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[transvampireboyfriend]

@steddie-week day 3: discover + first kiss

"There you are!" Eddie says, like he's been looking for him everywhere, his face even lighting up as he enters the kitchen.

"Here I am." Steve shoots back.

Steve's sure that he's wearing a similar expression. He missed him.

After Eddie and Robin graduated, Eddie took a job at a local auto shop while Robin and Steve took jobs at the library and filled out college applications.

During that time the three of them had gotten really close, talking each other through tough times and celebrating what they achieved together.

Steve moved with Robin to start school at the beginning of this year and Eddie stayed with his uncle, still figuring out what he wanted to do with his future.

So, this is the first time they've been apart for months since they met, and Steve did not anticipate how much he would need to see him, to hear him.

The phone doesn't do his voice justice.

Steve puts the dough down to wipe the flour off his hands, but his eyes never leave Eddie as he drops his tote bag on a stool across from Steve.

"Can't believe they left you here with all the work, man" Eddie laments, shaking his head and walking around the kitchen island to where Steve is.

Steve's heart beats oddly fast in his chest as he huffs a small laugh and tries to figure out if a hug is okay in the split second before Eddie pulls him into his arms.

Steve wraps his arms around him and rests his chin on Eddie's shoulder, relieved.

"I don't mind" Steve murmurs, about making the pizza while the kids catch up with Robin and Nancy in the living room.

Eddie chuckles, softly claps his back and pulls away to grab Steve's shoulders instead

"Of course you don't" he says, with mirth in his eyes "How are you, Stevie?" he asks, his head tilting to the side and his dimples showing.

"Hi" Steve says to those dimples he hadn't seen in so long "I mean- good. I'm good" Steve smiles, genuinely delighted. "How are you? How was the drive?" Steve asks

"Ugh, it was hell!" Eddie slumps a little when he says it, his exhaustion evident "but I'm good!" he assures, "you know what I need?"

Steve shakes his head no "What?"

"To help you make like seven pizzas right now," Eddie answers, squeezing Steve's shoulders before letting go. "Where do you need me?"

That's a question.

It's not like Steve hadn't notice his crush on Eddie before he moved away, but he was kind of ignoring it, or at least trying to for the sake of their friendship.

Clicking with someone the way he did with Eddie was rare for him, he didn't wanna risk losing that, especially after so many failed dates; Steve was just kinda over the whole thing.

And Eddie never showed anything more than friendly affection so, really, it was the right thing to do to just, pretend like Eddie's eyes weren't the only thing he could think of when the sun first filtered through his windows.

And he'd thought it would go away in time, and then with so many miles between them.

But here he is again, asking how he can help Steve cook pizza for their friends and Steve kinda wants to cry a bit, because no, of course it wouldn't go away.

If anything it seems distance has made it worse, Steve feels intoxicated by the smell of cigarettes and pine trees.

"Um, there's two in the oven" Steve points out, "and everything's already chopped up, I guess you can help me put the toppings on these next two?" Steve suggests, going back to knead two more bases out of the dough he left on the island countertop.

"Yessir!" Eddie salutes, walking back to rummage in his tote. "I brought brownies for dessert," Eddie offers, bringing out the container "totally safe." he assures.

"I have ice cream too, which I assume im putting there?" Eddie asks, pointing to the refrigerator behind Steve, Steve nods.

Eddie brings out the tub of ice cream and spots something else in his bag "oh and I had olives!" he places an olives jar on the table before walking towards the fridge.

"I thought you didn't like olives" Steve comments

Eddie sticks his head in their freezer and answers "oh, I don't mind them"

Steve fully turns to him with a confused frown "no, i remember you specifically requesting no olives in our pizza for the past, like, year"

Eddie's making space in their freezer, moving things around. He casually says "that's because you don't like them, Stevie" and continues his task like what he just said has no significance at all.

Steve blinks, feels stuck to where he's standing.

Steve had mentioned he doesn't like olives maybe a week after the whole upside down business, when the kids had been at Dustin's and Claudia had offered him salad during dinner, which he politely refused, because it had olives.

Eddie was there, they had all been working on characters for their next campaign and stayed for dinner. Steve had only dropped by to deliver a book Dustin left in his car, and Claudia invited him to stay.

Come to think of it, Eddie had enjoyed that salad just fine.

Steve never mentioned olives again.

And it wouldn't be until a month later that Eddie would first order pizza for them making that specific request.

For Steve.

And it's so silly, it's such a small thing, but all of a sudden a myriad of small things are thrust in Steve's face.

Eddie watching Grease with him, Eddie always knowing how he takes his coffee, Eddie singing along to ABBA in Steve's car, Eddie complimenting the jacket everyone said made him look dorky, Eddie keeping a Tears For Fears tape in his car, Eddie using one of his sick days to help him pack the stuff in his room, Eddie memorizing his schedule and calling him multiple times a week for the past few months exactly when he knew Steve would be home and bored without Robin.

It's like someone lifts a veil off his eyes.

Steve's watched Friday the 13th five times and would watch it again if it was with Eddie, he knows Eddie takes his coffee with a frankly concerning amount of sugar, there's a Black Sabbath record in his room right now!

He's never put in this type of effort with friends before! They either have similar tastes already or Steve doesn't feel the need to match them anyways.

It's different with Eddie, it's like he wants to be connected to him somehow, make sure they're close.

He didn't know Robin liked tea until they moved in together! He knows Eddie categorically refuses to try tea in any form. And actually, his uncle got him thinking about it and he's considering to change that, Eddie told him about it last Thursday while Robin was at band practice.

He's never tried somebody else's music without them asking for it, he's never volunteered to watch a horror movie, he's never worn clothes he thought wouldn't fit his style, he's only ever done that with

"Eddie" he says out loud, it comes out a little breathless but Eddie doesn't seem to notice.

"Hmm?" he acknowledges, finally placing the ice cream in the freezer and Steve catches a glimpse of it as Eddie shuts the freezer door.

He turns to Steve and raises his eyebrows.

"Was that cookies and cream?" Steve asks

"Mhm. Yep" Eddie confirms

"Why'd you buy that one?" Steve wants to know.

Eddie shrugs " 'Cause it's your favorite" he answers, easy.

So easy. Like he didn't even consider any other flavor.

"Why did you buy my favorite ice cream, Eddie?" Steve insists,

Eddie splutters "I- I um, I mean do you not-?" he trails off and looks at Steve's posture, the way he hasn't moved a hair in the last couple of moments must click then. His eyes trail up to meet Steve's again and realization dawns on his face.

"Holy shit, Steve. You didn't know?"

"What?! What do you mean I didn't know? Who knew?!"

"I-! um, everyone? I'm not exactly subt-"

"oh my god!"

Steve can feel the blood warming his face and ears and it seems to spring Eddie back into action.

"I mean! Clearly not everyone knew! You didn't know!" he says walking over to him and running his hands up and down Steve's arms "pfft, practically no one knew!"

"Eddie" Steve wants to laugh but he's afraid he might burst into tears.

"I thought you knew" Eddie says in the smallest voice he's used so far, his hands stilling.

"I'm sorry" Steve says,

"No!" Eddie protests, his hands coming up to grab Steve's face "No, sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about"

Steve scoffs,

"Of course you didn't know!" Eddie continues "I never told you!" his hands caress Steve's cheeks and Steve thinks his knees might give out.

"So, I'm telling you now" Eddie says, determined. He takes a deep breath.

He looks into Steve's eyes and says "Steve, I am crazy about you. Not a day has gone by since the eighth fucking grade where I haven't thought about you. And since last year, it has been nothing but good things. I promise"

Steve snorts a laugh at that, his hands coming up to hold on to Eddie's wrists as they both shake with soft laughter.

"You have the most beautiful smile i have ever seen in my life" Eddie goes on. "You are the bravest, kindest, most badass person I know, your hair is a fucking miracle and your eyes. god, your eyes. i have tried to find something that even remotely gets close to the color of your eyes and I can't, and I've resigned myself to never finding it because even an exact match would not make me feel the way your eyes do. Because they're very pretty, but it's not about the color. It's just the fact that you're looking at me"

"God, Eddie" Steve sniffles, not sure what to even do with all the happiness inside of him.

Eddie scoffs a soft laugh "Seeing you happy makes me very happy." he explains "So i try to do little things that'll help that happen. That's why I bought your favorite ice cream, Stevie"

Steve smiles at him and rubs circles against his wrists.

Eddie, seemingly unable to stop talking says "it's selfish really, if you think abo-"

"I'm gonna kiss you now" Steve tells him

"Oh, oka-mmph"

Eddie's lips are soft and gentle and Steve has to coax him into being less tentative but once he does, Eddie kisses him insistently, never letting Steve get too far away, like he can't get enough of Steve. It makes Steve's heart flutter in his chest.

When they finally come up for breath Steve tells him "I can't believe you like olives" trailing his hands down his sides.

Eddie laughs, Steve loves that sound.

"I can stop" Eddie reminds him, placing a peck against Steve's smile.

"And I don't like them" he continues "i just don't mind 'em"

Steve hums a disapproving tone but still leans in for another small kiss.

"I only brought them in case anyone wanted them! they were left over I swear" Eddie excuses against his lips. Steve giggles, his hands now on Eddie's waist, toying with his chains.

"You look good today" Steve tells him

"Oh?"

"Smell good too." Steve says, nosing his cheek. Eddie shivers.

"Always do" Steve clarifies, his mouth coming back to kiss Eddie softly as his hands trail up to play with strands of his hair.

"Your hair's so soft" Steve continues "and pretty. You're pretty"

It makes Eddie blush and Steve grins, delighted by what he achieved.

"And you're brave too Eds, and badass, and cool and fun" Steve smiles when Eddie scoffs but once he sobers up he continues "And I think your eyes are prettier than rays of sunshine." Steve tells him "And I think I'd do anything for you" he adds.

Before he can register the way Eddie's looking at him, Steve's being kissed again with an assuredness that makes him sigh.

The only thing that parts them is the oven timer dinging and even then, Steve has to threaten Eddie with no pizza if he doesn't let Steve go.

Steve doesn't think he's ever been happier.

[marshedmallowes]

Like anything miles 1610. I feel like everyone is writing for miles 42 and forgetting about the og!

midnight cravings - miles morales

SUMMARY: texts at 3am + a mcdonalds notif = a recipe for chaos

WORD COUNT: 561

A/N: i love midnight snacking. mcdonalds always hits harder at 2 in the morning! also sorry i keep writing miles in like situations where he isnt usually 100% Himself (sleepy, sick) so um,.. i will get to a proper one soon

WARNINGS: nothing seriously bad just fluff, food i guess, reader doesn't know miles is spiderman, reader is highkey a simp

"Ugh..." You wake up with a groan, rubbing your eyes and assessing your surroundings. Noticing the still-dark environment surrounding you, you reach out for your phone which was on the bedside table.

2:42 AM. The phone lights blare onto your face, causing you to squint. As you scroll through your notifications, two catch your eye— a text bubble from Miles sent a few minutes ago, and a promo from McDonalds for their new meal.

Miles’ message was rather cryptic, and a normal person wouldn’t understand what “ruawkkekkrkx” meant. But a few months of these kind of typos (which meant Miles was either on patrol or barely awake), and one learns the language.

On the other hand, the McDonalds notif… if it was a propaganda technique, it was definitely working on you. You click on the advertisement, and damn did that chicken burger look good…

You decide to go back to Miles’ text. After opening the app and keyboard, your fingers feel too heavy to type… so you tap on the call button instead.

After exactly three rings, he picks up; in place of his normally spunky voice was a low, raspy one.

“Hey. You good? What’s with the random call?” Damn, his voice was unintentionally sultry as hell. Would it be weird if you started screen recording? He wouldn't know, right?

Ahem. Anyway.

"Oh, I'm fine, a little hungry though. I just didn't wanna type. Um, nice voice by the way." You hear a chuckle through the screen.

"So, you hungry? I mean, I could like, get you a snack or whatever."

"It is literally 3 in the morning right now." Though you expressed disapproval at what he said, your facial muscles tugged into a smile.

"Whatchu want?"

One link to a McDonalds meal later, you're patiently waiting in a now dimly lit room, phone in hand and still in bed. You decide to watch a show while waiting.

You're midway through your show, engrossed in a particular fight scene when you hear your window open with a click. Your fight or flight senses kick in, and you jump out of your bed and grab your phone and lamp (it's the nearest weapon, so...).

You watch as a dark figure comes out of the window in fear, you are ready to swing your lamp and dial your nearest police station when the figure raises both their hands in the air, to signify peace...?

The person pulls up their mask to show their face, one that you'd instantly recognize anywhere.

"Miles!"

You drop everything and sprint to his arms— literally nothing, not even a meteor, could stop you at that moment from wrapping yourself around his lean figure. Miles places his hands on your back, and the two of you relish in each other's presence.

You wish the two of you could stay like that forever, but the enticing smell of a chicken burger and drink eventually draw your attention towards it and you pull away from him.

"Can we talk about how the hell you got to my window with me living in the 21st floor? I seriously thought that the moment you clicked open the window was going to be my last for a few seconds."

Miles smiles and slightly bites his lips, and God forbid the kinds of things you would do for this man.

"Maybe over a chicken burger?"

a/n: to be completely honest i cringed so hard typing this fanfic but i just need to finish it so i hope none of you umm.. feel what im feeling rn at my own writing...

[gojoonsaturn]

pairing: Kento Nanami x fem reader

wc: 3470

a/n: part 3 to this work

warnings: angst, depression, suicidial thoughts, hurt/comfort, funny sibling's moments with Satoru, exorcism, a bit of a toxic relationship english is not my first language, so I'm sorry about mistakes :(

2013.

You didn’t reject your idea of helping Jujutsu societies outside of Japan even after breaking up with Nanami. On the evening of graduation day, you hastily packed your belongings with tears streaming down your face. Satoru tried to console you, but you refused to talk to anyone. The memories of the last three years slowly killed you. The only thing that kept running through your mind was leaving Japan to start a new life.

For four years, you assembled a team of nearly fifty sorcerers under your leadership. At first, it was exhilarating, but then you saw people listening to you and following your orders, and you began to feel confident in what you were doing. All you wanted was to create strong Jujutsu communities on every continent. You tried to level them up like they were in Japan, and you believed in their success. Gojo's blood still flowed through you.

By 2013, you had already opened three offices in Europe and were preparing to open a fourth in the USA. The only remaining question was with the government, which needed to be resolved as soon as possible. When you received an invitation from the local government, your team began to prepare for departure from Italy. As soon as the tickets were in hand and the luggage had been checked, your phone rang insistently. You took a deep breath and answered the call, seeing Satoru’s name on the screen. You hesitated, knowing that he wouldn't stop until he had your attention.

“My dear little sister! I’m so glad to hear you! How are you?” He sounded excited.

“Ugh, Satoru… This is not a good time…” You checked your watch and nervously chewed your lip.

“Sis, there is always a good time for me! Listen, we need your help. Urgently.” His voice grew serious.

“What? I can’t. It's not possible.” You wanted to end the call and walk away, but your brother’s concern stopped you.

“We have a new recruit in your crazy team of strongest sorcerers.” You were sure, he used his fingers to indicate your team with inverted commas.

“So what? It can wait.”

“No, it can’t. You should come to Tokyo to test him. Otherwise, he will leave the country.”

“If he wants to join my team, he can wait. I’m busy right now… Hello?” You didn’t hear Satoru anymore and hung up the phone.

You rolled your eyes at the brother’s indelicacy and walked to the gate. At the airport’s check-in counter, you saw a suspiciously familiar haircut. Satoru was standing near a pretty employee, flirting with her. You approached them and groaned.

“Does Utahime know about you being here?” Your gaze became sinister.

“We are not dating! Sweetheart, this is…” Gojo made a displeased smile and looked at you angrily.

“Your documents, please.” The airport girl lost interest in Satoru and turned to you.

“I can go instead of you. What grade is the curse?” His voice started to tremble, which surprised you.

“US government grade. What kind of guy is there that you desperately want me to meet? Johnny Depp?” You decided to listen to your brother.

“No. He is very talented but needs your strict control over him.” Satoru noticed your attention.

“If you tell me he is so talented…” You bit your lip.

Two things were important to you now: expanding your jujutsu company and engaging sorcerers. The lack of powerful sorcerers was a headache for not only you, but also for the entire magic community. Your curiosity got the best of you, but your concerns about Satoru's diplomatic skills weighed on you.

“Ugh. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Gosh, your carelessness is really contagious?”

You politely smiled at the girl, grabbed Satoru’s elbow and led him from the check-in desk.

“Listen to me carefully. We've been negotiating with the US sorcerers for half a year. In fact, I'm surprised they agreed with my idea. But if you fail this mission, I will kill you without hesitation.”

At first, Satoru laughed at you, but then he noticed your cold gaze and nodded silently. Despite his doubts about your global project, he appreciated your dedication to your ideas. The string of events during your school days hadn't broken you, and your activity had been useful for the jujutsu world.

“I'll send all the information with a message.” Satoru said, slightly pushing you towards the exit of the airport.

The next day, you were sitting at the airport waiting for your flight to Tokyo. It had been four years since you had last been there, and to be honest, you felt a little scared to return home. Satoru's information about “that super talented person” only annoyed you, and when you landed in Tokyo, you regretted your decision.

Outside the airport, a man waved to you. This was Ijichi Kiyotaka, who had been studying at Tokyo Jujutsu High for a year less than you. He had not succeeded in jujutsu and had become the assistant director. He stared at you in awe and pointed to the car.

“Gojo sensei! Welcome to Japan!”

“Ugh, don’t call me that.” You rolled your eyes and got into the car. “Please, I want to know more about this mysterious guy.”

“Why mysterious? You know him well.” Ijichi smiled.

“Really? Is it Megumi? Although he is only… 10?” You said sarcastically.

“He is. But no, this isn’t Fushiguro boy.”

The car drove up to the Tech, and your heart raced. Here you experienced first love, first death of a close friend, betrayal and break up. You shook your hand off the memories and got out of the car. On a bench, you saw the back of a tall, muscular, blond-haired man. Your eyebrows raised and you smiled softly.

“Well well…” The man turned around.

Familiar eyes and lips made you reel. You felt you couldn’t face those memories and tried to catch your breath. Kento looked so good, but still had circles under his eyes. Your gaze fell on his black dot tie, and you hardly restrained your tears. You cursed Satoru for this trick, hoping his plane gets into an endless turbulence zone.

“I’m leaving.” You turned to the car and started to open the door.

“Wait!” Nanami grabbed your hand. “I apologize for…”

“Don’t you dare even talk to me. You are nothing to me.” These words were ruthlessly slipping from your mouth.

“I understand your rage, but I need you to listen to me. I need you to be with me right now.” You noticed exhaustion in his voice.

“Excuse me? You need me to be with you right now?” You pressed against the car door to avoid Nanami’s proximity. “I want to forget you and everything that happened between us.” You lied to yourself and hated saying this.

“Don’t say that. I know you don’t mean it.”

You started to hit him on the chest taking out your grief and anger. All the emotions that you had carefully hidden for almost four years came to you at that moment. Despite your success in jujutsu, all this time you felt depressed. The endless emptiness was eating you from the inside and you couldn't do anything about it. There were people around you who wanted your attention, but you didn't want to pay attention to them because of Kento. For all these years, all your thoughts had been about him.

You didn’t want to discuss it with your brother because you were aware of his own feelings. The two of you were so close and so far from each other at the same time. Satoru understood your emotions, but didn’t want to bring it up. You had been in such a relationship since his death and resurrection, and it was awful.

Behind your thoughts you didn’t notice hot tears falling down your cheeks. You stopped hitting Nanami and turned your face away from him. He saw you were shaking and approached you.

“Don’t.” You lifted your palm to stop him from hugging you. “Not now.”

You went away from the car and sat on the bench, wiping away your tears. Ijichi and Kento watched you carefully, afraid to get close to you. Nanami regretted his decision to leave you, hating himself for causing your emotional state. It did not lead to anything good for either of you.

“So, there is no one who needs me to supervise.” You regained yourself and went to the men.

“Actually, this is my first mission after returning, so… I do need your supervision.” Kento’s voice became softer as he noticed you calming down.

“There was no need to bring me out of Europe. It was warmer there.” Your lips curled into a smile.

“Well, Satoru insisted that you would escort me during my first mission.”

“Of course he did.” You rolled your eyes at the thought of your brother.

“So, I see that you are ready for the mission? Here is information about it.” Ijichi handed you an iPad with the mission description.

“Okinawa?!” You yelled at the assistant when you saw the location.

The air landed at the Naha Airport on Okinawa. During the flight you tried to sleep, but Kento’s presence affected you in a way you didn’t want. Memories of your first trip here ran through your mind, making you hide your smile, but your expression remained icy. Although Nanami felt your tension, he didn't push you, remembering your tears in Tokyo, and truly understood his guilt, not relying on your quick forgiveness.

“So, the mission begins tomorrow at dawn, so you can rest at a hotel today.” Ijichi said.

“Not an option. We start right now.” You said, feeling your lips tremble, but stopping your nervousness.

“But…” The assistant tried to protest.

“Right now.” Kento felt a bit embarrassed seeing the man shaking.

Ijichi drove you to an abandoned beach and quickly left. You took out your kusarigama from the air. Nanami always liked that trick of yours, but now he was surprised when he didn’t see your halberd.

“And where is your halberd?” Kento couldn’t restrain himself from asking.

“I broke it in a Russian village. Special grade curse.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t. I had so many problems with it at the border monitoring.” You softly smiled.

“At least you didn’t break your leg or back.” Nanami said, and you stared at him in astonishment.

“Of course, you remember…”

You went along the beach together to the cave. The warm sand got into your shoes, so you decided to take them off. This place was so calm, and you could hardly imagine that any curse lived here. The Pacific Ocean started to get louder, and the wind began to raise the waves. Kento looked up at the sky, and you followed his gaze. Usually, you liked to enjoy the sky together in every weather, but now it had become disgusting brown.

As you reached the cave, Nanami took out his blunt sword. Both of you felt the presence of a curse spirit. Kento remembered your fear from the missions at Jujutsu Tech, but he didn’t see it anymore. Your confidence inspired him, so he tried to hide his admiring look.

Inside the cave you felt cold. You smiled at the thought of this curses’ stereotype and shrugged. You looked at Kento and saw him completely focused. You were curious about his ability to fight curses after such a long break for jujutsu sorcerers.

“Don’t be upset, if you can’t handle the curse. After all, you didn’t do it for four years.”

“Don’t worry, dear.” He smiled gently at you, and, to your surprise, you saw that loving look in his eyes.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes” You turned away from Nanami and headed toward.

You felt the curse’s energy everywhere but couldn’t understand its hiding place. Kento’s look was directed toward you. Suddenly you felt a stab in your chest. Your eyes closed, and emptiness enveloped you.

The darkness started to dissipate, and you found yourself in Ueno Park. You looked around and saw a stroller beside you. You peered inside and discovered a red-faced baby. It smiled at you and stretched its hands toward you. You blinked twice and felt an urge to take it out of the stroller. The child cooed something in your ear and made you laugh.

Suddenly your phone rang. You carefully put the baby back. On the screen you saw a contact “Husband”, frowned and picked up the phone.

“Honey? Where are you?” You heard Kento’s soft voice.

“Uhm, I’m in Ueno Park.” You said hesitantly.

“Is Hoshiko* with you?” You frowned again and stared at the child.

“Hoshiko? Y-yeah, she’s with me.”

“That’s good. I’m already done at work, so I’m heading to you.”

“Okay, we will wait for you.”

You sat on a bench and started rocking the baby. The weather was nice, and you raised your face to the sun. You lost track of time as you felt hands on your shoulders. You laughed and turned around to see Kento. His bright smile and familiar adoring gaze warmed your heart.

The three of you walked into the park. Nanami spoke about his day at work and complained about his boss. You listened with interest, glancing at your daughter. Hoshi listened too, with wide open big purple eyes. You had never felt this before, so it was easy to think everything was right here.

In your apartment Kento helped you undress and bathe your child. Hoshiko, obediently watching her parents, started clapping her hands in joy

“Mommy and daddy happy!” She cooed, grinning at you.

“Yes, we are, my beautiful girl!” Nanami took the baby and wrapped her in a towel, kissing her forehead.

After the bath, you and Kento cooked the dinner together while Hoshiko sat in her highchair and read a picture book. When she found something funny, she burst out laughing. That made you and your husband exchange smiling glances.

As you placed the dishes on the table, your eyes fell on an old bread maker. You froze and started to tremble. Suddenly, Hoshiko’s laugher stopped. You stared at her chair and saw no one there. You blinked twice, and the girl reappeared as if nothing had happened. Nanami went to her side to see what made her laugh and smiled too.

During the dinner you looked away at the bread maker and couldn’t find peace. Something about this device caused pain in your chest. When dinner was over, you put Hoshiko in bed. She was so cute and looked like Nanami, except for the color of her eyes.

While Kento was taking a shower, you prepared for sleep. Suddenly, you dropped an earring and it rolled under the bed. You sighed and sat on the floor, but under the bed you saw a halberd, which shocked you.

“But… I broke it a year ago..”

You pulled out the halberd and stared at it without blinking. So many thoughts rushed through your mind, so you couldn’t stop them. Then you closed your eyes tightly, seeing white stars in the darkness. After that, you opened your eyes and saw an empty room with no furniture. You walked to the door, put your hand on the doorknob, and turned it.

There was nothing outside except for darkness. You turned around, and the room had already disappeared. The halberd started to fall apart, and ash fell to your feet. The pain inside you grew so strong that you couldn't hold on anymore. You fell to your knees and began to sob. It was horrible. You saw your dream come true and it was just some stupid trick of a curse. Endless emptiness filled you and right now, you were unable to fight it.

“My love.” Kento’s voice rang out from nowhere. “I need you to keep fighting. The curse is just playing with your mind.”

“But I can’t. I’m so tired. So so tired.” You saw your hands and knees sink into the ground.

“I know it’s hard, but if you give up, you’ll never see this future at all.”

“I don’t want to see my future. I just want to die so I don’t feel this emptiness.” Your body sank halfway into the ground as you saw Haibara in front of you.

“Wow, you are in a bad position now, girl.” He chuckled, squatting down to you.

“Yu? But you are…”

“Yeah, I’m hopelessly dead. And you are not.”

“You are funny as always.” You smiled and tried to get up, but didn’t succeed.

“I’m glad to see how strong you have become. And I’m happy that Nanami has returned to jujutsu.” Haibara didn’t help you to rise and watched as you went underground. “But now you’ve decided to give up? That’s so unlike you, Gojo.”

“You don’t know how I feel.”

“Yes, because I’m dead. And you are not.” He repeated his phrase. “Don’t you want to see Hoshiko in real life?”

These words hit you so hard that you desperately started trying to get out of the ground It hurt, but you continued fighting, regardless of how much your heart ached. Suddenly, you noticed your kusarigama and grabbed it eagerly, cutting yourself in the process.

In the cave Kento fought against the curse, protecting your almost breathless body. The dark spirit was so strong and fast, that Nanami was desperate to exorcize it without your help. He shook his head, banishing these thoughts and kept fighting. Now each of you had a huge battle: you – inside, and Kento – outside.

When Nanami fell on his knees, so exhausted, he lost all hope. He chuckled at himself for such a stupid comeback. At least he had seen you before he died. The curse stopped before him and reached its hand to the man. Suddenly, a chain wrapped around its neck.

“Get off.” You said through clenched teeth.

With a sickle, you cut off the curse's hand that tried to grab Nanami. Kento jumped into the air and sliced the demon in two. In the silence of the cave, all you could hear was each other's breathing.

“You good?” You asked Nanami.

“Mhm. And you?”

You didn’t answer and headed outside. The bright sun illuminated the blue surface of the water. Gulls flew above the ocean and tried to catch the fish. You walked along the beach without noticing the water in your shoes. Then you turned towards the ocean and went inside it. Warm waves parted before you because of your cursed energy, so you stayed dry as you walked along the bottom. When you felt tired, you relieved your Technique and the waves covered you.

You began to sink, but didn’t want to fight the stream and just gave up. As always in such situations you chose to give up. You weren’t strong at all, it was a mask, that you’d worn since Satoru’s death. All your efforts to be strong had been shattered by the curse’s trick. Your thoughts trapped you, and now your very existence seemed useless.

Suddenly, someone’s hand pulled you out of the water. Nanami grabbed your elbow and dragged you to the shore. But your body was so exhausted, so you couldn’t get your feet to work. Kento noticed this and lifted you up. On the beach, he carefully sat you down on the sand and gazed at you with concern. You hugged your knees and hid your face in them.

“Please, leave me alone.”

“No. Not again.”

“I said leave me! When I begged you to stay, you left! What’s stopping you now?”

“Sweetheart, it was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Don’t make me do it again.”

“You’ve ruined me! You destroyed my dreams and future!” You yelled at him, so loud.

“I’ve destroyed our future! And I deeply regret it. But look what you’ve done! Your sorcerers successfully exorcise curses around the world. Is that what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“I wanted you to be by my side…” You wiped the tears from your face.

“And did you ask what I wanted?” This question paralyzed you.

During the last two years in Tokyo Jujutsu Tech, you only talked about your ideas, your dreams and aspirations. You rarely talked about Nanami’s intentions. You seemed so selfish and seemed to see nothing else around you.

“Why didn’t you tell me…”

“Because… Because I love you and want to put you on the first place. That day, I hoped you’d change your mind, but…” Kento moved closer and lifted your chin, wiping away your tears.

“We lost four years, Ken.”

“And we can restore them.”

“No, there is nothing to restore.” You shook your head. “But we can try building something new. From now on, without looking back at the past. Only us.”

*Hoshiko means ‘star’

part 4

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's Small Paradise Date

⚡Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a Date which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

[Released Date: 1 FEB 2024]

[This date was translated with the help of Google translate ~]

[Section 1]

Some stuffy and warm air flow disrupted my sleep. I stretched and yawned, fumbling to turn off the air conditioner before slowly opening my eyes.

The sky was already clear, and the faint light leaking through the curtains was blocked by the broad figure in front of me, outlining undulating contours.

MC: Shaw…..

I couldn't help but reach out and poke his shoulder.

MC: Are you awake?

Shaw [sleepy voice]: …..Mm.

Shaw didn't turn around; instead, a nasal-toned response drifted over gently.

MC: When did you wake up? Shaw: Twenty minutes ago. MC: How come you woke up first and didn't even call me? Shaw [in a cold indifferent tone]: Wouldn't it be better to wake up naturally? MC: ……?

Seeing him continuously speaking with his back turned to me, I poked him in confusion.

MC: Shaw, are you on your phone? Why are you maintaining that posture for so long? Shaw: Nope.

...If I can't hear the indifference in his tone now, then I must be a fool.

But this early in the morning, I haven't even had the chance to annoy him, right? I couldn't help but pout.

MC: Can you turn around? It's awkward to talk like this.

Shaw [sulking×1]: Isn't this the distance you wanted? MC: ...When did I ever want this kind of distance? Don't casually slander people…..ugh!

Before I could finish speaking, the next moment, a shadow had already descended heavily upon me, rendering me immobile.

MC: Wha-what are you doing...? Shaw: What do you mean, of course, it is to judge you.

His breath tickled my forehead, making me instinctively wrinkle my nose. This action seemed to be misunderstood by Shaw as resistance, so he chuckled coldly.

Shaw [continuation×2 + sounds a little bit hurt]: I'm asking you, last night I pulled you into my arms twice, and you struggled free twice. What's the meaning of that? Shaw [×3]: Do you despise me? MC: Of course not!

I suddenly felt incredibly unjust. Just as I was about to argue with him, a vague memory flashed through my mind, causing my words to get stuck in my throat.

Last night, I did feel his hands assertively wrap around me.

And then, in a half-asleep state, it seems like... I subconsciously struggled to free myself a couple of times.

Thinking about this, I awkwardly tugged at the corner of my mouth.

MC [testing the water]: Uh, yesterday doesn't count, right? Shaw [in a cold threatening voice]: Why doesn't it count?

My mind raced as I quickly searched for reasons to justify my actions from yesterday.

MC: Because the air conditioning was set high yesterday, it was a bit hot when we were cuddled together... MC: And, um, your arm was a bit too firm and uncomfortable to rest on, so I... um, made a technical adjustment!

Shaw [sulking×4 + feeling hurt]: You mean, you feel uncomfortable when I hold you to sleep?

[T/N]: Call me insane but I'm in love with his sulky and pouty voice *bangs my head on the wall*

MC: I didn't say I felt uncomfortable, it was...well, my body didn't listen to me in my sleep… Shaw [×5]: Oh, so it was just your body instinctively moving away from me.

MC: No! Shaw, why are you like this…

Seeing the situation escalating, I didn't know how else to explain myself. Shaw had already cut me off.

Shaw [smirks]: Okay.

Shaw squinted his eyes halfway and interrupted me.

Shaw [someone is holding a grudge]: It's really my problem that I didn't take your feelings into consideration.

Shaw [finally made up his mind]: I'll pay attention next time.

As the restraints on me loosened, Shaw turned to get off the bed. I quickly sat up and grabbed his arm, blinking at him with a hint of guilt.

MC: Wait, wait, are you sure you're not just saying the opposite out of anger? Shaw: Am I that kind of person?

Shaw raised his eyebrows as he spoke, leaned over, and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose.

MC: …..?!

I stared at him in astonishment, and he responded with an innocent yet subtle smile.

Shaw [reluctantly accepts the current situation + plays the part of a wounded person]: It's just one night without cuddling. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Shaw [lovingly]: Besides, today is Valentine's Day. Why would I quarrel with my dear and beloved?

—

[Section 2]

Something was off. Very off.

After getting up, Shaw went about his morning routine as if nothing had happened. He even "thoughtfully" brought me breakfast from downstairs.

However, my keen intuition told me — this guy was definitely still sulking.

MC: The worst I can do is stay still tonight… Shaw: What did you say? MC: I said, Tonight, you can pull me however you want, I'll definitely stay put!

Shaw: …… Shaw [sighs]: Why are you still worrying about what happened in the morning? I forgot about it. MC: Is that so?

Shaw didn't answer my question, he just raised his hand and pushed the soy milk on the table towards me.

Shaw: Only a three-year-old child loves to pry like this. Hurry up and drink your soy milk, we should go to the antique shop after you're done. MC: Huh, are we spending Valentine's Day at the antique shop today? Shaw: I was just planning to clean up there, but if you want to spend time there, that's fine too. MC: Why clean up today?

Shaw saw that I was still confused, and a familiar teasing smile appeared on his face.

Shaw [laughs + starts teasing her]: Tsk tsk, isn't there someone who dreams of getting rich overnight every day? How could you forget that today is also the fifth day of the Lunar New Year when we welcome the God of Wealth?

MC: !!Welcoming the God of Wealth! We need to hurry and set off, or else we'll be late, what if there's traffic on the God of Wealth's route?

I instantly got excited and quickly finished the soy milk, pulling Shaw towards the door.

With one hand being pulled by me, Shaw used his other hand to grab a couple's beret from the hanger and put it on my head.

Shaw [clicks his tongue + in a low, sulking, jealous voice]: ...Who knew in the eyes of a fool, the God of Wealth is more important than 'lover'.

[T/N]: MC WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!

—

The antique shop has been closed for less than half a month, and there was already a thin layer of dust in the room.

We quickly divided the tasks and started cleaning with our respective tools.

Before long, the various items in the store were shining with their appropriate luster and colors.

Shaw lit a stick of incense and respectfully placed it in front of the God of Wealth's altar. Then, he found a yellow paper from somewhere and spread it out on the table, picking up a brush to start writing.

Curiously, I leaned in to see what he was writing and followed along with his vigorous strokes, reading each word aloud.

MC: Inviting the Five God of Wealth to descend, humbly requesting... What is this?

Shaw: It's the invocation script for the Five God of Wealth. Shaw: Since we're welcoming the God of Wealth, we should do it properly. We need to specify our wishes, our address, the auspicious date... everything has to be written meticulously. Shaw [as a matter of fact]: Otherwise, how would the God's know who is asking for wealth? MC: Oh, I see. It's like how some people nowadays report their ID numbers when they go to burn incense! Shaw [chuckles]: That's what it means. MC: Then you quickly help me write it, may the God of Wealth bless us to win big prizes every day this year, and even pick up money while walking! Shaw: Why, the jackpot won last year wasn’t big enough?

Thinking of my experience of becoming an island owner and winning an RV last year, I raised my chin proudly.

Reference from his “Four season” event and “6th Anniversary” event!

MC: Hum hum, I am so greedy! MC: Besides, if I won a lottery, it will benefit both of us~

Shaw [in sync with her energy]: Alright, I'll help you write it. Let me keep benefiting from your good luck next year.

As I watched Shaw earnestly write down the whimsical wishes, a hint of sweetness brewed in my heart.

It felt as though some kind of power was truly born from his brush strokes, capable of conveying our intentions to the ethereal Gods.

We spread the invocation script in front of the God of Wealth statue, just after lighting the incense and making our wishes, when suddenly there were two knocks on the door of the shop.

We both turned around and faced Mr. Yan's smiling face. The other person held a pig doll in one hand and made a bow to us.

Lao Yan: Shaw, MC, Happy New Year!

[T/N]: Here Lao Yan calls them little Ling and little MC in Chinese but it doesn't look great in the EN version so gonna go along with just their names only.

Shaw [in a cheerful voice]: Happy New Year to you, old man. What's the matter? Lao Yan: There you go, just this matter in my hands.

Lao Yan had a look of helplessness on his face, and he patted the pig doll in his hand.

Lao Yan: I accidentally washed the doll my granddaughter sleeps with, and just bought her a new one as an apology, but the little girl doesn't want it. Lao Yan: She said this is not what she wants, she doesn't like it. Lao Yan: You young people understand these things better. How about you, MC and you, help me buy one? It's the big New Year, I don't want the little girl to be unhappy because of this.

Shaw and I exchanged a glance, clearly asking for my opinion. I pondered for a moment.

MC: If it's a doll to sleep with, then I know what kind to buy.

—

[Section 3]

Miniature floppy-eared rabbits, chubby ducks, and even anthropomorphic vegetables, insects...

As soon as I entered the doll store, I was dazzled by the dazzling array of dolls.

MC: Wow, this eggplant is so cute!! MC: This long-haired rabbit is so adorable!

I let go of the little rabbit plushie, then hugged a half-sized elephant plush toy, reluctant to let go, I rubbed against it contentedly.

MC: Shaw, this one is so soft to hold!

Shaw stood a few steps away, arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

Shaw [elongates his tone]: So you like soft ones so much. MC: Huh? What does that mean?

I was a bit slow to react, and Shaw's jaw raised even higher.

Shaw [a hint of displeasure hidden in his voice]: I said, if you think it is comfortable to hold, buy it. MC [burst out laughing]: ….Pff.

— —Sure enough, you still care!

Unexpectedly, without me probing, this guy exposed his tangled thoughts that he had been holding in for half the day.

I found it somewhat amusing, unable to resist teasing him, I winked at him.

MC [starts acting]: Well, it's too soft for me. I prefer something with just the right amount of firmness when I hug it~

Shaw [shocked]: …..

Shaw seemed momentarily stunned by my comment, his lips parted and closed again, before finally tilting his head to the side in silence.

Shaw [clears his throat + pretends not to hear it and starts teasing her]: Okay, aren't you here to choose a doll for Lao Yan's granddaughter? Why are you discussing your own preferences?

Changing the subject again, how boring. I rolled my eyes and showed him the photo on my phone.

MC: I've found the one I want to buy for the kid. MC: I just had Lao Yan took a photo of the damaged doll. We'll buy the same model.

Shaw [having a hard time to believe]: Are you sure? There are so many new models here.

MC: Of course I'm sure. Didn’t Lao Yan say that this doll was for children to hold while sleeping? MC: It indicates that, in her heart, this is the softest and most familiar comfort toy.

I picked up the doll that was exactly the same as in the photo and gestured towards Shaw.

MC: No matter how good the new models are, they can't compare to the comfort of that one that holds a special place in her heart.

Shaw looked at the doll in my hand and nodded.

Shaw: You know a lot about this. MC: This is my experience. Didn’t you sleep with a stuffed animal when you were a child? Shaw: No  MC [happily]: If you have a chance, you can try it. Sleeping with a doll in your arms will make you feel at ease~

Shaw's expression once again turned peculiar, and he chuckled, then walked over to the shelf.

Shaw: I'm too lazy to try, but you seem to really want to relive the feeling of your childhood. Shaw: Why don't you choose a sleeping doll that you feel comfortable with and has moderate hardness and softness? Shaw [starts playing the role of a wounded person×1]: From now on, you will sleep with it in your arms, and you will feel at ease. Shaw [×2]: Well, I think this red panda one is pretty good… MC: Shaw!

Seeing Shaw earnestly selecting a plush toy, I quickly interrupted his soliloquy.

MC: I don't want this red panda.

Shaw turned his head, returning my gaze defiantly.

Shaw [continues with the act×3]: So, which one do you want? The rabbit, the shark, the giraffe, or maybe the eggplant, the bread? MC: Don't want any!

I reached for the nearby keychain, grabbed his hand, and slipped it into his fingers.

MC: I just want this "red panda", is that okay?

In an instant, a faint blush flashed across Shaw's face, yet he deliberately pouted his lips downward.

Shaw [carefully testing her by acting all innocent]: Weren't some people picky before? Why are they suddenly attracted to it now? MC: It's not like I suddenly took a liking to it now. I've been chasing after him for a very, very long time, planning to stay by his side for the rest of my life!

Shaw's throat bobbed heavily, and he looked down at his ring finger, then raised his gaze, staring longer into my eyes.

Shaw: Even if he's very rigid, very stubborn, and his actions are unreasonable, would you still want this uncomfortable little panda? MC: Yes. MC: Because he gives me the most comfort when he hugs, is that not okay? Shaw: Okay.

Finally, Shaw revealed his brightest smile of the day, and with a flick of his wrist, he firmly clasped my fingertips.

Shaw [in a really really good mood]: But I have to remind you, once you're bound to this little panda, there's no return or exchange.

—

[Section 4]

Even though I was bound to this "little panda," I still couldn't resist the adorable onslaught of the shop's merchandise and ended up buying several plushies.

After delivering the doll to Lao Yan's granddaughter, Shaw and I took the other plushies home.

After I got home, I happily placed the dolls on the sofa one by one, then sat among them and turned on the TV.

MC: This is the perfect sofa!

Shaw [feeling jealous]: ?How come it's perfect? They filled the sofa. Where's my place?

Shaw placed the cola on the coffee table, then discontentedly picked up a small dinosaur by its tail and placed it on the floor. He then squeezed in and pulled me into his arms.

Shaw [feeling satisfied with his action]: .....This is perfect.

The TV kept replaying the New Year's gala from a few days ago. I flipped through a few channels but couldn't find anything interesting, so I simply handed the remote control to Shaw.

MC: Is there anything you want to see? Shaw: No, TV programs are boring to begin with, and the Spring Festival ones are even more boring. MC: Shaw, you're holding a renowned TV show producer in your arms!

Shaw [acts like he just realized this fact]: Oh, how about watching a TV show produced by this well-known program producer?

Shaw, while saying so, actually picked up the remote control and switched to Loveland TV, where a variety show produced by [MC Company name] happened to be airing.

MC: Ah, don’t look—— ——

I let out a cry of dismay, trying to grab the remote control from Shaw, but he deliberately extended his arm to prevent me from taking it away.

Shaw: Why not let me see it? MC: It’s not that you are not allowed to read it, but will you read your final thesis in front of relatives and friends during the Lunar Year? MC: And when I saw the faces of these guests, I was reminded of those troubling things during the shooting again...

When Shaw heard what I said, his interest became even higher.

Shaw: I'm not interested in the show, but I'm very interested in the story that tortures you. Tell me?

What kind of person are you!

I hummed twice, slid down a bit, and rested my head on his shoulder.

MC: Just look at this middle-aged man wearing a pink tie. He was fine during rehearsals, but after the official shoot, he always likes to improvise... MC: And here, do you feel that the editing was stiff? It’s because the original challenge content was not what is being broadcast now… MC: One time, the host and the lighting technician got into an argument, and it ended with everyone's supper being spilled...

Shaw chuckled as he listened to me rambling on about my grievances, occasionally adding a comment or two to commiserate. Meanwhile, the program on the screen gradually came to an end.

This day was obviously no different from any other day, but I felt a fresh sense of comfort cuddling up with him like this.

Was it because he was listening to my worries while shooting? Or was it because the little misunderstanding in the morning was resolved?

Is it because we made a shared wish for this year together in the antique shop? 

Or is it simply because today is Valentine's Day, and our moods are just good?

I can't figure it out, and I'm too lazy to think about it. I just hope that this comfortable feeling can continue indefinitely.

Shaw: MC. MC: ….Hm? Shaw [carefully]: Do you feel comfortable like this now? MC: Hey, why are you thinking about the same thing as me?

I nodded contentedly.

MC: It’s so comfortable now. Your chest is so wide. I can lie down wherever I want~

Shaw [in a good mood + his lazy voice×1]: But didn't you notice that your hair keeps rubbing on my face?

MC: Ah? But I just moved down. Shaw [×2]: A bit further down. MC: Okay... like this?

Shaw clicked his tongue and wrapped one arm around my shoulders while using his other hand to pinch my face, moving my head to rest against his collarbone.

Shaw [satisfied]: This is more comfortable. MC: No no, I feel uncomfortable like this.

I adjusted myself with seriousness and then placed Shaw's hand on my waist before lifting my face to look at him.

MC: What do you think of this posture now? MC: You see, my legs fit perfectly on yours, and there's room for your arms too. MC: My arms can move too, and they won't block your line of sight either...

Shaw [chuckles sexily]: How come you sound like you're giving a product report?

MC: Of course, I have to explain clearly why this position is good! MC: Otherwise, what if we adjust into another awkward position that makes both of us uncomfortable? Shaw: Really.

Shaw lowered his eyes and stared at me. After a moment, he raised the corner of his mouth.

Shaw [HIS HUSKY VOICE FILLED WITH MISCHIEF]: But you seem to have forgotten to mention the biggest advantage of this posture. MC: Hmm? What advantages?

Shaw [IN A LOW SEXY WHISPER]: Kissing you is easy.

He lowered his head and easily captured my slightly parted lips.

The kiss was irresistible. The sweet breath blends into a thin mist, which quickly escapes between the lips and teeth.

I widened my eyes, and the next moment, a long leg firmly pinned down my attempt to move.

Meanwhile, that unreasonable hand firmly held my jaw, and each touch of his fingers along the side of my neck sent shivers down my spine.

Under his assault, the original position gradually collapsed. The plushies on the sofa also fell to the ground one after another in the melee, rolling around with the little dinosaur.

When our lips finally parted, I couldn't help but use my free hand to lightly pinch his arm.

MC: Why did you sneak attack again…

Shaw grinned triumphantly, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of a successful ambush.

Shaw [HIS SULTRY VOICE SKSKSK]: Calling it an ambush doesn't sound too good. Shaw [×2]: This is a lightning strike, specifically targeting the unprepared.

The protest I just uttered was swallowed back by him.

This time, it wasn't clear whose body pressed against the remote control. In the corner of my eye, the noisy scene on the screen flickered twice, then turned into a blank screen.

Suddenly, the room became exceptionally quiet, making each other's breaths and every friction of our clothes unusually clear.

The narrow sofa contained two violently beating hearts, and also contained the romance that only belonged to me and him in this peaceful evening.

My hand inadvertently brushed against his ring finger—where I had left a "trapped" mark during the day.

Now it was empty, but I knew there was no need for any ring to lock it down; this person belonged to me.

MC: By the way, Shaw…

I was immersed in the aftertaste of happiness, and suddenly remembered something.

MC: You said, now that we have adjusted the perfect sitting position, can we also find a sleeping position that is comfortable for both of us? Shaw [×3]: You're addicted to adjusting?

Shaw smiled and lowered his head, lightly nibbling on the tip of my nose.

Shaw [×4]: There's no need to adjust your sleeping position. I've already figured out how to deal with you. Shaw [DAMN HIS VOICE HERE WAS SO SEXY]: Tonight, set the air conditioning to 16 degrees. I don't believe you won't snuggle into my arms.

[T/N]: BYE BYE WORLD, IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOUUUU. Man PG do know how to quench our thirst🤭 damn I wasn't expecting the last part to be soooo hot🔥🔥

—

💍Call

[betweenthings2]

could you do 18 & 21 from the cuddle prompts <3

Thank you for the ask!! All the prompt lists on my blog are tagged as 'prompts' and my inbox is always open!

18. Holding and cradling their face to study it, perhaps noticing something new. Something else to love and 21. “Do you want me to hold you closer?” “No that’s not it, ugh—I just want to curl up inside you. Is that weird?”

18. Holding and cradling their face to study it, perhaps noticing something new. Something else to love.

Matty wakes from his nap in their hotel room to George running fingers through his hair. It's nice and Matty is half tempted to let it lull him back to sleep. He's not tired anymore, though, and he'd mostly rather be awake to experience this quiet little bit of happiness and closeness.

"Good morning," George murmurs, half teasing, when he realizes that Matty is awake.

"How long was I asleep?" Matty asks, pressing himself a little closer to George.

"Hour and half? We're supposed to meet everyone for dinner soon."

Matty groans. "Why'd we agree to that?"

"'cause it'll be nice?" George offers.

"This is nice," Matty counters. "Room service and a spliff would be nice. Getting up is not nice."

"Should I say you don't feel up to it?" George offers, concern lacing his voice.

Matty shakes his head. "'m just bein' dramatic."

George chuckles. "At least you're self aware."

Matty hums and grumbles, "Turns out therapy is good for something."

"Matty," George sighs.

Matty presses a kiss to George's bare chest, and says, "I'm not wrong."

George combs his fingers through Matty's hair again and says, "You're not wrong, but I kind of don't think that's the point."

"The point is whatever I decide the point is," is Matty's counterpoint. He pauses, then says, "Actually, the point is to hate myself a little less, but self awareness is good enough, I guess."

"Matty," George repeats, a little bit sadder this time.

"Don't say my name like that," Matty protests, "like I'm some kind of tragic mess. I'm not. I'm ok."

"I don't think that," George murmurs.

"I know," Matty responds. "Kinda sounded like it though."

"Sorry, love," George offers. "You're not a tragic mess. Tragic is the last word I'd use to describe you. I'm proud of you and I love you."

"Oh, so you think I'm a mess?" Matty asks, voice a little brighter.

George can't help but laugh. "You're kind of a mess sometimes, let's be honest."

"Thank you, George, that's exactly what I wanted to hear."

George combs his fingers through Matty's curls again and says, "I love your mess. You wouldn't be you if you weren't a mess sometimes."

Matty presses another kiss to George's chest, this one a little bit closer to his collarbone, and quietly says, "I love you, too."

Quiet falls over the room for a few minutes after that, quiet breathing the only sound in the room until George's phone buzzes. They both try to ignore it, but then Matty's phone buzzes.

"We really should get up," George murmurs.

Matty makes a discontented sound, but he sits up, pushing curls out of his face, then clamors out of bed. George gets up, too, sitting on the edge of the bed, but Matty crowds into his space before he can stand up, kneeling on the edge of the bed so he can straddle George's lap and crossing his wrists behind George's neck.

"We're not going to make it to dinner if you don't move," George warns, wrapping and arm around Matty's waist. "We're gonna have to tell the guys that we missed dinner 'cause I was busy fucking you."

"You promise?" Matty pushes, leaning down for a kiss.

George chuckles. "We’ll never live it down," he warns.

"The funny thing," Matty murmurs, "is that I don't really care."

"You are incorrigible," George counters. "Absolutely incorrigible."

Matty takes one hand and cups George's jaw carefully, studying him intently, all big brown eyes and adoration. For a moment Matty thinks up an image of the George he met all those years ago, then of the teenage George he fell in love with and compares them to the George in front of him now. They've both gotten older, Matty knows, hell, he's begun to find grey hairs in his own dark hair, but he can't think of George as having gotten older, not in the way that he thinks of himself as having gotten older, or his parents as having gotten older. George is a constant, Matty thinks, even though there's stubble under his palm now and there wasn't the first time he touched George like this.

"You're staring," George says after a few moments.

Matty nods. "I've got a good view."

George ducks his head, like he's suddenly shy, and says, "Flatterer."

Matty urges his chin up and goes in for another kiss, this one a little longer and deeper. When they separate, he rests his forehead against George's and murmurs, "I love you. I adore you. And I keep thinkin' 'bout, uh, time, I guess, and how you're this, like, constant in my life, and I know I've gotten older, right, sometimes I look fucking old, but every time I look at you, 's like we're 24 again." Matty pauses, then, "I dunno, time is weird. I don't think any of that made sense, but I love you."

"It sorta made sense," George responds. "And I love you, too."

----

21. “Do you want me to hold you closer?” “No that’s not it, ugh—I just want to curl up inside you. Is that weird?”

Matty has slowly been getting closer to George all evening. He'd pushed his chair just a little closer to George when they sat down for dinner and stood a little closer when they did the dishes. They'd put on a film after dinner and Matty had made himself comfortable on one end of the couch, so George took the other. At first, they were next to each other on the couch, then they were very close to each other on the couch, then George got up to go search for weed, and when he'd come back, Matty had closed the space between them, pressing their thighs together. Then Matty leaned against him, solid and warm, so George draped his arm around Matty's shoulders. Matty took that as an invitation to hook his thigh over George's and lean a little heavier.

Finally, George pulls Matty half into his lap half-annoyed and saying, "You can have things you want, you know."

Matty smiles and rests his head against George's chest. "'s hot when you get frustrated and physical with me."

"Yeah, alright," George agrees.

"'s true," Matty protests.

"Watch the film, Matthew," George says, doing his best to sound firm.

"See, 's hot when you try to tell me what to do, too," Matty murmurs. "'s also hot when you call me Matthew."

"What are you trying to do, love?" George asks, voice low.

"Nothin', really," Matty admits. "Just wanna be close."

"Close I can do," George agrees, urging Matty to be more firmly in his lap.

Matty settles after that, done with his search for closeness and contact, resting his head on George's shoulder. He doesn't watch the film, just closes his eyes and relaxes, feeling the gentle rise and fall of George's chest and the steady beating of his heart. By the time the climax of the film rolls around, though, Matty has lost his ability to sit still, shifting like he's trying to get even closer to George.

Frustrated, George lights a joint and passes it to Matty like he can will him to relax. Matty accepts it, stilling long enough to take a drag and exhale smoke, before he's trying to burrow closer and passing it back.

"D'ya want me to hold you closer?" George asks, ignoring the fact that they're about as close as two people can be.

Matty shakes his head. "No, that's not it," he pauses, then, "ugh, I just want to curl up inside you. Is that weird?"

"A little bit," George admits, "but it's in, like, the bottom half of weird things you've said to me."

Matty pouts and takes the joint from between George's fingers, saying, "Give me that. You can't be a dick and have the joint."

"I think that was honest, Matty," George responds, but he makes no move to take the joint back, just watches Matty take a drag.

"One and the same," Matty counters. "'s one and the fucking same."

George huffs a laugh and takes the joint back, saying, "Whatever you say."

"See, that's how you were supposed to react in the beginning. You're not supposed to tell me 's weird that I wanna be close to you."

"You said you wanted to curl up inside me," George corrects.

Matty huffs and takes the joint back, but he doesn't continue arguing, just says, "Doesn't mean you're not being a dick," and takes a drag.

George presses a kiss to Matty's temple and says, "Please accept my deepest apologies, then."

"That is an inauthentic apology, George," Matty says, faux serious.

George wraps his arm around Matty a little tighter and murmurs, “I love you so much."

"Love you more," Matty responds.

George takes the joint back and murmurs, "You're impossible."

"I love you. More than anything. I, like, if we could be one," Matty laces his fingers together, "thing, I'd do it. Sometimes, when we're not together, it's, like, physically painful," he admits. "Sounds co-dependent, I know, but, I just, I want to be closer."

"I love you, too," George murmurs, "and I get it. I do." He moves his hand it's under Matty's shirt, skin to skin, and repeats, "I get it. I get, uh, closer."

[hanmi-xo]

CHAPTER 13: “Behind the Gate”

| My Happiness | Chapter List |

Previous | Next ------------------

I was hesitant to message him. I wondered if Hansol told Chan that he gave me his number. Would it have been bad for me to randomly text him like this?

Should I message or not message him?

I stared at his profile picture that he had for his KakaoTalk. His smile always looked good on him.

I bit my lip with hesitation. I have to thank him somehow. Would this be bad? Should I message Hansol first if he told Chan that I have his number?

I closed my eyes.

"Hansol shouldn't be a messager," I mutter to myself. "He's done enough already for Chan and I."

The thought of that boy came to mind.

I wonder if he's okay? He hasn't been himself lately, but then again, I wouldn't really know how he really is like.

I don't particularly hang out with him similar to how I don't really know much about Chan.

I sighed.

Those two boys... what are they like really? I've seen Chan almost all my life, but I hardly know him. I just know how he acts and who his friends and family are.

I should talk to him. I should message him.

I took a deep breath and began typing. I hope that he doesn't think I'm weird. Now that I think about it...

What am I even supposed to say to him?

Should I greet him? Do I ask if he ate? Do I just say thank you for the medicine?

It's been awhile since I actually messaged anyone other than my parents and my siblings.

I mean, there's Minghao, but I hardly message him. If anything, it's only about work. Minghao is kind enough to help me, and doesn't complain about me, but I don't know how to talk to him either.

He mostly carries the conversation at work. We both got hired around the same time, and he helped me a lot since Minyook refused to teach me... even though he's senior...

So, how do I message someone that I never messaged before?

I began to type, but I kept deleting each word. Everything sounded weird to me. I either came off too formal or too informal.

I wanted to yell at myself to get it together, but even with that, I don't think I'll know what to say to Chan.

I groaned to myself. "It can't be THIS hard to text someone! It's just Chan!"

If I don't do this now, I'll regret it later.

I began to quickly type without thinking too hard on what I should say. I pressed send, and immediately I felt myself begin to regret my message.

"WHY DID I SEND IT LIKE THAT!?" I yelled in horror before covering my face with my hands.

Subin (me): Hi Chan. This is Subin. Thank you for the medicine. ^^

I should have got rid of those smiling eyes! Did I come off too casual?

I heard a notification come through my phone. I looked at it with nervousness of what he may say.

Chan: No problem :)

I felt a smile begin to plaster on me. I gazed at his message as if it were a flower given to me.

Chan: Get some rest Subin~

I stared at his messages for a moment. I wanted to admire them before I respond. As weird as it may sound, I could hear his voice through his messages.

Subin (me): I will. Do well in class!

He immediately responded back to me.

Chan: 👍🏼

I leaned back onto my bed and covered myself with my blanket. I felt so embarrassed. My cheeks were burning and I felt butterflies flow in my stomach. I felt myself begin to kick my feet up and down.

I didn't know how to contain myself.

Is it alright for me to be this happy?

I heard a notification come from my phone once again.

Chan: I'll come by and get you some soup from your restaurant.

I let out a small scream. Why did he have to be so cute?

"UGH!" I yelled in my pillow. I tried to calm myself down. "Don't be weird, Subin. Calm down."

I felt my heart begin to beat fast while I covered half my face with my pillow.

Lee Chan.

How are you able to do this to me? My heart can't take it.

~

I heard a doorbell coming from the gate door. It felt a little too soon for my siblings to come home. They usually come home around 5pm because of their extra curricular activities. I looked at the time on my phone.

3:37 pm

I got up to see who could be doorbelling. Upon putting on my outside slippers, I made my way out to see who it could be.

Was it Chan?

I felt a little too excited. I inwardly slapped myself to calm down. But I couldn't stop smiling. I opened the gate door and was ready to greet the boy.

I felt my smile disappear.

"Does Mister and Miss Kim live here?"

There stood two grown men who looked a little too out of the ordinary. One had a cigar in his mouth with a tattoo on his neck and the other man was tall and bulky. He had scars on his face. The man with scars had a deep voice, it was intimidating.

They both were dressed in black suits as if they were business men, but they didn't look professional to me. If anything, they looked like thugs.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Who were these men. Why are they asking about my parents?

The man with the cigar gave me an annoyed look.

"Listen chick. Does Kim Seokmin and Kim Yujin live here?" His voice was rough and raspy unlike the other man who had a deep voice.

I felt myself begin to shake. Do I lie? Do I tell the truth?

He scoffed at me. The scarred man elbowed him.

"The girl's scared," his voice boomed. He looked over at me with a raised brow. "What's your name."

I wanted to speak. A part of me wanted to say another girl's name, but what if they found out that I lied? What would happen to me?

These men... they don't seem like the type to play around. If I mess up- they'll probably kill me.

"M-my name is Subin," I say with a shaky voice.

I watched the two men look at me before glancing at each other.

"Subin, huh?" The man with a cigar said.

He gave a smile that sent chills down my spine. I didn't like it. It was like a monster that came from the shadows.

"You're that kid those two fuckers adopted?" His voice was raspy before snickering.

The scarred man remained calm while his buddy seemed to have some kind of interest towards me.

"I see," the scarred man said. He gave me an unreadable expression.

Was that judgment? Pity?

He sighed. "Your folks took some money from us. They said they would be able to pay it back yesterday, but it appears they lied. They're not answering our calls, and they seem to be out of the country."

He seemed mad but also not surprised.

"If your folks don't come back by tomorrow, we're ransacking this house you call home," he tells me before staring at the house.

I too turned around to look at the shabby house that isn't much, but is all my siblings and I have.

I felt my heart drop.

I turned back around to look back at the two men. Their eyes were piercing me.

"They're hiding some drugs here," the cigar man said with a puff. "Our boss don't like thieves. Even if they have kids! We might not get the money back from them, but we sure as hell will have all the shit in that home of yours! They signed a contract!"

He laughed. It was ugly and hurt my ears like nails on a chalkboard.

I winced from his laughter. What was he telling the truth?

Did my parents really just sell us out for their own well being?

"Drugs and money- you would think those fuckers wouldn't cross the line with our boss, but they sure as hell did!" The man hollered with another puff of his cigar. "You poor daughter of a whore can't even rely on those fools!"

Whore? What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"The Kim's are smart enough to take you in. Right, Jung?" It was like the man didn't know how to shut up.

The scarred man, whose name is apparently Jung, narrowed his brows at his buddy.

"Would you shut up, Hyuk?" before looking back at me. "You best find a way to contact your parents. Otherwise, you're losing your home."

The two men gave me an intimidating look before turning around.  The cigar man, named Hyuk, turned to look at me one last time with a smile that could leave nightmares.

"You best figure it out, girlie!" Hyuk yelled before snickering. "Time's ticking!"

I stood there with the scent of his cigars still lingering in the air. I felt like vomiting. I wanted to scream, but I also wanted to cry.

Will my parents even answer my calls? Or would they just ignore me?

What am I supposed to tell my siblings? How will they react?

I felt my legs grow weak. I held my nose from the scent of the cigar. It was messing with my head. I felt a migraine begin to form.

Why out of all things did my parents have to do this? Why now?

Why when Chan finally reaches out to me?

Why?

Why now?

~

"Subin?"

I can hear him through my phone.

I didn't know what to do. I ended up calling him. My parents weren't answer me even though I spammed them with messages and calls. I felt hopeless.

A part of me didn't want to call him, but another part of me felt like I had to talk to someone. What was I supposed to do? What can I even do?

"Are you okay?" I can hear him through the phone. He sounded worried. I can hear voices in the background.

I opened my voice to speak.

"I'm sorry, but... I need your help, Hansol."

I called him. I called Hansol.

I called him, because I know that I don't have the strength to tell Chan. I wouldn't even be able to speak if it were him.

I said before that Hansol, shouldn't be a messenger, and I'm sticking true to it. What I needed was advice. I wasn't sure if he was going to pick up since he might have class, but he did.

And I was grateful for that.

I was fearful about what I can do. I was fearful about what I should tell Chan.

How did someone I care about so much also scare me? I didn't want to lose him even if we just reached out to each other.

I was scared.

Scared for what might happen to my siblings. What might happen to our home. If I am even capable, or if it's even possible for me to fix this whole mess my parents created.

At least if I call Hansol, he could give me some advice.

I needed some help. I needed some sort of hope.

I needed a friend.

• • •

Previous | Next

[jackalopes-pen]

Chapter 3: Laughter

Summary: Stan needs tutoring and Pete is just the guy to get forced in to it. However, maybe Stan and Pete have met before under different circumstances.

Word Count: 959

Characters: Stan Marsh | Toolshed, Pete Thelman, XXXXXXX XXXXXXX | Asathoth

Previous: [Encounter] | [Oddity]

A/N: This is actually just for me now… I’m too invested to stop. With any luck this might get off the ground.

Stan groaned. One of the greatest heroes in the city, and he still has to take a bullshit language arts class. Sure he was barely passing, but c’mon. Who actually needs to know how to write and analyse poetry? He sighed and stared out the window at the city skyline. It was pretty, almost dreamlike how the clouds could seem to play between the buildings and the soft blues fought against industrial greys and whites. The few spots of green made a strange little world where industry and nature met and clashed. Industry tore down forests and robbed nature of everything, then nature would crack the sidewalks with roots and grow ivy over buildings. This constant fight to-

“Mr. Marsh! Would you care to tell the class your thoughts on the meaning of the second quatrain?” The teacher’s voice cut through Stan’s daydream.

“Uh..the hell is a quad-train?” Stan said, still a bit disoriented.

The teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Mr. Marsh, if you can’t focus you will not prosper in my class.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Stan shrugged. He didn’t really know what to say, in this situation. He had a few choice words in mind but his mom would kill him for saying them.

The rest of the class seemed to drag on like molasses in an hour-glass. This damn sonnet was painfully boring and it was only worse that some disinterested high-schoolers had to give their thoughts on the deeper meaning. No one knew, no one cared. Eventually like a sweet mercy the bell finally rang and he could leave this child prison and just-

“Mr. Marsh, Mr. Thelman, please report to my desk.” The teacher tapped his pen on the desk as Stan and some goth weirdo walked up to his desk. “Mr. Marsh, your grade is falling in my class. I understand that poetry may not be your forte but you are required to pass to graduate. So, Mr.Marsh, meet your tutor.”

“Tutor?” Stan questioned

“What?! I have to deal with that jockey prep.. and get him to pass?!” The goth kid seemed utterly outraged at the prospect of dealing with a ‘prep’ as he called Stan.

“Mr. Thelman, control yourself. You wouldn't lose your scholarship, would you?” The teacher raised an eyebrow. Even for a shitty teacher, that’s just cruel.

“I- ugh. No.” The kid looked down, his face reading a lot of guilt.

“As I thought. Sessions will be Tuesdays and Thursdays in the library.” The teacher said with no room for argument “One hour, do try to focus, Mr.Marsh.”

“Okay, can I ask Michael to come?” The goth kid asked, slightly pleading.

“Oh, yes I recall him from last year, Mr. Acker. He would certainly be able to help, though he took the AP of my course.” The teacher huffed a short laugh “Yes, Mr. Acker can be of assistance.”

“It’s Tuesday today, do we have to go now?” Stan slightly groaned. He almost knew the response, but he didn’t want to hear it.

With that, the two boys were dismissed to their forcible tutoring session. Stan took the chance to actually size up this weird goth kid. The kid was extremely pale, a little shorter than Stan, and on the scrawny side, but not much. His hair was black and kinda greasy with bright red roots. He wore a frilly grey shirt, a bolo tie with a red gem, black jeans with a tentacle jeans chain, and some purple shoes. He certainly looked goth, that was no mistake, and.. was he wearing eyeliner? This guy has to be gay.

“So.. what’s your name.. Mr.Thelman?” Stan asked, wanting to break the silence a little.

“Why should I tell you?” The kid briefly glanced up from his phone, it seemed he was texting someone.

“Just.. curious. I’m Stan.” He shrugged a little and offered a small smile.

“... Pete.” Pete sighed and continued his texting. He seemed entirely disinterested.

“So, Pete, who are you texting?”

“A friend.”

“Which friend?”

“Michael.”

“Just trying to chat, that’s all. You’re really defensive.”

“I have my reasons.”

Stan proceeded through the tutoring. It was actually more interesting than he thought, cause they mostly taught him how to sound like knows what he’s doing without actually knowing shit. Though, in the back of his mind, he still wondered why Pete was so defensive and short with it. It was kinda eating at him in a weird way and-

As Stan tried to leave for the session he hit his face square into the metal door frame. He heard Pete laugh, which was actually kinda surprising that he was capable of laughter. His laugh was a good one though, it was hearty and kinda filled the room. When he turned back around he saw Michael cover his mouth with his hand and snicker.

“It’s not that funny.”

“Yes the fuck it is.” Pete bent over then, recomposed himself. “See you on Thursday, conformist.”

“You- you know my name!” Stan yelled after them.

It seemed like Stan was just off it today. He went to do patrol on an Omens call and saw Asathoth causing problems at a bank firm. He was doing fine, just fine, when he lost concentration for just a second and got hit in the face with a manual calculator. Asathoth seemed barely able to contain his laughter, as Toolshed struggled to get back up. That thing was the size of a typewriter. It hurts, damn it.

The asshole got away, but it left Stan to notice something, not just about the bullshit he had to live through. A voice changer could mask a lot, sure. However, the way that he kept his composure, the specific hand movements of it.. It was familiar.

[steadypoetrydinosaur]

I remember you! Part 2

Toby x listener

Go to your room!, my mom yelled. Just getting off the phone with Barbie's parents, she yelled you're lucky they're not charging you and didn't call the cops! Why am I cursed with an idiot daughter?! You're literally insane stabbing a poor girl's leg?? I ran to my room. How could she not even listen to my side, ugh. I was so angry I slammed my door. My mom ran in and yelled at me to give her my phone. I did as she asked with an attitude. Ugh I can't believe she's not even letting me explain what happened and how it was self defense! I thought to myself I need some air, I slipped my window open and carefully skimmed down the side of the house, I walked off into the woods. I needed some space. I couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. Why won't she listen to me or just let me FUCKING Speak?? I continued walking into the woods. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going and I couldn't care less. I would probably regret this with trying to come home but I don't care. I was mumbling to myself and just kept walking, until I heard shouts. I looked up, a little confused. I don't remember how far I was in the woods but far enough I couldn't see any houses and was surrounded by trees. I went past where I normally go which is pretty deep in the woods. How long have I been walking? I didn't have enough time to think about it before I heard even more shouting. All I could make out was a few words. Cops and I'm hurrying. I was a little scared when I began to hear footsteps. I quickly climbed a tree. I was so nervous I almost fell but I managed to catch myself.I didn't think they would see me unless they were looking for me. Being in the dark helped hide me. I heard footsteps getting closer and closer. I heard 3 male voices. 3 figures came into my line of view and were running right towards me. I was nervous and began to think my mom was going to kill me if I didn't get home on time to help with my siblings, or she wouldn't notice me being gone. The 3 figures approached the tree and one of them sat down right under it. Come on Brian there going to catch up if we don't hurry up! Give me a minute Tim, and no they can't get in the forest without him noticing. I looked down trying not to make too much noise and get a better view of the 3 guys. Tim and Brian were having their chat about "Him", I wondered who they were talking about but I decided to pay more attention to the 3rd guy. All I knew was he wasn't talking nor was he sitting, he just kinda stood there awkwardly. I was trying to get a better view when I snapped a twig. Thankfully I had put more weight on another branch to keep me up but the 3 guys looked up. I held my breath and hoped the darkness would hide me. The guy that I'm assuming is named Brian looked up and asked, ``Do you think anyones up there? Tim didn't really look up for long. No you idiot we've been through this before it's just stupid trees. And are you done with your break!? me and you got to get back. Ugh whatever you say Tim, Brian scoffed out, getting up. Brian and Tim looked at the third person. Toby we are going back you can do whatever you want "He doesn't need you, Brian said. Who is "He"?!

Toby nodded his head okay. Brian and Tim began to walk off. And as soon as I couldn't see them anymore ,Toby tossed two things out of his hands onto the ground they looked to be like Ax's or maybe Hatchets? I wonder what he is doing? All of a sudden he starts to climb the tree. I began to panic. Was he going to hurt me? I began to climb to the side quickly. He almost grabbed my leg but I managed to get on a smaller Branch. He began to try to get on the Branch but It began to bend. It couldn't hold both of us. I was getting scared but I think he realized it couldn't hold us both and backed off the branch. I'm really scared but I need to make sure he doesn't hurt me. Wh-who are you? With the moonlight I slightly noticed him staring right at me. He went to grab the branch again ignoring my question but I yelled wait! He paused and looked up at me questioningly. The branch can't handle us both. I said, I'm a little nervous but I'm not going to show him that. He backed off again. Who are you ? I asked. He looked at me and sighed sitting on a close branch. My name's Ti-Ticcy To-Toby bu-t I prefer To-by. his voice was stuttery and he did this ticking thing every once in a while. Since you told me your name I'm y/n. I'm still a little weary of this Toby guy. Nice to meet you Toby. Ni-ce to meet mmm-e? He asked p-ople don-t norm-ally say nni-ce to me-et me. Oh, Why not? I asked, a little confused. "Why wouldn't people say nice to meet a person, it's a polite thing to do ''? B-ecause of the w-ay I um we-ll Talk. He responds with a little sorrow crossing his voice but he immediately shakes it off. C-ome do-wn from the-re. Toby says. I um I can't. I responded with, I'm still a little nervous and I'm not going to lie I'm scared to move. I was so scared I didn't realize how high I had climbed and know I'm kinda holding on for dear life, I thought to myself. Wh-y? Toby asks in confusion in his voice. Ar-e you sca-red of mm-e? He asks. Really I wasn't scared of him just how high I was. I'm not scared of you. I respond with. Wh-y? he asks, still confused? I um, it's a little embarrassing. I don't want the branch to break when I move. I am a little embarrassed at the confession I made, something about the name Toby made me think I knew him or maybe it was someone I knew named that? O-h, so yo-ur going to ju-st sit there? Toby asks. Um yeah I guess so, I mean the only other way down I say, even more anxiety filles my stomach when I look down. Toby was about to respond when we heard a very angry voice yell, y/n!! I know you're in here and if you don't come out now you'll be sorry

[lovelytarou]

kiss me thru the phone — bakugo katsuki

— katsuki always calls you on the phone, making sure that it's his voice you hear when you wake and the one you'll listen to as you fall asleep.

pairing: bakugo katsuki x reader

tags: established relationship, swearing? cuz this is bakugo hehe. not proofread!!

genre: fluff, kinda angst

word count: 1.4k

a/n: 1/7 of the 200 follower event, i can just see him doing this lmao. sorry if the header doesn't look good, i tried my best (˘･_･˘) not at me saying i'll upload this yesterday night but it's already 2am here. it is what it is.

bakugo katsuki is a busy man. 

even when he was in his UA days, you always see him training by himself and excusing himself early to go study and then eventually, sleep. his friends often tease him for being a grandpa and not having time to go and have fun, but when he met you that's when he really started to let himself free and experience fun things with his friends albeit he's masking it as having “no choice but to join” under the guise of watching over his friends as to not make themselves look like idiots, but you know better. you know that when he says he doesn't care, you understand the meaning that he actually does. and deeply too.

he's just a big tsundere who cares a lot for the people he loves. 

now that he's a pro hero working his way up to the top, hectic times and cancelled dates cannot be helped. he has to always excuse himself and apologize over and over for not going to the date you both planned as promised and you always have to say that it's alright, that you understand over and over. and if anyone knew bakugo, it's that he would never settle for less. a simple ‘okay’ isn't enough for him. 

so when you woke up one morning to the ringing of your phone and the rare photo of your lover smiling instead of your cacophonous alarm, you knew it had to be one of those days where bakugo was feeling particularly soft for you.

rolling over on his side of the bed, you answered the call with a smile on your face despite him not seeing it. the warm streaks of sunlight coming through the windows illuminated your face, making you shut your eyes for a moment.

“hi, baby.” you croaked, voice scratchy and raspy upon waking.

you heard his chuckle on the other end before he greeted you as well.

“good morning, sleepyhead. it's 10am already, you should be getting your ass out of bed,” he scolded you. you rolled your eyes as you lied on your back, staring up at the ceiling while you twirled a piece of your hair like a lovestruck schoolgirl talking to your crush. 

“i know, i know. but the bed's still warm and i wanna stay in bed for a bit.” you whined, even pouting for effect that you knew he wouldn't resist. 

you heard him click his tongue in annoyance at your statement. knowing him, he's probably shaking his head in disapproval at your lazy behavior. 

“get the fuck out of bed or else your breakfast will get cold. you don't want to eat cold food, do you?" 

“wait, you made me breakfast?” you felt your stomach do flips at the thought of bakugo waking up early and even having the time and effort to cook for you. 

you heard him scoff at that, “course i did. i know your dumbass will complain about how i didn't cook you anything before i left if i didn't. so eat up, okay? i know i'm not always at home to eat with you and this is the only thing i can do to make you feel that you're not alone. and i'm sorry about that. i promise one of these days, i'll take you out for dinner, alright?” 

he can only hear sniffles and soft sobs on the other end as you nodded. 

“oi, are you crying?!”

“yes! why the hell are you so sweet? and it's too early for me to be crying like this!” you wailed, tears streaming down your face like a waterfall, trying your best to wipe them away with your night shirt. 

“i'd like that very much. you're the best, katsuki. take care and good luck at work!” 

“i know i am, babe. take care as well, don't wait up for me tonight, i'll call you.” you both bid your goodbyes with words of love before he hung up to do his hero work and for you to get ready for the day. you ate your breakfast with a smile on your face and heart feeling much fuller than your stomach with the thought of katsuki.

some days, when he's away on a mission, he'd love to call you randomly and he wouldn't even care if you're doing something or if you're busy. what he knows is that he needs to hear your voice more than anything. 

on a particularly busy and dreadful day, bakugo had called you during work and you picked it up without second thoughts, worry already clouding your mind. 

“tsuki baby!” you greeted in a joyful tone. your smile evaporated when he didn't return the sentiment.

“katsuki? are you okay? what's up, baby?” you tried to make your voice as soothing as possible, knowing that any other unwelcoming approach might set him off.

he sighed on the other end, and you can only guess what happened.

“i'm fine...just...i missed your voice,” his own had a low timbre to it, sort of a deep vulnerable tone he only let you hear when he wanted you to see his true self without the facades and the mask. 

“i'm here now, katsuki. do you wanna talk?” being a pro hero can be stressful as much as he loves it. he's also human, and he can only handle as much when faced with a lot of obstacles in life.

“yeah, that'd be nice. tell me about your day, how are you?” he might be diverting the topic towards you instead but you indulged him in his request and started to tell him about your day – from the time you wake up to the time you arrived to work.

“oh! and um, i also bumped into my old friend a while ago. they asked me about you and i told them that we should meet up someday, you know, like a double date?” 

“sure, yeah. i'd love to meet them. they seem like a cool person.” 

“they are! anyway, what about you? anything happened in there on the mission?” you waited patiently for his response which he appreciated a whole lot than what you realize. 

“it was okay. the mission was going smoothly with everyone helping and then...i just, we rescued this man and his...wife got–” he faltered, you heard him choke a sob through the phone and you can only wish you can hold him right at that moment if you weren't only miles away from each other. 

“it's okay if you don't wanna continue, tsuki. i understand this is heavy for you. i'm sorry you have to suffer through that alone. i wish i can be there for you,” in your head, you're imagining that you're comforting him and kissing his worries away as he's nuzzling into your neck. and you'd tell him that everything will be alright and that you'll always be there for him.

“i'm sorry...thank you, for staying with me and being in my life. i wouldn't know what i'd do without you, honestly. maybe be the same asshole that i was before we met,” he joked, chuckling at the fond memory that felt like ages ago today. 

“no worries, babe. you know i'm always here if you want to talk. i'll listen and you can never talk my ear off because i love listening to you sexy voice.” you teased, knowing it would make him as red as a tomato. the both of you laughed and it felt like you're together, probably at home as you lounged in the living room without worrying about anything.

“whatever. i like hearing your voice too, i guess. anyway, i gotta go in a few minutes. i'm calling again later before you sleep, make sure you don't doze off on me!” you can practically imagine the smoke coming out of his ears as he yelled at his phone.

“yes, yes, i will. i already told you i'm sorry! go kick some villain ass in there, baby. i'll be waiting for you back home.” 

“good. goodbye, i miss you. stay safe and always lock your door and the windows! don't stay up too late or i'll swim there to make you sleep myself–”

before he went on a tangent about his usual scoldings you told him that you still had work to do and he can save them for later, but you felt warm inside knowing this is how he tells you he loves you without really saying them. time and distance may keep you away from each other, but your love can travel through great distances and defy all odds. 

Taglist: @chibishae34

[luveline]

heyy can you do a james x drunk! reader where maybe she calls him by accident and he goes to pick her up and finds out she is really really drunk and helps her getting sick and he starts worrying this may be a problem and tries to talk to her bc he worries its okay if you don’t want to do it just let me know! thank you so much love your works 💗

thank so much for your request! this is a sequel to this and this but you dont have to read them to understand <3 tw throwing up not graphic

You haven't texted James back in a couple of hours. He's unconcerned, toeing his shoes off by the front door when you call. 

It's mostly shuffling sounds. Your voice, far away. You sound strange. He says your name, and when that doesn't work, he tries, a little louder, "Sweetheart?" 

You're giggling. He thinks he can hear you getting closer, and then you're talking. 

"Oh… I called someone. Ha, oh my god. Smashed." 

"Sweetheart?" 

"Um," you get ever louder. He assumes you've held the phone to your cheek. "Hello?" 

"Hi, sweetheart." 

"Jamie! Hi. I miss you so much, where are you? I can't see you?" 

He feels a blush blooming over his cheeks and clears his throat. "Where are you?" 

"I'm at Shelley's." 

"Yeah? By yourself?" He has a creeping suspicion. 

"Well…" you begin, voice high pitched and lilting, "I was with somebody at some point, I swear. But I, ugh," you make a strange sound that worries him something awful, and say, much smaller, "I don't feel very well." 

James feels a spike of nervousness as he shrugs his shoes back on, scrambling for his car keys, forgoing his coat. "I'll come get you." 

"James, you're not here?" 

His name sounds sweet when you say it, even slurred. It breaks his heart to hear you so gone.  He swings the front door closed behind him and makes his way to the car.

"No, I'm at home."

"You don't have to come, I'm okay. I'm gonna go home soon." 

"Who's taking you home?" he asks sceptically.

You're silent for a while. When you talk, you're quiet, careful, as if you're determined to say what you want to say perfectly. "You don't need to take care of me all the time. I know I'm a mess." 

"I want to take care of you." 

James reverses out of his parking space with his phone wedged between his ear and his shoulder, waiting for your response. There's a beeping sound and he realises you've hung up. He grabs his phone with a groan, staring at the 'Call Disconnected' screen in disbelief. 

He wonders if he's doing the wrong thing in coming to see you – he's not your boyfriend. He knows that. You're friends, which you've clearly stated, and he wouldn't ever force you into anything more but he can't help how much he cares about you, and he won't leave you drunk and sick by yourself when your friends have a track record of abandoning you. 

He pulls up to Shelley's place, sees the clear signs of a party in swing. He pushes past a crowd of people, through the kitchen where he spots some of your awful friends and into the garden, where he knows you'll be. Sure enough, you sit on a low brick wall surrounding a planter bed with your head in your hands. You're crying. Quietly, but with enough force to make his chest burn in sympathy. 

"Sweetheart," he starts, almost tripping over his own shoes to get to you. 

You don't react. He's at your front, now, reaching out to put a tentative hand on your shoulder. 

"What's wrong?" He gives you a gentle shake to gather your attention but you won't bite. 

"My phone died and I was talking to James and I don't know how I'm gonna get home without him because I'm stupid," you confess. Your sobs are aching. 

"Sweetheart," he whispers, kneeling in front of you. 

He pries your hands away from your face. He thinks you're brilliantly pretty, even under the smudged make up, even covered in tears. 

"You're not stupid, okay? You don't always make the best decisions," he says quickly to himself, "but you're not stupid." He presses your arms to your cold legs, hands gentle where they rub your wrists. 

"No, I am, cos I- cos I keep coming here and thinking that people will like me more if I'm not so- and…" your words are stammering and wrought in upset, your eyebrows pinched together, your lips turned down in a frustration he's never seen on you. "I just want people to like me." 

"I like you," he says, working his thumbs into your closed fists, easing your fingers out straight. "I like you a lot. And the right kind of people-" he looks down at your hands then up into your waiting face, searching for the right words. "I mean, baby, these people, they have to get plastered just so they can stand each other. They're all idiots." 

"I'm an idiot." 

"You're not," he murmurs. 

You drop your chin into your chest and squeeze his hands. You take a big mouthful of air and he waits patiently for your tears to slow, fingers rubbing over your knuckles. 

"James?" 

"Yeah, it's me." 

"I smashed my phone." 

"I saw. How'd you manage that?" 

"I-"

"You fell." 

You giggle to yourself. "No! I don't have any pockets. I didn't want to carry it anymore. Must’ve called you before I gave up.” 

He snorts and rolls his eyes. Your drunken thought processes always amuse and confuse him. 

"You couldn't have given it to someone for safekeeping?" 

"To who? You weren't here." 

Twisting pleasure; he feels very special to have gained your trust, even in the small things. 

"I'm here now," he says lightly. 

You pass him your smashed up phone and he puts it in his pocket, but not before he sees your lock screen, a picture of the two of you, sober, having a good time at Sirius' flat, a more tasteful party. And to call one of Sirius' parties tasteful is really a comment on how horrific these shitty motives are. His arm is thrown over your shoulder, the both of you beaming. 

"Can I ask something?" Something I don't really have the importance to ask. 

You nod. He brings a hand to your face and sets about wiping your cheeks clean, or as clean as he can, sooty tears staining the back of his finger. 

"Let's give up on these silly parties, yeah? You never have any fun." 

"I don't know what else to do." 

"You can hang out with me," then, fearing he's coming on way too strong, "with my friends. They like you. Mary misses you." 

You scrunch up your nose and start to lean forward. He backtracks, "Or not. I don't know, you don't have to, but these parties aren't good for you, and I really care about-" 

You groan sullenly. He remembers that you felt sick about a split second before you throw up, kicking himself as he stands and encourages your shoulders to one side, moving your hair from your face. You miss your shoes in a stroke of luck. 

"Oh no," you say, a streak of blue down your chin. 

James panics and wipes it away with his sleeve. "You're fine." 

"Um…" 

"You're okay. Uh, I'm sure Shelley can deal with this in the morning." 

You pant to yourself with fresh tears weighing down your lashes. He smooths a hand over your hairline, pushing down flyaways, murmuring, "You're okay. Y'just had too much, sweetness." 

"No more shitty parties," you say weakly. You clear your throat uncomfortably. "I'm disgusting." 

He tuts. "That's not true." 

You slam your eyes shut and grab his hand where it rests on your head like you're worried he's going to pull away. He never would've. He pulls your trembling head and shoulders into his torso, looking down at you with an overwhelming fondness and a smidge of pity. 

"You're a real heartbreaker, you know?"

"Sorry, Jamie." 

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." He strokes your temple, trying to massage away your furrowed brows and sad pout. "It's okay."

"You're so nice to me." 

The sadness in your tiny voice makes him frown. "I told you, I like you a lot." 

"You're a really good friend." 

He closes his eyes, too. Doesn't feel like facing it, so he won't. "That I am," he says, with more bravado than he feels. 

A really good friend. 

[y0itsbri]

gallavich week 2021 - day 3 - travel au as always inspo from @ianandmickeygallavich // @gallavichthings

Stuck with You

Words: 5.5k

Summary: A winter storm strands a desperate-to-return-to-Chicago Ian at the airport with no car. A dark-haired mysterious man in an expensive-looking leather jacket and sunglasses seems to be his only hope. Ian grows suspicious of the man's true intentions as they embark on their road trip with some funky excursions. The two men find what need they most in each other.

"Fiona, I'm literally at the gate. I'm about to board now!" Ian was lying straight out of his ass as he was running through the bustling airport, dragging his bag as fast as the bent-as-all-hell wheels on the suitcase would allow him. He had not, in fact, woken up to his first alarm... or second. Maybe he was running extremely late despite Fiona's near-constant nagging to get there early in case something happens again.

Ian mumbled a quiet "Fuck" as his suitcase's wheel locked up again. He did not have time for this. His huffed cursing was apparently heard by Fiona's supersonic hearing. A woman in white capris glared his way. Okay, maybe it wasn't that quiet.

"Ian!" Fiona's voice rang through his phone. She sounded frantic and exhausted. She had every right to be, but Ian was not in the mood for an early morning guilt trip. "What happened? And you better stop fuckin' lying to me and get your ass-"

"Fi, I gotta go, love you, talk to you later, promise," he mumbled all the formalities as genuinely as he could muster before he hung up. He had tuned his attention into his surroundings and noticed an absurd about of people hovered around the rent-a-car station while the airport gates nearly empty, except for the occasional airport employees trying to reason with irritated passengers.

Sure enough, something did happen, as Fiona would have happily predicted. There was a massive winter storm and all flights had been delayed until further notice. Ian idly walked to his gate just to make sure he wasn't going to miss his plane like he had the day before. The gate was a fuckin' ghost town besides one man in an expensive-looking studded leather jacket and shiny dark hair to match. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of purple sunglasses, despite the fact that they were currently indoors.

Ian instinctively stepped closer to the man to maybe strike up a conversation. It wasn't something he was so fond of doing, but if he was trapped at an airport, he might as well make friends. Anything to distract his anxious thoughts about not making it back to Chicago in time for his interview. He couldn't even look at his phone, knowing Fiona was probably blowing it up right now about how he has to get his shit together. He knows.

In the midst of his inner debate, Ian oh-so-gracefully tripped over a chair -- the wheels of his suitcase coming to a halt, causing the bag to loudly clang against a nearby pole.

The man jumped up with a startle, yanking off his glasses and swiftly reaching into his boot and pulling out a small knife. He slowly took in the fact that there was no threat -- just a giant blushing ginger wincing at the knife pointed his direction.

The man sighed and tucked his knife away, "Shit, I thought you were trying to rob me or something."

Ian eyed a small black backpack tucked behind the man's legs. That bag was sleek and tiny compared to Ian's nightmare of a bag.

"Ain't look like you got much to steal," Ian joked, immediately regretting his decision to be witty after literally just being held at knifepoint. Maybe the mysterious man would appreciate his charm.

The man frowned. Okay, maybe Ian's humor wasn't for everyone.

"And how did you get that knife through security?" Ian asked in attempt to ease the tension a bit.

"None of your damn business." The man retorted shortly, but his eyes lingered over Ian for a moment longer, amused.

"Right." Ian replied after a moment. That was fair. He was a stranger, after all. But there was something about this man that was so intriguing. The man stood nearly half a foot shorter than Ian and clearly had the personality to make up for it. Ian was most definitely not in the mood to almost get stabbed again so he decided to lay off the talking, making an obvious show of adverting his gaze from the gorgeous leather-clad man in front of him.

"Uh.. hey," the man spoke up again as he looked around the terminal. "Did I miss the flight or did everyone just get abducted by aliens or some shit?"

Ian was amused at the aliens bit. Who even was this guy?

"It looks like all flights are delayed. Some freak super-storm coming in, don't want any crashes or anything."

"Buncha pussies," the dark-haired man grumbled as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Shut up, Ian, shut up shut up shut up.

"Rent-a-car? Is that okay with you?" The guy pulled his bag over his shoulder, but turned his gaze back to Ian.

"Uh, yeah, I mean -- sorry, never mind." Nice going, Ian.

"I'm just busting your balls, man. Just gotta get back to Chicago before the weekend. Can't just sit around like a little bitch and wait for a storm to pass like some people." The enigmatic man teased him.

Ian rolled his eyes, but followed him like a lost puppy. "You're not the only one. I have an interview in Chicago in two days and I really can't miss it." Ian pointed back towards the rent-a-car area when the man didn't question him any further. "Don't think you'll have much luck with that, by the way. They looked almost sold outta cars when I walked past here earlier."

"So you walked past the rent-a-car instead of actually getting one? Real smart, Stumbles."

Ian cringed at the nickname. So much for first impressions. The man pulled out his phone from the tight pocket of his pants and stopped abruptly, Ian almost losing his balance to keep from stumbling into the guy. Again. Ian was literally swept up off his feet by this dude. He had to get himself in control before he lost what remained of his dignity.

"Ey' Dimitri, I need a car." The guy said into the phone. Ian awkwardly waited around. It wasn't like they made any plans of travelling together but they were in the middle of a conversation, he couldn't just leave. It wouldn't be polite. Not that much about this guy was polite to begin with. But they had something going at least. The phone conversation got heated very quickly. Now Ian could very clearly see why he was the type of person to have a knife in arm's reach at any given notice.

"I know you have fuckin' plenty. I'll drop it off next time I see Yevgeny, you know I'm good for it. I gotta job this weekend- It is your fuckin' business when your bitch of a wife- Oh c'mon, you can admit she's a bit of a bitch. Whatever- Or do you wanna tell Svetlana that your incompetent ass is the reason why she ain't getting her payment- or do you plan on paying for that shit? Didn't think so. Black cat. Red one."

There was definitely a lot to unpack and as curious as Ian was, he was definitely not gonna ask... yet.

"Red, you comin'?" The dark-haired man called over his shoulder as he started heading towards the airport's exit.

"Me?" Way to play it cool, Ian.

"No. The other giant ginger standing behind you. Yes, you."

"My name's Ian, by the way."

"Don't care."

"Where are we going?"

"Chicago."

--

Together but not together, they waited for... Dimitri, maybe? The shorter man beside Ian was tapping around on his phone and hadn't said a word about their plans beyond the simple 'Chicago.'

Right as Ian got the nerve to ask, a sleek black jaguar came to a halt on the street in front of them. Ian only knew a bit about cars because his brother liked fixing them up -- and man, was this a sick car. Lip would be jealous. Ian fought the urge to take a photo of the car -- unsure what the boundaries were in situations like this.

Ian's mystery man sauntered over to the driver's seat, exchanging a loaded handshake before switching places with the driver, who was apparently not Dimitri.

The passenger side window rolled down, revealing a bright red interior. "Coming, princess?"

Ian placed his suitcase in the backseat before hopping in the front himself.

"Do I ever get to know your name, princess?" Ian teased back. But he was genuinely curious.

The guy smirked, "Buckle up. I ain't slowing down for anything." And true to his word, they sped out of the parking lot, earning a few well-deserved horns from cars that they had cut off. Ian cringed.

--

Ian waited until they were on the interstate to speak again, not wanting to be the cause for an accident with this guy's hectic driving and the snow lightly falling on the road in front of them. Maybe he shouldn't be getting into cars with mysterious strangers. Maybe he should have thought of that before he did, in fact, get into a car with a mysterious stranger.

Ian decided to try again, "Ya know, if you don't tell me your name, I'm just going to start calling you something real stupid, like Bob or Cookie or Raven."

"Raven is actually kinda badass." The man replied, not taking his eyes off the road, but the side of his mouth quirking upward.

This guy was impossible, "Ugh."

"Ya know, you're kind of annoying for a passenger who should be grateful that I'm saving your ass. I could dump you on the side of the road, make you hitch hike all the way to Chicago or wherever the hell you end up. Probably some real weirdos out there wanting to pick up a pretty boy like you."

"Didn't ask to be saved." Ian blushed despite his best efforts to play it cool.

"No? So you were just following me all around the airport, why?" He glanced at Ian this time.

Yeah, he had a point. "Like I said, I got an interview I can't miss. My sister set it up for me and she would actually have my ass if I fucked this up. I'm talking like this-is-the-final-straw." Ian sighed, running his hands up and down his face.

"Hmm. You'll make it. I'm a good driver." He smirked. He lifted his hand off the wheel as if he were about to touch Ian's shoulder or something, but decided against it at the last second.

"Good and fast are not equivalent." Ian's breath hitched.

"Says you." The guy drummed his fingers.

"Says most people. And probably the cops." Ian was not about to spend a night in the slammer.

"Fuck the cops." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah."

The conversation died down and a rock ballad lulled over the car's exquisite sound system. Damn, this was a nice car.

"Mickey." The guy murmured, barely audible over the bass.

"What?" Like the mouse?

"My name's Mickey, by the way." He glanced over at Ian.

Oh. "Kinda badass." Ian returned with eye contact a smirk.

Mickey smiled at the road ahead of them.

--

"Mornin', Sleeping Beauty." Mickey called out from the driver's seat, patting Ian's shoulder. Ian could have sworn Mickey's hand lingered a bit longer than necessary, but maybe he was just reading into the interaction.

Ian must have fallen asleep sometime during the drive, because now they were parking in the parking lot of a diner. Red neon lights highlighted the exterior, giving the place a sultry vibe. Odd vibe for an off-the-road diner, but Ian supposed it could be weirder.

Mickey hopped out of the car and shoved his hands into the pocket in his leather jacket, searching for something.

After a moment, Ian slowly stretched his legs out as he crawled out of the car and found Mickey smoking a cigarette while leaning against the hood of the car. It was picture perfect. Mickey hadn't noticed him emerge yet, so Ian decided to give into his urges as he snapped a picture of the beautiful man in front of him -- all black shadows and glowing red.

Ian closed the car door and Mickey stubbed out his cigarette and led them inside. "Usual table," he said to the hostess, who led them to a table set for two towards the back of the establishment.

Yeah, this was weird. Who the fuck had a 'usual table' at a joint off the highway in the middle of nowhere?

Inside hung the heads of exotic animals that Ian hoped were fake. Once they were sat across from each other, Mickey ordered a short stack of pancakes and Ian ordered a hamburger and fries -- the first thing he saw on the menu.

"So, brunch and tigers? What is this place?" Ian mused, curiosity and now suspicion overtaking him.

"Cool, huh? Got connections." Mickey went back to rearranging the condiments and sugars on their table.

"Mhm." Ian was skeptical, but didn't want to pry. He seemed to be on this guy's good side for now.

Ian spent the better part of their stay just taking in everything around them. The walls were lined with playing cards, posters from bands he's never heard of, bizarre news articles, lights swung and tacked up with a casual precision, literal jewelry and crowns under display cases, and he could've sworn there was sparkles mixed into the red paint covering the walls. It was like a goblin's cave or something.

Occasionally, he would look up at Mickey, who would look away almost instantly -- like he'd been caught in the middle of something. Planning something? Ian couldn't tell if Mickey's cheeks were actually blushing red or if it was just the lighting. Probably for the best because Ian blushed like a motherfucker whenever he held Mickey's eyes for too long.

Luckily, the waitress brought over their food before Ian could say something stupid. Ian's hamburger and fries were places in a classic red boat with black and white checkered paper. The burger was massive and had a flamingo pick placed in the center of it. Mickey's pancakes were covered in bananas, blueberries, and powdered sugar. The waitress also set down a glass elephant bottle filled with, what looked like, maple syrup. The waitress just smiled at them and walked away without another word. This place was strange. And Ian couldn't shake that feeling.

About halfway through eating, Ian had enough of the odd vibes and promptly excused himself to go to the bathroom. He had to get out of here, forgo his luggage in the fancy ass car. He didn't care if he'd have to hitch hike at this point. He washed his hands in the bathroom sink, planning when to make his escape, when the door swung open.

"Ian." Mickey looked genuinely concerned. No stupid nickname. Ian. "What's wrong, man? You looked pretty sick back there. Is it food poisoning? I'll give Anakin a fuckin' piece of my mind if he didn't cook that fuckin' burger. He knows better than to fuck with me." He rattled off.

Ian felt flighty and tried to take off during Mickey's rage-induced ramble but an arm gripped his bicep, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, Ian, look at me." That was the problem. Ian couldn't stop looking at him. He would probably do anything he asked. And that was fucking dangerous. He was a stranger with connections. That couldn't lead to anything good.

Ian finally made eye contact and the grip on his arm loosened, gently sliding towards his wrist before falling back to Mickey's side.

"Promise me you won't kill me." Ian blurted out.

Mickey's eyebrows nearly flew off his face, "Kill you? Where the fuck is this coming from? You think I hate you or something?"

"Well, maybe, I don't know. This is weird."

"Maybe." Mickey paused, actually making an effort to see this whole strange situation from Ian's perspective. "But I like weird."

Ian stayed silent.

"I promise I'm not going to kill you. I promise that I'm going to get you back to Chicago for your interview. I promise we're all good, okay?"

The tension in Ian's shoulder's visibly relaxed and he released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. But that confession still doesn't explain this weird excursion.

"Why does everyone here know you?" Ian finally asked, swallowing his nerves.

This was not a conversation for the men's bathroom, but here they were anyways.

Mickey looked a bit embarrassed. "Used to live a few towns over with my ex-wife-"

"Ex-wife?" Ian nearly choked.

"Svetlana. Fuckin' disaster. But I used to come here with my son, Yev, on special occasions when his mom was out. He always loved it -- thought he was the king or some shit."

"Oh."

"Don't see the kid as much anymore, but this place still has the best fuckin' pancakes so we go when we can."

"So this isn't a sting operation to kidnap me?"

Mickey rolled his eyes, "You're an idiot. I actually happen to like you."

"Yeah, me too."

"So glad you like yourself, champ."

"Oh, fuck me." Ian groaned.

"Maybe later." Mickey smiled too sweetly for someone who had just insinuated what they had.

They returned to their table, finishing off what they could. Mickey had insisted he pay for both of their meals -- reparation for nearly giving Ian a heart attack and fleeing off to fucking Mexico or something. The waitress collected their tab and walked away with a wink, "Have fun tonight, boys."

"See ya 'round, Geneva." Mickey called, "Always in my fuckin' business." But Ian could tell it was meant with nothing but fondness.

Mickey held gave a two finger salute to the hostess on his way out before holding the lion-studded doors and turning to face Ian, "We're in this together, yeah?"

"Yeah."

--

Ian didn't fall asleep in the car this time. Instead, they played the license plate game and carried impersonal conversation in between stops at gas stations and fast food restaurants.

--

"Books or movies?" Ian read from his phone.

"What kind of fuckin' question is that?"

"From the online list you made me look up!"

"Yeah, because you suck at coming up with questions!"

"Whatever. Books or movies?"

"Movies, duh."

"Aw, c'mon, you don't like books? When was the last time you even read a book?"

Mickey flipped him off, "What about you, smartass? You prefer books over movies?"

"Well, no..."

"Well, exactly."

--

"Cats or dogs?" Ian asked. "I've never had either, but dogs are cool."

"Yeah, 'cause you act like one."

Ian gasped, mocking an expression of hurt. "I bet you're a dog person, though."

"Yeah, why're you so sure about that?"

"They're all tough and shit."

"I got a cat back home. She's tougher than any dog I know."

"What's her name?"

"Indy."

"Aw, softy."

"It's short for Indica, clearly we're cool."

Ian gave an even more exaggerated "Aww."

"Shut up, next question."

--

They had missed the worst of the winter storm that had threatened their flight and gotten them in this situation to begin with. It was starting to get dark and while Mickey assured Ian that he could drive through the night, Ian insisted they could stop at a hotel and still make it back before his interview. Truthfully, he didn't want to be involved in a luxury car crash with a maybe Russian mobster. He couldn't pinpoint Mickey, but that's what he had currently decided on.

They had pulled off into the lot of a pink hotel. Mickey had gotten them two rooms, side-by-side. Instead of going up to his room and passing out like Ian had expected, Mickey headed straight towards the hotel bar -- ordering a mojito and a vodka tonic and making friendly talk with the waitress in a very low cut red shirt like they were old friends. Mickey was nothing like Ian expected.

Ian headed up to his room to drop off his suitcase and call Fiona back, sure she was going to disown him right then and there for avoiding her calls all day.

--

Ian opted against going down to the bar and instead watched reruns on the hotel tv. Alcohol didn't really mix well with his meds and he didn't want a hangover if they were going to be in a car all day tomorrow -- especially a nice car like that. Yeah, he wasn't puking in that anytime soon if he could help it.

He took a long, hot shower, indulging in the hotel's eucalyptus-scented body wash before settling in for the night.

Ian was resting peacefully until he heard a blood-curdling scream next door. Mickey was next door. Mickey.

Ian leapt out of bed, grabbing nothing but his shirt before frantically knocking on Mickey's door. C'mon Mickey, don't be dead. C'mon. C'mon.

Mickey swung open the door rubbing sleep from his eyes, "Ian?"

"Uh, hi. I heard screaming. Just making sure you're not being murdered."

"Shit, yeah. I get night terrors sometimes. I meant to mention that to you, but it must have slipped my mind after a few drinks. Didn't see you down there?"

"I called it an early night," Ian replied guiltily. He felt bad if Mickey was waiting for him. But he didn't know.

"Yeah... anything else?" Mickey looked Ian up and down. Ian was suddenly hyper aware he was standing in front of Mickey in only his boxers.

"Um, no." Ian glanced around nervously.

"Great." Mickey shut the door. Whatever. Ian turned to open his door, but it wouldn't open. He searched his pants for the key card only to be reminded that he was not, in fact, wearing pants. Fucking great indeed.

Ian knocked on Mickey's door again.

"What?" He grumbled with a tooth pick between his teeth. "'m not fuckin' screamin' anymore."

"I locked myself out."

"Of course you did." Mickey rubbed a hand down his face, "You ain't goin' down to the front desk in your underwear and I'm not goin' down there either so it looks like you can either come with me or sleep in the hallway, your choice."

Some choice.

Ian followed Mickey into his room, the same layout as Ian's -- just mirrored. Mickey tossed a blanket at him and then collapsed back into the pillows himself.

Ian tried to make himself comfortable on the ground but all he was going to do was bruise his fuckin' spine and freeze his ass off because apparently Mickey likes to sleep in Antarctica.

"Fuckin' cold." Ian mumbled, cocooned in his one tiny hotel-grade blanket that hardly covered his long body.

Mickey didn't open his eyes, but he lifted the comforter on the bed, "Get in here, Frosty."

Ian hesitated. But he was really fucking cold. He made sure not to touch Mickey at all as he crawled under the covers, laying as still as he could on the edge of the mattress. Mickey sighed and scooted his back into Ian's chest, grabbed Ian's arm, and draped it around his waist. "There."

Ian was still for a moment before settling into the warmth.

"Mickey." He said softly. He wasn't even sure if Mickey had heard him.

"What?"

"Is that your real name? Mickey?"

Mickey sighed, "Mikhailo."

"Hmm. I like Mikhailo. It's like Mick-halo, like you're an angel."

"Baby, you've met me. There ain't nothing good about me. I'm more like the devil."

"Why's that?"

"Dude, I almost knifed you when we first met."

"I had that coming, though."

"Maybe so."

"Is that all?"

"Fuckin' terrorized my neighborhood as a kid."

"Me too, you ain't special. Got anything else?"

"I'm a raging homo."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Me too. Anything else?"

"Can't do enough for my own kid."

Ian was quiet so Mickey continued.

"Svet won't keep him in Chicago where my job is. I don't wanna be the asshole to choose work over my kid, but I can't just up and leave, either."

"Yeah, but it sounds like you visit him a lot. He must know you love him, though. Bet you're a better father than mine."

"Yeah, mine too. Ain't hard to beat. He's a real dick. I don't wanna be anything like that piece of shit."

Ian squeezing his grip around Mickey's waist. "You're not. I'm still betting you're all things good."

"Hmm."

"Guess we'll just have to see."

"Guess so."

A moment passed before Mickey spoke again.

"Go to sleep, stupid."

"Goodnight, Mick-halo."

Ian nestled his head into Mickey's hair, smelling the eucalyptus on his as well. The two not-strangers drifted off together.

--

Ian woke up after Mickey, who was already packing up his oddly tiny back pack again. And Ian's suitcase. He took a moment to recall last night's events.

"How the fuck did you get that?"

"Morning to you, too." Mickey tossed a prepacked muffin at Ian's half asleep body. "Went to the front desk for a spare key after continental breakfast, duh. Eat up, we're leaving in 10."

Ian groaned and pulled the covers over his head. He felt a weight on the mattress beside him. He peeked from behind the blanket to see that Mickey had sat down and was currently staring at his legs? Ass? Who knew. Turns out 'thighs' was the correct answer as he set his hand on the outer part of Ian's right thigh. Just resting it there for a moment before getting up.

"Fine, we're leaving in 15."

Satisfied, Ian closed his eyes for a few minutes, feeling the ghost of Mickey on his leg. He was so warm. It was like his heart was on fire.

--

They ended up leaving 10 minutes after Mickey's initial 15 were up. But it wasn't Ian's fault that there was a hold-up at the front desk. Something about a scheduling conflict between a drag show and a speech contest. Hell, Mickey thought they should combine the two events and call it a day.

Back in the car, Mickey had some upbeat indie music playing this morning while they circled around the old town to find a gas station.

"Ya want anything?" Mickey asked before he turned away from the pump and towards the building, patting down his ass to make sure he had his wallet.

Ian was distracted by the patting for a moment before replying. "Uh, maybe a Gatorade or something?"

Mickey tapped the hood of the car twice instead of replying verbally, but the message was received nonetheless.

Ian pulled up the picture he had taken yesterday of Mickey in front of the bizarre diner, moments before he thought he was being hunted for sport. It was beautiful. He was beautiful.

After a moment, the driver's side door swung open, "Whatcha lookin' at, Smiles? Texting your girlfriend?" Mickey teased as he closed the gas tank and hopped in with a coffee balancing in one hand and three different flavors of Gatorade in the other.

"Nothing." Damn, Ian. Like that ain't an obvious lie.

"Ain't nothing, lemme see." Mickey took Ian's phone and dropped the Gatorades on his lap.

"Ouch! Well, thanks -- for these -- but give me my phone back!"

"Is that me?"

No sense in lying now. He was literally looking at it. "Uh, yeah. Thought it looked cool."

"That's dope as fuck, man. Send that shit to me, I wanna post it on my Instagram."

Ian certainly hadn't expected that response. But when had Mickey ever been what he expected?

"I don't have your number." And he wasn't asking for his number like some school girl. Mickey had literally requested he send him something. Ian had no idea why he felt so ridiculously nervous.

"Gimme." Mickey made grabby hands for the phone and began to plug in his number before Ian realized that this definitely counted as distracted driving in a very nice car. "Done."

Done.

--

The morning and afternoon went by pretty quickly. Mickey sang along to some pop songs while drumming his hands on the steering wheel. Ian took some photos of the inside of the car, earning some light teasing from Mickey. Shut up, this might be my only time in a car worth more than ten grand.

Ian watched the highway and the grass blurring past his window when he suddenly remembered the small notepad and pen he had swiped from Mickey's hotel room.

Mickey looked pretty distracted, so Ian took it out and began to sketch his profile. The man was too beautiful. He couldn't help himself. With a burst of confidence, he added a note to it before ripping the page out and sticking it in the side pocket of Mickey's back pack. If Mickey saw him, he didn't say anything -- for once -- and Ian was glad for that.

--

They were nearing Illinois state lines, so they had to get into travel specifics. Ian gave him the address to his apartment. Both being Southside, Mickey knew the area well enough that he wouldn't need directions until last minute.

Ian figured now was as good as time as any to ask, "What are you doing in Chicago?"

Mickey made a face like he was thinking about how much he wanted to explain to Ian. "Well, for one, I live there. Second, you've seen my tattoos right?" He held out his knuckles reading FUCK U-UP. Ian nodded and Mickey relaxed one hand back onto the steering wheel before continuing, "Tattoos were a family ritual. I help my brothers on runs when they need it -- those idiots can't plan for shit by themselves. Makes good money though. I also work part-time at this high-end restaurant downtown. Satisfies my sister that I have a legit job. Ain't too bad either. Lotta sketchy shit goes on, though, but they know I'm good to look the other way for a low low price." He grinned.

"Damn, you sure are something," Ian mused.

"Yup yup. What about you hot-shot? What's the whole deal with this interview?"

Ian sighed. "Never finished high school and uh, I have a mood disorder thing so a lot of places won't even consider me. Got fired from my last job for snapping at the dickhead manager --which was well-deserved by the way -- but still stupid. My sister, Fiona, got me this interview with the magazine company she works for -- she thinks I'm so sick like our mother and that if I don't have a job to keep me stable that I'll just fuck off. But the job would be really cool because I've been into photography and shit since like forever. I don't know, it's stupid. But I really just can't stand to let anyone down again, because I am better. They just don't always believe me."

Mickey frowned, and Ian worried he shared too much. But then Mickey rested his hand on Ian's thigh, "Hey, man. That sounds cool. But it's okay to not be okay. Just be honest with me, and I believe you. Promise?"

"Promise."

--

Ian's apartment was in sight before he knew it. It was starting to get dark out, but he would still be able to get a good night's sleep before his interview in the morning. Mickey's car definitely did not belong in his neighborhood. It stood out like a sore thumb. He couldn't stay for long if he wanted to leave with the car in tact.

Mickey helped Ian get his suitcase out of the backseat and then leaned against the car, watching Ian with a strange look in his eye. Before Ian could ask, Mickey stalked over to him and leaned up, and pressed his lip's against Ian's. He smelled so sweet. It wasn't the eucalyptus shampoo either -- that had long faded. This was just pure Mickey. Mikhailo.

The moment was over too soon and Ian groaned. Mickey gently patted his cheek, "Don't worry, big guy, you ain't gettin' rid of me this easy. I'll see you soon."

"Soon." Ian repeated back, still a bit dazed in the head.

Mickey smirked as he hopped back into the jaguar and sped off to wherever the fuck it is that Mickey goes.

Ian lugged his bag upstairs, unlocked his door, and plopped down on the couch.

Soon.

--

After texting Fiona one last time, Ian had turned his phone off to avoid any distractions. Giving in to the urge to text Mickey would definitely be a distraction. He needed routine. At least for tonight.

It was a relatively quiet night in terms of activities. He had microwaved a frozen dinner and watched a couple episodes of Schitt's Creek before taking his meds, brushing his teeth, and heading to bed.

No matter how chill of a night he was planning on having, his mind kept racing with thoughts of Mickey with everything he did. That man was so cool and funny and kind, even if he didn't believe it himself. Ian didn't know what exactly had caused such a reign of self-doubt over him, but they would talk about it someday. Ian wanted him to see how good he was. Mickey just brought long-vanished excitement to Ian's life again. He trusted him and cared for him. And he missed him. They had only spent two days together, but Ian couldn't imagine sleeping without him. He drifted off to sleep thinking about what Mickey would look like in his bed with him.

Ian had gotten up at his first alarm for once and arrived to the interview 15 minutes early. He was genuinely passionate about this job so it was easy to turn up his charm. He would hear a call back later that afternoon, but given that he was pretty sure Fiona was sleeping with his would-be boss's boss, he was almost certain he would get the job.

Ian finally turned his phone on when he got home. One message from Fiona -- reminding him of the interview. But more importantly, three from Mickey. He immediately clicked on Mickey's name, absolutely no use in playing it cool anymore. He couldn't get him out of his head.

Mickey (9:27pm): *image attachment*

Mickey (9:27pm): found this in my bag, i wonder how it got there🤔

Mickey (7:32am): good luck at your interview! hope it was worth literally dragging your ass across the country for

Ian smiled.

Ian (10:06am): I have absolutely no idea how that drawing got there. Maybe trolls? 😇

Ian (10:07am): And your luck helped! I think the interviewer liked me :)

Mickey (10:07am): hopefully he didnt like you too much

Ian (10:09am): SHE liked me a very healthy amount.

Mickey (10:10am): gonna keep it that way

Ian (10:12am): 🙄 Oh Mick. Can't be jealous over something you don't have.

Mickey (10:15am): i have you right where i want you dont you worry your pretty little head

Ian (10:17am): So you think I'm pretty is what I'm hearing?

Mickey (10:18am): i think your annoying go away

Ian (10:19am): I thought I couldn't get rid of you that easy?

Mickey (10:19am): changed my fucking mind

--

Their texting banter came to a halt when Mickey picked up a shift at his legitimate job. Ian unpacked his ratty old suitcase and cleaned up his apartment while he waited for his phone to ring. From the job... from Mickey.

--

Right when he was switching loads of laundry, his phone rang. It would be a lie if he said he didn't drop everything and run.

It was his new boss him on his new job. He couldn't hold back his grin as he immediately texted Mickey, then Fiona. He was proud of himself.

Fiona called and they chatted about the job -- omitting the part where he assumed she was sleeping with the boss -- and Ian's road trip -- omitting the part where he kissed his once assumed kidnapper -- and then about Fiona's kids and Carl's lately stunt. He was so invested in his little criminal brother that he almost didn't hear the knock at his door.

"Fi, I gotta call you back. I think I have a delivery or something." Ian wasn't expecting anything.

Ian nearly leapt backwards when he cautiously opened his door (there were no damn peepholes in his building) to find Mickey waiting on his doormat with a grin on his face. "Congrats on the job, man!"

"Oh my God. You're here?"

"Yeah, I told you I would see you soon. I'm a man of my word. And I brought cupcakes." Always the unexpected. "Well minus one. I didn't know which apartment was yours and I went to your neighbor's first and he wouldn't tell me where you lived without a fuckin' cupcake. Greedy asshole." He murmured, quietly smiting the old bastard.

"Mickey." Ian smiled, eyes crinkling with it. "You're good. You're so good."

[yangrdn]

cough cough

pairing: peter parker x gn!reader, non-superhero AU

a/n: this is my entry for @worldoftom's lolbrosgetsicktoo challenge! i loved writing sick!peter, it was v v cute. also, whilst writing this i'm sick, also a cold and my throat hurt until three days a go for three weeks straight. writing this was basically me wanting to have a peter to look after me, so i put him in my position. feedback is really appreciated and i hope you enjoy reading this <3

ps: i put the prompt at the end bc i assumed it'd spoil a little of the story if i put it at the start. so if you want to know the prompt first, just scroll down.

summary: peter gets a sore throat.

w/c: 3.8k

warnings: mentions of vomiting, description of taking painkillers, sick and whiny peter

my m.list

request | my taglist

there are a lot of things peter’s good at. he nails every test that is thrown at him. if you asked him a question about physics, he’d give you the right answer right away. basically, peter’s smart. like, really smart. now, there’s always that one thing he is not smart enough for and needs your help for.

taking care of his body.

with that, he could get all the help possible, and would still fail. may already tried her best, telling him to zip his jacket when going out and it’s raining. or you’d tell him how he should’ve stayed at home instead of riding his bike to your apartment right after taking a shower. he had worn only a shirt and a pair of jeans, saying it was hot and that the sun was out.

you, on the other hand, were just pissed your boyfriend had risked getting sick again, because you know you’ll have to take care of him. not because may told you to, nope. peter just didn't let anyone come near him when sick, besides you. although it does make you question whether he does it because he wants you close, even when he feels like melting because of his fever, or that he wants you to get sick, too.

and now, here you are. walking to peter’s flat after may called you and informed you about your “over dramatic” boyfriend. he was asking for you the whole day, and wouldn't let her sit down for even a minute, she said to you on the phone after you agreed to come over. you feel bad for her. She was up everyday, working her ass off, only to come home to Peter complaining about his pain. Taking care of him so she could at least get a day off from a whining Peter was the least you can do right now.

You knock on the door twice and start taking off your shoes. It wasn’t raining, but you don’t want to enter the flat with dirty shoes and leave more work when you leave. May opens the door, a tired smile across her face and a relieved sigh leaving her lips when she notices it’s you standing there.

“Hi, May,” you smile at her and give her a side hug, already peeking behind her and seeing two empty boxes of tissues. You frown and pull back as you enter the room.

“He won’t shut up about his throat. His voice is nearly gone, so he won’t be able to talk that much,” she informs you and closes the door behind you as you make your way to Peter’s room. You nod and turn around.

“It’s okay, I’ll make sure he gets enough sleep anyways,” you tell her. May silently thanks you with two thumbs up as she walks slowly to her room, closing the door quietly.

You knock on Peter’s door softly, not wanting to barg in if he’s doing something or wake him up. When you get no response, you open the door and step in. The room is dark, the only light coming in from the sun shines shining through the blinds. On Peter’s desk, books are piled up and you assume those are all for his missing assignments. A pout forms on your lips as you realize he’ll need to do all his missing work for school once he feels better. You make a mental note to help him as you roll up the blinds, only enough to illuminate the room more. When your eyes cast on the brown haired boy laid on the bed, the pout is quickly replaced by a soft smile.

Peter’s laying on his bed, blanket draped over his body and only covering his hips and left leg, soft snores leaving his lips. He’s only wearing a pair of boxers, his chest glistening with sweat. Your eyes widen as you walk closer to him, placing your palm on his forehead. A quiet gasp leaves your lips once you feel how hot his forehead is. He stirs awake slowly, only moving his head away from your palm and whining. You try to stifle a laugh and make the thin blue blanket cover at least half his body. His eyes open, blinking rapidly as he adjusts to the new light.

“Ugh,” he groans and hides his face behind his hands. Peter’s head is spinning, his eyes only adding more pain when he opens them. You sit on the bed, making sure not to touch him and hand him the glass of water on his nightstand. After revealing his face, he sits up slowly and takes the glass. Drowning it in slow and painful gulps, Peter lets out a hiss after setting the glass back down on the nightstand.

Now that he’s fully awake, you take a second to examine his sick state. His cheeks are rosy, you can basically see that the poor boy is burning up. His head is leaned back against the cool wall and his eyes squeezed shut due to his headache.

“I’m in so fucking much pain,” he whines and opens one eye, squinting and looking at you. You sigh, taking note of the crack in his voice. May wasn’t lying when she said he had a hard time talking.

“May told me. Did you eat today?” He frowns and shuts his eyes again.

“No, I- I-,” he stops talking and coughs, hissing as he feels more pain in his throat. You take the water bottle next to him and quickly fill up the glass again, handing it to him. After another painful gulp, he continues.

“May made me soup, but I didn’t finish it,” he croaks out. You purse your lips and nod.

“You lay back down. I’ll get you some painkillers, make you tea and then come back here, ok?” He nods and opens his mouth.

“Ah, ah ah, no talking for you. I see the pain you’re in right now. I’d tell you I told you so when you came over, wet and only with a t-shirt, but then you’d start arguing.” With that, you leave his room and make sure to leave the door open behind you, enough to hear Peter in case he calls for you. You make your way to the open kitchen and take out the water heater, a bag of camomile tea from the cabinet and let the water boil. While it’s boiling, you search through the other cabinets for painkillers, until you find a packet of Ibuprofen. After checking and making sure it’s not past its expiration date and that Peter’s old enough to take it, you place it on the counter and take out a teacup, throwing the tea bag in and waiting for the water to end. After a minute, you slowly fill the cup, careful not to burn yourself. You take the painkillers, turn around and walk back to Peter, balancing the full tea cup in your left hand as you softly blow in it. It should be hot, but not too hot for Peter to burn himself when drinking.

You shove the door open with your foot and step in, placing the cup on Peter’s nightstand. He was already waiting for you, glass filled with water in hand and eyes narrowed at the door.

“Take these,” you whisper, handing him the painkillers and sitting on the side of his bed, only close enough for your thigh to be touching his hip. He plops a pill in his mouth, gulping it down and shaking his head.

“I can’t even swallow pills,” he groans. You lift your hand up, caressing the side of his face with your palm. A content sigh leaves his lips as you let your thumb gently caress his cheekbone. Pecking his lips softly, you ask.

“Do you want to sleep? I can close the blinds again and-” He shakes his head and takes your hand in his. “Can we watch a movie?” He whispers. You nod and help him move to the side on his bed. He takes the blanket with him, lifting it up and patting the empty side next to him.

You shake your head. “You’ll lay on me. I don’t want to put my whole body on you.”

“What,” A soft laugh escapes your lips. “I’m always the one laying on you. Let me take care of you,” Peter’s about to complain, but you’re already comfortably on the bed and patting your lap.

“Next time you-” You shush him, pulling the blanket over the two of you and grab the laptop sitting on his nightstand. He chooses a movie and places the laptop in front of you two.

“You’re lucky we have no school tomorrow. Else you’d be drowning in work,” you whisper into his hair. He sighs and glances at the pile of sheets and books on his desk.

“Already happening.” You giggle at his statement and turn your eyes back to the movie playing.

Midst watching the movie, Peter fell asleep on your lap and started snoring. A small smile displays on your face, watching your boyfriend lay comfortably with you and feel safe. You start running your hand through his hair as he stirs in his sleep, face squished against your stomach.

When he wakes up, he starts groaning and raising his head to look at you. You grin at him and peck his lips.

“Sleep good?” He shakes his head and lets it fall back on your stomach, nuzzling his nose against the fabric covering it and letting out a content sigh.

“I’m still in pain, but I guess it’ll get better later,” he says, his voice muffled. You nod and purse your lips, thinking.

“Wait, Peter.” He frowns at your worried tone and looks up at you again.

“Didn’t we buy those tickets for the concert tomorrow?” You nod to his desk. His head turns to the side you’re looking at, eyes widening and staring back at you.

“Shit, you’re right. Fuck I’m-” he starts and lowers his gaze to your lap,” I’m sorry we can’t go to the concert tomorrow because of me. I know how much you like-” You quickly shut him up by cupping his face in your hands, pouting and shaking your head.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, babe. You’re sick and I want to take care of you. We can repeat this another time,” you say gently, staring into his eyes as the frown on his face deepens.

“But you always said how excited you were for this” he protests.

“I am, yeah, but I’d rather stay at home with you than going there alone and letting my boyfriend here. Or worse, dragging you with me,” you tell him. You see the corners of his lips pick up and feel your own eyes lit up as he tries to hide his smile.

“You don’t want me to go!” A dramatic gasp leaves your mouth and you throw your head back.

“What- no! I just- I like it when…” he trails off and leaves you silent. You stare back at him, raising a brow and waiting for his answer. “I said that I just want to spend time with you and I’m kind of happy you’re staying here,” he whispers.

You grin and pull his face closer to yours, noses almost touching.

“You’re so in love with me,” He rolls his eyes and pushes you back, not before kissing the palm of your hand. “Yeah yeah I am. Am I not allowed to?”

You smirk and drape your arm over him as he shuffles closer to you.

~

A week later, Peter’s still sick. Or at least, that’s what aunt May told you. He didn’t leave his bed for hours and you slowly started to worry whether to take him to the doctors or not. You noticed the dark circles under his eyes from hours of studying and doing assignments that were already due last week. Why would he stay up at night, if he was sick? It’s what made you think whether he’s really faking it. He wouldn’t fake being sick and stay up the whole night, right?

“Y/N, did Peter tell you when he’ll come back?” Your head snaps up to the teacher talking to you, frowning and shaking your head.

“He didn’t. He’s been really sick for a little more than a week now, I don’t think he’ll come back this week yet.” The teacher nods and carries on with the class, taking a pen and starting to write something into a brown book.

You feel a light tap on your shoulder and turn around, being greeted with Ned’s worried expression.

“You sure he’s alright? He didn’t text me either,” he checks.

“He did throw up like three times last week,” you trail off, thinking about how your boyfriend called you three times from Tuesday to Wednesday, telling you he threw up and asking if you could come over.

“I’ll go to his later anyways, should I tell him to talk to you?” Ned only nods, lowering his eyes back to the paper in front of him and starting to write down his answers quickly.

~

You knock on Peter’s door after May let you in. She was in a hurry, talking about having a job interview in twenty minutes and being late as she left you in the living room, closing the door to the bathroom behind her.

There’s a faint “yeah” when you open the door, looking through the crack into his room and staring at the figure hunched up under blankets. Your eyes soften as you step into the room, closing the door silently. The blinds are up, different from the other day. His room also looks cleaner. He must’ve cleaned up the pile of clothes that was there last week and tidied his desk. You frown as you look at his bed. Yesterday he told you his head hurt too much and that he felt dizzy when standing up. Must’ve been May, probably, you shrug and walk closer to his bed, sitting down at the end of it.

“Hey,” His voice startles you. There isn’t a crack in it anymore and his eyes don’t squint as much at the bright lighting in his room as they did the last time you were here. You hum and lean back on your arms.

“How are you feeling?” you ask.

“Pretty good.” He peaks up from under the blanket, smiling at you. His eyes widen when he realizes what he just said and starts coughing. You frown and sit up straight, arm stretched out ready to grab the glass of water next to him.

“Uh, compared to last week. Yes, pretty good compared to last week,” he adds quickly and hides back under the blanket. You giggle and shuffle closer to his form, running your hand through his locks under the blanket and earning a sigh from him. He likes it when you touch him, whether it’s hugging, running your hand through his hair, or when you’d cling into his biceps as the headboard hit against the wall repeatedly. There is always physical touch between the two of you.

“Do you want to drink something? I’ll go make you another tea,” you propose and stand up, leaving his bed. He nods and smiles at you. You leave the room and walk into the kitchen. This time, you close the door to his room completely. He’s feeling much better than last week, but also acting suspicious. Peter wouldn’t skip school and act sick. It 's not like him. Like, at all. Right?

The door to his room is closed, so the first thing Peter decides to do when you leave is jump out the bed and walk to his desk, taking his phone and getting back into his comfortable bed. He makes sure you can't hear any frantic steps or movements.

After you left Peter's room the first night he asked you to stay, he started to like the attention you were giving him. It's not that you don't pay attention to your boyfriend. In fact, Peter may be in the center of your attention and you his. You two make sure to show each other the love you feel and that you care.

It's just that with your busy schedules and upcoming exams, spending time together wasn't your top priority anymore. He misses the days when you'd go to Delmar's with him after school, instead of instantly leaving because of an essay that was due that same week. So he decided to do what he does, in his opinion, best. Lie. Act sick.

He did feel bad when he first started coughing every time May was around and she worried for him, but at some point he realized staying at home a little longer wasn’t that bad and he could use some time away from school. Although he could’ve just told May he was in pressure and wanted to stay home for a couple of days, he’d rather use this option.

Peter suits himself in his bed and turns on the phone, already flooded by texts from Mj and Ned telling him the homework they got for today and texts from Ned asking where he was at, and why he stays home for this long. He stifles a laugh at the memes Ned sent into the group chat and glances to the door at the muffled steps he heard. When he’s sure there isn’t anyone close to his room, he returns his eyes to the screen of his phone.

You’re on the other side of the door, side of your face pressed against the door and holding in your breath to not get noticed. You heard a laugh when you were in the kitchen. You left Peter laying in his bed, he was too dizzy to get up and grab his phone. You raise a brow and lean closer to the door, daring to press down the doorknob and silently stepping in, halting in the open doorway with your hand on your hip and an expectant expression.

Peter is sitting up on his bed, covers long forgotten on the end of it and phone in hand. He’s laughing at something playing on his screen, not noticing you standing in the room yet. You click your tongue, pursing your lips and waiting for your presence to be noticed. When your boyfriend throws his head back, letting out another loud laugh, you decide to let him know you’re there.

“oh, ok. so i see you’re better?” you quirk a brow, smirking. his eyes widen and his head snaps to you, watching you through plate-wide eyes. he sucks in a breath and puts his lip in a thin line.

“uhm, you’re back?” he croaks out. a nervous giggle leaves his lips and he shrugs with a smile plastered on his face, biting his bottom lip. “i- i feel better,” you roll your eyes and place the cup of tea on his desk, making him frown.

“you didn’t really think i’d place it next to you? i see you’re better, go get it yourself.” he opens his mouth, only to shut it again. it was true, he looks and feels much better than last week. and peter knows he’s back to his healthy state, he just kept it from you. which is why he’s shocked at first, then frowns and groans.

“come on! yes i feel better, but can you give me the cup?” he asks. you shake your head, balancing your weight on one leg, jutting your hip out. oh, peter knows that look on your face. you’re not happy. not utterly disappointed, but you don’t seem the happiest either.

“no way you made me and may care for you for a whole week straight, when you didn’t feel sick!” you throw your hands up in the air, letting out an annoyed huff. he whines at you in a clearly irritated state and juts out his lip, trying to look as sad as possible.

“no, don’t pull that face on me. i’m pissed off,” you mutter as you walk to him, sitting down on his bed with your back to his figure. “please? i’m sorry i lied,” he starts. you frown, turning around.

“why did you, in the first place. you now have much more work to do. oh, and have fun explaining may why you lied about being sick. she stayed up with you at night, hell, i went to sleep at three for you! peter, we had school at seven!” you cry out.

the boy on the bed with you just shrugs, not exactly knowing what to say next.

“i guess i liked the attention i got.” you huff and take a glance at him. when he stays serious, you turn your whole body to him. “you liked the attention i gave you?” you ask in disbelief. he slowly nods.

“do i not give you attention?” you worry. he quickly shakes his head, arms out to reach for your hands. “no! you do, it’s just, with school and everything,...” he trails off. you nod and squeeze his hand, demanding for him to look up at your face.

“i know we don’t spend as much time together as we used to, anymore. but peter, you know i’m in so much pressure because of school! besides, don’t you have to focus on school, too? and may also told you you should look for an internship because you didn’t get one last year,” you reason. he lets go off your hand, clearly not amused.

“i told her i don’t want one. what will it do?” “uh, look good on your college applications?” you say, as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. he chuckles.

“besides that. i’ll find one, i just want to spend time with you for now,” he says softly as he scoots closer to your warm body. you put your arms around him, laying your head on his placed on your chest.

“i do too, pete. but i promise that in,” you stop and cran your neck to look behind you at the calender he’s got hung on the wall, “in five weeks we’ll be able to cuddle and watch movies like we did before again. now, we need to focus on school and you on your missed assignments,” you sigh. you feel him tense under you.

“what?! five weeks!” you smirk against his hair and squeeze him tighter.

“i was joking! two actually. but, until then, you’re stuck with me anyway studying so it won’t be that big of a problem if i stay away from you for one day,” you laugh and kiss his temple. he nuzzles into your chest, inhaling in your sent and sighing. “as long as we spend that time together, i don’t care how long it is until we finish all exams,” he whispers against you.

Prompt: Non-Superhero AU. Peter gets a sore throat! Which is very ill-timed, because him and the reader had plans to go to a concert, but they ditched in favor of the reader taking care of Peter. Days pass by and Peter is still "sick". Spoiler, he's just faking it at this point because he's enjoying the extra attention he's getting from his partner.

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peter parker

@samscaptain @emistrash @hermayone

[bittersweetmorality]

— aizawa boyfriend headcannons

☾ genre: headcannons

☾ pairing: aizawa shota x gn!reader

☾ warnings: none !! all fluff ! (hints at manga spoilers, but no details or anything about it is actually said)

☾ a/n: HIHI ! i have like 9 other drafts that i’m working on and they’re all for Bungou Stray Dogs 😁 but enjoy this Aizawa brainrot i love him gn.

☾ ALSO ! NSFW headcannons for aizawa will be coming soon as a separate post !!

☾ W/C: 1,373

— SFW

okay i’m sick of all the mfs that say that aizawa is just an emotionless asshole

HE. IS. NOT.

ON MY MAMA HE IS A SWEETHEART DEEP DOWN. IN HIS OWN WAY.

he’s not really outwardly affectionate— especially not at first

mostly because his love language is acts of service and words of affirmation

no i will not take criticism because i am right

HOWEVER of course i shall elaborate 😁

he is a bitter man because of his past (if y’all read the MHA manga... you know 😐.)

but he would not insult someone he genuinely cares about

and obviously he cares about you bae

so words of affirmation is a constant with him— and honestly it just comes out naturally, he doesn’t even force it

and it’s a lot of reassurance too— reminding you that he does care about you despite the fact that he isn’t very good at expressing it

he also doesn’t explicitly say that he loves you most of the time, just ‘cause he’s afraid of the term yaknow

he kinda plays around with words that basically mean the same thing tho 😁

“i’m very proud of you”

“you’re the only one i want”

“how are you feeling?”

“do you need anything from me? are you tired?”

speaking of which

his love language of acts of service said HELLOOOO

he just wants you to be happy and comfortable

but he’s also pretty lazy 😐

so it’s kinda acts of service but in the back of his mind he hopes that the things that make you happy n comfy are easily attainable 🧍

but when i say he’s lazy and that isn’t gunna change for ANYONE .

🧍.

yeah sorry

my mans wants his naps regardless if you want attention like just nap with him

he’s very very okay with that

AND UHHH CUDDLING .

he isn’t big on like hugs or pda or holding hands when it comes to physical affection

but CUDDLING WHILE NAPPING AND SLEEPING?? YES.

he loves that so much omg

like he knows that you’re alone and he’s allowed to be vulnerable around you, and no one is around except the two of you

and your cats

but we’ll get that later

he’s always the big spoon

not because he’s embarrassed or anything he doesn’t really give a fuck about shame in this situation

he just finds it more comfy to hold you rather than the other way around

because he cuddled his pillow for so long that’s just his natural sleeping position

you can tear that headcannon from my cold dead hands and i don’t want to hear it outta any of you

anyway

he’s such a heavy sleeper that he does NOT move an INCH at night

so if you ever have to get up to pee or just generally move around a lot while you sleep he doesn’t care

it literally cannot bother him 😐 he is dead to the world

also he doesn’t dream at all he just 😐 he sleep

he likes to hear about your dreams though if you have them ^_^ you guys talk all about it in the morning and the way he looks at you when you talk ☹️🥺

like in any situation ☹️🥺 he just listening to you talk about things you enjoy— he could listen to your voice all day

he doesn’t really reply much, but you know he’s listening

ANYWAY back to the CATS !!

you have two cats

one cat favors aizawa and one favors you

it’s no surprise that the cat that likes aizawa more has the same personality as you, and the cat that has the same personality as aizawa likes you more

obviously they love you both but like, if they had to choose a lap while you’re both on the couch, you can guess what happens

he loves the cats so much

genuinely he worries for them all the time

the only time he calls you is to check on the cats when he randomly gets anxious about them

“hi. are you home right now?”

“yes hun, i’m on my lunch break,”

“are the cats okay?”

“...yes they’re with me right now?”

“are you sure.”

“.....do you want me to put them up to the phone?”

“yes.”

anyway DATES.

they’re mostly lazy dates (obviously)

he likes the casual aspect of relationships, so that extravagant shit is wasted on him, especially when it comes to dates

he likes to order in, or cook (preferably with you) and watch a movie with the cats

the cats are in fact a requirement

and yes he will cuddle you on the couch while the movie plays, and honestly sometimes he finds himself barely focusing on the movie, just looking down at you laying on his chest and simply admiring you

he's a softie deep down

a big fat softie

also kisses with aizawa???

soft. so Soft™

he's just a very delicate person at heart, so kisses are just the same

he cups your cheeks and plants kisses on your lips and nose all. the. time.

he loves kisses but usually he doesn't initiate them, so you better grow some BALLS and kiss your man

he will kiss you right back instantly

he also isn't very private about his life

but also?? kind of??

like he definitely doesn't make any effort to hide his relationship with you from the rest of the UA staff and students, but obviously he isn't parading you around and shouting from the rooftops

he finds it really stupid for someone to actively hide their significant other from people

like??? make sure to tell people they're yours?? why would you hide that you dumbass

speaking of which aizawa is super protective

he DEF isn't possessive, like "don't you dare talk to that guy or i will kill him" type like some of y'all make him out to be

i see you and i hate you .

he just wants to keep you safe, so he looks out for you constantly

he trusts you not to be possessive, but his natural instincts from past trauma (again, manga reader know) make him look out for people he cares about

and that always includes you

OVERALL

100/10 boyfriend someone kiss him for me </3

"shota?" you called from the kitchen, trying to gather all of the snacks you had organized onto the counter in your arms. there were too many bags, so many that it would definitely be impossible for you to carry them all in one go-- and that was obvious, since every attempt to gather everything was futile. you groaned as the items tumbled out of your grasp for the umpteenth time, "shota, hun can you help?"

"hm? what's wrong?" you heard a monotonous grunt from the living room.

"i can't carry everything myself, and i really don't feel like taking multiple trips," there was no response. you sighed, "pleeeaaase??"

"i'm busy. my hands are full too."

"ugh, he's sitting on the couch, what could he possibly be busy with?" you mutter to yourself through your teeth.

finally, you decide to simply create a makeshift bag out of your shirt, flipping it up inside-out. you quickly place all of your snacks, and speed to where your lazy boyfriend sat in the other room to stop anything from falling.

you aimlessly let everything tumble out of your grasp, the sounds of plastic hitting your wooden coffee table in front of the couch.

"see? you didn't need my help," you could hear the smug smile on his face even if you weren't looking.

"well, you know how much easier it would've been if y-" you begin to whine, but as you look up to face aizawa completely, you realize why he refused to get up. two little cats were curled up on his blanket-covered lap, their bellies rising and falling gently. you tentatively made your way to sit beside him, carefully plopping onto the cushion.

"so you really were busy then, huh?"

he wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to lean your head into the crook of his neck, careful not to move his lap in the process, "well, you know i wouldn't lie to you."

masterlist

[tinyboxxtink]

"Weird Secret Friends" *Chapter 2*

Part 1

Part 3

Y'all IDK what it is about this story but I can just write and write and write. This one ended up being 11 pages [on a google doc] And I only stopped because it's 2:15 am.

I hope you guys like this, but I just want to clarify: This isn't a Barisi fic. I'm sorry, if you're looking for that, just...this isn't it. I mean they do interact and it'll be fun, but they will not be ending up together.

That being said, enjoy this new chapter! I'm debating on how pathetic enamored Sonny is, I don't think I'm gonna go that deep. No worries, people.

As always let me know if you want to be added/deleted off the tag list!! <3

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@objection-argumentative

-------

"Y/N, I'm so happy for you and Barba. You make the cutest couple," Sonny beamed at you while you were wrapped in Rafael's arms, huge smiles on all of your faces.

"Thank you Sonny, that means so much." You gave him a warm hug.

"Yeah….and you'll make the cutest couple in HELL!" All of a sudden Sonny pushed both you and Rafael off a cliff.

You were falling to your death when you woke up to your professor glaring at you.

"Have a nice nap, Miss Y/N?" He scowled at you.

"Um," You cleared your throat and straightened up at your desk. "Yes sir,"

"Good," he huffed as he headed to the front of the classroom once more. "Maybe now we can continue without your snoring,"

You heard the students around you snicker at his comments as You sunk lower into your desk and waited for class to end. It had been a long train ride home and then a drive to your apartment last night, you hadn't gotten home until around 2 am and had this 8 am class. As soon as the professor dismissed your class you booked it out of the class and out into the parking lot of your community college.

"Ugh, could this day get any--" before you could even finish your thought you got your answer. Your phone beeped with a text from Rafael:

RAFA: Hey killer, how's the bullshit county? 😉

That was the nice thing, then just as you were about to text him back your phone lit up.

SONNY BOI CALLING

"Shit!" You hissed to no one. "How does he know?!"

"Ahem….Heyyy, cuz," You answered it with your best nonchalant voice. That of course sounded totally chalant.

"Hey sunshine," His voice sounded relaxed, thank God.

"What's up?" You tried keeping your tone light as you neared your car.

"Well y'know I was just thinkin, I feel real bad about standing you up last night,"

"Oh, Son it's no big deal really," the fact that he felt guilty about anything made you feel even more guilty.

"No, I know you have a busy schedule and it takes a lot to get into the City and I just blew you off," He kept on with the guilt train.

"You didn't blow me off Son you had work. I get that--" You unlocked your car and got in, starting it so your windows would thaw. And your whole body.

"Well I wanna make it up to you," He cut you off.

"Oh?" your voice fell short. This couldn't be good.

"Yeah, my boss-- well he's not really My boss but Mr. Barba--"

Oh shit. Barba? Was Barba having a party? Why wouldn't He tell you that? Wait why WOULD he tell you that? Stupid. Wait, what was Sonny saying?

".... birthday, so you could be like my date," you caught the tail end of his invite.

"Birthday?" You repeated like a parrot. It was Barba's birthday? Oh god. You were really trying not to focus on how old he was. Don't ask. For the love of god don't say it Sonny.

"Yeah don't worry you don't need to get him anything, I got it covered," Sonny assured you.

Well, that was one way you could figure out just how much your cousin cared about his "idol". The more expensive the gift, the stronger the feelings were. You wondered whether you should ask him now or wait for the surprise. Maybe you should ask now, then his answer should tell you what you'd be getting into.

*So what did you get this 'non boss' of yours?" You asked slyly.

"Oh," now Sonny's voice dropped. "Well I, I don't wanna say,"

Fuck.

Don't panic. Do not panic.

"Oh come on Sonny," you did your best to keep a joking tone. "What am I gonna do, tell him?"

Should you joke about it? Hidden in plain sight, right?

"No I guess not, it's not like you know him,"

Whew.

"It's just kinda embarrassing…."

Oh god.

"O-Oh?" You tried to stay calm. "Why's that? Is it a gag gift?"

Please be a gag gift.

"Actually it's a new briefcase," He replied.

"Oh why is that embarrassing you goof?” You gave him a hard time. What was that in the emotional baggage department? Pun intended.

"I mean, it's more expensive than the one I own," You could hear the shrug in his voice.

Fuck. Don't ask why. Don't ask. But if you don't ask, that will be even more suspicious wouldn't it?

"Oh Son," You asked softly. "Why would you do that?"

"Well the one he has is as old as dirt, I think it's probably the first one he ever bought. I wanted him to look snazzy in court." He replied with a super eager tone.

"That's sweet," you were pounding your steering wheel in frustration. Say it.

"Seems like a lot of work for a mentor though," You closed your eyes mentally killing yourself.

"Yeah well," he laughed uncomfortably.

Say it.

"Sonny…” You didn’t want to do this.

“Yeah?” He was oblivious.

“You know you can always talk to me,”

“Yeah of course,” He assured you.

“About anything,” You scrunched your nose.

“Yeah I know, sunshine,” He half laughed.

“ANYTHING,” You reiterated

There was a long awkward pause.

“...Sonny?” You made sure he hadn’t hung up on you.

“Yeah, I'm here,” He replied softly.

“So?” You waited for the bomb to drop.

So…. He sighed. "I just want him to like me,"

Dammit.

"....Yeah," You nodded, cursing yourself.

"Yeah, its stupid. I'm stupid." He laughed again.

“You're not stupid,” you laid your head on the steering wheel in shame.” I mean the heart wants what it wants right?”

“What?! Oh my god, Y/N,” He scoffed. “I'm not gay,”

“….Sonny it's 2021,” you shook your head. “Sexuality is a spectrum,”

Right well. He laughed defensively. "I'm on the p in the v scale,"

“Ugh, Sonny,” you made a face.

“Sorry sunshine,” He apologized. “I just...why would you even think that?!”

“Uh…” You paused.

Maybe he wasn't fully aware that he had romantic feelings for Rafael. If you started pointing out the signs, he might realize it. But then you'd have a cousin going through gay panic AND then finding out it doesn't matter anyway.

"No reason," You lied.

"I just want him to like him so he'll give me a good recommendation once I graduate Fordham Law,"

"Oh" you smacked your head. "Duh. Right. Of course,"

That was completely legitimate. Maybe you had been misreading this whole thing. Now you just had the whole overprotective Gotti side of Sonny to worry about.

"Well I guess I could spend the weekend in the city," You shrugged as you pulled out of the parking lot.

“Absolutely!” He exclaimed. “My couch is always open,”

Not exactly where you were thinking of sleeping, but you weren't blowing your cover over the phone. Wait, maybe you should. Then he couldn't kill you over the phone. Wait, he's presumably at work right now. You didn't know how closely he worked with Barba, but you figured it would be a hell of a lot easier for Sonny to get to him before you could stop him from killing Rafael.

"Sure sounds good. I'll see you then cuz,” You smiled and hung up the phone.

------

Friday arrived, and you once again found yourself standing outside Forlini's. You debated heavily whether to go in or not, but you told yourself you were going to wait for Sonny outside this time, no more risking a sexy bar rendezvous.

You hadn’t really responded to Rafael’s texts the last few days, and you certainly didn’t tell him you were coming. Maybe you should have told him. You grabbed your phone to text him when you heard a familiar voice behind you:

“Y/N?”

You spun around to see Rafael dressed to the 9’s, smiling at you. He smelled delicious, mixed with the food aroma wafting out of the restaurant and the smell of freshly fallen snow in New York City.

“...Happy Birthday, Counselor,” You bit your lip nervously.

“W-What are you doing here?” He stared at you as if he thought he was dreaming.

“Sonny invited me,” You nervously smiled.

“Seriously?” He laughed.

“Seriously,” You nodded with a laugh as well.

“Did-- did you say anything to him?” He asked you worriedly.

“Are you insane?!” You hit him. “No!”

“So why did he invite you here?” He asked.

“He said it was to make up for ditching me the other night,” You shrugged.

“...The irony,” He smirked.

“Mmm,” You nodded with an amused smile.

“Well this is a very happy birthday indeed,” He smiled, pulling you closer into his coat similar to the night you had met.

“....Just don’t ask which one it is,” He warned you while staring at your lips deviously.

“Deal,” You nodded in agreement before he pulled you into a hungry kiss.

“DUDE!!” You snapped back before his lips were on yours for more than a millisecond. “Are you nuts?! Sonny’s gonna be here any second!”

“It’s my birthday, carino,” He made a pouty face. “Don’t yell at me,”

“Oh lord,” You rolled your eyes. “Alright, man child,”

He was about to go for another sneaky kiss when you both heard a voice from behind you.

“....Sunshine?”

“Oh!” You jumped ten feet away from Rafael when you turned to see Sonny standing there with a huge gift bag, staring slack jawed at the two of you. “Sonny! I um, we--”

“I was teaching your cousin a lesson in New York safety,” Rafael talked over you, his face completely stone. God he was a good liar.

“Excuse me, counselor?” Sonny raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two of you. You just stared in speechlessness.

“She was standing on this curb holding her bag out for any miscreant on these streets to just wrestle away from her, I was just demonstrating how,” He gestured to your open purse.

“Barba I really think this ain’t that kinda neighborhood,” Sonny half laughed.

“...You never know,” Rafael shrugged. “Now let’s all get inside, I’m sure everyone is anxious to start celebrating me,”

You and Sonny both rolled your eyes with smiles; too similar of smiles, you noticed. Thankfully, he did not. You both followed Rafael back to a private room where a bunch of fancy dressed people were mingling with drinks in their hands while two long empty tables stood in the middle of the room. They all stopped and clapped when Rafael walked in.

“Oh, for me?” He feigned surprise and humility.

“Yeah right Barba,” A woman laughed sarcastically. “You’re the one who invited us here,”

“Touche, Rita,” Rafael smirked as he began making the rounds around the table greeting everyone.

“So are we allowed to eat now, I’m starving,” An older man asked.

“And I’ve got a son waiting,” A red headed woman chimed in.

“Right, right,” Rafael nodded as people began to take seats. “Sorry everyone, you know I love to make a dramatic entrance,”

“Oh trust me we know, Barba,” Another man called. “Your catwalks into the courtroom prove that. I think we have a montage of them,”

“Ha Ha,” Rafael rolled his eyes, then turned to you and Sonny.

“Sonny,” He put a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you sit next to me?”

“R-Really, counselor?” You saw Sonny’s eyes light up like Christmas tree lights.

Fuck. You knew he was only asking him so that you would sit next to him as well. And while you loved the idea, you knew how much this was toying with Sonny’s feelings.

“A-Are you sure, about that Mr. Barba?” You gave him a look.

“Absolutely, Miss-- I didn’t catch your name?” He played it so cool.

“Y/N,” You held out your hand as you re-introduced yourself.

“Right, well--” He shook your hand then turned his attention to Sonny who was still beaming like a kid on Christmas. “I don’t know how much Carisi has told you, but he is quite the promising mentee of mine,”

“....R-Really, Rafael?” Sonny blinked in disbelief, causing Rafael’s smile to falter for a moment. Sonny had never called him “Rafael” before, it was always “Barba”. Shit, maybe he had given him too much praise.

“I mean, you know, for a lap dog,” He quickly added with a snarky tone and a smirk.

“Mr. Barba!” You tried not to raise your voice at the birthday boy. “That is my cousin you’re talking ab---”

“No, no it’s fine Y/N-- th-that’s how we work isn’t it, counselor? He just gives me jabs, I know he doesn’t mean it,” Sonny laughed nervously, staring at the floor. He knew not to get too comfortable with Barba, why did he even try it?

“Indeed,” Rafael nodded in agreement. “But, I still request you sit by me-- at least I know you don't poison my food. Which is more than I can say for many of my esteemed ‘guests’,” He eyed the tables of people before him.

“Then why invite them to your party?” You quirked an eyebrow.

“I get that Jersey doesn’t have the social classes of Manhattan, Miss Y/N,” He smirked. “But here, you’ve got to do things to keep up appearances,”

“Oh do you?” You practically growled.

“Yes,” He nodded while a waiter brought him a glass of scotch. “Even if you don’t like someone, if they serve a purpose for you than you do what you must to keep in their good graces,”

“Oh is that so? So you’re only kind to people who can ‘serve’ you?” You crossed your arms and narrowed your eyes at him.

What kind of Danny Zuko bullshit was this?! This was an entirely different Rafael Barba you had met the other night. He was kind, flirty, endearing. This new Barba was snarky and condescending, and you were not amused at all.

“Y/N, chill,” Sonny hissed at you. “This is just how Barba is, he’s harmless,”

“Yeah well you might not mind being his doormat Sonny, but I sure as hell won’t be,” You angrily stomped off.

“Oh my god,” Sonny muttered, wondering if he should run after you or not. “Barba, I am so so sorry about her,”

“It’s fine, Carisi,” He watched you stomping away, trying to hide the guilt in his voice. He was just trying his best to throw Sonny off the trail. He may have overcompensated just a tad.

“I-I should go check on her, She’s just a kid--”

“No, allow me,” Rafael put a hand to Sonny’s chest. “It was my faux paux, I should apologize to her myself. I was being a bit of an ass,”

“Yeah but that’s just you, Barba,” Sonny chuckled, trying not to blush at Rafael’s hand on his chest.

“True, but I forget not everyone knows me as well as you do, Carisi,” And now he was trying to be extra nice to Sonny to get on his good side, while cluelessly egging on his feelings.

“That is very true,” Sonny laughed even more nervously. “I’ll uh, I’ll take a seat and get our drinks ordered,”

“Excellent,” Rafael smiled at him, probably one of five times in the entire time they’d known each other. He gave Sonny one more pat on the back before walking after where you had stomped off to.

He found you right before you hit the front door, his hand catching yours before it could grab the handle. You turned and scoffed at him, your scowl still present after stomping off.

“Oh, come to appease me, counselor? How can I be of service to you?” You snapped.

“Please, Y/N,” He gave you apologetic eyes as he pulled you closer to him. “I’m sorry, I just-- I didn’t want Carisi to think anything was off. He already caught us being handsy, I had to make it look like we disliked each other,” He explained.

“Oh I think you’ve done that above and beyond, jackass,” You huffed. “First I’m too stupid to not get robbed in the city, and then I’m too uncultured to understand ‘high society’ manipulative bullshit?”

“I’m sorry, I may have gone a little over--” He started.

“But that wasn’t even an act, was it?” You interjected angrily.

“What do you mean?” He asked you curiously.

“Your line of you having ‘use’ of a person? I assume that is why you have a room full of powerful people you dislike as opposed to a room full of sycophants?” Yeah, you might just go to community college but you knew big words too.

“I mean, that is how it works--”

“Jesus Christ,” You shook your head with a laugh. “You know I understood for about half a second why my cousin is so infatuated by you, but I am losing that belief real quick,” You turned and started to walk away again.

“Y/N come on,” He grabbed both of your arms this time and pulled you close into him, your noses almost touching.

“Look I’m-- I’m sorry, that I’m---this,” He gestured to himself.

“But that’s just how I have to be in their world,” He gestured back towards the room. “I’m telling you, it’s a room full of sharks. If I show weakness or misstep in decorum, I’m nothing but chum to those people,”

“The guy you met the other night, that’s the real me,” He put a hand to your cheek. “I never get to be that guy, not in public. That’s why I was so attracted to you,” He put his other hand on your waist.

“I don’t have to be ‘Rafael Barba, the snarky ADA with a silver tongue,’ I can just be…’Rafa’,” He gave you an earnestly sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” You blinked in confusion. “I know I’m not helping myself but what exactly is the ‘ADA’?”

Your question brought that familiar amused grin and a laugh. “See, this is what I’m talking about,”

“Oh yeah I know, the ignorant girl you can placate--”

“No,” He put a finger on your lips. “The earnest, normal, gorgeous girl,” He kissed your forehead. “I’m sure if we took a poll in here right now the majority of the room would be with you, not knowing what an ADA is,”

“Which still doesn’t answer the question,” You pointed out.

“I…” He tried to think of a way to explain his role in the Manhattan judicial system. “Well, the DA of the county is like-- the King of Lawyers in that section. Or queen, as my boss is Rita,” He shook his head with a laugh. Oh Rita Calhoun, the stories he could tell about her.

���So, you’re her king?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Eh, I’d say Prince but she’d probably say Jester if she heard this metaphor to be honest with you,”

“Mmm I like that,” You finally let yourself smile at him.

“A Prince?” He grinned.

“The Jester,” You gave him a tongued smile, settling against his chest.

“Well, I’ll gladly take that title if it makes you happy,” He kissed your forehead. “I’d do anything to make you happy right now,”

You looked into his green eyes, they were now their usual sparkling green hue, and you remembered very quickly how you had gotten yourself in this mess in the first place. He really was a sweet, charming, gorgeous guy. And then you remembered those were probably all the reasons Sonny fell for him too.

“Ahem.” You straightened up and stepped out of his grasp. “Well, what would make me happy right now is getting back to my cousin,”

“Oh,” Rafael’s eyes softened into a sad gaze.

“Rafael, I think he really likes you,” You bit your lip with guilt. “And you toying with him just now isn’t helping!”

“Toying with him?” Rafael’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion? “I wasn’t toying with--”

“Sit by me, Carisi? You’re important to me, Carisi?” You imitated his questions in a mocking tone.

“I had to ask him that so you would--” He started to explain, but you already knew.

“I know!” You stopped him. “I know, that’s why it’s so fucked!” You put your hands over your face.

“Carino…” Rafael walked over and pulled your hands from your face and held them.

“I’m hurting him every second that I stand here with you, and I--” You bit your lip trying not to cry. “I’m still doing it! I can’t walk away!”

“So don’t,” He squeezed your hands with an even sadder look.

“This is just--” You broke free from his grasp once again and wiped your eyelids. “We need to get back before Sonny comes after you,”

“....So where does this conversation leave us, then?” He asked you cautiously.

“I don’t…” You gazed into his puppy dog emerald eyes. “I don’t know, I don’t want to think about it right now, okay?”

“Fair enough,” He put his hands down in concession. “...But we really need to--”

“Yeah, I know,” You nodded softly as you walked back to the private room, Rafael trailing behind you.

All you could think on the way back was how in God’s name were you going to make it through the rest of the night.

[jeyramarie]

Mr. & Mrs. Holland- (Mob! Tom Holland x Mob! Reader) part 4

summary: sometimes the price to pay is the worst consequence 

warning: kidnapping, torturing, blood, cursing 

w/c: 2,907

a/n: i had this idea so long ago and seeing it written it’s absolutely amazing. i hope you guys like it! happy reading everyone 🦋

prologue~ part 1~ part 2~ part 3~

After Tom hung up, he quickly got dressed. 

“Babe, what happened?” she asked leaning over the bed to grab her underwear. 

“James.. he is dead.” he said, poking his head out of the closet, seeing her face of shock. 

“Um.. how? w-why?” she stuttered, running her hand through her hair. 

“Darling, i don’t know but i have to go over there.” Y/n was still in shock, how can someone she just saw earlier in the day was found dead. Her thoughts were cut short when Tom came out of the closet and gave her a kiss. 

“I’m gonna figure this out, okay? I’ll call you. I love you.” Tom said and left for the hotel leaving Y/n alone in bed, worried to death. She spent the whole day at home, waiting for Tom to call. Y/n wasn’t gonna stay inside the rest of the day bored to hell. So of course, she kept herself busy. She painted and played the piano in a small library Tom had made for her. She was writing a song for her husband which was quite hard. The melody didn’t sound as soothing as she wanted to. At the end of the night, she was drinking tea on her bed while watching tv when her phone finally rang. It was Tom. 

“Babe?” 

“Hey, darling.” 

“How are you? Are you okay? Is everything okay?” 

“Honey, calm down. I’m fine. I just got caught up, I’m sorry I didn’t call.” he chuckled making Y/n let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. I was literally going crazy.” 

“I’m sorry love, it’s just pretty hectic over here.” 

“It’s alright. Are you on your way home?” she asked, feeling hopeful and bit her lip. 

“Actually, love. I wanted to talk about that.” Y/n stayed quiet waiting for him to continue, immediately feeling upset. 

“I have to leave for a few… have to go to Washington.” 

“Why?” she whispered sadly making him frown too. 

“Some business issues, darling. Just gonna go check it out, see what’s going on.” 

“Can’t Harrison go and handle it?” she asked as she ran her finger around the teacup. 

“Not this time. They need my signature to prove Haz is not lying. You know us mobsters have serious trust issues.” 

“How long are you gonna be away?” 

“Like three days.” 

“Do you have clothes?” that made Tom smile, loving how she worries all the time. 

“Yes, I do.”

“And your toothbrush?” she smiled as his laugh filled her ears. 

“Yes, my love. I have everything.” 

“Okay, then.” she said softly as she fidgeted with the blanket. 

“I have to go, baby. I’ll call you in the morning.” 

“Okay, goodnight. I love you.” 

“I love you too, princess. ‘Night.” they hung up and Tom went back to work while Y/n’s eyes teared up. It was gonna be a peaceful nice so she felt the sudden need to do something she’s never done and was slightly scared to do. She just needed to be alone right now. Y/n got out of bed and put on her silk robe, going downstairs to talk to William. He was sitting on the kitchen stool drinking coffee with Susan, the maid. 

“William.” she said softly not wanting to startle anyone. He heard his boss and quickly stood up from the stool, turning to her. 

“Gather everyone around, please.” she turned around and left to the main entrance leaving William and Susan all confused. Wondering what she was going to say. A few minutes went by and all her employees from the house gathered in front of her. 

“Hello, everyone. I don’t know if you know but Tom is gonna be away on a business trip for the next three days. You all can go home today, to your family. Take the rest of the day off. I’ll see everyone tomorrow.” she smiled as her employees smiled too. They all said thank you and spread out to grab their belongings. She turned to William who was still standing there, not moving an inch. 

“William, you can go home.” 

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t leave. I don’t want to.” 

“Thank you. You can sleep in the guest room.” she said as she walked upstairs to her room to try and get some sleep. 

The clock read 3:30 am when Y/n woke up abruptly from a slamming door. ‘It must be William.’ she thought as she suddenly felt really thirsty. She walked out of her room and made her way to the kitchen. The whole house was dark, only lights that were reflected inside were the ones from the pool. She opened the fridge to get some water and when she closed she saw a figure next to her making her gasp. The jug of water crashed on the ground, covering the floor in broken glass. As she stepped backwards, trying to get anyway from the intruder, her back met a strong broad chest. The man quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place as she kicked around trying to get out of his grasp. Y/n was about to scream for help when the person in front of her quickly covered her mouth. 

“Where’s the chip?” the person asked as she struggled against the strong grip around her. Y/n shook her head making the person roll her eyes. 

“Check the whole house! Now!” he screamed and a bunch of people walked in, beginning to trash the whole place. Flipping tables and furniture, breaking bases, mirrors, picture frames, everything. The man behind Y/n kept a strong grip around her with one arm and covered her mouth with his other hand, making her see how they destroyed everything. She kept screaming into the man’s hand and moved her body abruptly to get out his grasp. 

Suddenly, people started walking down the stairs holding William at gunpoint while his hands were up in surrender. He was about to say something when one of the men hit him in the back of the head with the barrel of the gun, leaving him passed out on the floor which caused Y/n to scream into the hand. 

“You’re gonna wish you’d never taken that information.” and with that he punched her so hard that she fell unconscious onto the man’s arms that were still wrapped around her. 

‘Ugh, what a massive headache.’ Y/n thought immediately when she started waking up, thinking that everything from the night before was a dream. She was hoping she would wake up in her bed, nexto to her husband but it wasn’t like that. Once she opened her eyes, she felt immense fear from her surroundings. She was tied up to a chair with duct tape over her mouth and she was in some kind of basement. After what felt like hours of her trying to break free from the ties, the door behind her opened letting a man walk in. 

“Well, hello there. You finally woke up.” a familiar voice said she struggled against her restraints feeling immediate fear. 

“It’s a pleasure to have you here.. Mrs. Holland.” the man said finally standing in front of her causing her to lift her head slowly. Her eyes went wide when she saw who it was. Which made her pull against the restraints even harder, needing to get away. It was Adam. The same Adam that was spying on her and her husband, the same Adam that probably killed James. He laughed at her fear as he ripped the duct tape off her mouth making her groan in pain. 

“Now, let’s talk. Shall we?” he said as he placed a chair in front of her and sat down. 

(Washington…)

All the way in Washington, Tom was having dinner with a couple mob friends when Harrison’s phone ran. He saw it was William calling which made him answer immediately, knowing something bad must be happening.

“William, everything alright?” 

“Haz, he took her. He took Y/n.” he grunted getting up from the floor feeling immense pain on his head. Harrison’s eyes went wide quickly turning around so his boss wouldn't hear.

“Who took her, William? What the fuck happened?” he whispered aggressively running his hand through his hair. 

“Adam… he came here, trashed the whole place. He came looking for the stupid chip.” 

“Where the fuck was everyone? That house is supposed to be surrounded 24/7.”

“Mate, I know that. Y/n sent them all home for the night.”

“Why the fuck- okay, thank you William. I’ll call you later, after I tell Tom.” he whispered not wanting his boss to hear. 

“Alright. I’m sorry, mate.” Harrison hung up and turned to see the men laughing, Tom all smiley with no worries. It pained him to be the one to ruin that but he had to say something. Y/n’s life was on the line. With all his courage, he walked towards Tom and leaned getting close to his ear.

“William called. It’s about Y/n.” he whispered then stepped back making Tom turn to him and give him a questionable look. He excused himself from the table and walked over to Haz, pulling him towards the hall of the restaurant.

“What about Y/n?” Tom asked angrily with a clenched jaw.

“Adam showed up at the house.” Harrison saw how he wanted to interrupt so he held his hand up to shut Tom up.

“He went looking for the chip, trashed the whole place and took Y/n. I asked William where everyone was and he told me that she had sent them all home for the night.” Tom stayed silent for a while, feeling anger course through his body like wildfire. All he replayed in his head was ‘took Y/n’. 

“Let’s go back to New York. Now.” he said angrily and stomped outside of the restaurant, getting into the car with Harrison behind him. Tom couldn’t take Y/n out of his mind. Thinking how scared she might’ve been, how he wasn’t there for her, everything was eating him alive. He bounced his leg up and down the whole way, feeling nervous and worried and angry all at the same time. All he wanted was to be with his wife, to keep her safe and he wont till he gets her back. 

(New York…)

She huffed as another punch hit her cheekbone causing it to open. Adam has been torturing her for what felt like hours. He hit her in the face, her torso, even on the side of her head. All his rage went out on every punch he gave. 

“No one is gonna fucking steal from me again. Specially stupid ass women like you.” he said with gritted teeth, punching her in the corner of her mouth making her cough and spit out blood. 

“Didn’t your mom ever teach you to not hit girls?” Y/n mumbled with her head hanging low, feeling dizzy from all the fist to face contact. He laughed dryly and yanked her head back by her hair making her wince in pain. 

“She did.. but she also told me to defend myself and you’re a slimy little bitch.” he said with gritted teeth as his grip on her hair got tighter making her shout in pain. Adam let go of his grip pushing her head forward. He was about to punch her again when he’s phone started ringing. One of his men gave him the phone which made him smile devilishly once he saw the caller id. He took the gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at Y/n as he answered the fun.

“Hey, Tommy.” her eyes went wide when she heard her husband’s name and started pulling on the restraints. 

“Tom!” she shouted causing Adam’s employee to stand up and cover her mouth. Of course, she continued shouting Tom’s name over and over again. Until she had enough of being silenced and bit the guys hand making him scream and take it away. 

“Tom! Please let me talk to him, Adam. Please, I need to talk to him.” Y/n begged on the verge of crying. He laughed and placed his phone on her ear. 

“Y/n?”

“Tom, baby-“ 

“Are you hurt? Do you know where you are?” 

“Baby..” she whispered as she started to cry.

“Tom, I’m scared.” she muttered feeling ashamed and disappointed in herself. 

“I’m gonna find you, okay? Try to give me a coded message, baby. Just try, please.” She started looking around, trying to look for something familiar that Tom would notice but all she saw was Adam and his men staring at her. 

“I-I can’t. There’s nothing- I can’t.” Tom was about to answer when Adam came and ripped off the phone from her ear. 

“I’m sure you guys had a nice conversation.” 

“If you dare fucking touch her, I’ll find you and cut you in tiny little pieces.” Tom said with gritted teeth. 

“Oh well, Tommy you might have to sharpen your knife then.” He quickly hung up the phone before Tom could start talking. 

(Tom’s private jet..) 

The mob boss threw his phone on the floor as he stood up and walked back and forth in anxiousness. He ran his hand through his hair, only thinking about his wife. 

“He fucking touched her, Harrison. He… fuck!” Tom screamed with gritted teeth only wanting to kill Adam over and over again. 

The plane finally landed and they drove quickly to the house. William was waiting outside with a bruise eye and a sling holding his right arm. The car came to a stop and both men stepped out quickly walking towards the man who was scared. 

“Mr. Holland, I’m so sorry. She sent everyone home but I decided to stay to look after her and then they came in and just-“ 

“William, breath.” Tom said, interrupting his rambling. 

“I’m so sorry. I- I couldn’t do anything.” 

“It’s not your fault, William. Do you have any idea on where she might be?” he asked, walking into the house with the men behind him, going into the kitchen. 

“Of course, I thought about the hotel. His house too or maybe James’ house. She can be anywhere by now.” Tom stayed silent rubbing his chin in deep thought. 

“We should go to the hotel an-”

“Wait, didn’t you put a tracker on James’ car?” Harrison interrupted leaning against the counter. 

“Did you ever check it, boss?” William asked, turning to him waiting for an answer. 

“Not really.. James was found dead that day. Never got the chance.” he said softly as he stood up to get his laptop. He turned it on and began typing away, looking for the current location of the vehicle. It was at Le Royale, where James was last seen before he got murdered. 

“I wonder why he went back there..” William said walking away to get some water. Tom quickly thought about the chip Y/n had. 

“Will, does the chip have access to the security cameras?” 

“Yeah, I think so.”

“We have to find it, right now.” and with that, they all spread out around the house. They went into every room and checked every closet and drawer. Tom finally made it to his bedroom that stayed as Y/n left it. Bed undone, her clothes on the floor, the smell of sex still in the room and her purse wide open on the dresser, next to her laptop. He ran and grabbed it, then ran downstairs to call the guys. 

“I got it!” he shouted as he got closer to the computer, immediately plugging it into the device. Tom sat there again, typing and typing, trying to pull up the footage of James in Adam’s office. He was thinking about this for some time. Finding proof that Adam killed James, sending it to the police anonymously and following them when they went to look for him at his home. That way he could find Y/n. His thoughts quickly changed, ‘That would take too long.’ he thought quickly stepping away from the computer. William and Harrison looked at each other in confusion wondering why he would just stop. 

“I have to call him.” Tom mumbled standing up from his chair and pulling out his phone, quickly dialing Adam’s number. 

“Hello?”

“What do you want?” he asked angrily as the man laughed. 

“What do I- oh Tommy. It’s not that easy.” he said as he watched Y/n get her head dunked in water repeatedly, not giving her time to breath. 

“I’ll give you anything. Just tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you just… just please give me Y/n.” Adam stayed quiet for a bit as she gasped for air once her head was out of the water. 

“Give me my chip back and we’ll schedule a place.” Adam said, holding his hand up, signalling his stop the turtering. He then hung up and walked towards Y/n who was still gasping for air. Tom put his phone back into his pocket and made his way to the boys who were still on the computer. 

“Adam wants the chip.” he said, breaking the guys’ trance.

“I’m gonna give it to him-”

“But Tom-” Harrison started interrupting him out of shock. 

“I’ll give it to him empty.”

mr&mrs.h: @ilovefandoms102 @themaddies-obx @guillerminacaba @teenwishes08 @runawayolives @theartisticqueen @quacksonlover81 @wonderfulfluffer @spidernerdsblog @nerdy-collector-festival

[theduosetter]

── 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 ──

Pairing: Daichi Sawamura x f!reader

Summary: Two strangers laid their eyes upon one another and were captivated at first sight. All they were itching to know was their name yet who knew they were closer to each other than they realized.

Warning(s): cursing, fluff, adorable all around!!

A|N: I hope you enjoy this mini series! Any heart or reblog would be appreciated thank you! Feedback too :D

Links: m.list | writing commissions ✏️ || tip the writer ✍️ ||

Part: 3

"Hurry up, Y/n!" Hinata yelled as he grew impatient.

"I'm coming, Shoyo! You're literally outside of my door." you hung up and grabbed your bag along with your phone.

Opening your bedroom door you saw your best friend standing there tapping his foot. "Was it really necesarry for you to call me when you were already here?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed "I don't want you changing plans last minute."

"I'm not going to bail on you guys." you chuckled "Relax, we are going to hangout together today."

"Alright. Come on we still need to get to the gym to warm up." he grabbed your hand and ran downstairs.

"Shoyo!" you exclaimed "Where's Tobio anyway?"

When you got to the bottom of the stairs you saw the black haired friend sitting down at the kitchen table. A sigh escaped your lips knowing he wouldn't pass up the chance of some milk with your mom's pastries. "I can't quite say that I'm surprised."

"Do you wnt...s-sum?" he muffled as he chewed down on the bread making his cheeks chubbier.

"I'll be fine." you answered unlike the orange hair who stuffed a plastic bag filled with pastries while your mom laughed.

"Why don't I just give you guys some extra ones?" your mom said as she filled another bag with individual wrapped bakery goods.

"We'd appreciate it!" the duo spoke.

"We gotta go or else you'll be late for the game!" you exclaimed pulling each one away from the counter covered in sweets.

"Let me get one more!" Hinata whined, "One more-"

"You'll both end up getting stomach aches if you don't stop!" you retorted.

What seemed like eternity you managed to get them out the door despite the begs. "Please make sure to come back soon boys!" your mom said.

"We'll be back Mrs. (last name)! Thank you for the sweets!" they both yelled in unison.

"I will see you before closing, mom." you kissed her cheek and grabbed the four bentos. "Thank you for the food!"

"Be careful okay?" she waved goodbye at you then chuckled to herself, "I'm glad my baby has her friends."

"Seriously you guys barely have enough time to get to the gym!" you yelled out as you three ran towards the school's grounds. "I told you we had to go!"

"Yeah but your mom's bread was so good!" Hinata jumped "It tasted like a fluffy cloud Y/n!"

"She definitely needs to bring her food to the next school's festival." Kageyama added "Imagine how much attention your mom's bakery would get."

You bit your lip "You're not wrong about that..."

Hinata looked at his watch, his eyes widened. "We only have 15 minutes to practice before the other school get's here Kageyama!"

"You idiot! I told you we had to go!" he moved closer to kick his butt but Hinata managed to dodge his hit.

"Oh shut up! You were stuffying your face too!"

"Why am I friends with these two again?" you muttered.

"Come on pick up the pace y/n!" Hinata and Kageyama grabbed your hands and ran faster than your legs could move.

"G-guys!" you exclaimed "I-I'll end up falling─ slow down!" they were too focused on getting to practice than hear about your objections "If I break a bone I'm telling my mom to ban you from the shop!"

After a five minute run that was supposed to be ten, you finally arrived. Your legs felt like jelly and your sweater was long gone as your body was too sweaty. 'This was worse than a summer day...' you thought, 'I showered and got dressed so nicely only for it to be ruined by those two. Ugh they owe me big time.'

You slowly treaded towards the stairs of the gym, their teammates were too busy preparing to notice you. A sigh escaped your lips upon feeling the cool air coming from the a/c. "This... this is nice." you mumbled. "It feels like a cold freezer..."

"Um... hi." a voice spoke coming from behind you.

"You two are so banned..." you muttered under your breath. Slowly you turned around to come face with two guys. 'They must be their teammates.'

"Are you going to keep blocking the door or can we get through?" the tall guy with the glasses spoke.

"Tsuki." the shorter one mumbled.

"Well?" he stared you down, "We don't have all day."

'He must be the guy that Shoyo and Tobio went up against.' you thought.

"R-right... but you don't have to be so rude you know." you answered.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes walking passed you meanwhile his friend gave you an apologetic smile. "He's usually not mean." he chuckled slightly "Do you need help with something?"

"No... I came to see some friends. But they left me out on the front steps to get ready for your match today."

"Wait... are you really their friend?" he asked.

"If you're talking about the tall one and the ginger then yes." you chuckled, "They said it was fine for me to come today."

"Don't take this the wrong way but..." he scratched his cheek looking away from you, "I'm surprised they have a friend that's a girl, given the way that they are."

"No worries. I understand what you mean especially since we met in very different times." You two walked inside "I'm still surprised they are friends."

"Y/n!" looking to the left you saw Yachi jogging over to you. "Oh hey, Tadashi!"

"I should go warm up, it was nice meeting you!"

"You too Tadashi!"

She then spoke again, "What happened to you? Did you run all the way here?"

"Hinata and Kageyama were too busy stuffing their faces with my mom's pastries. By the time they actually listened to me it was too late and we had to run all the way here." you whined "Now I'm all covered in sweat and I feel disgusting."

"I told them not to get distracted." she sighed "Do you want to freshen up? I have an extra shirt in the club room."

"Really? Id really appreciate that."

"Come on we still have a few minutes before the whole team gets here."

Your feet were too tired to walk yet somehow you managed to go upstairs to the room. "I swear one day those two will be the death of me." you complained.

"Can you blame them? Your mom's sweets are too good." Yachi chuckled.

Shaking your head you went inside and washed your face along with your arms and back. "How are the two doing with their quick attack by the way?" you asked.

"They're getting there, although they still want to make sure it comes out perfect. Coach Ukai said they need to upgrade it or else it won't be enough to get past the blocker's hands."

You nodded, "There's no doubt in my mind they will make it work. From the videos you've sent me those two can work a miracle even if they end up fighting... their goals are the same."

"Oh right I was going to ask you..." Yachi continued "... how did it go with your guy by the way? Did he end up messaging you?"

Biting your lip, you put on the white clean shirt. "He did, he was so nervous and sweet. I apologized to him about what my mom did yet he said he didn't mind because he was nervous about talking to me." you giggled.

"Wait so your mom really did give him your phone number?!"

"She did! I wasn't expecting her to go that far." you answered "But it is kinda embarrasing how she had to do it for me though..."

"Nonesense!" she exclaimed "You just needed that little push well you both did. I'm sure he knows that especially since he took the time to message you."

It was difficult to hide the smile that kept creeping up on your face. "As cliche as it sounds... it really feels like a movie Yachi."

"You're barely at the talking stage but what if he asks you out on a date then to become something more. Are you ready to go that far?"

Closing the locker you turned to face her, "Not going to lie with everything that has happened... I feel scared to say yes. After what happened I never really thought someone would take an interest in me and that I'd feel the same way."

Yachi placed her hand on your shoulder, "It's been at least 4 four years I think it is time to enjoy a new adventure in your life. You may never know what might happen."

"Yeah, I know."

There was a knock on the door, "Hey! Yachi are you almost ready? Kiyoko said she needs your help setting up."

"Yeah! We'll be right there Sugawara!" she yelled back.

"Who's Sugawara?" you asked.

"Come on let's go meet the rest of the team that way it'll be easier." she chuckled taking your hand and walking back to the gym.

There were sudden butterflies in your stomach, although you knew your friends were part of the team, you couldn't but wonder if it was okay for you to come. All you wanted was to make a good impression for the team that gave your friends the opportunity to play.

As soon as she opened the door everyone turned their heads to look at you. Two memebers then ran over to you both making you jump back.

"A new girl!" they yelled in unison.

"She's so cute!" the shorter one exclaimed.

"You didn't tell us you had such a pretty friend Yachi!" the taller one added.

Yachi became flustered, "Ah! T-this is m-my friend! She came to w-watch the game today. Y/n this is Tanaka and Nishinoya."

Feeling embarrassed you gave them a nod, "It's nice to meet you guys."

"She's so adorable!" Tanaka exclaimed "I hope we get to see you around here more often."

"Oh... um sure, if you guys don't mind." you said.

"Where have you been all my life?!" Nishinoya's eyes widened not being able to handle how cute you looked.

"Oh Y/n!" Hinata then jogged over to you guys "Can you help us toss some balls?"

"Yeah let's go-" you went to follow Hinata only to be taken away in the opposite direction.

"You need to meet the whole team." Nishinoya held your hand dragging you over to what seemed to be the third years along with other members.

"Guys! This is Yachi's friend, Y/n! Y/n, this is Suga or Sugawara for short, Asahi, Tsukishima, Tadashi, and Ennoshita!"

You tried to hide your nervousness, "Hello! It's nice to meet you guys, thank you for letting my friends play."

Tsukishima stared at you with an uninterested look, while Tadashi smiled softly.

"How did you manage for Hinata and Kageyama to get along? They were at each other's throats." Sugawara chuckled.

"Well... let's just say it's still hasn't changed much." you rubbed the back of your head. "But we make it work."

"Are you also a first year?" Ennoshita asked.

"Mhm I had to change school's during the second semester." you answered. "Karasuno is my second school."

"Well welcome to the team, I apologize in advance if things get out of control." Sugawara said "They're usually..." he tried to put into words but you understood.

"No worries if I can handle those two I'm sure it won't bother me." you chuckled. "Is this the whole team?"

"We're only missing our captain." Asahi answered, "Where is he anyways?"

Tskushima shrugged "He said something about needing to find his knee pads."

"Anyway we should go get ready before the school shows up. Let's start to warm up." Sugawara said and everyone went off to do their own things. "If you want you can sit down besides Coach Ukai and Mr. Takeda."

"Oh okay." you then looked around "Do you need help with anything?"

"I think we should be good, can you help with picking up the volleyballs and putting them in that basket when the other team gets here?"

"Sure." you were about to grab the cart when you heard the door open again.

"Oh! Daichi come over here!" he yelled.

Your feet froze, the numbness you felt earlier in your legs returned. 'Please... don't be who I think it is...' you thought lowering your head, 'Oh my god what if he gets dissappointed?'

You tried to subtly fix your hair and tuck in the club room shirt. Sugawara noticed, "Are you okay─"

"What is it Suga?" Daichi asked as he walked over to where you both were.

"This is the friend that they were talking about, this is Y/n." he said smiling softly at you. "Daichi?"

You slowly lifted your head to come face to face with those loving brown eyes. Daichi was in the same state as you, shocked yet happy to finally see you.

"Are you alright?" Sugawara asked looking at him.

"Y-yeah..." he chuckled awkwardly "It should have been obvious right?"

Your face was hot, "Y-yeah, I shouldn't have been so dumb."

"You two know each other-"

"This is y/n... the one I've been telling you about." Daichi said.

"Oh...." Suga mumbled "So you're the one he can't stop rambling about." a smirked then formed on his lips.

You blushed, "W-what, really?"

"Suga!" Daichi exclaimed.

"I can't believe after all this time you two would end up meeting each other at school." he said.

"Yeah..." you chuckled lightly "I knew you played a sport but never thought you were my friend's captain."

"I didn't know if it sounded cool─" he admitted.

"Are you kidding?!" you exclaimed "It's amazing! Volleyball isn't an easy sport. The amount of people that depend on you to lead them, yet you still have their backs and know what to say" you smiled looking up at him. "It's admirable really."

Daichi rubbed the back of his head, shyly smiling "Thank you I try my best to keep them under control... but sometimes they don't bother to listen."

"I know how that feels."

Sugawara stood quiet watching you two converse as if you were the only ones. He wanted to say something to get Daichi all flustered but didn't have the heart to do so. 'I am sooo going to have fun with this.' he thought.