#so the whole time i was like. holding my breath. prepping for the inevitable

[deanpinterester]

REWATCHED NIMONA. SOLID 9/10

[stargirlfics]

cherry cola | pedro pascal

Sweet and steamy, just you and him 🍒

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, RPF, woc!reader, established relationship, soft boyfriend!pedro vibes, fluff, smut: size kink, thigh riding, oral (reader receiving), biting kink, unprotected PiV

Word Count: 3.1k

Wrote this for @natromanxv as a very belated birthday request! I love how it turned out and hope you enjoy, bestie! All my love!

Stars gleam softly in your eyes, the kitchen table the only thing keeping your bodies from scooting impossibly closer in the evening light. 

Neither of you had to speak, not in this moment at least, simply content to sit across from each other while the fuzzy scratch of a vinyl played.

Cherry pie and fizzy cola sweetened the air. Ruffled hair then a pair of gentle brown eyes belonging to Pedro swept over you, bringing out the warmth in your cheeks. 

He’d come over for dinner tonight, and though you were distracted more than a couple times with the inevitable shoulder bump rotating around your kitchen as you prepped ingredients together, there wasn’t a moment you weren’t smiling—or in a fit of laughter, god only knows who started it by now. 

You liked these moments best, when it was just the two of you getting to enjoy each other’s company. Something about his presence was so deeply calming you could feel everything slowing down. 

There was no rush, no urgency to do or be anything but yourself around Pedro and it never failed to thrill you. 

That’s how you felt now, watching him clear space on the table, dessert plates and that bottle of his favorite wine moved out of the way, making room for your hands to stretch out, the tips of your fingers meeting his before you’re passing lazy circles over the warm skin of his knuckles.

“How are you so beautiful? I could look at you for hours.” Pedro sighs and you’re beaming. 

The look on his face is soft and warm and you want to curl up against his chest, stray thoughts sparking at the thought of his arms around you; how lately his hold on you, the grip, the heaviness of his hands was stronger and you were more enticed by it than you realized. 

So you shrug, trying to hide the way your chest feels flush at his compliment, “Guess I do it without even trying…I never get tired looking at you either you know.” 

You tease back but there’s a little suggestion in your tone, making him shift in the chair, head tilting to the side while you watch him cross his arms, hands clasped and resting on his chest. 

Now with more relaxed posture your attention was drawn to his lap instead of his hands, right to the way his shirt had ridden up. Just a peek of his tummy under the fabric reminding you of how badly you’d been thinking of and wanting him all day. 

“Nah, this face? I think I have the best view by far.” He scoffs but his steadily widening smile matches yours. 

“Yeah that face, which by the way is depriving mine of kisses right now and I think that’s kind of mean.”

It’s the fake huff and pout you do that really sells it. His grin turns playful before leaning in, warm and steady hands finding a familiar home against the curve of your jaw. 

His nose just barely brushes yours before your mouths meet with a soft hum and suddenly you’re getting swept up in the way his lips taste like sugar and wine and how it lingers even after he pulls back.

“Can I help you clean up and you can pick what we listen to this time?” He coaxes you sweetly but you don’t need any convincing, his words are snagged just a second behind in your mind, however, still occupied with thoughts of him and only him. 

“Yes, please! Hope you don’t mind a little Lust for Life.”

—

Now it’s Pedro’s turn to be distracted, watching when you weren’t looking as you dried and put away dishes, your “concentrated on the current task” face so endearing he can’t help but sneak side glances as he finishes up washing the last few plates in the sink. 

He was happy that you looked at ease and took note of all the things about you that took his breath away, a whole list unending. 

The slope of your nose and those brown eyes, brown skin, the sound of your laugh like an anchor in unsteady waters, nevermind the caress of your hands, your skin on his, always reaching for him, it all made him feel like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.   

It’s not hard for him to find things about you he adores and especially tonight, it all bubbles up in his chest and he wants nothing more than to press you against him and kiss you dizzy. 

Nothing compares, nothing and no one can light that fire that burns so molten just for you, flashes of sunset on your features and the aura of love everywhere feeling like home. 

There’s flowers in a vase by the window, the same ones he stopped by to give you earlier that week, just a simple effort to brighten your day when he knew you’d been stressed. Reds and oranges pop as the sun bathes the sweet smelling blooms in light and Pedro smiles again, reminded of how your eyes lit up when he showed up at your door, your body melting into his when he scooped you up for a hug. 

Now, you’re speaking to him again and his focus is renewed, indulging in your suggestions for things to do with the rest of your evening together, knowing already that it didn’t matter what transpired, as long as he was here with you, he was happy.

Afterwards, your head is in his lap and the rest of your body is curled up close while a movie plays but neither of you are really paying that much attention to what’s happening on the screen. 

Pedro’s fingers brush across your shoulder and down your back while his other hand was draped across your hip had you once again distracted and restless, his hold is gentle but the sureness of his hands and the weight of his arms only made your core ache. 

You wanted him so bad and weren’t sure if you could keep it to yourself any longer. 

The couch is almost too comfy underneath you to shift from the position you’re in but the sight of his hands gives you the final push that you need, turning so you were facing him, cheek resting on his thigh. 

Looking up at him steals your words, caving when he notices and glances down at you with the softest expression, the one that’s especially soft for you. 

You almost don’t register him whispering hello to you, caught up in the streaks of gray in his beard and the ones peppered in his hair that are your favorite, down to his neck that you can’t ever seem to stop yearning to leave a trail of love bites over and the broad edges of his shoulders that carry so much without wavering. 

A million things race through your mind and you’re flustered when you whisper back, hoping he won’t be able to feel the way your cheeks tingle with heat but the pad of his thumb is already sweeping over your temple. 

“You know I’m really impressed with how patient you’ve been tonight. I’m trying to keep up but, baby,” his amused hum brings relief, “You’re making that a challenge.” 

He knows what kind of mood you’re in and it’s been mutual the entire night and even you’re surprised at the thrill that runs up your spine at this realization and at his praise for your restraint. You want more. 

“I just wanted to savor it.” 

“And now how bad do you want me?”

“More than anything..” 

It sounds like a plea and you’re not ashamed to beg but you are a bit shy about having your desire so displayed. 

Though there wasn’t any need for worry, Pedro always encouraged and nourished any of your wants, so leaning into the tension felt easy, just as easy as it was for your heart to quicken automatically at the sound of his voice. 

Watching him then, breaths shallow and the very center of you aching to be touched before you’re holding back a gasp, big hands hauling you to sit up, then nudging you across his lap. 

“I need you too. C’mere.” 

You’re already pressed close but he says it with so much love that you wrap yourself around him further, not needing to be told twice. 

There’s hunger in this kiss, pulling you in, knocking something loose inside you that pushes you to sink right into the affection you knew had no end. 

Hands roam, his, sweeping down over your neck and shoulders and yours bracing against his torso. His tummy is soft and toned and you can feel the way he hums in his chest when your touches move further up, just itching to rest on those strong shoulders of his. 

Your living room felt like a hundred degrees with each well placed kiss to your lips and then across your jaw, so searing even when he’d given you a second to catch your breath. Not that it mattered because your next breath came as a whimper when his mouth found a sensitive sliver of skin at your neck. 

His responding grunt and laugh make you squirm without thinking, rocking against the thickest part of his thigh, both of you sighing in relief at the contact and you find yourself chasing that jolt of pleasure with another unconscious circle of your hips.

Pedro helps you then, both hands keeping a steady pressure on your waist to give you some leverage while you find the right rhythm. 

It made you whimper seeing how much he wanted you to do what felt good, encouraging you to go the pace you wanted which only drove the sound of your little whines and huffs of breath to desperation. 

Pedro can’t decide what’s better, those sweet little sounds or the sight of you riding him looking so grateful for it or if it’s how you’re clinging to his shoulders with the same desperation that’s laced in your moans. 

Either way you made him throb, god if you knew just how much you affected him on the daily. 

As if you could tell what he was thinking you reached a hand down to steady yourself against his waist and the low gasp you let slip said everything. 

He’s hard and his jeans are strained and it makes you smile to yourself proudly, working your hips down on him a little harder thinking about how deep he’d be if you were riding his dick instead.

“Yeah there you go…so fuckin pretty, baby.” he praised you again and again, leaning his head back against the couch so he could keep watching. 

He coaxes you to look at him too and you can barely keep eye contact with how adoring and filthy his gaze is but you try, for him you try and you swear you can feel just how soaked you are from this alone. 

“Please, I need more.”

It drives you crazy still having all these clothes on and you can tell he feels the same, helping you take his shirt off when you tug at it. His hands then find their way underneath the hem of yours and pull it up and over your head swiftly. 

You move off him with some reluctance after that but your skin is still tingling and you’re being spun around just seconds later to face his knees. 

Catching on is easy despite your state of arousal; it’s haziness. You follow his lead, bending over a little and sticking your ass out, waiting patiently for him to scoot forward on the couch and slip your bottoms off. 

He’d never make you wait long, even if the seconds feel like minutes. Your feet shift in anticipation when the last scrap of fabric drops to the floor, heart racing.

His breath fans across your skin and you bite your lip when he kisses the curve of your ass, thick fingers grabbing and kneading flesh before tugging you open so he could see. A hushed string of curses make their way to your ears and you’re arching your back just a little more, hoping he’ll do what you think he’s gonna do. 

You peek back over your shoulder and watch too, his eyes flicking up to yours and you notice the flash of his tongue sweeping across his lips like he’s making sure he really has your attention when he moves in to bury his face in your pussy. 

The resounding groan from both of you is loud, wanton and you’re already reaching back to slide your fingers into his hair while he tastes you further, his tongue dragging the sweetest circles over your clit, paying close attention to the way your body responds. 

If you were soaked before you’re a complete mess now. 

Prickles of heat skitter across your spine and settle in your abdomen with each pass of his tongue over your folds and his nose nudging against you unabashedly.  

It’s enough to bring you to your knees, you can feel the way your thighs start to tremble but you keep grinding back, your grip on his hair balancing the tilt of your hips while his hands keep you spread open for him. 

He’s obsessed with how you taste, how you shudder when his mouth closes around your clit, how he can feel you clenching when his tongue presses against your entrance, greedy only for what he can give you. 

You’re so good for him, always so good and he can’t help but reward you, spoil you, content to eat you out until you tell him otherwise. 

Savoring every bit of this, you don’t realize how worked up you really are until you’re whining, needing more, needing him to stuff you full and make you forget where your bodies begin and end. 

Chants of “please” leave your lips in whispers, until the words are choked out moans. “Please, please fuck me. I want you so bad, Pedro…just please…” 

“Mm I will, honey. Turn around for me, I want you right here.” his voice is deep rasp now and you’re moving immediately. 

The air feels charged now, your blood singing, every part of your body feeling every bit of the tension coursing through you. 

Your knees dip into the cushions and you tilt your hips up high again, laying your cheek on the back of the couch, smiling as you watched him position you how he wanted and then finally, slip out of his pants. 

Something about being on your knees, perched over the couch like this while he stands so tall and broad over you makes everything feel so much hotter, your hips swaying a little, trying to be seductive and inviting now that he was stroking his cock, coming closer and closer until the tip was sliding across the slick puddle between your thighs. 

“Is this what you’ve been wanting? Just wanna be fucked already, huh?” he grinds against you, slicking himself up and you’re nearly panting now, nodding your head. “I’ve got you, baby.” 

You reach down to help him find the right angle as he presses against your entrance, pushing in slow and steady, letting you adjust to the stretch with every inch he gives you. 

“Ohh…” the rest of your moan is muffled but he can hear it, the slight strain in the symphony of your pleasure when his hips sit flush with yours. 

Pedro takes in the sight of you again, grinning when you look back at him, craning your neck.

He knows exactly what he has to give you, making sure you can see the flash of his length shiny with your juices as he pulls back just to push into you again, not holding back as much now that he knew you were ready for more. 

He loves that you can’t help but watch, proud of you for taking him so well and begging for more already, a hand smoothing down your back, massaging the curve of your hips before he grips you tightly. 

Your eyes flutter closed when he leans down so you’re caged by his chest, the only thing you can see or feel is his body now, moving against yours just how he knows you like it. 

It feels so good, every bounce of your ass against his hips, the way he peppers kisses across your shoulder and over your neck, fucking you just a little deeper each time. 

“Fuck, you feel good,” he groans against your ear and you’re whimpering again, letting him hold you where he liked, taking what he gives you, gasping each time he knocks against that spot that makes your muscles tremble. 

“Oh my god! Don’t stop, don’t stop!” your breaths are strangled, pushed from your chest with deep thrusts.  

His lips graze over your shoulder again and you think he’s going to leave more kisses but this time you feel teeth graze over the soft spot between your neck and your collarbone, biting down gently but enough to make it ache. 

It makes you push your hips back into him, crying out when his mouth stays there on your neck. His hips drop to grind against you giving you nowhere to squirm to and you’re sure you’re seeing stars when he snakes a hand around to your front, first pressing against your tummy before his fingers are circling your clit in tight motions. 

“That’s it, baby. My good girl, go for it.” he encourages when he feels your walls start to clench around him, knowing you’re so close you can almost touch it. 

High moans and curses bubble up from your throat as you’re sent crashing into your orgasm, your mind already floating listening to him talk you through it, tethering you to him and grounding you in your body as you rode out the waves of pleasure racking your body, his thrusts only slowing but never stopping. 

It takes a second for you to feel like you can breathe again but as you look back at him, this time it isn’t so hard to keep your eyes on his, your mood even filthier now than before and you knew he was picking up on it too.

Slick sweat covers your bodies and you’re aching for more when you reach back to touch him, your fingers pinching his skin just as he started to pick up pace again, never tiring of the slap of skin and how you clutched at whatever part of him you could. 

He hoped you knew just how much he desired you and cherished you always and if you didn’t, he was about to spend every hour he could reminding you. 

Dusk was settling on the horizon now and you were buried in the cushions, telling the man you loved just how much you needed him, just how much you wanted to cream around him again and again and it is exactly where you want to be tonight and every night.

Right at home.

———

A/N: Peep the Lust for Life Lana album mention 🍒🥰 I was listening to Cherry and then Cola pretty much all throughout the writing process and well here we are! Also wanted to say that I approached this fic with it being RPF with as much respect for Pedro as possible and hope that comes through in my words. I wanted this fic to have a ~passionate and loving but hot and dirty~ feel to it and I think it’s giving that so !!! I had a lot of fun with this!

Thank you so much for reading <3

some no pressure tags! @moreofem @wyn-n-tonic @kittenlittle24 @kneelforloki @pipsqueakkitten @daddy-din @blkmorticia

[benijbol]

✣ QUICKIE

⊹ A/N; started uni and subconsciously picked up writing again, by the end of the week this is what i put together. I NEED TO BE CHAINED TO A POLE OR SOMETHING.

⊹ WARNINGS; smut (18+), oral (m receiving), hand job (m receiving), roleplay(?), modern AU.

⊹ WC; 1298

=͟͟͞͞ ✧

“Didn’t know I signed up for an anatomy lesson,” Davos muttered, voice thick with amusement and barely suppressed impatience, his eyes watching the hand around his cock with too much focus for it to be casual.

Your fingers, slick with spit, ran teasingly up the thick vein on the underside, squeezing just enough at the base to make him hiss through his teeth. “Shut up, Professor,” you drawled sarcastically, your own grin twitching on the edge of your lips, “Trying to make sure I get a passing grade.”

He barked out a laugh, short but loud, head tipped back against the worn-out couch you’d both collapsed on earlier, a thick sheen of sweat making the light dusting of dark hair at his temple stick to his skin. His hair always got messier when he was turned on, and it didn’t help that you liked to pull it when he got mouthy.

“Passing?” he snorted, hips jerking forward into your fist, unable to keep still, “If this is the exam, you’re aiming for f-uckin’ honors.” His voice cracked halfway through the curse, a throaty groan replacing the rest as your thumb swiped over the tip of his cock, gathering the precum that was dripping steadily now.

“Is that right?” You leaned forward, mouth following the path your hand had just taken, and gave the flushed head a slow lick, relishing the sharp intake of breath from Davos. His leg twitched beneath you, trying and failing not to push his hips into your mouth.

He always had a filthy mouth—talking big and loud like he was king of the world, especially when his cock was in your hand or mouth. His chest rose and fell erratically, trying to keep up with whatever rhythm you were working him over with, a half-feral sound rumbling out of him.

He was loud as hell, and impossible to shut up, but right now, that big mouth was working overtime to hold in the noises spilling out of him, his lips curling into a half-grimace as he bit down on a groan.

“Go on,” you hummed, lips brushing the head of his cock, breath hot and teasing as you tightened your grip. “Tell me more, Professor. I’m sure you’ve got a whole lecture prepped.”

“Y-yeah?” His voice cracked again, louder this time, chest heaving. “Yeah? How about I—shit—how about I lecture you on how much you love my cock? How’s that for a fuckin’ syllabus?”

You snorted against him, sucking harder this time, your hand moving in long, slow strokes, dragging it out just to watch him fall apart. His legs had spread out wide at this point, one arm thrown back against the armrest, and his head lolled to the side, eyes half-lidded with lust. The other hand? Gripping your hair like it was the only thing anchoring him to this world. “Tease.”

“You sound so fucking desperate,” you muttered, tightening your hand just as you took more of him into your mouth, hollowing your cheeks out and letting him feel the wet heat of your throat.

His response was instant. A loud, broken groan that echoed off the shitty apartment walls, hips bucking uncontrollably as you finally stopped teasing him and really went for it. His cock, already rock hard, twitched in your mouth as he fought to keep his composure. 

Spoiler alert: He was doing a shit job of it.

“I—fucking hell—you’re the desperate one. Look at you. Got my cock in your mouth and you’re—ahh—still running that smart-ass mouth.”

You moaned around him, sending vibrations through his cock that had him cursing in response, the sound raw and guttural. His thighs trembled beneath you, muscles tense and flexing with every desperate movement, every inch of his body working toward the inevitable.

But you weren’t done with him yet. Oh no. This wasn’t some quick blowjob behind closed doors in the library stacks (not that you hadn’t done that before). 

Davos' head was thrown back again, eyes squeezed shut tight as you bobbed your head up and down, taking him deeper every time, your tongue working him over while your hand stroked whatever you couldn’t fit into your mouth. The sound of your slick movements and his ragged breathing filled the room, mixing with the occasional half-gasped curse as he fought to keep himself from just straight-up losing it.

“Hnnf—you, fuck—” His hand gripped tighter in your hair, pulling a little too hard, but it was all part of the fun. His cock throbbed in your mouth, and you knew he was close, could feel the way his whole body had started to tense up. You squeezed his balls gently, making him let out another loud moan, his control hanging by a thread.

Pulling back just enough to catch your breath, you pumped him lazily with your hand, watching the way his mouth opened and closed like he was trying to form words, but none of them made it out. “Cat got your tongue?” you teased, grinning at the way he squirmed under you.

“Fuck off,” he half-growled, half-laughed, thrusting into your hand again, clearly past the point of caring about anything other than the finish line. “Just—f-fuckin’ finish me off.”

You raised an eyebrow at him but obliged, lips sliding over his length once more, your hand matching the pace as you picked up speed, sucking him off in earnest now. His hips jerked with every stroke, that constant loudness getting even more obscene as he neared the edge.

“Fuck—you’re gonna make me—ah, shit, I’m close, I’m—” The rest of his sentence dissolved into a string of swears, and then, with a final moan that echoed through the room, his whole body tensed up as he came. His cock pulsed in your mouth, and you swallowed everything he gave you, savoring the taste as you stroked him through it, making sure to draw out every last drop.

You kept going, even when he was done, until he was twitching and gasping, the oversensitivity making him shudder beneath you. “Goddamn,” he muttered, voice hoarse and ragged, his chest still heaving, “I think I'm dying.”

Pulling away with one last playful lick, you wiped the back of your hand across your mouth, looking up at him with a smirk. “If you die, at least you’ll die happy.”

“Happy?” He let out a breathless laugh, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm, the muscles in his bicep flexing in a way that was definitely going to keep your attention for the rest of the day. “Happy doesn’t even fucking cover it. I’m half-dead, but yeah, pretty goddamn happy.”

You stretched out beside him, the shitty couch springs squeaking in protest, but you didn’t care. It was too hot, and you were too tired to move, so you just lay there, legs tangled together, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath. His hand came up to lazily run through your hair, tugging gently at the roots in that way you both knew you liked.

“You still owe me dinner,” you said after a minute, nudging him with your elbow.

He groaned. “I just let you suck me off for a good half hour, and you’re still thinking about food?”

“I’m always thinking about food. Besides, you’re the one who brought up that fancy sushi place last week. I’m just holding you to your word.” You grinned up at him, unbothered by his mock irritation.

Davos huffed, turning his head to look down at you, his crooked nose scrunching up slightly. “How about I just order us pizza and call it even?”

You raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m gonna let you get away with that?”

“You just swallowed my—”

“That’s not the same thing!”

[mcyt-imagines]

okay can i request a technoblade x male!reader, where techno and the reader are fighting someone *maybe quackity its not important tho) together and the reader gets injured, techno gets worried but realizes the reader can handle himself? sorry if thats too specific

I have combined this request and another request for a male reader fluff fanfic, so the ending is a little softer than a fighting fic may usually be! However, this is basically gender-neutral, whenever I added gender-specific pronouns it seemed really forced?? So I just left that out, I hope that’s okay! Enjoy :D

Underestimated 

It had only been a few days since Quackity’s butcher army attempted to publicly execute Technoblade. He hadn’t left your side since he returned home, hand in yours or arm wrapped around your waist as if to remind himself you were still here with him despite everything. Techno had been making preparations for another attack when he knew they would inevitably return to try again. But Techno never knows when to stop and start taking care of himself, that’s when you stepped in to pull him away from his plans and into your arms. It was as if the second his head hit your chest all adrenaline he had been running on the past few days, ran out. That was about 6 hours ago, and the two of you still had no intent on moving any time soon.

Your hands toyed with his hair as he continued to read slowly to you, glasses reflecting the soft warm glow from the nearby fire. It’s crackles had slowly been lulling you to sleep against Techno’s chest, mouth pressed loosely against his calm pulse. His hand rubbing soft circles into your skin at your back beckons you deeper into your subconscious, the soft rumbling of his voice fading fast in your ears.

A slam of the front door sends both yourself and Techno bolting up, tangled in long limbs and a lack of space as Phil comes into view from around your fireplace. “Quackity’s headed here!” Phil chokes out, obviously having run a considerable distance to deliver such a message, Techno stands, and you follow suit. “Already? He’ll be underprepared.” Techno mused, moving to start gathering his supplies. Tools recently sharpened, potions brewed days ago, and stacks of fireworks prepped for firing.

You mirror his actions, gathering your weapons with a bridled enthusiasm. You hadn’t been home when Quackity and his army had taken Technoblade and you had beat yourself up over that fact. Knowing that perhaps the outcome could have been different if you’d been there, you were going to make sure that was the case this time. Mind distracted by theoretical outcomes you equip your armour with practiced familiarity, knowing you’ve done this hundreds of times before. But only this time did it truly matter. 

A hand presses to your shoulder and you turn, “You’re staying inside the house. You know I can’t lose you, not now, not ever.” His hand moves from your shoulder to your hips, squeezing softly. Your eyes search his and only find pain and worry. “I’m fighting with you; you know I can handle myself Tech.” He looks away from your face, unable to meet your gaze.  He knows you’re right.

And he also knows you won’t take no for an answer. Especially considering they were able to take him to Manberg last time. “Fine.” He huffs out, “But you have to keep this.” Techno takes the golden charm off of his shirt, the small totem’s eyes glinting as he pins it to your shirt. You open your mouth to question him, “I have another for myself, don’t worry.” He meets your eyes then but only for a second, pulling you tightly to his chest. “Be safe my love.” His lips press soft atop your hair, “I always am.” You raise your head and meet his lips, hand cupping the back of his neck before pulling away with a smile. “Time to kick ass, huh?”

Even on the battlefield, you can tell that Technoblade is still worried, he is distracted by your presence in the fight. You intend to prove during this fight that his anxiety is for naught, Quackity didn’t even bother with a spiel about how Techno deserves this and he’s going to get justice instead opting to fight instantly. His butcher army stood by his side and seemed to assume Technoblade would be alone, Phil and yourself rid them of that assumption as quick as it had come. You were quick to notice they were down a man, Ranboo was missing. Technoblade was right, they were underprepared.

Fundy’s blade clashed with your own, drawing your eyes off of Techno and onto him. “He has to face justice; can’t you see that!?” There was no skill or nuance to his attacks only power behind them making them hard to block but easy to predict. However, you were breaking a sweat as he finally managed to nick your shoulder, with a particularly quick thrust of his sword your armour fracturing upon impact. You muffle your cry of pain with a grunt, nailing the fox hybrid with a deep slash across his chest. Fundy fell backward with a cry, shaking as you stab downwards into his chest and finish the job, his body disappearing and his items popping out of seemingly thin air.

You look over to where you last saw Phil, Tubbo now squirming futilely beneath his sandal. Your head whips around as Quackity screeches, bloody body barely making it to the ground before disappearing. It seems you’d at least get a good haul of loot from these idiots. Techno’s eyes are frantic searching for you for a moment, you watch as his body visibly relaxes when he spots you. “Are you alright?” His hands are all over you, feeling for any injuries. You intake sharply when he gets to your shoulder and he growls, “That bastard.” You place your hand over his, “It’s merely a scratch Tech. I’m fine. Are you okay?” You are acutely aware of the growing patch of crimson on his torso, white shirt stained dark. “Nothing I can’t patch up.” He grumbles, hands tentatively pressing on and around the area.

Techno refuses to let you patch him up first, practically throwing you onto the kitchen table so he can get a closer look at your shoulder. It’s barely even a scratch. But you’re quick to realise it’s a great excuse for him to touch you so gently. Pressing on your skin as if too much pressure would cause you to shatter completely. “You dropped your arm to avoid the brunt of the force behind his blade,” Techno observes looking to you to confirm, you shrug lightly in response. “I’ve seen you do it before. Watched you do it the other day when you were sparring with Phil.” 

He nods solemnly, deciding he truly can’t do anything about your shoulder. Due to it being a scratch and nothing more, as you had said several times. “Well, for someone who just watched me do it you completed the move pretty well.” His eyes can’t meet yours and you smile softly, “Eh, my reflexes are just pretty good. Not a whole lotta skill involved for me.” You are quick to change the subject, ushering him onto the table so you can look at his torso wound.

Your fingers are nimble, working through each stitch with a practiced precision that Techno watches with a keen but relaxed eye. You’re usually the one to patch him up, he can do it sure, you’re just better. And maybe he secretly likes how close you have to get to him and how gentle your hands work against his skin. “I was watching you… during the battle I mean, you made short work of Fundy.” Your hands still for a moment fumbling with the bandage, your eyes move to his and he looks away quickly. “You were? I uh, he isn’t traditionally trained or anything, so he wasn’t much of an opponent.”

You force yourself to keep your brain on track, tightening the bandage around his middle as gently as you can. One of his hands grabs your wrist, you still immediately and meet his eyes. “I… you really can’t take a compliment, can you?” His sigh is soft, and his eyes are warm, “What I’ve been trying to say is that I’m sorry for underestimating your skills and that I’m proud to fight by your side.” Even as he says such sweet things, he still can’t seem to hold your gaze. The grin on your face is enough to bring his gaze back however, “Best be getting used to fighting with me then because I don’t plan on budging anytime soon.” Your lips press firmly to his cheek a few times before he turns his head to catch your lips.

“We can start training tomorrow because I’m still exhausted.” Techno groans, shifting to get off of the table, your hand finding his with ease and leading him back over to the fire where the two of you had been hours earlier. That’s when you notice his hair, you gasp softly and take a seat in front of the fire. Techno moves to sit behind you, you quickly pat the ground in front of you. “Your braid’s come loose, let me fix it for you.” 

He moves with vigor at your words, knowing your nimble hands against his scalp will send him to sleep in minutes. The warm glow of the fire highlights his bright eyes as they peek back at you every few moments, “Head forward, my prince.” You press a few soft kisses to the back of his head and his hands snake around to knead your soft thighs. You huff out a breath of air as your cheeks heat up at his ministrations  

“I’m trying to focus on your hair here.” You grumble, “What?” You can hear the smirk in his voice, so in retaliation, you focus your full attention on his hair, not noticing his hands on your thighs begin to slow their movements until they stop, and you’ve finished the braid. “Techno?” The soft snoring you hear in response warms your chest and you carefully manoeuvre him to lay down on the plush fur rug in front of your fireplace. 

He’s normally a light sleeper, which means he truly must’ve been exhausted by that fight. You quietly lay next to him, tangling your legs and wrapping an arm over his chest being careful near his wound. “I love you, Techno.” A kiss to the side of his face doesn’t wake him as the crackling fire and howling of the chilly wind outside lulls you into a peaceful sleep.

~Requests are always open!~

[writtenjewels]

Escort part 2

Part One

John lay stretched out on his couch, staring up at the ceiling with his mind drifting as he listened to music. Inevitably his thoughts made their way back to the job he had a few days ago. It wasn't the first time he'd been hired by friends wanting to give someone a good time. John wondered if these friends knew that the “good time” boiled down to a homemade meal and watching sports.

He couldn't remember the last time a job turned out like that. It wasn't exactly common in this line of work, but every now and then he did get a client who just wanted to make out or cuddle. He and Kaidan had barely touched except to shake hands. He would think that Kaidan just wasn't interested, except every now and then during the evening Kaidan would look at him a certain way or make a comment that sounded flirtatious.

It was strange. Maybe he was shy, or embarrassed that his friends hired John? It was a familiar reaction. Hell, sometimes the people who hired him for themselves were embarrassed. How many times had he heard them lament over not being able to find a “real” date? John found it hard to believe Kaidan wouldn't be able to find a date if he wanted. The guy was pretty as fuck. Of course the same could be said for John himself.

He caught a flashing light out of the corner of his eye and sat up. He must have missed the new private message alert. It was from his escort account, which meant he had a new job waiting. John got up and opened the message.

John, I have tickets to a hockey game and my friend had to cancel at the last minute. Interested? Let me know.

Kaidan

That was strange. He read over the message again. There was no credit advance attached so he could ignore this if he wanted. But he was very curious as to why Kaidan was contacting him after their evening together. Had he been thinking about John? Did he want something more to happen this time? John decided to do some prep just in case. His clients really liked it when he did that.

He felt a sense of deja vu as he stood at Kaidan's door and knocked. Kaidan answered the door and John took a minute to just look at him. The guy was more casually dressed this time, wearing a jersey John assumed was in support of one of the hockey teams.

“Wow,” he smiled. “You look great.”

“So do you,” Kaidan returned. “Though I'm curious: do you have any clothes that fit you?” John laughed and plucked at his shirt. All his escort clothes were meant to be a little tight to show off his body. “Nevermind.” Kaidan waved the subject away. “I just hope you don't distract the players.”

“Oh.” John smiled, sliding his arm around Kaidan's without even thinking. “You're saying I'm distracting?”

“The way you dress? Yes, very.” Kaidan didn't pull away. They headed outside and took rapid transit. John had considered renting a car again but that hadn't swept Kaidan off his feet last time. They talked more on the way, mostly about the rules of hockey since John didn't understand the sport at all.

When they arrived Kaidan suggested they get some snacks. John got in line to pay while Kaidan headed for their seats. He did notice people eyeing him while waited for his turn. But he was sure there were quite a few eyes on Kaidan, too. The guy had a great ass... not that John looked. Much. He got the snacks and headed off to find Kaidan. He caught the man staring at him and smiled.

“Were you just checking me out, Alenko?” he teased as he settled into his seat.

“I was hoping to catch you out of your element,” Kaidan corrected. He took his beer and sipped. “I'm starting to think everything is your element.”

“It's part of the job. I'm completely lost when it comes to sports, but if you're having a good time, that's all that matters.”

“So... you're okay doing anything I want to do?” Kaidan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course.” Especially if “anything” means kissing me. Or taking me home and fucking me. I'd be very okay with that. “As long as we're both consenting. I don't do anything my client doesn't want, and I make it clear when I don't want something.”

“Have you--” Kaidan paused, fiddling with his beer bottle. “Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to understand. Is it always just one client?”

“Always,” John nodded. “I could get more money from multiples, but I like one-on-one better. I can focus completely on that person, really get to know them. It's actually my favorite part of this job: learning about the person.”

“And what have you learned about me?”

John gave it some thought. “You're very down-to-earth. You have a good sense of humor, you're smart, a good cook, friendly... You have this calm about you that I think people find reassuring.” Kaidan stared at him for a moment before looking away.

“That's... observant.” Was he blushing? John hoped so. They fell quiet to watch the game. Kaidan cheered or groaned depending on the play. Around half-time Kaidan started rubbing at his forehead, his body slightly hunched forward.

“Are you okay?” John worried.

“Mmn. Just a migraine. I get them sometimes.”

“Do you want to leave?” Surely all the noise and lights made it worse.

“John, I've dealt with this for nearly my whole life. Just give me a minute.” Nearly his whole life? John was no medical expert but chronic migraines had to mean something serious. He didn't like just sitting there while Kaidan suffered but Kaidan had rejected his help. It took much longer than a minute before Kaidan dropped his hand and let out a sigh.

“You good?” John asked.

“Manageable,” Kaidan replied.

“What's that mean?” He eyed Kaidan, a suspicion forming. “Shit, you're just going to sit there and take it, aren't you?”

“It's manageable,” Kaidan insisted. “I told you, I've dealt with this for years. If I had to put my life on hold every time I had a migraine, I'd never get anything done. Just... watch the game with me, please. I don't want you to treat me differently because of this.”

“Okay. Sorry.” John turned his eyes back on the game. He concentrated hard on each play so he wouldn't think about all the things he could do to make Kaidan's pain go away. Finally the game ended and everyone started getting up to leave. “Did your team win?” John asked, hoping for a neutral topic.

Kaidan gave him a half exasperated, half fond look. “You're hopeless with sports, John. What do you do with yourself, anyway?”

“You mean in my free time? Listen to music, feed my hamster, try for a new high score in the combat sims.”

“You have a hamster?” Kaidan questioned. “That's cute. What's its name?”

“Aldrin.”

“Wow.” Kaidan was grinning at him, making John's insides fluttery. He wished Kaidan would just kiss him already. “You're a space nerd.” John let out a laugh. He liked this guy, liked him a lot. And he was sure Kaidan liked him, too. He dared to lean a little closer.

“You should see my model collection.”

“That your way of inviting me back to your place?” The tone in Kaidan's voice suggested he was still teasing. Looking at him, John could easily picture the rest of the evening. He would take Kaidan in his arms and undress the man slowly, admiring every inch of him. Kaidan would be naked and gorgeous underneath him, legs wrapped around his waist, breath coming out rough and needy as John fucked him nice and slow.

“If that's what you want,” he said out loud.

“I don't have the credits for that,” Kaidan told him. “Let's just call it a night.” John nodded mutely, his heart now going a little faster. He hadn't heard a “no”.

“Could I kiss you goodnight?” Kaidan's eyes flicked down to John's mouth and back up to his face.

“I don't think I have the credits for that, either.”

“Jesus Christ, Kaidan, I don't get paid to be attracted to you,” John huffed out in annoyance. Kaidan's eyes widened. Shit, John hadn't meant to blurt that out. But then Kaidan was leaning closer, eyes falling closed. Their lips connected and John fought hard not to move in case it scared Kaidan off. But damn did he want to. He wanted to feel that hair under his fingers, bring that body closer to his, get a real taste of that mouth.

The kiss couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds. Kaidan broke it and took a step back. “Shit,” he cursed, and got in the first open taxi that drove by. John could only stand there in a daze.

What the hell just happened?

[mcbenson25]

Fight The Good Fight For You (Barba X OFC)

Request: *OFC works with SVU and during a case recognizes the man who abused her when she was a teenager, and has a sort of anxiety attack and then she explains what happened to her when she was young to the team and Rafael with whom she has been friends since elementary and she had not said anything of this to anyone out ofo shame. Rafael wants her to testify at the bar so that he can lock him up for life so that he never attacks anyone again he comforts her etc and suddenly they realize that they love each other.*

This request had lots of detail which I love because it just makes it easier to write and I really loved the blurb! Hope you like it! ----------------------------- Louane thought this day would never come. She had prayed that this day would never come.

From the first time she had held the case for she had an uneasy feeling.

It's just another case. No need to make a fuss.

But she never would have thought he would see that face again.

His face.

-------------------------

*12 years ago*

"Louaaaaane!"

Louane giggled as a man she had befriended at the mall weeks ago chased her around the park.

Louane was currently high school senior. She had everything she could have ever asked for. Looks, friends, grades. It was no wonder she had so many boys trailing behind her. She was no stranger to older men being attracted to her especially since she was more mature than other girls her age.

But there was something about this man in particular that Louane would soon wish she never would have found.

As the man lightly grabbed her from behind and spun her she felt weird.

Something about today was off.

The man who had told her he was 25 in college seemed to sense Louane's uneasiness.

"Let's go back to my place and have some drinks"

There was something in Louane that told her she shouldn't.

"Um actually I have to get home my parents are waiting for me," she lied already backing away.

The man's whole demeanor changed and in an instant Louane felt a sharp prick at her neck and then everything went dark.

When she woke up she was in a hospital bed as her teary eyed mother explained to her how the man had raped her and all Louane could do was cry.

------------------------

"Louane?"

"Louane!"

Someone was gently shaking her.

Where am I?

How did I end up on the floor?

Louane was very confused. Her face felt hot and wet.

She was crying.

"What happened?" -------------------------

Rafael Barba had been prepping Louane for court.

In any other occasion he would've taken the opportunity to flirt with the woman who made his heart flutter ever since elementary school.

But this was different.

Louane wasn't testifying as a detective but as a past victim.

Why hadn't she told him? How had she managed to hide it from him? He was with her almost all the time.

Almost.

That senior year of high school he had been visiting Harvard and the faculty like crazy because they had told him he could receive a very nice scholarship. He had been in Massachusetts a lot during the year.

That's how he never noticed.

Because he left when she needed him the most.

Stupid.

When he found out what Louane had been through he was more than furious. He felt like tracking the man and giving him the beat down of his life.

He hadn't gotten details or specifics about what exactly happened but based on the current victim it wasn't hard to imagine.

Since then Louane had been distant from him. She made up excuses when he wanted to hang out, ignored his texts, but worst of all she had been avoiding him at work. He understood she needed space but it seemed as if she never wanted anything to do with him again.

Which is why it felt intensely awkward being in a courtroom by themselves.

He didn't know what to say or if he should say anything.

"Let's just get this done" Louane said.

He nodded, "Alright. Just remember that the questions I'm going to ask you are going to make you relive what happened and I need you to tell me if it becomes to much okay?"

Louane nodded back.

And so began their session.

It had been easy at first. They were simple, broad, yes-or-no questions.

Were you raped? Yes.

Was the defendant the man who raped you? Yes.

Did you want to have sex with the defendant? No.

Then came the inevitable question of how it happened.

Louane had started to tell him before she started hyperventilating. She tried to stand but was shaking and gasping for breath as tears fell down her face.

Barba was quick to get to her and she had gone limp so he sat her on the floor.

She began to sob and scream, "STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!"

Rafael felt his heart shatter. He didn't know what to do or how to comfort her. He felt his own eyes water as he held her and gently shook her trying to get her back to reality. Back to him. ------------------

"What happened?"

Louane felt weak and small as she recognized the man holding her.

Her best friend.

"You had an anxiety attack," he said softly.

Louane felt a wave of embarrassment as she tried to push Rafael away from her. She hated that her childhood best friend was seeing her like this. He probably didn't even want to be friends after finding out how stupid she had been.

But Rafael had had enough.

"Why do you keep pushing me away? Can't you see its breaking my entire being to see you like this? Can't you see how it hurts me? How it kills me? The worst part is that you had to live with this for years and didn't tell me. I blame myself for what happened to you. If I hadn't been so obsessed with Harvard, if I hadn't left you none of this would have happened. All this time all I've wanted was to be there for you. You don't ever have to be alone with your pain ever again. I would do anything, anything, to see your smile to hear you laugh. I love you Louane and I can't keep seeing you drown in your pain like this."

Louane gaped at her best friend. All of a sudden every wrinkle was visible, every line and curve on his face, the subtle stubble that was growing on his face. Louane felt lightheaded.

Of course he didn't hate her.

He loved her.

Louane felt a new choke of sobs form in her throat. But this time joy accompanied it.

The joy of knowing that she was loved by the man who had and would always be with her no matter what. She knew that with him she would never have to fight alone again.

Because he would be there to fight the good fight for her.

My lovelies!!! I know I've been inconsistent with posting and I truly apologize! I hope you like this as much as I did! Remember to follow my account to keep up with new updates or series and drop those requests/comments!

[xjoonchildx]

guarded | jhs x reader | chapter three: exotic pets

summary: you’ve tried to separate yourself from your infamous crime family, but a new case has your carefully-constructed world crashing down around you.  now you have to figure out how to heal old wounds and handle the new man who enters your orbit.

pairing: hoseok x reader

genre: mafia AU, E2L, slow burn, tsundere, eventual smut

rating: 18+

word count: 3.4K

A/N: i hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! i’d love to hear what you think. thank you so much for your support. things are going to start ramping up on the whole slow burn angle from here. once again i must thank the fabulous @ladyartemesia​​ for both this killer graphic and beta reading for me -- as well as the amazing @taetaewonderland​​. pouring out a sunkist in your honor today xoxo

Chapter 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | EPILOGUE

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

It’s funny how people believe the shit they see in movies.

For instance, most film fans think it’s entirely possible to break a bottle over someone’s head.  One character grabs for an empty beer during a fight and the glass explodes in dramatic fashion with just one crack across another character’s skull.

You know better.

You know there’s way too much give to the human body to shatter glass like that.  

If you want to break a bottle you’ve got to connect with something much harder. The corner of a table.  A fireplace mantle.  That’s how it works in the real world.

You stare into the mirror and run the pad of one finger along the raised scar that mars your left collarbone.  All these years later and it’s paler and smoother but it’s still hideous, taunting you in your reflection.  

Today you cover it with an oversized scarf carefully matched to a silk blouse. Tomorrow it will be a turtleneck.  You’ve come up with dozens of ways to hide the ruined skin, but there’s never going to be a way to get rid of it.

It will always be a physical reminder that there are some pieces of your past you can never leave behind.

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

Hoseok has a cold.

There was extra gravel in his voice this morning as he went over your schedule for the day. You can detect the faint scent of a cough drop in the shared air of his car.

But he doesn’t mention it and neither do you.

This morning, you’re glad for it -- glad for the absence of small talk.

In a few minutes, you get to walk into your boss’s office and announce that half the evidence in what should be a home-run case has vanished into thin air.  You have to pretend to have no idea why someone would want to sabotage a seemingly minor prosecution of a couple of idiot gangsters and you have to do it without so much as hinting at your family’s connection to organized crime in this town.

There’s a knot in your stomach so tight you feel nauseous.

Hoseok’s phone buzzes with an incoming call from the mount on the dash and he frowns for a split-second before sending it to voicemail.  One minute later it buzzes again and he rejects it again.  Seconds later and he makes it three in a row.

You know damned well that if those calls were about business, Hoseok would have answered them right away.  The knot in your stomach tightens even more and you turn your head to stare out of the window.

It’s an unfair situation, this arrangement.  Hoseok has access to every corner of your life while you don’t know a damned thing about him.  Who would he be going home to every night if he weren’t under orders to stay with you?  Who is waiting for him when this is all over?

Someone, certainly.

Willing women are in abundance in his line of work.  You grew up around them -- a revolving door of beautiful, vulnerable girls who thought nothing of trading their bodies for gifts and cash. Women so eager for security and love they accepted whatever scraps were thrown their way.  

In a way, you were like them -- a motherless little girl living in the midst of male-dominated chaos and desperate for female connection.  You watched the way they styled their hair and applied their makeup and how they went about the myriad tasks of being women.  Then inevitably you’d grow too attached too fast only to have your heart broken when one day they just disappeared.  

And they always disappeared.

You wonder what the woman trying to reach Hoseok this morning looks like.  You wonder if she’s angry that he’s had to be away so long.  You wonder what version she gets of him and how different it must be from the version you get.  The knot in your stomach is replaced by something else.

Something you’d rather not examine too closely.

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

“You should let me take you to lunch.”

Donghyuk interrupts what must be the worst morning of your entire career without so much as a knock or a hello.  He drops into the empty chair in your office uninvited and doesn’t wait for you to answer.

“We could ditch the busy work, slip out the back entrance -- ” he grins conspiratorially,  “ -- have a two-martini meal at Congdu and then sneak into the bathroom to fool around.  What do you think?”

You groan out loud. You are not in the mood for this shit right now.

“This is not a good time, ‘Hyuk.”

He sighs. “Yeah, I heard.”

Of course he’s heard. Everyone in a hundred-foot radius has heard. To say your bosses were displeased with the bomb you dropped on them this morning is an understatement.

“So then why are you in my office asking me to go day drinking?  Do you want me to be fired?”

“Of course not,” he says, looking offended. “I just thought you deserved a break from the madness for a minute.”

You laugh without a hint of humor.

“I’m going to get a permanent break from the madness if I don’t rescue this case somehow.  So no -- no lunch today.  Probably no lunch for the next six months, actually.”

Donghyuk frowns.

“Dinner, then?  There’s a new spot in Gangnam I’ve been wanting to try. We could go tomorrow night.”

Christ, the man is insistent these days.

You are too mentally worn out to figure out why your casual arrangement with Donghyuk feels a hell of a lot less casual of late.  If he’s suddenly decided he wants more than just the occasional meal-to-mattress thing you’ve enjoyed for months, he’s in for a disappointment.  You are tapped out.

“I’ve got -- It’s just complicated for me right now,” you manage.

“Yeah, I get it,” he agrees sympathetically. “The bodyguard thing, right?”

“Right,” you repeat slowly, mind suddenly flipping back to Hoseok. Back to this morning’s car ride.

Back to those missed calls.

Something childish and petty and unbecoming stirs inside of you.

“You know what? Dinner tomorrow night could work, actually.”

Donghyuk leans back and smiles wide.

“Great.”

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

Hoseok’s cold hasn’t improved.

The ride to the restaurant is radio silent, but for the sound of his occasional sniffle.  You could have sworn you saw actual displeasure cross his face when you’d asked him to take you to meet Donghyuk tonight.  It feels like the air between you is crackling with tension.  

But it’s probably your imagination.

Hoseok says nothing as he closes the car door behind you, nothing as he holds the door to the restaurant open for you, and nothing when you thank him as you step inside.

Donghyuk has a table waiting. No small feat because this place is packed.  

It’s a brand-new restaurant and apparently one of the most expensive and coveted dining spots in the city.  In an instant, it dawns on you that there’s no table for Hoseok.  You turn to ask him where he wants to be, but he brushes past you to take a seat at the bar.

Again, he says nothing.

You huff your frustration under your breath as you slide into the chair across from Donghyuk.  He’s got a snifter of what’s sure to be some pricey brandy in his hand.

“Germain-Robin Select Barrel,” he declares, swirling the amber liquid in his glass before taking a sip.  “Best stuff in town.”

Of course it is.  

Donghyuk is accustomed to having only the best of the best; a natural by-product of his upbringing.  You’ve known one another since you were pupils at the same prep school, living parallel lives. You both had expensive homes and pricey tutors and fancy clothes -- but his family graced the pages of the society magazines while yours graced the pages of the newspapers.

This thing you have with him is supposed to be easy; an uncomplicated diversion. But lately, it's a hell of a lot less satisfying than it used to be.  Either Donghyuk is really getting more self-absorbed and less interesting -- or you are just starting to not give a shit about anything he has to say.

He’s droning on about something golf-related when you tune out completely. Your eyes wander to Hoseok at the bar.  

He still hasn’t ordered anything to eat and a drink sits untouched on the bartop.

“Sharp dresser, that guy.”

“What?”

You swing your focus back to Donghyuk like you’ve just come out of a trance.

“The bodyguard,” he says around a fork full of food.  “He’s got pretty good taste for some street gangster. I should find out where he shops.”

You’re caught by surprise -- by his comment, by the way it makes your chest tighten.  By the force of the second-hand embarrassment you suddenly feel on behalf of Hoseok.

“He’s not some -- street gangster,” you say quietly, slowly.

“Oh, he’s not?” Donghyuk asks, looking genuinely confused.  “He’s not one of your brother’s guys?”

Red-hot anger blossoms inside of you so fast you can barely contain it.  You stare Donghyuk down with the most venomous look you can muster.

“I didn’t say he wasn’t,” you bite out. “But you have no clue what you’re talking about. And keep any mention of my brother out of your mouth.”

“Jeez, sorry,” Donghyuk fires back, lifting his hands in surrender.  “I didn’t realize I was touching on a nerve. I thought you hated your family. That’s what everyone says, anyway.”

You jerk out of the chair so abruptly it nearly falls back.  The napkin in your lap falls to the floor and the people sitting at the tables nearby stop to look. Donghyuk’s mouth falls open with surprise.

“I’m done,” you grind out, grabbing for your purse.

“Sit down,” Donghyuk hisses. “You’re making a scene.”

“She said she’s done.”

You never saw Hoseok move, never registered him leaving the bar -- but when you rip your gaze away from Donghyuk, he is at your side.  

Hoseok opens his wallet and throws a pile of bills down on the table.  He doesn’t spare a glance at Donghyuk as he calmly ushers you away from the table.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

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

The ride home from the restaurant is just as silent as the ride there.

Hoseok drives and you stare blankly out the window as you replay Donghyuk’s words in your mind.

I thought you hated your family. That’s what everyone says.

Yes -- you hated your father.  You had your reasons and you had earned that right.

But Namjoon?  Never.  You could never hate your brother.  

The fact that you’d given anyone -- even Donghyuk -- reason to believe otherwise makes you feel sick to your stomach.  Shames weighs so heavy on your chest it feels like you can’t breathe.

You don’t even have the energy to devote to being embarrassed at how that whole scene played out in front of Hoseok.  By the time he walks you into your apartment, you’re just desperate to wash up and fall into bed.  Hoseok lingers in the living room but you don’t even look at him.  You head straight for your bedroom.

The tears come the moment the latch clicks closed.

Followed closely by the screams.

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

HOSEOK

What a shitty way to end what had really shaped up to be an enjoyable night.

Hoseok could see the moment things went south at dinner.  You’d looked disinterested from the second you sat down, distracted the entire time you ate your meal.  But then the strangest look came over you at the end, something Hoseok couldn’t quite decipher.  Until it was replaced by something he understood loud and clear from all the way across the room.

Fury.

It was way too fucking satisfying, really.  

The look on that idiot’s face when you humiliated him in front of an entire restaurant full of his shitty little peers.  The way his mouth dropped open when you told him you were done and the way his cheeks burned red when Hoseok tossed the money on the table.

That would have been the perfect way to end the night.  

But then you started screaming.

Hoseok’s body is moving before his mind does. In seconds, he’s crossed the apartment and ripped your bedroom door open.

“Holy shit,” he breathes.

You are pressed against the far wall of the room, staring down at the floor.  Hoseok follows your terrified gaze down to the large black snake coiled just a few feet away.  

“Okay, wow. Fuck,” he mutters, shoving his hand through this hair, trying like hell to formulate a cohesive thought.  “Okay just...just stay calm for me, okay? Can you do that?”

You say nothing, out of screams and out of words as you stare back at him. It’s clear that no, staying calm is the last thing you can do right now but staying silent is a pretty good second option.

“I have to leave you for a second, okay?  Just one second.  Can you stay calm for me?” Hoseok repeats, taking a tentative step out the door.  “You don’t have to answer me, just nod. I’m going to be back in seconds and I’m going to get this thing out of here.  Are you with me?”  

Hoseok watches as you pull in one shaky breath and nod woodenly.  That’s all the affirmation he needs.

He runs to rip a pillowcase off one of the pillows on his bed.  When he gets back to your room, the snake has stretched it’s long body into a flat line and you look somehow more terrified than you did when he left.  

“I’m back, okay?” he reassures, even though he’s certain you already know that.  But you won’t take your eyes off that snake and he wants you to hear the artificial calm in his voice. “Don’t make any sudden moves. I’m going to get this thing into this pillowcase in my hands.”

He talks you through what he’s doing like it’s going to somehow reinforce that he’s in control when he knows that he’s anything but.  Hoseok has seen and done a lot of weird shit in this line of work, but he’s never had to wrangle a fucking snake.  He has a basic understanding of what needs to be done, but that’s still a far damned cry from actually doing it.  

He takes one deep breath and starts forward with careful steps.

The fact that the snake has uncoiled might work to his advantage, he reasons.  From this angle he can probably reach the tail without coming too close to the head.  He knows that whatever move he makes has to be fast and decisive -- and he understands instinctively that your composure relies almost entirely on him maintaining his.

He sees you clap a hand over your mouth to stop from screaming when he grabs for the snake.  The animal’s long body undulates in his grip, stronger than he expected, and he has to pull back when the snake swings its head in his direction.  The entire debacle couldn’t have lasted any more than five seconds, but by the time Hoseok gets an opportunity to pull the pillowcase over the snake’s body, it feels like an eternity.

He wonders if you could see how badly his hands were shaking the entire time.

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

“So wait, what kind of snake is it?”

“Fuck Yoongi, I don’t know,” Hoseok snaps, pulling the cabinets under your bathroom sink open. He rifles through the contents, checking to make sure nothing else has been left behind.

“Black. Shiny. Doesn’t look friendly.  You gonna come help me toss this apartment or do you want to talk exotic pets?”

“Don’t be a dick,” Yoongi chuckles, “and don’t do anything to that snake. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

Hoseok ends the call without so much as a goodbye.  

He takes a break from inspecting your room to walk out into the living room to check on you.  You are seated cross-legged on your couch, staring into nothing.

“Yoongi is on his way,” he says, rubbing one hand across the back of his neck. “He’s going to help me do a deep dive in all the rooms.”

You don’t respond.

“You okay?”

You turn your head slowly and blink up at him like you’ve just registered the sound of his voice.  

“Uh, yeah,” you say slowly, even though you sound anything but. “I’m okay.”

Hoseok tongues his cheek. He wishes he knew what to do or what to say to make you feel more at ease.  He chides himself for the thought almost as soon as it comes.  You probably wouldn’t want to hear it from him, anyway.

“Alright,” he sighs, turning back towards your bedroom. “Just give me a minute to get through everything in here and then you can get some sleep.”

“Hoseok?”

You call to him from the couch and he turns back to face you.  

“Thank you,” you say quietly.

Something twists inside Hoseok’s stomach at the despondent look on your face.  It’s such a contrast to the look he saw tonight at the restaurant -- the fiery, angry one that made him feel like he could understand you a bit more.  He would rather see any other version of you than the one he sees right now.

“You’re welcome,” he says thickly, turning away to get back to work.

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

You are still sleeping when Hoseok leaves Seokjin at your apartment in his place.

Namjoon is standing at his office window this morning, like he often does when he’s thinking.  Yoongi nods when Hoseok enters the office and helps himself to the only other empty chair.

“What happened last night?” Namjoon asks, not bothering to turn away from the window.  

Yoongi shoots Hoseok a look that says you first and Hoseok returns with one of his own that says no shit, sherlock.

“There’s not much that you’re not already briefed on,” Hoseok starts, “I brought your sister home from a social outing and when we got home she found a snake on her bedroom floor. I was able to contain the snake and Yoongi and I searched every inch of the apartment after that.  Didn’t turn up anything else.”

“Any sign of forced entry?”

“No,” Hoseok admits.  “I couldn’t find any.  I have a locksmith working with Seokjin on replacing the deadbolt again this morning.”

“Right,” Namjoon says, turning away from the window to walk back to his desk.  “So that makes twice now that we’ve changed her locks, twice now that someone has managed to get in anyway.  What about the cameras outside?”

“I checked the footage,” Yoongi says. “Someone used a pole or a stick to put a physical block over the lens.  It was still up there when I checked this morning.  Duct tape.”

Namjoon scrubs a hand across his jaw, sighs out loud.

“Fuck. Where are we with tracking the Lee girl?”

Yoongi clears his throat.  “I’ve been out on a few runs so far; nothing out of the norm.  Work to home to work. I’ve got Jimin and Tae checking out some other stuff but nothing to report back yet.”

“Keep digging,” Namjoon insists. “She has everything she needs.  The knowledge and the access, but most importantly she has my sister’s trust.  That’s what worries me the most.”

He turns his attention to Hoseok.  “My sister. How is she holding up?”

Hoseok thinks back to the way you looked last night, back to that blank look on your face.

Not well.

“She’s tired,” he replies carefully. “Stressed out because she’s trying to rescue her case.  The snake shit did not help.”

“I’m sure it didn’t.”

“Speaking of which -- ” Yoongi interjects, “ -- that snake.  It’s an Indigo snake.  Not venomous.”

Namjoon lifts one eyebrow.

“I’m saying the Ssijog are not trying to hurt her, not really.  They only want to scare her into fucking up this case,” Yoongi reasons. “Trust me, they don’t want to make shit worse for themselves right now by adding a dead prosecutor to the mix.”

Hoseok winces at the logical-but-clumsy delivery of that last line.

Namjoon’s mouth pulls into a tight line as he leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers.  Hoseok has worked for the man long enough to know that he’s not the type to lash out when he gets angry.  Namjoon is the type to go quiet.  

Like right now.

He narrows his eyes at Yoongi before opening his mouth to speak.

“You’re probably right about that, Yoongi,” he says in a low, careful tone.  “But let me ask you this.  Is that a bet you’re willing to make with my sister’s life on the line?”

Yoongi -- wisely -- doesn’t answer that.

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

tag list!

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[min-sugar-7]

DAY 1: “You’re such an idiot.”“But you love me”

Camelot was peaceful. The skies were blue with plenty of clouds for shade, creating the perfect picture of peace. Rivers flowed plenty, harvests prospered. Gaius’s chambers were relatively empty, other than the occasional births. 

The Knights invited Merlin along on their tavern conquests because there weren’t any attacks and training was pretty laid back.

Arthur had not insulted him for two days. He had not told him to muck out the stables. Nor had he thrown anything at him.

Merlin narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Something was wrong. Either that or something was about to go horribly pear-shaped. Maybe Arthur was under another enchantment. 

Now that was a matter of grave concern. Merlin narrowed his eyes further. 

“You look like you’re trying to burn that squire with your glare, Merlin,” said a voice. The owner of said voice snatched the water skin from his hands. Merlin looked, and yes, he was accidentally glaring at a poor squire. “How has he offended you?”

“Nothing, my lord. Just thinking ‘bout you,” Merlin mumbled. Arthur raised an eyebrow, tossing the water skin back to him. 

“Think of me often?” Arthur smirked, and Merlin just wanted to swat him. 

“Yeah,” Merlin rolled his eyes and grinned. “Thinking of ways to poison you so that training would end faster.”

Merlin stole a glance at his waterskin, making Arthur freeze. “You wouldn’t.”

Merlin shrugged and looked away, enjoying the unsettling peace of Camelot. Arthur huffed, and Merlin could practically hear his eye roll. Anytime now, Arthur would drag Merlin down the training field and use him as a training dummy. He will.

“Well, I guess I’d just have to accept my fate,” Arthur let out a long-suffering sigh. He would start whacking Merlin with a metal stick anytime about now. "Try not to poison any other Knights. Morgana would have your head if anything happened to Leon.”

With that, Arthur walked away. Merlin stared at him with disbelief. Arthur was being nice. And genuinely funny. Arthur is neither nice nor funny. Arthur is a mean bully who likes to torment Merlin. 

There could only be one explanation. 

Merlin’s Arthur has been kidnapped, and this one is a doppelgänger.

Apparently, no one else in Camelot shared Merlin’s suspicions. It turns out that Arthur is “Perfectly fine, and in good health,” according to Gaius. “Strong as ever,” according to Leon. “Still a princess,” according to Gwaine. “As he always is,” according to Gwen. “Still a perfect assassination target,” according to Morgana. 

On top of that, Arthur’s been listening to whatever Merlin says. Merlin’s Arthur never listens to him. Never. 

When he told Arthur not to step into the fairy circle, he listened. Usually, Arthur would say, “don’t be ridiculous, Merlin,” and step into a fairy circle. Merlin had to push Arthur away to avoid conflicts. When he told Arthur to cancel a hunt because it was about to rain, he did. Usually, Arthur would roll his eyes and go hunting anyway, shivering and freezing under the cold downpour. 

There could only be one other explanation. 

Arthur knows about his magic and is leading Merlin into a false sense of security. 

Merlin refrained from using any type of magic in the past two days. He will not risk it. 

And then Merlin’s worst nightmare came true. Arthur told him to pack his bags and wait by the stables. Arthur was going to banish him for his magic. At least he had some time to say goodbye to Gaius, who did not share Merlin’s concerns. 

“Gaius, he’s going to banish me! Could you stop laughing?” 

No such luck. Gaius continued chuckling, murmuring something under his breath, before pushing Merlin out of his chambers. 

Merlin gulped nervously, taking small, slow steps to delay the inevitable. Maybe if he concentrated hard enough, the ground would open up and swallow him. At least his ghost could continue protecting Arthur. 

Soon, though, he was standing in front of the stables, watching Arthur whisper to his favorite horse. He had his back turned and provided his undivided attention to Llamrei. He looked absolutely stupid whispering and smiling and running his hand through her mane. Merlin loved him.

Okay, well, perhaps, not too much since he’s about to banish Merlin. But Arthur doesn’t look like he is about to exile somebody. He usually has a brooding air around him and refuses to smile for hours. 

Arthur turned back, letting out an undignified squeak as he saw Merlin. Merlin would never let it go. He will lord it over Arthur for the rest of his life. Or at least, the rest of the time Merlin’s allowed to stay in Camelot. 

“Merlin,” Arthur nodded, clearing his throat. 

“Arthur,” Merlin responded, not knowing what else to say.

“Yes, um, let’s go,” Arthur declared and promptly led Llamrei out of the stables.

Merlin stared in confusion. Arthur, as if sensing his confusion, rolled his eyes, and grabbed Merlin’s pack from him, saddling it to Merlin’s favorite horse, Clove. 

“What do you have in here? Rocks?” Arthur asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he mounted his horse, staring expectantly at Merlin to do the same. Merlin shot a glare at Arthur and mounted Clove. Of course, his bag was heavy. His everything’s in there.

What Merlin did not understand was why Arthur’s riding with him. For the whole trip, Arthur looked skittish, throwing glances back at Merlin. He noticed that Arthur’s hand occasionally drifted towards his left hip, where Excalibur and his coin pouch rested.

Oh. Oh.

Arthur was not going to banish Merlin. Arthur was going to kill Merlin and make it look like an accident. Oh shit, shit, shit.

Arthur suddenly raised an arm, stopping at a clearing. Merlin tried hard not to flinch. Arthur unmounted his horse and took out his pack, wait, why does Arthur have a bag? 

Arthur caught him staring, and said, “What?”

Merlin, whose sanity was hanging on by its fingernails, immediately got off and started apologizing. 

“Arthur, I am so sorry-”

“What the hell are you apologizing for?” Arthur said, turning back, giving Merlin his signature 'what-the-hell-Merlin' look. 

That would be right about the time Merlin noticed the picnic blanket and basket in the middle of the clearing. Arthur followed Merlin’s gaze and immediately went red all over. 

Merlin connected the dots; albeit a bit slowly. Arthur dragged Merlin away from the castle, told him to pack his bags, and brought him on a picnic. So Merlin was not about to be killed. Spectacular. 

“We’re out on a picnic,” Merlin stated.

“Excellent observation, Merlin. Now it would be great if you’d come and sit with me.” Arthur stepped closer, presumably to grab Merlin’s pack. Merlin immediately grabbed it, to avoid further embarrassment. Oh God, if Arthur knew he packed all his belongings… 

“Ehem. Yes. Of course. Let’s go.”

Merlin almost stumbled forward but made it to the picnic blanket relatively unharmed. Now, what was he supposed to do?

“Well, um, people would usually sit down at this point,” Arthur said, clearing his throat. Merlin nodded and collapsed down, wincing a bit when he hit the floor a bit too hard. Arthur was trying not to laugh.

“Not a word,” Merlin mumbled, which of course, made Arthur laugh. After that, things were a bit less awkward, as they shared some rather delicious pastries and talked about nonsense. Merlin made sure to keep his bag out of Arthur’s view. 

“What do you keep in that bag anyway?” Of course, Arthur had to ask that. 

“Nothing,” Merlin totally did not squeak. Arthur narrowed his eyes, looking straight through Merlin’s rather stupid lie. “Stuff.”

“It is a bit too heavy, don’t you think?” Arthur grabbed his bag, which Merlin yanked closer to his chest. Arthur just had to take that as a challenge, crowding closer to Merlin’s space. 

Merlin tried his best, alright? But without magic, Arthur was faster, and he somehow ended straddling Merlin and holding the bag out of Merlin’s reach. Merlin huffed and collapsed back because there was no pacifying the prat when he’s up for a challenge.

Merlin covered his eyes with his forearm, deciding that if he can’t see Arthur, then Arthur can’t see him. 

“Why the hell do you have all your clothes?” 

If he can’t see Arthur, Arthur can’t see him. If he can’t see Arthur, Arthur can’t-

“Are you blushing, Merlin?” Arthur teased, and Merlin could practically see his smug grin. 

“Shut up,” Merlin mumbled, suddenly turning them over so that he was on top and in possession of his bag. His victory didn’t last long, however, because Arthur immediately flipped them. 

Oh no. Merlin will not think of how Arthur looked stunning with the sun shining in the back of his hair, creating a halo around him. He will not think about how Arthur’s eyes practically matched the sky. He will not-

Well, Merlin couldn’t think after that, because Arthur pressed his lips against his. Woah, hold on, how did that happen? Not that Merlin was complaining. It was rather brilliant. Arthur’s lips tasted sweet like the pastries they ate, and Merlin could spend hours like this. 

There was only one drawback to this. Merlin’s magic soared under his skin, thrumming constantly as if enjoying the kiss just as much as Merlin did. He could hold on for a few more seconds, but he doesn’t want Arthur to know, but he doesn’t want to break the kiss either-

Arthur suddenly broke the kiss, prepping a few butterfly kisses and making a trail to his ear, nibbling on the skin there.

“Breathe, Merlin,” he whispered before going back to teasing his ear. It was then that Merlin realized that he was holding his breath along with his magic but couldn’t let go of either. Arthur then pulled back, stopping everything.

Merlin immediately missed it but could finally think without his magic going haywire. He still was too afraid to open his eyes, just in case his eyes decided to go gold. A hand came up to caress his cheek, sending tingles in its wake. 

“Shh… Open them,” Arthur whispered, his voice suddenly close to his ear. There’s no way he could mean what Merlin thinks he means. No way. Merlin kept them glued shut. “I mean it.” The hand now traveled up to his cheekbones, tracing the outline of his eyes.

Merlin did, a bit slowly at first. It could all very well be an elaborate plan to get him to confess his true identity, but Merlin didn’t know how to fight it. He didn’t want to fight it.

Arthur took a sharp intake of breath, no doubt noticing the gold of his eyes. He didn’t do anything, just stared. Merlin held his breath again, too afraid to move. 

A few moments passed, and Merlin feared he’d accidentally frozen time. But then Arthur rushed forward to capture his lips again, and all coherent thoughts left him. He was too startled to notice that he’d let go of his magic, instead, focusing on the feel of Arthur’s lips against his. 

“You’re beautiful,” Arthur mumbled against his lips before diving back for another kiss. It took a few seconds for Merlin to understand. Wait Arthur knows about his magic. Arthur is kissing him. Merlin is still miraculously alive. Arthur’s tongue is swiping against his lips. Arthur hasn’t run Merlin through with his sword. Merlin’s tongue is in Arthur’s mouth. Arthur knows about his magic. Arthur isn’t killing him.

Merlin promptly broke the kiss, gasping against Arthur’s lips. 

“Wait- you aren’t mad?” Merlin’s thoughts were a jumble of “Arthur knows, Arthur knows, Arthur knows-”

“Why would I be mad?” Arthur looked absolutely amazing with his cheeks flushed and lip red from kissing. From kissing him, his mind supplied. For a second, Merlin forgot what they were talking about, but then remembered. 

“I’ve lied, and you think magic is evil-” Merlin searched Arthur's face for any signs of disgust, anger, or hatred but found none. 

Arthur chuckled at that, turning his head away. “How could it be evil, when it does this?” Merlin followed Arthur’s gaze and saw exactly what he was talking about. The clearing that was formerly filled with grass now had little flowers surrounding the two. Merlin felt his cheeks heat up at that because the flowers were Carnations, and Merlin totally didn’t mean anything by it. Blame it all on Merlin’s magic.

Arthur placed one last final kiss at the corner of his mouth before plopping himself beside Merlin. Arthur curled himself around Merlin, sneaking a hand through his waist and pulling him close. Merlin went willingly. 

“You never told me why your bag’s full of useless stuff,” Arthur said after some time. Merlin mourned the loss of peaceful, happy silence. He was hoping that he’d forgotten about that.

Merlin ducked his head so that Arthur couldn’t see his face. He cuddled up against Arthur’s chest, letting his heartbeat calm him a bit.

“I thought you were going to banish me or something,” Merlin mumbled. 

“What was that?” 

“I thought you were going to banish me,” Merlin repeated, this time really hoping that the ground would swallow him up.

There was a beat of silence before Arthur barked out, “What?”

“Well, um, you were being nice to me, and generally not being a prat for like two days and that’s not normal Arthur behavior,” Merlin quickly rushed to explain. “And then I thought that you found out about my magic and you’re trying to lead me into a false sense of security, and then you asked me to pack my bags and come to the stable so I thought that you were going to banish me.

“But then you tagged along, and I thought you were going to murder me or something out here, and then I saw the picnic blankets and got so confused.” Merlin should probably shut up now before he makes an even bigger fool of himself.

“That’s what you thought this date was about?” Arthur asked. Merlin could feel him shaking, his words vibrating through his chest. 

“This was a date?” Merlin asked, in genuine surprise, because the kiss was a total spur-of-the-moment thing, right?

Arthur stayed silent for a second before bursting out in laughter. Merlin whipped his head up and saw, that yes, Arthur was completely amused. Merlin finally got a legitimate reason to swat his chest, which only made him laugh harder. 

Fine, Merlin might be an over-thinker. But it is an acquired skill after staying in Camelot for so long. You have got to think outside the box if you wish to be on the same level as the countless assassins thirsting after Pendragon blood.

“Merlin, you are such an idiot,” Arthur howled, his laughter coming to a slow end. He stared at Merlin with such fondness that Merlin had to look away, so Arthur could not notice his blush.

“Shut up. You love me.” Woah, from where did that come? Dammit. 

“Yeah, I do.” Was he hearing things now? Merlin whipped his head up for the second time, his eyes meeting an equally dumbstruck Arthur. No matter what Merlin did, he could not stop the onslaught of a stupid grin creeping over his face. 

Merlin leaned forward for a peck, which dissolved into a kiss and then into a make-out session. When they parted, Merlin rested his forehead against Arthur’s, basking in the glow of pure, utter happiness.

Arthur shifted beneath him, making Merlin open his eyes. He opened his coin purse and pulled out a piece of red fabric, looking suspiciously like cashmere. Oh, so Arthur wasn’t trying to reach for his sword… 

“Here, for you,” Arthur said and held it up for Merlin. Merlin touched it, and yes, it was a cashmere neckerchief. Merlin gaped a bit because cashmere is worth more than Merlin’s annual salary and then some.

“Arthur-”

“Just, take it-” Arthur reached behind to untie the knot of Merlin’s current neckerchief. He grabbed the soft fabric from Merlin and tied it around Merlin's neck. It felt like absolute heaven- he’s never worn something so soft “-Suits you.”

Merlin noticed the little blush that spread across Arthur’s nose and cheeks, and couldn’t help but smile. He was lying on top of Arthur, so it was easy to lean forward and press a kiss on Arthur’s nose. Arthur turned a darker shade of red. 

“I love you too, dollophead,” Merlin mumbled against Arthur’s lips before diving in for another kiss. Merlin felt Arthur smile against his lips and had no problem returning one. They were honestly acting like a cheesy old married couple, but Merlin wouldn’t have it any other way.

[floral-and-fine]

Heaven Bent part 1

Daryl Dixon x female reader

A/n: My first time writing anything for The Walking Dead fandom, but this idea was too cute to pass up! Thank you @ewokiee for all the help!

Summary: The reader finds Sophia lost in the woods, too bad neither of them have any sense of direction. 

You stopped in your tracks, taking in your surroundings. You found yourself in a small clearing amongst all the tall trees. This part of the forest looked familiar…maybe.

You furrowed your brows and spun back around, looking to where you just emerged, then turned your head back to look ahead.

“Fuck,” you muttered to yourself, it all looked the same to you. Just leaves, bark, twigs, not a damn thing stuck out.

Sighing, you continued to trudge forward, you didn’t even have a mild clue as to what direction you were traveling in, but it was better than just standing in one place, right? It’s not like there was anybody out there looking for you.

Getting lost wasn’t a big surprise, necessarily, you had always been directionally challenged your whole life. Growing up, you used to live by woods similar to these, as a kid you believed there was something magical about it. Spending hours exploring, not realizing you were lost until it started getting dark out.

But that was back when the world was a safer place. Usually, the sounds of things like car horns and roaring traffic would help guide you to the nearest road, or your mother would come looking for you, shouting out your name so you could follow her voice, but not now. Now the world was eerily quiet, just the occasional bird or rustling of the trees.

“I should get a compass and a map,” you mused to yourself, wishing you had something to help you out of this. “That is If I ever find my way out of here and back to what’s left of civilization.”

It’s not like you were exactly prepared for or even expecting the end of the world to happen. Hell, even before shit hit the fan, you were barely scraping by week to week.

Most people thought of you as a free spirit, constantly moving around, never staying in a place for too long. And while you had your fun and had seen all sorts of wonderful places and had met the most interesting people, a part of you regretted not putting down any roots or living closer to your family.

Under normal circumstances, you loved your lifestyle and wouldn’t have it any other way, but now that you were on your own in the middle of all this mess, you couldn’t help but wonder how it could’ve been had you been with your family or close friends.

Your ears perked up at the sound of water, it was faint, but hopefully, it wasn’t too far away. Automatically, your pace picked up as you moved towards the sound.

You stumbled down a small hill, finding a creek at the bottom. You smiled to yourself, just relieved to see something new. At least it was something more memorable than trees. It could even serve as a little landmark.

You knelt down, dipping your hands into the cool water. It probably wasn’t safe to drink but it felt nice on your skin. You splashed some water on your face, helping you feel a little more awake and refreshed after your hours of walking in this heat.

You were almost tempted to strip and get in just to cool the rest of the way off, but you’d settle for just dipping your feet in.

As you were undoing the laces on your boots, you heard whimpering coming from some place close by. You stilled your movements and focused on the sound. The cries were muffled, whoever it was was trying their best to stay quiet.

“Hello?” You whispered, not wanting to draw any unwelcome attention to yourself, the last thing you needed was to have to run or fight off any zombies.

You waited a moment for a reply, then took a deep breath, and spoke up a bit louder, “Anyone there?”

After a few seconds, a young girl with light brown hair peeked her head out from behind a nearby tree. She was clutching a doll tightly to her chest.

Immediately your body relaxed. The poor girl looked terrified, not that you blamed her, if you were her age, lost in the woods with living corpses on the loose, you would’ve been petrified.

“Did you get lost?” You asked softly.

She nodded, taking a tentative step closer to you.

You smiled warmly at her, hoping she’d come a little closer. “I’m y/n,” you started. “What’s your name?”

“Sophia,” she answered in a small voice.

“Hi Sophia,” you smiled. “You come closer, I don’t bite.” You patted the spot next to you, and watched as she cautiously sat down.

“How’d you get separated from your family, Sweetheart?”

She stared at the water, recalling what had happened the day before. “We were on the road, and a bunch of walkers came out of nowhere.” Her eyes started to water, “we all hid underneath the cars… but one almost got me, so I ran.”

You gently, rubbed her back as she started to cry.

“Mr. Grimes came after me,” she sniffled. “But there were more walkers. He told me to hide, so he could distract them… I was supposed to run back, and I did but I got lost. I-I couldn’t find the road and I was so afraid I’d run into one of those things.” Her shoulders shook as she cried harder.

Wrapping an arm around her, you pulled her in for a hug. “It’s going to be alright,” you murmured. “We’ll find them together.”

You now felt a renewed sense of determination to find your way out of these woods, you wanted nothing more than to get this girl back to her mom.

…

“I like your necklaces,” Sophia spoke up all of sudden causing you to smile. The two of you were walking hand in hand, hoping to find that highway she was talking about.

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded, her eyes fixated on them, specifically the long ones with pretty crystals hanging off of them. “They’re very pretty.”

You slowed down, coming to a stop. Sophia looked up at you, curious as to what you were doing.

“Can you let go of my hand for a second?” You asked, smiling at her. “It’ll be alright.”

Reluctantly, she released her hold, freeing your hand.

You wiggled and stretched your fingers for a bit. Ever since you found her, she had held onto your hand with a death grip. Not that you minded, you figured she was scared of getting separated and being alone again, and in all honesty, you were afraid of the same thing.

Reaching around behind your neck, you pulled one of your necklaces over your head. “Here,” You knelt down and held it in front of Sophia, it was a simple necklace with a single crystal pendant.

“The crystal is an amethyst,” you pointed out. “It's for spiritual protection.”

You placed the necklace in her cupped hands, watching as she ran her fingers over the crystal. “You can keep it,” you chirped happily.

She looked at you wide-eyed, before putting it on. “Thank you,” she whispered.

You nodded, and offered her your hand again, curling your fingers around her palm. “Which way do you think we should keep going?”

…

A couple of days had passed and you started getting worried. You kept it all to yourself though, putting on a brave front for Sophia’s sake.

But things weren’t looking good. You were already running low on food and water. You did your best to ration what was left between the two of you, often giving Sophia a little more than you gave yourself.

You knew the more time that passed the less likely it was that her group would find either of you.

In the daytime, you did everything you could to keep your and her spirits up, like playing little games of I Spy, quietly singing songs, asking her questions about her group.

It sounded like they were a good group of people, for the most part, you wondered if they’d accept you. It had to be better than surviving on your own.

The further the two of you walked, the more lost you felt. It was as though the forest was endless, your own personal hell in a way.

The nights so far had been the worst part. Once you’d find a semi safe-looking spot, you and Sophia would sit against a tree, she’d fall asleep curled by your side, while you stayed awake through the night keeping watch.

That’s when things seemed the most hopeless to you, sitting alone in the dark with just your thoughts to keep you company. You wasted the hours worrying about all the things that could go wrong, how inevitably you’d run out of food, that one or more of those walkers, like Sophia called them, would find you…

Not to mention, you were physically and mentally exhausted, you weren’t sure how much longer you could keep any of this up.

As the sun was beginning to rise, you spotted a walker out in the distance. However, you didn’t want to wake Sophia up yet, she needed her rest if the two of you were going to keep searching for your way out of this forest.

You dug through your bag and took out your knife. Carefully, you stood up, trying your best to be quiet. You observed the walker carefully, it moved slowly with a limp.

You had only killed a couple of them total, usually, you preferred just sneaking around and avoiding them.

Sighing, you gripped the handle of the hunting knife tighter and tiptoed towards your target.

Despite how many of these walkers you had seen, it still made you sick to your stomach, between the smell and their appearance you weren’t sure if you could even imagine anything more disgusting.

You approached it from behind, taking a deep breath before taking a hold of its shoulder and plunging the knife through the back of its skull.

Just like that, it fell to the ground. Stepping down onto its back, you reached down and tugged the knife back out. You tried your best to ignore the unpleasant squelching as you wiggled the knife free.

Quickly, you returned to where Sophia was still soundly asleep. Taking out a rag, you wiped off the bloody knife, before slipping it back into your bag.

…

Daryl huffed as he packed a bag and prepped for venturing out into the woods again.

He couldn’t stand the sight of Carol’s moping, he felt bad for her, he truly did, but comforting people wasn’t his strong suit. Made him feel useless watching someone cry and not being able to do a damn thing about.

He never received much comfort or sympathy growing up, his father and brother weren't compassionate types. So he didn’t have a clue as to how to make anyone else feel better. He had seen how Lori and Dale were with the others, always saying the right words, knowing what people needed to hear to get through the bad.

The only thing Daryl could do was go back out there and find Sophia, which was a hell of a lot better than sitting around this farm twiddling his thumbs while everyone else was having a pity party.

“You’re going back out there?” Carol asked softly, she appreciated all his efforts. It honestly surprised her when he volunteered to search for Sophia. A part of her had expected him not to care.

The more she got to know Daryl, the more obvious were the differences between him and Merle. On the surface, he was tough and brash just like his brother, but somewhere inside of Daryl, he cared about the group, about people.

“Ain’t like anyone else is gonna,” he answered, slinging the backpack strap over his shoulder.

Carol placed her hand on his forearm, squeezing lightly, “Thank you.”

Daryl glanced down for a moment before shrugging her hand off.

“Someone’s gotta do it,” he muttered, tightly clenching his jaw. He headed towards the stables, figuring he’d be able to cover more ground by horse then just on foot.

…

“Sophia!” Daryl shouted on the top of his lungs, he didn’t give a damn if he drew the attention of every damn walker in the whole state. He was determined to find her.

It felt like it was all up to him to find her, cause if he didn’t no one else was gonna step up.

Rick had his hands full with Carl, and Daryl could tell that Shane had already given up on the girl. He understood why, little girl lost in the woods, no food, no water, the likelihood she was still alive was slim to none, but there was something in his gut saying otherwise, and it pushed him to keep searching.

Each time he went out looking for her, he honestly believed that this was going to be the time he found her. That he stumbled across wherever she was hiding, and she’d be there, alive.

He continued at a slow trot, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement, before picking up the pace.

…

Neither you nor Sophia had any energy left to keep going.

You offered to carry her when she started falling behind and stumbling over her own feet. You crouched down, allowing her to wrap her arms loosely around your neck as you looped your arms to hold her legs.

For a few hours, you had mustered up just enough will to keep pushing forward, but then it was like your body just gave up. You collapsed to your knees, and couldn’t find the will to stand back up.

Sophia had passed out, and your eyes were growing heavy, you had no fight left, but you tried you to at least stay conscious. You drag yourself over near a tree, so you and Sophia wouldn’t be completely exposed.

You wrapped your arms around her. No matter how much you wanted to keep going, you just couldn’t. Days without sleep and water had finally caught up to you. You felt so heavy and limp.

Looking up to the sky, the sunlight seeping through the leaves and branches was bright and warm.

Your eyes started to water, this was probably your last day alive. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had just been you, but you failed Sophia. You thought about Sophia’s poor mother, out there somewhere close by looking for her daughter. You had hoped you were going to be able to reunite the two of them.

You began to openly weep as a wave of emotion crashed down on you. Maybe Sophia would’ve been better off without your help.

You squeezed her shoulder gently and whispered an apology.

Suddenly, you froze, you couldn’t believe your ears but it sounded like there was someone shouting in the distance. But he was too far, and you couldn’t quite make out what he was saying.

Wetting your lips with your tongue you tried to speak. But you could barely get a word out.

“Sophia!” The man yelled, sounding like he was heading towards your direction.

“Here,” you croaked, your voice cracking as you tried to speak louder. Your eyes watered, frustrated that he hadn’t heard you.

“Sophia!” He shouted again. He sounded like he was closer, this was your chance.

“HERE,” you repeated, straining your voice as you tried to shout, praying that he heard you this time. You watched closely in the direction you heard the voice. “Please,” you whispered, “we’re here.”

Time seemed to slow down, and it was absolute torture. You balled your fists tightly, waiting for someone, anyone coming to your rescue. Just as you were about to lose hope, a man with a crossbow emerged.

He was covered in sweat and was panting. His short brown hair was a mess and there were bloodstains on his clothes.

Daryl took a couple of steps forward, he couldn’t believe it. He had actually found Sophia. Although, he wasn’t expecting to find anyone else with her.

“Is she alive?” He asked you.

You nodded in response. “Are you with her group?” You asked, your throat still sore from earlier.

“Yeah,” he answered, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to get you both back to the farm. Sophia was out cold, and you didn’t seem to be any better off.

Daryl scooped Sophia into his arms, then turned back to you. “Got a horse nearby, we just need to get ya to it.”

You nodded, just grateful that he wasn’t going to abandon you out here. You weren’t anyone to him, or to their group… the easiest thing would’ve been to leave you, and you would’ve understood.

As you stood up it felt like your legs were going to give out at any moment. Daryl allowed you to lean against him, as you made your way towards the horse.

Somehow, you managed to find the strength to mount the horse. Daryl instructed you just to hold on, as he grabbed the reins to lead you and the horse back. With Sophia in his arms, he started walking back towards the farm.

You rested against the horse, clutching its mane with your fingers. Your eyes felt heavy like you were going to pass out any minute, the world around you was blurry. Watching the trees pass, you thought you could see figures standing between them, tall dark shadowy figures.

Shaking your head, you tried to focus on your and Sophia’s savior walking ahead of you instead.

You smiled noticing the white wings on his back. You couldn’t figure out if it was another hallucination or if they were real. But maybe he really was an angel.

You sighed, feeling safe in his company. Everything was going to be alright. You rested your eyes, the movements of the horse gently lulling you to sleep.

Daryl stopped in his tracks when he heard a loud thud behind him like someone had dropped a sack of dirty laundry on the ground.

Looking back, he saw the horse saddle empty and you laying in the dirt like a rag doll.

“God damn it,” he muttered.

He gently sat Sophia down, before wandering over to you. He crouched down to your level, making sure you were still alive. God, you were going to end up being more trouble than the girl.

“Hey,” Daryl said sharply, patting your cheek, causing you to stir.

Your eyes slowly opened, blinking a couple of times before they were able to focus on his face. You smiled at him, a warm sweet smile. With the light of the sun shining down on him so brightly, it looked almost as if he had a halo.

“You really are an angel,” you mused in your partially delirious state. “You’ve got wings, a halo, and everything.”

Daryl scowled, “The hell you goin’ on about?”

You giggled, it was pretty funny to hear an angel curse.

Daryl sighed and muttered something under his breath about how you probably went crazy out there. Before helping you sit up.

You looked over to the side and noticed the horse standing there. Tilting your head to the side, you asked “Did I fall off?”

[welcometomy20s]

July 2, 2021

HoloServer Quarterly Report

Usada Constructions - Buy

To understand the current position of UsaKen, we must look to its history. At first, UsaKen was a joke, a riff on Majima Constructions, a potemkin company only existing to serve the whims of the founder and CEO. Pekora’s project was sophisticated and massive, her pranks simply legendary. But out of the blue, Moona enters. The mutual awkwardness worked in their favor, in fact this will be a prevailing theme, what might seem like a highly dysfunctional group, actually turns the whole thing into strength.

The Rabbit and Moon theme didn’t hurt them either, and the idea of Usada Construction as an actual entity enters the public consciousness, especially as a point of comparison to the fledgling Akukin Constructions… although it could be said that Akukin was the remnant of Hololive Resistance in some sense. This led to the initial expansion with the hiring of Coco and Kiara… but again this was more of a joke, a fleeting thought before UsaKen was about to come on its own.

It was the Akukin Relay that really set the ball rolling. Not only did we have the fortuitous event of Kanata accepting a position in UsaKen before finding out she did get a callback from Akukin, it spurred Pekora into focusing on Minecraft, especially her gaming plans were dirtied by corporate pressure. Pekora started small, with her misbehaving cannon and putting out her petty anger onto Noel, but soon Pekora unveiled her grand plan, Pekoland, and immediately set out to organize the company as a whole.

By now, the company was fairly-sized. It added Botan and eventually Towa into the mix, although Botan is still technically an affiliate and Towa first came with revenge, before using the company as an opportunity to learn how to be evil. Now the company measured seven strong, although they were quite disparate, having members from all three branches and across three generations. This was quickly noticed and a discord server was made in response, which led to another group project immediately after Pekoland, which was already a pretty big project. Combined with Coco’s final innovation, the Summer Festival became an even bigger project in the end.

And it would be odd to think this would end soon. There’s an actual structure to things now, people can communicate and build on ideas and the whole thing seems pretty democratic, even with its autocratic start. And Summer Festival brought UsaKen into the center of Hololive narrative. UsaKen is now the de facto face of HoloServer, and perhaps even Hololive itself. People look at the former loner as the master organizer. Things only look up from here, which is worrisome, but there’s enough in UsaKen that I’m less worried than usual. UsaKen will always come out stronger in the end.

Akukin Constructions - Buy

Meanwhile, Akukin completely collapsed. It felt like Aqua would return from her Apex marathon, but it turns out prior and prep for the solo concert meant a month break is what she needed, therefore Akukin was without a leader for one more month.

Lamy and Nene managed with their own projects, but the rest kind of fell apart. But the Summer Festival changed all that. Just as Akukin Relay signalled Pekora a restructuring was needed, Summer Festival meant Akukin had to show up. So, the skit continued. During the Akukin Relay arc, the mysterious yet feisty boss with two second-in-command who actually runs the thing scheming and fretting was a hit, with a hint of blackness in its blasted scaffoldings. Now, the blackness is very much apparent. Aqua cannot let the failing company go, and has become vicious. Considering Marine's past, this works to their favor. Lamy and Nene would be their own thing. Roboco and Mel would pop in now and again. As for Iofi and Aki… well, I’m not sure.

Choco, which I deemed the liaison for Shiranui, which has a contractual relationship with Akukin, now liaisons for Oozora Group as well. Choco might be the next important person just because of that connection factor. Akukin might be a contracting company now, although Aqua would not be happy about where they stand now.

Oozora Group - Hold

I know that Oozora Constructions, now Oozora Group, is not a publicly traded company anymore, but I still suggest holding onto that now-worthless piece of paper. The problem with Oozora Constructions was that its story went nowhere. Korone’s house was interesting, but it rarely had an ending, since it required Korone to cooperate and that’s usually an awkward thing at best. Her other projects were half-baked, and most importantly Subaru never really had that recognition. She wanted to build a company but others laughed at the prospect. So Rushia lost faith and moved to UsaKen. Oozora was tanking before it started to fly. But Matsuri took grace and joined Oozora, at which point it became a group. It’s not like Matsuri and Luna, the other employee, haven’t been together, and Subaru was called Matsuri by Sora, so why not?

In the last report, I said Matsuri is more like a government employee than a free agent, and indeed it seems Oozora Group now acts like a governmental organization, with building a police station being the first undertaking after restructuring. This is actually not bad. Public utilities are dearly needed in HoloServer anyways, and Subaru acting as a public servant removes the desperation in her actions that would make interactions much more friendly and interesting. By falling, Subaru might have turned a corner.

Tangent - Using an extended analogy, when the age of giant reptiles was wiped out by a meteorite, there were small survivors, which we now know as birds. So, it looks like Coco’s legacy would also be held by birds, holotoris to be exact. To explain why, let’s look at the current functional part of Coco. Coco is the bridge that connects East to the West, not just in terms of language, but also in culture and mores. In that way, holotoris nicely distributes this responsibility. Subaru might be the best JP member after Haachama in terms of English comprehension, and she is quite cognizant of recent foreign perspectives as well… so she could be a good future ambassador. For Reine, her Indonesian teaching stream reminds me of Coco’s early streams. And Kiara’s Holotalk has been the counterweight to Coco’s meme review since it started… Not to mention, these three are the most extroverted of their respective branches.

Shiranui-Elite Conglomerate - Hold

SEC is an organization of my own creation, but it’s a useful one, because it fits the current situation well. To sum up, Elite Construction was starting to fall apart as Minecraft activities waned, one of the replacements was GTA V, and the three major players were Miko, Flare and Suisei. Their collab together was probably the highlight of the last quarter and gave us a bright spot during a time of troubles.

As Minecraft activities increased, due to PekoLand and HoloID mall and Mel and Roboco popping in and out, the connection before was starting to bore out in Minecraft. Shiranui was originally a contracting company, working with Akukin for example. Therefore it had a family business type, indeed the only other employee was an honorary one given to Flare’s wife, Noel. But a series of interactions with Polka and Choco led to this master and apprentice relationship, which was a major hit.

Flare, pardon the pun, was always the black sheep of the Hololive Fantasy. While the other four have something to stand out and something to back the flash (Pekora draws with her laughter and manic behavior which is backed up by her earnest shyness, Rushia draws from her yandere metal screams which backed up by her sincerity and fragility, Noel draws with her upper assets and ASMR which is backed up by her erogaki silliness and her charming singing, and Marine draws from her horny nature which is backed up by her wit and almost motherly wiseness), Flare never really landed a character. Indeed, Flare is a straight man through and through. Not quite a tsukkomi like Subaru or Kanata at times, since there is not that retorting arrogance the two can exhibit, as people call, Flare was your comfy older sister...

But the Western audience and this Polka relationship changed that. In the West, the fatherly figure has more of a distinct and prominent role, and Flare can emulate this pretty well. A dad is grounded and serious, but can be silly and childish at times. But the silly and childishness does not undercut his serious nature… and that goes well with Flare (perhaps even more so than Calli, who is on a goofier side of things). Therefore Flare could finally breathe and express herself. And the introduction of Miko and Suisei brings the crew into full focus. They are reminiscent of early UsaKen, except while UsaKen was disparate, SEC most closely resembles… well, a D&D party. With your typical silly arguments and trials leading to growth and so on.

Adding Marine or even Nene might disturb this. Flare is fine with the size and I am too. It’s not like there are any real pickings left anyway. Shiranui-Elite conglomeration have a long journey ahead of them, but a brighter future that goes along with it too.

Haachama Construction - Sell (but buy Watasheep)

It was inevitable. Haachama/Haato thing was not going to be settled soon. Haato barely finished the Coexist arc, getting the Anno disease in the process. It was pretty clear that the Haato/Haachama thing became overblown and unfitting to what Hololive was now.

But this leaves us with Watame, and Watame is in an interesting position. Watame is between a lot of companies now. With Shiranui-Elite, she is part of the four heavenly lords, and as Watasheep, she does the delivery of Menya Botan and KFP, both part of UsaKen, who inadvertently cornered the fast-food business. And she is part of the 4th Gen, who has come much closer due to the departure of Coco.

Watame has always made the safe choice, she revolutionized the server with her excellent Janken machine, but it was Kanata who became the seller. Watame might choose to leave herself out, since her Minecraft streams are kind of meant to be relaxing. The reason she deliberately chose to level her field, instead of building the sign outwards like the rest of the signs. So, perhaps nothing comes of this…

OkaKoro Constructions & Shirakami Forestry - Buy

This wave of HoloServer was so large that even the rarer visitors felt a need to visit. Flare has reached out to Okayu, who has pointed out the reason for her absence was the loss of her basement and Korone has followed interest in the server as well.

Fubuki returned to finish her massive sakura tree, of course she acts alone, but she has been increasingly open to hiring people, but it’s not sure if this will become reality. Perhaps if Akukin finally dissolves, there would be enough workforce…

Kureiji Constructions - Buy

Ollie had a roller coaster of three months… Like a burnt fuse, Ollie has had several physical problems… that didn’t stop her from doing math streams (there are precedents Yashiro and Gwelu being good examples) and returning recently with late contributions to the Summer Festival. Reine has been helping on the side as well…

Free Agents - Sell

There is not much of this category anymore. Anya is the One who does not play Minecraft, in fact her demeanor is quite different from anyone else. Ayame not only has been gone from Minecraft, she has been gone, period. She really just returned to streaming after about three weeks? Risu is the only one remotely available, but she has the gene of OkaKoro, which does not induce work ethics in Minecraft, no matter how skilled she is. (Her roller coaster MLG is still one of my favorite clips)

Overall, 2021 Q2 was the best of times and the worst of times. There was a lot of big progress and a lot of setbacks as well. It’s a deeply uncomfortable but adventurous position, as it always has been for HoloServer and HoloPro as a whole. Next quarter will be further accomplishments and further challenges, and the company and the personalities and the audience will bear it through it all, as they always have.

[the-black-birb]

Would you ever consider doing a part 2 to thank you?? It was written so well and made me feel so much for Oikawa

@twistedincarnate asked: Thank you part 2 pls?

A/N: When I first wrote ‘Thank You’ I had a thought in the back of my mind that I should continue the story and make it longer, but I never thought anyone else would want to read it. These requests made my heart swell.

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x Reader

Read the first part here!

Summary: You and Oikawa have both grown since your days of high school teen romance. You have both grown, but you have not grown apart.

Genre: Fluff!

Broken Promises [Oikawa Tooru x Reader]

Oikawa Tooru was your best friend.

Through high school and college, he was your number one.

You had your rough patches. Falling in love is never easy, and falling in love with someone you can’t be with hurts like hell. After Oikawa broke up with his rebound, the two of you realized you’d be better off not falling into bad habits.

Nurturing a relationship under your circumstances was nearly impossible. You were both prepping for exams, he was married to volleyball, and you didn’t even attend the same school. Instead, you agreed. Friends. No kisses, or hand-holding (but coffee dates were still up for grabs). And it worked. Better than your struggling relationship had, and far better than the stress of being apart from one another.

In college, the two of you made amends for lost time. Fortunately, you attended the same school (finally!) and were able to see each other far more often. Your agreement still stood, however. You were only friends.

So the two of you dated various other people. Oikawa always dated girls who liked black coffee, and you always dated tall brunettes with nice arms. On and off, you found people to fulfill your needs when you were particularly touch-starved. And you confided in one another about all of it.

Yes, Oikawa Tooru was your best friend.

But that didn’t mean that you weren’t in love with him.

It was inevitable, of course, for you to fall in love with Tooru again. You were sure, if they existed, yours and Tooru’s destinies were intertwined. But it hurt to love him, and as much as you tried to move on from that, your mind constantly reminded you. Every time you saw him with another girl, every time he came to you star-struck after a date, you remembered. So, you never acted on it.

Besides, there was your promise to consider.

“No romantic interests in each other.” It was what the two of you agreed to when you decided to be friends again. Despite all your feelings, you would never betray his trust.

Today, the two of you had a particularly special outing planned. It was your friendiversary. Not celebrating the day you met, but rather the day you decided to face the world together. Yet another reason why your pesky feelings were entirely irrelevant.

Yes, today the two of you were going on a picnic in your hometown. An entirely platonic date, you assured your racing heart. You held onto your woven basket tightly. In it, there were some fresh baked goods (courtesy of the bakery you loved to visit) and a canister filled with earl gray (Oikawa’s favorite).

He was bringing sandwiches and a blanket for the two of you to sit on, but he’d been running awfully late. You stood nervously. For a moment, you’d considered that you’d gone to the wrong place. Perhaps you’d missed it.

But one look at the view quelled your doubts. It wasn’t exactly a nice place to have lunch. Oikawa had asked you to meet him on top of a parking deck near the edge of town. But form there, you could see your home sprawled out. Buildings nestled closely together; you were certain there was no other place where you could have this breathtaking outlook.

You were so entranced by the picture of your home town, you hadn’t realized the figure sneaking up behind you until there were two strong arms wrapping around your shoulders.

[F/N]!” Oikawa smiled at you and you had only just then noticed how cloudy it was. It didn’t matter though, because his smile brightened up your whole day. “I’m glad you found my secret spot!” he winked at you.

Making small talk, the two of you started to set up your picnic. Oikawa laid down the blanket and you organized the food, all until you were sitting next to each other with all thoughts lost except the sandwiches in front of you and partner next to you. The silence was comfortable because everything was comfortable with Oikawa. You let your worries wash away.

“So, you enjoyed the look?” Oikawa asked, hand reaching up to wipe a crumb off your cheek. You nodded, eyes falling to the expansive horizon once again.

From here, you can see your café and your house. You can see the park you’d visit as a little kid, and the gym Oikawa used to coach volleyball at. It was like you could see your whole life laid out in front of you. “It’s nostalgic,” you reminisced. Your eyes fell to the boy at your side, whose hand had not quite left your cheek. “It feels like coming home.”

For a moment, there is silence and for a bit too long Oikawa keeps his eyes on your lips and his hand on your cheek, and when he pulls away you feel cold again. You wonder, for a moment, if such little contact could truly make you feel so whole, until a rain drop falls in front of you.

And then another one.

And then a sheet of rain follows.

Before you can process what’s happening, you and Tooru are struggling to collect all of your picnic supplies and rushing for cover. Although the rain is loud and thundering, you can still hear his laughter over it all. Infectious is the first word that comes for mind, your own giggles bubbling up through your throat.

Soon, you and Tooru are under a small elevator where the elevators to the roof are. You think about asking him to visit your house and stay in your room, but you are far more immersed in the way he looks with water dripping from his hair.

“So, our picnic has been relocated,” you joke, sitting on the ground. Tooru follows your lead, not hesitating to sit next to you. But this area is smaller, and the two of you are cold from the rain and suddenly he is sitting so close you can feel the heat radiating off his skin and smell his cologne.

“Are you cold?” he inquires, snapping you out of your trance. You think for a moment, are you? But he is already reaching out to feel the cool skin of your bicep and reaching into his bag. He pulls out an extra jacket (a sweatshirt with an alien on it, that smells just like him) and hands it to you. ���I brought it just in case,” Tooru explains.

You put it on, muttering a “thank you,” as you do, and rest back to lean your head against Tooru’s shoulder. You didn’t particularly mind this change of plans. Although you were further from the edge, the view of the town still remained.

“I can still see the café from here,” you laugh. He smiles with you, following your eyes.

“Remember our promise?”

Your breath hitches. Of course, you do. The promise you intended to keep.

“No romantic feelings,” you remind him, heart sinking in your chest.

“Yeah…” There is hesitation in Oikawa’s voice that you just barely catch. He looks up straight to look at you, and if you had allowed yourself to be hopeful you would have thought he was looking at you as if nothing else existed in the world.

Tooru smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “I think I broke it,” he confides.

You do not know how to respond when he says this, because truly you should be angry that he broke your promise. You should be scared because you know what it takes to be in a relationship with Oikawa. But instead, you are thinking about how the two of you have grown and matured. You think about how you’ve been through heartbreaks and learned and moved forward and how maybe you could talk to each other now. Maybe, you could love each other properly now.

Finally, you think about how you are certain your destiny is intertwined with Tooru’s and if you do not take this chance right now, you may lose out on your destiny.

So you pull down on his shirt and close the space in between you until there is nothing but shortness of breath and pure love. You stay there for a long time, in his arms and lips and so mixed together with him (because you have to make up for lost time, after all) and you do not know how long it takes for you to pull away but when you do you are all bruised lips and teary eyes.

“Me too,” you tell him. “I definitely broke it.” Really, you don’t know if you’d ever kept it from the start.

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

Curiosity Cursed the Leppard

(This is a stupid little idea I wrote 2 years ago- one of my first Leppard fics that I actually executed. Normally I try to be as historically accurate as humanly possible, but I’m a teeny bit lazy with this one. I didn’t edit much when it came to proofreading this. I posted this on ao3 and rockfic 2 years ago once it was done, so if you recognize it, thanks for reading it so long ago!)

Words: 3,406 Characters: Phil, Steve, Rick, Sav, Joe, Peter Mensch Setting: March 1983, beginning of the Billy Squier tour Summary: The baby Pyro Leppards are sick of sitting back and doing what they’re told. To spite their dearest band manager, they need to- as Steve once put it- “break up the monotony”. Unfortunately, their curiosity comes with some minor consequences...

------

March 1983, somewhere in Europe

“Look at this over here!” Phil called back into the hotel room from the balcony, “Swimming pool!”

Steve trotted out to the balcony and joined his Terror Twin at the railing. Down in the small yard of the hotel was an in-ground pool with a few lawn chairs and a diving board. It was nothing extravagant, but it was a pleasant sight no less.

“That’d be really nice, if it were a bit hotter out,” Steve leaned on the railing of the balcony. When he spoke, the fog of his breath was visible.

The Leppards were about to begin their tour as the opening act for Billy Squier. They had about a week before any of the shows actually started, though. With all this extra time and no plans, there really seemed to be no telling what they could get themselves into before they had a show. Since it was the first day of their down time, curiosity seemed inevitable.

“It’s still early in the morning, it’ll get warmer,” Phil encouraged, “Don’t know about you, but I’d take the chance!”

Steve hung his head, looking directly down from where they stood, “I think you’ve forgotten what season it is, mate.”

“It won’t make a difference if it’s winter or summer,” Rick appeared in the doorway, joining in on the conversation, “I heard the pool’s heated, anyways. They haven’t turned it on for the day yet.”

Phil’s head popped up and he cooed, “Ooh, even better; we can pop in for a hot swim after our runnin’ around today.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Peter Mensch echoed from the inside, “Heated pool or not, it’s only 34 Fahrenheit outside right now, and you boys can’t risk getting sick! Besides, you probably won’t even have time to swim after all that we’ve gotta do today.”

Sav appeared next to Peter, holding a few of his luggage bags, “Oh, it’s not that much to do; it’s mostly just the dinner with Bill!”

Peter had to object, “Maybe it mostly is the dinner with Bill, but it can still take forever. All I’m saying is, don’t take the chance; we’ve got stuff to do.”

And with that, he exited the one large hotel room the Leppards all had to share.

“All this ‘stuff’ he’s claiming we have to do is just the same old story,” Joe muttered to Sav, also carrying luggage, “He says its ‘super important’ and we’ve ‘got to be there’, but we just end up taggin along with him for the ride and he does all the work.”

“It’s like we’re his pets or something,” Rick flew past the two of them and jumped face-first onto one of the beds.

“Or his children,” Sav commented, “Either way, he thinks he needs leashes on us.”

Phil suddenly called back into the room over his shoulder, “I say we spite him.”

Steve yelled back in the same manner, even though he was answering to Phil right next to him, “Ditto.”

“But how?” Joe inquired to the men on the balcony, putting luggage on the bed right next to Rick, “You two are the experts of spite.”

Phil simply motioned his arm out towards the yard of their hotel with a formal demeanor, “Let’s go for a quick swim; it’s the perfect opportunity!"

Steve nodded in approval of Phil’s proposal, and silence fell between the band for a sudden and brief moment.

“Count me in,” Rick muttered into a pillow, which made it sound more like gibberish. He sat himself up and stared at Joe and Sav, awaiting a response to support the future actions of the rest of the band, “What about you two?”

Sav and Joe looked at each other and shrugged.

“I’m alright with it, ‘long as we do it later,” Joe expressed his agreement as he looked out to the Terror Twins on the balcony, smirking, “Can’t spite him too early in the day.”

“Yeah, I say we do it later when it’s not freezing outside,” Sav suggested, “Spitin’ him doesn’t mean we have to freeze our arses off.”

***

When leaving for their day activities about an hour later, the five band members gazed in awe at the steam coming off of the pool water. As they walked on by, a woman with long dark hair and pale skin was in the pool.

“Ooh, can’t wait for that later,” Phil cooed.

“Can’t wait for what?” Steve asked him while they both stared outside, “The pool, or the girl?”

Phil casually joked, “Ah, I’ll flip a coin.”

“Okay,” Joe whispered to the rest of the band as they fell behind Peter a little more, “After we get back, we hide out in our room and wait until he’s gone.”

Sav added onto their plan, “And hiding time is prep time. We get changed, we check to see if anyone’s around the pool, all that jazz.”

“Sounds like the most exciting thing we’re gonna do all day,” Rick commented as they strode along into their “busy” day, “Don’t know how long I’ll be able to last through all of this useless shit we’ve gotta do.”

“It’ll all be worth it,” Phil assured them, “We’ve just gotta wait... and Lord knows for how long.”

***

They ended up waiting until about 7pm that night before they got back to the hotel. It was strange, because once they did get back, Peter said that he was going to simply leave them for the night. At the time they found out, the Leppards reacted normally, talking about being cooped up with the telly for the night or getting a good drink or two in. They all knew Peter had to run back out and do other manager-type things, but they didn’t know when he was leaving.

While they were waiting for him to leave, they all hastily got changed into swim trunks and fished out towels from the bathroom and kept peeking around to see whether the man of the hour still remained close by.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Phil said at one point, “We’ve been waiting 11 bloody minutes!”

“So?” Steve walked out of the bathroom in swim trunks, “It’s just 11 minutes. We weren’t expecting him to leave right away.”

Phil put on a pair of jeans over his own trunks, threw on a shirt, and made his way to the door of their room, “Well I’m impatient, and it’d be nice to know where this little plan of ours stands at the moment. We gotta look to see if he’s gone yet.”

“Be careful out there, solider,” Joe joked, strolling into the room with a bath towel.

***

Phil slipped out of the room and into the empty hallway silently. He walked towards the end that had Peter’s room, when Peter himself suddenly turned the corner in front of him, making him jump.

“Oh- Peter!” he awkwardly greeted him, “Hello, there!”

“Long time no see,” Peter greeted him back, not taking a second to stop walking. Phil, however, needed that stolen second.

He turned around to look at Peter and tried not to sound rushed when he asked, “Hey- uh, where are you headin’ off to right now?”

“Just to the arena where next week’s first show is,” he began, “Then I’m off to another meeting with Bill’s managers, then I’ve got to meet up with Mutt for a phone call to-”

“Oof,” Phil interrupted hastily as if it were bad news to him, and kept walking along, “That’s a lot, that’s tough. Hope you get it all done, bye!”

He suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction, waving farewell. It prompted Peter to wave back (confusedly). Once their paths had crossed for good, and Phil turned a corner, he slowly peeked back around the corner to see if his target had completely gone. Once he saw the man in question enter the lift, the guitarist made his way back to the band’s room with a smug grin on his face.

It was go time.

***

“He’s been gone longer than I thought he’d be,” Steve commented as he gazed through the peep-hole of their door after only about three minutes of Phil’s absence. The other three were close by him, awaiting any news from their foot solider.

Joe pitched in, “Maybe he had to hide?”

Rick suggested, “Maybe he got in trouble?”

Sav countered, “And what would he get in trouble for so quickly?”

“Oh, he’s coming!” Steve whispered excitedly as the four of them back away from the door, leaving room for Phil to open it. When he did, he came in quickly, shut it behind him and exchanged a pleased look with the rest of the band.

They all waited in anticipation for a quick moment before Phil announced, “Our plan is a go, lads! He’s gone!”

The other four clapped and cheered briefly before each heading in a different direction to get their towels and shoes.

“What took you so long?” Steve asked him with a laugh, “I thought you were just snoopin’ around, weren’t you?”

“Well,” Phil shrugged, walking over to a bed where his towel lay, “I had to hide for a bit to watch him leave because I accidentally ran into him, and I also asked that lovely girl we saw in the pool earlier to join us...”

The older guitarist exchanged a smirk with the rest of his band, and they all suddenly looked excited. Whenever they hung out with girls, it tended to get wild (and almost certainly meant that one of them would get lucky).

“And?” Rick anxiously inquired, speaking for the whole band.

The smirk left Phil’s face instantly, and his voice dropped to a tone of disappointment, “She said she had to go meet up with friends.”

A collective chorus of “aww”s and “dammit”s subtly filled the room, but they all headed out the door and down to the pool no less. They passed the front desk along the way when-

“Excuse me, gentlemen?” the fairly young American man at the desk called out to them as they walked on by. They stopped in their tracks and faced him, trying to cover up their bare chests with their towels. Their turning around was a good enough answer to the man's question.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve just gotten a report that the heater in the pool has stopped working. We’ll have maintenance around in the morning to fix it,” he informed them. The band all sighed and moaned in defeat. Their one rebellious act on this boring day was cancelled.

“Can’t we still go in?” Steve asked him, resulting in a slap on the arm from Sav.

“It’s freezing out, and you wanna go swimming in an unheated pool?”

Steve shrugged, trying to prove a point, “Well if it hasn’t been broken long, the pool’s probably still heated a bit, right?”

“If you all wanna go in, you’re more than welcome,” the man at the desk offered, “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Right, thank you, sir,” Phil smiled, turning with the rest of the band towards the exit to the outdoor patio where the pool was. They didn't care about temperature at this point; they had a goal. Right about now Joe would normally be the one to turn them onto the right path, but he knew that they all had their minds set on the same path. He knew they weren’t just gonna stop.

“We’re all mad, we really are,” he mused excitedly to them, “Old man Peter’s gonna have our heads if he finds us right now.”

Rick tied his towel around his neck like a cape and laughed, “If he finds us, but we know he won’t!”

They all giggled like children as they walked outside to patio where the illuminated in ground pool resided, their breaths now visible. The freezing air of the evening enveloped them immediately, causing them to pull their towels around them tighter. After a moment, though, they all tossed their towels onto the chairs nearby, embracing the brisk temperature.

“Little chilly,” Sav stated as they kept walking towards the pool. When they got there, Steve kicked off his shoes and dipped his toes in right away.

“Little heated,” Steve said back as he felt the water with his foot.

“Little jump!” Phil threw his towel behind him and suddenly jumped into the pool, splashing the others in the process. They all gasped and started laughing at the guitarist’s perfect entry.

Rick pointed at the water where Phil was, “Okay, he’s mad!”

Phil came back up, wiped his eyes and told them, “It’s actually quite nice! Just come right in!”

“Well someone’s gotta go first!” Joe proclaimed, “And it’s not gonna be me!”

A quick pause between the remaining four ensued. It was broken when Sav suddenly yelled for a split second and fell forward into the pool. Joe, Phil, and Rick all turned and looked at Steve, who had just been standing behind Sav (and was now giggling).

“Oops,” he sarcastically snickered before jumping in after Sav and swimming as far away from the bassist as possible. Rick and Joe both broke down in laughs and wheezes, along with Phil in the pool.

Sav resurfaced with a curtain of wet hair over his eyes and called out to no one in particular, “Where the fuck is he?! Steve!”

“Over here!” Steve playfully called out from the middle of the pool, far away from where Sav currently was. Sav scooped his hair out of his face, located Steve a few yards away, and dove after him.

"Okay, okay, who's next? Me or you?" Joe said to the drummer.

"Actually," Rick proposed immediately after the inquiry, "I've got an idea for both of us."

***

“Okay, ready?” Rick asked Joe, who was standing on the side of the pool opposite himself.

“Ready,” came the response.

“One...” Rick counted.

“Two...” Joe continued.

“Three!” they both shouted as they began to run. Once they both reached the edge of the pool, they jumped simultaneously and just as clumsily as one another. For the second that they were both in the air, they managed to high five each other perfectly with a quick scream before plummeting into the slightly heated water. The three other band members that were already in the water applauded them at their success with enthusiastic claps and laughs. When Rick and Joe resurfaced, they were immensely pleased with their accomplishment, celebrating it with a proper high five. And thus, the private (but still forbidden) pool party had begun.

The next two hours housed a wide variety of spontaneous activities. These happenings ranged from cannonball competitions, to genuine conversation, and to reenactments of live shows (but played underwater, of course). The band’s wading in the water went unnoticed by the hotel staff the whole time it commenced, just as the cold temperature outside went unnoticed by the band themselves. Once the pre-provided heat had worn off into nothing but steam, the band's energy began to wind down slowly as well.

"Man," Phil remarked at one point when they were all still swimming, "Who knew that swimmin' for a bit could make your throat hurt."

"We've all been yelling too much, you know what that does to your voice," Joe told him knowingly (after all, he was the singer), “You know what happens when your energy gets up.”

“I feel like we’ve just played a show,” the drummer pulled himself up onto the edge of the pool and stretched both of him arms, feeling how sore they now were.

Sav, on the other hand, kept his shoulders underwater in order to provide some protection from the bite in the air. His hair was also acting like a scarf to the back of his neck to retain some of his body heat.

His jaw chattered when he spoke, “Is-sn’t anyone g-gonna mention how cold it is n-now?”

“He’s r-right,” Steve supported Sav, floating right next to him in the exact same manner, “It’s gotten a l-lot colder...”

“Guess it’s time we all called it a night, then,” Joe pulled himself out of the pool and quickly wrapped himself in a towel, now visibly shivering as well. The four other men followed his lead as the water on the ends of their hair slowly began to chill to a freezing temperature. In a few minutes, they were all heading back to their room, smushed together in the hopes of heating up even a little bit.

"Can't wait to get me some nice, hot tea," Rick rubbed his towel back and forth around him, "Now my throat's killin' me."

“Blimey, can you believe how cold it is in here?” Phil asked his friends once they were back inside the hotel (even though the heaters were most certainly running). They all nodded and murmured in collective agreement at the remark.

The man at the front desk had heard this interaction, and sighed as he continued to fan himself with a folder, sweating in the excessive heat of the hotel.

***

“You guys are all idiots, you know,” Peter stated bluntly to the band members the next morning.

They were all grumpily moaning in front of him on the beds and couch, far from being ready for any sort of activity. They were also all as sick as dogs; each of them running a fever, each of them huddled up under several blankets, and each of their noses acting all kinds of crazy.

“I can’t believe you guys would go swimming in an unheated pool when it’s 39 fucking degrees outside, and think that you wouldn’t get sick- especially when you know we’re at the beginning of a tour!”

“Hey now, Peter,“ Joe croaked sassily from under the covers, his beloved voice now destroyed, “We’ve still got a whole week before any shows.”

“Besides,” Phil added nasily, “Aren’t you happy we’re learning our lesson?”

“You got me there,” the manager pointed at him, “I shouldn’t be surprised; I don’t know why I am, but lucky for you dumbasses, you just got yourselves out of today’s activities.”

Soft sighs of “yes” swept over the hotel room as Peter covered his eyes with his hand in disappointment.

“No, not yes!” he couldn’t help but chuckle with a hint of anger, “You're still very sick! Now you boys have to get better, and fast! The fact that you’re sick doesn’t take away the fact that we’re on tour!”

“We’ll try to get better soon, we promise,” Sav whined before sneezing loudly, then holding his head in discomfort, "Ughh... I hope so..."

“We’re real sorry, Peter,” Steve pouted and made a fake but sleepy apology, “But we’re actually gonna need you to get some medicine for us, if it’s not too much trouble.”

The manager sighed at the innocent request and gave in, “Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Maybe it’s actually a good thing you’re all sick; now you don’t wanna run off into trouble.”

Sav mumbled to Joe next to him, “Told you he wants to put us on leashes.”

Peter spoke up, “What was that?”

“Nothing!”

“And for god’s sake, guys,” the oldest man in the room began to make his way over to the heater, “Would it kill you turn down the heat in here?”

“Yes, it would kill us!!” came five disgruntled objections, making the manager freeze in his current action and back away from the heater with both of his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright, I guess I’ll see you guys in a few. Is there anything else you want me to get?”

“Tea,” was all Rick needed to say.

“Gotcha,” Peter confirmed with the young drummer before quitting the Leppards’ room. A bit of quietness took place right afterwards, just to make sure that Old Man Peter didn’t come running back in to see if they were faking the band-wide illness.

“So what do you think?” Joe asked his four other friends, “Worth it?”

There was another brief silence before Phil answered, “Yeah. Definitely worth it.”

“Same here.”

“Agreed.”

“It was delightful.”

Low, evil, chuckles made their way around the room and faded away. The band members then laid in silence and stared up at the ceiling, now uncertain of what to do next in their unexpected down time.

“So...” Phil proposed to them, “First one to break their fever wins?”

Steve immediately turned his head to answer for the entire band, "You’re on.”

The end

[skye-maxwell]

Worth-most

Persona 4 | Souyo | Young adult, established relationship | Rated T

Happy birthday, @romeo-and-antoinette! 🎈🎀🎉 Hope you like it, friend! 

For prompt #103 “You’re worth every second of my time” from this nifty prompt list. This does start off a bit angsty, but IS ROMANCE, PROMISE!

---

There was nothing like a long day at work to make Yosuke feel completely worthless. His boss, his coworkers, his clients—everyone had gotten on his nerves today, and every single one of them took him for granted. Maybe he wasn’t the smartest person in the office, or the most willing to kiss ass, but he was a good, loyal, consistent worker, which was more than could be said for just about everyone else there. 

He was drained physically and emotionally, plus he was starving. As he climbed the stairs to his apartment, he wondered if he would make it up to the fourth floor, or if he would just collapse before he got there. Or better yet, his stomach would growl so hard that he would crack the foundation of the building, and the whole structure would crumble down on top of him. 

That would be a fitting end to today, Yosuke thought morosely, halfway aware that his thoughts only got this dramatic when he was really spent. 

Even if literally everything had sucked all day, he at least had one thing to look forward to—Souji had promised him a homemade dinner tonight. Even though they lived together and saw each other every day, it had been a while since they’d eaten dinner together, let alone one of Souji’s famous made-from-scratch meals. Yosuke felt like it was a waste—a waste of Souji’s talents in the kitchen and (selfishly) a waste of Yosuke basically having his own personal chef in his home. 

But tonight, Souji had promised to cook for him. Yosuke’s mouth started to water just imagining some inevitably delicious scent hitting him in the face once he opened their front door, and the thought just barely gave him the strength to climb the final flight of stairs. 

However, when he unlocked the door and threw it open, there was no delicious scent there to greet him. 

Yosuke wondered if Souji was cooking something that didn’t have a particularly strong aroma, but if there was one thing Souji wasn’t shy about, it was his use of seasonings. Maybe he had finished cooking early and put everything away to heat back up when Yosuke got home? Or maybe he made something cold? It was a pretty crisp evening outside though, so Yosuke was sure Souji would want to prepare something warm… 

Yosuke dropped his bag and went to the kitchen to investigate. Souji wasn’t there, the lights were off, and it almost looked like nothing in the room had even been touched since Yosuke had left that morning, which was strange since Souji worked from home and should have made himself lunch at some point. 

Staving off his disappointment, Yosuke checked the fridge, but nothing had changed in there either. He even checked the stove, the oven, and even the microwave for residual heat, but once again he came up with nothing. 

Yosuke hadn’t heard from Souji all day, but that was par for the course lately. They didn’t mean to call and text each other less during the workday than they used to, but again, busy. 

Then Yosuke started to get a sneaking suspicion, so he made his way down the hall to the spare room they had made into Souji’s office. 

The door was cracked open, and Yosuke pressed his ear near the gap, only to hear Souji quietly muttering to himself the way he only ever did when he was both very stressed and very focused. Yosuke felt a rush of both relief and annoyance—Souji was alive at least, but there he was just sitting at his desk and not keeping his dinner promise that had been his idea and he had made such a big deal about, saying he wanted to spend time with Yosuke and do something special for him. 

Choosing to tread lightly just in case, Yosuke peeked his head in the door and said, “Souji? You got a sec?” 

Souji’s head shot up from where it was buried in a stack of papers, his eyes going unfocused behind his reading glasses as he looked at Yosuke. 

“Oh. You’re home,” Souji said flatly, and for some reason, that made Yosuke’s blood boil. 

Souji then looked from Yosuke to the clock that was hung high up on the wall, lowering his glasses so he could actually read the time. 

“Guess you don’t have a sec, then,” Yosuke said bitterly, looking away from Souji. “I’m not very hungry. I’m gonna go straight to bed.” 

He was still hungry (even if this exchange had somewhat soured his appetite), but throwing that in would be a reminder to Souji of his broken promise while also letting him know that he didn’t need to bother tending to Yosuke for the rest of the night if he really didn’t want to. 

As soon as Yosuke reached their bedroom, he fell face-first into bed, not caring about changing out of his work clothes or washing up or making himself anything to eat. He just lay there, stubbornly putting up with how difficult it was to breathe with his face pressed into the mattress because he was just so done. 

“This is so stupid,” he groaned into the bedding. “After all this time, I’m still just a disappointment, first at work, and now at home too? I really am worthless, huh?” 

“No,” Souji’s voice said softly from the doorway. 

Yosuke groaned again. 

Souji had heard him say that? Of course he had. 

Yosuke felt the mattress dip as Souji sat beside him, and Yosuke turned his face away, really not wanting to talk right now. 

Souji asked, “What makes you say that?” 

“Say what? The worthless thing? Don’t worry about it. Aren’t you busy? You should go back to your work.”

Yosuke was being petty, and he knew it. He was pushing away the only person who could comfort him, and he knew that too. Still, it felt like he couldn’t help it. At least he had enough self-control to not let out all the negativity at once—he wasn’t yelling or throwing anything or spontaneously combusting. That had to count for something.

“You’re more important than my work,” Souji said, and Yosuke almost scoffed at what appeared to be just a platitude at this point. 

Souji gently placed a hand on the middle of Yosuke’s back, and Yosuke froze. As much as he wanted to squirm away in a show of not accepting comfort from his Partner who he was mad at, that would be way too much effort in his current position. 

Souji continued, “And that’s why I feel terrible about letting time get away from me. I was so focused on my work, I had no idea how much time had passed. That’s no reason to break a promise, though.”

“So you remember, huh?” Yosuke said, immediately hating how he must have sounded like a whiny baby who was crying about missing his afternoon snack or something. “It’s whatever, man. Look, I’m in a bad mood, so just go back to what you were doing. Don’t waste your time on me; I know it’s valuable.” 

Souji’s hand lightly grasped the back of Yosuke’s sweater, probably involuntarily, and his voice broke as he said: “You’re worth every second of my time.” 

Shit, Yosuke thought, feeling like a huge asshole. In his bitter state, he had wanted to upset Souji to get back at him, but as soon as he could actually hear that Souji was upset, he wanted to take it all back. 

Yosuke slowly turned to look up at Souji, who looked guilty, and scared, and devastated, and whatever darkness spell was cast over Yosuke’s heart started to dissipate.

“I’m so sorry, Yosuke,” Souji said, his pretty silver eyes pleading for a forgiveness that only Yosuke could grant; he was never good at forgiving himself. 

As Yosuke peered up at him—his beautiful and imperfect Partner, the only person who truly thought Yosuke was worth everything and made that clear as often as he could (except this particular instance where he just happened to make a mistake on the wrong day at the wrong time)… 

Yosuke sat up and crawled into Souji’s lap, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. 

“I’m sorry too.” 

Souji quickly hugged Yosuke back as if his life depended on it, and then he placed a kiss on Yosuke’s cheek before breathing a warm sigh into Yosuke’s hair—and just like that, it felt like Yosuke’s world had fallen back into alignment. 

“I love you, Partner.” 

“I love you too.” 

They sat like that for a while, not saying anything, until the silence was finally broken by both of their stomachs growling. 

Souji said sadly, “You’re starving, aren’t you...”  

In the exact same tone, Yosuke asked, “You skipped lunch, didn’t you…” 

They both answered, “Yeah.” 

Still holding onto Yosuke with one arm, Souji reached into his pocket for his phone. 

“I’ll order our usual for tonight, and I swear I will make you dinner tomorrow night. I’ll set a hundred reminders on my phone, and I’ll prep some of the ingredients in the morning before I even start working, and—”

“Okay, I believe you. Extra dumplings, please,” Yosuke requested as he watched Souji text their order to the owner of the local takeout place with whom they were way too familiar with at this point. 

After Souji hit send, he tossed the phone on the bed, and his arm resumed its place around Yosuke. He looked reverently up into Yosuke’s eyes, as if he was gazing up at the stars. “I swear this time, Yosuke. I swear… on your life.” 

“On my life?! Aren’t you supposed to swear on like, your mother’s life or something?” 

“Your life is the most important to me,” Souji stated, and Yosuke knew that it wasn’t just a platitude. 

“Partner, if that’s your weird-ass way of trying to convince me I’m not worthless—”

“You’re the opposite of worthless. You’re… worth-more. You’re worth-most!” Souji said, eyes bright with his own assertion. 

“That’s not a word.”

“It wasn’t until now because no one has ever been worth-most until you.” 

“You’re the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met.”

“Probably, but not because I think you’re worth-most. That just can’t be helped.” 

“Okay, you love me, I get it,” Yosuke said tiredly, slumping against Souji. 

“Nope, I don’t think you do,” Souji said, planting a quick kiss into the side of Yosuke’s neck. “It’ll take about fifteen, twenty minutes for the food to come, so in the meantime, I’ll just have to remind you of how much you mean to me.” 

Yosuke pulled back to shoot Souji an incredulous look. 

“Are you seriously trying to fit in a quickie before the food comes?” 

Caught off guard, Souji looked up at him with wide eyes, his mouth parting a bit as he struggled to come up with a response.

“That’s not what I… I was thinking more like, I could massage some of this tension out of your back while I listen to you talk about what happened at work today…”

 “Oh.”

“…but if you want…” 

“No! Forget it.”

Souji chuckled as Yosuke climbed out of his lap and promptly turned his back to him for that back rub. 

After a thorough massage, a therapeutic venting session, a few more apologies, more than a few kisses, and a hastily scarfed-down dinner, the two of them cuddled up on the couch, as per Yosuke’s request.

“Thanks, Partner,” Yosuke sighed, feeling better than he had in days, maybe weeks. “Sorry again.” 

“It’s okay.” 

“Are you sure you don’t need to get back to work though?” 

“I’m all yours, for the rest of the night,” Souji promised, and Yosuke nodded appreciatively. “So did you want that quickie now or later?” 

Souji was obviously joking, but Yosuke angled his body toward him and started pressing kisses along his jaw, feeling the heat from Souji’s blush as it started to form on his cheeks. 

In all seriousness, Yosuke asked softly against Souji’s skin, “It doesn’t have to be quick, does it?” 

Already losing himself under Yosuke’s touch, Souji murmured, “Ngh… n-not at all.”

[parkhabits]

The Wedding Date {M}

Park Jinyoung x Reader Genre: Fluff / Smut Warnings: Explicit mature content Word Count: 11,964 Summary: It’s your best friend’s wedding and in order to avoid all those sympathetic condolences because your ex is showing up with his pregnant girlfriend you hire an actor to be your boyfriend. Jinyoung plays his part to perfection. Everyone including your parents are charmed by him, the only problem is, you can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. 

You should be happy. Full of bliss and joy while in celebration of your best friend’s wedding festivities. However, there were three things on your mind. 

1.Your ex fiance is the best man

2. Two months from now would have been your wedding

3.You hired an actor from the classifieds online to be your date for the whole weeks worth of activities. 

Yes, an actor. Not some escort, though others would consider it the same thing. Technically you were paying him money to be your ‘boyfriend’. However, you would consider it giving him money to play a part. A few hours before attending the first lunch you planned to meet him for the first time. You sat in the cafe, already dressed. Your outfit of choice done with your ex in mind. The coffee in front of you remained untouched and cooled due to nerves. 

You weren’t like this. You didn’t know you’d be desperate enough to stoop to this. However while going through the seating arrangement and guest list a few nights ago you saw that your ex was bringing a plus one. Not just any plus one though. That sent you into a turmoil. Sure, you could show up at the wedding single but after everything you weren’t ready. You needed someone by your side. Even if it was for show. 

“Y/N?” 

With your mind wandering you easily startle. Glancing up to the voice that called your name. His headshots didn’t do justice. He was tall, broad shouldered, slim waist and toned. Naturally handsome. Not at all what you were expecting of an actor yet his appearance had it make sense. 

“Hi,” is all you can manage to say as you’re struck with awe and at the same time worry. How on earth would you be able to get away with having him as your boyfriend? In other words, talk about out of your league in other circumstances. 

He grins, “Wow, you are not at all what I was expecting,” he says as he takes a seat in front of you. 

He knew it too. Immediately you feel self conscious, straightening out your dress and blindly fiddling with your hair. 

He sees the change in your expression, “Oh no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s a good thing for me,” he explains. “I mean, when someone hires someone to be their date you automatically expect.. y’know.” He stutters as he tries to explain, scratching the back of his head, “but you- you’re beautiful. I don’t know why you’d need someone to be your date,” he chuckles , dropping his hand and you’re taken aback by his bashfulness, “Can I start over?”

You laugh and nod.

“Hi, I’m Jinyoung,” he holds out his hand. 

“Y/N,” you smile taking his hand and shaking it. 

He leans forward along the table, “Alright director, let's hear it.” 

You raise your eyebrow, “director?”

He grins and shrugs, “You’re calling all the shots, guiding me and since I’m an actor. You know that makes you kind of like the director,” 

You nod at his point, pursing your lips. “I see,” there’s a pause between you two. “I’ve never done anything like this before so I’m not sure what I should be doing…” you say. 

Jinyoung eases back into his seat, “Let’s start with why you want to do this,” 

“Let’s see,” you ponder, “My best friend is getting married,the best man is my ex fiancé who I was supposed to marry two months from now. I’ll be walking down the aisle towards him not as I originally imagined. He’s in a new relationship and from what I hear his new girlfriend in tow is pregnant. Speaking of which I hear she’s six months pregnant which mean he was fucking her while we were together,” you don’t miss a beat, “So all in all I don’t want to be the elephant in the room that everyone pities,” you let out all in one breath and you realize how ridiculous this all really is. 

“So where do I come into play?” 

“You’ll be my boyfriend. We’ll put on an act that I’m completely head over heels for you and vice versa and that I’ve moved on,” You explain, cringing to yourself. You must come off as desperate and pathetic. Jinyoung is silent and you fear he’ll back out from how ridiculous this all is. 

“Alright so tell me about myself,” he finally breaks into a smile. 

Once again you’re confused, “Shouldn’t you be telling me about yourself?”

Jinyoung laughs, “I mean, who do you want me to be? What kind of boyfriend? If others start asking me about myself what do you want me to tell them?” 

“Oh,” you fidget in your seat, “I never really thought of that,” you feel the stress come about again. 

“What’s your type?” Jinyoung asks, 

“Uh…” you mull it over. Finally you let out a laugh, “This is going to be harder than I thought,” 

Jinyoung grinned, easing back in his chair. “I can be whoever you want me to be,” he says. 

Just hours before your big debut as a couple you two had run a quick crash course on your relationship. You two met at a coffee shop. Which was technically true. Together for a few months now. You gave a brief overview of the basics that your partner should know about you. Likes, dislikes, favourite foods, movies, even going so far in detail that he knew what your dominant hand was. In the end, you didn’t want Jinyoung to change so much about himself. Just from the conversation and encounter you deemed him to be polite, even charming. To be honest if you hadn’t hired him and if under different circumstances you might have even considered him real dating material and a potential love interest. 

That being said, you had established some ground rules that seemed to have amused Jinyoung once you brought it up to him. First and foremost no sex. You weren’t paying for someone to sleep with. However, sleeping in the same bed would be inevitable as the wedding’s activities took place out of town and lodging for the wedding party just happened to be at the groom’s parent’s estate. When you mentioned “chaste” kisses Jinyoung chuckled, the corner of his eye’s wrinkling. He was even more amused when you said “only if necessary”. Even saying that had you blushing and shy. 

“Back to sex,” you continued, “It won’t just be me you’re not having sex with but I ask that you refrain from having any sexual relations with any of the wedding guests, staff, you name it during this week. The last thing I need is to have another beau cheating on me,” You say sternly. 

Jinyoung looks at you intently, “Whether in a real relationship or a fake one. I am not a cheater,” he says. “If we’re talking ground rules then I’d like to add that this is strictly business,” you nod in agreement. “However,” Jinyoung adds, “This doesn’t mean we can’t  be friends. I think in order for this to work we need to be at ease with one another,” He had a point. What makes a relationship more authentic than friendship? 

You realized no matter the prepping, the ground rules established, the nerves would never go away. Jinyoung had volunteered to drive which you were appreciative of considering you needed some time to collect yourself. You weren’t sure if it was the curved roads or the anxiety that made you want to throw up but regardless you closed your eyes while Jinyoung, a complete stranger, drove you to the estate. 

By the time you arrive to the estate you have an endless list of how things could go awry. All of which happened to include hospitalization and natural disasters. Your stomach lurched as the windy road curved up the hill. Jinyoung let out a low whistle as the trees broke and the view of the estate came into view. You even straightened up in your seat, nose almost pressing against the glass in awe. 

You already knew Mark and his family were well off however you may have underestimated. Your best friend hadn’t mentioned how big it really was or the fact that it was basically a vineyard. It was no wonder the wedding was being held there and that they were accommodating the whole bridal party and a few others. As you pulled up your stomach lurched again and you knew it definitely wasn’t road sickness. You thought you and Jinyoung could arrive discreetly and have some more time to get yourselves settled before the initial late lunch welcome but you were wrong. 

“How good are you with meeting parents?” 

“Let’s just say I’ve heard many times over that I’m the ideal son in-law and that’s also coming from parents whose daughters I never even met,” he says cheekily. 

“Great, cause you’re about to meet mine,” you swallow nervously as you recognize the two figures unloading their car at the front. You should have remembered that you get your timely punctuality from your parents. “Oh god, we didn’t prepare for this. I thought we’d have more time. Maybe if you just keep driving past them they won’t recognize me or my car,” you panic. You hadn’t even told your parents you were bringing a date. You and Jinyoung were literally about to face the wolves. 

“Relax Y/N. It will be alright. Besides, if we can fool your parents then everyone else will be a breeze,” Jinyoung says. You started to realize that Jinyoung was logical, reassuring and his tone and the way he talked had a way of making you feel at ease. He made a point, if you couldn’t get past your parents who knew you the best. How could you get past everyone else? 

When the car comes to a halt right behind theirs you take a deep breath. Jinyoung places his hand on your knee in comfort, “We’ve got this,” 

Perhaps you shouldn’t have said “Hi,” when stepping out of the car. You two may have gone unnoticed while your mom was in the middle of nagging your dad. 

“Oh Y/N! You’ve arrived too. Isn’t this place gorgeous?” She pulls you into a tight embrace, “Your dad almost took the wrong turn because he wasn’t listening to me and on top of that he forgot to pack the small bag that I packed my hats in,” she rolls her eyes, “Oh honey, you’re not going to wear that to the lunch are you?” She says looking at your cocktail dress. 

“Ahem,” Jinyoung clears his throat as he rounds the car. 

If only you could have captured your mom’s reaction on video. It was the definition of ‘jaw drop’ and the exact reaction you would hope for. 

“Hi, Mrs. L/N. My name is Jinyoung, I’m Y/N’s boyfriend,” Jinyoung reaches to shake your shocked mother’s hand. “She told me so much about you but she didn’t tell me where she got her beauty from. Now I know,” he charms. 

Your mom giggles, acting like a school girl as she tucks her hair behind her ear. “Y/N never mentioned a boyfriend,” she glares at you. 

Jinyoung snugs his arm around your waist, pulling you against him. Your first ever skinship yet it was as if he’d done it hundreds of times to you. He is good was all you could think. You hoped you weren’t blushing. “You know y/n, always secretive. It takes a lot of convincing from me to even get her to call me her boyfriend,” Jinyoung laughs. 

Your mother nods, “Well, it's great to meet you and we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other and hear all about your love story,” your mom winks and you knew she was already swept away with Jinyoung. It hadn’t even been five minutes and he had already won her over. “Honey, come meet Y/N’s boyfriend,” she says in excitement. 

“Here let me,” Jinyoung says leaving your side. Your dad steps out of the way as Jinyoung pulls out not just one but both of your mother’s over packed luggage from the trunk. He didn’t even grimace from the weight of them of them and, unlike your dad,  had carefully set them on the sidewalk with ease. 

“Strong man. Jinyoung was it?” your dad says reaching out his hand, probably thankful he didn’t have to pull a back muscle. 

Jinyoung nods, “Yes sir,” 

Your dad puffs out his chest, straightening his posture for intimidation and taking on the protective father role, “So how long have you been seeing our Y/N?” 

“It’s been a few months now,” You answer hurriedly.  You can tell your dad was just about to ask another question so you hooked your arm around Jinyoung’s, “We’re going to go find our room. Get all fresh and resettled before lunch,” you say already pulling Jinyoung inside with you. Not even looking back as your parents gape at the two of you. 

It was a butler who escorts you two to your designated room. As soon as you’re inside you, quite literally, flop onto the bed. “Oh my god,” you drawl, “That was exhausting, how are we going to do that for a whole week,” you roll over onto your back as you stare up at the cream colored ceiling. 

You feel the bed shift. Jinyoung lays beside you, one arm propped as he rests his head against it. “It went well,” 

Finally you take in your surroundings. The room was quite big, enough to give each other space. There was even a changing screen that was probably for decoration but you’d probably put to use. Even the bed was big, you didn’t even know there was something larger than a king size. Yet despite the size Jinyoung was right next to you. If you just shifted your leg it would brush his. He was too close for comfort. You sat up, shifting over a bit to create space. 

“Tell me about your ex,” Jinyoung requests unmoving from his spot. 

“College sweethearts, thought he was the one, obviously not,” you shrug. 

“But obviously you care enough that you’d go as far as hiring me,” Jinyoung urges for more. 

“I am moved on, I think. I won’t really know until I see him.” Which got your nerves all riled up again because your encounter would be in an hour or so. “Like I said, it’s just nice to have you here so I don’t get those sympathetic  ‘How are you doing?’ You’re my backbone,” you explain. 

“You don’t seem to be the type that’s passive,” Jinyoung states. 

“I guess in a way the breakup, the whole cheating and pregnancy thing took something from me,” you shrug. You let out a laugh, “Like my self confidence for starters,” 

Jinyoung’s brows furrow. He’s about to say something until you hear a knock on your door. Immediately you look at him, eyes widening. Oh god, you weren’t ready to face your mom again. 

“Y/N!” You recognize the voice on the other side of the door and immediately feel relieved as you rush to open it. As soon as it’s open your greeted with a squeal and pulled into a tight embrace. 

“It’s happening! I’m getting married, I can’t believe it’s actually happening. You look so good. Where’s your new beau?” She wiggles her eyebrows. Then her attention turns to Jinyoung who's just now starting to sit up on the bed. “Oh, am I interrupting something?” She looks at you and winks. You see Jinyoung blush, clearing his throat. 

“Oh shut up,” you roll your eyes. 

Your best friend shrugs, “I don’t know what’s…” she pauses, “included in your contract,” She knew everything, in fact, Jinyoung was all her idea. Even so, there was no way you’d be able to hide it from her. You knew her though, she wouldn’t tell a soul not even her new husband. 

“Hi,” she finally introduces, “thanks so much for coming to the wedding,”

“My pleasure,” Jinyoung smiles, “Congratulations,”

“Okay! I’m off! I’ll see you two downstairs. Can’t wait to see the look on your ex's face when you walk in together,” she pulls you into another embrace as she whispers in your ear, “That smile alone is enough to get your panties wet,” 

“See you later!” You push her out the door, feeling the warmth rise to your cheeks. Once she’s out you turn to face Jinyoung. He smiles and the color continues to flush your cheeks. She’s right. 

“You can go ahead and freshen up first,” you offer. 

“Are you sure?” Jinyoung asks already reaching for the buttons of his dress shirt. His first button comes undone.

“Yes, go for it,” your voice squeaks. “I’ll probably take longer than you anyways,” You say as a second button came undone. You’d probably need a long cold shower feeling like a hormonal teenager. When Jinyoung heads into the bathroom and you hear the water turn on you collapse back onto the bed. It was going to be a long week. 

You don’t know why they call it a late lunch when it’s basically cutting into dinner time. You managed to do a quick fix of your hair, also tried not to drool when Jinyoung emerged from the bathroom all dressed up. It was simple. You’ve seen dozens of men, including your ex wear a simple dress shirt and khakis but Jinyoung looked like he just emerged from a catalogue of Hugo boss. 

The closer you get to the outdoor terrace and the muffled sounds of voices and piano playing the nerves resurface. As if knowing Jinyoung grabs your hand, holding it tightly. 

“You’ve got this Y/N. You’ve got me to lean on,” he encourages. 

You nod, finding comfort in the warmth of his hand as it holds yours. You recognize a few of your friend’s relatives. Growing up together you had gotten to know them quite well. Just as expected the view from the terrace were beautiful vineyards, mixed with a garden courtyard that included a sculpted fountain. You walk in hand and hand with Jinyoung, as directors would normally say, action. 

“Y/N!” You hear your mother's voice immediately as if she’s been waiting for you to make an entrance. “Oh, you didn’t change,” she tsks as she approaches you.  

“That would be my fault,” Jinyoung speaks immediately, “I convinced her not to change. The color suits her and I think she’s beautiful,” Jinyoung snugs his arm around you just as he had before. 

With Jinyoung’s statement you can physically see your mother’s thoughts change, “Oh yes I suppose you’re right. It is very flattering on her,”  she gleams. 

“And I have to say Mrs. L/N you’re looking quite radiant yourself,” He compliments. 

Your mother blushes, “Come you two, you have to say hi to Mrs. Lim,” You tried to protest but your mother was already hooked to Jinyoung’s arm and dragging him across the terrace. 

Just like your mom, Mrs. Lim is swept away by Jinyoung’s charms. Soon enough, more ladies are surrounding the two of you. There’s swooning and a handful of giggling and lots of playful touching. You’re almost beaming with pride, basking in the glory that you had the hottest date. When Jinyoung was finally introduced to your best friend’s father, the two had gotten along and easily slid into conversation as if they had known each other for a while. It was easy to say Jinyoung blended in well. 

“Oh god,” you say when you notice a certain someone making a beeline towards you. 

Jinyoung turns his attention to you, “Is it your ex?” 

“Worse,” you groan. 

You’re greeted with boobs and a high pitched giggle as your name leaves her lips, “Y/N how lovely to see you!” Her words dripped with fakeness. 

“Wow, Janine,” was all you could say as you kept your arms by your side trying your best to sound as enthusiastic as she was. 

“I know, they just got done,” she proudly shimmies to flaunt her chest,looking at the corner of her eye to who stood beside you. 

Some describe this type of relationship as “frenemy”. Friendly towards each other yet in a superficial, don’t really like one another type of way. Always remaining civil despite the shade thrown at one another. Janine in latent terms was interesting. Loves thinking she’s the center of attention and someone that thinks she attracts all the men. You knew it was bound for her to come running to Jinyoung. 

“I heard your date is the life of the party, auntie keeps going on and on about him so I just had to come see for myself,” Oh yeah, and she’s your best friend’s cousin. As if on cue she hooks her arm around Jinyoung’s pulling him towards her. “I can see what all the talk is about. I’m Janine,” she introduces. 

You tug him back towards you and realize that you may end up in a tug of war against her. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N’s boyfriend Jinyoung,” he says as he squirms out of her hold and, in the most satisfying way, snugs his arm around your waist in unity. You feel smug as you see her little pout. “Can I get you something to drink babe?” Jinyoung asks.

Babe. You never discussed pet names, in fact, your ex rarely called you anything. It was something you weren’t used to but coming from Jinyoung it was something you could get used too. You had to remind yourself it was all for show. You smile and nod. Then he does something you for sure didn’t expect. It was a sweet and innocent gesture. A kiss on your temple before he leaves but you weren’t used to this kind of affection. Especially in front of others. It was so casual, so simple, yet it left you giddy. 

Janine’s jaw drops slightly, she doesn’t miss a beat as soon as he’s out of hearing distance. “Where did you meet him?” Emphasizing the ‘you’part of the conversation because obviously Jinyoung was someone out of your league. 

“We met at a coffee shop,” you say as nonchalant as you can, once again, partly true. 

“Looks like I’m frequenting the wrong places,” she mutters as she watches Jinyoung at the bar, gnawing at her bottom lip. 

“Y/N,” your best friend calls your name and saves you. When she comes running over, it wasn’t to save you but to warn you. She pulls you away to the corner of the terrace. “Your ex is here and baby momma in tow. Look at her she’s huge!” 

You feel a slight sense of panic. You haven’t seen your ex since the breakup, didn’t even know what the woman he was with now looked like. Your attention is turned towards the entrance where you see your ex. No butterfly feelings, no rush of emotions. He looked tired, bags under his eyes, hair was disheveled. You didn’t know if you should feel relieved that he looked far worse than when you two were together or if you should feel sympathy. His ‘baby momma’ was huge, belly wise. Yet you were expecting some radiant glow but was faced with a frown. Other’s had also turned their attention to the new couple that just walked into the room. You saw your mom’s scowl and no doubt she was whispering to Mrs. Lim the same things you observed. You were pleased with yourself, no outlying feelings. Not even anger. 

“You okay?” You best friend asks.

You nod, “Surprisingly yes,” 

“In any case, I’m glad Jinyoung is here with you,” she says. 

You glance over at Jinyoung who stands by the bar talking with Mark. He holds two glasses in his hand. He catches your gaze, an easy smile over his face as he winks at you before turning  back with Mark. A part of you, a big part, wished this was real. 

As you had assumed, lunch had moved into dinner, dinner faded into the late night. By the time you get back to your room you were slightly buzzed from all the wedding themed cocktails. Satisfied, you kick of your heels. Falling back onto the bed with your arms spread. 

“That went better than expected. We might actually pull this off,” You glance over at Jinyoung whose removing his watch, now starting to undo the cuff links of his dress shirt.  You roll onto your elbow as you watch him. “Seems like you and Mark hit it off,” 

Jinyoung smiled, “He’s pretty cool. He suggested that after he gets back from his honeymoon we all take a trip to the mountains,” 

The way he said it made it seem like it was plausible. Like real lovers discussing future plans. It only made your stomach knot and feel guilty Mark didn’t know he wasn’t going to get his vacay with Jinyoung. 

Days had passed and in that time you and Jinyoung had easily fallen into a friendship. The first initial bouts of awkwardness between you two gone. You had to give him most of the credit for that. He was kind, thoughtful, made you feel at ease. He even had your mother wrapped around his finger. Your own father couldn’t calm her from her incessant rants the way Jinyoung could in seconds. It seemed as though everyone was charmed and captivated by him. The days were busy, lawn activities, nature walks,  the whole lot, each day followed by cocktail hours and tipsy evenings. Most nights you and Jinyoung would stumble back to the room giggling and teasing one another. All except for one night where your best friend and you left dinner early and had a sleepover in your room. That morning you were surprised to wake up to her instead of Jinyoung. Then during brunch burst out laughing when you found out him and Mark ended up doing the same thing. There were no boundaries even the pillow barricade between you two had come down. 

You laid in bed wide awake. The quiet of the night and darkness over the room. Jinyoung sleeping peacefully beside you. Your comforted by his presence, knowing he’s there. You reflected on your days with him. How Mark and Jinyoung instantly became friends, your parents with Jinyoung only after the first meeting. Hopefully they didn’t get too attached being that this would all come to an end. When Jinyoung turned in his sleep his arm fell across your waist. Don’t get attached, you reminded yourself. Yet as you drifted off to sleep you curled into the warmth of his body. 

“Ow,” 

You’re woken by the sound of a man’s voice. In the state of confusion and morning grogginess you’re startled by your surroundings and the ‘stranger’ who lay beside you. Then you remember, you’re in bed with someone you paid to be your pretend  boyfriend, you’re in an estate and you’re currently in his arms and feeling that your elbow was kind of jabbed into his abdomen that’s probably why Jinyoung woke. 

“Sorry,” You shift. You’re still pressed against his body, his arm still around your waist. 

“It’s okay,” he murmurs. 

The sound of his morning voice had to be one of the most attractive things you’ve heard. It’s quiet for a moment and you wonder if he’s fallen back asleep. You lay as still as possible in case he had. Countless worries in your head. Did you look okay? Did you snore in your sleep? You cringed at the thought of possible morning breath. 

“What’s the plan for today?” He asks groggily, his arm still around you. 

“All I know is that there’s dinner in the East Wing tonight,” you laugh at how ridiculous and posh it all sounds. 

“Hmm,”Jinyoung responds and you wonder if he’s falling asleep again. He shifts, not farther from you but closer. He’s practically spooning you, his face nuzzled in your hair. This wasn’t the only time you two had woken up snuggled against each other. Nor was it the only time you two hadn’t pulled away from each other. Your ex and you couldn’t handle cuddling each other. In the morning you’d wake with a gap between yourselves and back towards each other. You never believed that people could actually fall asleep, let alone be comfortable like that. Now you believed that cuddling could actually be comfy. The way you simply melded into Jinyoung’s body gave you hope for cuddling. In fact most mornings when you two woke like this you didn’t want to leave. 

“You’re beautiful in the morning too,” Jinyoung murmurs sweetly, catching you off guard. 

You blush, he was just being nice. He always says sweet things to you. It was hard to believe that there were actually guys out in the world like this. Were these lines he said before? You understood him saying these things to you in front of others, but he even continued to say things like this when it’s just the two of you. “Do you take tips for flattery?” You joke, trying your best to hold back and not fall for his charm. 

If only you could take back what you said, wondering if you had insulted him as he lets out a deep sigh and pulls away from you. Rolling onto his back. You shift too, now both of you are staring at the ceiling though you wish you were back to the sweet moment just before. You cursed yourself for ruining the moment even though it was supposed to mean nothing. Strictly business, this was what he was here for. 

“I finally met your ex,” Jinyoung speaks, “Figured it was him considering he was the only one with a pregnant significant other,” he looks at you, “Are you okay?” 

“I am. More than I thought I would be. It’s just hard to move past it all with everyone asking me ‘if I’m alright’ or ‘warning me whenever he comes into a room’, telling me ‘I deserve better’,” you shrug. 

“You do deserve better,” Jinyoung says quietly. 

There it was again, his sweet words.. Making you feel special, reassured. But with his words came confusion. He barely knew you, sorta. You two did have a run down on all your interests but hardly enough to say he knew you best out of everyone. You look at him and he’s still staring. Your pulse quickens. How was it that Jinyoung was able to make you feel so many things in such a short time? With your ex it had been slow. A low simmer throughout your relationship. With the way Jinyoung looked at you, touched you, everything boiled. Heated down to your core and you weren’t sure how to handle it without breaking your own rules, without crossing boundaries. 

“Y/N, I -“ The knock on the door interrupts Jinyoung. 

“Who is it?” You call out. 

“It’s me!” Your best friend answers. “Come on Y/N get dressed we’ve got wedding stuff to do!” 

This was the second time your best friend interrupted you two. The timing uncanny. You wonder if you would ever find out what Jinyoung wanted to say both times. If it was important than for sure he’d tell you but considering he didn’t say anything else you pushed it aside. 

At the wedding parlour you sat with champagne in your hands surrounded by a tearful mother and giddy bridesmaids and an annoying Janine. Your thoughts distracted. Jinyoung was with Mark and the other groomsmen and guys having a ‘manly’ day. He was by himself with your friends, your father, your ex. In fact it was your first day apart from each other all week.  You only hoped everything was going okay. That your dad wasn’t hounding him with too many questions. What if your ex talked to him again? Would he ask intimate questions to compare egos? The anxiousness had you sipping your champagne avidly. 

“Thirsty Y/N?” Janine’s voice cuts your thoughts. 

“Just tastes good,” you shrug nonchalantly. 

“Y’know I’ve been thinking about Jinyoung,” she says.

You glare at her, “Kind of strange thinking of someone else’s boyfriend don’t you think Janine?” 

“I just feel like I’ve seen or met him before,” her high pitched voice and the way she says it makes you know she knows something. What it was you weren’t sure. Maybe she saw him in one of those small toothpaste commercials Jinyoung had mentioned before. Your stomach turned at the thought of her actually skimming the classifieds. 

“Hmm strange,” you try and play it off. When you go to take another sip you find your champagne flute empty. “I’m gonna get a refill,” you say using that as a perfect excuse to dodge more of her questions. 

By the time your friend comes out your buzzed. Heck, that whole bottle of champagne might as well have been just for you. You were drowning a mix of nerves and Janine hounding you with a bottle of bubbly. 

“You’re so beautiful,” you tear up as you embrace your best friend.

“I was so nervous that this final fitting wouldn’t go so well. All night I couldn’t sleep because I was worried I gained weight or that they would cut the hem too short,” she says giddy as she looks in the mirror. “Now all I have to worry about is making sure Mark is at the altar the day of,” her eyes well up.

“Oh trust me, Mark is so going to be there and you’re going to take his breath away,” you reassure. 

Your best friend grins, “Let’s celebrate with more champagne!” She signals one of the ladies.

“Don’t mind if I do,” you hiccup, basking in your best friend’s happiness with her.

 He’s the first thing you see when you and the girls arrive back at the estate. The guys all coming up from the terrace, laughing. Mark has his arm slung over Jinyoung’s shoulder. Was it the alcohol that made your stomach flip or was it seeing Jinyoung? You were sloshed. Your gait unsteady, face flushed. 

Mark’s the first one to notice, “The girls are back,” he says immediately walking to your best friend and kissing her. Jinyoung’s gaze immediately sets on you and you feel your pulse flutter. 

You hear Janine’s voice from behind you and being on edge you decide to put on a show. Waving enthusiastically to Jinyoung you all but skip over to him. Your caught in his arms as he’s taken aback, bracing the two of you as you almost trip. 

“Hi boyfriend,” You hiccup wrapping your arms around his neck. 

Jinyoung grins, “Are you drunk?” He asks brushing the tousled strands of hair in your face. 

“More like an alcoholic,” Janine mutters as she walks by, “She drank the whole bottle to herself. Classy,” 

You stick out your tongue at her before directing your attention back to Jinyoung. “Did you miss me?” You hiccup. 

“Gross,” Janine rolls her eyes as she stalks off. You could almost see the green monster of jealousy on her back. 

Jinyoung kisses your forehead, “Of course,” 

By the time he says that Janine and everyone else are already out of earshot. No one else was around to hear him but you figured he was keeping it for show.

Your arm is still wrapped around him. “So how’d the day go?”

“It was fun. I even beat your ex in arm wrestling,” Jinyoung grins. 

Your jaw drops, “You did?” You didn’t say it out of disbelief that he beat him because you had no doubt Jinyoung could. It was more of the fact that he was in that situation to begin with. 

“Your dad convinced us. Kept going on and on about pride and worthiness and obviously I had to defend my girl’s honour,” Jinyoung teases, “Later, your dad gave me the sex talk,” 

You groan resting your forehead against Jinyoung’s shoulder. “I’m so embarrassed,” 

Jinyoung tightens his hold around you, giving a little squeeze for reassurance. “I like your dad and all your friends,”

“I’ll pay you more for having to deal with that,” You look up at him grinning. 

Jinyoung frowns, his hold loosening. “There’s no need. Like I said I had fun with them,” his tone short. There it was again. Whenever you remind yourselves this was a transaction he’d always pull away. Literally. All of it was too confusing. 

You brush his tone aside trying not to read into it. “So do you think you could beat me in an arm wrestle?” You say trying  to keep the mood light. 

There’s a brief pause before Jinyoung relaxes the smile returning to his face again. “It’d be a close call for sure,” he squeezes your arm. You relax in his arms feeling the buzz cloud your head. “Looks like you could use a nap before dinner,” he says. 

You nod in agreement. Already feeling Jinyoung wrap his arm around your waist for support. You lean into his arms as the two of you walk together back to your room. “So what else did you guys do?” You ask. 

“Played tennis,” 

“You play tennis? Is there something you can’t  do?” 

Jinyoung shrugs, “I was doing good until Mark’s old college friend showed up,” when you arrive in your room Jinyoung locks the door. He places his warm hands on your shoulders and gently turns you around. “How about a bath?” His voice is low, soft‍. Your heart quickens, your bodies so close that one centimeter back and you’d be leaning against him. It’s tempting to just lean, to feel your body pressed against his. 

“Together?” You stutter. 

You hear him chuckle. “Tempting,” his hand trails down your arms. “I was suggesting I draw you a bath so you can relax and sober up,” 

“Oh, okay well I’m just going to go drown now,” you pull away from him embarrassed. 

Jinyoung grabs your hand and pulls you back to him as he chuckles. “Are we going to break one of our ground rules?” 

Your face flushes, “No I..” you stutter. 

“As much as I would love to,” he rests his forehead against yours, “I don’t take advantage of drunk women,” he lays a chaste kiss on your forehead. Before you could even say or question anything he’s pushing you towards the bathroom. “Make sure you lock the door,” he grins when you gape at him. “I don’t trust myself,” he winks as he shuts the door. 

You do as you’re told. Locking the door in front of you as you take a deep breath to collect yourself. Was this all fake? Was it all part of his role? You soaked in the tub as your head filled with thoughts and your body coiled with lust. He was right, the bath was sobering you up but it didn’t help clear your confusion. You could admit that you were attracted to him. Everything about him drew you in. Seeing him with your friends and family made you like him even more. He sparked something in you, something that you may have not even experienced yourself. Have you ever wanted like this? No matter how many times you reminded yourself that this wasn’t real, your feelings were. You liked him. Liked being with him. Liked the way he made you feel and how in such a short amount of time he was already bringing back your confidence, mending the little pieces of yourself that your ex broke. He plays tennis, beats your ex in arm wrestles and somehow manages to get along with your dad. He knows how to diffuse your mom and hang with the guys and charm the ladies yet still make you feel like you’re the only one in his sights. He knows exactly what to say to you to calm your nerves and say sweet words without you having to pry it out of him. It was all too fast. Not once did you expect this to happen when you first decided to do this. As bad as it sounds he was just supposed to be your arm candy. Just something for you to flaunt and show off to let everybody know you’re fine and to back off. He was much more than that now. Your parents loved him, your friends loved him and you loved -

“Oh god,” you groan at the realization. Sinking lower into the water as you rub both hands over your face as if trying to wash away what you just realized. 

There’s a knock on the door followed by the sound of his voice. “Y/N?” 

You sit straight up, grabbing the sides of the porcelain tub. Water splashed everywhere, spilling over the tub. There’s another knock, this time a little more urgent. 

“Y/N?” His voice more panicked.

You hop out of the tub, grabbing the nearest towel as you unlock the door quickly opening it. Your faced with Jinyoung’s surprised face. “What is it?” 

“It’s quarter to six and you were taking a long time…” his words trail off as he eyes follow the water droplets down your collarbone “I just hoped you didn’t drown or pass out or something,” he swallows. 

You tighten the towel around your chest gripping it tight because a big part of you just wanted it to fall and see where it went from there. “Sorry did you say it’s almost six?” You couldn’t believe you had been in the tub for that long. 

Jinyoung raises his hand. His index finger swiping a droplet of water just above where you gripped the towel. “Mhm,” he answers distracted. 

Your heart sped, mouth going dry and your fingers cramped from how hard you gripped the towel. “Jinyoung?” 

His eyes meet yours and you notice a change in his eyes. Dark, heated. For a split second you’re ready to let go of all your rules. “Can you pass me my dress hanging in the closet,” you swallow dryly. 

He pauses for a second and you wonder, even hope, that he’d forget everything as well and just take you. His hand drops and you breathe. Partly relieved, the other disappointment. Of course he wouldn’t. He was a gentlemen, poised and he also established right from the get go that this was strictly business, friends only. He doesn’t say anything as he walks to the closet. 

“Thanks,” You murmur as you take it from his hand. Then you shut the bathroom door, locking it once again. 

When you emerge from the bathroom Jinyoung is changed also. If you weren’t already wound up from earlier then surely you were now. You felt a little pathetic. Too hormonal. Even when you changed all you could think of was sex. How long had it been? Not even that, when was the last time you actually orgasmed? Was it wrong for you to assume that Jinyoung would be good at it like he was everything else? 

“Shall we?” Jinyoung’s voice interrupts your thirty second fantasy of you ripping his dress shirt open. 

“Yup,” your voice cracks and Jinyoung cocks his brow. 

“Are you feeling okay?” He asks. 

You nod frantically, “Just hungry,” you lie as you walk towards the door. 

As soon as you open it your faced with Janine. Perfect timing you curse to yourself. She eyes you, her face grimacing. Yet she tried to mask it in front of Jinyoung. 

“Little late for dinner aren’t you?” She jabs. 

You hook your arm around Jinyoung’s. “We got a little… caught up,” you implied. From the corner of your eye you see Jinyoung’s lips quirk. 

Janine rolls her eyes, “Gross,” she mutters under her breath as she walks away. 

You wait for her to go ahead. Once she’s out of sight you sigh in relief, unhooking your arms from his. You don’t dare look at him due to embarrassment. 

“So what exactly were we caught up with?” Jinyoung chides. 

“Getting ready,” You shrug stills avoiding eye contact. “Let’s go?” You start walking but Jinyoung grabs your hand tugging you back towards him. 

“Did I mention you look beautiful?” His voice is low. 

“No but thank you,” you play it off, hoping Jinyoung didn’t feel the thrill of your pulse. 

“Well you’re beautiful, you’re amazing and I need to kiss you.” 

You glance around the hall, no one in sight. You give him a puzzled look, “You don’t have to there’s no one around and Janine’s gone - “ 

“I know. I mean I need to for myself,” he pulls you to him. “Not for anyone else,” he murmurs. He looks into your eyes, his other hand moving to your cheek. You close your eyes at his touch and he kisses you. 

Just like that. No preamble, no one to show off to, just you two. You realized that if this was what need feels like then truly you’ve never felt it before. Every bit of you that could was heating, when his tongue grazed yours you felt everything ignite. 

How did thirty seconds of contact make you feel like you need to jump on him and rip his clothes off? You wanted, needed, desperately and yearned for more even as he began to pull away. 

“You deserve better than your ex,” he murmurs against your lips. 

“I know,” your voice is squeaky, “I know,” you sigh as you catch your breath. 

He takes a step back, still holding your hand. “I guess we better head down before people send up a search party,”  

Luckily dinner hadn’t started but to say you and Jinyoung could just easily slip in without going unnoticed was wrong. As soon as you entered the room your dad swarmed in on him. His arm slung around his shoulder as he pulled Jinyoung towards the bar. Murmuring something about a brand of whiskey that “he would love”. Jinyoung grins over his shoulder at you. 

You could use a drink as well. After what happened upstairs, the kiss, you were feeling all hot and bothered. Thirsty. 

“Y/N, can we talk?” 

Your thoughts are interrupted by a voice you recognize and tried to avoid this whole week. 

Your ex. The person you least wanted to have a conversation with right now. You'd rather deal with Janine than him. 

“Oh hi,” is all you say. Wrapping your arms around yourself. Now that you were up close you noticed he was in fact, changed. Your feelings for him also changed. There wasn’t even resentment. 

“I’ve been wanting to come and talk to you since we’ve arrived but it’s been impossible, that man won’t leave you alone,” he scowls. 

“Well Jinyoung’s very attentive and he is my boyfriend,” You point out. 

“I noticed.” He scuffs his shoes along the floor. “You look happy,” 

And you look like hell is what you wanted to say but bit your tongue. “I am,” 

Your ex stands there all awkward and you realize that you’re completely over him. He didn’t even mean anything anymore. Even in your relationship he made you feel awkward and not sure of yourself. In latent terms taking away your sexiness. 

Being with Jinyoung made you feel good. You’ve rediscovered yourself. Found what you wanted in a guy. 

“We had something Y/N. Something good,” your ex says. He’s looking at you as though this conversation really matters. 

“Well…” you pause and try to work out what to say, “If we did then maybe you wouldn’t have cheated,” 

“I messed it up. I’m sorry Y/N. I’ve been so stupid,” his face is twisted like he may start crying and you’re struck by a sudden lightening bolt of realization. If it had been two months ago you may have thrown yourself into his arms. Two weeks ago you could have tried to strangle him for his adultery. Now you couldn’t be bothered with anything except pity. He looked like he hasn’t slept in a month, you could only imagine what it’d be like when the baby comes along. When you don’t say anything your ex continues, “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you Y/N,”

Past your ex’s shoulder you see him. Jinyoung. He’s been watching you two from the bar. Close enough that in a moments signal he could be at your side as your knight in shining armor  and save you. Yet you didn’t need him. He winks at you and you realize that he really is there for you but knows you can handle it. 

Then you realize. If a man, any man, can make you feel that special at a distance, even under this pretense, then your ex has never even been close to being ‘the one’ for you. Now you seem to be lacking any empathy towards him. The only thing you felt was thankful that you didn’t end up marrying him.  

“We’re not getting back together,” you firmly state. 

“Whose not getting back together,” Jinyoung slides to a halt beside you, his arm snuggling around your waist. 

You nod towards your ex, “You should have realized everything a long time ago,” you pause to take a breath, another lightening bolt of energy and realization. “You can’t love me now and you couldn’t have loved me back then or you would have never fucked another woman,” Jinyoung squeezes your hip in encouragement. “Anyways, I’m with Jinyoung now,” you look up and gleam at him. 

He smiles back, “And on that note I think it’s time we start having a fun time,” he inclines his head towards the small empty dance floor. 

“Y/N, doesn’t dance,” your ex states clinging to his last hope that there was still something between you two. Acting as if he still knows you. 

“Not with you she doesn’t,” a voice interrupts from behind him. 

“Jackson!” You squeal pushing past your ex as you embrace your long time friend. 

“There’s my girl. I’ve been looking for you,” he spins you around. 

Your ex moves out of the way of your flying feet, “Take it from someone who's been where you’re standing right now. I’d worry about him,” your ex murmurs, patting Jinyoung on the shoulder. 

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Jinyoung mutters as your ex walks off with his shoulders slumped. 

“When did you get here!” You ask as soon as your set down. 

“This afternoon just in time for tennis ” Jackson grins keeping his arm slung over your shoulder.  

You should have made the connection earlier when Jinyoung said that Mark’s college friend arrived, which reminded you. 

“Jackson this is Jinyoung my boyfriend,” you try and pry yourself out of Jackson’s hold but instead he only tightens his arm around you shoulder, almost into a headlock. 

“We met briefly during tennis,” Jackson says. 

“I’d like a rematch. Was kind of winded after all the previous matches before you,” Jinyoung smiles yet you notice there isn’t any warmth behind it. 

“Sure, I’ll take you on anytime,” Jackson replies. 

There’s a brief pause between all of you. You wouldn’t call it tension, more like testosterone in the air. You slip out of Jackson’s hold immediately moving to Jinyoung’s side linking your arm through his. “Looks like dinner is just about ready,” You say in the nick of time as you see people making their way to their seats.

Jinyoung moved his arm to slide around your waist as he pulled you close. Almost possessively. You were to preoccupied with the seating arrangement that you missed the very quick and very clear look Jinyoung gave Jackson. They may have competed against each other in tennis and Jinyoung may have lost, but he was not going to compete and lose you. 

Your reunion with Jackson didn’t end. He sat beside you during dinner. The two of you reminiscing on old times, and discussing new things in life, mocking Janine as she asked for numerous substitutes that she may as well have just drank water. 

“Shh,” you laughed, nudging Jackson as he whispered in your ear about Janine’s ‘lopped sided’ boob job. 

“Excuse me,” Jinyoung says as he gets up. 

You grab him by the hand, “You okay?”

Jinyoung leans down and kisses your temple, “Getting a drink,” he smiles before walking off. 

Jackson leans over, “He hates me,” 

You shake your head keeping your gaze on Jinyoung as he moves between tables. “Maybe cause you beat him in tennis,” 

“Or maybe because I’ve been occupying his girl all night,” Jackson prods. 

“He’s not like that,” you fiddle. Besides, it wasn’t real. Why would he feel like that?

Jackson stares at you blankly as if you were missing the biggest flashing lights in front of you. “With the way he looks at you and the way he looks at me like he wants to take me outside and gut me. I’d say he’s crazy about you,”

You glanced towards the bar and saw that Jinyoung was watching you steadily. You balled the napkin in your lap. Your thoughts flashing back to your kiss in the hallway. He had been the one to initiate it. Nothing about that kiss reflected ‘chaste’ like in your agreement. Your thoughts following were definitely far from innocent. 

“Dance?” 

“Hmm?” you turn to Jackson then you notice the music playing in the background. “Sure,” you grin. You take his hand, getting up from the seat as you follow him to the floor. 

Jinyoung stood there at the bar, battling back jealousy that he’s never felt before as he watched you with Jackson. Your ex’s words getting to him and crawling under his skin. Your dress clung, flowed with your movements and Jackson’s hand moved further down your back side.  He knew what it was like to hold you like that, to feel your body against his. To hold you close. He wasn’t like this. Wasn’t supposed to be like this. He didn’t care about what's real or not, he wasn’t the type to let another man whisk his woman away. He cursed as he strode out to the dance floor.

“Looks like I’ll see you later,” Jackson smiles triumphantly at you, kissing you on the cheek as he feels Jinyoung  tap on his shoulder. When he walked away he figured you had a keeper. Your ex always stood by idly with you and him and he deemed him unworthy since he couldn’t hold his own. Jinyoung was just as worthy of an opponent outside of the tennis court. Jackson only wondered how you could be so blind to not see that your boyfriend was crazy, head over heels for you. 

Jinyoung picked up rhythm perfectly, matching his steps to yours and to the music. You relaxed, closing the little distance between yourselves, resting your cheek against his shoulder. Enjoying the moment with him though you wondered if it was for show. You hated how you couldn’t tell what was real and what was fake. The kiss earlier was that real? The way he looked at you, did he look at other women like that? At this moment, all you wanted to do was enjoy the time you had with him. 

“You and Jackson are pretty close,” Jinyoung murmurs as you both sway. 

“We’ve been friends for a while,” somehow you feel the need to explain it to him. 

“Does he also know about our arrangement?” 

“No,” you answer. 

“Good.” 

He doesn’t say anything else, only continues to hold you close while the music played. Others had started to file onto the dance floor. Mark had pulled your best friend away from the dessert table and pulled her close. 

“If you and Jackson are so close, why didn’t you ask him to be your date to the wedding?” 

Something in Jinyoung’s tone had you draw back and look up to see his face. “It would be weird. No one would believe that we were together,” 

“Why would you two have to pretend? It could very much be real,” You were tempted to laugh, but the look in Jinyoung’s eyes had you hold back. “I don’t know what you mean,” 

“I believe you do.” 

“If I’m catching on correctly then I think you’re crazy. He’s just a friend,” You defend.

“I may be your fake boyfriend but I’m not an idiot,” even as the words came out he realized the unfairness behind them, maybe he was an idiot.  

His words sting, catching you off guard. Your stomach knotting at the sudden confrontation. You quickly look around hoping no one was in earshot. 

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you but maybe we shouldn’t discuss it here,” you stiffened. 

“You’re right,” and with that Jinyoung grabs your wrist and pulls you from the dance floor. Jackson who’s now at the bar smiles to himself as he takes a pull from his beer. 

“Jinyoung!” You call out his name as you try your best to keep up with his pace. Getting over the first initial shock. You had passed by your parents, your mother murmuring delightfully ‘lovers quarrel’ as Jinyoung drags you through the room. Even as you passed your best friend she winked at you. 

“What’s going on?” You say as you finally enter the room and are behind closed doors. 

“I don’t know,” Jinyoung runs a hand through his hair as he paces the room. He lets out a sigh, loosening the buttons of his dress shirt, then rolling up his sleeves feeling claustrophobic. He was being irrational and he knew it, yet unable to control it. 

“Well you almost blew this whole thing up.” 

“I know,” Jinyoung sighs as his pacing comes to a halt. “I know,” he repeats. 

“You were being ridiculous. Jackson is nothing more than a close friend,” you state firmly starting to get riled up. You could only imagine what would’ve happened if someone heard.  “And even so it shouldn’t matter,” 

“And why’s that?” 

“Because this is fake,” you try and laugh but you hesitate,“Right?” 

“You’re an idiot,” 

Your eyes widen with shock, lips parting in surprise as a mixture of fury and hurt build. 

Jinyoung steps towards you, placing his hands on your arms. “I’m in love with you. I’m not acting, my feelings for you are real. I don’t want your money, I want you. I want to stop pretending and damn it, I want to take you on a date when this is all over so you could be my real girlfriend,” 

“What?” Is all you could say as you try and register everything. You place your hands on his chest, trying to push him away so you could think yet he doesn’t budge. 

“You’re amazing, beautiful, funny and even though I got that crash course I want to take my time to get to know you,” Jinyoung continues, then he pulls away just far enough to look down at you. “Unless this is completely one sided then never mind I do want the money,” 

You laugh, shaking your head as you bring your arms to wrap around his neck. “You don’t know how much I wanted this to be real,” 

He kisses your forehead before you see his smile of relief. “So are we still doing chaste kisses?” he teases. 

“Only in front of my parents,” you grin, initiating the kiss first. 

It may have started off chaste but soon he pulled you close against him. His hands moving to lower back as he draws your body to him. You give, yielding against him. Jinyoung’s mouth is pliant against yours, enticing as his name rolled off your lips in a quiet, satisfied sigh. There it was again, the heat, the roaring boil that ignited with his movements. You had never kissed like this, never been kissed like this, everything that had built throughout the week spilling over the edges in complete and gratifying pleasure. Your fingers twine in his hair as your movements deepened.  Nothing is innocent about this and everything down to Jinyoung’s hand tugging at the hem of your dress and guiding you towards the bed broke your ‘ground rules’.  Soon your back is lain against the soft mattress, Jinyoung’s body hovering over yours. It had been so long that even the way his knee moves between your legs has you ready to go over the edge. His hands are tender, caressing, seducing as the hem of your dress rides higher up your thigh. His hands aren’t the only thing exploring, his lips are now at your jugular. Even more lethal than his hands as he stokes the lust that continues to build. With his hands on your hips he coaxes you to move, as if knowing what you wanted. You begin to grind against his thigh, thankful for the choice of undergarments. Silently thanking yourself for wearing your sexy underwear, not to mention your thinnest. Slowly you grind against the taut muscle of his clothed thigh. 

Jinyoung  pulls away for barely a moment just enough for you to see his smile before he dives back. Tongue meeting yours eagerly. “J-Jinyoung,” you breathe when his mouth moves to explore your neck once again. It wasn’t enough, every kiss made you want him more. Desire soaked you, the need to be ravaged filled you yet you feel empty. 

 His hand slides lower, between your legs as it brushes over lace. You suck in a breath at the contact, so delicate yet the feeling hits you hard. You arched against the sensation, urging for more. Jinyoung obliges, sliding your panties aside. He teases, fingers gliding up your slit. You were wet, the sound of it mixed with your heavy breathing filled the room. You groan out loud when Jinyoung begins making perfect circles around your swollen clit. Your dress is hiked up to your waist, the barrier of lace the only thing preventing you from being completely exposed. 

“God, are you always like this?” Jinyoung murmurs as his fingers slide to either side of your clit, watching at how reactive you are at his ministrations. 

“It’s been so long and you do it so well,”  you exhale, hands digging into your sheets. “Don’t stop Jinyoung,” you moan when his fingers enter you, his thumb rubbing against your clit.

“Believe me, I’m not going to,” Jinyoung says as he lowers his lips to yours again.  You moan as his fingers continue to pump and twist within you. Already you’re nearing delirium, the thrust of his hand is meticulous. His movements purposeful, especially as he rubs his arousal-coated fingertips around your sensitive bundle of nerves before plunging into you again. Your eyes are shut tight, flashing white and sparks of colored pleasure appearing. Your moans are ardent, your skin damp. When he pulls his hands away you almost groan out of frustration. So close to toppling over the edge and now you clench around nothing.  “Relax,” Jinyoung grins as if reading your mind. You see his smirk, “I just want a taste,” 

You’re still trying to gather your bearings as Jinyoung pulls back, kneeling and moving down. Your legs are still spread as Jinyoung hooks his hands into the waistband of your panties and pulls them down. Tossing them somewhere in the room. His mouth hovers over your sex and you wait in anticipation. Immediately you buckle, arching up and hands fisting in his hair the minute his tongue grazes your sensitive clit. When his lips close over your sex, his name leaves your lips in a rasp. His tongue and lips intermixing that builds you towards impending climax. His arms are hooked around your thighs, there was no escape, no matter how sensitive you were becoming. He’s merciless, relinquishing with the work of his mouth on your core. Every now and then you can see Jinyoung look up from the top of his lash line, as if watching to see your next reaction and what a mess you were becoming all from his doing. 

You were learning new things about him. He was a giver, a sadist, good at everything. At this very moment Park Jinyoung was going to be your downfall. It was sweet torture, pure unadulterated pleasure continued to saturate you. His tongue drags up your clit back down to your core, swirling, probing. Every movement immoral, purposeful. The sound he was eliciting from you obscene and surely he knew that no one has ever eaten you out like this. 

“I can’t,” you moan. Your body is shaking, you’re holding onto whatever sanity you have left. Thighs quiver as they close around him. You want to push him away yet instead your hands in his hair pulls him closer. Jinyoung knows, his chuckle haunts you as he keeps his hold around your knees. His tongue is meticulous, your hips are arched and pushed high. With another flick and circle of the hard muscle of his tongue your climax is released. You’re over the edge, coming down hard and he doesn’t let up. You’re cursing and his name leaves your lips on an oath repeatedly. Your breath is caught in the back of your throat. Jinyoung kneels up on the bed, looking down at you. Using the back of his hand to wipe your remnants. 

You’re putty, you can’t even prop yourself up onto your elbows. You don’t even have the energy to pull your dress back down. Though something in the way Jinyoung looks at you says there’s no point. Your gaze trails down his torso, fixing on the outline of his dress pants that’s prominent. You nip your bottom lip in anticipation, suddenly feeling full of energy. 

“What are you doing?” Jinyoung grins, cocking his brow as you find the strength to kneel in front of him. 

“Returning the favor,” you say as you work the buttons of his pants. He doesn’t resist as you bring the zipper down. He works the buttons of his dress shirt and the chiseled plain of chest is revealed and as more of his torso is exposed you can’t help but have your jaw drop. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” 

“What?” 

“Is there anything wrong with you?” You tease, making a blatant point to skim your eyes over his body. 

“I - what?” Jinyoung asks flustered.

“Nothing,” you laugh before you kiss him, your hand trailing downwards. He is already hard, straining against the cotton material. He tugs your bottom lip as you grasp the top of his boxers tugging them down. He sighs when he’s freed, cock springing up as you held back another comment about how surreal he truly is. It’s his turn to curse as your hand wraps around the base of his shaft. You begin in slow, long strokes. Rubbing your thumb against his tip, spreading his pre arousal along his sensitive head. Jinyoung exhales, eyes shut as he enjoys the way you stroke him. 

“Y/N I - oh fuck,” His sentence is cut off when you bend, taking him into your mouth. Your head bobs. Tongue moving in circular motion along his shaft. Jinyoung groans as you take him as deep as you could, he’s big enough that you need to use your hand as well. His breathing is shallow, as you continue to move up and down, hand and mouth on his cock. You find it satisfying, you’re practically smug when Jinyoung’s hands fist in your hair, groaning as his head tilts back. He even begins to guide you, helping you find your rhythm as your mouth works his cock. Using his technique from earlier, interchanging between both your hand and your mouth. 

“Ah - Y/N,” Jinyoung juts his hips back suddenly. A trail of your saliva follows, you look up at him wide eyed. Jinyoung chuckles pushing his hair back, “You’re about to test my pride,”  You grin up at him smugly. “Come here,” he pulls you back to him, his hands resting on your cheek as he pulls you in for a kiss. 

You slide both hands up the planes of his body until resting on his shoulders. He kisses you, tongue flicking against yours. He reaches the hem of your dress and you raise your arms as he pulls it over your body. Letting it join the rest of your garments on the floor. Lips only separating for that brief moment before reunited again.  He guides you to lay down once again, positioning himself between your legs. His hand rests along your rib cage, fingers grazing the underside of your breasts. 

“Mmm,” you squirm against him as he caresses your breast.The pads of his thumb grazing against your nipple, circling. He presses soft kisses to the crook of your neck, then he bends closing his mouth of your breast. The heat you felt earlier that was dwindled mildly reignited. Set a flame. He presses himself to your center. Your hips rolls in roll response, feeling him at the edge of your entrance. “Jinyoung,” you moan at the stretch. You had expected it but god, he filled you. You had to adjust, hiking your knee up to give him more leeway as he slowly begins to thrust into you. Your hips arched higher, he rolls his hips and he glides in further, bottoming out. Your fingers are digging into his shoulders with his precise, slow strokes. You’re matching each other’s rhythms, moving in sync together. Unified as one as each other’s moans and breaths fill the room. Jinyoung’s hands fist in the sheets by your head, his lips feverishly moving with yours. Your clenching around him, uncontrollable pleasure rocks and shakes through your body. You moan, arching against him as Jinyoung continues to thrust within you as you come around him. His hips snap forward, thrusts erratic. Your name leaves his lips as Jinyoung comes as well, filling you. Thrusts slowing, with long strokes. Still joined Jinyoung collapses on you. You laugh, hands limply running through his hair as small kisses to your face and shoulder are made lazily. 

“How much do I owe you for that?” You sigh. 

 You laugh when Jinyoung pinches your butt. 

Jinyoung lets out a low groan rolling off you and tugging you along with him. You wrap your arms around him, heading snuggled on his chest. Jinyoung lazily caresses your side. 

“So the wedding is tomorrow,” Jinyoung murmurs. 

“I know, I can’t believe how fast this week went,” you yawn. “I’m going to miss all the fine dining and cocktails,” 

“That’s not going to end,” Jinyoung kisses your temple. 

You look up at him, “It’s not?”

Jinyoung adjusts, “Pretty sure all the dates I take you will have some form of cocktails,” 

Dates. Real dates. You and Jinyoung were officially a couple. It all seemed surreal. 

You adjust, propping yourself on your elbows to face him, “And what about fine dining?”

Jinyoung grins leaning up to kiss you, “My instant noodle skills are impeccable,”  

You smile and bend to kiss him, “I can’t wait,” 

“Can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle tomorrow,” Jinyoung says pulling you back to lay against him. 

“Are you sure? I love my best friend and everything but her choice in color is…” you trail off and scrunch your face at the thought of your peach tulle dress in the closet. 

“You look great in anything,” Jinyoung chuckles, “but I have to say,” he says shifting himself again over top of you, “This is my favorite look by far,” he brushes your love tousled hair. 

“Maybe I’ll show up naked to the wedding and see if everyone else would like this look as well,” You tease. 

Jinyoung smiles, “Knowing your mother…” he doesn’t even have to finish his sentence for you to know. 

He lays back down holding you close to him. You snuggled against him. “Cuddling isn’t so bad after all,” 

Jinyoung raises his eyebrow at first, “Well I’m glad you think so,” he buries his face in the crook of your neck. “Cause I’m a cuddler,” he murmurs. 

You smile. Who would have thought that three weeks ago your search for a fake boyfriend would get you a real one. 

[sugarfreecapsicle]

study buddy

bucky barnes x reader

Prompts: college!au (1.5k constellation writing challenge by @sunmoonandbucky); fake dating!au & unplanned bed sharing trope (star’s multi-fandom follower celebration by @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan )

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, bit of pining, lots of awkward interaction, fluff!!!!

Wordcount: 2k-ish

A/N: oh my god, y’all, I can’t believe two of my favorites have challenges going on at the same time. I’m so honored to call them both friends - both are phenomenal writers in their own right and I am always floored by their respective work. I love the both of your oh so dearly and am so happy you’ve reached such important milestones! You deserve every happiness, and I hope this fic can bring you just a little of that.

Gif Credit (x)

Assigned seating did not end in grade school. The nightmare of desk dictatorship held strong in Fury’s classroom - a man of simple rules and unquestioned respect for his time. Your research into your professors via many forums and sites like RateMyProfessor did not alert you to the nightmare of obeying his law to the letter.

“If I were sorry about my decision, I’d apologize, but I’ve always been an honest man. You chose your seat, you chose your partner, and you chose to break up. That’s a personal problem to solve on personal time. Not mine. See you next class.”

Your conversation on the phone with Wanda and Maria definitely didn’t help lift your mood. Wanda, empathetic and full of irrational resolutions like falsifying a restraining order. Maria, ever practical and smug with her I-told-you-so attitude.

“I don’t know what else you expected from Fury of all people,” Maria chuckled before biting into an apple slice. “Even if he thinks Brock is an asshole, he won’t make an exception without something dire on the line.”

“Maybe you can just switch classes? I’m pretty sure there’s an opening in-” “Wanda, I love you, but I can’t switch classes two weeks from finals.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, squeeze your eyes shut in the afternoon sun. “I’ll just...I’ll just handle this as gracefully as I can.”

“Godspeed,” Maria deadpans before dropping the call.

“Y’know, I didn’t want to have to resort to this,” Wanda’s trepidation fueled your oncoming tension migraine, “but maybe it’s time to call in your favor with Bucky.”

Your heart drops somewhere on the pigeon-shit sidewalk.

“Wanda....I think you might be right.”

The saying goes that once you’ve hit rock bottom there’s nowhere to go but upward. If calling in a favor to your freshman year crush turned campus heartbreaker didn’t qualify, you didn’t want to find out where bedrock truly could be.

You shouldn’t be surprised to find a technology major in the library swamped with work on a Tuesday, but when that student is James Buchannan Barnes, it’s worthy of flipping the world ass over teakettle. Dashing as ever, stormy eyes, chestnut hair combed just so. Your backpack thuds on the floor beneath the co-op table, and his eyes find you.

“Hey, stranger,” he murmurs with an impossibly charming smile that lights his entire face. “Where have you been since August?”

Fighting a smile around Bucky is futile, so you let a grin appear. “Unfortunately dating Brock and sitting next to him in Fury’s class.”

His smile pulls into a tight wince as you take your seat across from him and retrieve your laptop from your bag.

“I don’t envy you.” Bucky waves and nods briefly at another student passing by behind you, and you turn to notice it’s a shapely redhead you recall from last semester’s art history class. “He won’t budge without legal documentation at best.”

Your fingers twist and curl together in nonsensical patterns in your lap. “Well, I was hoping to get Brock off my case, actually.”

Bucky doesn’t respond more than raised eyebrows and startled blinking. 

“Would...could you be my fake boyfriend long enough to convince Brock we aren’t getting back together?” It comes out all rushed and nervous, syllables running together like a skittering mouse across the kitchen floor. Your heart hammers against your chest, determined to break free of your body every second Bucky stalls his reply. You can’t read him - he’s still leaned back in dumbfounded silence. 

At long last he leans in, hands steeple between the two of you, calculating gleam in his eye. “If you’ll help me figure out how to pass this English Lit final, I’ll actually date you.” 

You both laugh quietly, minding the nearby staff eyeing your space at the table. Pink tinges your cheeks dangerously beyond mere flattery. 

“Let’s just agree to fake dating for now, and we’ll see if you can still stand to share space with me after a few weeks.”

“Deal.” Bucky extends his hand, you grasp it and shake to your agreement. Your fingers reluctantly move to let go, but Bucky holds firm and pulls the back of your hand to his smirking lips. “Whatever you need, darlin’.”

Days later you’re still tingling from his public affection in the library. Could you have been imagining the color shift in his eyes when he peered over your hand or was it purely fantasy? Lack of caffeine, mental fixation from stress - more likely than any truth to how deeply in character he seemed to be already.

Bucky escorts you to your classes with his fingers threading yours, a hand at the small of your back, an arm flung around your shoulders. He’s in your ear, whispering jokes and delicious plans for the rest of your time together, kissing your forehead or your cheek when you reach the door. Keeping your arrangement from Wanda and Maria could only be explained by the stress of impending finals, and you’d managed to avoid inevitable party and holiday invitations. If nothing else, this pretending made the idea of being near Brock again less intimidating.

Fury Friday arrived sooner than you’d felt it should, and as set in precedent, Bucky strolls next to you with his hand in yours, beaming and chatting about how he’d managed to bring his scores up enough in Statistics to earn a pass on his final and thereby free up his weekend. Dread skirted in your lungs, a distant siren’s call to your sense of reason as the reality of sitting next to Brock for two hours pressed upon you. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind or are you gonna keep me guessing?”

He’s too good at this, and Bucky has to know it. “Sorry, I...am not looking forward to this.”

“I can’t think of anyone that looks forward to a Fury class to be fair,” he laughs breathily and puts a soothing hand to your waist. A kiss lingers on your forehead, and Bucky’s spicy cologne takes over your senses in a tight embrace. “Especially with Rumlow as your seatmate.”

His whispered acknowledgment makes your whole body shiver, and he responds with a few brushes over your arms and back to stir away the obvious chilled gust of wind that’s painted your cheeks pink again.

“Knock ‘em dead, killer,” he teases with a single knuckle against your chin. Bucky’s nose brushes just barely against yours, and then he’s dashing down the hallway with a wave over his shoulder. It dawns on you as you take your seat - your neighbor pleasantly absent - that Bucky could be sacrificing too much for a fake relationship, for your sake. Brock could be all bark and no bite, but a small part of you felt he could be a breath away from snapping. Others are milling about the room, so you pull your phone out and send Bucky a text. The little heart next to his name stings somewhere deep in your chest.

You’re not missing classes just to walk me to and from, right?

Your laptop is open and ready to go, humming to life while you bend beneath the elongated desks to make sure you could plug into an outlet if need be. The buzz of a reply sends you hurtling into the composite tabletop, a loud thud followed by tittering giggles around the filling room.

Brock is glaring down at you and your phone screen, mouth in a thin line, eyebrows knitted together. You don’t say a word to him and try to keep his prying eyes from your screen.

Not missing, exactly, but cutting it close. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.

“Didn’t take you long to hop on someone else’s dick, did it?”

His voice churns in your stomach, but you don’t acknowledge him. Had this been any other class but Fury’s you could put in earbuds and block him out. Brock’s eyes are on you, or at least the cold sweat chilling the back of your neck makes you think as much, and he’s seething, boring holes into your form. For two hours. For an entire Fury lecture.

Your shoe catches one of the rear legs of his chair, but you can’t bother to turn around and apologize - not like the seat budged under the star athlete. Bucky grins as you exit through the wide double doors, moves to wrap an arm around you, and you pull him by his jacket to your lips. You’re lost in his cologne, the feel if his mouth on yours, his body heat against the biting December cold. There’s a hum, something of a moan quiet enough to feel and dream of hearing - and you can’t be sure if it came from you or Bucky. With a dizzied wobble, you’re separated and Bucky’s eyes are still closed, arms cocooning you against his form.

“Hey,” he chuckles, voice deep and husky, the grin tugging at the right corner of his mouth.

“Hi,” you’re just as breathy and more than a little wanting. “Ready for the weekend?”

______________________________________

Friday night passes without a mention of the kiss.

The entirety of Saturday passes, and no mention of the kiss.

And it’s all you can think about. Forget studying for finals, forget meal prepping for the guaranteed necessity of pre-made lunches and dinners. That kiss.

You’d caught him off guard, but he didn’t hesitate to respond hungrily. Bucky tasted of honeyed tea and cinnamon chewing gum, carried the warmth of summer sun beneath his jacket. You hadn’t considered prior to the rash decision to just fucking kiss him that your senses would swim in his aftershave, his sheer proximity, the comfort of him. For you, Bucky had never been so tangible.  

Truthfully, Bucky had never been tangible for anyone - notorious campus-wide for gracefully bowing out of invitations for dates, one night stands even. People of course talked, spread rumors that he had to be dating a professor in secret, that he had a long distance relationship with a supermodel overseas. 

Until that kiss two days ago.

Bucky arranged for time to cram for his English Lit final with you tonight in his apartment, more for the convenience of avoiding scorned women at every corner of your dorm than anything else. He did have more space, privacy and faster internet than the supplied campus Wi-Fi. 

Is it appropriate to bring wine to a study session or is that strictly for dinner parties? Maybe some appetizers? Seven o’clock on a Sunday night typically meant binging as many football games as anyone could consume, especially in a college town. 

You’re buzzed up to this apartment, cream puffs in hand, and freeze when Steve opens the door to a living room full of people in various coordination of navy and ivory. The tall blonde ushers you in and sweeps your dessert out of your hands before you can locate your study buddy.

“Buck’s in his room,” Steve offers with some mischief. “Says he needs to pass this final, so he’s passing on the game night.”

It’s easy enough to figure out which room with a shut door is Bucky’s when Sam walks out of the bathroom and immediately checks the score on his phone (the space around the smaller television is too busy to see). You knock, probably a little too lightly at first, but the second set of taps nearly clock Bucky’s throat.

He’s beaming, cheeks flushed, smile wide - like a smitten kid. His electric touch pulls you into his bedroom already scattered with his scrawlings and textbooks. The door barely provides enough sound protection from the party for you to feel comfortable at attempting to concentrate.

“I really thought Steve had an away game this weekend, but I hadn’t thought about having a bye week for finals -” Bucky stops, feet strategically between loose paper and dog-eared texts. And god, he’s looking at you like that again and you can’t breathe. 

Suddenly you understand the gravity of your feelings, and your mouth goes dry.

This isn’t fake for you. Not anymore.

“Really, I’m glad you still wanted to help me out.” Bucky’s sincere, permanently grinning as he’s rearranging his chaotic floorspace to make room for you. You swallow hard as you eye the sliver of skin between his sweater and his lounge pants, the well-loved hoodie pooling around his middle as he bends from his hips. When he’s upright and inviting you to settle in, you decide that professionalism has to outweigh your own personal crisis - think like Fury.

Hours later, the two of your are in a shambles - Bucky insisted you change into a pair of his sweats and a tee shirt in the event of an all nighter, you’d made a run for fast food, and your eyes can hardly stay open long enough to fact-check Bucky’s recitation. 

“I think maybe we should call it a night,” he yawns, interrupting his monologue. You nod mutely and move to get up when Bucky catches your arm. “Uh, I mean, you could...you could stay.”

You shouldn’t, though, for reasons Bucky doesn’t know - but he has an excellent argument: you’re in no shape to get yourself home and with the party still going strong outside his bedroom there’s no way he can drive you home. 

Bucky helps you get to your feet and smooths his hands over your shoulders. “Scout honor, no funny business. They’ll all crash on top of each other in the living room and Steve’s room. You’d at least have a little more space in here. I’ll take the floor -” 

“Absolutely not, Bucky Barnes.” Your tone even surprises you; the Fury switch quickly dissipates. “I mean, I can’t in good conscience let you do that, it’s your room. We can...we can just share, if you don’t mind -”

“Not at all.” Maybe it’s your drowsiness but he seems eager. “Just washed the sheets anyway, and the blanket’s something Mom and Gran quilted for me as a kid.”

Soft cotton and jersey envelop your aching muscles, and a betraying moan of contentment escapes you when Bucky curls into bed next to you. He’s warm, a furnace beneath the covers, haven from the biting cold. 

His stubble, still unshaven from Friday, borders on scruff and tickles your forehead. Hands ease over your back, tentative, hesitant. You can’t deny him and certainly can’t deny yourself this moment. 

“Darlin’?”

He’s whisper soft, cotton candy words prickling against your skin. You hum and his hands still against your shirt.

“Wasn’t kidding about actually dating you, y’know. If you want to take up the offer-”

Your fingers are on his lips, you crane your body to get a better look at his beautiful, tired face. 

“Ask me again in the morning, Buck. After coffee. So I know this isn’t delirium.”

He sighs and presses a tired smile into your forehead. “Whatever you need, darlin’.”

[ificanthaveu]

Hot Chocolate and Other Things That Taste Like Peppermint || Shawn Mendes

Description: It’s finals week, and you’re ready to head home for the holidays to see someone you haven’t seen in months. Shawn will do anything to not let that happen.

Description per my notes (aka a jumbled mess): it’s semester break and I have to tell u how I feel before you go back and see that high school friend you’ll inevitably hook up with

A/N: HAPPY DAY 1 OF FICMAS! I forgot it was day one and didn’t edit this pice until right before I posted it oops. But she cute and she here so ENJOY

Word Count: 3k

12 Days of Ficmas

The incessant pounding on your door made the bells hung on it jingle like crazy. You sighed and finished typing your paragraph. Whoever was there could wait. You took a sip of the peppermint hot chocolate you had treated yourself to and went to answer the door, mug still in hand, hair a mess, still in pajamas, with your glasses pushed down your nose. Happy finals week.

The knocking began again, and you swung the door open, making the bells slam against the wall.

“What?” You said with a little too much anger.

“Where is your Christmas spirit?” Shawn said as he gave you a look.

“It’s on hold until finals week is done, and I’m on my way home for a whole, beautiful, month,” you said, taking another sip and a deep breath. 

He glanced down at your mug and then back up to you.

“Peppermint?” He questioned.

You rolled your eyes and nodded your head, “I’m not a complete Scrooge.”

You left the door open and walked back into your room, sitting at your desk and setting the mug down. Shawn found his place on your futon next to you, playing with the lights dangling off your desk.

“What do you want?” You asked, giving him a look.

He stopped playing with the lights and looked back at you before saying, “I need you to proofread my Sociology paper.”

“No,” you said simply.

“Please, [Y/N], I will owe you for the rest of my life, but you know I get, like, a whole letter grade up when you proofread them. I can’t afford to get a bad grade on this,” he begged.

“Shawn, I have my own paper to finish, two in-class exams to study for and a presentation to prep for, which we both know never goes well,” you said as you pulled your feet up onto your chair. 

“I’ll help you with your presentation!” He said a little too loudly. “I’m great at public speaking, so you can practice on me, and I’ll give you advice.”

You stared at him as you thought this out. You really did need his help with this presentation. And it probably wouldn’t take any longer than a half-hour to proofread his paper.

“Fine,” you sighed. “I’ll proofread it tonight, but you can’t go doing something else while I’m doing it. You’re sitting with me, and we’re going through it together.”

“You’re literally a lifesaver. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he repeated. 

“Now, no offense, but I have to finish my own paper. So, get the fuck out,” you said as you turned back towards your computer.

You heard him sigh and stand up from his spot before patting you on the shoulder. 

“Does 7:00 work?” He asked while looking over your shoulder at what you were writing.

“Yep,” you said, unflinching. 

“Well, I guess I’ll just walk myself out,” he said dramatically. 

“It’s a dorm room. It’s ten feet,” you said. 

“Ouch,” was the last thing you heard before he shut the door behind him. 

You glanced at the clock and leaned back in your chair. It was 4:00, which meant you had three hours to finish the last few pages of your paper, proofread it, and eat dinner. Looked like you’d be ordering in. 

It was 6:55 when you were finishing up your last slice of pizza and proofreading the hard copy of your paper in front of you, marking things in red pen to fix on your laptop later. You made a few final corrections on the last page before reaching for your computer to fix the mistakes. A knock on your door interrupted you.

“It’s unlocked,” you yelled as you tried to correct your mistakes quickly.

Shawn came walking in with his backpack and sat down next to you on the futon, pulling his legs up into a pretzel and pulling out his laptop. 

“I just have a few more corrections, and then I’ll help you. You can have some pizza,” you said through a mouthful. 

Shawn shrugged and grabbed a slice, watching you as you did your corrections. You sighed as you corrected one final thing and submitted your paper. You slammed your laptop shut and set it next to you.

“I am one fourth done with finals week,” you said with a smile as Shawn handed you his laptop.

“Ok, cool, now read my paper,” he said, still eating the pizza. 

“You didn’t just print it out?” You asked as you glanced at him.

“Why would I do that?” He questioned.

“It’s easier to see mistakes on paper,” you said like he was just supposed to know that. 

“It’s a waste of paper,” he rebutted.

“Fine,” you gave in as you started to read his paper. “Shawn, I’m one sentence in, and it’s already a run-on.”

“No, it’s not. There’s a comma,” he said as he pointed at the spot you were talking about. 

“Semicolon or comma and a fanboy,” you reminded him.

“A what?” He asked.

“FANBOY - for, and, nor, but, or, yet,” he rattled off as you continued to skim through his first paragraph. 

“Huh,” he said as he took his laptop and replaced his comma with a semicolon. “This is why I need you,” he said as he gave you that smile that made your heart flutter. 

“Also, your thesis is weak as fuck,” you whispered.  

Shawn slammed his head back against your futon and closed his eyes. 

“My whole paper is based on that thesis,” he whispered, barely audible. “That’s the point of the thesis.”

“And that’s fine. You just need to tighten it up. It’s way too broad. Just pick specific points that you talk about in your paragraphs and replace the vagueness,” you lectured. 

“Alright,” he mumbled before working on fixing his thesis. You took this as your moment to check your phone for the first time in hours.

You had too many facebook notifications and a few snapchats along with a lot of emails. You kept scrolling until a text caught your eyes.

“Shut the fuck up,” he said under your breath as you opened it and stood up. 

“What’s up?” Shawn said while glancing up at you and then back down at his computer. 

“Hayden texted me,” you said as you gestured to your phone.

“And he is?” Shawn asked as he kept looking at his paper.

“We kind of had a thing in high school? I don’t know how to describe it, I guess. We just flirted a lot and made out every once in a while, but we haven’t talked in months,” you explained as you kept staring at his text.

“What’d he say?”

“When do you come home? I have to see you!” You read out loud.

“Is that his way of asking you on a date?” Shawn scoffed. By then, he had his laptop set to the side, fully invested in what was going on with you and this guy he’d never heard of. 

“Probably not…” you said quietly as you trailed off. “It’s just been a while. He wants to catch up.”

“Why now? Why not over Thanksgiving break?” Shawn pointed out. 

You shrugged your shoulders and sat back down. 

“I don’t know,” you mumbled. “I guess it’s a little weird.”

“I know why,” Shawn said confidently without elaborating.

“And?” 

“Well, first, who wouldn’t want to see you? But that’s not the point. Second, you posted that picture last week on Instagram. The one of you and me at my formal,” he explained.

“I forgot about that,” you mumbled, trying not to think too deep into the first part of his statement.

“And third, who doesn’t want a hometown friend to hook up with over Christmas break when your regular college hookups are back at their own homes?” Shawn said. 

“Well, you’ve got a point,” you said. 

“So are you going to?” Shawn asked hesitantly.

“See him or hook up with him?” You asked.

“Both.”

“I’m going to see him, and I guess I’ll see where things go,” you said with a glint of hope in your voice.

Shawn didn’t say anything, as he handed his laptop back to you.

“Is that better?” He asked.

You skimmed over his new thesis and nodded your head. “Perfect. Much better.”

Hayden was long forgotten as you dove back into Shawn’s paper.

Shawn didn’t forget. 

It’s all he thought about for the next week. He tried his hardest to focus on the finals he needed to study for, but he couldn’t go more than fifteen minutes before his mind wandered off to you and whoever Hayden was. 

His curiosity got the best of him, and he searched for his Instagram. It was exactly what he expected it to be. Typical frat boy, obnoxious, “I peaked in high school,” energy. He had no idea what you saw in him.

“Who’s that?” Brian said and Shawn nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me,” Shawn said as he locked his phone and tossed it aside.

“Who was it?” Brian repeated as he motioned to Shawn’s phone.

“No one,” Shawn said quietly. 

“Bull shit.”

“Alright, it’s [Y/N]’s hometown friend who wants to ‘see her’ over break,” he explained, putting up quotes. 

“What’s the problem with that?” Brian said as he sat down and gave Shawn the look he was dreading.

“He’s disgusting. That’s the problem. [Y/N] deserves better,” he said sternly.

“Why don’t you just tell her?” Brian asked.

“Tell her what?” Shawn replied, playing clueless. 

“That you’ve been in love with her since the moment you met her,” Brian stated.

Shawn sighed and rested his head in his hands. 

“I was hoping that would just come out naturally, or she’d figure it out on her own. I can’t just walk up to her and go, ‘hey, it’d be cool if you loved me like I love you,’ but it doesn’t happen that way,” Shawn rambled.

“You either tell her and it goes well, you don’t tell her and she hooks up with that dick or you tell her, and it doesn’t go well and she hooks up with him,” Brian said with a shrug.

“That last option is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard,” Shawn said slowly.

“But it’s highly unlikely. I’ve seen you two together. You took her to formal. You almost kissed her at formal, but that’s a whole other thing,” Brian said and gave him a look.

“I’m meeting her in her room tonight to help her with her presentation,” Shawn said as he glanced at the clock and stood up. “Actually, I have to get going.”

“Is this the last time you’re seeing her before you go home?” Brian asked as Shawn shoved his things in his backpack. 

“Yeah, it is,” he paused. “She has her presentation first thing in the morning, and she leaves right after it. I’m still in my final when she leaves.”

“Then you better make your decision quickly,” Brian asked as he pulled out his laptop to study for his upcoming exam.

“Thanks for the advice,” Shawn mumbled.

“Anytime.”

Shawn stopped at the cafe on the way to your dorm building, grabbing you a peppermint hot chocolate and himself a coffee. He attempted to pull his hat down onto his ears to protect them from the wind, but it was no use. 

He kicked your door with his foot a few times since his hands were full. You swung the door open, and he handed you your drink without saying a word.

“Peppermint hot chocolate?” You asked, taking a sip of it.

“Of course,” he said with a smile. “I would’ve gotten you the peppermint mocha, but if you have caffeine now, there’s no way you’ll sleep for your presentation.”

“I’m already not going to sleep, so what’s the point?” you said as you plopped down on your futon, setting the cup on your desk next to you. Shawn sat down next to you, admiring the way the multicolor Christmas lights lit up your face, even if you were frowning.

“You know you’re going to do great. You’ve just gotta practice with me a little bit, and then you’ll be fine,” he said as you faced him. 

“Let’s get this done with,” you mumbled as you stood up and grabbed your tablet. You pulled your presentation up on your TV and took a deep breath before starting, trying not to look down at your notes too often.

Shawn barely even looked at your presentation, mostly watching how you talked about it. Since it was a public speaking class, you got to choose whatever topic you wanted. You chose to talk about the service work you had done with disabled kids that past summer. 

You finished the presentation and waited for Shawn to say something. He finally snapped out of his daze and clapped his hands a few times.

“That was actually really good,” he said with surprise in his voice.

“Why do you sound so shocked?” You said, slightly offended.

“Well, you stress out for these things, when you actually know what you’re talking about. It’s obvious you’re really passionate about it, and you only glanced down at your notes a few times to say the statistics, which is good. My only note is to slow down. You’re talking a little too fast,” Shawn explained.

“I talk fast when I get nervous,” you reminded him.

“Well then fix it,” he replied.

“It’s not that easy,” you complained.

“Just talk as slow as you possibly think you can. It’ll end up being a normal speed because of how nervous you are,” he said. 

You nodded your head and scrolled to the top of your notes and started the presentation over. You started speaking again, first talking about the first time you met with the kids. You couldn’t help but notice how Shawn looked at you. 

You finished it once again, and Shawn nodded his head.

“Perfect. Looks like an A+ to me,” he said with a shrug.

You breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Ok, let me do this one slide again.”

You went back to the one you messed up on as your phone vibrated. You had left it on the table, so Shawn glanced down at it. His heart dropped.

“Hayden texted you,” he mumbled, interrupting you halfway through your presentation. 

You gave him a look before finishing off the slide. 

“You could’ve just waited until I was done,” you said, giving him the same look again.

“Well, I know how you feel about him. Just thought you wanted to know,” he said with no emotion in his voice. 

You grabbed your phone off the table and put it in your pocket without looking at the message. 

“You’re not going to look at it?” Shawn asked, confusion in his voice.

“Not important right now. Now actually listen to this slide,” you said before starting over. 

Shawn crossed his arms over his chest, his loving expression from just minutes ago was replaced by the one you didn’t see very often.

“Ok, what the fuck is your problem?” You asked after you finished your presentation. 

“Nothing.”

“Shawn, seriously,” you said as you crossed your arms and looked at him, waiting for him to say something.

“I think Hayden seems like a dick,” he finally said.

“You’ve never met him.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

You ran your hands down your face and rubbed your eyes a few times. 

“I don’t think you should see him over break,” Shawn said slowly and quietly. 

You walked over to Shawn and sat on the coffee table across from him, your knees hitting his. 

“Why?” You asked.

He didn’t look at you, just stared down at his hands. 

“Shawn,” you said quietly. “Why don’t you want me to go on this date with Hayden?”

He finally looked up at you, noting the change in your voice, the irritation being replaced with that soft sound of your voice that he always craved.

“You know the answer, don’t you?” He said quietly. 

You nodded your head in response, “Yeah, I think I do.”

He didn’t say anything, just leaned back and rested his arms over his face. 

“But I need you to say it out loud,” you said, leaning your elbows on your knees. 

“What are you going to say back?” He whispered. 

“Guess you’ll find out.”

Shawn took a deep breath before saying, “I think I’m falling in love with you, and the thought of you hooking up with some guy that isn’t me over Christmas break, where I don’t get to see you for a month, makes me sick.”

“I’m not seeing him,” you responded a little too quickly.

He looked up at you with a confused look.

“I told him that it probably wasn’t a good idea,” you paused. “Because I didn’t want to ruin what I think could happen with someone here.”

Shawn didn’t try to hide the smile on his face as he said, “Who’s the someone?”

You rested your head in your hand and mumbled, “Do I have to say it?”

“You made me say it, now you have to,” you heard his voice from just inches away from you. 

You looked up, his nose almost hitting yours. 

“It’s you,” you paused. “I didn’t want to ruin what I thought could maybe happen with you.”

Shawn cupped your cheek in his hand, and you leaned into his touch. You both leaned in as he kissed you, holding your face in both his hands as you rested yours on his knees. He pulled away after a moment, looking at you with that look before pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“You taste like peppermint,” he mumbled against your forehead. You couldn’t help the laugh that came out as you pushed him back against the futon and straddled his lap. 

“Want to taste it again?” You said before leaning in again, your presentation long forgotten, as you let your Christmas spirit hold break a little earlier than planned. 

P.S. I wanted to name this “Peppermint Kisses,” but that clearly gave the ending away. 

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