#this is a joke .. we don't live together and also she always replies to me lol

[horsemeatluvr23]

the "gone fishing" joke is all fun and games until it gets too real... the fishing bug has infected my partner irl. i message her to ask how she's doing and i get a response 3 days later with a photo of a fish. my husband. out at sea... she comes home different each time. i feel like i don't know her anymore. but at least we've got fish for dinner

[anadiasmount]

just friends? or more? - jude bellingham x reader.

quick sum: interviews and late night talks. but it’s always hard to see your best friend leave for his away games. no matter the distance or duration.

wc: 3k | masterlist | jude's masterlist

psa🗣️: happy new year everyone, hope everyone is doing okay! 🤍 mixed a request with my own imagination. this was supposed to be a small blurb but I ended up writing more. best friends to lover trope 🫂 🧟‍♀️ hope you enjoy! 🤍

“it must be an excitement to see him play at this level and talent?” the journalist asked you, to which you nodded and smiled. “it’s quite a pleasure honestly. it’s what he’s always wanted and we couldn’t be more proud,” you replied calmly not knowing where exactly to look at. 

your eyes glanced from her, to the camera and then jude who was walking back from the tunnels. “recalling all his goals from this current season, which one has been your favorite? could there be a sort of muse to inspire and motivate him to this level?” she asked curiously, leaving you thinking. 

“my favorite probably, okay wait actually i don’t know if i wanna say because i don’t want to get dragged, but it was special to see him win his debut here in the bernabeu, even if it was a tap in,” you laugh, “his goal against napoli and barcelona are one for the books as well.” you kept glancing behind her to see jude standing there cockily, arms crossed with a smirk plastered on his face. 

“as for a muse, i’d say himself and the people around him whether it’s friends or family even the fans. with the constant support and wins, seeing how the team reflects, how he can do more. overall i think it’s just him and the healthy mentality he has,” you say shyly, nodding your head as you spoke, jude then decided to intervene. 

“erm excuse me? this is my interview,” you say in a teasing manner, stepping on your tiptoes to reach his hug. “i apologize. just wanted to come over and say hi,” jude says playfully making everyone smile. “we were just asking y/n about if there could be a certain muse to make you perform at this level. is there anything you would like to say about that?” the journalist asks. 

jude scratches his brow and looks down smiling, “well to be honest there is someone…but for privacy reasons or maybe to not jinx it, i’ll keep it hidden… they’re truly wonderful and inspire me to do my best every time,” he says with a huge grin looking down to you where you stand. your eyes connected and for a second maybe he was dedicating this to you? you thought. 

as the journalist wrapped up her interview the two of you teased and joked around, answering her questions politely and respectfully, making sure to wish her the best of luck and a small be careful. the thoughts of him having a ‘muse’ still didn’t go away from your head.  if he was referring to you or if there was someone he had yet to tell you about. 

jude was always private with his life, but around you he couldn’t stop yapping, always with a smile in his face when he spoke about him. but this had you questioning just a bit, if there was more to your close friendship. to his longer and more intense stares towards you, his touch on your waist when out together, always asking to stay longer and cuddle. 

it wasn’t just you who had noticed it, his teammates as well, often teasing both of you especially jude as you would hear it when he called you after training. don't even get started on the media, replays, and many comments on the two of you when together, always asking if you were dating, or saying they lived for your friendship.

there was something different and you couldn’t avoid it any longer, being left confused with your feelings. it began to feel like love. you can’t love your best friend, you couldn’t take a risk like that.  

“you’re awfully quiet? something in your mind? i know something’s up so don’t say it’s anything,” jude remarked, squinting his eyes. you let a soft chuckle out and turned to face him, “i’m just tired… also i was reading some of the comments from our interview,” you lied offering a quick smile and showing him your open instagram page. he raised his brow and got out the car. 

you trailed behind him to where you were greeted to a quiet home. jude quickly slipped on some slides and dropped his bag in the mud room. you took of your shoes and walked into the kitchen to prepare some dinner for the two of you. as you glanced around you felt jude hug you from behind, his face leveled next to yours making you jump. “fridge is full?” he asked.

“oh yeah. i went grocery shopping and brought the necessities! refilled the fridge, got toothpaste, and i also got you those scooby doo cookies you love so much,” your hand interlocked with his that was around your waist as you pointed to the cabinet above you. just then you realized how close the two of you were. 

it felt like you had moved in, and shared a house together. you never ever had shared a bed, but for the past month you had, waking up with jude on top of you or your back next to his chest. having breakfast daily together and him waiting for you to come back from uni or work. hanging out more than usual, cuddling more than usual. the his and hers titles applying to the two of you, when brushing your teeth, your mugs, sharing clothes, having your shoes aligned by the door. 

jude felt you tense asking what was wrong but you shook your head, “after dinner, i might go home,” you tell him watching the smile disappear from his face. “what? why? do you want me to go with you? you should just stay it's already late, i want to you to stay” jude insisted, making up different reasons as to why you should stay the night. 

it’s not that you didn't want to be with jude tonight, you did, to feel him hold you and kiss your head at night. but the thought of acting like a couple, with no label, with your best friend made you freakout, because what if how you felt wasn't how he did? what if you read the cards wrong and it was only you who fell over heels for your best friend? what if he didn't love you like you did? 

“i’ll think about it, i said i might go, still debating, i haven't seen the roomies in a while and we want to have a girls night,” you said trying to calm the panic that overtook his body. “i don’t mind joining, you guys just do spa night, drink wine, and talk, i’ll be like one of the girls…” jude shrugged jokingly, making your eyes roll playfully. 

“okay decide what you want to eat so we can start cooking,” you recalled, grabbing a pan and heating up some oil. jude played his old songs playlist, singing along to the songs you remembered, your arms wrapping around his shoulders as he led you to dance in the middle of the kitchen, his soft brown eyes never leaving yours as he sang happily. would this be what it felt like to be a couple? 

the tv show played softly on the background, jude fast asleep on your chest letting out small snores. he refused to let you leave as the time you had finished eating and talking was super late, leaving with no choice but to stay once again. it felt like home, jude felt like your home, they way you fit perfectly in each other's arms. you turn the tv off, squinting your eyes in confusion as you saw his phone ping. 

jocelyn:

thanks for the other day! hope we can see each other again, had so much fun! 

your heart sank looking back at jude who was still sound asleep on your chest, feeling your eyes burn with tears and your stomach sink further down. you controlled your breathing, feeling stupid and naive for actually believing and falling for him. it wasn't his fault, it was you for letting yourself believe there could be something. you would never be his, there was already someone else in his life to fill your spot. 

you were able to manage to sneak off the next morning without a word or budge from jude, feeling trapped and claustrophobic around him when he hugged you from behind. you couldn't stop thinking about his words from yesterday's interview and his ‘muse’, the way his touch still burned on your skin, the way he hid a girl from you. it felt like you were the other woman even though you had no clue who she was. 

you fiddled with your keys, opening the door to a silent home once again, darting straight to your room where you fell onto your beg with small whimpers and sobs, crying over a boy. you weren't able to sleep last night, so you didn't even feel when you fell asleep, forgetting about reality for the day. 

jude was left confused and curious as to why you weren't there, next to him. he called and called, texting you over and over again, becoming worried when there was no response from you. he was unable to focus during recovery and training session, thinking of how you suddenly left, and how distant and tense you were yesterday. he wondered if you had school, or if you something came up with your roommates. 

jude wanted to hang out before he had to travel away for the weekend. spend as much time with you. his head should be focused on winning and on the team to advance in the ‘copa del rey’ but he couldn't when he hadn't heard from you. 

jude was deep in. as every day went by his love for you grew more and more, knowing it could be risk for your friendship. he had the urge to just yell out how much he loved you, how badly he wanted to call you his, to finally stop playing around and put a label. it was hard to read you and that killed him more. feeling hopeless and desperate, he called again quickly listening to your voicemail. 

you had jude’s head spinning, heart skipping beats at the thought of you, and he was left with no choice but to show up the day before he left at your doorstep. your eyes frantically roamed jude who stood with a serious look on his face, almost shutting the door at him out of nervousness. jude let himself in, turning to you quickly brows drawn in. “is there a reason why you are not answering your phone?” he asked seriously, no taint of playing around. 

“i needed to catch up on some uni work. i have so much to do still, and i wanted to focus on getting the hard part out first,” you say unsure, as his brows draw in with bewilderment. 

“but yet couldn't answer one phone call from me?”

“jude-”

“i’ve been left worried, thinking if you were okay after you randomly left without saying anything? i don't like you shutting me out y/n, i understand you were busy but a text even would’ve taken me out of my misery,” jude huffed letting out a sign of disappointment, walking to the couch and staring at your study layout. books and books, open pages of your notes, and your laptop that sounded louder than usual. 

“i just wanted to give you space and time for yourself. i don't wanna seem clingy or attached because all we've done for the past month is be together at house. i just thought you might’ve wanted to do something else with your teammates or other people,” you say embarrassed, daring to spill the girls name from the other night. 

“well you thought wrong, the only person i want to be with is you. i wanted to see you before i left tomorrow,” jude said with a small frown, hands digging into his hands. ‘the only person i want to be with is you’ should have not stung like it did, the ache in your chest as you heard him say that, bitting your lip to hold back the tears that wanted to build up. though you were stronger than that. 

“what about jocelyn?” you asked carefully being met with a quiet jude, giving you a questioning look. “what about her?” maybe it was the way he had said it or the fact he was upset but you now regretted bringing her up knowing it had triggered something. “didn’t she mention-” you were cut off by jude.

“jocelyn is my stylist when i’m here in madrid. she invited me to have brunch with her and her girlfriend when you were taking a midterm this week. I didnt mention it because it was a fast meal, just food and talking,” jude said. you felt utterly stupid and left more embarrassed than before, wanting to punch yourself for quickly making up assumptions instead of asking for clarification. 

“oh.”

“wait.. how do you know about jocelyn? did you think something else?” jude asked, lifting his head from his hands. you rubbed your shoulder anxiously not knowing how exactly to respond, “you mentioned her the other day, i just assumed,” you lied quickly, “also i saw her message the other night i stayed over.” jude had caught you, and now he wasn't going to let the opportunity to go to waste. “

“so that's what this is about?” 

“i don't know what you're talking about…” you shrugged quickly, dismissing his tone. 

jude ushered you to come over, and like a puppet you quickly followed his request. you stood in the middle on his legs that were spread, shifting your weight from one foot to another, contemplating what to say or where to look. “you thought jocelyn meant something else to me didn't you…” jude asked to which you nodded slowly. 

“would have it bothered you if it did? if she did mean something to me?” he asked softly, watching as your eyes looked around and landed on his, you let out a small “yes” in a quiet tone, jude smirking. 

“well, it’s a good thing you don't have to worry about that. jocelyn doesn't mean anything, and the only person who does to me is you,” jude spoke softly, you shuddered a breath as you felt his fingertips trace from your calves all the way up behind your thighs, making you lose balance and grip his shoulder to regain it. “jude-” you warn again, but quickly gulp as he repeated his actions. 

“the way you smile, the way you hold my hand, the way your eyes glimmer when you let me rant about anything. i love it all. the only person who makes me feel like that is you… all i want is you, y/n. to have and to hold, to love and cherish, to protect and kept by my side forever,” jude gripped your thighs and pulled you onto his lap where you gasped. 

“can’t you see that? hmm? can't you see how much i love you? how badly i want to make you mine and call you my girlfriend officially? they say it's forbidden to fall for your best friend, but who cares about those rules when what we have is real. a genuine love.” 

your lips pursed open, letting out a shaky breath before speaking again. he had that effect, leaving you breathless even if it was a small action. “this whole time i thought i had it wrong, and that it was just me who saw the sudden shift in our friendship. who felt the feelings. i know it was wrong from me to have assumed that when i have no right, but i thought there was someone else,” you reply. 

jude’s hands roamed your thighs, making you relax to his touch, “it drove me crazy two nights ago as i rethought our whole friendship. it felt not weird but it felt like we were living a life with no label placed, acting like a couple because we just felt the need to or we had just gotten that close. not only did it confuse me but also scared me, and it made me distant,” you continued. 

“what you feel here,” you pointed and touched his heart, “is what i feel here,” you then pointed to your heart, which was beating like crazy not only at revealed feelings but also the proximity you two were. “i want you to know that i can't stop thinking about you no matter where i am or if i’m this close to you,” you reassured him and yourself. that this was reality.  

“you have no idea how long i’ve waited to hear you say that… to say that you love me. everyone could see it, everyone teased us for it, but we were scared. but i’m not scared to take this risk, because it means i get to have you here and forever. to love you,” jude said making your eyes go glossy. 

“is this actually happening?” you laughed and sniffled, “because if it's not and i’m dreaming i’m going to be mad,” you say. “it's all real, i could pinch you if you want, to make you believe it? or i could kiss you to seal our relationship?” jude offered with a huge grin, making you raise your eyebrow. “you haven't even asked me to be your girlfriend yet,” you remark. 

“my beautiful y/n… do you want to be my girlfriend?” instead of replying, you sealed your answer with a kiss. a kiss that sealed also promises and your love forever. jude’s lips molded into yours, tugging him closer by his broad shoulders as his hands delicately rubbed along your thighs. he tasted like honey, not having enough by how gentle and passionate he was being with you. “my jude. my jude forever,” you say still kissing his lips as he smiled into it.

“i love you princess.”

[azrielstaylorsversion]

To remember

Azriel x reader | angst

Warnings: death, grieve, murder

When Feyre asks Azriel about a certain ring around his finger, the whole room turns quiet. But none of his family members expect him to reply to the question.

Coming home to my family gathered in the living room of the River House was always going to be my favorite thing.

The last week hadn't been a particular easy one, but I had managed to live through it, like I always would.

Cassian passed me a glass of wine, telling me that I needed it. I knew he meant it as a joke, but his sympathetic smile told me enough.

We didn't really speak about it anymore, since it had been decades. None of us did. But the weight of the ring around my finger of my left hand weighed more than usual this week.

I felt Feyre's eyes on me. When I looked at her she smiled, but I soon noticed that her eyes weren't on my face. No, they were on my hand. My left hand.

She was probably just looking at my scars. Most people did. It did bother me a bit, but with my family it was different.

"Azriel, can I ask you something?" Feyre asked. The entire room turned quiet, everyone's attention on me and Feyre.

"Of course." I answered, even though I was not sure I wanted to answer it.

"I keep noticing the ring on your left hand. You seem to play with it a lot. What does it stand for?"

If the room could've turned even more quiet than before, it would.

Feyre looked around in confusion. "Oh sorry, I-..." Rhys put a hand on her arm.

"Feyre, I don't think-"

"No, it's okay." I cut him off. Rhys looked at me.

You don't have to talk about it. He spoke into my mind.

I gave him a tight mouthed smile. I would rather tell her the story myself. She deserves to know about her.

I knew that I wasn't the only one having a hard time with telling this story. Mor had lost her best friend. Cassian and Rhys had lost their best friend. Even Amren had lost a friend that day, if she could even have friends.

And I lost a mate that day.

Feyre looked at me with curiosity, waiting for me to start talking.

"It belongs-.. belonged to my mate." I told her, my eyes on the beautiful ring.

It was gold with a blue stone inside of it. The color of my siphons, like she had requested.

"I'm sorry." Feyre said quietly.

I gave her a sad smile. "I had it altered so it would fit around my finger. I have my own matching one in my room."

Feyre hesitated before speaking. "When did she... pass away?"

"Around 50 years ago." I answered. "51 years to be exact. Just a few weeks before Rhys went Under the Mountain."

"How long were you two together for?" she asked.

I twisted the ring around my finger, smiling to myself. "For a long time. Close to a century." I thought I might go crazy at some point after losing her while having been together for such a long time. But I didn't eventually.

The first few years were super hard. Even harder since I had lost my mate and brother within the span of a few weeks. I remember Cassian and Mor being helpless all the time, not knowing how to help me from going mad.

I blocked everyone out. I didn't talk or sleep for months.

Eventually I got the courage to go into our old room in the Town House, where we would stay most of the time. I found her ring there. The ring she had purposely left there the day she was killed. She had left it there for me along with a note, telling me that she knew she was going to die. That she wanted me to live a happy life.

Something changed after that day. I immediately took the ring to a jeweler who made it fit my finger so I was able to carry a piece of her with me at all time.

I was able to talk again. To sleep, even though the nightmares haunted me.

"What was she like?" Feyre questioned softly.

I had to keep myself from smiling again. "She was the best. She was kind, smart, hardworking, and always selfless." I told her, adding a sad smile at the end.

The rest of my family smiled at the memory of her.

"The selfless part was one of her best qualities, but also the one that..." I hesitated before speaking. But I wanted to tell Feyre. "That got her killed."

Everyone around the room stiffened, but I decided to continue. Maybe it was time I would say something about it. To tell her story.

"She volunteered to go on a mission for us. To check out the next plans of Hybern. Of Amarantha. She knew that there was going to be a possibility of dying from the moment she volunteered, but decided it was best to not tell us." I started. "She knew that if I knew about it, if Rhys knew about it, we would offer to go ourselfs. But still she decided to go. When the bond closed off I got so worried. At one point I stopped feeling her."

"We got a message from the Hewn City the next day that there had been a body found on their doorsteps. We immediately went to look." I swallowed hard. "I will never forget what I saw." I decided to spare Feyre the details.

I had to blink back the tears at remembering the memories of all those yours ago.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Azriel." Feyre spoke softly.

I sniffed. "Not only to me. She was important to all of us. To many people in this court." I said. "She would've loved you." I smiled at Feyre.

Feyre's face lit up at my words.

Rhys raised his glass. "To our beloved friend." Everyone raised their glasses.

The rest of the night was spent talking about her. Everyone shared their favorite stories about her.

It was late when I finally retreated to my room again. My mind kept wandering to her. I kept twisting the ring around my finger until the weight of sleep took over.

I could've sworn I saw a star shine extra brightly into my room.

[sebscore]

TWITCH WAR

pairing: lando norris x driver!reader (brief cameos of charles and russell george)

warnings: swearing. rumplestiltskin. mention of george being a war criminal. wetting pants.

author’s note: not my best work, but this has been sitting in my drafts for too long. anyway, enjoy 💖

• • • • • • •

''Do I play with Y/N?'' Lando read the question out loud, seeing it in his comment section. ''Well, she always told me she was very good at like any kind of game and that she would kick my ass, but then I played with her and… let's say she's definitely not as good as me.'' The Brit bragged about his own skills, a smirk forming on his face.

He glanced at the incoming replies from the fans, enjoying their reactions. ''She asked to play together a few weeks ago and we did, but ever since then I haven't dared to play with her again,'' he grinned, ''whenever she asks me now, I just go offline.''

''Oh, she's gonna kill me when she sees this.'' He giggled like a schoolgirl.

She did in fact kill him when the clip of him talking shit was sent to her by fans and even other drivers. Not literally, that wouldn't be a good career move, but she took to Twitter to indirectly respond to Lando's ''claims''.

YourUsername: people, don't take the words of twinks seriously 😫

Y/N's clapbacks didn't stop there as she went live on Instagram not too long after Lando's Twitch stream. Fans obviously couldn't help but ask about the British driver.

''Do I still want to play with Lando? Nooo~ I don't want to stream with him anymore, I really don't.'' The grin on her face was a dead giveaway she was only teasing him. ''He's super bad, that Rumplestiltskin.''

''She called me Rumplestiltskin?'' Lando read the comment out loud, his eyebrows furrowed. ''What does that even mean?'' He couldn't really remember where the name came from, so he decided to look it up and was met with the character from Shrek.

He gave the camera an unimpressed look before moving on. ''You guys want to know a fun story about Y/N from our karting days?'' A smirk already appeared on his face.

''She was pushed off track by someone and she pissed her pants because of it.''

''It was water! I didn't wet my pants, oh my god!'' The driver exclaimed on stream, not believing that Lando actually told that story. ''We were like 9 years-old.''

''You know, Y/N, I think I also remember that.'' George chimed in, he had been amused by their little Twitch war ever since they started it.

She rolled her eyes upon George's words. ''Hey! It was probably you who pushed me off the track in the first place, you war criminal!'' Y/N clapped back at him.

''Anyway, Lando shouldn't be speaking at all when he still looks and talks like a 9 year-old.''

''Lando, should we invite Y/N to play with us?'' Charles asked the McLaren driver after seeing countless comments in his chat asking about the female driver.

The Brit loudly sighed, causing the Monégasque to burst out laughing. ''What's wrong, Lando?''

''Because of her, people keep asking me if I've hit puberty yet.'' He said, frustration audible in his voice, much to the entertainment of Charles and everyone else watching him.

Their ''beef'' came to an end when the media had started to pick up on their back-and-forths and tried to make it seem like the two close friends hated each other and that they would become a danger to each other on track.

''Are you worried that the words you and Y/N have exchanged over social media will have an effect on how the two of you perform on track?'' One reporter asked Lando in a press conference.

He shook his head. ''We're just joking around, honestly. We've been friends for a long time and we've always joked around with each other like this, so, no, it won't have an effect on track.'' He politely answered, slightly ticked off by the seriousness of it all.

Y/N had been placed into a different group for the press conference, where she was asked about their ''war''. ''There have been some harsh word exchanges between yourself and Lando Norris, are you two on good terms or is there some sort of bad blood?''

''Yeah, we hate each other,'' her sarcastic tone sticking out, ''that's why we voluntarily spent all that time together when we're not racing.'' Her answer gathered laughs from her fellow drivers and even some reporters.

''Also, when we're on the topic,'' she stated, ''just because Lando hasn't hit puberty, doesn't mean that I haven't.''

[spiderfunkz]

✧.* FLOUR N COOKIES.

— summary : when baking cookies with natasha turns into a flour fight.

— word count : 0,6k

— warnings : fluff, fem!reader, established relationship, nat & reader live together, flour fights, pet names, nat being a tease.

a/n : it's october so the autumn-y fics r here !! also i am a firm believer that nat struggles to do basic cooking.

baking was something you've always loved to do, since ever. you loved the process of buying the ingredients, picking the flavours, toppings, decorations, everything.

you especially loved baking for other people. it's your way of showing that you love and care for them, a love language sort of.

and it's always been a tradition for you to bake fall cookies for your friends. today, you were baking them for clint.

it was the perfect time to bake. the weather was perfect, it was foggy but not too foggy since you could still see the reflection of sunlight. the music was playing in the background, and nothing could possibly ruin this you thought.

tying your apron, natasha walks in to help.

"you look good in that apron." she smirks.

you ignore the comment as you grab the eggs from the fridge. "stay focused, we need to finish these cookies."

"well, i'm more or so thinking that you should wear that apron more often." she teases. "these cookies are for clint. realistically, you should be taking the lead." you reply.

"i've never baked before."

"ever? in your entire life? not even once?"

"i'm pretty sure that's what the word never means." — "do you at least know how to crack open an egg?"

you were met with silence. is she serious?

"just crack these eggs to that bowl, please." you point. "like this?" she asks.

you stare at her in disbelief. she seems confused, possibly wondering what she did wrong.

"you know, maybe, without, the eggshells."

she looks down at the bowl, "i think we should leave it. crunchy cookies, you know? it adds more protein, so it's healthy." she awkwardly smiles.

"whatever, i'll just pick the eggshells out." you carefully grab the slippery shells.

"soooo.. what's next?" she wipes the egg residue on her pants. "i'll whisk the wet ingredients, you can help me by grabbing the flour and baking soda."

natasha nods, as she grabs the ingredients you asked for from the cabinets above. "you know i've always wanted to do this with someone." she says, toying with the bag of flour.

"yeah well, this feels more like a me effort instead of a team effort." you state. "there's no me in team." natasha replies.

"yes there is. there's an 'e' and an 'm'." you stated.

"you're so smart, detka. keep blabbering. see what happens."

was that a threat? you look up from the bowl to see her grab a handful of flour. "put that down. don't get closer." you commanded.

"or what?" — "or the cookies won't get done, and clint will have over-floured cookies."

natasha shuffles forward.

"nat. i swear. i just cleaned the floor this morning."

"i'm not even moving."

"i can see you shuffling towards me."

"i'm standing very still. actually, here, catch!" she throws the flour to you. your clean apron was now covered in flour.

"oh you are so gonna regret that, natasha."

you swiftly grab a handful of flour from the bag, throwing it right on her black top.

natasha gasps, before throwing another handful to your direction.

this went on for a good minute before natasha finally stopped it by grabbing the bag from you.

"okay, okay! time out. i've got to take a picture of you, you look like a ghost!"

"really? because you should really look in the mirror, natasha. i can barely make out the red in your hair right now."

she glances at the reflection of the fridge. "that's. rude."

"who looks like a ghost now?"

"you still do. if i poured the mixture on you with chocolate chips and put you in the oven, would you become a cookie?" she jokes.

"don't you dare mess with the mixture."

"don't worry, love. i'd still love you if you were a cookie." natasha smiles.

[animehideout]

LOVE IS THE MOST TWISTED CURSE OF THEM ALL

PART TWO.

Read part 1 here.

Read part 3 here

Gojo Satoru x Fem! reader.

a/n: I hope you enjoy this part, in the next parts things will get more exciting and heated so stay updated..

warnings: At some point this story will contain SMUT parts.

words count: 1127.

You awoke to a pounding headache, your phone ringing none stop. You had trouble sleeping at night, the house was spacious and it felt really cold and empty.

"Shit, it's already 10 am," you muttered upon realizing the time.

Picking up the phone, you anticipated the caller is your nosy cousin.

"Morning," you greeted, met with her enthusiastic response. "Everything okay? Why'd you call?"

"Come on, spill! Did the curse break?" she asked.

With a sigh, you knew this was none of her fucking business.

"No. You know it takes time, right? It's gradual."

"Ah, how was it, then?" she inquired.

"How was what?" you raised an eyebrow, already prepared for her persistent questioning.

“Having sex with the famous Gojo Satoru?”

Your eyes widened, and your heart raced. Should you lie? He didn't touch you he hadn't even stayed the night.

"G-good," you lied, "Gotta go now," you added, ending the call with a flush on your face.

You'd always fantasized about your first time, picturing a softly lit bedroom, under the touch of your lover, while making love passionately. But, all those dreams shattered the moment you married Satoru. Neither of you had any intention in touching each other.

You stretched out of bed to prepare breakfast "Am I gonna live like this forever?”

•At Jujutsu High•

"Oh, Gojo-sensei! What brings you here?" asked Yuji.

"Huh? Teaching!" Gojo replied, putting his blindfold on.

"But you just got married," Yuji remarked.

Gojo patted Yuji's head and smiled, "Then who's going to teach my precious students if I'm not here?"

"Oh, about that, Principal Yaga said Mei Mei and Utahime-sensei will handle it."

"Hah? No!"

"Bothered, Gojo Satoru?" Mei Mei said in a seductive tone as she approached.

"Shouldn't you be next to your wife? Snuggling?" she teased.

"And let you teach my students? Oh no."

"Utahime, you're here! See, Gojo left his wife all alone in bed just to teach."

"I give it to you, Gojo. You're committed to teaching," joked Utahime.

"Satoru," said Principal Yaga, appearing in the classroom.

"Been on the phone with your wife," he added.

"Huh, why?" questioned Satoru.

"Well, you're a married couple, and teaching will consume all your time. So, she'll start teaching here as well, and both of you can spend time together," he explained.

Satoru froze but maintained a blank, poker face.

"She doesn't even have cursed energy. What do you expect her to teach? Rocket science?"

“Huh he doesn't want his wife here?” whispered Utahime.

“I mean you know both of them were forced into this, bet he didn't even fuck her” said Mei Mei in her usual amused tone.

"I know, but she's skilled in martial arts and weapon use. She'll excel at training your students."

"Did she accept your offer?" Satoru asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, she was happy about it. She said she'll be here in an hour."

“So should be we leave, since Gojo is here?” Asked Utahime.

“Leave? hah we've come all the way just to leave” Replied Mei Mei “also it's a great opportunity to meet your wife, Gojo.. and celebrate”

“Celebrate?” asked Megumi.

“Yeah your step mom will start working here, she deserves a good welcoming”

“Quite that Mei Mei, dont make a buzz out of it” said Gojo in an annoyed tone.

“come on, Gojo.. Don't spoil the fun.. don't you think your lovely wife is deserving of a celebration ”

• Time Skip •

Y/n's Pov

It was my first time at Jujutsu High, unlike my siblings, cousins, and now husband. I've always been at home, locked away because my family feared that curses might harm me and I won't be able to defend myself. So, I trained at home, learning martial arts and weapon use as my only means of self-defense.

Now, stepping in as a teacher, life indeed full of surprises.

End Of Pov

As you walked inside, someone snatched you into an empty corner.

"What the hell do you think you're doing y/n?" asked Gojo, placing his giant hand on your mouth.

You pushed it away, frowning "Huh?" you raised an eyebrow.

"You'll go to Principal Yaga now, apologize, and tell him that you changed your mind and rejected his offer."

"And who do you think you are to order me around?" you fought back.

"You have no business here, y/n. You're making this more complicated for both of us."

"So, you expect me to be locked in your house forever? Sleeping, eating, and looking out the window?"

"Yes, but not forever, its until you get rid of that curse, and then we'll divorce."

"You're insane. Get out of my way," you said, walking past him but he grabbed your forearm, pulling you closer, his face a few inches away from yours, you could feel his hot breath.

"You're making a mistake."

"Don't worry. I'm here to teach, not to chased after you" you spat back, freeing yourself and leaving him standing there.

....

..

“SURPRISE” everyone screamed their lungs out the moment you stepped into the school's common room.

New faces, you only recognized Principal Yaga's face since he was invited to your wedding.

“Hello y/n sensei!! I'm Itadori Yuji, This is Fushiguro and this is Kugisaki.. we'll be your students” he said in a cheerful tone, giving you a genuine contagious smile.

You smile back, “nice to meet you Itadori-kun” .

“Y/N” started Mei Mei “Congrats for this post, and congrats for your wedding as well” she smiled giving you a hug.

“we heard a lot about you” added Utahime hugging you as well.

Gojo finally joined you, silently leaning against the door frame, observing as you interacted with his students and collegues.

“GOJO!! this beauty deserves a honey moon, can't believe you. You know teaching can wait” Mocked Mei Mei trying to embarrass you.

“Yeah true, newly wed couples should have other things to do instead of teaching” Teased Utahime, trying to offend both of you.

As he began to speak, you cut him off, "Nah, don't worry about us. We already talked and decided to postpone our honeymoon," you said, smiling, fully aware of their intentions.

Gojo approached, wrapping his strong arms around you. "Yeah, y/n and I did talk things out," he stated, leaning in to whisper in your ear, "I'll let this slip once. Don't get comfortable, acting like a real wife."

"You're the one clinging to me right now by the way" you retorted, prompting him to move away.

"Do you see that, Utahime? Not even a spark of love or respect between them," smirked Mei Mei.

Gojo's Pov

Is that so, y/n? Trying to embarrass me and act like a real wife now. I'll need to put you in your place, and I think Utahime and Mei Mei might be useful this time...another woman will definitely push you away.

End of Pov

Taglist 🫶🏻:

@hermitkerm @smolbeanzzz @eolivy @sanriosatoru @khaleesihavilliard @ryumurin @bookswillfindyouaway

[joels-shitty-puns]

The Key To Your Heart - Track 9

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Musician!Reader

Series Summary: After writing your feelings for Pedro into a song, it gains a lot more popularity than expected. Ultimately it brings both criticism and support, with new possibilities around the corner.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Panic/Anxiety attack. Alluding to sexual scenarios. Kissing. Fat shaming, name calling. Mentions of food, weight loss, weight gain, dieting, weighing, potential eating disorder, food guilt. Potential for puns/dad jokes (name of my blog, and the fic) should give that away. This is my first fic which should be its own warning, lol. Also some cursing. Mentions of masturbation (f) maybe more smut later idk. Sadness, reader is pretty depressed. Poor body image. Rude people. Bullying-ish and just lack of support? Anxiety. Age gap! Reader is in her mid 20's, Pedro is current age (48).

Other stuff: Reader is plus sized. AFAB. Inexperienced. Also has a dog, but you can pretend it is another creature probably. Further, in case it isn't clear, italics almost always are the reader's inner thoughts!

Word Count: 2.7K

Series List: Here!

Miss Chapter 8? Here!

Hi everyone!! I really don't feel great about this chapter, I'm sorry if it sucks. I kinda just want to get it out there though because I don't see my brain thinking up anything better. A lot of writer's block surrounding this scene. Anywho, hopefully next chapter will be better, but I still hope you like it. Although we allude to a little bit of sexual situations now that they are together, I likely will avoid explicit smut being that Pedro is a real human and I am a guilty, guilty human for writing any smut at all. I don't want to offend Pedro (not that he'd ever see it anyway, I am delusional), but I also know people find real person fiction uncomfy as a whole. That being said, I think this story may be coming to a close pretty soon. I plan to have maybe one more full storyline chapter, and at least one little side bonus chapter :) Please let me know what you think in the comments, or DM me if you wanna chat! I love hearing all your thoughts. Thank you for reading and hanging in here with me.

Before the screen even had a chance to load, you canceled the request. Nervously looking at Pedro, he held your hand under the table. “What is it?” he asked gently.

“I just realized,” you replied. “What if they ask about us? About those pictures? What should I say?”

Pedro answered with a gentle stroke of his thumb on your cheek. “Whatever you feel comfortable with. I'm sure I'll be fine with whatever you say, baby. I know your privacy is important to you, and I trust you. I'm all in with you.”

“Okay.” You took a deep breath and once again began the stream.

“Live in 3…”

“2…”

“1…”

The fans began to file in, and before you knew it, you had thousands of viewers. Opting to start with your screen covered, you wanted to give an intro first before the big reveal. 

It wasn't long before the comments flowed across the screen. 

You took a deep breath, squeezing Pedro’s hand, and jumping in. “Hi everyone! It's me… a lot has been happening lately and I decided it might be time to show a little more of myself.”

-“First!”

-“Did she mean to start a live video ??"

-"Hiii! I'm a big fan"

-“Is she there??”

-“Do you guys see anything?”

“So… Here's me.” You turned on your camera, waving at the screen, your stomach twisting in deeper knots.

-“No fucking way.”

-“!?!!!!!”

-“SCREAMING”

“Hi… Some of you might know me, some might be surprised. But this is me. This is the girl behind the music.”

The comments flooded in, entirely too fast for you to read.

“I want to thank all of you for being fans and listening to my songs. It really means a lot and I hope you liked the album. Your support blows me away, especially with what little information about myself I've given.”

More comments.

“Well, I uh… guess I should read some of these comments and answer some questions. I'm sure there’s a lot you all are wondering about,” you stated nervously, starting to read.

-“Why did you hide your identity?”

“Why did I hide my identity… I hid my identity mostly based on poor self image. I never expected my music to gain popularity, never expected celebrities to know it. Never expected any of it, and it certainly brought its share of criticism. I was scared to be in the spotlight and I didn't feel like I looked good enough to be someone famous. You know? I'm not skinny, I have flaws, and that doesn't always sit well with the Internet. I guess I was mainly scared of how I would be perceived. I'm just a normal girl who had her whole life flipped upside down when I wrote my feelings down,” you laughed anxiously.

Choosing to ignore the storm brewing in the comments below, you addressed the earlier comment. “Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad I can make you feel more accepted by seeing more plus-sized people in the entertainment business. Everyone should feel seen and have a place at the table, no matter what you look like, or who you are.”

-“I think it's nice to have more celebrities that look kinda like me.”

-“You're so humble!!”

-“You should've stayed hidden lmao”

-“Shut up, asshole. Why are you here if you're going to be rude?”

-“I'm sure you're a real supermodel behind that keyboard bravery.. smh”

You weren't expecting someone to actually feel like you were representing them and making them feel seen. You didn't think you had enough of an impact for that. You certainly weren't treated that way when you weren't famous. Nobody really even noticed you before.

You could feel Pedro’s eyes on your face, his thumb swirling circles and hearts over the space of skin on the top of your hand, below your thumb. The place where his bullseye resides on his own. Does he trace that tattoo when he's nervous, the same way he is with me? Perhaps his tracing of your hand is calming himself as much as it is for you.

Desperately, you wanted to look over at him and be comforted by his deep brown eyes, but doing so would cause people to wonder who you made eye contact with and smiled at. So instead, you gave a gentle squeeze and a smile towards the screen, hoping he would understand. 

-“Hi, I'm a big fan of yours. Can I ask… is what you said on your album true? You've never been kissed before? I haven't either and I was starting to feel like I'm just a freak.”

“Oh, honey, you aren't a freak. Everyone has things happen at different times in their life. But yes, everything I wrote in my album at the time I wrote it was true. And don't worry, I have felt the same way. Seeing others be kissed, falling in love… having the things I wasn't, it really hurts. But it'll be okay.. nothing is wrong with you. You're deserving of love.”

You hoped they wouldn't pick up on your usage of past-tense wording. Pedro, still holding your hand, rubbed his other hand over your arm gently.

-“Wait… at the time you wrote it? What about now?”

The comments were going wild.

Welp…

Your hands shook, and you used your opposite hand to place on top of Pedro’s that gripped yours. He squeezed gently, feeling the nervous tremors pass through your body, continuing to rub gentle strokes over your arm with his opposite hand.

“Uhm…” your cheeks heated and your stomach sank.

“I've changed a lot since this album was first written. Experienced new things. But I'm still the same person.”

Shit.

-“Who did you kiss?! Is it the guy in your song?”

-“Will you tell us who the song is about?”

-“Wait a second… you're that girl aren't you!?!!!! The one in the pictures with Pedro Pascal!!!!”

-“OMG IT IS”

-“!!!!!!!”

-“IS HE THE GUY!?!”

-“ARE YOU DATING!?!”

The nervous tremors continued, now threatening to cause your teeth to chatter. A full panic attack was brewing. Pedro squeezed your hand again, touching your knee and trying to do his best to ground you without speaking up on your live video. Skipper could feel the waves of anxiousness pooling off of you as well and crawled forward to settle his body across your feet. You took a few calming breaths, but when you went to speak, your voice still betrayed you.

“I..” your voice cracked, shakiness evident as you could feel tears starting to edge their way towards your vision.

I can't do this. I can't do this. I need to shut it off.

You shut your eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to ease your nausea and stress. 

Keeping your eyes closed, you spoke. “Yes.”

You took another deep breath. “Yes it was me, yes the song was about him. Yes.”

You opened your eyes to read the comments, tears pooling down your cheeks as you couldn't hold back your emotion anymore.

This is so embarrassing. The first time I show my face I'm crying and having an anxiety attack in front of the whole world.

You swallowed, choking back the full sobs that your body wanted to let loose. Wiping your face with the back of your hand, you began to read the comments, expecting laughter, criticism, and bullying. Instead, you were met with kindness.

Coming back to your senses, you gave a shaky smile. “Thank you guys. I'm sorry for my emotions.” You sniffled. Pedro was still rubbing your hands and arms, comforting you, having never stopped. His eyes still bore into the side of your head, and you knew he was struggling to not speak up or grab you fully. 

-“Oh my God, are you okay?”

-“I didn't mean to make you cry I'm so sorry”

-“You and Pedro make a cute couple”

-“Oh no, please don't cry”

-“Idk if you guys are dating but you seem cute”

-“I'm so glad you guys are spending time together when he's the guy in your song”

-“It'll be okay, please don't be upset”

-“You're amazing, we love you”

“Yes, Pedro and I have been spending a lot of time talking after he publicly commented on my song a few months ago. The party was the first time we met in person and we're still figuring things out,” you let go of your worries and broke eye contact with the camera, looking to your side to meet Pedro’s gaze. “But… we're happy.” You smiled at him. He smiled back gently, squeezing your hand, worry and sadness plaguing his face over your well-being. Breaking eye contact, you looked back at the screen.

You giggled before answering “well, I think that's all we have time for today. Thank you all for joining me!” You silently clicked off the stream, closing the browser, turning off the computer, and turning to Pedro. He grabbed your other hand in his, now holding both. “Are you okay?” He asked, concern etched in his face.

-“AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

-“IS HE THERE WITH YOU!?!”

-“whaaaaat”

-“SCREAMING”

-“Shut. Up. This is insane.”

-“YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE I CAN'T TAKE IT”

“I think so,” you nodded.

“Seeing you panic and not being able to do anything without potentially making it worse… It killed me. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to pull you into my arms and end that video myself. I hated seeing you so upset.” He stared down at your intertwined hands, rubbing his thumb over them again. 

“I appreciate you being here for me,” you let go of his hand to stroke his cheek. “I couldn't have done that without you.” You met his eyes, leaning forward to rest against his forehead. He let out a shaky breath. “I love you. I'm so proud of you.”

“I love you too,” you replied with a smile. “Let's move to the couch, huh?” You asked, pulling him up from the chair. He stood, just as your phone rang, a call from Rose. You quickly answered.

“I saw the live stream. You did wonderful! Don't worry about any of the negative comments you saw or any stories that come out of this. I'll handle it all.”

“Thanks, Rose.”

“Anytime. Take care.” She hung up.

You updated Pedro as the two of you walked towards the couch. “Do you want breakfast?” He asked.

“Maybe in a minute. Can I just hold onto you for a few minutes?”

“I would love nothing more.”

He sat on the couch, you sitting next to him, before he gave you a look. “What?” you laughed. He patted his leg.

“Let me hold you.”

“I'm too heavy for that Pedro, don't be ridiculous,” you shook your head.

“You're the one being ridiculous.” He reached over, pulling you into his lap. “I'm too heavy! You're going to hurt yourself,” you whined.

“You're not too heavy. You're the perfect size, baby. Come here,” he pulled you forward, your body sliding down his thighs as he wrapped his arms around you. You straddled his lap, knees on either side of his hips while he rubbed your back gently. You placed your arms around him, nuzzling into his neck and closing your eyes. You both sighed, and he grabbed a blanket next to him to pull over your bodies. “I could stay like this for hours, wrapped in your arms” you sighed comfortably. 

“Why don't you?” He turned his head to kiss your lips. You lifted your face up, taking your head off his shoulder to kiss him deeper. The kisses were lazy and comfortable, holding each other and enjoying the warmth of being in each other's arms.

Finally the two of you broke the kiss, settling back on his shoulder, him tilting his head to lean against yours. His hands sprawled over your back, pulling you forward a bit to adjust in his lap. You let out a soft whimper at the contact, fully aware of the location your bodies connected at the moment. “Feel how much you mean to me?” He asked, his breath ghosting your ear as he pulled your hips forward again. You whined. “Yes..” you answered breathlessly. The temptation to keep doing that was overwhelming. But he once again wrapped his arms around you, rubbing your back as the two of you comfortably dozed off, finally relaxed after so much stress of the morning.

Hours later, you stirred, feeling Pedro still underneath you. At the feel of you moving, he stretched a bit before settling with his arms around you again. “Morning, baby” he hummed. “Guess we fell asleep,” you smiled.

“Some of the best sleep I've had in a while, here with you.”

“Same here.” You blinked your eyes open, kissing him on the lips with a peck. “What time is it?”

He turned his head to look at the clock on your TV. “5 o’clock” he laughed. “Guess we both needed some rest.” 

“Mmmm, I guess so,” you hummed, settling into him more.

“Good thing I brought nonperishables. Are you hungry?”

You pondered. “Yeah, I am,” you looked into his deep brown eyes. “Breakfast for dinner?” You smiled at him.

“Sounds perfect.” He pecked your lips before you slid off his lap, the two of you standing to stretch. It wasn't long that you two stood apart before you leapt forward again to give him a hug. He laughed, hugging you back. “I'll never get tired of being in your arms,” you smiled into his chest, breathing in his scent.

“I'll never get tired of holding you in mine,” he pulled his face back to look at you.

“Now let's eat! I'm starved,” you scampered towards the kitchen, him giving a gentle pat to your butt before hugging you from behind as you grabbed the breakfast foods. You giggled, setting food on plates as he kissed your neck, still wrapped around you from behind. “I'm starving too,” he replied back to your earlier statement with a growl, biting your ear.

“Pedro!” You giggled, smacking his arm gently. He chuckled, pulling away and grabbing his plate as you both headed to the table.

The two of you ate, filling the space with light conversation, both of you occasionally sneaking Skipper some bites under the table. He could get used to having two humans spoiling him.

The chatter came to a natural pause, eating in silence and smiling at each other across the table. Pedro stopped eating, wiping his hands and continuing to stare at you. You laughed, asking him what was up. Suddenly, he looked nervous.

“I, uh…” he rubbed his neck. “I was going to wait until after we had at least a first date to say this, but…” he trailed off, and your mind spiraled. Is he breaking up with me? Is he not interested anymore? What's wrong?

“I was wondering if… you'd be my girlfriend? Exclusively?” His cheeks flushed.

You stammered, dropping your fork on the plate. “You… you want… me to be your girlfriend?” You smiled.

He nodded. “If… you'll have me.”

“You want to be my boyfriend?” He nodded again, looking down at the table.

“Yes. Yes, are you kidding? Please! I'd love nothing more.” You grinned, jumping out of your chair to move to him.

He stood, pulling you into a hug. “Really?” He smiled at you.

“Really,” you nodded. “Now kiss me,” you held his face.

“Gladly,” he pulled you closer, kissing you deeply, his tongue asking for entrance to your mouth. You squealed, surprised, but letting him in. You'd never experienced this sensation before. But it was… incredible.

He licked your lips, the two of you exploring the inside of each other's mouths, tongues dancing together. The kiss was heated and deeper than ever before, both of you finally pulling away for air, him coming back in to peck your lips a few times, sucking your lip between his own. You sighed shakily. “Wow.”

“I love kissing you,” he smiled against your lips.

“I love kissing you. You're a good kisser,” you smiled back.

“So are you,” he smirked. “My beautiful girlfriend.” He gave a kiss. “How about that date tomorrow?” He pulled away to look at you, letting his hand rub across your lower back, just above your butt.

“I'd love to,” you stroked his face. “My handsome boyfriend.” You wrapped your arms around him again, blissfully.

“Tomorrow,” you two sighed in unison.

@pedrotonin @starcrossed02 @lightupsketchersperson @cartoon-garbage04 @tyferbebe @maryfanson @gwendibley84 @faithfullyyours2000 @brilliantopposite187 @hc-geralt-23 @jenniferpendragon @winchestergypsy90 @red-red-rogue @theendwhereibegin @lottieellz101 @oliversaurus @kyga01 @milly-louise @titabel @taz-97 @stefanibear003 @marantha @fandomoniumflurry @ilovemybrown-eyedbabygirl @leiadjarin @hmneighbors

Thank you for reading!!! Let me know what you think ❤️

Taglist: (Want in? Let me know!)

[icallhimjoey]

I desperately miss Mark and Poppy and the gang. Can we visit them sometime? (I love you)

i agree, our babies mark and poppy deserve a little outing, don't they? Wordcount: 3.4K

---

Girls' Night

(read To Have And To Scold here)

Mark sighed and snickered softly.

"Come look at this."

And when Joe stepped closer and peeked around the doorway, Joe sighed too.

They looked at each other, and whilst Mark let his head fall back as he groaned, Joe couldn't help but laugh as he dropped his head forward.

"Why did I even assume this wouldn't be–" Mark stopped to laugh, trying his best to stay somewhat quiet. Failing miserably, however.

"And to think we'd be scolded for coming back too early," Joe checked his watch. "It's only just gone 11."

They stood in the hallway, looking into the living room where you and Poppy had fallen asleep, slumped over each other on the sofa. You were still wearing two gold eye masks underneath your eyes, and Poppy had her hair curled around a long foam roller that Mark always made fun of because it looked so silly.

Girls' night.

You'd kicked the boys out for a girls' night on the sofa.

Hot drinks, lots of chocolately snacks, and early 2000 romcoms. Girl talk, and nail varnish, and face masks.

Joe and Mark could go and... do whatever. Go for dinner, go to the pub, go see a film together, you didn't care. As long as they fucked off and let you take over Poppy and Mark's living room for the evening.

Poppy had prepared chocolate fondue, and you'd brought all ingredients for hot apple cider.

Spiked hot apple cider.

You'd also brought Baileys. And chocolate buttons, because, why not, you know?

You knew Poppy would have her comments at the ready since she'd grown up with Joe moaning an embarrassed, "Mu-hum," when his mother would point out the same thing yet again after Joe'd handed over his new school pictures.

But you liked chocolate buttons, so you had decided to get some to bring anyway. Poppy could make every comment she wanted.

Joe had watched you carefully pack everything into a plastic shopping bag and raised an eyebrow as glass bottles clanked together.

"You can come next time," you said flatly without glancing over. You knew what face he was making.

"Yea? You promise?"

"No." you replied quickly, followed by, "Have your own girls' night." which made Joe laugh silently.

There was something about his best friend and his girlfriend hanging out without him involved that he couldn't help being suspicious of, no matter how much he loved it.

It was an important and meaningful thing to you. Joe could tell you really made an effort, which made his heart soar in a way, but it was also weird, and it really took some getting used to.

He didn't fully trust Poppy and you, the two of you together, without any supervision.

He didn't trust it in the way he trusted you and Mark - somehow that felt fine. Because that had been fine.

You and Poppy hanging out so much without him there was just... new.

Maybe it wasn't weird.

Just new.

Joe just... he just really wanted to also be there.

He wanted to be able to make eye-contact with you when Poppy said something outrageous, and he wanted to squeeze your leg under the table when Poppy would say something about him that made you laugh.

Joe knew the two of you were going to be talking about him.

Joe was the biggest thing you had in common. Besides Mark, of course.

"All right, then make me another promise. Promise you won't talk about me–"

"Joe," you warned.

"Okaybutthen... at least promise to tell me all the shit Poppy's gonna spew about me after. Please."

Your jaw dropped despite the smile that was clawing its way out of you, pulling at the corners of your mouth.

"Are you joking?"

Offended.

You were offended beyond belief.

"Do you really think that all Poppy and I talk about is you?"

The arrogance on this man.

"And Mark." Joe added dryly.

In the same tone of voice, you exclaimed, "Is you and Mark?"

"Well, do you... do you not?"

No, yes.

Yes you did.

Of course you did.

Joe didn't need to know that, though.

Besides, you and Poppy really did talk about other things a lot too. It's just that... conversation always tended to circle back to them.

There was just so much to talk about.

And it didn't really matter if they were there for it or not. You'd talk about Mark and Joe with or without them in the room.

You had never had a good enough girlfriend before, not like this anyway, not a friendship that you cherished like you cherished this one, and this shit was fun.

"I... I'm sorry, but I have to ask..." Poppy would sometimes start, and immediately, Mark would drop his shoulders in defeat. Knew where she was going before she'd even said anything.

It was always the same. Always like this now.

"Have you ever seen Mark cry?"

You took a minute, narrowed your eyes at Mark whilst you raked your brain for embarrassing moments of him.

You were about to say, no... you hadn't.

Had you?

Wait...

Your face went from deep thought, to confusion, to surprise, because, oh! Actually! Yes, you had!

"I have!"

"Our wedding doesn't count." Poppy interjected.

"Then I haven't!" you were quick, always reacted to Poppy so incredibly fast, like your brain didn't need to really process anything. Like you were already anticipating exactly what she was about to say, and it always took Joe and Mark by surprise. Made them laugh and shake their heads with big eyes at the stupid fast pace of the two of you.

Same person.

You and Poppy shared a brain.

And it was only getting worse.

"I am not–" Mark started, but Poppy was already rolling her eyes. "No, I am not heartless, I am not a heartless person. Tell her I'm not heartless." Mark pleaded.

And he wasn't a heartless person.

Quite the opposite, actually.

You just couldn't think of a time where you'd seen him cry actual tears beside that one time when you'd done your best man speech at their wedding. When you'd tried to hold back your own tears from the very first word, until half way through, the dam broke and he rushed over, held you close and cried along with you as you finished your speech in his arms.

"Mark's not heartless." you said warmly, and smiled at your friend.

"Thank you," Mark returned with a smile of his own.

However, it was more fun to side with Poppy on things when it came to Mark and Joe.

"But maybe you could level out with Joe a bit. He cries all the fucking time, it's honestly– it's a little concerning,"

"Hey!"

"You do!"

"He does." Poppy easily agreed.

Before, it was always you and Mark versus Poppy and Joe.

Then, shortly, it was you and Joe versus Poppy and Mark.

But now, and in your opinion, the most fun, it was you and Poppy versus Mark and Joe a lot.

More and more, hanging out with the four of you together became Mark and Joe sharing knowing glances. Making eye-contact after rolling their eyes, knowing they were in it with two girls who knew too much. Who had now gotten closer and closer and were sharing things they didn't use to share before.

And it kind of was their own fault, too.

You would spend an evening together, you under Joe's arm, pressed into one side of the sofa with Poppy and Mark on the other end with their legs tangled together, and it would just go back and forth the whole time.

Poppy poking fun at Joe, giving you the giggles.

You making jabs at Mark until Poppy was red in the face and crying with laughter.

It heated Joe's up on the inside of his chest that it had gone from awkward distant stares across a room, dodging eye-contact all night for fear of you knowing he always knew exactly where you were, to this.

He got to sit in Poppy and Mark's house and have your feet press into the sofa right next to him, all close, with your knees over his lap. He got to sling an arm around your shoulders and got to find your hand to play with whilst the other casually rested on your thigh.

All laid-back and relaxed.

Like, this was normal now.

His girlfriend.

You could all just hang out, and Joe could be affectionate towards you.

In front of Mark.

In front of Poppy.

He thought he'd never see the day. He thought he'd never even get close to seeing the day. Yet, here you were.

And you and Poppy were friends now.

Good friends.

Better friends.

Sometimes Mark would walk into his house, phone in hand, trying to reach you and getting your voicemail instead, only to hear your voice coming from Poppy's phone from the other room.

And sometimes Joe would text Poppy, "bob bob ricard tomorrow?" and Poppy would text back, "ive got plans then" only for her to show up on his doorstep, because the plans turned out to be cooking dinner with you.

"You invited Poppy into my house for dinner?" Joe would ask, one eyebrow raised.

"You've got a larger kitchen." you would simply answer, and would kiss him on the cheek in passing.

And, yea, he did have a larger kitchen, and he got his cheek kissed in front of Poppy, so what was the point in arguing?

Mark's best friend was becoming better friends with his wife than he was.

And Joe's best friend was becoming better friends with his girlfriend than he was.

And they both fucking loved it.

Pretended they didn't, of course.

Pretended this turn of events was absolutely awful.

But it would fill something inside their chests with thick warm sugary syrup.

Made them sort of lovesick for the two of you more.

Made Joe drunk on that feeling. The same feeling that he remembered overtaking him wholly the first time he got to hold your hand in public.

Mark and Joe were the luckiest guys in London, and didn't they fucking know it.

Having Poppy and you band together against them was lovely, and joyful, and fun.

It was fun to tut, and to sigh, and to go, "Enough now!" when you wanted to tell Poppy about that one time Mark tried to ask out a girl with a bogie hanging from his nose that you didn't catch in time.

It was fun to have Mark tell Joe, "Shut her up, shut her– No! Quick, make her stop!", and for Joe to use the excuse to tickle your sides and make you squirm, your giggles turning into loud laughter that made the sun shine behind his eyes.

And sometimes Poppy would begin a story and Joe would know exactly where she was going, what she was going to say, and yet he wouldn't interject. He would just let her tell you the full thing and would wait for your reaction.

If you laughed a little too loudly, which to be fair, you kind of always did, he'd get to be all offended, get to pretend to be wounded, be all upset. Gasp your full name, first and last, and act all aghast.

And you never really liked the sound of your full name, but when it came from Joe's mouth like that, you didn't mind it so much.

So, actually, Joe didn't mind you and Poppy talking about him at all.

He just liked to be present for it.

He'd like to know all the things you knew. To gage how up to date you were on Joe Quinn lore.

"Believe it or not, Poppy and I are actual friends. We are Mark-and-Joe-excluded friends."

Oh, he knew. Understood.

And Mark knew and understood too.

"Okay so, then promise me you won't talk about me. Or Mark." Joe shrugged, facial expression challenging.

"Fine." you shrugged too, mirrored Joe and acted like it was going to be easy.

When the two of you walked into Mark and Poppy's place, you announced it loudly.

"We are not allowed to talk about Joe and Mark all night."

And Poppy scoffed at full volume from inside the kitchen where she was heating up the chocolate au bain-marie. "Like we were gonna!"

You caught Mark and Joe look at each other and felt that same feeling Joe would feel inside his heart, except you were able to hide it better.

"That's what I said."

"Have fun you two." Mark looked at you as he said it, then leant in for a quick kiss goodbye from Poppy before heading out the door with Joe.

Joe did more than lean in for quick kiss goodbye. He made it seem like he'd just want a little peck, but when he had you close, he'd keep you there and would kiss you all gentle and slow until he could feel you get embarrassed.

"You never kiss me like that anymore," you heard Poppy say to Mark from behind you, and realising you had an audience blew heat straight up into your face, making Joe pull back.

"Who do you think is a better kisser?" Poppy then earnestly asked no one in particular and seemed to take a moment to herself to think it over. It made Mark roll his eyes at his wife, made Joe smile bashfully as he looked at his feet, and made you go, "Let's never find out."

Girls' night.

Joe and Mark had gone out to have a bite in a place Mark thought was far too nice for the two of them to go to without a real reason.

Having to not be in the house didn't feel celebratory enough.

But Joe insisted. Said he'd pay. What was not to celebrate?

You and Poppy were having a girls' night.

Plenty to celebrate in his eyes.

And Mark knew he was right, and so he went where Joe booked them a table, and followed him to another place he'd never been to for drinks after as well.

Mark took off his coat and left his shoes by the door before he stepped inside the living room to sort the pile of girl out.

Found Poppy's hands and took both of them in his, pulled lightly to untangle her from you, and went, "Shhh baby, shh," when she frowned and audibly groaned.

When removed enough, Mark slung one of her arms over his shoulder and bent to pick her up, one of his arms around her back, the other under her knees.

Poppy easily let herself be carried, ever the princess, and Joe stepped aside to let them pass.

"Taking this one up. I'll see you later mate, good luck with that one," Mark spoke softly, nodding his head back at you still doubled over on the sofa, fast asleep.

Oh, shit.

How was Joe going to get you home? He couldn't carry you all the way over to his flat, but somehow getting you into shoes and onto your feet for the walk seemed impossibly cruel.

Because look at you.

Joe stepped closer, couldn't help the expanding of his chest as everything inside it swelled, and carefully removed the eye masks from under your eyes. Weird, soft rubbery material, now dry and warmed by your skin.

Joe watched your face pull into a frown from up close.

"Hey," Joe whispered. "It's time to leave."

You opened one squinty eye, let a soft moan escape your throat as you noticed the warmth Poppy's limbs had provided you with was now gone.

"Joe," groggily left your throat as you used one arm to reach up for him. Tried to pull him down by his shirt.

Joe'd been here before.

Except he had hovered over his own bed then.

And you were very drunk and upset then.

Pulled him in for a nap then, just like you were trying to do now.

Impossible to resist.

But you weren't in Joe's bed now.

You were on Mark and Poppy's sofa.

Joe kind of had to resist.

When Joe didn't give in after a weak pull at whatever piece of shirt you managed to grab onto, you easily gave up and rolled over. Curled up more. Got more comfortable right where you were, and Joe softly went, "No, baby, come on, you've got to wake up..."

Mark had heard, and caught you turning over from the stairs.

"Should I throw down a T-shirt?" Mark hushed, stopping and bending just enough to make eye-contact with Joe from his spot whilst making sure not to topple over with Poppy in his arms.

Mark indirectly asked Joe if he was going to stay the night.

Joe turned to look at Mark, then turned back to look at you again and, fuck off, he was too far soft for this. Far too soft for you.

You could be outside on the cold wet hard ground somewhere and he'd join you right there, no questions asked, if you asked him to cuddle up.

How could he not?

Had you seen you?

Joe was the luckiest.

Mark, still with Poppy heavy in his arms, carefully shifted her not to lose balance and added, "Sofa's large enough for the two of you."

And Joe went, "Yea, thanks mate," and shook his coat from his shoulders.

He could spend the night.

It was only a moment later that you stirred awake once more because you were being moved. Someone was trying to get their hands around your waist to pick you up a little. Drag you down the sofa a bit.

"Just a little bit over, into the corner. More room there for me," Joe whispered close to your ear.

You moved with him, let yourself drop down where you fit together better, and settled on the colder spot of sofa, now with Joe warming your whole body from behind.

Joe hummed as he sighed, shuffling until comfortable, arms tight around your waist underneath the throw blanket.

One kiss to your cheek for a good night's sleep.

"Hope you had fun,"

"Hmmhm," you hummed in reply.

You did have fun.

A silence took over the room before suddenly, you made a little frustrated noise and Joe had to lift his head. Was about to ask what was wrong when you whispered,

"We talked about you the whole time," you confessed all defeatedly, voice soft and all croaky, eyes still closed.

The muscles in Joe's lower stomach tensed and tried hard to keep all the butterflies controlled.

"We talked about you the whole time too," Joe whispered back, and his lips found the side of your neck to kiss once, twice, three times.

Joe knew that you'd only have to ask him once, and he'd tell you everything he and Mark had talked about. Word for word if he had to.

And you would ask.

Tomorrow morning, over breakfast.

And you'd most likely pretend then that you had held up on your promise, and Poppy would most likely play along. Would press up her chin and raise her eyebrows and go, "No, we didn't mention you once last night," as she'd shake her head, and her lying would make your lying all easy, until Joe'd get you alone and you'd unintentionally let something slip and you'd be so fucking cute about it, Joe could hardly stand it.

Even just thinking about it made him feel all giddy inside.

It was times like these when it was still difficult to fall asleep next to you.

He'd feel like he'd want to be awake for this forever.

The feel of you.

The sound of you.

The smell, the touch, the taste.

Joe got to snuggle up to you, hold you close, and fall asleep like that on Poppy's sofa, inside Poppy's house, upon Mark's request.

Unbelievable.

You and Poppy were close friends now, and had talked about him all night.

Girls' night.

Joe was the luckiest guy in all of London and knew it. Felt it. Pressed another kiss into your neck and counted his lucky stars until his eyes grew tired.

The luckiest.

the end

---

The Taglisted

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taglist currently full, sorry

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being truthful with my husband's coworker?

I (23f) have a husband (25m) who is very close with his coworkers. They come over to our house a lot for DND, holidays, etc.

One of his coworkers, N (27m) and I were close. N is very charismatic and flirts with EVERYONE. My husband legitimately did not care, I've even showed him me and N's texts before which look the same as my husband and N's- yes some flirting but nothing actually serious. Most of it is joking

Well, N started dating someone they all work with, J. I had never met J, I have 0 clue her age. The first time we met, I tried to be inviting as there isn't a lot of girls around except those of us that are married or who already are coworkers. She seemed shy, maybe a bit socially awkward.

Then the second time, I caught her pointing at me and whispering to her best guy friend and they both started laughing. It felt like I was in high school, but I ignored it. N had been out of the room. This was at MY house.

We've met a handful of times since, and by a handful I mean literally 5 times. Every time she does not say a word to me. I've tried talking to her and she'll blankly stare at me. So I've stopped. If she doesn't want to be friends that is her choice.

Except my husband caught her vagueposting about me on social media. N doesn't have social media fyi. She basically posted the exact outfit I was wearing, something that happened, and then put "what a dumb situation caused by someone stupid, but at least the outfit was cute". She also replied to a comment saying i was flirting with her man and a homewrecker, which is why I brought up how N is because he is like that with EVERYONE. So I haven't liked her since because, sure she can be upset with N and me joking and "flirting" even if N is like that with every coworker and even my husband, but to post about me and call me stupid just seemed petty and rude

I asked N if she was uncomfortable with our interactions, because J had me blocked on social media and I couldn't ask her, and N said she shouldn't be because he treats me no different then anyone else.

Well, any group hang outs she doesn't come to. There is always an excuse, and I dont even want to invite her because of what she said about me. Except for DND which I am not a part of (I do enjoy it, but the way they play is so fast paced and im dyslexic and not good at math, I have a better time watching then playing so I do other things while they play, it also gives my husband time to enjoy a hobby he likes alone). Anytime J is over for DND she ignores me or whispers to her guy friend when I'm around. N is still N, flirting with everyone (me, my husband, the guy who plays an orc, J, etc.). I dont even think he is intentionally flirting i think he is just very charismatic and some stuff he says can be taken that way

Well most recently N invited us to his house so me and my husband went. J came home started talking to everyone there and then saw us and went to her room (N, J, and two other people live together). She didn't come back out the entire time me and my husband were there, but I found out later she came out once we were gone.

N texted me asking my opinion of J. I was truthful and said, and I quote "Well she seems smart and she is pretty, but I don't really know her. I don't think she likes me, which to each their own. I wish she was a bit more polite about things when she is at my house. Cant really speak on someone i dont know except that shes a bit cold and not who i had thought you would be with.. Otherwise, as long as your happy, what does my opinion matter?" To which N replied "so you have a bigger opinion" and then blocked me.

My husband agrees with me but N is his best friend, they haven't discussed it at work. I have seen J recently, we ran into each other at a store, and she called me a bitch (I guess N told her what I said). AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[minniesmutt]

⚠︎ ━━━ DINNER

⚠︎ ━━━  WC: 1.3K

⚠︎ ━━━  CONTENT: MENTIONS OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION,

     Nervous was the only thing to describe what Jeongin was feeling as he drove him and y/n to his family home. He did call his parents and ask to talk to them earlier in the week. He sat down and explained the whole situation to them. The talk went well enough — he was still alive. Now he was driving her over to the home for dinner. 

     Y/n didn’t seem as nervous as him but still slightly. She did feel better knowing (Astrid) was there. Someone she knew to break the ice. And they just happened to pull up as they were getting the baby out of the car. 

     “Ready?” Jeongin asked as he turned his car off. 

     “Yeah,” Y/n said 

     “I did tell them that we’re not together and don’t plan to be so hopefully it doesn't come up,” Jeongin warned her as they got out of the car 

     “Okay,” Y/n nodded.

     She was the one that brought up co-parenting only so why did the last part sting a bit?

     “I was going to yell at you if you were late,” (Astrid) told her friend

     “I’m surprised you guys are on time,” Jeongin replied

     “Look, I tried not to be,” Jisung said closing the door behind him while holding his daughters’ car seat in the other 

     “Gross,” Jeongin shook his head

     The four walked into the house. Y/n was a bit taken aback by how big it was but she shouldn't have been too surprised. The Yang’s were rich after all, so it made sense to have a bigger house. From what she knew, Jeongin had two brothers, and (Astrid) had told her that two boys alone were a lot till his younger brother was born. Plus her parents would have (Astrid) over more when they were teenagers. 

     “Mom!” Jeongin called into the house.

     “We’re in the kitchen!” a male voice called

     The four walked further into the house, Y/n starting to get a bit nervous now. Especially seeing her baby’s father's family gathered. 

     “You guys brought Deiji,” Y/n assume Jeongin’s older brother asked

     “Of course we did,” (Astrid) told him as she greeted the family. 

     Y/n watched as they all greeted each other. “This is Y/n,” Jeongin mentioned

     Y/n smiled as his mom came around the kitchen island, “it’s nice to meet you, my dear.” she greeted

     “It’s nice to meet you too,” Y/n said before the older women pulled her in for a hug

     Y/n hugged her back before the woman pulled away, “can I get you anything to drink?” she offered

     “Water, please.”

     “Why don't you offer me something to drink?” Jeongin joked as his mom hit his shoulder 

     “You lived for how long?” she asked him

     “What about me?” (Astrid) asked 

     “You also grew up here,” Jeongin retorted

     “I didn't,” Jisung inputted as he hiked his daughter up in his arms a bit

     “Between Jeongin and Astrid, you should know enough,” Jeongin’s mom answered as she handed Y/n a glass of water

     “Thank you,” Y/n said 

     “So Y/n what do you do for work? Jeongin just told us the basics of how you two met and nothing else.” Jeongin’s dad asked

     “I’m an editor for an online paper,” Y/n answered 

     “Have you thought about any changes after the baby comes?” his mom asked

     “No. I still haven't told my boss about the pregnancy yet.”

     “What about your family? Do they know?”

     “Yeah. They live a bit of a way away so I gave them a call earlier today and told them.”

     “Were they excited?” 

     “Yeah. They've always wanted grandkids.”

     “So have we. Didn't think it would be Jeongin,” his mom said

     “Ah!” Deiji yelled

     Both her parents, Jeongin, and his brothers laughed at the baby’s opinion on the grandkid matter

     “You tell her,” (Astrid) smiled

     “She gets that from you,” Jeongin’s mom warned her. 

     “I don’t know. Ji’s pretty sassy too sometimes,” (Astrid) told her.

     “No, I’m not,” Jisung defended himself

     “Your mom begs to differ.”

     “You do have an attitude sometimes,” Jeongin agreed

     “I hope your kid is just like you,” Jisung told his friend 

     The pre-dinner conversation continued and Y/n lost all her nerves. Jeongin’s family mainly got to know her and asked her questions about herself and her work. The family was laid back, and normal. Y/n appreciated it— though she felt a bit anxious when (Astrid) went to feed her baby before dinner. Jeongin seemed to notice and squeezed her shoulder as he continued his conversation. 

     “Jisung, go tell your fiancée dinners ready,” Jeongin’s mom said 

     “Okay,” Jisung agreed and walked down the hall. 

     “I thought you were going to do something different with the room?” Jeongin’s youngest brother asked 

     “Might as well keep it now In’s gonna have a kid,” his older brother said

     “Room?” Y/n asked as they all sat at the dinner table, waiting for the other three

     “We converted one of the bedrooms into a nursery slash playroom when Deiji was first born. She had some postpartum depression and there were times Jisung couldn’t be around but (Astrid’s) been better so she’s not over as much,” Jeongin’s mom explained 

     “We’ll probably have to change a few things once you two find out what you’re having,” his dad commented

     “We’ll have to wait and see before we make any changes,” his mom said 

     “She’s still feeding Deiji. Said to start without her,” Jisung said as he walked back into the room

     “All right. Make her a plate, at least Jisung.” 

    Everyone moved to grab some food from the center before fully sitting and starting to eat. The conversation continued as (Astrid) came back with her daughter. Taking a seat next to her fiancé while her daughter immediately tried grabbing the plate of food in front of her. 

     Jisung took his daughter from his fiancé before the little girl started to get passed around the table while everyone ate. Eventually landing on Y/n’s lap towards the end of the night. 

     “She’s getting tired,” (Astrid) noted as she looked at her daughter

     The baby laid back against Y/n, playing with her fingers, comfy and ready to sleep. Y/n was completely unaware of Jeongin smiling at her holding his niece. Everyone decided to call it a since the baby was getting sleep and everyone had work in the morning. 

     Y/n handed the sleepy baby to Jisung to put her in the car seat before saying goodbye to her baby’s father’s family. 

     “Thank you for having me,” Y/n said as his mom hugged her

     “Anytime my dear. Don’t be afraid to call if you need something,” his mom answered and handed her her number

     Y/n thanked her again before all the young adults left the house. Jeongin and (Astrid) said goodbye to his brothers before turning to their cars. 

     “Drive safe guys,” Jisung called as he opened the door for his fiancée. 

     Y/n and Jeongin waved bye to their friends and In opened the door for Y/n. She thanked him and climbed in. She put on the seatbelt as he climbed into the driver’s side and started up the car

     “That went well,” Y/n commented 

     “I had a feeling it would after I talked with them. Though my mom was very serious about calling her anytime. High chance she’s gonna ask you to get coffee with her.”

     “That’s fine,” Y/n laughed, “She’s nice. I’m glad she’s our kids' grandma.”

      Jeongin smiled to himself as he drove her home. The two talk about a few things for the baby and their week. 

     “Do you want me to walk you up?” Jeongin asked as he parked outside her building.

     “No, it’s fine. Thank you for the ride,” Y/n smiled as she grabbed her bag. 

     “Anytime,” Jeongin smiled as she got out of the car. 

     Y/n waved bye after closing the door and headed up to her apartment.

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[pink---condoms]

Best friends?

Dream x Reader

Warnings!: kissing, making out, Dream pulls reader onto his lap, mentions of Dream's real name Clay, whipped Dream& hair grabbing.

Summary!: Y/n and her boy best friend, Clay, had known each other since forever, they did almost everything together and lately there had been some tension between them. One day they were hanging out, when Clay suggested they play truth or dare. Feeling bored, she agreed.

"Damn girl you be looking thick" you said in a deep voice, looking at him up and down with a hand on your chin, at his front door. "Are gonna come in or are you gonna be annoying" he said in an annoyed voice. "I'm gonna come in, geez learn how to take a joke Clay" you said pushing past him an into his house like you owned it.

"It's been so long since we last hanged out" you said, walking to his living room and plopping yourself on his couch. "We hanged out literally just last week" he replied, with a stiff look on his face. "I know that's like so long" you looked at him and batted your thick eyelashes at him.

He sighed, taking a space next to you and turning to look at you. "Soo" you trailed off, "so? " he props an eyebrow at you "anything new? " "it's been one week, what new could possibly happen in a week". "A lot of things can happen in one week time" you replied to him, accidentally making eye contact with him.

"Well nothing new happened, happy now" you expected him to break the eye contact that was starting to intense, but he didn't. A few silent seconds went by, without you realizing. When you finally did realized, you instantly looked to the opposite direction of him, a heavy blush painting your face.

Right at that moment, patches walked into the room, immediately heading over to you. You mentally thanked the heavens for saving you from the awkward moment you shared with Clay. "Aww patches" you picked her up into your lap "I bet you missed mommy so much" yep, you were her human mom...

"She did" he chuckled from beside, trying to also break the awkward tension. "I don't doubt it, after all I'm her mother" you slightly raised her into air, looking up at how cute she looked. "Mhm" he hummed, and you tried your best you ignore the butterflies that was swarming your stomach.

You rested her back on the floor, turning to look at him who was already looking at you, you pouted your lips at him. "What" he laughed slightly, "I'm hungry, cook for me please" you gave him the eyes while batting your eyelashes at him.

"Fine" he looked away from you, a shade of pink coating his face. 'That easy?' you thought to yourself normally he'd try to make some excuse before actually making you something. A evident frown made it's way on your face, he couldn't see it since his back was turned to you.

He got up making his way to the kitchen with you following right behind. "What are you going to make? " you asked, as you entered the kitchen, making your way to the counter top and sitting yourself down on it. "Idk, maybe pasta" he said, looking straight at you, into your eyes. "Yes please" you cooed, his pasta always made your mouth water.

He set the pasta to boil, before making his way to his refrigerator that was near the counter you sat on. "You want something to drink? " he turned to look at you, "you got any lemonade? " you questioned, suddenly feeling for lemonade. "Shit, no I got to make some" he grabbed a lemon from the fridge setting beside you.

"Damn Clay acting boyfriend material to me right now" you joked, while he scoffed almost offended. "Shut up, you know your the only I'd do this for" he said while grinding the lemon. "Am I that special" a giggle erupted from your throat "yes now stop distracting me" he said, causing you to burst out in a fit of giggles.

He strained the juice he squeezed from the lemon, adding sugar and ice to the strained juice, before handing you the cup. "Thank you" you cooed smiling ever so sweet at him, while he playfully rolled his eyes while making his way to the boiling pan. "You mind grabbing another pan for me" he said while emptying the water from the soften spaghetti, "sure" you replied.

You made your way down the counter and towards where he kept all his pans and spoons, grabbing a medium size one. Coming up to his side, you handed him the pan. He grabbed the pan out your hands, a slight skin connection was held between you two.

Even the slightest, uncalled touches had electricity flowing through you. He rested the spaghetti aside and started to make the tomato sauce. He stirred the bright red liquid, while you stood right beside him, eyes also staring down at the sauce.

"Are you really that hungry" he joked noticing the way you licked your lips every now and then. "Don't talk bout it" you glared at him, while he bursted out in to fits of laughter. "Stop laughing and cook my food" you whined, tugging on the end of his hoodie, "ok madam".

He tried his best to calm himself down, and eventually he did. Finally after taking a whole ten minutes, he was finally finished with the sauce. Grabbing a plate, he stuffed it with spaghetti before dropping the tomato sauce all over it.

"Your so good to me Clay, I love you" you gave him a cheeky smile, "I know" he returned your smile, handing you your plate of food. "You wanna watch a movie? " you resisted the urge to stuff your mouth, as you requested him "sure" he replied.

You made your way to his living room, both hands holding onto your plate tight. He took off the light, allowing the tv to light up the room. He sat down, more like plopping, you followed right behind him. You swirled your fork around, trying to grab as much spaghetti you could before stuffing it your mouth.

You tapped his shoulder as he looked through the different movie, "hm" he turned to you "you want a bite? " you asked making a swirl for him. He didn't say anything and just opened his mouth, indicating yes he wanted a bite. You fed him the spaghetti you had on your fork, also stuffing his mouth with the pasta.

An indirect kiss.

Soon, the plate was emptied between the two of you and on the tv played Star Wars. You were starting to get bored not because you literally watch the movie at least 50 times because you felt like you was home alone, despite him right next to you.

Him seemed to notice so he paused to the movie, before turning to look at you who was looking at him with a confused look. "You wanna play truth or dare? " he asked, "why'd you stop the movie? " you asked, ignoring his question. "You were getting bored so I paused it," he replied "I wasn't, put it back on" you protested, but he wasn't having it.

"No, let's play truth or dare" he said, more like demanding you, which made you roll your eyes. "Fine" you agree, not really feeling to go back and forth with him. "Ok, you go first truth or dare" he seemed excited, it's just game of truth or dare right?. "Truth" typical your not going with dare knowing how crazy he is and seeing him excited made you kinda suspicious.

"Is it true that you once accidentally kill a mosquito and called me 3am in the fucking morning to bawl your eyes out? " he asked like if it wasn't true, even though you both know it was 100% true. "Shut up that was like a year ago" you covered your face, remembering the embarrassing night you called him because of the mosquito, while he started laughing.

"Stop lying, that was just like last month you know it" his laughter echoed around the living room, you gave him a dirty look. "Whatever, your turn truth or dare? " "truth", understandable. "Is it true that you once tried to talk to your crush and ended up vomiting all over her" your giggles were heard in between the truth but it managed to get out.

A red shade took over his face, remembering the time he puked all over Jane Matthew's jacket in the school playground. "That was like 9 years ago Y/n really? " he groaned, " yes it's still funny as fuck" you pointed out, still laughing.

"Truth or dare" he asked, it's been twenty minutes into the game and it's not bad. You picked dare a couple of times, mostly going with truth, he did the something. "Truth" you replied.

"Is it true that you'd date me? " he mutter, you barely heard him, but you did.

You froze, you probably misheard him and was taking it the wrong way. "I didn't hear you" you laugh it off awkwardly and he looked you straight into your eyes. "Is it true that you'd date me" he said, a lot more audible to your ears.

You loved him and still do, but you felt like you couldn't what if it was some cruel joke on you, whatever. You looked down to your hands that layed in your lap. "I don't have an answer to that Clay" Clay, you only used his real name when you were serious.

You really didn't have an answer to him though. You were scared that your 18 year old friendship was gonna get flushed down the toilet. "What do you mean? " his voice laced with confusion, too genuine. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, like we've been best friends for 18 full years and I don't want to end our friendship and become distant an shit like what if we don't work ou-" you cut off.

With his lips against yours.

You were speechless, despite he was literally kissing you, you were stunned. A mere 34 second past by and you was still in your shock era. Finally coming to your senses you realized it. Clay is kissing you, your best friend of 18 years is kissing you.

Immediately you kissed him back, your arms latched around his neck, which his made their way to your waist. You both know what you were doing, but you both didn't care, it just felt to fucking good to stop.

He pulled away breathing heavily, his hands pulling you onto his lap, before pulling you back down to meet his lips. Your hands made their way behind his head, lightly gripping on to his hair. One of his hand travelled up from your waist to your neck, wrapping his hand around your neck and just keeping it there, no squeezing, nothing.

Your lips molded with each other's like it was made for you both. His light grip on your neck was doing wanders. You brushed your hand through his hair, pushing it back as it came in your face. Slowly you pulled away, as you was starting to get breathless. He was starting to get breathless too but he didn't care , he just wanted to kiss you all day long.

"Clay" you whispered, staring down into his eyes.

"Y/n" he muttered, keeping up eye contact with you.

"I want you Y/n, not in a sexual way but in a lover's way I'm so fucking in love with you, you have no fucking idea" the hand around your neck fell back down to your waist to hold you against him like you was gonna run away.

"Please don't fuck with me Clay" he frowned at your sentence, before he could reply to you he noticed your eyes welling up with tears. He wasn't fucking with you, he was dead ass serious.

"Hey, what are you crying for" immediately he pulled your head down to rest against his chest. "I'm so fucking sorry, I'm scared Clayton" you looked up at him with red eyes. "Baby there's nothing to be scared about, I want to try with you, let me be your boyfriend and threat like you deserve".

You sobbed even more, not because of any holding back anymore, but because of honest he was being. "Aww baby don't cry" he laughed slightly, his hand running up and down your back in a comforting way.

Pulling up your head, you were met with a smiley Clay. Not saying anything you leaned up and connected your lips together, sparks flying through the both of you. This he was the one to entangle his hand with your hair, making sure not to hurt you.

You sure by now your lips were swollen and red from the intense kissing sessions you both shared. Being the one to pull away from the kiss first again, you rested your forehead against his with a smile on your face.

Lovers.

[armpirate]

Soundleasure | Choi San || CH. 23

Pairings: Soft!San x fem!reader || Strangers to lovers, fake dating

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, online sex, ghosting

Warnings: inexperienced!San, fem!reader, masturbation, online sex, camboy, first times.

Summary: You can do whatever you please and be whoever you want on the Internet. And San knew that a little bit too well.

After finally following all the signs the universe was throwing at him, he started living a double life that no one was aware of. Everyone in his daily life knew him as Choi San, the reserved and quiet boy who wouldn't raise his voice, and would barely communicate with anyone outside of his comfort group. But only a few knew him as Soundleasure, the man with a sexy voice and a filthy mind that had their toes curling just with his narrations.

He never thought of the possibility of those two lives ever meeting, he had always tried for them to follow a parallel route and had always played safe to keep his friends from ever suspecting that side even existed. But his plans will start to crumble when he gets a little too close with one of his subscribers and she invades his real-self and altergo's universes without being able to stop it.

Y/n will not only help him to keep his secret from his circle, but will also show him there's more of Soundleasure in him than he'd like to admit. 

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Aprox. time of reading: 16 minutes

Wooyoung smiled when he accidentally eyed San's phone, getting a glimpse of the cringey conversation they were having, while his friend tried to hide his smile, only getting his dimples to mark even more on his cheeks. It was early in the morning, and there they were: being all over each other through texts as if they didn't spend almost every day together.

A fake tone of annoyance went along his sigh, getting Mingi's attention -who got a hint of what Wooyoung was planning to do before he could open his mouth.

—You're going to give me cavities of how cloying you two are —he teased him, sitting next to Mingi.

—Don't read my texts, then —San immediately replied, still paying attention to the texts that kept coming in—. That's your karma for always being nosey.

—I mean, he has a point —Mingi's morning voice sounded deeper than usual, having his two friends having a hard time taking him seriously.

—I blinked so you'd play along, what the hell are you doing? —Wooyoung called him out.

Before that could evolve into a bickering, San interrupted the two of them with a question.

—How's the event going? —Wooyoung immediately turned to him after his question, smiling widely.

—Great. Y/n actually listens and is up for ideas, unlike you all who only complain about every single idea I come up with.

—Are you sure those are your ideas and not hers? —Mingi questioned again.

—I'm the most demanded event planner in my company. Think again, BigFoot —Wooyoung spat—. She still has great ideas though, it isn't like she needs my help at all.

—Thank you for helping her —San said, finally leaving his phone on the kitchen table.

—She's one of us now, it's the least I can do —he shrugged.

—Why does it sound like we're part of a cult? —Mingi intervened again, while leaving his tea cup back on the table.

—Because we are —his eyebrows lifted with his smirk—. Why do you think we keep accepting people in?

—Yeah, sure —Mingi patted his upper arm, almost laughing at what his friend said.

—Didn't you know? We used you for that. You brought Yunho, and the rest just came by themselves —San continued the joke—. The time you also spent almost a weekend sleeping, what do you think it was about?

—One kidney less...

—I can't take either of you seriously —Mingi said last, getting up from his chair while picking the toast from his plate.

Wooyoung waited for their friend to get out of the kitchen, while looking at his phone, to turn to San again.

—I see things went well with Y/n the other day.

—Yeah, she's so understanding... I don't understand where she came from, the only thing I know is I'm thankful as fuck.

—It's not enough to be thankful —Wooyoung called him out.

At the slightly furrow of San's thick eyebrows, his friend simply rolled his eyes before he continued his speech.

—What were you scared of?

—Losing her? —San mumbled.

—And what's a good way to make sure you won't lose her?

—Marry her?

Wooyoung flicked San's forehead through his bangs, making him whine at the sudden impact of his middle finger.

—No, dumbass. Becoming everything she needs. Let's put it this way: you like chocolate, do you need chocolate? —San, still confused, shook his head— Chocolate is good at punctual times. But when you eat it a lot, what happens?

—Your stomach hurts —Wooyoung flicked his forehead again, making him hiss, annoyed.

—You stop eating it. But you do need water to survive.

—And still you can end up drinking sodas or juices instead —San answered back, confused at what his friend was trying to say.

—Okay, I'll be straightforward: stop doubting everything you do, and start acting —Wooyoung recommended him, raising his voice to have San stop interrupting him—. All the issues you've had with her until now, what were they about?

—Hmm... me, I guess. But also that one time you spoke to her —he added.

—Y/n is great. But even the greatest woman ends up being tired of the same thing —Wooyoung explained.

—Hey, she said she's happy with how things are going.

—And that can change —he cut him off—. Did you know why they also called her poly? —San slowly shook his head— This is something Hongjoong told me, but apparently she's quite known for going on several dates and getting rid of those boys as soon as she lost interest.

San knew about that. She had always been quite open about that side, especially when they started talking and she came back home with a long rant about how she was going to give up dating -when, in reality, the man she wanted to date was on the other side of the screen.

—Look, Woo —San started, sounding calm—, I know you want to help, but I don't need it. Things between us are working out just fine, I've had talks about this already with her. I thank you a lot, really. She told me to be myself, and open up as I feel comfortable. And that's what I'm going to do.

There was something in San that made him be so overprotective over him, especially when he was opening so much with a whole new person. There was something clearly different in the type of connection he had with Y/n, it was exclusive to them two. When they introduced the rest of the boys to the group, neither were worried because they all had a group connection, they all were together and, in case something happened, they all would solve things out before things got bad.

But it was the first time they saw San being with someone on his own. They still were able to reach Y/n in case things went south, or in case they argued, but it was entirely different. And, as difficult as it was, San was the one who needed to learn from Y/n how to work things out in their relationship.

—That's even better —Wooyoung smiled, nodding—. Are you going to class?

—Yeah, I have an exam at nine —San threw his head to the back—. But I'll probably go to visit Y/n later, so I won't eat here.

—Can you buy me a bottle of conditioner? —Wooyoung asked, as San started picking up his things from the table to clean them up.

—Your hair isn't that long —he complained—. How do you manage to finish a bottle in less than a month?

—Mingi also uses it —his eyelids dropped in annoyance—. But I've been eating those cookies he buys, too. So...

—Alright, I'll buy a bottle before coming here.

—Thank you, baby.

San could only roll his eyes with a smile when Wooyoung called him that way. It was something that always happened. Whenever his friend got his way, he always used nicknames on everybody while a wide devilish smile was drawn on his face. Almost five years since they had known each other, and he didn't change a little bit.

Y/n: How did the exam go?

Y/n: I'm sure it went great

Those two texts, apart from the one wishing him good luck five minutes before the sheet was handed to him, had him smiling like a fool on the bus on its way to her workplace. Something so simple made him feel like the most special person on the planet.

San: It went great! I thought it would be way worse

San: He's usually an asshole, but he behaved well with the exam.

His tongue clicked, deleting the next long text he was going to send to call her straight away.

—Hey, hey. How's the smartest boy doing? —Y/n moved around her office, picking up some of the things she needed before moving to the meeting room.

—I'm okay. The exam was good; I think there was only one question that didn't ring a bell. But, for the rest, all of them were completed with almost a whole sheet —he proudly stated—. And I didn't expect less. I have been studying for almost two weeks. I even pushed back some videos because of it.

It was either seeing Y/n less to be able to fill his free time with the work that was behind each audio he posted, or reschedule some of the videos while posting some shorter ones with just his moans to feed his public.

—I'm so happy to hear that —she smiled fondly, stopping everything she was doing to focus on the call—. It's been a chill day here. Let's hope it stays like this, because in a few days it'll be a headache.

And it all had one reason: the event that she had been preparing. Until then she only thought of overall details, but as the date of the event got closer, the bigger the stress was.

—Do you need help with anything?

—No, it's alright —she assured him—. Just be there for comfort, and I'll be happy.

—Of course I'll be there.

While she smiled like a fool because of his comment, Y/n managed to see her father pointing at his own wrist, marking the time, so she'd hurry up to start the meeting.

—I need to hang up —she sighed—, but let's talk later, okay?

With a positive hum, San hung up the call, breathing deeply. Although his calmness died when the itching on his neck started growing. That turtle neck sweater he had bought was the worst piece of clothing he had ever worn, same with those chelsea boots.

He hung the badge around his neck, carrying his bag by the strap so he wouldn't place it on his shoulder instead. As he walked past the building, he pushed his hair back, exposing his forehead while fixing his bangs on each side of his head.

The receptionist smiled at him when she noticed what was hanging around his neck, discarding the possibility of him being someone from the outside.

San was surprised when he walked up the stairs -he had walked out several times to meet up with her-, finding the office almost empty as he stepped inside -with the only exception of the few heads he managed to see over the gray separators between desks.

—Can I help you? —Jennifer stopped him before he could take one more step towards Y/n's office.

—Yeah, I came to visit Y/n.

—She isn't here —she rushed to say.

—I know, she told me she was going to be in a meeting, but I'll be waiting for her here —he gently smiled.

—Does she know?

—N... no —he paused for a second—, but I doubt she'll have a problem with me waiting here. I wanted to give her a surprise, since it's been an exhausting week for her.

—Okay, go in —Jennifer invited him, eyeing him from head to toe.

—Thank you —he hurried to say with a big smile.

He walked around her office, looking at all the diplomas and small trophies Y/n had worn through her years working there. It was admirable the way she worked as hard as anyone else, keeping up with the level of work to earn the image she had. Any other person would've just sat and waited for the position to come their way, yet she didn't. It was also true her father was demanding, even more with her; and he probably wouldn't have accepted his daughter doing nothing to earn the responsibilities she was going to be given.

His pupils first fell on the bucket of flowers resting on her desk, curious about seeing no note among the dark roses. And later, his eyes went up to the black blinds rolled up at the ceiling and that, by his calculations, would cover all the transparents walls in her office to give her the privacy she'd need.

A lightbulb lit up and brightened each corner in his brain, showing up one of the ideas that had remained hidden ever since he started seeing Y/n in real life.

The shades started going down slowly, covering each meter of wall after he pressed a button on the controller on her desk, making the room go darker, and instantly light up with the ceiling lights.

His sweater went off first, with him moving to her desk to sit at the edge, trying to take a pose that could make his -almost- invisible abs stand out through the shadows caused by the lights. He first tried with one leg lifted and folded at the edge, only to change it back again to have his lower back resting against the table.

His tongue clicked before he moved again, unzipping his black pants and kicking away his boots.

He probably looked like one of those Calvin Klein models, with the only difference that his underwear cost one dollar instead of fifteen. It was at that point that he thought of the idea he had, and how ridiculous it would look from the outside as she crossed the door. But before he could even attempt to pick up his pants, the door clicked, having San rushing back to the last position he was at.

Instead of Y/n...

Shit.

San jumped out of the desk, throwing himself over his clothes when he saw her father's surprised eyes before he closed the door back again.

Y/n was surprised at how pale her father looked, going backwards instead of stepping inside her office like they were planning to to discuss some topics in the meeting that hadn't been entirely discussed.

—You have a visit.

Instead of explaining what he was talking about, her father walked past her, heading back to his office while she was left staring at the usually transparent door covered by the shades she hardly ever used.

She looked at Jennifer, waiting for an explanation, but she only shrugged her shoulders while she walked the same route her father did. San was startled, losing balance as he tried to cover himself again behind the desk.

—What's this? —Y/n hurried to close the door behind her— When did you come?

—I'm sorry. I didn't think your father would be here —he apologized, stucking his head on the neck of his sweater.

—In his defense —Y/n walked to him, pulling the sweater down so he'd be able to see again—, you are the one who isn't supposed to be half naked in my office.

Her tone sounded calm, yet her funny smile was giving hints of a soon giggle that'd remind him of how ridiculous he was.

—I liked it, but next time I would rather you keep the show for me only.

—It isn't funny —he whined—. Your father is going to hate me after this.

—Hate is an ugly word —she tried to soften the situation, while placing the neck properly—. Let's say he's shocked —while moving her fingers over his chest, she spoke again—. Is this sweater new?

—Yeah, I bought it for the times I came here to visit you —his lips were puckered while he explained himself.

—It looks really good on you —cupping his cheeks, Y/n pulled him in for a kiss—. You'll see it's nothing. My father isn't scared of this type of thing.

While he tried to zip his pants, Y/n fixed his hair, parting his bangs back to where they were.

—Do you have a secret admirer? —he asked, looking back at the flowers.

She was confused at first, slightly furrowing his eyebrows before turning her back at the mention of his head to point behind her.

Those damned flowers.

—I don't know, I guess —she pressed her lips.

Before ever thinking of telling him how she didn't know where all those flowers came from, and how creeped out she felt about some of the notes that had started being sent for a few weeks, she tried to play it cool.

—Feel threatened? —she tilted her head.

—Nope —he assured her—. Whoever that person is needs to send flowers to get your attention, which I already have.

Her arms slowly embraced his shoulders, stepping closer to him as his hands took a spot on each of her hips.

—Did you know confidence looks so good on you?

—I'd tell you what else looks good on me, but I don't think this is the time —San added, reminding her of her father.

—You're right, tell me later —she patted his chest—. Now you should join us for lunch, I was planning on eating with him. The worst thing you could do is pretend this didn't happen.

His hands stopped her from moving any further when she attempted to turn her body, guiding her to look back into his eyes.

—You sure there's nothing worrying you?

If something he had learned about her, and which seemed even more obvious in person than through texts, was the fact that Y/n would always ignore those conversations she didn't want to have -especially if they meant creating an environment of discomfort because of it.

San looked subtly over her shoulder again, confirming her he was talking about those flowers.

—Really sure —she faked a smile, pinching his chin—. Let's go.

San wished he was small enough to hide behind Y/n as soon as he stepped foot outside her office and was met with her father's eyes. He didn't give him a bad look. Instead, he offered him a gentle smile and looked back at his daughter to make sure they both were ready to have lunch together.

Appetite didn't peek through, not a single time, since they sat on the table. He only pretended to eat, or be interested with food, by moving the salad around its corner, and cutting the steak in even smaller pieces while he tried to escape Harry's eyes.

—How did your exam go? —the older man was the first to speak, speaking on a normal tone, yet loud and clear enough to be heard among the background noise of the people in the cafeteria— Y/n told me.

—It was okay —San shyly answered—. It was great, actually.

Y/n smiled proudly at him while chewing on her food, rubbing her knee against his to give him some kind of comfort that wouldn't be obvious for her father.

—Now there's something else going on —he continued, under his rough gaze—. They told us we need to get credits by doing some internship, so I started eyeing some companies.

Y/n chewed slower, remembering the moment he first told her a few days back, and how quickly he turned down her offer on doing them in her company. She could understand why, but she wasn't sure her father would let it go as easily as she did. The second he regretted ever saying those words was also easily perceived on the way he momentarily clenched his jaw.

Whenever he was nervous, he spoke before he could control his thoughts. There were many reasons why he first rejected her offer: the most obvious, and the only one she knew about, was about the fact that they were dating and it'd look off for those around them; and the second one, his father and the past relationship he had with the company.

—And why don't you do them here? —Harry mentioned.

—Well, Y/n already told me. And I think it'd be better if we don't mix...

—You won't even be in the same department as Y/n or me, your supervisor and mentors will be somebody else —he insisted—. Why would you go to another company when you have this one?

—Dad, San will be more comfortable somewhere else.

—Doing the internship here could open a lot of doors for you. And you'll also be familiar with the place, which is better than going somewhere you don't know.

—Saying it that way...

—It'll be easier for me to recommend you to other partners that could be looking for someone with your experience —Harry shrugged—. The way I see it there are more positive sides than negative.

—Yeah, that's true —he nervously nodded.

—Say no more. Send me the documents you need me to feel and sign, and you'll be able to present them before it's too late —he tapped over the table.

—By the way, sir... —San spoke again— About what you saw earlier...

—Tss, no worries —both San and Y/n turned to him surprised—. You should've seen me when I started dating her mother. It's natural, and I'm not scared of those things, my daughter is old enough to know what she's doing.

—Well, that soothes me —San finally smiled genuinely.

The rest of the lunch went by with Y/n and her father discussing some points on the meeting they had minutes before their lunch, shifting to San and him discussing things about the internship he was about to do.

Despite being so big, and seeming so intimidating, her father was approachable and easy to talk to.

—Why don't you get ahead of us? —Harry told Y/n.

She looked back at San, trying to comfort him somehow before she continued her walk to her office.

—San —his hand fell heavy on his nape, with his fingers squishing the skin—, I'm understanding, really understanding. But if I see you again half naked near my daughter again, I'll cut your balls. Hmm? —his eyebrows raised— Understood?

—Under... Understood, sir.

Yeah, he said nothing about his in-law being approachable. 

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Chapter 4

Pairing: Platonic Steven Grant x Reader (for now)

Rating: T

Word count: ~2600

Story Summary: Steven meets a beautiful woman in the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum...

...Too bad she's his new boss.

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergent since Steven still works for the British Museum post-canon, No Jake Lockley, developing friendship

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter! As always, please let me know if you want to be tagged in this or any of my other stories!

“...And that concludes our tour,” Steven said to his final tour group of the day. “Please don't forget to check out our shops and café, located right here on the ground floor, and remember that memberships are available for purchase and help support the museum.”

He waited until the group had disbursed before heading back to his office to collect his messenger bag, also grabbing his umbrella as a rumble of thunder sounded overhead.

“Heading out?” Ruby, one of the tour guides, said as Steven passed through the Programming staff area.

Steven nodded. “You’re on tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, I'll be in tomorrow, but if it's okay with you I need to switch my Thursday shift. I have an exam on Friday morning that I need to prepare for.”

Steven made a mental note. “That ought to be fine. Just let me know who you wind up switching shifts with.”

“Okay, have a good evening.”

“You too.”

Steven headed out of the museum, surprised to see Dr. Y/L/N standing under the entryway and peering out at the rain. “Afternoon, ma’am.”

Dr. Y/L/N turned and smiled at him. “Hi. Headed home?”

Steven nodded. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“Oh, no.” Dr. Y/L/N gestured out towards the rain. “I'm just waiting for it to stop raining so I can go ahead and walk home. I didn't bring my umbrella today and don’t really want to have to take a cab since I live nearby.”

“Oh.” Steven held his umbrella up. “Well I’ve got mine, so I can walk you home if you’d like. Plenty of room under here for the both of us.”

Dr. Y/L/N hesitated. “It’s very kind of you to offer, but I’d hate to make you have to go out of your way. I’m sure Gus is waiting for you.”

Steven shook his head. “Gus’ll be fine. I left the telly on for him so he’d be entertained while I was at work.”

He grinned as Dr. Y/L/N let out a light laugh. “Such a good fish dad,” she joked. “Are you sure you don't mind?”

Steven nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Then in that case, I accept. I really appreciate it.”

“It's not a problem.” Steven opened his umbrella and raised it above his head, the light scent of Dr. Y/L/N’s perfume filling his nose as she joined him underneath it.

He took a deep breath. “Right, then. Lead the way.”

They headed down the steps together, the gentle sound of the rain falling adding to the rhythm of their steps.

“So, how are you?” Steven asked. “I haven’t seen you around much the past few days.”

Much to his relief, Dr. Y/L/N really was open to collaboration and had so far been a very hands-on and communicative director. She had implemented weekly meetings consisting of all of the heads of department so each section could share their progress on various projects and she would frequently check in with each department individually to make sure everything was running smoothly and to see if anyone needed help with anything while still giving the museum staff more than enough autonomy to where (as far as Steven knew) no one never felt like she was micromanaging.

“Oh gosh, I’ve been crazy busy,” Dr. Y/L/N replied. “Just in the past 3 days I’ve had a 4-hour-long conference call with all of the UK’s museum directors, a bunch of interviews and other publicity stuff regarding the new permanent exhibits, plus I had to prepare the annual statistics report to present at the board meeting tomorrow afternoon -- which reminds me, the number of paid tours and new museum memberships have both gone up exponentially for the third month in a row.”

Steven nodded. He was proud of all the hard work the Programming staff had put in since he had taken over the Visitor Engagement Specialist role. “The Programming staff is pretty great.”

“You’re pretty great.”

Steven’s face heated as he looked over at Dr. Y/L/N, who was looking back at him with a slightly nervous look on her face.

She cleared her throat and looked away. “I mean, if it wasn't for you revamping the tours and coming up with the idea for a membership drive I really don't think we'd have seen the slightest difference in numbers. You've proven yourself to be a wonderful team leader.”

Steven's face heated at the praise. “Thank you, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N bit her lip. “Hey, um, since you’re not in a hurry, can I buy you a cup of coffee as a thank-you for walking me home? There’s a coffee shop nearby that I sometimes stop at on my way to work.”

Steven couldn't help but smile, pleased to have an excuse to spend even a few extra minutes with Dr. Y/L/N. “I, er, I don't actually drink coffee, but I’d love to have a cup of tea with you.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded, a smile spreading on her own face. “Oh, right, okay. Well great! It's right this way.”

They headed down the street to a small café, where they paused together under the shop's awning while Steven shook his umbrella out so it wouldn't drip all over the shop’s floor.

He opened the door for Dr. Y/L/N. “After you.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Y/L/N led him inside and over to the counter. 

“Afternoon,” the barista, a dark-haired man who appeared to be in his early twenties and whose name tag read Michael , greeted them. “What can I get started for ya?”

Dr. Y/L/N gave her coffee order. 

Michael nodded as he tapped at his computer screen. “And for you, sir?”

Steven eyed the tea selection. “Er, yeah, can I get a cup of Earl Grey, please?”

Michael tapped at his screen some more. “Anything else?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Mmm, can I also please get a scone?”

Michael nodded. “Of course ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N turned to Steven. “Steven, you want a pastry or something?” 

Steven briefly studied the display of baked goods. Tea was the cheapest thing on the menu, and Dr. Y/L/N had offered… A small snack wouldn't hurt. “Maybe a chocolate croissant?”

Michael tapped at his screen once again. “Okay… And a name for the order?”

Dr. Y/L/N pulled her wallet out of her purse. “Y/F/N.”

Michael tapped at his screen a few more times. “That’ll be £11.43.” 

Dr. Y/L/N swiped her credit card through the card reader and signed the receipt.

“I'll have that out for you straightaway,” Michael said as he moved over towards the coffee machine.

“Thank you.” Dr. Y/L/N turned back to Steven. “Want to go sit while we wait?”

Steven nodded. “Sure.”

They headed over to a table for two tucked away in a cozy corner of the café.

Steven looked around as they sat. The walls were lined with bookshelves containing a mishmash of novels, non-fiction books, and various knick-knacks. 

Reminds me of my flat. “This is quite an interesting little place,” he said. Do you come here often?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Usually a couple times a week. I’ll order ahead whenever I don't have time to make coffee before work, or if I’m feeling indulgent or have an extra busy day ahead and need an extra caffeine boost I'll stop in and pick something up. This is the first time I've been able to stay and drink my coffee here though.”

Steven nodded. He did recall seeing Dr. Y/L/N walking around with a takeout cup on occasion instead of her usual travel mug. “Ah, okay. I'm glad you invited me to join you, then.”

“I'm glad you accepted.” Dr. Y/L/N shrugged. “It's the least I could do after you were kind enough to go out of your way and offer to walk me home.” 

Steven shook his head. “It’s really nothing, ma'am. I actually quite enjoy your company.” Moreso than you probably realize.

A small smile graced Dr. Y/L/N’s features. “That’s very kind of you to say. I enjoy your company as well.”

She bit her lip. “You know, actually, if you're not busy this weekend there's a –”

“–Y/N!”

Dr. Y/L/N startled slightly and looked over towards the counter, visibly relaxing as Michael set their tea and coffee down. “ Oh . Oh, our drinks are ready.”

Steven stood. “I'll go get them.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

Steven walked over to the counter as Michael set a plate of pastries down as well. 

“Here you are, mate,” Michael said. “Enjoy.”

Steven nodded. “Cheers.”

He managed to carefully carry everything back to the table and set Dr. Y/L/N’s coffee down in front of her. “Here you are, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled up at Steven as he set the plate of pastries down as well. “Thank you so much, Steven.”

Steven set his tea down and sat. “So what were you saying before our items were ready?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “Oh, it was nothing.”

She took a careful sip of her coffee. “But I would be remiss if I didn't ask you how you've been this week. Anything fun and exciting going on in the world of Steven?”

Steven shook his head as he added a small teaspoon of sugar to his tea and stirred it in. “Just researching the provenance of the new vases we got in the other day while in between tours. Christina said she wanted to include them in our special display of Austrian art that's opening next month.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Ah, wonderful. Have you found anything so far?”

“Actually, yes, it's quite intriguing.” Steven took a sip of his tea. “It appears that at least one of the vases was made for a member of the Austrian royal family back in the 1700s before it was eventually given to a loyal subject as a wedding gift and passed down through several generations, but then it was taken in a raid by the Germans during World War II and somehow wound up in the hands of a French army general, who gifted it to an American soldier as -- ironically -- a wedding present.”

Dr. Y/L/N looked riveted. “Oh, wow. That is rather intriguing.” 

“It made its way through several generations of that family until it was discovered that it had been stolen all those years ago, so it was then returned to the rightful owner,” Steven continued, “who donated it to the collection so that everyone could enjoy it. It's because of its illustrious history that Christina and I were thinking it should be the centerpiece of the exhibit.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yes, you're absolutely right. That piece should definitely be the focus. Do we have anything else to display along with it, like letters or photos of the families, anything of that sort?”

Steven shook his head. “We discovered a few photos of the two families each holding the vase while we were researching, but unfortunately there isn't much else.”

“That's okay.” Dr. Y/L/N took another sip of her coffee. “Everything else is good? How's the new guide working out?”

“He’s doing well so far.” Steven took a bite of his croissant, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “The fact that he has prior experience as a tour guide definitely was a plus -- he didn't need much training and seems to be catching on pretty quickly.”

“Excellent. I'm glad to hear that.” Dr. Y/L/N paused. “If you don't mind me asking, what kind of tea is that? It smells good.”

“Earl Grey,” Steven replied. “Have you ever tried it?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “No, I've only ever had regular tea.”

Steven bit back a smile. “‘Regular’ tea?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yeah, you know… just tea at restaurants and stuff.”

“Ah, gotcha. So basically just plain black tea, then.”

“Mmhmm.” Dr. Y/L/N took another sip of her coffee. “Sweetened, of course, but yeah. So what's the difference between Earl Grey and regular black tea?”

Steven took a sip before answering. “Earl Grey has bergamot in it, which gives it sort of a citrusy flavor.”  

Dr. Y/L/N’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh, that sounds interesting. I might have to try it one day. Any others you recommend?”

Steven nodded. “There's also Lady Grey, which has lemon and orange in addition to bergamot, and if you want to try something really interesting you should try chai, which has all sorts of spices, like cinnamon, and star anise, and cardamom, and it literally means ‘tea’ so if you ever go somewhere and order chai tea you're ordering ‘tea tea’ .”

Dr. Y/L/N let out a light laugh. “I'll have to remember that.”

Steven and Dr. Y/L/N continued to chat, occasionally pausing to take a sip of their beverages or a bite of their pastries.

“Ready to go?” Dr. Y/L/N asked after they had both finished.

Steven nodded. He knew Dr. Y/L/N had had a long day and was probably ready to get home so she could rest. “Yes, if you are as well.” 

They stood and cleared their table, then thanked Michael as they headed out of the door.

“Oh, it's stopped raining,” Dr. Y/L/N noted as they stepped outside. “I'm sure you want to get home since you no longer have to keep me dry, so I'll see you tomorrow?”

Steven shrugged in what he hoped appeared to be a casual manner. “I walked you this far, so the gentlemanly thing to do would be to walk you the rest of the way, right? If that's alright with you, of course.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled softly. “You really are, aren't you? A gentleman, I mean.”

Steven’s face heated. None of the dreams he'd had about Dr. Y/L/N over the past several months he had known her could exactly be described as gentlemanly , but it wasn't like he could control his subconscious, was it? 

He glanced down at the ground before making eye contact with her once again. “I try to be.”

Dr. Y/L/N grinned. “Well for what it's worth, I would choose you over the bear.”

Steven huffed out a laugh. “I appreciate that, ma'am.”

“Shall we continue on, then?”

They continued down the street, continuing to chat amiably as they walked.

Eventually Dr. Y/L/N stopped in front of a small apartment building. “Well, this is me. Thanks so much for walking me home, Steven. I sincerely appreciate it.”

Steven shook his head. “The pleasure was all mine, ma'am. I'd be happy to walk you home any time.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded with a smile. “I might take you up on that soon, then. I enjoyed our time together today.”

“I did too.”

Dr. Y/L/N hesitated a moment, then shook her head slightly. “I'll see you tomorrow, Steven.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Steven waited until Dr. Y/L/N had unlocked the door and headed inside before turning and heading back towards his bus stop. He had already been struggling with fighting his feelings for Dr. Y/L/N, but the kindness with which she treated him and the way she genuinely seemed to enjoy his company made him struggle even harder. 

He shook his head. He'd never have a chance at a romantic relationship with her, but maybe they could at least be friends.

[kisskiss-slashslash]

Could we maybe see Brahms x a reader who has a porcelain doll of a young girl that’s actually haunted? I think it’d be a really cool pov!

Also, hope you don’t mind that I’m an anon, scared I’ll get made fun of for sending this ask if I ask using my acc lol-

Aww don't worry, we've all been there

This may have ended up being a bit rambly but I hope you enjoy it :)

Brahms with an s/o who owns a real haunted doll

When you came into Brahms‘ life, you didn‘t even notice anything off in the house. Mostly because you came with baggage of your own. It was a lovely porcelain doll you had bought at a garage sale many years ago. You had named her Lizzy, because she looked like a Lizzy to you. You felt like it wasn‘t just a childlike whim that made you give her that name, but a feeling deep in your chest that this was her name, whether you liked it or not, so might as well go with it. You had brought her with you because the very same part of you was convinced that abandoning her would be the same as abandoning an actual child; an act of cruelty that would almost defy description.

Strange thing always happened around Lizzy. So when these strange things just kept happening at the Heelshire estate, you naturally assumed that your doll was the culprit. When you heard about the origins of Brahms the doll, you came to the further conclusion that Brahms was just as lively as Lizzy, also possessed by the spirit of a child who had been taken from the world way too soon.

You often had Brahms and Lizzy sit together, joking that they could be best friends. But whenever you turned your back, Lizzy would be closer to you and Brahms would be nowhere to be seen.

So clearly, Lizzy and Brahms didn‘t like each other.

You would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and find Lizzy next to you in bed, pressed against your body like a frightened child seeking comfort in their parents‘ bed, and her face wet like she had been crying.

Most of the time, you would doze off again and upon waking up, would find Lizzy tossed onto a nearby chair, as if someone really wanted to shatter her on the floor but had stopped themself just in time and tossed her into the nearest soft surface instead. After incidents like this, Lizzy tended to radiate sadness and fear for a while, another feeling she was causing deep within the very core of your being.

At some point though, when you woke up yet again with Lizzy cradled in your arms, you said loudly and clearly:„Brahms, please, stop bullying Lizzy. She is just a little girl.“

You, of course, had no way to prove that whatever entity was possessing your beloved doll was a little girl, but it sure behaved like one.

There was the sound of movement in the wall, and a little boy‘s voice replied:„You are supposed to be taking care of me. Not her.“

You got curious. The voice absolutely came from the wall. You looked over to the door, knowing that Brahms‘ room was nearby and that you had tucked in the doll you assumed contained his ghost hours ago.

But ghosts didn‘t speak so clearly; they whispered hoarsely and so quietly that one could barely hear it. Lizzy sometimes spoke to you, but so softly that most of the time you can‘t figure out if you really heard or just imagined it.

„I can take care of both of you“, you promised. You had a feeling…

It had never been the same with Brahms‘ doll. He had never felt like anything other than a doll. Sure he had moved when you turned your back, but he didn‘t radiate anything, no feelings.

„Won‘t you come out?“

Months passed, and now that Brahms had revealed himself to you, you found your way into a new kind of normalcy.

He evidently still didn‘t particularly like Lizzy, but he loved you enough to tolerate her. He even seemed to find her antics quite interesting at times.

One day he came running to you, Lizzy in his arms. „Lizzy just talked to me!“ „Yeah, she does that sometimes. What did she say?“

He looked down onto Lizzy‘s soft porcelain face. „She said ‚Thank you for being so nice to them‘.“

You smiled. Seeing these two, doll with the little girl inside it and the man behind the other doll finally get along warmed your heart.

[sashaisready]

The Blood Pact: Chapter 6 - Trust me, you will

Bucky Barnes Vampire AU x Female Reader

Reeling from a bad break-up, you're desperately trying to find a new place to live but the Brooklyn rental market is a complete nightmare. You take a chance on an intriguing newspaper ad and enquire about a room in a shared house, where you'd be living with two mysterious men. The catch is that they want something other than your money for you to pay the rent...the one thing they don't have

Series Masterlist

Chapter 7

Hello! Warnings in this chapter for: Peter being a dick, Bucky being a dick, Steve being oblivious, maybe some slight noncon as reader has been drinking - but she's an enthusiastic participant. Also reader feeling insecure and some hints at slut/sexuality shaming.

“So what happened to Sharon?” You asked Peter as the two of you walked down the street towards your house. “Normally she’s stuck to you like a barnacle on a boat”.

He grimaced slightly. “We…uh. Had a fight. So she left early”.

“Ah. I see” you replied, feeling a small surge of satisfaction. “Something you can work out I’m sure?”

“Mmm. Probably. But she wasn’t happy” he said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets. He always did that when he was uncomfortable.

“What did you do, Quill?” You asked. 

“Well. It was about you, actually”.

“Me??”

“Try not to be so gleeful about it”.

“Peter, please. I’m not gleeful”.

A lie.

“Just tell me”.

“Well,” he started, clearly uncomfortable to be sharing this (which you loved). “I told her that I thought you were looking really good tonight. And she flipped out, saying I wasn’t over you”.

You nodded, covering your mouth and pretending to cough so he didn’t see your smile. “I see. Well I’m flattered, but yeah as a general rule it’s best not to tell your girlfriend that you think other women look good” you told him gently.

“Yeah. I’ve learnt that one now”.

You both laughed for a moment and for a brief second it was like old times again, before it all got so ugly. 

“So are you seeing anyone right now?” He asked, clearly trying to appear casual and make small talk but very obviously fishing for information.

You winced. “Uh…no. Not really”.

Peter laughed. “Well I know that face. Who is he?”

You rolled your eyes, knowing him well enough to understand he wouldn’t let this go. So you gave it up for an easier life. 

“Just a guy. I liked him. I thought he liked me too. But he basically told me we couldn’t be together, and made me feel stupid for thinking he saw me in that way” you said quietly. 

You were surprised you’d told him anything. But actually it was nice to share it with someone even vaguely, it wasn’t like you could talk about this with anyone else.

Peter nodded and let out a low whistle. “Well, that really sucks”.

“It does indeed”.

“But let’s be real here” he continued. “Clearly he’s a deeply stupid man if he doesn’t see you that way. His loss entirely”.

Your mouth formed a tiny ‘o’ of surprise, you were caught off guard by his words. He hadn’t said anything that nice to you in years.

“Huh…wow. Thanks Peter” you responded sincerely. “I appreciate it”.

You walked the rest of the way just chatting and making silly jokes. It was weirdly comforting to be back in his presence, like slipping on an old, comfortable sweater you’d had for years. 

You finally approached the house and stopped by the front door.

“Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me back, Peter. I appreciate it”.

He looked up at the house and whistled admiringly. “Wow, quite a place you’ve got here”.

“Yeah. A little nicer than that first apartment we got together, you remember that one?” You giggled. 

“Oh yeah. But that wasn’t our apartment. That was actually the cockroaches’ apartment. We were subletting from them” he beamed. 

You cracked up. “Fuck, don’t remind me…”

You both laughed for a moment when you found yourself locking eyes. Before you knew it he had pushed you against the wall and was kissing you. You let him. Maybe it was partly the booze. Maybe because he was that old, comfy sweater after all. You needed a bit of comfort lately. 

The kiss was nice. Familiar, well worn. A little sloppy. Not a patch on Bucky’s kiss, but Bucky’s no longer mattered. 

Unbeknownst to you the security camera whirred above your heads, observing unseen as you became reacquainted with your former boyfriend. It watched you for a few seconds before flipping back to its original place.

You pulled away. 

“Peter we can’t do this. It’s not fair on Sharon…” you protested as you pushed him away from you.

“Don’t worry about Sharon…” he said softly as he tried to dive back in, his hands finding your hips. “Maybe she was right, maybe I’m not over you…”

You nearly relented again. He just felt so…warm. So solid. So familiar. 

“Why don’t you take me inside and I’ll show you how much I’ve missed you?” he whispered in your ear. 

“No. Stop” you said firmly, realising the drink had left you woozy and vulnerable. You weren’t thinking straight. “You can’t do to her what you did to me. It’s not fair, Peter”.

He rolled his eyes. “Really? You’re still not over that?”

You glared back at him, aghast. Suddenly that old familiar sweater was full of moth-eaten holes and loose stitches. Why wear that old, threadbare garment when there are so many better sweaters in the world?! 

“No. Funnily enough I’m not over my long term boyfriend cheating on me in a bathroom…that I walked in on…during my friend’s party I had brought him to as my guest”. 

Peter rolled his eyes. “Oh whatever. You’re such a fuckin’ drama queen. Always have been. No wonder your new man doesn’t want to deal with your bullshit. Peace out” he scoffed and gave you a patronising wave before heading in the opposite direction.

You screamed an obscenity after him as he went. Not your finest hour, but it felt good in the moment.

You took a moment to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of it all before gathering yourself and your keys and heading into the house. You took a few deep breaths trying to keep your anger at bay, firing off a text to Wanda to let her know you were home safe and you urgently needed a debrief tomorrow. What the hell were you thinking letting Peter worm his way back in like that?? Hadn’t you learnt your lesson yet? You were an idiot.

As you stumbled inside you were planning to just grab some water and go straight to bed. But of course your nocturnal roommates were at their usual spot at the kitchen table. Great. Just what you needed right now - small talk.

“Hey you, how was your night?” Steve asked cheerily. 

Bucky was next to him but said nothing, just sat stonily watching you. Not creepy at all. 

“Yeah it was fun, thanks” you managed to respond more merrily than you really felt, before downing a glass of water at the sink. “Looking forward to my bed though”. 

“Surprised you’re going up there alone” Bucky spat.

You flinched, shocked he’d even spoken to you at all - let alone with that tone. Steve looked similarly puzzled as you both turned to look at Bucky.

“Excuse me?” You asked dubiously.

“I said I’m surprised you’re going to bed by yourself” he said again, unperturbed.

“Yeah I heard you the first time” you shot back. “But what exactly are you implying?”

Bucky sat back in his chair. “I saw you. On the security monitor, when you got back to the house”.

You felt yourself flush slightly as you realised he’d seen your kiss with Peter. 

“And? I don’t see how that’s any of your business” you exclaimed. 

“It’s not. I’m just checking you’re looking after yourself, after all we have a vested interest if you’re being careless and your blood is at risk as a result” he replied nonchalantly.

Your eyes widened and you silently raged at his implication. 

“Wait, what is…” asked Steve, completely lost.

“I’m not being careless” you spat back. “Last time I checked there was nothing in our contract about who I’m fucking, and not that I need to justify anything to you - but I’m not ignorant - I know what contraception is”.

Realisation dawned on Steve who shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Oh…”

Bucky scowled, but he nodded. “Good. As long as we’re clear”.

“Crystal” you muttered back sarcastically. “Now can I go to bed or do you need to issue me an STD test?”

Bucky just ignored you as you stomped off upstairs, you wished Steve a good night and swayed slightly as you felt the effects of your overindulgence. Once safely in your room you kicked your shoes off and pulled off your dress, stripping down to just your bra and underwear. 

You laid down on your bed for a moment and pulled a pillow to your mouth, letting the softness absorb a short scream of frustration as you pushed it against your face. Between Peter and Bucky you were officially Done. You’d truly had enough of men who berated you and made you feel small. Enough was enough. 

You got up and crossed the room to go take your make up off when you someone knocked on your door. You rolled your eyes, men really gave you no peace at the moment. You assumed it was Steve coming to check you were alright after yet another run in with the world’s worst roommate.

You stomped over and flung it open, surprised to find Bucky standing there. He opened his mouth to speak but a look of surprise came over his face as his wide eyes tore down your torso. You blinked in confusion for a short second before realising what was happening.

You were only wearing your underwear.

The heady mix of drink and anger meant you’d completely forgotten that you’d already stripped off when you’d heard the knocking.

You yelped and went to cover yourself as Bucky covered his eyes and spun around, apologising profusely as you swore and pulled your long nightshirt over your head to preserve your modesty.

“Why did you answer the door??” he choked out as you pulled the shirt down over your panties.

“I forgot! Give a break” you huffed. “Okay, you can turn around now…”

Bucky turned back to you, keeping his eyes on the floor. “I didn’t really see…” he said awkwardly.

“Don’t…” you warned, a finger pointed in his face. “What do you want anyway? Here to check I’m not hiding any men under my bed?”

“No…look. Can I come in?”

You reluctantly sighed and gestured him step into the room. You sank down onto the bed as he closed the door. You were very aware he hadn’t been in here since that night he told you nothing could happen between the both of you. You wondered if he was thinking about that, too.

He shuffled awkwardly on the spot and it was probably the first time you’d seen him anywhere close to flustered. Normally he was collected, stoic even. Impossible to read.

“What I said back there…it was unnecessary and rude, and I’m sorry. It was uncalled for. You’re right, it’s none of my business” he told you. “I know I haven’t exactly treated you very kindly recently. I’ve been really shitty to you, and I want to tell you I’m sorry”.

You blinked, surprised at the admission. He watched you carefully, his eyes never leaving yours. He looked sincere, actually remorseful. In spite of everything, you felt that familiar tingle of desire as you looked back at him.

“Oh…thanks” you responded. “Wow, that’s actually…very mature of you. Did you have a personality transplant while I was out?”

He frowned. “Help me out, I’m trying here…”

You held up your hands. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I appreciate you acknowledging it and apologising. It means a lot”.

He nodded. There was a beat of silence as you stared at each other, not sure what to say next. It had been awkward and uncomfortable between you for some time now, it was as if you’d both forgotten how to exist alongside each other without some sort of uneasy tension hanging over you.

“So, who was he?” Bucky asked.

You rolled your eyes. “Ugh. Nobody. My ex, I had a momentary lapse of judgement. Mainly alcohol fuelled” you sighed.

“Your ex who cheated on you?” Bucky replied, suddenly very interested.

“The very same. And please, I don’t want to hear any shit about it. My threshold is at capacity”.

Bucky shook his head. “I’m not going to give you shit” he said firmly.

You inhaled. “Apparently I never really learn. You’d think I’d have it through my thick skull by now. I can only seem to hook the terrible ones. I guess that’s all I’m good for” you laughed half-heartedly.

You weren’t really sure where that came from, or why you told Bucky, you were just feeling a little…down. The drink and run in with Peter had zapped a big chunk of your confidence.

“Don’t talk about yourself like that” Bucky scolded.

You were taken aback by that. Normally he would take any opportunity to torture you. At least…he used to. You didn’t really know what to say.

The silence was thick in the air as you thought about how to respond.

“So you don’t think I’m a drama queen?” you croaked, your voice small. Peter’s earlier words echoing in your ears.

Bucky furrowed his brows his confusion. “Uh…no? Why would you think that?”

You shrugged. “It’s nothing. Something someone said to me tonight. Ignore me…I’m just feeling a bit low”.

Bucky watched you carefully. He seemed concerned. You supposed he’d only ever seen you fiery and sniping at him, he didn’t know what to do with this version of you. After what seemed like a lifetime, he finally spoke.

“You know you’re…uh….gorgeous, right?” he told you softly. “That you could have any man you wanted?”

“Don’t make fun of me, Bucky” you replied, your voice small as you assumed he was playing one of his pranks. You couldn’t handle his cruelty at the moment.

“I’m not!” he spat. “Don’t play dumb.”

You gawped up at him, then looked back down in your lap. It felt like he was luring you into another of his mean tricks.

Bucky suddenly seemed to understand you weren’t playing, his face morphing into concern. He crossed the room and slowly kneeled in front of you. He placed an ice cold finger under your chin and propped your head up to look at him. Your eyes slowly travelled up from the floor to meet his. You felt exposed under the intensity of his gaze, your breathing getting heavier as he moved a strand of your hair away from your face.

“I mean it, Doll” he told you with rare sincerity. “I wish you could see what I see”.

You just stared back at him open mouthed, too shocked by this 180 flip to form any words.

“You drive me crazy. You know that?” he said gently. “When I saw you in that dress earlier…and then with that guy…I just lost it…don’t even get me started on seeing you undressed…”

You practically squeaked, unable to take it all in. He tenderly slid his fingers into your hair, never dropping his gaze.

“B-but I don’t get it. I thought I was nothing special, and you didn’t want anything to do with me…you’ve basically ignored me for weeks…” you stammered.

Bucky shook his head and sighed regretfully. “It’s because you’re something special that I said that. I’m sorry that I hurt you, Doll. I just thought it would be easier to be around you if I kept my distance, maybe pushing you away would mean my feelings for you would fade. I know I’ve been an ass, but I would never want to take advantage of you. Even at the start, that’s why I gave you a hard time – I couldn’t deal with how you made me feel. I know that’s not an excuse.”.

You blinked back at him, the gravity of his confession slowly sinking in. You thought about how he’d toyed with you, how he’d berated you. You thought about all of it with fresh eyes through this new lens. What Steve meant that time in the kitchen. All of this time, he had felt it too. He felt what you felt.

His finger traced along your cheek, moving down to your jawline. His touch was almost hypnotic, you had no words.

“I’m sorry that I made you doubt yourself in any way. You deserve better than that” he whispered.

“So…you do like me?” you asked him shyly.

He sighed again. “I do. I can’t deny it any longer. But it’s wrong, Doll. This wasn’t meant to happen. The whole thing is fucked up, even Steve saw what was happening and warned me to stop. But I can’t stay away from you. I can’t-”

You cut him off as you flung yourself at him, buoyed by your Dutch courage and unable to resist any longer. You pushed him to the floor, straddling him as your mouth found his and you kissed him deeply. He didn’t hesitate to respond, his urgent hands pulling you closer towards him as you grinded your hips into his. He flipped you over so that he was suddenly on top, causing you to shriek in surprise. Now in control he effortlessly lifted you onto the bed without breaking the kiss, pulling the sheets back with one hand as he held you with the other. You never got used to how easily he and Steve could lift you. He placed you delicately down on the bed and broke away from you, caressing your face with his thumb.

“We can’t right now” he whispered, his breathing slightly laboured. “Steve will get suspicious because I’ve been in here for so long. And you need to sleep it off”.

You whined petulantly and shot up. “You’re leaving??”

He nodded.

You scoffed in disbelief, trying to ignore the throbbing between your legs. “You can’t leave now? After all that?!”

He grinned deviously and suddenly he was back to the Bucky you knew all too well.

“I can and I will. Get some sleep. Sober up. I’m not going anywhere, we’ll continue this tomorrow. We need to talk. Remember Steve is out meeting some of our friends so we’ll have the place to ourselves. We’re in no rush, Doll. I’m going to take my time with you”.

You scowled at him, outraged that he’d built you up just to leave you hanging. But he was right, Steve had plans tomorrow – you remembered now. He’d been excited all week. Maybe it would be better to do this, whatever this was, without any potential interruptions.

But still…

“Maybe I won’t to want to by then…” you whimpered childishly.

Bucky just laughed, leaning in closer so that he was only an inch away from your face. “Oh Doll, trust me – you will” he practically purred, his voice low and gravelly.

He smirked as he watched you flush at that, knowing full well how riled up you were. He placed a finger against your cheek, letting out a small groan as he marvelled at the warmth radiating against his frigid flesh. As a parting gift, he leaned over and languidly licked a long stripe up your neck to your jawline, causing your entire body to shiver.

You gawked at him with betrayal in your eyes, wild with lust. Hardly able to believe he was leaving you in this…condition.

“Until tomorrow” he whispered, shooting one final smirk at you as he slipped out of the room.

You furiously threw a pillow at the door where he’d been, it slammed with a neat thud as it bounced off the wood. You growled with frustration and threw yourself back onto the bed, wrapping the sheets over yourself and turning over onto your side as you flicked off the light. That bastard, how the hell were you supposed to get any sleep now?! This was a great injustice, a terrible crime.

You laid there in the dark thinking about everything he’d said, trying to absorb the weight of what he’d told you. You were still reeling from his confession, unable to grasp that this whole time he’d been grappling with his own feelings for you. Part of you felt annoyed that he’d played games with you like this, keeping you at arm’s length on his terms – but you also understood why. This wasn’t exactly an ideal situation, it wasn’t appropriate – clearly he was hoping his attraction to you would fade and life in the house could remain simple. You couldn’t deny you had your own reservations too, unsure how it would work and how the dynamic would change. You didn’t like the idea of keeping anything from Steve either, he’d been so good to you. You supposed you could always move out and end the arrangement…but the thought of starting the apartment hunting again filled you with dread.

But mainly you felt…well, excited. There had been something between you and Bucky since the start, something that had crept out in his feeds and generally caused you to provoke one another in your day to day (well…night to night) interactions. Some sort of raw chemistry neither of you could ignore. You couldn’t fully articulate what it was, but it thrilled you – all you could really focus on was your anticipation to explore it, and worry about the consequences later.

[moths-in-hats]

Pairing: Erica Reyes/Lydia Martin

Words: 669

Written for @teenwolfrarepairevents August Character of the Month and @torturedpoetskywalker prompt: Post-Canon Moving In Together or Going to the same college together

In the past month, Lydia has found her groove at MIT. She's gotten used to the new environment, new objectives, new faces of going to college. Which is why she's taken aback when she walks into the main library one day and spots a familiar blonde.

“Erica?”

Erica looks up from her laptop. “Oh, Lydia! Hi.”

“I didn't know you went to MIT.”

“Yeah, computing,” Erica replies shyly.

Lydia cocks her head and remembers Erica hacking into her father's insurance records many years ago. She smiles. “It's nice to see you.”

“You too.”

Over the next few months the two girls run into each other more and more. It starts off as knowing smiles across the library —

(“Who's that?” Lydia's friends ask.

“Just someone from home.”)

— and nods in the corridor —

(“Lydia, thank God!” Erica exhales. “Do you know where this building is?”)

— but slowly they morph from old classmates to friends. It surprises Erica to begin with. After all, she used to hate Lydia and people like her. The popular kids who made her life hell. But Erica's changed a lot since freshman year of high school and so has Lydia. Away from the terrors of Beacon Hills High and the horrors of Beacon Hills supernatural scene, Erica finds it easy to like Lydia.

They start spending more time together, studying and helping each other on assignments and going to coffee shops and parks and stores.

It's so nice, Erica thinks, to talk to someone who knows what it means to be supernatural.

(“So what actually is a banshee?” Erica asks one night.

Lydia explains and Erica nods in half understanding.

“Now ask me what a chimera is,” Lydia laughs.

“Oh I missed a lot after I left, huh?”)

It's so nice, Erica thinks, to talk to someone who remembers the time Stiles snorted chocolate milk out of his nose.

(“Did anyone ever tell you about the first time he got drunk?”

Erica's eyes go wide. “No? Tell me immediately!”)

So they become friends. They hang out in each others’ rooms. Lydia encourages Erica to try climbing again. Erica helps Lydia run for student council —

(“We don't need badges.”

“That's where you're wrong, Lydia!”)

— They talk about their fears, their nightmares, their hopes and dreams. They have inside jokes —

(“Oh!” A mutual friend they’re studying with turns to Erica. “Can you make it to the party on Saturday?”

“Maybe,” Erica replies, glancing over at Lydia.

“No, mayflies,” Lydia mutters without looking up from her textbook.

Erica giggles and looks back at their friend. “Sorry, what time did you say it starts?”)

— They click.

And then one day, Erica walks into Lydia's room and throws herself down onto Lydia's bed. “God! I hate my roommate.”

Lydia, at her desk, is undisturbed by the dramatics. “You should come live here,” She says offhandedly.

“What?”

“My roommate's dropping out, going back to Poland. You should move in.”

“Okay.”

So they live together.

They live together.

All the little things about Lydia that Erica had been ignoring become unignorable. Like the way Lydia's hair always smells like strawberries or the way Lydia laughs like an angel or the way Lydia is somehow both incredibly competitive and incredibly bad at Mario Kart.

That last one becomes especially unignorable late one night when they're sitting on Erica's bed playing together. Lydia is losing, of course, so she decides that if she can't win herself the only option is to sabotage Erica. She attempts to grab the controller out of Erica's hands but can't quite reach. After two more tries, Lydia just decides to launch herself at the other girl. This works to knock the controller away. It also, however, means Lydia is now lying on top of Erica on Erica's bed.

“Hi,” Erica says.

“Hi,” Lydia replies.

Erica can feel herself blushing.

“Fuck it,” Lydia mutters and closes the gap between their lips.

Erica kisses back fiercely.

Much later, they're curled up in each other's arms, the Mario Kart all but forgotten.