#to anyone in a while including my question almost a month ago

[only-by-the-stars]

I love wasting money on stuff that's never gonna get here :)

[steveshairychest]

It's mermay so I'm having so many thoughts about siren Eddie trying to lure captain Steve off his ship, but he doesn't realise that Steve is deaf.

Steve knows about Eddie; he's had to stop quite a few of his men from jumping overboard to be with the beautiful siren. He spends so many days just leaning on the railing of his ship, gazing down at Eddie with a triumphant smile because he knows Eddie can't affect him, well, with his singing that is. He definitely affects Steve in other ways. Steve nearly toppled overboard just last week because he was too busy watching Eddie twirl a sword he no doubt stole while lounging on a rock, his gorgeous black tail glinting in the sun.

Eddie gives up trying to lure the captain into the sea after a month, but that doesn't mean he stops visiting the ship. He starts getting bolder. He throws stones in the captain's general direction to get his attention before proudly showing off the big fish he caught, only to get a confused sort of laugh from the man. He expected at least a clap or a thumbs up.

One morning, he spies the small boat that is usually hoisted up high on the side of the ship, in the water and he climbs inside, his tail too long so it hangs off the side while he waits. He nearly gives the captain and crew a heart attack when they finally pull it back up and find him lounging in the small boat with a rather large knife and lazy smile.

"I think you dropped this." Eddie grins at the captain, his sharp teeth causing several crew members to step back. He holds out the knife that he saw the man clumsily drop into his waters months ago. He is feeling generous. He'd normally keep treasures like that for himself.

"Thank you." Steve says with a soft smile. The warmth of his fingers shocks Eddie when he gently grabs the knife from his hand.

Eddie watches curiously as Steve turns to one of his crew mates, hands her the knife and then starts talking with his hands, well, that's what Eddie assumes is happening because the girl nods in understanding and rushes off to do whatever the captain said. He turns back to Eddie with a bright smile but Eddie can't stop staring at his hands. What was that?

"My name is Steve. What's your name?" Steve says the words out loud and with his hands, it both confuses and intrigues Eddie.

"Teach me that." He rushes out and points at Steve's hands, completely ignoring the captain's question.

Steve tilts his head in confusion, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused on Eddie's lips. His stare makes Eddie feel squirmy and he curls his lip to reveal sharp teeth to show Steve he doesn't like the attention. The captain doesn't get the memo and just stares harder.

"Talk slower. I can't hear you." He points to his ear and suddenly everything makes sense. Why Steve wasn’t affected by his song, why he didn't hear the crew screaming in the night when they were attacked last week. Eddie had almost been ready to climb aboard to wake the sleeping captain but the girl with the short hair had gone to fetch him just in time.

Eddie grabbed the edge of the small boat he was in and leaned closer to Steve, he was very aware that if the crew let go of the rope he'd go crashing back down to the sea but none of them moved. All their eyes watched the strange exchange between their captain and the siren that had been following them like a shadow.

"Teach me how to talk to you. I want to learn." And he does. Something about this human intrigues him. Why else would he follow him across the sea? If he were anyone else, Eddie would have slit his throat and dragged him down to the depths by now, but this captain is special.

He's decided that Steve will be his and his alone. Eddie always gets what he wants and what he wants is to learn Steve inside and out. Which includes learning this new language.

"OK, I'll teach you." Steve says with a nod.

Eddie smiles triumphantly, his sharp teeth on full display. "Great. Lessons start now." He looks pointedly at the space across from him in the small boat and Steve only hesitates for a moment before awkwardly climbing in.

"Tie it off and get back to work." He yells out to his crew without taking his eyes off Eddie, whose long tail is curled behind Steve. They sit in tense silence, Eddie's long nails tap tap tapping on the side of the boat before Steve sighs and says, "We'll start with the basics."

"Whatever you say, Captain."

The language is hard and Steve often laughs at Eddie when he angrily shakes his hands when he doesn't get the sign right.

But Eddie's determined to get it right because he's now one step closer to getting what he wants, and what he wants is Steve all to himself.

[stsgluver]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄 — geto suguru

synopsis. somewhere along the way, geto suguru had gone from being your greatest challenge academically to your greatest challenge emotionally

wc. 12.4k

tags. college/uni!au, supposed to be academic rivals to lovers but that lowkey became a subplot sorry, friends to lovers, fluff, mention of being sick , happy ending, not proofread, shoko tells you to have sex

a/n. hi!! this is my first long long fic so thank you to anyone who reads. sorry if it seems disjointed at any point, half of it was written several months ago and half in the last week <3

geto suguru was the bane of your existence to say the least.

if you could split your life into two, it would be distinctly separated as life before geto and life including geto. admittedly, you didn’t really remember life before geto – having been only a child – but from ten years old, he’d been a constant in your life. having moved from a small school where it was relatively easy to maintain your status as top of the class, you were suddenly put in a position where you weren’t the only kid with an above average level of intelligence.

so from ten years old, to now, at twenty, you have found yourself in constant competition with geto. scores didn’t matter as long as you beat him. shoko had started keeping track several years ago – a little tally chart in her notes app to record who was the highest scorer after tests. currently, geto was a win ahead of you, something which you weren’t proud to admit but you blamed it on the flu that had meant you’d missed a week and a half of lectures.

“so close yet so far.”

you jumped at the sound of a voice so close to you. it was a thursday morning, the library was relatively quiet and you’d been so engrossed in the sound of the keys as you typed that you hadn’t heard geto come up behind you. you were fully aware of him now though, his hot breath on the back of your neck as he loomed over you to no doubt read the answer you had been writing.

“maybe if i didn’t have someone breathing down the back of my neck, i’d be able to focus,” you countered, grabbing your bottle of water to quickly unscrew the cap and take a sip, hoping that the cool liquid could ease the heat in your cheeks. his hands were on the back of your chair as his eyes skimmed through your answer.

despite your rivalry that had been established on almost the first day of meeting, you and geto had always found yourself in similar circles. now, at university, the two of you were a part of a small quartet with your other close friends, gojo and shoko. both you and geto had majored in computer science (much to your delight), while gojo had majored in business and shoko in biomedicine. so not only were you stuck with him in your group, you two shared almost every single class together too.

he grinned down at you with that annoying smirk that you’d become all too familiar with, “you consider me a distraction?” anyone with eyes would say yes – with his long, dark hair twisted into a half up, half down do and a loose fitting shirt that showed off his toned arms. you didn’t have to fully look back at him to know why girls were constantly asking for his number.

“what i consider you is an annoyance.” brushing him off your chair, you opened a fresh tab. you still had catch up work, plus your usual studies from your small period off, hence why you had been at the library since it had first opened. you only had an afternoon lecture on a thursday so you’d sacrificed your usual sleeping in day to study.

the last thing you needed was geto playing teacher and critiquing your work.

the male in question laughed as he took a seat next to you, bringing out his own laptop that you half wanted to take a peek at. in less than a week, both of you had a large project due that accounted for a large percentage of your final grade for the year. you had the majority completed, but after reviewing your code, you’d realised that in your ill-state you’d made more errors than you’d realised (it would’ve arguably been more beneficial if you had just accepted defeat and done nothing for two weeks instead of trying). 

“i come bearing gifts,” a familiar voice called out far louder than he should have – gojo rarely entered a library, let alone bothered to learn basic etiquettes. the snowy-haired male had pushed his dark glasses up onto the top of his head, cup holder in one hand with three drinks from the local cafe and a white plastic bag in the other.

gojo took a seat on the other side of geto, dropping the bag unceremoniously on the circular table, its contents (sugary sweets plus some pastries) spilling everywhere. he was more gentle with the drinks and you could have kissed him for the iced caramel latte he passed across to you. you were only three hours in and you were ready to flake and go home.

“oh good,” geto grabbed one of the paper bags with chocolate-filled croissants (gojo only knew food associated with sugar), “some of us are going to be here a long while.” there was no subtlety as he nodded his head towards you, something you were willing to throw your half drunk water bottle at him for.

but as per usual, gojo missed the obvious social context cues and stared eyes wide at the two of you. “why? do we have a test?” 

the four of you had decided to take a language class together (specifically german) so even when you got busy during exams you knew that there would be at least twice a week when the four of you would be sitting at the back of a lecture hall together.

“since when did you study for tests?” geto scoffed, leaning back in his chair, stretching his arms out above his head.

gojo giggled at the notion he was there to study. he’d only come to the library because shoko had plans throughout the day and his only other friends in the whole world were you two. “i just need to know what lesson i’m going to skip.” 

his attendance was horrific. he took two weeks off in solidarity with you so you ‘didn’t feel bad for getting the flu’. if he still felt remotely hung over on sunday evening, after attending one of his regular saturday night parties, he would make the decision then that monday was not the day for him to be attending lectures. if he woke up with a ‘bad feeling’, he took that as a sign that he would 100% die in a freak accident if he attended a lecture and skipped. you would kill to have his trust fund to cushion you if you failed university.

“no satoru we don’t have a test,” you laughed at his relieved look and little ‘phew’ as he dramatically swiped his hand across his forehead. to show his gratitude he offered you one of his excessively sweet croissants which you happily accepted. you knew you needed to get a real lunch soon but you just needed to do a couple more hours of real work before you could slack off.

unlucky for you, those couple of hours turned into the rest of the time the library was officially opened for.

you and gojo had taken an hour long break for lunch, before taking back sushi for geto (on gojo, of course). then both you and geto were in a video call whilst gojo played on his phone, attending your lecture online since neither of you were bothered to make your way back to campus just to come back out to the library.

geto had shown you snippets of his project and you were 70% sure that you were slightly ahead of him. but you weren’t about to hedge your bets and slack off – not when you still need at least two points to put yourself on top again on shoko’s chart. gojo had left a while ago once shoko had messaged him that she was back at your shared apartment. 

“are you walking?” geto asked you as he slipped his laptop into his backpack. gojo had been kind enough to take all of the remaining sweets with him so you only had your textbooks to clear off of the table and the empty wrappers he’d left behind. 

you nodded, grimacing slightly at the window. it was dark outside; it wasn’t winter but you hadn’t completely transitioned to spring evenings when the sun wouldn’t set till beyond seven. “my place is only a ten minute walk.” only a ten minute walk in the drizzling rain for which you did not bring a coat. as large as it was on you, you didn’t think gojo’s hoodie would suffice in keeping you warm (he’d forgotten it at yours after a movie night).

“i’ll give you a lift. can’t have you getting sick again.” he teased, chuckling at his own joke as you shot him a faux glare, lightly nudging his arm as you two descended down the stairs of the library. there was no one else in the library at this point, and your footsteps seemed to echo against the cool tiles of the floor.

“fine,” you sarcastically dragged, although you were grateful for the alternative to walking. 

somewhere along the way, the line between rivals and friends had been blurred. for you, the line had only become messier on your eighteenth birthday when the four of you had dressed up in suits and gone to your local laser tag place. as aforementioned, you’d always been aware that geto was attractive but it wasn’t until the close proximity under the neon lights, when you were a duo against shoko and gojo, did you truly see it. a few gentle touches on your waist to pull you back behind a wall, several whispers in your ear where he’d duck down to your height and you were a goner. 

for the most part, you’d been able to keep it to yourself, focusing all of your energy into being statistically smarter than him as opposed to admitting – or even really acknowledging – your feelings. 

“i was right,” you said, slightly out of breath having just run from the entrance of the library to geto’s car (which was parked as far away as it possibly could’ve been because he’d gone to the gym before meeting you). the light drizzle of rain and turned borderline torental in the thirty seconds it had taken you to exit the library. geto gave you a confused look as he pulled his hair out of his half bun, a slight frizz due to the dampness caused by the light rain. “my first answer,” you clarified, “i was right.”

he was smirking again, the same confident know-it-all smirk, “i know. i like instilling a little bit of doubt, better my odds.” 

“you’re an ass.” you huffed, crossing your arms in front of yourself. you’d reread the question three times and rewritten it once, coming to the same conclusion as before, before giving up and checking the mark scheme that had told you you were right all along. 

“i’ll make you pay for fuel,” geto threatened as he turned on the ignition, reversing the car out of the parking space. his hand was on the back of your headrest as he peered out of the back window.

“you can’t make me pay when you were the one to offer me a lift,” you retorted, playing with the strings of gojo’s hoodie and trying to ignore the close proximity between you and the dark haired male next to you. lucky for you, geto’s car was full of distractions for your wandering eyes, memorabilia of the last three years of your lives all around you.

on the dashboard was a dent from when gojo had hit his head after geto had had to emergency break and the former did not have his seatbelt on (there was a little blood and gojo declared that these were his final moments). the jelly belly car freshener that hung from the mirror was the same one that you had bought him as a congratulations for passing his driving test. there was a polaroid of the four of you graduating hidden in the folded mirror above your head, just the corner peeking out. 

each of you had your own designated seats – gojo was usually in the passenger (you could tell by the sweet stash in the door), you sat behind gojo and shoko behind geto. 

the only downside to geto’s car was the fact the heating did not work whatsoever. since getting the car at seventeen, he said every year that he was going to get it fixed but always ended up having to spend money on far more important things for the car. such as the light up gear stick and customised car horn. you shivered lightly as you wrapped your arms further around yourself, but the wet hoodie did little to warm you up.

geto glanced at you from the corner of his eye and nodded his head towards the backseats. “i have a dry jacket in the back if you’d rather that.”

you contemplated it for a moment before ultimately deciding that you would like to spend the next eight minutes warm. slipping off gojo’s hoodie, you turned to reach behind you to grab geto’s black zip up and slip it on, leaving the hoodie behind for your other friend to claim back. he would more than likely be in here the next day anyways.

the rest of the car ride was mostly silent, other than you critiquing his driving on several occasions – which he claimed you were in no position to do since you did not have a licence of your own. you argued you were perfectly within your rights as he’d had to swerve to avoid a stray cat.

“thanks suguru,” you said as you took off your seatbelt and reached for your bag. he’d pulled up just outside of the entrance to your apartment so you’d only be caught in the rain for a fraction of a second. “do you want me to leave your jacket here?”

“anytime princess.” what had started off as a mocking when you were kids had become your designated nickname and you hated how much you now loved it when geto called you that. you could only hope he couldn’t see your flushed skin in the dim lights. “and don’t worry about it. give it back to me another time.”

you thanked him again, waving him off before you scurried inside and up the stairs to the fourth floor where your apartment with shoko was. the two of you had been in separate student accommodation in your first year, but after six months and several awful roommates had both chosen to find a small apartment to share together. both of you had part time jobs to afford it and while it added to the masses of work you already had with school, it was worth it.

it was only small – two bedrooms, a bathroom and an open kitchen and living room – but it was your little home. as of a weekend, it wasn’t uncommon for geto and gojo to be there too. of a friday evening, the four of you would be huddled in your living room with a random board game (usually cluedo) and an excessive amount of vodka.

“where have you been?” shoko asked slyly, laying across the sofa with a pen in one hand and her ipad in the other. there was a picture of a human heart on her screen, her scribbles annotating it messily. 

“library. suguru gave me a lift home,” you called out to her as you dropped your bag into your room, passing shoko as you headed for the fridge to find something to eat. pushing your hair up into a loose bun, you grabbed a fork for the pot of mango you’d picked up. “when did satoru leave?”

“he was only here for twenty minutes. this place is too small for him,” shoko dropped her stuff down onto the sofa, following you to your little kitchen area. she jumped up onto the counter, happily accepting the fruit you offered to her. “so, geto gave you a lift home then?” she eyed your change in hoodie from the one you’d left in that morning.

“don’t start,” you complained, grabbing another fork so she didn’t have to eat with her hands. it had been shoko’s current fixation to over analyse the relationship between you and geto. you’d made it very clear twelve months ago when she’d first come to you to ask what was going on that there was nothing there. nothing tangible anyways.

“no, i just think it’s so sweet and so gentlemanly of him,” shoko tucked her hair behind her ear as she spoke with a mouthful of mango, batting her eyelashes innocently, “don’t you?” 

your refusal to point blank answer the question is enough of an answer for her. “i think it’s late,” you backed away from shoko and dropped your used fork in the sink. you’d sort it out in the morning. “and i have an eight am class tomorrow.” 

“with geto,” shoko called out before you could fully close your door and you could hear her smile in her voice. you rested your forehead on the cool wood of the door and tried not to think too much about how right she was. it was embarrassing – you were a grown adult, not a teenager anymore. it should be easy to pull yourself together and get over your silly crush that arguably stemmed from the rivalry between the two of you.

he challenged you in a way you had never been before you craved the competition. that was what you wanted from him – a challenge, not his toned body or honey-smooth voice.

when she’d confronted you the first time about your feelings from geto, you’d been honest (the woman was a walking lie detector, there was no way you could have lied). told her that yes you had a small crush but that was all it was – a harmless little crush. when you’d continued on as normal and didn’t make any sort of moves or obvious hints that you still liked him like that, she’d dropped it. 

you’d hoped that that was the end of it.

however, her interest had been revived after the two of you had stayed up a few weeks prior after coming home from a party. shoko had had far more than is recommended for the average person alcohol-wise whereas you had mainly sobered up by now. the two of you were curled up under a blanket watching whatever romcom shoko had found whilst you had made two bowls of cereal.

“if you had to sleep with anyone we know right now or you’d die, who would it be?” shoko had asked with a mouthful that you cringed at. neither of you had bothered to change into appropriate attire or cleaned your faces so it was almost comical to see her in her short dress and smudged make-up eating cereal. 

you nudged her arm gently, careful not to cause any spillages, and with a snort asked, “why would i die if i didn’t have sex?”

“shh,” she was messy and unbalanced as she leaned across to press a finger to your lips, “answer the question.”

you hummed, tapping your spoon against your chin as you mulled over her question. you knew the answer – you were sure she did too – but you didn’t want to come across as desperate. “i don’t know…” there was still a buzz in your system, especially as you thought back on your night out and the crowd of other uni students you’d been with. “definitely not naoya.” you pretended to gag after you said his name and shoko laughed.

he had made the first hour of your outing less than fun as he trailed behind you like a lost puppy. geto was away visiting family, gojo was somewhere on the dancefloor, and shoko was getting drinks from someone so you were left alone and the zenin thought that this would be the day you would accept his love confessions. as if two years of hard ‘no’s’ would suddenly become a ‘yes’.

the mere suggestion made you actually want to be physically sick.  

“he is the worst kisser,” shoko complained, staring up at the ceiling like she was reliving a moment you didn’t even know had happened. you stared at her, mouth agape, because in all your years she had never once told you when this had happened.

“why have you kissed him?” not only was zenin naoya renowned for his lack of respect towards women, the girl sat inches from you was a proud, outspoken lesbian who made it very clear she had zero attraction to men whatsoever.

“gojo donkey dared me to.”

“ieiri.” you deadpanned at your best friend as she snickered at your judgement, waving her hand dismissively towards you. 

“you would do it too for a free drink,” she tried to justify and you shook your head. 

“have some standards.”

you could practically imagine how it played out, gojo in fits of laughter and naoya in shock as shoko pulled him into a kiss (he’d mask it up though and use it as evidence that even lesbians wanted him). if you were lucky, gojo recorded the incident but the likelihood that he would have had the forethought is a fifty-fifty if he was drinking. even when he does remember to record silly things like that on a night out, majority of the time the camera is pointing at him instead of the incident.

“you’d kiss geto for a free drink wouldn’t you?”

you almost choked on your own spit at the forwardness of her question.

“i’m just saying, this whole rivalry thing? fuck it out,” she raised her hands in defence at the appalled look on your face. “the tension is unbearable.”

“you’re unbearable,” you flipped her off.

“you’re late.”

you weren’t a violent person but you think that just one little slap to geto’s perfectly tanned face would have made you a slightly happier person. it wasn’t fair that him and gojo looked happy and wide awake at sixteen minutes past eight in the morning whilst you and shoko looked like you had just run a marathon.

which, in your opinion, you basically had.

and now you were at your stupid language class that you didn’t really even need to be taking with no morning coffee to wake you up.

you huffed as you slid into the seat next to geto, grateful that you always chose to sit near the back so it wasn’t too obvious you’d just come in late. nodding your head towards shoko, “someone locked themselves in the bathroom.”

not only had you not woken up to your first alarm so you were already behind in your usual routine, just as you were about to leave your apartment, you heard shoko calling out from the bathroom saying the door was broken. ensue a fifteen minute battle with you both trying to jiggle the door lock open.

“i said it was a sign we shouldn’t show up at all,” shoko shrugged, grabbing out her pouch of tobacco so she could roll herself her first cigarette of the day. neither of you were overly morning people – especially not without your daily drink and cigarette (respectively of course, shoko found coffee to be too bitter and you weren’t a big fan of smoking).

“shhh.” a girl a few rows in front of you turned her head, giving you all a displeased look.

“shh.” shoko repeated back mockingly, not so subtly raising both her middle fingers up at the back of the girl's head. you bit down on your bottom lip not to laugh loudly at her childishness. the brunette on your right then turned her head down towards gojo and geto, holding out her hands, “one of you pass me your notes.” gojo looked over at you both with a grin, turning his laptop screen to face you. on it? a game of online chess. which he was losing.

“genuinely asking, how have you not failed uni yet?” shoko shook her head in disbelief before turning her attention to geto, “cough up, princess.” she mimicked the nickname geto occasionally used for you and you had to fight every urge not to nudge her in the ribs.

“i don’t know how you plan on topping me if you’re not showing up to class on time,” geto tsked disappointingly towards you as he sent the notes from his laptop to your group chat so you’d both have them. shoko slumped back into her seat, ipad in her crossed lap as she downloaded the pdf.

you ignored his jab with an eye roll, pulling your laptop out of your bag to see what you’d missed. it wasn’t much and it was a beginner’s class too so if you were going to be late to a class because shoko got locked in a bathroom, this was the one to be late for. you were glad, though, that geto always typed his notes because his handwriting was terrible. otherwise you would have to accept you lost the first fifteen minutes of the lesson.

halfway through the class, both shoko and gojo left to go have a smoke and get food (again seperately, gojo had tried to smoke once and had spent the next five minutes on the floor coughing and vowed never to do it again). the white haired male had kindly offered to grab you hashbrowns from the small on campus cafe and you’d accepted the offer after your stomach had decided that it was not happy you’d skipped coffee and breakfast.

that left you and geto alone together. well, not really alone since you were in a half filled lecture hall but the point still stood.

“it looks good on you.” geto’s breath was hot against your ear as leaned down and spoke in a low voice as to not disturb the people around you – it was either that or he too was aware of the crush you’d been harbouring for him and enjoyed seeing your flushed expression. for the sake of your sanity, you assumed the former.

you swallowed at the close proximity between the two of you; he was so close you could practically feel the loose strands of his hair brush against you. he hadn’t bothered to tie it up but you know he’d meticulously straightened it this morning. if you turned your head, there would be less than an inch between you and–

is he complimenting you in his clothes?

you’d worn his and gojo’s hoodies an endless number of times before in the past, this wasn’t anything new. you blame your flusteredness on shoko and her constant teasing at the minute. for the last couple years you’d managed to keep yourself in check.

clearing your throat, your straightened up in the uncomfy red seat. “i was in a rush this morning. you can have it back now if you really want it.” you hoped not – once again it was poor weather and you were relying on this to keep you sheltered from the rain since, for reasons that you were not at fault for, you’d left in a hurry this morning.

out of the corner of your eye you could see geto shake his head as he settled back into his seat. you let out a small breath of relief as you finally got your own bubble of personal space back. “don’t worry about it princess.” 

geto wasn’t oblivious to girls being interested in him – he would brush it off with a laugh and a cocky remark – but you hoped and prayed he was oblivious to the fool you were making of yourself. 

after class, the four of you had headed to your favourite cafe – only a five minute walk from campus but it was tucked out of the way in a little alleyway so that it wasn’t as busy as some of the others. you didn’t need to give shoko your order with how often you came here, you all always got your regulars.

“me and tweedle dee here,” shoko linked her arm around gojo’s as she spoke, ignoring the way she forced gojo to slightly bend down awkwardly due to their height difference, “are going to grab food, you two go grab seats.” 

“c’mon,” geto’s hand was on the small of your back as he guided you between chairs and tables and you could feel the heat emanating from his palm through his jacket. for such a small space, there were far too many tables and only half occupied, leaving the rest as a labyrinth to work through.

“where are you going?” you asked with a small frown when he gently nudged you in the direction of the dimly light corner when there was a table for four right in the window still available. despite the initial shower this morning, the sun had begun to shine through.

“i’m going to the seats in the corner. y’know since there is a sofa,” geto added in a ‘duh’ tone like the sofa was the best thing in the world. it wasn’t even like they were that comfy – too low down and squishy in your opinion. 

“it’s sunny,” you pointed to the light pouring in but he gave you an uninterested look, shaking his head.

“rock, paper, scissors.”

you blinked twice up at him and then down to his hands – one held out in a palm and the other in a fist over the top. the silver of his rings contrasted with the warm colour of his skin and you had to force yourself to look back up at him and not stare shamelessly.  

“we’re adults, i’m not playing that with you.” you deadpanned. this was a gojo response – clearly living together meant that his antics were rubbing off on geto.

geto laughed quietly, blessing you with a teasing smile and raised eyebrow as he nudged you with his open palm and fist. kissing your teeth with your tongue, you muttered an insult about maturity under your breath as you mimicked his stance.

“corner seats it is princess,” geto grinned, hooking an arm around your shoulder to lead you to the sofa after you picked paper and he picked scissors. “do you think that counted as another point to me?” the tease in his voice was evident and the smirk on his lips only riled you up more. not even his arm around you could distract you from your sore loser behaviour.

“no,” you said quickly and with a tone that had him laughing to himself. you weren’t about to lose another point over a child’s game that was just pure luck. there was a lot more integrity behind the tally chart titled ‘who needs to go outside and touch grass more?’ (named by shoko, of course).

the two of you sat next to each other, facing towards the counter so you could see as shoko pointed to various things on the menu and pastries on display. you were all too aware of how close you were when geto knocked his knee against yours as he slipped off his hoodie.

“i can pick you up if you’re going to the library tomorrow,” geto offered as he crossed one leg over the other. his and gojo’s apartment was in the other direction of the campus to yours, but you two did share a morning class – assuming he was driving in and not making the five minute walk then it wasn’t out of his way for you.

“are you going straight after class?” you turned your head to look at up, seeing him already looking down at you. in only his t-shirt, there was a sliver of black ink peeking out from beneath his sleeve.

several months after his eighteenth birthday, you, him, gojo and shoko had gone out for the evening and returned with matching tattoos of koi betta fish. his was fully inked in on his upper arm whereas gojo’s was just the outline on the back of his shoulder. your’s was a mixture of the two and on your lower hip whereas shoko’s was on her wrist. initially it had been both blue and black ink but the blue had begun to fade. 

“i need to go to the gym and then i’ll join you.”

the gym where he would most definitely be removing that shirt and not only show off the tattoo on his arm but the larger one on his back too. this one was much larger – a dragon that swirled around the shape of his spine. he always said that in another life, he would be training to become a tattoo artist and not studying computer science. 

“why aren’t we sat in the sun?” you turned away from geto to look over at shoko, the female in question holding a tray as she raised a brow at the two of you, displeased by your choice of seating. she, much like you, hated the sofas and would have much rather been in the window seats.

geto shrugged, pointing at you accusingly, like he wasn’t the one who wanted to sit here. “yn lost rock, paper, scissors.”

“yn,” gojo whined as he dropped into the sofa seat opposite geto, “one job.” he complained, shaking his head in a disappointing manner, like he cared so much where you sat and was not aching to eat his donut with a sickening amount of icing. you grimaced at his tastes.

“who’s going to meimei’s party saturday?” shoko asked once she’d divided up everyone’s orders. a caramel latte and muffin for you, croissant and black coffee for geto and a blueberry muffin and black coffee for herself.

meimei was a couple years older than all of you but since week one of university, her house had been the go to one at least once every couple of weeks. gojo and geto always got an invite – meimei would personally message them – whereas you and shoko showed up as their unofficial plus ones. it didn’t bother either of you, you were there to drink, not to hang out with the slightly odd and promiscuous woman. 

“yeah,” geto nodded, scrunching his nose up at the bitterness of his drink. you heavily judged both him and shoko for forcing themselves to drink a drink they barely liked. “if satoru goes.”

“i am 100% going,” gojo spoke with a mouthful, dark glasses pushed up onto the top of his head, “i need to redeem myself.”

“what after the dance floor incident?” you giggled, earning a kick under the table from the white haired male. after several drinks too many at someone’s house party, gojo had managed to create a circle in the centre of the living-room-turned-dance-floor. it was entertaining to watch him pull people in and out to dance with him… until the drinks caught up to him and he vomited everywhere. this was not at meimei’s luckily, or you don’t think he’d ever be allowed back

“shush! people won’t forget if you keep reminding them,” gojo whined, earning a sarcastic pat on the shoulder from shoko. 

“are you coming?” geto asked you as though the answer wasn’t obvious. when did one of the four of you ever do anything without the others?

nonetheless, you glanced over at gojo who was looking expectantly at you, “am i really getting a choice?”

“nope!” gojo grinned.

“you’ll pick us all up?” shoko smiled uncharacteristically sweetly towards geto who rolled his eyes and nodded. he was the only one with the car but both he and shoko had licences. though he seemed hard done by in his response, he wasn’t the biggest drinker and even less so compared to shoko. he was the unspoken designated driver.

“black is your colour,” shoko complimented as she reached past you for the straighteners. you thanked her through gritted teeth as you held a bobby pin between your lips, attempting to fix your hair with another one in your hands.

the two of you were in the same shared bathroom that shoko had gotten herself locked in several days prior. your sink was covered in the various skincare and make up products you used. the two plug sockets were occupied with your straighteners and hair dryer. it was a chaotic mess that would be tomorrow’s fun activity in your hungover state.

friday had gone by quickly, geto had even showed up at your apartment to take you to your first class before you went to the library together. you’d discussed both of your projects but for the most part you’d worked in a comfortable silence. in your lunch break, you’d gone to your local chinese takeaway and eaten in his car. for a brief moment, you’d indulged yourself in what your life could be as his girlfriend, spending each of your days like this with him. 

sighing, you slipped a bobby pin into the back of your hair. in a couple years time once you’d graduated and started your careers (albeit in the same or at the very least similar industries), your feelings for geto would dissipate into nothing more than the whisper of a memory. it was the competition, you reminded yourself. that was what created the ‘tension’ (as shoko put it) that had led you to believe you had these feelings.

you could laugh at yourself for how ridiculous and pathetic your thoughts sounded.

tonight however, that was not of concern. tonight, the only focus was on getting wasted.

you had dressed up in a tight fitting black dress that stopped midthigh specially for the occasion while shoko had opted for wide leg pants and a butterfly crop top. 

specifically the butterfly crop top that a mutual fashion student friend of yours had made for her.

you raised an eyebrow at her once you felt your hair was securely up, dragging your eyes up and down the top she was wearing, “are you coming back tonight or…?” 

“or am i getting laid by a certain very hot girl with blue hair? i’m getting laid,” shoko blew you a kiss with a grin. “you should try it some time,” she wriggled her eyebrows at you and it didn’t take a genius to know who she was hinting at.

in regards to her activities post-meimei’s, she had been getting closer to utahime over the last few months. you both knew her from high school but she’d avoided your group like the plague because of her strong disliking for gojo. you loved gojo, you really did, but to some he could come across as a bit much to those who didn’t know him well enough. 

at university, however, where there was a bit more space between the four of you (not by much), utahime and shoko had managed to get more alone time. despite her confident and cocky nature, shoko’s soft affection for the blue haired girl was obvious and you had fully encouraged her to ask her on the first date several months back.

“you know that means i’m going to be stuck with dumb and dumber all evening,” you complained light-heartedly as you stepped out of the bathroom to try and find the shoes you’d be wearing. geto would be happy to hear that though – it meant he only had to find you and gojo when it came to coming home.

the four of you had only ever stayed over at meimei’s once. her house was massive and you all took over one of her guest bedrooms which in itself made for a fun sleepover. however, there’d been a group of guys – zenin naoya included – who’d been trying to coax you and shoko with them to a different room. moving on from then, geto had made it a point to almost always drive.

“oh no, is that such a hardship for you?”

you held up your finger to the brunette who was peering around the doorframe of the bathroom to smirk at you. 

“you need to drop this.”

“nope,” shoko slipped past you, reaching into a pile of clothes to grab your silver strappy heels you were searching for. your living room was in just as much of a state as the bathroom with trial outfits and various accessories laid out on the sofa and floors. “i need some sort of fun here.” you scoffed at her reasoning, her fun at your expense, but still thanked her for finding your shoes.

the only clear space was on the small coffee table in front of the sofas where half a bottle of passionfruit vodka sat with two empty shot glasses. as you perched yourself on the edge of the sofa arm to start tying up your heels, shoko took it upon herself to pour the two of you another shot for the night. 

you grimaced as shoko handed you a full shot glass, but interlocked your arm with hers nonetheless. “three, two, one,” she counted down before you both poured the drinks into your mouths. the distinctive after taste ensued and you coughed at the overwhelmingness. 

“that’s nasty,” you stuck your tongue out and shoko snickered at you, having been completely unphased. 

a low rumbling could be heard outside through the open window of your apartment. you glanced at the clock – they were five minutes late. not that it bothered you since you were still struggling untangling the straps of your other shoe. 

“geto’s here,” shoko said, closing the window and pulling the curtains closed. you hummed in acknowledgement, muttering an ‘almost done’ when the vibrating sound of her phone went off. a picture of gojo wearing bright green goggles flashed up on the screen as shoko answered it. “yeah? yn’s just taking forever to put her shoes on.” you gave her a look. “yeah, i’ll tell her. geto told you to hurry up.”

“i am hurrying,” you shot back, tying the last bow. standing up, you pulled the skirt of your dress down so you didn’t flash anyone and did a little spin. “how do i look?”

“hot. we’re coming down now.”

“–and don’t accept drugs from strangers, i’m not dealing with another satoru situation,” geto said as he listed off the do’s and don’t’s for the evening. do’s including make sure you are always with someone you know and don’t’s including speaking to zenin naoya. not that the latter would be a difficult task. 

gojo was dressed in a white fishnet top and he’d opted to forgo his glasses for the evening. instead, he’d decorated his eyes with blue eyeshadow and gems – his usual going out look since he’d watched euphoria. in the drivers seat, geto looked far more casual in an oversized grey top and baggy jeans but it wouldn’t be far fetched to say that he stood out the most out of the four of you. his sun kissed skin and sharp eyes were alluring to anyone who saw him. the most effort he’d put into his appearance was pulling his half back into his half bun, pulling some baby hairs out at the front to frame his features.

you’d caught yourself watching him from your seat one too many times with shoko even nudging your knee once.

“me?” gojo gasped from his passenger seat, looking back at you and shoko like geto had made some outlandish statement.

“don’t you remember that time you took drugs from that girl because you thought she’d let you hit after,” shoko reminded with an unlit cigarette between her lips (no smoking in the car – another don’t on geto’s list). 

gojo cleared his throat, holding up his hands in defence, “look guys, i will be the first to admit it wasn’t my finest moment.”

that was an understatement. you’d been the one to find him after another party goer had recognised you as one of his friends and told you he was having a bad reaction. you almost felt bad when you found him upstairs in a bath, with a shower running all over him.

“you guys weren’t the ones who had to stay up till 4am while he cried in the bathroom,” geto shuddered at the memory and you were just grateful he’d taken over gojo’s care as soon as you’d called him.

“nope but i did have 15 voicemails from him the next day.”

again, gojo’s head snapped back, singling out only you this time, dread on his features. “you’ve never shown me these.” despite probably going out the most out of the four of you, his tolerance for alcohol was pitiful and his tolerance for any sort of substance was ten times worse. if it seemed like he had no filter beforehand, an under the influence gojo had to be supervised so he didn’t say something to the wrong person and ended up in a&e.

“i’m saving them for a special occasion,” you patted the top of his fluffy (and now also glittery) hair. it would probably end up in your annual slideshows you all did for new years eve. an ongoing tradition where each of you picked out your highlights of the year and made powerpoints with them.

once at meimei’s and out of the car, shoko gave you a quick side hug and told you to stay safe. “i am going to love you and leave you all,” she dramatically waved you away with one hand, the other holding a lighter up to the cigarette in her mouth. presumably, utahime was already somewhere around the back of the house waiting for shoko as opposed to inside where there were several dozen bodies already packed. “have a wonderful evening i will see you tomorrow for the debrief.”

the debrief in question being the mandatory coffee session post party to send each other pictures and make fun of how hungover gojo inevitably is.

“yn, come with me!” gojo slipped his hand into yours and dragged you through the sea of bodies out into the makeshift bar that had been set up in the corner of the living room. meimei’s house was massive, this room alone was probably larger than your entire apartment. geto had followed after you but he’d turned towards the crowd, opting to socialise over drinking whatever concoction gojo was about to make.

turning your attention back to the white haired male beside you, you cringe at the amount of liquid in the red cups. it was oddly graceful how gojo opened cupboards and grabbed bottles with no hesitation, haphazardly pouring them into each cup.

“how do you know where everything is?” you asked, leaning over to take a sniff from the drinks. surprisingly, it wasn’t awful, but you put that down to the lemon flavoured mixer he’d just added.

gojo lightly pushed your head back, shooing you away as he held up a bottle of malibu. after taking a neat sip (which you wanted to point out was not very hygienic but with what he was about to out into his body you doubted he cared), he poured in the final addition to your drinks. “look i’m number one meimei hater but i’d lying if i said i wasn’t a regular at this establishment.”

you scrunched up your nose at regularly attending a place like this. it was fun to a certain extent you could admit, but there was only so much of the pounding music and sweaty bodies that you could handle. “you need a life. beyond women,” you added once you caught his eye watching a short-haired ginger girl weaving through the crowd.

“oh honey i do. i dabble in both,” he winked at the pink haired boy following behind the girl and you quickly nudged him in the stomach with your elbow. you wanted at least ten minutes before he got distracted and tried to sleep with the first person that walks past him. gojo pouted, whining quietly, before making a miraculous recovery in order to hold out your drink to you. “try this.”

there was no countdown this time before you both began drinking. the alcohol burned your throat and the odd mixture of flavours had you calling it quits once the red cup was only halfway empty. you coughed twice as you dropped the drink back onto the table, wiping the excess liquid off of your lips. gojo committed to the entire drink, squeezing the plastic once he’d finished.

“delicious,” he grinned, already looking in the cupboards again to start up another mess. this was how he’d get borderline paralytic so quickly on nights out.

looking off at the crowd of huddled bodies ahead of you, it wasn’t difficult to spot geto who stood a head taller than everyone else. meimei had set up multi-coloured strobe lights that danced red and blue across his skin. he looked so effortlessly gorgeous. 

you couldn’t help but feel disheartened as he ducked his head down to speak to the girl in front of him. you didn’t know her but you recognised her from one of your lectures – one that you also shared with geto and there was no doubt in your mind she’d noticed him before. who wouldn’t have?

reaching for your red cup again, you decided that you could wallow in self pity all you want but you were not doing that sober.

“he looks at you like that too.”

“huh?”

your gaze shifted from geto and the unnamed girl to gojo. the male in question had one hand on a bottle of vodka and one hand on his hip as he looked at you accusingly. your face felt hot at the insinuation that you’d been looking at your mutual best friend in a certain way and you tried to take the vodka bottle from his hand.

gojo held it up above your head, easily out of reach from you as he too stood taller than everyone else. “look all i’m saying is that he was not very happy that you were asking nanami kento for advice on your project and not him.”

you frowned at the fact, willing yourself not to overthink what that could mean. nothing, is what it meant. 

you hadn’t even realised geto had still been in class when you’d spoken to nanami as he’d said he was going to the gym. the blond was smart and with you making a mess of your code when you were sick, you’d wanted a fresh set of eyes on it now that you’d somewhat cleaned it.

“why would i ask him? so he can sabotage me?” you countered. this was your chance to even the scoreboard in shoko’s notes.

“you are so smart, yn, so so smart,” gojo patted your head affectionately, arm slipping around your shoulders as he tugged you close to his body. he smelt like shoko, having stolen one of her perfumes the last time he was over. “and yet you’re dumb as fuck.”

“give me that.” you ignored the insult, which was pretty ironic coming from him of all people, and snatched the bottle from him, unscrewing the cap to fill up your cup.

“you can’t avoid it forever,” gojo sung but you were done listening to his unsolicited opinions, opting instead to console yourself with alcohol.

“have i ever told you how pretty your eyes are suguru?”

“you have. several times. all in the last five minutes actually,” geto sighed and you snickered at the two next to you. 

unsurprisingly, gojo was using geto as a crutch (more like he was being dragged along by the latter but it was all the same) having drunk more than his body could handle. you were faring slightly better but only after you’d given up on your heels. the grass was uncomfortably damp beneath your feet but it was better than falling headfirst into the mud. 

“goodie!” the white haired male giggled, almost tripping onto the ground as he struggled to keep up. you were glad you lived in separate apartments –  you did not want to be there when gojo started coming down from the bubble he was in and spent the next several hours with his head in the toilet.

“you take the front seat,” geto nodded his head towards the passenger side, “i’m going to lay him in the back.”

you obliged with a quick nod, skipping to the seat next to his. there was still the buzz of alcohol in your system and you know had it not been for geto calling it a night, you’d still be in the thrum of people dancing. you were shocked that there had been no noise complaints given the crowds of probably hundreds of students and the loud music still blasting despite having gone well past midnight.

you giggled to yourself as you recorded geto struggle to fit gojo into the backseat. he was like a large child; awkward and stiff and too tall for the small space. by the time geto’d finally managed to get the seatbelt around him, he was practically passed out and leaning across the backseats. you sent the video across to shoko.

“have you heard from ieiri?” geto asked as he slipped into the driver’s seat, pushing the key into the ignition but not turning it. your heart swelled at the concern he held for all of you – ever the gentleman. he’d been the one to help you untie your heels and held them in one hand as he held gojo up with the other, and now he was worried about the final piece of your group who’d already been clear she wasn’t coming home with you. it was basic really, a bare minimum one could even argue, but you were drunk and your feelings were already all over the place.

“yep,” you nodded, scrolling to your most recent message that she’d sent to you about twenty minutes ago saying that she was leaving meimei’s. leaning across the console so that there is only a few inches between your face and geto’s, you hold a finger to your lips and whisper, “she’s with her girlfriend but you’re not supposed to know that.”

it wasn’t not not a secret that utahime and shoko were seeing each other but shoko had been trying to refrain from using ‘girlfriend’ because it was still early days and she didn’t want to scare her off. utahime had never been in a publicly lesbian relationship before.

“mhmm. i won’t tell.” you were close enough to smell the mint on his breath (he probably went out for a smoke at one point) and you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing down at his lips. they were a soft pink and slightly damp from where his tongue had swiped across. in the corner of his lips was a small hole where he used to have a ring. you wondered what the cool metal would have felt like if you kissed him.

the sound of gojo muttering in his sleep brought you back to your senses, somewhat, and you quickly seated yourself back into the passenger seat. you could only hope that the drunken execution was as smooth as you thought it was in your head as you prayed geto didn’t notice your blatant glances.

you could see geto looking over at you out of the corner of your eye and you wanted to shrink away into the seat. you should’ve let gojo pour you another one of those awful drinks. he opened his mouth to say something but when you remained focused on pulling down the skirt of your dress, he chose to just start the car.

a ping from your phone had you frowning at an unknown number sending you ‘hi’. the follow up ‘it’s todo’ and ‘are you still here?’ had you groaning in annoyance at yourself.

“are you okay?” geto glanced at you, worry flashing across his features. you weren’t sure if it was for you or if he was concerned that you were about to be sick in his precious car.

“i gave todo my number,” you sighed. you could vaguely remember doing it after he’d joined you, gojo and several others for jello shots. after seeing geto with the same girl from your tuesday morning lectures, you hadn’t hesitated when todo had asked for your number. a futile attempt at getting back at the male sat to your right. you were already embarrassed by your actions now, you didn’t want to know how you’d feel tomorrow when you were sober.

if you turned your head, you would have seen the way geto’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, the skin of his knuckles turning white. but you didn’t and his voice was unsuspiciously calm as he spoke. “did you want his number?”

“no, maybe, i don’t know,” you rambled out in quick succession, hands moving in front of yourself as you spoke. you had wanted his number but you didn’t want it because it was his number. maybe this was an opportunity for you to stop with your silly crush. maybe you did want his number. taking half a moment, you continued, “well, i mean he’s not not attractive? but–” i want you. 

“but?” geto repeated when you stopped yourself mid-sentence. resting your head against the headrest, you turned to look at him. you found yourself tracing the outline of his side profile with your eyes – from the stray hairs that had clung to his forehead from sweat due to the heat at meimei’s, his brows that were furrowed as his dark eyes stared on ahead at the quiet roads, the soft shape of his nose down to his lips that you desperately wanted to ki– “you’re staring.”

you glanced at the intersection where you’d stopped because of the red light shining down at you, then back to geto who’s full attention was on you now. his own eyes were wandering across you now but his action seemed one of concern than your blatant admiration.

“do you…” you began, all inhibition foregone as you found yourself leaning across the console again towards him. geto’s hands dropped down from steering wheel to lightly hold your shoulders to ensure you didn’t sleep. it didn’t stop you from moving closer – he wasn’t trying to.

“do i…?”

geto wasn’t stopping you but he wasn’t encouraging you either. you stilled entirely when your faces had only a couple of centimetres away from each other. “would you stop me if i kissed you?” your voice was no louder than a whisper to the point you weren’t even sure if he had heard you.

there was a moment, a moment that you swear was real and not a figment of your drunken imagination, where you think geto was fully contemplating your question, just about to close the gap. the harsh sound of a horn ruined the trance you both seemed to be under and geto was back to focusing solely on the road.

you hurriedly settled back into your seat, running your hands across your face and pushing the stray hairs away from your face. your heart was racing, whether it was from the alcohol, the jumpscare from the horn or the realisation of what you almost just did, you weren’t sure.

“jeez, what did satoru give you?” he muttered aloud, though more to himself than you or the sleeping male in the backseat. his little snores may have been endearing if you didn’t also blame him for everything that just took place. ‘he looks at you like that too’ – he owed you at least a week's worth of coffee and doughnuts for putting the thoughts in your head.

“that was ages ago, i’m clear minded.” you were not clear minded at all. you wished shoko was here. you wish you weren’t.

“sure you are,” geto scoffed quietly under his breath. if he was annoyed at you, you needed to start plotting how you’d avoid him for the next few years.

“satoru said something,” you said when the silence became so unbearable you thought your mind would simply implode. the roads were familiar but you knew you still had a while before you got to your apartment. assuming geto didn’t banish you to the side of the street for trying to kiss him.

geto was frowning again and you wanted nothing more for the lines to disappear from his forehead. he was too pretty to get wrinkles. “what did he say?”

“what did you say?” you spun around in your seat to see the white haired male unceremoniously spread across the backseats, mouth hanging open. absolutely no help, as per. “fuck, he’s still asleep.” you closed your eyes as you thought back to your conversation with gojo when you’d first gotten to meimei’s. “he said you didn’t like i went to kento for help.”

“that means i want to kiss you?” geto seemed almost… amused? his usual confident demeanour seemed to be returning as he shot you a glance, the tension from his shoulders dissipating.  

“no, ieiri said that. kinda.” you chose to leave out the specific explicit detail of what shoko actually implied. the hole was deep enough, you didn’t need to dig any further.

“why aren’t you saying anything?” you asked after several beats.

“because you’re drunk.”

“oh.” what did that even mean?

you picked at the black nail varnish on your nails, willing the minutes to go by faster. maybe if you’re lucky you won’t remember any of this tomorrow and geto will pity you enough to never remind you.

“i would let you kiss me,” geto spoke so quietly you were scared you’d misheard him. you even looked back at gojo for confirmation that he had in fact just said those words. he was, however, still asleep and still useless. with one hand staying on the steering wheel, geto used the other to gently stop you from ruining your nail varnish any further. “would you let me kiss you?”

you were finding it hard not to smile like a little kid. you didn’t care what this meant – geto suguru said that he would let you kiss him. a win is a win. “depends if you’re good or not. i have standards, y’know.”

“of course,” he patted your thigh twice before returning his hands to the steering wheel. if you thought your heart was racing before, it was now running loops at a thousand miles per hour. 

several minutes later, geto pulled the car to a final stop. “this is your place,” he said but you weren’t really focused on that, you were entirely focused on him. the car wasn’t moving anymore and he could look and speak (and maybe even kiss you) without any car horns or other external distractions. 

except you weren’t entirely right in that assumption as your shameless staring was interrupted by a particular loud snore from the backseat.

you forgot gojo was still there.

letting out a quiet sigh, you picked up your shoes from behind geto’s seat and pointed several stories up to your apartment. looking up at geto as pathetically as you could muster, since not even embarrassment would convince you to walk on the pebbled path, you asked, “help me?” 

not another word was spoken between the two of you until you had entered your apartment. geto had lifted you from the car bridal style and you’d cherished the few seconds so close to him. he set you down once you were in the building of your apartment but stayed by your side as you walked up the stairs.

“drink this,” geto handed you a glass of tap water he had poured and you thank him quietly as you sip it. he avoided eye contact with you as he passed by you in the direction of your bedroom. when he came back out several moments later he gestured for you to enter the room. “i laid out some clothes for you and put out some paracetamol, you’re going to have an awful headache when you wake up. so whilst you’re being pathetic here, i’m going to be up bright and early finishing that project. then it’ll be me two up.”

you laughed quietly at the notion, walking past him. “thank you suguru.” tiredness was beginning to seep deep into your bones and you craved the softness of your mattress more than you did his attention right now. 

geto was still stood in the doorway, watching you from afar. clearing his throat, he pointed to the keys in his hand – keys for his car, your apartment, his apartment and the sweet safe he kept hidden from gojo. “i’ll lock the door with my spare key. night princess.”

you were an idiot who was never drinking again – that was your only thought when you woke up.

after taking the paracetamol that geto had left for you and finishing the glass of water off, you waited another ten minutes for the painkillers to kick in and subside your headache and then you just lay there. last night definitely wasn’t your worst but it was far from your best. between unopened messages from todo and a large question mark over your friendship with geto, you just wanted the ground to swallow you whole.

‘i would let you kiss me.’

geto suguru would let you kiss him. was that a confession in itself? you groaned, you wished the world was black and white and that was exactly what was meant and you knew that and didn’t have a voice in the back of your head conjuring up twenty other possible meanings.

you’d skipped your usual debrief with the others, sending shoko a message that you were headed straight to the library. she knew your project was important but she also knew that you’d had closer deadlines and still attended both the saturday night party and following debrief. still, she didn’t push you to come and just told you that you’d talk in the evening when you were both home before offering to grab you something sweet from the shops.

you weren’t lying about going to the library – you just left out the whole geto moment. 

after showering and eating some food, you didn’t get to the library till gone noon. nanami was already down there and you apologised for being late. why you arranged to work with him the day after going out, you weren’t entirely sure, but past you clearly expected you to make a miraculous recovery.

several bottles of water and paracetamol kept you functioning enough that you were able to make good progress on your work with nanami proof checking every now and then. gojo’s voice was in the back of your head – you could be spending your time with geto doing this instead of nanami.

that was no hate to nanami, you thought he was super sweet and helpful, but he wasn’t geto. 

you weren’t sure what had been discussed at the debrief but you had received several more cryptic messages from shoko that had made you put your phone on do not disturb. you were already reliving last night’s car ride home over and over in your head, you didn’t need to know everyone else was too.

with the evening creeping closer and the snacks that nanami had brought dwindled, the blond stood up from his seat beside you and nodded downstairs. “i’m heading down to the vending machine, do you want me to grab you something?”

you shook your head, leaning back in your seat and rubbing your eyes. “i’ll just have whatever you get.”

you wanted desperately to go home and back to your bed to sleep for the next twelve hours (had to be up in time for your 8am close, though) but you were dreading talking to shoko about geto. the conversation would go one of two ways; either she already knew and would inevitably tease you or would have to explain it to her, get her live reaction and then be teased. neither seemed fun. 

the sound of footsteps had you turning your head in the direction of possible food. the library was too quiet for your stomach to rumble.

your smile dropped when you saw who was standing next to you.

“hey suguru,” you swallowed, sitting up straight in your chair and pushing your hair back behind your ears. being nonchalant didn’t matter now and no amount of pretending you didn’t try to kiss him last night would actually make it not happen. 

“hey,” he waved before stuffing both his hands in his pockets. he must have just come from the gym – his hair was still wet and he was in his usual post-gym hoodie and shorts. it was odd, to see geto not sure of what to say or odd, appearing almost out of place. a pang of guilt washes over you – you created this situation.

scratching the back of your neck, you pointed at nanami’s seat next to you on your right, “you looking for help from nanami too?”

you were joking, obviously, geto wouldn’t need his help, and you hoped your weak attempt at humour would at least ease some of the tension. he cracked a smile as he raised a brow at you, “why? you think i need it?”

“all i’m saying is don’t come crying to me when i come out on top,” you raised your hands in defence, smiling with him. geto rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue. he pulled out the seat to your left, dropping down next to you. 

that silence settled between the two of you again. geto was hard to read as he looked down at you, his dark eyes searching for something in yours. you swallowed again as you felt your throat dry up.

“are you avoiding me?”

your eyes widened at the forwardness although you tried to play off your shock (extremely unsuccessfully). “why would i possibly do that?” 

geto shrugged, that familiar smirk appearing on his lips, “i told you that i’d let you kiss me and you don’t even want to at least ask me what that means?”

“do i want to know what it means?” you countered quietly. you were glad the library was pretty much empty and you just hoped that nanami stayed downstairs as long as possible. it felt odd to be so publicly vulnerable.

“god," geto looked thoroughly amused as he tilted his head back towards the ceiling and then looked back at you. "you’re dense sometimes.”

you frowned, turning back to your laptop screen with your project. you weren’t here to be mocked. “if you’re here to make fun of me, i’m sorry, let’s just forget this all ever happ–”

geto spun you around, hands on both arms of your chair and suddenly you were back in his car with his hands on your shoulders and your lips brushing against his, “come with me.”

“right now? to where?” nanami was about to return any second, you couldn’t just up and leave him.

“i’ll take you to the sushi place you love,” geto offered, leaning over to close the screen of your laptop. like taking away your access to your project would lead you to the conclusion that going with him was the only possible outcome (as if though there was any outcome in any scenario where you didn’t pick him).

you hesitated at the idea. if he was asking you to go out after saying that you could kiss him it was definitely not a stretch to assume that your feelings were reciprocated.  “like… a date?”

“well princess that’s what girlfriends and boyfriends do is it not?” he posed the question in such a casual and natural manner that you had to bite down on your lower lip to try and control your grin. 

“yeah,” you nodded, interlacing one of your hands with his, “yeah, it is.”

you made a mental note to bring an extra coffee for nanami next lecture as an apology for disappearing.

bonus, several weeks later.

you had come out on top when it came to your project, being only several marks ahead of geto. he hadn’t been all that bothered, saying that he’d let you have the win since you’d had to resort to nanami for help (and he was head over heels for you and would probably flunk every future project and exam if it meant you’d be happy).

you found out that in the debrief that you missed, gojo and shoko practically demanded that geto ask you on a date because they couldn’t allow the two of you to keep going round in circles with each other any longer. needless to say your second debrief with shoko once you came home after your sushi date was a long one that covered both of your current love interests.

for the last few weeks, it had been about adjusting to the new dynamics that a relationship had brought to your group. it was little things like geto picking you up every morning before class and gojo having to decide who to third wheel when it came to parties.

one thing that had not changed was the existence of the list between you and geto.

the german test you had taken the day prior was the first test you’d both completed since your project. this was the deciding test as to who would be on top again.

“wake up, wake up,” you nudged geto’s arm repeatedly, the male in question groaning as he tried to hit you away with a pillow. if someone told you a month ago you’d be waking up in his shirt, in his bed, with him, you would have laughed. 

when your insistent poking didn’t work, you climbed ungracefully across him, your knees resting on either side of his slim waist. that caught his attention and he opened one eye to peer up at what you were doing,

“look,” you practically shoved your phone in his face, the screen too bright for his eyes to adjust to.

“okay?” geto squinted, trying to read the black text unsuccessfully.

you sighed when he didn’t get it fast enough, “it’s our test scores. i have seven more percent than you therefore i am winning.”

“hold on,” he grabbed your wrist as you tried to move your phone away from his face and pointed at the email your lecturer had sent out. “you’re still only second place in the class.”

“yeah wait,” you slipped your wrist from his grip, rereading the email twice as your face dropped in disbelief. 

“what?”

poor geto was wincing again as you spun the screen back to him again, “what the fuck?”

with an almost perfect score, for a class he spent more time playing dress to impress in, was the gojo satoru.

[venerawrites]

Can I request Naruto with a single mama? Her little 1 yr old is a little unsure at first but comes to ADORE Naruto. Please and thank you!

Author's note: I am finishing my written assignments for uni this and next week, so I'm being extra slow with the requests, for which I am sorry :( Anyway, this request was super cute and I loved writing it! Hope you enjoy and thank you for requesting!

Becoming a war hero almost overnight sounds like a dream come true for every shinobi. All the years of pain, sweat and blood finally being recognised and appreciated by the people was something that rarely happened through history, and even when it did, most of the time it didn't last long.

But Naruto was no ordinary war hero - he was once the most hated person in Konoha, who despite everything remained loyal to his village and his friends. Filled with hope and ambition for the future, he proved himself as an excellent shinobi and most importantly, a good potential leader. So when Kakashi gave up his position as the Hokage, there was no question about who should be his successor.

Everything in his life fell into place pretty quickly after that - he bought a house, he started volunteering at the academy and the hospital during weekends, and also became the best man to Shikamaru and Temari's wedding. The boy that was once called a "freak" was now the "man of progress" - a symbol of prosperity and inspiration to many children across the Land of Fire. Tales and songs were already written in his name, and to him, it still felt unreal.

With fame came also attention. In the beginning, he loved it. Having women competing for his affection was fun and also very new for him - never has anyone asked him out on a date or given him gifts before. It did stroke his ego and for the first months after he became a Hokage, he entertained such advances. After all he was a single man, so why not? Perhaps one of these women would one day turn out to be the one.

Days became months, months became years and soon he found that almost all of his friends were either married or engaged. So far it never bothered him, but after Sakura and Sasuke came back carrying a child in their arms, he started to seriously think about what he wanted.

Years ago, if anyone has asked him what he seeks in a partner, his answer would've easily been his teammate. But since then a lot has changed, including him. He was more mature and level-headed now, and looking back, he realised what he felt toward the pink-haired kunoichi was not real love, but rather a childish crush. She was his best friend and he had deep respect for her, but even he realised how incompatible their personalities were and how his teenage self had an unrealistic idea of who she actually is.

Naruto was the definition of fire. He often acted based on his emotions and while he was better at self-control than he was before, there were still moments when he slipped up and let his inner thoughts take over his rationality. The last thing he needed was someone who had the same burning soul. Quite the opposite - he yearned for calmness. His heart needed to be both loved and protected by someone who can balance him.

This realisation felt heavier with each day. To have someone by his side soon became a mirage - no matter how often he attempted to give a chance to someone, the spark was just never there. All these women looked differently and talked differently, but ultimately they all gave him the same feeling - emptiness.

"Everything comes with time", Kakashi said to him, when he noticed him sitting by himself at Ino and Sai's wedding. The blonde man just smiled, weakly nodding at his sensei, not having the energy to oppose him. At this point, he wanted nothing more than to just finish his drink and head home to rest for the early morning meeting he had the next day.

Like almost everything in his life, however, this didn't go to plan. He was just about to stand up from his place, when his eyes locked with yours across the room. "She is definitely not from here", he thought, as you directed a small smile at him, lifting your glass in the air, before returning your attention to Ino, who was eagerly explaining her honeymoon plans to you. Naruto assumed you were not a shinobi as well, as he was sure he would've remembered you if he had encountered you in the past.

Before he can think about what he was doing, he was already walking toward the table where you and the bride were sitting. Pulling the chair next to Ino and opposite you, he slumped on it, his eyes dancing between you two.

"Can I join you, ladies?", he asked, despite the fact he already had. You both nodded and he grinned in response, before turning toward Ino and laying his hand on her shoulder:

"Congratulations on your marriage, Ino! Sai is a lucky guy!"

"You bet he is!", she laughed, nudging you with her elbow. Expecting such a response from her, you only rolled your eyes, shaking your head with a small smile. There was no room for disagreement, however - while Ino had quite a personality, she was one of the most kind and sincere people you have ever met. No wonder you became friends so quickly after she was sent to a mission in your village and you preserved that friendship despite the distance and all the years that have passed.

"Oh!", the bride suddenly exclaimed, grabbing your hand and almost shoving it into the blonde man’s face, "Naruto, this is Y/N. She has been my friend for... How many? Almost 10 years now! She is originally from the Curtain Village, but has been travelling for a while now."

"The Curtain Village? Isn't that the capital of Land of Silence?"

"It is", you confirmed, shaking his hand once he put it in yours. Noticing the slight furrow of his brows, you were quick to add with a smirk: "I am not a criminal that is here to blow up a wedding, if that is what you are thinking."

Letting out a scoff, Naruto looked a few times between you and Ino, before laughing nervously. He still hadn't let go of you, continuing to shake your arm up and down.

"What? I-you... I didn't-", he stammered, looking over to the bride for help. It was true a very brief thought of suspicion flashed through his mind hearing where you were from, but how can anyone blame him? The Land of Silence was a country of lawlessness, full with criminals and terrorist, all of them sharing the same hatred for Five Great Shinobi.

"Oh, don't listen to her, she is joking!", Ino laughed, before turning toward you and gently slapping you on the shoulder. Her eyes moved to the middle of the table, above which the Hokage was still holding your hand, his whole face flushed bright red. The minute of silence must have caught the man's attention, because soon after he let go of you, moving his fingers behind his body and nervously scratching his neck.

"Not weird at all", your friend muttered, before turning toward you, "Y/N, this is Naruto! A childhood friend, a war hero, the current Hokage... and also a man who does not know how to act like a normal human being in front of a beautiful woman."

He immediately opened his mouth to protest but was stopped the second your laugh reached his ears. This has to be the most melodic and beautiful sound he has ever heard. Too lost admiring it, he didn't pay any attention to Ino, who excused herself, giving you both a knowing look. He noticed only a few minutes later your shared friend is missing and he mentally cursed himself of how he was behaving. His teenage years were long gone, why couldn't he compose himself like the grown man he is?

"So, Hokage...", the title sounded almost seductive from your lips, "What was a man of such importance doing by himself at the bar? One would think you would be the centre of attention tonight. After the bride and groom, of course."

The tone of your voice combined with the sparkle in your eyes was enough for him to be able to barely keep focus on what you were actually saying. Squirming in his seat, he nervously laughed, wondering for how long were you watching him before he approached you. He must have looked like a complete fool sitting by himself ordering glass after glass and only occasionally being spoken to by the passing guests. Definitely not the impression he wanted to leave.

"I just... needed some time away from people. I didn't know Ino and Sai had THAT many friends", his words made you laugh and he instantly beamed at the sound, happy he was the one causing it.

"What about you? You here with someone?"

The slight nod of your head made his heart drop to his stomach and the corners of his mouth moved downward into a frown. Was it surprising? You were a beautiful woman after all, of course the chances for you to be taken were high. He sure as hell was disappointed though. A tiny part of him was hoping that you were here by yourself and that maybe, just maybe, he would have the chance to get to know you more.

Seeing the way his whole expression darkened, you bit back a smile, nodding your head to the end of the large room. There, in a corner, one baby boy and two little girls, one of which was Sarada, were enthusiastically smashing plastic toys around, being supervised by smiling Sakura.

"I am accompanied by the fine gentleman over there", you pointed to the boy, before laughing, "But I think he may be too occupied at the moment to even remember I exist."

Naruto followed the direction of which your finger was pointing and he suddenly felt his body relax. Oh. You were talking about that type of company.

"Is that your brother?"

Raising your brow at him, you gave him a small smirk, finding his question cute. There was something about this man that was both extremely sweet, yet attractive - perhaps it was the innocence he radiated, while looking so strong and masculine.

"You are flattering me", your attention moved back to the child, who was now trying to communicate something with Sarada, "This is my son, actually."

"Your son?", his voice came out louder and squeakier than expected and he immediately added, "It's just... you look so young, heh. Not that is a bad thing, you know? You are beautiful! Your son is also beautiful... Not in a creepy way, I mean he looks a lot like you and-"

The words suddenly got stuck in his throat and he loudly gulped, already fearing the disaster he just created. Expecting you to stand up and leave, or maybe even slap him, he was shocked when all you did was to just grab his hand and give it a little squeeze.

"You sure blabber a lot for a Hokage", you joked, before standing up, "Excuse me just for a minute."

Blue eyes followed your body across the room, curiously watching how you picked up the small boy in your arms and placed it on your hips, before making your way back. Now that he was getting closer, Naruto could fully appreciate the striking resemblance the child had with you. You had dressed him in a little blue shirt and black pants, which was complementing your dress with the same colours.

“Wow! He is literally your twin! Dad must be jealous”, he laughed nervously once you were just few feet away. The mention of he word “dad” made your body stiffen and you adjusted your baby’s position, so you can both sit comfortably.

“I doubt that - that man didn't even have the decency to show up for his child's birth, let alone acknowledge his existence .”

The blonde almost chocked on his drink, hitting his chest a few times. Was it bad to feel so good after hearing you say these words? He would never dream of wishing any child to grow up without a father, yet something inside of him felt almost relieved.

"Oh?", his posture relaxed and he raised one eyebrow, "So you are single mother?"

The answer was obvious, but he needed to be 100% sure - the last thing he wanted was to ruin someone's relationship, especially when there is a child involved. The nod of your head and the small smile were the final assurance he needed and without further word, he moved to the seat next to you which was previously occupied by Ino.

The sudden movement startled the baby in your arms and it immediately turned its head to the side, curiously observing the man.

"Hi, little one! My name is Naruto. Oh my, you are very cute!"

Uzumaki was good with kids. Maybe it was because of his friendly appearance or the fact he was full with energy, just like them, but there has not been a single child so far that didn't adore him from the moment they laid their eyes on him. Even Sarada, much to Sasuke's dismay.

The look that your son was giving him, however, was anything but impressed. Staring at him with his big eyes, he didn't even move a muscle, as if he was challenging him to a staring contest.

Can babies even challenge someone? Naruto never thought so, but he could swear the boy's brows furrowed just a bit, enough for him to send a clear message: "I may be cute, but you are not and neither is your attempt to impress my mom."

"He is very shy", you said, bouncing him on your lap. As a result to your constant travels due to your job, he didn't had a lot of interactions with other children or with people in general. Growing up without a father, he was very attached to you and any unknown person was always treated with suspicion.

To you he was just being cautious. To the man to your right, however, he was protective. The look he has given him was not one of a timid child, quite the opposite - he may be small, but he loved his mama and was not about to let a random man come and sweep her off her feet. Even if he was the Hokage himself.

"Well, I would love to get to know him", the man smiled, before lifting his eyes to yours, "and you, of course! Maybe... I can take you out on a dinner or something?"

"No", the word fell out of your child's mouth, before you can even start replying. Naruto looked at him, noticing the small pout that was now formed on his chubby face. Biting his lip, the Uzumaki tried his best to contain his laugh and remain serious. Not that he didn't respect the little man and how he tried to protect you, but he was so small and cute, it was hard to take him seriously.

"Hey, that is not nice!", you said to your son, giving him a look. He, however, didn't even acknowledge you, his whole attention trained on the man next to you.

"I am sorry, he just learned the word "no", and now he keep saying it at the most random times."

The blonde nodded with a smile, knowing that this was definitely NOT a random time.

"But to answer your question, WE would love to go on a dinner with you!", you adjusted the baby in your arms and the shift finally made him look at you. With a smile, you pressed a kiss to his temple, before looking back at the Hokage: "I am staying with Ino for the next three weeks. Pick us up tomorrow at 8?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day Naruto was half an hour early to the arranged time. Too scared to knock on the door and look way too eager to see you, he decided to wait outside, almost giving Ino a heart attack once she opened the door and nearly bumped her head in his chest.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing just standing in front of my door?"

"Uh... Waiting?", he scratched the back of his head nervously, wishing there was a hole in the ground that can swallow him whole. It was not like this was his first date ever, why was he nervous about?

Deep inside he knew the answer - it was not you who was making him anxious, but your son. The way their first interaction went woke something competitive in him and now he was determined to prove himself as a man, good enough to be a partner and a father.

Being the village's hero he hasn’t faced a challenge like this for a while, so while he thought a bit of smooth talking and play time with your child were enough to win your son over, it seemed to make the situation even worse. The child refused to play with him and instead was clinging to you the whole time, giving Naruto such a look, which could only be described as a glare.

"He is not usually like this", you said at the end of your date, when you were both saying your 'goodbyes' in front of Ino's house, "I am really sorry if it made you uncomfortable or-"

Before you can finish, big calloused fingers pressed themselves to your lips, silencing you. You were glad that your son was now asleep, as he saw the gesture, he would surely cry, just like he did every time Naruto tried to grab your hand or touch you in any way during dinner.

"Hey, I think it is completely normal", the blonde let out a short breathy laugh, moving his eyes between the child and your face, "He just want to protect his mother. If I was him, I would be the same..."

Looking down, you carefully considered his words. You avoided dating after your ex left you once he found you are pregnant, so you never had the chance to observe your baby boy around men. But looking at his behaviour now, the Hokage's words made sense.

Thankfully for you, the Uzumaki was not a man who gave up easily. Pressing a kiss to your cheek, he invited you both to go and visit him the next day in the Hokage tower. He promised to give you a tour around and grab a lunch with you during his break.

For the three weeks you were in Konoha, you spend every single day with Naruto. He started going to work extra early, just so he can leave on time to pick you up and show you another one of his favourite spots around Konoha. For everyone around you, it was obvious you were absolutely whipped for one another and all this extra effort from his side seemed almost unnecessary in their eyes. For him, however, it was more than necessary, especially since your shared future was depending on it.

As a teacher, you built your job around travelling - you loved sharing your knowledge with the world, as well gaining new one from each place you visited. Such life was busy and demanding, especially for a single parent, but the pros outweighed the cons significantly.

Naruto refused to directly ask you to move to Konoha permanently, but his intentions were pretty clear - he never missed a chance to point out how good the Academy is, how there is a higher education institution being build right now and how gifted the kids in the village were. In the beginning, you didn't give any indication you were even considering staying, but after a while you started to show your interest in your own way - mainly by asking questions about the job market, the teachers in the Academy and in general the life in Konoha.

His relationship with your son also improved drastically. At first, the child stopped "glaring" at him and actually trusted him to come near you. Then, a few days later, he agreed for the first time to play ball with him and at the end of your walk in the park, he even fell asleep in Naruto's arms. By the time you had to leave, your son was so attached to the blonde, he refused to let go of his neck and go in your arms.

"We need to go, darling", you muttered tiredly, trying to detach him from the Hokage.

"No", he cried even louder, "Mama - bye!"

Letting out a loud laugh, Naruto adjusted the little boy in his arms, so he frees one hand and takes yours in it.

"Maybe mama would consider staying", he said, his grin transforming into a soft smile. Squeezing your fingers between his, he tugged you toward him, wrapping his free hand around your waist.

"I won't force you to stay if you do not want to... but I really, really wish you would consider it! I know we have been knowing each other for weeks, but damn, I am in love with you! And I love this little guy here", he looked over the child in his arms, that was now snuggling in his chest, giving you the biggest puppy eyes, "He does feel like my son. And if you leave... I may have to follow you till you agree to come back. And believe it, I do have some experience with making people come back!"

Letting out a giggle, you raise your brow at his words, the bag on your shoulder already falling down.

"Yeah? You would travel around the whole world just to bring us back to you?"

Closing the distance, he leaned his head to the side, so he can lay a small kiss on your lips. He pressed his forehead to yours, letting out a breath of relief once he heard your bag falling to the floor.

"I will travel to the end of the universe, if it means you will be with me."

cc artowork: Jayison Devadas

[wemustgatekeepwooyoung]

House of Cards

synopsis: you and your sneaky link, Jung Wooyoung, who you met on a dating app four months ago, finally decide to make it official over a round of Crazy Eights*

pairing: (non idol)! Jung Wooyoung x fem!reader

genre: romance, fluff

word count: 2,3k

content/warnings: !!!mentions of your previous sexual activities, not you actually having sex!!! ,small tensile environment throughout your game session that lead to your confession, pet names (sweetheart, princess, baby,).

author’s note: now this, this is a sample of what I normally enjoy writing. It comes more naturally to me but who doesn’t enjoy a good smut too? I’ve got many things cooking but my exams are right on the corner so I’m kinda screwed in terms of free time, cause I got NONE. Sorry ‘Don’t be a stranger, stranger’ is taking so long, I’m still kinda skeptical about it. Anyway, I’ll try my best not to just be active but also productive . It’s not something I can guarantee though. Hope your excitement stays present till my next update? Bye bye <3

*Crazy Eights is a shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig and Spoons. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The game is similar to Switch, Mau Mau or Whot!. -Wikipedia

“You’re good Jung Wooyoung but I’m not going to give it to you that easily”

“You always say that and then end up moaning my name dear” he teased

“Can you stick to the game?”

“Yes ma’am!” he said and drew a card from the card deck only for him to draw another and another and another… “Shit how many’s it been?“

“I’d say you’ve drawn about half deck. Why? Can’t you properly fit them in between your fingers?”

“Now who’s the one not sticking to the game?”

“Well I never implied anything, it’s you that’s all messed up and pervy” you said and poked him softly on his thigh

“Oh am I?”

“Of course you are. You can’t even hold all those cards, one keeps falling every now and then. Are you that ‘frustrated’? ” you mocked him once again.

It’s been your new favourite hobby these past four months of ‘seeing him’. You two met on Tinder once he first moved into your city. He didn’t know anyone and had no connections with people, so, that’s what led him to joining the world’s most famous dating app.

You two clicked right away. Sex was what ensured your bonding at first, a few weeks passed and you kept meeting each other. He’s probably fucked you on every surface possible and you’re living your moment. Oh and sex calls… Y’all are wild.

You’ve finally found a man that can match your sexual desires. Not too vanilla but not too harsh. Just the perfect mixture of intimacy, freedom and that specific taste of filth you go crazy for.

You’ve gotten pretty close too. You even have sleepovers after wilding out on each other, it’s not just about sex like you both had noted on your profiles when you first talked. At least not anymore.

It almost feels like…

“Ha! Finally! Lets see how you can beat that-“ he said, still struggling to hold all these cards.

“Why don’t you leave some aside? It’s okay to cheat when it’s us two right?” you proposed only to be greeted with his seriousness, a rare occurrence.

“No. No cheating, ever. I’ll manage somehow” he said and then fell yet another card. He rolled his eyes and grabbed that card with his mouth, keeping it still among his beautiful plump lips.

What a sight. You keep staring like the obsessed one you are while he’s in such a difficult position! What a menace! It’s funny how he tangles you so well in between his fingers and yet he can’t really make happen to hold those cards right. Cute.

“Mmh?” he whined and you finally let out that laugh you’ve been holding onto. You squeezed his cheek and placed a gentle slap on it, making him question your mood.

He looked at you confused as you melted while holding eye contact. You really really adore this man and his pretty seductive lips. You gave a look-over to the cards , of which you’ve already made a stack after playing them, so that he strikes his next move.

He strategically looked over his cards, trying to pick the best one for his own sake. Hm… ‘What if?’ he thought. ‘What about that one on my lips?’ he thought more precisely. How could he though, he can’t even hold that card among the others, how can he now take it from his lips and place it on top of the others to make his move? He looked up the ceiling to find a way when he thought of the perfect one.

“Take it” he mumbled and you looked at him confused as you couldn’t quite understand. He repeated his phrase but still no recognition coming from his beloved, you.

He rolled his eyes again and with a quick motion, he tried handing it over to you with a similar strategy to pecking your lips. He balanced himself on his hands as he leaned close to you, trying to give you the card he wants to play with so you’d so it for him.

Your heart skipped a beat by how spontaneous he is, a characteristic of his you find very attractive. You replied with a similar gesture, accepting the card with your own lips and playing it for him.

A cute smile filled with success and pride of his showed up and made you smile back. How could you resist the way his smile cracks his cheeks and reveals his adorable mole on his lower lip? You just really love his lips don’t you?

“It’s your turn to play sweetheart.”

“Right” you said, still under the influence of his flirty action

“Are you distracted? I thought we should pay attention!”

“No I’m paying great attention!”

“Yeah but you should pay it on the game don’t you think?” he said and earned a smack on his right shoulder that made him chuckle “You’re so cute” he commented and watched you closely as you were trying to pick your next card

“Why do you have the need to make me question myself all the time?”

“Don’t act like you don’t like it so that you’re to have the advantage baby. We both know you do”

“I’m not going to say that I do and be defeated that easily”

“Okay, then try not to be defeated elsewhere too, I can now hold my cards. Shit’s getting serious” he reported like he was a journalist or something. Playing all sophisticated like he isn’t the biggest crackhead the world has ever seen. Also, how can one come out being sophisticated when he speaks like that?

You put on a smirk as you’re starting to enjoy his devotion. Card games have been your thing lately. You play all the time. It’s mostly you winning and him wondering why he lost when all he did during it’s duration was tease you.

“You know damn well that I’ll win this time too”

“Do you bet on it?” he asked with a grin on his face

“What do I have to lose? I said I’ll win anyway”

“And if you don’t?”

“If I don’t… Then, what’d you have me do to feel fulfilled?” you wondered

He’ll probably want to do something naughty later, something you’ve probably never tried before that’s been messing him up. He’s a very kinky guy, what else could it be?

“You’ll answer a question I’ve picked for you especially . But there’s no denying it. You’ll have to do it princess”

Fuck. Why’s anxiety being built up inside you now? Why’s your stomach bothered? He really knows how to play. Fucking Jung Wooyoung, he annoys you so much sometimes that you want to punch him in the face. But first of all, he’s too pretty to be punched and second, you have no reason to be scared. You’ll win again after all, won’t you? What’s a little test going to cost you?

“Bet” you replied and a naughty smirk popped on his face. Maybe he’s using all this as a roleplay only to ask you a stupid question in the end. But no, he won’t even have the chance to, cause you’ll win, right?

The heat’s getting real. He has gotten rid of most of his cards while you still are trying to play your last one. Your hands are starting to shake as his competitiveness is now at the highest it’s ever been in all the games you’ve played together so far.

You’re both focused but it’s clear who has the upper hand once again. You’re actually facing a big difficulty here, all this hasn’t come unnoticed to you. He’s actually good. Really good. Where did that come from? Is it that the question he has to ask is that important that it gives him motivation to go hard on you? What the heck?

And before you’d had the chance to realise it, he placed his final card on the card stack, your eyes focused on his motion not able to withstand this happening.

You were actually defeated by Jung Wooyoung, what a day! You never thought that this would happen. All your anxiety has left your body, you’re actually surprised and excited for your future matches. What can one say, you two live for all that tension that’s being crafted for the final dominator’s sake.

All he did was stare at you like he wanted to absorb all the dignity he had just earned from his victory. He clapped for himself and cheered like a little child. Furthermore you too burst into applause for him, proud of that little accomplishment of his. He deserves it.

“Good job Wooyo! How come you made such an upgrade?”

“I really wanted to ask you that question”

“Is it a bad one?”

“You might need some wine for it go down smoothly. Actually it’s me that wants the wine to finally spill that information.”

“Fuck” you hissed at yourself as he went over and grabbed two beautifully sculpted glasses for your usual ‘drunkards’ moment. “Isn’t that too much?”

“I’ll have that one” he said and swallowed it all at once, causing a little of it to spill down his chin. You gently wiped it off and pecked his lips, understanding the difference from their usual taste. “So… Can I make a prologue?”

“Go on”

“Okay… So, how do I even begin? I’m totally not made for this stuff. You see, I’d forgotten how to be a romantic”

‘Why’s he bringing that up so suddenly?’ ,you thought.

“Fuck it, here I go.” he said in very a determined tone before letting out a big sigh “Could you ever possibly fall for a guy like me?”

C’mon, pretend to be shocked Y/N! You can’t do that though, you can’t pretend, cause you are in fact, shocked.

“What kind of question is that…?”

“It’s stupid I know. I’ll ask another one, forget about it”

“No! No it’s not stupid!” you said and held his hands in yours “Of course I would.”

“So you haven’t already, I see. Cause I have”

“You have?!”

“Yes Y/N, poor me has developed feelings for you”

“Poor you?”

“The ‘poor me’ part goes for it being one sided. But I’m a lucky one, getting the opportunity to spend time with you and make such bets. It’s okay, no need to love me back”

‘Love him back’ ?!!?!? He’s actually having you so moved that you might as well make your confession. Why shouldn’t you? Hasn’t he been your comfort person all these months? Hasn’t he made you feel like you’ve got a reason to be excited and happy? Don’t you love spending time with him and getting to see all his aspects? You really do, he’s amazing and you know it. He’s your favorite person. You can’t imagine your life without him anymore and you can’t imagine his life without you.

You love comforting him and so does he. You love being there and watching him get excited over the smallest of everyday things. You love being there and watching him be sad and live through all these human emotions and listen to his struggles. You love it when he opens up to you about his feelings, so the shock you’re now experiencing has a taste of delightfulness to it. You just love him, you really do. You love Jung Wooyoung and the pretty world he has created in his head where he so desperately wants to take you with him so as to enjoy it while accompanying one another.

The tension’s still in the air and you can tell that his desperation has now become an acknowledgement of a false conclusion. And it’s finally time, time for you to give your answer, containing your explanation and confession.

“Me too”

“You too what? I’ve lost the context, sorry love”

“I have feelings for you too Wooyoung.”

“You do?!”

“Yes I do” you told him and this statement took him some seconds to be processed the way it should.

“Of course you do” he said then, proudly, bringing the Woo you know and fell for back on stage ”Won’t you scold me and call me an arrogant asshole?”

“No this time I won’t.”

“Really? Crap and it turns me on so well baby you have no idea” he admitted like his degradation kink was something you didn’t know of already.

He leaned again over the cards to kiss you, throwing them all over the place, causing you both to laugh in between kisses.

“So now what?” he asked and began to kiss down your neck

“What do you mean what?” you replied breathlessly while also trying to give out the focus that was expected of you in a case like this.

“What are we now?”

“We still need time to show us that, I think”

“You’re right. Let’s start from scratch then shall we not?” he proposed and turned you around, ready to make about his feelings again in a language you two’ve been practicing for the time period of the the past four months.

[icarustypicalfall]

Sooooorrrry

but my last ask for you ... it did turn out amazing.

So what if Alejandro, Rudi, Soap and Ghost caught a recruit who was a little too long on the… at her cleavage for a little too long. Maybe even make a trashy comment? Or even attment to smack buttom? In any case, he's a bit too intrusive.

How would the guys react to that?Do they let him run extra laps? Yell at them?

I am so excited!

aww, i am glad you liked it :)

i am going to change a bit so it doesn't bother anyone or trigger any bad stuff :3

the other request in question

MASTERPOST ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩

COD MEN REACTION TO READER GETTING BOTHERED BY A SOLDIER

including: Ghost, Soap, Alejandro, Rudy

warnings: sfw, no dark stuff, slight to no description of harassment, swearing, comfort, they are military men but are such protective cuties.

note: i preferred not to include anything that would make anyone upset, i understand how much one's imagination would like to dive into ideas but i prefer keeping things sometimes light, as i don't like any type of violence or harassment and i simply avoid writing it for a completely comforting account. <3

“Confused as I felt about him, he was my escape, my reminder that there was another world I could join.”

Ghost

You were his trusted companion, his wife, working side by side since the very beginning. While he observed from the shadows, you took charge of training the fresh recruits. With a nod of approval and the occasional glance in your direction, he silently watched over you, a constant presence.

As you demonstrated the proper combat techniques to the recruits, one of them dared to make a snarky comment. Ignoring his insolence, you continued with the lesson. But his audacity grew, as his eyes shamelessly roamed over your body, while he mocked you alongside his fellow recruits.

The urge to throw him out of the training ground was almost overwhelming. Clearly, he did not deserve a place in this esteemed institution. However, Ghost stepped into the circle, causing the recruits to fall silent, their eyes filled with fear. He cast a cold gaze upon the disrespectful recruit before uttering words that seemed to carry a smug smirk.

"Since you were so 'attentive' to my wife's lesson, why don't you show us what you can do, hmm?"

The recruit's face paled, finally realizing the gravity of his transgressions. He hadn't anticipated the consequences of disrespecting both you and Ghost. Nodding in guilt, he faced Ghost, knowing that he stood no chance against someone of his caliber. Ghost wasted no time in pinning him to the ground, shaking his head in disapproval. Venom dripped from his tongue as he murmured coldly.

"If you dare to disrespect her again, you won't even have the chance to apologize, you useless rat."

Soap

It was a bitterly cold day, the weather almost unbearable. As Soap spoke to you about your remarkable progress in the hallway, you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. You had joined the ranks only a few months ago, yet you had made significant strides. Soap couldn't deny that you had caught his eye from the moment he laid eyes on you. It was almost enough to tolerate the annoyance of the other recruits, who were envious of the attention he bestowed upon you during training.

Amidst a joke that Soap shared, a recruit walked by and brazenly smacked your rear, laughing alongside his comrades as they mocked you. Shocked and stunned, you looked at him with disbelief. Never before had anyone treated you with such disrespect during your time in training. Soap noticed the tears welling up in your eyes.

Something inside him tightened, as if your tears were a physical pain. A deep sense of justice welled up within him, overwhelming his senses. He couldn't ignore it any longer. Barking the recruit's name, Soap grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the wall, his face contorted with anger.

"Now you're not so brave, you little shit," Soap scolded the soldier, his grip unyielding. "Fifty laps around the base, now."

The recruit paled, realizing that the weather was far too cold to be running outside. A sarcastic smirk played on Soap's lips as he added, "I better see sweat, or I swear to God I'll make you dig your own grave, you bastard."

Alejandro

You were his beloved civilian wife, paying a visit to him at the base. As he introduced you to his second-in-command and other important figures, Alejandro couldn't help but notice that one of the soldiers kept his distance. While the other recruits chatted happily with you, excited to finally meet the wife of their esteemed Colonel, this particular soldier sat apart.

Alejandro had a fiery temper, and you often found yourself keeping him grounded to prevent him from causing chaos. His fury simmered as he observed the soldier's lingering gaze upon your body, making it clear that he intended to teach the insolent recruit a lesson. With a nod to his trusted subordinate, Rodolfo, Alejandro silently instructed him to keep an eye on you while he dealt with the situation.

Grabbing the soldier by his collar, Alejandro forcefully propelled him out of the room. Sensing trouble, you followed him, searching for your husband. It didn't take long to find him, his knuckles bruised and his face filled with a mix of satisfaction and anger.

You sighed, knowing him all too well. There was no need to ask what had transpired. You simply took out your handkerchief and gently wrapped it around his bruised hand, applying slight pressure as you tilted your head.

"Still alive?" you asked, your voice filled with a mixture of concern and amusement.

"Of course, amor. Death would be a blessing compared to what he'll face in training next time," Alejandro replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

You chuckled, shaking your head as you looked at him. "You're a dangerous man, Alejandro Vargas. Handsome, but very dangerous."

He laughed heartily, wrapping an arm around your waist as the two of you walked back into the room. "Isn't that why you married me?"

Rudy

You were not just his best friend's sister but also a valued colleague, working alongside Rudy as a medic in the bustling base. Your kindness and beauty had captivated him from the start, drawing him closer with each passing day. And although you possessed the Vargas family's fiery temper, he couldn't help but find it endearing, often sharing a laugh at your passionate outbursts.

As you sat together in the mass hall, enjoying a lunchtime conversation about a movie you had watched the other day (bonus you cuddled together on the couch in his room, as the cinema tickets you bought had mysteriously dissapered).

Rudy couldn't help but be taken aback when he noticed someone staring at you from a distance. At first, you tried to brush it off, thinking it was due to your laughter with the sergeant. However, it soon became apparent that some of the recruits had their eyes fixed on you, their unwavering gazes lingering on your body. A sense of unease washed over you.

Ever the attentive man, Rudy immediately stood up, making his way towards the recruits with a steely determination. His anger burned like an inferno as he confronted them, his words laced with a fiery threat in his fast-paced Spanish.

"I better see you apologizing to her, or I'll make your lives a living hell, ¿entienden?"

You were taken aback by the scene that unfolded before you. Later, you came across the same three recruits in the medic bay, their bodies bearing the marks of a well-deserved lesson. They didn't dare meet your gaze as they offered their apologies before quickly exiting the room. Rudy followed suit, a sweet smile gracing his lips. This man, with his calm and collected demeanor, always managed to surprise you.

Unable to contain your gratitude, you wrapped your arms around him in a warm embrace. Rudy, caught off guard by the sudden display of affection, happily returned the gesture, his grin widening.

"Don't worry, cariño. They wouldn't dare to bother you again."

sobbing right now

[ro-presents-jenniferjareaushorts]

REQUESTED

jennifer jareau x black!femme!reader

includes derek and savannah morgan, emily prentiss, luke alvez, tara lewis, emily prentiss, matt simmons, penelope garcia and spencer reid. no mentions of rossi or the others. mentions will.

After two years of dating JJ, mostly behind closed doors, you finally meet JJ's friends.

Basic fluff

Unspecified age gap, but reader is an adult. Reader is related to Savannah. Mentions of divorce. Mentions of coming out. Nondescript mentions of sexual conduct. Mentions of drunkenness. Hints at past-Jemily. No use of Y/N.

2.4K WORDS

not really sure how i feel about this. sorry. it's not my favorite thing, and can't say im super proud of it tbh. but, it kind of helped my rut.

JJ found herself tinkering with the watch on her wrist. Tonight was going to be an important night. You were finally meeting the team. It had been on the books for weeks, and it had taken months for you to have been able to mention it with her eyes nearing jumping out of their sockets. They were her family, after all. And, you? You were special. She wasn't sure what she was worried most about, them not liking you or you not liking them.

She sighs, pushing herself off the frame of the front door. You should have been out of the bathroom right now.

"Are you almost ready?"

You dropped your arms, just enough that the mascara in your hands is no longer close to your eye. She's called out to you, not even five minutes ago. Three minutes was generous, even. It was starting to get a bit, frustrating.

"Jennifer!" You call back with nothing else to really say after. You just want her to hear in your tone how tired you are of her asking. After a moment, you hear footsteps, and you huff. She steps into the bathroom, and you look up in the mirror. She's ready, and she looks good. Casual enough, jeans and teeshirt. Her make up was minimal, but she looked gorgeous, as usual. You speak up before she does, "Baby, stop bugging me. I'm getting ready, okay? We finna go to a bar, not a dinner reservation. Can you just stop rushing me?"

JJ ignores the question, zeroing in on your middle statement. "Exactly, we are going to a bar to meet them. So, what's all this? You don't have to go all out for them."

"You should know better than to think I'm getting gussied up for anyone but me." You retort, finishing up your mascara.

"You look beautiful, already," she sighs, leaning against the bathroom doorframe, "Can't you just, wrap it up? Your makeup looks about done."

You twist the cap back on your mascara and look up at her with a smile as you know what you're about to say is not going to be music to her ears. "My makeup is done. Now, I have to do my hair."

JJ groans, turning her body away from you. Her back, now, flat against the frame, she leans back against it. Eyes closed with a deep exhale, she slides down a wall. You have the most beautiful, artful head of hair ever. And, damn, if you didn't do a damn good job about making it into any masterpiece you wanted. But, God, did it take forever. She texts her team that you guys are going to be a little late, tells that they she would like them to meet you while they are at least mostly sober.

Emily reads JJ's text and sighs. She slides her phone into her back pocket, annoucing, "Beers only, for now, guys. They're going to be here a little late, and JJ wants us to be fairly sober when they get here."

Matt takes a swig of his bottle, "Did she say how long they were gonna be?"

"Uh, no, but she said her girlfriend was doing her hair," Emily answers, shrugging, "So, it shouldn't be too much longer." Derek and Savannah exchange looks before laughing. Seeing as Savannah had introduced JJ to you, she and Derek were the only ones who knew anything about you. Including how you looked, and more particularly, knew it would take a bit of time for you to do your hair. Emily squinted, as did the rest of the team, "What's so funny?"

Savannah amused, shakes her head while Derek answers through his laughter, "Nothing, I'm just saying that, if JJ wants us to be sober when they show up then we should switch to water."

The team talks amongst themselves, enjoying their night out. The first night out in a while, that they've gotten to enjoy Derek and Savannah's company. So, they make the most of it, while they wait. In fact, they were having such a good time, they had completely lost track of how long they had been waiting. The filled their drinking gap alternating between beers and water, and occassionally, ordering a round of shots. Then, the door opens, and Penelope gasps about someone so gorgeous she felt blinded. The team follows her line of sight, set directly on the door. As Savannah jumps up excitedly and moves around Derek to approach you, JJ walks in right behind you, after having just held the door for you. You grab her hand the moment she's close enough.

"Damn," Luke exhales, "JJ's girlfriend is.." He trails off, catching himself before he finds himself on the recieving end of pointed looks and the back Garcia's hand smacking his chest.

Maybe it's because he cut himself off, maybe it's because everyone's too busy staring with their jaws knocking between their ankles but neither reactions come. Instead, they just hum along while Emily lets out a quiet, "Tell me about it."

Derek laughs, "Pick your jaws up off the floor before they get here and JJ catches your eyes."

Matt is the first pull his eyes away and thus, respond. "Aw, c'mon, JJ doesn't really strike me as the possessive type."

Emily, getting flashbacks from years ago, tears her eyes away from the couple, getting this far away look in her eye as she murmurs, "Oh, yes, she is."

Matt, Luke and Tara give her a curious look as Reid, Derek and Garcia exchange looks because they know where Emily's mind went. Before Emily went to London, things between the two of them, made team nights out really uncomfortable sometimes. Even moreso, when Will was with them, confused as they were. How JJ didn't realize she was gay until two years ago will forever be something that confuses them. When they get closer, they stand in anticipation to greet the stunning couple. When they are within earshot, the group clammers over the sound of each other's voices to greet JJ, who's arm is tight on your waist because Luke still has that glazed over look in his eye when he looks at you. Dumbstruck and in love, and your body is going to pay the cost of that later.

"I'm sorry we're late," JJ says, after greeting her team back.

You smile, "It takes work to be this pretty."

"No, it doesn't," JJ argues, "You're always that beautiful."

Penelope squeals, "You guys are so cute." She locks eyes on you, pointing, "You, you are gorgeous."

You laugh, extending your hand to her, "You must be Garcia," and when she excitedly confirms, shaking your hand with a vigor you should have been expecting but was still surprised by, you introduce yourself to her. Letting go of her hand, Emily introduces herself to you and you make your way around the group. Before getting around to Derek and hugging him instead of shaking his hand.

"Oh, so you know two know each other?" Emily asks.

JJ's eyes sparkle as she bites back a laugh, looking at Derek and Savannah both, "You guys didn't tell them?"

Reid squints, "What was he supposed to tell us?"

"You were being so secretive about your relationship, I didn't say a thing." He answers.

You answer Reid, "They," pointing to Derek and Savannah, "introduced us."

"Wait," Tara asks, motioning between you and Derek and Savannah, "So, how is it that you know each other."

JJ immediately goes cherry red as you look at her, seeing if she would be willing to answer since she brought it up, and all. You laugh. She's still mildly embarrassed, certainly not ashamed, but it's still a fact that flusters her.

"She," you start, pointing to Savannah, "is my Aunt." Derek laughs as jaws drop and JJ's eyes become wide and glued to the floor. Luke and Tara start making cradle robbing jokes at JJ's expense, and you didn't think it was possible for her to become more red, but she did. You defend her, "To be fair, it took me six months of relentlessness for her to see me as the adult woman that I am, so please, hop up off my woman." And, you laugh, but you're kind of serious. You've never loved age gap jokes from the outside, and you weren't comfortable enough yet with JJ's friends for you to find them funny.

Savannah slides back into the conversation, "Okay, also, to be fair, I became an aunt rather early in life. So."

Now, they're dying to know how you two met, exactly. Which makes JJ's blush deepen because she does remember the first time she saw you. You think those six months of your effort was because she didn't see you as a woman, but it was really more because she was trying not to see you as a woman. The moment she saw you, she isn't going to say she fell in love with you, but she definitely imagined herself fucking you. In so many ways, so many positions. She imagined the way your moans and whimpers would sound in her ear, imagined how your sweat and arousal would taste on her tongue.

She had only recently truly realized she liked women; it's why she and Will separated, why he went back to New Orleans, and she hadn't even verbalized her newfound self discovery outloud to herself, much less to anyone else.

Furthermore, she had been leaning heavily on Derek and Savannah during this difficult time, as he and Savannah were helping her out with the boys. So, the very last thing she needed to be doing so imagining all the ways she could possibly having their niece screaming her name, but that's what she was doing. And, your sizing her up and giving her those flirtatious glances did her zero favors. Then, you started giving her more than suggestive glances, and she thought the devil sent you to her. So, not wanting to complicate her friendship with the Morgans, she did her best to keep a respective distance, but you made it so hard every single time she saw you. Because you'd openly wanted her just about as much as she wanted you in her mind.

Eventually, the two of you found yourself to be alone, and JJ did her best, but the chemistry was electric. After six months of trying to do the right thing, she had ended up absolutely railing you in your bedroom. And, you were caught as soon as Derek and Savannah came back home with the kids. So, as JJ blushed and blushed and avoided every eye in the room as you weren't shy about it at all, though, thankfully, you did spare them all the sweetest details.

"A go getter," Matt nodded, thinking back to when he met Kristy, lifting his beer to tip at you, "I respect it."

Emily's mind did some quick math, "Wait, is she the reason you came out?"

"Well," JJ looked at you with that lovesick twinkle in her eyes, "She certainly helped."

"I wasn't sure you would ever come out," Reid chimes in. And, everyone mutters their agreeance. If what Emily, Derek and Penelope are doing can be considered muttering.

"Aye," you speak, defensively. JJ looks slightly offended, and slightly is enough for you to say something, "Some journeys are longer and harder than others. She came out when she was ready."

"Protective, too," Tara notes, looking at JJ, "I like her." And, she's not the only one to say so.

The conversation shifts as they pry to get to know you. Penelope fires a million questions at you, and she's pushy about you answering. Apparently, she had tried to look you up, but you aren't active enough on your socials to give her much insight. She was firing questions at you a mile a minute, and you were just as honest as you needed to be. You were losing track of how many questions you'd answered in this, and sensing your tiredness, JJ slides in to your rescue.

"Penelope," She cuts her off mid question, "This isn't going to be the only time you see her," She gives that smile, the one does when things are tense. Or, when she's nervous. Or, when she's forcing herself to be polite, "Leave some mystery to her."

"Right, right," Penelope concedes, "I'm sorry. I've just waited so long to meet you, and now that I'm meeting you my excitement has not wound down because you're so stunning, and you two are stunning together, and JJ has been so happy. I've never seen JJ this happy, not ever since I've known her, and I didn't even realize she wasn't quite happy until I've seen her truly happy, and seeing her happy just makes me so happy," she leans forward, takes one of your hands in both of hers, "I am so happy that you make her so happy. Thank you for making her so happy."

Your eyes soften as her ramble comes to an end, and when you look at JJ, she's give you that puppy eyed look she only seems to fix on you. You steal a small kiss from her, and Reid averts his eyes out of respect while the rest of the table coos at the two of you like children do.

It makes you keep the kiss short. JJ rolls her eyes when she pulls away and looks back at them, but even so, there's a fondess to the action. She switches the conversation, though. Takes it to something more casual and pulls the focus away from you and y'all's relationship. Things amongst the group settle easy then. You guys have plenty of drinks and you have so much more fun than you expected. You didn't expect things to go badly, but you honestly hadn't expected to mesh with everyone so well.

By the end of the night, the only person good enough to drive is Derek, and you all find yourselves cramming up in his SUV, heading back to his place for an impromptu, drunken sleepover. With the exception of Matt, who has Kristy come and pick him up. When you back to yours and your Aunt Savannah's house, you give Reid, Tara, Luke and Penelope some blankets for them to set themselves up and pass out in the living room while you and JJ go curl up in each other's arms in your room.

"Your friends are nice," you murmur against her neck, drifting off to sleep in her arms.

JJ -- both too tired and too drunk to revel in the newly formed bond between her favorite people -- simply falls asleep right after you with a faint smile on her lips.

[youremyheaven]

Can you elaborate on your experiences with goddess worship? 🩷🩷

I started my journey with goddess worship in 2022. Chanting has always appealed to me and chanting mantras (beej mantras of the deity in question) while visualising the deity is how it started for me. I was drawn to a certain Goddess almost instinctively even though I did not know much about her up until that point and connecting with her energy made me feel really good. I felt bodily sensations that felt powerful and by chanting, it's akin to embodying the energy of the Goddess within yourself and making yourself sacred??? I remember how during the height of my practice, I'd get told often that I emanate a certain "glow" and that I had a very sage like aura lmao. I just remember being stared at often and being perceived in an almost exalted way.

However late 2022- much of 2023 was a tough time for me and I fell out of touch with my practice and really suffered as a result. I felt myself go haywire, I gained more weight, my hair was falling out in chunks, my skin was breaking out and it's like I did a 180 😭 I felt really lost spiritually and otherwise and struggled to feel any kind of balance. And these had very physical repercussions for me.

Then obviously, I found my way back and I regained fresh perspective and how important my practices including Goddess worship have been in shaping my internal landscape. Several months ago, I struggled with severe anxiety and it was prayer that helped me get through it. During those times yoga did feel a bit mechanical or robotic but I kept doing it simply because I'd rather do it than not do it.

Finding my way back into the practice has taught me so much. Spirituality is truly a calling and no matter how much you read/research/practice, unless the Divine calls you, you will remain blind to the true nature of living. This is not to discourage anyone, in fact I suggest deep diving into it yourself and see what you gain from it. It's worthwhile to keep showing up everyday until you're called in further.

Also no spiritual practice makes you invulnerable. You're still human and you'll still make mistakes and be hurt/upset but you will have more grace moving through these experiences. You'll suffer less than others who make suffering their entire personality. One cannot embody the Goddess without also embodying her boundless mercy, infinitude reservoir of strength and tranquility.

It's always amusing to me when people say things like "oh why did the goddess not give you $5 billion and your dream life, what's even the purpose of worship them???" or "how can you be spiRitUaL when you watch movies/listen to music/are involved with men???". Being spiritually evolved does not mean you turn into a Zen master who lives in a cave.

The Goddess is not a vending machine. You want xyz things bc we live in a capitalist society where you're taught to value them. The Goddess gives you internally and when you're sorted within, you can make strides in life. Obviously she also often throws miracles your way but it's important to understand that the purpose of prayer and worship is not making $$$ or whatever. Im not saying you shouldn't pray for money or material things just that you shouldn't look at prayer as some kind of quick fix for financial woes???

You can still have a life, hobbies, interests etc and you don't have to "transcend" beyond them. You don't become less Zen by shaking your ass to Nicki Minaj 😬

However it will be hard to be a part of stan culture and celebrity worship because you won't care anymore and it won't feel right?? We worship money, fame and celebrities because our soul craves for connection and worship is inherently a part of our making. But it's important to not worship false gods (like money, fame and celebrities). Remember you are what you worship.

My personality has changed remarkably in the last couple of years and maybe even every few months, i feel like a new person and that's another feature of one's evolution. It's easier to accept and imbibe fresh insights and be comfortable with growth and change.

The concept of mantra purusha (which is different but similar to all the chanting ive been doing all along) is still very new to me (thank you to that anon who lmk about it) but Im reading David Frawley's book and it's all kind of coming together.

Goddess worship helps me feel connected to a profound nurturing spirit, a tranquil cosmic bliss, divine sensuality and ultimate peace and abundance.

All that said, do not start your Goddess worship unless you're prepared to commit to it daily and tbh once you start and feel its effect, you probably will want to worship everyday hehe

its actually helped me embody femininity in a way that did not feel limiting instead more transcendent, powerful and beyond whatever society tells you to be.

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

status of babbit's life yeehaw

tl,dr: busy moving and a couple of other big life things that just complicate things, but well on the way to being back to normal! new fic chapters and better quality art coming soon.

tl,wr (too long, will read):

Helloooo what's up its me, Babbit. or Rabbit. or Bones. or Idiot Moron Menace Child, idk im not picky lol

i know a lot of you guys have been wondering wtf is up with my upload schedule lately and the extreme lack of even basic content and also i am extremely aware that i have not updated my fics in a few millennia and for that i am very, very sorry. this post is to answer a few questions you might have, if anyone was curious about the 'reason' instead of just the 'when.'

my family and i have had a hell of a year, y'all. like, jesus christ, i really hope things level out and calm down for a while once we're moved in to our new apartment bc god damn we are so tired. the list goes: 1. we got kicked out of the house we were renting-to-own bc we wouldn't be able to afford the new rate, so they gave us two months to find a new place to live (not long enough, it turns out) and then foreclosed to get us out. 75% of our belongings were still in the house when we had to leave. that includes all of our christmas ornaments- including the ones kept for decades, and the ones made by me and my siblings, and the fancy ones made from blown glass. 2. the first night out of the house, one of our dogs, freaked out by the strangeness of the situation, panicked and slipped her harness and ran off. that was over a year ago. we haven't seen her since. 3. my cat got very ill and became unable to eat. she passed away almost exactly a year ago. she had been 14-15, and had been my baby since i was maybe 8. 4. one of the tires on my dads car blew out. during the night, while it was parked on the curb so he could put the spare on in the morning, one of the in-tact tires was fucking stolen LMAO 5. we applied to rent at so many places and got rejected so, so many times. it costs money to apply, btw. we're talking like $200+. no, u don't get that money back. 6. i lost my job bc knowing i would have to work 8 hours at a job that stresses me out to the point of exhaustion (at a place where no one takes me seriously and would actively laugh at me when i try to express my need to step away for a minute) sometimes paralyzed me and made me sick to my stomach and made me feel unable to leave the house, and i called out one too many times. a day after my birthday, too! 7. just recently, like within the last week, my dad's car got fuckin totalled!!!!!

THE GOOD NEWS IS WE OFFICIALLY, FINALLY, AFTER A SOLID YEAR, HAVE AN APARTMENT!!!!! I'LL HAVE MY OWN ROOM AGAIN!!! THERE'S AN ENTIRE KITCHEN!!!!!!!

the 'oh god' news is we still have to move in, and replace a lot of the stuff that we just couldn't take with us when we moved out (mostly stuff like bookshelves, dining table, dressers, etc) AND get the few things we could cram into a storage center out and moved into the new place, which isn't a lot but at the same time is more than we can realistically handle on our own. and then, we have to get my mums cats (a pair of kitty sisters that we had to temporarily house with my aunt, who got tired of looking after them and let them outside to be outdoor cats a few months ago. yes, this was an extremely shitty thing to do, and we've been working hard to get them back safely) AND my gecko (who my cousin has been looking after, even tho feeding him worms freaks him out LMAO yes i plan on compensating him) moved in, as well... basically oh my god there is so much to worry about but at the same time it's nice to have to worry about it bc it means we're making progress sdkfhsjdkfhdsjfh

basically i am just so tired but so busy and also thinkin abt so much im so sorry for lack of stuff but i am so looking forward to being able to bounce back, pls stick with me, it'll be sorted out soon i think and then i'll hit y'all with some good stuff i promise!!!!!!!

anyway thank u guys i love u and appreciate u all for sticking around

[concreteburialplot]

Intertwined // 04

04 - Snapped Neck

pairing: noah sebastian x nicholas ruffilo

masterlists: here | crossposted: ao3 | word count: 5.1k

warnings; VERY SAD 🥲, mild yelling/verbal abuse?, hints at past abuse, reference to past character death, noah is a devastated horrible depressed mess, short time skips, don’t say i didn’t warn you - sorry in advance, don’t hate me 🥲

reminder; THIS IS AU, nothing is meant to be accurate, including family history/events/dynamics/members/names !!

a/n: don't like it don't read it. don’t be mean for no reason & let others enjoy things thnx :)

i’d like to offer a small playlist for this chapter:

seven - taylor swift

matilda - harry styles

winner - conan gray

hard times - ethel cain

anything 4 u - LANY

if it keeps you up at night - the swoons

-NOAH-

After much-needed water bottles, I’m finally starting to feel somewhat normal again. Folio’s asleep in bed next to me while I lay on a laughably thin blanket on the floor. My eyes fully adjusted to the darkness and all I’m focused on is the popcorn ceiling and counting each plaster peak.

The party rages on the other side of the room and I wonder if anyone out there is sober enough to take me home. It’s almost 1 am and the party hasn’t slowed down. I sigh roughly and roll over to wrap the thin pillow around my head to cover both ears. Even through the cotton I can still vaguely hear the music and a song starts that Nicholas and I were obsessed with a couple months ago.

I chuckle quietly at the lyrics,

“That’s my best friend, she a real bad bitch…”

Such a silly song, even though it’s nothing like what we play or what we regularly listen to – we somehow always get the same pop-y songs stuck in our heads at the same time, then end up loving them unironically.

I shake my head with a stupid grin, thinking about the time we were in the kitchen doing a proper, ridiculous performance while we blasted it through a Google speaker. It started with that song but then snowballed into an entire concert at 2 am – all while his little sister just made fun of us, until she eventually caved in and joined our set.

We were all mic-ed up: me a dustpan, Nicholas a broom, and Stella a spatula.

I dig my front teeth into my bottom lip to stifle a laugh that would definitely wake up Folio.

The memory makes the ground below me that much more rigid.

I’ve already tried sleeping every which way on this god-forsaken carpet, but I can’t seem to get comfy.

The hard floor must be the reason I can’t fall asleep.

I flip back to lay flat.

I don’t really understand why Nick got so upset, but it’s been a long night, so I guess I get it. I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled about getting in the lake. Fucking Folio.

And I know he doesn’t like parties.

I don’t really like them either. I think? Maybe I do now? I don’t know.

But I didn’t want to do this without him.

And I just let him leave like that…

God why did I let him leave.

I want to go home.

I need to go home.

There’s a sharp twist in my stomach when I unlock my dying phone and find no texts from him.

I open my bank app to check my balance. $33.87.

I exit and click on the Uber app, put in our address to see the price. $27.59.

I hit request.

I get home after an Uber ride from a questionable middle-aged man with ridiculous combover.

I fumble with my keys at the front door only to find that it’s not locked. I press my weight against the creaky wooden door to push it open. The house is quiet, if Nick’s car wasn’t in the driveway, I’d think the house was completely empty.

I quietly set my keys down on the wooden dining table across from the kitchen. The bedroom door in the hallway is closed, which I expected. I cross the linoleum and very gently twist the doorknob to peer inside. The small room is illuminated solely by moonlight beaming in through the large window by the bed. I step into the room and click the door closed behind me. When I walk over to the bed, the shimmering white light acts like a spotlight on his face and what I notice churns something deep in my chest. Dried streaks coat his face and look almost like rivers from puffy red eyes.

Surely, he didn’t come home that upset because of the argument we had, right?

I tug at my lip and very gently slip into bed beside him beneath the puffy duvet. The movement causes Nicholas to stir and turn away from me. I stay completely still, not even moving a muscle until he’s completely settled then turn in the same direction as him, just inches away from his back.

If he’s that upset with me, would he even want me here?

Am I intruding?

Is it really intruding if I live here too?

Maybe I should’ve stayed on Folio’s floor.

It’s only then that it really sets in that I really moved out, well more like kicked out, and I live here now. Mostly anyway.

But just because you live somewhere doesn’t mean it’s your home. While I love living with my best friend, and I love his family, and they feel like family – they’re not. As much as they try to not make me feel like one, I am an outsider here.

Even Folio in his frat house, sure he just got hazed and whatever, but he belongs there.

I don’t belong anywhere.

The closest thing I’ve gotten to what I imagine belonging feels like, is with Nicholas. But again, he has no tie to me. We’re friends of course, but if I pissed him off and he wanted me gone… well I’d have nothing. I’d have nowhere to go.

I hate this feeling, this feeling of relying on people.

It’s weird taking up space somewhere you have to walk on eggshells because it’s not yours. Because you don’t belong.  

It’s not like I felt like I belonged at home either, not after Mom passed.

So here is better than there at least.

At least there’s no yelling or slamming doors here.

My eyes drift through the moonlit darkness to the small pile of my belongings in the corner of the room. The sight sends a chill up my spine and my heart rate noticeably rises. I’m reminded that there are still some things waiting for me at my stepdad’s.

I want the ability to truly get on my own, if I don’t want to rely on people, I need to get my stuff so that I can actually make something of myself.

I need to at least try.

And to do that, I need my guitar and my keyboard. I’m nothing without them – and I won’t be able to be anything without them.

-NICHOLAS-

My eyes shoot open when shrill screams fill my eardrums. I nearly jump out of my skin at the noise, especially since I had gone to bed alone.

I don’t have the luxury of trying to figure out how Noah got home, just that he is and he’s having another night terror.

“Fuck.” I mutter.

Because I did such a great fucking job dealing with this last time.

I tug at his freezing cold arm and shake him vigorously but of course, it didn’t do much the first time, why would it have a different result now.

I replicate what I did the last time and straddle his lap, grabbing his wrists and pinning them at his sides to restrain his jerky movements.

“NOAH!” I repeat his name with increasing volume.

He wakes up slowly after a couple times of calling his name.

“Nicholas?” He asks groggily, with furrowed brows and squinted eyes.

I sigh, “Night terror.” I state curtly and pull off him, landing beside him with my back towards him.

“Oh.” He says softly and his eyes falter. “Sorry.”

There’s a twist of guilt in my gut because I should be softer with him after his terror, but I just don’t have it in me tonight. The teary soreness in my eyes reminds me just how much I don’t have it in me. I tug the sheets closer to my body.

He rustles around a bit trying to get comfortable, but I fall back asleep quickly. For a bit.

It’s not long after, maybe an hour or two, that I’m awoken once again but this time to a bunch of noise and the overhead light on at full brightness.

“What the fuck.” I mumble, sitting up and rubbing one eye while keeping the other mostly shut.

I turn to find Noah sitting on folded knees, manically rummaging through the couple bags he moved in with. He’s ripping through each one, tossing pieces of clothing out left and right, shaking out the empty bags as if they have hidden compartments.

“What the fuck are you doing Noah.” I ask, my tone soaked in annoyance, exhaustion, and anger.

“I can’t find some of my shirts. I need to get the rest of my shit out. Today.” He replies, his words rushed.

My brows knit together at his sudden – and poorly timed – bout of bravery and motivation. He’d been putting this off and avoiding it for weeks. And now he’s tearing apart his stuff, throwing shit all over our room at 4:30 in the morning… after a night of drinking?

I yawn and shake my head in confusion, “Wait, wait, wait, how did you even get home?”

“Uber.” He replies simply, his gaze still focused on his third bag not even looking up at me.

“You took an Uber home?” I ask somewhat skeptically, “Why didn’t you just call me?”

His rummaging movements pause with a bundle of shirts in hand, “Didn’t wanna bother you.” Then continues digging through the bag.

Normally I would go on a tangent about how I’d rather call me to pick him up instead of doing something stupid like possibly be driven home by someone inebriated – but I’m much too depleted, both physically and emotionally to do so.

“Well, you should’ve called me.” I tug the cotton sheets closer to my body and bunch the material to my chest. “What is this really about? You’re acting so strange.”

I reach over to the light switch and turn the knob to dim the white-yellow hue of the light above us.

“I just need to get my shit, Nicholas.” He huffs, seeming aggravated by my questions.

“Well, you’re gonna go alone if you keep snapping at me like that.” I retort, even though I’d never let him go alone.

He exhales and deflates with a balled-up band tee in his hands. “I just need to do it today. If I don’t do it today, I might not ever be able to.”

Honestly, this is the last thing I fucking needed after earlier tonight. I just wanted to fucking sleep. And not be around Noah.

Yet here I am, awake, around too much Noah.

“Fine.” I sigh. “Fine, we can go today – but only if you fucking wrap up whatever the fuck you’re doing and come to bed. If we’re really doing this today, you don’t need to be sleep-deprived for it.”

“Fine.” He agrees reluctantly and begins gathering the clothes to shove back into the bags. “But I probably won’t be able to sleep.”

“Well, you should at least try.” I scoot back into my left side to make room for him.

The box spring squeaks under the weight of him when slides in and immediately turns away from me. Normally I would be a tad offended, but tonight, I’m grateful.

Surprisingly, small snoozy noises escape him not long after his head hit the pillow. I lay facing him, watching the rise and fall of his ribcage like a metronome.

Concern and fear suddenly flood my bloodstream like a bad drug. Getting most of his stuff out the first time was no picnic and I just know this last time is going to be even worse. Frankly, I’m a tad worried about the things he’d left behind, I wouldn’t put it past his stepdad to throw them out.

I shake my head and try to focus on my breathing to calm me down. When that doesn’t work, I try counting.

I drift off to sleep before 30.  

My faux-leather steering wheel cover cracks under my fidgeting fingers. Noah can’t seem to sit still, running his hands up and down his thighs probably to self soothe. The anxiety is thick and tangible in the car. He would never admit it to me, but I know he’s scared shitless about going back home. Noah always tried to hide it from me, but I’m not stupid. It doesn’t matter how “anemic” or thin you are, you don’t amass that many bruises that frequently. I always wondered if that’s why he started wanting so many tattoos so suddenly. Maybe, on some level, that’s what made me want to start tattooing in the first place.

The normally 20-minute-long car ride felt like three hours, but when we arrived, I could’ve sworn it had only been 3 minutes.

I park on the curb at the end of the driveway and shut off the car. Just being on the tiny patch of lawn has my heart thumping through my chest and it’s not even my battle.

But I guess if I’m here with him,

If it’s his, it’s mine too.

As much as he wasn’t prepared to do this, neither was I. My gaze lands on the rectangular windows of the small yellow house. From the outside, it looks so normal, so happy even. It’s almost eerie how far from the truth that is.

I look over at him, just now realizing he hadn’t said a word the whole ride. He’s slumped in the passenger seat, one lanky arm wrapped around his own waist and the other stationed at his mouth. His eyes glued to the house behind me as he chews on his thumbnail.

“We can still go back home, Noah. We don’t have to do this today if you’re not ready.” I offer gently, mostly because I don’t think either of us are fully equipped to do this.  

“No. I have to do this.” His eyes finally falter away from the house and land on me.

“Okay. You sure you’re ready?” I ask quietly.

His teeth dig into his bottom lip. “No. But I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“I’m gonna be with you the whole time, okay?” I hold out my pinky. “Always, remember?”

He nods and hooks onto my pinky. “Always.”

As expected, I’ve landed myself in the middle of a brawl between Noah and his stepdad. I feel guilty and useless standing there as a bystander not interfering, but my feet can’t seem to move and my vocal cords have ceased to function.

Noah started off strong, full of adrenaline and blind bravery, but it didn’t take long for George to wear him down.

My heart beats loud in my ears and I can’t hear a word they’re saying. All I see is him waving around Noah’s guitar like it’s a toy, using it as an extension of his exaggerated furious expressions. Noah’s tall, but George is much taller and stronger than him, so Noah just looks like a mouse running around an elephant, scrambling trying to snatch the instrument back.

I’m not sure what they’re even screaming about but the argument escalates further than I ever expected it to. My eyes round as I witness each of George’s hands slide to either end of the guitar’s neck.

No

He wouldn’t

As if in slow motion, I watch the light pale from Noah’s face. His eyes wide and teary, and his brows curled up. I can see the heartbreak in his dark brown eyes in real time as he watches his stepdad easily snap the neck of his beloved guitar.

The break is quick and sharp and fills the room with the sound of cords plucking and wood splintering. The noise after is even louder though, just jarring silence.

Until George opens his mouth again. “Get your sad, pathetic little toys and your little boyfriend out of my goddamn house.” Rasps his deep Western accent.

He forcefully tosses the broken instrument at Noah, hitting him so hard it knocks him backwards. The livid man storms across the house and slams the master bedroom door behind him.

Noah’s knees buckle and land harshly on the carpeted floor, holding the guitar in his arms as if it’s a wounded soldier in battle. His face scrunches up around his eyes and tears just begin pouring from him. His chest hiccups with each sob that escapes. He curls the wooden pieces in his arms into his chest and rests his forehead against the curve of the guitar. His cries heave his entire body.

I’m frozen where I stand. What I just witnessed might as well have been a murder. I’ve seen Noah cry, of course, but this is something I’ve only ever seen once before. Besides that one time, I’ve never seen him this bad. At least, he’s never letme see him this bad.

I gently meet him on the floor. For some reason, I feel hesitant to touch him, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing.

I don’t dare even touch the arms that are gripped onto his guitar so, I rest my hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t even react to my touch at all, as if he can’t even feel it.

“Noah…” I say cautiously. “Let’s just get you out of here, okay? We just need to grab your stuff and get out. We can figure this out later… later when we’re not here.”

He doesn’t respond and when I try to nudge him even a little bit, he’s solid like concrete where he’s kneeled.

“C’mon Noah we gotta go.” I stretch up to double-check that the bedroom door is still closed. “I’ll get the rest of your stuff. We just need to get you out of here.” I urge and squeeze his shoulder a bit.

His fingers dig into the instrument as he takes a deep sniffle and screws his eyes shut tight, shoving the salty tears out. He just gives me a little nod against the guitar, letting me know that he understands but doesn’t move.

“Please, Noah.” I beg and try pulling at his arm again. “Please get up. I need you to get up for me.”

He gives a little of his arm to me and not much more. But I take what I can get and use both of my arms to weakly lift him up from the floor by his underarms. I basically carry him out of the house, his body limp as I drag him backwards across the overgrown lawn. Shards of dying grass cling to our clothes and dust kicks up all over the back of his jeans.

I feebly open my back door and let him crawl into the backseat with the guitar tight in his grip. He immediately lays with it across the cushions and some boxes.

Luckily, we had gotten most of his belongings already so there was just the final sweep left to do.

Thankfully, George is still holed up in his room, though that doesn’t ease my panicked heart-pounding in my ears. Noah’s room is completely bare except for a half-filled trash bag of miscellaneous belongings. I drag the heavy bag across the stained beige carpet, but I stop at something that catches my eye.

In one cubicle of many that make up a huge bookshelf are a couple of photo albums in chronological order spanning over a few years. From the peek-through covers I can tell that they’re filled with pictures of his parents, or maybe at least his mom.

My head snaps at a stir that comes from behind the bedroom door and in a split-second decision, I scoop all the photo albums and throw them into the black trash bag. I use all my strength to heave the now extra bulky bag across the yard as I run towards the car.

I toss the bag into the trunk and slam the door before rounding the car, throwing myself so hard into the driver’s seat that I nearly tip the car over. I take a glance in my rear-view to check on Noah and find his body tightly curled around the instrument sobbing even worse than how I left him. Seeing him like this… gives me an ache in my chest that I didn’t even know could hurt so much. It’s so excruciating that I could almost vomit from it.

I quickly shift the car into drive and speed off so fast that my wheels squeal.

I’m unsure what to do or what to say. It feels like saying anything would only make things worse at risk of saying something wrong. I always feel guilty when situations like this happen with his family because I can’t imagine what he feels. I don’t know what I’d do without my family, and I can’t even fathom someone treating their child like that, especially him. Noah is the last person on earth that deserves that.

I bite my nail as I walk back and forth in the living room lost in my thoughts.

“Honey, why don’t you come sit down?” My mom suggests patting the couch cushion next to her. “Pacing around the living room isn’t going to help anything.”

I sigh and meet her on the couch, “You should’ve seen him, Mamá.” I run my fingers through my sweat-coated roots. “Oh my god, it was horrible.”

She begins rubbing small circles into my back, “I know Gatito.” She tries to soothe, using her Spanish nickname for me – she always told me I resembled a small cat. “But we know what his family is like, I’m surprised something like this hadn’t happened sooner.”

“Yeah…” I trail off, biting down hard on my thumbnail thinking of all the things we never told her his stepdad had done. If she knew the things he’d done to him – especially in front of me – who knows what she’d do. She’s a Hispanic single mother, nothing would be able to stop her – and a George vs. Mom battle royal is the last thing we need.

“I’ve just never seen anyone that… defeated before. That guitar was everything to him.” I hang my head and use both hands to cover my face.

“Well, you know, maybe we could pull together some extra money by Christmas?” She offers. “I could pick up some extra shifts at the hospital.”

“No, no, Mom, you don’t understand.” I sigh and turn my head to her against my propped palm. “His mom gave him that guitar.”

“Oh.” She replies solemnly in understanding.

“There’s a music store in town where I get my vinyls, they do repairs there.” My sister speaks up from across the room, resting on the column that separates the living room from the kitchen. “Maybe you could see if they could fix it?”

I blink blankly as I process her words and it’s like a lightbulb illuminates above my head. “You actually might have a good idea for once Stell.”

 She rolls her eyes, “I’m trying to be helpful, you don’t have to be rude.”

“I’m your brother, it’s kind of my job to be rude.”

“Whatever.” She takes a sip from her obnoxiously sized water bottle. “There’s a really cute guy that works there, I think he does most of the repairs. His name is Jolly, tell him Stella sent you.” She winks.

“Augh.” I groan in disgust and wave her boy craze away. “I’ll be sure to do that.” I add sarcastically.

A serious stillness falls over the room like everyone is equally unsure of how to proceed.

“What are you gonna do about Noah?” Stella asks softly, her voice laced with concern.

My leg bounces in anxious uncertainty as my eyes drift over to my closed bedroom door.

“I don’t know.”

I gently knock on my door and slowly creek it open. The room is pitch black with just Noah on the bed curled up around his guitar, his shoulder length hair splayed across the pillows, and the duvet wrapped around him like a cocoon. He’d been hidden away in my room like this since we got home.

“You awake?” I question timidly, readjusting the tray in my hands.

It takes a moment, but he replies with a tiny, short groan.

“I brought you soup. You know, the chicken noodle my mom makes that you like so much?”

Another brief pause followed by a slightly more intrigued grumble.

I take it as permission to enter and precariously make my way over to him. There’s a sliver of mattress left behind him, and I fit half my ass on it.

I allow him the space to be quiet with me for a bit.

“How are you doing?” I ask, even though it’s an asinine question.

He just sniffles.

“I know, I’m sorry.” I sigh quietly. “Is there anything I can do?”

He sniffles again and scooches further into the bed, onto my side.

I silently tap my index finger on the plastic tray, pondering what that could mean before I speak. “You want me to lay with you?”

He gives a small ‘mhm’ groan.

“Okay, I can do that. But can you eat for me?”

He replies with a ‘nuh-uh’ whine.  

I exhale knowing this was going to be an uphill battle. “Noah, you’ve gotta eat.”

He shakes his head in resistance again.

“C’mon, just a couple bites…for me?”

A pause before he lets out a defiant but agreeing sigh.

“You’re not gonna move, are you?”

He shakes his head.

I breathe out trying not to sound annoyed because I should be grateful that he even cooperated this much.

Maneuvering around him from behind, I hold the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other. Thankfully, the soup had cooled down to just a bit warmer than room temperature. I scoop a spoonful of it, making sure to get a little bit of everything: noodle, chicken, and carrot – if he’s only going to take a couple bites, I have to make sure they count.  I carefully bring the spoon over to his lips, he lifts his head just a bit and takes the spoonful into his mouth. He let me give him 4 or 5 bites, which was more than I expected, before rejecting the rest.

I set the bowl on the nightstand, lift the sheets, and nestle into the space he made for me.

“Thanks for eating.” I say quietly. “I know you didn’t want to.”

He nods mutely.

I press my lips together. “I’m sorry about what happened today.”

He’s silent. Slowly but surely sniffles and sobs begin to pour from him again. I immediately feel the twist of guilt in my stomach for being the one to trigger his tears again.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I-I can leave if you want some priv–“

His hand reaches behind him and firmly captures my wrist.

“Stay.” He begs in a coarse whisper, the first thing he’s said since we came home. “Please?”

His voice is so cracked and hoarse, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he was sick.

I falter a second to respond but he must’ve felt the hesitation.

“It helps.” He croaks. “Remember?”

The churn in my chest returns and there’s an ache in my heart that accompanies it. If I could somehow magically take all of this away, I would, even if it meant trading places with him. Even if it meant I’d be the one hurting instead.

I feel so fucking useless, not being able to do much for him.

But at least I can do this.

“Okay.” I respond cautiously and settle further into the bed, now essentially spooned around his body.

His grip on my wrist never left so I let our joined arms rest on his hip. I can’t seem to gather with the right words to say to him, I mean what can you really say after something like that?

So, I offer him the only words that feel suitable.

“I’m not going anywhere, Noah. You know that right?”

There’s a long quiet, so long that I think he may have fallen asleep.

But then he squeezes my wrist.

“Thank you.”

I sense the urge to do something, but I’m not sure how he’ll react. I don’t know, maybe it would help?

I tug at where his hand meets mine and he gives me an upset grumble, like he doesn’t want me to leave.

“I just… is it okay if - can I try something?” I ask shyly, suddenly very nervous, nervous enough to have my heart racing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch his brows furrowing. I can tell he wants to be stubborn and keep me latched there, but curiosity always gets the best of him. He slowly loosens his grip on my wrist.

I didn’t notice that my palms were sweating until I’ve retrieved my hand. I press my lips flat and feel like my ribcage could burst open at any minute from how hard my heart beats against it.

My body is screaming at me to do it and as much as I want to fight it, I can’t.

Maybe it would help

I let my arm go where it wants to go. It slithers beneath the covers and through the space between Noah’s arm and his side. I wrap my arm around his waist and pull flush against him.

We both freeze. My ears grow warm as the hour-long seconds pass.

Maybe he’s uncomfortable

Maybe he thinks this is weird

Maybe it is weird?

Is this weird?

Maybe he doesn’t like it

Maybe I’m making it worse

Maybe–

Unexpectedly, he just melts into me. His body molds into my arms like they were made just for him.

He finds my arm and brings it to his face, pressing his damp, swollen eyes against it. Small sobs fall into my arm and his grip on me is so tight I could turn blue.

Maybe he feels safe, and maybe he just needed to feel safe to let the rest out.

My own eyes well up at the sound of him, at the feeling of his body heaving in my arms. I press my forehead against his shoulder.

“I’m here, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I’m always gonna be here.” I reassure him again through my own held-back tears.

He wipes his tears off with the collar of his shirt before pulling my arm back around his chest. He nuzzles into me, and I feel my heart swell so big it fills my entire chest.

I think I already know the answer, but I wanna hear it anyway.

“Does this help?”

He lets out a sleepy sigh as he nestles his back into my chest.

“You always help, Nicholas.”

Next Chapter -> 05 - Girl Crush*

tag list; @ladyveronikawrites @cryingabtab @sinkingteethinwhitenoise @kingdomof-omens @the-hell-i-overcame @blackveilomens @xxrainstorm [comment if you'd like to be tagged?]

a/n; I know this was a heavy one 😅 i'm sorry, i hope you were able to enjoy it regardless.

Thank you for the support on this series and on my other series, Virality. I appreciate it more than you know. I love reading your comments and asks. I am incredibly grateful for them, thank you.

[blametheeditor]

Voretober Day 6 | Sorcery

Voretober Prompt List

First | Previous | Next

If given the opportunity, would you take the chance to go to space and travel the stars? What if the person offering to take you was someone you trusted more than anyone else?

What if that person is no longer entirely human?

MENTIONS OF SOFT VORE

Content Warnings: Soft, non-sexual vore (only mentions for now). Mentions of body horror. Mentions of experimenting on people. Mentions of death and murder, violence. Being trapped against one's will. Dehumanization. Abductions. Cursing. Darker themes/tone

___________________________________

”Hey Vince?”

“Hm?” 

“What song are you singing?” Scott asked before he could lose his courage. He already felt bad for interrupting said singing, but he wanted to know what kind of song deserved to have the beat tapped out with a wooden spoon.

“’When The Doves Cry’,” Vincent responded, flashed a smile as he turned away from stove that was boiling some kind of pasta. “Prince came out with it a few months ago. It’s been everywhere, though, so I’m surprised you haven’t heard it.” 

Scott suddenly wanted to take back his question. There were reasons why he both hated and enjoyed asking Vincent questions. Because while his best friend always answered him and never made him feel stupid for asking something considered common sense, it always tended to snowball after that. Led the older teenager to discovering something about Scott that needed to be rectified. 

That wasn’t the part that worried him. When Vincent learned he had a rather limited palate that didn’t include candy, Scott started receiving random pieces whenever they saw each other, as well as the Cawthon’s kitchen getting taken over about once a week. But when he considered just how much Vincent adored music and constantly sings whenever he can, Scott couldn’t help feeling genuine fear this might be the last straw. 

So Scott decided to shrug. Turned back to his homework. 

A hand was placed over his notebook almost immediately, forced him to look up to meet a curious expression. “What aren’t you telling me, Scotty?” 

It was said teasingly, the way Vincent always asked when he knew he found yet another thing Scott was in the dark about. But all he could imagine was the cheshire grin turning into a fierce glare. 

Scott didn’t say anything. Earned a thoughtful hum. “Do you know who Prince is?” 

He couldn’t stop his eyes from widening in terror at getting found out. It made Vincent’s smile grow wider. “Scotty, don’t tell me you don’t know any current artist or songs.” 

“...no,” came out in a near silent whisper as his eyes dropped to the floor. He waited for the door to slam shut. For the food being cooked thrown down the sink. 

Neither happened. Vincent started to laugh. “All this time, and you’ve been letting me sing songs you’ve never heard before, and not once you wanted to ask if I was some kind of lyrical genius.” 

Scott tentatively looked up, surprised there was nothing but amusement on Vincent’s face. “I...I knew they came from somewhere. I just, uh, I-I like to hear you sing.” 

Because Scott had never met someone so loud before, unafraid to announce his presence and fill the air with words or singing just because they just felt like doing so. He also never thought people liked being musical outside of church, yet Vincent wouldn’t go anywhere without so much as humming something. 

It was nice. He knew Vincent was there even when the taller stood behind him. It always made everything less daunting, including the large house that surrounded them while they were the only ones inside. 

“For my voice, or for the music?” Vincent asked. 

“The music.” Scott then sputtered, tried to backtrack. “N-Not that your voice isn’t nice to listen to!” 

“You’d be hearing it if you didn’t like it,” the older sneered. “I’ll bring you some CD’s so you can sing with me, though.” 

Scott was suddenly scared for a different reason. “I don’t have, I mean I’d really appreciate it, but I can’t play them.” 

Vincent stared at him long and hard for a moment. “Because your parents wouldn’t approve, or because you have no CD player?” 

“Both,” he murmured. 

“You’re getting a player.” 

“B-But-!” 

“With headphones,” Vincent added as he turned back to the stove. Was careful as he drained the noodles to dump them into the sauce he made earlier. “Every teenager needs to know the national treasures that are Prince and Phil Collins. Including you, Scotty.” 

That was the end of it, Scott wouldn’t be getting out of it no matter how hard he tried. A small part of him didn’t want to somehow manage to change Vincent’s mind, though. 

He gave a thankful smile. “I don’t have to worry about there being any hymns, do I?” 

”Who the hell do you think I am, a priest?”

It hits Scott why watching Vincent cook doesn’t feel right. 

It has nothing to do with the distinctly alien ingredients being used, or the high-tech kitchen setup that provides only one utensil that can turn into anything from a knife to a spoon. They’re currently on the dubbed ‘small’ side of the ship so everything isn’t being done by a giant, and he’s much too familiar with the purple by now for it to really throw him off. 

No, it’s the distinct lack of singing. Vincent’s completely silent as he cuts open a fruit before dicing it up. A concept so foreign he listens intently in case the purple man is only humming. 

There’s nothing. Not a single note or even words being mouthed. It makes the kitchen feel stifling. 

“Aliens don’t have radios, do they?” 

He knows Vincent was expecting him to ask a question at some point, that’s the whole reason why the purple man is cooking. Doing something he finds to be calming while they have a much needed talk so difficult answers can be given instead of needing to take breaks. 

The look of surprise over the shoulder tells Scott that hadn’t been expected. “They do, though it’s used for reporting which sectors have been closed, if there’s a warrant out for someone’s arrest. Music can only be found on planets, and some have recordings you can buy if you know where to look, but nothing sounds like anything found on Earth.” 

It’s silent once more save for the sound of a knife slicing through the fruit. 

Scott takes a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

The blade cuts through the skin completely, thunking against the counter. “About being able to become a giant?” 

“Yes.” 

Vincent slides the pieces into a pan. “I didn’t know how to bring it up.” 

“I’m not saying I would’ve done any better,” Scott begins, careful to keep his voice level. “But I would’ve appreciated a heads up. Maybe before I was face to face with a giant.” 

“That was a significant lapse in my judgement,” the purple man concedes as he starts cutting up another fruit. “I should’ve warned you instead of just saying I needed to show you something.” 

“Maybe even back on Earth?” Scott hedges. 

Vincent stops mid cut. Goes so still it’s hard to tell if he’s even breathing. “Would that have changed your decision?” 

It’s said almost fearfully. And with the purple man’s back toward him, Scott can’t see Vincent’s face. Can’t tell what he might be thinking. “Of coming to space with you?” 

“Yes.” 

“No,” is said so quickly, so vehemently, it has Vincent turning around so they’re facing each other. He might as well be stone, however, expression completely stoic. “It wouldn’t have changed my mind, Vincent.” 

It wouldn’t. It might’ve prepared him a little better for what he was getting himself into, but Scott still would’ve followed. Would’ve climbed onto the ship and went to space. Because like he’s said before, it’s still Vincent. Whether he’s purple, or giant, as long as it’s still his best friend he won’t care. 

Will certainly need time adjusting. Will put down rules he demands be followed with no exceptions. But he will never let Vincent leave without him. He just can’t be left in the dark, by his best friend of all people. 

“Scott,” Vincent begins almost monotone, fixing Scott with a stare that can easily be mistaken as a glare. “I need you to be honest with yourself. Would you really have come with me if I told you on your front porch that I could become big enough to hold you inside my hand.” 

“Why wouldn’t I have?” Scott borderline snaps back, admittedly a bit confused by the question, unsure where the conversation is going. 

The purple man’s brow furrows. “I’m not human, Scott.” 

“So?” 

“So?” Vincent all but spats. And finally, the confident attitude he’s been holding onto crumbles away as the purple man straightens up, using his height to properly loom over Scott. Starts talking with his hands as they gesture to accentuate his frustration. “What do you mean so? Look at me, Scott. Even if you didn’t know what I could do, you can tell after looking at me for two seconds that I'm some kind of monster. So even though I admit it was shitty of me to not tell you everything, what was I supposed to expect? That you wouldn’t immediately run away the moment I told you what I’m capable of?” 

“I wouldn’t run away from you!” 

Scott feels his fists clench as Vincent glares down at him, the distrust toward the proclomation obvious. And that's something that upsets the shorter more than he thought it would. Is a bit surprised by the anger coursing through him. 

Until he realizes he’s not just angry, he’s hurt. He’s hurt that Vincent thought Scott would’ve cared about it so much he wouldn’t have just been elated to finally have his best friend back. He’s hurt that Vincent assumed Scott would’ve taken one look at him and ignored everything they’ve been through together. He’s hurt that Vincent clearly doesn’t understand just how much Scott missed him. 

“Do you think that little of me?” Scott snaps. Ignores the burning feeling of tears threatening to spill. “My best friend vanished, gone without a trace, for 6, whole, years. And the moment I see him standing on the sidewalk right outside my house, you think I’d be focused on the fact you’ve changed? You think my first thought was ‘he’s a monster’ and not ‘oh God, my best friend is alive’?” 

Vincent’s glare starts to melt away. “No, I didn’t mean it that way.” 

“Oh, so you mean I would’ve been fine up until you tell me you were abducted by aliens, and therefore I would hold that against you?” Scott demands. “That I wouldn’t trust you anymore for something they did to you? Tell you to leave and say I never wanted to see you again because of something you couldn’t control?”

His chest heaves as he waits for a response. When Vincent is too stunned to do anything except watch him, Scott angrily wipes at his eyes. Looks away for a moment before sighing as meets his best friend’s searching gaze. 

“Vince, I don’t know what they did to you, and you don’t have to tell me everything unless you want to. The only thing I ask is you tell me things like being able to turn into a God forsaken giant so I’m ready for it. But I’m not going anywhere,” he swears. All but pleads for his words to be taken as the promise they are. “You’re not a monster. I’ll admit, you suddenly being 20 stories tall was terrifying, but not because I was scared of you. I was scared of the fact you were a literal giant because someone didn’t tell me such a thing was possible.”

The purple man stares at him for a moment, slightly perplexed. “You’re really not scared of me?”

“You’re Vincent,” Scott growls in exasperation. “There’s nothing to be scared of. Just the next time there’s going to be a hundred feet of you, warn me for God’s sake.”

Amber eyes stare uncomprehendingly. Then Vincent slowly nods his head. “Okay. I’ll warn you.” 

“Good.” Scott crosses his arms as he looks away, content on ending it there. When the purple man doesn’t say anything else or give any indication he’s also happy with this conclusion, the shorter adds “And if you want to talk, I’m always here.” 

They’re both silent for a good minute. When Vincent finally speaks, it’s in a soft whisper. “You...really don’t care?” 

Instead of validating that with a verbal response, Scott reaches up to smack the taller upside the head. Glares daggers when he’s given nothing except a blink. “Say ‘ow’.” 

His best friend’s lips are haltingly tugged into a smile. “Was that supposed to hurt?” 

“Say it, and then go finish cooking.” 

“Ow,” Vincent deadpans, complete with a small bow as he quickly steps away so another whack can’t be given. 

Scott doesn’t chase him down, opting to watch through narrowed eyes as his best friend obediently finishes cutting everything up to toss into the waiting pan. Feels his pounding heart slowly begin to calm back down, his curiosity getting the better of him as something starts to sizzle without a visible flame. 

He inches his way forward for a better position to watch the sorcery that is Vincent cooking, complete with soft humming as the fruits are seasoned and sauteed with a dramatic flare. 

“I’m sorry for not telling you, Scotty.” 

“I’m sorry for yelling.” 

"Not for the whack, though?” Vincent smirks. 

“You earned that,” Scott huffs. 

The very last of his anger from before dissipates with the rising steam as a bowl is passed over to him. He has no idea what any of the ingredients are, what they’re meant to taste like or what kind of dish is made when they all come together, but the smell makes his mouth water. 

He doesn’t need any encouragement to take a bite once a vaguely shaped fork is passed over. Though he does jolt in surprise at the rather sweet flavor flooding his mouth, it reminds him of potatoes. Specifically ones of a recipe Vincent made so long ago he had completely forgotten about until now. 

“What do you think?” the purple man asks. 

“It’s delicious,” Scott murmurs earnestly. His best friend has yet to ever make something that wasn’t. “I can’t believe you learned how to cook space food.” 

Vincent looks like he wants to say something. Goes so far as to open his mouth. Whatever it is, he decides against it as he looks toward a hallway opposite of where their original ship is docked. “So, about my offer on a tour.” 

Scott shifts. “I'm up for a tour.” 

[granulesofsand]

do you think it’s unsafe/dangerous to post about system functions? i would like to post ours, just so we have a better understanding of it, but im not sure if journaling would be better instead. we prefer online stuff because some alters have trouble writing.

We keep separate journals from our social media, and we have a couple safeties in place when we do. If it’s just typing that feels better, you can use a note app or keep everything in drafts (read privacy policies and terms of service if you’re doing that).

While we’re pretty open about how our system works online, we’re not particularly inclined to give identifying information for our body or any member of our collective. There are creeps online, so have a plan for how vague you’d like to be and which pieces to keep to yourself/ves

We queue almost everything. Current events in our life actually took place about a month ago, and any details of our structures or even opinions typically sit for three to five days so we can regret them before the world sees. We only post photos when we’ve left an area, and we change the location and timestamp when possible. Determine how much you(&) want strangers to know about your(&) life at any given time, and give yourself/ves space to discuss big topics before sending them out

Get consent from headmates or prepare to fight. Mentioning system members and their activities can feel violating, especially if anyone has exploitation trauma. Permission every time is ideal unless you know them really well (and even then you might offend them by accident)

Sharing account names and emails/phone numbers across platforms can get you(&) tracked easily. Decide what content you’re posting and remember that outsiders can find you(&) in a video game or gushing over an interest in the wild. Keep separate sideblogs and user info for different topics unless you(&)’re real comfy with people knowing that much about you(&). The more you(&) connect in public, the crisper the picture you(&) give for people looking for you(&)

Lying is okay. Change names, give a funky time period, construct a persona online. That’s harder to do with a journal on the internet, but you(&) need some barrier between the depths of your(&) soul(s) and the general populace. If you(&) are more authentic online, you(&) might have to be less authentic offline to stay safe

And to actually answer the question: no, I don’t think it’s safe to post system functions online. Catch me doing it anyway.

We find that social media allows us to get some peer interaction without the risk of irl relationships being compromised. We can share bits here and then turn around and say those things out loud in therapy

We can say that we’ve heard of others like us and learn what’s normal for our subgroup instead of humans in our town. People understand us, and we get more comfortable diverging from the norm in both modes of life

This much talking to strangers and practicing etiquette makes us better at opening communication amongst ourselves

We get feedback and learn to deal with criticism — including what is important to hear and change and what people are just mouthing off about

Most of us know that we can look for notes on our life (the stuff that didn’t make it into the letters) on this account. We get used to seeing each other’s writing and perspective, and so are less avoidant when we notice these things in physical reality

You(&) get to choose between your(&) own pros and cons. Maybe it’s not worth it to you(&); that’s fine, there are alternatives. Maybe you(&) want to give it a try; good luck, people can be both incredible kind and absolutely scathing. I do recommend asking around/leaving notes for your systemmates to determine what their concerns are, if any. There are shades of how far you(&) might go with each aspect going forth. It’ll probably be messy at first, but you(&)’ll learn. I’ve yet to disappear my system’s online presence, so clearly I enjoy it.

[unreadpoppy]

Halsin's Bugged Ending

Halsin x Tav (Gwen)

Summary: After the Netherbrain, Halsin and Gwen created their own community, a shelter for anyone who needed. During the reunion, however, Halsin drinks a bit much and momenterily forgets the last six months.

Read on AO3

A/N: Based on the game bugging for me in the epilogue.

Six months had passed since the defeat of the Nether Brain. 

Six months since the tadpole was extinguished and Gwen’s mind was quiet again. 

Six months since she and Halsin, along with many other refugees, left the city and created their own community, hidden from the rest of the world and open to any who seek shelter. 

Now, the couple found themselves back at the camp where their adventures began, alongside the others. Withers had organized the party, gathering everyone, including Scratch and the Owlbear Cub. 

After getting misty eyed from reading the letters from old acquaintances, Gwen decided to go speak with everyone else. From the corner of her eye, she saw Halsin and Astarion drinking, but she knew the druid well enough to not worry about it. 

“How have things been?” Wyll asked. He and Karlach had spent the last quarter of a year in the Hells, fighting Zariel’s armies and were now closer to solving the tiefling’s engine problem. 

Gwen told him about the commune she and Halsin had created, about the children, Thaniel and Oliver. “I even convinced my mother to go live with us.” Gwen laughed. “She was mad about me disappearing for so long, but she quite likes it there.’’

“And are you happy? I remember how you used to say you wanted to keep adventuring.” 

She sighed. “If you spent the first eighteen years of your life in the middle of the woods, with only your mother as company, of course you’d want to explore what the world had to give.” She said. “But that was seven years ago, and after all we’ve been through, I’m glad to have some peace and quiet.” 

Gwen paused, thinking of everything that had happened. “I’ve found that I quite missed this sense of normalcy.” She smiled. “Besides, waking up in your lover’s embrace everyday does make things a whole lot better.”

Wyll chuckled. “Talking about him, where is Halsin?” 

“He was talking with Astarion, I believe.” 

On cue, the vampire walked up towards them, a playful look on his face. “Dear Gwen, may I have a moment with you?” 

She looked back to Wyll. “Go on, I’ll see you later.” She nodded and turned her attention towards the elf. 

“What did you do?” 

“My, why do you assume I did anything?” Astarion said.

Gwen raised a brow. “You’re making the same face the children make when they’ve done something they shouldn’t.” She put her hands on her hips. “Spit it out.”

“You’re no fun.” Astarion pouted. “Fine. I may have gotten the big guy drunk.” 

“What?” Gwen’s eyebrow went up. In their time together, she had never seen Halsin drunk. She even began to question if he had the ability to do so. “How did you do that?” 

“We were commenting on how good the wine was, and I managed to convince him, Shadowheart and Minthara to do a little drinking competition.” He explained, smirking. “Either the wine is too good or Halsin’s much more of a lighter drinker then I assumed, but he was the first to get shit faced.” Astarion laughed. “It was quite amusing, actually.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one, he was talking about how he was oh so happy to see you again after so long. How these six months have been so lonely without you. He asked us if you had been seeing someone and when we said yes, he almost burst into tears.” 

Gwen sighed. “And where is he now?” 

“I think Shadowheart had left him near the water. Good luck with him.” Astarion said and left, the little shit. 

After walking a bit, she found the druid sat on the ground, his legs crossed while looking out into the river, a bottle of wine in his hands. 

She approached him silently, and put a hand on his shoulder while taking the wine. “I think that’s enough drinking for you, love.” 

He turned around, eyes widened. “Gwendolyn Gray…it’s been so long.” 

“Okay, you’re way more drunk than I thought if you’re going to be using my full name.” She whispered. Gwen sat down next to him and took his hands. He hadn’t heard what she said. 

The druid looked at her, eyes full of sadness. “Is it true what they said? That you have found someone?” She bit her lip to contain a laugh. “I won’t judge you for it. You are not tied to me after all.” 

She nodded. “Yes, I have settled down with a certain someone.” 

Halsin sniffled. “That’s…that’s good.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “He’s a great guy, you know. Big heart, gentle but a fierce protector of nature. Also extremely handsome.” 

“I see…” He looked down. “Well, you and your partner are always welcome in my community. I would…love to see you there, one day.” 

That broke Gwen and she let out a laugh, confusing the elf. “I don’t understand what’s so funny.” 

“Darling, I’m talking about you!”

“What?”

She leaned closer to him. “I think you might have drank too much.” The sorcerer pressed a kiss to his forehead and stood up, offering her hand. “Come.”

He did as he was told, brows furrowed, following Gwen. Halsin saw her speaking with Jaheira. The other druid laughed and then cast something on him. 

In an instant, he felt his mind clear. 

“Halsin, in the past six months, where have I been?” His lover asked. 

“You came with me, with the other refugees. We have our little community, away from prying eyes.” Gwen sighed. His brow furrowed. “Why the question?” 

She laughed and shook her head. “Nothing, nothing, I just wanted to see if you were alright.” 

Confusion was written on his face. He put a hand on her shoulder. “My heart, are you well?”

Gwen smiled, putting a hand on his cheek. “Everything's perfect, my love.” She kissed him on the lips. “I’ll explain later. For now, let’s enjoy the rest of this party.” 

[kmgkmg]

BACK TO US - 12. BACK TO US

prev┊ masterlist ┊ next

The ringing of Joshua’s phone interrupts your conversation. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, equally surprised by it. “Soonyoung?”

You stand side-by-side as he puts his phone on speaker. 

“Hansol almost hit another car on the way back!” Soonyoung screeches from the opposite end of the call, clearly hysterical. 

“Are you okay?!” You worry, completely forgetting Soonyoung called Joshua, not you. 

“Y/N?” Soonyoung’s confusion only lasted for a second, “Oh, you guys were doing inventory. I mean asking if I’m okay is a loaded question in itself. Like, am I okay emotionally? Mentally? After Hansol scarred me for life, I mean will I ever truly be okay again?”

Hansol’s voice interjects, “We’re all good! I only had trouble seeing because of the heavy rain, set to be back in three minutes.”

Joshua shakes his head in disbelief at Soonyoung’s exaggerations. “Glad to know both of you are safe. What about having an after hours camp counselors only bonfire?”

Your ears perk up at Joshua’s suggestion to the group. “We should, Shua! My campers kept stealing my marshmallows each time I would roast them the perfect golden brown color. I still haven’t eaten a s’more yet.”

He turns his head and quickly smiles at you before talking into the phone again. “Well, are y’all in?”

“Shua?” Suspicion laced Soonyoung’s voice as he imitated you. 

You freeze. The nickname you gave Joshua when you were five, the nickname he never let anyone else call him. If Soonyoung didn’t suspect things already, you definitely just gave yourself away. 

Joshua catches on to your startled facial expression and hurriedly ends the conversation, not being any smoother in hiding his emotions towards you. 

Silence falls on the two of you soon after the phone call ends. Joshua shuffles his feet in the dust dirt ground of the shed while you crack your knuckles out of habit. 

“So then, where does this leave us?” Your words fill the silence.

He stops kicking his feet. “Can we get back to us? Obviously not the exact same, but considering we both loved each other…what if we gave it a shot? Like the old days, but now we would be going on dates and that whole deal? A committed relationship.”

Your ears turn hot at his unexpected words. “I would like that, we definitely have some catching up to do. I’m not the same Y/N L/N, you know?”

“Well, I would hope you’ve changed since high school…” He trails off, teasing you.

“Shush, idiot.”

“Idiot?” He puts a hand on his chest and fakes being hurt. 

You roll your eyes before realizing. “We still have a month left, though.”

“A month?”

“Of camp? How are we supposed to hide it from the campers?” 

“They’ve been creating shipping rumors since the second that they saw us at orientation. Why not just lean into the rumors and make their brains malfunction?” He has a mischievous smile adorn on his face. 

You imagine your campers’ reactions to you and Joshua acting all lovey dovey and mirror Joshua’s smile, “That doesn’t sound like that bad of an idea…”

“Right? I mean my cabin’s already in their feels since I let you win tug of war, I don’t see why we can’t have more fun with them.”

“It wasn’t Soonyoung that let me win?”

He covers his mouth so dramatically it's comical, “Shit.” 

“Well a win is a win, so I can’t complain. But now that we’re dating, you can’t go easy on me for Capture the Flag in August. Deal?”

“Deal.” He grabs your hand and interlocks his fingers with yours. “Ready to head back? The rain stopped a while ago.”

You nod, squeezing his hand and heading back together to make s’mores over the fire. Although your hate for thunderstorms would never go away, tonight that hatred diminished ever so slightly. Now, you had your best friend back to help soothe you during them. Your Shua.

a/n: this is the latest i've ever posted a part 😭 i knew a few sentences and such that i wanted to include but that was it... and then i thought i was going to make this entire part a smau one but changed gears last minute... i think it ended up being pretty cute though! and the epilogue will be posted at midnight on monday! v v v excited for that one since it just like flowed out of me and before i knew it, 9 photos were ready for the post <3

taglist: @kthpurplesyou, @kokoiinuts, @fairywriter-oracle, @cookiehaos, @miruac, @fairybinie, @strawberri-uyu, @minghaossv, @wonwoos-wineparty, @minhui896, @tytrackfebreze

[snootlestheangel]

COD Boys play a Board Game

*This starts with a long explanation of the game featured in this short because it's a very rare game. If you want to skip the explanation and go in unaware, skip to the squiggles*

The board game in question is a really obscure one called "Kill Dr. Lucky" If you've heard of it, we are now besties. It's from an old game company called "Cheap Ass Games" and my parents loved playing it with their friends (right before they had kids, so roughly twenty something years ago) and it's hilarious.

Basically, the game only comes with cards for weapons, these things called failure points, and move cards. You are also provided a few pieces of paper that have a mansion layout printed on them, with each main room being numbered (there's a few smaller rooms that aren't numbered and that's important information).

And that's it. You get the stuff above and the rules, but no character pieces, nothing. You have to obtain your own character pieces, which includes Dr. Lucky (this is how you end up with one person playing a cheeto and it being replaced after each turn because it got eaten). The players' goal is to kill Dr. Lucky (pretty obvious) but it's an every man for himself scenario. You cannot be in line of sight of another player, and the other players can make you "fail" your murder attempt with the failure cards. Each weapon has a given number of failure points, one of the highest being 8. Every player CAN play a failure point, but they don't have to. Sometimes, this means just letting someone win the game. No one can say how many failure points they have (at least until they're completely out) and once you pass, you cannot take it back.

Once a failure card is used, it cannot be put back in the deck. Move cards and weapon cards, once used, get reshuffled into the deck once necessary.

Sorry for the long ass introduction to this little spiel, but this game is so obscure I doubt any of you actually know anything about it, so I felt the need to explain beforehand. Anywho, enjoy!

~~~~~~~

Ghost narrows his eyes at the ratty old box Price threw on the table just moments ago. Soap instantly reaches for it, tearing the lid off and peering at the contents inside.

"What is this?" Gaz asks, picking up a cream colored paper that had been recently laminated.

"This week's team exercise. The winner gets a month without recruit duty." Soap's eyes widen at the incentive for playing, and playing well that is. Gaz lets out an evil chuckle as he continues getting the rest of the game board set up. Ghost remains leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed at Price.

"There's no character pieces." Gaz says and Price's grin only widens.

"Exactly. You guys have to pick them." Gaz and Soap frown at each other before tentatively looking over at their captain.

"What's the point of the game?" Ghost asks as he grabs the rules.

"Kill Dr. Lucky. This is an every man for himself situation. Your goal is to take out a target, unseen by anyone. Use your resources wisely, track your target, and execute without getting caught. But, you're also trying to foil anyone else attempting the very same thing." Soap and Gaz stare at each other, evil yet mildly scared grins forming.

"Where are the character pieces?" Ghost asks, throwing aside the empty box.

"There are none. You boys to get to pick them." Soap lets out a loud laugh as he suddenly jumps from the table. He disappears in search of his player piece, while Gaz and Ghost just frown in confusion.

"What the fuck am I supposed to use?" Gaz asks, searching around the room for something small to use.

"Whatever you want." Price's grin widens impossibly, prompting Ghost to sigh and roll his eyes. He remains seated, almost expecting Soap to bring him something back. Price doesn't comment, but instead grabs an unused tea bag from the cabinets.

"This will be your target, Dr. Lucky." Price sets the tea bag down on the board in the center, on the spot marked "Parlor." Soap suddenly barrels back into the room, a wicked grin glued to his face. He places a small pin of the Scottish flag on the table with a giggle.

"I dinnae have to be that, so Ghost if ye still need somethin', just say the word and it's yours." Ghost rolls his eyes, almost in annoyance but mostly in offense.

"I'm not a Scot."

"But ye are fuckin' one, Lt." Soap winks in response, to which Gaz loudly fake gags as he places a blue M&M on the game board.

"We can be food?" Soap's eyes widen at the tea bag and the candy and Price only chuckles in response.

"Be whatever you want, Soap. Ghost, you still need to pick something."

"Ye can be the Scottish flag."

"I'd rather die."

"You'd rather die than do a lot, Ghost." Gaz comments, prompting a very dirty glare from the lieutenant. With a sigh, Ghost leans over and digs into one of his pockets for something. He pulls out the shell of a rifle bullet and places it next to the pin. Price grabs the deck of cards and begins shuffling them.

"Alright, rock paper scissors to see who starts the turn order." Price says and immediately Soap and Gaz are aggressively staring at each other, fists ready for the countdown. Soap loses to Gaz, Gaz loses to Ghost, and Soap beats Ghost. Price begins to hand each person five cards before setting the deck down next to the game board.

"Okay, so Soap first, then Ghost, Gaz, and Dr. Lucky. I'll move him around to make it easy on you boys. You can move one space at a time, all hallways and nonnumbered rooms count as spaces, and you can search the room. You'll draw a card from the deck when you do so. Use a move card on yourself or on Dr. Lucky, since he only moves between the numbered rooms. Make sense?" Soap, Gaz, and Ghost are all frowning at their hands while they listen.

"What the fuck are failure points?" Soap asks and Price chuckles evilly.

"If, say for example, Ghost were to be alone with Dr. Lucky, no one can see him, and he has a weapon, he can attempt to eliminate the target. However, the other two of you can play those failure points to make his attempt fail." Silence falls on the table, mischievous grins alighting all their faces, even Ghost's from under his mask.

"Happy hunting boys. Soap, start us off."

The first couple of turns are rather boring, as the three spend most of it in silence, collecting cards and planning their target's demise. They try to separate, but akin to real life, Ghost is quietly following Soap around the mansion. It takes him longer than he's willing to admit to notice what Ghost is doing, and when he does, all hell breaks loose.

"Ghost, ya spooky bitch, leave me alone!" Soap cries out as he reaches the armory, where he and Dr. Lucky both are. Ghost, however, is in the room next door and has placed the casing in the doorway to appear like he's staring at the Scot. Soap is rightfully upset, as the best weapon in his hand is the Civil War Cannon, worth six failure points in the armory.

"Watcha doin' in there, Johnny?" Ghost lowers his voice to cheeky growl, and Soap kicks him in the shin in response.

"Away an bile yer heid, Si! I'm busy in here!"

"Doing what?"

"I'm cheating on you." Ghost dramatically gasps.

"How dare you?" Price snorts and covers his face with a hand, trying to stifle his laughter. Gaz is completely still to his right, staring at the board in intense concentration. Ghost's turn comes and goes, as he similarly cannot do anything with Soap nearby, and thus it's Gaz's turn. He places down a move card and quickly ushers the tea bag to his space. Now, Gaz is left alone with the target, no one with line of sight. He has a poor weapon, but it's the only one he has.

"I am going to use the revolver to shoot him." Gaz declares, slamming down the weapon card. Soap and Ghost exchange unspoken words in a single glance. Soap throws down a failure card worth two, and Ghost throws down the last two in individual cards.

"Fucking hell!" Gaz shouts, slamming his fist on the table. Price raises his eyebrows at his usually calm sergeant, but decides to not intervene in any way. The turns continue to come and go, Ghost and Soap eventually parting ways only for Soap to not leave Gaz's side.

"Soap, you fucker! I swear, you move another space closer to me and I'm killing you in real life!" Gaz screams, shoving a very angry finger into Soap's face as the man just cackles. Ghost has fallen silent now, and Price watches him curiously move around the mansion with no rhyme or reason.

At one point, Gaz gets a chance alone with the doctor and attempts to use the monkey paw in the parlor, worth eight failure points. Soap makes a face as he places most of the failure points after Ghost immediately drops 2. Price tilts his head at Ghost, who only blankly stares back in response.

And so, the back and forth between Gaz and Soap continues, and Ghost fades into the background, just like on the field. Price smiles, proud his lieutenant is so good at what he does he can just disappear in a board game. The game has gone on for quite some time and Price knows both sergeants are out of failure points, meaning whomever gets alone time with the target is sure to be the winner.

"I use the rope." Ghost gently places a card on the board and Price resists the urge to bust out laughing. The rope is normally a weak weapon, but is worth eight from the balcony. It's the most open line of sight place on the entire board, yet neither Soap or Gaz are anywhere nearby. Soap is already walking away from the table, cursing loudly in Scots. Gaz is frozen, mouth wide open as he stares.

"And with that, Ghost wins. Congrats, lieutenant." Price nods at Ghost, who merely shrugs in response.

"GHOST YOU FUCKER!" Gaz is now standing, reaching out to strangle Ghost.

"I played the game like you're supposed to! For anything, Soap is the one that kept distracting you!" The man shouts in defense, effectively silencing the cursing sergeant behind him.

"SOAP I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU! THIS IS THE THIRD BLOODY GAME I'VE LOST IN A ROW BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR DISGUSTING INFATUATION WITH THE LIEUTENANT! I'VE FUCKING HAD IT!" Soap lets out an embarrassingly high pitched scream as Gaz literally lunges over the table at him. The two run around the room before Soap takes off outside, Gaz running after him still screaming profanities.

"I think we'll take a break from games for a bit." Price comments, absently running a hand over his beard.

"You think?" Ghost responds after another loud Soap scream is heard.

"I should intervene."

"If you don't want to be buried under the paperwork that comes with one of your sergeants murdering the other." Ghost replies and Price nods.

"As well as trying to keep my lieutenant from trying to murder the remaining sergeant." Ghost lets out a huff that can be interpreted as a laugh. Soap lets out another scream from somewhere outside, and Price sighs heavily.

"Yeah, I think we're done with the games."

(Hope y'all enjoyed! Sorry if it's bad, I just wanted an excuse to write something. Also @cod-dump )

[darkwitch1999]

Stay Tuned: Detective Nino is on the case!

The exciting conclusion to the "Random Headcanons!!!! Why Marc Shouldn’t Have Coffee" series is in production! Join the somewhat overly dramatic Nino Lahiffe as he cosplays detective Sherlock Holmes alongside the unwilling and slightly annoyed Nathaniel Kurtzberg to uncover who gave coffee to Marc Anciel.

Nino: I'll be asking the questions here, Anciel!

Nathaniel: (slightly annoyed) So we’re really doing this, huh?

Marc: (rolls eyes) And I thought Jean was over dramatic....

Meanwhile, Alya leads her own investigation into the mystery as she interrogates the three prime suspects, a.k.a the three people who didn't know why Marc shouldn't have coffee:

Zoé Lee: The younger half-sister to the mayor's bratty daughter, Chloé Bourgeois. Unlike her bitch sister, Zoé is sweeter than honey and is always willing to do whatever she can to help out her friends. Like Rose, her kindness can easily be taken advantage of, and unlike Rose, she would have no possible way of knowing that Marc couldn't have coffee since she had only transferred to DuPont a few months ago and thus, was not around the last time Marc went crazy on coffee.

Devin Nolan: The only son of Chandler Nolan and heir to the Nolan fortune. Acts aloof and very indifferent towards everyone, including his own classmates. Despite being in the same class as Marc and knowing him since Marc first transferred to DuPont, his distant behavior and keeping to himself all the time has isolated him from many social gatherings and activities with his peers, thus he too was not present during any of the two times that Marc was on caffeine. Though he is not known for doing favors for anyone, sometimes its the person that everyone least expects that did the crime.

Noelle Odeja: Another recent transfer student, and again, another person who wasn't around the last time Marc was on caffeine. While she may not be as sweet or innocent as Rose, she still looks out for her friends and will help them whenever they need it. While she was aware of the rule to never give Marc coffee, she was never filled in on the reason why.

(When Noelle was given the warning.....)

Noelle: (holding two cups of coffee) Hey, Jean! You'll never believe this! There's a coffee shop that is giving away an extra cup of coffee with the purchase of your first cup of coffee today!

Jean: Oh, well that's pretty cool.

Noelle: Yeah, I'm planning on giving my extra cup of coffee to Marc since I don't-....

(Jean suddenly slaps the extra cup of coffee out of Noelle's hands with a look of fear on his face. The coffee cup fell on the floor, spilling out its contents. Noelle looked at Jean with a bewildered and slightly irritated look on her face.)

Noelle: Wha-....Jean! What the hell is wrong with you?!

Jean: What's wrong with me?! Have you gone absolutely insane, Noelle? (grabs Noelle by the shoulders and starts shaking her) DO. NOT. GIVE. MARC. COFFEE. EVER!!!!!! HEED MY WARNING!!!!!!

Noelle: (pushes Jean off of her) Ugh...(shakes off her wave of dizziness) What the fuck.....why not?

Jean: (shudders and starts rubbing his arm) Trust me....you don't want to know why.....

Noelle: (raises an eyebrow in confusion) ........

Like Devin, she isn't easily fooled (except when it comes to her B.F.F. Lila Rossi) and her will is strong. She wouldn't bend easily to Marc's desperate pleas for caffeine. Marc would have to come up with a very convincing and reasonable excuse for her to buy him coffee (which wouldn't prove much of a challenge for a writer as talented as Marc).

Either one of these prime suspects could have been responsible for supplying Marc with the coffee. It could also be possible that Marc might have gone to all three of them for the coffee rather than just one person (after all he did have almost six cups). Of course, there is also the possibility that none of these three prime suspects had supplied the coffee and it was, in fact, a fourth person instead. What do you think? Share your thoughts on who you think could've done it.

@nerd-chocolate @artzychic27 @andromeda612 @imsparky2002 @princessbutterflysposts @yourlocalwanderingghost