#pls click for high def!

[thornsword]

they bring terrible four-armed woman person to our home and hang her in sky like star to boil seas

[educatedsimps]

Can I pls request a boyfriend hc for Mattsun? 🥺🤲 one where it’s longterm like, highschool to waaaay into adulthood type of longterm.

≪ back to fics masterlist

mastukawa issei x f!reader

a/n: when i tell you i squealed reading this request ✋😭 THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING ANON! AND YES BAE I’M WRITING THIS just a word of warning tho, i’ve never written for mattsun before so i had to do a little research, hope i didn’t mess up his character 🤧 anyway i hope u like this! and thanku for reading :)

cw: i may or may not have gotten carried away, f!reader, timeskip spoilers, established rls, tooth-rotting fluff

how you got together:

probably met him in your first year of high school, and got together after becoming really close friends

you made friends with hanamaki first because you were classmates, then one day he invited you to study together with his friends and that's when he introduced you to mattsun

you realised you shared a lot of classes with mattsun and you just clicked once you started talking

of course, you got acquainted with oikawa and iwaizumi as well

you had a group chat with makki and mattsun, and the latter often texted you after school and after practice

you had similar interests and music tastes and stuff (and of course enjoyed teasing oikawa together)

you and mattsun also started studying together (probably tutored each other in some subjects too)

the both of you started catching feelings as you grew closer and by the time you were halfway through your second year, the two of you had FATTEST crushes on each other bUT NEITHER OF YOU DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT AHJKDHSK i swear it pissed your friends off so much

anyway, makki and oikawa made a bet with mattsun in year 2, in which mattsun would have to confess to you if they didn't make it to nationals that year

iwaizumi told them to cut it out (they didn't listen)

oikawa knew mattsun wouldn't want to jeopardise his friendship with you by confessing, so he used that as an incentive for mattsun to train more LOL oikawa's actually evil

but they lost to shiratorizawa anyway so mattsun had to confess to you

he went to your class during lunch the very next day with a small bouquet of flowers and a note

he wanted to just leave it on your table and leave before anyone saw him, but you just HAD to walk in right at that moment

"what's that?" "...it's for makki" "then why is it on my table, issei?" "...because makki likes to sit at your table" "but makki's not even in this class"

anyway he ended up with the girl of his dreams that day and now he's secretly glad seijoh lost that game lol

you graduated together after dating for 1.5 years, and took a really beautiful grad photo together (he had the absolute biggest smile on his face, even makki had never seen him smile that wide before)

there was one photo with his friends in the background cheering as he bashfully gave you a kiss on your cheek (YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE MY HEART IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE)

you also had a ton of photos photobombed by oikawa and makki in the background - and a few more taken when iwaizumi was dragging them out of the frame by their ears

dates with him:

he brought you out to dinner for your first date

he listened to oikawa's advice to take you to dinner because "girl's like the classics" and since oikawa was the only one in the team who had had a girlfriend before, mattsun decided that maybe he had a point

iwaizumi reminded him that oikawa got dumped his girlfriend but anyway-

it was a decent, slightly fancy restaurant in the city area and yes, he insisted on paying (he's been spoiling you from the very start)

he also got all dressed up for it - and i mean, suit, pants, flowers and everything

he was blushing the whole time

after that, you guys started going on different types of dates, depending on whether you're more of an extrovert or an introvert

dates include going on picnics, going to the arcade, movies, night markets and festivals, aquarium, museum, etc.

def a ton of home dates too - ordering food and doing skincare together or just cuddling

as broke highschool kids, you probably went to less expensive places, except for the occasional event, eg. after major exams, on you birthdays, your anniversary, after winning a game, etc.

lots of cheap after-school lunch dates though

milestones together:

you were each other's firsts, so you both lowkey didn't know what you were doing but you learned together

probably had your first major argument/conflict/disagreement after about half a year of dating? but you learned to resolve it in a healthy way pretty quickly

if you're not a confrontational person, then mattsun was probably the one who initiated the conversation after the argument

he probably cycled to your house in the evening just to apologise to you and talked things out

he can be a little blunt sometimes so resolving conflicts with him are usually very direct

after that, you slowly learned from each other's habits and signs and rarely get into heated arguments anymore because you know how to resolve conflicts peacefully through ✨communication✨

it was a pretty important milestone when you first met each other's families/parents, which was about a few months after dating

your parents knew you guys were friends first but had never met him until you started dating

he's a pretty nonchalant guy but meeting your parents for the first time was probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his life (i think it's a universal experience)

they love him tho

if you have any really young siblings or cousins, they'd probably use him as a free climbing activity

he has an older sister and a younger brother and they absolutely ADORE you

like from the moment issei introduced you to them, they were like "ISSEI WE WANT THIS ONE"

moving in together during or after college

you guys were one of the cutest campus couples like your relationship was the PEAK of all college relationships

like EVERYBODY wanted a relationship like yours and mattsun's

the little things:

he looks like his love language is gift-giving, followed by quality time but that's just my opinion

so you can expect lots of little gifts from him

he also always initiates a lot of dates because he wants to spend time with you

walks you home every chance he gets

ALSO FLOWERS

in high school he'd pick flowers from the school garden and give them to you, he'd either visit your classroom during break or give it to you when he sees you in the hallway or even between classes

probably pissed off the school gardener once for picking too many flowers but they became good friends and now mattsun always gets fresh flowers for you

idk why but this man gives "he'd get you flowers every time he passes by a flower shop bc 'why not'" vibes

mattsun would 100% match outfits with you on a date "just for the aesthetic"

mattsun in a black turtle neck, jacket, a thin silver chain, more flowers, and a fancy restaurant for a date

he'd probably make a spotify playlist for you, either of songs that remind him of you or of songs that are special to both of you

he would carry your bag for you when you go out, even if you insist that it's not heavy, doesn't matter how feminine it is, he'd gladly carry it on one side while holding your hand on the other side

you send tiktoks to each other every day (and by that i mean A LOT of tiktoks) and he watches every single one that you send him and he always replies to them. either with an emoji or a short reply, he just wants you to know he enjoys your tiktoks

will send you every "send this to the prettiest girl you know" tiktok he comes across (which is also very often)

takes candid photos of you when you're not paying attention, probably has one as his lockscreen too

post-timeskip hcs:

you're close to the seijoh 4 and hang out with them almost every time they meet up

and since you're mattsun's +1 who's been around them since high school, you're invested in the other guys' love lives too

sometimes you and mattsun try to set them up with people for your own entertainment to help them out a lil

you and mattsun are like a package deal, if you're invited to something, he's coming with and vice versa

you and mattsun would probably ditch an event together once you're tired or sick of it

you probably saved all the dried petals from all the flowers he's given to you over the years and got your wedding guests to throw them as you walked down the aisle together (you saw someone do this on tiktok and when you told him after the ceremony he actually cried)

if you guys own a car, you would probably take turns driving the car every day and drop off / pick up the other from work

if you don't then you'd meet at a bus or train station nearby and head home together every day

the two of you would 100% take naps on the bus or train together with earphones in

since he works in a funeral home, i feel like he'd have tons of flowers at his workplace, so sometimes he'll take a few home for you

either that or he knows the best flower shops in town and he'll often pick up a bouquet on the way home

also tells you stories from his work

a/n: ok i'm out of brain juice for this one but i hope you liked it! i hope i didn't write him too ooc too 😭

© educatedsimps 2024. do not repost, copy, translate or plagiarize any work from this blog on tumblr or any other platforms. if you do, the simps will hunt you down. likes and reblogs are appreciated!

[whichcouldmeanothing]

hi Clara, what are your sharpen settings?? if you will pls 🙏🥺 your gifs look so high def

tysm of course i'm happy to share!! i just recently set up this link where anyone can download my sharpening action for ps so i had it ready for you loll💕 it's based on someone else's action but i made some changes so this one's my version. ill also put screenshots below the cut in case thats easier. it's pretty foolproof i hardly ever have to adjust it lol so hope it helps!!

step 1: smart sharpen

step 2: smart sharpen

(if you're using photopea you have to stop here, the rest is specific for ps smart objects)

step 3: gaussian blur

step 4: now you should have a gif layer that looks like this.

right click on the "Gaussian Blur" and click "Edit Smart Filter Blending Options..." and then change the Opacity to 20%.

and that's it 🥰

[star-girl-is-thinking]

A/N: before we start idk if anyone is gonna read this but I just want to say a few things

English is def not my first language as you could probably tell

I wrote this …short story? Scenario? Or whatever it is at 2am so ahahahahaahhaha

The names are like this for artistic purposes and totally not bc I was lazy

(The main character is * and her friends ; and ~ and her love interest \)

It’s my first time uploading so idk what to do um help??

If enough ppl read this and enjoy it I could maybe expand and eventually polish the story? Idk time will tell

I hope at least one person reads this and likes it

ENJOYYY <3

———

“I swear to god the food here is radioactive. This cannot be normal.” ~ said while poking around at the ‘food’ on her plate.

“It’s… something at least. Just close your eyes and pretend you’re eating at a restaurant . It works for me.” Shrugged ; even though she didn’t look like she was enjoying it any better.

“I think I might try starving myself actually.” * exclaimed, looking at her lunch with dead eyes.

The small (but extremely close) group laughed a bit. It was either laughing at the situation or crying and nobody wanted to cry in the cafeteria. Just as ~ was about to take one for the team and try the mystery meat,

“God I can’t watch you risk your life like this. I’m gonna go and think about my life in the toilets.” * stood up suddenly and joked a bit (it might not be a joke anymore). “I’m gonna join you guys before class.” the girl reassured the others before they protested.

“Fineee, just try not to be late ahem again ahem. You know how the history teacher is. Also be careful in there you never kno-“ ; started rambling.

“I know, mom. Don’t worry if something happens I’ll just curl up in a ball and cry.” * smiled and gathered her things up (which weren’t a lot). The now standing girl left not before waving to the two others.

…

“..did she leave her food on purpose..?”

“Sigh… yes… yes, she did…”

…

———

After I accidentally left, whatever the stuff on my plate was, I walked out of the cafeteria . I didn’t technically lie to my friends about the ‘going to the toilet’ part. I really did go and proceeded to look at my reflection. Thankfully and surprisingly no one was in the girls bathroom.

Bzzzz

My phone lit up, notifying me about a message. I looked and saw that \ texted me.

\ is a guy I met at the beginning of the year. We have some mutual friends and he walked over when I was with them. We introduced each other and hit it off instantly. It was so bizarre, we just kinda clicked. I recently came to terms with the fact that I miiighhhttt have a little crush on him but it’s nothing serious. How can I not find him apealling? I don’t have a type but if I did he would check all the marks. Usually my standards are low but he made them sky high. He’s always nice to me and at the same time we could tease each other for hours. He’s such a good listener. We’re kinda like the ‘yapper x listener’ duo. Of course I listen to him as well but most of the time it’s me talking (not that I mind). I also can’t deny that I’ve kinda listened to songs while imagining it was about me and hi-

I was cut off by another bzzz from my phone. Realising I’ve been staring at his message like a little maniac, I quickly opened up our chat.

•picture of the mystery lunch with the Rio de Janeiro filter•

This shitz a gamble at this point

Like am I getting chicken or am I gonna go in cardiac arrest the possibilities are endless 🤩🤩

Naahhh das crazyyy 💀

The food today got everybody tweakin and I don’t blame them

I said fuck it and just left

No way I was gonna put that thing near my face when I did my makeup so pretty

WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME YOU LEFT OMFGGGGGGG TRAITORRRRR BURN THE WITCCHH

Also yea ur makeup was very girly pop today (AND EVERY OTHER DAY PLS DONT THROW ME TO THE WOLVES)

Erm okay stalker 🤨

Anywayz I’m in the bathroom rn

We could meet up we still have like 20min left

Say less omw

Wait for me next to the stairs

Be there or be 🟥

Bsffr…

‘He noticed my makeup…’ was the only thought I had in my head when I was leaving the toilets and making my way to the stairs.

———

It’s already been 6 minutes. The walk from the cafeteria to the stairs was 2 minutes if you walk a bit faster (which he always does). We’ve met here a few times and usually it takes him a maximum of 4 minutes but 6? That’s not normal. I know I’m overreacting but I just have a gut feeling. I decided to walk around the hallway in hopes of meeting him halfway.

‘Maybe a teacher just held him up?’ I thought to myself, trying to reason with his absence.

While walking I heard voices. Being the noisy person I am, I decided to take a peek. The noise was coming from a separate hall that connected the two parts of the school. The voices were two… a girl and a boy. A boy… Wait… that’s \! That’s why he was late. Someone pulled him aside to talk. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Suddenly something caught my attention.

“-\… I know we’ve only known each other for a few weeks but these few weeks have been the best! I just wanted you to know… I like you! Like a lot!-“

The girl continued to express herself but it all was washed out by that one sentence.

“I like you!”

The weight came back and this time it was suffocating. I don’t know what I was feeling. It wasn’t anger or sadness or even envy. It just… hurts? It hurt the way his name rolled off her tongue, the way she was smiling at him like she already knew the answer to her confession, the way her eyes were filled with what I could only assume as love.

Why was I hurt by this? It’s not like we were together… my crush was ‘nothing serious’. I don’t even know what his response was. My mind just shut out every noise around me. All I could hear was my heartbeat. It’s like I could hear a crack. A crack in the wall I had built myself… or a crack in my heart?

“Ouch”

I whispered underneath my breath. Not really caring if they heard me. I just turned around and walked. It was like I was walking for hours while my thoughts were running wildly. It was almost comical how that one sentence was repeating in my head like a broken record. My feet carried me to class. I sat down in my seat still thinking until ~ and ; sat next to and behind me.

———

“How was your commercial break * ? I bet it was better than being in that stupid, loud hell hole.” ~ whined, pulling her stuff out.

“Turns out the whole school didn’t like whatever that was. There were loads of uneaten plates in the trash…” ; sighed, already having put her books on her desk.

“Oh, yeah… Not surprised, I would’ve done the same.” * replied snapping back to reality.

“Next time throw it out yourse-“ ~ stopped herself when she heard my phone.

Bzzz bzzz bzzz bzzz

I looked at the lit up screen already knowing who it was.

“Are you not gonna answer?” Asked ; concerningly.

I thought for a second.

“Nahhh, it’s probably nothing important.” I smiled at my friends while turning my phone screen down.

———

“Byeeeee, we will missss youuuuuu!!!!” ~ over exaggerated.

“We’re going to see each other tomorrow y'know…” ; told the other girl.

I smiled and waved. I get off the bus a few stops before them so these goodbyes were normal.

The walk ,although short, was quiet. Not because the streets were empty, quite the opposite. I was left alone with my thoughts again. I definitely overreacted. In my defence this has never happened to me before. How am I supposed to know how to react? I was just so stunned that my mind was trying to figure out what emotion to connect to that scenario. It just suddenly hit me at that very moment… it wasn’t a ‘nothing serious’ crush. I actually liked him… a lot… more than whoever that was. I’ve never had an actual crush before. I hate how it feels but at the same time I wouldn't trade it for the world…

Now that I’m thinking about the moment, the confession. Something that I didn’t notice was the way his eyebrows were furrowed. Almost as if questioning her. I don’t know what he said because I left but something about the way he was standing and the way he looked at her didn’t look right. His eyes didn’t hold the wrath the girl in front of him was radiating…

I should probably reply to his texts. I can't just avoid him. There’s still a bit of hope left…

———

This school is cray cray

Istg I’m not making this up some girl pulled me aside and said she likes me like woah there miss who tf r u???

Then I remembered IT WAS THE GIRL I WAS TUTORING FOR EXTRA CREDIT insane ik I lowkey don’t even know her name

That’s why I couldn’t meet up today which I’m so v sorry for mlady I won’t let it happen again 🙏🙏🙏

I feel like an obsessive ex atp but like real talk you good?

I really did want to see you but getting confessed to by a girl I barely knew wasn’t on my bingo card for this year so I wasn’t prepared

Were you… there when it happened? I thought I heard footsteps but didn’t think much of it… Was that you??

Wow obsessed much? I didn’t reply for some a few hours and bro went insane…. But for real I’m good and I might have been there

Oops? Hope i didn’t interrupt and I just want to say I’m happy for u!!!!!!

Waitwaitwait happy?? For what??? You didn’t actually think I liked her did you? I barely knew her 💀

And besides I like someone already

I DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT?? UR A WILD CARD

…you like someone?

Is there a chance that it’s…

It’s you

Me?

[storkmuffin]

obligatory 'i'm so glad i found your blog', (definitely not in an insomnia-fueled search attempt to answer some itching questions in my mind about atz members and gender and queereness, nooo way), and i have to say i'm feeling vindicated by how much your reads align with many of mine, but also very intrigued by insights that i never even considered but still Click with me iygwim. i def need to do deeper watches of dancing styles and god DAMN do i wish i understood korean if only for the purpose of analyzing the rap verses more granularly. i'm still very sleep deprived so i will probably come back later with more rantings ravings and ramblings but just needed to shout out.

this is a long story but the thing that turned me on to ATEEZ initially (having heard the name here and there), and hwa specifically, was actually an ASMR vid lol, one that hwa and woo did on Soy ASMR'S channel (as an asmr connoisseur i can't help but stan an asmr king). what made me stay is a longer story but that vid is so dear to me and especially funny in light of the Queer Lego Dom persona bc??? it's basically that but instead he dragged wy who apparently DOESNT EVEN EXPERIENCE ASMR to do a whole video on a channel that HE'S personally a huge fanboy of??? wy takes it in much better stride than hj i will say. anyways that vid is very fun and cute and kind of a more 'unofficial' setting and i do recommend it if you can stomach asmr (if not im sorry)

this was a long and somewhat delirious message and i'm not even done with what i have to say but for now. thanxx (graciassss)

thank you right back! I am always thrilled whenever my verbosity about Ateez brings long form essayists to my blog to write me long messages. Genuinely. Like, I'm SO HAPPY you found me. (And I'm sorry you have insomnia, but I find it highly entertaining that by being my very insomniac hyperverbose analytical ND self on here, my PEOPLE ARE FINDING ME). Pls write more and all the words and tell me about what you think and feel about Ateez. Tell me all your thoughts about Seonghwa. Please.

I have this same aggressive-otaku tendency that Seonghwa keeps exhitibing - when he likes a thing he can't stop talking about it, thinks about it all the time, and HAS TO drag his friends into doing the thing with him - so that makes me very soft for him. Particularly because this is how Park Seonghwa became a kpop artist though he is by no means an obvious candidate (being just a beautiful dancer doesn't get you there you know?). He loved dancing, so he made a dancing crew, and just grabbed at any passing boy in his all boy high school to join it, insisting, and then he dragged them all onto every available stage. And he does all this without apparently needing to be 'the leader' or 'the boss.' Actually, he seems to think that the idea of 'the leader' is sort of campy. In the IOMT behind the scenes content, he makes Al Pacino In The Godfather faces as he explains that 'the boss' of mafias and stuff are always very stressed out, very angry, and swirls his long overcoat for emphasis.

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS PERSON?

[sic-fayl]

Guild Member Next Door (kinda) translation - Part 10

Click here for the previous part - or click here for Part 1!

Disclaimer, as always: This is based on an MTL translation, I do not know Korean myself, I am trying more to stick with the impressions/vibes of a sentence instead of a strict word-for-word meaning - and most importantly, this is only for fun.

Now, here's part 10!

[Party] Ji9Star: Did the ant queen go get milk and so her kids had to raise themselves?  Is that why they’re so fussy now and just spit on everyone instead of talking like grown-ups?

Earth Star really was incredibly weak in the Ant Cave map. On normal days, he’d fly all over the place, demolishing everything, but the Ant Cave map had low ceilings, so Earth Star would hit his head if he did that. There was just no easy way to jump and run and go wild as he usually would.

[Party] neutaaaa: Earth Star’s nearly dead again.

‘This is insanity. How’d that thing hit you hard enough to knock you all the way back... Are we really sure you’re max level?’

[Party] Ji9Star: Cockroach! Pls Roach! Save me!

[Party] CroakRush: It’s CroakRush ㅡㅡ

[Party] Ji9Star: But everyone else got to call you a cockroach too.

[Party] Ji9Star: Wait pls, my friend, my savior, I'm begging here

[Party] Ji9Star: And I’m sorry! >_<

So CroakRush used an HP recovery skill, to restore the fleeing Earth Star’s low health.

[Party] CroakRush: Stop running in front of me and just stay back here.

[Party] Ji9Star: But I’m close range dps lol. Tf will I do back here?

[Party] CroakRush: If you keep rushing in then there’s no point in me healing you so I just won’t.

[Party] neutaaaa: Lmaoooo

[Party] Ji9Star: Worst customer service

In direct contrast to Earth Star, who kept nearly dying, by rushing in and then running for his life, Kittycat MeowMeowMeow was dealing very high, consistent damage, even though he was a way lower level. Out of the three actual damage dealers they had, with CroakRush as their healer, Earth Star was clearly performing the worst.

[Party] Ji9Star: These ants just refuse to die... It’s so tiring and frustrating

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: ? Can’t shake the feeling the ants think the same, but about us.

[Party] CroakRush: Well to the ants we’re some random four home invaders ㅜㅜ

Even their twentieth time farming this map, Earth Star wasn’t doing any better. It was a bit ridiculous to witness a level 250 guy get knocked all the way back to the edge of the arena, just because he suffered one small hit from the level 200 boss enemy of the Ant Cave: the queen ant. Not even their healer CroakRush was affected by the queen ant’s hits. Sometimes, its attacks even missed entirely.

[Party] neutaaaa: Does Night Spear just have really low defense stats?

Night Spear was the highest job in the Knight class. Knights in general had the second highest base physical attack, right after Warriors, and Yeo-woon had always thought Knights were the class with the highest base defense, so he didn’t get why they’d fail this hard against some ants. Instead of keeping up his assault against the ant, Kittycat Meowmeowmeow froze in place, like he did whenever he typed in chat, and sure enough, a detailed answer to Yeo-woon’s question appeared.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: No! NS are mid-tanks, with high def!! They’re not like this... Might be hard to believe rn tho lmao

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Like in group PvPs, you need to kill the squishy players first, so you go for stuff like healers and gunners, while the NS is the v last kill!

“...”

‘What’s all this supposed to tell me?’

[Party] neutaaaa: Oh, I see...

‘There was no reason for all these details.’

But having thought that, Yeo-woon still bowed his head to the monitor like he would to a teacher. In any case, he knew now that Night Spears were actually meant to have way more defense than this.

[Party] CroakRush: Earth Star’s just an exception lmao. He abandoned defense for max speed... Still a Night Spear, but more of a mutant? Think of him like that.

[Party] Ji9Star: Mutant?

[Party] Ji9Star: I’ll get you twice for that one

[Party] Ji9Star: Anyway, I’m max level, so how could I ever die to some ant on 200? Lmao.

As soon as Earth Star sent that message, he got hit by a charged attack from the queen ant, catapulting him all the way to the other end of the arena.

[Party] Ji9Star: These ants are way too strong

[Party] neutaaaa: Thought you said you won’t die?

[Party] Ji9Star: Whatever

[Party] neutaaaa: Don’t quit now!

[Party] Ji9Star: I didn’t say nothing;

[Party] Ji9Star: No, seriously, I’ve got nothing left ㅡㅡ

[Party] CroakRush: Lmfaooooooo

CroakRush laughed at him, but still restored his health. It was so stupid. If he really was a class with incredible defense and a whole 50 level above this thing, then why was he getting eviscerated? Eventually, they managed to reduce the queen ant’s health to zero and it died with a little squeak. Then an animation played, where the ant’s black shell broke away and revealed the red layer below. After her first death, the queen ant was resurrected as the more aggressive red queen ant. This was a common mechanic for the game’s bosses, with many of them having three progressively stronger phases like the ant queen.

Earth Star rushed in with his spear, so fast he was a shadowy blur as he struck the ant queen again and again and then got hit right in the face by its poison. At that point, he fled and hid away behind Yeo-woon, hoping to get some health back.

[Party] neutaaaa: Hey

[Party] Ji9Star: ?

‘Should I really say this?’

He hesitating a moment, but Yeo-woon quickly realized this was Earth Star, so there was no reason to be considerate and so he resumed typing.

[Party] neutaaaa: You’re in the way.

[Party] Ji9Star: ...?

Earth Star froze in the middle of the arena and used a gasping emote to show his surprise. But as he did so, he got hit again by the ant queen, launching him across the place. It felt like Earth Star had just rolled over to let all monsters take a swing at his underbelly, with how he’d been hit and poisoned more often at this point than he’d landed his attacks.

[Party] neutaaaa: Thanks to you, Kit couldn’t even use all his skills.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Cat pls.

[Party] Ji9Star: No way; Wouldn’t Cat just say himself, if I’m being such a bother?

Kittycat MeowMeowMeow froze again. Thanks to that, he nearly looked lost in though, but then a blue speech bubble popped up above his head, showing the same words that appeared in the chatbox.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Lol tbh didn’t think I had to say it.

[Party] Ji9Star: Wha...?!

[Party] CroakRush: Lmfaooooo

[Party] neutaaaa: See, you’re no help. So how about you just stay back?

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Yeah!!

[Party] Ji9Star: I can’t believe a low level player is saying this to me ㅜㅜ

[Party] Ji9Star: I’m bringing shame to my family...

Earth Star used a crying emote, but from then on, he no longer rushed in and instead only added the occasional long-distance hit, whenever his skill for that attack came off its cooldown.

[Party] Ji9Star: I’m really powerful in PvP tho...

[Party] Ji9Star: No one wants me as their opponent >_<

[Party] neutaaaa: Who asked?

[Party] CroakRush: Lmaoooooo

[Party] Ji9Star: I was talking to myself actually;

[Party] neutaaaa: Ah, but I still heard you...

[Party] neutaaaa: Talk to yourself more quietly pls.

[Party] Ji9Star: Did you say something?;; I’m so far away, I can’t hear you over there and it’s not like I’m saying nothing anyway.

[Party] neutaaaa: Oh, so now you’re going off on your own?

[Party] Ji9Star: Beats dealing with the antsㅡㅡ If you keep this up, you’ll be fine anyway.

[Party] CroakRush: Lol thanks to who?

[Party] Ji9Star: Gamers;

[Party] neutaaaa: So you’re leaving me to do it by myself again lmao. Won’t kill you to admit it, you know?

[Party] Ji9Star: That’s stupid why am I here then huh even tho it’s annoying

[Party] CroakRush: Lol ever heard of commas?

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Have fun

[Party] Ji9Star: Shush, cat

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: What, why reply to me out of everyone

Earth Star sure was incredibly weak to the Ant Cave. In other maps didn't pile up his specific disadvantages like this. But since you couldn’t move up or down much here and the narrow sides offered no space for evading attacks either, this Night Spear was facing some serious issues.

After the ant queen died a second time and turned into her final, third form, Earth Star went as far back as he could and even hid away behind CroakRush. Yeo-woon had never before seen a close range dps use a healer as their shield. Meanwhile, the ant had turned blue and oozed two debuffs into its surroundings. One debuff slowed the player down, the other made them more vulnerable to its poison.

Kittycat MeowMeowMeow moved behind the ant and shackled it with a skill, keeping it stuck in place. The ant queen stomped its feet and roared, while Yeo-woon used this chance to get healed up by CroakRush and then rush in, to use all his skills in quick succession as soon as they came off cooldown.

That’s when something changed. Suddenly, motivational words like ‘Keep it up!’ and ‘We’ll win this!’ came from the computer’s speakers, in ever new voices. The cause of it all was Earth Star, who was spamming emotes with sounds attached to them.

Earth Star’s character raised his arms above his head, jumping up and down and waving a shiny cheer-item around. Since it was more than just one or two different sentences, there had to be a wide variety of cheering emotes he was spamming for this.

[Party] Ji9Star: Beat them, ants!

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: ?

[Party] Ji9Star: Let’s go, ants, let’s go!

[Party] neutaaaa: ;;

[Party] CroakRush: Looks like he’s officially lost it..

Earth Star was using many emotes with sounds, to cheer on a scene of a queen ant getting beat up by two low-level damage dealers and their level 240+ healer. Finally, the final version of the ant queen fell, in spite of its struggles, and after it made a noise signifying its defeat, multiple item bags appeared right next to its corpse. Since all three Poseidon guild members had farmed this Cave so much, they needed no more items from it, they just watched Yeo-woon walk around and pick up everything.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Newguy, you level up so fast… Did you use an elixir?

[Party] neutaaaa: Yep, the 500% elixir and I took another elixir to get 3x the quest rewards.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Ah, I was wondering how you went up so quick haha.

The elixir was increasing his gained experience by 500%, so his experience had risen very quickly with each run of the Dungeon they’d done today.

‘Can I crack 160 today? With how fast we’re going, working as a party seems like the ideal way to level up.’

As Yeo-woon blindly picked up whatever items had dropped, he contemplated how much experience he would still need for the remaining level ups. He didn’t even check what it was, just pressed the space bar to pick it up and that’s when a notification window popped up, with a sparkly, joyful sound effect.

‘You got the item Rainbow Tulip Cradle (30 days)! Do you want to display your character name to the server?’

Yeo-woon just clicked ‘Yes’ without thinking and that’s how him aquiring this item got shown off server-wide in the global chat. When he went to check out the item in his inventory, he found it under the ‘Event’ tab, where the Tulip Cradle was listed as a mount. To him, it seemed pretty pointless. A pet could at least carry items for its player, but a flower?

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Wow

[Party] CroakRush: Woah I didn’t know that can be farmed.

[Party] Ji9Star: Huh

Everyone’s reactions made Yeo-woon doubt his first impression. They acted like it was a really good item. And then he got flooded with whispers from strangers, his chatbox quickly filling up with ever more messages.

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Got urself a cool deal for 100 million

[Whispering] jklqwer22: Wowieee~~~

[Whispering] jklqwer22: Where’d you find that??

[Whispering] jklqwer22: I’ve been farming my way thru the Star Cradle for like 5 hours, but only got a Beaded Slipper...

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: 150 million ok

[Whispering] Your Father: How much to buy it off you? If you wanna sell it, just tell me the price of your highest bidder and I’ll beat them@@@@@@

[Whispering] Cn dealer: 700 million aaaaa

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Cooler deal for 160 mil

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Hey

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Hey hey @!#$@!#$@!#$@!#$

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Coolest deal for 190 mil

[Whispering] Coolest Cat: Had a change of heart and will do 200 mil if rn ok

Yeo-woon could only stare as new messages kept coming in faster than he could read the old ones. It was just some random mount, so it made no sense to him why everyone was so desperate for this thing. It wasn’t like there weren’t a lot of other mounts to choose from after all.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Is that Tulip player-bound on pickup? Never seen one at the auction house...

[Party] CroakRush: Nope

[Party] CroakRush: But they’re not sold much lmao. Even a 30 day one’s like 700 to 800 mil? Or If you put it in for instant-buy with 1 billion there’ll probs be a rich kid buying that within 12h.

‘Oh wow.’

There was an obvious reason to explain the different prices. Even though it could be traded, it was rarely in the auction house, so that must mean it also dropped pretty rarely.

[Party] neutaaaa: Is it actually that good?

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: It’s not about it being good, it’s that the Tulip looks pretty!

[Party] neutaaaa: Ah…

‘Makes sense then, for a pretty mount.’

Yeo-woon himself had seen the event items from last year and they had made him wish he’d started playing this game earlier. He still felt some regret about missing out. These were the same reasons that the clothes in the Fashion Shop always sold really well, even though they provided no advantage in battle. But they looked pretty and that was enough.

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Hey…

Then Yeo-woon suddenly saw his chat change color, because Earth Star sent him a whisper.

“What?”

‘Why are you whispering?’

As Yeo-woon still wondered about that, confused to no end, Earth Star paused for only a moment before he sent another message.

[Whispering] Ji9Star: If you’ll sell it anyway… would you give it to me for 1 billion?

[Whispering] Ji9Star: I threw away my pride to ask this…

Since he privately whispered this question, he probably didn’t want anyone else to know he was asking. Of course, Yeo-woon had no intentions of letting him get away with this, so he just chuckled to himself, before he wrote a message to their party.

[Party] neutaaaa: Sorry, you whispered that so quietly I didn’t catch it.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: What?

[Party] CroakRush: ??

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Ugh...

[Party] neutaaaa: Yeah, sorry, didn’t hear you, try whispering more loudly.

[Whispering] Ji9Star: ...

[Party] CroakRush: Did Earth actually sent you a whisper? Lmfaoooooo

[Party] CroakRush: Why didn’t I expect this hahahahahaha

[Party] CroakRush: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Party] CroakRush: God I can’t that’s funny; I gotta tell the guild chat rn

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: You wanted the Tulip that bad?? Lmaooooo

[Party] Ji9Star: Stop ragging, you cat

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Croak sent four messages and I only one.

[Party] Ji9Star: And someday I’ll get revenge on that cockroach, mark my words

[Party] CroakRush: Oh noes I’m so scared.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Oh gosh, I’m so scared.

[Party] Ji9Star: Are we sure this cat isn’t just a bad dog in disguise

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Even when I say the same as Croak I’m still the only one getting shit from this guy.

After Yeo-woon picked up the last few items, they left the Ant Cave Dungeon and so they returned to the Dark Tunnel it was located at.

‘Instant Dungeon Ant Cave has refreshed.’

[Party] Ji9Star: I think I’m developing ant phobia

[Party] CroakRush: Look at this guy changing the topic because he’s embarrassed.

Earth Star just quietly adjusted the party settings and then made a move towards the Dungeon’s portal again.

‘Oh, no no, not so fast.’

Before he could disappear, Yeo-woon quickly right-clicked on his avatar and sent a trade request to Earth Star.

[Party] Ji9Star: ? What?

Even though Earth Star seemed confused about what was going on, he immediately accepted the trade request. When the trade’s dedicated screen popped up, Yeo-woon dragged the Tulip onto his side of the trade.

[Party] Ji9Star: Oh woah, I don’t have the money on me… But I’ll get it rn. Brb!

[Party] neutaaaa: You don’t have to.

But Earth Star had already canceled the deal and ran off to get the money. With him gone, Kittycat MeowMeowMeow and CroakRush were quick to tell Yeo-woon he should ask for a higher price.

They told him to double the price. To say that a 0 was missing. To just tell him he wasn’t selling anymore, as soon as Earth got back. The two went on and on, essentially planning out how Yeo-woon could rob Earth Star of his last shirt, until the very moment Earth Star actually got back with the money.

[Party] Ji9Star: Newta, I’m back >_<

And just like that, the way he talked to Yeo-woon and what he called him had completely changed. For the first time, he was called a normal name by this guy, who’d so far only called him by ‘Hey’ and ‘You’.

‘Ji9Star sent a trade request.’

And so a new trade screen popped up for the two. When Yeo-woon dragged the Tulip onto his side of the trade once more, Earth Star typed in his corresponding amount of money. As soon as this number reached ‘1,200,000,000’, Yeo-woon quickly right-clicked the flower to remove it again and then pressed the button to confirm the trade from his side.

‘Trade successfully completed.’

[Party] neutaaaa: Tyy~^^

When he opened his inventory, he felt like he’d turned rich overnight. Earth Star said he’d give him 1 billion, but he could see the guy had added 200 million more to that amount.

[Party] Ji9Star: Huh?

[Party] Ji9Star: ??????

[Party] CroakRush: No way lmao

Earth Star seemed pretty confused, once he realized he’d been robbed. Since he just stood there and said nothing, Yeo-woon assumed he was searching his inventory for the Tulip.

‘[Illusion tip!] When you do a trade, first check that everything is in order, before you click ‘Accept’!’

When the global Illusion tip refreshed, as it did every 30 minutes, Yeo-woon couldn’t believe its perfect timing. He felt very satisfied about it all.

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Heh

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Since we like each other so much, please give me your address.

[Whispering] neutaaaa: Can I keep and resell whatever you send, if I don’t enjoy it?

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Or I can give you my number and then you call me haha.

[Whispering] Ji9Star: I really just want to see your face once

[Whispering] neutaaaa: Lmao I don’t do that stuff...

[Whispering] Ji9Star: Hey, where do you live again?

A smile spread over his lips. Nothing was funnier than Earth Star trying to be threatening!

[Party] neutaaaa: Finally, to have reached days this sweet...

[Party] Ji9Star: ?

[Party] neutaaaa: I guess the heavens have finally blessed me for working hard every day.

[Party] Ji9Star: Do I look like the heavens?

[Party] neutaaaa: Time to thank my beloved parents for their efforts

[Party] Ji9Star: Do I look like your parent?

[Party] CroakRush: Lmaoooo

[Party] Ji9Star: How can you just play with someone’s heart like this?

‘Ji9Star wants to play a 1v1 match (PvP). Do you want to accept?’

‘You have rejected the match.’

[Party] Ji9Star: Wild. Now this so-called friend won’t even grant me a fight after I said all those kind things.

[Party] neutaaaa: What kind things ㅜㅜ

[Party] Ji9Star: PVP time♡

‘Ji9Star wants to play a 1v1 match (PvP). Do you want to accept?’

‘You have rejected the match.’

[Party] Ji9Star: Accept the PVP you coward♡♡♡

[Party] neutaaaa: I’m busy sitting around and telling others how many rich people I’ve robbed so far

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: He’s a legit idiot lmaooo

Seemed like a certain someone had shared the news in Poseidon’s guild chat. There was a sudden string of messages, all sent out with server-wide megaphones.

[Server] CroakRush: Dude actually got robbed by a noob for 1 bil man if that was me I’d just quit lmao.

[Server] Halloween Eggplant: My sincerest congratulations on getting scammed for the first time in your life! ^-^~

[Server] al0ha: Lmfaoooo

[Server] al0ha: gg gg

[Server] Captain Poseidon: Neu is starting his own buisness ^^

[Server] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Call Ji9★ Bank for interest-free loans ♨ Up to 1 billion for free/no payback

[Party] Ji9Star: Can’t believe the cat is being a bad dog again;

Poseidon’s guild members rushed in to celebrate the fact Earth Star had been scammed. They sounded genuinely delighted about this turn of events.

Even the Guild Master sent a whisper saying ‘Congratulations! Maybe that’s the consolation prize for your trouble! Haha’, taking Yeo-woon’s side. But Yeo-woon, the very person who’d just so easily gained 1.2 billion, felt his spite wash away, just watching Earth Star pepper his character with his spear, doing nothing to hurt him at all.

This had been fun. With a lighter heart, Yeo-woon sent another trade request to Earth Star, who was busy just running all over the place like a maniac.

[Party] Ji9Star: Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you ㅗ

[Party] neutaaaa: Just take it, I gotta go shower and sleep.

[Party] Ji9Star: You can’t fool me

[Party] Ji9Star: You cannot fool me.

[Party] Ji9Star: But uh... do you mean it?

[Party] CroakRush: Lmao watch him get robbed again. Earth boutta get famous for getting scammed out of 2 bil.

[Party] Ji9Star: ㅡㅡ

Yeo-woon had never really intended to take his money. It’s just the way things unfolded in the moment.

“Someone who falls for tricks like that deserves to be made fun of for a little while...”

But now, Yeo-woon dragged the flower he’d meant to give to Earth Star into the offerings side of his trade, along with the 1.2 billion he’d scammed him out of.

[Party] Ji9Star: Why’re you giving back the money?

Even though Yeo-woon pressed ‘Accept’ on the trade, Earth Star just exited the window without accepting and so the trade disappeared again.

‘The trade has been cancelled.’

‘Ji9Star sent a trade request.’

[Party] Ji9Star: I’ve got a conscience you know, so I can’t just scam items off a beggar like you lol...

[Party] neutaaaa: ? Just take what you’re given

[Party] Ji9Star: Nah;

Their next trade ended up cancelled for the exact same reason.

[Party] Ji9Star: What even is this? You didn’t even reach the 3rd job change yet. Stop throwing money at me!!

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: Lol first he was angry he got robbed, but now he feels bad getting it for free lmao.

[Party] CroakRush: Just keep it, he’s loaded anyway.

[Party] Ji9Star: Ugh

[Party] neutaaaa: I thought it’d be obvious, but

[Party] neutaaaa: I wanted to thank you for doing 20 runs of that Domain.

[Party] neutaaaa: It was a lot of work haha.

Yeo-woon was aware that doing the Domain not once, but a whole 20 times couldn’t have been easy, especially with Earth Star’s disadvantages. Even if he only helped Yeo-woon improve for his own selfish reasons, it was still a lot of help and he felt grateful for it. This thing wasn’t even a cute pet, only some mount that he didn’t care for and so he was sure it would be better for this item, if it ended up with someone who really wanted to have it anyway.

[Party] neutaaaa: Even though you didn’t do much, I was always planning to just give this to you.

[Party] Kittycat MeowMeowMeow: But he didn’t do much, so why are you giving his money back too? Lmao you a philanthropist?

[Party] CroakRush: If you actually take that deal Earth then you’re trash. He’s got nothing to begin with so if you do that I’ll tell everyone you exort money and items from innocent newbies.

[Party] Ji9Star: No way I’d ever accept it;;;

[Party] neutaaaa: ㅜㅜ I’ve got an interview tomorrow, so I really gotta go... I’ll give you this stuff and then I’ll be off.

He really did have to leave. His second interview was scheduled for tomorrow, so he couldn’t keep arguing like this. It’d be awful, if he’d oversleep for such a stupid reason.

[Party] neutaaaa: Bye bye!

[Party] Ji9Star: Wait what

Yeo-woon left the party right away, so that Earth Star couldn’t say any more. He had a plan to put in action. He didn’t log out immediately, because he first had to go back into a village and speak with the postman.

‘Your mail has been sent.’

[Couple] Ji9Star: Bastard

[Couple] Ji9Star: Did you really just sent it as mail?

That chat message appeared the moment he sent off a mail with everything attached to it. Earth Star demanded to be answered and kept raging in the chat.

‘It’s so dumb, why does he always make a big deal out of everything, even me returning his money to him?’

Yeo-woon ignored his messages and just shut down his computer.

(Next Part)

[bradshawburner]

ELLE. ELLE?? ELLE!!!

I want to inject this series in my veins, the high I get from reading it is off the charts! And this chapter had IT ALL.

so many thoughts and a lot of unhinged emoji use below:

I should be the one making her laugh. My hands should be on her hips, not his.- I can just imagine how disgruntled he looks staring at her from across the room. Like holding that glass a little toooo tight. Trying (and failing) not to glare.

Bradley watches as the infant with a bad haircut tries to hit on Mary to what he thinks is a Justin Bieber song, absentmindedly playing with his own wristband. White. Here for fun, not to flirt.— pls this man is a drama queen, the audacity of the 20something to be twirling HIS GIRL (who could have been his girl if he hadn’t been so quick to shut her down, but oh, he was just trying to protect himself 🥺). But that boy isn’t having much fun when he only wants to flirt with one girl….

He feels his heart clench a little bit. He’s always had a soft spot for the bespectacled man, Bob paying attention to small things that others rarely caught.— SWEET BOB! ANGEL GEM LOOKING OUT FOR HIS FRIEND

The slit up her leg showing off the thighs he dreams about getting his hands on again.—. NO ONE’S STOPPING YOU LOVER BOY GO GET YOUR GIRL

“You got it, sweetheart; anything for my new backseater!” Harvard flashes his toothpaste commercial-ready smile at her before making his way through the crowd to the bar. Him and his pink wristband quickly getting lost in the masses.— that vein in Bradley’s neck is POPPING as he watches Harvard test the waters I just know it!! Buying her drink, pulling out her chair, all with a cute matching pink bracelet?? POPPING I TELL YOU

Bradley’s heart warms a bit when she answers his question first.— sweet, beautiful idiot. Of course she did, she likes youuu. She’s probably been keeping tabs on you all night too! Probably didn’t know how to feel about that white bracelet 👀

If you hadn’t messed up, that could be the two of you out there.- OMFG JUST ASK BRADLEY I BEG OF YOU

They make eye contact, and he can see the gears in her brain working. She turns around, hips swinging hypnotically, and he loses his breath when she peeks over her shoulder at him. Bradley’s heart soars when she wiggles a finger at him.— in the immortal words of Shakira: hips don’t lie. And good for miss ma’am going for the jugular, he’s been thinking about those hips and thighs! GET IT GIRL

Bradley doesn’t even think. He lunges, ignoring Mary’s yell for him to stop and taking the asshole down with one punch. He doesn’t get a second one, security interfering and escorting all three out.— i love a protective Bradley, but a protective Bradley going after a misogynistic asshole who doesn’t respect boundaries is my EVERYTHING.

She’s mad when she joins them. A quiet anger that’s palpable, making them all stay quiet instead of joking around like usual.//Her clipped tone and her heels furiously clicking on the sidewalk are the only physical indicators of her anger. — oooh that PALPABLE rage. And the way she tells everyone what’s going to happen, with no room for questions, so cut and dry. Bob and Nat were def making eye contact with each other like 👀

They’re both fuming by the time he pulls into the driveway. — me tenting my hands like “yesssssssssss 😏” gimme those fireworks

His mouth drops open; he didn’t realize she had noticed.//“Yeah! I noticed - you pilots have all the subtly of an elephant in a firework shop with its tail on fire! It’s one or the other, Bradley!”— YESSSSSS CALL HIM OUT FOR IT THOSE BIG COW EYES HAVE BEEN MOONING OVER HER ALL NIGHT

He can’t get words to come out. He knows what he wants, but he can’t speak.— oh he wants her SO FUCKING BAD 🥺 and I bet that scares him because for as much as he wants her, he’s so used to losing the people he loves 😭

“You’re a fucking idiot, Bradley.” Bob’s eye-roll is audible on the other end.— WE ARE ALL THINKING IT AND BIG DICK BOB IS THE ONLY ONE SAYING IT. Icon.

“Well, I don’t know about favor-“//“I am. Now, sit down, shut up, and wait for her.”- as I said, icon

“You’ve been pressed against me for two hours in these tiny little shorts with no bra on, and you smell good.” He shrugs, feeling sheepish as he explains what got him going.— this still makes me 😮‍💨😵‍💫 it’s so simple, but what’s got him in a tizzy is HER. THE BRADLEY POV OF THEM ON THE COUCH IS SENDING ME

Their lips brush, and he’s about to move his hand to the gusset of her underwear - he needs to know how wet she is for him- SCREAMINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN (what hopefully will be again soon because idk how much longer I have to live if you’re set ON ENDING ME)

“I had completely psyched myself out, and I was convinced you didn’t actually want me.” “//“That’s- I- did I give any indication that I didn’t want you?” He sputters the question, unsure how she could think that.— poor Mary and her self conscious spiral. But this beautiful idiot is like DID YOU NOT FEEL HOW HARD MY COCK WAS?! Which like fair (also I would like to know as well for scientific purposes)

“Can I come over there?”//“I’m gonna take this, okay?”— oh I love how tender he is with her. And like the physical things have been some of the trigger points, and bless him for wanting to comfort her and put her at ease, but also wanting to be respectful of those boundaries 🥹

(My heart is beating so fast, currently I’m laying on my couch, but if I was on a chair I’d be at the edge of it)

“Still you, honey. I know I said we should forget what happened, but I don’t want to forget. I want to do that again without getting interrupted this time. I want to take you out on a date. I want you. If you’ll have me.”— HONEY!! 🥹🥹🥹 but also 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 and 🫠🫠🫠 and 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

“And I’m so oblivious that I didn’t even realize you were interested until you were grabbing my ass and moaning against my mouth.”— ITS SEARED IN MY BRAIN TO GIRL I GET IT

“So I just need some time to process this because I never thought this - us -could be an option.”- 🥺

“Mariella, it’s been a year, and nothing has changed since I saw you in that red dress. A few extra weeks where we’re just friends? That’s nothing if it means you’re comfortable.”- oh he LOVESSSSS HERRRRRRRRRR AND NOW SHE KNOWS JUST HOW SERIOUS HE IS ABOUT HER 😭 AND HE USED THAT FULL GIVEN NAME THATS LEGALLY BINDING SERIOUS THAT DATE ON SUNDAY IS SET

“We can share my bed; we’re adults. We can handle it.”- and those friends were her final words because neither of them are going to make it out alive 😂 NOT WITH THAT SEXUAL TENSION

“Bradley, you are not climbing into my bed, which has nice fresh sheets, with those clothes you wore to the club. God knows what’s on those chairs we sat on.”— a beautiful IDIOT BLESS HIM BUT DONT THINK ABOUT GETTING IN BED WITH THOSE JEANS

taking note of how her breath hitches when he pulls the tight material off, but not doing anything about it. If he has any control over their situation, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to make her lose her breath.— 🫠🫠🫠 lord have mercy

He does allow himself to make eye contact while he undoes his jeans, unable to pass up the chance to watch her watch him. — A SLUT! A WHORE! AND WE LOVE HIM FOR IT! ITS ALL FOR THE FEMALE GAZE! A FEMINIST!

The question makes him think of his mom, how she used to make pancakes on special occasions and sometimes just because it was Tuesday. He never makes them for himself.— I AM STILL A BROKEN HEARTED MESS PLS CHECK BACK IN 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS

“If we hadn’t been interrupted, we would have had sex. We would’ve made out for a while, and then I would have ridden you right there on the chaise.”//“Fuck…”— 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 blessssssssss

I think I’m falling in love with you. - 🥹💖🥹

OH I LOVE THEM THIS SLOW BURN IS EVERYTHING AND ITS KILLING ME AND I LOVE IT

Mar[r]y Me - part six

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, discussions of body image, one (1) drunk asshole, conversations on what it’s like to be a fat woman trying to date in today’s society, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 5.9k

previous part | series masterlist | main masterlist

note: happy Friday!! it's August here in the real world but it's Valentine's Day in the Mar[r]y Me universe, so what will these two do surrounded by love and pink hearts? can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts!

part six - pancakes

God, I made a mistake.

Bradley has suffered through five days of the same thought on a constant loop. His brain started up the second he walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Only getting short reprieves when he had to fly. Even being asleep wasn’t safe; Mary had been consuming his nights, wonderful dreams of being with her intermixed with bad dreams of having to watch her with another man.

He felt like he was living one of those nightmares for the last three songs, watching Mary dance and giggle with some guy in his twenties.

I should be the one making her laugh. My hands should be on her hips, not his.

He cursed Natasha for dragging them to this stupid Valentine’s Day speed-dating event. Except, the speed dating isn’t actually speed dating; it’s some sort of convoluted speed dancing.

As announced by the host, there are only two rules:

Every person must wear the wristband they received upon entry; the wristbands correspond to your relationship status, so respect the color code system.

If you’re dancing, you have to dance with a new person for each song.

“Unless you’re really hitting it off with your dance partner.” DJ Socket had added with a wink before starting the night off with a horrible remixed version of My Funny Valentine.

Natasha, Callie, and Mary had laughed at the bad song choice before throwing back a shot of tequila and shimmying their way to the dance floor, pink wristbands glowing under the disco ball.

According to the event flyer that had been spammed in the group chat for the last two weeks, a pink wristband meant single and ready to mingle.

Bradley watches as the infant with a bad haircut tries to hit on Mary to what he thinks is a Justin Bieber song, absentmindedly playing with his own wristband. White. Here for fun, not to flirt.

He’s having a terrible time.

“Rooster. Rooster? Bradley!”

The use of his real name snaps him out of his thoughts. “Sorry, Bob, what was that?”

“I asked if you were okay. You don’t look great.”

He feels his heart clench a little bit. He’s always had a soft spot for the bespectacled man, Bob paying attention to small things that others rarely caught. Though even a blind person could see the way Bradley is staring at Mary, the pining radiating beyond the two high-top tables the Daggers had claimed as theirs.

“Yeah, just tired. It’s been a long week.”

Bob raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth, but Harvard interrupts him before he can investigate further.

“It’s weird seeing the girls in dresses instead of their coveralls.”

“I’m just wondering how they convinced Callie to wear heels. Omaha practically had to bribe her to wear something other than her Vans to our wedding.” Fritz says, his red wristband - taken and in love - flashing when he takes a sip of his bright pink drink. “God, these drink specials are awful! This is the last time Phoenix gets to choose where we go.”

The boys laugh as his face twists in disgust. Natasha is great at many things, choosing a good bar is not one of them.

“We should have let Jake plan; he found that complex with the mini golf and everything. That was so much fun!” Aaron adds before turning to Javy. “Where is Jake? I thought he was coming.”

Javy shrugs. “He was supposed to be here, but he texted me and said he wasn’t going to make it. Something came up, apparently. He said everything was fine, so I’ll check on him tomorrow. Make sure he’s all good.”

“Mary looks really good.”

Bradley stiffens, his mood dropping from happy back down to pissed off as steam pours out of his ears. She doesn’t just look good. She looks amazing. The light green, satiny material of her dress is hugging her figure just right, showing off her curves in the most delicious way. The slit up her leg showing off the thighs he dreams about getting his hands on again.

She looks gorgeous.

But Harvard doesn’t get to say that about his girl.

She’s not your girl. You fucked up.

“There she is! Can I get you a drink, ma’am?” Harvard stands up, holding his bar stool steady while Mary climbs on, scooting it in when she’s settled.

“If you’re going up, I’ll take a water, please.” She smiles at him, cheeks flushed from dancing.

“You want anything stronger to go with that water?”

“Vodka sprite, if it’s not too much of a bother.”

“You got it, sweetheart; anything for my new backseater!” Harvard flashes his toothpaste commercial-ready smile at her before making his way through the crowd to the bar. Him and his pink wristband quickly getting lost in the masses.

“I missed something. Backseater?” Javy asks.

Bradley watches her laugh and lean on the table, grabbing a chip after Aaron pushes the basket toward her. “He’s just trying to be funny. We’re both headed up to Lemoore next week - I’m helping out on some repairs, and he’s doing some sort of mentor program? I don’t know exactly. Anyway, Cyclone suggested we drive together since we’re staying at the same hotel. I told Brigham he’s driving since he insisted on getting this godawful 30-foot pickup truck, which makes me his temporary backseater.”

“Make sure you don’t eat anything before riding with him, or you’ll paint the windshield.” Omaha jokes.

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Please. If I didn’t hurl after a greenhorn took me up and executed one very poor barrel roll before getting himself grounded, I think I can handle Harvard’s driving.”

“You’ve flown?”

“Was it an FA-18?”

“How do you fuck up a barrel roll?”

“Did you like it?”

Questions are hurled at her from every direction, all the boys interested in the fact that their favorite mechanic had been airborne in the backseat of a fighter jet before they knew her.

“I did like it!”

Bradley’s heart warms a bit when she answers his question first.

“It was an FA-18, and I think we technically hit Mach-1, but my brain has burned the trauma of that hop from my memory. It was fun until that bad maneuver because when I say greenhorn, I mean green. Like as fresh as you can possibly be.” She shutters, only partially joking. “But I didn’t throw up, and that’s a major point of pride for me.”

“It’s only because you hadn’t eaten yet that day.”

The warmth disappears, again, when she smacks Brigham’s arm after he puts her drinks down. “I told you that in confidence! And I think it still counts because I’m a civilian and have done none of the training you guys do.”

“How did you even get permission to fly?” Javy questions, stealing a sip of her water, grinning at her when she glares.

“When I was in Florida, I got close with some of the higher-ups, and one of them arranged for me to go on a simple flight so I could see what it’s like. It was really sweet of him!”

“Who did you sweet talk into getting in a jet?”

“He sweet-talked me! Actually, it was more like he manipulated me. It came up that I’d never been on a flight - which is totally normal for an engineer, by the way - and he egged me on until I agreed to go up.”

“Oh my god, you got suckered into a ride with a flight school newbie? Who managed that?”

“I don’t know if you guys know him. I don’t think he was in Pensacola when you were going through flight school, but it was Admiral-”

“Hey, baby, wanna dance?”

Her face changes immediately, annoyance spreading quickly. “No. I’ve already told you I don’t. Leave me alone.”

“Oh, c’mon, you know you want this-”

“The lady told you no. I suggest you listen to her before we make you listen.” Omaha threatens from his position across the table. Bradley is happy that Neil spoke up before him because he wouldn’t have been so nice about it.

The pushy asshole looks around the table and decides not to press his luck after seeing eight men puffed up, ready to defend their friend.

“What a dick! He had a red wristband on, and he still tried to hit on you!”

“Welcome to being a woman, Mickey. Doesn’t matter if you’ve told them no or if they have a partner. Men will be gross and overbearing if they think it’ll benefit them.”

She sinks back in her chair, sipping her drink and sending a small smile to the boys in thanks. The group disburses a bit, most joining Nat and Callie on the dance floor, leaving Mary sitting with Fritz, Bradley, and Bob.

“Hey, speaking of gross and overbearing, did you hear the rumor that Admiral Cain is coming to the program review next week?”

It perks her back up; she excitedly leans forward, happy to talk about something else.

“Oh! That’s not a rumor, Fritz. That’s 100% true. He’ll be presenting his case for increasing unmanned drone research. But he’s going first on Tuesday, and then he’s back in Washington that same afternoon, so thankfully, we’ll only have to deal with him for a few hours.”

“Thank god, I had to deal with him for a little bit when I was at Norfolk, and he was worst. I know drones are getting more popular for high-risk missions, but they’ll never be able to fully replace pilots.” Billy clinks his bottle against Mary’s glass when she holds it up, swallowing the last of his beer. “You’ll have to excuse me; it looks like my husband wants me to dance with him.”

Bradley watches Mary stare longingly at the dance floor, her eyes following the happy couple dance in perfect sync with each other.

If you hadn’t messed up, that could be the two of you out there.

“So, what parts of program review do you have to sit in on?”

Mary turns, a soft smile on her face - Bradley knows her soft spot for Bob matches his own. Both of them protective over the younger man who cares so much, yet so quietly.

“I have to be there for almost all of it. I’m presenting a few sections, plus I have to do a shop tour and demo, which will be uber fun.” She rolls her eyes, knowing how some admirals like to knit-pick at how a shop is run and organized. “All my free time this week will be finishing my slides and polishing my presentation.”

“Wow, on top of helping with Lemoore’s repairs? You’re gonna be busy these next two weeks.”

“Very busy, but we’ve already done the repairs I’m helping with down here, so theirs should go much smoother! But I'm genuinely excited for program review because I’ll get to see some people I worked with in Florida! I think I’m going to try and poach a few of them that I really miss.”

“You’re gonna steal your friends to work for you?” Bradley regrets the question when he sees her face falter for a split second, realizing his tone wasn’t as joking as intended.

“Yeah, I’m thinking about it. They’re really smart and talented, plus it’d be nice to work with them again.”

The relief that breezes through his chest at her grin and kind tone quickly disappears when Harvard pops up and pulls her toward the dance floor.

“Hang- hang on!” She giggles, turning to Bob. “Would you mind keeping an eye on my purse while Brigham steps on my toes to bad 90s love songs?”

Bob’s, “No problem.” overpowers Harvard’s protests of, “I’m not gonna step on your foot again!”

She pecks his cheek, leaving a faint pink stain behind as she follows the Ohio man onto the dance floor. And for several songs, Bradley's stomach twists as he watches his two friends dance pressed close together.

“Why don’t you go dance with her?”

“She doesn’t want to dance with me.”

Bob scoffs. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Bradley, what happened with you two?”

He doesn’t answer; just keeps fiddling with the label on his beer and watching the dance floor. The two sit in uncomfortable silence for the first time in their friendship.

“I fucked up.” He confesses everything to Bob. The night on her couch, their interruption, the tiff just a few days ago. He doesn’t spare any detail, no feelings. “I still don’t know why I didn’t just let her explain! Even if I was mad that she was ignoring me, she had her reasons - she wouldn’t do something like that for no reason!”

Bob is stunned. He doesn’t know what to say to comfort his friend. None of the group’s theories had even been close to the reality of what happened.

“You can’t tell anyone what I just told you, not even Natasha!” Bradley is borderline frantic. “You’re the second person I’ve told, and I don’t know if Mary has told anyone, but I don’t want everyone knowing. I don’t want what happened to be the talk of the group.”

“I won’t tell anyone, Bradley. Not even Nat. But I do get bragging rights when the two of you finally get together.”

“That’s not gonna happen. I messed up too much, man.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

He looks where Bob is pointing, watching as Harvard twirls away with a pretty redhead, leaving Mary dancing by herself. They make eye contact, and he can see the gears in her brain working. She turns around, hips swinging hypnotically, and he loses his breath when she peeks over her shoulder at him. Bradley’s heart soars when she wiggles a finger at him.

She’s calling me over. Maybe I didn’t totally fuck this up.

His joy is short-lived. The same red wristband asshole as before getting in her space, trying to grab her ass as she pushes him away. Bradley practically falls out of his chair to get to her.

“Get away from me!” Mary pushes the stranger’s hands off and stumbles back from the force, colliding with Bradley’s chest as he comes to help.

He steps forward, angling his body to shield her as she tucks herself into his side. “She’s told you to leave her alone at least twice now. Walk away before we have a problem.”

The sleazy man rolls his eyes, “Whatever, man.”

“No, not “whatever,” man.” Bradley steps forward, disregarding Mary tugging on his arm. Her pleas for him to stop falling on deaf ears. “You’re going to apologize to her.”

“For what? The fat bitch probably liked it. She’s practically begging for it in that dress.”

Bradley doesn’t even think. He lunges, ignoring Mary’s yell for him to stop and taking the asshole down with one punch. He doesn’t get a second one, security interfering and escorting all three out.

The rest of the Daggers make their way outside, everyone awkwardly huddled together as Mary assures the bouncers that she is safe to leave with Bradley, that he’s her friend who was just protecting her from the other man’s unwanted advances.

She’s mad when she joins them. A quiet anger that's palpable, making them all stay quiet instead of joking around like usual.

“Thanks for planning this, Nat. It was really fun until about five minutes ago. I’ll text you about dinner.” She says to the girls, giving Bob a small smile when he hands over her clutch. “Bradley is going to drive me home, but you guys should keep having fun. Brigham, let me know when you want to leave tomorrow, and I’ll see the rest of you when I get back from Lemoore.”

Her clipped tone and her heels furiously clicking on the sidewalk are the only physical indicators of her anger. The group watches her go, stunned. In the year since they were introduced to Mary, it’s the only time they’ve seen her get close to losing her cool.

They had seen her defend herself against misogynistic pilots, making them feel foolish without even raising her voice. They watched her bite her tongue when admirals talked down to her because of her age, letting Mav or Cyclone handle it. In the past eleven months, they had witnessed her ability to handle difficult situations with poise and grace.

But tonight was too much.

After having to deal with yet another demeaning asshole and Bradley’s rash, unwanted heroics, the rage simmering below the surface of her skin was threatening to finally break through.

Bradley follows at a slower pace, keeping an eye on her but giving her space to breathe. He startles at someone grabbing his shoulder, turning with wide eyes to find Bob with a determined look on his face.

“Take her home and apologize; let her explain before you explain your side, okay?” Bradley nods, giving a small smile to his friend. “It’s all gonna be fine; you are made for each other. You can tell me all about how right I am tomorrow morning.”

He makes his way to the car, unlocking and opening the door for Mary, the tiny bit of hope from Bob’s pep talk disappearing when he realizes that she’s giving him the silent treatment. Climbing into the front seat and ignoring the hand he offers, closing the door herself and choosing to stare out the passenger window when Bradley sides into the Bronco.

The drive to her house is quiet; the only sound is the oldies station Bradley turns on in hopes of getting Mary to talk to him. The closer they get to their destination, the more he goes from sad to annoyed.

I was just trying to help. She doesn’t need to ignore me.

They’re both fuming by the time he pulls into the driveway. She slips out of the car, hoping he’ll just go home, but he’s following behind her to the house. One step over the threshold, and he can’t take it anymore.

“Are you gonna stop ignoring me, or should I just go home?”

He watches her shoulders stiffen and feels his stomach drop her eerily calm expression. “I don’t know. Are you actually going to listen to me? Or are you just going to tell me that we should just forget this happened, too?”

“Don’t put that on all on me! This isn’t all my fault! You ignored me for an entire month!”

“Yes! Yes, I did!” She slams her hand on her kitchen island. “And then, when I tried to explain, you didn’t let me say anything! You just said we should forget everything that happened and move on! So I tried to forget! I tried to respect your wishes! But tonight, all you could do was watch me dance with other men!”

His mouth drops open; he didn’t realize she had noticed.

“Yeah! I noticed - you pilots have all the subtly of an elephant in a firework shop with its tail on fire! It’s one or the other, Bradley! We either forget what happened and we see other people, or we talk about what happened and go from there! There’s no in-between option where you get to be upset whenever I flirt with a man that’s not you! So what’s it gonna be? Are we moving on, or are we having a conversation?”

He can’t get words to come out. He knows what he wants, but he can’t speak.

“Well, Bradley?”

Say something, dumbass! She’s not going to wait forever.

She scoffs, rubbing her hands over her face. “I’m going to shower. If you’re still here when I’m done, we’ll talk. If you’re gone, well, then I have my answer.”

He’s frozen in her dining room, wincing back to reality at her bedroom door slamming shut. His phone is ringing before he realizes what he’s doing.

“Rooster? Everything okay?”

“I think I fucked up.” He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. “We fought, man. She noticed I was watching her tonight and yelled at me for not letting her talk last week.”

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“I’m in her living room.”

“You’re still there? She didn’t kick you out?”

“She said if I’m still here when she’s done showering, we’ll talk about everything.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Bradley.” Bob’s eye-roll is audible on the other end. “Sit down and wait for her to finish showering so you can talk. If she wanted you to leave, she would have no problem sending you packing.”

“You think?”

“She was two seconds from throwing a wrench at my head last week, and I’m her favorite.”

“Well, I don’t know about favor-”

“I am. Now, sit down, shut up, and wait for her.”

The line clicks, and he decides to listen to the advice, depositing his wallet and keys on her entryway table before sitting on her couch. Sinking into the middle cushion, he thinks about the last time he’d been on this piece of furniture.

“You’re so hard.” He’s not sure why she’s surprised. She has to know she’s had him on the verge of an erection since she opened her door this morning.

“You’ve been pressed against me for two hours in these tiny little shorts with no bra on, and you smell good.” He shrugs, feeling sheepish as he explains what got him going.

“Bradley..” The way she says his name borders on a moan, and he can’t help the noise he makes when she pulls his hair.

If she does that again, I’m going to cum.

He grabs her ass and pulls her as close as he can, brushing his other hand up her thigh and boldly dipping into the leg of her pajama shorts, enjoying the scalloped edge of her panties. Their lips brush, and he’s about to move his hand to the gusset of her underwear - he needs to know how wet she is for him - when they’re interrupted.

Between reliving that moment and crafting his apology, he doesn’t hear the shower turn off or her footsteps coming down the hall, only noticing her when she sits in the chair furthest from him.

“I’m sorry-” They start to apologize at the same time.

“I’d like to go first if you don’t mind?” She requests, taking a deep breath when he nods in agreement. “I want to start by apologizing for the last month. It was wrong of me to kick you out that night and then ignore you for a month, and I wish I hadn’t done it.”

“Why did you?”

“Because I got scared. That night… I never do things like that. I never make the first move or act that bold. So the fact that I just climbed on your lap like that - without thinking about it or second-guessing myself - freaked me out. By the time I got Annie back to sleep, I had completely psyched myself out, and I was convinced you didn’t actually want me.”

“That’s- I- did I give any indication that I didn’t want you?” He sputters the question, unsure how she could think that.

“It’s nothing you did, Bradley. It’s all on me, my insecurities. Men rarely - if ever - have had the same… enthusiasm that you did. You were great; this is a me problem.”

“I don’t understand.” He leans forward, wanting to get closer without crossing the boundary she set with her seat choice. “If everything was so great, what went wrong?”

“I’m fat, Bradley.”

He sits up straight, shocked at her words. What does that have to do with anything?

“I’m sorry, I still don’t get what the problem is.”

“I know you don’t understand what it’s like to be a woman, but please believe me when I tell you it’s hard. People are constantly policing and judging your body. Men will just tell you what they think of your body, what they think is wrong with it - unprovoked. And it’s even worse when you’re fat.” She leans back, hugging a pillow to her chest. “I know you didn’t do any of that. But I’ve been fat since I was a kid, so I’ve heard it all for years. And not just men, but from family too. It’s hard to shake those experiences, to ignore the insecurities and just enjoy the moment.”

They sit in silence for a minute, Mary refusing to make eye contact while Bradley tries to figure out his next move.

“Can I come over there?”

The question surprises her, but she nods. His choice to kneel in front of her is another surprise; he can tell from her eyebrows reaching her hairline.

“I’m gonna take this, okay?” He gently tugs the pillow from her hands, tossing it on the couch so there’s nothing between them. When Bradley sees her shirt, his breath hitches in his throat.

She’s wearing his sweatshirt.

“Sorry,” she says shyly, noticing his stare. “I’ve been wearing it to bed; I promise I’ll wash it.”

And as much as he wants to linger in the revelation that she’s been sleeping in his clothes, he pushes through.

“Mary, I’m going to be very honest with you because I need you to understand how much I wanted you that night. Sitting there with you in my lap? That’s the hardest I’ve ever been; I think about it all the time. How warm and soft you were.” He slips his hands into hers. “And I know what you look like. I like the way you look. I like everything about you. Everything. Even the things you don’t like about yourself. You’re so gorgeous.”

He wipes her cheek, brushing a tear away.

“This past month hasn’t changed how I feel about you. I still want you. I’ve never not wanted you. I’ve had a crush on you since the moment Danielle dragged you through the front door of the Hard Deck.”

“Bradley…”

“Not done, still my turn.” He leans up, getting closer to her to get his point across. “I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to fix this sooner. I was trying to give you the space you wanted, but that was a mistake. After the first week, I should have told you how I was feeling, what I wanted.”

“What do you want now?” Her voice is tiny, and his heart breaks at how uncertain she sounds.

“Still you, honey. I know I said we should forget what happened, but I don’t want to forget. I want to do that again without getting interrupted this time. I want to take you out on a date. I want you. If you’ll have me.”

He watches Mary wrestle with her thoughts, her mouth opening and closing, not sure how to say what she’s thinking. “Just tell me, Mary, whatever it is. I want you to be honest with me.”

“I want that too. I want you. But I’m not sure if I’m ready for it right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“How long have you been flirting with me?” She nudges him back, scooting forward in her chair so her knees brush his chest.

He doesn’t understand the question but answers anyway, wrapping his hands around her legs, stroking his thumbs over her soft skin. “Since that night we met, I didn’t do too good of a job since you spent the evening playing darts with Jake, but that’s how long.”

“That was last January. You’ve been flirting with me for an entire calendar year. And I’m so oblivious that I didn’t even realize you were interested until you were grabbing my ass and moaning against my mouth.” She rubs her face. “So I just need some time to process this because I never thought this - us -could be an option.”

“Okay, how much time are you thinking? How do you want to do this?”

“I don’t know… there’s no free time. I’m gone this week, and next week is program review and prepping you guys for deployment. Then you’re in the middle of the ocean for two months.”

“Doesn’t really leave a lot of time for us, does it?” He jokes, squeezing her calves. “We’ll be back the first week of May. There’ll be a few days of debriefing, but then I’m on leave. Why don’t we grab dinner that Sunday? It can be as friends or as something more, whatever you want - whatever you’re ready for at that point. How does that sound?”

“You’re okay with waiting that long?”

“Mariella, it’s been a year, and nothing has changed since I saw you in that red dress. A few extra weeks where we’re just friends? That’s nothing if it means you’re comfortable.”

“I’m sorry I’m so bad at this.”

“Stop it. This isn’t all on you; I haven’t been the best either.” Bradley’s voice is firm, making sure she’s not placing the entire blame on herself. “We’ll work on it. We’re smart people; we can figure it out.”

“Thank you for being so understanding. I really am sorry about how I acted.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

Feeling lighter than they have in weeks, they look at each other and laugh when Mary yawns, her face scrunching up.

“Okay, honey, I think it’s time to get you to bed.” He stands, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll call you when you’re at Lemoore, okay? We’ll talk about our days, and you can complain about Harvard.”

“Why would I complain about Brigham?” She blinks up at him, her eyebrows creasing after a second. “Wait! Are you saying goodbye? You can’t drive home right now; it’s too late!”

He tries to argue but is cut off by her finger pointing at the clock, the two hands telling him it’s almost three in the morning. “Shit, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“C’mon.” She pulls on his hand, leading him down the hall.

“What are we doing?”

“Going to bed?” She squeaks when he abruptly stops, tugging her off balance.

“Mary, I’m sleeping on the couch.”

Her face is baffled. “Bradley, you’re too tall; it won’t be comfortable. We can share my bed; we’re adults. We can handle it.”

His heart thumps. He wants nothing more than to crawl into bed with her, but he’s afraid of how his body might react to being next to her all night.

“Mary, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You won’t. I also want you to be comfortable, so if you don’t want to share, I’ll take the couch, and you take my bed.”

“But-”

“This is the whole communication thing we just talked about. Believe me when I say that sharing my king-sized bed with you for one night won’t make me uncomfortable.”

Bradley stares into her eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation. “Okay, lead the way then, Vertucci.”

It’s awkward for a moment in her bedroom, the two of them trying to navigate this new situation together. But after some blushing and a few stuttered words, they figure it out. He’s just finished brushing his teeth when they discover that Bradley’s preferred side of the bed matches hers.

“Two peas in a pod.” He jokes as he starts to climb into bed, heart fluttering at the bashful smile on her face.

“What are you doing?”

He freezes, covers pulled back with his knee raised. “Uhhh… getting into bed?”

“Not like that, you’re not.” His wide eyes must give away his confusion and panic because she continues. “Bradley, you are not climbing into my bed, which has nice fresh sheets, with those clothes you wore to the club. God knows what’s on those chairs we sat on.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“You are wearing underwear, right?” He nods, feeling baffled by how this night has progressed. “Then strip, you’re sleeping in your undies.”

Bradley stands there, looking at her snuggled under her quilt, bathed in the soft light of her nightstand lamp, and still wearing his name on her arm. Based on how serious she looks, he’s pretty sure she’s unaware of how flirty her words sound. If she was any other woman, he would make an effort to flirt back, try his best to be sexy as he undresses. Turn it into a striptease.

But it’s Mary, and they just got back to a good place.

So he undresses how he does when he’s alone. Unbuttoning his black shirt methodically, taking note of how her breath hitches when he pulls the tight material off, but not doing anything about it. If he has any control over their situation, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to make her lose her breath.

He does allow himself to make eye contact while he undoes his jeans, unable to pass up the chance to watch her watch him. He sees her scan his body, can see the hunger in her eyes, can hear the small gulp when she sees the waistband of his underwear appear. He stays steady, folding the pants and draping them over his shirt before slipping under the covers, keeping a respectful distance between them.

“Gonna turn the light out?”

She blinks at him as she processes the question, her eyes hazy from the late hour, and he thinks about how he would love to have this view every night for the rest of his life. He watches as she rolls over, eyes slipping down to the skin that’s exposed when she leans to turn the lamp off. She ends up closer when she rolls back towards him; he can feel the heat of her body radiating towards him.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Mary’s voice is soft, like being too loud will ruin the small bubble they’ve created for themselves. “Do you like pancakes?”

The question makes him think of his mom, how she used to make pancakes on special occasions and sometimes just because it was Tuesday. He never makes them for himself.

“They’re my favorite. Do you make good pancakes?”

“I make the best pancakes.” He can’t see her face, but he can hear her smile. “Night, Bradley.”

He mummers good night back, enjoying the way the mattress moves as she gets comfortable. The scent of her shampoo drifts over him, resurrecting the question that he’d been asking himself for a month.

“Mary? Can I ask you a question?” His voice is quiet, scared to ruin things but needing to know the answer.

She hums, “What’s up?”

“That night. If we hadn’t gotten interrupted, what do you think would have happened?” It’s quiet. He can hear her hands playing with the edge of the sheet, fingers nervously folding and unfolding the cotton. “I’m sorry, you don’t have-”

“No, it’s okay, Bradley.” A hand brushes his chest, warm fingers ghosting over his skin in search of his hand. She continues once their fingers are intertwined. “If we hadn’t been interrupted, we would have had sex. We would’ve made out for a while, and then I would have ridden you right there on the chaise.”

“Fuck…”

She makes a small noise of agreement. “I don’t know about after, though, if we would have had a better go of things that we have. It might have been worse, I’m not sure.”

“Can’t change the past. I’m just glad we’re fixing things now.”

“Me too.” Mary presses a small kiss to the tip of his fingers, squeezing his hand before rolling over. “Good night, Bradley; sleep well.”

“Night, Mary.”

I think I’m falling in love with you.

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fic tag | credit for dividers here

[thornsword]

look at me and tell me what you see

[thornsword]

Second attack!

Come say hi on artfight!

[thornsword]

It's HER auroch

[thornsword]

Ethersea intro comic!

[thornsword]

Whoever wakes up first gets to annoy the other person. It’s the rules. 

| Commission info |