#they've got a tight schedule

[noumenaut]

well i think mike and jay left the minecraft movie early to do hand stuff in the parking lot

[matteoberrettini]

i don't think anyone's ready for the person i will become if (IF!!!!) i get to see jannik play live

[themeraldee]

Sweet Valentine

[Masterlist]

| 3.8k | Homelander x fem!Reader | Fluff. Some silly banter. And a whole lot of kissing and cuddling. Homelander is still Homelander (i.e. thoughts of murder occur on a daily basis, though not aimed at reader). Teeny tiny bit of Homelander trying to get frisky ('trying to' being the keyword here)

Summary: After a week of being spoiled with gifts leading up to Valentine's, you treat Homelander to a surprise of your own.

Author’s Note: This was meant to be done for Valentine's but hey at least it's still (barely) February!

Written for @discowizard88 for this request🩷

That’s just his rotten fucking luck. 

Marketing thought it would be a good idea to book his entire week full of appearances, shows, interviews and commercial shoots because they didn’t think he had anything better to do. Fucking imbeciles. He has you now.

He’s been looking forward to this day for months. Throughout your first year together Homelander’s been counting down all the occasions, events and celebrations that he’s not really had a chance to cherish before. Maeve was never the type to accept his grand, downright scripted, romantic gestures. Their last celebrated Valentine’s she all but laughed in his face when he brought her roses. Needless to say, they’ve not celebrated any consequent Valentine’s from that year on out. 

But you’re different. You appreciate it, you appreciate him. You turn downright giddy anytime he showers you with gifts and love. He was more than ready to smother you in love on this day. It’s a day for lovers, after all, what good would it be if he wasted that opportunity.

He planned it all out. Valentine’s day was gonna be big. As if you could expect anything less from him. And while the gifts kept coming, so did the TV appearances and commercial shoots.

It took one blink for the entire week to be pretty much over without him getting to participate in many of the activities he had planned. 

Homelander hasn’t felt this frustrated in a while. While he tried his best to move the schedule around, Madelyn was adamant about the importance these event had on his image and he couldn’t do much but grit his teeth and comply lest he upset her. But why doesn’t she see how important this is to him? Isn’t it obvious? 

He feels his eyes twitch. His smile becomes tighter, strained. Easily turning from his TV smile to the threatening grimace it truly is. These fucking photoshoots are beneath him. As if he doesn't have anything better to do than to stand here for hours until they've taken thousands of photos of him.

His irritation rises with each click of the camera, each flash blinding his eyes. He barely notices the way his eyes subtly heat up over the sound of ringing his ears. He's seconds away from blasting a hole straight through the camera lens and the photographer's brain. The urge to let go is strong, so strong in fact he can already imagine the bitter scent of burning wafting through the air.

Only thing that takes him out of his irritation is a subtle vibration against his leg signaling a new message. He instantly knows it's from you, nobody else gets texting privileges. Heat blooms in his chest. Just the thought of your attention brings back a genuine smile. 

He graces the crew with a smile that really is meant for you.

“Sorry folks, I gotta take five.” His lips are stretched into that awkward thin-lipped smile and he puts his hands up in a faux-apologetic gesture. He steps off the backdrop to the side, already fishing out his phone from the hidden pocket he had the costume department sew in. They carved out a space in the fake musculature of the suit so it fit right in without leaving an awkward rectangular outline in what's meant to be a skin tight suit. 

He unlocks his phone, greeted with the sickly sweet photo of the two of you. Sometimes this joy feels like his little secret. A vindictive joy against the odds. 

Come to the cabin when you're free. I've got a surprise for you ❤️

Even a simple message from you causes the weight on his chest to drop, dissolving his anger immediately. 

Aren't you a saint? Unknowingly you've just saved the entire studio. And they don't even know how grateful they should be that he has you. 

And with a promise like that he can't really stand to have one more photo taken. He slips his phone back into his pocket, turning around with a swish of his cape.

“Whoopsie-daisy, gonna have to cut this short, the city calls for my help. You know how it is, the criminals just looove to push their luck. Anyway, you got enough right? Yeah? yeah I thought so." He makes some broad gestures with a solidifying thumbs-up as if he was committing to a deal and salutes with a, "Alright. Laters.” He talks fast enough to shut any critical comments down before they even have a chance to spill from their worthless mouths.

With a quick glance to the corner of the room where Ashley is already standing anxiously arrow-straight, he doesn’t need to say anything to know that she will fight and bargain to save the situation to the best of her meagre abilities. However the fuck she does is not his problem, not like he needs to explain himself.

He doesn't wait to see the other people’s reactions, already eager to lose the watchful eyes of the crew and the camera lens. He downright stomps his way out of the studio and at the first glimpse of the bright blue sky he takes off, kicking off the ground with an obnoxious boom that rattles the foundations of nearby buildings.

He’s giddy with excitement. As he rips through the clouds, the wind pulling his hair back, slashing through the gelled cast, he can’t take that smile off his face. The adrenaline-like rush he feels in his gut over your surprise is new. It’s exciting! He doesn’t remember the last time somebody treated him to an honest-to-god surprise. A proper one at least. None of the slimy corporate schmoozing.

He reaches the location in record speed, just under seven minutes—though it still feels like forever. But the excitement clouds his vision and suddenly he’s barrelling down the atmosphere, seconds away from performing one of his ostentatious landings and exploding the ground around him. He catches himself last second, putting his heel first as an emergency break.

His landing is clumsy. He staggers as soon as his foot hits the ground, kicking up the leaves around him into the air. He regains his balance at the last tremble of his foot, sparing himself the embarrassment of a failed landing—one he hasn’t experienced since the lab days.

God, now look at his pathetic simpering self.

Literally falling head over heels because you blew your whistle. Like a needy puppy he races to you, zipping through all obstacles, unwilling to lose a single second of the allocated time he gets to spend with you.

The sweetheart you are, you’d probably praise him for it anyway and kiss his boo-boo away. That thought alone makes him rethink the fall. Not that he can actually get scraped by a measly rough landing. Though, maybe the extra attention is worth the damage it would do to his ego. 

“Woaaah, you okay?” Before he’s had a chance to look around and lock his eyes on you, you’re in his field of vision by your own doing. Quick footsteps, muffled by the leaves covering the ground become louder and louder until you’ve got your arms wrapped around one of his, helping him up. As if he actually needed it. He’s so charmed by the way you treat him as if he were fine china.

You give an awkward little chuckle. “Don’t want you getting hurt because of me.” 

Overcome with surging emotions, Homelander pulls you closer, both of his hands cupping your cheeks as he gives you a big sappy kiss. It’s as much a hello as it is a I love you with all my heart. 

Now that his heart is satisfied, for the time being at least, he lets you go. Immediately tempted to dive in for more after he sees your flustered face, all giddy twitches to the corners of your lips as you look everywhere but him. Almost embarrassed that somebody might see you two kiss so passionately.

Yeah, he can’t let you go without more. He pulls you in again, and this time his kisses are silly. Loud with a wet mwah each time he presses a kiss to a different part of your face. Your cheeks, nose, forehead, chin and lips don’t stand a chance. This time his kisses do force flustered giggles out of you, a squeak or two after he squishes your cheeks with his numerous kisses. Good luck keeping count with him around.

Oh how he missed you. This week has been nothing but one item on Vought’s itinerary after another and his hunger for you and your love has been growing each passing second he spends in your absence.

You finally manage to push him away, the rapid-fire smooching already getting you ticklish and wobbly. Not that he wouldn’t catch you should his affection be too much for you. Of course then you really couldn’t escape the descent of affection he had to give. 

But he’s a merciful god, and he lets you create some distance. Satisfied, he watches your giggles slowly die out as you look every bit in love. “Hey,” you finally break your loving eye contact and you reach for his hand, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Hey, you.” He echoes, his smile equally fond, eyes crinkling with genuine joy.

“You got here very quickly.” You note. Both a little impressed and suspicious. He’s very aware of the way your thumb is rubbing over his glove. Though dulled through the leather, each stroke makes his heart gain a little momentum.

“Well, you know,” he waves his free hand in the air, “the shoot was just wrapping up. I left as soon as I could. Wouldn’t wanna miss our secret little rendezvous.” The fact that he was close to burning down the studio is a little detail you don’t need to be privy to. Though at this point, you can probably tell. 

“Speaking of,” Homelander continues. “There you go, summoning me to a quiet, middle of nowhere, cabin in the woods. Mind enlightening me what’s all this about? What kind of naughty plans has your pretty little head cooked up that require total isolation, huh?” His grin is sharp and he by no means hides the immediate thoughts running through his head.

“First of all, this is your cabin. Not some middle of nowhere. Second of all, get your mind out of the gutter—now.” Even through your scolding you giggle, grinning at him as you walk backwards, dragging him with you.

Turning just around the end of the cabin presents a sweet sight. On the soft grass lies a picnic blanket, adorned with a woven basket, a colourful spread of food, pillows, and even a bunch of roses. As if taken straight from a romance novel. 

Except, this is real. Unlike most of his previous love life.

“Tada! Happy Valentine’s day!” You let his hand go and you raise your arms in the air at the reveal. Right along with your pretty glittering smile. The joy of this moment feels unreal. Is this really happening? Is this really his life these days? He can’t remember a time when he last experienced a joy this pure that wasn’t with you.

“W-uh-what? You put all of this together?” He’s a little shell-shocked. After a busy week, filled with more work than time with you—much to his displeasure—this feels like an oasis. He’s been parched all week, dragging through the desert that was working for Vought and here you come, rescuing him with the most delicious sip of water. Well, more like a whole reservoir of it.

“I had a teeny tiny bit of help but yeah,” you pinch your fingers together to show just how little help you’ve had.

“I had to make it a secret! And you’ve been treating me so well all week, I had to have a little surprise for you too.” He can’t tell which one of you is more excited. You look more excited with your near ‘skipping to the picnic blanket’ attitude, but his heart is hammering against his ribcage with this overwhelming joy he’s not felt in a while. He still so easily gets disarmed by all the ways you show your love. This is just another cherry on top of what feels like an infinitely tiered cake that is your relationship. Each time he thinks you surely don’t have more to give, you go and add another tier or another cherry. Sweeting his sour life, one moment at a time.

“Come on,” you walk—no, skip—back to him, aiming to grasp both of his hands. Homelander catches you right before you manage to, one arm around your waist, the other supporting the back of your head and just like that you’re yet again caught in the web that are his kisses. He presses his lips firmly against yours, waiting for you to relax, letting him have his way with your now-parted lips. With pleased little sighs and long hums in between, he renders your legs into a jelly-like state, supporting your weight effortlessly.

“I love you,” he breathes out heavily when he finally pulls away, his forehead pressed against yours.

“I love you too,” you catch your breath. The smile you offer up steals his heart a hundred times over, while the sped up pitter-patter of your heart soothes him. You’re just as enamored by him as he is by you.

“Let’s enjoy this together.” He lets you take his hands this time as you walk him to the picnic. You sit down first, carving out a space for the two of you, impatiently patting the area next to you. Homelander takes care to move his cape out of the way while not knocking anything over or covering anything up.

“I hope your calendar is free the entire weekend because I brought a lot of food, drinks, blankets and movies and I plan to spend all this time spoiling you.”

“I thought it was the gentleman’s job to spoil his lady.” He looks at you fondly, one wouldn’t even recognise him like this. Though most haven’t earned this reaction from him. You have. 

“What can I say, I’m all for gender equality. So just let me spoil you for once.”

“Alright then missy, let’s see what you’ve got.” He’s lying on his side, propped up on his elbow. 

While you reach for the furthest tray filled with all sorts of sweets and finger food, Homelander looks around at all that you’ve prepared, curiously picking up an iced cookie.

“Are these… our initials?” He asks after he inspects the heart shaped cookie from each side before biting into it. They’re clearly custom made with the love for each other in mind, but the idea of you ordering these from a bakery makes him chuckle. What’s next, are you gonna get him to carve out your initials into a tree?

Well, he definitely could.

Maybe, he should. 

He could carve out your initials into the moon if you asked him to. 

“Cheesy, I know.”

“Sweet too, just like you.” 

“I take it back, you’re a whole league ahead of the cookies.” You deadpan.

“Come on babe, when else if not on Valentine’s day? Cut me some slack.” He was gonna put the rest of the cookie down, not wanting to overwhelm himself with too much sugar but seeing his initial all alone now that he’s bitten off your letter looks too sad for his liking. He pops the rest of the cookie in his mouth, wiping off the crumbs with his glove. 

“Now, now. Don’t get too full on cookies. I’ve got more for you.” You pluck a chocolate covered strawberry from a tray. “Here, open up.” You hold the chocolate covered tip of the strawberry close to his lips, waiting for him to take a bite. It’s only appropriate for a man of god-like status like him to be fed and worshipped by his love. You always fill that role so well. His most devout one. 

He bites half of it, letting you eat the rest. You put the green top back onto the tray when you’re done with your portion.

“You know I’ve never had those before.” He says after a thorough tasting session.

You have the audacity to look at him like he’s grown another head.

“You’re fucking with me. You’ve never had chocolate strawberries?” Your face scrunches in disbelief as you speak over a mouthful of goodness.

“I’ve had chocolate. I’ve had strawberries. Obviously. Just never together.” He shakes his head a little, acting as if you’re the crazy one.

“Wow. Okay. We’re gonna have to explore this bizarre list of things you’ve never had before.” Indulgently you go for another one, and he takes another mental note of your likes.

When he says nothing you prompt him with, “Well? What’s the verdict? Is it everything you’ve ever imagined?”

“Did you make them?” He asks, confusing you, instead of actually answering your question.

“No, I picked them up from the same bakery I got the cookies from.”

“Okay good, well, it’s not my favourite. Sorry to disappoint you there.” He clasps his hands together as he looks at you with a terribly fake apologetic smile.

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Were you about to lie to me if I said I did make them?”

He sputters, blowing a raspberry as he looks away, pretending to just be scoping out the place.

“Who, me? No, never!” He feigns innocence without actually putting any of his acting chops behind the gesture.

“You ass!” You gently smack his chest. “What didn’t you like about it?” Now that you know he’s not a fan, you eagerly hog the tray, scoffing down one strawberry after another.

“The taste is fine enough. It’s the texture that’s all wrong. Mushy and crunchy at the same time is just, bleugh.” He shakes his head a little bit as if disgusted, acting all dramatic. He’d happily be seen as silly and dramatic if it gets you to laugh as joyously and heartily as it does this time.

When your chuckles die out, you call him out. “Fussy. Oh well, more for me.”

He takes his time. Watching over you closely as you enjoy your sweet little red treats.

“You know what would taste better?” 

“Hmm?” You hum absentmindedly, putting the tray away after discarding another leafy top.

“You.” He pulls you down to his level when your hands are free, lying you across the top of him.

You yelp at the sudden pull. After you settle on top of him a little better, you mumble. “I taste just like the strawberries!” 

“Mhm, but you feel a hell of a lot better. C’mere.” Just like that, he’s kissing you again. His hands can’t decide where to hold you so they slide around your back, your hips—stealing a cheeky squeeze of your ass, shocking a little nip to his lip from you—and all the way around your neck, head and arms. His hands are just as greedy for you as his lips are.

And you were right. You do taste like strawberries and chocolate. The hint of sweet and delicious alongside the taste of you that he so loves. You don’t take his kisses as seriously. Giggling and wobbling on top of him.

You pull away with a burst of giggles at the awkward position. You’re almost spread entirely across him, limb to limb. Body part to body part. It’s admittedly a little silly looking. Like two people making snow angels on top of one another. But still, the effortlessness that comes with the sounds you make, swells his heart with fondness.

You reach your arm out into the woven wicker basket and pull out a can of whipped cream.

“Well if you don’t like the chocolate ones, I’ve got some whipped cream for you.” Except instead of covering one of the fresh strawberries, you squirt a dollop of cream at the tip of his nose.

Homelander’s bewildered at your child-like actions. Especially so, when you lick the cream off with a disgusting slurp.

“Welp, now you’ve done it.” He easily wrestles you for the can without needing to use even an ounce of his strength, twisting the two of you around. 

He manages to knock over some of your pretty trays but he can’t force himself to care. Now when you’re underneath him.

You look so pretty like this.

Happily taking your place underneath him, cheeks puffed up with your laughter, lips in a constant wide grin. Your happiness around him makes you the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. He has to stop himself from descending on you with another avalanche of kisses, instead opting for continuing this playful little wrestling match you got yourselves into.

Homelander squirts the cream in a line over your lips, licking and kissing it off in between the laughter that still shakes your body. He leaves your lips leaving all sticky and improperly cleaned. This distracts you well enough for him to draw a line from your neck to your cleavage.

With a scandalous shriek you try to push him away. “Oh my god are you crazy, not out here!”

You squeak even more when you feel the cream land in between your breasts, spreading across your skin as it slowly warms up and turns liquid.

“There is literally nobody out here. I’d hear them.” Or well, let’s be real. He’d burn their eyes out for accidentally seeing you in a mildly compromising position, he wants to add but chooses to keep the moment sweet for your sake.

Obscenely, he licks up all the cream he covered you with. No matter how much you act as if this is the filthiest thing he’s ever done. There are plenty more filthier things he’s got planned with this whipped cream. Suddenly you’ve opened up a whole world of possibilities he hasn’t thought of before.

Thinking he’s already got you hook, line and sinker as soon as his tongue hits your skin, he’s in for another surprise when you don’t give in as easily. You manage to snag the can from his hand right before he gets any further.

“If you want to continue this, we’re gonna have to pack all of this up and take it indoors.” You threaten as if you were scolding a child.

"Fine. We can stay here." Finally, with a huff, he drops his advances, instead dropping his weight on you for a second before readjusting your position. Really, he’s glad that you have a mind of your own. Which isn’t something he can say for most of the people he’s surrounded with.

“See, this is nice.” You pull yourself up a little so that his head rests on your stomach. You take a deep breath, exhaling slowly and he enjoys the slow rise and fall of your torso. To have someone so alive and eager with him really feels like the best Valentine’s day gift. That sickly sweet dimpled little fruit could never compare.

So yeah. It is nice. Really nice.

Your fingers cradle through his locks, gently breaking apart the hair product the styling team piled on for his photoshoot. He hums his pleased approval into the softness of your stomach, nuzzling himself into you.

Shenanigans can always wait. Now, he has this. And the rest of the weekend to catch up on all the time lost.

Taglist (you can add(or remove) yourself to be tagged when I publish a new fic):

@infinetlyforgotten | @rafecamsgirlll | @nervoussystemss | @hom3landr

@mrsdesade | @nommingonfood | @littlegaaby | @jokesonyoupup

@natliecole | @misatxox

[kkoga]

DO IT. DO THE HURT NO COMFORT. PLPSLSPLSPSLSPLS I LOVE ANGST!!!

-🎧

A/N : your wish is my command....

RAINY NIGHTS, sophia laforteza x fem!reader

Warning ! Hurt no comfort, toxic relationship, mentions of sensitive topics, not proofread

Disclaimer ! Everything written here is pure fiction. Every person is not a real portrayal of themselves.

Now playing ! Cologne by beabadobee

WC — I dont knkw bruh i wrote this and its 3 fucking am im not mentally sane lawl phones also 7 percent.

Synopsis ! After Sophia Laforteza fucks up multiple times, Y/n decides she's had enough. Time and time the girl had waited, but much to her dismay, all Sophia had done, was disappoint her.

Y/n shamefully exits the restaurant, feeling dozens of eyes on her. The girl had been waiting for her girlfriend, Sophia Laforteza, to show up to a date they've been planning for weeks now.

The first hour wasn't so bad. Maybe she had gotten stuck in traffic, or maybe she would be just a little late. The second hour was worse. At that point, waiters and waitresses had started asking her where her partner was. And what Y/n hated the most, was the fact that she had no answer to their questions.

Now here she was, after the fourth hour of waiting. It was currently 12 am, and much to the girl's luck, it had just started raining.

The girl could only sigh.

"What a great marvellous day! Not only does Sophia leave me waiting for our date, it starts raining right after I get kicked out! Absolutely hilarious!" Y/n mumbes to herself, tears beginning to well up.

"Maybe she just forgot. I mean, she's busy afterall..." The girl tried her best to convince herself that this was going to be a one time thing.

She was wrong.

Y/n bites her inner lip. It has been 2 hours since their designated sleepover. It's been weeks since Sophia had gone over to her house. So they'd been planning for a movie night. And tonight was that night. So why exactly has Sophia been ignoring her calls?

Y/n presses the call button once more, but to no avail, she was met with Sophia's voice mail for the nth time.

The popcorn was starting to get cold, and the ice cream was starting to melt. Y/n sighs. It's been two hours. Maybe she got caught up in an emergency schedule?

"Couldn't she just have told me...?" Y/n shakenly whispers to herself. This was the fourth time Sophia had stood her up this month alone.

Y/n begrudgingly placed the ice cream back in the fridge and seals the popcorn in a random container. The sound of rain keeping her grounded.

"It's okay. This will be the last time this happens."

Finally. Sophia had finally shown up to a hang out. Y/n had been waiting for the past month. The girl had greatly missed her girlfriend, and she hoped Sophia felt the same.

"Sophie! Hi!" Y/n ran up to Sophia, and hugged her as tight as she could. Afraid to let go, scared she might lose the one person able to cheer her up with a simple smile.

"Y/n! Baby! Hi, i missed you so much." Sophia hugged the girl back, and for a moment, Y/n thought,

"Finally. We're back to normal. Oh god, how I've missed my girl."

Y/n couldn't help the small but sweet smile that had formed.

It had been an hour since their hang out started, and apparently, Sophia had to go. Y/n felt sad, but knew it was her job, her dream. And Y/n would never get in the way of that.

As Sophia entered her car, Y/n bid goodbye to her girlfriend.

"Bye Sophie, miss you, and i love you." Y/n leans down for a cheek kiss, almost missing the unreadable expression Sophia had on her face.

"Yeah, bye." And with that, Sophia drives off to god knows where.

"No i love you too...? No... maybe she just forgot. It's fine." And suddenly, rain had started pouring. Y/n quickly ran for cover, but couldn't avoid looking like a somewhat wet puppy.

It was infact, not fine. It had been three months since that little mini date, and Sophia hadn't said the words "I love you". Atleast not without Y/n basically telling her to.

What went wrong? What did Y/n ever do? Did she offend Sophia? Did she do anything to form this... this gap between them?

Y/n felt so lost. So... confused. She was so sure she hadn't done anything. At least not anything she could remember. Well, she was going to find out tonight.

The door opens widely, in a swift manner. And in comes Sophia, sick and worried.

"Y/N, BABY, ARE YOU OKAY?? I came as soon as i got the text, I—" The panicked Sophia came in, expecting to see an injured or sick Y/n. But all she had found was Y/n sitting on the chair of one of her counters, with a stoic look on her face.

Sophia's breathe was heavy, like she had ran to get to Y/n's apartment.

"Why are you completely fine? You texted me it was an emergency Y/n, I was busy—!"

"Well, you always are, aren't you?" Y/n looks up to Sophia's eyes, and frustration begins to fill the Filipina.

"Excuse me? You know I'm constantly busy. For fucks sake, I'm an idol! You can't—"

"I know. I know what I signed up for, Laforteza. I know I'd never get in the way of your dreams. You would never even let me." Y/n gets off the stool, and faces her girlfriend.

"So what's your point! What, you call me here because you missed me? I was in a fucking meeting Y/n. With one of HYBE's officials!! Do you know how fucking important that is?" Sophia scratches her head in disbelief, her anger bubbling up faster than it ever has. Y/n sighs defeatedly.

"More important than me?"

Silence filled the apartment. What felt like hours were only a few measly seconds.

"The silence was more than enough, Laforteza. I'm tired. I am so fucking tired of you leaving me hanging. At first, it was a date here, a date there, but nowadays, it's like everything we plan just ends up with me waiting."

"But I'm trying Y/n! I'm trying my best for you, for my members, for my fucking dream. Why can't you just understand that?"

"Then answer this, Laforteza. When was the last time you had told me the words "I love you"? When was the last time you had willingly told me those three words."

Sophia tried to recollect, the Filipina had really tried her best. But the realization had hit her hard.

"Fucking THINK Laforteza. Give me a goddamned answer. When was the last time you had given me a sincere, loving, "I love you"?... ANSWER ME!"

"I... I can't remember...." Sophia had started tearing up. Why couldn't she fucking remember the last time she had said I love you to her own fucking girlfriend?

Y/n let out a laugh. But it wasn't the usual light and hearty laugh Sophia had always heard. This laugh sounded painful. It was like all of Y/n's vocal chords had suddenly forgotten what a laugh had sounded like.

After a few seconds, Y/n's laughing had turned into sobs.

"Do you know how many times I've had to shamefully walk out of a restaurant, or get kicked out? Sophia, everyone looked at me. Their eyes were so full of pity. The waiters and waitresses constantly checked up on me like I was some poor child, left behind by her mother. Countless times, Sophia. I endured it all, thinking it would be the last time."

Y/n's voice had started cracking, and the girl had made a face Sophia had never seen before. One filled with so much sadness, so much sorrow.

"But time and time again, you proved me wrong. Every date you stood up, every "I love you" left unanswered, destroyed me, Sophia."

"Baby... baby I'm so sorry, please—" Sophia tries to move closer to Y/n, but the girl pulls away.

"Don't. Don't ever call me baby ever again. You don't get the fucking right, Sophia."

"I'm so disappointed in you Sophia. I never thought you'd ever treat me this way. Your career may have excused a missing date or two. But seven in a row? Sophia, we've gone on three total dates for the past four month's. And we had planned seventeen. Seven fucking teen Sophia. You stood me up fourteen times, and that's only for the past four months."

"I.. please I'm so—"

"So let's end this."

"...what?"

This felt so surreal. Y/n had just asked her if they could end it. Sophia had felt her whole world crumble. She caused this? Has she really broken down the one person who had supported her through everything?

"No.. no, no we aren't. Please, just give me a chance to—"

"No, Laforteza. Get out. We're over."

Sophia laughs, hoping this was some sort of wicked sick dream.

"We aren't over Y/n. Please, I just—"

"We've been over for the past seven months, Laforteza. What we've had for those last few months was just me trying to keep us both on the same page. But a relationship requires two people. We can't keep going if your heart isn't in it, Laforteza."

Sophia couldn't help it. Her tears had burst out like there was no tomorrow. The girl hadn't cried like this for a long, long time.

"But.. but I need you Y/n, please..." At this point, the Filipina had gotten on her knees.

"No, you don't. Hell, you don't even want me. You just think you do. So please, get up and leave, before I say things I don't think I can take back."

"I can't just leave!"

"Yes you can. Leave. For the both of us, Sophie." The mention of her nickname was driving Sophia crazy.

"But I fucking love you Y/n!" .

Y/n looks at Sophia with a tired face.

"Do you really?"

Sophia looks at Y/n. A look of desperation displayed on her pretty face. Y/n hates how she's never going to see that face ever again. Hates how she's never going to kiss that pretty face to sleep ever again. Hates how those soft and comforting arms will never comfort her ever again. Hates how she will never wake up next to the love of her life ever again. Hates how Sophia will never be hers ever again. But she was okay with that. She knew it had to end one way or another. It was better this way.

And so, after more back and forth conversations, Sophia reluctantly leaves. Sophia closes the door, and Y/n locks it right after.

Y/n will never open up her heart for Sophia ever again. And the latter knows that. They were over. They were really over. Neither could believe it. The two fall to their knees, on opposite sides of the door. The sound of heavy rain masking the others cries.

Guess rainy nights were never their thing.

[jaemotion]

been a while — njm (teaser)

pairing ⇢ photographer!jaemin x model!reader

summary ⇢ avoiding Jaemin proved to be a difficult challenge because here you are, opening your doors for him when he comes knocking after you declined the invitation to his very first exhibit.

genre/au ⇢ smut, angst, fluff? former ??? or?

rating & word count ⇢ 18+ | 1k+

warnings ⇢ mentions of sex (full & detailed warnings will be in the full fic)

a/n: it has indeed been a while lmao 💀 anyways, happiest 24th to the love of my love. my jaem, my nana on gawd he looked too good during this live i just had to 😩

the incessant knocking forces you to open the door, ready to tell whoever's behind off but he’s carrying a furball in one arm and another in a small carrier bag.

it washed away your annoyance at once.

“hi, sorry i had to bring them with me”

“didn’t you come from the dorms?” you query, finding Jaemin's sudden appearance here suspicious. he knows you love his cats and could be bringing them here just to lure you.

you tried to ignore how good Jaemin looked, the tight black shirt hugging his frame but your eyes were pulled to the dangling bracelet on his wrist.

the one you bought for him months ago as a gift.

“yeah but you haven’t seen them in ages”

whose fault is that?

“pictures or videos would’ve been enough” you cut him off before he could reply, though your eyes are already set on one of the cats.

they're just too adorable for you to ignore.

jaemin finds it amusing how you’re doing your best to repel him and his babies when he knows your fondness for his precious pets.

“they might’ve missed you too” he turns his body slightly, showing another furball inside a cat backpack so you immediately take the cat on his arm into yours. he comes in, dropping off both bags on the floor before facing you.

“did you eat already?”

you're aware of his busy schedule today and besides-

“i ate kimbap in the car on the way here”

the mere mention of that specific snack sparks your late night memories with Jaemin. it's your go-to one during night drives with, of course, mainly fucking and then eating whatever you both are craving after while stargazing.

you knew that Jaemin notices you reminiscing those memories. evident with the small curl of the side of his lips as he takes one cat back in his arms.

“did you?” his voice snaps you and you nod. before the absolute awkwardness begins between you, the fluffy cat in his arms meows and reaches for you.

“awee come here~” you scoop the cat from Jaemin’s arms, ignoring the spark you feel when your skin touches one another.

“looks like Luke missed you a lot” he chuckles with that raspy voice of his as he unloads Luna and Lucy from their cat bags.

"he sure does" you parrot Jaemin's laugh, cooing at the furball in your arms.

"not as much as me though"

your smile drops but it didn't affect Jaemin at all. if not, it seems to encourage him to fulfill whatever he's here for tonight. he situates himself comfortably on your couch after settling the cats on the floor. you sat beside him with Luke not interested in leaving your arms. eventually, the cat joined his sisters after Jaemin set the TV into one of those dog channels.

"they really love it, no?" you muse, watching his cats fondly. you're still avoiding him but thankfully they've behaved so now he can focus on you.

part of why Jaemin's here was because he wanted to talk to you in person. you didn't respond when he sent an invitation for his exhibition and his messages after that. it's his first one so it means a lot to him and he wanted you to be there.

so Jaemin had to pay you a visit which he hasn't done in a while. maybe that was the reason. or maybe you were just very busy like he is. you were already dressed earlier when you welcomed him so it was a miracle that you even let him in.

the thing is you did. you went to see what it's like since Jaemin's been talking about it for a while. he hasn't really talked to you in months so you were apprehensive in accepting when you got the formal invitation. you've had reasons but you managed to take a peek which is a mistake cause one of his friends did see you.

he thankfully didn't know that you did and that's because you've bribed Chenle to not tell anyone else. you thought you succeeded but the prospect of Jaemin coming here after was something that passed through your mind.

you were even planning to meet up with Jeno tonight to catch up. with the both of you being models, schedules are tight though sometimes you see each other during photoshoots and after. you only did have time when Jaemin stopped talking to you.

“were you planning to leaving earlier?” he turns to you after you got back from your room, now changed in your nightwear.

“yeah to meet Jeno” you reply, wanting to see Jaemin’s reaction to you meeting his friend this late at night. he was eyeing you up and down but soon as he heard his friend's name, he looked away. even when he tried to hide it, the shock, confusion, and something else was there.

“he’s not at the dorms” he’s calm. too calm than he should be. maybe you seeing Jeno doesn’t really matter to him at all.

“then where?”

“rina’s”

“oh” you couldn’t stop the disappointment seeping into your tone.

“didn’t tell you or anything?” his tone leaves you no idea if he's mocking you or not.

“no”

“thought you knew already”

“well, that perfectly explains why you’re best friends doesn’t it?”

your walls broke no matter how hard you tried to act nonchalant about this. about Jeno bailing on you; about Jaemin coming here and him finding out. it should be expected that in your line of work, these instances happen. you often do the same with people you meet but you just didn't think Jaemin would be the one to give you the same treatment.

he scrambles right away after hearing your tone, following you when you turn your back at him and head towards your kitchen. you haven't told him to back off yet, not that he's worried since you opened your doors to him but he couldn't take any more risks.

"can we talk?" he starts, sounding unsure for the first time and it ignited your curiosity. he's naturally confident so you want to see how far he'll adjust just to have this talk with you.

"10 seconds" you challenge.

"what"

"do anything you want with me for 10 seconds"

e/n: i had work today so i couldn't finish this one on time 😭

[7waystreet]

dirty confessions | kim seokjin

This BTS 18+ explicit series will include 7 diary entries (one from each of the bangtan boys) confessing to the dirty thoughts they have about (y/n) and the sinful sexual acts they've part taken in during their lives.

I kindly ask the reader to start with pt.1 and end with pt.7 since it's a series and will contain overlapping scenarios and characters ♡

✬ foreword pt. 1 — seokjin pt. 2 — yoongi pt. 3 — namjoon pt. 4 — hoseok pt. 5 — jimin pt. 6 — taehyung pt. 7 — jungkook

pt. 1 — seokjin

Dear diary,

I have a confession to make. I can't stop thinking about how badly I want to fuck Namjoon's little sister, (y/n).

I know we're much apart in age, and she is my best friend's sibling after all, which is why everything I'm deeply craving feels so damn wrong at times. But I can't seem to escape the sexual fantasies my horny mind cooks up every single night while I lay restless in bed all alone, nonstop thoughts about my dick pleasuring her until her pussy's dripping wet just for me driving me absolutely fucking insane.

She's still young and in college studying to become a nurse, and now I find myself searching up porn with those curated doctor and patient scenarios, imagining (y/n) giving me a satisfying blowjob in her sexy lil nurse outfit while I lay there shivering on the cold hospital stretcher, looking down at her gagging on my fat cock like the dirty lil slut she is.

It's gotten to the point where I even dream about toying with (y/n)'s tight lil pussy all day long, waking up in hot sweats needing to have to jerk off my load because my hard on refuses to go away otherwise. It fucking hurts the way I get blue balls around her, my boner just won't stop from popping up for hours at a stretch, sometimes even in public places or during schedules when I think of tearing her cunt up while she moans my name and begs for me to fuck her even harder. Aish~ I'm so beyond sexually frustrated.

The other day when I was visiting Namjoon's house, (y/n) was strutting around in her tiniest booty shorts not giving a shit about what anyone thinks about her thick ass hanging out. God, I could almost taste her sweet wet pussy with how she was sitting on the couch, legs casually spread apart like I didn't just wanna be right in between her thighs licking her clit up until she cums all over my mouth in whimpers. If I ever got that sweet taste of her, I'd never want it to leave my lips. It doesn't help how she never wears a bra inside the house either, my eyes always falling down to her perky breasts that poke out of her thin, see through t-shirts, just begging to be bitten and teased with my tongue flicking on her pretty pointy nipples.

I had to put a damn pillow on my lap to hide my raging boner when all I wished was to see her get down on her knees and suck my throbbing cock off with her plump lips around it. How good would her throat feel constricting around my dick as I fuck her mouth, watching her lovingly choke on me until I couldn't take it any more... my sticky cum then drizzling out on her tongue before she swallows it all up with that enticing look she's always got plastered on her stunning face. Fuck, I'm getting so hard just writing this down. I need help.

I actually also have to confess that I did see her naked once (sorry Namjoonah). I was walking out of the restroom in Namjoon's house when my eyes just happened to peek inside the half open door to her bedroom, and there she simply was, completely butt ass naked. I was so stunned that I stood there frozen in shock with my breath snatched away, just admiring her beautiful curves while my cheeks started to get hot, my ears bright red when she finally caught me longingly staring at her ass through the mirror. And guess what she does? She turns around to face me with a cute smile and calls me inside the room with a wave of her hand... and shit, I did go in and close the door like she told me to.

(y/n) began picking out different dresses from her closet and started holding them up to her naked body one by one, asking me if the outfit looks good on her or not. The fucking lil tease. How do I focus on the dress when her perfect round tits sit high on her chest, not to mention the sight of her exposed pussy like that right in front of my itching fingers. All I wanted to do was pump my fingers into her and get her soaking wet, right before I bend her over and thrust my cock deep inside her, stretching her out so good until she cums buckets for me. 

I managed to end up picking out a dress for her and she made me watch as she put it on, then asking me to pull up the zipper in the back, which I of course do. And she has the nerve to push her ass into my pulsing cock to feel how big I am while I remain behind her, simultaneously whispering "You should fuck me sometime" right into my ear as she turns around to give me that piercing eye look. 

Baby, I will until you won't be able to physically walk.

I also need to admit that I did steal a pair of her panties and pocket them while she wasn't looking that time, but I'm truthfully ashamed to write down the things I do with them alone late into the nights so I won't be able to confess to it for now. I'm just so fucking desperate for her pussy and it sucks how she doesn't even know how great I can pleasure her, but she clearly wants a taste of my cock so I'm gonna ask her to come over soon, and I bet she won't deny the offer.

Yah Namjoonah, if you're ever reading this, I hope you know just how sorry I am... but I'm definitely gonna fuck your sister's brains out tonight.

a/n ♡

i imagined seokjin crushing on a younger (y/n) as he's the oldest in bangtan, especially namjoon's sister since their families are close irl and he probably ends up seeing her the most in seoul. 

— the mentioning of searching porn: he's known to being quite active on the internet and constantly being in front of the computer 

— the sexual fantasies he describes having in detail and stealing (y/n)'s panties: he himself has admitted to being kinky and the members have also said he's a pervert in the past

— him calling namjoon "namjoonah" and using words like "yah" "aish~" 

— his speech sounding put together and formal since he's a great host and knows how to formulate words properly, appearing classy even if he's being dirty

[writtenbyan-aries]

Summary: Reader accepts Zach's invitation about coming onto the podcast, despite going through a hard time. 

Warnings: there won't be smut in this (I can always do a part 2), but there will sexual innuendos and other things that make it feel like it belongs in this book, kinda sad beginning, swearing, joking around, reader is good friends with Zach and Jared, reader feeling sad/down, long distance relationship? possible angst? 

I will be using some actual dialogue from their videos, but most of it will be from me. 

Word count: 6.3k | not edited

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

It's been a few weeks since you and Sam sat down and had a long discussion about your relationship. 

You both agreed that it was best you "cut things off'' until things start to settle down - but you both didn't know when that was going to happen. 

No matter how hard you tried, your schedules were always packed. You were flying to one state on the other side of the county. 

Sam was flying to the opposite. 

It didn't really make sense, because things really didn't change romantically, you still said I love you. You still FaceTimed when you could. 

It's just, everything was always over the phone. 

Through texts, phone calls, pictures. 

You haven't seen each other since the night Sam left with Colby to do their overseas haunted tour thing that they've been planning for months. 

That was three weeks ago, and it's killing you - both. 

You both agreed that you need to give both of your lives all you got, and that's where it made sense. Putting your careers first, getting ahead so you have time to plan out the future together. 

You hated it. Absolutely despised it, but you truly believed that if your love was real, and you truly believed it was.. 

It will always contain the habit of coming back. 

You hugged Sam tight, not wanting to let him go. His arms stayed around you, chin rested on your head as he basked in the last moments you had together before he had to fly to Romania. 

Then to Spain. 

Then Ireland. 

It was going to be non stop. 

"Hey." Sam whispers, "I love you." You sniffle, mumbling into his chest, "I love you." He slides an arm over your shoulder, tilting your tear soaked face up to look at him. 

He smiles slightly, biting his lip to hold back his own tears, "I don't care how complicated things gets. I still want you." 

You nod, "Always your girl." 

He kisses your forehead, "Always my girl." 

You can tell he nods, meaning Colby has signaled him, and you let out a sigh, "Let me know when you land." 

"You know I'll update you any chance I get." He pulls you into a hug, squeezing tight, "I love you. I love you so much." 

You try your hardest not to cry, but you can't help it and sob into his chest, "I love you." 

He cups your cheek, kissing you deeply before leaning back, "I don't want to, but I gotta go."

"Go." You smile, "But don't have too much fun." You laugh slightly before it quickly turns into crying again and you fight it, "I'm sorry." 

He shakes his head, "Never be sorry." He kisses you one last time, "Wait for me." 

You nod, turning around to see Colby standing behind you, "Safe travels." You reach up, wrapping your arms around Colby's neck and he hugs you tight, "It'll be okay." 

You nod, leaning back, "I know." You wipe your face, watching as Sam and Colby walk towards the gate. 

Sam smiles slightly, giving you one last wave before he walks through. 

Once he's out of your sight, you cover your face, absolutely breaking down and you didn't care that it was in the middle of the airport. 

Your friend walks up, wrapping her arms around you, "You guys are inevitable." 

"I have to go in like ten minutes, we're getting ready to head to our next place." Sam says from the other end of the phone. 

You pout totally forgetting about the time difference, "Okay." 

"Hey " Sam tilts his head, "Don't do that." 

"I'm not doing anything. I've mastered waiting until we hang up." You laugh and he sighs, "Girl. You're going to kill me." 

"If I was going to do that, I would have done it before you left." 

You've been coping with jokes and humor. You were still absolutely dying inside with not being able to lay with him. Kiss him. Hug him. 

It was still eating away at you, but, as said, you've just mastered it with humor. 

"Part of me wishes you did." Sam mumbles with a laugh, "This is hell." 

You sigh quietly, sitting up as you rest your chin in the palm of your hand, "I know." You smile as you think about what your friend said, "But just remember that we're inevitable." 

"Damn right." Sam smiles and you hear Colby yell at him, "Alright, enough with the phone sex. The car's here." 

You laugh as you watch Sam's mouth drop and he pans his phone over his fully clothed in layers body, "Does it look like I have my d-" 

"I don't need to know what nasty shit you guys are in to." Colby laughs and you sigh, "Alright. I love you." 

You see the phone get ripped out of Sam's hand and Colby's face appears suuuper close to the camera, "I love you, too." 

You shake your head, laughing, "oh my god." 

Sam gets his phone back and he smiles, "Talk later?" 

You nod, "You know it. Be safe. Good luck!" 

Sam smiles, "Yes ma'am." He salutes you, "Alright, I love you." You smile, "I love you." 

The call ends and you feel that sudden rush of, once gated, emotions hit you all at once. You fall into the bed, specifically on Sam's side and take a deep shaky breath, "Fuck." 

You lay a pillow over your face and lay there for a second, taking yourself down from crying. 

Your phone dings and you hesitate for a second before you toss the pillow next to you and search for your phone. 

A laugh leaves your lips as you see a message from your friend, Zach Justice, Hey sweet cheeks. Come on the podcast. 

You click on it, typing out, oh now you want me to come on? 

You take a screenshot and send it to Sam. You stare up at the ceiling as you wait for a response from either one, trying to convince yourself that what you're going through, is going to benefit your future with Sam. 

Together. 

You bring your phone up, rolling your eyes at Zach's response, Not so much me, but the people in the comments. Your name is infesting every video I post. 

Infesting? That's a.. weird way of putting it lol. I'll see if I can squeeze you in to fit in my busy, busy schedule. 

Your friendship with Zach has always been playful banter, ever since you met, but he's always there for you. 

You haven't said anything to him, or Jared, about your current situation with Sam, but you know that just going on the podcast would definitely help you get through this easier. 

You bring your phone back up and laugh as what Zach had to say, So kind of you to consider hanging out with me. 

You laugh, I know, I can be sooo nice. I'll come if you buy me a plane ticket. 

And pick me up from the airport, with donuts. 

You see the message change from delivered to read and his face pops up on your screen. You take a deep breath and hit answer, "You couldn't have just texted me?" 

"Donuts you say? You must be really going through it." 

You laugh, "You have no idea." 

"Does this have anything to do with Sam?" He raises his brows when you don't answer him and he hums, "Thought so." 

"We're.. together but we're not together? If that makes any kind of sense. I don't know. We both agreed that our schedules are too much for us to be labeled as a couple right now, so we just, agreed to put more focus on the business of our lives?" You shake your head, "I'm just.. feeling a lot." 

"Yeah, you're totally coming on the podcast." He laughs, "I'll get your plane ticket." You can tell he's focused on something else and you laugh, "I was joking. I can get my-"

"Done." 

"Zach." You laugh, "I don't even know when I'm free." 

"Well, you better be free next Thursday." He smiles, giving you a wink, "See you then." 

"Don't.. wink at me. That's weird." 

"Ugh" he groans dramatically, "Sorry." He smiles, "See you next Thursday, I'll send you the deats." He winks and hangs up before you can yell at him again. 

You see a message from Sam and your attention shifts as you read what he says, You should definitely do it, babe. I think it would be good for you. 

You tap the screen, Zach really didn't give me a choice. He bought my plan ticket for me already so now I have to move stuff around, but I agree. 

Your eyes move up to the time, groaning lowly as you realize just how late it is. You remembered you have a meeting for a brand deal within the next four hours, so you reach over, turning off your lights so you can try and get at least a little bit of sleep. 

Why'd he have to get such an early flight, you think as you zip your suitcase closed. You lift it off the bed and set it upright on the floor before replacing the spot on the bed with your body. 

The last two days, Sam and Colby have been camping in a place they don't have service, so you haven't talked to him. 

Your phone dings and you lift in hopes that it's Sam, but it's Zach, On your way to the airport? 

You laugh quietly, You act like you're exited to see me or something, but soon. Waiting on my friend to get here to take me. 

Your friend texts you, letting you know that she's there and you get a move on, pulling the handle from your case and wheeling it behind you as you walk out to the living room. 

She comes in, "You ready?" 

You look over at her, "Yeah I just have to grab my headphones, they've been charging." She nods, "You doing okay?" 

You shrug, "I mean, yeah. For the most part." You laugh slightly, "As good as I can be." 

"Where did he say they were camping again?" She crosses her arms and you look at her, "Some.. demonic forest? I have no idea. If I don't hear from him by tomorrow I'm sending a search and rescue team." 

She laughs, "No I don't blame you." She walks over, grabbing the handle of your bag as you stuff your headphones into your carry on, "I know how Zach is, and he's a jokester.. are you going to be alright?" 

You nod, "I talked to Zach about everything last week, I told him that joking is my way to cope, so I gave him the green light." 

"I can't wait for this to come out. I just know it's going to be better than the others." She laughs and you nod, "Oh you know it." 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

Walking into the airport was almost like you were reliving that day with Sam all over again. Luckily, you had to go to a different gate in a different part of the building, which really made it a lot easier in the long run. 

"Well. I'll see ya in a day or two." You lean in, hugging your friend, "Thank you." 

She squeezes you, "Don't need to thank me. Have a good flight." 

You nod, "I'll try. I'll text you when I land." 

You turn, walking up to the lady to hand her your ticket. She smiles, "Hi, y/n. I have to tell you, my daughter is a huge fan of yours." 

"Awe." You smile, "You'll have to tell her I said thank you.

The lady nods, "I will." She smiles, "Safe travels, y/n." 

You smile and walk in, turning back to wave to your friend before boarding the plane. 

You sit down in your seat, checking your phone to see if Sam texted - but no message. You sigh, unfolding your headphones and slipping them over your ears. 

You've been on enough planes to know the routine. 

After pressing play for your music to play, you send a quick text to Zach, letting him know that you boarded and should be there in about two to three hours. 

Your flight feels longer than it should be. It felt like time was dragging by as slow as it could possibly go. 

But once you land and are able to exit, you practically bolt to the baggage claim. 

I got my bags, where are you? 

You look around, waiting to either see Zach or hear back from him. 

Moments later, he texts, Standing in front of the Starbucks. Someone didn't send me their gate number so I figured I'd treat myself to cheer myself up. 

You laugh, grabbing your bag as you type with your thumb, you're ridiculous, did you at least get me one? 

Zach replies, No why would I do that? 

You roll your eyes and walk to the Starbucks, smiling as you see him holding two coffees, "You did in fact do that." 

He turns, smiling as he opens his arms to hug you, "Yeah yeah, don't ruin it."

You step back, taking the coffee he hands you, "Ready?" He nods, "right this way, sweet cheeks." 

"You just going to keep coming up with new nicknames each time you talk to me?" You laugh and he stares at you, "Um, yeah. That's what I've been doing? Right?" 

You roll your eyes, "What are you going to do when you run out of nicknames? Recycle the old ones." 

He laughs, "Boy are you funny. Listen here." He stops pointing to his head and you tilt your head as you watch him tap his temple, "This baby can go for miles. Don't ever underestimate me." 

You hold your hand up in defense, "Message received, sweet cheeks." 

He gives you a look, trying not to laugh and he sighs, "Not cool." He laughs, turning to lead you to his car. 

The ride to the house was filled with small talk, mainly catching up and what not since it's been over a year since you've seen him last. 

Once there, you're greeted by Jared and Alyssa with hugs. 

"How was the flight?" Jared asks and you shrug with a laugh, "Long."

"Did you do your hair recently? It's so pretty." Alyssa plays with a stand and you nod, "Yeah I went after a meeting last week. I figured I needed a change or something." 

"You know, I think I seen it on Instagram." She laughs and Zach rolls his eyes, "girl talk, yuck. I'm not doing this." He walks over to sit down and puts his headphones on. 

He motions to the empty chair, "Are we doing this?" 

"I still don't have a choice do I?" You laugh and Zach sighs, "Now you're finally getting it."

You set your stuff down, walking over to sit on the red seat. You put your headphones on and look around as Jared and Alyssa get settled in. 

"We good?" Zach asks and looks at everyone, and you all nod. 

"What's up guys. Welcome to one ninety six of Dropouts." Zach starts in a loud, cheery sing songy tone, "Were here with the guest you've all been waiting for..." 

Jared gives Zach a drum roll and Zach looks at you, "Miss Y/n y/l/n." 

"Hi everybody." You smile, "Just to let everyone know, Zach didn't give me a choice to do this, so everyone should go flood his comments-" 

"No, cut that out. We're cutting that out." Zach tries not to laugh, "Listen. It only took how long for you to finally get here?" 

"She's a very busy girl, Zach." Jared laughs, "Speaking of.. Did I, or did I not, see that you're going to be on the next cover of vogue?" 

"You guys heard about that?" You smile and look at Alyssa and she claps for you, "Powerful woman." 

You smile and look at Zach, "Jealous?" 

Zach raises his brows, "That I'm not a woman? Please. I don't need anymore problems." He takes a deep breath, "Anyway. Besides that, I want to ask you a very serious question." 

You time your head, "That could be anything.." 

Zach fights back a smirk, "You seen, two or three episodes back that we had.. Sam, and Colby on here, right." 

Jared laughs, "Zach, where are you going with this?" 

"No where. Well. I mean." He laughs, "Somewhere, but just, wait. We aren't there yet." 

"Clearly." You and Alyssa say at the same time and you both laugh. 

Zach points between the two of you, "See. This is why I don't like having them both here, they like tag team me and not in the way any man would want to happen, ya feel me?" 

You roll your eyes, "Sam and Colby, your question." You laugh when he looks at you and he smirks, "You and Sam.. getting down and dirty yeah?" 

You laugh, "If you want to put it that way, I mean. Yeah, but not like.. recently." 

"Why's that?" Zach rubs his chin with his fingers and you shrug, "in the words of Jared, she's a very busy girl, Zach." 

"Mm, okay." He raises his brows and shakes his head, "Now another question I have for you.. and don't get mad at me for asking this, because if I'm correct, they confirmed this when they were here." 

You raise your brows, knowing exactly where this is going, "Mhm." 

"Did Sam leave the states to be with Colby officially because, now, this is what I was told, you threatened to turn Colby into a spirit himself?" Zach leans back and you stare at him for a few second before laughing, "Oh my god." 

"That's.." Jared laughs, "Who did you hear that from?" 

Zach makes a face, "Oh so now you're going to sit there and pretend like that isn't what you told me last night?" 

"Whoa, okay. No. Y/n. I didn't-" Jared laughs and Zach cuts in, "Oh, see. He can't deny it. His face is as red as the seats and he's starting to smell because he's so full of it." 

"What the fuck." Jared rolls his eyes and you sigh, leaning in towards the mic, "For the record, I have never threatened to turn Colby into a spirit." 

"But you aren't denying that they're married?" Zach tilts his head, pointing his finger at you, "But even then, you'd have to ward off Colby because I'm sure his spirit will just attach to Sam." 

"No that's little girl spirits." Jared laughs, emphasizing again, "Spirits. We've been over this with them. Please don't take that the wrong way." 

"Anyway." Zach shakes his head, "When's the last time you talked to either one of them?" 

You sigh, "Oh gosh. This will be day three, but I've already said, if I don't hear from him by the end of today I'm sending in a search and rescue team for their asses." 

"Oh gosh, that just.. wow." Zach sighs, "Can I just.. that just brought up something very serious and I need to say it, like right now." 

"Or what you'll explode?" Alyssa asks causing you and Jared to laugh. Zach looks over at her, "Can you just shut up for two seconds, I have something important I need to say." 

Alyssa raises her hands, fighting back her laughter. 

Zach looks at you and he takes a deep breath, "Now this.. might be hard for you to hear, as well for everyone else watching and, or listening.. but.." he looks into the camera, "If you wanna see me go retrieve Sam and Colby from." He pauses and looks at you, "Where are they right now?" 

You fight back laughter, "Camping in some demonic forest." 

He picks right back up, "Camping in a demonic forest, subscribe to the Patreon, you can see all of that plus stuff that's already happened." 

"You're.. insufferable." Jared shakes his head as he looks down and Zach just shrugs, "People like them. And if they know that I'm willing to help them, they'll like me, too. Okay. Moving on."

"So you literally got in today? Like your flight." Zach asks and you just stare at him. He cracks a smile, "What?"

"You're literally the one who picked her up from the airport, Zach." Jared laughs and you gasp, "Oh, and he brought me donuts like I said to last week and a coffee at the airport while he was waiting for me." 

"Hey hey hey." Zach says quickly, "Don't be telling everyone lies. You know I spit in your coffee before I gave it to you." 

"That's atrocious, Dude. What the fuck." Jared closes his eyes and shakes his head. You stare at Zach, "No you didn't." Zach shrugs, "The world may never know." 

"I don't know if I believe him, because I can totally see him doing that, just like to fuck with someone close to him." You laugh, "Oh god, I drank all of that, too. Did you really do that?" 

Zach sighs, nodding his head as he speaks, "No, I didn't." 

"See!" You point to him laughing, "You're a child."

Zach laughs, "Yeah and you're the queen of England." He pretends like he's using a gavel, "Case closed. So. Back to Sam and Colby.. Since you're so close with them, like have you gone on any investigations with them?"  

"I used to. Like right before my channel took off, I would go with them maybe twice a month?" You answer and Zach nods, "Is that why your channel blew up?" 

You can tell he's asking something that does relate to being touched or spoken to by a ghost, "Are you-" 

"Yes." Zach cuts you off and you laugh, "No. I didn't sell my soul. I'm pretty sure it's still there, I mean I don't know how to check but." 

Zach reaches over and feels your wrist, "Still there." 

"Zach." Jared bursts out laughing, "that's her pulse man, not her soul." 

Zach shrugs, "You never know. She may have turned into some sort of succubus demon thing that doesn't have a pulse but she has one. She's good." 

You roll your eyes and you can feel your phone vibrating in the pocket of your sweatpants, "I'm getting a call." 

"That the devil calling, he wants to return your souls." Zach says and you laugh, "That was good." You pull your phone out, not even hiding your happiness when you see Sam's name, "It's Sam." 

You push your one headphone off your ear and bring your phone up, "hey!" 

"We just got to service, are you okay?" Sam asks and you keep smiling, "Yeah I'm actually doing the podcast right now."

"Oh fuck, right now? I'm sorry." Sam says and you shake your head, "No, you're fine, how was it?" 

You look over at Zach and he wiggles his fingers, "Put him on speaker." You hold up one finger and continue to listen to Sam speak, "I'll have to FaceTime you later and show you. It was pretty nuts." 

"Oh god, yeah I'm sure. Zach wants me to put you on speaker so I'm going to do that here in a second." You take the phone away and tap the button, "Okay." 

"Is y/n a succubus?" Zach asks straight away, obviously catching Sam off guard, "What.. the fuck?" He laughs, "Is she a what?" 

"A demon. I mean I checked her pulse and she has one so I think we're good, but I figured I'd check in with the main ghost hunter because you'd know her better than any of us." 

"What kind of things are you talking about on the podcast?" Sam laughs and Zach sighs, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see when the video comes out." 

"Um.. okay." Sam laughs and you take him off speaker, "You're off speaker, now." 

"Yeah so give it to her good, Sammy my boy." Zach yells and you roll your eyes as Sam laughs, "There's something wrong with him." 

"Oh I know. But according to him, his brain can go for miles." 

"Y/n. What did I say about telling my secrets." Zach shakes his head and you shrug, "Sorry, that must have been the devil taking over." 

Zach raises his eyebrows, "Clearly." He nods, "Ask Sam if he got my text, since they now have service and what not." 

You relay the message and Sam takes a second to check, "Oh yeah, I got it." 

You nod to Zach, "Yeah, he got it." Zach nods, fighting back a smirk, "Cool, cool." 

"Why are you acting like that?" Jared asks and Zach tilts his head, "What do you mean?" Jared looks from him to you, "You're being.. more weird than usual." 

"I have my meter for weirdness and it sits right here." Zach holds his hand up, "and I haven't gone above that level since... Mm. Let say. Tuesday?"

"What's going on?" Sam asks and you laugh, "Oh Zach and Jared are arguing. Normal stuff, you know." 

Sam laughs, "Oh yeah. Typical." You hear him sigh and you know what's about to happen so you cut him off before he can say anything, "Talk later?" 

"You know it. I love you." Sam says and you smile, looking down, "I love you." 

The call ends and you look up, "Alright." 

"Alright, now we can get on with other things." Zach claps his hands together, "Are we still going out after this?" 

You raise your brows, "Out?"

Zach furrows his brows and looks from Jared to Alyssa, "Is your guy's stuff acting up?" He motions to his headphones and they both shake their heads no.

"Mines good, why is yours?" Jared asks and Zach shakes his head, "No, I'm just trying to make sure that y/n can hear me alright because out is exactly what I said." 

You roll your eyes, "Oh my god. Shut the fuck up." 

"I didn't know if you could hear me okay or not, was just double checking, jeeze. No need to be so aggressive." Zach tries not to laugh and you shake your head, knowing that no matter how much you try and talk yourself out of it, you'll still be going out. 

So you just sit back and accept your fate. 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

Almost two hours later, the podcast comes to a close and you set your headphones down on the bench, "Is it just me, or did that podcast feel like it went longer than normal?" 

You look between Zach, Jared, and Alyssa. 

"I don't think it felt any different." Jared shakes his head and shrugs. Alyssa nods, "I think it went over just a little bit, but not much." 

You nod and Zach stands up, "That jet lag must be really doing a number on you." 

You shrug, "I don't know, but are we at least getting dinner because I haven't eaten since this morning."

"You are such a cry baby. Let's go." Zach laughs as he walks away and you scoff, following him out the door. 

You all pile into the car and start driving to the restaurant, "So where was Tara?" You ask leaning forward, "I texted her but I haven't gotten any answer from her." 

"She's like, really sick." Zach says, "I called her this morning and it sounded like she swallowed her phone." 

"Oh god, if she sounds that bad then she's probably sleeping it off." You lean back, looking down at your phone, "So what did you and Sam talk about?" 

You look up at Zach and he looks back at you in the rear view, "When did your name change to Nelly because you're awfully nosey." 

You laugh, "Fine then don't tell me. I'm sure he'll tell me anyway." 

"Yeah, he probably will." Zach turns into the parking lot and you roll your eyes, accepting that reverse psychology doesn't work on him. 

As you get out, you check your phone. You let out a sigh and slip it into your pocket before closing the door. 

"I don't know much about the situation.." Alyssa says as she walks over to you, ".. but I know that you and Sam are major endgame if you ask me." 

You smile, "Thanks. I just.. we talked about putting pause on our relationship and it's just so hard because the only thing that really changed was us making time for each other. I mean, it didn't really happen much lately anyway, but the fact that we just cut it all out in one shot.." you sigh, "I hate it." 

She nods, "I'm sure it's rough, but you both have great careers, and I promise that it'll work out in the end. It might not seem like it now, but it will." 

"Thank you." You take a deep breath, "I actually needed that." 

She smiles and rubs your back, "Come on, Zach is probably in there bitching." 

You laugh and roll your eyes, "Probably." 

You walk into the restaurant, making your way to the table that Jared and Zach are sitting at and Zach looks up, "So they didn't get kidnapped." 

"You can't get rid of us that easily." You laugh as you sit down, "So what's good here?" You look over at Alyssa and she explains some of her favorite dishes. 

Throughout dinner, you caught yourself checking your phone and your sadness grew each time you seen zero notifications from Sam. 

At this point, you wanted to go to a hotel and just sleep off your day. 

But that wasn't happening. 

"Why do you look more miserable than normal?" Zach asks and you look up at him, laughing slightly, "I'm just.. getting really tired." 

Wasn't a full lie. 

"Uh huh. Well you better wake up, because where we're going next will get your mind off, being tired." He tilts his head and you roll your eyes, "I hate that you know me." 

"You secretly love it. Now come on." He stands up, along with you and everyone else and you make your way out to the car. 

You're quiet for the most part, except for when they force you to join in on conversation. 

"When did you hear about Vogue?" Alyssa asks and you can't help but smirk, "I found out a few days ago. I kind of just waited, kept it to myself. It really didn't hit until Jared asked me about it." 

"So wait, the post that they made with your picture titled the next face of vogue didn't make it set in?" Jared asks and you shrug, "honestly, no." 

You laugh and sigh, "How much longer?" 

"We're here." Zach replies and you nod, looking out the window at the building, "So is this like a bar scene? I'm not dressed for that." You joke and Alyssa laughs, "You look fine, trust me. Your sweats were the way to go." 

"I am super comfortable." You laugh as you get out, not even bothering to check your phone. 

You follow them in, handing the bouncer your ID, letting him check it before making your way in. 

The music is loud and it's filled with a few faces that you've met before, not anyone you're really willing to sit down and have a conversation with, though. 

You walk up to the bar, ordering your drink as Alyssa does the same. 

"So don't.." she laughs, "Don't tell Zach I told you this, I mean, he'd kill me if he knew you knew this.." she pauses and you nod, smiling, "secret is safe with me." 

She leans in, "Zach is actually worried about you. He's afraid that you're working yourself too much and now he's worried that this whole Sam situation will break you." 

You're actually kind of surprised, but at the same time, you're not, "I kind of thought that when he called me that night instead of just texting me.. but I'm actually really happy to hear that from someone who's close to him each day." 

You take your drink, laying down your money, "keep the change." 

Alyssa does the same and looks to you, "Just let him think that he's doing something you don't know about. I don't want him firing me." 

"I won't let that happen." You laugh, "Thank you." 

She nods and you walk back towards Zach and Jared. Right as you walk up, Zach stands up and walks way, phone pressed to his ear and he doesn't say a word. 

You furrow your brows and point to him, "What was that all about?" 

Jared sighs, "Last minute cancellation for the podcast. He's not taking it good." 

"Oh gosh, who was it?" You sit down and Jared looks to Alyssa before he leans in, "Don't say anything, but it was the triplets." 

"Chris, Nick, and Matt?" You raise your brows, "Why'd they cancel?" 

Jared shrugs, "No idea, that's what Zach is trying to figure out." You pout, "oh gosh, I have Chris' number. I can text him and see-" 

"Alright. We're good to go." Zach comes back and sits down. You look over at him, "So the triplets are coming on? They're not canceling?" 

He looks between Jared and Alyssa before tilting his head, "You're not supposed to know.. so just.." he lowers his hand in reference to you lowering your voice and you nod, "Ahh." You lower your voice, "Gotcha." 

You sip your drink and pull your phone from your pocket as you feel it vibrate, "Oh. It's Tara." 

"What did she say?" Zach says and you read over her text, "Sorry I couldn't make it to the podcast. I was super sick this morning. I just now woke up, but I'm feeling a lot better, are you still in town? Would love to meet up with you before you leave again." 

"What's the name of this place? I'm going to text her where I'm at." You look up and Jared tells you the name before you shoot her back a text. 

"She said she'll be here in an hour." You put your phone back in your pocket and look down at your empty glass, "I'll be right back." 

You get up, walking up to the bar to get another drink.

"Are you okay?" Zach asks and you look over at him, "Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugs, "I'm just.. asking. Jeeze. Can't a guy just ask a girl if she's okay?" 

You fight back a smirk, knowing that he really cares, "Yes, Zach. I'm fine, and you.. and Alyssa and Jared have all helped me get through the day without crying." 

"Good, because I really don't think I could handle you crying.." Zach laughs slightly, "Tara said she'll be here in an hour?" 

You nod, "Yeah, she has to get ready first, I guess." 

He nods, "Of course she does." 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

"Mm." You set your glass down, "Tara's here." 

"She is?" Jared asks shocked and you look at him funny, "That's what I just said, isn't it?" 

Jared tilts his head, "You've been around Zach for too long." He laughs and stands up, "I'll go get her." 

"No I will. I haven't seen her in so long." You stand up, but the three follow you out anyway. You glance behind you, laughing slightly as you shake your head. 

You make your way to the door and look around, "Where is she?" 

You get a text from Tara, Patio, sorry I saw someone else I haven't seen in a while. 

You look at Zach, "She's on the patio." 

"To the patio we go." He points, leading you down the side of the building. You round the corner, seeing Tara standing there with a huge smile, "Ahh!" She yells as she runs towards you, "I've missed you!" 

"Hey!" You yell and hug her, "I've missed you!" You lean back, "You look so good!" 

"Same for you miss cover of vogue!" She pushes your shoulder, "How fucking amazing is that?!" 

You nod, "Pretty amazing." 

You feel a hand on your shoulder and you think it's just Zach pulling you away to pick on Tara, but when you turn, your heart falls into your stomach, "No fu-fucking way." 

Sam is standing there, a huge smile on his face, "I couldn't go without seeing you anymore." He pulls you in for a hug, face buried into your neck and the tears you've been holding in all damn day are finally let loose. 

"Hey. Hey, hey." He lays a hand on your head, shushing you quietly, "It's okay." He turns his head, pressing a kiss to your cheek, "I'm here." 

You're glued to him. You want to let go so you can lean back and look at him but your body just wants to hold him. 

"I'm taking time off. I'm traveling with you. I want to be with you." Sam whispers and you lean your head back, just enough to look at him, "Really?" 

He nods, "Really. You're more important than anything in the world. We're making this work. I'm going to make it work." 

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

The end feels kind of rushed, and I promised you guys this yesterday, but I've been battling a migraine attack non stop for the last four days, so I just wanted to get something out. 

A part 2 (with smut) is definitely in the brain for this, you know when I can get it to stop working against me. 

But as always, let me know how you liked it. Thanks for reading. I love you all! 🖤

likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[maxespurr]

Giving In

Warning: Nat has a Penis, 18+ Only, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Summary: Natasha is holding herself back. Little does she know that Wanda already knows and decides to give the redhead an incentive...

Words: 934

---

Natasha was alone at the gym in the Avenger Compound, in the middle of unleashing a flurry of punches at a large punching bag.

It was past four thirty in the afternoon, an odd hour to be training. Most of the Avengers that lived in the Compound either did their training during the early hours of the morning or in the dead of night. These days, Natasha preferred to train alone. The cause to the shift in her training schedule was frustrating, with only herself to blame.

It started when she came across Wanda showering in the locker room after a rough morning of cross-country training from Steve. Wanda heard her come in (they were the only girls on the team so it was easy to guess it was Natasha) and asked her to get her a towel. When Natasha returned with a freshly cleaned and dried towel, Wanda shut off the shower head and stepped out of her shower cubicle, her bare self fully exposed for Natasha's eyes to drink in. It was the first time she ever saw Wanda naked and almost instantly, Natasha felt her cock twitch in her pants, and it was only getting harder. Wanda asked her what was wrong, but Natasha said nothing and quickly excused herself.

That was a week ago.

Every time she saw Wanda, her body had a strong response to the young witch's presence. Natasha became distracted every time they were within proximity of each other. The head on her shoulders could not focus on anything else because the head between her legs could only think about being buried deep inside Wanda. It got to the point she had to actively avoid Wanda if Natasha wanted to get any semblance of work done.

She knew that Wanda noticed the shift in her behavior. After all, Natasha was making no effort in hiding the fact she'd leave the room whenever Wanda walked in. Natasha would make eye contact with the young woman for five seconds and she could feel whatever pants she would be wearing at the time to suddenly feel tight. It was incredibly frustrating that her body was reacting like a hormonal teenage boy, and she couldn't stop it.

Natasha finished her workout panting heavily, beads of sweat sliding down her face.

Her body felt hot, and she knew it wasn't because of exercise.

She wondered how much longer she could last before she would break.

---

"Goddammit. I don't understand how the hell Tony built this damn compound without a working dishwasher. It's been a week already," Natasha muttered to herself while slowly going through the massive pile of dishes in the sink (she was going to have a talk with Sam later).

"Need some help?"

Natasha froze.

She turned to her right to find Wanda standing beside her, a small towel in hand. The moment their eyes met, Natasha felt her cock throb in her sweatpants. She wanted to get away and privately relieve herself, but her sense of responsibility and not wanting leave Wanda with the pile of dishes won over her desire to leave.

Natasha tried to hide her growing erection by having the leg closest to Wanda positioned a bit forward, praying the brunette did not notice. "Sure, I could use help drying."

Wanda nodded and took a plate from Natasha.

They stood beside each other and silently went through the stack of plates, silverware, and coffee mugs. Natasha wondered why Wanda wasn't saying anything else considering this was the first time they've spoken to each in over a week.

When she handed Wanda the last of the dishes, Natasha turned off the faucet and hastily dried her hands. "Thanks for your help, Wanda. I'm-"

Wanda cut her off and backed her against the counter, placing her hands on either side of Natasha and trapping her.

"You're not running away again, Natasha. I won't let you."

"W-Wanda, wait...!"

But Wanda didn't listen. She pushed her pelvis against the older woman's.

Natasha shuddered at the contact and swallowed back a moan. She could tell she was fully erect, and it was impossible for Wanda to not feel it herself.

"Did you really believe I didn't notice the reason you've been avoiding me?" Wanda spoke in a low whisper, eyes never leaving Natasha's packing pair. "This... lively thing?" She traced the full length of Natasha's erection, starting from the base and slowly making her way up to the tip.

Natasha gritted her teeth and gripped the counter with such force her knuckles turned white when Wanda began stroking her through her sweatpants. She felt something burning, something primal, welling up deep inside of her. It had been growing this past week and was about to burst at the seams when Wanda pulled away. Natasha, in a lust-filled haze, could only stare dumbly as the brunette walked away.

Then, Wanda looked over her shoulder at Natasha and lifted up her skirt: she had no panties and her pussy glistened with arousal.

"If you're done running away, come to my room and this will be yours."

Wanda let her skirt fall and left the kitchen while Natasha was still reeling and processing what just happened. Each second that passed, her willpower crumbled, and her reasoning was thrown out the window.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Natasha knew it was a bad idea to mix work and sex, but the thought of finally getting Wanda under her and having her way with her overpowered any rational thought she had left as she finally took a step forward towards Wanda's room.

---

A/N: Part 2...? 🤔

[heartfullofleeches]

Bluebird's [Former Darling Yan] own Yan controlled every aspect of Darling's life before their untimely, but justified demise. What they wore, what they ate, when they got out of bed and when they went to sleep- For Caretaker Reader to try to cheer them up during their recovery through small gestures that might return their sense of autonomy speeds up the process and deepens Bluebird's attachment fondness to Reader.

-

"Would you like me to paint your nails today?"

Turkey or ham...

Bluebird remembers their birth giver asking that same question every morning. They made the sandwiches themselves, but she was kind enough to pull the meat out of the fridge for them. They were sick of both by the second week of school. The turkey was too dry and the moist slabs of ham soaked through the bread of their sandwich by the time lunch rolled around. For once they wanted something different- Chicken, Tuna. They'd even settle for the cafeteria food if their parents took the seconds out of their schedule to sign the paperwork.

It was awful, but after all they've been through they found themselves missing that illusion of choice.

"...You're too kind. That would be nice, thank you for asking." They truly meant it. Bluebird uncurls their fingers from the tight fists clutching the hem of their gown. Their nails were starting to grow, but you had to even then out after Darling had chewed a couple of them off in their sleep. It was the scariest experience they've had since they came into your care - yet you never raised your voice or belittled them as they started to cry.

"No need to thank me, Darling. I'm only here to help you. Which color would you like?"

Unease creeps at the remote corners of their mind as you set each colorful bottle out on display across the coffee table. There's so many. Which one's the right choice? Bluebird studies your face as their finger hovers over the bottles. A smile. A frown. Give them something to work with. The color of your shirt- Is it safe for them to guess that it is your favorite color too? Would that make you happy?

"This one....." Bluebird points at the color that matches closes to your shirt.

"Are you sure that's the color you'd like?"

What is this- Is it all a trick? The question isn't condescending. You aren't pressing them to force them to change their answer or luring them into a false blanket of comfort. You're asking them because you want Bluebird to choose for themselves.

"Lilac is my favorite color. Do you think it will look nice on me?"

"I think it'll look perfect."

[changingplumbob]

First Round - Day five (Chloe group)

The Chloe group are lucky last, meaning they've had some extra time to get to know each other before this. Tensions still exist though as some personalities clash.

Callie: This is so exciting! This place looks amazing

Apolline: I think it needs work. A lot of work

Billie: I suppose you're used to a higher standard?

Elise: It's a lot nicer than some places I've been let me tell you

Hana: I hope we get some free time to paint. At the moment the schedule seems pretty tight

Lara: We have some free time now don't we?

Callie: Yeah but we should be bonding and getting to know each other

Apolline: Why would we want that

Billie: Maybe you don't understand Callie but this is meant to be a competition

Lara: Why would you say that? We don't need to kill the vibe

Hana: Maybe not all of us feel as relaxed about the situation as you are Lara

Elise: You know what's relaxing? The onsen in Mt Komorebi

Hana: I think I'm going to go unpack

Elise: I'll come with, I've got the room beside yours

...

Callie: I know it's a competition but it doesn't mean we can't be friends... does it?

Billie: I didn't mean to sound quite that harsh

Apolline: *scoffs* You really want to befriend 29 woman chasing the same person you are?

Lara: You make it sound so cut throat Apolline. Maybe not everyone thinks the way you do. We should try and be friendly

Hana: Now where do you suppose the remote would be?

Hana decided that she didn't want to be overly social that morning and instead chose to watch some sports on TV after unpacking.

Apolline: I can be friendly! I love your... green?

Lara: *smiling* See now Polly, we're getting along great

Apolline: *seething at being called Polly*

Elise: So what did I miss

Callie: Nothing much. Can you tell us about one of your adventures?

Billie: Yes! I'd love to hear more of your travels

At lunch Deanna appeared to say hello to everyone and see how they were settling in.

Deanna: Are you doing okay?

Apolline: Yes. Deanna you look tres jolie in that shirt

Deanna: *smiling* Thanks. But really is it going okay

Hana: Things are bound to be awkward while we adjust right

Lara: Some things are bumpy but we're getting through it

Hana: I said that

Lara: I'm just trying to make conversation

Callie: The rooms are lovely

Billie: And the views are so inspiring

Elise: I love it here but I do miss home

Apolline: Deanna you must come visit Champs Le Sims, you as well Hana

Hana: I've heard the galleries there are impressive

Billie: I'd love to see them to

The rest of lunch is filled with jokes and laughter. Despite initial clashes these contestants do seem to want to understand each other.

Lara (voiceover): Things may have got tense this morning but it's nothing I can't handle. You don't get to be a party animal without learning how to handle an awkward situation. Apolline seems like she likes us, but it also feels like maybe she's liking us against her better judgement? I don't know. I decided to polish my charisma today, that way I can help diffuse any other arguments that might pop up

Elise (voiceover): It was a lot of fun talking about my travels with the others. Apolline didn't seem too impressed by the places I chose to visit but I think she respects my determination. There was an awkward moment with Apolline and Callie for sure though, and Billie. I think they just need to size each other up and move forward, eyes on the prize. I chose to practice video gaming for skill time, it was good to unwind

Callie (voiceover): So maybe I was a little bit naive thinking everyone would want to make friends. I just thought there's only so many people who do these kind of things, who else would best know what we're going through than a fellow competitor? At least Lara seems welcoming, and hey maybe the others just need to get to know me. I picked charisma to work on for the afternoon, I could do with less social slip ups

Hana (voiceover): I tried to tell myself not to be annoyed at Lara just because she was number one... but my hot-headedness got me. Hopefully she's cool enough to forgive it though because yeah... I do have to admit she seems pretty awesome. I think it was right to do some sports watching before lunch though, helped get me in a better place to chat. For the skill time I picked videogaming. I'm interested to see what challenge it's recommended for

Apolline (voiceover): I mean... I'm trying to overcome quite a bit right now. I do think it might seem like I'm cold but I'm being realistic. We can't all win. Deanna is only picking me- I mean, one of us. I don't know about you but I would rather not befriend people I know are flirting with the same person as me. How can you establish trust? I picked charisma to work on, not that I really need to, but it does seem like a skill that will be essential in the villa

Billie (voiceover): I didn't mean to be rude to Callie, she just doesn't seem like a serious competitor. But after I snapped she looked like a puppy someone had pushed in a puddle. So I backtracked and tried to patch it up, hopefully she's not the kind to hold grudges. Lunch was fun, it would be nice to visit Champs Le Sims one day if Apolline ever deems me worthy of invitation. For skills I chose charisma, I'm going to need it

For dinner Deanna made some Chicken Saltimbocca.

Apolline: Merci! Some real food

Billie: Thanks Deanna

Deanna: You're welcome

Elise: It tastes really nice, what brand of nectar did you use?

Deanna: Uhh, the one in the cupboard?

Lara: Brands don't always tell you how good the nectar will be

Hana: I didn't realise you drank nectar

Lara: I don't much but I know how to navigate behind the bar

Apolline: A useful skill?

Lara: It can be. Sometimes your ordered mixologist will not appear and you need to keep the party going

Callie: I've never really been to many parties

Elise: I've been to parties on almost every continent

Billie: Gosh this sunset is just gorgeous

Hana: I know! I wish I had my full set of paints to capture it

Following the cleaning up, Deanna invites the women to watch a movie with her. While most seem excited at the idea of a film in a language that is not English, Lara is skeptical and Callie is worried.

Callie: Will there be subtitles? We can have subtitles right?

Deanna: Absolutely

Apolline: Disappointed Lara?

Lara: Huh? No, I just prefer action films not drama

Billie: I saw a review of this one but have yet to watch

Hana: Shhh, it's starting

Despite her initial hesitation Callie gets drawn in to the film, crying along with Elise at the sad moments.

Deanna: *sniffling* I don't have a good feeling

Billie: I think they'll make it through this, they're so cute

Hana: Maybe but the lighting says not

Lara: Apolline do you have to cry quite so loud

Apolline: *loud sobs and words in French*

When the film has concluded absolutely everyone headed off to bed despite there being some socialisation time with Deanna left. Emotional films can take a physical toll though so maybe that's why everyone had to rest up?

Sims created by: @belsasim, @igglemouse, @invisiblequeen, @paracosmic-sims, @perolesims (@peroleeesims), @simscici

[stylesonfilms]

ink & innocence - 10

word count: 5.4k

sorry for the late update! sooo busy today!!

Isobel followed Aspen around the library while she pushed the cart. "I don't understand. So, he asked you to hang out, but then he posted a picture with Kirsten?" 

Aspen sighed. "He left me on read after I told him I'd be out with Shawn, and then Kirsten posted a photo of them together last night." Her voice was soft, wavering slightly. Aspen skimmed the bookshelf as they came to a halt and slotted one of the books from the cart onto the shelf. Isobel only scoffed, following behind her friend. 

It was normal for Isobel to come pester Aspen at work whenever their schedules aligned. It was a day where Zayn had back to back clients and Isobel was off, and she wanted to lend a comforting shoulder to her friend. The girl grabbed Aspens phone from her back pocket, connected to her ear buds, and unlocked it. Aspen didn't mind, she always welcomed Isobel to snoop through her phone. When her song stopped and changed, she huffed slightly. 'Cool' by Gracie Abrams played through her headphones, one tucked into her ear and the other draping on the inside of her shirt so she could hear Isobel. 

The squeaky wheels on the cart filled the air before Isobel opened her mouth to speak again. "Maybe he thought you were going out with another dude, so he got jealous." 

Aspen let her hands rest on the cart handle, one eyebrow raising at Isobel's ridiculous conclusion. "Jealous? Harry? Come on," she muttered, though the flush on her cheeks betrayed her casual tone. "I don't think he really cares that much."

"Fool, I'm a fool if the shoe fits,

You probably met up with Cass and said the same shit."

Isobel scoffed, shoving Aspen's phone back into her pocket and crossing her arms as she leaned against the bookshelf. "Are you serious? Did you see that picture? The man had his arm around her and a drink in his hand. That's textbook 'I'm pretending not to care but I totally care.'"

Aspen shook her head, pushing the cart a little farther down the aisle as she mumbled, "Or maybe he was just having fun with Kirsten because he actually likes her."

Isobel groaned, practically jogging after her friend, her voice laced with disbelief. "Oh my god, you're so dense sometimes, I swear. Harry doesn't like Kirsten. Not like that. Everyone knows that."

Aspen blinked, her brow furrowing slightly as she placed another book onto the shelf. "Well, I didn't know that," she replied quietly.

Isobel tilted her head, watching her friend's face carefully. Aspen was trying her hardest to look unbothered, but her lips were pressed into a tight line, and there was a distinct heaviness to her movements. She was upset—really upset.

"Okay, fine. Let's say he does like Kirsten," Isobel said, her tone almost conspiratorial as she leaned in closer. "Then why did he text you asking to hang out before posting that picture? Huh?"

Aspen's hands stilled on the cart. She hated how much sense that made, and she hated even more that her stomach fluttered at the thought. She tried to dismiss it with a shrug. "I don't know... Maybe I was just Plan B," she murmured, trying to sound nonchalant.

Isobel gasped dramatically, clutching her chest like Aspen had just slapped her. "You are not a Plan B, Aspen! I swear, if Harry actually thinks—"

"Shh!" Aspen hissed, her face going bright red as she glanced down the aisle to make sure no one was around. "Can we not shout about my personal life in the middle of the library?"

Isobel grinned mischievously, though she lowered her voice to a loud whisper. "Fine. But listen to me—Harry's jealous. I know it. Boys are dumb like that. You say you're busy, and suddenly they've gotta prove they're just as busy and cool and... I don't know, over it or whatever."

Aspen didn't respond, instead busying herself with rearranging a row of perfectly aligned books. Isobel narrowed her eyes, determined to get a reaction out of her friend. "You know I'm right. That picture was all for show. I bet you anything Harry was just—"

"Can we stop talking about it?" Aspen interrupted sharply, her voice breaking just slightly. Her hands gripped the edge of the cart tightly as she turned away. "It doesn't matter, okay? He can do whatever he wants. It's not like..." She paused, inhaling sharply before shaking her head. "It's not like we're anything."

"I'm not pretending in the way you are, You run your hands through your hair, phony superstar, Then say you miss me, you're sad, yeah, I bet you are."

Isobel softened, the teasing edge to her voice disappearing as she walked around to face Aspen. "Hey," she said gently. "Just because you're not together doesn't mean you can't be upset. You like him, don't you?"

Aspen swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on the wheels of the cart as she mumbled, "I don't know." But they both knew that wasn't true. The heat in her chest, the sting behind her eyes when she'd seen that picture—it all said otherwise.

"You do," Isobel said softly, nudging Aspen's arm with her elbow. "And it's okay. Just... don't let him mess with your head, alright? He's probably just being dumb and jealous, and he'll get over it."

Aspen let out a shaky breath, nodding faintly. "Yeah. Okay." But the truth was, Harry had messed with her head. The moment she saw Kirsten's photo, it felt like something had cracked deep inside her—a tiny, fragile hope she hadn't even realized she'd been holding onto.

And the worst part? She didn't even have a right to feel this way. She was the one who'd turned him down. She'd been honest—she had plans with Shawn, plans that were innocent and completely platonic. And yet, the thought of Harry with Kirsten—his arm slung around her, his face too close to hers—made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the cart as a million thoughts swirled through her head. Was he trying to prove something? Did he even care? Did I mess everything up?

"Harry does not get jealous," She muttered to Isobel, plopping an encyclopedia in her hands to put back on the shelf. "He doesn't look like the type to, anyway. It would be very surprising." 

Aspen could definitely be jealous, she was quick to realize. Although it was a foreign feeling to her, especially around boys, the knot in her stomach never left. She never got jealous over boys, just her older sister getting a new car (even though Aspen was nine), or her middle school best friend being able to get blue highlights. Those kinds of things. 

Isobel shrugged and pulled more books off the cart to help Aspen file back. "And what about you? How do you feel?" It was a loaded question, one Aspen wasn't sure she had the answer to. With a reluctant sigh, she answered. "I'm... okay. It's fine, really. It's not like we were a thing." A little shrug graced her shoulders while the music continued to play.

Isobel hooked her arm with Aspens and continued to shuffle around the library with her. The blonde hair girl didn't want to push the narrative any further, she didn't want Aspen to dwell on it too much.

"No, I'll be fine, I'll just look for the silver lining, Stay out of sight, Half my mind, you're still occupying."

The last of the books were slotted back into place with practiced ease, Aspen handing her phone off to Isobel while she climbed the narrow ladder to reach the sixth shelf. The rickety metal creaked under her weight, but she barely noticed as she balanced a small stack of books in one hand. From below, Isobel busied herself scrolling through Aspen's phone, clicking around her playlists and scrolling through unread notifications.

It wasn't until Isobel let out a sharp gasp—one that echoed a little too loudly through the quiet library—that Aspen froze mid-movement.

"What?" Aspen asked, distracted as she leaned precariously over to the left to make room for the last book.

"It's... Harry," Isobel breathed, her voice a mix of intrigue and drama.

Aspen snapped her head around so quickly she nearly lost her balance. Her heart lodged in her throat as she scurried back down the ladder, the books in her arms practically tumbling as she thrust them into Isobel's hands without ceremony. "W-what? What about Harry?" she muttered, already reaching for her phone. Her voice cracked slightly, betraying how much her pulse had picked up.

Isobel handed over the phone with a teasing smirk, stepping back as Aspen's hands fumbled to unlock the screen. The message notification stared back at her, simple and unassuming, but her stomach flipped.

Harry ⭐: Hello.

Aspen's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long beat, her brain short-circuiting as she tried to figure out what to say. What did hello even mean? Was he just being polite? Did he want to talk? She could feel Isobel practically breathing down her neck, waiting for her to type something.

Finally, Aspen tapped out a simple 'hi,' her thumb hesitating just a second before pressing send.

Almost immediately, Harry's name appeared again.

Harry ⭐: How was lunch with your friend?

Her eyes flickered up to meet Isobel's, wide and panicked. "What do I say?" Aspen whispered in a rushed breath, clutching the phone tightly.

Isobel, however, looked thoroughly unimpressed. She waved Aspen's concerns away, reaching for the phone. "Give it here," she said, already peering at the screen.

"No—wait—Isobel!" Aspen yelped, her voice a frantic hush as she relinquished the device. She watched helplessly as Isobel's fingers flew across the keyboard, her brows furrowed in concentration. The wheels of the book cart squeaked softly in the background as Aspen fidgeted nervously.

A beat later, Isobel hit send and handed the phone back triumphantly.

Aspen: it went good. how was your night with kirsten?

Aspen froze, her eyes widening in horror as she stared at the message. "Isobel! You can't ask that!" she hissed, her voice low but sharp as she smacked Isobel's arm in protest. She looked around quickly, her cheeks burning as she noticed a few patrons glancing their way. "I'm working," she muttered, forcing a polite, apologetic smile toward a man browsing nearby.

Isobel shrugged unapologetically, clearly pleased with herself. "What? It's a fair question. You saw that picture, Aspen. Don't pretend you don't want to know."

Aspen groaned, slumping against the cart with a defeated sigh. She wanted to argue—wanted to say she didn't care about Harry's night with Kirsten—but the truth sat bitter on her tongue. She did care, and she hated that she did.. 

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Meanwhile, miles away at the tattoo shop, Harry stared blankly at the message on his screen, a sinking weight settling in his chest.

"How was your night with Kirsten?"

Shit.

Harry blew out a slow breath, setting his phone down for a moment as he ran both hands through his unruly curls. He tilted his head back, his eyes drifting to the ceiling as guilt gnawed at him from the inside out. She'd seen the picture. Of course, she had. It was stupid to think she wouldn't— Kirsten had a knack for drawing attention online.

"Everything alright over there, mate?"

Zayn's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and Harry turned slightly, waving off the question with a grunt. "Yeah, yeah. Fine," he muttered.

Zayn didn't look convinced, but with a client in the chair, he didn't press. Harry's gaze flickered back to his phone, the little read receipt glaring back at him. What the hell do I say to that?

He picked the phone back up, his thumb hovering over the keyboard as he typed and erased the same words three times over. He could play it off, say Kirsten just stopped by, that it wasn't a big deal. But it was. At least, it felt like it was.

Finally, he typed out something else entirely.

Harry: Can you come over? We should talk.

He hesitated only a second before hitting send, his heart thudding dully against his ribs as he stared at the screen, waiting. The little bubble that indicated Aspen had seen the message popped up almost immediately, and Harry swore he stopped breathing.

But then there was nothing. Just silence.

He groaned, pushing his phone away like it might burn him. "Brilliant," he muttered under his breath, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. The distant buzz of the tattoo machines did little to distract him as seconds dragged into minutes.

Finally— finally— his phone buzzed against the table, and Harry snatched it up so quickly he nearly dropped it.

Aspen: i get off at 6. does that work for you?

Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, his shoulders sagging with relief. His fingers moved quickly to type out a response.

Harry: Yeah, that works. I'll be home.

He shoved the phone into his back pocket, still feeling like he'd just narrowly escaped something worse. Running a hand down his face, Harry grumbled to himself before pushing off the chair. He still had hours to kill and a final client at four, but his focus was shot.

"Oi, Niall," he called, pointing vaguely toward the back. "Tell Zayn I'm leaving right after my last one. Close up without me."

Niall, who was halfway through his sandwich, looked up and snorted. "What, got a hot date?"

Harry shot him a glare as he turned toward his station. "Something like that," he muttered under his breath.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

5:57 PM.

Harry nudged the apartment door shut with his foot, the soft click of the latch echoing in the quiet space. Tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter, they landed with a metallic clink, the sound bouncing off the minimalist surfaces of his small but comfortable apartment. He shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the hook by the door before ruffling a hand through his hair.

From the corner of his eye, Jasper stirred on the windowsill, the black cat arching his back in a long, lazy stretch. A soft meow followed, raspy from sleep, as the cat padded toward him with tail high and expectant.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Harry muttered, crouching down to open the plastic bin tucked into the corner of the kitchen. Scooping out a generous helping of dry food, he tipped it into Jasper's ceramic bowl, the familiar clatter of kibble drawing the cat's attention immediately. Jasper purred his approval, rubbing his head against Harry's hand in thanks.

Harry let his fingers linger in Jasper's fur for a moment, scratching behind his ears and along the top of his head. The warmth of the small, steady creature was grounding, something simple in the midst of his increasingly complicated thoughts. Standing to his full height, he ran a hand down his face, already feeling the tension creeping into his shoulders.

The apartment, at least, was spotless—a rare occurrence that Harry felt oddly grateful for now. After Kirsten had left the night before, he'd thrown himself into a cleaning frenzy, desperate to rid the space of whatever lingering presence she'd left behind. He'd changed his sheets without hesitation, tossed the empty bottles in the recycling, and even went as far as to throw away the cup Kirsten had used, as if that would erase the memory of her lipstick-stained smirk.

He'd flipped the couch cushions for good measure, meticulously straightened the pillows, and scrubbed the kitchen counters twice. By the time he realized there was nothing else left to clean, two hours had passed, and he was left feeling hollow and restless. A long shower hadn't helped much, but at least it wore him out enough to get a few hours of sleep.

Now, standing in the quiet calm of his space, he felt a flicker of relief. The place was clean, orderly, and ready—though for what, exactly, he wasn't sure. His stomach churned with anticipation, nerves twisting in a way he hadn't experienced in a long time.

It wasn't until the soft tap-tap-tap of three little knocks broke the silence at 6:15 that he realized he'd been staring at the same spot on the counter for far too long.

His breath hitched, heart picking up speed as he turned toward the door.

When Harry finally opened the door, Aspen was standing there, looking as small and hesitant as he felt. Her tote bag hung loosely over her shoulder, her hair falling around her face like a curtain. She gave him a soft, nervous smile, and he felt something inside him tighten— an ache he didn’t know how to name.

“Hey,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“Hi,” Aspen murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She shifted on her feet, her eyes darting to the floor.

“Come in,” Harry said quickly, stepping aside. His heart pounded in his chest, and he cursed himself for feeling so unsure, so unsteady. Aspen walked in, her movements careful and deliberate, like she didn’t want to disturb anything.

He shut the door behind her and took a deep breath. “D'you want some water? Or, uh, anything else?”

“Water’s fine, thanks,” she said, her voice quiet but polite.

Harry nodded and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. His hands were shaking slightly, the glass clinking against the counter as he set it down to steady himself. Get a grip, he thought, running a hand through his hair.

When he returned to the living room, Aspen was sitting on the edge of the couch, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She took the glass from him with a small “thank you” and sipped it carefully, her eyes flickering up to meet his for only a moment before darting away.

Harry sat down next to her, keeping some space between them, though the tension in the air made it feel like they were closer than they actually were. He clasped his hands together, staring down at them as the silence stretched.

“I… I wanted to talk to you about last night,” he began, his voice tight.

Aspen glanced at him, her brows knitting together. “Okay,” she said softly, her tone cautious but curious. She hoped the sound of her heartbeat in her ears would quiet down in time to listen to what he had to say.

Harry took a deep breath, the words sticking in his throat. He wanted to tell her everything, but the fear was suffocating. What if she hated him? What if he scared her off completely?

“I… I screwed up,” he said finally, his voice breaking slightly. He looked over at her, his green eyes raw and vulnerable. “I saw your text 'bout lunch with him, and I—” He stopped, shaking his head. He wasn't even sure who 'him' was. “I got jealous. I didn’t know how t'deal with it, so I didn’t. And instead of dealing with it, I tried to distract m'self. Kirsten showed up, and I let things go further than they should’ve. But I swear, nothing happened. Nothing real, anyway. And," he took a deep breath, "I’m sorry.”

Aspen’s fingers tightened around the glass in her hands, her lips pressing into a thin line. She appreciated his honesty more than she could express. Something about the glint in his eyes let her know he was being fully honest. “Why were you jealous?” she asked quietly, her voice steady but fragile.

Harry’s jaw tightened, his heart hammering in his chest. “Because…” He hesitated, swallowing hard. “B'cause I like you, Aspen. And it scares the hell out 'f me.”

Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. “What?”

“I don’t do this,” Harry admitted, his voice wavering. His teeth caught his lip ring again before he sighed. “I don’t let myself feel things f'people. It’s easier that way. Safer. But then you came along, and now I’m all messed up. I don’t know how t'act around you. I don’t know how t'stop thinking about you. And last night, when I thought you were spending time with another guy…” He broke off, running a hand through his hair again. “I got angry. Not at you— but at myself. Because I didn’t know how t'handle it.”

Aspen stared at him, her own emotions swirling in her chest. Her eyes followed the tug of his lip ring before her eyes darted back up to his. She felt exposed, like her own carefully constructed walls were being stripped away. “I wasn’t on a date,” she said softly.

Harry’s head snapped up, his eyes locking onto hers. “What?”

“Shawn’s in my major,” Aspen explained, putting a name to who Harry was worried about, her voice shaky. “He was helping me figure out my class schedule for next semester. After lunch, I went straight to work. That’s all it was. I.. I promise you.”

Harry let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, his shoulders sagging. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, dragging his hands down his face. “I’m such an idiot.”

Aspen hesitated before speaking again, her voice trembling but firm. “Why didn’t you just talk to me?”

“Because I didn’t know how,” Harry admitted, his voice breaking. “I’m not used t'this, Aspen. I’m not used to caring about someone like this. It’s new, and i’s scary, and I didn’t want t'screw it up. But I did anyway.”

Aspen felt her heart ache at his words. She could see the fear in his eyes, the vulnerability he was trying so hard to hide. “I’m scared too,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t… I don’t let people in easily. But I don’t want to push you away either. And you didn't screw it up. I still...," she mumbled off, her eyes still shy.

Harry looked at her, his chest tightening. “I don’t want to mess this up,” he said, his voice raw. “I don’t want to lose whatever this is. I’m still figuring this out, and I know it will take time but I don't want you off to the sidelines.”

Aspen nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips despite the tears welling in her eyes. Harry could tell she wasn't completely sure about what he meant, so with a newfound confidence and bravery, he reached for her hand. His warm palm rested on hers, his eyes checking with hers to make sure it was okay before he scooted a bit closer. 

Harry held her hands between his large ones, the girls small hands bundled between his. “I'm saying that I want this with you, Asp. I don't... I can't want to do it without you.” he said softly.

And in that moment, with their hands intertwined, it felt like they were finally on the same page. It wasn’t perfect, and it wouldn’t be easy, but it was a start. And for now, that was enough. 

Aspen nodded, her glassy eyes moving from their bundled hands to Harrys green ones. He was so honest and so open. Bringing the moon down to the Earth for him still wouldn't show how grateful she was. A shy laugh puffed through her lips. "I was so worried you didn't want anything real to do with me."

Harry brushed his lips against her hands that were balled up in his. "No, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I just," he sighed. "I know I made m'self out t'be a douche. I kissed you, twice, and I shouldn't have done what I did. I will never stop being sorry f'that, Aspen. But you, all of you, are what I want."

Hearing his words made Aspen's heart and stomach flip all around her body. She swore her heartbeat could be hear down the block. A flare of red shot up her neck and to her cheeks. She shyly looked away, feeling so seen under his gaze. Harry's hooked index finger came to rest under her chin and guide her gaze back to him. He felt so close, and so warm. 

"It was always you, since the party it was always you. Please tell me it was always me, too." With the softness Harry spoke at, you were sure to laugh in his face when he would tell you he's normally more intimidating. But something about Aspen flicked that switch off in the best way.

"Oh, Harry...," she whispered, her brown eyes softening into her doe like state. Her nimble fingers came to wrap around his wrist, her other hand still intertwined with his. "Of course. I... I was jealous, too. Because of that picture and still... I just wanted to be with you." It would've taken Aspen approximately ten hours to even muster up the courage to say something so open, but it came naturally with Harry. 

The warmth of her hand shot through Harry's flesh like fire. Like a spark was burning its way to blow the fuse. His green eyes traced over the soft curve of her nose and how it rounded at its tip, and her soft cupids bow. He let his eyes linger with no shame on her rosy lips. No lipgloss this time, yet they still looked soft as ever.

Slowly, the gap was closed. Harry tilted Aspen's chin up slightly and ducked the rest of the way to press his lips to hers. He gave her hand a small squeeze, slow with his actions. He wanted to make sure it was still okay for her, and when he felt her give in just the smallest bit and lean forward (her way of saying it was okay, though she didn't realize she did that), his lips slowly parted to fit hers. A content sigh escaped through their noses as their lips slotted. It wasn't rushed, but it wasn't like the other times as well. This kiss carried a certain promise to each other. With a little kick of bravery, she only made a small tilt of her head to deepen their kiss. Harry responded with another squeeze to her hand, his ring clad fingers now cupping her jaw to bring her further in. 

She couldn't deny the heat coursing through her face. Just as she got fully comfortable, Harry pulled back with a small laugh. "Y'can't forget t'breathe, baby." His thumb brushed along her bottom lip, taking note of the deep color they now possessed. She muttered a shy 'sorry', to which Harry smiled that lopsided smile to.

"'s it okay if we try something?," Harry asked, his tongue poking out to wet his lips. Aspen kept her eyes trained on his lips, especially that damn lip ring. It never got in their way, she thought, it always added to it, it seemed. 

"Y-yes," She nodded, just wanting him to kiss her again. Harry let out another small chuckle. It was starting to be her new favorite sound. "I haven't even told you yet, angel. But 'm flattered at your eagerness. Means 'm doing something right." The blush crept back to her face and she huffed in embarrassment, but unable to look away due to Harry's hand. It's not like she wanted to, anyways. 

"Nothing too over the top, I promise it'll feel good f'you, too. Okay? Jus' let me know if it's too much or if y'don't like it. It wont upset me, alright?" His green eyes scanned over her face, her pretty face, and the corners of his lips turned when she agreed with her little voice once again. "You'll feel my tongue here," He started with a slow mumble while his thumb grazed the girls bottom lip, "and when you do, open your mouth f'me, yeah? Jus' a bit." Harry's hand went back to cupping her jaw while his thumb brushed over Aspen's hand that he held in their lap.

After a slow second, which felt like lightyears to Aspen, his lips were back on hers. They slotted with ease now, no hesitations necessary. She always appreciated his kind gesture of waiting for her to approve, but god, she just wanted to kiss him and she was very glad he got the memo eventually. Harry tilted his head to the side, merely deepening their kiss. Aspen reminded herself to breathe and her hand squeezed his wrist gently-- reassuringly. Harry took that as his sign to part his lips, swiping his tongue along her bottom lip. He kissed her once more before her lips fell into a small part like Harrys. 

He smiled slightly against her mouth before brushing his tongue over her bottom lip again, testing the waters. He let her get used to the feeling by alternating between a soft kiss and a bit of his tongue. Aspen felt the foreign feeling of his warm tongue swirl against hers. But she came quick to realization that the feeling could never touch the word bad. Hell, it couldn't even touch the word good. She squeezed his tattooed wrist again, imitating the movements as best as she could as she felt his tongue do them. A groan of approval fell from Harry's mouth and straight into hers. 

Aspen wore the flash of red on her cheeks once more. She was shocked to have evoked such sound from Harry. As if it was possible, Aspen gave in more to Harry. Her lips worked against his with ease whenever he removed his tongue, only to have it prod back in after a kiss or two. It was her turn to let out a small whimper, but this time, the sound shot right down Harrys spine and... well, straight to his cock. He groaned slightly and pulled away, a string of saliva connecting their slick lips before it broke. The man swallowed around air as he looked down over her face. How her eyes fluttered open to reveal her doe eyes, her lips slick with their spit, and that beautiful red on her cheeks. A shaky inhale followed while his eyes landed back on her eyes. 

Oh, yeah. It was inevitable that he was doomed. 

In the best way possible.

Harrys hand slid down to the side of her neck, thumbing along the bare skin. She was so soft, so smooth. The warmth of his hand and the contrasting cool of Harry's rings made Aspen lean into his touch slightly.

"W-was I good?," she asked softly, a small squeak in her voice. Fuck. 

Harry nodded, parting his lips to speak but only a breathless chuckle came out. "Good doesn't even begin. Thank you f'trusting me with that, baby." 

Aspen gently squeezed at his wrist again, her lips turning into a shy smile. She was good, Harry thought she was good. Better than good. Her heart fluttered happily and she let out a content sigh.

Before either one of them could speak, Aspen's phone rang from the inside of her bag. "Sorry, let me--.," she squeaked out, fumbling over her own hands to reach inside the bag for her phone. Isobel. The girl swiped to answer the call.

"Hello? Asp? Are you there? Are you okay?"

"I, uh, hi! Yes, I-I'm okay," she took a breath, "I didn't check my phone, sorry."

Aspen swore she could feel Isobels squint at her breathless voice. 

"Okay..."

"Well, I'll let you know when I'm almost--."

"Oh my god. You didn't just lose your virginity to Harry Styles, did you?"

Aspen squeaked in shock, pulling the phone from her ear and fumbled to end the call. "Bye, Isobel!"

Harry only laughed at her antics, his brow perching. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, huffing softly to herself as she tucked her phone back into her bag. "It was just Iz asking if I was still here."

Harry nodded, leaning back slightly, his hand propped casually on the couch between them. "Do you need to head home? Did y'walk here?"

Aspen’s head bobbed in a small nod before realization dawned on her. She had walked from the library. Which meant she didn’t have a way back home now that it was dark out. A quiet groan escaped her lips, more at herself than at the situation. “Is it okay if I call an Uber from here? It’s already dark, and I’d rather not—.”

Harry’s fingers brushed against hers, cutting her off. “You’re acting like I wouldn’t give y’a ride home, Asp.” His voice was steady but laced with a softness that made her heart flutter unexpectedly.

Her nose scrunched in an adorable mix of shyness and self-awareness. “Oh… right,” she murmured, a soft, nervous laugh slipping past her lips. The sound was light, yet it carried a weight of uncertainty she didn’t know how to shake.

Her brown eyes flickered up, peeking at Harry through the dark frame of her curled lashes. When their gazes locked, the moment felt suspended in time. His dark green eyes bore into hers with an intensity she wasn’t sure she could name, but it sent a shiver up her spine nonetheless.

Her pulse quickened when he leaned in slightly, the tension in the air thickening.

“But,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, rough and deliberate, “who said I was done kissing you?”

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I can't stop fucking thinking about premature ejaculation today, literally, I've been so distracted from everything, and it's probably definitely K's (@howdoyousleep3 's) fault with this fucking post (plus her broader, totally understandable, fixation with it 👀) that will haunt me for the rest of my days. So. Evanstan filth.

Chris was slotting his key card into his hotel room door but he isn't anymore and he doesn't know, honest to god, how he got from standing outside the room to lying flat on his fucking back on the plush, tightly made bed of that same room without remembering even a single rushed step but he is, he is, it's not even been a full minute, he swears, and ohhh--

Sebastian is here.

He's not supposed to be is the thing, though, he's got a thousand other places he's all but contracted to be right now; their schedules have been hell the last few months between their competing, demanding press tours for movies with such laugably different tones. Sebastian is doing two fucking press tours at once for Christ's sake, he doesn't have time for even a quickie. Chris feels like they've hardly heard each other's voices, seen each other's faces--they've not been calling, certainly not FaceTime-ing, just texting back and forth between the circuses of their limelight lives, just trying to keep it together while the world spins too fast around them.

Chris' head is spinning off his shoulders now. He's slammed his head back into the overstuffed pillows, his hair fanning out around him with a strand of it sticking to his forehead, sweating when, shit, he can't have been in the room for more than a minute or two, tops. He doesn't know if he pushed or Seb pulled--who led who to the bed? How'd they get here? How'd it become this?

Not that he can complain, he doesn't know and he doesn't fucking care how they ended up on top of each other, tangled together, knotted and beyond coming apart easily. He can't care because he's not even fully out of his shirt--it's half unbuttoned, pulled apart and pulled down to expose the upper half of his chest, flushed, normally pale skin and dark ink and a forest of hair, his necklace left astray, heated to his feverish body temperature and sizzling where it rests in the pit of his neck. That's not all, though. His shirt is rucked up to display even more of the scattered art across his skin, his abs clenching tight. He lost his slacks somewhere. Shoes, too. He was wearing shoes when he got in here, right? He had to be. Definitely. He wouldn't've--

It doesn't matter.

A moan comes tumbling out of Chris' mouth, and it doesn't fucking matter. His toes curl without even half of a muttled thought spared to investigating the sensation to rediscover if he's still wearing socks or not. And, oops, his boxer briefs are gone, too, now. Sebastian is stripping him of them impatiently, his hands frantic, greedy, as they slide down over his skin.

Bared, his cock hits his exposed stomach and Chris makes a sound that doesn't even make sense.

His mouth is open, somehow both too dry and wet with spit--almost drool. His bearded jaw has dropped so fucking wide it would be embarrassing if he could comprehend such a concept as embarrassment at a time like this.

This--

One leg bent at the knee, foot flat against the mattress, and the other leg curled indecently over his lover's shoulder as Sebastian's lips glide, slick and hot and unfairly erotic, against his cock, he's so hard so fast--responding to Seb's mouth like a subject of Pavlov, a damn dirty dog--that he's not even sure he was ever soft. How could he be soft when Sebastian is tilting his whole head into it? Getting fucking into it.

Woof.

He's merciless, mouthing at his dick, moaning like he fucking missed it. The weight. The taste. The mouthful. He must've missed it bad with how he's going at it, licking, dragging his tongue over it broadly, outrageously, then resting it heavily on his tongue, mouth open, sloppy, letting the tip slide against the soaked velvet inside of his cheek, bulging out pornographically, moaning, sucking on the tip, letting it slide deep shiveringly, impressively quickly. He's hungry--starved even.

And Chris' entire body clenches, uncontrollably, his muscles tight, helpless to not be swallowed up by it all. Then, just as involuntarily, Chris' hips buck up jaggedly.

Sebastian lets them, only groaning messily as Chris is enveloped deep in that lush mouth, deeper into that wicked throat.

Seb hardly even gags.

Fuuck.

Chris' neck arches harder, fighting and losing the battle against the flood of pleasure, feeling the sweet, hurting pull in his muscles and tendons past their usual use. Gasping, he can't get in enough oxygen to feed the bonfire Sebastian has sparked from just a match but grew impatient with, dumping gasoline on the whole fucking thing instead. Lighting. him. up.

Shit.

God, fuckin'--

It feels sofuckinggood.

His mouth.

Chris missed his mouth desperately, he missed him so badly, he was going crazy without him, now he's here and Chris can't understand it, did he take a plane? Did he drive from whatever fucking stop he was on with press? When? How long do they have? How is Chris supposed to think, to ask, when he can't even shut his fucking mouth. Groaning and gasping, then moaning. Endless. It's pure adrenalin and shock. Pleasure coursing through him so suddenly that it fractures him into a million tiny pieces.

Guh.

Sebastian is going to fucking suck his soul out of his body, going at him like that. It's not just the way he slurps and swallows and moans on his cock, though, it's how he's bobbing his head, taking it gorgeously, an inescapable, dire rush to every action, gagging, choking a little with his recklessness. He's filthy. He's gorgeous. He's--

"Oh. Oh," Chris can't stop any of the embarrassing sounds that are, just, coming out of him, spilling over, dripping down his chin, making a mess of his throat and chest. He's wet. Sweating. Spit. Dripping. "Wait," he's panting, moaning sharply, Sebastian's mouth is leaving scorching kisses down his shaft, his tongue flicking out to lewdly trace the throbbing veins, prominent on him visibly and psychologically, Chris' heart throbs in his chest, its beat pounding through his dick and rushing in his ears.

And Seb's just going, going, going--plunging deeper, getting to the base of his cock, slurping at his balls gluttonously, grazing them with his lips and teeth, sending tingling danger rushing through Chris like static.

"Baby-!"

He just keeps getting lower, using every weakness Chris has without even thinking about it, he knows his body too well, it's too, too good, so much, pulsing, rushing, boiling over.

"Baby, nno," he scrambles, his hands finding their way to Sebastian's gorgeous hair, pulling until he shivers and groans at the scalp-pin-prick pain, debauched, "I'm gonna," Chris struggles to use his mouth for something understandable, "oh, no, no-nnnghh, ugh, oh, I'm, w-we just st-AH-started! Wait!" He whines, "if you--'m gonna--"

His words turn from whining words to something entirely useless for communication, incoherent sounds of pleasure too good to not be afraid of it, razor-sharp around the edges, treacherous, all-consuming as Sebastian doesn't heed his strangled attempts at warning, burying his fucking face in him. He feels so fucking close to him that he might as well be inside him--reaching up through his gut to his chest to squeeze his racing heart--his nose pressed right up against that hypersensitive, intimate place behind his balls while his lips and tongue ravish his hole. He has no hesitation. No shame. He just--

Eats him.

He eats him out so fucking good, ravenous with that wet-dream mouth, that there's nothing Chris can do to stop it, even with his fist flying to the base of his dick to squeeze and choke off his embarrassingly early orgasm--it's all in vain. He can't stop it.

He's fucking cumming.

Spilling hard over his quivering stomach in all-consuming pumps that crash over him like storm-charged waves against the shore. His hips are pushed up so far--fighting it, squirming, trying to get away and get closer, and, shit, he doesn't even know what his body is doing as it's ripped out of him--that he nearly makes it to his bearded chin with his own release. It's wet and hot over his stomach, his chest, and his collarbones, almost his throat.

Christ.

With his chest fucking heaving, his lungs rasping, audibly struggling to get each breath out of his throat, Chris quakes through the aftershocks. Barely able to keep his eyes open enough to see Sebastian, buried between his legs, shuddering, and, oh fuck, thoughtlessly squirming against the bed, rubbing himself off against it, caught up in the same indulgent mood.

After another short, blurry, fast-motion moment, when Chris whines--again from too much pleasure, wishing for it to stop so he isn't so mortified, except for that last part, the mortification has already come, spreading itself out over his face like a proud, deep sunburn, then--Sebastian pulls away. His lips are swollen. Puffy, wet, and red. He looks as wrecked as Chris feels. Chris feels fucking scrambled. He's still half-humping the bed, whispering, heady, "Chris, Chr--" his voice catches in his throat "--Chris, Jesus," he spreads his legs wider, getting more friction, making Chris' sensitive cock jolt painfully at the obscene picture he makes, "you're so hot."

Chris feels hot. The blushing and embarrassed and squirming kind of hot, though. He kind of wants to fucking melt into the bed, it's been fucking years since he's cum with that little action and he usually prides himself on how he goddamn pleasures his partners first, then takes his, sometimes not even his own, he loves making others feel good and he's fucking good at doing it, bringing them to their knees, he's not like this, not normally; but, also, he really wants to surge forward, wrestle Seb flat onto his belly and get him back to tear into him. Right now, the best he can do, though, still recovering from the quick and dirty intensity of his shattering orgasm, is mumble, "your mouth," his face must be swollen with all the blood rushing into his tingling cheeks, "can't fuckin' help it, you drive me crazy," he excuses himself, shaky.

"Cr-crazy, nngh, yeahh," Seb echoes, losing it, melting from cocky and confident and in control to plain needy with all that good friction to his dick.

God, what a fucking sight he is, down there, between his legs, frenzied.

[cuddlepilefics]

Neglect

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Minho

Caregiver: Jisung

Prompts:

March whumpness 2025: 4 blood sugar, 26 hiding an injury/unseen injury @marchwhumpness

Whumpril 2025: 5 neglect, 10 bandages, alt 8 silent tears @whumpril

Angstpril 2025: 6 Holding back tears, 13 hiding their pain, 26 accident, 27 giving everything they've got @angstpril

No one’s POV.:

Approaching another comeback, the group had been working incredibly hard. The dance-racha had barely been outside the practice room all week, perfecting the choreographies for 3racha’s new songs. They were on a tight schedule and with Felix’ back giving him troubles, it had been mainly up to Minho and Hyunjin to ensure they’d get everything done on time. Keeping in mind that they’d also have to teach the choreos to the rest of the group. With Hyunjin frequently being gone for individual schedules since he had struck another modeling deal, Minho had taken it upon himself to stay at the company building longer each night to compensate for his dongsaengs’ absence. When their other schedules were too tight and he couldn’t stay longer, he’d cut his breaks and occasionally skip his lunch for those extra thirty minutes.

Luckily, Hyunjin and Felix were fast learners and Minho had no problem bringing them up to speed with the steps he had added. That way, they could at least help him teach the other members because Minho had found his patience wearing thin lately and he doubted he’d be able to keep his calm. It was probably his lack of sleep lately that had left him on this emotional rollercoaster and that the members would probably understand if he told them how worn down he was from trying to take as much off his dongsaengs’ shoulders as possible but he wasn’t one to complain and he knew how guilty Hyunjin and Felix would feel. He’d have to suck it up and try not to make his tense nerves anyone else’s problem.

The had been practicing for most of the day already. ‘Like usual’, Minho thought bitterly. He loved dancing but doing it all day every day was still a bit over the top. Now however, the rest of the group joined them and they could present what they had come up with before teaching them the steps. Felix had been struggling with the steps himself, so Minho had once again skipped his lunch to help the Aussie get it right, which he now kind of regretted. His legs already felt crampy and he wished he could’ve sat down for a couple of minutes but their time was tight, so no break it was.

Minho’s mind felt slow when he walked up to the speakers to start the music, knowing the others were watching them. ‘Focus!’, he reprimanded himself, pinching his arm. He couldn’t afford to slack off now. The world still seemed off kilter when Minho got into position and the first beats rang out. That had happened a lot lately and he figured it was him running low on energy but he had gotten increasingly good at ignoring it lately.

Everything seemed to be going well and Felix nailed the sequence they had been working on till the very last minute, so Minho was glad they had taken the time to go over it instead of getting lunch. With every spin though, his vision blurred as if his eyes had gotten to slow to follow his body’s movement, while his left ankle felt stiff, leaving him unable to put as much energy into the jumps as he would’ve liked. Having been a dancer for so long, Minho should’ve known that what he was doing was a recipe for disaster and before they managed to get to the bridge, him and Felix collided, tripping over each other’s feet. A sharp pain shot up Minho’s leg and he gritted his teeth before turning to check on Felix. With tears trailing down his freckled cheeks, the Aussie struggled to his feet, one hand pressed firmly against his back.

“Gosh, Lix. I’m so sorry!”, Minho stammered as he forced himself up off the floor. The pain that shot through his ankle took him by surprise and nearly knocked him back down but the adrenaline kept him on his feet. Felix had been making so much improvement lately, it couldn’t all have been for nothing just because of Minho’s clumsiness.

The group had all but crowded around the youngest dancer who tried some gentle movements, harshly scrubbing away his tears. Holding back another wave of tears, Felix sniffled: “I-I’m okay.” The pain was still evident in his voice and after checking the younger over, Minho decided to not take any risks. “How about you sit the rest of the day out? You got all the steps down an hour ago, so no need to push yourself further”, Minho hummed, rubbing Felix’ shoulder, “I’m sorry, hyung should’ve been more careful.” Giving a defeated nod, Felix trudged off towards his bag to have some water and put on his sweater, so he wouldn’t catch a cold, Chan and Hyunjin following close behind to make sure the boy was alright. Minho instructed the rest to take a small break before excusing himself to the restroom to collect himself.

It had taken quite a bit of willpower not to limp in front of the members but once the door had closed behind him, Minho hobbled down the hallway to the restroom. Fulling down his sock with a wince, he bit his lip. Silent tears dripped from his chin. This wasn’t good. His ankle was already beginning to swell with a bruise forming on the outer side. Though it hurt badly when he tried to move it, Minho was glad that he still could, so he decided it couldn’t be broken. Hell, he had sprained his ankles dozens of times in the past. It was something that just came with being a dancer and trying more reckless stunts every time. With Felix out of commission for the rest of the day, they couldn’t afford him being hurt. He couldn’t just dump all the responsibility on Hyunjin, so after soaking some paper towels under cold water, Minho stuffed them into his sock and hopped to his locker.

Minho was glad he always kept a first aid kit in his locker and carefully removed his shoe and sock. If there was any more swelling around his ankle, he wouldn’t be able to wear his shoe anymore, so he bandaged it tightly before covering it with his sock and putting the shoe back on. It had to be laced very loosely but hey, he was still able to wear it. Determined not to let this slow him down, Minho wiped his tears and hobbled back to the practice room.

When he entered, Hyunjin tossed him an energy bar from his bag, informing: “You skipped lunch and looked out of it, so your blood sugar’s probably low. You should watch out for such things, hyung. We can’t afford anymore injuries due to your negligence.” Hanging his head in shame Minho nodded and tore into the energy bar. It barely tasted like anything, probably because his breath was a little wonky while he tried to hold back his tears. His ankle throbbed and putting any weight onto that foot felt like an impossible task but Minho pushed on. They had all danced injured before and it was his fault that him and Felix were injured in the first place.

Minho’s mind had shifted to autopilot at some point as he demonstrated the moves again and again. Hyunjin took over most of the teaching and Felix eventually started to pipe in some advice too after calming down and assuring his friends that his back pain was probably just flaring up and that he doubted he had seriously injured himself. Surprisingly, nobody seemed to have caught on to Minho’s struggle or if they did, they probably didn’t care. All they cared about was him being the reason somebody else got hurt. “Don’t skip your meals, Minho-yah”, Chan warned before they parted ways to got home to their individual dorms, “Today proved how dangerous that can be.” The dancer nodded defeatedly. All he had wanted was to help Felix learn the moves he had been struggling with.

Jisung sat quietly next to his during the ride home, figuring the older didn’t want to talk. Only when he glanced over at Minho, did he notice the silent tears glistening on his hyung’s cheeks. Wordlessly reaching over, Jisung took the other’s hand and linked their fingers. Minho would talk if he wanted to, so for now, silent support it was. The dancer stumbled when they got out of the car and Jisung worriedly caught him around the waist, frowning: “You okay, hyung? Is your blood sugar still low?” – “I’m okay”, Minho forced out, trying to shift his weight, “It’s just my ankle, I twisted it a little earlier.” – “Hyung! Why didn’t you say anything?!”, the rapper gasped, stepping closer so Minho could lean on his shoulder. Shrugging, the older winced: “It was my fault we got hurt and since we were already a dancer down, I couldn’t leave Hyunjinnie teach you all on his own. Don’t worry, I bandaged it earlier for stability and to reduce the swelling.”

“Take off your shoe. We gotta take a look at that”, Jisung announced after disposing Minho on the living room couch, “You shouldn’t have been dancing on it. Do you know how negligent that was, hyung?!” – “Please don’t use that word?”, the dancer groaned. Couldn’t they see that he was trying his hardest? While Minho slowly and carefully peeled himself out of his shoe and sock, Jisung gasped: “Hyung! That bandage is far to tight! What were you thinking?” – “It wasn’t so tight earlier”, Minho defended, swallowing hard when he saw how the bandage dug into his swollen and bruised ankle. He slumped back against the couch cushions defeated while Jisung carefully unwrapped his ankle and inspected the dark bruise, frowning: “Are you sure it’s not broken?” The dancer nodded. “Probably sprained, dancing just made the bruise worse”, he muttered, “Didn’t mean to neglect it but I felt so guilty for what happened with Lix. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t be injured too.”

Placing a pillow on the other side of the couch, Jisung instructed: “Elevate your leg and I’ll go fetch an icepack.” While his dongsaeng walked off to the kitchen, Minho stretched out on the couch, rubbing his face. How could he let something like this happen so close to a comeback? “Here, keep this on your ankle for the time being”, the rapper smiled, handing the older an icepack wrapped in a tea towel, “How about we order delivery for dinner? This mess happened because you weren’t eating well, so I want you to have something nutritious for dinner. Your body needs it to heal but you’re not getting up from this couch anytime soon and I’m not in the mood to cook, so….” – “Sounds great. I’m starving”, Minho hummed, tiredly running a hand through his sweaty hair. He’s still need to take a shower at some point but he really didn’t want to stand. Seemingly reading his mind, Jisung offered: “Want me to run you a bath?” – “After dinner? The icepack feels nice right now”, Minho breathed, closing his eyes. The rapper hummed in agreement, gently playing with his hyung’s hair to comfort him.

“You ordered pudding too?!”, Minho gasped, a bright smile spready on his lips. Mirroring the dancer, Jisung chuckled: “I wanted to cheer you up with a nice dessert because I know you were doing your best and I saw how hard you’ve been working lately. It just hurts my heart to see you neglect yourself for the rest of the group.” Maybe if he hadn’t been so tired, Minho’s eyes wouldn’t have gotten so teary or maybe they would’ve. With how quickly he dabbed at them, Jisung didn’t notice it either way. “I’d like to put some ointment on your ankle and bandage it properly after you washed up”, the rapper munched, worriedly scanning over the sizeable bruise. Bumping his shoulder, Minho pouted: “Are you telling me I did a bad job with the way I bandaged it?” – “Yeah, you did a terrible job”, Jisung teased, “With how tightly you wrapped it, you’re lucky you didn’t lose a foot.”

After devouring his pudding, Minho let his dongsaeng help him to the bathroom. He was surprised how much tension melted off his shoulders once he was submerged in the warm water, his foot resting on a towel at the edge of the tub. The heat had him grow sleepy and he was glad that he could go to bed soon. Like he had promised, Jisung gently spread ointment around his swollen ankle and dressed it with a fresh bandage, his touch careful and light. “Keep it elevated on this pillow while you sleep, hyung”, the rapper advised, helping the older get comfortable. Lips turning into a pout, Minho whined: “I don’t think I can sleep like this. That’s not even close to my normal sleeping position.” – “Well, don’t get hurt then if you’re so picky about your sleeping positions or don’t sleep”, Jisung remarked, earning a weak punch to the arm, “Just kidding. Cuddles would help, wouldn’t they?” – “Cuddles would help”, Minho agreed with a smile and opened his arms. Finally, he could get some sleep.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest.

Room 1011 - Eddie

Day #23 - Up and Coming | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: E | CW: Sex | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: Famous Corroded Coffin, Touring, Winding Down After The Gig, Long-Term Relationship, Road Manager Steve Harrington

1 Night, 4 Rooms Each is standalone, but takes place on the same hotel floor.

Eddie | Goodie | Gareth | Jeff | Steve (Bonus morning after!)

"You ready?" Steve asks, stuffing his napkin into his empty beer glass, cleaning up the area surrounding his seat at the long table they've all been occupying tonight, at the bar they found after the show.

Eddie nods, because hell yeah. If Steve's ready, he's ready. Always.

He's just grateful Steve wanted to come out at all. This far into a tour, and with all the other stress he's been under just trying to keep them up and running, he's getting worn out.

Eddie knows that. 

Plus, it'll be nice to get back to the hotel before anyone else, anyway. They can do anything they want, as loud as they want, and not have to worry about Goodie hearing through the walls. Goodie's known for annoyingly banging on adjoining walls, or once, quite memorably, calling the fucking front desk and turning in a noise complaint like he didn't know them.

Hilarious, now.

At the time, not so much, as Eddie stood in the open doorway in his robe, Goodie watching out his own open room door, fucking cackling.

Tonight, Steve's set up a car to pick them up, and it's waiting. It'll circle back to wait for everyone else when they're ready to go.

Eddie holds the door for Steve, letting him get in first. 

It's not a long ride, but Steve has relaxed into the seat, head tilted back, like he could easily fall asleep right there, lulled by the vibration of the road beneath the tires.

Eddie rubs his thigh, lazy circles with his thumb, and before they get there Steve is snoring.

"Okay, sleeping beauty," Eddie says, when they pull up under the hotel canopy. Steve wakes easily, he always does, and is up and moving. He can sleep anywhere in short bursts, but can also be back in motion at the drop of a hat.

Eddie doesn't quite understand it, he could never.

In the room, Steve sheds his clothes and flops on the bed, facedown. Eddie does the same, and crawls in after him, running his hand up and down Steve's back. 

They're spreading him too thin. They probably should have skipped the bar entirely tonight. Eddie played a full gig, sure, but he's still running on adrenaline. 

Pulling his hand back, Eddie settles into bed next to Steve, closing his eyes. 

"Why'd you stop?" Steve asks, turning his head towards Eddie. 

"So you can sleep, sweetheart," Eddie answers, leaning forward and kissing Steve's head. 

Steve rolls onto his side, "We actually have a room, all to ourselves, and not a cramped bus bunk. I'll sleep after." 

Eddie laughs, "It seems like you needed to sleep before."

Steve scoots closer and closer until he's on top of Eddie, and Eddie wraps his arms around Steve's back. Holding him tight. Naked skin to naked skin.

"You work too much," Eddie tells him. "Tomorrow's a day off. Sleep in. Let us handle our own shit."

Steve laughs at that, and Eddie is aware of how unrealistic of an offer it is. They don't know shit about running their own lives, not anymore. 

There's a schedule, a plan, and Steve's made it. 

"How about you do all the work tonight, and I'll relax," Steve says, and Eddie laughs. 

He'll take that deal. He'll take any deal Steve will offer him. 

"Tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen, sweetheart." 

"Just love me," Steve says. 

Eddie smiles, "That's a done deal." 

Steve laughs, his chest rumbling against Eddie's. 

Eddie taps his back, "Roll over. I've got you." 

Steve does, and Eddie situates himself between Steve's thighs.

He takes Steve's cock in his hand, already hard, and Eddie just wants to look at him in the low light. Feel him. 

And yeah, love him. 

He braces one hand against Steve's hip bone, rubbing his thumb back and forth as he makes himself comfortable between Steve's legs. 

Eddie rubs Steve's dick against his bottom lip, teasing Steve, just a little, before he slides down. Tongue and hand working together. 

Steve rests his hand on Eddie's head, and it doesn't feel like he's being guided, just touched. Grounded. 

Eddie looks up, expecting that Steve's eyes will be closed, but they aren't. They're half-lidden and hazy, just watching him. Eddie smiles, or tries to, since that's kind of hard to do around a mouthful of cock.

Steve gets the message loud and clear, though, because he smiles back. Moving his hand to cup Eddie's cheek. Thumb stroking, brushing against his lip. It's a little distracting, but in the very best way.

"Come up here," Steve says, and Eddie does. Straddling his hips, leaning forward, pressing his mouth against Steve's. He knows that's what Steve wants, to kiss him. Eddie grinds down against Steve, and if he just had some lube, he'd-

Steve reaches over, and comes up with the tube, reading his mind. He always does.

Eddie slicks up his palm, gripping the pair of them, stroking both cocks as he rocks his hips and fucks against him, trying to keep his mouth on Steve's as he does it.

It feels good. His own hand on one side, Steve's hard length on the other, just sliding together, rushing headlong. 

Steve makes a noise from deep in his throat, and comes, hot over Eddie's fist and Eddie keeps working himself against Steve until he can follow him over the edge, coming with a groan right against Steve's mouth.

Eventually he lets go, and cleans them up, curling against Steve, anchoring his leg over Steve's hip.

"Sleep in tomorrow morning, okay," Eddie says.

Steve hums in agreement.

"I love you, rest," Eddie whispers.

"Love you, too."

Eddie wakes up needing to piss, and it's just after eight. Steve's already up and gone, back to work. Eddie should just stay up. There's coffee already made in the room pot, and not even the smell of that brewing woke Eddie up.

He drinks a cup, and it's getting old. Already. 

Steve's been up that long. 

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇

[steodraws]

Snowfall(ing in love) 🎄

bada x fem reader

disclaimers: short fluff fic just for christmas! please keep in mind that im not a native english speaker, thank you. enjoy! ❤️

Summary: "Sorry, love, i won't be able to spend Christmas with you" are the words you read on your phone from Bada. Your girlfriend mentioned she won't be able to spend Christmas with you, leaving you quite disappointed. After all, it isn't just Christmas; it's your 3-year anniversary together. Frustrating, right? Unless...

WC: 1.2k

"What?!" A high-pitched gasp echoes through the diner.

"Lusher, chill," i utter, covering my ears in response to the shout while attempting to ease my own frustration.

"What do you mean... she won't be here for Christmas night? I mean... She didn't even spend the day with you today" Minah inquires, assertive. It's like everyone got hit by the message i just read.

Bada and i have been together as a couple for 3 years, and through her, i got to know Lusher, Minah, and Sowoen; they've become my close friends since then.

We decided to come to a small diner before diving into the preparations for the upcoming festivities; the year flew by, and today is already December 25th. It feels like time zoomed in a flash.

I was looking forward to this Christmas, as today is the anniversary of my relationship with Bada as well. The issue is that she just messaged saying she can't make it.

Ugh, I'm really frustrated. I mean, i get it—I'm trying to be understanding, especially with her crazy & packed schedule over the past few months. But, come on, it's such a special date and she hasn't even seen me today...

I attempt to shake off the disappointment, taking a deep breath as i glance around at the faces of my friends, each wearing a mix of concern and sympathy.

"Maybe there's a reason she can't make it," Sowoen suggests, trying to ease the tension in the air.

I nod, appreciating the attempt to find a silver lining. "Yeah, she's been swamped with work lately."

Minah raises an eyebrow, "But Christmas, of all days?"

I sigh, realizing the weight of the situation. "I know, it's just... it's our anniversary too."

Lusher, who has been visibly on edge, finally speaks up, "Look, we're here for you. Maybe she's just really busy after all."

I force a small smile, touched by their support. "Yeah, maybe..."

Finishing my drink, i glance at the clock; it's nearly 8 in the evening. Christmas is almost over.

"Well, i must go now; thanks for the company, ladies!" I flash a smile as i stand to hug everyone.

"Already? Hang out a bit more. You can join us for the rest of Christmas if you want!" Sowoen suggests in her sweet and eloquent voice.

"No need! Enjoy it, and tell me what you got as presents later!" I warmly reply.

"If you need anything, hit us up," Lusher affirms while giving me a tight hug.

I give a final wave and leave the establishment; grabbing my keys from the bag, i open the car to head home.

With the snow starting to fall, the road becomes increasingly tricky to navigate. However, it's not a big deal, as i manage to reach my home safely.

Still disappointed about spending this important date alone, i enter the building's elevator, heading to the floor of my apartment. Upon arriving in front of the door, i spot a note.

"Knock on the door 3 times and close your eyes! :)"

"What the...?" I mutter to myself. Had my friends prepared something? Nonetheless, i decided to follow the instructions.

"Knock, knock, knock"

Three knocks on the door, and i keep my eyes shut, waiting for what will happen next.

I can feel the door opening accompanied by a faint, familiar laughter.

"Open your eyes~"

Upon finally opening my eyes, the first sight before me is Bada, with a mischievous smile and an expression of "I fooled you good" emanating from her face. She's grinning, her medium-length hair adorned with pink highlights and small braids. My girlfriend hadn't forgotten our anniversary, after all.

"Bada...? But..." i stammer, slightly perplexed, directing my gaze towards the decoration.

It's as if i stepped into a massive Christmas-themed store; a huge tree, meticulously decorated and lit up, stands out in the corner of the room. Lights and twinkling decorations everywhere, thoughtfully arranged. Paper hearts and garlands adorn the walls, accompanied by lovely post-its stuck with the message "Our 3-year anniversary." The dining table, beautifully set, occupies the center.

A carefully selectedd playlist fills the room with a variety of songs, from "Understand - Keshi" to "double take - dhruv."

Honestly, i'm mesmerized by everything, unsure whether to admire the decoration or Bada. I am on the verge of tears; i truly didn't expect all of this.

"Merry Christmas and happy anniversary to us, my love." Bada wraps me in her long arms while planting small kisses on my cheeks and nose.

We linger in the embrace for a few seconds; her hug is so comforting, i wish i could stay in it forever.

"Did you like the surprise, sweetheart?" she asks casually, holding my hand while pointing to the post-its and other messages.

"Of course! But hey, you didn't have to fool me like that... I was hurt!" I playfully punch her shoulder, and she just laughs, as it probably didn't make much impact; after all, I'm not one of the strongest.

"But it was worth it, wasn't it? Lusher, Minah, and Sowoen helped me organize everything."

"They're in on this? Oh, I'll end those girls the next time i see them," i say, jokingly, surprised by the revelation. I really thought they weren't part of this.

"Hey, they made all of this possible ~ without them, it would have been dull," she says, still laughing at the situation. "Let's eat; i prepared everything especially for you."

She gives a swift kiss upon my lips before arranging the table. Bada had meticulously prepared various dishes, and from a distance, i could spot a cake that seemed to be green tea-flavored.

"It looks delicious!" I exclaim, my mouth watering.

"Before we eat, i wanted to give you this," she gazes at me intently and pulls a medium-sized box from her pocket. "You can open it."

"What is it?" I inquire, fixing my eyes at the present, opening it.

Inside, i find a beautiful necklace with a small diamond pendant, accompanied by a polaroid photo of us from our last Christmas/New Year's trip.

I love you, truly. You mean everything to me, love. I am the happiest person in the world when you're right next to me. Christmas after Christmas, year after year, we'll be together. The youngest days of my life are when I'm with you," she confesses genuinely, and i truly feel that every word she utters is sincere.

Once again, tears stream down my cheeks. I am at a loss for words. My veins feel like they might burst from sheer happiness. I feel so grateful to have someone so kind by my side.

"Bada... I don't know what to say... I really love you so much," i articulate, my voice choked and trembling, admiring everything she has done for me not just today, but throughout these three years we've been together.

"Hey, don't cry," she rises up and rushes to hug me once again, that warm sensation returning. She caresses my neck with one hand while gently wiping away my tears with the other.

Outside, snow is falling; i can hear some neighbors enthusiastically wishing Merry Christmas as the day seems to end, and fireworks are lighting up the whole sky.

"Season after season, i shall be here for you. Merry Christmas, my lovely princess," Bada whispers in my ear, and our lips meet gently—a tender and soft kiss filled with affection on that festive Christmas night.

[🎄] thank you so much for reading! i hope you liked this christmas special. merry x-mas and stay safe everyone <3 kisses from ste~

[shardminds]

pencil skirt (3/?)

pairing: gwyn/rhys rating: e (for even rhys fumbles the bag sometimes) wc: 7,067 primary tags: alternate universe - office, rhysand is whipped, eventual smut (tags to be updated with each chapter)

"See you soon, Azriel," Rhys watches as she waves him off, a secret smile framed by shimmering sheer pink. He'd never noticed her wearing lip gloss before but it certainly is a sight to behold, slick sheen glinting in the light streaming through the windows. He'll never invest in blinds. Not ever. "Send my love to the twins!" The what?

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"Harassment training isn't enough," Azriel groans, near tearing his hair out at the roots by the way he grips it. It's longer than it's been in years, falling into his eyes like it did when they were teenagers and Rhys is half tempted to ask his barber to set up shop in one of the conference rooms and ambush Azriel into sorting his shit out. Not that it looks bad, it actually suits him — probably more than it should for a man in his early thirties. Rhys just doesn't want the competition. That, and he knows Azriel prefers to keep it tight. "At this point, we need to have him put down."

"I'm not against the idea," He starts, as Azriel pushes up from his seat, smoothing out the creases in his trousers. "but I don't think, feasibly, we can murder Cassian just because he's unable to maintain professional boundaries with someone he's known since before he could form cognitive thought." The fact they met on the first day of secondary school goes unsaid. "Just get him back… within reason."

Cassian, being Cassian, was very clear on his opinion of professional boundaries. That is to say, he ignores them entirely. It would be an issue, if he wasn't surprisingly competent at his job. The fact that sales was where he found his niche, after spending the majority of his formative years in careers that required less brain and more brawn, was a surprise to everyone. Well, everyone except Mor, who had suggested it in the first place.

Despite being the human equivalent of a sequoia, their clients took to him with unmatched ease, accepting his mark ups and margins and thanking him for the pleasure. Honestly, Rhys isn't quite sure how he does it. Even with his stint as sales director, he'd experienced a fair share of customers that he's pretty sure wanted him dead.

Not much has changed since he took over as CEO.

"That sounds awfully like you recommending I instigate psychological warfare against a colleague." Azriel sighs, a deep reverberating thing that seems to shudder out of him.

He shrugs, they've all done worse and got away with it. "It's a step down from murder."

"True." Azriel muses, tucking a stray curl behind his ear in a move that makes him look way more demure than he actually is. It might be worth asking if Gwyn can schedule something— no, that is not her job. "I've got to get back, no doubt Devlon will have raised another petty grievance by now."

Rhys moves his King of Spades to an empty column. What? He can't play solitaire on company time? Who's gonna tell. Who would they tell? Upper management has some perks. "You could always fire him."

He doesn't need to see Azriel's face to know he's rolling his eyes. "You know that's not how it works." He scoffs and when Rhys looks up, he's gone — slipping out of the office in that soundless way he does. If not for the Bye Gwyn he offers on his way past the front desk, Rhys wouldn't have noticed him leaving at all.

With a few more clicks (and not a single hint, thank you very much) Rhys' screen fills with the falling cards. It's by no means his quickest time, but it's still beneath five minutes, which is always nice. He slips his laptop shut. Lucien requested a meeting regarding the expansion of his team and, with Amren tied up in something else, Rhys had scheduled it in himself — much to Gwyn's aggravation.

Speaking of—

"See you soon, Azriel," Rhys watches as she waves him off, a secret smile framed by shimmering sheer pink. He'd never noticed her wearing lip gloss before but it certainly is a sight to behold, slick sheen glinting in the light streaming through the windows. He'll never invest in blinds. Not ever. "Send my love to the twins!"

The what?

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