#sorry I rambled a bit on the cafe thing

[hyunnie04]

somethin' stupid

"and then i go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like i love you."

yang jeongin x reader, fluff | m.list

wc: 1.2k | happy birthday innie ♡

“i'm not really interested… i'm sorry.”

you watch jeongin as he rejects yet another girl. you feel sorry for her as she stands awkwardly in the middle of the quaint cafe, fiddling anxiously with the ends of her shirt.

thankfully, the establishment was relatively empty, save for a few people discretely listening in. she goes on to nod and ramble on further until she had noticed your presence.

"-oh, i didn't realize you have a partner. sorry." her eyes dart over towards you, blush wildly painting her cheeks. she was already gone by the time you could correct her, scuttling away and leaving a trail of gossip in her wake. jeongin watches her leave, pursing his lips.

"you could've let her down easily. the poor girl was shaking..." you voiced out, stirring your iced americano and watching the ice melt bit by bit.

jeongin sighs and takes his seat across from you, taking a sip out of his own cup. he brushes your comment off and starts to talk about a different topic altogether, returning to his smiley demeanor.

you knew how jeongin was. he didn't hesitate to say no whenever someone would just come up to him, asking for his number. it happens more often than not, professions of love seemingly happening out of no where.

you were also used to it, getting stopped so frequently whenever you went out with him. dozens of people that had tried to ask him out only ended in disappointment.

he was seemingly disinterested in things like love. the topic had always eluded him, if you didn't know him any better you could have said he was uncomfortable with the idea. but you didn't pry, he must have a pretty good reason. it was understandable too, his line of work didn't exactly allow it anyways.

despite this, you have admired him in silence ever since the beginning. the feelings that had festered inside of you were kept bottled up until they threatened to spill over. and they almost did, but friendship mattered more and shot down the idea before it could ruin everything.

admittedly, there are days where you just want to explode, to confess and just get it over with. you were a hundred percent positive it would end just the same for you. the preconceived notion of him not liking you in that way, you don't think you could handle it. thinking about being rejected so coldly sends shivers down your spine.

the iced americano that sits in your hands start to sting after a while, but you pay no mind to it. the firm grip you had on it reminds you, mulling over the interaction you had earlier as he rambles about another topic. little things like paying for your coffee and bringing you other small items even if it was his birthday had in short, confused you.

maybe you're misinterpreting and just imagining things. but the way jeongin is adamant that he pays for your order every single time, or the way his hand brushes against yours more often than not and how the warmth of them lingered, says otherwise.

you also notice how he didn't correct the girl's assumption about you two.

the wind dishevels his hair upon stepping out of the cafe, rays of sunlight peaking through the leaves start to dim in the afternoon. the two of you walk for a while, kicking pebbles and rocks in comfortable silence. your head is still occupied with thoughts of him.

another thought comes into your mind amidst the internal chaos, "i almost forgot! i still need to buy you a cake." it had completely slipped from your mind, forgetting why you agreed to go out in the first place.

"it's okay, really." he laughs as you tug him along the sidewalk. you need to do something else to distract your mind and fast. jeongin jogs beside you, keeping up with your pace. it seemed like you weren't taking no for an answer and stopped right in front of a pastry shop.

"is this what you were talking about?" he hums with a grin, leaning down to browse the lines and lines of delicious looking cakes displayed in the glass casing. you made no move to go in just yet, letting him choose silently. his hair, still disheveled and tousled from the wind yet ethereal all the same.

"what if i said i liked you?"

the abrupt stupid question escapes your mouth before you could catch it. his face slowly contorts into an expression, one you could not decipher right away upon hearing it. his back straightens up as keen eyes start to focus on you.

"j-just a hypothetical! i was just really curious because of earlier and it's not serious or-" you wave your hands in front as if to physically wave it off.

"-forget i said anything." you turn your head away, voice becoming tiny and unintelligible. you could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of your head. jeongin says nothing as the tip of your ears burn a bright crimson.

you've done it now, y/n.

"hey," he nudges your side with that eye-crinkling smile you've come accustomed to.

"did you ever wonder why i keep rejecting them?" jeongin now had his hands in his pockets, a small pout forming on his lips as he pops his own query to you, staring back at the glass casings.

you said nothing, unable to respond with a reply or conclusion that would most likely be accurate, you've already embarrassed yourself in front of him today.

jeongin flicks your forehead and scoffs, “that's because i like you, idiot.”

"it was always you." his eyes were downcast, looking everywhere but yours.

you have gone unresponsive at this point. incredulous eyes stared back at him as you feel your throat dry up. it was because of you? were you dreaming? you must be.

"w-what? really?" you say quite densely whilst rubbing the sore spot on your forehead. he laughs, finally turning to you. "yes, i'm serious."

the wind blows harder this time, removing the locks that obscured his beautifully dimpled face. jeongin's eyes are still trained on you with such longing that you don't recall ever seeing on him, ultimately reminding you that this was indeed real.

"you have no idea how long i've been waiting for you to say those words." you breathe out in relief, one that you weren't even aware of holding.

the proximity between you two sends electrifying shocks, the mere presence of each other is enough to fluster. "i like you too." the words finally make it out of your throat.

you two burst in abrupt laughter, the tip-toeing around the situation suddenly feeling silly. a mixture look of understanding, relief, and love is shared between you two, smiling like love sick fools.

jeongin starts to drag you away by your coat, mimicking how you did to him earlier. "ah! wait, but your cake..." you see the establishment grow smaller and smaller as he drags you away.

"we don't need to worry about that now."

"can i at least buy you a present?" you reply, picking up your feet and walking alongside him. he has a wide grin on his face as he presses a chaste kiss to your cheek. "got my present right here."

you mousily stop in your tracks as a deeper shade of crimson blooms across your face. the two of you walk side by side upon your recovery, pinky fingers now intertwined shyly around each other.

[lcriedlastnight]

coming home after a shitty day and napping with lando is all a girl needs. you both wake up at midnight rambling, barely even awake, then go straight back to sleep again cause god what i would DO to be wrapped up in his arms all cosy and warm mmfghds

ugh so true anon! i need me some of this pls. also i might've gotten carried away with this one teehee, she was only supposed to be a baby blurb!

tw: fem!reader, swears maybe, lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 1.3k

this day was seriously one from hell, you were sure of it. throught no fault of his own, lando had made you late for work this morning. you were too busy admiring his sleeping face to realise that an hour had passed and you were not even out of bed yet. you had rushed around trying to get ready. your makeup was not sitting right on your face, so it took you twice as long to get ready because you had to take it off and start again.

then last night, when you had put your uniform into the dryer, you did not even notice that the machine was not even plugged in, so your clothes were still wet and you had no time to dry them. lando had told you not to go to work in wet clothes or you would end up with a cold but you had snapped at him, asking what he thought you should do seeing as you were already running late and had no other options.

lando knew about how stressed being late made you, he knew it made you freak out, even though you would be fine, so he offered to run your hairdryer over them to see if he could make it any better seeing as you told him you had no time to plug the actual dryer in. lando forced you to quickly eat some breakfast, so you do that then brush your teeth. by the time you pull your uniform on, it was still wet but it was a little bit better. you kiss lando goodbye and rush out the door.

you had called the cafe you worked in while you were driving there, explaining that you were on your way and how sorry you were for running late. you made up some bullshit excuse that your car would not start and they had believed it. the first good thing to happen today.

once you had actually gotten to work the place was swarming with people, you had never, ever seen it like this before. it was so difficult trying to force your way through the crowd to even get inside.

you saw your coworker and had asked what was going on and she just shrugged. the rush had lasted three hours. you and all the staff were rushed off your feet the whole time, and then for an hour afterwards because the place was a dump and it was a five man job to clean it up.

the one thing that you usually looked forward to on the days you were working and lando was with you was having lunch together, but of course today that hadn't gone to plan either. because of the rush you had completely missed your usual break time by hours and that had made you miss your usual meeting with your boyfriend. today was one of those days where you felt like you needed it the most too. you had taken a sneaky ten minutes to cry in the stockroom. whoever was watching the cameras then would have had a great laugh.

lando also usually brought your lunch to you so you never brought food with you to work when lando was at home so that caused you to have to go down the street and buy food, which you hated because it rubbed in the fact that you were not sitting with you boyfriend, laughing about something funny he had seen on instagram right now.

an hour before your shift had ended you had ended up with a hole in your trousers. you were so embarrassed because the sound of the fabric ripping apart was so loud you were sure they could hear it down the street. you had asked your manager if you could new ones but she had told you the new uniform shipment was not due for another three weeks, so you had to go the next three weeks with ripped trousers. 'this day cannot get any worse' you had thought to yourself. it did.

once your shift had finally ended, you jumped into your car and did not look back. turns out you had left your phone in your locker so you had to turn back.

walking through the doors of your shared flat with lando had felt like literal heaven. it was fleeting as seconds later, you heard laughs and shouts coming from lando's gaming room. he was busy. the only thing you wanted after your shift from hell was to come home in lay in lando's arms. you felt bad interrupting him and you did not even know if he was streaming or not so you left him to it. you peel your clothes off and jump in for the quickest shower you had probably ever been in.

you had no motivation to made dinner for yourself so you treat yourself to the leftovers from whatever lando had made himself and collapse onto the couch.

"hi honey! you're home?" lando asks. you did not know when he had came through but you mumble your reply into the couch pillow anyways. it does not take a genius to work out you were upset and lando being lando, well he did what he knew best. he saunters over and crawls up behind you, arms pulling you into his chest. it takes a little shuffling to make it work but once you were both comfortable and content wrapped in each others arms, you let out a content sigh.

"bad day, pretty?" lando mumbles into your neck, pressing light, innocent kisses in his wake. you groan as his words remind you about your nightmare of a day.

"just kept getting worse." you pout, reflecting on the worst parts of your day. lando coos against your skin, it tickles and brings a smile to your once moody face.

"my poor girl, you're so brave." lando jokes. "i think someone needs a little nap, hm?" lando suggests. usually you would protest, who goes for a nap at seven thirty at night but you knew that this time, there was not a bone in your body that was saying no. in lieu of answering you just move yourself so that lando's chin was resting on your head, and you were hiding in his chest. "just for a little bit." you mumble. lando hums then you are asleep minutes later.

when you come to it is dark in the living room. you had not slept for a little while, like what you had told lando. it seems that he had also fallen asleep. you barely feel like you have woken up, but you know you have because of the discomfort of the two of you falling asleep on the couch.

"lan, wake up." you grumble with a less than gentle tap to his cheek.

"lan, we need to go to bed." you try again.

"m'already in bed. go back to sleep." lando mutters as he tries to shush you by pulling your head back into his chest. your next words are muffled by lando's hoodie. you fight a little against the hand on the back of your head, keeping it where lando wants it, trying to get him to move to the bed.

lando groans, one hand moving to sling over the back of the couch to grab the throw cover you keep there. he then, in one quick move your half asleep brain cannot even begin to compute, he pulls you on top of him and wraps the fluffy cover over the top of you.

"there, y'comfy now so jus' go t'sleep please, baby." lando pleads, bringing a hand to move under your pyjama top to run across the plain of your back. you keen at his soft, warm touch.

"kay." lando grins and tangles his legs with yours, wanting to be as close to you as he possibly could be.

"don't bitch tomorrow when you have a sore back." you warn him, words slurred with the sleep that was seconds away.

lando huffs. "worth it."

[hugz4hoon]

close as strangers - s.j.y.

inspired by always by daniel caesar :-)

summary — after your breakup, you and jake unexpectedly meet again months later on a busy street

pairing — ex!jake x fem!reader

genre — angst, fluff, suggestive

wc — 3.2k

warnings — making out, sexually explicit scene, implied sex

a/n — this was supposed to be a rly short drabble but as usual, i got carried away. also i wrote this while listening to my jungwon playlist (i am constantly going through jungwon brainrot) no capitlizations bc i wrote most of this in my notes app 😓

you almost don’t recognize him when you see him. his eyes look dull, that small sparkle in his eyes you used to love, now nowhere to be found. his face looks thinner, and you see a noticeable black sky under his eyes. this isn’t the jake you knew and loved.

before you could avert your eyes and keep walking as if you never saw him, his eyes lock onto yours. suddenly, it feels as if time stops. everyone is still moving except you two.

memories come flooding back to you like water as you stand before the man you were once so familiar with. a small sigh escapes your lips as you remember your shared past.

the first memory that comes to mind is the first time you met jake. you two met in your sophomore year of university at a group study session held by a mutual friend. she introduced you to each other, since you all were in the same major. after meeting, you both were inseparable. you and jake ended up staying in the study room for hours even after the rest of the group left, just talking about everything and anything. he dropped you home that day, with the promise of a proper first date. 

the next memory you think of is when he almost stood you up for your first date. when the day of the date arrived, you got to the cafe five minutes early. it was raining quite a bit, so you wanted to ensure that you weren’t late. however, after fifteen minutes passed, there was still no sign of jake. upset and confused as to why he would leave you hanging, you started gathering your things to leave the place. as you get up to go, you hear a familiar voice yelling towards you. 

“wait! wait! i’m here!” 

your eyes shot around until you saw the host of the voice, jake, running towards you while sopping wet, holding a bouquet of flowers that are just as drenched as him. you watched him as his running turned to jogging the closer he got to you. the sight of him took your breath away. his wet skin glistening in the daylight, his shirt clinging onto all the contours and outlines of his body. you almost couldn't look away. he finally reached you, ducking under the hood of the roof you’re under to shield himself from the rain. he sheepishly grinned at you while handing you the flowers. he brought you azaleas. you realize you had mentioned your love for azaleas that day in the study room, while delirious with the need for sleep. you didn’t think he would remember, especially since you barely remembered saying it.

as you took the wet flowers, he immediately started rambling to apologize. “y/n, i’m so sorry for being late, i actually got here like 30 minutes early, i swear! you can even ask the owner in there. then after waiting for a couple of minutes, i figured i had time to get you some flowers before you got here but i guess i estimated wrong...” although his voice started off strong, he trailed off at the end after seeing an amused smile starting to develop on your face.

looking up at him, you giggled at his form. 

oh, he’s extremely endearing... what have you gotten yourself into?

“jakey, it’s okay. that's actually really sweet of you… why don’t we just find you some dry clothes, then we can get something to eat, yeah?” you said with a smile.

his expression mirrored yours, with a big teethy smile plastered on his face. he happily nodded at your suggestion, making his damp hair fly up and down, kind of resembling an excited puppy.

from there, your date continued with you picking out a new outfit for him, and then him picking a place for you guys to eat. once again, the two of you were together until late into the night, hours passing like minutes. that night, you learned everything about him—what he liked, what he didn’t like. what he really liked…

the third memory that crosses your mind is your first time at jake’s place. you guys had been dating for a while, and as you started to run out of fun date ideas, he decided to just invite you over to chill. it started off as a movie marathon, but you guys got bored of that as time passed. eventually your boredom led to playing the roblox fashion show game together on his bed. somehow, he kept getting on the podium while you never did. 

“what the hell! how are you so good at this? you’re not even following the themes.” you complained with a small pout.

“nobody is! you gotta learn what the crowd likes, y/n.” he replied in an “all-knowing” way.

you glared at him before responding. “jakey, you know the crowd you’re referring to is a bunch of 11 year olds right?”

“doesn’t matter how old they are, they clearly love me.” he said with his chin pointed up.

his response caused you to let out a loud scoff. “yeah, whatever.” you playfully hit his arm.

jake feigned pain where your hand hit him and whined loudly. “owww! all because 11 year olds like me more?”

“oh, shut up!” you went to lightly hit him again, but that time he caught your hand. you tried to pull it out of his grasp, but before you were able to free yourself, he started tickling you as a rebuttal.

you thrashed around under him while trying to escape his hold on you, but his grip was too strong. the room was filled with your screams and yelps, along with both of your laughs and giggles. after a couple of minutes, he finally stopped tickle attacking you. when you came down from your high of laughter, you noticed the provocative position you two were in, with you pinned underneath him. before you could roll out from under him, he kissed you, keeping you in place. he kissed you slowly and passionately, as if the world stopped turning when you were together.

he shifted a bit without breaking the kiss, pushing one of his knees between your legs. he continued to kiss you, licking all over the inside of your mouth, as if trying to memorize it with his tongue. it was so messy, so needy, and so jake. the kiss deepened, his touch turning possessive. the room once filled with sounds of laughter is now filled with wet sounds and soft groans from both you and jake. he cupped your face, his thumb tracing the curve of your cheek. one hand found its way to your back to press you closer, causing your breath to hitch and break the kiss for a second.

“shit, jaeyun,” you whimpered softly. he dove back into your lips, kissing you desperately, as he started to move his knee against you, hitting all the right spots. the pleasurable friction surprised you, making you pull away to throw your head back. “jaeyun, fuck, please, i need you,” you moaned out.

your words caused him to groan against your jaw, a primal hunger burning in his eyes as he looks at you underneath him. “fuck, you can’t say shit like that to me, y/n. not unless you want me to-” you cut him off with another deep kiss.

as you pulled away, you and jake stared at each other with the same lustful look in your eyes, panting heavily. the air around you was heavy with desire, a wordless conversation hanging between you. a dark flush crept up his neck, mirroring the heat blooming in your body. in that silent exchange, a shared decision was made, the playful battle forgotten as a different kind of heat rose in the room. the fabric of your shirt bunched beneath his hand as he pulled you closer, the warmth of his body searing through the thin material. that was only the beginning of a long, long night.

the final memory you remember is the last one you have with him. 

it was nearing graduation, a time that should have been filled with excitement and celebration. instead, it was overshadowed by decisions about the future. you and jake had always talked about your dreams, but it wasn’t until now that you realized how different they were.

you wanted stability, to stay in your hometown where your family and friends were, and where you envisioned a future together. you had even found a cute little apartment where you both could move in together after graduation. but jake had different plans. he had been offered his dream job across the country, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he couldn't pass up.

the conversation started off calmly, but it quickly escalated as the weight of the decisions you both had to make became clear.

“jaeyun, i can’t believe you’re seriously considering this,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady. “we’ve built a life here. we have plans. you’re seriously fine with throwing all that away?”

he sighed, running a hand through his hair, something he does anytime he’s under stress. “y/n, it’s not about throwing anything away. this is my dream job. we’ve always known this might happen.”

“but what about us?” you asked, your voice cracking. “i thought we were going to build a life together. here.”

“we can still be together,” he says, though you could tell he didn’t truly mean it. “long-distance isn’t impossible. and you could come with me. we could start fresh.”

“i don’t want to start fresh, you know what i want.” you replied, tears welling up in your eyes. “i want to build on what we have here. i don’t want to move across the country and leave everything behind.”

“so what, you expect me to just give up my dream?” he asked, frustration evident in his voice. “this is a huge opportunity for me, y/n. i thought you’d be happy for me.”

“i am happy for you,” you said, wiping away a tear. “but i’m scared too. i don’t want to lose us.”

“we won’t lose us,” he insisted, but with every word, the sureness in his voice got weaker. “we can make it work.”

“can we?” you asked softly, the doubt hanging heavily between you. “or are we just delaying the end?”

you silently prayed that he would change his mind. you prayed he would pull out a hidden camera and tell you it was all a joke. you prayed for him to say something, anything that will change the situation. but much to your dismay, he didn’t have an answer. the silence that followed was filled with the unspoken fears and uncertainties that neither of you wanted to face.

after what felt like an eternity, jake finally spoke. “maybe… maybe we need to accept that our paths don’t cross like we thought they did.”

it felt as if your heart physically broke in half. you couldn’t hide the tears that continued to fall, the realization of what was happening hitting you hard. “so, this is it then?”

“yeah,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “i guess it is.” this wasn’t any easier for jake than it was for you. he’s never loved anyone as much as he loved you. sure, he’s had his fair share of middle school girlfriends and high school talking stages, but nothing as serious as what he had with you. he doesn’t want your relationship to end, but he knows it has to happen if he wants to achieve his goals, especially since he doesn’t want you to have to give up your wants either.

that night, you both went to bed with heavy hearts, the distance between you now a chasm that you’ll probably never be able to fully recover from.

it’s been 10 months since that dreadful day. you continue to stare as thoughts rush through your mind. in your daze, you don’t notice him walking towards you until he taps your arm. the tap causes your mind to automatically clear enough for you to process the boy in front of you. he’s looking at you with eyes deep with melancholy and a soft smile. 

“hi, y/n. it’s been a while.”

his boyish voice echoes in your ears as he speaks. you always loved his voice. when you struggled in your math classes, he was always there to help explain concepts to you, but you never paid attention to his lessons. how could you, when all you could hear was his sweet, melodic voice, and that gorgeous accent as the cherry on top?

lost in your thoughts once again, you don’t notice a random pedestrian walking right into you amidst the busy sidewalk. he bumps into you, making you stumble over a bit. before you fall, jake catches you and helps you back onto your feet. feeling his touch after so long ignites something in your chest, a sensation that you haven’t felt in many months. 

“still the same clumsy girl, aren’t you, y/n?” he teases, cheekily. 

his words cause your cheeks to redden even further. at that moment, you decide to leave before you can embarrass yourself even more.

“yeah, jake. it’s been a while, but i really have to go now.” you try to brush past him but jake stops you with a hand on your bicep. he felt a strong pang in his chest at hearing you call him jake again. the last time you called him that was the first time you had met. after that he had always been your jaeyun or jakey, names that only you ever used for him. to everyone else he was always just jake, but not to you. never to you. that is, until now. he shakes off that thought for the time being, as he has other matters to address.

“i miss you, y/n.” he says, looking straight into your eyes.

jake's words shot you like an arrow to the heart, but you couldn’t let it phase you, not when you worked so hard to get over him. “jake, please-”

“i moved back here.”

your eyes widen at his words. "what?" you whisper, hardly daring to believe it.

“i moved back here,” he repeats, more firmly this time. “i realized that my dream job wasn’t worth losing you. nothing is.”

you quickly remind yourself that you need to be strong and stand your ground, no matter what he throws at you. ever since your break up, you’ve built a wall around your heart to avoid that type of pain at all costs. that heartache is something you never want to feel again. 

“please, jake. i can’t do this again.” you try leaving, but he stops you once more, the pattern becoming annoyingly familiar.

“just hear me out,” he pleads, desperation lacing his voice. his hands are now gripping onto your wrists, somehow holding you tightly and delicately at the same time, a hold you know all too well. “i know things ended badly, and i know i hurt you. but not a day goes by that i don’t think about you. about us.”

“but how do i know you’re not going to hurt me again? jake, do you know how long it took me to move on?”

his heart aches at the thought of hurting you so much, but it aches almost equally to think about the fact that you’re saying that you’ve moved on, when he on the other hand still constantly thinks about you. at first, he thought it was normal. of course after a two year relationship, he’s going to think about you often, even after your break up. but eventually, he realized something must be wrong when everything kept reminding him of you months into him starting his dream job. he was never at his best mentally, and not only was it affecting his career, but it was also taking a toll on him physically. he rarely had an appetite due to the permanent heaviness in his chest, which bloomed straight from the you-shaped hole in his heart.

“i know. i know, y/n, and i’ll never forgive myself for that, you have to believe me. i thought i was doing what was best for us, but i was so, so wrong. i need you, y/n.” his eyes are filled to the brim with tears now, but he’s doing his best to keep them contained.

“i understand, jake. and i forgive you, but i can’t shake the feeling that if the opportunity arises again, you’ll take the job and leave me just like last time.” you say firmly, still trying your best to stand your ground. you won’t let yourself get hurt again, you can’t.

he takes your face into your hands to make sure you’re looking into his eyes as he speaks. “y/n, i thought i knew what i wanted back then. but after 10 excruciatingly painful months without you, i know that all i want is you. all i need is you. i can’t live without you, y/n, ever. i thought about you every single day, and it hurt so much knowing that you weren't mine anymore. i could barely function without you—it felt like i was missing a piece of me. wherever i am, wherever i go, none of it matters, as long as you're right there next to me.”

with that beautiful monologue, your carefully built wall immediately comes crashing down. but as much as you want to, you can’t give in like that. you need some time to think about it. 

“i... i don't know, jake,” you finally manage to say, your voice trembling despite your efforts to sound composed. “this isn't easy for me.”

jake's expression softens, a mixture of hope and fear flickering across his face. he steps closer, his hand hesitantly reaching out to wipe your tears that have fallen without you realizing, as if afraid you might vanish if he moves too quickly. “i know,” he murmurs, his voice filled with sincerity. “but please, just give me a chance to show you.”

you take a small step back, needing space to think, to breathe. although the step was less than a foot long, it made jake’s heart drop countless yards into the ground. “i need time,” you whisper, more to yourself than to him.

“i'll wait,” jake promises, his eyes never leaving yours. “however long it takes.”

silence settles between you, heavy with unspoken words and unresolved feelings. the busy city continues to move around you, indifferent to the weight of your reunion. you're both very aware of the distance that still lingers between you, not just physical but emotional—a divide born from hurt and uncertainty.

“i should go," you finally say, breaking the quiet that has stretched between you. “i just need some time, jake.”

jake nods, disappointment shadowing his features, but he respects your decision. “i understand. just know that i'm here whenever you're ready.” he steps back, giving you space. “i’ll always be here for you, y/n. no matter what.”

you manage a small, sad smile. “i know. and maybe one day, we’ll look back and laugh at all of this. but until then...”

“until then,” he finishes for you, a somber smile on his face.

with a final, lingering look, you turn and walk away, each step a battle between longing and self-preservation. jake watches as you leave, his heart heavy yet hopeful. the uncertainty hangs in the air, a question mark hovering over what might come next for you both.

[trulyhblue]

hello hello!!! can i request a niamh fic wheres shes dating a single parent and niamh just treats the kid like her own because the other parent isn't in the picture?! sorry if this doesn't make sense lmao

Brown-Eyed Girl

Niamh Charles x Reader

warnings — bit suggestive at the end.

A little baby blurb for you all <3

______________

Emmeline had a tight grip on your hips as you swayed her exhilarated figure across your chest. You had finally gotten out of the house, a Spiderman backpack adorned by your side, and your daughter babbling on about the day the two of you were about to have.

Despite popular belief, being a single parent was the greatest gift you had ever received. You had Emmeline just shy of three years ago, and she quickly became your best friend through everything. Your daughter was a spitting image of you, but the contributions of your past partner still took over her brown, beady eyes, and gorgeous skin.

Emmeline was shy. She was personal and dainty, and only said what she could in phrases of mumbles to people she wanted close to. In many ways, she was a ray of sunshine, willing to stand out and be bold with friends and family. But she was your baby, your darling girl since you had found out you were pregnant, and she was your biggest priority no matter what.

When you first met Niamh, Emme was the one to tell you that the two of you were meant to be.

The English woman was patient and willing, even when she first found out you had a child to love and care for over her. If anything, she found you all the more endearing. Niamh would take her out for cafe dates, and walk her to and from preschool on the way to training. Emmeline would rant on and on about how Niamh would give her the best tickles, and when your baby was near, Niamh was always not far behind.

Your daughter undoubtedly looked up to the footballer. The first Chelsea game you attended was in the general admission seating, amongst the bustle of enriched fans and excitement radiating through cheers and screams. Niamh spotted the two of you in the crowd, offering you a nimble, modest wave, resulting in Emme giggling into your neck and pointing to the woman, rambling on about how she “wanted to be smart like Mummy but fast like ‘evie.”

Emme had trouble properly pronouncing her words. ‘Niamh’ was proven to be among the difficulties she endured, and all her little mouth could muster was ‘evie.’ It was short, and abbreviated, but full of love and adoration all the same.

After a few more games, watching the girl you were quickly falling for, people began to piece together the subtle clues of your relationship with the Chelsea player.

It all started with a fan taking a photo with Niamh after a game, and you were in the passenger seat, casually looking down at your phone oblivious to the photo being taken. At first, people brushed it off as you being a friend. But then, two weeks later, the same thing happened, but with Emmeline nuzzled underneath Niamh’s puffer jacket, her curly brown hair and reddened cheeks poking out from her collar.

Fans were reeling to piece together who this child was, and why you were all of a sudden showing up to games. The funny thing was that the two of you hadn’t even started dating yet. It was when Emmeline started asking when her Evie would move in, and whether she would ever stay to read her a bedtime story before going back to her place.

It was from there when you spent your weekends covered in a blue jersey with your girlfriend’s last name across your shoulders, forever wrapped around her finger with the warmth of your love and your daughter’s affection.

“Mummy— mummy! Will Auntie Guro be there?” Emmeline was wiping her nose on her sleeve, cradling the soft plushy toy in her arms as you held her closely to your chest. “Auntie Guro, I need to tell her.”

The walk through Chelsea’s facilities were long to say the least. The buildings seemed to prolong for miles, and you knew that if the baby in your arms was to be walking, she wouldn't be in the same, happy mood as she was now. “I'm not sure, Emme baby. Why, what do you want to tell her?”

“Talk about something, Mummy. Haven't seen Auntie in ages.” She dragged out, looking around the corridors in search of anyone she knew. “Will we be able to see Aggie as well? I wanna talk to her too, Mummy, please.”

“They might be busy with the cameras, darling girl.” You answered, finally hearing the familiar laughter of the team.

Today was media day, meaning spouses were allowed to roam the grounds at their own discretion. Emme was feeling good when she found out that she was coming to Niamh’s work with the rest of her aunts to talk to. While this didn't necessarily mean she was free to interact with any of them at any time, Emme was more concerned about simply being in their presence, and this was shown when she caught sight of Niamh sitting on a lounge in front of two interviewers, while none other than Guro sitting next to her.

Immediately, Emmeline squirmed in your grip but knew better than to sprint over to your girlfriend. This wasn't the first time the two of you had made your special appearances during Media allocations, so the girl knew that she wasn't permitted to leave your side and wander off in case she was caught with some unwanted attention.

You were fussed with the media involved in Emme, but you wanted to keep the engagement less on her and more on football. You knew people loved Emme, believe you. But there was sketchy stuff over social media, and you wanted to make sure that even with your daughter spending time with Niamh and her teammates in front of the public eye, it was minimal and harmless. There was never a time when someone would ask you to put her in a video or tell you that people wanted to ask her questions or put her in a position where you couldn't be there to aid and support her. On top of these precautions you implemented, Niamh was also significantly protective over the toddler.

If she was taking photos with fans, and Emme was on her hip, she’d either face the girl away from the camera or hide her in her jacket. You would oftentimes keep Emme with you when the two of you were in the football community, but there were a handful of times when people caught you off guard, and Emme was where nether of you were holding her.

Most of the time, people were accommodating in your rejection of interaction. Sometimes, they’d wait for you to keep Emme by your side before asking for a picture or question. Other times, Emme would latch onto your leg, hiding herself away from the strangers, acknowledging that she wasn't looking for attention.

“Wanna see them, Mummy,” Emme whispered, drawing excited circles along your collarbone. You combed your fingers through her hair, strolling over to where you were behind the cameras, looking to where your girlfriend and your daughter’s favourite Auntie found you in an instant.

Niamh instantly stood up off the couch, bending down to beckon Emme over. You bent down and let her go, laughing at the potent stomps echoed through the indoor establishment and the squeal she let out when falling into her arms.

“If it isn't the main character herself!” One of the interviewers said, the other smiling in adoration as Emmeline wrapped her legs around Niamh’s waist instinctively, making your girlfriend tuck her skirt under her legs, sitting the girl on her lap with her arms encircling the girl’s figure.

“Looking bright as ever, Y/N!” Guro waved brightly towards you. “How are you?”

“Yeah, good. Busy morning with this one.” You replied, a collective laughter ricocheting through the room. “She’ll knock out soon. She’s just had a hot chocolate, and the sugar rush will end.”

“She's so cute.” The Norwegian stated, moving down to make close eye contact with Emme, who was already giggling at the woman’s presence. “Aren't you, vakker? Jeg er din favoritt, ikke sant?” I'm your favourite, aren't I?

“Ja, jeg elsker deg, Auntie Guro.” Yes, I love you.

Guro blushed and cooed at that, kissing your daughter’s nose and pinching her cheeks with a loving smile plastered across her face. Niamh took the jacket off, the warmth of Emmeline’s body heating her enough. You watched the teammates continue their interview, smiling at the subtle wink Niamh sent your way.

They had asked Emme a few questions indirectly, asking you before if it was okay. You agreed, finding Niamh’s prompts completely adorable.

Emme would ramble about stuff that wasn't even related to the question, but Niamh would subtly steer her back in the right direction. If Emme was getting ditsy, she’d bounce her thigh in jitters, sending the toddler back into a relaxed, comfortable state.

As you predicted, Em fell asleep fifteen minutes later, quietly snoring, relishing the patterns Niamh drew on her back, gripping onto Guro’s hand absentmindedly. You had taken a seat behind the set, replying to some emails, half listening to the questions being asked in what seemed to be a podcast of sorts.

When they finished, Niamh and Guro invited you onto the couch, letting you take Emme from Niamh with a peck of her lips.

“If you ever want to spend time without her, I would happily take her,” Guro announced, rubbing the child’s cheek. “Oh, she's so cute. I'm jealous of you, Charles. An adorable baby and a hot girlfriend.”

Niamh shot the woman a testing look, shaking her head at the laughter you let out in response.

“You would give her too many sweets, Reiten,” Niamh replied. You felt a blush creep onto your cheeks when her arms fell across your shoulders. “You wouldn't be able to say no to her.”

Guro scoffed. “Who would be able to say not to such a beautiful baby?”

Niamh chuckled. “Point proven.”

That was the last of Niamh’s duties for today, meaning that the two of you were homebound after a few more minutes of talking with Guro.

You both thanked the crew and other members of staff on the way out, trying your best to be quiet in order not to wake the baby up.

“Where’s your car?” Your girlfriend asked, searching for your keys in the spiderman bag.

“We walked.” You replied, taking Niamh’s keys out of her jean’s pockets and handing them to her.

“No wonder she's so tired, baby. I could of picked you up.”

“She only walked halfway, Niamhy, baby.” You rolled your eyes, sighing. “She's gotten the expectation that someone will carry her whenever she feels like it.”

You threw a pointed glare at the woman, smirking at her guilty face.

“She's a princess.” Niamh retorted. “If her feet are sore, I’ll carry her.”

“She's becoming very demanding, I think.”

“She's a good girl.” She answered, watching as you buckled the sleeper into her seat. “Don't act like you're not demanding at times.”

You scoffed, climbing into the passenger seat with a prominent, joking scowl. “And when have I been demanding, huh? I don't recall asking you to carry me round everywhere.”

“Oh, I can,” Niamh responded smugly. Your eyebrows creased in confusion. “Don't you remember the other night? Acting very demanding and ended up not walking properly the next day… had you begging and shaking for me to—”

“—Yep, okay, thank you.” You snapped, crossing your arms across your chest. “I doubt that if you just had edged for four consecutive orgasms you’d feel inclined to walk around.”

“If you had been good, then you would've just had the orgasms, not the edging.”

“Let's not talk about this with the baby in the car.” You muttered, trying hard not to think about the events of a few nights before.

“Alright, darling. Just remember that good girls get rewards.”

You sighed, your cheeks heating up. “You're a tease, Charles.”

Niamh didn't reply, keeping her hand on your thigh all the way home, making sure to keep her complacent countenance noticeable until you made it home.

“You love me for it.”

_____________

niamh charles

Liked by guroreiten, leahwilliamson, and 126, 342 others

niamh charles — family bits

tagged — yourusername

Comments:

yourusername — we love our Evie 💕

^ niamhcharles — love my girls 💗

guroreiten — niesen min er like vakker som mammaen hennes 🤍

* liked by creator

^ yourusername — emme’s missing her auntie guro all the time xx

user78 — this is my roman empire. if this fails, I fail.

^ user23 — this is girlhood.

^ user28 — baby emme is literally living our dreams

^ user98 — Y/N living mine 😋

samanthakerr — baller baby 👶

^ yourusername — 🤣

milliebright — I bags the next interview 🥰

^ niamhcharles — sorry, guro already did

^ milliebright — emme likes me more

^ guroreiten — its time to face the truth

^ milliebright — 😐

user4 — Emme is the cutest toddler I have ever seen

^ user90 — the way she crawls into Niamh and wraps her legs around her in the interview 😭 she is such a good mother I can't

^ user65 — wait is Emme Niamh’s child or Y/N’s?

^ user90 — Y/N is Emme’s mother, but Niamh is another parental figure for Emme.

chelsea — pro contract incoming?? @yourusername

^ yourusername — she likes the colour red more I think…

^ milliebright — what have you done? @niamhcharles

^ niamhcharles — this is simply not true.

___________________

CHELSEA WFC PODCAST WITH GURO REITEN & NIAMH CHARLES FT. SPECIAL GUEST

time — 13 minutes, 36 seconds.

Interviewer one — if it isn't the main character herself

Guro — *looking off camera* Looking bright as ever, Y/N. How are you?

Y/N, Niamh Charles’ partner — yeah good. Busy morning with this one…

* time skip*

Interviewer — so Niamh, on a more personal note, how is everything going?

Niamh — yeah, really good. I'm really happy at the moment. *looks down and off camera* I've got a lot of love for others at the moment, and a lot of things that I look forward to seeing after training, games, and just work in general. Yeah, it's been really great, actually.

Interviewer — how’s it been with a child in the mix? How have you found that?

Niamh — um, yeah, it's been great. Look, I'm very privileged to be in this one's life. She's my favourite little girl in the whole world, and I just love her to bits. She's incredible, her mother’s so admirable, and I'm just glad that I'm in her life.

Interviewer — you look a bit jealous over their, Reiten.

Guro — *sighs* Emme is just— ugh I cannot even put it into words. She's just brought the team so much closer. I don't know how, but all children just bring this innocence that wasn't there before, and Emme is just so beautiful, and always brings so much light to everyone’s day. And I think she’s made Niamh’s life so much brighter too. Jesus, you don't understand how much I love this little baby girl.

Niamh — im scared you're going to steal her one day

Guro — oh, I will. Her and your girlfriend if you're not careful.

* Y/N laughs off camera*

Niamh — Hey! Don't laugh about that!

Guro — See! Even she agrees.

__________________

A/N — ugh how I love baby fics.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Long Snake Moan 2

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Loki

Summary: your boss gives you a task you're not prepared for.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Loki glowers at the people around him as you approach. You have to resist the urge to turn and run away. Thor helps in that. You know he won’t let you turn back. Not to mention the man who sent you. 

He looks over as Thor calls his name and slaps his arm, “told you, not very long at all.” 

“Mmm,” Loki narrows his eyes and his lips thin. He sends you a cursory sneer. “You came all this way for... Stark’s minion?” 

“I believe her title is Executive Assistant,” Thor corrects him. 

You give a helpless look. A pursing of your lips that must look painful. Loki doesn’t look at you again. His cheeks tauten and his eyes roll towards the ceiling. 

“Right, um, this isn’t very easy to say so... um, Mr...” You look at Thor and he just shrugs. “Loki, erm, alright. So the thing is--” 

“Oh, you know, there’s a cafe I’ve been wanting to try. Steve, you know Steve, he recommended it. Why don’t we sit down and discuss?” Thor claps your back and nudges his brother. You grimace and Loki looks less than impressed. 

“Be out with it.” 

“Oh brother, don’t be rude. Come. You could do with a bit of a treat. You’re in a foul mood.” Thor reproaches. 

“I wonder why that would be,” Loki hisses. 

“Well, as I was saying, I saw they have a special on. A turtle donut? Turtle on a donut? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” he rambles and drags you both across the lobby. 

“It’s not... well, doesn’t matter,” you let the murmur drift off. 

You don’t have much of a choice, or the strength to resist him. You’re ushered out of Stark Tower and towards the cafe you pass on your way in. You stopped in once for one of their holiday lattes but you don’t often get the time to have coffee outside the stale breakroom brew. 

Loki shakes off his brother and follows behind. Thor lets you in first and holds the door. He makes his brother go ahead of him and you join the queue around the counter. 

“What would you like?” Thor asks. 

You bob up and down as you search the cafe. You flinch as you realise he’s talking to you. “Oh, I’m fine--” 

“I insist. Now please, coffee or tea? A late?” 

“Latte,” Loki corrects him. 

“Yes, that.” Thor laughs at himself. 

“Well, I’ll just have a small tea. That’s fine. Um...” you look up at the menu, “Earl Grey is fine.” 

“Black tea, large,” Loki starts before you’re even done speaking. “Since you’re being generous.” 

Thor grins and leans over to look inside the display case. “No sweets?” 

“No thanks.” You answer. Loki doesn’t acknowledge the question, instead glaring at those who stop to stare at his brother. Several lenses are aimed in Thor’s ambivalent direction. 

“May as well find a seat,” Thor stands as the barista motions him up to the cashier, “I’ll find you.” 

You glance over at Loki as he ignores you, rather pointedly as he lifts his nose. You shuffle away and go to an empty table in the corner. You sit against the wall and twiddle your fingers over the table.  

To your surprise, Loki sits across from you. You fidget as your eyes continue to wander around him, never landing on him. He sighs and you chew your lip. 

“Get on with it. I am not in the mood for socializing, especially not with... whatever you are.” 

You tilt your head and your mouth. Right, this is not going to be fun. He has the right idea of it though. It’s best to just get it over with. 

“Okay, uh, right, Loki, sir,” you twist your hand around your finger. “Prince?” 

He blinks dully. You nod, egging yourself on. 

“Mr. Stark sent me to tell you something. And I’m very sorry to be the one to tell you this but--” 

“Tea.” Thor booms as he drops into the chair next to his brother, nearly dropping his armload.  

He doles out the cups and gleefully unwraps his donut. You’re sweltering as you notice the audience behind him, entranced by not only his size but his fame. Loki’s cheeks pinch in irritation as he peeks over his shoulder. 

“So let me just get it done with. Um, you... you...” you frown and your eye brows dip down then pop up. You struggle to find the right way to say it. There really isn’t on. “You cannot stay on earth.” 

Loki spins back to you, his chair scraping on the floor, and Thor chokes on his mouthful of chocolate, pecan, and dough. Both of them make confused noises. 

“You’re being deported. I... I’m sorry.” 

“Deported? Who says I cannot stay in Midgard? Who would make me leave?” Loki scoffs. 

“It... it wasn’t my decision. I was only sent the paperwork and I tried to give it to Mr. Stark--” 

“No doubt he had a hand in it. How can this be? I am a refugee. It was to my understanding that the status guarantees me safe harbour.” He blusters. 

“Brother, please, don’t be angry at the little one. She is merely the harbinger.” Thor coaxes. 

“I’m sorry,” you begin, squirming as your body’s encased in flame, “I understand it’s not ideal but--” 

“You understand?! You understand nothing. My home was destroyed.” He snarls. “How is it I am to be dejected and my brother is free to stay?” 

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I wasn’t... I didn’t...” 

“Brother, please, she cannot be held responsible--” 

“Don’t tell me who or what!” Loki shoves him away. “Curse this planet and curse Stark.” 

A green flash has you flattened against the back of your chair and your vision speckles. You blink as only an empty chair remains next to Thor. He shakes his head at it and takes another bite. He looks at you and shrugs. 

“Let him have his tantrum. We’ll simply have to try again.” He breaks off a piece of his donut, “you must try this. It doesn’t even taste like turtle. Much sweeter.” 

[lee-laurent]

Done Trying - Luke Hughes

Summary: In which Luke falls for a girl who always seems to be hanging around the Devils, the issue she has a toddler with one of his teammates

There will be more parts!! Next part is the backstory of John and Tori! Part after that is a continuation of this part! Hope you guys enjoy!

content: unplanned pregnancy, fluff, angst, children (is that a warning??), past relationships, self confidence and body image issues, money struggles, oc x ex!john marino (this is throughout the story, but this is a luke fic!! she ends up with luke!!)

WC: 4.8k

notes: this idea came to me the other night while i was watching tiktoks lol, but i thought it would a fun fic to write. the poll i put out showed a pretty clear leader the whole time, but if you guys are interested in me doing any of the other pairings in the poll just let me know!! before writing this i have a feeling it's gonna be a long fic so enjoy!!

Luke Hughes was walking down the street to the cafe that Jack had recommended. He still didn't know many places in Newark, seeing as it was his rookie season, but his brother had been a huge help... for the most part. Jack had told him about his coffee shop that was usually pretty quiet, so he wouldn't have to worry about fans coming up to him. And it had become his safe haven over the last two weeks.

Victoria Wilson was also walking down the street in the direction of the cafe, but she wasn't alone. Her newly turned two-year-old was toddling besides her, having refused to get in his stroller when they were leaving their apartment. "No" was his favourite word at the moment and Tori thought it might drive her crazy. She was dropping him off at his dad's in a couple hours, so she decided that grabbing him a bagel and some juice for breakfast sounded like a great way to get out of the house.

"Riley! Stop!" she screeched, watching as her son started to run down the sidewalk in the direction of a tall boy, looking at his phone. She didn't reach him in time though, the little boy wrapping his arms around the man's legs.

"What the hell?" Luke muttered, staring down at the toddler gripping his leg.

"I am so sorry! He's really big into hugging right now. We're working on learning who we shouldn't hug," Tori rambled, attempting to pull Riley off the man.

"It's fine. Really. No worries. Come on, little dude. Go back with your sister," Luke smiled, making the girl blush.

"I- I'm his mom, but I'll take that as a compliment," she smiled, finally prying Riley away and picking him up. He squirmed her arms, screaming "no" like it was mantra.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed," Luke rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's all good. Let me buy you a coffee. Again, I'm so sorry. Terrible twos," she sighed, reaching into her purse for a pacifier. "Here bubba. Let's go get breakfast."

Riley finally calmed down, happily putting the pacifier in his mouth. Tori had been trying her best to ween him off his "binky" but his dad wasn't, so it wasn't really working all that well.

"You don't have to do that. He's just a kid."

"Please, I'd really like to," she smiled. Luke nodded, opening the door for the woman and her son.

Tori ordered a coffee for herself and Luke, as well as a bagel and apple juice for Riley. They sat at a small table, Riley on her lap and Luke across from her.

"I'm Tori, by the way. And this little devil is Riley."

"It's nice to meet you," Luke grinned, "I'm Luke."

"So, how long have you lived in Jersey?" she smiled, breaking off a bit of bagel for Riley. He had a habit of trying to shove things in his mouth and gagging every time. So Tori always broke his food up into little pieces.

"A month now. I, um, just moved here for my new job."

"That's exciting," she grinned, handing Riley more food.

"What about you?"

"We moved here two years ago. Riley's dad moves a lot for work and I like to be in the same city as him so they can spend time together."

Luke nodded. So she was single. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't admiring her. She was stunning. Pale skin covered in freckles, ginger hair that she'd curled into waves, and the prettiest blue eyes he'd ever seen. She giggled as Riley dropped bagel all over his shirt, attempting to wipe it away as best as a toddler could.

"You said Riley's two?"

"Yes! He just turned two in August!"

"My mom always said that's the hardest age," Luke tried his best to relate to the girl in front of him.

"Ha! She's right. He really likes saying 'no' right now. It's impossible to get him to do anything except play mini sticks."

Luke choked on his coffee, "As in hockey?"

"Oh, yeah. He, uh, we're big hockey fans in my house."

"Devils?"

"No. No offence if you're a Devils fan. But we're proud Penguins fans. Right, Riley?"

"Pen-guin," he giggled, clapping his cream cheese covered hands together.

"That's cool," he nodded, checking his phone. Jack had texted asking if he'd died on the way to get coffee. "I, um, it was really nice meeting you, but my brother's getting worried about me. I should go."

"No worries! It was lovely meeting you too. Say 'bye-bye', Riley."

"Bye-bye!"

"Bye, Riley. Um, I was wondering if I could get your number. We could do this again some time? It's totally fine if not. I just-"

"Of course, Luke. Here," she chuckled, taking his phone from him. Luke walked out of the coffee shop with a smile.

It was the first Family Skate of the season and Luke was happily yapping away with Jack and Nico, seeing as they were all single. Luke had been texting nonstop with Tori for the last two weeks, she was really busy taking care of Riley so they hadn't met up again yet. He had found out she was 24, from Pittsburgh, and had a degree in journalism. He hadn't told her what he did for a living, just saying athletics which she assumed meant personal training. He was laughing at a joke that his brother had made when a flash of red hair caught his eye.

He did a double take. Standing at the bench was Tori, holding an extremely excited looking Riley on her hip, tiny skates on his feet. They were both dressed in Devils jerseys. Tori pointed at someone on the ice and Riley clapped happily. John Marino skated over, grabbing Tori's hand to guide her onto the ice. Maybe she wasn't single like he assumed.

"What're you looking at, Rusty?" Jack knocked his shoulder.

"Huh? Nothing."

"Come on, let's go see Curtis."

Luke followed his brother, keeping an eye on John and the girl now holding his hand. It hurt a little, he really thought they were connecting. And she hadn't mentioned a boyfriend at all.

Tori had yet to notice Luke, smiling widely watching her son and his father interact. Even if she and John had broken up, they still held a mutual respect for each other, maybe even still loved one another.

"Do you like his jersey?" she asked, showing John the '6 Marino' on the back of their son's shirt.

"Wow! You look just like Daddy, bubba!"

"'Ike Dada!" Riley smiled.

"My mom got it for him for his birthday. He was really excited to show you."

"Well, I think it's awesome. Tell your mom 'thank you.'"

"Of course. I-" she stopped. Her eyes locked with a familiar pair across the ice. Luke? She furrowed her brow, handing the toddler over to his dad. "Here. Practice skating with him. I, uh, need to talk to someone."

"Oh, sure! Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just fine," she mustered a smile as he pressed a kiss to her temple, skating off with Riley.

"Luke?" she approached him, a confused look on her face. Jack and Nico looked at each other before skating off to see John and Riley.

"Hi, Tori. I, uh, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah. Me neither. You play for the Devils?"

"Um... yeah? It's my rookie season. I just- I didn't want you to like only want to talk to me cause I play in the NHL."

"I gave you those vibes?" she sassed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, no. That's not- You don't. I, uh, what're you doing here? I thought you were... single."

"I am. I would've stopped talking to you if I wasn't. Riley's dad also plays for the Devils."

Then it all fell into place for Luke. Moving from Pittsburgh, being Penguins fans, Riley's dad moving around for work, her being here.

"Johnny?"

"Yes. John invited us. I thought it would be fun for Riley."

"I'm sorry. I- I should've told you. Are- is this too weird now?"

"'This?' There isn't really a 'this' yet, Luke. We just met and I have a kid. But if you're asking if I'm going to stop talking to you. Then no. This isn't weird for me."

"Do you- d'you think John will be upset?"

"John? No. He just wants whatever is best for Riley. We broke up over a year ago."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to pry. I-"

"Luke, it's fine. It was nice seeing you, but I should get back to my family."

"Right. See ya, Tori," Luke smiled, ignoring the pain in his chest at her words. John was her family. How was he supposed to beat that?

"You know Luke?" John asked as his ex-girlfriend skated up next to him.

"You remember that guy I met that Riley hugged?"

"The one from the coffee shop? Yeah, you said- oh my god! Was it Luke?"

"Yep," she popped the 'p' at the end of the word, "He didn't tell me he played hockey."

"Are you gonna cut things off?"

"There isn't really a 'thing' to cut off. We just text."

"Right. Well, don't let it stress you out."

"I won't. Don't worry. Anyway, how's Riley doing at skating?"

"Like a newborn deer. But he loves it, so..."

"Are you gonna be just like Dada?" she cooed, kissing her son's chubby cheek.

"'Ike Dada!"

"Yes! Just like Dada!"

Riley joined John in the locker room after, seeing as he was spending the night at his instead of going home with his mom. He sat in John's stall, kicking his feet back and forth. John had changed him into some tennis shoes instead of his skates.

"Hey, Riley!" Nico smiled, raising his hand over a high five.

"Cap!"

"Yes sir! That's gonna be you some day, huh?"

"Cap!"

Nico ruffled the boy's dark curls, walking back over to his stall. Jack also came over to see the little boy, but turned his attention to John after.

"Did ya know that Tori and Luke know each other?" he frowned.

"Huh? No, Tori told me today. Why?"

"Luke had been talking about this girl he met a couple weeks ago, had no idea it was Tori. I would've told him to back off."

"Back off? Tori and I aren't getting back together. That ship has long sailed."

"Really? I thought you still... loved her?"

"Of course I do. She's the mother of my child and for that I'll always love her. But she's made it very clear that we didn't work as more than friends. If she wants to see other people, I'm not going to stop her."

"Even if it's your own teammate?"

"Luke is the only guy on this team I'd let date my ex. Trust me."

"Damn. Maybe I was gonna shoot my shot."

"She'd reject you before you could even say hi," John smirked.

"Hungy! Hungy!" Riley chanted, pulling at John's sleeve.

"Okay, bud. One second, Jack," John reached into his backpack, pulling out a pouch and opening it for Riley. "There you go, bud. Eat slowly."

"O-tay."

"Anyway, Tori wouldn't be interested in you. She only likes guys with curly hair."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. We were together for four years. I know what her type is," he rolled his eyes. "Are we done here? I'd like to take my baby home."

Jack nodded, sulking back over to his stall.

"So... how're things with that Luke boy going?" Tori's best friend, Allison, asked. The two girls were sat on the sofa, an almost empty bottle of red wine in front of them, some horrible reality tv show on in the background.

"About that..."

"Oh no! Did he end up being a dick?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. He, um, he's teammates with John."

"He's what?! You're kidding me!"

"Nope. Saw him at family skate today."

"I thought you said he was an athletic trainer."

"He told me he did athletics. I just assumed he did like training for something. But nope, he's a rookie for the Devils."

"That's insane! Are you cutting him off? I thought you'd sworn off hockey players."

"I-"

"Victoria Jane Wilson! Do NOT tell me you're thinking about getting with this guy!"

"I... I'm not sure. He's really cute, Ally. Like the cutest guy I've seen in a while."

"Cuter than John?"

"Not sure anyone is cuter than John. My son is his carbon copy and he's the cutest ever."

"Speaking of Riley, do you think this Luke kid is ready to deal with a child in addition to you? He's how old? 20?"

"I know... I love Riley, but he's definitely made my dating pool smaller."

"Well, you'll have no way of knowing until you ask him on a date."

"You were just saying no more hockey boys! Make up your mind, Ally!"

"I know... but you haven't been on a date in like what..."

"Seven months."

"Seven months?! Text him right now!"

"Right now?"

"Right now!"

Maybe it was the copious amounts of wine that she'd consumed or the fact that she hadn't been on a date in seven months, but she reached for her phone and typed out a message.

I was wondering if you'd like to go on a proper date some time? Without any children with us

"Done!"

"Yay!!! This calls for more wine!"

The girls clinked their glasses together, giggling as they drank more.

Hey, Tori. I'd love that! Is Riley with John tomorrow? I'm free after 5.

"Oh my God! He said yes!!!"

"I knew he would, girl! You're stunning."

"I-"

"Don't give me that shit about your 'Mummy Tummy.' You carried a baby for 9 months of course you aren't going to look exactly the same as you did before. But trust me, you look fucking stunning. Now text him back!"

Ally was over for the second night in a row, except this time it wasn't girls' night. She was helping Tori get ready for her first date in almost a year.

"You have to wear something lowcut! Show off the goods," Ally smiled, pretending to squeeze some boobs in the air.

"They're not that impressive," Tori rolled her eyes, flicking through her shirts.

"Girl! Be confident! If I had tits like yours, I'd walk around in nothing but a bra!"

"Ally! Don't be crass!"

"What? Just telling the truth! We both know that Riley exists cause John loved your curves a little too much."

"Allison!" Tori gasped, although it was a tad bit dirty, she couldn't help but giggle. She pulled a white, flowy tank top out of her closet, holding it up to her body. "Thoughts?"

"That's the one! You'll look irresistible. Now! Let me do your makeup!" Ally clapped.

Tori did a once over in the mirror, smiling brightly. She wasn't usually very confident in her body, and that only got worse after having Riley. A ring filled the apartment as someone pressed her buzzer in the lobby. She pressed on the intercom button, "Come up!"

"I'll be here the whole time. Call if you need rescuing and I want all the details when you get back!" Ally smiled, plopping down on Tori's bed.

Luke rasied his fist, knocking on the wooden door. Tori wiped her hands on her jeans one last time, opening the door to reveal the boy. He was wearing a polo shirt that showed off his arms in the best way and a pair of khaki pants. It looked like he had attempted to tame his curls, but they just looked like they always did but wet.

"Wow, you... you look so pretty, Tori," he stuttered.

"Thank you. You also look really cute," she blushed. "Let me just grab my purse and then we can go. Come in."

Luke entered the apartment, taking in the decor. There was a small table in the corner covered in art supplies and a basket of toys next to it. On the sofa was a stuffed Winnie the Pooh and lots of plastic farm animals. Hanging on the wall was a colourful scribble with Riley's name printed at the bottom. It was clear to him that Riley was the most important thing in her life.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy. I usually clean when he's at John's, but I was... kinda nervous about tonight and forgot."

"You've got no reason to be nervous. I promise," Luke smiled.

God, his smile was cute. It was crooked, almost like a smirk and she wanted to see it every second of every day for the rest of her life.

"Shall we?"

"We shall."

The walk to the restaurant was full of jokes and laughs. Conversation between the two flowed so easily.

"You're joking! There's no way!"

"I'm not! He ripped Quinn's braces out!"

"That's insane!"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No, no, I don't. Only child."

"How's that?"

"It was a bit lonely when I was a kid. But now I've got Riley so it's impossible to feel lonely."

They sat at a table, deciding to share a very large plate of seafood pasta.

"This is kind of a personal question, so you don't have to answer. But did you always want to be a mom?"

"That's not too personal, in my opinion. But yeah. When I found out I was pregnant though, I was really unsure. I was 22 and wanted to do so much more in my life first. But I can do most of those things even with Riley. And if I can't, John is there to watch him for me."

"That's a good way of looking at things. I, uh, I've never dated anyone with a kid."

Tori giggled, "I'm not surprised, Luke. But I'm not asking you to stay around if you don't want to."

They quickly moved on from talking about Riley, talking about their childhoods, favourite movies, and favourite foods.

"Secretariat? The horse movie?" she laughed.

"Don't laugh! It's a good movie!"

"I've never seen it."

"Well, I know what our next date is going to be," Luke's eyes widened as his brain caught up with his mouth, "If- If you want to go on another date. I, uh, I get if you don't want to. No pressure."

"Luke, I'd love to watch Secretariat with you," she smiled, reaching across the table to hold his hand. She ran her thumb over his knuckles, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I, uh, I'm free tomorrow. If that's not too soon."

"That should work. I just have to pick up Riley at 5, so it'll have to be in the afternoon."

"I'll make sure I'm up then."

"It's okay. I also sleep in on days Riley is with John."

Luke walked Tori up to her apartment, not wanting their night to end. They stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking at each other.

"I had a really good night," she smiled, looking down at her shoes.

"M- Me too. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mhm."

"Can... Can I kiss you?"

"I don't normally kiss on the first date," she smirked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"I'll make an exception for you."

Tori pushed herself up on her tip-toes, leaning in until their noses brushed. She let Luke take the final step, softly pressing their lips together. His were a bit chapped, but she didn't mind. Maybe her lip balm would rub off and help him out. They smiled, breaking the kiss.

"See you tomorrow," she waved goodbye, closing the door as he walked down the hall to the elevator.

"How was it?!" Ally screeched. Tori jumped, holding her hand to her chest.

"Holy shit! I forgot you were here!"

"Okay? How was it?!"

"So good! He's coming over tomorrow. Oh Lord, I have to clean!"

"He's coming over?! You're getting laid?!"

"No, God. Ally, it's our second date. I'm not sleeping with him."

"Why not?! When was the last time you had sex?"

"Um..."

"When did you and John sleep together?"

"Two months ago."

"I still can't believe you did that."

"He looked really hot playing with Riley. And we both hadn't slept with anyone in months. It was just... a mutual release."

Ally shook her head, "Whatever. Two months. You need some dick. And not your ex's."

"Why not? John's-"

"I don't want to hear about John's dick, Victoria."

"Your favourite person ever wouldn't exist without it," she shrugged.

"Riley's the only good thing that came from John. Anywho..."

"We're not sleeping together tomorrow. We're watching his favourite movie."

"Aww! That's so sweet! Look at you!! Finally moving on from Johnny Boy."

"I've been moved on for a while. I'm not sure the same can be said for him."

"He'll figure it out when he sees how happy you are with Luke!"

Tori giggled, "Time to clean up."

"I'll help... if we open a bottle of wine."

"Deal."

Tori was so nervous that she'd refolded the blanket on the back of the sofa at least six times now. She didn't really have company over except Ally and John. She wanted her apartment to look the best it ever had. All of Riley's toys were back in his toy bin and his room, she'd even cleaned the kitchen counter in case Luke went in there for something.

The intercom buzzed and Luke's voice broke through, "It's Luke. Hughes. Luke Hughes. Except I don't think you're expecting another Luke. But, I'm here."

Tori laughed, pressing the button to let him up. Less than a minute later there was a knock at her door. She took a deep breath, swining it open and smiling widely. Luke was in a Devils hoodie and some track pants. Luckily, she was dressed similarly.

"Welcome! I set up the living room for us."

"Perfect," Luke entered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Tori sat on the sofa, Luke boldly sitting right next to her. Their thighs were touching and he had his arm stretched over the back of the leather sofa.

She couldn't help but admire his thighs. That was one thing she loved about hockey boys. Their thighs. It was probably her favourite feature when looking for a guy.

She clicked on Disney+, the app immediately playing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

"Shit, sorry. Guess that's the last thing we were watching on here."

Luke just laughed, scooting closer to her (if that was possible). She relaxed, cuddling into his side. The movie started and Luke smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her nose. She blushed, leaning up and connecting their lips in an actual kiss.

"No more kissing. You're going to distract me from the movie," Tori sassed, playfully pushing his face as he went in for another one.

"Fine," he pouted, turning his attention to the movie.

By the time the movie had ended, Tori was practically wrapped around Luke. A loud yawn escaped her.

"Was it that boring? That's my favourite movie we're talking about, Victoria," he feigned anger.

"It was sad. But I liked it. I need a nap though."

"Oh, I can go."

"No, come on. Your comfy," she grabbed his hand, leading him to her bedroom. Luke lay down next to her, allowing her to cuddle into his side, an arm thrown over his chest. She fell asleep almost immediately. He wasn't surprised though. He understood that Riley had been having a sleep regression and it was exhausting for John and Tori. He turned to look at the picture on her bedside table. It was her, Riley, and John at a beach. It looked recent, like it had just been taken over the off season. Tori was holding on of Riley's hands and John was holding the other. They looked like a happy, functional family. And it made Luke's brain run a mile a minute. How come her relationship with John hadn't worked out? Maybe she didn't commitment. Maybe she didn't want something serious. Maybe- A snore cut off his thoughts and he looked down at the sleeping figure in his arms. Why was he worried? She seemed happy. He just needed to not overthink it. Easier said than done.

Luke woke her up at 4:30, shaking her shoulder slightly. She slowly sat up, patting down her messy hair.

"What's up?" she mumbled.

"It's 4:30. I should probably go before John and Riley get here. I don't want to confuse anyone."

"Oh... okay. I, uh, sorry I fell asleep. I haven't had a full night of sleep in what feels like ages."

"You're fine, Tori. You coming to the game on Tuesday?"

"Yeah. I try to bring Riley to most home games. We just never stay long. He gets restless."

"See you then," he kissed her one last time.

"Mama!" Riley ran into Tori's arms.

"Hi, baby! Did you have fun at Dada's?"

"Yes! We 'ockey!"

"You played hockey! That's so fun! Let's get you some dinner!"

"Hungy!"

Tori smiled, standing up to talk to John.

"How was he?"

"You weren't kidding about the sleep. Couldn't get him down until 11 last night. And he was up at 3 and 5."

"Yeah, it's Hell. Did he stay in his cot?"

"Last night he slept in my bed. Night before he slept in his cot until 4."

"Did you use a pacifier?"

"I'm working on not. I know you said you want him to give it up. He used it last night because I could not calm him."

"That's fine. We're coming to the game Tuesday. Can't promise we'll stay after the first period though."

"All good. You wanna stay for dinner?"

"Nah, I'm going to Jack's. See you at the game."

"See you at the game."

John pressed a kiss to her hair, "Come say goodbye to Dada, Riley!"

"Buh-bye, Dada! 'Uv 'oo!"

"I love you too!"

Once the door was closed and locked for the night, Tori put Riley in his booster seat.

"How about mac and cheese?"

"Eese!"

"Let's do it! We're going to go see Dada play hockey in two days! Are you excited?"

"I 'uv 'ockey!"

"I know you do, baby! Mac and cheese time!"

Tori was exhausted Tuesday night as she entered the arena. Riley hadn't slept the last time night for more than 4 hours and was throwing tantrums all day because he was tired. He cried and cried for his dad. Tori eventually had to call John and have him come calm down Riley while she showered. She was on the brink of crying all day Tuesday and the stress of being at the game wasn't helping. But she'd promised John that Riley would be there at least for a little bit. She was chasing him around the family suite, trying to tire the little boy out. He'd started playing with some of the other kids and she finally had a moment to herself.

"Girl, you need a vacation," Reanne sighed, rubbing her friend's back.

"You're telling me. He's been so poorly behaved recently. I just... I'm considering have John move in until he gets over his sleep regression."

"Really?" Nicole gasped, "Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure what my other options are. Call my mom to come. But she hates flying. I'd ask John's parents, but they don't love me since the break up."

"Luke?"

"We've been on two dates! And he's a rookie. He needs his sleep."

"A nanny?"

"I have no money, girl. Child support is a saving grace at the moment."

"I'm sure John would-"

"I'm not asking my ex for money."

"Are you still working for that online newspaper?"

"Yeah, but the pay isn't the best ever. It works for us, but I can't afford a nanny."

"Well, if you need moral support when you talk to John about it, we're all here," one of the other wives smiled kindly.

After the game, John came over for a bit. Tori had texted him and asked for him to come so they could talk. So, now they were tensely sitting at the kitchen table.

"What's up, Tori?"

"I- I need to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"I, um, I need you to move back in for a bit. This... this isn't me asking to get back together. Please don't take it that way. I- I'm seeing Luke now. But Riley has been a lot to handle on my own right now. And I really need help."

"I- I could pay for a nanny. Or-"

"John. I'm asking you as his father not as my ex-boyfriend."

"Right. Um, yeah. I can do that. For how long?"

"Until he's over this sleep regression. We need to tag team it right now. It's too much for one person."

"Let me go to my place and grab some stuff. I'll be back in an hour. Can you set up the sofa for me?"

"Why? You can sleep in my room. It's closer to Riley's."

"Because we're not together?"

"John, I'm not uncomfortable if you aren't. Your the father of my child. It's not weird for me."

"Then it's fine with me. See you in an hour."

God, she hoped this didn't backfire.

[luvymelody]

NAME : katsuki bakugou + shoto todoroki , boku no hero academia

SONG : moment , vierre cloud

SUMMARY : todoroki and bakugou hate each other's guts, a mutual feeling. but another mutual feeling started to blossom when yet another person starts liking y/n. or do they? wc : 3.3k

[part 1] [part 2] [you're here]

(bakugou is lowky insanely ooc in this soz guys)

(and er if u want pt 4 its gonna take a bit to come out ILY GUYS SORRY)

todoroki glared into the back of bakugou's head, if looks could kill, bakugou would be 18 feet underground actually.

bakugou's arm was around y/n's shoulder, pulling her in from the cold as she huddled herself up to bakugou to keep herself warm.

after the conversation about the two of them liking y/n, she kinda just, forgot about the whole thing after a day.. or maybe she didn't and just didn't want to talk about it. she seemed fine with talking to bakugou and todoroki though, like nothing had even happened.

todoroki strutted towards them, appearing next to y/n's right side as he held onto y/n's hand, grasping it in his hold.

"hey, you two."

todoroki greeted, (is that ooc orrr..) a small sarcastic smile appearing onto his face as he narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy on the other side of y/n.

"hi shoto! it's so cold- come closer you're like a heater!"

y/n pulled todoroki's arm in closer to her, wedging herself into todoroki's arm while also still holding onto bakugou's arm.

"we were doing just fine before you came over here, thanks."

bakugou said with a twitching eye, his previously relaxed hand turning into a tight fist as y/n closed her eyes to try and distract herself from the cold conditions.

"maybe you could use some more work, bakugou."

"think you need it more, half-and-half."

-

the bell rang as everyone started to stretch and stand, or stand and stretch. y/n leaned back in her chair after the bell rang, her wings tensing up in a way that bakugou hadn't seen before.

before bakugou could get up to walk out with y/n, a speed of light whipped past him, standing on the spot next to the winged girl.

“hi y/n.. do you wanna go now?”

“oh hi izuku!”

‘izuku?’

“yeah, let’s go!”

‘yeah let’s go? since when did she call him izuku?’

bakugou thoughts thundered in his head, a headache forming as he stood up, banging his hands on the table. making the two people infront of him jump in surprise.

“where you going, angel?”

"izuku and i are going to go eat at a new cafe!"

the winged girl had on the prettiest smile that bakugou would admire if he could, forever, but still, the underlying feeling that creeped under his skin, making him narrow his eyes at the two, mostly midoriya.

'she didn't ask me?'

"'kay, do whatever you want."

bakugou grumbled, standing up and walking past the two, but not before shoving his shoulder into midoriya's as he walked past them.

y/n worriedly turned her head towards the blonde boy who left the classroom quickly, sighing when he was out of sight.

"see what i mean?"

"kacchan's always like that, don't worry y/n."

-

todoroki silently listened to the playlist that y/n made for him a few weeks ago, zoning out while walking home.

him and bakugou had never established the situation with y/n, instead staring each other down whenever the other was too close to y/n, the 'competition' between the two of them just thickening even more.

todoroki looked up from the ground to press the button to cross the street, waiting for the light to turn green. looking up, he saw the new cafe that y/n had been rambling about for the past few days. todoroki asked her if she wanted to go with him, but she said that she was going to be busy for the next few days, so her answer was no.

you wouldn't know how weird he felt when he saw midoriya and y/n in the window seat of the same cafe, talking with each other as sweet foods were settled between them on the table.

todoroki squinted his eyes at them, not believing them as he crossed the road quickly, getting closer and closer which made him realise that it was infact, midoriya and y/n- quickly moving out of their sight but he was still able to see the two together.

he was on y/n's side, not being able to see her face as her head bobbed down, her hands on the table as midoriya put one of his hands on hers, his thumb rubbing against her hand slowly.

that was what todoroki saw, before he walked away quickly, blinking rapidly as he felt a weird stinging feeling in his eyes. something blurred his vision, and before todoroki knew it, wet tears rolled down his cheeks as he quickly wiped them away.

he never felt like this for anyone. so why should he give the feeling up for his friend?

-

for the next few weeks, midoriya and y/n continued to hang out, mysteriously disappearing together as todoroki and bakugou caught onto the two of them, but never voiced out their proper opinion.

-

"team battles!"

all might exclaimed excitedly, his hands on his hips as chatter filled the group of students that were huddled together.

"not again.."

"what? i thought you liked it last time."

"last time?"

y/n questioned, her head turning to the two guys on her right, sero and kaminari who turned to her.

"near the start of first year, we did this exercise."

"it was sooo boring though, me and jirou got beat in 3 seconds.."

"'cuz yaomomo is super smart, dingus."

jirou hit kaminari on the back of the head as he yelped, y/n and sero laughing as jirou tugged on y/n's hero costume, pulling her away.

"here are the teams!"

the two girls looked up at the screen, the partners being randomised on the spot as people's jaw dropped at the sight.

"hero team midoriya and l/n versus villain team bakugou and todoroki?"

"that sounds pretty fair to be honest.."

"but bakugou and todoroki? bakugou's gonna be too proud to do anything with todo-"

"do you wanna die?!"

bakugou yelled at kaminari, holding his collar as y/n patted his back,

"calm down, katsuki.."

y/n then was distracted by midoriya, who was insisting that they should plan out for the match against the two boys.

"okay!"

y/n walked away with midoriya as bakugou had turned, looking at the retreating pair as his jaw tightened.

-

silence was between the two powerful boys, a topic that they were waiting for the other to mention.

"oh my gosh, what's wrong with you?"

bakugou sighed, looking at the half-white half-red haired boy.

"what? nothing's wrong with me."

"cut the bullshit. you know that izuku and y/n have been, hanging out. do you think he likes her?"

bakugou answered the question that lingered on their both of their minds for the past weeks, todoroki clenched his jaw, his head going back as he leaned back into his chair's back rest as he looked up to the ceiling.

"i think so. i see midoriya holding her hand a lot."

"what?!"

bakugou had shot up in fury, his right fist clenched as his eye twitched. todoroki had moved his head back up normally, looking at bakugou.

"mhm."

bakugou breathed heavy, teeth gritting as he stormed out of the room. but then, he stopped before the door frame, without turning his body or his head, but instead opening his mouth.

"you better not make me lose this, not infront of y/n."

an unspoken speech was said between them, as todoroki nodded, standing up and walking behind bakugou.

'midoriya/izuku will not make us lose infront of y/n.'

-

the battle was, uneventful for y/n.

midoriya and y/n had planned out for the two of them to split, bakugou was most likely going to go after midoriya and todoroki was mostly likely going to go after y/n, so they theorised to stay on the outer layer of the building to avoid the two and to get the bomb.

what they didn't think would happen is bakugou and todoroki both going for y/n together.

y/n whined as the cloth covered her mouth, struggling in the hold that bound her which was the ropes, being placed against the wall as bakugou looked down the hall and at the two while todoroki tied her up.

"sorry y/n, this is to prevent you and midoriya working together to make it easier for me and bakugou."

"hey idiot, don't tell her our plan."

"you be quiet."

"watch your mouth!"

todoroki secured the rope around her arms tightly, tugging on it to see if it would fall, but y/n's whines were starting to fill his ears as he looked up at the girl, tugging down the cloth around her mouth.

"since when did you guys get rope? i thought it was only us that got the cuffs.."

"we found it on our floor. let's go bakugou."

todoroki stood up after he patted y/n's cheek, turning his head to bakugou who looked at him, but then his eyes trailing down to y/n who looked up at him.

"shut it icyhot."

bakugou walked towards y/n, crouching down to pull the cloth back over her lips as y/n jokingly glared at bakugou, but then her eyes lightened up as bakugou smiled a tiny bit.

"bye angel."

y/n mumbled gibberish, but bakugou assumed it was 'bye katsuki! bye shoto!'.

temporarily, it did help bakugou, giving him the strength to want to beat midoriya's ass.

-

midoriya ended up in the nurse's office, passed out.

when the match ended and y/n was untied, she quickly shot up, running towards the nurse's office to see midoriya as all might blinked at the girl that was running further and further down the hall.

she opened the door, seeing recovery girl kiss the passed out boy as she had a sigh of relief. she walked slowly towards the chair next to his bed, leaning over him to check his face for injuries, seeing a small cut from probably ice and a burn beginning to form on his arm.

"that bakugou boy is always burning someone."

y/n looked up to recovery girl who was starting to dress midoriya's burn.

"and todoroki and him together? bad matchup for injuries."

"mhm, you could say that again."

y/n leaned back, crossing her arms and closing her eyes in her seat.

"i'll leave you to it, i'll be in my office next door."

"okay recovery girl."

y/n stood up to bow to the teacher who was leaving, collapsing back into the chair once recovery girl left, sighing under her breath as she leaned on the bed midoriya was lying on, rubbing his scarred hand in worry as bakugou bursted into the office, scaring y/n to nearly falling out of her seat.

"omg- oh, hi katsuki."

y/n smiled at him, quickly bringing her hand to herself as bakugou's eyes were too quick, darting between midoriya and y/n's hand.

"i think so. i see midoriya holding her hand a lot."

the old memory made bakugou shake his head in frustration, stomping towards y/n as she held her hands up, slightly worried as she sweatdropped and bakugou caged her between the chair's arm rests, his hands gripping onto the arm rests as he towered over y/n, making her lean back as heat raised in her face.

"what's the deal with you and izuku?"

"izuku?-"

"are you fucking dating? just kiss and get over yourselves."

"WHAT? KISS?"

"yeah kiss! we all know you're dating!"

"why would you think i'm dating izuku, katsuki?"

y/n had a furrow in her brow, blinking up at the blonde boy as he rolled his eyes.

"i saw you holding his hand, just now."

"no you didn't."

"yes i fucking did. icyhot also saw you guys holding hands."

"oh my gosh- where?"

"plenty of fucking times."

-

it was raining at the moment, todoroki walked behind the two of them with an umbrella covering his head. it was the day after he saw the two of them at the cafe together.

y/n caught midoriya's hand as he was falling, pulling him up by the tight grip that she had on his hand. bringing midoriya back up to the umbrella that they were sharing.

the two of them didn't know todoroki was walking behind them, going back to talking out of reach of todoroki's ears.

-

"did you see deku patching up y/n after training today?"

uraraka said, leaning over the table to whisper to tsuyu and todoroki who were on the other side, iida already starting to do his chopping motion.

"it is rude to intrude on other people's business, uraraka!"

"i know! but, they were so open about it.."

"how so?"

todoroki asked, a little intrigued as he gripped onto his chopsticks tighter.

"well, i was exaggerating a bit, but the door for the nurse's office was wide open, and i saw deku like on the floor infront of y/n, wrapping her leg. i thought that it was really cute!"

uraraka grinned as tsuyu nodded along.

"mhm!"

a loud echo of chopsticks breaking were heard as todoroki quickly hid them under a heap of tissues next to his bowl on the tray.

"what was that?"

"idk maybe smth over there"

todoroki had excused himself, getting up and fast walking towards the nurse's office and peeking in to find midoriya sitting criss-cross on the floor while holding onto one of y/n's hands, y/n rambling about something as midoriya stared up at her, listening to every one of her words.

-

the class had a cooking class and they were to be paired up quickly, midoriya had made eye contact straight away with y/n when the teacher said that they could choose their partners, so they were together.

midoriya whisked some cream as y/n continued to flip crepes on the pan. bakugou from the station behind them was watching y/n as her hands moved skilfully. but then, midoriya blocked his view of her hands, bakugou's eyes trailing up from y/n's hands to midoriya feeding y/n.

midoriya held a spoon infront of her lips, a hand underneath the spoon just incase she dropped any as she opened her lips to try the cream. her face was the same for a second, until her eyes lit up as she excitedly hit midoriya.

"that's so good, izuku!"

"thanks y/n!"

"teach me how to make some one day, okay?"

"yeah of course!"

bakugou grumbled under his breath, looking back down to his pan after a bit and flipping the crepe to see the whole circle of batter was black, burnt to a crisp.

"wow, i thought you were a cooking expert."

kaminari said as he came up next to him while whipping cream in a bowl.

"shut the fuck up!"

-

"does any of that shit ring a bell?"

bakugou's eyebrows were in a permanent scowl, y/n blinking up at him, slowly processing his sudden ramble about her and midoriya. shortly after, she broke out in a small laughter, holding her stomach.

"what the h-hell? you guys are so quick to jump to con-clusions!"

y/n held her hands over her mouth in shock and to hide her giggles as bakugou's face became blank, blinking down at the girl as he gritted his teeth.

"hey! stop laughing at me!"

"i'm not laughing at you- it's just-! haha!"

eventually, y/n stopped laughing. smiling as she straightened up in her chair and bakugou had straightened his posture too, crossing his arms over his chest while standing a bit infront of y/n.

"i don't want to have to explain this twice, you know where shoto is?"

"don't know. i'm not his parent."

y/n frowned a bit, then stood up, looking back at midoriya for a second and looking back at bakugou.

"let's go find shoto, please?"

y/n purposefully made her eyes a bit bigger, a pout on her lips as bakugou rolled his eyes, already grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the office.

"let's go find icyhot."

-

they searched for 5 minutes, finding him with one of their classmates.

"shoto! i wanna talk for a sec!"

y/n called out, her hand cupped over her mouth to echo her voice and todoroki quickly whipped his head towards the source of the noise, seeing bakugou's grip on y/n's arm wasn't the most, pleasant thing to see ever.

-

y/n stood infront of two boys who sat on chairs infront of her. one slouching in the chair as the other sat straight with his back onto the chair, you can guess who is who.

"first off, i'm.. sorry that i've been avoiding, you know, it."

y/n suddenly got nervous, she was never nervous, except for the one time that she was sandwiched in between bakugou and todoroki but anyway!

"i didn't want to deal with it at the moment because i didn't know what to say so i just, didn't say anything."

"its okay, sorry if i pressured you at all to say anything."

"we, icyhot."

"whenever i speak for you, you tell me to shut the fuck up."

todoroki turned his head to bakugou as bakugou looked at todoroki with his eyes for a few seconds, then turning his eyes back up at y/n.

"shut up bastard."

"anyway! to explain everything with izuku- he's like my brother."

the two boys blinked up at the girl for a minute, todoroki looking down at the floor, taking this new information.

"huh."

"yeah, he's like a brother to me. and that time you saw us at the cafe, shoto-"

-

"i just, don't know."

y/n sighed, her head going slack as it hung forward, then feeling the soft touch of midoriya's hand on hers, his thumb rubbing her hand.

"i don't wanna mess up my friendship with either of them. i really like the both of them but i, i don't know."

"don't worry. we can wait until you do. i'll wait right next to you until you do."

midoriya smiled tenderly at the girl, as her head perked up at his words and the warm touch of her cup made her feel better.

"will you really?"

"really."

-

"he was helping me out because of you guys, i didn't know what to think so for a bit, we've been talking."

bakugou had stopped slouching, his elbows resting on his bent knees as his head was perked up at her, slightly tilted while listening to her and zoning out, staring at the floor.

todoroki was hanging off of every word that the girl was saying, listening to everything and anything that came out from her lips.

"sooo that's why i wanted to talk to the both of you now. i didn't want to explain it all over again but i just wanted to tell the both of you that, i really do like you- both of you!"

y/n exclaimed quickly, her lips closing shut as she quickly thought of the next words to say.

"and.. i need just a bit more time."

todoroki swallowed a gulp that he didn't know that he had. his eyes darting around the room, not wanting to think of anymore time not being spent with y/n. all time with y/n was precious and he didn't want to waste that.

"so please, let's just act like nothing happened. before this all happened, just for a bit."

silence filled the empty classroom that they were in. y/n kept her head low as she waited for one of the boys of say something, anything. she wondered if she was being selfish, already spending weeks distancing herself because of some feelings that she didn't know how to admit?

"alright."

her head snapped up, looking at the blonde boy as his gruff voice was the one to break the silence. bakugou stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets as he took strides to stand infront of y/n, the feeling of todoroki's eyes on the back of his head as he stopped infront of the winged girl.

"take all the time you need, angel."

y/n's lips trembled as she held in a cry, nodding up at the boy.

"thank you, katsuki."

"yeah i know. icyhot?"

todoroki looked at bakugou, his eyes leaving y/n's face as todoroki had noticed that she looked like she was about to cry.

"are you gonna wait? for her?"

"yes, of course i would."

todoroki answered without hesitation in his system, walking up to them as he held out a tissue for y/n to use for her tears, all the while as he slipped a hand on her lower back, rubbing in circles with his palm.

"i would do anything for y/n."

[banjjakz]

convection currents ; yuuta x GN!reader

“Am I important to you, Okkotsu-san?” God, he can’t stand it. The way you look at him, the uneven lilt in your fragile, quavering voice; it makes him want to bury himself alive inside of you. “Yuuta,” he says. “Just ‘Yuuta’ is fine.” 

word count: 7.6k

warnings: horizontal hanky panky, obsession, possessive tendencies, unhealthy relationships, codependency, semi graphic descriptions of violence, major character death

‪♡‬ read on ao3 ‪♡‬

likes + reblogs appreciated!

Yuuta wants to like you. 

And he does – like you, that is. He really, really does.

But there have been some moments that give him pause.

Don’t get him wrong! You’re sweet, kind, doting, attentive, and very clearly an anxious bundle of painful self-awareness. He finds comfort in the kindred connection between your loner spirits. Training is made infinitely easier when he steals a glance at the gentle flash of your sweet smile, the soft flutter of your hair in the breeze, the twinkle of your laugh, floating through the air as a windchime’s ephemeral melody serenades the breeze. Everything about you seems to be perfectly enveloped and embedded within his daily reality at Tokyo Tech; natural, easy, right. That is what it feels like, to be at your side. 

The budding affection between the two of you kicks his foolish, stuttering heart into overdrive. How long has it been, since the blood pumping through his veins was motivated by a sensation other than mortal terror? 

You make him want to envision a reality wherein he’s embedded into the fabric of the living, breathing world, rather than continue to occupy his perch as a pariah, perennially scapegoated to the periphery. 

Each sidelong glance thrown your way is accompanied by the erratic twitch of his clammy hands, as he tries and fails to pay attention during one of Gojo’s rambling, nonsensical lectures. The light in his eyes revives when you call his name. Innards undulating in and out of place, he tracks your body’s every movement, your muscles contorting fast as quicksilver during scrimmages, lethal and alluring all at once. 

These are some of the objectively positive aspects of his attraction to you; the things that pull him from his bed in the morning, calling to him like the abyss compels a creature of the night to rise from its coffin.

And then, there are the more…er, complex moments.

“Did you just come back from a mission, Okkotsu-san?”

Like today, for example. Yuuta had just arrived back on campus after a fun afternoon spent with Toge traversing around Tokyo, patronizing various cafes and konbinis. You were lingering at the entrance of the dormitory, back to the front door, effectively coming between him and his bed.

“Ah, no. I was with Inumaki. We were hanging out for a bit.”

“Where?”

“Just in the city…”

“What did you do?”

He stills, uncertain. “Um…that’s…”

“I’m sorry.” Your head ducks in shame, hiding your face from his quizzical glance. “It’s been hard adjusting to student life as a mid-year transfer. I keep up well enough in classes, and on missions, but I don’t think any of the other students like me all that much. Forgive me, Okkotsu-san. To be honest, I’m jealous of how easily you get along with Inumaki-san and Maki-san.” 

Of course. How could he assume anything different?

As a non-lineage sorcerer, you were haphazardly discovered by one of the senior sorcerers on a mission gone south and roped into the jujutsu world without prior knowledge of its existence. From a firsthand perspective, he of all people should be able to understand how isolating that must be.

Kicking himself for his judgemental first reaction, Yuuta forces his skeleton to release the tension it harbors. “No, don’t worry. Have you been sleeping well? Did you eat dinner?”

Sheepishly, you shake your head.

This is how he finds himself alone, with you, in a secluded alcove on the outskirts of campus. The afternoon has matured into a thick, syrupy evening, the sky bruised with a smattering of warm hues. You sit on the grassy bank as a pair, shoulder-to-shoulder, your union celebrated by the rhythmic thrum of the cicadas’ song. 

“Here, take it.” He offers you the last flavored onigiri leftover from his spoils of konbini adventures. 

You protest, waving your hands in front of you. “No, no, no. I’m fine with just a plain one. Please. I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

“Plain is my favorite,” he lies. “I don’t even like yaki.”

“...Then why did you have one in your bag?”

“Haha! That’s a great question! I don’t know!” Beet red, Yuuta scratches the back of his head. 

Out of mercy, and perhaps pity, you graciously accept the yaki onigiri. Munching in companionable quietude ensues for several minutes, as you both watch the sun impale itself on the dark horizon, bleeding out across the sky in dark, inky tones. 

Without sitting face-to-face, it’s easier to speak to you, somehow. The insistent pressure on his chest lifts long enough for some words of actual substance to slip forth. “It’s hard, the first year.”

You remain silent.

“My first year was hell, too. Although that’s probably because I was being haunted.” 

“By who?”

He blinks, your question knocking him off balance. Not by “what,” but by “who” had he been haunted? You’ve always been observant. This is why you’ve survived for so long. 

“Um, it’s a long story… I’ll tell you in full one day. For now, I’ll just say that there was someone very special to me when I was a child… and it was hard for her to let go of me, when push came to shove.” 

“Ah. I see.” 

Although August has yet to conclude, the air around him is significantly chillier than what is characteristic of Tokyo’s late-summer hazy heat. Yuuta shivers, pulling his knees up to his chin. 

“Yeah. But, um, anyways. If you need someone to talk to…to be by your side… I would like to be that person for you.” He utters your name like a prayer, too concentrated on not stuttering to be embarrassed at the earnest tremble in his voice. “I wish I had a confidante when I first got here. It would have saved me a lot of trouble.” 

“A confidante? But didn’t you have your friend?”

Your reply jolts him into looking at you. The expression on your face tells him that you truly mean it as a genuine inquiry. 

“Well, um. I was being haunted…and Rika – er, she didn’t really listen to me. She actually got a little overprotective, I think.” 

“Do you think she was evil?”

“No!” The denial explodes from his mouth before Yuuta can even fully process the nuance of the question posed. “No,” he repeats, at an appropriate volume, this time. “She was clingy, and protective, and possessive, and honestly violent, but she wasn’t evil. I loved her. I think a part of me always will.” 

Love? What is he doing talking to you, alone, at night, about love? How embarrassing. He hadn’t meant to say all that! 

Quickly, he stuffs his mouth with the remainder of his onigiri. No more talking. Just chewing. 

If you are perturbed by his sentimental ramblings, you show no sign of it. If anything, your face remains impassive, serene, undisturbed like the surface of a tranquil pond. 

“You loved her for that, then. Was she haunting you if you were in love?”

After he finishes choking down the final, sticky remnants of his dinner, Yuuta frowns, mulling over your words which are heavy by the virtue of their implication, yet hang and sway in the air as an empty noose dangles from the gallows. 

“...I don’t know.” Yuuta says, at length. “That’s what I was diagnosed with when I came here. And it was hard for me to function, back when Rika was still here. I didn’t have any friends. And people close to me got hurt a lot.” 

“It sounds like she was always trying to protect you… even when you were apart. I only wish one day, I find someone who would have the capacity to care for me like that…”

“You want that?”

“I do.” Not an ounce of hesitation in your firm, forthcoming reply. “I’ve spent my whole life as something worth less than notice or acknowledgement. Always feeling invisible, never having anyone – not even one person – who cared about me. Up until this point, I’ve lived life wanting to die every day.” 

For lack of a better reply, Yuuta simply asks: “What changed?”

“...I met you, Okkotsu-san.”

Oh, wow. 

It’s kind of funny – where other people describe feeling hot, Yuuta has always been chronically, terminally cold. Your words induce a rapidly onsetting deep-freeze which permeates every layer of his skin, every molecule of his bones, every wretched atom of marrow lying dormant inside of him, all of it, every fiber of being rooted to the spot in an indescribable emotion. 

“I–I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. I apologize for making you uncomfortable.” 

That’s wrong. “No, you didn’t! You didn’t, I swear. Just… um, I’m also a person who is lonely, like you described. So I’m not used to, err, being, ah, important. To people? I guess?”

“Oh… I see.”

Clearly, the higher function of critical thought has abandoned him; this is the only explanation for how he reaches to grab your hands, sending the half-eaten yaki onigiri tumbling down to the dark earth beneath your anxiously shifting feet. He squeezes you, tightly, and is delighted in a morose sort of way to find your digits even colder than his. 

“Let’s teach each other. How to be important to someone else.”

“Am I important to you, Okkotsu-san?”

God, he can’t stand it. The way you look at him, the uneven lilt in your fragile, quavering voice; it makes him want to bury himself alive inside of you. 

“Yuuta,” he says. “Just ‘Yuuta’ is fine.” 

;

Field missions have been a part of his daily life as a sorcerer since the day he arrived at Tokyo Tech. Battle has always been challenging for all the obvious reasons, but never before has Yuuta had to deal with the added hardship of fighting alongside you.

This, of course, is not meant to imply that you aren’t able to hold your own; on the contrary, your physical and cursed prowess has granted you the rank of semi-special grade despite this being your first year enrolled in any kind of formal jujutsu schooling. Your cursed technique is innate to your personality and sensibilities, which helps. But even if that weren’t the case, you would still be one of Tokyo’s top-performing students.

Missions are difficult because, despite all of this being true, Yuuta is powerless to curb the instinct to protect you during fights.

It manifests in small ways, at first: insisting to be paired up with you for assignments, always volunteering to partner up when splitting from the larger group during an investigation– things like this. 

His behavior starts to stray into problematic territory the longer he is allowed to get away with it, unchecked.

“After Ijichi casts the veil, we’ll sweep the building. Inumaki and Yuuta, you two take the upper levels. We’ll do the bottom half,” orders Maki, gesturing between you and herself.

Immediately, Yuuta objects. “No. I’ll do the bottom half. You and Inumaki should go up together.”

“What?”

“I have a phobia of heights,” lies Yuuta, shamelessly. “It will impact my performance.” 

“I have literally never heard you talk about being afraid of heights before.”

“Shake sushi,” agrees Inumaki. 

You remain silent, pupils trembling, bottom lip severed between your teeth in a display of bashfulness reserved only for Yuuta’s blatant favoritism, which he wields frequently, in hopes to catch a even a single glimpse of you just as you appear now. 

“I’m self-conscious about it,” he laughs, scratching the back of his head. “Thank you both for understanding.”

“Wait! Okkotsu, we didn’t–”

And with that, he grabs you by the wrist and pulls you away with him, sprinting into the abandoned love hotel before Maki or Inumaki can prevent you from absconding. 

The two of you are laughing, tickled as usual at the effects of pissing Maki the hell off. Consequences will rain down in due time, no doubt, but for now, it feels best to bask in each other’s presence. 

Once through the front door, Yuuta halts to an easy jog, guiding you past the cobweb-covered front desk, around the decrepit scraps of the once-ostentatiously decorated lobby, all the way to the far back corner, where a solid, heavy metal door obfuscates the emergency stairway. 

“Oh, it looks jammed… Should we–”

Your stumped musing is cut off by the ricocheting cacophony of Yuuta’s boot violating the door. The metal itself bends and warps, caving in on itself in a hurry to make way for the unstoppable force of the sorcerer’s impassioned blow. He didn’t have to activate any cursed energy.

“Let’s go!” Chirps Yuuta, cheerfully. 

In another context, maybe, it would be appropriate for his pulse to spike, for his hands to clam, for his breath to quicken, at the prospect of being alone with you. However, the reality of the current situation is that Yuuta is dragging you down into some dark, unknown depth, where neither of you will be disturbed. As you descend the concrete flights, visibility is increasingly hard to come by, and this, too, excites Yuuta. He is now forced to rely more heavily upon his other senses, which naturally prioritizes the scent of your sweat; the sound of your rabbit-paced heartbeat; the feeling of the paper-thin skin of your inner wrist; the taste of his own desire. 

The cursed spirit they’re looking for has been wreaking havoc on the surrounding commercial strip, to the point where several businesses have had to draw their shutters in the wake of the love hotel’s primary foreclosure. Evidently, recurring, unresolved muder-suicides did not bode well for business. 

“Um…if we’re supposed to be searching for the curse behind all of the couples’ deaths, shouldn’t we be looking in the bedrooms?”

Your voice echoes, tinny, in the thick, humid air of the emergency stairwell. They haven’t hit the bottom yet. 

“Eh, maybe. This doesn’t feel like that kind of case, though.” 

“Huh? How do you figure?”

Although moving swiftly, at the speed of light, your footfalls make barely a whisper against the aged concrete steps. Still, it’s enough for Yuuta’s hypersensitive ears to pick up on. Deprived of the sight of you, he drinks in the intimation of your existence, greedily. 

“Heat rises,” he says, slowing pace as they approach what can only be the door to the boiler room, which has been left ominously ajar. “Cold sinks.” 

“...Um, I’m not sure I follow.”

Stealthily, he slithers inside the slender crack between frame and the door itself. The angle of its opening doesn’t even waver. He pulls you along with him, replying as he moves, “Crimes of passion carry a kind of hot, frenetic energy. Panic, impulse, instinct – all of those things have lots of, hmm, friction? Like an explosion. Really hot at first, dangerously hot, and then it fizzles out into nothing.”

Unfamiliar pieces of enormous machinery tower in the dark. As much as you are able to while crouching so low to the floor, you take care not to trip over any errant pipes.

“So this isn’t a hot curse?”

“No,” Yuuta confirms. “The curse–” murder-suicides in a love hotel, how on-the-nose could it be? “–is premeditated by nature. Obsession solidifies over time. To act on that is a calculated choice.” 

He stops short. You would’ve crashed straight into his shoulder blades if he weren’t painfully cognizant of your whereabouts at all times. He preemptively steadies you on your feet before you can even begin to stumble.

“At some point in this building, someone,” says Yuuta, quietly, as he cautiously eyes the opaque blackness before them, “spent a lot of time thinking about their beloved.” 

“How can you tell?”

“Cold sinks,” Yuuta repeats. 

Violence explodes, seemingly, out of nowhere. The curse attacks all at once, aiming perfectly towards you as though it had been lying in wait, stalking your every move. Yuuta always takes point whenever you pair up together, because he always insists on taking the first hit. It is this presupposition that leaves you wide open, vulnerable for attack from behind. 

“Yuuta!!” You shriek, desperately dodging the grotesque appendages reaching out to you. Your body hits the floor just seconds shy of what would have been a gory fatality. 

When you lift your head to identify the exact form of the curse, you still in uncomprehending terror. 

“...Yuuta?” 

How can this be?

Not even seconds prior, Yuuta had been a whole, living, breathing, intact person, guiding you as solidly as your own personal anchor. Why, then, does he appear to you now as a corpse, brain matter spilling down his temples, bloated limbs belying days of decay, flesh pale and tender and loose around the bone. 

No, no, no. Had you been too late? Had the curse gotten to him first? Are you next?

Despair fills you, overflowing your sensibilities with the intrusive desire to rid the world of your miserable existence. How could you have let him slip through your fingers? How could you be expected to return to any semblance of a life, with Yuuta gone? You don’t deserve a future without Yuuta – you don’t even want to imagine one.

You’ll do what’s right, and offer your life in penance that you failed to protect his own.

Cursed energy welling within you, threatening to tear you apart at the very seams, you are about to implode with all the conviction of an abandoned lover– but a familiar, desperate cry of your name halts your ministrations.

That was Yuuta’s voice calling out to you.

But there he is, lying before you as nothing more than a desecrated body.

Unless…?

Yuuta calls your name again, sharply, this time in a tone adjacent to something scolding. The fear of disappointing Yuuta outweighs all else. It’s enough to snap you back to reality, to clear your clouded faculties and reveal to you the real Yuuta, who stands on guard just a few paces away, living, breathing, sweating, crouching, preparing for action.

“The curse,” he calls, eyes never leaving the thing in front of you. “It’s the curse. Don’t worry, it’s not real. You’re alive.”

“I’m alive?” You parrot incredulously. “That’s your corpse over there!”

“...Huh? My corpse? But I see yours–” He cuts himself off, face going eerily blank. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Close your eyes. Don’t flinch.”

In your defense, you try your best.

Remaining sightless and motionless is difficult as the rest of your senses are inundated with the disgustingly explicit soundtrack of slaughter. The sound of flesh forcibly sliding apart on the edge of Yuuta’s cursed katana is familiar, at this point, but no less gut-wrenching to bear witness to. When he deals the final blow, the evidence sprays all over the front of you, drenching you from head to toe in what should be the curse’s blood.

And yet, the liquid is frigid. Like you’ve been assaulted by the waves of the cruel, immortal sea. 

“You can look now.”

Hesitantly, your eyes flutter open. You’re met with the sight of Yuuta, also covered head to toe in the viscous liquid produced by the corpse’s demise. Now that the exorcism has been completed, the preternatural heaviness is lifted from the building. But still, you struggle to breathe.

“Why didn’t you let me fight?” Something horrible announces itself, crowing from an ugly, dark corner of your mind best kept away from public view. “Was I going to slow you down?”

He sheathes in katana without sparing the gory weapon another glance. The space between your bodies is quickly extinguished, as Yuuta crosses the space in a matter of heartbeats. Blood roars in your ears, drowning out all which does not consist of Yuuta’s fixed gaze, Yuuta’s shaky breath, Yuuta’s pallid, sweaty skin, Yuuta, Yuuta, Yuuta.

“No.” 

A large, wet palm meets your cheek. The soft squelch should be repulsive. Your stomach flips for entirely unrelated reasons.

“Why do you think all those murder-suicides happened?”

The question catches you off guard, but you answer, nonetheless. “The curse.”

“What do you think the curse made people see, for them to do something like that?”

You want to ask what the hell this line of questioning has to do with anything, with the mounting intensity in his stare, with the firm hand on your face, calloused thumb rubbing miniscule half-crescents into the crux of your jaw where the bone and flesh is pliant and breakable, could crack open like the shell of a creature already cooked alive, prepared to be split open for gluttonous consumption–

And then, rudely, the memory of mere moments prior hits you:

You’ll do what’s right, and offer your life in penance that you failed to protect his own.

“Oh,” you whimper, pathetically. “They see– the curse makes them see, um, someone special to them.”

“Not just ‘special,’” Yuuta corrects. From this close you can see the faint trail of blue-green veins spiderwebbing their way from his eyebags, metastasizing every which-way, just underneath his skin. “What is a curse?”

“The coalescence of negative energy secreted by human non-sorcerers.” You rattle off the elementary answer without second thought. 

“What kind of curse was this?”

The moisture evaporates from your mouth. “A cold one.”

“Why?”

“‘Obsession solidifies over time. To act on that is a calculated choice,’” you mimic back. 

Although, your tone doesn’t quite replicate the self-assured way by which Yuuta had originally imparted the information. No, your voice shakes apart, just as disjointed as the rest of your body feels at this moment. 

“What did you see when you looked at the curse?”

He already knows. He wants you to say it. You want to plead for mercy, if only to savor the eroticism of begging for something you know will not be spared for you. 

“I saw you, Yuuta.”

The curse’s blood is bitter and cold, like soured juice, when it is thrust upon your tongue. Yuuta is uncaring of the gore coating the both of you, the time-sensitive nature of this mission assignment, the way your knees sway and buckle as the adrenaline begins to leak from your body, replaced by a new, even more exhilarating sensation.

Opaque darkness still shrouds the boiler room; and yet, it isn’t enough to prevent your souls from recognizing one another. Hands wrestle with buttons, fingers grapple with zippers, teeth gnash into flesh, and the two of you take each other apart not with the reckless abandon of lovers under the duress of a transient liaison; no, you are methodological, thorough, all-consumed by the well-marinated desire that has been fertilizing from the moment you first came into contact with one another. 

Yuuta throws you down to the floor and moves his body at a preternatural speed so that he beats you there, his hand cradling the back of your skull before it can strike the concrete. 

“I saw you too,” he huffs into your mouth. 

“You were d-dead…” The way you struggle to say the word is cute. You’re so fucking cute. God, he’s no better than a fucking curse. 

It’s impossible to curb the temptation to sink his teeth into your neck, eagerly feeding off of the intoxicating effects of your pained, thrilled squeal. “You weren’t,” he murmurs into the abused flesh, pressing a kiss where he’d just gnawed. “You looked close, but you weren’t dead.”

“...Huh…?”

Can you even think right now? Do you understand what he’s saying to you? How could you possibly grasp the implications of what is transpiring, right now, when you’re laid out on the floor, snow-angeling in the blood and guts and gore of a murdered curse, delirious off of a heady combination of lust and adrenaline and fear?

“You were just barely alive. On the edge.” He moans, rocking the hard line of his body into your own. “Do you know what you said to me?”

“Tell me.”

“You asked me to finish the job.” 

Back arching off of the grimy, gritty ground, every fiber of your being reaches out for the fingers that tear at the cloth of your uniform as though it is nothing more than some cheap costuming. “You know what? I knew it wasn’t the real you, when it said that. ‘S not like you.” 

He’s monologuing to himself, it seems. You are far beyond the hope of verbally communicating in anything other than your strained, hoarse whines. 

“You’d never ask me to do that. You’d stay with me until the very end, wouldn’t you?”

Desperately, hopelessly, you nod, your fingernails carving your intentions into the meat of his shoulders. When had his shirt come off? Did you do that? 

Are you the one tearing away the last bits of offending clothing, or is that him? Do you growl in stoked desire as he breaches your entrance, or does that inhuman noise come from the both of you?

When Yuuta is buried inside of you, he feels like he’s finally been laid to rest. There is the warm, comforting embrace often described as death – but instead of an eternal bliss found at the conclusion of his life, Yuuta is able to access this euphoria by burying himself inside of you. You are his headstone, his tomb, his coffin: all of you exists to house the death of all of him, and without him inside of you, you would live on in aimless unfulfillment, anxiously awaiting the day a beautiful boy will come to die under your care and linger with you in eternity. 

You are–warm, hot, burning up, self-immolating beneath his fingers. Every thrust forward threatens to scald his hips on your molten flesh. 

“Fu-fu-fu-fu-fu–” you stutter, body shuddering to life, rising from the ground, seizing and contorting in strange shapes as you struggle and fail to cope with the insurgence of pleasure coursing through you. “Yuu–ta–”

“Promise me.” 

“Wha–”

“Promise me,” he hisses, hands coming to your throat. “Promise you’ll stay. You’re too important to me, I c-can’t lose you too, hnnnnn–”

Promise you, I’ll never leave you, is what you are able to only mouth, breath and voice held captive in his unrelenting grasp. Because you cannot voice it entirely, you pour all the contents of your heart and soul into the sentiment. Fingers rising weakly to clasp onto his, you tighten his grip on your windpipe and take comfort in the drowsy haziness that cradles your consciousness. 

When he comes, he holds you to him like he’s afraid you’re going to crawl off and die somewhere else if he doesn’t keep you right where you are, crushed against, his shivering frame, so tightly bound to him that he can hear your diaphragm contract and expand, over and over and over again, each breath cut short by a wheeze or a sob. 

Through it all, he cradles you. Naked, bruised, and forever scarred from the sight of not-Yuuta’s rotting corpse, you cling to him and release your sorrows into the dark, empty abyss of the boiler room. 

Back and forth, he rocks your body, soothing your nervous system into an illusion of safety. There is no such thing as “safety,” not for jujutsu sorcerers – but together, with limbs intertwined as one, this is the closest you can come to fooling yourselves into hoping, one day, for a safe place. A safe person, even.

“Shhh,” he simpers, thumb swiping your cheek, which is damp from an unholy mixture of cursed blood, sweat, spit, and tears. “We’re together. It’s all okay.”

“T-together…”

“Yeah. Just you and me.” 

;

“You don’t think that’s an issue?”

“I’m not saying there isn’t an issue. But we should tread lightly, here. We don’t know what could happen if we interfere.” 

“If we don’t interfere, the newbie might die.”

“It won’t get to that point. I won’t let it happen. Oi, don’t blow smoke in my face. That’s unladylike.”

“Don’t lecture me on what’s ‘ladylike,’ cocksucker.” 

“Wow! That burns!” 

“Come here, I’ll show you what else burns.”

Lingering outside the door to the infirmary, you shift your weight from foot to foot, unsure of the appropriate course of action to take. Clearly, Gojo and Ieiri are in the middle of a conversation that is not meant to be heard by prying ears – not that you can make heads or tails of what they’re talking about, anyways. 

All you wanted to do was come see Ieri for your weekly check-up, as was customary following the love hotel mission. The adrenaline must have numbed your pain receptors in the moment, because as soon as you’d arrived back on campus, your entire body felt like you’d been through a grinder. 

You were kinda confused, at first, because you didn’t even engage the curse in combat. In due time, of course, you remembered what–or who–had actually bruised your ribs, broken your skin, sprained your joints, left you carrying the contours of his wanting.

Why were they talking about you dying, anyways? Yuuta saved your life. Nothing was going to happen to you as long as he was by your side.

“Hey.”

Jumping out of your skin has started to feel good, kind of. You look forward to Yuuta’s unceremonious greetings as he creeps up on you in silence, futilely waiting for you to detect his concealed presence. 

“H-hi,” you demure. Why are you shy? He’s been so far inside of you he practically fused into your skeleton. Blushing because he caught you unawares is ridiculous. 

“Aren’t you going to go in?”

Wondering how he knows what you’re here for is pointless. Equally as useless is trying to deduce how he was able to figure out your recurring appointment time. He’s Yuuta – it’s natural for him to acquire knowledge about you, as easily as one picks low-hanging fruit from a tree. 

“Umm, I think they’re talking about something.”

He frowns. “About what?”

You hesitate. Should you tell him what you heard? “Ah, I don’t know...”

“Are you sure?”

You remain silent, unsure of how to proceed. Part of you wants to bare your innards at all times, whenever Yuuta is around. It feels natural, like a rabbit’s cowering. On the other hand…

Somehow, the thought of telling Yuuta the truth–yeah, Gojo-sensei and Ieiri-sensei think there’s a chance I might die soon–would not end well for anyone involved. If there was something you truly needed to know, you’re sure your senseis would tell you. 

Right?

“Please trust me,” you whisper, only feeling a little guilty. You’re doing it to protect him. If something dangerous is going to happen to you, Yuuta shouldn’t be involved at all. He must live. You must make sure of it. 

Reluctantly, he acquiesces, although he insists on accompanying you to your check-up that week. Strangely, neither Gojo nor Ieiri seem surprised that he is here with you, and make no effort to question why. Yuuta is allowed to linger at your sides as Ieiri takes your vitals, reviews the status of your various injuries, and even holds your hand when she scans your cursed energy levels. Thankfully, you are on track to make a perfect recovery. 

In fact, not only are you replenishing the strength and ability that had been impaired during the love hotel mission–you are regenerating cursed energy at rates which exceed your natural capacities. 

When Ieiri relays this to you, Gojo, who has been lingering in the infirmary for some unknown reason (you suspect it’s simply to annoy Ieiri with his very presence) speaks up: “Do you know what that means, kid?”

“Um…” You start, nervous. Everyone’s eyes are on you. It feels like you’re under a microscope. “I’m moving up a rank?”

Gojo bursts into a fit of giggles, doubling over at the waist. “Wow, what an opportunist! Haha, maybe in the future, if your cursed energy continues to compound exponentially. I’m asking you about the cause. Any idea why you’re suddenly overflowing with power?”

“No.” Your answer is as truthful as it is anxious. 

“Typically, a dramatic increase in output like this only occurs after a Binding Vow. Make any life-or-death promises, recently?”

It’s supposed to be a joke, the way Gojo says it. You can tell because his crow’s feet dip down just far enough away from underneath his blindfold that you can tell whenever he smiles with his eyes. And he is smiling, after he cracks the joke. You’re also able to intuit when he stops smiling, as the depressions on his face smooth out into a careful blankness. You are thirty seconds too late to the punchline. Instead of laughing along, you remain damningly silent, and Yuuta shifts uncomfortably at your side. 

“Okay,” says Gojo, clapping his hands. “Alright.” 

Although you’re fully clothed in your school uniform, it makes you feel chillingly exposed when what feels like all Six of his Eyes bore into the collection of dark marks ringing your neck in a brutal, makeshift collar. Those were not, in fact, the work of a curse. 

Yuuta fidgets with the flimsy paper lining the examination bed. You kick your feet like a child in time out.

“You owe me seven thousand yen,” Shoko deadpans. 

“Hey! Didn’t we say forty-five?”

“Don’t kid around.”

Am I in trouble? The terrified plea swells to the front of your mouth, begging to escape. You force the words to sit, stay, and curdle on your tongue. 

“Can we go now?” Asks Yuuta, uncharacteristically direct. 

Given the odd gravity in the room, you don’t expect Gojo’s easy wave of his hand, dismissing the two of you with a flippant hum. Not having to be told twice, you hightail it out of the infirmary, grateful to be released from the constant invasion of privacy and security that is a prolonged existence within the reach of Gojo’s Six Eyes. 

Finally alone once more, the training grounds are a welcome reprieve for you and Yuuta, who crash into the grass clearing hand-in-hand, heartbeats synced. 

“Did we make a Binding Vow? When we…you know…”

Yuuta’s voice trails off, lamely. 

“What if we did? Would you regret it?”

“Huh? No, of course not! It’s just…well–”

“Well, what?” 

“That’s kind of permanent,” Yuuta whispers, dark pools of obsidian sorrow holding your gaze in its cruel, captivating clutches. “And we don’t know what will happen if it breaks.”

For one second, the rawness of it hits you. Fear washes down your back, prickling your flesh, raising goosebumps, locking your spine rigidly into place. The two of you had certainly made a life-or-death promise, infused with cursed energy and blood and…other…bodily fluids. To inadvertently perform a Binding Vow meant that the sheer intensity behind both of your wills was purely, wholly devoted to the promise. 

Which is why you take a step closer to him, voice steady. “I didn’t make that promise with the intention to break it. Ever.” 

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Don’t…you can’t be sure of that.”

“I am.”

“You won’t be able to guarantee it.”

“I will.” 

Familiarly calloused hands grab your shoulders, jostling you with charged intention. “You don’t get it! My favorite person in the whole world already left me once. If that happens again, I can’t… I don’t know…”

“Yuuta.” You don’t have to lay a finger on him for his entire body to stand at attention, drawing tall and taught, when you call his name. “I will never leave you, even if I die.” 

The ensuing kiss tastes like metal. 

Despite the passionate fervor with which he devours you, his mouth his cold, and his digits even more so as they dig into your cheeks, your throat, your waist, your chest, groping and pulling and kneading your flesh to loosen the rigor mortis that has arrested your willingness. 

“D-don’t, ah, make any m-more marks…” 

Your protest is, at best, unconvincing, the person least of all convinced being yourself, as Yuuta’s teeth and tongue on the tender flesh of your neck make you feel like you’re about to leave your body. “Hnng–Gojos-sensei already knows, I think.”

“Good.” He’s crazed, nipping and slurping at your sensitive soft bits like a man starved. “Let him know. Everyone should know. I shouldn’t even–” he kisses “–have–” he bites “–to say it–” he licks you in between speaking, as though it goes against the grain of his being to part ways with you for more than just a few jagged inhalations. 

The ground hits you hard, reprimanding you for your clumsiness with a firm impact on your backside. Yuuta pursues with haste, hands slamming down on either side of your head, ripping the grass in retribution. 

“Yuuta,” you hiss, hands flying to his dark mop of hair, trying to reel him back – in vain, of course. “We are outside. In the middle of the day. Anyone could walk by!”

“Don’t care.”

His eyes are glazed, half-lidded, pupils blown wide and deeply dark as a gunshot wound, uncaring of your anxiety as he attempts to dive back into you.

“Wait! What if someone sees me?” Now, he rears back. “I don’t want anyone else to see, Yuuta… only you get to see me like this.” 

Even the ants traipsing across the clearing stop dead in their tracks, rendered motionless, silent, at the abrupt onslaught of highly charged cursed energy that washes through every living and non-living thing within a five-mile radius. 

“Okay.”

Wordlessly, your world upends as you are thrown over a wide shoulder clad in spotless, wrinkled white. You’ve always thought it was funny – how Yuuta’s uniform never managed to permanently stain itself with any of the gore he frequently encountered, and yet, there was always a noticeable depression in the seams, ever-lurking, complicating the otherwise flawless expanse, evoking a sense of pity. 

Even when the shirt flies off, abandoned to crumple sadly in the corner of his bedroom, you can’t get its image out of your head. That spotless white. Those gleaming gold buttons dripping in iridescent rivulets down the front of the garment. Only within the intricate designs etched into their surface is one able to glean the barest hint of blood, staining the metal a pale crimson. If you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t notice it.

But you have always sought out his ugly, twisted parts. Even when he tries to hide. Even when he might duck from them himself. 

That’s okay. 

That’s why he has you. 

When he bites you so hard that the wound draws blood; when his palms squeeze around your windpipe so deftly that you lose vision; when pins down your bruised hips, ignoring their wriggling avoidance; when his unquiet nature makes itself known, eclipsing the carefully bashful performance he puts on for his peers so that he might be liked, or loved, even–that is when you feel most connected to him. That is when your affections burn brightest. 

And during the comedown, as he holds you close and rocks your brutalized body back and forth and back again, you are well aware that it is he himself who he seeks to soothe.

He doesn’t know, you realize, broken out of your post-coital mental haze with a pointed moment of clarity. 

Yuuta has no clue what lurks inside the haunted catacombs of his soul. 

What does it say about you, then, that his naivete only serves to further incense your want, smoldering like an inferno brewing at the base of a pyre, threatening to engulf your sorry corpse in entirety? 

;

As third year trudges on, instruction takes less time in the classroom, or on campus. More frequently, you find yourself out on missions from sun-up to sundown, running around Tokyo-to and even surrounding prefectures. The grades of the curses you go up against only increase with time, and so, to, does your proximity to mortal danger.

Through it all, Yuuta is present. Indignantly so. Despite your rank as a semi-special grade sorcerer, you have yet to embark solo on an assignment. The pair of you are one combative unit, at this point so intertwined in sentiment and instinct that rarely is it necessary to reach for verbal exchange while engaged in battle. It is as though the reserve of cursed energy you draw from is a pool shared between you, a combination of your innate abilities plus an additional overflow, supplied by the Binding Vow you had consummated all those months ago. 

So close are you, now, that Yuuta grows comfortable – confident, even – with your hold on his proverbial leash. These days, he is less neurotic when you inquire as to his whereabouts. Your prying questions provoke within him nothing other than a deep-seated sense of reassurance. He no longer doubts where he stands with you, as he once did when you were still a fresh-faced, mid-year transfer adjusting to life at Tokyo Tech. 

In retrospect, he recognizes that he should never have let his guard down.

It’s his fault, really. Entirely his fault. The extra strength provided by the powerful effects of the Binding Vow deluded him into a false sense of security. 

He shouldn’t have been so careless with your life. He shouldn’t have strayed so far from your side. He shouldn’t have let you out of his sight. He shouldn’t have left you alone, even if it was only for a split second–not even. 

Once again, he has failed to save the most important person in his life. Somehow, losing you is worse than losing Rika. He is no longer a child. He possessed both the skill and ability to save you. 

And yet, he had been absent in your time of need. 

The one time you’d been off on a mission without him. The one and only time. Principle Yaga’s sorry excuse was that the higher-ups found it strange that you, as a semi-special grade, had never completed a solo assignment. Apparently, your rank was being threatened if you refused any longer to display independent capability. 

Well. Now there’s no rank for you to claim, anymore. 

After news of your death reaches him, he roams campus like an aimless specter, as though he is the one who has been robbed of life. 

In a way, he has. Half of his being has perished. He limps, lopsided, dragging the phantom weight of your body with him wherever he goes. 

It takes a while to get used to the absence of your physical, living, breathing manifestation. As a fellow sorcerer, you have been wholly eradicated from the fabric of his reality. 

But as a spirit…?

Death is not enough to break a Binding Vow – this, Yuuta knows better than anyone. He retains his augmented cursed abilities, along with your presence. The two of you join once more in battle, as he summons you to protect and guard him in life as he failed to do for you. Your selfless nature has never been more clearly evident. Not a single call goes unanswered, not a single need of his unmet. 

Is this a haunting?

No, he doesn’t think so.

When the two of you had still been skittish and shy around one another, nothing more than a pair of innocently covetous children, you’d dared him to reflect on his relationship with Rika. What had been translated to him as a haunting, you reimagined as something more corporeal, something genuine, something worthy of gratitude, and love.

This is how he chooses to think of you – the both of you, together, still joined in perfect union. No matter the fact that you will watch him age, change, develop, and eventually die, one day, should he be so lucky. You do not haunt his waking hours. You do not terrorize his dreams.

You love him in a way that transcends the bounds of space and time.

He has not been cursed. Rather, he has been blessed with your unconditional love.

To earn true forgiveness, he must show you his, as well. You must occupy his every waking thought. You will invade his every intention. You are at the forefront of his mind when he rises with the dawn, and the memory of your breath against the shell of his ear whispers to him good night. You dress him. You urge him to sustenance. You machinate his combat. You heal his wounds. You wipe his tears when he sobs, alone, terribly alone, sobbing into his knees after each time the life of a friend meets a senseless, violent conclusion. 

You are still there when he wraps a rough, harried palm around his throbbing arousal, thrusting up into an elusive, now long-gone pleasure. You guide his hands’ journey across the hazardous dips and valleys of his rib cage, the grotesque concave of his stomach, the sharp blades of his hip bones. His skeleton threatens to crawl outside of his flesh. It yearns for something beyond this senseless cycle of bloodshed, grief, and rage.

 Never does he feel closer to salvation than when he is on the precipice of ecstasy, dehydrated, underfed, delirious, heart beating so fast that it limits his vision, his lung capacity. When he occupies this liminal space, it is not the brink of orgasm which he straddles. As he approaches climax, he yearns not for an explosion of wet heat, but for the euphoric embrace of a final ending: your arms around him once more, real, tangible, warm. 

Until then, he will trudge onwards. Miserably alive. Cold inside and out. Numb to physical pain, constantly inundated with the wounds inflicted on his spirit, his sentiments, his soul. 

Solace finds him in the fact that you committed to remain by his side, forever. How could he wallow in total despair when this remains true?

You chose this, after all.

You chose him.

You did. 

Didn’t you?

[seeingivy]

brutal

eren jaeger x f!reader

**part of my canary mate fic

previous part linked here

--

[busstopbilly]: My song recommendation for the day is brutal by Olivia Rodrigo. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i beg ur pardon….

[lizontopoftheworld]: first of all. CRAZY choice for 7:47 am. who hurt you? 

[busstopbilly]: Car troubles. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: second. how do u know this song…. do u talk to other girls…. 

[busstopbilly]: Does my little sister count? She’s the one who told me about the song. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: ok period never mind. so she’s basically a real one for 1. listening and 2. putting you on 

[busstopbilly]: Would it bother you if I did? 

[busstopbilly]: Talk to other girls? 

[busstopbilly]: :) 

that was always the line that the two of you toed. on a day to day basis – making jokes about the one thing that you never seemed to talk about. 

that things, at least on your end, felt dangerously real at times. that when someone at the bar asked you if you were seeing anyone, your first thought would always be yes. because it felt wrong to say no. 

you were convinced that if you knew him in person, he’d be your boyfriend. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: DO YOU? 

[busstopbilly]: I can say it again. Would it bother you if I did? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: tbh wait

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’re obviously your own person. i was obviously just joking AND if you are talking to someone else it wouldn’t bother me. that doesn’t affect the fact that we’re friends and talk to each other here and there AND i would be very happy for you if you did because you deserve it 

that was the other thing. anonymity always presented a certain fear. that one day, he would stop responding. 

and that he’d be lost to you forever because you’d never be able to find him again. no identifying features, a vague username, and the conversations left as a reminder. 

[busstopbilly]: Wow. It usually takes the 3 o’clock slump to get you rambling about how we as people are deserving of the good, honest love. What gives? 

[busstopbilly]: For what it’s worth, no, I do not talk to other girls. Besides my sister and my mom, obviously. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: YIPEEEEEE 

[busstopbilly]: What happened to “that wouldn’t bother me”? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: ….next question. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: your sister seems cool. can i meet her someday? 

[busstopbilly]: Hilarious. 

[busstopbilly]: Yes, you can. 

you’re thrown out of the conversation by three consecutive honks – and sasha waving her arm out the car door – as you shoot one last message. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: my ride is here! have a great day billy boy :D 

you close your phone as you climb into sasha’s car, noting the two iced coffee cups in the holder, as you shoot her a smile. 

sasha offers to drop you off at the hospital on the way to the lab. 

it’s something that she does often – suggest that you run errands with her, study with her at the cafe, walk together to the lab. there’s moments where you feel bad about it, that she dictates the friendship so much, because you’re never one to suggest it at first. 

it’s not your fault that this aspect of friendship felt like it was foreign to you. or that it seemed like something you’d never be able to overcome. 

you didn’t grow up with friends that functioned like family. they always felt more transactional – though that was almost by design, on your part. 

“good morning sash.” 

“nico made you a coffee!” 

you smile. 

“awful kind of him.” 

sasha gives you a smile as she hunches over the wheel, looking over her shoulder, as she turns on to the street. 

“he just feels bad about the party you know…when he…” 

“threw up all over my shoes? yeah. i recall.” 

“he’s sorry! and he made you a sweet iced hazelnut coffee to make up for it.” 

you smile, shaking your head as you reach for the aux cord in her car. 

sasha had a penchant for being indecisive, a little bit too stuck in the situation sometimes, down to the details. you knew deep down that niccolo probably didn’t care much about the vomit and hadn’t thought about it since – and that she was trying to save imaginary face by gifting you a coffee in his name. 

it was hard for her to participate in things normally, in her words, with people who felt like they were high stakes. 

it was one of the reasons that she loved to hang out with you. she said it was easy to tell that you didn’t care much about that type of thing in the first place.

you wondered if it was a compliment – that you were so palatable to people’s taste. or a comment on how you felt so adaptable that there was nothing rigid or cemented about your personality to warrant a second thought.

“oh wait. this is an olivia rodrigo song right?” sasha asks. 

“yeah.” 

“aren’t her songs like…like really sad?” 

“i guess. a good amount of them are.” 

“i hate sad music. it just makes me so….so…” 

you try not to laugh. 

“sad?” 

sasha rolls her eyes. 

“you know what i mean. i listen to the song and then i start thinking about how i relate to it. and then i start wallowing.” sasha comments. 

“i do that too.” 

“god, isn’t it such a waste of time? sometimes it’s like…so overwhelming that it takes over my entire day. i can’t do anything but sit there and just feel it all.” 

and there was the key difference between you and sasha. it always made itself apparent, in almost every interaction that you had with her, but it said more about the way your rotten mind was wired to work, than her temperament. 

she seemed to repel the idea of sadness. you wallowed in it.

it was something that you thought about often when you looked at sasha. when you looked at yourself in the mirror. that her smile seemed to fit perfectly on her face – bright brown eyes that lit up whenever she talked, two dimples that were always visible on her cheeks, and an infectious smile.  

sometimes you felt like light didn’t fully reach the center of your eyes. that your smile didn’t look right on your face – that it did, but it just didn’t look like hers. infectious. encouraging and warm. 

that sadness sat in all of your wrinkles and lines and that it was there to stay. that no matter how you tried, it would always be there. 

“yeah. i’ll change it. bad start to the morning.” you state. 

“plus, you need all the luck you can get.” 

you groan. 

“don’t remind me please.” 

eren didn’t seem too happy to have you involved in his project. and that made two of you. 

you could appreciate that he was organized – scheduling mandatory meetings a week in advance, letting you bring his undergrad since he was bringing his – and never sparing you a second glance beside it. 

what you couldn’t appreciate was that he didn’t seem to want your help at all. you understand why it was warranted, especially for someone like him. you knew for a fact that he would have zero shred of bedside manner, no way to interact with patients that was sensitive or appropriate – since he couldn’t even seem to do it with normal people. 

making comments about jean and sasha, refusing to talk to anyone besides levi and hange at dinners, being so arrogant about the entire thing that he thought he was above it. 

you wonder how him and grisha jaeger were even related. 

you reach for the coffee, trying to banish the thought and the impending irritation that arose from the thought of both of them combined, just for it to consequently spill all over your top. 

“oh my god.” 

one of the ice cubes slithers all the way down the bottom of your shirt, landing in your lap, as you miserably eye the horrendous dark brown stain coating your white button up shirt. it sends a wave of goosebumps down your skin – the stickiness of the syrup and the ice cold liquid, as you can’t help but groan. 

sometimes it felt like these types of things only happened to you. 

“sasha.” 

“he must have not closed the lid properly. he didn’t do it on purpose!” 

you turn to glare at her. 

“i mean, obviously not. do you have napkins? or a spare shirt by the grace of god?” 

“napkins are in front in the glove box. and no…niccolo just took all my shirts out the other day so he could wash them.” 

you give her a wry smile. 

“of course he did.” you joke. 

“i swear to god. he didn’t mean it!”

the napkins do little to fix the mark – except smear it farther across the fabric – as you give her a dry laugh. 

“i know. relax.” 

“you’re not mad right?” 

“no. just anticipating some comment from eren about dress code and professionalism, that’s all. if anything, that makes my entire thing easier since he can’t pick on something else i was doing wrong that i was seemingly blissfully unaware of.” 

you give up after two minutes of dabbing, most of the wetness drained from the shirt and the stick gone from your sing, as you turn to sasha. 

“what are you going to work on today?” 

“mikasa’s project. well mine, but hers, you know?” 

“yeah. does she at least seem excited about it?” 

“i mean, it’s insane experience to have as a project lead. i don’t know why she wouldn’t get in the next time.” 

“that’s true. plus, six spots and none of the people in the program are affiliated with the lab so, she has a good shot.” 

“i just hope she gets it. i would end up on the news if i got rejected as second time after putting in all that work.” 

sasha rolls right up to the front of the hospital – and you note that she awkwardly eyes the stain – as you give her a smile. you can see eren sitting at the front bench, gabi and falco sitting by his side, as you swallow down the contempt in your mouth.

you clear your throat, catching all of their attention, as you note all of their expressions. gabi and falco have a total pinch of pity in both of their eyes and eren just looks irritated as they eye the stain.

“you have to be kidding, right?” eren asks. 

“sasha drove me here and her…boyfriend didn’t put the lid on the coffee properly. it’s not my fault.” 

“do you have another shirt?” eren asks. 

“obviously not. you think i’d show my face before his excellency without it?” you ask. 

that earns you a laugh from falco and gabi, who you turn to give a smile to, before looking back to eren. he rolls his eyes, making a dramatic show of pinching the bridge of his nose, as he digs into his pocket. 

“this is your badge. maybe we can get you one of those bright pink shirts from the gift shop.” 

“eren. don’t be a dick. just give her your shirt.” gabi states. 

erwin had decided to pair gabi with eren and falco with you, just based on compatibility and interests, and it was one of the reasons that you had utter faith in erwin as a leader. 

gabi had a penchant to keep eren on his toes. she wasn’t exactly afraid of his bitter personality, but instead, very eager to win him over. 

it reminded you of when you first met eren and thought you could do the same. though unlike gabi, you quickly decided that it was a lost cause. 

“what?” 

“you’re wearing an undershirt, aren’t you? just give her the button up.” gabi states. 

“gabi. wearing a short sleeved t-shirt here isn’t exactly professional.” eren responds. 

“you know what’s even more unprofessional? letting one of your team members look bad when you can help them. no offense, y/n.” 

you smile. 

“none taken.” 

“they’re going to give us white coats that’ll cover up your arms. but it won’t cover up the stain, so just be a gentleman, and give her your shirt.” gabi states. 

eren gives her a menacing glare – though you think that he just looks like that, that it can’t intentionally be by design to look so hateful all the time – while he ponders the thought. he must have a soft spot for gabi or something, probably something that reminds him of the sister you’ve heard briefly about, as he reaches down and starts unbuttoning his shirt. 

“falco, gabi. go check in at the desk at the front.” 

you watch as the two of them scuttle off, giggling under their breaths as they run through the round-a-bout doors. you turn to eren, who hands you the shirt, as you shoot him a smile. 

“thank you, eren. i really appreciate it.” 

“next time, anticipate being prepared.” 

you roll your eyes. was it impossible for him to be polite? 

“do you want me to carry a spare of every article of clothing for me in the off chance that i spill something on myself?” 

“off chance is a little kind. it literally happened just now.” eren mutters. 

you bite down on your cheek as you put his shirt on, tucking in the excess fabric into your pants. you unclip his badge from the shirt and hand it over to him, as the two of you join falco and gabi at the elevators. 

eren clears his throat as the four of you enter the elevator, shooting gabi a look, as she drops her conversation. you turn to falco and give him an eye roll – your frustrations with eren well known to him – as falco steps back and joins you. 

“gabi. what’s a lesion?” 

“areas of damaged brain tissue. all the patients we’re seeing today got their brain lesions from injuries that they got, but you can also get lesions from certain diseases.” gabi repeats. 

you hate that eren does this. makes her learn through fear of disappointing him. falco told you that she spent all of her free time outside of the fellowship memorizing as much as she could to make sure that she would get all of his questions right. 

“what region are we looking at today?” eren asks.

“hippocampus this week. amygdala next week, but there’s a focus on the temporal lobe.” 

you spare yourself as you tap falco on the shoulder, lowering your voice. 

“how’s your brother doing?” 

falco gives you a shrug, as you reach forward and squeeze his shoulder. two week ago, you gave him the entire week off because his brother got into a car accident – and from what levi had told you, he had yet to recover. 

“same old.” 

“if you need anything, can you let me know?” you ask. 

falco awkwardly reaches for the back of his neck, pushing down the ends of his hair, as you exit the elevator. 

“i’ll let you know, okay?” 

you give him a nod as you catch up to eren and gabi, the two of them holding out the white coats to you as you pull them on and walk into the briefing meeting. 

--

the day goes well for the most part. you’re counting your lucky stars through the training that it’s mostly basic procedures, sanitation rules and the such, and you’re just going through the motions. 

it goes well for the most part, until the very end. and it’s almost like you can anticipate it – eren having a horrible interaction with someone that would put you off – that it’s almost laughable. 

you interact with one patient at the end of the day, just to screen if they wanted to participate in eren’s study. and of course, he has to push the limits and ask a question that goes too far. 

it just bothers you that it was gabi on the chopping block. 

“okay, the patient’s name is gabriela alvarez. she’s from the area, she got injured in a motor cycle accident. her family isn’t here since they all had work, so it’ll just be her. we’re just going to walk in, ask her if she wants to participate in the study, and then fill out screening forms. if she declines, we’ll just leave.” 

you all give him a nod. 

“gabi. what is it?” eren asks. 

“what? nothing.” gabi responds. 

“you made a face when i just said that. is there a problem?” eren asks. 

you hate the tone. he could have just asked her if something was wrong – not insinuating that she had a problem. 

“no, eren. i’m good. i’ve just never done this before.” gabi states. 

“don’t worry. that’s why y/n and falco are here. they have experience with this type of thing.” eren states. 

you and falco turn towards gabi, giving her a smile. 

“we can lead for this one if you wanted? just so you could see how it goes?” you ask.

gabi shakes her head, immediately turned off by the thought, as she gives you both a halfhearted smile back. 

“no, no. i got it, i’m here for a reason.” 

you swallow down the retort as the group of you walk in. that her not taking the lead wouldn’t insinuate that she wasn’t meant to be here. that she could learn without being put on the spot.

despite the fact, eren seems to lead the entire thing. gabi doesn’t have to worry about talking, because eren barely lets her get a word in – with a prerehearsed spiel you’re convinced he practiced in the mirror. 

“we would really appreciate if you could participate in the study. it’s totally optional, but it would really help us better understand the nature of the injury and help other people in the future.” eren finishes. 

arrogance. 

the lady’s barely forty years old, a kind smile like sasha’s – sweetness that melted into her skin – and it made your chest pang that she seemed confused. sitting in a hospital room, alone. listening to people like eren jabber all day, with no one to consult or talk to for advice. 

and there’s silence, an awkward silence where she’s supposed to respond, and after the fact, she turns to look at gabi. 

“you guys would take my information?” she asks.

“it’s all removed when we analyze it.” gabi offers. 

“but…but there would be record of all my information and such that i did it?” 

gabi sighs. 

“no one can have access to it. it’s just so that we note down who did the experiment, that the results weren’t falsified.” 

gabriella seemes turned off by the idea entirely, shaking her head. 

“i would love to help, but…but you know i can’t.” 

you watch as she bores her eyes into gabi’s – and shockingly enough – that she reaches forward and grabs her hand. 

“i know. i’ll talk to them about it. i’ll see you later, okay?” she murmurs, quiet enough that you can barely hear it. 

eren turns to you, giving you a questioning look, as you shrug. the four of you subsequently leave the room and eren doesn’t waste a single second in the hallway. 

“do you know her?” eren asks. 

gabi gives him a nod, barely meeting his eye. 

“yeah. yeah, she’s friends with my mom. they’ve known each other for a while.” 

“so you know why she won’t do it?” eren asks. 

you nudge him in the side. 

“you can’t coerce people into participating, eren.” you note. 

“i’m not coercing her. i just want to know so that we can keep it in mind for future patients. change up how i market the entire thing. why won’t she do it?” eren asks. 

you watch as gabi gives him a nervous look, eyes flickering in between him and falco, as she scrunches up her shoulders. 

“gabi. you obviously don’t have to answer. don’t feel the need to share anything too personal.” you offer. 

gabi gives you a smile before turning back to eren and it’s almost like you can see it in her face. that she’s folding. 

“she met my mom through the church that we go to. she also gave my mom a contact for an agent that can help her apply for...citizenship. she’s undocumented, like my mom is, and that’s why she won’t do it. if the reviewers look into the validity of the study and look into her status, she…” 

“they wouldn’t do that.” eren offers, voice almost quiet. 

gabi sighs. you swear there’s a glistening sheen in her eyes. 

“i know. but she doesn’t know that. there’s a fear that comes with this type of thing and…” 

it hits a nerve. it hits a nerve and you think it’s horrible – you think eren’s horrendous for putting her on the spot like that, for questioning her further – and you hate him for it. 

“okay, gabi. well, we’re done for the day anyways, so do you want to go get the car?” eren asks, holding the keys out in front of her.

she gives eren a smile, as she nods and takes them from him. you turn to falco, giving him a beckon to follow her, as he shoots you a grateful smile and speed walks behind her. the two of you watch as they wave from behind the elevator, before you note the empty hallway, and turn back to eren. 

“you’re an asshole.” you state. 

eren looks up from the file in his hand, eyes wide, as he looks up at you. 

“i beg your pardon?” 

“i know you heard me. you’re an asshole. you had no right to push her into sharing something that was obviously personal for her. and you have no right to be so hard on her all the time.” 

eren flips the folder shut, tucking it under his elbow, as he digs his hands into the pockets of his white coat. you can tell that he’s irritated – that he can’t hide the malice in his eyes – and it drives you insane. 

that he still has the audacity to be mad. 

“i’m hard on her?” he asks. 

“of course you’re hard on her. she spends all of her free time memorizing useless facts that teach her shit about what it’s like to do research. you should be supporting her, asking her questions that encourage her to explore what it is that we’re doing on our own, why we made the experiment the way that we did. you have to know that this does nothing for her.” 

eren rolls her eyes. 

“and you want me to do what? coddle her like you coddle falco?” 

“excuse me?” 

“you don’t need to walk him through every line of code that he writes. he can find articles to read and explore on his own, you’re setting him up with bad expectations that he’s going to find easy help when he has to do this on his own.” 

“is there something so wrong with that? getting help? god forbid i give him a good foundation on the things he has to know before putting him in the deep end.” 

eren rolls his eyes. 

“being helpless is how you learn.” 

you glare at him. 

“you might get off on that type of thing, but i certainly don’t.” 

“what type of thing?” 

you sigh, balling your fists at your side, as you try to stop your voice from wavering. 

“she’s been trying to vye for your approval since she met you – and…and you kept asking. you made her feel like she had to give that to you, so that she could get points. it’s cruel and senseless, using something like that against someone. especially when it’s something…a situation that’s so foreign to you. you have no idea what it’s like to struggle like that. and on top of that, you’re going to be an asshole and make her get your car? so yeah, you get off on that type of thing. acting like you’re better than people, like you have a right to know, because you’re important.” 

eren sighs. 

“and what makes you think i didn’t know already?” eren asks. 

“what?” 

“i know you heard me. what makes you think that i didn’t know already? because gabi actually told me one of the first days that she got here. i’ve known for some time because she’s actually trusted me enough to tell me – not because i cornered her into it for brownie points.” 

eren seems to lean closer, looming over you as he looks down at you. 

“i don’t coddle gabi, because that’s something that doesn’t motivate her. the same way it’s something that doesn’t motivate you. i know damn well from the way you look at sasha and hange, hange and annie, that you think that it’s something you want. being buddy buddy the way hange is with us. but i’ve known from the second i met you, that you live for that type of thing. proving yourself, having to work for someone’s approval, because it won’t motivate you otherwise, the same way it won’t motivate gabi. there’s a reason that you got paired with levi, y/n. there’s a reason you’re so pissed off watching her work for it – because you have some insecure sense of self worth that you don’t deserve to be here and you’re scared she feels that way too.”  

you swallow down the bile in your throat. 

“are you watching me or something?” 

“only because you irritate me just as much as i irritate you. don’t think that i don’t turn my nose up at everything you say and that i don’t notice that you do it to me too.” eren responds. 

you bite so hard into your cheek that you swear you draw blood. 

“are you done? how long did that one take to rehearse in the mirror?” 

eren clenches his draw. 

“no. i’m not the asshole that makes his undergraduate student get his car. i got a flat tire and she offered to drive me here. i had her key, because her pants don’t have pockets.” eren responds, stalking towards the elevator, as you begrudgingly follow. 

it’s an awkward elevator ride down, completely silent until the ding, as the two of you walk out to the front of the hospital. the suns dipping down into the horizon, as gabi and falco lean against eren’s car, quietly talking. 

you give them a wave, the two of them sitting up, as you and eren walk up to them. 

“eren. can i talk to you for a second?” falco asks. 

eren gives him a nod, gesturing for him to follow towards the left, as you take falco’s spot next to gabi. you eye the two of them, noting falco’s characteristically nervous hands moving rapidly as he talks to eren. 

“what are they talking about?” you ask. 

“falco’s going to ask eren if colt can do the trial. he has lesions…or…or falco thinks he might, he just can’t remember right.” 

you look over at him. 

“he isn’t getting any better is he?” 

gabi shakes her head. 

“falco says that colt doesn’t even remember him.” 

you nod. 

“listen. i wanted to talk to you about something, if…if that’s okay.” 

gabi looks over at you, eyes expectant as you look down at the uneven gravel. 

“my mom recently got her citizenship status. my dad’s is being processed right now and…and it’s because my brother married an immigration lawyer. she’s really good and…and she could help you. and i can cover it for you, if you need me to.” you state. 

“what?” 

“she is really good. i can’t promise anything but, it’s worked out well for us, if you want another opinion.” 

gabi gives you a smile, cheeks almost pink as she follows your suit, staring down at the ground. 

“i couldn’t let you pay for that.” 

“she owes me a favor…and she’s my sister. i know we don’t know each other that well but, i…i get that this type of thing can….i don’t know.” 

you pause. 

“i just want you to enjoy your summer here so that you can see if research is your thing, no stress. i know it can be a lot at times.” 

gabi gives you a smile. 

“i’ll think about it, okay?” 

“please don’t hesitate, okay?” 

“i won’t.” 

eren and falco trail back to the two of you – falco and gabi giving each other a smile – as you turn to look at eren. 

“i want my shirt back tomorrow.” eren states, giving you a glare. 

“i’ll dry clean it for you, your highness.” you respond, giving it right back. 

“do you need a ride, y/n?” falco asks. 

you turn to him, giving him a smile, as you nod. the two of you trail into the parking lot, as you quietly sink into falco’s passenger seat, and nearly pull at the front strands of your hair. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you gave me a bad omen. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: truly is brutal out here. 

[busstopbilly]: Tell me about it. 

[busstopbilly]: In a shocking turn of events, the wallflower actually cussed me out today. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: HELLO? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: woah it’s been so long since i’ve heard about her. what gives? don’t tell me she did it again?

[bussstopbilly]: Oh, she definitely did. 

[busstopbilly]: I swear to god, I despise her because she’s just like everyone else. She thinks I’m exactly like my dad. It’s almost like she makes it a point to bring it up. That I don’t understand because everything came to me easily. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’re obviously not like your dad 

[lizontopoftheworld]: you’ll be out of this thing soon 

[busstopbilly]: What happened to you? 

[lizontopoftheworld]: stupid idiot asshole misogynistic ugly prick 

[busstopbilly]: But of course. 

[busstopbilly]: If it’s any solace, he only feels the need to put you down because he knows how great you are. It wouldn’t be a thing to him – he’s purposely making it into a competition becuase he feels inferior. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i guess 

[busstopbilly]: Tomorrow is another day. 

[busstopbilly]: And you shouldn’t listen to sad songs when you go home. 

[lizontopoftheworld[: BOOOOOOOOOO

[lizontopoftheworld]: but it’s so fun 

[busstopbilly]: Maybe. 

[bussstopbilly]: I just don’t want you to cry or feel like you’re defeated. I hate thinking that you’re sitting there feeling like you don’t fit in. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: i don’t 

[bussstopbilly]: And that’s a good thing. Research, that type of career – it’s already filled with monotony. 

[busstopbilly]: You make things interesting. You’re there for a reason. 

[lizontoptheworld]: you make me sound so important 

[busstopbilly]: You are important. In more ways than one, obviously. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: chronic flirt….

[busstopbilly]: It’s good for your health. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: normal people eat vitamins. or like workout or something. 

[busstopbilly]: We’re not normal people, are we?

you can’t help but smile. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: no. of course not. 

[busstopbilly]: :) 

[busstopbilly]: You and me, Liz. 

[lizontopoftheworld]: my song is ribs by lorde 

[busstopbilly]: Because I’m the only friend you need?

[lizontopoftheworld]: so observant 

[busstopbilly]: Eh. 

[busstopbilly]: Only for you.

--

an: hehe

taglist: @invisible-mori @multiplefandomthings @chericos @wheredidmycrowngo @chaoticpxnda @aizzon @stuffeddeer @butterfly-skinnylegend @najaemism @hellokitty-doll @constanciandrea @iblamesusy @jaegersdiary @f4irygard3n @misadear @fell-4-u @coyloves @sobbangchan @you-always-made-me-blush @th0tformikasa @yell0wdreams @itzmeme

[spiriteddreams]

Your boxer!wriothesley got me melting ><

I'm rambling but HEAR ME OUTT

with the reader and wriothesley enjoying their little talk, dad!neuvillette is watching the whole scene. And the sneaky bastard wriothesley is, he saw neuvillette looking at them. I imagine wriothelesley then randomly asks you to hang out with him in order to risen neuvilette's dad instincts, "say, are you free this Saturday?" praying for wriothesley rn.

Neuvillette would immediately change the pace of the scenery by entering it, "unfortunately, my daughter is busy during weekends due to some other incoming shipments for the gym, may I ask why you're asking her?" with a hint of authority and suspicious voice.

imagine reader silently praying for both to stop

omg YES the little dynamic between the three and i just know wrio will take every opportunity to tease!! also sorry it's taken me a bit to respond i've been a bit busy and also needed to gather my thoughts!

boxer!wrio who turns to neuvillette with that signature grin of his, not backing down even when your father towers over him. it's a tone he's used on wrio many a times, one laced with the undertone of a threat. a threat that the boxer purposefully ignores in favour of looking away from your father and turning to you to ask, "there's a new cafe that opened up just recently. care to grab a drink with me?"

"again, she's busy," neuvillette glares at wrio as you swat at your father's arm. you know your father means well, and you know that if he truly did think that wrio was trouble, he would have put his foot down immediately. but that doesn't mean wrio's constant teasing was helping his case. because boy does wrio seem to get an adrenaline rush when he pulls something in front of your father. the cocky grin on his face is evident of that as he looks between you and your father.

"i'm not!" both men turn to look at you, one with a clearly gleeful expression, the other with one that is darkening with each second. this is perhaps the boldest wrio has been, asking you out so shamelessly in front of your father. and poor neuvillette, left to his own defenses, doesn't know about the little "dates" you've snuck away to since wrio first asked you out.

boxer!wrio, who despite his almost frightening aura, turns out to be a big teddy bear behind his bandaged hands. past his cocky attitude is someone still a little unsure if he's doing all of this right, and you don't tell him that you've caught him staring at you multiple times while you're together, almost as if he's checking to make sure that he's doing this right. at the gym he throws punches with such force that its second nature to him. those easy going grins and flirtatious remarks are made with ease in the comforts of the gym, much to neuvillette's dismay. but on these little dates you find yourself at, watching as he fumbles over his words when he tries to be sly, or jumps at any opportunity to show off, you begin to learn more about him.

in a world of boys he's a gentleman, trying to impress you with the smallest of things from surprising you with mini bouquets of flowers or offering to go fill your water when you're working out alongside him at the gym. there's still some insecurity that lingers in his eyes when he sees you hesitate at times, but the moment you accept his offers with a little smile, that teasing attitude returns.

it doesn't stop at the dates he takes you on. in the gym, he seems to grow bolder with each day and wrio's lingering touches and efforts to bend down to whisper something to you make neuvillette's eyes twitch, his voice and tone growing ever so slightly louder and more aggressive.

"wriothesley." the boxer snaps to attention when your father's voice cuts through the gym. he winks at you cheekily before answering the call of his name, leaving you either with warm cheeks and an effort to hide the growing smile on your face or a classic roll of the eyes.

and poor neuvillette bears witness to wrio's shameless flirting. some of the regulars pat him on the back, commenting on "young love" and "your daughter's found a good man." and while neuvillette may agree, not that he'd say that to you, that doesn't stop the scowl that spreads across his face when he hears wrio's flirtatious comments.

neuvillette's attempts to "prevent" you from going on these dates, he has a feeling you've been on more than you say you have, are half-hearted. he can attest to being a protective father, but he's well aware of your own capabilities. as long as wrio knows that the moment he does something stupid, neuvillette will rain down all hell on the boxer.

naturally, wrio knows his boundaries and he'll back off the moment he senses discomfort but for now, when you're choosing to indulge in his cheeky attitude, he just can't help it. it's just so easy to poke fun at you and see how far he can go without being literally tossed out by your father.

boxer!wrio, who knows he's playing the long game, but he'll wait. he has plenty of patience and more than enough confidence to know that sooner or later, he'll win you over with his charms. hopefully sooner than later.

reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! <3

[tlou-reid]

Timeless ❆ Aaron Hotchner

☃︎ SUMMARY: a timeline of Aaron’s and his soulmates’ love life.

☃︎WARNINGS: random asshole character at the beginning, aaron and jack being cuties, death and mentions of an undisclosed illness, a funeral :(

.｡❅⋆⍋∞｡∞⍋⋆❅｡.

“We would have been timeless, ‘cause I believe that we were supposed to find this. So, even in a different life, you still would've been mine. We would've been timeless.”

Day One

“Aaron!” the barista called into the busy cafe, setting down a carrier of four drinks. His name was quickly sketched across all four, signifying his loss to the team.

Aaron, Penelope, JJ and Luke had made a bet that Aaron would have a home cooked meal for five out of the seven days they were in town. He’d caved on day four, getting home late and craving the acidic burn of pizza sauce and greasiness of mozzarella cheese. He couldn’t help himself, forgetting all about the silly bet he’d made.

He remembered in the morning when he came eye to eye with the Italian man on the pizza place’s logo. Aaron figured it would be easier to just come in with their prize, coffees from Penelope’s favorite local place, and accept defeat than have to confront each of them.

So, he picks up his tray with a sigh and continues his way to his car, hoping to get to the BAU as soon as possible.

However, this would prove difficult. Aaron is shocked to see a big SUV blocking him in, and a lady jumping out of it. “YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!” She yelled into the open door, slamming it at the end of her sentence. Aaron could see the passenger side window roll down. He heard a man’s voice this time, with a much darker, violent tone, “YOU SHOULD’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE YOU GOT IN THE CAR, BITCH!”

The law enforcement officer in Aaron kicked in when he heard the foul names being thrown towards this lady. She was gearing up to retaliate, but he stepped in front of her. Aaron used his free hand to quickly pull out his badge. It was a bit clumsily, due to the weight of the coffees in his other hand.

Once he was standing protectively in front of the lady and had his badge on full display, Aaron spoke, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave before you cause a further public disturbance.” His voice was low, the same way he talked to suspect. “Oh, fuck you.” The man said one last time, making eye contact with the lady, before pulling off.

“Are you okay?” Aaron turned around to face the lady. “Yeah, the guy’s just an asshole. Fucking offers me a ride and thinks that means he’s getting laid?” You’re rambling at this point, aggravated at the entire situation. “Where are you trying to go?” His entire plan of getting to work quickly went out the window when he saw how beautiful your eyes were.

“I work at the office around the block. I usually drive but someone hit my car yesterday and it’s in the shop today,” Aaron was growing more and more concerned with your wellbeing as you spoke, “I’m just gonna walk. Thanks for taking care of that asshole, I can’t believe I’m gonna have to see him later.”

Aaron knows he should probably walk away, but he can’t stop himself from asking, “See him later?” You nod, “He’s my fucking neighbor. Sorry, I don’t usually cuss this much, he just really pissed me off.” Aaron laughs at this, seeing as the first thing he heard you say was “fucking asshole”.

“You’re sure you don’t need a ride?” He asks one more time. “No, I could probably use the walk to cool off some. Thank you,” Your voice trailed off, not knowing what to call him. He stuck his hand out for you to shake, “Aaron.” He filled in the blank for you.

You told him your name, shook his hand, and bid him goodbye. You made it maybe six steps before you turned back around, “Aaron!” You hollered, walking quickly to catch up to him. “I know this is bold and I don’t even know if you’re single, but you were very kind and I think you’re very good looking. Could I get your number maybe?”

Aaron meets you with a laugh. You’re wary, not knowing that a laugh from Aaron was extremely rare, and something a lot of people would kill to hear. Your nerves are eased when he says, “I’d love to give you my number.”

Day 16

The night was going wonderfully. Aaron was proving that chivalry was, in fact, not dead. Just lost in older men. He was comfortable meeting you at the restaurant, he pulled out your chair for you, ordered a bottle of the fancy wine the restaurant carried, and was currently sliding his credit card into the check holder.

The conversation between you two flowed beautifully all night, making it seem like time flew by. He signed the bottom of the receipt, leaving a very generous cash tip, and turned his attention towards you. “Ready to go?” Aaron asked, not wanting to rush you away. You gave him a shy nod, trying to figure out a way to say you want to see him again soon without sounding obsessed.

Aaron stood and you followed, interlocking your arm with his. You two walked out of the restaurant, only letting each other go when he held the door for you. “Which one’s yours?” He asked, wanting to walk you to your car. You held out the key, clicking the lock button to get it to light up.

Aaron walked you over, opening the driver’s side door for you. “Look at her!” You squealed, excited for him to see your car, “Fresh out of the shop!” Aaron laughed at your excitement. Once you were comfortable in your seat and buckled up, Aaron went to speak again.

“I had fun,” He smiled at you. “I did, too.” You replied. “Would you like to do it again, sometime?” He asked, fumbling over his word a bit. You couldn’t help but find the way you made him nervous adorable.

“I would love to, whenever you’re free.” He’d told you about how hectic his work life could get, which you understood. “I’ll call you.” He promised, getting ready to close the door. “Goodnight, Aaron.” He gave you once last smile, repeated your sentiment, and closed the door for you.

Day 102

“Why’d you pick him?” Aaron’s son, Jack asked. “Jack!” Aaron laughed, loading up spaghetti noodles on his plate.

It’s your first time meeting Jack. You were both scared and excited, not knowing how he would react to Aaron bringing home a new girlfriend. “He protected me the first time I met him, I felt like I owed him.” You joked as Aaron passed you the pasta. You smiled when Jack let out a loud laugh.

Dinner continued like this, with teasing and laughter. You felt incredibly welcomed in the Hotchner household, loving the energy both of the boys created. You fit like a missing puzzle piece, being able to help Jack team up on his dad, and be there when Aaron was feigning sadness at one his jokes. Plus, both of them were happy to have a home cooked meal for the first time in about a week. Jack even said you could come over whenever you wanted, as long as you cooked.

“I think he likes you,” Aaron said as he climbed into bed next to you, later that night. “I think so, too. We laughed a lot.” Aaron nodded, moving over to press a kiss to the side of your head.

“Welcome to the family,” He muttered as he wiggled down into the blankets, falling asleep quickly.

Day 1534

“I do.” You said as you slid the ring onto Aaron’s finger, missing the first time due the tears welling up in your eyes.

Everyone seated for the ceremony cheered as the pastor said, “You may kiss the bride!” Aaron pulled you in by your waist, pressing himself as close as possible to you. The kiss was appropriate, considering there was a crowd watching, but full of love.

After you pulled away, you moved yourself behind Aaron, pulling his best man in for a big hug. Jack smiled against your neck, squeezing you tight. You grabbed one his hands, and one of Aaron, walking back down the aisle with both of them by your side.

“Mr., Mr., and Mrs. Hotchner,” Jessica smiled, introducing you three to the reception. You were ready to dance and celebrate with the people you loved most in the world. And you were so excited to share their last name.

Day 12152

You had always hoped it would be you to pass first. Something easy for Aaron, Jack, and his children to handle. Passing away in your sleep, peacefully and free of pain.

But, wishes are rarely granted. You were sat next to Aaron when he passed. As hard as his battle with illness had been, he fought as best he could. You knew he’d spent his whole life fighting, so you, as sad as you were, you relieved to know he was somewhere safe and relaxing. Somewhere where there was no fight to be had.

He would be surrounded by people he loved, more than he had around him in his old age now.

Jack held you tight at the funeral, knowing you were heartbroken. Part of him was relieved too. His father was no longer in pain. When he knelt at his dad’s casket, he made one last promise to look over you. To take care of you, to love you, and to protect you, just as Aaron had done since the day he met you.

You weren’t too worried about it, though. You knew you’d join him when the time was right, and he would be waiting for you. You two were meant to be, even if you’d met late in life. No matter how long it took, or where you guys were, you and Aaron would find each other.

[flem17ng]

Jessie and y/n finally decide to soft launch their relationship on social media

Soft launch: JFlem x reader

summary: Jessie and reader decide to go public (kind of). established relationship

warnings: Kinda suggestive at the beginning

“ok Y/n. what’s wrong. You’ve been in a grump all day” Jessie asked from the other side of the couch. You were both sitting curled up watching a movie but for the past day you had been more withdrawn than usual. Sure, you were a bit of an introvert anyway but jessie knew there was something on your mind. The was you gazed around the room as if not really seeing anything told her as much. 

“hmm?” you asked, not hearing what she said. 

“see! what’s up babe? you’ve been all mysterious” jessie grinned trying to get you to smile. 

“I am not being mysterious!” you scoffed. Jessie raised her eyebrow. 

“during water break you tried to drink from your bottle upside down and- AND” she cut off your complains “and when Emma asked what’s wrong you said AND I QUOTE ‘good how are you’” Jessie paused with a raised eyebrow as if asking if she needed to say more. 

You sighed and curled into her side, feeling embarrassed about why you had been so off. Nothing was wrong or anything! You’d just seen something of social media that set you off. 

“babe please?” jessie whined, pulling out her puppy eyes. you sighed because you knew you would do anything for those big brown eyes. 

“fine i’ll tell you but don’t laugh ok?” You warned with a finger to her mouth. 

“i pinky promise i won’t laugh” jessie smiled past your hand. 

“ok well. I was on instagram before training and i saw a post about you…” you trailed off again feeling embarrassed. Jessie squeezed your leg to get you to continue. 

“it was like- I don’t know how to say this- It was a thirst edit” You all but whispered the last bit causing jessie to almost howl with laughter. 

“Jess! You said you wouldn’t laugh!” you moaned, clamping a hand over your girlfriends grinning mouth. 

“i know babe i’m sorry but you said it like it’s a curse word” Jessie chuckled making you role your eyes. 

“ok!” jessie forced a straight face, “what was it about this Jessie fleming thirst edit that got you in a grump?” she asked innocently.  

“Well It just got me thinking.” you leaned forward to hover above jessie’s face “your my girlfriend and-“

“you want people to know i’m yours do you darling?” she asked with a sweet smile and a raised brow. 

“well maybe i do? What if i want them to know your mine?”

“you should watch more edits of me it this is how you’re going to get” Jessie smirked with a steady blush rising up her neck. You leant down and placed a teasing kiss on her lips. 

“you know what i mean Jess” 

Jessie sat up more and looked at you for a moment, thinking. 

“I’m happy to do it if you want to” she said decidedly.  You chewed your lip, unsure. 

“i do but- Well we are both pretty private! you more than me- I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way”

“babe” jessie cut off your ramble “you are the most important thing in my life-“

“apart from sustainable farming” you joked. 

“you are even more in than sustainable farming darling” jessie laughed, “What i’m trying to say is that i want people to know that! You are everything to me ok? I don’t care who knows what as long I’m with you”

“you even want them to know that you’re really good with your fi-“ Jessie clamped a hand over your mouth making you both laugh. 

“ok so maybe people don’t need to know everything” she blushed suddenly looking quite flustered. 

“well take it slow then?”

“slow is good” Jessie smiled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on your lips. 

_yourusername_ posted:

Liked by _jessflem and 23,670 more

_yourusername_: London coffee mornings ☕️

_jessflem: should have gotten the cold brew. . _yourusername_: i’m not drinking your battery acid jessica.

Samanthakerr20: I recognise that puffer… 🧐

fanaccount1: I NEED TO KNOW WHAT CAFE THIS IS ASAP.

fanacount2: guys i’m not crazy if i say this looks like a date… right? . yournameswifey: babe come home the kids miss you 😣

_jessflem posted:

liked by _yourusername_ and 17,573 others

_jessflem: Film from a hike :)

_yourusername_: smelly feet 🤢 . _jessflem: oh now you complain?

Kmewis19: dreamy 🤍🤍

fanaccount1: Y/n commenting pretty early… 😯

fanaccount2: who’s the second pair of shoes fleming??? . flem17ng_: jeff needs to share with the class

_yourusername_ posted:

liked by _jessflem and 21,780 more

_yourusername_: why is she like this?

_jessflem: cozy 🌲 . _yourusername_: 🙄 .. Y/n/nxflem17: OMG WHAT?? HUh

niamhcharles17: can’t believe i wasn’t invited

Fanaccount2: same location as jessie’s post HELLO PEOPLE.

_jessflem posted:

liked by _yourusername_ and 24,567 others

_jessflem: my two favourite things: cats and [redacted]

_yourusername_: 😺 . _jessflem: I hate that emoji. .. _yourusername_: 😺😺😺😸😸😸😸😺😺😺😺😺😺😺

Fanaccount1: i need twitter to decode this

y/nxflem17: MY DELUSIONAL ASS RN

_yourusername_ posted:

liked by _jessflem and 34,567 others

_yourusername_: busy market day!!

_jessflem: my 🤍 . _yourusername_: all that coffee is gonna give you diarrhoea 🤍🤍🤍

samanthakerr20: stop giving her caffeine pls

y/nxflem17: NO ONE BREATHE IM FREAKING OUT

Fanaccount1: hard launch is coming i can feel it

fanaccount2: it’s her- the tattoos THE FUCKING TATTOOS!!

_jessflem posted:

liked by _yourusername_ and 23,341 others

_jessflem: hiking (new zealand this time)

_yourusername_: i hope you got eaten by a bear xx . _jessflem: you would rock the widow aesthetic. .. flem17ing_: jeffrey you can’t just say things like that. some of us need to breathe.

Chelseawfc: love to see our girls staying active ❤️. . Fanaccount1: GIRLS plural?!??? .. fanaccount2: admin knows something we don’t know.

_jessflem posted:

Liked by _yourusername_ and 152,567 others

_jessflem: photos from today! thank you for everyone who worked on set <3

_yourusername_: omg. jessie. i’m dead. deceased. omfg. i just choked . _jessflem: don’t die 😣 .. fanaccount1: not y/n simping on main lmao

chelseawfc: 💙💙💙

flem17ng: someone check that y/n is still breathing pls. . _yourusername_: I’m not. .. flem17ng: LMAOOOOOO GIRL

_yourusername_ posted:

liked by _jessflem and 788,563 others

_yourusername_: happy 3 years to my beautiful girl. I can’t picture a world without you and your dumb jokes. forever and always xx

_jessflem: my love 🤍🤍

_jessflem: I love you but why did you use that picture . _yourusername_: love you too pookie .. _jessflem: 🙄🙄🙄

samanthakerr20: love you both lovers

kmewis19: look at my babies! all grown up

niamhcharles17: ok can jessie move out of my apartment now please?

Fanaccount1: 3 YEARS WTF HOLD UP. . fanaccount2: not us thinking they just started dating 💀

y/nxflem17: WHAT? WHAT OMG WHAT NO WAY

flem17ng: ok it’s alllll coming together now. . fanaccount3: with widow comment really makes sense considering THEY ARE BASICALLY MARRIED WTF?

[bad268]

Hungover in Love (Frog Boys X Reader)

[Blank] in Love Pt 2

Fandom: RPF/Miscellaneus

Requested: On AO3 actually...

Warnings: Sex jokes in Droid's, uses Grizzy's name (Nelly)

Pronouns: First person (I/me)

W.C. approx. 300 each

Summary: The day after Part 1

As always, my requests are OPEN

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

~~(All pictures from vids)

<-Part 1

Puffer

I knew it was going to be a bad day for Puffer as soon as the guys said we were going out and unfortunately for me, I live with him. This put me on honorary hangover duty.

I don’t know if I was supposed to just forget what Puffer said last night. I don’t want to, but he was too drunk to remember what he was saying. Then, the voice in my head says drunk words are sober thoughts.

I was broken out of my mind when I heard groaning coming from Puffer’s room. I went to the kitchen and grabbed him a glass of water as well as meds before making my way to his room and knocking lightly as I walked in.

“Hey, party animal,” I teased, giving him the water and meds. “On a scale of 1-10, how hungover are you?”

“If I say 10, would you think I’m exaggerating?” He complained, downing the water in one go with the meds.

“Maybe,” I rolled my eyes as I took the now empty glass from him. “Is there anything you need from me? Food, more water?”

“Did I say anything stupid last night?” He asked as his cheeks grew red with embarrassment. “I remember bits, but I wanna make sure I didn’t make you uncomfortable in any way last night.”

“No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable,” I reassured, taking a seat on the side of his bed as I brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. “You did profess your undying love for me though, so that was interesting.”

“Good interesting or bad?” He questioned as his eyes widened.

“Good,” I whispered back.

“Y’know, there is one thing you could do for me,” Puffer switched topics. I thought he was just going to sweep the conversation under the rug. “Can you cuddle with me?”

~~

Pezzy

Waking up on the couch was not something I expected when I opened my eyes. I moved to sit up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and I stretched my back. It did not take long for me to notice Pezzy already awake and cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” he laughed. I just grumbled back before laying back down on the couch, hoping to catch some more sleep. “Ah, no! We’re going for a bike ride today! Get up!”

“Oh, you were serious?” I questioned, looking up to see Pezzy standing in front of me with a plate of bacon and eggs. I took it slowly as I sat back up and Pezzy sat next to me, eating his own plate as a TV show played in the background. “I thought you were just saying that for the chat?”

“I mean, I’d love to take you on a ride,” He responded shyly. “Only if you want to!”

“Pezzy, I love bikes,” I started in a joking manner, “Once I ride it once, I’ll want to be your backpack all the time. Is that really something you wanna handle?”

“Hell yeah,” He joked back, leaning into my side more. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my backpack.”

“Then, I guess the next question is where do you want to go?” I asked, turning toward him as I set my finished plate off to the side.

“How about you take an aspirin for your hangover and in a couple of hours, we’ll go to this cool cafe I found a while ago?”

“That sounds perfect.”

~~

Droid

I was awoken by a multitude of messages. Do people not understand that my brain does not turn on until noon AT LEAST? Clearly not. 

I rolled over in my bed to check the notifications and it was all Droid. Just as I was about to check the messages, I got an incoming call from the man himself.

“Please tell me someone’s dying,” I groaned. “Ain’t no way you’re blowing up my fucking phone at 8 am for shits and giggles.”

“I am so sorry, I swear, I didn’t mean it.” He’s rambling. He is going on and on about how sorry he is, how he didn’t mean it, how he’s an asshole, and so on. “Please, you have to believe me.”

“What the fuck are you on about, Droid?” I asked in utter confusion. What did I miss? “Did something happen?”

“Last night on the stream, don’t you remember?” He questioned back.

“I said I’d top you,” I deadpanned. “And? Is that what this is about? I swear this could have waited until-”

“No,” he replied quietly but still effectively cutting me off. “I shouldn’t have taken it that far. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t take it far? Droid, where is this coming from?” I contested, but he remained silent. “Droid, if I didn’t feel comfortable talking about sex on stream, I wouldn’t have played into it. Did the fans say shit?”

“You’re normally very private on stream, and-”

“And we got drunk and had fun!” I cut him off. “I don’t regret it. And honestly, I’d still happily top you any day, Droid.”

“You’re joking,” he chuckled in disbelief.

“I’ll be there in 20, baby.”

~~

Grizzy

It was well into the morning/early afternoon at this point, and Grizzy had yet to come out of his room. Granted, I remember my first hangover, and I was no better. However, this wasn’t his first hangover. Probably his strongest but definitely not his first. 

I was going to make him breakfast and hang out with him today, but I felt like I was just vibing in his house alone. I had watched a movie, edited a video, made a cake, and even cleaned up a few things around his living room. Yet Grizzy still hadn’t come out.

A part of me thought he was hiding. He suffered a brutal loss at the game last night, and with the reward on the line, joking or not, he might have taken it too seriously. The other reason could be that he is so hungover, he can’t get out of bed. I decided I was going to bite the bullet and check on him before leaving if he didn’t answer. I grabbed a glass of water before heading up to his door.

“Grizzy,” I asked quietly as I knocked softly on his door. I didn’t receive a response, but I still pushed the door open to see if he was okay. “Are you awake?” I set the glass on his bedside table as I took a breath. “Sometimes, I wish you were less clueless when you are sober. I can only do so much, Nelly.”

“I was scared,” his voice whispered as he turned over to face where I was standing. I didn’t even check if he was awake or not before talking, but now, he knows how I feel. “You’re too good for me, and I didn’t want to fuck up our friendship.”

“Well, you know what? Friendship is overrated,” I joked as I moved to lay next to him in bed. “I much prefer a relationship with you, Grizzy. Even if you lost.”

“Did I really lose if I have a hot person in my bed right now?”

~~

Next Part ->

~~~~~

© BAD268 2023. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

[maryangelex]

Never Let Me Go (Pt.2)

John Price x f!Reader

Part 3

Summary: After meeting John, you couldn’t help but wish and long to see him again.

Warnings: tooth rotting fluff, some suggestive/mature language

A/N: did I say I was gonna update in Wednesday?? That’s crazy, I don’t remember that at all!! Anyways…here ya go kids, it’s disgusting and fluffy and short!!! I promise there will be smutty deliciousness soon!!!

This chapter’s song is Little Bit by Lykke Li

The next day you woke up and headed to work, everything was the same as usual. Except now you felt you had something to look forward to. Or more like someone you looked forward to.

If he even showed up, you thought. You didn't fail to remind yourself to not get too excited, to set yourself up for failure, just so that you wouldn't disappoint yourself.

The rest of the day at the cafe you served the same familiar orders, smiled at the regular faces, and that feeling of sameness and dissatisfaction was gnawing at you like it did the night before.

Despite your best efforts at not eagerly hoping to see John again, you couldn’t help but have a little bit of optimism and anticipation that he would walk through the doors again.

But what you worried would happen happened, and you were disappointed. It crushed your spirits to have let yourself get excited just to later on be let down.

You felt like you were stood up. And that night you locked up the cafe after the closing shift, said goodnight to your cousin, and went back to your lonely little flat. To do things all over again the next day.

You were woken up by the rays of light that bled through your curtains. As your eyes slowly peeled open, you realized you had fallen asleep on your couch, wrapped up in the knitted blanket that you kept there. You mumbled something to yourself as you rubbed your eyes, then reached for your phone on the coffee table only to check the time.

When you realized you had overslept, you jumped awake and scrambled to your room. All you could think about was that your cousin was definitely overwhelmed and pulling her hair out having to run the cafe by herself. She had probably opened late, too, and was more than likely cursing your name through clenched teeth. All these thoughts ran through your head as you did your best to get ready in under twenty minutes.

The best you could do was take the briefest ice-cold shower to get your body going and throw on the most cohesive, monochrome outfit your frantic brain could compute. The moment you made it through your front door, you practically ran to the cafe, the heel of your boots clacked over the cobblestone.

You finally arrived at the coffee shop, bursting through the door with a string of apologies to your cousin and a clammy forehead beaded with sweat. You peeled your layers off, one by one, until you were only wearing your long-sleeve shirt and jeans, and tied the apron around. As you circled the counter to get your day started, you rambled on to your cousin, who was barely looking at you as she poured an effortless foam art into a large round mug.

"I'm so sorry, cuz, I have no idea how I managed to sleep in so much—" You were cut off by your cousin placing the cup in your hands. Her hands stilled over yours as you looked down confused, then up at her. Her face was beaming with a cheeky smile.

"He's here," she whispered, wide eyes and smirking face expressing pure joy.

You looked over to the rest of the shop, your eyes scanning the patrons who had their noses buried in books or cups of coffee to their lips. Almost immediately, though, your eyes fell right on a familiar figure.

John sat at an upholstered chair in a far corner of the cafe, right by the large window with the sun’s glare casting over him, warming and softening the angles of his face. He was clad in a dark green sweater today, an arm crossed over his abdomen as he reclined into the chair with the book you gave him in his other hand. He was at its last few pages. His expression was that of concentration, with knitted brows and a light pout.

You marveled at him, your heart stopping in its track when you caught sight of him. But you turned back to your cousin with feigned aloofness.

“Well, he lives nearby apparently so it’s no surprise—“ she cut you off again.

“He asked for you, cuz,” your cousin’s eyes pierced through you, her face turning stern. “He walked in today and immediately asked for you. He’s been sitting there waiting.”

Your lips pressed tightly into a line. He was waiting for you?

Your cousin’s hold over your hands strengthened as she pushed you to move, to go approach him.

“Take this to him, cuz,” her tone was a mix of a plea and a command. “He seems like he really likes you…do this for yourself, you deserve it.”

You gave her a long look, her wide eyes were practically begging you to follow her advice. Maybe she was right. It had been a long time since you liked someone, since you let yourself let someone into your life. Maybe you did deserve to allow yourself to open up and enjoy yourself with someone.

Her hands let go of yours, giving you a smile as if she read your mind.

”Go sit with him, I’ve got it,” were her last softly spoken words before she sent you off.

You let out a deep sigh and gave her a light smile, shaking your head as if thinking ‘I can’t believe I’m listening to your love advice’, and made your way over to John. You picked up a pastry on your way over to him, on the house.

John looked up from the book as soon as he saw your figure approaching him. His face lit up, kindness shining from it. He immediately got up from his seat and reached out to help you.

At that moment you noticed that John had a thing for helping, for being of service; he couldn’t stand and watch someone else do something for him, he was the type of man that preferred to take care of others and do things for others.

“Thank you, love, I’ve got it,” he said softly with a smile as he took the plates for you and set it down on the small table in front of his chair.

You thanked him and stood beside the chair across from his, hesitant to fully sit and commit to chatting with him.

John mirrored you, standing up parallel to you as if waiting for you to sit first. Quite the gentleman. And because of that you couldn’t let the man stand like a guard, so you caved and sat down. Of course, he followed you.

You sat there for a moment and collected your thoughts before asking, “So you’ve finished the book?”

“I did, actually,” he smiled at you, his eyes locked into yours, and they’d stay there from this moment on.

“I quite liked it.” He chuckled a bit, “But it was tough to read at times so I took all of yesterday to get through it.”

So that’s why he didn’t come, you thought, he was too busy actually putting effort into reading the book you gave him.

That thought made a smirk pull at your lips.

“Thought you said you’d come for help reading!” You said slyly, and he let out another chuckle at that. You loved the feeling you got when you amused him.

“ ‘M sorry, love, didn’t want to trouble you much,” he confessed taking a sip from the cup of coffee. His words confirmed your thoughts.

He pressed his lips at the taste of the coffee. Too bitter, you noted he liked things sweet last time. And he reached for the sugar to amend his drink.

The man in front of you was a delight to watch.

“You like sweet things?” You asked, hardly noticing the fact you had spoken up.

“It’s a vice, truly, worse than smokin’ for me.” He said with a nod as he tasted it again. “We don’t get a lot of sweetness at work.”

You chuckled. “Well you should give that a try…” you gestured to the pastry you brought him, “I, erm, make them m’self.”

A light blush scattered over your cheeks as the man smiled cheekily, reaching over to take the pastry.

“I already know it’ll be good if y’made it, doll,” he quipped before taking a bite. John let out a slow hum as he chewed the bite. You’d be lying if you said your mind didn’t wonder to the dirtiest of places when you heard that sound emanate from him—you wouldn’t mind hearing more of that, really.

“Bloody good, love, fuckin’ hell,” the man sounded like it was the best thing he’d tasted, proceeding to devour the treat. You bit your lip to suppress a growing smile.

“Now you have a reason to keep coming, John,” your own words surprised you, not knowing you had the confidence to make such a comment. You practically just confessed to him that you wanted him to continue coming.

“Oh I already had a very good reason to keep comin’, doll,” his tone was flirty, and his eyes burnt through you. Did they somehow get bluer? You felt the sting of your cheeks at his comment.

You stayed there talking with John for about an hour, occasionally glancing back at your cousin to check on her. Each time she’d give you a thumbs up and a shooing motion with her hand. The store was relatively empty, so there wasn’t much need for an extra hand.

Instead, you got to spend time talking to John. You asked him about his work in the military, but he told you there wasn’t much he could say that made for good conversation. You didn’t mind, you simply cared more about getting to know the man in front of you as a person and not as much for what he did.

But he told you about the places he’d been to because of his profession, about his friends in the service and their off-duty escapades, and about his family in Herefordshire. He told you he has a dog back home, and your dog-loving self couldn’t be contained when he showed you the picture of him on his phone screen. It made him laugh how giddy you got and how your voice rose a couple octaves in excitement.

You asked him about his favorite book, he said The Wind Also Rises. And when you asked what music he listens to, he gave you a whole Spotify playlist which required him exchanging numbers with you.

By now the coffee in his cup was long gone, and a second hour had passed. Your cheeks were sore from smiling and laughing the whole time. He wouldn’t let the smile drop from your face by hitting you continuously with a mix of the cheesiest pick-up lines and the worst dad-jokes you’ve had the misfortune of hearing.

And the fact that you made him smile and laugh too made a fire kindle in your chest. It surged a warm sensation and made you feel a sense of home that you didn’t know could be brought up in you by a person.

John’s deep blue eyes were glued to you, taking you in like you were the only person in the world. And you couldn’t look away either, as if memorizing every line of his face and every pore, wrinkle, or blemish on his skin.

He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees to actively listen to you as you told him where you were originally from, how you got to co-own this place with your cousin, and how the two of you had made a business you were properly proud of. He listened with wholeheartedness and admiration, as if taking mental notes of everything you said to him, storing the information as gold coins in a treasure chest.

A third hour passed. Your mad ran dry with how much you had been talking to John. The two of you were now in a brief but pleasant silence as you took each other in.

“I really enjoy your company, love,” he broke the silence, his voice soft and earnest.

“I do too, John.”

“I’ve got to go but erm..” he inhaled, “I’d like to maybe take you out sometime.” He let out the breath he was holding, a grin on his face and a gentleness in his eyes.

“I’d like that a lot, actually,” you responded, making his face brighten even more and he gave you a pleased hum.

“ ‘M glad t’hear that,” his eyes raked over you then found their way back to yours. He looked at you for a moment before standing up to leave.

You stood with him, telling him you’d accompany him to the outside as you exchanged a few last comments.

You stood outside the shop with him on the street as he fixed his jacket back on as well as his beanie.

“So tomorrow at 8?” He asked.

“Mhm, I’ll be there,” you stood in front of him, craning your neck slightly to make eye contact with him.

He moved closer to you, standing just inches from you. You were reminded of his large stature compared to yours. His presence felt protective and warm in front of you, the cold weather felt like nothing thanks to the heat his body radiated to you.

John’s hand reached up to you, his index finger tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, with his gaze not daring to break away from yours. “I’ll see you then, love.”

The gesture made your whole body melt. You could hardly find any words to say in response. The most you could muster was a gulp and a shaky nod of your beer red head.

“See you, John,” you said, almost a whisper. And with that, he turned on his heels and went on his way. You watched him disappear down the street before heading back in.

You felt like you were in shock. Like you needed someone to pinch you awake or pull you back down to earth from heaven. Your heart couldn’t beat any faster.

It felt like every goodbye between the two of you was a door opening into another hello.

Like the void of loneliness that was opened in you that day was slowly getting filled by the warmth and comfort of John’s presence every time you got to see him.

And you couldn’t be happier about there being a third hello just a day away.

[gimmethatagustd]

venor (3) | kth + jjk

The barista at the university’s café keeps telling Jungkook not to come back, but Jungkook is too busy daydreaming about kissing the beauty marks on his face to be paying attention to his warnings.

○ Pairing: Tiger!Taehyung x Bunny!Jungkook

○ Rating: Explicit/18+

○ Genre: Hybrids, predator/prey, college au, strangers to lovers, slow burn, fluff, light angst, eventual smut

○ Word Count: 3,419

○ Warnings: None

○ Notes: Honestly, I feel sorry for Yoongi. He's doing his best 🫠

○ Post Date: February 18, 2024

○ Masterlist | AO3 Cross-Post

○ What was Jai listening to? The series playlist

Biting his bottom lip, Jungkook stares at the text message’s timestamp from five minutes ago. He cups his phone in his hands to block anyone from peering at the screen and dims the screen’s brightness, just in case the predators standing in line with him get nosy.

He’s at the cafe. 

Obviously, he’s at the cafe. 

It’s a Sunday afternoon, and Jungkook has no idea if Taehyung works weekends, but he’s here at Venor Cafe, waiting in line between a lizard hybrid and a jaguar hybrid. This time, though, Jungkook came prepared. He’s wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt that falls past his butt. He used one of Yoongi’s hair ties to secure his ears and stuff them inside his bucket hat. Totally incognito. He could be a tiger, for all they know! 

The thing is, Jungkook genuinely needs some caffeine. He’s taking a break from studying with Yoongi in the music studios, and Venor Cafe is the coffee shop closest to campus that isn’t overpriced. The possibility of seeing Taehyung is an added bonus, just a tiny extra component to the self-care errand Jungkook was planning to run anyway. 

At least, that’s what he tells himself. 

There’s a little jitter to Jungkook’s movements as he approaches the counter. His wide eyes scan the employees, and his heart sinks when there’s not a single copper curl in sight. 

“Hello! Welcome to Venor Cafe; what would you like today?” the hybrid at the register greets. She’s a snow leopard with beautiful blue eyes and a spotted tail. 

Exhaling the air he’d been holding in, Jungkook rambles off his order without any mishaps. He even orders something for Yoongi, hoping it can be a sufficient apology for going against his hyung’s advice. It’s nice of Yoongi to be worried about Jungkook, but at this point, Jungkook thinks he has made it clear that he can take care of himself. Just look at him now! A prey in disguise. 

Despite the crowd that has gathered in the cafe, Jungkook receives his order fairly quickly. He lingers for a bit, folding napkins into the pockets of his sweatpants and unwrapping straws for both drinks he bought. Eventually, he runs out of things to keep himself busy and can no longer stall. 

“Um, excuse me?” Jungkook calls out from the side of the counter. 

The snow leopard hybrid looks up from the drink she’s preparing. “Yes?”

“Is, um, Taehyung working today?” 

“Who’s asking?” Her tone isn’t necessarily aggressive, but the downturn of her mouth and the wrinkles between her eyebrows match the defensive question. 

“Jungkook,” he replies, too caught off guard to know how else to answer but with the truth – even if Taehyung won’t even know who Jungkook is if his coworker mentions it to him later. 

After appraising Jungkook and likely deciding he doesn’t look like a threat, the snow leopard replies with a simple,

“No.” 

“Cool, cool. Um, thanks!”

Jungkook lifts the drinks and paper bag of mini donuts he’d bought with gratitude before ducking out of the cafe through the front doors. So much for fixing his bad first impression. Or was it his second? Third? At this point, Jungkook can’t keep track of all the failed opportunities to introduce himself to Taehyung as a normal person would.

Jungkook treks back to the library, balancing the drinks and snacks rather precariously through doors pushed by his hips and kicked open by his sneakers. He and Yoongi have reserved a study room similar to the one Jungkook often books with Suyun. Private study rooms are handy when he and Yoongi don’t feel like dealing with predators misusing the library space and treating it like a social hour.

Yoongi is curled up in the corner of the study room. He decided to forgo the table and sat on a beanbag he dragged from another room in the library. Jungkook thinks it’s typical cat behavior, though he doesn’t dare comment on it. Yoongi might not have claws, but his eyes shoot daggers.

“You went to the damn cafe, Jeon Jungkook.” Yoongi’s tail swats at the ground before flicking back up in the air.  

“I brought back snacks!” Jungkook hip-bumps the door to close it and plops on the floor with Yoongi, holding out the iced Americano he knows his friend will like. “A drink for you, a drink for me, and donuts to share. I’m an amazing roommate.”

“You’re a pain in my ass,” Yoongi complains around a mouthful of donuts.

“You love me.”

“Sometimes, Jungkook, I think you are a bit naive.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes and gets up onto his knees to reach his laptop on the table. Careful not to knock anything over, he settles on the floor with his laptop on his thighs and his back leaning against the wall.

“Optimism and friendliness are different than naivety. You wouldn’t know because you’re a grumpy old man,” Jungkook points out as he pulls his hat off. When he finally unties his ears, he massages the base of each as they flop back into place, sore from being pulled backward at such an unnatural angle. 

Yoongi closes the book he’s reading and smacks Jungkook in the shoulder with it.

“Take that back.”

“No!”

“Hmph,” Yoongi grunts, sounding just as grumpy as Jungkook knows that he is.

The two hybrids are silent for a while, both focused on their studies. Jungkook is working on designing a mobile app for one of his classes— it’s a video game similar to the Pokemon games he would play on his GameBoy when he was younger. From the looks of it, Yoongi is reading a novel, though Jungkook isn’t sure if it’s for fun or for class. That’s always how it is with the creative types, he supposes.

“Well,” Yoongi says slowly after clearing his throat. It comes out stunted, a little awkward. “Did you see your tiger?”

Cheeks heating up, Jungkook slumps against the wall and shrugs his shoulders to his ears.

“I didn’t…”

“But?” Yoongi gives Jungkook a sidelong look.

“But… he’s kind of in one of my classes now, so I’ll see him on Tuesday…”

Bewildered, Yoongi sets his book down and turns to look at Jungkook. His tail smacks Jungkook’s leg and wraps around his ankle, though Jungkook doesn’t think Yoongi even realizes it due to how excitable he’s getting. Jungkook still doesn’t know why this is such a big deal.

“How is he in one of your classes?”

“Hyung, I’m trying to do my assignment.”

“How, Jungkook?”

With a sigh, Jungkook puts his laptop on the floor and shakes his leg free of Yoongi’s tail.

“I don’t know. He just showed up last week. My friend said sometimes predators get to take classes with prey if they want to overload their courses to graduate faster.”

Suyun is probably correct; she’s one of the most intelligent people Jungkook knows. Jungkook doesn’t mention that she was the one who told him, though. He doesn’t want Yoongi coming up with any ideas about Jungkook being friends with one of the only prey students dating a predator on their campus.

“Jungkook,” Yoongi gives him an exasperated look, “I’ve heard bad things about that specific group of predators that Taehyung hangs out with.”

The confession doesn’t sit right with Jungkook. It feels like Yoongi is overreacting, and it reminds him of his parents. So many prey hybrids let fear and paranoia dictate how they live and who they spend time with. Jungkook doesn’t want to be like that, not anymore.

“And where did you get this information?” he challenges with his arms crossed.

Yoongi waves his hand, gesturing all around them.

“Everyone knows this. It’s common knowledge. They’re shady, okay? Starting fights at parties, drugs, sleeping around, stuff like that.”

Jungkook has lived a sheltered life, but everything Yoongi lists sounds like typical college behavior — at least, what Jungkook has heard about predator college students. Maybe he is naive.

“I promise I won’t do any of that stuff, hyung,” Jungkook says with a tug of Yoongi’s ear. “I’m a good kid.”

Yoongi scowls and smacks at Jungkook’s hand.

“A nuisance is more like it. Now do your assignment.”

-

On Tuesday, Jungkook arrives at his class on time, not out of breath and not sweating through his clothes. He crosses through the double doors at the back of the lecture hall and eyes the tiered seating as other students shuffle down the aisles. There are plenty of seats available since class hasn’t started yet. Near the front of the room, Jungkook spots Suyun talking with another student. Jungkook would immediately head for the fold-down seat beside Suyun any other day. He’d pull out the adjustable desk attached to the seat and prep his notebook for the day’s lesson, maybe even get out his phone to record the audio in case he got distracted. Jungkook wouldn’t hesitate to go to his usual seat any other day. 

But today, Taehyung is on time.

The tiger hybrid sits in the back like he did the week prior. Again, Jungkook thinks Taehyung looks too big for the seat, his long legs and broad shoulders sticking out compared to the smaller frames of his prey classmates. His striped tail drapes over the armrest of the seat next to him, and his ears flick as Jungkook approaches him.

“Can I sit here?” Jungkook asks, the words nearly sticking in his throat. 

Setting down the pencil he’d been twirling between his fingers, Taehyung turns his head to look Jungkook up and down. The slow drag of his gaze makes Jungkook’s skin prickle. Taehyung’s sharp, feline eyes trigger Jungkook’s fight-or-flight response. It takes tensing his muscles for Jungkook not to bolt down the aisle and sit with Suyun instead.

Part of Jungkook knows that this is an instinctual response to being near a predator. He wonders if Suyun still feels this way about Jackson or if she has gotten used to him enough that her body doesn’t react like this anymore. 

An even tinier part of Jungkook thinks that, maybe, he kind of… likes it… 

The adrenaline is exciting, and the dangerous energy Taehyung gives off makes Jungkook feel wanted – in a way he never has before. 

Jungkook may be a bit naive, but he’s not stupid. He notices that Taehyung’s eyes linger on the smooth expanse of skin his shorts reveal. Jungkook silently thanks his morning self for picking a cute outfit for the day. He feels much better in cute jean shorts, a striped rugby shirt, and his artfully dirty white Converse than the usual athleisure he wears when he’s feeling lazy. Still, Taehyung’s predatory gaze makes Jungkook’s cheeks heat up, yet he refuses to look away when Taehyung’s feline eyes meet his again.

“Of course, bun,” Taehyung finally responds with a low purr that vibrates from his chest.

“Um, thanks!” A bit flustered by the unexpected use of the nickname in the middle of class, Jungkook quickly sits down beside Taehyung. 

Jungkook tries retrieving his notebook from his backpack, dropping it on the floor twice before finally getting his desk in order. He can feel Taehyung’s gaze while getting his phone out to prepare the audio recording. A text message from Suyun is the first thing that pops up on his phone screen, and he sincerely hopes Taehyung doesn’t see it because it’s a complaint from Suyun about Jungkook ditching her for a predator.

Digging around in his backpack, Jungkook’s fingers scrape the bottom and find his back empty aside from his tablet and a binder. He’d been so worried about getting to class on time that he forgot his little sparkly gold zipper bag that carries his pencils and pens. This is what he gets for being old school and enjoying a break from electronics in his courses that aren’t for his major. 

With a sigh, Jungkook leans back in his seat and weighs the pros and cons of asking Taehyung for something to write with or just using his laptop to take notes like most other students. He doesn’t have to worry about it for long before Taehyung decides for him. 

“Need one of these, bun?” Taehyung whispers close to Jungkook’s ear, his breath tickling his neck from Taehyung leaning in. 

With a shiver, Jungkook gently takes the pen Taehyung offers. It’s lightweight but smooth and inky, satisfyingly gliding across the page of Jungkook’s notebook. 

“This is a nice pen,” Jungkook whispers back and feels silly for complimenting Taehyung’s pen. 

Taehyung winks at Jungkook with a low chuckle before returning his focus to their professor. 

Jungkook tries not to show how flustered he is, but he’s sure his scent sweetens with how embarrassed and nervous Taehyung makes him. 

Unfortunately, class passes the same as it had last time– with Jungkook daydreaming about Taehyung and all the questions he has for him, and Taehyung being such a diligent student that Jungkook never catches him looking his way. Whatever Suyun said about Taehyung watching him must have been a figment of her imagination because Jungkook is positive he would notice if it was true. 

Jungkook notices everything. 

Taehyung’s fuzzy ears flick every time Jungkook shifts in his seat. He switches hands to write halfway through the lecture, perhaps because one of them got tired.  His scent spikes closer to the end of class, that soothing smell of summer rain that makes Jungkook tingly all over. 

It should be embarrassing how much time Jungkook spends thinking about the predator beside him and not what his professor is teaching, but it’s not his fault Taehyung is so alluring. 

“And as a reminder,” Professor Jung raises his voice in anticipation of the noisy buzz that comes with the end of class as students pack up, “We’ll be choosing final project topics soon, so please don’t let that fall by the wayside.” 

Jungkook has definitely let his project ideas fall by the wayside. It’s fine; he performs well under pressure. 

Catching Suyun’s eye across the room, Jungkook sends a silent prayer that she doesn’t come charging up to him with Taehyung still in his seat. He tries subtly shaking his head at her, but he’s not sure his point gets across. 

“Thanks, by the way.” Jungkook holds out the pen, but Taehyung doesn’t even look at it. 

“Keep it.” 

“But,” Jungkook watches Taehyung pack up his backpack, “It’s yours.” 

“And now it’s yours.” 

“But I don’t need it.” 

Wearing a lazy grin, Taehyung grips the edge of Jungkook’s desk and leans in slightly, even as Jungkook subconsciously leans back. 

“Y’know,” Taehyung begins with a lick of his bottom lip. When the grin returns, Taehyung reveals sharp canines that extend slightly further than the rest of his teeth. “I heard you missed me over the weekend, Jungkook.” 

Before Jungkook’s cheeks even flush a deep pink, Taehyung is already pushing himself up to stand at full height. He gives Jungkook one last look and slips past him down the row of seats, never leaving Jungkook’s sight until he’s through the classroom’s double doors. 

“What the hell was that?” Suyun is on Jungkook with a quickness, her large, rounded ears sticking up out of her straight hair. 

Jungkook exhales slowly. “I… don’t know?” 

Gathering his notebook and Taehyung’s pen, Jungkook almost misses the slip of paper folded in half and teetering on the edge of his desk. It’s intentionally folded and perfectly aligned at the edges, and the paper looks different than that of Jungkook’s notebook.

He doesn’t mean to be secretive, but Jungkook twists in his seat to hide the note when he opens it. Suyun is trustworthy; there’s no questioning that. Still, Jungkook wants to have the chance to process whatever this note is before he shares it with anyone else. 

It’s a good call, considering what’s scrawled on the inside in small, messy lines. 

vante95 2 pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays  10 am Saturdays

Jungkook refolds the paper and shoves it in his pocket. His entire face burns like a summer wildfire. He can barely stand up without tripping over himself, and he slings his backpack over his shoulder with shaking hands. 

Taehyung gave him his KakaoTalk and work schedule. 

Taehyung essentially invited Jungkook to text him and visit him at work. 

Jungkook thinks he might be sick from how nervous he suddenly feels. 

“Earth to Jungkookie,” Suyun shoves Jungkook in the arm as they go about their typical routine of walking to the library after class to study. “What is going on with you and that tiger, huh? You’ve been acting so weird the last week.” 

Chewing his bottom lip, Jungkook contemplates how to answer Suyun’s questions. He opts for the truth, spilling his little no-so-secret infatuation with the predator in hushed whispers as they cross the main quad in front of the library. 

“Do you think I should text him?” Jungkook holds the wrinkled note out for Suyun to read. A curious smile brightens her face, exposing her cute buck teeth. 

“Oh my gosh, yes. He’s so cute, Jungkook! Don’t believe all that silly stuff about predators being bad. They’re not all so terrible,” Suyun urges. 

If anyone knows what it’s like to trust a predator, it would be Suyun. Her encouragement is all the permission Jungkook needs to open the app on his phone and type in Taehyung’s KakaoTalk ID. 

Jungkook doesn’t know why he expects an immediate response; he already knows Taehyung has work right now. Still, he feels disappointment sink like a rock in his gut after five minutes pass and his message is still unread. Should he have waited to text him? Does it seem desperate to send him a message so quickly after receiving his contact info? 

Trying to pull himself together, he gets settled in a study room with Suyun and puts his phone on Do Not Disturb. He may be determined to get to know the mysterious tiger hybrid, but school will always come first. 

Suyun stands at the whiteboard, which takes up an entire wall. She works diligently to draw diagrams of something chemistry-related that Jungkook doesn’t understand– many lines connecting hexagons and acronyms he doesn’t recognize. Jungkook may be studying science, but not that kind of science. 

“So,” Suyun asks as she writes mathematical equations in pink marker that look more confusing than the hieroglyphs they were just studying, “Do you like going here better than your other school?” 

“I do, but I think it’s a lot harder here. I feel like all I do is study.” 

Suyun laughs and smiles over her shoulder at Jungkook. 

“I totally get that. We need to do something fun, maybe go clubbing. I could see if Jackson’s friends are throwing any house parties. I feel like there’s usually a few of them right before finals, as like, a morale boost.” 

“I’ve never actually been to a party…” Jungkook admits quietly, though rather than embarrassment, he feels giddiness at the prospect of experiencing another new college experience he was previously denied. 

Suyun whips around and accidentally flings her marker across the room. Giggling, Jungkook gets up to search for the marker.

“Oh my gosh, Jeon Jungkook, we are going to a party. What else haven’t you done? I need to pop your cherry.” 

“What!” Jungkook nearly shrieks. The shock of her statement makes Jungkook mess up his throw, and he ends up nearly chucking the marker in Suyun’s face. 

“Sorry, that came out wrong. I’m not, like, trying to take your virginity. Is that what you thought?” 

Jungkook hides behind his laptop once he returns to his seat. He’s not ready to admit that, yes, he is a virgin. Admitting that usually gets him weird stares and inappropriate comments. One time, an old friend of Jungkook’s said he “screamed virgin”– whatever that means!

“Maybe we can start with a house party and go from there…” Jungkook offers with a suspicious look thrown at Suyun’s back. Maybe dating a predator has had an impact on the mouse hybrid, who otherwise should be naturally timid and prudish. 

“Sure, sure. I’ll text Jackson right now. We’ll have all week to figure everything out.” 

When Suyun reaches for her phone, Jungkook impulsively checks his as well. His heart leaps into his throat, and his palms sweat when he checks the notifications he’d silenced during their study session. 

Series Masterlist

Disclaimer: All my writing is fictional and for entertainment purposes only. None of these characters are meant to actually represent the real people mentioned in the stories. 

All rights reserved © @gimmethatagustd​ - Do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my writing. Do not use my writing for any AI purposes whatsoever. Do not use my fics for anything aside from reading and commenting on them. My fics will only be posted on this Tumblr and on AO3 (gimmethatagustd & daddytaehyungie). Request an AO3 account here.

[k4shixe]

Helloooo!

Could I request Haikyuu characters Oikawa, Sugawara and Kuroo with a chubby reader who's an extrovert and loves books and movies and CANNOT stop yapping about them? I feel like they'd listen to them and just be happy to be included in their rambles.

Haikyuu Boys with Reader That Always Talks About Books and Movies

Staring; Toru Oikawa, Koshi Sugawara and Tetsuro Kuroo

Pairings; Oikawa x gn!reader, Sugawara x gn!reader, Kuroo x gn!reader

CW; chubby reader, affection, pet names (baby,babe and sweetheart), written at 2am ;)

Toru Oikawa

* You guys actually at a meet up with friends, he saw how you stood out from the rest and weren’t shy to speak about your interests

* When you guys went on your first date, he cant lie he did find it a bit annoying as you kept on going into some lore when he just wanted to know your current book your reading or movie you liked because (fyi) he’s a little self centred

* He also loves reading and watching movies, he always finds some time to do so

* But he loved those little moments when you did stop to ask for his input and you’d get plenty to go off of

* When you guys officially started dating you would both go to the little cafe down the street to the high school and would discuss a movie

* Discuss means poor Oikawa listening to you rant about how the two main protagonists should’ve ended up together

* He would take you to his practices and join you every chance he got to ask for an update on whats happening since he doesn’t want to get left behind

* “Babe, I think we should continue our conversation somewhere else” he says as he glances around the room to everyone staring at you both after the 6th angry shout about why the author killed off your favourite side character

* It was late afternoon anyways so you agreed of course since you were far from finishing and continued telling him about your current read

* “And they got lost while snow boarding so they had to cuddle up together, like it was sooo cute!” You mindlessly rambled on

* “Do you wish it was you?” Oikawa teased as he opened the door to the apartment

* “Well…mayb- AHH PUT ME DOWN OIKAWA”

* “Sorry, gotta give my book worm her nap”

* He took you to the couch and let you lay on his lap while he snuggled you in a blanket and put on your favourite movie to watch <3

Koshi Sugawara

* The instant you and Sugawara met, you knew it was meant to be

* He was just as interested in any movie or book you’ve read

* He loved listening to your talk about you favourite shows with so much passion

* Your favourite spots would be a little bench in the park or a small cafe to get a quick snack

* You were so cute to him as you excitedly told him about the newest release and he would excitedly reply with the same energy or more

* He is so cute he would rather die then interrupt you, never wanting to miss a thing and would always tell you where you left off so you could continue

* He and you would take turns choosing books and set a goal or have a challange on who could finish it first

* It was honestly just a way to have someone to talk to about your current read but Sugawara never refused and always took the challenge

* This man would never ever get mad at you for anything, even if you spoil what would happen he would just laugh it off

* He would join you at lunch as you always had something to say

* Always had some sort of input

* “I just cant believe they done her so dirty”

* “YES YOUR SO RIGHT! LIKE HOW COULD THEY!” you shouted a bit too loud but you couldnt help it. You loved when he was listening and matched you energy (which is always)

* His favourite part would always be when you both had a date at home and snuggle under the blanket with a torch and a book ready to be started <3

Tetsuro Kuroo

* You guys met accidentally while he was practicing

* You were talking (complaining) to Kenma about why Kuroo couldnt just participate a little on the group assignment when he so happens to over hear

* “Oh someones talking about me” he would say smugly as he watched you mess up your words trying to make up an excuse to cover up your reason

* “Sorry, Im more focused on my extra-curricular right now. But I’ll try a little so you wont have to do it all”

* You met up after school and thats when he first came into contact with your true self

* At first it was slight remarks to books that he was forced to read for school but later he couldn’t tell but he knew it was quoted

* He asked you about it and you told him you were into books and movies and as a joke he said he was too

* Big mistake tho

* Cause when you started dating you made him read and watch all kinds of stuff

* He had to tell you eventually when he couldn’t keep up with the amount of requested books he had to read or movies to watch

* You were sad that he couldn’t relate to anything you were saying but he encouraged you to keep talking

* He would stare at you while you spoke, adoring you

* Literally loved how adorable you looked with your eyes sparkling in excitement and your little hand gestures as you explained to him for context

* Sometimes he would take you out for dates just to admire you

* “Kuroo? Are you listening?”

* “Hm? Oh yeah. Something about the dungeon being different”

* Your heart melted. It wasnt spot on but he was listening

* “Yeah they took the dragons away and added purple limestone during the years-“

* “And they made her go into the room without her helmet”

* “What, they tricked her?!” He would reply dramatically with a gasp

* “Why?!”

* You were going to forget the fact you already mentioned that part for the sake of his reactions

* When walking home he would hum and nod while watching around his surroundings as he listened to you speak

* “Thats literally not fair, like why did they end up together! Like the others had much cuter moments like when they went to the movies together”

* He smirked as he turned to you

* “Sweetheart, would you like to watch a movie together?”

* He took you to the couch anyways and let you lay on his chest with a blanket on top as you both watched your favourite movie for the 4th time <3

A/n; I love this idea sm and it is so cute! I agree that they would all listen and put their input. I apologise if it is bad or for any mistakes as I just saw and started write this at 2am. Please send in any more requests as im always open and Hope You Enjoy! :)