#thank you for taking all the time with these replies though

[lvnleah]

a different path | awfc x young!reader

find the no more secrets universe masterlist here!

You woke up hot and sweaty as another wave of nausea overtook you. You threw the duvet off of your clammy body before rushing to the bathroom and throwing yourself down onto the floor. 

You crouched over the toilet, emptying the contents of your stomach as you barely made it in time. Tears slowly dripped down your cheek as you held your hair back away from your face, the thought of one thing playing on your mind. 

You were convinced that you were pregnant. 

You sat there on the cold bathroom floor, your head spinning. The nausea was unbearable, and no matter how much you tried to convince yourself that the test had been right, the doubts kept creeping in. 

Two weeks had passed since that day, and everything felt different now. Your body didn’t feel like your own. Each day, it was as if the symptoms were magnifying, the exhaustion and sickness weighing you down alongside the tenderness in your boobs that made you want to cut them off. 

You had tried to ignore it at first, hoping it would all go away, but each time you looked in the mirror, you saw someone who didn’t look like herself. Even the thought of food made your stomach churn.

You finally dragged yourself off the bathroom floor, your body heavy and sore. Staring at your reflection in the bathroom mirror, you barely recognized the girl looking back at you. It was hard to deny it now, no matter how much you wanted to. 

It wasn’t just the physical symptoms that were terrifying, it was everything that came with the idea of being pregnant. Your career, your future, everything you’d worked for. You weren’t ready for this. You weren’t ready for a baby, and you certainly weren’t prepared to be alone in all of this.

You checked the time on your phone that had been abandoned on the ground, it read 8:08am meaning that Steph and Beth should both be up by now. Just as you grabbed your toothbrush, another wave of nausea hit you and you were back on the ground. 

Steph raised her eyebrow, giving Beth a look as they both ate their breakfast, “Do you hear that? Is that Hayden in the bathroom?”

Beth looked up from her bowl of cereal, frowning as she listened intently to the sounds coming from the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar, and the muffled noises of someone retching sent a tight knot of concern straight to her chest.

���Yeah, that sounds like H,” she replied, setting her spoon down. “I��ll go check on her.”

Steph nodded but didn’t say anything, her expression filled with quiet worry. She was used to seeing you tough it out, always keeping her emotions and struggles to yourself, but the sounds coming from the bathroom were different. 

Something wasn’t right.

Beth stood up, walking toward the hallway with a sense of urgency. She knocked gently on the bathroom door before pushing it open, her heart sinking as she saw you kneeling on the floor, your face pale and drenched with sweat. The sight of you, so vulnerable, made Beth’s stomach twist.

“Oh, kiddo,” Beth’s voice was soft, filled with concern. She crouched down beside you, gently rubbing your back, “It’s okay, H. Let it all out, yeah?”

“Steph!” Beth called into the kitchen, “Can you grab Hayden a glass of water please?”

“I… I’m fine,” you muttered, though the words lacked conviction. You wiped at her face, still not meeting Beth’s gaze.

Steph appeared in the doorway then, with a glass of water in her hand, “Here you go, kiddo. Have a sip, it’ll help.”

“Thank you.” You mumbled, taking the glass and bringing it up to your lips as your hands trembled. 

Beth frowned. “You’re not fine,” she insisted gently. “You’ve been acting strange for the past couple of weeks. And now this. Hayden, talk to us.”

Finally, you looked up, your eyes filled with tears that you tried so desperately to keep hidden. You opened your mouth, but no words came out at first. 

The silence stretched, and then, in a voice barely above a whisper, you said, “I think I’m pregnant.”

“I…I don’t know what to do,” you confessed, your voice trembling. “I’m scared.”

“But the test was negative?” Beth said, “The doctor said you’re not pregnant?”

You nodded slowly, your eyes welling up with tears as you sat back and hugged your knees to your chest. “Yeah, it was negative. But…everything feels wrong. My body feels different, and I’ve been so sick. I can’t shake the feeling that it’s true, even though the test said otherwise.”

“Oh, Hayden,” Steph sighed, sitting down in front of you, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it though?” You murmured, a hiccup escaping your lips, “I’m twenty, Steph. Twenty and could be fucking pregnant. My life, my career, everything is going to be over for me!”

Steph reached forward, placing a hand gently on your knee, “Hey, look at me,” she said softly, her voice steady but full of understanding. “I know you’re scared. I’d be terrified too but you’re not alone in this and you never will be. You don’t have to go through it by yourself. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

You swallowed hard, wiping at your eyes, but the tears didn’t stop. “I can’t do this. I don’t want to ruin everything. I’m not ready for this. What if it changes everything? What if everyone thinks I’m a failure?”

“You’re not a failure,” Beth said firmly, her voice gentle but unwavering. “No matter what happens, you’re not a failure. And nothing is going to ruin everything. Your career, your dreams, none of that has to end just because you’re facing something unexpected. We’ll help you figure it out.”

Steph nodded in agreement. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now, kiddo. But whatever happens, we’re here for you. You don’t have to decide everything today.”

You took a shaky breath, trying to steady yourself. The panic and fear were still there, lurking in your mind, “I don’t even know if I can do this, you know?” you whispered. “It’s too big. Too much.”

You took a deep breath, “Can one of you get me a test please?”

Steph nodded, “Of course we can. How about I pop to the shop and get one, some snacks too, yeah?”

Beth nodded, giving a small smile. “And I’ll stay here with you, kiddo. No need to be alone with all this.”

You let out a shaky breath and nodded, “Thanks… I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”

Steph smiled as she stood up from the bathroom floor. “Don’t even think about that, okay? You’ve got us. I’ll be right back, and we’ll get through this one step at a time.”

As Steph left, you and Beth moved to the living room. “Take a few deep breaths,” she said softly as you sat on the sofa. “I know it’s a lot to handle, but remember one thing at a time.”

You nodded, trying to focus on your breathing. The nausea had subsided a little for the moment, but the anxiety was still there, tight in your chest. “I feel like I’m all over the place. What if it’s positive? What happens then?”

“We figure it out together like we always do. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Beth reassured you. “Everyone will support you.”

“Yeah,” you whispered, the knot in your stomach loosening just a bit. “I hope...”

Steph returned a short while later with a bag of snacks and a box of pregnancy tests. “Here you go,” she said, setting the items down on the counter. “I got you some chocolate too. You’re probably going to need it.”

You managed a small smile, feeling a bit of relief wash over you as Steph set the test down on the coffee table. “Thanks, Steph.”

The room was quiet as you sat there, the test staring back at you like it held the answers to everything you feared. With a deep breath, you slowly got to your feet and took it from the table. “Okay, I’m going to take it.”

You closed the bathroom door behind you, the silence almost suffocating as you held the test in your hand. The plastic stick seemed so small and insignificant, yet it felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on it. Your mind was racing, every possible outcome playing out like a movie in your head.

You set the test down on the edge of the sink and took another deep breath. You could hear Beth and Steph talking softly in the living room, their voices a distant comfort. The fear was still there, gnawing at you, but you tried to steady your hands as you followed the instructions.

You closed your eyes for a moment, trying to focus on the rhythm of your breath, to keep the anxiety at bay. But it was hard, so hard to stop the worries that flooded your thoughts. What would this mean for your future? Would your career be over before it even really began? What if everyone judged you?

After three long minutes, the timer you had set on your phone finally went off. You took a deep breath before flipping over all three tests. 

And then, there it was. 

Three positive tests. 

You felt your stomach drop as the realization hit. It was positive. 

You were pregnant.

Your eyes burned, and for a moment, the world around you seemed to spin. “No,” you whispered under your breath, feeling the tears start to prick at the corners of your eyes. “No, no, no. Fuck!”

You stared at the tests again, willing them to change, to somehow tell you that this was just a mistake, that everything would go back to normal. But it was still there. The lines are clear as day.

A knock at the door pulled you from your spiralling thoughts.

“Hey, H? You okay in there?” It was Steph’s voice, soft and careful.

You didn’t respond at first, unsure of what to say. The silence between you and the test felt deafening. But then, you managed to croak, “It—they’re positive.”

You could hear the sharp intake of breath from the other side. “Okay,” Steph said, her voice steady. “Okay, we’re here, kiddo. Just… come out when you’re ready.”

You took one last glance at the test before stepping out of the bathroom. Steph and Beth were standing on the other side of the door. 

“Hey,” Beth said softly, rising to her feet as she moved toward you. “You don’t have to say anything yet, okay? We’re here. You don’t have to make any decisions today.”

“I’m scared,” you whispered, the words coming out so small, so fragile. “I don’t know what to do.”

Beth stepped forward, wrapping her arms around you, and pulling you into a warm, comforting hug. “We’ll figure it out, kiddo.”

You collapsed into Beth as she held you close. You sobbed in her arms, tears not stopping. 

Steph rubbed your back gently, her other hand resting on your shoulder as Beth held you tightly. “Just let it out, H,” she murmured. “It’s okay.”

You clung to Beth like a lifeline, your whole body shaking. You had no idea how long you stayed there, but eventually, the sobs turned into quiet sniffles, your breathing still shaky but steadier than before.

Beth pulled back slightly, keeping her hands on your arms as she looked at you. “Come sit down, yeah? You need to drink some water.” She guided you toward the sofa, and you let her, feeling like you were moving in a daze.

Steph sat down next to you, passing you the glass of water again. “Sip it slowly,” she instructed gently.

You nodded, taking small sips as Beth sat on your other side, her hand never leaving your back. The weight of everything still felt suffocating, but at least you weren’t alone.

After a moment of silence, Steph spoke up again. “Listen, H. This doesn’t mean your life is over, okay? It’s a big thing, yeah, but you don’t have to figure everything out all at once.”

You swallowed hard, staring down at the water in your hands. “I don’t even know what I was thinking,” you admitted. “I was just getting started, you know? Football…everything.”

Steph reached for your hand, squeezing it. “And that doesn’t have to change if you don’t want it to. Loads of women have careers and families, you know that.”

“But it’s not what I planned,” you whispered, voice raw.

Beth sighed, “Life doesn’t always go to plan, kiddo. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still have the things you want. We’ll figure this out together.”

You nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, “I—I think I want to—to keep the baby.” You stuttered.

“Yeah?” Steph said, a smile peeking onto your face, “A little baby Hayden?”

A weak laugh escaped you, surprising even yourself. “Yeah,” you murmured, “A little baby Hayden.” Saying it out loud made it feel more real like the weight of the decision had fully settled into your chest.

Beth let out a small breath, her hand squeezing your shoulder. “Then that’s all that matters. You’ll be the best Mummy.”

You bit your lip, nerves creeping back in. “But how am I supposed to do this? What if I’m not cut out for it? What if I mess them up?”

Steph shifted closer, wrapping an arm around you. “H, nobody has all the answers when they start. But you’ve got us. You’ve got the team. You won’t be doing this alone.”

Beth nodded firmly. “And you’ll be a brilliant Mummy, I know it. And we’ll be the best Auntie Beffy and Steffy.”

You let out a shaky laugh, “Oh god, this poor kid.”

You let out a shaky breath, your heart pounding. The fear was still there, twisting in your gut, but for the first time since you saw that stupid test, it didn’t feel all-consuming. 

It still felt overwhelming, terrifying even, but with Steph and Beth beside you, the weight on your chest felt just a little bit lighter.

You weren’t alone and you never would be now.

[fireinmoonshot]

about love | joaquin torres x fem!reader

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x Fem!Reader Summary: Joaquin thinks taking the engagement ring he's bought for you on a mission with him is a good idea – it's definitely safer with him than it is anywhere else, right? Well... until he loses it. Warnings: Mentions of minor injuries (a bump on the head) Word Count: 4k A/N: Had this idea at work yesterday and thought it was so Joaquin so I had to write it. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Thank you for all the love on my Joaquin fics so far – I have more coming for sure, I have so many ideas in a note on my phone, as well as the requests you guys have sent in! 💗

“Woohoo! That was awesome!” Joaquin yells, his feet finally hitting the ground after being airborne for what feels like hours. He misses the feeling of flying already. “Did you see me?” He asks Sam, walking towards him.

Sam has just landed not too far away from him and is already sighing at the sound of Joaquin’s voice. “See what?”

“When I did the thing with the thing! And then I did the other thing and bam! He was falling out of the sky! I saw him land in the water and it did not look like a nice landing!” Joaquin explains, in probably the poorest possible terms.

For a second, Sam just stares at Joaquin. How is this the man that he’s basically picked to be the Falcon to his Cap? “Nothing about what you just said makes sense, bro.”

“Yeah, it does!” Joaquin insists. “I did the thing!”

Sam and Joaquin had been expecting this mission for weeks. Everything pointed towards things turning into a fight, but the location and time had been left to chance and eventually, things had turned out just as they’d expected. They hadn’t expected having to fight over the water, though. Sam was just glad things hadn’t turned out the way that they had the last time they’d fought over the top of the ocean.

“Just… go and get checked out by a medic,” Sam orders – the Air Force had been standing by, ready to help if Sam and Joaquin needed it. They luckily hadn’t. “You almost got hit out there. Don’t forget that I saw that.” 

Joaquin grins to himself as he watches Sam walk off, holding his shield by his side. “Come on, that was awesome, bro! And it was an almost hit – they didn’t even graze me!” 

“Tell that to your girlfriend!” Sam yells in reply.

At the reminder of you, Joaquin pauses. The ring. His hands move to the pocket where he’d placed the ring box before the mission and his heart drops into his stomach when he finds it empty.

“No, no, no, no…” 

Joaquin checks every other pocket in his suit, trying to keep hopeful for as long as possible, but it becomes clear very quickly that the ring box is no longer in his suit or even on his body at all anymore. This was not good… if it fell out during the mission… over the ocean… there was no way he was getting it back. Oh, he's so screwed.

He’d been planning to propose to you for over a month now but it had taken him a while to find the perfect ring. He’d scoured the internet and just about every jewellery shop in the city to find one he knew you’d love. When he and Sam left for the mission, he knew he had to take it with him. There was no other choice. What if his apartment was broken into while he was away and they stole the ring? Or worse, what if you came over to his place to get something of yours that you’d left behind and found it? It’d ruin the surprise.

In hindsight, Joaquin realises that maybe the ring would’ve been safer at home… instead of where it likely is now, sitting on the bottom of the ocean or… swallowed by a whale or something… poor whale…

The excitement at the success of the mission is long gone by the time he trudges his way to the medic, who is waiting to see him. He removes his suit slowly and carefully, all the while hoping that the ring will suddenly appear in one of the pockets, but it never does.

Later, as Joaquin sits in his hotel room, he can’t tear his eyes away from the confirmation email he’d received when he’d ordered your ring. It’d ended up being one he found online, but with a few custom alterations to make it more you. The ring was one of a kind, like he’d intended for it to be, because so were you. It made him even more disappointed that he’d never end up getting to give it to you. And now he had to fork out even more money to find a replacement. He knows nothing would ever live up to the original, even if you loved it.

His phone buzzes in his hands and your contact photo pops up on the screen, one he’d taken of you when you hadn’t been looking at him. He’s quick to accept the call, already feeling comforted by your voice the second you say hello.

“How did it go!?” You ask, voice full of joy. “I saw some footage on the TV. You guys looked so awesome out there. It’ll never get old, seeing you flying in that suit, even if it kinda fills me with dread that something might happen to you.”

Joaquin laughs softly. “Thanks, angel. It was good. We won.”

Just by his short reply you can tell that something is wrong. Even though you’re in an entirely different state and you can’t see his face, the fact that he’d not excitedly recounting every single detail of the battle to you says more than his words ever could.

“Joaquin, what’s wrong?” You’re not one to beat around the bush.

“Huh? Nothing’s wrong, angel. I’m just tired.”

“You’re usually so excited after a successful mission and today you sound the complete opposite. Did something happen?” A thought enters your mind. “Wait, did you get hurt? Are you in the hospital?” He hears shuffling on the other end of the line. “Have they got you hopped up on some kind of painkillers?”

Joaquin can’t help but smile a little. “Angel, stop trying to put your shoes on and pack a bag at the same time. I’m not in the hospital, I’m in my hotel room. And I’m not on any painkillers. The medics checked me after the mission and gave me the all clear.”

You pause. “How did you know I was trying to put my shoes on and pack a bag?”

“Cause I know you, that’s how,” he smiles to himself. “You get the thought in your head that I’m hurt and you’re already looking up flights. I’d be the same way if things were reversed, believe me.”

Back in your apartment, you kick off the one shoe you’d managed to get on and sit back down on the couch. “So why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Joaquin sighs. How can he tell you what’s wrong? That he’s actually devastated cause he lost the ring he was planning on proposing to you with? He can’t. He hates lying, especially when it comes to you, and now he’s being forced to lie to you because of his own mistake.

“I promise nothing is wrong, angel,” Joaquin tries to make his voice sound less sad. “I really am just tired. It takes a lot out of you, fighting in a battle like that. It’s one thing to be flying in a plane but to actually be the one flying… it’s a lot. I’ve still got a lot to get used to. I’m just ready for a solid twelve hour sleep.”

“Oh.” You’re not really convinced but for Joaquin’s sake, you decide to drop it. You can already tell that you’re not going to get anything else out of him. “Well, I suppose I’ll let you get your rest then if you’re that tired. You’re flying home tomorrow, right?”

Joaquin nods. “Yeah, my flight leaves at… four? Six? Something around then. Thank you for calling though, angel. Really. I always love getting to hear your voice before I fall asleep.”

You smile at the way you can audibly hear the happiness in his voice. “Any time, Joaquin. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? You get a good night sleep and I’ll text you in the morning. I love you.”

“Love you too, angel.”

With that, you end the call and Joaquin groans, letting his phone fall onto the bed and his head back onto the pillow behind him. Instead, though, his head bashes rather hard onto the wall behind the bed. He grunts in pain, a hand going to the back of his head to rub the sore spot. Yeah… that’s gonna leave a bump for sure… he probably deserves it…

It’s a few hours later and Joaquin is finally about to give up on staying awake and finally try and get some sleep when he hears a knock on the door of his room. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to pull himself up from the bed, his whole body aching from the activity of the day. When he pulls open his door, he’s more than surprised to see Sam on the other side.

“Listen, bro, I’m way too tired to have a post-mission debrief and drinks or something, so can we just do this in the morning?” Joaquin asks, already knowing Sam would prefer it.

“That’s not why I’m here,” Sam says. “Can I come in?”

Joaquin stifles a yawn and steps aside to let Sam into the room, closing the door behind him. Sam takes a seat at the small table and chairs over by the window and Joaquin takes the seat opposite him, not wanting to be disrespectful by sitting on the bed like he would much prefer to do – the chairs are not padded and not comfortable in the slightest.

“What’s up, Sam?” Joaquin questions, leaning back against the chair and crossing his arms over his chest. 

Sam shoves a hand into the pocket of his jacket and removes a small blue velvet box and slides it across the table towards Joaquin. He almost jumps out of his seat at the sight of it, instantly snatching it up and opening it. He sighs in relief as he sees the ring, safely inside the box, completely unharmed. 

“Bro, what the hell!?” Any of the exhaustion that was in Joaquin’s body is gone as he looks across the table at Sam. “Did you send someone to retrieve this or something? A dive team? How did you even know that I’d lost it?”

Sam smiles a little at the younger boys excitement. “Maybe this might teach you to secure your valuables a little better, hey?” He shakes his head. “It didn’t even make it to the ocean, Joaquin. It fell out of your pocket before we were even in the air. I saw it, picked it up. Decided to keep it safe.”

He knew that if he’d given it back to Joaquin then that it would be all he’d focus on for the mission. He’d be berating himself so strongly that he’d almost lost the ring that he wouldn’t be able to give his full attention to the mission. Sam had watched Joaquin get hurt before and if he had his way, he’d never see it again. 

“And it took you this long to give it back to me!? Bro, do you realise what this is? How important this is? How could you keep this from me?” Joaquin’s voice is raised but he isn’t angry – he’s still angry at himself for losing it in the first place. He’s more than grateful to Sam for keeping it safe, but now that he’d lied to you over the phone about it… all of that could have been avoided if Sam had given it to him sooner.

Sam sighs and leans back in his chair. “Damn, these things are uncomfortable,” he mutters. “Listen, your girl sent me a text like an hour ago. She was asking if you were okay or if you were hurt, if anything went badly in the mission, cause she said she called you and you were acting all weird. I only remembered then that I even had it. I put it in my suit to keep it safe during the mission. I realised that the reason you must’ve been acting weird was cause you realised that you’d lost it.”

“And it took you an hour to come down two floors to give it back?”

“Nah, it took me an hour of thinking to decide whether to give it back to you tonight or give it back to you in the morning, Joaquin,” Sam admits. “This… this is a serious thing you’re planning on doing. You know that, right? I know it’s not my place but I just… I just wanted to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Joaquin furrows his eyebrows. “Of course I know what I’m doing, Sam.”

“That came out wrong,” Sam huffs, then tries again. “I’m sure you have thought this out, but I just wanted to check in. You’re a public figure now. People know you’re the Falcon, they see you coming out on missions with me. People might target you now in an attempt to get to me. Your life is in more danger than it ever has been before. Even when you were serving in the Air Force full time. You sure your girl knows that too?”

One thing that Joaquin has always been confident about with you is that you knew the risks of dating him. You’d started dating him back when he was in the Air Force, long before he became Falcon. Throughout it all, you’d stuck by his side, even when he wondered if you wouldn’t. When people started commenting on his Instagram photos saying rather unsavoury things, or leaving rude comments about you, he wondered if it would scare you away from him. But it never did. You were completely loyal to him and he knew it. If you were affected by his job as the Falcon that much, you would’ve ended things long ago.

But you didn’t. You’d started making plans to move in with him instead, as soon as the lease on your apartment was up in two months time. You’d come over more often, spent more nights at his apartment. You’d made changes to your own life to accommodate his ever changing schedule. You were in this for real.

“She knows,” Joaquin nods. “I wouldn’t be asking her to marry me if she didn’t.”

Sam lets out a breath. “Okay, well… good. I just… I wanted to check. Make sure you weren’t rushing into things or asking her for some reason other than love.”

Joaquin smiles a little. He’s known for a long time that Sam is full of heart but this has reminded him. Despite all the sarcastic comments and jokes they make, Sam probably has a bigger heart than Joaquin himself. 

“Everything I do when it comes to her is about love, Sam, I promise you that.”

Not long after, Sam excuses himself and leaves the room, leaving Joaquin alone with the ring. The one he thought he’d lost forever, now sitting here on the table in front of him. Not a scratch or a lick of damage anywhere on it. Sam had done a good job taking care of it.

He crosses the room to grab his phone, still sitting on the bed where he’d left it, and sends you a quick text. Angel, you still awake?

Your reply comes almost instantly. You okay?

Joaquin sits down on the edge of his bed, eyes resting on the ring box on the table, and smiles. You got a spare thirty minutes to call so I can tell you all about how badass I was in the mission today? 

During the plane journey home, Joaquin decides that he needs to propose sooner rather than later. He doesn’t want to risk losing the ring again or something else happening to it. It’s why, when he gets back to his apartment, he calls you and asks if he can come over to your apartment the next night – he’ll bring some takeout for dinner. He’s more than relieved when you say yes, telling him you can’t wait.

But then the night comes and Joaquin is sitting beside you on your couch, your now empty takeout containers sitting on the coffee table in the centre of the room. He feels like his heart might beat right out of his chest with how nervous he is, but he thinks he’s doing a pretty good job at holding it together.

Joaquín takes a deep breath and turns to face you, clasping his hands together in his lap to force himself not to prematurely reach for the ring box in his jacket pocket. “So, I think I owe you an explanation for why I was weird on that phone call two days ago.”

You look at him, eyebrows raised. “Do you? I thought you were just tired. You ended up calling me back and talking about the mission with me so I thought it was all sorted.”

“It is sorted, but… well, I kind of lied to you in the first call,” he winces a little, hating to have to admit it to you even though he knows you’re not going to care once he explains everything properly. “Something happened after the mission and it really messed with my head but I couldn’t tell you about it then.”

He can see by the look on your face that you’re concerned about what he’s going to say. He hates worrying you like this and he doesn’t mean to drag it out so much but he’s also so nervous about what he’s about to do that he can’t help but stall.

“Joaquin, just tell me. Please.”

Your voice is small, full of a sudden fear, and just the simple act of hearing that is the encouragement that Joaquin needs to push him forward to do this, to tell you the truth and pull the ring box out of his pocket with a long, deep breath. 

“I took this with me on the mission to make sure nothing happened to it, but after the mission I realised that it had fallen out of my suit and I’d lost it,” Joaquin starts. His heart is in his throat at admitting all this to you and thinking about what is coming. “Turns out Sam had actually picked it up when it fell out prior to the mission. He came and gave it back to me after you texted him that you were worried about me.”

At seeing the ring box in his hands, tears immediately come to your eyes. This was what you were so worried about? You were so scared about what Joaquin was about to say, worried that some of your deep fears might be coming true, but instead it was your dreams that were coming true. 

You watch as Joaquin slowly moves from sitting on the edge of the couch to kneeling on the floor in front of you. He flips the ring box open, finally letting you lay eyes on the ring inside of it, and a sob erupts from you.

“I was gonna try and do this in a better way,” Joaquin chuckles. “I had all these ideas for plans of things to do, but in the end I decided that I just wanted it to be between us. I didn’t want anyones eyes on us while I did this, cause this is our moment.” He’d almost booked several restaurants, even almost booked flights to Paris to propose in front of the Eiffel Tower, but this was better than any of the plans he could’ve come up with. 

“I told Sam when he came to talk to me after you texted him that everything I do when it comes to you is about love,” he continues with a shaky breath. “You are the love of my life, angel. You have been ever since I first met you and I intend on loving you for the rest of my life if you’ll let me.” The words, which Joaquin had expected to be difficult to say when the time came, flow out of him with so much ease it surprises him. “So, I suppose what I should finally ask, since I know you’re thinking about how much you wish I would just ask the question and stop talking about everything else… is… will you marry me?”

You’re on the floor in front of him before Joaquin can even blink and in his next breath, your arms are wrapped around him, pressing your body to his. He laughs, a little shocked, as he wraps one of his arms around you, still holding the ring in the other hand. He can tell that you’re crying but he already knows they’re happy tears without having to see them. 

“So… is that a yes?” He asks, grinning.

“Of course it’s a yes!” You exclaim, pulling away from him. The look on his face makes you fall in love with him all over again. The way he’s smiling at you sets butterflies off in your stomach. “Will you put the ring on me?”

You extend your hand and Joaquin wastes no time in removing the ring from the box and sliding it onto your ring finger. He can’t keep smiling and his face is starting to hurt but he doesn’t care. He’ll deal with a sore face from smiling forever if it means seeing you this happy. The fact that he is the reason behind this smile makes him smile even harder.

“It’s so beautiful, Joaquin,” you marvel, unable to take your eyes off of it. 

“Just like the woman wearing it,” he says, unable to help himself. “I’m just glad I didn’t actually lose it in the middle of the ocean. I was just about ready to start a dive team to find it before Sam gave it back.”

You meet his eyes and laugh, shaking your head. “You’re an idiot, Joaquin Torres.”

“I might be, but at least I’m your idiot,” he grins.

With a smile, you lean forward and press your lips to his, wrapping one of your hands around the back of his neck. He kisses you back instantly, arms wrapping around you to hold you close. When your fingers make their way into his hair, though, he grunts a little in pain as they brush against the bump on the back of his head. He’d forgotten about that.

You pull away, eyes concerned. “Are you hurt? Did you get hurt on the mission?” 

Joaquin is quick to confirm that he isn’t. “I hit my head when I was in the hotel… this is so embarrassing to admit,” he laughs softly. “When I was still sad cause I thought I’d lost the ring, I leant back and hit the wall… a little harder than I intended to. I guess it left a bump… but it doesn’t mean you have to stop kissing me, y’know…”

Thankfully, you accept his poor reasoning for his sore head and kiss him again, your fingers moving out of his hair and instead resting on his shoulders. He’s already counting down the days till his head is fully healed – he loves the feeling of your fingers in his hair.

After that, you only break apart for air when you really need to.

“So… this means I can call you my fiancée now…” Joaquin mutters against your lips.

“Oh, that’s true… fiancé… I like how that sounds,” you hum in reply.

“I’m one step closer to being able to call you my wife now,” he says, smiling.

“Hold your horses, Joaquin,” you laugh, pulling away from him despite your desire to stay as close to him as humanly possible. “Let me be a fiancée for a while, okay? Now,” you lean back against the couch. “Tell me all about how you lost this beautiful ring of mine and how it happened to come into Sam’s possession… and then we’re gonna call him and thank him for keeping it safe when my fiancé couldn’t.”

Joaquin laughs, leaning against the couch beside you and reaching down to take your hand in his, his fingers spinning the new ring around on your finger. “You’re never gonna let me live it down, are you?”

“Oh, baby, even our great-great-grandchildren will know about this.”

[htaesan]

　ᅠ 📩　ᅠ EMAILS BETTER LEFT UNSENT part 2　　────　ᅠ ( park sunghoon )

𝓹recis ⠀ : ⠀your crush on your best friend of almost ten years is getting out of hand, and you feel like it’s time to give up𑁋especially after seeing how well your desk mate treats you.

　　　ᅠ 박성훈 & 심재윤 ⠀⠀◜◡◝ ⠀⠀𝒇 reader ⠀wc 32k ⠀ genre fluff a bit of angst childhood best friends to lovers non idol au high school au ⠀ contains mentions of food sickness crying skinship pet names ocs and random characters ⠀ tagging @a-dream-bookmark ,@/k-labels , @k-nets , @k-films , @sgz-net

　　　ᅠ note ᅠ from ᅠ 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐈 ! ᅠ HELLO your fav fic is back and better!!! (i hope.) saurrrrr i know the word count is crazy and tumblr does not let me put that much words in one post.. so this is the second part ! >< (i am so sorry) enjoy reading my debut enhypen fic on my new blog ^_^

　　　ᅠ ＞︿ 　　please leave feedbacks 　　& 　　reblog

To: parksung.h0on812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Park Sunghoon, Thank you for taking care of me at the hospital. Part of me was weirded out as to why you’re so adamant in making sure you were there to witness me eat all my meals until I was discharged. Even Heeseung oppa was weirded out. He asked me if you had… feelings for me.  I said no. I strongly believe in it, that you harbour no such feelings towards me.  A very small part of me thinks you like me—exactly like the way I like you. That very tiny part of me is giving me hope that feels illegal to have… hope that maybe I’ll be able to call you mine, and that I’ll be able to spend the rest of my life loving you loudly.  Though, I’ll use my rational mind here. There’s no way you like me the way I like you.  It’s impossible.  It’s impossible.  Maybe it’s not, but… It’s impossible.  Sent 23:45 PM, 11th November.

To: parksung.h0812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Dear Sunghoon,  Thank you for always sending me plenty of food every day, at each meal time. You’re very clever, aren’t you? You’re making me feel bad if I don’t eat the food, so that way I’ll finish everything.  You know me best, Sunghoon, and I sometimes hate you for that. Do you know how dangerous this fact is for my heart? She keeps on falling for you. Again, again, and again.  I’ll come over to your house after I finish this practice exam paper. Wait for me :)  Sent 9:08 AM, 12th November. 

You’re standing in front of the hotteok booth, bundled up in a warm puffer jacket. You had decided to buy some warm street food before going to Sunghoon’s house.

You shove your hands into your pockets, trying to keep warm. You impatiently tap your feet against the concrete floor, wishing that the old lady at the stall is cooking your hotteok a little faster.  

“Aunty, I’ll pay for her hotteok,” you hear a familiar voice say.

“Jake?” you say upon seeing him beside you. He gives you a toothy smile. 

“Hi, good morning.” 

“Good morning,” you reply grumpily, “are you the richest person in the world, or what? You don’t need to pay for my food every single time you see me.”

Jake laughs, and you see wisps of his breath vaporising from his lips. “I’ve never seen someone get mad at me for paying for their food.”

“Have you done this kind of treatment to anyone else?” you ask sharply.

Though, your tone does not intimidate Jake at all. He simply chuckles, and raises an eyebrow in amusement. “Why? Are you jealous?”

“No,” you snort, elbowing him. “Why would I be?”

“Here you go,” the hotteok lady says, handing you a paper bag filled with the goodies you asked her for. The scent attacks your nose, and you smile happily at the thought of devouring them as soon as possible. 

“It’s KRW 4500,” the lady reminds, and as swift as the autumn wind, Jake hands her the money. “Thank you,” she says. 

“Aish, seriously,” you grumble. “I can pay for myself, you know.”

Before Jake could say anything in reply, the hotteok lady interrupts with a cheeky smile. “Jaeyun-ah, is she your girlfriend? She’s so pretty.”

Your jaw falls open as your eyes dart rapidly between Jake and the lady. “N-no, I’m not–”

Jake grabs your hand and gives the lady a very generous smile. “Thank you, aunty, I do think she’s very beautiful too.”

You feel heat smothering the entirety of your face and you give the lady a sheepish laugh. Jake then bids farewell to the lady and leads you towards the bus station. 

“You’re crazy, aren’t you?” you hiss, pulling your hand away from his grip. “I’m not your girlfriend.”

Jake raises an amused eyebrow. “Oh? I thought you said yes the other day.”

“To what?”

“You agreed to dating me for a month, as a preview?”

“When…” you take a deep breath, containing your rage. Even though Jake was a very nice and polite person that you enjoy being around a lot, there’s this cocky side of him that often gets on your nerves. “...when did I agree to that?”

Jake looks confused—causing him to break out of his arrogant and confident manner, and it took him a minute to answer. “Oh. I-I took your silence as a yes.”

You laugh defeatedly. “Jake, I don’t think that’s how it works with me.”

Jake nods slowly, removing his gaze from you. While he’s recollecting his thoughts, and possibly coming up with a new tactic to convince you to date him; you’re thinking about it yourself, too. 

Jake’s nice—he’s good looking, athletic, and he’s smart too. From the beginning of your friendship with him in sophomore year, Jake has never been anything but kind and caring to you. You lost count the amount of times he’s bought you food and drinks, helped you in subjects you particularly aren’t too good in—and he doesn’t make you feel less smart at all. 

Honestly, you would classify Jake as one of the guys that girls are dying to get together with. He’s fun to be around—even if he can be overwhelming sometimes—he’s outgoing and adaptable, and he loves hard. 

You’ve seen the loving side of him, exposed to you for almost the entirety of your high school years. It’s just that you chose to ignore it, unable to see Jake as something more than a good friend of yours. 

You lay eyes on him, feeling bad—Jake deserves someone who reciprocates the immense amount of love he gives, not someone who purposefully chooses to friendzone him every single time, even though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. 

A voice inside your head tells you to try. That voice tells you to choose yourself, instead of pining after Sunghoon who most likely isn’t going to love you the same way you love him. It tells you that, perhaps, by giving Jake a chance, you’d give yourself one too. A chance to finally love and prioritise yourself.

“Fine,” you say, your voice shaky at first. “Let’s do it.”

YOU’RE riding the bus with Jake sitting by your side—and from the corner of your eyes, you can see how greatly his mood improved. He’s swinging his head slightly at the hum of a song he’s murmuring. 

“I’ll see you later,” Jake says when the bus approaches your stop. He gives you the brightest smile you’ve seen on him yet. “Take care, text me when you get there.”

You chortle, “relax, I’m only going to Sunghoon’s house. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Sunghoon?” Jake’s smile slips, and for a split second, you almost catch his eyes darken.

You nod cautiously. “Yeah, I’m going to study there,” you say, adjusting the tote bag on your shoulder. “Most likely I’m just going there to hangout, probably.”

“Why don’t you hang out at my place?” Jake suggests.

You grin. “You’re too clingy for someone who isn’t my boyfriend yet.”

“But–” 

“Shh,” you place a finger on Jake’s lips, sending tingles through. “See you later.”

Jake watches with round eyes as you hop off the bus, waving cheerfully at him. It takes him a minute to process what happened, and it had been a little too late for him to wave back at you. 

To: parksung.h0on812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Dear Sunghoon,   Thanks for letting me hang out at your house today. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten your mom’s cooking, I miss it.  Hoon, I hope you’ve been doing well. I hope you’ve been eating well, not missing your meals like I do, and that you’re always taking good care of yourself like how you’ve been taking care of me.  Honestly, I envy you.  How do you not develop feelings for someone who you’ve spent years with—who you’ve shared a bed and a blanket with multiple times, who you’ve eaten from the same utensils together a lot of times, whom you have hugged and cried with countless times. How do you not love someone, more than the boundaries of a mere friendship, who’s been there for you through ups and downs; who’s seen you at your best and your worst; who’s always making sure you’re taking care of yourself? How do you not fall in love with someone as kind as you? Sent 23:10 PM, 12th November. 

To: parksung.h0on812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Sunghoon! We did it! National entrance exams are finally over! I can finally sleep in for a whole day…  I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of us. We’ve been through so many things together, now—kindergarten, elementary, middle school and now we’re more than halfway through high school!  I can’t believe I’ve gone through so much with you by my side. I still remember you cheering me through my first violin recital back in second grade; and since then, you’ve never really missed any of my recitals. I still remember you teaching me how to skate, back in fourth grade, holding my hand tightly through every glide I took. I still remember you pulling me into one of the tightest hugs I’ve ever received from you, back in sixth grade, when you won the gold medal for the figure skating competition—I had never felt so joyful for someone other than you.  I hope with the last bit of the school year left for us to spend together, we’ll make a lot of memories.  Sent 23:46 PM, 14th November.  

Knock knock. Knock knock. Knock knock. 

Your eyes immediately flutter open, alarmed by the noise at your window. Groggily, you force yourself to stand up and rush to the source of the sound—your blurry vision barely making up the figure of Sunghoon outside. 

“Let me in,” he says, voice muffled. “It’s cold.”

“No,” you mumble sleepily. “Who are you…?”

“Princess, it’s me,” he exclaims a little bit louder so you can hear him properly. Nodding idly, you obey and open the window for him to jump in. Sunghoon, noticing your extremely sleepy condition, wraps an arm around your shoulder. He closes the window securely with his free hand before guiding you to your bed. 

“Are you that sleepy?” he asks you as he guides you to sit down in front of him. “It’s only 2 AM.”

“Mhm,” you nod, “I’m so sleepy…” 

Sunghoon softly pushes away a strand of hair from your face, tucking it gently behind your ear. You’re not meeting his gaze, your eyes droopy as they fight for their life to stay open. “Do you want to sleep right now?”

You nod, and Sunghoon can’t help but chuckle—you look so unbearably cute. Then, after a minute of debating whether he should leave to let you sleep or not, Sunghoon decides to do something he’s been doing ever since the two of you were nine years old. 

Sunghoon pats his thigh, signalling for you to land your head on it. Sleepy and unaware of your surroundings, you obey and lay on his lap, shifting to make yourself comfortable. Within seconds, you’re already sailing back to dreamland. 

Actually, Sunghoon came to talk about his problems to you. It’s always been like that—you are each other’s safe place. He could tell you about anything and you’d listen, so intently that the problem is already instantly solved. 

In the dead of the night, Sunghoon smiles to himself as he admires a sleeping you. You look so comfortable, at home, in his presence. You look so ethereal, and the moon seems to agree. Its dainty glow highlights the best of your features, glistening upon contact with your beauty. You’re sleeping, breathing gently and possibly dreaming about food and fun memories—but Sunghoon’s cheeks are reddening. His breaths are shaky, and with each exhale, he’s admitting something that he’s been denying for almost a decade. 

Sunghoon likes you. 

More than what friends should. 

Sunghoon loves you—more than what he’d like to admit; more than what childhood friends of almost 10 years are supposed to. 

“I like you, Y/N,” he whispers, and with each word that escapes from his lips, his shoulders release its tension. “I’ve liked you for a long time now. I-I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I like you.”

Sunghoons laughs, shaking his head. “Maybe I’m insane. Maybe I am, ‘cause the way my heart beats for you doesn’t suit what we are. The way I pretend that we’re just friends when every single night, I’ll dream about you–” he bit his lip, in hopes to control his feelings from overflowing, “–that is insane.”

“I didn’t want to fall in love,” Sunghoon whispers, slowly lifting his hand. He begins to trace your facial features, so gentle like he’s going to shatter you into pieces if he’s too harsh. “But you—how can someone look at you and not fall in love, Y/N?”

His finger comes into a halt at your lips. Sunghoon stares intently, his heart urging him painfully to just kiss you. He leans and kisses your nose instead, so tenderly it seemed like barely a touch. 

Sunghoon smiles to himself, content. “One day, I’ll find the courage to tell you everything. I’ll tell you myself, how much I love you, how much I want you to be by my side for the rest of my life.”

THE next morning, you can’t help but laugh at the way Sunghoon’s gawking at you as you rush here and there to get ready. At first, you found it a bit weird how he slept on your floor the entire night, but given that he has been doing that for the past few years, you don’t really mind.

“What?” 

“What do you mean what?” Sunghoon grumbles. “Where are you going?”

You scrunch your nose, giggling. “Guess!” you exclaim, turning away to finish doing your hair. 

Sunghoon rolls his eyes. “How would I know? I mean, we are not going anywhere, so why are you dolling up?”

“Well,” you chuckle, “I’m going to the aquarium with Jaeyun. he asked—”

“JAKE?” Sunghoon yelps, almost falling off the edge of your bed. 

You pause at the sudden reaction, one that you did not expect from Sunghoon. “What? We’re just friends.”

“Yet it’s a date,” Sunghoon flatly addresses. 

“No it’s not!” you shriek, despite the fact that Sunghoon was in fact, correct. “I mean, yes, it is,” you roll your eyes at Sunghoon’s ‘I knew it’ expression. “But I haven’t said anything to him. Like, we’re not in a relationship or anything.”

You show Sunghoon your messages with Jake, hoping to ease the frown on his face. 

hi y/n

if you’re free today

let’s go to the aquarium? let’s go by train

“See?” you say, “it’s nothing.”

Sunghoon turns off your smartphone, placing it to the side. His eyes pierce straight through you. “You look ugly.”

You gasp, your eyes widening as your smile drops drastically. What could hurt more—getting told by your crush that you look ugly, or being rejected by him? 

“Okay, well, I take it back,” Sunghoon hesitates, “you l-look pretty. But, what I’m tryna say is that you don’t have to put on so much makeup.”

You stare at him, heart pounding so loudly as you await his next words. 

Sunghoon continues, eyes looking away from you, “you don’t have to doll up. He’ll like you just the way you are.”

He gives you an awkward smile—leaning forward to pat your head. “I’ll wait outside. I wanna greet Mrs. Lee and say thanks for letting me sleep here.”

You watch as Sunghoon hops off your bed and walks out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. Your eyes linger around at the door, as if you’re waiting for him to come back in and watch you get ready. You sigh, turn back to the mirror, and continue finishing your makeup—doubting if you really are overdoing things with every stroke of the makeup brush. 

MOMENTS later, you’re sitting in the taxi next to Sunghoon, who insisted so much that he accompanied you to the train station to meet Jake. His excuse? It’s so that you won’t get lost due to the heavy crowd at the station, and so that you won’t be too nervous to go on your first date with Jake. Sunghoon even went as far as to call your brother about it—and Heeseung agrees, so you have no choice but to obey.

“Do you like Jake?” Sunghoon asks, five minutes into the ride. 

His question is direct and forward, and it feels like a bomb dropped straight to your face. It challenges you to truly label your feelings, distinguishing it clearly. 

You return his gaze, biting your lower lip as you think of an answer. The answer is blurry between the lines of yes and no. “No? I mean, he’s a nice person.”

“So you like… like him?”

You aggressively shake your head. “No! I like him as a friend.”

“Then, you’re going on dates with him?” Sunghoon questions. 

Your mouth sets on a hard line. “Okay, listen. Jake likes me—not the other way around—and he offered to date me for one month.”

“And you agreed?” Sunghoon jabs, his arms crossing across his chest. 

Your gaze sharpens. “Gosh, Hoon, stop being so difficult! As I said, Jake’s just a friend. You don’t have to worry about anything. I agreed to dating him for a month as a ‘preview’ because he’s nice, and he likes me. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to try, does it?”

Sunghoon sighs, his jaw clenching. “You think love is a joke?”

Your mouth falls open, and for a few seconds, you struggle to form words. “N-no, I don’t. Love… it’s something serious to me, Hoon, and I know you know that. I’m just giving Jake a chance to prove himself to me.”

“Then if you don’t like him, you’ll reject him?” Sunghoon asks sharply, an eyebrow perched upwards in mockery. 

“Well… yeah,” you admit silently. 

You don’t know what you expect as Sunghoon’s next response, but you’re surprised to find simply nodding and turning away, scrolling through social media on his smartphone. The rest of the taxi ride remains silent, and Sunghoon only opens his mouth when you’ve arrived at the train station. 

“Go on, have fun,” Sunghoon says, urging you to go out before you can offer to pay the fare. “I’ll pay—plus, I have somewhere I need to go to.”

“Are you sure?” you ask as you step out of the vehicle. Sunghoon gives you a strained smile before nodding reassuringly.  

“Yes,” he replies. “Go on, princess, have fun at the aquarium. Don’t annoy Jake too much.”

“Okay,” you say, and you stand there, frozen as you watch the cab drive away. It’s painful, for some reason, to watch him let you go and do nothing about it. 

Though, the universe doesn’t seem to let you dwell onto that guilt for too long. The taxi Sunghoon is in barely goes out of your sight before someone taps your shoulder. You turn around and see Jake—he’s dressed casually in a white tee, a navy blue plaid shirt as a cardigan, and brown jeans. His hair is combed nicely, in a way that some of it falls perfectly on his forehead. 

“Hi,” you say, “you look nice.”

Jake smiles shyly, coughing it away. “Yeah. I-I mean, thanks. You look beautiful.”

You snort, scanning your own outfit—a white babydoll top with plain blue jeans. “Beautiful? I wouldn’t say that.”

Jake pouts. “You give yourself too little credit.”

“Whatever,” you shake your head. 

“So, um, let’s go?” Jake offers you his arm. “I know you might not want to… hold my hand, but if you hold my arm, you won’t get lost in the crowd.”

You give him a slight smile, accepting his offer by grabbing his arm. “Alright, let’s go.”

For the entire train ride to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes, Jake had been nothing but kind and caring towards you, just how you expected him to be. He made sure to find a seat that was comfortable for you—he even offered his seat to an old lady. Though, he made sure to stand directly in front of you, acting as a shield or a protector. Jake kept a respectful distance from you, but at the same time, he made sure that no creeps or anything of that sort could make you uncomfortable. Of course, you got some comments from people around you that Jake is extremely lucky to have a girlfriend as pretty as you, and vice versa. You tried to deny them at first, clarifying that you and Jake are just friends, but you gave up halfway due to Jake’s speed—you wonder how he managed to reply to them faster than you do. 

When the train arrives at your designated stop, Jake offers you a hand—and you take it, letting him guide you through the ocean of people. At the ticket counter, you didn’t even have a chance to offer to pay—Jake did it all. 

It’s really awkward at first, having everyone look at you with heart eyes, whispering “aww, they’re so cute”, “oh my, they look so good together”, “look at him, so sweet, paying for his girlfriend” as you and Jake pass by. Though, all the awkwardness quickly dissolves away as soon as you set eyes on the aquariums on display. 

The first display hall of the aquarium is decorated with colourful and mystical lights, making the aquatic creatures living inside so much prettier. You pull out your smartphone and take numerous pictures; Jake walking close behind you, observing you intently. He smiles gently as he watches you in awe of the corals and jellyfish, sneaking a few pictures of you. 

Once the two of you reach the highlight of the aquarium, which is the aquarium tunnel, you can’t help but gasp in complete astonishment. Jake watches with amusement, laughing along with you as you spin around, taking in the view around you.

“Jaeyun!” you squeal, the edges of your eyes crinkling as you smile widely. “Look! It’s so pretty!”

To you, the view around you is breathtaking—with every turn, you see sharks swimming around, followed by unknown schools of fishes and aquatic life. But, to Jake, the breathtaking view is you. Features illuminated by hues of blue and purple light, Jake can’t help but smile merrily at the sight of you, happily admiring the scenery in the aquarium. 

“Yeah,” Jake replies, breathless. “It’s pretty,” he says, but he’s looking at you. 

To: parksung.h0on812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Hi Sunghoon, Today’s date with Jaeyun was really fun! I haven’t been to the aquarium in Busan for quite some time, so it’s nice to be there! He paid for everything, of course, so I had to enjoy it ten times more! Hehe. He also paid for lunch… I kinda feel bad. I tried to refuse and pay for myself, but Jaeyun wouldn’t let me. :(  Hmm. I hope you aren’t upset with me spending time with Jaeyun. Okay, honestly, I don’t know why I’m saying this in the first place, but… I don’t know if I should continue loving you. Sure, I still do love you, but maybe, for the sake of my heart, I’ll keep my love strictly within the limits of friendship.  I don’t know. I still like you. I want to be with you, grow old and create countless memories with you. But I have to take care of my heart, too, don’t I?  It’s been five years, Sunghoon, and I don’t know if my love will ever be reciprocated. I don’t know if you’ll ever love me back the same way. Besides, with school ending in five months, it’s certain that we’ll diverge in our paths—not meeting each other again for years to come. I don’t want to be in pain, Sunghoon, but at the same time, I’m willing to go through even the harshest storms and pits of hell for you.  Sent 19:15 PM, 15th November.

Closing your laptop shut, you hit yoursel lightly. How could you forget? It’s Jake’s birthday! You only realised after seeing Naeun’s text, reminding you if you’d come over to her house to help Fdaniset up for Jennie and Jake’s surprise birthday party . The two of you had gone out together for the day, and you didn’t even wish him a happy birthday. Trying not to trip, you grab your purse, smartphone and a puffer coat, and run out of the house. You rush to a nearby cafe—thankfully there has been a bakery in your neighbourhood—to buy two small lunch box cakes. You whip out your smartphone, dialling Jake’s number. The sun is setting, and you desperately hope he answers, despite only parting ways with you less than 30 minutes ago. 

“Y/N?” his voice came through.

You let out a shaky laugh of relief. “Oh, thank you for answering the phone. Are you free?”

“Are you okay?” he asks. “I-I mean, I’m free. Just chilling at home right now. Why?”

“I… want to drop something off,” you say, carefully choosing your words. You certainly don’t want the cake in your hands to not be a surprise. “I-I mean! I want to give you… something.”

You hear Jake chuckle. “Okay, I’ll meet you—send me your location?”

“Can we just meet at your house?” you inquire, not wanting to give Jake an inconvenience. 

“I don’t prefer having the lady go out of her way to meet me,” Jake replies after some silence, “I prefer going out of my way to meet her.”

Your nose crinkles as you try to hold in your shyness. “O-oh, okay… I’ll send you my location.”

You quickly end the call, and send him the location of the cafe you’re standing in front of. A few minutes later, you see Jake running up to you—his hair messily tousled by the wind, his chest heaving up and down drastically. 

“Did you run here?” you ask.

Jake nods. “Yeah. I wanted to meet you.”

You laugh, soft like the wind. “We literally just met this afternoon, Jaeyun.”

“Anyway,” you say, stretching out your arms to show the lunchbox cake, the one that you had asked the shop employee to say ‘Happy Birthday, Jaeyun!’ on it, to Jake. “Happy birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier today, I didn’t realise it was your birthday too… I mean, you acted like it was a normal day!”

“My birthday too?” Jake asks, amusement glinting in his eyes. “Did you forget that Jennie’s my twin sister?”

You pout, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry…”

After grabbing the cake from your hands, Jake leans forward and pats your head. “Thank you, Y/N. Means a lot.” 

Then, feeling the buzz of your smartphone in your pocket, you’re reminded of the birthday surprise you need to help Naeun with. You quickly say goodbye, and wish Jake a happy birthday again before running off to catch a taxi. 

Jake watches you go, his eyes lingering a second longer, even after the taxi you’re in leaves his line of sight. He turns his attention to the lunchbox cake in his hands, a smile curving up his lips as he examines its design—a cute puppy, on a plain white cake, saying ‘Happy Birthday, Jaeyun!’. 

Jake turns on his heel and merrily walks home. Deep in his heart, he knows that the girl he likes has her heart set on someone else, yet this little gesture feels like he’s won her over. It’s short and doesn’t last as long as he’d like it to be, but the butterflies it gives him is enough to last him awhile. 

AS you’re desperately wishing for the traffic to die down quickly, due to you needing to be at Naeun’s house as quickly as possible, your thoughts lead your mind elsewhere. You’re back to thinking about your interaction with Jake—how his surprised yet grateful smile seemed to hide a thousand more emotions behind its perfection… it lingers in your mind. His gestures are sweet and really, really thoughtful—he’s willing to go out of his way for you, always managing to crack a smile from you. 

Deep down, you know Jake cares about you. He’s everything you had looked for in a partner—he’s willing to learn more about you, he’s patient and kind, he’s good looking and he’s smart—if only your heart wasn’t tightly bound to someone else. 

Halfway to Naeun’s place, your smartphone buzzes with a text message. This time, it’s from Naeun. You quickly open it, expecting a “hurry up, Y/N!” or some kind of instruction for the surprise—instead, you find a picture of Jake with the lunchbox cake you gave him. He’s smiling, posing in front of his house, holding it up to the camera with that goofy, happy grin that makes your heart do a little flip. 

y/n, did you give this cake to him? 

it’s on his instagram story

You reply, 

yes. but it’s not the one we’re surprising them with

it’s with me rn

You watch Naeun’s reply pop out on the screen. 

oh good

scared me

also, what’s up with the caption? 

“I think I’m in love with her, Y/N. This cake... it’s everything to me. She’s everything.” 

The message halts you in motion. Your fingers hover over the screen, unsure of what to reply. For a moment, you’re sitting there, staring at the screen while the traffic buzzes around the taxi you’re in. 

The message is like a hard slap to the face, but instead of making you cry, it makes you second guess everything.

Is Jake really falling for you? Are his actions purely out of love, and not just some casual ‘I like you’ kind of thing? Is he really waiting for something, some kind of answer, from you? 

You press your lips into a thin line, thinking hard. 

Jake has been nothing but patient, kind and loving towards you. He’s everything that every girl, including you, would ask for. Though, that fact comes with a feeling that you can’t shake off—every time you think of Jake’s smile, his kindness and his warmth; it all drifts back to Sunghoon. How the world seems to revolve around him, his smile that makes you think of bread whenever you see it, the warmth of his hugs, and the comfort of his presence. 

Your heart always seems to find its way back to Sunghoon. 

You swallow thickly, trying to push the guilt down. It’s not fair to Jake. It’s not fair to anyone, especially you, because you’re the one stuck in the middle of two worlds.

Do you pick Jake, or do you stay with Sunghoon?

THE surprise birthday party is a blur. Everyone’s laughing, chatting, eating their hearts away, and there’s a sense of celebration in the air—but you can’t quite ignore the clenching feeling in your stomach. You’ve got two different people to think about now, and you don’t know how to navigate the space between them.

And all the while, Jake’s smile from earlier keeps dancing in your mind. The way he’d looked at you as you handed him the cake, the way he’d thanked you so earnestly. Why did a small, lunch box cake seem to mean so much to him? How do you even respond to that? How do you face him, knowing he’s waiting for something that you might not be able to give?

You glance across the room, catching Jake’s eye as he talks with Jennie. You quickly look away, feeling a small, warm burn in your cheeks. You can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking, and more importantly, if he knows that your heart is, somehow, still tethered to someone else.

You pull your eyes away, unaware that Jake had quickly excused himself to approach you.

You sit in silence at the dining table, the birthday party bustling around you. It’s a small party, yet you can feel the high excitement and energy in the atmosphere. You sit alone at your seat, sipping on your drink. Sunghoon had left for a while to get some refreshments for everyone, so you’re left sitting by yourself. 

“Y/N,” Jake says, pulling you out of your haze. “May I sit?”

You give him a quick smile as you nod. “Of course.”

“Are you not enjoying yourself?” Jake asks, grabbing a slice of pizza. “You’re quiet.”

You glance at the ceiling, feeling awkward as you don’t know what to say. You laugh sheepishly. “No, of course not! I am enjoying myself! Just… you know… soaking in everything.”

Jake laughs, throwing his head back. “I can tell with one eye closed that you want to go home right now.”

“Yeah, I should probably study,” you reply with a laugh. 

Your conversation with Jake dims down, and the ambiance of the party resurfaces. You’re sitting in front of Jake, stiffly avoiding his gaze as he’s observing you. It’s like he has a million things to say, but can’t seem to find the right words. 

“Y/N,” Jake suddenly says, his voice unsteady. “Thanks for making this surprise party for me and Jennie.”

You smile at him, breaking eye contact as soon as he finishes speaking. Suddenly, Layla chasing around her tail in the corner becomes such an interesting thing to watch. 

“Of course.”

You connect your gaze with Jake, and you instantly are reminded of the conversation you had earlier at the aquarium. 

THE tension between you and Jake is physical as you take in the beauty of the aquarium, elatedly ignorant of Jake’s silent adoration of you. Sure, the aquarium is beautiful—the lights dancing off the walls of the tunnel, creating wavy shadows of mesmerising colours, illuminating the ocean creatures in a magical way—but, for Jake, you are the most captivating sight. 

Jake watches you, his focus unwavering from you, with pure content as you spin with excitement, pointing out every creature you lay your eyes upon. There’s an assured warmth in his eyes, the way he lays his eyes on you with a quiet affection that’s very much impossible to ignore; and for a moment, you wonder if maybe you’ve misjudged his feelings. Maybe there’s something deeper there that you haven’t fully acknowledged yet. Maybe he does really really like you—not the casual high school fling you thought he felt. 

“Y/N,” you turn around and your pupils immediately dilate at the sight of Jake, who’s taking a step closer to you. 

Jake gives you a genuine smile. One that made you see that, indeed, there are raw and vulnerable emotions behind Decelis Academy’s basketball ace’s handsome face. His voice is wobbly. “Thank you, really, for doing this with me. I’m really glad because I’m… I’m having a lot of fun, actually. More than I thought I would.”

You glance at him as you stiffly nod, your lips forming a half-smile. 

“Of course,” you reply, feeling a pang in your chest as you remember Sunghoon’s words earlier in the taxi. Was he right? Could it be that Jake is looking for something more from you, and you’re just breaking his heart by doing this—the one-month dating agreement, where you yourself are uncertain if you’d reciprocate his feelings? “Me too—it’s been nice.”

Jake takes a deep breath, and as he continues, you begin to wonder if he read your mind. “I know you don’t think that this isn’t a real ‘date’ or anything… but I’d like to think of it as a real one—more than just hanging out, more than just a preview.”

You don’t dare meet his eyes. Instead, you direct your focus to the tight schools of fish swimming gracefully in the water, scales shimmering as they catch light.

“Y/N…”

You look directly into his dark brown eyes, the raw emotions swirling dangerously inside. 

“I think you’re really special, Y/N. I-I just wanted to let you know that.”

Your steps come to a halt, and Jake almost bumps into you. You turn completely to face Jake, immediately overwhelmed by how heavy the situation feels. You can feel Jake’s palpable sincerity, and as you try to process his words, the rest of the aquarium fades into the background. The tunnel seems to shrink, your surroundings blurring slightly as your focus zeroes in on Jake’s face—his solemn expression, his vulnerability out in the open for you to see.

“You’re a good person, Jaeyun, you really are,” you start, your throat shaking as you struggle to keep your voice steady. Each word feels heavy for your tongue to pronounce—Jake’s gaze is heavy on you, and a small part of you wants to be brutally honest with him, to say the truth that’s been swimming in your chest all day.

“I’m really grateful to have you as a friend, as a tablemate,” you continue, desperately hoping your emphasis on the word friend delivered the message to Jake. You give him a small, almost apologetic smile.

“But, you know…” you say, your fingers fidgeting with the edges of your top. You take a deep breath before finishing your sentence. 

“Right now, I’m… not sure if I can give you what you’re looking for,” you say, and with each letter you utter, the tension from your shoulders releases one by one. “I thought about it, Jaeyun, I really did. But I cherish you—as a friend—so much that I don’t have the heart to make you go through something one sided.”

Jake slowly nods, and you could almost hear your heart splitting as his face softens—you swear you saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. 

“O-of course, I figured,” he says, the crack in his voice evident. He sighs shakily, and for a second, he looks at his shoes to collect his thoughts. He looks back at you, his eyes sparkling with tears that are threatening to fall. “It’s foolish of me to expect anything from someone who’s heart belongs to another, b-but, I just wanted to… put it out there, you know?”

“I like you, Y/N,” Jake confesses, his hand placed above his heart as if he’s trying to stop it from jumping out of his chest. “I really do. I know I have no chance at all, but there’s no harm in trying, right? I just… hope that you might feel the same.”

Your heart skips a beat, and a wave of guilt washes over you. “Jaeyun… I’m sorry, I really am–”

Jake smiles, though it’s not a full smile. “It’s okay. I get it. It’s just… I don’t know. I guess I wanted to know what it would feel like to be with you like that. I thought maybe if we tried, you’d feel what I feel. But… I respect your feelings, Y/N. You don’t have to feel the same way.”

Silence falls between the two of you, and for a moment, neither of you says anything. You stand in your place, watching Jake wipe a hidden tear away from his cheek, taking a deep breath to compose himself. You feel a want to comfort him, to tell him that you’re very grateful to have him as a friend, to tell him that you’re not rejecting him as a person—it’s just that you aren’t ready to give him what he’s looking for in you. 

Though, you stay silent—the moment is too raw, too delicate for you to say anything and ruin it. 

So, instead of talking about it, you grab Jake’s arm, turning your focus back to the aquarium. “Should we go see the penguins next? They must look so cute.”

Jake lets out a heavy breath, and for a second, you think he’s going to pull away or make things awkward between you. But instead, he nods, and his smile returns, albeit a little smaller. “Yeah, that sounds great. Let’s go.”

The rest of your aquarium date goes smoothly without any hiccups, though it flows with a quiet and unspoken understanding. Jake’s demeanour is unchanged—he takes good pictures of you, he smiles and he laughs, though you could feel that his gaze is heavier with a touch of disappointment. You two enjoy the aquarium together, and even though things feel a little unsettled between you and Jake, there’s a comforting familiarity in the way you share small moments of laughter and quiet companionship. 

By the time the sun begins to set, you and Jake are both sitting on a bench outside the aquarium, munching on churros, watching the last few visitors leave. 

Jake turns to you again, his features soft and delicate. “Thanks… thanks for coming, Y/N. I’m glad you agreed to this, I’m glad you came. Even if it’s just as friends.”

You nod, suddenly conscious of the number of chews you made before swallowing a bite of churros. “Me too,” you quietly reply, turning away to look at the soft evening glow of the sky. “Thanks, Jaeyun, for being patient with me—for being my friend, for everything. I know it hasn’t been… easy.”

“Yeah, of course. I mean, it isn’t easy, but it’s worth it,” Jake shrugs, looking way too relaxed despite the tension he faced earlier. “Definitely. You are worth it, Y/N.”

The two of you exchange smiles, briefly, as you quickly turn your head away, feeling a little too shy and awkward to look Jake directly in the eye. 

“I just want you to be happy, Y/N,” Jake continues, his voice silent as if he’s talking to himself, yet he wants his words to be heard by you. “Whether that’s with me, or… not with me. I’m okay either way. My happiness is yours.”

You finally turn to Jake, staring deep into his glistening brown eyes. His words are sincere, and in your heart, you feel a swell of gratitude for his maturity. You know that Jake is someone who will always care for you, no matter what the two of you are, no matter where your relationship goes. And as you sit there in comfortable silence, the only thing that’s certain is that, for now, being friends with Jake is the best you can offer him.

To: parksung.h0812@gmail.com From: sincerely/n@gmail.com Sunghoon, You know, I’ve been thinking about us. I mean, me—how did I even fall in love with my own best friend in the first place. After a few moments of thinking, I believe I finally got it.  It was back in second grade. I remember our homeroom teacher asking us to draw a picture of us with our best friend as part of the art class—I remember drawing you and I. we had only just got to know each other for a few months, and I wasn’t even sure if you saw me as a friend too.  I was nervous to present my piece to the class, afraid that my friendship was one-sided.  The shock mixed with happiness that hit me when Naeun had shouted to the whole class, pointing to your piece, saying “teacher, look! He also drew Y/N!” I had never felt so belonged before.  Though, I don’t know if I should continue loving you. I’ve always loved you, but I don’t think I can bear it any longer, waiting for something that’s never going to happen. Thank you, Sunghoon, for being my friend all this time. I owe you my life, and I’d do anything for you. I hope you know that.  And even though I do resent you, just a little bit, for not reciprocating my love—I’ll always cherish you. If not as a lover, if not as someone who’ll stay with me till the end of time… as a friend.  Sunghoon, I’m giving up on you now. I love you, but I can’t wait forever. Sent 23:32 PM, 22nd November. 

JAKE is sitting in his room, completing homework as usual. However, nothing is going right—he’s suddenly getting all of the questions he usually gets right wrong. He pushes himself off of his chair, laying down flat on the heated floor.

Jake sighs. 

His mind is swirling with many things—you. He vividly remembers the way you offer him a guilty smile, endlessly apologising as you friendzoned him. He’s not mad about it, he’s just sad that he can’t get a chance at loving the girl he likes just because she’s stuck up on a guy, for five years, who clearly wants nothing but to be just friends with her.  

You had just left his house, 30 minutes ago, after completing a biology research paper together. You had been assigned as partners with him, and the two of you did your job well. It’s difficult to shrug off the evident awkwardness between you and Jake, but you admit that Jake’s really good at continuing off your friendship from where you left off. 

“Jaeyun,” he remembers you beaming, as he walks you to the door. 

“Yeah?” he breathed, still mesmerised by your smile. 

“Thank you,” you said with a smile, sincere and heartwarming. “Thank you for still being my friend, and thank you for always treating me well, despite the heartbreak I may have caused you.”

Jake remembers grinning, patting your head as a way of saying that it’s all in the past, and he’s okay with it now. “It’s alright, Y/N, I’m thankful that I still get to be around you.”

You nodded, turning on your heel to begin walking home. However, before you could even step out of his driveway, Jake stopped you. 

“Y/N,” he said, “I-I just wanted to say that if you ever decide that you’re… ready to give me what I’m hoping for, know that I’ll be here waiting.”

“Jaeyun… you might wait for quite some time,” you sighed. 

Jake smiled—it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, yet you can see the hope seeping through. “It’s okay. If you can wait for Sunghoon for five years, I can wait for you for more.”

You chuckled, smiling widely at Jake. “Thank you, Jae.”

Jake pressed a swift kiss to your forehead, and you froze—unusually not flinching or retracting at it. He smiled, mirroring your sincerity. “Of course—and if Sunghoon ever decides to break your heart, tell me. I’ll fight him for you.”

You laughed heartily, your heart swelling with joy at the fact that someone is here for you despite the longing and the pain you’re going through. 

Jake takes a deep breath, smiling as he recalls the moment. It hurts, that’s true, yet he’s determined to give you all that he has—one moment Sunghoon is caught slacking, he’ll be there for you, always.

“YO, Sunghoon,” Kangmin says, breaking the silence in the room. The two of them had been working on the biology group assignment together for the past few hours in Sunghoon’s room. Sunghoon turns towards his friend. 

“What?”

Kangmin, who had been sprawled all over the bedroom floor, gets up and sits up straight. He ruffles his hair before saying, “do you have a spare email? Like, one that you don’t use anymore.”

Sunghoon pauses to think. “Yeah, I do. Why?” 

Kangmin smiles sheepishly, scooting closer to Sunghoon, who’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, papers and books spread out around him. 

“Hey,” he says, mustering up an innocent smile—which is met by a vicious side eye from Sunghoon. “Can I use it?”

“For what?”

“I think my girlfriend isn’t interested in me anymore,” Kangmin replies, pouting. “I’m not entirely sure yet, so I’m going to make a fake instagram profile, using your unused email address, to test my theory out.”

Sunghoon goes poker-faced, obviously unimpressed. “Are you crazy?”

Kangmin insists. “Aww, please, Sunghoon? I really need it.”

“Fine,” Sunghoon grumbles. He opens a new window on his computer to log into an old email account, parksung.h0on812@gmail.com, the one that he hasn’t used ever since middle school ended. He’s surprised to still have the password to it saved on his Google Chrome—and easily logs in. 

Sunghoon’s eyebrows perk up in confusion at the red dot near the inbox icon, the numbers significantly high for an unused email address. 

“I’m sure I didn’t subscribe to any newsletter or anything on here,” he mutters to himself. 

Sunghoon clicks on the inbox tab, eyes widening upon what he’s seeing.

Countless emails, sent from an email address he’s all too familiar with. 

Yours. 

Sunghoon’s eyes scans the inbox, his disbelief growing with every second that passes by. His heart is racing, pumping so harshly he’s afraid it’d pop out of his chest. 

He’s familiar with the name of the sender—Y/N—his best friend, his rock, the person he’s liked for so long. 

There are so many emails—too many to ignore. The subject lines are all over the place: “What’s going on with my heart?”, “Thanks for letting me hang out at your house today…”, “I think I just fell in love with you again.”

Sunghoon’s heart pulses even faster, but he can’t seem to stop himself. He clicks on the most recent one, his heart pounding in his ears as the screen fills with words.

His heart stops for a split moment as he reads: “I’m giving up on you now. I love you, but I can’t wait forever.”

What did you mean by that?

Sunghoon stammers, not knowing how to react. His hand hovers above the mouse, hesitating to click anything. A lump forms in his throat, and tears threaten to form at the corner of his eyes. His thoughts start crashing down, and before he can even stop himself, he’s opening another email. And then another. And another. 

Each one hits him with a sensation more painful than a ton of bricks hitting from above. The emails all have one thing in common: you have been writing to him for months. Writing to him, pouring out your heart, confessing feelings that you pictured as something obvious yet he never knew about, and… he hadn’t noticed. All the smiles, the eye contacts that lasted a second too long, the hugs that made each of you feel like you’re made for one another… he realises that it meant something to you too. 

“I’ve always loved you..” 

“But I don’t think I can bear it any longer, waiting for something that’s never going to happen.”

Sunghoon’s chest tightens. His eyes flickers over the sentence again and again, each word displayed hitting him hard. His fingers freeze, unsure if he should keep scrolling or not. It feels like he’s been hit by a storm of emotions that he isn’t sure how to process.

“Sunghoon?” Kangmin’s voice pulls him out of his haze. 

Sunghoon looks up, startled, but then glances back at the screen, trying to collect his thoughts.

“What the hell?” Kangmin continues. “Park Sunghoon? Are you listening to me?”

Kangmin, who’s been watching Sunghoon for a while, curiously taps his shoulder. “Bro, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Y/N…” Sunghoon mutters, his voice barely audible. He’s still staring at the screen, mind dizzy. “She… she’s been writing to me.”

Kangmin raises an eyebrow, clearly confused. He breathily asks, “what do you mean? Like, she sends you emails?”

Sunghoon swallows hard, clicking on another email. This one was from a few months ago.

“I wish I was better. I don’t know if I’m good enough for you, but if you ever need a girlfriend, or a wife one day… I’m here. Always.”

The weight of the words crushes him.

Kangmin’s teasing grin fades as he notices Sunghoon’s expression shift from confusion to something more profound. “W-wait. What? Are these... from Y/N? Are you telling me she’s been in love with you? For real?”

Sunghoon nods slowly, still unable to look away from the screen. “I… I never knew.”

Kangmin blinks, looking between Sunghoon and the open inbox. “Dude, I thought you two were just friends.”

“We are. Definitely. We are,” Sunghoon’s voice is hoarse, like he’s trying to convince himself. “But these... These are real. She’s been telling me everything, and I—”

Sunghoon inhales sharply, stopping himself from continuing. His mind is flooded with thoughts—how could he have missed the signs? How could he not notice how you felt?

“What are you going to do now?” Kangmin asks after a moment. “Are you going to talk to her about it?”

Sunghoon doesn’t answer immediately. He meets Kangmin’s eyes, like he’s trying to find solutions. His thoughts are still sprawling, and one question lingers around the longest—is he losing you? Have you truly given up on him?

“I’ll talk to her—no, I need to talk to her,” Sunghoon finally says, each word slipping off his tongue quieter than the other. “I have to make things straight—I can’t lose her. I-I… She deserves the truth more than anything.”

Kangmin grows a tiny smug smirk. “The truth? Well, man, don’t leave me hanging like you did with Y/N—what’s the truth?”

Sunghoon stands up, determination filling his veins like never before. “I like her—I’ve liked her for a very long time. I’ve been such a coward all this time. An idiot, all this while.”

Kangmin grins, leaning back on the floor. He sighs with content. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Sunghoon turns to him with a furrowed brow. “Hey, I’m serious, Kangmin. I don’t know if I have a chance to fix this. But I’m going to try. I can’t just—I can’t just…let her go.”

The thought of losing you completely—of never getting the chance to be honest about his feelings, to be honest and open to you about what he’s been hiding in his heart—hits him harder than anything else. He grabs his smartphone, fingers already dialling your number before he even realises it. 

SUNGHOON stands on top of the hill, surrounded by yellow crimson trees and chilly air. He’s bundled up in a long trench coat, and the autumn wind is blowing through his hair. He called you to meet him here, telling you that he’s got something to discuss with you.

It hasn’t even been five minutes since he’s arrived, and he already sees you getting off the bus, running towards him. You reach him, crouching as you pant heavily to catch your breath. 

“What the hell, Hoon,” you say between heaves of breaths. “Also, are you okay? You’ve been a little off lately, is it hockey practice?”

Sunghoon shrugs. “Yeah. I-I’ve been quite tired with school and practice.”

“Okay… so, what’s up? You said you wanted to tell me something,” you ask Sunghoon. 

You look up to Sunghoon, realising how tall he is—you shake your head, wanting to stay resolute on the decision you made to move on. Waiting for Sunghoon to reply, you recall the email you sent him yesterday. It’s hard, and you know that—your heart still skips a beat whenever you see him smile, and your cheeks still turn pink whenever he calls you ‘princess’. 

Though, it’s been five years.

You’ve thought of it long and hard, and ultimately, you decide to slowly let your feelings go. You know that accepting that Sunghoon is never going to reciprocate the love you bear for him will make you feel lighter, little by little, and it will help calm your nerves from all the swirling thoughts of him, Jake, and everything else going on. However, you also know that it’s a challenging process that will take a long time to go through.

“It took me ten years to find the right words to say this,” Sunghoon begins, out of the blue, startling you. 

He pauses, his mouth slightly open, as if he’s hesitating to continue. As if he’s unsure of what to say first. 

“What?” you breathe, uncertain if you should be relieved or scared.

Sunghoon looks at you for a moment, and then his gaze softens. You’ve never seen him look so… vulnerable. There’s something different in the way he’s standing there, next to you against the cold autumn winds, like he's on the edge of a cliff. He closes his mouth, and opens it again, but nothing comes out.

A minute passes in silence, heavy and full of unspoken things. Finally, Sunghoon exhales shakily, his shoulders relaxing just a little as he begins to speak again.

“I read the emails.” 

His voice is barely above a whisper, but the words still land like a punch to the gut, its impact so big it knocks the breath out of you. “I had no idea. You’ve been... carrying this all alone, haven’t you?”

You’re caught off guard. You can’t look at him directly, your eyes flicker here and there, panic filling your nerves. The words tumble out before you can stop them. “Sunghoon, I—”

“No,” he interrupts, his voice gentle and his gaze is locked on yours, honest and raw. “I should’ve known. I should’ve seen it. I never noticed how much you’ve been giving. How much you’ve been waiting for me.”

You feel the tension tighten between you both, and something vulnerable stirs in your chest.

He saw the emails? 

Your heart begins to race. For a second, your mind is overwhelmed, but the sincerity in his eyes keeps you in place.

“I didn’t want to burden you with this, Hoon,” you finally manage to say, your voice shaky. “I thought it was better if I just… kept it inside. I thought we’re better off as friends. I didn't want to mess up what we had. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. But… I can't help how I feel.”

Sunghoon’s gaze softens, his voice slow but determined. “Y/N, I should’ve told you a long time ago. I’ve been so stupid. I was afraid it’d ruin everything. I–oh my gosh,” he ruffles his hair aggressively, pacing here and there before finally stopping in front of you, his stance determined.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demands, his voice cracking.

A warm tear falls down your cheeks, sending goosebumps throughout your body. You didn’t even realise you had been crying. “Because I was scared,” you quietly answered, your voice hoarse. 

Silence. 

The wind flutters between the two of you, stinging against your skin. 

“I… I feel the same way.” 

His words are almost fragile, like he's unsure whether to say them or not. “I’ve always felt the same. I just… never brought it up… until now. But I’m here now. And I’m finally being honest with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

Your tongue goes numb. Everything’s hitting you at the same time, crushing you under its pressure. 

Sunghoon watches you intently, waiting for a response. Getting no answer from you, he takes a step forward. 

“Y/N,” he calls softly. “Princess, answer me.”

Tears begin to rapidly fall down your cheeks, your vision blurring, a response to the culmination of years of suppressed emotions. Your shoulders begin to heave up and down as you sob silently. Sunghoon’s frown falters, and he pulls you into a hug. It’s comforting, warm, and feels like home—perfectly where you always wanted to be. 

“I’m sorry, princess, it took me so long to realise,” he mutters, placing his chin on top of your head. 

“I’ve waited for five years, Hoon,” you sob against his chest. Sunghoon smiles softly, rubbing soothing circles on your back. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here now,” he replies, “I’ll be here for you till the end of time.”

“I’ve always wanted to be the one for you, Y/N,” Sunghoon says, and your heart begins to race in disbelief.

“N-no,” you reply with a suppressed laugh, “I thought I was alone in this.”

“No,” Sunghoon shakes his head, “no, Y/N, you were never alone in this.”

“We don’t have to figure everything out right now.” Sunghoon says quietly, “I just want you to know I’m here. We’ll take it slow, okay?” 

You nod, still in his embrace. 

Like autumn, the wind rustling through the trees and golden leaves falling around them—the atmosphere around you and Sunghoon is changing. The world is moving on, yet the moment is special, as if it’s frozen in time. 

THE scent of roasted chestnuts and warm bungeo-ppang fills the crisp winter air. Around you, the night market is bustling, filled with clouds of steamy breaths and people bundled under thick coats and scarves, lined up just to buy their favourite winter treats. 

You stare at the bungeo-ppang in your hands, then at Sunghoon, who’s standing in front of you. 

“You brought me here, away from the comfort of my warm blanket, just to buy me this?” 

Sunghoon shrugs, biting into his own fish-shaped pastry. “You always wanted the most fresh, warm, and crispiest one, so I made sure to get the best for you.”

You narrow your eyes. “You’re bribing me to like you back, aren’t you?”

He smirks. “Maybe. Is it working?”

You roll your eyes, scoffing. You bite a piece out of your bungeo-ppang, looking up at Sunghoon. Your heart stutters, catching the way Sunghoon is looking at you—soft, patient, like you’re someone worth waiting even a thousand years for. 

You slowly chew the contents of your mouth, cheeks warm, but you still keep your eye contact. 

Then, almost too casually, Sunghoon says, “I want to be your first and last love.”

Your eyes bulge, and you cough as you try not to choke. Your breath catches in your throat, your fingers freezing mid-motion. The words, sudden yet sincere, hang around you and Sunghoon, light but unbelievably heavy. 

You begin to smile. You stuff a piece of bungeo-ppang into Sunghoon’s mouth. “That was so cheesy.”

Sunghoon laughs, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons. He barely manages to chew before he replies, “but you liked it.”

You don’t answer. 

Instead, you tug him down by his scarf and kiss him. 

The bungeo-ppang in your hand, your favourite winter snack, is forgotten the moment the distance between you and Sunghoon, your favourite person, closes, and his warmth melts into your own.

― © htaesan, 2025.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ check out PART ONE

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀want more like this? check out the 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

[wlwsoccerfics]

Navigating Motherhood(GiuliaGwinnXMiedemaReader)

A/N: Hope you enjoy this cute little fic. Short but sweet.

Summary: you and your wife navigating life as Professional Football players and First time moms.

It has been two months since you and your wife Giulia became mothers. You have given birth to a beautiful Baby Girl named Florence 'Flo' Violet Gwinn-Miedema. You played for FC Bayern Munich, just like Giulia did.

Today was the first day you would get back into Training with the Team and of course the Girls had asked if you two could bring Baby Gwinn-Miedema with you. They wanted to see their little niece again.

Of course you agreed. You were quite happy to bring her along for the ride. In a few weeks you would take on Arsenal in the Champions League. Arsenal also happened to be the Club your Sister in law Beth played at. So you were excited to see her. Even though you wouldn't be playing in that game. Your sister Viv had just left after coming to munich for a few days to meet her Baby Niece and so you could see your nephew Gideon again. Your sister and your Sister-in-law had him two years ago. Viv gave birth to him.

It was a good thing you could always asked Beth and Viv for advice when it came to raising Florence. Cause your daughter and your nephew were close enough in age.

"Babe?" You hear your wife say. She was walking into the bathroom with Flo in her arms.

"yes liefje?" You asked.

"are you ready to go?" she wanted to know.

"i am! Just had to get my contacts in!" You informed Giulia.

When you were about to leave the house Flo started crying. You frowned softly. Knowing that she probably was hungry.

"someone is hungry!" You stated and gently took her from Giulia. Sitting down on the Couch with her.

"i will Text the group Chat that we will be a bit late to practice." Giulia said, kissing your head and then your daughters.

You gently stroked her tiny fingers while she was nursing.

"you are making mommies be late to work! Good thing you are so adorable so i will let it slide!" You told her with a soft smile on your face. Giulia laughed at your little joke.

"she really is the cutest." Giulia admitted.

"our daughter can't even talk yet, and still has us wrapped around her little fingers already!" You replied with a laugh escaping your lips.

After Flo finished nursing and got burped you changed her diaper before the three of you finally left for practice. Giulia was driving.

"are you okay, Love?" She asked you cause she could tell that you started to get nervous again.

"i am just nervous. It's the first time in almost a year that i will be Training with the Team again! And not do light Training!" You explained to her.

"you gonna do just fine Babe!" Giulia told you. "You already are Superwoman for staying active while growing a tiny human! Which by the way you didn't have to do. Cause carrying a Baby is work enough, but you still decided to have your own workout plan!" She added on. You appreciated how proud she was of you.

"thanks for saying that. also liefje, we need to work on our time management because you know i hate being late. Even when the reason why is our really adorable Baby Girl!" You told her.

You reached the FC Bayern Campus around 30 minutes after practice started. So you quickly got dressed and went out to the pitch. Giulia was carrying Florence in her Baby carrier. Needless to say that practice was on hold when you arrived cause everyone wanted to hold your daughter. You apologized for being late again and for crashing practice but no one seemed to mind.

"she is such a doll!" Lea told you. Looking at her with a smile while Tuva was holding her.

"thanks Lea, took 9 months to Cook her to perfection!" You said jokingly. All of your anxiety gone now. It felt good to be back and not just visiting.

You enjoyed practice. It was an amazing feeling. Only having two take a longer break to nurse Flo again. Other then that everything was just fine. You enjoyed every single Minute of practice.

When it was time to leave, Flo was asleep in her Baby carrier and Giulia was carrying her back to the Car. This time you were the one driving Home.

"how are you feeling?" Giulia wanted to know.

"honestly? Great but i think we have so much to learn and figure out. Making sure we are amazing parents cause this Is what our daughter deserves. And being great at our Job! Cause that's what our Team deserves." You said. "How are you feeling?" You wanted to know.

"good, i agree with you though! We have alot to learn and figure out, but we have eachother and so many people that can help is with it! We got this! Figuring out how to put our daughter and our in Order!" She answered. Good thing you really weren't alone and had a few people to always ask for help. and the two of you had eachother.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

second chance. l Frankie "Catfish" Morales

Summary: you broke up after a quarrel, now you've met again

Warnings: angst, mentioning drug addiction, crying, breakup, mentioned Santi, some fluff at the end

A/N: I had to clear my head. I'm not proud of it, but I had to write something. Be gentle. Thank you for being here and reading these scribbles.

your feedback is very important to me and I want to thank you for all the reblogs, comments and likes. I secretly hope you like this story.🖤 sorry for all the mistakes

[my masterlist][Frankie Morales masterlist]

"Hi, you look good."

You didn't expect those words, but you knew that voice so well that your heart skipped a beat. A strange feeling filled your body, as if someone had suddenly stripped you of all your insides and left you empty. Even though the pub was filled with people, suddenly it was just you and him.

"Hi, Frankie." You replied, trying to keep your voice neutral. "You look good too."

A small smile appeared on his lips, he probably realized that it was just a polite greeting. A greeting for those who know each other. But you were more than that, right?

You didn't expect to meet him in this pub that evening. It was a strange assumption, because after all, you lived in the same city. However, when you break up with someone, and that breakup was like a hurricane and an earthquake in one, you don't usually try to meet them again soon.

And so it was with you and Frankie. Almost a year ago, maybe a little longer. And now he was standing in front of you. In a clean shirt and dark jeans, in a cap you knew so well. Brown eyes stared at you with the same attentiveness as before. He really looked good. Like he had a good night's sleep, eaten a few solid meals and... was clean.

"Do you come here often?" he asked, he noticed you looking around the crowd of people looking for someone with your eyes. "Um, are you here with someone?"

"With a friend." you replied. "Do you remember Sarah?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember. A girls' night out?"

"Something like that. But no, I don't come here often. I don't have much free time."

Frankie smiled, and a part of your brain woke up sending you a signal - you loved his smile so much.

"I always thought you worked too much." he said, winking at you.

"That's not it." you looked down and there was silence for a moment.

You felt embarrassed by his presence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. You had worked through all the bad feelings you had when you broke up, and you actually missed him a little. Did it make sense? You had broken your hearts, but you still missed him. Was it masochistic?

"I've been going to school for a while now. You know, I told you about it. Back in the day..."

Frankie's eyes widened with interest as he remembered what you were talking about. "No, shit! Really? That's great! You've wanted to do this for a long time, so good for you."

A warm feeling crept up the back of your neck, but you smiled widely. "Thank you."

Frankie bit his lip and nodded in appreciation. "I've always thought you were incredibly smart. So that's what's taking up so much of your time now? That and work?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I go days without a proper meal or... I'm sorry, that must bore you."

"No! Go on, darling."

The sweet nickname slipped out of his mouth naturally, and it was even more natural when he took your elbow and led you a little to the side so you could talk in peace. The smell of his cologne filled your nostrils, you knew it so well. Your body began to react with pleasant excitement to his presence.

"And what about you? How's life?" you asked.

Frankie adjusted his cap and let out a breath. "Good. Quite good." he replied. "I changed companies, and now I have really good conditions."

"That's great."

"Yeah, I think so too."

It was late when he got home, but he could feel something was wrong from the very beginning. All the lights were on, and the noises coming from the bedroom were rather unusual.

Damn it, you should be asleep already. He didn't feel like starting another row, and they filled these walls almost every day. However, he dragged himself down the hallway and gently pushed the door open.

Frankie didn't expect this. There was an open suitcase on the bed. He noticed a bundle of your clothes thrown into it in disarray. The drawers in the dresser and the wardrobe were open.

He cleared his throat and took a step, but at the same moment you came out of the bathroom carrying your cosmetics in your hands. You stood there paralyzed when you saw Frankie in the doorway.

Your eyes were swollen from crying, but there was something else in them. Anger and stubbornness, determination.

"What's going on?" he asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

You lifted your chin slightly. "What does this look like?" you asked as well, quickly approaching the bed and throwing your things into the suitcase. With a graceful movement you closed it "I'm leaving. It's over."

A cold shiver ran down his spine. He took a few more steps and put his hands on his hips watching you struggle with the latches.

"Come on..." Frankie began "It's late. Let's talk about this."

You didn't react. Something inside him boiled and he grabbed the handle of the suitcase, dragging it across the bed towards him.

"Leave it!" you hissed, catching it and holding it "I'm not joking, Frankie! I'm leaving! I've had enough!"

"What this time?" he replied a little too loudly "You're making a scene!"

Before the words left his mouth he already knew he had overdone it. Your eyes widened in a second.

You reached into your pants pocket and after a moment you threw something at him. The small bag bounced off his broad chest and fell silently to the carpet. He recognized it immediately.

"I found it in the car. You must have dropped it last time." you growled.

"It's not like that..."

"Bullshit!" Tears welled up in your eyes. "I've been hearing the same lies for months! I know exactly why you got fired! I wanted to help you, and you promised me you'd never... Ohhh!"

You grabbed the handle of your suitcase and pulled it to the ground, then headed for the door. You pushed past him without letting him grab your arm. Frankie had taken you to the edge. You'd been together for almost two years, and you really loved him. But his addiction was becoming more important than you. You asked, you wanted to help.

The therapist you found for him told you that Frankie had only been to see him three times before he stopped showing up at all. He told you that he went there regularly. Then there were the problems at work and he got fired, he started coming home later and later, and when you were looking for something that had fallen on the floor of your car and you found that damn bag - you already knew.

Your heart was breaking with every step, but you knew that Frankie needed shock therapy. You knew you couldn't...

"Frankie!"

You almost reached the door when you suddenly lost ground under your feet. Strong arms wrapped around your waist and Frankie lifted you up. You started kicking your legs.

"Let me go!" you screamed.

"You're not going anywhere! You can't!" he thundered, putting you down and turning to face him "You have to listen to me, it's not like that..."

"Shut up! You've been lying all this time! All this time!"

"Not when I said I loved you, hermosa."

"Oh! Cut this shit! This isn't love!" your face was full of rage, you wanted to hurt him, to stick a needle in him so hard that it would hurt him for a long time "You just needed someone to clean up the mess after you! Someone to pat you on the head and let you do all this! You needed a pussy you could fuck!"

There was silence. Frankie's hands were gripping your shoulders tightly, his eyes darkened.

"You know that's not true." he finally said.

"Yeah? And what of what you're saying is true? Nothing. Zero. I wanted to help you, but you don't care at all." you jerked away "Let me go, Frankie."

"You have to listen to me..."

"Let me go! Now!"

His fingers loosened and you slipped out of his hands. You grabbed your suitcase again and this time you reached the door.

"I love you." his resigned voice reached your ears.

"I'm not so sure about that anymore."

You took a sip of beer while listening to Frankie. He seemed excited about his new job, and the energy that flowed from him was simply positive. His hand would occasionally brush your arm or wrist as you both burst out laughing, his eyes looking at you with the tenderness you knew from the beginning of your acquaintance.

"I guess I'll have to go back now." You sighed, glancing at your phone. "I have classes tomorrow."

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching you text your friend back, informing her that you had to leave.

"What do you mean?" you looked up at him. Frankie shrugged.

"Your life. Now. Because it seems to me that you're different. More fulfilled? Happier?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it to be honest."

He nodded, his hand shyly finding yours. "Can I give you a lift home?"

You agreed. Maybe you shouldn't have, maybe it was a mistake. But Frankie had somehow found his way to your heart, and you didn't want to part ways with him yet.

"When you left..." he began as you drove through the empty streets towards your apartment "It hit me. Really hard."

You clenched your fingers, but you couldn't look in his direction. But Frankie clearly wanted to talk, maybe he had been waiting for this for a really long time and could finally get it all off his chest.

"I drank for three days. I don't remember much from that period. Santi showed up at my place and... He told me something I'll never forget."

You could barely recognize your own voice. "What did he say?"

Frankie cleared his throat. "He said it was all my fault. That I was dragging you down, and you were trying to keep us both afloat the whole time. He also said that if I wanted you back, that if I loved you at all, I should do something about it."

Something tightened your throat and your eyes stung from the tears that were seeping into your eyelids. The car turned, you were already close to your apartment.

"I went to therapy. Santi took me there twice a week. It was a terrible time. He had to take my phone because I wanted to call you every day. I don't know how I managed to get through it without you."

"But you did it." You dared to look at him, a weak smile appeared on his face. "I'm so proud of you, Frankie."

"Thank you."

The car stopped. Your journey ended, and you got out, feeling like your legs were almost giving out under you. You whispered a quiet "thank you" and "I'm glad I saw you, Frankie." and then feeling like your heart almost jumped out of your chest, you headed for the door.

"I still love you."

You closed your eyes. His voice was clear, determined. You stopped, feeling like you could fall apart at any moment.

"Frankie..." you whispered, but he wouldn't let you do more.

He was right behind you now, you could feel the heat radiating from him. Your body reacted to his closeness.

"I knew you'd be at this pub today."

You turned around and looked at him, surprised. Frankie seemed embarrassed, but he continued.

"I met Sarah a while ago. We talked..."

He noticed a small frown between your eyebrows, "She didn't tell me anything..."

Frankie shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged, "I begged her not to tell you. Listen, all this year you were the only thing that kept me alive. I wanted to be clean again, but I also wanted to be able to look you in the eye again. I'm sorry, hermosa... I'm sorry you went through all that with me. It was hell, and you tried so hard to save me."

You couldn't stop the tears that began to flow down your cheeks. You didn't even react when a warm hand touched your cheek and he wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"I still love you, hermosa." Frankie continued. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop. But I know I can't expect that from you, not after what I did."

"You hurt me, Frankie..." you sobbed, you saw the pain in his eyes, the same pain you still felt in your heart. "I wanted to save you, I wanted to save us... Maybe I wasn't strong enough?"

"No, it's not like that!" he shook his head, taking your face in both hands. "It wasn't a job for just one person. I understand that now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I let you down so much."

You instinctively snuggled into his chest. Damn, you missed him so much this year. Almost every day you wondered what was happening to him, or you thought back to the times when everything was fine. There were days when you hated Frankie, when you resented yourself for always having him in your heart. But now you understood - you had to fall apart to understand what was truly important to you.

Frankie stroked your back, repeating silent apologies, and you felt as if all the tension that you had in your body was slowly leaving you.

"You okay?" he asked when you finally pulled away from him, wiping the last tears with your hand and probably completely smudging your mascara.

You nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Don't apologize, hermosa. You have nothing to apologize for."

There was silence for a moment. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, rather one where you were both trying to gather your thoughts. Finally, you were the first to speak.

"I'm so glad you managed to do all this. I'm really proud of you, Frankie. Now... Now your life will be different, better."

"You think so?" he asked, and you looked at him surprised. "I guess you didn't hear what I said earlier. I love you, and I don't know if I'll ever stop. But I know I can't force you to do anything. You listened to me, that's already a lot. Maybe that's all I deserve."

He must have already accepted it, except that he lost you, because before you could answer anything, he slowly moved towards his car. You watched him, feeling your heart pounding in your chest like crazy. You weren't even aware that you had opened your mouth, only the sound of your voice that cut through the silence brought you back to your senses.

"I'm finishing classes tomorrow after three. If you want to go for coffee, or..."

In an instant Frankie turned around "How about for lunch? You'll definitely be hungry, and you said you haven't been eating very well lately."

You smiled and nodded. "Lunch sounds good."

"Wonderful." He smiled too. That damn smile of his.

"So... Are we in touch?"

"Of course, hermosa."

With a slightly calmer heart you disappeared into the building, feeling that the smile didn't leave your face. 

Maybe a second chance really did exist? Maybe you too had a chance for a new beginning...

☆☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

[houseofaegon]

SKINNY DIPPING pt. 2 ✩ Wally Clark

Pairings: Wally Clark x Fem!reader

Warnings: +18 SMUT MINORS DNI. very slow burn. semi-public sex, unprotected p in v, teasing, heavy sexual tension, explicit dirty talk, praising, degradation, skinny dipping in a public pool, possesiveness/jealousy, light choking, rough gripping & mandhandling, overstimulation, wally being a cocky little shit and very possessive, kinda dom!wally, risk of getting caught, begging, breeding kink. wally whimpering???? (god have mercy)

Summary: For what feels like an eternity, Y/n and Wally have been nothing more than just friends. but that changes one reckless night when they decide to cross skinny dipping off their "100 things to do before crossing over" bucket list. Teasing and meaningless flirting turn heated, and the tension that has been simmering between them finally snaps. Under the moonlit water, boundaries blur, and their friendship is completely wrecked, in the best possible way.

Author's note: this is part 2!! Part 1 is linked below <3 And part 3 soon! I had to take a moment to breath and relax while writing this cause hello????? god jesus have mercy I'm literally gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. Also, thank you so much for the love on part 1!! it made me soooo happy to see you guys liked it <3333 it means the world to me!

Word count: 4043

Song choices: lose control - teddy swims, tear you apart - she wants revenge, closer - nine inch nails, flawless - the neighbourhood, do i wanna know? - arctic monkeys, TiO - zayn, again - noah cyrus.

masterlist. part 1. part 2. part 3

    ⊹             ⊹            ⊹             ⊹            ⊹          ⊹             ⊹             ⊹

"So...Skinny dipping?" his lips brushed against your ear, his voice now a low whisper.

"Skinny dipping," you repeated, lips curving into a playful grin. "Just don't get all excited to see me naked, Clark," you teased, pushing him lightly. "And hands to yourself," you added.

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes darkening a little. He couldn't help but smirk as well. He was excited at the thought of seeing you like that.

"I make no promises," he replied with a teasing grin, his raspy voice sending shivers down your spine.

"I mean it, Clark," you huffed, rolling your eyes, though the warmth you felt bubbling up inside you betrayed the annoyance you were trying to fake.

He leaned in again, his face mere inches from yours, his breath warm against your skin. "Can you blame me, though?" his voice dipped lower, rougher, almost a whisper. "You look so damn pretty, I can't help but flirt a little."

Your pulse quickened, but you refused to let him notice it. You pushed him back again, keeping the smirk on your lips. "Yeah, yeah," you drawled, tilting your head. "Am I the first girl you've ever said this to? Or the fourth? Or ninetieth?"

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. The truth was, Wally had a certain reputation, and everyone knew it. His charming smiles, teasing grins, and how he made girls feel like they were the center of his world… He never meant any of it. None of the girls he flirted with ever came close to you, to how you made him feel.

He pulled back just enough to look you in the eyes. His gaze held yours, unwavering.

"None of those girls were you," he said quietly. "And none of them meant anything to me."

With a dramatic sigh, you place your hand over your forehead, pretending to swoon. "Oh, Wally! How you make my heart race!"

His laugh was loud, unrestrained, the kind of laugh that made your stomach flip every single time you heard it. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he nudged you in the stomach. "Oh, shut up," he said, grinning. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

"And you love it," you shot back, tilting your chin up in defiance.

Wally didn't answer immediately. Instead, his smirk faded slightly, and it made your chest feel too tight. He took a step closer again.

"Yeah," he admitted, voice just above a whisper. "I do."

The teasing had completely vanished now. Your throat suddenly felt dry, your pulse hammering in your ears. Something in his eyes told you that he wasn't playing anymore.

Your mouth opened, but before you could say anything, he lifted a hand, brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His fingers lingered just a second too long, his touch light, but it managed to burn right through you.

He knew exactly what he was doing. The way he spoke, the way his gaze bore into you, the slight grin on his lips—it was all too deliberate, too calculated, and it made your pulse quicken. His eyes didn't lie, it was pure desire that clouded them and his judgment too. Wally had always been a flirt with everyone, and you were no exception. There had always been playful and flirty banter between you, but it was nothing more than a game. Nothing more than playful teasing. This? This felt different, it felt real. Lines were getting blurry, and your body was reacting in a way you never thought possible.

"You're trouble, you know that?" he murmured, his thumb grazing your jaw.

Your breath hitched. "Takes one to know one," you whispered back.

His eyes darkened, and for a second, you thought he was going to close the distance between you completely. Your heart slammed against your ribs, anticipation running through every nerve in your body.

With a smooth, effortless motion, Wally pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside like it was nothing. He knew you were watching him, and you did. You watched him, you couldn't tear your eyes away, hypnotized by his every movement, by the way the moonlight caressed his skin, his body gleaming under the soft light. You had seen him shirtless plenty of times before–he loved to work out and flaunt what he'd earned. But tonight? Tonight felt so much different. 

Your heart skipped a beat as you let your gaze travel down his chest, the way his abs tightened as he took off his shorts, kicking them aside, leaving only his boxers on. "You coming?" his voice was casual. But the way his eyes roamed over you, the way his smirk depended as he noticed the way you couldn’t keep your eyes off him, it was anything but innocent. "Go ahead," he added, nodding toward the water. "Get in first. I'll be right behind you."

You folded your arms over your chest, tilting your head as you arched a brow. "Oh, I see what you're doing," you mused, propping yourself on your hip. "You want me to strip first so you can get a show, huh?"

Wally's grin became bigger, shameless, and cocky. "And if I do?" he murmured.

"Then that makes you predictable," you shot back, tilting your head trying to feign disinterest.

His smirk didn't waver. If anything, it grew bolder. "Or just a man with very good taste," he countered smoothly, stepping closer. "But, hey, if you're too shy—"

Before he could finish, you grabbed the hem of your white shirt and pulled it over your head, letting it drop carelessly onto the ground. His smirk vanished. It was only for a second, but you saw it, the way his throat bobbed, the way his gaze dropped, drinking every inch of you. Satisfaction curled in your stomach.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips. That cocky smirk? Gone. Replaced by something you couldn't quite place, something darker, deeper. Something raw.

You stepped toward the pool, your back to him, deliberately ignoring his presence, pretending you didn't feel the heat of his gaze burning into you. "You were saying?" you teased, sliding your skirt down inch by inch, slowly, letting it slip past your thighs and pool at your feet before stepping out of it. "What was that about me being too shy?"

A smirk tugged at your lips as you tilted your head just enough to catch a glimpse of him over your shoulder. Victory. He wasn't smirking anymore—his mouth slightly parted, eyes darker, stance tense like he was barely holding himself together. You had him right where you wanted him.

But you weren't done. If he wanted a show, he was gonna get one.

Keeping your gaze locked on his, you let your hands drift behind your back, fingers working the clasp of your lace bra with infuriating slowness. You could see the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling faster.

The straps slid down your shoulders, the cool night air hitting your skin, making your nipples harden instantly. And still, you watched him, letting his gaze devour you. Letting the bra drop, you let yourself bask in the way his pupils dilated, the way his hands clenched, every single vein and muscle in his arms tensing like he was fighting every instinct to move towards you and touch you.

And he was. God, he was fighting it, hard. Every demon inside him was telling him to grab you, to pull you close to him, to feel your skin against his, to claim you.

With a wicked grin, you toyed with the waistband of your lace black underwear, sliding it down, teasing him slowly. "Cat got your tongue, Clark?" you chuckled. Before he could answer, you turned your head and slipped into the pool.

When you submerged in the water, disappearing from his view, he let out a sharp exhale, the sound more like a whimper. As you resurfaced, he could've sworn he stopped breathing. You were everything he had ever wanted, and to see you there, bare, wet, and exposed? It was almost too much for him to handle.

His hands clenched into fists, his entire body trembling with the effort to restrain himself. His gaze didn't waver—it never left your body, exploring every inch of you.

You looked mesmerizing, the way the moonlight made your wet skin glow underneath it. He was desperate to touch you, to run his hands over your perfectly soft skin.

You ran your hands over your wet, slicked-back hair, your gaze on him. Wally stood there, frozen, eyes dark and fixed on you.

It was intoxicating, the power you had over him.

"What happened to all that smooth talk, Clark?" you teased, tilting your head, a playful smirk on your lips. "You suddenly forgot how to speak?"

That did it.

Wally's jaw locked, his hands clenched at his sides like he was physically restraining himself. For a second, you thought he might actually fight it—might crack a joke, roll his eyes, brush it off like he always did, return to his usual cocky self.

But then, without hesitation, he shoved his boxers down and kicked them aside. His eyes never leaving yours.

Your breath caught in your throat.

He stood before you, the hard lines of his body tense with restraint, every muscle in his stomach flexing as he fought for control. And then there was the unmistakable evidence of his arousal, thick and hard, a blatant display of everything he wanted—everything he wanted from you.

A shiver went down your spine, heat pooling in your stomach as your eyes slowly flickered up to his.

He didn't say a word. He just stepped forward, smoothly, deliberately, like a predator hunting its prey, before dipping into the pool. The water rippled as he disappeared beneath the surface. And then, he surged back up, breaking through the water right in front of you, so close that droplets splashed on your face, so close that his lips nearly brushed yours as he exhaled a deep, slow breath.

You inhaled sharply, instinctively swimming back, but his hands were already on your waist, locking you in place. Holding you right there, right where he wanted.

“What happened to all that smooth talk, sweetheart?" he repeated your exact words, the term of endearment making your stomach flip. His voice low, almost teasing. "You suddenly forgot how to speak?"

Your pulse hammered against your ribs. You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to smirk even as every nerve in your body buzzed with anticipation. This was dangerous, you knew it, and he did too.

But neither of you seemed to care.

"You think you're real cute, don't you?" his voice was low and rough, every word seemed to vibrate through your chest as his lips hovered just above yours, his breath warm against your skin. His voice made your knees weak.

You grinned, hands sliding up his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. "I don't think," you whispered. "I know."

A low growl rumbled in his throat. And suddenly, you weren't smirking anymore. There wasn't a single hint of playfulness in his eyes. They were filled with pure and raw heat. Dangerous, Hungry. His grip tightened, pulling you flush against him. Beneath the water, skin met skin, heat against heat. It was undeniable now, impossible to ignore, impossible to run away from. Everything you tried to ignore, every line you'd both tried so hard not to cross.

Everything was collapsing in on itself.

This was happening.

This was real.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me." His voice was thick with frustration, like he was holding back every ounce of self-control. Every inch of him trembled beneath your hands, his chest rising and falling too fast, his fingers digging into your waist. The struggle was written all over his face. He wanted you. You could see it. Feel it. He was trying so hard to hold back.

And God, he wanted to. You could feel it in the way his body tensed against yours, in the way his jaw clenched, in the way his lips hovered right there, barely an inch away, like he was dying to close the distance. Dying to taste you.

You inhaled sharply, your heart slamming against your ribs. What the hell were you doing?

Stripping in front of him? Letting him see you like this, bare and exposed? Teasing him? Knowing exactly what it would do to him?

It wasn't like you at all.

It wasn't like either of you.

This wasn't the playful banter you'd always shared. It never got further than simple jokes and meaningless teasing. This? This was territory neither of you had ever ventured into. There was a thin, fragile line. You wanted to cross it. You needed to. But the fear... the fear of losing everything you had—the fear of losing him—kept you hanging on, just barely.

Wally swallowed hard, his fingers tracing slow, agonizing patterns against your skin. "You're dangerous," he whispered again, lower this time, rougher, as if the words were ripped straight from his chest. His hands tightened against your hips beneath the water, his eyes locked onto yours, searching for hesitation—begging for it, for a reason to stop.

But there was none.

The words slipped out of your mouth before you could even think. "Am I?"

His breath caught a subtle tremor in his jaw. "Don't tease me," he growled. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

But you did.

And so did he.

His forehead dipped to yours, his breathing uneven. Your hands slid up, curling around the back of his neck, fingers threading through his wet hair. His eyes squeezed shut like he was trying—really trying—to fight it.

But there was nothing left to fight.

You’d both lost this battle a long time ago.

"You know this changes everything," he whispered, his voice raw, breaking over the words. His thumb brushed your skin, so painfully slow, like he was memorizing you, like he was savoring this moment.

Your chest tightened. You knew he was right. You knew this was it—the point of no return.

But it was too late for second thoughts.

Your lips parted, breath shaking. His eyes darkened at the sight of your open mouth, the sounds of your shaky breath making his pulse quicken. He was undone. Completely undone. All his hesitation, his willpower, his good intentions. Gone. He was drowning in you.

"Maybe it should," you whispered.

A sharp inhale. His hands gripped you tighter, and his forehead dropped fully against yours. "You have no idea what you're saying."

You let out a soft, breathless laugh. "Oh, I think I do."

His head lifted just enough for your eyes to lock, his pupils blown wide, lips slightly parted. His mouth was right there. Just a little more...

"You don't fucking get it," he rasped, his hands sliding up, thumbs brushing the underside of your ribs. "If we do this—if I kiss you—I won’t be able to stop. I won’t be able to just pretend it didn’t happen. You know that, don’t you?”

Your pulse slammed in your throat, and you nodded, barely breathing.

His fingers traced slow, lazy circles against your skin, like he was trying to soothe himself, trying to keep his composure. But you could feel it—the tension radiating off him, the heat rolling off his body even beneath the water.

"What if I don't want you to stop?" you whispered.

His eyes darkened, the grip on your waist tightening, pressing into your skin, making you groan. You were sure he was going to leave bruises, but you didn’t care. 

His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking as he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. "You think this is a fucking game?"

“A little," you replied, a playful smirk dancing on your lips.

Wally let out a strained, bitter chuckle, but there was no humor in his eyes. No playfulness was left in the smile that painted his face. “You wanna keep playing?” he murmured, his voice rough, teasing, but there was an edge to it now, something deeper, dangerous. “Because I can play, sweetheart. But you better be ready for what happens when I stop holding back. When I stop pretending, we can go back to how things were. When I stop fucking pretending we're just friends.”

With a growl, he pushed you through the water until your back hit the edge of the pool. The impact and the feeling of the cold tiles sent a sharp shiver down your spine, making you gasp. The way he mandhandled you with such ease, his grip so possessive, the way his body caged you in completely, it made your head spin. 

His lips brushed yours—just barely. But it was enough to make your fingers clutch at his shoulders, nails digging into his skin, like he was the only thing keeping you standing.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered against your lips, pleading. “Tell me you don’t want this.”

You should say it. You should push him away, laugh it off, pretend like this was just another game, another moment of playful teasing between best friends who had spent years toeing the line.

But you didn’t.

Because you couldn’t.

Instead, your fingers crept up his neck, nails tracing the hard line of his jaw, tightening in his wet hair, pulling him closer, your body pressing against his beneath the water. You felt the way his breath stuttered, the way his fingers dug into your ribs, his thumb caressing your breasts, like he was barely hanging on.

Your lips brushed against his as you whispered, “I dare you.”

A sharp inhale. His hands tightened. "Don't," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "I swear, if you keep looking at me like that—"

"Like what?" you interrupted, faking innocence as your fingers trailed down his chest, nails scraping over his hard muscles.

His breath left him in a shaky exhale. "Like you want this."

Your lips curled. "Who says I don't?"

A low groan rumbled from his chest, his restraint hanging by a thread. His hands slid down slowly, gripping, teasing, like he was testing himself—testing you. “You don’t get it.”

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I do," you whispered, your mouth just barely on his, so close he could feel your words on his skin. "You're the one who doesn't."

His jaw ticked. "Don't push me," he warned, his voice a painful growl. 

You tilted your head, dragging your nose against his. "Why? Afraid you'll give in?"

"Afraid I won't be able to stop."

A wicked smile danced on your lips as you leaned in, your mouth grazing the corner of his. Not a kiss—just a taste. "You know what I think?” you murmured, your teeth just barely scraping against his lips, leaving the most devastating kiss there. “I think you’ve thought about this. A lot.”

“Tell me I’m wrong,” you taunted him, your voice nothing but a breath, a challenge, a plea. "Just tell me I'm wrong, and we'll stop, we'll forget any of this happened, we'll just—"

His patience snapped.

His hands slid down your waist, gripping your thighs before he hoisted you up, forcing your legs to wrap around him. A choked gasp escaped your lips as you felt all of him, thick and hard, pressing right against your soaked core. A groan tore from his throat, guttural and desperate, his fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs, bruising you. 

“Fuck,” he whimpered. “You keep grinding on me like that and I fucking swear–” His words cut off into a sharp inhale as you grinded against him again. 

You rolled your hips against him, dragging your slick heat over the hard ridge of his cock, and his entire body tensed.  

A sharp, wrecked groan tore from his throat, his grip turning bruising as he slammed your body harder against the cool tile. His mouth was on you in an instant—biting, licking, claiming—his teeth scraping your jaw, his tongue lapping at the spot he just marked, soothing it just to do it all over again. 

“Tell me to stop,” he rasped. 

You swallowed hard. The words were right there, on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say them.

Stop.

No, you wouldn’t. You didn’t want him to stop. You wanted him to keep going, to touch you right where you needed him the most, to make you his, to claim you, to possess you. You wanted to feel his lips on yours, on your entire body. You needed this, the release–you needed him. 

“Say. It.” His groan was raw, wrecked. His hands ghosted up your thighs, slow, teasing, so agonizingly close to where you needed them. “Tell me to fucking stop.”

You stayed silent. 

His lips curled into a dark smirk. “That’s what I fucking thought.”

His hands flexed, gripping your thighs tighter, dragging your hips flush against him, grinding against your core so hard and deep it made your breath catch.

“Fuck, you feel that?" he groaned, his voice rough dripping with need. "Feel how hard you make me? You did that, sweetheart. You."

His lips brushed your jaw, teasing, before his teeth sank into your skin—not enough to hurt, but enough to make you whimper. His tongue soothed the spot, only to bite again, harder this time.

"You don't think I've noticed? The way your eyes are on me when you think I'm not watching? The way your whole body reacts to me?"

His fingers dug into your hips, hard, making you gasp, dragging your body against him once more, letting you feel every single inch of how much he wanted you.

Fuck.

"You've been playing a dangerous game, baby," he growled. "Playing dumb, acting like all those little teases, all those flirty smiles, all those times you touched me without meaning to—like they didn't mean anything."

A dark chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"But we both know that's not true, don't we?" His grip became stronger by the minute, his fingers slithering lower, teasing the edge of your stomach, dancing along your skin with agonizing precision. He knew what he was fucking doing, he wanted to drive you insane, the same way you drove him to the brink of insanty.

"You know it's not true. Deep down, you always knew exactly what you've been doing to me."

And he was right.

Every glance, every touch, every smile, every almost—you’d been testing him, taunting him. Watching, waiting, wondering how far you could push before he snapped.

And now? He was breaking apart.

His fingers inched lower, making your entire body arch against him, desperate, aching, starving for more.

Please, please, please.

A gasp tore from your throat as his fingers finally found your aching clit, pressing down in slow, agonizing cirles.

Oh, fuck.

Your head fell back against the cool tile, your breath coming out in ragged pants. This was different. He was different. This wasn't the Wally you were used to—your best friend, the sweet, flirty, cocky, Wally who loved teasing you just as much as you teased him.

This was someone else, a completely different version of him you'd never seen before. Dangerous.

"I think you know how much I fucking want you," he groaned, his forehead pressed against yours, his eyes dark, desperate, completely feral with need. "And you've been pretending you don't feel it, too."

You swallowed hard, but no words would come out. What could you say? That he was wrong? That this was just another game?

It wasn't. Not anymore.

You'd crossed every line, and there was no going back.

Your entire body trembled as his fingers moved harder, faster, making your entire world narrow to the feeling of his fingers against your aching core.

Your nails dug into his shoulders, your breath coming in gasps, but you didn’t answer.

You couldn’t. Not when you were falling apart in his hands.

Not when you felt so good pressed against him.

So fucking good.

"And now, baby?" His tongue brushed over your lips, slowly. "Now you're gonna find out exactly what happens when you push me too fucking far."

[truelotus]

(Oooh first time requesting smtbhing so hopefully I'm doing this right ;-;)) But can I request Aizen kidnapping his darling using his evil evil hypnosis during the SS arc when everyone thinks he's a little sweetheart?

(Btw take ur time and no pressure 🤗)

Tricked out ᢉ𐭩 Sosuke Aizen X reader

𓂃۶ৎ warning: abduction, kidnapping, manipulating

𓂃۶ৎ context: Aizen unknowingly to you, uses his kyoka suigetsu to hypnotize you, manipulating you subtly.

a/n: I was finally able to do this request! tysm for it and thank you for giving me time to do it <3

Captain has always been very kind to you, after you joined his squad and you were able to become a seated officer, he took more interest in you. He’d come by, to see how well your training was going, help you with anything you needed. He even listened to the problems you had, he was definitely one of the most kindest captains.

But you couldn’t help but feel.. odd? around him.

It felt like it was too good to be true? or something? Nothing felt right of real once Aizen would come around, and even when he left you be. That strange feeling continued to linger, making you feel uneasy.

You’d often feel this feeling even at night, you could never get a peaceful good night sleep.

And tonight, once again you’ll feel that same exact uneasy feeling. But you knew, that you could never fully trust this man, there was something dangerous about him, but thats all you knew.

The air in the soul society felt unusually still tonight, tonight the feeling was much more pronounced than ever before. Maybe it was because of the odd things happening around maybe? Lately you felt like you’ve had more eyes on you than ever before.

But you would brush those feelings away as soon as Aizen would come, he distracted you from the feeling.

You were staring off into the night, listening closely to the droplets of the rain, only the rain could bring some peace to you. You were at your assigned room of squad 5’s barracks. You were up late, unable to sleep. You were so deep in thought, you didn’t notice that someone was coming towards you.

You jumped when feeling a hand touch your shoulder so casualty, you grabbed the hand quickly, then you quickly released it once you looked who the hand belonged to.

“Everything okay? I’ve noticed that you’ve been very tense recently.” You could see the genuine worry on his face, you straightened out the wrinkles of your clothes, trying to hide your embarrassment from your face.

“Captain Aizen! I’m so sorry, I was just.. anyways. Yes, I’m alright. Things have just been feeling like, a dream? lately. So i’ve been on my toes, that is all.”

It was strange on how he always showed up, it was like he planned on it.

Aizen hummed, putting his hand to his chin, as if he was deep in thought about something. “I see.. this seems like something that should be discussed over tea, would you like that?” Aizen replied, giving you a sweet smile that almost the whole seireitei is familiar with.

“A-Are you sure captain? I don’t want to prevent you from doing your work.” You were a bit hesitant, unsure about the situation. You only felt strange once your captain was around, would things go bad once you join him for tea? Or maybe Aizen was the key to solving this issue..

“Nonsense, It’s quite late anyways. What duties would I be doing at this hour?” He put his hand out to you, waiting for you to grab it, to join him. Still cautious, you accepted the hand that was out for you. Aizen’s smile slightly widened.

Strange.

Everything felt strange.

His hand didn’t feel like, his? There’s no way that this could be a impersonator of captain Aizen, right?

Aizen continued to hold your hand as he guided you to his room, even though his hand felt strange, unreal. There was some warmth to it, making you blush. Aizen’s hand was big compared to yours.

You cursed yourself for even blushing, you know very well that this man isn’t the man he projects himself to be. But it was strange, how come all of the sudden you were feeling actual romantic feelings towards him? It was as soon as you grabbed his hand, has he done something or?

Soon enough, the both of you made it to his room. He quietly shut the door behind you as you entered, “Please, make yourself comfortable. I will get the tea ready.”

“Yes captain.” You said as you sat down at the kotatsu. You felt awkward, you’ve never been in Aizen’s room before, alone. You were fidgeting with the ends of your clothes, messing with your hair, constantly changing the seating position you were in.

It didn’t take long for the tea to make, Aizen entered the room while carrying a tray with a kettle, tea cups and bags of tea.

He sat the tray down, then showing you a variety of the tea bags he had. “Here, I brought these out. I didn’t know which one you’d like.” You never really drank tea, so you then asked, “Which do you prefer? I don’t often drink tea so.” For a second, you could see the smile on his face twitch.

“Oh then, I suggest this one. It is my personal favorite.” You nodded, watching him pour the boiling water into your cup then as he brought the tea kettle to his cup, he spoke as he poured the water, “So, tell me. What is on your mind?”

You weren’t sure on what to say, you couldn’t trust this man.. or could you? Were you just overthinking things and making assumptions.

Yeah that should be it right? Captain Aizen would never do anything to you, he’s one of the nicest in the entire gotei 13. You could trust him, he is your captain after all.

This “thoughts” of yours were only implanted by Aizen. He then finished stirring the tea for you both, handing it to you.

“I can’t explain it, recently things have just been weird. I feel like I’m being watched 24/7.. And it really only happens when..”

“When I’m around?” He said as he brought the cup to his lips, you lowered your cup down slightly, surprised by his answer. Has all of this actually his own work?

You froze, unsure on what to do. Were you in danger right now? Should you run? What were his reasons for it?

You dropped your cup, ignoring the burning sensation, the boiling water was burning your thighs but you ignored it. “Ah, careful now.” His tone was smooth, he was so casual about this right now. Why?

He got up, walking over to you. He was going to soak up the tea on your thighs but instead you pushed him away.

“You want a explanation? Very well then.”

He flaunted his spiritual pressure, forcing you to stay down, to stay in place as he spoke, “Yes, I’m honestly very surprised you noticed. Most people don’t notice my perfect hypnosis.” You were confused on what he meant on, “perfect hypnosis”

You couldn’t move, even if you wanted to. His spiritual pressure was just too much for someone like you. You wanted to swat his hand away when you saw it getting closer to your face, he held onto your face, squishing your cheeks together with his hand.

“It only shows that you truly are something special.” You tried so desperately to move, but of course he wouldn’t allow it.

“Captain..”

“I knew that you’d be some use to me from the very start, this was just a test. To see if I was right, and it seems like.. I was correct.” He brought his face closer to yours, his lips dangerously hovering over your own lips.

“I noticed you from the very start, You noticed my kyoka suigetsu. That is what peaked my interest in you, nobody else was able to see it but you.” You weren’t aware of the powers of his zanpakuto, he never bothered to explain them to you.

“What do you.. mean.”

“Oh right, you do not know the power of my kyoka suigetsu.” He used less of his spiritual pressure to force you down, giving you a little break. “It is, complete hypnosis.. it is able to completely control all 5 senses, it’s a very interesting zanpakuto, don’t you think?”

You weren’t sure when exactly he used kyoka suigetsu on you, but you weren’t going to ask. You knew you had no time, you needed to run, to get away.

Even while he was flexing his spiritual pressure, you slowly stood up, using all your strength just to barely stand on your feet. Aizen smirked, seeing you try so hard, miserably.

“Seems like you don’t understand that you are very important for what I have planned.”

“You’re right.. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you chose me out of all people.” You slowly walked to the door, dragging your feet. Aizen only watched as you slowly walked away, knowing you were weren’t going to make it far.

“Because, you’re different. I’ve seen your abilities before darling, I believe that they’re going to be useful to me.” You reached to the door, ignoring him as you slowly opened it.

His spiritual pressure still had a affect, so running was hard for you, but you were going to run like your life depended on it.

“Fuck fuck fuck..” You were a sweaty mess, your thighs still burned from the boiling tea, your legs were weak and failing on you.

You tried to run as far as you could, and when you thought you lost him—because he wasn’t chasing after you— you rested for a bit.

How were you going to report him? Would anyone believe you? Would he just use his complete hypnosis on you again?

“I really don’t see the point of running, you knew very well that I was going to find you quickly.” His voice sent shivers down your spine, unable to move once again.

You slowly turned around to face him, he somehow looked bigger than before, only frightening you even more. “Please..! captain Aizen.” You begged him to stop.

“Come, you were destined to be by my side. You’ll soon see that is your only faith.” He stepped forward, making you feel smaller than ever. “And if you scream, I might just have to kill you. Or maybe punish you. But we don’t want that to happen do we?”

You oh so desperately wanted to fight back, but what would be the point of it? He was going to successfully kidnap you in the end.

He smirked down at you, seeing you so helpless did something to him. He swiftly grabbed your collar, pulling onto it.

“Please! Let go of me!”

“I don’t want to be rough with you, so please don’t make me.”

He dragged you by the collar of your shirt back to his room, to keep you.

All to himself.

To help him pursue his plan.

And you had no choice.

You were going to help him and that’s that.

[viperify]

oneshots | ᴛᴏᴍ ʀɪᴅᴅʟᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ

Saving You.

Short Summary: Returning to Hogwarts didn’t go quite as expected. You soon realize as to why Tom and Draco tried keeping you away from the only place you were sure to be safe at…

Warnings: violence, death, torture (not too descriptive)

A/N: Three long months have passed… thank u everyone for being patient! I know this is pretty short, however… there will be one final part!! (Which hopefully won’t take me three months to write🫠)

wordcount: 1,5k

Read PART 1 and PART 2 before! <3

Darkness. Silence. Hopelessness.

Feelings you wished to leave behind when you exited the cabin and made your way through the woods, returning to the only place you thought you’d be somewhat safe—Hogwarts. 

Yet, when you did, everything had changed.

Hogwarts was no longer the sanctuary you knew it to be. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were long gone, off to find the remaining Horcruxes. The Order couldn’t resume their work as before under the rule of death eaters at school. However, the issue that was most difficult to overcome proved to be the certification of blood status—something you, being muggle-born, of course, didn’t have.

Many people told you to leave and return home to your family. Yet, you refused and faked your blood status in order to be able to attend school. For you, it was never about education, it was about doing what’s right—trying your best to support the Order in every way you could.

To questions on where you had been, why you had disappeared for weeks, you only replied with made-up excuses. Excuses they luckily didn’t question any further.

Weeks passed—weeks of emotional stress, hiding, making yourself as small as possible. Defence Against the Dark Arts class was the worst. The Carrow twins did not take it easy on students. Practicing dark arts, having older students torture first-years. And if you did not follow their command, you’d be the one taking the curse instead.

So, when your body ached at night, keeping you awake, your mind wandered. Thinking of your time in the cabin, where yes, you were lonely, but you were safe. Safety—something they promised you by staying with them. And now—you understood what they meant. What they tried to indirectly warn you about.

Tom and Draco—who you once thought to be your enemies—had tried to protect you from all of this.

But now—you were on your own. Ever since you left the cabin, you had not seen them again. They didn’t show up to classes, never sat in the Great Hall for dinner—until you realized they weren’t there at all.

Tom and Draco were quick to take notice of your disappearance. At first, they tried looking for you, though soon they realized it was too late, that you had already made it back. Would you have stayed if they had informed you about what was going to happen? They both knew you wouldn’t have, that it would only have made it worse. After all, that was what they liked about you—your unwavering loyalty to your closest friends.

So they let you go.

A decision they regretted as soon as both of them were told they would no longer be able to visit classes—not until the war was won from their side. With the Vanishing Cabinet fixed, they had other, more urgent tasks to tend to outside of Hogwarts. This meant they couldn’t keep an eye on you, even if they wanted to. Knowing your non-magical background and that you would be in constant danger made the thought of leaving you alone even harder to tolerate.

Yet none of you knew that your reunion would come sooner than anticipated.

Soon after the trio returned, informing the rest of the Order about the remaining Horcruxes, chaos broke out. Many of the younger students had already left, and while Harry tried finding the last Horcrux hidden inside the castle, professors and students put up resistance against advancing forces. You too tried your best to help, heading deeper into the castle to cover another entrance—by yourself.

And you were almost there—when a pair of strong arms pulled you into an empty classroom before you could react properly. With your wand raised, ready to defend yourself, you took in your surroundings, only dimly lit by the last few weak sun rays on the horizon. But the moment you saw who it was, you lowered your wand again.

Tom. Draco.

“What— what are you doing here?” You stammered, taking a step back.

They were wearing the same clothes they wore on the night you followed them into the forest, a painful reminder that you were fighting on opposite sides.

Tom was the first to speak. “There is a lot we have to talk about—first and foremost, you left. Why you were able to leave—is on us,” his head turned slightly, a dangerous glow in his eyes as he glanced at the blonde, “on Draco, to be exact. However, you didn’t follow our instructions. Again.”

“You left me in the dark about all of this,” you snapped, brows drawing together in irritation. “You can’t expect me to stay if I don’t know what is going on.”

“Telling you wouldn’t have made you stay,” Draco remarked, his expression softening slightly.

You scoffed, turning around to leave. You had better things to do than to argue. Knowing them, it could have very well been a distraction or another trap. Although they had shown you their true intentions by now, you still found yourself too weary to trust them completely.

A firm hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“Tell us. Tell us to get you out of here, and we will. Draco and I will take you somewhere safe. I don’t beg—but for fuck’s sake, please. Please let us protect you.”

The genuine sincerity in Tom’s voice told you all you needed to know. Their intentions were pure. However, you couldn’t leave. The Order needed you, needed every person they could possibly have. Your decision had been made a while ago, and they wouldn’t be able to change it, even if it guaranteed your safety.

“I am staying. You know they need me.” You exhaled deeply, eyes flicking between the both of them. They exchanged a glance, yet didn’t interrupt you. “Whatever happened between us isn’t going to influence my decision. I want to stay and fight. For my friends, for the people who took me in when no one else did. I am free to choose—and I choose this.”

Tom’s jaw clenched and Draco’s blue eyes darkened at your words. “That you are.” They agree, but the words tasted bitter as they spoke them. “We will be watching over you.”

You raised a brow. “Surely they need you on their side.”

Draco took a step forward. “Sweetheart, if we were on their side, do you really think we would try everything in our power to save you from this?”

Your head turned slightly as you heard someone call your name down the corridor, most likely looking for you. A sigh fell over your lips. You could do this. You were determined. Even if this was the last thing you did, it would be for a good cause.

“I have to leave. They need me.”

When they didn’t respond, you turned, leaving them behind. A cool breeze hit you as you exited the classroom, making sure nobody was close before you continued your way.

It wasn’t long before the guards outside were broken, forces entering the castle. You fought bravely alongside others, defending everything that was dear to you. And it worked out well—until it didn’t.

You don’t exactly know how it happened—but you were by yourself. Facing two death eaters at once.

Naturally, you tried backing off, finding a place to hide. You could very well duel one, but two? It would take advanced dueling skills for you to win this match unharmed, and while you were by no means a bad duelist—you were missing the courage to do so.

So you turned, hurrying your way through the dark and empty corridors as quickly as you could. But they were too fast, and you, already exhausted from the ongoing fighting, didn’t have enough energy to escape. Curses and spells were fired after you, some of them only narrowly missing you. One lucky aim later, and there was only one of them left following you—though the relief wasn’t meant to last.

The second caught up too quickly, and before you knew it, a curse struck you from behind, having you trip, knees hitting the floor as you fell, curling up as an agonizing wave of pain spread through your body, making it impossible for you to move any further.

Then, he was there, right beside you, victoriously aiming his wand at you.

That’s it, you thought.

It’s over.

—“Avada Kedavra!”

But the curse never hit you. You were breathing. You were alive.

Instead, the death eater’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. Your eyelids fluttered open then, but your surroundings were blurry, ears ringing as your consciousness slowly faded.

The last thing you remembered was someone carefully scooping you up, strong arms carrying you away from the scene.

“Shhh. We got you.”

Then—darkness.

Tags for part 3: @leviathans-fish, @riddleswhcre, @poppetbaby02, @mageprincess7, @charliegracebrown, @grandeoatmilklatte, @juliet-017, @shinytalent, @noisytravelerpizza (genuinely I am sorry this took so long I LOVE YOU THANK U FOR BEING PATIENT and I promise pt 4 won’t take this long and be… more interesting🤭)

[abysswalkersknight]

Finished an old WIP! All I remember is that I started this one when Malleus told Deuce about how he was so glad to learn how to wash his clothes.

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

Malleus was glad that Silver was not a prince, it was not something he’d wish upon anyone let alone his dearest charge

and as though it were foreordained, it was the only nail without a sharpened edge. It’s as if I’m watching Lilia’s bat’s pups again

What a soft little thing.

So strong, thought Malleus as it’s soft pink gums happily gnawed on his long finger, the slightest sliver of a pearly white tooth just peeking through and gently scraping against Malleus’s skin, yet so fragile it was. It would take months for that one little tooth to fully emerge, even longer for it to grow alongside nineteen more according to one of Lilia’s voluminous parenting books. It has always baffled the prince with how… weak, humans are, especially as infants. No claws nor teeth to speak of to defend themselves with, couldn’t perform the most basic of magic at all. And just to rub salt into the wound they couldn’t even hold themselves upright without the aid of a guardian, really it was a pitiful sight compared to a young Malleus when he’d just hatched, why, he was spitting green fire the moment his eyes beheld his beloved guardian!

By all means this tiny, minuscule creature shouldn’t even have survived its first week outside its mother, yet somehow the one who snuggles deeper into the dragon’s arms is surviving solely because of his desperate, begging cries for his father’s constant doting attention… And Malleus’s intervention to say boldly, it lives entirely at our mercy. How is one born so vulnerable? Usually this would be seen as an affront to the prince to be in the presence of such a feeble, weak creature, Malleus believed when he was younger that humans were nothing more than mere bugs he could easily squash under his heel, it certainly didn’t help that they shared similar lifespans either, so why would he ever spare a thought for their disgusting, wriggling spawn who couldn’t even lift a measly little finger. Yet it is thanks to Lilia and his peculiar curiosity that now here sits the feared Malleus Draconia, nuzzling one of those very spawn with the gentlest touch and affection he’s never thought he’d ever possess, I suppose even humans can be surprising. 

Speaking of surprises, Malleus was quite glad he had thought ahead of time and visited Lilia’s home in the casual commoner’s clothing he’s miraculously kept hidden from the castle servants as the little one suddenly switched from Malleus’s finger to chew on a part of his pristine white button down shirt ‘my, how bold you are,’ he murmured fondly, caressing the babe’s soft, squishy cheek, Is this the child’s attempt at grooming? Malleus did read somewhere that some humans hold grooming in high regard, especially towards their hair, and how it can be a favoured pastime for close companions. Regrettably it miffed him that he could not return the loving gesture. While he’s now confident enough to hold Silver gently without issue, Malleus will not risk his fangs piercing that fragile skin and harming the small babe, I shall just have to wait until you grow a little older. For now he is perfectly content with being enraptured at the thought of this sweet child holding him in such high esteem, enough to share a pleasant human custom with him despite not knowing of Malleus’s power and status, far better than any wheedling submission and worship he often received from the nobility and senate, although… ‘As far as I’m aware, you're the only one brave enough to sully a royal’s clothing, anyone else would have instantly been burnt to a crisp, hmm?’ Lilia’s infant let out a muffled coo in reply, happily resuming his wet desolation of the fae prince’s shirt, ah, he will have to wash it in the sink before he leaves, lest the servants catch wind of it and start spreading unwelcome rumours, perhaps Lilia will even show him how to properly use that new ‘washing machine’ contraption he had installed? 

‘Ah ha! Found it!’ cried said fae, the pink streaked head suddenly popped out from the kitchen doorway. In his hand he held the tiny implement that’s usually in the infant’s mouth. Cute little auroral eyes widen eagerly at the sound of his father’s voice. Silver paused in his absent chewing, leaving behind a big, slimy stain in the middle of the prince’s shirt while Malleus couldn’t help himself but grimace at the wet feeling, and turned to squeak gleefully for Lilia, his little pudgy arms reaching out for him. ‘aw, did my dear Silver miss me, did he miss me?’ Lilia cooed, the child squealed again, whining impatiently as he began to wriggle in Malleus’s arms, much to the dragon prince’s shock and displeasure 'hmph, and here I thought you were enjoying our sweet cuddle session child’ the prince says, childishly pouting at such clear favouritism from the babe, but he was quickly satiated when Silver settled back down in his lap as Lilia got closer ‘aww, don’t fret dear Malleus it’s only natural that an infant craves his father’s attention’ he says, wiggling his fingers for Silver to play with. Malleus’s frown deepened at the child’s pleased squeals when his guardian gave the babe the human implement, traitor ‘you are aware he had no need of that Lilia, he was just fine using my finger.’ he grumbles, glaring at the human dummy with enough disdain to simper a duke.

Sighing as though they have had this conversation before Lilia pats the prince’s arm as he sweeps the squirming child into his arms much to the prince’s displeasure ‘unfortunately my dear while humans chewing on your limbs hardly leaves a scratch, the same does not apply for other humans or fae for that matter’ subconsciously rubbing his own arm he continues ‘for how weak and frail they are, humans are rather… wild when they want to be Malleus so it's best for young Silver to know not to bite people at rando-ACK!’ Malleus chuckles pleasantly as the old general struggles to free his bangs from the human’s drooly mouth ‘I believe he is disinclined to agree with you Lilia, and rightly so I say’ Malleus then stands and steals the babe back while leaving his old guardian to whine over how gross his precious locks were. 

‘Come Silver, you are now ready to learn the true way to make men kneel before you.’

[simpingforbots]

Hello I was wondering if I could have human reader and TFone elita one in it the human lands on cybertron gets found by elita one and lives at her place and shows the struggles of them liveing on cybertron and them growing in their relationship with elita one soon after having a hard time sleeping elita ask them if they want to sleep in her bed and cuddle

Thank you I hope this wasn’t a lot

Hello. Sure can do my best. I am thinking of putting this meeting this time in future, after Sentinel became a twix, but before war. In more peaceful times. might even take few chapter so head up.

Little Alien - part 1

You were no one special and you knew it. Unlike every one else on this ship you did not go to some expensive college, or was a genius gifted kid who managed to ace every thing, or just well adducted person who did their best to earn their spot here. You were just a normal, run of the mill, human being, who happen to win this stupid lottery and decided to take a bite. The months of grilling training for the launch off, space and it’s zero gravity and how to act was enough to make you second guess, yet you still decided to stay. How many people can tell their future generation that they were in actual space, joining egg heads for some kind of experiment. What you did not know that you were also an unfortunate sap to become their lab monkey, after all they need someone to do something

You just stared at the new planet as it slowly passed in to the illuminator, able to see light illuminating from it, fascinated that something like this exsist. All it took is to travel though some kind of worm hole while you were frozen, now about to land on this new world. The leader of this operation asked every one to come to the detachable shuttle, and get ready for descend. Smiling, you pushed your self though zero gravity, enjoying the feeling of being free, collecting your suit and camera on the way as your only job here. Floating in to the shuttle you greeted other people on it, smiling and doing your best to stay out of their way as they got every thing ready, dragging in boxes and other expensive equipment. They been good to you so far, and you relay did not wanted to piss them off. Taking your right full seat at the far back, away from controls and important leavers, you stared outside and watched as shuttle detached it self, slowly moving away from the main ship, able to see other scientists watch you and the team go down to the planet. The ride was not without hiccups as this planet was a new environment and who knew what was on it, especialy of it looked like it was made from metal. You felt the entire ship shake as they slowly descended, landing on the stable ground and after some time you finally were allowed to get out, following others as they all got out, carrying boxes and other science equipment.

“Holly Shit” your eyes grew wide as your eyes scanned alien terrane. The alien sun was just going up, basking the entire world in wonderful colours and constantly shifting mountains added to the majestic atmosphere to this new world. Hell, you sure you can fell quite buzz of something coming from below heavily padded boots of the suit. “DO you think there is air here?”

“So far reading says there is traces of oxygen on this planet, so I presume so” one of the scientist reply, piking up a small rock for the sample “Should be safe for us, but for safety reasons it best to keep the helmet on”

“okay...” you stayed quite, continue watching new mountains grow from the gorund while other collapsed. Pulling your camera out, yes it was on old one, that was printing photos, you still liked t, you started taking pictures, letting the small machine whirr as it printed, giving you a memorabilia of such strange and wonderful world.... “Hey guys, do you need me to take some other photos... for the science?”

“Actually it will be nice” you grinned as you continued taking picture, staying ou of the way of those who knew what to do.

It seems like you’ve been here for hours and standing in one place, taking the picture at the same spot soon bored you and you wondered out a bit further in, not to far as to still be in radio frequency range, taking photos of every thing that seemd out of sight. Like the small tongues of grass poking though the harsh metallic surface and seeming to thrive in this harsh environment, right next to flowing blue liquid that glowed brightly. Walking over to it, you huffed a bit thanks to the heavy weight of the suit, lifting your camera and ticking a picture of the river as close as you could, even able to see it “flow” in picture. Maybe you should tell your “friends” about what you found, kneeling down a bit and reached over, moments away from touching it before quickly puling your hand away. Right, no, you are human, you poke things with sticks just like God intended. Turning around, you spotted a small “stick” or something that looked like it, wrapping your gloved hand around and plunging it in t the river, obtaining a sample. A sound from the other side of the river quickly alerted you, making you jump and stare on shock at what you wee seeing.

A deer – or something that look like a deer, giant and made out of metal, reminding you about the obstruct sculpture you’ve seen one time back on Earth, herd of them, leisurely walking over to the river, ignoring your presence and bowing to take a sip of the strange liquid floating by, one by one, stretching in to line, with few staying on guard, the round lights on their head instead of normal horns glowing purple, their head high up and staring around. Your eyes were glued to them, to much in awe to even say anything but slowly breathing in, time to time eyes darting from one creature to another. You were scared that if you move to fast you’ll scare them, if you make any noise, like calling to your group, they will run away, so moving slowly and carefully, you lifted your camera again, turning the flashlight of. Slow as a snail, you raised it, closing one eyes and looking through lens at the creature, who were still enjoying liquid, ignoring your presence completely, allowing you to take as many photos as you want. Finally one of them noticed you, the light shifting for just a second to red, before going purple again, the head slightly tilting to the side, it’s small eyes shifting rapidly, waiting for any action from you. And so did you, watching them in return, ready to run in case those huge metal beast decides you were danger. Finally it decided to see what you was about, jumping over the narrow for him river, making you jump and take few steps back, freezing a bit as it walked over, graceful as one would be on earth, heavy body making idle mechanic noises as it slowly walked over, head low and lights blue, closing the distance. You carefully lifted your hands up and try not to look threatening to something metal and big, just letting it inspect you, and it seemd like the thing approved of you, the head bumping in to your side lightly, yet still making you stumble, rubbing a bit and light turning green with a ding, letting human let a heavy sigh of relief, lifting hands toward the head and letting it slide up and down the metal segmented head, able to feel quite buzz and warmth even beneath gloves.

“Wow, you are beautiful!” you whispered, smiled creeping up not your face, the mask fogging up a bit with your breath speeding up, able to feel your heart pounding in the chest. “just what are you? Hehe” you let a chuckle, bracing your self as the rest of the flock came over to “inspect” new creature, head budding you as well and soon enough the entire heard was playfully bumping heads to get their own share of head pats, making you savour the moment that you were the first to interact with alien life, even if it was wild one, it still was amazing, so in the moment that you were unable to feel that the distant faint rumble grew nearer, and when it become a small tremor that it seemed to finally alert the deer, their heads shooting up, scaring you a bit, with their rings turning red and quickly scramble away, forcing you to curl up and cover your head from them running over you, almost trembling you to death with their huge heavy metal hoofs and weight. When they ran away, you got up, confused just what was going on, turning your head to horizon and watching carefully, seeing something that was not right.

Mountains, they were growing closer, shifting quicker and quicker toward your and your team direction, but could it be just your imagination. Confused you reached for the tablet on your hand, taping it to activate your radio, calling out to the team, asking if every thing was okay, only to get static. The mountains grew nearer and tremors grew harder, finally sending you in to panic mode, turning around and running back to the ship, stumbling with every shake and heart pounding. Why did you wonder so far?! You kept running, panting and screaming for the team, eyes pilled on horizon and seeing your team finally react to earthquake, gathering expensive equipment on to the ship in a hurry, constantly looking back. Why were they looking back, what was going on. Regretfully you turned your head, stumbling over your feet, catching just in time as to not fall, eyes growing so wide you could feel them almost pop out of the scull – the constantly shifting mountain were rapidly moving towards you, sending violent earthquakes along, and the sight alone pumped more adrenalin in to human’s blood stream, the chain of exhaustion quickly falling of, screaming louder, turning your head and speed up as much as you could in the heavy suite, waving your hands at last person jumping in.

“Wait! Wait! FUCK!!!” You yelled loud enough to even burst your own ear drums, tears forming as you watch human look in between inside the ship and you, diving in and the ship slowly rising up, the engines roaring no lounder then the grumble of the ground, slowly kicking in and flying away, leaving you behind to your doom. You screamed in anger, fear and pity for your self as the shifting mounted quickly caught up, tossing you around like some kind of tennis ball. You felt every bump and toss, sharp edges digging in to you and you fell on your head to hard, knocking you out.

Ever since Orion become a prime every thing seemed to change for the best. No bot had to slave away in mines as energon flowed through city and it was plenty then enough for every one, the only reason mines were still were open was for minerals and safety was at all time high with Elita-one on control. And she was quite proud of it, after all she did spend most of her life reaching for high position, and now she was right hand of Optimus Prime, with a lot of paperwork and responsibilities, along with all the stress. Hunched over another stack of data-pads, it took every thing not to throw it at poor sap who came in, bringing more documents and thankfully some energon to help her power though this entire mess even if the energon crisis was over, there were other troubles that needed to be taken care of. Like sudden influx of young bots, waste and a clear as day divide between those who could live in comfort and those who could not, something even Prime did not approve much, seeing as every one were equal. Letting bot place data-pads and energon in front of her, she waved them off, leaning back in chair with a grunt.  Besides those problames there were still Quintessons, who are now no longer provided with energon by Sentinel and Megaron with high gurds, now knowns as decepticons, constantly causing trouble and even starting roomers about false Prime.

She needs a break. Getting up, Elita headed out, passing by B-127, who was happily talking some ones audio off, a smile creeping on her faceplate to see him so free after hearing where he was, finally enjoying a proper life that was intended. Heading out, Elita headed up to the surface, wanitng to enjoy the scenary just for a bit, reminiscing about past adventure, driving through landscape when something caught her opticks. On horizon something appeared, descending quickly and carefully, to small to be one of Quintessons ships. Reeving up the engine, fem-bot speed up toward the landing, even if it was far away, praying to primes it was nothing to worry about, still being carful of shifting terrain. By the time she reached the spot she calculated was landing site for the small ship it wad to late for who ever landed. One of many shifting mountains made it’s way toward the ship and crushing something small in the way while the ship left, just in time to avoid collision with the shifting mass of metal, leaving one of presumed passengers behind to their fate, getting tossed around mountain like some kind of ball before going limp along woth moving maintain stopping. Knowing first hand how ruff it can get, Elita rushed over, something inside her gripping her spark as this small thing looked to close to a sparkling and getting tossed like this surely did not end well. Transforming mid way, Elita closed the distance, slowing down and carefully walking over to limp body laying on one of spikes, unmoving or showing signs of life.

This small thing did look like sparkling from a far, but up close it looked more creepy. It was small, in white covering with no distinguished segment, as if the metal was fused all in one moving part, it did had hands with five small digits, curled a bit, creepy. Shaking of the strange feeling, Elita approached it closer, kneeling down and letting her self inspect it, head tilting side to side while optic scanned the strange life form. It did not look like any Quintessons she’ve ever seen, in fact those bug creature were big and this paled in compression, hell it’ll easily fit in her servo alone. Slowly reching out, she poked it, body swaying before going still again, but just for a second she could feel warmth. Could this thing still be alive? Poking it again just to make sure it won’t suddenly attack or anything else, even if the size difference was big, she wrapped her servo, lifting it, round strange head with big reflective visor swaying a bit, limbs hanging down, big bot could feel it moving, middle torso expanding and slowly deflating over and over, like some kind of constant force, an engine that can not stop even when one is unconscious. Seeing her own reflection in the strange head, Elita use one of the digits to prop up the round head to make sure it was looking at her. It felt so week and fragile, just what is it? Squinting a bit, Elita could see something under the strange visor, could this strange reflective thign move, slide up perhaps. Slowly, using the other servo, she tapped the head, it making a hallow thunk noise, still not reacting and the strange reflective surface moving just a bit, confirming that it can be moved. Using the same digit, she slid it up, opticks growing wide and head tilting back a bit with shock.

This thing had a face, just like any other cybertronian, just on strange colour and weird things on it, yet the expression seemed peaceful as if they were simply recharging. Bringing them closer, Elita squinted, tapping on the strange helmet to see what else was inside, angling it along the way. Nothing that she can see from here. Looking up, she had to wonder if this one was left behind as to let other escape the shifting mass or they were unlucky enough as to not get on the ship when disaster stuck, what ever it was, she can no leave it here, no matter how much she wanted. Letting a heavy exhausted sight, fem bot stood up, leaning on the mass and turned, heading back to the Iacon, already getting a headache just from thinking what will happened when she brings this strange creature there, especialy Bee with all his questions.

--

Why is every thign hurts? Letting a grunt out, you tried opening your eyes, immideatly getting assaulted by light, forcing you to squint and raise your hand to shield eyes from such suden brightness. Where were you? Not on the ship that was for sure as there was no ideal chatter of tv captain put on as to not let the crew go crazy due to all the silence outside the ship. Who wouldn’t if you had to spend months floating in vacuum of space with no constant noise that ususaly surrounded you on Earth – all the nature sounds and human life, a constant, even if not noticeable, noise. Slowly getting up, you can feel fresh bruises painfully sting all over you, a sigh of relieve escapes you, seeing that you managed to get out of what ever the fuck was happening alive, with only cracked visor, quickly putting panic in to your head. Even if there was air that in theory was breathable, it was still not the best. Taking a few deep breath you did not notise anything bad happening, no dizziness, or sharp pain in chest, meaning it was alright. Good. Hold on, where are you?

Finally snapping back in to reality, your eyes grew wide while you looked around, head snapping from one side to another. You were in the hugest room you could even imagine, bigger then the room you visited back in the day during the “tour” where guide explained what was going on and what you singed up for, showing of the top of the notch technology. No, this was bigger, much-much bigger and it seamed like you were on something huge that extended a bit further and dropped quickly, getting up, you walk, spinning around, eyes wide and instinctively reaching for the camera, bumping in to something. You bumped in to the glass... what? Putting your hand on it, you followed the slightly noticeable surface, trailing it above and behind you, horror slowly sipping in. Dome, where ever you were placed in to the glass dome like some kind of spider caught in a glass, you are not a bug! Panicking, tried to get under it, the gloves are to thick to do the job, and even if they could, you doubt you can lift something so big and heavy. So banging it is. Drumming your fist on the surface, you yell

“HEY! Let me out! Let me out!!!” you shouted on top of your lungs, bot fist hammering on the surface, hell even kicking, trying to get attention of what ever it is caught you. Do you really want to? No, but you have to get out and try to call “home” to get the hell of this planet and tell every one to not come back. “HEY!!!”

Something seemd to hear you and a heavy, like very heavy footsteps echoed though the entire place, you freezing and staring at what clearly was door frame, eyes glued and heart pounding, expecting something to pop in all while your brain started processing every thign at once. You were in a huge dome, in a hugest room big enough to fit in 10 of the ships you travelled through space, you saw huge deer made out of metal, so what can be stomping so loudly through the hallway. As realisation quickly hit you like a frag train, sweat pooling on your back you quickly stopped banging and just stared quietly at the doorframe. It did not take to long for the source of the stomping to slowly peer in, metal fingers wrapping around the edge of doorframe, and a huge metal head with strange helm popped in. Of God, it had a face and it’s huge blue glowing eyes staring at you like a child staring at the new thing they just found. Both of you just stared at each other, wide eyed, shocked and confused, you honestly were about to faint as the vision got blurry and starts blinking in to appearance. It seemd like the big yellow things will make the first move.

The face light up with smile, it’s mouth moving as it spoke garbled words that sounded like someone put on blender and drill, quickly walking in to the room and closing the distance between your prison and it, huge hands reaching for the dome. You let a yelp when cage left the gorund, you sliding back and trying not to fall on your ass, heart pounding and now completely terrified. Of course this planet will have giant metal people, though huge bot did not seemd to concerned that you were terrified out of your wits, rotating the cage and you at the same time, examining you with the most puppy like eyes you really did not expect bot to have, it’s mouth in a wide smile. How can he talk so much, is he expecting you to understand him just because he speaks non stop.... oh god is that how animals feel when they first get adopted.

When Elita brought the strange creature back with her, every one seemd to be shocked by it and freaked out, mostly confused and wierded out how something alien can look so like them, even in a weird way they ad two peds, two servos, a head hidden behind round helmet, all keeping their distance, and not only bacouse it was a strange thing, but because Elita held it and no one want smoke with here, she carried her little finding in to her office, placing it in a small glass cage so that it won’t run away when it wakes up and she is not there. Grunting, big bot leaned on table, scaning the small thign over again. It seemd to be damaged while being tossed around like some kind of ball, but not leaking anything, meaning that the thing it was “made out of” was only an outer shell, like Quintessons had the first layer, hiding beneath a strange fleshy thig, could it be the same case. So does it mean this thing is a Quintessons, like hatchling of theirs? Hardly, they should look somewhat similar, like a smaller version of them and ugly. Letting a heavy sigh, she tapped on the glass, keeping her worries to her self as another request for meeting came though, taking her to the other side of this huge building, passing by B-127.

B-127 knew that Elita brought something that caught every one of guard and he wanted it to see, yet the tall fem pushed him aside, saying that it was not the time for that, making him a bit grumpy. Is she saying he can’t control him self around something so small, but he can and he will prove it, and it did not take long for big fem-bot to be called for another boring meeting that he can sneak in to her office, quickly running though the corridor. And just as he was getting closer he heard the weirdest sound ever – it sounded like chirping and soft singing in some new tones, getting his attention at full strength. Tip toing now, as to not scare it, Bee poked his head out of the hallway, staring at the small dome with the thing, it awake and active, and looking at him.

“OH WOW! You are cute! What are you? You are relay weird little thing, are you?” chittering B-127 quickly closed the distance and “gently” grabbed the dome, little thigns sliding to the back of the cage, still staring at him “IS this your opticks? Why are they not glowing? How are you small? Are you a sparkling? You are so cute! I am gonna call you Steve Two” he spun the cage, trying his best to get a better look at the little thing locked away and how to get you out the cage, jolting you around at the same time. It seemd like Elita knew he would come and locked it up tightly, taking the key with her, but no trouble he will just

“What are you doing?”

“AH” tossing the dome out of panic, B-127 scrambled to catch it, digits slipping while it was in air and the cage shuttering on impact, letting a yelp and covering his mouth. He did not mean for that to happen “B-127!!!”

“I did not mean to kill it!” Bee spun around, hands in air as angry Elita stormed in t the room, eyes on him and steam escaping with angry hiss “I just wanted to see them”

You yelled as the cage got tossed and big golden bot scrambling to catch you, like a child trying to catch tossed ball, but to your horror he did not and you plummeted down, glass shattering on impact and you hitting the gorund. You must be very lucky though as all you came out with was a few cuts, somehow surviving the fall, but it still hurt and knocked air out of lungs. Coughing your lungs out, trying to breath in, your ears rung like crazy, as if you were by explosion, roiling on stomach. You can not rest now, even if you wanted, you need to run, scrambling to your feet you ran, or tried to, stumbling and falling again and again, basicaly crawling under the huge table, hiding from the sight yet still able to see thing. The huge golden bot was clearly getting scolded by a big alien robot, who most likely was his mom or something like this, huge arms on hips and staring at young bot, chattering in strange robotic language and yellow one looking down, quite. Okay, good, you got kidnapped by baby bot and now the little one tries to convince the parent to keep you. Pink one even was letting steam out of the body, upset that yellow one broke the cage and bend down, piking up a few shard, scaning all over the place, clearly lookig for the lost specimen – you.

“Oh hell nah” you whispered, gripping in the table leg and darting behind, barely avoididng being seen. “Oh fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck” looking around for something to hide in that is to narrow for huge hands, you managed to spot a small crevasse in between wall, far away and risky if you do it now, yet the huge pink robot was closing on to your location, so you waited your options and darted out of the hiding, legs burning already but you pushed your self, laser focused on crevasse, ignoring a metallic noise, heavy footsteps an just in time managed to throw your self in to crack as huge metal fingers clasped around the empty space where you once were. Purely out of adrenaline, you pushed your self deeper, wedging in between walks and stared back out of the hole. The pink one was kneeling and starring at you with the most angry stare there was, light blue rings in dark blue ocean of light shifting almost every second. It grumbled what you can gues was disappointment that something small like you manged to get away, moving away and shoving metal hand in, fingers wriggling around, inches away from you, and there was no more space to shove your self away from, the tank already stuck and you are not getting out of suit, not because it was dangerous, but because you will get captured the second you will climb out of this bulky suit. The fingers went back, face returns, angry grumble, and again it is trying to reach for you.

What did you get your self in to?

[agirlsawalittlerose]

This is Me Trying

ModernAU!Aegon x OFC

Fresh out of rehab, Aegon Targaryen is looking for a way back into music when he meets Victoria, a talented but stubborn singer-songwriter who wants nothing to do with his family’s record label. Reluctantly thrown together, they form an unexpected creative partnership, finding common ground in music and shared struggles.

TW: Alcoholism, Addiction, Sexism

MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 13: Sunday Morning

“Negative,” Miss Hughes announced, snapping him back to the present.

The doctor—mid-fifties, thin to the point of looking fragile, with blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulders—was the picture of composure. Fitting, really, that she was the director of this pastel-colored hellhole with its endless supply of potted plants, the place he’d been trapped in for five months.

She held the papers confirming his toxicology results.

No shit it was negative.

Beside him, his mother let out a breath that sounded like it had been stuck in her throat for about thirty years—give or take, since the moment he was born. Aegon noticed how she almost glanced at him, her brown eyes flicking in his direction for a fraction of a second, even though she didn’t move her head.

He reached for her hand, a silent acknowledgment that he understood. But she stiffened instantly, so he let go.

“On behalf of the entire clinic, well done, Aegon.”

Miss Hughes’s voice was syrupy, overly sweet—so much so that Aegon could hear the insincerity dripping from it without even looking at her.

“He really didn’t use anything?” his mother asked, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

Great. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

“No cocaine, no opioids, no amphetamines, not even cannabinoids,” Miss Hughes confirmed with that same artificial smile.

“Thank God…” his mother murmured, finally meeting his gaze—only to be met with resentment. Another reminder that she had never truly believed in him.

“Well, in that case, we can schedule the next follow-up in six months…” Miss Hughes began, addressing his mother, before suddenly catching herself and turning to him, as if it had only just occurred to her that he was, in fact, an adult. “…And if you’re ready, Mr. Dalton is waiting for you on the second floor.”

No, he wasn’t ready. He had no fucking interest in having his brain poked at by some shrink.

But then again, he had no fucking interest in being here at all.

The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he’d be out of here and back in London.

Mr. Dalton was younger than Miss Hughes. He still had all his dark hair—though Aegon, ever the cynic, wondered if he dyed it—neatly parted to the side in a way that looked ridiculous.

He sat slouched at his desk, the kind of studied casualness that screamed I’m cool, I’m young, I’m laid-back. But, like every other mannequin in this place, the reality was something else entirely.

“Miss Hughes said you’ve stayed clean,” he began, leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped in front of him.

“Are you surprised?” Aegon shot back, just as lazily slouching into his own seat.

Dalton chuckled—because, of course, he couldn’t pass up the chance to seem even more easygoing by laughing at Aegon’s sarcasm.

“I’m not surprised—I’m proud, Aegon,” he corrected.

Mhm, Aegon thought, not quite sure if he bought it.

“What have you been up to lately?” Dalton asked next.

“I’ve been playing a lot…” Aegon replied absently.

“Good.”

“I’m working on an album. And this time, it’s actually going pretty well.”

“Great. Music’s a positive outlet—”

No shit, Aegon thought.

“—Are you picking up where you left off?” Dalton pressed, carefully choosing his words.

Aegon stared at him for a second, debating whether he even wanted to give him the details.

“…No. I started a new project from scratch. Switched up my whole team.”

Vic’s face flooded his brain like a tidal wave.

He shut his eyes for half a second, trying to push her out.

“We’re working on the arrangement for the single now. The producer pulled together some session musicians, including the bassist—she actually plays basically everything, also she’s co-writing the song, along with a bunch of others on the album. We’re supposed to debut it at the label’s Christmas party.”

Dalton nodded along with his usual brand of forced interest.

“Whoa, big debut at your dad’s party,” Dalton remarked.

Aegon cringed. Every word out of his mouth sounded like it belonged to someone who still thought groovy was cutting-edge slang.

“How do you feel about it?”

Aegon froze for a second, actually considering the question.

Awful. That was how he felt.

Anxious. Unsteady. Like he was balancing on razor wire.

“Sick,” he muttered.

Dalton pulled out his best attempt at a sympathetic frown.

“Well, that’s only natural. What does your brother think?”

“What the fuck would he think?”

“I know you two don’t get along, but he knows what your dad is like. Maybe talking to someone who understands that pressure could help.”

Right. Sure.

Having a heart-to-heart with Aemond. As if.

Aegon still didn’t fully understand why the grim reaper had even bothered backing him up when it came to convincing their father to produce the album—let alone why he’d suddenly start trusting him enough to talk about any of this.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing it with him,” Aegon said flatly.

“Anyone in the band you trust?”

Vic’s smile flashed through his mind. Her hair on his shoulder. Her eyelashes, damp with rain in Ruskin Park. The heat of her skin under his hands, pressed against a brick wall—

“No. No one.”

Dalton nodded, not pushing it. “Well, if it ever gets overwhelming and you need to talk, you have my number.”

Aegon nearly shot back with something sarcastic—Oh, yeah, I’ll definitely call you when I’m feeling down—but then he caught something in Dalton’s expression.

Something that actually looked… genuine.

For a second, he wondered if he was imagining it. Maybe just stepping into this place was making the withdrawal symptoms return, messing with his head.

Better not risk sticking around to find out.

He nodded, shook Dalton’s hand, and got the hell out of there.

His mother was waiting on one of the chairs by the door. She shot up the second she saw him, giving him something that almost passed for a smile.

“You did well,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I need to know what I can do to help you keep getting better.”

Aegon paused, thinking it over.

Yeah.

He had an idea.

The pub was crowded—not elbow-your-way-to-the-bar crowded, but busy enough that Aegon had to duck under a flying arm and narrowly avoid a pint glass to the face.

Not that he gave a shit. He wasn’t here for the atmosphere.

He was here for Sara.

Sara was talking to the other guy who worked with her—a scruffy-looking giant who probably hadn’t touched a bottle of shampoo since 2008.

And speaking of disappointments—

Vic.

She was leaning against the counter a few feet away, elbow propped up, looking thoroughly unimpressed with whatever the guy next to her was saying. Her eyes flickered to Aegon for half a second, then away.

He ignored her.

“Hey,” he greeted, riding a sudden wave of confidence.

“Hey!” Sara trilled, almost too enthusiastically, like she was grateful for an excuse to escape the giant’s attention.

“So, have you thought about it?” Aegon cut straight to the point, leaning on the bar and drumming his rings against the wood.

Sara smirked at him, but for some reason, he got the distinct impression that no, she hadn’t thought about it. She flicked a glance in Vic’s direction.

Aegon followed her gaze, rolling his eyes.

Vic must have felt them watching her because she looked over—just for a second—before quickly turning back to the customer in front of her.

Sara arched a brow at Aegon. “Have you thought about it?”

For fuck’s sake.

No, he hadn’t thought about it. If he was here tonight, it was exactly because he didn’t want to think about it.

Sara gave him one last deeply skeptical look, then—before he could even think of his next move—announced, “I have work to do,” and disappeared into the back.

Aegon blinked at the now-empty spot where she’d been standing.

Well.

That had been a record-time rejection.

He sighed, shifting his weight onto the bar—only to find a pair of brown eyes watching him.

Vic.

She raised an eyebrow. He raised one right back.

Then, with an exaggerated air of disinterest, she turned back toward the counter.

Aegon scoffed. “Yeah, alright. You’re dying to talk to me.”

She glanced at him again. “You wish I was dying to talk to you.”

“Oh, come on. I can practically hear you itching to ask what the hell is Cinderella doing out past curfew.” He smirked, propping his elbows on the counter.

Vic snorted. “Seems to me like you’re the one dying for me to ask, Cinderella.”

Okay, maybe she had a point—but there was a damn good reason for that.

She gave him a look, waiting. “Well?”

He tilted his head. “You keeping tabs on me?”

“Someone has to.”

“Cute,” he said. “Actually, I just had my check-in at rehab today.” He leaned in a little, lowering his voice mock-conspiratorially. “Guess what? Clean as a fucking whistle.”

Vic’s expression didn’t shift much, but she paused—just for a second, just enough that Aegon noticed.

Then she shrugged. “Congrats.”

He scoffed. “That’s it?”

She feigned confusion. “What, you want a balloon?”

“Maybe a little more enthusiasm,” he said. “A confetti cannon. Fireworks. A marching band, at minimum—”

Vic didn’t even look up as she poured a pint for him. “I can grab a cocktail umbrella and stick it in your beer if you want.”

He smirked. “Wow. Your generosity knows no bounds.”

Then, just as casually, she said, “Well, I knew you’d be clean.”

Aegon paused for a moment.

He’d heard it all day—Hughes and Dalton repeating it in that irritatingly performative way—but somehow, hearing it from her, from that damn viper, despite the cold war still raging between them… it actually felt good.

That bitch sounded sincere.

Maybe he’d been wrong about the way he’d processed his fascination with her. She didn’t need a man; she needed an addict to sponsor.

Maybe Vic was a witch—like Stevie Nicks, blessing people through bodily fluids—and suddenly, not only could you resist the urge to snort a line, but you actually felt genuinely proud of yourself for it.

It was the only explanation he could come up with for the stupid boost of confidence he’d gotten from the way she’d said she knew he’d stay clean.

Aegon huffed a quiet laugh, half amused, half exasperated. “You really gotta stop hyping me up. It’s messing with my whole vibe.”

Vic smirked. “Yeah? What vibe is that?”

Aegon leaned on the counter, smirking back. “Tragic rockstar. Hopeless case. Miserable, self-destructive lost cause—”

Vic handed off another drink to a woman, then shot him an unimpressed look. “Maybe you need a new brand.”

Aegon scoffed, drumming his fingers against the counter. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a guy onstage strumming an acoustic guitar. His voice was decent, but nothing spectacular—one of those breathy, indie types who thought looking miserable while singing made them deep.

“Oh, come on,” Aegon groaned. “This guy gets a turn?”

Vic shot him a look. “It’s open mic.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, rolling his eyes.

She smirked. “And yet you sound offended.”

“I am offended. This guy sounds like he’s narrating his own funeral.”

Vic just shrugged, turning back to her work. “We let anyone sing. That’s kind of the point.”

They were both interrupted by the familiar sight of a horror movie scarecrow approaching the bar.

“This must be your lucky day, princess,” Aegon drawled, smirking. “Full house tonight.”

Aemond ignored him, stepping up to the bar—where Vic greeted him with a nod.

“Aemond,” she said simply.

Aemond nodded back. “Vic.”

Aegon couldn’t help but notice how Vic didn’t so much as blink. She didn’t look surprised to see him—if anything, it was like she’d been expecting him.

Interesting.

Aemond didn’t even glance at him before speaking again. “You’re playing tonight?”

She shrugged. “Later.”

Then, finally, he acknowledged his brother.

“How was rehab?”

Okay, that was weird.

It was one thing for Aemond not to look like he actively hated sharing air with the other eight billion people on Earth—who were, of course, all inferior to him—but to ask Aegon a personal question, and actually sound like he meant it? That was new.

Aegon hesitated for a beat before shrugging. “Fine.”

Aemond gave him a look. “Just fine?”

Aegon rolled his eyes. “What do you want me to say? They poked at my brain, asked how I was feeling, I said ‘peachy,’ and they let me go.”

“Brilliant,” Aemond deadpanned.

“I graduated,” Aegon continued, spreading his arms. “Finally unleashed, free to go out at night without a babysitter.”

Aemond raised an eyebrow. “Does Mum know?”

“She practically suggested it.”

Aemond made a thoughtful mh, clearly skeptical.

Vic, who’d been watching the exchange with mild curiosity, a rag slung over her shoulder, smirked.

Aemond turned back to her. “Too much to ask for a pint?”

Aegon was probably hallucinating, because he could’ve sworn he saw his brother’s ears go red.

Vic brushed her bangs out of her eyes, smiling at him. “Not too much at all,” she said before disappearing toward the taps.

Aegon noticed she hadn’t asked what kind of beer he wanted.

Suddenly it all clicked.

“You’ve got a little crush.”

Aemond’s jaw tensed. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“Hey, no judgment here. She’s got that whole tortured, I-drink-myself-to-sleep-but-make-it-poetic thing going on. I can see the appeal.”

Aemond’s eye flicked toward him, sharp and assessing. “What did rehab say about your addiction to being a dickhead 100% of the time?”

Aegon’s smirk didn’t waver. “Unfortunately, there’s no cure for that.”

“Hm.” Aemond looked unconvinced but didn’t press. He stood, straightening his coat just as Vic approached with his beer. “Stay out of trouble tonight. Don’t make Mum regret that stupid decision she made.”

Aegon’s grin sharpened. “Stay out of her pants. Not very professional, is it?”

Aemond didn’t dignify that with a response.

Vic was making her way toward the stage now, guitar in hand, adjusting the strap as she went. The low hum of conversation around the pub dipped slightly, just for a second, just enough to make Aegon wonder how many of these people were regulars—how many had come here just to see her.

Aemond, for one, wasn’t going anywhere.

Aegon watched him take a seat at the table closest to the stage, posture perfectly straight, hands clasped together in front of him. He wasn’t drinking, wasn’t looking at his phone—just watching Vic with a level of focus that made Aegon snort into his glass.

Unbelievable.

He leaned back against the bar, pretending he wasn’t watching.

Pretending it didn’t matter.

Jesus Christ.

Aegon turned his head, scanning the bar until he found Sara a few feet away, drying a pint glass. He leaned over.

“Hey.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You’re still here?”

Aegon ignored that. “What’s with my brother?”

Sara blinked. “What?”

He jutted his chin toward Aemond, who was still locked in like a soldier at attention. “The hell is that?”

Sara followed his gaze, frowning.

Aegon gave her a look. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

She shrugged. “I mean, I knew he came here sometimes.”

Aegon scoffed. “Yeah, well, that—” he gestured vaguely at Aemond, who was currently staring at Vic like she’d hung the damn moon—“is something else.”

Sara narrowed her eyes slightly, tilting her head as she watched Aemond for a few seconds longer. Then she just shrugged. “Beats me.”

Aegon huffed, shaking his head. “Hilarious.”

Sara smirked and turned back to her work.

Aegon took another sip of his drink, settling in as Vic adjusted the strap of her guitar and tested a chord.

Her fingers moved easily over the frets, like she wasn’t even thinking about it. Like the guitar was just another part of her, something stitched into the fabric of her being.

And then she started to sing.

Aegon exhaled sharply, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

Because fuck her.

Fuck her for this, for being so good at this, for making something beautiful out of nothing while he was stuck clawing at the edges of whatever the fuck was left of him.

Fuck her for looking like this, sounding like this—like something effortless, something whole.

And most of all—

Fuck her for that night.

For taking what she wanted, for leaving him like nothing had happened.

Aegon’s grip tightened around his glass.

Because the worst part?

He still wanted her.

[honeybea-writes]

If you had it, then I wouldn’t have got it.

@thirstydiglett requested…. Hey!! Could I request a story about Sanji saving reader’s life even though she’s stubborn and insists she can handle herself fine? It would be cute to have him swoop in and save the day ^_^

cw - short mentions of violence but is barely described, reader is implied sword user, female gendered language

word count - 475

When you’re a pirate, you get used to being in battles that you might not make it out of. Sometimes it’s just a short fight with a wannabe bounty hunter, and sometimes you’re risking your life against warlords. Very 50/50 honestly, good odds.

But there are times when you’re struggling with small groups of marines. Times like right now when you’re blade to blade with someone and they might be stronger than you. Times when you’re struggling and you feel like you shouldn’t be.

You were cutting up marines, one by one they were coming at you. Occasionally one of your crew mates would show up and offer you aid, and you’d insist that you didn’t need help. You probably did but you didn’t want it.

The marine in front of you is twice your size, and he’s probably double your age, with a sword twice as big as yours. You’re swinging your blade left and right, fighting with a lot more effort than you’re used to giving marines. When you finally slice your blade across his throat and watch him crumble, you assume you’re safe. But as a shadow creeps up behind you, and a man is coming at you with nothing but his bloody and bruised fists, you know you’re doomed. He’d caught you with your guard lowered and now he was going to beat you to death. Just as you come to accept your fate, Sanji comes and kicks him straight out of the air, the cook landing right on his feet in front of you. You glare at him.

“I had him, you know,” you say, a little harsher than you meant to.

“If you had him then I wouldn’t have got him, beautiful,” Sanji replied wittily, fixing his tie.

“I don’t need your help,” you snap, stabbing approaching marine in the chest, then pulling your sword out as he fell.

“Whatever you say darling,” Sanji said with a shrug, running off to go assist the others.

When the coast was clear, everyone rushed to the Merry with their things and sailed off away from the island, praying to whatever higher power that no marines followed. And none did.

Sanji was in the kitchen, as per usual for the cook of the Straw Hats. He always cooked after a battle, just to decompress, and it worked out in everyone’s favor since no one on this crew ever seemed to stopped eating. The door to the kitchen opened and in stepped you, arms folded.

“Need something, beautiful?” Sanji asked, taking his eyes off of his work but still moving expertly.

“Thank you,” you say, the words poison in your tongue. “I needed help back there and you helped me. So thank you.” You turned on your heels and left the kitchen without another word.

So maybe you weren’t so stubborn after all.

[trappezoider]

Hi! You were the first Hogwarts Legacy fan artist I came across and I wanted to say how much I love your works 🥰

I recently saw an ask about which program you use to create your pieces which got me wondering... 👀 do you have any tips to share with aspiring digital artists trying to learn how to properly add shading/lighting?? I'm happy with my pieces during the flat colour stage, but every time I attempt shading/lighting or other methods of adding texture/definition/perspective, it always looks "off" to me 🤔 so my WIP folder is huge rn.

Thank you in advance for any advice you're willing to share 🙏😊

Hiya there!! Thank you so much for this ask!! First of all, I gotta say how wonderful it is that you're excited about art and want to learn more about it. I just had a chat with a friend about this but I think art is such a fun, vast hobby, full of endless possibilities, and whenever people want to get into it and learn, it's just wahhhhh. Fills my heart with joy and makes me bounce :D Now, full disclaimer, I am not an art teacher so my say on the matter is not that of a professional. I struggle with these things myself as well but I'm really happy if any of my advice can help a fellow artist. Keep in mind that works for me might not work for you, and "good art" is highly subjective. But I understand that achieving that fine balance between knowing how to imitate life and then being able to recreate that imagine in your head on an empty canvas is something a lot of artists want. That's hard af though. But you can't have success without failure, that's why we have so many WIPS xD Lucky for us, our brains and hands are amazing at learning. Eventually those WIPS might become actual realised works. Crying, praying and manifesting for us both xDDD Now, if you're struggling with shading and lighting, I suggest doing value studies. Perhaps take black and white photos with a striking relationship between shadow and light, then try to replicate that without colour picking. Try to observe the whole picture, without paying too much attention to the details at first, Make your brush strokes large especially when sketching out the initial shapes. You can give yourself a time limit of say, 5-60 minutes, for each study, but I wouldn't go over a 1,5h hour limit. I recommend using fairly simple images, with less textures and where shapes are the main character so to speak. Then when you think you're ready, you can do the same thing but this time choose coloured images but still use only white/black. Excercises like these help me a ton when I feel like I wanna update my skills. Doing art is a never-ending learning curve but I feel like that's what makes it so stimulating hehe Below is an example of one value study I did recently. I don't do these often but I know I probably should xD I always just do colour studies nowdays cause that's something I'm most interested in observing at the moment :D But this is just an example of what you can do if you want to learn shading in particular. Now it doesn't need to be perfect, it's just practice that may help you get used to values and how they interact with each other on the canvas.

You can also do colour studies if that is something you're interested in. Those might be a bit more challenging but as long as you keep each study short and use simple images (like literally just an image of an egg on a table or something xD), it shouldn't be too intimidating. Sorry for such a long reply xD I hope you have lots of fun and get all the possible enjoyment from making art! So happy for you!!! Wishing you all the motivation, success and inspiration in the world!!!

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Max 🔀

Yeah! 1k for:

---

 “You’re not an it,” Evan sighs.

Buck turns to look back at him. “I thought you hated fairies?”

“I do,” Evan grumbles. “But you’re still not a thing. You’re a sentient being with feelings. And occasionally one isn’t wholly terrible.”

“Well, uh… Thanks,” Buck says quietly. “Seriously.”

“Whatever,” Evan mumbles. 

Looking out at the road, Bobby smiles. 

🟢

The next time they stop, it’s because Bobby needs to talk to Athena about what happened. They pick a bustling rest stop. Somewhere with lots of witnesses, in case anything happens. 

Bobby walks off with the phone to his ear. He obviously intends for a private conversation. Buck takes the same chance to call Maddie. Unfortunately, his call is not private. Evan is in the backseat still, listening. 

“I got a flight out tomorrow. Early,” Maddie explains. “Mom and Dad know I’m coming. I said something came up with your case and you’ll arrive not long after me.” 

“They must be confused,” Buck says. 

“They are,” Maddie confirms. 

“There’s another thing,” Buck says.

“What other thing?” 

“We’re being followed,” Buck explains. 

“Followed?” 

“Agents of some law enforcement agency or another,” Buck says. “They won’t identify themselves.”

“Are you in trouble?” Maddie asks.

“I don’t know. Bobby’s talking to Athena. I think we have to be careful,” he says. “Only stop in populated areas. Not get caught alone. Film them. That sort of thing.”

“Be careful then. Do what Bobby says.” 

“I am!” Buck insists. “I said we were being careful.”

“Yeah, well I know you. And I know how you get when you’re hurting.”

Buck frowns. Eddie had expressed a similar sentiment, hadn’t he?

“I’m gonna get him to Pennsylvania,” Buck promises her. “In one piece.”

She sighs. “Okay. He doing alright?” 

“You want to ask him yourself?” Buck offers.

“Sure,” she says. 

“One sec.”

He passes the phone back to Evan, who smiles gratefully as he takes it.

“Hi, Maddie,” he says into the phone.

They chat for a minute or so before Evan hands the phone back to Buck.

“Thank you,” Maddie says. “He seems okay.” 

“Yeah,” Buck answers. 

“I want both of you to be okay.” 

“We’ll be fine,” Buck promises. “I love you, Maddie.”

“I love you, too, Ev… Buck. I love you, too, Buck.”

They end the call, and Buck sort of thinks he wants to cry. But he can’t. Not with Evan here. A moment silence passes between them, and then once again, it is strangely not broken by Buck.

“What are they like?” Evan asks.

Buck frowns. “Who?”

“My parents,” Evan says. “Your parents, too. I suppose.”

Well that’s a change of attitude. They can share, apparently. You save a guy from unlawful arrest one time.

“Uh…” Buck doesn’t actually know how to answer. He can’t lie. He doesn’t want to give them any credit they don’t deserve. But… But maybe they’ll be different for Evan. Maybe?

“What?” Evan asks. “Don’t try to think of clever wording. Just answer me.”

Buck sighs. 

“They never liked me,” he admits. “I’m sorry. Maybe it’s because… Well. Mom always suspected there was something wrong. Dad always supported Mom.”

“Ah,” Evan replies. “So they’ll believe us?”

“Oh, for sure,” Buck nods. 

“Were they good parents otherwise?” Evan asks.

“No,” Buck admits quietly.

“Oh,” Evan says. “Just not to you or…”

“No, not to Maddie, either,” Buck answers. “Though they’ve been better since Jee was born. They never really recovered from losing Daniel.”

Evan stays silent after that.

Bobby comes back sometime later. He has a tight sort of expression on his face. 

“Everything okay?” Buck asks him.

Bobby looks at Buck, something serious in his eyes. Buck can’t read it. Doesn’t know what to think.

“Yes,” he says. “Yeah, everything is good.”

ii. 

By the time they get to Hershey, everyone is tired and fed up of being in the car. Evan actually, surprisingly, is the least noticeably disgruntled. Not that anything bad happens or anyone argues or anything like that. They’re all cordial. Just when stops trying to be conversational - somewhere around Missouri - Buck knows everyone is ready for a damn break. 

“Why did they move here?” Evan asks when they’re nearing the small city. 

Buck inhales tightly. He doesn’t want to talk. Not about this. Even Bobby winces. Like he knows the timing on this is poor. But the thing is, Buck can still understand why he’s asking. Why did they leave his home and make it so hard for him to find them? 

“We moved after Daniel died,” Buck says. He thinks that covers it. Though, he is aware things are never that easy.

“Why? Why leave the only place with memories of him?” Evan asks.

In the passenger seat of the car, Bobby’s expression falls. He could answer that question better than Buck, couldn’t he? Bobby left the only place with any memories of his family. And unlike Buck, when he left Pennsylvania, there was never a chance of making any new ones. 

“Sometimes it’s easier to leave a tragedy,” Bobby mumbles.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Evan says.

“Not if you haven’t had one, no. I imagine it doesn’t,” Bobby replies. 

“People were also… Uh… Judgmental,” Buck explains.

“About their kid dying?” Evan asks. “That’s a little messed up.”

“No. About the lengths they went to save him. Having me… Uh, having you.” 

“What does that mean?” Evan asks.

Buck’s stomach drops.

“Oh my god. You don’t know?”

“Know what?” Evan asks.

“Of course you don’t. You were four. They weren’t going to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” 

Buck sighs.  “They only had you to save him,” Buck says. “The only reason they had another kid was to save Daniel’s life. To give him bone marrow. You - we - were only ever for spare parts.”

[kind-of-a-writer]

Relax (18+)

Gator Tillman x fem!reader Gator helps you relax at the dinner party. wc: 2k

contains: older gator, reader is like 20ish and gator is a few years older, innocent reader, oral sex, p in v, slight religion kink, etc

“What if they hear us?”

Gator already had his large hands up your dress, squeezing at the flesh of your ass. His face was tucked into the crook of your neck as he placed hot, open-mouthed kisses against your skin. Your cheeks were burning, practically on fire. It felt good. Wrong, but good. 

“Mhm,” he hummed in response, clearly not bothered in the slightest. “Don’t you wanna feel good? Thought you loved it last time…” 

“Gator,” you said softly. He was right, you did love it, more than you wanted to admit. The way he had fucked you with his fingers in the kitchen when you found yourselves home alone just a couple days ago. It had only left you wanting more, even though you knew how wrong it was.

Still, you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t enjoyed it; that you didn’t like how good he made you feel. You loved the newfound attention he was giving you. As stupid as it sounded, it made you feel wanted.

It was confusing, Gator’s newfound interest in you after years of indifference and casual conversations you had only out of politeness. Maybe Gator was just bored, but you didn’t really mind. You’d always found yourself drawn to him, even if you denied it. He was a little older, distant, but always kind towards you, which made you feel special. 

You were supposed to be good, your parents’ perfect little daughter. But here you were, with Gator up in your room, knowing exactly what he wanted from you. He was sucking at your neck softly, humming against your skin, making it difficult to think straight, to think about doing what was ‘right’. 

“Don’t leave a mark,” you said quietly, trying to pull your head back. Even though you wanted him to. You wanted Gator to bite and mark you all over, make you his for everyone to see. 

“I won’t, relax,” you could practically feel him smirking against your neck. “You’re all tense, darlin’.” 

You didn’t quite know what to do, arms stiff as his hands continued to knead the flesh of your ass, drawing a soft sigh from your lips. This was all still new to you and Gator seemed to enjoy that; he relished in your innocence.

His words, while not doing much to actually ease your worry, were enough to let him continue what he was doing. He gently pushed you back onto the bed, bunching your dress up around your waist carefully, like he was afraid to rip it. 

“Real pretty dress, did I mention that?” Gator said lowly, eyelids heavy as he gently lifted your hips, tugging your panties down to your ankles. He ran his fingers up and down your thighs, almost in a soothing manner, noticing how tense you still were. 

You shook your head, looking up at him shyly. You were glad he liked it, he was the main reason you had worn the dress anyway. It was modest, but a little short, and you’d hoped it would catch his attention. “Thank you,” you said finally. “It’s new.”

“Yeah?” he replied. Gently, he parted your wet folds with two fingers, letting out a low whistle at how slick you were already. “Oh, you been like this all night, sweet thing? That why you’ve been staring at me all night?”

You didn’t know what to say, embarrassed he had taken notice of your longing glances his way during dinner. “No,” you tried to deny, but he only laughed in response. 

“S’okay, sweetheart,” he said with a smug smile. “It’s cute, y’know. You’re real cute.”

Cheeks flushing even more, if possible, you watched as Gator lowered his head between your legs.

Oh. You had expected him to use his fingers like last time, but this was new. Different. Even better, if possible. But it didn’t matter, really. You wanted Gator however he’d take you. 

He pressed a few kisses to your slick pussy before he flicked his tongue out, licking a long stripe up your slit until it reached your clit. You couldn’t help the soft moan that left your mouth, hands clenching into fists at your sides as he pressed his tongue flat against you. 

Gator sucked on your swollen clit, causing you to make a louder noise, something between a gasp and a moan. He hummed against your pussy, the vibration sending a jolt through your body.

Obscene, wet noises filled your otherwise quiet room as Gator’s mouth relentlessly sucked and licked like a man starved of water. Faint chatter from downstairs could be heard, but you were starting to care less and less about anyone hearing you as the pleasure started building up in your stomach. 

It was sinful, how he lapped at your pussy, the sounds you were trying to muffle by biting your lip. 

This situation, in its entirety, was a sin you knew you’d have to repent for later. And Gator was the Devil himself, moaning softly against your pussy like you were the best thing he’d ever tasted. 

Instinctually, your fingers found his hair as your hips rocked into his mouth. He smirked, his tongue swirling around your clit as his grip on your thighs tightened to keep you in place. 

“Gator,” you gasped out before you could help yourself. “Oh, God-”

“Shh, honey, I know,” he mumbled against your sensitive skin, pulling back slightly to calm you down, sensing your pleasure building up too fast already. He had a devilish grin on his face, his lips glistened with your slickness as he glanced up at you. The sight made you even more aroused, if possible. “You taste divine, just like I imagined.” 

Gator continued to caress your thighs, watching the rapid rise and fall of your chest, the pleasure dissipating slightly as he looked down at your dripping cunt. You looked down at him, unable to speak. 

“You’re so beautiful, darlin’. Can I fuck you?” he asked, voice low and raspy, as if he was asking for a simple favor from a friend. Not asking you to take your virginity. 

You blinked, unable to think. Your instinctual response was yes. Of course. But finally, you said, “they could hear us.” 

“You can be quiet, I know you can. I promise it’ll feel good,” Gator pressed a kiss to your clit again, making your eyelids flutter shut. “Better than my fingers. You really liked that last time, huh?”

Your fingers continued to caress his hair while he wore your defenses down one kiss to your clit at a time, making it near impossible to say no. Then, slowly, you nodded. “Yeah,” you agreed. “Want you fuck me, please.”

“Attagirl.” 

At once, Gator lifted himself up so he could settle between your thighs. He was quick to unbuckle his belt and push his jeans down to his knees, like he’d knew you’d say yes. You peered down, mouth watering as he pulled out his hard cock, pumping himself lazily as he looked down at you. Not that you’d had much frame of reference, but you knew at once, he was big. Bigger than what you’d expected.

He noticed the flushed, nervous look on your face. The sight of his cock leaking with precum, hard and wanting, made your pussy ache with need. There was no question about it; you wanted - needed - him inside you, his cock to fill you up and fuck into you. You could worry about the guilt later.

“I promise it’ll be good,” he repeated, his voice softer this time. “But gotta be quiet, yeah?”

You nodded in response, lifting your hips slightly as Gator leaned down. He tantalizingly rubbed his thick, leaking tip cock up and down against your slit. “Quiet,” you repeated, mostly talking to yourself.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Gator groaned as he slowly pushed his thick cock in, only to pull back out swiftly, making your stomach flutter. “Do you want me to ruin you? Make you dirty, ruined for any other man?”

A whimper escaped you as he teased your entrance with his cock again. “Yes,” you breathed, feeling your clit pulse. “Yes, Gator, please I want it so bad. Want you to ruin me.” 

Gator looked smug. “Yeah? You’re that desperate for it?” he asked in amusement. “Oh, baby. If I’d known, I’d have fucked you years ago.”

Slowly, he pushed his hips forward, sliding his cock inside your wet cunt with little resistance. The feeling of him sinking into you for the first time made your entire body tingle with pleasure, your breath catching in your throat. You couldn’t have known just being filled would feel this good.

His fingers gripped your sides, trying to soothe you as you whimpered at the sensation. It was intense, how big he was. Your slick, tight, walls were squeezing around his cock. 

“Shh, I know,” Gator cooed, leaning down and peppering kisses along your neck as you adjusted to the feeling of him inside you. He adjusted hips slightly, allowing him to hit a deeper angle, pressing up against your spongy walls. Causing you to moan loudly. “You okay, honey? Does it hurt?”

You shook your head, momentarily rendered speechless. Gator, despite trying to keep a cool front, was breathing rapidly against your neck, the feel of his cock stretching your cunt making him groan. He grunted when you shifted underneath him, twitching inside you. 

“You’re so tight,” he said roughly, like he was struggling to speak properly, “squeezin’ me so tight, honey. Feels so good. Can I move now?”

Again, you nodded. “Please, please,” you pleaded desperately. 

Slowly, Gator pulled his cock almost all the way out, then swiftly pushed back in, the tip of his cock hitting so deep you felt like you couldn’t breathe. He began a slow, gentle rhythm, rocking his hips against yours, like he was afraid he’d break you.

“Oh, darlin’, you take it so good for me,” he praised, sucking at your neck, picking up the pace just slightly. “You’re such a pretty little thing, takin’ it so well.”

Your thighs trembled as his thrusts suddenly got a bit harder, faster. Amidst it all, your arms wrapped around his neck, trying to pull him closer.

You couldn’t have fathomed sinning would feel this good. That Gator pounding into your aching cunt would make you feel more alive than you’d ever felt before. His hands moved down to your hips to keep you in place, his grip tight and firm unlike before. He was keeping you in place, not letting you move or squirm, desperate for his own release. 

Gator put his hand over your mouth as you moaned a little too loud. That familiar swirling in your stomach was starting to build up, just like it had a few days ago, increasing with every forceful thrust.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” he groaned. “Gonna come for me?”

Whimpering, your grip on his back tightened as your climax washed over you, your body tingling and vibrating with pleasure. It was sudden, overwhelming, the feel of his cock filling you up and hitting against that sweet spot you didn’t even know you had. Your whines were muffled against his palm as your eyes rolled back, the intensity of your orgasm almost too much to handle.

You moaned as he pulled out suddenly, hot spurts of his cum spilling onto your bedsheets and your dress. He let out a moan as he pumped himself lazily, getting the last drops to spill out onto your thighs. 

He grinned down at you, breathless and smug. “Told you it’d feel good, huh?”

He was right.

Still, the guilt was quick to catch up to you as he helped you put your panties on and tugged your dress down, the warmth of his cum against your dress now a dreadful reminder of the sin you had just committed. He pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead.

“It’s a shame your new dress got ruined,” he murmured lowly.

And then he was up and gone, rejoining the dinner party.

[captain-bubble-wrap]

soooo babe, what do we think about a little fic where auston facetimes you before every game because you are his lucky charm?🤭💚🤞🏼

*bing, bing, bing, bing*

You had been waiting with your phone next to you for the last hour, anticipating Auston's call. You were sitting on the sofa, leaning with your back against the arm, knees pulled up and wrapped in a large blanket. When his video call invitation took over your screen, you wasted no time answering. You were so excited that you had to be careful not to spill the hot tea you had been sipping when you heard it.

"Hey, mami," Auston said with an instant smile, seeing you on the other end.

"Hey, sweetheart! How are you feeling?"

His brown eyes looked like caramel against the sunlight streaming in through the windows he was seated by. You could tell he had just gotten up from his post-practice nap, and obviously couldn't wait to call you. A man of many pre-game rituals, Auston had his habits and one of them included giving you a call --either on video or by phone as he drove to the arena-- before every single game, since the two of you had become an item. The first time he had done it, the Leafs had won, and he just felt like keeping the habit going, in the hopes that maybe it would happen again. Not to mention, he just really liked talking to you.

"I'm pretty good, still waking up. What about you? I hope you're feeling better." You watched as his eyes wandered over you slightly. "I'd love to be there with you. You look pretty comfy."

"You know you're welcome anytime! And I'm okay, doing better than yesterday, so I can't complain." After dealing with the flu for the past week, you were thankful to finally be feeling like yourself. That had been the reason you weren't going to the game tonight.

Auston smiled at you while you spoke, just in love with the sound of your voice much as you were with his. Everything about him made your heart flutter: from his smile, his laugh, his little gestures, all of it.

"I wish you could be there, but I understand why you can't. You've got three days to get better," he laughed lightly. "Need my lucky charm sitting next to the bench with me."

You could feel your face grow hot. Why had that made you blush? Was it the fact that Auston was confessing how much he meant to you --calling you his good luck charm-- and honestly meaning it? Was it him making you the center of his world whenever he could, especially during busy game days? Why were you so surprised?

He caught the change in your face, "Are you alright? Your face looks flushed."

You tried to hide it by taking a sip of your tea, peering at him over the rim of the cup, but it was no good. "Mhm, yeah, I'm-- fine!"

Auston raised an eyebrow suspiciously, smiling. "Are you blushing?"

"No! Well-- maybe!"

"You're adorable."

"See, it's stuff like that that does it!"

His whole face lit up as he smiled wider, looking down. Was he blushing now? It was hard to tell against his tanned skin tone, but it made you feel better thinking that he was just as flustered as you were.

"It's good to see you smile," he added, finally returning his face to look at you. "I was worried about you."

You appreciated his concern, and moved quickly to reassure him that everything was alright, "It was just the flu, baby! I'm okay now!"

"I didn't know you could sleep that much," he teased. "I missed you."

Playfully, you rolled your eyes, "I'm sure you were just fine~"

"I was lost without you," Auston replied, giving you his best puppy dog eyed pout. "You left me all alone...for days!"

You had to laugh at his dramatic display. Even though he was just hamming it up for you, to make you smile, you had wished that you could have given him a little more attention --check-ins-- during that span of time, but being sick had taken more from you than you had realized.

"I'm sorry~ Forgive me?"

"Only because you're so damn cute."

Both of you shared a laugh followed by a quiet moment after. You knew he couldn't stay on the call too much longer, and neither of you were ready to let the other go.

"I'll call you on my way home, okay? Well, I'll text you first, make sure you're awake."

"I'll be up! I'm going to watch the game!"

Auston smiled, "I know, but that post-game stuff takes a bit. You still need to rest. I can always call you in the morning."

"But--," you tried to interject, but failed.

"Mami-- you need your rest. I'll still text you good night. Don't make me feel bad because I woke you up," he frowned slightly. "Be kind to your body."

His protective nature had your heart fluttering. He was so kind, so considerate. "If I get tired, I'll go to bed. I promise."

"Thank you," he winked, before catching sight of the time. "Hey, I've gotta get Felix out and get around. Like I said, I'll text you, okay?"

"Mhm," you nodded, sad that he had to go, but understanding why. "Be careful tonight, and good luck!"

"I will," he promised. "I love you."

"I love you more!"

Before Auston ended the call, he left you with one more reason to blush, "Next goal is for you."