#so sleeping bag across some chairs in my locker room was my bed

[azurecatboy]

man I legitimately can't tell if I slept worse last night or the night before

ready to sleep in my own bed later

[say-al0e]

Adrenaline

Rating: M | This is smut! No one under 18! Minors, DNI!

Summary: Benny's adrenaline highs are almost harder to deal with than the huffing that comes after a lost fight. He doesn't know how to sit still so when you offer a suggestion to calm down, he runs with it. Warnings: Unprotected P in V (wrap it before you tap it), a few mentions of injuries (it's Benny; what do you expect), one mention of cheating (not by Benny or reader), overstimulation, mention of exhibitionism/ Pairing: Benny Miller x fem!Reader (friends to lovers) Word Count: 9.9k (I fucking know)

Masterlist

Ben was practically vibrating with adrenaline as he bounded down the hall to his apartment. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, fidgeting with his hands, and glancing back every now and again to make sure you were still there as you trailed along behind him. You didn’t mind it, especially when it meant he’d won his fight and wasn’t sulking, but it was always a challenge to get him through the post-win high that preceded the post-match exhaustion.

You still held his keys, nestled safely in your bag where you’d stashed them the moment you arrived at the gym - he’d forgotten them in his locker more than a handful of times on nights you offered to drive him home and you didn’t feel like driving all the way back to grab them when it was already nearing midnight. He looked to be debating turning back and taking them from you but seemed to think better of it as he waited by his front door.

“You had the entire ride to grab your keys, Miller,” you reminded him, your voice low to avoid disturbing his neighbors as you dug through the contents of your bag. Ben’s keys were usually easy to find, readily identifiable by the bright pink keychain you’d given him as a joke but he insisted on using, and ended up in your bag more often than not.

“Didn’t really think about it,” he confessed with a shrug. His voice carried through the hall, almost incapable of whispering, and you shot him your most unimpressed look as you tugged the keychain from the depths of your bag. He rolled his eyes at your look and held out his hand. “You know my neighbors are louder than me.”

You winced at the memory of your last visit to Ben’s apartment building - it had been a dizzying cacophony of music reverberating through the walls, beds creaking, headboards slamming into walls, and moans that would’ve put even the loudest of pornstars to shame - before you shook your head and tossed the keys into his waiting hand.

“You sure you don’t want to just grab some clothes and come back to my place?” You’d offered before the fight, just after he’d rolled his eyes and told Will to talk to his neighbors when he suggested Ben start going to bed earlier, but Ben refused with a shake of his head and a teasing, ‘If you wanted me in your bed, all you had to do was ask, sweetheart.’

“I don’t see how you get any fucking sleep at all,” you sighed, no longer trying to lower your voice as you heard a telltale thump from the apartment next door.

“If the Army teaches you anything, it’s how to sleep anywhere,” Ben retorted with a flippant smile as he gestured for you to enter his apartment. “Slept through worse than a few fake orgasms.”

You ignored the implications behind that statement - you knew he’d slept through worse, you’d heard from the others and had seen the aftermath of a few nightmares for yourself, but he hated dwelling on it so you never asked - and rolled your eyes at his answer. “How d’you know they’re fake?” You glanced at him over your shoulder, an eyebrow raised, as you stepped into his kitchen.

“She’s fucking his friend. Doesn’t sound like that with him,” he explained with a shrug as he toed off his sneakers near the front door before padding across the living room to drop his gym bag into a chair. When he met your eyes, wide with surprise, he shrugged again. “If you’re gonna fake it with anyone, it’s not the person you’re cheating with.”

“I mean… Sure, makes sense,” you nodded, your eyebrows furrowed as you turned to grab a glass from his cabinet to fill with water, “but she’d have me fooled. She sounds like she’s having a good time.”

Ben snorted a laugh at that as he tossed his worn hat onto the coffee table and began pacing around his living room. This was his routine - bounding around his apartment until the adrenaline wore off and he was too exhausted to do more than climb into bed - and you could only watch as he wore himself down.

“Just listen,” he urged you, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye when you held out the glass for him to take. He shook his head, gesturing to the water bottle sticking out of his bag, and you leaned against the counter before taking a sip yourself.

You tried to do as he said, curious to see if you could hear what he seemed to be able to - eager to know the gossip, though it had no impact on your life - however, the only thing you could focus on was Ben. You tried to tune out the sound of his footsteps and the sound of his breathing - still slightly ragged, even though it had been almost an hour since he’d stepped out of the ring - but every noise he made seemed to ring in your ears and drown out all others. You were all too aware of his presence and it put you on edge as you narrowed your eyes at him.

You watched him for another moment, eyes tracking him as he walked the same line from the edge of his couch to the wall, before taking a sip of water to remedy the sudden cottonmouth you were feeling. “Your stomping is making it hard to dissect her moans,” you informed him after a beat, your tone teasing as you hid the set of your mouth behind your glass. “But I’ll take your word for it.”

Ben rolled his eyes but continued pacing, this time purposely stomping as he shot you a look. “Don’t do me any favors, sweetheart,” he tossed over his shoulder, grinning when you held up your middle finger. “Doesn’t matter, anyway. My lease is up in a few weeks. Was thinking about that building near yours, the blue one. It’s closer to the gym and Will’s place, too. Wanna come with me to look next week?”

You didn’t hear the question, too focused on observing him as he moved. You focused on the way the veins in his hands became more visible when he raked his fingers through his hair or the way his shoulders shifted beneath the fabric of his t-shirt when he rolled them and found yourself getting lost in him.

Ben had a post-match routine, but so did you.

Your best friend was attractive. It was a matter of fact, something you’d always been willing to acknowledge - and it wasn’t as if Ben would let you forget - but neither of you dwelled on it. He sometimes teased you if he caught you staring more than usual, something you brushed off with a joke, and there was a bit of light flirting that could also be concealed with a joke but it never went any deeper than that. You both left it alone and called it a day.

After a fight, though, was when you thought he looked his best. It was just before the bruises blossomed into deep purples that smattered his jaw, just before the stiffness and aches from the fight really settled into his bones and stilled him for a day or two. He looked exhausted but, depending on the outcome, glowed with a sort of pride that made him stand just a little taller, hold his head just a little higher.

Tonight, he hadn’t taken as much of a beating as he usually did. He looked to be in tact, for the most part, but there were still a few wounds you knew needed to be cleaned and looked at. His hair was disheveled from where he tugged at it, curled at the temples from sweat and falling into his eyes now that his cap and hair gel were no longer factors, and you found yourself wondering if it was as soft as it looked instead of cataloguing the few minor injuries that marred his face.

After a fight, he looked every bit the warrior you knew he’d once been, and it lit the flame of something you’d prefer to keep buried in the pit of your stomach. Seeing him in the ring, focused and dangerous, was something you were ashamed you found as attractive as you did but seeing the aftermath was almost primal. Something about the way his chest puffed with pride after a win, the way bruises decorated his skin - already littered with silvery scars from battles fought long ago -, set your body alight and you ached to catalogue his injuries with your fingers as you celebrated his win in a way that you shouldn’t want.

A call of your name interrupted your train of thought and brought you back to the present. You blinked, swallowed the lump that formed in your throat - doused the fire burning in the pit of your stomach - with a sip of water, and met Ben’s eyes. He looked amused, despite the exhaustion that was beginning to show, and raised an eyebrow at you. “Where’s your head at, sweetheart?”

You were imagining what noises he’d make when you pressed kisses to the patches of skin you knew would be most tender, to the bruises that decorated his jawline and his ribcage and his knuckles. You were imagining what he’d look like above you, hair hanging in his eyes and jaw set as he drilled into you and sent you soaring higher and higher. You were imagining him, what it would feel like to be overwhelmed by his presence and desperate for his touch.

But instead of spilling the truth that rattled around your brain and set your body alight, you swallowed it down with another sip of water before shrugging. “Trying to see what damage that oaf did to your face,” you settled for, huffing as if this was an inconvenience and not a moment you looked forward to every week while you rounded the counter to step into the living room. “Seeing if he fucked you up permanently or not.”

Ben made a noise that told you he didn’t believe you - he’d caught you checking him out after fights before and could read you better than nearly anyone. He turned to face you, an eyebrow raised, and asked, “You sure about that, sweetheart?”

Ben could see right through you and you knew that but you were stubborn. You weren’t going to admit the truth to him - you couldn’t admit it to him - so you rolled your eyes at his question and took another sip of your water as you focused on a chip in the tile to avoid looking him in the eye. “Go take a shower, Miller. Get cleaned up so I can take a proper look at you. If you’re still coherent after I patch you up, we can talk about whatever you were asking me.”

“I took a shower at the gym.” His tone was amused, clearly certain you weren’t just keeping an eye on the small cut above his eye or the way he shifted his weight to his left hip in an effort to avoid putting too much weight on his right side - you’d noticed those things, too, but that wasn’t what you were focused on and he knew it. As you downed the rest of your water, he crossed his arms over his chest and raked his eyes over your form.

You tried not to fluster under his gaze - easier said than done when his eyes lingered on the exposed skin of your thighs before dragging up to the curve of your chest - and shook your head. “You were in there for two minutes. Go take a real shower. Wash your hair, wash your face; clean up - and not with that eight-in-one bullshit you use at the gym - so you don’t smell like blood and sweat. I’ll grab the first aid kit. It doesn’t look too bad so it should be quick but I’m not staying up with you all night so I’m going to need you to get some of that energy gone.”

A smirk formed on Ben’s face as he listened to your command. You frowned at his change in demeanor, unsure what you’d done to earn that reaction, and watched as he narrowed his eyes to focus solely on you. He took a step closer and, while this wasn’t unusual - he had a fondness for crowding your personal space; he liked to keep a hand on you more often than not, even when the touches bordered on less than platonic - the gleam in his eyes was new.

You’d never been afraid of Ben. For all of his training, for his size, his strength, the temper you knew hid beneath his good humor, he was every bit a gentle giant. He would never hurt you - you knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt - but, in that moment, you understood why others seemed to instinctively move away from him. He suddenly looked every bit as dangerous as you knew he was once upon a time. The gleam in his eyes was predatory, darker than any look you’d seen from him before, and it sent a shiver down your spine as his hands found your waist.

Beneath the darkness, you saw a spark of mischief - the lingering lightness of your Benny - illuminate his eyes as he raised an eyebrow at you. He began walking you back toward the wall and you sucked in a sharp breath as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He observed you, raked his eyers over your face and took in the way your lips parted and your eyes widened, before he asked, “This your way of telling me to jerk off in the shower, sweetheart?”

He crowded you closer to the wall, his arms moving to form a cage around your head as your back pressed against the cool surface, and you barely swallowed your noise of surprise. It was a joke - you could tell by the way his lips quirked at the corners and his eyes glittered with amusement, the way his shoulders shook with concealed laughter - but if you were willing to answer, he was going to press.

You sputtered for a moment, caught off guard and rendered unable to utter any sort of witty quip that would hopefully send him reeling, before you shook your head. “Jesus Christ, Benjamin, no.” You felt your face heat as you issued your denial. That wasn’t what you’d meant and he knew it. But now that he’d proposed it, that was the only thing you could think about as Ben tilted his head and glanced down when he felt you shift against him. “No, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“No?” His tone held a slight mocking edge, amused at the sight of you so flustered, and when you shook your head, he hummed thoughtfully. “What did you mean, then, sweetheart? Don’t wanna get the wrong idea here.”

You tried your best to level a glare at him but gave up when it only made him grin. It was difficult to focus, to issue your denial when the image of him was now filling your mind and stoking the embers of the fire that burned for him deep in the pit of your stomach, but you pressed on.

It was an exercise in futility, you knew that as well as he did, but you were nothing if not stubborn.

“I meant that you get tired after showering. You’re running on adrenaline; it’ll help you come down. The hot water will help, relax you a bit.” You knew that you were rambling, tossing out every possible explanation you could think of and overselling the original intent of your words, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Ben nodded slowly as his eyes met yours. “Sure,” he agreed easily. He paused, his tongue darting out to wet his lips once more, and smirked as you followed the movement. He inched closer then, slotting his foot between yours and parting your knees with his own, before adding, “But you wanna know what I think?” He didn’t give you an opportunity to answer. Instead, he pressed even closer - the warmth of his chest pressed to yours nearly stole the air from your lungs as his breath fanned over your cheek - and said, “I think, now that I put that image in your head, you can’t get rid of it.”

Ben knew you better than anyone. He could read you like a well-loved book and knew that he wasn’t wrong. Your eyes had darkened earlier as you watched him pace and this was his way of throwing gasoline onto a controlled fire to send it burning out of control. He wanted to destroy the walls you’d built, to burn them to the ground so he could step through the ashes, and you were letting him.

You’d been wondering what it would feel like to be overwhelmed by Ben’s presence, to feel him and nothing but him as he gave you everything you’d ever wanted, and this was as close as you’d ever been. Your heart felt as if it might beat out of your chest and your blood boiled with the desire to reach out and touch him but you couldn’t; you were waiting for him to back down, to laugh at your reaction, but he doubled down as he shifted his knee a little higher.

Ben felt the way your thighs shifted, unable to clamp together thanks to his knee, and heard the change in your breathing as you blinked and tried to focus. He saw the way your eyes dilated, blown black with lust, and the way that your bottom lip was swollen from constantly being tugged between your teeth.

He saw you, saw right through you, and knew that your mind filled with images of him.

You lost your breath every time he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, skin damp and chest glittering with water droplets falling from his hair. He never seemed to notice, too busy sharing the thoughts that came to him in the shower, and you were always thankful for that. You’d never considered what he might be doing as he showered when the sight of him after was so tantalizing but now, now you couldn’t stop.

You imagined him, standing beneath the warm spray with his head bowed and his hand pressed to the wall. You imagined the veins in his hands and arms, his shoulders, his back, his thighs - all the most beautiful parts you were so taken with - on display as his hand worked over his cock. You imagined how he’d sound, moans and groans falling from his mouth freely - you knew, without question, that he would be loud; there was no way he could be anything but - and fought the whine that bubbled in your throat as you imagined your name spilling out of his mouth.

You imagined how he’d look after, with his dripping hair hanging in his eyes and chest heaving as he caught his breath. You imagined he’d need a moment, just to settle back into his own skin, before he got on with his shower. You then remembered how he looked after, sometimes a little more flushed than usual, and wondered if that exact scenario had played out while you were so close yet so far away.

Before your thoughts could spiral further, Ben ducked his head to look you in the eye and raised an eyebrow at you. “Am I wrong, sweetheart?”

“Yes.” Your voice rang in your ears, loud and clear, and made you wince at how breathless you sounded. It was a lie, you both knew that, and Ben looked even more amused as you struggled to deny the obvious.

He openly laughed at that, a quiet chuckle that made his breath fan over your face and pressed his chest even closer to yours. It wasn’t mocking - you knew that he wasn’t making fun of you - but it still made your skin heat as his eyes studied your face.

The answer was obvious as he asked, “So, you’re not thinking about me with my hand around my cock, jerking off in the shower while you’re sitting out here waiting for me?”

You shook your head, stubbornly attempting to deny what you both knew to be true - why, you couldn’t remember; you just knew that it would be easier to deny the truth than give in -, and Ben hummed a thoughtful noise before he leaned in to brush his lips over your ear. “I’ve done it before,” he confessed, the words rolling off his tongue and acting as kindling for the fire that was burning you from the inside out.

The confession, spoken as casually as if he’d been talking about what he’d had for dinner, stoked the flame he’d been fanning for what felt like hours now. There was a teasing lilt to his words and you could see the mischief glittering in his eyes as he tilted his head to meet yours again. Beneath that, a flame burned so bright that it almost hurt to look at and you had to force yourself not to shrink away from the intensity in his gaze.

“Remember that yellow sundress you wore to Pope’s?”

You blinked, struggling to remember how to breathe, but vaguely recalled the barbecue in Santiago’s backyard a few weeks back. The weather was nice enough to wear your favorite sundress without being uncomfortable and Ben seemed to take a particular liking to it. It wasn’t unusual for him to throw an arm around your shoulders but he’d stuck particularly close throughout the afternoon. He kept a hand on your waist or, when you were seated, your knee. You caught him staring at you more often than usual, eyes on your chest or thighs when your dress shifted in the breeze, and remembered the shiver that ran down your spine at the weight of his gaze.

Ben shifted closer to you, nosing at your jaw as he waited for your answer, and laughed when you breathed an affirmative.

“All I could think about was taking you inside and bending you over his bathroom counter.” He pulled back then, letting his eyes rake over your form and linger on the exposed skin of your thighs as his hand moved from the wall to brush at the frayed hem of your shorts. “I know you like those cute little lace panties but all I could think about was shoving ‘em in my pocket and taking you back out there, watching you squirm as the guys tried to talk to you while my cum dripped down your thighs.”

“Benny.” His name came out in a whine, higher than you intended, and he didn’t bother hiding his satisfied grin at the tone of your voice. You moved, reaching up to grip at his shoulders, and Ben looked pleased when he shifted impossibly closer.

“I jerked off in the shower when I got home while you sat out here, waiting for me to come back so we could watch a movie. If I’d known it would get you this fucking hot, I wouldn’t have tried to be quiet.”

At his admission, you felt your lungs constrict and your chest tighten. It was already difficult enough to breathe with him so close to you - you felt his chest press against yours with every breath he took; felt the heat rolling off of his body and seeping into your skin, burning you deeper with every moment that passed; felt the cords of his muscles as he caged you in with his arms and held your knees apart with his own - but his confession punched out what little air remained in your lungs and made you shake your head.

“Benny.” You were incapable of speaking anything louder than a whisper, the conflict burning in your chest seared your vocal cords and rendered you nearly speechless. “We shouldn’t.” But you so desperately wanted to. “We can’t.” But you needed to. “It’s not a good idea.” It wasn’t, but you were near the point of no longer caring how bad an idea this was.

“It’s a terrible idea.” Ben’s voice was tinged with good-natured amusement, not at all offended by your attempts to deny what he knew you wanted. You could feel the smirk quirking his lips as he pressed a barely there kiss to the hinge of your jaw. “The absolute worst.” The words were spoken against your skin, his lips brushing your heated flesh, and it sent a shiver down your spine as you imagined his mouth elsewhere. “But it would be so fun.”

“Benny.” He knew that you were close to giving in, could read it in the way that your breath came out in shuddering gasps, but he also knew that you were one of the most stubborn people he’d ever met. It was part of what made your friendship work so well - you were not easily swayed by his charm and kept him in check - and he knew that it would take more than a few colorful taunts to tear down the walls you’d built to keep his advances from effecting you.

Instead of attempting to reason with you, a challenge he would readily admit he was not up to - though, with how worked up you already seemed to be, he wondered how hard it would be to tear you down, only to rebuild you with his hands and tongue and cock - Ben hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”

His voice dipped an octave lower and rumbled in his chest as he pressed himself closer to you. You felt his breath fan over your face, sticky and warm despite the blasting AC, and swallowed thickly as he nosed at your jaw once more. His breathing was even, steady, and you wondered what it would take to ruffle him but the thought was lost as he proposed, “You make it to my room before I catch you, I’ll shower and let you patch me up before you head home and we’ll pretend like this never happened.”

“If I don’t?” The question left your lips before you could stop it but the look in Ben’s eyes was worth the stutter you felt in your heart. The dangerous glint was back, dark and eclipsing the beautiful blue that so often rendered you speechless, and you wondered if this was a mistake.

“If you don’t,” he began before you could question yourself, his voice rough and deeper than you’ve ever heard it, “you admit you want me as bad as I want you and instead of jerking off in the shower, I’ll fuck you into my mattress.”

“Fuck.”

Ben breathed a humorless laugh at your sharp exhale as he searched your eyes for any real discomfort or hesitance. You knew the moment you told him to back off, he would. He was pushing farther than he ever had before but you trusted him. You knew that he would only push as far as you were willing to go.

But this was a game and you were determined to play. There was no way you could lose.

“That’s the idea.” Ben grinned at the way your nails dug into his shoulders and tilted his head. “Sound fair, sweetheart?” When you nodded, breathless and convinced that you wouldn’t be able to speak, Ben shook his head. “Words, baby. You in, yes or no?”

“Yes.” Another automatic response that seemed to leave your lips without conscious thought but you couldn’t have denied his request. You didn’t want to. You’d spent so long keeping Ben at arm’s length and now, here he was, willingly offering himself to you. He was giving you an out, a way to pack it all up and head home without so much as a teasing remark about this in the future, but you weren’t going to take it.

There was no way you would win this game, not when Ben had a glint in his eyes that made you realize your gentle giant of a best friend had shifted into the soldier you never knew, but you also knew that was no way you could lose.

And Ben seemed to be of the same opinion as he hummed, “Good.” You bit back a whine of disappointment as he pulled away from you and, though you smothered it before it could echo around his living room, he could read you well and snickered at the way your shoulders slumped.

You watched with furrowed brows as he crossed the room to press his back to the front door. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked when your eyes raked over his biceps before meeting his eyes once more. “I’m gonna be nice and give you a head start,” he explained, his tongue darting out to drag over his bottom lip as he eyed you. You stood, back still pressed to the wall, and blinked at him as he asked, “You ready?” Though you felt like you would collapse the moment you moved away from the wall, you nodded and Ben grinned. “Run.”

It took a moment for you to process Ben’s command but when it hit you, your body reacted automatically. You had the advantage of being a few feet deeper into the apartment than Ben but, despite his size (and the guys’ constant teasing), he was fast.

The moment you took your first steps, you heard his feet hitting the tile as he bounded across the room. Instead of diving straight for you as you imagined he would, Ben ran for the hallway and blocked the only route to his bedroom with a grin. He raised an eyebrow when you froze and watched you glance around for a new route.

He lived in a one bedroom, a fairly small place that had a single hallway barely wide enough for him to walk down comfortably leading into the back, and blocking that effectively trapped you in the living room. There was a balcony that almost reached his bedroom window but you didn’t trust yourself enough to pull a stunt that you were certain he wouldn’t think twice about himself.

You knew that he wouldn’t just stand there, he’d chase you the moment you moved, but he was waiting. You both knew that you didn’t want to win, not when the promise of Ben fucking you into the mattress was on the table if you lost, but the fun was in the chase.

You liked having his eyes on you, scrutinizing your every move as you searched for an opening. You liked feeling the weight of his stare on you, liked seeing the way his body nearly hummed with adrenaline as he coiled, waiting and ready to strike.

He was right. It was fun and you were determined to enjoy it.

Ben watched with a raised eyebrow and an amused grin as your mouth curved into a thoughtful frown. You tried to remain aware of his presence, keep his location nestled firmly in the back of your mind, but not focus on him as you scanned your surroundings for a way around him.

You weren’t fast enough to slip between his legs, weren’t small enough to slip around him and through the gap between him and the wall. There was no other way; the only thing you could do was move and hope that he would follow.

Ben seemed to anticipate your every move before you could make it. He followed you easily, hot on your heels as you bounded around the apartment, and laughed freely as he bounced on the balls of his feet. “Come on, baby,” he teased as you backed yourself into the corner near his front door, “you gotta try harder than that.”

With a huff, you decided to go for it and managed to slip under Ben’s arm as he reached out for you. His fingers grazed your shoulder, not quite quick enough - purposefully or not, you weren’t quite sure - to grab the fabric of your t-shirt and you laughed triumphantly as you set off for his bedroom.

You navigated his apartment with practiced ease - it was practically your second home by now, you knew it almost as well as your own place - and, despite the heat that still lingered in your blood, laughed as Benny ran after you. Every time you felt the brush of his fingers on your waist or your shoulder, each time he drew close enough to feel the rush of air as he reached for you, you squealed and pushed yourself harder but that only made Ben laugh a little louder.

You didn’t care about the noise - you knew there would be a complaint the next morning - but that was the last thing on your mind as you ran for the hallway. You didn’t want to win, you knew that Ben wouldn’t let you, but that didn’t stop you from trying as you made a beeline for his bedroom door.

You were only a few steps away, the doorknob within reach of your outstretched fingers, but before you could grasp it, Ben’s hands found your waist. His fingers dug into your skin and you yelped as he picked you up, tossing you over his shoulder with ease, before you placed a hand on his back to brace yourself as he swiftly carried you the few steps to his door and into his room.

Inside, Ben deposited you onto his bed unceremoniously and laughed as you bounced with a huff. He didn’t give you time to settle, instead, he eagerly climbed onto the bed to join you and hovered above you. His hands rested on either side of your head, his knees straddling your hips, and he grinned down at you as he took in your appearance.

You knew that your eyes were wide, wild with adrenaline and want, and your skin was warm as you tried not to shift away from his gaze. You panted, your chest heaving as you attempted to catch your breath, and his eyes lingered on your mouth as you licked your lips.

He looked as disheveled as you felt. His hair was unruly, falling into his eyes as he stared down at you, and you couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and tangle your fingers in it as you marveled at the look of delight in his eyes. His own breath came in pants and his cheeks were flushed with exertion but he looked beautiful and you wanted nothing more than for him to claim his prize.

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, you shifted your hand to the back of his neck and fisted the other in his t-shirt as you surged up. You pressed your lips to his in a hungry kiss, eager and bruising as your mouths clashed in a mess of lips and tongue and teeth, but neither of you minded as he tilted his head to lean into it.

As your hands moved to his hair, eagerly running your fingers through the soft strands, his hands moved to your waist. He tugged it loose, untucking it, and waisted no time dipping his hands beneath the fabric. You shivered at the feeling of his hands on your bare skin, calloused and rough and blistering as they explored your already heated skin, and nipped at his bottom lip when he smiled at your reaction.

Ben gave as good as he got, eagerly licking into your mouth as you tugged at his hair, and you felt like a lovesick teenager all over again. His kiss was eager, excited and playful as he nipped at your bottom lip and bumped his nose against yours when he tilted his head, but you would’ve been content to lie there and kiss him for the rest of your life. However, it seemed as if Ben had another idea.

When his hands dragged up your stomach to cup your breasts, he abruptly pulled away from the kiss and looked at you with furrowed brows. His thumbs ran over your nipples, covered by a bra that you never imagined he’d see, before he moved to tug at the hem of your t-shirt. “Can I take this off?” When you nodded and sat up enough for him to remove the fabric from your body, he tossed it into a corner of his room and nodded to the bra. “This, too, sweetheart?”

When the garments were gone, decorating his floor, you realized what pulled that reaction from him. His eyes lit up at the sight of your bare breasts as his hands returned to them. His thumbs brushed the silver rings that decorated your nipples and he grinned. “I fucking knew I felt nipple rings. Shit, I can’t believe you hid these from me. Looks so pretty on you, baby,” he babbled as his eyes focused on the piercing he suspected but never truly knew you had.

“What did you want me to do, Ben? Show you my tits?”

It was a sarcastic quip, meant to remind him that he’d never been in a position to see you like this before, but he didn’t bat an eye at your question. His eyes remained fixed on your chest as he hummed, “You know I wouldn’t have said no to that.”

You rolled your eyes at Ben’s response but anything you wanted to say got lost as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the swell of your breast. He glanced up at you, blue eyes burning into yours, as he asked, “Can I put my mouth on them?”

“Please.”

Ben nipped at your skin, a teasing scrape of his teeth against your flesh, before he dragged his mouth down to your nipple. He flicked his tongue experimentally, watching with fascinated eyes as you breathed a quiet sigh, before wrapping his lips around the hardening bud. His hand moved to the other breast, fingers easily giving that nipple the same attention, and watched your face as he flicked the silver jewelry. The experimental tugs and flicks of his tongue had you arching beneath him, eagerly pressing his face against your skin, and Ben had no problem nuzzling his face against you.

You’d been aching for his touch for hours, dripping for him from the moment you watched him enter the ring, and every touch of his fingers or his tongue shot straight to your core as you wondered if you could come like this. You figured you could, if Ben riled you up enough beforehand, and - if the night ended the way you wanted - decided you’d ask him to try someday.

Your fingers returned to his hair, tugging at the soft blonde strands as he shifted closer and pressed you back against the pillows. He crowded you, his body pressed as close to yours as he could get, and you gasped at the feeling of his length pressed against your thigh. He didn’t seem to notice, too enthralled by the way your body reacted to his touch, and searched for ways to make you moan.

He spent a long moment laving your breasts with attention, leaving them coated in saliva and pebbling as the cool air of his bedroom hit your heated skin, before he released them with a groan and pressed his mouth just beneath your breasts.

“Fuck, baby,” he rasped, his voice rough and sounding as wrecked as you felt when he met your eyes, “how the fuck am I supposed to survive now that I know what’s beneath those fucking dresses you wear?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he kissed down your stomach, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake, and popped the button on your shorts before asking, “Can I take these off, baby?”

“You can do whatever you want, Benny,” you sighed, fingers raking through his hair as he rested his chin on your hip and glanced up at you. “You won, claim your prize.”

At that, the darkness in Ben’s eyes returned and you swallowed as he tugged at the zipper before gripping the denim and dragging it down your legs. “I did win,” he acknowledged, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as his eyes flickered between your face and the noticeable slick gathered between your thighs, “so tell me.”

“What?”

Ben dipped his head then as his hands pried your legs apart, and shifted to settle between them. His shoulders looked even more broad than usual as he used them to keep your thighs parted and you nearly forgot the question you’d posed as he inhaled deeply. He licked his lips and that had you squirming to press your thighs together in search of friction, a move that pulled a sharp exhale from Ben as your thighs flexed beneath his grip.

He was quiet for a moment, lost in the sensation of being so close to you, before his eyes snapped back to yours.“Tell me,” Ben implored, his fingers digging into your skin as he dipped his head and nosed at the band of your panties. “Tell me you want me as bad as I want you. Tell me you want me to fuck you into this mattress. Tell me.”

“Fuck, Benny,” you whined as he traced the band of your panties with his tongue, eyes on yours as he dragged it across your heated skin. “Fuck, I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long. Want you to fuck me into the mattress, want your neighbors to hear real moans.”

Ben grinned at your response and snapped the band of your panties with his teeth before bringing his hands to drag the fabric down your legs. “Fuck, you’re perfect, sweetheart,” he groaned, grinning as he shifted just enough to rid you of the last article of your clothing. His eyes raked over you, burning into the glistening folds as he saw just how wet you were for him, before he groaned. “And you have the prettiest fucking pussy, baby.”

You didn’t want to dwell on his compliments, not when there was already a lingering question in the back of your mind of what would happen after this, so you rolled your eyes. “And you’re not naked,” you huffed, reaching out to tug at the shoulder of his t-shirt. “Not fair, Miller.”

“Anything you want, baby,” he began as he reached for the neck of his t-shirt and tugged it over his head, “all you gotta do is ask.”

He winked at you as he shimmied out of his sweatpants and briefs, tossing them onto the floor to join your clothes, and stood before you to give you a moment to take him in. Your eyes raked over his skin and you marveled at the sight of him. You’d seen him shirtless before - nearly every week for the last year - but this was different. He was close enough to touch, you were allowed to touch, and you ached to reach out and trace the silvery scars that littered his skin.

You made a note to avoid his ribs, likely bruised from the fight, as you catalogued his skin and felt as if the air had been stolen from your lungs as you took in the sight of his cock. You’d never considered describing a cock as beautiful but Ben was an exception. His size was intimidating but it was a challenge you wanted to face head-on. You reached out, your fingers searching for his length, but before you could touch him, he batted your hand away.

“Not yet, baby,” he hummed as he slotted himself between your legs once more. “You can touch me later. I want to taste you,” he explained as his fingers found your thighs. You felt his grip, bruising and steady, as he held your thighs open before the rush of his breath fanning over your skin hit you.

You shuddered and Ben wasted no time diving in as his eyes met yours. He didn’t bother easing into it, didn’t tease. Instead, he eagerly lapped at your folds and groaned as the taste of you filled his mouth. You keened at the feeling, fingers tugging at his hair, and threw your head back against the pillow as he licked into you. He shifted closer, pressing himself against you, and nosed at your clit as his tongue explored.

He spent a few moments tasting you, eagerly lapping up everything you had to offer, before one of his hands dipped between your thighs. His lips found your clit, tongue flicking the bundle of nerves, as he dragged his fingers through the combination of your slick and his saliva to coat them before slipping two into your entrance. You moaned at the feeling, his name spilling from your lips as you clenched around his fingers, and Ben eagerly pressed his face into your folds as he worked to bring you over the edge.

His fingers stretched you open, prodding the spongy spot that had you seeing stars, as his tongue focused on the bundle of nerves. It was a combination that had you seeing stars and Ben eagerly responded to every shift of your body with more. “Come on, baby,” he mumbled, his words vibrating against your clit as he glanced up at you with lust blown eyes. He knew that you were close and the sooner you came, the sooner he would make good on his promise to fuck you into the mattress. “Come for me. Want to taste you. Come for me and I’ll give you what you want.”

As Ben babbled, words lost to the sound of your blood rushing in your ears, you climbed higher and higher. You felt your body tensing, the string holding you together so tight you knew it would snap, and dug your nails into his shoulder as he slipped a third finger into your heat. That was the tipping point, the straw that broke you, and Ben groaned in approval as you clenched around his fingers and found your release.

He lapped at you eagerly, his tongue swiping your folds to gather every bit of your release, and only moved away when the hand in his hair moved to nudge his head back. He gave your folds a final swipe of his tongue, nipped your hip on his way up, before he settled back over you and brought his mouth to yours.

Ben drew you into another eager kiss and you tried to focus on the sensation of his mouth on yours rather than the weight of his cock resting against your stomach. He was able to distract you for a moment as he licked into your mouth, pulling a moan from deep in your chest at the taste. It was a heady mixture of Ben and you, one that you found addictive, and wondered if he’d be this eager to kiss you after you’d gone down on him.

When he shifted, you were reminded of the weight of his cock resting against your hip and moaned into the kiss as you dragged your fingers down the length of his torso. Your nails left angry red marks against his skin, still careful to avoid the places you knew he was injured, and smiled when he met your moan with one of his own.

Your fingers brushed the head of his cock, dripping with precum, and Ben broke the kiss with a curse as his forehead pressed to yours. “Fuck, baby,” he panted, his lips swollen and hair falling into his eyes as he laughed. “I want you to touch me but I’d rather be inside you. Condom?”

You bit your lip at his question and hesitated before you said, “I’m clean. And I have an IUD. I wouldn’t… it’s you, so, I…” You trailed off, unsure of where you wanted that sentence to go, but Ben understood. He always seemed to understand what you meant, even when you weren’t quite sure how to get there.

“Shit,” he breathed, letting his eyes slip shut for a moment as he swallowed your offer. “Fuck, I’m clean,” he promised, lifting his head to meet your eyes, “haven’t been with anyone since the last time I got tested. You sure this is alright?”

“Please,” you begged, your voice quiet as you tugged him closer. “Want to feel you.”

Ben groaned at your plea before nodding and shifting to position himself. He slipped between your thighs once more and dragged his cock through your folds to coat himself in your slick. "Gonna moan for me, baby? Make sure the neighbors know what a real moan sounds like?”

“You gonna give me a reason to moan?”

Ben grinned at your taunt, his teeth on display as he notched his cock at your entrance. “Fuck yeah, I am,” he promised, his eyes darkening as he shifted his hips to begin sinking into you.

Just as he had the entire night, Ben wasted no time filling you. He kept his eyes on your face, watching for any hint of discomfort, but sheathed himself quickly before stilling against you. Your nails dug into his shoulders and you worried, in the back of your mind, that you might break the skin as you reveled in the stretch of him. It was unlike anything you’d ever felt. He felt even bigger than he looked, filled you so completely that you wondered how he’d even fit in the first place, and a pleasant ache that told you you’d feel him for days settled in your bones as his forehead knocked against yours.

“Shit, baby,” he breathed, lashes fluttering against his cheek as he laughed weakly. “So goddamn tight. This pussy’s fucking perfect.”

Ben groaned when you clenched around him, his fingers digging into your hips as he tried to calm himself, and you grinned at him when he shot you a glare. “You promised to fuck me into the mattress, Miller,” you huffed, shifting your hips to gain some friction, “don’t leave me hanging.”

“Fuck, I should’ve known you’d be trouble, baby,” Benny laughed as he lifted his head to meet your eyes. “Whatever you want, it’s yours,” he promised, his eyes growing darker as he moved his hands to your thighs to part them.

You didn’t have time to dwell on Ben’s comment, on the meaning behind his words, as he began rutting into you. He was consistent, rough and quick and deep, as he set a pace that had you gripping the headboard and crying out as he angled his hips.

He was relentless, every drag of his cock hit the spot he’d found with his fingers, and you were powerless to do anything other than take what he gave you as his head dipped and his mouth latched onto your nipple once more. Ben was rough, driving into you with a force that had you seeing stars, and you knew that the neighbors would know his name come morning.

You felt every ridge and vein of his cock as it dragged along your walls, felt every inch of him as he fulfilled his promise and drove into you, and your eyes fluttered shut as you reached out for him. Ben begrudgingly released his hold on your nipples, one hand moving from your hip to your chest, as he returned to your mouth.

He pressed his lips to your jaw, teeth nipping at the sensitive skin of your throat, as he babbled. “Feel so fucking good, baby,” he breathed, his words bitten off as he rutted his hips into yours. “Take me so fucking well. Fuck, you’re so pretty, baby.”

You struggled to focus on the words, struggled to understand what he was saying, but the rasp of his voice in your ear had you clenching around him as your fingers returned to his hair. Your moans filled the room, joining the cacophony of Ben’s babbling and the slick sounds of his cock driving into you, and nothing else seemed to matter in that moment as you focused on the pleasure you felt.

He hit a spot you hadn’t known could be reached so easily, driving into you deeper than you’d ever felt, and it didn’t surprise you that your orgasm came barreling toward you the moment his hand slipped between your thighs. His thumb brushed your clit, rough circles that didn’t quite match the pace of his thrusts, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as your second orgasm hit you.

It was more intense than the first, crashing over you like a wave, and Ben groaned almost as loud as you when you clamped around him. You felt as if you were underwater, as if time had stopped and paused your heart with it, but the feeling of Ben pressing into you, deeper and deeper, anchored you tot he moment.

He slowed, his cock still hitting a spot deep inside of you, to give you a second to calm as his fingers stroked the inside of your thigh. His touch burned, fire against your already molten skin, but you wanted him to fan the flames as long as he was able. He kissed you then, a clash of tongues and teeth as you tried to focus on something - anything - and swallowed the whine of his name when he shifted his hips.

“Can you give me one more?” The words were muffled against your mouth, his lips brushed yours when he spoke, but he met your eyes as he waited for your answer. You weren’t sure you could, your chest ached as your breath grew ragged and your head floated, but you wanted to. You wanted to give him whatever he asked for, just as he seemed to want for you, so you nodded.

“One more,” you agreed, your voice just as wrecked as his. “Want you to come with me.”

“Yeah, baby,” Ben agreed quickly, his nose bumping yours as he began rutting into you in earnest, “I will.”

Ben resumed his pace, hips snapping into yours eagerly as he chased his own high, and you didn’t bother swallowing your moans as he fucked you. It was primal, an eager race to the finish that had him nipping at your shoulder and palming your breast, but you loved seeing him like this.

He was focused, determined to finish the mission he’d set out on what felt like hours earlier, and it was thrilling to have that focus on you. He was only like this in the ring, eyes dark and jaw set as he zeroed in on whatever target he was facing, and it drew a moan from you as your third orgasm crept up on you. Ben was surprised, caught off guard by your sudden release, but you saw the relief in his eyes as he let himself go.

He snapped his hips into yours, buried his cock deep inside you, and buried his face in the crook of your neck as his release hit him. You cried out at the feeling of him, his cock twitching as he filled you with his release, and tugged at his hair as you both tried to catch your breath.

Ben didn’t move for a long moment, his body weight resting almost entirely on you - when you clenched around him, he realized that you didn’t mind the weight of him pressing into you, though he was careful not to crush you. You stroked his back, your fingers brushed the heated skin of his shoulders as his lips brushed your jaw, and focused on the feeling of his chest moving with yours as you both came down from your highs.

He finally shifted away from you after his breathing returned to normal and he laughed at your whine as he pulled out of you.”Sorry, baby,” he hummed as he wrapped his arms around you and tugged you into his side. “Figured this would be more comfortable.”

You rested your head on his chest, your hand on his stomach, and relaxed into the embrace as his fingers brushed your bare shoulder. Neither of you spoke, both willing to let the silence linger for the first time, but as desperate as you were to ignore the thoughts you’d swallowed earlier in the night, they grew louder and louder the longer you laid there.

You weren’t sure why you so desperately clung to a lie. Ben knew that you found him attractive and you knew that he looked at you in a similar light. Neither of you made your attraction a secret but it was always hidden beneath a layer of sarcasm and teasing that shielded your heart.

When you fell, you fell face first. Ben never seemed to fall at all. He’d never had a real girlfriend - one that lasted longer than a few weeks - and though you knew he’d never intentionally hurt you, the idea of ever moving beyond friendship scared you. You wanted him - god, did you want him - but you wanted all of him.

You wanted the pieces that no one else had been privileged enough to see; the fragments he showed you when he needed comfort the most. You wanted to see the good and the bad and everything in between, unfiltered and unfettered, and you were almost there. You knew Ben better than most, were privileged with knowledge others would never guess, but that wasn’t enough.

You wanted to love him and be loved by him in return. You didn’t want a night, you wanted a lifetime.

And that was even more terrifying than just wanting Ben.

You had no idea how to voice those thoughts aloud, no idea how to articulate your desire without sounding as hopelessly in love as you felt, but Ben knew. He always seemed to be able to articulate the thoughts that bogged you down and this was no exception.

“I can hear you thinking.” His voice was lazy, quiet and sleepy as he fought the inevitable exhaustion that came from the adrenaline crash. “This isn’t a one time thing,” he promised you, before adding - as if an afterthought - “unless you want it to be.”

“I don’t,” you assured him quietly, “want it to be a one time thing. I want… I want you. Not just sex. I want all of you.” It was easier to confess your desire in the dark, easier to confess when Ben’s fingers pulled you closer instead of pushed you away, and you felt the press of his lips against your temple before you heard him speak.

“You’ve got me, baby.”

His voice was quiet, a sleepy rumble deep in his chest, but you heard the promise that underlined his words. There was still a discussion to be had, a relationship to be defined, but you were suddenly not quite as afraid to talk about it. Ben was there, warm and solid in your arms, and you knew he’d be there in the morning.

When the adrenaline was gone, when the bruises bloomed into a deep purple and the ache in his bones left him lying in bed for the day, you’d be there with him. There would be time to talk then, time to discuss what needed to be said, but for now, you let the beat of his heart lull you to sleep.

_______________________________________________________

Author's Note: I blacked out. This was supposed to be less than 5k. Why am I like this. Anyway, enjoy my Benny thirst. Also the new desktop post editor is trash I hate it lol.

Tag List (Like the post linked if you want to be tagged!): @stardust-galaxies, @peoniarose, @historiepeanut, @xxdisappearwithoutatracexx, @martellthemandalor, @djarinpascal1, @leonieb-old, @well-thatsfun, @aleishabeck, @redfrecklesrosycheeks, @aasimarr, @kawaiitimecharm, @phoenixhalliwell, @bamfkurt, @aerolanya, @you-are-my-sunshine-90 @i-ship-it-ironically, @vivicendium, @tiffanyblew, @itsallaboutkey, @legally-a-bastard, @gotmadison, @spencer-is-amazing, @purple-mango, @nerdalert-andi, @hailmary-yramliah​, @punkpascal, @wyofabdoms​, @courageinthemidst​, @lawlerek​, @alexmarie29​, @mary-v193​, @salty-sith-bitch​, @luminarahan​, @hayley-the-comet​, @a-louise-juliane​, @jarfullofjizz, @soggyjohnlemons​,  @spoopydidit​, @pann-malii​, @justanotherblonde23​ @blsmjoon​ , @rise-my-angel​, @sarahjkl82-blog​

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Please Me: Oikawa's Oasis Part 3

⚠️This Fic is 18+, Minors DNI⚠️

Welcome to week 4 of the Please Me Series!  A collaboration with @axoxtxhxh! This weeks theme is Virginity Loss featuring Oikawa and Goshiki!  This weeks fics are broken into 3 parts! Parts 1 and 2 are linked in the master list below! Please check out Joey’s fic, Guiding Goshiki!  I will also link it in the Please Me master list!  

Warnings: swearing, slight angst, fluffy ending, virginity loss, kissing, male oral receiving, thigh riding, masturbation,  locker room sex, shower sex, unprotected sex, creampie, guided female masturbation, sub! oikawa, fem dom reader, petnames, one hell of a safeword 

Word Count: 5,000

Staring at the wall, you heard your alarm sound the following morning as you slowly arose from your bed.  You hadn’t slept at all since you had arrived home last night.  You couldn’t shake the feeling of shame and guilt for running away from Torū.

You’re feelings were valid, you knew that. But you knew it wasn’t right to run away from him like you did. You should have talked to him.  In a way, you probably made him feel more self conscious then you had your first time.  

You sighed as you got up to shower and head to the gym. You knew you needed to talk with Torū.  You needed to explain to him that none of this was his fault.  

Locking your door, you headed to the gym as you mentally prepared yourself for the conversation that would follow.  You wanted to tell him about how you were afraid you would ruin his first time.  How your first time failed miserably and that you didn’t want him to regret anything.  

Torū had become very special to you as both a teammate and a friend. You didn’t want to make his time with the team awkward in anyway.  You knew the conversation would be a difficult one but you had to do it.  

Arriving at gym you saw several of the other players nursing hangovers and you began setting up for the days practice.  You yawned as you went to the bench, to grab your notes as the teams captain approached.

“You must have really worn Torū out YN” he said nudging your side as you looked at him confused “he texted me this morning telling me he was too ‘worn out’ to come to practice” he said throwing up air quotes “I’m actually surprised you’re here today.”

Hearing the Torū wasn’t coming to practice hit your like a ton of bricks, the feeling guilty washing over you as you felt the urge to cry.  You turned away from the captain as he watched you walk away in silence, going to fill the teams water bottles.  

Stepping from the gym, you felt the tears flow as the guilt and shame of your actions washed over you. How could you act so immature?  How could you just run away?  

You cried as you went to fill the teams water bottles. God I probably made him feel so insecure. I’m such an idiot you thought to yourself as you tried to calm down enough to finish your task and excuse yourself to your office.  You could camp out there the rest of the practice, telling the coach you had some work to catch up on.  At least then you could cry in peace.

Torū groaned as he woke up from his small nap. He hadn’t been able to sleep because of what had transpired between YN and himself.  He felt so shamed, so inadequate.  These were feelings he didn’t often have, causing chaos in his mind as he jolted hearing the sudden ring of his phone.

He answered the FaceTime call to a smiling Iwaizumi as he tried to bring a smile to his glum face.

“Shittykawa what’s the matter with you?  I didn’t expect you to pick up. Don’t you have practice? Iwaizumi says as Oikawa just stared at him.

Iwaizumi was confused. He had known Oikawa for many years and this was the first time he had ever seen the former high school captain so gloomy. Even losing their 3rd year volleyball tournament hadn’t made the captain as sad as he was now.

“I messed up Hajime” Torū said as Iwaizumi reeled back.  Oikawa never used his full name.

“What happened? Are you ok?” He said as Torū tried to hold his composure in. His emotions were all over the place, he had never felt so vulnerable, so destroyed “Hey Torū, are you ok?”

That did it. Iwaizumi saying his name caused Torū to cry like he had never cried before. He wasn’t even embarrassed, not one bit. He didn’t have time to feel embarrassed. He felt too ashamed.

“Hajime” Torū said finally calming down “she- YN doesn’t want me.”

Iwaizumi was stunned.  Never had this ever happened. A girl didn’t want the Torū Oikawa?  What kind of alternative dimension was he living in?

Iwaizumi watched as his friend wiped his face with his palms, trying to figure out what to say.

“Uhh- well umm what happened” he managed to muster up as he tried hard to still comprehend the previous statement made by his friend.

“Last night, I went out with the team.  Things with YN got heated.  We came back to my place.  Everything was going so well.  Then I told her I was a virgin and she freaked out and ran” he said as he looked down, unable to make eye contact with his friend.

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but chuckle to himself and try as he might, he was unable to hold a straight face.  He laughed loudly as Torū’s head whipped up into view, sending glares at him.

“Dude, I'm sorry” he laughed “but please tell me that you just didn’t say ‘YN I’m a virgin’ and expect her to be like ready to rip your v-card from your grasp.”

Iwaizumi laughed loudly as Torū just continued to stare at his friend “I don’t think it’s very funny Iwa-chan” he said he  scuffed at his friends laughter.

“Boy, you really are lame shittykawa” he said chuckling “are you sure you really are good with women?  I mean I don’t blame her one bit!  Taking a guy’s virginity would suck!  I mean men really don’t know shit about pleasuring women so what’s in it for her?”

Torū thought hard while his friend talked. Maybe he had approached it wrong to begin with. Not that he thinks about it, his method of delivery was a bit hasty.  

“Dude, I think you need to just talk to her You don’t really know why she turned you down.  I mean it sounds like she likes you from the way things went last night. Maybe you just made her nervous.”

Torū knew his friend was right. You had never given him any indication that you didn’t like him and he knew that, last night you felt something just like he did.

Torū looked at his friend as he smiled “you’re right Iwa-chan I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” Iwaizumi laughed as he watched the light stream back into his friend’s face.  

“Good luck idiotkawa” he said hanging up as Torū laid his phone down.  It was getting late, well after practice had ended. He knew he should try and get to the gym to practice some before tomorrow. He gathered his gear as he made his way to the gym, hoping someone was still there so he could practice.

You had managed to avoid the team for the entire practice. The coach had bought your excuse and you stayed cooped up in your small office until after practice.  

You signed as you stood up from your chair, tired from sulking and crying the entire afternoon.  You grabbed your bag and locked the office door.  Thankfully it was Friday and you could spend the weekend sleeping.  You were exhausted but yet somehow found the strength to cry for hours on end.  

You approached the gym doors as the all too familiar sounds of volleyball slamming into the floor radiated into your ears.  You checked your phone, nothing that it was 7pm and well past practice time.  You approached the gym doors as you quietly peaked in to see a sweating Torū setting up a serve, smashing it straight into the net  

“UGH DAMMIT” he said shouting as he prepared the throw another one up, once again managing to net the ball.  He leaned over, placing his hands on his knees and he grabbed his towel and headed to the locker rooms.  He had only been practicing for an hour but he was just unable to get into it.  

You watched as he made his way into the locker rooms, following to the doors as you slowly opened them, hearing him shout from inside.

“Torū,you idiot!” he shouted as you winced at his words.  You felt awful. You knew he was like this because of what had transpired between the two of you the previous night.  

You walked in the doors, standing for a moment as you see Oikawa sitting on the bench, a towel placed over his head and his elbows rested on his knees.

You knew you had to say something.  You couldn’t let him think any of this was his fault.  This was all your doing and it was time you owned up to it  

“Hey Torū” you said softly as the locker room door closed behind you and Torū’s head snapped up to meet yours. He looked at you as you walked over to him, sitting directly in across from him on the other bench.

“We need to talk” you said as he put his head down, trying not to cry again.

“It’s ok YN.  There’s nothing to talk about” he said he went to stand up, stopping when you grabbed his forearm.

“No Torū” you said as you sniffles lightly “I need to apologize.”

Torū was confused as he sag back done the bench, removing the towel from his head.  He stared at you questioningly.  What were you apologizing for?

You played with your fingers for a moment as you tried hard to muster up the courage to talk.  You knew what you wanted to say, rather what you needed to say.  

“Torū, I’m sorry I ran out on you.  I shouldn’t have done that.  I- I just got really nervous” you say, still looking down at the floor as you took a deep breath and tried hard not to cry.

“When you told me you were a virgin, it made me nervous.  I remember my first time all too well and I- well I just don’t want your first time to be like mine was” you speak as Torū looks at you, still confused.

The whole time the issue hadn’t been that he was a virgin, it had been that you wanted him to have a good experience?  He was shocked.  Here he though the issue was him, when in reality the issue was your own self doubts. He listened as you continued to talk.

“My first time wasn’t good Torū.  I didn’t know what I was doing and I thought I had feelings for the guy but like he didn’t have feelings for me.  And I really like you Torū and I just don’t want you to regret anything.  The fact that you trusted me with something so special made me nervous and scares” you said as your eyes went up to meet Torū.  

He looked at you, staring into your eyes as he tried hard to comprehend everything you had just said. He felt awful that your first experience wasn’t good but he also knew his feelings for you were valid and now he knew you had feelings for him too. He continued to stare as he worked his way thought the issues in his mind.  

You frowned as you took his silence as a bad sign, sighing as you stood up.  

“Thanks for letting me explain myself Torū.  You are so amazing and you deserve someone special” you said as you went to leave the locker rooms.

Torū snapped from his thoughts as he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you back into his as he placed a light kiss on your lips. He smiled as you looked at him, very confused as to what had just happened.

Torū put his forehead on yours as you smiled softly.  

“YN, you don’t get it.  I want you to be my first because of how I feel about you” he said as he looked at you softly. You had become an oasis for him. An escape from reality and daily life. You had loved volleyball as much as him and you had always been genuine with him.  

You smiled as you grabbed his neck, kissing him softly again as he pulled your body flush against his as he deepened the kiss.  He placed his hands on your soft waist as he moved his hand up and down your back as you grabbed at his hair pulling him in closer to you.

You break from the kiss, staring at each other as your lips hovered over his.  Your body hearing up as you could feel his erection forming against your thigh.  You kissed his chin to his neck as he pulled your pelvis in closer, grinding where he could, trying hard to gather any amount of friction to ease his aching cock.

He backed away from him as he watched in confusion as you approached the locker room door.

Not again he thought as he heard the lock click, watching you stroll back to him, pulling him back into a full embrace.  He needed you and bad.  He couldn’t stand this pain in his cock anymore. He needed relief and the only medicine was you.

You push him back to the bench as he sits down looking up at you as you smirk down at him.

“Torū do you really want this?” You said as he groans, looking up at your gorgeous figure.  

He nodded frantically as you took his chin in your hand “I need a verbal response Torū” you said as his eyes widened.

“Yes- yes YN I want this” he said as you step back, removing your shirt and leggings, watching him ogle at your nearly naked form.  

“Ok Torū, I want you to pick a safe word just incase things get to be too much for you” you said as he gawked at you in your bra and panties. He was having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand with you standing tall in front of him.

“Torū!” you repeated as you snapped your fingers in front of his eyes, trying to get his attention turned back.

“Oh shit- yeah a safe word, umm how about ‘Kageyama’?” He said as you stared strangely at the word.

“I’ve never heard of ‘Kageyama’?  What does that mean?” You said as he stood up from his spot approaching you as he grabbed at your scantily clad hips.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just something will definitely snap me out of the mood” he said as you chuckled lightly embracing Torū in a heated kiss.  

Your tongue licked his lips lightly as he granted you access, opening his mouth to your wet muscle as you massaged your tongue against his, pulling light groans from his pretty head.

You tugged on his shirt as he lifted his arms up, letting you pull the shirt from his body as your fingers and palms run up his sculpted chest. ��

Your fingers graze lightly over his nipples as he shutters and groans.  His body was so reactive to every touch, every movement. The fact that you were about to engage in intercourse with the setter still made you a bit nervous but you tried hard to cast the self doubt aside, wanting to make the experience memorable for both you and Torū.

As if on queue, Torū looked at you sweetly as he brushed the tip of your nose with his. “you know YN, we could just count this as your virginity loss too.  I mean clearly you are as nervous as I am” he said chuckling as you laughed loudly throwing your head back.  

“That’s a good idea Torū but I am experienced in pleasuring a partner” you said as you push him down to the bench “just be a good boy for me and let me take the lead, ok?”

Torū gulped as he eyes widened at as your form sunk to your knees in front of him.  This was really happening and in the team locker room.  Not an ideal place to lose your virginity but he was not about to interrupt you.

“Umm YN” he said as he looked at you , kneeling before him with your hands placed on your plush thighs “don’t you umm, don’t you want me to make you feel good too?”  

You chuckled lightly as you reached up pulling him into a heated kiss as he gently rubbed his hands along your soft arms.

“How about I show you what I like while I make you feel good, then you can try?” You say as he nods quickly watching your hands go to his gym shorts, pulling his erection free as he shifts his hips upwards, helping you to remove his pesky shorts.

Your eyes widen at his size as you think about all the possible ways his cock will pleasure your wet cunt.  You felt your core heat up as you looked up to Torū.  

He was completely blissed out. Lost in translation between here and fantasy.  He’s eyes sparkled with excitement as you tested the waters, lightly kicking the tips of his hard cock.

Groaning he threw his head back in pleasure as you smirked to yourself, going in for another lick.  Your tongue laying more and more on his stiffened cock as he writhed in pleasure under your control.

Your body headed as you watched his abs contract in the moment, his mouth hanging open as his tongue lolled out in ecstasy.  He watched as your fingers traced lightly from his legs to your own, peering down at your chest as your fingers danced lightly over your clothed clit.

“Fuck YN” he moaned as he tried his hardest not to come from the sensation of your tongue on his cock.

Taking one final lick, you stand up as you slowly remove your panties from your body, revealing your cunt to him as he stares at the wetness coating your inner thighs.  

“Did you- did I” he said staring at you as you laugh, pushing him back on the hard bench, placing one leg on each side as you rub your clit with your fingers.

“Yes Torū you made me this wet” you say as you widen his legs on the bench, his cock standing tall as you bend down, grinding your cunt on his lower thigh.  

“Holy shit-” he groans as you moan throwing your head back as his leg rubs your clit perfect.  He grabs his cock as he slowly begins to stroke himself, trying hard to concentrate on your moments and pleasure as he feels the wetness pool on his legs.  

You lean over, placing two of your wet fingers in his mouth as he sucks violently, causing you to grind faster and harder.  Your orgasm builds as moans and groans fill the air

 Your body heats up rapidly as the cord in your stomach tightens. Your pace quickens as does Torū’s as you feel the cord begin to loosen.

“Oh fuck Torū” you moan as Toru groans deeply, letting go of his aching cock to watch as you tip over the edge.  

“Come on baby, come for me” he says as the pet name tips you over the edge, your cunt pulsing on his thigh as he watches your face contort into pleasure.  

“That was so hot YN” he says he has gently caressed your arm and leg as his cock aches painfully beside you.

“We are just getting started Torū” you say as you adjust yourself over his pelvis, pushing his cock between your wet folds as your grind back and forth, trying hard to ensure your good and ready to take his cock.

“Fuck YN- I, I’m not going to last long” you say as you shush him, halting your movements.

“Hey its OK.  I already came so now we need you to come. How do you want to come Torū?” You say as he bites his lower lip, watching your pussy settle above his cock.

“Please YN- please put it in. I need to be inside of you princess” he squeaks out as you smirk at his request. You knew he wouldn’t last long inside of you.  One thing you prided yourself on sexually was your ability to ride a cock and boy was Torū in for a treat.  

You line his cock up with your wet cunt, slowly bending your knees down as you impaled yourself in his cock.

The stretch was delicious as Torū’s mouth fell open as he groaned and panted beneath you.  You knew he could feel the tightness you felt as you waited for him to adjust to being inside of you.

Torū’s hands flew to your hips as he tried his hardest to remain calm.  Your cunt was so tight and so warm around his cock. The pleasure was unimaginable.  All he wanted was to feel the release.

“Torū are you ok?” You said as you steadied your hands on his chest watching to make sure the man below you was still coherent.

“It’s so tight YN, please” he moaned as his hands went to your hips and you ground a little down on him as his core shuttered, causing his dick to jolt inside you.

“I’m going to go slow ok” you said as he nodded.  Your feet planted firmly on the ground, you pushed lightly on his chest as you propelled your hips up and down, impaling yourself on his cock over and cover again.  

The pace was agonizing for Torū as whimper and moans fell from his mouth.  You could feel your orgasm building and you knew Torū couldn’t hold on much longer.  You needed to go faster.

“Torū” you groan from above him as you continue your leisurely pace “I’m close can I go-”

“GOD PLEASE BABY FUCK ME” he shouts as your hips speed up, jerking his cock as you felt the familiar knot began to unwind “fuck YN I can’t hold out-”

“Almost baby” you moan as you feel the cord snap inside your stomach as your cunt pulses on Toru's cock causing him to groan and grunt.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK-” he shouts as his hips still into you, painting your walls white as he grips your hips firmly, whimpering below you as he tried his hardest to come down from his high.

He felt absolutely spectacular, like his body was floating on air.  He couldn’t believe how amazing his first time had been. He never imagined it would happen the way it did but he wasn’t complaining.  His body and mind were in complete bliss.

Coming down from your high, you laugh as you look at Torū’s blissed out state.  He smiles at you as he opens his eyes slowly caressing your cheek.  

“That was amazing YN” he said, breath shaking as he came down from his high, breathing steadily.

Your chest filled with pride as you felt sheer happiness fluid your body.  You had redeemed yourself and you had made Torū’s first time amazing.

Standing up slowly, Torū watched as his cum leaked down your thigh as you stood in front of him.  His eyes traced your form as he felt his cock jolt to life again, ready for another round.

Standing up, he quickly grabbed you in a bridal carry, running towards the shower as your screamed and laughed as he set you down, turning the water on and pressing your body against the shower wall.

“eww Torū, this wall is gross” you groan as his lips attach to your neck as you feel his erection growing against your pelvis.

“It’s fine YN, I’ll clean you up afterwards” he says as he kisses you deeply, pulling your body against his as he pulls you under the warm water.  

You break the kiss as you smile softly up at his tall form, water cascading down his body as you feel his hardened chest under your hands.

“I need you” he says as you smirk at him, turning around to face the wall.  You grind your ass into his already hard member as he grabs your hips, pulling you firmly into him.

“Then fuck me Torū” you say as you peer over your shoulders, watching Torū’s face fill with excitement as he lines up his cock with your still damp cunt, slowly pushing in as he slowly sinks deep into your hole.

“fuck YN- your pussy is just amazing” he says as he slowly pulls his cock back out, moving at a snails pace in and out of you.

“Torū” you moan as you mouth falls open  “give me your hand” you say as Torū’s hand appears in front of you as you place it between your legs on your hardened clit.  Torū moans when his fingers hit your clit as you rotate his wrist, showing him exactly how you like to be pleasured.  You let go of his hand as he continues to rub tiny fast circles into your clit as you propel yourself faster onto his cock, meeting his thrusts half way.

The air feels with the smell of sex and the sound of skin slapping as your ass meets his hips over and over.  

“Fuck baby” he groans

“I know Torū, just a little more” you squeak out as he picks up his speed, meeting your ass fast and harshly as his fingers speed up on your clit.

“TORŪ FUCK-” You scream as his hips still on your ass as he presses hard, his head falling to your shoulder as he tries to gain control of his breathing.

“Ahhh fucking hell- FUCK” he shouts as he chest heaves in relief as you both come down from your highs as he releases you and you turn to face him, kissing him softly as he grabs you, pulling you into a tight embrace.  

“Thank you YN” he says whispering into your neck as you smile softly.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, Torū helps you clean up the gym as you get ready to leave for the night.  Locking the gym doors, Torū grabs your hand as he pulls you along with him.

“Torū” you say laughing as the brunette pulls you hastily out of the building “my apartment is the other way!”

“Who said the night was over YN-chan?  I need to practice pleasuring you” he smirks as you gulp, following behind him quickly.

You sure were in for a long night ahead.

taglist: @chaotic-nick @yep-seeyalaterbranflakes @serostapesweat @lovelyzabrak-meadow​

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [four] // wanda maximoff

summary: Things finally explode between you and Nate, and Pietro decides to get to the bottom of whatever is going on between you and Wanda, though in usual Pietro fashion AKA not subtly at all

warning/s: none.

author's note: this is very beefy, i must admit, but i think you'll all enjoy the outcome 😂💘

part one | part two | part three | part five | masterlist | wattpad

Dinner with the Maximoffs wasn't as strange as I envisioned. Her parents were sweet and the twins did their best to make me feel comfortable. Wanda still seemed mildly frustrated whenever Pietro and I would talk though, and I figured she may have thought I was lying when I told her I didn't like him like that. I hoped that wasn't the case.

After dinner, Wanda took me upstairs to show me her bedroom. I'm not sure how to describe it other than it seemed so Wanda.

"I'm guessing red is your favourite colour," I said when I saw the hints of scarlet in her bedroom. On her walls, in her bedding, on her pillows. Just like her car and her jacket, they were all bright and very her.

"Great observation, Sherlock," she teased with a sly smile.

I returned the smile, sticking my tongue out at her playfully, before having a walk around and coming across her massive CD collection and CD player. Her music taste was actually quite similar to mine, which I definitely didn't expect. It just made her ten times more attractive to me which wasn't good, but oh well. I was here for a good time, not a long time. And my crush on Wanda Maximoff would surely be the death of me.

"D'you have any CDs at all?" she asked, joining my side when she noticed me staring at the shelf.

I crossed my arms, glancing at her. "Don't get me wrong. I'd love to collect them, but it's just so much easier to have Spotify, y'know?"

My intention wasn't to make her laugh, but God I was glad I did when her eyes crinkled and the sound rang around the room, making my heart pinch with adoration.

After giving me some of her pyjamas, the two of us got ready and brushed our teeth before I realised she wanted me to share bed with her.

"You wanna watch some TV before bed?" she asked, clearly not registering my hesitance to slide into her Queen-sized bed.

I swallowed hard. "S-sure."

She turned on the TV at the end of her bed as I slipped in beside her, still a bit rigid as I kept a fair distance from her.

"What you feeling? Comedy? Drama? Horror?"

"Anything is fine with me," I said, still tense.

She hummed in acknowledgement before leaning down on her pile of pillows behind her, edging closer to me. My heart was hammering in my chest as her hair tickled my arm from where she was laying.

"You comfortable?" she checked in, leaning backwards so her head was upside down to see me. "I have more pillows if you need them."

I offered her a small smile, hoping it disguised my nerves. "I'm good."

She nodded before flicking through the channels and eventually settling on reruns of The Office. It took time, but I eventually overcame my initial shock of sharing bed with the girl I had a major crush on and instead relaxed, getting comfortable under the covers.

After watching some TV, we called it a night and fell asleep quite quickly, the day taking its toll on us. For once, I wasn't panicking about doing something stupid. I simply fell asleep, trying to ignore the heat she emanated from beside me.

It was a peaceful night – her bed was super comfortable – and I woke up to the sound of Wanda moving about in her bedroom.

"Shoot, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked when she saw me moving about under the blankets. I tried to blink away the sleep as she continued, "I was gonna wake you soon. School starts in an hour."

I rubbed my eyes, yawning, before sitting up and seeing she was practically already dressed. That meant she would have been up for a while, meaning she would have seen me fast asleep. God, I hated when people saw me sleeping. It always felt so weird.

"It's okay," I got out tiredly, before running a hand through my hair.

"You sleep well?" she asked, spinning around in her chair, her makeup half done. "I tried my very best not to use you as a teddy bear."

She was joking, but I felt my neck grow warm at the thought and damn, it was just way too early to be flustered.

"Yeah, I slept great," I settled, feeling her gaze on me. "Thanks again for having me over."

"Anytime," she said, and something told me it wasn't just a friendly response but that she actually meant it. Maybe it was the kind smile on her lips as she said so. "Just like last night, if you wanna use anything in the bathroom, go for it."

I gave her a thumbs up, taking a moment to wake myself up a little more, before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I returned to Wanda's room, I saw she'd already made the bed and had laid my clothes on top of it.

"I've got a shirt you can borrow," she said when I grabbed my jeans.

"Oh, I can just wear the same thing again, it's no biggie," I told her, already grabbing my shirt.

She pouted before grabbing a shirt from her closet. "Just hold on. You'll love it."

In no time, she came out from her closet and held out a Paramore tee shirt on a hanger towards me.

"I got it from the last concert I went to," she explained. "I thought you'd like it."

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Wow, Wanda. Really? You don't mind?"

She nodded, shaking the shirt as emphasis for me to take it. I did, having a look over it and smiling to myself.

"I'll wash it and give it back to you tomorrow," I promised, taking it off the hanger and holding it with my jeans. "Thanks."

"You can keep it," she said, scratching the back of her head apprehensively. "I've got loads."

"Oh, no, I can't do that," I began to deny, but she shook her head.

"It's fine, I'm giving it to you," she said, before smiling sweetly. "I'm sure you'll look better in it anyway."

Again with the warmth spreading up my neck...

"I doubt that," I quipped with a small smile.

"Go! Go get changed," she said, already pushing me towards the door. "I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast."

I snickered, letting her shove me into the hallway, before heading into the bathroom to get ready. The shirt was oversized, so there was no need to be worried it wouldn't fit. It was actually really nice, plus I liked it that extra bit more knowing Wanda gave it to me. Though I knew I wouldn't keep it. It was hers and she was just being nice.

When I finished making myself look presentable, I headed downstairs and found the twins at the kitchen counter, chatting between themselves. Their chatter ceased when I walked in, with Wanda biting her lip and looking me up and down with satisfaction.

"I was right," was all she said, making me nervous. "You do look better in it than me."

—

The day after that, I did as I said I would and returned Wanda's shirt to her, washed, folded and ironed. Knowing she wouldn't accept it without a fight, I left it in her bag when she wasn't looking during class.

I should have expected her to approach me at my locker afterwards.

"It was supposed to be a gift," she said, and I saw her pretty face reflected in the mirror hung inside my locker.

I turned around, already knowing what she was talking about.

"I told you I couldn't accept," I said politely, giving her a small smile. "I appreciate it though." She seemed disappointed which obviously didn't help with my feelings for her, so I took a leap and added, "Maybe I can get my own at their next concert. In the summer, right?"

She picked up on what I meant and smiled, stifling a laugh. Running a hand through her hair, she met my gaze and I found myself frozen in place as always, unable to look away. I wondered if she knew what she was doing when she did that, knew that she was giving me heart palpitations every time her lips turned into a playful smirk and dark eyes studied me curiously.

My eyes drifted to her lips subconsciously and she must have put on some lip balm or something, prior to finding me just now, as they looked shiny and pink and just so damn kissable. Nate was one lucky guy.

—

Having faced issues with Nate three times now (AKA the three times he happened to launch a football at my head), I'd figured I wouldn't be seeing the last of him. He was a dick, meaning he had a natural inclination to piss people off, particularly me. But I never thought he'd go for Y/BF/N.

We were chilling by our lockers, chatting about his film project, when his books suddenly got knocked out of his hands and he was shoved against the lockers. I straightened up when I saw it was Nate, looking pissed off as he had Y/BF/N's shirt bundled in his fist.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted, trying to shove him off, but he merely pushed me back.

"This isn't your business," he said to me before glaring at Y/BF/N, who was quiet with panic. "You. You've been hanging around my girlfriend and I don't like it."

The colour drained from Y/BF/N's face as Nate slammed his hand to the lockers beside his head, startling him.

"I want you to stay the fuck away from Wanda!" he ordered, and students were starting to pick up on the fight that was clearly about to break out. "You fucking hear me, you nerd? Stay the fuck away!"

Poor Y/BF/N nodded his head, eyes avoiding Nate's. Meanwhile, I was angrier than Nate probably was. Y/BF/N had done nothing wrong. Maybe Nate had just seen Wanda hanging with me and because Y/BF/N was always with me, assumed the worst. Either way, this was no way to handle the situation and I was not gonna let this dick threaten my friend.

"Get the fuck away from him, Nate," I said through gritted teeth, glaring a hole into the side of his head.

Nate barely glanced my way. "I told you this isn't your business, honey."

"Five seconds," I said, standing behind him as a crowd began to form. "You've got five seconds or I'm gonna kick you."

He seemed to ignore me as he tightened his grip on Y/BF/N's shirt, only pissing me off more.

"Five," I began to count down, the grip on my books tightening with nerves and anger. "Four."

He still didn't look my way, just kept slapping Y/BF/N's face to scare him.

"Three, two, one," I said quickly, tired of giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Without waiting anymore, I kicked him between the legs with full force, watching as he instantly let go of Y/BF/N and doubled over. Everybody began to laugh, some making 'ooh' noises, but the consensus was clear – it definitely sucked to be Nate right now.

I tried not to laugh as I watched his face scrunch with pain, turning red. I was starting to appreciate my choice of wearing my doc marten boots today.

"No more balls for the guy who keeps throwing them at my fucking head," I got out, jaw clenching.

He looked up, his face crossing with realisation as he recognised me. In response, he glared in my direction, but it didn't faze me.

"Come on, Y/BF/N," I said, looking to my startled friend. "Let's go."

"What on Earth is going on over here?!" a teacher's voice rang out in the distance, and I groaned internally.

When I turned to leave, I heard Nate from behind me, grunting with dissatisfaction.

"Fuckin' dyke," he mumbled under his breath, and I paused, clenching my fists.

"Y/N, don't–" Y/BF/N tried to stop me, but I was too pissed to care.

I spun around and punched Nate square in the face, feeling good as his smirking face scrunched in pain and his back hit the lockers from the impact.

"Woah!" a teacher came out of nowhere, shoving herself between us and pushing me away from him. "What the hell is going on here?!"

I shook my hand to ease the pain on my knuckles, though the pain couldn't stop the grin on my lips as Nate raised his hands to his face, holding his busted nose. Students were going crazy, egged on by the potential fight, and for once, I didn't mind the attention. Nate had that coming for a while now.

"Everybody back to class! Now!" the teacher yelled, glaring all around her, before her eyes settled on Nate and I. "You two. Nurse's office now."

Nate glared at me behind his bloody nose and, once again, I tried not to laugh. Y/BF/N patted my back, amazement written on his face, before letting me leave with the teacher and an unusually silent Nate.

—

Kicking Nate in the groin and punching him in the face wasn't something I did to get attention, yet that's exactly what happened. Word of the incident spread around the school quite quickly, so much in fact that even students from other grades became aware of the situation and were approaching me to tell me how awesome I was. The whole thing was definitely strange, but I could tolerate it.

What I couldn't tolerate was having Chemistry after lunch and wondering if Wanda knew.

Would she hate me for punching her boyfriend? I wasn't sure. I just knew that when she walked into class and sat next to me, I felt everyone's eyes subtly watching us as if waiting for her to explode at me.

I'd been given an ice pack for my bruised hand after my visit to the nurse's office earlier whilst Nate had been treated for his broken nose (the fact that I'd broken it was hilarious to me, since I knew I wasn't even that strong). The principal had a very angry yell at us both in his office, neither of us willing to reveal the premise of our fight, before giving us detention every day after school for two weeks straight as punishment. Of course, Nate got his two weeks at a different time to mine for fear I'd punch him again (he definitely didn't like that, but he couldn't exactly say that to to principal).

I didn't bother using the ice pack in Chemistry for fear Wanda may ask what was up. I successfully managed to hide my hand and as a second surprise of the day, Wanda mentioned nothing about the incident. Not one thing about her boyfriend, about Y/BF/N, about any of it. I thought she might hint at it, trying to get me to bring it up. But she didn't which made me think she actually had no idea it even happened. Had anyone told her? Had he told her? Nah, probably not. His fragile masculinity probably caused him to change the story to something else so he didn't look like a wimp in front of his girlfriend.

Whatever it was, I was safe for now.

Thinking I'd got away with a confrontation from Wanda, I went about the rest of my day as usual. Well, that was until I was replacing some books in my locker at the end of the day and saw Wanda at her locker behind me, arguing with– yep, you guessed it. Nate.

Y/BF/N was collecting some books from his own locker beside me and we both exchanged looks as we saw the two lovebirds in a heated argument. Just when we were about to leave, someone cleared their throat from behind us, making us turn around.

Wanda was stood there, backpack hanging from her shoulder, beside Nate, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

"Hi," he started quietly, making Wanda clear her throat. He glanced at her before looking to Y/BF/N. "Look, man, I'm really sorry about earlier. I was wrong about what I said. We cool?"

I tried not to laugh at the way Nate was being forced to apologise by his girlfriend. Y/BF/N glanced to me with questioning eyes, so I simply shrugged.

"I guess...," he finally answered Nate, still a little awkward.

Nate nodded before looking to me. He still had his reservations, judging from the twitch in his expression, but for Wanda's sake, he kept his cool.

"I'm sorry for treating you badly," he said reluctantly. "With the football and just generally."

God, it was so hard not to laugh in his face right now. His nose had gauze taped to it and it made him look like an idiot. I fake coughed to disguise my smile, before meeting his gaze.

"It's, er, cool," I said, not in the mood to be an arsehole to him, even though he deserved it. I'd punched him – I think we were equal for now.

He nodded, before staying quiet. Glancing to Wanda, he waited for her to say something. She rolled her eyes and nodded for him to leave. When he was gone, she sighed tiredly.

"I only heard about what happened after Chem class," she said, mainly to me, a guilty expression on her lips. "I'm so sorry he acted like a jerk."

I chewed my lip, unsure what to say.

"It's okay, Y/N here took care of it," Y/BF/N said, smiling with amusement at me. Okay, well now she definitely knew.

"Yeah, sorry you felt you had to do that," she said with a grimace. "I guess he deserved it though."

"Kind of," I agreed, before noticing the regretful frown on her lips. "He apologised though. It's already happened. I kinda broke his nose... No point in dwelling on it."

She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah..." Her eyes fell to my bruised hand before lifting it gently. I winced at the ache, but let her hold it, studying the purple bruise painted across my knuckles. "That looks bad."

It felt good punching him though, but I wasn't about to say that since it was her boyfriend I was talking about.

"It's alright," I said dismissively, shrugging. "Nate kind of got it worse. I'll live."

The pad of her thumb stroked the bruise gently and I held my breath, the feeling of her hands holding mine sending shivers up my arm. Her eyes flickered to mine, softened with guilt, before she let go of my hand.

"I should head home," she said after a pause. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Y/BF/N said for both of us, sensing my loss of words.

Wanda held my gaze once more, eyes half lidded as they glanced down. Before I could even question what she was looking at, she waved goodbye and left.

"She's either starting to realise what a dick her boyfriend is or she's just really into you," Y/BF/N said, patting me on the back. "Maybe both, who knows?"

—

"You definitely cheated," I told Y/BF/N once we finished yet another round of air hockey. "Nobody wins six times in a row like that!"

He laughed at my expression. "Tell me, dear Y/N. How would I cheat? The concept of the game is simple, really. It's not my fault you're terrible."

I rolled my eyes lightheartedly. "Seventh time's the charm. C'mon."

He chuckled, about to put more money in the machine, before his eyes got distracted by something behind me. "Well, would you look at that. The Maximoff twins are here."

"Very funny," I said with a knowing look. "You can't throw me off like that. We've established I'm already terrible. Now c'mon. Let's go!"

"I wish I was joking," he said, shaking his head.

I scoffed, not believing him, and turned around to prove him wrong, but I was surprised when I saw Wanda and Pietro walking into the arcade we were in. They seemed to spot us instantly, waving in our direction before approaching us.

"Fancy seeing you here," Pietro teased with a smile as they stopped before us.

I cracked a smile as Y/BF/N joined my side. "We're hanging out. And you?"

Wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulder, he tugged Wanda close to him. "Sibling bonding time."

Wanda rolled her eyes at his childishness, but I could tell she found it endearing all the same.

"Well, if you want, you can hang with us," Y/BF/N offered, and we all looked to him, myself raising a brow his way. He seemed to sense my reluctance, it egging him on as he grinned at them. "Y/N doesn't mind. Do you, Y/N?"

I swallowed hard as I looked between the twins. "'Course not."

And that's how I found myself playing arcade games with the Maximoff twins that Saturday afternoon. It was actually pretty fun, with Pietro being as competitive as I was and Wanda being the sweetest loser with everything she played. It was so adorable, but I ended up letting her win some games of skee-ball just so I could see that cute nose scrunch of hers as she realised she'd won.

"You gonna let me win like that, too?" Pietro caught on as he took his sister's place in playing against me. He had a mischievous grin on his lips and I felt my mouth go dry at what he was implying.

"You wish," I said, playing it cool, though I wondered if he cared that I clearly let Wanda win. He wouldn't read into it, right?

Pietro took his go as he spoke. "So, I heard what happened with you and Nate at school last week."

I closed my eyes, cringing at the reminder. Pietro merely laughed.

"You kicked him super hard, right?" he asked excitedly. "I heard his face went so red with anger that you could fry an egg on it! And don't forget that punch, goddamn what I would pay to have seen that!"

"Pietro!" Wanda scolded from behind us as her and Y/BF/N played air hockey. "Don't be a tool!"

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment as Pietro continued to laugh. Y/BF/N joined in whilst Wanda tried to hide the smile dancing on her lips.

"You're not even together anymore," Pietro called to Wanda between laughter. Wait, did I hear that right?

"You and Nate broke up?" Y/BF/N asked with disbelief. "Our grade's 'it' couple broke up?"

Wanda ran a hand through her hair to distract from her flittering eyes. "He treated you horribly last week. Both of you." She glanced my way before looking at her shoes. "He was a jerk. It was long overdue... Also, I would have broken up with him there and then had I known what he'd said to you. I'm sorry he said what he did."

She stared at me with apologetic eyes and I wasn't sure what to say or do other than nod awkwardly and look away. The fact that she'd broken up with him put a smile on my face though.

"I just think it's awesome," Pietro admitted, before saluting playfully to me. "Thank you for your service. I knew you were awesome, but this is a whole new level."

I sighed, attempting to hide my smile, before straightening up to play. Pietro and I played some skee-ball before I decided to have a go at the claw machine. Wanda was at the one beside me, attempting to win herself a fluffy black cat plush toy. She'd had three goes before giving up, admitting to defeat.

"Typical Wanda," Pietro teased. "Giving up when the going gets tough."

She punched him in the arm, making him jump and rub it. That elicited a smile from her, making me laugh at their immaturity.

"How about Wanda and I go and get a table in the diner next door whilst you finish up winning whatever it is you're trying to win?" Y/BF/N asked, looking to me, as if assigning blame.

"I already told you, I'm not leaving this machine until I win at least one thing," I stated stubbornly.

"The amount of money you've put into the machine won't make up for whatever you win," Y/BF/N teased with amusement.

"Just go," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "I'll be there soon."

"I'll wait with her," Pietro said, resting a hand on my shoulder, making me shrug him off jokingly. "See you soon," he added with a laugh, to his sister and Y/BF/N.

When they left, I looked to Pietro with an amused smile. "I don't need you to look after me, y'know."

He shrugged and looked through the glass of the claw machine. "I know. But I stayed to give you some advice, princess."

"Oh, really? And what advice is that?" I asked, before putting some coins in the machine to have another go.

"People usually tend to win these things for people they like, right?" he asked, nodding to the plush toys in the machine.

"Or for themselves," I corrected with a curious smile. "Take Wanda for example. How badly did she want that cat?"

He crossed his arms, smiling with amusement. "You could win it for her, y'know."

"What?" I asked, half paying attention as I attempted to grab a teddy bear.

"Win the cat for my sister and give it to her?"

I ended up dropping the teddy from the claw as I looked to Pietro with shock. He laughed at my expression, leaning against the machine.

"You do like her, right? Otherwise this is awkward," he added as an afterthought, looking down and smiling to himself.

My jaw hung open. "I– er– I never really– I don't–"

"She must definitely like you," Pietro noted, glancing at me.

I licked my lips as I found my words. "Did she," I cleared my throat, "did she say something?"

"Well, no," he said, "but she looks like she wants to murder me every time I hang out with you."

"That's just a coincidence," I said, shaking my head and looking back to the machine. "She's not–" I thought about, before shaking my head again. "No."

I appreciated Pietro's help, but Wanda definitely didn't like me like that. She was just protective of her brother and friendly to me. It didn't mean anything.

"Look, you don't have to listen to me," he said, straightening up and looking at the machine as I slotted another coin in. "But you could give it a shot. See what happens."

I glanced at him, his blue eyes watching me knowingly, a matching smirk on his lips.

"Fine," I gave in, hoping it wouldn't backfire. "Let's see what happens..."

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Fully Completely 5

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series), violence, mutual irritation, harassment, blood, cutting, general hatred

This is dark!Loki x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: There’s a new face in Birch and he’s come to haunt your door.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown, When the Weight Comes Down, and Little Bones

Note: Today, we have more Loki then tomorrow more Zemo and some Sam on Saturday. I might add in some Andy Barber after that but keep plucking away at this and Candy Coated. Anyway, I’ll see you in the comments and the asks.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 5: Hang me long out in the sun

💀💀💀

You sat against the wall, flinching every time you leaned too heavily on the radiator and burned your arm. You were certain Loki cranked the heat before he left as it was stolid and stifling in the large room. Sweat dripped down your body and mingled with the drying blood along your chest. You were uncomfortable but you didn’t want to get comfortable in this place.

You pulled on your wrist until your hand throbbed and the cuffs showed no sign of wear and the radiator didn’t budge. You stretched across the floor until you could reach the edge of the bookshelf and kicked until some books fell, hoping for some hidden pin or tool to pick the lock. There were only musty old books and dust.

You stood, tried to at least, bent over as you stretched your legs. You did awkward squats and extended your arms to your toes, one at least. You rolled your head on your neck so it cracked noisily and settled back against the wall. You were tired, exhausted, but too worked up to sleep.

It hit you all at once as the stench of smoke clung to your shirt and skin. Your shop was gone, your home, everything you worked for. It was another sick joke played on you by the town of Birch. 

Bucky was just another bully. He was like that boy in ninth grade who asked you to meet him at the park for a ‘date’ only to stand you up. You remembered the Monday after when he planted a stink bomb in your locker. The men around there were all the same. Everywhere if you were to judge by Loki.

You closed your eyes and thought of your dad. You thought he would’ve been proud to see everything you’d done; a shop of your own, a life where you didn’t have to worry. He said to you, through his dying lungs, that he knew you would be alright, that you could take care of yourself and Jerome. What about your brother then? Shouldn’t he take care of you too?

For the first time in a very long time, you wanted to cry. You kept your eyes shut to keep the tears locked in and slowly your mind eased. You sunk down as the warmth of the radiator embraced you, unbothered by the unyielding heat against your arm. You could hear yourself snore as you succumbed to your fatigue.

You were woken by the clatter of the door below. The old Victorian house echoed every noise and shuddered at every gale without. You lifted your head with a snort and sidled away from the radiator. Your arm was tender from the constant blaze of the radiator and you winced as you touched it. Fuck, it was burned.

You braced yourself as you listened to the slow ascent. You heard him behind the door and watched the knob turn. You sprawled out and slid a book closer with your foot. You got up and grabbed it quickly and stood in a hunch. You flung it at Loki as he entered but he quickly blocked the hardcover tome with the door.

He carefully peeked around the wood and stepped back in with a sigh. He shook his head as he crossed his arms and nodded as Korg appeared behind him. The bigger man placed the collection of shopping bags on the table and left with a dismissive sniff from his boss. The door closed and you were left to simmer alone with Loki.

“Such a warm welcome,” he strode to the table and tapped his fingertips on the wood, “and after I went to all the trouble of replacing your wardrobe. A pity all those wonderful pieces you had were lost.”

“I don’t want any of it,” you sneered, “leave me here, I don’t care.”

“Darling, while I find your resilience admirable it is also rather irksome,” he said, “and you will find that in the end, it will only make all this so much more difficult. You needn’t suffer anymore.”

“‘You needn’t suffer anymore,’” you mimicked him, “just listening to you talk is suffering.”

He turned his face down and clenched his jaw. He turned and reached into a bag. He pulled out a swath of black fabric that unfolded to an elegant dress with subtle black gems along the neckline like stars. You pushed your head back and stared at the ceiling.

“I can understand, a woman like you, men aren’t lining up to give you nice things,” he said, “I wouldn’t exactly call this giving, more… trading.”

“Oh, shut up,” you grumbled as you closed your eyes again, “you know, you woke me up so why don’t you keep it down?”

“I did have to guess at the sizes,” he ignored you brusquely, “but I’ve always had a keen eye.”

“You can shove your dresses and whatever else you wasted your money on up your--”

“Darling,” he interrupted, “I will not warn you again. That lip does provoke me.”

You jutted your jaw out and exhaled. You bent your legs and crossed your arms over your knees. You were too tired to argue with him. Hell, it only seemed to make you feel more helpless as you could not act on your anger. You hated that feeling. It remind you of that stupid teenage girl again; so gullible and weak.

“You cannot remain as you are,” he continued, “and I will not have a slobbish hick on my arm--”

“Jesus Christ, is your dick so small you can’t find another woman?” you hissed.

He was silent. You opened your eyes and hit your head on the wall as you were startled by how quick he moved. He pressed his knee to your chest and pinned you to the wall as he reached into his pocket and plucked out the silver key. He bent and unhooked the cuff from your wrist.

He caught your hand as you clawed at him and coughed as he pushed his knee harder against the cut between your tits. He tore you away from the wall suddenly and thrust you up to your feet. He twisted your arm behind you as he spun you and kicked your feet across the floor. You struggled with him but each time he bent your arm further up your back.

He pushed you onto the bed and straddled you as he angled you along the mattress. You flailed with your legs as he kept you trapped beneath his weight and released your arm. You reached out as he shifted above you and quickly snatched up your hands. He wrapped his long fingers around your wrists and snugly wound his tie in their place before he let go.

He backed off of you so that you laid across your stomach, your hands bound above your head to the bedpost. You rolled over as he marched away and returned just as quickly. He unfolded the razor with the mother-of-pearl handle and you dug your heels into the bed as you tried to free yourself from the silken tie.

He grabbed your leg and held it down. You brought your other knee up and he blocked it with his shoulder, “if you continue on like this, I might catch the artery.”

He held your leg down and pressed the edge of the blade to your thigh. You froze as he sliced into your skin and you grunted through your teeth. He traced a line down your leg and mirrored it on the other. He retreated and looked you over as you glanced down between your legs, the red lines dripping onto the blanket.

“What the fuck?” you yanked on the tie, “you’re fucking insane.”

“You haven’t any idea,” he held up the razor and admired the crimson along the silver, “but if you insist on this little dance, I should be inclined to go deeper.” He closed the razor and winked, “darling, you are looking rather rough,” he remarked, “but scars will not deter me.”

He spun and strode again to the bathroom. He returned and wiped his hands on a white towel and tossed it over the back of the chair. He sat and continued to sort through the bags.

“You think I’m afraid of you, you prick?” you snarled, “you think you’re going to win? When I get free, I’m going to take that blade and cut your dick--”

He stood and his hand formed a fist. He was atop you in a moment but before he could bring his hand to your throat, you bit down on the webbing between his thumb and index finger. He exclaimed and retracted his hand for just a second before he smacked you across the face. Your head snapped to the side and you held in a groan.

This time his hand stretched over your neck and he leaned over you. His hot breath whispered along your cheek and you shivered in disgust. 

“Oh, darling, this will be fun indeed,” he purred, “but I have no doubt that you will be prancing around in pretty little skirts for me before long,” he squeezed until you croaked, “you can even keep them on as I fuck you.”

“Go… to… hell,” you rasped.

He snickered and sat back on his heels with you straddled beneath him, “haven’t you realised? We’re already there.”

💀

You laid there for hours after Loki left you. Even though the mattress was preferable to the floor, you didn’t sleep. You stared at the ancient ceiling and cursed every inch of that place. 

Your thighs ached and that cut along your chest. Your arm was sore and raw each time it rubbed against your sleeve or the bed. You were more enraged than ever and you could hardly contain it and frustration had you kicking the mattress.

The windows were dark when he returned. He turned on the lamp beside you as the aroma of food tickled your stomach. You were desperately hungry but didn’t realise it until that moment. You salivated and gulped it down as he pulled up a chair and cradled the box in his lap.

“I’ve brought you dinner,” he said as he opened the cardboard container, “but… you have to use your manners, darling.”

“Get fucked,” you rolled onto your side so your back was to him.

“I can hear your stomach so let’s not pretend I believe you for a moment,” he taunted, “you will realise soon how weak you truly are.”

You didn’t say anything, nor did you move. You sneered at the wall as your arms strained above your head. He let out a long breath and then hummed in delight, “mmm, you know, this is not bad,” he commented, “your little diner has been the least disappointing aspect of this shithole.”

You gulped hungrily but refused to look back. He tapped his foot on the floor impatiently and sighed again.

“You would do yourself a favour if you did one for me,” he said, “say, if you accepted this generosity I might allow you another, perhaps a shower. Those cuts cannot remain unwashed.”

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you cut me,” you spat, “I don’t want anything from you and I definitely don’t want you. I’ll go live in the rubble, I don’t give a fuck.”

“You will,” he said as he stood and dragged the chair away, “but only you will pay for your stubbornness.”

💀

After another tussle, Loki relocated you once more to the radiator. He slept blissfully as you spent another restless night both sweating and shivering. When he woke, he offered you a bowl of instant oatmeal and you flipped it over. He tutted and went on with his day, leaving you again to stew in your wrath.

By the end of the day, your body rebelled with hunger and you accepted the bowl of soup he brought from The Chipped Saucer. You drank it from the paper cup but felt more rotten as it burned in your chest. He smirked as he watched you and you tossed the empty cup at him.

He scowled and you spent another night in cuffs. On the fourth day, he let you shower but kept you cuffed to the curtain bar for the ordeal. All modesty was gone as you were allowed only a plain white robe after and sat in the same spot, metal at your wrist, and wood at your back.

But you didn’t stop. You bit, you kicked, you hit, you swore, you screamed. A week passed and you wouldn’t accept it. You could see you were wearing on him and comforted yourself with the irritation in his sharp green eyes. You laughed at him outright and it stoked him further. He truly thought you’d never dealt with assholes before. You lived among them your whole life.

But that day when he came in, he was quiet though not sullen or angry. He was almost boasting as he still wore his new leather boots and dark parka. He tramped around and pulled out a mauve coloured dress, some satin and impractical undergarments, and a pair of heeled boots. He placed them calmly beside you but kept out of your reach.

He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned. You shook your head at him and scoffed. He waited as you simply yawned into your palm.

“Don’t you want to go see your brother?” he asked.

“He can rot with the rest of you,” you hissed.

“So heartless,” he slithered, “but I shall relay the message to him, as hard as it may be.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” you huffed.

“Well, darling, I don’t know if he should hear me or even if he could, that it would put him in a worse condition,” he mused.

“Worse condition?” you grimaced.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you, my apologies,” he preened, “why yes, it seems he did have an unfortunate incident. Some suspect it was an attempt on his own life but you know how gossip is in a town so small--”

“What--” you bit down on your lip, “is he… is he okay?”

“Why, he is rotting just as you wished, yes?” he asked coyly.

“Don’t be fucking stupid. Tell me he’s okay!” you tried to stand but were kept in a crouch by the cuffs.

“If you get dressed and behave, then you can see for yourself,” he said evenly, “or I will alone and hope that he survives his injuries… I wouldn’t expect the healthcare around here to be very adequate--”

“You fucking touch him--”

“What? You are wasting time, darling, and visiting hours will be over soon,” he warned.

You clenched your jaw and squinted at him. You swallowed your derision and blinked.

“Fine,” you said quietly, “I’ll… behave. Just take me to see him.”

“Good girl,” he came closer and knelt to grab your wrist, “but let me be clear, one misstep and you will never see him again. I should hate for him to die alone.”

“Just fucking undo me,” you snarled and his lips curved in triumph.

[libraryofloveletters]

More Days, Fewer Words

Eddie Diaz x Reader 

Warnings: fem!reader

Category: angst 

Word Count: 4.2k

Author’s Note: based on my failed talking stage so this was self indulgent :)  also thank you to @hotchsdarling​ for her help :) <3

-----

Cold. 

The word that describes the current state of your relationship with Eddie. He sat across from you in your bedroom, his shoulders hung as he slouched in the chair. Your foot tapping against the floor was the only continuous noise echoing through the room, ever so often Eddie glanced at you before directing his attention back to your tapping foot. 

Today was supposed to be a nice day, sunny and hot in El Paso, as were most days but not today. Today was gloomy, grey and raining. The wind that blew through the cracked window was cold -cold enough to cause goosebumps. The words that were spoken lingered in the room although nothing was being said. 

“I think I should go” he pipes up, his voice quiet and soft, as if he spoke louder he would break you more than he already had. 

“Okay” a whisper left your throat, barely. 

Eddie pushed himself up out of the chair and headed towards your door. He stepped out, looking back at you now laying on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

“I-” 

Silence.

He sighed, shutting the door. His steps quieter as each went. His voice back to normal as he said goodnight to your parents. The tear rolled down your face, the back of your hand wiping it away when you stand. Eddie stood out in the rain in front of your house, you watched as he looked at your bedroom window. He stood there for a moment and you opened the window. He waited - waited for you to shout for him to come back into the house, for you to do something, anything. 

You didn’t. 

Shoulder slumped and now rain soaked, he turned and walked the other way. 

How did you end up here? Never did you expect him to leave. He was always the constant in your life, there through the good and the bad, as you were for him but something changed. People change and people drift apart. Some things things were just meant to happen the way they happened. 

----

Last you heard, Eddie had moved after his wife left. You had seen him at the store and he saw you too. An awkward moment of eye contact was had and you both went your separate ways. His mother was the one that had told you about his move, she kept up with you even after the falling out. She always stopped and spoke to you if she saw you, still sent you flowers for your birthday until this day. She had really started telling you that Shannon had left to take care of her mother, but of course, Eddie was an angel in their eyes so Shannon was left to take all the blame. 

Not that you knew Shannon personally nor did you know the ins and outs of her relationship with Eddie but you had heard enough from friends to know that things weren't good. She had commitments, one to take care of her mother and of course, she had one to take care of sweet Christoper but you could understand why she left. It’s hard raising a child when your partner is gone and when he returns, he’s just there with no sense of what’s happening. You would never blame Eddie but you couldn’t exactly blame Shannon either. 

So as anyone would, you went to see Eddie’s mom before you left for LA. there was nothing left for you in El Paso, most of your family had moved. You didn’t want to stay there by yourself with all the memories of your past.

It was time for a fresh start. 

Imagine your surprise when Mrs. Diaz goes “that’s where Eddie is too!” She had known the two of you stopped talking but she didn’t know why. Neither of you spoke about your feelings and that was part of the reason why the friendship ended to begin with. She told you he had become a firefighter when he moved, he had just gotten a job at station 118. 

Something you loved about her, she always told you what you wanted to hear without asking. 

She wished you good luck and promised to visit you when she and Ramon came out to see Eddie and with that, you were off. 

The entire time, your mind wandered back to Eddie. Surely, he had moved on. He did with Shannon, you couldn’t have given him what he wanted. Stability, a marriage sometime in the near future, a child after that, all things you weren't ready for at that point in your life. Truthfully, you still weren't sure if you were ready now, but maybe and only maybe, would you consider it for the right person. 

LA was new and fresh, a clean stale for you to try things and meet people. Right now you were just focused on getting settled in with the new place and the new job. Lauren, the woman whose desk was next to yours asked you to join her and some of the others for drinks after work to celebrate the account the team had gotten earlier. Being new to town and all, you had no other plans so you agreed.

9:30 on a Tuesday night and you were at a bar not far from your workplace. 

Lauren and Matt, who you now realized was her boyfriend, were telling everyone about this new fancy restaurant they went to for their anniversary. You smiled and nodded, but truly you were zoned out. Eyes wandered through the bar, from groups much like yours, to couples, some men and women sat at the counter and then a group of people by the pool table. You watched as a shorter man with black hair hit the ball into the pocket, another man, this one blonde and tall, patted his back and then took his turn. Your focus was on them until Lauren called your name. 

“Y/n?” 

“Hm?” 

“What do you think about that ?” 

“About what ? Sorry, I missed what you said” smiling apologetically at her. 

“The restaurant, isn't that crazy ?” 

“Yeah it totally is” Lauren hums at your response and carries on with her conversation. Gaze drifting back to the pool table at the other end of the bar, you excuse yourself from the group for a moment. You watch the blonde man miss yet another shot as you walk towards the bathroom. Not that you needed to go, you just wanted to have a better view of the game. Your back was up against the wall, the man with the black hair hit another ball into the pocket and surprise surprise, the blonde man missed again. 

“He's totally kicking your ass” stepping forward, your hands resting on the edge of the table. The blonde man looked offended while his friend laughed. 

“I am, aren't I ?” he asked you, smiling in amusement. 

You nodded, he introduced himself. “I’m Howard, but you can call me Chimney. My friend here is Buck.” 

“Chimney ?” your brows raise, he shakes his head, “long story.” 

“You are ?” Buck asks, “y/n” you smile. 

“Okay, y/n. Think you can do better than me?” he asks, holding the stick out for you. Smiling, you take it, “definitely can do better than that” as you lean over the table, Buck steps to the side and watches as you line the shot up. One hit and the ball rolls into the pocket. 

“Yeah, she’s got you beat Buckaroo” Chimney laughs, “Buckaroo ? How cute” you smile, Buck rolls his eyes. 

“Don’t listen to him” he says, nodding to Chimney. “Your go man” 

Buck lets you take his turn for him, Chimney missed the first one but gets the second one in. Just as you lean to line the stick with the ball, you hear him. His voice still brings chills to your spine. He hadn’t noticed you yet, you can hear him talking to Buck, you glance up ever so slightly to make sure you heard right. 

What are the odds that the two of you lived in the same place your entire lives and never run into each other but not even 2 weeks into your move to LA and you see him? 

Pushing the feeling and thoughts of Eddie from your mind, which wasn't the easiest considering he's right in front of you, you hit the ball and it rolls into the pocket. 

“Good shot y/n!” Buck calls from his chair. You wince, hoping Eddie wouldn't look back but he did. The two of you looking at each other like you were the only people in the room. All the feelings from that day returned, the heavy tension weighing you down. Eddie’s reaction made you want to run, far and to never return, to somewhere you’d never see him. Yet, you were stuck, froze and fixated on him. 

“I think I should go.” you hand the stick to Chimney who’s now exchanging confused glances with Buck. “It was nice to meet you guys. Enjoy your game.” you smile at the two men, one last glance at Eddie before walking away. You say goodnight to your friends from work and apologize for just disappearing on them. Lauren and Matt offer to give you a ride as you came with them but you decided you’d walk. 

---- 

Eddie follows his morning routine per usual. Up at 7, wake Chris up, breakfast, shower and get ready, out the door by 8:15 the latest, drop Chris off at school for 8:30 and at work by 9. 

As soon as his bag hits the floor, Buck comes running in, Chim hot on his tail. “Good morning” Buck smiles at his best friend, taking a seat on the bench across from Eddie’s locker. “Morning Eddie, how’d you sleep ?” Chim asks, Eddie turns and looks at Chimney, “how did I what ?” Eddie’s face twisted into his typical scowl.  

“Sleep, how did you sleep ? Friends ask that don't they Buck ?” Chim faces Buck, his back against the wall across from the lockers. Buck nods but Eddie ignores them, he goes back to changing for work. The room is quiet except for Eddie’s tumbling through his bag and locker and Chimney throwing a tennis ball at the wall across from him and catching it. Buck being Buck, decided to ask the question they had actually gone in there to ask. 

“So why did our new friend just up and leave after you showed up?” 

Eddie didn't answer, Chimney kept bouncing the ball and Buck asked the same question over and over again in different variations, hoping to get an answer. Finally Eddie turns to face them, the locker door slamming shut. Buck and Chimney’s heads perking up at the sound. 

“What do you want to know ?” Eddie asks, Buck opens his mouth but Eddie cuts him off. “You can only ask one question each. That's it” the two men nod, Chim joining Buck on the bench. “Do you guys know each other from your past life or something ?” Buck asks the first question. 

“She was an old friend.” Eddie’s simple answer didn’t satisfy the curiosity that Buck and Chimney had. 

“What happened between you two ?” Chimney used his question, earning him a sigh from Eddie. 

A loss for words wasn't a common thing for Eddie, sure he didn’t confront every problem verbally, that was usually the last option he chose but he looked for the simplest terms to put what happened. 

“We drifted apart” 

“Oh c’mon! There has to be more!” Buck looks up at his friend who was in no mood for questions, the look on his face was enough to get Buck to stop but did he ? Of course not. 

“Eddie, come on. It's us. You can tell us what happened” 

“What I say here, ends here. Understand ?” his friends nod. Eddie sits on the bench beside them. 

“We were friends back in El Paso. Grew up together our whole lives, everyone thought that we'd get married,” he chuckled at the thought, “but obviously, didn’t happen. It was right after we had graduated, we had feelings for each other but neither of us said anythi- well that’s not true. We admitted that we had feelings once but nothing ever happened. She went off to college and I was still figuring out my life. After I told her I enlisted, we drifted. Hung out less, the calls became shorter and eventually they stopped. The only time we saw each other was if one of us showed up at the other’s place. I told her that I couldn’t have a relationship like this, with nothing happening. I wanted a life together, to get married, to have a kid and she said she didn’t want that, she ‘couldn't give that to me.’ We stopped talking after that. I left and when I came back, I met Shannon, we got married and had Chris.” 

“So that’s that. Anyone want a smoothie ?” He stands and waits for an answer, both men shake their heads and he walks out like he hadn’t just told them all of that. Buck and Chim sat there, staring at Eddie walking away. He had this great romance and it ended because they had shitty communication skills ? There was no way Buck and Chim would let this slide, they’d hatch a plan but one that Eddie would know nothing about. Only to figure out how they can get the two of them together in one place. 

---

A routine fire drill for an office building was a normal day for the 118. Bobby coordinated with the team from outside. Hen, Chim and Buck all inside the building, they went through various floors checking to make sure they were clear while Eddie was in the lobby. 

This was their first shift back after their 24 hour shift as was it the first shift back since the Eddie “I had a friend that I loved but did nothing” bomb was dropped. The team took their sweet time clearing the building, they were supposed to be in and out as fast as they can be because they were supposed to be acting like it was a real fire. 

You on the other hand, were now arriving to work. You had a check in with your doctor and called in to say you’d be late. You find your way through the crowd outside of the building and spot Lauren by a corner. 

“Hey!” she smiles, you smile back at her. “What’s going on?” you ask her, turning to look at the crowd forming by the door. “Fire drill” she informs you, nodding towards the 2 big red firetrucks parked in front of the building. You hum, the side of the truck had big white numbers that said 118. Why did that feel so familiar to you ? 

“He works at station 118 now” Eddie’s mother’s words ringing in your head. 

No no no no no, not again. God I hope he isn't working today. 

Everyone reenters the building and there he was again. You couldn’t help but look at him. He had grown since you saw him that day at the store, you didn’t know what you were expecting. He stood there, his coat undone and his helmet in his hand, his typically well kept hair was wavy and messy from the helmet. He looked cute, but you wouldn't dare to tell him that. Not then, not now. You look away before he sees you. Making your way up the stairs, you were searching through your bag for your phone when you bumped into someone. Their hands on your arms, “sorry about that” you mumble before looking up. 

Buck smiled at you, “it’s okay. I didn’t know you worked here” 

“Yeah, started a few weeks ago” 

“Hey, why don't you come out with us tonight ? Chimney will be there and my sister Maddie, plus Hen and her wife are coming. She works with us, you’ll really like her” Buck gave you a smile, his eyes pleading for you to join them. He didn’t mention Eddie but you’re sure he would be there. Oh what the hell, you co-existed in El Paso for years, you had the same friends there too, what difference did it make here? 

“You know what, sure. Where and when ?” 

Buck reached into his pocket for his phone, giving it to you. “I’ll text you the details” you type your number into Buck’s phone. HIs radio went off, someone was looking for Buckley which you assumed was him and it was, he shouted that he’d text you as he ran off down the hallway. Chuckling at the man, you wondered how someone as joyful and sweet as him stayed so joyful and sweet doing a job like his. Surely, he had seen some messed up stuff, there was no way he didn’t. Nothing thinking much into it, you head into work for the day. 

----

Buck didn’t take long to text you a name of a restaurant and a time, he also told you to ask for Buckley when you arrived. Work kind of flies by when you have something to do, soon enough you were at home getting ready. The place was 20 minutes from your place, you arrived on time surprisingly. The man at the front smiled at you and led you into the restaurant when you gave him the name. Just as you were walking in, your phone chimed. 

From Buck: Okay don't be mad but Hen and Karen can’t make it. Chimney and Maddie are having a date night in and I’m sitting on my couch but have fun  

From Buck: But drinks tomorrow I promise, if you’re not mad at me :) 

Did he send you here to have dinner by yourself ? 

When you looked up, the man had just stopped in front of a table, had you not looked up you would have walked into him. Eddie sat at a table for 2, you look at him and he looks at you. The man excused himself as the two of you are looking at each other like you’re the only people in the place once again. 

“Buck ?” you ask him 

“Buck.” he answers, you hum. 

You pause for a moment. “Well, I can leave. We don't have to st-” “no please, sit” Eddie says, your brows furrow before you sit across from him. 

“I didn’t-” “When did-” the sentences cut off each other. Gesturing to him, “you first” your attention on the man in front of you. He takes a sip of water before speaking. “I didn’t know you moved to LA” he says, you hum. “I didn’t know you moved either.”

“Yeah after Shannon-” 

“Left. Yeah, your mom told me.” 

“How did Buck get you here?” Eddie looks over at you. “Bumped into me during the fire drill. He asked me to come out with the team tonight, to meet them.” 

“He told me that he wanted to get dinner and help me plan Christopher’s birthday party” 

“Chris has probably gotten so big” 

“Yeah, he did” Eddie pulls his phone out to show you a picture. Eddie and Christopher sat on the couch next to Eddie’s grandmother. 

“Awe, he’s grown so much. How’s your Abuela ?” 

“She's good, she's been helping me out with Christoper since I moved here.” 

Your eyes drifting back to the phone that sat on the table, it seemed like a recent photo. The cake on the table read “happy birthday” and Christoper’s arms are wrapped around Eddie’s waist. Chris is laughing with frosting on his cheek while Abuela feeds Eddie a piece of cake. The picture was from Eddie’s birthday, it was from last weekend. 

“oh my god, it slipped my mind.” you look at him, Eddie’s brows furrowed and his head tilts slightly. “What’s wrong ?” he sounded concerned. 

“Happy birthday Eddie” smiling at your friend- if you could even call him that. Eddie returns the smile. “Thank you” 

The waiter returns to the table, asking if you were ready to order. Eddie looks at you, unsure what to say to the waiter. You speak up, “No thank you, I think we’re going to get going.” 

“Is there any way we could get you to stay ?” the waiter asks, you smile politely and shake your head. “Thank you but the babysitter called, our son isn't feeling too well so we’re going to head home” now smiling sweetly at the waiter, he nods and leaves. Eddie’s eyes are on you, you could feel them on your from the moment you say “our son”

Getting up, picking up your purse. “It was nice seeing you Eddie” 

“Wait! Let me walk you out” he gets up from his seat, he follows you as you make your way through the tables and out of the restaurant. 

“No thanks, I’m more than capable of walking myself out” you say with a hint of annoyance in your voice. You’re out on the street walking towards the direction of your car when you feel a hand wrap around your wrist tugging you back slightly. 

“I know you’re capable, but please. It’s the least I can do” he gives you a pathetic look, a small pout on his face. 

“God, stop it. You know I hate that stupid face” pulling your hand away, you continue towards your car. “What face?” he shouts, jogging behind you as he follows you to your car. 

“That stupid pout of yours. It always got me to give in” turning around, you hadn't realized how close behind you Eddie was. His chest against yours, his hand on your waist instinctively when you bump into him. Eddie had no clue what you were talking about, a pout ? He had never pouted a day in his life. Clearing his throat, he relaxed his face as best as he could. 

“Can we talk, please ?” you shake your head, moving his hand from your hip. “Eddie, what more is there to say ?” 

“I love you.” 

The 3 words you had been dying to hear since freshman year of high school. The 3 words that would have been the glue to hold your relationship together all those years ago. 

“Eddie, what-” you breathe. You were at a loss for words. Why now? Why not all those years ago?

“I know” he takes a step back. 

“Why now? Is it because you already got married ? Because you have Chris ? Because you don’t need me to give you those things, you just- why ?” 

“Y/n, it was never about those things with you.” he reaches for your hand, you pull away. 

“But it was. It always was about the future we would have built together. You wanted to get married, you wanted to have children and I didn’t. I wasn’t ready. I still don't know if I am. So please, if you’re just going to leave again, go now before I fall in love with you again.” admitting your feelings to him in the middle of the street. 

“I got married, I have a kid - and you’re right. I don't feel the need to do those again because I already have. It doesn’t mean I stopped loving you. It doesn't mean a day hasn't passed by that I didn’t think about you or that I didn’t want to call you.” he sighs, his heart on his sleeve. Eddie wasn’t only one to talk about his feelings, ever. It meant a lot to both of you that you had your feelings out in the open. 

Eddie’s hands grabbed your waist, your body pressed against his. “Eddie, please don’t. I can’t do this. We’ve both moved on-” his hand cradled your face,  his lips on yours ended your sentence. 

Your heart pounded in your chest, you could only focus on how Eddie’s lips felt against yours. You had been dreaming for another moment like this since he left you that day in your bedroom, it felt as if time stopped and it was only the two of you while the world melted away. 

Eddie’s eyes had ever so slightly opened, taking the beautiful women in front of him. Taking in the moment just to make sure he wasn’t imagining what he had dreamt of and for the first time in all those years, he didn’t feel sad when he thought of you, he saw the one he had been waiting for.  

“Ed-” “Y/n, I love you.” 

“Eddie I-” 

“No, it’s you. It's always been you.” 

“Oh my god, Edmundo! Shut up, I'm trying to tell you something” you groan, Eddie bites back a smile.

“What is it?” 

“I love you too.” 

---- 

Yeah I got lazy, but happy ending :) Just assume they worked things out and are happy now :) 

taglist: @advicefromnixxxx​ @dralexreid​ @keenmarvellover​ @mikaelson-emma​ @beth-winchester21​ @averyhotchner​ @fernandaweasley2​ @yikesyikesyikes95​ @hotchsdarling​

[uselesssomebody]

𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕒 𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕣 - theo raeken x reader

complete masterlist | teen wolf masterlist

"𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕞𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕕

𝕡𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪, 𝕡𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪

𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕘 𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕪, 𝕓𝕖𝕘 𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕪, 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕙" - teeth | five seconds of summer

words || 𝟙.𝟚𝕜

summary || in which the reader worries what her friends will think of her fraternizing with the enemy

a/n || thank you for 100 notes on my stiles post! may not be much to most, but I appreciate everyone who liked or reblogged it.

➵ originally called ‘teeth’

warnings || angst

“hey, do you have any plans today?” a voice emits from the other side of my locker door. i shut it quickly, somewhat startled, and am greeted by malia’s smiling face.

“huh? no-no i don’t.” i answer on impulse, preoccupied with balancing the papers and books in my hands. the hardest part of world history had always been carrying the material to class.

“great, then let’s go out! stiles told me about a new pizza place that opened in the mall.” i mull over her offer for a second, ready to agree, before my eyes meet another pair across the hall. he gave me a small, discreet smile, and i grin widely back at him. “y/n?” a poke on my shoulder snaps me back to the conversation at hand.

“hmm? oh, yeah, sorry, i don’t think i can today.” she stops me for a moment by lightly placing her hand on my shoulder, turning me around to look at her.

“what? why? i thought you said you didn’t have plans.” i looked at her, my mouth open, trying to formulate an answer. i cursed myself for answering her previous question so quickly.

“uh - uh, yeah, i have to, um” i glance at the books in my hand, “-study! study, yes, i have to study. i have to write this dumb essay, y’know? the deadlines in, like, 3 days, and i haven’t started.” without letting her begin an interrogation at my painfully awkward behavior, i turned on my heel and started walking towards my class. thankfully, the last bell rung, aiding my escape.

i almost ran to the library after seeing malia outside my last class. she hated that place more than anything in the world, so i assumed i’d be safe. i sink into a chair, deciding to check my phone. i was in the process of opening a message from my mother saying she would be late home, when two hands place themselves on my shoulders.

i whip my head, ready to punch whoever was behind me. as soon as i realize who it is, however, i breathe a sigh of relief.

“fucking hell, theo.” i place a hand over my chest, trying to stop the hammering. i hear him laugh lightly at my reaction, before reaching into his jacket pocket. after a moment of rummaging, he produces a keyring with a quiet jingle.

“ready to go? or do you need to ‘study’?” he laughs again, as i cringe. the papers i was going to use for my ‘essay’ were scattered around the table. in my haste, i had forgotten to place them in my bag.

“god, you heard that?”

“i heard everything. hope that essay comes along well.” he pokes my side, mocking me, as we make our way to his car.

“hey, shut up! at least she bought it. besides, i’m only lying ‘cause you decided to piss scott, stiles and the rest of them off.” i grumble, blowing some hair out of my face as i attempt to keep my papers and phone safe in my hands.

“fair enough, fine.” he holds his hands up in truce, before opening the passenger door of his car, and helping me in.

it was 2 in the morning. i lay in bed, my breathing even and low. out of my peripheral, i see theo sleeping with his back turned to me. quietly groaning, i scrunch my eyes. i couldn’t even look at him now.

i rose from the bed, trying to, as quietly as possible, make my way downstairs.

the living room was deathly quiet. i sink into the sofa, hoping to stop my mind from racing.

for some reason, ever since we left school, i couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that had taken hold of me. there was just one question that kept coming back to me over and over again.

‘what would the pack think of you doing this?’

what would they think? i couldn’t bear to imagine their reactions if they were to find out i was literally sleeping with the person they all hated so much.

who hated them so much.

stiles would want to gouge his eyes out. he’d never want to look at me again.

scott would feel so upset that i lied to him. and that i kept lying to him.

and malia. malia’d probably guessed by now. she’d be most upset that i didn’t trust her enough to confide in her.

feeling small tears spill down my cheeks and drop onto my thighs, i buried my face into a pillow.

i heared a creak in the floorboards behind me. before doing anything else, i rubbed my hand over my cheeks, attempting to dry them. i knew who was behind me.

“hey, you okay?” his voice was deeper than usual and barely audible, owing to the fact that he had just woken up. i felt the cushions next to me sink as he sat down.

“yeah, of course! why wouldn’t i be?” i smiled lightly at him, not having the energy to force anything more convincing. his look of concern didn’t waver, but a new look of annoyance set in his eyes as well.

“you’re a terrible liar. what’s wrong?” he leaned farther into the couch. i sighed, unable to voice my worries. how would i tell him?

i raise my head, and see his stare boring into me, making everything 100 times worse.

“i - i can’t sleep.” he smiled.

“could tell that much. what time is it -” he glanced at a clock hung on the wall, “yeah, it’s already 2:30. i think you know that i’m asking something else.” his tone made the sentence an order instead of a statement. he moved slightly closer to me, taking my hand. i could feel my heart speed up.

what i realized, however, was that it wasn’t due to his actions or him - but because i was panicking

my throat felt raw. i opened my mouth to speak, and only a small noise comes out.

“can you leave, please?” i was almost shocked at how direct the question was. his eyes widened, before he smiled.

“sorry, what’d you say? i didn’t catch that.” i gulped.

“i’m so sorry, but i-” i faltered, “theo, i need you to leave.” an expression of shock set in on his face, properly this time. he opened his mouth, questions already lining his tongue, but he promptly closed it after realizing my condition - just how serious and worried i was.

he looked at me one more time, before pushing some hair away from my face and going to collect his things from my room.

i remained on the couch, face resting on my knees as i hugged my legs to my chest. i squeezed my eyes shut, and when i opened them again, the only evidence of theo’s departure was my front door creaking open and then closing shut. i sighed into the crevice between my kneecaps, before extending my body open and laying over the furniture.

i still felt a distinct sense of comfort following his leave, which somewhat baffled me. when i realized why, however, i let out a small sniffle to prevent a sob.

i was still wearing his shirt.

[shakespearesdrugdealer]

Just friends

Minors DNI.

Pairings: College AU. College!Gojo x fem!reader

Warnings: Smut (fingering), swearing, is fluff a warning?

A/N: Okayy, so this a college AU with a friends with benefits dynamic. I wanted to make this a slow burn so I'll see where it leads lol.

Enjoy!

He was kissing your neck and you were adjusting yourself under him to allow him to move further down. He didn’t smell like himself; his cologne was mixed with someone else’s. You were supposed to be okay with that though, because you guys were just friends after all. You were there for each other while doing homework, working on labs together, going bowling on the weekends, grabbing coffee and when the teenage hormonal urge came to indulge in each other’s body; well, a month ago you agreed to that too.

“Look, despite the movies, I think it could work,” Gojo proposed.

“What makes you think that?” you narrow your eyes at him from across the lab counter you guys were sitting at, trying to compile a report you messed up twice by now.

Chemistry was hard. But Gojo was making it harder for both of you right now by asking unnecessary questions to push a few boundaries in your friendship.

“The fact that you are pretty objective, and that we are both have needs,” he said, adding a playful drawl on the last word.

“No,” you pointed out firmly, hesitating to meet the eyes that were set at looking into yours. “You have needs, I on the other hand would like to finish this report and go to sleep.”

“See, that could easily be turned into a better end to your day if you go to sleep with me,” he countered, putting his hand on the calculator you were punching numbers into; forcing you to lift your head up and look at him with a frustrated but amused expression.

“Is this really the time to talk about this?” you huffed, trying to free your hand while trying hard and failing at controlling the heat spreading to your face.

“No time better than the present lovie.”

“Not your lovie,” you emphasized, sitting back onto your chair and giving up at the notion of finishing your lab. When Gojo is being stubborn about something, there were not a lot of ways to solve the problem but give in and listen; like right now, with his absurd idea.

But was it really absurd though? You guys have been friends for a good while now, 2 years to be exact. You liked how he could go on for ages talking about the ridiculous things he did at college that day and you wouldn’t mind listening because it allowed you to see the day outside of your own world. Maybe it was because your life lacked a little chaos and his lacked the calm and organization of yours; but you worked well with each other. He dragged you out of the dorm on days you got obsessed with completing your readings and you were grateful for the sun that you got. You also dragged him back into the dorm on nights you knew were meant for rest, or studying instead of getting wasted with the kids who had already completed their tests for that week.

“Look, all I’m saying is, let’s try it out, and if it fails…” he stretched out of his chair like he was doing some kind of tedious work (like the fucking report you guys were supposed to write). “Well, at least we will know where that road leads to.”

His standing figure made you look so small you wanted to punch him in the throat. But you also felt safe?

It’s not like you were completely against the idea. I mean, you knew him pretty well; you knew what kind of a person he was. You understood that he makes a great friend, but he would probably break your heart and chuck it in the bag of broken hearts he carries around with him. And let’s not lie, he’s hot. You’ve seen how his shirt rides up when he leans back against the pillows on your bed on the days he drops by your dorm to annoy you. You also hate how you can’t stop yourself from staring at how his eyes widen and sparkle when he finds something interesting in the material he’s reading when you guys are studying together. You knew there was a thin line between being his friend, working well together, him being so fucking attractive and you falling in love with him, God forbid.

Well, maybe you could walk that thin line. “If we fail, we never talk about it again okay?” you started, framing the rules of your relationship in your head.

“Yup,” he agreed, liking where this conversation was headed.

“There are going to be rules of course.”

“Mhhm.”

“No talk of this outside the two of us.” You look at him dead serious.

“Yep yep.”

“And you have to stop being so fucking annoying when we do what we do,” you added.

“Meh, no promises,” he shrugged.

“Okay, well, it looks like we’ve come to some kind of an agreement even though this report is not done,” you sighed closing your book at the realization that the time you signed up for the lab had elapsed.

“Hey,” Gojo said, clearing his throat. Was he nervous? You glanced at him while trying to gather your things into your bag.

“Do you wanna test the agreement?”

“What?” you pause your actions at the offer. “Now?”

“I mean, I see nothing stopping us,” he reasoned. “And we can finish the report at the dorm too.”

“How do you plan for these bribes to work with me?” you smile at his offer to work in exchange of doing the dirty.

“What can I say lovie, I’m a bit of a genius when it comes to being a slut.” Only Gojo could imbue so much confidence into being a slut.

“Again,” you said, “not your lovie.” You push your bag into his chest as a sign of agreement and head towards the lab door. He caught up with you in no time, cradling your bag in his arms and smiling stupidly wide like he won at an arcade game at the fair. You didn’t know if what was going to follow was a disaster or the start of something better than anything you two ever knew.

He didn’t even wait for you guys to settle into your room or talk about how your relationship was going to work before throwing your bag onto the bed and backing you up against your door and pressing his lips against yours to let you know how the next few hours of your day were going to go. And oh my god, they were going to go so fucking good.

“Is this okay?” he asked, pulling away from your lips and twisting the lock on your door with his free hand.

“Yeah,” you squeaked, embarrassed and a little confused at how quickly this day was taking a whole new turn.

“Wanna say that again?” he teased swiping his thumb across your cheek while tilting your head to look at you properly.

“Just-” you swallowed. You’ve never seen his eyes look like this, even after all this time with him. They had their usual playful glint in them, the kind that normally makes you want to shove him through a locker (not that you haven’t tried) but right now there was something more. Something that made you want to run but also give into his touch and the patterns he was drawing on the small of your back with his other hand. “Just…take it slow okay?” you ask, hoping he understood that you hadn’t done something like this in a while now.

He knew that though. You talked about your first times over a drunk Friday evening and that was when he figured you hadn’t done as much as him and you also figured that Gojo was a threat to womankind.

“Yeah, I know,” he replied, taking your hands into his and leading you towards the bed. His eyes never left yours and you weren’t done tasting his lips just yet, so you stare at them with unabashed desire. “Oh, my eyes are up here love,” he said, pausing his movements to take in this side of you he hadn’t seen before.

“Shut up,” you retort, a little annoyed at how quickly he had you feeling so hot and bothered. You wrap your arms around his neck and stand on your tippy-toes to pull him down to meet your lips as he groans into the kiss in surprise. You don’t know what it was that got into you, but you pushed him to walk to the edge of the bed as your tugged at the hem of his shirt to let him know you wanted it on the floor. He was breathing hard too by this point; his hand cupping your neck and the other finding its way under your shirt. He laughs at your attempt to lift his shirt and removes his hands from your body for a moment to take his shirt off. Your eyes widen at the view you were presented with. Your hands reach for his chest but he grabs your wrists, tilting his head in amusement. “Kinda unfair if yours doesn’t come off too no?”

And that’s how you found his hands slipping under your shirt and around your back, leaving goosebumps at his touch. He unhooked your bra and lifted the set of clothing from your body, leaving you hazy from all the kisses that he was planting along your jawline and neck. He pulled your hands that were stroking his chest to interlock with his fingers as he used your momentary confusion to push you onto your bed and hover over you in one clumsy but simultaneously smooth maneuver.

He was reveling in this side of you that you were showing. It was chaotic, it was vulnerable and most of all, it was so beautiful. His hands release yours as he finds interest in playing with your breasts. He takes hold of your left breast and squeezes it as you whine and twist your head into the pillows at his teasing and the lack of attention that was being paid to your areas down south. You pull at the white strands of his hair you had slid your fingers into and he groans into your skin making you shudder. He opens his lips to the side of your neck that you gave space to and bites down as a response to your own roughness. The moan that escapes your mouth makes you want to hide in embarrassment as he chuckles into the mark he was leaving.

Your chest was heaving, as your hands grab at the sheets next to you instead to find some kind of stability among the fireworks that his touch was leaving. “Gojo-” you started, lifting your head from the pillow, to see him smirking at you. He moves down towards your stomach and thighs, making sure to kiss the curves and edges and taking note of the areas he kissed and you moaned at. “I will kill you if you don’t stop teasing.” You drop back onto the pillow again, not being able to hold for too long as his fingers stroke your inner thighs, taking off the last article of clothing you had on.

He leans forward, looking at you with your eyes fluttering shut and fidgeting around his hold on you. “Aw, cute,” he says, stroking your thighs and brushing his fingertips around your clit, not touching it but making it more sensitive than you would have ever imagined. “You can still threaten me looking like this.” You push your head deeper into the pillows at the sensation of the butterfly kisses he was placing on your inner thighs and sucking at the sensitive skin to leave his marks yet again.

“I swear to God-” you plead, threading your hands into his hair again. “Patience, pretty,” he says, lifting his head from between your legs to allow his fingers to take their place and rub at your clit in tiny circles. You gasp and have the urge to shut your legs but he has one of his legs secured between yours and you really wanted him to keep going too. “Think you’re ready for me?” he asks, running his index and middle finger along the outer area of your slits.

you nod at him, tucking your bottom lip between your teeth. You were getting hazy from circles he was drawing on your clit with his middle finger and moving it down to tease your entrance.

“Words, love,” he says, shifting to lean above you and place a kiss to your lips and chest that was heaving roughly by now.

“I-I’m ready,” you softly reply, looking into his eyes and then at his smile that reminded you that he was your safety and also the person that was going to ruin in the next few minutes.

“Tell me to stop when you want to okay?” He assures you as he slides his fingers between your slits to feel your wetness.

“Mhmm,” is all you can say as you feel his middle finger play around your entrance before finding its way against your walls. You breathe sharply at the feeling of his finger pulling in and out slowly, to explore its way around you. But it was also making you so hot-headed as it hit all the right corners and spaces. He swallows your moans with his lips and tries to steady your body by sucking at your nipples. But it only made your head cloudier and you let go of any control of the sounds that were coming out of you.

Your back arches with an audible whimper escaping your chest at Gojo’s attempt to curl his finger against your walls and he smirks, knowing what he just did. He continues the curling motions and tests your limit by nudging a second finger at your entrance. You yelp at the tight feeling of your walls against his fingers. “Fuck,” you spread your legs wider as a sign of giving in to his movements completely. He was entranced by the pretty sounds coming out of you and the way your hips were moving up and down his fingers trying to chase the knot that was tightening at the bottom of your stomach.

He speeds up the movements of his fingers, moving in and out of you. You let out soft cries at how he wasn’t letting you get a moment of rest between the feeling of his mouth against the sensitive spots on your neck and breasts mixed with the madness that was occurring between your legs. “Gojo, I can’t-” you say in a shaky cry at the way your walls were tightening against his fingers. He pushes you further with his thumb rubbing faster against your clit and you just about lose it, your eyes rolling to the back of your head and a strangled moan leaving your lips

“Hey pretty girl, wanna let go for me?” he whispers as he looks at your desperate eyes. You nod feverishly as he continues his motions, and he hoists one of your legs further apart to rest on his lap. You feel the knot in your stomach getting tighter and the tingling on your clit getting borderline painful. You snap your palm on Gojo’s wrist trying to fight the feeling but he doesn’t relent. And with the next few motions of his fingers curling against you while he bit into your neck a little too rough, you let out a strangled shriek and arch your back as your walls pulsate around his fingers at your orgasm.

He drank in the sight of you panting and your legs shaking from the orgasm. Your eyes were pinched shut and one of your hands had the sheets tightly tucked into your fist and the other was squeezing his wrist that was still pumping his fingers in and out of you to help you ride out your orgasm. He leans forward, in awe and with sense of adoration.

“You good?” he kissed the corner of your mouth and brushed the stray pieces of hair on the sides of your face to place more chaste kisses across your cheeks and moving to your neck. You hiss as he takes his fingers out of you and you are given an apology as he muffles your complaints with his lips pressing against yours. Your eyes flutter open, glancing at Gojo’s now tight pants. You smirk and shift to balance your figure on your elbows to meet his eyes.

You nod at the bulge through his pants. “Do you wanna do something about that or…?” you question reaching out to place your hands against his chest, and push him into sitting back onto the bed as you straddle him.

“I mean…if you can take it,” he laughs, pressing his forehead against yours, and squeezing your hips.

God, this may be a huge mistake or one of the greatest things you guys stumbled upon with each other.

A/N: This is my first attempt at smut so help me oh lords of smut; I hope I didn’t it mess up lol. I also really like this college AU so maybe I’ll continue it, idk.

Alsoo, the header I used here was got from pinterest but if it has sources to someone here on Tumblr, I would love to credit <3

[arcadejohn127-9]

Hello can I request a fluffy hc of the brothers reaction to an mc that has a condition that makes them fall asleep at random times and they have to take care of them and when they do like they'll have a pillow or blanket for them 😊💤

I've heard about this! Me and a friend of mine said if belphie was human he'd have something like this

Though my only personal experience with something like that was a girl in my class, she took medication for it and would have scheduled times where can leave class or take a break and sleep.

There were times she'd suddenly just fall asleep in class, it would pretty funny hearing her snore suddenly when class was silent but normally she just slept to a schedule

Lucifer:

Extremely vigilant

Always keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't hurt yourself

When he first experienced this he was definitely caught off guard

He only saw it as a chore to look after you but as your relationship developed he got use to it

Enjoying carrying you

He likes the fact he can take you to rest in a separate room and just sit with you

He often uses his coat to keep you warm

But if it's possible he'll make you a little bed

He can become very protective when you suddenly fall asleep

Will glare anyone down if they try to disturb you

Mammon:

People forget how agile and fast he can be

Even if you're across the room and you drop he will just throw a pillow and your head will land on it perfectly

At first he complained about how it's going to make his job protecting you harder

But of course, grew to like you and made sure he could always be the first to help when you fell asleep

Likes getting the excuse to leave class to watch over you when you fall asleep

Has carried you around on his back, putting his jacket on your shoulders

Loves when you refuse to let go of his jacket when asleep

Very on the ball with making sure you're safe and not getting hurt

Levithan:

Never knows what to do, doesn't matter how many times he's experienced you suddenly falling asleep

Prefers it if it's in his room and you fall asleep on his shoulder

Atleast then he can see where you are, he's in his room where he's comfortable

And he knows you won't get hurt

But if it happens at R.A.D? SO MUCH PANIC

Makes his jacket as a pillow if he doesn't have one on hand

Will demand to make a little nest for you so you're comfortable

There's now a mini room in the school that he's made his own

A sensory room where he can do classwork or have a space to calm down

Let's you sleep in there as it's really comfy and has loads of pillows and beanbags

Satan:

Carries a blanket in his bag just incase

Has rolled you up in a blanket burrtio once when he saw you shiver in your sleep

If it's at home he'll either bring you to your bed if it's close but if it isn't

It's either his bed or will make the sofa comfortable for you

Has fought demons when they were too loud

But silently

How he fist fought a demon silently is forever a mystery

He'll lend you his knitted jacket if he forgot the blanket

But that's rare, he's very organized

Enjoys getting to escape class and read more whilst he protects your sleeping body

Has curled around you and took a little cat nap

It was definitely the best nap he's ever had

Asmodeus:

First time we saw it happen you fell asleep in the middle of one his rants

He was not pleased

He called you belphegor 2.0

But came to understand you couldn't control it and immediately forgave you

Always finds his nicest, most fluffiest pillow for you

You can't tell me this man doesn't charm demons to carry him around on a sedan chair or something similar

Will absolutely order them to carry you around in it as it's super comfortable

Refuses to settle for you to just sleep on some regular chair or on a blanket

If you're okay with it he'll paint your mails whilst you sleep

Uses you falling asleep to get out of class, he just wants to spend extra alone time with you

Beezlebub:

If he can't find a pillow he'll cradle you and just just death glare anyone who tries to be too loud

Has also called you belphegor 2.0

And because he's use to his sloth controlled brother, he didn't think too much when he first found out

Carries blankets and pillows in a separate bag with normally ends up with him carrying 3 bags

His own, sports kit (if it isn't in his locker) or belphies bag and an extra bag for your blankets

Likes seeing how you look in his hoodie

All snuggled up and sleeping peacefully

Absolutely enjoys being able to get out of class and carry you around

He takes the time to eat extra to help him through the day

Always ready to protect and watch out for you

Belphegor:

He'll join you

Will just legit sleep next to you, doesn't matter if it's on the floor, the table, a chair, standing up

He always has a pillow on him so he'll let you use it

Bundles you up in blankets or his cardigan

He sleeps whenever, wherever

So finding out you just suddenly fell asleep was just a bonus

He had a sleeping buddy!

But if he can, he will hover over to make sure no one goes near you or bothers you

If he can he'll take you an empty room so you two can take a nap and he can make sure you're safe

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Grey Blanket.

Thank you @beccabarba for once again reading over this for me. I really love this series <3

*Grey Leather*

*Grey Uniform*

*Grey Dress*

*Grey Vase*

Warnings: Is based slightly on season 3 so somewhat a spoiler but not too much and of course its not part of the grey series if there isn’t smut.

WC: 2028

Enjoy x

Bishop had opened up to you about his past, he was surprised when you didn’t shy away, you just assured him that although everyone’s past is different, everyone has one, some worse than others and you had just as many demons that he seemed to have, just at the moment he is having trouble taming them.

You were grateful that he had spoken to you about everything because his emotions had shifted dramatically, but it was for more than one reason, which you knew about after he opened up to you about it all and you held him one night while he cried. You were glad he hadn’t changed with you and you understood why his emotions were running high and if anything, you had gotten closer, you being his middle ground of support that he needed.

Bishop was opening his heart to you, even more than he had already done since you started together. From the moment you met him that night at the club house party, you never wanted to know about the business with the club, but he always told you when he was going to be away, he still messaged you when he could while away and you held him as long as he needed to once he was back. You hadn’t been hanging around the club house as often as Rosa, Bishop wanting you to go to his house or he come to yours to get away from everything, which suited you fine.

You could see he was at a breaking point and you just did your best to be there for him to help him get his mind off everything the best you could with everything that was surrounding him at the moment. You were finishing work at 9 that night and when you took your phone out of your locker after a shower you noticed all the missed calls you had from Rosa. Panicking and trying to stay calm at the same time, still wrapped in a towel and dripping wet, you dialled her number back and she picked up halfway through the first ring,

“Rosa what’s wrong?” you tried to sound calm.

“Babe, have you finished work?”

“Just now, why? What’s going on? Is everything ok?”

“Y/N, it’s Bishop, he isn’t good, he is pissed and he stormed out of the club house. I’ll stay at Coco’s tonight, he needs you”

You quickly changed into jeans and a t shirt, grabbing your bag and rushing out of the locker room to your car speeding off. You drove past his place first, his bike nowhere to be seen and all the lights off. You then drove home and as you turned into your street you seen him leaning back on his parked bike in the gutter out the front. You drove into the drive way, stopping the car and jumping out rushing over to Bishop,

“Hey babe” you smiled as you walked across the grass to him.

He took a sip of whatever he had in the paper bag and stood up off his bike stumbling towards you,

“Hey baby” he slurred before he almost fell on you wrapping his arms around you, his head resting on your shoulder and you kissed his cheek scrapping your nails lightly over the nap of his neck.

“Let’s get inside” you kissed his cheek again.

You walked both of you to the door, Bishop leaning into you kissing along your clothed shoulder his arm around your waist. You pulled your keys out of your jean pocket unlocking the door and walking you both inside before locking the door behind you both putting your bag down. Bishop took another sip of the bottle that was in the paper bag and you reached for it with one hand and cupped his cheek with your other,

“Can I have some?” you smiled.

“Sure my love”

You took a sip from the bottle and then sat it down on the small end table next to the couch. You walked back to Bishop slipping off his jacket throwing it on the couch and then grabbed his hand pulling him into the kitchen leaning him on the bench. You walked to the cupboard pulling out a glass and then filling it with water from the tap handing it to him. Bishop drank down the water and tried to stand up off the bench and he stumbled slightly falling onto you. One of his arms snaked around you and the other came up to cup your cheek. You looked up into his glassy looking eyes and you smiled wrapping your arms around him, his thumb running over your cheek bone,

“I don’t know what I would do without you Y/N” You smiled at him and lent into his hand nuzzling your cheek into his big warm rough palm “I love you baby”

Your eyes shot to his quickly, your cheeks burnt as you searched his face and he gave you a big grin his lips meeting yours kissing you lightly,

“I love you too” you whispered back.

Bishop smiled at you and you reached for his hand that was on your cheek pulling away from him and pulling him into the bedroom. You walked him to his side of the bed and started to undo the buttons on his shirt pulling it off and throwing it on the chair next to the bed. You sat him in the bed and got down on your knees pulling his boots and socks off when you felt Bishop’s fingers start to run through your hair,

“So sexy on your knees baby” he chuckled drunkenly and you looked up at him with a smirk as you stood up onto your feet.

“Cheeky” you lent down giving him a peak on the lips.

You stood back up undoing your jeans button pulling them off throwing them on the floor while Bishop laid flat on his back on the bed and then you reached up into the back of your shirt unclipping your bra pulling it out. You stood over him undoing his belt buckle, button and zipper pulling his jeans off, he lifting his hips to help you out and you throw them to meet your jeans on the floor. You walked to turn off the bedroom light and then made your way back to the bed pulling the grey blanket that was on the end of you bed throwing it over you both. You got comfortable on your back and you felt Bishop move to lay on your chest his arm resting on your middle and your arm that he was laying on coming up to run your fingers through his hair,

“I meant what I said” His lips landed on your clothed chest.

“I know babe” you kissed the top of Bishops head your fingers still combing through his hair as you both drifted off to sleep “Rest now, I’ am here with you”

**

Your eyes fluttered open when you felt his warm rough hand running up and down your leg and you let your eyes adjust to the dim light of your bedroom. You stretched your back slightly and turned your head looking back at Bishop. He grinned at you and pulled his hand away from your leg moving your hair out of the way of your neck. His lips met your neck kissing up it, his beard on your skin making you whimper and his warm lips left a trail of kisses over your skin. Bishop’s hand came back to your thigh running up it, up to the waist of your panties sliding down into them down over your centre, his fingers running over your core coating in your wet and Bishop’s lips at your ear,

“Morning baby” His voice was deep and husky as he started to roll his hips into your thigh, his hard cock pocking into you “I know you think I don’t remember what I said last night” He slipped two fingers into your warm wet lower lips, thrusting them into you lazily “But I remember, and I’ am going to show you how much. Panties off baby” Bishop nipped your ear lobe.

Bishop pulled away from you rolling onto his back reaching into the top drawer pulling out protection, pushing his boxers down and off, rolling it on while you took your panties off throwing them on the floor. Bishop rolled back over onto his side, his chest to your back and he grabbed your thigh pulling it back to rest on his hip. He adjusted himself so he could slide up into you, and with his free hand grabbing the hem of your t-shirt pulling it up your chest above your breasts, his hand going straight to grope one breast, playing with your nipple between his thumb and pointer finger.

You could feel the crown of his cock at your core as he slid up bit by bit, grunting into your shoulder, and his grip on your thigh firm to hold it on him. Bishop thrusted up into you hard bottoming out and he wasted no time starting a hard and fast pace. Bishop was pulling you into him by your thigh, grunting and groaning,

“You know I love you Baby.” Bishop whispered into your ear, his long beard setting your skin on fire as it brushed over your skin and his fingers rolling your nipple between them.

“Bishop” you gasped “I love you” you tried to keep your voice low so it didn’t give away that your climax was coming like a freight train so quickly.

Bishop was breathing heavy into your back, the way he gripped your thigh and his thrusts into you getting sloppy, you could tell he was almost as close as you were by his breathing. Bishop let go of your thigh, his hand landing in the middle of your back pushing you forward, Bishop thrusting up into you hard and fast and you both groaning loud. You reached down to your clit rubbing it with your pointer finger knowing it wouldn’t take long to fall over the edge with this new angle hitting the right spot every time.

“Just like that Bish- Yes babe“ you moaned loud your whole body breaking out into a sweat, your release sweeping over you making you gasp for air as moans  and Bishops name spilled from your lips.

You had barely come down from your high, your body trembling from the aftershocks, when Bishop grabbed your shoulder pulling you back up into him, his lips colliding with your neck sucking you hard and he thrusted up hard pausing and going stiff grunting into your skin as he came deep inside you, he chanting your name and Spanish words that you could barely make out.

You both laid there for a moment breathing heavy, before Bishop kissed your shoulder up to your neck, getting up off the bed walking out to clean himself up in the bathroom. You rolled over onto your back still breathless looking up at the roof grinning to yourself at how good you felt about everything. 

You let out a slight squeal of surprise when Bishop came strutting back in and jumped on top of you settling between your legs, grabbing your wrists pinning them above your head and kissing you deeply and then down your neck making you giggle from the tickle of his facial hair,

“Thank you baby for last night” he peaked your lips his hands moving up to intertwine with your fingers still pinning them above your head.

“Of course. I love you and I like looking after you Bishop”

“I love you Y/N. And I need you now more than ever baby with-”

You cut him off kissing him softly and then pulling back seeing a grin pull to his face and a sparkle in his eye,

“You have me, I’ am not going to anywhere. Why don’t you come and stay here for a while? So you come home to me and not an empty house”

Bishop smiled down at you kissing you deeply again

“I would like that baby thank you”

Tags: @beccabarba @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo​ @withmyteeth​

[quillsareswords]

Could you do something with Damian and a really cuddly, clingy, touchy-feely reader? I feel like his brothers would be v confused about the whole situation bc Damian's just chillin and always seems neutral to what's happening while reader is just like, koala bear hugging him and stuff all the time.

Firstly. I love this concept with every fiber of my being because, oh good god, it's me. Thank you so much for bringing this to inbox, because I've been lacking on inspiration lately, and this is just what I need right now. Thanks doll!!

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Tim stops dead in his tracks, cereal bowl nearly slipping from his hand as he halts in the doorway to the huge living room. He pauses, before cautiously asking, "What is this? What am I looking at?"

Damian's arm twitches against your back, the only give away that he's been caught off guard. You seem just as relaxed, sprawled on top of him like you've been there your whole life.

You don't even look at him, eyes still glued to the phone screen shining up at you from the floor, which you're facing with your face pressed against Damian's shoulder. "You've known me for five years and you still haven't learned my name? Rude."

He blinks. "Sure, sure. Right. Because it's absolutely normal for anyone to successfully get within a foot of Damian and not get knocked out."

You snort, but it still isn't enough to pry your attention away from your phone. Damian either, as he reads a book over your shoulder, which is settled under his chin. He must be tired or in a terrifyingly good mood, if he hasn't shoved you off in hopes of hiding emotions from his family. That's what he usually does when he gets caught with you, anyway.

He's been tiptoeing around the subject of you for a solid year and half now. It wasn't exactly easy, seeing as you're also a family friend, what with being a vigilante and all. You're Damian's partner, have been for three years, and you're in the manor often enough that you have your own room, right next to Damian's.

Still, even with no clear answers from either of you, the whole family has suspected a relationship for a long time.

But Damian isn't very touch oriented. In fact, he's been known to go to nearly astonishing lengths to avoid being touched at all.

And now here he is, you laying on top of him, out in the open, absolutely unbothered by Tim catching it.

Tim decides quickly not to risk Damian's mood spoiling while he's around, so he backpedals and heads for his room.

• • •

Jason doesn't come to the manor often, but when he does, there's usually a decently concerning reason for it. This time, he's waiting out a possible kidnapping by one king pin or another. You haven't been paying as much attention as you probably should.

Now, he's trotting down the steps from Bruce's office to fix a suspicious rattling noise his motorcycle has been making for a shameful period of time.

However, he stops beside the super computer, looking a little aghast and far too dramatic for the sight.

Damian side-eyes him, still typing away, but his head doesn't move. It really can't, because you're resting your head on top of it.

You're resting your full weight on the back of the chair, which Jason now realizes isn't the tall backed chair that usual sits there, with your cheek buried in the soft looking bush that is Damian's hair. Your eyes are closed, and your arms and draped over his shoulders, hands laying on his chest.

Jason catches himself staring when Damian's side-eyeing turns into a curious glare. Tentatively, Jason points to you, and raises an eyebrow.

Lowly, Damian somewhat patiently answers, "She's half asleep."

Your eyebrows slant together. "Hmm?"

Jason's expression becomes more confused. "She sleeps standing up?"

"Apparently," Damian mumbles.

Jason, more than a little perturbed but Damian's oddly placid demeanor and your absurd sleeping habits, shuffles the rest if the way to his bike, grabbing the toolbox on his way.

• • •

Dick sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket—correction, three blankets, facing the rest of the living room, where Damian sits on one couch, and Duke occupies the other.

"No no, I'm not saying Bella wasn't smokin, I'm just saying that those facial expressions and life decisions were questionable enough to make a guy think twice," Dick tries to reason.

Duke makes a face. "Bro, are you kidding? If a chick stares at you from across a lunch room and you've never spoke to her, you don't even try."

Damian scoffs. Duke raises an eyebrow, and just when he's about to beg for the story of who tied him to a steel chair and forced him to watch Twilight, you shoulder the double door open.

Damian doesn't look up from his newest book, which could be deemed rude if you weren't so close and comfortable with one another. "Evening, Beloved, how was your drive?"

You say nothing. You drop your bag by his feet, crawl the rest of the way onto the couch, and collapse. Your head in on a pillow between Damian's thighs and the arm of the couch, the rest of you divided unevenly between his lap and the rest of the couch.

He glances away from the pages briefly. "Traffic?" His hand slips under your shirt to gently run blunt nails up and down your spine.

For a moment, you're quiet, and neither of the two older men know how to react.

Then, without warning, you wail into the pillow. "Who the everloving fuck drives a Winnebago through central Gotham at six o'clock going fourteen miles an hour?"

Duke barks a loud laugh, before he claps a hand over his mouth in fear of a punishment. But a man can only do so much, so he sits with his hand over his mouth, giggling like a fifteen year old listening to a dirty joke with his parents in the room.

Damian chuckles lightly, white teeth peeking through a little smile that he's trying to suppress, much for the same reason Duke is doing his best not to let you hear him laugh.

Dick is more focused on the two of you, and the fact that his baby brother has grown up and changed for the better so much—

• • •

Cassandra climbs the stairs with some difficulty, thanks to two new sets of stitches and a few too many fresh bruises.

It's nothing a few days of relaxation won't fix. It was worth it, to see Poison Ivy put back behind bars—even if it did take four of you.

Shortly after arriving back, you and Damian had disappeared up to his room, after you'd both been checked over by Alfred. Aside from some intense bruising and a fee cuts and scrapes, you'd both been spared.

She knocks on his door a few times. With no answer, she loudly turns the handle and pushes the door open slowly, giving you enough time to correct her if need be. She knows at least one of you are in here, because the light is on. "Alfred sent me to tell you that there's dinner, if you want–"

She stops. You are, in fact, both in the room. However, neither of you are conscious.

Damian is sprawled haphazardly across his bed, face half squished into a pillow.

You're flopped across his back, horizontal across his bed, likely also with a pillow, but she can't see your face to be sure.

For a moment that feels a little intrusive, she stares, eyes wide. Not because he's in only boxers and you're in shorts and a sports bra (neither are necessarily a new sight, with one makeshift locker room in the Cave and a city with way too many privacy-surpassing emergencies), but because she's never witnessed Damian allowing another person to be so close to him while asleep.

Even on week long stakeouts that confine them to one room, he claims one corner for himself and doesn't tolerate that invisible boundary to be broken, especially when he's asleep.

She wouldn't even be so surprised if you were passed out in his reading chair, or even on a pile of blankets in the floor, or hell, even if you were on opposite sides of the bed. But you're literally as close to him as you could possibly be. And he's still sound asleep.

She closes the door and backs away slowly, a little smile on her face, even though she was too tired to laugh at the joke Bruce tried to crack a few minutes ago.

• • •

Bruce sits, almost impatiently, on a stone bench by the fountain the middle of Gotham City Gardens. The whole family had come here for the day, on invitation of the organization's owners. Of course, not everyone was officially recognized as family by anyone outside the Manor, so there were quite a few plus ones—you being one of them.

Of course you were. You're always invited. Over the years, it's become a running joke. A trip to the grocery store? (Y/N) must be invited. Walking from the W.I. building to an ice cream parlor and back? I bet (Y/N) is invited. At one point, Damian became so simultaneously annoyed and amused by it that for a week, you really did join him on every single outing. No one knows how exactly you made it across Gotham in six minutes flat to help him pick up cereal but by golly you managed it.

Bruce is currently waiting on you and Damian, who swore to meet him here for a few pictures (at Alfred's request). The pair of you had gone off on your own after about an hour of meandering around with his family, and no one has heard from either of you since. He would be worried, but you were both too excited about this to get into any trouble that would risk being sent home early.

Your laughter finds him before you do. It comes from around a corner of tall hedges, and shortly after, so do you.

You're smiling ear to ear, giggling like a school girl, elbows balanced on Damian's shoulders, about as precariously as you are on his back. That is to say, quite stable. Damian is grinning as well, his arms linked around you're knees at his sides to keep you as stable as you are. You've got an ice cream cone in each hand, one obviously having had more attention than the other.

Bruce's heart swells in his chest at the absolute joy on his son's face.

Damian stops not too far, shifting your weight to free one hand. You help, carefully resituating yourself to hold yourself up easily. You hand him the neglected ice cream, resting your now free hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Father," Damian sounds a little winded, and Bruce wonders if the running he heard earlier had been you two. "Somebody found an ice cream bar and insisted we stop before meeting you." He doesn't sound apologetic in the least.

"Hey!" You laugh, flicking the back of his ear as payback.

As payback for payback, he takes the edge of his cone between his teeth, and uses his free hand to give the back of your knee a quick pinch, before he occupies his hand again to tilt the odds in his favor.

You squeal and jerk. "Damian! You're gonna make me fall, and if I go down, you're coming with me!"

Bruce laughs loudly.

• • •

Alfred is on his way to the library to finish the afternoon chores. All he needs to do is straighten up in there, and he can call it an evening. Just in time, too, as one of the local channels is running a Downton Abbey marathon tonight that he doesn't particularly want to miss.

He pushes open the doors to get a little extra fresh air, but pauses just inside the doorway.

Damian is stretched out in one of the plush leather chairs, his long legs propped up by his ankles on the coffee table, head resting limply on the back of the chair. You're curled up in his lap, head on his shoulder, legs folded up on either side of his thighs, arms wound around his back. His hands are folded together on your back. You're both fast asleep.

The elder man is suddenly flooded with memories of the boy's first few months in this manor. In this room, even. He was politely feral, as Bruce had once put it. He was so uncomfortable all the time, though he fought not to show it. It was so new to him, to be openly cared for the way his family tried to care for him. Most people he met back then treated him as the cold, rude, trained assassin that he presented himself as.

So many overlooked the terrified ten year old boy that shook beneath the armor and the weight of the mantels he was expected to take up in so few years.

Of course Alfred had been paying attention to him all this time, all the growing he's done and the man he's becoming. He's always been proud.

But it's here, in this exact moment, that Alfred really takes in how different he is now, compared to then.

Not only did he find the strength and the trust to forge a close bond with you, one that would arguably outlast just about anything it was forced to endure, but he'd fostered such a sweet affection for you. He's found the space within himself to make room for a great love for you, and his family, and his friends.

And you're so good for him. You remind him of the things he could be, if he wanted, and not of what he should be or could have been. You provide him a sense of normalcy when he needs it, and battle ready companion when he needs that.

You look past the blazing armor of controlled aggression and lessons learned to reach the beautiful soul he is. And most importantly, you love him for all of it. You manage to dig so far beyond what he's been taught and the walls he's put up, that you look at what was meant to be the perfect soldier and you see a pillow to sleep on. You trust him with everything, including your vulnerability, just as he trusts you.

Alfred marks the page of the open book on the floor, closes it, and leaves it in the table for you later. He leaves as quietly as he came, in hopes of leaving the two of you undisturbed.

[d0llpie]

could we suggest a scenario instead of a # from the prompt list? if we can could you write hcs (or whatever format you prefer haha) of fake dating for sakusa? like maybe you’re going home from college and ur parents are expecting you to bring home a boyfriend.

ofc if this isn’t what you normally do i understand !!

Fake Dating Sakusa

sakusa x reader

a/n: Hii yes this is perfectly fine, thank you for the request love <33 Also i don’t usually incorporate ‘germaphobe’ sakusa into my works, i still make reference to his social anxiety and cleanliness but i keep it low key if that makes sense? Hope you enjoy regardless <3

wc: 2k

- You were friends with Komori during middle school since he lived near you

- As you grew closer you started attending his volleyball practices and he introduced you to Sakusa

- You were bright and bubbly and spoke to him every game and practice, commending him on his skills. It was rare to get a reply but you still tried nonetheless

- Once Komori had asked you to become the manager, the three of you started hanging out more often, leading to you being one of the few people Sakusa wasn’t uncomfortable around

- Once you entered high school together the boy’s volleyball team was already amazing, Sakusa became the ace while you were focused on your studies and own extra curriculars

- When Sakusa asked you to manage his team he didn’t think you would decline, as petty as it was he started ignoring you

- Komori was annoyed at his behaviour and you just tried to get under his skin to annoy him. Slipping notes into his locker and notebooks, even flinging your mask at him across the classroom but he didn’t blink.

- Your mum asked why she hadn’t seen Kiyoomi around lately and you decided to tell her everything, including how much you missed him.

- She offered to call his mum but you quickly shut her down, instead making Komori talk some sense into him.

- The next day he showed up at your door, with brows furrowed, although you could only see half his face you could tell he had a guilty expression

- “Soo, you come crawling back to me just like always” you sighed dramatically before entering your house, rolling his eyes

- “I’m sorry for expecting so much from you, i know you aren’t interested in volleyball and just support me but i enjoy your support.” you were taken back by his blunt apology and nodded, about to speak when you were interrupted

- “Sakusa! Come in come in, i haven’t seen you in while how is volleyball!” you mum ushered him into the kitchen, starting the kettle to make some tea

- “Hi mrs l/n, it’s been good, we’re improving and nationals is approaching” he removed his mask and sat at the bench, looking over at you expectantly

- You smiled before sitting next him, “Well thats great! I’m sure your mum is proud, i need to catch up with her soon” you watched fondly as they interacted, remembering how your mum seemed to be on his side more when you explained his absence

- “I have to leave soon, i’ll be back in a few hours, Kiyoomi would you like to stay for dinner dear?” he nodded curtly “if that’s okay with you” she smiled before turning to you

- “y/n, about the trip next week, your cousin is bringing her boyfriend so you can bring Sakusa, if you’re free of course” you became embarrassed quickly, understanding that your mum had mistaken Kiyoomi for your boyfriend when you spoke to her

- “mum wait-“ “okay i really need to go now, we can talk about this later, bye guys” she rushed out the door and you sighed, slowly turning to see Sakusa’s unreadable expression

- “Is your mother under the impression that we’re dating...?” you wanted to crawl under the floorboards and melt into the earth “um, i think so? i didn’t tell her that i think she got confused when i explained why you were ignoring me..” he nodded understandingly

- “I am free” you quirked your brow “Omi you don’t have to come i can explain everything to her..”

- “i guess, that’s a bit of a hassle though don’t you think? And besides, your family likes me more than you.” you lightly hit his shoulder before standing up to bring the tea into the lounge room, Sakusa following behind you

- “I guess, but, you’d have to pretend to be my boyfriend in front of everyone and my cousin will ask a lot of question, do you think you’d be okay?” his eyes softened at your concern before he answered

- “I don’t mind, it won’t be difficult, plus we can always just stay in the hotel room and say we’re on a date or something if it gets too much” he shrugged “wow Omi, i didn’t know you could think this much so fast” he glared at you and you laughed

- “Alright then babe, i’ll tell mum when she gets back” you laughed again, focusing on your cup of tea, missing the way the tips of his ears burned red

~

Next week came all too fast, you and Sakusa had managed to slip back into the way your friendship was beforehand, comfortable.

Sakusa was sitting on the edge of your bed, watching you pack up the last of your things into the suitcase. You knew it might be a bit much for him to be in a car with your family for hours so you were going to take his car. It would give you both time to sort out your story and prepare for the week ahead. You hopped into the passenger seat and started playing your playlist.

“Okay so, mum won’t ask many questions, she loves you anyway, however, my cousin will ask about first dates and will want to know e v e r y t h i n g” you turned to face him when his arm reached behind the head of your chair, he looked back to reverse and you stared blankly at his side profile, seeing his arms flex. You cleared your throat and turned back in front of you to continue. “We need a story”, as he pulled out of your street and began driving he spoke “I mean we can tell the truth about how we met, say you confessed after a volleyball match where i won and our first date was a picnic, we’ve been together for a few months and your mum found out recently” you stared at him shocked “i thought i would be having to prepare you but okay” you playfully rolled your eyes and smiled “What about acting like a couple?” “well your mum already assumed and i’m comfortable with you so it’s not like people don’t already think we act like one, anything off limits?” you hummed “jeez what do you have in mind” you teased and he scoffed “I mean the obvious hand holding and hugs will have to probably happen but anything else you do or don’t want?” yes. You shook the thought away “That should be fine, what about you?” “that’s fine, you can take a nap if you’re tired, it’ll be a few hours” you nodded before settling into your seat comfortably, quickly falling asleep.

Sakusa looked over at you and noticed the goosebumps on your skin, he reaching onto the backseat floor and placed a jacket over you the best he could. He glanced to you at the side fairly often, watching you peacefully sleep under his jacket. He smiled to himself while continuing to drive.

You woke up as soon as the car stopped, looking around confused, feeling an unfamiliar weight and material draped over you. You looked down and recognised Sakusas jacket, remembering you fell asleep in the car. You looked over to see Sakusa looking down at you “sleep well?” “mhm” you sat up properly and took a few minutes to adjust to being awake. “Alright well, your family is here, you ready to act babe?” he threw the nickname back at you and your eyes widened before you put on a casual smile, realising you needed to get used to acting like you were in a relationship with your friend.

“Y/n, Sakusa! How was the drive? We’re all gonna put our bags away and get settled in before dinner, make sure you both get ready!” your parents greeted you both “It was nice, we’ll settle in now, thank you” your mother handed Sakusa one of the room keys. You went to grab your bags but Sakusa beat you to it, taking both of your bags and leading you to the room.

When you entered you made a mental note to annoy your mother, there was only one bed. “Kiyoomi i’m sorry, I didn’t know she would book it like this, actually i’m not surprised...” he nodded understandingly, putting both your bags on the bed. “I’ll sleep on the chair or the floor it’ll be fine, c’mon let’s get ready” you wanted to argue against him doing that, but hummed and began to get ready.

Once you finished getting dressed, you left the bathroom and met Sakusa by the door “You look good, ready?” you nodded, smiling brightly at him. He slipped an arm around your waist and you tensed up before relaxing into his hold

Dinner went smoothly for the most part, you let Kiyoomi do most of the talking since he answered all the questions relating to your relationship with ease, even including stories from middle school and weaving them into the lies about your dating life. “So, when did you realise you liked each other?” your cousin eyed you curiously and you looked over to Sakusa. “I’ve always known, she’s always made me feel safe enough to be myself, respecting me while still annoying the crap out of me. I knew on her first day as our manager in middle school, during a break she handed everyone water bottles but she went to my bag to bring me my own water bottle instead” you were staring at him in awe, millions of thoughts running through your mind. Was he serious? He couldn’t be..but wow that was detailed and he seemed, genuine? He looked over to see you staring at him, starstruck expression on your face, similar to when he looks over to you in the stands after landing a spike. Your cousin let out a few ‘awws’ holding her boyfriends hand before turning to you again. “Oh, um, I knew when he came and picked me up at the mall, i had had a horrible day, everything was going wrong and i just wanted to get out of there but i was so stressed and despite the crowded place he still came anyway.” your heart was racing, you were sure you looked completely flustered, fiddling with your hands under the table. Sakusa noticed your nervous state and gripped your hand in his own, squeezing to calm you while keeping his attention on the rest of the table. You smiled, squeezing back softly.

After dinner you flopped onto the bed, exhausted and trying to calm down. You let Kiyoomi shower first, hopping in after him, letting the hot water soak into your muscles and relax you. After you got ready for bed you came out of the bathroom to see Kiyoomi setting blankets on the floor “Just get on the bed Sakusa” you laughed and slid under the covers, lying as far on edge as possible to avoid making him uncomfortable. “I wasn’t lying.” he was lying on his back, staring up at the roof, you turned to face him, your heart rate picking up again. “Me neither...” he turned his head to look at you, moving onto his side, your faces mere inches apart. “I agreed to this because i like you y/n..” you could feel his breath fan across your face and you smiled “I wanted you to come, i like you too” you whispered the last part as you closed the distance between you both, kissing him on the cheek softly. A small blush spread across his cheeks and he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest “I’m glad we aren’t faking anymore” you whispered into his chest “i never was, goodnight y/n” you snuggled further into his hold “goodnight omi”

[wholesomemendes]

The Winter Ball Date

College/Friends to Lover Au

Summary: When one year you get asked to the annual Winter Ball by someone other than Shawn, the two of you realize what you’ve been looking past for years.

Author’s Note: Long time no see! This is part of Julia’s Winter Writing Challenge by @wondershawns and I am so excited to have participated! My setting prompt was “A knock on the window” and the line “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this”. I hope you guys enjoy! As always, I love hearing any type of feedback and I love you all x

Word Count: 8.4k

Presents, Christmas music, your mother’s famous cookies on your tongue, all playing one by one in your mind. The feeling of just being home again instead of in a small, stuffy dorm seemed so close, yet so far away and you couldn’t help but wish that this last month would fly by. A soft nudge to your foot broke you out of your thoughts, “What’s got you in a daze?” You blinked your eyes rapidly to focus your thoughts to the present once again, turning your gaze to the curly haired boy next to you with a bright smile on his face. 

“I’m just thinking about Christmas and being home again,” you sighed dreamily, your head coming to rest on your hand. 

“Christmas is over a month away, you’re better off worrying about finals if you’re thinking that far ahead,” he laughed as a hand came up to lightly push your shoulder.

You cast a harsh glare at him through the dim light of the library, “It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas. Aren’t you excited?”

“Of course I’m excited.” Shawn leaned back against his chair looking into space, “I get to go home and see family and I only have to worry about my sister instead of a bunch of rowdy frat boys.”

You let out a chuckle at his words, “Aren’t you also a rowdy frat boy?”

“You wound me.” He dramatically placed a hand over his heart, “Besides, I’m more excited to annoy you every day over break.”

“You already annoy me every day.”

“Maybe, but it’ll be much more convenient than me walking all the way across campus to get to your dorm.” You couldn’t lie that he did have a point there. The two of you had been best friends ever since the day your family moved into the house next to his in middle school. You had been inseparable ever since, choosing to go to the same college a few hours from your houses and meeting almost every day since you had joined as freshman. Three years later and nothing had changed, except for how tall Shawn had managed to grow in those years and how the both of you definitely had matured in both personality and appearance since you were in middle school.

“How fortunate for me then,” you laughed, turning your attention back to the abandoned textbook in front of you. 

Shawn’s eyes remained on you, cocking an eyebrow your way, “What, you’re not looking forward to my random visits?” 

“Oh no, I am so looking forward to being woken up in the middle of the night because you can’t sleep.”

“Hey that was only twice!”

“Two times too many if you ask me,” you mumbled under your breath, however the smirk on your face told Shawn that you meant for him to hear it. He simply pulled your chair closer to him and rammed his knuckles into your head until you were laughing and begging him to stop. 

____________________

“You’re coming to the game tonight right?” You had found your way into Shawn’s bed after a full day of classes with your head on his chest, a random hockey game playing on the television across from the two of you. Shawn’s arm provided a comforting warmth as it laid across your stomach, pulling you into him, and each pass of his fingertip onto your skin made you relax further into him. The cuddling wasn’t anything new to the two of you, even the electric feeling you felt from his touch had almost become normal to you. Almost.

“Of course I am. I’ve never missed one, have I?”

“You’re right you haven’t,” he smiled down at you, a stray curl falling in front of his face, “Just wanted to make sure my good luck charm would be there.”

You reached up to brush his hair out of his face, but Shawn quickly grabbed your arm, playfully biting your finger until you pulled away and your wrist was left in his grasp. “I refuse to believe I’m your good luck charm.”

“We’ve been undefeated for three years, hun. You’re my good luck charm.”

“But-”

“Nope, shut it. Don’t want to hear a peep from you.” He pulled you tighter into him before placing a delicate kiss to your hair, “Remind me to give you my jersey for tonight. Want to make sure everyone knows whose good luck charm you are.”

“You’re such a goof.”

____________________

Shawn won. Again. It was no surprise, especially since the team they were up against were no good, but that didn’t mean that you weren’t incredibly proud of him. He absolutely amazed you every time he went out on the ice and you couldn’t help but wait impatiently in the main corridor of the arena. Students rustled around you as you waited though you paid them no mind, simply choosing to admire the banners on the wall instead. The sudden increase in noise caused you to turn your head towards the locker rooms where a certain curly-headed boy was leading a pack of freshly showered athletes. You sprinted past the crowds of people in his direction as Shawn dropped his bag, opting instead to pick you up in his arms as you ran straight into him. You wrapped your legs around him like a koala with your head buried into his neck, breathing in the strong, heady scent of his shampoo. “There’s my good luck charm,” he sighed into your hair and you laughed, only causing a brighter smile to form on his face.

“You were incredible, Shawn. You’re constantly impressing me out there.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, lifting his head to look you in the eyes, “Always means the most coming from my number one fan.”

You flashed him a smile that mirrored his as he slid you down to the floor, making sure that you were always close to him even while others were surrounding him. Your eyes stayed trained on him and the aura that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. They followed the path of his jaw, his neck, to his broad shoulders he always made you massage for him. But before you could finish admiring him, you felt a presence behind you and a slight grasp on your arm. You turned only to be met with a tall figure with beautiful green eyes and dirty blonde hair. He seemed to be about Shawn’s height, maybe an inch shorter, and although his smile wasn’t as bright as Shawn’s was, it still managed to take your breath away for a moment. “Hi, I’m Grant,” the man introduced himself, extending his hand for you to grab, “Are you Shawn’s girlfriend?”

You turned your focus back to Shawn who was currently in the middle of a conversation with a couple fraternity brothers and sorority sisters before coming back to this new mysterious man. “Oh no, we’re not, we’re not dating. We’re just best friends.” Grant seemed to have some distrust in his eyes at your words, his eyebrow lifting up slightly in question. “I’m Y/n by the way.” Grabbing his outstretched hand you let yourself appreciate the polite person in front of you.

“I’m sorry I assumed you’re dating. I’m in the frat with Shawn; we’re not good friends or anything but I’ve seen the two of you around in there.” Suddenly your mind clicked to where you had seen him before off of the rink. Most of the boys on the hockey team all resided in the same fraternity so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to you to learn that you had been in the same house as Grant multiple times. “You two are really close, I can’t be the only one that has mistaken the two of you as dating.”

“Yeah…,” you trailed off, sparing a glance back at Shawn, “It happens a lot more than you think. But I promise we’re not. I’m as single as one can be.” Grant’s smile seemed to grow at your words and his shoulders relaxed an inch. 

“Well in that case I actually wanted to ask you…”

“What’s going on over here?” A heavy weight slid across your shoulders, effectively pulling you into a warm body you immediately recognized. You rolled your eyes at the interruption. Perfect timing as always, Shawn. 

“Nothing, just introducing ourselves to one another,” Grant replied, that smile that you were beginning to grow fond of diminishing slightly. 

“Good, was worried that my good luck charm was switching sides.” Shawn sent a pointed look your way with a smirk playing on his lips.

“Good luck charm?”

“Why do you think we haven’t lost a game yet?” Shawn questioned, reaching out to pinch our cheeks, “It’s this little one right here giving me all the luck.” You swatted his hand away bitterly, but his smirk only grew. “Well I’m sure this has been great. Grant, I’ll see you later at the frat and you missy, we have a celebratory dinner to catch.” He maneuvered his way through the people calling his name, bringing you right to his classic jeep.

“You’re horrible you know that right,” you huffed as soon as you got into the seat.

“What ever could you be talking about?” he said innocently.

“If you keep acting like this, I’ll truly never get into a relationship.”

“You’re being silly.”

“Says the one that literally interrupted an entire conversation I had barely even started yet.”

“I was simply worried about you.”

“Mhm, sure.” You stared out the window in protest, not even moving when you felt his hand on your lower thigh.

“Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you liked Grant. I was just looking out for you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I like him, I’ve known him for all of five minutes, but it would be nice to maybe explore some options without my personal bodyguard getting in the way.”

“Once again I’m sorry that I got in the way then. I guess Grant is not the worst guy you could have chosen out of the bunch,” he trailed off as he pulled into the diner parking lot the two of you had been frequenting at after almost every hockey game, “Now let’s put this behind us. I’m really craving some fries and a milkshake.” 

____________________

The brisk wind of the courtyard made you tighten your jacket around yourself in a poor attempt to keep the chills away. A sigh of relief escaped your lips once you rounded the corner of the lecture hall you had previously been in, leading you through a row of buildings that temporarily protected you from the harsh weather of Toronto. You kept your eyes trained in front of you, desperately trying to will your feet to somehow move faster to get you to Shawn’s frat house for your usual post-class wind down.

“Hey Y/n!” You whipped your head around to see the source of your name, but after coming up empty handed in the small crowd of students behind you, you shook your head, convincing yourself you just imagined it as you continued your walk. “Y/n, wait!” Pausing this time, you turned your body around completely only to be met with the sight of Grant maneuvering his way carefully around the other students. Upon seeing you stopped, his face light up and he started to jog his way towards you until he was close enough for you to feel some of his body heat. “Hey.”

“Hey, Grant. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. Sorry to catch you at such a bad time, but I didn’t know when I was going to see you again,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I also didn’t want to wait too long to ask this because I was afraid I’d miss my chance.”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you going to the Winter Ball with anyone?” The Winter Ball was the annual end of the semester party Shawn and Grant’s fraternity held every year that was incredibly exclusive. The only way to get in was if one of the members took you as their date, which meant that almost every girl was dying for someone to ask her. 

At that moment your gaze fell to the beautiful bouquet of red roses that were present in his hands before your eyes lifted to meet his that were so full of hope and nerves. “As of right now I am not. Why do you ask?”

“That’s great! I mean, that’s not great that you’re not going with anyone, but great because I, um, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go with me?” 

You flashed him a bright smile as he handed the bouquet towards you, “I would love to go with you, Grant.”

“Really? That’s, that’s amazing. I’m looking forward to it.”

“So am I.” 

He wrapped his arms around you in a quick hug before moving the other way, “I hate to leave right away, I’d love to stay and talk, but I really need to get to class.”

You waved him off, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah of course,” he began walking away until his eyebrows raised and he came back, “Wait, can I actually get your number?” You saved your number into the contacts of his phone and gave him a wave, heading your way back to the line of frat houses you were looking for. The butterflies in your stomach were doing front flips as you tried to will the humongous smile off of your face. A guy just asked you to be his date to the Winter Ball. A really cute, sweet guy just asked you to be his date to the Winter Ball. Never in a million years did you think someone like him would even imagine asking you to be their date yet here you were, the most delightful smelling roses in your hand and a fluttering feeling in your body. You hardly comprehended that you had already stepped foot into the frat house until you were opening the door to Shawn’s room and falling onto his bed next to him with a dopey smile on your face. 

Shawn looked over at you questioningly from his phone, ‘What’s going on with the flowers and the face?”

“Shawn, you won’t believe it!” you practically squealed, turning onto your side, “Grant just asked me to be his date to the Winter Ball!”

“The Winter Ball?”

“Yes! Isn’t that the best thing ever! I’ve never been asked before!”

“What do you mean? You’ve been my date every year.” If you hadn’t been so caught up with the giddiness in your chest you might have been able to notice the fleeting look of sadness in his eyes as he spoke.

“That’s not the same though. I wasn’t really your date, we just went as friends.”

“Yeah, but you were still considered my date.”

“Still, it’s not the same thing.” 

A small moment of silence took over the room before Shawn cleared his throat. “So...you said yes?”

“Of course I said yes, I’d be stupid not to.” 

“Oh.”

You watched as he focused back on his phone, a tiny frown on his face that you could hardly notice, “What’s wrong.”

“Nothing. I’m glad you’re so happy about this.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mendes, what’s wrong?”

“Just wondering what I’m going to do about a date this year.”

“That’s what you’re upset about?” you looked at him incredulously, “Please, you’re one of the most sought after guys in this school. You could go up to any girl on this entire campus and none of them would even hesitate to say yes.”

“I guess.”

“You guess?” you scoffed, “What about Jessica? I’ve seen the two of you talking a lot at post game parties and everything. You two look like you get along.” 

“Yeah, I could always ask her,” he sighed, “But Jessica isn’t going to drag me into my room at four in the morning asking me to sing her a song on the guitar so she can fall asleep.” He sent a teasing smile your way as he referenced your habit of pulling his hand through crowds of people until you got to his room when you felt too tired and wanted to go to sleep.

“I’m sorry, Shawn. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” You thought for a moment, “I know! I’ll buy you pizza from your favorite pizza place! You know, the one across from the campus coffee shop where they put extra cheese on top.”

“That’s not my favorite pizza place.”

“But every time we go there you say…”

“I only say that because I know it’s your favorite pizza place.” His gaze fell soft upon you, “Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad, but I don’t have a favorite and I know you’re more likely to go there if I said it’s also my favorite.”

“Oh,” you looked down at your hands, “Well thank you.” Shawn hummed in response, his eyes traveling back to his phone. “You can still come over beforehand to get ready together like we always do.”

He let out a sad chuckle, “Don’t think Grant would much like that, honey.”

“That’s too bad if he doesn’t like it because it’s important to me that we get ready together and you’re the first person to see me all fancied up.” 

Shawn swore he felt his heart stutter in his chest, “If you want me over, I’d be more than happy to get ready with you.”

“Perfect, it’s a date.”

____________________

You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt when you noticed that Shawn had been a little more distant with you in the past week. Your texts sat on delivered for longer, you were no longer going over to his room after every lecture due to him “being busy”, and the nightly FaceTime calls were no longer nightly. You blamed it on hockey practices piling up and finals getting closer but in reality, you knew that wasn’t the case. There was only a week until finals, and therefore the Winter Ball, when you finally ran into Shawn again on your way to a class, very obviously catching him off guard. “Hey, long time no see.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been really busy lately,” he told you, but you knew him long enough to tell that the way his eyes wouldn’t maintain contact with you was a telltale sign that there was more to the story.

“Don’t worry about it, just miss you is all. Did you find a date yet for the ball?”

“Oh yeah, I asked Jessica like you told me to.”

“That’s great! Are you doing anything later today?”

“Uh, I don’t know…”

“I’m going dress shopping for the Winter Ball if you want to come with me like you always do.”

“Uh…”

“Come on, Shawn, you’re not going to break tradition are you?” 

He desperately wanted to respond with, “You already broke a tradition by ditching me without warning and going with Grant,” but he bit his tongue. “Sure,” he replied with a heavy heart, “I’d love to help you pick out a dress.”

“Yay! Why don’t we go right after class?”

“Ok, I can pick you up at three?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later, Mendes!” You left a searing kiss on his cheek before rushing off to class, leaving him staring after you longingly.

____________________

“Any ideas on what you want?” Shawn trailed behind you like a lost puppy as you skimmed your way through the many clothing racks. 

“Not really. Just want something that says ‘Please don’t regret inviting me. I swear I’m a good choice.’”

He couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips, “I don’t think you need a dress for that. You do that by yourself.”

You bit your lip to contain your smile, “Thank you, but I don’t know if everyone feels that way.”

“Well they should,” he mumbled, his fingers mulling over the beautiful items of clothing. A deep maroon, velvet dress caught his eye immediately and he pulled it out, examining it carefully before nodding his head, “Try this one on.”

“Hm,” you turned to look at him as he studied the dress, “Oh, that’s gorgeous. I’ll try it on if you want me to.”

He nodded his head before turning back to the dresses silently, not making any other comments as you looked around. Once you were satisfied with the dresses in your arms, you headed towards the dressing rooms, looking both ways to ensure that no one was around before pulling Shawn into one with you. He turned around as you changed; sure he had seen you in bikinis before and you were both sure that on more than one occasion when you were drunk that you had both changed in front of one another, but he still had enough respect for you to turn around whilst you put the first dress on. 

The first one was a simple black dress with long sleeves that you thought would be nice for the cold climate that came with living in Canada and although it was flattering, it didn’t feel like anything special. You turned to Shawn with a sigh, “What do you think?”

Personally, from the second you told him to turn around, Shawn swore he had seen an angel. The way the dress hugged your curves had him twitching in his pants and he had to swallow thickly in an attempt to control his thoughts. “I, um, I mean you look beautiful. I like it.”

“Really?” you asked, admiring yourself in the mirror, “I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel special to me.”

“Why don’t you just come back to that one then. I think it’s really pretty on you.”

“Yeah, you’re right I’ll just do that.” Four dresses later and you still hadn’t found the dress for you. There was a dark green one that you didn’t feel complimented your skin tone well enough (Shawn begged to differ), a black one with a plunged neckline that went way too far down for your comfort zone (Shawn was glad he didn’t have to protest against that one, he didn’t particularly like the idea of all the drunk, disrespectful boys in the frat seeing that), another black one that went too far down your legs (even though Shawn argued that it would keep your legs warm), and a light blue one that didn’t really fit your feeling of winter (Shawn almost lost his mind when you had bent down in front of him in that one to pick up a loose string that had fallen off of it). 

Finally, you had reached the dress Shawn had picked out for you, just as you were beginning to lose all hope of finding a dress. The moment you slipped it on you knew it felt different than the others: it fit you perfectly with a plunging neckline that showed just enough, the fabric wrapped along the middle to the bottom to accentuate your waist, your curves were shown in a way that it was flattering, but not too overwhelming, and the maroon color complimented your skin beautifully. You couldn't lie, Shawn had somehow managed to find the perfect dress for you. “Ok, you can turn around now.” 

He slowly uncovered his eyes and faced his body towards you, his mouth immediately going dry at the sight of you. The combination of your body in the dress and the gorgeous smile on your face was kryptonite for him and he couldn’t help but wish even harder that he was the one who was lucky enough to be your date for the ball. He motioned you towards him, rubbing his fingers along the fabric of the dress in a way that sent your stomach flipping. “This the one?” he asked, looking up at you with bright doe eyes. You nodded slowly, watching him tug his bottom lip between his teeth. “Grant is very lucky to have you as his date, honey.”

You paused. The thought of Grant taking you to the ball instead of Shawn had completely escaped your mind and in that moment you regretted ever agreeing to changing your date this year. “Yeah, um, right, I hope he likes it.”

“If he has a brain in that head of his then there’s no doubt he’s going to be blown away by you.” He gave a gentle smile your way before tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear and tapping your hip lightly, “Now go and get changed so we can go cash out.”

You nodded your head as he turned back around, silently smacking yourself in the face for the sudden butterflies that were forming in your stomach. Since when did he have such an effect on you? And why was he doing it so easily?

The moment you got to the cash register, he immediately pushed you out of the way and gave his credit card to the cashier before you could even pull out your wallet. “Shawn, why did you pay for that? I was going to…”

“Calm down, honey,” he laughed at your outburst as he opened the car door for you, “Think of it as an apology gift for me not hanging out with you as much as I usually do this week.”

“But…”

“No buts, it’s already done.” The car engine roared to life and all you could think about while you sat in the passenger seat of his car was how you were going to be wearing a dress that not only did Shawn pick out, but also bought for you while you had to act like you weren’t constantly thinking about him as you stood next to Grant the whole night. Shawn had made sure that you were completely and utterly screwed.

____________________

“Are you almost done?” you heard Shawn’s impatient call from your bedroom. You were living in a larger suite with a bunch of other girls so you were lucky enough to have your own bathroom attached to your room. Shawn had gotten ready in the bathroom before you but you refused to look at him until you were finished as well, not wanting to ruin the surprise. So he sat out there waiting for you while you fixed your hair and makeup relentlessly, watching the time pass by ever so slowly.

“Give me one more second!” you called out to him, adjusting one final strand of hair. You checked your makeup one last time before opening the door, revealing yourself to a Shawn who was sat perched on the end of the bed, phone in hand. 

He looked up at the sound of the door opening, his mouth dropping open ever so slightly, “Damn, you look just perfect.” 

You willed the heat in your cheeks to go away, “Thank you. You don’t look half as bad yourself. Quite dashing if I say so.” It was true, he was wearing a simple black button up with black dress pants that fit to his thighs perfectly as he stood up in front of you. His outfit shouldn’t have looked as attractive to you as it did, maybe it was something about the way he had the top few buttons open to reveal the small amount of chest hair he was currently sporting or the way his hair was styled to perfection with your favorite curl hanging out in front, but your heart couldn’t stop fluttering at the sight of him. And then it dropped the moment you realized that you weren’t the girl that got to walk hand in hand with him that night.

“Before we go I have something for you.” Shawn turned towards his bag where he pulled out one single rose for you, “I know I’m not your date this year, but it felt wrong to break tradition. Besides, needed to make sure a beautiful girl like you got a flower in case Grant dropped the ball.”

You were suddenly extremely aware of how close he was to you, his nose almost touching yours. His eyes flickered to your lips for a brief moment, so fast that you couldn’t even tell by the way you were so focused on his breath hitting your lips. “Thank you,” you whispered, “You shouldn’t have.”

“I definitely should have.” His eyes went to your lips once again, this time letting them linger slightly longer so you got the hint. Your hands were trapped holding the rose against his chest as his hands ghosted over your hips, fingertips teasing the fabric of your dress. Shawn tilted his head ever so slowly, nudging your nose with his until your lips parted with a breath.

The sound of your phone ringing broke the two of you apart in a hurry as though you were both afraid of being caught. You scrambled away from him, heading to your dresser to grab a hold of your phone, Grant’s name lighting up the screen making the guilt in your stomach grow. “Hey, Grant, what’s up?”

“Hey are you going to be here soon?” his voice filled your ear.

“Yeah, I’m leaving right now.”

“Perfect, can’t wait to see you.”

“Can’t wait to see you either,” your voice came out soft before you ended the call, bringing your phone down slowly to face Shawn. He had the same conflicted look in his eyes that you couldn’t decipher as he held eye contact with you. 

He let out a deep sigh, picking up his bag that was on the floor, “We should probably go.”

“You’re right,” you agreed, but made no move to head towards the door.

Shawn came over to you, placing his hands in his pockets. “Grant’s waiting for you.” You nodded your head. “Jessica’s waiting for me.” You nodded once again. He let out another sigh, putting a soft hand on your cheek and a kiss to your hair, “We need to go.” You watched as he walked towards the door, looking back at you once he reached the doorway, and you had no choice but to follow suit.

____________________

Oh my god, I almost kissed Shawn. We almost kissed and we would’ve kissed if Grant hadn’t called me. Oh my god Grant. Why didn’t I think of Grant when I was with Shawn? Shawn’s my best friend, I can’t like him like that. Does he like me like that? Can you imagine if he liked me like that? 

“We’re here.” You looked over at Shawn who hadn’t uttered a single word to you the entire way here and was already proceeding to get out of the car without you. The door slammed shut and you winced, not understanding why he was so angry about what happened. Did he really want to kiss you that bad? Your heart couldn’t help but beat faster at the thought of him wanting to kiss you, but you willed it away, instead choosing to clamer out of the car after Shawn and attempt to focus your thoughts on Grant who was without a doubt waiting behind that door for you. 

“Shawn, wait up!” you called out as you ran after him, almost catching up to him as he reached the top of the steps before your heel got caught on the step and sent you tumbling forward. The second a squeal left your lips, Shawn’s arms were already around you, effectively saving you from a face plant on the concrete. You looked at him breathlessly, trying to compose yourself after what felt like a near death experience, “Thank you.”

“Are you alright?” he asked, concern evident in his eyes. Even when he was combating his emotions he still cared so deeply about you.

“Yeah I’m fine. I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for you though…”

“Y/n, there you are!” Grant opened the door, with a wide grin on his face, but upon noticing the position you and Shawn were in, his brows furrowed, “Are you two ok?”

“What?” you looked between the two of you, “Oh, we’re perfect. Just took a little tumble up the stairs is all.” Shawn pulled you up with an arm around your waist until you were stable on your feet before immediately retracting as though you were made of fire. 

“Thanks for saving her man,” Grant told him, clapping his shoulder as he snaked an arm around your waist, “Jessica’s been asking about you in there by the way. Told her you’d find her when you got here.”

“Right, thanks.” Shawn awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before excusing himself to push past the two of you into the house.

Grant leaned in closer to you as you both watched Shawn leave, “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about him,” you reassured him, “Why don’t we get something to drink?”

“Sounds perfect.” Grant took your hand softly into his, leaving a light kiss to your cheek and leading you into the noisy house.

____________________

It had been hours since you arrived at the loud, people filled house. You had barely seen Shawn the whole night; you thought you might have seen him and Jessica making out in a corner at one point, but the multi-color lights in the house didn’t exactly make picking people out of the crowd as easy as it usually was. You had spent the entire night with Grant attached to your hip, whether it was while you were getting a drink, talking to friends, or dancing, he was always right by your side. His hands were currently on your hips, chest pressed to your back and peppering gentle kisses to your exposed neck as you swayed in rhythm to the beat of the song blaring through the speakers. The two of you hadn’t kissed yet, but with the way the drinks were affecting you, you doubt that statement would stay true for long. You were nursing your almost empty drink, the description of the contents long forgotten, all you knew was that your body had a nice tingly sensation running through it and your head was feeling just foggy enough that you knew exactly what you were doing, but you were willing to make some decisions you definitely wouldn’t make sober. Grant pressed a longer kiss to the back of your ear before whispering into it, “Stay here. I’m just going to run to the bathroom.” 

You nodded your head in his direction, taking the time to look around at the people around you. After waiting a few minutes for his return, you became bored and took it upon yourself to get yourself a new drink. You had been here enough that even drunk you knew your way to the kitchen so you easily maneuvered through the clusters of couples until you pushed open one of the entrances to the kitchen. No matter how much you desperately wished you couldn’t recognize the brown haired boy that was in there with you, there was no amount of alcohol that could make you forget his defining features. At the sound of the door closing, his head perked up to look at you and you became painfully aware of how the two of you were the only ones in there as you stared into his honey colored eyes. “Hey,” you breathed out, stepping closer until you were practically shoulder to shoulder with him. 

“Hey,” he bumped your shoulder with his, “Long time no see.”

The loopy smile he gave you told you that he was also feeling the alcohol, but probably only as much as you; the man knew how to hold his drinks. “Whatcha doing in here?”

“Told Jessica I’d get the both of us something more to drink,” he motioned to the two cups in front of him, “What about you? Where’s Grant?”

“Bathroom,” you replied, leaning back onto the counter, “I got bored waiting for him out there.” 

You lifted up Shawn’s hand that was resting next to you and began tracing the pattern on his fingertips. “What are you doing, love?” he laughed, the pet name slipping out as they usually did when he had some alcohol in his system.

“Playing with your hand.” You locked hands with him while he moved in front of you to make it all the more easier for you to continue your task. His large body trapped you against the counter, but you hardly noticed until his breath fanning over your face tore your attention away from his hand. “You’re very handsome you know,” you smiled, releasing his hand to run your finger over the light scar on his face, “So pretty.”

He let out a breathy laugh as he moved his now free hand to the counter to fully lock you in between his body, “That’s funny coming from someone who looks like those goddesses we used to learn about in school.”

“I don’t look like a goddess…” your voice trailed off, too occupied with outlining the features of his face.

“Yeah you do. Look like the prettiest one...what was her name again?” He smirked down at you, knowing Greek mythology used to be one of your favorite topics in school.

“Aphrodite?”

“Mhm, that’s the one. Swear you’re a real life Aphrodite.” He moved in closer to you, brown eyes boring into you and forcing your gaze back into them. He heard your breath catch in your throat as his nose touched yours, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing...you’re just close is all.”

“I am close,” he whispered, biting his lip when he felt the hand you had on his jaw move to his neck. “Y/n?”

“Yeah?”

“What would you do if I kiss you right now?”

Your wide eyes batted up at him innocently from where he was towering over you, your heart absolutely racing, “I’d kiss you back.” 

And with that his lips connected to yours feverishly, his body pressing to yours harder. His lips were soft and you could taste the alcohol from whatever drink he had been sipping on before that made him intoxicating. He licked tentatively over your bottom lip, practically groaning into your mouth when you immediately opened up for him. You tasted so sweet to him, so sweet that he swore he could easily become addicted to your taste. He pulled your bottom lip between his teeth, eliciting a soft moan from you that made his grip on the counter tighten and his hips push against yours harder. You could feel a bulge pressing against your lower stomach and you couldn’t help letting out another moan that Shawn eagerly swallowed into a kiss. Pulling him closer to you by his hair, he took that as a sign to thread his right hand through the base of your hair, the other hand reaching down to harshly pull your leg around his hip. Your hips bucked against his as his tongue fought yours for dominance that you easily gave him. 

Just as his hand was about to run up your thigh, the door to the kitchen burst open and Shawn swiftly moved completely away from you and back in front of the drinks he had originally come in for. You almost whined at the sudden lack of content, but the look of shock on the stranger’s face shut you up. It only took one look at your wide eyes and swollen lips and the sudden wrinkles in Shawn’s shirt for them to hastily exit the room with an apology spilling from their lips. 

The second they were gone you made your way back to Shawn, who was breathing heavily as he stared at the counter. You placed your hand on his chin, bringing his face back to you. Using your thumb to swipe at a rogue smudge of lipstick that had transferred onto him, you looked at him carefully, swallowing thickly when he placed a gentle kiss to the pad of your finger. You looked him in the eyes for the first time since your heated moment and while you could only see what you believed to be lust in his eyes, he saw yours change from lust to fear and to what finally made his heart drop: regret. “Oh my god,” you breathed out, successfully dodging Shawn’s attempt to grab your arm.

“Y/n wait!”

“I’m sorry, Shawn.”

“Please!” was the last thing you heard before you shut the door to the kitchen and rushed through the crowd of people. Your breathing was becoming erratic the deeper into your thoughts you got until you felt you were on the verge of a panic attack with no one to save you.

“There you are,” Grant sighed relieved, causing you to jump when his hand wrapped around your arm, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” 

“Sorry, I was bumped around in the crowd and got lost trying to find you again,” you lied, trying to avoid his eyes.

“That’s alright, I’m just glad you’re here,” he smiled at you, his brows furrowing while his hand came up to your lips, “Hold on your lipstick is a little smudged.”

Your eyes grew ten times wider, “Um, I think I must have just messed it up while I was drinking or something.”

“Ok, do you want to go dance again?”

“Yeah, uh, that sounds great…” your eyes met a frantic Shawn’s as he searched for you in the crowd, “You know what, I actually think I’m going to go home.”

“What?” Grant asked, confused as he followed you through the people.

“I just don’t feel good all of a sudden, it has nothing to do with you I swear. You’re amazing, I just need to go.” 

“Stay here overnight, don’t go home.”

“Grant, I don’t feel well.”

“I know, I don’t want that. I mean you’re gorgeous and everything, but if you’re not feeling well then obviously not. It’s just, I’m not in the right mindset to drive, it’s frigid out there, and a drunk girl all alone in an uber sounds like a horrible idea. So why don’t you just stay? I’ll sleep on the floor so you can sleep in my bed.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please, I just want you to be safe.” 

Your eyes lingered over to wear Shawn was still watching you, this time with Jessica in front of him, obviously trying to get his attention onto her. “You know what...sure. I’ll stay.”

A bright smile formed on Grant’s face, “Perfect, let’s get you all settled then.” He grabbed your hand and led you up the stairs toward his room, Shawn’s eyes following you with a heavy heart.

____________________

The next morning you bumped into Shawn in the hallway as you were exiting Grant’s room wearing his clothes he had let you borrow to sleep in for the night. Neither of you said a word as you silently made your way past him and down the stairs towards Grant’s car while Grant came strolling out of his room with his classic smile on his face, having no clue how heart broken Shawn felt when he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

____________________

It had been a week since you last spoke to Shawn. Not a single message or interaction between the two of you. You didn’t know what you would say if you even had approached him, but you hadn’t gotten the chance to find out. Having to pack up your dorm for the semester gave you an excuse for not talking and a way to busy yourself to get your mind off of him. But no matter what you did Shawn Mendes was still hanging in the back of your mind, taunting you with replays of different moments with him over and over again. You were lucky that this time you hadn’t been planning on driving back home with him so you didn’t have to face him on the hours long drive back, though you knew that didn’t mean you wouldn’t be seeing him at some point upon your arrival. All these thoughts were swimming through your head as you pulled into your parent’s driveway, immediately being met with a swarm of greetings from your family. You seemed to have arrived before Shawn, which you felt incredibly fortunate for as you were ushered into the house. 

You didn’t see Shawn the whole first week you were there either, no matter how much your heart ached for him. You found yourself more often than not wondering what he was doing just next door and if he was thinking about you too or if you had already become something unattainable and therefore not worth his time. Even though you knew he wasn’t that type of person, the little devil on your shoulder kept telling you that he wanted nothing to do with you anymore.

Christmas Eve you were tucked into your bed, soft breaths coming from your mouth. The snow was coming down in light, fluffy flakes, just enough that it was the pretty white Christmas you always loved without the terrible snow storm you couldn’t stand. The first knock on your window sounded like the wind, but the second one was unmistakable, abruptly pulling you from your sleep and to the window. A gasp escaped your lips when you saw Shawn’s face staring back at you and you hurried to open your window for him. “Thank god,” he chuckled, “It’s freezing out there.” Shawn had been climbing up the side of your house to reach your room since you were young, so it truly should have been no surprise to you that he was scaling it in the snow.

“What do you want, Shawn?” you sighed, already making your way back into bed as he followed you, “It’s two in the morning.”

“That it is,” he agreed, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” you turned to face him, eyes only opening slightly in your sleepy haze.

He brushed a stray piece of hair out of your face, “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this.”

You shrugged his hand away, “Shut up.”

“It’s true,” he whispered with his hand still lingering on your face, “My little Aphrodite.”

Your eyes shot wide open, your senses suddenly wide awake, “What’d you just call me?”

“My little Aphrodite.”

You sat up next to him. “Ok, Shawn, what do you want? Why did you come here in the middle of the night on Christmas nonetheless?”

“Can’t I just say hello to my best friend?”

“You haven’t said hello to your best friend in two weeks so that’s not a good excuse.”

“Don’t say that like you haven’t been avoiding me either,” he chuckled darkly.

“I couldn’t face you, Shawn!” you choked out, eyes beginning to well up with tears as you scooted away from him, “I couldn’t, not after....not after that night.”

There was a heavy silence for a moment before Shawn spoke harshly, “Why’d you hook up with Grant that night?”

“What?”

“Why’d you hook up with Grant?”

“I didn’t hook up with Grant,” you spat out, “Why would you even think that?”

“You really expect me to believe that after I saw you not only go upstairs with him, but also leave his room the next morning wearing his clothes!”

“I do expect you to believe it because nothing happened! I wanted to leave after what happened because I didn’t want to be in the same room as you anymore and he offered me a place to stay since it was cold and I was drunk. Nothing. Happened.”

“You didn’t want to be in the same room as me? Wow.” He shook his head, leaning back against your headboard on the other side of the bed, “One second I have your leg around me, moaning in my mouth, and the next you’re leaving me without an explanation and now you’re going to tell me you couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me?!”

“You don’t understand…”

“What don’t I understand?!”

“I couldn’t be in the same room with you after I realized something…”

“What did you realize, huh? What was so groundbreaking that you couldn’t even stand to see me?”

“That I was freaking in love with you!” Your mouth hung open. You had mulled over the thought of loving Shawn in the weeks you were apart, but you dismissed it every time, not believing you could have allowed yourself to fall in love with your best friend. Shawn stared at you with bated breath, his silence slowly killing you from the inside. 

Just as you were about to hide under your blanket in embarrassment, you felt something warm covering your mouth and a hand in your hair, his lips moving softly on yours. You sighed into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him eagerly to let him push you back onto your bed. He hovered on top of you, holding you close to him as he kissed you with every ounce of passion inside of him, stealing your breath away completely. His kisses were gentle, but still heavy with emotion. He parted from you to let you both catch your breaths, placing light kisses to your cheeks. “I am so in love with you, Y/n. You have no idea.” 

He left one last searing kiss on your lips before pulling away and leaning off the bed to retrieve a small wrapped box. “I got you something for Christmas.” 

You gingerly took the small box in your hand, carefully pulling off the paper to reveal a small black box. You looked up at him with curious eyes, but he only nodded his head for you to continue, placing a gentle hand on your thigh. Opening the box, a beautiful silver dove charm was revealed to you on a necklace, the light of your room catching off of it making it shine. “Shawn…” you breathed out, “it’s gorgeous.”

“It’s a dove. You know, the symbol of Aphrodite,” he smiled at you nervously, “Do you like it?”

“Of course, I love it. Put it on for me?”

Shawn pulled your back into his chest and brushed your hair out of the way to place the delicate necklace around you. Once the necklace was clasped, he left the softest of kisses to your shoulder. “There you go. Perfect for my little Aphrodite.”

[laventae]

Serendipity

Summary: You accidentally bump into Suna once, then a second time, then a third time.... before it starts seeming like fate has already decided its course for the both of you.

Pairings: Suna Rintaro x F!reader

Genre: Mostly fluff, College/Uni au

Word count: 3.4k words

Part: 1 , (2) , (3) , (TBC)

(A/N: I suck at writing summaries but anyways. This is/was supposed to be part of my [HQ Boys - Pretending to be your boyfriend] series, but I really wanted to make this slightly longer than my usual one-shots. Also, this story will probably have every cheesy trope you know, so, proceed with caution and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.)

THUD

THUD

THUD

THUD

‘Okay, what the fuck is going on?’ you think as you slowly try to open your eyes. 

Looking at your bedside table, you reach for your phone and check the time

7:35 A.M

‘Ugh... it’s too early for this shit...’ you think as you yawn.

You remember your shift at work starts at about 9 a.m., so you decide to sleep for a bit longer.

You place your phone back down on your bedside table, and turn in bed, covering your face with a pillow.

THUD

“Goddammit, what’s going on outside?!” you exclaim, getting out of your bed and heading for the front door.

You open the door hastily, and find your landlord standing in the hallway of your apartment building, then notice multiple moving boxes scattered around, and movers talking some of the boxes into the apartment opposite yours.

You’re both startled when you open the door, but she softens as soon as she notices it was you.

“Good morning, Mrs. Saito. What’s going on?” you ask her sleepily.

“Goodness, I’m sorry they woke you up as well, sweetheart. The new tenant told me they were moving in today but I didn’t know the movers were coming this early and causing this much of a ruckus!” she exclaims, looking like she was just as annoyed by the noise as you were.

“Well, the new tenant certainly didn’t make a good first impression, huh?” you say, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckles softly, “I guess not. They’re not even here yet, so I’m just going to have to stay here until the movers are done” she sighs.

“Want me to make you a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, that’s alright, sweetheart, you should go back in and try to get some more sleep” she says, waving you back into your apartment.

You try to insist, but you feel too tired. Instead, you just nod and go back in, closing the door behind you.

Sighing, you head to your bedroom again; you figure you should try to get a bit more sleep in before you actually start getting ready for work.

-~-~-

After tossing and turning in bed for a couple of minutes, the noise wouldn’t get any quieter, so you thought you might as well get out of bed and head to your part-time job a bit earlier than usual.

You start getting ready, and make a quick cup of coffee to give Mrs. Saito on your way out. She thanks you and you go on your way.

When you first moved into your apartment about 2 years ago, you were able to find a pretty decent part-time job working as a barista at coffee shop nearby. It was only about two blocks away from where you lived, so it was super convenient; and a plus point, you were never late.

Checking your phone again, you notice the time

8:35 A.M

“It’s still so early...” you yawn as you take out your headphones and play some music to listen to while you walk to the coffee shop, talking your time.

After about 15 minutes of enjoying your morning walk, and window shopping on the stores along the way, you reach your destination and open the front door.

“Goodmorning, y/n!” you hear your boss call out to you as soon as you enter, “Early as usual, I see”

You chuckle as you head in his direction, “Oh, you know me, always excited to get to work!” you joke.

He laughs, “Yesterday was your last day of your second Uni semester, wasn’t it?” he asks you.

“Yeah, made it out in one piece thankfully”

He laughs again, “I’m sure you did well, I've seen how stressed out you’ve been about it but I also know how hard you’ve been studying, don’t worry” he assures you as he points to the chairs in the shop, silently asking you to help him out with setting them up.

“How do you know that?” you sigh, grabbing a few chairs and setting them down.

He stops what he’s doing and looks at you, “You think I didn’t notice the dark circles you kept coming in with, during every shift, for the past couple of weeks?”

“Was it that obvious?” your eyes widen.

“Definitely” he answers and you both laugh.

After setting up the last few chairs, your boss speaks up again, “Alright, why don’t you head in and get ready, I’ll just be out here setting up the register before we open in a couple of minutes”.

You nod and walk back to the staff locker area.

-~-~-

The day goes by slowly, as usual, and after a few hours, you take your break and head to the staff room locker area to relax and have a (late) breakfast.

‘I really need this right now’ you sigh as you take a sip of your coffee, feeling more tired than usual, and blame it on having to wake up super early that morning.

You check your phone and notice a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Call me when you're on your break!”

You smile and shake your head, dialing up her number.

It rings a couple of times before your best friend picks up.

“Hey y/n!!” she yells excitedly

“Hey Hina,” you laugh, “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to remind you that we are going out tonight to celebrate my birthday, you still remember, right?”

“Oh, was that today?” you joke

“Y/N!!!”

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding, you know I'll be there” you shake your head

“Good! I'll also be inviting some of my friends from Uni, but I want us to hangout still. It’s been a while since we’ve actually caught up. And I'm finally gonna be able to come to your city!”

The both of you actually met during your first year in University through mutual friends. Even though you both were in different majors, you hit it off right away. And after that, the both of you always tried to make time to hang out, whether it was between classes, during lunch breaks, or whenever the both of you had the time.

However, it was sometimes hard to meet up during weekends, since she lived in the city next to yours, so whenever she had the chance to come to your city, or you were able to go to hers, you guys would always spend it together.

“Yeah, I guess with exams and all it was hard for us to actually see each other”

“Exactly, anyways I’m excited for tonight!”

“Yeah, me too..!”

“Hey, do you sound more tired than usual, or is it just me?” she asks you, sounding worried.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I just woke up super early today, not willingly though” you sigh, “don't even ask, I'll tell you about it later”

“Alright... if you say so”

“Anyways, I gotta get back to work now, so, I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Alright! Dress sexy, okay? You promised we would dress up!”

“Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best” you both laugh before hanging up.

-~-~-

It was about 5 p.m when you finally reach your house, after leaving your part-time job, and finishing up some outdoor chores you had for the day.

You sigh as you get off the elevator to your floor.

You notice the empty hallway as you walk to your apartment; you suppose that the movers were already done and have left at this point.

You glance over to the door opposite yours at the end of the floor’s hallway.

‘I wonder if they're home yet...’ you think before you unlock the door of your apartment and go in.

You sigh as you place your groceries and bag on your kitchen island and start putting everything away.

You were supposed to meet Hina later tonight, at around 7 p.m, to celebrate her birthday. That meant you had a couple more hours to spend at home, so you decide to make some lunch/dinner and watch a movie on Netflix.

-~-~-

“Hey Hina, I’ll just go outside and answer this call real quick alright?” you try to call out to your friend as you get out of your chair, but she looks at you confused, the music playing loudly in the pub and the bustling of the people inside made it hard for her to hear your voice from across the table.

You point to your phone, and as realization hits her, she nods.

You attempt to make your way out of the pub, trying to worm between the people inside and make your way to the door. However, you suddenly run into someone before you reach the door, and accidentally drop their drink.

“I’m so sorry!” you tell them, looking up and noticing it was an old man, long white hair settling over his shoulders.

He looks annoyed at first but then his face relaxes when he sees you.

“I can pay for the drink!” you tell him apologetically.

“Oh, that’s alright, gorgeous, it was just a mistake” he answers you, smiling.

‘Okay...’ you think as you get a weird feeling in your gut.

“Would you like me to buy you-”

“Okay, Bye” you cut him off, smiling awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at you; you reach for the door and leave the pub.

It suddenly gets much quieter, and you feel yourself relax, finally being able to breathe.  

Honestly, you didn’t really get a call from anyone, you were just feeling tired, and wanted to take a break from all the noise.

You check the time on your phone,

11:54 P.M

You sigh, ‘I wanna go back home...’

It’s not that you weren’t having fun with Hina and her friends, but you were frankly not that close with them, and even though they are all very nice, having to be social for a long time takes a toll on your mental and physical strength sometimes.

Startled, you turn around when you hear the door of the pub open again behind you.

“Hey,” you hear Hina say as she approaches you, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah sorry, that was just my mom checking up on me” you lie to her, putting your phone back in your bag.

She nods, but you know she's slightly suspicious of your answer as she eyes you carefully

“You tired?” she asks you.

You chuckle nervously, ‘well, that didn’t take long’.

“Yeah, I'm really sorry, it’s getting late and it’s kind of been a long day”

She chuckles, “It’s okay, I thought your battery might have run out by now”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as well. Then you look at her apologetically.

“Yeah, I think I might head home for the night, is that alright with you?” you ask her, feeling bad you couldn’t stay longer.

She laughs and goes in to hug you goodbye, “You know it’s fine, I’m just glad I got to see you today! But, promise me we would hangout together again soon?”

You sigh, relieved, “you know I'd cancel any plans I have, just to see you” you shake your head as you hug her back.

“And promise me you’ll think about that date I wanna set you up on” she giggles as you both let go.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it” you reply, used to her trying to set you up on these blind dates that you don’t necessarily really want to go to.

“Alright. You want me to call you a cab or walk you home?” she asks as you turn around and start leaving.

“No! It’s fine, my house is literally a couple of blocks away, go back! Have fun!” you say assuring her, and waving her to go back and hangout with her friends.

“Are you sure, y/n?”

“Yess! Go!” you tell her, and turn back around, walking away again.

-~-~-

After walking for a few minutes, you notice how quiet it was outside, except for the few open pubs you passed by earlier. I mean, it wasn’t really a huge surprise, it was getting pretty late, and almost all stores in the area were closed at that point. But, because you weren’t usually out that late at night all alone, it somehow made it feel even emptier and quieter.

You look up at the sky as you walk on the sidewalk and notice a few stars scattered along the night sky. It makes you smile and you close your eyes and take a deep breath.

‘I wonder how many of those are actually just satellites...’ you think to yourself as you open your eyes, and you can’t help but let out a small chuckle.

You feel your phone vibrate and notice you got a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Text me when you get home safe!”

You smile as you read the message, but then feel a sudden chill down your spine.

‘Weird...’

You put your phone down and suddenly start hearing faint footsteps behind you.

‘Alright, that’s fine... it’s just someone walking home as well’ you try to assure yourself but can’t help but still feel anxious.

After a few minutes, you still hear the foot steps behind you, slowly getting closer. That, somehow, making you feel more anxious.

‘I’m just overthinking this right?’

You try to increase your pace, to check if they really were following you. Even if they weren’t, you hope to try and lose them all together. It didn’t help that the way to your apartment would be to keep walking straight, and the alleys around the buildings on the way were blocked off at the ends, not making it any safer for you to try and find a way around.

But then you hear the person behind you increase their pace as well.

‘Fuck’ you think, feeling scared and panicked, ‘they're definitely following me, aren’t they?’

You panic as you think of what to do next, then decide to take out your phone and call someone.

‘Who the fuck do I call? Hina? The police? I-’

Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear someone yell something from the sidewalk on the other side of the street you were walking on.

Your head snaps to where the voice came from and you notice a guy running up to you, “Babe?”

You try to back away before the boy reaches you, but, “I’ve been waiting for you, what took you so long?” he asks, pulling you in for a hug.

“I don’t know yo-!”

“Someone’s following you” he whispers in your ear before letting you complete your sentence.

Your heart stops when you hear him say that and you begin to feel your eyes tear up.

He pulls away, looking at you, and you suddenly notice you stopped hearing the footsteps coming from behind you.

You look back and see a man standing in the middle of the street, your eyes widen when you notice his long white hair.

‘That’s the fucking creepy old guy from the pub, I knew he seemed off!’

“My name is Suna. I was just in that supermarket over there, on the other side of the street, when I noticed him following you” he tells you quietly, as he subtly points at a store behind him. You look over his shoulder and notice a small, old looking supermarket, with an ‘Open 24/7′ neon light flickering over it. “Do you want me to walk you back home?” the boy asks you, and your eyes snap back to him.

You’re then able to see him much clearer, his pale, yellow eyes looking into yours. He had a blank expression on his face but you could hear a hint of worry in his voice.

You feel a tear roll down your cheek and you hesitantly nod at him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I'm here” you hear him say as he puts an arm around you, pulling you closer, and walks with you in the direction you were originally going in.

After a few moments, you hear the footsteps behind you, again, but this time they started to sound more distant, as if the creepy, old guy was walking away.

Your heart starts calming down a bit as you both walk silently for a few minutes.

You then feel the boy remove his arm from around you and you slightly stumble.

‘Was he supporting me this whole time..?’ you think to yourself as you try to steady yourself back on your own feet.

He turns around, “I’m sure he’s gone by now” he tells you, looking back at you.

You turn around to check as well, and feel yourself finally be able to breathe again when you don’t see anyone behind you. You look back at the boy and nod.

“You live around here?” he asks you and you finally notice where you were.  

Realizing you were only about a block away from your house, you stop.

“What?” the boy asks as he turns around to face you, when he realizes you weren't walking next to him anymore.

“This is me” you answer quickly, pointing to a random building you were standing in front of.

He was nice enough to help you back there, so, it's not that you weren’t thankful, but you were still feeling a bit anxious, and you didn’t want to take any chances.

“Oh,” the boy says, looking up at the building you pointed to, then looks back to you, “I'll watch you go in” he continues, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Oh, uhm, okay..” you nervously say, turning to the building.

‘Shit... I hope the entrance door isn’t locked...’

You reach for the door and push it.

‘Oh, thank god...’ you sigh, relieved.

You quickly turn back to look at him again, and notice his eyes following you.

“Thank you”

He just nods at you, a blank expression still on his face.

You get inside the building and the door closes behind you. You weren’t sure if he was looking so you make your way to the elevators. You pretend you pressed a button, hoping he stopped looking at you through the glass door at that point.

You look behind you and notice he wasn’t there anymore, so you run slowly towards the door and see him walking away.

You place a hand on your heart, and sigh again. You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

‘Why does it feel like it’s been a really long night...?’

You decide to wait for a few minutes, making sure he wouldn’t still be around the area when you try to run to where you actually lived. It was probably a couple of buildings away so, if you make a quick run for it, you think, you would definitely make it.

You open the glass door slowly and take a quick peak around the street.

‘Nobody’s here...’

You take a quick breath before you make a run for it.

As you thought, it easily took you a minute or two to get to your building. You quickly push the entrance door and run to elevators.  

As soon as it arrives, you get in and press the floor you lived on.

A few moments pass before the elevator doors open and you can't help but breathe a sigh of relief as you’re welcomed with your usual empty, but now comforting hallway.

You step out and head for your apartment when you notice someone standing at the door opposite yours at the end of that hallway, trying to unlock it.

‘Oh, it’s probably the new tenant...’ you think as you walk to your door.

It was pretty silent so you decide to at least welcome them, hoping it would make the awkward silence less... awkward.

“Hey,” you say turning to face them when you get to your door, “You’re the new tenant, righ-” but you quickly stop and your eyes widen when the person turns around to face you.

‘Wait, isn’t he the guy that just walked me back ‘home’??’

He still carried a blank expression on his face, but you notice his eyes slightly widen when he notices who you were as well.

‘Fuck, Fuck, Fuck... What do I say?’ you panic as you both stand there, looking at each other.

“Oh, you live here?” he breaks the silence, sounding pretty calm.

“Oh, yeah,” you say turning around and quickly unlock your door and go in, “Goodnight!” you yell, panicked. 

You accidentally make eye contact with him one last time before you swiftly close the front door, leaving him there, looking blankly at your apartment door instead.

‘He’s my new neighbor??’

(HQ Masterlist)

[saragargan]

Eight Arms To Hold You - 7

Pairing: Doc Ock/Original Female Character, Scorpion/Original Female Character Rating: Explicit Summary:  After waking up in the bed of her enemy, Piper spends the day at the FEAST shelter where she volunteers. Later on, at The Coffee Bean, Piper and Mary Jane finally discover the identity of their waitress and friend's mystery boyfriend.  Prev. chapter AO3 link 

Piper wakes when early morning sunshine shines on her face. She goes to pull the covers up over head and go back to sleep, but something makes her pause. This doesn’t smell like her bed, and she never leaves her curtains open. She opens her eyes to a room that’s almost familiar, but she can’t place it. The sun is shining in from a skylight above. She’s curled on her side and when she tries to sit up she finally becomes aware of the heavy arm slung around her, back pressed into someone’s broad chest.

The night before comes rushing back all at once, Piper can feel her cheeks turn scarlet red. Carefully as she can she slides herself out from under Otto’s arm. She pulls a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt out of her backpack and puts them on. She fishes around for her webshooters, finds them, then picks up her dress from the chair it's set on and pushes it into the bag, zipping it up as quietly as possible. He doesn’t stir as she puts on her boots. She feels bad sneaking out but, he had asked for one night, and now it was morning. She stands and goes to the only window that’s on a wall, right next to his side of the bed. She slides it up but pauses before she climbs out. The morning sunlight shines on Otto’s hair and face, the mechanical arms lay haphazardly across the bed and floor as if they are also asleep. Piper feels her heart clench. The scene reminds her so much of their college days, when she would fall asleep in his bed while studying. She wants nothing more than to drop her backpack to the floor and crawl back into his bed. She sighs, kisses his cheek softly and climbs out the window before she can change her mind. It’s early, about 7am when she finally reaches the block her apartment is on. She takes the elevator to the third floor and immediately regrets it. The jolting of the elevator gives her vertigo, when was the last time she ate? Piper can’t remember. As she enters her apartment she thinks she should probably make herself some toast or a bowl of cereal, but the allure of sleep is too strong. She plugs her phone into the charger and kicks off her boots. Her bed is piled high with moving boxes, so she collapses on the couch instead, falling asleep immediately.

The Daily Bugle wasn’t Piper’s only job, she also volunteered at the FEAST shelter, a practice she kept up even after Aunt May passed. Today was one of those days, her 12:00 alarm screaming at her to get up. Eyes still shut, she flails around looking for her phone to turn the alarm off. She slides off the couch lazily, using the end table to steady herself. The muscles in her thighs ache as she stumbles her way to the bathroom. She turns the shower on to the hottest she can stand it, strips her clothes off and climbs in. Piper spends a good 5 minutes just letting the water run over her, waiting for her brain to wake up. Her stomach feels like it’s trying to digest itself. When she’s done with her shower she wraps herself in a towel and heads to the kitchen. She opens a package of toaster pastries and doesn't even bother toasting them, just eats them straight out of the wrapping. She picks out a tshirt, flannel, and a pair of jeans to wear to work. Two more packets of toaster pastries and forty minutes later Piper walks into work, checking in at the front desk before heading to the employee lounge. She’s hanging her coat in her locker when she hears a gasp behind her. “Oh my god, Piper!!” Her coworker Virginia slams into her, enveloping her in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” Piper pushes her away gently and looks at her, confused. “Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” “It was in the Bugle this morning, we were all so worried about you.” Ginny picks up a copy of the paper laid on a bench and hands it to her. The headline reads: DOC OCK KIDNAPS BUGLE REPORTER: A True Night of Horror for the Bugle’s Own Piper Parker! It's accompanied by a blurry photo that is obviously taken as a still from a video. But plain as day it’s her face, her in Otto’s arms as he carries her up the side of a building. At the bottom of the article it says ‘Story by Eddie Brock.’ Piper feels a white hot rage burn through her. Of course it was Brock. Everywhere she turned it seemed like he was there to get on her nerves. She groans and closes her eyes, crumpling the paper in her hands. Piper takes a deep breath and counts to 10. Ginny takes the ruined paper out of her hands. “I can’t believe that you got kidnapped by Doc Ock! That’s literally so crazy! Did Spider-Woman save you? How did you get away?” For a moment Piper considers telling her that she used to know Otto before his days as a supervillain but then thinks the better of it. “Yes, Spider-Woman saved me. Look Ginny, I really don’t want to talk about this.” “Oh, of course. Sorry Piper, I guess it would be pretty upsetting.” Ginny tosses the paper in the recycling on their way to the floor. All throughout the day the other volunteers are staring at her, whispering behind their hands. If only they knew what really happened, that would really give them something to whisper about. 

Around dinner, while Piper is helping set up, the tv in the dining hall is turned to the local news. She isn’t paying attention until she hears Jameson’s voice saying her name, and for a second she’s confused about where she is. She turns to look at the tv, and they’re running the story about the ‘kidnapping.’ Piper drops the plate she’s holding back onto the table, and crosses the hall so fast she slams her hip into the corner of a table and spills all the glasses. She picks up the remote and changes it to the channel that plays reruns of The Golden Girls.  

Everyone stares as she sets the remote down. She pretends she doesn’t notice and starts cleaning up the mess on the table. When her shift ends, she considers going straight to the Bugle, demand they print a retraction, and beat the snot out of Eddie Brock. They’re spared her temper tantrum when her phone buzzes with a text from MJ. 

MJ: coffee. *pleading face emoji* P: at the bean? MJ: where else? P: okay. omw. MJ: see u soon bestie!! *kissy face emoji* Mary Jane is already waiting for her when she gets to the cafe, at their usual table. Piper orders an iced tea and a donut and then joins her. “You look like shit Piper.” “Gee thanks MJ.” Mary Jane smiles at her. “I should, I got home at 7 and only got a few hours of sleep.” Too late, Piper realizes her mistake. Oh my god Piper. Open mouth, insert foot. MJ gives her a confused look. “Seven? But it was only like 2am when we left the party. Why did you get home at-” Mary Jane’s eyes go wide, and Piper shoves the donut in her mouth. “Oh. My. God. You didn’t.” Piper stares at the table, the wood grain has a very interesting pattern. “Piper. Tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.” Piper sips her iced tea and tries to choke down the donut. Mary Jane stares at her with her mouth hanging open. Piper swallows and sets the glass on the table. “Yeah, I did.” MJ gaps at her. Then she shrieks and slaps Piper’s arm. The couple next to them turn and give her a dirty look. Mary Jane’s eyes are alight, her mouth stretched into a huge smile. “You dirty little slut!” “Shhhhh! Keep your voice down!” Piper tells her as the couple glare at MJ again. “What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t sleep with him. He’s, you know. And you’re-” MJ makes a gesture with her hand, like an upside down devils horns. Piper slaps her hands down, covering them with hers. “Don’t you think that I’m perfectly aware of that?” She hisses. “Okay but how did this even happen like. Seriously Piper what were you thinking?” Piper shrugs. “I don’t know things just got. Heated. Out of hand. It’s not like we planned it.” 

As MJ sips her iced coffee, the waitress approaches their table. “Weren't you in here two days ago? Am I gonna have to get a restraining order?” Sara says jokingly. “Well, you know, we just enjoy being around you so much.” Mary Jane bats her eyelashes, blatantly ignoring the engagement ring Sara wore. Piper was never sure if MJ was serious when she flirted with Sara. Sara was petite, no taller than 5’2” and had a round, pretty face. Piper wasn’t sure what her natural hair color was, because about once every three months or so she changed the color. Currently it was a deep emerald green, and curled around her face in soft waves ending at her shoulders. Sara was fun and a little mysterious, Piper could understand why Mary Jane liked her. “Oh is that why?” Sara laughs as she clears plates and cups off the table next to them. “Here I was thinking it was because we have good coffee for cheap. I’m going to have to start being a bitch, being nice keeps getting me in trouble. Last week I had to chase a guy outta here with a broom.” 

Piper and MJ crack up and Sara starts heading towards the backroom. “I really wish I was kidding.” She says, and disappears behind the swinging doors. Piper believed her, she had seen Sara tell off rude or unpleasant customers on more than one occasion, it wasn’t hard to imagine her swinging a broom at one of them. She wasn’t one to put up with bullshit. Mary Jane turns to Piper. “Okay. Spill.” “What?” “I want details, what was he like?” Piper sputters and turns red. “What?! No way, I’m not giving you details.” “You’ve never had a problem with it before.” MJ points out. “This is different.” “How is it different? Don’t be a prude, tell me!” As the two continue to argue, the bell dings on the door to the cafe as it opens, cool air blowing around the room. Mary Jane cuts herself off, eyes wide as they follow the person who just walked it. She gives Piper a terrified look. As nonchalantly as she can, Piper turns to see who it was. And when she finds him she understands Mary Jane’s terrified expression. “Oh shit.” Piper whispers. Mac Gargan, AKA The Scorpion. They watch as he steps up to the counter, ignoring the cashier, who ignores him in turn, doing her absolute best to not make eye contact. He taps the service bell twice. Sara pops into view behind the service window. Instead of shrieking in terror and running out the back door, which would be the logical choice in this situation, her mouth splits into a grin. She comes out from the backroom and leans across the counter. Her expression mirrors the same flirtatious one Mary Jane was wearing just a few minutes ago as they start to talk. “What are they saying?” MJ whispers. Piper had already started eavesdropping on them, thanks to her spider mutation it was more than easy to hear a conversation from across the room. She beckons Mary Jane forward and the two lean as close as possible so she can whisper in MJ’s ear. “She asked what he was doing here and he told her he came to see the prettiest girl in the world, and that he might as well get coffee while he was here. She’s asking if he’s going to be around later and he says yes but not until much later, he has a job to work.” Sara slides a to-go coffee cup across the counter, and Mac asks loud enough for MJ to hear how much he owes, but Sara just shakes her head. She crooks her finger and Mac leans across the counter, taking her face between his face. Piper is certain she’s about to see this girl get her neck snapped but. No. Mary Jane and Piper wear matching expressions of shock when the two kiss. When Sara pulls back and opens her eyes, she catches their gaze, and they quickly avert their eyes. Mary Jane lets out a breath, followed by a nervous laugh. “Well, looks like Doc Ock isn’t the only one of your enemies getting lucky.” She says, not quietly enough for Piper’s comfort. She shoots MJ an angry look and shushes her. If she could hear Mac’s conversation from across the room, he could definitely hear hers. As he turns to leave, Piper looks out the window, hunching her shoulders and hoping he doesn’t recognize her. Besides the fact that they kicked each other's ass on the regular, Piper and Mac had a history beyond their superhero/villain relationship. A few years back, Mac had started working at the Daily Bugle, and later Piper found out that Mr. Jameson had hired him to pretty much stalk her to find out how she got her Spidey pics. He never had much success, due to her spidersense. Jameson eventually gave up trying to have her followed and moved on to funding a genetic experiment to make the ‘Anti Spider-Woman.’ The experiment was untested and unregulated, but that hadn’t stopped Jameson offering Mac the ‘chance to be a real hero.’ The result had been Scorpion, who was the most sadistic out of all of her enemies. 

Out of everyone she had ever fought, Piper was pretty sure that given the chance, Scorpion would have no problem killing her. The others might at least hesitate. Therefore it was extremely shocking to see him not only in a public place and out of the Scorpion suit, but kissing her waitress too. “Is she looking over here?” Piper whispers to MJ, still looking out the window. “No, she went into the back again.” Piper turns back to Mary Jane and pulls out her wallet, dropping a couple bills onto the table. “I gotta go.” “What? You’re going to follow him?” “He said he was working a job.” Piper tells her as she slides her arms into her coat. MJ follows her out of the cafe. “So? It’s probably just like a stick-up or a heist or something.” “Okay but I still have to stop that. Mac is really good at escalating pretty much any situation he’s involved in. Also, robbery is bad.” “Ugh, fine. But our conversation isn’t over, I still want details.” Piper shakes her head and says her goodbyes to MJ. She ducks into a dark alleyway to strip down to her spidey suit. It was easy enough to follow Mac when he was on foot, it would’ve been significantly harder to keep out of sight if they were both jumping across rooftops. How did he get out of the suit anyway? Piper was under the impression that the suit was a permanent accessory, given that it had been fused to his body. Piper follows him a few streets down before he slips into an alleyway. There’s not much elbow room in between the buildings, just enough space for the fire escapes. From her elevated view she can see another figure in the alley, their identity obscured. She climbs down the fire escape above them. As Mac approaches, the shrouded figure stirs. “You’re late.” Piper feels a thrill go through her and a rush of heat across her entire body. It was Otto. “I got held up.” “Oh yes, and that cup of coffee had nothing to do with it, right?” Mac grumbles something unintelligible under his breath. Otto huffs irritably. “Everything is ready to go, we just have to give Sytsevich the signal.” Piper shivers. Otto, Scorpion and Rhino? Her odds were dwindling every second. She had to put a stop to this now. She leaps off the fire escape silently, wind whipping around her as she free falls, aiming for Mac. The tentacle comes out of nowhere at the last minute, apparently she wasn’t as stealthy as she thought. She dodges to the side, but another one slams her aside, right into Mac, and the two of them fall to the pavement in an awkward tangle of limbs. He snarls when he realizes it’s her, and the Scorpion suit appears out of nowhere. Where the hell did Mac Gargan get nanotech? The answer is Otto, obviously, who wraps each of them in a tentacle and separates them before they can swing at each other. Piper has the distinct image of a cat scruffing her kittens. Otto gives her an exasperated look. “Are you serious?” He asks. “Was hoping you’d show up, Spider!” Scorpion’s stinger comes flying at her, fast as lightning, but not as fast as Otto’s tentacles. One of them closes around the stinger inches away from her face. Piper can see the poison swirling around in the injection tube. “What the hell. Hey! Get off!” Mac struggles, but the tentacles don’t relent. “Boss wants her alive.” Otto says, tentacle dropping him further down the alleyway. He puts himself in between her and Scorpion. “Hello little spider. So good to see you again so soon.” The awkwardness of the situation hits her full force, and it’s not lost on Scorpion, who looks at them suspiciously. “Wish I could say the same.” She says, maybe a little too convincingly. A look of hurt crosses Otto’s face briefly. “So, an octopus, scorpion and rhinoceros walk into a bar. What’s the punchline? The punchline being your plan, of course.” Behind them, Scorpion laughs. “Snowball's chance we’d ever tell you, Spider.” “Yes unfortunately I have to agree with Scorpion. It’s none of your business.” “Aw man, I hate being excluded.” Scorpion sneers at her over Otto’s shoulder, stinger poised for attack. Otto opens his mouth to say something, but before he can an explosion shakes the ground as a car explodes at the far end of the alley. It’s accompanied by a heavily accented voice swearing in Russian. Using the distraction, Piper takes it as her cue to leave, wrenching one arm free and thwipping the rooftop, pulling herself out of the tentacle's grasp. She almost clears the roof when Scorpion slams into her, and they start to fall back towards the ground. She thwips the roof with her other hand, and sends a well-aimed kick to Scorpion’s face. The sudden loss of his weight sends her flying up and she flips over the edge of the roof, and hits the ground running. When she’s sure that none of them are in pursuit, Piper stops to catch her breath. She slides down against a wall, and a sharp pain goes through her side. When she touches it her hands come away sticky with blood. Scorpion’s claws had left three deep gashes down her side. She would have no problem healing them, save for being a little dizzy from blood loss. The real issue was that she would have to fix her suit and wash the blood out. That officially made five of her worst enemies who were seemingly teaming up together. And she was sleeping with one of them. Otto had mentioned a boss, Piper could only think of one person with enough pull to organize something like this. That man was Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. The question was, why?

[cpd5021]

Love Drunk

Happy almost Valentine’s Day! Here’s a long, annoyingly fluffy Upstead one-shot inspired by the song Afterglow by Ed Sheeran. Written for the “Upstead Valentine's Love Songs Challenge” on @upsteadofficial. Enjoy! 

Hailey slumped back in her chair, rubbing at her face and never feeling so thankful that it was a Friday. The past week had been long to say the least and Intelligence had been hammered with case after case. But finally their work week was over and she was about to go home. She glanced over to Jay’s desk, only to find him already looking her way with a soft smile spread across his mouth. 

“What?” 

She mouthed quietly, squinting her eyes at him when his smile increased. He shrugged and shook his head before shutting down his computer and standing to stretch. They made their way into the locker room and found Kim and Adam exchanging a playful banter over the fact it was Valentine’s Day this weekend. Hailey rolled her eyes, laughing when Adam made a comment about the discount candy he’d be buying on Monday. Every time she looked Jay’s way she caught him looking at her, an almost mischievous look behind his eyes. 

Finally they made it out to his truck, Hailey jogging to get out of the freezing wind and letting out a sigh of relief when she was tucked into the warmth of his cab. Jay climbed into the drivers side, sending her another grin as he pulled them out of the lot. 

“You’re up to something.”

She stated, eyes boring into him. He shrugged again, reaching to adjust the heat and giving her a wink. 

“Can you make sure my bag is back there?”

 Jay asked, motioning towards the back seat. It wasn’t an odd request, seeing as they usually packed a bag to stay at the others house on the weekends. But when Hailey turned to look into the back seat she spotted not only Jay’s but hers as well. She shifted back around and stared at the side of his face. 

“It is. And it would appear mine is as well.”

She watched his mouth creep up into a grin again and he sent her another wink. 

“Huh...weird.”

He shrugged again and she playfully smacked his shoulder. 

“Why is my bag in the back Jay?”

She pushed when he wasn’t going to answer. 

“Well, it’s your overnight bag.”

He stated simply, turning them into the parking lot of Portillo’s to grab them some dinner. 

“Yes, thank you. But why do I need it?”

She tried to sound annoyed but really her tone was light and held a hint of excitement. 

“Because you’re staying somewhere overnight.”

He grinned her way once more before pulling up and ordering their usual.

“Somewhere? So not your place?”

Hailey angled in her seat to fully face him now, becoming more curious by the second as to what he might have planned. 

“Not my apartment…”

Jay paid and passed the bag of food her way, then pulled into a spot for them to eat. 

“So where?”

Hailey asked, handing out the meals. Jay chuckled her way and she rolled her eyes in response. 

“You ask a lot of questions, you know that?”

It was Hailey’s turn to chuckle as she shook her head at him. 

“Just trying to catch up.”

She shrugged, opening her sandwich wrapper. 

“How about… you just enjoy the surprise.”

He kissed her mid sentence and she smiled into him before he pulled away. Hailey gave him a hesitant nod and they settled into eating. Once Jay was done he pulled them back out of the lot and pointed them in the direction of the expressway, only peaking Hailey’s curiosity more but she did her best to keep quiet. Jay turned on the radio after a while and Hailey settled back into her seat, letting the soft lyrics of Ed Sheeran fill her ears as the lights of the city began to fade from view. After a while she felt her eyes getting heavy and rested her head on her hand, propping it up against the window. Jay’s hand reached over and took her free one, tracing lazy circles over the back of her hand and the gentle touch lulled her to sleep. 

Hailey woke when the truck came to a halt. Rubbing her eyes she glanced at the clock on the dash and felt disoriented when it read just after 10pm. Jay’s hand squeezed hers and she looked his way before letting her eyes finally take in the sight before them. They were parked in front of a cabin, seemingly in the middle of the woods, with a string of white Christmas lights illuminating a covered porch. Her gaze drifted back to Jays and she smiled back at him when she saw him grinning her way. 

“Come on…”

He nodded and jumped out of the truck. Hailey climbed out of her side and met him at the front of the truck. Jay came to stand behind her as she took in the small house, unable to contain her smile at the almost magical sight before her. His hands rested on her hips and he placed a kiss on top of her head. Hailey leaned back into his touch, placing her hands over his as they wrapped around to her abdomen. 

“Jay…”

She couldn’t finish, still in awe over his surprise. She assumed this was his family's cabin, something she had heard about once but never seen. 

“I know it’s kinda cheesy, but I wanted to do something nice for you for Valentine’s Day and you don’t seem like the candy and teddy bear type.”

She laughed against him, squeezing his hands in hers. She definitely wasn’t that type. But this? This was perfect. 

“Are we here all weekend?”

Hailey turned in his arms to face him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she spoke. 

“If that’s okay with you.”

He smiled, looking relieved that she was appearing to like his surprise.

“The whole weekend, just us...no interruptions?”

Her voice dipped lower as she spoke and his eyes darkened in response. Hailey stretched up onto her tiptoes to give him a kiss and his arms pulled her in tighter to deepen it. They stayed locked together for a moment, letting their lips dance together in a slow pace, before Hailey pulled back to look up at him.

“Can I see the inside?”

She bit her lower lip, grinning when he moaned a little at the sight. He took her hand in his and led her up to the steps of the cabin. Snow was starting to fall around them and the sight of it under the glow of the string lights was beautiful. 

Inside the cabin, Hailey found herself awestruck once again at the beautiful simplicity laid out before her. Worn down furniture, an old handmade quilt draped over the back of the couch and a brick fireplace that was screaming to hold a crackling fire. She turned to face Jay and pulled him into another slow kiss. When they separated, he pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes beaming with happiness. 

“Thank you.”

She whispered against his lips before placing a quick kiss against them and then pulling away. 

“For what?”

He asked, following after her as she trailed around the small room. 

“For this surprise. It’s perfect.”

She grinned his way as she went on to explore the tiny kitchen, just enough room to cook a meal and perfect for her and Jay. 

“You’re perfect.”

He sent her a cheesy grin when she rolled her eyes at him. Jay stepped back out to grab their bags from the truck and tossed them onto the dining table when he returned. 

“How about you take these to the bedroom and then take a hot shower and I’ll start a fire.”

Hailey quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to picture Jay bent over the fireplace. It was almost something she wanted to stay and witness but instead she gave him a nod and took the bags down the hall. For such a small, simple cabin Hailey was surprised when she stepped into the bathroom to find it completely remodeled, huge walk in shower and a soaker tub big enough for two included. She located some towels stacked in a closet and then turned the water of the shower on, quickly undressing and then stepping into the hot stream. Her body began to melt instantly and she was pretty sure she could happily stay in here for the rest of the weekend. 

She half expected Jay to join her but when he hadn’t appeared by the time she was done, she shut the water off and wrapped a towel around herself. Padding into the bedroom, Hailey smiled when she noticed what appeared to be another handmade quilt laid over the bed. She rummaged through her bag in search of pajamas but came up empty handed.

“Hey Jay, did you pack me some of my sleep clothes?”

She called, jumping slightly when his response came from the doorway of the room. 

“No.”

He smiled, making his way across the room and digging into his own bag. 

“I packed you mine.”

Hailey couldn’t help but grin up at him because it was usually his shirts she was sleeping in anyway. Once dressed, she followed him back out into the living room and they settled onto the couch together. Jay leaned back into one corner and Hailey tucked herself into the side of his body, letting his arm pull her in closer. They stayed silent for a while, just enjoying the crackle of the fire. 

“I gotta be honest, fire starting isn’t a skill I pictured you having.”

Hailey teased, dancing her fingers up and down his chest. He scoffed underneath her, causing her to chuckle. 

“I’ll have you know, starting fires is something I’m very good at. It being in the fireplace is just an added bonus.”

Hailey laughed against him, resting her head against his chest and letting her eyes flutter close when he kissed the top of her head. 

“This really is perfect.”

She said after a while, feeling herself completely relaxed now. 

“We’ll have to run into town in the morning for some groceries. I didn’t want to wake you up until we got here. But the town is kinda cool so we can walk around a bit if you want.”

Hailey tilted her head up to look at him, smirking when he met her eyes. 

“Building fires and grocery shopping. I’m learning all sorts of things about you now.” 

He scoffed again and rolled his eyes down at her. 

“Come on, you gotta give me some credit…”

He tried to give her an annoyed look but it fell flat when she smiled up at him.

“I’m just saying, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go shopping. Any other hidden talents you want to share with me?”

Hailey’s voice lowered as she finished speaking and she watched as Jay’s eyes darkened, immediately picking up on her train of thought. Without saying another word he shifted them on the couch and then scooped her up, carrying her down the hall and into the bedroom as she squealed with the sudden movement. 

 ****

When Hailey rolled over she noticed she was alone in the bed. After a quick stretch she climbed out of bed and pulled her discarded shirt on from the night before. She found Jay in the kitchen, standing over the small stove and cooking what smelled like bacon and eggs. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his bare torso and pressing a kiss into his shoulder blade. 

“Morning.”

She whispered sleepily against him before going to perch herself on the counter by the kitchen window. Jay turned around, handing her a cup of coffee that she happily accepted. He stepped back towards the stove but his eyes were locked on her, watching as she sipped from the mug. Hailey felt her cheeks blush under his intense stare. He walked back over towards her, reaching up and tucking a loss strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes tracing all over her face. 

“What?”

She questioned, darting her eyes down towards her mug, suddenly feeling self conscious. Jay placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her head back up to look at him. 

“You’re beautiful.”

He gave her a quick kiss and then went back to finishing their breakfast. Once they ate, Hailey found herself staring out the window above the sink as she cleaned up the dishes. The sight of freshly fallen snow against the forest backdrop was truly breathtaking. Jay came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head against her shoulder. She grabbed the towel and dried her hands before turning in his embrace and sliding her arms up around his shoulders. They kissed slowly, both content with a lazy pace as they had no fear of being interrupted. Eventually though, Hailey trailed her hands down his bare chest and into the waistband of his grey sweatpants, escalating the moment into something more. 

Sometime later, Hailey was once again laying in bed but this time Jay was with her. His fingers trailed patterns over her bare back and her eyes were closed, just enjoying the touch. Her stomach let out a tiny growl and she felt Jay laugh beside her. 

“Hungry?”

Hailey grumbled into the crook of her arm before replying. 

“A little. But we just ate…”

Jay laughed again and she picked her head up to shoot him a look. 

“Well...in one context, yeah. But breakfast was a while ago.”

Hailey smacked his chest, shaking her head at him as she hauled herself out of the bed. She made her way over to where their bags were and pulled out some clothes.

“As fun as it would be to lay here all day and listen to your amazing jokes...I really am hungry. For food. And I believe I was promised a Jay Halstead shopping trip last night.”

She pulled on some jeans and a blue flannel button up as she watched him get out of bed and dig his own clothes out. Once they were both dressed and her hair was pulled into a ponytail, they made their way outside and scrambled into his truck. 

The drive into town was surprisingly short. Hailey felt like they were in their own little world so to realize that they weren’t actually that far from civilization made her chuckle. The town itself was quaint to say the least, with a few stores littered here and there and only one stoplight hanging in the middle of it all. Jay pulled them into the parking lot and Hailey jumped out, eager to see what shopping with Jay was actually like. He picked up on her excitement, playfully rolling his eyes as they made their way into the building. She decided to let Jay push the cart and he followed along after her as she trailed up and down the isles. Hailey had made a loose mental shopping list on the way and plucked the things they needed off the shelves, tossing them into the cart as Jay pushed along behind her. She turned to add a few things to the cart and caught him picking up a box of fruit snacks, giving her a sheepish look before letting them fall in with the rest. They wandered up and down the rest of the isles before Hailey decided they had everything they needed. Jay took a quick detour down one of the isles and returned with a box of hot chocolate. She raised an eyebrow at him but he simply winked in return before they headed to checkout. 

“So, was shopping with me everything you had hoped for and more?”

Jay teased once they were back in the truck. Hailey shook her head at him, letting out a chuckle and refusing to answer. The whole shopping trip had felt oddly domestic, something she wasn’t quite used to with him yet but something she had enjoyed every minute of. Jay drove them down the main street, pointing out the little shops here and there. He nodded towards a tiny diner, the only restaurant in town and his eyes shined with fondness. 

“We’ll come get lunch here tomorrow before we leave. My mom used to take Will and I there every time we came up. They have the best pancakes.”

Hailey glanced at the diner before looking back at him, smiling at him inadvertently sharing something about his childhood. Fond memories weren’t something either of them seemed to have many of but she was happy he held onto some good things from his past. 

“Pancakes for lunch?”

She teased, breaking the silence they had fallen into and pulling Jay back into the moment.

“Well, I have zero intentions of getting out of bed early tomorrow and they serve breakfast all day.”

He sent her a wink and then pointed them back towards the cabin. 

As Jay hauled their few bags of groceries in, Hailey found herself wandering around the back of the cabin looking around in awe at the scene laid out before her. It truly was a little piece of paradise, their own little corner of the world. She pictured a younger Jay and Will running around the yard playing and felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Lost in thought, Hailey jumped when Jay came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. 

“It’s pretty great, isn’t it..”

Jay stated, placing a gentle kiss on top of her head. She leaned back into his embrace, nodding against his chest. 

“Did you come here a lot growing up?”

She felt Jay let out a slow breath behind her before he answered. 

“Yeah, we’d come up a few times a year. I’ll bring you back in the summertime. There’s a little pond over there that’s perfect for fishing.”

Hailey smiled and turned in his arms to look up at him, her arms finding their place around his shoulders. 

“You fish?”

Jay’s head fell back slightly as he chuckled and when he looked back down there was a playful glint in his eyes. 

“I’m just full of surprises. It’s almost like you haven’t known me for all these years.”

His tone was teasing and Hailey smirked up at him before darting her eyes back down.

“Yeah well...this is kinda different.”

Jay tilted her head back up so she met his eyes, a quizzical look on his face. 

“How so?”

Hailey played with the buttons of his shirt, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the conversation. Not that she really had reason too, but the last two days with Jay had her mind wandering to the future and it was something new for her and it left her a little uncomfortable. 

“Just...us. I don’t know. We don’t get time alone like this, it’s nice.”

Jay dipped his head down to look at her, giving her a small smile. 

“She says with uncertainty.”

He spoke in a light tone but she could tell there was some unvoiced worry under his words. 

“I love you Jay.”

She wasn’t sure what made her say it so suddenly. It wasn’t the first time they had said it, but as the words left her mouth she felt something inside of her shift and she knew then that he was the one. The one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, to wake up every morning with and go to sleep next to every night. She glanced back out into the yard and suddenly it wasn’t a childhood version of Will and Jay running around but her own children, their children. The thought overwhelmed her and she felt tears gather in her eyes. Jay cupped her face between his hands, kissing her forehead and lingering there before pulling back to meet her eyes, letting her know he understood exactly what she was thinking and feeling without her needing to say another word. 

“I love you too Hailey.”

Hailey pulled him down into a kiss, smiling against his mouth as his strong arms wrapped around her. They stood like that, frozen in time and completely lost in each other, until Hailey felt huge clumps of snow hitting her head. She pulled back, smiling up at him again as more snowflakes danced around them. Jay took her hand, leading her back towards the cabin. They made it about halfway before Hailey had an idea, dropping Jay’s hand and quickly bending to scoop up some snow. Jay sent her a warning look but was unable to control the smile from reaching his eyes when she chucked the ball of snow in his direction, hitting him squarely in the chest. 

The only sound was their crunching boots in the snow, mixed with squeals and laughter as they battled it out, tossing snow back and forth until they were both soaked and freezing. Eventually Jay conceded, holding his hands up in surrender and making her send him a smug look. They hurried into the cabin, pulling their soaked clothes off and draping them by the fireplace. Hailey headed down the hall, intending to take a hot shower to warm up but Jay scooped her up from behind and raced her down the rest of the hall, tossing her onto the bed and immediately hovering over her as their lips melded together once again. 

When Hailey and Jay re-emerged from the bedroom darkness was falling outside. Hailey glanced out the window and was surprised to see how much snow had accumulated over the last few hours. Jay was in the kitchen, turning the radio on and letting it play softly as he pulled out the stuff for dinner. Hailey joined him, working beside him to chop up the produce and then making her way to the stove. They worked around the kitchen like it was the most natural thing and Hailey found a smile on her face that seemed to be a permanent feature now. They leaned against the counter, waiting for dinner to finish cooking and Hailey heard a song playing on the radio she recognized as something by Iron & Wine. Jay came to stand before her, taking her hands and surprising her when he pulled her away from the counter and started moving them together in a slow rhythm. 

“And now we’re dancing?”

Hailey grinned up at him, shaking her head playfully. 

“And now we’re dancing.”

Jay replied, tucking her head under his chin. Hailey let her head rest against his chest and her eyes wandered to the kitchen window. She could see the snow coming down hard as they swayed back and forth. She listened to the soft music and the steady beating of his chest, feeling that no matter what was going on in the world around them that she would be okay as long as he was here with her. Whether they were tucked into this little nook of the world or back in Chicago, it didn’t matter as long as Jay was by her side. Jay was the reward for everything she had gone through in the past, the breath of fresh air when she felt like she was suffocating, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the safe place to come home to when nothing else was right. Jay was home.