#slowly making waltz better than fine my one personality

[gladdygirl18]

Little Brother Cheer Up

This fic was requested by the amazing and incredible @starb4es! Thank you so much for requesting this; I had a blast writing it! Enjoy!

Summary: Hobie, Pavitr, and Miles have gotten very close, and the three teens have become brothers-in-arms. When Miles is feeling down in the dumps, the older teens know exactly how to turn his frown upside down.

Word Count: 1971

⚠️Warning⚠️: slight swearing

Miles, Pavitr, and Hobie. These three have grown very close throughout what's been going on. They were like brothers; they could rely on one another. When they're not swinging around saving their universe's cities, the three teens can be found having races around Brooklyn to see who's faster or bickering over what music is better. However, there is one thing that Hobie and Pavitr love doing that Miles hates: hazing Brooklyn's Spiderman.

Amongst these three, Miles is the youngest, making him the little brother of the group. Hobie and Pavitr love poking fun at the young Spiderman and hazing him; it's an unspoken rule amongst siblings, and the two older teens know it well.

"Hey, Miles! Don't forget your umbrella, or you might get washed away by the rain!" Pavitr teased one day.

"Hey, kid. Drink more milk; it'll make you big 'n' strong." Hobie said one day with a grin.

Miles didn't mind them teasing him or poking fun at him, but sometimes it can get a bit annoying. He appreciated Hobie and Pavitr's company, and with the tension between him and his parents, having his brothers to comfort and console him was more than he could ever ask for, and he was grateful to have them in his life. But damn, was their teasing flustering. Any tease, whether being called cute or a little joke, his cheeks always heat up, and Hobie and Pavitr find it so endearing. However, there is one form of hazing that Hobie and Pavitr love to use on Miles, but they only use it when the young teen is in a foul mood.

Like today, for example. It was a warm afternoon in Pavitr's dimension, and Miles was down in the dumps. Why? How the hell would I know? Anyone who asked if he was okay, Brooklyn's Spiderman responded with an, "I'm fine..." in a very monotone voice. Miles had come over to Pavitr's dimension to hang with him and Hobie to hopefully lighten his mood, but nothing worked. The young Spiderman sat on a windowsill, looking at beautiful Mumbattan. Inside was a concerned Pavitr and a confused Hobie.

"He's never like this, Hobs," Pavitr whispered, "What's up with him?"

"Askin' the wrong person, mate," Hobie deadpanned, glancing at Miles, "But, yeah, I gotta agree with ya; he's never like this."

Hobie's confused state was slowly turning into one of concern.

"Well, what can we do to help him?" Pavitr asked, determined to make Miles better again, "Seeing him like this... just doesn't sit right with me."

Hobie agreed with a silent nod. As a warm breeze came through the window, Pavitr got an idea.

"I know how to cheer him up!" Pavitr exclaimed.

He reached over and whispered his idea to Hobie, and the Spider Punk's grin grew sinister.

"I like the way you think," Hobie said, "Let's do it."

With a firm nod, the two older teens approached the sulking teen. Miles sighed before his spidey senses went off. He glanced behind him to see the other two coming over, only to look back at the Mumbattan cityscape.

"Hey, buddy," Pavitr began, "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Miles said sadly.

Pavitr didn't believe him for a second. India's Spiderman sighed before sitting beside him on the window sill and wrapping an arm around the kid's shoulders.

"I know you, Miles," Pavitr said, "क्या गलत है, छोटे भाई?"

"What?" Miles questioned.

"He asked, 'What's wrong, little brother?'" Hobie deadpanned as he waltzed towards the duo.

Hobie leaned against the window sill on Miles' opposite side.

"Nothing is wrong, okay?" Miles questioned, "I'm fine, so can you guys please get off my back?"

The attitude in Miles' voice surprised Pavitr but impressed Hobie.

"So, the lil' spider does have some venom in his fangs," Hobie commented with a grin, "I salute that."

Not even a grin. Hobie called Miles that many times and it always made him smile and blush, but nothing happened.

"Aw, come on, spiderling!" Pavitr said, "Smile for us, please?"

Pavitr put on his best puppy-dog eyes and stared at Miles. Brooklyn's Spiderman didn't even glance at him. Now the other two were worried.

"Okay, you are definitely not Miles." Pavitr said suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Miles questioned, finally glancing at India's Spiderman.

"I gotta agree with Pavi," Hobie said, straightening his posture, "The Miles I know can be a stubborn lil' shit sometimes, but never like this."

Miles groaned before shaking his head and turning back to the cityscape.

"You guys are ridiculous." Miles muttered.

The other two glanced at each other and shared a knowing look.

"Okay, that's it," Pavitr said, "We're getting our little brother back, no matter what."

"What are you on about now?" Miles asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Before Miles could ask anything further, Hobie pulled the teen back by his shoulders and into his chest. Miles let out a surprised yelp as he struggled in Hobie's grip.

"What the hell, Hobie?" Miles asked, "Let me go!"

"Not a chance in hell, kid," Hobie said, "You've been the worst funk I've ever seen; more funky than stink on shit."

The joke made Pavitr laugh, but it made Miles more annoyed. When the two noticed this, the others grinned at each other before looking at their little brother. The grins on their faces made Miles nervous.

"W-Why are you guys grinning like that?" Miles asked.

"Because it's natural for us to do. Something you, mister, forgot about." Pavitr said, pointing at Miles.

"So, to help bring that smile back on your face..." Hobie said as his grip around Miles tightened.

The gears in Miles' head turned before he realized what they were about to do.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Miles panicked, "Let me go, damn it!"

"Feisty, are we?" Pavitr said, waltzing over to the squirming teen, "We can fix that, right, Hobie?"

"Right." Hobie agreed with a grin.

Before Miles could protest, Pavitr started skittering his fingers up and down Miles's sides, eliciting surprised giggles from Brooklyn's Spiderman. Remember that hazing technique that Hobie and Pavitr love to use on Miles? Yeah, this is it. Tickling Brooklyn's Spiderman has become a weekly thing between the three. Sure, Miles gets them back every once in a while, but all the attention is on him. And right now, Miles has Hobie and Pavitr's full, undivided attention.

"Pavihihihihihi! Nohohoho!" Miles giggled, "Stohohohop!"

"No way!" Pavitr claims, "You've been in such a bad mood almost all day; you need this!"

"Nohohoho, I-I dohohohon't!"

"I beg to differ, mate." Hobie said from behind.

Brooklyn's Spiderman struggled against the older teen's grip, but his giggling sapped him of his strength.

"Come ohohohoooon!" Miles whined, "This isn't fahahahahair!"

"It may not be fair, but it is needed," Pavitr said, "And we're not stopping until you tell us what's got you so down in the dumps."

"I told yohohohou! I'm fihihihihine!"

"That's what they all say." Hobie said.

Continuing to hold Miles, Hobie started to scratch his fingers in Miles' armpits, causing the teen to yelp and stomp his feet against the wooden floor.

"Hobihihihihihihie! Stahahahahap!" Miles cackled.

"Oh, please; you're not dying," Hobie deadpanned, "No need to be dramatic."

"I am dyihihihihihing!"

The older teens couldn't help but chuckle. When Pavitr moved his hands to Miles' belly, the teen's knees grew weak as his laughter brought him to the floor, but that didn't stop Hobie and Pavitr from following him down. Now Miles was sitting on the floor with Hobie restraining him and Pavitr tickling him. Brooklyn's Spiderman scraped his heels against the floor as he tried to find some way to escape.

"Plehehehehase! Leave me alohohohohone!" Miles giggled.

"Are you gonna tell us what's wrong?" Pavitr asked, leaning in close.

When Miles shook his head, India's Spiderman sighed before dropping his hands to Miles' hips, eliciting a squeal and a soft buck.

"That feheheheheels so weheheheheird!" Miles exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's called bein' ticklish, mate," Hobie said, stopping his tickling to tighten his grip, "So, are ya gonna tell us what's been biting your ass all day?"

"Nohohohoho! There's nothing to tehehehehell!"

Pavitr rolled his eyes before moving his hands up to tickle Miles' armpits. Miles' snorted before letting out a loud laugh.

"NOHOHOHO! NOT THEHEHEHERE!" Miles laughed, "STOP, STAHAHAHAHAP!"

"Are you gonna confide in us and tell us what's been eating you?" Pavitr inquired.

"NOHOHOHOHO!"

"There's that stubbornness," Hobie said with a smile, "Ya love to see it."

Miles was too busy laughing to hear anything the others were saying. However, Brooklyn's Spiderman suddenly felt that heaviness leave his heart. Whatever horrible feeling that was plaguing him was gone.

"COME OHOHOHON!" Miles laughed, "YOU AHAHAHAHSSHOHOHOLES! STAHAHAP IHIHIT!"

"What did you just call us?" Pavitr asked.

Without hesitation, India's Spiderman started vibrating his hands across the teen's ribs, sending the kid into a frenzy of laughter.

"NAHAHAHAAAA! NAAAHAHAAAT THEHEHEHERE!" Miles cried, thrashing in Hobie's grip, "SHIHIHIT! LET ME GOHOHOHO!"

"Well, someone's certainly spitting venom today," Hobie said, "I like that."

Miles slammed his legs against the floor in ticklish agony, throwing his head back against the Spider Punk's shoulder and laughing freely, all while trying to free himself from this.

"PLEHEHEHEHASE! LET MEHEHEHE GOHOHOHOO!" Miles laughed.

"Aww, and why would we do that?" Pavitr asked in a baby voice, "Does it tickle? Huh, does it tickle, tickle, tickle, little brother?"

Miles felt his cheeks heat up when Pavitr teased him.

"NOHOHOHO TEASIHIHIHIHIHING!" Miles cried, "THAHAHT'S NOT FAHAHAHAIR!"

"Sure it is," Hobie said, "Tickling and teasing go hand-in-hand like Bonnie and Clyde. Can't have one without the other."

Miles couldn't stop the snort that escaped, causing the other two to laugh along with him.

"That was so cute!" Pavitr swooned.

"NO, IT WAHAHAHAHASN'T!" Miles laughed, "PLEHEHEHASE! PAVIHIHIHIHI! STOHOHOP TICKLIHIHIHIHING MEHEHEHE!"

"Are you gonna tell us what's wrong?" Hobie asked.

Miles groaned through his laughter, but when Pavitr reached his top rib, Miles broke.

"FRIHIHIHIHIHIHICK! FINE, FIHIHIHIHIHIHINE!" Miles cried, "I'LL TALK, I'LL TAHAHAHAHAHALK! PLEASE JUST STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

When the older teens nodded to one another, Pavitr removed his hands from Miles' body, leaving the young teen to slump against Hobie and pant. Though Hobie didn't release Mile's right away, Brooklyn's Spiderman felt the older teen's grip loosen. After catching his breath, he patted Hobie's arm, signaling him to release him. When Hobie did, Miles sat up and sighed as he glanced at the older teens.

"I honestly don't know what was wrong with me today," Miles said, "I guess I was just having an off day, y'know? Like, you just feel upset for no reason."

Pavitr and Hobie nodded in understanding.

"I get that," Pavitr said, "We all have off days; it's a natural thing, especially for us spider-people."

Hobie nodded in agreement. Miles breathed out a chuckle as he glanced between the other two.

"Thanks, guys," Miles said, "I really needed that."

Pavitr smiled before wrapping an arm around the younger teen.

"Anytime, little brother," Pavitr said, "We'll always be there for you!"

Hobie grinned as he ruffled Miles' hair.

"Yeah, kid," Hobie said, "If something is goin' on, tell us, or we'll be forced to use extreme measures."

Miles got the hint when a mischievous look crossed the Spider Punk's face.

"M-Message received." Miles said.

Pavitr grinned before standing up and walking over to the window.

"There's still some light left," Pavitr said, grabbing his mask, "Wanna go for a swing?"

The other two nodded before putting on their masks and vaulting out the window behind Pavitr, swinging around beautiful Mumbattan for the remainder of the afternoon. This was the Miles Morales that Pavitr and Hobie missed, smiling and laughing without a care in the world, with a hint of stubbornness and sassiness. After what happened, the older teens can confidently say that they got their little brother back.

[brandogenius]

The late-night karaoke and dances - phoebe and maybe grumpy!masc!reader?

‼️RPF‼️

(not proofread)

PROMPT- phoebe x masc grumpy reader - slow dancing

“come dance” a hand grabbed your tattooed hands tightly, trying to haul you up from couch. phoebe was standing around the living room in one of your hoodies and shorts. microphone in her hand as a song played from the tv.

“no” you whined, trying to sit back on the couch “i’m perfectly fine where i am right now thank you very much”

“oh come on- don’t be a grumpy pants” lucy called from the other couch. julien and herself were cuddled together on the couch. blankets surrounding the two of them. you looked back at your girlfriend phoebe. she was back to singing karaoke on the tv.

“i’m not really up for singing karaoke or katy perry fireworks at three am. id rather watch you guys instead” you crossed your arms, watching phoebe jump up and down, dragging julien up from her blanket nest with lucy. the two were jumping around the small space.

it was lucy’s birthday. what better to do than celebrate it at home in the company of her friends. wine glasses and pizza boxed scattered on the kitchen table, party banners stuck up on the wall with balloons. everyone has party hats on their head. you will admit it was nice. but you were more the type of person to sit and admire- to watch rather than experience.

the song came to an end as phoebe sat down on the ground with a thud. it was nearly four am and apparently phoebe didn’t feel like stopping any time soon.

she leaned her head back, bumping against your knee, smiling up at you. “hi baby” she grinned. you brushed some strands of hair away from her sweaty forehead. “think you wanna calm down for the night? you went through like ten different songs if i remember clearly”

“nah. just a couple more” phoebe lifted up the mike and threw it over to lucy who caught it. “i think the birthday girl should sing something” phoebe closed her eyes and smiled while you ran your fingers through the silver haired woman’s hair.

you watched lucy walk over to the laptop and queue up a few songs before your focus drifted back to your girlfriend on the floor. “i’m gonna get some popcorn. you want anything?” you shifted your legs off the couch and onto the floor. phoebe shook her head but thanked you.

grabbing yourself some popcorn and water, you walked back into the living room. lucy was singing song slow song you didn’t really recognise. phoebe was swaying around, phone in her hand as she recorded the moment. julien had her head on a pillow watching the two girls in her own world.

phoebes eyes caught yours, quickly settling the phone down and rushing over to you. “come dance with me” she grabbed the popcorn from your hands, placing it on the coffee table. “baby i’d rather watch honestly. dancing isn’t my thing you know that honey” phoebe didn’t listen as she brought you in closely, one arm on your hip and the other in your hand as she took the first steps, guiding you to a small waltz around the living room.

“i’m afraid i’ll step on your toes” you chuckled nervously, glancing down every so often to try and match phoebes rhythm and foot placement. “you’re doing great trust me” phoebe whispered back to you. the smile on her face was enough to reassure you. the two of you danced slowly around the living room. phoebe rested her head on your shoulder, humming along to the music in the background.

“you make a good dance partner” phoebe whispered to you. this made you chuckle a tiny bit. “i learn from the best dont i?”

[rmegars]

completed on 8/5/2023

character's name is Yuánshǔ (yuanshu's fine) (I don't use the tone mark things out of laziness sometimes lmao)

additional info about her and the drawing below

so this was painful lmao

so basically I was working on a request for a friend whose character is best described as if the wing gundam zero from endless waltz and shiny darkrai had a baby but then I sat there and realized something

"oh" "I can't draw gundam for shit dude"

which is fine and dandy so I decided to just take a break and try drawing something else which leads to an OC I've had on my mind way too much and I sat there like

"hey! she's just an anthropomorphic fox" "how hard can this be?"

then art block fucking killed me and it deadass felt like I forgot how to draw

whoops!!!!!!

but I managed to drag this out after mentally shaking myself in a VC with friends and erasing and redrawing shit fifty different times needed to remind myself that it did not have to be good it just had to be SOMETHING

and now here we are

yuanshu is a fox spirit, aka a kitsune or a huli jing (they're basically the same thing) she was created to protect a dying kingdom on the lunar plane, but then some events happened that led to her being instated as the kingdom's new ruler some of those events that led up to that moment costed her ability to feel emotion / sentiment. she essentially slowly removed aspects of herself that were deemed "impure" by the previous ruler, and over the years and eventually centuries, she became an embodiment of her desire / duty to protect her people. however, to some, she was seen as no more than a weapon or a machine.

or, well, that's how it was in the past. things got better when she met someone, but then things got way worse at some point, leading to her "death" and banishment into oblivion. in this image, this is where nothing went to shit yet

yuánshǔ is heavily based off of junko from touhou project, especially my variant / AU of her for a friend's RP setting. much of yuan shu's current personality and background is pulled from this alternate version of junko, as seen here.

anyone off of twitter or on discord likely saw this character before, as seen in a comic I haven't posted here (yet)

I mostly wound up making yuánshǔ cuz I felt like I was horribly butchering taaran (ponzoan, actually) junko's character lmao I was probably the only person who cared and people have said that I did fine, but. still

like yeah it's an AU, things should be different, but if you make things too different you can't really recognize the fact that the alternate version of this specific character is still supposed to depict this specific character so at that point it felt less like an alternate version of junko and more like. a new character parading around in a junko skin suit. and a white dress. so, yeah, I sat there like "well might as well make her an oc now" except since this is a rp setting, having junko suddenly use a new name and be a whole ass actual furry would be. awkward. and inconsistent.

then again I don't think anyone would've cared about that either lmao it's mostly just me maybe I'm just too prissy about it lmao

(junko isn't the only one I fucked up btw, there's also kaguya and hecatia. maybe someone else too) (so I'll. probably be making characters based off of them too)

[ae-cow]

Waltz The Night Away

#1 of the 1818 series, Chaeryeong of Itzy

Warning: NOT AN ACTUAL STORY, THIS IS JUST A IDEA OF MINE. This is a work of fiction with nothing to do with the idol's actual life. I do like some feedback. If you ever feel like "Hey this is very offensive." do tell me.

Pairing: Chaeryeong of Itzy x male! Oc

Summary: Lee Chaeryeong fills her dance card with fake names, rejects countless offers, and does not even try to impress or act impressed.

However, Min Kyunghee sees his name on the card full of fake names. Chaeryeong does not expect a name to line with an actual person. He takes her onto the dance floor and…

Word Count: 1.3k Words

A/N: Hi hi everyone. I got inspiration from Bridgerton. These were ideas I had since 2022 and I would like someone to write a story based on this lol.

Written: 2 July 2024

1818 Series Masterlist Here

Masterlist © ae-cow. Do not claim, steal or repost. All rights reserved

Chaeryeong and her friend Ryujin stood to the side of the bustling ballroom, observing the elegantly attired couples gliding across the polished floor.

“Perhaps you should consider dancing for once, rather than fabricating all those names on your card,” Ryujin suggested

Chaeryeong sighed, glancing at her card filled with fake names of suitors. “And risk enduring the company of tasteless suitors?”

“I am surprised no one has spoken out about your absence on the ballroom floor,” Her friend said

Just then a suitor walks towards them

“May I have the honour of dancing with you, Ms Lee Chaeryeong?” He asked with a polite smile

“Sorry, my dance card is quite full,” She smiles and grabs Ryujin’s hand

But before they could make their escape, he spoke again.

“I am but an observer, and at last week’s ball, The Royal Ball, you graciously declined my offer to dance, which I respect. However, I must confess, I did not see you grace the ballroom floor even once, even if your said dance card is full.” The nobleman emphasises, “You were merely engaged in conversation with your friend.” He smirks. “It is rather rude to dismiss one’s invitation to dance, you know.”

“Then, I must inform you that my dance card is definitely full.” Chaeryeong swings the card before him

“Wait—” He grabs it from her, flipping through the slots. “These are all fake.” He scans it further. “My name is here.”

“See, I told you it is—what?” Her smug expression quickly shifts to confusion as she snatches her card back. “Do you fancy me?” he questions

“W-what’s your name?” Chaeryeong stammers.

“It’s rude not to know my name,” He replies, arching an eyebrow

“Well, forgive me, but I’ve filled every single slot with a fictitious name so I truthfully do not know who exists.”

“I am Min Kyunghee of Moonstone,” he says, bowing slightly

“Well… at least have a dance with me. One cannot forget who they dance with, right?” Kyunghee smirks

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, but you better not tell anyone, especially my mother.”

-

As the music swelled, Chaeryeong and Kyunghee moved seamlessly across the ballroom floor, their bodies attuned to the rhythm of the waltz. Candlelight flickered around them.

Kyunghee’s hand rested lightly on her waist, his touch both firm and gentle. As they twirled, her heart raced, caught in the thrill of the moment and the undeniable connection that sparked between them.

“Ryujin would be horrified seeing you dance with someone real,” he teased, a playful glint in his eyes

“Let her be horrified,” she replied, emboldened. “It is not every day she sees this.”

“Indeed,” he agreed, his gaze lingering on her

As the final notes of the waltz faded, Kyunghee stepped closer, their breaths mingling in the charged atmosphere. Chaeryeong felt a warmth spread through her as he leaned in, his voice low.

“May I have a moment? One where it is just us two,” Kyunghee asked

Chaeryeong slowly nodded

The study was dimly lit, the air thick with tension as Kyunghee and Chaeryeong stood close together, the weight of their earlier dance lingering between them.

“Do you remember our dance?” he asked, his voice low and earnest

“Which one? We've done multiple,” she replied, jokingly while trying to maintain her composure. “We were just dancing.”

“But it felt like more,” he pressed, stepping closer, his gaze unwavering

Chaeryeong’s heart raced at his words, her thoughts swirling. In a surge of courage, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “You’re right. It felt like more,” she whispered, her voice barely audible

Before she could second-guess herself, she reached up and captured his lips with hers. The kiss was bold and fervent, igniting a fire within her that she could no longer deny. She felt the warmth of his body against hers as he responded, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her closer.

For a moment, everything else faded away. The kiss deepened, filled with unspoken desire, a realisation of the tension that had been building since their first encounter. Chaeryeong lost herself in the sensation, the world outside the study slipping from her mind.

But as they finally broke apart, breathless and wide-eyed, reality crashed back in. Overwhelmed, she stepped back, her heart racing. “What have I done?” she thought, panic rising within her. Without a word, she turned and fled the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

“Chaeryeong!” He calls

-

The following afternoon, Chaeryeong found herself wandering around the Garden, lost in thought. The sun filtered through the leaves, but her mind was elsewhere, replaying the kiss and her impulsive escape.

Her family had been invited to a Garden Party, hosted by The Rubys.

As she walked, she felt a mix of anxiety. Would Kyunghee seek her out?

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she found Kyunghee approaching, his expression serious but soft.

“Chaeryeong,” he called gently, his voice cutting through her tumultuous thoughts

“Kyunghee,” she replied, her heart racing

He stopped a few paces away, the distance between them charged with unspoken feelings. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” He said, his gaze searching hers

“Neither did I,” She admitted, feeling a wave of vulnerability

“Why did you—” She interrupts him

“What happened that day, it didn't mean anything,” Chaeryeong said, trying to ignore his gaze “I was in the heat of the moment and—”

At her words, Kyunghee’s expression fell, hurt flashing in his eyes. “In the heat of the moment?”

She looked at him and all she could think was how a time like this could be the heat of the moment. Her thoughts were exactly like his

And he said

“Kiss me.”

Chaeryeong’s brows furrowed

“Kiss me, You were in the heat of the moment that day, right? This isn't, so kiss me,” He said

“I am unchaperoned and you're here asking me to kiss you?” She said

“You weren't chaperoned in the heat of the moment were you?” Kyunghee said

“No—” “Why are you telling me this suddenly? Asking me not to promenade with Ms Hira and then this?” He said

“Because it has consumed my thoughts, I cannot stop thinking about it,” Chaeryeong said

She continues “…Our kiss meant something yet it seems to hold no value to you, seeing you waltzing with someone else.”

“You think it meant nothing to me?” His voice was barely above a whisper, the sting of her words cutting through him

Kyunghee took a step closer, his voice low and intense. “W-why do you think I kissed you back, Chaeryeong? Was it really nothing? The very lips you call my name, the lips you bite when you’re nervous… I crave your lips on mine.”

He paused, his gaze piercing through the distance between them. “My thoughts of you don’t fade; they linger and have consumed my nights and days, It was anything but nothing. It was everything.”

His eyes searched hers, blinking with realisation as he took a step back. “I- I apologise… for demanding a kiss, I shouldn’t have done that,” He said, his voice shaking.

With that, he turned and walked away from her, not looking back.

-

“That day, our first dance… You spoke of how you filled every empty slot with a name, yet my name was among those fictitious entries,” Kyunghee said, gazing tenderly at Chaeryeong. “It felt as though I had stepped into a fairytale—everything was an illusion, and suddenly, I came to life.”

“If you had not noticed, the ton has been abuzz with speculation about us. At every ball, we seem destined to find each other, you to fill your card with one genuine gentleman.” Kyunghee took her hands in his. “Chaeryeong, I wish to fill every single slot on your dance cards with my name.”

“Then the whispers of the ton would cease, for we would be wed.”

“And to make my intentions abundantly clear,” he continued, his gaze unwavering, “I wish to marry you, Lee Chaeryeong.”

[thegrandharveyspecter]

Trip to a Coffee Shop; a Harvey, Scott & Mike Drabble Part Three: Fun Lucky Night

Because Harvey couldn’t stand the old furniture in Little Guy Café, he took it upon himself to order some new chairs, some tables, and a couch or two for the back. Just like with the rent, he didn’t tell Scott he did this. When the furniture arrived, Harvey was sure Scott would know it was Harvey.

For the moment, Harvey openly brought in some stools for the counter. It was annoying to simply be standing there all the time. So, he and Scott went out and bought three. That way, whenever Scott wanted to get out of behind the counter, he could sit with Harvey and Mike.

There were still no other customers except Harvey and Mike. Scott had tried to put out a sign in the front saying there was a special price promotion going on. It didn’t do anything to bring anyone in.

It was slowly nearing the end of Harvey’s lunch break when Mike waltzed into the shop. He had one of those bright smiles whenever he came across something he found exciting. The smile was contagious for Scott. Harvey had to do his best to keep a smile of his own at bay. It was a feat.

“Okay, so you know how there’s a concert tonight?” Mike asked, looking between the two adults. “Well, guess what, I found some tickets!”

Mike reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out three tickets. He waved them in front of Harvey and Scott, still smiling. Harvey glanced at Scott for a moment before looking at Mike.

“You found the tickets…or you stole the tickets?” Harvey asked, narrowing his eyes.

Mike paused, his excited smile melted, his whole body language deflated. He looked down.

“Harvey…”

“Take them back,” Harvey ordered, firmly. “Now.”

“Scott?” Mike looked up at the other adult hopefully.

Scott shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mike, but Harvey is right. It’s wrong to steal. You have to take them back.”

“I thought you’d be on my side,” Mike said, frowning.

“Normally I would be. But stealing is wrong,” Scott said. “Take them back, Mike.”

Mike looked between Harvey and Scott, realized neither were going to cave, sighed and left the shop. He looked like such a kicked puppy at that moment.

“I’m surprised you took my side,” Harvey said, turning to face Scott.

“I want Mike to get out of the habit of stealing too, Harvey,” Scott said, almost sounding offended. “Old habits die hard, so the sooner he gets out of it, the better.”

“Speaking from personal experience, are we.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Scott furrowed his brows. Harvey deadpanned, said, “I make a living out of reading people.”

He also may have done some research on Scott Lang. There had been a nagging feeling that Scott was hiding something. Harvey wanted to know what.

“Anyway, I have to get back to work,” Harvey said. “See you later.”

This was routine by now. There was no reason for Harvey to put ‘unfortunately’ at the end of his goodbye anymore. On his way out, Scott spoke up.

“Harvey, Mike seemed really excited about tonight’s concert and us going.”

Harvey turned. “Yes, he did.”

“I pay half, you pay half?” Scott suggested, smiling.

“I can just pay for it all,” Harvey pointed out.

“I pay half, you pay half,” Scott repeated, putting extra emphasis.

This was how Scott Lang was. He didn’t casually take someone else’s money. He was a good man for not taking advantage of people like that. But Harvey was more than okay with giving his money out. Scott still refused.

“Fine. We’ll split the pay,” Harvey agreed.

Scott’s smile widened. “Awesome! Mike is going to be so happy.”

Harvey shrugged.

XXX

Mike’s eyes were wide, sparkling, and his smile was much happier than earlier. Again, it was contagious for Scott and he had his own happy smile. Harvey managed to keep himself under control…A small smile did slip through though.

“I can’t believe it! You guys are awesome!” Mike cheered, looking up from the ticket in his hand. “Thank you so much!”

Scott laughed. “C’mon, you didn’t think we wouldn’t find a way to have you go, did you? Don’t insult us.”

Mike settled, stopped buzzing with his excitement but he still had his smile. “It’s not just that. You two are the only people who gave me a chance. The only people who are actually nice to me.”

Harvey raised a brow, Scott glanced at him, and Mike snickered. “Well, you’re kinda…you know.”

Scott smacked Harvey’s back. “Yeah, he still sucks at emotions, but he’s getting better. Slowly but surely.”

Harvey groaned, rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s go. You don’t wanna be late.”

“You’re right,” Mike agreed. “Hey, maybe we can buy some merch! Like shirts or bracelets or maybe they have glow stick things!”

Mike rushed off into the crowd of people, giving Harvey a small jolt of anxiety. Meanwhile, Scott laughed.

“It’s probably been forever since he’s been to a concert, if ever,” he commented. “Heck, I don’t even remember the last time I went to a concert. Tickets are so expensive.”

Harvey furrowed his brows. “Tickets are expensive?”

“Not everyone is lucky like you, Harvey. We aren’t all walking banks with cash we can casually throw around. Some of us have to actually save our money.”

Scott lightly patted Harvey’s chest before he walked off to catch up with Mike. Harvey stood there for a moment, processing what Scott told him. After a moment, he sighed and went after the others.

The night from that point on was long, loud and exhausting. Harvey felt strange pangs in his chest, watching Mike and Scott let loose and have the time of their lives. It really was like this was the first time either have done something like this. They were cheering and singing and bouncing around to their heart's content.

Harvey wasn’t nearly as animated, but he did bop the slightest bit and he did crack a couple smiles. There was a voice in the back of his mind telling him to loosen up more. He wasn’t in a suit, he didn’t have to worry about work, it was okay to let up.

He still couldn’t bring himself to be as all over the place as the younger ones. He enjoyed himself in more subtle ways.

Seeing the smiles on Mike and Scott’s faces were enough to satisfy him. Not that he’d admit that to anyone.

By the end of the night, while Harvey was driving the two of them home, the both fell asleep in the back of his car.

Harvey couldn’t bring himself to be an asshole and wake them up. So when he got back to Little Guy Café, he took them in one at a time. He started with Scrawny Mike, since Harvey could carry him on his back easier. He placed him on one of the couches, one that was going to be replaced.

He went back for Scott, placed his arm over his shoulders and held onto his waist. He tried to have him somewhat lifted from the ground as he took him inside. Harvey took him to his back room, plopped him on his bed, then he left the shop.

What a night. A weird, but according to Scott, fun lucky night. 

[fastasyoucan1999]

hiiiii hi brynn just popping in to say im obsessed with ur laszlo cravensworth lady husband playlist xx a masterpiece have been listening to it while studying today (or at least im 99.9% sure its your playlist and u are in fact the spotify user brynn i am following, based on the playlist dedicated entirely to waltz better than fine) xx anyway that is all just wanted to let u know mwah have a lovely day if it turns out you are not the spotify user brynn in question i will simply have to deactivate out of sheer embarrassment xx

oh my goodness hi ridi hi! i’m sipping pink lemonade and swinging my legs as i read this feeling a little smug that my exams are over but! i hope ur studying goes well and you ace everything xx

also yes that’s my account lol and even if it wasn’t i’d just lie and say it was to make u feel better!! i’d toss you a bone! no but i miss laszlo so much :// my lady husband my beautiful vampire i’m holding out for july literally vibrating with excitement for the new season

i’m glad u like the playlist!! getting a compliment from THE aeridi0nis spotify playlist extraordinaire?? gonna be living off this ego boost for a while i think!

[myfictionaldreams]

Repeat after me // mafia!stucky x fem!reader

Summary: It wasn't often that you had to attend a party with your boyfriends but today, you found yourself at one, filling you with anxiety and dread. How will the boys react when they find you close to a panic attack and starting to doubt their love for you?

Tags: 18+ readers only, smut, dom/sub, dom bucky, dom steve rogers, submissive reader, roughsex, multiple orgasms, creampie, spanking, subspace, overstimulation, sir kink, size difference, size kink, aftercare, masturbation (male), handjob, praise kink, anxiety attack, angst

Word: 4.7k

my masterlist 📚 AO3 Link

It wasn’t often that you had to attend these parties that were hosted by the wealthy, dangerous gang members that liaison with your boyfriend’s Brooklyn gang but when you did, every second was filled with anxiety and panic, expecting every stranger that waltzed past to attack either of your boyfriends. Today, every instinct of yours was in “flight mode”, wanting nothing more than to stay home with Steve and Bucky, ignoring the world but instead, you were hiding in the bathrooms trying not to have a panic attack as the party was in full swing.

All day you’d been trying to mentally prepare for this, determined not to let your anxiety get the best of you but all the breathing exercises in the world couldn’t prepare you for this and slowly, you could feel yourself falling into your safe space. It wasn’t necessarily a subdrop that you were experiencing but it was close enough as when you reached this point, you would stare at the floor, not wanting to look anyone in the eye, you’d feel sick to your stomach, hands shaking as your heart would pound violently in your chest., your mind filling with endless self-doubt. It was closer to a panic attack than subspace but there was nothing that could usually bring you out of it other than escaping from the situation and being surrounded by love and warmth.

You weren’t even lucky enough to try and cling to Steve or Bucky during this event as they’d both been dragged off to god-knows-where as soon as you all arrived at the party, leaving you with your bodyguard for the night, Sam Wilson. He was a good friend of yours and was nice company but as the hours ticked up, everything slowly became too much for you.

Leaving the safety of the bathroom, you saw Sam leaning against the wall opposite, smiling lightly as he spotted you approaching slowly, rubbing your hand up your arm and not meeting his eye contact. He’d noticed something was different with you from the moment the party had begun, not even the occasional kiss on the cheek by Steve or Bucky as they sauntered past, could bring a real smile to your face. 

Joining him against the wall, you watched the hustle of drunk partiers strolling by, the sound of the bass music beating in time with your pounding heartbeat. “Everything ok over there Boss Lady?” Sam asked, leaning down slightly so you could hear him.

Trying your best to be believable, you smiled, responding with, “I’m fine!” but really you just wanted to go home, especially looking across the room and spotting Steve and Bucky surrounded by a group of beautiful women who were standing a fraction too close for your liking. Your throat became tight as you looked away, thoughts spiralling to things you knew weren’t true but your anxieties were your own worse enemy.

Maybe they preferred to be with those other girls, it would probably be better for you to just go home than to be a disappointment for them, and then they detest you for the remainder of the party.

Sam had noticed your declining mental health, the way your shoulders hunched to the nervous glances at every person that passed, he knew he needed to check just how far you were gone with your anxieties, having been there once when it truly became too much, you became non-verbal and hyperventilated until losing consciousness. Making sure his movements were slow, Sam gently pulled your hand until you were both in a quieter corridor.

Lifting his hands, he cupped your cheeks, his thumbs swiping across to try and soothe you but all you did was continue to look at the floor, “do you want to go home?” he asked, trying to sound as calm as he could. Before you could answer though, Sam took notice of the thumping in the vein under his fingers along your neck, at first he thought it was the bass from the music but as he felt the quickened thump of your heartbeat and he knew instantly that he needed to get you out of there before your panic attack began.

Taking your hand once more, your bodyguard tugged you swiftly through the crowd and to your boyfriends who were now by themselves next to the bar. Initially, you tried to stay behind Sam, not wanting to talk to either man as you felt sick to your stomach but Bucky was instantly by your side, cocooning you in his muscular arms, kissing your cheek, “there you are hot mama, I’ve been looking for my best girl.”

Normally his actions would have you giggling and chest filled with love for the man but instead, you were wanting to be anywhere else, feeling overwhelmed and conflicted with your thoughts. Bucky didn’t initially notice your discomfort but Steve did, eyes narrowing as he took in your tense demeanour as Sam informed them, “Me and boss lady are heading home”. Steve and Bucky’s eyes flicked to the bodyguard, hearing the concern in his voice.

Sam checked you weren’t looking at him before he pointed to his neck, shaking his head and Bucky subtly lifted his hand, resting it against your neck and feeling for himself, the beating of your heart, his eyes worriedly snapping to Steve’s as his jaw clenched, neither realising before just how close you were to reaching your limit. Steve leaned forward towards Bucky, whispering “sort the rest of the shit out here, I’m going to take her home”, Bucky’s arms dropped from around your shaking form, as he moved to quickly speak to the multitude of gangsters that he and Steve had planned to make business with during the party. Steve now turned to Sam, nodding towards the exit and the man knew he was to meet you both in the car.

From the corner of your eye, you could see Sam starting to leave and you moved to follow him but Steve swiftly gripped your upper arm, pulling you in the opposite direction. You followed in a blur, feeling sick to your stomach at being split from Sam, not wanting to discuss anything with Steve but also confused as to where he was even taking you as he moved deeper into the venue, down empty corridors before finding an empty room with a singular desk in the centre.

You could feel your eyes burning from the tears that were welling up as Steve pulled you along towards the desk, your chest aching from the tightness that was constricting it as he finally picked you up and placed you on the desk, your feet dangling from the floor as he stood between your legs. His hands were rough as they gripped your jaw tightly, tilting it and forcing you to look up into his bright blue eyes that were swirling with worry but you still desperately tried to look anywhere but into his eyes, being overcome with emotions.

He didn’t loosen his hold however as his deep voice calmly demanded, “take a deep breath for me.” Steve’s words dawned on you as in your panic, you hadn’t been continuing your strict breathing exercises so when you tried to do as instructed, all you could do was choke as you tried to suck in a deep breath, your tight throat stopping you. Steve stayed calm as he watched the tears slip down your cheeks, his thumbs catching them and stroking them away as he watched your body sway from the waves of dizziness, as he continued, “that’s it, and another breath, nice and deep, well done”.

With each passing breath, your throat and chest eased so you were able to take in more air, finding that the dizziness was starting to pass until finally, you were sucking in deep breaths without any issues. Fully looking at your boyfriend now, you saw the corners of his lips turn up as he moved on to trying to calm down your anxieties, “You’re doing so good for me baby, now, I need you to know that you are safe, you are with me, I’ll always protect what’s mine, no one is going to hurt you.”

Initially, you still felt sick to your stomach but as Steve’s calming voice continued, your muscles started to relax and you found yourself leaning more into his touch, “Listen to my voice, look into my eyes baby, you are mine. You are Bucky’s. We are yours and will always be yours”. He lifted his eyebrows in a questioning manner, waiting for your response, his eyes flicking between both of yours as finally, you nodded, being lost in his comfort and safety.

The mafia boss released your face and you instantly felt a loss as the warmth was gone but you sat silently and watched as he shrugged off his black blazer, quickly moving to wrap it around your shoulders and instantly you were cloaked in his body heat and scents that also helped to calm any negative thoughts that were slowly silencing in your mind.

Before long, his large hands were cupping your cheeks once more as you now willingly met his stare, he looked as if he was going to say something but stopped himself, instead opting to inch forward to kiss your forehead, taking in a deep breath, subtly smelling your own scents that helped to calm him before moving back. “I want you to repeat after me: I am yours, and you are mine.”

You tried to repeat his words, feeling your heart fill with warmth as you stuttered through the sentence. He asked you to keep repeating it, joining in until both of you were saying the same words, his forehead now leaning against yours so you were both breathing in the same air and your anxieties floated away, shoulders dropping from their tense stance.

Finally, the two of your simple held onto each other in silence, feeling exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster throughout the evening, guilt was starting to weigh heavy on your mind, however, knowing you had no reason for your internal panic. Opening your mouth, you had planned to apologise but Steve was quick to cover your lips with his rough palm, smirking down with a twinkle in his eyes as he muttered, “I don’t want to hear anything but sweet little moans coming out of your mouth, do you understand?”

Almost immediately your abdomen clenched, thighs rubbing together as your eyes dropped from his blue ones to his full lips, watching every movement, surprised how quick his distractions worked as you wanted nothing more than to attach yourself to his beautiful mouth. Nodding against his hand, you stayed silent as he released his grasp on your mouth, his touch moving down to your hips to pull you from the table, making sure you were steady on your feet before leaning down to kiss you.

The kiss is soft and delicate but still leaves you breathless as he pulled away, reaching down to grasp your hand and then lifting to gently kiss across your knuckles before pulling you out of the room. You’d hope to spot Bucky as the two of you made your way once more through the crowded party but he was nowhere to be seen as Steve was quick to distract you by pulling you in close to his side before finally, you were stood before his car with Sam in the driver's seat.

Steve helped you into the backseat, pulling your seatbelt across your chest and then quickly kissing you on the tip of your nose and jumping into the seat beside you. His large hands were fast to hold your own, thumb stroking across the skin whilst you rested your head on his shoulder, eyes closing as you simply breathed in his intoxicating scents, smiling as he kissed the top of your head.

During the journey home, you’d slipped into a restful sleep, head lolling forward but Steve was quick to put pressure on your forehead tipping it back so you didn’t strain your neck. Finally, the two of your arrived home, and even though you had woken as he unclipped your seatbelt, with Sam holding open the door for you both, Steve still eased his arms under your body and lifted you from the car, causing you to giggle and wrap your arms quickly around his neck, holding onto him tightly.

The blonde man wished Sam goodnight as he carried you up through the house and to the bedroom, effortlessly easing you down into the centre of the bed, leaning over the top of you and looking down at you with affection. However, the self-doubt still teetered in your thoughts as you couldn’t help but whisper, “I’m sorry”.

His hand was quick to move to cover your mouth, much like it had been back in the party, “I still don’t want to hear those words coming out of your mouth, understand?” He released his hand on your mouth to allow you to answer.

“Yes”.

He turned his head slightly to the side as he asked, “yes, what?”

You smiled coyly up to him, “yes, sir.”

He started to smirk, clearly hearing the correct words as he then continued, “that’s right, baby girl and remember, I am yours and you are mine”. Before you could respond, he leaned down and kissed you passionately, lips moving together feverishly, causing your back to arch up, desperate to feel him more.

Your hands gripped onto his crisp white shirt, pulling him closer, your tongue slipping between his lips as you tilted your head, allowing the kiss to deepen and a low growl vibrated in his chest. Pulling back, his lips now slightly puffy from the kiss, he looked down at your body, “I want to touch every inch of your body”. Your cheeks warmed under his intense gaze, wanting him to do just what he had said.

Steve helped to pull off his blazer that was still wrapped around your body, leaving open-mouthed kiss along the exposed skin of your arms. Next, he eased the material of your dress up and over your head, disposing it to the floor as he bit his lip, having forgotten that Bucky had made sure that you hadn’t worn any underwear under your dress so you were laid out beneath him in nothing but your heeled-shoes.

His large, warm hands travelled across every inch of your body, living up to his words, leaving a trail of goosebumps due to the soft touches, but they were also driving you wild, your breathing coming hot and heavy as he lightly brushed over your pebbled nipples. The ache between your legs was nearly unbearable as he leaned over to kiss you once more, hand cupping your jaw and the other slipping to hold onto your hip.

Your legs wrapped around his waist as you tried desperately to roll your centre against his trouser covered bulge, but he kept the slightest bit back, loving to see you mewl beneath him. Trying a different approach, you dropped your hands from his chest and to his zipper, pulling it down and already feeling the twitch of his cock as it was already rock hard beneath his legs.

Steves's lips left yours, causing you to moan louder at the loss of contact, but he only chuckled deeply, gripping onto your wrists delicately as he lifted them above your head, moving to hold them there easily with one hand. “Please sir, I need you, so bad”.

“I know sweetheart, I can feel how wet you are through my pants, don’t worry you’ll get my cock soon enough” his voice was deep as he spoke, just staring down at your body, trying to memorise every detail of how beautiful you looked in that moment but as you gasped again, legs tightening around his wrist, he moved to start pulling his zipper down, seeing the relief in your eyes as you watched him.

His cock was pulled out in less than a second and you marvelled in its beautiful, long and thick, veins pulsing up the shaft as he started to gently move it up and down your fold, spreading the juices that were near enough dripping out of you. Your eyes closed in satisfaction, particularly as his tip brushed against your already swollen clit, causing you to pant and grind your hips.

Now it was Steve’s turn to feel pent up, seeing how easily you reacted to his touches, small beads of pre-cum started to leak from his tip. With a hand at the base of his cock, he positioned it to your quivering entrance, knowing you both needed this now, not wanting to waste time with foreplay as he started to push in. Both of you gasped as intense pleasure bloomed through both of your abdomens, Steve loving the feeling of your tight cunt squeezing around him, watching as inch-by-inch, you took all of him until he was fully sheathed.

Opening your eyes, you bite your lip whilst looking up at your boyfriend, loving the power difference between you both. You lay there, with no clothes, hands held above your head so you couldn’t move whilst he was still fully dressed, having full control over the situation.

Steve waited a few moments for your pussy to adjust to the intrusion of his girthy cock, the burn from the stretch slowly easing to pure bliss as his hand trailed from between your legs, up to cup one of your breasts, pinching the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the tingling sensations shooting across your chest helping the ache blooming in your centre.

Finally, Steve started to pull out halfway before swiftly moving back in, “I’m going to make you cum so many times baby girl that you’re going to forget your name, let’s start quickly shall we?”

Before you had time to comprehend his words, he started to pick up his pace, cock slamming into your cunt, your whole body rocking on the bed as he released your nipple to start rubbing his fingers against your clit in a circle, matching his thrusts and all you could do was lie back and shout his name in ecstasy. It took no time at all for him skilful hands and thrusts had your orgasm pulsing through your pussy, legs holding him impossibly close as you squeezed his cock tightly as waves of pleasure erupted throughout you. 

“Good girl, that’s it” Steve praised, not pausing in his thrusts, fucking you through your orgasm. Suddenly you found your wrists free to move as he released them, moving both of his palms to lay on your collarbones, the width of his hands meant that they circled around your neck as he used this grip to hold you to the bed, the touch intimate but ruthless as you once again could only lay there and take the pleasure, “Say you’re mine” he grunted.

“I’m yours- fuck, sir that feels so good, oh god” you desperately whimpered gripping onto his wrists, looking up into his intense blue eyes, beads of sweat starting to drip from his forehead.

“That’s it, baby, I can feel you’re already close, say you’re Buckys” he grunted, slapping his hips into yours, loving that your second orgasm was always quick to build when being fucked hard.

“I’m Buckys! I’m yours, sir, fuck, I'm cuming!” your eyes rolled back as you tried to arch your back up but his grip on your upper body had you trapped to the bed, but it didn’t stop your legs from shaking, unable to keep around his waist anymore as they collapse to the sides. 

Steve halted his thrusts, not wanting to entirely overwhelm you, as the waves of pleasure were more intense this time, his cock being compressed in your warm hole. He once again started to move his hands over your body, helping to soothe you through your orgasm, small shivers still erupted throughout your limbs though as you smiled up at him with a glassy expression in your eyes. Cupping your cheek, Steve asked, “are you still with me sweetheart?” You nodded your head in confirmation, turning your head to kiss his palm as he smiled down at you.

Reaching beside him he lifted both of your legs up until your heeled covered feet rested on his shoulders, hands then resting on your thighs, helping to hold them up as the new angle allowed him to thrust to hit deeper as he started to slowly rotate his hips.

Steve now took his time with his thrusts, savouring in every little twitch and clench that your body produced, holding strong eye contact with you. It was just as he moved his fingers further around your thighs to reach and press his fingers against your clit, did you accidentally press your heel into his shoulder hard enough for him to wince, your eyes opening wide and apologies rushing out of your lips.

But he simply smiled down at you and continued his thrusts as he turned to kiss each of your ankles, removing each shoe gently. Once they were thrown over his shoulders, he opened your legs and collapsed over the top of you, leaning on his forearms as he started to kiss you deeply, before moving to your neck, sucking on the sweet spot between your neck and shoulder as your hands fell into his blonde hair, pulling on it tightly.

He managed to make you cum an additional two times before Bucky arrived home via taxi, his ears perking up to the sounds of your gasps that echoed down the hall. As he walked into the bedroom, he simply stood there, watching as you were now on all fours in the middle of the bed, Steve relentlessly slapping his hips into yours, spanking on your arse cheeks until they were sore but the pain and pleasure combo had you left in a state of extreme euphoria.

Steve acknowledged his best friend with a subtle nod before looking down at you again, loving the pleads slipping from your lips as he felt his own orgasm on the very brink of releasing. Bucky approached, shrugging off his blazer and sitting on the floor at the edge of the bed near your head, reaching forward he stroked your head, snapping your attention towards him, “Bu-buc-” you mumbled, trying to reach for him but he could clearly see in your eyes that you were overstimulated and feeling subspacy.

“Shhh, it’s ok hot mama, I’m here, you’re doing so well for Steve,” he praised, continuing to stroke along with your head and down your spine, calming your spasming muscles. Hearing Steve’s grunts intensifying, Bucky glanced up to his boss, seeing that he was clearly close to cuming so he reached underneath your body and applied pressure to your already sensitive clit. “Are you going to be a good girl for us and cum one more time? I know you can do it Doll”.

You didn’t need to be told twice as the pounding of Steve’s cock and the feeling of Bucky's hand on your bundle of nerves had you twitching uncontrollably, the warm sensation quickly flooding throughout your cunt and thighs, breath hitching in your throat as you came hard once more. At the same time, Steve tipped his head back, groaning deeply as he released his seed deep into your pussy, feeling his cock twitch with each spurt of liquid before finally finishing.

Bucky caught your body before you could fully collapse onto the bed whilst Steve eased himself out of you, before moving to the bathroom, removing his clothes and starting to run the water in the sizeable tub. The brunette man moved to hold you in his lap, not caring about the cum that was dripping out of you and onto his trousers as he tenderly kissed your forehead. Looking up at him tiredly, you managed to whisper, “I missed you”.

He smiled down at you, eyes flicking across your face as he responded, “I’ve missed you too, Doll. Now, let’s get you all cleaned up.” Lifting you up against his chest, he was able to carry you into the bathroom, seeing Steve was already settled into the half-full tub, arms out ready to help you into the tub. As each body part was eased into the water you gasped, not realising how much your body was aching from the fucking you’d been given.

Relaxing back against Steve’s chest, you tiredly watch Bucky undress before stepping in as well, your eyes zoning in on the rock-hard cock that was bouncing up between his legs as he sat opposite you. Seeing where your eyes had been looking, he grinned cockily over to you, finding it endearing how you tried to hide your face at being caught staring at him. In the water, you found it easier to move even if it was just the bare minimum of reaching your arm out to Bucky, who happily grabbed your hand and pulled you over to him so your head was now resting on his metal shoulder, legs resting on either side of his hips, the man’s cock now lying between the two of you.

Bucky’s lips brushed over your temple as he held you close, asking “are you feeling better now hot mama?” Feeling too tired and slightly out of it, you only responded with a simple nod of the head, your mind only really focusing on the member that was twitching against your stomach. Extending both of your arms under the water, you moved to grasp him, steadily easing up and down his shaft, loving the sound of his breath hitching but Bucky’s hands soon stopped you, “You’ve been through enough tonight Doll, you need to rest, just ignore it, it’ll go away eventually”.

Not being satisfied by your answer, you tightened your grip, frowning as you mumbled, “but I want to, please let me make you cum”. You heard Bucky swear under his breath as he looked towards Steve who was watching you with a smile, shrugging his shoulders at his friend's unspoken question. Bucky contemplated this for a few moments, all the whilst you continued to try and move up and down his length until finally, he released your wrists, head falling back against the bathtub edge, allowing you to wank him off.

As you moved up his thick cock, you squeezed tighter over his tip, applying pressure to the underside before moving back down, and occasionally rolling his balls between your fingers. The three of you sat and listened to the movements of water around your hands and the small gasps and grunts that Bucky was making and before long, you could hear move movement in the water behind you as Steve was starting to touch himself at the sight before him.

Seeing both men being pleasured in their own ways would usually have your cunt pulsing but you had been so thoroughly satisfied by Steve that you weren’t sure you were even capable of another orgasm right now so you were content with just spending your time making Bucky feel good.

Increasing your pace, you felt his cock becoming harder, pulsing slightly as Bucky’s head shot up, grunting your name wildly and suddenly an idea came to mind as you knew he was close. Using the last of your energy, you sat up on your knees, hovering your cunt above Bucky’s cock and quickly sinking down. The warm, tight hole was a welcoming feeling as Bucky came almost immediately, hands gripping your hips as he spurted his hot cum into your pussy.

He was breathing heavily as you cuddled back into his chest, his arms now circling around your back as you quickly glanced over your shoulder to see Steve cumming into the water as he watched the two of you. The three of you sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Bucky leaned down so his lips were next to your ear, “you’re so fucking beautiful, Doll”.

All you could do was smile against his chest, eyes now closed as you were so close to falling asleep, even with his half-limp cock still inside of you but his lips kissing your temple snapped you back to the moment as he continued, “come on, let’s get in the shower, this water isn’t cleaning any of us”.

The boys tenderly cleaned you up, kissing and caressing your body as they moved and you couldn’t help the love that seeped through your heart, even though the exhaustion of the day's events, they were always your number one, as you were theirs.

[dancingamongstdust]

sdc group when their partner sneakily joins their Egypt mission? And they only find out when it's too late for them to return?hcs pls?

Yes! My first Jojo's request! Hopefully I get more of these in the future because I love this show.

· You didn’t even make it onto the first plane before you sensed Jotaro’ large presence standing behind you.

· You turned around with a big smile and tried to pretend that it was a complete coincidence to see him there. He just stared while you slowly made your way through the boarding terminal with your ticket out.

· His plan was to send you home the moment that you next landed.

· The fight with Tower of Gray caused a problem with that plan though the stand itself had little effect on your trip. You only noticed when the group went bustling towards the cockpit, their tones betraying the importance of what was happening.

· You had ventured over and asked about the situation.

· The majority of the group had attempted to usher you out and Jotaro didn’t even respond. Still, Star Platinum kept you safe when the plane hit the water and you were practically carried into the lifeboat with the rest of the group.

· Your comment about the trip being more hazardous than expected earned you a glare.

· The rest of the group didn’t realise anything was special about you until you all arrived in Hong Kong officially and Jotaro led you alongside them to the hotel.

· Details about your relationship with him were quickly brought up after that though he seemed content to mostly ignore everything that was said. You found yourself enjoying the conversation with Joseph though he too felt that the trip was too dangerous for you to be on.

· Jotaro didn’t share a room with you in the hotel, instead having his grandfather get you one that was next door to his.

· Before he could disappear after making sure you were safe, you quickly apologised and asked if he was upset. He was always quiet but there was a heaviness to the air that made you feel as though you’d upset him.

· He told you that you hadn’t and that was the last of that.

· You missed your flight the next day when it became clear that Dio hadn’t sent just one person after the group. Star Platinum’s tendency to hover in front of you (whether you could or couldn’t see him) made it clear that you weren’t to be put in danger.

· Jotaro thought it would make you an easy target to send you back alone after you had been seen with the group.

· He was right and you quickly found yourself an occasional target for those who didn’t know any better. They never injured you badly but scratches and bruises became expected as you continued on the journey.

· Jotaro wasn’t affectionate normally but his coldness built up until one day, you asked if he resented you being there and apologised for your brash actions. You had no idea that the things they were involved in broke the lines of reality and fiction.

· He stared at you for a bit before sighing and wrapping one arm around you.

· That was all that you needed to fling your arms around his middle and squeeze him as tight as you could.

· He didn’t need to say it for you to understand that he didn’t hold it against you. Despite the constant danger that you were in, he had found himself calmer about the situation thanks to your presence. It would have been a much harder trip without you being there.

· Kakyoin thought he saw you several times but brushed it off as wishful thinking until toward the end of their Singapore stay.

· You were remarkably good at remaining undetected but more and more creepy things were happening, and it made you want to be closer to the group. It felt like the better option if you were putting yourself in danger anyway.

· There was a moment of silence when you made eye contact – your attempts at sneaking around now thwarted.

· So you raised your hand and waved.

· Kakyoin wasn’t sure what to think. For a second, he was sure that he was imagining it but your reaction to his unexpected departure had been suspicious in hindsight. You had gone from being devastated that he was just leaving without warning, to supportive about whatever he had to do.

· And this would be why.

· You made a joke about being mildly codependent when you sat down next to him, awkward and unsure of how he would react to you being there. It was followed by a question about his sun tanning wear that made him chuckle.

· Somehow, he wasn’t overheating in his uniform even though you were dying in just casual summer clothes.

· You apologised for not telling him that you were coming but pointed out how weird he’d been acting for the past few months. Sure, he had gone back to normal afterwards but you were worried. Especially because you knew fully about the slightly weirder aspect of his life.

· Whether you could see him or not, you felt Hierophant Green appear at the mention. He wrapped around your waist as usual. Close even when Kakyoin couldn’t be.

· As if to prove your worries correct, the first thing you found out after spending a day at the pool (pretending that you were just a couple on a regular vacation) was that an imposter had been walking around as Kakyoin.

· The others weren’t entirely on board with your presence and Kakyoin wasn’t happy with the amount of danger you were in.

· Several times he attempted to convince you that it would be safer elsewhere. He even asked Joseph to get you a plane ticket home at one point but each time you would see or experience something that added to your worries.

· The only way you were going home was if he was with you.

· You managed to remain mostly out of danger despite everything. The main threat you faced came in the form of Death 13 who quickly found a way to manipulate your cares for Kakyoin.

· After the first nightmare, you had started staying up later to make sure he was okay before going to sleep – thwarting the stand’s plans in a substantial way.

· When he nearly lost his eyesight, you didn’t sleep for days on end. You sat alongside the bed and waited for him to recover. Often, you’d think you should call somebody back home to let them know what was happening but he always asked you not to.

· While he was recovering, he asked you again to go home. The trip had almost doubled in danger and he didn’t trust Hierophant to be able to protect you fully.

· You refused once more and reiterated that you had come this far.

· You weren’t going to be going back without him at your side.

· Yeah, Polnareff wouldn’t have noticed you were following at all if it hadn’t been for Jotaro.

· It was shortly after they had arrived in Varanashi and you had accidentally drawn attention to yourself by laughing at Polanareff’s attempts at flirting with Nena. Though he himself hadn’t noticed that you were there, Jotaro had and he quickly come to the conclusion of having seen you before.

· You had made eye contact with him and quickly realised that continuing to hide was going to turn dangerous.

· So you waltzed over to your very distracted partner and draped yourself over his shoulders, playing with the earring and smugly smirking at whomever he had been flirting with.

· He was a flirt, that part you had never minded, but it was always satisfying to show off that he wasn’t truly available.

· Not having expected your sudden appearance, Polnareff had almost fallen over in his scramble to get away from you. After the shock subsided however, he had gasped and swept you into the air with an excited greeting and a seemingly endless stream of French.

· After you were put down, he rapidly introduced you to the rest of the group before realising that you weren’t meant to be there.

· You gave Jotaro an apologetic smile and mentioned that you hadn’t meant to cause trouble with your following.

· He had rolled his eyes and gone back to staring at nothing so you had to assume it was all fine now that you had shown you weren’t an enemy.

· Polnareff on the other hand had begun interrogating you to find out exactly why you had been in India when he remembered saying goodbye to you in France. Though admittedly, that memory was hazy due to the fleshbud having been in effect during time.

· When you explained his suspicious behavior was why you had followed in the first place, he gathered you close and squeezed you as tightly as possible.

· Your unexpected appearance came at the right time. After the bittersweet experience with the Hanged Man, Polnareff had been struggling and you acted as the best possible solution.

· You are a distraction, that much quickly becomes obvious, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

· Unfortunately, you did end up getting injured quite frequently while you were with the group but never once did Polnareff mention sending you home. You were never hurt in a way that would leave more than a small scar.

· The others did suggest it once but Polnareff had instantly shut that down.

· He could make sure you were safe. Why wouldn’t he want you with him at all times?

· You got quite a bit of attention during the trip, primarily from other men who all took great interest in you. It was entertaining to see the contrast between your casual attraction of attention and Polnareff’s active seeking of it.

· The only time either of you got actually jealous during the trip was of Iggy who had quickly realised how to exploit both of you.

· Surprisingly, you managed to follow the group all the way to Singapore before you were spotted by Avdol.

· You could have made it further still without notice but you had been so worried when their ship didn’t arrive in time that you just ran into Avdol the next time you saw him, hugging him as though he was going to slip from your fingers and never return again.

· Avdol was confused though he held it in well enough, just stroking your hair and reassuring you that he was alright.

· After you had calmed and pulled away, he touched your cheek before asking what you were doing there.

· You just shrugged and he sighed.

· Introductions happened then and you made an incredible impression on the rest of the group. Apparently Avdol had been sending you updates about his trip but due to your following, nothing had gotten through and you had to be caught up with everything they had learned.

· Stands were far from a foreign concept to you but you found yourself fascinated by the newer ones.

· Magician’s Red came out shortly after you had examined Silver Chariot closely – betraying Avdol’s otherwise well-hidden jealousy. He simply smiled and winked when you had given him a look because of it.

· He knew their trip would be difficult but Avdol couldn’t bring himself to send you home.

· You had spent such little time together since his first encounter with Dio (him having to flee Egypt shortly after) and he genuinely missed you more than he cared to admit. Additionally, Avdol was very certain that their group could protect you with the combination of knowledge and power they had.

· Avdol kept you well protected while you travelled. Nobody suspicious even got close to you while you were near him.

· He guided you away from dangerous situations with a hand around your waist and a smile on his face. You never even knew there was a problem. Those who got too close quickly found themselves at the mercy of Magician’s Red.

· Even if you couldn’t see his stand, the warmth of its presence would quickly alert you to its appearance. If you could see it though, Avdol would find it harder to brush off things as ‘precaution’ though he would still try.

· After his initial encounter with Hol Horse, you felt your entire world shatter around you.

· That was the end of your journey with the Crusaders as, after he was stabilized, you refused to leave Avdol’s side. You tended to him as best as you could while secretly hoping that he wouldn’t rejoin their quest after this injury.

· But as he recovered you realised that wouldn’t be an option.

· You volunteered to come with him again. Though you hadn’t been much help on the earlier parts of the journey, he was still injured and could probably use your assistance.

· The incident had been frightening to both of you however and when he next left, you weren’t with him. Before he left, you clutched at his clothing in a silent plead for him to stay.

· After the submarine disappeared beneath the waves, you sat down on the beach and just stared at the ocean for hours to come.

· You got to India before he noticed you and it was a complete accident.

· There was a problem with your hotel booking so you had to remain in the lobby for longer than anticipated – a hand propped on your hip and a bored expression on your face. You hadn’t anticipated that the group would make their way downstairs again, a problem with some missing room service.

· Honestly, he really should have noticed sooner given that the additional charges were coming from his account.

· To the others, nothing was wrong. Joseph just kind of stopped walking and you offered a simple smile in hopes that neither of your covers would be blown.

· He didn’t allow that to last.

· His shout of confusion made everybody jump and you turned around sheepishly. There were a few seconds while the rest of the group realised that you were the source of the commotion so you volunteered your information.

· You had been worried after Joseph’s stand developed (having been there when it happened) and you realised something dangerous was going on. While you weren’t planning on getting involved, surely it couldn’t help to at least know what was happening. From his stories, he didn’t exactly live the quiet life.

· Avdol – having met you before – had a feeling that you were trailing him and is pleasantly surprised to be proved correct.

· Joseph was irritated and worried and happy all at once which resulted in a half-hearted but very loud complaint about why you couldn’t understand what the word ‘dangerous’ means.

· He immediately demanded that you take the first plane home and you very simply responded with ‘no’.

· This resulted in a pretty one-sided argument where he continuously tried to urge you to stop being stubborn and just get back to safety. Your response remained the same to pretty much everything until eventually you just smiled and said that it was good to see him.

· That flustered him enough to cut off his tirade.

· A small silence was broken by the return of the hotel receptionist who couldn’t find a spare room to make up for the booking not coming through on their system. She began apologising when Joseph cut her off.

· It didn’t matter, you would be staying with him either way.

· Avdol sighed and commented something about having to change rooms when the question was finally asked by a very irate Jotaro.

· Who the fuck were you?

· There was a great deal of awkward stammering from Joseph before he eventually settled on saying that you were his assistant. You raised an eyebrow at that but went along with it.

· Though it was obvious that nobody believed it, the matter of your identity wasn’t pushed any further.

· You stuck around after that, mostly remaining at the hotel, and occasionally getting slightly hurt. Joseph made very sure that you remained far from any potential stands and you really didn’t mind that all too much.

· A rule was quickly made to make sure you weren’t ever left alone but that was just fine. You ended up dragging Joseph into too many stores, him complaining about it all the while, until you both left with at least one bag each.

· Jotaro didn’t warm up to you for a long time and even then, it’s more tolerance than anything else.

· The trip didn’t leave you badly injured but it strengthened your relationship with Joseph more than you had ever expected.

[delimeful]

taking the fall (4)

warnings: pain, injury, mentions of captivity

-

Roman woke to throbbing pain in his leg and an uncannily soft surface below him.

He resisted the urge to groan theatrically as he was unwillingly dragged back to consciousness, and then resisted the urge to groan harder as he recalled just what had happened before he passed out.

He’d been seen. After all his careful planning, his little one-in-a-lifetime excursion had still landed him in the hands of a human. He wasn’t fool enough to believe that Logan had left him alone just because he’d fallen out of sight for a moment and then passed out like a wimp who couldn’t even handle a little bone-breaking.

Humans often lived in blissful ignorance, but not ‘lack of object permanence’ levels of it. Logan had definitely seen him fall, and odds were that he was now in the human’s clutches. Which was bad.

Tiny furniture hobbies aside, the guy was a textbook nerd, which was only barely a step down from an actual scientist. Roman wouldn’t be surprised at all if he woke up in one of those clear glass vials that scientists were always using on TV. Would that be better or worse than a jar? Probably worse, but if he could tip it over…

He dragged his thoughts away from the hypotheticals, well aware that he was stalling. Whatever he was laying on now, it certainly wasn’t glass.

Hesitantly, he peeked one eye open a tiny bit.

A pillow. It looked absolutely bizarre from this angle, his body just barely heavy enough to sink in and cause a few wrinkles in the fabric, but it was still recognizable as one of the huge fluffy pillows that normally rested on the human’s bed.

He turned his head a little further, and found that the pillow was on the desk that he’d previously taken a dive off of. The miniature set was still present to one side, surprisingly enough. Perhaps less time than he thought had passed, if it hadn’t been sent off to wherever Logan had promised to take it yesterday?

Or perhaps Logan had decided to forgo that responsibility in favor of his exciting new discovery. Roman shuddered.

“Hello? Are you awake?”

The voice nearly made Roman jump out of his skin, and he couldn’t help but freeze guiltily, totally giving away his awakeness. He craned his head up and saw that Logan was sitting on the desk chair, pushed back a few feet from the desk, a tiny dresser in one hand and a paintbrush in the other.

That was… considerably less menacing than he’d been expecting. “What are you doing?”

Logan blinked at him, nonplussed. “Wood detailing?”

Roman squinted at him suspiciously, trying to figure out what nefarious plans one could enact with the details of a tiny dresser. Perhaps it was supposed to be a part of some sick enclosure that the human was designing for him? He had wanted Roman to talk about the chair, of all things, so maybe he needed a tiny victim to test out his furniture.

That wasn’t exactly torture, but he still needed to escape. His presence here risked every other borrower in the building and out of it. Growing more somber, he testingly shifted his leg, trying to figure just how effective the human-applied splint actually was.

… Ouch.

“Is it sufficient?” Logan asked, unknowingly echoing his thoughts as he leaned over slightly to peer down at him. Roman pulled on his fiercest scowl, and was gratified to see the human retreat slightly. “I have pain medicine, but I was uncertain about the proper dosage, so I decided to wait until you woke up to see what you wanted to do.”

“Oh, I just bet you want me to take pain medicine,” Roman shot back sharply, ignoring the fairly nonsensical nature of what he’d just said. Like he was helping a human figure out the best ways to drug a borrower!

“... I do?” Logan replied, sounding downright confused by his hostility. “Normally, I would encourage anyone with injuries as significant as yours to seek out professional medical attention, but after witnessing your fear of me, I assumed that you would prefer to not be exposed to more humans.”

“I wasn’t afraid!” Roman snapped indignantly, and then paused as the rest of that spiel caught up with him. He was unspeakably glad that the human hadn’t been dumb enough to waltz into a human sickbay with him, but-- “I would prefer to not be exposed to you, either, BFG!”

“BFG?”

“Big Frustrating Giant!”

Logan looked dubious, but carefully averted his gaze. It wasn’t what Roman had meant, but those huge eyes being off of him were admittedly a relief. He shuffled his body to the side slightly, trying to ignore the sharp pains from jostling his leg.

“I will remind you, you are the one who came into my apartment, not the other way around,” Logan said, frowning slightly but keeping his eyes locked on the furniture in his hand. “Why were you there?”

“I’m afraid it’s none of your business,” Roman sniffed haughtily, ignoring the way his heart had sped up in his chest at the idea of making the human angry.

“Apologies, I don’t mean my apartment. I’ve already discerned that you likely find sustenance and other helpful items in human living spaces, going by the ease with which you traverse large terrain and the repurposed human items that make up your belongings,” Logan clarified, casual as anything. “I was asking why you were in my stage miniature. There is no food in it, and you must know that I would notice if anything went missing.”

Roman stared at him, feeling the blood drain from his face at the offhand way that the human had correctly guessed a lot about how borrowerkind survived, all from Roman’s unconscious presence.

It was beans like this that the rules had been designed for, so of course he would be the one to catch Roman. He set his jaw, resolving not to say anything else that might give anything away to this wannabe Sherlock.

-

Logan glanced up from the layer of drying varnish that he’d been staring at for the past thirty seconds, wondering if maybe the tiny person had fallen back into unconsciousness.

But no, despite their silence they were still awake and glaring at him, brow furrowed and arms crossed firmly. He tilted his head curiously, trying to indicate that he was listening, but it seemed they didn’t plan to answer at all.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” he said, hurriedly looking back to the miniature he was fiddling with in an effort to not stress the tiny person out any further. “I simply wanted to see if there was anything you needed that I could provide you, since I’m partially responsible for your injury.”

“Partially?” they echoed, incredulous.

Logan nodded. “I startled you, and your attempt to flee led to injury. I should have known better than to move so quickly, particularly with the disparity in our sizes.”

“That was a strategic retreat,” they emphasized, “and you never would have caught me if you’d moved slowly. I’ll have you know I’m no slouch.”

Caught them…?

“My intention wasn’t to grab you,” he said. “I was reaching for one of the chairs to try and compare the scale. If it was incorrect, it would have been obvious when put side by side with you.”

“Yes, yes, I already guessed that you have nefarious furniture-related plots for your poor captive, you don’t have to explain it.” They were rolling their eyes when Logan glanced at them, and seemed to be an inch or two away from where he’d originally placed them on the pillow.

It felt to Logan as though they were talking cross-ways, even more so than his usual pop culture reference confusion(and didn’t it just figure that a tiny person that lived in the walls was more familiar with human colloquialisms than him?) during conversation. Perhaps it was due to their less than fortuitous first meeting?

“It seems like there might be some misconceptions here,” he tried. “I’m not keeping you captive.”

The stranger lifted a skeptical eyebrow, spreading their arms to gesture at the surrounding area. “Aren’t you, though?”

Logan followed the gesture, eyebrows drawn in. As far as he knew, a pillow on top of his desk hadn’t turned into an impenetrable prison within the last few moments. “No. I’m not.”

“So if I were to, say, walk out right now, you’d just be all peachy-keen with it?” they asked, almost condescending in their doubt. “You wouldn’t try to stop me from leaving?”

Logan paused, a firm denial on the tip of his tongue. “Are there others like you nearby?”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, going by the way their tiny hands went white-knuckled for a moment.

“No,” they answered mulishly, “I’m the only one of my kind. And I’ll have you know, if there were others-- which there’s not-- I would never sell out my hypothetical fellows for my own freedom!”

“That’s…,” Logan sighed, deciding not to mention how incredibly dubious he was of the likelihood that there was only one of a species. “That’s not what I meant. You clearly pursue an active lifestyle, I just wanted to ensure that there would be someone to support you and help you recover from your injuries. You won’t be able to even walk on that limb for a fair bit of time without permanently damaging it.”

Logan thought for a moment that he’d gotten through to them, witnessing the way trepidation lingered in their expression when they looked down at their leg, but then they shook their head firmly.

“That’s just an excuse! I know that you’re planning on keeping me, humans always do. I’d rather deal with a permanent limp than be a pet in one of your little dollhouses,” they spat, vitriol in every word. “So either let me go or admit your foul plans!”

The words were sharp, designed to incite, but Logan was used to scanning for the tiniest of flaws in his work, and he could spot the subtle signs of fear that his tiny visitor was just barely concealing. Clenched fists to hide shaking hands, the curl to their shoulders that suggested they wanted to curl up defensively, even their expression wobbled slightly when Logan spent a moment too long looking at them.

He took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension in his own frame and put them a little more at ease. An impossible task, considering they expected him to-- to know that they were a talking, feeling person and try to ‘keep them’ anyhow, but it helped clear his head.

“What will it take?” he asked, keeping his voice even.

“Um, what?” they asked, thrown off.

“To get you to stay here, just until you heal. I’m asking this of you, so it’s only reasonable that you ask for something in exchange,” Logan said. “If we can’t come to an agreement, I’ll leave you to your own devices, but there has to be something you want badly enough to remain here for a few weeks.”

“And what, you’ll just give it to me and let me leave after I’m all healed up?” they asked, continuing their trend of acting like a future in which he acted with normal human decency was an impossibility.

“Yes,” Logan answered, as earnest as he could manage. “That’s part of the arrangement. I would also like to know your name and pronouns, though that is secondary to being allowed to treat you.”

“What if I said you weren’t allowed to grab me? Or touch me at all?” they asked.

“That would be acceptable,” Logan replied without hesitation, mentally trying to figure out how non contact would alter a treatment plan.

“And you… you aren’t allowed to take notes on me! Or pictures!” they continued, watching him intently. He kept his expression agreeable, only nodding. “And you have to give me food, you can’t withhold it or make it part of another deal.”

“Medical treatment for someone on bedrest also includes things like meals and mental enrichment,” Logan replied, concealing the displeasure he felt at the idea that someone else would have tried that in his position. He really did hope these were all hypotheticals.

“And… and…,” they cast about, looking for something else to add to their ‘ridiculous’ demands, “I also want a sword!”

Logan paused, admittedly caught off guard. “A functional one?”

“Yeah-- yes, that's right! I want a sword perfectly sized to me, entirely functional, or the deal is off!” they replied, smug as though they thought they’d finally found something he’d refuse.

Unfortunately for him, Logan wasn’t the type to be deterred by a challenge. “I’ll have to go through some prototypes, but it can’t be too different from some metal decor I’ve worked on in the past.”

“Sorry, what now?” they asked.

Logan was already reaching for a post-it to jot down ideas for the base source of metal-- A nail? Or perhaps a piece of old silverware?-- eyes bright with anticipation. “I’m saying that you have a deal. You’ll stay here, and I’ll make you a sword.”

Caught up in schematics as he was, he completely missed his guest’s exasperated groan.

[chefdoeuvre]

Pushy

Jay Halstead & Will Halstead

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Sister!Reader, Will Halstead x Sister!Reader

Description: Some guys don’t know when to take a hint.

Words: 1,116

Requested: yes by anonymous; hey i have a halstead sister request? i don’t know if you’ve seen outer banks but there’s this scene with one of the female protagonists where she’s making out with her boyfriend (who’s sort of like the pushy controlling type) and she says she’s ready to have sex but then backs out and he gets mad at her and i was wondering if u could write an imagine where the same thing happens to y/n with her boyfriend (the girl in the show is like 16 so i’d love it if she was that age- u don’t have to write any descriptive smut obviously cause that’s not really the point) and then she gets home and is super upset but when jay asks what’s wrong at first she doesn’t say anything and tells him he won’t understand but then confides in him and he gets protective and caring? sorry if this is really descriptive but i also really want an imagine where it touches on y/n growing up without a mother or female figure in her life and how it can be hard to discuss some things with brothers but they love her so it’s fine? thx so much 💗

Warnings: mention of sex, an annoying Topper-like person, language, Will and Jay Halstead together (because they need a warning when they’re put in the same room).

A/N: I just watched Outer Banks last week (‘coincidentally’ after getting this request) and I might be a little obsessed. For anyone not familiar the scene this is inspired by is between Sarah and Topper in s1ep3. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

—

Parties. They were all the rage with summer now coming to an end. Everyone wanted to get in their last huzzah before the school year started up once again. You and your boyfriend were at pretty much every single party this summer. Of course, he would drag you along with his friends with empty promises of a good time. You and parties never mixed well, especially because all you could hear in the back of your mind were Jay and Will’s voices harping on you being safe. You were currently sitting on a couch on the back porch while you nursed your first and only cup of beer for the night. Your boyfriend had soon waltzed his way into the seat beside you. He swung an arm over your shoulder and whispered a few words into your ear. His breath smelled of tequila and vaguely of lemons which were probably from the shots he had just been doing.

“Let’s head somewhere more quiet.” He gestured his head toward the door leading back into the house.

You nodded your head and followed him as he led you to the balcony upstairs. The balcony overlooked the backyard where most people stood, did a few shots, and chatted. The two of you took a seat beside each other on the small couch they had set up. After a few moments went by the two of you leaned in to share a kiss.

The kiss quickly became heated as his hands began to roam your body. Pulling at your top eagerly.

“Are you sure?” He pulled back with a breath after you gave him no sign of stopping.

“Yeah.” You nodded and leaned back in.

As the two of you continued to make out the overwhelming feeling you always got in this situation came creeping back. The feeling caused you to pull away as you shook your head.

“No, no I can’t.” You scooted a few centimeters away from him.

“Of course.” He huffed, “you always say you’re ready and then can’t continue. Make up your damn mind already.” He stood up and walked back into the house, most likely to find his friends once again.

You let out a sigh and ran a hand over your warm face. You laughed humorlessly at your luck in guys before standing up and making your way out of the house. Crossing your arms over your chest you started the short walk home to yours and Jay’s apartment building. Thankfully, Jay and Will would be home by the time you made it back to the apartment. Even with how overprotective Jay is he trusted you not to get shitfaced and throw yourself into trouble at parties. Of course, as long as you made it home by your curfew, which was decently reasonable. Your two brothers had already made plans to watch the game at Jay’s apartment together while they would wait for you to make it home.

After walking in through the door you threw your shoes to the side and flopped onto the couch in between Jay and Will with a huff. The two of them exchanged a confused glance before looking at your somewhat pouty and pissed-off face.

“What’s up, kiddo?” Will asked with concerned eyes.

You sat there silently seething while also feeling the need to cry your eyes out.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” Jay turned to face you.

“You won’t understand.” You shook your head, your voice was clearly upset.

“All right, so it’s about a guy then?” Will considered.

The two men sat there blankly staring at each other, communicating with their eyes on how to approach this. They stilled when they heard a soft sniffle come from you.

“My boyfriend sucks.” You sighed.

Will and Jay looked up at each other with wide eyes, already assuming the worst.

“What’d he do? Did he hurt you?” Jay questioned.

“No. Unless it’s emotionally then the answer is yes.” You wiped your nose with the back of your hand.

“Emotionally, how?” Will tilted his head.

“I can’t tell you, it’ll be weird.” You scrunched your nose at the thought of telling your older brothers about your sex life. Or lack thereof.

“We promise we won’t be weird. Right, Will?” Jay reassured you as he glanced up at the oldest of the three of you.

“I’ll even pinky promise.” Will held out his pinky toward you, eliciting a small laugh when you connected yours with his.

“The floor is yours.” Jay gestured outward with his arm.

“No being weird.” You warned.

“No being weird.” The two men nodded simultaneously.

“So my boyfriend and I were at a party, as you know.” They gestured for you to continue, “and I said I wanted to do it but when I changed my mind he got all pissy about it. And he does this every time I think I’m ready but back out.” You explained quickly.

Jay pursed his lips as he shared an awkward look with Will who held a similar awkward expression at the topic of conversation. After a few silent moments, Jay cleared his throat before speaking up.

“Trust me when I say this is as awkward as it is for me than it is for you. Especially when Mom would’ve been better for this conversation, but we love you so I guess Will and I will have to do.” Jay laid it all out.

“Fair enough.” You nodded slowly.

“First of all, screw him. He doesn’t deserve you.” Will began which made Jay scoff, “damn right he doesn’t.” Jay added.

“Secondly, if you don’t feel like you’re ready he should be able to respect your feelings and your decision. But clearly, since he lacks functioning brain cells he was being an ass. Which no person should ever do to their significant other.” Will explained calmly after giving Jay a smack on the back of the head.

“Seriously?” Jay questioned as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Advice first, overprotective brother second.” Will narrowed his eyes.

“I can multitask.” Jay mumbled snarkily.

After both brothers offered you some much-needed and surprisingly helpful advice they squished you in between the two of them for a hug.

“Hey, even if you think you can’t talk to us about something I promise you we will do our best.” Jay pulled away to look at you.

“All right?” Jay asked.

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks.” You mumbled into Will’s arm, which he still had wrapped around you.

“Don’t worry, it’s our job to give you life advice.” Will rubbed up and down your arm comfortingly.

Who needs a mother figure when you have your annoying older brothers to help you navigate life?

[leviiattacks]

ceo levi falling in love?

author note :: THIS WAS SM FUN TO WRITE?? levi in the modern world is just always enjoyable for me. anyways it’s just lots of shy ceo levi and secretary reader :-) as always requests are open feel free to stop by !! :D word count :: some how i got to 2.4k,,,, i promise it was an accident it doesn’t feel that long 

levi falls in love slowly. he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it until he looks at you one day during a company meeting and is unable to understand why he can’t take his eyes off you

usually he’s able to shift his focus away but he’s stuck in place despite his efforts to look away

the entire meeting is him occasionally humming his approval at all the proposals and prospective business plans being presented to him

when, truly he is NOT listening at all. he’s trying to figure out when the hell and why the hell he began to feel this way for you.

it gets to a point where he’s so distracted over it he ends the team meeting early

everyone in the room exchanges worried glances between each other.

mr ackerman, letting them leave early? that’s a first but HEY!! they’ll take it!!

as everyone disperses out of the room he’s sitting with his back hunched in his plush office chair when he then comes to the realization that he has no idea when he did fall for you,,,,, it just sorta happened????

well, you are basically around him 24/7 and help him with everything but, his newfound feelings still catch him by surprise

at first he’s scared. the feeling is odd and the way his chest tightens as he speaks to you doesn’t feel right at all.

“any specific type of tea for today?” you ask waiting for his response

the rope squeezes at his heart and he squirms around a little.

“u-um, the usual is just fine”

WHY DID HE TRIP OVER HIS WORDS...??

WHY...????

but AGAIN he ignores it, he knows it’s for the best if he doesn’t get emotionally involved with you.

for the record, levi’s definition of emotionally involved is dating you, he doesn’t know that despite not dating you he is very much still emotionally involved with you

he’s pretty good at hiding his feelings though and the fact he likes you goes unnoticed by literally everyone

well, it does stay that way for a little while

that is until someone else expresses interest in you.

it’s a normal friday evening but for some unknown reason he can’t stop himself from clenching his jaw when he walks past you and overhears jean the new head of marketing ask if you’re single

levi is stood behind you and turns to hand his chilling stare to jean who slowly notices. he looks like his knees are about to buckle. “?,&:£:& sorry for asking,,, i’ll...... get going......”

levi just grunts in annoyance glaring at him even as he scurries out the hallway.

you turn to look at him and happily smile “ahhh thank you, i didn’t know how to turn him down he just joined the team so you know, it was weird he asked that”

levi just nods and tells you to get back to work and he hears you squeak out a “yepyepyep!!!”

levi is also very in denial about the way he feels

one day it’ll be “yeah i like y/n” the next it’s “no i do not...that is literally SO stupid. me??? in love?? never.”

also, when you accidentally brush past his skin he can’t help but tense up slightly and look anywhere but where you’re touching him

one time you place a hand on his forehead to check on his temperature because you do not trust him to be honest about having a fever

the scent of your vanilla perfume it’s sweet and simple but it makes him feel incredibly shy for no reason at all

GOD.

he feels like a stupid flustered school boy

ALL THIS OVER SOME PERFUME??

the man can’t even handle looking you in the eye. he’s reading his paperwork acting as nonchalant as possible when he’s really just freaking out

is my forehead sweaty?

fuck, fuck, fuck how do i look up close?

his thoughts are so jumbled up he doesn’t know how to respond to you when you ask if he’s really doing okay

“your cheeks are bright red, maybe you do have a fever?” you’re frowning and rummaging through your bag hoping to find something to help his pounding headache

but all he’s doing as he sits at his desk is nervously opening and closing his pen by the lid

he can’t tell if his face is red because he’s ill or because he likes you

and it’s driving him CRAZY??

wait a second.

does he like you? or does he like-like you?? or does he lo- no he does not love you that is absurd

what really cements his feelings for you is the day he’s unable to reel his mouth back in.

he just starts rambling about everything that has been stressing him out recently

the new company merger, developing new product designs, reviewing humongous stacks of paperwork, attending all these long meetings

he is being driven to his breaking point and you stand there taking it all in

“hey, take the day off.” your soft voice cuts him off mid sentence and he looks at you like you just told him to curl up into a ball and die

take a day off???? he does not have the time to take a day off??

he assumes you’re frustrated by his behaviour and begins to apologize. “i’m sorry that was unprofessional i shouldn’t have don-”

“i’ll finish the paperwork. your next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. it’s okay to take a breather.” you pick up the stack of documents and move to transfer them over to your desk

but levi is persistent.

he stands in your way and you look at him expecting him to step out

“there is no need for that.” his tone is firm but you’re still defiant

“it’s my job as your secretary to alleviate your workload.” you don’t even spare him a glance and he feels like he’s burdening you now

sure, you are his secretary but allowing you to complete all that work on your own is ludicrous

waltzing around him you beeline towards your desk but again he steps in your way interjecting your path

“lev-”

your face morphs into a mortified expression and you panic, you did not just call him by his first name AT WORK

“i mean,” [insert an anxious yet deliberate cough] “mr ackerman.”

“listen, i understand you’re very stressed sir but i’ll finish the work off so please rest up. you need to be refreshed for tomorrow’s company dinner with the investors.”

you’re pleading he takes your advice but all he can do is blink in confusion

you would do that for him???

are you really just diligent and caring or,,, does he maybe have a chance at asking you out?

but again as quick as the idea enters his head it leaves.

asking you out sounds absurd to him, you deserve way better than someone like him

levi is having another one of his jealous moments

you’ve latched yourself onto reiner braun’s arm at the company dinner and he turns away frustrated

you look really pretty

like,,, sUPER pretty

like,,, drop dead gorgeous

he clears his throat when you both make eye contact

you perk up a little and your hand raises to wave at him but levi is so horrible at interacting with you he ends up ignoring you completely...

the pit of fire in his stomach flares up when he hears reiner compliment you, he’s surprised you even accept it and thank him

now, levi is not annoyed because you don’t deserve the compliment.

no, no, no you deserve all the compliments under the sun as far as he’s concerned but what the hell does “you look way better than normal.” even mean??

he thinks you look pretty every day so he’s just a tad bit offended by it

and he only begins to realize he’s in too deep when he sees the way reiner is getting a little too handsy for his liking

he doesn’t interrupt by saying anything even though he really wants to, you seem to not mind reiner’s touch

so he won’t step in between that, it’s not even any of his business

but it certainly doesn’t stop his displeasure from being blatantly obvious and displayed on his face

“ahhh mr ackerman, if it isn’t a pleasure to see you?”

levi hears an investor greet him but his eyes are glued on you.

you’re laughing so hard at one of braun’s jokes and he feels the same flame in his stomach.

it’s rising and reaches his chest igniting once again and he narrows his eyes finally looking away

he’s not going to spare you another glance this entire evening instead he’ll occupy himself with business talk

“mr acker-”

spinning on his heel he twists around and is face to face to with one of his close sponsors erwin smith

he smiles and the two shake hands discussing new company developments and shared work stress before some how shifting to each other's personal lives

“seeing anyone?” erwin’s question makes levi stiffen and his eyes flick towards where you were just standing a while ago

you’re no longer there but he spots you a little further away now sitting alone

you look a little lost and he feels a sudden and strong magnetism

he wants to approach you to talk so badly, and as his eyes scan around the room he sees reiner occupying himself in a suggestive conversation with a lady from HR

she’s definitely trying to flirt and he’s reciprocating easily

oh, so you’ve been ditched...?

is reiner OK???

first the backhanded compliment

now he’s ditching YOU???

it makes levi feel a little angry and frustrated

he doesn’t even notice at first because he’s so deep in thought but erwin leans in to whisper in his ear. “i know that look, go talk to your crush.”

“we’re much too old for you to be using the term crush. it makes it sound childish.” levi grumbles before taking a sip from his wine glass

“i’ll go keep my secretary company. i’ve spoke to most of the other investors it should be okay.” the statement is more of a question but smith nods in response

“it’ll be more than okay, go get em’ tiger!” erwin lands a light punch onto levi’s shoulder and he grins before walking away

to levi’s disappointment he’s unable to speak to you

you end up getting dragged into conversation with some of the other employees and he doesn’t see you again

so much for talking to you, he couldn’t even get within a meters radius

he’s now out on the balcony for a breathe of fresh air, the past few hours have consisted of tedious and forced small talk with an investor’s daughter

her father has been BEGGING levi, even bribing him to consider marrying her but levi rejects every single time

there’s nothing wrong with the girl really

she’s well educated and quite pretty but... that’s all he knows about her?

AND no one beats you, even though he’s still kinda in denial about liking you

hell, not like that part matters he doesn’t even know the girl’s name what does her dad expect from him?

was it sharron? shana? he forgot her name as soon as it was said 

much to levi’s dismay he hears an unexpected giggle behind him and then an arm slinks over his shoulder, the investor’s daughter has followed him out and is now pressing her chest against him awaiting a reaction

frankly, he wants to push her off BUT he’ll be in big trouble and lose a key sponsor if he handles this incorrectly

“could you please distance yourself?” he tries to intimidate the younger girl away with the bitter tone of his voice but it only seems to motivate her

“feisty one aren’t you?” she’s looking up at him through her lashes and her poor attempt at looking appealing only makes levi internally face palm

her index finger is drawing circles into his tie and he feels his breath hitch due to how uncomfortable she’s making him

“please move.” he requests for her to listen once again and he’s now taken a step back but she only follows and keeps her firm grip on his tie

she doesn’t seem to be letting up and there’s nothing he can really do about it.

he guesses he’ll just wait till she gets bored but the time passes at an excruciatingly slow rate

in this fifteen minute duration she’s played around with his hair which has SERIOUSLY annoyed him because he took time to style it

and he thought it looked pretty cool

now she’s only pushed and pushed further and further into his chest and he can feel her hot icky breath hit his neck

the veins in his forehead are twitching in expanding irritation and he doesn’t know how much more of this he can tolerate

“you’re making him uncomfortable.” levi’s head snaps to the right and there you are still as beautiful as the last time he saw you

your arms crossed over your chest and you’re looking the girl up and down

“and who might you be?” the way she scoffs seems to be enough to piss you off because your face morphs into a scowl.

big Yikes...you’re mad

“leave him alone.”

“you must be of no importance, we have no time for-”

“step away before i make a report on the grounds of sexual harassment.”

you flip your phone out smirk plastered across your face

“it’s all been recorded. know your place.” you’re unyielding and even levi is thinking??? wow??? you know how to not be nice??? because well, he’s never seen you this mad 

just as you expect she barges out in a fury (not before flicking you off), you’ve left her brimming with rage and you feel rather proud of yourself

you release a content sigh

“do i get a raise for saving you or what?” you dryly jab 

he’s always loved your straightforward jokes, they align perfectly with his blunt humour

he murmurs his appreciative thanks

“are you enjoying yourself?” he asks the question eager to know what your answer is

it’s another way he knows he’s falling way too deep for his liking

he never asks anyone else these trivial questions

“enjoyable. although reiner is a little.” you pause to find the correct words

“he just made me a little uncomfy, he’s very extroverted so i felt out of place. thankfully he’s preoccupied himself elsewhere.” the same lonely look from before returns to your face 

yeah, it is kinda sucky to have your date ditch you

“you don’t have to tolerate-” levi starts then stops.

you’ve leant in to hear him after saying you can’t hear much over the hustle and bustle from inside

“the- i mean- what i’m trying to say is” he looks at you completely stunned trying to piece together what he wants to say

wOWIE!!!! you literally look so stunning up close he can not formulate a sentence, he has officially LOST IT

the words he say next fly out of his mouth after a lengthy internal struggle “fuck. what i’m saying is, what i mean is, you could always come as my date next time.”

now you’re the one looking at him stupefied.

again, he’s looking anywhere but at you

the closest he gets to it is taking a glimpse of your dress,

it’s black and suits you well with the little ruffles and all.

“i’d love that.”

the tips of his ears grow red in embarrassment but... YOU ACCEPTED???

NOW. levi is giddy on the inside but makes no move to make it obvious instead he opts to scratch his neck and give you an awkward thumbs up

you take note of his body language and the possible realization dawns on you

but you can’t really tell if it’s the doing of alcohol

either way you grab onto his suit and begin to lead the way back into the main hall

“may as well start being my date now? not like reiner’s coming back any time soon” he can’t see your face but he can tell you’re smiling as you speak

levi’s cheeks are bright red but he thanks the chilly night air and darkness for hiding the way he’s reacting

he won’t confess just yet, it’s too early and again he’s in major denial but when staring at the hand that holds onto his suit jacket his heart tingles a little

more like a LOT...

but really whatever it is the two of you have got going on right now it weirdly makes the both of you feel weak at the knees

to be honest, levi enjoys it

and so do you :-)

[nat-20s]

fill of @jonmartinweek day 6 prompt- flirting AND jealousy, though much heavier on the jealousy than the flirting. Set in a classic “season 5 jmart time travel bac to season 1″ au

~*~

“Mr. Blackwood-Sims, if I didn’t know any better, I would assume you’re trying to proposition me.”

“Mr. Sims-Blackwood, I would never. For one, neither of us are inclined towards those sorts of activities, for second, we’re both married men. What would my husband say?”

“I believe your husband would say he never specified exactly what you were propositioning, and he would be more than amenable to kissing, preferably sometime in the next few seconds.”

“Mmm, suppose I’ll have to find him and take him up on that, then. If that’s really how he feels.”

“Trust me, it most certainly is.”

Christ, would those two shut up already? Granted, it’s late enough that they probably think they’re alone in the archives, but, still. This is, technically, a work place, and Jon would’ve preferred not to have accidentally gotten an eyeful as he made his way past the open door in the breakroom. Now, the image of (supposedly) a future version of himself sitting on the couch, with (supposedly) a future version of Martin straddling his legs, using one hand to cup his face, and the other to run his hands through that Jon’s longer hair, was seared into his mind, and he hated it. Look, contrary to what people who don’t know him very well seemed to believe, he’s hardly a prude. He’s more than fine with descriptions of physical intimacy, as well as public displays of affection. If he’s being honest with himself, deep down, he doesn’t even care all that much about professionalism, especially considering it is after hours.

But of course, he’s not being honest with himself, because then he’d have to admit that it bothers him that it’s them. He doesn’t know what to call the acrid burning in the pit of his stomach, the too tight ache in his chest, that’s present whenever the fun house mirror versions of himself and Martin are besotted with each other, but he knows it’s there. It doesn’t help that he’s the only one that seems to be bothered by it, the only one that frowns at the flash of wedding rings or the orbit those two always seem to occupy around each other.

Or, no, he’s not the only one. Occasionally, while witnessing the two of them being...the Two of Them, he can’t help glancing over to Martin. Lo and behold, Martin also doesn’t look thrilled about all of this, usually skewing more towards confusion or, oddly enough, resignation. At least, that’s what Jon thinks he sees there, it’s one of the few times where he can’t fully get a read on Martin.

Still, as much as Martin might share in being somewhat perturbed, as anyone who meets their “future selves” should be, Martin doesn’t seem nearly as upset as Jon is. That brings him back to his current predicament of feeling that level of upset, but not being able to determine the root cause of it.

It is not that he’s jealous. It’s not! He does not feel a pang of envy at seeing someone who looks extremely similar to himself loving openly, and being openly loved in return. He doesn’t find his thoughts drifting to the imagined feeling of lips pressed to his temple or arms around his waist or fingers running through his hair. He certainly hasn’t looked down at his left hand and been disappointed by the fact that its bare. He doesn’t even want those things, as he’s been telling himself for a number of many lonely years. One of these days he might even believe it.

Fine. Fine. Maybe, but only maybe, there’s a part of him that’s jealous. Maybe there’s even a part of him that despairs, because try as he might he can’t connect point A to point B, can’t see the steps he would have to take to be like that other version of himself, and he knows his Martin (well, not his Martin, but..) will never look at him like that, will never see him in that light. And, damn it all, it hurts, so if they could kindly stop ru-

Oh. Wait. He can’t hear them outside his office door anymore. Huh, perhaps they-

“Knock knock.”

Startled out of his...contemplation, Jon looks up to find himself looking back. Sims is leaning against the door-frame, with mussed hair, swollen lips, and pupils blown wide. Jon loathes him and wishes to be him in equal measure. In a move he usually would’ve thought more characteristic of Tim, Sims doesn’t wait for a response, instead sitting himself across from Jon and saying, “Figured you’d still be here.”

Trying not to sound too much like he’s speaking through gritted teeth, Jon asks, “Did you now?”

Sims gives a lackadaisical shrug. “With any luck, you’re not going to become me. I not sure you can become me, at this point, diverging paths and all that. However, we do share the first 28 years of our lives, and I certainly didn’t believe in the concept of a work life balance, so why would you?”

“Is there something you wanted?”

“Yes, actually. I want you to ask out Martin, your moping is getting insufferable, and considering how much of our misery has been entirely outside of our control, you shouldn’t put up with what is in your power to fix.”

Jon blinks. Jon processes. Jon stammers. “I-what?! I am not, you can’t just-. Martin doesn’t even like me, and if you really were the same person as me, you know I’m not all that keen on him either.”

“Uh-huh. Is that why you can’t stop thinking about his hands?”

“I do no-”

Sims puts a hand up in surrender, though the smirk doesn’t entirely drop. “Sorry, sorry, I know that’s rather unhelpful. What I mean is, you’re already loved, right now, as you are. No, that love is not coming from Martin, but it could be,t because he doesn’t dislike you.  He doesn’t know you, because you have done everything in your power to make sure he doesn’t. You also don’t know him, even though you’re interested in him, because you’ve been trying not to be. It’s stupid. Get to know each other. It’ll probably work out.”

“I...is that how you did it? Because this seems like an objectively terrible idea.”

Sims snorts. “God, no. It took a coma before I was able to untangle my own feelings. The whole point is that you won’t have to take the same looping, painful path that I did.”

Jon wants to reject it outright, almost does, and yet. “Fine.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, really. Why?’

“Nothing, just. We’re usually a more stubborn on these sorts of things. I was expecting more of a fight.”

“Mm. Normally, I would be, but I’ve been forced to watch two rather obvious proof of concepts waltzing around in front of me, and agreeing will hopefully get you the hell out of my office.”

Sims studies him for a moment, then a surprised smile spreads on his face. “All right then.”

Jon makes a dismissive hand wave, and Sims obliges, and he spends the rest of the night trying not to think about what he’s agreed to.

~*~

The next day, about half an hour before the end of the work day, Jon calls Martin into his office. From his tight shoulders and carefully blank expression, it’s clear Martin very much does not want to be there. Great. This is going to go so well.

Jon gestures for him to sit, Martin does, and he dives in. “As we both now know, I don’t have the ability to fire you. In all reality, even though I am, on paper, your boss, I truly don’t have any power or authority over you.”

Martin leans back in his seat, letting a heavy pause fall between them before saying a stilted, “Okay?”

“So, I want you to know that I am about to ask you a question, and you have complete freedom and choice over your response, without fear of any negative consequences. Alright?”

“Um. Sure.”

Jon takes a breath, slowly lets it out, and bites the bullet. “Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

Martin stares. Then he squints. Then he studies. “Oh. Jon, you...we’re not them, you know that, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“So..why?”

Jon lets out a sigh, and tries to gather his thoughts in a way that makes sense to either of them. “Well, though I myself have some trouble with the concept, they’re not..entirely removed from who we are, and there’s enough foundation there that I have reason to believe we might...get on? Maybe we don’t, maybe we end up being friends, maybe we end up like them. That’s already enough to pique my own curiosity, but, alternate future versions of us aside, I mostly would just like to get to know more about you, and I’m hoping you might like to get to know me better as well.”

Martin’s shoulders relax, and he chews on his bottom lip for a moment before replying, “Okay. Yeah, why not?”

“Oh. Oh! Great! Does this Saturday work for you?”

“Works perfectly. Let’s give a shot.”

The first date is..fine. A Bit of a mess, but fine. The second date, however, is the best Jon’s ever been on. It’s so wonderful, in fact, that he doesn’t even mind when he catches Blackwood passing a fiver to Sims the day he can’t stop smiling at work.

[citrinesparkles]

now we just sway part three.

jason todd x gender neutral reader. 1,199 words. notes: i wanna preface this by admitting i took some liberties with the actual dancing- ballroom was never my forté, and i do not have enough training to properly describe a waltz. (though, i have a feeling y'all aren't here for performance-accurate choreo.) part one here, part two here, title from sway by blue october warnings: none as far as i know!

okay, so, in retrospect: this whole dance thing? not your best decision.

it meant making sure both your apartment and your nice sweatpants were clean in an attempt to seem casually put together, like he didn't already know better.

it meant realizing that you'd never broken in the nice shoes you'd bought a few months prior- the only pair you owned that would work for a wayne gala- but that would be fine, right?

it meant jumping out of your skin when your doorbell rang right on time.

it meant that your heart performed an impressive backflip and stuck the landing only to dissolve into a melted puddle when you opened the door and found him in a casual, soft t shirt and sweatpants combo with a warm smile to top it off. "hey."

you sighed heavily, stepping aside to let him in and leaning heavily against the door in the process. "c'mon, ballerina boy. let's get this over with."

"what, not looking forward to it?"

you swung the door closed with a soft click, leading him into the living room. "i'm not looking forward to stepping on your toes. literally."

"don't worry, i grabbed the thickest shoes i own," he teased, setting his keys and phone on the coffee table you had slid out of the way. "plenty of cushion."

"the dress shoes and sweatpants thing is an interesting statement, i'll give you that."

"you're just jealous that i-" he glanced at your own shoes and sweatpants, playfully smug- "can make it work."

you rolled your eyes. "yeah, well, some of us don't get to look good in everything."

it earned you a startled laugh; a nice change from his usual unshakable wit.

--

"ready to start?"

"ready is a strong word, todd."

"so grumpy. what, you afraid you'll learn something?"

it wasn't the learning you were afraid of, not that you'd tell him that.

for one thing, you really were nervous about stepping on his toes.

for another, you were afraid of breaking the comfortable, teasing rhythm you found yourselves in. afraid that if you stepped into his orbit, the pull may truly be too strong to escape.

it was one thing to swallow butterflies and mask surges of affection with playful eyerolls from across the room, but up close and personal? more challenging, especially considering you were trying to hide from the protégé of the batman himself.

"hey," he called, snapping you out of your thoughts. his smile was shifting from playful to reassuring, warmth seeping from him and threatening to melt you all over again. "c'mon, we'll go slow."

he offered you his left hand, steady and confident.

you laid your right palm over it, trying not to focus on the feeling of warm, calloused skin, or the way his fingers squeezed your hand.

"there we go. now your hand on my shoulder-" he nudged his right shoulder forward slightly, an open invitation you carefully took- "and mine on your waist. this good?"

"this is good," you responded, a little more honestly than he would realize. yes, it was unnerving holding and being held by the majority shareholder of your heart, but his hands were gentle despite the visible wear and tear and his movements were cautious and slow. doing what he could to make you comfortable.

he looked down, shifting slightly before clearing his throat. "okay. so here's where things get tricky."

"oh, joy."

"i figure i'll lead, because i actually know what i'm doing, so i'll start by stepping forward with my right foot like this-" he shifted forwards, watching his shoes and nudging the toe of yours gently- "and you'll step your left foot back to make room."

"like this?"

"yeah, that's good. step back onto the ball of your foot- yep, perfect. now," he said, glancing up at you and nodding to his left, "other foot that way."

you stepped sideways slowly, him mirroring your movement.

"just like that. now just step in, bring your left foot right."

"hm?"

"that's it!" his gaze jumped back up to meet yours, a goofy hint of a smile on his face. "half a box step down. now we just gotta do it backwards."

"you're kidding, right?"

"uh... no. sorry."

you sighed. he didn't look sorry, and you pointed it out under your breath, ignoring the cute little laugh he gave you in return before guiding you into the reverse.

--

"-and he does this thing- i've told you about the grumble thing before," jason paused, pointing his water bottle at you in a silent question and mimicking your nod before taking a sip and continuing. "so he does the grumble thing with his voice, right, trying to figure out who hired this guy and he must have had a death wish or something because he flips him- bruce- off."

"seriously?"

"dead serious. he flips him off and goes-" he raises his voice to a nasally, high tone- "your mom hired me."

a quiet hiss escaped your lips. "ouch."

"yeah, he had a bad time after that."

"did you ever find out who hired him?"

he pushed up off the couch, stretching towards the ceiling with a groan. "not yet, but i'm sure bruce'll know by the time i get home. he said he had a lead this morning."

"well," you followed suit, setting your water off to the side. "sounds like you'll have your work cut out for you tonight."

"usually do," he sighed. "alright, break time's over. back to ballroom bootcamp."

you laughed, quickly covering it with a serious expression as he glanced up. "right. time to be serious."

"mhm," he mumbled dubiously, making you giggle again. "yeah, you sound very serious."

"you just said ballroom bootcamp, jason. what did you expect?"

he rolled his eyes, closing his water bottle and tossing it onto the couch. "c'mere, let's run through the basics one more time and then we'll call it a day, yeah?"

--

"well," he said, bringing his feet to a stand-still, but continuing to sway back and forth. "there's the basics."

you smiled, matching his movement. "i guess that wasn't awful."

"no?"

"nope."

a soft smirk spread over his features, something you could only describe as smugly affectionate. "so does that mean i win?"

you rolled your eyes and sighed again, his smugness becoming even more evident as you stalled. "you're the worst, y'know that?"

"is that a yes?"

"yes, jason," you huffed playfully, biting back a smile at the hopefulness in his tone, "you win."

"i'm mature enough to spare you the 'i told you so', but-"

"you told me so?"

"a little."

you laughed quietly, dropping your eyes to your shoes and enjoying the silence for a few moments.

"so," he started cautiously, quietly, pulling your attention back to his eyes- which were soft, and if you didn't know better, you would have sworn he looked nervous. "does that mean you'll come?"

"wasn't that the deal?"

"well- i mean, yes, but-"

"yes, i'll be there."

his grin came back full force, dazzling and warm, the kind that you wished you could put in a bottle and open on bad days to make everything better. "cool."

"cool?"

"cool." he nodded happily.

[redpandaramblings]

The Art of Blind Dates. Deku x GN! Reader

This piece was written for @rat-zuki 's the deku agenda escapes no one collab. Happy Birthday to our favorite broccoli.

Content warning- This fic rated PG-13. Aged up characters, Allusions to sexual activity, swearing, gender neutral reader.

“You know, we really have to stop meeting like this.”

You jumped, the spray can you had been using left an unsightly streak of bright red across your masterpiece. You scowled behind your mask as you turned to face the man who had spoken.

“We do. You keep making me mess up my hard work!”

You smirked, pleased with yourself as you saw Deku, the number one pro hero, recoil at the sight of your mask. It had taken a few weeks to convert the All Might mask into an ahegao face, but it was worth it if it horrified your number one pain in the ass. Izuku blinked a few times, sighing and bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was clearly choosing to ignore your choice of disguise.

“I wouldn’t have to mess with your work if you chose to do things that were, you know, actually legal? You’re talented, Brushstroke. You could get paid to do murals or something instead of…” Deku gestured towards your latest creation. You were rather proud of it. It had taken a good amount of planning to manage to paint a fifty foot tall mural of pro hero Dynamight mooning the city with the bold caption ‘The Hero Commision can kiss my ass.’ It would be perfect if not for the red streak from where Deku had startled you. With a contemplative hum you shook your spray can and quickly turned the offending mark into a cartoonish lipstick print. Midoriya sighed heavily. “I’m standing right here, you know.”

“I know.” You grinned behind your mask. The voice distorter you used did nothing to hide your chipper tone. “I also know you like it. And you can’t tell me Dynamight wouldn’t love it. He literally said that on live interview!”

“Yes, but not with his pants down to his knees.”

You bent over, throwing your cans of spray paint and climbing gear into your duffle bag. It wouldn’t do for your nemesis to get his hands on some of the tools you used. Mei’s stamp was all over it.

“Which is such a shame. The man’s got cake for days.” You chuckled as Deku pulled a face.

He observed you, hands on his hips. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Away, obviously.” You said as you threw the strap of your dufflebag across you.

“And I’m just going to let you go?”

“Oh no. You’re going to chase me like you always do. And I’m going to escape like I always do. And it’s going to drive you crazy because you can’t figure out how I keep doing it.” You began stretching, exaggerating each movement.

“A teleportation quirk isn’t that hard to figure out.” Izuku began stretching as well, rolling his shoulders and popping joints.

“Guess again.” You sing songed, bouncing on your toes.

“Wouldn’t have to guess if you just told me.”

“But that’s no fun. Unfortunately, I do have to be going. Catch you later, hot stuff!” And with a sprint, you raced to the side of the building and jumped off before activating your quirk.

Time slowed around you. It was like you were hovering in the air instead of falling. Freeze Frame was a quirk you had learned to perfect over the years. Between the quirk and the assorted gadgets in your bag and on your person, it was definitely enough to baffle the number one pro hero. Speaking of, you better work quickly before your quirk wore off and splatted you across the sidewalk.

Freeze Frame was named after what your quirk looked like from the outside. It was as if you teleported, or you had frozen time around you for everyone except yourself. In reality, you were a speedster. When your quirk was active, you were able to move at speeds so fast you were undetectable to others, and to you it seemed like everything was paused in time. You probably could have been a phenomenal hero or villain if you wanted. But currently, it was much more fun to thwart a certain green haired man.

With a press of a button, you deployed a grappling hook, snagging it on the building across the alley. You swung over, keeping a countdown in your head. Would you be lucky enough and have time to…? Yes. There! A balcony door was cracked open slightly. You gracefully landed on the balcony and used the door to slip into what appeared to be someone’s bedroom, thankfully unoccupied at the moment. Taking no chances though, you slip into the closet just as the effects of your quirk wear off. The other reason you had never turned to heroism or villainy- no matter how much you trained, you could only keep your quirk activated for ten seconds at a time. It wasn’t a lot. Plus you could only activate your quirk a couple dozen times a day without getting seriously ill. But it still was usually more than enough to be able to give any law enforcement the slip. Just like now.

Deku curses as he runs to the edge of the roof. You’re nowhere to be seen. “Brushstroke! Get back here, you damn brat!” He shouted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. One of these days he was going to figure out your quirk and how to counteract it. And when that day comes he was going to take you over his knee and… No. He shook his head, blushing to clear his thoughts. What to do with you. Well, he wasn’t sure yet. You weren’t a villain, really. More of a public nuisance. The murals you did showed a lot of talent and a good chunk of the population agreed with the social commentary behind them. But that didn’t change that you had painted ten foot tall asscheeks on a building without permission. And, technically, it was within his job description to apprehend you. “Brushstroke!” Deku called again as he made his way down to the ground. There was no sign of you anywhere. Invisibility quirk maybe? Though it would be unusual if you could turn all the stuff you had been wearing and carrying invisible as well.

Meanwhile, as Izuku was getting lost in thought, you were getting naked. You stripped out of your gear and paint covered smock, moving as quickly as you dared while still remaining quiet in your hidden location. Just because the bedroom had been empty doesn’t mean the rest of the place was, after all. You shoved everything into your dufflebag, pulling out a clean set of clothing from a zippered pocket. Getting changed was a simple affair, as was ruffling your hair, messily getting it to look like a different style. One of your favorite tricks happened when you pushed a hidden button on the edge of your duffle bag. The previously dull gray bag quickly morphed into a loud riot of tye dyed color. Chameleon bags, Hatsume called them. Still in a prototype stage, your friend and employer would probably make a mint on them if you put them on the market. After a final brush off and deciding you looked acceptably civilian, you peeked out the closet door. The bedroom was still empty. You crept out slowly. The balcony wasn’t a feasible exit anymore. Not without the gear you had had to store away. You were going to have to sneak out the front door. You activated your quirk, feeling a little queasy at having to use it again so quickly in succession. It was simple to race through the apartment and out into the hall within your short time limit. In fact, with your speed, you were easily able to exit the entire apartment complex. You still had a few seconds to spare when you shot out the door. You grinned at seeing the number one pro hero standing in the middle of the street. You knew you shouldn’t do what you were thinking. Instead you should use your last few spare seconds to put some distance between yourself and the large, green haired man. Instead, you quickly dug around in your bag and found your tube of lipstick. You applied a nice thick coat as you waltzed up to him. With a giggle, you planted a firm smacking kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a clear and perfect lip print. With a grin, you hurried back to the apartment complex. It was easy to make it seem like you were just coming out of the door as time snapped back to its proper speed. You watched, hiding your smirk as you observed the clearly frustrated hero scanning the crowds for any sign of you. His eyes passed right over you, barely giving you a glance. You almost felt hurt that he thought your normal look was that unremarkable. But that was the point, after all. As Deku continued to call out for your pseudonym, you turned and walked away, blending into the crowd. You were almost out of earshot when you heard a loud cursing exclamation that would have been more in character for a certain blond hero. You bite your knuckle to muffle your laughter. Someone had informed Deku of the lipstick mark.

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

You sipped from a bottle of water as you watched Mei work her magic. It was strangely relaxing to watch her in her element. Though it seemed chaotic the first few times you had witnessed your friend work, there was a clear method to the madness if you just knew where to look. And you knew exactly where to look now that you had been working with her for the past three years. You were simply listed as one of her assistants. Most days that involved a random jumble of cleaning, paperwork, schedule management, and coffee making. The real reason Hatsume loved having you around however, was days like this.

“Okay! Set!” She chirped happily. “You good to go now?”

You nodded as you slid down, and walked into the testing area. “Remind me what I’m looking for again?”

“Well, obviously the usual. Make sure it’s not lethal, of course. And then I want to make sure the grid is deploying at the right time. Should be about a quarter second after detonation.”

“As long as everything looks good, want me to be full blown dummy this time?”

Hatsume tilted her head, and considered a moment before nodding. “Yeah, should be fine. Have the explosive levels where they should be. If anything messes up it’s going to be the grid deploying too soon or too late and not restraining you right.”

You gave her a thumbs up as you got into position. She counted down, though that didn’t matter much to you, honestly. One of the best perks of your quirk was that it gave you insane reflexes. You waited until the moment you saw the detonation begin to happen and activated your quirk.

As usual, it felt like time slowed to a crawl around you. Hollywood directors would give a kidney to have access to the detailed slow motion you could experience every day for free. You walked around the device, looking it over. It was meant to be a capture aid for pro hero Cellophane, a small explosive that would shoot nets of tape in all directions. It had to be safe and effective. Better to have a few civilians stuck to the walls than to risk letting a villain escape, after all. You peered into the explosion that was slowly rippling outward. Everything looked good so far… Yep, there were the grids starting to deploy. Sure that everything was safe, you deactivated your quirk and instantly were thrown backward and stuck to a padded wall of the testing room.

“Looked great!” You called as Hatsume entered the room. “I think you’ve finally got it!”

While she cheered and began praising her baby for performing so well, you tried wiggling. No luck. You were stuck rather firmly. Apparently she had upped the strength of the adhesive. After a minute, Hatsume finally noticed your struggles.

“Oh good!” She chirped. “Looks like the new formula is holding up nicely. I mean, I still need to test it out against, like strength and fire quirks, but looking good so far.”

“Little help, please?” You ask, giving her a look.

“Maybe in a bit.” She said, turning her back and leaving you there, pinned. “Want to test how long it holds. Besides, I have some questions about your last escapade and how my babies held up.”

You let out a resigned sigh. Of course. Your friend had found out about your after hours hobby about a year and a half ago. Instead of discouraging you, it hadn’t surprised you that much when she blackmailed you. She wouldn’t tell the police or heroes…. If you used some of her experimental babies on your future excursions. You had been dubious. Hatsume’s babies could be a little dangerous in the prototype stage. But it ended up working great! Your pieces went from small tagging jobs to huge fifty foot murals. Though that had caught the attention of a few public figures, including a certain green haired pain in your ass.

“I didn’t use anything directly against Deku this time.” You sighed, going limp to test if the tape would hold your weight. It did. “Grappling hook works great. The painter drones are okay for filling in large areas, but aren’t able to do clean lines well. The gecko boots continue to be amazing, but the gloves need a lot of work. The control for when they release still isn’t great.”

Hatsume nodded, quickly making notes about everything you said. There was a bit of a quick back and forth where she asked questions and you answered. Though ten minutes passed and you were still stuck to the wall. She eventually sets her notes aside and turns to face you fully. “So,” she drawls. “You saw Deku again.”

“I always see Deku nowadays!” You groan. “I swear Mei, if I find out you’re tipping him off or something...”

“Aww, come on! He’s nice! Would you rather be dealing with Dynamight?”

You frowned, not meeting her gaze. “I mean, the variety might be nice?”

“You like that with the help of my babies you’re able to out fox the number one pro hero, admit it!”

“It might be a little satisfying,” you mutter.

“And it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either! Heard you two get all flirty during chases. The tabloids loved the kiss mark, by the way. Enjoy finally kissing him?”

“Hatsume!” you groan. “Subject change, please! Anything else!”

“Anything?” she grins at you.

“Oh god, I’m going to regret this.”

“It’s not that bad, I promise! Just, would you be interested in a blind date?”

You blink. “A date?”

“Yeah! One of my friends from school has a lot of trouble meeting people organically. You know how the industry is. Ridiculous schedules, maintaining reputation, trying to make sure they like you for you and aren’t just a fan.”

“Yeah… I guess I can understand that.”

“Well, I just think you and him would be a great fit! He’s a huge nerd in a lot of the same ways you are, but a real good guy once you get past the awkward. Plus,” Hatsume dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper “I happen to know for a fact that he’s a fan of Brushstroke’s work.”

You sighed, rolling your eyes. “You know it’s extortion to try to get me to agree when you have me literally taped to a wall.”

“I know!” Hatsume chirped happily. “So are you going to agree? I made the adhesive pretty strong this time. Who knows how long it would take to wear off on it’s own?”

“Bitch!” You can’t help laughing. “Alright, alright, I’ll go. Just get me down from here!”

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

You fidgeted with the ring you were wearing as you stared at the building in front of you. Maybe it wasn’t too late to bail? You don’t know exactly what you had been expecting when Hatsume had told you about the somewhat shy, nerdy man she had set you up with, but you hadn’t expected him to choose the fanciest restaurant in town as your date location. You were wearing your best and still felt underdressed. Well, if the date was a disaster, at least you knew what building you were going to spray paint next. The glistening white exterior would make for a great canvas. You chuckled quietly at your own thoughts.

Squaring your shoulders, you took a deep breath and marched in. You could do this. You were an infamous tagger. You faced off against the number one pro hero regularly. Your day job was working with Hatsume. You’ve got this. With an air of newfound confidence, you gave your name to the maitre d. It was a surprise when you were led through the restaurant to one of their private curtained rooms. This guy you’d been set up with was apparently going all out. Maybe you were going to like him after all, you thought as you were ushered in. Then you looked up.

Fuck.

Standing to greet you with a stupidly flustered look on his damn stupid handsome face was your nemisis. The number one thorn in your proverbial side. The giant broccoli himself.

That BITCH had set you up with Izuku Midoriya!

You froze. In the back of your mind you were aware that your mouth was hanging open. The green haired man shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Hi,” he said quietly, scratching the back of his head.

You continued to stare.

He cleared his throat, glancing to the side. “Sorry about the secrecy, but I think it’s understandable.”

You nodded weakly.

Izuku bit his lip. You realized with a start that he might be even more nervous than you are. As much as you planned to murder Hatsume later, this wasn’t Midoriya’s fault. You could get through this date at least. Eat some expensive food, drink the best wines, make some meaningless conversation, say your goodbyes, and then go home to plot the demise of your former best friend. Long, slow painful demise. Good thing about being an artist, you had lots of traps, so clean up should be easy. Looking at the worried expression on Izuku’s face, you realize with a start that you still haven’t actually said anything to him. You open your mouth to offer some sort of generic greeting. But what comes out is-

“I’m going to fucking murder Mei!”

Izuku blinks. Blinks again. Then he starts laughing loudly. He leans one hand on the table as he cackles. You stare before starting to chuckle yourself. Soon you’re both wheezing with laughter. You both slump into your seats, trying to collect yourselves. Midoriya speaks first.

“Yeah, I… I get that. I’d think that’s a common emotion when hanging around Hatsume.”

You can’t help your smile. “Only at least half of the time. But that’s what makes it fun. No one else like her.”

“That’s for sure.” Izuku leaned back in his seat, looking you over like he’s studying you. “So, I suppose we should actually introduce ourselves. I’m Izuku Midoriya. I do hero work.”

You laugh. “Y/N Y/L/N. I work for Mei and freelance art when I can.”

“Art, huh? What kind of stuff do you do?”

You’re briefly interrupted by the arrival of the first course. After the waiter leaves, Deku apologies. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to order for you, but this is one of those places where you pay them and they tell you what you’re going to eat.”

“It’s fine.” You say as you stare at the delicate wisp of some sort of thinly shaved vegetable with a dollop of strangely colored foam on top.

“You were saying what kind of art you do?” Deku cautiously was poking at the tiny fancy appetizer.

“A few different things really, but my passion is mural work. Latest job was in a maid cafe. They wanted something cute and floral, but they let me do what I wanted within that theme.”

The night continued on and was surprisingly easy. The food was delicious, the wine was better, and you were pleasantly surprised by the company. Maybe it was the wine softening you up, but as you looked across the table where Izuku was animatedly talking about how influential All Might’s example had been for him, you admitted to yourself that the green haired man was very handsome. And funny. And interesting. And you were trying very hard not to think about the way Midoriya’s large scarred hand wrapped around the delicate wine glass. It was a surprise when the final course was finished and Izuku was quietly taking care of the bill. He escorted you out of the building and you both stood awkwardly outside. Deku cleared his throat.

“If it’s not presuming too much, I’m not quite ready for tonight to end. Is it alright if I walk you home?”

“I’d like that. Like that a lot, actually.”

He smiled at you, and it was like the sun. You walked and talked animatedly. The conversation was so easy and fun, and a little flirty. Somewhere along the way your hands brushed together and holding hands became the most natural thing in the world. Time flew by as you walked together, your true destination long forgotten. You were only brought back to reality when out of the corner of your eye you saw a massive mural of pro hero asscheeks. When Izuku saw what you were looking at, he groaned.

“Could you please not check out my friend’s ass while we’re on a date?” He joked, gently elbowing your ribs. You laughed.

“I mean, you can’t blame me. It’s hard to miss.” You made a mental note to tell Mei that her paint formula was holding up beautifully.

“It’s a little embarrassing. Brushstroke is talented and all, but every mural is a time I couldn’t catch them.”

Maybe it was the wine still buzzing through your system. Maybe it was the thrill of it. Maybe you just wanted to see those beautiful green eyes widen. But you couldn’t help the next words out of your mouth.

“Well you might have an easier time if you ever actually figured my quirk out.”

“Yeah I…” He stopped. Stared. “You…” He stared harder, pulling away slightly as he looked your figure up and down. “You!!!”

“Surprise?” You laughed, and grinned at him. He was always so handsome when he was angry. You weren’t scared at all as he hauled you close.

“Do you have any idea how infuriating you are?”

“Pretty good idea, actually.”

“You’ve been leading me on goose chases for months!”

You grinned “Yes, will be our anniversary soon.”

Izuku groaned as he wrapped his arms around your waste. “You irredeemable brat!”

You would have replied, but in the next second he was fiercely smashing his mouth against yours. The kiss started harsh and desperate. The results of months of teasing and flirting. It gentled as the two of you stood there in the night, soft and sweet and full of affection the two of you had yet to put into words. The thought occurred to you that you’d have to thank Mei later. Your eyes opened as the two of you pulled away for breath. You started giggling almost immediately. Izuku pressed his forehead against yours.

“What’s so funny, darling?”

You smirked. “I never thought we’d have our first kiss while being mooned by Dynamight.”

Izuku groaned loudly before sweeping you up into his arms. You squawked and clung to him.

“That’s it.” He rumbled. “I’m going to spank you when I get you home, you fucking brat.”

“Promise?” you giggled.

You didn’t mind in the least when he shut you up with another kiss.

[y0itsbri]

shameless summer series (s2 era) - based on this prompt posted by @ianandmickeygallavich & @shameless-notashamed ☀️📽️🍿

Mandy doesn’t know why the fuck Mickey is tagging along to her movie date with Ian. He says it’s because the cinema is air-conditioned. She doesn’t believe him, why would he sit through a romantic comedy just to keep cool? And she also doesn’t get why Ian sits in the middle of them.

words: 1.2k

"Ian, come on we're gonna be late!" Mandy yelled from the bottom of the steps outside the Gallagher's house.

"Jesus Christ, Mands, did you want the fuckin' Twizzlers or not?" Ian passed the threshold to the outside and smacked her shoulder with the candy before she smuggled them out of his grip.

"Thank you, boyfriend," she kissed his cheek as he scrunched up his nose at the affection -- especially in front of her brother, who looked onto their loving display amused before returning his gaze back down at the ground.

Mandy kicked Mickey in the shin.

"Ow- fuck! What?!"

"Be fuckin' nice, dickwad," she threateningly whispered.

If Ian was looking closely, he might have seen the tips of Mickey's ears blush red as he muttered a "'sup, Gallagher."

"Hey Mick," Ian smiled at him, unable to help himself.

"'m sorry my idiot brother decided to crash our date." Mandy apologized, emphasizing the last word and glaring at an unbothered Mickey. She led her boys down the side walk en route to the movie theater for the two o'clock showing they had been planning to see.

"Oh, did he now?" Ian teased, threatening to cross into Mickey's part of the sidewalk, but Mickey held his ground and dodged Ian's attempts to bump into him.

"It's hot as balls out and you know damn well Dad hasn't paid the AC in ages." Mickey pulled a piece of Mandy's hair from behind her.

"Bitch! Coulda went to wherever the fuck it is you normally terrorize," she swooped her hair to the front of her shoulders, out of Mickey-the-menace's reach.

"No AC."

"Whatever."

-

Ian caught the side door to the theater as a group of kids were exiting a movie. The three teenagers snuck in successfully.

"'ey Ian, ya want some popcorn? I was gonna get some."

"Uh, yeah, sure -- thanks Mickey," Ian grinned as Mickey turned away without another word.

"Shit! We're gonna miss the previews -- let's go!"

"What about Mickey?" Ian wondered.

"Uh, we'll save a seat? Duh? Do you have worm for brains?"

"Shut up," Ian shoved her and she giggled.

-

Mandy cuddled into Ian's side as they took some empty seats in the back of the theater. She loved spending time with her best friend, but why did her brother always have to cock block? Okay -- not that she was gonna get some, anyways, because Ian's fucking gay or whatever, but it's still the sentiment!

As the final previews ended, Mandy believed that Mickey would truly be a no show. She had no idea why he tagged along to see Perks of Being a Wallflower with them in the first place when she was pretty sure some movies with like fucking superheroes or battleships or some shit were on next door. He hasn't been soft enough to watch a romance movie in years -- especially in front of another guy. It just didn't add up.

She sighed as Mickey finally waltzed into the theater, two bags of popcorn in hand. Mandy picked up her purse from the seat next to her for Mickey to sit down, but he kept walking and plopped down on the other side of Ian. The fuck?

"Mick, I saved you a seat here," she whispered.

Mickey shook the bags of buttery puffs between himself and Ian, "Popcorn." He turned back towards the screen as if that justified everything. Whatever. Ian was still hers at least.

Ian moved his hand from Mandy's arm so he could eat his popcorn.

Motherfucker.

She gnawed on her Twizzlers.

-

Ian had a hard time focusing on the movie at first. Mickey was manspreading and his left thigh was pushing into Ian's -- hand-me-down athletic shorts touching worn denim.

Ian glanced over at Mickey just in time to see him tilt his head back, exposing his throat, and dump the contents of the popcorn bag into his mouth, spilling a few pieces.

Mickey gave him a side eye and cocked an eyebrow up, "See something ya like?"

"You're a messy eater."

"Says the guy with half his food on his chest." Ian looked down. Oh.

Before he could bring his hand up to brush it off, Mickey plucked off a piece of popcorn and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly while keeping eye contact with Ian. Motherfucker.

Ian was not about to be sporting a semi with fucking Emma Watson on screen and Mandy two inches to his left. He wasn't.

Mickey grinned and turned his focus back on the movie again.

-

Of course this movie would have a queer character that Mickey was both repulsed and drawn towards. Some things hit a little too close to home for comfort, okay?

Fuck.

He knew he was frozen and tense. He didn't expect anyone else to notice, but of course, fucking Ian was like an alien motherfucker always tuned into his frequency. He always knew.

Without looking at him, Ian cautiously placed his hand over Mickey's thigh. When Mickey didn't push away - in fact, he leaned into it, - Ian gently stroked his leg with his thumb in what he thought was a loving gesture. An I see you gesture. An it's okay gesture.

Maybe it would be okay.

-

Mandy started tearing up near the end of the movie, so Ian, in his perfect boyfriend role, wrapped his arm around her shoulders -- her face tucked into his chest. Her eyes were glued to the screen, so she didn't even notice that one of Ian's hands was dropped to the side of the seat and inched so close towards the edge, towards Mickey's seat -- so close, in fact, that the boys had been linking pinky fingers for the better part of the movie. Hidden in the dark of the theater. Their fingers had started sweating like half an hour ago, but neither of them could bring themselves to pull away just yet, savoring their little piece of forever in the grimy cinema. Some shit about we accept the love we think we deserve.

-

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom before we go, you guys gonna be fine by yourselves for a minute?"

"We'll see," Mickey muttered. Mandy frowned.

Ian clasped his hand over Mickey's shoulder, "He means we'll be fine."

Mickey flipped him off until Mandy was out of view and then dipped his head towards one of the theater doors, motioning for Ian to follow. The door didn't lead to another theater, but to a storage closet.

Before the door was even able to close all the way, Mickey frantically reached to pull down Ian's pants. Ian's brain worked slower than his dick as he managed to comprehend their current situation.

"Mick, we have like no time," Ian groaned into it, his feeble attempt to not get so turned on quickly failing.

"Imma make it quick, new personal best."

Ian's chuckle turned into a gasp. Okay, damn, maybe so.

Mickey's head rested on Ian's chest and Ian's head fell atop Mickey's, the scent of his hair gel mixed with him intoxicating his senses.

Motherfucker.

-

Mandy exited the bathroom, her company no where to be seen. She leaned against the pole, debating calling Ian or waiting another couple minutes. Sure enough, the boys came wandering over a few minutes later.

"Took ya long enough, where'd you run off to?"

"Uh, Ian wanted to look at the movie poster for, uh-"

"Battleship."

"Yeah, Battleship."

"Nerds," Mandy called, walking towards the exit. They were terrible liars. They all knew it. Whatever, they hadn't killed each other, that's all she cared about. She turned around to face the semi-stunned boys, "Coming?"

They headed back home in the sweltering sun, Mandy leading the group as always.

And if the two boys walked a little closer than before as Mandy turned a blind eye, that was nobody's business but theirs.

[raindownforme]

Theater Kid

Ted Nivison x reader [she/her used]

It wasn’t odd for me to be left alone in the big open space. Most nights I was there into the late hours when my teachers were too tired to remember I was there. But tonight they’d actually forgotten, so I busied myself by sweeping the giant black stage. The push broom had been left near the side lighting panel, so I chose a few flood lights to turn on to better see the flooring. The lightbulbs hummed to life above me and I went back to take center stage as a starting point. I turned to look towards the house but, as I stared out into the seats, I saw someone standing who hadn’t been there before.

“You turned the fucking floods on.” His voice echoed across the near empty space and I shushed him as quickly as possible. Fucking actors always having to be the loudest.

“Jesus Christ Theodore shut up. Haven’t you ever done this before?”

“No. I don’t stay after school cleaning like a weirdo.”

“Well you’re here. And I’m not a weirdo! It’s a shared space. If anything you should appreciate me.”

I watched as he awkwardly picked up his backpack and walked down the aisles towards me. He stood at the foot of the stage, staring up at me, which wasn’t that much of an angle for him. He was an abnormally tall person, especially for a highschool student. Of course it only added to the strange charismatic spell he held over almost everyone else in our shared department, and I hated it. I hated the way he never talked to me but talked to everyone else. I hated the way he would sit on the desks and the tables in the classroom and the makeup room and on the edge of the stage and when he caught me looking he would give me this wide, crooked smile. I hated how loud his stupid improv club was that he got to lead was because he was the only student good at it. I hated how I spent every day inside the workshop and the prop hallway and the sound booth and the set alley and the lighting booth and he never payed a bit of attention to it. It was everyone else but me. And even knowing how close I’d gotten to being the stage manager, I knew I’d always be one peg under him.

“Did you hear me?”

I blinked myself out of my angry thoughts, trying to catch up with the real world. “I’m sorry?”

“I said you don’t have to call me Theodore. Ted is fine.”

“Oh.” I rolled my shoulders back unsure of what was the appropriate next step. “Well my name is-“

“y/n I know.” He cut me off. I stared at him in confusion, simply having assumed he didn’t know who I was. “We have like five classes together. We’ve done every production together since freshman year. You’re the one in charge when I come to set days. I sit across from you in the makeup room during lunch. And I know you do all your homework at the director’s desk.”

I stared at my feet as I felt my face flush. It felt like I couldn’t make words. It didn’t make sense that this guy I thought was a prick for the last three years knew me? But I knew that I liked him knowing me. And that was the worst part; I’d been fine with thinking he didn’t know me and didn’t want to because it gave me a name to whatever this feeling was. And now I don’t know. I looked back towards him, trying to think of anything to say. “You don’t care about tech.”

“I- what?” I couldn’t tell if he was angry or confused, and I wasn’t sure which was worse. Staring at him again I noticed the strange tint to his face, which seemed to be turning pinker by the second. I could see my reflection in his glasses and I realized how awkward of an angle we were at.

I bent down on my knees to meet his eye level. “You don’t care about tech. You’re the guy who’s a lead character and comes to rehearsal just to fuck around when you’re not needed act all high and mighty when really you never do anything.”

He narrowed his eyes, as if thinking, and then slapped his bag down on the stage near my feet. “Give me a fucking broom.”

We spent the next while peacefully sweeping up the stage. At some point I switched to the nail detector (which was really a long stick with a magnet on the end) and began going around the edges and crevices to try and find anything. We crossed paths a couple times, shoulders brushing together or brooms clinking.

Eventually I had passed him just enough that he stopped me in my tracks. He grasped my forearm gently, but I stared at his hand. I didn’t seem to want him to let go. “Here.” He took an AirPod out of his ear and handed it to me.

“Ooooh fancy actor boy has AirPods.”

“Literally shut up and appreciate me.” I smiled as I walked towards the trash can. I didn’t know what was playing, but it seemed like some indie bullshit I probably would have admitted to liking if it wasn’t coming from Th- Ted.

I sighed as I leaned the broom against the wall. “I think we’re done here. I can put away the broom in the morning if you don’t know where it goes.”

“I got it.” I watched as he took the trash can under one arm and the broom to the designated little outcropping in the workshop.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you in here.”

“Eh.” He shrugged and stood up straight to look down at me better. “Freshman year someone smacked me straight across the face with a roller. Worst acne I’ve ever had.”

“Oh. Ouch. Still on the handle?”

“Nope.”

“Wet or dry?”

“Wet. With paint. Fresh paint.”

“Ooh. What color?”

“Forest green.”

“Euch. Nasty.” I chuckled as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. It wasn’t uncommon for this part of the school to be the coldest, especially surrounded by walls of exclusively concrete and a single garage door, and the seasons still changing as we neared the end of winter. I felt a shiver run through my spine, and Ted looked at me funny.

“Is it cold in here?”

“For some of us.”

“Here.” Ted shrugged off the heavy bomber jacket he had been wearing and draped it over my shoulders. It was warm on the inside, much warmer than I’d been expecting. It almost fit, but I guess his torso and arms were just slightly larger than mine. I looked back to him to say thank you but instead he was staring at me with this dumb look. He was smiling and his head was tilted slightly, and his face was pink again, but darker this time. I felt my face heat up as we stared at each other.

“We should leave.”

He seemed to snap back to reality. “Right. Yeah no right god it’s- what time?” He flicked his wrist out to move his sleeve in order to see his watch. Of course the pretentious bitch wore a stupid watch. “It’s like 6. I guess it’s eating time.”

I nodded and walked back out towards stage left, Turing off all the lights except for our single ghost light that had to sit center stage. It cast a hazy shadow over everything. I watched Ted walk towards center where the lightbulb stood. He started to reach for his bag but I heard the song change in the AirPod. He made eye contact with me as a slow waltzy song moved through my ear. He extended a hand to me and I tentatively reached for it. His hands felt good in mine. They were soft but worn, I and I could clearly feel the lines that ran through his palms and his fingers.

He took one of my hands in his and his other hand placed itself gently on my waist. “Have you ever waltzed before?” His voice was low and raspy, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I whispered back, “no.” He began to shuffle us around, pulling me left and right and pushing away and pulling me. I felt surrounded by the way he smelled and the way he held me gingerly, like a glass figurine. I stared down at my feet as to not step on him, but he took the hand that was holding mine to gently lift my chin up.

“It’ll be easier if you look up at me. I know you can hear the rhythm.” He began to hum the song as we continued to move. The song began a flourish ending as he threw me out in a twirl, then pulling me back in to his arms. I felt him dip me to the ground as the ending came. I let my self dangle, my head up side down, staring at the ground, then gently lifted my face back upwards. Ted was mere centimeters away from me. I could feel his breathing on my neck.

“Ted. I should-“

“Yeah. No no I know. Yeah.” He lifted me up slowly until I was sure I was flat on the floor. I grabbed my backpack, holding the straps.

“Do you want your jacket-?”

“Keep it. I can get it back tomorrow.”

“Today’s Friday.”

“Right. Monday then.”

I nodded and walked towards the door. I could hear his heavier footsteps behind me, gaining quick due to his longer legs. The door clicked shut behind us, and the cool February air rushed through my skin and hair. I watched Ted take a keychain out from the pocket of his back pack. He looked at me and frowned.

“Did you drive or do you have a ride?”

“Oh yeah. No they’ll uh. They’ll be here in a bit.” I dropped my bag and sat on the curb with it on my lap to try and stay warm. Ted’s jacket was lovely but not lovely enough.

I heard Ted drop his bag and watched as he took a seat next to me. He looked over at me. “What? I’m not gonna leave a pretty girl out alone at 7 at night in the winter. Besides my parents probably think I’m at the game anyways.”

Now that he mentioned it, I could hear the sound of cheering and drum line off in the distance.

Did he call me pretty?

We both waited on the curb for probably another 10 minutes before he started talking again. “There’s no one coming is there?”

“Ted-“

“I never see you leave because you always leave last. After anyone who could possible give you a ride has left. You’re one of those kids.”

“I’m sorry one of those kids?”

“No I didn’t-“ he exhaled and closed his eyes. “You don’t have anyone waiting for you. So you just walk.” We were both quiet for a moment, taking in the cold as it burned your skin. Ted stood up and extended a hand to me. “Get in the car.”

“Im sorry what?”

“Get in my fucking car. I’m not going to leave you to get kidnapped on the way home so you’re coming with me to get food.”

“See now this feels like kidnapping.”

“Oh my GOD get in the car.”

I reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat of his car, looking at the very minimal personalization that had been done: a couple stickers on the back window and a glasses case in the center cup holder. I watched as he reversed out of the parking spot, extending his arm against my seat to better turn around. I did my best not to stare, but I wasn’t sure what else to look at. He stopped before going into drive, asking if I didn’t mind McDonald’s even if there was a long line.

“Sure. It’s not like there’s someone waiting on me.”

He frowned at my response, but nonetheless kept on driving. “Well, there’s also a Dairy Queen, Sherri’s, maybe a Taco Bell-“

“Sherri’s.”

He glanced over at me with a confused look. “Really??”

“Come on, you know sitting in a dirty trashy restaurant at night is the total teenage coming of age moment.”

“Yeah but a Sherri’s? The food isn’t even good enough to justify.”

“You only say that because you haven’t tried those loaded hash browns.” I jokingly placed a hand on his shoulder, but I felt him tense at the contact. I retracted my hand and he sighed, moving to turn on his right blinker.

Ted swiveled his head to check for passing cars, but he grinned at me as we made less than a second of eye contact. I turned my head away towards the window next to me, trying to swallow whatever heat was rising towards my cheeks. I watched us pass cars and headlights as we approached the poorly lit parking lot. I jolted as ted’s plastic bumper lightly scraped the ground. He mumbled something under his breath as he pulled into a spot.

“I hate this stupid lot. Always scratch something coming in.” He unbuckled his seat belt and got out quicker than I expected. I went to unbuckle and get out but as I reached for the door handle, Ted opened it for me from the outside.

“Oh.” I stared at him for a second and he grinned at me.

“I know. Such a gentleman. Now get out of the car before I break your heart.” He winked at me, obviously joking, but I still felt my heart drop out of my chest.

“HA.” I pushed him away from me gently, but my fingers burnt at the touch.

I heard Ted shut the door behind me as I walked into the restaurant. There was really no one inside other than a group of kids tucked away in a booth in a far corner. I watched as the hostess approached me, saying I could sit in any table I wanted. I heard Ted walk in behind me and I turned to look at him, but he was staring at the group of kids in the corner.

He sighed and closed his eyes. “Oh shit-“

“HEY. TED!” One of the kids started yelling at him from the booth. The other boys laughed at him as the maybe two or three other girls giggled. I looked between Ted and the boy, who seemed incredibly belligerent or under some sort of influence. He waved his arms in a wide span over his head, as if telling Ted where he was. “NIVISON! COME SIT OVER HERE! COME ON FUCK THE LOSER! GET OVER HERE.”

Ted looked at me, making a prolonged eye contact, then back to the kid. “No thanks! I’ll see you later.”

He linked arms with me and rushed over to the other side of the restaurant, tucking us into a small booth by the window. He said almost nothing, staring just out at the bushes. A waiter came by, dropping off two thick plastic menus.

“Anything to drink?”

Ted mumbled, but I was sure the waiter wasn’t able to hear. “Water for him please. And how much is a vanilla milkshake?”

“$2.50 for a small.”

“A small vanilla milkshake then. Please.” I smiled gently at him, and the waiter seemed to straighten himself a bit, more self assured than he had been two minutes ago.

“Of course. Right away.”

The waiter walked away and Ted stayed quiet. I slid my hand across the table towards him. “Theodore-“

“I’m not friends with Jake. I mean I was when we were younger.” He was looking me now. Well not exactly me, but my extended hand at least. “He joined the football team and some other sorts and we just stopped hanging out because of time. And he does still wear the lettermen’s jacket but....” he dropped his voice and leaned in, I copied and leaned closer to him. “He got cut from the team because he would show up drunk so now he goes to games just to drink under the bleachers and pick up cheerleaders from the other schools. He tells anyone who asks that he got a brain injury and can’t legally practice but still goes for support.”

“Oh my god.” I blinked, my voice still at a whisper. “That’s terrible.”

Ted nodded eyes wide. He looked over my shoulder, tapped my hand, and then sat up. I sat up too, assuming it was the waiter, but stared at how close his hand was to mine.

“Okayyyyy one ice water and one vanilla milkshake.” I moved my line of vision towards the drink set in front of me. It had the standard glass cup and whipped cream topping, but on top were red and pink heart-shaped sprinkles. I stared at it, and Ted must of noticed it as he took my hand firmly in his, lacing our fingers together on top of the table. The waiter stared at it.

“Hey I think we’re ready to order if you don’t mind.” Ted’s voice was louder than I expected as it took command of our whole corner of the restaurant.

“Uh yeah. What can I get you two?”

“You said you wanted the loaded hash browns, right babe?” He turned to me smiling, but I had no idea what he was thinking.

“Y-Yeah. Those are the ones.”

He gave me a giant goofy smile, and turned back to the waiter. “We’ll have two orders of that please. And an extra straw for this milkshake if you don’t mind?”

“Uh yeah. Coming right up.”

The waiter walked away and Ted sighed, relaxing his grip on my hand but not quite releasing it. “Fucking creep.”

“What?”

He looked back at me, confused. “You didn’t notice he was flirting with you? He put heart shaped sprinkles on your milkshakes.”

“I guess he’s not that good at it then.”

We sat in silence as I drank the thick vanilla shake. Ted cleared his throat and looked towards me. Our hands were still together.

“Well what can we talk about together?”

“I don’t know, theater kid shit?”

“Alright.” He though for a second. “Fine. Movie musicals.”

“Oh. Oh my god I hate the greatest showman.”

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do! PT Barnum had no excuse to be an asshole and the whole thing is just him being an asshole to his family who somehow accepts him again.”

“I think if you have a shitty life you could have the right to be an asshole, and he wasn’t that bad! He loved his wife, and the music is good!”

“Okay some, some of the songs are good, and the whole kiss with the red head was totally not his fault. But just cause you have a shit home life doesn’t mean you can be an ass. I would think it would make you want to be nicer so other people don’t experience the same treatment, you know?”

Ted pauses, seeming to consider, then nods and moves to take a drink from his water.

We spent the next while talking about random topics: stories, tv shows, movies, books, anything. At some point the waiter came back and set the food down without a word. Ted released his hand from mine to grab his fork, and I stared at the place his fingers had been. My hand felt cold and unfamiliar as I set it closer to my plate. I ate slowly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, but Ted ate quicker than I thought he could.

“You were right these are delicious.”

“I told you, only good thing they have.”

I was probably close to finishing when the waiter came and slapped the receipt on the table. “We close in ten.”

As he walked away Ted chuckled. “It’s Sherri’s. They’re open 24 hours?”

I shook my head, smiling, as I dug around for some cash. I grimaced at the amount I had, realizing I would have barely two dollars left. I looked up, prepared to go broke, but Ted had already gotten up with cash in hand.

I reached out and grabbed on to his t-shirt as he walked towards the register. “Theodore, wait-“

“If I get to be your fake boyfriend I can pay for our fake date.” He smiled and continued walking. I rustled through all the small bills and coins I had. I was still holding them in my hands when he came back and sat down across from me.

“Y/N, i told you-“

“But, tip-“

“I got it. Finish your food.”

We sat in silence for a little longer, and as soon as I was done he stood up, shouldering the backpack I’d brought in with me. He stood next to me, holding out his arm towards me. I giggled as we linked arms and walked to the door. I made eye contact with the creepy waiter and watched as Ted flipped the guy off.

The air was cold as we exited the building. I probably would have shivered again if not for Ted’s jacket still around me. I used my free hand to pull it closed in front of me. We were silent getting into his car, but as he turned his key over to start the engine he looked to me and smiled.

“Thank you for an amazing fake first date.”

I laughed and felt a small heat rise to my cheeks. “You make an excellent fake boyfriend.”

He turned up the music as we pulled out of the parking lot. I could hear him scrape his bumper again, but he didn’t say anything about it this time. “So, how do I take you home?”

“Oh. You don’t have to! I can just take the bus-“

“y/n. It’s late and it’s dark and it’s cold. Please let me take you home.” We were stopped at a red light, and we paused, staring just at each other. Ted’s face was bright red, and I’m sure mine was too. But even when the light turned green, his face was still red, and I’m sure mine still was.

A car behind us held a sustained honk, and Ted jolted out of his stupor and peeled out across the intersection. Of course Ted wasn’t a bad driver. He was a highschool driver, so he drove to look cool half the time. Meaning right now he was driving with one hand at the top of the wheel and the other arm rested against on top of the center console. I made the judgement call to reach over and take his free hand in mine. I did so loosely, allowing him to let go if he wanted to, but if anything he laced his fingers with mine tighter. I looked down at our hands, smiling, then back towards Ted’s face. He was smiling widely, but when he saw me looking he made a stupid attempt of trying to play it off and act like he wasn’t smiling, but I started laughing so he eventually fell into laughter with me. We didn’t talk much on the way to my house other than me giving directions every now and then. He didn’t let go of my hand the whole time, except when he had to put the car in park.

I stared out his window towards the front of my dark building. I knew no one was home, and it was probably pretty cold inside since I usually forget to turn on the heater before leaving for school.

“I guess this is me.” He watched me throw my bag over my shoulder as I stepped out of the car. “Thank you Theodore. For everything.”

“Ted.”

“What?”

“You can call me Ted.”

I smiled at him. “Right. Thank you. Ted.”

I shut his car door and walked up my sidewalk, but I turned when I heard another car door shutting behind me.

“y/n, wait.” Ted was walking towards me, hands shoved in his pockets as the giant man toward over me. “I, uh, I really enjoyed being your fake boyfriend tonight.”

“I enjoyed it too-“

“And I enjoyed sweeping the stage with you. And holding your hand. And dancing with you. And driving you home. And arguing over food. And laughing. And sharing music. And pretty much everything. And I don’t want it to be because I’m your fake boyfriend you happened to be on a fake date with because we happened to be in the same place at the same time.” He sucked in a breath as he took my hand gently. He stared at our fingers and palms pressed together. “I want to do all that stuff because I’m your real boyfriend. I want to dance with you and take you on dates to shitty diners and act all jealous because it’s real.”

I could feel my face burning. “You were jealous?”

He laughed a little bit. “Oh my God, yes, I was jealous, he was flirting!!” I laughed, gripping his hand a little harder, then pulling it downwards. “Ouch! What the-“

I placed a kiss on his cheek, and I watched him short circuit as his whole face turned red. “Theodore, I would like to let you know, I am free tomorrow night for a date if that’s what your asking.”

“OH. Okay! Yeah is 7 okay?”

“7 is perfect.”

“Yes! Yes yes!” He pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. “Oh my god! Okay. Tomorrow, 7!”

I laughed, still trapped in his arms. “I expect dancing.”

“Oh absolutely.” He pushed me back a bit, smiling as he stared at me. “I have to go home. I have to get ready!”

“For a date in 24 hours?”

“Yes! I have plans to make!” He kissed me on the forehead again and ran back to the car. Hand on the handle, he looked back at me, smiling. “I can’t wait.”