#this is the coziest time i had in years
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got myself a pro camera app so now im learning to take pics 📸
#g:acnh#this is the coziest time i had in years#pls let me live on my island so i dont have to face reality lol
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so, nerdy loser college boy choso *sighs* *opens legs*
a/n: just so you know, this man is gonna make you do all the hard work for a piece of that loser boy dick 😮💨 so... um so at some point around 2000 words in i realised this is way more than a hc post :3 eat it up if you will!
nerdy!choso who borderline has no friends except his gaming buddies who doesnt meet irl like ever. he doesnt like going to classes, especially this one. he doesnt need it but it's a requirement for all first years. and boy is glad it is when he sees you come in.
nerdy!choso who only listens to discussions when you're talking. suddenly he needs to put down his headphones and nod at every word you're saying. his eyes follow every gesture of your hand, every sway of your ass, every single time you fix your hair.
nerdy!choso who is starting to get a bit enamored with you, your style, your way of speaking. he loses track of time gawking at you in class from the last benches as you prettily do all the work in the class. he hates how beautifully your hair falls on your face, how nicely your clothes fit you despite being pretty modest for college. he hates how he can see the silhouette of your tits when you turn to the side. but he's too much of a gentleman to keep looking.
nerdy!choso who ends a game early when he remembers you, lying and saying that he had promised someone to meet them somewhere. the place is his bathroom and the person was you. god, you really shouldn't wear those tight jeans to class y'know? how will he continue to be a gentleman if you do?
nerdy!choso who despises groupwork but prays to dear god this class has some reason to pair you two together. he's getting so desperate to talk to you knowing damn well he too pussy to do it on his own. and the lord answers his prayers, the teacher assigns groups of three for a presentation. it's you, him and some slacking trust fund baby.
nerdy!choso who is about to combust and have a full blown panic attack when he sees you approach him after class with that smile on your face that would make the angels swoon. you're going on about distributing the work equally and what not while he is trying his fucking hardest to not accidently make eye contact with you and piss his pants : (
nerdy!choso who now has your name, your number and your email and he feels like the happiest man on earth. his hands are literally shaking as he responds to your request to call. he's overthinking every word he types.
choso: yeah i can do wednesday. choso: i'll be okay with whatever day you want.
nerdy!choso who hops on video call and short circuits with a view of you in an oversized band tee and a brief view of your room. why did you have to be this pretty? why did you have to video call him when you couldve done the work on text? why did you have to put your hair up like that? why oh why did you have you say "choso? hey, you there?" so seductively to bring him back to the present?
nerdy!choso who gets like no work done in a 30 minute call which felt like three hours. he knew he would hardly be paying attention so decided to record the call with your consent, saying he'd need the notes you were typing out on screen only to play it back and stroke his dick to you for what might've have been the twentieth time this week. his strokes only getting faster as you say his name in that voice he imagines sounds way better moaning and screaming it instead.
nerdy!choso who, after the presentation, is on greeting terms with you when he sees you studying in the library. he sits as far away from you as he can while still being able to see you. occupying the coziest corner of the library to stare at you study right when you come up to him.
"can i join you, choso? i'm all alone and your space seems comfy" you say with a smile, "of course, i dont mean to disturb you, is saw you were on your own too, so..."
uh oh, uh oh, uh oh. god no. please no. please dont say yes. please dont be staring at her like some dumb idiot (too late) please.
"uh... yeah sure why not?" he awkwardly says as he makes room for you to keep your things. he was such an idiot for thinking he could say no to your pretty face in the first place.
nerdy!choso who is absolutely drunk on your scent. it feels way better than any alcohol he's ever had. he feels like an animal in heat when he smells your sugary perfume mixed with the styrofoam-y air conditioned smell of the library. you're gonna kill him, yknow? how is he supposed to respond to this? what is one to do when their stupid college crush sits next to them? he gives you a half smile before furiously typing away on reddit, the only place with answers for losers like him.
nerdy!choso whose hands. oh his hands. (can be i a big whore for a second?) his long hands that feel like they're the size of your face. his kempt, beautiful and trimmed nails. his lengthy fingers that seem to yearn for something more to foddle with than just the keyboard or controller. he typed as such an insane pace it made your pussy ache. he was going so fast, jesus. those hands were meant to do more than just ask "how to talk to girls" on reddit.
nerdy!choso who (on the advice of reddit) asks if you would want him to order something for you. you tell you had a frappuccino not too long ago and that it was quite sweet and filling. and he hates himself for thinking that he could give you something much sweeter and filling than that like a horny fourteen year old.
nerdy!choso who is now determined to not come off as a creep so he does his work with the focus of four adderalls. he is typing as fast as his heartbeat, not realising he got two classes worth of work done in just an hour. he looks over at you, blissfully unaware of the absolute war in his mind.
nerdy!choso who feels as though if he doesn't muster up the courage to ask you out right then and there, he'll probably be the biggest loser on the planet. (as if he wasn't already)
nerdy! pathetic! choso who stutters a million times and barely gets the job done then too. his eyes are scanning your entire being (trying his best to not gawk at your tits) for any sign of discomfort.
"so- uhh so ummm... wo-would you, like, uh... like to do this again? sometime?... i got a.. a lot of work done today, so.."
oh heavens, the sheer nervousness in his tone makes you want to pull his pants down and show him how to really get work done.
you agree with a smile, even suggesting a better, more ambient (more romantic) cafe to study in. choso's heart is about to burst and flood the fucking library with his blood the way it is beating at an alarming rate.
"umm yeah uh 5 sounds... awesome... i hope it isn't a-a bother to you?" "no way, choso. i loved today," you offer him a smile as you gather your things, "i really like your hair, by the way" "i like your hair too, y-y-you smell very nice", he gulps.
fuck. why did he say that? what? you smell nice? who says that? is he like ten? you can't help but giggle at the sheer embarassment on his face.
he feels as though he's gonna melt into a puddle and turn to stone and throw up all at the same time.
nerdy!choso who is the most stupidly hot guy you've ever met, you think as you go giggling back to your dorm. mental note: pick a skimpy outfit for 5pm ;)
#aniya writes ૮ ․ ․ ྀིა#my head would be in my hands#if they weren't already occupied#jjk smut#jujutsu kaisen smut#jjk x reader#jjk x y/n#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jujutsu kaisen choso#choso jjk#choso jujutsu kaisen#choso#kamo choso#choso kamo#choso x reader#jjk choso#choso smut#choso x you#choso my beloved#choso x y/n#choso x female reader#jjk ^ ~#jjk x you#jujutsu kaisen#jjk fanfic#jjk drabbles#jjk x poc!reader#choso kamo x reader
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BROKE
Warnings - explicit smut, minors dni, male and female receiving oral, blowjobs, fingering, sex, p in v sex, unprotected sex, swearing. HEAVY ANGST
A/N - hope you all enjoy this. I had some much fun writing it and it’s one of my longest fics I’ve written. Please leave suggestions in the comments and requests are always open!
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The breakup was messy. You'd dated Lando for 2 years, but had known him for much longer than that. He was your everything, and you thought he'd remain that forever. But you were wrong. So wrong. Here you were, 6 months after the breakup and you heart was still breaking into pieces with each passing second.
You were a social media content creator for f1, and obviously Lando being a driver, meant you had spent a lot of time together, both in front of and behind the camera for about 3 years, until Lando asked you out and well, the rest was history. You both fell ferociously in love with each other - only for it to end in shatters.
Things were more than perfect at the end of last year. You'd had the most incredible winter break, and for the first time, you even spoke about getting married one day.
You were spending the last few days of the break on a ski trip in Finland. Lando had rented the coziest little cottage with a lush interior and fancy fire places to keep you warm from the blazing snow outside. The day had been filled with laughs and falls while skiing, and once you made it back in doors Lando jumped you in the shower. He pushed you to the wall, attacking your lips with his own, sliding his tongue into your mouth, exploring it. You were a moaning mess as you felt his hand slide down to your core, pinching and pulling at your clit as he slid two fingers in at once. ''Oh Lan'' you moaned into his ear, palming his throbbing dick and feeling it twitch in your hand, causing his breath to hitch at the sensation. ''Gonna fuck you senseless, yeah?'' he asked, before lowering to his knees, eyes not leaving yours. All you could do was nod your head and bite your lip as he licked a stripe up your cunt, collecting all your juices and using them as a lube to easily slide his tongue through your entrance. You pulled at his hair as he thrust in and out of you, shamelessly moaning the most obscene noises you could muster, as you released and came all over his mouth, shaking in his hands. He made sure to swallow everything before leaning up and kissing you with urgency, before he pushed you down by your shoulders to sit on your own knees now. You pumped him a few times as you spread his pre cum across his slit before you leaned forward and deep throated him, gagging in the process. Your hands pumped whatever you couldn't fit in as he held your hair out of your face, praising your name through gritted teeth. ''Taking me so fucking well baby'' he mumbled. He took a hold of your head now and fucked himself in and out of your mouth relentlessly, hardly giving you any room to breath. A few minutes later his movements were sloppy and his dick started twitching as you felt him shoot sheets of warm, salty cum down the back of your throat. You rode him through his orgasm before standing up again. He man handled you to face the other way, pulling your ass out and thrusting into you immediately, rough and fast. Your palms were flat on the wall as he pushed the side of your face against the cool tiles and fucked into you, whispering dirty nothings into your ear. His one hand snaked around your throat, applying some pressure as he continued his activities, telling how tight and how good you were for him, until your body was shaking and shuddering with the intense orgasm. He pulled out and somehow go the both of you out of the shower, before lifting you to sit on the counter by the sink. He spread your legs open and stuffed himself back into you, taking a hold onto your waist as your hands found and squeezed at his biceps. You came a third and fourth time before Lando was emptying his load into you, fucking it as far in as he could. You leaned forward on him, breathless, chuckling at the quick turn of events. He told you he loved you, you did the same. The night didn't end there though. Lando had fucked you in the kitchen again, ate you out in lounge on the floor by the fireplace, as well as in the hot tub, before you decided you wanted to taste again him so you gave him head so good he thought his mind might just explode. It was as if you were both starved of each other and hadn't had sex in days, though it was quite the opposite. You did the nasty almost everyday since the winter break started, and you still couldn't get enough of each other. When Lando fucked you for the last time that night, as you both lay in bed, he told you how you changed his life for the better, how he's never loved anyone as much as he loves you, and how he doesn't plan on loving anyone else but you. Tears prickled the corners of your eyes hearing him say all that. And as you both came in unison, Lando told you how one day he was going to marry you and how you'd start a family together. You had told him you wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of your life with him. It was incredible while it lasted.
As the season started and Lando's head was focused on the world championships, and you slowly started to feel him slip away, race by race. You figured it was just the stress of it all that was causing him to shut you out.
Although you were a presenter for sky, it didn't mean you were at every race. You were often back at HQ in England, streaming from there or preparing notes for the next races you were to attend.
You would face time as best you could with the different time zones, and you always tried to be home in Monaco whenever he was. Normally he would run into your arms at first sight and pepper you in kisses, tell you how much he missed you. But by the 5th race he had distanced himself so much that all you got when he walked through the door was a ''hey'' and a retreat to your bedroom.
As the races continued your face times became less frequent, and most of your messages to him went un-answered. If my any miracle he did reply, it was just a short one or two word response. No more ''I love you's'' at the end.
The one day, when he was in Canada and had actually picked up your call, you asked him what was going on.
''Lan, is everything ok? You've been distancing yourself so much lately and I miss you, I really do'' you said through the screen.
He sighed. ''You know y/n, I have to focus on my job, keep my mind where I'm needed mentally and physically. It's not like I can race cars sitting at a desk like you do. I have to actually be here, and I thought I'd have more support from you to come to my races.''
Wait, what? Was he actually saying this to you right now? He'd always respected and supported your job, and now all of a sudden that's a problem for him?
''Lan, what? You know I come to as many races as possible, and it's also a job where I'm needed physically at HQ, but we've always made it work, and we always communicate as much as possible when we're apart. You know I always support you, even if I'm not there in person. Where is all this coming from?'' you asked, desperation in your eyes.
''Whatever, I can't deal with this now'' he said, before ending the call.
You scoffed, if he couldn't then you couldn't be arsed to deal with it now either.
He'd returned home the day before you did. He'd text you the morning you were supposed to arrive that he was going on a golfing trip with Carlos for a few days.
You were upset at the fact that he was choosing to spend his time home away from you, when he knew you wouldn't be going to the next 2 races. You'd tried to distract yourself and meet up with the other wags that were in town but it only made you more upset listening to how perfect their relationships seemed at the moment.
4 days later, Lando returned home. You were in the kitchen preparing lunch as he just walked through the door, ignoring you, and straight to your room.
You both were too stubborn to say anything for the rest of the day. You'd eaten in silence and done your own things until you went to bed. Normally he would be cuddling you from behind, kissing you breathless, but tonight you slept as far as possible though on the same bed.
What you weren't expecting was to be waking up the next morning with Lando hovering above you and pushing his dick into you. You moaned at the contact and instinctively bought your hands up to cup his face and pull him in for an urgent kiss, wrapping your legs around him as tight as you could. He set a quick, fast pace, fucking into your core eagerly. Your nails dug into his skin as your body trembled, reaching your orgasm quicker than usual because you were so desperate for a release, and it wasn't long until Lando was emptying himself into you. This time he pulled out straight away and went to the bathroom - to clean himself up - not you - before he jumped in the shower and then merely said he has paddle with the boys, leaving you hornier for more.
That was the last time he fucked you. He didn't touch you after that. One day, after the next race when you were both home again, you'd had a silly argument, both throwing metaphoric daggers at each other, and so Lando had been streaming all day, not interacting with you at all. You were in the lounge watching tv as you heard quiet moans coming from his streaming room. You quickly got up and silently walked to the room where the door was slightly jar. You watched as Lando had his cock in his hands, jerking off while watching porn.
You couldn't help but let a tear slide down your cheek as to what extent he was willing to go to to not be with you. But you still loved him, so you let it slide and busied yourself doing other things.
You'd caught him getting himself off a few more times - once in the bathroom in the middle of the night, once right next to you in bed, while he thought you were sleeping, and once sitting in his car just as you'd returned home from doing some shopping.
The one race you were working at, he again ignored you more times than you could count, and you'd ended up having multiple arguments about stupid things all 5 days that you were there. You'd both said hurtful things to each other, things you never thought you would say
You were reaching your breaking point now, he was not talking to you, not touching you, just shutting you out in every way possible, so you decided you needed to confront him about it.
At the start of summer break, the one day, Lando was sitting out on the balcony, watching the sunset, alone, a beer in hand.
You walked out and sat next to him, staring out at the beautiful Monaco view, before you looked at him and started talking.
''Lando, please talk to me. What's going on'' you said softly as you tried to keep you tears at bay.
Lando looked at you, for what felt like the fist time in months, his eyes beautiful as ever but not holding the usual warmth and love he once held for you.
''There's really nothing to talk about'' he said quietly, turning away from you.
''What do you mean? You've distanced yourself from me for months, and I've kept quiet, but you need to talk to me, tell me what's bothering you or what I'm doing wrong, because clearly I seem to be the problem here'' you said, the tears threatening to spill any second.
''Why does everything have to be about you? Fuck. You're so fucking needy all the time. Always calling and texting and trying to get my attention when I have more important things to deal with. If you want my attention so much then why the fuck aren't you at all my races?'' he spat.
''Is this what this is about? Me not coming to all your races?'' you asked, not believing it.
''I told you, it's not all about you.'' he said, throwing daggers at you.
''Lando, you're not making any sense. You say I'm needy then you blame me for not going to races. Where is all this coming from? Our communication has dropped so low. You seem to want to me away from me at al times. You don't talk to me, you don't do anything with me these days. You haven't even fucking touched me in months'' you say.
''Oh so now its about me not touching you? I don't have time for shit like that anymore'' he said, standing up and leaning against the balcony.
''It's about everything, Lan. How did we let our relationship sink this low? And don't think I didn't fucking catch you getting yourself off all those times after we last fucked'' you spat back, also standing up now.
His gaze on you turned angry. ''Ugh I'm so fucking sick of it all. All the whining and irritation. Take a fucking hint, y/n'' he said through gritted teeth, shouting at you now.
''So is this it then? Just throw away years of friendship and love because YOU let our relationship sink?'' you asked, voice softening, the tears falling uncontrollably now.
''The doors' fucking open'' he said, pointing at the door.
You heart shattered as he said that. He gave up on you, and now he was practically telling you to leave.
You stood there, frozen, before he spoke again.
''If you won't then i fucking will'' he said harshly, walking away from you and out of the door.
Your body went into shock. You managed to tremble inside before your legs gave way and you sat on the floor by the sofa. A series of wrecks ripping through your body.
You cried so much that night, your heart broken into a million pieces all by the person you loved the most.
On a different occasion, you knew Lando would rush back to you, apologize and ask for your forgiveness. But something in the way he spoke and looked at you tonight told you that this was really the end. He was done with you.
You didn't hear from him again after that. You tried, so hard to move on without him in your life. You packed your bags and left the apartment, finding a smaller place for yourself. Your job was still your passion, so you stuck with it, requesting to spend as much time as possible at HQ rather than going to races, to which your bosses kindly agreed to because they knew your relationship with Lando and how much you were struggling.
You closed off from mutual friends, even the wags, because all they did was remind you of what you once had with Lando. Carmen though stuck by your side through it all. She was your lifeline. Everyday felt like the worst day of your life, reliving the break up over and over again. By now you felt like you were functioning just for the sake of it.
Last month you even went on a date, but all you did the whole night was compare him to Lando - the Lando that you loved, not that broke your heart. You ended up saying you were feeling sick and left early.
Nothing was helping you move on. All you thought of 24 hours a day was what was and what should have been.
Lando though, didn't seem phased by anything. You often caught yourself looking at his Instagram account to see how he was doing, though you knew it was the worst thing to do. Gossip accounts would post regular updates of him walking out of clubs beaming, happier than ever, with a new girl at his side every time. It broke you how quickly he moved on. How okay he was without you, yet here you were trying to hate him and be angry at him, but not able to diminish the love you will probably always feel for him.
Your boss this morning had just told you that you had to go for the next race in Singapore. They desperately needed you back on their screens and the more you though of it, you needed to get back out there and move on with your life. You needed to block Lando, your lover, as much as you could, and only deal with Lando the driver.
You were excited to finally go to a race, you absolutely loved it and maybe it was a good first step for you. Sky had assured you that you would only be working with Ferraro this weekend, and have nothing to do with Mclaren.
It was also good to finally catch up with some of the other wags and your Sky girlfriends. After the first night out with them, you knew you were stronger than you thought and you knew you'd be okay.
It was media day today. You'd opted for a simple body-con dress, nothing too fancy or showy.
You held your breath as you entered the paddock. For the first time in over two years you were entering alone, not with Lando holding your hand, and your heart couldn't help but ache at the though of it.
But you quickly screwed your head back on and made a bee-line for the Ferrari garage. Charles' eyes brightened as soon as he saw you, rushing over to hug you. ''Y/n, its so good to see you again, we've really missed you the last few races'' he gushed.
''Ah it's good to see you too Char, and I'm so happy Alex is here so we can catch up!'' you said, jumping slightly when Carlos appeared out of nowhere and pulled you in for a hug.
''Our favorite presenter is finally back where she belongs'' he squealed.
The day was going well, you managed to do all your work in the Ferrari garage, as well as record a few bits for the pre-race shows. That was until you were being pulled into the driver press conferences to take notes for Craig Slater as his usual colleague fell ill.
You walked behind Craig, following him into the room and as you looked up you locked eyes with none other than Lando.
Your breath hitched in your throat as you took him in. He still looked handsome as ever, though his expression of initial shock of seeing you quickly turned to a frustrated look, clenching his jaw.
You sat down, hands shaking, and tried to concentrate on what you were here for. You listened carefully to the questions and answers, and when Craig asked Lando a question he couldn't have made it more obvious that he was not happy to be here let alone answering ridiculous questions. He shot daggers at everyone, replying sarcastic and cocky answers wherever he could.
As soon as the press conference was over he shot out of his seat and bee lined through the door. You let out a breath you didn't even realize you were holding in. You walked into a passage and saw George came over to you and engulfed you in a tight hug. He knew how Lando had hurt you because of Carmen. You also knew you could trust him.
You couldn't help but break down completely in his arms, your sobs over taking your body as he held on to you and let you cry. ''You're okay, y/n, shh'' he whispered into your hair. ''Why does he look at me like he hates me?''you sobbed. ''Y/n, no he doesn't. He's just being an ass'' George reassured you'' After a few minutes you said ''I'm sorry.'' ''Hey, don't be sorry. I'm here for you whenever you need me'' he said, pulling back and looking into your eyes sincerely. He wipes your tears from your face and told you he'd give you a ride back to the hotel since you were staying at the same one.
You managed to calm down on the ride back. ''Call me if you need anything, anytime of the night'' George said, walking up to your room with you.
As you settled in bed that night your mind couldn't help but replay the once good times of yours and Lando's relationship. Your tears returned as you cried into your pillow. No matter how much you try to forget him and move on, your heart strings are still gravitating towards him.
Just as you were about to fall asleep your phone buzzed with a message. When you turned it over and saw who it was, your heart skipped a beat. It was him.
''Why the fuck are you here Y/n?'' was all he said.
''It's still my job Lando'' you replied, not sure which way this was going.
His next message sent another dagger through your heart-
''I don't want to be fucking anywhere near you''
By now you were full on sobbing again. How has he just forgotten everything from the last few years. He's literally talking to you like he hates you and can't stand the sight of you. You really didn't even know what to respond.
''Well you don't have to worry about that. I'm with Ferrari all weekend''
He didn't reply anything after that. Needless to say you cried yourself to sleep that night.
You got up early the next morning and went for a run to clear your mind. You needed to concentrate on work so you threw yourself in as soon as you got to the paddock. Filming with Charles and Carlos was always a fun time and they had lightened up your mood for a bit until they had to get into their cars for FP1 & 2.
At the end of the day, you'd stayed behind to finish some work up. Just as you were packing up you heard the door open, expecting it to me a mechanic or someone from Ferrari hospitality but when you looked up you were internally shaking. Lando.
He stood there, looking at you with the same disgust he'd shown you yesterday. Yes he still looked handsome but he also looked tired and worn out. Hair messy, eyes red. He didn't say anything right away.
Instead you both just looked at one another for multiple seconds. You tried to keep your composure and not let him see how broken you were. But with each passing second you were failing.
You finally cleared your throat and said his name, rolling it off your tongue left a bitter taste on it.
''Lan Lando'' you said, holding your breath.
His voice was firm but soft. ''Why the hell are you are y/n?'' he asked the same question as his text.
You sighed. ''I told you I still work with Sky. It's my job and I love it. I'm not going to leave just because you don't want me here'' you said, surprised at how you held your words with saying that.
Now it was his turn to sigh. ''But what don't you fucking understand'' he almost shouted, putting his hands in his pockets. ''I don't want to fucking be around you. I don't want to associate you with my love for racing, so stop coming here'' he spat.
You let a few tears roll down your cheek, heart breaking all over again at his words. ''Lando what did I ever do to you to make you hate me like this. Why? Why did you distance yourself and why did you walk away from me?'' you whispered.
He shook his head. ''All I know is that we were a mistake. We were wrong in so many ways, and I wish we had nothing to do with each other'' he said in a low voice.
By now you were struggling to breath, literally. You sat yourself back down and held your head in your shaky hands, your mind refusing to believe he was saying all of this to you. You were having a full on panic attack in front of him.
Gasping for air, you looked at him again. ''Lando I-I-'' you said, begging him to do or say something to calm you down. He was always the one who would do so and now he was the one causing the pain.
You shut your eyes and took a few deep breaths while he just stood there and looked at you.
This was it, you thought. You had to find a way to let him go and live your life with him in the past. You won't let yourself continue to love someone who doesn't love you back. Someone who hurt you in so many ways and who said painful things about your relationship in which you were at your happiest.
Just as you were about to look up again you felt hands on your knees. You gasped as you saw Lando leaning down, tears in his own eyes. He squeezed your knees and opened his mouth to talk but nothing came out. Instead his tears spilled over onto his cheeks. His touch sent a jot of electricity through your body.
You placed your hands on top of his and smiled through your tears. ''I'll go, you wont have to worry about being near me anymore'' you whispered, though he quickly shook his head.
''Yes, I'll be fine. You'll be fine'' you said, even though you didn't believe yourself one bit.
What you didn't know was Lando's side of the story.
Everything was perfect. You were both in love. Life was good, more than good. Then this year came along, and Mclaren suddenly had a competitive car. He was closer than ever to be in contention for both drivers' and constructors' championships. He didn't know how to handle the highs and lows, the pleasure and pain. And instead of coming to you for help, he pushed you away. He became the nastiest person he'd ever been. He hurt you in ways you never deserved in a million years, thinking it'd be easier if you hated him, that way he can focus on racing. But boy was he wrong. Distancing himself from you in the beginning was frustrating and felt wrong in so many ways, but he pushed himself away from you, telling his brain it was for the best even though his heart and gut knew what he was doing was wrong. Then even when he was around you physically, he had to keep himself away. Instead of throwing himself in your arms after being away from each other, he barely acknowledged you. He refused to let himself touch you, kiss you even though all he wanted was your comfort. The one time he fucked you was a moment of weakness, or so he told himself. And then the breakup. The most gut-wrenching day of his life. The words he'd thrown at you, the lies he told you, the guilt he made you feel. He was broken when he walked out of the door that day. Every cell in his body was telling him to come back into the house and apologize to you, beg for your forgiveness, hug you and never let you go, yet his mind was made up, and he couldn't look at you again without feeling the pain of all the guilt of everything - so he didn't turn back. For 6 months he used every girl that threw herself at him, in the hopes that he could forget about you and move on, though he found himself comparing every girl to you. None of their hair was soft and silky as yours, no one had smooth and lush skin, no one had curves in all the right places, no one kissed him and touched like you, no one fucked him as good as you did. But most importantly, no one was as beautiful, as kind, as intelligent as you were. He was miserable, jumping from one girl to another only to be praising your name as he came and have her call him a dickhead before walking out. He shouldn't have been surprised to see you back at the Paddock - it was also your job to be there. But when he locked eyes with your he felt all the air leave his lungs, and even though he wanted nothing more than to run up to you and take you in his arms, he decided that being pissed off was the easier option. As if it was. When he'd texted you last night, it was more of an excuse just to 'text you,' not to be an asshole, but of course, he was nothing less than as ass. And today, he was about the head out back to the hotel when Charles had asked how he felt having you back in the paddock, and eventually he'd let slip that you were still here, working late. Lando's feet had auto-piloted their way to you. Did he plan on hurting you again? No. Did he hurt you again? Yes. As soon as the words left his mouth of calling your relationship a mistake, he wanted the world to swallow him up. It was anything but a mistake. It was all-consuming love that held passion, kindness, trust, honesty, and earnestness. And he ended up throwing it all away for nothing. Not that anything would be worth it. He should never have even thought anything like that, let alone say it out loud to you. The last straw was not helping you through your panic attack. You all but begged him for help and all he did was stood there, feet stuck to the ground as he couldn't believe such vile words left his mouth causing you to go through all of this. Without thinking he ran up to where you were sitting and knelt down, his hands coming into contact with your skin after months of agony. Through all of this, even though his actions were the exact opposite - he never stopped loving you. Not once. He decided then and there that he needed to own up to his mistakes and ask for your forgiveness, even though he doesn't in a million lifetimes deserve it.
''Y/n,'' he said, voice breaking.
''No Lando, you don't have to say anything. I'll leave, never come to the paddock again, I'll find a new way in life for myself. One that doesn't revolve around you. I promise. You don't have to worry anymore. I-'' you stated while he cut you off.
''No no no y/n, listen to me'' he said then continued-
''You don't understand. It's not you that i hate. It's me. It's all fucking me'' he said through his tears that were now freely falling.
You honestly didn't know how to respond, so you stayed silent, hands still above his on your knees.
''I know I don't deserve you even listening to what I have to say but please, please just hear me out. Even if you hate me after everything, I need to tell you'' he begged.
You nodded.
''Y/n nothing was ever your fault. We had the most incredible relationship and I went and fucked it up. I know it sounds fucked up, but having a competitive car this year threw me off balance. I didn't know how to deal with the ups and downs, and instead of coming to you for help or telling you how I felt I shut you out, pushed you away, and disrespected you so much that i physically fucking hate myself for it. It's no excuse for how i treated you but i need you know that not for one second did i ever stop loving you. I don't think there will ever be a time where I'm not in love with you. Walking out the way I did in Monaco ended my world and even though i wanted to walk straight back in to you, i knew i didn't deserve to after everything i said. I am so, so incredibly sorry for everything I said and did. I know it's selfish for me to ask, but please, please forgive me, even though you owe me nothing. I hope we can find our back to each other because living in this world without you is the worst, most painful feeling I've felt these last 6 months. We were never a mistake, and we will never ever be a mistake. I love you so much y/n'' he said softy through his tears.
You couldn't believe what you were hearing. It was all too much. Too many words spoken for you to process everything he said. You wanted to believe him, to jump back into his arms and tell him your forgive him, tell him you love him more than anything. But you had to protect your heart before any of that could happen.
''Lan'' you whispered, unable to say anything more as your tears were flowing uncontrollably.
''It's okay baby, I know, that was a lot. Catch your breath. Just breath'' he said, bringing his forehead to yours, Whether he was trying to calm you or himself down, he didn't know. But he held onto your hands and squeezed them tight.
As hurt as you were by him, he actually managed to calm you down and bring your breath back to a normal pace.
You pulled away from him after a few minutes, looking into his puffy and red eyes, breaking at how this was all affecting him more than you thought it was.
''Lan,'' you started again.
''I really appreciate you telling me all of this. But you hurt me, so much, more than I ever thought possible.''
He nodded his head, tears returning to his eyes.
You continued - ''And as much as i still love you, as much as i want to go back to where we were a year ago,'' you sniffled. ''I need time. I need time to think through it all. I can't risk my heart being broken by you again. I have to protect it'' you said, unable to wipe away at his tears.
He nodded again, held onto your hands that were still holding his face. ''I know. What I did was awful and I don't expect you to take me back right away. I completely understand. But please know I will always, always wait for you. No matter how long it takes. I only want to be with you, so whether you want me in a minute, a year, or 10 years, I'm only yours, if you'll have me, that is.''
You nodded and stayed staring at each other for what felt like hours but was probably only 5 minutes.
Lando cleared his throat and mumbled that he needed to get back to the debrief.
He gently got up and leaned down to press a soft kiss on your cheek, letting his lips linger there for longer than he should have.
''I'll see you around, yeah?'' he whispered.
''Yeah, see you'' you cooed, trying to break a smile at him as he returned it before walking out.
You let out a few heavy breaths, trying to allow your mind to catch up to what had just happened.
The next two days of the race weekend passed with a blur. You were so busy at work that the times you were in the paddock you hardly had time to breath, let alone let your mind wander to Lando.
You'd seen him i passing a few times, the both of you giving each other a shy smile, before either you or him were being pulled away for something or the other.
He'd texted you last night after quali, just checking in and asking if you'd wanted to fly back to Monaco with a few of the other guys and mutual friends. He said he hoped he wasn't over stepping too soon. But you'd appreciated the offer and told him you've love to.
Once you were back in Monaco Lando hugged you tight and kissed your cheek, before you drove off in different directions to your houses.
The few weeks that followed that weekend were both a breath of fresh air and a mix of longing and desperation.
You were glad and grateful that Lando had explained himself, but that still didn't justify why he hurt you so much, and so even though you wanted to go back to him, your heart was still wary and doubtful.
He'd texted you a few times in between, the conversations light and positive from both you and him.
You hadn't seen him until you bumped into each other at Jimmyz one night. You were out celebrating one of your girlfriends' bachelorette's party.
It was the first time in a long time that you were excited to dress up and go out, try and have a good time. You opted to wear a white lacey dress, that left little to the imagination. It wasn't you go to dress since it was quite daring - but you woke up today feeling good about a day full of opportunities(!!!!)
You'd been in the club for about an hour, actually having fun and dancing with your girlfriends, drinking enough to be a bit tipsy but not drunk.
At one point, you went to the bar to get another drink. While you were waiting for it your eyes wandered around the club - watching people dance and drink like crazy until you you found none other than Lando's eyes.
Your breath hitched and you couldn't help but internally swoon at him. He looks so good, in his black button up and backwards cap. his eyes instantly turned a shade darker the more you looked at each other. As the shock sore off, his face broke out into a smile that held a thousand suns in it and you returned it with your own.
He started making his way towards you, drink in hand until he was standing in front of you. Neither of you made a move or said anything, until Max Fewtrel broke you both out of your trance and pulled you in for the tightest hug, drunk, and mumbled how much he'd missed you.
He situated himself to sit on a stool at the bar, in between you and Lando, mumbling away and talking nonsense.
You could see from Lando's face that he was starting to get annoyed with his friend. He reached over and took your hand, electricity igniting between the two of you and he pulled you to a booth where you could finally be alone.
Your heart was fluttering in your chest at the contact, as he didn't let go when you were standing to each other again, with nothing in-between.
He smiled again. ''How are you?'' he asked.
''I'm, I-I'' you stuttered, not finding your words.
He gave you a worried look, smile dropping and eyes wearing a shade on concern, which quickly turned to lust when he saw you bite your lip.
Suddenly, Lando launched himself at you. He pushed you against the wall, cupped your face and crashed his lips to your with an urgency so unfound you had no time to think but reach you hands up to his face.
The kiss was messy and desperate, the both of your starved of each other for too long.
''Lando'' you cooed between breaths as he slightly pulled up and rested his forhead against yours.
''Fuck'' he mumbled. ''I'm sorry'' he said, started to pull back but you kept a firm hold on his face and shook your head at him, before bringing your lip back to his and sliding your tongue into his mouth.
He responded instantly, hands returning to wrap around your body to pull you as close as possible as his tongue fought with yours, winning eventually and sliding into your mouth now.
Your hands found his hair and pulled at it as Lando's mouth moved down to your neck and sucked and nipped at it, finding your sweet spot as if he'd never forgotten.
You moaned at his actions as you rubbed your thighs together, something he didn't miss. It took everything in him to pull away and look into your eyes.
'''Let's get out of here, yeah?'' he asked, voice laced with desperation.
You couldn't form words now. All you knew was you were so horny for him, and if you didn't find some privacy soon, you might just let him fuck you on the dance floor for everyone to watch.
''Y/n?'' he pulled you out of your thoughts.
''Uh huh'' you said, grabbing his hand and letting him lead you out the exit.
The uber back to his place - once yours too - was palpable with sexual tension.
You couldn't keep you hands off each other, and you were practically sitting in Lando's lap as he nuzzled his face into your neck and hair, whispering sweet nothings into your ear which had you blushing.
You cupped his face again and kiss him slow and deep, savoring the moment until he ruined it (not that you were complaining) by slipping your boobs out of your dress and lowering his mouth to them.
He sucked at your peaked nipples, pinching them between his fingers as you tried to suppress your moans bu pulling hard on his hair.
Finally, the uber driver cleared his throat, telling you you were home. As Lando payed him a generous tip, you slipped your boobs back into your dress and shimmied out of the car, Lando not far behind you before he scooped you up and threw you over his shoulder.
You giggled as he tried and failed to open the door a couple of times before finally getting the right key and walking into the house.
As soon as the door was shut he had you pressed against it.
His dark eyes stayed on yours before he ripped your dress off of you into two pieces.
''Lando!'' you squealed, pouting at him.
He smirked. ''Oh don't 'Lando' me as if you aren't turned on by it'' he said, knowing you all to well.
You stuck your tongue out at him.
As you stood there, hands behind your back, Lando shamelessly gawked at your body.
You didn't miss how his eyes turned shades darker when he saw you weren't wearing any panties.
You licked your lips and sighed. ''You're still wearing too many clothes'' you cooed.
He looked back up at you, though didn't say anything.
Instead he walked closer to you and sank down on his knees, prying your legs open all the while his eyes never left yours.
You held onto his hair and bit your lip, knowing what was coming as he gently reached up and let the back of his index finger slide through your dripping folds.
Your body hissed at the contact, having dreamt of this feeling too many times since you last felt it.
With ease, he slide his finger through your entrance before leaning forward and using his mouth to devour your pussy.
You gasped and moaned as you placed your one leg over his shoulder, giving him better access.
''Fuck Lan, yes, please'' you said through breaths as he also moaned at finally tasting you again.
He pulled back to add to more fingers as you closed your eyes, rolling them to the back of your head.
''Taste so fucking delicious baby, missed this so much'' he mumbled before diving straight back in.
You could feel your orgasm approached hard and fast, and before you could even warn him it was ripping through your body, shaking you above him as you moaned one of the most obscene noises you think you've ever made.
You gushed your fluids all over his face as he tried to swallow as much of it as he could as he rode you through your orgasm.
He finally pulled back and stood up again, lets his lips latch onto yours so you could taste yourself on him. Lando pulled and bit at your bottom lip as you started to unbutton his shirt and take his belt off.
When he was left in his his jeans, he hoisted you up again, smacking your ass as he stalked to the bedroom, dropping you on the bed.
You giggled as you sat on your knees and hooked your fingers through his belt loops as he leaned down and kissed you again. You popped his bottom open and slid his jeans down, ogling at the growing bulge in his boxers as he took the jeans off completely.
You palmed his thick girth, eager to have him in your mouth. Just as you were removing his boxers he stopped you.
''You don't have to'' he said sincerely. But god, you wanted to.
So you ignored him and continued your task, groaning when you finally set him free. His dick was standing hard and tall, angrier than you'd seen before, with the vein at the side throbbing with the blood rush. You took him in your hand and licked your lips at the sight of pre cum oozing out the slit at the top.
He placed his hands on you, taking a hold of you head as you leaned forward and harshly sucked on just his tip, letting your tongue run over the slit, swallowing all the pre cum.
''Fuck me'' you heard him mumble as you took more of him in your mouth and pumping what you couldn't fit in.
You deep throated him, feeling him hit the back of your throat as his hands on your head tightened, and began a quick pace of sliding him through your lips.
Lando let out a series of moans and praises of you.
''You're so fucking good at this, don't know how I survived without it for so long, fuck y/n'' he said through gritted teeth again.
You were gagging, tears threatening to spill out the corners of your eyes.
Hearing him say all those things had your core dripping, clenching around nothing. And so as you got distracted him rubbing your thighs together, Lando took full control.
He was fucking his dick in and out of your mouth, showing it no mercy until you felt him start to twitch uncontrollably.
''Fuck y/n, gonna cum, yeah?'' he said. You knew he was asking if he should cum in your mouth or pull out.
But you didn't slow your actions. Instead you fondled with his balls, pulling at the tightly until he could barely hold his body up, ropes of warm cum shooting down the back of your throat.
Fuck he tasted good you thought as you rode him through.
Words had long left his mind as all he did was let out his own obscene moans and groans, slipping your name in in-between.
You pulled back as you swallowed everything and sent him a sheepish smile. You were both spent and you hadn't even fucked yet.
Lando pushed you down and hovered above you, kissing you again as you wrapped your legs around his body, begging him for more.
''Lan please, i need you to fuck me, please''
Normally he would tease you for begging like that, but he wanted nothing more than the same.
So he pumped himself a few times, sliding through your folds and lining himself up at your entrance.
''Ready baby?'' he asked.
You nodded eagerly.
He pushed in, quickly, stretching you out. It burned, since the last time you had sex it was with Lando when he fucked you before the breakup.
You held you breath as he bottomed out, stopping his movements to allow to you get used to the intrusion.
''You ok?'' he asked after a few seconds.
''Yeah, I am. You can move'' you whispered.
And he did. He pulled out and slammed back into you roughly.
Your nails were digging into his back, probably drawing blood as all you could was moan at how he felt.
His own moans were more pornographic that ever, and he quickly set a pace that was so rough and hard, but felt so fucking good.
''Lan, yes, fuck, uh'' you said, groaning with each thrust as his mouth found your nipples to suck and bite at.
''So fucking tight my angel. Feels so good. Taking me so fucking good'' he moaned.
''Not gonna last long'' you managed to mumble.
''Don't hold it in. let it out baby'' he said, bringing his fingers down to toy with your clit.
In no time you felt the warmth build up in your stomach as you pulled Lando's head up for a dirty kiss, spit from the blowjob still messy around your mouth and chin.
''Fuck Lan, I'm gonna cum'' you said as your body shuddering with your orgasm fluttering through you, your inner walls clenching around his cock almost painfully.
He didn't slow his movements though. He whispered dirty words into your ear and you instantly felt yourself getting worked up again, waiting for another blissful orgasm.
Suddenly he stopped his movements. Your eyes flew open, ready to protest as he slid out of you and sat against the headboard.
''Need to feel you ride me, please'' he begged as he helped you to your knees as your straddled him.
You both sat there, panting as you took a hold of his cock and sank down on him, gripping his shoulders tightly as you set another hard and fast pace, bouncing up and down on him.
Lando's eyes flew to your boobs, his mouth agape as he watching them move with you.
''So fucking hot baby. Gonna fuck a baby into you one day and see how your boobs grow even bigger''
All you managed to do was moan at his words as you leaned down and captured his own nipple into your mouth, biting and sucking at it as he was now meeting you half way, fucking into you.
''Fuck Lan, you feel so good'' you said, feeling another orgasm approaching quickly.
''Hmm baby'' he mumbled.
You moaned loud as you orgasmed again, your fluids gushing out of you and making a mess.
''Feel's so fuckin tight'' Lando moaned as you started to feel his movements get sloppier.
He was in control again since your body was still shaking and tired from your orgasm as his cock started twitching inside of you.
In minutes he was cumming in you, praising your name to no end as sheets of warm cum filled you up. His own body shaking and shuddering against yours.
As you rode through your orgasms and slowed your pace you looked at Lando again, taking in his disheveled state, eyes still dark, mouth agape letting out little breaths, hair messy and stuck to his forehead, sweat dripping down his face and onto his body. He was as spent as you felt.
He puled you closer and gave you the sweetest smile.
''Thank you'' he said, pecking your nose.
''I love you Lan, I never stopped. And i want to be with you. Forever. you cooed.
''I love you too baby, always, and thank you for giving me another change. I won't hurt you again. I promise.'' he said, kissing your knuckles.
You leaned against him, both content just being in each others' arms again, as you felt him soften in front of you.
''Shower?'' he said, smirking.
You grinned. ''Always,'' before kissing him for the millionth time tonight.
#f1 fanfic#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#f1 smut#f1#lando norris#f1 fic#lando x reader#lando norris smut#lando smut#lando#norris#ln#ln4#lnfour#lnsmut#ln4smut#lnfoursmut#ln4 x reader#ln4 imagine#ln4 fic#ln4 fluff#mclaren#mclaren f1
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better than letting go | nagi seishiro x reader
✩ accidental sugar daddy nagi ✩ pro-player!nagi, roommates au, angst to fluff, heavy pining, miscommunication
"just go live with nagi," reo says offhandedly, "if you clean up after him, he'll let you stay there forever."
you open your mouth to refute the suggestion, because reo knows how you feel about nagi, knows you couldn't possibly stay in an enclosed space with him hours on day on end without jumping him... but before you do, nagi himself interrupts.
"i'm okay with that," he replies in his usual laid-back voice.
you glare at him because you think he sounds more excited about the cleaning part.
"you're going to be homeless," reo shrugs, "why not?"
you return your glare at reo, "why can't you just house me in one of your billion-dollar properties."
"then i'd have to ask my old man for permission," he waves you off like the asshole he is, "no thanks."
"what's wrong with living with me?" nagi wonders, and you hate him for acting like he wants to live with you so badly.
"look, just clean nagi's dirty underwear for the next year while you finish your degree and you won't have to worry about a thing," reo explains, as if there aren't other factors like your five-year infatuation with nagi, and maybe the fact that nagi lives like he doesn't know what a vacuum does.
you sigh, thinking about the end of your lease and the astronomical increase in rent incoming, and how much you don't want to work your stupid part-time job, and give in.
of course it's not that bad. all you had to do was keep your feelings to yourself.
"nagi," you hiss, "nagi, wake up, you're going to be late!"
he only stirs, covers tucked under his chin, as if he's hiding from you. you inch the door wider, stepping into his room hesitantly. he doesn't even make a move.
"nagi," you whine, crouching at the side of his bed.
he makes a sound of acknowledgment but keeps his eyes closed, so you sit cross-legged on the floor, watching his sleeping form. he's so cute like this, you think, yearning.
it's been a week since you moved in with nagi. in a lot of ways, he's exactly what you thought he would be like in private: he's rarely home, and when he is, he's quiet.
you thought he would spend more time in his room, under the covers, but you realize quickly he's furnished his couch with the coziest throw and likes to curl under there when he is home.
it makes your heart warm when you come home to see nagi, his toes sticking out from underneath the blanket, waiting for you to eat dinner.
"...what time is it?" you hear him mumble.
your heart skips a beat when he opens his eyes, groggy with sleep, and touches your arm. you sigh shakily.
"too late," you smile softly at him, "i'll prep your pre-workout so you can take it with you, okay?"
"thanks," he tells you, his voice raspy.
he smiles back at you and reaches out, poking you in the forehead. when you feel his fingers touch your skin, you think you'll drop dead right there.
"are you gonna move out after you graduate?" reo asks, nine months into your arrangement.
you've been avoiding even thinking about it. you're busy with graduation, you justify to yourself, you don't have time to look for a new place yet.
"hm?" you hum innocently, "i dunno. haven't had time to think about it."
"nagi asked me 'bout it," he mentions casually, and you freeze. is he counting the days down until you leave?
you and nagi have settled into a daily routine: you wake him up, he goes to practice, you study after class, and when he comes back late at night, he hangs out with you for an hour before he has to sleep. mostly, you and nagi sit on either end of the couch, sharing the cozy throw, and read manga.
it's lulled you into a false sense of security, you think.
"oh," is all you manage to say. maybe he finds you bothersome? maybe he wants his own space back?
reo hits you over the head, lightly. "what's that face for? it's been going good living with nagi, right?"
and it was. it was everything you had dreamed of, and it shocked you how well you got along with nagi. you think of how, in early mornings when both of you (mostly you) are rushing out the door, bumping hips in the kitchen, even then it seems like you were working together.
"yep," you reply, sipping your iced coffee, "too good."
reo takes a bite of his food, and suggests, "maybe you two should just keep living together. you can split rent or something."
"can't rely on nagi forever," you protest.
"why not?" he says, just like he did when he had first suggested this whole thing, "isn't that what you want?"
you kick him under the table, angry that he was bringing your feelings up now. yes, you want to scream, it is. but nothing has changed between you and nagi, nothing at all.
you're always trying to keep your feelings in check: when he peers over your shoulder as you're cooking, the warmth of his body hot asgainst yours. or how adorable he looks when he comes out of the shower, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes, his face shiny. those are the times your feelings want to burst.
"just talk to nagi about it," reo nudges. you're not sure if he's talking about the housing or the feelings.
you're curled up with nagi on the couch when you muster the courage to say anything. your legs are touching his under the blanket, and you feel as if that might connect you to him.
there's a month left until you graduate, which is absolutely not enough time for you to find a place to live, but you were scared. you hear the victory sounds of nagi's mobile game, so you decide now's better than never.
"so," you start, and his gaze drifts over to you, "i haven't really found a new place to live yet."
it's quiet. "s'okay," nagi mumbles, not even looking up from his phone, "you can move out whenever."
well, at least that answers your question on whether or not he wants you to move out. at least he wasn't pushing you out the door, you tell yourself.
you don't know what else to say. do you want me to leave so badly? you want to ask. can't i stay with you? you think, desperate. but those words don't leave your mouth.
"are you coming to my graduation?" you ask lightly, and regret it when you realize that you've opened yourself up again.
he shrugs. "dunno my prac schedule yet, but reo's going right?" he replies, as if reo could replace him.
you feel cold despite the blanket, and sink deeper into the couch, feeling drained. from the corner of your eye, you see nagi tapping away at his phone, signaling to you that he's still deep in his game. you take your legs away, knowing he wouldn't even notice.
"yep," you say and awkwardly crawl out of your warm spot on the couch. "i'm gonna go to bed first, nagi."
"g'night," he replies, finally looking up as you pass him with your head bowed. he watches you walk back to your room, and doesn't take his eyes off of you until you close the door behind you.
you eventually begged reo to find you an empty unit in one of his father's rental properties.
he had been insistent you just talk to nagi, as if he knew something you didn't, but you had to explain that you did, and nagi had no objections to you moving out, and you weren't going to wait until he shoved you out the door to move on.
it has been so awkward since that small conversation you'd had with nagi. maybe it was you, feeling out of place, like you had reached a point of no return.
waking him up in the mornings were now rushed, gently pushing him awake and scurrying off before he was fully awake. leaving his pre-workout on the counter instead of handing it to him. sitting at the kitchen table under the guise of studying instead of curling up on the couch with him.
it's not that he'd changed, you knew, it's that you couldn't keep playing pretend with your feelings anymore.
you hear the front door click as nagi walks into the apartment.
"hey," he says, pushing open the door to your room, "i'm home."
you turn from your position at the front of your closet, where you were just about to take out your suitcase. "oh, hey," you reply lamely, "welcome home."
he hovers, something he's never really done, as if he knows you have something to say, as if he had something to say. the words were stuck in your throat.
"reo told me you're moving out," nagi finally tells you.
traitor, you curse at reo. "uh, yeah," you smile tightly, "i didn't want to keep bothering you, so..."
"you're not bothering me," he replies, maybe a little too quickly, but you don't notice.
there's another silence. what else can you say?
"you don't have to leave," nagi continues, "i don't mind if you stay here."
but do you want me to stay? you want to ask. the way he says it so casually, as if it didn't matter whether you stayed or not, only solidified your decision to be away from him. at least then you could just be his friend without delusions of sharing a life with him so intimately.
"nah," you try to keep your voice steady, "it's probably better this way."
"i like living with you, though," nagi shuffles his hair uncomfortably as he says it.
you laugh, maybe a little bitterly, "because i cook and clean for you?"
"no," he says quickly, looking flustered, "no, i just like it when you're here."
but why? you want to scream. your heart pounds, because you feel like you're close to something, but at the same time it feels so far. sometimes you're convinced that he knows about your feelings, that sometimes you two are talking about them even though the topic is unrelated.
"it was nice," you settle on saying, as if it wasn't life changing, "but i can afford living on my own now."
"i don't want you to leave," nagi almost sounds like he's whining, and your heart skips another beat.
"why not?" you say, frustrated, breathless, "we can't just keep living together forever."
"what if i want to?" he says, and you feel like the conversation has become out of control.
your mind is racing. what is happening right now, you try to breathe through your nose. what is he talking about right now, you try to ask yourself.
"nagi—" you stop yourself, trying to get a grip, "what are you saying?"
you're looking at him now and you're surprised by the determination in his eyes. it's what he looks like when he's really focused, like he is when he plays soccer.
"i want to live with you forever," he declares, sounding defiant, as if that wasn't what you wanted.
but you're not sure what it means. you only know that five years is a long time to be holding onto your feelings.
"i don't understand," you mumble, staring at the floor, quieter than before, "i love you, nagi. not as a friend. so no, i can't just live with you forever."
you feel him before you see him, his body towering over you. when you look up, he's pouting. he puts his hand on top of your head, gentle, warm.
"why do you look so sad," he wonders, as if he hadn't heard what you just said, "that's why i want to live with you forever, dummy."
you wake up to nagi wrapped around you.
"sei," you groan, turning in his arms to look at his sleeping face, "you're heavy."
he mutters, groggy, incoherent, and you can't help but press a kiss to his nose. his hair is falling all over his face, but your eyes memorize every slope. he squeezes you harder.
"why are you awake so early," he mutters, nudging your chest with his head, "it's my day off."
you soothe your hand down his bare back, feeling the tight muscles underneath your fingers. he works so hard, and his days off are so rare. you wiggle some more, to loosen his arms.
"i know," you smile, "but let me go make breakfast, kay? i'm hungry."
he shakes his head and whines. "no," he refuses, "just go back to sleep."
you relax, unable to tell him no. mornings with nagi often go like this, except that you usually have enough self-control to get him up. but sometimes, you remember what it was like wanting him so bad, that now you remind yourself to enjoy it.
as a partner, nagi is clingy, vulnerable. but he's also determined, and sometimes, the intensity with which he wants you catches you off guard.
"y/n," he calls, his breath hot against your neck, "i'm happy you're here."
you close your eyes, nodding. "me, too."
#blue lock x reader#nagi seishiro x reader#nagi x reader#bllk x reader#yoi's crops 🌱#from: nagi seishiro 🎀
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the subject of every photo - fushiguro megumi
word count: 5,555 (i'm so proud of that) warnings: swearin' summary: a photoshoot at the pumpkin patch isn't his ideal day, but at least megumi gets to spend time with you. and maybe he'll take a few pictures anyway. (a/n): really delayed pumpkin themed fic with the softest boy but i needed to write this ok a greater power called upon me to do it
___
“It’ll be fun!” Nobara had claimed, although her tone was more threatening than bubbly. “It’s just a little photoshoot at a pumpkin patch, why so gloomy about it?”
And it wasn’t that Megumi was gloomy about it, because he wasn’t. It would be immature to pout about a simple hangout among friends. The thing was… he just didn’t care for the whole pumpkin patch thing that really seemed to take off on instagram and tiktok these last few years.
He hadn’t carved a pumpkin since he was just a tot, and even then he’d only done it to satisfy Gojo’s bonkers need to participate in every holiday tradition. He never particularly liked scooping the guts and seeds out, and as a kid wasn’t decent enough with a blade to carve a face that actually looked interesting. Not to mention, it was always chilly in late October, making it insufferable to wander around outside solely to pick out a big orange vegetable.
Really, if he wanted a pumpkin that bad, he would’ve picked out a discount one from the grocery store. But really, he didn’t want a pumpkin.
Nonetheless, Nobara had bought four disposable cameras— which he didn’t know were even still a thing— told everyone to wear their cutest, coziest outfit, and pretty much demanded they all go spend the afternoon at one of the more popular farms in town. As with most plans, Megumi begrudgingly agreed.
Even under three layers— his coat, his sweater, and the long sleeved tee he wore underneath them both— the crisp air still pricked at his skin and left goosebumps in it’s wake. It was hard to enjoy being out here when he was fighting the urge to shiver.
“It’s pretty cold for this, huh?”
Megumi wipes away the resting bitch face he’d been making, opting instead for as much neutrality as he could muster. He turns to (y/n), only to find her peering up at him from behind her little plastic camera. His brows wrinkle.
“Don’t take a picture of me at that angle”
He puts his hand over the lens and pushes it away before she could even think about snapping the photo, and she chuckles a bit at his boyish antics. He almost cracks a smile when she’s peeking up at him with her cheeks tinged pink from the cold. He squashes it before his lip could curl too far.
“Well what side do you prefer then?” She teases, shifting around to stand before him and raising her shitty little camera again. “Full portrait? Or perhaps a side profile?”
Megumi rolls his eyes, but when he starts to walk away, she’s quick to follow. He doesn’t dislike her company.
Nobara is off farther in the field, ordering Yuuji to pick up as many pumpkins as he can for the perfect picture. It was only a matter of time before she came over and started barking at the two of them to make the perfect poses as well.
“So why do you hate pumpkin patches?” (y/n) breaks their silence, but when he turns to her again, she’s fixing her camera on a sparrow pecking away at a less than ripe pumpkin.
“I don’t hate pumpkin patches,” He replies, but even he has to admit the dryness in his voice makes it seem a bit unbelievable. “It’s just…” He glances at her out of the corner of his eye, but he’s quick to straighten his gaze when he finds her full attention on him now. “Cold” He finishes, lamely, but it’s not untrue.
He fiddles with the plastic camera in his hands.
“Yeah,” (y/n) agrees from beside him. “Would’ve been nice to do this a few weeks ago, when it was still sunny”
Megumi nods back at her, unsure of what else to say.
He hoped that they weren’t doomed to only speak about the weather today. However that meant he’d probably have to put the effort in to change the subject. His palms began to sweat.
It was their day off, so he didn’t want to strike up a conversation about work, and preferably he’d like to avoid the subject of sorcery altogether. So that narrowed down the options by a lot.
He knew that like him, she liked to read. But she was more into the fantasy stuff, and the only book off the top of his head he could make conversation about was The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and he was fairly certain that wasn’t currently on her shelf.
Was it always this hard or was he just overthinking it?
“Wait, stay right there!”
Before he can suck it up and ask how her most recent assignment went, (y/n’s) throwing her arms up at him to make him freeze in place. Megumi startles at the sudden movement and holler, but he listens and stays put while she backs up a few steps.
“The sun is peeking out,” She explains, before steadying her camera in front of her face. “The lighting is great” She says with a grin, and then without warning, she snaps the photo.
Megumi wants to complain, he didn’t even have time to smile or pose or anything. When that picture got printed, he’d just be a guy standing there, probably with a resting bitch face. Nobara wouldn’t be happy.
But (y/n’s) still grinning as she lowers the camera.
“Too bad we gotta wait so long to see ‘em,” She says as she heads back towards him. “It’d be nice to—”
“Stop moving”
He’s more blunt than she is, already lifting his camera and peeking through the small lens. (y/n) gets the hint and retraces her steps to fit properly in the frame.
“Better?” She asks, tossing her hair over her shoulder dramatically before posing with a bright smile.
Megumi snaps the photo without warning, although he’s sure that this one will turn out much better than the one she’d taken of him. For one, she’s smiling, but he’s also certain that she’s much more photogenic than he is.
She’s at his side again as they wander around the patch, fiddling to fit the camera into the pocket of her coat. It takes him a few minutes to find his courage again, but eventually Megumi clears his throat and tries to spark conversation.
“Gojo used to take a million pictures of me and Tsumiki”
That seems to be exactly the right thing to say, because (y/n’s) entire demeanor lights up as she looks up at him with wide eyes.
“Really?” She laughs softly at the mental picture. “Did he keep, like, photo albums and stuff?”
“Oh yeah,” Megumi snorted, recalling the rows of photo books on the living room bookshelf when he was young. “Dozens, at least. It was like he couldn’t commit a thing to memory, always had to document everything”
When he was young, it was obnoxious to always have a camera shoved in his face. Now though, he wonders if the crazy bastard still had those albums.
“That’s sweet,” (y/n) muses, wandering off a bit to check out a display of gourds, all varying in shapes and colors. “I bet there’s tons of embarrassing ones of you, too” She teases.
Megumi doesn’t give her an answer, instead silently watching as she picks up a large green vegetable with a curly top. She holds the long end in her hand, before turning to face Megumi with the plump end out, holding it like it was a very deformed gun.
He rolls his eyes at the joke, but just as she looks away, he snaps a photo.
(y/n) seems to not even notice, setting the gourd back on the display and turning back to Megumi to continue their conversation.
“Was he a scrapbook mom?”
He chuckles, and he wants to deny it, but he can’t. Even if he tried he thinks she’d see through it with how he smiles with all of his teeth. She’s laughing before he even explains.
“He made one scrapbook, ever,” He tells her. “And you have to swear to never tell them this,” He adds quickly. (y/n) doesn’t have to ask to know who he means, and she simply drags her thumb and forefinger over her lips as if to zip them up. “It took him weeks. I think the kitchen table was covered in all of his crafts for a solid month”
“You’re kidding!” She laughs louder, loving the image of her mentor hunched over a table while he glued down photos and ribbon to pretty sheets of paper.
“I wish I was. I think it’s why he only ever made one,” Megumi shrugged. “But it’s… a lot. Every sheet was three dimensional. The spine of the scrapbook was stretched so wide the thing couldn’t even sit flat”
He knows that all of the pictures in that book would be embarrassing now. Gojo liked to document every first— first day of school, first science project, first A+, along with more ridiculous milestones, like when Megumi chopped all of his hair off in the fifth grade and looked ridiculous. If he remembered correctly, Gojo glued that hair in the book too, as if it were his baby hairs. That scrapbook really should be burned, but a part of him wishes he could show her now, just to prove how messy it really is.
“I’d do anything to get my hands on it,” (y/n) sighed, almost as if she could read his mind. “My parents did some stuff like that, but they certainly weren’t obsessive”
“Obsession is all he knows” Megumi mumbles, and he doesn’t mean to be funny, but she laughs, and it makes his chest feel warm.
“I still think it’s sweet,” She assures him, and then she stops in their slow and aimless walk, kneeling down to tie the shoelaces on her boot. Megumi waits beside her. He cared much more for her company than he did seeing the pumpkin patch. “He probably just wanted to save lots of memories of you guys when you were little. All parents say it goes by fast”
She goes to tie the other boot, and Megumi can only stand there in soft surprise. Sure, deep down he always considered Gojo his parent, because he simply just was. But no one else referred to their relationship that way, the others always called him teacher or mentor. But (y/n) must’ve understood that it was more than that.
He’s pulling his camera out again and stealing another quick picture while she was still focused on her shoes.
When she stands, he’s got the camera tucked back into his pocket and an innocent look on his face.
“Want to take a picture over there?” She asks, pointing to the tower of hay bales set up mostly for photos. Originally it was for children to climb and play on, but it’s purpose was far more often served as a posing station.
Megumi simply nods, and follows her as she races over the tower. It shouldn’t have surprised him when she started climbing the thing right away. Surely Nobara had been over here earlier, striking a pose with one hand on her hip and the other on the stack of hay, but not (y/n), who was almost to the top.
“You’re not gonna fall, right?” Megumi asks unsurely as she’s grabbing at the highest bale.
“I’m a trained athlete!” She shrieks back, clearly offended.
“I’m more worried about you destroying the play area” Megumi retorted, his lip curling upwards against his will. He can’t help but take a picture before she’s settled. Her hair’s a mess and her limbs are everywhere as she tries to steady herself on the wobbling tower, but it’s a perfect picture nonetheless.
“This is great!” She shouts back at him, before stretching her hands above her head. “Take my photo like this!”
It’s silly, it’s childish, but Megumi’s laughing to himself as he snaps a couple.
Somehow she manages to climb down without toppling the entire thing, and they quickly make their way across the pumpkin patch before an employee could scold them for being grown adults playing on the children’s setup.
Megumi finds it easier to talk with her the longer they walk around, aimlessly eyeing pumpkins without committing to picking any out, taking photos here and there, but mostly they just wander around and talk. Yuji and Nobara seem so wrapped up in the full on photoshoot they were having with each other that it could seem like they’d completely forgotten the other pair, but Megumi didn’t mind one bit.
Hang outs never turned out like this. Nobara tended to cling to (y/n) like a lifeline. She was always dragging her off to the next boutique on the strip or game in the arcade or exhibit at the museum— wherever they went, it seemed as soon as Megumi would get a minute of alone time with her, Nobara would steal her away. It was deflating, but he couldn’t be mad, they were best friends after all.
Today was like a gloomy day miracle. He almost felt spoiled having the last half hour with her all to himself. All of her laughter and smiles were only for him. It warmed up his chilled hands until soon, even the breeze wouldn’t make him shiver.
(y/n) didn’t appear to have the same effect, shaking like a leaf every time the wind picked up. She always shrank into the collar of her coat and shoved her hands into her pockets, and after a few times, Megumi couldn’t stand to see her freezing.
“Let’s go inside for a bit,” He nodded his head towards the small shop. (y/n) pouted back at him, before glancing around the pumpkin patch, clearly looking for their friends. “They won’t be upset that we went inside because we’re cold,” Megumi chuckles to himself, before gently pushing his hand against the small of her back so that he’d follow her. “I’ll text Itadori” He adds for good measure.
After a moment of hesitation she agreed and walked along with him, but just slow enough that he left his hand on her lower back. Just because it was nice to be so close to him.
Stepping into the shop was an instant rush of fresh warm air, and she finally felt like she could stretch her fingers. There was a small bakery inside with only a couple of tables, but without anyone else inside it was perfectly quaint to warm up in.
“I’m going to order a hot chocolate, do you want anything?”
The offer was sweet, but she’s already making her way to the counter, set on a mission as soon as the alluring smell of apples and cinnamon wafted past her nose.
“I could go for a coffee” Megumi hummed as he followed.
He’s ordering for the both of them as soon as a clerk arrives behind the counter, two drinks along with the enormous bear claw in the glass case that (y/n) hadn’t torn her eyes away from since stepping up to the counter. She tries to fight him when he pulls out his wallet but he’s faster at tapping his card to the reader than she is at hitting him.
Even once they sit down with their drinks and the pastry that takes up most of the table space between them, she argues with him about the payment, and all he can do is shake his head— and maybe smile to himself just a little bit. After realizing arguing is futile, she decides that as long as he eats some of the bear claw, she can forgive him.
And they continue to chat, about dumb things, about nothing, about everything. Megumi learns all about the book series that she is reading, along with her plans for getting promoted faster, and that her dream pet is a sugar glider.
“That’s ridiculous,” He mumbles through a mouthful of almond paste and cinnamon. “When would you ever have the time to take care of something like that?”
“That’s why it’s a dream pet, dummy,” (y/n) rolls her eyes at him. “Doesn’t have to be realistic. Don’t you have a dream pet?”
“I kinda already have a lot of pets”
“Oh, right,” She laughs to herself, and he thinks he can see a hint of a blush dusting over her cheeks. Was she embarrassed? He wasn’t sure exactly. But it was really cute. “Well if there’s ever a sugar glider shikigami, please summon it for me” She tells him in all seriousness, and Megumi bites his tongue as he agrees to the condition immediately.
He pulls out his camera for the tenth time that day and rests his elbows on the table as he brings it to his face. (y/n’s) eyes widen before she’s covering half her face with one hand.
“Are you taking a picture of me right now?” She hisses anxiously, before shaking her head at him.
“Duh” He mutters out as he tilts forward and back, trying to find just the right angle of lighting.
“I’m eating—”
“So? Not like you have food on your face. Hush. Go back to eating or something”
“I am not letting you take a picture of me while I eat”
“Alright then just sit there then”
She’s grabbing her paper cup of hot cocoa to use as a shield, but it’s too late. Megumi clicks the button and she can hear the soft whirring coming from inside the camera.
The lens cuts to black and Megumi pulls the camera away, eyeing the little roll of numbers next to the lens.
“I’m out already,” He says, tossing it onto the table. “Guess I win”
(y/n) laughs to herself.
“I didn’t know this was a competition,” She takes a sip of her warm beverage before setting it back down. “But I can’t believe you finished before me”
“How many do you have left?”
Curiously, (y/n) pulls the camera out of her pocket and eyes the tape with the amount of film left. She frowns as she looks back up at him.
“Just one,” She answers, and her frown tilts into a small, soft smile before she asks, “Do you want to take one together?”
___
Greedily, Nobara snatches the stack of freshly printed photos out of Megumi’s hands. (y/n) and Yuji are too busy sharing theirs with each other, and Nobara had been dying to know what photos Megumi and (y/n) had taken on their last outing. By the time the group had met up and gone home, their cameras were already full, and she knew she hadn’t been the subject of a single one of them.
“I swear Fushiguro if these are all dumb pictures of pumpkins, I’ll—”
But her threat falls short after sliding through the first three pictures.
The first was (y/n) on the path, just standing and smiling. It wasn’t special, there wasn’t even a pumpkin in the background, but it was cute.
The second was a picture of her crouched down and tying her shoe. Her face wasn’t even in the picture, her hair was hanging in front of it, but if you squinted you could barely make out the tip of her nose.
Then the third was another candid, where she was pretending to hold a gourd like a gun.
“What the—?”
Nobara flips through to the next one in the stack, and yet again there’s a candid of her climbing up the side of a hay bale tower. At least that one captured her smile. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see the fifth one in the stack was also of (y/n), this time sitting on top of the haystack victoriously
“You’ve got to be kidding me, dude”
“Okay give them back—!” Megumi tries to grab the stack of pictures from Nobara before she could keep being nosey, but she deflects fast, swiveling to turn away from him and keep skipping through the photos.
He shouldn’t have let her get her hands on them to begin with, but it was too late now. If he caused too big of a scene, Yuji and (y/n) would notice. He didn’t exactly want all of his pictures on display.
So Nobara kept flipping.
One was of her lifting up the tiniest of pumpkins— definitely the runt of the whole patch. It fit in the palm of her hand but she seemed delighted by it.
The next few were just of her walking around, nothing too exciting in the frame. Just the occasional pumpkin in the background.
There was a decent one taken from inside the shop. (y/n) was still in the frame but her back was turned as she eyed the glass case of sweets. Nobara could almost let Megumi off the hook for that one. Almost.
And then the last photo was of her laughing, the blurry image of a paper cup waving in the space beside her face. Her eyes are on the camera, so she must’ve known he was taking that picture, but judging by the surprise in her expression, it was easy to conclude she was trying to hide behind that cup.
Once she’d ogled every picture, Nobara finally turned back to Megumi. Her brows twitched and furrowed, lips parted in shock, not a single word spoken as she handed the stack back to him. It’s practically shoved towards him, but he doesn’t complain, just snatches them back as fast as he can.
He wants to find a way to quickly and discreetly ask her to keep this to herself, but before he can find the words, she’s gawking at him again.
“Every single one?” Nobara asks in a mutter.
“We hung out the whole time, okay? It's not like—” Megumi tries to defend himself, but it’s no use. Nobara’s already speaking over him again.
“It’s almost pathetic, dude. Just ask her out like a normal person”
His brows almost raise to his hairline in shock. Here he thought she was about to call him out for being a creep or something. But no, her disgust only lied in his pathetic pining and lack of action. Maybe he should have assumed that already.
He doesn’t get the chance to say anything before Nobara’s marching over to Yuji and demanding to see his photos as well. Megumi’s left reeling from the whole interaction, the humiliation still lingering in his gut.
The feeling remains as (y/n) makes her way to him, her own fresh stack of photos in her hands. There’s a nervous sort of smile on her face as she glances back at Yuji and Nobara, double checking that they were out of earshot.
“They took that pretty seriously, huh?” Her voice was still low, careful not to draw the attention of their rambunctious friends. “Yuji takes great photos, don’t get me wrong. But I think she should pay him for his time”
There’s some relief in his chest when he cracks a smile, a small laugh coming out. He could only imagine the quality of Nobara and Yuji’s photos, certainly prepped for instagram.
“I bet she still puts filters over all of them” He mutters back, and (y/n) stifles a giggle behind her hand, but nods her head in agreement.
“Can we leave now or what?” Nobara calls out, already dragging Yuji by the arm to leave the store. “I want to get boba before home”
“Boba sounds good,” (y/n) agrees softly. “Let’s go”
As the red head continued to drag her friend despite him arguing that he was an adult who could walk by himself, she turned and aggressively whispered something to him. After her obvious threatening, she glances back at (y/n) and Megumi, which Yuji promptly follows her pointed glance. Suddenly after that he was upright and speed walking along with her.
(y/n) and Megumi share a baffled look as their friends so blatantly ditch them, but they don’t exactly pick up the pace to follow.
“So, did you get good photos?” Megumi asks, tucking his own away in his pocket. Foolishly, he hoped if they were out of sight she wouldn’t ask him about them.
“Oh,” (y/n) chuckles nervously, holding her stack of pictures in both hands. She tilts them towards herself so he can’t see, and Megumi raises a brow at the secrecy. “It’s kind of embarrassing, actually” She says sheepishly.
Her cheeks flood with color, and Megumi can’t help the curious grin that begins to stretch across his face.
“Embarrassing?” He repeats, sounding horrifically hopeful. (y/n) sighs, and sticks her arm out, handing him the stack. He’s quick to take them and start flipping through, eyeing her anxious demeanor in his peripheral vision.
“Yuji’s probably going to tell you anyway. But… they’re sort of all..”
His steps slow further after quickly sliding through the bunch of pictures.
The first was at the entrance of the pumpkin patch, with the cute sign with the family name painted on it, and just under it was him. He wasn’t paying attention, and quite frankly he looked rather bored standing there. She must’ve taken it while he was still pouting about having to go.
The next photo was of the sparrow poking at the rotted pumpkin, and he had to admit the way she captured it actually was sort of cute.
The third was the photo Megumi dreaded seeing. He recognized it as soon as he saw himself standing on the thin path of dirt. He grimaced as he looked closer to see just how bad it was. But to his surprise, he wasn’t scowling like he thought he’d been. He was actually smiling.
Which was odd… he certainly didn’t remember smiling for that picture. He clearly remembered being upset because he hadn’t tried to look nice for her picture at all.
He glances at (y/n) to gauge her reaction so far, but she was holding her expression at a neutral state, waiting for him to react first.
So Megumi goes back to the photos, and flips to the next one. Which was… also him. It wasn’t anything special, just him standing there, but he was smiling a little bit in that one, too.
When the following is also a candid of him with that dumb little smile, he glances over at (y/n) again, raising a brow at her in silent question.
She’s a tough one to crack, but the corner of her lips gives her away as she tries to bite back a smile. His own smile is unable to be hidden as he flips through a few more photos.
And to his shock and delight, they’re all him. Him while he was picking up that big pumpkin she dared him to, him while he was drinking his coffee and not paying attention, him just standing and doing nothing in particular, but for whatever reason, she’d used up all her film on capturing it.
His favorite is the one of the both of them. She’d given him the camera so he could stretch his arm out and snap the photo selfie style. They’re sitting at the small table, two paper cups and the enormous bear claw between them, but pushed aside as (y/n) leans across the tabletop in order to better center herself. She’s grinning from ear to ear, her chin set in one hand while the other holds up a peace sign. Megumi’s smile isn’t as wide but nevertheless it’s genuine, and anyone looking at the picture would know. It’s a great picture of the two of them, and he thinks it’s probably the first, too.
Megumi hadn’t realized he’d gone through the whole stack till he flips to the next one and is met with the first photo, but once he does, (y/n’s) quick to reach out and take them back. She doesn’t snatch them as aggressively as Nobara had, she handles them gently, careful not to leave an ugly smudge or crease.
Megumi watches with eager intrigue as she tucks the edges together neatly, making the stack smooth in her hands.
“Sorry if that’s creepy— is that creepy?” She turns to him suddenly, full of worry that she’d crossed a line, but Megumi just chuckles, and shakes his head at her.
“Not creepy” He muses, his soft smile remaining as he dips his hand into his pocket, retrieving his own small collection of photos.
He stares at them for an indecisive minute, clenching and unclenching his jaw, working up the courage to make the smallest of gestures. When he does hold them out to her, he still doesn’t say a thing. His throat is too dry and hot to even try. He thinks it would be worse if his voice cracked right now.
(y/n) smiles as she tucks her pictures away in her purse with great care so that she could better look through the pictures he’d taken. His face flushes with color when she finally takes them from him. Even the small brush of the tips of her fingers against his has Megumi’s breath catching in his throat.
And he holds his breath as she eagerly slides through the stack of photos. His throat is far too constricted now to show any sign of life. He very well could pass out at any moment. He just hopes she’d leave him there in a heap on the ground.
The relief of the exhale doesn’t come until she begins to giggle. It’s soft at first, almost under her breath as she continues admiring his photos, but then it erupts into something brilliant and bubbly, as if it was coming out of her uncontrollably. As lovely as the reaction was, it didn’t do much to ease Megumi’s nerves. They began to sink their teeth into his heart and gut, and he knew that any minute now, his knees would give out.
When her laughter calms down and she finally looks up at him, the surprise is evident on his features when he sees her colored cheeks and nervous smile. She hands the stack back to him, and Megumi’s quick to tuck them into his pocket, where maybe he they’d disappear forever, or at least just from the front of their minds.
“That’s pretty cute, huh?” She asks, an aftershock of quiet laughter shaking her shoulders and crinkling the corners of her eyes. This time, Megumi can’t help the way he laughs with her, but he does duck his head bashfully.
(y/n) thinks it’s all the more cuter, how he resorts to his nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but directly at her. She wonders if he even knows he’s doing it. With a surge of confidence, she rocks on her feet.
“Wanna ditch our friends and get lunch or something?”
He shrugs and nods, thinking anything would be better sustenance than the too-sugary drinks that Nobara had an addiction to. But the implication of the question dawns on him too late, and suddenly his eyes are widening as he realizes what she really meant.
“You mean— like, a date?”
It’s so damn cute the way his brows furrow and then raise ever so slightly, waiting without a single ounce of patience for her clarification. (y/n’s) giggling again as she nods her head, putting him out of his misery.
“Yeah, like a date,” She repeats teasingly.
Megumi nods his head again, this time faster, as if there was a time limit to her offer and he was worried he’d already wasted too much of it. Her smile brightens and there’s a small but noticeable skip in her step as they head off in a new direction together.
“Now maybe it won’t be so creepy when our friends see those pictures” She says, and Megumi can’t decipher if she’s messing with him or not. The look he gives her barely hides his panic.
“They’re gonna see them?”
“What do you think they’re talking about right now?” (y/n) retorts, knowing for a fact that Yuji and Nobara were gossiping away about the pair’s photos that consisted only of each other.
The thought makes Megumi’s face feel hot, and there’s no discretion in the way he tugs at his collar. The idea makes him nervous, his stomach flipping excessively. That said, he knew with the amount of gossip those two chatterboxes would generate, there was plenty of time to add a date to today’s agenda.
“They probably won’t even notice we’re gone”
(y/n) nods in agreement.
“They’ll be grateful to have the time for girl talk,” She teases.
With purpose, she steps closer to him so she could link her arm around his, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow and shyly smiling up at him. Megumi returns the smile, his arm hooking a little further to keep her tucked next to him as close as he wanted. It was another chilly day outside, but he could almost forget about it with the way her closeness sparked warmth in his chest that flooded throughout his whole body. He hoped he’d get to do this for the rest of their day—
“So… where do we want to go?”
—and more days to come. ___
xoxo ~ jordie
#fushiguro megumi#fushiguro megumi x reader#megumi x reader#megumi fushiguro x reader#fushiguro megumi imagine#fushiguro megumi x reader fluff#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader fluff#jjk imagine#jujutsu kaisen imagine#megumi brainrot
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NEW YEAR TRADITIONS WITH SKZ
ot8 × reader - fluff, headcanons
summary - what new year traditions would you do with stray kids
links - masterlist
note: this is a scheduled post i've had prepared for about a week. writing hiatus is still ongoing. also traditions are taken from this website
happy new year my loves! ✨️ i still have few hours until midnight left, but i'm posting this a little early, so i don't flood it with end of the year posts. may your new year be as amazing as possible and i'll see you all in 2025 <33 enjoy reading! <3
BANG CHAN - jumping seven waves
chan took you to spend new years with him in australia
to welcome the new year, you decided to have a picnic on the beach and watch the sunset
which was when chan suggested the tradition
he read online how people in brazil jump over seven waves for good luck and wanted to try it
well, the sea was right there and everyone could use a little extra luck anyway
you held hands as you stood in the water together
LEE MINHO - eating twelve grapes
as soon as minho heard about the spanish tradition, he had to make it a competition
and being just as competitive, you agreed
it was a tradition meant to bring good luck, but it also looked like a fun activity
minho prepared the grapes in pretty bowls for when the midnight comes
you sat opposite each other as midnight approached, both treating as a serious matter
you both managed to finish in time, but you were a few seconds faster (which meant you were absolutely going to bring it up any chance you got in the following year)
SEO CHANGBIN - smashing peppermint pig
changbin heard about the tradition from one of his friends
at first he thought it was a little funny, but it was supposed to bring good health and happiness and you get to eat the candy afterwards, so why not?
you laughed when he showed up with the pig and explained the tradition to you, but seeing how excited he was, you agreed
it turned out to be pretty fun when you eventually broke it and fed each other pieces of the pig
you made a mental reminder to do this again next year, and maybe try out some other traditions
HWANG HYUNJIN - midnight kiss
hyunjin is nothing but a romantic
he always wanted to do the midnight kiss tradition with his partner, so when you decided to spend new years together, he immediately started planning
he decorated his place perfectly and you had a lovely evening
when he asked you about the kiss, you agreed immediately, since you wanted to ask him the same
he sets at least 3 timers to not forget and miss midnight
HAN JISUNG - new year movie marathon
jisung and you are both homebodies, prefering to spend new years together at home, rather than partying out with your friends
but you spending time lazying around in the comfort of your home was pretty much a standard and you wanted to do something special still, since it was new years after all
so jisung proposed a movie marathon, but only movies that would match the vibes
you searched up top new years movies, making your own list of what you and jisung liked the most
and so new years was spent in jisung's bed, cuddling and watching movies all evening (and the following morning)
LEE FELIX - watching fireworks
originally felix wanted to set off your own fireworks, but you quickly shut that idea down
luckily for felix, every year there was a big firework show and your balcony had the perfect view
felix came over in the afternoon, working hard to turn your balcony into the most perfect coziest spot to sit together
when the sky got dark, you two went out on the balcony, felix poured champagne into glasses while you prepared some snacks
cuddling under a blanket, you watched the firework show together
KIM SEUNGMIN - writing new year resolutions
everyone knows seungmin is organized and likes to plan things
and when he suggested making a resolutions list to follow, you thought why not
before midnight you sat down together, writing down your wishes and challenges to tackle in the new year, decorating the papers so they look pretty
right before midnight you pinned your lists to the fridge so you can be reminded of them every day
(and it wouldn't be you two if you and seungmin didn't make fun of certain resolutions you each wrote down)
YANG JEONGIN - light sparklers
jeongin wanted to do something fun for your first new years together
so he went out and bought (probably too much) sparklers for you to light together
as soon as it got properly dark, he was tugging you outside
at first you took some aesthetic pictures, both solo and together
jeongin ended up running around and drawing shapes into the air with the light and after taking a video of him, you joined the fun
© starlostastronaut 2024 | do not repost/translate my work without permission
#( all works⎯ 🗃 )#( headcanons.skz⎯ 🏷 )#neverendingdreams#stray kids x reader#stray kids fanfiction#bang chan x reader#lee minho x reader#seo changbin x reader#hwang hyunjin x reader#han jisung x reader#lee felix x reader#kim seungmin x reader#yang jeongin x reader#stray kids imagines#headcanons#fluff
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⋆ ☽˚。 𓂃 ࣪˖ AND THAT DAY THAT WE’LL WATCH THE DEATH OF THE SUN . . . ft. FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
⟢ PRÉCIS. restless at an hour far too late to be awake, you take a quest to the personal library lit only by warm-toned ambient lamps and candles. however, you are greeted by one who chastises you to rest, and despite his pretty face you remain stubborn. in turn, he takes up a mission on his own; one that he alone will always win: to coax you to sleep.
◞ OR fyodor knows time is limited. if only you realized this was his labyrintian way of saying au revoir for now.
ᡴꪫ a/n. it’s always his lap. been thinking about this scenario for awhile + re-inspired by the friends who played with my hair this week hehe. it makes me feel so sleepy. started to cope with ch113. :’) i hope this is decent ᡣ𐭩
ᡴꪫ info. fem!reader. fluff; sweetly suggestive in one part…and then hit with a train of angst; i warned u. soft fyodor. comfort/hurt ↻. religious imagery. it’s u trying to get him to sleep too. both poetic and shakespeare ramblings. bsd manga chapter 113 + s5 finale spoilers. russian may be incorrect. ノ wc. 3.1k+
“Is there anything you find more powerful than manipulation?”
Seated on the armchair across from yours, the ravenette took a sip of tea from his mug before setting it down. A bantering parley had taken place in between you two, filled with giggles and smiles, but in a moment without thought, you had brought up a more serious topic.
“Actually, yes,” he responded.
“A woman’s intuition.” You didn’t miss how his gaze slightly lowered. “The woman’s gut feeling is superior. If a man were to try manipulating her, she would know. No matter how naïve she was, the body would give her a single signal that could unravel his entire disposition at the fingertips.”
You discreetly smiled, looking down at the mug. You knew Fyodor was referring to his experience with you. At one point in time, he tried to finesse you in schemes of calamity. But in response, you ruined him—he would dare not admit out loud that you had forcefully taken whatever mess his heart was and sewed it back together with the strings of your own soul. You did so without ever realizing either. After so many years on this earth, even he did not know how to mend himself.
Now, he could only look at you as being the single thing that didn’t go wrong in the wasteland of the world. The ravenette almost considered you not of the world—you were as divine as the angels, after all. Perhaps it was his excuse to add along another duty the Father had commissioned to him—Fyodor would assure your safety and happiness through the rest of time—even once he got his hands on that book.
Because if not plans that surged through his mind, it was his most cherished memories of you.
…
Even though the room wasn’t too hot and the bed wasn’t uncomfortable, you could not go to sleep. You had tried counting sheep in your head for hours, but you still ended up awake well past midnight and had enough sheep for dozens of herds.
You turned over in annoyance before you finally sat up. You didn’t understand why you felt such unease—maybe you drank your coffee too late in the day. A bad decision at that.
You tapped the other side of the bed for a final check. Empty. Fyodor was still up. You would visit him in the office later, but for now, you’d give him the privilege of being unbothered. You decided on another place to visit—somewhere that would calm you down so perhaps you could finally catch slumber.
The personal library.
It was the coziest place, especially during the late hours of the evening, where the lights were warm and dim, not too hard on the eyes. Where the shelves were packed with literature and knowledge permeated the room with its philosophy. Fyodor annotated everything—so most books were scribbled in almost illegible cursive Russian. You always told yourself if you didn’t start to learn his lingo, you would be locked away from the library’s secrets forever.
You tiptoed down the hallway until you reached the door at the end. You were thinking of picking up one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies and reading until either you fell asleep or the sun rose. You prayed it wasn’t the latter—though restless, you were exhausted too. And you didn’t want to suffer the consequences the next day.
However, you were surprised to see the door already narrowly open. The lights were on and the candles were lit, too—was Fyodor not in his office? He seldom worked anywhere else and would always go to you as soon as he finished.
You peeked through the slight crack in the door. He was indeed there—your lover’s back turned towards you, capturing all his charming enigma. How the man carried himself with the poise and elegance of a white dove, despite starting wars among nations. His mouth spoke of divinity while he ravaged the harmony of life with his hands. It was fitting; Fyodor was a juxtaposition in himself—you knew this, and so did he.
“You can come in.” A second of pure silence passed before you opened the door to step inside. Not even a single noise was made, and yet, he recognized your presence.
Almost shyly, you shuffled towards him. You did not plan for Fyodor to catch you—you were still in between deciding whether going inside was worth his lecture.
Because although the handsome workaholic stayed up until absurd hours of the night, he did not want you following his ways.
You circled the lounging area until you were in front of him, who closed the journal he was writing in.
“Lyubov, why are you still awake?” he asked.
Usually, you only stayed up out of anticipation in waiting for his return—whether from a mission or just to the bed. You were so stubborn that Fyodor would actually halt his work for a few days after being gone for awhile to sleep with you so that he was sure you were resting properly.
It was different this time. He had been home for the whole month, and despite being in his office for the majority of this week, you didn’t have any problem with going to bed without him until now.
You shrugged with a quiet, “I’m not sure.” You eyed the unfamiliar journal. “Are you still working?”
“Sort of,” Fyodor replied. “Would you like some chamomile tea? That will help.”
You shook your head. “What do you mean ‘sort of?’ Last time I checked, you were either working or not.”
“It’s not any more important than addressing the current problem at hand,” he calmly dejected the topic, leaving you confused.
“What’s the current problem?”
“You’re awake. You shouldn’t be at this hour.”
“Well, now that I’ve found you here, I don’t think I can return to bed unless you come with me.” You dramatically yawned before stepping closer to him.
“Let’s go sleep, Fedya.” You tried dragging him up by the arm, but he stayed sat on the armchair, much to your disdain.
“I cannot, I’m not done yet,” Fyodor replied. As you froze, he took your hand in his and brought you to his lap.
“However, you must sleep.” He let you shift so that you were comfortable. “You came here to read?”
“Yeah,” you replied as he handed you a book. What a mind reader Fyodor was—you were presented with The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It would be the perfect reread.
“Why this play?” you tested.
“The pile of books you never put back on the shelves over there shows you’ve been reading a lot of tragedies lately,” he nodded towards the stack of books you read this week. “I thought you’d probably be in the mood for one by none other than the master of catastrophe.
“Plus, it’s fitting for you, too,” he added, voice a bit lower as he fidgeted with the hem of your shirt. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Hey!” You pouted, moving away from him, pretending you were insulted. Though you knew too that further proved his point.
“Maybe we should act it out,” you joked as you scanned through the pages to find a poem you were familiar with. “Act two, scene two.”
“Hamlet’s letter to Ophelia,” Fyodor recalled.
“Doubt thou the stars are fire;
“doubt that the sun doth move;
“doubt truth to be a liar;
“but never doubt I love.”
“Dlya neye, v iskrennosti,” you squinted, reading the little note by the quote you did not understand. The Russian laughed at your terrible pronunciation.
“Some scholars say that Hamlet used his words toward Ophelia as a manipulation tactic,” he stated. “He had a larger strategy at hand, and he rarely mentioned her unless she was on stage, with the exception of her death. If he harbored such a profound love for her, would Shakespeare not make it more direct? What do you think?”
You contemplated for a few seconds, eyes drifting amongst the shelves of books as you felt your lover behind you gently run his fingers through your hair.
“I think Shakespeare didn’t give us clarity for a reason. I’d like to believe Hamlet did love Ophelia. The story does not revolve around romance, after all—it revolves around revenge. A man with ambitious plans would not have love at the forefront of his head. Or, he wouldn’t speak aloud about it, at the least. Perhaps he was more reserved about that aspect of his life, too—he could’ve been shy to speak about it in front of all aristocracy—like you, for example.”
You giggled with a shrug, expressing your last phrase as lighthearted, but you still earned a slight frown from him. It was amusing that the nationwide terrorist was timid in everything concerning his love life.
“Obviously, it could be taken as manipulation, too,” you continued. “But again, it’s not stated upfront for a reason. Shakespeare mirrors the complexities of a person in real life. You never quite know the truth of other people, no matter how much you think you know them.”
Fyodor nodded, satisfied with your interpretation. “I wholly agree. It is why Shakespeare is enticing to many—he creates characters that simulate life’s universal themes and relatable human emotions when reacting to those situations. I only disagree with one point you made.”
“Which one? You being shy?” you asked. He shook his head with a smile.
“Perhaps I will reward you with that knowledge if you sleep.” He chuckled when you groaned in disappointment.
“How about you just do your work while I read? Then, when you finish, we can leave together.”
“If it were that easy. You’re a distraction, milaya.”
You rolled your eyes. “No, I promise! I originally came here to read anyway—I won’t distract you this time.” You moved to one side of Fyodor’s lap so he would have space to do what he wanted.
He did not answer you, instead making a quiet “tsk” when his fingers caught on a tangle in your hair. Fyodor worked to gently separate the knot. The terrorist was a perfectionist, but the mindset further stemmed past reaching twisted goals to create a world without flaws. Three spoons of jam in his tea, faint scratches on a deck of cards, and ensuring he had the satisfaction of reaching the ends of your hair with his fingertips were a few details he keenly paid mind to.
You took his silence as a comply, and started to play out the tragedy of the Danish prince in your head while your lover brushed through your locks. Eventually, he picked his journal back up and continued to write information you paid no mind to.
…
You did not know how much time passed before you felt your eyes grow heavy. The faint ticks of the clock on the wall combined with the warm candlelight’s glow drew you to slumber. You closed Hamlet and shifted positions until you ended up straddling Fyodor. You buried your face in the crook of his neck until you could see nothing but dark.
“Sonnyy?”
He started stroking his fingers through your hair again, relaxing you even more.
“Lublu tebya, kak angel boga, kak roso lyubit solovey. S toboy vremya ostanavlivaetsya, yi ya zhivu lish mgnoveniam ryadom s toboy.”
However, the sounds of seconds passing by and intimate lighting adorning the room could not compare to the persuasion of your lover’s voice in his mother tongue. Foreign words spilled from his lips as rich as velvet, as soothing as a lullaby. If his voice, in general could put you in a trance, here he harbored the garden serpent’s master of temptation itself. Even if you did not understand him. Worst of all, he knew this. You had fallen into his trap long ago.
“Ya boudou skucha—what are you doing?”
You were drowsily planting kisses on his neck. You stopped once the room became silent and looked up, catching his half-lidded amethyst gaze. The conjurer’s expression was for once softened—or perhaps it had been the entire time you were with him. It was a gift only you were blessed with.
You smiled, a tad smugness in your look, before sitting up and giving him a shy peck on his lips.
For a few seconds, you were both frosted in that moment of time—his hands wrapped around your waist, massaging circles onto your skin under your shirt as you straddled his own, your eyes fixated on his almost surprised, slightly flustered violet stare. The candles illuminated the room in such a way that made you think it was really only you two who existed in the world—your two souls someplace faraway where nothing else mattered but the sounds of your heartbeats and what you would do next after his mouth slightly parted. You were the most beautiful thing Fyodor had laid eyes on, throughout eras of people.
You kissed him for the first time that night, and the ravenette kissed you back. It escalated to become sloppy—you were both too exhausted to care whether your lips were on his or if they instead trailed down to trace his jawline as sharp as those of the greek gods. Or when you were back on your lover’s neck—however, this time almost sucking, mesmerized by how easily you could bruise him. You did not need to wear lipstick to create deep red marks on Fyodor’s pale skin.
“I told you that you’d end up being a distraction.”
You shivered at cold fingertips dancing across your lower abdomen, though they were still quite far from anywhere you wished. You winced when Fyodor bounced you up in order to fix your position, but it offered a different effect.
“Careful,” he warned. “That spot is visible to others.”
Being the leader of the Rats in the House of the Dead and member of organization Decay of Angels placed the Russian at a high status in the underground world. He always restricted the places you could leave visible traces of affection on him whenever he had a new operation in front of him—Fyodor was one to uphold modesty.
You sighed softly before disconnecting your mouth from his neck, only to unbutton the top half of his shirt.
Like his hands, the demon’s heart was cold. He bore at least some sense of insensitivity to death—he had to; granting silence was part of his duty. However, something about you ignited a fire in him out of nothing, out of no help amidst ice—you were not given a flame nor torch to aid you.
If he was the one to destroy the world to pay the price of ridding sin, you were the one who rebuilt creation from the ground and up. You were unfazed by the city ruins; you were unfazed by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the man most feared in the world. A duality: to them, his hands soaked in crimson blood, but to you, they clasped around yours in adoration.
And since he’d met you, his heart was filled with the foreign warmth of love. Accompanied were trust, vulnerability, and your sweet, honey-like kisses that you littered all over his broad shoulders and chest, because he deserved love everywhere.
He whispered against your ear, promising he would indulge you more another day, when you weren’t so sleepy. When both he and the moon had a little more time in the sky, was what he didn’t say. At the same time, he took a free hand to slowly guide your eyes to close, hovering barely above your eyelashes.
You complied, with no more complaints, as he kissed you on the forehead.
…
As Fyodor carried you down the hallway to the bedroom bridal-style about half an hour later, you dozed into dazy consciousness once again.
“You have…another mission, hm?” you whispered, recalling the preceding hints he had given you.
“Yes,” he quietly replied, walking into the dark bedroom. He tucked you under the covers before getting in right beside you.
“Truly, why were you in the library?” you asked, getting out your final curiosity before you fell back to dream.
“I did have a ‘sort-of’ job,” Fyodor replied. “Taking care of you. I was aware you’d show up.”
“Please stay safe, Fedya.”
…
You knew something was off with the thunderstorm that came several weeks later. A vampire apocalypse—however fictitious that sounded—was happening back in Japan, but Fyodor kept you overseas at where you two stayed before departing.
You didn’t ever touch his plans, but your mind finally processed how every event leading up until now seemed so wrong. The month-long stay—Fyodor had never done that before. The week you decided to read tragedies—you felt one even worse than those acted out in the theatre was coming. That night you stayed up—your gut was already screaming that he was about to depart again.
And how this time would be different than before. Your intuition had warned you, yet you still fell asleep and let him leave. You stood before the journal the conjurer made sure caught your eye that night. With shaky hands and heavy rain beating down on the windows, you flipped through the pages. Confusion and tears formed in your eyes at the vague implication of what was written.
Do not worry yourself with the death of all things that are seen and unseen by you. It is not an end, but the start of all things that are left to do.
Rodnaya, you asked what I did not agree with concerning your thoughts about Hamlet loving Ophelia. Have you ever considered a man having both love and ideals at the forefront of his mind? Isn’t love a dream itself?
…
Fyodor swore this when he judged how all could go wrong in the next step of his plan. Prior to meeting you, the calculating, confident smirk he always had on his face was authentic, and he simply assumed he would never fall to a mistake.
But now the plans were adjusted to work around you; the schemes all ended to benefit you, too. If he misjudged something, not only would it fail the perfect world God deemed it to be, but it would also affect you through and through.
Perhaps that was why he only almost saw you as an angel no matter how much you resembled one—no, you were far more glorious than one. You were human—so human that instead of looking down at him from above, you came down onto tainted soil and blessed him with a piece of heaven. Real empathy that now made him think of you as he sat with a rod pierced through his torso in the escape helicopter, doomed to death.
You truly did ruin him.
…
“Is there anything you find more powerful than manipulation?”
And Sigma wondered how such a man so immoral and cruel actually loved someone else. As he searched through the demon's memories, he realized he must go much further back in time to find any helpful information for the brunette ability-nullifier who assigned him.
Because if it was not anything relating to his plans that showed up through his search, it was every memory of you.
translations: (please pardon me if they’re bad, :’) correct me if you are fluent and would like to!)
dlya neye, v iskrennost : for her, in sincerity
sonnyy : sleepy
lublu tebya, kak angel boga, kak roso lyubit solovey. : i love you like an angel loves God, like a nightingale loves a dew.
s toboy vremya ostanavlivaetsya, yi ya zhivu lish mgnoveniam ryadom s toboy. : with you, time stops, and i live only for moments next to you.
ya boudou skucha[t po tebe] : i will miss you.
i heard if you rb, fyodor will come back to life. :’) reblogs are cherished; they are what support me the most. <3
someone should’ve warned me about hozier. only started listening to him last month and i…can’t stop.
© 2024 AUREATCHI. no reposts or translations. do not steal. support banner + gradient line by benkeibear. animated line by benkeibear. manga header mine.
#₊ ⊹˚✉︎𑁤 with love; reverie#𐙚 𖥔 ˖ fedya must be fancied .ᐟ#fyodor x reader#fyodor x you#fyodor dostoevsky x reader#fyodor fluff#bsd fyodor#fyodor angst#bsd fluff#bungo stray dogs x reader#bsd x reader#bungo stray dogs#fyodor fanfic#fyodor imagines#fyodor headcanons#bsd x you#fyodor dostoevsky#fyodor bsd#aureatchi
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Apricity
(noun) The warmth of the sun in winter
Sol x gn!reader
Day 2 spoilers!
I HAD TO RECHECK EVERY PARAGRAPH FOR THIS AND IM PROBABLY GOING TO MAKE PART 2 ONCE I GET PROPER SLEEP
ANYWAY I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE <33
(Thank you for the votes in the poll btw i love yalll😚😚)
Word count: 1.5k+
“It’s covered in snow,” Sol’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the rooftop covered in a pile of fluffy snow, despite the sun emitting light above. He adjusted his scarf while Hyugo rubbed his chin, pondering whether or not they should return inside.
However, they didn’t want to hang out in the cafeteria.
Loud noises and huge crowds were something Sol disliked greatly. No matter how snuggly the room is because of the heater, Hyugo wants his best friend to feel comfortable. He's Sol’s only best friend.
“We can just sweep it off from the bench,” Hyugo suggested as he approached their usual spot, brushing the flakes of snow away with his gloved hands.
You and Sol stood there, hesitating whether or not you both want to sit on the bench around the cold, snow filled area. As much as you don’t want to stay and possibly succumb to hypothermia, your stomach growled in hunger. You don’t have a choice, unless you want to witness another possible food fight happening in the cafeteria.
And neither did Sol want to witness that.
“Are you two going to stand there or eat?” Hyugo asks as he grows impatient, wanting to munch on Sol’s lunch that he made for him, just like what Sol promised… Since Hyugo (purposely) forgot his lunch.
You both sat beside each other next to Hyugo. You shiver from how cold it is, despite wearing the coziest accessory you can find. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to keep you warm, due to the fact that you forgot your scarf at your apartment.
Maybe if you searched through your closet once more, you will find something warmer than a scarf.
Sol on the other hand, opened his lunch box. Your mouth watered at the sight of his meal, and you were not the only one admiring it.
“Sunny! Why didn’t you tell me you made these?” Hyugo’s eyes lit up in delight, ready to fill his starving stomach.
Delicious small chocolate chip brownies adorned with a strawberry each and white icing sat on his container. Carefully made into perfection, displaying a scrumptious treat before you.
You took notice of the strawberries representing cute Santa hats, judging from the little icing on top.
Hyugo reached out to take one, earning a glare from Sol, but he let him do so.
He nibbled on the treat, and a satisfied ‘Mmm’ came out of his mouth.
Sol’s eyes widen slightly in surprise as Hyugo takes another brownie.
“Mmm, [reader] you should try it! It’s so good!” Hyugo said as he swallowed his first brownie, proceeding to nibble on the second one.
Curious, you take one from the container and try it, holy shit.
You can taste the chocolatey goodness from the brownie, as well as the ripe sweetness of the strawberry. It melted in your mouth as you chewed it.
“Sol, this is delicious!” You praised, taking another portion from the lunchbox. You can’t help but wonder, how does he manage to make his lunch so mouthwatering?
It was like he has been training for years to cook irresistibly appetizing treats. Cut and cooked perfectly like the carrots for homemade curry that one night. It was so scrumptious.
You can’t seem to remember much from that moment, but you definitely need to take cooking notes from him.
Hyugo took 2 brownies and munched on them, like a little kid feasting on sugary cookies that had been left for Santa to eat.
Sol grabbed one for himself and bit on his creation, pleased by what he made when he couldn’t sleep earlier. He made sure it’s all perfect and appetizing for you.
And why can't he earn enough rest for himself? He was busy stalking you.
“Mm, not bad,” He mumbled as he savored the sweet and acidic taste of the strawberry.
Not much time has passed and the container is already empty. The cold breeze was hitting your skin once more. You turned your gaze to Hyugo, eating the last piece of the chocolate chip brownie.
“You should really make more of these,” Hyugo said with food in his mouth, eventually swallowing it.
“So you can eat off my budget?”
“Hey, I have duties, you know?” Hyugo frowned
“Whatever” Sol packed his lunch box and sighed, his attention focused on you as you drank your water bottle.
“If you brought those for the winter party, I would finish it all.” You said with a grin, holding the nearly empty plastic water bottle in your gloved hand.
Hyugo nodded, “I agree, It’s a great snack for us and the guests!”
You know he will make the best Christmas themed brownies for the party. A little persuading won’t hurt. After all, you love what he cooks and bakes.
“Please Sol? I will really appreciate it and you know I can’t resist your delicious treats”
A sigh escaped Sol’s mouth, complying to your wishes. He will never deny you and your cravings for food. He loves to make food for you.
He’d do anything for you.
Anything. For his one and only soulmate.
Another gust of cool air made contact with your skin, a cold and numbing sensation filled you.
You looked up and saw soft hail falling from the gray skies above. Amidst the cloudy skies and snowfall, the luminous sun remained shining. A fascinating phenomenon.
You reached a hand out, catching a snowflake in your palm.
“It’s snowing again,” Hyugo uttered as he looked up as well
Sol stared at the snowy view of cities, roads, and cars. Sidewalks covered with a pile of snow, street lamps filling the town with warm light, and local stores selling candy canes and gingerbread cookies.
It all made you homesick, hoping to celebrate and experience Christmas with your family. Maybe one day, you’ll finally pay off their debt.
A snowflake landed on Sol’s lap, shaped beautifully and remarkably unique. As more snow piled up, your teeth began to chatter from the freezing temperature. Looks like you’re gonna need an extra layer of clothes and scarves soon.
Unexpectedly, soft black fabric wrapped around your torso. A wave of warmth fueled your body, keeping you safe from the bitterly cold weather.
You glance at your side and to your surprise, Sol turns his head away from you. His face flushed as his body tensed from the generous act he did. Hyugo gave you both a side-eye, deciding to stay quiet.
He found it too cheesy.
“Thank you, you really don’t have to thou-”
Sol cut you off, “No, I insist,” facing you with a gentle smile.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, keep it if you like” a smile appeared on his face, his red-orange eyes gazing at you lovingly.
You catched a whiff of his cologne from the jacket he offered, a scent that made you feel so comfortable. You can’t help but wish to smell it again–
Puff.
An audible soft puff was heard from the snowball thrown at Sol’s cheek by the blue haired guy. A playful grin on his face as another snowball is thrown directly at your face, hitting your temple.
Hyugo earned a piercing glare from Sol, before he stood up and knelt on one knee. Gathering a clump of snow, forming it into a snowball.
Hyugo immediately knew what he was about to do, so then he announced:
“SNOWBALL FIGHT!”
At the rooftop, you decided to join them, hitting both Sol and Hyugo with snowballs. Although, you were met with the cold and stinging sensation of snow as they threw snow at you as well.
Sol and Hyugo threw clumps of snow at each other, and you were on Sol’s side. Hyugo frowned at the unfair setup against him, balls of snow hitting his face and clothes. Luckily no one is going to scold anyone here on the rooftop.
The game did not last as the teacher found you, Sol, and Hyugo on the rooftop, throwing snowballs at each other.
Unlucky you, accidentally throwing one at the teacher themself. Guaranteed a pass to the principal’s office.
Yet, at the end of the day, the trio skipped their next class and drank warm hot chocolate at a cozy cafe nearby.
You kept the jacket on the way home, and whenever you would try to give it back to Sol, he insisted. "Keep it to stay warm," he said.
In reality, he desires to see you sleep with it whenever he visits you at midnight.
[BONUS]
“Ugh, why is it so cold?” Brittney complained as she rubbed both of her arms, earning the temporary heat of friction.
Her sweater was folded neatly on the table, stained with fresh mushroom soup from the food fight earlier. Damn it, she muttered. Cursing that one random dude for causing this.
“The heater might've broken down again,” a sigh escaped Crowe’s lips. “It’ll be fixed soon, I hope…”
Geo scoffed, “Yeah no, someone unintentionally threw food at it”
Crowe’s frustration grew, his brows knitted as he wore a pair of gloves
He’s right, the heater got a food blockage. Thanks to another immature idiot who kept throwing chunks of their pudding at different areas in the place. Staining the walls, floor, and students clothes
Jess sat beside Brittney and Crowe, quietly reading a book she bought a few days ago. Unbothered by the freezing temperature, the earmuffs and extra layer of clothing helped her a lot.
“I wonder where [reader] and their new friends are-”
“I SAW [READER] AND THEIR LUNCH BUDDIES ENTER THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE!” yelled Deryl as he bursted into the room, earning the attention of other students.
“WHAT?!” The group exclaimed.
To be continued…?
#solivan brugmansia#tkatb sol#tkatb vn#fanfic#the kid at the back sol#the kid at the back vn#mdni#writing#holiday fanfic#tkatb hyugo#tkatb crowe#hyugo sugimoto
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emily pre it’s x female reader who loves spoiling emily? like the relationship feels like the reader is a sugar mommy, but it’s actually just wanting to see emily happy and loved? if you could that would be great!
a/n: hey anon, thank you for your request! i'm sorry i'm only getting to it now, i wrote it like 2 weeks ago in my notebook but didn't have the time to type it out! but here it is, enjoy! <3 warnings: none, just fluff I 400 words
꣑ৎ ever since emily and you have officially gotten into a relationship a little over a year ago, the team has started to notice some changes
꣑ৎ not just has emily become happier, but also her style has changed
꣑ৎ her pant suits started to fit a bit better and the quality of her shirts has also improved
꣑ৎ not to mention the new rings, earrings and the expensive watch adorning her writst
꣑ৎ the truth was, while emily was your girlfirend, it sometimes felt as though you were her sugar mommy
꣑ৎ your job as a fashion designer gives you not just the money, but also the ressources for your gift giving
꣑ৎ you buy her designer clothes that haven't been launched yet and designed and made some of the best clothes she's ever worn
꣑ৎ your love language has always been gift giving, so it was clear that you were about to spoil your girlfriend rotten. and now emily has a whole new wardrobe, so it's a win/win situation
꣑ৎ you just loved to spoil and take care of her. and with her hectic and chaotic job she deserved a little pampering here and there
꣑ৎ if she comes home from a longer case and you are out of town, there will be flowers and jewellery waiting for her in your shared flat
꣑ৎ and don't get me started on anniversaries. you always call hotch beforehand to make sure emily gets the day off and then organise the coziest dates
꣑ৎ high-profile restaurants with private rooms, special screenings in cinemas, special performances of plays and of course rented out malls for your girlfriend and ger bau-girls
꣑ৎ but emily doesn't even has to think about paying, you already took care of it
꣑ৎ "just let me take care of you, you deserve it baby."
꣑ৎ in the beginning she didn't feel that comfortable with you paying for everything, but she's since gotten used to it
꣑ৎ she had to, because you definetely didn't stop the gifts
꣑ৎ the rest of the bau just smiles when they see her with a new designer go-bag or the newest phone
꣑ৎ they're just happy emily's found someone that treats her right
a/n: i hope you liked this, if so please leave some notes, likes, reblogs and comments! feedback is very appreciated!
please also consider supporting my ao3: @ softestqueen
requests open!
taglist:@silvermagnolias@milywatermelon@bigbananaa
#x reader#reader insert#ao3#love#fluff#no y/n#criminal minds#emily prentiss#emily prentiss x you#emily prentiss x reader fluff#emily prentiss x reader#emily prentiss x reader headcannons#headcanon#request#requests open#lesbian#wlw#jemily
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Astrology Observations: No.28
*just based on my observations, only take what resonates
(Sorry it’s been a minute, I got my time back then I got sick- like same day! I’m good now, thank god, but it was absolutely insane and everything has been going on in the world, my God)
-If your moon opposes your ascendant you may be known for making the wrong impressions on people (especially first impressions) at some point in your life
-Not the first time I said this but I feel like Libra Asc tend to need to balance out aspects of their life more bc of their houses having the opposite signs over them.
-On the other hand I feel like Aries asc have a very straightforward, sometimes less complicated world view bc of their houses lining up with their traditional rulers.
-Mars in determemt and fall (Libra, cancer, 12th house) really gives you a finite amount of stamina
-I feel like cancer venus/moons tend to wax the most poetically and romantically about the nostalgia they feel. Even stronger for Venus.
-Men with cancer placements be like: I didn’t know I was manipulating you into being nice to me until it was already happening (lmao oof)
-I noticed Aries and Scorpio Sun men/masc folks can get romanticized a lot, I think this is bc their identity is ruled by mars traditionally, so they tend to be assigned more masculine traits/act their traits out in a more “traditionally” (or even just comfortably) masculine way
-Aqua Sun/asc/venus usually have some features that makes their face really stand out I noticed (unique brow/nose/head shape etc) (idk why I haven’t seen this with moons as much)
-Signs in your 8th house may come off as mysterious or hard to understand
-You may find it really easy to vibe with people that have Sun conjunct your Asc
-I’ve noticed that a lot of Virgo mars may eat like really spicy or punishing foods (especially if the mars is in a fire house)
-Saturn aspecting your big 3 can help you age really well- depending on how well you take care of yourself (extreme example: dick van dyke, he’s almost 100 and he’s still jumping around with so much energy)
-Pisces placements can be like incredibly intelligent and yet still come off as a bit spacey (one of my favorite YouTubers used to head extra credits and he is SO SMART, like just a seriously huge capacity for knowledge but he sounds spacey when he does his chill gameplays and pieces things together unscripted lol)
-Jupiter square/opposition Sun can make you come off as overly pessimistic, it can also make you come off as optimistic at the wrong times (laughing at serious moments, etc)
-Taurus placements are so motivated by food, it’s so real (the amount of times I’ve had a Taurus sun/moon/mars not hear a word I was saying bc they were scoping out a restaurant? Countless lol)
-I notice a lot of rappers & musicians (especially the innovative ones) have major Pisces placements
-Aries moons get emotional fulfillment by winning what they chase after (Aries in big 6 tends to make you go after things in general too imo)
-I noticed sometimes Leo moon can make you a bit self centered, like in the most literal sense, you may have trouble understanding perspectives outside of your own
-Virgos and Geminis and 3rd/6th house placements have great memory but they tend to forget certain aspects. They tend to forget or mix up details. (My ex took like 3 years to remember my middle name beyond the first initial lol god; also, I always remember zodiac signs but not birthdays lol)
-I love how Joe Pera has a cancer Mercury and his comedy is like the coziest comedy I’ve ever heard, he even got his following bc his helping people fall asleep and just talking through his chill podcast (did not expect him to have like the most fire in his chart tho?? Wouldn’t have guessed lol)- Pisces Mercury and Mercury with hard aspects to Neptune probably have a cozy affect on others when they communicate with them too
#astro observations#astroblr#astro notes#astro community#astrology#cancer mercury#Virgo#Gemini#3rd house#6th house#leo moon#aries moon#taurus moon#taurus mars#taurus#Pisces#libra ascendant#aries ascendant#libra mars#cancer mars#mars in 12th#cancer venus#cancer moon
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White Nail Polish
Pairing: I.N x reader
Genre: pure fluff, angst, hurt/comfort
Word Count: 5.1K
Summary: Every Sunday when Yang Jeongin comes home to your shared apartment, there you’ll be, in your corner seat on the couch, painting your nails the same white color. But today, when he steps inside, you’re not there.
——————————————————————-
You always painted your nails yourself.
“It’s easier!” You would tell Jeongin with a bubbly smile. “Plus, it’s so nice to take some time to pamper myself. And I get to save money.”
It was a simple tradition he’s come to look forward to.
Every Sunday, when Jeongin walked in the door to your shared apartment and the smell of acetone smacked him in the face, he would always smile.
There you would be, on your designated corner seat on the couch, in your coziest, oversized hoodie, a fresh clay face mask on your face with your hair held back by a fuzzy headband.
The same fuzzy headband he stuck in your Christmas stocking last year.
You’d only just be finishing taking the last coat off your nails by the time he got home.
Without fail, Jeongin would walk in and immediately open the window to air out the chemical smell. He would then lecture you about fumes and how dangerous it was to be inhaling them.
Then, you would giggle and ask him to sit with you. He would do so without any fuss and a happy tingle in his chest.
Both of you would talk and watch TV until it was time for bed.
Sundays were his new favorite days.
The roommate line of your relationship was quickly crossed with how you were as a person, your overly friendly nature couldn’t keep you apart for long. After living together for two years now, Jeongin would easily proclaim you as one of his best friends.
His life was always changing, nothing was ever the same; nothing except for you and your white nail polish.
So, when he opened the door and was met with only the smell of a burning candle, Jeongin frowned.
The living room was dark. The TV wasn’t on. The entire apartment was standing still.
Not even a fresh pot of coffee was sitting on the counter.
You were home, though. Your shoes were by the door and your keys were hanging on the hook.
Never once have you missed a ‘Self Care Sunday’ as you coined them.
Even when you had the flu, you made sure to paint your pretty nails.
The door shut behind him, the click of the lock was as hollow as the apartment felt.
Jeongin kicked his shoes off and made his way down the hall, tossing his bag in his room before walking across the hall to stand in front of your closed door. The soft glow of your fairy lights shined from the crack underneath the wood.
There’s soft sounds coming from inside, it sounds like you’re watching videos on your phone.
He knocks a few times, you hum for him to come in.
Jeongin pushes the door open gently, his head peeking in first before his body.
You’re a lump of blankets on top of the bed. If he looked quickly, he might not have realized that it was you underneath all the blankets and pillows.
“Y/N?” he asks quietly, stepping inside slowly.
Your eyes look at him, they seem… dull. When you see his face, you lock your phone and place it down on your bed.
Again, you only hum.
“What’s wrong, Y/N?” he asks. Jeongin walks towards the bed and sits on the edge. “You’ve never missed a Sunday before.”
You shrug— or at least, he thinks it’s a shrug, all Jeongin’s able to see is the lump of blankets move around.
His eyebrows pull together and he purses his lip. “What’s going on?”
You look away from him. “Just… life weighing down extra today. Exams, job, finding an internship, life, everything.”
Every day you were bubbly. Not a moment went by where you didn’t have a varying degree of a smile on your face. Some people had a resting bitch face, you had a resting happy face.
The corners of your lips were perpetually upturned.
Seeing you now, like this, a sad lump of fleece, pulled at Jeongin’s heartstrings.
You reach one hand out from under the blankets and place it gently on top of his. “Sorry for being all meh,” you huff a humorless laugh through your nose. “I’ll be fine tomorrow. I think I need to be a bedbug today.”
Jeongin thinks for a moment, he looks around your room to your desk. Everything that you usually use on Sundays is there on top.
He flips his hand around and picks yours up, bringing it closer to his face. Cocking his head to the side, he peers down at your nails, making sure to exaggerate how much he’s judging the chipped polish.
“No, no,” he says, clicking his tongue. “This won’t do at all.”
“Jeongin—“
“Nope, look at this.” He holds your hand up for you to see. “How unprofessional. We have to take care of this.”
You roll your eyes. And it doesn’t slip past Jeongin’s watchful eye that your lips twitch in a smile.
“I just don’t feel like it right now,” you whine.
“That’s fine, I’ll do it.”
Jeongin pulls on your arm to yank you out of the blanket pile.
You blink a few times and allow him to sit you up on the bed. A large, stretched out t-shirt hung off your shoulder, your hair sticks up in different directions.
“What?” you ask with wide eyes.
“I’ll paint your nails, come on. Free of charge.”
Jeongin stands up from the bed and holds his hand out for you. You just blink at him over and over.
“You’re going to paint my nails?” The question ends with an incredulous laugh.
Rolling his eyes, Jeongin thrusts his hand out for you to take again. “Yes, I’m going to paint your nails, what’s so odd about that?”
“Have you ever painted your nails before?”
“No, but I watch you do it every week. How hard could it be?”
Your face scrunches up but a small twinkle returns to your eyes. It doesn’t slip past Jeongin.
Deciding that you’re taking too long, Jeongin leans down and picks you up over his shoulder.
A loud squeal comes from your throat that dissolves into giggles. His heart lights up at the sound— it always has.
Even on his worst days, hearing your laughter was like sitting in front of a fireplace during a snowstorm. When he’s sick, he swears he doesn’t need medicine, he just needs to sit near you.
He can still remember one night where he was at his wit’s end, everything that could go wrong, did. He was so overstimulated and angry at everything that he could scream and cry at the same time.
But then, your laughter pierced through the gray clouds of his mind. Your fit of giggles traveled through your door and into his room, they were so muffled but uncontrolled.
Slowly, they dissolved into cackles. Breathless wheezes and snorts that made him smile without knowing what you’re looking at.
You had one of those laughs that was so contagious, especially to him.
There was a bit of shuffling, a door opened, and then you came through his with one of the happiest smiles he’s ever seen. Tears coming down your red face from laughing so hard.
“You have to see this!” you wheezed out.
What was it? A video of a duck sitting on top of a water park geyser, when the water jet activated, the duck went flying.
It wasn’t even that funny. But hearing your angelic laughter made it hilarious.
Suddenly, his day wasn’t so bad anymore. He couldn’t even remember what he was mad about.
That’s the friendship you both have always carried on with.
A shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, an arm to grab when you’re laughing too hard, an extra coffee to bring home, a constant reminder to refill the Brita. It gets deeper and deeper every day.
Jeongin unceremoniously plops you into your corner seat and you let out an ‘ooof!’
He points down at your face. “Stay.”
“I’m not a dog!” You laugh nonetheless while Jeongin’s lithe form disappears down the hallway again.
You look down at your nails. They desperately needed to be done. After studying for hours on end while chewing on your nails, typing on your laptop, and picking nervously at them, there’s barely any polish left.
Truly, you were just going to wait until tomorrow— but if Jeongin was offering, who were you to turn it down?
He comes back out into the living room with everything you typically used. You honestly never noticed how much he paid attention to your pampering.
Setting everything down on the table, he sits cross legged on the seat next to yours and clicks the TV on. A random Christmas movie plays in the background.
He grabs the remover and a cotton pad and goes to work. All the motions look so natural after he grabs your first hand; like he’s the one that does this every Sunday, not you.
The two of you are facing one another, knees practically touching. He’s so gentle when he works.
The chemical burning smell of acetone makes him scrunch his nose up.
“Aren’t you going to open the windows?” you tease.
He grins. “In a minute. The smell has to permeate the house first.”
“And here I thought you hated the smell.”
“I do,” he wipes off polish and goes to the next finger. “But it’s just … something that’s grown on me.”
“Acetone?”
“Yeah,” he snorts. “Strangely enough. I hate it, but I love it.”
He switches to the next hand.
The Christmas movie continues to play, it’s a classic one with Korean translated subtitles at the bottom of the screen. It’s weird hearing English come out of the TV.
Jeongin’s been trying extra hard with English since you moved in. With you being from America, it was like having a live-in tutor.
“I … need remote, please.” He asked in a slow, calculated tone.
“You need the remote,” you corrected him, holding it out of his reach.
“I need the remote.”
“Why?”
“Change channel.”
“Change the channel.”
“Oh my god.”
Your attention goes back to Jeongin. He’s wiping the last of the nail polish off your fingers.
He’s been your rock these last two years. And you’ve been his.
Neither of you really enjoy having emotional conversations or talking about your feelings, you both prefer to stay quiet about it. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need some form of support.
That’s how you two work out so well. When one needs help, the other is there with jokes or food or a movie ready to watch.
Or in this case, nail polish ready to be applied.
With a huff, he stands up from the couch and pushes open one of the windows. He fans his hand in front of his face just to be extra dramatic.
Rolling your eyes, you poke him in the side when he sits back down on the couch.
You were expecting him to put the paint on right away afterwards, so imagine your surprise when he picks up the small pair of clippers.
With a raised eyebrow, you take your hand away a little. His grip tightens and his head snaps up to look at you with a mock-offended expression.
“Nuh-uh!” you tease. “You’re gunna give me man nails!”
“I will not!” he jests back. “I will clip your nails exactly how you usually do it!”
Your eyes narrow, he mirrors it.
You jut out your bottom lip, he mirrors it.
You slowly turn your head to the side to side-eye him, he mirrors it.
“I'm trusting you, Yang Jeongin. Christmas is next week. I don’t want man hands.”
He scoffs and looks back down at your hand. “I have rough news, Y/N.”
You balk and rip your hand away from him and then usher a swift smack to his bicep.
The two of you giggle the more you smack him around playfully.
“I do not have man hands!” you yell.
He laughs with you, holding his arms up to shield himself. “Okay, okay! Fine! You have beautiful womanly hands! Enough!”
You stop smacking him. “That’s more like it.”
With that adorable smile, Jeongin reaches forward and grabs your hand once again.
“One set of ridiculously short nails coming up.”
“I’ll poison your coffee tomorrow.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me, Yang.”
He snickers once more and then starts cutting your nails in small, little snips.
Jeongin just trims them a bit— he does a perfect job if you’re being completely honest. You preferred them a little longer anyway.
When he picks the nail file up, you’re less wary.
He files your nails down a little more, rounding off the edges just how you like.
“How was rehearsal?” you ask quietly.
“Are we gossiping now? Is this what it’s like getting your nails done at a salon?”
You chuckle. “Yes, now tell me all about it.”
“It was good, I had vocal training after, so it was a long day.”
“What does your day look like tomorrow?”
“Nothing tomorrow. But Tuesday we leave for Japan until Thursday.”
You hum, watching him file your nails. “Nervous?”
“Always. It’s never gone away.”
You giggle. “I think if you weren’t nervous, you would have too big of a head.”
“Or I would be Minho.”
Then, simultaneously, you both go: “Same thing.” And then break into a fit of laughter.
He files your one pinky finger and looks down at both of your hands at once.
“How’s that shape look?”
You bring them up closer for you to look at. They all look even and perfect.
How is he doing this?
“I think you should open a salon,” you tell him, still inspecting your nails.
“Ah, yes, let me abandon my idol lifestyle to be a nail tech.”
Jeongin grabs your one hand and files a little notch off that you didn’t see.
Again, you giggle.
He puts the nail file down and picks up the bottle of white polish you use every week. He shakes it around just like you do, hitting it against the heel of his palm.
Holding his hand out, you put yours in his.
“If you couldn’t be an idol, what would you do?” you ask suddenly.
Jeongin doesn’t even pause, but you can see he’s thinking about your question as he unscrews the bottle. The excess on the brush is swiped on the neck.
“Hmm,” he weighs your question. “I don’t know, really. I love singing so much.”
Jeongin grabs your one finger and swipes the polish over your nail.
“You could be a lounge singer,” you tease. “Singing in those fancy, swanky nightclubs at the piano.”
“Would I have a tip jar on top?”
“Oh, of course. It would be overflowing from all the women who fall in love with you every night.”
His cheeks heat up from the compliment, moving from nail to nail with the first coat.
“Don’t say things like that,” he mumbles.
You snicker. “Sorry, but all the old ladies would be head over heels for you. They’d empty their wallets into your tip jar and you would smile and wink at them with those dimples.”
With your free hand, you poke at his face. Jeongin swats at your hand with a whine.
“I’ll mess up your nails on purpose!” he threatens.
Still laughing, you take your hand away from his face. He switches to the second hand. You blow on the first one.
“Okay, your turn: why white?” He asks, paying attention to his careful brush strokes.
“The color?”
He hums an ‘mhmm’.
You smile down at the color on your first hand he did, admiring the way the white looks.
“I think it’s pretty,” you tell him.
“That’s all?”
You snort. “Does there need to be another reason?”
“No, I guess not.” He moves from finger to finger.
“It makes me feel a little extra beautiful. I can’t explain it, but having my nails painted white feels so pretty.”
His own smile is warm and happy. His cheeks scrunch up and the small blush of pink that sits on them make your stomach dance.
You’ve never really needed anything else like you’ve needed his presence— nor have you craved anything similar.
Jeongin is Jeongin. He’s simple and everything you could ever ask for.
“My turn again; if you could change one decision you’ve made in the last five years, what would it be?”
Jeongin whistles and finishes the first coat on your hands. “That’s a heavy question, Y/N.”
You continue to blow on your nails. “Well, I figured we were getting deeper and deeper.”
“I asked you why you liked white nail polish!”
“And I asked you to take a deep dive into your regrets, I think these are pretty similar.”
“Is it?”
“Hell yeah.”
Jeongin grabs the first hand he was working on and takes a look at the polish. “How long does it take to dry?”
“It’s a special gel polish, so ten minutes between coats.”
“How long do you think it’s been?”
“Maybe five?”
He nods and turns to look at the TV. His eyes scan over the subtitles at the bottom to understand what’s happening.
But you don’t look at the TV, you continue to stare at him.
Jeongin’s boyish charm never seems to go away no matter what. Even after all the soft lines of his face turned into hard ones, that teasing happiness is still there.
When you became roommates two years ago it was because you desperately needed a place to stay and he just as direly needed someone to pay the other half of the rent.
A match made in Heaven.
He continued to be an idol and you continued college.
When you first moved in, Jeongin told you that if you wanted more privacy, to let him know, that he was more than content to leave communal spaces to you.
You looked him in the eye and asked, “What if I wanted to hang out with you?”
Neither of you have looked back.
You needed a friend and he needed someone who wasn’t in his group. The boys can only do so much for his sanity.
Sometimes he just needs to come home to acetone and fresh coffee.
Scrunching your nose, you look down at your first hand and poke at the first coat. When your fingerprint doesn’t show up, you hold it out to Jeongin.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
He looks back at you, then down at your hand and takes it. God, his hands are so soft.
“It’s too heavy of a question,” he whines.
“I wanna know the answer, though.”
He applies the second coat to a nail.
“I mean, I regret having to wear some of the outfits they had us in before and right after debuting.”
You laugh, it’s a cackle. Jeongin cracks a smile— it feels like a victory in his head.
“Okay, but I mean a real regret. Something you had control over.”
He stops painting your nails and thinks. His lip pulls between his teeth and his eyebrows pull together. Jeongin’s eyes flit around while his brain reels.
After a few seconds, he shakes his head and looks up at you. “I really can’t think of anything, Y/N.”
“Nothing?”
“Nope.”
“Not even me moving in?”
His eyes glisten and soften considerably when he hears you say that. The corners of his lips twitch and his heart stutters in his chest a bit.
It feels like cotton is shoved into his mouth while he looks at you. Your hair is still frizzy and everywhere, bare faced with sleepy bags under your eyes, pajamas from this morning still on.
If there was one decision that he was sure he made the best choice of in the past five years, it was you.
“No,” he says with a twinkly smile. “Not even that.”
His demeanor catches you off guard, but you don’t let it show too much.
Jeongin looks at you for a few more seconds before looking down to switch hands.
“My turn again. If you could do anything for a living, what would you do?” he questions while carefully painting.
“Oh, easy. Actress.”
Surprised, he looks back up at your face. “Really?”
“Yeah! I was doing a lot of acting back in America, just local stuff. But when it came time for college, I gave it up.” Your eyes shine sadly. “I was pretty good too, but it’s just one of those careers that have too much uncertainty.”
“Like being an idol.”
“Exactly.” You swallow thickly. “So I went for the secure route.”
Jeongin focuses down on your nails again.
You keep talking. “Besides, I get to live through you.”
His painting stutters, but he continues nonetheless. “What do you mean?”
“You come home with these fun stories of being famous, all the people you get to meet, the countries you get to see. You get to wear Alexander McQueen for God’s sake.”
He blushes, and paints the second coat on your pinky finger.
“Jeongin, your life is so cool. You get to fly to Japan on Tuesday, and you said it like it was just a regular commute. That’s … that’s amazing, you know?”
“It’s not all like that.” He inspects each nail, making sure nothing got messed up.
“I know. There’s crazy fans and all the blood, sweat, and tears.”
Jeongin rolls his eyes. “‘Crazy’ isn’t even a good enough word to describe some of them.”
You laugh.
The TV continues to play.
“But you get to do what you love,” you whisper to him through a thick voice.
Jeongin looks at you closely. There’s unshed tears welling up in your eyes. His heart sinks.
Swallowing, your eyes drop to the couch.
“I gave up on that dream a while ago.” You take a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. “So I decided to live vicariously through you and your fun stories.”
You shrug and roll your eyes to stare up at the ceiling. Your lip quivers.
With your hands still in his, Jeongin threads your fingers together and holds your hands up between you two.
He says nothing.
He doesn’t know what to say.
What can he say in this situation?
You don’t need him to say anything, though. You never have. The fact that he’s there is enough.
“Maybe that’s why we workout so well as roommates,” you say, “no one would suspect a normal girl, with a boring 9-5 would be living with idol superstar I.N from Stray Kids.” Humor was always your coping mechanism.
Letting out a deep breath towards the ceiling, you look back down at him, hands still intertwined.
“Thanks for letting me mooch off your life stories.”
Jeongin chuckles. “Anytime.” He pauses. “For the record, I don’t think your life is boring.”
You cock an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
He nods enthusiastically. “You did that research study about traffic safety last month, I thought it was really interesting.”
An unbelieving laugh leaves your chest. “You don’t need to lie.”
He squeezes your hands. “No, really! You’re studying so hard to be an analyst. You sat outside in the freezing cold for days and days and days watching the crosswalk of a busy road just to collect data.”
It’s true, you did do that. Jeongin also stopped by about once every other hour to give you a hot beverage or food.
If he noticed you were getting cold, the next trip consisted of extra jackets and blankets.
The things you do for research.
“After your findings were submitted, the city started the process to add more crosswalks to busy streets. You’re like a superhero.”
You stare at him for a second before bursting out in laughter. “What a lame superhero!”
Your cackles, like always, are contagious. He can’t fight his own giggles bubbling to the surface in his heart.
Before he knows it, Jeongin is laughing with you.
“I’m Captain Statistics! I beat the odds no matter what!”
He laughs even harder at your pun.
The two of you are giggling so much, your bodies falling forward on the couch, hunched over in a fit of laughter.
But, your hands stay intertwined.
Eventually, the laughter dies down.
Jeongin squeezes your hands once more and flips them around to look at your nails.
“I think it’s time for the top coat, Captain Statistics.”
You look at your hands and test the polish. “Yeah, you’re right.”
He switches the white bottle out for the clear coat. Repeating the shaking process and grabbing your hand.
The top coat goes on much quicker than the white polish does.
“Thank you for this, Jeongin,” you say quietly.
The smile that grows on his face reminds you of those timelapse videos of flowers growing in the Spring. It takes up the entirety of his face— and your heart.
“Of course, Y/N. Happy to do it.”
He moves to the other hand. You blow on the first one.
It’s the truth, he was happy to do it. He’d do it again if you asked him to. Jeongin would happily paint your nails every Sunday for the rest of your lives if you wanted.
Words sit in his mouth, words that he’s wanted to say for months now, words that would change the entirety of your relationship.
They’re so heavy on his tongue.
Jeongin can practically feel them tumbling out. He has to clench his jaw from keeping his confession to himself.
How much longer until he explodes? You can only shake a soda bottle too much before everything comes out the top.
God, he loves you so much.
You say it to him all the time, you say it to everyone so often.
“I love you” is said all the time by you. It’s as easy as breathing for you.
He asked you about it once, why do you say it so much? Your answer?
“People need to know when they’re loved. I will happily be that person that reminds them.”
As if he couldn’t love you more already. You’re just a light, a star, a sun.
Yes.
You’re his sun. The center of his galaxy. Everything revolves around you, he gravitates to you. He can’t help but bask in your warmth every single day.
The last of the top coat is painted delicately. They’re done.
“Finished,” he says quietly.
Your smile lights up the room.
“God, you’re the best, Jeongin,” you say, admiring his handiwork. “Thank you so much!”
He mirrors your smile and starts putting everything away. “Anytime, Y/N.”
Jeongin screws the lids tighter on the polish and acetone. A car honks outside. The TV plays on. The heat kicks on. You blow on your nails.
“I’ll miss you this week,” you tell him casually.
He looks over at you, folding his long legs up on the couch again.
“Really?”
“I always miss you, Jeongin. The apartment feels colder when you’re gone.”
He studies your face for a long stretch of time.
You’re too busy smiling at your nails to notice.
He can’t take it anymore.
“I lied to you,” he says suddenly. You look at him, slightly alarmed.
“What?” you ask.
“I lied— when I said I had no regrets, I lied.”
Your face scrunches up. “Why?”
He swallows nervously. “Close your eyes and I’ll tell you.”
You eye him curiously for a few more seconds before your eyes slide shut.
Jeongin’s heart rate picks up exponentially. It’s going to explode at this rate.
He leans forward towards your face, you’re so perfect. How are you so perfect?
He hesitates.
But, he swallows his nerves and swoops in the rest of the way, pressing his lips to yours delicately. Your body jolts, but you don’t move away from him.
It’s no more than a long peck. Electricity shoots through his body anyway.
A shock goes from his heart to his toes. He can barely feel his fingers.
You’re so magical. How do you do this?
Jeongin pulls away slowly, brushing your noses together and letting your shaky exhales mingle with one another.
He can’t open his eyes. He’s so worried that if he does, he’ll see rejection and disdain in your beautiful eyes.
You’re the first one to speak through the thick silence.
“I fail to see how that is a regret,” you whisper.
He laughs. Like always, you get him to laugh. He rests his forehead on yours.
“I regret not doing it sooner.” His long fingers come up to cup your one cheek.
You hum and lean into his touch.
Validation courses through his veins. It’s taking everything in his body not to jump for joy.
All he wants to do is stand up and scream, pump his fist in the air and claim victory.
Before he could do any of that, you lean forward and kiss him again.
Your top lip slots between his, his bottom in between both of yours.
A sigh of relief leaves his nose, his other arm wraps around your shoulders to bring you even closer. He can’t get you close enough to his body.
Closer, closer, closer.
Please, he needs you to be as close as possible.
He pulls back from the first kiss just to press another one to your lips.
Again, and again, and again— he pulls away just to swoop back in.
It’s never enough.
It’s like drinking water after you’ve been parched all day. He never knew he was crawling through a desert until now.
“Jeongin,” you giggle through his frantic kisses.
He grunts in response and continues to kiss you more. Why can’t he get enough?
He’s resigned himself to his fate. He’ll need to kiss you forever until the world ends.
“Jeongin,” you say again, still laughing.
How has he gone this long without your kisses? It’s madness.
Finally, you pull back. He dives in for another kiss, you turn your head with a brilliant smile, his lips meet your cheek.
Eh, that’ll do.
Over and over again he pecks your cheek. Laugh after laugh comes from you.
“My nails!” you finally call out. “You’re going to ruin them!”
His hand turns your face to look at him. “I’ll do them again. I’ll do them again and again, just please let me kiss you.”
Unable to take it any longer, you throw your arms around his neck and smash your lips together.
You pull him down onto the sofa with you, kiss after kiss being shared between the two of you.
How was he supposed to go to Japan now?
————————————————————————
(A/N: yes, the duck video exists. You can see it here. The first time I saw it I laughed so hard my housemate came in to check on me.)
#skz x reader#stray kids x reader#yang jeongin x reader#i.n x reader#yang jeongin x y/n#i.n x y/n#i.n skz#stray kids fanfic
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Someone Like You | Human!Alastor x Assistant!Reader
Written for the VoxTek Server Winter Event 2024 hosted by @redfoxwritesstuff & @redvexillum of @voxtekinc xx
AO3 ✍️ | Ko-Fi ☕
Prompt: "Christmas Party"
Summary: Being Alastor Garland's assistant has never been an easy feat, but you reach the end of your rope at the station's annual Christmas party when one of his snide comments hits a little too hard.
Warnings: Angst to hurt to comfort that rounds back into steamy fluff, We're rockin' around the Emotions Tree 🎶, Implied period-typical racism (it's the 1920s), Reader has an established crush on Alastor despite him presenting as a certified dickhead, Alastor likes you too but he doesn't handle it well up to this point, Confused graysexual screaming, Reader's grandmother has passed away, Reader is female and in her early 20's (Alastor is almost 30 in this one), There's no smut here even if it seems like there might be during the steamy fluff scene I'm telling you that right now
A/N: Whatever you do or don't celebrate, I hope you have the coziest, kindest winter season ahead of you. Take care of yourselves. x
And be sure to check out all the other festive, lovely stories from everyone who contributed to this event!
The entire house smelt deliciously of warm, spiced cider. Molten notes of fresh baked apples, butter, and a pinch each of salt and cinnamon rolled over your tongue with every inhale, accompanied by a bloom of heat when you opened the oven to retrieve the cake you'd been painstakingly crafting all day ahead of tonight's party.
Memories of your grandmother were easy to come by in her own home—a home that had been passed down to you specifically as an escape from the house you'd grown up in. The differences between a house and a home were plenty and those had all been differences you'd learned in your travels between the two—one, a house where you'd lived with your mother and father and three younger siblings, and the other, the home your grandparents had cultivated over decades and decades of firefly summers and holidays within the often mild winters New Orleans had on offer.
A home your grandmother had taken fully into her care after your grandfather had passed almost ten years ago. A place that, despite your family house never being cold or violent or somewhere you felt unwelcome, had always felt like home.
And then it had become your home the day you turned 18. Against your family's wishes—primarily ones born of concern—you'd struck out on your own, eager to take over the care of the home your grandmother had left you, that she had entrusted to you. It was your turn to bring life to it now.
When you closed your eyes, time travel was a simple task. You let the heat wafting from the open oven warm you to your bones, let the scents of the cake your grandmother had made every Christmas Eve fill your senses entirely until everything was simply cake. When you opened your eyes to slip on the mitts and pull the cake from the oven, the scrape of the pans against the rack filled your ears and, if you listened, you could hear the ghosts of holidays past along the edges of those metallic keens—your brother laughing at the expense of you or one of your sisters, your mother fretting over anything and everything, and your father's silence as he watched it all unfold.
As the pans left the rack and the scraping sounds ceased, you were left with silence again. Fragrant, nostalgic, but very silent silence. A sigh eased from your chest as you set the pan down to cool and busied yourself with locating the festive bit of china your grandmother had always used for this very cake.
You just hoped you'd done it justice—you hadn't had a reason to bake it before and your maiden voyage into your grandmother's old cookbook (a still relatively pristine copy of Woman's Exchange Cook Book) had come about due to your first office Christmas party.
Well, the first one you had any interest in attending.
Your jobs for the first few years of living in New Orleans had varied—diners, coffeeshops, a bakery, two speakeasies, and a tailor—but none of them had offered much in the way of holiday parties. The diner and bakery had tried, bless their hearts, but it had always been more of a social gathering among friends orchestrated by the waitstaff. The speakeasies had been fun, but when every night was a party, holidays were even more so and they often got too rowdy for your temperament (particularly the one year the boys and blue had attended as uninvited guests and you'd had to run out the back with the bartender and his girlfriend).
Whatever the station had planned would surely be much more in the realm of a planned, prim office party. A scene you were new to. Second only to how new you were to the station itself.
You'd spent six months so far employed there, which was five months and twenty-nine days longer than anyone had expected you to be. There had been a betting pool. There likely still was one, just kept better under wraps after you'd discovered the first. You'd been swiftly assured that the pool wasn't aimed at your work ethic, but rather at the pure hell your "boss" seemed gleeful to put you through on a daily basis.
Alastor Garland wasn't technically your boss. He was the current dashing darling of the radio world, a local celebrity gradually going national as the show's popularity spread, and the man you were meant to assist, but he wasn't your boss. You were sure he would've fired you by now if that had been the case. Or rather, you would've never been hired to begin with.
Again, not necessarily because of you—although that was becoming harder to believe as time wore on and his jabs got more personal—but because Alastor was stalwart in his insistence that he did not need an assistant. He took offense to your very existence so long as it was under the title of being his assistant. And he couldn't take it out on your boss, the owner of the very station you were soon to leave for that night, so he took it out on you.
Impossibly timed errands. Last-minute coffee orders you knew were only requested to get you out of his hair for a bit. His overcoat dropped just shy of the rack so you had to juggle everything you were already toting into the recording studio for him just to get it up on the proper hook. Snide remarks whenever you messed up a cue or made his coffee "wrong" or took too long to notice whatever mess he'd made with the expectation that you'd clean it up.
He was rude. He was positively childish at times. He was sarcastic and mocking and generally unpleasant to work for.
And you liked him.
Your nose wrinkled at the thought alone as you sifted powdered sugar down onto the cake you'd just upended onto the festive Christmas china, the descending granules mirroring the rare Louisiana snowfall outside.
You were pretty sure your mother was ultimately to blame for this debacle, traced all the way back to your childhood. All the times you'd come home complaining that some boy had pushed you down in the schoolyard and she would simply check you over for anything past a scrape or a bruise and inform you, "He's probably just got a li'l crush on you, honey. Boys don't like to be honest about that kinda stuff, so they'll just pick on ya instead."
And then there was her relationship with your father, a gruff and perpetually pokerfaced man who wore his emotional reserve like a badge of honor. You honestly couldn't remember a single instance in which he'd told you he loved you growing up, but you also couldn't remember ever hearing him say it to her or his other children either. You were pretty sure he did though. You'd just always gotten the impression that he didn't know how to say it.
Well, if Alastor was one of those "boys in the schoolyard," he must've really liked you. The thought alone made you scoff because you knew that wouldn't be the case in a million years. Funny enough, he was also the exact opposite of your father while sometimes seeming the exact same. Alastor was emotive, theatrical in how little he seemed to hide, but he was just as pokerfaced as your father, you'd found. He just did it through showmanship and a smile.
You settled the cover to the china plate over the cake you'd finished garnishing, hoping it would be enough to keep it warm through the cold walk to the station. Stepping back, you went upstairs to finish getting ready, coming back down in a red velvet cocktail dress you'd spent three weeks' worth of accumulated pocket money on after hearing the receptionists discussing their own party budgets and worrying you'd look out of place.
You felt like a pretender or at least like someone trying to dress up like something they weren't, but there wasn't any time or spare change to go back on it now. So you bundled up in your coat and scarf, slipped on your heels, and plucked your freshly baked offering from the counter.
You triple-checked that the oven was off before taking a deep breath and working through the two additional deadbolts you'd added to the old front door after listening to one too many of Alastor's broadcasts about the recent murders around the Big Easy. And then finally, you left to start your trek through the snowy evening.
The snow provided a unique layer of soundproofing the city couldn't usually be afforded, particularly during its vibrant, sleepless nights. Contrary to the expectation that colder weather and snow might discourage New Orleans' nightlife scene, either the novelty of the chill or the holiday had even more folks out than usual. Couples rubbing noses under streetlights, parents and their children armed with sleds despite the hour, gaggles of teens pelting each other with snowballs while their laughter bounced off the seasonably decorated buildings lining the streets.
It helped to quell the somber feeling your silent home had left with you before departing—nice as that quiet often was, the holidays had a way of making even the most comfortable silence feel pointed.
Swiftly enough—and after only once nearly slipping and sacrificing your cake to the frosty pavement—you made it to the station and let yourself in the side alley door. Upon entering, you were immediately greeted with the murmur of conversation, the clanking of plates and platters being set up on an emerald green-clothed serving table, and a vinyl crooning from somewhere further in.
"Oh, hi, sweetie!"
Instinctively, you turned toward the voice and smiled when your eyes landed on Rosie—your boss's fashion-forward, easily delighted wife, who had all but made him hire you on the spot when she just happened to be in the station the day you came in to inquire about a job. She reminded you a lot of your grandmother had your grandmother been more boisterous and open with her thoughts.
She was wonderful. And it was always a relief and a joy to run into her.
"Hi, Rosie," you said back, smiling as she relieved you of your dish and then swept you into a hug. "It's so good to see you!"
"And it's lovely as ever to see you, too, dear," Rosie said, throwing you a wink as she uncovered your cake and set the steam-lined cloche aside with care. "I knew ya'd stick it out here. I'm very proud of ya. I'm sure Alastor hasn't made it easy for you."
You just smiled a little tighter, comically widening your eyes the next time she looked at you, which made her laugh conspiratorially.
"Don't take it personally, dear, he's… He's a character," she said, not for the first time. "There's a reason he's made it to where he is and it's not by mincin' words." Whipping around to focus on your dessert, she asked, "Now, anyway, what do we have here? It smells divine!"
Your chest puffed a bit with pride. "That would be my grandma's favored recipe for apple cider cake," you told her, your smile widening when she gave a happy clap of her hands. "She made it for us every Christmas Eve when I was growing up."
"Well then how wonderful of you to share it with us, doll! I can't wait to try some," Rosie said as she turned to face you again. Her eyes darted over your head briefly before she tsked through her teeth. "Just don't even mind him tonight, okay, sweetie? He's been in a foul mood all week, as I'm sure you've caught onto."
Ah, you'd thought you'd felt eyes on you.
You were almost afraid to turn around, but you knew that it'd probably been obvious even from afar that Rosie had noticed him and then commented to you on his presence. So it might give him some degree of satisfaction or sense of victory if you didn't turn around now.
Couldn't have that. And you wouldn't admit it, but you weren't exactly rueful of having a reason to look even while your nerves ate away at your insides.
Pulling the proverbial bandage, you glanced over your shoulder and it took only a few seconds for your eyes to land on your target. He was dressed to the nines like everyone else in the station tonight, looking immaculate in a dark suit with merlot accents and shiny silver cufflinks. He was clean-shaven—something he'd uncharacteristically not been all week—and his hair had been hot-ironed straight in a stylish fluffy flop that was almost as signature to his look as his smile. His round wireframes had descended a bit down the bridge of his nose, but he righted them now with the precise press of a fingertip.
Behind the lenses, his honey-hued eyes were already locked on you.
You tried to channel your dad's immaculate pokerface, but there was only so much you could do when those eyes evoked in you the strangest mix of intrigue and genuine unease. When your eyes met, you felt yourself freeze—prey in a predator's trap as your heartbeat drummed ever faster against your ribs.
You swallowed harder than you meant to and you knew he saw it by the way the polite smile he'd turned toward the men he was currently rubbing elbows with—sponsors most likely, you didn't recognize them at a peripheral glance—slowly curled into a sneer.
So much for keeping him from a bit of undue satisfaction for cowing you before you'd even uttered a word his way this evening. Your jaw tightened and you turned away to roll your eyes, melting a little when you spotted one of the receptionists—the station owner's niece, Charlie—enthusiastically waving you over.
It's not just him here, you reminded yourself as you smiled back at the excitable blond belle and made your way over to join her. And you're off the clock. He's just a man.
Just a man you wished you could write off as truly just a man.
The cider cake you'd baked was annihilated within the first hour and it was compliments abound from everyone who'd had a slice. Rosie had been sure to let everyone know that you were the one to thank for it.
You really weren't sure what you'd done to endear yourself to her so much, but you were endlessly glad for it.
More party attendees had shown, however, and there was room to be made on the buffet. You excused yourself from Charlie's company—along with her friend, Anthony, and her "friend," Maggie—to squirrel away your empty baking dish and help clear the way for more warm, tasty homemade creations to have their spotlight moment debut on the table.
You'd settled the cloche on the crumb-dusted plate and then turned, taken approximately four steps from the table, and then a passing gentleman—who'd had a bit too much from a poorly obscured flask in his jacket pocket, nevermind the hot punch and roasted chestnuts from the actual spread—walked right through you and jostled the china from your hands.
It shattered on the floor and deadened all conversation in the room. Your hands had gone to your mouth after fumbling the dish and failing to right yourself and you felt tears stinging your eyes as you stared down at your grandmother's beloved baking set in ruins.
What had you been thinking, using that to bring your cake here tonight? How hadn't you foreseen something like this happening? If not now, from your hands, then from some other folk rearranging the table offerings or even before the party had started, when your heels had nearly slid out from under you on the walk outside?
You'd broken it. By unearthing it from your grandmother's home—your silent, silent home—you'd put it in the path of being destroyed. And now there was no replacing it because it wasn't the dish that was broken, it was every memory you'd tied to that fragile bit of china.
Utterly careless. When you thought such things of yourself, suddenly your inner voice started to sound like your mother and you felt like a child in their house—not your home, their house—all over again.
And if the mistake itself weren't enough, you were suddenly pointedly reminded of who was in attendance tonight.
"Dear, I really must ask that you reserve your skillset of being completely useless for working hours," Alastor remarked through a mostly stifled chuckle, earning heartier laughter from the men surrounding him who'd hardly given you a glance before you'd made a fool of yourself. "It's Christmas, after all, take a bit of time off."
"Alastor," Rosie admonished him as she bustled over to you and the wreckage at your feet, hands waving fretfully as she deliberated how best to help. "Sweetie, are you—"
"I'm fine," you said, quick and hard, before trying to school your expression and agitatedly swiping a wayward tear from your eye. You'd probably smeared your mascara in the process with your luck tonight. Shaking your head, you said again, "I'm fine. Don't trouble yourself, Rosie."
Rosie frowned, watching you stoop down and start to collect the pieces by hand. "It's no trouble, let me just—"
"I can manage," you said, still feeling Alastor's eyes on you and ignoring him with all your might as you collected the chunks of china from the floor and stacked them into something you could tote back home. Perhaps even fix. It wouldn't be usable again, surely, but at least you'd have it, you supposed.
Maybe if you put it back in the display case and pretended that you'd never broken it—truly the child version of yourself all over again, weren't you—you'd get away with it. But you only had yourself to fool now and there was no feasible way to do that.
It was in that precise moment that you realized finally what had you pining for your "house" over your "home" this time of year every year—you were lonely.
In your revelation and your determined state of clearing the floor of china shards, you'd missed the way Alastor's expression had shifted. His eyes never did, no—unfortunately for him, they rarely did with you.
If he was honest with himself, he'd regretted his comments as soon as he'd noticed the constituents around him laughing, too. It was different when it was just him and you in the studio or perhaps with one or two of your colleagues around to play the audience. Your coworkers knew you—they knew no matter how much grief he gave you that it wasn't anything you did. They knew you well enough to know that you were capable and patient and far better than you had any right to be at a job you'd all but fallen into.
These fools flanking him with dollar signs in their eyes and targets on their backs only he could see (for now) didn't know you. Even if they did, they wouldn't have respected you. So they turned to regard you and saw a silly little woman who'd dropped a dish and looked ready to cry over it and laughed.
Alastor had called you "useless" but he'd been thoughtless. And now you were hurrying so much through the cleanup stage of fixing what you'd broken that you nicked yourself on a sharp edge of china, ignored it, and toted it all away and out of the room while avoiding everyone's eyes.
And Alastor felt guilty. Because, unbelievable as it might be to you or to anyone who'd ever seen you two interact, he had a great deal of respect for you. It infuriated him how true that was because he didn't want it to be the case.
Because it wasn't just respect. He liked you.
And that—given your backgrounds, your age, his other career, and several other aspects of his self that he'd yet to fully understand in correlation to society's expectations—was something he'd found himself unable to tolerate the thought of. It was easier to try to find reasons to dislike you all while making you dislike him in the process.
"Mr. Garland, that was absolutely out of order," his boss's wife, Rosie, approached him to murmur, looking more distressed than angry. "I'm surprised at you! You're usually such a sweet boy—a little sarcastic, sure, but it's a good weapon to have at the ready. What's gotten into ya?"
"Nothing, ma'am," Alastor said, his smile snarling slightly as he heard the faint tone of petulance in his own voice. "Simply a joke that landed wrong. Nothing more."
"You owe her an apology, Alastor," Rosie declared, fixing him with a serious stare. "I mean it. The poor little thing's very shaken up, I don't know if I've ever seen her like this."
Despite all his teasing, poking, and prodding these past six months, Alastor had to admit he hadn't ever seen you like this either. You usually either rolled your eyes—as you'd done earlier, he'd not missed it even though you'd tried to turn away before reacting—had a remark to toss back his way, or just snickered a little, yourself, depending on what he was griping about.
He'd never seen you cry or just clam up and shrink in on yourself. He'd be hard-pressed to ever want to see it again.
As Rosie bustled away to tidy a few decorations that had gone askew throughout the night, Alastor sighed through his nose.
"Bit of a nag, that one," one of the sponsors remarked once she left, making Alastor bristle beneath his suit jacket. But it was via that comment and the way the other graying, self-important men around him began piling on amongst themselves that Alastor found an easy enough way to excuse himself.
Because, unfortunately once again, Rosie was correct. He owed you an apology.
And, damn it all, despite the purpose of his seeking you out, he found himself secretly pleased to be doing so.
After leaving behind the stuffy, string-lit room being used for munching and mingling, Alastor put his hunting skills to the test. A minor test, to be sure, but it gave him an excuse to stretch his legs and busy his mind. He already felt sluggish from the sheer boredom of being beholden to small talk with whoever presented themselves tonight.
At least, with you, he was never bored. It was often a thing attained at your expense, but he could admit—so quietly perhaps the universe would miss it—that even when it wasn't at your expense, you were far from boring to him.
Pretty little darling like you, inheriting your family's old ornate farmhouse and moving yourself out here by your lonesome despite your age (sure, you were in your 20's now, but he'd heard you tell Charlie once that you were 18 when you'd moved here) and despite not having a job or a betrothal lined up?
Whip-smart, progressive, sassy when sufficiently pestered, and still sweet and domestic when it came to the home. Why, you were fascinating.
You were also sitting on the back steps out to the alleyway, he found—it'd taken a bit of a search, but the station wasn't big and there were only so many places to get away from other guests tonight without outright leaving. And he didn't think you'd leave after that, at least not without telling Rosie or someone else you deemed a friend.
That traitorous ache near his heart felt morose at the notion that he would not be someone you'd think to tell you were leaving tonight. But when would he have earned it?
You'd snatched a small first-aid kit from the supply closet adjacent to the back door of the station before making your way out with your coat and the pieces of your grandmother's broken plate and cloche bundled up in your scarf beside you. You'd pulled out a cigarette case from a pocket on the inside lining of your coat, snapped it open, and placed one between your lips, sighing when the shallow cut on your hand smeared a little blood on the end.
You'd abandoned looking for your lighter for just a moment while you fumbled the kit open and cleaned your finger—you were bandaging it when Alastor found you. He lingered in the open doorway, watching you for a moment before announcing himself with a lamely spoken, "I'm afraid you might need to light that to get the full effect."
Why couldn't he just talk to you without talking down to you? You were both wondering that now.
You resumed your search in your coat pockets for your lighter and sarcastically mumbled around the cigarette, "Knew I was forgetting something."
You were playing nice, but there was a hard edge to your voice that spoke volumes more than your words. One of those volumes was an unspoken suggestion for him to go back to the party.
Alastor had never been one to follow instructions well. Particularly the ones left up to his interpretation. So instead of heeding your fair warning, he sighed through his nose and lowered himself to the step to sit beside you. Once he was settled, he rummaged through his own pockets and located his lighter, which he flicked to life and held to the end of your smoke.
You eyed him suspiciously, wondering if a wick could be poisoned and if that poison could be sustained through a flame to an unsuspecting host. Then again, after tonight, perhaps that would be him doing you a favor. You murmured your thanks as he stowed the lighter away again, hesitating before offering him your cigarette case by way of reciprocation.
He waved away your offer. "Kind of you, but I'm afraid that would put me back in your debt," he said, running his long fingers through his fringe as he glanced around the alleyway to avoid your eyes.
Your eyes narrowed, but you blinked them a little wider when a wayward snowflake landed on your lashes. He saw it in his peripheral and thought it was rather cute.
"So lighting my gasper is your definition of evening the score for tonight?" you wondered, tone flat and fatigued.
Alastor had a snappy comeback already on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. Even he knew when it wasn't the time and this was the opposite of "the time."
"No," he said, just the faintest edges of amusement at what he might've said lingering in his Transatlantic accent. If you hadn't known him better, you might've thought he looked sheepish. "I thought an apology would better suit that."
"An apology?" you half-laughed, sucking on your cigarette before noting, "Alastor Garland doesn't do apologies."
Alastor smirked down at his dress shoes, shiny on the dull stone steps you two were seated on. Snow had delicately dusted his hair in just the short time he was outside with you and he looked even dreamier than usual somehow. Ethereal.
You were supposed to be upset with him, remember? You were upset with him. It turned out that being upset with someone didn't always make them less beautiful.
"Not insincere ones," he allowed and, just when you thought that was his exit from the conversation and from whoever had guilt-tripped him or threatened his livelihood to get him to come out here and speak to you, he followed up with, "I'm sorry, darling."
It wasn't the first time he'd "darling"-ed you. If Alastor was anything, he was consistent, and he was always in supply of dears, darlings, and the occasional sweetheart for any lady he found tolerable, which was most of them. Certainly all the ladies that worked at the station. The only exception had been Susan, the receptionist whose spot Charlie had eventually taken, who he'd called an "ornery old bitch" in one particular dust-up you'd unfortunately missed but that still lived and circulated like lore within the station to this day.
All that aside, this "darling" felt a little different. Softer. Why?
Wary of the feelings this was stirring, particularly in your vulnerable emotional state, you murmured a simple, "It's fine," and left it at that.
Alastor wasn't having it though.
"It isn't," he disagreed. "Not really. Don't be so quick to let me off the hook, cher."
Alright, now that one was new. He had your attention—what was his game?
You turned to face him and felt the furrow in your brow deepen alongside your confusion. "…Pardon?" you asked, flabbergasted.
The smile he wore was almost boyish. He tilted his head as he studied you, briefly removing his glasses and cleaning the melted snow away from the lenses before putting them back on. Despite his efforts, they kept either smudging from the snow or fogging up with the heat from his skin.
"I was a complete ass to you back there," Alastor said and you blinked owlishly at hearing him swear. It had no right to be as attractive as it was.
Bewildered, you forgot to check yourself as you mumbled, "…You're always an ass to me."
A bit of shock froze his expression before he burst into laughter beside you, his mirthful cackling bouncing off the alley walls. Your arms brushed, something you understood to be a cardinal sin when it came to him (so much so that it'd been included in your primer when you'd taken on the job of being his assistant), but he leaned into the contact as he fought for composure.
When he finally had a handle on himself again, he grinned down at your chagrin-flushed face and nodded once with satisfaction.
"There you are," he declared as if seeing you for the first time tonight. As if you were comrades-in-arms rather than a famous radio host and the assistant he abhorred. "And you're right. I am. And I shan't be proud of it any longer! I feel positively dreadful after tonight."
"Why did tonight make any difference?" you asked, genuinely wondering.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because those charlatans Franklin's so keen on me impressing don't know their own mouthes from holes in the wall," he remarked after briefly glancing back at the door to ensure you were still alone.
Alastor looked back down at you as he said, "They certainly don't seem to comprehend that a woman's worth just as much as a man."
Your brow pinched. "Few do," you murmured, the simple statement as much of a slight to society as it was an acknowledgment of him being above that. If there was one thing you'd always noted about his jabs, it was that they never came from a place of demeaning what you were. What you did was another story.
"Indeed," Alastor said. "And my mother raised me better than that. I may have had my usual fun needling you at first, but they didn't take it as such—I don't like feeling as though I added to their backwards ways of thinking." His thin smile wavered. "And… Well, I've never seen you upset about something I've said. Have you just been adept at hiding it?"
You'd tended to your cigarette while he spoke and, halfway through the stick, ashed it out on the step and replaced it tidily in your case.
As you worked, you said, "No. I'm… The holidays are tough."
The admission felt strange to say aloud, much stranger to say aloud to Alastor.
"And things wear a person down over time. So perhaps it was that, perhaps it was all this," you gestured vaguely to the electric light strings and garlands lining the building, "and it was also that the dish I broke was my grandma's. It was all of it."
"It was an accident, no? I'm sure she won't be upset," he suggested, keen enough to lift your spirits somewhat that he'd forgotten the tidbit about you he knew regarding your inherited home.
"I know she won't be, she's been dead for years," you quipped, watching the fog of your breath bend and then fade in the night air. Sniffling a bit from the cold, you murmured, "Sorry, that was uncalled for. And not as funny as it was in my head."
Alastor chuckled. "No need to apologize, dear. It was morbidly funny, but I couldn't speak for having my entire foot in my mouth," he bantered back, mollified when he saw the corner of your mouth curl upward just the tiniest bit. "Still. You needn't be so hard on yourself. It's… Well, it's a dish."
"I know," you murmured, glancing down at your bundled scarf with the china remnants inside. "Straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose."
"I'm afraid I missed out on your little cider cake creation," Alastor said. "The entire thing was gone before I blinked."
A tiny swell of pride lanced through your hollow chest. "You're not one for sweets," you pointed out. "I don't know that you would've liked it much."
"Hardly the point," he said.
You glanced back at him. "Then what is the point, Alastor?"
He shrugged, suddenly boyish again at just his name on your lips. "That you went to all the trouble of making it," he replied. He cleared his throat a little and said, "And it looked rather good."
Was he flirting with you? Or just buttering you up to get through the rest of the party only to start back from Square One come Monday?
"It does go well with a black coffee," you allowed, resting your chin on your hand and studying him, looking for answers he wasn't openly giving yet.
"A-ha!" Alastor huffed, giving a theatrical sigh as he said, "I knew there was something for me there. Alas, now I'll never know."
"Bit dramatic," you murmured. "It's a Christmas Eve tradition. There's always next year."
Carefully, he asked, "You think you might still be at the station then?"
"Do you intend to fire me?" you asked rather than answer.
Something about that struck him as funny, but he didn't elaborate. "Couldn't even if I wanted to, cher," he informed you. "Even if I could, no. I wouldn't."
Finally, you asked the question that'd been nagging at you from your very first day on the job. A question that was made even more imperative by your exchange tonight. If anything, his explanations had muddied already-muddy waters and you needed some clarity if this was to continue.
"Then why are you so mean to me, Alastor?" you finally asked. Before he could take the easy way out, you added, "Not right now, obviously. But up until now. Why? Do you hate me or something? And why are you being nice to me now?"
His smile had grown threadbare, but it clung on for dear life. "Any other questions before I get a word in edgewise?" he snarked.
"No, that's all. Go ahead," you snarked back in kind.
A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes before he turned away, staring at the opposite wall as he answered. "Because I desire to ruin our working relationship, dear," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "And not in the way you might think. Not in the way I'd prefer."
"What on earth does that mean?" you asked, already exasperated.
"Let me finish," he murmured, tapping the tip of your frozen nose with his index finger. You sat in silence as he took stock of his words and then started up again with renewed purpose. "I don't want to like you. You're young, occasionally quite bratty perhaps due to your age, and you waltzed into a job you are objectively not qualified for.
"You are also learning it at pace when I've given you no room to slow down. You've handled yourself with grace in every crisis I've seen you endure and you've shown compassion for others even when stretched to your limit. Myself included. All without sacrificing your own well-being in the process. It's a difficult balancing act that you do strikingly well."
What was happening?
Alastor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and adjusting his glasses back into place as he continued. "You are clever, persistent, hardworking, and kind," he listed off, making eye contact with you again as he emphatically added, "and not useless."
"I don't understand," you admitted, an unspoken apology in your tone for what you saw as perhaps being a bit obtuse. He could hardly blame you for not following the wild chase he was taking you both on though. That he'd been taking you both on for months now.
"Darling, the only thing I don't like about you," Alastor finally said, "is how much I do like you."
You were floored. It was the goddamned schoolyard run-around all over again. Maybe if he'd pushed you into a snowdrift and run away giggling instead, you would've caught on sooner. Honestly, that didn't feel far off from something he'd do on a whim.
"When you…say 'like'," you murmured, wary of him bursting into another round of laughter at the sheer implausible scenario you were soon to present about this being a confession rather than a truce. "Do you mean—?"
Alastor gave you a rueful, embarrassed smile as he flicked snow off his sleeves. "I said I desired to ruin our working relationship," he reminded you and you felt the heat of a blush creeping up your neck. "And not in the way you might think—that being that I want you to hate me or I want to hate you, and so on. That would also be the way that I'd prefer wanting to ruin things between us. That I've tried to."
"…But?" you prompted him when he didn't immediately continue.
Whatever this was, it was taking it out of him to put it into words. He stifled a groan and rolled his eyes to the clouded night sky as he murmured, "This isn't what you might've thought. It's not what I would have preferred. So yes. I do mean."
"Oh," you replied, barely a whisper. You didn't think you could be more shocked. You were, yet again apparently, wrong.
"Do with it what you will," Alastor said to the night—certainly not to you, he could hardly look at you. "I apologize if this is untoward or if this causes you any measure of discomfort. Rest assured that I'm well aware that my behavior has been such to have not earned me any sort of good grace with you. I admit, I…am not versed in these things and, as such, handled it poorly."
You frowned, fiddling with your cigarette case. "Listen, Alastor, I'm not—"
"It was selfish of me even to mention it, I think," he said. "What a cliché this is, ha-ha! An older superior—a man no less—having an eye for his young assistant. It's innately a power imbalance, a vintage bit of nonsense. Rest assured, this little folly of mine will have no effect on your career, I can—"
"Let me finish," you asserted as he had earlier and he looked at you, surprised enough to fall silent and give you the floor. "First of all, phrased like that, it sounds every bit as scandalous as you think and that doesn't make it any less interesting."
You were gratified when he blushed bright red, his flush exacerbated by the cold. You couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled up, but you schooled your expression quickly enough.
"Second, as antagonistic as you've been these past months, I'm afraid I like you, too," you admitted, finding it came more easily now that he'd said his part. Well, several parts. With how his eyes rounded, it appeared to be his turn to be shocked. "Don't ask me why. At least not based on our interactions. When you've not spoken to me, you've seemed perfectly agreeable and there's a lot to like about you.
"You're smart. You're an ace for banter, you just often use it for evil. You're strikingly handsome and you run one hell of a show. And just from your quick mention of her earlier, you seem to think a great deal of your mother." You smiled. "You're progressive, too. Even when you've descended upon my worth as your assistant, you've never demeaned me as a person. It's a strange standard to draw, but it's one I might've clung to a few times when I really did think you hated me."
"I admit, I did try to," Alastor sighed, finally taking you in again. His honey-brown gaze languidly traveled over yours, over your face, and then over the snowflakes clinging to your hair and coat. You were a vision he was finally allowing himself to appreciate, somehow not too late. "You make it exceedingly difficult."
"Thanks?" you replied, your uncertain tone causing you both to dissolve into a quiet round of shivery laughter. "Okay, I'm about to freeze to death. Back inside?"
"Back inside," Alastor agreed, his own Louisianan composition not cut out for these rare freezes he'd only seen one or two of before in his New Orleans lifetime. "Tom said earlier that the snow was supposed to stop around seven tonight."
"Well, Tom's keeping up his streak of being categorically incorrect then," you grumbled as you shook off the snow you'd accumulated on your person, plucked up the scarf-wrapped china pieces, and walked under Alastor's arm through the door back into the station.
He was chuckling at your remark about Tom as he followed you in and shut the door, checking that it locked before you both hung your coats back up. Alastor lingered while you found a place to stow your scarf bundle, watching you with elation flowing like post-hunt adrenaline through his veins.
This was warmer and more inviting though—he felt invincible after tonight, even knowing that he'd hardly broached the subject of his fascination with you. He warred with himself to not write off the victory but to also not let it cloud his judgment. He had a lot of making-up left to do.
That lasted all of five seconds before he spotted a new opportunity and he was surprised at the relief he felt over trying these sorts of things before he held any real interest in someone else. Things he previously despised ever having done at all were proving to be, curiously, worth something now if it meant it might all end with you.
Alastor cleared his throat behind you and you stopped in the doorway to the hall that would lead you both back to the party, your freezing hands mid-smooth over the skirt of your dress. Your instinct was to wonder what you did wrong despite the at-length conversation you'd just had about how so much of what he'd found "wrong" with you had been a ruse.
When you remembered that conversation and took in the pleased smile on his face, you were at a loss again.
"Yes?" you prompted him.
A little shiver ran through you at the realization that you were standing in a dimly lit hallway with a man. This man. He'd hardly ruin just your working relationship—he'd ruin you if you weren't careful.
The thought wasn't as unwelcome as you might've hoped.
"If the idea isn't one you are necessarily opposed to," Alastor suggested, his cat-that-ate-the-canary smile familiarly mischievous yet unfamiliarly warm. You were still getting used to that part. "Perhaps I might ask you officially—would you allow me to court you?"
Heat flooded your cheeks anew and you didn't have the cold air to fall back on this time as an excuse. You swallowed, feeling embarrassed at the sheer schoolgirlish amount of butterflies his question stirred to life in you, but had the wherewithal to nod at least. Some paranoid part of your brain that had learned not to trust Alastor's intentions at face value wondered if this was some elaborate multi-stage insult, too, that had yet to deliver its punchline.
"Lovely," he murmured, pure pleasure in your answer lacing the low husk of his voice as he continued to encroach on your space. You didn't realize just how close he'd gotten until your back pressed against the doorframe and he loomed over you, handsome even in shadow. Especially in shadow.
"This isn't an elaborate prank, is it?" you asked, feeling a little sick at the thought. Not only for how embarrassed you'd be for falling for it, but for the disappointment it would cause you, too.
You'd known this whole time that you'd liked him well past what you knew was smart, but you'd never known just how much until the possibility of him and of you and him was right at your fingertips. Envisioning the other possibility that you'd made a fool of yourself only to have him rip the rug out from under you—no, not just a rug, the ground itself—felt like the worst sort of afterthought.
"Heavens, no!" Alastor chuckled, leaning his forearm against the doorframe above your head. As he leaned down, nearly nose-to-nose with you, he added, "You have walked us both into a bit of a trap, however."
You blinked, eyes wide with alarm and confusion. "A trap?" you repeated. "I don't—"
Oh, but then you did. All it took was one pointed flick of his molten gaze upward for you to follow it and realize that you two were situated beneath a sprig of mistletoe someone—Rosie probably—had incorporated into the garlands lining the jamb, laced in with larger evergreen branches, pinecones, and holly berries.
You couldn't remember if that sprig had been part of the arrangement before you'd stepped outside, but it was certainly there now and the only thing more expectant than that traditional little Christmas plant was the radio star—your radio star now—leaning over you and waiting to see what you'd do.
Alastor shrugged, playing off the situation he'd drawn attention to despite the bit of nervousness beginning to drum up in his belly now that you'd caught on.
"I've simply made our little predicament more proper by asking for exclusivity," he pointed out, carrying on with his bit while relishing how your blush deepened with rivaling desire and undue shame. "You can thank me at any—"
Two could play at his game and he had never had the full upper hand, even before. You were always surprising him with your banter, your reactions, and your moxie. So you surprised him now, too, by leaning in first and pressing a careful first kiss to his speech-parted lips.
His brain positively scrambled the second your warm, soft lips touched his. Whatever teasing he'd been prepared to lead with into this precise exchange became positively moot.
He'd not been accustomed to the feelings he'd had for you before your heart-to-heart in the alley, but he certainly wasn't accustomed to these either. Less so.
And yet…
You'd just started to find time and headspace to start panicking at his lack of response when Alastor got his bearings and his warm hands found your still-chilled skin, sending a shiver through your frame. The sensation teased a threshold between the lingering cold from the snowscape you'd left outside and a blooming warmth that seemed to originate from Alastor's deft, elegant fingers tracing patterns along the velvet of your dress and your jawline.
His hand poised against your cheek tilted your head back and what were you to do but acquiesce? A gasp escaped you as his other hand cleverly found and toyed with the zipper on the back of your dress and he used the opportunity he'd elicited from you to lick into your mouth. You could feel his smirk as he kissed you deeper, self-satisfied in his usual way and yet so unlike himself in every other.
You finally found room to breathe when he moved down to your neck and the rush of oxygen to your brain reminded you what exactly you were doing and where.
"Alastor," you hissed, squeaking as the sound of his name just seemed to encourage him further and his hard body pressed more snugly to yours. "We can't do this here!"
"Mm, we seem to be doing just fine, no?" he whispered, his lips brushing over the pulse point in your neck as he continued pressing leisurely kisses to your throat. Tempted as something deeply primal in him was to leave marks, he refrained from doing so—he didn't want to embarrass you, after all. That respect came into play here, too.
"We won't be if someone comes back here and—cut it out," you mumbled, wriggling and only managing to make you both less inclined to pause your backroom activities.
Still, Alastor did stop and drew back a little to check on you, a cute tilt to his head that put his glasses a couple of centimeters too far down his nose.
You couldn't help but smile a little as you took in his blush and fixed his glasses for him. "You don't think I'm easy, do you?" you asked with a sigh, reaching up and gently fixing his hair, too.
Alastor looked alarmed by the question, but simultaneously melted into your hands—something you'd thought impossible for the usually touch-averse radio host and something even he was surprised he felt the urge to do. Especially considering how you two had started the night and your six-months-long working relationship. He'd thought for sure that this would be something confined to his more intrusive dreams or thoughts—instead it was simply better.
"Of course not, sweetheart," he murmured, seeming immediately aggrieved that he might've caused you to think that. "My apologies, I'm… I'm not accustomed to these sorts of indulgences. Or at least not being particularly fond of them. I suppose I lost myself a little."
You gave him a reassuring smile and leaned in to press one more chaste kiss against his lips—a compromise. "You don't need to be sorry, Al. I just… I don't know, I'm just still shocked you even like me, I guess, much less like me."
He sure looked like he liked you though. His honey eyes were tender as they took you in, a look you'd never seen in them before.
The corresponding smile that found his lips nearly took your breath away. "Then it sounds like I have some makeup work to do," he suggested, disentangling from you and kissing your hands before beginning to straighten up your appearance the way you'd done for him.
Your cheeks flushed hot, but you let him, appreciating him looking out for you (especially since he'd caused most of the damage). "That sounds ominous," you posited.
Alastor chuckled and gave you a mischievous wink before nodding for you to walk with him back out to the party. "Good."
The entire night left you in a daze. Between the stress of being around work colleagues in a non-work affair yet knowing whatever you did that night would still follow you into work the next week, breaking your grandmother's china, the embarrassment that followed, and then everything that happened with Alastor from being openly mocked to having a quick makeout under some mistletoe…
…well, you were exhausted. Exhausted enough to get through the rest of the party—separately from Alastor as you'd both decided to leave any announcement of your change in status for next week unless it came up sooner—and then head home and collapse into your bed, still fully dressed.
It was only on waking that you realized a couple of things from the night before.
The first of which was to remember the second half of the "Everything with Alastor" portion of the night and wonder if it all really happened. If it had all been a dream—and, admittedly, it wouldn't have been the first time you'd dreamt of him—it had been unbelievably vivid. Maybe there was something in the party punch.
The second thing you noticed was that you'd been so out of sorts by the end of the office soiree that you'd completely bypassed your scarf-bundled china wreckage when you'd gone to get your coat. So that was something you'd have to remember to collect from the back on Monday.
After settling in with a cup of coffee at your breakfast bar and easing slowly into the start of your weekend, you admittedly felt a little trepidation at what you'd finally concluded were the actual happenings of the night before with Alastor. He had apologized for his actions, he had admitted he actually liked you for all the reasons you'd thought he hated you, he had admitted to really liking you, and he had kissed you under a bit of mistletoe. Or rather, you'd kissed him and then he'd proceeded to really kiss you.
What if he regretted it? What if he'd woken up this morning and thought back and realized it'd all been a bit of a spur-of-the-moment fancy or some holiday impulsivity or the effect of some spiked punch like you'd earlier entertained the possibility of ingesting? What if you walked in Monday and he called it all off? Or worse, what if it really had been a joke and it was just a more strung-out joke than you'd originally fretted it might be?
You sighed, your breath stirring the steam wafting from your aromatic morning brew just before you took a deep sip.
What if, what if, what if. If he regretted it or thought it'd been good for a laugh or simply (more likely) played it off as either of those just because it was new and scary and maybe not something he wanted to commit to…despite not only kissing you but asking to court you, too…then there was nothing you could do about that. It was as much his decision as it was yours and you spent the off-and-on moments through the rest of your weekend in which you obsessed mulled over your memories of the Christmas party reciting that truth to yourself.
It was all a long game of prepping yourself for his eventual task of backpedaling to, in the best-case scenario, let you down easy in an attempt to make things go back to normal. Because there wasn't really, to your impending disappointment, a universe in which you could imagine Alastor not wanting out of this new dynamic of yours for any number of varying reasons that popped unbidden into your head.
The bouquet you'd find sitting prettily beside the meticulously repaired china set on your desk the following Monday morning would indicate otherwise.
#alastor x reader#alastor x you#hazbin hotel fanfiction#hazbin hotel au#hazbin hotel x reader#hazbin hotel x you#human alastor#1920s AU#voxtek winterfest 2024
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I saw your Hogfather fic and loved it! Can I request a similar holiday request? Astarion helping the reader make something like gingerbread cookies or other traditional dessert foods for a party?
A Sweet Seasonal Seduction
So every year I would make Pavola with my nan and that is always a special memory and I would love to make one with Astarion.
The chill of winter had settled over the countryside, and your party had decided to hole up in the warmest, coziest place you could find: an old but well-kept inn in a quaint little village. After your latest adventure, everyone was a bit worse for wear, and what better way to recharge than a night of festive indulgence?
Snow fell softly outside, blanketing the rooftops and cobbled streets. Inside, the air was filled with the warm scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and something faintly citrusy that made your nose tingle. It was festive, cozy—and yet Astarion, perched on the edge of the counter with his usual air of haughty disinterest, didn’t seem moved by it at all.
You, on the other hand, were elbow-deep in sugar and egg whites, carefully whipping the mixture into stiff, glossy peaks. Astarion had agreed to "help," but so far, he had done little more than stir the occasional bowl and make sharp, snide observations about the absurdity of baking.
"Remind me again," he drawled, inspecting a whisk with obvious disdain, "why are we spending our precious time and ingredients making—what did you call it? A pavlova?"
"It’s a festive dessert," you explained patiently, shooting him a sideways look. "Crisp meringue shell, soft marshmallowy center, topped with whipped cream and fruit. Trust me, everyone will love it at the party."
"Ah, yes, because nothing screams holiday cheer like fruit," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Why not just hand them all a turnip and call it a day? I can think of a much better way to use that cream," he purred, his lips curling into a wicked grin.
You couldn’t help but laugh. "If you’re not going to help, at least try not to distract me. The meringue is delicate—it’s like magic, really. One wrong move, and poof, it’s ruined."
Astarion leaned closer, his crimson eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, darling, everything I do is magic. Perhaps I should take over? I’m sure my refined touch could elevate this humble concoction into something worthy of my presence."
You narrowed your eyes at him. "You’re not touching the meringue," you said firmly.
He smirked, clearly enjoying your irritation. "Then what am I supposed to do? Stand here looking beautiful? Oh wait—" He gestured dramatically to himself. "Mission already accomplished."
You rolled your eyes and handed him a bowl of fresh berries. "Here, make yourself useful. Slice these."
He raised an eyebrow at the task but accepted the knife with exaggerated grace. "Ah, reduced to manual labor. How very… pedestrian." Despite his grumbling, he set to work, his deft hands moving with surprising precision as he sliced strawberries into perfect, uniform pieces.
You couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at him. For all his complaints, Astarion seemed oddly focused on the task, his usual sharp-edged demeanor softened just slightly by the glow of the firelight and the festive atmosphere.
"See?" you teased, your tone light. "Not so bad, is it? Almost fun, even."
He snorted, though a ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Fun, you say? If you consider spending one’s evening slicing fruit instead of sipping wine by the fire ‘fun,’ then I suppose I’m having the time of my life."
You leaned closer, dropping your voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, if you keep being such a sourpuss, I might just put you in charge of decorating gingerbread cookies."
Astarion paused, his knife hovering mid-slice. "Gingerbread cookies?" he repeated, his tone laced with mock horror. "And here I thought you couldn’t possibly insult me further. What’s next, darling? Carving little reindeer out of marzipan?"
You grinned, deciding to push your luck. "That’s actually not a bad idea. Maybe we can add little edible glitter bows to the reindeer. Oh! Or tiny sugar snowflakes!"
His laugh was low and genuine, the sound like warm velvet. "You are absolutely diabolical."
The meringue was finally ready, and you carefully spread it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, shaping it into a circular nest. Astarion watched with a critical eye, his earlier protests forgotten.
"Hmm," he murmured, tilting his head as he examined your work. "Not bad. A little rustic, perhaps, but charming in its own way."
"Rustic?" you echoed, feigning offense. "I’ll have you know this is artisan-level craftsmanship."
He smirked, leaning just close enough to make your breath hitch. "If you say so, darling."
Once the pavlova was in the oven, you turned your attention to the whipped cream. Astarion, to your surprise, actually volunteered to help. He took the whisk from you with a flourish and began whipping with exaggerated enthusiasm, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Are you mocking me?" you asked, watching him.
"Mocking? Never," he said, though his grin gave him away. "I’m simply demonstrating how to wield a whisk with style."
Despite yourself, you laughed, and soon the two of you were working in unspoken harmony—Astarion arranging the sliced fruit on the finished pavlova with surprising care while you piped the whipped cream into delicate swirls.
By the time the dessert was finished, it was a masterpiece: a crisp, golden meringue topped with fluffy clouds of cream, jewel-like berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar that glittered like fresh snow.
Astarion stepped back, admiring the creation with a satisfied smirk. "Well, I must say, I’m rather impressed with us. Who knew we made such an excellent team?"
You raised an eyebrow. "Us? I seem to recall you spent most of the time complaining."
He placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Complaining is an art form, my dear. But fine, I’ll concede—this was… mildly enjoyable."
"Mildly," you repeated, rolling your eyes.
He grinned, leaning in close enough that his breath brushed your cheek. "Let’s just keep this little adventure between us, shall we? I’d hate for the others to think I’ve gone soft."
"Your secret’s safe with me," you said, smirking. "But only if you promise to help with the gingerbread cookies tomorrow."
Astarion groaned, though the twinkle in his eye betrayed his amusement. "Fine. But only if I get to eat the first one."
"Deal," you said, laughing as you stole a berry from the pavlova and popped it into your mouth with a wink.
The party that night was a roaring success, but as you watched Astarion across the room, a rare, genuine smile on his face as he watched the party sampled the dessert you’d made together, you couldn’t help but think that the true highlight of the evening had been the quiet, unexpected warmth of his company.
Hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it.
LIKE. COMMENT. REQUEST
#astarion#astarion x tav#baldurs gate 3#bg3#baldurs gate#bg3 astarion#baulders gate astarion#astarion x reader#baulders gate 3#balders gate 3#balders gate tav#baldur's gate 3
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Queer Love Shows I Am Grateful To This Year
2024 was special for me because there were 4 dramas in this year that finally made qls enter my personal top of all time favourite tv shows, the list that no qls ever actually managed to break into before, in all my 5 long years of watching them
Love for Love's Sake
thank you for healing my decade and a half of suicidality, horrible depressive disorder and defeatism and giving me eternal abundance of hope for life. thank you for fixing me like nothing else was able to. this show is the best most precious thing to have ever happened to me and i can never thank it enough
Meet You At The Blossom
thank you for making my 4 year long dream of having an uncensored gay chinese wuxia come true. and thank you for catering to my taste perfectly, even adding all the things that i love the most there as a bonus: crossdressing, excellent romcom and toxic yaoi
She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat
thank you for giving me my biggest comfort show, the coziest story to lighten a bad day and bring a smile on my face, showing me a story full of kindness and sweetness about normal everyday people, and thank you for giving me my first gl beautiful enough to add to the personal treasury of favourite qls
The Spirealm
thank you for giving me one of the most incredible and coolest shows i have ever had the honor of watching, defying the chinese censorship, bringing inspiration to the industry and most importantly wonderfully unlocking my biggest kink i didn't even know about
#ql#2024 summarised#love for love's sake#meet you at the blossom#she loves to cook and she loves to eat#the spirealm#mygifs#sltcaslteedit#mine#okay to rb if you want (?) i don't care much
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I have too many ideas and too little inspiration to write them myself so thank you so much for your sacrifice 🙏
But how about a fic where it's Christmas holiday at hogwarts, with reader staying at hogwarts, so Remus decides to stay as well to keep her company. It's not that her family is abus!ve or anything. She just argues a lot with them, and they get so loud that she prefers to stay with Rem? (Am I projecting? Maaaybe) Thank you again so so so much!!! ❤️
The Coziest Christmas
Omg my fav!! I hope you like this lovey!!
Remus Lupin x female!reader
Christmas at Hogwarts was quiet, but with Remus staying behind, Y/N’s holiday turned magical—filled with stolen kisses, warm cocoa, and snow-dusted adventures in an empty castle.
☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°☆☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°☆.。.:☆
The halls of Hogwarts were quieter than they had been in months. Most students had gone home for the holidays, leaving only a handful behind. The castle, usually alive with chatter and footsteps, now felt like it belonged to the snow falling gently outside its walls. For Y/N, the peace was exactly what she needed.
Home was… complicated. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family—they were good people, and she had many fond memories with them—but arguments were common, and they tended to get loud. It was exhausting, trying to keep the peace or defend herself when voices rose and tempers flared. The noise lingered in her mind long after the words had stopped, leaving her restless and drained.
That’s why she had decided to stay at Hogwarts again this year. It wasn’t the first time she’d spent Christmas in the castle, and she doubted it would be the last. What surprised her, though, was when Remus Lupin decided to stay too.
“You’re missing Christmas at home for me?” she’d asked when he first told her, her voice a mix of surprise and guilt.
He had shrugged, his easy, lopsided smile making her heart flutter. “Why not? Hogwarts is quieter, and we’ll have the place mostly to ourselves. Besides,” he added, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear with a tenderness that made her cheeks warm, “I can’t imagine the holidays without you.”
Y/N had stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. He had a way of doing that—leaving her speechless with how thoughtful and kind he could be.
Now, the two of them sat together in the Gryffindor common room, the fire casting a warm glow across their faces. Remus had gone down to the kitchens earlier and returned with two mugs of hot cocoa, complete with marshmallows floating on top. The rich scent of chocolate mingled with the faint smell of pine from the garland strung across the mantle, making the space feel cozy and festive.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Y/N said, her voice breaking the comfortable silence. She curled her fingers around the warm mug, her eyes fixed on the flames. “How empty Hogwarts feels without everyone here.”
Remus chuckled, his tone light and soothing. “It’s almost eerie. But I don’t mind. It’s nice to have some peace and quiet for a change.”
Y/N smiled and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. His jumper was soft, and the familiar scent of parchment and pine that clung to him was comforting. “Thanks for staying, Rem. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” he said simply, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. His voice was calm, but there was a steadiness in it that left no room for doubt. “I know it’s not easy for you to go home sometimes. If staying here makes you happier, then I’m happy too.”
Y/N tilted her head to look up at him, her heart swelling with affection. “You’re the best, you know that?”
He smiled down at her, his amber eyes warm and soft. “I try.”
The day unfolded in a series of quiet, perfect moments. With the castle nearly empty, they had the freedom to explore without worrying about running into anyone else. They spent the morning wandering the corridors, peeking into classrooms, and laughing as they pretended to give dramatic lectures at empty desks. In the library, they sat side by side at a corner table, flipping through dusty old books. Remus had found an outdated Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and spent half an hour critiquing the absurdly dangerous suggestions it offered for handling creatures like boggarts and grindylows.
“It actually says to use fire against a grindylow,” he said, holding up the page for her to see. “Fire. In water.”
Y/N laughed, leaning closer to get a better look. “I guess they were going for dramatic flair over logic.”
Later, they wandered into the Great Hall, where the house-elves had outdone themselves decorating for Christmas. A massive tree stood at the center of the hall, its branches covered in sparkling, enchanted ornaments. A soft hum of magic filled the air, making the space feel even more magical than usual.
By the time dinner was over, the two of them were back in the common room, sitting side by side on the floor with a blanket draped over their shoulders. Snow continued to fall outside, frosting the windows and turning the grounds into a sparkling winter wonderland.
“Do you miss it?” Remus asked suddenly, his voice quiet and thoughtful.
“Home, you mean?” Y/N paused, considering his question. “Sometimes. I love my family, but… it’s just too much. Too loud, too tense. Being here is easier.”
Remus nodded, his expression pensive. “I get it. My house was always quiet, but not in a good way. Sometimes it felt like the silence was its own kind of noise, you know?”
Y/N reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. His touch was warm, grounding her. “You don’t have to go back there either, not if you don’t want to.”
His gaze met hers, and for a moment, the world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. Then, slowly, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Her chest swelled with emotion as she looked at him, the firelight dancing in his amber eyes. He was so steady, so kind, and she felt incredibly lucky to have him by her side.
As the fire crackled beside them and the snow continued to fall, Y/N felt a deep sense of contentment settle over her. It wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but it didn’t matter. With Remus by her side, it was perfect in its own way.
For the first time in a long time, the holidays felt exactly as they should—peaceful, warm, and filled with love.
#astros fics#remus lupin#remus john lupin#remus#remus lupin fic#remus lupin fanfic#remus lupin fluff#remus lupin imagine#remus lupin drabble#remus lupin x reader#remus lupin x you#remus lupin x y/n#remus x reader#remus x you#remus x y/n#remus fic#remus fanfic#remus imagine#remus fluff#marauders#marauders era#marauders era fic#marauders era reader insert#marauders era self-insert#marauders x reader#marauders x you#marauders x y/n
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Final Thoughts On 2024
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
This year seems a bit like a dream. I wrote my first feature film starring two aromantic lesbians. I drafted the trauma play about my high school theatre experience. I found new ways to dress like myself. I got angry about things I've needed to be angry about. I served as a department ambassador at TVFest. I made some of the best little new friends. I hung out with my friends more. I got my first sports bra that actually fits me. I started a new musical. I met one of the best professors and people I've ever loved. I secretaried so many writing club meetings. I got back on pointe. I finally finished The Trials of Apollo. I wrote a dance history paper on dance as recordkeeping across different times of trial. I learned how to make scones-- and they're so good! I binged my way through animated Batman shows. I finally watched Harley Quinn! I stage managed a show! I said goodbye for now to all my graduating friends. I flew first class (so strange!). I finally visited where I was born and where my parents lived in Germany. I went back to Neuschwanstein castle! I ate so much Gelato. I spent the summer abroad in France. I lived in a silly little basement with my silly little friend. I pretty much grew attached at the hip to both some old friends and new ones alike. I traveled to Marseille, Paris (twice!), Avignon, Apt, Geneva, Colmar, Nice, and Monacco. I tried champagne at the Moulin Rouge. I fell in love with two of my friends in particular. I flew by myself. One of my scripts was chosen for a reading. I survived my first (and last) 8pm class. I ran so much! I saw The Wild Robot in theaters with my friend. I looked super cute all October. I met up with so many of my friends. My friend and I dressed up together for Halloween. (I was Bingo.) I was selected to introduce a speaker. My two best friends took me out for my birthday. My favorite professor invited me out to eat. I edited my trauma play!! My professor started reading my books! I did so much at film fest. I did one last hang out with my friends. I moved out of my apartment. I graduated college. I moved back home. I visited my friend and we went to parks in Orlando and we swapped dance cultures. I released my third novel. I had the coziest Christmas and soft season after it. I wrote a lot. I loved a lot.
And for all its ups and downs, written out like this, it really does seem like the most wonderful little dream. Thank you, 2024. Your edges were soft to me. And I felt loved.
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