#the second time I might have left it out of the fridge so that might be on me

[ifeelfreewithoutmyshoes]

I’ve lost another carton of milk??? Wtf

[peachesofteal]

Through Me (The Flood) - secret baby fic Simon Riley / female reader

Simon's short term rental is almost claustrophobic.

He tries to stay out of it, tries to keep himself busy. Active. After a week since you asked him to go home, to give you some space, he noticed he's lost weight. The thick of his ribs, his stomach, his thighs, has thinned out, cutting his bulk, exposing more muscle.

The grief feels more fresh than it has in years. Talking to you, telling you, has dredged up long buried things, agony and regret, pain that steals his breath and leaves him paralyzed. He forces himself not to think of it, but it still finds a way to creep in. To make him feel torn apart, turns him into a ghost.

He walks a lot. Walks to the store. Walks to the pub. Walks to the park. Sometimes he sits on the bench and watches mums push their buggies, wondering if it's something you might enjoy, if you were feeling better. Wishing he had made more of an effort to get you out of the flat, into the sunshine.

He's still walking to your building at night, standing under the tree, watching the lights flicker on and off. Your windows stay lit longer now, periods of sleep more infrequent, leaving him to worry that you're not getting enough rest, not taking care of yourself.

He walked all morning into early afternoon today. Tried to quell the nausea swirling in his stomach, tried not to watch the clock, or count the seconds. Tried to brace himself for the bittersweet he knew was coming.

>Hey, I'm going to be leaving pretty soon for work, and could be gone for a while. Could I see Orion before I go? Spend some time with him?

>Sure.

Your reply still rings in his ears. Short. Torturous.

But he doesn't blame you. He did it the wrong way. You have a child, his child, to protect, to take care of. Of course, you should be concerned. Maybe he should have found a better way to tell you. Maybe he shouldn't have told you at all.

A large part of him, the instinctual part, considered refusing you, when you asked him to give you some time, and he still hasn't made a decision about what he will do in the long run.

It would be so easy, to hide you away. To take you in the middle of the night, wake you up in a brand new home, high in hill, in a whole new country across a border.

When the knock on his door finally comes, he crams the overflow of emotion coursing through his heart into a teeny tiny box, and prays he'll be able to keep a lid on it.

"Hey." Orion turns in your grip, looking for Simon's voice, and you smother a wince at the shift in his weight.

"Hi." You look through him. Past him. To the left of his elbow, at his shoulder, the floor. Anywhere but his eyes.

"Thanks for letting me spend some time with him." Your lips go flat, but you shuffle the baby into his arms, managing to avoid skin to skin contact. It makes his stomach hurt worse than it already did.

"Of course, you're... you're his dad." You peek around him, trying to get a better look of the flat. "Do you uh, have stuff for him?"

"I went to the store."

"Okay. Well, good." You hand him the bag next. "I wasn't sure what you had so there are a few changes of clothes in there, just in case, and some bottles. They should probably go in the fridge. Diapers, some toys. Just in case... I didn't want.... I wanted you to have everything you might need." It's thoughtful of you, and he wants to smile, but you won't look at him.

"Thank you." You nod.

"Alright well, I'll come pick him up later? Just text me I guess, when you're ready. Hopefully he'll take a bottle."

"I can bring him-"

"No, that's okay." you cut him off sharply, shaking your head. He frowns.

"Why not?"

"I- I don't mind, coming by to get him."

"But if it's dark..."

"I can manage." You snap, and he purses his lips, but says nothing.

"Alright well, see you later then." You make some noncommittal noise, and then step closer, mouth pressing to Orion's cheek.

"Bye baby, love you." You finally look up at him, really look, and he holds his breath when he sees it all in your eyes. Pain. Confusion. Worry.

He did that.

The evening goes too fast. He manages to get Ry to nap, and drink over half a bottle, a huge win, but spends most of the time just holding him, walking him in circles in his flat, trying to memorize the feeling of his baby in his arms. He's fussier than usual, crying anytime Simon tries to put him down, which he doesn't mind, but concerns him. Is he like this at home, with you? Is this why you've been up more at night?

Still, it's over too soon, and when you're knocking on the door again, he stands on the other side a few seconds too long, wishing he had more time.

He's always wishing he had more time.

"How was he?"

"Good. More fussy than usual, but I got him to take most of a bottle. Is he doing alright?"

"He's been like this, the past few days. He's either going through a growth spurt, or developing some late colic. I hope it's the growth spurt." Oh no.

"Well, I'm here if you need anything. If you want me to take him at all." You nod.

"When uh... when are you leaving?"

"Two weeks or so. Once the guys get back, they'll have a few days debrief and then... we'll be off."

"Okay, well. Just let me know, when you want him again?"

"I will." He kisses Orion's cheek, whispering in his ear how much he loves him, before passing him to you. You have to reposition your posture to support his weight, and he winces. "Are you okay?" You blink at him, skeptical and surprised.

"I'm great Simon. Really peachy."

"Look, I know I really sprung-"

"Sprung? Is that what you're calling that? Simon... you blindsided me. You... you-" He holds up his hands.

"I'm much more careful now. I've learned a lot of hard lessons, and I would never, ever allow anything to happen to you or Orion." His shoulders slump, and he drops his eyes to the floor. Ashamed. Grief trying to work its way, trying to break him down just as it has all these years before. "I've learned from my mistakes." There's a long, uncomfortable since between the two of you, one that Orion fills with fussing, and then your voice cracks.

"Simon, that wasn't your fault.... I'm not... I'm not upset about... that. Or anything, that happened to you. I mean, I'm upset but not at you for that..." You take a deep breath. "I am upset for you, that those things happened to you, that you've been through such trauma, such horrible things." Tears wet your cheeks, but he doesn't move. Doesn't breathe. "I would never hold that against you. I'm upset about your job. And the danger it puts us in. I'm upset that I didn't know that you'd been gone for weeks, possibly months at a time. I'm upset that you promised me you'd be here, and then never mentioned the super secret task force that will... take you away from us." Orion cries, and you bounce him back and forth, finally looking Simon dead in the eye, facing him head on. "It feels like you've been lying to me, for weeks now. I thought we were in this, together, that we were- we were building something, together. Now it just feels like... I could lose you at any second instead. That Orion could lose his father, grow up without you." The last word rips from your lips in a sob, and you shake your head as he steps close.

"You will never lose me. Do you understand? That will never happen." He vows it, swears it, forces it out into the universe as a covenant, but you only shake your head again, sadly.

"You can't promise that."

[charliemwrites]

Woo woo woo snarf

Content: Privacy Invasion, Voyeurism, Possessive Behavior, Non-Con Touching, Dirty Talk

Things have been… wrong around the house. It’s been a slow escalation, a proverbial boiling of the frog. Glasses in the dish washer when you thought you left them in the sink. Blankets you left in a heap neatly folded. Food missing from the fridge and misplaced laundry.

Things you could write off as forgetfulness, as thoughtless habits borne of living alone for so long.

That is… until the t-shirt. It’s very clearly a man’s. Just… a white undershirt. But it’s not your size and smells unfamiliar even after a wash with your own clothes - like cologne or aftershave. Masculine.

Until the boot prints in the snow outside your house, still just visible even after Johnny unknowingly bounds through it.

Your mind scrambles to excuse it.

The t-shirt could be your ex’s. You did just pull out the winter gear; it could be left over from last year, something you didn’t manage to weed out. (Even if it smells nothing like your ex. Smells…. better.)

And you’re not far from some pretty popular hiking trails. Hikers sometimes pass through your yard. (Thought they never come that close to the house…. especially not since you got Johnny)

Johnny’s the only reason you haven’t gone full paranoid. He’s so protective, you can’t imagine anyone getting close to, never mind in, the house without him making a huge, bloody fuss.

Probably just cabin fever, you tell yourself. You need to go out more. Reach out to the friends you don’t see enough.

Johnny seems restless the first time you start dressing for a night out. You soothe him with a big hug.

“I’m just going to see Sarah and Mel. You like them, baby.” His ears perk, head tilting at the familiar names. You smile and press a kiss to the very top of his nose. “Next time I’ll have them come see you.”

When you come home, he’s torn up your favorite “date night” dress. You groan and scold him, but still allow him to plaster himself to your side when you climb into bed.

The next time you go out with them, you see a semi-familiar face in the little low-key bar. Soap. Can’t believe you remember his name months later, but then again he’s difficult to forget. Seared into your mind like a warning and a temptation. End up staring at him a little too hard, shocked to see him in the bar you and your friends have picked.

When he catches you looking, he grins like you’re an old friend, tips his head and his beer with a wink. Your friends notice, encourage you to say hi. But you wave them off, blushing, and they understand your introversion enough not to push.

He still manages to corner you when you go to the restroom. (Alone, for fucks sake. You should know better). All you see is a shadow in the hall, backlit by the bar. When you shift closer to the wall to let them pass, they turn and nearly pin you.

“Fancy seein’ you again,” a deep Scottish brogue rumbles. Too close to your ear; the bar music isn’t nearly loud enough to excuse it. “Out with your sister again?”

It takes you a second to recover, a bit shocked that he really does remember you. And far, far too aware of how close he’s standing, the heat of his body seeping into you.

“A couple friends, actually.”

“Still no boyfriend, eh? That pup o’ yours still a maneater like his owner?”

Your mouth drops open, offended and befuddled in equal measures.

“Wha— well, yes, he is. Not that it’s any of your business.”

He chuckles, eyes twinkling in the shadows. Amused and just a touch condescending. Your face floods with heat as he braces his arm on the wall above your head. He smells good, too good. Familiar?

“Prefer pussy m’self,” he says, “but most animals love me. Bet I could win you both over.”

You make an audible “agh!” noise, embarrassed by the crassness.

“Who says that?!” you protest.

He keeps talking, like you’ve said nothing at all.

“Promise I’d get your kitty purrin’ nice and loud if I pet ‘er,” he says, voice low and rough. “Play with ‘er all sweet like. Might even give ‘er a little kiss…”

The alcohol and having your friends nearby makes you brave.

“Not on your life.”

Again, he chuckles, fingers of his other hand skimming your side.

“Never say never, hen.”

You bite back a telling gasp. God it’s been way too long if you’re getting keyed up by this creep barely touching you.

It’s only because he’s sinfully hot and your pussy is a shallow bitch, you tell yourself.

“My friends are missing me,” you say, trying to extricate yourself.

He hums, steps closer before you can wriggle away, nearly pancaking you to the wall.

“I’m missing you.”

“You don’t know me enough to miss me,” you snort and push against his chest. He’s thick. Firm with conditioned muscle, broader than you realized in the dim - nearly dark - hall by the bathroom. If he didn’t want to move, you couldn’t make him.

But he finally relents, sidling a step back.

“Give me a chance to? Here.”

You don’t know where he gets a pen from, and he moves far too fast for you to stop before he’s tugging your shirt aside. You don’t know where he got a marker from but you feel the rough drag of it across your collarbone, the sting of it in your nose.

“Call me sometime and I’ll make good on my offer.”

He caps the pen, drops a kiss on your cheek like it’s his right, and swagger off - presumably to the restroom.

You scurry back your table, careful to hide whatever he wrote on your skin. It feels like it burns for the rest of the night until you get home.

Johnny greets you at the door with a huge canine smile. Again, focusing on all the spots where soap touched you. Unlike his usual reaction to the scent of unfamiliar men lingering on you, Johnny’s tail wags. You huff.

“Don’t you dare prove him right,” you huff, sidestepping your overgrown teddy bear to go to the bathroom. Your tug your shirt aside and stare at the phone number scrawled across your skin. There’s even a cheeky little heart at the end.

Johnny’s followed you, per usual, and you meet his eyes seriously.

“I know I told you that you’re only allowed to bite my ex….. but I might make an exception for a little nip.”

Johnny tilts his head as you begin stripping down, grumbling under your breath.

“Men like him shouldn’t be allowed to know how attractive they are. It’s fucking criminal.”

You start up the shower, about to step in, only for Johnny to start whining and crying. So loud and raucous that you almost think he’s been injured somehow. But no, he just staring up at you mournfully, ears back and tail down.

“Big baby,” you mock-scold, “what’s the matter, huh? You need me to keep you company while you potty?”

Johnny just keeps whining and crying so you roll your eyes and climb in, ignoring how he goes up in pitch. You scrub at the phone number aggressively, but even then the permanent marker has soaked into your skin and left a stain.

“Mother fucker…” you can barely hear yourself over Johnny. You finish up and whip the curtain open, hands on your hips. It must startle him because he pauses to stare.

“It’s a lot, bud. A lot,” you scold. “Too much, even.”

He subsides with one last grumble and seems to sulk for the rest of the night. Won’t even let himself be bribed with a treat. When you climb into bed with him, he faces away from you (even though he’s still plastered to your side).

“So dramatic,” you sigh affectionately, burying your face in his coat. He smells like pine. “It’s okay, though, big guy. You’re still the only one for me.”

In the morning, you find Soap’s number scrawled on a sticky note. Huh, you must have been a little tipsier than you thought.

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Masterlist

[chrisevansonly]

𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝐝𝐚𝐝!𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: there is a new little norris in town, and lando is absolutely smitten

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: mentions of childbirth, fluffy dad lando!

𝐚/𝐧: once again i’m sorry for taking so long and for this being shitty and small, i hope you enjoy regardless lol <3

🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸

The house was quiet, the only sound that could be heard was suits playing softy on the tv, Lando had run out to grab a few things for dinner, of course picking up some home cooked meals for the two of you to enjoy over the next few weeks.

Sleeping soundly on your chest was 3 day old baby Poppy Norris, all 6 pounds of her, swaddled up in a quadrant blanket, a gift from Ria a few weeks ago, more of a gag of course but the blanket itself was so fuzzy: perfect for the newborn baby girl.

Your hands held her gently to your chest as you were propped up in the corner of the couch, last night Lando had done the night shift with Poppy which had allowed you to get an entire nights sleep, something you were so grateful for.

The birth experience for you had been pretty straight forward, but it had left you sore and exhausted, Lando doing his absolute best to help in any way he could, no matter what.

After a little while, the front door closed softly, your husband peaking into the living room, a smile on his face as he saw the two of you cuddled up together

“Hi my angels”

“Hi my love, how was your outing?” you responded softly, sending him a smile back

“It was good, mum and dad say hi, they’re gonna stop by tomorrow if that’s alright?”

You nodded, looking down when Poppy made a noise

“Oh did you hear your daddy’s voice? You wanna take her baby, i’ll put the food away?”

Lando’s eyes lit up, he was so enamoured with his little angel, the second he laid eyes on her he knew he would do anything and everything to keep her happy and protected as long as he’d be around.

She was his everything.

He was quick to come over, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips before gently lifting the little baby from your chest, cradling her head gently before settling her into his arms, grabbing the blanket from you to cover her when you got up.

“My pretty pretty girl..” He said softly, kissing her cheeks gently

“Aww so happy to be in daddy’s arms…” you cooed, watching as her eyes blinked up at Lando

She was his carbon copy, from his eyes to his nose, the two of them were twins and you knew she’d inherit his beautiful curls too.

“Will she need to be fed soon?”

After kissing her cheek softly you placed a hand on his back, rubbing up and down gently

“She might, I’ve made a bottle for her it’s in the fridge”

It made feedings easier when you’d decided to breastfeed and bottle feed, Lando loving having his skin on skin time with her when she ate, her fingers would grasp onto his hand tightly, eyes always watching his.

“Perfect, you know you could just leave the food and I’ll do it after?”

Quick to shake your head you kissed him gently

“I don’t mind my love, I feel nice and rested today, thank you for last night…go enjoy some cuddles”

Lando wouldn’t argue with that, doing exactly as he was told, only this time settling down in the rocking chair by the fireplace. Taking one last peak at the two of them you couldn’t help but take a few photos of them. Lando beginning to hum softly to her.

There was no better feeling than this right now, having your perfect little family and your beautiful home, life couldn’t get any better…

[innocent-artery]

Two Doors Down

2.5k words

Summary: Your vibrator dies mid-session, so your roommate offers to help you out.

Pairing: Roommate!Bucky Barnes x reader

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, extensive warnings will not be given. This story includes sexually explicit material, reader discretion advised.

While listening, I recommend listening to enemies to lovers, a spotify playlist by me!

~

"God fucking damn it!"

Your frustrated curse echoed off the walls of your bedroom, followed by a dull thump of your vibrator falling on the mattress. You sat up begrudgingly and flopped over the bed, reaching for the charger and plugging in the toy.

You huffed, sitting on the bed for a few moments before tugging your shorts back on and standing, leaving your bedroom to go explore the great unknown: your apartment.

The sound of the television was more audible when your door opened, the white and blue lights from the TV tinting the entire living room and kitchen area in a cold glow. While your eyes needed a second to adjust to the change from the dim, warm light of your room, Bucky, your roommate, was staring blankly at the television, listening to the newscaster droning on while sifting through a bowl of cereal with a spoon.

You didn't greet him, despite the tiny alarm in your head telling you it was bad manners. You stomped past him, headed for the fridge to find leftover pasta. Once a bowl was heated up, you stomped around over to the couch, flopping down beside him.

Bucky raised a brow. "You doin' alright?" He asked through a mouthful of cereal.

"Yeah."

"Then stop stabbing your pasta."

You looked down to see your fork digging into the bottom of the bowl, spearing through the noodles with more aggression than was necessary.

"I'm fine."

"Wanna tell me?"

Your mind raced just at the thought of his suggestion. "No. Nothing's wrong."

"Ah." He turned back to the television, one leg crossing over the other. "Thought it might have somethin' to do with your vibrator dying on you."

You nearly choked, head whipping around to watch him incredulously. "How-"

"TV ain't on that loud." He snorted.

You buried your face in your palms, cheeks warm. Bucky only laughed at your mortification.

"Hey, it's all good." Bucky waved a hand in dismissal, you caught it as you lifted your head. Your gaze somehow got stuck on it, specifically, his fingers. The thought of them on you made the heat in between your legs flare up again. You could practically feel them tilting your chin up, tugging your hips closer, prodding into your cunt...

Bucky seemed to notice your sudden interest, looking between your eyes to his hand and back with curiosity. He let out a soft 'ah', a grin of delight splitting his face. When you finally clocked in on his understanding, silent but knowing, you looked down in what was definitely the least subtle way possible.

"Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I can't remember a time when hands didn't get the job done."

That didn't help your embarrassment, and for some reason you continued the conversation. "Well, I can't get the right angle..."

Bucky exhaled, passing his tongue over his teeth. "Tell me to shut up if I've got the wrong idea. But I have hands." You peeked out from your hands. He wiggled his metal fingers slowly as if to prove the obvious. "I think you've noticed."

All of the thoughts you'd wrestled with moments ago came flooding in again. Sparks of excitement shot down your belly, and you swore your heartrate doubled.

You attempted to keep an even voice, but nonchalance definitely escaped you for the timebeing. "So... what's your point?"

You were terrified you might have misread the situation. That this excitement would die down and you'd be left wanting him. You needed him to tell you.

"My point is," Bucky uncrossed his legs, turning to face you and leaning forward. "That I'm offering to do what your vibrator can't."

You were shivering with excitement, voice shaking as you sighed,

"Please."

Bucky stood slowly, pushing off of the couch with his hands. His gaze was fixated on you, bordering on ravenous as he eyed you up and down. He relished the way your eyes followed his, and as a result, when he finally towered over you, he was met with a sight that made his cock throb.

You could feel your head turning cloudy, anticipation bubbling in your stomach as you peered up at Bucky. A single, metal hand came up to your chin, stroking slowly over the bone. Your eyes fluttered, leaning into his touch.

"Poor thing." Bucky tutted, shaking your head side to side a bit. "So pitiful. Can't even get off right, needs a toy to get the job done."

You whimpered when he used his grip on your jaw to make you nod yes.

"Shh, you're okay. 'M right here, gonna take good care of you. Yeah?"

"Yeah," you replied weakly.

"Good." Bucky let go of your face, opting to sit on the couch instead, legs spread wide. He patted one of his thighs, gesturing with the other. "C'mon, take a seat."

You crawled over him, hands resting on his shoulders tentatively. Bucky traced a finger up the column of your throat, sending a shiver down your spine. The pressure on the underside of your jaw brought your gaze upwards.

"Gonna need you to keep your eyes on me, dove, think y'can do that?"

You nodded slowly, itching to move but frozen in place by his attention.

"Good." Bucky's hand was a whisper around your throat, quickly finding its home again on your jaw. His thumb swiped over your bottom lip, to which your mouth fell open oh so slightly.

His lips quirked in amusement. His thumb pressed down, earning your jaw lowering further. Two fingers slipped past your lips to settle on your tongue and you happily took them, one hand coming to hold his wrist in place while you suckled.

His free hand began rising up your hips, and you straightened your posture at the feeling, almost tickling. They descended just after his thumb grazed your lower chest. You gasped around his fingers, and his subtle raise of brow made your cheeks heat.

You squeezed his wrist, and it moved from your mouth to your waist. Hands reaching for the back of his neck, you tugged him forward into a sloppy kiss.

Bucky wasn't sure where the line was before. He understood that he had struck a purely sexual deal offer, so kissing for some might be too intimate an exchange under those circumstances, but Christ did he love the feel of your mouth on his. The clash of teeth and spit, your soft moans swallowed up into his own mouth sounding like heaven. Even more so when he sucked on your tongue, pride coursing through his veins when you squeaked.

And oh, you just couldn't help it, when you started rocking your hips back and forth. It was his fault really, teasing you so much.

"So fuckin' needy, angel, just can't wait, huh?" Bucky groaned, head falling back for a minute before jerking back up. "Need to get you taken care of, isn't that right?"

You nodded pathetically, brain long turned to mush. Your senses, every atom in your body was on fire and so, so sensitive, but your head was empty.

And Bucky knew it.

Which is why he lifted you up, strong hands supporting you under the thighs, which wrapped around his torso to keep you up. Bucky groaned, the feel of your legs around his waist sending blood rushing to his cock.

It was a messy trip to your room, to say the least. Bucky had to stop multiple times in the hallway to press you up against the wall and stick his tongue in your throat, rutting into you and breathing heavy into your mouth. His groans were pure sin and you wanted to pull as many of them from him as you could.

Bucky set you down gently, but as you laid, he remained, towering over you with hungry eyes and bated breath.

"Look at you," Bucky grazed his metal fingers over your cheek. "So fuckin' needy, hm? So desperate, you just hop on the first dick you see."

His words didn't even register, not when his leg was pressed right between your legs, so you nodded along dumbly.

He chuckled, almost a bark of a laugh. "Lucky I'm here to take care of you, hm?"

"Yeah," you sighed, your feeble grip on his shirt attempting to tug him closer. "Please, Bucky, need you to take care of me, please..."

"Alright, alright, I've gotcha." Bucky leaned in, pressing wet kisses to your neck whilst his fingers slipped under your shirt, grazing feather-light over your nipples. You could feel him smirk when you arched into his touch.

"Can we take this off, baby?" His voice was soft, and you nodded, pulling your hands up so he could bare your chest.

Bucky gave a groan at the sight, his mouth traveling downward to press licks and kisses over your chest. He pressed his palm over your ribs, indicating you to lie back. Bucky followed, propped up on his arm. His other hand walked up the inside of your thigh, making you shudder into him.

"Buck, please," you breathed, eyes rolling back.

"Nuh uh, none of that." Bucky's hand was quick to reach up and grasp your jaw, this time with more force. "Eyes on me."

He nodded your head for you. He maintained a more intense stare as he moved, slowly and deliberately, down between your thighs. He watched you as he kissed up and down your thighs, pressed his thumb into the junction between your cunt and your leg, pressed a firm kiss to the area just above your clit. Your hips jerked up, following his touch.

"I know, I know. Bein' so patient, so proud of you." Bucky purred, tugging your bottoms down in one go. "And would you look at that, no underwear. God, you're soaked."

Bucky actually moaned at the sight, like the idea of going down on you was pleasurable for him. And Lord, was it.

He started with, for lack of better word, toying with you, thumbs pulling your lips apart to watch your slick web from them. Even though he wasn't watching your face anymore, your eyes were glued to him. His fascinated expression, his strong arms holding your legs apart, his toned back rippling under every movement- somewhere along the line he had lost the shirt; you couldn't remember when but Christ was it better he did.

You nearly levitated off the bed when a finger came to collect your slick onto your clit, followed by lips attaching to the nerves and tonguing over it lasciviously.

Your hesitancy to make noise had gone out the window the minute his mouth was on you, jaw falling open to let out your sounds of bliss. The only thing keeping your head from falling back was the sight in front of you; Bucky was pure sex incarnate. His head swayed back and forth, groans and muffled praises vibrating against your skin, hair tickling your thighs.

"Taste so damn good angel, so fuckin' wet." Bucky tugged you impossibly closer- you swore you saw his hips moving into the sheets. "Should let your vibrator die more often."

Your breath had all but escaped you, coming out ragged and whiny. Your hands reached for his hair, tugging at the roots softly- harder when he groaned louder, sending both of you into a frenzy.

"Fuck, Bucky, right there, fuckfuckfuck-" your noises, if even possible, got louder when the man under you found just the right spot to prod his finger. It slipped in so easily, the wetness helping you welcome him in.

It didn't take Bucky long to figure out where that spot was inside of you, pulling moan after gasp after cry of his name once he bullied his fingers into it just right. He repeated the motion until there was a sheen of sweat on your forehead, grasping onto his hair, his arm, whatever of him you could find as if he was your lifeline.

"Oh, just like that, so close Buck..." You kicked your hips up into his face, rolling them for any kind of friction you could get- friction he was elated to give you.

You nearly sobbed when he pulled his face away from you, fingers leaving your pussy feeling unbearably empty.

"I know, honey, I know. Gonna give you something even better, hm? Gonna give you my cock, fill y'up real nice."

You almost drooled at the sight of Bucky sat up, nothing but sweats being hastily pulled down until the bulge fell heavily over the band. He kicked his bottoms away to some forgotten corner, stroking himself languidly a few times, kicking his head back.

You whined a bit at the lack of attention, thighs pressing together. That seemed to have alerted Bucky, as he tilted his head back down to face you. "Sorry, sunshine. Won't keep you waitin' any longer, yeah?"

Bucky lined himself up with you, teasing your sopping entrance with the tip. However, when your legs hooked around his waist, just like before, all notions of control were lost on him as he sheathed himself inside of you. A guttural groan, more sensual and more animalistic than before, ripped through him and sent sparks shooting into you. He stretched you deliciously, the friction electrifying.

"Don't fuckin' clench, holy shit- not gonna last long," Bucky huffed, rocking slowly into you. He was leaned over your body, almost folding you in half so that he could mutter filthy praises into your ear, tonguing at the shell of it lightly.

If he wasn't gonna last, what could be said of you? Your orgasm was approaching fast, if your throbbing cunt and frantic moans were any indication.

"There we go, y'gonna cum? Fuckin' cum for me, honey, make a mess on my cock, go on."

White-hot pleasure drowned you as you scratched faint pink lines down Bucky's chest. This time your eyes screwed shut, but Bucky chose instead to help you ride out your high, pistoning into you until he let himself go, filling you up in a way that left you feeling warm and full and very, very satisfied.

Only the sound of yours and Bucky's panting could be heard in the room, the air suddenly thick and musky with the smell of sex.

After a moment, he pulls out, murmuring 'shit' to himself a few times. "Gonna get you cleaned up, 'kay?" Bucky pressed a kiss to your temple, picking his boxers up on the way to his ensuite bathroom and coming back with a rag a minute later.

"Feeling alright?" Bucky asks. "Didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you were great." You huffed, a stupid hazy grin tugging your lips. "Bit thirsty, that's about it."

"Noted," he mused. "I meant it, by the way."

You cocked your head. "Meant what?"

"You should let your vibrator die more often. I'm just two doors down, and I reckon I know a few more tricks than that piece of junk you've got." He gestures to the vibrator, which had fallen onto the floor at some point.

You definitely made sure to keep that in mind.

~

[kyotosworld]

just confess already!

pairing: steve rogers x fem!reader 

summary: the team is sick of seeing how in love Steve and you are while you both pretend you’re just friends. 

(the office au: moments when the teams talks to the camera, like in the office)

warning: language, very cute confession at the end

word count: 1.3k

—

“..andd they’re doing it again,” bucky smirks at the camera before motioning it towards you and steve who were sitting way too closely for “friends”

you were both giggling and whispering about something he was showing you on his phone, before you noticed the camera and very badly tried to act normal by clearing your throat and refocusing on your computer.

steve’s brows furrowed for a second as he watched you leave, worried that he might have done something to upset you. before also realizing that the cameras were directed toward you both. leading him to return to his work in a similar clumsy manner as you.

steve could only hope that the camera didn’t catch how long and how longingly he looked at you after you left.

meanwhile, bucky was still smirking at the camera, “ you see what i mean?”

bucky of course was referring to the ongoing belief of everyone in the office—but you and steve—that you guys were dating.

—

“they need to confess already. i'm sick of the heart eyes,” natasha says before fake gagging. “but seriously, the only people they’re fooling are themselves.”

while natasha was talking to the camera, you and steve were in the office kitchen proving her exactly right. 

“have you heard the…rumors floating around the office?” you ask nervously, while holding a cold water bottle, and standing beside steve as he looks into the fridge for a snack.

at that, he froze because yeah he had heard them but he was also too scared to talk about it with you. then in an attempt to act normal, he hit the top of his head on the ceiling of the fridge. 

“shit!” he exclaimed.

“omg, are you okay?” you wince before putting down your water bottle and checking his head. 

he has his hands on the spot he hit like that’ll help ease the pain, which of course it doesn’t. so, in an attempt to do something other than just watch him in pain, you pick up your cold water, gently move his hands from his injury, and place the bottle against it. 

“there, that should help.” you say softly while still holding the bottle against his head. you’re too focused on easing his pain to notice the way steve is looking at you.

—

“oh those two? we’re still talking about them?” tony asks, “that’s old news. instead, lets focus on me–”

— 

“aww they’re soo cute i cant wait for them to realize!” wanda says excitedly with the biggest smile on her face. she’s a sweetheart.

—

“what, when did this happen? why did no one tell me?!” thor asked with a frown, being the clueless himbo that he was ♡. 

his smile reforms as an idea forms in head, “i must congratulate them!” he exclaims while getting up.

the camera follows thor out of the room and into the main office where steve and you were actually focused on your work for once. 

“CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP DEAR MORTALS!” thor yells as he pulls you two into a tight hug. drawing the attention of the rest of the team.

“what?” you ask, gasping but laughing when thor finally lets you out of the bone crushing hug. 

“you and steve! you know i always suspected, but wasn’t a hundred percent sure. why didn’t you tell me?” he questions, getting a bit sad again.

 this time steve pipes up, “you ‘always suspected’ what?” he asks in confusion.

honestly he was getting a bit nervous. you both were, thinking somehow your crush for the other got out and that’s what thor knew.  

but the truth surprised you guys even more, “that you’re dating of course!”

at this, you and steve look at eachother wide eyed and flushed for a moment before looking back at thor. 

“where did you get that information from, thor?” you ask. 

“well apparently, everyone knew but me.” he looks down, “no one ever tells me anything.” 

you guys look around at the rest of the team with surprised looks on your faces, “really?” steve asks, perplexed.

a collection of nods and “yeah”s spread around the room.

clint speaks up, “i honestly thought you guys were engaged already.”

—

after all of that, you and steve kind of avoided each other for a bit. feeling too awkward after the news you both had heard.

but that only lasted for about an hour before you both ended up in the break room at the same time. 

you walked in, distracted, looking down and counting the coins in your hand to see if you had enough for the chips you were craving. due to this, you failed to notice that someone else was in the room with you.

“oh, hi.” steve spoke up, surprised to see you. 

you jump and look up to find steve sitting at a table across the room.

“hi,” you stop in your tracks, surprised and suddenly nervous at the sight of him.

you both stood there for a bit, staring at each other, not knowing what to say.  

“soo–”

“umm–” 

“you go first!”

“no you!” you insist.

“i was just going to ask if uh we’re okay?” steve asks nervously. 

“yeah.” you reply quickly, “why wouldn't we be?” you ask, trying really hard to act normal and like you weren't affected by today's news in the slightest.

but of course steve saw right through it, right through you as he stared at you for a moment before responding, “i'm sorry that things are weird now, and it's all my fault and i totally understand if you don't wanna be friends anymore–” 

“what?!” you interrupt immediately, “steve, of course i don't want to stop being friends.” you say sincerely looking deep into his eyes. 

“and if anything, it's both our faults for being together all the time, no wonder they thought we were together.” you finish while pulling up a chair next to him. 

steve chuckles and shakes his head at that before getting serious again, “so we're good?”

“yes. we’re good.” you smile, causing him to do the same, “plus their assumption didn’t bother me too much…” you looked down as you said the last part.

“what.” steve’s head turns towards you swiftly, he couldn't have heard you correctly, right?

“what? it's not like you’re the worst guy ever. and i guess it's not the worst thing that they saw us as a couple.” you try to answer nonchalantly but are still avoiding his eyes. 

this time, steve’s lips upturned a little, noticing your nervousness, “so you think i'm ‘not the worst guy ever’ huh?” 

you look up and notice he looks a bit amused. “oh shut up, you know what i mean.” you playfully shove his side with your shoulder. 

“no no, i really don't. please. explain it to me.” he jokingly but also somehow convincingly insisted. 

figuring that you weren’t gonna be able to leave this place if you didn’t just admit it, you very speedily say, “fine. you’re an attractive guy and you’re funny and really kind and anyone would be lucky to have you.” at the end of that you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in. 

it’s quiet for a moment and when you finally look back at steve he’s smiling softly at you. “i feel the same.”

“you think i’m an attractive guy?” you tease.

“you know what i mean.” he whispers, still smiling.

“i think i do.” you say softly while leaning closer towards him.

but of course sam had to walk by right when steve closed the gap between you two. 

“i knew it! they are dating!!” sam yells and he runs towards the main office. 

[dazeddo11]

WIP draft

Ellie calls you drunk to pick her up, months after she left you.

Ellie stumbles out of the bar, looking around trying to remember how she walked there. Her eyes catch a bright red phone in a glass booth, your voice worming its way into her head. No I shouldn't... She thought, turning away from the phone. It's so late, she's not even up. What is she is? What if you do and she answers? She won't....she might. Ellie turned on her heels, she knows this is dumb. She would just walk home, but she needs you right now. She misses your face and how you used to laugh at her cheesy jokes, or when she taught you with her guitar.

She leans against the glass wall of the booth, her fingers shaking as she punches in your number. One ring....two... three...fo-

"Hello?" Your groggy voice was heard. Oh god, you actually answered. Ellie stood there for a few seconds, she didn't think this far. She struggles to find words, all of them caught in her throat. She wants to apologize, to tell you it was the worst mistake of her life and she can't sleep without you by her side anymore. Fuck she can't let you hang up, she can't wait too long, what if she says the wrong thing?

"M' sorry, just wanted to hear your voice..." Ellie slurred into the phone.

"Ellie? What time is it? Are you drunk?"

"It's...late, I only had a few drinks."

"God Ellie, where are you?"

"you don't have to come get me baby, im fine."

"No Ellie, you're drunk. Where are you?"

"J's the corner by Dave's Den."

"Stay there, don't move."

You sighed as you hung up, shuffling out of bed. You grab your keys and yawn, what a great way to wake up! You grab a bottle of water from the fridge before you leave, no way are you letting Ellie get sick in your car. You stopped by a local pizza place on the way, might as well since you're already out. You almost forgot how to get to that crummy old bar, that's where you and Ellie met. She had watched you dance all night, couldn't take her eyes off you. She was too nervous to buy you a drink or talk to you, but you spotted her watching you. You thought she was cute and you bought her a drink. You guys hooked up that night, and the rest was is history.

Ellie smiled as she saw your familiar car, stumbling over to wait at the curb. When you stop the car and get out to help her, she raises an arm. "I'm fine! I can do it." She smiled as she almost stumbled backwards. You rolled your eyes and walked over, gently grabbing her upper arm. You guided her to the side as you opened the door, helping her in. You close the door and get back on your side, tossing the water into her lap. She hums and looks up at you. Your face glowed with every lamppost, highlighting all the places she used to flutter kisses, and stroke lovingly. She misses you so so much.

Should I keep writing this or give up?

[jaysng]

forgetting things — park jongseong

pairing: boyfriend!jay x fem!reader

genre: fluff

synopsis: reader’s forgetfulness seems never endings, so jay comes up with a little trick he created whenever it happens.

• to help palestine, click me

you’re sitting on the couch, flipping through channels with a slight frown. jay walks in, glancing at the scene in front of him. an empty mug sits abandoned on the coffee table, and he notices the familiar orange bottle of vitamins peeking out from behind a cushion.

he picks up the bottle, shaking it gently to catch your attention. “hey, you forgot these again.”

you look up, feigning innocence as you push a pillow over the bottle. “i didn’t forget. i was just… getting to it.”

jay raises an eyebrow, a small smirk forming on his lips as he moves closer. “oh really? getting to it by leaving them on the couch?”

you shrug, trying to hold back a grin. “it’s called multitasking. besides, i don’t forget things as much as you think i do.”

jay chuckles, settling down beside you. “sure you don’t.”

you give him a playful shove. “i’m serious! i just have a lot on my mind.”

“mhmm,” jay hums, unconvinced. “like that time you put your phone in the fridge because you were ‘thinking about dinner’?”

you laugh, rolling your eyes. “okay, that was one time. and i was distracted.”

he leans in a bit closer, his tone teasing. “and what about the time you left your shoes at the gym? or when you forgot your keys inside the apartment and locked yourself out?”

you’re trying to keep a straight face, but jay’s teasing makes it hard. “those were… special circumstances.”

jay grins, shaking his head. “special circumstances, huh? how about i make sure you remember this time?”

before you can respond, he gently guides you to sit back on the couch, his hands warm and firm on your shoulders. you let out a small huff, but there’s a smile tugging at your lips. “you don’t have to remind me like i’m a kid, you know.”

jay’s smile softens as he takes the seat next to you. “i know, but it’s our thing, remember?”

you pretend to think about it, then nod slowly. “i guess it is.”

he shifts closer until his forehead is just inches from yours. “okay, close your eyes,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

you do as he asks, and within seconds, you feel the warmth of his forehead against yours. he taps his fingers gently against your temples, a steady, comforting rhythm. “don’t forget to take your vitamins,” he murmurs, his voice calm and reassuring.

you open your eyes, and there’s that familiar, almost bashful smile on his face as he pulls back just enough to meet your gaze.

“did that help?” he asks, his tone light but with a genuine concern behind it.

you nod, finally giving in with a soft sigh. “yeah, it did. you know i can’t resist when you do that.”

jay chuckles, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “that’s the point.”

you lean into him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. “thanks for looking out for me, even if i don’t always admit i need it.”

“always,” he replies, pressing a kiss to your temple. “it’s just what i do.”

you let the moment linger, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. the playful banter might be over, but the comfort and care between you both is something that doesn’t need words.

after a few minutes, you finally sit up, reaching for the bottle of vitamins. “i’ll take these now, before i actually forget.”

jay watches with a satisfied smile as you take the vitamins, and once you’re done, he pulls you back into a hug, holding you close. “see? wasn’t so hard.”

you laugh softly, nestling against him. “you win this time.”

“i’ll take it,” jay says with a grin, his voice full of affection as he keeps you close, both of you content in the quiet understanding that he’ll always be there to remind you, no matter how small the task.

do not copy or repost my work — jaysng

[livwritesstuff]

for @steddie-week day 5 | exes to lovers

fully and completely inspired by @emchant3d's divorced dad's post [x] from a few weeks ago bc i did not once stop thinking abt it

tags: modern day, artist!eddie, finance guy!steve, steddie as rich gay divorcees, sort of an accidental parent trap situation

They were too young, Steve thinks in retrospect – married at twenty-three, their daughter born when they were twenty-five, and then divorced before his twenty-seventh birthday.

He gets to think retrospectively because in a few years it’ll be a full decade since the papers for that last bit got signed. Now, Steve is thirty-four and sweating his ass off in a red polo and crisp jeans, the stiflingly hot July sun beating down on him as he scans the perimeter of a crowded playground for a familiar head of curly brown hair – not his nine-year-old. He found Rosalind already, wreaking havoc on the jungle gym. No, he’s looking for his ex (-husband, technically, but Steve usually stops at ex; the -husband part just makes him sad these days).

It’s custody swap day, which is either his favorite or least favorite day of the week depending on who the swap is favoring.

Today it’s favoring him which is why he’s slowly making his way around the edge of a playground in Bushwick, keeping an eye out for his ex, Eddie.

“Steve,” he hears from somewhere behind him. Steve turns towards the sound and sees not that curly head of hair he’d expected. Eddie’s hair is completely buzzed (which, for the record, was not the case last week when Steve dropped Rozzy off with him) and he’s wearing a paint-splattered white t-shirt tucked into old jeans and all that combined is making it reeeally hard for Steve to pretend he’s not crushing hard on the guy he divorced eight years ago.

“Dude,” Steve started, eyeing Eddie’s hair (or lack thereof) as he made his way to the section of fence that Eddie was occupying, “What–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie rolled his eyes, “Rozzy already hit me with all the good zingers so you’re too late.”

“No, I don’t –” Steve stopped, “It’s…not a bad look, just…you know. Why the change?”

Eddie looked away.

“Long story,” he replied as Steve remembered (yet again) that he doesn’t get full access to Eddie’s world the way he used to.

Luckily for Steve, Rozzy runs up to them and spares him from having to figure out a response for that.

“We should get pizza,” she says. Steve’s eyebrows fly up.

“We should get pizza?” he repeats.

“Please,” she adds, her eyes shining, “At Dad’s? And we play Mario Kart? Dad said I’m getting good at 200!”

“He said that?” Steve asked, and he glances over Rosalind's head to see that Eddie is making a so-so gesture with his hand.

He’s never been all that good at saying no to his daughter (or anyone), so it doesn’t take much more convincing on Rozzy’s part for the three of them to head off in the direction of Eddie’s loft, with a pitstop planned for the pizza shop down the block.

They actually have a nice time.

It’s true that Rozzy is getting better at 200cc – good might be a bit generous, but Steve’s fine with that (he doesn’t know if his ego could handle getting crushed by a fourth-grader).

Just as they’re finishing their second grand prix (the Star Cup, because Rozzy likes the dolphin race), one of the other kids in the building knocks on the door and invites Rozzy over for a sleepover, which Steve agrees to because he remembers the illicit kind of joy in a summertime Monday night sleepover.

Eddie doesn't show Steve the door after Rozzy's gone. Rather, he pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge – an expensive Sémillon he says was given to him by a client.

“So the art biz is still going well, I assume,” Steve comments as Eddie pulls two vintage wine glasses out of a cabinet and pours them each a healthy serving.

Conversation about work manages to sustain them through the first few glasses (Eddie actually remembered that it’s been just over a year since Steve left his dad’s Fortune 1000 for a CFO position at a marketing company that had just graduated from small to midsize status). They work through the second quarter of the bottle talking about Rozzy, and the third vanishes even quicker while Steve spills some of the latest Harrington family drama.

While Eddie is updating him on how Wayne is doing, Steve finds that he isn’t really listening, distracted in the way he can’t help but notice how Eddie’s paint-stained t-shirt is actually more like an undershirt, and a size too small for him, the torso and sleeves tight around lean muscle, and there’s a thin silver chain around his neck and a scruff of facial hair around his jaw, and –

Steve doesn’t immediately realize when Eddie stopped talking. When he does, when his eyes finally unstick themselves from the buzzcut and drop back down to Eddie’s, he sees that Eddie is staring at him too.

Eddie’s tongue darts out to wet his lip.

“Ask me again why I buzzed my hair,” he tells him.

“Why’d you buzz your hair,” Steve asks, because he’s obedient like that (and because he really does want to know).

“Steve–” Eddie stops, a giggly, wine-induced hiccup of a laugh slipping out before he shakes his head, “An entire can of paint tipped ov–” He cuts himself off with another half-hysterical laugh, barely managing to say, “Spilled on my head,” before he was completely doubled over, and Steve is laughing too because he can totally picture it and because he had a bit more wine than he planned to and this is honestly the first time that he and Eddie have hung out without their daughter in…Steve doesn’t even know how long.

“Steve,” Eddie says again when they finally both recover, and his tone is completely different this time around and there’s a vulnerability in his eyes that wasn’t there before and something is happening, something is happening, “Please don’t kill me for saying this, but…fuck, it’s really kinda pathetic how badly I still want it to be you and me.”

Steve thinks he tries to respond, but then he was too busy kissing Eddie to do anything else, too busy scraping fingernails over Eddie’s scalp, too busy choking back a moan as Eddie sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, too busy tugging Eddie’s shirt out of his waistband to shove a hand up underneath and finding that he’s built more solidly than Steve remembers from the last time they touched like this, but something is telling him that’s true about Eddie – true about himself too – in more ways than one.

And if Rosalind comes home the next morning ready to ask how she’s getting back to Daddy’s house only to find that he’s already there, stealing Dad’s mug out of his hand for a sip of coffee when his own is right there…that’s a conversation for another day.

part 2

[sturnsreckless]

𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏,, m.sturniolo

summary: nick just dropped his first ever selection of lip balms and you’re favourite is the mint, which matt is also obsessed with, only on your lips though

warnings: kissing

word count: 1304 words

• 11:50am

you were in matt’s bathroom getting ready for the day, while matt was sitting on the sofa with chris, on their phones with the tv playing in the background.

you finished applying your mascara, rummaging through your makeup bag looking for your favourite lip balm; space camp wellness.

your flavour of choice was frosted mint, your personal favourite.

you closed your makeup bag, checking your hair and makeup in the mirror one more time before walking out of the bathroom, putting the lip balm in the back pocket of your jeans.

“hey, morning” chris said smiling at you, looking from his phone which caused matt’s head to shoot up when he notices you he smiles at you as you reciprocated the action.

“morning chris” you say as you walk towards the fridge to get a drink.

“any of you want a drink?” you ask matt and chris.

“is there any pepsi left?” you hear chris ask.

“yeah. what about you matt, do you want anything?” you ask looking back at matt, waiting for an answer.

“just a water please, baby” he says looking over at you.

“sure” you say grabbing two waters and a pepsi.

you walks over to chris handing him his soda, which he thanks you for, you then makes yourself comfortable next to matt.

“here’s your water” you say to matt as you hand him the plastic bottle.

“thank you” he says leaning down and pressing a kiss to forehead, this gesture made a huge smile come over your face.

you grab the remote control from the coffee table that matt and chris’ feet are propped up on.

“what should we watch?” you as looking at the two boys, turning your head to see matt staring at you with a smile on his face and chris typing away on his phone.

“you can pick” chris says turning off his phone and looking at you then the tv.

“matt?” you say trying to snap him out of his trance.

“oh sorry, what did you say?” he says as his face turns red out of embarrassment from being caught staring at you.

“i asked what do you want to watch?” you asks again laughing slightly.

“oh anything, up to you” matt says.

“10 thing i hate about you?” you suggest which earns a groan from chris.

“what’s your problem with 10 things i hate about you?” you say slightly offended at chris’ reaction to the best movie in the world.

“you’ve made me watch this movie about 100 times already” chris says throwing his head back.

“well it’s gonna be 101 now just because of that reaction.” you say as you press play on the movie.

you lay your head on matt’s shoulder, his hand going straight to your hair to run his fingers through it.

by the time the movie was at the part where it’s the house party chris is already laying down sleeping.

“i can’t believe he doesn’t like 10 things i hate about you”you say looking up at matt.

“well you have made us all watch it loads of times so he might just be sick of it” matt says slightly laughing and leaning down to place a kiss on your lips.

he pulls away but furrows his eye brows.

“what?” you ask confused. matt doesn’t say anything, he just leans back in to your lips and kisses you again but more passionately. he places his hands on your face as you place one of yours on his shoulder and the other around his neck.

you pull back after a few more seconds.

“what was that about? not that i’m complaining because i enjoyed every second but you never kiss me like that in front of anyone else.” you say chuckling.

“well first of all, chris isn’t conscious right now so that doesn’t count and secondly, your lip balm.” matt says rubbing his lips together as if he had just applied lip gloss.

“what about it?” you laugh out, a little confused.

“it tastes so good, i just wanna kiss you all day.” he says with a laugh. “oh right, it’s nick’s lip balm. the mint one to be exact.” you say before leaning in and placing your lips on his again.

• 2:57pm

you and matt were driving to go get gas and some slushies since you were craving one.

while matt is in the gas station paying and getting the slushies, you pull down the sun visor and open the little mirror as you pop off the cap of your lip balm and begin applying it to your lips.

the driver door opens and matt gets in and hands you a slushy. “thank you baby” you say leaning over and pressing a kiss to matt’s lips then pulling back but matt grabs your chin and pulls you back to kiss you again.

you have a confused look plastered over your face but you then quickly realise why matt pulled you back which you then pulled away and let out a giggle.

“what?” matt asks with a smile.

“just because i know you only did that because of the lip balm.” you say as you take a sip of your slush, “possibly” matt says smirking and driving away.

• 5:39pm

you were standing at the stove cooking dinner for you and the triplets. you’re cooking pasta as you all love pasta and it was quick and easy.

you feel a pair of arms come around your waist as you finish up cooking the pasta.

“hey baby” you say leaning your head back to rest on his shoulder and placing your hands over his hands that are placed around your body.

“hey sweetheart” he says looking down at you, “what’s up?” you ask placing a kiss on his jaw.

“i just came to see what you were doing” he says as he removes his hands from your waist and turning your body around to face him.

“i’m cooking dinner, well not anymore it’s finished cooking now” you say placing your hands around his neck as his come back around your waist again.

“smells good” he says, moving his face closer to yours. you smile and close the small gap between you two and begin kissing matt.

you swipe your tongue across matt’s bottom lip, which causes matt to part his lips slightly, your tongue slips into his mouth as you begin to make out passionately.

“this damn lip balm” matt says which comes out muffled due to you two still kissing.

you smile into the kiss and matt brings his hands down to the back of your thighs and picks you up and places you on the kitchen table, standing between your legs now placing his hands on the surface behind you.

“you’re so obsessed” you attempt to say but it comes muffled just like matt’s was.

as you both continue to make out for a minute or two until chris comes along and walks into the kitchen.

“y’all are nasty. do that shit somewhere else.” chris says laughing as he plops himself onto the sofa, getting comfortable.

you’re both quick to pull apart and move away from each other. you jump down from the table and stand next to matt.

matt stands in front of you and presses a few more kisses to your lips while chris wasn’t looking.

“wear that lip balm more often” matt whispers in your ear then kissing under your ear lobe then walking over to the sofa sitting next to chris, leaving you in the kitchen with a flustered look on your face.

@sturnsreckless

[weebsinstash]

I'm not typically a fan of pregnancy au stuff for hazbin because it introduces a hell lotta new questions, but anyways, I DO find it absolutely entertaining thinking about a Reader who did the nasty with Alastor and had kind of a friends-with-benefits situation with him and he does his whole 7 year disappearing act without warning you or telling you anything at all (assumedly because he did not have a choice or opportunity) and he comes back, knocking on your front door, "say, doll! What's say we mosey on over to our old favorite jazz club to catch up on old times?"

and suddenly peeking out from behind your back is just the cutest little fawn with a head full of curls who is very clearly Alastor's son, clutching at your apron, "Mama, isn't he the man you listen to those old recordings of? He sounds the same"

Alastor feeling this, this WARMTH in his chest as you invite him inside your home and it's completely different from the last time he was there, filled with everything your son could need, his drawings and report cards from that nice school you break your back to afford stuck lovingly on the fridge and a hot home-cooked meal currently cooling on the stove as Alastor's invited for some food... if he feels comfortable. You and him discuss privately where your son can't hear as you get all weepy, "I'm sorry, but when you disappeared, I couldn't... ASK you what you would have wanted... I didn't want to have some kind of, of PROCEDURE and you hate me for it... and even from the very first scan, I loved him so much... he's my entire world... I couldn't even CONSIDER... getting rid of him. He's my beautiful smart baby boy and i would die for him"

Genuinely I think it would be real funny if Alastor is initially quite jealous actually for having to share you with a CHILD, but the more time he spends around the young boy, the more he realizes, oh, this is quite the upstanding young fellow! His mama raised him right and he likes to help around the house, likes to read lots of books, loves all kinds of music, helps his mother on all the crosswords and word searches and puzzle books, and he's smart enough to suss out pretty quickly, "sir are you my father"

and the second your son receives an answer, just, KICKING THE RADIO DEMON IN THE SHIN, "You're a horrible man!! You call yourself a gentleman but you left my mama to raise a baby all by herself!! You're terrible! Incorrigible! Disrespectful! Untoward!--" Your young son is breaking out the goddamn dictionary and synonyms on this man, "you lying, deceitful, devious, DEPLORABLE--"

And Alastor is watching this little kid threaten to beat his ass and not even caring that he's up against The Infamous Radio Demon, just shouting at Alastor until the young boy is absolutely changing colors in the face, getting SO SO upset for his mama that he's ready to FIGHT OVER IT, and Alastor is just, essentially, breaking out into laughter, "oh, so you ARE my son!! Aren't you a gutsy one!! Put JUST a little force behind that next one and it might actually sting a bit!" and pats the boy on the head. That settles it; he's accepted as Alastor's son like THAT

Of course, Alastor now caring for this boy does not come without its... complications. There might be some 'incidents' if you, for example, have other positive role models for your son, other men who are regularly coming around, making Alastor's new position as the boy's father and your not-quite-husband (yet) feel threatened and unstable and encouraging the Radio Demon to 'act out'. You're so happy to have Alastor back in your life that you don't even notice things are a little off until your son starts mentioning things like "Mama where did Mr Thomas go? He used to come by every Thursday to play chess but I don't remember seeing him for a while?" "Mama I know Benson has bullied me and pushed me down and stolen my things but I saw his mom crying outside the bookstore earlier saying he's gone missing and I think we should help look for him" "Mama I know Mr Alastor said we don't need her and he can teach me but I also like my old piano teacher. Could I have some lessons with her and some with Mr Alastor instead of just all of them with him? I miss Ms. Mason"

But like... you don't want to deny Alastor a relationship with his child after they both have already lost so much time and you don't want to deprive your son of his father without a good reason, so you stifle some of your suspicions. It's all for your son's sake, isn't it? And you can't help but, get a little selfish when Alastor insists on taking you and your boy out, going to see live bands, going to local events, taking your son to the county fair and you feeling tears in your eyes as, your boy finally gets to spend time with his father. It's like... it's like you're a real family... you've always wanted something like this, for him, for them, for yourself--

But... Alastor doesn't... see you THAT way, does he? He displays his emotions much differently than you, and there were even times in the past where Alastor himself drew the line in the sand that, oh yes you two were quite close friends, he has such a deep affection for you, but... romantically? Sorry, sweetheart, but no

... or so he thought. Now that he's back, he sees how deeply you love his son and sacrifice so much for him amd how much your son absolutely adores you and how, completely by yourself, without any of Alastor's help, you raised him into a fine young man that... the Radio Demon could see himself helping raise, a boy he can't help but feel a little pride in helping make and, can't help but feel a little sad he missed all sorts of important milestones for. And of course, of course of course of course, he missed YOU ever so much, and when Alastor looks up from his paper to see you at the stove, hair all out of place and your hands messy as you cook a meal for your son and his father, your little boy dutifully helping clean as you go, he can't help wish that THIS was how he spent his last 7 years.

Lucifer have mercy on anyone who tries to disrupt his new utopia of peace and tranquility. Could you even imagine, could you even fucking imagine you and Alastor are walking with your son and nearby TVs snap on and it's fucking Vox, showing your family on TV, talking shit to Alastor, using HORRIBLE language in front of your son--

And Alastor feels his love for you grow all the more as you use your own magic to surge through the television and begin strangling the newscaster right on the air, "DONT YOU DARE SHOW MY SON'S FACE ON TV YOU FUCKING--" and Alastor starts lovingly conversing with his son about how important it is to stand up for your family and your values as the pair of them watch you throw Vox around his recording studio in a frenzied rage, "You and your disgusting Vees always trying to peddle your worthless garbage to kids, you CREEPS!! BABIES DON'T NEED IPADS, RETINOL CREAMS, SKEEYEE DANCE ROUTINES, AND ATHLEISUREWEAR LEGGINGS THAT GO UP THEIR ASS, YOU CONSUMERIST IMMORAL SHELL OF A HUMAN BEING--"

Snapcut to you rejoining your family on the sidewalk with your hair a mess and visible blood on you while Vox is facedown on the floor in his broadcast unable to move before it cuts to a "technical difficulties, please stand by" screen. Alastor is oh so genuinely joyfully smiling, "Now who wants to go and get some waffles? I say we should celebrate any victory over our enemies with some tasty grub!!" and he takes you and your son's hands and is all but skipping down the sidewalk while his hated rival is bleeding out in his tower somewhere. Oh, Alastor will give the Television Demon his own revenge for daring to try and shame the lovely beautiful mother of his child and his beloved boy on that disgusting show. What kind of degenerate uses children for content, let alone threatens their safety? Alastor will be back for him later and do much, MUCH worse than you did.

For now, though? Alastor just wants to enjoy the sight of you and his son sitting in a booth with him while you all scarf down some hotcakes. A family of his very own, huh? How wonderful. If only his own mom were here to see it...

[eee-lordy]

Practice Makes Perfect

!!! nsfw minors dni !!!

Jacob offers to help fem!reader get her first time over with. 6k

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Ready for your big move?" Jacob huffed, dropping a particularly heavy box onto the top of another. He'd come over to help you start packing up, you had a week left.

"Mostly, yeah I think so." You grinned, knowing he was talking more about emotionally than materialistically. Your eyes scanned the bare bones of your first apartment. It had been a welcoming and safe space for a handful of years now, but the time had come to move onto bigger and better things.

"Let's drink to the beginning of the end, then, shall we?" Your dearest pal declared, toting over glasses and liquor from your fridge.

"Don't say it like that, nothings ending here." You warn, sick at the thought of there being a time limit on your friendship once a little space got in the way. Jacob sat next to you on the sofa, pouring you each a drink.

"Okay sorry, we'll toast to now, then. May we enjoy every moment." Jacob's sincerity past the silly tone he used warmed your confounded heart. So many feelings had plagued you since finding out about your big move. How excited you were for the fresh start, and how you were, in fact, dreading leaving behind everything you loved so dearly, everyone.

As you sat and drank, it was all Jacob could talk about. He asked you all kinds of questions. What the place was like you were headed to, how you may come to decorate the home you were set to buy. How you may plan to spend your time. You fawned over descriptions of some new furniture you'd had shipped to your new place. And excitedly quipped about the plans you were making for the distant future.

"I hope to just go wild. Create a whole new thing for myself, ya know? Try everything, live to the fullest." The realizations that you could become whoever you wanted most to be in an all new place had your imagination running wild since theses plans became solid.

"And what are you most nervous about?" Jacob countered, squinting as if he knew this question was one that might really challenge you.

"Oh... I don't know." You feigned a laugh, hoping your face hadn't flushed red. Because you had been increasingly nervous about one thing, fretting over the many outcomes your imagination brought to life every time you wondered how to take on this certain situation...

"Ohhhh no." Jacob grinned wickedly, shifting in his seat to face you a little more head on, pointing his half full beer in your direction. "There is something, I know when you aren't telling me things, you know?"

"Jacob, can we please drop this?" You plead, feeling like sinking in on yourself for letting your facade drop for even a second.

"All I'm saying is, if you're this nervous about something, maybe I can help?"

"I highly doubt you can help with this one, dude." You let out a mortified giggle, feeling your blush coming back tenfold.

"Hey." Jacob lowered his tone, cocking his head to catch your eye. His were serious. "You know you can tell me whatever it is-"

"Is embarrassing-"

"And I won't judge you. You know that." And you did know. Jacob had told you his own mortifying confessions, from the time he'd lost his clothes in a sketchy overnight gym, to the salacious dreams he'd had about certain unattractive costar way back before you knew him. As you reminded yourself of the story Jacob once told you of his mishap with a zipper during the first night he spent in the bed of a lady, you realized you could tell him what was on your mind.

"Okay fine." You gritted through your teeth, clasping your hands together only to anxiously wring them. Jacob stayed quiet and awaited your words.

"I'm most nervous about having sex." You declared. "Because I'm more than ready to get out there and do it, but the thought of sleeping with some stranger is appalling, and I don't know who I trust enough to ask to see me through that awfully awkward first time. And what if I never meet someone I trust enough, just-" With a disgruntled sigh, you realized you were rambling.

"You're a virgin?" Jacob's mouth twisted into a confounded frown as his head turned much like a baffled puppy dog. Your friends studying of you made you want to slip into nonexistence.

"So what?" You huffed a nervous laugh, daring to meet Jacob's piercing eyes for the first time since revealing your secret.

"It's just I thought you'd have done it, like... a lot." He shrugged. "Being so smokin' hot, and all."

"I am not hot, Elordi, and despite really being ready, I'm way too nervous to do it. That's the whole issue here." You scoffed, taking a frustrated swig of your drink.

"Uh, yeah you are. And what is there to be nervous about, anyway?" He quizzed.

"What if I do the wrong thing or say something weird or just make a complete fool of myself? Or what if I hate it? I'm ready for it. But I really am scared I will never meet the right person to deal with how in my head I am about this..."

Jacob let his gaze fall to the floor, seeming to puzzle over your words. A considerable amount of silence settled about the room before either of you spoke again. He was the one to break that silence.

"Do you... trust me?"

Your eyes widened and your stomach tied itself into a knot.

"I mean, you know I think you're attractive. So, I won't care or even notice if you make a complete fool of yourself. And we know all each other's secrets. That's trust. And if you hate it, we stop. I'm kind of the perfect candidate her, love." His confidence had blossomed with the help of the drinks you two had shared tonight. Jacob spoke with assuredness, letting no signs of awkwardness show in his daring offer. The whole thing had your head spinning.

"Jacob."

"All I'm saying is... if you want, I'm down. If not, I get it." He took a swig, the last of his third glass. "I'm just saying..." Jacob let his sharp dark eyes rake across your figure as you sat in place, trying not to squirm. You considered the expression in his gaze, clearly drinking you in, yet keeping a respectable distance.

"I'll... think about it." And you really would.

He nodded. You nodded. He got up and turned on a movie. You went searching for more to drink. As some rather boring action flick unfolded on your telly, your mind raced. You did trust Jacob. You did find him attractive too. With his angelic features and fit figure. And you wouldn't mind if this little... experiment led to something a little more serious either. But that was a wild far off distant dream. And still, all the things that mortified you about doing it with a stranger made you just as nervous to consider in the company of one of your closest friends.

"It would just be, like, educational right? Just... one friend helping out another?" You pipped up in the middle of the action movies climax.

"It would be whatever you needed or wanted it to be, doll. I'm offering my sincerest assistance." Jacob spoke easily, keeping his apparent focus on the telly screen, settled an inch away from where you sat on the sofa.

You hummed in understanding, acknowledging how both of you kept your eyes glued to the movie on your screen, and that seemed soothing. There didn't seem to be any pressure, there didn't seem to be any stakes. And as you considered your nerves, you wondered if the feeling was more that of anxious wonder. And then you realized there was a way to test this theory...

"Kiss me. Then I'll know." You thought out loud.

"Know what?"

"If you're a shitty kisser or not. And if I'd even dream of letting you sleep with me." You were drunk enough to speak without consideration. You were curious enough to take Jacob up halfway on his offer. You really hoped he wasn't a shitty kisser. You may have let him have his way with you even if he was.

With a decided shrug Jacob leaned in. His lips were soft, the gentle way he pressed his against yours was more than comfortable. You let yourself relax into pressing your own kiss back, and he took that as a signal to deepen his display of affection. And the kiss that began as a seemingly casual interaction took a different form. Jacob let his lips slowly open, encouraging yours to do the same. As your kissing grew longer and deeper, your very dear friend let his fingers reach to brush your hair back; then let his digits press against the base of your neck to pull your lips ever closer.

The gentle forcefulness Jacob commanded brought a contented sigh from your throat, and your friend's smile in response broke your interaction.

"I'll take that as a yes?" He smirked, eyes focusing on yours close up.

"It's just... a lot to consider."

He had kept his hold on you. His hand clutching the back of your head, his thumb rubbing soothing circles against your hair.

"Listen. I won't push this on you. It's no sweat if you decide against it. But I really would be very patience and more than glad to help you out here. That's the last I'll speak of it. Now, what are we watching next?"

You spent the rest of that evening next to Jacob in mutual silence. You watched films until your friend grew tired and called it a night. All the while your mind raced from one scenario to the next. Wondering what the worst could turn out to be, if you said yes, or no.

///

Jacob stopped by one night later, saying he was simply in the neighborhood and wondered if you'd needed any kind of help continuing to pack up. So, you put him to work, cleaning out drawers and folding clothes into suitcases. You talked a lot while working, about eachothers lives and dreams and silly things. But the conversation kept leading back to the topic of your move.

"I'll be hours away from all my family and it's not like I won't see them but I'll be so alone you know?" You confessed your fears for living in solitude and worrying over worst case scenarios.

"Hey, you'll make it just fine. You don't give yourself enough credit." Jacob insisted, moving about your room from one task to another. "Plus, I'm only one phone call away."

"I know." You whispered, peering up to your friend through your lashes, biting back a frown. You set a roll of tape and a box cutter on a nearby shelf, done with the tools for now.

"This is supposed to be a good thing, a happy thing." Jacob reminded you, shuffling to stand before you. He reached out to tilt your chin upward as if that would encourage a smile from you.

"I know." You whispered again. And with no way of knowing who leaned in first, all you knew was Jacob was kissing you again. And you relished the comfort of his affection. Nothing stopped you now from slinking a lazy arm around his neck as the guy let his grasp splay across your back.

Jacob was the first to break away, like before. But unlike then, he said nothing now. Jacob just leaned back far enough to catch your eye, as one of his brows lifted in a silent question.

"I think I might want to take you up on your offer..." You seemed to realize out loud. Maybe you had always wanted it to be him. Or maybe his encouragement had done the trick of talking you into feeling this way now. But you were never surer about being intimate with someone than now, with the way your dearest friend held you in his arms.

"Yeah?" He nodded with a furrow in his brow.

"Yes, I- if you're really sure." You stuttered.

"I am if you are." Jacob continued to nod. And after a beat, when he asked "Like, now? Right now?" You moved to nod along with him, even though your heart threatened to leap from your chest.

"Okay." He whispered. "You just need to tell me if it gets all too much, no matter what. Promise me you will."

"Yeah. I'm, like, really nervous. That's the big problem. But I trust you, so I am very sure."

"Well, I can certainly help with that." Jacob brought a hand to your hair, "I think." He lightly chuckled, pulling a face, setting your nerves at ease already.

"We'll just go very slow. How does that sound?" He asked, still keeping a hand rested on the side of your head, while his other crept down to the bend of your waist. You let out a held breath and nod assuredly.

"Okay." You flickered a smile. Jacob nodded too, his lithe grin remaining as he searched your face, his eyes landing on your lips. You hadn't fully expected him to agree to this, and you hadn't at all expected things to start right off the bat. But you couldn't complain when Jacob closed the gap and pressed a gently feather light kiss to your lips. As he did so, he tucked a bit of your hair behind your ear, and ever so slightly tightened his grip at the bend of your waist.

This resulted in your hands finding his shoulders, resting them between there and his chest- where you wondered if you were feeling your own rapid heartbeat in your palms, or his.

His lips left yours for a moment, but another feather light kiss came soon after. A couple more small steady pecks made you comfortable enough to fully relax in the hold Jacob was beginning to wrap around you; his hand moving to hold the back of your head, his other moving from the bend of your waist so his arm circled around you.

When your arms slid into a loose hold around the guy's neck again, his kisses started to ever so slightly deepen. His tongue teased your lips, his thumb caressed soothing circles against your rib cage, a delightful hum escaped his throat.

"This okay so far?" Jacob wondered in a hushed rumble, meeting your eyes between kisses. You nodded and softly smiled, waiting for the guy to continue. When he dove back in, his kisses deepened even further, his tongue pressed against yours, his hold tightening, pulling you almost entirely against himself. You stayed like that for what felt like forever, just kissing and letting hands roam against backs and through hair.

He'd barely done as much as hold you close, but you were already feeling the hot coil of desire burning low in your belly, and it was starting to spread every place else. Your every nerve was already on end.

"I could gladly do this all night." Jacob hummed, moving his kisses to pepper your jaw, and then down your neck. "But would you like to go any further? You tell me, doll."

"Sure, we can go further. I just need you to guide me through." You blew out another shaky breath, trying to release the jitters.

"I can do that. Just remember you can tell me to stop anytime for any reason." Jacob kissed your forehead and waited for you to nod in agreement. He kissed your cheek and then your lips, and let his hands begin to roam new territory. his fingers grazed under the hem of your shirt, brushing against the skin of your hips, skin that had never been touched by anyone but yourself until now. It was starting.

"Can I take this off, doll? I'll take mine off too. We'll be on the same page." Jacob sighed into your mouth, and couldn't resist kissing you between words. He left one set of fingers creeping under your shirt while the other gently tugged at the garment.

"I like that idea." You smiled, his lips brushing against yours in a phantom kiss.

He opted for his first, shedding his tee in a lazy fashion, revealing a sight you had seen before, his bare chest. But now was different from the hot summer days you'd been near the guy in such a state. Now you were free to oggel his frame entirely. 

Jacob watched you watching him as he delicately took hold of the base if your shirt, and pulled it up. You lifted your arms instinctively and tried not to shiver in an anxious display of vulnerability.

The man you'd come to trust tossed aside your favorite old concert tee and brought both his hands to the bare skin of your waist. He'd see you in swimsuits and crop tops but he'd never been so close. Never had his hot skin been so easily accessible under your touch. Never had he caressed you in such a state. The pair of you stood there, holding each other in a delicate morphing clasp, for a brief moment. Your breathing synchronized before Jacob nuzzled against your neck and mumble something about how beautiful he thought you looked, and how lovely he thought it was to hold you so close like this. It was almost too sweet, his musings and the gentle way he held you. But the pecks he placed against your neck turned into something fiercer, his teeth grazing, his breathing audible. All the while, his caresses turned too, his fingers pressed possessive against your skin, one hand moving to bring your hips as close to his as possible.

You let it happen, dragging your nails across his shoulder blades and letting out a delighted sigh. You knew this was supposed to be a fun positive experience. But you felt quite unprepared for how much you were enjoying yourself.

Jacob planted another sloppy kiss to your lips, encouraging you to match his energy.

He began to drag you a few steps in another direction, never daring to break away from the kiss you were sharing, until he had to. Jacob eased onto the side of your bed, gently pulling you into his lap. He maneuvered you into a straddle you were happy to settle into, leaving no space between the two of you, as your kisses continued.

"This all okay, doll?" Jacob hoped, as his warm hand made its way toward your breasts, still covered.

"Yes Jacob," you breathed, taking your turn in moving kisses down the man's neck, not totally sure of your execution but lead by passion what could go so wrong, you wondered?

To your delight, Jacob practically melted under your bites and licks, and you were beginning to melt a little yourself, as he kneaded at your bra.

"You can take it off. If you want." You sighed, keeping up your work at his neck, moving from one side to the other.

"Oh, I've wanted to for a longer than you know." He let out a little laugh after his confession.

You sat up to meet his gaze, asking a question with one look.

"You know I've always thought you were beautiful. But I have always wondered just how much more beautiful under all your clothes." Jacob mewled, unclasping your bra after two tries. You let the thing fall away and slide down one arm to the floor, as Jacob ogled you shamelessly. Somehow the moment didn't cause you nearly as much nervousness as you'd anticipated. The way Jacob was handling this new interaction, the way he'd been handling you; caused your nerves that kept arising the settle, provoking much more excitement than you knew you were capable of feeling in a time like now.

"Even more beautiful than my imagination has been able to conceive." Jacob grinned up to you before rolling his eyes closed on his mission to cover you in kisses.

You couldn't hold back your sigh, one you'd never heard yourself make. A noise you didn't know you were capable of producing. Jacob's lips closed around one of your nipples while he let his hand attend to the other. You could feel his pants tightening beneath you, and his messy hair tangled in your fingers as you grasped at something to ground you. Things were moving at a steady pace yet seemed to be rocketing into progression much quicker than you were prepared for.

"Jacob." You reluctantly halted him, grabbing his attention away from making you feel so good. "Jacob, I don't want to stop, but can we slow down a little?" You asked in a shaky breath, watching your chest rise and fall rapidly, like you'd just run a mile.

"Of course." He promised, planting closed mouth kisses across your collarbone. "Come'er."

Jacob pushed you from his lap to the middle of the bed and adjusted himself behind you, as you took in a couple deep breaths. Then his hands found your shoulders, and began to massage the tense muscle there.

"Are you still nervous? More or less? What can I do to help?"

"Still nervous. But you've been very patient so far and I can't imagine doing this with anyone else. Thank you, Jacob."

"You're practically a natural," Jacob purred in your ear, keeping up his work on your shoulders. You began to feel more at ease under his touch, and more ecstatic by his words and the tone of his voice. "Nothing to be nervous about."

Your hum gave him a green light to follow his hands with his lips, kissing the trail of his massaging.

He soon let his hands start to wander, keeping his face in the crook of your neck as his hands trailed lightly across your chest and tummy, stalling for a brief second at the hem of your pants before ghosting back up to brush at your already exposed skin.

You flipped around crawling into a position closer, moving to undo the button of his pants.

"You sure?" Jacob asked quickly, waiting for you to nod before shedding the trousers as lazily as he removed his shirt.

"Want me to do yours?" He asked, not wondering if you'd rather handle the task, but if you were ready for the next step to be initiated at all. You told him you were ready, looking right in the guy's hooded deep brown eyes.

Jacob gently pushed you against the stack of pillows at the head of your bed. For one small moment, you paused to look at each other and smile. And then your friend shifted and reached for the button of your trousers. You watched as he hooked a couple fingers in the hem to peel the fabric away from your body, his eyes drinking in every newly exposed inch of you. You helped kicked away the pants, as Jacob reached to pull you back into his lap. In one swift move, you pushed him back into the pillows. You relished having the boy pinned below you, as you closed in for another kiss.

His hands traced across the expanses of your skin, his warm form settled beneath yours in the very best ways. You began to let your fingers trace patterns across his chest, feeling the hammer of his heart. Now both clad in nothing but underwear, the thin fabric allowed for you to feel more exactly of how worked up you'd gotten the boy.

You weren't nervous now to roll your hips against his. Or even if you might've been, they seemed to move on their own accord, your body seeking to satisfy its growing desires. Your rocking against the man's lap grew quietly more confident, and in the matter of a couple grinds you had Jacob whimpering against your lips.

Jacob gently pushed you from his lap, moving to hover over you in turn. "Okay?" He asked more succinctly but paused and watched for your confirmation just as patiently as every time before. And right as you began to nod, Jacob pressed his clothed hips against yours, encouraging your legs to open a little wider to make space for him. He kept his eyes sharply focused on yours, as he kept grinding, palming at your breast all the while. You were overcome, the coil in your belly tightening, and you hadn't even gotten to the good part.

His hand that had been working at your breast traveled downward, stalling near the hem of your underwear. Just as Jacob opened his mouth to ask if his next move was allowed, you were quicker. You grabbed his forearm and gently pushed his hand past the fabric of your undergarment, immediately glad for it.

His fingers found their way gently to your heat, giving subtle barely there caresses to the part of you that was most sensitive. Your toes curled and your heart stalled as he touched you with such tender intention. The pair of you managed to settle side by side, and without discussion, you reached to move Jacobs fingers to the spot he'd been nearly close to finding. The feeling that followed sent sparks through your nervous system, and your own hand shot out toward Jacob's underwear in response. You didn't ask, you simply slid your digits up and down the clothed length of your friend's crotch, relishing the shuttered breaths he released as you did so. The pair of you kept this up for a short moment, kissing when you weren't stealing each others breath away.

"Can we get to the part where you fuck me?" You sighed, worried that if you didn't do so soon, in the midst of your highest confidence, you'd lose the nerve. Jacob let out a quiet chuckle as he nodded, moving to shed the last of both of your clothes. Gentle as ever, he took as much time with this process as ever, making you more at ease and anxious for the next step all the same.

"Are you sure?" Jacob worried, settling between your legs. You kept one hand against his face and the other set of your fingers grasping his shoulder. You nodded quickly between shaky breaths, your nerves heightening slightly at the realization this was happening. But then Jacob shook his head. "I'm not doing anything until you relax, doll."

You were fully aware of your uneven breathing and the tensing of your body, due to the anxiousness that threatened to swallow you whole. You wanted this, you really did. But that didn't stop your nervous system from going a bit haywire during such an unprecedented situation.

"Relax." Jacob repeated. He petted your hair back and smoothed a hand across your shoulder, attempting to ease the tension you held there. You tried your best to settle a bit more comfortably against the sheets as the guy spoke up again. "Take like four deep breaths, and relax." Jacob guided you through his desired number of focused inhales, taking them in just as deeply himself. You closed your eyes during the last couple and felt yourself truly a little more at ease by way of Jacob's help and kind focus. You watched the guy breath out same as you, the fourth time, and after a beat he gave you a subtle nod.

"Good, that's better. Now, are you super sure?" He prompted, letting his hands hold you firmly against him, not daring to move until you gave your full, more at ease, confirmation. When you said yes with a smile, Jacob smiled too, and proceeded to line his hips up with yours.

As he pressed into you slow and steady, he cooed in your ear. Mumbling pet names and sweet encouragements about how good you'd already made him feel. Between his saccharine words and the pressure between your legs, you were done for.

Your breathing quickened all too soon but wasn't as shaky and uneven as before. Your skin burned with want. Your legs spread far as they could. He placed a loving hand against your temple, and you gripped his wrist as he began to move his hips in a sinfully slow manner.

The press of his lips to your throat was made more intimate by the grazing of his teeth there too. The speed at which he rocked into you began to increase, your heart rate following suit. everything felt better than you could've even fathomed. You were glad you did this with someone you knew and trusted. Someone whose hands were familiar to at least some parts of your own body and whose voice was welcomed in your ear. So glad you were doing this with someone you'd let do it all over again. So glad you're doing this with Jacob.

"You're doing so good, so good, nothing to be nervous about." The last word of his sentence was abruptly cut off by a growl the man couldn't seem to hold back.

Jacob was relentless now, pulling your hips against his as he rocked so hard against you, the bed frame kept hitting the wall. You couldn't imagine feeling much better than this, but then he asked if you were close to reaching your breaking point. You realized you'd never known before, and you really weren't sure now. "I don't know." You admitted with a twinge of worry. "It feels so good, Jacob, but I-I don't know." A sigh escaped your lips as he hit a certain spot within you. He grumbled encouragement in your ear, saying it was okay that you didn't know, and kept up his efforts.

"But I can't hold back much longer, I'm sorry." Jacob cried, his movements becoming sloppy, still heavenly though. It was your turn to encourage him, and let him know it was okay to come undone. Jacob was a goner soon after your brief pep talk, pulling himself from you as his seed spilled across your stomach. As Jacob caught his breath, he promised to go hunting for a towel to clean you up as you propped yourself on your elbows.

"Is it disappointing that I didn't come?" You worried, sitting up a little, catching your own breath. Jacob smirked, and petted back your hair, settling a little closer to you.

"I'm just glad you didn't fake it. Sometimes it just takes practice to know how to make it happen... to find out what you like, ya know?"

"Yeah, I s'pose." You contemplated, a bit cross that it hadn't happened, because it was half the reason you were eager to get this first time sorted out, so you could know how to handle yourself. Jacob had spotted a towel a few steps from your bedside, and was quick to retrieve it. And as he sweetly took to cleaning up the mess he'd made about you, he spoke up.

"You know, I never said our little educational experiment was over..." Jacob was smug, but turned up a brow to nod seriously your way and in a moment that made your cheeks flush even still after everything that had just occurred.

"Would... would you?"

Jacob said nothing. He simply dove back in to kiss you again, with more passion than ever, you thought. The man pressed you to lean against the pillows once again, as his fingers danced lower and lower down your abdomen.

"You seemed to like when I did this." Jacob cooed, letting his fingers ghost over your heat for the second time that evening, grazing a certain spot you'd once helped him find. You sucked in a breath at the feeling, giving Jacob the green light to proceed with more vigor. He pressed his fingers against you with more certainty, swirling more meaningful circles in that one spot. Jacob watched as you bit your lips together, struggling to keep an undignified moan from bursting from your chest.

"Think I must be doing something right." You friend boasted, keeping up the motions he'd settled into perfectly making. All the while, he moved to kiss you. His mouth, you were certain, must've left marks peppered across you skin as his lips moved from your neck to your throat, to your breasts and down further and further and further.

Once his lips ghosted across your core, you knew you were done for. The man let his tongue replace his fingers, as his digits moved to slide inside of you. His hair tickled your thighs, and every sensation added up together was nearly too much to process.

You thought Jacob's hands were magical, his lips and tongue were mind blowing. His warm breath, his teeth grazing, it was all more intense than you'd though it could've been. Your back arched, your hips rolled, and Jacob shouldered closer, putting as much vigor into this process as he could manage. Now, you suddenly seemed to understand the answer to his previous statement. You were close, now. You had to be. Your every sense buzzed and all you felt was increasing ecstasy.

You couldn't begin to hold back your cries of pleasure now, as Jacob worked you into a frenzy. He kept up his efforts until your legs shook, and only when you nudged his head gently away from it's latch onto your lower half, did he cease.

"I would ask if you enjoyed that but I think I know the answer." Jacob grinned, crawling to lay at your side. You laid in a daze, wondering how someone could've gotten that reaction from you. Of course it was Jacob who had.

You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, and for no good reason at all, you both burst into a fit of laughter. Exhausted giggles, that died down when a cough alerted you to how dry your throat had become from all the harsh breathing you'd done.

Jacob insisted on taking care of you, finding water for the pair of you to drink and escorting you to the shower. You pulled him in with you, and talked about silly things as you washed up, comfortable as before in your friendship.

"Hey, thank you. I really was so scared to go through all that. But you made it easy. You made it fun." You confessed, as Jacob wrapped a towel around your frame. He ran his hands up and down your arms, warming you from the chill of the room.

"Thank you for trusting me. You'll never know how much of an honour it was, really." Jacob nodded sincerely, before pulling you into an embrace. He went home shortly afterward, promising to see you soon, and joking that he'd more than happily help you practice again, anytime. You laughed along with him, and secretly hopped he wasn't joking.

///

After he left, sleeping with Jacob constantly played back in your mind. The phantom feeling of his body lingered about your skin. You thought of little else than your dear friend, as you moved through the motions of the next day. So, to remedy your fever for the lad, you called him and asked about meeting up for dinner. He responded quickly insisting he'd love to, and that he would swing by your place a little later on. Time dragged on as you counted the minutes until he arrived.

When the knock came at your door, you opened it with perhaps too much excitement. Neither of you said anything, and a brief moment of silence filled the space between you.

"It's still a little early for dinner." You schemed. Jacob quirked a brow, stepping in as you stepped back to make room for him. He shut the door behind himself, as you crossed your fingers behind your back... "Maybe... to kill time, we could do what we did the other night?" You hoped, casting a hopeful glare up to the man before you. And before you even finished your sentence, he reached out to pull you closer, crashing his lips against yours once you'd finished talking.

It wasn't long until he had you lifted from the ground in his arms, your legs wrapped around his torso as he moved to throw you on the sofa.

"You do have a lot still to learn." Jacob smirked, untying the joggers that hugged your hips.

"But we are eating later." You demanded, craving a certain local restaurant.

"Well, I'm not waiting till later." Jacob growled, smiling as he lowered himself between your legs right away. The night spiraled into a mess of moans that were familiar to you now. When the pair of you were spent, you cleaned up and went to dinner, and then parted your separate ways.

After that night, there were four days until you were set to move away. And Jacob showed up at your door every evening with a different excuse each time.

He'd wanted to see the newest horror film in the local theater. You left halfway through to fuck in your car. Jacob mentioned that practice made perfect, and he was more than happy to help you hone this craft. You'd wanted to throw a party with all your friends before summer sent you each different way's. A whole soiree was planned in which you and Jacob skipped out early on; because the broom closet you'd snuck into wasn't giving either of you enough space to work with, and you'd both concluded this may be the last chance you got to really participate in your new found hobby.

But the next day, he found his way over all the while. And neither of you had to ask. It was only a matter of time before he had you pinned against the bathroom counter, and you'd never been happier. Just as you began reaching your climax, Jacob spoke up between sighs, "I don't want you to leave."

"Then come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me." You manage to get out the words before losing all composure. He followed close behind. But you both knew finding release together wasn't what you meant when you asked him to come along.

As you both caught your breath, Jacob brushed your hair back, and let his eyes consider all of your features. As he took too long to respond, you decided to draw a bath, and invited him to settle among the bubbles with you, where you brought up your question one more time.

"We've had lot's of practice, you know." You settled across from the man you'd come to know better than you ever expected. "Maybe we can go pro. Make it official?" You watched Jacob watch you, as you spoke.

"Was this your plan the whole time? You're twisted way of getting me to fall for you?"

"No, I genuinely just wanted your help that one night. Then it turned into many many nights. And now I don't want to ever have to worry about practicing with anyone but you."

And so after a few more rounds of questions of answers, it was decided. Jacob would follow you to a new town to live a new life. But with your oldest friend at your side and under shared sheets, you weren't so nervous about all the new things you would get to encounter, together.

───※ ·❆· ※───

[writeonwhiskey]

the skz house: ch 24

a/n: thank you @bahablastplz for editing!

[ read chapter 23 here ]

Chapter Twenty-Four: Of Changbin and Roses

You slowly tiptoe up the stairs behind a shirtless Chan, hardly able to see anything without the light on. He stopped you from flipping the switch on your way up, whispering that it’s safer this way. He’s right—you can’t alert anyone of your being together like this. It feels like the two of you have broken yet another rule in this house and you worry that it is going to spin out of control.

You have both of your hands wrapped around one of his, holding on tightly. You tell yourself it’s so you don’t fall, but you’re really just trying to maintain what little physical contact you have left with him after what took place in the kitchen.

You remained bent over the counter with Chan laying on your back, uncomfortable under his weight but not wanting to move. He showered the back of your shoulder in kisses before finally withdrawing himself. He then promptly removed his shirt to tenderly clean you and himself off.

At the start of your time in the SKZ house, you would have never imagined such a tender moment like that to happen with him.

He discarded the shirt in the trash while you put the water bottles in the fridge and when he returned to you, the look on his face nearly broke you. His expression was caught somewhere between wanting to smile at you and feeling distraught. You knewthe exact feeling. All you could do was hug him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around you.

“For what?” you asked.

“Being selfish. This isn’t fair to you.”

You squeezed him tighter.

“Does it ever occur to you that I need you just as much?”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“It is. And I do, Chan. But I don’t want to get in the way of your future or come between you and your family. I could never ask you to make a choice like that.”

“Maybe you should.”

His reply was so soft, you weren’t sure you heard him correctly. He leaned back from the embrace and hooked a finger under your chin to tilt your head up.

“Do you know what I would choose?”

With your eyes locked on his, you felt like your heart was going to burst. In all of your time spent with him, he held the power. In that one quick moment, you felt it shift over to you. The weight of his words held you captive, frozen, you couldn’t say anything back. You weren’t sure you wanted him to confirm the answer, but deep down you knew it.

The silence after that still looms over both of you on your way up the stairs. You reach the third floor all too soon and Chan stops in front of Changbin’s door. Before you can even think about having to let go of his hand, he has your back pressed against the wall. He cups your face in his hands and kisses you softer than ever before. His tongue licks at your bottom lip, seeking entrance. You part your lips and allow him to enter, gliding your tongue along his. Your mouths move in perfect unison as you both remain careful not to make any loud sounds for fear of someone hearing.

“Fuck, y/n,” he says quietly when he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against yours. “You have to stop this.”

“Stop what?” you ask, reaching up to caress the hairs at the nape of his neck.

“If I can’t leave you alone…if you won’t ask me to choose…you have to stop letting me ruin you.”

Ruin. This is the second time he’s compared your situation to complete and utter destruction. However, the first time he questioned if you were trying to ruin him. Now he believes his actions will lead to your downfall?

“Chan, you’re not—”

“I am.” His tone is hushed, but sharp.

You press your lips together in a firm line. Partially so that you don’t snap at him when you need to remain quiet, but also because…he might be right.

He kisses your forehead and takes a small step back. With his plea and this one gesture, it’s like he’s put an entire ocean between you. You start to take a step towards him, but he shakes his head and backs away again.

“Go to sleep.”

You grit your teeth as you feel needle pricks in your eyes and quickly turn around to open Changbin’s door. You step inside and shut it softly behind you without sparing another look at Chan. You press your ear against the door and wait until you hear his footsteps retreat. When you’re certain he’s left, you walk across the room and throw yourself onto your bed. You grab a pillow and hug it to your chest, cuddling up against it in the fetal position. You don’t bother to get beneath the blankets. No amount of warmth from fabric can take away the chill you’re feeling, being away from him right now.

You want to give yourself to Chan in all ways, no matter the damage it does to you. His actions and words tonight confirm that he feels the same. When he fucks you, you feel every single emotion he has for you and you know, without a doubt, that he cares about you. But how can he ask you to make him choose between you and his future and his family? Why is he choosing now to give you so much power over what happens to you both? And if you can’t ask him to choose, then it’s somehow your responsibility to end the lingering torment that follows the two of you like a shadow.

When he revealed his true feelings in Miami, you had a feeling you would have to be the stronger one in the end. But right now, it’s starting to feel like an impossible task.

Over the next few days, you go about your regular schedule and default back to operating on autopilot. Class. Home. Cook. Clean. Homework. Sleep. Repeat. Knowing Chan’s schedule, you do your very best to avoid seeing him again. As long as you can keep some distance from him, neither of you will falter. You even make up an assignment that ‘requires’ you to spend most of your time in the den, opting to have most of your meals in there so you can ‘finish it’.

The night in the kitchen starts to feel like maybe you dreamt it, but the next time you’re in the same room as Chan, your eyes are instinctively drawn to him. He looks back at you and your eyes lock for a brief second before you both look away. And you know it was real.

You both can’t carry on like this. You’ll be back with him soon and you’ll be forced to address what you last talked about. But, for now, you can put off that discussion while you sort through your thoughts.

On Sunday night, you decide to stay with Changbin. Over the last three days with him, you’ve started to see a different side to him. While he is genuinely an extremely silly man, he’s also caring, wise, and well-grounded in who he is as a person. He knows what he stands for—he’s a man of principle.

You find yourself crawling into bed with him for the first time, determined to stick a pin in the whirlwind of emotions you’ve been experiencing the past week. Unlike with Seungmin, you choose not to bring your own blanket this time and slide underneath his instead. He watches you get situated with a look of amusement on his face.

“Comfortable?” he asks when you finally lay on your side, facing him.

“As much as I can be,” you reply, before adding with a smirk, “you should step your sheet game up, though. Hyunjin likes Egyptian cotton.”

Changbin furrows his brow and promptly grabs his phone from his nightstand. He unlocks it and the light from the screen casts a blue glow on his face.

“Bixby, add Egyptian cotton sheets to my shopping list.”

You turn onto your back, shaking your head as you look up at the ceiling. His phone confirms it’s been added to the list.

“You’re too much,” you say with a smile.

“Never too much when it comes to love,” he teases, locking his phone and setting it back on the nightstand.

His words ring throughout your head. Prior to this experience you may have agreed with that statement. But if there’s anything you have learned, it’s that there is such a thing as too much when it comes to love. Although, you can’t say with full certainty that you love Chan. How could you? He’s been hot and cold with you from day one. When he’s hot and loving, it’s the best feeling in the world and that’s what you yearn for more of. However, when he’s cold it makes you feel awful. That can’t be love.

“You okay?” Changbin asks after you’ve remained silent for too long.

“Just trying to come to terms with graduation and the reality of what comes next,” you shrug, as if you’re not currently in an ongoing battle between your head and heart.

You want to be open with Changbin. Everything about him invites you to confess your deepest, darkest secrets and get his honest feedback. But this involves Chan, so you can’t. You’re thankful, though, that both Changbin and Seungmin are easy to talk to. It’s made this rotation a lot more bearable.

“Are you familiar with the Theory of Simulacrum?”

You turn your head and blink at him. He’s minoring in philosophy and always has a convoluted theory up his sleeve.

“You know I’m not, Changbin.”

“Have you ever been to Disney?”

You nod.

“You know the feeling you get when you’re there?” he continues, “Like you’re in a completely different reality. And when you make it back to the parking lot, it feels surreal…empty almost. It feels like your true reality is now wrong.”

You continue to nod, showing that you’re following along but you’re not sure where he’s going with this.

“What you’re going through right now, living here, is the simulation. It’s easy to fall into the belief that this is real. You have some kind of structure in schedules, relationships, a man—or men—that care for you, provide for you, and you do the same for them, right?”

You nod slowly once again, pushing away the sting of him insinuating that this experience fake.

“Are you following me?” he asks.

You turn your head towards him again.

“I’m honestly not sure, Bin.”

He chuckles at your candor.

“Who was your best friend in elementary school?” he asks.

The question throws you for a loop.

“Her name was Brooke,” you tell him.

“And what happened with her?”

“We went to separate middle schools…I don’t think I ever saw her again.”

“And how do you feel when you think of her now?”

You turn on your side to face him again.

“Nostalgic, but happy I guess.”

“You probably felt like you were going to be friends forever—that was the reality you were in, at that time. This isn’t any different, if you think about it.”

“Well…I wasn’t fucking her.”

He lets out a loud laugh at your response and you can’t help but laugh with him.

“Let’s talk about something else. Your theory is going to make my head hurt.”

He places his hand on your waist, and you tense up for a second before telling yourself to relax. He pulls you closer to him and turns so he’s lying on his back now. He moves his hand from your waist up to your head and guides it down to his shoulder. You allow yourself to snuggle up against him. It feels nice to just be held right now.

“You’re softer to lay on than I thought,” you tell him.

“Are you calling me squishy?” He sounds slightly offended.

“I would never,” you reply sarcastically.

He takes his arm that’s draped around you and brings it up to your head. He flexes his biceps and presses your head against his, now also flexed, pecs. Pinning you against him.

“I work out seven days a week—I’m rock solid, y/n.”

Your body shakes with laughter as you try to wiggle out of his tight embrace. After a moment, he lets you go.

“That’s a different kind of kink I don’t think I’m into, sorry.”

“Your loss,” he shrugs.

You enter the second and final week of the rotation feeling more comfortable and at ease with your assignees. Neither Seungmin nor Changbin have tried anything to make you uncomfortable. No one told you to get on your knees and you take some relief in that.

On Tuesday you stay back after class and walk to the baseball field to watch Seungmin practice. He’s in his element running around the diamond. When it’s his turn to practice pitching, he points to you in the stands before hurling the ball forward. He almost always gets a strike. He’s good. But you won’t tell him that and boost his ego even more.  

Back at the house, he goes straight to the bathroom for a shower, and you help Rhiannon with dinner. You serve Changbin at the table, then head upstairs to Seungmin. He asks you to use a massage gun on his back, arms and calves. Seeing how hard he practiced, you have no problem assisting. He lays there with his eyes closed, only moving and wincing when you hit a particularly sore area.

When you’re done, you set the massage gun down on his dresser and sit on the edge of his bed, watching as he meticulously stretches. It still surprises you how physically fit he is for being so slender—you’d never usually guess it from the oversized clothing he so often wears.

Your time with him and Changbin hasn’t magically erased what’s going on between you and Chan, but as you’ve grown comfortable with them, in the same way that you are with Hyunjin, you’ve started to wonder if you could be open to more. And the clock is ticking. Before you go back to Chan, you have the sudden urge to test the damage that’s been done to your physical desires. You will, after all, have to move on when you leave this house and be open to physical intimacy with other men.

“Seungmin?” you ask as soon as the thought crosses your mind, before you can talk yourself out of it.

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask for a favor?”

He pauses in the middle of his stretch to look at you.

“Depends on what it is.”

“Would you kiss me?” you ask awkwardly.

He arches an eyebrow, “Hypothetically or…?”

“No, like, right now.”

You both stare at each other without blinking for a moment. Then he makes the first move and comes to join you on the bed. You instantly feel your heartbeat pick up but once again you don’t know if it’s because of how close he is or because you want this…or because you feel like you shouldn’t be doing this. He turns to face you, and you do the same.

He reaches up to cup one side of your face and his dark brown eyes search yours again—maybe trying to understand your reasoning for this sudden request. He brings your face closer to his and your heart beats even faster, it feels so loud he can probably hear it.  

“There’s no going back from this,” he says softly.

You nod your head, letting him know it’s okay. He cups the other side of your face, cradling your head in his hands.

“Once you have a taste, you’ll be dreading going back to them,” he boasts.

You scrunch your face up at that and pull your head away from him.

“Okay, you ruined it. Never mind.”

He lets out a Seungmin cackle and before you have a chance to react, he’s on top of you, straddling your waist. You instinctively lower yourself to the bed, wanting to put some distance between you. But he lowers himself too, arms outstretched on either side of your head.

Your heart continues having its violent reaction. Your brain, on the other hand, is telling you to let it happen. Give it a try. You have to know.

“Yeah?” he asks, still wanting to check you’re okay with it as he lowers his head towards yours.

“Yes.”

Your eyes flutter shut as he closes the distance between you and when his lips meet yours, your eyes snap open. Your body and brain are fighting with and turning on each other at the same time—one wanting you to break away, one telling you to chill the fuck out, then swapping their commands.

“Relax,” Seungmin breaks the kiss momentarily to whisper.

You hadn’t realized you’re completely rigid—your body, your lips. You exhale a breath and close your eyes again. You press your lips to his again, parting them and allowing him to kiss you deeply. He’s gentle and tastes minty. His tongue enters your mouth and at first it does feel foreign—but not unpleasant. But not right, either. You wrap your arms around his neck and relax further into the kiss.

He slips one hand behind your back and rolls you both over so that you’re on top. You feel a little more in control this way and relax further into the kiss. You lay your forearms on the bed, around his head and adjust to the change in position. His hands come to rest on your waist, squeezing gently as he nips at your lips between kisses.

“Okay, okay,” you say when you break away.

“Is that what you needed?”

You sit up as you catch your breath, placing your fingers over your lips and trying to sort out what you’re feeling.

“I think so…”

“Good,” he gives your waist another gentle squeeze. “All I’m going to say is be careful, y/n.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“I have some assumptions…the others do, too. It’s not our business, though. Just…don’t get yourself hurt, okay?”

“I’m trying not to.”

You can’t tell if the look on his face is one of pity or what, but you don’t have to look at it for long. He wraps his arms around your back and brings you down for a hug.

It puzzles you, how you can feel comfortable in the arms of so many different men and get different feelings from all of them. The way the members have all explained that this is a community, and everyone is here to support everyone, is starting to make more sense, though. Laying like this on top of Seungmin, after having just kissed him—he’s not even hard. There’s no underlying sexual tension in your relationship with him. He’s able to see and understand what you need and provide that to you. He’s helpful, even if his help is typically doused in sarcasm and cackles.

You eventually go back downstairs to make plates for you and Seungmin and you both eat in his room. After dinner he turns on his projector and aims it at the ceiling. You both lie in his bed watching a movie together until you fall asleep.

You wake up early the next morning when your alarm goes off, well before sunrise, to prepare for class. As a Teacher’s Assistant, you’re expected to help with some of the lessons and you have a presentation to finish for today’s lecture. You get dressed and whip yourself up a quick breakfast, then head to the den.

You have your headphones on, music blaring, as you alternate between eating your toast and organizing the slides. You feel your phone buzz and pick it up, taken aback by the name you see—Chan.

Look up.

Taking the message literally, you furrow your brow and look up to the ceiling, but nothing is there. You look back down at your phone and then see movement out of the corner of your eye. You turn and see Chan, waving his hand to get your attention. You pause your music and slide your headphones off one ear.

“Good morning,” he greets you with a smile, waving with one hand while the other remains behind his back.

“Morning…” you reply slowly, sounding suspicious of him.

“Can we talk?”

You glance down at your phone—it’s now 6:45am. Why is he even awake?

“About what?”

“What happened last week.”

“I don’t really want to think about that right now, Chan…it’s too much,” you shake your head.

“Okay,” he concedes easily. “Maybe later?”

You had expected a little push back, but there is none.

“Yeah, maybe,” you shrug. You really have no intention of facing this conversation until you’re back with him.

“I haven’t fucked her, so you know,” he adds.

“Chan, we’re not supposed to talk about that,” you say, turning back to your computer.

You can’t deny that a part of yourself feels relieved to hear that, though.

“Oh…now you don’t want me to share things with you?”

Your head turns towards him at that, eyes narrowed and shooting daggers—no, grenades—at him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you snap.

The shocked look on his face tells you he may have, in fact, been joking. However, you don’t find it funny at all given all that’s already hanging over you, because of him. For him to make light of something that caused you so much pain sets you off.

“You know what?” You let out an incredulous chuckle and turn back to your computer again. “I don’t care anymore, Chan. Don’t share things with me. You said you were good at sex and not so much the other stuff—I can see that clearly now. We’ll stick to sex for the rest of my time here.”

“Y/n, I wasn’t—”

“No. Just go, I need to focus.”

From your peripheral, you can see that he is walking towards you instead of leaving. You close your eyes and sigh, leaning back into the computer chair. You cannot have him come near you now. That’s when you always lose yourself to him.

“Chan, don’t…please.”

He stops at the side of your desk and brings out his other hand, the one he kept behind his back this entire time, and produces a single, vibrant blue rose with a small card attached to the stem. He sets it down on your desk.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he says.

He leans down and places a kiss to the top of your head before turning around and walking out of the room. Leaving you without a chance to thank him and feeling completely dumbfounded.

You look at your phone again to check the date: February 14th. It completely slipped your mind.

You lean forward with your elbows on the desk and put your head in your hands. That explains why he was up this early. How did he even know you were in here? Perhaps you aren’t the only one that has the schedules memorized. You let out a sigh—this interaction must have gone completely sideways from what he intended. And now you’re left feeling bad about the way you reacted.

You lean back in the chair again and pick up the rose. You’ve never even seen a blue rose before—it’s beautiful. They’re definitely not common enough to get at grocery stores. You flip open the small card attached to it to read the note.

너

You’re left puzzled by the foreign letters on the card throughout the day. When you return home you don’t have time to look any further into it because Changbin and Seungmin announce they’re taking you out to dinner. Your second surprise of the day, and it makes you genuinely smile for the first time all day. You get changed into a sleek, yet casual, black dress and head downstairs with them—they’re both decked out in black slacks and button up shirts.

You see Chan on the couch on your way out. His eyes trail from your head down to your feet, then back up again. He nods his head softly, lips pressed firmly together, then averts his gaze back to the TV. Is he not going out tonight, too? You feel the urge to go to him and ask what he would have said in the den this morning if you hadn’t cut him off.

In the car, you ride up front with Changbin while Seungmin sits in the back. Your phone buzzes—it’s Chan again.

You look beautiful.

You feel a wave of sadness and guilt course through you, knowing he’s home alone while you’re going out on a date. On Valentine’s Day. Without him.

You find it hard to shake the thought of him, even after you make it to the restaurant. You’re so caught up in your thoughts you don’t even take notice of the stares you get as you walk in with two men at your side. Even throughout the meal, your mind is elsewhere. You feel appreciative of Changbin and Seungmin being considerate enough to take you out tonight, but you can’t stop thinking about Chan. You’re half in the conversation, half in your own head.

His making the effort to come to you this morning was not out of the character of the Chan you’ve grown to care about. That’s absolutely something he would do. And yet you went off on him for not knowing how to do anything right, besides fuck you. You know that’s not true. Clearly, he had put some thought into seeking you out this morning. Plus, everything at Christmas? Perhaps you should have been more careful with your words.

As you’re waiting for the desert to come out, your phone vibrates. It’s him again.

Can I see you tonight?

You set the phone back down without replying. His persistence is causing even more conflict within you. You want to say yes. You want to apologize for how you spoke to him earlier. But should you? This is exactly the hot and cold behavior that’s been giving you whiplash for the last few months.

“This might be a dumb question, but…you guys can read Korean, right?”

They both nod.

You don’t want to show them the note, so you take a pen and paper from your purse instead and write down the letters. You stared at them for so long throughout the day, you’ve memorized them.

“What does that mean?” you ask, sliding the paper towards them.

Seungmin picks it up and Changbin leans over to inspect it with him.

“Neo.” Changbin tells you.

“No? Maybe I wrote it wrong…”

“Neo,” Seungmin says this time. “It means ‘you’.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you,” you say, trying to sound as casual about it as possible.

On the inside, your already spiraling emotions have turned into a fucking tornado. You think back to Chan’s question that night in the kitchen. The one you didn’t want to know the answer to.

“Do you know what I would choose?”

You.

[ read chapter 25 here ]

a/n: it's getting heavier and heavier. and to warn you, it will be heavy the next couple of chapter. some light moments with hyunjin, though. and more smut, of course.

[semperama]

#38 Buddie 😊😊😊

I got multiple requests for this one! Hope you enjoy! <3

"I like your laugh."

----

Eddie leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes, filtering out everything but the sound of Buck’s voice in the next room.

“They said you had a weird laugh?” Buck is saying. Eddie is just out of sight in the hallway, the door cracked open so he can hear. “You don’t have a weird laugh, bud. I love your laugh.” A pause, a snort from Chris. “I mean it. It reminds me of your dad’s.”

“Dad almost never laughs,” Christopher says. Eddie’s heart seizes in his chest.

“Nuh-uh. I told an excellent bee pun at work earlier, and he was practically rolling on the floor.” The bed springs creak, and Eddie imagines Buck jostling Chris’s shoulder, ruffling his hair. “Also he loves to make you laugh.”

The first part might be an exaggeration, but the second part is true. Eddie remembers those early days after Shannon left, where every day felt like pushing a boulder up a hill. Being a father never came naturally to him, but when he made a funny face or a silly joke and Christopher threw his head back and giggled, it was like all the turmoil inside him went quiet for a while. It made him feel like less of a fuck-up.

“How do I stop the other guys from making fun of me though?” Chris asks.

Buck blows out a long breath. “You probably can’t,” he says, “and I know that sucks, but unfortunately kids are mean. Teenagers especially.” Eddie bites his lip, listening intently. “It just would suck more if you let a bunch of jerks keep you from being happy, right? If anything, you should laugh more. And louder. Really piss them off.” Buck lowers his voice to a stage whisper. “Don’t tell your dad I said that last part.”

And Chris does laugh, now. Eddie does too, his shoulders shaking silently. He has no idea what he did to deserve Buck, but he’s thankful for it every damn day.

“Now. Homework?” Buck asks.

“Finished,” Chris answers.

“Hmm, I’ll let Dad verify that one.” Eddie’s stomach flips at that, Buck calling him “Dad” like they’re—like they— “Love you, kid,” Buck says, and Eddie barely has time to pull himself together before Buck is there, stepping out into the hall with a satisfied grin on his face.

Eddie puts a finger to his lips and tilts his head toward the kitchen, and Buck rolls his eyes but follows after him. It takes that long for Eddie to breath through the wobbly feeling in his chest anyway, to be able to speak without his voice coming out rough with emotion.

“Thanks, man,” he says. “I don’t know why he wouldn’t talk to me.”

The wounds from the summer are still fresh—Chris’s firmly shut door, the way he wouldn’t even look at Eddie before he left, the weeks of radio silence. Some days, Eddie’s not sure if things will ever go back to normal, if Christopher will ever really trust him again. It seems like they’re healing, but then there are days like today, where it’s one step forward, two steps back.

“I think he’s just at that age where it’s really uncool to open up to your parents about anything,” Buck says with a shrug. “I’m like, the older friend or fun uncle or whatever. Less threatening.”

Buck shoots him a tight smile and starts to move past him toward the fridge, but Eddie gets a hand around his bicep, stopping him. “That’s not what you are, Buck,” he says. His breath catches in his throat, and he has to swallow hard to clear it. “You know that, right?”

Judging by the way he looks down at the floor, he doesn’t know it. And that’s just—that’s not acceptable. Eddie has been trying to tell him for years. After the tsunami. After the shooting. And all these little moments too—family dinners and outings and Buck always, always being the first one either of them calls when something goes wrong. He’s not just their friend—his and Chris's. He’s their rock.

“Eddie,” Buck says, but Eddie hooks a thumb under his chin, makes him look up again.

“That’s not what you are,” he says, then presses his mouth to Buck’s before he can argue.

It’s the most terrifying moment of Eddie’s life for about three seconds, Bucks’s sharp intake of breath and tense shoulders, Buck grip tight on his waist. But then, just as Eddie’s about to jerk away and apologize, Buck sinks into it, softening, arm curling around Eddie’s shoulders to pull him closer.

Eddie makes an embarrassing sound, relief and desire and gratitude all rolled up into one. Buck’s soft mouth and strong arms, his comforting presence in this house and in their lives, his infinite capacity to care for others—it’s more than Eddie thought he’d ever get to have for himself, but he knew he wouldn’t find it anywhere else either. To have it now, pouring into his outstretched hands—he almost stops breathing. He’s so happy, so fucking in love with him.

“Gross,” says a voice from behind Buck, and they jump apart, startled, wheeling around to see Chris grinning at them from the doorway. “Get a room.”

“Uh,” Buck says eloquently.

“Christopher,” Eddie says, not much better. His mouth is tingling and he wants to lift his hand to it, touch it to make sure this is all really happening.

“Can we get pizza tonight?” Chris asks, and it’s a blatant ploy to take advantage of the situation—they had pizza two nights ago, and Eddie tries to care a little more about his nutrition than that—but Eddie looks at Buck, and Buck shrugs, and Eddie shrugs back, and they say, “Sure,” in unison.

“Great,” Chris says, and then disappears again.

Eddie stands stunned for a long moment, but when he looks at Buck again, Buck is laughing, his body quaking silently, his hand half-covering his face. I love your laugh too, Eddie thinks. Buck collapses back against the fridge like he needs it to hold him up, and Eddie moves into his space again, hand settling on his hip, grin creeping across his mouth.

“Still think you’re the fun uncle?” he asks, and Buck looks up at the ceiling and groans, “Oh my God.”

Eddie kisses his jaw, his cheek, cranes his neck to brush his lips over Buck’s birthmark. “I was going to ask you to stay for dinner anyway,” he says, cradling Buck’s face in his palm and sweeping his thumb across his cheekbone. “But now I think you should just stay forever.”

“Oh yeah?” Buck asks with obvious delight.

“Yeah,” Eddie says, and kisses him again. This, here, is where Buck belongs.

[maikissed]

jude bellingham x reader

„Grab me one as well, will you?” your friend called after you when you decided to go find yourself a cold drink.

The sunny weather relenting, yet the higher temperature still palpable even at this hour. A rather rare occurrence, even at this time of the year. It was pleasant, everyone enjoyed themselves this summer. You stepped out of a quite tight group of people to spot a long table full of snacks and mini fridges stacked along. A beer, you pondered? But your face fell in an instant as you noticed two male figures seated right next to the alcoholic beverages and there was a moment when you took a step to turn around but reconsidered, at last. Let’s not be this petty, for once. Huffing under your breath you strode straight at them, flashing a boy named Tanner a smile, pretending not having a reaction at somebody’s curious gaze, glancing over you up and down.

“Hi Tanner, Jude” you murmured eyeing the drinks trying to pick which one you would enjoy. You hesitated. Why was it so hard?

You flexed your hand. A problem with Jude Bellingham was that you hated his guts. An immense example of excessive ego, tormenting self-confidence and raging impudence framed in a pretty face that made your blood boil whenever you did as much as look into his eyes. And the most annoying of things was that you could never expect whatever might come out of his mouth.

A quick glance his way, a mistake, little cocky smirk visible on his lips. A pool was quite close, maybe you would have the chance to push him into it as the night goes by. But now he was seated on a foldable chair, like the fishing chairs one, a choice of beer standing next to his right elbow, his head on the level of your waist.

“May I be of assistance?” he asked, his eyes shining as he looked up at you.

“You can move” you tutted.

It was probably visible, how stiff you stood. Your hands placed on your hips. He looked over his shoulder.

“You can reach ‘em”

“Two Stellas, would you?” you shifted from one foot to the other.

You hated this beer. It was actually the first one you’ve spotted.

He smiled, rather softly, and grabbed the bottles with one hand. You noticed a cola can in his left grip. Of course, he rarely drinks anything of alcohol.

“Nice legs, don’t get to see these quite often” he murmured as you reached to get your bottles, almost prepared to say a polite thank you but there it was again. An unexpected comment that made your left eye twitch. Your skirt suddenly way to short for your liking. And he was seated, enjoying a very good view.

“Have a good look then” you snickered “Might be the last time”

He laughed at your comment, his perfect white teeth showing, and a hot wave flashed under your skin.

“I will, thank you” he nodded before you spun around to find your friends “See you around, angel face!” he shouted at your back and without even thinking about it, you waved a middle finger at him, glad that you were far away right now to breath steadier.

You hated that nickname.

Sally hated the beer you collected as well. But it was quickly forgotten as you turned into a different selection of drinks later that night. Heads lighter, bodies buzzing with warmth even after the temperature dropped a few hours later.

“They’re doing body shots!” Sally gasped and not even a second later you felt her tugging you into a small group of people near the bar.

You laughed at the sight.

“Wanna try?” you tempted her, eyeing a tall girl putting salt on a girls cleavage.

Tequila shot, you thought to yourself. Quite kinky shit for your taste.

“Fun, let’s do it” she jumped and before you could even register the course of events, she forced you down on a tall table.

You resisted, grabbing her forearms to stand up, feeling stressed, but you could already see the smile on the tall girl standing next to you, encouraging you to lay down.

“You bitch” you laughed with your eyes wide as Sally whispered something to Dominic who appeared at her side suddenly.

You’ve never done this before and it stressed you at first but you were already on this goddamned table so you just lied down, your eyes glued to the bartender girl.

“Cleavage or belly?” she asked with a sweet voice and you gasped, lost for words for a second before you nodded at her.

“Belly”

Rising your top a little you relaxed, but she still moved the material even higher on your body. You chuckled to yourself. You felt a bit stupid. At the corner of your eye you could spot Dominic moving around the table, probably to be the one who will take the shot, you thought, so you relaxed even more since it would not be that bad if it would be your friend who’ll take it. The tall girl used an ice cube to moisten your skin a little before putting a short line of salt on it. Just right after, a piece of lemon was placed between your teeth and finally, as she was pouring the liquor into your belly button, you took your eyes off her actions to look to your left. And instantaneously you froze when it was in fact not Dominic standing right at the table but the motherfucking Jude Bellingham himself, his dark eyes boring into yours, sly smirk forming upon his lips as he observed your reaction. You almost protested but the lemon blocked your lips from moving and your limbs turned to stone as you were processing what was actually going on. Your skin buzzed, you breathed hard through your nose, your eyes narrowed angrily as you realised he was absolutely enjoying this. And he was going to enjoy it to the fullest. With his hands clasped behind his back he leaned down, his eyes not leaving yours on the way and you shuddered at the weight of his gaze. You averted your gaze when the tip of his tongue met your skin, slowly collecting the trail of salt from your skin. But the moment his lips sucked gently around your belly button your muscles tensed and you closed your eyes at the hefty, overwhelming feeling that almost paralyzed you down from your waist. Your mind hazy, your breath shallow, you opened your eyes just at the moment when he leaned down to grab the lemon straight from your lips. He looked at it for a short second before he bit it, making sure that his lips made a slight contact with yours. You blinked, absolutely electrified against your will. What the hell just happened?

“Up, baby” the tall brunette sang to you and you flinched a little, hoisting yourself up on the surface.

That infuriating boy stood there still, his hand outstretched for you to take it, with intention to help you get down. Simply accepting it, you placed your fingers in his hand and there was some kind of triumph painting on his features that made many sensations rumble inside you, something trying desperately to get out of you. The simplest way? Through the mouth.

“I’m going to wipe that smirk off your face, Bellingham” you spat, a tad breathless.

But his smile turned wider and he chuckled under his breath. His fingers reached for the material of your top to pull it down to it’s proper state, covering still exposed parts of your body. It surprised you, his flesh on yours creating a wave of goose bumps on it’s track.

“I love seeing you get so riled up when a little provoked”

You gasped. A little provoked? What a pesky ass.

He took a step as if with intention to pass you, yet he lowered his head right next to your ear.

“You have no idea how much I want to put my tongue in different places on your body”

Fucking hell.

-

“You know y/n, I think Jude has a thing for you” Dominic’s point made you frown in question as you seated yourself in the back of his car.

Turned out he was the driver tonight.

“A thing?” Sally snorted, taking her eyes away from the mirror seated on the visor in front of her “He’s trying to fuck her and she’s playing hard to get”

“That’s not true!” you protested angrily “He lives to annoy and torment me”

“Ahh, it’s so fifth grade, you little babies. Wait ‘till he starts pulling on your ponytails” she mocked you, making Dominic laugh out loud.

“Oh, he can do that for sure” Dominic made a visual impression of doggy-style fucking, his hips moving back and forth on the seat, his hand up imitating hair pulling, sounds like groaning coming from his mouth.

“Ay, ay!” you shouted, trying to jam Sally’s loud laughter filling the car “Shut up fuckheads. I’m done with your shit. What are we even waiting for anyway?”

But before you could get your answer the back door opened and you heard voices coming from outside.

“Go in first, babes? I don’t like sitting in the middle” a high female voice reached your ears and you rolled your eyes because of fucking course Dominic agreed to take Jude and his cute little addition on your ride home. You didn’t mind Lyla, she just talked too much to the point of being slightly annoying.

Moving to the left you made space for them, already furious with the fact that you had to deal with this boy still. Sally gave you one last look before turning away and you huffed as one of Jude’s legs collided with yours as he slumped down next to you.

“Must you take all of the space?” you burked as Dominic sped off the driveway.

“Sorry princess, there’s not much of it”

You did not dare to look his way, feeling his heat on the side of your body you focused to keep your composure. His words from earlier still ringing in your ear, making you nervous and edgy. You feared every single sensation that awoke inside of you as you replayed them in your head. Minutes passed by with Dominic’s techno music playing from the speakers, Lyla’s blabbering and Sally’s throw ins every once in a while. You were under the impression that this ride already lasted a lifetime. You’ve been finally able to relax a bit before you felt Jude’s hands sneaking down around your knee, his fingers resting on the inside of your calf. You jumped a little, but his attention was still on Lyla’s talking. Sneaky bastard. Gentle trails he started to draw on your skin made you give his side a hard nudge but it did not discourage him. You readjusted your position and his hand was still there, his head turned to the other direction, acting utterly fascinated by the stories of his companion, so you kicked his ankle as forcefully as you could to bring his attention to you. But to no avail. Actually, his hand moved higher, as much as the position let him to still keep it discreet, and he squeezed the back of your thigh, just above the knee. It was dark but you could see it, his fingers wrapped around your leg and you looked up as you realised Sally with Domenic got involved in some heated discussion about upcoming concerts in your city with Lyla.

“If you won’t take your hand off of me I’ll brake every single bone in your fingers” you hissed in Jude’s ear, your face centimetres from his when he turned your way.

Accepting your words as a dare he shot you a mischievous smile and moved his hand up, visibly placing it on the top and inside of your thigh and you panicked so terribly, quickly grabbing your little sweater to cover his hand placed so high between your legs. You did not want your friends to notice, what he was doing was outrageous and you jumped, pressing your legs together. Tantalizingly, disturbingly the skin on your thigh, your neck and cheeks begun to burn and you took it as an awful sign of the fact that it turned you on so badly, you wanted to move and make more space for his fingers to proceed higher and higher, until…

His face inches from your ear, his breath hot on your neck.

“You will have to finish it yourself, angel face. Feel free to call me if you need help”

[bellaxgiornata]

A Favor from the Devil |Chapter Four|

Pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!Mom!Reader Word Count: 4.1k [Series Masterlist]

Warnings/tags: 18+; Domestic abuse, depictions/mentions of sexual assault, struggles with past trauma, canon-typical violence, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut (possibly more warnings to come)

a/n: Saint Matthew strikes again in this fluffy-ish(?) chapter that has been my favorite to write so far. Feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

Tag list: @kee-0-kee @dethspllz @a-half-empty-g1rl @senjoritanana @kezibear @sleepysleepymom @danzer8705 @scriptedmoon @flowher @wanda-maxamommy @guccicloudz @loves0phelia @withasideofmeg @mattmurdock-wife24 @sarraa-26 @mylastarrival @mdanon027 @kmc1989 @abiisscared

“Dinner?”

“We'll see what we've got, cricket.”

The sound of voices in the hallway broke through Matt’s sleeping mind, pulling him back to consciousness. Groggily stirring on his couch, Matt tried to focus his senses around him as he rubbed a hand across his forehead. Waking from sleep always left him a bit disoriented, especially the rare times he allowed himself a short nap.

“Chicken nuggets?”

“You know I'm–I'm not too sure if we have any left, but we can look when we get inside.”

Pushing himself slowly upright on the couch with a hand, the leather groaned beneath his weight. As he continued to listen to the voices outside of his apartment, Matt quickly realized he was overhearing you and your daughter in the hallway. Leaning forward and resting his elbows along his thighs, he tilted his head towards the wall where the pair of you were now standing in front of your own apartment door.

“I’m hungry.”

“I’m sure we have something I can make for dinner tonight, Evie.”

A frown settled on Matt’s mouth, his tired eyes narrowing as he focused closer on your body out in the hall. It sounded sluggish, as if you were exhausted and low on energy, and if he concentrated really hard, he could hear the faint rumblings of your stomach. You were both hungry. And with the hesitant way you’d just responded to your daughter along with the burst of anxiety inside of you at your last statement, he’d begun to wonder how true it actually had been.

Shifting on the couch, Matt did what he’d told himself he wouldn’t continue to do. He focused on you as you made your way into your apartment. He found it odd how your young daughter didn’t seem to say much, even now when it was just the pair of you alone in your own place. Something about that unsettled him. A child so young shouldn’t constantly be so timid and quiet.

He heard you set something down on your kitchen counter–a purse most likely. He listened as you took four steps before you opened what sounded like your refrigerator door. There was a soft, quiet sigh that even he’d barely caught as you closed that door seconds later and opened the other. A few items faintly shifted around on the shelf as you clearly searched for something in your fridge. 

“Sorry, cricket, there’s no chicken nuggets. I’ll have to add them to the grocery list for this weekend. But I can make us peanut butter and jelly for dinner. How does that sound?”

“No bread.”

“Oh,” Matt heard you reply, your cheerful tone instantly shifting to something disheartened. “You’re right. I uhm, I guess we might need to–to make a trip to the store before dinner then. Maybe we can find something to make for tonight.”

Your heart rate had accelerated as you spoke, the sound piquing Matt’s curiosity. Why had you suddenly become so nervous at the prospect of going shopping? But then he heard you picking up the object you’d set on your counter, the soft noise of a zipper confirming that it had indeed been your purse. That’s when he understood–you were looking for your wallet. Probably to see what cash you had on you in order to find groceries for tonight. You were probably nervous because you knew how little you’d find to help you.

Eyes closing, Matt blew out a deep breath as he buried his face in his hands. So his suspicions had been correct, you were struggling financially. Even with being able to afford to feed your daughter. He felt sick to his stomach listening to your growing panic in the apartment across the hall in what was clearly a very vulnerable moment for you.

Desperately Matt wished he could head over to your place right now, knock on your door, and offer you that job that Foggy and Karen had agreed upon letting you have earlier this week. Except there was absolutely no way Matt could realistically do that without making you entirely uncomfortable and possibly scaring you further away from him. Because he’d barely ever spoken to you, there was no realistic reason that he should’ve known about the situation you’d found yourself in or for him to offer you a job. 

But he also couldn’t just sit here in his apartment and let you both continue to go hungry. 

Pressing the heels of his hands into his closed eyes, he tried hard to think of how he could help you. Chewing the inside of his cheek, his mind ran over countless different ideas before it finally settled on one realistic one. Lowering his hands from his face, a small smile slipped onto his mouth. While he may not have had an excuse to go over to your place and offer you that part-time position just yet, there was something else he could do to immediately help the pair of you and possibly open the door to communication between you both.

Getting up from his couch, Matt began to make his way into the kitchen and over towards his fridge. Mentally he was already trying to prepare himself for what he would say to you when you opened the door for him because he needed to make this interaction count. He couldn’t afford to have you slam the door on his face–or worse, completely refuse to answer.

“Thank you, Mrs. Amato,” he whispered under his breath as he pulled a dish out of his fridge.

Pulling your wallet out of your purse, you tried to calm the sick feeling in your stomach. You already knew how much cash you had in there. A single twenty dollar bill. And that was all you had until you got paid again next Friday.

Plastering a smile onto your face, you glanced up at Evie. She was standing at the edge of the kitchen, the glaringly empty living room behind her only cementing your feelings of inadequacy. But now wasn’t the time for focusing on that–you needed to find a way to stretch twenty dollars and fast.

“Hey, how about you go put your backpack away in your room while I try to figure something out for dinner?” you suggested. 

Silently Evie turned and headed over to her bedroom. Pressing your lips together, you watched her until she disappeared from your sight. Once she had, you focused back down on the wallet in your hands, spotting the lone twenty dollar bill sitting in your otherwise empty wallet. Shoulders dropping in defeat, you weren’t sure how you were going to make it last all of next week now.

Two soft knocks came from the door behind you, the unexpected sound startling you so much that you dropped your wallet back inside of your purse. Your heart jumped into your throat just as Evie poked her head out of her bedroom, her eyes growing wide and terrified. Yet again you did your best to plaster a calm smile on your face, not wanting to worry her further. Because while you didn’t know who was at your door, and while you were almost positive it wasn’t your ex-fiance, your fear had still sky-rocketted at the sound. The fact that someone was here when you didn't expect company was enough to put you on edge.

“It’s alright, I got it, cricket,” you told her.

Mouth going dry, you stepped out of your kitchen and nervously made your way towards the door. You weren't sure who you’d find on the other side because it had barely been a week since you'd moved in. You'd intentionally gone out of your way not to speak to anyone in the building, so there was no reason someone should've been trying to visit you right now.

Placing both of your hands very carefully against the door, you leaned forward and peered through the peephole. Sucking in a sharp breath, you were shocked to see your neighbor standing in the hallway. The same man from across the hall who you just couldn’t seem to get away from this week. You were about to lock the deadbolt and tell him to leave until he shifted his weight on his feet and you caught sight of what looked like a glass dish covered in tinfoil in his hands.

Was he bringing you food? Because that was…odd. You were in the middle of New York City, why the hell would your neighbor be bringing you food? Even where you’d lived previously just outside of the city, no one had been that friendly. Had he somehow overheard you and Evelyn talking about dinner in the hall? But even then, as you replayed the short conversation in your mind, nothing you’d said had implied that you were both in need of anything.

You’d truly contemplated telling this man to go away as you stood there watching him through the peephole. It was strange that he kept randomly appearing around you this week. But as you stood there chewing your bottom lip, you knew that if he was bringing you food–for whatever reason that he was–you weren’t entirely in the position to turn it down. Because a stranger’s kindness, however unexplainable, would certainly help you make it to your next paycheck.

Inhaling a deep breath, you tried hard to calm your nerves as you began to unlock your door. After all, he was only carrying a dish of food, not some sort of weapon, and when you’d very briefly encountered him on the roof a few nights ago he’d sounded friendly at least. Though there was still a part of you that internally screamed danger whenever you saw him, and you’d yet to put your finger on why.

Opening your door only halfway, your trembling right hand still gripping it in case you needed to slam it shut, you took in the sight of your neighbor. He was standing there in a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a crumpled olive green tee-shirt–a vast difference from the nicer suit you’d first spotted him in at the beginning of the week. There was a bright smile on his face beneath the red-tinted glasses sitting atop his nose. Your eyes didn’t fail to miss the small cut along his chin behind his stubble though, your gaze lingering along it as you nervously licked your lips.

“Can I help you?” you asked after a moment.

“Hey, I’m your neighbor across the hall,” the man greeted, his voice like honey to your ears as he spoke. “6A?” 

One of his hands briefly released the bottom of the dish he was holding to gesture at the door behind himself. Your eyes followed the movement before coming back to land on the dish in his hands. It looked like a glass dish filled with lasagna and your stomach gave a faint rumble. Your hand nervously gripped your door tighter, hoping he hadn’t caught the sound as your attention returned to his smiling face.

“Hi,” you replied awkwardly. 

“I just wanted to introduce myself,” he continued, clearly unphased by the tone of your voice. “My name is Matthew Murdock. I’m a lawyer over at Nelson, Murdock, and Page. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of us before, but we're known for helping out many folks in the Hell’s Kitchen area.”

“I haven’t,” you stated simply.

The man’s smile wavered for the briefest of seconds, but it didn’t completely disappear from his face. It was true, though. You hadn’t been in the city long enough to have become familiar with much in it yet. While you’d been at Hope Haven, you’d been more focused on getting you and Evie set up to make a life in Hell’s Kitchen. You didn’t exactly have a need to go searching for lawyers–not unless Daniel found you. But even then, you weren’t sure there was a single lawyer that you could afford who could save you and Evelyn from him.

“Well, we often tend to do a lot of pro bono work for clients in the area who understandably can’t afford a lawyer,” he continued, almost as if he’d read your mind. “And they tend to show their appreciation for our help with meals and baked goods–and sometimes far too much fruit.” 

He chuckled good-naturedly as he held up the lasagna in his hands. Your eyes once more dropped down to the dish and you swore you could smell the delicious red sauce through the tinfoil. 

“I just thought I’d bring over some food to welcome you to the building,” Matthew continued. “I know with a big move sometimes it's hard to find the time to cook or even pick up groceries, so I thought this might help give you a little break this week.” His charming smile grew even wider, crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes behind his red lenses. “But I’ll be honest and admit upfront that I did not make this lasagna, so I can't exactly take credit for it. One of our clients made it as a thank you for dealing with some issues with her landlord.”

You eyed Matthew curiously as he stood in the hallway just in front of your door, examining his friendly and charming smile beneath those red glasses. While there was a part of you that still felt an unexplainable sense of danger from him–the hair on your forearm having prickled beneath his unseeing gaze–there was a smaller part of you that felt his sincerity. After all, how often did you hear about lawyers who handled pro bono cases happily getting paid in lasagna and fruit? 

Still, you found him incredibly strange and you planned to remain on your guard with him. 

“And why exactly is it that you're giving away a lasagna to a neighbor you don’t even know?” you asked cautiously.

He shrugged lightly in response. “I certainly don’t need an entire lasagna for myself. I’m just one man, there’s only so much I can eat.” He paused, a soft, disarming chuckle falling past his lips again. “I’m still trying to make my way through the soup I was generously gifted the other day. But if I’m also being honest–”

He leaned forward towards you but the unexpected proximity had you startle backwards a step, your hand squeezing your door in response. Strangely it almost seemed like he’d hesitated, as if he’d somehow known you’d moved despite being unable to see you.

“I don’t want the food to go to waste and I’d much prefer to drop it by your place than over at Mrs. Henderson’s in 6C,” he finished conspiratorially. “She frightens me a little. Very big flirt, that one. Doesn’t matter if she’s in her late sixties and widowed.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly as he leaned away from you once more. Curiously you thought you saw him even shuffle a step backwards into the hallway.

“Right,” you said, uncertain how to respond to that.

“But I’m sure you’re busy this evening and I'd hate to take up any more of your time,” Matthew continued, extending the lasagna out towards you. “I was told the instructions to heat this up were on a post-it note on top, but considering that I can’t see it, I’m certainly hoping that’s true.”

You glanced down at the yellow post-it note on the tinfoil. It did in fact have the reheating instructions noted. But instead of reaching out and taking the dish from him, you awkwardly stood there, your right hand still firmly grasping your door. Matthew’s smile finally fell at your hesitation.

“I’m sorry if this is making you uncomfortable in any way. I can leave,” he said. “I was hoping this would be a friendly gesture. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that if you ever needed something, I’m just across the hall.”

“Why?” you blurted.

His dark brows furrowed beneath his glasses, his head tilting just a bit to the side. “Why what?” he asked.

“Why’re you coming across the hall to welcome a neighbor to the building?” you questioned. “That seems quite uncharacteristic of someone in the city. At least, from the time I’ve been here so far. People are not generally this friendly unless they want something in return. And I'm not looking to owe anyone any favors.”

The charming smile returned to his mouth as he shrugged once more. “Maybe it’s my Catholic upbringing,” he told you, “but I prefer to be kind whenever the opportunity presents itself. But I assure you that I absolutely do not want anything in return. I promise.”

Your eyes dropped back down to the dish in his extended hands. You did, in fact, want to accept it, but you still felt uncomfortable at the idea of it. 

“I…don't really know what to say,” you awkwardly confessed. 

“You don't need to say anything at all,” he assured you.

Cautiously releasing the firm hold you had on your door, you slowly reached out and accepted the dish from his outstretched hands. You eyed him curiously as the smile on his face somehow grew wider when you did.

“Thank you,” you said softly.

“You're welcome,” he replied. “I hope you and your daughter enjoy it. And if you're a fan of baked goods, I know for a fact that we're receiving far too many peanut butter cookies on Monday. I'd be happy to drop some off because I certainly don't need them all.”

“Oh,” you breathed out, clutching the heavy glass dish in your hands, “that's alright. Really. We don't–”

You stopped short when something tugged at your dress slacks. Glancing down beside your leg you spotted Evie with one of her small fists curled around the dark fabric. She looked up at you and then over at your neighbor.

“Cookies?” she asked.

Matthew's head turned towards the sound of your daughter’s voice. The softening of his expression somehow almost completely eased that feeling of danger you often felt around him with the way he was now smiling down at Evie. He almost looked trustworthy. Safe.

Almost . Which made you even further suspicious of him.

“Hello there,” he greeted gently. “I'm–”

“Mr. Murdock,” Evie said. 

Shifting the heavy casserole dish over to your left arm and cradling it against your chest, your other hand landed protectively along her back and held her close to you. You were surprised she'd even come over and spoken to him because she usually disliked strangers and kept quiet. She must have sensed something else in him than you initially had.

“That’s right,” he said, still warmly smiling in her direction. “We're always getting sent so many baked goods. And it's up to your mother, but I could certainly bring you some cookies next Monday after work if you'd like?”

Evie's attention shifted to you, her wide hopeful eyes silently pleading with you. She didn't often get sweets anymore because they weren't a priority when you were budgeting groceries for the week, so you knew exactly what that look meant. She wanted you to accept the offer of cookies. But that also meant another inevitable interaction with your neighbor and this one was already one too many for your liking. 

But it was Evie and you’d do just about anything to make her happy.

With a sigh, you nodded at her before focusing back on Matthew. “If it's not too much trouble, I think Evie would like that,” you told him. “Thank you.”

“No trouble at all Ms….?”

Your lips pressed together for a moment, your initial instincts fighting you to give away your name and briefly causing you to hold your tongue. Though you had just given him Evie’s name and he already knew where you lived. What more harm was there if he knew your name, too?

Quietly you gave it to him, your stomach twisting into nervous knots. He repeated it softly, somehow the sound further calming you as he did. 

“It was nice meeting you,” he said, already taking a step backwards towards his door. “And I meant what I said. If you ever need anything, I'm just across the hall.”

A tight smile settled onto your lips even though you knew he couldn't see it as you nodded. “Thank you,” you replied, full well planning not to ask him for anything more. “I'll keep that in mind.”

You watched as he finally turned before you shut the door one-handed, the dish of lasagna still cradled against your chest. As weird as that whole interaction had been, at least you didn't have to worry about dinner for the next few nights. 

“I guess we're having lasagna tonight, cricket,” you said, carrying the dish over to your kitchen counter. “Sound good?”

Glancing over your shoulder at Evie, you saw the expression brighten her face. She nodded enthusiastically in response and the sight managed to put a smile on your own face.

Whoever that Mr. Murdock was, he'd at least put a smile on your daughter’s face tonight with his kindness.

“Mama!!”

Eyes flying wide open at the unexpected scream that ripped you from a dead sleep, you felt your heart nearly jolt out of your chest. By the time you heard your daughter shout for you a second time, you were already scrambling out of your blanket and rising to your feet.

“I'm coming, Evie!” you yelled back.

This was why you slept in front of your daughter’s door. Because it took you a matter of seconds to throw it wide open. 

Rushing inside her bedroom, you found Evie out of her sleeping bag and standing by the window across the room. You dropped down to your knees once you reached her, immediately beginning to inspect her with your hands for any sign of injury.

“What is it?” you asked her in a panic. “What's wrong? Are you okay?”

She nodded her head, your eyes drawn back up to her face. Despite her having shouted for you, she didn't look terrified. She appeared startled and a little surprised, but not scared.

“I saw him,” she told you.

Hands making their way back up to her shoulders, your brows furrowed at her words. “Who?” you asked her slowly. “You saw who?”

“The man,” she answered, turning at the waist and pointing to her window. “Outside.”

Your eyes flew to the window, scanning the rooftops beyond the fire escape outside of her room. There was nothing to see though. And with how bright the billboard across the street was, you would have been able to see if someone was there. 

This wasn't the first time this week Evie had told you she'd been seeing a masked man outside her window out on the rooftops. At first when she had told you about seeing someone, you'd let your fear take hold of you, worried it was somehow Daniel out there trying to torment you. But then when she hadn't been afraid of the man, you'd begun to worry that her fear of her father had led her to conjure up some masked imaginary figure that she kept seeing at nighttime when she was supposed to be asleep. 

“Cricket,” you said softly, your attention returning to her, “I've told you already. There's no masked man on the roof.” You reached a hand up, gently cupping her cheek. “Sweetheart, you're just dreaming. Okay? No one is out there. We're safe here, remember?”

“ He keeps us safe.”

Her strange comment gave you pause, your lips parting as you wondered what that even meant. Shaking your head a second later, you rose back up to your feet. At least this masked man wasn't giving her nightmares. 

“Let's get you back to bed, alright?” you suggested.

With a hand on her shoulder, you guided her across the room and back over to her sleeping bag. Despite being grateful that everything was alright after how terrified her screaming had made you, you really weren't a fan of her constantly waking at night because of this imaginary man. 

“He is real,” she whispered.

Expelling a soft sigh, you helped your daughter get back into her sleeping bag, tucking her in as you smiled down at her. If she wanted to believe some man on the roof was keeping you safe, you weren’t about to tell her that she was wrong.

“Alright, Evie,” you replied. “But it's late. You should get back to sleep. You can tell me all about it in the morning. Okay?”

You leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek before gently smoothing her hair. Telling her goodnight one more time, you got up and made your way back out of the room. But before you shut the door after yourself, you caught her quiet voice once more behind you. 

“He is real.”