn't answer him, he'll try to search for the place you two went. His worries will be all gone when you sent him a message, telling him about your whereabouts. Once you two met, he'll casually tell you to tell him where are you going next time but will never let you leave his sight. You want to go this shop ? Okay, let's go there. You needed to go the restroom? Yeah, he's waiting outside so that you won't get lost again.

Park Jisung

This poor baby will panic once you two got separated at a concert ground where the signal is so shitty !! Probably will try to cling on his one-bar signal, hoping that it can send you a message. Also the type of losing you in the crowd because he goes everywhere to look for you, and seeing that he's not there, you'll go to search for him because you're worried about your boyfriend getting lost too. Will probably find you first and you two will laugh at how you two are trying to look for each other. Won't let go of your hand anymore and would accompany you wherever you go!

#nct dream #nct imagines #nct dream fic #nct fic #nct x reader #nct #nct dream imagine #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct dream reactions #nct drabbles #nct dream imagines #nct mark #nct jeno #nct renjun #nct haechan #nct jaemin #nct chenle #nct jisung

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jymwahuwu · 2 months ago

Note

I keep imagining Jing Yuan and Feixiao fighting over a reader who is trying to play coy, be a little flirty to both without ever committing, getting a rise out of teasing them while never giving them what they really want. I get flustered just imagining the different ways one of them might snap afbshqgvskq

-Honkai-Star-Thirst

Love this, you always provide great thirsty ideas. I'm going to be sandwiched between two generals😽💦💖💖💖

Oh, you are playing with fire, you know? Dare to play with the emotions of the two Xianzhou generals? Pretending to be shy and acting inexperienced in front of them?

cw: yandere, non-con, punishment, forced orgasm, forced kiss

You have a knack for time management - juggling two generals with appointments on the same day. The date with Jing Yuan was in a cat cafe. Together you pet the cute and charming cat and chat happily. Sometimes you two go to an adoption organization and volunteer together. Jing Yuan is really romantic at heart. You two have been dating for half a month… so holding hands is normal, right? He moved closer to you, wanting to interlock with your fingers. You ducked and said you had a sad past (you didn't). You're afraid of contact with men (you're not). You expressed your admiration for him at the same time, your eyes filled with admiration like stars. "If it were you…" You only said the first half of the sentence and stopped without making any promises.

In the afternoon, you have a date with Feixiao. You put on beautiful accessories and changed into another set of clothes. It was a picnic date! Before setting off, you baked some small cakes, brought a box of fruit, and brought sandwiches in a picnic basket. Arriving early is the point (pretend to be considerate and cute). You took the basket and sat on the grass obediently waiting for Feixiao to arrive. So when the general arrived, he saw you placing your legs on the red polka dot patterned picnic mat, waiting for her obediently… It was really heartwarming. She actually wanted to propose to you…but you didn't even agree to confirm the relationship with her. Feixiao shares food with you and shares her new knowledge. You smiled and nodded, occasionally giving some responses. When she wants to kiss you on the cheek, you avoid her and say the seagulls over there are cute.

You wanted to laugh out loud just thinking about how you could tease the feelings of the two Xianzhou generals. They're just too simple…in a romantic relationship, aren't they? It was really a first for them. You almost couldn't help but laugh when Jing Yuan told you that this was his first date in over seven hundred years. But how could it be your first time?

Your plan worked…right?

Ah, but your endless teasing may eventually lead to some emotional outbursts… The one who snaps first may be Jing Yuan. He may look like an angry kitten after you have avoided his advances countless times. And picks you up and kisses you, overstimulating you with his fingers. But none of this is dangerous…

Until the two generals exchanged photos of their "lovers" (as they called themselves, you didn't promise) during a casual chat. They looked at the photo on the screen, which showed the smiling face of the same person. It only took them a few minutes to figure it out - love blinds people, even generals. How dare you tease their love?

There's not even a need to wait, since you've delayed them for so long, punishment is necessary. That night, you agreed to a date with one of them, but rejected the other. With a smug smile, you pushed open the door of the general's mansion.

…Only to find the two of them standing in the living room, chatting leisurely.

A chill ran down your spine, and your lips trembled, but your reason told you that maybe they hadn't noticed yet. You just need better acting skills…

They had no intention of being so gentle with you. The world was spinning, and without even saying anything, you were pushed onto the sheets and your newly bought shorts and underwear were ripped off. The sound of fabric being torn was terrifying. A soft whimper escaped your throat. Fear. "Please- I can explain!! I'm not-" "Shh, don't be afraid." Jing Yuan kissed your lips, and Feixiao's hands grabbed your cheeks, as if she thought about whether to use force. Your cheeks don’t hurt from the tug. "You said it was your first time? Prove it."

A few hours later, you were lying on the bed with your butt lifted up helplessly, tightly closed, but the big, calloused hands parted your buttocks and played with the moist slit inside. That cock is pushed inside you again. Meanly fiddle with the core inside. Your lips were pried open, her tongue was entangled with yours, and her hot breath was sprayed on your face. Her fingers are circling and caressing your areola, occasionally pinching. "Hmm…" The pitiful moans filled your chest, and there was no way to avoid them.

After you're exhausted, they stop. Your screaming apology was caught on tape. The two generals sighed and looked at each other. Why did they suffer from such a heartless person like you?

But, there is no way, they just love you, and the punishment is over. Jing Yuan wiped the bodily fluids off your body, and Feixiao patted your buttocks. One of them is on your left and one on your right. They carefully put their hands on your waist and head and fell asleep with you.

#yandere honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail x you #jing yuan x reader #feixiao x reader #yandere jing yuan x reader #yandere feixiao x reader

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yuri-is-online · 1 month ago

Note

Can I request a part 2 for when the guys leave some of their stuff in the guest room? Can it be with Azul, Jamil, and jade please? Thank you!

While cleaning the Ramshackle guest room, the prefect occasionally finds items that remind them of their guests. Sometimes that is because those items actually belong to them and need to be returned, other times it's just a happy coincidence. Either way, the item needs to be delivered, might as well invite them over again? Or just chase them down, whatever is most convenient.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, I was a bit surprised to get this request! In a nice way~ No warnings for this one, just pure fluff. The first one can be found here and more fic can be found on the Masterlist.

Antique Coin

Azul Ashengrotto is a well put together young man. His suits are pressed, his shoes are neatly polished, his rooms are always orderly and without dust.

Which is why he notes immediately when something is even mildly out of place, and completely falls apart once he's in the privacy of his own room. He knew he never should have paid attention to that stupid article Floyd had shared in their group chat, coins being symbols of good luck wouldn't make him relatable to anybody and now he's missing one of his best coins! How stupid could he have been to think that-

"Hello, this is Azul speaking." He snatches up his phone without even checking the caller ID and immediately begins sweating when he hears your familiar breathing (he swears he's not a creep, really! He's just noticed that whenever you speak on the phone, not that you do that often really just when he can work up the nerve and hey this is technically the first time you've called him! Progress he's making progre-)

"Hey there, you got a moment?" Azul can feel the heavy sweat drop on his forehead. He's done enough research to know conversation starters like this are never good.

"I'm a bit busy right now." He tries to lean casually against his desk and glares at the book that has the audacity to fall off his desk and startle you. "Is this terribly important or can it wait?"

You, laugh? Is it nervous, or is it affectionate? Does even know what that sort of laughter would sound, is it bad that he finds your voice terribly beautiful even if it's mocking, even if it's- "Um sorry, but are you missing a coin?"

"A... coin?"

"Yes! I remember you saying you collect them and this one I found in my guest room smelled a bit like the ocean so. Yeah. I thought it might be yours." He smiles.

"My dear, you know I'm just going to say 'yes' and take it from you." You laugh again, how silly that last one was nerves. This one is affection, his hearts are fit to burst with it so it must be. "I'll be there in thirty minutes. If that’s acceptable?"

"Of course! I'll be here." Perhaps that article wasn't completely wrong after all.

Red Feather Accessory

There are few things Jamil hates more than being sick. Assassins don't have sick days, or maybe they do. Maybe they have better benefits than he does. Maybe he'd make a really good assassin in some alternate universie like that one video game series from your world you told him about once, the one with the emblems and gangrene? He doesn't remember much of the conversation Kalim tricked him into having by saying he wanted to hang out in your guest room yesterday.

"But you were so happy to see them!"

Because of course, that had been Kalim's justification. And sure, he probably had been really happy to see you. He'd been running quite the fever and he can't imagine you made that temperature any better.

"Good morning, prefect." He manages it smoothly, you look properly embarrassed to see him this early, your eyes flicker to his hair and linger just a moment longer than normal. "Sleep well?"

"Mostly." You try to focus on his face, but his hair is clearly distracting. Your eyes keep darting back to it, Jamil expected to be embarrassed, but this is oddly empowering. "Is there a reason you're here so early?"

"I think you know why I'm here." You don't, he can tell that much from how you swallow. "Can I come in?"

"Sure?" You move just the bit and Jamil let's himself inside, the doors in Ramshackle always look so damn similar. Just how do you find your way around in here? "Um, Jamil?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know why you're here?" You look lovely

"Of course." He laughs. "I left a hair accessory here yesterday when Kalim decided to visit." How odd, normally you'd flinch if he worded it like that. Instead you just look sort of blurry.

"I see." You're close now, but he can't see you through this weird fog that's filling your hallways. You push back his headband and press the back of your plam to his forehead. "Oof. Well that's not good." Your arm encircles his shoulders and boosts him back up to his feet. He supposes he can afford to lean towards you, there's enough plausible deniabilty in what he's said already to keep his feelings to himself.

"C'mon." You do your best to boost him and march back towards the door. Jamil is smiling similar to how he does when he gets one over on Azul, but you doubt he's planned this. He's so feverish that his skin has gotten clammy. "I already took your hair pin back to Scarabia, ok? Let's get you back to bed."

"That's so kind of you." His hoarse voice tries to purr. "Perhaps you'd like to stay for breakfast?" Thank the seven Grim isn't awake yet. You'd never hear the end of this from either of them.

Encyclopedia of Tea

Books are expensive, you can count on one hand the ones you own unrelated to your school work scattered around your dorm. They are precious to you, signs of your life in a world you don't belong in. A way to tell something about you if someone decided to look at the little shelf you had finally put up in your guest room.

And someone had, because you know damn well this book isn't yours, the process of returning it is guaranteed to be a headache but the longer you hesitate the more ammunition the book's rightful owner will have to accuse you of stealing it. Assuming that's what Jade's goal was anyway, it seemed like something he would find funny to do. You could picture him slipping the book onto your shelf with that calm look on his face.

Jade's face isn't what you would call wildly expressive. He smiles pleasantly most of the time, seldom do you see him frown. Even now when his forehead is knit in concern there's nothing really resembling the scowl you saw during Azul’s overblot.

"Hello Jade, forgotten something?" You hold the book up and shake it slightly. His eyes widen, and his smile drops into something more nuteral. This expression is adorable, it stays as Jade speaks, allowing you to admire it longer

"Oh?" He blinks, Jade wakes easily enough so your own expression flickers to concern at how slow he seems for just long enough to give him back his confidence. "It seems the simplest solution was correct. Thank you, prefect." He reaches for the book, hands lingering near yours as his eyes focus on the title of the book. He is painfully slow in taking it back.

"Do you really take this everywhere with you?" Your hand involuntarily flexes as you retreat back into your personal space. Sometimes you wish you could read minds, it would make this heavy feeling in your heart more explainable. Let you notice the way Jade's teeth display for you and not hide inside your own insecurities, how he wishes you would keep your eyes on him.

"Of course, it helps to have some light reading on hand when things get slow." He wishes you had kept the book long enough for it to retain your scent or some of your warmth. Perhaps now that he's set this precedent, he can fake it. Leave his jacket or his scarf? But no, that wouldn't be believable. He's Jade Leech, the Vice Warden of Octavinelle. You would never believe the real reason the book ended up where it did. His dreams are his to dwell in alone.

"Perhaps as thanks I could prepare one of my favorites for you? To clear the debt so to speak." For now.

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #jamil viper x reader #jade leech x reader #i know we had a conversation a bit ago about jade doing research by watching classic rom coms but as i have been blowing upon my bubble pipe #you know whomst would actually do that?#azul. azul would do that. he has every line in titanic memorized so he can sell more shit to people but that's just cope on his part

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megalony · 6 days ago

Text

Because I Care

This is a new Eddie Diaz imagine, based on an anon request. I'm sorry this took me so long to write for you. I hope you will all like it.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22 @mrsyixingunicorn10

Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Summary: (Y/n) and Eddie are having a baby together, but when she starts to feel unwell, she thinks she should deal with it on her own and not worry or inform Eddie. After all, her ex never used to care, not even when she was falling apart.

Enjoy.

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

A quiet hum vibrated at the back of (Y/n)'s throat as she nodded her head along to the music playing on the radio.

She began placing a few things down on the vanity, taking full advantage of the fact that Eddie said she could put things wherever she liked now that she was officially moving in with him and Chris. Most of her things were strewn about the bedroom in boxes and bags. She had already put most of her clothes away in the wardrobe.

It was surprising how many clothes Eddie owned. His things were split into his casual items hung up on one side and then the other side of the wardrobe had been all his smart clothes. Button up shirts, the odd suit, ties and such.

She leaned down to the left to grab a few accessories from the box by her feet, but her body shuddered and she gasped when a pair of strong hands suddenly curled around her hips.

She let go of whatever she had been truing to grab and straightened up just as she heard a deep chuckle vibrate through Eddie's chest that was now merging with her back. His lips formed into a smirk and he attached his lips to the side of her neck, tucking himself into her as he tugged her back until she was flush against his front.

He had stayed deathly quiet and managed to sneak his way into the bedroom without alerting her.

"What're you doing?" Her voice was quiet and raspy but she knew exactly what he was doing when she felt his fingertips move up until he had hold of the bottom of her shirt. He dragged it up so his hands could slide beneath her shirt and worm around to her stomach with his elbows pinned into her sides.

"Helping you," He murmured into her neck and gave her shirt another tug until she had to let him pull it over her head.

"Helping me what? I was trying to unpack." He wasn't exactly helping when (Y/n) was in the middle of moving all of her things and organising them so the boxes and bags were empty. Eddie was creating more hassle by removing her shirt and distracting her.

She slowly turned around in his arms, looking him up and down while he stared down at her.

"So am I." His words made (Y/n) grin while Eddie's hands roamed across her bare skin that he now had better access to with her shirt lying forgotten on the floor.

It took some effort to turn around in his arms and she rose a brow when she noticed he had the first few buttons of his shirt undone. Her hands moved to his shoulders while his hands stayed firm on her hips, but Eddie reclined back when he felt (Y/n) press a hollow kiss over his Adam's apple which made him gulp.

He shuddered when she slowly and methodically worked her way down his throat and down the middle of his exposed chest. Each butterfly kiss she pressed to his chest made Eddie's breathing hitch and his head tilted to the right as he watched her, completely enamoured.

When she worked her way back up his chest and pecked the corner of his mouth, Eddie moved.

He bent his knees and leaned down and in one swift motion, Eddie had his hands cupped around the back of (Y/n)'s thighs and he lifted her up off her feet. Her arms coiled around his neck and her legs looped around his back so she was perched low on his torso, feeling his belt rubbing against her thighs.

Her chest shuddered when Eddie placed her down on the dressing table behind her and pressed up between her legs that she kept looped around his hips.

Eddie kept one arm around her waist and moved the other to cup the back of (Y/n)'s neck, tilting her head back so she was looking up at him. He leaned down and stole a kiss from her lips, then another and another until he felt her thighs squeeze around his hips.

She felt his hands wriggle their way round to the back of her jeans and he managed to slip his fingers beneath them, making her gasp at his cold touch. She smoothed her thumb up and down his jaw when Eddie leaned to attach his lips back to her neck and she grinned when his teeth grazed her skin. He was going to mark her up.

"I still need to finish unpacking."

"We've got time." Eddie spoke breathlessly against her neck and dragged his nose along her chin as he lifted his head to look at her. He felt the way she tightened her legs around his waist like she was trying to catch his attention. But when (Y/n) moved her hand back to the side of his face and smiled, he grinned.

"Besides, don't you wanna christen the bed?" Something dark flash across Eddie's eyes as he rose a brow, waiting for a response.

It wasn't as if (Y/n) had never stayed the night before, she had stayed round lots of times. The only difference was that now, this was going to be her forever home rather than a home away from home.

When he got a sharp grin as a response, his hands were back on her thighs and he tugged her back onto his hips and lifted her up. He turned around, his lips meshed with hers, and walked over to the other side of the room towards the bed. He swallowed the gasp (Y/n) let out when he leaned her back and flopped her down onto the bed and laid on top of her, resting comfortably between her thighs.

She could feel the hand at the back of her neck tightening until his fingertips were scratching and tangling against her hair. He tilted her head back so she was staring up at him and leaned down and devour her lips.

He was doing well with distracting (Y/n) from the task she had come in here to do and her head started to go fuzzy the longer Eddie kissed her. She had a feeling that if they didn't have to go and collect Chris from school later this afternoon, they would have been in here all day. All night, even.

His lips attached to her neck but he made a very fast path down her neck and between her cleavage, grinning into her skin when he felt her chest suck inwards and noticed how she held her breath, waiting for his next move.

(Y/n) didn't realise she had closed her eyes until it felt like stars were glistening behind her eyelids. She could feel him biting a bruise into her skin before he tilted his chin down a little more so his nose brushed against the dark mark he'd created as if he was making it better.

"Eddie…" She tilted her head to one side and mustered up enough strength to prop herself up on her elbows so she could look over at him.

He paused in his administrations, his dark eyes locked onto hers and his blushing lips slightly parted which made him look even more devouring.

"I need to unpack before Chris comes home… help me, then it won't take as long. And you can do whatever you like after that." Resorting to bargaining seemed to be (Y/n)'s only choice. They told Chris (Y/n) would be moving in and he had been so happy, but they also promised that since this was going to be their first night together officially moved in and a family, that they would go out for tea.

That meant they wouldn't have time to finish tidying up and unpacking once Chris came home. It needed to be done now so everything was finished. If Eddie helped, it would be done twice as fast and there would be time before they had to get Chris to pick up where they left off.

There was a clear debate in Eddie's eyes, but when (Y/n) moved her hand to signify to the few items of clothing and items scattered on the bed, he relented.

His lips attached back to hers with fever and he almost pushed her back down with his force and the love hiding behind his touch. But when he leaned back, he let (Y/n) sit up properly again.

"Hm, suppose so." Each word was muttered so close to her lips that (Y/n) could taste them and the lust in his voice. It was intoxicating.

(Y/n) felt suddenly empty and cold when Eddie slowly climbed off of her and got back to his feet. She watched him as he pulled at his shirt where the buttons were undone like they were suddenly irritating him. And after a silent debate, Eddie pulled off his shirt and tossed it beside her on the bed. It was annoying him, and he didn't really need it on until they were planning to leave the house anyway.

He cast a smirk over in (Y/n)'s direction before he crouched down and started to move the boxes and open them.

He knew (Y/n) would tell him where she wanted everything, and she wouldn't object to Eddie taking a look and seeing what might look good in certain rooms around the house.

(Y/n) shuffled off the bed, not bothering to put her shirt back on, she stayed in her jeans and bra while she gathered the books from the bedside table and moved towards the door. Eddie had a few books in the living room near the fire place, she could put hers there too and have a combined collection.

She grabbed a box of ornaments from beside the door and headed into the living room.

The books all looked lovely, different sized hardbacks and a few paperbacks lined up together in (Y/n)'s own little order of size and colour. She went around the room placing little ornaments and trinkets here and there, wondering how long it would take Eddie and Chris to notice each one. She nodded to herself when it was all done and slowly trailed back towards the bedroom.

Eddie had put a few things around the bedroom, (Y/n) could see that, but the way he was sat on the end of the bed with a box in his hands made her curious. He looked completely entranced by something. There was a faraway look in his eyes and his head was slightly angled to the right.

Both his hands were softly tapping against the box on his lap and he had one foot jittering and tapping up and down against the laminate floor.

"What have you found?" Her lips curved into a smile, right until Eddie looked up at her.

He looked panicked. The way his wide eyes locked on her and how he seemed to hold his breath and swallow harshly made (Y/n)'s smile fade. Eddie looked like he had stumbled upon a box of secrets. If there had been anything of (Y/n)'s that she wanted to hide from Eddie, she wouldn't have brought it in, she would have left it in her car or a safe place. She didn't have anything to hide from him.

"What is it?"

"I didn't mean to pry." The softness in Eddie's voice was oddly soothing yet unsettling at the same time.

He shuffled along the end of the bed a little so he could set the box down in between them when (Y/n) perched down next to him to see what he was looking at.

(Y/n) tried to smile as she leaned forward and peered into the box. She rummaged around to see what Eddie had found, but her heart jumped into her throat when she looked inside.

Oh. He had found that box.

Eddie watched her carefully, unsure whether he had unintentionally touched a nerve by opening this box. He waited for (Y/n) to make the first move, to either open the box or to shove it to one side and tell him she didn't want to talk about it. Although he couldn't help the curiosity that was dwelling up inside of him along with the sympathy pooling in his eyes for her.

He leaned a little closer when (Y/n) reached into the box and when she picked out a picture and handed it to him, he took it carefully, not wanting nor daring to crease the preserved paper.

"It was a boy." (Y/n) wanted to smile, but her heart wouldn't allow it.

Something about the way Eddie traced his thumb along the scan photo made her heart surge.

She watched Eddie observe the photo and trace the pad of his finger along the writing in the top right corner. She knew he was looking at the date; silently working out when this had happened. Two years before she met Eddie.

"Can I ask what happened?" Eddie didn't want to overstep the mark, but he couldn't help also wanting to know what (Y/n) had been through. He loved her. They were moving in together and Eddie had been thinking non-stop about getting engaged. If that were going to happen, he wanted (Y/n) to open up with him. He had opened up about his experience in the army and how that affected him. He needed to understand her trauma too so he could help.

He handed the photo back to (Y/n) but he was surprised when she exchanged it in the box and shakily held out a blanket to him. She was opening up. She was happy for Eddie to look through the few keepsakes she had because they were important to her.

"He was stillborn, I was only twenty-five weeks so… the doctors didn't know why I had him early."

Eddie knew something had happened. He knew when they had been together for a few months and the topic of kids came up. It was clear that it was a subject (Y/n) didn't feel comfortable talking about. And during a passing conversation, Eddie remembered her casual words.

'I was pregnant once… it didn't work out.'

That had been enough to keep Eddie from approaching the subject any other times. He had been waiting until (Y/n) felt comfortable enough to talk to him about it, and it seemed like she was ready now.

When Eddie looked down at the blanket in his hands, something tugged at his heart like a hand seizing his arteries when he saw the small embroidery in the corner. Leo.

He found himself murmuring "It's a sweet name," while his thumb traced the golden thread.

"I chose it, my… Lewis didn't want to name him, but I did." (Y/n) began to ring her hands out and tangle her fingers together on her lap. Exes had been a sore subject to talk about between them. Shannon had been Eddie's one and only proper ex, all the rest were little flings from high school which didn't exactly count.

And the only lasting relationship (Y/n) had was with her ex partner Lewis, and he had been horrid. It was such a change to be with someone like Eddie. Someone who cared, who didn't belittle her or become distant and uncaring and cruel with twisted words. Eddie was the best thing to happen to (Y/n).

Eddie looked down when (Y/n) leaned her head on his shoulder and he pressed his lips to the back of her head.

"Where'd you want to put his things?" There was a small photobook with the scan photos and the few photos (Y/n) got of Leo when he was born. Along with the few clothes she bought and couldn't bear to part with and two blankets, and a small teddy bear. It wasn't much, but it was all she had of him and it was the things she didn't want to get rid of.

She took a moment to think and debate and when Eddie handed her the blanket back, (Y/n) placed it in the box and leaned forward.

Eddie's brows furrowed when he watched (Y/n) slide the box beneath the bed. That wasn't what he had been expecting. He thought (Y/n) would want the photos in the bedside drawer, somewhere close where she could look at them and have the blanket somewhere visible.

"Amor?" He murmured into her hair when she leaned back into him and he curved his arm around her waist to coil her into his chest.

"I don't like looking at them, I couldn't… I didn't cope, when I lost him and Lewis just made it worse. I couldn't get out of bed one day, I felt so broken, and- and he just sighed. He said it was my own fault."

The way Eddie's chest bristled and tensed against her made (Y/n) wince and close her eyes tight. But she was relieved when he looped his other arm over her chest so she was thoroughly encased in his embrace.

"Looking makes me remember."

It wasn't remembering her baby that was the problem and Eddie could see that. He knew the part she didn't want to remember was how Lewis had been with her and how broken she had felt during that period of her life. She was at a much better place now, remembering that sorrow only made (Y/n) feel like she was being dragged back down that rabbit hole again.

"Okay." Eddie moved his hand up to cup the side of (Y/n)'s jaw while he peppered a few kisses to her temple.

He couldn't understand people like Lewis. He couldn't fathom how they could be so cold and heartless, especially when a loved one was suffering. (Y/n) had been in the worst place in her life, and he acted like it was all her own doing. He didn't seem to grieve, he didn't get angry like (Y/n) or feel hopeless or like he had lost something so important that he couldn't live without.

Losing the baby had been but a minor inconvenience to him and Eddie couldn't wrap his head around someone like that. If Eddie had been in his place, he would have felt broken. He would have done his best to hold (Y/n)'s broken pieces together and put her first and try to help her. He wouldn't leave her or blame her like that.

"You know you're safe with me, don't you baby? I would never treat you like that." Eddie wasn't sure why, but he felt an overwhelming urge to make sure (Y/n) knew that something like that would never happen again. He wouldn't allow it.

He rested his cheek on top of her head when he felt her lips kissing over his pulse whilst his hand stayed cupping the side of her face. And he was sure he could feel her smiling against his skin.

(Y/n) wanted to smile at the memory that flashed to the front of her mind as she walked down the hall and aimed for the kitchen. Her fingers pulled at her sleeves until they were covering her hands and she coiled her arms around her waist.

Her eyes set on Eddie immediately. He was stood with his back to her, his hips jutting from side to side like a little dance as he washed the dishes.

She kept her steps light as she padded barefoot across the cold floor until she was stood behind him. She knew he hadn't heard her. She knew when she curved her arms underneath his and his chest tightened and he tensed up, he didn't expect her touch.

Her arms wrapped around his upper chest beneath his arms and her hands splayed out on his chest just below his collar bone. She glued her front up against his back and pressed her lips into his shirt between his shoulder blades. And when she pushed up on her toes, she placed a delicate kiss against the back of his neck which made a shiver tear down his spine.

"Hi baby," Eddie spoke softly as he dried his hands on the teatowel. When (Y/n) didn't respond and stayed pressed up against him, Eddie slowly turned around in her arms and pressed his hips up against the counter.

He looped his arms around the back of her shoulders and leaned down to peck her temple.

Adrenaline sparked in Eddie's chest when (Y/n) tilted her head up and caught him in a kiss. He brought his hands round to cup the sides of her face and his thumbs brushed across her cheekbones as she leaned her chest up into him. If it weren't for the counter behind him, they would have fallen to the floor.

When they finally parted, (Y/n) shivered at the feeling of Eddie's lips attaching to the side of her neck. It almost felt normal now to feel his moustache tickling her skin.

It was a new look. (Y/n) had seen Eddie with stubble over the years, and when he'd had time off work he actually started to grow a beard. He couldn't have one at work because they were deemed inappropriate and a fire hazard. But a moustache was different. It was a look that (Y/n) didn't think she would like, but somehow it made Eddie look even more handsome.

(Y/n) let her eyes fall closed as Eddie pushed off the counter so he was stood up straight again, but he was starting to lean more and more into her. She reached one hand up to cup the back of his neck and scratch her nails through the short hairs at the back of his neck which made him growl against her skin.

"Everything okay, baby?" Eddie's lips stayed against her neck for a few moments until (Y/n) pushed forward so her face was burrowed against the top of his chest and her arms looped tightly around the back of his neck.

He wasn't used to (Y/n) being so quiet, usually if she attached herself to him she would say something. Even if it was just to tell him to take her into the bedroom. But she wasn't talking and it was a little worrying.

"I have something to show you." (Y/n) kept her face tucked up against Eddie's neck and she feathered her fingers up and down his neck and the columns of his spine until he was shivering against her.

"Oh, what have you got?" He spoke into her hair as he dragged one hand up to feather his fingers up and down the groove of her spine.

She reeled her upper chest back just enough so that she could look up at Eddie. One arm stayed looped around his neck while her other hand moved to find what she had stuffed into her back pocket. She almost felt afraid to give it to him and find out what his reaction would be. She had done this before, but things had been so different when she was with Lewis.

This was Eddie. This was the one person who told her he loved her and showed her a million different ways that he meant it. This was the man she married six months ago, the one she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Her lips rolled into a thin line and she inched back to lean against the kitchen island while Eddie looked at what she had handed over to him.

A pregnancy test.

Eddie stared at it for a few moments, maybe even a minute, before he set it down and leaned down to cup (Y/n)'s chin. He lifted her head so she was finally looking up at him. Everything was in her eyes. Love, panic and sorrow were swirling around in her eyes like ripples in a lake. All of it flooded her eyes that were already spilling over with tears but when Eddie smiled at her, it made the tears multiply.

She pushed her face back down into his shoulder and looped both arms back around his neck so tightly Eddie could scarcely breathe.

"Hey, hey it's okay." Eddie leant his cheek against the top of (Y/n)'s head and gently started to sway them from side to side.

They had talked about this when they got engaged and again after they got married. They both wanted kids, they had Chris who was like a son to (Y/n), but they still wanted more kids together. Eddie had to make sure it was what (Y/n) wanted and she would be okay if they started trying. After what she had been through, it was normal to be apprehensive and scared.

But they had talked and started trying after they got married. This is the result they had been hoping for, but it was still nerve-wrecking.

"I'm scared." (Y/n) kept her eyes tightly closed and smothered her face into Eddie's shoulder so she wouldn't have to look up at him. The dark voice in the back of her mind told her not to say that, not to say anything at all because the response would be laughter.

At least, it would if she were still with Lewis. He would have told her not to be silly, not to worry and do things right this time and everything would work out.

Instead of laughter or Eddie rolling his eyes and tutting at her or pushing her away, she felt his arms tighten around her. He merged his lips with the top of her head and began gliding his free hand up and down her back. It was okay to be scared, Eddie wouldn't expect anything different.

"That's normal, mi amor. But this is gonna be different; you've got me this time. I'll look after both of you."

***

Tears burned in (Y/n)'s eyes when a searing pain burned in her lower abdomen. She set the knife down before it slipped in her shaky grip and her right hand moved to cradle the underside of her bump while her other hand gripped the counter.

Her back arched out and she leaned forward to see if it would do anything to relieve the tension and take the pain away.

It had been coming and going for a while now. It happened before Eddie left to pick Chris up from school and now they were coming back again. It didn't feel like contractions. (Y/n) had been through that before, it was a different kind of burning, stretching pain whereas this was concentrated and aching.

Was she losing another baby?

If the pains got much worse she would have to try and go to the doctor without alerting Eddie.

This was her body, therefore her mistake. If she was losing another baby then it was down to her to get through it and sort this out. And she didn't want to disappoint Eddie. He had been so happy about this baby. Telling Chris, telling his parents and the team.

He would be more upset than Lewis had been.

When the stillbirth happened with Lewis, he had been distant. He didn't breakdown like (Y/n) did. He didn't lose himself or yearn to have their baby back in his arms. He made it clear he thought (Y/n) was the issue, it was her body that hadn't been able to carry their baby. And it was her depression that resulted from that event.

He didn't want to help her and he made it clear that it was her burden to bear, not his. (Y/n) couldn't tell Eddie she was in pain and burden him with this and make him upset if this was her body losing another baby. She didn't want to know how her husband would look at her. She loved Eddie more than anything; she never wanted to hurt him.

"We're back!"

(Y/n) pushed off the counter and straightened up with such a deep breath that her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She tried to breathe through the uncomfortable pains and push them down as much as she could so she could continue making dinner.

Her nails scratched into the handle of the knife to stop it shaking in her grip so she could finish chopping the veg.

She swiped her sleeve beneath her eyes, ridding the few loose tears that trickled down her face when she heard Chris hurrying into the kitchen. He always came to find her when he was home from school if she didn't pick him up.

"Hi!" His voice was elevated and playful and (Y/n) sank her teeth into her lower lip which started to bleed to distract her from the pain that became concentrated when Chris hugged her.

He pressed up into her side with his arms around her waist and his cheek meshing into her bump.

"Hey sweetie, good day?" (Y/n) did her best not to groan and to try and level out her voice as she glanced down at him for a moment. But she had to concentrate on chopping the veg so she didn't cut herself or let Chris see the pain hidden within her eyes.

"Yeah, what you cooking?"

"Oh… um- stir-fry." God, her brain didn't seem to be working. It took longer than it should have to remember what she was even trying to do. Chris was the kind of child who would eat anything, and Eddie was much the same. (Y/n) could cook them anything and they would eat it and ask for more. And considering Eddie wasn't the best chef, he was relieved when (Y/n) seemed very happy and eager to cook and embroil Chris into helping every now and then.

She managed a smile when she heard a cheeky "Yay!" pass Chris's lips but she had to smother a groan when he squeezed her tight again before he let her go. It was clear that (Y/n) was already halfway through making tea and therefore Chris knew he didn't or rather shouldn't chip in. (Y/n) was in the swing of things already.

She was glad when she heard Chris trot off down the hall; it meant she didn't have to try and put on a brave face when she didn't need to. She heard him head into his bedroom, it was routine for him to go and get changed out of his school clothes and wind down by watching tv or playing a video game in his room before tea.

"Hey baby,"

Eddie's hand curved around her hip and his lips smothered the back of her head as he pressed up behind her. He peered over her shoulder, clearly trying to see what she was cooking up. The feeling of his lips against her cheek was comforting and somewhat distracting from the uneasy, concentrated bouts of pain she was experiencing.

(Y/n) leaned back into Eddie's touch so he would know she wasn't ignoring him and she felt another kiss against her neck before he slid to the right to put the kettle on.

Her hands shook as she finished chopping the veg and turned to try and find a frying pan. It pained her to crouch down to search through the kitchen cupboards and her stomach ached when she creased forward with her thighs pressing into her abdomen.

One hand clenched around the countertop to steady herself and the other found the pan she needed, but she barely had the energy to lift it up.

Eddie glanced over to the left and his brows furrowed when he noticed (Y/n)'s stance. Crouched down, leaning into the cupboard, but without moving. It looked like she had gone into some kind of trance. He waited a moment with his head tilted to one side until he watched her slowly reel back up and dump the pan on the counter with a thud.

When she stood back up again, her head lolled forward and spots danced before her eyes.

Another pain rocketed through her stomach like lightning and it made (Y/n)'s hands tighten on the counter until her nails were scratching along the dark marble surface and her elbows started to shake from being locked in place to try and hold her up.

"Baby… you okay?" Eddie set the kettle down and looked back over in (Y/n)'s direction.

He didn't like the way she was pushing forward with her head angled down and her arms quivering like she was frozen cold.

His voice didn't reach (Y/n)'s ears. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool and a horrible whirling noise was ringing through her ears like she had suddenly gone deaf. It was too much effort to keep herself leaning forward on her arms that were like matchsticks about to break. And when a blinding pain tore through her abdomen, all the tension left (Y/n)'s body as her mind seemed to shutdown and restart itself all at once.

"Oh- shit!"

Eddie's ankle rolled the wrong way when he jerked to the left the moment he watched (Y/n)'s knees cave in. His knees locked once he was three steps forward and his arms bolted around (Y/n)'s waist, catching her before she had chance to hit the floor.

He hated how her head folded over his arm like her neck had snapped and he could feel every limb go loose like she was a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

His hands grappled at her waist and he bent his left leg forward so his knee was pressed into the back of (Y/n)'s thighs to keep her leaning on him. He pulled her into his chest and made sure she was secured in his left arm so he could curl his right arm across her front and cradle the back of her neck to tilt her head up.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n)… come on," It wasn't often that Eddie found himself saying her name, he said it about as much as he said his own name, which was a rarity.

Relief overwhelmed every one of his senses when he felt her head try and move in his grip and he reeled her closer to his chest so he could go down on his knees with her. He made sure she was sat on the floor with her legs bent properly and he rested the back of her head on his shoulder, moving behind her so he was propping her up.

His left arm stayed cocooned around her waist while he curled his right hand into a fist and began rubbing his knuckles up and down her sternum to bring her back around.

Relief bubbled up inside Eddie's chest when (Y/n) tried to tilt her head to the right until her temple brushed against his chin. He took a moment to press his lips to her forehead, but his brows furrowed and he pulled back so he could move his hand from her sternum to press against her forehead.

She was burning up. And when he watched her slowly start to restart her system and come back around, he realised she was trembling against him.

His hand moved to cradle her face and he brushed his thumb across her cheek while he tilted her head forward and looked down, assessing whether her pupils were dilating and adjusting to the light properly or not.

It took him by surprise how strong and sudden (Y/n)'s grip was when she clenched her hand around his wrist and she shuddered in his arms as she tried to push forward to sit up on her own. But Eddie tensed his arm around her waist and eased her back against his chest. There was no rush, she didn't have to sit up and move about right away.

"Take it easy," He murmured against her temple, but his chest hardened and he sucked in a deep breath. The way (Y/n) was tensing and twitching told him something was wrong; she was in some kind of pain.

He took another look up and down her frame, but he couldn't see any injury or outward signs of pain.

"Baby? Baby, talk to me, what hurts?"

"N-no, I'm okay, it's o-okay,"

(Y/n) clenched her hand around Eddie's wrist and tried again to sit forward and this time, Eddie shuffled up behind her to prop her up a bit better. Her free hand moved down to grip her thigh so she had something else to focus on and some sense of control while her stomach tensed and ached and throbbed like she had been hit with a bat.

"What, no this isn't okay you're not well. Talk to me." Her words confused him. Why was she trying to tell him she was fine when Eddie had just witnessed her collapse? What good was lying to him going to do? It wasn't going to calm him down when he knew something was wrong and she wasn't talking to him.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she shook her head like she was trying to dismiss the subject, but she didn't have the will to move out of Eddie's arms just yet. And he was holding her too tightly for her to even think about moving away from him.

Another crippling pain twinged in her stomach and (Y/n) couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath and her stomach pulled in. She tried not to make it noticeable when she moved her hand up along her thigh until she could press it against the base of her stomach, trying in vain to make the pain go away.

She didn't want Eddie to see her in pain. She didn't want him to know that something might be wrong. This was her body therefore her fault if something went wrong or happened to the baby.

Eddie saw.

He saw the way she tensed and the flash of pain that danced across her face and the moment he noticed her hand moving to her stomach, he sighed and tilted his head back.

"Chris, go get in the car we're heading out." His voice hollered down the hall before he moved his hands to grip either side of (Y/n)'s waist.

"Eddie, no-"

"You've just collapsed and I know something's causing you pain. We're going to the hospital."

"I'll go, y-you stay with Chris."

Again, her words confused him and Eddie's lips pulled into a dark frown as the end of his nose scrunched up. Why was she trying to push him away? Why wouldn't she admit she wasn't well and just let Eddie help her? He wasn't going to stay home worrying and let her make her own way to the hospital.

"I don't think so." The deep tone in his voice made (Y/n) advert her gaze and lower her head. "Chris can stay with Abuela, and I'm staying with you."

Tears welled up in (Y/n)'s eyes and began to trickle down her face before she leaned forward and smothered her hands against her face. If Eddie came with her and something went wrong, she would see. (Y/n) would see his disappointment or worse still, she would break and crumble while Eddie had to witness it.

This was her burden to bear, this was something she was supposed to do alone, not something to upset and bother Eddie with.

She leaned forward with her elbows pressing into her waist but she whimpered when she felt Eddie's lips attaching to the back of her head and his chest moulded over her back. Why was he being so understanding? Why did she feel so guilty?

***

(Y/n) leaned her head to the right as her eyes focused in on her stomach and her hands began feathering up and down her bump like she was drawing patterns into her skin.

Somehow, it didn't feel right. It didn't seem to ring true in her ears that for now, everything was okay. At least, everything was under control. The pains had continued when Eddie brought her down to the emergency room after they dropped Chris off with his Abuela who was rather eager to have him stay with her for company.

When she got checked over and taken for an ultrasound, part of (Y/n) believed history would be repeating itself. Of course, it had been different last time. She had gone into labour with no pre-warning signs and nothing had been wrong before that day.

But she thought that these pains were the start of something bad. That maybe there wouldn't be a heartbeat when they got the ultrasound or they would be told that she had to have the baby now for some medical emergency.

(Y/n) hadn't expected to be told that the baby was okay, and she'd suffered a placental abruption. Which meant bedrest from now on because they were only twenty-seven weeks, and (Y/n) needed to get to thirty-five weeks so the baby wouldn't be premature and they had much better odds of everything turning out fine.

Her fingers continued to dance over her shirt and she stroked her thumb over the spot where she felt the baby kicking a few minutes ago.

But her head lifted and she froze when she watched Eddie walk back into the room.

"Is Chris okay?" Her voice sounded oddly meek and nimble and she could barely keep her eyes on Eddie.

He looked rattled, and not because of the phone call he'd just made to his Abuela to check she was okay to have Chris for the night so Eddie could stay here with (Y/n). He didn't want to go home and leave her on her own for twenty four hour observation. Not when she had been acting strangely and he could see she was taking this news in a different way than he was. There was something upsetting her and Eddie didn't want to leave her.

But as (Y/n) watched him walk over to her, she almost felt worried. His expression was almost blank, except for the concentrated look in his eyes and the colour rushing to his cheeks. His jaw was locked tight with the muscles popping at the tip of his jaw, level with his ears.

"He's happy to have a sleepover." Eddie tucked his phone into his back pocket and closed the door behind him before he advanced towards the bed.

He grabbed the chair from the corner of the room and dragged it across so he could sit down as close to the bed as humanly possible. Until his knees were pressing into the metal bedframe. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together tightly beneath his chin while his head angled up in (Y/n)'s direction.

"Alright baby, spill."

"W-what?"

"Something's wrong here, you're not telling me something so please start explaining."

Eddie wasn't stupid and he wasn't going to sit and pretend that this was okay when there was clearly something playing on (Y/n)'s mind. He wanted to know what was wrong and this was the perfect opportunity since they had a while to sit here in observation. Especially since Chris wasn't around to listen in, they could have a clear conversation.

When he didn't get a response, Eddie straightened up and shifted his hands to start running them up and down his thighs instead.

"Come on baby, why didn't you tell me you didn't feel well? How long were you in pain for?" If she wasn't going to start then Eddie would strike up the conversation and ask the questions he needed the answers to.

He didn't like the way (Y/n) wouldn't look over at him. she kept her head tilted down and continued to trace her hands up and down her stomach like it was a way to stay calm and soothe herself.

"I thought… I didn't-" The right words didn't seem to be coming to mind and each explanation (Y/n) tried to come up with made her cringe.

"You thought what, that I didn't need to know?" Confusion flooded Eddie's voice as he tried to fill in the gaps, but he wasn't understanding.

"No, that you- I don't know, you might not…"

"Care?"

Something horrid twisted in Eddie's stomach when (Y/n) nodded. He could feel bile rising at the back of his throat and his face completely fell while his shoulders dropped down like he had suddenly lost all composure as if his bones had turned to jelly.

How could she think that? How could she think that her being in pain or having complications with the baby wouldn't make Eddie panic? How could she think that he wouldn't care about something as dire and important as that?

"What did I do, to make you think I wouldn't care?" His voice was quiet and the broken tone to his words made (Y/n) cringe and had tears freely falling down her face.

"It's my job to look after the baby, I didn't- I didn't do that last time. Lewis wasn't- he was disappointed, in me, when I lost them. He didn't care, like I did." It was hard to explain when (Y/n) didn't know how to put it into words that would make sense; words that Eddie would understand when she didn't even comprehend it fully.

(Y/n) was the one carrying the baby. She was the one who was supposed to protect them and nurture them and if something went wrong, that was her fault. It was down to her to sort it or deal with the aftermath, it was on her, not Eddie.

That was the way she thought about it because that was the way it had been last time. That was the only experience (Y/n) had to compare this to.

"He didn't care, like at all? He didn't help you through that?" Eddie scraped the chair closer as if he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hear her answer.

The way she shook her head and kept her eyes on her stomach made Eddie's lips falter into a hollo, gaping expression. What kind of person was her ex to let her suffer through that alone? How could he not care that (Y/n) had been struggling? How could he not care enough that he'd lost his own child, that (Y/n) had lost something so precious and close to her?

"I said it was my fault, and he agreed. He brushed it off, said I… I couldn't even keep a baby. I felt so bad, Eddie, I wanted my baby, but he-"

He didn't seem bothered.

That was the only way (Y/n) could comprehend and remember the situation.

Lewis had been the type who didn't fuss if (Y/n) had ever been sick or ill or if she hurt herself. He never took care of her, not in the way Eddie had. And when she had complications and lost the baby, it didn't seem to make an impact on him. He barely held her through that experience, he didn't console her, he was distant like it wasn't his job or something he wanted to do to help (Y/n) through that.

(Y/n) had been in a dark place and one day when she cried and said that she felt like it was her fault she lost the baby, Lewis agreed.

He said he believed that too and he let (Y/n) dwell and go further down that rabbit hole until she was completely shrouded in darkness.

He made her feel unworthy of everything; of comfort, of love, even affection.

"I didn't tell you, a-about the pains, I thought that was down to me to deal with. I thought I'd let you down," Tears ran down the bridge of her nose and soaked her cheeks. "I didn't know y-you'd worry."

"You- Christ," Eddie knotted his fingers in his hair and gave a few sharp tugs on each strand until his scalp burned and it distracted him from the way his vision was blurring with his own tears that began to fall.

She didn't think he would worry.

She honestly believed that despite how Eddie had tried to show her how much he loved her and how happy he was about the baby, she believed he wouldn't care. Her ex had done that much damage and brainwashing to her to make her think that anyone else she was with also wouldn't give her their affection or their time and love.

"I'm not w-worth much, if I can't even have a baby." She cried harder when Eddie's hand was suddenly enveloped around hers and when he pressed her knuckles to his lips, she started to tremble.

"That's not true. Before you got pregnant, you were still worth the world to me, and to Chris."

"I'm sorry-"

"No, no (Y/n) I'm not looking for an apology here." Eddie pushed up off the chair so he could sit down on the side of the bed and be as close to her as possible. "What he did to you was wrong, you didn't deserve any of that. I thought I made it clear how much you and this baby mean to me."

(Y/n) closed her eyes and leaned her cheek into Eddie's touch when his hand cradled the side of her face. She gripped his wrist and leaned forward until she could smother her face in his shirt. She didn't want to look up and see the tears in his eyes, but she wanted Eddie as close as she could get him right now.

Both her hands shifted so she could scrunch his shirt up in her palms and she almost whimpered when she felt his lips merging with the top of her head.

"If you're not well, I expect you to tell me because I care. I care so fucking much about both of you. This is our baby," He felt the way (Y/n) shivered when one hand cupped the back of her neck and the other moved down to cradle her stomach. "And you, mi amor, are so important to me."

He traced his thumb up and down her bump while he spoke each word against her temple since her cheek was now tucked up against his shirt like she was listening to his heart to check that it was beating out a rhythm especially for her.

If Eddie had to tell (Y/n) every day for the rest of his life just how much she meant to him and how much he loved and valued her, then that's what he would do. He would tell her until she believed him and then he would keep telling her so she wouldn't dare forget.

Eddie didn't truly know what she had gone through with her ex, but he knew that this relationship was different. He loved every part of (Y/n) and he valued her higher than anything in the world. And he loved this baby too. She had to understand that Eddie was going to care, probably too much, especially if she wasn't well or something was wrong.

"Look at me," He whispered softly while he cupped her chin to tilt her head up in his direction. "If you're not well, you can't hide that from me. If something's wrong, you tell me, if you're sick, you let me take care of you. You don't do any of this alone, under any circumstance. We're a team, understand?"

(Y/n) wasn't sure she could use her voice anymore so she settled for nodding up at him with the deepest look of love in her eyes.

Her chest felt like it was fit to burst with the amount of adrenaline coursing through her system and her lungs were on fire when Eddie captured her in a kiss and stole every ounce of air from her lungs. She could feel his thumb tracing her chin and across her lower lip and she couldn't help but lean forward into him which made him smile against her lips.

And when she took his hand and pressed his palm to her stomach where she felt a round of kicks, his lips curved into the widest grin she had ever seen.

#imagine #911 imagine #eddie diaz x reader #pregnant! reader #eddie x reader #eddie diaz imagine #eddie diaz

253 notes · View notes

tkwrites · 29 days ago

Text

Happy Halloween! - Quinn Hughes x ofc

Title: Happy Halloween!

Author: Tory / @tkwrites

Relationship: Quinn Hughes x Sarah Roberts (ofc)

Warnings: None, it's just some silly, kitschy fun.

Summary: Quinn and Sarah plan for and attend the Canucks team Halloween Party

Word Count: 2,800

Comments: Happy Halloween!

I wasn’t originally planning to write this fic, but an idea lodged itself in my brain after listening to Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper on one of my friends Halloween playlists. It’s kitschy and cheesy, more than a little ridiculous and very, very fanfiction-y. But it turned out so cute and I love it. I hope you do, too!

If you've never heard Feed My Frankenstein before, give it a listen so you can get the vibe.

If you enjoyed this Snapshot, please consider commenting, reblogging, or sending in an ask about it. I love talking with you!

Happy Halloween!

A Quinn & Sarah Snapshot

“So I’ve been thinking,” Sarah said as they were on the phone one night.

“About what?” Quinn asked.

“About Halloween.”

A laugh bubbled out of his chest, “isn’t it a little early for that?” The season hadn’t even started. There were just two short weeks before he’d be back in Vancouver, and three and a half weeks before she’d move into his apartment. His stomach filled with giddy butterflies every time he thought of it.

“It’s a big deal for you guys, right?”

“Well, I mean, we have a big party. But, last year, I bought my costume the day before.” He didn’t mention that he’d broken things off with June for good the week before the party and had to scramble to find a costume on his own.

She made a humming noise.

“We can do it earlier if you want,” he said.

“From what Bella told me, people go all out,” she said. “We don’t have to. I just thought I’d throw it out while I have the mental capacity to plan a costume.”

“No,” he pushed himself up to sit against the headboard, “let’s talk about it. Did you have something in mind?”

“Nothing I have my heart set on,” she said, “but I had a few ideas.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“I want to hear yours, too.”

“I just started thinking about this two minutes ago, so I don’t have any idea, yet, but if I think of one, I’ll let you know,” he said, his smile teasing

Sarah rolled her eyes.

“What are your ideas?” he prompted.

“Well, we could do Captain America and Agent Carter,” she offered, “Or I thought the casual look of him and Black Widow from Winter Soldier, with the baseball hat and glasses, when she’s in the hoodie?”

“Okay,” he nodded, “I like the second one. We wouldn’t even have to go shopping for that.”

She giggled. She’d thrown that one in precisely because she knew he’d like it. It was her fallback if none of the others stuck.

“And then I thought about Zombies. Like, we could have someone do skull makeup.”

Quinn winced. “I really don’t want to do face paint. Brock did it last year, and he was finding blue paint all over for days.”

She figured that was the case but thought she’d shoot her shot anyway. “Okay. My last idea was to go as Drs. Grant and Stattler from Jurassic Park.”

“That one wouldn’t be too hard, either.”

“Khaki shorts and button ups,” she agreed.

“And hiking boots,” he mused. It sounded like the most comfortable outfit to him. “The rookies could wear those blow-up dinosaur costumes,” he said with a snort.

Sarah barked a laugh, “we could recreate the arrival scene in your jeep.”

“If we do that, I’m renting a Jurassic Park jeep.”

She’d mostly been kidding about the arrival scene. “I mean, if you want to.”

He beamed over the FaceTime connection. “I think we should do it.” It was a unique costume of something he actually liked, and he could involve some of the guys who didn’t have partners or didn’t want to think about finding costumes. Tanev had done that for him his first year, and it’d been a lifeline he hadn’t known he needed.

So they got to planning, buying the outfits and accessories. He spent way too much money on some cosplay recreation of Dr. Grant's hat Sarah found on Etsy.

After scouring the internet and going on fan forums, Quinn found a local guy who had built a few replica jeeps. He also happened to be a huge Canucks fan, so when Quinn got in contact and told him who he was and what they were trying to do, the guy was eager to help and even offered to drive so drop them off at the party to make the scene a little more realistic.

Dane picked them up a block from their apartment. Thankfully, the sky was clear.

He was all in. He even had the hat and sunglasses the driver wore in the movie. His wife tagged along, sitting in the backseat with Quinn, and they chatted as they drove. He’d tried to pay them, but Dane had refused, saying it was an honor. He slipped Andi an envelope with some rental money and tickets to a home game anyway.

They were headed to a private event space a ways outside the city for the party, and Quinn had organized for everyone to be outside for their arrival. He’d invited some of the single guys to dress up as the dinosaurs they’d be awed at. Silovs jumped on it, not having much experience with Halloween, and eventually, Hoglander and Aman jumped in, too.

It wasn’t a whole herd of brontosaurus, but it was better than nothing. And Quinn felt better, making sure those guys felt included in a tradition they didn’t grow up with, especially at an activity that was generally so partner focused.

He’d asked Bella to film it. They were putting so much work into it, he wanted to have some sort of record. Plus, he knew his family would want to see it. His grandpa was the first person Quinn watched Jurassic Park with, and Quinn knew he’d especially enjoy it.

When they pulled up and everyone turned to look at them, Sarah felt an instant fit of giggles overtake her. Forcing herself to look at the large, plastic monstera leaf she was holding, she tried to hold it in.

Just like he asked, the guys dressed as dinosaurs were at the front of the crowd. All three of them wore different costumes. Hoglander was in a ridiculous fabric dilophosaurus costume, while Aman was in a dinosaur onesie. Silovs was in the inflatable T-Rex costume Quinn had sent them as an example. He wasn’t too surprised. It allowed him a certain amount of anonymity, which Quinn knew the shy goaltender appreciated.

He was worried he would look incredibly unnatural doing this whole thing, but found it actually came quite easily. It’s not like he was making a fool of himself on national television. These were his teammates.

The fact that he had a girlfriend nerdy enough to go in on this bit with him made it all that much easier. They were making fools of themselves together. While June would have done this with him, she would have taken it incredibly seriously and had a three person camera crew on location to get the best shots and reactions so she could post it on her socials.

When the Jeep came to a stop, and everyone looked over at them, Quinn threw off his hat and stood on the seat before shakily removing his sunglasses.

The whole team started to laugh, but he could tell most of them were impressed with their commitment to the bit.

Sarah was prattling on about the fauna in her hand, and he reached over to turn her head. Still trying not to laugh, she tore off her sunglasses and stood up, mouth agape.

They both scrambled out of the car, walking up to their small herd.

Quinn turned to her, the hand still holding his sunglasses waving, “It’s…It’s a dinosaur.”

“Uh hu,” Sarah agreed, barely holding herself together with everyone else laughing and cheering.

“Welcome — to Jurassic Park!” someone yelled in a very bad British accent.

Sarah lost her composure, laughter peeling out of her mouth in hearty guffaws.

Quinn turned back to thank Dane, who said it was a pleasure before he saluted and drove away.

“That was so good!” Meghan exclaimed, gathering Sarah into a hug. She was dressed as a beach-goer with a very realistic bite taken out of her arm. Conor was in a shark onesie. “I can’t believe you got Huggy to do that whole thing.”

“The arrival bit was actually his idea.”

“Really?”

Sarah nodded, “he’s secretly kind of a nerd.”

She laughed, knowing full well how much of a nerd he was. There was a reason he and Conor got along so well.

Walking into what Sarah knew must be a ballroom, she was a bit surprised at all the decor. The space was completely transformed. Decorated to look like a spooky forest, there was a fog machine and strobing lights and a bartender aptly dressed as a werewolf.

“How much did you guys pay for this?” she asked.

Quinn shrugged and pointed out the karaoke stage set up in the corner. “Will we get to hear you sing tonight?” he asked, slipping an arm around Sarah’s waist.

She let the subject drop. It wasn’t the way she’d spend her money, but she didn’t have the excess of it most people in this room did. “Maybe once I get a few drinks in me. I’m way too sober to make a fool of myself in front of your teammates.”

His eyes were alight with the memory of her singing in Nevada. She’d been good. Well, as good as someone tipsily singing Time of the Season can be. Mostly, it had been fun to see that looser side of her.

The party was fairly chill. An open bar with themed cocktails and lots of dancing. Once everyone was a bit more tipsy, thanks to the jello shots that were passed around, Conor started the karaoke with a horribly off-key rendition of Ghostbusters. Meghan went next singing, Look What You Made Me Do.

The rookies were encouraged (read: forced) up on stage to perform Everybody (Backstreets Back). Sarah felt bad for them. Most didn’t even speak English as a first language and were now being forced to sing an awful song from an outdated boyband she wasn’t sure any of them had even heard before.

A few more songs were sung as Sarah caught up with Bella. She and Brock were dressed as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. It was an excellent fit for them. Bella looked killer in her little purple dress and white go-go boots, and the 70s style fit Brock better than Sarah would have previously thought. Then again, it was pretty difficult to make him look bad.

“What is this?” Bella asked when a hair metal guitar solo rang through the speakers.

“I’m pretty sure it’s Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper.”

When Bella gave her a surprised look, Sarah explained, “my dad loved metal and shock rock. We used to sing it together all the time.”

The intro started again instead of continuing on and Sarah turned, wondering why no one was singing yet.

Quinn was standing right behind her, a shit eating grin on his face as he held out a microphone.

Her laugh rang through the karaoke speakers. Shaking her head, she backed up.

“Oh, come on, you know you want to,” Quinn encouraged, before starting to chant, “Sar-ah! Sar-ah!”

People immediately joined in.

“Oh, please?” Bella begged from beside her. “I wanna see you get your metal on!”

The alcohol singing in her veins transformed her trepidation into courage. Snatching the mic, she sauntered onto stage, feeling a kind of performance alter ego take root.

Slipping the mic into the stand, she said, “you owe me, Hughes.”

He laughed.

The intro started again, and she pulled out her ponytail, flipping her head upside down to shake out her hair. Someone wolf whistled.

She flipped her hair back up, grabbed the mic stand to pull the mic to her mouth, and yelled, “Feed my Frankenstein.”

Surprised, Quinn’s eyes blew wide. He knew Sarah loved karaoke. She’d told him, as had her best friend Beth. And he’d even seen it first hand in Nevada, but this was different.

Swinging her hair and hips grinding with the music, she didn’t sing so much as yell in tune. It was obviously a song she knew well. He’d known she would - Beth had sent him a list of some songs she knew Sarah wouldn’t be able to resist.

Pointing right at him and tilting her head in a sort of predatory way, she sang,

“Dude!” Conor yelled, clapping Quinn on the shoulder.

I'm a hungry man

But I don't want pizza

I'll blow down your house

And then I'm gonna eat ya

Bring you to a simmer

Right on time

Run my greasy fingers

Up your greasy spine

He was too stunned to respond. He’d heard the song before, from watching Wayne's World, but hearing the lyrics come out of her mouth gave them a whole different meaning.

Feed my Frankenstein

Meet my libido

“She's a psycho"

Not that he was complaining. It was incredible to see Sarah let loose like this.

Feed my Frankenstein

Hungry for love and it's feeding time

It was most surprising to him that her seemingly mild-mannered, engineer father liked music like this and had shared it with his daughter.

In the interlude, Sarah decided she might as well commit, and making her way off the stage, she walked right to Quinn. The crowd parted, all cheering. If she was going to do it, she was going to do it right.

Velcro candy, sticky sweet

Make my tattoos melt in the heat

Well, I ain't no veggie

Like my flesh on the bone

Alive and lickin' on your ice cream cone

She was glad to see a few people had their phones out. At least she’d be able to see just how much of an ass she was making of herself later.

“Yeah, Sarah!” someone yelled from her left, “show him who’s boss!”

That almost broke her, and she lost her composure for a moment, looking into Quinn's eyes and giggling. It was hard to want to seduce him while he still had that ridiculous hat on.

She growled that last bit into his ear as she tore off the hat and threw it into the crowd.

Meet my libido

“She's such a psycho"

He let out a surprised laugh and someone whooped.

Holding him by the front of the shirt, she pulled him with her as she got back on stage.

Feed my Frankenstein

Hungry for love and it's feeding time

Quinn went willingly, finding his heart pounding a little harder than he expected.

She finished the last riffs with a few last whips of her hair and lowered the mic.

Quinn turned her around, and she took a dramatic bow, laughing all the while. It wasn’t until he led her off the stage and the adrenaline rush of being in front of the crowd began to ebb away that she realized exactly what had just happened.

Resting her forehead on the front of Quinns shoulder, she moaned, “I can’t believe I just did that.”

He laughed, running his hand up and down her back, “I can’t really either. I had no idea you felt so passionately about Alice Cooper.”

She was blushing furiously as she pulled away, a playful glare on her face, “I’ll have you know I used to sing that song in front of my mirror when I was little. Twelve year old me thought it was very scandalous.”

Laughing, he leaned in to kiss her. “You did good.”

“Now you have to get up there,” she said.

“No.”

“Yes,” she argued.

“I paid my dues as a rookie. I’m never doing that again.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m lots of fun.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to the bar.

Quinns arms snuck around her waist and roughly pulled her against him, “do I need to remind you how much fun I am?”

“Uh-hu,” she said, twisting in his grip. He grinned and winked. “By singing some karaoke.”

His smile slipped, and he shook his head.

“Then,” she leaned in, “you can remind me of all the other ways you like to have fun on the way home.”

“I really don’t –”

Her mouth came dangerously close to his ear, “I’ll get you off on the Uber ride home if you do.”

Feeling suddenly breathless, he asked, “if I do - hypothetically -” he added, not quite ready to commit, “do I have to do it on my own?”

Knowing she was halfway to winning, Sarah smirked. “Of course not. I bet Brock would do it with you,” she said, stopping the tall blonde with a hand on his arm.

“Oh my god,” Bella squealed, bounding up to them. “Please, please, please? Brock said he won’t unless someone does it with him!”

Some kind of teammate telepathy was exchanged through a few raised eyebrows that ultimately ended with Quinn turning to the bartender, “can I get another shot?”

“Of what?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

They pushed a purple jello shot over the counter before tilting their head at the group of them. Sarah nodded, and they pulled out three more.

They all cheersed and shot back the slippery, sweet cocktails.

Smacking the shot glass back on the bar, Quinn grimaced. “Let's get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” Bella teased.

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Sarah said, smacking Quinn’s butt as he followed Brock to the stage.

Want more Quinn & Sarah? Check out the Snapshots Masterlist

To read all my fics, check out the Fanfiction Masterlist

#quinn & sarah snapshots #quinn hughes #qh43 #quinn hughes fanfiction #quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes one shot #quinn hughes blurb #quinn hughes imagine #vancouver canucks #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #hockey fanfiction #hockey romance #hockey fic #Spotify

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mochinomnoms · 28 days ago

Note

For domestic jade I was thinking things like waking up and going to bed together, watching silly YouTube videos, car ride conversations, camping, him cooking for us, greeting him when he gets home from work.

As for kids I was thinking about his reaction to pregnancy, friends reactions, behavior during and after pregnancy, meeting baby for the first time, extra

I also crave wedding head cannons

Waaaaaaah! I love things like these!

Jade would likely have two weddings, one for the surface for you and your friends and surrogate family, and one in the sea for his family and their associates. The one in the sea is much, and I really must emphasize the much part, more formal. Jade and yours merforms are dressed in Coral Sea formal attire, which is mostly jewelry and accessories rather than clothes. The wedding is less for you two and more for the Leech family's associates. There are lots of presents and well-wishes given to the groom and his new spouse, all to curry favor with who may be two out of three (maybe four if Floyd also marries) the new heads of the Leech family in the next few years. It's not very fun, to be frank, and many people come up to you to introduce themselves and try to cozy up, but Jade is always close by to keep you close to him.

The wedding on the surface is much more fun and is planned entirely by you two, with the help of his parents and of course your own friends. It's still got a bit of formality to it, but Jade is surprisingly into the idea of a much more casual wedding on the beach. He is very firm in ensuring that mushrooms are included in just about every dish served possible. You have to call Clover Bakery (because who else would you trust) and beg Trey to not let Jade add any actual mushrooms to the wedding cake. Fondant ones are perfectly fine. It's quite lovely, everyone is having fun, you and Jade get to finally bask in each other's presence without some suckerfish coming up to bother you. And you get the added bonus of getting gifts from people like Malleus and Kalim who don't want to curry favor, they just want to give you nice gifts!

Living with Jade in your own shared home after the wedding and honeymoon is also lovely. I'm mildly torn between wanting Jade to be a househusband or having him come home with his spouse waiting for him! Jade would probably get bored being a househusband, and I can see him still working with Azul as an adult, perhaps as a restaurant manager for one of Azul's branches!

When it comes to the home, I like to think that he keeps it relatively peaceful. He's early to rise, and if you're not, then he's happy to get you a cup of tea ready as you continue sleeping. If you rise with him, then he likes having you do your morning routine with him, he thinks it's extra cute having you help him with his bedhead! Your fingers through his hair and the cute, focused pout as you try to help him curl the end of his darker strand is his favorite image in the morning.

This post is a bit too long now, but I do have more domestic thoughts and Dad Jade thoughts! I'll add more later or if I forgot send me another ask in like a week lol.

#mochi asks #a-small-tyrant #twst #twisted wonderland #jade leech #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #jade leech x reader #aaaa new card shows that jade is actually a morning person (ew) so there goes all my headcanons of grumpy morning jade....#its okay i can be the grumpy and he can kiss me awake hehe

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noira-l · 2 months ago

Text

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

⋆ ★ '𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞' - 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

chapter summary: Megumi and Satoru went shopping together. Of course his guardian had to make an adventure out of it.

warnings: fluff, father / son moment, slice of life, picking up from school, shopping together, Megumi on verge of cringe because of Satoru's antics.

author's note: A little shorter chapter than last time, I have a few things going on in my life, but I will definitely be back with new, longer texts. Just you wait! c:

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden light across the city streets as Satoru strolled toward the elementary school, his hands shoved casually into his pockets.

It was early autumn, and the air was crisp and fresh, carrying the scent of dry leaves and the distant hint of woodsmoke from somewhere in the neighborhood. Trees lining the streets were beginning to show hints of red and gold, their leaves rustling softly in the occasional breeze that swept through.

He stopped at the school gates, leaning against the iron bars with his signature carefree posture, drawing curious glances from the parents and children filtering out of the building. It wasn’t every day you saw a tall man with shock-white hair, dressed in casual attire that screamed anything but modest, waiting outside an elementary school. Some of the children whispered excitedly, pointing at the "cool man with sunglasses." A few parents glanced his way with raised eyebrows, trying to place him - he certainly didn’t fit the image of a typical parent.

Inside the school, Megumi was gathering his things, moving with the deliberate care of someone who had already learned not to rush life, even at the tender age of eight. His small backpack was slung over one shoulder, and his expression was, as always, a mixture of calm and concentration. His classmates were chattering around him, caught up in their after-school excitement, but Megumi seemed unfazed. He was used to being in his own world, and right now, he was thinking about the shopping list you had given him.

When he finally emerged from the school doors, he spotted Gojo immediately. Even in a crowd, Satoru was impossible to miss. The man was a beacon of both energy and absurdity. Megumi's eyes narrowed slightly, already bracing himself for whatever antics Satoru had planned for today.

"Hey, kiddo!" he called out, waving with exaggerated enthusiasm, drawing even more attention "Ready for our epic shopping adventure?"

Megumi approached him with a resigned sigh, clutching the list you had written "It's just shopping. Nothing epic about it."

Satoru ruffled Megumi's hair as they started walking, ignoring the boy's attempts to swat his hand away.

"That's because you haven't shopped with me yet. I make everything epic." he said that with infinite amount of confidence.

★ --

The streets were busy with the usual after-school bustle. Parents and children filled the sidewalks, and the sound of traffic hummed in the background. They walked toward the nearby supermarket, Satoru chatting incessantly about everything and nothing. Megumi listened with half an ear, his eyes trained on the list in his hand.

When they finally reached the supermarket, the automatic doors whooshed open, and they were greeted by the blast of air conditioning and the bright, fluorescent lights inside. The store was moderately crowded, filled with people finishing their errands for the day. The shelves were stocked with an array of autumnal produce -pumpkins, apples, squashes - adding a splash of color to the aisles.

"Alright, what’s first on the list?" Satoru asked, grabbing a basket from the stack by the door and spinning it around his wrist like it was some kind of accessory.

Megumi squinted at the paper "Vegetables. Carrots, onions, and potatoes."

Satoru nodded sagely "Vegetables, got it. We can handle that." he led the way to the produce section, pushing the basket along the floor with his foot like a makeshift soccer ball.

"Stop that." Fushiguro muttered, already embarrassed "People are staring."

"Let them stare." the older replied with a grin, not stopping his antics for a second "Maybe they’ll learn a thing or two about making shopping fun."

The produce section was bustling with people picking through the fruits and vegetables. Satoru picked up a carrot, holding it up to his eyes.

"Do you think this carrot looks at its friends and wonders what it did wrong in life to end up here?" he asked dramatically.

Megumi stared at him, his face deadpan "It’s a carrot, calm down"

Satoru sighed theatrically, tossing the carrot into the basket with a flourish "You have no sense of imagination, Megumi."

Ignoring him, Fushiguro reached for the potatoes, placing them into the basket with meticulous care. Gojo, meanwhile, picked up one of them and held it up to his face.

"Look, it’s like we’re related!" he joked, putting the potato next to his cheek. A couple of shoppers nearby glanced over, some smiling at the sight of the tall, eccentric man with a potato held up as if it were a family heirloom.

It looked as if he was behaving in this way specifically in the company of a child, wanting to achieve a very friendly and quite playful atmosphere. Wanting to entertain this little one in his company, rather than himself in all of this. None of the witnesses to Satoru's antics knew, that he behaved this way on a daily basis.

In general, Gojo was beginning to move gently away from a certain level of arrogance and cockyness with which he had once carried himself. As if from a teenager, he has stepped back to the level of a child in his humour. He was now leaning more towards fooling around and making really childish jokes. His irony and mockery were receding into the background, although Satoru didn't seem to notice this change in himself. Perhaps he explained it to the fact that he's been more in the mood for a different kind of joke recently.

Megumi let out a small, resigned sigh and grabbed an onion from the pile "Can we just get this done? We still need to get milk and eggs."

Satoru tossed the potato back into the basket and straightened up "Fine, fine. Onward to the dairy section!"

They made their way through the store, attracting glances and whispers as they went. Satoru’s presence was magnetic, and his antics didn’t go unnoticed. He continued to narrate their shopping adventure as if they were on a grand quest, occasionally pausing to debate with Megumi over the merits of various brands of cereal. At one point, he insisted on riding the shopping basket down the dairy aisle, pushing off with one foot and gliding along the tiles while Megumi followed behind, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"You're going to break something." Megumi warned, glancing at the other shoppers who were trying to pretend they weren't watching the spectacle.

"Break something? Never!" Gojo exclaimed, still gliding down the aisle with a wide grin "I'm a professional."

A store employee approached cautiously, clearly torn between telling Satoru to stop and not wanting to get involved in whatever was happening. Satoru noticed the employee and gave him a dazzling smile, stopping the basket with a smooth motion.

"Don't worry." he said in a conspiratorial whisper "I'm just making sure this basket is up to safety standards."

The employee blinked, clearly unsure how to respond, before nodding slowly and walking away. Fushiguro watched this exchange, shaking his head "You’re unbelievable."

"Unbelievably awesome." he corrected, finally parking the basket in front of the milk section "Now, milk. Full fat, skim, or do we go for the mysterious almond milk that tastes nothing like almonds?"

The younger one reached for the carton of regular milk without hesitation "Normal milk. We’re not getting into this today."

Gojo pouted "You’re no fun, you know that?"

"You’re too much fun." he muttered in response, placing the milk in the basket.

Megumi has learned one thing through his small, short and rather painful life. Do not draw attention to yourself. This one motto saved him and his sister's skin many times when they had to endure the hardships of not having an adult in their lives. He wondered why, once there was an adult in his life, willing to take care of him, it had to be him. The ever-attentive, unserious, gigantic, young adult.

He said to himself that it was ridiculous, how someone like that even endured in society. How such a person was given custody rights. But no, he knew that the system was absurd, corrupt and unsuited to many situations more than once.

So he asked the better question: How do you put up with him?

You seem to know him quite well and put up with his behaviour in a way that could be considered admirable. He and his sister wondered what the specifics of your relationship were, because apart from knowing that you were not a real couple - as you had made clear to them - it was easy to see that you shared some kind of strange bond. A relationship incomprehensible to him, because why would two, really young adults, not even in a real marriage, adopt two children?

On the other hand, as long as Tsumiki had a real home and was happy, which she said and showed more than once, he was happy too. He lacked nothing - a fact that concerned and amazed him every day.

So maybe he was a little gratefull for that.

With the essentials finally gathered, they headed to the checkout. The cashier eyed them with a mix of amusement and confusion as Satoru started to arrange the items on the conveyor belt with the flair of a magician performing a trick.

"Look at that!" Satoru announced as he placed the last item down with a flourish "An impeccable display of grocery selection."

Megumi sighed again but said nothing. He just pulled out the list to double-check that they had everything. Behind them, a couple of older women watched the exchange with smiles, one of them whispering to the other "He must be such a fun dad."

If Satoru heard them, he didn't show it, but the comment made Fushiguro glance up briefly, his eyes softening just a little, even as he maintained his exasperated facade.

He wondered if they were blind or so filled with hope that they couldn't see.

Satoru paid for everything, of course, beforehand adding a sizeable amount of all sorts of sweets to thier shoppings, which seemed to be for a child, to make him happy. But no, they were for him, for an adult.

He wondered how long he would live, if he took such a large dose of sugar every day.

They bagged their groceries and headed back out into the fading daylight, the sky turning shades of pink and orange as the sun dipped lower. The walk back was quieter, the city settling into the calm of early evening. Satoru carried the bags in one hand, swinging them lightly as he walked.

"You know..." he said after a while "...shopping isn't so bad when you've got company."

Megumi glanced up at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.

"I guess." he muttered, looking down at the pavement as they walked.

Satoru grinned, looking ahead "And who knows, maybe next time you'll even smile while we do it."

Megumi shot him a look "Don't push your luck, you're still annoying."

Satoru laughed, the sound echoing in the quiet street as they made their way home.

tl: @kalopsia-flaneur, @dainslumi

#gojo and megumi #years to come #jujutsu kaisen #gojo x reader #years to come series #jujutsu kaisen fluff #gojo satoru #jjk fluff #jjk x reader #jujutsu gojo #jjk #megumi fushiguro #jujutsu megumi #jjk megumi #jujutsu kaisen megumi #fushiguro #kid megumi #father son bonding #dad gojo

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befemininenow · 1 year ago

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Are you a trans girl or non-conforming and would like to try out feminine clothing? You may want to check this out.

Say you found this dress online and you really love the overall style of it. Great! If you’re like me, you would say “F it! I’ll buy the dress and I’ll wear it how I like!” and move on with your life. That should the end of this guide, right? Except, there is one little problem: not everybody thinks this way. Those who look for the best matching outfits aren’t just searching to fit their style, color, or personality. It also has to do with their body type. If you’re in that situation, this guide may help you out.

Body shape

Believe it or not, there are many different types of body shape (up to 10). However, the most common tend to be the following (in no order):

Rectangle- Even distribution on shoulders, hips, and waistline

Pear/Triangle- Wide hips, well-defined waist, small shoulders

Hourglass- Near-exact hip and shoulder measurements, thinner waistline

Inverted Triangle- Broader shoulders, narrower hips, little waist definition

Apple/Round- Broad shoulders and big bust, thin legs and hips

Many transgender women have the inverted triangle body shape due to several factors such as genetics, bone structure, and age. However, your body shape may also change over time due to a rebalancing of hormones, body fat, and even lifestyle. While you can’t change your bone structure, you can change your body definition through exercises.

Body proportion

Here is something you may find useful if you’re looking to customize your look. Body proportions are unique to every individual and play a factor on clothing and to some extent, accessories such as jewelry. For instance, you may find the skirt you bought looks either too long or short. There are a few areas where to measure your body proportions such as wrist length or neck size. But the best way to improve your dress type is by following the “golden ratio rule” of dividing your body into three:

The way this is read is you’re either one-third top, two-thirds bottom, or you’re two-thirds top, one-third bottom. Once you get more knowledge, you can go upwards even eighths! But for now, the focus is on these two outcomes.

The two-thirds top, one-third bottom words well with long dresses:

while the one-third top, two-thirds bottom works well with more casual clothing:

Body measurements

Now that we got a few problems out of our way, it’s time to figure out what measurements you have. The best way to find out is by using a mirror and a soft measuring tape for body. Measure all the crucial parts of your body, which are the waist, hips, shoulders, and bust. This will determine the type of body you have and have a better idea on what length you will need to try out your clothing of choice.

Shoe size

One thing very important about an outfit is choosing footwear. Although you can use your old Converses with your flared jeans, you’re certainly not going to use them with a ruffled dress. You’re definitely going to want heels or flats! Unfortunately, women’s shoe size are not exactly the same as men. But don’t give up! Fortunately, there are women’s size conversion charts that help you choose what shoe size you need.

To find out your measurements on your own, grab at least two blank pieces of paper, a pencil or pen, and a measuring tape. Place your foot firmly forward and carefully trace around the outer area of your foot. Repeat this with your other foot. Once finished, grab your measuring tape and measure from your highest point to your lowest on both sheets. Measure the width as well. If both feet measure close to 10.5, your women’s size is a 12. However, due to a difference in manufacturing based on shoe brand, as well as shoe type like pumps, the average recommended size is at least 2 inches above your actual size. For those living in other countries that don’t use the US measuring size, I left a chart that shows all the possible measurements you may use to convert your shoe size into women’s size.

What to wear based on body type

Since not all clothing is made for everyone, it’s time to list what is considered the “ideal” clothing choices based on body type. Note that these are opinions from my source’s authors. IMO, the pictures below each suggestion are a better opinion. Your are free to choose your type of clothing.

Rounded or apple shapes fit best with monochrome colors and make the person look more “fit”.

Pear or triangle shapes look more balanced with decorative accessories on top while keeping the bottom more plain.

Rectangle shapes tend to have more volume with a waist belt while pleated pants give more volume on hips.

Hourglass shapes look best when wearing bodycon dresses and cardigans to emphasize volume in their waistline.

Inverted triangle shapes pull off the wide leg pants and fitted top combo the best.

For a much more comprehensive guide for each body type, I highly recommend reading The Concept Wardrobe’s guides. It gives more details on what to wear and how to choose the best combinations. Link is provided here: https://theconceptwardrobe.com/search?query=body+frame

Tips on what to wear

Now that you reached this point, I’m pretty sure you’re excited to try out what your heart desires. However, before you go out and buy that two-piece dress, I recommend researching and observing the type of clothing women wear today. Believe it or not, people will judge based on your way of dressing, from background to social status to age. A simple look like bodysuit and jeans may look perfect on you and blend you in with the girls, but something like a hot pink bodycon will make you stand out, and most likely not in a good way. So how would you choose something that blends you in with society, but also be comfortable at the same time? Here are some tips and pics:

Find clothing that “feels” feminine. In other words, buy clothing that “feminizes” your body, such as tops that make your shoulders look shorter, wrap dresses that make your waistline shorter, and skirts that make your hips look wider.

Find the best colors based on skin tone and hair color. For instance, try out warm colors such as orange if your skin tone is warm.

Dress sexy, but never go too revealing. Seriously, have some respect to yourself. But if you really want to go out wearing, for example, a two-piece outfit, wear one that looks stylish and flatters your body in a great way.

Use accessories that fit and blend well with your body. Large jewelry goes well with larger frame, small jewelry fits with smaller wrist, and so forth. Don’t forget the purse! It is absolutely necessary now that you’re wearing pocketless clothing. Choose one that fits your taste and needs.

Bras and undergarments are necessary to wear now. As you further into your transition, your breasts will start growing and it will become more difficult and uncomfortable going out braless. Start out with a brassiere, then move on to a fitted bra as they become bigger over time. As for down there, I would use boy briefs as they’re similar to boxers. Although HRT will cause it to shrink, it does not make it disappear. If you must hide it, use a gaff or a tuck, but do not use chastity belts (Seriously, stay away from that unless you’re really into that thing).

Optional: use waist shapers or corsets to slim down waist. Hip enlargement pads will also give your narrow hips and butt much needed volume. Breast forms can also give you an idea how big you want them in the future.

Fashion sense

But the most important part of choosing clothing as a trans girl is to wear whatever suits your taste.

For instance, are you more into the traditional and simple feminine aesthetic? Cottagecore may be for you:

But what if you’re the rebellious type that prefers to defy tradition? Well, maybe the alt-girl fashion is for you:

Maybe you’re the type that changes clothing based on season. So if you’re a summer-season type of girl, you’re definitely going for an outfit like this:

How about if you’re into the gym? Clearly your goal is to be like this:

Are you into business casual? There’s also a pic for that:

(The girl in the pic is also transgender! Her name is Suzi Hunter, better known as The Sphere Hunter.)

But we also can’t forget cosplay, either!:

(Cosplayer is Eden the Doll, a trans woman cosplayer! Picture belongs to Geo Leon.)

You’re probably the party type who loves some action:

Casual wear can also be tasteful and attractive too:

There’s so much to pic, but each style says a lot about what type of woman you are.

Where to buy clothing

If you’re interested in finding the right clothes for you, check out places that are especially gender-inclusive. As I’m based in the US, clothing stores such as Target are a good start while higher-end chains such as Nordstrom and Macy’s may have a better variety to choose from. If you’re a thrifty shopper, your local outlets, discount stores, and thrift shops have a surprising amount of great clothing for affordable prices. Although online sites like Amazon, Shein, and Zara have affordable and appealing clothing, many of these brands also have ethical concerns that overshadow their reputation. Dubbed “fast fashion”, they are a source of scrutiny among fashion fans and I would personally avoid them if possible. If you really need something affordable and new, I highly recommend purchasing through discount and thrift stores.

If you’re in need of safe undergarments, check out Urbody. They have clothing suitable for trans people, non-binary, and other identities, varying from binders to tucked leggings. They are founded by trans and non-binary people and use ethical practices and living wages for their workers. If you’re interested in checking their site out, here is the link to their page (I am not sponsored by them): https://urbody.co/

Conclusion

The whole point of this guide is to help you pick the proper clothing and accessories as a newly-out girl. I made this guide since there doesn’t seem to be many that are detailed. Keep in mind I’m still learning about female clothing as I am still in the first stages of transition myself. If anyone would like to add more info that is missing or provide any corrections, please reblog and add more helpful tips as it would help trans girls, trans women, non-binary, and anyone else that desires to wear affirming clothing. Please refrain from using any hurtful language if you’re doing so. Thank you and hugs!

Links to sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/women-body-shapes#why-shape-fluctuates

https://www.thestylatude.com/post/the-most-common-body-shapes-for-women-and-how-to-find-out-yours

https://theconceptwardrobe.com/build-a-wardrobe/inverted-triangle-body-shape

https://www.thestylebouquet.com/2020/02/17/5-most-common-body-shapes-for-women/

https://dressedformyday.com/how-to-discover-your-body-proportions/

https://gabriellearruda.com/how-to-dress-better-female-body-shape/

https://m2fguide.com/how-to-pick-clothes-if-youre-transgender-or-crossdressing/

https://feminizationsecrets.com/mtf-clothing-tips/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBk9v0J_WO/

https://www.transgendermap.com/social/clothing-accessories/

https://apexfoot.com/shoe-sizing-chart/

https://www.glamourboutique.com/crossdresser-fashion/guide-male-female-shoe-sizes-33255#:~:text=Minimize%20the%20chance%20of%20having,11%20in%20a%20women's%20shoe

#transgender #mtf #fashion #how to #gender affirming #trans #clothing #feminine #genderfluid #quick #guide #helpful #tips #trans woman

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