#someone left the cat out in the rain

[cookieismaster]

From the wet cat Buddy prompt on the Patreon Discord ✨

[lovinglin]

Ooooo the blorbo bingo card with pico👀👀👀👀

I was expecting this from a mile away (/pos) considering how much I talk abt him, so here u go!! Pico makes me feel... a lot of things as u can see 😭🏃‍♀️ /lh /pos

[foldingfittedsheets]

I’d like to entertain and enliven you now with the saga of my Slut Era.

I’ve always been a serial monogamist and my shortest long term relationships clocked in at three years. So perhaps that’s why when I finally broke it off with my ex I went insane on dating. Part of it was definitely just that between anxiety and loneliness I wanted to fill up my time.

This happened when I was living alone for the first time, no roommates, just me and my little cat Leeloo. I didn’t want to come home to an empty house so instead I set up dates.

Most of these were disastrous. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and I had a lot more first dates than second because they’d seen enough, including the one where people aggressively complimented me.

But after a few months I had four people I was seeing simultaneously. I was up front with all of them that things were not exclusive, and they all agreed, so no infidelity took place here, just a lot of hijinks.

Here’s who was on the dating roster:

• An apprentice woodworker that we’ll call Jill. I honestly thought at 26 years old that her being 21 wasn’t a problem age gap and I quickly learned that there was a vast gulf of both maturity and life experience between us. Jill described herself as “heteroflexible” and had just dumped her first boyfriend to flirt it up with me.

• A married woman looking for a friends with benefits. We’ll call her Alice. I insisted on meeting her husband first to be sure I wasn’t part of a cheating mess and he gave me his blessing when I stayed over at her house. Years later when he and Alice had divorced I would go on to sell him and his new fiancée an engagement ring and we both realized at the end how we knew each other and it was wildly awkward. Alice was nice, but a hardcore vegan who insisted I brush my teeth if I so much as ate string cheese before I could kiss her. She was also unhappy in her marriage and was feeling out if I’d want to get serious.

• A bartender dubbed Snakebites, so called because of her signature piercings. She cooked me a steak so raw it was still mooing and some of the best asparagus I’d ever had. In our singular sexy encounter she bit my nipple and I never got over it. Really don't bite someone if you don't know their preference and work up in pressure. We weren’t terribly compatible but neither of us were willing to admit it yet. Truthfully I considered still dating her solely because I desperately wanted her bathroom. It had all black tile, black toilet, black sink, a rain shower in the corner and a jacuzzi tub. I may not have loved her but god I loved that bathroom.

And finally,

• My beloved, who I would go on to marry, who was dealing with a lot of personal stuff at the time. Obviously that meant I liked them the best of all the people I was seeing because we were both disasters at the time.

So that’s the cast of this little misadventure. Now, our story begins with Jill.

Jill was someone who heightened my anxiety. Each of the three times she came to my home she brought and left more stuff. A self help book, a ramen kit, the entire Teen Titans collection of DVDs. It was like she was trying to move in. She also liked to deride my taste in things, frequently calling me a pleb when I mentioned a band or show I liked.

She was working on a gorgeous little decorative table in her woodworking program. The main wood for the top had a beautiful dapple of knots like jaguar spots, and when she showed me a picture I exclaimed how pretty it was.

“Do you want it?”

“Oh- I mean it’s lovely, I wouldn’t mind having it, but you should sell it and make some money!”

But she was adamant. She’d give me the little side table. At about this time, Alice was starting to get awfully lovey for a FWB. I knew she wasn’t happy with her husband but I also knew we were not a good fit. Fun fact: Alice and her husband were step siblings with a pretty hefty age gap. They got together when he stumbled upon a kink photo shoot she’d done with vegetables. None of their family was happy about the relationship but they weren’t related by blood so it was fine.

So I was fending off more overt romantic advances from Alice, and feeling increasingly like I needed to break things off with Jill. Snakebites wasn’t ever initiating communication and I decided to pull a lot of plugs at once.

I ghosted Snakebites, told Alice that I thought we should cool it, and in a move worthy of a rom-com I asked my beloved if I could pretend we were exclusive to put off Jill. They agreed and I texted Jill to let her know that I was no longer single.

I was not prepared for Jill’s response. She. Was. Devastated. She flew off the handle. She’d just been waiting for the right time to tell me how she felt about me! How dare I do this to her!

What about the table?!

“You should keep the table, it’s gorgeous, you’ll be able to sell it, but I don’t expect a free table.”

Silence met me after that text. I worried and fretted and eventually headed home.

There on my doorstep. The table.

It was a small little end table, reeking of oil and polish, but very beautiful. I brought it inside. The little drawer didn’t even have a knob or guide rails. But it did have a handwritten bill proclaiming that it was costing me $500.

“I can’t afford a $500 table, Jill!” I texted.

“Well you kept saying how nice it was. I spent a lot of time on it.”

“I’m not saying it’s not worth $500” (it wasn’t, it was a tiny side table made by an apprentice) “but I can’t buy a $500 table.”

“Make me an offer.”

I stared at the little table. I did actually like it, but I worried about the repercussions of entering into this deal. Hesitantly I typed back, “$300.” I didn’t think it was worth that much but I didn’t want to insult her too badly.

This suited her for the night. But the next day she informed me she needed a new bed, and that she’d take her $300 in credit toward a new mattress. I spent the whole next day basically wrangling with her over what she wanted and eventually she spiked back up to demanding $500 for the damn table.

“Let me just give it back,” I begged. It was not the first, second, or even third time I’d asked to return the thing but this time she finally relented and gave me her address. Since she lived with her parents still I’d never been over.

I called up my beloved and said, “Hey, I need moral support, can you run an errand with me?”

They agreed which is how we loaded up a self help book, a ramen kit, the entire Teen Titans DVD collection, and the table from hell into my little car together. Jill had said to meet her at one o'clock. I intended to drop everything off at noon and be done with this madness.

But while my beloved and I were on the doorstep leaving everything I heard, “Jill? You’re home early,” through the door. Her mom opened it to peer at us in confusion.

“I was just bringing Jill’s stuff back!” I chirped in alarm.

With little tact and a lot of speed we left her with Jill’s collection of things and then I sped out of there like my tail was on fire. I handed my phone to my beloved as I zoomed away instructing them to block Jill’s number. I was free. The tabletross around my neck had been returned.

It was about a month after that when my beloved and I officially began dating exclusively. I had wrapped up all my messy dating threads and it was a relief to be in a relationship again. They went on a trip to Mexico shortly after we made it official.

So I knew they were out of town. But next morning I walked out to my car and beheld a lipstick kiss pressed to the drivers side window.

I was petrified. I had just dumped three girls at once and had an extremely messy back and forth with one of them. Did I have a stalker?!

Of the girls, Alice seemed like likeliest candidate, being of a stronger lipstick variety girl than Jill or Snakebites. We had ended things a bit stiffly, but still cordial. She just laughed when I asked if she knew anything about it. “Nope,” she said, “but good luck.”

I’d rather have walked over broken glass then text Jill, and I’d firmly ghosted Snakebites so I was scared to reopen communication to ask if she was stalking me. I had to drop it. But it haunted me, that lipstick kiss.

For months I was jumpy, wondering which of my spurned lovers had done it. And why. Was it a threat? A goodbye? I lay awake thinking about it, worrying about how everyone I’d dated knew where I lived, which car was mine.

Finally, nothing else happened and I moved on. The kiss would remain a mystery and I had to be content with that.

It was a year later when I finally started filling my mom in on my dating escapades that I finally got closure. She was hooting and laughing as I went over the table debacle. Then I paused and added, “And then this kiss showed up on my car.”

“Did you like it?”

“What? No! I’m pretty sure one of them was stalking me! Who else would leave a kiss on my car?”

My mom started bellowing with laughter. “I did!” She wheezed.

Apparently. My mother had been driving by my place. And decided that a cute little gesture would be to leave me a kiss. And then decided to never mention it to me even though she’s never done anything like that previously.

“It scared the crap out of me!” I yelled while she collapsed with helpless laughter. “I thought I had a stalker! How could I possibly have known that was you?!”

“How could I have known you’d just broken up with three girls at once?” She wheezed in rejoinder and like. Fair play.

So that’s how my mom convinced me I had a stalker and I got out of buying a $500 table.

[kitasuno]

to be loved is to be known | suna rintarou x reader

you're in love with suna. you think suna's in love with someone else. he's not.

slight angst, happy endings, and miscommunications atsumu is sexy reader is gn wc: 1481

It is dusk and warm and just barely humid when you realize you don’t know Suna Rintarou at all. 

You know that Suna likes chuupets and volleyball and his dingy digital camera with the cracked screen. His left eye twitches slightly when he lies, he always ties his right shoe before his left, and he keeps forgetting to buy pencil lead despite preferring mechanical pencils over traditional. He likes the rain. Can’t bite into ice cream. Wool scarves over fleece, seven followers on his private Twitter, and is always late because he likes feeding the stray cats in the alley next to the Family Mart with the good sausages. 

What you didn’t know is that Suna Rintarou is in love. You find out from Kita Shinsuke, who tells Aran after practice, a conversation not meant for your ears but gracing them nonetheless as you stand before the entrance to the gymnasium. You feel a dryness in your throat and a sting in your eyes as Kita shares that Suna is not only in love but had confessed to someone. Maybe it’s your divine punishment for eavesdropping. Maybe it’s rotten luck. Because, coincidentally, and horribly so, you’ve been in love with Suna Rintarou ever since you met him. 

So when Suna walks up from behind you, back from the vending machine, and asks you why you’re lingering outside and staring at Kita with that look on your face, you lie. 

“I have a crush on Shinsuke.” You blurt out. 

He blinks. Once. Twice. And stares. 

The longer Suna stares at you under the grey, purplish-pinkish sky with his hands shoved into his pockets and his left eye twitching, you realize you don’t know him at all. Because Suna, in all his indifference and nonchalance, looks hurt. You see something flit beneath his eyes, but you’ve never been good at reading people. So you settle on the idea that it’s something less than betrayal but more than indifference, and you don’t know why your heart’s beating so fast and sinking, pitter pattering and twisting in your stomach. 

You feel sick. 

“You like Kita-san,” He says, and it comes out as a statement, not a question. He blinks a third time, and as the look in his eyes disappears as quickly as it came, you decide you much prefer the hurt or the discomfort or the something over the blank apathy that he’s looking you over with now. “You have a crush on Kita… Shinsuke.” He finishes, and you can’t hear the bitterness in his voice over the shrill of your heart. 

You’ve always liked Suna’s eyes but tonight you like the pavement more, and as you stare a hole into the concrete beneath you, you ignore how your feet are fidgeting and your palms are sweaty and how Rintarou is hovering over you. 

“Mhm,” You squeak, tearing your eyes from the asphalt with the cracks and an ugly pill-bug on the ground. As you look up to grey eyes and dark hair, you wish that loving Suna Rintarou was harder. 

“I’m, uh, I’m going to tell Shinsuke tomorrow.” You say, Shinsuke’s name foreign on your tongue compared to the warmth and honey that Rintarou’s tastes like. I’m in love with you and this is a bad idea, you think. I like you, not Kita, is what you don’t say. Instead, and arguably worse, is the mention of Miya Atsumu’s name. “Atsumu gave me the confidence to confess!” 

Suna pauses. 

“Atsumu told you to?” He asks, and it’s the most bewildered you’ve heard him in a while.

A glance at his phone. Hands that emerge from his pockets. If you weren’t so preoccupied with the concrete you would have seen the twitch of his fingers and the tightening of his jaw as he opens Line. You nod dimly. 

“Okay,” is what he says, and you feel your heart in your stomach again. You look up. “Okay.” He repeats again. 

And maybe it’s the hurt that stings in your chest from Rintarou being so okay with you (hypothetically) being in love with Kita Shinsuke that pushes your eyes to water and your mouth to open. 

“Is that it?” You ask. 

A beat of silence. And then, a scoff. 

“Yeah. Congratulations,” Suna says. “Good luck.” 

As dusk turns to nightfall and what was a barely-humid night in July is now overwhelmingly warm and sickly and hot, Rintarou’s gaze is overbearing. And when your eyes start to swim and Suna’s gaze turns to confusion and then realization, you do the only thing you know how to do. You bolt. 

An incessant string of dings. Your lip wobbles under your teeth as you pull out your phone from under your covers. 

from: miya osamu (21:03)  where the fuck did ya go  and whys suna blwoin up my phone

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (21:03)  WHYYSS SUNARIN BLOWING UOA PP MY PHONE ??!?@@>>!?>??!??! WHYS HE SAYIN U LIKE KITA-SAN

from: you (21:05) its so over i ran home

from: you (21:05)  i told him i like shinsuke and that i am confessing to kita  tomorrow

amazing perfect miya atsexy and miya osamu are typing…

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (21:06)  WHAT

from: miya osamu (21:06) r u fuckin stupid why would ya do that

from: you (21:07) i heard shinsuke tell aran that suna confessed to someone today and then rin came back so i told him i like kita bcuz i panicked and also he cant know i like him right as he’s ginna get BAGGED wait but idk if he got rejected or not WHO AM I KIDDING suna would NOT get rejected LOLOL but anyways i think he knows i like him bcuz i started cryig and then he had this look on his face like he knew i was bullshittin him now venmo me money before i kil msyelf 

from: miya osamu (21:12) yeah he was gonna confess to YOU today

from: you (21:12) ?

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (21:12) HOLY MISCOMMUNICATION

from: you (21:18) Wht??

from: miya osamu (21:19) suna was supposed to confess to u today 

from: you (21:21) but shinsuke said rin already confessed

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (21:22) why wiud u ever think about takin gossip from KITA SHINSUKE AN WHYD YA BRING ME UP IM GNNA BE STONED AT DAWN

from: miya osamu (21:22) HOORAY !

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (21:22) SHUDDUP  

You bolt, again, but this time it’s out of your bed, down a flight of stairs, and through your front door. You’re halfway down the street near the Family Mart with the Good Sausages™ when you barrell into someone who smells faintly of blackberries and Suna’s laundry detergent. 

“Excuse me,” You blurt, scrambling away, until you feel a grip on your waist and a familiar shape behind you with a familiar smell and a familiar voice, and Ohmygod, you’re out of breath and close to frantic but Suna Rintarou is holding you steady by your waist, warm and tall and here. 

“Rintar-”

“I like you.”

You feel it more than you hear it- Suna is muffled and quiet as he mumbles into the back of your shoulder, tall frame folded into you. 

“Idiot.” He adds, and you don’t have to turn to know the tips of his ears are pink and his eyebrows are furrowed. “You’re an idiot.” 

It’s twilight, and just-barely humid when you realize that Suna Rintarou knows you. 

Suna knows that you ramble when you’re nervous. He knows that you like the rain and you don’t like humidity. You carry extra lead in your pencil pouch and you like volleyball and stray cats. You can bite into your ice cream. You color coordinate your bookshelves. You don’t have a crush on Kita Shinsuke. 

You don’t know that Suna keeps his digital camera with the shitty cracks because you bought it for him from a shop in Akihabara. You don’t know that Suna leaves his packs of pencil lead at home because leaning over your desk in class and seeing that smile on your face is far more fun. You don’t know that he writes with extra pressure on his worksheets to crack his lead and ask for more. 

You didn’t know that Suna Rintarou is in love with you. 

So he grins into your shoulder and tells you.  

amazing perfect miya atsexy (22:14) 1 Attachment GROSS!!!!!! do NOT start making out at practice or i will RESIGN !!!

sunarin (22:14) @ y/n lets start making out at practice

y/n, miya osamu, and 2 others reacted with Thumbs Up! ojiro aran, amazing perfect miya atsexy reacted with Thumbs Down!

from: amazing perfect miya atsexy (22:15)  @ KITA SHINSUKE @ KITA SHINSUKE @ KITA SHINSUKE @ KITA SHINSUKE 

sunarin has removed amazing perfect miya atsexy from the Inarizaki Volleyball Team Chat. 

[puppygirlclick]

Help Prevent Two Disabled Trans Women From Losing Their Car

We're still relying on donations to keep us afloat right now. They've nearly stopped completely despite people still reblogging our post, and it's all we have at the moment to keep our only source of transportation for the household. My girlfriend and I are stuck here until I can heal up and find a job or we can find a way of saving up for an RV to get the hell out dodge before then and leave this all behind us. I'll hopefully be seeing a nerve specialist sooner rather than later to have some of the nerves ablated in my abdomen to deal with my constant pain since having hernia surgery and my left testicle removed. With everything going on in the household, the money that's been donated to us has been having to go our car note in full every month, as my parents can't afford to pay for anything more than they already are as they tend to waste money going out shopping and buying shit they don't need on a consistent basis while the problems keep piling up. We're still living in a run down shed with our cat, a former stray, with no insulation, poorly installed electricity and no running water along with the water in the house not being on right now. In the coming months, we're expecting for there to be more rain fall and for it to get hotter as summer approaches. Recently it rained all day long and we were barely able to keep the shed from flooding, and despite our efforts, things still ended up getting ruined from the rainwater that flooded in. We're in a desperate situation right now and anything that you can donate genuinely helps us in the long run to getting out of here sometime hopefully soon. I appreciate all those who have been able to help us out so far and I'm sorry that we're having to continue to e-beg like this but we're not sure what else there is that we can do right now. We can't afford to lose our only source of transportation in a situation like this, even just $1 helps. Thank you for taking the time to read, even if you can't donate, sharing helps us as well.

C*sh*pp $StSeeSee (@stcecilia’s account) P*yp*l@"schrodingersbird" (also Cici's without quotes, someone on here has that username) Ask for V*nmo (Not listing here because of my deadname)

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[frenchkisstheabyss]

♡ butterfly ♡

♡ Pairing: personal trainer!boyfriend!mingyu x chubby!fem!reader

♡ Genre: fluff/smut/comfort

♡ Summary: When your boyfriend leaves his phone behind after a cozy morning at home you decide to do something sweet and bring his phone to him at work but an unexpected interaction leaves you questioning yourself and if you truly deserve your place in your relationship.

♡ Word Count: 6.3k

♡ Warnings: some body image insecurities/comments about the reader's body from someone else but plenty of comfort from Mingyu for them, unprotected sex, shower sex, a lil nibbling, lots of kissing, a lil manhandling, no pulling out, a lil nipple play, pet names (baby, sweetie, good girl).

♡ A/N: This is the first fic that I've written in a long, long, long time so I'm sorry if I'm a little rusty at this. I just wanted to write something comforting and sweet for all of my chubby babes out there. I also have to thank @anyamaris for supporting me in writing this and checking in on me so much. I love youuu.

Peace. That’s all Mingyu knows when he’s around you. Even in this moment.

Lost deep in some dream he probably won’t remember, his arms wrapped around you as you snuggle against his bare chest lost in dreams of your own. He’s never felt safer. He’s never felt more at home. Wild horses couldn’t drag him away from this bed that you share together. Nor could his morning alarms that have gone ignored one after the other until his phone seemingly decided he was a lost cause and went back to sleep itself. 

How can you blame him when he was set up for failure to begin with? The sound of rain beating against the window of your 3rd story apartment, drowning out the rest of the world so that it feels as if he’s on a planet of his own. The warmth of the fluffy cotton blankets he’s been swimming in all night, protecting you both from the crisp chill of the early morning. The softness of your body pressed to his, every breath of yours so gentle and sweet. So perfectly timed with his that you’re almost dueting a lullaby, dragging him deeper and deeper into his slumber. He could stay like this all day—snoozing the hours away, blissfully unaware of the fact that he has actual responsibilities—but someone else has other plans. 

The bedroom door creaks open but only barely. Just enough for a chubby orange cat affectionately known as Jellybean to skip her way into the bedroom and fling herself onto the bed. It’s 30 minutes past breakfast time and in her mind she’s withering away. If you two sleep any longer there’ll be nothing left of her to feed. Navigating the mess of blankets, she stops right on Mingyu’s chest, close enough for her fur to tickle your cheek. The cold, pink tip of her nose nudges at Mingyu’s chin. It’s time to wake up. 

“Mingyu, stop, that tickles” you mumble, cuddling closer to him. 

Mingyu shifts in bed, reaching down to stroke your hair, “Babe, are you licking me?” 

His hand comes down onto Jellybean’s back and it occurs to him that the hair he’s feeling isn’t yours. It’s also purring. Tilting his head up, he cracks one eye open to see the hungry little face staring back at him. 

“Bean, what are you doing up here?” he giggles, petting the crown of her head so that her ears perk up. 

You let out a groan, knowing that if the kitty’s on patrol then sleepy time is over. “Come on, you can’t eat your dad.” 

Scooping her into your arms, you force yourself up in bed only for Mingyu to drag you back down. Even half asleep he’s twice as strong as you. Not that you’re complaining. 

“Where are you going?” he pouts, kissing you on the cheek, “I’m not finished with you yet.” Jellybean chirps, pressing a paw to his lips as he comes in for another kiss and Mingyu frowns like a disappointed child. Curved by a cat.

“Cut it out” you say half heartedly, a barely awake smile on your face, “Bean is hungry. Plus you have work today don’t you?” 

Mingyu’s eyes widen in shock. His heart sinks to the floor. It hits him all at once. The realization that he has no clue what time it is when he probably should. He nearly knocks the two of you off the bed as he bolts from the bed, grabbing his phone and staring in complete terror at the sight of the four missed alarms on his lockscreen. The usual glowing, honeyed tone of his skin turns pale as the panic sets in. It’s 7:45am. Work starts in 15 minutes. Fuck. 

“So I guess you’re not eating breakfast” you tease as he tears out of the room, darting to the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

A few seconds later he scrambles back in, a toothbrush wedged between his pearly whites. He mumbles something, probably a comment about how you have a smart mouth and you’ll pay for it later, but you can’t take his threats seriously when he’s completely naked running around the bedroom like a chicken with its head cut off.

You try to be respectful to his current struggle, averting your eyes elsewhere, and yet they keep drifting back to the sight of his body. Those well defined arms, those abs you could spend all night running your fingertips across, an ass you could bounce a quarter off of—

Mingyu slips his underwear on, popping the toothbrush out of his mouth, “Am I a piece of meat to you?” 

You nuzzle Jellybean closer to your chest, offended at the audacity of your boyfriend to say such a thing. “Mingyu…”

Crawling back onto the bed, he brings his lips inches away from yours, a flirty grin playing on his them. “I can be a piece of meat to you if you want. I can make time. Just get the brat out of the way and…”

It’s oh so tempting but someone has to be the responsible one and, as much as you hate it, it has to be you. Stroking his cheek, you stare into the prettiest brown eyes you’ve ever seen and say words that pain you. “Not a chance. You’re already late for work.” 

Mingyu raises an eyebrow, shocked by the amount of restraint you’re showing. “If I’m already late. Why not make it later?”

His hand smooths over the blanket, massaging your plush thigh through the fabric. Now your body’s awakening in more ways than one. You dish out a light slap to his cheek, fighting off the tingle coming over you. ���We’ll have time for that later but for now…work.”

Mingyu only stares back at you, devouring you with his gaze, patiently waiting for you to break but you never do. How he finds your stubbornness so annoying and so hot all at the same time is a mystery he’ll never solve. 

“Fine” he groans, giving you a toothpaste laced smooch on the lips before disappearing back into the bathroom. 

As he leaves, you let out a sigh of relief. “Close one, huh, Bean?” 

Turning the poor, starving kitty loose, you drag yourself out of bed and slip into the t-shirt thrown over the back of a nearby chair. You figure if Mingyu has to be productive then so should you. The walk to the kitchen feels eternal. You’re still yawning and rubbing your eyes when you fill Jellybean’s bowl with food, nearly losing your balance as you bend over to set it on the floor.

You consider for a brief second heading to the bathroom to get started on your morning routine but by the sound of it Mingyu’s bouncing off of the walls in there. Figuring it’s best to stay out of the way, you pop open the fridge and set out in search of a breakfast of your own. Having recently gone grocery shopping, the shelves are filled with every delicious food your heart could desire and every single dish requires you to cook. 

“Why does everything need to be cooked?” you whine, head thrown back in agony. “I don’t wanna.” 

Mingyu flies past you, grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter, “Then don’t. Order out.”

“I thought we weren’t ordering out. Saving money and all that.”

“You can use my card. Just order the food, okay?” 

You stand there in silence staring into the void, hearing him but too lost in thought to acknowledge it. The ingredients in the fridge stare back at you. A useless array of items if nothing’s done with them. Mingyu slaps you on the butt. The quickest way he knows to snap you out of it. 

“Hey!” you squeal, spinning around to slap his hand away. 

Flinging the refrigerator door closed, he pushes you up against it, sweeping you into a kiss much deeper than the last. Not as tinged in toothpaste but more minty than you’re used to still. “Order the food” he mumbles, trailing kisses down your neck, “Promise.” His hands slip beneath your shirt, delighting in the plushness of your lovehandles. He’s getting himself started again. He probably shouldn’t but he can't help it. He never can with you. 

His palms are cold, sending a chill up your spine that makes you arch into him. “I promise” you relent, knowing you’re in no position not to give in. 

Giving your body one last squeeze, he swirls his tongue around yours, snatching himself away just as you’re really getting into it. “You said ‘later’, remember?” he teases, heading for the door. 

Picking up a nearby spatula, you wind your arm back in his direction. “I could throw this at you!” Your aim is immaculate. You have full faith in your abilities. Too bad Mingyu’s shoes are on and he’s already halfway out the door by the time you make up your mind to do it or not. 

“Love you!” he shouts over his shoulder, disappearing into the hallway, leaving you defeated and too horny for 7AM in the morning. 

“Love you too” you huff, tossing the spatula back onto the counter. You’ll get him when he gets home or he’ll get you. That second one doesn’t sound so bad actually.

Sparing another glance at what’s in the fridge, you abandon any thought of financial responsibility and make your way back to the bedroom in search of your phone. Jellybean pays you no mind as you pass. Her food has been secured. You’re on your own. Turning back into your bedroom, you spot a phone at the foot of the bed. You scoop it up, flopping back down onto the bed. You nearly melt into the comfort of it, contemplating just going back to sleep and forgoing breakfast altogether but you know you can’t. You promised Mingyu afterall.

There’s just one problem. You can’t unlock your phone. Tapping in the code, you frown as the phone rejects it. It’s fine. Maybe you put it in wrong. You did just wake up. Putting the numbers in again, slower this time, you’re met with the same result. Incorrect. Then you notice it. This phone’s wider than yours and thicker too. That isn’t even your lockscreen. 

“Shit! Mingyu!”

Phone in hand, you race out of the bedroom and into the living room as fast as your legs will carry you. You push the window nearest to you open with every intent of screaming his name out at the top of your lungs—he always parks his car across the street in perfect shouting distance—but it’s no use. His car’s already gone.

Without thinking, you scurry back into the bedroom and hop into a pair of sweatpants. You pay no mind to the messy state of your hair or the mismatched rain boots that you throw on. Breathless, you race out of the door, car keys in hand, to catch up to your boyfriend. Two minutes ago you were threatening to throw a spatula at his head. Now you’re dropping everything to make sure your baby has his phone. 

Ah, romance. 

It’s not that you don’t know where your boyfriend works. 

It’s more so that you only have a vague idea of where your boyfriend works. You know that it’s some super nice gym tucked away on a quiet street downtown, somewhere in the general vicinity of a bookstore. Or was it a thrift store? A thrift store that sells books? He’s driven you past it a few times when the two of you were headed out for dinner with friends but you’ve never actually been there. Had you considered that before you left the house you might’ve just waited for him to double back for his phone but knowing your boyfriend he wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late. 

Thankfully you didn’t get yourself completely lost. You recognized a few things here and there. Not enough to keep you from wasting a half hour driving in circles but enough to find it eventually. An unintended perk of  having wasted so much time is the current absence of rain. The clouds are clearing up, tiny slivers of sunshine breaking through as you push your way into the sleek air conditioned gym.

With all its shiny silver decor and glowing white accent lights everything here feels so sterile. The aesthetic is definitely clean. Almost medical in a way. On the walls are posters with barely dressed, muscular figures posing proudly on them. Motivational words paint the bottom of them. 

No excuses. 

Work harder.

Smile. Sweat. Repeat. 

You hear the faint sound of a 2000’s pop mix streaming from speakers strung high in each corner. In the distance there’s the thud of sneakers hitting a treadmill at full speed. Clearly this playlist has someone going hard. Good for them. You can’t say that you’ve ever been a gym girl. It’s never been your thing.

Honestly, when you first met Mingyu it was one of your biggest insecurities. A personal trainer who spends all of his time at a gym and a chubby girl who doesn’t even have a membership. What could you possibly have in common? As it turns out, everything. Well, almost everything. Mingyu never made you feel weird about it but, catching your reflection in a nearby mirror, you remember why you did. 

Most of the time you feel secure. Mingyu makes sure that you do. But there are other times, like now, that you question what exactly he’s doing with you. Fresh out of bed in your house clothes, wedged between “Sweat Is Just Fat Crying” and “No Days Off”, you feel utterly unfit to be here. 

“Um, excuse me, can I help you with something?” the receptionist calls out to you. 

“I—uh—” you stutter, blinking yourself back down to earth. Straightening yourself up a bit, you shyly approach the front desk and the drop dead gorgeous girl who runs it. 

In her expensive workout gear and her high slicked back ponytail, she’s the tiniest bubbliest thing you’ve ever seen. Her name tag reads “Lexi” and truly, what else would her name be? 

“Can I help you?” she repeats, twirling a gym branded pen around her fingers. She looks at you curiously. She’s smiling from ear to ear but you can feel her judgement...or is it all in your head? 

“Yes” you manage to get out, shrinking into yourself more and more by the second, “I’m looking for Kim Mingyu.” 

“Oh!” She seems thrilled at the sound of his name, “One second.” 

Swiveling around in her chair, she picks up the phone and clicks the button for the intercom. “Mingyu to the front desk please. Mingyu to the front desk.” Hanging the phone up, she turns her attention back to you. “He’ll be up in a second. So, have you been here before?”

“Aah, no. I haven’t—”

“First timer? Slay queen. It’s never too late to make a change.”

“Well, I’m not here for—”

“You’re gonna love, Mingyu. He’s great really. He’ll have all that extra weight off of you just like that.” 

She snaps her fingers. Poof. Magic. Chubby girl be gone.

“I’m actually—”

“And don’t tell him I said this…” she leans forward to whisper, a secret between two girls, “He’s, like, super hot. If getting in shape means getting a guy like that what other motivation do you need, am I right?” 

You woke up this morning feeling so nice. Loved. Desirable. How can all of that change so quickly? 

“Baby, what are you doing here?” Mingyu asks, freeing you from the smothering confines of this conversation. He appears around one of the corners, pulling you into a bear hug, “Everything okay?” 

“Baby?”  You catch the receptionist mouthing to herself. For her it’s the shock of the year. Of the century even. 

“Mmhmm” you nod, using what minimal free space you have to hold his phone up, “You forgot this.” 

“Oh my god, thank you. You drove all the way here for me?” Mingyu’s face lights up enough to blind you to the confused expression on your new friend Lexi’s face. Almost. 

“You’re the sweetest thing ever, you know that?” he gushes, smushing your cheeks together and kissing you all over your face. 

“Gyu, cut it out, there’s people around” you giggle, wiggling in his grasp. 

After a few more kisses he turns you loose, taking his phone and shoving it down into his pocket. “Now that you’re here, you wanna come meet my coworkers?”

That wasn’t a question. It was more of a command. You wanna come meet my coworkers? You’re gonna come meet my coworkers. Taking your hand, he’s got his heart set on dragging you to the back, but you resist, putting your full weight into staying right where you are. 

“I forgot. I have some errands to run.” You’re proud of yourself for thinking quickly on your feet. 

Mingyu turns to you, confused. “Errands? What errands? I thought today was ‘bedrot’ day. You even sang the celebratory ‘bedrot’ song last night.” 

You just laugh him off, gently running your hand along his bicep. “Well, ya know, a girl can’t bedrot forever.” Looking around the gym you see another poster. Another slogan. “No days off, right?” 

Unimpressed with your regurgitation of some cliche quote you saw on the gym wall, Mingyu narrows his eyes at you, more suspicious than ever. 

“Baby, I’m serious” you say, doubling down on your lie, “I’d love to meet them but I really do have to go. Another time?” 

The thought of meeting his coworkers makes you nauseous. The idea of what they’d think of you—of you two together—is enough to make you want to evaporate. What’s even worse, despite your insecurities, is the idea of Mingyu being upset with you. You give him the puppy dog eyes, the hardest thing for him to resist, and he melts that instant. 

“It’s okay, sweetie. Do what you need to do” he smiles and relief washes over you, “They actually invited me out for drinks tonight so you can come too, right?” Mingyu looks so hopeful, so sickeningly adorable. How dare he.

You clear your throat, forcing yourself to look happy about the trap you’ve fallen into. “Right. Sure. Drinks. Tonight.” 

A delighted Mingyu gives you another hug and a quick kiss. “Good and thank you again. I owe you” he winks and you wave goodbye, watching as he heads back to work and leaves you with the unrelenting stare you’ve been trying to avoid this whole time. 

“Have a nice day” you mumble, scurrying back towards the front door. 

Something is said behind you. The stiff, uncomfortable farewell of a person who realized that they’ve just said all of the wrong things. Even if she were to apologize now it wouldn’t matter. By the time you hop back into your car you’re already spiraling. Any thoughts about grabbing breakfast are pushed to the farthest reaches of your mind. You don’t wanna eat. You certainly don’t wanna go out for drinks later. All you want is to pick up the pieces of your shattered self-confidence but they’re scattered all over the floor of that gym and there’s just no way you’re going back for them.

Bedrot?

No, couch rot, actually. You aren’t sure if that’s a thing. If not, you’re pioneering it. The queen of couch rotting. With the exception of feeding Jellybean her dinner and a few quick trips to the bathroom, you haven’t left your spot on the couch all day. It’s almost 6PM. Not that you’d know the exact time. You haven’t so much as glanced at your phone since you got in. Your only hint of the hours having passed by is the arrival of dusk quietly creeping in beyond your curtains.

Draped across the couch, you stare at the TV as scenes of a show you’re hardly watching flash on the screen. You’ve cried, you’ve slept, you’ve cried again. When you’re feeling down a couple of naps typically do the trick. They make you forget all about the problem, if only for a little bit, but how can you forget the problem when you can’t stop wondering if you’re it. Is it really such a hard thing to imagine? That Mingyu could be your boyfriend and not your trainer? Is it really such a stretch of the imagination? 

“If getting in shape means getting a guy like that what other motivation do you need, am I right?”

Does everyone think that? That to earn someone like your boyfriend you need to get in shape? Get thinner? The possibility weighs you down like an anchor, assuring that you’ll never stop drowning. Never stop wondering. 

You’ll have to come up with an excuse for tonight. Something believable. Maybe you’ll say that you aren’t feeling well. You have been lying around the house all day. Method acting is what they call it. You never did order that food. He can check his card and see that you haven’t. Even more support for the fact that you just aren’t feeling well. As much as you want to meet his coworkers, you think, mentally rehearsing your story, the alcohol would only make things worse but he should go and have fun. 

“Next time” you’ll say, “Pinky swear.” 

A new episode of your show kicks on, a wistful theme song playing as the leading actor’s faces and names fade in and out. A rose tinted sequence of beautiful faces. You close your eyes, pulling the blanket over your head. Time for another nap—maybe this will be the one that fixes it all—but there’s no time. The sound of a set of keys jingling on the other side of the door sends your lids shooting back open. The door knob turns. The curtain’s rising. You hear those familiar footsteps. It’s time for your performance, kid. Begin scene. 

“Sweetie! Are you here?” Mingyu calls out, kicking his shoes off. He scans the apartment, noticing that the only source of light is from outside and what little is provided by the TV. 

You cough weakly, sitting up on the couch, “I’m here.”

Why did you cough? Terrible acting already. No Oscar for you.. 

Mingyu leans over the back of the couch, arms thrown over your shoulders. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” 

“No, I was just resting. I haven’t really been feeling so good today” you say, trying your hardest to look and sound the worst that you can. 

Circling around the couch, Mingyu kneels in front of you, taking your hands into his. With your eyes all red and puffy it’s an easier sell than you expected. His face twists with worry and you can’t fight the guilt brewing inside of you at the sight of him. 

“What’s going on? Are you sick? Do you need to go to the hospital?” 

“No, no. It’s not that bad” you assure him, subtly gaining strength in hopes that it’ll ease his concerns. “It’s just a stomach bug or something.” 

“Lay back down, okay?” he insists, thumbs petting the back of your hands, “I’ll go make you some soup.” 

“Mingyu, you really don’t have to” you start but he’s already guiding you back down onto the couch, hurrying into the kitchen to get some soup started for you. 

The clanking of pots and pans fills the space where any further protest from you might fit. “You just rest!” he shouts, “Let me take care of everything and don’t worry about tonight. We can always wait until you’re feeling better.”

You sink further into the couch at his words. “Until you’re feeling better” means he’ll bring it up again. It means you’ll have to fake sick every single time he mentions it but how long could you play that card before he started to get suspicious? Mingyu can only be distracted by his concern for you for so long before he suspects the truth, that you’re just trying to avoid it, and you’ll have to tell him why. 

“Mingyu, can you come here?”

Too busy raiding the fridge for ingredients, Mingyu barely hears you. “Hmm? You say something?” 

“Come here for a second, please!” 

You push yourself up on the couch, tossing the blanket aside. Mingyu’s there in a flash, ready to do whatever it is that you need. His eagerness to help you only makes you feel worse for having lied to him. You pat the cushion beside you and he takes a seat, bracing himself for whatever news you’re about to break to him. 

“Are you pregnant?” he blurts out and you clutch your chest in shock. 

“Pregnant? What? No. I’m not pregnant. Why would you think I was pregnant?” 

“Messy hair, baggy clothes, you’ve definitely been crying all day, and the ‘stomach bug’” he says, making air quotations at your fake ailment. “I know what that means, I’m not stupid.” 

Even at your lowest moment you can’t stop the laugh that escapes you at how absolutely adorable he is. “Oh, my love, I’m not pregnant.”

“Then what is? Tell me” he begs too sincerely to deny, “You know whatever it is, I’ve got your back. We’re a team, remember?” 

Leaning your head on his shoulder, you lace your fingers between his and settle into the comfort of his presence. Why are you lying to someone you don’t have to lie to? Mingyu’s your person. What is there to hide?

“You know the receptionist at the gym?” 

“Yeah, Lexi, what about her?”

“She…well…she thought I was your client.” 

“Why would she think that?” 

You pause, giving him time to process it. You can feel it when he does. His body tenses, the energy in the room shifting at the realization. 

“Did she say something to you?” he asks, standing up as if he’s ready to run back to that gym to confront her. 

You’re positive that he would. Mingyu’s probably the most gentle man you’ve ever met, you’ve rarely seen him get angry or raise his voice, but when it comes to you it’s never a problem to get a bit out of character. 

Your chest aches recalling the interaction. The casual tone of her voice. The shock on her face when he called you baby. “She was just surprised. I guess I can’t blame her. A girl like me walks into a gym asking for you and what else is she supposed to think? You’re literally built like a god and I’m built like—” 

Mingyu interrupts you on purpose, refusing to let you even attempt to put yourself down. “A goddess. You’re built like a goddess. Stand up.”

“Mingyu, no” you protest but he insists, grabbing your arms and forcing you up from the couch. Gathering the loose fabric of your t-shirt in his fists, he brings it flush against your body, defining every curve. “This body is the body of a goddess. It’s the body of the woman I love. I think it looks perfect next to mine.” Mingyu’s eyes are brimming with admiration and all he wants in this world is for you to feel it but you just hang your head, unable to meet his gaze. 

“But that’s not what other people think.”

“I don't give a shit what other people think. Look at me.” He scoops your cheeks into his hands, giving you no option other than to look at him—to accept the way he looks at you. “When we’re together I think that I can’t imagine being with any other girl. I think I’d lose my mind if I ever woke up next to anybody else. Don’t you feel that way too?”

Of course you do. That’s the silliest question he’s ever asked. You wouldn’t trade being with him for anything. It’s never even crossed your mind to question it. “I always feel like I’m right where I should be when I’m next to you, Mingyu.”

“Because you are,” he smiles, kissing the bridge of your nose, “You belong with me and nothing anyone else says could ever change that.” 

If you had any tears left to cry, even a single one to spare, you’d shed it for him and it wouldn’t be one of heartache or pain. It’d be pure love. Pure appreciation for the existence of a man who can so effortlessly fight off the fears you can’t face on your own, making them feel smaller and smaller until the only thing you can feel is his love for you. 

“I’m gonna go shower. Come with me” he says, his palm skating down your arm to take your hand in his. 

This time you don’t resist. Not when he leads you down the hall to the bathroom, humming as he flicks the light on. Not when he strips you of your clothes, slowly peeling them away until they’re nothing more than a pile of fabric at your feet. And certainly not when he wraps his arms around your naked figure, his tongue exploring your mouth as he pulls you under the warm water sprinkling from the shower head. 

And just like that you’re right back to where you were this morning. Before you walked into that gym, before the insecurities. You’re on your own planet again. Just the two of you. His soapy hands gliding along the contours of your hips. Your fingers combing through his slick, dark hair as he kisses his way down to your chin, burying his face in your neck to nip gently at your sensitive skin. You let out a whimper, your body shivering in his grasp, and Mingyu laughs, never sick of how cute you are when you make that sound. 

Your back arches, jutting your pillowy breasts forward, tempting Mingyu to take one into his hand. He can’t fight the urge to touch you. To feel the weight of it in his hand. So soft and bouncy. Your perky nipple slips eagerly between his fingers, just begging to be pinched the slightest bit. 

“Mingyu” you moan, nibbling at your bottom lip, a flash of heat hitting you so intensely you’d swear someone changed the water temperature. But no, it’s only Mingyu. It always is. 

“Do you remember what you were wearing the first day we met?” he whispers, his voice lost somewhere between lust and fluffy nostalgia. “It was really hot out that. I was walking through the park when I saw you in that crop top and those shorts…fuck…I know I shouldn’t have looked at you like that but your body was so beautiful, baby. Your belly. Your hips. Your thighs.”

Mingyu’s hands patiently glide down your figure, taking their time to indulge in the shape of you. It radiates from him—the admiration, the longing—and it has you melting. You part your lips to release another floaty moan and Mingyu’s right there, his mouth pressed to yours, hungry for the taste of it on his tongue.

“I can’t forget your face” he hums, breaking from the kiss, stars dancing in those brown eyes, “It’s my favorite thing about you. Just look at you.” One hand dances up to stroke your cheek while another dips between your legs, his fingertips ghosting your clit just enough to make you tremble. “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Especially when you make faces like that.”

You don’t want to make faces. You want to look cool, calm, and collected—completely unaffected by his teasing—but it’s nothing you can help. Your body reacts to him just the way he wants it to every single time and there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing he wants you to do about it. 

“Don’t start” you warn, playfully swatting him on the back of the head. Instinctively you wrap a leg around his waist, your actions immediately betraying your words. 

“Start?” he asks, eyebrows furrowed, “I don’t know what you mean. Start what?” 

Mingyu plays innocent but in the blink of an eye he sweeps you off of your feet, your back pressed to the wall and his arms tucked behind your knees. You lock your arms around his shoulders, terrified that you’re about to come crashing to the ground. 

“You can’t just pick me up like that!” 

Mingyu laughs, shifting your weight to make sure you’re secure, “I can actually. Don’t worry. All this muscle isn’t for nothing. I’ve got you.” He locks eyes with you, as serious as he’s ever been.

“I said, I’ve got you” he repeats, rocking his hips so that the head of his cock brushes your slit. You’re dripping, already clenching, and the slick warmth of you coating his tip has him licking his lips. “Just relax, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Relax? And put your full weight onto this man? You can’t. He’s out of his mind. He’s insane. He’s lifting into you and every thick, wonderfully veined inch of his cock makes you care less about how heavy you might be. The only thing on your mind is the motion of his hips, every stroke of his cock making your body sing the sweetest of songs. 

If he were honest he’d say that holding you up was harder than he thought but not because of your weight. Your walls are so velvety, hugging his length like you never want to let go. The pleasure’s almost too much. It takes everything in him to keep himself from falling apart. 

“Love you” he whispers, nibbling at your bottom lip, “Love you so much.” 

 “Love…mmph….you…aah…too” you squeak, the smile on your face making his heart skip a beat. 

Mingyu thrusts into you harder one good time just to watch your eyes roll back. Your nails dig into the tense muscles of his back but he’s too high from the feeling of you for the sting to feel anything other than good. 

“Say it again. Tell me you love me too” he demands, fingertips digging into the flesh of your thighs. 

“I love you too” you utter between sloppy kisses. 

“And you belong with me.”

He’s throbbing so deep inside of you that you’d swear you can feel it in your stomach. Your vision’s hazy. Your pulse is racing. It feels as if your very cells are vibrating. “I belong with you”. 

“That’s it. My good girl. My perfect girl” he coos, feeling you tighten around his cock. “Aww, you gonna cum, baby?” 

“Mmhmm” you whine, mindlessly riding his lap, desperate for more. 

This image of you will be burned into his mind for weeks. Legs around his waist. Pinned to the wall. Beads of water glimmering on your naked form. Clenching. Needy. Juices leaking down his cock as you cum around him, your walls spasming wildly as you take every inch. Every thrust. Every drop of him when he finally breaks, filling you until the warm white liquid’s dripping from your pretty slit. 

Are you levitating? You must be because he can’t feel himself holding you and you can’t feel yourself being held. You’re just here together floating in ecstasy. Peacefully. Effortlessly. As it should be. You can’t discern how much time has passed when Mingyu’s carefully lowering your legs, refusing to let you go until he’s sure you can stand on your own. 

“I’ve gotta get away from you” you tease, hopping out of the shower as quickly as your wobbly legs will let you, “You’re trouble.” 

Mingyu shuts the shower off, jumping out right after you to drag you back into his arms. “But you like trouble” he says, assaulting your left cheek with kisses. 

You roll your eyes and pout but you know he’s right. Any trouble you get from Mingyu is trouble you want. You couldn’t go without it. “Maybe.” Grabbing your towel, you tuck it around your body before tossing Mingyu his. “Now hurry up and get ready.”

“Get ready for…”

“I thought we were meeting your coworkers for drinks.”

Mingyu freezes, his system’s malfunctioning. He’s sure you didn’t just say what you said. “I thought you didn’t wanna go.”

“People change their minds, baby. Especially when they have boyfriends like you who make them feel like the prettiest girl in the world” you say, pinching his cheek, “I wanna be wherever you are. Unless you don’t want—”.

“Shut up, we’re going” he interrupts, “But first I gotta talk to you about something.” 

“Okay, what is it?” 

“We can’t talk about it here. It’s better if we talk in the bedroom.”

You stare at him skeptically, arms folded across your chest, “What can you talk to me about in the bedroom that we can’t talk about here?”

Mingyu lulls you into another tender kiss, sliding your towel up to massage your ass. “Get in there and I’ll show you.” 

You place your full trust in him, letting him blindly back you out of the bathroom and down the hall where your bedroom awaits, kissing you and caressing you, throwing off your entire sense of direction. It occurs to you as you cross the threshold of what you assume to be your bedroom and your towel hits the ground that you probably aren’t going out for drinks tonight. 

Chances are you’ll spend the night in instead, ending your day the way it began. Tangled in the sheets. Lost in him. Lost in each other. And that suits you just fine. You’ll see his coworkers when you see them. There’s no nervousness about it anymore. No fear. You’ve never known peace the way that you have with Mingyu. As long as you’re together everything’s as it should be and nothing can make you question that ever again. 

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

Reverse isekai... Caleb... Cat... Part 2 Link Ao3 Link

Caleb loved you more than anything in this world. 

Or at least, that's what you would've liked to imagine if he was real. But he isn't. And you're not in a pixelated little world called Linkon City and none of your hopes and dreams about having a happily ever after with your military husband and childhood best friend were coming true. 

You stared at the fanfic left open on the phone screen, wishing to see your husband in your dreams to ease the ache of loving someone you could never have while in your loneliest moments. 

If only he could be real. If only he could become real from Astra knows what power and fall in love all over again. With you this time instead of the MC who seemed to resemble anything but you. If only. Too much to ask for, yes, you know. 

No, he wasn't real, and no, he wasn't there to fall in love with you as you did with him. And you had your own life to live and work to do and tough times to get through on your own tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. 

So, leaving you no other choice, you drifted off to sleep as the delusion shattering ache in your heart seeped in.

-

It was raining. You opened up your umbrella next to the entrance of your workplace, greeting your coworkers goodbye. You were tired. Your brain was fried from working since morning and you felt like the walking dead. 

The thoughts of cooking something up for dinner made you feel like flopping down on the sidewalk you were walking on and passing out. You had the free will to do that, of course, but the rain pitter pattering along with your dragged steps only reminded you of all the cleaning you would have to do after practicing your so-called free will. 

The street lights turned on and you continued onward, just a block away from your home. 

As you walked by an alleyway, your heart almost jumped out of your chest at the sound of metal clashing onto the ground. You froze, holding your breath as you turned around. 

You waited. 

One beat. Two beats. 

Nothing. 

And then, there it was again, the sound of something thuding around. 

Without thinking, you made your way towards the source of the sound, your heart bearing in your ears. A dumpster came into view. 

Something, or someone, seemed to be struggling inside. You called out. 

“Hello..? Is anyone in there..?” Your voice trembled. 

No reply.

You slowly got close to the dumpster and opened the cover with shaking hands. 

Widened blue-pink eyes with a pair of black ears and tail stared up at you through the piles of garbage. 

“What the fuck?”

-

The cat jumped out of your hold as soon as you entered your home, shaking off water from its fur and scampering away from you as fast as it could while you were struggling to put down the wet umbrella. 

“Okay, rude? I bring you home with me to avoid the guilty conscience that would follow tomorrow if I found you dead from the cold somewhere and you pay me off by drenching my floorboards!”

You let out a frustrated sigh. 

He silently watched you from a corner of the room as you made your way to the kitchen island to wash off your hands. 

“Make yourself at home, I guess..” You mumbled, more to yourself than to him. 

I have a cat in my apartment. What now? 

-

First and foremost, it was bathtime. You were NOT about to let a stinky ass wet fur ball run around your home. 

You tried to pick him up again but he bolted around the living room, paw pads making skittering noises in the process.

After about 10 minutes of running around, you gave up, standing defeated. You called out to him as a last resort. 

“I just want to give you a bath. Please.”

“Mreow!” He protested, sitting on top of the kitchen island. 

“Fine. Whatever. Live with the stink all you want. I'm tired and you're taking up my gaming time.” You rolled your eyes. 

Maybe leaving him alone for a while will ease him a little.. You hoped. 

And so, you turned around and sat down on the couch with the TV remote in hand, ready to open YouTube and rewatch the same goddamn trailer for the 100th time. 

[Love and Deepspace | Caleb's Trailer]

-

He didn't know how he ended up here. One moment he was feeling immense, needle pricking pain across his entire body, the next he was in a dumpster. With paws instead of hands. And the world seemed thrice as large and intimidating. 

Well, At least I have shelter from the rain for now.. Though I feel like a wet rat. 

He watched the girl settle down on the couch. 

I wonder how long I can stay here. I need to figure things out..

Then, he heard something that caught his eye. 

“What, you don't recognize me?”

He stared at the video playing on the TV screen. 

“Did you honestly think I would always be the kind hearted boy from your childhood?”

His ears perked up, all pointy, and his eyes widened. 

That's me. 

He watched as the figure on the screen bit an apple as lightning flashed in the background. 

That. Is. Me. On the TV. 

A/N: Interest check? Very self indulgent... Kinda, sorta, really wanna turn this into a one-shot fic maybe... Haha.. Ha.. But I'll have to play through all the content released in the past few months.. 😭

Wrote this half asleep someone bonk me to sleep please

[sakuramom]

i fucking hate people sometimes man

[theresatzu]

Blue Lock characters and being called a simp by their friends

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Featuring: Isagi, Rin, Bachira, Zantetsu, Nagi & Reo

Tropes: Fluff, boyfriend!bluelockcharacter

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Isagi Yoichi

Stammers, blushes, gets flustered. Tries to deny it but fails miserably.

"What? No, I'm not." Isagi crossed his arms, looking away petulantly.

"Oh, you so are!" Bachira exclaimed, poking his reddened cheek.

"Shut up!"

"Deny it all ya want, but anyone can look through that act." Hiori snickered.

"Okay then, name one example." Isagi crossed his arms.

"Remember the time you ran out in the rain, because Y/n forgot to bring her umbrella. Without jacket, too!"

Isagi went bright red. "That... that was just because..."

Bachira brightened, "You guys remember when he went all sulking because Y/n couldn't make it to his game?"

"What? No! I wasn't sulking!" Isagi disconcurred, but even to him his voice seemed weak.

"And remember when--"

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Isagi slapped his hand over Hiori's mouth, face bright red.

"Maybe... maybe I'm a little bit of a simp--"

Bachira let out a burst of devilish laughs, pressing the off button of his phone.

"I RECORDED IT!"

"I'm showing this to Y/n."

"YOU TRAITORS--"

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Itoshi Rin

Vehemently refutes the argument like a lashed out cat, but anyone can tell he's lying through his teeth.

Rin's phone pinged, signalling an incoming text message. Rin spared it a cursory glance before huffing, the corners of his lips twitching upwards ever so slightly.

"Wait a second... Rin, are you smiling?" Isagi said, disbelievingly.

"What? No." Rin immediately denies.

"You are." Isagi stated, a grin of his own forming on his lips. "You were totally smiling at your phone just now. Were you texting someone? Wait... is it..."

Rin's neck blossomed into a red hue.

From anger, obviously.

"Shut the fuck up, you don't know what you're talking about." Rin hissed, his lips pulled back into a snarl.

"Okay. Then show me your phone." Isagi deadpanned.

"...no."

Isagi raised an eyebrow. "If you've got nothing to hide, then why are you getting so nervous? Or is it because of Y/--"

Rin threw a football against Isagi's face, effectively cutting him off.

"Shut the fuck up, you goddamn immature NPC. Don't you have anything else to do? Like train for example? Instead, you're here dwelling on my love life, like some goddamn idiot." Rin snapped, eyes narrowed and fists balled.

He then stormed out of the room, but not before throwing a dead glare over his shoulder.

Isagi was left behind, stunned and with a bruised face.

Despite that, he was smiling knowingly.

Love life, huh?

Rin had actually acknowledged it.

And he hadn't even noticed.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Bachira Meguru

Owns up to it, like its a Nobel Prize.

"You're such a goddamn simp, it's actually annoying. Am I the only normal person here?" Rin grumbled.

"Me? A simp?" Bachira pointed at himself, flummoxed.

Rin threw him a disgusted look. "Yes, you. Now get out of my face, you're going to make me puke."

Bachira looked at Isagi, a questioning look in his eyes.

Isagi shrugged in return. "I mean... he has a point."

Eyes lighting up, Bachira stalked up to Rin, undeterred by the withering look Rin shot him.

"You mean it? Really?"

"Get out of my face, blunt bangs." Rin snarled.

Bouncing away from Rin, before Rin would actually singlehandedly strangle him, Bachira singsang, "Rin-chan's just jealous I have a beautiful girlfriend whom I love very much."

Rin eyed him, disparagingly, "You're actually revolting."

"No, I'm a simp!" Bachira laughed delightedly.

"If you won't stop screeching like a damned banshee, you'll be dead."

"Simp, simp, simp!"

"Now he's asking for it, lukewarm NPC."

Isagi's eyes widened, concern flitting over his expression.

"Wait Rin... what are you doing? Wait... Why are you picking up that chair? Wait... no, don't throw it--"

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Zantetsu Tsurugi

Absolutely clueless. He doesn't have the faintest clues as to what it entails.

"I'm a... dimp?" Zantetsu echoed, blinking owlishly.

Reo rolled his eyes. "A simp, dumbass."

Nagi rolled over, his eyes bleary. "Reo, why are you trying to explain it to him? It's such a hassle. He won't understand anyway."

Pushing his glasses against his face, Zantetsu tilted an eyebrow. "So I'm a "simp". That must mean that I can make things with much easity."

Reo facepalmed. "You mean, you can handle things with much ease."

None the wiser, Zantetsu responded. "That's what I just spoken."

Nagi sighed.

Shaking his head, Reo snickered.

"He's not only a simp, he's dumb, too."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Nagi Seishiro

Shrugs it off. He's really casual about it. He doesn't really care. (Internally, he's smiling)

"Lazy slug? Are you actually... moving?" Barou watched him with an incredulous look on his face.

Nagi blinked at him. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Bachira chimed in, "It looks like you've been possessed. What happened with "everything being a hassle"?"

Nagi trudged on. "I need to get something from the grocery store for Y/n, that's all. It's not a hassle."

It's not a hassle.

It's not a hassle.

I t s n o t a h a s s l e

"Wow..." Bachira said, awe-struck.

"What a goddamn simp." Barou shook his head. "If he even put as much effort in his football as he does in that relationship, he might actually be a decent player."

"Hey now... I beat you in a one-on-one." Nagi retorted. "Anyway, I'm off now. Speaking with you is such a bother."

Then Nagi walked off.

"Hey! Come back here! Pick up your dirty socks!"

"You're closer, do it for me, King." Nagi called back.

"What?!" A vein bulged on Barou's forehead.

"Tch. Can't even do something as simple as picking up the laundry."

"But he's actually going all the way to the grocery store, huh?"

Well yeah. Nagi Seishiro was a slug through and through, but when he was actually motivated to do something, he would set his mind to it.

And well, maybe doing these things once in a while wasn't really a hassle.

Especially if it was for you.

If that made him a simp, well, it wasn't necessarily an insult, was it?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Mikage Reo

Flustered, but covers it up with confidence. (He's thinking about it afterwards).

Reo softly glanced at the hairtie you'd given him before his game, spinning it around his finger as he smiled slightly.

"You've been staring at that raggedy thing for over five minutes now." Chigiri asserted flippantly.

Flinching as he was startled out of his revery, Reo coughed, attempting to cover up his momentarily zoning-out.

"Have I? Ha, I must be tired then."

"Are you now?" Chigiri fixed him with a pointed stare.

"You don't look tired. In fact, you look pathetic. I thought you had hit rock bottom when you lost Nagi, but when you're separated from your girlfriend, you turn even more untolerable. Staring at that... thing."

"Hey!" Reo sat up, an indignant expression on his countenance. "I'm not untolerable. See," He threw away the hairpiece.

A beat passed.

"You want to pick it up, don't you."

"...yeah."

"God, you're such a simp." Chigiri shook his head dismayfully, his opulent red locks swishing elegantly with the motion of his head.

Reo's eyes shot open, and the tips of his ears turned red. "Wah-- me? I mean... pfft. You have to treat your partner right, right? That includes the gifts they give you, too."

Chigiri gave him an impassionate glance. "Even when it has already outlived its purpose?"

Scoffing, Reo pivoted on his spot. "I can still use it."

Chigiri raised his arms in the air in a disarming manner. "Sure. Alright. But don't go lending my elastics when yours break."

The redhead shuffled out of the room, his hair swaying behind him, as if taunting Reo.

Scowling, Reo sat down.

He chanced a look at the hairpiece in his hand.

Should I throw it away?

His hand reached the bin can, but he couldn't let go of the object.

Sighing, he wrenched the tie around his wrist.

For good luck. No other reason.

His cheeks flushed.

Reo groaned, burying his head in his arms.

Maybe he really was a simp.

[himasgod]

Oh my godddd I love your writing🙏🙏🙏 from twst to Genshin!!! It's so muwah

I saw your requests are open so...! !! Can I request characters with a reader who's very energetic and chaotic(also very pink and adorable feehes) .. They're all around a good person and bcs of their personality they're considered popular?

(Malleus, Rook, and Sebek you can add more if you want but just incase anyone is fine as long as Mal Mal is there HAJSHWJSH😓😓)

Anyways.. Thankyoisomuchhh I will go on and binge read your stuff peace🙏

Where you are energetic and quite adorable and cute

Malleus, Rook and Sebek x Reader

Malleus met you the first day after the ceremony, when you were late arriving at Diasomnia because you got lost, and when you—running as always, a pink ribbon trailing behind you and a cupcake in your hand—stumbled into a hedge.

"Oops! That was alive! …Sorry, Mr. Bush!"

He watched you curiously. You had entered his space with laughter and a little sugar on your cheeks. Anyone else would have been scared to see him, but you just smiled broadly.

From then on, you became his favorite little chaos. The light that flickers in his gray world.

Malleus, so solemn, so restrained, didn't understand how someone could be so small and cause such a commotion in his chest.

Your voice was like little bells. Your hands always moved when you spoke, your eyes lit up at the slightest cutesy thing, and you would sing cheesy songs while baking dragon-shaped cookies.

And the strangest thing was… he wanted to hear you sing.

Always.

Even if you were a little off-key.

One day he saw you dancing in the rain without an umbrella, twirling with your arms outstretched, soaked from head to toe, laughing as if you owned the world. And then he knew: he had never loved anything as much as that moment.

Not power, not respect.

Just… you. With your soaked boots and your pink laugh.

“Aren't you going to get wet, Mal-Mal?” you asked him, and without waiting for an answer, you took his hand.

That was the first day Malleus Draconia laughed out loud, without holding back.

And since then, every time he hears your laughter, he believes in miracles a little more.

Rook knew you were special when he saw you stop in the middle of the hallway to put a bow on Trein's cat… while Crowley chased you for bringing cakes into class without permission.

Your eyes sparkled, your hair was covered in frilly bows, and you had a sticker stuck to your hand that said, "You did your best!"

And to Rook, that…

Took his breath away.

"My chèrie, how is it possible that someone like you exists in this gray world?"

He watched you like someone contemplating an impossible flower in the middle of winter.

Your energy enveloped him. Your sweet voice, your eccentric ideas, your desire to paint hearts on windows when it rains, or put stickers on someone's notebook in class to "brighten someone's day."

You were everything Rook loves: the dramatic, the passionate, the overflowing with life.

But you also had that dreamy sweetness that slowly melted him.

He wrote you letters in golden ink and floral verses. He left you flowers with messages like, "To my rose with sugar thorns."

One day, while you were making flower crowns for everyone, you placed one in his hair without thinking.

And he, without blinking, took your hand and said

"My little chaotic muse… do you even know how cruel it is to exist knowing that you walk this world without even being mine?"

Sebek considers you… a threat. But not a bad one.

A threat to his self-control. To his discipline. To his peace of mind.

How do you expect him to train in peace when you're always running around campus with pom-poms and saying "Do your best, Sebek!" in a totally adorable, sweet voice?!

And why are you greeting him with air kisses?!

And why does his locker smell like strawberries now?!

At first, he saw you as a nuisance. Then as a mystery. And now…

Now he sees you in his dreams. And that scares him more than any dark spell.

He never tells you, but he loves the way you seek him out. The way you stand on your toes to greet him.

The way you hug him without permission and then give him a crocodile-shaped cookie: "It's just like you! Strong but adorable!"

And he feigns indignation, but stares at the cookie for hours before eating it.

It had too much sugar, but he enjoyed it anyway. Sort of.

One day you surprised him by leaving him a scented letter with dragon and butterfly stickers. It only said:

“Thank you for being so strong and protecting us all! I love you, Sebek! 💕”

He turned so red that Silver thought he was sick.

He still treasures that letter. Sometimes, when he thinks no one is looking, he takes it out and reads it with a small smile on his lips. And then he puts it away with the utmost care, as if it were the purest proof that someone as brilliant as you believes in him.

[petalbcrnes]

✧ 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐒 ⬭ ﹒ ✦

𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 ── two times 𝓙𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐃 encounters a very angry orange tabby cat & one time he has no choice but to adopt him with you.

⊹ 💬 · this is a vvvery old work of mine that i left unattended in my wip folder. thank @jjsblueberry for bringing back life to it.

ഒ DIRECTORY⠀;⠀RULES⠀;⠀REQ HERE (CUR. CLOSED)

The first time he saw the cat, Jason was returning home from patrol. The rain was pouring down in streets, and he hurried through the storm, eager to get back to you as quickly as possible. The weather made everything difficult—the buildings blurred together, neon signs became unreadable, and the sounds of the city were muffled through his helmet.

But despite the downpour, he didn’t miss the small spot of light orange in the corner of his eye. It stood out against the dark, murky colors of the alley it was huddled in. Nestled in a small, soggy cardboard box between two trash bags, something shifted.

What’s that?

Jason knew he needed to get home. He was freezing and bone-tired, but his curiosity got the better of him.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Turns out, the worst that could happen is making a new, vicious enemy out of a stray cat.

Jason landed swiftly in the dark alley, the shadows swallowing up what little light there was. He approached the cardboard box cautiously and gently lifted the lid, unsure of what he might find inside.

The first thing that caught his attention was a pair of greenish-brown eyes staring back at him, followed by the sight of ginger-striped fur. The creature let out a small, plaintive mewl.

Oh, it’s a cat.

In the box sat a big, angry orange tabby. A very angry orange tabby, actually. The cat gave him a fixed, piercing stare, its fur and tail puffing up as it let out a throaty, warning meow.

Jason instinctively raised his hands, palms open, to show he meant no harm, but it was too late-the cat swiped at him with a paw, claws fully extended.

“Alright, I got the hint! No need for violence, little guy. Well—not so little. I mean, just look at you.” Jason chuckled softly, trying to diffuse the tension.

The cat’s ears swiveled backward and flattened against its head, its body puffing up even more as it attempted to make itself look bigger, more intimidating.

He wonders what the cat would do if he actually hissed back. Two can play that game. But that would be ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, right?

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave you to—… whatever you’re doing.”

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

The second time he saw the cat was when he was with you, just returning from a grocery run.

“Who even says that to someone else? It’s not like they set the prices,” you huffed, recounting an incident at the 7/11 you both had just visited—an old lady had been loudly complaining about the cost of a few products, taking it out on the poor cashier behind the counter.

“I know, babe, but you put her in her place.” Jason wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. “So, don’t worry about it anymore.”

“You’re right, it’s just—”

Jason’s ear tuned out your next words as a familiar spot of light orange caught his eye. A pair of greenish-brown eyes glared at him menacingly.

No way—... it can’t be the same cat.

“Jay? Honey? What’s wrong?” you asked, turning to him, trying to catch his attention.

“Huh? Oh, yeah? Sorry,” Jason replied, snapping back to reality with a smile. “Something just caught my eye.” But when he turned to look again, the cat was already gone.

Annoying little bastard.

“What did?” you inquired, glancing around to spot whatever had distracted him.

“An orange tabby cat that I’ve apparently started a rivalry with.” Jason deadpanned.

“You started a what with a what—?” You stammered, clearly confused by his response. But Jason just grabbed your hand and quickly led you away.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

The third time he saw the cat was in his apartment. In his goddamn home.

Jason dropped the bag of snacks he’d just bought from the corner shop out of sheer shock. How did the cat find him? Had it followed him? Was this how it spotted him last time near the grocery store? What was this cat’s plan?

Just then, you rounded the corner, emerging from the kitchen with a small bowl of wet cat food in your hands.

Your face lit up when you saw him. All of the tension immediately melted away at the sight of your smile.

“Welcome back!”

“Hi, babe. Who's this?” Jason pointed to the cat, now holding its tail high with a slight curl at the top.

The cat purred softly as it rubbed its head against Jason’s boot.

“Awh! Look, he likes you!” You beamed, your face lighting up with a smile.

“Is this the tabby you were talking about? I can’t imagine him being evil at all, isn’t that right?” You squealed with delight, setting the bowl down near the cat.

Your voice was delicate and soft like the times you spoke to him. Jason thought that tone was only for him. Turns out this devil of a cat is somehow stealing the number one place from right under his feet.

The cat slowly blinked at you before cautiously approaching the bowl and taking a tentative bite of the food.

Jason tried to ask how the cat got in, where you found it, and why you let it in, but you shushed him.

“Did you just shush me?” he muttered in disbelief, half-laughing.

He can’t believe it. That little hellion is making itself out to be some adorable kitten and trying to trick you—his too kind of a partner—into believing it was actually an innocent helpless cat.

“I think it’s fate!” you exclaimed. “You found him, he found you, and now he’s here! He belongs with us. Please, Jay, can we keep him?”

Now that was something he never thought he’d hear. Usually, it was Damian asking Bruce to keep some random animal he’d found—not as a pet, of course. Oh no, not at all. A full on resident of the mansion.

Jason stared at the tabby for a few moments, then at you, with your big smile and pleading doe eyes staring back at him.

Crap, this is hard.

Fortunately for you, Jason can never say no to anything you ask of him.

“Fine.”

“Yay!” You celebrated with a little hop.

“How did it even find us?” Jason eyed the cat suspiciously.

“I’m not sure. But you’ve got to get used to him. I think he likes you!” You said as the cat wobbled back over and rubbed its head against Jason’s boot again. “See? Isn’t he adorable?”

Jason sighed softly, then gave you both a small, reluctant smile. “Yeah, he’s a little bit cute, I guess.”

“Oh, I almost forgot! We need to name him. What about Paprika?”

Jason grumbled under his breath. This was going to be a long week—but maybe, just maybe, it might be a tad bit happier than the previous ones.

© petalbcrnes | all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are not allowed to be reposted, translated, or modified. viewer discretion is advised.

[jiminomenon]

model! karina gets sick

pairing: model! karina x assistant! female reader

word count: 926

tag(s): karina being stubborn, y/n is tired she literally needs a break now gang-, sick! karina, princess aka their child makes an appearance, just a really soft moment between these two

from my series: the devil wears prada

if y/n had known jimin was going to be this insufferable when she was sick, she would have never let her step out in the rain yesterday. in fact, she should’ve just grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her under the umbrella instead of letting her prance around like she was immune to basic human conditions. but no, jimin had insisted she was invincible, brushing off y/n’s concerns with that same haughty confidence she wore like a designer coat.

“you’ll catch a cold,” y/n had warned, holding the umbrella over them as jimin strutted toward the car, completely unbothered.

“i don’t get sick,” jimin had scoffed, flipping her damp hair over her shoulder before tossing her equally soaked coat at y/n. “only weak people do.”

fast forward to today—jimin was curled up in bed, nose red, voice hoarse, and shivering beneath a mountain of blankets. weak people, huh?

y/n stood at the bedside with her arms crossed, staring down at the miserable lump that was once the almighty yu jimin. “i told you so.”

jimin peeked at her from beneath the covers, her glassy eyes narrowed into a glare. her voice was raspy, almost pitiful, but her bratty attitude remained intact. “shut up and make yourself useful.”

y/n exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. “so bossy even when you’re practically on your deathbed.” she set down a tray on the bedside table, pushing a bowl of steaming porridge toward jimin. “eat this.”

jimin wrinkled her nose, shifting further into her blankets like a petulant child. “no.”

y/n’s eye twitched. “yes.”

“don’t want to.”

“jimin, you’re literally sick.”

“so? i don’t like porridge.”

y/n clenched her jaw, inhaling slowly as if it would give her the patience not to smack the stubbornness out of this woman. after a moment of internal struggle, she scoffed and threw her hands up. “fine. starve, then.”

she spun on her heel, making her way toward the door. she wasn’t going to coddle someone who refused to help themselves—jimin could sit in her self-inflicted misery all she wanted. but just as y/n reached for the doorknob—

“wait.”

y/n paused, glancing over her shoulder. jimin wasn’t looking at her directly, her fingers fiddling weakly with the edge of the blanket. her voice was smaller this time, almost hesitant. “where’s princess?”

of course. leave it to jimin to refuse basic human nourishment but demand to see her cat. y/n sighed, but she left without protest, heading toward the living room. sure enough, princess was curled up on the couch, a tiny bundle of fur nestled into one of jimin’s designer pillows. the kitten barely stirred as y/n scooped her up, her soft little body warm against y/n’s palm.

when y/n returned to the bedroom, jimin was watching her expectantly, her expression softening the moment she saw princess in y/n’s arms.

“here,” y/n muttered, setting the kitten down gently on the bed.

princess blinked sleepily before stretching her tiny paws, letting out a delicate meow as she toddled over to jimin’s side. jimin immediately reached for her, stroking her fur with weak but affectionate fingers.

a small, satisfied smile graced jimin’s lips as princess nuzzled against her chin. “at least someone still loves me.”

y/n rolled her eyes, arms crossing over her chest. “you’re impossible.”

princess purred, rubbing her cheek against jimin before curling up into a tiny ball beside her. jimin let out a contented sigh, her body visibly relaxing as she snuggled into the blankets. but just when y/n thought she could finally leave—

“this is nice,” jimin murmured, peeking up at y/n. “all that’s missing is—”

she patted the empty space beside her, her meaning very clear.

y/n blinked. “oh, no. absolutely not.”

jimin pouted, her bottom lip sticking out in a way that would’ve been cute if y/n wasn’t so tired of her antics. “y/n, i’m cold.”

y/n deadpanned. “you have five blankets.”

“and yet, i’m still freezing.” jimin’s voice was thick with faux suffering, her lashes fluttering dramatically.

“what do you want me to do? magically turn into a human heater?”

jimin didn’t answer—just kept staring at her with those expectant, slightly fevered eyes.

y/n exhaled through her nose, already regretting what she knew was about to happen. “seriously?”

jimin didn’t blink.

there was a long moment of silence, a battle of wills that, to y/n’s dismay, ended in her eventual sigh of defeat. “fine.”

grumbling under her breath, she kicked off her slippers and crawled into bed, slipping beneath the covers with a reluctant sigh. the second she was within reach, jimin latched onto her like a heat-seeking missile, tangling their limbs together as she buried her face into y/n’s collarbone.

“you’re warm,” she hummed, sighing in satisfaction.

“if you get me sick, i swear—”

“shhh,” jimin hushed, her breath tickling y/n’s skin. “let me enjoy this.”

princess let out a tiny yawn, stretching out her paws before snuggling further between them, her warmth adding to the cocoon of coziness surrounding them.

jimin sighed again, a lazy smirk creeping onto her lips. “we should do this every night now.”

y/n scoffed, shifting slightly but making no real effort to pull away. “not happening.”

“we’ll see,” jimin murmured, already halfway to sleep.

y/n rolled her eyes, but as she felt jimin’s breathing even out and princess’s soft purring vibrating between them, she figured… maybe this wasn’t too bad.

[thinemoonshine]

⋆𐙚₊ 𝓽𝐡𝐞 𝔀𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝓴𝐢𝐝 ˚⊹♡

admirer!sunghoon x oblivious!female reader content(s): sunghoon yearns, obsessive mannerisms, manipulation, reader likes cats/dogs, both implied to be in college/university — the weird kid's become fixated with you, and he wants you for himself

sunghoon isn’t a weird kid—well, not in people’s eyes. but he himself thinks he is. because for some reason, he can’t seem to blend in with any crowd, neither can he maintain a private conversation with anyone over 5 minutes. he doesn’t understand their jokes, or their slang, or their mannerisms. sometimes, he believes he’s from an entirely different ecosystem than them.

was he an impostor—an alien that got left on earth by mistake? at this point, he thinks it’s plausible.

it’s not that he’s shunned or anything. in fact, it’s the opposite. with striking features that are practically ethereal and a figure so lean and defined that rivals sculptures, he turns heads wherever he goes. but he can’t seem to reciprocate the attention.

and despite never being alone, he feels alone.

like a puzzle piece that fits too tight or too loosely—filling the space but never quite fitting in.

until, you came.

you weren’t outstandingly eye catching, nor were you completely inconspicuous but sunghoon’s gaze caught you either way.

crouching in an alley near his apartment, cooing as you fed the stray cats in a manner one would think you’re feeding human children. your socks mismatched in your cartoon slippers and fingerless knitted gloves doing nothing to warm your frozen fingers.

he isn’t sure what exactly about you caught his eye. maybe it’s the unfamiliarity in his otherwise typical routine, or the way you had your back turned so carelessly, or the way your eyes sparkled with genuine affection and attention for the cats who you clearly can’t socialize with.

there’s an obvious language barrier between you and the felines and yet, you speak to them, dote on them like you truly understand them—a species so entirely different from you.

and for the first time ever, he thinks someone else is weird.

the next few times he saw you, it was always at the same times. he would see you on his way back to his place, he’d pause to watch with hands in his pockets and cheeks flushed from the cold and leave the moment you stand.

even when it rained, when he’d expect you to be cooped up at home in comforting warmth and security, he found you in the alley with an umbrella over the cats rather than yourself as you fed them. and you’d hold it for as long as they needed to finish their meal.

and for the first time ever, his brows knitted as a thought crossed his mind.

‘how dumb…’ a pause. ‘and weird.’

it was the first time he had found someone foolish. he’d fail to understand people’s lingo sometimes but he’d always thought it was a flaw in his part—never theirs. until you came.

despite how dumb and odd sunghoon thought you were however, he couldn’t help but keep coming to watch like an avid fan. in fact, he's found himself a new guilty pleasure in learning your schedules—how elated he was when he found out you live in the same building as him. and even more so when you're just above his floor. and this kept going and going until the snow melted and flowers bloomed.

he’s ditched the coats and gloves to something lighter now and with a plastic bag of snacks in hand, he makes his way to watch his favorite artist: you.

he expects you’d be wearing an array of colours—a habit he's found you do because you can't be bothered to plan your outfits everyday—and crouching again, sacrificing your poor knees as you feed your furry friends with your back turned towards him and—

oh.

he’s stiffened entirely in place just as he’s about to crash into you who swerved out the alleyway with your head low.

you gasp as you jump backwards slightly and he furrows subtly.

you’ve strayed from routine. weird.

“sorry, i should’ve looked where i was going,” you apologize timidly and the sound of your normal voice—different from your doting cooing—sends shivers down his spine and his ears ring.

in a good way. because now your voice is echoing inside his head as if bouncing off the walls of a hollow cave.

sunghoon forgets to answer initially. “it’s fi—”

now it’s his words that freeze at the sight of your face. no, it’s not because your beauty steals his breath away or because you look different from how he expects—none of that. after all, he’s seen you time and time before.

instead, it’s because you’re…crying.

there are pools of blue in your typically scintillating eyes, shimmering cold lines on your usually warm, glowing cheeks and a downward curve on the corners of your lips that are always, always lifted.

once again, how odd.

“yes?” you pull him from his thoughts and only then does he notice the croak in your otherwise velvety tone.

his jaw clenches and eyes sharpen.

this is weird. you’re weird. and he doesn’t like this. he doesn’t like how he’s affected by this—by you.

he’s supposed to walk away, turn a blind eye to things that don’t concern him. you’re not one of his acquaintances, there’s no need to pretend to care and ask you what’s wrong and offer his shoulder.

he can walk away. he should walk away.

“what’s wrong?”

but he doesn’t.

there’s a flicker of surprise in your eyes before you look away with a weak chuckle.

“nothing, just, the cats i usually feed aren’t here. apparently they’ve been taken by animal control because someone reported them as ‘neighborhood pests’.”

sunghoon listens intently as you speak.

your raw voice is beautiful.

you turn to him—a smile, bittersweet, on your face. “i just got a bit sad that i won’t be seeing them anymore.”

your smile is simply sweet.

he blinks a few times, processing your words after brushing away his ‘intrusive’ thoughts. “they were strays, weren’t they?”

your brows knit for just a second.

he notices.

“this place was their home. they’ve lived in this neighborhood far longer than some residents have,” you declare. he senses a hint of defiance.

he takes a mental step back. there’s no use arguing.

“you’re right,” he agrees. “i was insensitive. i’m sorry.”

your shoulders visibly loosen and stare softens. “no, i—i get it. they were strays if you think about in another way. i just…felt it was a bit unfair to just take them away from the place they’ve been living at for so long.”

sunghoon tilts his head, curious at the way your mind works. he wants to know more. he yearns to know you. his fingers curl around the handle of his plastic bag tighter. it crinkles. you notice. he sees.

“i just bought some snacks but i think they’d taste better with company—if you don’t mind. as an apology,” he offers. “we can sit at the chairs outside the convenience store.”

your eyes widen slightly and brows raise. he’s going above and beyond just to make up for offending your beliefs. he seems…sweet. he looks sweet. kind and respectful.

feeling slightly uplifted, you nod with a smile. your oh, so honeyed smile. “sure.”

and sunghoon can’t restrain the grin that forms on his typically nonchalant face. “i’m glad.”

the two of you walk side by side and he peeks down at you stealthily. you’re weird and so is he. you’re foolish but even more, he. but you don’t need to know that.

it’d be foolish to confess that he was the one that called animal control just so you’d finally look at him more than you do at your feline friends. he didn’t expect them to be so quick, though.

it was abrupt—his decision—spontaneous and atypical of him.

but weirdly enough, you fell for it.

he’s feeling less lonely now that you’re with him. and it’s weird—but he likes it.

ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹ masterlist ᝰ.ᐟ✮⋆˙

copyright © 2024 thinemoonshine all rights reserved

[almostwisegalaxy]

For the One Who Stayed

Yeon Si eun x fem!reader

reader has a shy character in this story

..................................................................................

Rain fell gently on the cobblestones of a narrow alley, blurring the orange glow of the streetlights into a trembling haze. Y/n had stopped there to adjust the strap of her bag. She had just left a late meeting at her school’s science club. Her face, half-hidden under the hood of her coat, was tense. She hated this part of the walk, this passage between damp buildings where the shadows lingered longer than the light.

A sharp noise, a muffled shout, made her freeze.

About ten meters ahead, two figures. One pinned against the wall, the other... tense, threatening. He was holding something in his hand. A pen. Y/n recognized that stance with a mix of fascination and fear: precise, focused. He was about to strike.

— Si-eun, no, back off!

Another boy’s voice shattered the tension like glass breaking. The first, Yeon Si-eun, remained still for a moment. Then, slowly, he lowered his arm. Y/n, hidden in the shadows, held her breath. The other boy, tall, slightly scruffy — Ahn Su-ho — grabbed Si-eun by the shoulder.

— It's over, he whispered. You did your job. Let's go.

They turned away. Si-eun passed by Y/n without even noticing her, but she, she met his gaze for a second. A steel gaze. No hate, no remorse. Just... emptiness.

That night, something hung in the air. A tension Y/n couldn’t forget.

Three weeks later, they met again. An inter-school competition had been organized — a logic math contest. Chance, or something close to it, had placed their schools face to face. Si-eun, silent in a corner, recognized Y/n before she even looked up at him. He remembered the uneven rhythm of her breath in the shadows, the way she had frozen like a creature on alert. She had seen him. And said nothing.

That silence, to him, meant more than any speech.

He started looking for her presence. Not obsessively at first. Just... methodically. He asked Ahn Su-ho to accompany him to certain interschool events, pretending he wanted to observe competitors. And when he saw her, always calm, timid, erasing her presence like a shadow, he watched her intently. Not because he expected anything. But because he wanted to understand.

Why hadn’t she exposed him?

Why didn’t she seem afraid?

Why had her gaze, that night, cut through him instead of bouncing off like everyone else’s?

One day, he followed her. Not out of danger, but out of habit — tracking behavior. He just wanted to observe. Know where she went. What she did when she thought she was alone. And he saw: she fed a stray cat in an abandoned courtyard. She spoke softly to it, telling it about her day. It wasn’t charming. It was strange. Fragile.

And it pulled him in.

He no longer thought clearly. Images of her invaded his thoughts mid-equation. Her face in shadow. Her voice, which he had barely heard but imagined to be soft. He caught himself getting angry whenever some idiot from school joked about private school girls. He isolated himself more than usual. Su-ho noticed.

— You've been somewhere else lately. It’s not like you to... drift.

Si-eun didn’t answer. But his fists sometimes clenched without him realizing why.

Their first real conversation took place in that same courtyard, where the cat lingered. Y/n saw him from the corner of her eye and wanted to leave.

— Stay, he said simply.

She stopped.

— Do you want me to talk about what I saw? she asked, her voice low.

He shook his head.

— I want to know why you didn’t.

She hesitated. Then:

— I saw you stop.

That simple sentence hit him harder than expected. He wasn’t used to someone seeing that. The moment he decided not to be a monster.

— You don’t like being seen, he said.

She lowered her eyes. But nodded.

They met again. By accident, then by choice. Their exchanges were rare, sometimes silent. Y/n didn’t try to make him talk. She expected nothing. She was there. And for him, it was unbearable. He couldn’t get her out of his head. She was a fault in his system.

But it wasn’t weakness. It was a fracture. And from that fracture came a light he didn’t know how to manage.

Ahn Su-ho discovered Y/n’s existence by seeing them together. He smiled at first, but quickly noticed the intensity in Si-eun’s eyes. Not desire. Something more dangerous: attachment.

— You’re gonna lose yourself, man. You can’t be like that with her... You care too much, you’re not built for this.

But Si-eun wasn’t listening. He didn’t know how to love like others did. He had no sweet words, no tender gestures. He observed Y/n like an unsolvable problem, and yet... when she drifted away, he suffocated. He spent hours staring at unsent messages. He monitored rumors about her school. He silently threatened those who pointed fingers. No one knew why this cold boy seemed so tense, so unpredictable, these past weeks.

Only Su-ho understood.

And Y/n, slowly, saw it too. She saw the strange tenderness in Si-eun’s gaze. The clumsy care with which he sometimes held the door. The way he asked if she had eaten, with a voice poorly hiding concern. She hated fighting. But she began to understand that he didn’t fight to dominate.

He fought to survive.

And now, he fought for her.

One night, she found him injured. A streak of blood on his temple. He laughed softly, bitter.

— I didn’t win.

She knelt before him. He looked at her with that mix of distance and vulnerability he reserved for no one else.

— Why do you stay?

— Because I know you’ll get back up. And I want to see what you’ll do next.

For the first time, he closed his eyes, and let his head fall against Y/n’s shoulder.

He was no longer alone.

And he never would be again.

..................................................................................

The requests are open. go for it

(⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠)

[astroyosei]

［愛］bts lovesongs as ur next boyfriend~

　　　　　　　　tarot pick-a-card love prediction!!!

⊹₊ ⋆˙✩ °˖🫐 ⋆｡˚꩜ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚. ₊ ˚ʚᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ.

⋅˚₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧｡⋆ . ₊ ⊹ . ₊˖ . ₊ 🩰⋆｡˚

✨ safe for minors, non-sexual, fluffy, long + detailed✨

✦　cd-s are numbered from left to right! 1-2-3

✦　don' t know how to choose? stare at a white part of ur screen and choose the cd u feel the most pulled to!

readings coming under!! ready?

💮 CD 1, your...

song is rain by bts! (i love it sm!!!)

✶ wanna listen?

✶ tarot cards are 8 of cups, the hierophant, queen of swords reversed, page of swords reversed, ace of cups🥺

★ scenarios are scared of falling in love in the beginning, trust issues, was heartbroken before, museum dates, making pancakes for breakfast together, appearing in each other's dreams, buying plants together, loving animals, going to pet shops & zoo dates, watching together / sending each other cute animal rescue videos, and talking / dreaming of doing it urselves (but ending up no?), reallyyy long phone calls, physical affection love language!!!, back hugs!!, eyelid & forehead kisses!!, buying or even making matching keyrings / shirts, getting creative together, selling ur own things on etsy? (if really, y'all are so cool thanks for stopping by!!!🥺 you're so appreciated), one partner loving that the other is soo creative and being proud of them, making ocs, fantasy world (books, movies, series), painters / painting, fanfiction writers, cringing but still singing loudly to karaoke, loving k-pop not 'just' bts (heard stray kids, ateez, aespa, ive & monsta x), loving cats, enjoying dark choco together, "we'll have our own home together", going to theater & cinema dates, wanting to introduce each other to ur parents in an instant (or just the one of you? and the other is afraid? no fear, they'll lob u!♡♡♡), someone getting red paper- wrapped chocolate hearts as a present, cleaning glasses (i think both of you wearing glasses), listening to thai pop / love songs

+✶; bonus special message kind, someone is afraid here what their partner gonna say when they get to know about those fics - they'll love it that you're so creative and khm. Since i wanted a cute fluffy reading that's also suitable for minors not gonna say more but they'll love it and getting ideas from them khm khm

★ randoms things are "baby", worm to butterfly transformation symbolism, tulips, little chickens (chicks?), cute snails, butterflies & bunnies, birds chirping, wanting to be good enough / enough alll the time (you are, even if you're not even trying:) no worries love♡), being a maximalist, astrology / astronomy, starry nights, alice in wonderland

✶ emojis are 🏡, 👉👈, 🌷, 💐, 🌼, 🐦‍⬛, 🐦, 😺, 😻, 🪐, ☄️, ✨

+✶; i felt y'all are shy and all giggling, that's your general energy when you're happy, this will be your energy when you'll be getting into this relationship or just when you read this pac? but either way u glowing girl, happy if you liked! gimme like n reblog i wanna be happy too🥺

🪷 CD 2, your...

song is love maze by bts!

✶ wanna listen?

✶ tarot cards are hermit, 4 of wands reversed, 10 of swords reversed, page of pentacles, ace of pentacles

★ scenarios are going to game centers together, late night walks with a light breeze, going shopping together (clothes), both(?) of you interested in fashion and trends, night drives, night dates, looking at the moon together, taking photos of each other, giving confidence and reassurement to each other (hyping each other up), going to empty playgrounds together and swinging, talking about home / parents troubles with each other, trauma bonding, helping each other, talking about your troubles + childhood to each other and crying together, "everytime i try to be myself, it comes out wrong like a cry for help" (heart attack by demi lovato), buying crystals/ minerals together / each other, pet walks (a little, grumpy but curious doggo?), an annoying younger sibling who dislikes u 2 together lol interfering:D, croissant + whipped cream + blueberries for breakfast / after school snack, a summer birthday party, getting nostalgic and tearing up, sharing ur own comfort movies / videos with each other & watching it together, getting (matching) stickers on ur phonecases / camera, apples, cherries, pineapple, kiwi (fruit salad?), someone dislikes cooking?, going to the christmas market, lights, buying lights / a neon sign / a lamp together, loving cats♡

✶ randoms things are starry eyes, owls, turtle symbolism, virgo, scorpio, 333, 555, 777, 7777, 1111, muffins, diamonds or rhinestones (on rings?), rings, long pointy glittery pastel / neon pink nails, red & white striped candy canes, red white royal blue, twilight saga / vampires, narnia chronicles - ik it was a lot oopsie -🐛

— emojis are 🕊️, 💅, 🌌, 🌠, 🌕, ☄️, 🏔️, ❄️, 🌪️, 🗝️, 🫂, 🗺️, 🪬

🌸 CD 3, your...

song is boy with luv by bts!

✶ wanna listen?

✶ tarot cards are lovers, fool reversed, 10 of pentacles reversed, 2 of cups, 7 of cups reversed

★ scenarios are getting shy holding ur hand in the beginning, plenty of laughter, dreaming of wedding & a future together, someone buying red roses, going to candy shop & bakery together, buying baked goods together like cocoa swirl, jam- and cocoa-filled bagel & buns, colourful (flower) claws in ur hair, making different hairstyles (for each other?), braided hair, braiding hair, etsy shopping dates, buying colourful & matching resin rings, sending songs, playlists, poems & memes to each other, "this reminded me of you", "you came to my mind when i heard / saw this", dedicating playlists to each other, emotional intimacy, emotional intelligence, intimancy of being understood, being cherished and supported, getting emotional over gifts, gift giving as a love language, reading poems, romance - dark fantasy books (is it called romantasy now? but i don't like the sound of it sorry), lgbtq+ books, watching anime together, pastel colours (i saw pink first! but all pastels), taking walks together♡, dancing, doing karaoke, going cinema dates, watching firework together and kissing, partying all night (wooo have fun but be careful! - your mom - not but really lol), one direction - best song ever, live while we're young, little things, perfect, "wanna live while we're young", i can feel this one direction thing is gonna divide people so hard lol, so if stg don't resonates with all of you who choose this pac just let it go:)~

★ random things are crescent moon, fireflies, bridges, rainbows, sunshine, anime series (i saw pink colours, pink hair with my mind's eye but i don't know anything about animes so i couldn't associate with anything sorry, hope you can!), red string bracelet / red string of fate!, a sparkling little tiara (princess treatment decoded?;) ), huge fresh pink lilies, apples, pears, fairies, folk tales

✶ emojis are 🎆, 🎇, 💍, 🔐, 🖇️, 🏆, 🥇, 🏹, ❤️, 🎯, 🩰, 👑, 🎀

--end of the readings--

✨if u liked ur reading – like, reblog and comment pls!!!🌙✨

𝖞𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖌; i always have fun doing my readings (check out the previous ones here if you'd like here!), but this is my fav i think? like it just came out so naturally, also cute, warm and fuzzy in my opinion🩷

also, most of the time i prefer making my readings in my native language over english, so this is actually the first reading i post in english ! 🥺👉👈 — i had my fears abt it but i think it went well what do you think?:$

𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖙;

just for entertainment purposes 🌷 nothing is set in stone, you make your own decisions in ur life 🌷 i'm not responsible for the actions you make based on this reading 🌷 if stg doesn't resonate with you in the reading, please don't start arguing 🌷 it's meant for a different person who choose the same pile as you

𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖘;

✦　silver gif divider is from @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

✦　silver stars divider is from @saradika-graphics

✦　'continue reading' sign is from @anitalenia

✦　delicate silver chain divider is from @anitalenia as well

✦　cd pics are from pinterest

thank you for your works!♡♡♡

𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘;

wanna meet ur reader?? yes or no?? if yes then

[orphicsun]

. ✦ .R U Mine? FWB Ellie x Reader. ✦

Content: JACKSON ELLIE X FEM! READER, Alcohol consumption, friends with benefits, mentions of casual sex, some angst, Cat is Ellie's ex-girlfriend in this fic, making out in the rain, nipple play (r! receiving), fingering (r! receiving), scissoring, happy ending this is definitely an emotional roller coaster though, set in TLOU universe in which reader and Ellie are young adults, Joel is still alive and mentioned, Jesse and Dina are in a relationship in this, I know the pic is Seattle Ellie but this is still set in Jackson.

Word Count: 6.5k

A/N: I know I literally just said I'd be releasing this in a week, get tricked. (I spent hours editing to finish this but it was so worth it)

Description: Ellie has always been bad with emotions. Dina tells you that what seems like everyday at this point. Still, you can't help but notice the way she leaves the morning after your nights together. You can feel the tension in the way she pretends like nothing happens during patrol together. Just when you think you finally have the situation figured out, it blows up in your face.

 "How drunk are you?" Dina's voice echoes in your head, making you turn away from your current view and back onto the current conversation.

"Uhhhhhh…..however drunk you want me to be?” You giggle at Dina’s failed attempt to stifle a laugh.

“You are so doomed tomorrow..don’t you have patrol with Jesse?! And I thought you were gonna try to go talk to Ellie and make things less awkward..” Dina looks at you more sternly now.

You groan. “It’s not like it’ll even fuckin’ matter, she’ll just ignore me like she always does. Like she’s doing right now.” 

You know that was a bit over dramatic, but it’s not untrue. Ellie and you have been seeing each other - no, fucking, for the past few months. Every single time you’re in public together, she mostly acts weird towards you, feigning disinterest. The act she puts on is hard to believe when she’s between your legs making you cum your brains out the next day. It’s not like you don’t understand the difference between love and lust. You absolutely understand it, especially in a place like Jackson where getting attached to someone can be riskful. However, Ellie is never a quick fuck-and-leave. Not only is the sex amazing, but she tells you things in the voice she limits for only you to hear, and things she says never make you wonder if she means them. Her actions, however, have you lost. 

Ellie was a friend before all of this. She was no childhood friend who grew up with you but simply someone who you connected to well, and well was an understatement. You know almost everything about her, from her favorite rations to bring on long supply runs to her shower routine. Now, the two of you are really at a limbo; the patrols since the first hook-up have all been awkward, with Ellie being extremely quiet or overly nice, which may seem like a good thing but once again you know Ellie. She has never been the type to keep her mouth shut and clean. The crude jokes and sarcasm are your favorite pieces of her personality, and you just assumed at first that it was just her getting used to the dynamic. However, as time continues, it is still just as weird, and the two of you are hooking up just as often. 

Currently, you’re wasted to no ends at a party in Jackson you wish you didn’t even go to. Of course, Ellie’s here joking around with Jesse in the far left of the backyard like nothing is weird between the two of you. Again, it may be dramatic, but you just hate the fact that you have to keep it all a secret from everyone. (You told Dina as soon as it happened, but that’s because you can’t keep secrets from your best friend!) You know that from the beginning, it was always supposed to be sex and a friendship. Both of you didn’t want a ton of commitment, but that changed overtime as the hook-ups started to last longer and the aftercare went from sitting in bed together to holding each other like lovers do. Dina warned you that Ellie isn’t good with her feelings, but it causes bitterness within you when she kisses the top of your head the other night then refuses to even say hi to you at a party.

You sigh, turning your attention back away from Ellie once more and onto Dina, who is trying her best to lecture you on why you should just talk to Ellie instead of letting the situation get so awkward, but you’re not really hearing her. You’re not typically a melancholic drunk, but Ellie really has a knack for bringing that side out of you, especially when she’s halfway across the yard talking Jesse’s head off and refusing to make eye-contact. Every time she laughs, it stabs at your heart. Not because she’s happy, but because you want to be the one to cause that feeling in her. You want to be the reason she smiles and giggles, you want to hear all of the swear words she wants to say and the stupid jokes she likes to come up with. You honestly miss her, and you know it’s stupid that you even fell for her, but you hope that someday things will at least be normal once more. Not that you wanna lose the sex, though.

Dina drags you over to the mentioned group and forces her boyfriend Jesse to escort you home. You don’t argue back. You’re too sad to argue and it’s embarrassing to be on the verge of tears as Ellie’s silence next to is continued.

-

You can’t help but think of Ellie, even when you’re all snug in your bed and half-conscious. It’s the memory of her face as you walked away and how she glanced over to you but never spoke up. She would have made your day so much better with a simple ‘hello.’ It’s not her fault, you tell yourself. It was never ever her fault but yours. Still, you feel so bitter wondering where it all went wrong for you. 

Usually, you never experienced such a level of attachment to one person. It’s not like love was new and you were far from a virgin when you and Ellie first hooked up, but something about her is engraved in your head and you just can’t escape it. You picture the button-like curve of her nose and the way light reddens her hair, a color that is almost impossible to make out in the confines of the indoors. Sometimes, you wonder if Ellie was born to be part of nature. She smells so Earthly and the way she moves, converse padding through grass, it’s like when you see someone practicing a hobby meant for them: you just know it’s meant to be that way. You used to love going on patrol with her for that reason, to be able to see her so comfortably scavenging and on Shimmer’s back. Now, it’s stiff and awkward, and the sense of fate that you feel when seeing her do what she is so naturally good at is challenged by her distance. 

Deep within your thoughts, you’re pulled out by a creak and the sound of your window opening. You quickly sit up, attempting to dry your tears with your sleeve when you see Ellie clumsily diving into your bedroom. Usually in the circumstance of being angry with someone, you know that you would tell them to fuck off. Ellie, however, cannot be told that. Her charm on you is far too wrapped around you like vines to concrete and so you laugh even through the tears. 

“Your window is fuckin’ narrow, you know.” 

“I wouldn’t know. I use the front door.” Despite the snark in your words, your voice cracks slightly as you sniffle and try to hold back the hot tears. 

Ellie sighs, and you can tell she is holding back. You hate this, the way conversation still flows at little points in time before continuing onto becoming nothing but awkward, stiff silence. Ellie surprises you and moves quickly to sit on your bed near you, pulling you into her arms. 

You know you shouldn’t crumble, but you do. Her embrace is so warm despite the fact that tomorrow it’ll be non-existent, and so you cling onto her while you still can. Your tears dribble down your cheeks and onto her shirt where the material grows damp. She only holds you tight, not making any further moves. Somehow, that is worse than the latter. The idea that this is what the relationship (if you can even call it that) has become is so emotionally involved, now there is no doubt that there is more, but there won’t be in the morning. 

You grieve the moment for what it could’ve been and fall asleep in Ellie’s arms as she coos you so softly, whispering sweet reassurances, only taking your tears as drunken sadness and not for what it was - her own doing. 

When you were once a young girl, you found comfort in the sound of clocks. The rhythmic tick, tick, tick lulled you to sleep. Now, you awake to the same ticking coming from the round clock mounted on your wall by a nail behind it. The familiar sunlight is plastering the bed in patterns much like time itself, telling you that the day is ahead of you and that you cannot sleep it off for much longer. Of course, Ellie’s presence is lacking. She left before you woke up. It hurts more than the other times that you opened your eyes to see that the girl you slept with the night before had left you, because she held you so dearly the previous night in a way that is always more than friendly or sexual. The inbetween of that must be hard for her to differentiate. 

You arrive at the East gates around 8 am, and Jesse is there waiting for you with a polite smile on his face. 

“Hey. You ready to head out?” 

“Yeah, sorry if I’m running a bit late.”

Jesse lets out a small laugh at that. “I won’t hold you to it. You were pretty hammered last night.” 

You avoid his teasing gaze, knowing full-well his words ring true. You were embarrassingly drunk last night, and you probably said some things to him that you don’t even remember now, but he definitely does. 

“You act like you weren’t drinking too!” 

“Oh, please. I’ve been drunk but not that drunk. You were white-girl wasted.” 

That makes you laugh, but at the same time your heart clenches along with your uneasy stomach. That’s a term one freckle-faced girl is known for saying because of Joel. 

“Can we just get on with patrol now?” Jesse rolls his eyes at your whiny tone and short dismal, but nods anyway and begins to signal for the guards to open up the large gates. You sigh, taking reluctant steps out of Jackson along with him. “My head’s killing me and I need to get this over with so that I can go home and nap.”

The first 30 minutes of patrol goes just as expected, the trek to the neighborhood you were assigned to clear and search through is long and boring. Jesse isn’t much of a talker when it comes to patrols, usually sticking to professionalism. That doesn’t surprise you much. While Jesse likes to drink and have a good time, he’s always taken patrol seriously. You recall countless times you’ve heard him scold other people for not taking their work seriously enough, and you partially understand. The lives of the people in Jackson all count on each other to do their jobs efficiently. Still, you know that patrol can be boring and nerves can be high. Sometimes, people just need to have a bit of humor in their lives to keep things from getting too grim. Afterall, leading an overall grim life as a patroller is no way to live. It’d tear your spirit out, starting from the inside. 

However, as you reach the building, Jesse stops in his tracks. His usual disposition is broken and he turns to you with a sigh. 

“Listen..” He struggles to find the words, “I just wanted to talk to you about something that I’ve noticed.”

You hope this isn’t going where you think it is. “Yeah?”

“Ellie’s one of my best friends, and I can tell something’s going on between the two of you, even if she won’t tell me.” He notices your visible discomfort at the mention of Ellie, but presses on. “I’m just warning you that she’s not good with her feelings. She can be all awkward and weird about them, but you’re a good person. I know she cares about you.” 

You don’t answer immediately, a bit caught off guard by his words. Still, they resonate with you. You’ve heard this from Dina too, but you previously wondered if she was only wanting to give you a soft landing. Dina, as much as you love her, has a tendency to try to avoid hurting your feelings. Jesse is quite the opposite, and you know that what he says has meaning to it. 

“Thanks, Jesse.” You give him a slight smile, and he nods. 

“Just talk to her, okay? You guys are both great. You deserve better than whatever the fuck you’ve got goin’ on.” 

You can’t help but laugh slightly at that despite anxiety churning through you. If Jesse sees potential, why can’t it be realistic to think that you and Ellie have a shot at being more than just friends who often have sex? Why can’t you be girlfriends?

The rest of the patrol is still half better, half worse. You’re anxious about actually talking to Ellie about your feelings and the aching from the previous night hasn’t faded. The task of taking out infected is just as dreadful because you know that in any moment, all of your current problems can become squabble compared to the issue you’d be faced with if a bite were to be imprinted into your flesh. It’d be tragic. Still, you have hope. You carry hope with you that soon, you may get to make some progress with her and get out of this weird spot. You think about that hope every moment that your knife is plunged into the rotten fungi-covered skin of another clicker. 

Before, your plan was to make a bee-line for your own house and sleep off the liquor from the night before, to get some actual sleep. Now, your feet seem to lead you to the path of Ellie’s garage. You’re just ready to see her and get the difficult conversation over with so that you can finally know how she feels.

On the way, your heart races with hope and fear. Questions circle around your head like bees swarming their hive; will Ellie reciprocate your feelings? Even if she does, will she want to actually be in a relationship with you? She may not even feel the same way.. You have to stop yourself from going overboard. As you reach her little garage, you take a deep breath and mentally count the seconds in your head.

Tick, tick, tick…One, two, three..

Everything will be fine. Even if this doesn’t work out, you can at least move on from her and have closure. You can’t help but smile at the thought of no longer having to deal with awkward patrols and weird conversations. Finally, you walk towards the garage door; your steps are faster than before and charged with nerves. Your hands are shaky but your mind is determined. 

You stop yourself from knocking on her door when you hear the sound of laughter.

You recognize the all-too-familiar laughter that belongs to Ellie, of course. It always makes your heart tumble into your stomach upon hearing it. However, you hear another fit of giggles beside hers that cause a clenching in your heart. Was she with another girl…?

You quickly pad towards her window, her curtains opened wide of course. From even just the side, you can see the scene inside of her room. Ellie is sitting in bed with Cat. You feel sick to your stomach at the sight of the girls so effortlessly talking, something Ellie hasn’t bothered to give you in months besides the times you’re in bed together, naked for her. 

Cat is drawing on her arm and it makes you livid with jealousy. You know that she and Ellie dated before. You can’t help but wonder if this is the reason that Ellie holds back from you. Was she really still in love with her ex-girlfriend all of this time? Were you just a rebound to her? 

Your heart breaks within you, and you’re more hurt than you are angry. The frustration is definitely there, though. You don’t bother to knock, storming back off to your home.

-

Ellie knew from a young age who she was. She has a foul mouth, likes nerdy things that others may insult her for, and she likes women. Her sexuality may have been a bit of a spectacle in Jackson. When she and Cat were seen holding hands when they were together, she was forced to get used to the stares thrown at them. They built her up into everything she is today. However, Ellie is nothing if not troubled.

Her emotions aren’t so easily adaptable. Her feelings feel murkier at times and clear at others, yet she cannot convey them in the ways others do. She knows that she is in love with you. She feels an emptiness when she is away from you for too long and wonders if it would be smart to let herself be so honest with you, to risk losing you after spending the rest of her days with you. She struggles to convey all of that, too; what if you find her to be overwhelming? Sex with you may be one thing, but these feelings could scare you away. She can’t lose you. 

Perhaps her lack of proper conveyal pushed you further away from her grasp.

It seems that you won’t talk to her anymore. She can’t pinpoint what is causing the change, but all she knows is that it is all too real. You, for some reason, won’t volunteer to patrol with her anymore. You don’t knock on her door, even if it’s just for that one thing that has been the main foundation of your relationship for the past few months. You lack the softness in your gaze when you’re in her presence; you lack to gaze at her at all. 

Something in Ellie is entirely disheartened by your sudden absence in her life. She knows that she was awkward before, but she genuinely wanted to tell you how she felt about you. She wanted to carve your name into the surface of her heart so that she can only bleed you, as if your hands don’t squeeze at the organ enough. She recalls the times that she’d take deep inhales of your hair after sex just to be filled with your scent. She thinks about the last time she got to hold you and how she left after, just because she couldn’t live with it if you rejected her in the morning. 

For weeks, this avoidance continues. At first, Ellie tries to speak to you. You ignore her or brush her off with short responses every time. After a while, she begins to pull away as well. That is, until you’re walking home in the rain as the crash of thunder surrounds Jackson at all angles. 

Your boots make wet pitter-patter noises as you try your best to hurry back home after a late patrol. The sky is dark, the only source of light is your own flashlight and the dim street-lights that make a path down the street. Unfortunately, your house is so far from the center of Jackson that it requires a longer journey to get home than it does for most people. You live on the outskirts, which can be good for privacy, but not so good for travel. 

You wish that you had brought an umbrella with you earlier before leaving your house. Now, it doesn’t matter. All you can focus on is getting home and not being struck down in lightning. In a world filled with fungi-based zombies, you’d think that something as unique as being fried from a thunderstorm would be the least of your worries. Your steps quicken until they don’t. 

You trip face-first into the gravel, your skin on fire from the sudden harsh tumble. Your clothes are covered in mud and dirty rain water, some pebbles sticking to the soaked fabric. You groan in discomfort, but you’re halted from your progress in rising when you look up to see a frantic Ellie staring down at you. 

“Holy shit, are you okay?! What the hell are you doing out here, it’s raining cats and dogs..” 

Usually, you’d laugh at that joke. Instead, you avoid her gaze and try to stand, wincing at the soreness from the fall and the scrape on your knee left from the sharp gravel. 

“I’m fine. I just got back from patrol.” Your words are so boring and short, it makes Ellie’s heart ache. She misses how things used to be.

“You’re not gonna make it all the way back to your house like this.” She states, and you know she is right, unfortunately. Your clothes leave you feeling like a wet dog, dirty and half-way drenched. Your knee is probably bleeding, and you simply don’t want to walk all of the way home. Still, you’d rather do that than face Ellie after what you witnessed. 

“I can make it, I’ve walked home before.”

Ellie scoffs at your stubborn, dry tone. “Yeah, no shit. But not like this. C’mon, just come back to the garage. You can borrow my clothes and I’ll ask Joel for a first-aid kit.” 

That sounds so like Ellie to offer. You remember countless nights in her garage, some before the whole situation happened when you only played video games and let her read you comics until you were snoring on her couch. You also remember the late nights spent against her, panting as she made you cum in any way she could, only to act as if it didn’t happen the next day. The thought makes you grow bitter. 

“Maybe I don’t wanna go home with you.” You state in a monotone, or at least try to. You pray that she can’t hear the break in your voice, notice how your already wet face is easily splotched with a cluster of tears. 

That makes Ellie’s heart completely squeeze within her body. “But..why?”

“Why?! Because you led me on, Ellie!” 

Ellie’s eyes widen at that. She didn’t expect that. “Lead you on? How..How did I lead you on? I know I was awkward, but I-”

You quickly cut her off, your voice raising with pent-up hurt. “It’s not about your stupid awkwardness! It’s about the fact that I was clearly just a rebound.” 

Ellie goes silent at that. A rebound? What the hell were you talking about? A rebound for who?

“A rebound? What are fuck are you even saying right now..? I never..” Her voice trails off, she’s clearly confused; that only fuels your anger further.

“You only agreed to sleep with me because you wanted to get over Cat. Am I right, or am I right?” Your tone slides from angry to practically livid. Underneath it all is pure heart-break. 

“That’s not even true! I’ve been over Cat for a couple years now and you know that. Why would I still like her after this long?”

“I saw you and her in your stupid garage, Ellie!” As you shout, lightning strikes, causing you both to flinch. You should just turn away and rush inside, rush anywhere indoors. You know that. Still, you’re too focused on all of the hurt inside of you. “I saw her drawing all over your arm and I heard your laughter. You never laughed like that for me unless we were fucking. You never smiled at me like you smile at her, or Jesse, or even Joel for fuck’s sake.” You feel sobs bubble up from your throat and the rain pouring down upon the two of you. “I just wanted you to be happy with me like how you were before. Instead of…just pretending like we were nothing at all.”

Ellie looks like she’s about to argue back, but her words best her. She instead moves to stand in front of you, and even despite the tension and distance between the two of you, you can’t help but think about how beautiful Ellie looks, her soaked bangs glued to her forehead and her clothes soaked, clinging onto her slender form. She cups your face almost hesitantly, her fingers brushing against your jaw as if she’s afraid you’ll push away. She can feel the heat of your tears in contrast to the coldness of the rain water on your wet face. She aches at the difference. 

“Listen to me..please..” Her voice, so soft and intimate, makes you want to do whatever she asks. She is so gentle even as the thunder booms once more, almost making you jolt again. “Cat was only drawing on my arm because I wanted to get a new tattoo, and I’ve been well over her for years now. We might’ve dated when we were young, but all we are now is a friendship. I needed her advice on you. I wanted to know what to do, how to tell you how I feel..” 

You look up at her, your voice hesitant. “And how do you feel?”

She exhales, a shaky and addictive sound. “I don’t want Cat back. I want you back..I miss you. I miss the goofy shit we used to do on patrol.” She chokes out a laugh, ironic for the speech and the nerves she’s feeling from confessing all of this to you. “I miss hearing your laughter, I miss how you smell so lovely even when you live in a fucking apocalypse. I yearn to hear you talk to me. Talk to me about anything. I miss the way you sneeze, the way you stumble over yourself like how you just did and got your damn patrol clothes all muddy.” She takes one final moment to savor your face, to memorize your features right in front of her in case you reject her final confession. “I don’t love Cat. I love you.

Her words hit you so deeply, right in the heart where you need to feel her. You don’t hesitate to lean in and Ellie almost immediately meets your lips in a bruisingly desperate kiss. 

Your hands grasp at her face like she’ll disappear in any moment, fingers finding her hair and pulling at the wet, tangled strands of auburn.. She pulls you closer by the waist and her palm can feel sensations that make her believe this moment is something straight out of a dream. Dots of rain fall upon the both of you as her lips pull your bottom one in between them, making you gasp softly and part your lips. She takes full advantage, slipping her tongue into your mouth. 

The two of you are now impossibly close as your mouths slide against each other so needily, so fervently. Every brush, every wet smack of your lips ignites more than just a fire between the two of you. Ellie is itching to keep you like this, but she desperately misses all of you. She wants to devour you and solidify the fact into existence that you are hers, and you won’t ever doubt her love for you. 

Droplets of rain wetten the kiss further, but they do nothing to prevent the heat of your mouths enveloped, or stop the way the two of you push and pull closer to each other like magnets. The only thing that breaks the kiss is a sudden bolt of lightning rather close to your location. 

Breathless, Ellie’s forehead meets your own. “We should go back to my garage.” You nod, and quickly, the two of you scamper off to Joel’s backyard in which her small place is located. 

Inside, Ellie’s lips meet yours once more, thirsting and full of longing. Damp clothes are pulled off of the two of you; bodies meet each other and you can feel every inch of Ellie against every centimeter of you. Her stiff nipples graze yours, making you shiver despite the warmth of her garage. 

“Say you love me again,” you plead with her so breathlessly.

She doesn’t hesitate to be truthful, not after holding back for so long. “I love you. I love you so much, it hurts.” 

Her lips drag down your neck, her hands guiding your hips to walk back towards her bed. You fall onto the soft mattress and her body quickly follows yours. Each swipe of her tongue over your skin sends sparks of pink electricity through your veins and between your legs. 

“I need you, Els.” You’re panting, a delirious mess and yet more content than you’ve been in a long time. 

“Shh, I’ve got you. I’ll give you all of me. I’m yours now.” 

Ellie’s body is smothering yours, and she has to settle further down to make contact with your tits. Her mouth is all over the soft, bumpy texture of your nipples, lapping at the hardened peaks to send little shudders through your spine. Your body craves her after so long, but you appreciate all she gives you. Her mouth takes its time on each of your nipples, her love so needy and desperate yet savoring. You grasp at her messy hair, trying to pull her up to kiss you.

When her bare weight settles back onto yours, your mouths soon meet for a slower, but just as intense kiss. You take your time to slide your tongue against hers and lick into her mouth, exploring her as if your time here would last forever. Her body involuntarily grinds against yours and though there’s not direct friction onto either of your clits, you still whimper into each other’s throats.

Ellie’s palm slides down between your humid bodies as she distracts you with her tongue swirling against yours, a delicious sensation you can’t seem to find anywhere else. Her fingers suddenly rub at your clit, making you moan into her mouth, an eager sound so easily swallowed.

This isn’t the first time she’s touched you like this, not even the second time. Still, your body reacts as if this is all new. The way she touches you is sloppy and passionate, not anything in comparison to the previous hook-ups in which she was able to make you cum but gave you what was a watered down, held back version. Now she can give you everything. 

The kiss slows, but your lips lingered against each other’s. You can still lick at the taste of rain droplets on her swollen lips; you wish to rub against them so hard that they taste of nothing but your own lips. 

“Inside me, please.” You beg against her lips, sending fizzles of heat throughout her own cunt and making her clench around nothing. 

“Good,” she mumbles against you as she eases two fingers into your moistened hole to elicit a soft, open gasp from your lips, “wanted to feel inside your cunt again. Missed it.” 

Her calloused fingers work you, stretching your walls to ease any discomfort. You don’t know what to focus on with the amount of feelings coursing through your body - the subtle curve of her breasts are visibly if you flicker down, but you can’t seem to do so as you throw your head back onto her pillow and stare up at her ceiling to try and collect yourself; the way her eyes intensely watch over the way you gnaw at your bottom lip with pleasure, biting down when she curls her digits in the most delicious way possible; her mouth painting noticeable hickeys all over your neck, an action you’d usually scold but can only grasp her face for more; the soft ‘love you’s leaving her mouth between suckling. She can’t help but remind you after all of this time.

Her fingers batter your insides repeatedly, fingertips pressing into your spongy spot until you cry her name and your nails are piercing into her skin. Each slide into your walls and the slight retreats sends waves of pure pleasure through your body, your peak being the only thing either of you can focus on. Her eyes look over your face, watch the way your breath recedes as your orgasm bleeds into your stomach and into your head. Each ripple shooting through your walls causes your walls to clamp down onto her fingers as if to hold them inside of you forever. She doesn’t stop pumping into your hole until you physically cannot withstand it any longer. 

“I love you, Ellie.” 

Your words, so saccharine, make her forget about her plan to cuddle with you after making you feel good. She’s now hitching up your leg and pulling hers over your thigh, slotting her neglected and slick cunt between your legs, her folds grinding against yours and causing you to mewl at the sudden sensation against your clit.

“You love me?” Ellie asks, watching as you nod your head eagerly, “bet this pussy loves me just as much,” her words so filthy make you even wetter than you thought was possible in a single night. 

Ellie whines as her clit receives little sparks of friction, the swollen bud savoring each moment of contact with your cunt. 

“Feels so good, h-holy fuck..” You whine, your hips bucking up into hers in small shudders of movements. The pure sloppiness of your pussies rubbing together causes the room to be filled with the sounds of squelching and strained moans, Ellie’s more breathy and yours more pitched. Her hips quiver against yours as she gets closer and close to cumming, her movements more sloppy as your wetness turns into hers, and hers yours. 

“Please, please, please I’m gonna cum, I’m-” Your own orgasm washes over your body, your back rising to accommodate for the sudden intense pleasure. Soon, Ellie’s cumming with you, not hesitating to swallow up your cries with her lips sealed over yours. You can feel each sloppy hump her cunt gives yours, can feel her whines only attempt to leave her throat. All of it has you drunk off of the feeling, possibly even harder than the last orgasm. Her tongue lazily fucks your mouth as she gives a final few sloppy judders to your clit before her body gives in to the utter exhaustion and she settles on top of you. 

Her body, coated in sweat and her pussy, covered in both of your juices, are completely worn out. Ellie’s head finds sanction in the crook of your neck where her breath tickles your purple-splotched skin. You wrap your arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Her leg brushes up against yours and that’s when you noticeably flinch; right, the scraped knee from earlier. 

Ellie quickly pulls herself off of you to  catch sight of your left knee, slightly red with dried blood and clearly tender.

“I’ll take care of that, just lay here and rest, ‘kay” You nod eagerly, wanting to get rid of the burning sensation as quickly as possible. Ellie quickly pulls on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before giving you a quick kiss on the forehead, her eyes taking a final glance to admire your naked body sprawled out on her bed.. all she can seem to feel now is love for you. “Stay here and I’ll be back soon.”

-

Quickly, Ellie returns to you with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a large adhesive band-aid. Her face is rather irritated. You raise your eyebrows. 

“What’s with the look?”

She sighs, muttering out, “Joel..that’s all.”

You can’t help but laugh at that. Fuck, you missed Joel. You missed watching movies with Ellie on his couch and the popcorn he’d microwave for the two of you to share. You can already tell by her face that he was pretty teasing about her scavenging through his cabinets for first-aid items looking like a hot mess. “I missed him,” you mumble quietly.

“Yeah… He missed you, too.” Ellie unscrews the lid on the alcohol and braces herself to do what she has to do.“This is gonna hurt, okay?” You nod, bracing yourself. Soon, the stinging of the alcohol hits your knee. It’s sudden and makes you wince. Seeing that look on your face makes Ellie want to stop and just hold you tightly, protect you from any harm. When the sting finally fades, you let out a soft sigh. She quickly peels the back of the band-aid off and with gentle but calloused fingers sticks the adhesive onto your scrape. She gives you a soft smile. “There. All good, now.”

You don’t hesitate to smile back, but another thought crosses your mind. “Hey, Ellie..?”

“Yeah?” Her voice is heavy with exhaustion and a noticeable, gentle affection.

“I meant it when I said I loved you.” 

Ellie gives you a toothy grin, a familiar one. “And I meant it when I said it, too.”

“But..I still just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me that before, you know?”

Ellie exhales quietly and nods, understanding what you mean. “I was really nervous, okay? I’ve just lost people before,” she leans in closer to you, admiring your eyes which observe her as she speaks, brushing messy strands of hair behind your ear, “I know it’s stupid, but it really is true when you hear people say I can’t handle my feelings well. I get all weird about them and I’m like a social recluse when I have a crush for some reason. As much as I just wanted to be around you, I was scared.” 

Your eyes soften slightly from her words, but curiosity takes over. “Scared of what? I wouldn’t ever hurt you, Els.” 

“It’s more than just getting my heart broken by you.. I mean, I’m scared of losing you physically, too.” She admits quietly. 

Ellie’s fears aren’t irrational. Everyday, people who have lovers, have friends and family are bitten or torn apart in the most gruesome ways possible. That’s always a reason to be cautious to care, but you can’t help but want to disagree with that sentiment. 

“But Ellie, you can’t just be alone with the fear of losing the people you care about,” you argue softly, “if you live your life like that, you’ll never get to have all of anyone. Sometimes, you have to risk losing the person you love so that you can at least have them in every way possible, even if it’s temporary.” 

“I know that, believe me. I’m so damn tired of keeping myself away from you and not fully giving you what you deserve.” Ellie leans down to plant a soft peck to your nose, making you giggle, “you deserve to be loved wholeheartedly and not like how I was doing before..so..” she sighs. “If I asked you to be mine, my girlfriend…would you say yes?” 

Your eyes widen and your heart beats faster. “You really mean that?”

Ellie nods, her cheeks red from earlier activities somehow burning brighter. This time, it’s more from embarrassment and something more childish than previously. 

You giggle and quickly lean up to hug her tightly. “Yes. Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.” Ellie pulls you further in, squeezing you tightly. “You gotta promise to not hold back on me, though.”

She nods, feeling emotions pull at her chest at the feeling of your embrace, of finally having you in her arms without having to think about leaving you in the morning. “I promise.”

The rhythmatic, quiet sound of Ellie’s clock lulls you to sleep as she holds you in her arms. 

Tick, tick, tick. 

This time, Ellie won’t hold back from you when you wake up.

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