#thankfully i have the names of every character on my wall :)

[festivemonsterscheerfulfailure]

My best friend who just started reading cfmf not being able to remember kuranes and yakumos names Vs Me who has known the manga for Years but still has to do a retake on whether Mino is kuranes or yakumos name

[milfgyuu]

Hot Wheels [M] Pairing: Kim Mingyu x Fem!Reader Tags: 15.9k, 90's AU, Co-Workers to Lovers, Fluff, Humor, Smut 18+ Collab: Now That's 90's Summary: There has been something brewing between you and your part-time co-worker (full-time hottie), Kim Mingyu. Endlessly flirting on the clock at Wheelies, making out in the back of the movie theater, rolling around in the sand with a mighty good man...no other 90's dreamboat could ever compare. Warnings: SMUT 18+, MINORS DNI!! mxf (consensual) sex, fingering, low-key breast play, making out (in public), hickey talk, Mingyu is hung (obvs), he's also portrayed as 'taller' than the mc in interactions, mild to moderate language use, gyu's roomies are sloshed at the end (unrelated to smut or main characters), that should cover all the bases...

Fridays at the roller rink are always busy but this is the first official skate-night of Summer Time ‘99 and it’s like opening day all over again. The schools let out just a few hours ago, releasing hoards of teenagers with pent-up energy loose on your small town and there is a line out the door waiting to get into Wheelies to jump-start their next few months of freedom.

Thankfully, the owners prepared and bought a whole new stock of skates so when you inevitably have to help out at the rental counter you’ll have enough to go around without having to argue with some sixteen-year-old about not having their size.

For now, you’re on the floor making sure everything is running smoothly, gliding around in circles with your hands in your pockets. It’s not too packed just yet even though you can see the steady stream of kids filtering through the doors after hitting the ticket booth. Mothers are packing up their little ones knowing it’s time to head out before it picks up pace and the exchange in skaters coming on and off the floor keeps things pretty even for a short while. 

As you pass by the DJ booth for the hundredth time this evening, Vernon pauses to make a goofy face at you while he sets up his equipment. He’s probably the one person who enjoys the summer nights the most because he gets to put on light shows and mix tracks to his heart’s content. 

After letting the floor empty a bit more, you come to a stop in front of him for a quick break, crossing your arms and resting them over the top of his carpeted booth. 

“You gonna play something special for me tonight, Nonnie?”

He rolls his eyes but grins all the same. “You ask me that every night.”

Laying your head on your arms, you look up at him with a pout, “And yet, no romantic song dedications to your favorite Wheelies girl,” you pick your head up and bat your eyes at him, “I’m starting to think you want to break up with me.”

“I promise if I want to end our made-up relationship, I’ll tell you like a real man. Besides,” Vernon laughs and tilts his chin up, looking at something behind you, “I think you’ve been seeing other people. Hotter Wheels if you catch my drift.”

“Heh, I think he hates that name,” you turn, catching sight of Mingyu ducking into the locker rooms to change out and stow his bag, most likely coming straight from hockey practice. Vernon is back to messing with things when you turn, humming, “Lets be real. I only like boys who don’t like me, Nonnie, that’s why you’re the one.”

“What if he’s like you and only goes for girls who don’t want him?”

At that you laugh, preparing to depart as the floor begins to steadily fill again. “Well then, he’ll be lonely forever because I am pretty sure everyone wants him.”

“Including you?”

Very stealthily, you flip him the bird.

Vernon just laughs it off and gets back to work as you skate away, toying with the whistle tied around your neck. You can tell he’s about to get started with his new set when the lights dim and the carpeted walls and floors outside of the polished skate floor start to glow. The little whirls and shapes coming to life with a neon purple hue.

You catch the line piling up at the rental booth but thankfully, it looks like they called in a few extra hands tonight to help there and in concessions which means you get to stay on the floor. Rentals isn’t the worst, that would be birthday party hosting, but you also hate concessions so you don’t put up a fuss when you’re asked to help with skates or in the front on the rare occasion one of the sweet old ladies manning the ticket windows is out.

As more people start piling onto the floor you slow your pace and skate backward for a few feet to check out your surroundings and find teenagers everywhere, loud and wildly unaware of their surroundings. They aren’t too awful this early in the night but you’re sure you’ll have to escort someone off the floor before closing time.

You’ll enjoy your leisurely pace for now and it seems Wonwoo is keen to do the same on the opposite side of the crowd. He weaves in and out of skaters bobbing his head to the music. His glasses are sitting lower on his nose than usual and you’re sure he’s broken them again…or his little brother did and he’s waiting for their exact replacement to come in so he can switch them out without his brother noticing and feeling any more guilty. 

He’s only eight but Wonwoo is his very best friend. They come in on Saturdays together, one of Wonwoo’s only days off, and he teaches his brother to skate for an hour or so before he lets him loose in the arcade and they leave with matching ice cream cones in hand. They even have matching shaggy hairstyles. It’s adorable.

In truth, you’re fond of many of your co-workers but Wonwoo is definitely in your top three for that reason alone. You get along really well with any easy-going personality, it's the same with Vernon. They are both just nice, quiet guys and the exact opposite of the giant shadow hanging over your left shoulder. 

Although, you suppose you get along just fine with him as well.

“Quit checking Wonwoo out, you’re breaking my heart.”

Even before he opened his mouth, the distinct cologne he always wore told you Mingyu was finally on the floor, ready to chase you around for the rest of the night like it was his full-time job. He spent more time trying to charm your pants off than doing what he was actually hired to do but he is so damn charming that he somehow gets away with it.

Besides, this is just a part-time gig for him. Might as well enjoy himself while he’s at it.

When you don’t answer right away, he decides to show off his stupidly impressive hockey maneuvers and he swings around in front of you, casually skating backward without bothering to look behind him. He’s big enough that people can’t miss him and they tend to move out of his path pretty quickly. Now that he sees your face, he’s smirking because you don’t even have it in you to hide your smile tonight. “Oh, that’s pretty,” he coos, “My heart’s healing already.”

You grab his arm to pull his hand away from his chest and he spins around to skate at your side, eyes briefly scanning the floor until they’re back on you. 

“I wasn’t checking him out but believe me… you’re going to be absolutely devastated when Vernon finally admits he’s in love with me. Game over, buddy.”

Mingyu looks wholly unconvinced. “Well, he’s had long enough and you’re going to fall in love with me by the end of the week so…” he pinches his lips together like he’s just delivered the real, honest, awkward truth and you’re battling butterflies in your stomach. 

“End of the week, huh? Are we sure?”

He gets distracted by an increase in volume but for only a moment because Wonwoo is already on it and the quick, sharp sound of his whistle means Mingyu’s full attention is on you again. “That’s what I have circled on my calendar,” he shrugs, “Nothing we can do about it now but let it happen.”

Mingyu’s sense of humor and playful nature are the literal nails in your coffin. You can handle hot with no personality…this one is hot with an overabundance of personality.

You look up at him, probably grinning ear to ear, “Bet you have little hearts doodled all over it with a hot pink gel pen, don’t ya, Hot Wheels?”

He grumbles something under his breath and it makes you snicker. Wonwoo started that one and it seemed to spread throughout the building like wildfire. Now, even the ticket ladies call him Hot Wheels though you’re sure they mean it quite literally whereas Wonwoo was actually just busting Mingyu’s balls about a particularly embarrassing tumble he took.

“Purple gel pen, actually,” he turns and pouts as you both bank around the curve again, “Lost my pink one.”

“Could always steal another one from your little sister.”

At that, he scoffs, the corner of his lips pulled up into a half-smile, “She threw a Barbie car at my head the last time I visited,” he doesn’t even sound upset…it’s more proud than anything, “She reminds me of you sometimes.”

When you go to respond, a young boy accidentally skates too close to you and his wheels knock into yours throwing you both off balance. You catch him by the arm, meeting his panic-stricken eyes, and wait to hit the floor but you rock back against a hard chest and thank all your lucky stars Mingyu was there to save you. The older you get, the harder the floor feels. 

“I’m so sorry!” The boy exclaims once you’re all steady again, “I’m not good at this! I promise I wasn’t trying to take you out!”

His genuine concern is sweet and you laugh it off. “It’s totally okay and nobody got hurt,” you tell him and he takes a deep breath, “Wanna go around together a few times?”

The boy’s eyes shine and he nods his head rapidly. Mingyu drops back a few paces and you hold out your arm, elbow tucked into your side. “Okay,” you pat your forearm, “Hold on here…there you go…and we’re going to push off at the same time with the same foot. Hey, Gyu,” you call over your shoulder and he comes back up to your side, waiting for your instructions, “Will you skate a little ahead of us so he can watch you?”

“For sure,” Mingyu grins, picking up speed until he’s far enough away to slow his pace again and remain ahead of you.

The kid is a bit wobbly but he’s trying really hard and it makes you smile. You remember when you first learned to skate and how intimidating the rink was though you were around eight and he looks to be around fourteen. There wasn’t a floor full of bigger, faster kids to compete with though so you think maybe you got off easier.

“You’re doing great,” you encourage him, “Watch him go around the curve to get a better idea of how to steer yourself.”

Mingyu banks it beautifully, as usual. It’s surprising to most people that someone his size could skate so fluidly especially after learning that he only started playing hockey in his early teens. It was just something he had a natural talent for and trading out blades for wheels hadn’t altered his ability to move with grace whatsoever.

You work through the turn together, a little less smoothly, but you make it around and he lets out a short laugh. “He makes it look so easy.”

“Yeah, well he’s had lots and lots of practice and likes to show off.”

Your eyes settle on Mingyu again and as if he can sense you watching, he turns over his shoulder and winks which is not solely witnessed by you because the kid chuckles, following through the next curve with more confidence. “Is he your boyfriend? He’s kinda cool.”

The question catches you off guard and you laugh, covering your mouth with your free hand. “Not my boyfriend but yeah…I guess he’s kinda cool.”

He looks up at you…almost mischievously you’d think, if you knew him better. “I think he wants to be your boyfriend,” he snickers, “He keeps looking at you.”

You huff out a laugh, placing your hand over his before swinging you both into a stop out of the way. “I’m starting to think this is all a ruse and he’s paying you to put in a good word.”

The kid laughs and shakes his head, “No, I’m just nosey and a really lousy skater,” he says, looking up at Mingyu who’s come over and stopped next to you, “Thanks a lot for helping me out,” he looks a little sheepish, hand reaching around to scratch the back of his neck, “There is this girl at school I like and she’s a figure skater. She asked me out on a date at the ice rink when she comes back from vacation with her family in two weeks and I said yes even though I’m probably going to make a fool of myself. Figured I should start practicing now and falling on wheels is less intimidating than falling with knives on my feet.”

You laugh softly and Mingyu grins, shaking his head. “I admire your dedication to getting the girl, kid. Listen, I coach a youth hockey league at the ice rink down the road and have a free hour a few days a week that I use to practice myself. I’d be happy to teach you if you want.”

The boy’s eyes light up. “That would be so cool!”

Mingyu chuckles, “Alright, awesome. Are one of your parents here with you? I can go talk to them and give them my information.”

“Yeah! My grandma is sitting over there,” he points to the corner where you both make out an older woman sitting alone with a book in hand, surrounded by way too many boisterous young people. 

You meet Mingyu’s eyes and both make a face. “Yikes, okay, let’s go save grandma.”

The boy thanks you again and starts to merge back into the flow of skaters as Mingyu smiles at you, pushing off with a ‘Don’t miss me too much’ and a stupid kissy face. 

His grin is wild and gorgeous when you wiggle your fingers and whisper, “Bye, lover boy.”

Vernon is smiling at you when you reach his booth and you hop up onto the small ledge that allows a good look at the floor as a whole while also giving your legs a needed break. He’s playing one is his 80’s to 90’s pop mixes and tweaking the rotating lights that dance over the skaters until they start changing colors, neon polka dots as far as the eye can see. 

There is a steady exchange of kids coming on and off the floor. Most of the early group heading into the arcade or bombarding the concessions counter while the later crowd takes their place. In between all that, you catch sight of Mingyu speaking with the boy and his Grandma. You don’t even realize that you’re unabashedly smiling at the scene, thinking about how kind and attentive he is when he’s listening. The way he leans in and pulls back, grinning and laughing. 

“Still think you’re not into him?” Vernon says over your shoulder, laughing when you startle.

You purse your lips, eyes wandering back over. “I’m simply admiring his social aptitude,” you flick your eyes back up to Vernon and grin, “Why? Is it making you jealous darling?”

He smirks, “Not yet. Gonna have to try harder.”

“Ugh,” you swoon, hand over your heart, “I love it when you play hard to get.”

Vernon nods his head laughing, “Yeahhhh, I know you do.” Then he notices you’ve got your eye on an issue that needs handling and reaches out to pat the top of your head, “Two more hours and they all have to go home to be someone else’s responsibility. I’ll throw in some of your favorite jams.”

Ten o’clock couldn’t come soon enough but you appreciate his offer and toss out a few songs for consideration though he’s pretty familiar with your tastes. You step back down onto the floor and blow Vernon a kiss when you immediate recognzie the song he’s jumped into…just for you.

 “You really are the best. Check on you in a bit, undercover lover.”

He throws up a peace sign and you cut across the floor to ask a couple of kids who were just blowing and popping bubbles to go spit out their gum as it’s clearly stated that it's not allowed on the floor. They don’t love your request and start to argue but Mingyu sneaks up behind you again and dazzles them with a smile. Just like that, the two young girls start giggling and falling all over themselves to do exactly as asked…all because the pretty guy said ‘Please’. 

It’s comical, honestly. 

Mingyu is smirking when he rolls along beside you, bending at the waist to peek up at your face because it’s aimed at the floor as you try to school your features. He’s so irritatingly flirtatious and you’re too quickly playing into his hand tonight. You’re usually better than this, holding out well until you’re pulling out of the parking lot. 

“Oh, yeah,” he intones, “Tonight is definitely the night. You’re giving in. You can’t resist me any longer. It was bound to happen. You’re still smiling! I can see it!”

Laughing, you pull your head up and give him a look that you would have loved to be firm but it’s not in the slightest. How can you be serious when he is so not serious? “Don’t you dare,” you warn with a loose laugh tacked on at the end, “I told you, we’re not going on a date.”

Mingyu shrugs, “So, movies tomorrow night?”

“Don’t you work tomorrow?”

He bats his eyes with a saccharine smile, “I love that you know my schedule by heart,” he ignores your eye roll, “Wonu’s covering my shift since he owed me one and also because he’s a true romantic. He’s rooting for us and we can’t disappoint him.”

“Well, I suppose if it’s what Wonwoo wants…” you look up at him, eyes glittering with excitement, “When are you picking me up?”

For as calm and cool as Mingyu keeps it on the outside, he’s buzzing on the inside because he’s been toying around with the idea of taking you out forever. And he’s asked…more than once…but you’ve kept him on his toes and he’s enjoyed the playing the game but he’s elated that you’re finally saying yes.

He tries to school is face but he’s still beaming as he tries to casually say, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Seven?” you snicker, “Isn’t that a little late to get started? You keeping me out all night?”

He just shrugs, grinning. “Maybe.”

Mingyu shows up nearly twenty minutes early and you can see his car outside your condo. He doesn’t make a move to get out and it’s amusing to watch as he nervously drums his fingers on the steering wheel for a few beats before reaching for the door like he’s going to get out, and then shaking his head before resuming the fidgeting. It’s also a relief to know he’s feeling the same jitters you are. 

The thought crossed your mind to pop your head out to wave him inside but he might be giving himself a pep-talk and you’re still contemplating your outfit. 

The movie theater is always so cold. You debated the pros and cons of wearing something short-sleeved because on one hand, if you’re cold it might prompt your date to keep you warm but on the other hand, if he didn’t, you’d be freezing the whole time. 

You could bring a jacket, but that’s an extra thing to carry. 

Digging through your closet, you pull out a fuzzy black long-sleeved sweater. You hold it out, admiring the way it’s cropped a little shorter in the front, and then turn back to the mirror, holding it up to your chest. It would look cute with the Levi’s you’re wearing…decisions, decisions.

A car horn beeps and you peer out of your window seeing Mingyu rigid behind the wheel. You laugh, thinking he probably did not mean to do it and is embarrassed at having accidentally made too much noise. That’s pretty obvious by the way he’s looking around, paranoid and frustrated. It’s actually super cute and you’re lingering by the window now just admiring him from afar without care

Until you see Mingyu cut the engine and get out of the car. Then the panic sets in because you’re still not ready and well…it’s the first time he’s seeing you outside of work and not in uniform. You want him to be wowed and are probably still taking too long to get moving considering how brisk of a stride you know his to be. He’ll be here any second.

You scramble to pull on the sweater in your hands and run into the bathroom to grab your gold hoops, fix your hair, and check your makeup one last time. Your heart is racing but you smile at your reflection. He sees you all the time at work looking not even half as done-up as you are right now and thinks you’re a solid 10, so there isn’t really any doubt he’ll be pleased. Then the doorbell rings. 

A few deep breaths to calm your nerves comes first. When you open the door, Mingyu’s mouth is fixed like he had a line locked and loaded but when he sees you, he chokes on the words. He’s so flustered that he stumbles back a step, laughing at himself. “Oh, you’re not going to take it easy on me, are you?”

That lights you up from the inside out and brings your confidence back around full circle.

“Have I ever made things easy for you?” you snicker, grabbing your purse off the hook by the door, “I think you like a challenge.”

“Nah, I just like you,” he smirks, tongue poking the end of his pointed canine as he watches you close and lock the door, trying his hardest to be respectful, “You look really good. Have I said that yet?”

Stashing your keys in your purse, you turn and grin up at him. “You alluded to it but I wouldn’t mind hearing you say it out loud.”

Always playing and teasing and flirting. It’s almost too much for you both to bear at this point. 

“I’ll tell you as many times as you want,” he says softly but he reaches toward you, slipping his hand just behind your hip to pull you closer with a bold, sharp tug. Startled, you bump right into Mingyu’s chest and look up at him with wide eyes. He doesn’t say anything for a minute and then tilts his head back, sighing into the sky above. He’s mostly amused when he looks back at you.

“You look incredible…and we should get in the car before I ruin the illusion of me being a gentleman.”

“That image has been splintering for a while but I don’t think I’ll mind if a manner or two slips,” you tease as you pull apart, taking the time to look him up and down…

Light-washed jeans, crisp white t-shirt, open flannel hanging off his broad shoulders…”You look really good too,” you murmur in appreciation.

He’s about to sweating straight through his shirt if you keep looking at him like that.

“...yep…time to go,” he mumbles, pinching is lips together as he grabs your hand. He pulls you toward the parking lot which isn’t far, and opens the door for you to slip into his passenger seat. He doesn’t let go until you’re settled and takes it a touch further when he reaches in and grabs the seatbelt before you. His hand purposely grazes against the exposed skin between your pants and top as he buckles you in and you let out the breath you were holding the second he closes your door.

It’s getting more difficult to play hard-to-get by the millisecond but you’re willing to give in first if your reward is Mingyu breaking down bit by bit right in front of you. 

You bite your lip to keep from giggling when he quickly rounds the car and settles into his seat next to you. He’s still shaking his head, quietly laughing at himself for getting so easily worked up. He turns over the engine, shifting into drive, and peers over at you with an air of disbelief. 

“I’m starting to think we’re gonna have to sit in separate rows at this rate.”

Thankfully, the tension melts into easy banter and conversation on the ride to the theater. Mingyu entertains you with stories about his family and asks after yours, specifically your beloved niece whom he loves hearing about. He lets you toy around with his radio and blare some Spice Girls song that neither of you sings along to with the correct pitch…or words. It’s a blast either way.

Bold flirtation aside, Mingyu has always been a gentleman where it counts.

When you arrive at the movie theater, he opens all the doors, holds your hand every chance he gets, pays for your tickets and snacks despite your protesting, and lets you choose where to sit. The theater isn’t very full, though the movie you both decided on has been out for a while so it’s not all that surprising to see so many open seats. There are a few people scattered here and there and you don’t particularly love sitting next to others if you can avoid it. 

That leaves the very front or the very back. 

You glance over your shoulder at Mingyu, patiently waiting for you to decide, “You really don’t care?” 

He shakes his head again with a soft smile and you sigh looking back at the open seats, “I don’t like being super close…are you okay with sitting up top?”

Mingyu’s eyes scan the very empty top rows and widen like he hadn’t actually realized how secluded they were until just now. “Totally cool,” he manages after a moment, “Lead the way.”

“Oh boy,” you whisper to yourself, turning to make your way up the stairs. You have to focus ahead and calculate the distance of each step so you don’t screw up and trip because that would be awfully embarassing. It’s dark, cold, and quiet, and there is a huge gap between the section you’re headed toward and the next closest couple sitting in the middle. 

The very last row was almost too intimidating as if it somehow was the designated spot reserved for horny, depraved teenagers, and you were mid-twenty adults…so you stopped once you hit the second to last row and cut in a few seats before deciding that sitting in the middle was also weird so you dropped into the fourth seat from the aisle and forced yourself to stay put. 

PIcking a seat and sticking with it has never been so daunting before.

Mingyu doesn’t say anything at all about your choice, much to your relief. If he cracked a joke about it, you think you might just burst at the seams. He just sits down in the seat next to you folding his very large frame into the too-tight space between the armrests. You’re both quiet as the lights dim and the previews start rolling but you can still feel him wiggling and adjusting himself next to you.

Your eyes meet when he accidentally bumps your arm and you smile at the fact that he is genuinely embarrassed, for no reason at all other than unintentionally taking up extra space. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers, “I don’t remember the seats feeling this cramped.”

“It’s really okay,” you turn, tucking his elbow safely into his side as you lift the armrest between you to give him more room, “We can share.”

“Are you sure?” his eyes seek yours again in the darkness, “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

You quietly snicker at his worry when he was the one being so brazen with your proximity earlier. At the same time, you can appreciate his consideration and reassure him with a gentle smile. “I really don’t mind…the extra body heat is appreciated.”

You can feel the moment Mingyu lets the tension flow out of his body. His shoulders relax until your arms touch lightly, his legs spread a little further apart as he sinks into his seat, firm thigh now pressed to the outside of your own. He’s warm and his cologne, as usual, is so rich and alluring that you know you’re going to be fighting the urge to mold yourself to his side for the next hour and a half. 

Surprisingly, the movie isn’t half bad even though it was one you chose because every other film out was either super sad or overtly romantic and neither genre felt like a good fit for a first date. ‘Black Mask’ had a decent balance of action scenes and suspense that pretty easily kept your eyes on the screen, at least for a little while, sharing sour gummy worms and a soda between the two of you. 

Your attention began to wane after the third time you bumped hands with Mingyu and it was lost entirely when he decided to simply hold your hand instead. Movie plot gone in an instant.

Instead of the screen, your eyes fall to your joined hands resting in his lap. They climb up to his chest, slowly rising and falling with each measured breath. Carefully, you let them slide higher, admiring the shadows projected over his throat and jaw. Higher to admire his handsome face. Higher again, just to get a little more of him, and when you get there, you find him staring back.

Neither of you shy away this time. Mingyu nervously licks his lips and his eyes flit down to yours, only for a second, just to reassure himself that you’re both on the same wavelength even though the chemistry between you has always been pretty clear. He still hesitates before he leans closer but you’re done waiting and choose to kiss him first. 

It’s soft, brief, and when you part, you can see the smile on his handsome face and it brings the butterflies in your stomach back to life all over again. He cups your cheek and pulls you back into another kiss, and then another, and another. A million times you’d thought about kissing Mingyu and this was still far better than any you’d imagined thus far.  

Actually kissing him highlights the small details you were missing. The bits of it that are unique and a part of him only. It’s the way his thumb strokes against your cheek, how he tilts his face and changes his angle so fluidly that you follow him like it’s completely natural, the tender way he’s slow to let go of your bottom lip and how he kisses it afterward. 

It’s certainly not your first kiss or even the first time you’ve made out with someone at the movies, but this feels entirely new. Mingyu is not some hopped up, horny kid. He takes his time with you, he’s gentle, patient. It’s not sloppy or rushed. He isn’t trying to clumsily cop a feel the whole time, though, you think you’d probably let him and that he wouldn’t fumble around at all. It feels like he knows exactly what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t.

You hope that you feel natural to him too.

He pulls back with a slow hum of appreciation and that’s good enough for you.. When your eyes meet, you’re both smiling, and Mingyu takes that as his good sign. He wraps his arm around your shoulders and tucks you into his side until he feels your body relax against his and you finish the movie just like that. 

Well, you’re both looking at the screen but you’re more focused on the way he continues to kiss your hair every few minutes and he’s locked on to the feeling of your nails gently drawing a line up and down his thigh. 

Eventually, the lights come on and you’re a little slow to untangle as the rest of the theater clears out. It’s entirely empty by the time either of you hit the stairs. 

“Soooo,” Mingyu hums, trailing behind you half a step, “Thoughts…opinions…? On the movie, of course.”

You laugh without turning around and nod your head, “Right…the movie, yeah. Just as the trailer promised,” you focus on your feet moving a step at a time and not tripping, “Perfectly executed action sequences.”

He grins to himself, tucking his chin into his chest. “I’m glad it lived up to all the hype,” he balances his weight on one foot before taking the next step, “Nothing worse than all that anticipation ending in disappointment.”

You peer over your shoulder at him, smiling coyly, “Oh, no disappointment here. I’m sure i’ll be thinking about it for quite some time.”

He huffs out a laugh, “Are we talking about the movie or the kiss?”

“What kiss?” you smirk, quickly turning around to hurry down the rest of the steps but he’s right behind you the whole way.

Just as you whip around the corner and into the dim hallway that leads to the exit, Mingyu catches you around the waist and pins you up against the wall. You can feel his heart thudding under your palms, the thrill of excitement hardly contained in his chest as his lips crash into yours. 

Disappointment is so very far from your realm of feeling at the moment. Any expectation you had, which admittedly was already pretty high, was shattered and elevated yet another level each time his tongue danced across the seam of your lips or when his hands made another pass over your body.

From the beginning, you theorized that Mingyu was more than just a smooth talker. You had him pegged as a man with follow-through and you’re simply rolling in it, knowing you were right, and now you’re experiencing it for yourself which makes things that much more gratifying. 

Mingyu was a certified lover boy. Called and confirmed it.

The very best part, you think to yourself as you feel him grin against your lips, is that he’s yours…or at least, he wants to be. You don’t have to let him know he’s already won.

He’s still smiling when you slide your hands over his arms, pointedly squeezing the ample muscle there, and he finishes you off with a few final, fluttering kisses. 

When your eyes meet, there is a buzz of nervous laughter and Mingyu again asks, “So, the movie or the kiss?”

Your gaze drifts back down to his mouth and your stomach twists torturously when his knowing smirk reveals a prettily pointed canine. The same that’s bitten into your bottom lip a few times already this evening. You look back up and narrow your eyes playfully, “I don’t recall any kissi-”

He leans back down, slotting his lips against yours and the second he so much as breathes the door at the end of the hall clicks open and you hear two voices, likely the staff coming to clean the theater, and here you two delinquints are still splattered against the wall playing tonsil hockey. 

Mingyu freezes and your eyes are wide as saucers. “Go, go around the other way!”

You have to slip out from under his frame and drag him a few feet before his mind catches up and you’re both scrambling back across the theater to the exit on the opposite side. As quietly as you can, you peek out of the small window to make sure the coast is clear and pop the door open for you both to come tumbling out. 

The wide corridor outside the theater is mercifully empty but the adrenaline in your bodies’ leaves you jogging toward the side exit, laughter bubbling up and out into the open space around you. It’s all so silly and exhilarating, and when Mingyu grabs your hand, pulling you through the doors out into that warm summer air, you’re sure you can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so…alive. 

Or maybe there is just something about the moon and stars, and the way their enchanting glow seems to make everything in their wake just a little more beautiful. He’s one of those things - bright, beautiful, feathered and soft around the edges. 

You’ve stopped to catch your breath but it remains trapped in your chest the longer you look at him. It’s suddenly a little heavy, this crush of yours, weighed down by impression of his hands on your hips, your face, the small of your back. Flirting and teasing was easy. Agreeing to finally go out with him was easy. Realizing the potential for more was real and standing in front of you was a shock to your system because you’re uncovering very quickly how much you want that with him.

“We should definitely go to dairy queen.”

It takes a minute to process his words and then with a little shake, you lift your head to find Mingyu smiling back down at you. “Feels like the movie might have left you with a lot to think about and nothing helps me sort through my head quite like ice cream.”

You cock your head to the side, the tension in your chest evaporating just like that.

“Have you always this charming?”

“When I put in the extra effort, which is only for you, sure,” he chuckles, using your joined hands to pull you a little closer as you walk alongside eachother through the parking lot, “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea though.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” you scoff, bumping into his arm with your shoulder, “Everyone loves you. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”

His tongue pokes into his cheek, rolling his eyes skyward, “You missed the guy I had to escort out of the rink a couple weeks ago who took a few swings at me in the parking lot. Pretty sure he was not enthralled by my dazzling smile and strapping good looks.”

“One person…that’s all you got?”

Reaching his car, Mingyu opens the passenger door for you and waits until you’re seated and looking up at him expectantly. He licks his lips and smirks, “Buckle up, you’re in for a ride.”

After grabbing ice cream, you decided making your date drive over to the shore was favorable to sitting on the sticky red tables outside the DQ, so instead, you’re sitting side by side on a small gym towel he miraculously had in his trunk, eating your deserts and swapping stories to the tune of the gentle waves crashing ashore. 

So far, you’ve learned that the sole reason Mingyu got into hockey in the first place was because he was in constant trouble as a kid…in school, at home, or literally anywhere else he happened to be. His poor mother tried to put him in every sport and hobby she could think of to keep him busy and out of trouble but baseball wasn’t a fit, basketball ended in another fist fight and suspension, football benched a few and landed one kid in the hospital, and any form of martial arts was out of the question. 

Finally, she found an ad in the newspaper for boy’s hockey team tryouts and the rest was history. You can clearly hear the admiration in his voice when he spoke about his original coach and his teammates. How it was touch and go from the start but no matter how much hot water he found himself in, they wouldn’t quit on him. When he realized that, he started pouring all of his pent up energy into the game and it changed him in all the best ways. It’s the whole reason he coaches today…to be someone who can make a positive change in a kid’s life the way his coach did for him.

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Mingyu as anything other than the kind, gentle, playful guy you know him to be but everyone grows and changes. He still has a wild sort of glint in his eyes at times that lead you to believe every word he’s said about his younger years. 

The sea breeze is crisp and almost a little chilly despite the warm air it mixes with so you push a little closer into Mingyu’s side and he wraps an arm around your shoulders. “Cold?”

“A bit,” you roll your head toward him, resting it against the crook of his shoulder, “Kinda just wanted to be close to you again…despite your delinquent past, I think I like you a little.”

“A little?” he smirks, eyes darting to your mouth briefly, “I think you like me a lot.”

Scrunching your nose, you make a face at him and he tosses his head back and laughs. 

“If you don’t admit it soon I’m going to have to make a huge, probably embarrassing,  for you, romantic gesture,” he counters, looking very half-serious, “A big old fashioned declaration of love…in public…loudly.”

“You’re still a little shit, aren’t you?”

“Don’t pretend you aren’t loving the reformed bad boy thing.” He’s spot on because Mingyu is the exact kind of guy you would have had a crush on back then too. 

You let out a long sigh and pick your head up, leaning to the side to bury your now-empty cup in the sand so it doesn’t blow away just like Mingyu had on his side. In the process, Mingyu slips his arm a little lower on your back, his hand curled around your hip to keep you balanced. You love every single point of contact so you fall right back into his side when you sit up again.

“To be fair, I think you’re only partly reformed,” more smirking, “Mhm, that’s exactly what I mean,” you hum in amusement, “Listen, I’ll give in…just a little…and admit that there are a lot of things I love about you..”

“I’m listening,” he purrs, ready for the boost in confidence you’re surely about to give him. Anything that could even vaguely resemble a compliment would send him over the moon coming from you. 

“I love the way…you genuinely enjoy helping people,” you start quietly, soothing the subtle nerves beginning to tingle in your fingertips, “I love that you put so much time and effort into coaching your kids and how much you love talking about them…how you’ll roll your eyes and shake your head telling me stories about them and yet you always finish with a smile because ‘they’re a handful but they’re good kids’”

Mingyu snorts softly and you knowingly ask, “There’s lots of little Mingyu’s on your team, aren’t there?”

He nods slowly, pushing the tip of his tongue against his teeth. “Ohhh yeahhh,” he breathes out with a light chuckle, “I understand now why my coach made me run drills until I dropped. I’ve got a couple that have already outshined my reputation at their age and some days it’s a battle of wills but they’ve come along way,” he ducks his head, grinning, “Hoping they’re the extent of my karma and it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass when I have kids one day.”

He makes a face right after he says it and looks down at you almost apologetically, “Was that weird to say on a first date? I feel like that’s something you’re supposed to avoid but you’re easy to talk to and words just fall out of my mouth sometimes.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” you laugh, quirking an eyebrow at him, “I know it’s a first date but we’re not strangers, besides, I’ve always just assumed you were a family kind of guy. You talk about yours all the time, super close with your little sister, and from all i’ve witnessed, you’re just kinda great with kids in general,” you shrug, easing his worry, “I promise, it’s not a shock to me that you’d want your own and I’ll save you the torture of wondering whether to ask or not…yes, I’d like to have kids someday. Someday farrrrr away in the future.”

“Oh, good,” he chuckles, “Me too...lightyears away.”

It’s not on either of your radars currently but it’s nice to know that you have common goals for the future. It leaves a brief pause in the conversation, though not an uncomfortable one. Just a quiet moment to soak things in. 

First date, first kiss(es), and it’s all going…perfectly. 

It’s one thing to flirt and banter with a cute co-worker but taking the leap and going on a date together is a whole different game. There are very real feelings on both sides of the court and the potential for something real and permanent is so palpable you can feel it pushing you closer to one another. Leap again. Put yourself out there and trust the other will catch you.

Mingyu breaks the silence first and you feel his fingers twitch against your back. 

“I really like you,” he says steadily, like that was the easy part, “I think you’re beautiful inside and out, stop laughing i’m being serious,” he grins and you try to reel it in for his sake, “My first day on the job I was blatantly called out and laughed at by Wonwoo after he caught me spacing out and staring at you for the third time…I don’t think I even made it an hour into my shift before I was hooked.”

“Oh, I thought you were being serious?” you grin.

“Shhhh,” he counters, “I’m not done.”

“Where was I? Oh yeah…you’re a good friend and a good person, and I like having you in my life,” he says softly, picking up your hand and pulling it into his lap, “I want to bring you home to meet my family so my mom can drag out the photo albums the way she’s always joked about doing while my sister spends the whole time telling you embarrassing things about me. They would like like you a lot. The boys on my team already like you.”

“Oh?”

He laughs, “Oh yeah, they’re always in my business and I made the mistake of bringing you up at a practice once so you’re a regular topic of discussion. I should have known I was doomed from then on and they’re brutal sometimes. One kid called me a loser because he’s fourteen and has a girlfriend and I don’t.”

“Is that how you’re asking me out? Trying to get the sympathy vote because you’re getting picked on by a bunch of kids?” you smirk.

“Maybe…is it working?” he asks, gaze dipping to your mouth for the millionth time tonight.

“I don’t know yet,” you inch a little closer, “Maybe you should try softening me up a little more before you ask again.”

He pauses, hovering just a breadth away from your face and his open mouth pulls into a sly grin, “By any means necessary?”

“Do what you have to do I suppos-”

“Niiccceee hickey.”

You slap a hand over the mark you swore you’d covered well enough with concealor, apparently not, and whip your head in Vernon’s direction. “Can you not announce it loud enough for everyone to hear?”

Vernon glances side to side. “There is literally no one except us in here and that thing announced itself.”

“What thing?” 

Wonwoo comes in and drops his bag on the wooden bench, pulling out his uniform top to shrug over his shoulders. His glasses sit askew on his face and you really hope he’s got good insurance because they’re always in awful shape. 

You turn and press your forehead against the cool metal of your locker door and Vernon chuckles, stowing his things noisely. “The physical evidence to prove that her date went abundantly well.”

Wonwoo smirks, walking closer to pry your hand away from your neck. He whistles. “Damn, Mingyu’s a biter…not surprised. Good luck hiding that thing - it’s going to be with you for a while.”

“Ok. Hickey expert. Thanks for your input,” you grumble.

He shrugs. “We all have interests and hobbies, and you’re welcome.”

You roll your eyes and turn around, leaning back against your locker with a pout. “I’m kinda nervous that we’re working together tonight for the first time since we went out. Do you think it will be weird?” 

Vernon makes a goofy face. “Why would it be weird? I thought you said everything went well and you’re like, dating now? Did something happen?”

“No, everything was great,” you slump down a little further, “Like…too great. I’m trying not to jinx things or be weird. Are we too old to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend? Is that a thing for adults? Or did we grow out of that after high school?”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, fixing the notch on his belt, “No, we’re not too old for that. He’s your boyfriend. You’re his girlfriend. Simple.”

“Is it?” you reply with a unintentional snap that doesn’t phase either of them.

Vernon sits on the bench in front of you and stretches his back out, groaning like an old man. “Yes, simple. You like him and he likes you, and you have fun together. I fail to see the problem.”

“Yeah, that’s like, the opposite of a problem,” Wonwoo agrees, “Besides…being left alone in the rink after hours sounds mighty convenient if you ask me.”

Snapping your jaw shut, your eyes widen, “What exactly are you suggesting?”

Wonwoo smirks, “I’m not suggesting anything but an opportunist would use their imagination.”

Both you and Vernon peg Wonwoo with a suspicious stare.

“With all due respect,” you say slowly, your eyebrow steadily raising with each word, “I didn’t think you rolled like that.”

“Neither did I,” Vernon adds, equally intrigued.

“You’re kind of a freak, aren’t you?”

“Who’s a freak?”

All three of you startle and whirl around to see Mingyu coming through the door. His hair is wet, likely freshly showered after hockey practice, and he’s looking at each of you with a clueless grin. 

“Nothing and no one!” you reply with a grin, already floating toward the hunk in the doorway, “Hi.”

“Hi,” he grins down at you, “I see you and I got stuck closing tonight.” 

You swallow down the knot in your throat and hold up a middle finger behind your back directed at Vernon and Wonwoo’s snickering. 

“Yep,” you bounce on your toes, “Just you and I…closing everything down…together…tonight.”

Mingyu’s lips pinch together to hold in a laugh. You were always so bold and confident when it came to teasing him and now, he can tell you’re having to make a great effort to hold it all together. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to make it fun,” he chooses, satisfied when your eyes widen just a touch, “I think Jim’s looking for you by the way. If you’re done getting-” 

“Yes,” you squeeze his arms and then move past him at lightening speed, rushing out the door. 

Mingyu just stands there and laughs quietly before looking up to see the grin on Vernon and Wonwoo’s faces. “Alright, how much did she tell you?”

“Didn’t have to tell us much at all.”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “The bite marks you left told us everything we needed to know.”

Mingyu’s eyes drop to the floor as he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. He’s glad the ones you left on him are covered by his collar because he just barely got away with blaming it on equipment mishandling when one of the older boys in his youth league pointed one out with a mischievous laugh.

Vernon claps a hand over his shoulder on his way out the door causing Mingyu to look back up again. “Happy for you, dude. She’s a good one.”

Mingyu smiles softly, “Thanks, man.”

When he leaves, Mingyu pushes further into the room and starts getting himself situated, glancing over at Wonwoo every now and then like he’s waiting for him to say something.

“I can feel you staring,” Wonwoo mumbles, eyes now glued to his Game Boy Pocket as he tries to save his progress from earlier.

Mingyu shrugs his shoulders up to his ears, pushing his bag into his locker. 

Wonwoo puts his game down and looks up. “Whaddaya want, Hot Wheels?”

He pauses, making a face at the nickname, and then carefully asks, “On a scale of one to ten, how bad of an idea is it for me to-”

“Make a move tonight?”

Mingyu’s mouth pops open. “Oh,” he blinks, “You read minds too?”

Wonwoo sighs and leans back a touch, both hands gripping the edge of the bench beneath him. “To be fair, that’s exactly what I’d be thinking about if I were in your position. Empty building…gorgeous girlfriend…”

Mingyu scoffs, “Alright, easy…”

He gets a smirk in return and Wonwoo stands, stretching his long limbs. “I’m not wrong and also not interested in your girl so relax,” he leans down and tugs on the laces of his skates and then straightens out, “You both think too much. Just be normal. Do the same lovey dovey, flirty shit you always do and see how the night goes.”

“You’re kind of good at this,” Mingyu compliments, his lips pulling into a half-smirk, “What do you get up to when you’re off the clock and not playing big brother of the year?”

Nearing the door, Wonwoo just turns over his shoulder and tosses Mingyu a wink.

He’s handed out enough advice for one night.

You were still jittery when Mingyu joined you out on the floor but falling into the same routine was pretty simple, just like Vernon and Wonwoo said, and it took loads of anxious tension off your shoulders. If anything, Mingyu was more playful with his teasing and a little more bold with his physical affection when others weren’t paying attention. 

It was like a game of how flustered he could make you without getting in trouble for fooling around on the job. The floor was crowded which simply meant he got to stay a little closer to you without looking suspicious which allowed him to find out how fun it was to pull you around by the belt loops of your pants. 

He loved the little noise of surprise you let out every time he snuck up behind you, hooking his finger through the loop to tug you back against his chest where he pretended to tell you something important. Like he was just trying to talk to you over the sound of the music when he had nothing but more teasing to whisper in your ear. 

The hours flew by unnoticed and before long, you were bidding your last goodbyes to the rest of the staff having finished their own cleaning and closing duties. 

Mingyu went into the office to toy with the audio system after you asked to throw something on just so it wasn’t silent in the big dark building while you followed Vernon and Wonwoo to the doors to lock up after them. 

Vernon shifts his bag on his shoulder and cuts a sideways glance in your direction. “You gonna be okay?”

You shrug, touched and confused he’d asked. “Yeah, I’ve closed up a million times. All good.”

Wonwoo pats the top of your head like a puppy. They both have a habit of that.

“He meant, are you gonna be okay here alone with Mingyu? Are you comfortable with us leaving - not that I think he’d ever do something to hurt or upset you…I’d kill him and he knows it…but you give us the word and we’ll stay.”

“Oh,” you blink and wave your hands dismissively, “No, we’re good! I was just worried about being a loser earlier but we’re totally fine!”

“We thought so,” Vernon grins, pushing the glass door open, “Just checking.”

It’s sweet and embarrassing that they’d thought to ask and you tell them as much as you gently push Vernon through the doorway. “Thought for a minute you were finally ready to confess,” you joke, fake pout on your lips and all, “I’ll drop him like a hot potato if you ask, Nonnie.”

Wonwoo follows him out and laughs, “You’re full of shit but I’m sure he appreciates the sentiment. By the way, if you find yourself in need…Jihoon keeps condoms in his locker.”

You slap a hand over your mouth, covering your shocked laughter. “First of all, mind your business and second, what the hell?!”

Vernon shrugs, “Man likes to be prepared I guess!”

….Line cooks are one of a kind. Truly.

You’re shaking your head as they wave goodbye and walk off toward Wonwoo’s car as it must have been his turn to carpool. Pulling the doors shut, you carefully lock each one and double check them before turning on your heel and then the music cuts on over the speakers. It’s not crazy loud but enough to keep the odd sounds that accompany a big old building from rattling in your ears. 

Mingyu pops his head out of the office when you round the corner and you cock your head in question, “Beastie Boys?”

“Couldn’t get the discs to work so radio it is,” he shrugs, “I can find something else if you want.”

You shake your head, brushing past his shoulder into the small office to sit down and reconcile the financials for the night. “I’m not picky. Did you already grab the bags from the registers?”

He nods, “Yep, everything’s there and Jim left the keys for the safe in the desk,” Mingyu squeezes your shoulders when you sit down and you smile up at him. “I’m going to knock out the kitchen and rental walk-throughs while you count if that’s okay? After that we will just have shut down the arcade and I can take out the left over trash bags.”

“That would be amazing,” you tell him, head still cushioned against the office chair as you smile lazily up at him, “I just love a man that knows how to take charge and get the job done.”

He immediately chokes out a laugh and turns on his heel muttering something about how ‘he’s not going to get anything done if you keep that up’ as he walks away.

It takes another full minute to bring the task at hand back into focus and you have to consciously fight off the intrusive inappropriate thoughts clouding your brain when it’s supposed to be crunching numbers. You even have to recount a few bags because the image of Mingyu sitting you on the desk you’re working at to do dirty things with you keeps popping into your head and it’s getting harder and harder to focus. After probably twice the amount of time it usually takes you to do the financials, you’re finally done and locking the safe when Mingyu returns. 

“Oh, hey,” you perk up when you notice him in the doorway, “Ready to go do the arcade?”

“Already done,” he snickers, “I came back after walk-throughs and caught you cursing and restarting your counts so I just went ahead and finished up the list.”

“Oh!” you shift on your feet, “...guess we’re all done then.”

Mingyu crosses his arms, leaning against the door frame looking extra swoon-worthy. Not a single poster of your favorite 80s and 90s heartthrobs plastered to the walls of your old bedroom held a candle to the picture in front of you and he knows it. 

“You sound disappointed. I’m sure we could find other things to do if you wanna stay a little longer,” his eyes shift over to the audio system, still playing a mix of alternative and pop hits, and fixes his eyes back on you, “Ever considered making out with someone in an empty skating rink with No Doubt playing over the speakers?”

“Can’t say I have. What about you?”

Mingyu grins, shifting his weight to tower over you, “Thought just now crossed my mind.”

He slides one hand beneath your jaw and the other over your hip, slotting his lips against yours as he walks you back until you bump into the desk behind you. After teasing you with your belt loops all night, you decide to return the favor, licking at the seam of his lips as you hook your fingers in his front loops and pull him closer. He laughs against your lips and pulls back to meet your eyes. “That’s my move.”

“I liked it, so I think I’ll steal it,” you smirk, tugging at the loops still.

“We should probably get our things and head out before I do something stupid and incredibly irresponsible,” he chuckles though there is a very real edge to his tone like he’s trying hard to behave himself right now.

“What kind of stupid and irresponsible things?” you test him, releasing his belt loops to hook your index finger into the waist band of his pants instead, “I might be interested.”

The hand on your hip squeezes and he bites out a laugh. “Who’s the delinquent now?”

“Still you, but I recounted those bags because I kept getting interrupted by steamy office fantasies popping into my head so if you’d rather take me home before we make questionable decisions, we should probably leave now.”

He groans, torn between having to wait or giving in and having you right here, right now. The cons would be that it’s A.) your work place, B.) it’s not the cleanest place to hook up, and C.) he has to wait when his body is begging him otherwise.

As luck has it, you decide for him.

“Can we go to your place? My roommate is home tonight and she’s got hard rules against hooking up when the other is home. She doesn’t even really like when I have friends over but her name is on the lease so I don’t argue much.”

Mingyu shuts off his internal debate processing, grateful to have you choose for the both of you. “My roommates work the late shift at the bar on 89th so they will probably come home at some point but they don’t care about guests…or girlfriends. We respect that rule in regards to privacy.”

“Ugh,” you rolls your eyes, relaxing in his hold, “That must be so nice. Got an extra room at your place?”

“Got plenty of space for you in mine,” he smirks, “Alright let me grab our bags from the locker room and we’ll get out of here. Did you drive?”

You shake your head, moving to turn off the audio system, “No, I took the bus today.”

“Sweet, we’ll take my car home and won’t have to worry about leaving yours.”

It’s funny how you’re both being so casual at the moment as if you weren’t pinned up against the desk, debating whether you should desecrate the business office, and now you’re both going about your normal routines as if you didn’t just agree that you’re leaving to go directly to his place to hook up for the first time. 

It catches up with you when Mingyu pulls up to the front of his shared beach house and cuts the engine. You look at the light blue house and catch the subtle sounds of the ocean not far off. “I had no idea you lived on the island,” you share as you get out of the car and walk together toward the door. 

Mingyu hands you the key and takes your bag so you can open the door. “Yeah, we’ve been here about a year now. Used to share a condo a little further in but we spend a lot of time at the beaches here so when this place opened up we snagged it as quick as we could.”

Pushing inside, it’s exactly what you imagine a triad of bachelors to live in. Everything is clean but the couch is a futon, there are two cd towers filled with music you’d love to check out, a few bean bag chairs, a stereo system big enough to take up half a wall, and theres a couple of empty corona bottles spread on the low table in the living room next to a few gaming controllers. 

Mingyu groans when he sees them and glances over apologetically. “I definitely asked them to clean those up when I left this morning. You’d think a couple of bartenders would know how to recycle empty beer bottles. I swear we have manners.”

You laugh and follow him to what you assume is his bedroom down the hall. He opens the door and drops both bags next to his dresser before flicking on a lamp. “Wasn’t expecting to bring you back here so I am glad my cleaning habits are something of use,” he pulls open a drawer and grabs a random t-shirt before handing it to you, “Here, you can wear this if you want and I’ll show you where the bathroom is…I just uhhh..I thought maybe you’d be more comfortable changing out of your uniform.”

You raise a brow at him, “What? My Dickies and pinstrip ref polo aren’t sexy enough for you?”

He smirks back, “Anything you wear is sexy enough for me but the sex and dating column in Cosmopolitan’s spring magazine says a woman’s comfort comes before all else and is the key to a healthy, thriving relationship.”

“You read Cosmo?” 

He shrugs, “Had to pick my mom and sister up at the hair salon and got there on time which was apparently thirty minutes early. There was nothing else to do.”

“Learn anything else?” you ask just before he leaves you at the bathroom door.

Mingyu tugs the frosty bleached tips of his hair. “Learned six new ways to accesorize with butterfly clips and that my horoscope for last month was only half correct,” he grins, “Let me know if you need anything, babe, i’m gonna use the other bathroom to clean up.”

You mumble back an OK and shut the door, bumping into the counter. “Babe?” you repeat quietly, looking at yourself in the mirror. 

The reality of you having a super-hot-hockey-player boyfriend who is also insanely sweet and volunteers his free time to coach a youth league, and is an amazing kisser, and the kind of guy that calls you babe, crashes into you completely and you’re scrambling to clean yourself up, change, steal some mouthwash, and give yourself a full pep talk before you emerge god knows how long later. 

Following the same path back to Mingyu’s room, you pause at the door and take a deep breath before re-entering his space. 

He’s laying in his bed tossing a small blue ball up and down with one hand while he waits. You’re pleased to see that he decided not to put a shirt on, lounging only in a pair of basketball shorts, because you also decided to ditch half your clothing. The opposite half.

The ball lands in his palm with an audible smack and he looks up when you step into his room, closing the door behind you. 

“Wait right there,” he throws out a hand as you take a step closer and you hesitate, “I just want to burn this image into my memory for all of eternity.” 

Rolling your eyes with a soft laugh, you walk the rest of the way over to Mingyu who reaches for your hand and pulls you up onto his bed to straddle his lap comfortably. His hands move up and down your thighs and he’s smiling at you all the while. “You’re so beautiful,” he sighs and then shakes his head when you try to brush him off. “Genuinely. I’m not just saying that to get in your pants. You’re not even wearing pants to get into.”

He’s amusing and captivating when he’s like this, hands exploring every inch of exposed skin, chest pressed against yours, his face turned up as he looks at you with that white-hot gaze. It further drives your need to touch and feel him so you wrap your arms around his shoulders loosely, letting your fingers dance over the muscle in his back. 

Mingyu’s eyes flutter closed, only for a moment as your nails trail over his spine, and you smile to yourself, overjoyed with the feeling of his body beneath yours.  

“This feels a little surreal,” you speak quietly and he hums in response, setting his eyes back on your face, “I mean…”

“Ahhhhhh,” he grins, lacing his fingers together where his hands rest on your lower back, kept warm under your shirt, “Because you’ve been dreaming about me every night since we met?”

“Something like that,” you sigh and Mingyu shuts up, not expecting you to give in so easily. You pinch the hair at the nape of his neck tugging it nervously, “You should probably kiss me before I say something even more embarrassing.”

Mingyu chuckles and his eyes dip to your mouth. He captures your lips easily, moving his hands against the planes of your back as he kisses you until your mind clouds over. 

His hair is soft between your fingers, the silly frosted ends tickling your skin when you give a little experimental tug. Wonwoo teased him endlessly for falling for the fad but you had to admit you liked it on him. 

You’d probably like anything on him though. Besides, it wasn’t long before Wonwoo broke down and tried it too albeit a bit more subtle and less Backstreet Boys. 

Mingyu braces his forearm behind your hips and tugs. His skin is hot and he keeps you still against him, not like you plan on shifting away, but the need to be touched, held…anchored to him is met without needing to ask. It feeds into your confidence allowing you to move more freely, rolling your hips, arching your back until your chest is pushing into his and he just can’t stand the fabric in the middle. 

The shirt he’d given you doesn’t even fully hit the ground before his arms are wrapped around your body again and he buries his face in the crook of your neck, lips trailing over your throat, shoulders, collar bones. Whatever he can reach without letting go. 

A sharp gasp hits the air when his tongue dips to the base of your throat and he closes his lips over that same spot with a kiss. Thighs trembling, you hope he doesn’t comment on the pathetic way your cunt squeezes around nothing. He says nothing though. Instead, he groans deep in his chest and his hands tighten possesively. 

Then he does it again, and again. He encourages your real, raw reactions, full intending to pull them from you until you let go of whatever mental block is keeping you from letting him know exactly how much you love the way he makes you feel. 

Pretty soon he succeeds and you’re no longer trying to hold yourself together, holding your breath, or trying to be quiet. 

Mingyu drags his teeth along your collarbones and grins at the soft hum you let out, so at odds with the way your body jumps at the sharp sensation. 

“You like that, huh?”

It take an extra few seconds to process his words, brain near mush from his attention.

“So you do like it,” Mingyu laughs, pecking a small kiss to your shoulder, “What else do you like?”

You’ve only just now formed a response to his first question and now he’s asking another and he’s smirking. It’s almost like he’s doing it on purpose…

Your mouth pops open to say something, what that might have been, you’ll never know because at the same time, Mingyu leans back a little and drags your hips over his, grinding his erection against your sensitive cunt. “You like that?”

At this point, you give up on words and just nod your head fervently. Yes, I fucking like that.

His hands ghost up your sides until his thumbs are brushing against your breasts. He pauses, testing the water before diving in, and he catches the hitch in your breath. The way your head drops back just a touch like all this is making you a little dizzy. He leans forward and presses a kiss against your sternum before falling back against the pillows to take in the full picture. 

You, perched in his lap with your back arched, pushing your aching breasts into his hands to play with. It’s the exact shit he’s fallen victim to in a wet dream but this is real and far better because here you are, in the flesh, gripping onto his wrists and rocking your hips against him for an inkling of relief from how much he’s turned you on.

It’s wearing his patience down and is going to bite him in the ass if he doesn’t move things along. He prematurely finished one time and it still haunted him at night. Never again.

Hopefully.

Mingyu makes a miraculous maneuver, with you landing on your back at his side, somehow, without twisting or pinning someone’s limb in the process. 

“That was very smooth.”

You’re staring back up at him in wonder, partly because you’re not used to being tossed around like that, but also because he’s looking down at you with a serious, heated expression and it’s making your heart beat a little too fast.

“Can I touch you?” he askes softly and you’re immediately nodding. “Yeah?” he mimics the motion in a daze, eyes glued to your mouth, “Come here.”

Easy. You kiss him, well, it’s pretty equal efforts but you get to him first, too impatient to wait even half a second more. His hand moves over your hip slowly, then shifts to brush against your naval where he rests it for a moment, heat from his skin seeping into yours. 

He’s planning on making good on his request, though you beat him to it again. 

Mingyu parts his lips with a sigh when he feels your hand slide over his. Your fingers curl around his palm and you guide his hand lower. He asked to touch you and then made you wait - whether it be on purpose or just his own nerves - you’ll help him help you.

He doesn’t seem to mind and rewards you instantly with his thick fingers rubbing against your cunt through your panties. Your mouth falls open with a soft moan and his brows knit together right as the sound hits his ears. His gaze is unwavering and you almost wish he would just kiss you again instead of studying your face this closely…then his middle finger presses down a little harder and the sound you let out that time makes the corner of his mouth turn up into a half-smirk. 

It doesn’t even slip away when he leans down and kisses you, his smirk still obviously tugging at his lips when they touch yours. His hand pushes inside your underwear and he groans into your mouth when he feels how wet and warm you are but he doesn’t have time to waste or savor the feeling because he needs you to cum on his fingers at least once before he fucks you and his will to wait it out is all but gone. 

You’re responsive to every stroke, gasping and whimpering, digging your nails into his arm. Your back arches up off the bed every time he pumps his fingers faster, rubbing them up against your g-spot with expert ease because, hell yeah he reads cosmo, he’s too fucking good at it to not have been guided by the devine-feminine mind. 

Mingyu’s mouth envelopes one of your nipples and his tongue rolls against it at almost the same pace and pattern he’s rubbing your own slick into your clit and that’s enough to send you over the edge. He tries to be patient, to let you come down before he goes reaching for a condom but he catches the time on his digital alarm clock, the numbers glaring at him in bright red. 

It was already past midnight meaning having the house to himself is ending relatively soon. 

You don’t need the extra recovery time though, in fact, it’s the opposite. What you need is more and you need it now. “Mingyu…” he hums in response and you will your mouth to work again, “Do you even play basketball?”

He huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. Poking your tongue in your cheek you nod and point to his shorts, “...Off.”

Mingyu grins as he leans down and kisses you before rolling out of bed and your lips turn up into a smile, a breathless laugh floating up into the air. He drops his shorts and steps out in white Calvin Kleins stretched taut over his golden thighs, showing off every inch of his assets, and you have to prop yourself up on your elbows to even get the full picture.

Move over Marky Mark. 

You’re too busy staring at Mingyu’s body to notice him taking the opportunity to appreciate yours. It’s just a brief moment to sate both your curiosities because though neither of you would prefer to admit it, you’ve thought about each other naked and probably more than once. Getting handsy on your date gave you a bit of an idea but the overwhelmingly obvious dick print staring you in the face at the moment confirms your indecent theory about what Mingyu might be packing…

And that has got to be the ‘Pony’ Ginuwine was singing about.

When your eyes meet somewhere in the middle, you both turn away quickly, embarrassed only slightly for getting caught. It was a good feeling to know that the attraction is mutual. You hear a drawer close softly and feel the dip in the bed when he slides under the covers next to you. Rolling over, you land almost nose to nose and Mingyu grins, “I like it when you check me out.”

You answer him with a kiss that starts out innocently enough but it’s such a dizzying sensation to be so wrapped up in him that whatever witty retort you had been thinking of is lost in the way his fingers squeeze into your side. He sighs against your lips when he drags you closer and your thigh settles high on his hip, wrapping your body around him tightly. Without thought or hesitation, he drives his pelvis forward, rubbing his erection into your sensitive cunt. 

It makes you break for air, drawing too much of it into your lungs just to sharply moan through the exhale when he doesn’t stop. The muscles in his arms are so taut beneath your fingers that you know he’s not doing it to tease you - he’s at his breaking point and really just can’t help himself.

One hand slides down and pushes against the waistband of his briefs, rolling the material down as best you can until it catches his attention so his can finish the job himself. He groans, mostly to acknowledge your intentions, but also because he’s slowly trying to reel himself back for a moment. Just long enough to peel the last bits of clothing off you both and get a rubber on. It’s probably one of the most ridiculously inconvenient things he’s been made to do in a long time.

Neither of you say a word as he rips open the foil, trying to keep his hands still enough to roll the condom on correctly. It feels like static in his veins, trying to sit still when everything inside his body is screaming go, go, go! You can feel it too, the buzz of anticipation, the pulse between your thighs. 

Then, there is a pause after he rolls back over, covering your bare body with his own, and he just looks at you for a moment, mouth tight. Your hands slide over his arms, up his shoulders, and settle on his face. “Everything ok?”

“Just wanna do this right,” he whispers back, turning his face to kiss the palm of your hand. 

The corners of your lips lift in a small smile. “Feels pretty right to me, if that helps.”

The tension in his shoulders melts away and he relaxes his pinched brows. “It does help,” he says, one big hand stroking the outside of your thigh around his waist, “Just…talk to me if there is anything you want or don’t like.”

“I will,” you reassure him and he eyes you wearily one more time until you sigh, “I promise.”

That seems to be enough for him as he shifts between your legs and you let your hands fold over his shoulders, trying hopelessly to relax your body when you feel his fingers on you again. He doesn’t keep them there long, just enough to make sure you’re still wet before he’s gripping his cock, guiding himself into your heat. 

The pressure is immense and Mingyu feels you tense up beneath him. He pulls his other arm up and shifts his weight over to one side, grabbing your face with his free hand. “Breathe,” he says quietly, tipping your face up to look at him, “Just breathe, baby.”

Easier said than done but you exhale shakily and his thumb brushes against your cheek. Mingyu draws his hips back slightly and pushes further in, eyes falling to your mouth when it pops open. The feeling of fullness is all encompassing and all you can think about. So full you might burst at the seams but again, you will yourself to relax and he finally, finally bottoms out.

You let out a sharp breath and just can’t seem to catch it. 

Mingyu seems unsure of whether he should move or not and he barely gets the question out before you’re nodding. The first few thrusts are still tender and he’s still mindful of that but after a minute or so, the tides turn and you’re digging your heels into his backside, pulling him deeper. 

Mentally, emotionally, physically deeper. 

He’s a romantic through and through, including in times like this where he’s drunk on pussy and pure infatuation. He can’t get enough. The way you feel around him, clinging to his body, hands against his chest, eyes glued to his. He’s in severely dangerous territory and clamps his lips shut until the words sitting there fizzle out. Patience is what he needs. In his mind and in his heart.

His body is on an entirely different page. 

Mingyu is smooth and consistent in his movements, like water in and around you. His name spills from your lips reverently, whispered into the air between you and it feeds him, pushes him to fufill your needs in a way you knew deep down he would. He’s a pleaser in every way. 

So, when you slow him down with your palms firmly planted against his chest, he stops and listens. His attentiveness almost makes it harder to speak.

“Can I uh…like would you mind if I…laid on my stomach?” you ask unevenly, not really sure why you’re hesitating to share what you want when that is what he’s asked of you.

Mingyu looks like he’s died and gone to heaven. He doesn’t even answer. Carefully, he pulls out and moves so he can roll you over, prop your hips up, and fill you right back up. This time there is no slow start. His hand settles on your back, just between your shoulder blades, and he holds you there, pinning you in place in such a way that your eyes close on contact. Perfectly content to stay put.

The room is filled with lewd noises. Skin slapping against skin. Deep grunting and moaning sounds mixed together. Your muffled voice chanting his name over and over again. Mingyu’s quiet praises tickling your ears when your head turns fuzzy. 

It’s a good thing no one is home because it’s almost embarrassing how loudly passionate you both are. You regret not asking Mingyu to turn on the radio to drown out the noise but it’s too late now and with another tug upwards on your hips, he’s stroking your walls just right and you hit an entirely new set of notes. 

Mingyu can feel you squeezing around him, mewling into his pillows and he’s hanging on for dear life because you’re still skirting around the edge and he’s seconds from toppling over. An idea pops into his head, a catch twenty-two really because in doing this, he puts himself at further risk of finishing first but it’s still too enticing to pass up. 

Somehow, he manages to roll your bodies together until he hits the mattress, successfully claiming his spot as your big spoon. He hooks his left arm under your head so that it’s rested on his bicep while his hand is free to roam your chest and his right arm snakes over your hip before you feel his middle and ring finger slip between your folds. 

With you tightly wound up in his hold he picks up a brutal, finishing pace. He hits all the right spots and works your body until you’re seeing stars. Your breathing now harsh and uneven limits your ability to speak but you don’t need to say anything at all. 

Mingyu knows your coming and he’s going right along with you. When your orgasm hits, you bear down against him, crying out in broken sounds as he pumps his hips through his own release. He continues to hold you against his chest, gently kneading at the fleshy part of your hip. 

He presses kisses against your hair and then carefully, he pulls out before rolling you onto your back. Mingyu’s smile is adoring and beautiful, it makes you want to bury your face in the pillows again. The blanket will have to do. 

“Why are you hiding?” Mingyu chuckles, grabbing at the blanket, “Was it that bad?”

You flip the sheet down and give him a blank stare. 

“Shut up,” you bite, a hint of a smile appearing, “You know it was good. Better than good.”

“How good?” he smirks. 

With an eye roll, you pull the blanket up just high enough to cover the lower half of your face. “Really fucking good…and you’re not even slightly winded.”

He’s on top of the world. 

“My stamina is just another one of my many desirable qualities,” he half-shrugs, “If you’re still not in love with me, I’m happy to keep trying.”

“Will you stop when I do?”

“Not a chance,” he grins, one hand squeezing your thigh as he swoops in to steal another kiss, “Stay with me tonight. I’ll make you anything you want for breakfast”

You pretend to think about it when you know you’ll say yes, and not just because you don’t have a car. A sleepover? With your hot boyfriend? Who just rocked your world and will probably do it again and then cook for you in the morning? Yeah, that’s a no-brainer.

“I could probably be convinced if you find me something comfy to wear and have a spare pack of noodles…I’m starving.”

Mingyu jumps out of bed, the sight of his bare cheeks making you turn and giggle. “I’m about to make you the best noodles of your life,” he walks over to his dresser pulling out underwear for himself, a clean t-shirt, and blue-plaid pajama pants, then he tugs open another drawer and turns to you, holding out a big soft-looking jacket, “I think you’ll like this one. I don’t have any pants that will fit you but this is pretty long. Oooh,” he pauses, “I didn’t think about underwear when I-”

“Ruined mine?” you raise your brow teasingly, sitting up and making grabby hands for the sweater he tosses to you.

He scoffs, tip of his tongue poking at his teeth. “Yeah, that’s my bad.”

Your voice is muffled as you pull the sweater over your head before climbing out of bed, pleased that it indeed covers you well. “It’s okay. It’s not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I’ve learned to keep an extra pair in my bag.” You mention this so casually that he’s stunned when you walk over to grab said panties from your bag and kiss his cheek before turning to leave, “I’m gonna go clean up. Meet you in the kitchen for those mind blowing noodles?”

Mingyu hollers back as you near the bathroom door. “I’ll blow your mind in the kitchen alright!”

He slumps against the dresser when he hears you respond with, “I’m sure you will, babe!”

Babe. Ugh, you’re so it for him. 

The steam of the shower mixed with some kind of masculine aroma in Mingyu’s body wash gives off the same feeling of being in his arms and the thought warms your belly again. It’s almost embarrassing, how much you want him just after having him in full, but you’re sure he’d be happy to oblige even if you so much as hinted at it. 

Maybe he will blow your mind in the kitchen.

As you’re wrapping up and getting dressed you hear music, oddly loud for the hour but it’s vaguely familiar, still muffled by the sound of the vents running to air out the steam in the bathroom. Then there’s a crash, not earth shattering but enough that you’re slightly concerned. You hurry to hang your towel and pull on your clean underwear and his sweater when you hear another bump against the wall. Then…singing?

“Kiss meeee out of the bearded bobby~”

“NIGHTLYYYY beside the greanbeann grass~”

You poke your head into the hallway, “Um…Mingyu?”

“SWIIINGG SWIINNG-”

“Swing the spinnnning stem~”

Definitely not Mingyu. Also, definitely not the right words to this song but your interest is piqued.

You come around the corner to find him in the center of the living room, quietly laughing, holding the hand of one of his very jovial (probably drunk) maybe roommates while the other (definitely drunk) maybe roommate is spinning around them in circles, bumping into things along the way. 

The one with bright blonde hair pokes Mingyu mid-spin, “You wear the shoes and I’ll wear a dressss~”

Then the his drinking partner joins in and their both belting out, “oOHHH Kiss meeee, beneath the melting twilight~”

Mingyu points to the blonde and shouts over the noise, “That one’s Hoshi.”

 “Lead meeee, out on the moonlit flooOr!”

He gestures at the one hanging off his arm, the tall boy with shaggy black hair, “This one’s Minghao. They’re plastered, obviously.”

They’re delightful and Hoshi is coming your way with a cat-like smile. He bows, almost stumbles, and reaches for your hand which you’re happy to share. “Lift your open hand…” he serenades, lifting yours into the air, “Strike up the band and make firefights dance silver moons sparkly~”

And he spins you away so quickly you almost stumble but Mingyu catches you around the waist with Minghao singing over your shoulder in a whisper, “So, kiss me.”

And Mingyu does, of course, he’s not going to miss the opportunity. Minghao grins, leaning against the wall to catch his balance, and Hoshi claps…a little bit like a buffoon but you really like them both. Mingyu must really love them because he doesn’t complain one bit about the noise and overly dramatic show, especially with it being your first impression. It helps that he knows how laid back you are and can see the delight still dancing in your eyes. 

He does however, turn down the music on the stereo so everyone can talk without shouting. 

“You do know you guys are supposed to be serving the alcohol…not drinking it…right?”

“Don’t be r- *hiccup* -rude!” Hoshi flaps his hand dismissively, “I’ll tell your pretty girlfriend about all the times we had to hold your hair back, our sweet little Mingoo ~”

Minghao giggles, bumping into Hoshi’s shoulder, “Or about how you,” he pauses, the two of them bursting into hysterics as Mingyu sighs like he knows what’s coming. Minghao wipes away a tear, still cackling, “About how you got totally tanked that weekend you first started working at Wheelie’s and whined alllll nighttttt-”

Hoshi whacks Mingyu’s shoulder laughing and then looks at you, “He wouldn’t shut up about you the entire night. Crying into his beer…because he thought you were dating the DJ.”

Your hand flies over your mouth, giggling up at your boyfriend who is being a really good sport right now. Even as he pokes his tongue into his cheek, shaking his head at his friends. 

“Vernon and I were never dating,” you fake sniffle, “Sadly.”

“Sadly?!” Mingyu swings his head around toward you, “I thought the soulmate thing was a joke?” he laughs.

“Oh, baby, it is a joke,” you reassure him, patting his chest gently but just when he relaxes you whisper, “Until it isn’t.”

Hoshi sticks out his hand as he’s stumbling toward the kitchen and you land a low-five as he goes, and one up top when Minghao follows behind him excitedly mumbling about making drinks for everyone, then Hoshi is shouting about noodles ‘for the love of god, we need more noodles!’

Mingyu sighs and you know he’s about to complain that he no longer has you to himself. Can practically hear it in your head already. So, you cut him off before he can start, tugging him down into a kiss hot enough to make him groan against your lips as his hands dip down to take handfuls of you. 

Then he’s laughing, falling out of rythym and you pull back, smiling. “What?”

You squawk in surprise when he smacks your ass and says, “You know you’re still not wearing pants, right?”

Actually, you forgot because of the whole song and dance thing. 

“That’s embarrassing,” you mumble, tugging his sweater further down your thighs, “I could go throw my work pants-”

“I can try to find you som-”

You both look toward the kitchen when music starts playing and Mingyu shakes his head, almost regretting stowing his portable radio in there for when he’s cooking. It’s quiet for a few seconds and then, like someone cranked the volume all the way up, it’s starts blasting and they’re both singing.

“Ooooh baby, baybay, b-baby, baybaby, oooh baby-”

Mingyu just laughs. “On second thought, don’t even worry about it. They aren’t going to remember anything tomorrow morning anyway.”

“I like them,” you grin.

His shoulder shake with mirth, “Of course you do.”

You giggle when one of the guys starts shouting the words and grab Mingyu’s hand, pulling him along behind you. “Come on, noodles, drinks, Salt-n-Pepa,” he fake groans and you squeeze his hand, “This is the most fun I’ve had at a sleepover in years.”

Then he’s grinning, “Well, we can make it a regular thing if you want.”

You turn, just before you get to the kitchen and push up to kiss his cheek, “Whatever you say, Hot Wheels.”

“Oh, come on,” he drags his feet after you, “Can we pick a new nickname?!”

“Sure. Come on, Coach Kim. Let’s go play in the kitchen.”

He stumbles a step and shakes his head. “Am I supposed to pretend it doesn’t make me kind of horny when you call me that? God, please don’t hold that against me. I am only a man.”

Oh? Good to know. “Whatever you say, Coach.”

Thanks for reading! 💖

SVT M.List | Main M.List

�� Please do NOT copy, repost, or translate, any of my works here on tumblr or on any other platforms! All stories are copyrighted, Milfgyuu, 2019. ©️

[jobean12-blog]

Falling Fast

Pairing: General Marcus Acacius x female reader

Word Count: 1,938

Summary: Every moment spent with him pulls you closer to the edge and when you're forced to have time apart it only makes you realize how much you want to be with him.

Author's Note: Here's more for Marcus and our princess! It's so lovely to know some of you are enjoying this as much as I am, so thank you, from the bottom of my heart. All these stories can be read as stand alones but if you want to get into the finer details then you can check out the other's here, in this order: Falling First, Falling Fast, Falling for the Forbidden, Forbidden, A Warrior's Heart (this last one is in the far future). Thank you all so much for reading! Much love always! ❤️❤️❤️Divider by the sweet @firefly-graphics thank you Daisy! 😘

Warnings: sweet softness, tension, more book/poetry talk, stolen moments, a kiss

Pedro Pascal Character Masterlist

Sunlight filters through the open spaces in the roof and dust dances in the shining rays as you sit with your head bent to a book. It bores you, however, so you snap it shut and place it down on the table.

You reach for the nearest wooden ladder and start to climb. Boxes of scrolls flank you on either side but you’re in search of more poetry from your father’s rare collection of books. Most of them are on the art of war but thankfully there are some hidden gems among the rest.

You stop climbing when you spot an ornate binding and reach for it. When you open the volume, dust floats up and out, tickling your nose and causing you to sneeze. Regardless you keep turning the pages, eagerly absorbing every word while still standing on the steps of the ladder.

“Surely the Princess should not be reading in such a precarious position.”   

“What?” you say with a start, searching the space.

The General stands at the entrance of the portico, his ornamental cuirass dazzling in the shafts of sunlight he walks through as he approaches.

“That’s not a safe place for you to read,” he muses with a smile playing upon his lips.

You look down at yourself as if remembering everything that has happened in the last few minutes all at once.

“Oh…well I…”

You clear your throat and clutch the wooden post of the ladder more tightly. Once the General is standing below you, he holds out his hand to offer assistance.

Your eyes stay locked on his as you place your hand in his own, the warmth of his calloused skin spreading along your arm and right down your spine. He reaches his free hand up and gently cradles your back until your feet touch solid ground.

“There,” he says quietly. “Much better.”

You continue to hold his gaze, swaying closer the longer his eyes stay focused on you and when they drop to your mouth you softly sigh.

The book slips from your hand when you reach for his arm and the sound echoes loudly, dragging you back to reality.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, suddenly breathless.

“The same thing you are Princess,” he answers.

When you don’t respond and the book remains on the stone floor between you, he bends to retrieve it and then takes your wrist, carefully placing the book in your hand.

“Escaping.”

Your breath catches at his confession and the urge to reach out and touch his face is overwhelming.

“General Acacius…”

“Marcus. Please.”

You swallow hard and with a small nod repeat his name in a whisper.

He steps closer, the sound of his name on your lips seeming to create a new spark of heat in his eyes.

“Say it again,” he murmurs, moving closer.

Your back hits the wall of wooden boxes and he places his large hands on either side of your head, caging you in.

“Marcus,” you whisper.

His hand drops to your cheek and his thumb sweeps across the soft skin, lifting your chin and pulling you closer.

The sound of heavy footfalls fills the hall outside the library and his eyes widen and with a muttered curse he steps away from you and moves quickly to a wall of scrolls across the room.

You stand paralyzed, the scent and the heat of his touch lingering.

Your father enters with a stoic expression and when his eyes land on you he scowls.

“Reading your romance again?” he mocks.

You open your mouth to answer but Marcus cuts in. “Actually, she was helping me find something.”

Your father’s head swings around to the General and his face lights up.

“Ah, there you are General Acacius!”

Before the General can say more your father continues, “I do hope she has not been boring you with her nonsense…”

“Not at all,” Marcus says. “She is a most gracious help.”

Your father looks between the two of you, his eyes narrowing.

“And just what is it, General, that you came into my private library looking for?” your father asks.

The General smiles warmly. “Your incredible collection of books on war, of course.”

A sadistic smile splits your father’s pursed lips. “Very good! Unfortunately, you are needed for more urgent matters. You will have to peruse my scrolls another time.”

With that he throws you a repulsed look and turns on his heel, clearly expecting the General to follow.

Marcus waits until the footsteps recede before taking long strides back to you.

“I am sorry,” he whispers as he takes your hand in his.

“What for?” you ask, your eyes tracking the movement as he lifts your hand to his lips.

“I will see you soon,” he promises before pulling you into his chest.

You gasp and lean into him, craning your neck as he dips his head. Your eyes close and your fingers curl against his cuirass but his warm breath merely fans your lips before he presses them to the corner of your mouth.

When he pulls away his expression is filled with yearning, and he gives your hand a squeeze before he lets it fall back to your side. Your lips are parted, and you sway on your feet as you watch him exit the library and follow in your father’s footsteps.

Days go by without a sight of the general and at the week’s end you can feel yourself withdrawing. You can’t focus on reading, every walk you take is spent searching for him, hoping you’ll cross paths and each night you lie awake until you remember nothing else but your dreams.

Dreams of the feel of his fingertips, his lips, his strong body pressed to yours…it’s enough to have you awakening with an aching need.

On one particularly uneventful evening you find yourself scouring the library for your book of Horace poetry. It’s been missing for days.

Deciding another walk might clear your head, you stomp away to the grounds near the Colosseum, wiggling your bare toes in the cool grass outside of the gladiator training school, while you look up at the clouds dancing across the blue sky.

You can hear the distant sound of the wooden practice weapons banging together and the indecipherable grunts and shouts of the training gladiators.

Then a commanding voice rings out over all the others and your breath hitches. You stand with a flurry of ungraceful movements and follow the sound to the open area where men are practicing.

Marcus walks tall between the lines, instructing and repositioning as he moves, all the while watching with keen eyes. You hide yourself as best you can behind the low stone wall and watch.

He’s a spectacle of power and grace and before you realize where your feet are carrying you, you’re standing in plain sight, eyes glued to the General.

“Princess,” one of the training men croons. “Have you come to enjoy the sights?”

Your eyes move slowly away from Marcus and land on the man who is speaking to you, and you lift your chin.

“I am merely out for a walk.”

He flexes his muscles and licks his lips as he eyes you hungrily.

Without warning you hear the crack of a hand against skin, and the man falls to his knees. The General stands above him.

“The Princess may enjoy whatever sights she wants without your commenting on it.”

He then brings his eyes to yours. “Forgive me. I hope you were not disturbed.”

“Not at all General,” you answer. “Just out for a walk…in search of some patience.”

Marcus’ eyes widen ever so slightly, barely enough for you to catch, but then you see his fist flex at his side and his lips twitch with a smile.

“I understand,” he replies. “I have been asked to oversee the training of the new gladiators and have been held up here at the training grounds…it is a test of my patience.”

With this new knowledge of why he’s been missing you smile and ask, “I hope you at least have had time do some reading?”

He steps closer, away from prying ears.

“I have actually.”

His smile is playful.

“Horace again?” you ask.

He nods with a slight incline of his head and says, “I hope you do not mind. It helps to pass the time here.”

“Not at all General,” you smile. “When will you be returning to the palace grounds?”

“Tonight,” he states. “I would like to visit the library again.”

You notice the trainees starting to get rowdy, their eyes warily darting between you and the General the longer you speak.

Marcus clears his throat and looks over his shoulder, causing the other men to straighten up and stand in line.

He starts to turn on his heel to address them but not before he says, quietly enough for only you to hear, “until tonight. Princess.”

The darkness of night blankets the sky and the oil lamp you hold does little to blot out the brilliance of the stars above as they twinkle through the openings in the library roof.

You’re staring up at them when he walks in. His footsteps are sure but quiet and when he reaches you, he takes the lamp from your fingers and sets it down on the table.

“I have never experienced a day longer than this,” he murmurs.

“Marcus,” you whisper, trying to restrain yourself from reaching out for him.

You look him over, noticing a large bandage wrapped around his upper bicep and gently lift your fingers to touch it.

“It is nothing,” he assures you, wrapping his fingers around yours and pulling you into his chest.

Tonight, he wears only a cloth tunic, and you can feel the way his muscles tense and shift beneath the soft fabric. Your fingertips glide across the wide breadth of his shoulders and then to toy with the pin holding the tunic in place.

You won’t meet his eyes and his grip tightens.

“Something troubles you,” he states.

“No,” you answer quickly, finally looking him in the eyes.

His eyebrows raise knowingly, and he waits.

“Yes,” you say this time, much more softly. “It is just that…the other night, here in the library…”

Your words die off with a sigh, but he finishes the thought for you.

“Why did I not kiss you?”

You suck in a breath.

“Princess. I would not have the first time my lips touch yours be anything less than perfection and under prying eyes I should not like to have been rushed.”

“Oh,” is all you can say as he easily walks you backward toward one of the stone pillars.

It’s cold when you back hits it, but you don’t care and instead press yourself closer to him.

“Marcus. Please.”

He growls out your name as he slides his hands up the curve of your waist, tucking one behind your neck and the other under your jaw. Your noses brush ever so lightly, and he closes his eyes with a deep inhale as his lips ghost along your skin.

His lips are soft and gentle as they touch your cheek, then your temple, your forehead, and finally they hover just above yours.

“Marcus…?”

“I fear that once I kiss you, I will never be able to stop.”

He breathes the words against your skin and breathes you in before his lips capture yours. It’s soft at first, tentative, but the moment you let slip the low moan at the back of your throat, it becomes insistent and intense, and you kiss him back with equal fervor.

@blackwidownat2814 @hiddles-rose @tripletstephaniescp @lizette50

[bountycancelled]

LOST CAUSE

bada lee x reader (part 3)

PREVIOUS | MASTERLIST | NEXT

warnings: none I think, pls comment if there are any needed

content: angst on angst, confused gays, sad times for bada, a lil bit of ??? x reader, idek man just read it, unedited because I refuse to reread my own stories

bada couldn't concentrate.

that much was obvious to every student present in the class that she was currently attempting to teach, as well as her team members, two of which had to take over while she leaned against the wall, feigning supervision while thinking of, well, you.

she didn't know what to make of the last interaction you two had. or, rather, she knew exactly what to make of it, and she just didn't like the implications.

she was a bad friend.

although she was glad that you had confronted her about her tendencies, and she now had the opportunity to do better in the future, she couldn't help but wonder if you even wanted that.

but she couldn't lose you, she couldn't even bare the thought of it, that would be like a solar system without it's star, virtually useless and incomplete. she had to do better, before you... no, nope. you weren't going anywhere, not on her watch. she would redeem herself, whatever it took.

"bada!" she jumped at the sound of her own name, muffled by the thoughts racing through her mind, thoughts of you and only you.

"welcome back to earth." lusher said flatly, standing tall in front of where bada had chosen to sit on the floor in the corner of the studio, moping in her self inflicted sadness.

"you shouldn't be here, you know? you should be at home, talking to her." bada nodded solemnly, her gloomy expression thankfully covered by her bucket hat. "I know."

lusher nudged bada's knee with her foot repeatedly, earning an annoyed groan from bada who swatted her foot, but, she smiled for what was most likely the first time that day. "well, if you know that, then why are you here?"

"because she told me to go, I didn't wanna push her any further." bada said simply, her smile vanishing just as quickly as it arrived. how could she be happy at all, while knowing that she had been hurting you all this time?

lusher clicked her tongue, pulling bada up to her feet and placing her hands on her shoulders, speaking with a certain seriousness. "she didn't mean it. go, bada. I've known her long enough to know that she... sometimes has trouble telling you how she actually feels. classes end in 20 anyway."

she didn't need to be told twice. bada was off, fingers drumming nervously on the steering as the pit in her stomach grew and grew, and grew. god, she hoped that you were still there when she opened the door.

maybe you would be in one of her many oversized shirts, your perfect figure practically drowning as you cooked something up for yourself in the kitchen, mindlessly humming to a song as you stood in front of the stove, spatula in hand. and she could come up behind you, wrapping her arms around your middle, humming the same tune.

or maybe, you'd be furiously shouting at the TV, watching some horror movie that had stumbled upon, which would always do a better job of aggravating you than scaring you. and bada would sit next to you, pulling you into her lap as you took turns criticising the characters' stupid, plot driving decisions.

god, she wanted you, she needed you to still be there when she unlocked the door.

so that you could have a full conversation about everything, every issue, every minute problem, every feeling, all of it. you'd most likely tell her that you're not very fond of her right now, which would be completely understandable, and then she would apologise profusely, get on her knees and beg if that's what it took, and tell you how she felt, if you asked.

how did she even feel?

she loved you, of course. you had been her rock, a safe space for her to be her most authentic self. sometimes, she would all awake at night, filled with some indescribable emotion that she could only attempt to describe as pure love. just the thought that you were in her life was enough to almost make her chest explode with glee.

she was so sure that all those feelings were typical of people who had been close for years, but she wasn't as certain anymore. but that didn't matter right now, she would categorise and sort her feelings out after she fixed the rift that she had caused between the two of you.

you would be her first priority from now on, always.

☆

"you know, you need to stop doing that." minah's voice rang out, a knowing look on her face.

"she looked sad, and I knew why, so I gave her a little push." lusher shrugged, locking the class door behind her, falling into step with minah as her and the rest of the members clocked out for the day.

"that's not what I meant. it's great that you helped bada." minah corrected, hooking her arm with hers as they made their way to their homes.

lusher sighed in mock exasperation before questioning minah. "then what did you mean? I'm not in the mood for guessing games right now."

"I mean, that you can't keep sabotaging your own feelings for her sake." that only led to another sigh leaving lushers' mouth.

throughout the years of knowing you, lusher had developed some feelings for you, but it was nothing major. but another thing she had to live with as a result of knowing you this long, were your unwavering feelings for bada.

they were, at least in lushers' opinion, completely impenetrable. it's not like she didn't understand, bada certainly treated you in a vastly different, much more intimate and compassionate way than she did anyone else, so your feelings definitely weren't baseless.

she just didn't feel like messing with your heart even further by adding her silly schoolgirl crush into the mix of your love for bada and bada's inability to look inwards for fucking once.

if she was in bada's shoes, you would've never left the club upset, because she would've never said no to an opportunity to hang out with just you. but, you being upset at the club is what led to you spending the night at her house, so lusher was selfishly a little thankful that it happened, in a roundabout sort of way.

she had to fight the urge to be visibly giddy when she saw you in her shirt for the first time. god, it looked so much better on you, she's not even mad that you left with it.

"I just, don't wanna add any more to the craziness going on with her. and you know I have the worst timing imaginable, the second I decide to confess to her, bada's gonna barge into the room and profess her undying love and then they're gonna make out in front of me." lusher ranted slightly as they made they're way to her front door.

"that was oddly specific. have you thought about this before?" minah questioned while stifling a laugh, putting an arm around lushers' shoulders. "but if you're not going to confess which is fine, then you should consider maybe not playing cupid either, you're only hurting yourself. they'll get together on their own if it's meant to be."

lusher nodded, hugging minah goodbye before entering her apartment. she was right as always, lusher had a nasty habit of trying to push you and bada into each others arms. maybe it was guilt? she felt bad for even feeling the way she did about you, so she overcompensated by helping you get closer to your dream girl, bada.

she just didn't want to see you hurting, and if she had to choose between her feelings and yours, it wouldn't even be a question. which is why she convinced bada to go finish her conversation with you, because she knew that you weren't okay.

so imagine her surprise when she saw you, in her kitchen, in another one of her shirts.

her mouth fell when her eyes met yours. "what are you doing here?" she blurted out in a high pitched voice. no, no, no, this was not how it was supposed to go. you were supposed to be at bada's place, and you guys were supposed to work out all the kinks in your relationship, maybe even get into a relationship.

"I just wanted to hang out. sorry, I shouldn't have intruded." you said simply, looking through a cupboard for something to snack on.

she wanted to tell you that bada was currently at her apartment for you, a part of her even wanted to drive you there and push you even further away from her.

but, another part of her wanted to take in minahs' advice, and not do anything. if you wanted to hang out her, then so be it.

"there isn't much in there, I'll just order delivery."

a/n: love triangle alert!!!

[banananuttrash]

Busted

Prompt: When Binzo is acting completely out of character, the rest of the Suzuran group follow him to see what is up. What they find leaves everyone in surprise, except for one.

Warnings: fluff 

Request: No

Pairing: Miyauchi Kozo “Binzo” x Female Reader ; Raoh x Sister Reader

Word count: 1.8k

Notes: This was just me having the Raoh faction acting like fools lol 😆

⋈ *. : ｡✿ * ﾟ * .: ｡ ✿ * ﾟ * . : ｡ ✿ * ⋈

Mashii and the rest of the Raoh faction are sitting in their regular area on the school roof. They are having their lunch and just chatting. However, Mashii notices that Binzo is sitting off the side on his phone, with a hint of a smile on his face.

Binzo’s phone rings and he gets up. He looks at everyone and says, “I have to take this call, I’ll be right back.”

As he walks off, Mashii narrows his eyes and stares off after him, while saying, “There’s something off about him.”

Everyone else turns to look at him. Kamui speaks up first, “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t quite figured out what it is yet, but Binzo is acting differently.”

Magoroku shoots up and says, “I’ve noticed it too! A couple of days ago, I asked him if he wanted to go to that new ramen place that had opened up. We had been talking about it for weeks and then he just up and left me hanging saying that there was something important that he had to do. He never leaves me hanging when it comes to food.”

Mashii lights a cigarette, “I’m not sure, but I think we should keep an eye out on him.”

Later on that day after school, the Raoh faction is heading out. After school, the group usually goes out for some snacks together. Today, it was Binzo’s turn to pick a place to go so everyone looks at him expectantly. When Binzo notices that everyone is staring at him, he rubs his neck and gives everyone a guilty smile, “Sorry guys, I won’t be able to come with you guys today. There are some things that I have to take care of.”

As he walks away, everyone stares at him in disbelief. After the others shake off their disbelief, Kamui asks, “Raoh, do you want to call Y/N over? Can she meet us there?”

Raoh lets out a little grunt and responds, “She can’t make it! She had already planned on hanging out with a friend.” He has a small smile on his face that no one notices.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Binzo makes it just in time to see the girls from Sanyo High School start to come out. He leans against a wall, and scans all the faces until he finds the one that he is looking for.

When he does, Binzo lets out a huge smile and yells, "Y/N!"

You turn around from your friend as you hear your name and see Binzo waving at you. You smile and wave back. Your classmate asks you, "Is that…?" 

You grin, "My boyfriend. I'll see you later!" You both say your goodbyes and depart.

Walking up to Binzo, he stretches out his hand and you take it. You lace your fingers with his and smile at him, "How was your day?"

He smiles back, "Oh you know, the same old. Punching, kicking, yelling, fighting…"

You roll your eyes at him, sarcastically saying, "Ha ha ha, very funny."

You both start walking away from the school when he asks, "Where do you want to go? You can pick today."

"You let me pick every day. But… I really want to go to that new ramen place we were supposed to go to with Magoroku."

"Alright, sounds good to me," he replies, and you start walking to the restaurant.

Thankfully, you arrive before rush hour, so you and Binzo are able to get seats. You get seated near a window and quickly place your orders.

Soon after the waitress leaves, Binzo’s phone rings. He looks at the caller ID and looks back at you, "It's Kansuke. Should I answer?"

You nod, "It'll probably be more suspicious if you don't." 

He listens to you and answers. "Hello?"

You whisper to him that you're going to the bathroom and he nods. You get up and make your way to the bathroom.

Binzo and you started dating about a month ago. Before that, he was just your brother's friend that you had a huge crush on. You would hang around him every now and then when you were with Raoh, and that was just enough to get you to fall for him. While others may look down at him for his crazy side, you loved it. You weren't a big fan of the fighting, but whenever you did hear of one, a small smile came on your face when you hear of his win.

When you finally got the nerve to confess to him, you found out that he felt the same way. When you asked him why he had not said anything before, he answered that he did not want to say anything because you were Raoh's sister and he didn't want to do anything behind his back. So, before he even asked you out on a date, he spoke with Raoh and told him about his feelings and intentions. If possible, that made you fall for him even more. 

It was hard, but Binzo and you decided not to tell the rest of the group just yet. You know how the others are and you wanted to enjoy some time with him. Recently, it has been getting a little harder to hide it from others, but thankfully, Raoh comes through most of the time and manages to help you guys.

You finish up in the bathroom and then head outside to your table. As you get closer you see something and then you freeze up. Even though you can’t see their faces, you see the backs of your brother, Mashii, Magoroku, Kamui, and Kansuke.

You see Binzo peek around them and his eyes widen slightly as he sees you, but tries not to make it obvious as he looks back at the group. You back away and go back to the bathroom not sure of what to do.

Back at the table, Binzo lets out a small sigh of relief when he sees you disappear. He looks back at the guys who are staring at him. He smiles at them, trying not to look as guilty as he is feeling. 

Mashii speaks up first, "What are you doing here? Didn't you have something to do?"

He looks at Raoh, who has a subtle and barely visible smile on his face. Binzo looks back at Mashii and replies, "What am I doing here?" He rubs his neck before continuing, "I was meeting up with an old junior high friend. Yeah! I hadn't seen him in a while, so we decided to catch up."

The others look like they weren't buying it. Before anyone else speaks up, Raoh says, "We should go somewhere else. I'm craving takoyaki."

Everyone looks at Raoh in surprise. He doesn't usually have preferences for restaurants. So for him to say something, it was a little surprising. Binzo knew that he said it to try to get the others to leave, and he was very thankful to Raoh for that.

As the guys leave the restaurant, Binzo sends a quick text back to you and tells you that they are gone. You come back and sit down in front of him and you both start laughing.

Unbeknownst to the couple, outside the restaurant, Mashii turned around one more time and he saw you as you sat down in front of Binzo. Then he whispers to himself, "Y/N?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

For a couple more weeks, it has become more prominent that Binzo has been hiding something. He rarely hangs out with the group and is almost always making excuses about why he can't hang out. Magoroku and Kansuke wanted to get to the bottom of it. They had overheard Binzo say that he was going to meet someone at the amusement park on Saturday morning. Instead of asking him about it, they decided that they were going to follow him.

They told everyone else to meet them at the amusement park on Saturday morning, but didn't tell them why.

So Raoh, Mashii, Magoroku, Kamui, and Kansuke were standing off at the side of the entrance.

Mashii gives a low grunt and asks, "Why are we here?"

Magoroku lifts a finger and says, "We are going to get behind Binzo’s secret once and for all. We know he is secretly meeting someone here today and we are going to figure out who."

Raoh raises his eyebrows at him. To himself he thinks that this is not going to end well. 

Kamui points and shouts, "There he is!"

They all look and see Binzo walking up while talking on the phone. Suddenly, they notice a girl coming from behind him and wrap her arms around his waist.

"Ehhh!" all of them say except Raoh.

"A girlfriend! How does the craziest one of us get one first? It's not fair!" Kansuke says while whining.

"I wonder who it is, we can't see her face," Kamui says, trying to get a look at the girl.

As the guys are still looking, they see Binzo turn toward you and smile. You hold hands and start heading towards the entrance. The guys try to get a closer look at you and, since you are not facing them, they can't see your face.

As you enter the park, the guys follow behind you enough where neither of you notice. You tell Binzo that you have to use the bathroom real quickly before you go on anything. As you turn towards the bathroom, you hear, "Y/N!"

You and Binzo turn around and see your brother and his friends, them staring at you both in shock.

Binzo leans towards you and whispers, "Busted."

About ten minutes later, you and Binzo are sitting next to each other at a cafe with Raoh and his friends in front of you. Magoroku crosses his arms, "How long has this been going on?"

You smile guilty and hold up two fingers, "About two months."

Kansuke pretends to faint, "Two months?!"

Machii looks at Raoh, "I'm guessing you knew about this. Considering how you are not surprised."

The rest of them look at Raoh, who lets out a small smile, "It was entertaining seeing all of you try to figure it out."

Kamui looks at Raoh in shock, "You knew!"

You roll your eyes, "Of course he knew." You look at Binzo and smile, "We didn't want to keep it a secret from Raoh."

"Just from us," says Magoroku, pretending to cry.

Binzo and you roll your eyes. Binzo replies with, "We just wanted to see how it went before we told you guys."

Kamui smiles, "And?" 

Binzo and you look at each other and smile. You look back at them and say, "It's been going really well." The guys look at you for a couple seconds before they start cheering and hitting Binzo’s back, cheering him on.

Raoh stands up and says, "Alright guys, I think we should leave them to their date.

The others grumbled as they stood up. Meanwhile, you look at Raoh and mouth to him, 'Thank you'.

He winks at you and takes the guys with him.

Binzo looks at you and smiles, "Ready for our date?"

You smile back feeling a sense of relief and nod.

[omegastation]

Musings about Liara & grief post Thessia

I know we appreciate characters in our own way, and what would frustrate me would not frustrate someone else. But Liara post Thessia has often been talked about as selfish and focused on her own pain, ignorant and/or dismissive of everything that happened to others before. I disagree, because every single time - for every loss - she has shown empathy. Even on Thessia, when her own planet was dying, she tried to put her own hand on Shepard’s shoulder as if to comfort them. And that’s one example. I truly think Liara cares a lot, even too much sometimes.

But really there are many things to consider:

We truly don’t know how we react to things until it happens to us. It’s one thing to have empathy for others, but you truly grasp the horror when it’s done to you. It’s one thing to see another species being deformed and changed by Reaper tech, but seeing features that are your own, familiar to you, being torn apart in front of you? That’s something else. Seeing a planet destroyed, you feel empathy. Your own planet and civilization? What are you supposed to do next? Liara does things, that’s how she fixes what isn’t working. But facing this kind of devastation, what’s the next step?

Liara post Thessia is not just grieving people. She’s also dealing with all the revelations regarding the protheans. I think, in the conversation with Javik, that her anger is misdirected, and he knows it, and he takes care of it in the best way possible. But she’s angry because: 

The asari probably didn’t achieve the excellence she believed they ought to achieve to save the cycle

She hints that she believed they would be protected and didn’t help them as much as she thinks she should have

Her research and career feel like a joke to her 

Her mother hid things from her 

Her entire species hid a big secret that, if known, might have changed the galaxy and this cycle’s future 

There's a lot of guilt and shame in her post Thessia. It's not self-righteous anger. It's never been about that.

And thankfully, Shepard reminds her that she can still do things to help people. That's the moment right there with her face full of tears:

She finds the will to go on, gets up and tries to help the refugees.  She thanks Shepard.

For this moment, I think she’s allowed the tears, because grief can be so devastating. Getting up at all is already a big step. But I don't think there's any moment there where she believes her pain is worse than anyone else. And her pain doesn't take away from others, it doesn't mean everyone else isn't in pain! I don't think ME3 is trying to tell us that. The opposite in fact.

Earlier Tali is found near the wall with all the names of the people they lost, Legion is added there. Garrus has found his family is safe, but it doesn't mean he doesn't have tough choices to make. Joker talked about his family and Reapers going to destroy the colony they live in. They're all allowed their moment of grief and triumph. Liara's deepest grief is just at that moment. And she's not the only one being comforted. Garrus and Tali both really worry about Liara, but they each have reassuring words for Shepard post Thessia. Joker and Anderson are focused on taking care of Shepard as well.

People need people, and they're all dealing with grief in their own way. They also all love each other very deeply and it shows. That's my conclusion post Thessia.

[narrans]

My Borrowed Son | 16 | Friends and Curiosities

Chapter Sixteen | Friends and Curiosities

Parker couldn’t believe it. Within such a short amount of time, he suddenly had a dozen followers and friends on his page.

Sure, he didn’t know them personally, but everyone was welcoming and polite – two things he was eager to report to his mom when she expressed concern. The miniscule boy also made sure his mom knew he was being safe, not giving out too much personal information, and that the topic of his condition hadn’t even been brought up.

One person commented on his profile picture being interesting, which was a picture of Parker standing in front of his computer screen, but he just explained it was a background and that he wanted to showcase the platform he was publishing on. Karl was the kid’s name, and evidently he and Parker were the same age.

All in all, Parker was pleased with his interactions and the people he was meeting. Lots of them had advice and things for him to check out, and he liked all of the things he was seeing.

There were sketches of space and vast mountains as well as the everyday interactions. There were hundreds of stories from writers just like him.

It felt nice. It felt like some kind of community with people supporting and helping one another. A sense of satisfaction filled the young teen every time he checked his notifications and saw he was getting the chance to meet someone new.

“Just look here, mom,” said Parker eagerly as he showed his mom the latest post he made. “It has almost fifteen likes!” He looked up into his mom’s features and saw her beaming with pride.

“That’s so great, Parker,” she complemented. “Are you going to post your latest story from Mr. Tamplin’s class?”

“I… think so. I don’t know yet though. It doesn’t feel done,” he replied, feeling his cheeks getting warm. The latest story he came up with for Mr. Tamplin’s class was a fiction fantasy story about a sprite named Tal’el. It essentially was his backstory for the Dungeons and Dragons campaign he and his friends started.

Basically, he was a small fairy-like person who was a poison master for his people until he decided he wanted to go out adventuring and exploring. The Dungeon Game Master said it was fine if he played a smaller character, thankfully not questioning why he would want to do such a thing and found a special class for him to play as.

The story actually won a young adult author award for his class and Parker had Mr. Tamplin to thank since it was he who tutored him through his writing slumps. He was now refining it for his literature class.

“Well, don’t be scared to post it sweetie. You’re such a great writer and can do whatever you set your mind to,” encouraged his mom. “Now before you get sucked into checking your notifications, finish your homework and get ready for bed. You have a long day tomorrow.”

“Yes, momma,” Parker replied, rolling his screen back into place in the main area. The structure walls rumbled as his mom closed the outside walls to his home. It was hard to believe it had been a whole month since he “moved in” to this new space.

Parker loved it, in a weird way.

Not to sound ungrateful, but having his own space to roam around, especially in a space that felt suited to him, made him feel just a little bit normal. He liked that he was usually at eye-level with his mom instead of having her loom over him. Just the thought made him shudder involuntarily, and he wasn’t sure why.

It made him feel guilty every time the sensation seized him.

But, now was not the time to dwell on that. It was time for bed.

Parker walked into his room and rummaged through his dresser to find his oversized space t-shirt and elastic band sleep shorts. Then, he went back to the computer and finished submitting his assignments. The words filled the page and Parker hoped that his paper on the evolution of technology was going to be good enough to get him the grade he needed.

Parker’s other assignments were a breeze. Math was simple enough and the biology project about documenting the growth of plants was going smoothly. It was his other project, his story for his literature course, that he was worried about. It was his same story that he was using for his channel, but it was more a mild fear of rejection and lack of perfection.

His online friends liked it, but would his teacher? His followers?

Parker sighed and leaned against the wall before slinking down further into the chair. His eyes focused on the blinking line in front of him as he stared at the end of the fifth chapter he had been editing. Something about this story felt particularly personal, but Parker remembered hearing once about how writers put more of themselves than they’re aware of when they’re making characters and stories.

Perhaps this was just part of that feeling?

The teen sighed and stretched when, suddenly, his lights flickered up above him.

Confusion injected itself into his mind as he stared at the wired lights on the ceiling. His eyes flicked over to the wall switch.

Perhaps just a fluke?

The notion was dismissed when the lights flickered two more times, all of his lights dimming and glowing systematically.

Something raised the hair on the back of Parker’s neck. He felt like he was on pins and needles, the anticipation of a drop while suspended in mid-air. Cautiously, the curious teen stood up and walked over to the switch, examining it closely.

It was still up and wasn’t jiggling or loose.

The lights flickered again.

It felt like he was in a spooky movie, of which Parker had only ever seen one in his life along with a couple of older “thrillers” like Alien and Jaws. Even those movies were censored because his mom didn’t want him to get too spooked.

Was there something wrong with the plug?

Parker glanced at the window at the back by the stairs and, just for a moment, he could have sworn he saw something.

It looked like the quick flick of a shadow.

It was quick and Parker wasn’t even sure if he knew what he saw. He did just step out of his room after all, and he had been staring at his computer screen, which he knew sometimes made shadows appear when there weren’t any.

He held deathly still, his entire body locking up like a perfect figurine. His body fell naturally into the position as he slowly crouched and laid his hand against the floor, as if he could detect any trembling or motion.

He didn’t get a chance to investigate for long though. Before he could make his way to the stairs in his crouched position, there was a knock on the table that made Parker nearly jump out of his skin.

“Parker? Are you going to bed soon?” Parker’s entire body shivered as he pushed himself upright and heaved in a few deep breaths. Every nerve in his body felt electrified. While his heart continued to thrum rapidly, he cleared his throat and called over his shoulder to his mom as the sides of the walls began to open.

“Y-y-yeah, mom. I’m ready for bed,” said Parker. He glanced up at the lights stayed on without the slightest hint of a flicker. The walls opened fully and, instantly, Parker saw his mom’s brow furrow quizzically.

“Everything okay? You look a bit pale,” she said. The maternal instinct in Amanda kicked in and she reached forward and pressed the tip of her finger against Parker’s forehead. He shied away from it, which was typical teenage behavior, but something else felt off about Parker that Amanda couldn’t quite place.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. I just…” Parker stopped short. It felt like something physically squirmed in his mind, preventing him from saying something about the shadow and the lights. He shook the notion loose, confused as to why this instinct flared up in him, and proceeded with his thought. “I just saw the lights flicker and got spooked.”

“Oh?” Amanda replied as she glanced over and looked down at the power strip that fed electricity into Parker’s Place. Nothing looked off about it to her, but she still knelt and glanced around the ground.

Still nothing.

“Well,” she sighed as she stood and walked back over to the front of Parker’s tiny home. “I don’t see anything. It looks like it’s all plugged in, but we’ll check on it tomorrow. Okay? For now, it’s bedtime.”

“Yes, momma,” replied Parker as he walked up to the edge and accepted the kiss on his torso that his mom gave him. With that, Amanda smiled and watched as Parker curled under the blankets, forming an almost imperceptible lump in the bed. “Goodnight momma. I love you.”

“I love you too, Parker. Sweet dreams my love.” Amanda closed the walls and secured them tightly before tiptoeing out of the room and to her own room to turn in for the night.

Just in the other room, Parker laid there with his heart still fluttering nervously. Everything in him was still on edge, and the curiosity of what was going on with his lights was really bothering him. Parker enjoyed a good mystery or puzzle, but he generally liked ones he could solve.

This one wasn’t solved yet.

For what felt like a couple of hours, Parker tossed and turned in his bed as a mixture of homework assignments and curiosities about the power outlet swirled like a mist in his mind. The more the young teen thought, the more it annoyed him that he didn’t have the answers.

He had had enough.

Parker pushed himself up and decided to go and check out the source of the flickering lights. If it was a cable going bad or possibly the breaker being loose, he needed to get a new one as soon as possible. It would be terrible if he was in class and his power went out. His mom said they would do it in the morning, but Parker knew himself; and he knew he couldn’t sleep if he didn’t at least go and see it for himself.

He couldn’t afford to not check it out with his presentation tomorrow.

The teen stepped noiselessly through his house and exited the front door. As he walked around, he noticed a few things that just seemed, in a word, natural.

Sound was amplified. The darkness in the corners of the room seemed brighter. He could feel every tremble in the desk from his footsteps.

As he made it outside, a choice presented itself to him. For a moment, he considered going down the climbing line he installed himself on the backside of the desk.

But he knew if he slipped on the rope and got hurt, which he never did, his mom would make him take down the line.

He decided to risk it.

It was late. She was asleep. Parker was as sure footed as a goat and knew he would be fine all the way down. The temptation was also too great for the teen to resist. Plus, it would be a lot faster.

There was something about the experience that was, in a word, liberating. The free fall. The catch. The feel of the rope in between his fingers.

It felt natural.

The urge to climb and fall and hide never failed to fascinate parker. Whether it was something his condition genetically programmed him to do so or if it was some personality trait he possessed, he didn’t know.

What he did know was the sensation was addictive and he was itching for a good climb.

Parker snagged the line in between his fingers and leaned over the edge of the desk. There was a mild sense of vertigo that swelled inside him, but he loved it. The weightlessness seized him as he let himself slip over the edge, hands and feet firmly in place and secured on the line.

The line burned against the teen’s palms and against his legs as he quickly descended. It felt like something a secret agent would do, and it felt epic.

The moment Parker’s feet hit the ground, he felt himself instinctually look around and crouch low. Silently, he stepped across the planks of wood that constructed the floor and walked toward the power strip that was only a few feet away. The whole thing was four times Parker’s size, but he navigated through the wires with ease.

His hands worked quickly to check the buttons and reset panels, and the teen could find nothing wrong with any of it.

Perhaps something is up with the electrical cover in the wall? Parker wondered silently. He jumped over the stiff cord that led to the wall and approached the trim on the wall which had small notches in it, so he didn’t need to snag a ladder.

As he approached, Parker noticed something by the very base of the electrical cover that made his hair stand on end.

It was a drill bit.

Flat head.

It was a tad bit rusty, and Parker didn’t recognize it from his mom’s kit that she used to help construct his space. He approached and picked it up, realizing it wasn’t as heavy as he thought it would be. In his hands, it was about twice the size of the drill that his mom used, and he realized he could probably carry it around easy enough; but where did it come from?

I don’t think this is mom’s drill bit. How’d it get here?

Parker glanced up at the electrical cover and felt his heart skip a beat as he noticed the screw for the wall socket was protruding from the wall ever so slightly.

His entire body was shaking now, but he wasn’t sure why.

Had his mom messed with the electrical cover with some old tools that she forgot about?

It didn’t seem like her.

Parker stepped up on the trim, balancing precariously and using the cord to stabilize himself, as he pushed on the very bottom of the electrical cover.

With almost no effort, the piece wiggled free and the screw clattered to the ground. The end looked a lot shorter than the others. He knew because he helped his mom replace the covers a few weeks ago.

The young teen took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he dared to peek inside. Engulfing darkness belonging to the wall consumed his vision. There was something exciting and enticing about the darkness in front of him.

It felt, in a word, familiar.

But why?

Parker felt his head beginning to throb as his mind stirred some fragmented memory, but it was hazy and distant.

What really set the teen on edge, however, was when he dared to push himself up onto the ledge to peer better into the wall and noticed something else that made his insides fill with nervous energy.

There was something that looked like a pencil mark. Two lines with a triangle on top followed by a little check mark on the inside. To Parker, it looked like a kid’s drawing of a house with a check mark inside of it.

Was this something his mom did?

Or was this some kind of construction mark?

What was this?

What did it mean?

The teen stared at the marks and then back to the darkness of the wall. Just like the shadows of the room when he stepped out of his house, the looming abyss of those narrow spaces between the walls didn’t seem very dark. It almost seemed inviting.

There was something about that confined space between the drywall and the studs and exterior boards that made Parker feel like he was back in his space. It was familiar.

But why?

Parker hadn’t realized that he had been learning forward to the point where he was barely hanging onto the edge of the electrical cover and leaning into the walls. It took the sound of his foot skidding against the wood and nearly tumbling headfirst into the space in front of him.

Startled and shaken, Parker pulled himself back out of the entryway into the walls, forced the electrical cover back onto its perch, and hurried back to his room. He was in such a tizzy, the young teen didn’t even realize he had gone straight to the secured line he left and climbed up it in record time, ignoring the staircase mere feet away.

His little feet barely made noise as he scurried back to his room, securing the door and slipping under his covers without so much as a squeak.

Parker’s mind was racing. What was that he just saw? And what was that weird draw he had toward the walls?

Hopefully, his mom would have the answers.

First thing in the morning, he would ask her. She would make everything better, right?

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

Beginning

[d1ana-m0nd]

╭─► ❝Love me or Hate me❞

Earth 42! Miles Morales × Female! Reader || Written by Diana (d1ana-m0nd)

➢ Description : Spider-Nox is a promising spiderwoman. It's believed that she was destined to protect and save people. However, like how every Spiderman stories goes, a tragic accident occurs which led to the death of her best friend’s father. Struggling with the guilt, the weight of her mistake, unable to bear the pain and the feeling of an outcast in the very city she swore to protect, she chooses isolation as her only path to redemption.

➢ Word Count : 523

➢ Link : Masterlist

Character Profile | Hello my Name is...

Alright people, let’s do this quickly! ⁠(⁠°⁠o⁠°⁠)⁠／

Hello my name is Y/N Libitinarius, the spiderwoman of Earth 42.

Now, most spider-person would say they were bitten by a radioactive spider. Well… For my case, my ass of an uncle, Dwade Konraddo, injected me with a serum of a genetically modified radioactive spider-nox; The serum has given me powers and turned me into a spider-mutant.

Thankfully I retained my cuteness. (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Though I have huge fangs now and don't worry they are retractable, they kinda make me look like an oni. Unfortunately, my hands until my forearm turned black - like black as coal - with red roots that ran along my arms. Which is mostly the reason why I struggled to choose an outfit that would hide my mutation.

Oddly enough, despite being bitten by a radioactive spider, I didn't retain most of a spider's abilities. I can't stick to walls nor hang upside down and I can't shoot spider webs nor produce any because my touch accelerates their decaying process.

In spite of that, I do have other cool abilities: As stated, my touch can take away life force (only applicable to organic species) or accelerate decaying process (only applicable to by-product of organic species), I can cause hallucinations with my spit, and instead of sprinting I submerge into the ground when sprinting.

I can already guess what you are gonna say, (⁠ ⁠´⁠◡⁠‿⁠ゝ⁠◡⁠`⁠) "I don't think regular spiders have those abilities…"

You're right! They don't, at least most spiders don't have these abilities but, a species called spider-nox are a different breed. The spider-nox that was injected into my body are lab made spiders that are meant to recreate a prehistoric version of the spider-nox, key word recreate, so most of the abilities are not true to the original species ability, just a copy or it is somewhat similar to it's ability.

Moving on with my superhero duties. I’m pretty sure you know the rest, I save the city just like the others, though I do my hero work by night and in the shadows. Though I mostly do the work as a nameless vigilante because I don’t want to garner attention, it seemed like journalists seemed determined to catch me in action which I narrowly avoided. Though people of New York began to dub me as the "Lurker" - Pretty corny nickname if you ask me but, that's what they went along with so eh… and it's pretty much my fault for not making a superhero name before the public began making random nicknames for me.

Oh yeah! For the last 4 years I thought I was the one and only spiderwoman.

Until, I met Miguel O'Hara, Spiderman 2099. I discovered that I wasn't the only weirdo and I could go to different universes…

At first, I wasn't planning to join their "Spider Society" but, I figured I would be able to extract my powers if I were to venture to other universes. In the end, I only fell into their hands because all they wanted was to monitor me because they dubbed me as an anomaly.

➢ Taglist :

➢ Note : If your username is highlighted violet that means I cannot tag your blog. I suggest you either follow my blog and turn on your notifications or you turn on your subscription to the masterlist. The animated divider is made by @/cafekitsune. [ EXAMPLE ]

[rorywritesjunk]

I can’t tell where the journey will end But I know where to start

Prequel to my Kid Buggy fic, set about 11-ish years before that story.

Buggy meets you by chance when he needs his buttons sewn back onto his jacket. He’s young, up and coming, and he thinks everyone should cower before him wherever he goes, but all you do is smile at him.

Rating: PG-13ish just for some swearing. Warning: Buggy’s in his early 20s. He’s an asshole. He just is because I wanted to write him loud, demanding, everything. There’s 3 new characters thrown in because why not? Future Wife gets a name as well! A/N: I have no idea when Buggy became a Captain, so he’s a fresh faced captain in this. No clue how long this fic will be. I just started on the 4th chapter but I’m excited to write it out! I had fun with the original fic and decided to write the prequel to how they met. Enjoy! Also I wish every customer was like Buggy in that "I'm going to be an asshole but I'm going to overpay you for the opportunity to be an asshole".

Title comes from “Wake Me Up” by Avicii. TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @ane5e @kingofthemfingpirates @the-angriest-angel @tiredemomama @valen-yamyam16 @i-reblog-fics-i-like @plethora-of-fickleness

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 + Chapter 16 + Chapter 17 + Chapter 18 + Epilogue

Chapter 2

It was five weeks until you saw that pirate again. You were at the counter while the girls were in the back working. Your boss was gone on an errand, leaving you in charge. This time he opened the door with a little less force than last time but the door still swung open and hit the wall. You looked up from your book and smiled when you saw him. 

His coat had a tear at the sleeve where it connected to the shoulder and one cuff was nearly coming off. It looked like he got into a scuffle while wearing it. He was scowling as he stormed up to the counter, removing the coat and holding it out to you. You took it from him and looked it over with a frown. 

“What happened?” You asked as you inspected the tear at the sleeve. “Did you get into a fight?”

You obviously chose to ignore what your boss had told you every day since he first showed up. Do not help him if he comes back. How could you not fix his coat up when it was in such a state? Not only were there tears in it, you saw the dirt staining the bottom and some blood on the front. You quickly gave him a look over, seeing that he appeared uninjured thankfully. You didn’t want to explain why there was a bloody and injured pirate in the shop if your boss returned early.

“Fix it.” He said, refusing to look at you. 

“Do you need help? Are you injured at all, Captain?” You asked as you reached over the counter to touch one of his gloved hands. Buggy jerked his hand away from you and crossed his arms, shaking his head quickly.

“I’m fine!” He snapped. “I just need it fixed!”

“Can you give me some time?” You asked as you draped the coat over your arm. “I’d like you to wait here in case I need to see you in it.”

You saw his face turn red at those words but you didn’t know why. All you needed to see was that the seams on the sleeve were correct once you mended them, to make sure it still fit him in the shoulders when he moved in it. He glared at you before storming out of the shop. 

“He came back.” 

You turned to see the two teens peeking through the doorway to the back. You sighed softly and smiled. “He did and he gave me his coat to fix.” 

“Miss Pins said not to help him.” Livia said as Edith nodded in agreement. You shrugged as you headed towards them. 

“Well, I’m in charge right now so I get to decide who we help.” You told them. “Now, who remembers how to get blood stains out? I’ll do the mending but I’d like you two to clean it, okay? This will be good practice.”

~

Buggy returned two hours later. You were at the counter again with Livia, showing her the books and how customers and payments were tracked. The teenager ducked beside you when he came in but you just smiled. Why did you smile whenever you saw him? Buggy wasn’t sure what your game was but he was suspicious of you already. You should be quaking in fear when he arrived, not smiling like you were friends with him.

“Your coat is ready.” You told him as you nudged Livia to go retrieve it. “I got it stitched up and the girls cleaned it. Can I see it on you?”

“W-Why?” He demanded as he narrowed his eyes. Livia came out with the coat and started to leave but you stopped her. “What do you want me to do?”

“I need to make sure it fits you in your shoulders.” You told him as you took the coat from her and approached him. He took a step away from you but you held it out to him, and after a minute long stare down he finally pulled the coat on. You stood behind him as he made sure the fit felt good, and you put your hands on his shoulders again, smoothing out any creases and looking to see how it fit him. “Now, see, Livia, we want to make sure he has movement in his arms when he wears it, which is why I didn’t go in so far with my stitches when I repaired it.”

Buggy turned around to face you, scowling already, but you took his arm gently and lifted it up, showing her the cuff you reattached. “And see, you don’t even notice that this was hanging by a thread when he brought it in. I made sure to re-enforce this cuff as well as the other to ensure he wouldn’t have any issue.”

Livia stayed by your side, nodding along with what you said as she tried not to look at Buggy. How could she not stare at the bright red nose on his face? She wanted to ask if it was real, and did it honk if he squeezed it? Occasionally her eyes would go to his face while you talked about cleaning the stains and the best way to handle blood, but she really tried hard not to stare.

It was difficult and when she looked up at him one more time, he caught her looking and glared at her. She took a step back and ducked behind you as he opened his mouth to say something not nice to her. 

“I’ll only bill you for what we did, but honestly it won’t cost much because you overpaid last time.” Your voice brought him back to you and he frowned. “So let us write that bill up real quick.”

He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “No, I’ll… pay the amount I owe.” 

“Oh, but last time-”

“I’ll pay you what I owe.” He snapped as he reached into his pocket and slammed the berry down on the counter. He didn’t wait for the bill, instead storming out of the shop once again. You collected the payment and counted it out again, shaking his head. He kept paying too much and you were wondering if you should open a line of credit for him if he came back.

~

The girls did not like Buggy. They thought he was loud, rude, and too angry. Your boss still wanted you to refuse service to him if he ever showed his face again but you didn't find him to be a problem. He came back two weeks later to the shop while it was just you, coat draped over his arm with the scowl forever etched on his face, though not as intense as usual. You smiled at him when you saw him and he tried not to look at you as he held it out to you.

“What happened now?” You asked as you took it from him and placed it on a hanger. You hung it from a book on the wall and began to look for any rips or missing buttons. Buggy crossed his arms, still not looking at you. “Captain?”

“There are threads that are too long.” He grumbled. “I need them trimmed.”

“Oh.” That was a bit of an odd request. “Can you show me where?”

He came around to you, pointing out where the thread tails were. You grabbed your little scissors and trimmed them as short as you could; some were less than a quarter of an inch long, but if he wanted it done then you would do it. You took time looking for any other imperfections, noting that the lining was still intact from where you had repaired it the first time, and the shoulder and cuff repairs were still holding strong. One button at the top of his coat looked like it may come undone in the near future, so you ducked into the back to grab a needle and thread to repair it.

Buggy remained quiet as he watched you work. You were quick to remove the button and old thread, wanting to make sure there was no risk of the button snagging and falling off. Every repair on his coat meant one less chance for him to stop by. Being a captain, you were certain he was busy, and that making time to try and get his clothes fixed would eat up valuable time, so you wanted to make sure he wouldn’t need to return any time soon. 

Once you finished, you held his coat out to him and smiled. “Can you try it on for me?”

“Why?” He replied as he did as you asked. Might as well since you ask him every time he’s come in so far. You stepped forward and made sure the collar laid flat before you buttoned the top button of his coat.

“I want to make sure it looks good on you.” You told him as you made sure the fit looked good. “I’m almost done with my apprenticeship and I was taught to make sure the customer was happy.”

Buggy frowned. “Why aren’t you scared of me?”

“Am I supposed to be?” You asked as you finished with the buttons and straightened up, looking him over. “It looks good on you.” Smiling, you gave him a thumbs up. “Orange is a great color on you, Captain Buggy.” 

He didn’t want to but he couldn’t help it. His cheeks burned at your compliments because he knew it was your job to tell him that. You said this to every customer, paid attention to all their details as well, so why was he feeling flustered just from this interaction with you? He didn’t even know your name but this was his third time stopping in for your help in the shop. He needed to sail away and never come back at this point. He didn’t want to see you if it was going to mean he blushed and his heart started racing, but at the same time, you had been nothing but kind to him. It was a little hard to stay away when he looked forward to seeing you smile at him.

Buggy reached into his pocket and you held your hand out to stop him. “No, no, it’s fine, I won’t charge you, Captain.”

“I’m going to pay you.” He grumbled as he pulled out the money. He took your hand, ignoring how he could feel the warmth of your skin through his glove, and put the payment in your hand. He pulled away and was out the door before you could stop him.

These little visits of his were starting to be a little… interesting to you but for some reason you were starting to look forward to seeing him.

[illicitlimerence-writes]

santa's house | c. leclerc

pairing: charles leclerc x reader word count: 2.1k words (oops) request: nope prompt: character a works as a santa’s helper. character b has a small sibling/child. from this prompt list. not my prompts, credits to the person who created it!warnings: kids, uncle!charles, language maybe, idk what else. **text in italic is supposed to be in french lol** a/n: day 4! a little bit longer than yesterday but oh well, for some reason this one didn’t feel as long when i was writing it. REMINDER THAT MY REQUESTS ARE CLOSED, EVEN IF IT’S FOR THE SPECIAL. pls, i don’t want to close my askbox but if i keep getting i’ll have to turn it off.

my masterlist / 25 days of christmas masterlist

the job wasn’t the most luxurious ever, but it paid good, especially with the holiday craze. 

working as one of santa’s elves at the local mall wasn’t exactly on her bucket list, but she needed the money. living in monaco as a student wasn’t easy nor cheap, and she couldn’t let any opportunity to make some extra cash escape. 

thankfully, the lines were never too long, the people were understanding, and the children were the sweetest. since starting that job she’d learned a lot about patience, about being around a lot of kids at the same time, but most importantly, about keeping the children’s innocence and spark alive. 

in the two weeks of working there she’d had to deal with every kind of kid, the excited ones, the ones that were slightly afraid of the idea of santa, little babies that was their first time meeting santa, and she remembered every single kid that she met.

she was sitting on santa’s chair, still wearing the green dress and striped tights, a red santa hat on her head. the actor playing santa had already called off for the night, but she had to wait until her flatmate finished her shift at one of the shops at the same mall so they could go home together. she was about to turn off the lights from santa’s house when she heard the now-familiar pitter patter of tiny feet on the polished floors.

“cha, hurry!” a little girl’s voice echoed through the walls and tall ceiling, she turned her head seeing a girl of about two or three years old running her way. her heart melted, this girl was probably the prettiest girl she’d ever seen. bright hazel eyes and hair, a gorgeous red dress with white tights on. behind her, a twenty-something brown-haired guy was rushing to her, trying to keep up with her tiny but fast legs.

“wait, darling. slow down,” he said, right as the girl tried to climb the small white picket fence surrounding what was supposed to be santa’s house. out of instinct, she hurried to help the girl.

“careful, honey, you could get hurt,” she said softly, opening the entrance to the house and helping the girl down.

“santa,” she frowned, looking around, her heart sunk in her stomach.

“santa’s gone for the night, darling,” she explained as the guy that came with the little girl walked to her, lifting her in his arms.

“sorry,” he said, hugging the girl tight, “don’t run off like dad, your parents won’t forgive me if something happens to you, and neither would i,” he told the girl, who leaned her head against his shoulder.

“santa,” the girl told him, lower lip sticking out in an adorable pout.

“santa’s house is open until six, you just missed him, i’m sorry,” she explained, a small smile on her face.

“hear that, lovie? we can come back tomorrow,” he said, but the girl shook her head.

“i want to see santa today,” she insisted. 

“what’s your name, darling?” she asked the girl, she felt her heart squeezing at the sight of the girl being sad. 

“cami,” she answered.

“that’s such a pretty name, cami. it’s so nice to meet you. listen, how about this, i can show you inside santa’s house, would you like that?” she offered, smiling sweetly at the girl. who nodded.

“he there?” cami asked, pointing to the house.

“no, honey, he had to go to the toy factory for the night, but he’ll be back tomorrow,” she explained, it wasn’t the first time she’d had to make up a story on the spot. 

“cha, down,” cami said, and the guy holding her put her down, but held her hand. they followed her to the entrance of the house, it was simple, but still in theme. there were two cushioned chairs and a bench, a cabinet where she and the santa actor kept snacks, drinks and some make-up. thankfully, there were no costumes there. 

“welcome to santa’s house in monaco,” she smiled as the girl looked around, the soft glow of the lights outside illuminating the inside. 

“it’s small,” cami said, looking around and sitting on one of the chairs, the guy she called cha helped her up.

“yeah, he’s so busy, he doesn’t to spend too much time here, and every night he goes to sleep in the north pole, that’s why it’s small,” she explained, watching ‘cha’ with a smile on his face as he saw cami nod slowly, taking the new information in. 

“he comes back?” she asked, too enthralled by everything around her.

“yeah, he’ll be back tomorrow.”

“cha, we come tomorrow?” she turned to cha, who nodded in return, pinching the little girl’s cheek lightly. “you’re here tomorrow?” she asked her.

“i will be right here, cami.” she nodded, smiling. she saw movement outside the house, seeing her flatmate waiting for her. “but right now it’s getting late, and i think we all should go home, but i’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” she said, standing up from her spot and walking to the snack cabinet. she opened it and grabbed a cookie that she gave every kid that went to meet santa. she thought twice and grabbed another one, instead. “here you go, this is for you,” she handed her one of the cookies, one in the shape of a snowman. the girl’s eyes shined bright, making her smile. “and this one’s for cha,” she said, giving her one in the shape of a christmas tree. 

“cha, cookies!” cami giggled, staring at the cookies longingly. “thank you,” she said. 

“thank you, uh- my name is charles. that’s cami, camille.”

“nice to meet you, charles. i’m (y/n),” she smiled. 

-

the next day, she lifted her head every time she heard a small child’s voice, hoping to see cami and charles walking her way. she tried to hide her disappointment, putting on her happy face and welcoming the kids. with about thirty minutes left, she’d already given up on seeing them that day, but the sweetest voice calling her name caught her attention.

she turned, seeing camille with charles trailing behind her. this time she wore a green dress. she waved at her, turning to sam, the guy playing santa.

“please be on your best behavior for this girl. she wanted to see santa last night but came too late.” she felt two hands wrap around her legs, she crouched in front of cami, “hi, cami, how are you?” she asked the girl, smiling at her and charles as she looked up at him. he smiled back.

“good. i see santa!” she pointed to the side. 

“want to meet him? i already told him about you, he’s been waiting all day to meet you,” she smiled, getting a funny feeling in her stomach at the girl’s bright expression in her eyes. 

“cha, come!” she grabbed charles’ hand and led him to santa. 

-

she waved her hand goodbye at them, already knowing she was going to miss having cami around. she closed the curtains of the small windows of santa’s house, changing out of her costume inside the house. her flatmate had already gone home for the day, so she had to walk home by herself. she didn’t mind it, she liked having time to see her temporary home. 

as she walked past an antique shop, she noticed a gorgeous snowglobe. the bottom was painted gold, and inside there was a carousel, and she was sure it worked because of the small lever on the side. she sighed, knowing that with the holidays the prize was sure to be way out of her budget.

“hey, hi-” she jumped a little letting out a curse word. charles noticed the switch in language, “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to startle you.”

“no, it’s okay, i- i was too caught up in my thoughts,” she said, smiling at him. her head went down, looking for cami. “where’s-”

“with her parents,” he said, pointing to a shop across the street. a cozy coffee shop, cami sat with her parents in front of her. 

“she’s your…”

“niece,” he answered, she nodded. 

“i’m guessing you’re her favorite uncle?” she smiled, watching the way charles looked at her softly.

“i’d say so,” he chuckled, “her parents, my cousins, are really close to my age, so i’d say she’s my favorite, too. i love her to pieces.”

“cute,” she slipped out, feeling a light flush creeping on her cheeks. 

“do you want to join us? i’m sure cami will be delighted to spend more time with you,” he asked, her gaze drifted from cami to him. “or if you’re busy or have plans i-”

“no, it’s… i-” she thought for a second, seeing his small smile and bright eyes, so similar to cami’s. “sure. a little while won’t hurt.” 

her heart beat faster at the sight of his relieved smile, he offered her his arm, she slid her hand around it and walked to the coffee shop. as they entered she could see cami turning her head to see charles. her eyes widened and she clapped her hands as she spotted her. 

she sat next to cami, with charles on her other side as he introduced her to his family. 

conversation started flowing easily, with her helping cami eat her slice of cake as if she’d been doing it her whole life, it came natural to her.

charles smiled, knowing cami didn’t open up easily to people, and it was surprising and so nice to see her like that with her. his cousins made her feel welcome, asked her questions about herself, her job, her uni major. with every word she spoke charles found himself unable to look away. 

he wanted to get to know her more. whoever managed to get cami out of her shell was someone worth knowing. 

after almost two hours of talking and enjoying a nice evening, cami and her parents left, the little one having fallen asleep already. and charles insisted on driving her home, she’d said it was fine, that she was good just walking home, but had finally given up.

the car ride was filled with talk, asking questions that were a bit more personal, but both felt comfortable answering them. as she pointed to her building, charles felt a small ball of dread in his stomach. he didn’t want this to end.

“can i-” he said, sighing as he cut himself off. “i’d love to see you again,” 

“oh,” she said, before a smile slowly crept on her face, “me too.” she admitted, feeling shy under his stare. 

“um, is… that’s great,” he said, watching her nod. she nodded, too, tapping her fingers against her leg.

“here,” she handed him her phone, “put your number in. we can text and plan something,” 

“yeah, i’d… i’d like that,” he said, typing his number and saving the contact as ‘cha’ with a bear emoji. he’d explained the bear necklace that cami had picked out for him as a birthday present, she had contained herself to avoid swooning audibly. he called his number so he could have hers as well. 

“good. well, thank you for tonight. i really had a nice night, your family is so great and cami… she’s quite possibly the greatest toddler i’ve ever met. and trust me, i’ve met a lot,” she laughed.

“she is, the sweetest girl.”

after staring at each other for a few seconds, she jumped when they heard a car passing by, too fast to be within the speed limit. 

“i should… go. i- i’ve got to work tomorrow.”

“yeah, of course. have a nice night, and… i’ll call you.”

“i’m looking forward to it,” she smiled, stepping out of the car. 

he watched her close the door and walk to the front door of her building, and it took him one second to make up his mind. he stepped out and closed the door, calling her name.

“yeah?” she asked, watching him walk her way.

“i… i forgot something,” he said, feeling his hands getting clammy as he kept them behind his back. 

“what is it?”

he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her cheek, placing one soft kiss there. her breathing hitched as she looked at him, a smile on her lips as he leaned back, heat rushing to her face.

as soon as she closed the door to her apartment she received a notification.

from cha🐻: sweet dreams.

she smiled, dropping down on the sofa and screaming into a pillow.

there was no way a man this perfect existed.

[writingforatwistedworld]

WARNINGS: Slightly hinted Yandere, kidnapping, isolation

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

If you don't know me (Hi, how is it going? Nice to meet you) then you might wonder why I post this under the yandere tag even though there isn't much of that in here (yet). This is a sneak peek of a bigger story which definitely has elements of yandere so I want to make sure that people who don't like reading yandere don't accidentally get on my blog. I respect their choice and boundaries.

Malleus Draconia-Over the rose bush (Sneak peek Pt. I)

You would assume playing an Otome game made you know everything about it was set in, helping its’ people and becoming a hero for them. But who would have thought that there was an entire kingdom ruled by one of the most powerful mages, who was only implied to exist in the game, hiding from the players’ eyes by being mentioned NOT EVEN A SINGLE TIME??! Funny. Interesting. Absolutely maddening. Maddening like the raven that got you into the kingdom in the first place. Yeah, getting over a huge rose bush wasn’t exactly what you would call “easy”.

But who were you to judge? After all, you were only a small individual who was such a huge fan of the game that when you found out who the datable character of Sunset Savanna you almost threw the console out of the window. Huh. This reminded you your friend the raven threw you over an overgrown houseplant surrounding an entire country.

Meeting the young-looking individual whilst hiding in the woods after falling from the sky was something you most certainly had not expected to happen. Heck, you would have rather believed that a pink cloud would fly down on your level and start singing mind-numbing tunes. But you were someone from a world in which swords weren’t exactly “in fashion” in battle so you didn’t expect one of those sharp toothpicks on your throat.

And would you look at that? Apparently, you looked miserable enough that he didn’t just kidna- *ahem* “took you with him” but also took you with him to a cozy cabin in the middle of the woods. After throwing you over a huge fence made out of a rose bush. Did I mention the rose bush before?

Alas, TVs and technology did not exist here so the cabin started to feel… uh… small? Imprisoning? Maybe both? Maybe more than just those two?

This is the point when the smoll rose bush behind your house, not the big one trapping you on an island, became your best friend. No, a brotherhood. The brotherhood of abandoned souls in the middle of the woods. You named them Helga. The narrator of this story says “Hi Helga.”

Something you did not expect though was meeting someone out here (other than Lilia the little annoy-). Deciding to look after Helga you had stepped out of the house only to be met with a breathing wall staring down at Helga. Helga seemed even healthier in his presence. Helga, don’t you dare to turn traitor on the boasitmotw (brotherhood of abandoned souls in the middle of the woods). The stranger had even plucked one of their roses and yet they still bloomed flirtatiously in his direction. You swore to cut your friend a bit shorter after this. IF there was an “after this”.

Turning in your direction the wall casted his gaze upon you and holy shi- (the narrator shakes their head at your choice of words) was that a vibrant green. Helga, you have good taste. You didn’t even notice his horns. Oh don’t get annoyed with me. I am just the narrator. It’s your fault if you get weak at every pretty boy you see.

Standing there like the most foolish statue within any world, yours or this otome one, you continued to stare at him. The man must have taken notice of your mouth that was opening and closing like a fish gasping for air but thankfully he seemed graceful enough not to comment on it. In fact, he seemed surprised to see you as well.

“I was not aware there was another human other than Silver in here.” Silver. Silver… Silver? Who was that? The questions running absolutely amok in your head were soon stopped though, coming to a screeching halt, when he stepped closer to you. God, that wand of his looked like it could impale you… that needle of the spindle looked dangerously sharp.

“Tell me, child of man, how come you are in this place?” How were you supposed to explain that a small man threw you over the bigger cousin of Helga?

[merakiui]

Me and the neige community are STARVING and ur psot abt Neige was just so???SCRUMPTIOUS.I WILL GO ON MY KNEES FOR MORE GROSS PERVENT NEIGE THOUGHTS PLEASE (I asked very nicely)

I'm so happy you like it!! Neige is so beloved. orz

I like to think he's so eerily good at taking sly, candid photos. He's the best at getting panty shots (although admittedly he might get some help from the woodland creatures when they distract you with their mischievous antics). He has an entire scrapbook filled with photos of you, some more innocent than others and some downright lewd. He snips out anyone else who might be in the photo (all he really wants is you; everyone else is a mere background character in his love story). Neige's delusion and obsession becomes so bad that sometimes it feels like he doesn't see anyone else—like they're all faceless nobodies. He often peers through people rather than at them, but he's just so sweet and carefree, so you'll never suspect anything's amiss. He's the type to catalogue everything about your habits and mannerisms, and he might even adopt some just to feel more like you (to be closer to you).

He most definitely has an onahole with your name scribbled on it. I like to think Neige was never very interested in sex (he just wants sugary romance—the fluffy type seen in all the best stories and fairytales!), but after he falls for you he is almost always horny. T_T everything you do has his pulse quickening; he is down so bad. He pastes his favorite pictures of you to a wall in his closet and he'll spend so long in there rutting into the onahole to images of you in a cute outfit, to your smile, to that time the birds were teasing you and it caused you to fall in a very suggestive position...

He might occasionally scroll through your NRC friends' Magicams just to collect more photos of you. It's so unfortunate that you aren't attending RSA. Oh, how he wishes he could see you every single day. The others are so lucky to spend time with you so often; he's actually a teensy bit envious. :( he wants to eat lunch with you, attend classes with you, stand near you so closely that he can smell you. Thankfully, he can always spend time with you when the both of you meet up in town! Although meeting up for a day of fun isn't the same as day after day after day of fun.

I like to think he also vividly daydreams of how your first time will go. He's really excited. Neige hopes you're a virgin like he is, but if you aren't that's also okay! It doesn't make him love you any less. And it's actually a little attractive if you have some experience. So long as he gets to sleep with you, he can ignore details like whether or not it's your first time. He'll always be honest with you, so he's very pleased to tell you it's his first time. But you don't have to be gentle because he's a virgin! In fact, he'd prefer it if you were rough, if you tore his shoulders to shreds, if you marked him with bruises and bites... Neige likes the idea of being marked by you (of course he'll have to cover them up so his fans won't suspect anything, but having this little secret makes it all the more alluring). Also breeding kink. I wholeheartedly believe he is in the top few of the twst cast with a huge breeding kink.

I also feel like he would be really into role-play. He probably has the filthiest of fantasies he'd love to act out with you omg. <3 OOOO AND PHONE SEX. Neige is absolutely fucking into his fist or his onahole when he talks to you over the phone. Whether you're explaining how your day went or excitedly going on about a movie you saw recently, he's always listening (while also busy imagining some not-so-innocent things). :)

[starsstuddedsky]

Chapter 1 - The Mistake

reader x jihoon

masterlist | Chapter 2

summary: when you're caught in a simple lie, the best solution? dig in and stick to your guns until everything inevitably goes wrong and everyone gets hurt

or, a serial dater and a pessimist fake a relationship in the vain hope that nothing will go wrong

genre: fluff, angst, non-idol au, lawyer au, coworkers to lovers??? friends to lovers???? fake dating!!!!!

warnings: mentions of alcohol, food, bad decision making

wc: 3.9k

a/n: thank you all for being excited!!!! the first part is mostly the same as the teaser though there’s been some minor grammatical edits! I’m can’t believe it’s finally being dropped!!! I hope you all enjoy the chaos!!

updates: every tuesday

taglist: open! send an ask or comment!

If Jihoon was stopped on the street and told to name three facts about you, he could probably do it. He doesn’t know your favorite color, or what you ate for dinner last night, but he knows where you went to school (since it’s been the same school as him since elementary school) and where you work (since it’s the same law firm he works at). He might struggle for a bit for a third fact, but eventually he’d settle for this: you are hopeless when it comes to love. 

Unfortunately, Soonyoung isn’t asking three facts about you, he is asking what Jihoon has planned for your anniversary. Jihoon blinks at Soonyoung, standing beside his table. 

“My anniversary?” 

“Yeah,” he says slowly. “With yn?” 

He runs a mental check of any possible thing that Soonyoung could be referring to, then checks his calendar on his phone. Both come up empty. 

To be honest, Jihoon would be more surprised if there is something he’s forgetting. Despite knowing you for so long (in the way that he’s grown up with you but hasn’t had an actual conversation with you since he was seven), he’d never call you his friend; at best, you're a coworker. 

But the way Soonyoung is looking at him now makes him wonder if he’s forgotten something, and worry that whatever he’s forgotten is important. 

“You don’t have anything planned?” Soonyoung says, loud enough for the couple sitting at the table across from Jihoon look up. Soonyoung doesn’t seem to notice. “Dude, it’s been a whole year. I can’t remember the last time yn has had a boyfriend for a full year, you have nothing planned?” 

Boyfriend? Jihoon stands up, snapping his laptop shut. “Look, I don’t really know what’s going on, and quite frankly, I don’t have time for it. Tell yn, or whoever is behind this prank that it’s not funny and to grow up.” He leaves Soonyoung standing there frowning, leaving the coffee shop and pulling his satchel over his shoulder. 

It’s a short walk from the coffee shop to the firm, and Jihoon uses it to think things through. Here’s what he knows: 1) Soonyoung is your best friend since middle school, 2) he isn’t the type to lie about this for fun, and 3) you have sworn off dating (a fourth fact!). So either A) Soonyoung lied (uncharacteristic) or B) you’ve lied (not out of character for you, you are a divorce lawyer). He figures the second option makes the most sense, though the why still troubles him. He waits for the elevator, staring at his distorted reflection that makes face shrink and his ears look comically large. 

The doors open with a small ding and a stream of people flow out. Jihoon politely steps to the side to let them through before getting on. Thankfully, it’s a much less crowded ride up, only a couple other people, none of whom are going to the firm on the nineteenth floor. Jihoon is able to focus completely on the person he otherwise has spent very little time thinking about: you. 

Despite knowing you for so many years, Jihoon really couldn’t say much about you (see above limited list of facts). What he does know is mostly filtered through Wonwoo, whose office is next to yours and separated by rather thin walls. Jihoon didn’t expect Wonwoo to be into gossip, especially since he’s known you since law school and actually calls himself your friend, but Jihoon has heard more about your love life than he ever wanted to. That’s why he knows of crucial fact #4: You have sworn off dating. 

He knows—from Wonwoo—that after your third boyfriend in as many months, you gave up on ever being able to balance dating and work, tired of having your heart broken over and over again. According to Wonwoo—who allegedly heard this from you over the phone with your friend (which Jihoon thinks is at the very least an invasion of privacy, but Wonwoo argued you were on a personal call during work hours so it’s free game)—you cited your failures in love to your own tendency to “catch feelings too fast” (he isn’t sure if Wonwoo was quoting you or using his own words, but they stuck with him). From Wonwoo’s lamenting, he knows that you’ve since sworn off dating, giving up on the pains of failed romance. So why does your best friend think that you’ve been dating him for the past year? 

He isn’t thinking when he walks into your office without knocking. You’re on the phone, though you hang up quickly when he walks in. You’re frowning, and he wonders if Soonyoung was on the phone when you hung up. You stand as he pulls the door shut behind him. 

“I can explain,” you say, confirming his suspicions. “It’s not what you think.” 

“Oh, so you haven’t lied to your friends and told them we’re dating?” Jihoon says, folding his arms. 

“It sounds bad when you say it like that,” you mumble. 

“It is bad,” he says, shaking his head. “Honestly, you’re lucky I don’t report you to HR. This is borderline harassment, you really should know better.” 

“I know,” you say, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Seriously, did you think you could get away with it? Soonyoung went to middle school and high school with us, surely you knew this wouldn’t last,” he says. “What were you going to do at a reunion?” 

“Well, I didn’t go last year,” you mumble. You leave out neither did you, but when you meet his eyes, he can tell that you aren’t totally beat. Not yet. 

“I just thought you were smarter than this,” Jihoon says. “I mean, we don’t know each other well, and I know you never scored as high as I did on tests, but I didn’t think you’d be this stupid.” 

“I get it, you think I didn’t think this through,” you say. “I really am sorry, but I don’t have the time to listen to you lecture me for a full hour, so can you at least make it quick?” 

Jihoon blinks. “Why?” He says, more statement than question. “Why did you lie?” 

You sigh, slumping into your chair. “Long story very short, I had a few too many bad relationships and I decided I wasn’t going to date anymore because apparently I have a tendency to fall in love with brick walls.” 

Jihoon figures it’s a bad idea to tell you he already knew that, opting to nod so that you continue to explain. 

“The problem is, pretty much none of my friends believed that I would actually be able to keep it up,” you say. “They thought that I’d fall for the first person that gave me an ounce of attention. The thing is, it actually did work. I haven’t been on a date in a year, and I think it’s been really, really good for me. But my friends didn’t believe it. 

“So I lied. I told them I started dating someone from work, and I did think it through: I said someone from the firm, since they don’t know anyone, and because my mystery boyfriend is a lawyer, they weren’t surprised when he was busy all the time and couldn’t come to anything. Plus, since it was someone from work, I could say that we had to keep everything quiet because I told them dating wasn’t allowed. Everything was perfect, actually.” 

Jihoon can almost see your logic. Almost. “Why me?” 

You’re quiet for a long moment, staring at your closed laptop. “They wanted a name, and yours was the first I thought of, and then the lie just sort of took on a life of its own.” You have the audacity to smile. “Did you know that you’ve been in love with me since elementary school?” 

Jihoon scoffs. “There’s no way they believed that.” 

“You’d be surprised,” you say, with a fond smile. It vanishes when you meet his glare. 

More than anything, Jihoon is confused, but the one thing he is absolutely certain about is that he doesn’t want anyone walking around thinking he’s dating someone that he isn’t, especially not when that someone is you.

 He can’t think of anyone more different than him; your office is testament to that, filled with all sorts of knick knacks and brightly colored pillows, mugs from around the world strategically spread around your bookshelves, which hold a combination of books on law as well as classic novels and collections of stories. He remembers that before you went to law school, you majored in English. Pride and Prejudice sits in between a copy of War and Peace and Beowulf, with a bright red glass ornament keeping them upright. 

He thinks about his own office. His only decorations were at the insistence of Seungkwan and Seungcheol: a plant that Jihoon was actively trying to kill (and starting to suspect is fake), a set of colorful highlighters that he would never use that Seungcheol said “brightened the room,” and a framed photograph of all of his friends at Seungkwan’s graduation. The last piece, a gift from Seungcheol, is the only one he will admit he doesn’t mind having in his office, but he could live without everything else. He doesn’t know how you manage to work with so much going on in your office. 

But the biggest difference between the two of you, Jihoon realizes, comes from a fundamentally different understanding of the world: while you seem to find love in everything (and everyone), Jihoon simply doesn’t believe it exists. 

.

.

The street lights in front of Joshua’s building are out, again. It used to set Jihoon on edge, but he’s come to expect it more often than not, and waits patiently as he rings the buzzer to be let in. 

He’s also late, again. The door swings open and he waves at the man behind the front desk. He should know his name with how often he visits Joshua’s apartment. There’s no one in the lobby and he gets to ride the elevator to the sixth floor alone. 

Mentally, he prepares himself for the chaos of the night. It’s been months since everyone has been able to get together (and even then, Wonwoo had to cancel because there was a complication in his case that left him stuck at the office even later than Jihoon). Still, the rest of the group—Joshua, Seungcheol, and Seungkwan—were finally able to meet up, which means that the night is going to at the very least be interesting. 

They didn’t wait for Jihoon to start drinking. He has to knock three times before the door finally swings open. Unfortunately, Mingyu is behind the door, and he practically lifts Jihoon off the ground, wrapping him in a hug. Jihoon has met him maybe six times but apparently that means that he’s close enough for a suffocating hug. 

“I haven’t seen you in six months!” He shouts, dragging Jihoon inside. The rest of the boys, in varying degrees of intoxication, tackle him as well. Seungkwan is close to tears, babbling in his ear about how long it’s been, and Seungcheol is one step away from kissing him on the cheek (Jihoon dodges it). 

Joshua is clearly more sober, settling for a quick hug when he finally disentangles himself from the others. 

“Work was good?” Joshua asks. 

Jihoon shrugs. “Work was work.” 

“You’re late,” Seungkwan says, still clinging to Jihoon’s arm. 

“You should be grateful I came at all,” Jihoon says, though he doesn’t push Seungkwan off. It isn't worth the effort when he knows that he’ll latch on again as soon as he can. He still shoves Mingyu before he can take his other arm. 

Jihoon lets Seungkwan drag him onto the couch. It’s long past dinner time, but there’s still plenty of snacks laid out. Despite the faulty lighting outside, Joshua’s apartment actually looks nice. He’s traded cheap beer for a growing collection of wine next to his bookcase that is no longer solely populated by fantasy books. Jihoon still has his doubts about the quality of the wine. 

“You’re still coming Saturday, right?” Seungkwan says, resting his chin on Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“Yes,” he says, pushing him gently on the forehead to get him off his shoulder. “Just like when you asked yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.” 

“Well, it’s not like you always show up,” Joshua says. He sits on the other side of Jihoon, the rest of the boys spreading between the couch and floor. Mingyu stretches out on the floor, long limbs resting in front of Jihoon. 

“I come when I say I do,” Jihoon says, lifting his feet so they are resting on top of Mingyu’s shin instead of beneath them. 

“Except for Johnny’s wedding,” Seungkwan says. 

“And my birthday,” Seungcheol says. 

“Oh, and that one time we went to dinner to celebrate your promotion,” Joshua says. 

“Those were extenuating circumstances,” Jihoon says. “Out of my control.” 

“I’m telling you, if you just went on one date, it would fix everything,” Seungkwan says. 

“Here we go again,” Jihoon mutters. 

“No, no, the logic is there!” Seungkwan says. “If you actually dated someone, you’d understand that you can’t just blow things off, that other people’s feelings do in fact matter.”  

“Plus you wouldn’t be such an uptight little bitch,” Seungcheol says. “What?” He asks when everyone stares at him. “It’s true.” 

Jihoon shakes his head. “I don’t know why you all are convinced that my love life is why I’m like this. What if this is just who I am?” 

“Did Jihoon just admit he’s an ‘uptight little bitch’?” Mingyu asks from the floor. 

“I thought it was an accepted fact,” Joshua says, then apparently realizes that he hasn’t had enough alcohol to excuse rude comments because he takes a very long sip of his wine and looks anywhere but at Jihoon. 

“Anyways,” Seungkwan says, smacking Jihoon’s chest. Jihoon thinks it was meant to be a reassuring pat. “We’re getting distracted from the really important things.” 

“Which are?” Joshua asks when Seungkwan trails off into silence. 

“The fact that Jihoon has never once been on a date,” Seungkwan says. 

“And you guys wonder why I always ditch,” Jihoon mumbles. “Besides,” he says. “I have been on a date. Multiple dates.” 

“Those don’t count,” Seungkwan says. “We set them up.” 

“A date is a date,” Jihoon says. “How does that not count?” 

“Okay, there’s a date and there’s a date,” Seungkwan says. “You go on a date because your friends set it up and it’s too late to say no, but you go on a date because there’s something else, a feeling, a— a—”

Jihoon frowns at the stuttering man beside him. “How much have you had to drink?” 

“Let the man speak!” Joshua says. “He’s got a point!” 

“What point?” 

“You!” Mingyu says, lifting his leg to bounce Jihoon’s feet. Apparently his alcohol impaired brain thinks this is hilarious because he does it a couple more times until Jihoon digs his heel onto his thigh (and maybe a little too close to his crotch). “You, Lee Jihoon, have never told someone how you felt. Actually, have you even felt anything before? Seriously, I mean, I haven’t known you nearly as long as these idiots but have you ever told them you love them? Or even care about them?” 

Jihoon looks around, Seungkwan at his side, Joshua on the floor leaning against the coffee table, Seungcheol on the far end of the couch, and Mingyu, who’s managed to lift his head off the floor. Though no one else says anything, he can tell they agree with Mingyu, waiting expectantly for him to admit that he has a problem. 

And that’s when Jihoon realizes he knows exactly how you felt: cornered with no hope for escape because the people you care about most in the world are convinced that your lack of a love life is somehow congruent with your happiness. Though it’s still just as ridiculous to him, he understands it. And even though there isn’t a drop of alcohol in his system, the words are out before he can stop them. 

“I have been on a real date,” he says. “Multiple actually. With the same person. Because I’m dating someone.” 

Jihoon has been friends with the guys (with the exception of Mingyu) for the better part of ten years, some of them even longer. He knows them better than his own family, and he knows that when they are quiet, it never bodes well. 

Joshua is the first to break, unsuccessfully attempting to hide his snort as a cough. It devolves from there, Seungkwan practically shrieking with laughter while Seungcheol pounds the arm of the couch so hard Jihoon worries it’ll break. He lifts his feet off of Mingyu because the larger man is bouncing them with his laughter. 

“I am!” 

“Sure,” Seungkwan manages through tears. “Just like Mingyu has a real job.” 

“Hey!” Mingyu says. “You were one of my references!” 

Seungkwan waves his hand, leaning fully onto Jihoon, whose patience has begun to wear thin. “Seriously, though, you expect us to believe that?” 

“Yes!” Jihoon says, because there’s nothing he can do but stick to his lie. “I have been seeing someone!” 

“And they’re real? A human being?” Seungcheol asks, then pouts when Jihoon smacks his knee. 

“Yes, they are real, and yes, they are human,” Jihoon says. For some reason, he thinks about your smile (not that you’ve ever directed it towards him). “And they’re… nice.” 

“Wow,” Joshua says with a whistle. “You heard it here first: Jihoon’s definitely not made up date is real and human and nice.” He ignores the glare, running to the kitchen to get another wine bottle instead. 

“So, does this very real, nice, human date have a name, or do you need more time to make one up?” Seungkwan asks. 

“Yn,” Jihoon says. “From work.” 

“Yn, like yn ln?” Joshua asks, returning with a very full glass. 

“Yn? Why is that name familiar?” Seungcheol asks. 

“Didn't they go to the same college as us?” Joshua asks. 

“And law school, right?” Mingyu says. Jihoon curses his friends for having such good memory and caring about his life. 

“Wait, aren’t they the person that you went to school with ever since you were kids and you said something like ‘they’d fall for an lemon if it tasted sweet enough?’” Seungkwan asks, sitting up. 

How his drunk little brain could remember that specific phrasing is a mystery to Jihoon, but he grits his teeth and says, “That was a long time ago. They’ve changed. I’ve changed.” He rolls his eyes at Seungkwan’s laugh. 

“You’re really going with this?” Joshua asks. 

“Going with what?” Jihoon asks with a sigh. “I am dating someone! I don’t know why you all find this so hard to believe!” 

“Okay, for starters, you didn’t tell us that you started seeing someone,” Joshua says. “And you also have only ever said bad things about yn.” 

“Okay, well, despite what you all apparently think, you aren’t entitled to every tiny detail of my life,” Jihoon says. “But we started dating a month ago.” The lie comes easily now, though a small part of him is screaming that this is all a mistake and he’s going to regret all of this. He pats it on the head and pushes past it looking for good things to say about you. 

“What about yn?” Mingyu asks. 

“What about them?” 

“You know, why you like them,” Mingyu says. 

Jihoon’s face curls into a scowl before he can stop it. 

“Okay, since feelings are hard for you,” Joshua says in a rather patronizing voice, “why don’t you tell us something about them? Anything.” 

“Anything?” Jihoon studies his fingers, thinking about his very short list. He can’t talk about school (Fact #1), or work (Fact #2), or even your pitiful romantic life (Fake #3), because apparently they already know about all of those. There’s no way he can talk about Fact #4, so he’s stuck scrambling to put two thoughts together while they all stare at him expectantly. 

He can see their already limited belief beginning to wane as the silence continues, so he blurts out, “Yn has terrible taste in music.” 

“Worse than you?” Seungkwan asks. 

“Shut up.” He knows that he needs to change topics before they ask who exactly you listen to and he’ll really be screwed. He thinks desperately of every time he’s seen you over the past twenty years. He remembers when the office ordered burritos, and tries to remember the color of the sauce you chose. Red, right? “They like spicy food. Like, really spicy food. And…” 

And despite all your heartbreaks and failed relationships, not only in your own life, but in negotiating divorces every other day, you still somehow believe in love. That’s probably the thing Jihoon admires most about you, but he doesn’t think he should say it now since it would (accurately) imply that he still doesn’t believe in love. 

He settles for, “they see the world differently,” because that’s basically the truth. 

Joshua takes another long sip of his wine while Mingyu lays back on the floor, breathing slowing. Seungkwan tucks his head back on Jihoon’s shoulder. It’s clear they still don’t believe him, at least not fully, but for the first time tonight, Jihoon has told the truth, and that seems to be enough to at least shut them up. 

Jihoon starts to feel claustrophobic with Seungkwan still clinging to his arm and giggling, pushing him farther into the arm of the couch. The reality of what he has said hangs over his head like a fuming storm cloud that hasn’t dropped its load yet. But it hangs low, dark and churning with lightning and thunder that warn the destruction of anyone foolish enough to get stuck below it. 

Apparently that isn’t enough to stop his mouth from saying things before he can really think it through. In his final act of this magnificently idiotic night, Jihoon adds, “And they are coming with me on Saturday. As my date.” 

Seungkwan gasps. “Seriously?” 

“Can you get another ticket?” 

“I can do anything if you are actually bringing a real live date!” He jumps off the couch, diving for his phone (Joshua catches him before he faceplants and manages to distract him from whatever drunk texting he was about to attempt). 

Jihoon is finally free to breathe, looking up at Seungcheol to find a strange look in his eyes. “Is this a good idea?” 

Jihoon almost laughs. If only he knew the half of it. But he doesn’t know, which just means that he’s looking down on Jihoon, so he shrugs. “It’s beyond time for you all to meet them.” 

Seungcheol shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. He’ll be the hardest to convince, too busy thinking he knows better than everyone. Maybe he does, but Jihoon will be damned if he admits it. 

Jihoon needs to leave before he says anything else dumb. He stands up from the couch and immediately finds himself on the floor. Mingyu. He had forgotten the tall idiot had fallen asleep right underneath his feet. Now Jihoon is on the floor next to him, listening to the rest of his friends howl with laughter while Mingyu blinks and frowns. As if he hadn’t thoroughly embarrassed himself already. 

Plus there’s the fact that he somehow needs to figure out how to actually ask you to be his fake date for the indefinite future.

Yeah, Jihoon is pretty much screwed.

[its-an-obsession]

Behind A Wall

Stranger Things Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Summary: Being Dustin's older sister has its pros and cons, but one of those cons was his persistence in offering you up for dates. Which mainly consisted of Dustin trying to get you a date with Steve, but unbeknownst to your brother, you and Steve started dating in secret. The two of you planned to tell Dustin differently, but that plan certainly changed.

Notes: Y/F/F - Your Favorite Flavor

Warnings: None

Steve Harrington x-reader

(Third Person View)

Steve set the kitchen table, putting down a few bowls of snacks. Dustin and his friends were hanging out that afternoon. "I don't want to complicate things," Steve said. Y/N looked away from the sinK.

"Why would it complicate things?" she asked. Steve stepped away from the table, the silverware still in his hands. "I dunno. Dustin and his buddies have a routine with their DND thing. I don't want to throw off their game," Steve set his hands on his hips.

Y/N raised her brows, pressing her lips into a thin line. Steve watched her expression change. "If anything, I think they'd enjoy someone there other than just me," Y/N said. Steve walked over to her, dropping the extra silverware into a drawer.

He leaned against the counter beside her as she cleaned some plates. "Do I need to play a character, or..." his sentence trailed. "No. You can just stand there and look pretty," Y/N patted him on the shoulder, stepping away from the sink. His mouth dropped, following her with his eyes.

Steve set a hand on her waist, bringing her back to him. "Sit there and look pretty?" he questioned. Steve quirked a brow, playing with the frayed edges of her sweater's hem.

She shivered when his fingers brushed against her skin. "Hey," Y/N grabbed her wrist, "Dustin is just behind that wall." Steve ignored her sentence and leaned down to Y/N's level. He kissed Y/N but pulled away when Dustin's footsteps could be heard.

"Cheetos!" he exclaimed.

Dustin ran over to the table, grabbing a handful from the plastic bowl. "Those are for you and your friends," Y/N said. She took the bowl off of the kitchen table before he could get more. "Then why set them out?" Dustin retorted.

He reached for the bowl again, but Y/N pulled it away from his greedy hands. "Because we're getting ready for your friends to arrive," Y/N answered. Dustin groaned. His 'tantrum' stopped, and he jumped onto the couch. Steve winked at Y/N, joining her younger brother in the living room.

________

(Later That Night - Y/N's Point of View)

Me and Steve sat in the living room, listening to the boys play their game. They had already eaten half the snacks. We had to refill most of the bowls a million times, reminding them not to eat everything at once.

"Dustin! Why the hell would you do that?" Lucas shouted. "I was cornered, Lucas!" my brother responded, putting emphasis on his friend's name. Their argument fizzled out and the game continued. "Is it always like this?" Steve whispered. "Pretty much, yeah. You should see what they're like on a Friday night," I replied.

My boyfriend slowly nodded and looked back at the television, playing our favorite movie. Steve put an arm around my shoulder, keeping me at his side so my head rested against his chest.

Thankfully, the living room was blocked by a wall. Or else Dustin, and his friends, would get suspicious if he saw me and Steve. I looked at Steve to see his eyes were already on me. Steve reached a hand up, bringing my face close to his. Our soft kiss shaped into a heated one.

"Steve," I muttered. "What?" Steve replied, the corners of his lips turning up. His hands remained on my waist, with mine on his shoulders. The boys were still arguing every once in a while. Then I heard, "Dustin, stop!" and an "Oh shit! Not again." Mike left the table and headed over to the living room.

Steve groaned at our interrupted moment and sat back. His hand rested beside my leg. I could tell he wanted to break the long gap between us but, for obvious reasons, didn't. "Dustin got his hand stuck in the Pringles can again," Mike's shoulders dropped.

I sighed and got up from the couch. Steve followed after me. "How'd he do it this time?" I asked. "He wasn't paying attention and didn't realize there was one pringle left, and next thing you know, his hand is stuck," Mike explained. I withheld my laugh when I saw Dustin standing there with one arm swallowed up by the container.

He waved to me with a hand in the red Pringle can. I gave him a small smile and ushered him over to the trashcan. "Dude, you gotta stop getting your hand stuck in things," Steve said. "I wasn't looking to get my hand stuck tonight. It just happened," my brother answered.

Mike had to hit Lucas' side to prevent him from making a joke. After a few times of just tugging the can off, nothing happened. We moved over to the kitchen counter. I decided to try and cut the end off to see if that would help.

"No, you are not getting that knife near my hand," Dustin shot me a pointed glare. "How else are we going to get it off? Because, clearly, pulling it isn't doing anything," Lucas said.

My brother huffed and waved for me to do it. He scrunched up his fist, and I started to cut the end off where his hand wasn't. Dustin kept his eyes squeezed shut. "Oops," Steve spoke. "What? What?" Dustin asked frantically, his eyes opening.

"Nothing. Just wanted to see your reaction," Steve stated. Dustin hit Steve on the head, earning a glare from Steve. Once the part was fully off, my brother was able to free his hand from the can's grasp.

Dustin sighed in relief. He rubbed where the can once was. There were already some red marks on his wrist. "I'd say we will not be having any pringles for a while," I said, throwing the can away. Dustin nodded in agreement and joined his friends back at the table.

________

(The Next Day)

Dustin sat in the driver's seat as I drove him to Mike's house. He leaned his head against the window, playing with the strap of his backpack. "What about Steve?" my brother turned to me. I glanced away from the road to look at Dustin. "What?" I replied. "What about Steve?" he repeated his question.

For the past few minutes, Dustin had been listing off future boyfriends for me. The first was Tommy which was never an option, then Eddie which wasn't that bad, a few choices later, was finally Steve.

"I heard you the first time," I said, "And Steve and I are just friends."

He looked at me questionably. Dustin wore that same expression he often put on. He turned to me in his seat when I stopped at a red light. "Just friends, my ass," he sighed in annoyance, "You're just lying to yourself. You guys clearly, like each other."

"Then why list all of the other guys?" I questioned. He shrugged and went back to playing with his backpack. I turned down another street, pulling into the Wheeler's neighborhood. "I think Steve is a perfect candidate," Dustin suggested, "The two of you already act like a married couple. You'd be perfect."

Dustin finished his statement and stepped out of the car. He grabbed his bike from the back of my car since he was riding home with Lucas. I waved to Mike as he stood on his front porch.

Some portion of me thought that Dustin already knew about my relationship with Steve. I mean, I thought we had hidden it pretty well. However, Dustin was pretty observant. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he found out unexpectedly. I pulled into the Family Video parking lot.

"Hey, Y/N!" Robin greeted, "Steve's in the back." She pointed behind her. I gave her a thumbs up, going through the small door.

"You're here," Steve said in a cheery tone. I kissed him on the cheek, grabbing my green vest from my locker. "Guess what Dustin talked about the whole way to Mike's?" I said, fixing the pins on the sleeve. "What?" he replied.

Steve set a box of new movies on the shelf, carrying another one to the table. I clocked in while he organized some labels. "Y/N, you should date Tommy. Or Eddie," I continued, "Oh, and Steve. You two would make a great couple."

He smiled to himself as he leaned against the table, his arms at his side. "Dustin is so insistent on mentioning you every time. I'm convinced he knows about us," I chuckled, setting my purse and jacket in my locker. My back faced Steve, causing me to not see his expression alter. "So, I was thi-" I stopped when I saw him.

Steve smiled guiltily. I looked at him very confused but caught on to what was going on. Steve dodged my arm so I couldn't hit him.

"I didn't specifically say it was you. Dustin was trying to set me up, and I said I was already dating a special person," Steve explained, "I went on this whole thing about how amazingly perfect she....you are."

He waved in my direction before running a hand through his hair. I walked over and stood beside him. "Maybe he won't figure it out," Steve shrugged. "Hopefully not, because I'd hate for him to discover it through your frantic nature," I said, earning a nudge from him.

I smiled when Steve kissed me on the forehead. We waited for a few seconds to join Robin. She gave me the rundown of what Keith, our manager, wanted us to do during our shift.

_________

(Later)

Dustin kicked the ball over to me, laughing when it went a little too far back. I responded with a look and practically launched the soccer ball at him. "Seriously?" Dustin replied. He ran over to the other side of the yard. He threw the ball at me despite the rules of soccer: not using your hands. "That's not how you play," I pointed at him.

He rolled his eyes and dropped the black and white ball, stopping it from rolling with his foot. "Hey, Dustin! Orange, Grape, or Y/F/F?" Steve yelled, walking out with two popsicles in hand. "Orange," Dustin replied. Steve handed him the flavor and then another one for me, keeping the Grape one for himself.

Steve walked back inside to grab some napkins and water. Dustin and I continued passing the ball back and forth. "Y/N, can I tell you something?" my brother said. "Sure thing, bud," I caught the ball when it landed on my side of the yard. He took a bite of his popsicle.

Dustin walked over to the bench and sat down. I joined him, noticing his change in attitude. "Everything okay, Dustin?" I lightly tapped his knee. "I think Steve's already dating someone. And I know how much you like him," he said, "We were talking yesterday."

I could tell he was disappointed. His shoulders fell as he ate his frozen treat. His eyes remained on the grass despite me trying to get him to look up. "It's okay," I reassured, rubbing his shoulder in a reassuring tone. Steve walked out with some water bottles and napkins.

His brown eyes trailed over to Dustin's shrunken shoulders. "Did you kick him in the nose with the ball again?" Steve stood in front of us. I shook my head. Steve sat down on the other side of Dustin and handed my brother a napkin. I took my water bottle from Steve.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked. Dustin let out a heavy sigh and made direct eye contact with my boyfriend. "Why aren't you dating Y/N? I mean, she's perfect for you, man," Dustin spoke, "I get that she's weird in all, but she's pretty cool." Steve and myself were taken aback by Dustin's sudden statement.

Steve and I shared a look before glancing down at Dustin. I gave Steve the okay and let him know that he could tell Dustin. "Bud, that girl that I was talking about last night," Steve said.

Dustin nodded, glancing up at Steve. Steve sighed and sat up in his spot. "Your sister is that girl. Y/N and I together," Steve confessed. His smile grew at the end of his statement. I smiled as well. Dustin looked at me and then to Steve.

"Oh, thank god," he sighed in relief.

Taglist: @b-ritney @ramaalkayyali @midnightstar-90 @nix-rose

[queerlilchinchin]

Nancy Drewski *

*name pending - it's more a joke than her actual name but it's a fun little temp name for the time being ;)

A 34 year-old famous psychic... of food only!?

Nancy D. is a psychic who can take one look and smell of food and can tell you 1. whether or not you'd like it (just by looking at you), 2. how much it would be worth were you to sell it and 3. What all it's made of.

Luci the deviless meets her at a small mom and pop shop that Luci adores that Nancy helps to get off the ground with her food blog that she uses to help elevate good restaurants and take down bad ones (aka she's a food critic on the side).

They met and Luci became enamored (platonically) by her. She immediately started following all of her socials and became her biggest fan. She would invite her to dinners as often as she could... much to her favorite chef's dismay.

Nancy isn't as much a fan of Luci as the little devil is of her. She's a cool fellow foodie but she doesn't consider her her best friend, necessarily. She's more someone that she can go out and have food with when she doesn't want to eat alone.

... and the Chef demon hates her. As a sassy and sarcastic young woman, Nancy has said many things that have upset him. She knows he has a thing for the young devil and likes to poke at this knowledge every chance she gets. Thankfully for him, the deviless is totally oblivious still to his feelings - so he gets to confess on his own terms (not that that'll ever happen), but she still likes to antagonize him and it drives him mad. Funny enough, as much as he hates her, she really isn't fond of him either. She finds that he wastes his talent, only cooking for Luci and finds him hiding his talent away only for one person to be awfully selfish.

As a person with so many amazing talents centered around food, restaurant owner wannabees and baker wannabees often come to her for advice and to see if they'd make it before they actually start their work. She puts a lot of her psychic profits back into the startups she really believes in and likes.

She is a side character to If Luci Was a Foodie, being just a woman that Luci's obsessed with and drives the chef up a wall, but she's definitely a character that I look forward to playing more with.

And best of all, she's inspired by a trait of my roommate's that annoys the shit out of me. At least some good comes of it.

As per requested, tagging @lordkingsmith :) I hope you like her as much as I think you will.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Day 13 -- Glory

The (nsfw) details for Kinktober 2023, Day 13 are just below the cut!

Minors, please don’t interact.

Praise with Glory x F!Reader

I. Love. Glory.

She's just the absolute coolest character, I swear-- I hope this does her any justice at all, since I think I may have been slightly dead when writing this one 😅

I hope y'all like it though!

Here is the link to my  Kinktober 2023 Event List so you can stay up-to-date, or re-visit these works as you please.

Included: Praise, marking, oral sex, cunnilingus, slight orgasm control/denial, pleading, a lil bit of overstimulation, voice kink, aftercare, reassurance.

Words: 1.3k

--

“Seein’ you like this, babe…” Glory’s tongue dragged over her bottom lip, swiping at your glistening mess like it was the sweetest syrup. “Just makes it all worthwhile, you know?” 

A groan left you at the sight of her between your legs, at the warm feel of her mouth, at the matching bliss of her words. Glory knew you were in a delicate state, that the mission had been... well, failure was the understatement of a lifetime, but it just... Had gone about as wrong as a mission could go. Due to that fact, your partner was being excessively kind and overly tender towards you; but even so, even knowing her play, her words made your chest feel tight. 

“Stoooop.” You whined, closing your eyes tightly together as she laved over your center again, as her thumb carried on its incessant twirling over your over-sensitive clit. 

“Can’t. You sound too good.” 

The bucking of your hips nearly displaced her where she leaned over your thighs, utterly buried in your soaked folds. Another press of her hot tongue against your entrance, and you were gasping at the closeness of your release. 

“Mmm, taste good too.” 

“Please, Glory…” 

Your sore fingers clasped with an iron grip over the thin bedroll beneath you as she paid your pleas no mind at all, overwhelming you with stubborn ecstasy.

The abandoned bunker’s walls were thick enough, thankfully, for your cries and moans not to be noticed by any… undesirables that might be roaming about, but still, much to Glory’s delight, your sounds echoed off the concrete in various directions, filling her wanton ears from every side, every angle. 

“Keep saying my name, baby. Sounds so damn beautiful leaving you.” 

You could feel the breath from her command spilling over your slickness as she delved into you again, setting those plush lips over your clit and giving a hefty suck that had your eyes crossing below your lids. 

“Fuck, Glory.” 

Small sobs were escaping your chest unwillingly now, sweat dripping from your forehead, your muscles clenching and unclenching with each wave of pleasure that was washing throughout your body. An answering moan left the synth as she heard the way her name left you, all breathy and lustful, brimming with desperation. 

She was as merciless in the privacy of your presence as she was out in the field, a woman possessed with the urge to subdue her lover as well as her enemies, and just like them, she left you gasping and begging for mercy all the same. 

Glory’s fingers dug into your skin as you writhed against her attentions, surely leaving blue and purple marks in their forceful wake. 

“Shit, Glory… you’re insatiable.” You almost had to laugh out the words as your climbing pleasure threatened to reach a crescendo for the... third or fourth time this evening? You were quickly losing count. 

Glory did, in fact, release a breathy laugh of her own in response, before rudely pulling away. 

“Don’t you know it, baby.” 

You nearly whined at the loss of her warm mouth caressing your dripping folds, but her thumb continued its fervent swirling over your sensitive, swollen bud, and so you remained, teetering on the precipice of your release. Your body was so tense, you could feel the ache of your muscles cramping below your skin, could feel the way your blood rushed through your veins in an effort to supply your body with the oxygen it needed to support this great climax that had only been building, building, building throughout the long night, with nowhere to go. 

“Don’t get a reputation like mine by being passive.” Glory whispered to your skin, setting her smooth lips over one hip bone before her sharp teeth followed. You could tell how she reveled in the gasp you released at the hint of pain, her fingers clenching at you, pressing harder into all your sensitive spots; some from quickly-forming bruises, others from her continuous attentions over the course of the seemingly endless evening.

It only encouraged her. 

Another love bite pressed to your skin beside the first, before her lips trailed lower, the pressure now setting over the inside of one of your clenching thighs. 

Your breaths built up, coming in feverish gasps as her fingers worked over your clit, as she bit and sucked against you again, causing a distinct mix of pain and pleasure to surge through you and into your addled mind. One peek down at her as your eyes forced themselves open, and that was finally it. 

Glory’s wild expression, the way those stark eyes bled into yours, brimming with overwhelming arousal, the way her lips glistened and her light hair fell in sweat-soaked strands over her forehead– you were gone. 

Your hips bucked against the pressure of her, unconsciously jamming your pulsing clit into the contact of her rough, firm hands. Glory still didn’t relent. 

Her fingers worked you through your climax, her mouth lewdly pressing to your lower lips again, to catch everything you poured out onto her with an expression of relieved delight. 

“Glory…” You sighed as the pressure slowly faded, as your orgasm trickled out of your drained muscles, as the colors behind your eyelids dulled to that natural black and you finally settled like a tired sack of gravel on the bedroll. 

“Enough, please… Can't take it.” Your voice was so weak, it’d be a wonder if she even heard your plea, but thankfully, your lover slowed her attentions, pulling the grip of her hands away from your skin as she gave one final, savoring lick. 

“If you insist.” The reluctance was plain in her voice, as Glory pulled away fully, and crawled up the bed to plop down beside you. Strong arms wrapped around your body as you felt the post-orgasm fatigue set in, and pulled you firmly into her chest. Her grasp was a warm blanket around you, the folds of it cocooning your body inside, supporting you from every angle. 

It was the epitome of comfort, of safety from the cruel outside world, from your even crueler thoughts, that she’d miraculously managed to keep at bay all through the night. 

Until now. 

“You were kick-ass, babe.” Glory’s own tired voice filled the quiet, interrupting the thoughts that had begun to whisper at the edges of your mind.

“I hardly did anything.” A weak chuckle escaped you, your body jostling her all-encompassing hold.

“You didn’t even have to.” Glory’s arms squeezed around you all the tighter, threatening suffocation, “That’s just how kick-ass you are.” 

You meant to hum out your uncertainty at that, but her pressure meant only a sound akin to a groan could feasibly escape. 

“And I wasn't just talking about tonight, lovebird.” Her grip loosened a bit, and you felt a gentle kiss press to the top of your head. “Because you’re right, I did do most of the work, but… That mission–” 

You scoffed at that without even realizing.

“Hey.” Glory’s hand was on your chin in half a second, pulling your unconvinced gaze up to meet her firm one. “That mission wasn’t your damn fault, okay? You did everything you could, followed all the protocols, only made contact where absolutely necessary, and the Institute just… They were prepared. They had an inside man we weren’t anticipating, and you helped flush him out. Without you, we may never have found where he was operating out of.” 

“But that synth… N4-17… I failed her.” 

Glory sighed at that, sudden exhaustion ruling her expression. 

“Sometimes… we can do everything right, Sole. And still, we can’t save everyone.” 

Her grip tightened on you again, this time reassuring, brimming with empathy and a love you felt undeserving of. 

“It’s just how it is in our line of work. We aim to do good, but in this world? That’s harder than most anything else.”