#walked past all the Busy Fit Gym People in my normal person clothes to the very back where my roomate was and stand there while he finishes

[guhhhhhhhhhhh]

Oh little people in my phone, we're really in it now 😔😔

[missmonsters2]

today I feel awful... idk my insecurities are taking over me and I just want to curl into a ball and cry. maybe it's my hormones maybe the fact that I weighted myself and found out I gained weight (I can't fit into my jeans 😭) and the fact that I saw my sister in a tight skin dress looking perfect while I'm in my pj's just destroyed my confidence. I need something angsty to read to make me forget about my sad, miserable lffe right now. would you be down in writing sth angsty with nat maybe? you don't have to though. it's fine either way. I really appreciate all of your work and I keep reading on repeat whenever I'm feeling down. makes me cheer up. thank you, van ❤️

It's like we're the same person because I also went to visit my sister recently and my sister has gotten her life together and is living her best hot girl bod while I...let's not go there.

I just want you to know that you're hot as fuck and a body is just a body that we can change with time and effort. We're lit rally in this together. This time next year, we will be rocking the body that makes up happy and we'll be healthy!!! 💘💘

But I will still give you nat angst...but with a happy ending bc I said you deserve a HEA!!

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The Withers of Springtime Bloom

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Spring is a time of blooming and when things come back to life. You can't help but notice things that may be causing your relationship with Natasha to wither.

Warnings: self-esteem issues, insecurities about body, relationship with working out and food, seasonal depression. angst with HEA.

Count: 2.1k~

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You're not sure when things changed.

Things change so slowly after all.

Without you noticing, things change and change and change until one day, you do notice.

You notice that Natasha has become quieter, somber.

You notice the lack of date nights and affectionate touches.

You notice that you've let yourself go a little.

You're standing in front of the mirror, staring at your body with a frown. You've gained weight since dating Natasha, but relationship weight gain was normal, wasn't it?

But you remember how Natasha was just as fit as she was before she met you. Sure, she was a superhero, and you were a regular civilian; there was no reason for you to train long hours as Natasha did.

Still...

You turn to the side and peer at yourself in the mirror again.

You can't help but wonder...were you becoming less attractive to her?

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It had been the beginning of fall when you met Natasha. You loved the season of change and when things turned into warm colors before withering away for winter to come.

Natasha had come like a blessing, and in the winter, she was just warm as the colors of fall. Instead of withering away, she bloomed and invested that warmth in your relationship with her.

Despite always being an early riser to work out, weekends were the days she stayed in bed with you just a little longer. There had been so many breakfasts, lunch, and dinner dates. You found yourself moving things around or neglecting to work around her busy schedule.

Perhaps that was when things began to change. Eating out so often and forgoing working out to spend time with Natasha was what led to this.

Spring has arrived, and things are coming back to life. Yet somehow, your relationship with Natasha was withering away.

"Hey," you greet her as you come home, shopping bags in hand. You bought some more clothes when things felt like they didn't fit comfortably anymore. The experience had been upsetting for you, and you didn't end up buying too much, telling yourself you didn't want to spend too much when you were going to lose the weight.

Natasha was working in her office, peering down over reports, and barely acknowledged you other than with a hum.

"Long day?" You ask her as you put your things away and walk over to her.

"Yeah," Natasha sighed. "Trying to get these reports done since Maria needs them tomorrow."

That had been Natasha's excuse for spending long hours in her office every night for the last two weeks.

You place your hand on Natasha's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze, but she leans to the side as if to readjust herself, but still away from your touch.

The sting immediately comes, but you try to push it down, so it doesn't hurt as bad.

"Right," you say hoarsely, but Natasha stares on at the reports. "I'm just going to get ready for bed. It's been a long day and all. Let me know if you need anything."

Natasha gives you a nod as you leave the room. You feel awkward as you lie in the bed you share with her. You wonder if you're taking up too much space.

There's a pang of something as you try to curl yourself to be smaller and only distantly realizing you've skipped dinner before you fall asleep.

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You fall back onto the mat, chest heaving and your lungs burning.

It's been a while since you've worked out, and now you're definitely paying for it with how unfit you are.

The gym is moderately empty with the hour it is. You hate going to a public gym because it always feels like someone is staring, but it's better for strangers to stare than working out at the Compound for people you know to stare at you.

The rational part of you knows that you should just talk to Natasha, but the emotional side of you whispers that you won't like what Natasha has to say, that she might even end it before you've had a chance to change yourself.

When weeks pass, and you weigh yourself again, you almost start crying because you've only lost a couple of pounds.

It's normal, you know it is. You're losing weight at a normal rate, but it's not enough. You know fast weight loss wouldn't make sense for your body but you also feel you don't have half a year to go back to your normal weight.

You sit on the bathroom floor for hours, debating what to do when you hear a quiet knock.

"Sweetheart, are you in there?" Natasha's muffled voice comes through.

You wipe at your eyes furiously as you stand up.

"Y-Yeah," you answer back. "I'm just in the tub soaking."

There's a moment of silence through the door before Natasha answers back, "Alright. Enjoy yourself. Did you want me to order anything specific for dinner?"

"No, it's okay," you tell her. "You order anything you want. I already ate on my way home." You think about the chicken salad you've been eating for the past two weeks and almost sigh.

Natasha answered that she just came back to see if you've eaten, but she actually had to head back to the Compound. You were Natasha shuffling around before leaving through the front door, and you let out the breath you were holding.

You actually take a long, hot shower before putting on sweats and a big hoodie.

The truth was, you were hungry. The chicken salad was okay on the way home, but it had been a couple of hours since.

You knew starving yourself wasn't the answer, so you went into the kitchen to see if you could find something healthy to hold you over until you could go to bed.

But you can't find anything in the fridge except for Natasha's leftovers from whatever she ordered the day before. You can't find anything except frozen pizzas and microwavable foods.

You check the calories on the back and let out a frustrated sigh. Checking your watch, you realize it's too late in the evening to go grocery shopping because, by the time you get there, stores will have closed.

You slump down on the floor, leaning against the cabinets as you let out a pathetic whimper while your eyes became hot with tears.

You miss Natasha. You want Natasha holding you and telling you it would be okay. But you couldn't have that until you were back to what you were when you met her.

The front door suddenly opens.

"Have you seen my—sweetheart?" Natasha started to call before she noticed you sitting on the floor. "What's wrong?"

You use your sleeve to wipe at your eyes as you sit up straight.

"Nothing," you sniffle before you start to stand. "I just stubbed my toe against the edge of the kitchen island. What were you looking for? USB? You left it next to the bedside."

Natasha stares at your back, hair still wet as she takes in your attire.

"It's a little hot to be wearing a hoodie and sweats, isn't it?" Natasha asks softly. "Doesn't seem like you turned on the aircon in here."

You keep walking, but Natasha starts to follow you.

"'m cold," you say quietly so she can't hear the tremble in your voice.

"Are you feeling sick?" Natasha asks with concern as you sit down on the couch, turning on the TV. You pull the blanket over you as if to make your point.

"No," you tell her because you don't want her to worry. "Just cold after a bath."

Natasha sets her things down before she takes a seat next to you. Even in the low lighting, she can see your eyes rimmed red and dampness of them.

You're refusing to look at her as you have your knees drawn up to your chest and stare stubbornly at the TV screen.

Then she hears it.

Your stomach grumbles.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Natasha asks softly again. "We can just order food and stay in tonight."

Your cheeks grow hot. "Don't you have to be at the Compound?"

You don't mean to snap at her, but you can't help but feel embarrassed.

Natasha remains quiet for a moment, quickly thinking over the last few weeks before she feels guilt trickle in.

She doesn't remember the last time she ate with you—doesn't remember the last time she saw you eat.

"Sweetheart," she calls you gently again, and you bristle at the tone. "Is there something wrong?"

The fragile dam you've built to keep the weeks of compiling emotions at bay breaks, and you're hurtling down the stream over the waterfall.

"Are you not in love with me anymore?" You choke out as you begin to cry.

You can't even register to feel horrified at your breakdown because you just need to know.

"I know...I know my body has changed since we first met and I've gained weight but I really am trying to lose it. I just—I feel like you're avoiding me. At first, I thought things at work have been really stressful for you, and I wanted to give you space but you're gone all the time. You're gone even when you're here."

Natasha can barely understand anything you've said after hearing you say the first part. Her breath hitches painfully in the back of her throat, and she legitimately feels appalled at herself.

She starts to say something, but you keep going.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to make this about me because if you're going through something then I want to support and be there for you. But I can't help but feel like you're grossed out by me. I mean—I feel grossed out when I look at myself. I feel like I'm taking up so much space—"

Natasha cuts you off abruptly, pulling off the blanket as she pulls at you until you're in her lap.

"Nat—"

"You're not gross and this is not about the weight you have or have not gained. You hear me?" Natasha says forcefully as she holds you close to her, hand over your thigh to keep you against her.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry if I've been making you feel like you're not attractive me," Natasha's eyes well up as your tears wet her shoulder. "You're literally still the most gorgeous person I've ever met and you're always going to be that to me."

Natasha's hand at your waist dips underneath your hoodie, her fingers trailing up your back as she sighs at your warmth. "I should've told you, but the springtime is just really hard for me. It's odd because it's a time for things to come back to life but some of the worst things have happened to me during the spring and things blooming makes me think about things that aren't coming back. I think it's also just a little bit of seasonal depression too. I'm just the rare percentage that gets it in the spring."

The explanation makes your body sag with relief because while you feel so horrible that there is a reason Natasha doesn't like spring, she's not falling out of love with you.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was hurting you," Natasha apologizes again. "I didn't mean to be so distant but I didn't want to bring your mood down as well, which is why I've been working so much to keep busy."

"It's okay," you muttered as your turn your head, forehead pressed against her neck. "I'm sorry spring is depressing for you."

Natasha merely hushes you as she kisses the side of your head.

You begin to feel awkward, thinking about how you must be heavy on her and try to move, but Natasha doesn't let you.

"Sweetheart, I don't know how to convince you that you're perfect to me," Natasha says so seriously as she forces you to look at her. "If you want to lose weight because that is what you want, then I support you. But I need you to understand that I love you no matter what. I don't care either way because you're so fucking lovely to me always. Do you understand?"

Timidly, you reply, "Okay. Thank you."

Natasha presses her lips against yours in a long kiss before she pulls back.

"Now, I'm going to ask again. Are you hungry? We can order in and watch that new show on Netflix I heard was pretty good from Wanda."

You feel lighter. You think you might still want to work out because that would make you happy, but you don't feel the rush like you did just a couple of hours ago.

"Yeah," you say shyly. "But maybe something not so heavy?"

Natasha nods as she presses another kiss into your cheek as she helps you settle onto the couch right beside her to grab her phone.

"Anything to make you bloom."

[aloesarchives]

Imai Cosmo Headcanons

Alright, now it's time for sunshine boy Cosmo. 

(Edit: I am so sorry, I accidentally deleted this for some reason. Sorry for the inconvenience) 

You met Cosmo when you both were first years in high school. You just recently transfer to his school in the beginning of the year for reasons not disclose(just move to Japan, came from a different school, etc.)

It was a hard time making friends because you were new and no one would approach you. But it didn’t stop Cosmo from wanting to be with your friend.

Cosmo is pretty much a social butterfly and is always friendly to everyone. When he said hi to you, the first thing you took notice was his bubbly personality. After that encounter, Cosmo actually made it his goal to be your friend. Everyday at school, he would always talk to you when he has the chance. And during after school you two would hang out together whether it be eating out or looking at the latest version of some Martial Arts magazine.

Thanks to the time you have been spending with him, he’s one of your closest friends you have. It’s kinda known around the school that you two always hang out with each other.

You also come over to his house to tutor Cosmo b/c he wasn’t doing so well in math so you had to help out a homie. You did have some encounters with his brother, Meteor. You get along with him as the two of you share the struggle of taking care of Cosmo.

Cosmo’s enthusiasm is contagious and even when you kinda hit your lowest Cosmo’s vibe just somehow revives you and you smile once again.  

Cosmo’s energy is so bright and powerful that you feel like you’re standing in the presence of the sun and you need some goddamn visors to look because he’s just pure and happy all the time that it hurts your entire being. But it’s in a good way, sis.

Throughout the time you spent with Cosmo, you notice that every once in a while that he would have a bruise or a bandage on his face or arm when he wears his short sleeve shirt. Come to think of it, Cosmo somehow has some sort of injury that can’t be explained in normal terms. Even when you ask Cosmo when he gets his injuries and small scuffs, he’ll just brush it off with an excuse that wouldn’t add up or make sense to the injury. But again you don’t push it since when you try to press on the issue that Cosmo switched the topic immediately and has completely forgotten about the conversation.

You did at one point remember that Cosmo did have a small rebellious stage but one day he stopped for some reason you don’t know about. But even so, it doesn’t calm your concerns of Cosmo’s random injuries.

In short, he’s really bad at hiding them and not making something obvious. But you being you, you didn’t push on the matter out of consideration.

Now that I mention that, you also notice Cosmo getting ripped and becoming more muscular. Cosmo actually lets you feel his arms and back when you ask him, he’s completely fine with it. Fam, no gonna lie, it has a nice feel to it.

(Y/N):Hey Cosmo, have you been working out lately? You’re back has been getting toned as of recently.

Cosmo: Actually yeah, I’ve been working out more nowadays. Do you want to feel my back, (Y/N)?

(Y/N): Sure, if you’re fine with it.

Cosmo: Go right ahead.

*Proceeds to feels Cosmo’s back

(Y/N): Woah! You’re pretty ripped, Cos!

There were some subtle hints that Cosmo had that kept being in your sight. Like his physical strength when the class would play volleyball, or doing those fitness test everyone has to take, he was somehow on the top on it. Or at least there was a far seeable gap than he was to you and the rest of the class.

You, for sure, know Cosmo is hiding something when Cosmo would turn you down to hang out because he had some business to do. What only push your suspicions was when you were walking home one day from school and a car past by you. Although it was a nice car and you didn’t really care for it, the thing that caught your eye was who was in it. You saw a tan man with cool shades driving the car and Cosmo was in the passenger seat next to him. As the car sped off, you stood still on the sidewalk, completely confused. You’ve seen that guy before when you would go to the gym, but you didn’t put any thought to it.

I mean you don’t to bug him about all of this because you don’t want to be nosy and pester him about it. But you know Cosmo isn’t gonna spill the beans anytime soon so you keep it to yourself.

God, I really, really like to headcanon that Kureshi is a distant uncle/relative of your’s that you’re somewhat close to. You don’t tell Cosmo right off the bat because you thought it wasn’t super important. All you tell him is that your uncle owns a gym and during after school sometimes you go there to train/exercise with him. Cosmo doesn't think much of it too since you didn’t make a big deal out of it. But he was curious on what gym your uncle runs and that at you one point you mentioned he was a fighter too.

The way you found out was pretty much very coincidental. While you were at the gym, your uncle aka Kureshi mentions to you that he took up a student and took him under his wing. This was odd for you because you never saw your uncle to be one to take up someone for training. When he mentions to you that the person he’s training is around the same age and goes to the same high school, you were intrigued by who it was. The week you found out about this was the same week that finals/ heavy testing was being held and so you wanted to distress by going to the gym. You asked Cosmo if he wanted to hang out 2 hours before you go to the gym but he said he was going to do training at a gym beforehand and had to turn down your offer. You were kind of bummed out but you couldn’t convince him otherwise so oh well. Upon going to the gym, you get a text from your uncle that his student came to train and asked if you wanted to meet him. You said why not and when upon arriving to the gym, your uncle greet you and took you to see his student who was dealing some good blows to one of the gym’s punching bags. Upon further inspection, the boy looked familiar, too familiar. Without thinking, you blurted out Cosmo’s name. After stopping his workout, he turn to you and the both of you had equally shocked faces while Kureshi was having a kick out of it. When you looked at your uncle and asked if he was his student, the answer was fairly obvious and you just stood there while trying to process all of this. When Cosmo asked you why you were there, you explained Kureshi and stuff. It was a awkward few minutes before you decided to change into your workout clothes and doing some training of your own. After you were done with your workout, you took a shower and changed into some casual clothes. You waited for Cosmo to be done and the two of you would head home together after bedding your uncle farewell.

Since you caught Cosmo training, he couldn’t really hid it from you anymore because you saw him there at the gym and he had a entirely different training regiment than the average person. You got the courage to ask him about what’s the training for while telling him your suspicions. Cosmo kinda went silent, which is unlike him to do so especially in your presences. Then Cosmo just spills everything to you, the training, the bruises, the times he had to decline your offers to hang out, he explained himself to you why he had to it. At the mention of Kengan Matches and underground fighting, you thought this was like fight club or something. But snapping out of your thoughts, you didn’t see Cosmo any less differently and told him that his secret is safe with you. Cosmo is grateful for you and that he’s glad you’re understanding.

One day, when Cosmo didn’t come to Kureshi’s gym, you asked your uncle how he meet Cosmo. He told you that Cosmo got into a fight with a few guys that had him on the ropes before he stepped in himself to save Cosmo. While at it, your uncle ask about your thoughts on Cosmo and his potential in fighting. When you answered with a Cosmo having untapped potential, Kureshi made a deal with you. He said he’ll allow you to watch Cosmo’s matches and cover your back when you parents ask about your whereabouts. In return, you have to help him train Cosmo and update him on his matches. You didn’t even think about it, you just took the deal and the rest is history.

Another time, you met Mr. Nishihonji while training Cosmo. Apparently he used to use this gym a while back. After learning he was Cosmo’s sponsor/ fighting for his company, you do remember Cosmo subtly mentioning him in your conversations in the past and now you meet him in the flesh. He made a good impression of himself to you and ever since then you’ve been chill with him. The man means well so he doesn’t really give off any bad vibe that you can tell.

Mr. Nishihonji has picked up the both of you from school when Cosmo has a match. Once school is over, you two would head over to where his car is and people from your school would just gawk because who knew the two of you were hanging out with a rich man with a nice car. This happens a lot where you kinda get use to it.

Your crush/love for Cosmo is built up over time and isn’t too obvious  that other people can catch on but people close to you can see something is up with you when your around Cosmo. When people ask you about it, you brush it off as simple friendship you have for him. People won’t push it but people like Kureshi and Mr. Nishihonji can piece things together to where they have an fundamental understanding that you really care about Cosmo.

Speaking of Kureshi, your uncle Kureshi loves to fucking tease you about you and Cosmo. He really gets a kick out of how you get all tsundere on him when he does. It’s like an inside joke you have with each other and it’s family love, that’s all.

You never confessed to Cosmo because you 1.) don’t want to ruin or make the friendship awkward, and 2.) you don’t think Cosmo feels the same way as he is oblivious to your small actions/hints towards him.

And by the way, Cosmo is fucking oblivious to everything unless pointed out by him. This sadly includes your feelings, sis. This is one of the things Cosmo needs you in his life because of this. He’s oblivious to the point where you had to point out or explain things to him when he doesn’t get it or it goes over his head.

But your feelings becomes evident when the Kengan tournament goes under way and that you were invited to go with him. You watch on the sidelines, with Mr. Nishihonji of course, Cosmo’s matches. You knew after his first match ended that this tournament was something else when you saw the line up and after Cosmo fainted into Mr. Nishihonji’s arms after exiting the pit. You knew that Cosmo was not going to have an easy time in his matches and he needed to know this. Although you have faith in Cosmo, it’s not impossible to remember that this isn’t a simple walk in the park.

After beating Adam, Adam kinda just became your friend instantly. Like after Cosmo convinced him, he just stuck around the two of you. Even though you hate what comes out of his mouth, Adam isn’t really a jerk and tries to unlearn the things he has said to the two of you. When Adam stays in Japan for training, he literally becomes you best friend/ brother at this point. Adam is probably the only person that actually caught on

But the thing that has been bothering you is Cosmo’s naivety. There’s nothing wrong with his happy go lucky attitude. It’s just, Cosmo doesn’t seem to be grounded a lot in certain situations where he’ll understand the dangers/risks that come with this. Especially when it came down to fighting. You do warn him of being careful and taking the fight seriously, but he just say don’t worry and not really mean it. You knew that this would be problem because Cosmo takes his fighting skills for granted. You love the man but wish he would understand how grave some matches could’ve been if he didn’t take them down sooner.

But that fight with Akoya, oh my fucking god. First off, Fuck Akoya and his justice boner. Second, god this fight did some ever lasting damage on you. This was one of those surreal life changing moments that you can never forget even if you tried. The fight, in it of itself, was one of the most intense, gruesome, but slightly breathtaking things you have ever bear to witness. Although you hate to say this, this was the fight that Cosmo needed for his break through. This gave Cosmo what he’s been looking for in order to evolve and better his fighting.

However, this fight was to you was gut wrenching and mentally breaking. Like when you caught Hiyama helping out Akoya in the matches with Adam and Mr. Nishihonji, something was wrong by her desperate reaction to continue to help Akoya. Then the next you know was when you look down towards the arena, Akoya goes berserk and went total psycho on Cosmo. From biting a chunk of Cosmo’s leg off, cracking his ribs, and practically torturing him by bring him back to conscious after Cosmo pasted out. You, on the other hand, couldn’t shout as nothing would come out of your mouth no matter how hard you tried. Tears were building up, your heart was pounding out of your chest, it was hard to watch. Two things could’ve happened next, you either fainted from the immense fear where Adam had to catch you or you glued your eyes to the match and gripped the concrete so hard your finger nails got damage along with bleeding finger tips. Let’s go with the second one, then. The match in-front of you seem one sided and you feared for Cosmo’s life. But deep down, for some goddamn reason, you believe he can pull through if he found his motivation and drive. You called yourself stupid for having so much faith in him but he never has once let you down, so why should you? Once you said that Cosmo has a chance, Adam thought you were nuts but the unwavering hope said otherwise. For Cosmo, he has the classic anime protag shit where in a near death experience he has a bunch of flashbacks. Most of them was his time training with his master, however, some were times spent with you. With all the memories, Cosmo wanted to win, not just for his life and master, but for you as well. When Cosmo started to have his epiphany and turning the fight around in his favor, you never yelled as hard and as loud in your entire life. You bet his ass that he heard it. After the brutal few minutes, Cosmo came out the victor and you have never felt so relieve and exhausted in your life. You cried, fam, there's no doubt (I cried too, don't worry). When you came to get him and send him to the infirmary, you stuck to him for the rest of the tournament.

The fight didn’t make Cosmo realize he loved you, but it did stir up something inside of him that made him view you in a new light. In which he didn’t want to spend a moment without you. Man, you yelled at him for almost dying on you but spoke of your relief to him. He just apologizes and said he’ll win his next fight. It’s a very tender moment between the two of you.

What shock you the most was Kureshi suddenly appearing at the quarter finals tournament, he stated that he wanted to see Cosmo’s progress. It was odd seeing him but it was probably important as the tournament was nearing the end. He was up against Ohma which prove to be a powerful opponent. But alas, Cosmo was defeated by him. While he sat in one of the waiting rooms, you were right next to him, comforting him. Then you let your emotions speak for themselves, how you were proud of him for coming so far especially someone for his age, that he shouldn’t stop here and strive for more, and that you’ll give him your undying support. Then Cosmo pulls you into a hug and just cries it out, you smile and held him close.

After a few months after the tournament, Cosmo realizes he has feelings for you and confessed to you after he took you out to eat. And the rest is history.

Being with Cosmo is great (I say this with almost everyone, so bear with me). Being happy 24/7, a lot of hugs and kiss, spending endless hours with him. The man, himself, is a ball of sunshine at just happens to be your boyfriend.

The man loves you unconditionally no matter what. He doesn’t really have a preference on appearance. However, I’ll do say that if you’re shorter than him(he’s 5′6 i think), he’s over the moon because it adds some cuteness to you. The man loves you.

Cosmo really likes hugs and cuddles. He knows not the strangle you when he’s cuddling with you, but he loves to squeeze you tight. Meteor has caught the two of you sleeping on the couch in each other embrace in more than one occasion. Meteor thinks it’s cute and doesn’t disturb you two.

Cosmo is more than okay with PDA. He can’t really keep his hands off of you, yet he’ll respect your boundaries. He’ll hold your hand, arm around your waist or shoulder, giving small pecks to you. He’s not afraid of showing you off.

He’s a playful kisser, he likes to play around with you. But there are times where he does kiss you passionately, but that’s usually in private though. Before his matches, it’s a must for you to kiss him before he goes out and fights. Sometimes he kisses you out of nowhere and when you ask him, he just says I love you and stuff.

I can see him calling you baby/babe/ and love. It just sounds like him.

The man’s always hugging you from behind.

I’m gonna say since no one has said it louder: Cosmo with his hair slicked back makes him from cute to instant HOT. Deadass when you see he like with his hair like that, you cheeks heat up quickly and you just quietly freaking over his hair. You tell him that it looks better on him(which it does, btw) but he says it’s a simple haircut for him.

I headcanon that you and Kureshi gave him the idea to grow out his hair since it’ll suit him more. When his hair gets long enough, you sometimes braid his hair or brush it. To him, it’s a very relaxing moment since you’re kinda spoiling him.

Cheer for this man and he will definitely fight even harder in his matches. You’re his motivations.

Cosmo does have nosebleeds so make sure to bring some tissues.

Before the Kengan Omega, you had to help him take care of himself but after the two years he doesn’t have to, or rather not as much.

The only time you got jealous was probably when you found that Mr. Nishihonji took Cosmo to a brothel(?) and you finding out Cosmo had a taste for older women kinda sat with you the wrong way even though you two weren’t an item yet. You didn’t tell him out right what was wrong because you thought it was stupid to be feel jealous. It made you avoid Cosmo for like a day or two. You still haven’t told him yet about it and it will remain like that to this day.

You did take note on Cosmo’s estrange friend group aka the fighters. They’re not intimidating people. You actually had a run in with Wakatsuki on accident. Cosmo invited you to come hang out with him but you were busying with errands that you sadly had to decline. While you were fast walking to your next destination, you bumped into someone and tripped on your own foot. Before your face touched the ground, Wakatsuki caught you and helped you up. He apologizes for bumping into you because he didn’t see you. You said you were fine and ask what he was doing, he stated he was waiting for a friend of his. After you excuse yourself to continue your day, Cosmo comes around the corner as you left. While they were eating, Wakatsuki told Cosmo ran into you. When Cosmo said “oh, you met my girlfriend?” Wakatsuki had to pause because, like what?, the girl/person he bumped into was Cosmo’s girlfriend. Big shocker for him. Before you guys became a thing, Sakura, Sekibayashi, and Wakatsuki, would tease Cosmo about girls that would know him. I mean, they do this a lot when it was with you but to know the two of you ended up together caught them blind sided.

The fact Cosmo can take down opponents twice his size and age is pretty amazing in your eyes. Man’s short but damn can he pull off some impressive moves. Proud to call him your boyfriend honestly.

Food buddy, you guys love to eat with eat other. It’s pretty obvious that Cosmo loves to eat. The man takes you out to eat all the time, fucking bet on that shit.

When Cosmo loves you, he will LOVE you to death. Sure, you were hard on him when he’s training, but he is thankful for you being with him for the long run.

Being in a relationship with Cosmo is just full of fun and love even though it does get serious at some points. Cosmo never fails to show you that he loves you and how much you mean to him.

[seiin-translations]

2.43 S1 Chapter 3.1 - The Dog’s View and the Giraffe’s View

1. FRESHERS

If my one accomplishment in life is teaching everyone how cool Odacchi is...I’m okay with that

Translation Notes

1. Volleyball and ballet in Japanese are written in the same way (バレー)

2. Yuichi Nakagaichi is a former volleyball player who played for Japan in the 1992 Olympics

3. Tadahiro Nomura is one of the most famous judo competitors in Japan who won three Olympic gold medals in a row

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When he first entered high school, “Oda” was second from the top for the boys on the class register. The seats in class were temporarily allocated according to student number, so he was second from the front, two files from the window.

However, he couldn’t see the board very well in this seat due to an obstacle. If he were to apply a nicely fitting expression to it, then it would be as though a tree had spurted up from the seat of the chair. An extremely tall back completely blocked his sight. His shoulder blades were at the height of Oda’s line of sight, who was sitting normally.

“Whoa,” Oda bent back in shock, then leaned over his desk and poked the tall guy. “Hey. Hey!”

“Mmm?”

The tall guy twisted his long back around and placed his elbows on the back of his chair. His sleeves of his brand-new blazer, the same as his own, was already a little short at that point in time, his wrists peeking out quite a bit. His arms look long too… Oda, out of habit, imagined how far he could reach if he added the reach of his arms to his height.

“You’re huge. The biggest in this class. How tall are you? Were you the biggest in middle school too? What club are you in?”

“Club? I’m not in any, but…”

When he showered enthusiastic questions on him, the other boy leaned away from him suspiciously. A mild personality could be inferred from his gentle-looking features reminiscent of a horse-like creature, as well as a low voice like his throat was slightly stuffed, coupled with a relaxed way of speaking, however…

“Huh, with that height? You’re kidding, right? What a waste.”

Oda’s eyes widened, and the boy frowned, as though he had said something that hurt his feelings.

“You’re prejudiced to think that if someone’s big, they’re in some kinda sports club. I don’t really like exercise. There’s a lot of guys who say stuff like that, but it’s annoying.”

…He was the type of guy who spoke harshly and without restraint from the first meeting. Oda felt daunted at the gap from his first impression of him, but he immediately collected himself. They would be classmates from now on. It was much better to have someone to state clearly what they hate rather than let it go vaguely.

“Hey, wanna join the volleyball team together? I played it all the way through middle school and was thinking of playing it in high school too.”

“Volleyball? The ball sport?” (1)

After a short while,

“You?”

He said with a faint mockery in his voice. Oda was discouraged. It was the first day of school. Anticipation bounded in his chest and there was still absolutely no reason to doubt his own future.

“Well, it’s true that I’m small now, but I’m gonna grow tall in the future. They say there’re guys who grow thirty centimeters in high school, so I’m sure that I’ll have caught up to you by third year.” For some reason, at that moment he never doubted that he would be as big as the guy in front of him after two years. “And then I’ll be a super ace, like Gaichi.” (2)

“Super ace? What’s that, sounds strong.”

Oda’s eyes sparkled like he had been waiting for that question.

“It’s a team’s coolest, most dependable attacker.”

After that, he enthusiastically talked about how Nakagaichi Yuichi was from Fukui Prefecture and how amazing of a player he was until the new homeroom teacher arrived and made them stop chatting. The tall guy didn’t seem particularly impressed as he listened, but after school that day, he followed Oda, who immediately went to visit the boys’ volleyball team.

This was the second boy in attendance, Oda Shinichiro’s encounter with the first boy in attendance, Aoki Misao, who was one spot before him. That was exactly two years ago from now.

***

I. Prohibition of the posting and distribution of flyers other than in designated posting areas

I. Prohibition of any solicitation activities that obstruct traffic, on campus or off campus

I. Prohibition of any solicitation activities accompanied by the transfer of money, goods, privileges, etc.

I. Prohibition of any solicitation activities that could be seen as coercive or intimidating, as well as forcibly making someone join a club

The above was the notice handed down every year by the student council during the welcoming period for new students in early April, but practically no club strictly adhered to those rules. In actuality, the student council took a stance of toleration unless some sort of problem occurred.

That was why, during this season, as soon as school let out, the hallways became so crowded with people that it became difficult to walk. Those who indiscriminately pushed flyers on any new student coming out of their classrooms, those who tried to get their attention by offering sweet conditions such as answers for past exams or joint training camps with girls’ schools, those who wrapped their arms around the new students’ shoulders and trying to bring them into a room, extortion showing through beneath their friendly behaviors—. A large number of flyers were trampled underfoot, staining white like a cherry tree-lined path after a spring storm scattered all the petals.

Oda was considerably fed up with the tumult that filled the hallways, and he advanced through the crowd while hugging his enamel bag to his chest. Although he thought that the student council should manage it a little more, every time he saw the innocent faces of the new students whose shoulders didn’t quite align with their uniforms, he thought that it might be insensitive to say so. Although they were overawed by their upperclassmen’s overbearing approach and backed away, their cheeks were flushed with excitement and anticipation and their eyes were sparkling. He probably had that same face as he walked down this hallway two years ago.

The him from two years ago who triumphantly entered high school with pure anticipation and groundless self-confidence had already somewhat transformed into being part of his dark history, and he felt embarrassed when he recalled it. That was two years ago. At some point during those two years, I think I was forced to acknowledge my own limits…

“Hey, you, yeah you, walking over there.”

Someone heartily placed their arm around his shoulders from behind.

“Ooh, nice abs. If you’re this fit in your first year, you must have been in a decent sports club, right? Which club? Baseball? Soccer? Wanna try judo? You’ll be in the lightweight division at a tournament in no time. If you do soccer, there’s a chance you’ll be on the bench until graduation, you know?”

His abs were being rubbed while a huge guy was leaning on him and making him slouch over. “Hey, stop it!” Oda twisted around and pushed the other person’s elbow aside.

“Ah? Oh, what, it’s Oda. Sorry, sorry. I got it a bit wrong.”

“Not just a bit. You got it completely wrong.”

“Well, you’ll do too, Oda, you’re an instant asset. You can still switch clubs now, right? I’m seeing a second Nomura Tadahiro (3) in you, Odacchi. I don’t care if you’re in two clubs at the same time either, if you want. Let’s accomodate each other, seeing as how we’re both minor clubs.”

“I don’t know who Nomura is. If you have the time to invite third years, then go get a first-year.”

“We already lost all the good first-years. It’s all about soccer for them. I guess judo really is that uncool. It has a stinking image I guess.”

“Well it is uncool. I’m in a hurry.”

He was getting bitter, so he dealt with him bluntly and started walking.

“Odaaaa!” A rough voice chased after him. When he turned around, the stern face of the tall judo club member popping out from above the heads of the students crowding the hallway.

“I’m serious. The only club that wants you is us, you know? You don’t have to do volleyball… Why volleyball of all things?”

It’s none of your business, he cursed in his mind, faced forward, and squeezed through the crowd of people. Even when he thought he got out, his enamel bag that was wider than him got caught and he stumbled backwards. He frustratedly pulled on the strap and held it to his chest once again.

Why volleyball of all things, you ask? He had already asked himself that a long time ago without being told that by others. Did he miss the chance to give up? Maybe if he had switched at an earlier stage, there would be something else he could have displayed his power at? I don’t know, I don’t think there is something like that in this world, but maybe there is.

But, this year would definitely be the year where I’m glad I continued. This year, we’ll definitely get stronger. Even if I can’t do it by myself, the actors are coming together.

A feeling of exhilaration gradually welled up from the pit of his stomach. His steps, which become a bit heavy, lightened. He held his bag, raised his head that was hanging down, and looked forward. Unable to suppress his excitement, he hastened to the room.

For the Nanafu Seiin High School boys’ volleyball team, today was the first day of practice for the new first-years.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When Oda changed into his practice clothes and went to the gym, the second-years were in the center of preparations with the new first-years helping out as well. When the third-years were all there, they would look good as a team. After all, during his second year, after last year’s third-years retired, there were two people in Oda’s grade and three in the grade below, so the total was a meagre five people. It was a situation where they didn’t even have the head count for a game.

Four provisional admission forms were received three days after the entrance ceremony. That could be called an excellent result. I don’t know how many people will stay after this, but assuming they’ll all join officially…

“Eight people…ah, nine including me?”

How can a court not look so lonely when there’s nine people?

As he stood in place at the gym entrance for a while to take in the scene, Aoki approached him with a wry smile.

“Oi, oi, don’t tell me you’re getting emotional from just this?”

“I’m, I’m not getting emotional!”

He looked away to gloss over the embarrassment. In the first place, his neck got tired when he looked this guy in the eye and talked. Not liking how the shoulders of Aoki, who was standing next to him, trembled slightly as he suppressed his laughter, he made a stern face on purpose.

It was just as Aoki said. How could he be feeling satisfied with this stage? The Inter-High-slash-prefectural qualifiers were at the beginning of June, two months later. He would be picking the starters from these new members at once.

“Whew, this really puts the high in high school.”

A first year said with his mouth wide-open, after the first- and second-years finished putting up the net. He seemed to have volleyball experience. His shoes were Mizuno Volleyball, and you could see that they were worn in. He still has iinnocent, middle school student features, or rather, he seems spoiled, but…he’s big. Though not as big as Aoki, he was definitely over one-eighty. It seemed he would be useful just by having him stand in the center.

“Wanna try hitting one?”

Oda called out as he walked up to the court.

“Is it okay?”

It was a look of irrepressible joy despite his shyness. Yeah, that’s nice. That’s a good face.

“Where are you hitting from? You can just choose your strong spot.”

“Then, I’ll start from the back, right in the middle.”

He was a bit surprised that he requested to do back row attacks without hesitation. Not center, but a side hitter? The first-year flexibly used his knees to bounce twice before lightly running to the court end. “Kanno, give him a pass.” The second-year Kanno picked up the ball Aoki rolled to him and assumed the position of receiver. Oda went to the setter’s position, close to the right front. His position wasn’t originally setter, but he wanted to get a first taste of this raw material to see how good he was.

Kanno sent forward a light overhand pass. As a preliminary test, Oda started with a slow high set—

“Oi!?”

The first-year kicked the floor with his legs, and by the time the ball might or might not have left Oda’s fingertips, he was already jumping. It almost looked like the floor itself had elasticity and added power to his jump—he was that high! And not just that, but far! His body, which was bent back like a bow, jumped nearly three meters in one go from the front of the attack line to the net.

But of course, the set didn’t meet him at all. Before Oda’s high set even reached the top of its parabola, the first-year refreshingly and very energetically attempted to hit it and missed, and unable to kill his momentum, went under the net and tumbled all the way to the other side of the court. There was even time for Kanno to nonchalantly walk right underneath the ball and catch it as it fell after drawing a huge arc.

“O…oi, are you okay!?”

He was stunned for a moment, but then realized what happened and rushed over. They couldn’t afford to have a new team member get injured on the very first day. “Sorry—!” The first-year said. He was relieved to see him suddenly raise his upper body up from his spread-legged forward bending position, looking surprisingly unconcerned.

He’s pretty flexible…with that height…? From Oda’s experience, big guys had stiff bodies. He himself was fairly flexible, having properly did stretches since middle school. He secretly thought that it was one of the few physical advantages he possessed. This first-year had easily overturned that. This is a bit…no, very frustrating.

But, what was that timing just now? Didn’t he jump after he saw the set? “Huh, that’s weird,” the first-year muttered to himself, tilting his head.

“Well, that’s enough entertainment for now. Assemble!”

Aoki clapped his hands and called the other team members over.

Facing the captain and vice-captain Oda and Aoki, the three second-years and four first-years stood on the right wing and left wing respectively, standing moderately spread out. Kanno was also participating today’s gym use day, so it felt good to see everyone’s faces and start the new year off right. The new members, including that astounding first-year from just a moment ago, looked a little nervous, their cheeks unconsciously slackening with their innocence.

Aoki handed him the forms they were made to fill out when they tentatively joined the team. He flipped through the four forms in his hand. The provisional admission form had a common format for all clubs, requiring students to write down the club they wanted to join, class, full name, and middle school. Obviously, all four forms had “boys’ volleyball team” written for the first item. That one line written in poor handwriting on each of them was dazzling…If he got emotional here, Aoki would laugh at him again.

“Now, we’ll have each first-year introduce themselves. Class, name, middle school, height, and position if you have experience. If there’s another position you want, you can say it. If you don’t know because you’re a first-timer, don’t worry. First is…”

He read aloud the first form.

“Nagato Ryo. Where are you?”

The first-year on the far left answered with “Here!” almost immediately. He wasn’t badly built either. He remembered seeing his face at the middle school prefecturals last year.

“Nagato Ryo from Class 1-E. I’m from Monshiro Middle. My height is probably around one-seventy-eight now. My position was pretty much the center.”

Fourth in the prefecture, Monshiro Middle. He exchanged a glance with Aoki and nodded.

“All right, next. Kuroba Yuuji.”

This time, there was no one who answered immediately.

“Hmm?”

He looked up from the sheet of paper. The one who had introduced himself as Nagato earlier poked the person to the right of him with his elbow. It was the first year who had swung and missed earlier who answered “Here” while looking down with Nagato’s elbow in his side.

“Kuroba Yuuji from 1-C, I’m from Monshiro Middle, now I’m probably one-eighty-three or four or something like that. I played left-side and right-side…”

While talking, that Kuroba was glowering at Nagato next to him. When he looked, he saw that Nagato had his hand to his mouth with his shoulders shaking.

“What’s going on here?”

The two’s faces stiffened when Oda’s tone turned sharp, but…

“It’s nothing. I’m Kuroba Yuuji.”

Kuroba named himself again while seemingly reluctantly giving Nagato the side-eye, a “pff” sound burst out from Nagato’s mouth.

“…Senpai. It’s Yuni. The reading.”

Kanno interjected from among the second-year right side players. “Ah,” Kuroba said and turned protesting eyes to Kanno. Come to think of it, Kanno was also from Monshiro Middle.

“Well, if that’s true then say it earlier. Why didn’t you correct me?”

“It’s fine. I will change my name starting today.”

Kuroba said with a solemn face while the tips of his ears were bright red. “You’re gonna change your name starting today?” Oda’s temple twitched. Is this guy an idiot? Nagato was clutching his stomach and bending over like he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Senpai, apparently his name got laughed at a lot in his new class today. When he was asked the reason for it, he said it was Yuni from ‘universe’, and everyone said it was a super over-the-top name. That’s why you’re sulking, right, Yuni?”

“Shut up…no one said anything in middle school.”

“Nah, I thought that too, but I knew you since first grade so I missed the timing.”

“Say, say stuff like that earlier! You’re making my wounds worse.”

The other two first-years, who had been just standing there with confused faces at the back-and-forth between the graduates of the same middle school, laughed reservedly. “Sto-stop laughing at me!” Kuroba said, aghast. Oda sighed.

“Isn’t it fine, Yuni from ‘universe’? Who named you?”

When he interjected, all four of them reflexively straightened their postures and contained their laughter. “Grandpa did…” Kuroba answered embarrassedly with his head hung. “The Buddhist priest at the temple decided the number of character strokes and read it as Hirohito at first, but Grandpa said he changed the reading since he wanted it to mean ‘May you be able to reach the universe…’”

The person himself didn’t seem to like it very much, but Oda was impressed by that origin. That’s nice…he thought again. The other first years other than Nagato seemed to have come out of their shells with this episode. They were already familiarly whispering and poking each other. He made the people around him like him, perhaps because he had a strange, hopelessly unguarded character to him. There was a big difference between having a moodmaker like that on the team and not having one. And of course, the first thing his eyes were drawn to were the height he was blessed with, and the jump power he displayed earlier. The suppleness of the body led to less chances of injury.

That’s nice…but…it’s frustrating. Two feelings were jumbled within him—the sincere feelings of welcome as a captain, and envy mixed with jealousy as a fellow attacker.

“Kuroba Yuni, eh. I don’t approve the name change, so keep it. Okay, next!”

When he turned over another temporary club entry form, he saw that there were no more people from Monshiro Middle School. He looked over them starting with the last one first, just to be sure, but that was also wrong. I assumed that he’d be among these four, but…

“Kuroba, Nagato, there’s another guy coming here from your school, right?”

The two first-years, who had gone from poking each other to joking around with each other, immediately froze. Kuroba’s reaction was especially conspicuous. His smiling face stiffened in an instant, and his huge body seemed like it shrank a size.

“What’s wrong?”

The two made noncommittal answers and looked away from Oda.

“Haijima goes here, doesn’t he? Haijima—Kimichika.”

When Oda impatiently repeated that, Nagato gave Kuroba’s profile a meaningful glance before nervously speaking.

“That guy, Haijima, stopped showing up to practice after prefecturals, and he doesn’t seem to be playing volleyball anymore.”

Previous || Index || Next

[softbiker]

Steve Rogers One Shot

Warnings: language, no editing

Word count: 5.1k (I have no excuses for this, I don’t know what happened)

Summary: Things get a little warm on a mission downtown. 

A/N: Another piece in the Agent 14 series! If you’re not familiar, I suggest checking out the masterlist first so you’ve got a background on my girl’s prior association to a particular star-spangled man ;) As always, let me know what you think!

There are certain hours of the morning that Bucky would happily never see. 

4:30 a.m. he could absolutely do without. 

Bleary-eyed, stiff, tasting his own stale breath, he rubs at his prickled cheeks as he yawns. Why the hell did he agree to do this? He should be back in bed - he’d give his bottom dollar to be in his cozy little blanket nest right about now…he’d had to leave 28’s apartment so damn early to get back to the tower in time to grab his running clothes. To his own nose, he still smelled of sex and her bedsheets; but with a change of clothes and his hair tucked under his vintage Dodgers cap, he hoped no one would notice. Just to be safe he had splashed a few drops of cologne on his shirt and his pulse - he knew Steve’s nose was sensitive enough to pick up on the scent. Too much of a risk. 

The elevator chimes brightly and opens to reveal the man of the hour - the man of this hour, who loves that pre-dawn dewy sweetness that even city air can have, before the whole machine of it hums to life. Even Steve seems a little sleepy, ruddy flush in his pale cheeks, his normally neat beard looking unkempt. The length of his hair is swept beneath his own hat, a red one bearing the NASA logo, and he’s managed to fit all of his muscled mass into the straining seams of a Nike running shirt. Jesus but he looked like some kind of ad for protein powders, one that would have gym rats scrambling - or better yet, a poster to get elementary school kids to drink their milk. 

“Mornin’ Buck,” Steve smiles, rolling his shoulders and stretching a little. “You ready?” 

Bucky merely grunts in assent and shuffles into the elevator, little box stuffed to capacity with the width of their shoulders. 

“Down a floor, please, F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” Steve requests. He is unfailingly courteous to the AI, even when Tony’s not around. Bucky can relate. Their old-fashioned manners are hard to shake, even with both feet firm in the 21st century. “We’re picking up Sam, too.” 

“Ugh,” Bucky rolls his eyes. “I thought we were going for a run this morning; bring Sam and we might as well just power-walk around the mall like old people.”

“Buck, we are old people.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Bucky yawns again, his breath leaving a puff of fog on his metal hand as he half-heartedly covers his mouth. “Took a quiz on WebMD - my biological age is only 28.” 

Steve doesn’t respond - he refuses to dignify Bucky’s weird internet expeditions. Too curious for his own good, he often falls down these virtual rabbit holes, only resurfacing hours later, red-eyed and chap-lipped, uncharacteristically babbling in a twitchy-fingered frenzy about moon-landing conspiracies or the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. It always takes him a little while, a few good-natured jabs from the team, before he comes back to his normal self. The only person who’s ever been really interested in his crackpot ravings is the Parker kid - but Peter doesn’t come around too often, prioritizing his schoolwork, and even then, Steve is almost certain he’s enabling Bucky’s bad habits more than anything. 

Like Bucky, Sam is waiting in front of the elevator, dressed in his running shorts and favorite purple t-shirt. He squints, puffy-eyed and pouting, at the offensively harsh light coming from the open elevator doors, hitting him full in the face. 

“You old farts really like to get up early, huh?” he grumbles, shuffling between them in the already cramped elevator. “Some of us still need our beauty sleep.” 

“Yeah, it looks like you haven’t been getting any,” Bucky says drily, leaning one hip against the wall. 

“Mm, cause I’m too busy gettin’ some-”

“Sam,” Steve interrupts, sounding every inch the exasperated father. He pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“What?” Sam raises his hands in defense. “All I’m saying is, Tin Man can talk about his beauty rest while he goes to bed alone - that’s fine with me. Only way he’s getting dates is under threat of force.” 

It’s fleeting, almost shy, that quirk in the corner of Bucky’s lips; he tucks it away just as quickly, turning his face towards the floor and tugging his cap down a little further. The shadow of the bill covers his eyes from Steve’s gaze, but he still aims a frown at Sam over Bucky’s head. 

“Can you two at least try to get along?” he sighs, fighting to keep his own face neutral, stern, in spite of the hours of entertainment he gets watching his friends pretend they wouldn’t take a bullet for each other. 

“Hey, he started it,” Sam protests on his way out of the elevator, skipping his feet to stay ahead of Bucky’s last ditch attempt to trip him. 

Oy vey, Steve thinks, but he just rolls his eyes and follows them, a half-beat behind and listening to their muttered jabs traded back and forth as they make their way down the front steps and out of the building into the crisp New York morning. 

A blanket of humidity holds the air close, promising a beautiful morning and a sweltering afternoon. In the pre-dawn hush, they stretch and warm up their muscles, Sam a little more intensely than the other two, as the only one in any real danger of hurting himself. He props one hand against a bench and swings one leg a few times, then the other, loosening his hamstrings. They’re a little quieter now, the close, quiet dark dampening their voices, though New York would protest their reverence for its show of sleep - even now, the headlights streak past them along the streets, buildings twinkling high into the skyline, crowding out the stars. Some jumping jacks, high knees - Sam is more careful of his tight hip these days - and then they’re off. 

Despite some historical evidence to the contrary, most of which Bucky holds hostage, Steve Rogers isn’t a complete asshole. Which is why he always lets Sam set the pace when they run together - otherwise they wouldn’t be running together. Bucky complains, but Steve knows it’s just for show; Buck doesn’t really care about running (“Why do I need to run when no one’s shooting at me, Steve?”), so he’s not too pressed about going slow. 

Falling into step, filling the width of the sidewalk, they make their way up to Central Park. If asked, Steve would say that he hates living in Manhattan - that his suite at the tower was opulent to the point of being oppressive, that he’d take his old one-room place in the Heights with Bucky over this near-embarrassing level of excess. But there is something to it, the glitter and chrome, the thrumming pulse of the city right at his fingertips, right there in the middle of it all, that he could never quite give up. 

They take their time, keeping pace with Sam, on their first lap around the park; there are a few other runners out in the park at this hour, taking advantage of the lack of traffic and milling tourists to get in a few good miles. Some nod or lift their fingers as they pass, certainly recognizing their local celebrities, but no one stops, no one stares. Avengers are a common enough sight in this part of town; Steve can only speak for himself, but he certainly doesn’t mind the lack of attention. 

On their second lap, the first hint of a glowing gradient lighting up the sky, Steve glances over at Bucky; neither of them are sweating - not even breathing hard. Sam on the other hand, while still managing a conversation, has beads of sweat forming on his forehead, a dark stain forming on the front of his shirt. Both Steve and Bucky can hear the extra beats of his heart, pounding a more fragile rhythm than their own steady beat; his lungs strain a little harder. Looking at Steve, Bucky cocks a silent eyebrow, darts his eyes to Sam and back again. Steve shrugs back, willing to let him make the call. 

Suddenly, with practiced precision, they dart around Sam on either side and pull ahead, gaining ground and speed with every stride. With a final cry of “Assholes!” fading behind them, they leave Sam in the dust, stretching out their enhanced legs - wild horses set loose, they gallop in a blinding and furious pace, the bill of Steve’s cap flying up and nearly leaving his head before he grips it and tugs it down tighter against his skull. The trees streak past, glimpses of city lights blurred between, as they top out their speed, dodging bewildered joggers and dog walkers perilously found in their path. 

It takes a moment for Steve to recognize the sound, to realize that Bucky is laughing; another moment later, he’s joining in - hardly knowing why and refusing to ask. With a pang, he remembers how often that laugh filled his life, echoed in his home, followed his shuffling footsteps on the sidewalk. It comes with the same underwhelming force as the sunrise, quiet and brilliant and inevitable, streaking joy across the horizon - they are here, they are alive, they found their way home. Steve remembers being 17 and 90 pounds and choking on his first drop of whiskey but still winding up drunk on his own youth, knees knocking Bucky’s where they dangled from the fire escape, feeling as though he could eat the world raw. He could take a bite from it this morning - him and Buck, they could devour it. 

It’s useless to try to count the miles when they move this fast; no running app has yet managed to track them accurately, and besides, they could both easily run a marathon with no training. Their runs are mostly for fun - well, Steve finds it fun, the way he finds jumping out of airplanes fun, or leaping over moving cars, or throwing objects he didn’t know he could lift. There’s something about his recklessness being rewarded, through the sheer steel strength of his enhanced body, matched only by the pure-bred stubbornness of his character, that bubbles endorphins in his brain like nothing else. 

Almost nothing else. 

Up ahead, he notices the back of Sam’s shirt; they’ve lapped the park again, coming up on him from behind. Next to him, Steve watches the swing of a familiar ponytail, half-mesmerized by the way it sways in the sun. Then she’s turning halfway to laugh at something Sam has said, and it’s-

He stumbles over his own toes but recovers before actually falling, Bucky throwing out a hand to steady him at the elbow, and they slow their pace, settling into a jog as they catch up to Sam and his companion. 

“You alright, pal?” Bucky asks, chewing his lip as he considers Steve. 

“Yeah, fine,” Steve shrugs him off. They’re right behind them now, steps alerting the other two of their presence; she turns, Sam too, to see who’s coming. 

Along her forehead, the sweet little baby hairs cling to her skin, wetted down with sweat. Sunlight gleams on her cheekbones, and he wonders if that’s sweat, too. She settles her hands on her hips as she turns towards him, the corner of her mouth lifted in a breathless smile. 

“Morning, Cap,” she says, flicking a loose strand of hair back from her face. The weather is beautiful, sun bright and strong, and she’s wearing a red crop top and running shorts, wireless headphones tucked in her ears. Music must be paused though, because he can’t hear anything coming through them. 

“Morning,” he smiles back, lifting his cap to sweep a hand through his sweaty hair before settling it back on his head. A faint, self-conscious note sounds in his brain, and he tries to remember if he brushed his teeth this morning before leaving his room. 

At his shoulder, Bucky clears his throat conspicuously. 

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met.” Bucky sticks out his hand, armed with a boyishly charming smile. “I’m Bucky.” 

She shakes his hand, smiling back and offering a name, pretending not to notice Steve’s blink of surprise. Was that - surely she wouldn’t offer her real name? He didn’t even know so much as her favorite color. He zones out of the small talk bouncing between the other three, Sam sharing how they’d joined up on their respective runs, lamenting the way his so-called friends left him behind. All Steve has is a number, that and-

“Would anyone be up for some coffee?” he asks when there’s a break in the conversation. 

She lifts one brow, her eyes following his as he looks to his friends. 

“Oh, you know I was just thinking the same thing,” Sam nods, rubbing his hands together. “Great minds, Steve.” He taps his temple, the same way Peter does sometimes when the kid is feeling sarcastic. Bucky rolls his eyes. 

“Can’t believe you two are what qualifies as great minds these days,” he grumbles, combing an errant hair behind his ear. Sam takes a swing at his shoulder but misses, and they fall in together, walking towards the coffee shop, hardly noticing if the other two are following. 

With a little skip, she smiles at Steve and starts after them, his strides a little shorter to match hers. Birds chirp overhead, fading in and out of the hum of the now-busy streets and park lanes. Steve steals furtive glances, trying to decide whether or not she has freckles across the bridge of her nose. 

“So.” He starts, then stops himself. 

“So?” 

He tilts his chin up, repeating the name she’d given to Sam and Bucky.

“Yes?” 14 smirks, tugging up the waistband of her shorts. 

“I mean, that isn’t…” he flounders. “It’s not…you, is it? Your real name?” 

“Hmm,” she purses her lips, squinting at the men ahead of them. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

  **********                                                                                      

He’s in his office, draining the dregs of his americano - blonde shots, a sprinkle of cinnamon - when F.R.I.D.A.Y. pages him. 

“Captain Rogers, you’re needed in the briefing room - there’s a situation,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. says over the intercom, soft Irish brogue managing to sound coolly concerned. Steve stands from his desk, coffee left behind. 

“On my way.” 

Another day, another bomb - Avenging is never dull, and why should it be? Sometimes Steve wonders if a strange law of attraction is at work in their violently non-traditional career; if it’s the insanity of every crisis they’re called to answer that has made them what they are - or, as he often suspects, is it actually the reverse? 

Tony is at the head of the conference table, flicking through projected images with quick fingers, the rest of the team already seated. No one looks up when he slips into the room. 

“If these preliminary scans are accurate, it looks like we’ve got explosives - sophisticated ones, I might add; really, even I’m a little impressed, which as we all know, is a pretty-”

“Tony,” Steve says, taking his own seat at the front of the table. Righteous brow lowering.  “Focus.” 

Tony makes a face, but impressively withholds whatever comment rises to the tip of his tongue; blowing a harsh sigh past his lips, he goes on with the briefing. 

“Right, as I was saying,” he says. “We’ve got some idea of the type of devices we’re dealing with-”

“Devices? Plural?” Nat clarifies. Her pen taps a quick beat against her notepad.

“Yes,” Bruce speaks up, standing a few feet away from Tony, cracking the knuckles of his left hand. “Based on the energy signatures coming from the building, we have three distinct focal points of radiation - so I’d put my money on three devices.”

A beat of silence in the room; gravity pulling harder at their legs and stomachs, the weight of this job, this calling, sits heavy like lead. Clint stretches his arm across the back of 41’s chair. Sam leans forward, elbows on the table, meeting Steve’s eyes for a moment. They carry that weight differently, each one. It takes a moment, a thought, as each of them readjusts it, gets used to it, rolls their shoulders to feel it settle. 

And then, they get up.

“Alright - all hands on deck for this one,” Steve nods, eyes circling the table. “We’ll divide into assault, evacuation, and extraction teams. Wheels up in 15.” He looks at Tony once more, now rolling up the sleeves of his well-cut silk shirt. 

“Let’s suit up.”

   **********                                                                                                 

He’s first to the jet, his apartment being closest to the hangar, and he sits in the cockpit going over blueprints for the high-rise business complex they were about to save. A tech conglomerate operates in the upper half of the building, taking nearly half the available square footage; the lower floors are occupied by a couple of smaller companies, start-ups enjoying their first windfall of success. Absentmindedly rubbing his beard, Steve wonders why here, why this target. A personal score to settle, underhanded business deals padding the margins of their accounts? Nothing rings true; even F.R.I.D.A.Y.’S analysis suggested this building was a random target. 

Whatever the case, his team is going in there, and he’s not letting them walk in unprepared. So he reads the schematics, twice, three times. Scans Banner’s notes on the radiation readings, what type of bombs they would be dealing with. Mentally, he begins sorting his team into smaller units; he knows 28 has some experience with bombs, Nat, too. They’d pair well for an extraction team, with instructions from Stark and Banner on the jet. Sam and 41 could handle evac, if emergency services hadn’t already emptied the building - probably he’d take Bucky and Wanda in for a strike team; the three of them could handle any lingering thugs who were stupid enough to stick around after planting heavy explosives. 

His fingers tap quickly, unconsciously, against his thigh as he hears the team piling into the jet, jostling each other and trading playful insults; pre-mission nerves manifesting in their tight smiles and compulsive weapons-checking - tightening and re-tightening holsters, checking harness straps, dropping to their seats still poised and upright, muscles unwilling to relax. Stalking up the center aisle, Tony joins him in the cockpit. He claps Steve on the shoulder with a (thankfully, unsuited) hand. 

“Ready to roll, Cap?” he says, rolling a piece of peppermint from one side of his mouth to the other. 

Steve nods, stoic jaw set firm. He watches the control panel of the jet light up under Tony’s hands. 

“Born ready.” 

“Oh - we got an extra pair of hands, by the way,” Tony comments, nonchalant. He gestures over his shoulder with his chin. “She’s back there - I’m starting to think Fury only recruits beautiful women; wonder what his secret is.” 

The comment makes him stop, makes him hope, and then hope not- Steve swivels in his seat and rises, taking a step to look back towards the body of the jet. 

She’s smiling at something Clint just said, buckling into her seat on his other side, one down from Agent 41. Once again wearing her white catsuit, hair held back in a sleek braid, 14 pulls down a little on the harness of her seat, making sure it’s well-secured. There’s a beat before she notices, realizes that he’s noticed; she lifts her hand in a little wave when she sees him standing there. 

“Hi, Cap,” she says. Her head tilts to one side, braid falling down over one shoulder. “Long time no see.” 

Sam’s mouth opens and closes, making a little noise as he looks between the two of them. 

“Wait,” he says, holding up a hand. “Wait. Hold up -” He repeats the name she gave them this morning, eyebrows knotting close together. “Am I missing something? Y’all know each other?” 

Steve props an arm against the frame of the jet arcing above his head, feeling his cheeks heat under the new scrutiny the team directs his way. His shoulders curl in a little, his other hand reaching for his beard. In the moment, he’s not sure what to say - what to call her, what they are (friends, colleagues, certainly not partners) - and he chews his lip for a long and uncomfortable moment while the others examine his increasingly embarrassed face. 

It’s Agent 41 who finally takes pity on him, huffing a sigh around the sour gummy worm hanging from the corner of her mouth. 

“There’s a lot of secret agents you haven’t met yet, Sam,” she says. The limp, sugar-coated worm inches its way into her mouth as she works her lips, tucking it into her cheek. “Cause, you know, we’re secret.”

“Boom, roasted.” Clint makes a little mic drop motion with one hand, his other one working its way into the crinkling bag of gummies on 41’s lap. 

Sam, attention diverted, scowls at the two of them. Now forgotten, Steve watches as Clint throws tiny pieces of sour worms at Sam’s head, never missing despite his attempts at dodging them. With a soft smile, 14 throws a wink in Steve’s direction. 

Shaking his head, he turns back to the cockpit and reaches for his notes, ready to break down the plan. 

  **********                                                                                                   

“Rogers, get the others out of the building.” It’s Nat’s voice, tight and panicked over the com lines. 

“Romanoff?” He’s jogging up the stairwell, finger pressed to the device in his ear. 

“Now, Steve.” Her characteristic sarcasm, dry and vivid in her husky voice, is gone. This is Nat, and he knows she wouldn’t sound the alarm for no reason. 

“Understood.” They’re two floors above him, and he pushes his legs harder, faster. “Sam, Wanda, Tony - get the team out. The rest of the building is empty.” One more flight. “Romanoff, 28, I’m on my way up to you.” 

Voices crackle over the line, confirming his orders, the team falling out one by one. Confirmation when they rendezvous on the jet, hovering a safe distance above the the skyline. Steve kicks through the bolted stairwell door and takes two left turns down glass-walled hallways, the map in his head guiding him through the frustrating maze of identical conference rooms and offices, dodging and leaping the sparse and sleek modern furniture crowding an abandoned reception room. 

He finds them hunched over the harmless-looking black box, left in an unused cleaning closet - but it’s Agent 14, not 28, with her hands fluttering over an exposed circuit board while Nat looks on, curled white knuckles pressed against her mouth. 

“Where’s Agent 28?” 

“With the second device, lower half of the building,” 14 mutters, not looking up. 

“Status?” 

Natasha scowls, but she doesn’t look at him either. 

“Not good.”

“The devices are all linked,” 14 says. She licks her lips, using a pair of tweezers to carefully reverse the position of a set of wires connected directly to the battery terminals. “Every time we disarm one, it receives a signal from one of the others that re-arms it.” 

Steve watches her concentrate on the circuit board, a few frazzled hairs escaping her braid. 

“How much time do we have?” he asks, feeling the muscles in the back of his neck tighten. Natasha finally turns, the grave line of her mouth answering him before she even speaks. 

“Minutes - maybe less.” She shakes her head. “Is everyone out?” 

“Building’s empty,” Steve confirms, fingers going to the comm device in his ear. “Stark - what’s our blast radius look like? This building’s gonna blow.” 

Tony’s voice appears in his ear, only a second later. 

“Of course it is,” he says, voice bright and resigned. “How did I not see that one coming?” Over the line, Steve hears a harsh sigh, and then Tony’s voice reappears. “We’re looking at the whole block, Steve, maybe more - emergency services already evacuated the surrounding buildings and they’ve created a perimeter, but we can’t be certain of the damage till they, you know, explode.” 

“Any ideas on containment?”

“Gimme a minute,” Tony huffs. “In the meantime, you guys better start hauling ass.”

Steve turns to Nat and 14; they both already have their eyes on him. He nods, quick and commanding, authority drawing up his posture. 

“You heard him,” he says. “Let’s go.” 

Nat and 14 are already on their feet, and he brings up the rear as they dart out of the room and back the way they came, weaving around towards the stairs and tearing down the staircase at a breakneck pace. 

They’re 2 flights from the ground floor when 14 stops, wild-eyed and panting, braid half-loose, and seizes Steve’s arm. 

“28,” she says, fingernails digging into the thick fabric of his uniform. “28 never confirmed, is she -?” 

Steve tugs her along after Nat, still sprinting down the stairs, and taps his comm device. 

“28? Status, 28 - are you out of the building?” 

The line stays quiet, heartbeats and harsh breaths in their ears. 

“28? Come in, 28.” 

Radio silence. 

14 stops short, whirling around and away from Steve and back towards the door to the second level - 28’s last known location. Clenching his jaw, he shouts down the stairs to a waiting Natasha, who stands a flight below, tensed to spring back up the stairs after them. 

“Natasha - you go, meet the others at the jet and help coordinate evac,” he says, feet already following 14. “We’ll get 28 and rendezvous with the team.” 

“But-”

“Go, Nat!”

It takes him 3 seconds to catch up to her, pushing through the door and taking one look at the open floor-plan office before turning right and hustling through the neatly arranged desks towards the utility closet at the other end of the suite. 

“She was here the last time she checked in,” 14 breathes, wiping her brow. Two steps ahead of her, Steve wrenches the door open. 

The device lays dismantled in the center of the room, mechanical guts exposed to the drafty air - but the closet is otherwise empty, with exception of a few cleaning supplies shoved into a corner. An overturned yellow mop bucket, spray bottles with faded labels, a pair of rubber gloves. 

He can hear 14’s heart rate escalate, tapping furiously at her own comm device. 

“28 where are you? Come in, 28?” Her voice is thin, breath harsh from their sprint. She licks her lips as she waits for a response. Each second that passes, her eyes flit around the room again, glassy and unfocused, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

A voice that neither of them expects appears in their ears. 

“28’s fine,” Bucky says, voice rough but clear. “Signal from the bomb made her line cut out. We’re outside the building, en route to the rendezvous point.” 

Their eyes meet and the shared relief washes over them, soothing for the space of a heartbeat - before the device, innocuous and waiting, begins beeping with a menacing frenzy. 

Without a word, Steve grips 14’s wrist and makes a mad dash for the other end of the floor. They pass the stairwell door, still swinging open, and head straight for the floor-to-ceiling windows exposing the bright afternoon sunlight outside. 

Between 1943 and 1945, the number of burning buildings Steve jumped out of could be conservatively estimated at around a dozen. Bucky would argue for more, but considering the lack of other eyewitnesses, it was really anyone’s guess at this point. Regardless, it’s not the first time he’s found himself trying to outrun the laws of physics, hell quite literally at his heels - his fingers close tighter around 14’s and he glances at her face as he tucks her under one arm. 

“Ready?” he breathes. Her eyes are on the window. She licks her lips, opens them to respond. 

Then the building blows up. 

  **********                                                                                                   

When he saw the flames blow out the windows, glass tinkling downward in a delicate deadly rain, Tony’s heart remembered the feeling of shrapnel. 

“Shit.” He enhances the camera view on the explosion, scanning the surrounding street. “Steve? Come in, Rogers.” Smoke billows up, reaching ever higher towards the skyline. “Rogers? Steve?”

On the ground, Sam turns towards the police perimeter, pushing his way through the rubberneckers and uniforms. Already people are gawking at the scene, cell phones poised to record the disaster, worth at least a few likes and retweets. His feet pick up into a jog and he ducks between the roadblocks, no one even attempting to stop him. 

“Come on, come on,” he mutters. The smoke starts to sting his eyes and he lowers his goggles, coughing a little. Even from this distance, still a couple hundred feet, he can feel the greedy heat of the flames, already licking their way up more than half of the enormous high rise. He keeps going until the heat is just too oppressive, the force of it too harsh and blistering; but he stands his ground, squinting through the smoke and ash, one arm pressed to his mouth and nose. 

The glint of red is the first thing he sees. 

“I’ve got ‘em!” he yells over the line, followed by a harsh coughing fit. “I’ve got eyes on ‘em!”

Shield first, streaked with ash but bright as a beacon, they stagger out of the smoke. Both their faces are covered in soot, 14’s uniform scorched in places, Steve’s blond head turned an ashy gray; her arm is slung around Steve’s shoulder and she leans into him as they limp towards their teammate, their friend. 14 coughs as a harsh wind, stirred by the flames, whips fresh smoke into her face. Steve’s grip around her waist tightens by a fraction, even as Sam approaches, grips his shoulder and hauls him into a rough embrace. 

“You’re insane, you know that?” Sam points a finger in his face when he pulls back a moment later. “You’re a goddamn lunatic. Jesus, man.” He babbles in his relief, and they let him, following quietly towards the waiting paramedics, the line of spectators already cheering at the sight of the familiar patriotic uniform. Police and citizens alike crowd against the barricades, hoping for a glimpse of their national hero. Steve lifts the shield in a tired salute, rousing another chorus of excited whoops and cheers. 

He feels different eyes on him, and he looks down to find 14, face upturned and sooty, her eyes red from the smoke. Her own fingers slip between his where his hand still rests at her waist, and she squeezes his hand twice. Like a heartbeat. Then her head drops to his shoulder. 

Nearing the edge of the perimeter, Steve hears the roar of applause above the ringing in his ears, and tries to feel victorious. 

[feverishbangtan]

bad, worse, the worst

This is it. This is the long ass fic I've been working on. Read tags for warnings and information so you don’t get confused bc this is an AU fic.

————

AU

Taehyung just wanted to film the boyfriend tag. Jungkook didn’t have to get so sick to have an excuse not to film it.

Sickie: Jungkook

Caretaker: Taehyung

Word Count: 10672

TW: hospital, emeto

"Jungkookie~..." Taehyung whispers sweetly, pouring all of his charms into the name.

He wraps his arms around Jungkook's shoulders, placing a soft kiss on his cheek and nuzzling his nose into the youngers neck.

"Hm?" Jungkook hums, although it sounds a little congested because of his blocked nose.

Jungkook pulls away from Taehyung's embrace, coughing into the crook of his elbow and rubbing his nose with the back of his hand as it starts itching.

"Can we film the boyfriend tag tomorrow afternoon?" Taehyung asks cutely, quickly continuing, "Pleaseeee~ my fans are getting impatient, they keep asking about it! And you promised you'd do it! Please, Jungkookie!"

Jungkook hasn’t been officially introduced to Taehyung's fans, yet. Partially because Taehyung wasn’t sure if he wanted to introduce him at all. He saw how fans pried into other’s relationships after they showed themselves. It happened to others; it happened to his friends. And he didn’t want that for himself and his relationship. Jungkook is a very private person as it is, and Taehyung didn’t want to push that by having people stick their nose into their relationship and possibly ruin it.

But his fans kept asking; begging for him to do the infamous boyfriend tag. They wanted to get to know the man that made their Taehyung so happy. They were curious and the occasional pictures Taehyung posted of them weren’t enough to satisfy them; nor were Jungkook's unexpected accidental appearances in the background of Taehyung's videos now and then.

Actually, that was how they found out about them. Taehyung and Jungkook had just moved in together when the older did a live stream to show their new home. Jungkook wasn’t aware of it and barged into the kitchen to prepare himself some food; wet haired and still shirtless from just having taken a shower. Needless to say that the viewers freaked out about the half-naked man in the background. Taehyung had told them that’s his lovely boyfriend and at that point, Jungkook had realized what was going on. Taehyung had never seen him run that fast in his life ever again.

"I don’t know Tae... I know I promised but- I don’t know..." Jungkook pouts as he thinks of the right words to say. A little frustrated, he runs his fingers through his long hair, pushing it back.

He sniffles a few times before finally grabbing a tissue from the box on the coffee table to blow his nose. Jungkook caught a cold only a few days prior, but he is already annoyed with how it either made his nose runny or blocked it completely.

"It’s just this one video, baby. Please? You promised you'd do it." Now Taehyung is the one pouting, looking at his boyfriend with sad puppy dog eyes.

Jungkook chuckles at how cute Taehyung is but it turns into a soft cough. 

"I can't show myself to your fans like this. I look like Rudolph! Let's do it another time." The younger tries to negotiate, voice cracking halfway through the first sentence because of how sore his throat is. And as if to emphasize his statement, Jungkook sneezes into the tissue, his nose red from rubbing it raw.

Taehyung sighs in defeat but nods anyway, a gentle smile on his lips as he leans forward to cup his boyfriend's face and place a light kiss on his nose.

They cuddle on the couch for a while longer, watching the drama Taehyung chose. When Jungkook starts to nod off every few seconds, they decide to head to bed.

"Are you sure you want to go to work tomorrow? You're sick and you should rest, Koo." Taehyung questions as he wraps his long limbs around the younger, who insists on going to the gym he works at tomorrow.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Now, let's sleep."

—

Jungkook started working at a gym close to their apartment while he was studying. So when he graduated six months ago he continued working there, even increasing work hours because he enjoys it so much.

"You look like death, kid. Should've stayed home today." Namjoon, one of the personal trainers at the gym, says as soon as Jungkook enters the staff’s locker room.

"Good morning to you, too, hyung." He croaks, his voice so hoarse it is almost gone.

Namjoon frowns, "Sound like it, too. Seriously, you should've just called in sick. We're over staffed this week anyway so it would’ve been fine."

"I'm okay, hyung. I'll manage a few hours." Jungkook assures as he changes into his gym clothes and ties up his hair.

"Hmm." Namjoon doesn’t sound convinced at all but he knows that arguing is pointless, "Don't get our clients sick, kid."

Namjoon ruffles Jungkook's hair on his way out, frowning at the heat he can feel. He stops to look at his colleague again, ready to ask if he really is fine enough to work.

But Jungkook speaks up before he can say anything, "Seriously, hyung. I'm fine. Now go!"

The older sighs but leaves the locker room, promising himself to check up on his colleague and friend as often as possible. If necessary, he would drag his ass home himself.

-

Jungkook survived the day at the gym. Luckily, it wasn’t a busy one but he is still exhausted and out of breath when he finally returns home.

His head is pounding and his nose is runny so he has to blow it every other minute, even though it seems to be pointless.

With a tired groan, Jungkook lets himself fall on the comfortable couch. His body feels achy from the workout, or maybe it is from the fever he developed during work. Either way, he grants his heavy body a few minutes of rest, closing his eyes as he curls up on the sofa.

-

Taehyung arrives home about an hour after Jungkook does. He spent the day at his best friend's, Jimin, preparing for the videos he wants to film with the other.

"Hellooo~! I'm back!" He announces loudly, letting his keys fall into the bowl in the hall.

There is no response but Taehyung knows his boyfriend is home because he can see his shoes and jacket in the entrance and he knows at what time he gets home after work.

"Jungkookie~? I'm home!" He tries again, slipping out of his shoes and jacket but there is still no answer.

Taehyung walks into the living space, stopping short when he finds his boyfriend asleep on the couch. He's snoring lightly, something he only does when he is sick. And he sure looks like it, face pale except for the red nose and cheeks.

Taehyung smiles softly and goes to crouch down in front of the sleeping man. He gently tucks a loose strand of hair that is falling into Jungkook's face behind his ear so it doesn’t tickle him. Taehyung brushes the back of his hand over the youngers forehead and frowns when it feels a little too warm. He makes a mental note to take Jungkook's temperature later when he is awake.

Grabbing the soft blanket from the backrest of the couch, Taehyung spreads it over his boyfriend and gently tucks him in, adjusting the pillow to make sure he is comfortable.

Jungkook letting out a few weak coughs in his sleep prompts Taehyung to prepare him some tea and maybe he'll manage to make food for them as well. Typically Jungkook is the one to cook because Taehyung isn’t a great chef at all.

A half an hour later he whipped up a decent soup. It is easy enough and something he can’t mess up too badly. Taehyung hopes it will do Jungkook good, warming him up and hopefully soothing his throat that he's been complaining about for the past few days already.

"Jungkookie. Jagiya, wake up." Taehyung is back in front of the couch, alternating between stroking his boyfriend's cheek and running his hand through his hair.

It takes some more coaxing and gentle touches but eventually, the younger wakes up with a groan. He hates waking up on normal days but it is even worse when he doesn’t feel well and just wants to sleep through it all.

Jungkook swallows, but it ends in a coughing fit because of how dry his mouth and throat are. Because of his blocked nose, he is forced to breathe through his mouth but the dryness aggravates his sore throat. The coughs are forceful and wet and Taehyung frowns at how terrible he sounds.

He gets up to bring his boyfriend a glass of water, hoping that will help. The tea he prepared right before waking the younger up is still too hot to drink.

"Here, drink a few sips to moisturize your mouth and throat." Taehyung suggests, handing Jungkook the glass.

He takes a few sips when the coughing calms down, the cool liquid feeling good as it soothes his throat.

"Thank you." Jungkook rasps hoarsely and places the glass back on the table.

Taehyung sits down next to Jungkook and pulls him into a hug. 

He is a very affectionate person and loves to show it. He loves giving hugs and little pecks and holding his boyfriend's hand. Jungkook accepts it but he never initiates it, not in public. The younger is a lot more touchy and loving when they were in private but he is too shy to do it outside of the comfort of their home.

"My poor Jungkookie. You don’t feel very well, huh?" Taehyung places a soft kiss on Jungkook's temple, the warmth reminding him that he needs to take his temperature.

Jungkook doesn't respond but melts into the hug. They sit like that for a while, just holding onto each other and enjoying the other's company.

"Let's eat a little. I made soup." Taehyung murmurs into Jungkook's ear, kissing it before he gets up to get them both a bowl of the food he prepared.

First he brings Jungkook his soup and tea and then goes to get his own. The younger wraps himself up in the blanket, only his head and hands peeking out so he can eat.

"I hope it tastes good. I tried hard!" Taehyung tells him as he turns on the TV to provide some background noise so they won’t sit in complete silence.

"I'm sure it does but I wouldn’t know. I can't taste anything because my nose is blocked." Jungkook tells him with a small pout before he starts eating the soup.

When they are done, Taehyung puts the dishes away and goes to get the thermometer so he can finally take Jungkook's temperature.

"Open up!" He orders cheerily, holding the device up for his boyfriend to see.

Jungkook obeys without complaining except for that it is hard to keep it in his mouth because he can’t breathe well through his nose. The warm soup and tea loosened the congestion, so he is left with a runny nose, sniffling every few seconds.

When the thermometer beeps Taehyung pulls it out, relieved to see that it isn’t too bad. "It's a bit higher than normal but it's not bad. You'll be fine." Taehyung informs him.

"Hmm, okay." Jungkook hums nasally, "Cuddle me, though?"

Of course, Taehyung can't resist and they spend another hour cuddled up on the couch. When Taehyung notices that the younger is slowly dozing off, he shakes him gently.

"Let's go to bed, Koo." He tells him and sits up, startling Jungkook awake again in the process.

The younger is a little dazed, looking around the room confusedly before Taehyung's words seem to register with him. Taehyung stretches his hands out toward him to pull him up.

After washing up in the bathroom they are now comfortably tucked under their thick duvet, Taehyung spooning Jungkook like he always does.

"Goodnight aegi. Get well soon." The older murmurs into Jungkook’s neck, pecking it softly.

"G'night. Love you." He replies, going lax in his boyfriend's arms as he feels comfortable and warm.

—

The rest of the week passes much the same. Jungkook still goes to work every day, even though Taehyung tells him to stay at home and rest. They argued about it and Jungkook ended up promising him to come home earlier at least.

Taehyung spends most of his days at Jimin's, preparing for a Halloween makeup special that they want to film together.

Friday afternoon, Taehyung and Jungkook sit on their dining table together. Taehyung made hotpot for them. He asked his mother for the recipe and followed it accurately so he won't accidentally end up giving himself and his boyfriend food poisoning on top of his cold.

Blowing on the spoon, Taehyung glances up to see his boyfriend aimlessly moving the ingredients around in his bowl but not eating anything. Jungkook's head rests heavily in his hand and he looks exhausted.

"Are you not hungry, Koo?" Taehyung asks softly.

Jungkook lifts his head slowly, trying to stifle a cough but failing.

"Not really, 'm sorry." He apologizes, his voice so rough and hoarse it is barely audible.

Jungkook pushes the bowl away and instead places his head on the table, a pout on his lips as he sniffles a few times.

Taehyung gets up to back-hug his boyfriend, draping himself over him entirely. With his hand, he moves Jungkook's hair out of his face, then puts it on the youngers forehead.

"You feel warm Jungkookie." He notes, kissing Jungkook's neck before he pulls back.

"Go lay down on the couch while I get the thermometer. Are you in pain, do you need me to get you anything else?" Taehyung asks concerned.

Jungkook shakes his head, "No, just you."

Taehyung smiles and ruffles his boyfriend's hair gently before he leaves.

When Taehyung comes back into the living room Jungkook lays on the couch, bundled up in a blanket and he looks about ready to fall asleep.

He suddenly pitches forward with a sneeze, blindly grabbing for the tissue box on the coffee table in front of him.

Taehyung walks over to him and hands the younger a tissue before he sits down on the edge of the couch. He rubs Jungkook's back as he blows his nose, groaning when he flops back down on the sofa.

"Here, let's take your temperature." Taehyung tells him, putting the thermometer into Jungkook's mouth.

While they wait Taehyung thinks about how Jungkook only seemed to deteriorate this past week. He just caught a common cold the week before but instead of getting better his coughs are getting deeper and his fever higher.

The beeping of the thermometer pulls Taehyung out of his thoughts. Jungkook had a low-grade fever on and off all week and they didn't think much of it but the number Taehyung's seeing now takes him by surprise.

"It's pretty high, aein. 38.4°C. I'll get some fever reducers, do you need anything else?"

Taehyung stands up, looking at his boyfriend worriedly. He knows that with a fever like that he can't be feeling well.

"My head and throat really hurt..." Jungkook admits quietly. He can't speak louder than a whisper anyway, voice nearly gone at that point.

Taehyung leans down to press his lips against Jungkook's hot forehead tenderly.

"Do you want to go to bed? It's probably more comfortable than the couch and you look like you're about to fall asleep, Kookie."

Jungkook nods and slowly unwraps himself from the blanket. Taehyung helps him stand up and supports him to their bedroom. Jungkook appreciates the gesture, even though he doesn't think it's necessary.

Taehyung tucks him in so Jungkook's warm and comfortable while he goes to get the medicine.

"I'll be right back." He promises.

Along with the fever reducers , Taehyung also brings him something against the coughing when he hears Jungkook having a fit from the bathroom.

Once Jungkook takes the medicine, Taehyung slips into bed to resume his familiar big spoon position.

"Let's try to sleep, baby. Hopefully, you'll feel better tomorrow."

"Hnn, love you."

Taehyung kisses his shoulder. "Love you more."

—

Jungkook doesn’t sleep well that night.

He wakes up only about an hour after he first fell asleep, feeling incredibly achy. His whole body hurts so bad, it feels like someone is breaking his bones. Taehyung is still awake so he is quick to soothe him with loving words and gentle fingers trying to massage the aches away. 

Jungkook falls asleep again but only to wake up a few hours later, coughing so hard he can barely breathe. The noise rouses Taehyung, and he helps Jungkook sit up, rubbing his back as he attempts to calm him down.

Jungkook doesn’t fall asleep easily after that. He feels too hot but when he removes the blanket, he feels too cold. He's sweating and uncomfortable.

Eventually, he drifts off to sleep again, but he wakes up several more times, either due to another coughing fit or just because his body wants to torment him, waking him up to make him feel all the aches and pains.

When Jungkook wakes up in the morning, Taehyung is already awake. He's on his phone, probably checking his social media and chatting with his fans. He immediately puts it aside when he feels Jungkook stir next to him.

"Good morning, Koo." The older greets him gently.

He turns on his side and reached out a hand to brush the long hair from Jungkook's face. The younger feels warmer than the day before. Taehyung hopes that maybe it's  just the warmth from sleep.

Jungkook nuzzles into the touch, squirming a little to press his body into Taehyung's. Taehyung is warm and comfortable and safe.

The older wraps his boyfriend into a tight hug, "How do you feel?"

Taehyung can feel Jungkook shaking his head but he doesn’t answer verbally. He holds the younger for a little while longer before he decides it's time to get up. Taehyung’s stomach started growling, a clear sign of how hungry he is.

But before he goes to make breakfast, he wants to get a number on Jungkook's temperature. The thermometer is on the nightstand where he put it the night before.

"Kookie," He murmurs, rubbing his boyfriend's back, "you feel really warm. I need to take your temperature."

Jungkook is so pliant and Taehyung doesn't like it. He usually puts up a fight, refusing to have his temperature taken because he claims that he doesn’t have a fever. Nor does the younger like taking medicine. "It'll get better on its own." "My body's taking care of it already." "I don't need medicine." he says but the night before he took it willingly.

The thermometer shows that Jungkook’s fever rose overnight. He only seems to get worse and Taehyung doesn’t know how to help him. Neither of them get sick a lot and if they do, it's just the usual cold or stomach flu. But not like this, never like this.

"I'll go make breakfast, jagiya. You can just stay in bed. Because you're sick, you can eat here." Taehyung kisses the crown of Jungkook's head before he leaves to the kitchen.

He warms up leftovers from the dinner they had the night before, cooking some rice while he fills two glasses with juice and places everything on a tray once it’s done. Taehyung brings it back into their bedroom to find that Jungkook is half asleep again. He feels a little bad to wake him up because Jungkook does need a lot of rest, especially after sleeping so badly during the night.

Taehyung puts the tray on the bedside table before he carefully sits down on the edge of the bed. He cups Jungkook's cheek, rubbing it gently with his thumb to rouse his sleepy boyfriend.

The younger is a little out of it; unfocused eyes trying to understand the situation. He tries to take a deep breath, but it irritates his airways, triggering a coughing fit. Jungkook sits up with Taehyung's help, the older rubbing his back in a comforting gesture.

"Here Kookie, try to drink a bit. Hopefully that helps." Taehyung offers him the glass when the coughing subsides. Instead of taking the juice, though, Jungkook plops back down on the bed, exhausted from the coughing fit.

Taehyung hates seeing his boyfriend like that. Normally, he is so full of energy and laughter. Always ready to do something and joke around. But now he is just tired and miserable, every little thing exhausting him and his whole body aching.

With a little coaxing, Tahyung gets Jungkook to sit up long enough for him to fluff the pillows so he can lean against them while they're eating breakfast. He feeds the younger small bites of rice and warmed up stew. Jungkook doesn’t eat much, but he drinks the whole glass of juice.

While Taehyung puts away the tray, he thinks a cold shower might help his boyfriend and make him feel better. He's sticky and his clothes are damp from sweating and the cold water may help with the high fever.

Jungkook isn’t very excited when Taehyung proposes the idea to him but complied nonetheless. They take the shower together, mainly so Taehyung can stay close to his poorly boyfriend and help him. He washes Jungkook’s hair for him when the younger is too achy and tired to lift his arms and do it himself, and he rubs his back as well.

The shower makes Jungkook feel a little better, even though he didn’t like how cold it was. So being wrapped up in comfortable sweats and one of Taehyung’s pullovers afterward feels a lot better.

The couple is cuddling on the couch. Jungkook rests between Tae's legs with his back against the olders chest; breathing in sync, even though Jungkooks is a little wheezy and interrupted by coughing.

Taehyung feels relaxed as he watches the TV show but tenses up when Jungkook starts to groan and squirm. The younger turns around and hugs Taehyung tightly, face pressing into his chest. Jungkook ends up falling asleep like that soon after, feeling warm and safe in his boyfriend’s arms.

-

Jungkook wakes up with his head pounding and his throat burning. There is a wet patch on Taehyung's T-shirt and he realizes, he must've drooled on him due to sleeping with his mouth open.

"'m sorry." He apologizes hoarsely.

Taehyung glances down at him, eyes wide in confusion. Jungkook gently taps the wet spot with his finger and Taehyung smiles at him.

"It's okay, you can't help it. You were snoring, too. You do that when you're sick and I think it's cute." He teases the younger lovingly, gently ruffling his long hair.

"You feel so warm still." Taehyung frowns, brushing the long strands from Jungkook's forehead now, "Let me get up so I can get the thermometer?"

Jungkook pushes himself into a sitting position so Taehyung can stand up. He lays back down and bundles himself up in the blanket again as soon as his boyfriend is standing.

When Taehyung comes back Jungkook doesn’t move so he settles down in front of the couch while they wait for the thermometer to read Jungkook's temperature.

"39.8°C. That's really high. Why's it still so high?" Taehyung is incredibly worried. The fever only seems to get worse and nothing he does is helping so far. 

He gives Jungkook more fever reducers and puts up a reminder on his phone to check his temperature every hour.

Jungkook’s fever continues to burn, remaining high throughout the day. The younger keeps falling asleep and waking up and Taehyung stays very close to him.

Taehyung hopes things will get better but late into the afternoon, when the sun is already setting, Jungkook takes a turn for the worse.

Taehyung checks his temperature again when the younger wakes up from another restless slumber. Instead of the fever going down, it keeps rising. The thermometer showing a number surpassing the 40°C mark.

Taehyung is about ready to freak out. He knows he needs to stay calm though, panicking won’t benefit either of them.

Jungkook’s quiet voice interrupts Taehyung's frenzy thoughts. "Need to... go home now."

"What?" Taehyung's eyes widen comically. He isn’t sure if he heard him correctly. He hopes he didn’t.

"'s late. Need to leave uni now." Jungkook clarifies, but it doesn’t make things any clearer for Taehyung.

He can only watch as the younger sits up, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Jungkook, what?" Taehyung repeats, voice a few octaves higher than normal. What the younger is saying doesn’t make any sense. He is at home and he graduated from university a half a year ago already. Taehyung doesn’t understand.

"W'rk..." Jungkook mumbles, his words slow and slurred, "When does work start?" He makes a move as if to get up but his body feels heavy, dragging him back down.

It's Saturday evening. Jungkook never worked on a Saturday evening. He's talking nonsense, and it scares Taehyung out of his mind.

Taehyung gets up to stand in front of Jungkook, hands outstretched to touch the younger but he doesn’t. Jungkook is obviously confused and delirious, he doesn’t want to scare him.

What if he doesn’t recognize me? That thought keeps running through Taehyung's mind.

"Ah! Ca'- can you tell me... how to get home?" Jungkook reaches for Taehyung’s wrist, tugging on it to get his attention. He looks up at his boyfriend with his soft doe-eyes but they are glassy and confused.

"You are home, aegi." Taehyung declares softly, hoping Jungkook will understand. That he will break out of his delirium and realize what’s going on. Tears well up in Taehyung's eyes. He's overwhelmed and scared.

"Oh." Jungkook breathes out but says nothing else. Taehyung isn’t sure if he understood.

"Jagiya... what's your name?" He inquires, voice only a shaky whisper as he tries to keep back his tears.

Jungkook seems to contemplate the question before be finally answers, but it nearly breaks Taehyung’s heart. 

"I dunno y'r name...?"

"Jungkookie, what's happening?!" Fear and frustration are packed into the words and Taehyung has to stop himself from screaming and crying.

He takes a deep breath before he speaks again. "Listen," Taehyung says clearly and looks his boyfriend in the eyes to keep his attention, "What day is today?" He tries another easy question. Or at least he thinks it is an easy one but Jungkook couldn't even tell him his own name a minute ago.

Jungkook lets go of Taehyung’s wrist that he was holding all that time. The older uses the freedom of his hand to slowly pull out his phone, attention still on his delirious boyfriend. He needs help. Taehyung can’t handle this on his own.

Jungkook frowns, and the look of confusion on his face is almost cute. Almost. If only the situation was different. His answer is hesitant, "...your...birthday?"

Taehyung quickly looks at his phone so Jungkook won’t notice the tears that almost fall. "No. It’s not my birthday." He murmurs as he searches through his contacts for the person he's hoping to get help from.

Uncertainly, the older looks up once he taps the call button, waiting for the other person to pick up. "Koo-Koo... do you know who I am?"

A look of surprise, almost shock, crosses Jungkook’s face before he starts rambling. "Of course! I love you! I'm happy you’re here but my head hurts and I can’t breathe through my nose and swallowing is painful, too. And my voice sounds really weird."

"This better be important." Taehyung’s call is finally answered.

—

Seokjin can feel the vibrations of his phone in his pocket. At first, he ignores it. He carefully puts the cold sheet mask on his face, feeling instant relief.

But the vibrations don’t stop. The caller is persistent.

Without looking at the name on the display, Seokjin answers. "This better be important," he threatens lowly, "for you to be interrupting my pampering time."

Taehyung starts rambling incoherently on the other line. His voice is shaky but urgent. It's hard to understand anything he is saying. Seokjin can also hear another voice babbling in the background but tries to ignore it.

"Stop!" Seokjin interrupts. Taehyung immediately does. "Good. Now, calm down and repeat it slowly. It was impossible to understand anything."

He can hear Taehyung taking in a deep breath before he speaks up again, voice a little steadier now. "Hyung, Koo is really sick. He's delirious and I don’t know what to do. Please, I need help, Jin hyung."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Seokjin immediately hangs up the phone and pulls the sheet mask off his face. He thinks it's a little regretful that he has to cut his self-care evening short but, even though he would never admit to it, he is platonically whipped for both Taehyung and Jungkook.

Seokjin met them a few years ago. They frequented the restaurant he used to work at almost every day for a whole week straight. They eventually became friends and have been ever since. Seokjin denies it but he would do anything for the two.

—

When Seokjin arrives at Taehyung and Jungkook's place, the latter is pretty drowsy and out of it. Taehyung is pacing around the living room nervously until Seokjin snaps at him and orders him to sit down.

"His temperature is 40.4°C. We're going to the hospital. Now!" Seokjin urges when he looks at the device in his hands. This is dangerous. He wants to scold Taehyung and tell him he should have called emergency services but the man already is a shaky mess and he doesn’t need a lecture now.

Taehyung puts a jacket on Jungkook and helps him slip into his shoes. The younger is puzzled but accepts the help without fussing.

"Are we going on a date?" Jungkook frowns but his big eyes sparkled and Taehyung could have melted right then and there.

He takes a deep breath and kisses Jungkook’s warm forehead before pulling him into him. Jungkook's face presses into Taehyung’s tummy from where he sits on the couch and he loosely wraps his arms around the back of the olders legs.

"Yeah." Taehyung exhales heavily, "I'll take you out. It's okay."

He feels a little bad for lying but he doesn’t want to scare Jungkook or confuse him even more. Taehyung isn’t sure if he would understand it anyway.

He pulls away from the younger and extends his hand. It's a miracle it isn’t shaking too badly.

Jungkook pouts defiantly. "But I'm tired." He mumbles, looking much younger than he actually is.

"Yeah, I know. It'll be fine." Taehyung assures him. Perhaps, it's more so a reassurance for himself.

Jungkook doesn’t question him further. Nor does he argue when both, Taehyung and Seokjin help him walk out of their home and to Seokjin's car. He doesn’t even pay attention to where they were going.

In the backseat, Jungkook nuzzles into Taehyung’s side. He doesn’t notice his boyfriend’s heart beating too fast or the worried glances Seokjin is giving him through the rear-view mirror.

"I love you. So much." Taehyung suddenly whispers and tightens the hug he's holding Jungkook in.

Jungkook doesn’t understand what's happening but it's okay. He's with Taehyung so he will be fine. He will always be fine with Taehyung.

—

It took almost two hours after they arrive at the hospital for Jungkook to get admitted to a ward. The whole time, Taehyung isn’t able to sit still and he's positive the nurses and doctors are annoyed with him when he keeps asking them questions. Seokjin stays with them but his attempts to calm Taehyung down are futile.

Now, Jungkook is resting in a hospital bed, the curtain around it drawn for privacy. He feels comfortable and warm and isn’t in pain thanks to the medication they gave him. He's almost asleep when a nurse comes in to take his temperature again to see if the treatment is working.

"How did that even happen? I tried to keep him hydrated, and I tried to lower his temperature with a cold shower and I gave him fever reducers." Taehyung worries, gnawing on his bottom lip.

The nurse looks at him, sympathy showing on her face. "A cold shower can be counterproductive because the cold water constricts the blood vessels taking blood to the skin, and it prevents the person from losing heat so it can increase the fever. In the future, you'll want to remember that lukewarm showers and baths are a lot more helpful." She explains, "But please don't worry, he'll get better in no time!"

In no time, is a lie. Jungkook's condition only improves very slowly so his doctor wants to keep him in for a while longer.

He's been in the hospital for three days already. Taehyung never leaves his side and because not all the beds in the room are occupied, the staff doesn’t mind him staying the night, either.

On the fourth morning, Jungkook wakes up because of a coughing fit that leaves him breathless and grabbing at his chest. Taehyung is by his side in an instant, rubbing his back. He notices the sheen of sweat covering Jungkook’s whole body and the heat coming from his skin.

Jungkook’s breaths are wheezy and fast. He's holding the front of his hospital shirt tightly, as if his chest is hurting.

"Jungkookie, baby, are you okay?" Taehyung worries.

The younger makes a pained noise and suddenly he's gagging. The first few heaves are empty ones, then he's throwing up all over himself. Jungkook tries to stop it with his hands but it is in vain. He ends up getting vomit all over them, as well as his chest and lap, that is thankfully covered by the thin hospital sheets.

He continues heaving painfully. Jungkook can barely get a breath in, even after he stops throwing up.

For a moment, Taehyung is frozen from shock. Then his mind catches up with the situation. He presses the nurse call button a million times, simultaneously trying to calm his boyfriend down. They are both scared and don’t understand what's happening.

When the nurse sees the mess, she immediately contacts the doctor. 

The doctor sends Taehyung out of the room. He tries to protest. He doesn’t want to leave Jungkook's side, especially not in that moment. But he also understands that he should trust the hospital staff and not hinder their work. So he listens and steps out of the room.

Taehyung starts pacing the corridor in front of Jungkook’s room, head snapping up when a door opens. A nurse ends up guiding him to a waiting area with the promise to keep him informed.

He waits for a half an hour already when the nurse comes back, but not alone. Jimin, Hoseok, and Yoongi are with her. They all look worried. The nurse excuses herself again and leaves the four men alone.

"Taehyungie, what's going on?" Hoseok wants to know. The three sit down on the unoccupied chairs, Hoseok and Jimin on either side of Taehyung.

"I don’t know." He whimpers, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes, "Jungkookie- He threw up and I think he couldn’t breathe properly. The doctor sent me out. I don't know what’s going on."

The stress and fear of the past few days are finally catching up with him and Taehyung lets the tears fall. Jimin quickly pulls him into a hug.

"Aigoo, Taehyungie. Don't cry. It's going to be okay." Jimin mutters reassurances until the younger calms down.

"I'm sorry. It's just- I'm so worried about Kookie. He just had a cold and now he can barely breathe. I don’t know what’s going on and I can't do anything for him." Taehyung lets out a heavy breath, his shoulder sagging.

The lack of sleep and the weight of the situation become more apparent and it's hard to process. Taehyung hoped his boyfriend would get better, but he just keeps getting worse.

Jimin holds his best friend for a while and even Hoseok and Yoongi join the hug. It cheers Taehyung up a bit. He's grateful to have friends with him so he doesn’t have to be alone.

Finally, the nurse that led Taehyung to the waiting room earlier comes back again. She leads them back to Jungkook's room as she explains the situation.

"The test results show that Jeon Jungkook-ssi has pneumonia. Likely, hospital-acquired pneumonia, which can be serious as the patient is already ill. However, Jeon Jungkook-ssi is young and generally healthy so we're positive he'll recover fast and without further complications."

Before anyone can ask questions they already stop in front of Jungkook’s room. They didn’t move him somewhere else and that calms Taehyung down a bit. It can’t be too bad then.

"You can see him now but he's very tired at the moment so please be gentle. Also, please don’t be scared about the oxygen mask, it is to help him breathe easier because that's a little hard for him at the moment." The nurse informs them before she tells her goodbye and leaves them alone.

"Do you want to go in alone or do you want me to come with you?" Jimin asks when Taehyung hesitates to open the door. He's obviously nervous and perhaps a little scared.

Taehyung inhales deeply. "I'll go in alone."

He turns around, lips stretched into a wide grin and eyes turning into little crescents, like they always do when he's happy. It looked forced, though, and Jimin feels the need to hug him again; so he does.

"It'll probably take a while. You don’t have to stay." Taehyung tells them.

"Nonsense. We came all the way here, we want to at least say hi to Jungkook-ah." Yoongi says decidedly.

Taehyung nods in understanding, "I'll try to not take too long but no promises."

He has a genuine smile on his face when he finally enters the room. They are glad that he looks a little more relaxed and not as scared and worried as before. Jungkook wouldn’t like seeing his boyfriend so tense. It would make him feel guilty and bad and no one wanted that.

In the hospital room, Jungkook is dressed in a fresh light blue hospital shirt. New sheets are covering him up to his chest, which moved up and down gently. Jungkook’s eyes are closed and the mask covering half of his face fogs up every few seconds with each breath he takes. He looks peaceful.

Taehyung quietly sits down in the chair next to the bed. He tries to be quiet in case his boyfriend is asleep. With soft fingers, he tucks Jungkook’s hair behind his ear.

Feeling the movement, Jungkook slowly peels his eyes open and blinks a few times, either to adjust to the light or to focus his vision. He looks so sleepy, Taehyung thinks it's adorable.

He smiles as he waits for the younger to come around properly. Taehyung assumes the medicine and the illness itself is making him so drowsy.

Jungkook's body feels heavy, but he clumsily reaches out his hand toward his boyfriend. Taehyung intertwines their fingers and bends forward to press a kiss to his forehead. It still feels warm.

"Hi, baby." Taehyung whispers, lips brushing against the skin of Jungkook’s face.

Then, he pulls back with a frown on his face. "I was so scared."

Jungkook can see the lingering fear in Taehyung’s eyes and he can hear it in his voice. He opens his mouth to speak, to reassure him and thank him and tell him he loves him but Jungkook doesn’t have the strength to talk. Instead, he closed his eyes and exhales heavily. It prompts a cough that comes from deep within his chest. It hurts and leaves him breathless once he's done.

Taehyung was rubbing his back but moved his hand to the nape of Jungkook’s neck when he stopped coughing, fingers gently tugging on the long strands of hair before they comb through it. "It's okay," He tells him, "you don't need to speak now. Rest and then we can talk when you're feeling better."

Jungkook forces his eyes open when Taehyung is talking but he's so tired. He lets them slip shut and soon he falls asleep.

Taehyung sits with him for a bit longer, just holding Jungkook's hand in his while the other one continues running through his boyfriend’s hair.

Suddenly, the door opens, startling Taehyung.

"You took too long, so we decided to come in." Yoongi deadpans but there's a teasing lilt to it.

Jimin, Hoseok and Yoongi tell their goodbyes and promise to visit again, preferably when Jungkook is awake and feeling better.

—

"You were, like, delirious from fever. Talking weird stuff. It was really scary." Taehyung explains, his own hands fiddling with Jungkook's slightly smaller one.

It's two days later and the younger is finally getting better. They replaced the oxygen mask with a nasal cannula and it is less scary to look at, less worrying.

Jungkook still has coughing fits that leave him breathless and exhausted. The hospital staff showed him breathing techniques so it won’t be as painful anymore.

The doctor wants him to stay for a few more days, and Taehyung still refuses to leave.

"Ahhh, honestly... I'm sorry for scaring you, jagiya. I'm feeling better now, I swear." Jungkook grins and pulls Taehyung's hand towards his mouth to press a tender kiss to his palm.

"Ew, keep your germs to yourself sicky." A sudden voice sounds from the entrance of the room.

Taehyung and Jungkook's heads snap toward the voice, not expecting any visitors. Seokjin and Jimin stand in the doorway with amused smiles on their faces.

Jimin greets them both with gentle hugs, while Jin opts for only a verbal greeting, not taking any risks of possibly getting sick, too.

"How are you doing, Jungkookie?" Jimin addresses the youngest.

Jungkook sniffles, "Getting better, hyung." He smiles softly.

"Good. That's good." Jimin hums.

"And how are you doing, Tae-ah?" Seokjin wants to know. The poor guy has been so stressed and anxious and spent the past week or so helplessly looking after his boyfriend.

"Me?" Taehyung's eyes widen in surprise because he didn't expect the question. He isn’t the one in a hospital bed. "I'm okay." He assures, a big grin taking over his face.

"You look tired, though. You can't possibly be sleeping well here." Seokjin glances at the sofa bed in the corner that Taehyung slept on ever since Jungkook was admitted to the hospital.

"You should go home. At least for a shower and a nap." He suggests. Jimin and Jungkook both agree.

Jungkook squeezes Taehyung's hand that he's still holding. "It's okay. I'll be fine, aein."

After some more persuasion and a little bit of begging from Jungkook and Jimin and a few threats from Seokjin, Taehyung eventually agrees.

-

At home, the first thing Taehyung does is take a shower. The warm water feels incredibly good and it's like it washes away all of the tension that accumulated in his body over the past week or so. Taehyung feels a lot better once he showered and put on fresh clothes.

He wasn’t able to check any of his social media for a while because of how preoccupied he was. As much as Taehyung loves his fans, he didn’t have the energy to deal with them on top of Jungkook's illnesses.

It has been a week since he last posted something or talked to his followers and he didn’t announced a break before that. Taehyung is aware that his fans are probably going crazy. It isn’t surprising to him that he has hundreds of notifications from people asking him where he is and what's going on.

I'm sorry for the unannounced hiatus. Going live in a few to explain what’s going on 🐯🥴 He posts on his twitter, phone immediately blowing up with notifications.

-

"Ahhh... The comments aren’t working." Taehyung adjusts his phone a little bit, checking himself on the screen to make sure the lighting is alright, "Is it even on?"

Suddenly, a lot of comments show up on the screen, before freezing momentarily again. Taehyung smiles at the camera and waves.

"It’s working now! I guess it was just stuck because you guys were commenting so much at once!" He laughs but quickly sobers up again.

"Alright, everyone. I decided to do this quick live stream because I want to apologize for the unannounced hiatus and explain it because there's a reason for that."

Taehyung checks the comment section for a second, then the viewer count.

"There’s already a lot of people watching so I guess we can just go right into it. Okay, so, I apologize for going MIA from all social media all of a sudden. I didn’t plan to; some things just happened in my life recently."

Again, Taehyung looks at the comments his fans are sending in. He smiles at their nice words, telling him that it's fine and he doesn’t have to apologize.

Are you okay? Some ask.

To make it up to us, upload the boyfriend tag already! 😁 Another viewer comments, followed by many more agreeing with that person.

His fans have been begging him to do the boyfriend tag for so long now. He promised them he'd do it soon but alas, with everything that has happened it was simply impossible to film the video.

"I'm seeing you guys. I know you want the boyfriend tag. I'll explain why I've been inactive and then you'll also know why there's no boyfriend tag, yet." He tells them, waiting a bit to see the viewers reactions.

OMG DI DYOU ANDY OUR BOYFRIEND BREAKUP??!

ddid you break up?

is it because you have something even bigger and better planned 👀

are you and jungkookie still dating

you broek ip omg you did dint't you??

Taehyung chuckles at how concerned they are about his relationship, even though they don’t really know anything about it. Sometimes, Jungkook helps him with the camera work since the younger prefers being behind the camera instead of in front of it. Occasionally he still walks into the frame, unaware of what Taehyung is doing and the fans go crazy for those moments. Jungkook would just cover his ears in embarrassment, a cute little quirk of his, and leave quickly. He never properly introduced himself to Taehyung’s fans, though.

"Don’t worry guys, we didn’t break up! Though, it does have to do with Jungkookie." Taehyung announces.

He moves in his seat, getting more comfortable. He makes sure everything still looks good before he continues.

"So, a few weeks ago I finally convinced Jungkookie to film the boyfriend tag with me. When I wanted to film it, he refused, though, because he had a cold. I can't show myself to your fans like this. I look like Rudolph! Let's do it another time." Taehyung parrots what Jungkook told him back then.

"I made him promise that we'll film it once he's better and his nose isn’t as red anymore." He grins at the memory. Taehyung thought Jungkook looked cute with his red nose.

"But, and that's why I've been inactive, Jungkookie got worse and actually had to go to the hospital. He still is there, but he's recovering. He's getting better."

Taehyung knows the comment section will be in shambles and he also knows that his fans will want to know the details. However, Jungkook likes to keep his privacy and Taehyung doesn’t want to share too much.

IM SO UPSET! IS JUNGKOOKIE OKAG NOW??

what?? omg 😟

OH NO poor jungkookie :( i hope he's feeling better!

tell him to get well soon! we love him, too!

WHAT HAPPENED OMG

GET WELL SOON JUNGKOOK 💐

i hope he's feeling better soon 🥺

"Thank you for the get well wishes, I'm sure he appreciates them. And don’t worry guys, he's already doing a lot better now. He's fine!"

The fans still send in get well soon messages and Taehyung gets a little emotional. They don’t really know Jungkook but they like him a lot and that makes him happy. It's very sweet of them to be so worried and wishing him well.

"Okay, everyone. That's it! I just wanted to come here and let you know what's going on. I'm sorry again, but I hope you understand now. I'll probably be a little less active still until everything's back to normal. You can send me messages to my social media accounts and I'll make sure to answer them ASAP! I've got to go now, bye~"

Taehyung waves his hand goodbye, his famous boxy grin on his face as he reaches for his phone to turn the live stream off.

Yoongi will be there soon to pick him up. Seokjin and Jimin stayed in the hospital with Jungkook while Taehyung went home but now he's ready to go back.

—

A week later and Jungkook is doing a lot better. He still has to take it easy and he sleeps more than usual but he's feeling better. Breathing doesn’t hurt anymore, and neither does the coughing that has yet to stop. Fortunately, the fits aren’t as bad anymore and they aren’t as wet and deep as before. At this point it just feels like a common cold.

Jungkook sits on the edge of their bed while Taehyung sets up the camera. He can’t sit still because of how nervous he is. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands or where to look at. Is he supposed to look at Taehyung or the camera? Jungkook has no idea about these kind of things.

When Taehyung notices the nervous fidgeting, he thinks maybe he should've given his boyfriend something to do while he interrogates him, but it's too late now.

"Okay, this looks good." Taehyung says to himself when be checke the screen of the laptop.

He sits down next to Jungkook and gives the younger a soft kiss on the cheek, "Ready?"

As promised, they are finally filming the boyfriend tag. At first, Jungkook tried to find an excuse not to do it, yet (Hyung, my voice still sounds weird. Tae, what if I have a sneezing or coughing fit while filming?), but in the end, he couldn't resist Taehyung's puppy dog eyes.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to just wear sweats? You promise they won't be seen?" Jungkook worries, gnawing on his bottom lip as he frowns down at his lap.

He's afraid of what Taehyung’s fans will think of him. He even asked Taehyung which shirt he should wear. But in the end, he settled for a comfortable thick sweater to keep him warm since he's still recovering.

With his thumb, Taehyung frees Jungkook’s bottom lip and kisses it softly. "It's fine. They won't be seen but I don't think the viewers would mind anyway." he mutters and smiles when he presses another kiss to Jungkook’s lips.

Admittedly, he finds it cute how concerned Jungkook is about his appearance and first impression. He's been nervous all day, asking Taehyung questions about the process and what even is a boyfriend tag? Taehyung told him they will do it the traditional way and he'll just ask him questions about himself and their relationship.

"If you're uncomfortable," Taehyung says seriously then, "we can stop any time. Just let me know."

Jungkook nods but doesn’t say anything. To stop the nervous movements of his hands, he sits on them. He does that a lot but Taehyung never points it out to him.

"It's not a live stream and I'll edit it before posting, so don't worry too much, jagiya." Taehyung continues to assure his boyfriend.

He moves a comforting hand through the youngers long hair, stopping at the nape of his neck to massage it lightly. Taehyung presses another kiss to the corner of Jungkook's mouth.

With his lips still there, Taehyung murmurs, "You'll do great. You always do. I love you."

Jungkook huns and turns his face to reciprocate the kiss but the older pulls away, making him pout.

"Okay! Let's start!" And that is all the warning Jungkook gets before the camera is rolling.

"Hyung! At least give me a proper warning next time!" He complains but Taehyung gives him a peck on the lips, looking smug as he watches the blush spread on Jungkook’s face.

"Hello guys! It's me, Vante!" Taehyung introduces himself with his nickname before continuing to introduce his boyfriend, "And this is my lovely boyfriend Jungkook!"

Jungkook pulls one hand out from under his thigh and lifts it in an awkward wave. Taehyung watches fondly before he continues.

"You guys have been waiting for this and here it finally is - The boyfriend tag! We'll do it the traditional way and I'll just interrogate Jungkookie to see how well he knows me." He resches for the youngers hand that is resting between them now, and is surprised at how clammy it feels. He squeezes it encouragingly, a silent assurance that he's doing well.

Taehyung goes on to explain that he asked his followers to send him questions and that he wrote them down on his phone. Jungkook sits silently, eyes moving from his boyfriend to the camera and back again. He tries to stifle a cough but fails, and has to lift his other arm since he refuses to let go of Taehyung's hand.

The older looks at him a little concerned but continues talking when Jungkook quietly tells him he is fine.

"Ah, the first question isn’t about me or us, but a lot of people want to know if you're okay now?" Taehyung reads.

He thinks it's a little ironic to ask that right after Jungkook had a small coughing fit but he can always cut that out so no one but them will know.

"Uhm- Yes! I'm good! Thank you!" Jungkook's voice is still a little rough and the congestion is audible, but it's alright.

Taehyung has to suppress his laughter at how stiff his boyfriend sounds. He hopes he'll be able to relax a bit with time. He leans over and kisses Jungkook’s cheek softly. The younger blushes but doesn’t push him away.

After a quick glance at his phone, Taehyung says, "Let’s get into it. We'll start with an easy one. How long have we been together?"

Jungkook's answer is quick, "Three and a half years! Next year in April it'll be four years."

Taehyung nods approvingly and continues, "Correct. How did we meet and how old were we?"

"We met in university. You walked into the wrong class but instead of walking back out, you just stayed. You sat next to me and started talking. We bonded and became friends, and six months later we started dating." Jungkook recalls. He takes a moment to remember their ages before he answers, "I was 18 at that time and you were still 19 but you turned 20 two months later."

They both smile fondly at the memory of their first meeting. After that, Taehyung attended a lot of Jungkook’s classes just so he could spend more time with the younger. The professors didn’t care. They didn’t even know most of them but Jungkook forced him to stop doing that, afraid that Taehyung would fail if he missed all of his own classes.

"Yeah. You were cute even back then." Taehyung sighs dreamily, content to see Jungkook blush again. The younger was never good at taking compliments and it's adorable to see him getting flustered.

Jungkook coughs into the crease or his elbow, perhaps more so to hide his red face than to cover the cough.

Taehyung laughs. "Okay, on we go! What was your first impression of me?"

"Hmm..." Jungkook hums a little nasally, his eyebrows crease in concentration, "I thought you were an interesting guy. And that you're really pretty."

"Ah... Honestly, that day, I sat next to you bc you looked so cute. Also, because it was the only unoccupied seat." Taehyung teases, laughing out loud when his boyfriend shoves him.

Instead of fighting back, he throws himself on the younger, engufling him in a tight hug and kisses his temple. Jungkook pushes against slightly and Taehyung lets go. He doesn’t want to push his limits. He grabs his phone to reads the next question.

"Another easy one. What's my favorite food?"

"Dumplings. You love dumplings." Jungkook answers immediately.

"I do! We should get some once we're done here. And what's my least favorite?"

"You don’t like peas." Taehyung nods positively at the correct answer.

His eyes light up when he reads over the notes in his phone again. "Everyone, there’s some interesting questions now! Koo, they want to know who has the pants on in our relationship?"

Jungkook stays silent for a moment, pondering the question. He opens his mouth to answer, but instead his breath hitches and his nose starts twitching at the tickle. A second later he pitches forward with a sneeze that he tries to catch with his hands. Taehyung quickly grabs a wad of tissues that he prepared prior to recording and hands them to his boyfriend.

"Thanks..." He sniffles after blowing his nose. Luckily it wasn’t a wet sneeze so it didn’t cause a mess. "Edit that out later." Jungkook tells him sternly but Taehyung only grins at how cute he is.

"What was the question again?" Jungkook asks, still rubbing his nose with the tissue.

"Who has the pants on?"

After a moment of silence as Jungkook mulls over the question he finally settles with a, "Neither of us."

When Taehyung looks at him questioningly, he elaborates, "I don’t think either of us has the pants on. We're pretty equal. We talk before making decisions, we don’t just decide important things without talking to each other first. And we don’t boss around the other or anything. So neither of us has the pants on."

Taehyung nods along as Jungkook explains, agreeing silently.

"That's right, we are. And communication is one of the most important things in a relationship!" He supports Jungkook’s statement and then asks the next question, "Who said I love you first?"

"I did but you confessed to me first so that evens things out." Jungkook responds while he reaches for the water bottle to soothe his throat as he starts coughing more frequently.

Taehyung nods and proceeds to read the next note, "When and where was our first kiss?"

Jungkook gulps down a few sips of water before a shy smile takes over his face at the memory. "It was my 19th birthday. We went to the beach together and then we had out first kiss."

"That was really romantic. We should go back there some time." Taehyung muses and Jungkook agrees.

"Anyways, on we go! What was our first vacation together?" The older asks enthusiastically.

"Daegu. You showed me your favorite place, Daegu Dalseong Park, and afterward we went to Busan and I showed you where I grew up." Jungkook remembers warmly.

"That also answered the next question about what my favorite place is. Well, then they want to know when and where was our first date?" 

Jungkook coughs into the crook of his elbow and takes another quick sip of water before he answers, "We went to a Café. That's when I found out you don’t like coffee. And that was... like... two months before we officially started dating."

Taehyung nods. "Yeah, you ordered us hot chocolate instead and it was the best one I ever had. Not because it was so good but because I had it with you." He recalls, a cheesy smile on his face. 

"Taehyungie~" Jungkook whines but he's smiling, too.

"Let's continue!" The older exclaims. His face turns smug as he looks at the next question.

"Am I the big spoon or little spoon?"

People would expect Jungkook to be the big spoon because he's much buffer than Taehyung. He works out a lot, while Taehyung is a little lazier and only joins his boyfriend sometimes and even then he gives up quickly. It all came down to stereotypes that the smaller and 'weaker' one has to be the little spoon but really, it isn’t true at all.

"You’re the big spoon. You like cuddling a lot." Jungkook replies and immediately Taehyung elgulfs him in a tight hug.

"That's true! I love cuddling you, my little spoon." He pulls away again after pecks Jungkook’s temple.

Taehyung reads the next question, "One talent that I have."

"There's too many, you're good at everything... Hmm..." Jungkook thinks about it, "You... take great pictures."

Now, Taehyung is the one blushing. "You guys hear that? And that's coming from a photography and film major!"

Admittedly, Taehyung feels proud of himself to hear such a compliment from his boyfriend. He loves taking pictures and does it a lot and Jungkook always makes sure to tell him how much he likes them.

"Next question... Oh, this is a hard one! What nickname do my parents have for me?"

"I know! Your dad used to call you baby bear and your mum used to call you honey bear." Jungkook is satisfied with himself for remembering that.

"That’s right. Wow." It surprises Taehyung a little that Jungkook got it right because his parents don’t really call him that anymore and he only mentioned it once or twice. It makes him feel warm; having someone by his side who even remembers the small things.

"Okay, last question. What do you love about me the most?" Taehyung himself is curious about Jungkook's answer.

Jungkook sniffles and grabs a tissue to blow his nose. "Ahh, this is the hardest one. Maybe... No... Uhm... Ah! I know!" Jungkook exclaims, "I love how caring you are. You have so much love for your family and friends. I like how genuine and unconditional your love is. You have a very big heart."

Taehyung is positively awestruck, leaving him completely speechless. He opens his mouth a few times to start a sentence but after a few attempts he gives up. They often tell each other little things they like about the other but it always is something small and not as meaningful as that.

He throws himself onto Jungkook, hugging him as tight as never before. Taehyung peppers small kisses over the youngers face until he stops, with his lips hovering over Jungkook’s.

"I love you, Koo." He mutters.

"And I love you, Tae." Jungkook responds quietly.

After Taehyung says his goodbye and turns off the camera, he sits back down on the bed. Jungkook immediately engulfs his whole body in a hug, pulling his boyfriend down on the bed with him. He holds him tightly and presses his lips to the base of Taehyung’s neck when the older struggles a little.

"Ahh! Jungkookie, what are you doing?!" Taehyung squirms and tries to free his arms but Jungkook has them in an iron grip.

Jungkook rests his head on his boyfriend’s chest and sighs contentedly. "Let's take a nap. I'm tired and my head hurts a little."

Taehyung stops moving as he listens to the younger. He presses a kiss to the crown of Jungkook's head and says, "Okay, but let go of me so I can cuddle you properly."

They move around a little until Taehyung is spooning Jungkook. His fingers comb through Jungkook's long hair for a while before he tucks it behind his ear so it won’t tickle the younger's face and annoy him. Taehyung wraps his arm securely around Jungkook’s waist to pull him in close.

"Sleep well and get well soon." Taehyung whispers.

"Stop saying that, it only got worse when you said that before." Jungkook laughs teasingly but interlocks his fingers with Taehyung’s and relaxes.

"I'll be all better soon as long as you're with me." He sighs. Jungkook can feel Taehyung's lips kiss the back of his nape softly right before he drifts off into a comfortable afternoon nap.

————

Ah, seriously... I'm so bad with endings lmao Well, I hope whoever read this enjoyed it! Thank you!

[teaandbookz]

A random drabble about you wearing Steve’s clothes and how people start to notice. You’re just friends when this starts out. Again, I’m still sad about endgame okay? 😂 also don’t want this to come across as hate towards Sharon but didn’t know who else to use!

The first time Steve saw you in his clothes, it was a rainy Wednesday and you’d just come home from the shop. When you’d left, it had been overcast and stupidly you thought you’d be fine. You weren’t. So by the time you got home, sighing as you got in, looking like a drenched rat, Steve was laughing on your sofa. But he had made you a hot chocolate, so all was (mostly) forgiven. Except for the fact it was laundry day and due to being a tough month, everything was in the wash and there was nothing dry to put on. So along came Steve’s jumper; warm and soft and safe, just like him. He ignored the way his heart swelled and the sight of you in his clothes or the way his stomach fluttered as you stepped out of the kitchen, the arms making sweater paws, asking if he wanted whipped cream.

The second time was in the hospital, just after the time travel incident. It was his favourite jumper you were wearing, hadn’t been washed since he’d gone off to fight. Still smelt like him, you’d all spent days and days in the hospital, waiting. None more than you though, the only times you’d left was to grab a shower and a couple hours kip when you knew he was in safe hands and you could feel yourself flagging. Nat had asked you as a joke ‘don’t you have your own jumper y/l/n?’ but her smirk faded when she saw your face. You’d tried to laugh but it was more of a grimace. “You know y/n, you’ve spent more time here than anybody. Sure you’re just friends?” You’d swallowed and nodded.

“I don’t know how to live my life without him. He’s my person.” She’d merely nodded in response.

The third time someone had commented on you wearing Steve’s clothes was Steve himself. You were busy getting ready for a nightshift and had half heartedly put your face on. Steve had been out the hospital a couple months and everyone was slowly starting to return to normal, getting used to having everyone back again. Unknowingly you nearly always had something of Steve’s on, due to trouble sleeping and what not he’d left quite the wardrobe at your house. As you had with his. So you’d put on one of his t shirts and was about to leave when you turned around and saw him leaning in the doorway, soft smile on his face. “Morning.” You stuck your tongue out at him and made to move past him but he stopped you, holding onto your arms slightly. “Is that my t shirt?”

“Do you mind? Just it’s really comfy for a nightshift!” He shook his head.

“Not at all doll. See you in the morning?”

“If you’re not in the gym, yeah? You staying here tonight?”

“I’ll wait for you. If you don’t mind? Sharons got a kitchen being fitted.” With that you kissed him on the cheek and left, throwing a ‘bye’ over your shoulder. Leaving him watching your retreating form, wondering when exactly you’d gone from the initial hello to practically living together.

The fourth time, might have been the most awkward. Four or five times a year, you’d all make the journey to Clints and have a family bbq. You weren’t sure when exactly you’d been classed as family but you were grateful all the same. Steve always offered to drive and you guys would make a day off it; leaving when it was still dark to watch the sunrise and you’d get him a coffee to say thanks for driving. Music would play and you’d both sing together, making a musical production out of the best ballads. This time however, Steve had asked if you’d be okay to go with Sam and Bucky, he was going to be arriving late. Although odd, you’d agreed and you guys had a blast on the first night. Sharing drinks and stories before calling it a night and getting some sleep. The following morning you came down in shorts, t shirt and Steve’s plaid shirt over the top. The team had stopped commenting on how you nearly always wore something of Steve’s, instead opting to joke about your height and other superficial matters. However today was different, as you were washing the breakfast dishes, Bucky came along to help. You joked and laughed and was about to splash him with some water when you heard a light giggle behind you. “Is that Steve’s?” Your stomach dropped and Buckys face went from happy go lucky to we’re at war in an instant. “What?” You stalled, wiping your hands on your, no, Steve’s shirt. Sharon. Why was Sharon here? Before she could ask again, Steve walked through the door and stood next to Sharon. Bucky sent him a questioning look and Steve sort of shrugged in response. Sharon, not missing a beat, wrapped Steve’s arm around her shoulders and giggled into his chest again. “This is, well, you know Sharon. I’ve taken Bucks advice and gone into the dating world.” There was silence and more giggling Sharon before you spoke. “Right.” Bucky however was stunned and opened his mouth slightly. “Y/N do you mind taking Steve’s shirt off? It’s just I find it a bit weird now that we’re dating that another girl is wearing his clothes.” She sent you a sarcastic smile and Bucky audibly growled. “Yeah. I do mind.” You throw Steve a look before shoving the cloth back in the sink with a splash and stalking out the room. You hear Bucky say something to Steve but you’re too far away to hear what it was before you hear him run up behind you. “Y/N! Y/N!” You stop and turn, surprised that there’s tears in your eyes. “Do you want me to take you home?” You shake your head and send Bucky a soft smile. “No thankyou. I don’t know what came over me. I’m just going up to my room.” You didn’t wear any of Steve’s clothes for the rest of the weekend, trying to ignore how oddly hurt Steve looked at this fact.

In the couple months he dated Sharon, something seemed to happen. You guys were still close but normal things that you guys used to do didn’t happen anymore. He didn’t stay at your house anymore and vice versa. To say it was affecting your sleep was an understatement, you were lucky to get three or four hours a night. When you were in a room together, you had to think about not touching the other. When it came to group things, more planning went into your outfits, making sure that you had nothing of Steve’s on. Sharon had even claimed back your favourite jumper, the very first one he’d given you on that rainy day. It was three am when you heard the knocking, at first you thought might be kids or drunks but you lived in too nice of an area for that really. When the knocking continued, you stood sleepily and stumbled to the front door. Becoming awake and alert when you saw Steve stood there, it was raining again. “Steve?” You mumbled and he sent you a lopsided smile.

“Hey.”

“What’s up? Is everyone okay?” Immediately on fight mode. He chuckled and nodded. “Everyone’s fine.” You stood dazed for a moment, realised he was getting wet and stepped back to let him in. “What can I do for you?” You busied yourself in the kitchen making tea, aware that you were only in a t shirt and you were freezing. This wouldn’t have normally been an issue before but since Sharon, everything seemed to be a problem. “I broke up with Sharon.”

“Oh Steve.” You place the steaming cup in front of him and he takes a seat, smiling gratefully at the cup. “It was for the best. She didn’t get me. Well what I should say is, she didn’t get why I needed you in my life. It’s been killing me, this not touching, not talking, you not walking around in my clothes.” Unsure what to say, you just took a sip of your own tea and swirled the thoughts around in your head before opening your mouth to talk. “I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who does understand though Steve. It’s not exactly like we have a normal friendship is it?” You cocked your head at him and he laughed lightly. The lightest he’d looked in weeks. “Here.” He passes you the jumper, the very first jumper and you quickly put it on, hoping he doesn’t notice the tears that spring to your eyes or hear the lump in your throat. “Bed?” You ask, he locks eyes with you and you both know this is different now, that tomorrow and in the days to come you’ll have to have a conversation about the two of you. But for now you have him, his jumper, a three am magical moment and he smiles and nods. “Bed.”

[officially-tonynat-shrine]

How To Keep A Secret

(A/N): I'm back!! And I'm not proud of myself because I've procrastinated this for a long long time. This fic was supposed to be up by October 2018. It's been bloody five months. I'm sorry for being a dick @spideypeach. I hope you like this. 😭💖💛 I'm sorry once again :(

Also, Happy Birthday, Barnes!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader // Word Count: around 2.1k

Prompt (highlighted in the fic): "How do you know that?! Only like, seven people know that!" (I have kind of changed the prompt to suit the fic)

Summary: Some things are best kept secret. Some are not. // Warnings: exploitation of the fact that Bruce knows Hindi? It's explained at the end, of course☺️. (Shitty writing?)

••••

"You know, for a group of extremely observant, stealthy operatives they are extremely dumb."

Bucky chuckled at your statement. He rolled over to face you, metal arm hovering over yours- which was around his torso- before cautiously bringing it around you waist. He brought you closer to him. You craned your neck and kissed him on the chin, the thin silk sheets barely covering your modesty. He snuggled you in his arms, his metal arm softly stroking your back as he kissed your head.

"Doll", he started after letting out a content sigh, "if they find out then I won't be the world's deadliest assassin. Imagine holding that title and not even being able to sneak around the people you know so damn well!"

You whined as he tried to get up, not wanting to let go of him so soon.

"Baby, it's already 6 am. Steve will be wondering where I am."

"Don't go." You whined again.

"Now, I wouldn't have to go if it weren't for someone insisting on keeping up the charade, right?" He sang.

"Ugh, damn, I'm not liking the bet now."

"Well, you can always accept defeat."

"Aw, hell nah!"

"Is that bet really worth all this trouble, doll?" Bucky pouted.

"Ooh, no. Hell, no. I know what you're doing, Barnes. Your puppy eyes won't work on me." You turned your face from him, hoping that he would stop attacking you with the famous 'Buck Eyes'.

Till date, no one but Tony had been able to avoid them. From the day Tony had flipped the finger at 'Buck Eyes', everyone worshipped the ground Tony walked on and Bucky was constantly trying to get Tony to yield.

"But baby," Bucky whined.

You giggled, lightly pushing him away.

"Go on and join that cockblock of your best friend, love."

He guffawed at your nickname for his best friend.

"Honestly, Bucky. I'm telling you. He already knows. How else can he cockblock us five times in three days?! That'd take some serious coincidences."

"Well, I have a way of finding out whether or not he knows." Bucky smirked.

"And what might that involve?"

"Well," he mused, "it's very simple. Only involves you and me fuc-"

"Bucky!"

"What?!" He laughed. That cheeky brat.

≈≈≈

"You're late."

Bucky took his eyes off the flowers growing on the sidewalk and faced his best friend. Steve was standing with his arms crossed across his chest, the extremely tight white t-shirt threatening to break its seams.

"And you still haven't bought clothes that fit you."

"You had a good night's sleep?" Steve asked, ignoring the man's statement.

"Yeah." He smiled as he thought of you. More specifically, him in your arms.

Steve nodded. He had been afraid that after the Germany debacle, it would be very difficult to change things back to normal. He remembered the countless nights he had been up thinking about how in hell he could apologize to Tony. He knew he had made a mistake. He admitted it. But he had feared that Tony would never accept it- and rightfully so. He had, after all, hurt his friend. But fortunately it seemed like everything worked out well.

It had taken some time, but the billionaire had warmed up to Bucky and now it seemed that they even considered each other friends.

"What are ya thinking of, pal?" Steve wouldn't have noticed but everyone else, Bucky included, agreed on the fact that Steve's Brooklyn mannerisms had made a comeback now that Bucky was around more. They could see him fall back into 40's self. Sam appreciated it a lot. Mostly because a lot of the 40s slang gave him content to tease Steve and Bucky with.

Steve would never admit it out loud but he personally was grateful for Sam and Bucky's playful bickering. It brought out Bucky's 40s snarky habits. Although he had observed that Bucky had been exceptionally happier for the past six months or so. Especially in the company of the newest addition to their weird family. You.

Steve was not blind. His best friend may be a world renowned and feared assassin but he was as smooth as Steve when it came to wooing dames of the 21st century. And Steve was sure he wasn't hallucinating when he had seen Bucky stare at you on countless occassions. And his suspicions were only confirmed furthermore when Nat and Sam had approached him the day before.

≈≈≈

He was staring at (Y/N) again. This had become a common occurrence in the past two weeks. Everytime (Y/N) would enter or exit a room, Bucky's eyes would follow the retreating figure. Steve wanted to confront Bucky but knowing him, he would never get straight answers.

"You've seen it too, haven't you?" Natasha's accusing tone caught his attention.

Steve turned to the fiery redhead questioningly but when he faced her he knew what she was talking about. He sighed, "I know. I have my doubts too. But you know him. He won't talk!"

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't help them." Sam said, from the chair nearby.

Steve opened his mouth to explain for the hundredth time how Bucky would just cut their balls off before asking for help when he realised what Sam said.

"Wait. What do you mean 'help them?"

Sam smirked wildly before leaning forward as if he were about to disclose the biggest secret. He whispered, "You see, while you two were busy observing Barnes gawking at (Y/N), I was keeping tabs on (Y/N). Wanna know what I concluded?"

"She likes him too!" Natasha whispered scandalously.

"Exactly. And that's why we must focus on (Y/N) rather than trying to get Barnes to confess. Because all of us know that Barnes is one stuck up idiot."

≈≈≈

It was quite late in the night when Bucky woke up thirsty and hungry. He groggily sat up on the bed and felt around for your warm body. Of course, you had sneaked out. The bet was really getting on Bucky's nerves now. He was this close to kissing you in front of everyone and carrying you with, to his room.

Bucky staggered out of his room, muttering angry curses.

"Fucking bet. Fucking pride and ego. How in fresh hell can Nat not figure this one out?! Isn't she supposed to be a fucking spy-"

"-I'm telling you, they were giving each other heart eyes!"

"Nat, are you sure? If Bucky wanted to hide it, he wouldn't have so obnoxiously stared at her."

"Steve, we have talked about this how many times now? All of us have established that Barnes is putty when it comes to (Y/N), we-"

Before anyone could hear or see him, Bucky retraced his steps away from the approaching silhouettes and back to his room, thirst and hunger forgotten. His smile could have rivalled the Sun. He giddily tip-toed back to his room and noiselessly shut the door. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

The next day, Bucky got up to FRIDAY. Not exactly what he had anticipated but he couldn't have been bothered by anything that day. He had a plan ready and it was simple. All he needed was an observant audience.

"Mr. Barnes, Mr. Stark requests everyone's presence in the common room by two o'clock. The Wakandan quinjets will reach the hangar by 02:15 pm."

Bucky glanced at the vintage clock- courtesy of Sam and Tony- beside his bed. 10 o'clock. He still had time.

You had just worn your gym outfit when you heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

"Well, don't you look beautiful?"

Before you could turn around to greet your boyfriend, Bucky snuck his arms around your waist. You giggled, trying to escape his grip, "Bucky someone might see!"

"No one's home, doll. Sam, Nat and Steve decided to go grocery shopping, Rhodey and Bruce dragged Tony out of his lab to grab breakfast, Clint and Scott will come over only by one, Thor will arrive at two and-"

"Okay! Okay, I get the picture, lover boy!" You tittered. "How about we go for a walk then? We haven't done that in a while."

Bucky decided that it would be a good idea to hint about Steve and Nat knowing when the two of you would be returning to the Tower. That way you won't have enough time to register that he might be up to something. Although he would only realise later that the scene the both of you would walk into definitely would not need any fuelling from his side.

≈≈≈

Peter decided that reaching the Tower by 01:30 pm was a great decision on his behalf. He did not think anyone would be in the Tower and he could easily slip into the gym to practice some new moves.

"Kid, you are not stepping into the gym for two more weeks." Tony's voice boomed from behind him as Peter crossed the common room. Cursing his luck he turned around hoping that he could convince- any thought of convincing anyone vanished into things air when he saw five of the adults staring down at him. Silently sliding back into the common room he settled down and stuck his earphones in his ears.

"... Wouldn't be a problem, I mean we can always team them up against each other-"

He must have dozed off. He deduced that there were about five to six people in the room. He knew that Tony was speaking before being interrupted.

"Yes, but if they want to hide it they might protest-"

"Heavens, Rogers why do you have to be so pessimistic-"

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm just stating the possibilities!"

"Fine! IF they start protesting then we'll just force them together."

"But then Bucky will know that we know that-"

"Jesus, kitna Buck Buck karta hai."

"I know that's Hindi, Bruce."

"Rogers, stop deviating from the topic."

"Can I ask what in fresh fuck is happening here?"

The dead silence prompted Peter to get up and look around. He could feel the awkwardness radiating off of Steve. Somehow everyone else was either jubliantly smirking or utterly confused. (Y/N) being the latter.

"Well, hello there, fossil. (N/N)." Natasha grinned.

"Nat, what are you up to?" You cautiously asked. God knows what these little shits had been up to while Bucky and you had been out.

"We might know something." Tony breached the topic. "Something specifically related to you."

"Me?"

"And Bucky, of course."

You stilled. You could see Peter perking up at Tony's declaration. Of course he wanted 'the tea'. Sometimes you wondered how Tony and Peter were not related.

"So y'all gonna kiss or not?" Sam bluntly asked.

"What?!"

Peter could see the tension on your features.

"How do you know that?! How long have you known?! And who told you? I don't remember-"

As your gaze fixated on Peter's he yelled, "I swear I didn't do it! I did not tell them! Only like seven people know, I swear!"

Peter meekly scanned the room and seeing almost every other person's face painted in confusion, he awkwardly shrunk into the sofa.

"Kid, what are you talking about?"

"The same thing that you guys are inisuating."

"And that is?" Steve prompted.

"How you guys came to know that Bucky and (Y/N) are dating?" Peter squeaked.

"I'm sorry, what the fuck?"

Natasha swirled facing the two of you, shock and excitement written all over her face.

"YOU TWO ARE DATING?!"

It was utter chaos in the room. Steve was trying to calm Sam down and Nat was ranting on and on about how she could not have noticed it.

"I'm a fucking spy, goddammit!"

"Oh my God, are you guys done screaming my ears out?" Bucky asked calmly.

"Did you know that they know?!"

"Doll, how would I know-"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"The fuck kinda-"

"Guys! Guys! Guys! Why is this even important? Everybody knows everything, nothing to hide, can't we move on and let this slide?"

"That was good."

"Thanks, man."

"Wait a minute. Pete, I don't care how you got to know about us. What did you mean by only seven people know it?!"

"Uh, well, I- I- I- you know, seven? Yeah, I mean, I know, you know, Bucky knows, and- and- um-"

"And the White Wolf and Spiderman?" You deadpan.

"Yes! Yes! They know too."

"Peter, I am the White Wolf and you are Spiderman."

Peter let out a sigh of defeat and stuttered, "Itoldnedandauntmaythedayigottoknowandthenifacetimedshurisoeveryoneinwakandaknows."

"I only got Ned and face timed."

"Well, I may or may not have told Ned and Aunt May and then proceeded to have FaceTime Shuri. May be." Peter answered evasively.

"So everyone except us." Natasha barked, still annoyed that she wasn't able to find out.

"Yeah, basically." Peter casually answered before thinking for a few seconds and added, "does this mean I'll be able to join the super secret meetings?"

"Oh hell no!"

••••

(A/N): did y'all like it?

"Kitna Buck Buck karta hai" is a pun of sorts. The sentence basically means, "[name] blabbers a lot." 'buck buck' (or bak bak, as it is written) means blabbering. Guess, you'll understand the rest ;)

Tagging some lovelies for validation: @shamelessbookaddict @emilyshurley @thebookwormslytherin @trashpanda-barnes @messy-random-bitch

[casiestewart]

My Fitness Journey (So Far)

Let me start this by staying I felt like complete shit for a lot of last year. Behind the many smiling selfies, I was in pain, depressed, and trying to ignore nerve damage in half of my face. I had been treating my body like garbage with alcohol, bad food, no sleep, and something had to change. I gained a bunch of weight and after being small my whole life, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t live like that anymore.

For a lot of 2009-2019 I went to multiple events a week, sometimes several per night. I was always on the go. I ate like crap and drank multiple times a week. When I hit my 30’s, my body changed, I gained weight, then I had a breast reduction, nearly broke my back w/ two cracked back ribs, and closed out the decade with a fractured my collarbone. A lot of good things happened in the last decade too but I’ve already shared that stuff.

For years I dreamed of being a better me, one who ate healthier, felt good in a bathing suit, had longer hair, and genuine happiness that shined out of her face. That’s who I wanted to be so I started doing things differently. From September to January, I lost 20+Lbs and man does it ever make a difference. I’m saving time every day by not stressing over my clothes not fitting. I feel mentally and physically stronger. I have more energy and I’m happier. Here’s the low down on how I get here and I feel confident that I will stick to it this time because I love the way I feel.

Fasting

August 2019 I started intermittent fasting, 8hrs eating window (noon-8pm) and fasting the rest of the day. I started to feel healthier, more energized, and leaner (slowly). This doesn’t work for everyone but I like it. I recently started using an app called Zero that tracks your fast. Some days I stick to my 16:8 goal, some days I go longer, sometimes I don’t. I try to do what feels good.

Working Out

When daylight saving time kicked in October 2019, I stuck to my same sleep schedule (early riser) and used that extra hour to go to the gym. I started with 10min a day on the treadmill. I already had a membership at LA Fitness and after not going for most of the year, I was ready to put it to work.

I didn’t post about working out and I didn’t really talk about it until recently. I did it for me, that’s the only person I had to show up for. Since then, I have learned to love working out. I keep my gym clothes beside my bed and almost every morning, I make coffee, get into my gear, and go straight there. I like the treadmill and Nike apps for the gym (NTC, NRC), and Asana Rebel or YouTube for home workouts.

I attempted and failed at working out MANY times. This time I was motivated by the end of the decade and becoming a better version of myself by the time 2020 arrived. Over the past few months, I worked out no matter where I was and if I didn’t make the gym I did something else (walk, weights).

I usually go to the gym at 6:30-7am when it’s not too busy. I also wear a lot of the same clothes, I don’t stress about what to wear. You’ll find me in cropped cannabis t-shirts and Lulu’s or Joe Fresh leggings (they’re the best!). FYI if you are shopping at joefresh.com, use Sasha’s code SASHA25 for 25% off. These are my fav ones and they’re two years old.

Hey hey, it’s 2020 me!

Slimwave

In November 2019, I did five sessions of Slimwave at The Lash Pro Studio. I was invited to try it by their PR Team and there was no chance I was saying no to that. It’s about $700 for 5 sessions.

The treatment uses an electro stimulating machine to work your muscles for 45 minutes, which works out to over 600 sit-ups. You are also wrapped in an infrared blanket that makes you sweat A LOT.

Infrared treatments warm your muscles during the Slimwave treatment, improving the blood circulation and lymph drainage, reducing swelling and improving the appearance of cellulite.

After my first session, I noticed a difference, maybe it was water weight, but I felt energized. My treatments were twice a week spaced out over three weeks.

Slimwave is a non-invasive and painless transformation alternative to liposuction, plastic surgery or cool sculpting.

Slimwave Technologies Canada

I definitely saw results from 5 sessions. It was a GREAT motivator to kickstart working out & eating well. I would love to do a few more sessions to target harder areas like stomach and thighs.

Idk why I wore this outfit for my photos so this is a bit embarrassing to share. You can definitely see my waist and ribcage are smaller, stomach a bit more toned. We couldn’t target the lower abs because I have an IUD but I would love to do that another time.

Before / After

On my most recent trip to Cuba, it was the FIRST TIME I felt good in a bathing suit in over 15 years. My whole life I had huge boobs so it was always a struggle to find a bathing suit to fit them that didn’t look weird. I don’t normally post sexy or revealing photos but I wanted to remember this moment.

A bunch of people asked about how I got started and the Slimwave process. Sharing this in a blog post so I can go back to it when I feel down or perhaps reading this will inspire someone else. Also, feel free to invite me to a workout class anytime!

If you have any questions about Slimwave, finding motivation, or just getting started, reach out anytime. I’m always here for you.

Original article: My Fitness Journey (So Far)

©2020 CASIE STEWART. All Rights Reserved.

from WordPress https://casiestewart.com/my-fitness-journey-so-far/

[new-blog-new-things-blog]

Are you kidding me?! Part 9

Bucky x Reaer

Word count: 2118 Warnings: Swearing? Slow burn af

“Why are you running Clint?”

Bruce inquired side stepping the archer who hadn’t noticed that Bruce had rounded the corner.

“Don’t tell the goat where I am!”

Clint yelled as he sped past without pausing, Bruce just shook his head and looked back at his tablet in his hand, continuing on. Not even a minute later furious tapping caught the doctors attention, suddenly just at Clint said Bruce was face to face with me as a small goat.

“I am going to guess that is you Y/N and not just a random goat in the tower.”

I bleat happily at him, tilting my head in question.

“He went up towards the roof by the way.”

Bruce laughed and I gently head-butted his leg and scurried off after Clint. Shortly after my encounter with Doctor Banner I made it to the roof but Clint was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly there was a loud bang behind me, followed by someone screaming my name. I have no idea what happened to me but I involuntarily jumped into the air, my arms and legs locking underneath me and I fell to the floor without being able to move. With this Clint appeared behind me doubled over with laughter, phone camera pointed at me.

Damn I’ve been played, this was his plan all along.

When my body decided the shock was over Clint was still laughing, slowly I shifted back to my human body. Folding my arms and giving him my best ‘you are in deep shit’ look he puts his arms arm in surrender.

“I am so sorry I just could help it, I did get in on video though and this should be so good to watch.”

I froze.

He recorded me.

He was gunna post it just like Callie did. I needed to get out of here. Clint noticed the change in me straight away.

“What’s wr-“

“I have to go.”

I cut him off turning on my heel and speeding off towards the door leading back into the building, Clint was faster though grabbing my arm before I could reach it.

“Y/N what just happened?”

I couldn’t do this again, I lost everything the last time this happened. I braced myself for the pain as I shifted quickly into a pigeon surprising Clint, who let go and took a step back at my transformation. The pain blinded me for a moment, making me fall to the floor. Clint to a step towards me and I burst into flight.

I had no destination in mind it was just amazing to be free for a while. I realized I haven’t left the tower in weeks, I needed to get out more I decided maybe start up my pole fitness lessons again. Somehow I found myself perched on my nans nursing home window, peering in I can see she is asleep in her bed and an ache grows in my stomach. I missed her so much, I miss mum too even after everything. I miss Callie too, well I miss the friendship I had with her my whole life. Suddenly for the first time I felt alone which was silly I guess. I mean I have Sam and the rest of the gang but they got stuck with me didn’t they, they didn’t choose me like Callie did.

“See anything good?”

I turned my head as another pigeon landed next to me on the window sill.

“Just stopping for a rest, do you land here often?”

The other bird ruffled its wings getting settled.

“Yep, this is my normal route, why is that?”

“The lady in this room is she happy?”

The bird turned to look at me.

“What a weird question, she seems it, they treat her well anyway. Why is that?”

Damn why would a bird care about a human, I am not good at any of this. I should go back to the tower before I do anymore damage.

“It’s fun to people watch? Never mind, see you around.”

I took off back into the sky, heading back to face the music. I flew through an open window that led to the living room, perching upon the arm of the massive sofa that dominated the room. Exhausted was a light term for how I felt when I shifted back to human form, I held on to the wall to steady myself as I dared a few steps. I needed to eat.

I reheated the pasta I had made the night before, guzzling it down like I hadn’t eaten in years. Damn I must look like a pig, good thing no one was around to see, I wonder where everyone was anyway. I mean I don’t overly want to see anyone at the moment but there is normally at least one person kicking about.

“Fuck!”

I swore as I took in the time, I’m going to be late for training with Nat if I don’t get a move on. Hurrying up to my room, I throw on my gym clothes and make my way to the elevator. Walking into the gym I hold my hands up in submission.

“I’m sorry I’m late Nat, it’s been a really shitty day so can we skip the lecture.”

“I won’t tell her if you won’t sweetheart.”

I spun on my heels to spot Bucky leaning against the wall, on foot resting on it and his arms crossed over his chest. Grey track suit bottoms were hung low upon his delectable hips, his black top clings tightly to his body in a sinful way which has me looking anywhere but his chest.

“Oh hey Bucky didn’t see you there, where’s Nat?”

I walked over to a yoga mat that is laid out on the floor, starting to do my daily stretches as Bucky spoke behind me.

“There was a call downtown, everyone but me and Bruce weren’t needed so Natalia asked me to help with your training today.”

I inwardly sigh, carrying on with my stretches. Are you kidding me?! Why couldn’t today just end already, but I didn’t want to upset Bucky with my own inner turmoil so I plaster a smile on my face a turn to face him.

“Of course Bucky, thanks for helping out. What do you wanna start with then?”

Turning I held back a flinch, expecting Bucky to be in the same spot across the room but he was now standing behind me almost face to face with me. I hadn’t even heard him take a step.

“Wanna start with a few hit on the bag?”

He was so close out breaths were mingling and I had trouble looking anywhere but his striking blue eyes. A distraction came in the form of his hands being brought up to slide through his hair, putting it up in a messy bun. It looked good, really good. Stop looking Y/n! Jesus Christ.

Shaking my head I take a step back, then another, then another. I roll my shoulders a few time to give myself a reason not to look at him again so soon.

“Sure, you’re the boss.”

Walking over to the bag I inwardly cringe at myself. You’re the boss?! I actually just said that for fuck sake. I grab the tape from the side of the punching bag and start to wrap it awkwardly round my left hand until I hear a sigh from behind me and Bucky appears in front of me again, this time taking the tape from my hand and starts wrapping them much more efficiently then I was previously attempting. For a moment we stand in silence as he moves swiftly onto my other hand, I watch as his fingers move gracefully across my knuckles. How can something so gentle be so dangerous?

“Have you ever played an instrument?”

I spoke before I could stop myself. Bucky glanced at me quickly then looked back to my hands.

“No I haven’t.”

Finishing with my hands, he gestures to the bag and for me to start working.

“You should try you know, you have pianist hands.”

I laugh as I remember the routine I have gone through with Nat before. Slowly Bucky walks around me observing my movements.

“Tighten your core.”

Suddenly he placed one hand on my stomach, the other on the base of my back. I felt him lean in before he spoke soft, teasing words into my ear.

“What do pianist hands entail exactly?”

I know I shouldn’t but I turn my head to look at him face to face, a smile playing on my lips.

“Soft, nimble, the ability to create some amazing things?”

I have no idea when I stopped punching but now I am standing here basically pressed up against his chest, I should move away. He has a girlfriend. I think. Probably. Most likely.

A harsh laugh left his mouth, which was now set in a grim smile.

“Maybe not then, all these are good for are destroying not creating.”

Pulling his hands away from my body, Bucky stares at them as if he could see everything he has ever done with them. I start throwing punches again, trying to get this fluttering feeling from my stomach.

“Do you think that because of the whole winter soldier thing?”

Silence.

I turn my head to take him in, His body is stiff as a board, eyes cold.

Shit, I probably shouldn’t have brought that up.

“Bucky I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just don’t think you should let your past hold you back from doing something you want to…”

I am babbling now and god help me I just can’t stop speaking.

“But hey what do I know I guess.”

Fuck why can’t I shut up?! I feel a giggle slip from my mouth and I see his jaw clench. This bullshit nervous tick is going to ruin my goddamn life.

“No you don’t, so keep your nose out of my business.”

His reply was cold and calculated.

“I am so sorry Bucky, I wasn’t trying to be rude, I was trying to get to know you better. I mean you are the only one I haven’t really spoken to since arriving here…”

I take a step towards him as if being closer will help but he takes a step backwards. Oh god I have really done some damage here. Good job Y/N you fucking asshole.

``We are doing hand to hand combat, you’ll get to know me pretty well during that.”

Bucky turns abruptly, stalking to the centre of the room and taking up a defensive stance. Hesitantly I make my way over but before I can even stop in was on my ass.

“Get up.”

So I do. Before I can blink I am on the floor once more.

“Get up.”

Again I get to my feet only for him to knock me down before I have even registered he has moved. Now I am starting to get mad.

“What is your problem? Or at least what is the point in all of this?!”

I snap at the assassin and this time I don’t get knocked down, he just circles me like an animal, a pure predator. His voice is so low it almost sounds like a growl.

“My point is that you are weak. You can’t fight and I see no point or advantage on you being on the team. All you are doing is wasting all our time training you. You don’t know me or any of us, no one wants you here so do yourself a favour and stay out of anything that doesn’t concern you.”

Shoulder barging me as he passes Bucky basically punches the door off its hinges and exits the room leaving me stood alone.

I don’t even realise I’m crying until I feel one of my tears hit my hand as it falls. I furiously wipe at my face, embarrassed that I let one man’s words bring me tears. Why does the thought of him being right about me affect me so much? It’s probably because it was all true, how I am meant to be a hero? How am I meant to be anything except the waste of space everyone thinks I am.

No.

No I will not be everything he just said, I will not let this be just another failure to add on to the never ending list that is my life. So I get up and I train. I train late into the night, I train until I am so exhausted that I can barely stand, until I have to basically drag myself back to my room and let sleep find me instantly.

Part 8                                                                 Part 10

Tags: @fuckthatfeeling @projectxhappiness @captain-chimichanga @laramitk

[dis-easedfairy]

Impulsive Decision Pt.7

Female Path | Male Path

Chapter 7: Neon Lights

Warnings!: Kidnapping | Swearing

Genre: Poly!au, angst, fluff, eventual smut, yandere!au

Pairings: BTS x Reader / Kim Taehyung x Reader / Kim Seokjin x Reader / Jung Hoseok x Reader / OC x Reader / Park Jimin x Reader / Min Yoongi x Reader (just a lil)

Word Count: 7,004

Summary: F/n is the owner of a very wealthy and successful company, Barnanby Inc. F/n attends a BTS show. They make a very impulsive decision to show a loophole in BTS’s security and end up kidnapping BTS and 2 girls. In a fit of panic F/n stashes BTS and the girls in a very luxurious bunker for the time being, but F/n’s world slowly starts to crumble the longer the boys are out of the public’s eye.

A/N: I know this took a while! It was meant to be very different from the Male Path (both story and personality) and that meant no copy+paste+edit, I had to actually write a completely different part and have it end somewhat similar so my bad. If you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, feel free to tell me anon or not! (this goes for any of my another work too) Thank you for reading and waiting!

The next morning I woke up, sat up and stretched, meaning Tae was no longer in the bed with me. I got up and tried to find my pants, which I assumed Tae or one someone was holding them hostage.

I let out a deep sigh and went to open the door to go out into the hallway, only to have the door open from the other side. I stepped back with a small ‘oh, sorry’ falling from my lips.  I soon came face to face with Jimin, a small smile on his face when he saw I was surprised to see him.

“Good morning! I got you breakfast.” Jimin smiled at my obvious shyness.

“Thank you, Jimin.” I sat on the bed, trying to cover my legs with the blanket.

Jimin only smiled, seeing me try to cover up, “I think Tae gave your clothes to Jin to wash.”

Jimin put the plates on the table that we left there for lunch today and went to what I assumed was Tae’s dresser. He searched for a bit and pulled out a shirt and sweatpants. He handed them to me and faced the wall.

“ Thank you, Jimin,” I said shyly as I pulled off the hoodie from my overheated body and tossed it on the bed, I pulled on the shirt and sweatpants AND sighed in relief.

“You can turn around now.” I informed him, slipping off the bed to the floor.

“So, you and Seongmi?” Jimin asked, his voice was in a tone I couldn’t pinpoint as he sat beside me.

“Umm, I don’t know. I don’t even know if I like girls, I’ve confused for a long time, that’s all.” I tried to put my feelings into words in my head, but failed to do so.

“She has a thing for you, she’s been flirting and dropping a lot of hints.”

“I’m aware, I saw the way she looked at me when I pulled away from the hug, I don’t want to lead her on thinking that I could be in a relationship with her, only for her to get heartbroken if I realize I’m not attracted to women.”

Jimin only nodded in understanding. I looked over to the plates Jimin came in with. It was kimchi jeon, I was familiar with it, it was a savory pancake with kimchi in it, however, there was a small bowl on top of it, it looked like eggs, but a little different.

“What’s this?” I asked, poking the egg with my spoon.

“Gyeran-jjim. It’s steamed egg.” Jimin explained, beginning to eat.

The egg was almost like a big extra fluffy egg and I didn’t mind, not one bit. after a few minutes of silence, Jimin spoke up.

“So, does your family know about the bunker?”

“Not really, I started making this after my dad died. I only tell only people who need to know, like my accountant or Jason when I decide to go rogue. I usually make up an excuse for not being at my apartment, this is my safe space.” I poked at my food.

Jimin only nodded. I hadn’t worked on any character designs. I’d do that after breakfast.

“I’m sorry.” Jimin broke me from my thoughts.

“Huh? Why? What happened? If you broke something, that’s okay, I don’t have a lot of sentimental things down here anyway.” I took a bite of my kimchi jeon.

“No. I’m sorry I thought differently of you.” He looked so sad, I didn’t understand why.

“I understand why you thought of me that way. I kidnapped you. You’re famous. You have threats every day, Jimin, I understand.” I assured him, giving his thigh a quick pat and tried to think of designs again.

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin put more food in his mouth.

“Barnaby designs.” I answered truthfully.

“Jin’s right, you are a workaholic.” I giggled.

“No, it’s just, I’ve been just working for so long that it’s all I do know. I had Jason to talk to, but most of the time I would rather work than party.”

“Is Jason a party animal?” Jimin questioned.

“He used to be. I’ve known him for a long time, but after the age of 16 he hung out with people who partied and I mourned my father, I wanted to push forward into the future and he wanted to enjoy his youth, I wasn’t mad at him for it, if I was normal I would want the same. Around a year or two ago, he got into trouble. I helped him out by hiring him at my company, I made him a director. He’s still a little bit of a party animal but he has in under control and knows when to stop. ” I explained, then took a bite of steamed eggs.

“...What kind of trouble?”

I shrugged, “I dunno, he just said he hit a rough patch so I helped. Maybe he’ll tell you.” I lied.

I worked on my sketch as Jimin casually drew, sitting across from me at the dining room table as Jin and Tae were battling over a game of Mario Kart while Hobi laughed at them from the couch.

“Hyung, you should come here.” Jungkook’s voice came from Jimin’s phone that was set on the table.

Without taking his eyes off his masterpiece he pressed the button on the screen, “I’m a little busy right now.”

“Please? It’s important. I’m in the gym” Jimin sighed.

“Fine, I’m on my way.” Jimin answered and stood.

“I’ll be back, F/n.” Jimin mumbled and left through the door behind me that lead to the gym.

I focused on my work, not glancing up as Tae shouted that Jin was a cheater. Someone sat next to me, I thought it was Hobi since he was moving between sitting beside me and on the couch for the past few minutes.

“Maybe I’m wrong, but I always thought Jin was the kind of person to like move your hand or something while playing then pretend like he never touched you when he wins.” I voiced, still not looking up.

“Why is it that I can actually see that happening?” A higher pitched voice asked.

My head snapped to look at Seongmi. I laughed nervously.

“Sorry, Seongmi, I thought you were Hobi.”

“He has nice legs so you get a pass. What are you working on?” She asked, her hand starting to move to Jimin’s sketch pad.

Please, Hobi has nice everything.

I quickly grabbed her wondering hand in fear of Jimin’s work being smudged and ruined. I placed her hand on her lap and went back to coloring in my work, making sure to watch the table in case her wondering hands got too close to Jimin’s work for my liking.

“Just coloring in my work for character design.” I answered simply.

“Those markers look so professional.” She awed.

“Uh, we have a big supply of them for the animators? I’d figured they’d seem normal to you now.”

She shook her head, “I never got to see them at work before, I was always doing everything else but animate.”

That seemed odd but I smiled, sliding my sketchpad over to her and handing her the marker.

“Have fun.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

“I don’t want to ruin your work.”

“It’s fine, go for it! I’ve drawn Barnaby so many times its muscle memory. If you mess up I can just draw another.” I assured.

She began to color in the drawing and I leaned closer. She smelled like chocolate frosting. Why did she smell like frosting? Now I wanted frosting. I stood up and walked to the fridge and then started rummaging through the cabinets when I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

“Need help?” Seongmi asked.

I shook my head. I found a box of bran cereal and looked at it suspiciously. I don’t fuck with bran cereal so why is it here?? I grabbed the box angrily and turned eyed it. There was a note stuck to the back.

If you keep eating frosting like you had a bad break up, you’re going to have a heart attack, eat something healthy for once.

-Jason

“This motherfucker.” I said under my breath.

“He said you’d react that way, word for word.” Seongmi laughed.

I moved to the table and got my phone, unlocking it and opening the walkie-talkie app. I found Jason and held down the button.

“You trick ass snake, where the fuck is my frosting?”

“There is perfectly edible bran cereal for you.” I could hear him trying not to laugh.

“Fuck the cereal I want my frosting.”

“You had cookie dough frosting, F/n. That’s like making something unhealthy more unhealthy.”

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion. Give. It. Back.”

“I don’t have it. I threw it all away in a random dumpster.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“I don’t care! I’m a rebel. Fuck yo frostin’.”

“Bitch got me cryin’ in the club.” I fake sniffled.

“I don’t care, bye F/n.”

I sat beside Seongmi with a sad plop.

“Aww, poor F/n-ie.” She cooed, running her hand through my hair.

Uh, what? I got her hand and set it back on the table. I didn’t fully trust her actions, even though I so badly wanted her to take care of me, I didn’t think it was a good idea deep down. I got up and went to Hobi on the couch. I jumped on the seat next to Hobi, he was leaned back, throw pillow to his chest, legs spread in a completely relaxed state that was oddly sexual.

“Hobi? Do you know where the vault key is? I want frosting.” I whined.

Hobi chuckled, “Jin Hyung, F/n wants the vault key because she wants frosting.”

“Frosting? We haven’t even had lunch yet, F/n.” Jin wasn’t fazed by my whining.

“Please, Jin Oppa?” I pressed, trying to give him puppy eyes.

Tae and Hobi dramatically clutched their chests at the action. Jin tried not to smile, but I saw it.

“No, F/n.”

“I’ll help with dinner!” He was starting to break.

“I’ll give you a kiss...” I added shyly.

Jin let out a noise of defeat and dug in his pocket for the key.

“You help with dinner and I get a kiss when you get your frosting, okay?” I nodded to his terms.

“Words, F/n.” Omfg his voice was soft but his tone...

“Yes, Jin Oppa.” Jin smiled and handed me the key.

I jumped up, happy that I won. I gave Jin and Tae a quick kiss on the cheek and tried to do the same with Hobi, only he turned his face last minute and gave my lips a peck. I felt like my soul was going to leave my body.

Hobi laughed and put his hands on my upper arms as I hid my face in my hands.

“Get your frosting and don’t stay out too long, okay.” I nodded to Hobi’s words.

“Good girl.” Hobi moved my hair out my face and I quickly made my way to the kitchen to grab my keys.

I saw Seongmi move out the corner of my eye and made it to the table just in time to stop her from trying to touch Jimin’s work again. She pouted.

“Just one look.”

“As a fellow artist, you should know how we feel about people peeping at unfinished work.”

“I don’t mind if anyone sees my unfinished work.”

“I do, you never know, Jimin might.”

“Jimin might what?” Jimin asked, coming from the hall.

“Might not like someone looking at your ‘unfinished’ work.” Seongmi rolled her eyes.

Jimin took the sketchpad from me, a thankful smile on his face.

“I’m on my way to get frosting, need anything?” I asked Jimin.

He shook his head, “Be back for dinner, okay?”

...Was...Was that a command?

“Okay, Jimin.”

Once I arrived at the store I got a few containers of frosting and paid. I decided to go check on the store that shipped my neon sign and have several more picked out and delivered to the bunker. The day was warm but it had been raining off and on, for some reason rain made me want coffee. So I went to a coffee shop that Jason had been begging me to go to and ordered my drink. I sat down in the cozy cafe to wait for my order.

I texted called Jason to tell him about my visit to his coffee shop.

“F/n! I, uh actually was about to call you...”

“Really? Anyway, I’m at that coffee shop you said to go to! Also, you won’t believe what just happened with Hobi just now!” I smiled as I saw the barista bringing my coffee.

“F/n, actually I need to tell you something.” Jason’s voice seemed so glum as I thanked the barista.

“If it’s bad, pile it on, I’m numb to bad news now.” I sipped my cappuccino.

“I’m back!” The voice wasn’t Jason’s.

I didn’t recognize it at first, that was until Jason spoke up.

“Just hear him out, F/n. I’m sure we can all be friends like be-”

“I don’t want that. Jason, I love you like a brother, honestly, I do, but you don’t seem to understand how much I don’t care about him or what he has to say. He needs a job? Give him one. He needs money? Give it to him and send him on his way. I love you, but if you bring him anywhere near me, I will not hesitate to push you away too.” I hung up, coffee now too bitter to enjoy.

I closed that problem long ago and wasn’t planning on going back to it. I decided to pull out the walkie-talkie app.

“Jin?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“If Jason goes over, make sure he’s alone before you let him in.”

“...Is there something you need to tell us?” No.

“Just make sure he’s alone, okay?”

“Is everything okay.”

“Yes.”

After lunch with the boys, I headed to the entrance room and tried to hang up fairy lights, which was my next task in the bunker before the boys arrived here. I stood on the bed, trying to reach up to secure the strand on the hooks in the wall. I heard the double doors slide open and closed.

“Warm white?” I heard a deep voice ask.

“Yeah, this was intended to be kinda cozy room for binge-watching Netflix and Crunchyroll. ” I explained without looking.

I felt the bed shift from him getting on and standing behind me. Tae gently got the lights from me and reached forward, hooking them effortlessly.

“I wish I was tall now.” I sighed sadly, making Tae laugh.

“You don’t need to be tall. I’ll do everything for you.”

I turned to face him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.

“So I heard Seongmi tried to flirt you today.” He raised one hand to cup my face.

“Yeah, I don’t know though, she seems...off?” I frowned.

Tae leaned forward, placing a kiss on my cheek and moving my hair away from my neck.

“I heard you called Jin ‘Oppa’ too.” His breath tickled my neck.

“Um I d-I mean yes, but it was because I wanted frosting.” I stammered, nervously trying to explain.

“Jimin told me he loved your shyness this morning when he got you my clothes to wear.” He said against my neck.

I swallowed thickly as my face felt like it was scorching.

“Hobi kissed you too, this morning I mean. The guys cooed about how adorable you were.” His hands slid to my hips.

He sprinkled light kisses on my neck and collarbone.

“Lay down.” He commanded softly.

I obeyed, laying flat on the bed trying to predict what he was planning on doing. Tae put his knees on either side of my thighs then leaned forward, both his hands pressed to the bed on the sides of my head. He soon wasn’t satisfied with that position and opened my legs with one of his knees. He lowered himself even closer, fitting himself perfectly between my legs. It was both heaven and hell.

A part of me thought it was just as innocent as the other times we’ve cuddled, but the more rational part of me knew that this was far from innocent and that was his intention.

“Do the others know?” His voice dropped an octave or two.

“Know what?” I breathed, trying not to make it obvious that my heart was beating too hard to the point that it was audible.

Tae’s hands slid from the bed to the side of my neck, “That I’m your new favorite. You said so, remember?” His voice sounded nonchalant I knew he could feel my heartbeat now.

“I haven’t told anyone,” I admitted.

Tae chortled, “I’ll be happy to let them know. I’m sure Seongmi is just dying to know. ” Before I could reply he placed a small kiss on my chin, to my jaw then made his way to my neck.

His lips found a spot and kissed it before attaching his lips and starting to suck. His hands began to explore, feeling my stomach and sides. I whimpered softly as he began to kiss, bite and even lick at the spot. My fingers knotted in his hair, wanting his body closer. He pulled away earning a whine of disapproval from me.  

“Just as long as you remember who’s your favorite.” My eyes widened once I finally understood what he did.

“I just unintentionally sold you, my soul, didn’t I?” I breathed.

He only gave me a giggle as he got off of me. I stared at the ceiling. Well, this just got more interesting.

   I helped Jin with dinner and the others helped set up. I saw Suga and Hobi whispering to each other as I mixed the lemonade.

“N/n? Do you have any spare notebooks?” Hobi asked, making Suga shoot him a look.

“They’re in the office. There are at least nine in there, help yourselves. This bunker is as much yours as it is mine. Also, if you need anything at all write it on the list or ask Jason.” I smiled, setting the lemonade on the table.

“But make sure Jason is alone before you let him in.” Hobi added quickly.

“Yeah, remind me to order the most expensive pizza in Seoul and have it delivered to him by the way.” I sighed, making Jin laugh.

“Why, what did he do?” Jimin asked as Jungkook took a seat beside him.

“He just doesn’t understand that some memories need to be let go. ” I sighed, taking my seat between Jin and Hobi.

“You need to talk?” Jin asked softly.

“No, let’s just eat dinner. I’m sure everyone is starving.” I deflected, passing the gamja jorim to Hobi.

It was just RM and Suga talking, seeming to bounce music ideas back in forth, making sure to include Hobi. Jimin and Tae were talking about one of the game cabinets and Jungkook made sure to join.

I felt a hand on my thigh and looked up to see Jin’s eyes on mine.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jin asked soothingly, hand rubbing my thigh.

“Don’t worry about it, Jason just... Needs to leave things alone, nothing big, Jin.” I lied, playing with the food on my plate.

Jin frowned, “You can tell me everything when you’re ready, Sweetheart.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to my forehead.

“Wait, why is F/n sitting between Hoseok Hyung and Jin Hyung?” Taehyung suddenly questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders, “The space was free and I sat beside you and Jimin at lunch, Tae.” I rolled my eyes.

“But N/n-ieee~” Jimin whined.

“Yah, she’ll sit by two you later.” Hobi laughed.

“Why are you both so clingy?” Jin sighed with a shake of his head as he went to get more mandu.

“Possessive is the word you’re looking for.” Suga added, mouth full.

He looked uninterested in the topic, but the way RM and Jungkook looked at him said a completely different story.

“We’re not possessive.” Jimin said a little too seriously.

“Taehyungie is.” Hobi teased.

Tae only shrugged, continuing to eat.

“This is where I change the subject! SO I plan on littering the house with neon signs. I ordered a few for almost every room in the house and three for the Dance Studio, that should be delivered tonight or tomorrow.” I smiled, getting a dumpling the taking a drink of lemonade.

“What do they say?” Hobi asked excitedly.

“I got a blue one that says ‘Sweet Dreams’, a pink one that says ‘inspire’, and a green one that says ‘Everything you need is inside you’, I liked the font and color so I got it.” I shrugged.

“What about the other ones?” Jin asked, keeping his hand on my thigh as he ate.

“The other ones are for the kitchen, laundry room, the library, the gaming room, and gym. I was thinking of getting the lighting strips so I can decorate the hallways but I felt like my order was too big already. ” I explained before taking a bite of mandu.

“You should order them after we set up the others, Darling.” Jin said smoothly as I almost choked on my food at the pet name.

Taehyung shot Jin a look as well as Jimin. I heard Suga choke a bit as well. Hobi began to laugh at Tae and Jimin’s reactions. I think it was the first time Jin called me by a pet name loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jin was very much unfazed by the boys’ staring, eating and rubbing my thigh, not at all affected. So unaffected to the point of him grabbing the leg of my chair and pulling me closer. Silence came to the room. The rest of dinner was relatively quiet besides RM and Hobi talking and Jin adding something to it every once and awhile.

After dinner, I helped Jin wash dishes and we worked in silence for a bit.

“Taehyung and Jimin can be a little clingy. They get jealous easy, so I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, they just need to know you’re not just theirs.” Jin explained to me in one breath.

“No! It’s fine, I was just surprised is all.” I waved him off, making him smile.

“Maybe a little warning next time though, Suga and I almost choked.” I giggled, handing him a plate to rinse.

“Yoongi? Why would he almost...?” He trailed off, looking at the dish in his hand.

“So the neon sign for the kitchen says ‘Pizza Planet’ is that okay?” I tried to change the subject.

His eyes tore from the dish to look up at me. He gave me a small smile and nod. More silence.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” I jumped, putting down the plate I was scrubbing and wiping my hand on a dishtowel.

I cupped his face and turned Jin’s face to mine and quickly pressed my lips to his. He wrapped on arm around my waist, keeping mind of his wet hand. I broke the quick kiss but Jin went back for another. His lips moved against mine with a small groan from him. He broke the kiss, half-lidded eyes, and small smile.

“Thank you, Sweetheart.” He whispered, keeping me close.

“I promised you a kiss, Jin.” I smiled, happy I was able to shift his mood.

He shut off the water and wrapped his other hand around me. He frowned and used his fingers to stretch out the neck of my shirt. He made a noise of disapproval.

“I told you they were clingy. I’m assuming Taehyung did this since Jimin was with Jungkook all day.” It wasn’t a question but I nodded, face heating up as I looked down.

Jin lifted my chin up, a reassuring smile on his face, “Don’t worry, Sweetheart, I’m not mad at you, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about either, Darling.”

“Earth to, F/n?” I heard Jason’s voice come from my phone.

I snatched my phone out my pocket, “Fuck you, I’m having a moment with my Jinnie and there is no way in hell you’re ruining it!” I heard Jason sigh at my remark.

“I brought your packages.” Jason complained.

Jin pressed the button to respond, “Leave them there, you’re in trouble.” Jin laughed.

“I know, but I’m alone and I wanted to talk anyway.”

“No. I’m mad at you, I told you I didn’t even want to hear his voice. Just thinking about it makes me angry, just leave the boxes, I’ll get them later, goodnight, Jason.” I held the power button on my phone and tossed it on the counter.

“I’ll bring the boxes in. I’ll have Taehyung and Jimin set the lights up, I’ll finish the dishes, Sweetheart, just head to bed, you have a busy day tomorrow.” Jin smiled, rubbing my arms.

As if on cue Jimin walked out from the hallway, pillow in hand, wearing one of my oversized hoodies and basketball shorts, Tae followed behind, in the same attire, only different colors.

“Time for bed, Jagi!” Jimin cutely stated, walking past us in the kitchen to the entrance room with the big bed.

Jagi? Jimin and I haven’t even ta-

Jin cut my thoughts off my exposing the hickey on my neck once more.

“Taehyung, why this noticeable? Are you aware she has work!? She doesn’t even have makeup down here! She’s a CEO, not just a regular person you went to school with!” Jin scolded the younger.

“OKAY, I’m going to bed!” I gave Jin a quick kiss on the cheek and ran to the entrance room, not wanting to be part of the argument that was about to happen.

I closed the door behind me. Jimin was pulling the covers back a rearranging everything on the bed.

“I’m, uh, going to change.” I informed him awkwardly, grabbing a few things from the duffle bag by the pillar and going to the bathroom.

While changing I couldn’t help but feel like Jimin was up to something. We haven’t exactly done anything romantic or said much about it. So him calling me ‘Jagi’ got to me. The fact that he’s been kind of clingy gets to me too. Just the other day he couldn’t be in the same room as me.

The only thing Jimin and I have done is talk at meals and about drawing. I don’t even think he’s shown an interest in me. The whole thing gave me a bad vibe.

I took a deep breath as I stepped into the bedroom. I could hear the muffled argument between Jin and Tae, Jimin was laying on the bed, he looked up from his phone and seemed to zone out.

“Hyung?...Jimin?....” I could hear Jungkook’s voice through the phone.

“Uh...Jimin? Jungkook is, uh, trying to talk to you...” I trailed off awkwardly, looking off at the wall as his gaze was fixed on me.

“JIMIN-SI!” I heard making me almost snort.

My hand flew to my mouth as Jimin’s eyes shifted to stare at the phone in disbelief.

“Ah! Really? I told you to stop calling me that!” Jimin protested, making me giggle.

“I’m...going to sleep, you should too...Goodnight, Jungkook-ah.” Jimin tossed his phone to the side and patted the bed beside him, all while keeping eye contact with me.

I looked over at the double doors, hoping Jin and Tae’s argument ended and Tae would come in. I looked back over to Jimin and he frowned.

“What’s wrong, Jagi?” That pet name again.

“...How does Jin, Hobi, and Tae feel about you calling me that?” I questioned hesitantly.

He let out the breath he was holding in and smiled, running his hand through his hair, “That’s all, Princess? I already talked to them while you were out getting frosting! We’re all okay.” He seemed to relax more now that he clarified, I, however, didn’t.

“...We never...did anything romantic...So why the sudden interest?” I asked, unsure of how he’d react.

Jimin was still a mystery to me. I had to be cautious.

His frown returned, “Why do you keep asking me that? Did you ask the others the same question?”

“The others didn’t hold a knife to my back and give me a death glare every time I walked into a room.”

Jimin took a deep breath, “Again, I’m sorry. I was sure you were insane. I thought you were going to do something so disgusting and horrible to us all. I defended Linza’s actions because she was just as scared as me and she seemed trustworthy at first. She got more and more out of line and when I’d try to talk to her about it, she’d snap and ask if I wanted to get brainwashed and hurt like Taehyung or Jin. Hobi just...stood silent and when he finally approached you, he stopped talking to her, he always looked happier. That day Linza tried to... I knew that I was on the wrong side of things, that I was the bad one. After you came home that morning after... I finally decided you didn’t deserve to be looked at that way. You’re kind, you’re mature, you’re funny, you actually care about how we’re feeling. I’m sorry. I want to start over, can we, F/n?”

I frowned, “No.” I saw the color drain from his face.

“You watched my boobs deflate and I can’t forgive you.” He let out an adorable laugh, his eyes filling with hope.

“I understand. We don’t have to start over. If I get in that bed and you pull a knife out, I’ll have a hissy fit.” I giggled, climbing into the bed.

Jimin quickly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down to lay beside him. His face nuzzled into my shoulder.

“No knives or deflated boobs here, Princess.” He whispered, keeping me as close as he could.

“YAH! NO CUDDLING UNTIL I JOIN!” Tae shouted, pulling open the door, making a very interesting reaction happen between Jimin and I.

Kind of like Hobi, Jimin wanted to cling to me, but I wanted to jump and run. So what ended up happening was I jumped back and Jimin’s arms wrapped around my thighs and his face was pressed against my lower abdomen. I felt Jimin’s face heat up as mine did.

Tae just threw his pillow on the bed and jumped behind me. Tae wrapping his arm around my ribcage and pulling me to his chest, dragging Jimin with me.

“Why are you laying like that, Jimin? You should lay down right.” Tae teased, making Jimin look up and glare.

I woke up feeling overheated and suffocated. I was on my side but Tae’s chest was against my face and Jimin’s arm was wrapped around me, face pressed against my arm. I slowly began to slide myself to the lower part of the bed, so Tae would move off of me and wrap around Jimin, thinking it was me. The plan worked and once I got to their knees I sat up and felt the cool air in the room hit me.

I let out a deep sigh, I knew there was no way I would be able to sleep, so I looked over at the boxes with the neon signs and figured why not. I slid the boxes as quietly as I could out the room. I grabbed a few beers and small bags of chips and moved down the hall to the Dance Studio as quiet as possible. The last thing I wanted was Jin popping up out of nowhere and yelling at me to get rest and wait for Jimin and Tae to set up the signs instead.

I played music not too loud and set up the neon lights. I made sure all four were mounted and working before I moved to get a beer and a bag of chips.

I needed this. Music and relaxation. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

“Nice setup.” I opened my eyes to look over at the figure at the door.

I grabbed a beer and extended it out the figure, I was friendly enough to share, even if I wasn’t sure who it was. The lights illuminated Suga’s face as he stepped into the room, closing the door, accepting the beer and sitting a distance from me.

“Sorry if I woke you up.” I smiled sadly.

“You didn’t. I couldn’t sleep.” He stated as he opened the beer.

“Same.” I sympathized as I gave him an unopened bag of chips and closed my eyes once more.

“What do you plan on doing after all this?” He asked.

“I hear New York is nice this time of year.”

“I’m serious.” He frowned.

“I’m going to prison, Suga.” I sighed.

“If you weren’t?”

“That’s impos-”

“Humor me.”

I sighed and thought deeply.

“I would be in the same place I am to everyone else who doesn’t know you’re all here. A CEO at my father’s company. I would branch to video games then move to snacks and beverages. I’m not sure if I’d get married because I’m a shut-in, I like to just disappear and not tell anyone because I don’t need to or want to, but who knows. My whole life I wanted to make my dad happy the same way he would make me happy. At work I’m not feared, I’m respected and understood, just like him. I’d keep going on the path I was on. Who knows, maybe I’ll do something risky, something stupid before I die to have me remembered.” I turned to Suga, “Sorry if you expected me to say I would travel the world or settle down and have kids.”

Suga looked like he was thinking, he then nodded like he understood, “I respect the honesty.”

“I’m assuming Jin taking the vault key has something to do with the fact that you’re all still here?” I asked, taking a drink of my beer.

“It was five to four vote. Jimin made his mind up about you after he almost fought you. You’re correct, Jin got the vault key, Taehyung got the dial code before anyone could read it and Jimin got your phone; Well, what was left of it. Jin never let go of the key, Taehyung never let us know the code, and Jimin never told us what he found on the phone no matter how many times any of us asked. He didn’t even tell Hoseok, Jin or Taehyung.”

“I’m sorry to hear.”

“It almost scares me how honestly sorry you look.”

“Because I am. I still believe you all should be free and I take responsibility for my actions, but Jin, wants the vault door key and I’m sure Taehyung hid the code in some obscure place.”

“So how did everything go down after dinner? You all seem...Mixed.” I smiled at his choice of words.

“My relationship with Taehyung, Seokjin, and Hoseok is complicated and confusing, and Seongmi has been trying to flirt with me, now Jimin is calling me ‘jagi’ and I’m sure Seokjin is a thousand percent done with Tae being ‘clingy’.”

“So I’m assuming they all took the role of ‘boyfriend’ recently?”

I groaned at how complicated this was all getting, “When I was in my slump, Taehyung kissed me. Then Seokjin, then Hoseok. They didn’t explain anything afterward or bring it up... But today just, after they saw Seongmi flirting with me they flipped on a dime. Hoseok kissed me, Taehyung gave me a hickey, Seokjin tried to put Taehyung and Jimin in their place, Jimin started with the pet name and shared the bed with Taehyung and I because I’m sure Taehyung is still jealous. It’s a mess.”

“I see the hickey. It’s pretty visible.”

“It’s just getting more and more complicated, honestly.”

“...I bet New York sounds a lot nicer right now.” I giggled.

“You’re no help.”

“Just do what makes you happy.”

“My mom said I shouldn’t eat a hundred McDonalds chicken nuggets because heart problems run in the family. ” Suga almost spit out his beer.

“Only a hundred?” He teased.

“Well, I’m thinking realistically, I’m gonna want fries as well…” Suga finally smiled.

“Thank you for the notebooks, Hoseok took the green ones, but I expected that. They’re pretty thick and you have nice pens just laying around.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you writing with before?”

“Napkins.”

“Well, I praise you, because every time I try to write on napkins they tear.” Suga leaned closer and held his hands out like he was going to explain.

“You see, the trick i-”

“F/n? Why did you leave the bed? How long were you gone?” A sleepy voice cut off Suga.

Suga and I looked over to see Jimin. Jimin’s face was flushed and his hair was a fluffy mess, I’m assuming he suffered Tae’s cuddle wrath, he must have gotten overheated too since...

Oh dear lord, is Park Jimin only wearing my black Barnaby hoodie and briefs??

I started choking on my beer. Suga began to openly chuckle at my misfortune.

“She couldn’t sleep, she’s been in here for 40 minutes.” Suga answered for me.

“Did Hyung help you set up the lights?” Jimin yawned.

“Nope, she did it all herself, despite Jin’s protesting.”

“Bro, what the fuck?” I gave Suga a sideways glance.

“I’m so excited to see them lit up. I’ll see them in the morning m’kay? Let’s go to bed now, F/n.” Jimin rubbed his eyes, holding his hand out for me to take.

Jimin obviously wasn’t aware of his surroundings. I looked over at Suga, almost like I was asking him if this was a good idea.

“You better go, he won’t leave until you do,” Suga warned.

“Enjoy the chips and beer.” I grunted as I stood up.

“With pleasure.” Suga said as I took Jimin’s hand and he and led me out the studio.

Jimin led me across the bunker to the entrance room and climbed on the extra-large bed. Jimin literally shoved Tae to the side and patted the spot beside him. I giggled. Jimin had gotten in the middle of the bed and wanted me to lay on the opposite side of Taehyung. Jimin wanted to block me off from Tae. I climbed in the bed anyway and accepted the spot. Jimin pulled the blanket over us both and wrapped his arms around me, snuggling me close. His face nuzzled into the back and side of my neck as he hummed.

“We should do this with all the boys…I’m closer though, m’kay?” I giggled and relaxed more into his chest.

“Oh my, is Park Jimin possessive by any chance?” I teased, I could feel the heat go to his face.

“How did the lights turn out?” He asked in a sleepy voice.

“I’m astonished you didn’t see when you went in the studio earlier to steal me from Suga.”

“I was half asleep and going to the bathroom to wash my face to cool down when I heard your voice. I wanted to cuddle you. I didn’t see anything,” He whined in complaint.

I giggled, turning so my face was in his chest and my arms around him, “Well now you have to wait until I decide to let you go.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Be careful what you wish for!”

“I wish you’d call me ‘Chim’, everyone else stopped calling me that because we were all fighting.”

I frowned, knowing I was the reason they were fighting.

“I’ll call you whatever you want, Chim. Let’s sleep now, ‘kay?” Jimin nodded and got more comfortable.

“Good night, F/n.”

I woke up again, but this time it was to the sound of muffled talking. I couldn’t make out who was talking or what it was about. The bed was empty so maybe I was hearing the boys talking while eating breakfast. I sat up and stretched just in time for the bathroom door to open, Hobi stepping out, towel drying his hair. He saw I was sitting up and he beamed.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” He greeted, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I can’t have the same name as you, Hobi.” I giggled, moving to help dry his hair.

“Hmmm, how about ‘Angel’ or ‘Cutie’?” He looked like he was really thinking it through as I took over drying his hair.

“Did you like the lights?” I asked softly, trying to be careful with his hair.

“Yes! You said you ordered more, right? I bet they’ll look great.”

“Any specific colors? Don’t say green because it’s your favorite color either.” I smiled.

“Maybe a purple or red. Why neon lights by the way?”

“Uh, I used to live in Tokyo a while back, right next to Akihabara, so I’d see the lights every day. I just like it is all.” I shrugged.

“Your phone was going off earlier by the way.” He informed me.

“I don’t think I have to do anything today? It’s Tuesday right?”

“It’s Wednesday!” He stated, shaking his head cutely.

“Well shit. I think I have to pick up my nephew later today.”

“Your nephew? What’s his name?”

“Jeonghun. Funny story, my sister was going to name him Jaeseong, after our father, but I called dibs.” I laughed, using the towel to dry off his neck.

“How many kids do you want?” I felt myself freeze at the question.

Well damn. I had no idea. Realistically I couldn’t have kids any time soon because of work and now... prison, but I never stopped and thought about it.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I do want kids though.” There were a few moments of silence as I began to dry his hair again.

“Four kids sound nice, two boys, two girls.” Hobi suggested.

“That...actually does sound nice, pretty even.” I smiled.

“I knew you’d think so.”

( Previous Chapter ) - ( Next Chapter )

[thatlesbiannudistcult-stories]

Finding Goddess (Chapter Two)

She was actually doing it. It was against her better judgment, it was against common sense, and it was against the law, but Carol was still doing it. She was leaving her home, she was heading out in the car, and she not bringing a single scrap of clothing with her. All around her, people were milling about doing their own things, walking, jogging, biking, skateboarding, talking, playing basketball, and driving cars of their own, never realizing that there was a naked woman in their midst. Yes, she was in a car, and she was blazing by too fast for anyone to get a good glimpse at her face, but it still boggled her mind. This was the first time in over twenty years that Caroline Conners was naked in public.

And as the sign designating the city limits came into view, as she read how her home city of Beringall would miss her in big, loopy, cursive letters, it hit her that this was no mere act of exhibitionism that she had practiced in the past. This was a true act of nudism the likes of which no one ever got to do anymore! Carol was leaving all the clothes she owned behind. Every minute that went by put more distance between her clothes and her person, and before the day was done, they would both be more than 100 miles apart. So far apart that she might as well have not owned them. So far apart that they might as well have never existed. So far apart that she...that she...that she should just be naked all the time!

"I'm naked," Carol breathed as she took a glance down at her body. Admiring her creamy skin, her D-cup breasts that nearly obscured the fit stomach underneath, and her muscular thighs that proved she indeed spent a good amount of time at the gym. All were bare, all were beholden, all were exposed, all were...free. Freer than she had ever felt in decades...no, freer than she ever felt in her life!

"Indeed you are," grinned Henrietta, who was driving the car. "Now aren't you glad I talked you into this?"

"I have nothing on," Carol continued as though she was in a trance. This was a dream, it had to be. People only ever ran around naked like this in their dreams. She rubbed her hands all over her body, marveling both at the abundance of bare flesh, and the complete absence of cloth. She pinched herself on her crimson nipple for good measure. She felt a pleasurable spark within the nub and the hint of a vibration down her spine, but when she opened her eyes, she didn't find herself back in her bed. She was still in the car, and she was still naked.

"You sure do," said Henrietta. "Must be a dream come true for you."

"I don't have any clothes on me...or with me...at all!" Carol finished, leaning back to stretch herself out as much as she could, pushing the fabric of her seat deeper into the contours of her back and her buttocks, and taking a moment to steal a glance at her legs that were just as bare as the rest of her, down to her tippy toes.

"Must be a surreal feeling," said Henrietta. "But it's real, hon. You're really riding butt-naked in my car, traveling to far-off lands where you just might be able to run and frolic like that all you like."

"All I like," Carol repeated robotically. One of her hands was beginning to trail down the curve of her boob and along her stomach. To think, she could actually frolic like this all she liked, wherever she liked. It would be like Heaven on Earth. But no, it wasn't true, it couldn't be. Henrietta was just yanking her chain. There was no place that would allow public nudity, and if there was, why would it be in New Deastone of all places?

Still, it was fun to think about, to imagine what she could do if it was true. During their intense bouts of lovemaking yesterday, Henrietta had done everything she could to keep the image fresh in Carol's mind, saying things like "I could just kiss you like this in the streets," "I'd squeeze your bare ass like this while people watched," and "I'd pin you to a tree and rub myself all over you....like this...until you were...screaming...my...name!" Carol honestly didn't know what came over her friend, but a kink had clearly hit her like a bolt of lightning. Which could only mean one thing: she wasn't lying about her encounter with the naked women in New Deastone. There had to be some grain of truth to it. Or at least Carol hoped there was.

"That's right. All you like," said Henrietta as she pulled a hand away from the wheel to give her girlfriend's naked thigh a squeeze. "I can't wait to see how you look when we get there. It's going to be so hot walking around town with your sexy MILFy body on display."

Carol didn't say anything. She simply nodded her head and closed her eyes to imagine just how it would look like herself. It was all she could do really; backing out was not on the table, and it really wouldn't do if she spent the whole trip freaking out.

***

They passed by the sign welcoming them to the city of New Deastone, and it was then that Carol decided it was time to start freaking out.

"I'm freaking NAKED!"

"So I've noticed," said Henrietta.

"I don't have any CLOTHES ON!"

"That's what we've all been saying."

"What if somebody SEES me?"

"Then their day will have brightened by at least 5 percent."

"That's not what I mean—EEP!"

They came upon a red light and had to stop. Lots of people were milling around, going about their business, and if any one of them stole a glance her way, saw how bare her shoulders were, the game would be up! Carol couldn't allow that to happen, so she slid as far down the seat as she could to hide herself from view.

"What the hell, Carol?" laughed Henrietta. "This isn't like you at all! Since when have you ever been one to be embarrassed about being seen naked?"

"It's not that I'm embarrassed," said Carol, which was the truth. She had managed to navigate her way from infancy to adulthood without ever getting the nudity taboo that infected most of humanity like a virus. "It's that we could get in serious trouble for this!"

"We won't get in trouble!" said Henrietta. "Those girls I saw were walking around butt-ass naked like it was normal. And while they definitely got plenty of attention, no one around them was acting like they were anything unusual. Hell, a cop drove right past them and didn't so much as honk his horn. Er, the car horn that is. I can't say for certain what he was doing with the other one."

"R-really?"

"Yes, really. Whatever this town's deal is, it has no problems with nudity. So get your bare ass back up here already!"

"If you say so," said Carol. The light turned green, the car started moving again, and she decided to at least sit back up properly. She couldn't help but wince a little as the edge of the seatbelt scraped against her nipple, though. "Where are we going anyway?"

"I thought we'd park in a garage and step out for a little walk."

"I...see."

No more words were exchanged as Henrietta pulled into a multilevel garage. Carol braced herself and silently prayed to every god and goddess she could name to please, in their divine mercy, make the garage absolutely packed, and buy her a few more minutes that could be spent huddling in the safety of the car.

No sooner had Henri driven through the gate did the nude woman's heart drop when she saw the place was the opposite of packed. It was very empty in fact, save for a few vehicles parked here and there. And that's why Carol didn't believe in any gods!

"We're here!" beamed Henrietta as her car lurched to a stop.

Carol sighed. This was it, the moment of truth, and what was undoubtedly going to be her biggest and boldest naked experience in a long time, if not ever. Putting it off any longer was impossible at this point; the only option she had was to handle it the same way she handled band-aids. So she unbuckled her seatbelt, swung open the door, put her feet on the ground, and stepped outside, all within the span of a single breath.

The warm summer air hit her naked skin like a slap on the derriere. The way it glided over her breasts, all around her stomach, up her thighs, and even between her lower lips was enough to make Carol jump. It had been...such a long time since she experienced this feeling. Too long. The closest she ever came to feeling it in the past 20 or so years had been whenever she got to put on a bathing suit, but wearing even the skimpiest bikini was no match for complete and total nudity in the outdoors.

I missed this, she thought, running her hands down her body with a gentle smile.

Unfortunately, her serenity was short-lived when she took note of the terrain she would have to traverse. The garage's paved floor didn't feel at all pleasant on her soles, and it didn't look even remotely clean. Walking around barefoot would not be a pleasant experience, and Carol couldn't help but eye a few suspicious lumps lying around that could have been loose stones or dog turds for all she knew. And if she walked like this on the sun-baked pavement outside...

"Here, put these on," said Henrietta as she shoved a pair of sandals into Carol's unexpected hands. "Much as we would both love for you to be totally naked, it won't do to burn your feet on the blistering pavement."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Carol stammered, a little unnerved that it seemed like her girlfriend had just read her mind, but nevertheless thankful that she at least thought ahead. "Good thinking."

Now that she was properly 'dressed,' it was time for Carol to face the music and show the city of New Deastone what she was made of. Taking the nude woman's hand in her own, Henrietta just about nearly dragged her out of the garage and onto the sidewalk where the sun enveloped Carol's naked body so brightly, her skin almost glowed.

Heads turned. Eyes widened. A few impressed "Oooooh" sounds could be heard, a surprising number coming from women. Passing cars slowed down and one even honked its horn approvingly. But nowhere was anyone scandalized. Carol didn't see anyone gasp in shock or horror, or look even remotely surprised at her, she didn't see anyone beeline away from the premises, she didn't hear anyone laugh, and she didn't hear anyone shout in anger. If anything, people seemed mildly curious, amused, or impressed by the sight of her naked body, but it was otherwise just business as usual.

"This is...weird," she said.

"It is," said Henrietta. "But so far, it seems like it's true; this place really is tolerant of nudity! C'mon, let's actually walk around for a bit."

Hand in hand, they ambled down the street, the naked mother and her clothed girlfriend. The summer sun warmed her skin like a gentle fire, and Carol couldn't help but suppress a grin at how wonderful it felt on her bosoms, which were jiggling freely with her every step. It was a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time, and it was absolutely wonderful. Her body seemed more sensitive in its exposure; she could feel the air as it brushed her every curve and nook, from the way it stroked her inner thighs, blew her pubic hairs into her skin, and tickled the nubs of her nipples, which were growing steadily harder.

However, Carol couldn't help but be mystified. She was naked. Bare naked in public, surrounded by people, and no one seemed to care. Did they notice? Absolutely! People were looking at her, some more brazenly than others. But no one was objecting. And in Carol's experience, one would always meet some form of objection if they went nude in public.

Have attitudes towards nudity really changed that much? Is this city just that relaxed about it? Or...is it because I'm so sexy that nobody minds?

A man and a woman on a stroll of their own approached the pair. Both of them had their eyes trained on Carol, and the nudist swore she heard them both utter an impressed murmur. Maybe that was why. Carol wasn't one to brag too much, but she took pride in how her 42-year-old body looked. She worked hard to keep it fit and sexy, and nothing boosted her confidence more than the attraction evident in people's eyes. And if boys and girls alike liked what they saw, who was she to complain? Carol couldn't help but feel a surge of pride course through her as the sounds of approval from the two strangers filled her ears. It was enough to make her forget about her trepidation, if only for a moment, and start strutting a lot more sexily down the sidewalk, wiggling her behind as she drew closer to them.

Take it all in, you Peeping Toms! she thought with an especially toothy grin.

She passed by them, and felt their eyes stay glued to her form. She was almost tempted to give herself a firm smack on the butt when she heard the woman give a startled "Oh?"

"What is it?" the man asked his companion.

"I don't think she's one of them."

"You didn't see it either?"

"No."

Carol raised an eyebrow. 'One of them?' 'Didn't see it?' What were they talking about?

She almost turned around to ask what they meant, but Henrietta already dragged her around a corner.

 "So far, so good," said the clothed woman. "But just walking around seems a little dull. Let's see if we can stop by someplace. Oooh, I could sure go for some donuts and coffee right about now."

Doubt began flooding Carol's mind again. Walking was one thing, it at least ensured she was constantly on the move. But if she stopped someplace, then it would give people around her more time to watch, identify, and report her. And after hearing that previous couple's cryptic words, she couldn't help but start thinking she was doing something wrong after all.

"Henri, I don't think—" she tried to protest, but it was all in vain. Her girlfriend had already yanked her into the coffee house, and the jingling bell already announced their presence to every patron in the establishment. All eyes in the establishment were on Carol's naked form in an instant. And they all looked at her with feelings of...curiosity, admiration, amusement, attraction...and no feelings of surprise, horror, disgust, or anger. Just like they did everywhere else. And soon enough, most of them were content to just turn back and return to their regularly-scheduled consumption of caffeinated products.

Hmm, nobody cares here either. Maybe I am just being a little para—uh-oh! Carol thought.

"Uh...oh," Henrietta said.

"Huh? Oh," the policewoman who they had both locked eyes with mumbled. She was looking Carol up and down, taking in every detail of her naked body, letting not a single inch of exposed skin escape her gaze. It looked like this was it for Carol, this would be the moment where she would confirm what she knew all along, that nudity was most definitely not legal in New Deastone...

"Hm," the policewoman murmured again, and without another word pushed past Carol and Henrietta as if they were mere stones in the road.

Time stopped for the nudist. Did that really just happen? Did she just show herself to a cop and get away with it? So was nudity really okay in this city after all?

"Huh? Ma'am, wait," the policewoman suddenly called from behind her.

Carol froze in her tracks so abruptly, a shiver ran up her whole body. In the brief silence that followed, she wondered if anyone could see the ripple working its way through her bare flesh. "Uh...is there a problem, officer?" she asked, already knowing for certain what it was.

"Ma'am, you can't walk around that!" said the policewoman.

Carol's heart dropped like a rock. It looked like what she was doing was illegal after all. She could sense similar disappointment radiate from her girlfriend as well, who was currently shooting her a guilt-ridden look of apology.

"It's okay, she's with me!" a new voice spoke up. Before Carol could react, she suddenly felt a new body press up against her own. A very...naked body...with two very hard nubs pressing into her back.

"What on mmrrrfff!" Carol had only a few seconds to voice her shock before her lips were completely smothered and she was staring directly into two luscious spheres of blue. It took a few seconds to register in her mind that someone was actually kissing her, and that someone was not Henrietta!

"Um...are you certain?" said the policewoman, who now looked just as startled as Carol.

"Absolutely!" the mysterious kisser beamed once she pulled away from Carol's face with a wide grin. "She's in real desperate need of relief, so I thought I'd give it to her! And she's real eager, as you can see!"

Carol was feeling dizzy. "What are you talking a—OH!"

The stranger slid a hand down the length of her body, stroking her stomach affectionately until it came upon her crotch, which it cupped tenderly. Carol stiffened as one finger, likely a thumb, began to play with her clitoris, rubbing firm circles all around it while another finger started to worm its way into her slit.

"Ahhh...oh-ohhh." Carol had no idea what was going on, but it felt so good that she couldn't find it in herself to protest.

"See?" the stranger said. "You know it's perfectly legal if one of us is around, right?"

"Y-yes, I know," said the cop, who was starting to look a little flustered. "She didn't have...you know, so I jumped to conclusions. I'll leave you two to it then." Without another word, the woman in blue scampered out the door like a frightened mouse to its burrow.

"Now that we've gotten that taken care of..." said the blue-eyed stranger, who now let Carol go, withdrawing her hand from the naked woman's crotch. Carol let out a half cry and a half gasp as it slipped away, taking with it the immeasurable feeling of pleasure it brought just as suddenly as it appeared.

"Holy cow!" cried Henrietta. "Who are you? Where did you come from? And what did...how did...?"

"I'll explain. But how 'bout in a more comfortable place, like in one of these booths?"

"Sounds good to me!"

On top of her dizziness, Carol was feeling a tragic sense of loss from the orgasm she had been denied and was still burning for, but when something gave her arm a sudden tug, she was finally able to focus and see who it was. It was a person, a woman with brilliant blond hair, a cute and slender frame with an even cuter bubbly behind...and who was, like Carol, completely naked.

What the...?

Carol was too stunned to resist as the naked stranger pulled her aside to a booth, where she took a seat, hitting the soft faux-leather with a slight slap, and promptly pulling Carol into her lap.

"Wh-what is—AHHH!"

Once again, the woman's hand slithered its way to her crotch and started picking up where it left off. "Sorry if this is unexpected, but this is the best way to keep you out of trouble," she said, whispering in Carol's ear. "That, and because," she added, dropping her voice to a husky tone as she gave Carol's ear a long, sensuous lick, "I know you really need this."

Carol could only breathe in response as the mysterious nude woman rubbed her clit and stroked her insides once more. They pulsed all around the woman, molding themselves against her digits as they moved, caressing every sensitive fold, every ticklish petal, every squelching muscle in all the right places as they curled and stretched, slowly, softly, in tune with every rub of her lower nub.

This girl, whoever she was...she was no stranger to the art of womanly pleasure.

"Uhhh...hahhhh...ohhhh," Carol moaned as her mysterious savior worked her magic. The blonde's arm wrapped around her back and snaked to her front, where her hand found its way to Carol's large breast. She explored the great expanse of flesh, kneaded her fingers through it like dough, and pulled the whole orb deeper into her appendage just to scrape the nub of Carol's very erect and very sensitive nipple against her palm. "Mm? Ah? OH!" Carol gasped. Sparks of pleasure jolted through her, one from the scarlet tip of her breast, and the other from her womanly core as the stranger slipped another digit into her and rubbed her clit with increasing vigor. Squishing, wet sounds of sopping, delicate flesh rang through the air.

God! That feels...so...GOOD!

This was lewd. This was wrong. And this wasn't legal by any definition that she knew of. But Carol couldn't find it in herself to care. She was being tweaked and rubbed and licked and fingered in public, and her juices were going to get everywhere, and people all around her were going to see it happen, and she, and she...she couldn't think of anything hotter! She spread her legs out just a little bit to slide her new lover even deeper into her and let out a happy yelp as she did just that, she swayed her hips to match the motions of the blonde's movements, and she ground her naked behind into the stranger's equally naked thigh. This was...this was...

This was going to make her scream! And cum! Loudly!

"AHH! AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And cum Carol did. She felt her juices erupt from her core, splashing all over her lover and the faux-leather upon which she sat. She felt a sensation of warmth as she pulled herself closer to the naked woman's form, gaining some much needed stability as her hips bucked with every burst of liquid fire emerging from her loins. And she felt the gentle rhythmic beat that could only come from a heart as she pulled herself ever deeper into that warmth, alongside a somewhat ticklish pinpricking sensation of something poking into her cheek.

"Ohhhhhh," Carol cooed, snuggling her face deeper into it as it slowly dawned on her that she was resting her head against a bare breast. Not a particularly big one like what she sported, but still very nice.

"Aren't you a dirty girl," the stranger giggled, giving Carol an affectionate kiss on the head and squeeze on the rump.

"Holy cow," Henrietta whispered from where she was sitting across the table. "Did I just...see that happen?"

"You did," said the nude blonde as she continued cuddling with the nude mother in her arms. "It seems there were a few details about our lifestyle you two may have missed though."

"Life...style?" Carol mumbled. She was still in a haze. It felt like she just lived through a century's worth of life experience, but she was certain that only a few minutes at most had passed by since she walked through the door of the coffee house.

Coffee...house?

Those words brought her back to the present in an instant. "What did I just do?" she cried, bolting upright, bouncing her boobs so high in the air they nearly slapped her face. Carol didn't need to ask though, for she knew exactly what she had done: something insane. She walked into a coffee house naked as the day she was born, she got seized by a similarly naked blonde girl, and she allowed herself to be fondled and diddled to the point of orgasm. In public. With people all around her!

And she was still naked! And so was her new lover! And they were both sitting in a puddle of her juices! This was bad, this was really bad, she screwed up, she was definitely going to be in trouble for this. It was enough to make her want to cling to her new lady friend for support and bury her head in her chest again, just to hide from her own degeneracy. She almost did just that, but paused once she got a good look at the blond woman.

She looked as cute as Carol imagined, with a youthful, round, heart-shaped face and baby blue eyes that spoke of sweet virginal innocence that everyone knew wasn't actually there. It was kind of stunning that someone so young would actually go and ensnare an old cougar like Carol and melt her like butter. Stunning and maybe a little off-putting. But that wasn't what the older woman was focusing on; it was on the girl's breast, the same one she had been resting her head upon not a moment ago. It bore a strange tattoo of...something she didn't quite recognize. It reminded her of an Ankh or the sign for sulfur, or perhaps some other symbol, but she couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was supposed to be. However, she couldn't help but shake the feeling it was very important to the nude girl.

"Yup, there are a lot of things you haven't learned about us," said the blonde, who seemed strangely unaffected by the other naked woman's abrupt movements. "How about we all just settle down, get something to drink, and I tell you both about us Zenrists."

[emergenciesstory]

Super Secrets- Pt 4

Words: 1240

Summary: Reader opens up to the girls, and finds her strength

Warnings: Mentions of  abuse. 

Super Secrets Masterlist

Masterlist

Everyone had shown up for movie night, whatever urgent business that had come up finished or forgotten. After eating, everyone gathered around the screen, laying on the couches, some beanbags being used for those who didn’t fit. Jurassic Park was the movie of the night, and everyone watched with wrapped attention. You took the time to watch how the team moves together subconsciously. Natasha was curled between Clint and Bruce on one couch, while Thor laid on a beanbag below them, crunching a large bowl of popcorn. The other couch held Wanda sitting in Visions lap, and Tony who looked rather uncomfortable to be sitting by the couple. The super soldiers sat with you on the final couch, you curled into Bucky on the couch while Steve sat on the floor messing with your leg.  The team moved like a family, a feeling you had long missed.

              The movie ended and the lights came back up, everyone looking at each other, content with their night. Vision was the one to speak first. “Something about this is, right. The way we all just fold together so soon.”

“Yes, it’s quite nice.” Wanda smiled at you.

Everyone began small conversations, the drinking continuing as it got later. You were a part of many conversations, but no one pushed you to talk, and you thanked them for the gesture. As time moved on, people started to retire to their rooms. Soon it was just you, Wanda, Nat and Steve.

“Well I think I’m going to head to bed.” Steve said, you sat up so he could move. “Y/N/N, you good?”

“I’m fine Stevie. Goodnight.” You gave him a smile and he kissed the top of your head before walking up the stairs. When he was gone, Nat turned to you.

“Y/n/n? Stevie? The only person I’ve heard call him that is Bucky.”

“Yeah,” you said looking where he had been. “Steve, he helped me through a hard time. Protected me. And he smiled so hard the first time I called him that, so it just stuck.”

Nat looked at Wanda, who shook her head. “Not my Story to tell.”

“I’ll tell you, just somewhere, less public.”

“The rooms are soundproof. No one can hear when the doors shut. We can go to mine.” Natasha offered.

“I’d like that.”

              Natasha’s room was still white, but had grey and black accents. She had her bed in the center of the back wall, with bean bags in the corner by the door. The three of you sat in the pile of beanbags, and you told Nat everything Wanda had learned earlier.

“Wow… No wonder you are quiet in our company.” Nat looked at you, taking your hand in hers. Wanda had been rubbing your back since you got choked up. You felt a bond being here with them, like they had always been your sisters.

“It’s, something I’m working on. Steve and Bucky, it took me a couple years to be comfortable around them, they’re my stable ground. The other guys… I know this is my new family and safety, but it’s still hard. It’s less of a trust aspect and more of a, I don’t know, I guess you could call it authority?” You paused, not wanting to unload on them, but both waited patiently until you were done. “Authority shuts me down. I thought I knew the kind of person he was, I had no one else, and he used his authority to break my heart, my trust, my bones, and my spirit. So, it takes time for the Authority to not scare or intimidate me.”

“We don’t blame you. But we are all here for you.” Wanda chimed in.

“Thank you. Part of me doesn’t feel like I should be here, like my demons are too much.”

“We all have demons, trust me, none of us are spared.” Nat took a pause and looked at her hands conjoined with yours. “If it wasn’t for Clint and Bruce, I wouldn’t be this strong. Tony helped Steve and Bruce and relies on Me and Steve. Clint helped the Maximoff’s and has worked his demons out with all of us. We’re a family. They aren’t just your demons. We all want to help.”

“One day at a time.” Wanda said, and you nodded your head.

“One day at a time, with all the help I can get.

_____________________________

You went to bed around midnight, but couldn’t sleep. At 4, you gave up, slid into workout clothes, grabbed your pager, and decided to head to the gym. Instinct took you to your old setup, already missing it after a day. You hadn’t been able to find your Comms, even after tearing through the last trunk of personal items. When the owner, an old Italian guy, had found you shortly after arrival working out in silence, he brought down an old record player, playing some 40’s music. It was more of a dance music, but you couldn’t help and enjoy watching the man dance around as he tidied up the small gym. Unrolling the sparring mat, you did something you never did, danced. It was slow at first, your muscles remembering the movements, stretching and elongating as you forced them too. But the song was a sad one and pulled emotion from every tendon, begging to feel the pain in your heart, to let the music take it. The gym faded away, much like with the aggressive motions of boxing, and you let yourself get lost in a meditative trance. Everything that happened, every demon you shoved into your fists and anger, it was time to let them consume your mind, to let them torment you until you let them go. Each scene flashed, slower than with Wanda’s invasion, but with as much emotion behind them and you tied them to a part of you. The song built in discourse as the floods of the past poured in. Flips and turns, each one moving with emotion building in the song. You let out an aggressive stretch with a yell, jumping in the air with a flip, landing on your knee, punching the mat. The music silenced, the record over. Your heavy breathing and heart in your ears didn’t drown out the applause… from two sets of hands.

              Looking up, you found Steve in the doorway. “I didn’t know you danced.”

“I didn’t know you worked out so early.” you quipped back.

“Only on the weekends. Everyone back home hates to be woken up before 10, and I like to lose myself in my work, much like you just did.” Steve walked past you, dropping his stuff in your normal spot. He picked up a record of work out tunes and placed it on the player. Sliding his shoes off, he was wrapping his hands, humming along to the song.

“It’s time, Steve.” you said, indifference in your voice, but a lot being said in your eyes. He looked at you quickly and smirked.

“Time for me to win, I know.” He mused. You shook your head, getting quieter.

“It’s time to let go.” Steve froze at your words. For the six years he knew you, you couldn’t think about your past without breaking down.

“What changed your mind?” he whispered, sauntering close and wrapping his arms around you. You looked up at him, eyes glistening with tears.

“My family has my back. I am not fighting them alone.”

[olgagarmash]

Are Fitness Buffs Going Back to the Gym? – The New York Times

The 5:30 a.m. alarm to hit the spin class. The interminable waits for the ab-crunch machine. The masses of sweating bodies huffing and puffing just feet away, followed by the hurried shower and the wet-haired hustle to the office before the boss arrives.

America’s gym habit always involved its share of hassle and expense. And then came the pandemic.

So what now? As the world reopens — or at least, we hope it does — a wounded health club industry is banking on pent-up demand to drive a gym renaissance. Will this happen? Or will workout warriors, after a year exploring virtual and outdoor alternatives, come to see their old gyms as fitness anachronisms, like a Richard Simmons “Disco Sweat” workout VHS from the Clinton years?

Consider Henry Lihn, 40, a tech entrepreneur in Manhattan. Before the pandemic, he would hit an Equinox gym in SoHo or Greenwich Village at least four mornings a week to lift weights, box or do yoga.

He wouldn’t dream of it now. “The gym is a raging dumpster fire of Covid bacteria and hamster wheels,” Mr. Lihn said. “I’m never going back.”

Instead, Mr. Lihn has adopted a socially-distanced outdoor regimen: he bikes the West Side Highway twice a day, plays tennis on public courts in Brooklyn, and does chin-ups on walk-signal cross bars. The wind in his face, the sun on his cheeks, he is hooked. A few weeks ago, he canceled his gym membership.

The uncertainties around the Delta variant have not encouraged some former group exercisers. “I have zero interest in going back to the yoga studio,” said Heidi Kim, 33, a tech consultant in Los Angeles, which recently reinstated mandatory masks for indoor public spaces. “Of the many things I want to do indoors, sweating with strangers is not high on the list.”

Instead Ms. Kim now stays in shape with outdoor distance runs and muscle toning courses on the fitness site, the Sculpt Society.

Others have come to believe that they no longer need to pay as much as $200 or higher per month to exercise when they could invest in a few pieces of home equipment and get the same results.

“Working out at home with Beachbody on Demand and free workouts from Instagram influencers have worked really well for me,” said Danielle DeBoe Harper, 44, a creative director for a home fixtures company in Cleveland. “So for now, at least, my budget priorities no longer include a line item for a gym membership.”

Plus, there is the added convenience of not having to spend time traveling back and forth to the gym, changing into workout clothes and then showering — which can take as much time as the workout itself.

Others have found that the sense of community and socializing they found in a fitness club can be easily replicated outside it.

After his Equinox branch closed, Harry Santa-Olalla, 34, an auctioneer who lives in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, formed a fitness pod last summer to sweat through hill sprints and burpees with a few friends, including the “Games of Thrones” actor Kit Harington.

Working out in this tight-knit crew, they were able to motivate each other and help keep each other grounded in a difficult time.“Two more guys joined today,” Mr. Santa-Olalla said. “They’re coming along to a barbecue I’m hosting tomorrow on my roof. That would have never happened in a gym.”

That sense of camaraderie can also be found at home, with group spinning classes on Peloton and personal trainers on Zoom.

“From the first day I owned the Peloton, I rode every day for 4 months straight,” said Amy Lin, 32, an elementary schoolteacher in Calgary, Alberta, who ditched her pricey gym and personal trainer for a Peloton group called Lonely Bikes Club.

In a year filled with isolation, fear and, in her case, grief (her husband died last year of a non-Covid related illness), her new routine gave her a sense of belonging. “Because of this fancy bike that goes nowhere,” Ms. Lin said, “I have somehow kept going on.”

Another pandemic fitness hack — the Zoom personal trainer — has retained its appeal, even after gyms reopened. “People love it,” said Michael Gabryszewski, 26, a personal trainer in Rhinebeck, N.Y. “It eliminates the commute, which is a big barrier to fitness. So instead of doing one session a week, you can do four or five, because it doesn’t take too much time out of your schedule.”

Virtual gyms and trainers appear to have staying power. According to a recent McKinsey & Company survey, 70 percent of people who used online fitness programs during the pandemic plan to stick with them long-term.

Gearing Back Up

All of this may seem ominous for the future of gyms, which have been a fixture in American culture at least since John Travolta was wearing short shorts and grinding in aerobics classes in the 1983 movie, “Perfect.”

Some 22 percent of the nation’s fitness facilities closed permanently during the pandemic, according to IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, with 1.5 million industry employees losing their jobs since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Being shut down for six months was clearly a very dark time,” said Todd Magazine, the chief executive of Blink Fitness, a national chain of affordable health clubs that endured furloughs and layoffs. “We’re predominantly a brick and mortar business.”

But there are reasons for optimism, too. Plenty of Lycra-clad sweat obsessives seem to be hearing the siren call of the StairMaster once again.

As Covid restrictions have eased in some regions, gym traffic is back to more than 80 percent of the pre-lockdown levels of January 2020, according to a recent survey by Jefferies, the financial services company (it’s worth noting that gym membership reached record levels in 2019, according to the IHRSA).

A rebound is evident at Blink Fitness, where sign-ups last month, normally slow season for gyms, equaled those of January 2020, usually a frenzied month for gym-goers trying to make good on New Year’s resolutions, according to the company.

Gold’s Gym International, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020, was recently acquired by RSG Group, a German fitness company, for $100 million. The 24 Hour Fitness chain, which closed 100 clubs and filed for Chapter 11, emerged from bankruptcy last December following a restructuring.

Business is booming at some smaller gyms, as well. “Our numbers were stronger this past quarter than they ever were,” said Jenny Liu, the president of Dogpound, a high-end boutique gym focused on one-on-one training with locations in TriBeCa and West Hollywood.

For some fitness freaks, there is a larger reason to return to a gym: it’s the kind of thing people didn’t even used to think about doing before the pandemic.

This past July, Sarah Goldsmith, 36, a communications associate for a public affairs firm in Washington D.C., returned to her rigorous pre-Covid gym routine: almost every day, usually starting around 5:15 a.m.

“I’ve been sore almost every day since,” Ms. Goldsmith said. “For me, that is a big part of feeling normal again.”

source https://wealthch.com/are-fitness-buffs-going-back-to-the-gym-the-new-york-times/

[ijustwant2write]

Workplace Drama-Brock Rumlow x Reader One Shot

(GIF credit to owner)

Masterlist

Summary: requested by anonymous: ‘Hello! Thank you for writing Brock Rumlow imagine. They are not many and when i find them they are My favourite thing ❤❤❤ I wondered If you can write one with Brock, they are colleagues and argue about everything but they are secretly in love or Brock is really jealous of Captain America getting your attention. Thank you!!!’

Characters: Brock Rumlow x Reader

Meanings: (Y/N)= Your name (Y/L/N)= Your last name (Y/F/N)= Your friend’s name

Warnings: Swearing, arguing

A/N: I’M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sweat was rolling down my face as I ran on the treadmill, pushing myself to do more. Training wasn’t a fun task but I had to keep up with my fitness, what with being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. It wasn’t busy in the gym, only a few other people besides me. Everyone was keeping to themselves as usual, all except one.

“You’re lacking a little today (Y/L/N).” Brock commented as he climbed on the treadmill next to me.

“Keeping tabs on me now Rumlow?” I snapped back.

“Someone has to. You’re getting older remember.”

“Not as old as you.”

He started running, matching my pace.“How do you know how old I am?”

“I don’t. But your face gives it away.”

Brock and I never got along. Ever since I joined the STRIKE team, problems had always occurred between us. He was the team leader but I never agreed with his decisions, causing a lot of arguments. I wasn’t going to back down from him, others may be scared of him but I wasn’t.

“You’re crossing a line agent.” He said, increasing his speed past mine.

“You say that every week.”

“And I mean it.”

I started to slow down before coming to a stop. I couldn’t concentrate with him around.

Brock called out to me over his shoulder.“Don’t forget, mission briefing tomorrow morning, seven am sharp.”

Without saying anything back, I made my way to the changing rooms, desperate to get home. It was obvious what was going to happen tomorrow morning during the briefing. The last mission wasn’t so great, I went against Brock’s orders again, but ended up making the task much easier as well as quicker.

“Oh, you’re angry. Let me guess, was it because of a certain STRIKE team leader?” (Y/F/N) noticed as I climbed into her car.

“Urgh, who else annoys me this much?” I groaned as we started to drive home.

“You know, he wouldn’t get so pissed about your attitude to work if it wasn’t for that stupid party.”

“We said we would never speak of that again.”

“Well, rules are supposed to be broken according to you.”

I said nothing.

“(Y/N), that can’t come between you and your line of work. He seems to have forgotten about it, why can’t you?”

They didn’t understand, it was too embarrassing for me to come back from. Before I was put on the STRIKE team, I had actually met Brock at one of Tony Stark’s parties, I only got invited because my friend got us in. I knew who he was, though I wasn’t sure if it was the same for him, instantly feeling weak at the knees. Who could resist him? A gorgeous, alpha male man that could easily sweep you off your feet, literally. Throughout the night we had flirted, it was just a bit of fun really. But when I was put on his team the following week, he completely changed. I wasn’t expecting the Brock I saw at the party, however he was awful to me; no one else was treated this way, so why was I? When I confronted him about it (in the most polite way possible) he spat it right back in my face, suspending me from duty for the rest of the week. “Just get me home.”

Walking towards one of the elevators, I yawned quietly, hating that I had to come in for this one meeting. It was all going to come crashing down on me. The doors opened and as I stepped in, someone followed closely by. Looking up, I huffed as I saw Brock. I had to push back the thoughts of how good he looked out of his usual uniform and in normal clothes. Nothing was exchanged between us, not even a glance. A few other members of our team joined, though that did nothing to break the awkward tension. As we all filed out, Jack Rollins pulled me back, looking frustrated himself.

“This shit has gone on for far too long. It needs to stop if we’re going to keep on working as a team.” He hissed.

“You should talk to our so called team leader. He’s the ones causing problems.”

Not wanting to discuss it further, I pushed past him into the conference room, sitting furthest away from the leader. Captain America would be in the room too, he had yet to comment on the matter. As everyone started to take their seats, he leaned over to me.

“Agent (Y/L/N), I just want you to know that I agree with you on this one. You did the right thing.” he whispered.

I smiled.“Thank you Captain. It feels nice to be appreciated for once.” I made my last sentence a little louder.

Brock glanced over at me, slamming his folder down on the table.

Steve could tell who I was angry at.“He doesn’t realise a great agent when he sees one.”

“Now you’re just flattering me.”

The meeting started, Brock obviously leading it. I felt his eyes piercing into me even when I wasn’t looking at him. Not everyone agrees with how he treated me, not able to speak up for the fear of losing their position on the team. As he went through the mission, any faults that happened were directed at me. Yes, I had gone against training and protocol but I saved our lives. Not many people had thanked me for that. Whenever I was brought up, his tone would be mocking, asking me stupid questions that I already knew the answer to.

“You’re suspended from the next mission.” He finished after ten minutes of ranting.

“Yes sir.” I tried not to sound disrespectful.

“Rumlow, I don’t think that’s fair.” Captain Rogers spoke up.

I looked to him in surprise, as did everyone else.

“Why is that Captain?”

“I understand that Agent (Y/L/N) made some mistakes, there will be consequences for that. However, she is needed on this team, especially for the next mission, we need her insight.”

“I can’t, she may jeapordise it.”

“She might. But how will we know?” This was not like Rogers. He followed the rule book, he was the golden boy. Perhaps he really did believe in me. Everyone looked back to Brock who seems undecided now.

He quietly sighed.“Fine. Extra training every night this week.”

I smiled at Rogers before answering.“Yes sir.”

When the meeting finally came to a close, I didn’t follow my team mates, instead looking for the super soldier. Having to break out into a small jog, I caught up with his long strides.

“Captain Rogers?” I called out.

He turned around.“Yes, (Y/L/N)?”

“Thank you for what you did back there. You really didn’t have to stick up for me but it is very much appreciated.”

“I couldn’t let him do that to you. Just know that I won’t be so persuaded in the future. Rules are out in place for a reason.”

I nodded.“Of course. Thank you again.” With another smile from him, he walked away from me. The captain was such a sweetheart, he derserved the best. That personality with that body and face? God had been very generous with him. My happy hour had comet to an abrupt end as Brock grabbed my shoulder, harshly spinning me round to face him.

I pushed him away.“Hey-”

“Shut up.” He snapped, holding onto me again as he shoved me into an empty conference room.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I prepared for the worst.“If you’re just going to shout at me-”

He interrupted again.“What the hell was that about?”

“Someone actually understood that my actions are beneficial to the team.”

“Not that. You two seem close.” he mimicked my stance.

“Close? We work together and not a lot either. I would say he was just a colleague to me.”

“That’s what you’re calling it now? You sure nothing is going on?”

“No. And if it did, why would I tell you?”

“Just don’t go after him. Pretty sure a lot girls get their heart broken over that.”

I shook my head in confusion.“Sir, why are you suddenly interested? What difference would it make?”

“You just can’t be with him.”

“Brock, please start making sense.”.

“You’re so frustrating!” he suddenly raised his voice, his hands coming down as fists.

I didn’t retort.

“You don’t even know you’re doing it. Eveyday it’s the same torture. There’s no way we could be a thing so you constantly get me heated up to release some of that tension.”

My mouth was open in shock.“Excuse me?”

“Ever since Stark’s party, you’ve been playing on my mind and I’m getting sick of it.”

“I have?”

“Yeah! But I see you with the captain and know you deserve someone like that over me.” He hadn’t noticed me now standing in front of him.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”

“Because we’re trained not to show this side of us.”

“So? You know me. Who cares about rules?”

“You wouldn’t want me. Not after getting to know me.”

“How do you know until you try?”

His eyes narrowed.“What if it all goes wrong? If I treat you like dirt?”

“Brock, I’ve seen your other side remember? Just give me the carefree, flirty, full of himself in a good way Brock. Please? We could make this work! Ever since the party it’s been so daunting to even be near you. And you were right about me making you pissed off all the time. It was the only way I’d get your attention.”

He wavered a little, eyes locked together with mine. I closed the space between our bodies, not losing eye contact. As I reached up, he suddenly pulled away.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Who fucking cares? I’ve waited too long for this.”

[writingsbymarie]

Wicked Game ~ Peter Parker, Part 2

Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of heartbreak and not talking to Peter for 2 weeks causes the reader to not want to go to homecoming, but MJ forces her to go and the events that happen there may turn the worst 2 weeks to the best 2 weeks of her life.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, make out

Word count: 2,589… I got a little carried away whoops

It's been two weeks since the incident on the rooftop. I haven't talked to Peter since then. At this point, I could barely look at him without bursting into tears. The truth is beside Peter I didn't have any friends besides Michelle. I didn't exactly tell her what happened, but I'm pretty sure she figured out it had to do with Peter. Ignoring Peter wasn't incredibly hard since we lived in the same apartment. Just because I didn't want to talk didn't mean he didn't. For the first week, he followed me around trying to talk to me. Of course, I had headphones and turned them up as loud as my ears could handle so I couldn't hear his voice. At least he took the hint and stopped trying to start a conversation. Now he just stares at me. All of the time. I swear he keeps playing this game. Doesn't he get he already won? The more he looks at me the more my heart breaks. At this point I'm numb. Why the hell did I fall in love with him? I'm such a fool.

“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Peter or are you just going to sit staring out the window looking like you're about to cry everyday” I heard Michelle say nonchalantly.

“It's a long story MJ” I replied

“Good thing this homework we are working on isn't due tomorrow,” She said putting the books aside.

“I don’t really want t-”

“You can’t keep this to yourself any more Y/N I'm seriously getting worried, I'm not a doctor, but I know hiding something that made you this upset for too long isn't smart,” she said interrupting me

“He broke my heart” I whispered, tears beginning to fill my eyes as my mind replayed the events of the worst night of my life.

“He doesn't deserve you Y/N, if he doesn't see how amazing you are he's blind, and a fucking idiot to be honest, Do you want me to beat him up for you because I'm totally willing to do that because I hate assholes”

“Oh my god, thank you MJ” I laughed, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've laughed in the past 2 weeks. MJ may be very shy and unsocial, but once you get to know her she's amazing. To be completely honest her attitude, in general, is enough to cheer me up. She's so different and honestly an inspiration. I'm so grateful for her because without her I know this whole Peter thing would be much worse.

“I'll beat him up in front of the whole school during homecoming” MJ giggled clenching her fists and holding them up like she was going to fight someone.

“You know I’m now going to homecoming, right”?

“Excuse me yes you are, you will not let Peter Parker ruin some of the best moments you'll ever have in high school. You shouldn't let him have that power over you, and even if he does don't let him see that”

“But I can't bear to see him dancing wi-”

“So don't look at them, find your own boy to dance with, there will be tons of handsome lonely boys looking for a beautiful girl like you to dance with, you are a strong independent girl and you don't need Peter Parker to make your life complete, and come on if I agreed to go to homecoming that says a lot since I'm probably the most unsocial person on the planet and I need a friend to come with me so I'm not alone, please come Y/N I'm practically on my knees begging you” MJ blurted. She was right, I can't let Peter control my life.

“Fine I guess I'll go but for you,” I said

“Yay! I'm so excited” she exclaimed giving me a hug, good thing I had bought a dress. I would have to wear my one from last years homecoming and to be honest, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't fit.

For the rest of the night, we ate ice cream and watched funny chick flicks and I forgot all about Peter until she had to leave. As much as I don't want Peter to control my life, but I can't bear to see Peter dancing with Liz. I think my heart would shatter into a million pieces. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and I looked at myself, I honestly looked like a mess. I had bags under my eyes, my eyes were puffy from crying so much. Why was I letting Peter Parker ruin my life? I should never let a boy ruin my life. I have so much more than Peter Parker. If this game was to break my heart. I shouldn't let him win. I have to stop moping 24/7 and actually live. Even if I don't have a date to homecoming it doesn't mean I won't find a lonely boy to dance with. After all, it's completely possible to fall in love more than once. I'm not going to let Peter win. Somehow I managed to find some confidence. It's time to be my old self again I thought walking from the bathroom. I walked into my room and jumped into my bed and swiftly pulled the covers over me. Tomorrow is a new day, a new me. No more crying over Peter Parker I thought as I drifted into a nice well-needed slumber.

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

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock, scaring the shit out of me like it always does. I groaned turning off my alarm clock and getting up to walk to my closet to find clothes. Lately, i’ve been wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt to school every day, but that was going to change. I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a nice shirt and skipped to the bathroom.

“Why are you so cheerful today honey” I heard my mom say as I skipped past the kitchen to get to the bathroom.

“Homecoming is today, and you know how much I love to dance mom” I practically sung as I closed the bathroom door. Today I needed to show confidence. I needed Peter to know I wasn't going to mope over him forever. I caught him staring at me countless times this week. I hope showing him I’m getting over him will make him jealous. Wait. no that's not the point of this I mentally yelled at myself as I grabbed eyeliner and mascara. After I finished putting on makeup, I slipped on my clothes and grabbed my pair of black converse.

“You look cute today Y/N” my mom pointed out.

“Thanks, mom” I answering grabbing my backpack and giving my mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Your father and I aren't going to be home for a couple of days, we have to go on a business trip, but make sure to send us pictures, I'm sorry we won't be here,” she said, she obviously felt bad, but they did this all of the time.

“It's fine” I lied as I walked out the door. A sigh left my mouth. I don't know why they are always traveling I wish they could actually be home for one special event of mine. No wonder I'm closer to May than my parents, but I can't see her without seeing Peter. Peter was usually the person who always comforted me when my parents would leave. I felt tears start to sting my eyes. No. I promised myself I would stop crying over him. I blinked away the tears and began walking to school. I walked kind of slow so when I walked in most people were at their lockers. What happened next was pretty weird. It felt like I was in a movie. Everything was going in slow motion and basically, everyone was staring at me. I mean I'm pretty sure it's because the past two weeks I've acted like actual death and looked it too, but then again I didn't think people noticed.

“Nice ass Y/L/N” I heard Flash say from behind me

“Shut it Flash” I warned, as he put both his hands up laughing. I right as I turned around I ran into someone which knocked me over making me land right on my butt.

“I'm so sor-” I cut myself off as my eyes met with the brown sparkling orbs of Peter Parker. He was holding out his hand offering to help me up. For some reason, I actually took his hand. I could feel my whole body tingling just from him grabbing my hand. He pulled me up, and I immediately let go of his hand brushing off my pants. I brushed the hair that was in my face behind my ear and stood up straight.

“I'm really sorry about that” I mumble looking down at my feet

“It's okay” he insisted, I looked up at his face to see a bruise on his face that I hadn't noticed.

“Oh my god Peter the bruise on your face, who did that to you”I whispered yelled

“It doesn't matter, the bad guy just got a swing at my face” he stated

“You have to be more careful Peter” I cautioned.

“I am careful you don't have to worry about me Y/N” he insisted

“Well I do,” I said louder than I wanted to. “I-I h-have to class” I interjected bowing my head and pushing past him to get to class trying to hide the tint of red on my cheeks. That was actually the first semi-normal interaction I had with him in 2 weeks and I barely embarrassed myself. The rest of the day went by pretty fast and MJ and I literally ran home so we could get ready. I went into the bath reapplying and putting more makeup on. I quickly stripped my clothes off and slipped into my dress. I looked into the mirror and I was actually happy with what I saw. I walked out to see Michelle in a beautiful blue dress.

“Dang M, how did you not get a date,” I said

“Well besides from the fact I don’t talk to people, I have no idea” she laughed

“Are you ready to go?” I asked

“Yep, it's funny how both are always gone for the important things,” She said obviously upset her parents weren't here too. I gave her a small hug and soft smile and we walked out.

-----------

We arrived at the school and walked into the gym. There were balloons everywhere the lights were dim and kids were dancing. MJ and I met up with Ned. I saw Liz walk in without Peter and I raised my eyebrow. I heard the doors open shortly after MJ and I made eye contact with his brown whiskey eyes. I felt like I was staring him for years until MJ pulled me away as Liz grabbed his hand. MJ grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a circle of basically the whole decathlon team dancing, but I still looked towards Peter who surprisingly still has his eyes on me. and I eventually I started to let go and dance to the beat. I felt good the music was upbeat and I was actually having a great time. I took a mental note that I owe MJ Starbucks for making me come to this. There were a couple songs and I dance one dance with Ned, and I even danced with Flash even though I hate him. There was only about 30 minutes left of the dance, and a boy named Isaac who I had couple classes with timidly walked up to me

“Y/N would you like to dance with me,” he asked shyly

“Of course” I replied grabbing his hand and pulling him to the center of the gym. I put my arms around his neck and he put his on my hips and we danced for 2 songs, but I could see and feel Peter's eyes on me but he was jealous. I knew he was because I've known him my whole life and I definitely know when that boy is jealous. He has Liz so why he so bothered by me dancing with someone else.

“You're distracted by something” he blurted out leaving me a little shocked.

“No, I'm just tired” I insisted

“Hey, look I'm pretty observant, but I'm pretty sure anyone could tell you like Peter Parker a lot more than a friend, and I'm 99.9% positive he feels the same way” He explained

“He is with Liz, he likes Liz, and I already told him how I felt”

“If you haven't noticed he's been staring at this whole dance right”

“So what that doesn't mean anything” I signed looking at my feet.

“Like I said I'm very observant, and the way Peter looks at you is different than he looks at anyone else even Liz” he argued, and I laughed

“You should ask MJ to dance, you guys are very similar” I sighed, still looking at my feet. Soon the song Waves by Dean Lewis came on.

“I'm about to be proven right,” he said triumphantly  

“Wait, what do yo-”

“You mind if I steal her for a dance” I looked to see Peter holding out his hand

“Absolutely” he replied winking at me. I mouthed “I hate you” and he put his hands up in defense walking away. Peter put his hands on my hips and I put mine on his shoulders. I couldn't face him, I had no idea why he was dancing with me, or how Liz allowed him to do it. I was staring at his tie.

“You look really beautiful tonight Y/N” he commented quietly. Seriously is this boy trying to lead me on? What the hell does he want from me? I pushed him away.

“What kind of game are you playing Parker because I'm seriously sick of th-” I was cut off by him slamming his lips into mine, making my eyes open wider than humanly possible. My arms were at my side clenched and my whole body went tense. To be honest I could not comprehend what was happening, but eventually, my body relaxed and I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him closer and savoring the way his soft lips felt on mine. We pulled away for air.

“Why did you do that” I whispered.

“Just because I was going to homecoming with didn't mean I didn't have the same feelings for you” He revealed bowing his head down. “I asked Liz to homecoming because I thought you didn't feel the same way, I was going to tell you after that night, but you never really gave me the chance”. I was speechless, honestly, I didn't know how to react to this, so I just hugged him engulfing his.

“I love you, Peter Parker”

“I love you too”

I guess this wicked game came out with both of us winning.

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