#roommates and clubs help a little but its just not the same as custom apartments like in ts2

[faerun]

new expansion pack leak??? BUILDABLE APARTMENTS/RENTALS?!

[plounce]

what if gay CATS........... were gay PERSONS

(info on this au under the cut)

theyre all shitty young adults just kind of. getting through their early 20s as best they can. or as much as they can. maybe things will get better someday, but right now they’re kind of spinning their wheels

magic exists but like eh it’s not a big thing don’t worry about it. it’s around but like whatever. not many people have it and it’s mostly just like. a curiosity or a party trick

demeter and bombularina are together, tugger and mistoffelees are together, bombularina and tugger occasionally fwb, it’s cool and aboveboard and it’s all fine

demeter:

bisexual with a preference for women. 24 years old

semi-psychic (not as powerful as tantomile or coricopat). tends to have vague and confusing prophetic dreams

dropped out of grad school for sociology due to trauma and ensuing intensified mental illness. kind of bitter about it, but tries to get through every day. general anxiety disorder even before all that

very nervous around most men she doesn’t know & trust

currently working at a barnes & noble starbucks, which sucks. she recently became the assistant manager, which turbo sucks because now she has more work for only like a buck raise, but at least she’s getting reliable shifts

her go-to therapy is cutting her hair with scissors. her hair is fried to all hell from regular bleaching

she’s learning how to crochet because she’s decided she needs to do something physically productively creative with her hands to distract herself from Stuff

bombalurina:

bisexual. 24 years old

got her bachelor’s in english two years ago and hasn’t found a job in her field and has kind of given up on it for now

she’s been bartending for like four years, does freelance editing work on the side. will occasionally write listicles for clickbait sites if she needs extra cash

literally any extra money she can save goes to tattoos. her right sleeve’s almost done

has natural red hair but dyes it cherry red

a hedonist to cope but is also just a natural hedonist. likes a good bath

i know that like the typical thing fandoms say about female characters is “doesn’t take shit” for the girlboss points but she truly does not take shit anymore. she used to take people’s shit sometimes but at this point in her life she’s tired and she has a girlfriend to be protective of. she has a couple people whose shit she will take (mostly just tugger) but besides them (and having to practice basic customer service to keep her job) she’s tired of other people’s shit! enough!

my personal take on bombalurina is a mix between the riot grrrls of the 90s and 80s punk girls, and then a dash of the greaser chicks from grease. i saw that spiked collar and my brain went OH okay i can run with this somewhere fun. same for demeter, but less so - she just has the piercings.

demelurina:

bombalurina met demeter in college at a women’s activism club, noticed her because of her dimple piercings and was like “oh someone else with a lot of metal in her face, i’ll sit next to her”

they were each other’s first off-campus roommates and were close friends. made out a couple times, but it was mostly a lot of sexual tension. there was a lot of bombalurina staring at demeter while she or demeter made out with someone else

demeter was on and off with her high school boyfriend munkustrap and bombalurina was like “oh he’s so much more stable/calm than me and she needs that, i party a bit too much for her, i shouldn’t try anything” so she just sort of. lets their almost-there peter off

(this is all bombalurina’s internal thoughts - demeter always was interested in her, but thought she was too boring for bombalurina. so neither of them thought they could pursue it)

bombalurina graduated and moved somewhere cheaper further away from campus. they kind of drift apart

munkustrap and demeter peter off and he moves away for a job (they’re still good friends, it was a very amicable breakup) and then demeter gets with macavity, which is a deeply toxic situation for her and sucks hugely and throws her whole life really off track. won’t go into further details

she finally manages to break up with him and calls bombalurina at like 2 am asking if she can pick her up, and also if she can sleep on her couch, it’s okay if that’s not okay, she just. really needs a place she feels safe, and her gut is telling her to. and of course bombalurina says yes

bombalurina also knew macavity and had also made out a couple times with him at like parties and stuff (see: staring at demeter as she makes out with people). something about transference of feelings - bombalurina was into him for a couple moments because he and demeter had a thing.

this is due to me interpreting the song “macavity” as actually about bombalurina wanting to fuck demeter and her singing as a half-repressed expression of that. i use my really good wlw brain to reach that conclusion. it’s kind of a non-competitive version of eve sedgwick’s take on the love triangle. (<-- normal thing to say)

but anyway demeter stays on bombalurina’s couch and she tries so hard to stay on track but eventually she just has to drop out. bombalurina helps her with that too. she’s just really supportive even as demeter’s life is at its lowest point. when she gets home from bartending she gets demeter to go to sleep

she just Stays with her and makes her smile and reminds her that her life isn’t over, there’s still things in her day to enjoy, to keep her trudging forward

bombalurina is roommates with tugger at this point - he also recently dropped out and demeter knows him because he’s munkustrap’s brother, so he’s Trusted and also is like “hey it’s okay that you dropped out, im here and im chilling and you like me and respect me at least a little, and you have a bachelor’s degree at least!” (more on him later)

demeter is like “oh god ive been crashing at their place for so long not paying rent, theyre gonna ask me to leave, im such a freeloader, they wont take my attempts at paying rent” but then bombalurina and tugger are like “hey! the lease is almost up! we found a pretty good 3 bedroom, do you wanna have your own room for real?” and she nearly cries because 1. the RELIEF 2. oh my god you want me around???

cut to bombalurina helping demeter put together an ikea dresser (tugger got banished to the kitchen to make crystal light lemonade for them because he’s useless with a screwdriver) and demeter has two epiphanies:

1. i thought i was ready to d*e four months ago and here i am making a dresser to put clothes into in my new apartment where i live and feel safe and loved. im still not happy but im still alive and im making a dresser

2. holy fuck im back in love with my best friend, and ten times more than i was back then.

so she like kind of freaks out because she’s already imposed so much on bombalurina, how could she impose her FEELINGS on her like this, oh no oh no oh no

meanwhile bombalurina’s back in love with her even MORE and she’s also like no... she’s already dealing with so much... i don’t want to make her uncomfortable or feel unsafe in her own home especially after her recent relationship trauma... i just want her to feel safe around me...

you might think tugger as their roommate would be like “JUST KISS” but he is in fact pretty oblivious because he is self-absorbed. mistoffelees on the other hand..

eventually they do have a big confession of feelings after demeter has a bad day and it’s very dramatic and they make out in the rain. and it’s like. well this is a movie scene. but also im cold and damp. let’s head inside our home and get warm and dry :)

and then they go inside and and talk through everything, all their feelings (not just their romantic feelings but like ALL their feelings) and their shared histories and bombalurina is like “do you think you’re... ready for a relationship right now? like that would be a good thing for you?”

and demeter considers it. she does stop and think. and then she says, “with anyone else... probably not. but it’s you. and i feel so safe around you, and we’re already so close. you make the future feel more worth it. you make more days alive feel not just tolerable, but something to look forward to. and knowing you’ve loved me all this time... it’s nice. it’s good. i’m - i’m understating it so much, it’s more than nice, it’s just - it’s a lot. i wish i had noticed back then.” “hey, hey, don’t blame yourself. i’m the one who never said anything.”

anyway. everything works out, and they start dating for real :)

tugger:

bisexual. 22 years old

dishwasher at the same bar bombalurina works at. she got him the job. he keeps bugging her to teach him bartending tricks and on slow nights she will agree to

he dropped out of their four year, but he managed to secure an associate’s in communications before he dipped

trying to be an ig influencer hotboy and hopefully get modeling jobs from that but his phone’s camera sucks shit so his account isn’t really going anywhere. but he continues to post his low resolution shirtless selfies

trying to cope with being the failure son who does not have a fancy nonprofit job with a salary and healthcare by being self-absorbed and self-aggrandizing

it works about 60% of the time and 60% of the times that it doesn’t he’s able to hide it

he dropped out right around when bombalurina graduated and he was like HEY! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE WHO DOESN’T CARE IF WE LIVE TEN MILES AWAY FROM CAMPUS? WELL HAVE I GOT A SOLUTION FOR YOU: ME!

to which bombalurina (who has fooled around with him here and there and thinks he is funny little man and genuinely goodhearted, and also he has rockin abs as a plus) says munkustrap already asked me if i need a roommate and if i do to consider you, because you don’t want to move back home. in other words: yes, you little idiot

they do fool around with each other but they are both very understanding that it is strictly platonic and for fun, especially once they become roommates. they both do not desire each other for anything serious

he did have a bit of a crush on each other when they met (hot punk older girl who’s friends with his brother) but 1. it dissipated pretty quick after they fooled around for the first time because it was not a very serious crush 2. she was in the middle of being in love with demeter so she was focused on that, emotionally

he got his ears pierced a couple times in high school but bombalurina inspired him to get a couple more. she went with him when he got his nose pierced

demeter has always understood that him and bombalurina are strictly fwb, has never been an issue.

she and him like to bleach their hair together when their hair schedules line up (he bleaches his way less often then she does), but she refuses to use his fancy conditioner that keeps his hair unfried because it’s expensive, even though he tells her to go ahead and use it, please, the health of her hair is giving HIM anxiety, demeter please. please demeter

mistoffelees:

gay. 20 years old

has magic. it’s pretty good magic but again: magic is not a big deal in this concept

a bit spooky. skulks around. a bit of a bitch but also very very nice. chooses when to speak

he has postings on craigslist and fiverr about finding lost objects and people with magic. like a gig economy private detective

side job is a waiter at a fancy restaurant

sometimes he gets paid VERY well from the private detecting, depending on the client. he does ask his psychic friends (tantomile & coricopat) to give a quick glance over on some of the more suspicious clients just to make sure he isn’t finding someone who should not be found by that person.

doesn’t go to college. is roommates with his sister victoria, who’s a freshman and studying dance. moved into town with her so she wouldn’t have to live in the dorms by having a guaranteed roommate.

tuggoffelees:

the general vibe i want for these two is mistoffelees walking around town or driving around in his shitty toyota camry while tugger tags along because he’s bored and thinks this is cool as shit

the general tone of the au is “magic isn’t a big deal” except for tugger, who thinks mistoffelees’ magic and his magic freelancing is the coolest shit ever. this is mostly because he just likes mistoffelees. “there are people who can do cooler shit than me, tug” “yeah but i don’t KNOW them also theyre not as COOL as you” “you had to explain to me how instagram reels work”

idk how they met i just think tugger shows up at his and bombalurina’s apartment one day (this is when demeter has moved in but they havent moved to the 3br yet) with this dude to dash in and pick something up and bombalurina is like “uh. who’s this” “oh this is mistoffelees he’s SO GOOD AT MAGIC” [mistoffelees nods hello] “okay bye bombalurina see you at work!!!” “uh. later”

after that he just shows up a lot. sort of ambiguous if theyre dating or what for a while before bombalurina straight up asks like “hey does the dude you’re dating know we fool around” “the dude im - what?” “... the little magic guy who keeps using our hot cocoa mix. misty.” “oh. uh. we aren’t dating.” “... do you want to? because you’re kind of all over him constantly” “um. well! haha, if i wanted to, i could! haha!” “yeah get back to me on that”

tugger trying to use his ig clout to get mistoffelees more work even though 1. he has no clout 2. mistoffelees has a very stable client base. but mistoffelees appreciates the effort. the self-promo guy promoing someone other than himself... the highest expression of love...

mistoffelees is A Nonthreatening Man plus he’s pretty obviously gay so demeter is chill around him pretty quickly. when mistoffelees is over they’ll sit on the couch where demeter sleeps and watch documentaries quietly while she crochets

they both occasionally say spooky shit at the same time because magic stuff. bombalurina and tugger are both torn between “that was cool as fuck” and “god that’s unnerving”

just a lot of tugger following mistoffelees around on his jobs and mistoffelees letting him because he’s fond of him and them occasionally getting into minor peril and interesting shenanigans, but it is 90% fetch quests

i think the first time they met tugger was taking selfies in front of a hydrangea in a public park and he saw mistoffelees walk up with a shovel and start digging in one of the flower beds and he thought he was hot so he went over and offered to take over on the shoveling to look strong and masculine and he ended up digging up a skull, which mistoffelees picked up and said “thanks” and then walked away

mildly terrifying but also very interesting and tugger’s days are kind of boring and dishwashing kind of sucks as a job to do like every night and he is a person who thrives on novelty so. moth to a porchlight

i think they do start making out for fun here and there and then a while later theyre out on one of mistoffelees’ jobs and someone asks “who’s the guy with you” and mistoffelees replies “oh that’s my boyfriend, don’t worry about him” and then it’s like. “HUH? I’M YOUR BOYFRIEND?” “uh. yeah? i assumed. is that okay?” “i mean yeah of course i think you’re great! how long have we–” “oh like a while.” “oh. uh. cool!!”

they just hang out a lot. mistoffelees enjoys teasing him and enjoys his warmth and bombasticity and tugger likes watching and helping him solve little mysteries around the county because it’s always something new. they’re kind of a comedy duo. they just enjoy spending their time together and following mistoffelee’s internal magic gps to find lost dogs and lost necklaces

yeah right now this au is just vibes and just sort of. continuing forward with your days and your weeks and your months. just young adults hanging out

[qiankunfics]

KunTen Masterlist Part 1

AO3 

1.  Body Talk by smallchittaphon

Summary:  He had feared the statement more when the days to His and Kun’s one year mark approached but he shouldn't have. It was childish too, not every relationship is the same he realizes. Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot

2.  cut through the clouds by heartsighed

Summary: Qian Kun, microbiology major, vice-president of the ISA, part-time poster model and full-time mom friend, is perhaps more stressed than he would like everyone to think. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

3.  something new by creamsoda (bobahoney)

Summary: Ten finally asks Kun to fuck his thighs. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

4.  the aesthetics of beauty by hoeunki

Summary: when Kun’s required to create something that defines art, he decides to draw a stranger that he finds sleeping on the campus grounds. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

5.  kiss me under the light of a thousand stars by gabilliam (vvhymack)

Summary: Ten calls the wrong number, Kun comes to the rescue. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

6.  The Customer is Always Right by 021497J

Summary: Ten honestly isn't a picky eater, the chicken was dry. His complaints earn him a visit from the very cute head chef. He can't help it if he wants to see him once more, all he has to do is complain...right? Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

7.  red, orange, yellow, green, even thicker by eatthatup

Summary: Kun isn’t used to being praised. Physically, at least. Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot

8.  incandescently (for him.) by gabilliam (vvhymack)

Summary: They were no longer the likely protagonists for the typical romance and it saddened Ten. (Historical AU) Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot Trigger: Slight homophobia mentioned

9.  we’ll be alright by syugafairy

Summary: kun never thought of himself as an anxious person Rating: General Status: One-Shot

10. light me up

Summary:  Ten spends most of his life dreaming of being a superhero, and by luck, his wish is granted. Chaos ensues. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

11. the store by _helios (the_heliades)

Summary:  His cat, quiet and proud, will watch with piercing eyes, as they wander out of The Store and into the world again. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

12.  Rain. by softyjseo

Summary: Ten is in love. Kun isn't, apparently. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

13. sweeter than cake by eatthatup for adarkalleyway

Summary: Ten, pouting just slightly, makes Kun melt instantly. Like heating sugar, near its burning point. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

14. kiss me if you like me (slap me if I'm wrong) by mikararinna

Summary: Ten was starting to feel bored of life. He needed a challenge, something to excite himself. Kun had an idea. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

15.  Magnets by orphan_account

Summary: Kun and Ten are roommates. Rating: General Status: One-Shot Trigger: slight harassment 

16.  sibilance by andnowforyaya

Summary: Doctor Qian Kun chases the stories he hears on the rivers to their origins, and he meets a beautiful boy underneath a waterfall. Rating: Teen Status: On-going

17.  get you good by gift

Summary: “Please, don’t make me beg,” Kun whines.“I like when you beg,” Ten tells him bluntly. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

18.  sweet, sweet love by RedamancyEffect

Summary: Kun is the sweetest omega ever, Ten is head-over-heels for him. Too bad, Kun is a little dense. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

19.  stupid spinach dip

Summary: Yukhei and Mark visit Professor Kun and they find out he’s married to news anchor Ten. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

20.  sunchoke by flyway

Summary: Kun, Ten, and summer at the Sunchoke magazine test kitchen. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

21.  Handle Perfection

Summary: Ten was going to need Kun to stop this kind of behaviour, his heart couldn’t handle this type of perfection. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

22.  you are my favorite everything

Summary: Ten and Kun meet during the perfect summer. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

23.  no matter how long i wait by dreamlaunch (mayuaka)

Summary: in his search for a dream blocking enchantment, ten finds kun. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

24.  the truth hurts (and secrets kill) by thereisnoreality

Summary: Ten kills while Kun is at work. Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot *Part of murdery martrimony collection 

25.  Open Windows by Mntsnflrs

Summary: Ten constantly locks himself out of his apartment, Kun saves the day and him.  Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot 

26.  green, pink, blue, yellow by rowenabane

Summary: Imagine: a town with manicured lawns, cotton candy sunrises, houses that all look the same. Imagine: a neighbor with a beautiful smile, a terrible secret, a hidden past. Rating: Mature Status: One-Shot Trigger: Slight alcohol abuse

27.  dreaming (are you thinking what i'm thinking?) by okamiwind

Summary: They could not be more different, the pair of them. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

28.  click, snapshot by kwonjis

Summary:  photographer!kunten fic Rating: General Status: One-Shot

29.  Office Hours by violetpeche

Summary: Kun’s chest starts to ache again as he watches the soft, pink tip of Ten’s tongue slip across his lower lip before biting it. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

30.  open invitation by andnowforyaya

Summary: Ten’s asleep, and his pink, soft lips are parted, that mouth that gave Kun so much trouble earlier today. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

31.  What's Life Without a Little Worry?

Summary:  Kun was a notorious worrier. He worried about his grades, about his friends and whether they were eating enough, sleeping enough. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

32.  To All The Boys I Ghosted Before by cobalamincosel

Summary:  The Tinder AU where Ten ghosts Kun in date night— and months later finds out that Kun is his new neighbor. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

33.  Miles Above by violetpeche

Summary: Ten looks up at Kun and lets out a deep sigh. “No.” He leans over to tap on the faucet to rinse out the sink for Kun. “I came in here to suck your dick.” Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

34.  getting closer by flowerhairclips

Summary: Kun is in for a long ass ride when a demon he exorcised ends up falling in love with him. Rating: Explicit Status: Completed

35.  a labour of love by eggboyksoo

Summary: renjun is an artistic genius with a tendency to keep things from his family. his parents struggle to support his interests while pretending they don't know about said interests. Rating: General Status: One-Shot *Part of chaos, family, love collection

36.  Hunger of the Pine by cobalamincosel

Summary: Kun and Ten are ex-college friends-with-benefits who end up becoming so much more when they bump into each other again at the airport after a few years for the wedding of their respective college roommates and best friends, Johnny and Taeyong. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

37.  We’ll Get Lost Together (Let Me Flow) by easycomeeasygo

Summary: When Ten really gets to look at Kun, his brain short circuits. He’s hot. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

38.  if you believe in magic, come along with me by mainvocal

Summary: Deep down, Kun knows Ten didn't ask to join Card Magic Club because he'd suddenly become enamored with the art of card tricks. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

39.  Antedate by Lertsek

Summary: There are some nights where Kun wakes up and can't hear Ten breathe. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

40.  Permeating and Perfect by Kkaepsongiya

Summary: He can’t stop making noise, not as Kun fucks him so well, the older boy holding his hips tight, pulling him back to meet his thrusts. He knows his hips will be bruised for days after this—he can’t wait to see the marks, to press into them when he’s all alone. Rating: Explicit  Status: One-Shot

41. Open Doors by Mntsnflrs

Summary: He decides he likes the way Kun says his name.He decides he wants to hear it more. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot 

42.  let's stay together by madhoney

Summary: Kun smirked and squeezed around his boyfriend’s waist. He could really get used to a lifetime of his sass. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

43.  Someday by almostkun

Summary:  Kun laughs at him, caressing his cheek with his thumb. They stay in silence for a while, as Mr. Baudelaire chases Mrs. Austen with the help of Yoshihiro-san. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

44.  i come apart at the seams (so you can stitch me back together again) by okamiwind

Summary: Ten is the shot, and Kun is his chaser. Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

45.  space rocks by gaysadandtired

Summary: no celestial being could compare to Ten and his blinding smile. Rating: General Status: One-Shot

46.  old times by madhoney

Summary: Since his husband was just set on being ornery tonight, Kun decided to just take the L and try again tomorrow. Rating: Explicit Status: One-shot

47.  oh, let's start some rumour by mikararinna

Summary: Rumour has it supermodel Ten has a crush on famous actor Qian Kun. Ten called bullshit. He didn't have a crush on Kun. Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

48.  you're insatiable by 10softbot

Summary: kun takes ten to a cabin in the woods so they can finally fuck Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

49.  Reset by violetpeche

Summary: This particular Thursday morning spiraled into Hell on Earth.  Rating: Explicit Status: One-Shot

50.  Intersequence by pinkwinwin

Summary: a love story in photographs Rating: Teen Status: One-Shot

[marauder-exe]

AU list!

hi! These are a bunch of Au’s that i could write,and you could request! (reposting because it didnt work the first time)

General

Fake dating (My personal favourite)

Soulmates

Coffee shop

Modern Royalty

Rockstar

Running From The Police

Rebel Against The Goverment

High School

University

Law school

Delayed-Flights-And-Were-Stuck-In-The-Airport-And-Its-Like-2Am

Roommates

Road Trip

Arranged Marriage

Im-Arranged-To-Marry-Your-Brother-But-Were-In-Love

Amnesia

Tattoo-Artist-And-Coffee-Shop-Worker

Loved-Since-Childhood

Professor-Student (of age)

Met-On-Holiday

More detailed

21.You were singing/playing guitar/etc. in the park to protest the war and a policeman tried to dismiss you for 'disturbing the peace' but you argued that you were promoting peace and things got heated and next thing you know you're being arrested for assaulting an officer. You intrigue me, so I'm here to bail you out and maybe take you on a date?

22.the nice one who everybody loves with the grumpy and strict one that the students hate and the students wonder?????????how what the fuck

23.we just had a one-night stand but a massive storm hit so now we’re snowed in, hello awkward

24. i sit at the rental booth at our local ice rink and watch you teach children how to skate

25. alternatively, i watch kids teach you how to skate because you’re a terrible skater

26. i’m running late to an important interview/meeting and you accidentally spill your hot cocoa all over my outfit

27. you’re my hot ski instructor and i’m failing the bunny hill

28. i slip on some ice and you’re the stranger who catches me

29.  i gave my winter coat to a homeless person and come into your store to warm up

30. our friends rent a cabin to go skiing and we’re the only ones who stay inside

31. you’re the asshole of our group and we don’t get along, but then i find out you make soup for the local shelter

32.we’re waiting in line for the club when you complain that your roommate stole your gloves so let me warm your hands up with mine

33.my family invites you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and i’m so sorry

34.the power goes out in our apartment building, but i’m not prepared for this, and you come to check on me

35.i’m having a snowball fight with my friend in the park and i hit you instead

36.a storm is delaying our flight home and i’m afraid of thunder, please talk to me while we wait

37. we’re both in small claims court and i got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there

38. i drove two hours to the closest video rental store that’s still operating and you were checking out the only copy of the movie i was after

39. i hit you with my car but luckily you’re okay, but we should still exchange information i guess

40. i was worried about buying something off of someone creepy from craigslist but oh no you’re hot

41. my friend talked me into playing a drunken game of spin the bottle even though we’re all adults and now we have to make out

42. we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other

43. my date just made a scene in public and got arrested and now i’m stranded in a city without a ride home

44. sharing a cab together

45. you’re trying to get me to sign a petition and i have no idea what you’re talking about

46. you’re drunk at this festival and dancing on the table and when you eventually fell i caught you

47. we both play this stupid game online and you keep beating me every single goddamn time so i called you out and you are pretty cute but can you not

48. im a bartender and you just came in here without shoes sat down and ordered a chocolate volcano and idk what the fuck that is and im scared to ask

49. we are neighbours and every night at 3:14 am you start yodeling for no fucking reason??? why???? is that you yodeling??? its been 2 months???

50.im a pizza delivery person and i just delivered a pizza to someone in the middle of a satanic ritual and they gave me their number???

51. i woke up this morning to find you sitting in my living room with a goat in a poncho??? who are you??? why is the goat wearing a poncho??? how did you get the goat in here i live on the 12th floor???

52. we work out at the same gym and you always look super legit but i know you sing hannah montana in the shower and you know i know

53. im a cashier and i saw you stuffing you pants full of potatoes and i would stop you but you already have 27 and i want to see how many you can fit

54. its 4 am and im drunk as fuck in a mcdonalds and you have been watching my trying to eat this burger for 30 minutes

55. i was playing beer pong with a coin and i accidentally threw it right into your eye at a party

56. i’m at the beach and some kids thought it was funny to bury me in the sand when i dozed off can you please dig me out

57. it’s unbearably hot and we’re both fighting over the last handheld electrical fan at the shop at the amusement park

58. hey i just met you, and this is crazy, but i get sunburned really easily so can you please help me put sunscreen on my back?

59. thunderstorm after a menacing heatwave and we’re both getting weird looks for dancing in the rain

60.i have no idea who you are but you just fainted right in front of me holy shit dude you need to drink more in this heat

61. we both chased after the leaving ice cream van like ten-year-olds and now we’re both out of breath and a bit embarrassed

62.i clearly reserved this deck chair by putting a towel on it why on earth are you lying on it who the fuck do you think you are

63. My friends bet I wouldn’t buy these three weird and questionable items and you’re my cashier.

64.Once a week I go visit the pet store just to stare at the cute kittens and puppies and you’re the nice employee who always lets me hold them and wait I think I’m going to cry hold on.

65.You’re the DJ of the University’s radio station and every time you give an opinion on a current event I have to call and argue with you because could you seriously be anymore wrong?

66.We both wait tables at the same restaurant and you’re always mad at me by the end of the night because I make more in tips

67.We have the same class and once a week you wear this graphic shirt I don’t understand and I really want to ask you about it.

68.We both work at the same craft store that literally has no customers so we have nothing to do and I’m always reading at the register but you always have to criticize my book choice what the hell?

69.I’m working the concession stand for this week’s home game and this is the fifth time you’ve come back for snacks wait are you flirting with me?

70. we’re at a bookstore and you and I seem to have similar taste in books have you read this one? How about this one?

71. you look like you need help and I’m a professional roller/ice skater but I don’t want you to feel bad about how much you suck but wow you suck

72. You ordered your food before me and they gave you a drink you didn’t want so you gave it to me

73. We’re sitting at adjacent computers in the library and I’m taking extra care not to look at your screen out of respect but what the fuck do you keep laughing at

74. as a joke I yelled out “happy birthday to someone!” in this store and you called back “thank you!” who are you

75. You heard me talking about a TV show in class the other day and now you’re passionately yelling at me about how good it is we’ve never actually spoken before

76. It’s 10:30 at night and I left my glasses at home so I can’t read any of these labels and you’re one of the only people in the grocery store and GODDAMMIT DO YOU HAVE ANY TOMATO SAUCE WITHOUT CHUNKS

77. We go to the same support group; I have social anxiety and you’re a kleptomaniac who sorta stole my heart

78. You thought you were alone at the bus stop so early in the morning so you started passionately singing Fall Out Boy but your Patrick Stump impression could use some work and I’m not really afraid to point that out

79. I’m an artist and you have a really nice face so would you mind if I drew you?

80. We’re rival up-and-coming singers and every time one of us releases a new single the other does a cover to try to make it better; we’re always trying to top each other and out-cute each other, but half our fans aggressively ship us; our agents use this to their advantage and decide we should do a duet because it’ll be popular; unfortunately now that we’re in the same studio and I’ve seen what you’re like I really wanna know what your lips feel like

81.PLEASE I REALLY CANNOT FIND MY CAT AND I KNOW IT’S THREE A.M. BUT NEIL CATRICK HARRIS AND I WOULD BOTH APPRECIATE THE HELP

82. We were both stood up for dates at the same nice restaurant so we decide to eat together and split the check but I dunno you’re pretty interesting aside from your distractingly enormous eyebrows

83. We met at a mutual friend’s cheesy masquerade party and we agree that the only good thing about this party is the masks so you can’t judge a book by its cover only now that we’ve been talking I want to see your face but I don’t know how to ask

84. You used to date my friend who absolutely hates your guts after a messy breakup and now you’re flirting with me and I really shouldn’t be so interested in you but I am

85.We pass each other every day while we’re biking on the same path so we’ve started smiling at each other and one day you’re stopped because you’re having an asthma attack so I offer you my extra water bottle and now we’re talking and now I’M the one who’s breathless

86.I lost my little sibling in IKEA and I need your help finding them

87.I'm a private detective hired to follow you, but you're endearingly boring and mostly I just like watching you and oops, I sort of find you adorable.

88. You've been sketching me for half an hour now, and just shuffled up to hand me the finished product and it's TERRIBLE but you just wanted an excuse to talk to me.

89.  I'm at an art exhibit and I just badmouthed the art, because I don't get it, okay? And it turns out you're the artist. I'm so sorry, maybe I could get you coffee and you could explain what it was supposed to be?

90. We're the only two people who turned up to an underground gig and it should be awkward, but the band is amazing and you asked me to dance and hey, there's nobody watching but us.

91.  You live in the apartment next to me. We're not supposed to have pets, but I KNOW you have a cat. I'll make you a deal, I won't tell, if you let me pet it.

92.  I punched you because I thought you were insulting my friend, but it turns out you know each other and it was an inside joke and I'm so sorry, let me drive you to the hospital?

93. We both wanted to rent a bike for an hour but the only one they have is a tandem bike

94. I’m on a terrible date and you’re my waitor please help me

95.Our dick landlord just evicted us both

96.I’m your neighbor and I can hear you fucking someone who  shares my name

97. You’re sort of famous and we vaguely know each other through bumping into each other all the time but the media thinks we’re dating

98. Your roommate cheated on me and I just threw your laptop out the window thinking it was his

99. It’s 2am on the night of my 21st birthday and we gotta fix this fucking mess by morning or else we’re fucked

100.Fuck you and your bee farm I’ve had enough

Feel free to use any of these as your own! If you wanna request you could drop an inbox saying ‘ could you do ____ AU with this character’!

[bubmyg]

a pink peony - ksj

pairing: seokjin x reader

genre/warnings: (pre) ceo!au, college!au, fluff, yoongi is a lil insufferable but also just loves his roommate, awkward but incredibly intelligent seokjin is a kink and a half

word count: 1,554

summary: before seokjin was mr. kim seokjin, ceo of kim enterprises, he was jin, president of the only business fraternity on his campus and entirely too nervous to ask you out let alone sign a multi-billion dollar deal or yoongi bans his tie drawer and throws his business math textbook out the third story window of their building when he tells him to get dressed at ten o’clock on a tuesday.

a/n: based on a request i got for ceo!jin and oc’s first date which dates all the way back to their undergrad days :-)

“Give me your textbook.”

Seokjin didn’t even entertain his roommate, snorting with a single cocked eyebrow as he pointedly flipped the page. The numbers were running together regardless, not computing further in the forefront of his conscious as the other presence in the other room continued to glare at him from the doorway.

“Jin. Give me the damn textbook before I take it from you.”

That got Seokjin to look up, regarding Yoongi’s thin frame with a wrinkled forehead and a short, exaggerated laugh.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Try me.”

He wasn’t expecting his mint headed roommate to stalk straight for him, ring clad fingers clasping around the spine of the book and lifting upward. Pens and pencils and highlights and stray post it notes spilled from within the glossy pages, falling limp into Seokjin’s lap as Yoongi pointedly closed the book.

“I have an exam next week to study for.”

“What day?”

“Friday.”

“It’s Tuesday.”

Seokjin glowered and Yoongi’s lips twitched in a smirk, holding the textbook hostage across his chest. He plucked a highlighter between his nails and seethed quietly, “I still need it.”

“Later. You have a date to attend.”

“I have a what—”

“Yeah, I grew balls for you and told your little crush that you wanted to meet her tonight.”

Seokjin blinked owlishly at his friend before turning that stunned silence to the metal linked watch latched to his wrist, “Night already happened. It’s nearly ten—”

“Good thing the pizza place on third street stays open until midnight then—” Yoongi placed the textbook down on the windowsill, a loud noise in the otherwise quiet apartment, “—and good thing we’re university students. Who rarely go to bed before two in the morning.”

“Says you—”

“Jin, I swear to god if you give me an hours of sleep per night statistic and its ratio to those who earn their MBA’s I’m canceling your half of the lease tonight and letting Jimin move his shit in.”

Seokjin’s throat jumped and he swallowed the butterflies that had balled and lodged in the base of his throat, instead taking purchase in the entirety of his stomach, spreading and fluttering and brushing their delicate wings against his churning inner walls. He popped the cap from the highlighter in hand, smearing the neon yellow onto his thumb just underneath his nail, muttering, “What did you tell her?”

“That you were free tonight and ready to not blow her off again.”

His eyes widened, “I’ve never blown her off—”

“Not only does she think that you don’t desperately want in her pants—” Yoongi’s voice was scolding, protective almost of his friend that he’d introduced Seokjin to in the first place, “—she thinks that you don’t like her. At all.”

“B-but, how could—”

“I know you think you’re just being polite because you’re nervous and she makes you nervous and her literally asking you out makes you nervous but you aren’t like, normal person polite. You’re loud. And short. And when your chair fell over in the library last week when you tried to run out after she asked you to pizza with some of her friends? It fell on her.”

The butterflies in Seokjin’s stomach seemed to scold him too and his shoulders deflated, capping the highlighter and tossing it into the pile of discarded things from his textbook. Miserable, his chin hit his chest, “So what are you suggesting I do?”

“I’m suggesting that you get dressed…” Yoongi abandoned the closed textbook on the window sill to slide in front of Seokjin’s chest of drawers, slapping a hand across the third from the top, “...in something that doesn’t involve a tie. And then collect the vase of things on the kitchen counter because I have to do everything for you. And then go to the pizza place. Pay for dinner, or let her pay for it. Split the check. Whatever, just go on this damn date.”

“No tie…” Seokjin’s eyes squinted suspiciously as Yoongi moved back for the window, fiddling at the black lining the glass, “...what’s on the kitchen counter?”

“They’re flowers, Jin.”

“You bought me flowers?”

“No, you bought her flowers. You said you wanted to do that anyway...remember?”

Seokjin blinked, “Why did I want to buy her flowers?”

“Probably something about chivalry and old school romance considering you’re basically sixty years old but—” Yoongi sighed, mostly because he’d finally freed the latch on the window and shoved it open, letting cool air flood through the room, “—she studies botany. I got them from kids selling them outside the greenhouses. Take her the flowers.”

“I knew that…” Seokjin squinted as Yoongi’s hands framed his textbook and began to drape it out the open window, “...what are you doing with my textbook?”

“Nothing.”

“Yoongi, give the textbook back—”

Seokjin watched in horror as Yoongi let go, letting the glossed cover catch on the lip of the window before tumbling three stories below to hit the turf with an audible but dull thump.  

“Now you officially have nothing to do tonight,” Yoongi beamed and Seokjin wondered the trajectory and force he’d have to throw a highlight at to concuss someone as his roommate waddled around the edge of his bed. His final instruction came after he’d shrugged through the ajar door, “Get dressed! And don’t you dare go look for the fucking textbook!”

He fiddled with the plastic ends of the pink hoodie hanging off his torso. The right side had been peeled away, fraying at the edges and straying into his fingernails when he drug a pinched thumb and index finger across them.

The hoodie wasn’t his. He’d dared Yoongi’s room for help after he decided a long sleeve declaring the cheesy llama mascot he’d created for AKP probably wasn’t the best first date look. It was pink and it was huge and it still had the tag on it, buried behind Yoongi’s sea of mundane black, blue, red, and green.

His index finger hooked into the collar this time, tugging and effectively exposing his collarbones to the chill of the tiny establishment. There were no other customers besides himself, cornered in the back in a booth that was barely big enough to fit his stature, a coke on the table with a candy striped paper straw spiraling out of the beverage, the slightly damp tip poking against one of the pretty pink peonies spilling out over the generic plastic vase.

He’d ordered a pepperoni pizza because who didn’t like pepperoni pizza and he was fretting over the likelihood of you having an allergy to tomatoes all together when keys clattered against the table and you fell into the seat across from him with a huff.

“Oh! Peonies from the botany club,” There was a smile on your lips already and Seokjin found his heart ricochet off each of his ribs before shooting up into his throat, “You must have just missed me. I worked the afternoon shift…”

“They’re for you,” Seokjin rushed, gently nudging the vase for you. When your lips wobbled in confusion, he, bluntly, bullshitted, “I-I figured you probably sold out and they’re too pretty not to have some of so…”

“Thank you, Jin,” You smiled softly and the apples of his cheeks were stroked in the same pretty pink of the flowers you cupped gently in your palms, “At least I know how to take care of them properly, right?”

“They’re pretty like you too,” He blurted. “I-I mean—”

A shy smile graced your lips and dimpled into your cheeks and you glanced at him fondly through your eyelashes and he thought he was going to puke all his adoration for you right on top of the pizza the waiter left with a quiet eye roll.

“I hope you like pepperoni,” He tried again and his voice was just as loud, something he correct with a cough, “I figured that—”

“...everyone likes pepperoni?” You finished together and the bashful light still slanted at the seam of your lips, “Yes, pepperoni is perfect, Jin.”

He managed to suppress the you’re perfect in his throat this time, lodging it deeper into his esophagus by jamming a mouthful of grease into his cheeks. Some of the red tinted liquid dripped off the corner of his lips and onto Yoongi’s hoodie but he found you giggling at him when he went to inspect you in horror. He barely chewed, swallowing the mouthful with an audible gulp that only heightened your giggles and soon you were staring at each other in a comfortable silence, half smiles painted to the crooks of your mouths, uncertain light dancing behind your eyes.

You ducked away first and Seokjin indulged in being able to trace the lines of your features to memory as you delicate nibbled on the edge of some stray cheese.

“Your president of AKP, right?—”

“So, how’d the flower sales go—”

You giggled, dusting off your hands that weren’t dirty onto a napkin, “You go first.”

Seokjin was glowing far more than the unnatural shine on the grease creviced between ridges of cheese on the pizza slices, nudging his plate out of the way by means of folded fingers that came to rest on the table. His smile was genuine, voice curious as his chin tilted, black bangs dangling over his eyes.

“Peonies. Tell me about them.”

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

hey there, im very sick and sad at the moment, do you have super fluffy(preferably multichapter) fics?

Hey Nonnie,

Fluffy multichapters? I’ll see what I can do :-) Most multichapters will contain some angst, though, even when the story is mostly fluff.

Here are some virtual hugs for you in the hopes of making you feel a bit better XOXOXO

Marjan

A Month, A Week and Three Days by @it-avi

"Why does everyone take me seriously when I talk about that?" Kurt mused. "My Step-Brother, my Dad, my-" he stumbled over his words for a second. "-Blaine." He finished lamely, his cheeks turning quickly to a rosy, adorable pink.

A Place to Stay by ItsNotEasyBeingQueen

Kurt is a blogger who has reserved a room at a hotel for Fashion Week - a hotel which just happens to be managed by the charming Blaine Anderson.  Circumstances force them into each other's lives for the week in a way neither of them expected.  What exactly will happen when Blaine gives Kurt a place to stay?

A Universe Where Prop 8 And Other Related Homophobic State Laws Have Long Been Defeated by  @rockinhamburger

Fast-forward several years in the future. Kurt and Blaine are navigating the waters of marriage, and everything that entails.

Along for the Rides by @slayediest

AU.  Blaine and Kurt get their summer romance on. Mostly fluff, awkward flirting, a side of misunderstanding and some hanky panky.

Another Time, Another Place by elfinder

What if Kurt had met Blaine a year earlier? How would his life have changed? In his sophomore year, during the spring, Kurt Hummel ends up by chance meeting a charming young man named Blaine Anderson, who turns out to be in his own Glee club. The two begin down the road of becoming friends and then the journey that their relationship takes them. Will they be able to face any problems ahead? No matter what they may be?

Black and White by rainjoy

Kurt and Blaine do a crossword. Amongst other things.

Click and Press Send by @loveheartlover​

Blaine Anderson is 18 years old and in his final year at McKinley High. His best friends know everything about him- apart from that whole thing where he's in love with an online blogger.

ThreeDomsToRuleThemAll are the best thing to ever happen to Blaine; three friends who post audio and video that more than satisfies his need to submit, and Kimber is the man who makes every Thursday the best day of Blaine's week. It's just a shame that Blaine is little more than another number, another follower to him. He doesn't even know Blaine exists.

Until one day, he does.

This is their story.

Crema verse by @twobirdsonesong​

Kurt’s just landed a job at Vogue as Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant. One of his tasks is to bring her coffee in the morning.  Enter Blaine, the barista.  This is the story of how they change each other’s lives.

Equality by idoltina

Obligatory 'gay marriage becomes legal in New York and the boys react' fic.Also: Blaine just wants a blowjob. His elderly neighbor, Kurt's parents, and a plan that's been in the making for three and a half years all serve as sources to Blaine's seemingly never-ending sexual frustration.

Excited about things by @a-simple-rainbow​

"It's not fair because I'll never get to make fun of your pictures!" He whines and Kurt stops dead on his track. The silence is thick and then Blaine sighs and laughs "Relax, I'm kidding." "I'm… I…" "You're gonna have to get used to blind jokes if this is gonna work." Blaine announces, smirking as he leaves the kitchen, glass in hand. (Blind!blaine, Skank!Kurt, FLUFF)

Gourmet Rhapsody by @hazelandglasz

Kurt has been working as a designer in a high-end fashion house but he just reaches his emotional limit.He goes through a burnout and during the time he has been given to recover, he goes back to what has always been his way to cope with stress : cooking and more particularly baking.It acts as an epiphany : why does he keep on working for someone else who doesn’t really let him make the right decisions and put too much pressure on him, if he can try being his own boss ?With Blaine’s support and Adam’s collaboration, he opens “Nibble on”, a bakery that cares about feeding you, body and soul.

How Kurt Hummel Loses His Virginity by @scatter-the-stars​

Tired of being a virgin, and not having anybody be interested in him, shy and insecure, Kurt, decides that for his twentieth birthday, as a present to himself, he will hire an escort and lose the big V.  Little does he know, that when he meets Blaine, his escort, everything will change.

How Many Days... by @fictionallylost

How many days does it take to fall in love? For Music Producer, Blaine Anderson it’s just another day at the office working on a valentines record for an international, top selling artist; with the idea of love as far from his mind as possible…that is until he meets lead backing vocalist, Kurt Hummel.

In Want of Magic by @trufflemores

3.01-4.01. "I just want my senior year to be magic."

Italian Boy by @kookaburrito

Every Saturday morning Kurt takes the bus to Little Italy. During the ride he keeps seeing the same cute boy who reads Italian books, and decides to learn the language, you know, just because it might turn out useful in the end.

Jump by @scatter-the-stars

It's been over a year since the injury that took away his dream.  No longer able to take the questions and concerns, Kurt has escaped to a small town to think about what he wants.  What he doesn't expect to find are Blaine and his little girl, who both quickly steal his heart.  And it's not long before he has to make the choice of where his heart truly lies.

life is like a song (i want you to sing to me) by @luthien82​

Kurt and Blaine have been best friends since college. They would do anything for each other, which Blaine proves when Kurt confesses he has to go home for a wedding - a wedding where everyone expects him to bring his long time boyfriend. The thing is: Kurt doesn't have one. But he has a Blaine, who is willing to help. Enter one group of crazy, well meaning friends, a week full of wedding preparations, and lots of sexual tension and you've got yourself a mix that's just bound to blow up in their faces...

Loving You Is Easy by @mrscriss2012

Single parent Kurt is moving back to Ohio. Having been hurt before, will he ever find anyone to love and trust again?

Make the Yuletide Gay by @razorsharpquill

When the invitation comes, Blaine Anderson is delighted -- he can't think of a better way to usher in the holidays than an impromptu Warbler reunion to celebrate one of their own getting married. Unfortunately that includes ALL of the Warblers, including his ex-boyfriend Sebastian. Avoiding the ex might just call for drastic measures -- and Blaine knows just the man for the job.

Missing Pieces by @sunshineoptimismandangels

Even after living in New York City for three years Kurt Hummel still hasn't found love. He thought that the city of his dreams would make all of his dreams come true, but maybe he just isn't made for romance. That is until Kurt is home for the summer, helping his father run his growing Android Repair shop and getting to know hid dad's latest acquisition, a handsome and sweet android with curly hair, and a kind smile and a love for musicals. Maybe Kurt will discover that love isn't what he always thought it was.

NYADA Crushes by @notthetoothfairy

Kurt doesn’t think it’s going to be a big deal if he posts an anonymous message on the NYADA Crushes Facebook page about the cute guy he just saw fall on his ass in front of the NYADA main entrance. Little does he know that Blaine is going to be his dance TA once the new school year starts, and that Blaine has a history with NYADA Crushes, too.

Operation Secret Santa by @ckerouac

Kurt can't stop staring at the cute guy who comes by the coffee station near his desk every morning, but can never muster up the courage to say hello.  Until the assignment for their office Secret Santa is revealed and his reads 'Blaine Anderson'.  Written in pieces for Klaine Advent 2017.

Shiftings by @chazzam (check out the entire verse, it’s lovely!)

Shiftings 'verse #1 - The shift in their relationship didn't come out of left field at all.  Beneath the surface, things had been changing all along.  Set right after THE KLISS.  Kind of fluffy.

Somebody to Love by @bazllton

Klaine Coffee shop AU in which Kurt is a barista and Blaine is a dorky customer. Basically just lots and lots of fluff.

Sum verse by flaming_muse

The whole of Kurt and Blaine’s relationship is greater than the sum of its parts. Scenes of two boys in love.

Three Weeks of Summer by @antarcticbird

Kurt just wants to get some work done, Rachel just wants him to relax, and Blaine shows up and makes everything even more complicated than it is already.

Written On My Heart by @gingerfic

Kurt draws Blaine’s name in a massive secret pal exchange at work. He doesn’t know Blaine, and thinks he is giving to a female. Will he decide to reveal himself and actually meet Blaine at the end of the six weeks?Meanwhile, he has started noticing an attractive stranger...

Also, if you don’t mind me reccing one of my own fics:

Catch Me A Catch by lilyvandersteen

Blaine is a hard-working pre-law student and part-time barista, whose brother Cooper has snagged a role in Funny Girl. Kurt is a diligent NYADA student and intern at Vogue dot com, whose roommate Rachel is the new Fanny Brice. Cooper and Rachel hit it off immediately, and then start scheming to get Kurt and Blaine together.

[percywinchester27]

Unconventional Roommates (Part-6)

Word count: 3.8K

Pairing: Dean X Reader

Warnings: Feels, fluff

Series Summary: Now that his brother is at Stanford, for the first time in his life, Dean does something for himself. He takes a step towards chasing his own dreams and moves away from Lawrence to start college, which is both thrilling and scary at the same time. Only catch, in this unknown town, he is stuck with the MOST infuriating female on the planet- the roommate from hell!

A/N: I REALLY hope you like this part <3 This is also written for @spnfluffbingo

Square filled: Free space

Thanks to my Princess @deanssweetheart23 for beta reading this. I love you so much, Athina <3

Unconventional Roommates masterlist

The almost 6 hour long drive was more calming than Dean could have ever imagined, but the soft, almost rhythmic purr of the Impala, along with Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to heaven' crooning in the background was heaven. It was both relaxing and nostalgic. Dean couldn't wait to see his brother and when the car finally stopped along the curb of the address he was looking for, Sam was sitting along the edge, waiting, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Long time, no see?" He asked, getting up as Dean pulled his brother in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you, Sam."

Sam pulled back to give Dean a look. "Is that why you completely forgot about me for two weeks?"

Dean rolled his eyes. 'You can't be seriously mad about that still!"

"Of course I can be," Sam shrugged playfully. "I'm the little brother. I get to be whiny all the time. Come, I'll show you around."

Dean walked with his brother, taking in the hair that was falling over Sam's forehead. He was a bit leaner than the last time, dressed in jeans and a Navy T-shirt. Sam showed him around his tiny apartment that he shared with three other boys. Looking at that, Dean felt luckier about his accommodation. In most ways, it was like having his own room.

Sam was super enthusiastic about Dean visiting him after all this time. He wanted Dean to know everything about his life, a few friends. He dragged Dean everywhere, from the University campus to the popular hangouts. Finally, they found themselves a corner booth in a bustling bar, where there was some chance of holding a conversation.

"So what's up with you?" Sam finally asked. "How's college treating you?"

"Like crap," Dean told him, then continued to elaborate on everything that had happened since he'd started there. It felt good to talk, it felt really good to let it out to someone who knew the pressure and the excitement of getting to experience this. Four years back neither of them would have imagined this life for themselves.

"Wow!" Sam breathed out. "You've had quite the adventure, haven't you?"

"Tell me about it." Dean took another swig of his beer.

"What's the deal with this girl though?" Sam asked, curiously. "She seems like one tough customer."

Again. Tell me about it.

But Dean shook his head, gathering the words before speaking them. "I just can't figure her out, man. You just never know what the hell she's thinking. She seems like the sort of person who wouldn't think twice before setting a house on fire if she thought it was the right thing to do."

Sam laughed. "You sound scared of her."

"Oh, you would be, too, if you really knew her."

Sam looked like he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing.

"C'mon, say it," Dean said. "I know you want to say something, so just say it."

His brother finally laughed. "I have to admit, when I heard you were bunking with a girl, I thought you'd be having the time of your life. But now, look at you, all confused over a girl. But she did that imposition for you when she didn't need to. Maybe she's interested in you."

It was Dean's turn to start laughing. "I'm not sure she's even interested in boys."

"But you speak fondly of her," Sam said slyly. Too slyly.

"It's cause she saved my ass." Dean wanted to roll his eyes.

"Only because she put it in line of fire in the first face."

"Well, she didn't do it purposely!"

Sam's grin grew more pronounced. "And now you're defending her. That's a first. You really sure you're not falling for your misanthrope of a roommate?"

"It's not like that, Sam," Dean said for what seemed like a millionth time now.

Sam put his hands up. "Alright! I was just saying." But he still had that shit eating grin on his face.

"Bitch!"

"Jerk."

They finished up their beers and food, then found themselves their usual spots in the Impala. Dean at the front and Sam at the back, leaning against the opposite doors, facing each other as they talked.

Sam wanted to know about everything, from his classes and professors to the job and how he was liking the city. In turn, Dean did tell him everything, about his few friends, including Cas and Meg, and then his friends at the paper. Dean also told him about his job as the photographer and his first assignment at the fair. Sam had the perfect curse words for Zachariah and it was very satisfying to hear. Dean didn't remember the last time he had talked so much in a way that his throat was sore, his stomach seemed permanently cramped from laughing so hard. And his eyes? His eyes didn't want to close yet, even if it was way past 2 in the morning. Cooped in a car that was more of a home than any house ever had been, with the only person who'd truly ever been family,  Dean felt happy. He felt content even though a little part of his mind kept going back to his apartment.

But as a joke got to him the way only Sam's words could get him, Dean fell back on to the leather upholstery, laughing like there was no tomorrow and when his heaves tuned into deep breathes that gave way to his snores, he didn't know.

*tap tap tap*

*tap tap tap*

Dean jerked awake, squinting into the bright light streaming out of the semi-open window to see a shadow rapping at the glass.

He sat up, opening the door to see more clearly. A blonde girl was standing there, with her hands on the hips.

"Why are you kidnapping him, Mister?" She jerked a thumb towards Sam who was still deeply asleep in the backseat, drooling a little.

Dean rubbed his eyes, getting out of the car to face the girl. She was really good-looking. If Dean had to sort her into a club, he'd have gone with the Cheerleader type.

"I- I wasn't- " Dean started, but then her face broke into a big smile and she threw her hands around Dean.

"Whoa!" Dean backed up immediately, falling against the frame of the car.

"It's okay," she quickly explained, undeterred. "My name's Jessica. You're Dean, aren't you?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

It hit his sleep- addled brain a little late. She was the Jessica Sam was talking about.

"Well, Sam told me about you," she said excitedly and Dean put a tick on his cheerleader theory. No one should be that bright in the morning. "In fact, it's all he talked about at dinner."

Talking only about things that shouldn't be talked about on first dates at all? Typical Sam. No wonder his tally of hookups was so horrible. Be that as it might, Dean couldn't help feeling a warmth somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach for the girl.

"Listen, I'm not some kind of a creep, okay?" She said, looking a little guilty. "I’ve heard so much about you, it feels like I already know you. I just came over to see him in the morning, and he'd mentioned the car and that you drove it, so I just came to look. What're you guys doing parked out front here?"

Dean cleared his throat. "Uhhgg… We figured the insides was too cramped and we fell asleep while talking."

"That's okay," she said happily, "I'm just glad to meet you. I've heard about everything you did for him." Her eyes flitted towards the boy sleeping in the backseat with what was unmistakably love.

"I did nothing," Dean said earnestly. She needed to stop looking at him like he was a frigging hero. What the hell had Sam told her anyway?

"He said you'd say that," she smiled superiorly and Dean couldn't help but like her as he returned the smile. A secret reassurance that Sam wasn't alone around here anymore.

"Will you do something for me?" Dean asked, smiling mischievously.

"Anything."

"Don't let him forget that he drools."

Jessica grinned. "You have my word."

It was harder than he thought it would be to drive away from Sam. A bit sadder than he expected. Dean was beyond happy that Sam had a beautiful girl fall in love with his nerdy ass, but it also made him feel homesick in strange ways, a feeling very similar to when Sam had moved out for the first time. He smiled to himself as he parked the car in its usual spot and then dragged his feet into the lobby. A functional lift did brighten his outlook for the evening.

When he walked into the apartment, he was somehow surprised to find Y/N crouched on the sofa. She had been spending more and more time out of her room, now that they were on somewhat talking terms.

She was scribbling furiously into her little notepad again, her books spread out in front of her. When Dean fell onto the sofa, she nodded once to acknowledge his presence then went back to whatever she was doing. He noticed that she seemed ready to go. Well, it was always difficult to say with her because she never stuck to conventional standards of clothes acceptable for work or sleep or anything for that matter. But she was dressed in a baggy military camouflage pants teamed with a black, knitted, full sleeved turtleneck and the usual black beanie. Dean noticed that the edges of the beanie were damp, and the tip of her nose seemed shiny… so she'd just had a bath. Well, she smelled nice enough for that theory to be true.

"You know, you're creeping me out again," she said without looking up from the book. "You need to stop staring."

"You look nice today," Dean said simply.

Y/N did a double take like she wasn't sure if she'd heard right. "What did you say?"

"I said you looked nice. Badass, like Kim Possible."

There was a pause and then she doubled over laughing. It was like looking into another dimension for Dean, seeing her stoic façade just fall apart to give way to this rare girl who was honestly a wonder.

"What does that make you? Ron?" She asked. "You're blonde. You fit the part."

"No, I'm not!" Dean protested. "That's brown hair."

"Keep telling yourself that, Romeo," she said, getting up to gather the books.

Dean checked the watch, it was just past 4:30.

"You're leaving early today," he noted.

She gave him her patented smirk. "You're not the only one with assignments, Winchester." She stuffed her over full satchel with the notebook and another fat book. "Hope you had a good time with, Sammy."

"Yeah, I did." Dean smiled, before it slid off his face. "Wait a second, how do you know about him?"

She shrugged. "So, is he your brother or your boyfriend?"

"Brother… geez!" He all but barfed. "He's my younger brother."

"Thought so," she smiled lightly, as she put on her boots.

"How the hell do you know about him?" For a second Dean thought she'd been snooping around his stuff, but no, Y/N wouldn't do that. She of all people understood privacy, given the extent to which she went to keep hers. Maybe Sam's name had slipped past him sometime.

"Really! How do you know about him?" He asked again.

But she merely winked. "Sleep over that." Again it felt like an inside joke. Everything she ever said felt like an inside joke she had with herself. God knew it was infuriating.

"Annoying female!" Dean muttered to himself, as he wandered to the kitchen, hating the prospect of having to cook after driving for so long. However, the counter wasn't empty. There was half of a large Pizza left that would be more than sufficient for dinner. A note propped on it in a handwriting he recognized too well now said - "Heat me! Eat me!"

There was just no telling with that girl

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

"There he is! The superman!"

Dean turned behind to Meg, Cas and their friend, Hannah, sitting in the Quadrangle in their usual spots on Monday morning.

"I'm Superman now?" Dean asked, amused, making his way towards them.

Meg seemed impressed. "What else do I call you?" She gave him a once over. "No human could have managed to finish all that work by himself. How did you do it?"

Dean smiled to himself, remembering the look in his roommates eyes when she'd taught him to glass trace.

"What sort of Mechanical Engineering student are you?"

"But seriously, how'd you do it?"

"My friend helped me," Dean said, weighing the word "friend" in his mind. Were they friends? Well, they were helping each other, feeding each other and sharing a big secret about a flooded apartment from the landlord. The word "friend" should qualify, right?

"Oooohhh friend?" Hannah teased, and Dean was ready to use his tagline of "it's not like that" when the annoying voice of Nick interrupted him.

"What sort of help?"

Dean knew better than to say the reveal deal in front of him. "Moral support. She bought me Pizza and taught me a couple tricks." It wasn't technically a lie.

"What sort of tricks," Nick pressed, coming up close. He was about Dean's height.

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

Nick gave him a glare. "You're right. It's not, but it would be good to see this friend of yours at the fair."

"Why would she be at the fair?" The idea of Y/N at anything remotely colorful was out of depth.

Nick smiled, only it looked like a sneer. "Because the idea of a stud like you going stag to the fair is going to be very entertaining for the class. A lot of those rides are couple rides."

He leaned in a little closer. "I'll be waiting to see your friend, Winchester."

"The hell's wrong with him?" Dean asked after Nick had sauntered off.

"He's butthurt," Meg concluded. "He was the teacher's pet last year. Don't think you're entrance in the scene is helping his chances."

Dean rolled his eyes. "He can go screw himself."

"But hey, at least, tell us about your friend," Hannah quipped, still interested in that line of conversation.

"She's my roommate. That's all." Dean was just as uninterested in this topic.

"Maybe you should ask her to come along," Cas suggested.

Dean snorted. "She wouldn't want to come, trust me. Y'all don't know her."

"And we never might, if we don't see her," Meg said.

Cas nodded. "Nick was right, you know. A lot of rides are couple rides and you need all the pictures you can for the paper. It'll be easy to have someone along with you than explain to every booth owner that you're the paper guy. Just think about it."

Dean did think about it, all the time at college afterwards and all the time at work. If Bobby noticed the absentmindedness, for once, he didn't say anything.

Dean left work early that day to make sure that he caught her before she left. Somehow, he was in luck. He did something different today, as opposed to using the key, he rang the bell. After five minutes, the door opened to reveal a very sweaty Y/N. The yoga pants were back today and so was the baggy t-shirt. But as opposed to being all drenched in sweat like her face and her arms, it was dry, so she'd just thrown it on. Which meant she was out just in yoga pants and…and... he quickly threw the image out of his head.

"Were you working out?" Dean asked, stepping in.

"Oh yeah," she panted. "Why'd you ring the bell?"

"Thought I'd surprise you."

"Paint me surprised!" She sassed, and Dean was secretly happy about pissing her off even a little bit.

"I wanted to find you before you left for work."

"Why?" A puzzled look.

"Well…. I wanted to ask you something." Damn. This was awkward.

"Yeah?"

Dean gulped. "Will you come to the fair with me this weekend?"

"What?" The look on her face was so disbelieving, Dean considered making a run for it. He still wasn't entirely sure whether or not she murdered people for a living, but, instead, he tried once more.

"I- I work for the paper, as a designated photographer, and they wanted pictures from this year's fair. A lot of rides are couple's rides and I figured it would be easier if I just had someone with me so I could get an entry."

The incredulous look on her face did not change, so Dean pressed his luck, "I really don't know anyone around here. You're among the very few friends I have."

"You want to take me out so your work could be easily done?" Point blank. Typical Y/N.

"No…. it's not like that," he quickly explained. "I would love to go out with you. Spend the evening together."

"I don't know what sort of a girl you think I am, Winchester," she said, a dangerous tone to her voice. "But I'm not the sort who pretends to be someone else. I'm not someone's convenience. You have the wrong estimation of what we have between us."

*bang*

Just like that he was back at staring the red door. What had just happened?

Dean waited for her to leave the room when she left for work, but even then, she stormed out before he could even get a word out.

Maybe she was in the Mafia after all, Dean thought, or maybe, the CIA. She definitely dressed the part, worked out, and was super secretive. As he laid in bed, he imagined that her room was full of pictures, the walls collages of suspects with threads connecting the links. Maybe that's why she never let him in. He knew nothing about her except that she had a sister stashed somewhere. One of these days he was going to have to check that stupid satchel of hers for guns and grenades.

His last thought before he fell asleep was how cool it would be if she really had a grenade launcher somewhere in there.

*tap tap tap*

*tap tap tap*

For the second time in the week, Dean woke up to rapping noise, but this time it was his door. It was light outside his window. Must be around 5 in the morning.

Hurriedly, he pulled on a shirt over his boxers and rushed to open it.

Y/N was standing before him, sweaty again and panicked. It reminded him of her expression from the flood day. He was abruptly worried.

"Hey, are you okay?" He held her by her arms gingerly, but she kept trying to say something.

"You know what? You sit here." Dean guided her to the sofa, then came back with a glass of water. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

"What? No. I'm okay," she said, then hesitated. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday."

"Why?"

"Because of what I said," she said timidly. Timid Y/N? That was a first.

Dean looked her deep in the eyes, trying to get her to trust him. "You didn't want to come to fair. That's okay, I shouldn't have just assumed-"

She shook her head. "No, you didn't assume. I overreacted. I'll come with you…if you still want."

"Of course I still want… but I want you to be sure of this first. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

She looked at him with a peculiar expression, then said quietly. "I want to."

"Why?" He asked despite himself. "Why did you get so angry with me yesterday?"

Dean just couldn't understand. He couldn't understand why she closed herself off so completely sometimes. Got so angry, so suddenly. It would have been easier to digest if she had been a bad person, but having known her the way he did… she wasn't. She was good. Behind all that bravery, she was scared of things too, maybe more than others. Then there were times like now when she seemed lost… like she wanted to open up, but she couldn't.

Even now, she was struggling. The words were dying on her lips.

"Sometimes…" she said finally, in a whisper. "I have trouble trusting people. It's hard for me to believe them when they say they aren't using me. That they won’t laugh at me later."

"Why would they laugh at you?" For the life of him he couldn't understand. She was different, that much was obvious, but that was no reason to treat her differently, to treat her badly.

She shrugged, not quite looking at him.

"Look at me," Dean said firmly, but his voice was shaky. "Look me in the eyes."

She did. Scared and vulnerable.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to use you… even for something as stupid as a fair. Yes, it would save me 5 minutes of explaining per booth, but that's all. I asked you because you're my friend and it would be nice if I bought us a dinner for a change."

She laughed, a snot-nosed snort almost, and Dean had never wanted to protect her more. This possible serial-killer of a girl who could have anyone's balls for breakfast if she wanted to, and in that moment his fingers itched to hold her and pull her in his arms.

What on earth had happened to her? Why was she like this? His heart shuddered even trying to imagine.

"I'm not going to wear a dress or anything, and no make-up, no high heels." She declared, going back to her usual stern self.

But Dean matched her snark with his this time. "You can wear your sweatpants for all I care."

"Will you be having friends there?"

"Just Cas and Meg," Dean said, sensing that it wasn't an exciting prospect for her. "But they are good people, and they're excited to meet you."

"Y-You told them about me?" Nervousness.

Dean knew how to take care of that. "Of course. They had to know the sort of psycho I live with."

"Okay, whatever, Romeo." She got up and it was obvious from her slumped posture how tired she was.

"Hey Y/N, just so you know, it's my honor to go with you. I couldn't care less if you turned up in a flowery ball gown or 16th century pirate costume. It's you that I'm excited about."

"Okay."

She turned too quickly towards the door, without even muttering a proper bye. Dean saw the slouched shoulder, the dragging gaze. What Dean couldn't see as she turned his back on him was the unexpected blush or the smile on her lips that stayed there long after she had fallen asleep in her bed.

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

A/N 2: Are we warming up to the reader yet? ;)

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[artificialqueens]

The Language of Flowers, Chapter 3.5 (Multi) - Albatross

AN: Well this chapter took a hot minute to write but its done just in time for the holiday. Next update might be a bit later than two weeks, I want to work on some of the new fics I have scheduled for Dec. For those of you celebrating; have a safe holiday, especially if you have to be around difficult family today:

The following Sunday Katya moved in without any incident other than a broken picture and perhaps a small chunk of wood missing from the door frame to her room that she swore was like that before she got there. Courtney just rolled her eyes and let it go with a forgiving smile. After Katya had left for classes the following day she found the missing piece of wood kicked under the small table between their rooms and reattached it with a bit of Elmer’s glue. No harm, no foul. For all she know she might have done herself one day without realizing it.

Courtney was quite surprised with how easily she settled into having a new roommate. After one very unfortunate three month experiment with a very messy “friend” who seemed to have encouraged an ant colony to move in alongside her; she told herself never again. But desperate times call for desperate measures and Courtney had to face facts; she couldn’t afford to live alone after the last rent increase and she didn’t really want to find anywhere else anymore. She was almost banging her head on Katya’s door when the younger woman answered while holding an identical notification slip that had been taped to everyone’s door whilst they were out. Very reluctantly, Courtney asked, “Is that offer still open?”

She expected Katya to make a joke of it, something to the effect of “Which offer?” But she didn’t…she just gave her a supportive smile and nodded her head. Seems she had been having the same thoughts too. It was a shame though…Courtney had prepared a number of witty remarks for all of Katya’s possible comments, yet she had no chance to use them…Pity.

Instead the two made plans to alert the building supervisor of their impending rearrangements and hashed out who would move in with whom…If you asked each one how they made their decision, Courtney would say they had an open and frank discussion regarding it. Katya however would declare that it was decided by a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors…Your decision who you want to believe. Either way, it was determined that Katya would move into Courtney’s spare room at the end of the month and their choice to live together worked out quite well for both of them.

Katya was clean and orderly, her unusual taste in baubles aside, and for the most part she was rather quiet in the apartment…ignoring the few instances when Violet spent the night. Even after all this time, Courtney found she could barely look at either woman after she heard their sessions late at night. Though they did try their best to keep it down; the wall were thin…so very little was left to the imagination. It was a small relief the frequency had steadily dropped but unfortunately, Courtney could probably give a very detailed description of Violet’s favorite bedroom activities if she were asked…and could find the strength to answer.

But apart from fewer hookups that Courtney had more or less witnessed, Violet was becoming a regular guest in their apartment in the normal capacity. Occasionally she and Katya could be found cooking in the kitchen or watching TV on the couch but Courtney was hardly there long enough to really take notice of how long she stayed or how often she came by. Most of her time was still spent with Willam, who seemed to be trying to make plans with her almost every day. She was flattered, she had to admit, but she sometimes wondered what it was that Willam saw in her. They had similar interests, sure, but they were still very different in most aspects of their lives. Courtney was outgoing and boisterous only as needed while with Willam, that seemed to be her default. Courtney reveled in peaceful, homey atmospheres whereas Willam thrived anywhere she could be surrounded by people.

And people certainly seemed to love her, or at least enough of them did. Sure, they were plenty that would go so far as to say they hated Willam with a passion but more than enough welcomed her wherever she went and that was all she really needed. She could be the belle of the ball if she wanted yet she chose to hang around someone who much more comfortable going along with the crowd. Courtney certainly wasn’t a wallflower but she wasn’t vying to be the center of attention…at least not if she were competing against Willam. She just allowed herself to be taken along for the ride wherever Willam wanted to drag her…which as of late involved less clubs and more unconventional settings, at least for Willam.

Increasingly, Courtney found herself accompanying the dirty blonde as they engaged in some unexpected and occasionally quite ordinary activities. They had spent days at the beach together, going to brunch and dinner, movies at the theaters or Willam’s apartment, even trips to amusements parks and festivals. They had even tried hiking together…once. The sudden downpour that had caught both women by surprise as they marched through the woods was more than enough to dampen their enthusiasm to try again.

When Courtney had first met Willam, she never thought that this would be where they’d end up but she wasn’t complaining. Even though they bickered, even fought at times, about petty shit the other person did that annoyed them; Courtney was more than content with the relationship she shared with Willam. It was hard at times to imagine her life before she met the other woman…It seemed so lackluster now. She was similar to Katya, there was no doubt about that, yet still there was something about her that made her so different and Courtney still had yet to figure out what exactly it was. And certainly since Katya became a more prominent fixture in her life, Courtney was seeing different sides of Willam.

Although Courtney hadn’t really intended to keep Willam away from her apartment, she always declined having Willam come by if she knew Katya would be there. She wasn’t entirely sure why but she didn’t want the two meeting…at least not yet. Eventually they would have to but Courtney was determined to keep them apart as long as possible. She also had made it a point to keep herself from mentioning Katya in Willam’s presence if she could help it. The younger woman always held her tongue but Courtney got the feeling she still held some resentment for the fact that Katya was Courtney’s first and only choice as a new roommate. She seemed to have accepted Courtney’s apology but whenever she heard the blonde talking about her new roommate, her demeanor would always become more standoffish and annoyed…so Courtney just stopped talking about her whenever she could.

Easy fix.

Though Courtney’s life has definitely become more eventful since meeting Willam, a small part of her longed to return to that first meeting and warn herself not to become so attached. She had always thought of herself as an independent, free-spirit who didn’t need to rely on the company of others to feel content…that was why she was so comfortable living on her own. Yet since meeting Willam, she found herself feeling lonely far more often and in a way that tended to confuse her. Even if she were surrounded by customers or the coworkers she loved…if Willam wasn’t there, sometimes a wave of somethingthat would wash over her. Not quite yearning…no more like she was homesick…for Willam. So when the dirty blonde had taken to visiting her at the shop more often, she never said a word against it. She came to look forward to that point in the late afternoon when Willam would saunter in after clocking out at her own job and stay with Courtney through the end of the night or come by to pick her up if she happened to work the opening shift that morning. Those predictable moments where she knew she would see Willam again made it more bearable but it still frustrated her all same to have become so emotionally reliant on another person.

Today she was feeling that annoyance in full force; Willam was working overtime so Courtney would not have a chance to see until much later this evening. If she hadn’t been scheduled for the morning shift, it probably would have been more tolerable, but here she was stuck in the dead zone between the morning and afternoon rush with nothing to do other than daydream and reflect on how pathetic her life had become.

She stole a glance over to Jinkx who had thrown herself deep into the world of books once more. Unless Courtney missed her guess, it looked to be the same novel Sharon had given her all those weeks ago. The bookmark Jinkx was using seemed to have been made from some of the ribbon that had been wrapped around the paperback but that was something Courtney had noticed long ago. Still it brought a smile to her face whenever she thought of all the little things they do just for each other. She wondered briefly if Sharon had any notion at the time of what chain reaction she would set off when she first gave that book to Jinkx. Not that Courtney was complaining; she was glad the shop was busier. The owners certainly deserved that success but all the same; one small action sparked a whole explosion that led to Jinkx’s arrangements becoming one of the city’s featured novelties.

That brought Courtney’s attention to the front counter. Sharon was currently reviewing the credentials of some new plant retailers she might use in the future as suppliers for Jinkx’s more unusual flower requests. She certainly was going the extra mile for her assistant and it seemed to be so obvious that she had a thing for the redhead, yet Jinkx was oblivious…and Sharon was making no move to change that…It was frustrating watching it play out day after day. Courtney desperately wanted someone to push things along. She couldn’t and most definitely wouldn’t after the promise she made to Willam but Ivy on the other hand…certainly she could see what was going on or maybe even had some insight into Jinkx’s feelings…No, even if she did, that would only help on Jinkx’s side and Courtney knew the redhead well enough to know she’d never make the first move…it would have to be Sharon…Of the two, she was easily more of a risk taker…she just needs the right nudge to get things going.

Violet!

If anyone could help, it would definitely be Violet; she knew both women very well and of course, she knew how to play Sharon like a fiddle when she wants to! She’d be perfect…But almost certainly word would get back to Willam and that would result in yet another fight…undoubtedly one of epic proportions. Damn. Looks like Courtney will have to keep her promise whether she wants to or not.

Mm…

In the lazy way that minds tend to wander off, she began to think about Violet…and a little bit about Katya too. The pair complemented each other quite well and they seemed very compatible, particularly in bed. Why hadn’t they made a move? They seemed like they could be happy in a relationship together…maybe one of them does want a relationship and the other wants to keep it casual…Katya would probably be the one to want something more in Courtney’s mind; she was more of a nester and Violet seemed to be a little too wild to want to settled down just yet…Or maybe Courtney is reading too much into the situation and just has relationships on her mind. It’s quite possible both just want a casual friends-with-benefits arrangement. Much like Sharon and Willam’s thing…before they broke it off that is. Courtney now knew why Sharon decided to call it quits but she never questioned Willam how she felt about it. Sure, she said that it never meant anything but Willam was never the type to really talk about her feelings anyway…

Courtney’s thoughts were now treading towards territory best left unexplored but she was helpless to stop herself now…she found herself wondering if Willam and Violet ever hooked up…or even if Sharon and Violet had…

No.

She was almost certain that their relationship genuinely was more mother-daughter in nature and nothing more. Even if Sharon did used to sleep with Willam, it was hard to imagine her even attempting something like that with Violet…even tossing aside the brunette’s predilections in bed.

Violet worked well with Katya because they each had that same taste for the burlesque and the fetishes that often went with it. As intimidating as Sharon could be, Courtney never really got the vibe from her in the same way she had from Violet. In truth, some of what she had heard from Violet concerned her…she could never bring herself to attempt what she was sure Violet engaged in wholeheartedly. She probably leant herself more in the direction of, well…Jinkx.

Demure.

Maybe even so far as to say vanilla but definitely more sensual…more focused on the emotional aspects rather than the physical. Courtney could readily believe that Jinkx would be the type who’s careful and considerate with her partners…taking their needs into account more than her own. That’s why she would complement Sharon better than she would Ivy. She could easily see Sharon neglecting herself, maybe even for Jinkx’s sake, in front of others but behind the scenes Jinkx would make sure that every gesture was repaid…no minute detail forgotten. Yin to Yang.

And that of course led Courtney’s thoughts right back to Sharon…

The older blonde was the perfect balance between the younger women. She had Violet’s dominate streak for sure but also a softer, gentler side like Jinkx’s. That was what Courtney needed right now. Violet was too intense and Jinkx was too passive, but Sharon…Sharon was the perfect blend of each woman’s best qualities…

Courtney could easily imagine Sharon pulling her into her lap and holding her there with very little effort as she marked Courtney like she was her own. She wanted that so badly right now. To feel safe and secured in someone else’s hold even as they teased her to no end. And she had no doubt that Sharon wouldn’t be one to tease. She’d wear that taunting smirk on her painted lips as she got Courtney so worked up that she could barely think in coherent sentences. Tease her as she stripped away the layers of clothing one by one all while removing none of her own…Placing her on the counter where anyone could see as they walked past the shop. Whispering filthy things into her ear, making her beg for any little touch as she drew her fingers across Courtney’s inner thighs.

Why could she picture this so easily?

Willam would be almost the same…at first. She’d put up a tough front but once Courtney was at her mercy, she’d finally let down her guard. As her fingers slipped inside those taunts would melt into compliments as she brings the blonde closer to the edge. Maybe she would even call her ‘princess’. But despite the change in tone, Courtney would still beg. She knows she wouldn’t have to; Willam would never deny her anything but something in her would make her want to repeat all the things she wanted-needed Willam to do to her. And she’d comply with every one. She’d fuck her nice and slow even though Courtney demanded she go faster…and she would, but not right away. She wanted the moment to last.

And Willam would watch her the entire time, taking in every little detail for future reference. Loving how she could tear apart calm and composed little Courtney so quickly…And then as she was teetering right on the edge and about to plunge into the depths, Willam would kiss her. She’d muffled the screams so no one else could hear them but her. They were hers alone to enjoy and she was greedy when it came to Courtney. She always had been and-

“Court, are you okay?” Jinkx asked with a thoroughly concerned tone. “You’re looking a bit flushed.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake!

Daydreaming at work about that? Courtney had really outdone herself. And now two of those very women were starting to crowd in on her as she tried to calm herself down and recover from the embarrassment. There’s not much else that could make this worse, or at least she hoped there wasn’t.

“Do you need to lie down or drink some water?” Sharon asked anxiously as she placed a hand on Courtney’s shaking shoulders. This was about the last thing she needed right now.

“I’m fine,” she lied firmly, though her voice wavered just a tad as she added, “I’m just going to…to run to the bathroom real quick.”

Before her cheeks could get any brighter, she bolted out of her chair and in the direction of the small restroom at the opposite end of the shop. It looked as though Sharon was about to follow after her for a brief moment but to Courtney’s immense relief she stay within a few feet of the work benches with Jinkx at her side. Courtney had no clue what she would do if the older blonde had come after her…probably something stupid that would make her want to bury her head in shame…not that the little scene she made out there didn’t inspire a similar feeling.

She was mentally kicking herself for falling so deep into that fantasy that it became noticeable to the others. At least they didn’t seem to figure what exactly was going on but how was she going to cover for herself? Her mind felt like it was trapped in a maze coming upon dead end after dead end as she tried to recollect her thoughts. No matter what she tried to think of, her mind kept returning to the ache in her core that she knew she couldn’t do anything to ease…at least not here. She was already ashamed of herself enough, she wasn’t going to add 'getting herself off in the shop’s bathroom’ to that list.

No, she still had some self control. She could wait until she got home. All she had to do was make herself look presentable again, put up a good poker face for the rest of her shift, and then race back home to finish what she had started. And maybe even by then, the need would disappear…That could totally happen right?

*********

It didn’t.

Not that Courtney really expected it to but a girl could hope.

The rest of her shift felt like pure torture between Jinkx’s worried glances and Sharon constantly telling her to take it easy or even just to go home. Not that Courtney would leave them right before the next rush was due to arrive. She was determine to finish out her work day as she normally would but when the other two women slipped into their own versions of mother-mode? It was almost too much and Courtney often felt like she’d die of embarrassment before she got a chance to clock out. It was such a relief when Ivy came in early and Courtney could dash off to her apartment.

She knew she would need to take care of this quick; she was supposed to go out with Willam tonight and there was no way she was going to let any of these thoughts linger until then. She just needed to get off and that would be the end of it. Just because she daydreamt about Willam fucking her didn’t mean she was attracted her. Of course not. She just hadn’t gotten laid in awhile so of course her thoughts would drift towards the women she sees almost every day, Willam included.

When Courtney first burst into the apartment, she was overjoyed that it appeared to be empty. Lately Katya had been moving her study sessions to the library and every time she left, her book bag would be missing from it’s usual place just below the coat rack. The moment Courtney walked through the door, that was the first thing she looked for. The fact that it was gone meant she could get down to business right away but that hope quickly died after she found the bag had been moved to just outside Katya’s room and muffled music could be heard beyond the closed door. Well at least she wouldn’t be able to hear Courtney…not she was intending to get that loud any way.

Like a girl on a mission, Courtney barricaded herself in room, making sure to lock the door for good measure. As Courtney had discovered very soon after Katya moved in; knocking and waiting for an answer seemed to be a foreign concept to her. She had practically no shame and closed doors meant nothing to the younger blonde. More than once Courtney had to yell at her to get out of the bathroom while she was showering because she just had to talk to her at that exact moment. If anything like that happened within the next few minutes she might just have to scream.

But no other sound filled the apartment aside from the soft rock filtering through the shared wall. And with that knowledge firmly in her mind Courtney allowed herself to strip off her clothes…well, everything but her bra, just in case…for what little that mattered. Digging amongst her drawers she quickly found the two objects she was looking for. Even before Katya moved in, Courtney always left anything related to her sex life tucked safely in the back corner of her bottom dresser drawer. Despite living alone for so long, she had a hidden fear someone would manage to find it and the anticipated shame caused her to bury it far out of sight. But now was not the time for subtlety…this needed to be taken care of immediately.

Normally, Courtney would take the time to tease herself; she knew the reward was always so much greater in the end if she did but today her fingers were not what she wanted. She needed something that would get the job done quickly and efficiently and thankfully she had just the item for that. Long ago, back when she had just moved into the city from out in the suburbs, a friend had jokingly given her a vibrator as housewarming gift…saying something along the lines of “Just in case it takes you while to find a real one.” Courtney had played it off as best as she could (her cheeks were pink for several minutes after) but it was just a week or two before she mustered up the courage to try using it. She never had one before, always too embarrassed to go into a shop or even to order one online, but she was curious…And it was quite a life-changer. Not as good as the real thing but definitely easier than her digits.

Typically, she’d use a combination of both if she had the time but all she needed now was to get off. With so little of her usual teasing, it took a little extra time for her to feel comfortable with it inside her, even with extra lube, but once she turned it to the first setting and felt the soft pulsing kick in, she was able to relax and enjoy herself. She bit her lip as she slowly began to rock against the vibrator and pressed the button to the next setting. This particular model was incredibly basic, offering only 5 speeds of the steady vibrating setting and one of an alternating fast and slow sensations. Usually Courtney would hover between the 3rd and 4th speeds and that would be all she really needed to get off. The 5th setting sometimes just felt like a little too much to enjoy and the final option? Well, she never was really tempted to try it.

Quickly she became too used to the second speed and pressed the button once more to switch to the third. It finally felt like she was getting somewhere. Just a few more minutes of this and she could bring herself to edge, maybe she’ll even dare to press the button one more time right before she’s about to cum just to make it a little more intense…She’ll just wait and see…But as she felt herself creeping closer, a very unwelcomed noised filled the room.

Her fucking phone!

Why hadn’t she turned it off?

She didn’t even need to look at the screen to know who was calling. Of course it would be Willam. The universe seemed to love to throw every little irritation her way today. Only because she knew the dirty blonde would keep calling until she picked up, she very reluctantly decided to answer the phone. She had a brief moment of debate as to whether or not she should pause the vibrator and stop all together but the need was too great. It wasn’t that loud anyway, Willam wouldn’t hear and what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her, right?

Slightly breathless and mildly frustrated, Courtney asked, “Hey, what’s up?”

“You tell me,” Willam shot back. “Got a text from Sharon saying you weren’t feeling well earlier. Want to tell me about that?”

Of course she would call about that. Courtney was a little surprised Sharon had gone that far but right now she was more annoyed than touched. She just wanted to get herself off in peace, couldn’t she have a few minutes to do that?

Instead of groaning out loud like she was inclined to, Courtney simply gave a shaky laugh and replied, “Oh, that…I think it was just something I ate maybe…nothing to get worked up about.”

Involuntarily, she squeezed her legs just a little bit tighter as she let out that small lie and like karma trying to punish her, that turned out to be quite a big mistake. The pressure was just enough to turn the vibrator to the next setting and the sudden change was more than enough to catch Courtney off guard. Her breath hitched in her throat as her eyes crossed just slightly before she remembered she still had Willam on the line.

She missed part of what the other woman had said but managed to catch the very end of her response, “-nd if you’re not feeling okay, you know you can call me. I would have come pick you up…”

Courtney almost let out a needy little whine at the vulnerability she heard in Willam’s voice and quickly took notice of her heart beating faster in her chest. Pushing the feeling aside for now, Courtney vaguely inquired, “Yeah?”

There was a slight hint of defensiveness in Willam’s tone as she reaffirmed, “Yeah…I would. Just tell me next time…Don’t want to hear it from someone else.”

“I will next time…Thanks, Bill,” Courtney said fondly.

“Whatever,” the dirty blonde replied all too quickly. It was easy for Courtney to tell she was embarrassed by the admission and right now she’d give anything to see that look on Willam again…it seems her fantasy Willam might be a little closer to reality than she thought…Willam probably would be as much of softie as Courtney had imagined her to be.

Wait, no. She was not going to start thinking about that again. There was nothing more between her and Willam. What’s happening right now is just an unfortunate mix of horniness playing off of hearing Willam’s softer side for once. That’s it, Courtney firmly told herself.

To distract from the vibrating between her legs and the ache that was almost unbearable again, Courtney asked how Willam’s day was going. The dirty blonde was all too eager to jump into a new topic, especially one concerning herself, and soon she was recounting all the little things that had happened during her shift so far.

As Courtney listened, she found herself lulled into a distracted state just by the sound of Willam’s voice. Something about it was so provocative right now and soon her free hand was lazily trailing its way down towards her thighs. The guilt in the pit of her stomach screamed at her that this was so wrong; getting off as her best friend chatted away in her ear, but it was just that taboo that made this so enticing. When would she get this chance again?

Pressing the mute button, Courtney let out a quiet moan as drew her fingers along her folds and traced one softly against her clit. Everything down there felt so sensitive that even the lightest touch was driving her close to edge once more. Very slowly she rocked her hips against the vibrator, trying to find that one spot that would take her right to her limit. Her mind was growing hazy as Willam droned on and Courtney found herself imagining the dirty blonde in bed with her…with her fingers in place of the vibrator…drawing her closer and closer to her release…whispering right into her ear rather than through the cheap electronics in her phone. God, she needed another body with her.

But all too soon Willam announced she would have to end the call, none the wiser to what chaste little Courtney was actually doing on the other end.

“Sorry, my break’s almost up. I need to get back to work…” Willam said apologetically. “You still there?”

Scrambling to turn the speaker back on, Courtney said hastily, “Yeah, sorry. Had you on mute, was just eating something.”

“When aren’t you?” the younger woman joked. “We still on for later though? We can put it off till you’re feeling better…”

“I’m fine,” Courtney promised as she choked down a broken moan.

Unconvinced, Willam proposed, “Why don’t we just stay in tonight?…We can have another movie night…I’ll even pick up some of that shitty wine you love so much.”

Smiling to herself, the blonde agreed, “Yeah, that sounds fun. Text me when you’re leaving, okay?”

“Will do. Alright, gotta run. I’ll see you later!”

With that Willam ended the call and Courtney was free to fully immerse herself once more. She getting so close she could taste it. Just another minute or two…But as she inched closer and closer, curiosity got the better of her…Why not try the last setting for once? It would probably be just enough to end it and if not she could always switch it back.

Daring to take a chance, she skipped right past the 5th setting and dove straight into the 6th. It was misleading at first…She was almost disappointed as it began with a speed even slower than the first option. Then suddenly it picked up the pace; it was just below her normal speed for about 20 seconds then it dropped once more…not a lot but still noticeable. Courtney could feel her body relaxing too much from the lack of stimulation then without warning, the pulsing kicked into high gear. It was so intense, she just barely managed to bite her lip in time to stop a desperate moan from slipping out. She was squirming in place, just close enough and about to go over when the speed dropped once more. Unable to stop herself, she let out a begging whine and almost choked on her own breath as pulsating quicken once more. This played out for over three minutes until she was nearly at the point of tears with how close she had gotten…Just one more strong pulse would be enough and she was long overdue.

As if on cue, it began and Courtney could herself being consumed entirely by the pleasure. Then all too quickly it began to die down again but not like before…the vibrating was weaker, not because of the setting…no, it was the batteries! The batteries were fucking dying! Why did it have to be now of all times? Couldn’t they last just a few seconds longer?

She tried to switch the setting back to one of the steady pulses but it was too late. The batteries were almost completely dead and she had been so close! It wasn’t fair!

Her fingers were in her hair ready to rip it out when she remembered the little box of batteries she kept in the kitchen drawer. Like a flash, she slid out the vibrator and threw on a robe before sprinting out to the kitchen. She must have looked like a madwoman as she frantically searched through the drawer for that stupid box. And when she finally found it, her hopes were dashed yet again. Just one was left! She needed two!

She knew that pack was full just the other week, where could the others-Katya!

Speed-walking back to the bedrooms, Courtney knocked on the younger woman’s door feeling like a hot mess. To her credit it only took Katya a few seconds to appear but it felt like an eternity to Courtney. Seemingly unfazed or else not noticing her roommate’s frazzled state, Katya asked the older woman what was wrong.

Trying her best to remain her usual polite self, Courtney asked, “The batteries in the drawer…did you use any of them recently?”

Katya nodded her head in affirmation but before she could comment any further, Courtney interrupted, “Could I borrow one of them real quick? Just for a few minutes! I’ll get a new pack but I need two like right now…please.”

Arching her eyebrow at the older woman’s frantic speech, Katya beckoned her inside and walked towards her nightstand. Unabashedly, she opened the drawer to reveal quite an interesting collection of bedroom accessories. Courtney’s stomach churned at the thought of Violet and Katya having used these before but she could worry about that later. She just needed her own equipment as soon as possible.

Rifling through the drawer Katya pulled out a seemingly random vibrator of her own and removed both of the batteries with air of practice. Courtney’s gaze dropped to one of the items entangled amongst the rest and could barely pull her eyes away even as Katya extended the batteries towards her.

“No rush,” she teased with a wink as Courtney opened her hand to accept the pair of double AAs. Seems Katya knew full well what she was up to next door.

“Thanks,” she muttered as her cheeks turned a fiery red and made her way towards the door.

To her dread, Katya called out for her just as she made it half across the room and very hesitantly she spun back around to face her roommate. Stepping forward, Katya asked sincerely, “Is that going to be enough?”

Awkwardly, Courtney clutched her hand around the batteries and dropped her gaze to the floor as she muttered, “Um…well…”

Katya stepped in front of her and placed a gentle hand to Courtney’s flushed cheek, turning her head back to look at her. The expression she held was one of genuine concern and strangely enough, seemed to extend an offer. Courtney heard broken syllables and unintelligible sounds fall from her lips as Katya tilted her head inquiringly. She knew Courtney understood what she was proposing and waited patiently as the older woman tried to come up with a complete sentence. Very slowly, she leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Courtney’s mouth. Almost immediately, Courtney felt her head shift involuntarily to brush her lips to Katya’s before she had a chance to fully retreat. Taking that as a sign of encouragement, the younger blonde reiterated, “It’s not going to mean anything…and it won’t make things weird…just something we both need right now.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Courtney nodded and pushed her lips back against her roommate’s. They were cautious at first, still testing the waters and allowing the other woman ample opportunity to call it off. As soon as Courtney began to walk Katya backwards towards the bed, they both knew they weren’t going to stop…not for anything.

Once the back of Katya’s legs hit the mattress, a switch seemed to go off in Courtney’s mind. She became much more deliberate in her movements, more sure of herself. She guided Katya down onto the edge of the bed, taking her place gradually in her lap as she laid claim to the younger woman’s mouth. Katya broke the kiss with a slight laugh as she teased, “Mm, aggressive. I like it.”

The older blonde flushed at the statement. This behavior was a bit out of character for her. Usually the only times she ever displayed this much dominance was when she chanced to take home a man who tended to be more on the inexperienced side, more shy. She’d provide the confidence for both of them as she showed him what to do. With women though? She’d only ever stayed passive, waiting for instructions because women were still more of mystery to her.

Brushing the pad of her thumb across Courtney’s cheek, Katya traced her lips up the older woman’s neck to her ear and let out a husky whisper, “Any requests? I’ll try anything.”

This caught her off guard, her wide-eyed staring proved that. She should have expected the offer, it was Katya after all. Explorative, unassuming Katya; seemingly willing to try anything for her partner’s sake. Why not take a chance if it was being offered?

Courtney’s hands shook as she rested them on Katya’s shoulders while she tried to think of how to phrase her response. There was something she wanted to try…two things actually. The younger woman waited patiently until Courtney found the courage to whisper what she wanted. Without any judgment, she assured the woman in her lap, “I can do that.”

She pressed one more brief kiss to Courtney’s lips before picking her up and setting her down on the mattress beside her. She paced back to her nightstand and searched for the item Courtney had been eyeing before. The older blonde looked away out of embarrassment as Katya unashamedly pulled out the lime green strap on from the slightly cluttered mess in the drawer. At a quick glance, Courtney realized that it was both dual ended and just a tad bigger than what she had been using earlier.

She squirmed on the mattress trying unsuccessfully not to stare as Katya carefully began to strip off her clothes. Though she really wasn’t wearing anything particularly special, the way she worked her body free from her clothing reminded Courtney very much of the delicate manner in which Katya would remove her costume on stage during her performances. She was both casual and showy; displaying skill but not enough to be intimidating. With surprising speed, something she must have acquired through much practice, Katya made quick work of arranging the harness around her hips and inserting her own end with a pleased sigh. Once the remote was securely clipped to the side, she turned her attention back to Courtney who now was licking her lips as she tried not to be overwhelmed by the sight in front of her.

If Courtney’s mouth hadn’t been so dry, she almost would have giggled at how comical the ensemble looked. The unnatural color only made it look a little more ridiculous as Katya took her place in front of her once more. Still something was so intriguing about it, she hadn’t realized she was staring so much until she felt the younger woman tilting her chin up to connect their gaze.

“Still alright to continue?” she asked without a hint of pressure in her voice.

Courtney nodded absently, allowing their lips to pass over one another before Katya inquired softly, “Can I take this off?” as she toyed with the collar of Courtney’s robe.

Suddenly she felt both over and under dressed. The thin robe covered most of her body but underneath she only had her bra. Her cheeks filled with color from her self-consciousness as she untied the waistband and began to shrug off the remaining fabric. As Katya helped pull it the rest of it all the way off, Courtney tried to give her a fair warning, “I’m not really wearing much else under-”

A soft gasp escaped from the younger blonde before Courtney was able to finished her sentence. She cast a quick glance to Katya only to be surprised to find a very light pink tinting her cheeks as her eyes raked down Courtney’s body. She knew she was well toned and was quite used to how men would look at her in bed but Katya’s stare…it made her feel beautiful…and nervous. Her mind was quick to remind her of all of the flaws she felt she had but Katya’s gaze never showed any sign of finding any. She simply drank in the sight before her for a minute before reclaiming Courtney’s lips for a passionate kiss.

As the two worked their way further back onto the mattress, Katya’s fingertips traced over all of the soft, delicate curves that laid below her. Though Courtney knew this wasn’t going to mean anything further afterwards, she still had an idea that this moment was always going to hold a special place in her memory. Very thoroughly, Katya kissed her way down Courtney’s neck, pausing for a moment to assist in taking off the final piece of clothing separating them. Tossing the bra over the edge of the bed, Katya carefully took one nipple into her mouth as her thumb toyed with the other.

An unwilling mewl clawed its way from Courtney’s throat and filled Katya’s ears. She was very confident of her talent in bed but Courtney’s reactions only helped to reassure her of that. The noises that escaped from the older woman were like music encouraging her to do everything she could for this beautiful woman in front her. Though hesitant, Courtney tried to return the gestures quite a few times but Katya pushed her hands away every single time.

“Don’t worry about me, just want to take care you right now,” she assured the blonde below her. “Just enjoy being a pillow princess tonight.”

Courtney whined softly at the one word. That was the second part of what she had asked from Katya for this session. She knew she was treading into dangerous territory with this request but she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment…Not when Katya was so willing to comply. She’ll figure out what it means later, for now she was just going to listen to Katya and enjoy everything she was offering.

The foreplay went on for several minutes, Katya teasing her nipples, cupping her breasts, slowly trailing her fingertips and lips down every inch of skin except for one area. Courtney was a mess…she looked it and she felt it. What she had experienced in her own room was nothing compared to how Katya had worked her up. Finally after all that torture, the younger blonde conceded to touch Courtney where she desperately needed it. Katya’s fingers felt so good inside her that she didn’t want to wait any longer to get to the main course. But Katya had quite a teasing streak, one she probably exercised often with Violet. She would brush oh so gently against Courtney’s g-spot but not enough to give her all of the satisfaction. Her folds were slick as Katya worked her fingers in and out, pausing every so often to tease her clit as the blonde shuddered beneath her.

Her mind felt like it had been put through a sieve before Katya gave in to her pleading for more. The younger woman poured an extra dose of lubricant into her hand for good measure and spread it along the length that was soon to be inserted. Getting herself into position, Katya placed the vibrator outside Courtney’s entrance and leant down close to Courtney’s ear. Feeling the woman trembling in anticipation of what was to come, she whispered, “Shh, don’t worry. Gonna go slow.”

Sucking softly at the skin below Courtney’s jawline, Katya began to push in with an extreme amount of care. Once it was fully inside of her, the blonde let out a sigh of satisfaction. This was just what she needed. It wasn’t quite like the real thing but it was close enough.

Giving her partner enough time to get comfortable, Katya left soft nips and licks along Courtney’s neck and shoulders. As soon her breathing was in check, Katya said, “I’m gonna turn it on now, okay?”

Courtney nodded, not quite knowing what to expect but the second she felt the vibrator whirring to life, her arms clutched tightly around the younger woman’s back. The initial setting was already intense even disregarding her current overstimulated state. If this was what Katya and Violet had been using before, it was no wonder the brunette could barely keep her voice down. Courtney was just barely able to bite back a scream that would have rivaled one of Violet’s.

“Like that, princess?” Katya asked with a smirk.

Frantically nodding her head, Courtney found she couldn’t make any other verbal response aside from a desperate, low moan. Again Katya waited a few seconds to allow Courtney to get used to the feeling before beginning to move. The pace was slow at first but gradually she built up a steady rhythm as the older blonde began to completely lose it. She was quite used to the feeling by now, knowing how to move so that she enjoys the sensations as much as her partner, but being that this was her first time with Courtney; she did her best to be careful and in tune with her reactions.

There certainly wasn’t any lack of enjoyment on Courtney’s end; her eyes watered in pleasure as her legs wrapped tightly around Katya’s waist. A pair of hands found their way to her hips, helping to accentuate the steady thrusts. With each passing second Courtney found herself creeping closer and closer to her elusive orgasm. She felt her fingers curl themselves into the long locks above her, ignoring the way they shifted into a dirty blonde in her mind. She was just so close that she didn’t care how she achieved it, just that she did as soon as possible. It only took a few more strokes before she was calling out a warning and closed her eyes tightly as she pretended Willam was the one whispering in her, “That’s it, princess. Let me see what pretty face you’ll make.”

Courtney had no idea how long her eyes stayed shut as she rode out her long awaited orgasm. All she knew was that she finally got her release and a look at Katya confirmed she had as well. The younger blonde was panting heavily as she struggled to keep her shaking body from collapsing on top of her partner. As gently as she could manage, she withdrew from inside Courtney and removed the harness with absolutely none of the finesse she had when first putting it on.

Completely satisfied, Courtney found herself curling into Katya’s warm body nearly the second she rolled off to the empty space on the mattress. She felt like she was finally able to thinking clearly for the first time since early that day. A quick examination of her feelings assured her that despite Sharon appearing in her original daydream; she had absolutely no romantic feelings for the other woman…Willam though…that was a different story. Somewhere deep in her core she felt a twinge of guilt for thinking about the other woman in such a way. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to face her later tonight…Perhaps she should call it off saying she suddenly began feeling worse…But what if Willam tried coming over to take care of her? Courtney really wouldn’t put it past her at this point.

She was almost groaning out loud when Katya interrupted her thoughts. With a teasing glint in her eyes, she asked very seriously, “So…who were you thinking of?”

Courtney’s cheeks turned a bright red as she replied defensively, “What makes you ask?”

Smirking, the younger woman stated, “Well, it wasn’t my name you were screaming…'Bill’ I think it was?”

A surge of shame ran through Courtney as she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. Very muffled, she started to apologize, “Oh, Kat! I’m so sorry, I-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Katya interrupted lightly as she ran her hand comfortingly over the blonde’s arm, “I wasn’t exactly thinking of you the entire time either…”

Lifting her head up, Courtney questioned cautiously, “Violet?”

To her surprise Katya shook her head and replied with a doleful smile, “No…but I’ll tell you mine if you tell me about yours.”

Very reluctantly, the older blonde admitted in a muttered tone, “Willam.”

“Who’s he?”

Swallowing back her nerves, Courtney corrected her roommate, “…She.”

Katya’s eye went wide with surprise as she exclaimed with a joyful grin, “Courtney! I didn’t know you actually swung that way!”

“Wha-How?” Courtney asked flabbergasted, “You’ve been flirting with me pretty much since we met! I thought you knew.”

“No, I was just doing that as a joke! You always played it off so I thought you knew I wasn’t being serious,” the younger blonde explained. Facepalming herself, she added in, “Oh, God, if I had known you actually-”

“You’d have tried harder,” Courtney accused with a disapproving stare.

“Damn right! No, seriously though, I’d never seen you take an interest in a woman before, so I just…assumed.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Courtney stated defensively, “Well, it’s not really common for me but…”

“This one’s special?” Katya suggested with a sympathetic smile.

“Looks like it,” the blonde admitted a bit dejectedly.

“Why don’t you make a move then?”

Struggling to come up with an answer, Courtney mumbled, “I…well…She’s…”

“Straight?” Katya guessed as her brows knit together in concern.

“No, definitely not straight,” the older woman explained pessimistically, “I’m just…not really her type.”

“How do you know?”

“…Cause I’ve seen who she’s been with…who she’s taken home from the clubs…” Courtney stated gloomily. “Do you know Violet’s business partner? Sharon?”

With a secretive smile, Katya replied, “I’ve heard of her…Violet loves to get her worked up. She used to always ask me for jokes to annoy her with.”

“Oh, God, really?” Courtney laughed out.

“Yep. But what about her?”

“Well, she and Willam…you know…they had a bit of thing, like you and Violet, until Sharon starting falling for someone else…But that’s Willam’s type…more experienced, I guess. Edgier, you know?”

Katya let out a noise of understanding and didn’t press any further. Still feeling a bit embarrassed from her admission, she quickly changed the subject to inquire, “Now tell me about yours.”

“Trixie,” Katya replied simply.

Shaking her head, Courtney stated confusedly, “Never met her.”

“Well, you have actually…kind of.”

Courtney tilted her head in further confusion as she tried to think of when she might have met this mystery woman. Seeing her roommate still coming up empty, Katya reminded her, “Remember when you picked me up from the library last week? She was working there. One of the student employees…The blonde one…”

“Oh, I remem-wait…” Courtney trailed off as the memories from that day began to form in her mind. “Wasn’t she the one glaring at you the entire time?”

“And you too!” Katya shot back defensively.

Brows furrowed, the older blonde asked, “Why her?”

“She’s nice…” Katya said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Really?” Courtney asked in disbelief. From what she remembered of this woman, 'nice’ seemed to be a bit of stretch.

“She is!” Katya insisted. “Last semester, you remember when I got really sick, right? Like I missed classes for almost a week?”

Courtney nodded, recollecting that event very well. At the time they were unsure if it was the flu or food poisoning but either way Katya had been sick to her stomach for several days. She had been forced to miss pretty much all of her performances that week as well as her classes, including a small test. It was only with the help of a doctor’s note that she was able to reschedule that examination for when she was feeling better.

Continuing on with her explanation, Katya stated emphatically, “She was the one that helped me catch up for some of them…The first day after I came back, I was completely lost…I was almost ready to run to the registrar’s office to drop most of them cause I couldn’t think of way that I could cover everything I missed. But she pulled me aside after our last class and offered to help…No else did…The professors didn’t care, but Trixie did. Even when I annoyed her during the tutoring sessions, she stayed. Sure, she banged her head on the desk a few times but she didn’t give up on me. ”

“Kat…” Courtney fawned softly. “That’s actually really sweet of her…Had you even talked before that?”

“Well, sort of…We worked on a project for another Lit. class before…We have similar majors so our classes overlap sometimes,” Katya mentioned vaguely.

Courtney could tell that there was more to the story than what Katya let on. With a little probing, she finally admitted, “We worked together in the library after her shift a few times to get the outline done…one time when she finished early, she asked if I wanted to come back to her apartment instead…”

“And what happened?” Courtney asked suspiciously.

Shamefully, Katya was forced to confess, “I got nervous…and ended up really annoying her. She kicked me out of her building after about an hour. She hasn’t invited me back since then and she’s never accepted my offer to come over…she usually just looks a little terrified when I ask…but we still talk though!…Like she’s brought coffee over when I’m staying late to study or sometimes she’ll sit with me when she’s taking a break!…But she kicks me out of the library if I start to piss her off.”

“What is that you do exactly that makes her so upset?”

“She doesn’t really like it when I tell those corny jokes…or when I call her Tracy…or Barbara…Barbie…or use that voice she hates.”

Knowing she’ll regret it soon after, Courtney asked, “How often do you do that?”

“Pretty much every week?” Katya answered sheepishly.

Groaning, Courtney scolded, “Katya! No wonder she glares at you!”

“What?” Katya exclaimed defensively, “That’s pretty much how I always flirt; relentless harassment until they give in or get a restraining order and she hasn’t done either yet so I’m still good to go.”

Courtney’s hand immediately shot up to rub at her temples in as she let out a sigh of exasperation.

Very proudly, Katya declared, “Her icy stare melted my heart.”

“That’s an…oxymoron, Kat,” the older blonde mentioned blankly.

“Just like me!”

Another sigh fell from Courtney’s lips as she pushed herself further into Katya’s arms and thought about both of their seemingly helpless situations. Sadly, she commented, “We’re a mess, huh?”

“Just a bit,” Katya agreed. “…I really kind of want to ask her out though…”

“What’s stopping you? She’s not straight, right?”

“No,” Katya laughed, “I know she’s not…She’s loud and proud…Well, maybe not as loud as I am but…she doesn’t keep it a secret. She brought it up while we were studying together…”

Already guessing the answer, Courtney asked, “Mixed signals then?”

“Very…I just…really don’t get her. She’s kind of like a frozen lake or something…all icy on top but you know there’s life underneath. Sometimes I feel like I’m ice fishing; I keep making holes and finding amazing things below the surface but then everything just freezes up again and I have to start over…I don’t really know what to do…”

“Well, do you think she might like you, too?”

“Maybe?” Katya mumbled unsurely, “She keeps coming back, so…”

After thinking to herself for a moment, Courtney questioned, “Have you tried finding out? Besides what you call 'flirting’?”

“No…” Katya trailed off with unhappy curl on her lips, “I…I don’t want to read into it too much and be wrong, you know? I really like her, even if she’s just a friend…I don’t want to screw that up.”

Nodding her head understandingly, Courtney gave a noise of empathy. She was quite familiar with that feeling and she’d seen plenty of other friends experiencing that as well. Maybe even Sharon was, too…

The pair remained silent for a few moments but Courtney was still thinking about Katya’s situation. She wanted to help, she just wished she knew of way for them to gently broach the subject without being too obvious and-Jinkx!

Her bouquets would be perfect for this! That’s what they had been created for originally so why not revive that again? And it’d be so romantic too!

Courtney could hardly contain a squeal of joy as she rotated in Katya’s grasp to flash her a bright smile.

“I’ve got just the thing!” she announced proudly.

With a look of tentative curiosity, Katya asked what she had meant. Quickly, the older blonde explained how Jinkx had taken to preparing bouquets with personalized meanings. Each one was crafted based on each customer’s unique situation. If anyone could help Katya create an arrangement with just the right message; it’d be Jinkx. Although Katya agreed that it sounded like a good idea, she was reluctant to involve someone else. Why couldn’t Courtney make the bouquet instead?

“Jinkx really is the best at it,” she asserted to the younger woman, “She understands the meanings a lot more than Ivy or I would. And she’s really sweet too. You’d like her, promise.”

Still Katya was unsure. She really would prefer if she only had to discuss this with close friends. It wasn’t exactly easy for her to talk about this sort of thing but Courtney always made her feel comfortable…Talking about it with a stranger just seemed like it would be too awkward.

“Why don’t you think about it for awhile?” Courtney suggested as she stole a quick glance to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Pushing herself from the bed, she began to collect her robe and bra while adding in, “I’m gonna be heading out in a bit but we can talk about it again tomorrow, okay?”

With a small grateful smile, Katya nodded her head and made to clean up her own part of the mess. She almost missed how close Courtney was to her until she turned around to find herself face to face with the older woman. She had a very light tint on her cheeks as the Aussie cupped her face and pressed a quick peck to her lips. Almost shyly, Courtney whispered, “And thank you…for helping me…It was fun.”

“We could go another round,” Katya offered with a teasing waggle of her eyebrows.

Rolling her eyes, Courtney politely declined but still she leant in for one final kiss.

“We’ll talk more later, alright?”

That night Courtney found her way over to Willam’s apartment and as promised a bottle of her 'shitty’ wine was waiting for her on the counter. Although Willam would never admit it if asked, Courtney noticed that she was paying particularly close attention to her as the night went on. She made casual inquiries as to how she was feeling, making sure she ate something along with the wine, even allowing Courtney to pick most of the movies. It was so thoughtful but despite Willam’s best intentions, the gestures only left Courtney feeling more and more guilty as the night went on. But still a gradual warmth filled her chest until she was almost to the point of blushing as Willam casually fixed some flyaway strands of hair. All she could bring herself do was mumble a quick thanks and turn her head back to the screen as she took another deep sip from her wine glass.

Before either woman could recognize their fatigue, they fell asleep that night tangled up in one another on the couch. Courtney’s head rested on Willam’s stomach while her arms were wrapped snugly around the other woman’s waist and Willam herself had her legs hooked loosely around Courtney’s and one draped across the blonde’s midsection. Neither of their positions were elegant nor entirely comfortable but each was more than satisfied with the sight they woke up to the next morning.

***********

A few days later Katya asked Courtney to come with her to 'Pines and Needles’. After talking things through with Violet, Katya relented and decided to have a bouquet prepared by Jinkx. If both of her close friends were recommending this woman, then she must be good right? They opted to head over on Courtney’s day off during the time when she knew there wouldn’t be many customers in the shop. She didn’t want Katya to feel any more discomfort than what she was already experiencing. After knowing the younger woman for so long, she could tell that a hint of her nerves were starting to show as they made their way towards the shop.

She was deflecting from her own situation by trying to encourage Courtney to pursue her own romantic interest. Every comment created a queasy little lurch in her stomach as her shame from earlier still had not abated. If anything it had become quite a constant in her life the last few days. Every time she saw Willam, the dirty blonde would be doing something so innocent and suddenly Courtney’s mind would flash back to what she had done…especially with Katya. The main problem was…she kind of wanted to do it again. She even began having lazy daydreams about the other girl as she laid in bed. None of these were sexual in nature, all just simple domestic things; kissing her, laying wrapped up together on the couch, or just cooking together. Almost all of these were things she’s done in one form or another with Willam, aside from kissing, but rather than as friends, she wanted there to be more.

And Katya could certainly recognize that her feelings had grown. She was now trying to convince Courtney to make a similar move and take a chance like she was doing…but Courtney could never do that…There was no way someone like Willam could be interested in her…They just weren’t compatible in that way.

It was a relief when the shop’s door came into view. Courtney would finally have a break from Katya’s well-intentioned but misguided efforts and-Fuck!

Why was Willam here?

She hardly ever came around the shop unless Courtney was working! Why’d she have to be here today of all days? If Katya realizes who this was, who’d know what she’d do to tease Courtney?

Studiously ignoring the other woman for the time being, she returned Sharon’s greeting and strictly kept her eyes away from Willam as soon as the dirty blonde spun around. While she explained why she was here to her coworkers, she heard the faint drumming of fingernails against the work table. Doing her best to resist the temptation, she refused to look anywhere close to that direction. She certainly didn’t miss how Jinkx’s eyes cut to Willam and she actually wouldn’t be surprised if Katya had picked up on it as well.

Trying to keep things moving, Courtney began to introduce her roommate but that was when the fiasco started. Courtney had no idea what possessed Katya to throw out that fake Russian accent. She could hardly believe her ears as she heard the other woman repeating her full name in probably one of her worst attempts yet at sounding like a native Russian. One look at Jinkx and Courtney could tell the younger woman had no clue what to make of the person in front of her, especially as Katya broke what little illusion there was by repeating her nickname in a perfect American accent.

Perhaps this wasn’t as good of an idea as she thought…

Sharon was having none of it and quickly diverted Katya’s attention away from her increasingly frazzled looking assistant. This whole thing had definitely been a mistake, Courtney realized. She ought to have just come in when she knew Violet was working. Things would have gone so much smoother. The older blonde could barely contain her shock as Katya began flirting with her boss!

What was wrong with her?

An involuntary glance towards Willam informed her that the younger woman well on her way to becoming thoroughly annoyed. She was all but scowling as the scene unfolded in front of her and Courtney had a sinking feeling that things were not going to improve any time soon. Trying to reign in her roommate’s shameless behavior, Courtney did her best to scold her and of course it backfired almost immediately. As much as she wanted to be angry, the smile sent her way had completely blindsided her and her glare ended up looking quite mollified.

Courtney could sense that Willam was steadily becoming more and more ticked off but at least Katya’s attention had been taken off of Sharon and Jinkx. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist as Katya beamed, “Don’t worry, принцесса; you’re still my favorite.”

That was the final straw for Willam. That was her pet name and Courtney knew it. She was absolutely furious as she openly glared at the two women. Courtney could feel her cheeks burning as her sight connected with Willam’s for the first time that day. And Katya still had no fucking clue. She seemed to be happily oblivious to growing tension in the room, even smiling proudly as Sharon unlovingly concluded the nature of her relationship to her business partner. It seems Sharon’s best solution for dealing with this young woman was to ignore her completely and focus her questioning on Courtney.

Eager to reclaim control of the situation, Courtney quickly explained Katya’s reason for their visit despite Sharon’s snarky remarks. As the older woman sauntered up to the front counter to prepare the bill, the real interrogation with Willam began. She wasn’t even trying to hide the hostility on her voice as she asked, “I think it’s safe to assume this isn’t for Violet?”

To her credit, Katya did appear to be more somber as she answered Willam’s questions. Though Katya hadn’t talked with her about it, Courtney felt the issue as probably bit of sensitive spot for her. She was quite attached to Violet, their continual efforts to hang out were proof of that, but it still must have been difficult for her to break the news to the younger woman despite the casual nature of their relationship. And having a stranger butting into her private affairs was enough to put anyone on edge.

Willam might have thought she was defending her friend’s interest but she was absolutely crossing a line in Courtney’s mind. She tried to subtly tell the dirty blonde that she needed to lay off but Willam was not backing down. Her aggressive attitude was quickly working on Courtney’s nerves, particularly as she noticed how uncomfortable Katya was becoming under Willam’s intense glare. Not wanting to escalate the situation any further, at least in front of the others, Courtney asked Willam to accompany her to back…though admittedly it came out as less of a request and more of a demand.

The dirty blonde seemed inclined to refuse but with a flippant shrug of her shoulders, she agreed to follow Courtney to the break room. She tried her best to remain calm as they walked together silently but the more she thought about Willam’s behavior; the more enraged she became. Willam had absolutely no call to be so rude to someone she’s never met before, especially considering that she probably wasn’t even fully aware of the exact nature of Katya and Violet’s relationship.

Once inside the room, Courtney found herself unable to maintain her composure. Sounding far harsher than she meant it to, she snapped at Willam, “Mind telling me what the hell your problem was out there?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” the dirty blonde replied in a huff.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” she accused, eyes narrowing further. “Why are you acting like such a bitch to Katya? You don’t even know her!”

“Who’s fault is that, princess?” Willam spat back bitterly. Her body was shaking with anger as the final word rolled off her tongue. Courtney didn’t feel much better; mixed in with her own fury was a heavy dose of guilt. She had kept Willam away from Katya…actively. And it seems she was quite right to given how this meeting has gone.

Ignoring the pink slowly consuming her face, Courtney stated firmly, “Katya and Violet’s relationship is none of your business. You need to stay out of it.”

Scoffing, Willam quickly shot back, “Oh, that’s fucking rich coming from you! That’s why you brought her here after all, wasn’t it? So you could fuck around in her relationship since I wouldn’t let you near Sharon’s?”

“That’s not what this is about and you-”

“What are you going to do when Katya drops this one, huh?” Willam barked at her. “Pick out the next victim for her? You gonna find her next fuck buddy? Beit?”

At this point Courtney’s face felt like it was on fire as she stood shell-shocked and Willam’s expression mutated into one of horrified anger and betrayal.

“You have!” she accused in a hoarse whisper. Her voice cracking was not something Courtney would ever forget as she continued on with her ranting, “That’s why you let her move in, isn’t it? God, I can’t fucking believe you!”

Pushing aside her own shame, the blonde shouted defensively, “Who I sleep with is none of your business!”

“It is when Violet’s involved!”

“Do I go turning up my nose at who I’ve seen you take home?” she demanded.

Scowling, Willam snapped back, “The fuck is that supposed to mean?” “I’ve seen how low your standards are!” Courtney declared unkindly. She was really going for a low blow but she couldn’t stop herself any more as her frustration took over. “Flirting with anyone that’ll look your way for more than a minute! Anyone who’ll buy you a drink-”

“Like you’re fucking one to talk,” the younger woman yelled over her. “Your head is so far up your own ass you never even notice who’s looking at you. No wonder you keep going home alone!”

“Fuck you! How can I leave with anyone when you’re always dragging me back to your place?!?”

“Oh, so now you’re blaming me cause you can’t get laid?” she asked in mocking disbelief. “I’m not stopping you from doing anything! You’re always the one running after me and do I ever turn you away? No!”

“You don’t want me around? Fine!” Courtney spat out as she marched towards the store front. “I’m happy to leave to you alone. We’ll both be better off!”

Following hotly on her heels, Willam shook her head and called after her, “Oh, no! You are not getting out of this that easily. We are not done talking about this!”

“Yes, we ar-Katya!” Courtney scolded as she found Katya teasing Sharon as she stormed across the room muttering something about a drink. This was the last fucking thing she needed!

Immediately the young blonde choked back a guilty swallow as she caught sight of Courtney’s pissed off expression. What had she been doing to these poor women while Courtney was away? It had barely been five minutes that she’d been in the back, how had she managed to so thoroughly harass Sharon in such a short amount of time? At least she had the good grace to look ashamed of herself as Courtney rejoined her at the work benches.

Turning back for a final look to see if Willam was still trailing behind her, Courtney felt her heart break as she watched Sharon leading the dirty blonde to her apartment with her hand resting on her lower back. Tears were stinging at the corner of her eyes as she heard Katya rambling off a few more puns she had saved up. Shooting her an intense glare, Katya swiftly cut herself off mid-sentence, something about 'I’m still rooting for you’ or similar, but Courtney could tell she was dying to get one more joke in.

Reluctantly, she consented with a long-suffering tone, “…Last one.”

Running a soothing hand over her roommate’s back, Katya offered a consoling smile and said, “I’ll leaf it alone.”

Both her and Jinkx were unable to contain a groan but it finally seemed as though Katya had calmed down, as much as possible for her that is. The rest of their time there was fairly uneventful to Courtney’s immense relief. Her mind was still bogged down as she replayed her argument with Willam on a continuous loop. A few times she found herself spacing out as her thoughts dove into all the different directions their conversation had gone. She hated to admit it but Willam was right on a few things; it was entirely by her own doing that this unfortunate event had been Willam’s first time meeting Katya, as was the nights she spent alone. Her interest in sleeping with other people had faded to a degree, enough that she supposed it became apparent to Willam. She found she just wasn’t as into hooking up as often as she had been previously, preferring instead to just spend time with Willam. That was why she never made any objections to when they’d leave a club early and crash at her place.

When the bouquet was finally finished, she made sure to thank Jinkx repeatedly for helping Katya. She truly hoped this would help spark a genuine relationship for the younger woman. She really seemed to like this girl and Katya certainly deserved that happiness, despite Willam’s unfair assumptions about her. As they drove to Katya’s campus to drop off the flowers at the library, Courtney found herself watching the young woman holding onto the vase as though it were the most sacred object in the world. It seemed like all of her hopes were contained in this one small clutch of plants and Courtney couldn’t help but to feel nervous for how it might be received.

She offered to walk into the building with Katya, but she was determined to do it alone. Courtney accepted her resolution and promised to wait in the car for her. Almost 20 minutes passed by with Courtney feeling ever anxious as to what was taking so long. Had her courage faded before she was able to talk to Trixie? Was she just standing inside the door too paralyzed to move? Or maybe Trixie rejected her and she was now sobbing in the bathroom somewhere.

Finding all the possibilities to be too much, Courtney resolved to wait another 10 minutes before she would storm into the library in search of her roommate. After another five minutes or so Katya emerged from the building with a jubilant smile on her face and Courtney released an audible sigh. Seems things had gone well after all. Katya could hardly contain her grin as she exclaimed, “Trixie loved it! I’d never seen her smile like that before.”

Very much relieved, Courtney drove them home and allowed her thoughts to return to the events in the shop. Before Katya could disappear into her room, Courtney decided to ask what exactly had happened while she with Sharon and Jinkx. She knew Katya had a penchant for bad jokes, especially to distract from her own anxiety, but it was never quite that bad.

With a sheepish grin, the young woman admitted, “When I told Violet I was going to the shop…well, she asked me to try out my best material for Sharon. Said she wanted a little payback for all the legwork she had to do hunting down suppliers in her free time, whatever that means.”

“Oh, my God,” Courtney laughed. Of course Violet would arrange for someone to annoy Sharon while she was off. How could Courtney expect anything less from her at this point?

Courtney’s chuckling seemed perfectly controlled at first but then out of nowhere it suddenly broke off with a choked noise and her mind flashed from Violet to Willam. Before she could even process the change, tears began streaming down her face as a sob ripped through her body. Katya’s grin instantly vanished as she pulled the older woman into her arms and guided her to sit down on the couch. It felt like everything having to do with Willam hit her all at once and she was helpless to stop herself from breaking down in her roommate’s grasp. She was pissed at herself for being so pathetic, for getting into that stupid fight, and most of all for developing this stupid infatuation with her friend…maybe even her former friend.

She wasn’t sure if they could come back from this, not after what she had said.

Katya rubbed her hands along Courtney’s back as she continued to cry about her hopeless situation. She appreciated how Katya didn’t try to rush her talk, not that she would have gotten an intelligible answer anyway. Minutes later after the tears finally slowed and she felt like she could breathe again, Katya inquired gently, “The fight?”

Courtney nodded her head sadly, burying her face in roommate’s hair as another tremor passed through her. Softly, the younger woman asked, “Do you want to talk about it now?”

The Aussie shook her head; 'No.’

“Later?”

Nodding, Courtney let out an unhappy noise of confirmation.

“Okay,” Katya agreed, “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks,” the older blonde mumbled as she fought to keep her voice from breaking. “Can we lay here for just a bit?”

“As long as you need,” Katya assured her. “I’m not going anywhere.”

***********

And later that night they did talk. Courtney fought back a fresh onslaught of tears but she made it through without falling apart again. Katya listened patiently as the Aussie vented about everything from the fight itself to how fucking miserable she was already. She and Willam had made plans earlier to hang out tonight but there was absolutely no way she was even going to attempt to keep them. As upset as she was with herself, she still fucking pissed at Willam. Courtney wondered aloud why Katya wasn’t upset over her baseless assumptions as well.

Giving her roommate an understanding smile, the younger woman informed her, “I don’t think she’s really all that pissed off at me, at least not entirely…When Violet hears what happened, she’ll talk to her.”

“There really wasn’t anything more between you two, right? Willam seemed pretty convinced Violet, you know…really liked you.”

Another reassuring smile was sent her way as Katya set the record straight, “There wasn’t. All we were doing was just having a bit of fun. Vi’s got her own interests and I’ve got mine, we just liked exploring them with each other. It was comfortable. We tried dating for like a week but it was just…weird. We’re not really compatible in that way. That’s why we’re better off as friends.”

Courtney nodded her head and remained silent, finding she was just a bit happier knowing that her own understanding of their relationship wasn’t incorrect. Still though, she hurt…deep in her chest there was an ache and she knew exactly why. “I miss her,” she admitted as a few stray tears began to fall.

“I know,” Katya whispered. “Come here.”

And with that, Courtney buried herself in Katya’s arms for the second time that night as silent tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

More than a week passed before Courtney spoke to or even saw Willam again. The circumstances that led to their meeting were entirely orchestrated by Katya and Violet. For the past few nights, if Courtney could bring herself to go to a club, she made sure it was one well outside the city and certainly one she and Willam had never been to before. It was a hassle sometimes and almost not worth the effort because she still had to keep herself sober enough to drive home but as long as it minimized the chances of seeing the dirty blonde, she would gladly continue this behavior. One of those nights, Katya managed to convince Courtney to come to her and Violet’s show. She argued it had been quite awhile since the last one and maybe even a change of scenery would be good for her. Courtney told Katya that morning she’d think about it while at work though she was feeling more inclined to stay in that night.

What sealed the deal for her attendance was actually Violet casually inquiring if she would be making another appearance tonight. Her smile and tone were so disarming that Courtney forgot for a moment who she was talking to. Violet could be so charming when she wanted to, it was probably how she always managed to find the best deals with the shop’s suppliers. Looking back, Violet’s gentle probing probably should have been a tip-off for Courtney that the pair had something planned.

The realization that the two could possibly be working together only hit her as she allowed them to escort her back to the dressing rooms on the basis of wanting to talk. It was hardly a surprise to find Willam already sitting on the couch, shooting up from her seat the second she saw Courtney. The pair glared at each other once more but before either could make a move to leave, Courtney found herself pushed inside the room, courtesy of Katya, and the door was quickly shut.

“Talk!” Violet commanded. “We’re not letting you out until you do!”

And they probably wouldn’t, Courtney thought bitterly. Her eyes glanced to the window in a half-serious contemplation of escaping but she doubted she could slip out gracefully, at least not while she was unsure of what the window opened up to.

Begrudgingly, she sat herself down on a lone folding chair away from Willam and crossed her arms over her chest. Willam herself flopped down on the couch in a huff, refusing to look anywhere near Courtney’s side of the room. Neither woman spoke for the longest time but Courtney was glad in a sick sort of way just to see Willam again. Every so often she stole a glance or two until finally their eyes connected with a look of shared guilt. Each broke the contact after a few seconds but like gluttons for punishment, they found their gaze drifting back towards one another.

To Courtney’s astonishment, Willam seemed just as unhappy as she was. It looked as if a part of her was longing to say something but pride forced her to bite her tongue. Courtney played with the rings on her fingers for a few seconds before deciding to swallow back her fear and speak first. Her voice came out weak and wavering as she whispered, “Bill?”

Willam head instantly shot up and she stared wide-eyed at the blonde, waiting for her to speak. Courtney’s heart felt like it leapt to her throat as she apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Just a second passed before Willam was off the couch making her way to Courtney. Meeting her halfway, the pair stopped within a foot of each other unsure of what to do next. Willam made the first move and pulled Courtney into her arms. Her hands clutched desperately at Courtney’s back, a silent indicator of just how much she missed her friend. Understanding the meaning behind the gesture, Courtney’s hand found its way to Willam’s waist as the other ran its fingers comfortingly through her friend’s dirty blonde curls. Softly, she murmured, “I missed you, too.”

Willam just nodded, her body shaking just slightly, as she confessed quietly, “’m sorry. I didn’t mean it before.”

“Hey, its okay. We both crossed a line.”

“A couple,” the dirty blonde agreed. “Can we just…go get some drinks and forget about this?”

“Sure,” Courtney replied amicably. “There’s a pretty good bar downstairs after all.”

[tobedeletedwayward]

Roommates || Suga || Part 11

Summary:   A kiss can change everything. Why haven’t you and Yoongi let it?

Word Count: 1,912

A/N: God I love and hate writing this series; I’m going to be so torn when its all over... Whenever that’ll be.

<< Part 10 || 

Soon after the holiday season passed, your life returned to some vague sense of rhyme and reason.

And yet in the midst of that, in the brief moments where your thoughts would escape you, all you could think about was Min Yoongi under a night sky filled with a rainbow of colours fanning behind him like some form of halo, his lips so close to your own and the rhythmic thumping of your heart.

And you wanted to punch yourself in the face because of it.

The middle of January hit you hard and fast, and the once deathly winter winds had begun fading into the cool breeze of spring. But, unlike the changing of seasons, your relationship with Yoongi remained stagnant.

So stagnant, and yet its lack of motion made you sick.

Well, you and a select group of other people.

“So you’ve kissed?!”

You pushed her forehead with your finger. It was times like this that you regretted hanging out with her and, in the current circumstance, agreeing to go shopping for snacks for movie night with her.

“Wanna yell it any louder for me?” You fired back, glancing around at the convenience store to make sure no one had been too disturbed by the outburst. “And yes, we kissed... Well more like he kissed me; and it was on the cheek – which really isn’t a big deal-”

“You’re kidding! A kiss is a kiss, [Y/N]! Do you know what this means?!”

“He picked up some western customs?”

“He likes you back!”

You dropped another pot of instant ramen into your basket before moving away from her, cheeks reddening from her statement.

“Stop assuming things,” you mumbled, “two friends can give each other pecks on the cheek and they mean nothing – you do it all the time to what’s-his-face.”

Your companion rolled her eyes. “Yah, look at me.”

You obliged, pausing mid-step in order to turn and face her. The moment your eyes met, you felt chills run up and down your spine. [Y/F/N] wore a stern look, one you only very rarely saw in moments you spent together. If fire could be cold, then that’s what her look emanated.

“You need to pull your head out of your ass and actually think about what’s going on for once, yeah? Min Yoongi kissed you – initiated intimacy with you of all people – at one of the most romantic parts of the year. Everyone dreams of being kissed on New Years in any form by the person they love and now you’re gonna stand there and act like it was nothing? I don’t know whether you’re stupid or dense.”

Your mouth dropped open ever so slightly before you sighed and turned on your heel, walking towards the counter to purchase your snacks.

“I’m not stupid or dense, thank you very much.” You muttered, glaring at her from the corner of your eye as the cashier scanned your items.

“Oh?” She challenged, looking at you with a raised brow. “Then why haven’t you and Yoongi talked about it?”

It felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dropped onto your body, forcing you to shiver a little more than you thought you could.

The cashier had interrupted your discussion, making you pay and take your plastic bag of goods before exiting the store in a hurry. [Y/F/N] was on your tail, arms folded as she waited in anticipation for your response. You knew she wouldn’t let up and you sighed, shoving your hands into your jacket pockets as you thought about your answer.

“We haven’t talked because we’ve both been busy – and because there isn’t anything to talk about.” You answered after another few moments of thought. Your companion scoffed. “What? It’s true!”

“You can lie to yourself all you want but you can’t lie to me, [Y/N].” She tutted, leading you back to her apartment building up the road. “That’s the oldest excuse in the book and I’m not taking it as an answer.”

You huffed, causing the stray baby hairs that framed your face to be blown away by the sudden breath of air underneath them.

She wasn’t going to let you out of this as easily as you hoped.

Why hadn’t you and Yoongi talked about it?

It was a complex situation – to you at least.

You liked Yoongi, had liked him for years. As of late, different feelings were coming into fruition and you couldn’t help but notice the differences in the way Yoongi looked at you from back in your university days to know. It was strange; the type of strange that made your stomach flip and heart beat as if you were running a marathon.

If in the off chance he liked you back then that was great.

If he didn’t then-

Then what?

What would happen to the friendship you were already rekindling? What would happen to the current routine you had come to know with your roommate? Would things get awkward? Would you get over him, forget him as if your feelings never existed, never mattered in the first place?

Your throat tightened.

“I’m scared, [Y/F/N]...” You answered, words leaving as a faint whisper that dissipated into the air. She looked at you to continue. “There’s too much on the line if we talk about it and I-”

I don’t want things to change.

I don’t want stop being with Yoongi if things go wrong.

Your throat closed up around the words, trapping them deep in your throat. You clutched the handles of the plastic bag tighter, feeling [Y/F/N] nudge your shoulder comfortingly.

“I don’t want to lose him.”

Hearing the words out loud was a cathartic experience, one that lifted the heavy weight of unrequited affection from your shoulders.

But it also heightened your fear, your uncertainty that surrounded the enigma of Min Yoongi.

[Y/F/N] pulled you into a side hug, an arm slung tightly around your shoulder. “People come and go from our lives all the time... But if Yoongi is an actual friend then he’ll stick around even if he doesn’t feel the same way. But he does, because why else would you kiss someone on New Years?”

You fell silent.

“You should try talking to him... You gotta get that closure.” She continued. The stern expression had melted away and was immediately replaced by a kind and supportive smile.

You nodded, but your throat was still clamped shut and the dark thoughts continued to swim around and around in your head

You had to talk to him.

You needed the closure.

You needed something...

Anything.

“So you finally made your move, huh?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes and adjusted the wire of his in-ears. “How about you focus on our gig tonight instead of investing yourself in my life?”

Namjoon laughed at him, locking eyes with the older male through the mirror of their dresser. The former knew that it was unconventional of him to ask about his friend’s love life less than half an hour before they had to go out and perform at one of the most popular clubs in Seoul, but if he did it after then the latter would probably run and avoid answering it entirely.

At least now he was cornered, and with enough prodding an answer would be given.

“I’m just curious,” Namjoon answered, ignoring the very obvious glare that Yoongi wore, “that text you sent was pretty out of nowhere.”

Yoongi shrugged and looked away from Namjoon’s reflection, continuing to adjust his clothes.

It had been out of character of him to send him that message. Less than six hours after he had kissed you he had texted Namjoon, as if he was some giddy middle schooler telling his friends about the fact he held hands with a pretty girl. That one text had been the end of the discussion, had been the only thing he had said about the matter and from that point on he had refused to answer any queries on the topic.

“And I mean I’m happy for you Yoongs, really.” Namjoon continued, turning so he could lean against the dresser. Yoongi quirked an eyebrow at him and proceeded to face him as well. “You’ve been pining like a love sick puppy for [Y/N] for years and you’ve finally made a move; I’m stoked.”

Yoongi felt his lips form a frown. “I’m not pining over her,” he retorted, “don’t make it sound like I’m obsessed with her-”

“Then why did you make me tell you every little thing that happened to her while you were gone?” He challenged.

“Am I not allowed to care about my friends?”

“Not when ‘the friend’ you speak of was the reason you wanted to return to Seoul in the first place.”

Yoongi felt his frown deepen, with new wrinkles forming at the top of his forehead and the corners of his mouth. “She wasn’t the reason-”

“You can lie to [Y/N] but you can’t lie to me, hyung.” Namjoon interjected, his own face being pulled into an expression of displeasure. “You’ve had feelings for her since university, there isn’t anything wrong about that... The problem is that you kissed her and then did nothing to follow it up.”

“It’s not like I made it my New Years’ resolution to confess to her, Joon.” Yoongi argued, folding his arms across his chest indignantly.

“S’not the point, Yoongs.” Namjoon sighed. “You like her, she probably likes you too; why haven’t you addressed the giant elephant in the room?”

The look on Namjoon’s face showed he was anticipating an answer, and a good one at that. Yoongi gave in; he knew they weren’t going to go on stage until this conversation was over, until his friend was satisfied with the answer he formulated.

Why hadn’t the two of you talked about this?

He should have talked about it with you the next day; he was an adult and it was his responsibility since he did initiate the exchange.

But every time he tried his throat closed up, his tongue tied itself into knots while his heart dropped and crushed his liver into itty, bitty pieces. It was a terrifying thought to him, to confront years and years of emotions and tension and to invest in a confession that had the power to ruin everything in the fraction of a second.

What if you didn’t like him back? What if, deep down, you wanted to be with that Seokjin guy over him? How much would things change between the two of you if you rejected him? Could he handle being rejected after so long?

No. No he couldn’t. And he didn’t want to even consider that possibility since it meant that he’d be losign you of all people in this world. And there, in a flash of light he felt the answer reach his lips.

He was scared.

“We’ve got to go on.” He responded, finally, shoving his in-ears into his ear drums and walking out of their backstage dressing room.

As quickly as it came, he swallowed it back down. He didn’t want to think about the uncertain future his mind had formed. Instead he decided that he would talk to you, one day. Yoongi needed to man up, to lay everything on the table to you just as he should have on the second day of the year.

He had to. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day. He owed you that much.

[flowerboymoongirl]

What are the Odds? 2.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Tom Holland accidentally adds you to his friends list, and when you hit him up about about it you think that’s gonna be the end of that. Simple. But Tom does the complete opposite. Let the social media flirting begin.

Warnings: some cursing, bad flirting, annoying brothers.

Word count: 2898

A/N: Thought this chapter was long but once I finished it I felt like it wasn’t, so be prepared for longer chapters, which I hope ya’ll are ok with lol. I have a lot of details in my mind for their specific dynamic together along with relationships of the other characters so im glad ill be able to put most of those details into the upcoming chapters. enjoy.

//////

So about the whole, ‘I’m gonna tell him’ thing you told the roomies.

That... is easier said than done. Watching a celebrity’s private social media page is wrong, but also really interesting. Like those “CELEBRITIES! THEY’RE JUST LIKE US!” articles in those trashy magazines that you use to skim through at the grocery store while your mom did her shopping. Most days, Tom posted what you would deem ‘normal people activities.’ Him walking his dog in the morning. Him having a beer with who you assumed were his roommates. Him leaving his clean laundry on a chair in his room for a few days and then posting about his guilt for doing it. We’ve all been there. But then, he would also post things that you were sure was on the invasion of privacy range you were crossing. He had posted going out to restaurants or clubs that were super exclusive a few times, him drinking with his friends which lead to drunk Instagram stories, (once again, we’ve all been there) or he’d post gym selfies or his outfit of the day, which like, how were you suppose to deny yourself that?

But overall, he seemed like he tried to live as normal a life as possible, and was pretty down to earth for the most part. Which made you feel bad for being so nosey in his life. He obviously wanted privacy, and here you were watching all of his private stories meant for his friends and family. You could practically hear Zoë telling you how you should’ve figured out how to unlink yourself from that list two weeks ago when she told you to. It was exhausting sometimes how often Zoë was right.

Which lead you to finally telling yourself that the next time he posted something you would message him about the mixup and then carry on with your life like you weren’t bummed to not be able to watch Spider-Man’s day to day activities. You needed to get a better hobby.

“Earth to y/n, are you in there??“ Kevin said as he waved his hand infront of your face.

“Isn’t it time for you to go to work? I thought maybe you fell asleep at the dining table for again, until I noticed your eyes were open.” You glanced at the clock. 3:30am. Waking up for the 4am opening shift for work was the worst.

“Uh, yeah. I was totally spacing, guess I’m still just tired.” You said while you grabbed your jacket and keys.

“Don’t fall asleep on the way to work please?” He said while we followed you to the door to lock it.

“I won’t, don’t worry Kev.”

“Alright, later boooo”

You gave Kevin a smile and a wave and walked down the hall to the elevator to get to your car. You were lucky you didn’t live far from the bakery and your coworkers didn’t ever mind if you were late, they all understood that while whole morning shift was the shift to have, it could be hard getting up in the morning. Your drive to work was quick since there was no traffic that early in the morning and when you parked you saw your coworkers getting out of their cars as well. Perfect timing. You said your hellos to the group as you all walked inside and walked to your stations to start the day. You all shared the big back room of the bakery but all had your own little corners with your things. Your corner you had just started to decorate and you had really started to feel like it was your own cute little corner. You had a dozen random colored aprons from your friends/family that you worked in hung up nicely on the walls, a few pictures of you and the roommates on your summer trip to Rosario last summer, love notes left from Theo and Zoë when they came in and you couldn’t go out to make them their coffees because the back was crazy. It still could use a couple more pictures to fill the space but at the moment it was cute enough for you. You smiled while you put your keys and your purse into your locker underneath it and pulled out your phone to put into your apron when you decided a quick look through your social media’s before starting the shift would be needed. 

Theo had already sent you posts to look at on insta and it seemed like Kevin had mentioned you on twitter before he went to bed when you left. You opened your Instagram after you tied your apron on and low and behold, Tom was on the top of the page. he had the newest Instagram story of everyone you followed.

Guess we’re doing this early, you though in your head. You sighed while you clicked the profile and thought about how you were gonna message him and not seem weird. Hopefully it wasnt a gym selfie or a shirtless picture because that would be too awkward to follow with a message. Hey, I noticed you aren’t wearing a shirt and that I do not know you. Hope you’re doing well.

But it wasn’t a shirtless selfie. He had posted a picture of a very sad looking round of dough in a bowl. “Attempt #3 to this whole baking thing, my pizza dough doesn’t seem to be rising 🤨” he had written underneath it. You clicked to the next slide. Same sad looking round of dough.

“Been two hours, and not any growth. Someone help me 😐” was written in red. Homie was basically begging for your help. This was also a way to sneak in the “hey I dunno you but you added me, no problem to I’ll just let myself out haha🙂” that you were looking for. Realistically, this was your opening for you to casually let the guy know the mistake and roll out looking like a normal human being and help him make pizza. Foolproof. You hit the message button and began to type.

Hey. I think you added me to your close friends list on accident? While I do know how to to make a mean pizza, not sure we know eachother irl haha. As for your dough, if you added yeast to your dough and it’s still not rising, your yeast might be dead 😕 could be expired yeast, or the water you used for the recipe was too hot and killed the yeast. just switch out to warm water instead if that’s the case. Hope It helps!

After reading it a couple times and deciding it didn’t sound too cringe, you sent it.

“There. I did it. Back to our regularly scheduled program.” You told yourself and started your morning setup for the day. As you started to get into the groove of the day time seemed to have a mind of its own and before you knew it, it was time for your lunch break. You were ready for a break after running from the front and back of the house continuously to help with customer service and coffees when needed, and then running back to finish off baking your breakfast items for the day. You had left a water bottle and some leftovers from dinner the day before in the communal lunchrooms fridge and had made your way to the back to get it. Fishing out your phone from your pocket, the screen illuminated and you noticed some notifications pop up. The roommate group text had left a whopping 12 text messages, the apartment had awakened you joked to yourself. Some snapchats from friends and from an ex-boyfriend you weren’t sure you even wanted to open, notifs that your tweet was retweeted a couple times, 2 message notifications from TomHoll-

“OH SHIT!” You yelled as you dropped your food container and almost your phone on the ground. He wrote back. HE WROTE BACK HE WROTE BACK HE WROTE BACK. TWICE?! WHY TWICE?! You wanted to hide, but why it’s not like he could see you through the screen. Why did you out yourself again?! What was the reason you snitched in yourself?! From the notifications details it had looked like he had written you once two hours ago and then another time 46 minutes ago. You wanted to open it but you also wanted to log off of Instagram forever and pretend you weren’t who you were. You screenshotted your notifications just as evidence for yourself that this was really happening and then decided to quit being such a wimp and open the damn messages. There was a green dot on the bottom of his profile picture before you opened his messages. He’s online right now. Great. Totally awesome. He probably sees I’m online too. I’m fucked, you thought in your head. You opened the message convo.

Hey, totally sorry about that, my brother must have added you when he started the group for me, hope my random stories didn’t bother you too much 😅 and thanks for the tips, think it could have been that the water I added was much too hot, maybe fourth times the charm haha. x

and the last message

started over (again) on my dough and added warm (not hot) water instead like you said and I think she’s alive! She seems a bit dry in the bowl but she is growing, so thanks again. I just may have a veggie supreme pizza in my future 😊 x

You were shook. Okay he was a normal person, you knew that. But to write you twice and thank you? And to be so casual about it even though he totally didn’t know you. He was super nice about it and then thanked you like you weren’t snooping on his life for the last 3 weeks. He was much too nice, and he wrote back twice to update you, it seemed rude to not write back now. You double tapped the last message and decided to just keep it to the pizza at hand and keep it short and sweet. Play it COOOL BITCH!

No worries, thought I’d let ya know. You can punch down the dough and spray it with a mist of water, should bring her back to life. Longer you let it proof the more flavor it’ll have, so don’t worry about deflating it. Do put a wet rag over the bowl to help keep your dough moist though, it’ll help it grow if the towel if warm too btw. I wish you luck in getting that (pizza) bread 🍕🍞

“Get that pizza bread? Ugh, why am I like this?” You said as you contemplated telling your roommates. Last time you told them about it they totally did a 180 on what you thought they would say, so maybe this time you should just keep this weird bread conversation with a well known actor to yourself. This was probably the end of it anyways, he’d finish his pizza and go back to not knowing who you were. Though you did worry about if he had sneaked a look at your page when he got your message and seen all of your posts, that you were highly critical of at the moment. A lot of questionable posts now that you though about it. If you were him, you would have clicked on the page almost immediately to get a look at the person snooping on your life.

When he first got the message he was confused as to who it would be, he didn’t recognize the photo or the username. And then he read the message and realized he didn’t recognize it because he did not know this girl.

“Harry you absolute div.” he muttered to himself while he jumped onto her page. Harry had told him he’d make him a close friends list like he had for his page since Tom wasn’t that great at Instagram, and in the process he seemed to have added this girl on accident. He had hoped she wasn’t someone shady and he thought back to some of the things he had recently posted and cringed. There was no new gossip or media info as of late leaking about him in the tabloids so it seemed like this girl didn’t run to press with all of his private stories. He had been drunk one too many times on that close friends group that she could have easily screen recorded and sent out to daily mail or whatever shit tabloid would pay for it.

He scrolled down to look at her pictures.

Cute girl.

American girl, a California girl to be exact. Not LA but San Diego. LA girls were a different breed and a no-no in his experience but this girl wasn’t a LA girl. Her pictures were too casual for that. Picture of her and her friends at a bar, picture of her and her dog walking on the beach, picture of her at what looked to be her job;a bakery. A mirror picture in some badly lighted bar restroom with a friend, both with smiles on their faces and a drink in their hands. She was wearing a a yellow floral wrap summer dress with a pair of wayfarer styled reading glasses. Even in the dingy mirror and the bad bar bathroom lighting she was attractive and seemed laid back. He had already written back to her to say sorry but now here he was on her page looking at her pictures, hoping he didn’t accidentally double tap anything. He had remade his pizza dough the way she suggested and now it was growing, surely it wouldn’t be bad if he wrote to her once more to let her know it worked? He sent another message and tried to work on some emails his publicist had begged him to look into while he messaged Harry on Instagram.

You added a random girl on my close friends list ya div. poor girls probably seen me drunk atleast a handful of times. 😑

Harry immediately typed back.

...but is she cute bruv? send me the username if so, your chance is ruined but I could make a move 👀

He ran a hand through his hair and thought of all the ways to insult his younger brother when the alert of another message came in. She had written back with a corny ‘get that bread joke’ with the emoji and all. He smiled and double tapped her reply. She had a cute personality. He went back to his drying out dough and reworked it as said and followed her instructions once again. He was feeling bold, so he decided to write her again.

Honestly, what would I have done without you today? You saved me with your baking skills and for that I am eternally grateful. Will possibly send you a picture of the final pizza pie once Its finished. 👨🏻‍🍳 x

It immediately had the words ‘seen’ written underneath his message and his eyes widened. She double tapped the message and was writing back, so he quickly jumped out of the message. He didn’t want her to know he was sitting there waiting for a response to his bad lowkey flirting, that would just be embarrassing. Maybe it wasn’t so bad though, that his dumb little brother had accidentally added her, he had thought to himself as her message appeared.

Sounds good Gordon. Or Mr.Ramsey, my apologies.

He smiled when he read the message and you yourself had a smile on your face after sending it. Very cheeky, you thought. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself about the situation you had just put yourself in. You just had a message conversation with Tom and you actually kept your chill and didn’t make that much of a fool of yourself. He probably couldn’t even tell you were having a mental breakdown from him writing to you. As you got back into the groove of work it seemed as though the rest of your work shift went by just as quick as the beginning of the day from how busy the bakery had been, and now you had just cleaned up and hopped back into your car to go home. Theo had texted you asking what you wanted for dinner and you had just texted him back when you got an another message alert from your phone. It was a picture. It was his finished produced, all baked and pretty, veggie supreme like he had said. It looked as though he has even brushed the crust with olive oil, bonus points for that. 

“The finished product, tastes as good as she looks 🍕🤤” he had sent to you. Just you. Tastes....as good as she looks.....LOL.

“You could say that again Spidey.” You said while you put your seatbelt on and turned on your car. You liked the picture and saw he had yet another story on his page. You clicked it. It was a boomerang of him pulling a slice from the whole pie to bring to his mouth, a picture worthy melty cheese stretch and all combined with him looking just as good as the pizza. “Call me Gordon👨🏻‍🍳🍕” it was captioned. It was posted on his close friends list this time and you couldn’t help but notice, you were still on that list.

[mrsbenedictbridgerton]

How not to fall for Killian Jones (and other failed endeavours)

SURPRISE! Hey @xerxesrises, tis I, your very tardy GFSS! This is one of those situations where what I set out to write bears little to no resemblance to what ended up on the page or what I had planned to write initially. Regardless, I hope you like it.

A huge thank you to my wonderful beta, nickillian/Ztofan, for all her tireless efforts to make my writing not suck!

Also on FF.NET and AO3

She wasn’t really good at any kind of resolutions - New Year’s or otherwise. Maybe that was why it was so easy to break them.

7:52 pm  Failure one: Not thinking of or fully considering the consequences

Bored and listless, Emma Swan drummed her nails on the surface of her standard issue corporate desk. Around her, the office was silent, its beige walls absent of the echoed sound of her workmates chatter. This was unsurprising, considering it was New Year’s Eve and almost 8pm but still disconcerting when used to the hubbub of the dozens or so coworkers who shared the twelfth floor. She stared at the phone for the hundredth time, willing it to ring and give her something to do, yet it remained stubbornly quiet.

Letting out a frustrated huff, she picked up her lukewarm coffee and knocked back an unpleasant gulp while she reminded herself that she had volunteered to work that night (and that it was triple pay that she badly needed).

It had seemed a great idea at the time; now, not so much.

She slipped her hand into the pocket of the red leather jacket that hung over her chair and pulled out a small, black leather notebook. It had been a gift from her closest friend and one time roommate - Mary Margaret - one that had started out as a trendy ‘bullet journal’ when Emma had complained one too many times about not being focused enough in her life. Her friend had sworn that this would change everything. Well, it hadn’t taken long for daily lists with twee little codes and pretty pens to be replaced with grocery lists scrawled in sharpie and the once pristine pages to be stuffed with receipts and business cards.

Emma flicked to the back and grabbed one of the number 2 pencils that sat in a pot on her desk. She scrawled at the top of the page: Emma Swan, 2016. And beneath began a start assessment of her life.

31 years old

Proud renter of a one bedroom apartment with a kickass view of Boston Harbor

Owner of a car older than she is

Single

Hopelessly addicted to hot cocoa (with cinn

Stuck in a goddamn rut.

 She underlined the last one three times. Tapping the eraser of the pencil against the page, she paused.

Mary Margaret had once told her that her problem was that she spent so long pondering what direction to take her life yet so little time putting anything into action (hence the damn journal). At the time she had brushed off the comment, but now, begrudgingly, she had to admit her friend was right. While Mary Margaret was always working on improving herself (and had even found just about the best still-single man in the city), Emma was still exactly where she had been for the past few years. That’s not to say that Emma was unhappy… just a little lost. Or maybe unfulfilled. And certainly lacking in direction.

Like her current place of work, for example. It was yet another one of those situations where her laissez faire attitude had led her down a path that she had not intended. See, this job was supposed to be temporary - a short work contract, earning her enough to pay some of her overdue rent and get her landlord off her back. An old friend, Ruby, had hooked her up after they’d met up for some drinks and Emma had bemoaned her financial situation. A few weeks working for Mills Security Systems seemed an easy enough way to supplement her bail bonds income (which had taken a nose dive that Spring) and when her friend had told her it was 20 dollars an hour for simply monitoring some alarm systems and taking a few calls, she’d been sold.

Yet now the year was drawing to a close but her ‘temporary’ contract was still going. She had just about paid back her rent when her car had decided to break down, maxing out her credit card and thus extending her supplemental job. She’d even became eligible for basic health care now she’d been there for so long…

Okay, so there were a few positives. She had her own desk - which was a step up from working out of the driver’s seat of her VW Bug. It even had three, half-sized walls around it which gave a modicum of privacy when she was sending WhatsApp messages during working hours. She did like the paycheck. It came in a crisp white envelope, once a week delivered to her little cubicle (the one labeled E. Swam in some clerical error. She’d changed the M to and N with a Sharpie). She liked the regular (ish) hours and the climate controlled environment that meant less time spent freezing in her car or apartment (heating wasn’t cheap during the cold-ass east coast winter). She even liked most of her coworkers. So far, so good?

Well, there was one particular fly in the ointment that made her resolve to quit the job as soon as possible even stronger: Killian Jones, the head of finance who she’d met that first week, and then tried to avoid ever since.

Okay, okay, let’s back up a little.

It had been her third day. She’d already jammed the copier and gotten scolded for taking someone else’s coffee cup from the break room (seriously, it was plain white and looked exactly like all the others). She’d been told to attend a team strategy meeting one floor up on 12 and arrived with her (non-stolen) coffee cup and a minute to spare meaning the only seat in the tiny room had been next to… him. Him being the most attractive man she had seen in a long, long time. Her quick assessment of him as she looked for a seat noted his glossy dark hair and piercing blue eyes and the nonchalant way he crossed his legs at the ankles as they sprawled out in front of him. It wasn’t like she was exactly an innocent gal, but the way he had looked her up and down as she approached the chair beside him had her stomach doing flips and an uncomfortable heat growing between her thighs.

Goddamn it.

(It had been way too long.)

Then as she’d sat, he’d turned and looked her in the eyes, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. He’d introduced himself and then asked her name, repeating it in his silky English accent. It had cut through her like a hot knife through butter and she’d known straight away that he was trouble.

Hey, if things had been different, if she’d met him at a club after a few drinks, she’d have made it quite clear that she thought he was highly fuckable and then added him to her ‘one and done’ list. But even Emma Swan, not exactly employee of the year, knew that one night stands with work colleagues were a recipe for disaster.  

Problem was, he was gorgeous. He was that easy kind of handsome. The kind that took your breath away but at the same time just suited him so well that you couldn’t help but stare, even as your cheeks flushed and your mind turned to goo. And then there was just something about the way he held himself, his manner and posture, that made her want to fucking swoon.

So like a rabbit startled by headlights, she’d decided then and there to not put herself in any situation where she’d be tempted to exercise poor judgment–no matter how freaking hot he was. When the meeting was over she’d scuttled back to the 11th floor as he was distracted by a coworker, yet not without the nagging feeling he was watching her as she left.

Of course, despite her efforts, that wasn’t the only time they had interacted.

A few weeks later, for Ruby’s birthday, a bunch of people had headed to a bar downtown after work to toast in her new age with pineapple margaritas. She didn’t think Killian Jones was exactly a friend of Ruby’s (though she’d mentioned offhand just how ‘hot’ he was in his ‘tight, ass-hugging pants’) so Emma hadn’t hesitated to tag along. But, unexpectedly, he had turned up, looking perfect in a pale grey suit and sky blue shirt, his tie removed and his hair ruffled oh-so-perfectly.

Emma had almost panicked. Which she knew was ridiculous… He was just a guy! She’d met thousands! But whenever she glanced in his direction (and she couldn’t resist), it seemed like he was wearing the most intense, curious look that had made her feel completely naked and exposed. It had ended up with her feeling hot under the collar and thoroughly frustrated. So she took the only action she could in such a situation. Putting on her best stony-faced look, she’d done her utmost to stay as far away from him as possible, practically gluing herself to the birthday girl’s side. Strategically, she had positioned herself as much out of his line of sight as she could, purposely avoiding his gaze. (And maybe, once or twice, when she had allowed herself to look again at him… maybe she saw an expression on his face that looked like disappointment.)

After that close call, they’d found themselves frequenting the coffee cart in the lobby together a few times. Waiting in line, she’d pretended not to see him, instead attempting to focus her attention on her phone. He hadn’t tried to speak to her those times. Clearly, her cool demeanor was working. See, the one thing Emma possessed in bucket loads, was self-restraint.

And I suppose the question that needs to be answers is why was she so adamantly avoiding this man? Simple. She just didn’t do relationships. After a couple that crashed and burned quite spectacularly, she’d came to the very adult conclusion that she was just not designed to be part of a pair.

Emma Swan did just fine on her own, thank you very much

Huffing softly, she opened a drawer and tossed the damn notebook away and out of her view.

 ***

8:31 pm

Time continued to drag painfully slowly.

Tink, the girl who usually worked the evening shift, was visiting family for the holidays and the rest of the team had split her tasks between them. Emma’s sole role tonight was to answer any customer service calls (thanks to Mills Security’s promise of ‘365 days service’) and log the details so the client could be contacted during normal office hours. She had zero idea why they just didn’t use a phone service.

She was staring at drunken photos on Facebook of friends celebrating at the parties that she could have been at when she heard a noise at the other end of the floor. She knew it was only her and a security guard working that night, so she immediately grabbed the pepper spray she kept in her purse and peered over the top of her partition. Then the sound of a bang behind her practically made her jump out of her skin and she spun around.

What the fuck.

It was Killian Jones, bending down to pick up what looked like a bottle of champagne that was rolling along the floor, his perfect arse exactly in her line of sight as it strained against his oh-so-tight dark jeans.

(She flushed as she imagined his ass sans those jeans.)

“Shit,” she cried as her heart raced and she tried futilely to look away, “You scared me!”

“Sorry,” he replied, sheepishly dropping his chin as he stood up. “Didn’t realize anyone was up here.”

With desperately feigned aloofness, she folded her arms. She could be cool. She was alone with the a guy she’d had some pretty R rated dreams about in a deserted office building. No biggie.

(Yeah, there had been dreams to… It had been a very, very long time and he was very, very attractive.)

“Well, I am. What are you doing here?”

He smiled. (Damn he had an amazing smile.) “Ah, I left earlier and realized I’d forgotten to file a report.”

She eyed the bottle in his hands. “And you thought you’d celebrate that fact?”  

“Oh, I need to keep this chilled. I was just up here to use your refrigerator - the one on 11 doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Right,” she nodded, relaxing just a little as the initial shock of his appearance faded. These were the most words she had ever shared with the guy. She vaguely wondered if he even remembered her name.

(Because she knew his: and that he had one brother and that he had moved from England five years earlier and that he owned a sailboat - yeah, her colleagues liked to talk and she was an apt pupil when it came to Killian Jones 101.)

“So you heading to a party?” she asked, feeling a strange mixture of jealousy and yearning as he nodded.

“That’s the plan,” he smiled, “My brother said I need to stop being a miserable sod and enjoy myself for the holidays.”

“Your brother sounds like my old roommate. She’s still offended I volunteered to work tonight rather than attend her potluck dinner.”

He smiled again, much broader, exposing his pearly white teeth and she was struck by the fact that when he did so, he looked even more handsome. Her heart did a little jump and she suddenly felt, well, a little shy.

“Well, I’d better-” she hitched her thumb towards her silent phone.

He nodded. “Happy New Year, Emma.”

“Happy New Year,” she echoed.

(She really did like the way he said her name.)

***

9:37 pm Failure two: Keeping promises to herself  

Twenty two minutes spent playing Candy Crush.

Thirty five on Facebook.

Eleven spent composing the perfect inspirational New Year post.

And not a single goddamn phone call.

The dollar signs that had convinced her to volunteer were slowly morphing into visions of the glasses of champagne she was missing by not attending Mary Margaret’s potluck. She pulled out the notebook and  flicked back to the list she had made earlier. Her life laid out in the stark grey lines of the pencil was particularly sobering. Sure, she was doing… fine. Better than many. Yet something was missing, she just wasn’t sure what.

Maybe Mary Margaret was right - maybe she did need to really make some changes this year. She’d never been one for New Year’s resolutions, but what could it really hurt to do something different? Because doing the same old things year after year wasn’t really getting her anywhere. Hadn’t she wanted to travel and see the world? To be brave and take some chances? (Secretly, she’d dreamed of opening her own bonds bureau for over a year.)  If nothing else she knew that she did not want to spend her next New Year’s Eve surrounded by grey partition walls and lingering regrets.

The sound of Killian Jones clearing his throat startled her and she jumped in time to see him standing now six feet away, the bottle of champagne he had earlier back in his hands and covered in beads of condensation.

“Shit,” she cried, placing her hand on her racing chest, “You need to stop doing that.”

“Apologies, love,” he said advancing a step closer to her desk.

“S’fine,” she replied, waving away his apology with her hand. She looked at the bottle of champagne with more than a little envy. “So you done?”

“Aye,” he nodded, his hair bouncing over his forehead.

“Then off to this party of yours..?”

He gave her an awkward smile and then tilted his head to one side. He opened his mouth to speak and then paused before dampening his lips and repeating the process. “Look, this may sound a bit mad, but what are you doing tonight?”

“Umm…” She gave him a curious look and then gestured towards her phone. “I’m the customer support til the automated system kicks in at one a.m. and everything is forwarded to India.”

“Oh, yeah,” he grinned rubbing his hand across his face. “Of course you are. Mills Security’s famous promise of US-based call centers.”

A peculiar light feeling bubbled in her chest as Killian Jones - object of her lust and fascination for months now - danced awkwardly from foot to foot-

“You see, the thing is, my brother-”

“The one who said you’re a miserable sod?”

“Aye, that’s the one.” He gave her a quick, searing glance and she felt a shiver ripple down her spine. “Well, he always says I’m too uptight. That I need to be more spontaneous.”

“Okay…” she said, wondering where he was going with this.

“So, Emma Swan, who has been avoiding me since I clapped eyes on her gorgeous self five months ago, how do you feel about joining me?”

Stunned, Emma felt like she’d been slapped in the face. But in a good way. “Huh?”

“The party. I believe it’s custom to bring a date?”

Her mouth gaped open.

What was her life right now? Was she not just minutes earlier contemplating doing something different and out of her comfort zone? It was like he was freaking psychic.

Immediately, her usual defenses flung right up, spewing out reasons why this was a very, very bad idea.

“But the calls-”

“You can forward them to your cell phone.”

“If they find out-”

“They won’t.”

“I won’t know anyone there…”

“You’ll know me… And, Emma Swan,” she blushed as he said her full name for the second time in the span of a minute, “I would really, really like to get to know you better.”

Oh shit.

Now this was unexpected and quite frankly, scary territory. She had sworn to stay away from him, but now that seemed like such a ridiculous thing to do as she stared into his beautiful blue eyes.

She looked down at her sweater and jeans combo.

“I’m not exactly dressed for a party.”

“You look great to me.”

She was running out of excuses. And actually wanting to make excuses.

A thought suddenly occurred.

“Just gimme a minute.”

***

Ruby Lucas, whilst a great girlfriend, was foremost known among her circle of friends for her active social life and exacting preparations. As such, she kept a selection of outfits in the breakout room lockers just in case of any last minute post-work drinks or dinner invitations that just could not be attended in her usual office attire.

Most of them were short, but since Ruby was a couple of inches taller than Emma, she was able to find a black wiggle dress which fit just about right, landing an inch above her knee, with cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It was sexy, but not too sexy. (Since she didn’t know what this was - was it a date? She wasn’t an expert in last minute New Year’s plans when she was really supposed to be working.)

She dug out a pair of black pumps with a medium sized heel that were only a little too big and checked her reflection. She was pretty sure Ruby would not mind when she found out. She was actually pretty sure Ruby would quite the opposite of mind. Next, she grabbed the emergency makeup bag that also lived in the locker and added some layers of blush and mascara before finishing the look with a red Dior lipstick that even she had to admit was very flattering. A spritz of perfume before she ran a brush through her (thankfully, freshly washed) hair and she was ready. And her heart was racing.

Nervously, she stepped back into the office. A cool shiver trickled over her skin. What was she doing? She was about to turn back, when-

“Well now, I have to admit, that’s much better.”

She hadn’t thought it was possible to blush any deeper because of this man and she had been wrong. He gave her a slow, appreciative look, one that was hot and spine tingling yet not disrespectful. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, this old thing,” she teased.

He held out his hand, “Shall we? I have a car waiting.”

“A car?” she asked.

He shrugged, “I’m CFO, have to take advantage of the perks at some point.”

“What the hell,” she shrugged in reply, placing her hand in his and letting him lead her to the elevator.

***

10:52 pm Failure three: A total misunderstanding of what she had gotten herself into

‘Party’ was perhaps a bit of an understatement.  The event was being held at one of those trendy little bars in Union Square with oversized art on the walls that contrasted with simple, neutral furniture and neon accessories. It was being hosted by a client of Mills Security, as it turned out, Killian had explained on the journey there that he’d been given the company invite.

It had been so hard concentrating on what he had been saying in the back of the sleek black sedan that had been waiting for them. Even though the back seat was pretty roomy by her VW bug size standards, they still seemed to be achingly close together as the car pulled away.

Then it hit her just how crazy this was! Five months of avoiding this man, only for her resolve to crumble in seconds. But she couldn’t find herself regretting her snap decision. He smelled damn good next to her. She peeked over at him, noticing how he’d left the top few buttons of his navy shirt open, showing a hint of chest hair. Her eyes lingered there. Biting her lip softly, she wondered just what that would feel like under her palms.

Down girl, she warned herself, puffing a breath of air over her face and trying to shift her focus onto anything other than him.

Upon arrival, Kilian had gifted the bottle of champagne upon the host (One August W. Booth, local furniture magnate and pretty skeezy in Emma’s opinion) before scooping up their own champagne flutes and observing the scene of the party in full swing.

“So,” she sighed, feeling a little awkward as she ran her free hand over the satin of her skirt and tried to think of something smart or witty to say.

“Maybe we should… mingle?” he suggested. She sighed in relief; she wasn’t quite ready to engage in solo conversation.

“I’d like that,” she smiled, taking his offered arm as they wandered into the crowd.

Up to this point, her attraction to him had been almost purely physical. But as they spent the next hour moving around the different guests and drinking just enough champagne to take the edge off her nerves, she started to see that he was really a great guy. Being one of those business-like occasions where most people don’t know each other that well, he was fantastic at putting others at ease and introducing himself (and slipping some of them a business card or two). He had the perfect combination of wit and charm that seemed to win over every woman - and man - in the room. And if she was a little proud of the envious looks some of them gave her, that was merely a bonus.

Finally, her feet began to ache and the two sought out a small table in the corner of the room.

“Wow, you really know how to work a room!”

He beamed before ducking his head a little at the compliment. “I’m generally better with people I don’t know.”

“Oh?” “I’m not the easiest man to get to know.”

Emma shrugged and took another sip from a fresh glass of champagne. “Well, it’s not like I’ve exactly tried to…”

“I noticed.”

“You did?”

“I tried to overlook the hiding from me at Ruby’s birthday bash, but by the third time you ignored me at the coffee cart, I was beginning to take the hint.” He pouted a little, his full pink lips looking so inviting that she could help but stare for a few seconds.  “Truth is, I’ve wanted to ask you out for ages.”

“You have?”

“Emma, I’ve been quite taken by you for months now.”

How was this happening? Her breathing began to quicken.

“But you were giving me very clear signals that you weren’t interested.”

“I don’t…” she began, ready to spout out her usual ‘don’t do relationships’ spiel, when she realized just how lame it sounded. “Yeah, I guess I did. But what about this-” she gestured to the party in full swing around them.

He smiled a little coyly before his gaze dropped to studying the glass in his hands. “Before I came into the office, I’d been on a call with my brother - he lives in England and you know, time differences made it past New Year there. He was quite merry and told me that it was about bloody time that I got over myself and started living a little.”

“He sounds more and more like my friend.”

Gently, he placed the glass on the small table in front of them. Looking up, his eyes flitted over her face. “Maybe we have something in common, then; people in our lives who care more than we think we deserve. I’ve spent years living in the past, Emma, using shit I couldn’t control as an excuse to not try to change. But then I spoke to Liam and then you were there and - do you believe in fate?” she shrugged, “Well I’m not sure I do either, but I figured if ever some higher power was telling me I needed to make a change, it was tonight when I saw you in the office.” Her breath caught in her throat as she absorbed his words. “And the change?”

“It was taking a chance and putting myself out there,” He edged a little closer on the loveseat upon which they sat, until their knees jostled together, “Honestly, I was fully prepared for rejection and having to begin to avoid you.”

Lashes fluttering like some paperback heroine, Emma let herself reply with a bright smile. “I’m glad you did.”

“So am I,” he whispered.

They tipped their glasses together, exchanging daring glances as they drank. The bubbles danced over her tongue the way only a really expensive champagne can. Slowly, the music around them changed from lively into something with a more mellow beat.

“Care to dance?” he asked.

“You can dance?”

“I have many talents.”

A peal of light laughter fell from her lips as she took his hand and let him lead her to where a few other couples were swaying together. He placed her arms around his neck and his own hands about her hips. The heat, the champagne and this intoxication of him made the room swirl pleasantly, tempting her to place her head on his chest, while a part of her deep inside hummed ‘this feels right’.

***

11:59 pm Failure four: Making sensible and rational decisions

The music became quieter as the minutes ticked towards midnight. The pair paused in their dance and Emma let her fingers brush against the tendrils of hair that spilled over his collar. He looked at her, his focus dancing between her eyes and lips until she thought she might burst with the tension.

“Hey, remember what you said about being spontaneous?”

“Yes,” he whispered, just as the countdown began.

This time it was her turn to focus on his lips. She knew that kissing him could be a beginning of something. It had been so long since she had felt that way about a man and that scared her. But not enough to stop.

Her fingers slipped from his hair to slide under the lapel of his thin wool jacket, hands drawing down over his shoulders and balling in the material, as she reached up on her toes. A second passed by, where their eyes met and both smiled, then there was a little jump in her stomach as she leant into him and pressed her mouth to his. Instantly, she was consumed by emotion: happiness, desire, fear- Until the simple physical motion of lips upon lips engulfed her completely, drowning out the countdown echoing around them. Her whole body tingled as he wrapped his arms around her pulled her body flush.

They fell apart to rousing shouts of ‘Happy New Year’, her fingers still tangled in his jacket, breathless and exhilarated.

“Wow,” she sighed, her senses slowly returning.

“Yeah,” he agreed. His cheeks were a captivating pink. Without thinking, she reached up her hand to brush against them.

“So, do you have any resolutions?” she whispered.

“Well, I definitely want to do that again.”

“Oh do you?” she teased.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice serious; the air around them suddenly thick-

And then it was as if the rest of the room faded away. He took hold of her hand, edging it back around his neck before crushing his mouth against hers once more.

Emma Swan was pretty sure she was drowning. Her whole body throbbed with need as she chased each motion of his lips. As first (or technically second-) kisses go, it was up there with the best; the explosive chemistry between them so palpable that the idea of not taking this further made her gut ache.

Resting her hands on his shoulders, she paused the kiss, whispering, “Follow me,” not waiting for a response before she took hold of his hand from her waist and pulled him with her towards the service area behind the bar which currently stood deserted.

“Kiss me,” she demanded, letting him push her against the wall, his hips anchoring her own in place so that she could feel his erection pressing heavily against her and making her wish that she was wearing a more forgiving skirt that would have allowed her to wrap her legs around him and seek out the friction she so wanted.

His needy lips did as she desired, desperately claiming her again: a little recklessly, certainly without restraint, almost bruising in their determination. One hand gripped her waist while the other snuck under the hem of her skirt, teasing her thigh while his lips found her neck. She let her hands thread through his hair, not caring if she mussed it up, just wanting this feeling to not end; wanting to be as close as she could to him and whatever magic spell he had placed over her.

Finally, he tipped back his head and took a few deep breaths.

“Emma, this wasn’t what I intended-” “You want to stop?” she asked, feeling slightly mortified at the idea she had entirely misread the situation.

“God, no-” he cupped her face with his hands, “I just don’t want you to think that this was my aim when I asked you to come here.”

She saw honesty in his eyes - she’d always been great at telling when someone was lying. Mary Margaret  called it her superpower. He was telling the truth.

“I don’t think that,” she smiled, “If I’m honest I don’t even know what’s happening right now,” she swallowed hard and then added, “But I do know I don’t want it to stop.”

A flash of understanding crossed his face and he tipped his face closer, “Well, maybe we need to take this elsewhere…” he let the words linger a moment between them.

“Is that car still available?”

He nodded and she became captivated for a moment by his unfairly thick lashes that curved back and further enhanced the mesmerising blue hue of his eyes.

“Then let’s go.”

***

The car ride was almost unbearable. There were too many thoughts in her mind to cope with being so close to him and not having him there and then. What was going on? What was she doing? What was he thinking?

And she was taking him back to her place.

Emma Swan did not bring men back to her own apartment - it was too intimate, it suggested she wanted more. But the invitation had fallen from her lips without hesitation and she’d given her address to the driver before she could overthink it.

Their hands rested next to each other, spanning the small gap between them. Emma counted the beats of her heart as the street lights zipped by. Then his fingers inched closer, slowly overlapping hers until he had taken hold of her hand. She looked at him, half hidden in the shadow of the dark interior, flashes of light flickering over his face.

God, she wanted to kiss him again. Waiting was such sweet torture - but she knew should she touch him like that now they would be consummating their new found chemistry on that very seat. So instead, she focused on the feel of his hands on her and let her eyes roam over his figure as he did the same. She could feel him study her decolletage and the exposed curve of her breasts thanks to Ruby’s predilection for low cut necklines.

Pulling up to the curb, she’d never been so thankful to get out of a moving vehicle, the pair tossing the driver a breezy ‘Happy New Year’ after Killian signed the chit.

Inside her apartment, she found herself once again pressed against the nearest wall, but this time with a lot less self restraint from both parties. His hungry lips tasted every exposed inch of skin as she clawed her fingers through his hair before yanking his shirt from his pants and sliding her palms up his back. He urged her hips apart and she felt the slit at the back of the skirt rip as she hiked her legs around him.

“Bed,” she demanded, tipping her head in the direction of her bedroom as they kissed their way across the living room.

After kicking open the door, Killian placed her back on the ground long enough for him to toss away his jacket and for them both to kick off their shoes. Then they were back, fused together, falling onto the bed as they pulled and tugged at each other’s clothes in a desperate search for the feel of bare skin.

The dress already ruined, she begged him, “Just tear it.”

With a guttural groan, he complied, foregoing the zip and yanking at the material until it gave way to the satisfying sound of threads splitting, leaving her in her simple underwear, as she concentrated on removing his shirt and fanning out her hands over his chest. His perfect chest, peppered with swathes of hair and just toned enough to say ‘hot’ rather than ‘gym obsessive’.

“You’re stunning,” he panted.

She palmed his hardness through his pants, earning another growl as her thighs clenched in anticipation of his generous size. “You’re not too shabby yourself.”

He yanked down the cups of her bra as she started to work on divesting him of his remaining clothes, suckling on a nipple as his hand worked the other into a firm peak, the sensation going right to her core where her body was practically begging her to take him inside.

“Shit,” she moaned as he took a second to help her with her task, before he was left gloriously nude and exposed before her - looking better than she could have imagined - so masculine and wanton with his erection jutting out proudly, demanding to be given attention. Bending forward, she reached out her tongue and ran it over his silky length, it jerked at the sensation, but before she could touch him he took hold of her wrist-

“You first,” he insisted and before she could protest he tugged down her panties, his lips once agains exploring her breasts as his fingers parted her folds and gathered the dampness that had already formed there. “Fuck Emma you’re so wet already. Such a delicious cunt.”

The unexpected language was surprisingly a huge turn on and she pulled his lips to her mouth-

“Waiting for you to fill me up, Jones.”

His fingers danced over her clit as he paused, inches from her mouth-

“So I’m Jones now, am I? Well I guess that makes you Swan.” Without ceremony, he pushed one thick finger into her quickly followed by another, her back arched from the bed until his lips muffled her moans. Inside her,  his digits found places that had her letting out breathy little moans.

“You like that, Swan?” he asked, his eyes scanning her expression as her knees flexed and she pushed her heels into the mattress, trying to ground herself from the sensation of flying into the air.

“Yes,” she cried, her hands seeking something to also anchor themselves to him, finding his ass to be just as firm and round as it had appeared in his pants. She was now so slick that his hand was gliding silkily between her legs, harder and faster- until he fell back on his haunches, giving her a searing look, before his mouth joined his hands on the assault of her sex. His tongue flicked out to swirl around her clit and over her folds until she could no longer discern his movements in the high of sensation he was creating. Her body was folding in upon itself, the muscles of her gut and core tightening and twisting as they bended to his will, his free hand massaging her breasts and then she was spiraling out of existence into the heavenly bliss of release as the tension snapped and rippled from her in waves.

“You’re glorious,” he panted, suffocating her in an all-consuming kiss that tasted of her, pulling her back to reality and fueling her desire once again.

Reaching for his cock, she ran her hand over him, imagining how he would feel inside her while he rutted into her palm. She pressed her hand against his shoulder, trying to lay him on his back so she could return the favor.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, once again worried she was misreading the whole situation.

“Nothing, love,” he replied, still pistoning his hips as he laid a kiss to her forehead, “It’s just, if I can’t be inside you right now, I think I’m going to explode.”

Oh, she wasn’t going to argue with him-

“Top drawer of the nightstand,” she whispered, sitting up to watch him as he found a condom, palming her breasts as her whole body ached in expectation. It had been so long since she had gotten to this place with a guy, and even longer with someone who she could potentially care about-

It was right then, as he turned back to her, his face deliciously wrecked, that she recognized that was just it- there was something about him, something as still intangible in addition to his more obvious assets, an attraction brewing that was more than just superficial.

She liked Killian Jones. Really. Truly.

Stunned, she let craving for him roll over her again as he crawled back across the bed to her, caging her body in with his, a look of pure want on his face.

“Swan,” he whispered, with a crooked smile.

“Jones,” she replied, widening her legs to accommodate him, wrapping her legs around his waist until she could feel the weight of him pressing against her entrance.

He sank into her heat, every solid inch more perfect than the last, pausing once he had bottomed out until she pressed her heels into his ass, urging him into a sensual rhythm.

His soft grunts and moans had her hot and bothered, writhing against him, seeking out further friction as he alternated between hard, quick thrusts and softer, rocking motions. Normally, Emma would be vocal with what she wanted in bed, but he just seemed to know instinctively how to make her body hum. She gave as good as she got, encouraging him with muttered ‘yeses’ and ‘harders’, getting lost in the moment - not trying to draw it out. Because she knew this could never be a one time thing. Instead, she chased her peak, wanting him to join her, grinding against him, foregoing technique for desperate motions that had one single purpose-

It worked. In a frenzy of movement, she found herself falling once more, this time her body was gripping his, dragging him with her into dizzying, euphoric release.

To the heavy beat of heaving hearts, he collapsed beside her.

Minutes later, his fingers tangled in her hair as she lay against his chest, truth be told she was a little too warm, but had no desire to move as she soaked in the post-coital bliss. His other arm wrapped around her shoulders and he ran his hand over the naked skin within his reach.

“Can I ask you a question?” she whispered.

“Of course,” he said, punctuating his reply with a kiss to her forehead. “Anything.”

“Why me? I mean, you could have your pick of anyone, Jones.”

“You’re beautiful,” he answered, without skipping a beat.

“Please…” she clucked, rolling her eyes.

“And, well, it was really a choice between you and the security guard tonight,” he joked.

“Not funny,” she deadpanned, though tossing him a grin that showed she knew he was joking.

“Okay,” he nodded, “Well, when we first met I could see the guarded look in your eyes. I recognized it. Not many wear it so openly, but you, sweetheart, are an open book.”

Her instinct was to rebuff that statement, but she knew it was true. “I’ve been… hurt.” she admitted, “More than once.”

“Me too,” he nodded

“So pain is attractive to you?”

“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” He shook his head, “Not exactly, love. I guess I saw a kindred spirit in you? And though you may have tried to avoid me, you piqued my interest that day. I sought you out, tried to learn a little about you. Ms. Lucas is surprisingly chatty when she brings up the daily figures.”

“I may have asked a bit about you too.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really, just don’t let that go to your head!”

He gave her a wicked grin in response. She sighed. That cheeky smile of his was probably going to be her downfall.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why did you have to be one of the good ones?”

“The good ones?” he asked, his brow creasing in confusion.

“You know… I’m pretty good at telling when someone is being dishonest.”

“Oh, for all you know, I’m just some dashing rapscallion, love.”

“You wish buddy.”

The pair fell silent for a moment.

“Can I kiss you again?” he asked, strangely nervously considering their current situation.

In reply, she rolled onto her front, running one hand through his hair, her eyes focusing on his mouth, until she kissed him once more.

“Mmmm,” he moaned, “I could get used to that.”

She dropped her forehead to his, her fingers drawing circles against his scalp as the reality of what this all could mean began to dawn on her.

“Killian, we work together…”

“We work for the same company, love, entirely different departments.”

“But still…” she trailed off, searching again for an out clause-

“Love, if you feel this was a mistake-”

“No,” she cried, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m just- Can we take this slow?”

The smile he gave her was a one she hadn’t seen - wide and bright, full of hope - “As you wish, my lovely Swan.”

She kissed him again, rousing them both to round number two.

***

31st December 2017

Emma Swan, 2017

32 years old

Cohabitating with a gorgeous man who loves her (and she loves him)

Still have kickass view of Boston Harbor but this time sharing her bed (and life) with aforementioned gorgeous (and amazing) guy.

Still owner of VW Bug older than she is, but better able to afford mechanic costs since…

Now owner of her very own bail bonds business.

Very, very, sickening happy, thank you very much!,