#wanting to stay close to each other for awhile longer

[myonmukyuu]

This probably was the most romantic part for me,,,,,

[zevrra]

𝐢. 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬

synop: you and vik get caught “messing around” in the lab by jayce; who surprisingly wants to join in on the fun.

wc: 1.8k

includes: straight smut, p w/o p, fem!reader, jayce x reader x viktor, slight vöyeurism, oral (m receiving), slight dirty talk, threesome, bottom!viktor

extra: part 2 is here! reblogs are appreciated <3

“don’t worry,” you whisper, fingers twirling along a red tie before smoothing down the front of viktor’s vest. “i sent jayce out on an errand run and he won’t be back for a little bit. just enjoy this v.” you add with a hum.

viktor looks up through his pretty lashes at you. he leans back against his desk, practically sits on top of it to keep weight off of his leg, as you two stand inside of the lab. he had been working far too hard recently and the only way you could keep him distracted long enough not to think about anything involving his work was to pleasure him. it was the same way trying to get him to sleep every once and awhile, when he would sneak into your room. you had never suggested doing it in the lab though…and the thought thrilled you just as much as it thrilled him; even if he thought it was a terrible idea.

“w-we shouldn’t. not here in the lab and what if—” viktor mumbles but his words end in a soft gasp as your fingers begin to untuck his shirt from his pants.

“viktor,” you chirp as you fall to your knees in front of him, unbuttoning the front of his pants and pulling them down ever so slightly. “you need to take a break. be a good boy and just relax.”

your fingers are just grabbing the hem of his underwear when the door to the lab is being thrown open and jayce’s large figure enters the room. “hey, i was looking for this thing you asked for but i—“ jayce had begun to speak, his eyes pointed down as he entered the room, before he finally looked up and caught the two of his friends in the act.

you freeze in your spot, eyes widening as you stare at jayce from the floor. a scarlet red blush is spreading across your face, you can feel the heat on your cheeks in an instant and you’re sure you match not only jayce’s shocked face but viktor’s as well; and you can’t even bring yourself to look up at him. you probably stay like that for a little longer than you should’ve until jayce clears his throat and you and viktor alike scramble from each other.

“we!” you start as you stand up straight and as quick as you possibly can. “wait it’s not what it looks like! we were uh just uhm—“ you ramble before looking at viktor to help dig both of you out of this hole. but he’s busied himself with trying to zip his pants back up, making it far more obvious if it hadn’t been already. you sigh, turning your face off to the side to stare at a small spot on the floor, unable to look jayce in the eye.

“do…you do this often?” jayce’s voice cuts through the built up silence in the room like a knife.

you shake your head quickly but viktor speaks up for you instead. “never in the lab.” he mutters.

“it’s unprofessional, we get it, let’s just drop it and forget this—“ you begin to add but the sound of the door closing with a lock interrupts your rambling. when you finally bring your gaze to jayce, his eyes are soft but clear in their intentions. and it was his turn to no longer be able to look at the two of you.

“can i…watch?” he whispers under his breath.

and with three little words, everything changes between all three of you.

now, jayce leans against the lab’s desk as viktor leans back against his chest. jay’s strong hands fully support viktor as you’ve returned to your spot in front of him. you had never in your life thought jayce might have been interested in whatever you and viktor had going on. maybe you just assumed he already had a lover and never brought it up again. but now his hazel eyes stare down at you, just as viktor’s amber eyes also watch you, both with a hunger to their eye. it almost made you nervous, being watched, but your fingers once again hook around viktor’s underwear and pull down, ignoring the jitters that hum under your skin.

your hand wraps around vik’s semi hard cock and you give it a soft tug, rubbing right up the shaft until the tip. there was a new feeling in the air around all 3 of you. breaths being held, eyes watching ever so closely, the slight tremble to your hand. it had been different when it was just the two of you enjoying midnight meetings but now with jayce there too…it felt far more scandalous and naughty.

“tell me what it feels like.” jayce whispers, purposely placing his chin into the crook of viktor’s neck, as his hands slowly run up along vik’s chest.

your own hand continues to move against viktor’s shaft, stroking him slowly up and down, moving to press your lips against his head.

“mmph, her fingers are a little cold,” viktor replies with a low groan. his chest rising and falling in quicker succession as he begins to get turned on. “but it feels good.” he adds. and his honesty makes you smile a little.

you move your hand faster in return to his praise. trailing your fingers along his head, pressing your thumb into the slit of his cöck, where he’s growing sensitive and causing him to gasp softly. you take the moment to lean forward and capture the head of his cock inside of your mouth. drinking in the sight of viktor’s eyes fluttering, his fingers tightening onto whatever he can grasp, as your mouth wraps around him.

“keep going viktor.” jayce instructs as you watch him place hot, heavy kisses against vik’s throat. one of his hands groping his thin chest and waist.

“w-warm! it’s so warm and wet,” vik breaks. he’s fully hard now as you suck on his head, making him whimper at the feeling. “feels—ah—really good.” he adds with a groan as his eyes return to watching you.

you can feel his thighs tighten as you swallow more of his cöck, continuing to use your hand to stroke up to your lips. you watch every expression that crosses viktor’s face along with jayce’s fingers that slowly begin to take off his vest. strips him of his vest and then works on unbuttoning his brown shirt underneath.

jayce keeps laying hot kisses along the back of his neck and on his throat, slumped over and threatening to swallow all of viktor’s thin frame.

the sight makes you somewhat giddy and excited to see what jayce does. but it never distracts you from making viktor feel good as well. sucking a little harder, spit bubbling up at the sides of your lips as you sink further down onto his lengthy shaft. your eyes are almost falling close to help you focus as you swallow more and more of him, but jayce’s voice catches your attention once again.

“she looks so pretty like that, doesn’t she, vik? makin’ you feel so good.” he whispers against just as pretty, pale skin. his words cause vik to stutter, hips lifting up and forcing you to swallow the rest of him. and you do so with ease.

you truly wouldn’t have guessed jayce was so good at dirty talk but you welcomed any surprises at this point. viktor simply whines in response, head hanging low, gaze still on you as you continue your routine of sucking him off.

jayce stands to his full height then, hanging over viktor just enough so he could turn his face and capture his lips. viktor’s eyes widen in response but he does nothing to stop jayce; no, instead he’s melting into the kiss. you watch with eager curiosity as their tongues clash together, jayce easily winning in the battle of dominance, as one big hand of his moves up to gently caress viktor’s throat.

fuck, was it hot watching them. you can feel your pussy throbbing at the sight just as you can feel yourself growing wet against your panties. you squeeze your thighs together, slipping a hand down below to press your fingers into your core. the best you can through the pants you wear for the moment but the pressure is enough to make you groan. you move your lips faster along viktor’s shaft, sucking harsher and sloppier to bring him closer to his end.

the change of pace and jayce’s tongue surely has viktor coming undone quicker than usual. for he breaks the kiss with a harsh whine. “i’m close!” vik gasps, tossing his head back onto jayce’s shoulder.

jayce presses a quick kiss against his jaw before his hazel eyes return to watch you suck viktor off. his eyes are hazy and full of lust as he fixes his intense stare on what you do; which makes you shiver with newfound pleasure under his sight. his strong gaze makes you press your fingers into your pussy once again, seeking any form of satisfaction you could get for the moment.

“look viktor,” jayce instructs as his hand smooths over viktor’s lower abdomen. “she’s touching herself.”

viktor’s breath hitches in his throat but he moves his own lust filled gaze down to stare at you. with both of them returning to stare at you, you palm yourself harder through your pants. moving your hips in sync to every bob of your head, needy and desperate as things evolve, all the while you moan around vik’s cock.

it’s all too much for viktor as his hips lift and he thrusts wildly into your mouth. “going to—!” he cries softly, body tightening, throwing his full weight back against jayce.

but jayce is quicker. one hand grabs your hair and pulls you off of vik’s twitching cock before he takes his hand and wraps it around where your mouth had just left. “stick out your tongue. i wanna see the mess he makes all over your face.” he grunts, pumping his fist quickly along vik’s entire shaft. his hand is much bigger than yours and it wraps entirely around viktor with ease, and it makes vik lose all control he might’ve pretended to have.

but you do as your told and swiftly stick your tongue out to catch whatever you can. all it takes is viktor staring at your tongue and jayce’s hand jerking him off to finish his orgasm. viktor forces himself to watch as he comes, fingers grasping and gripping onto anything he can that’s near him as he tumbles over the edge with a sharp cry.

your name, along with jayce’s name, leaves viktor’s lips in a pathetic whimper as he comes. can feel the sticky substance coat your tongue, cheek, and chin with each rope jayce rubs out of him. all the while viktor and jayce watch as he makes a mess across your lips and face, never once looking anywhere else.

not until vik is completely spent, limp against jayce who holds him up effortlessly. the only noise now in the room is the shared panting between all three of you. you lick your lips, trying to clean yourself up just a little, before it was your turn to break the silence.

“let’s keep going.”

[carmenberzattosgf]

cockwarming ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I am convinced Carmy’s favorite activity is cockwarming. He craves physical touch, as much of it as possible. Getting to be inside of you and cuddle at the same time? Yeah, Carmy’s sold.

The first time it happens is when you’re over at Carmy’s apartment on his day off. He had already cooked you dinner, and you’re now snuggled up beside him on the couch, watching a movie.

Carmy has been thinking about cockwarming with you for quite awhile, now. In all honesty, the thought has haunted him, but there was never a good time to bring it up. That is, until now.

“Hey, baby? Do you, uh—you wanna try something with me?”

“Sure, Carm. What is it?”

Carmy can’t look at you while he’s talking. He’s leaning his forehead against your temple, speaking in a whisper against your ear. “Want you to sit on my cock for the rest of the movie.”

“Oh. Y-yeah. Yeah— I can do that.” You try to keep your voice steady, but there’s no use. Carmy does this to you every time; one word from his lips could send you to your knees.

With your back to his chest, you sink down slowly onto Carmy’s cock. His sweatpants and boxers are only pulled down far enough for his cock to be exposed. Once you’ve settled down to the hilt, Carmy’s arms wrap around your midsection as he settles back into the couch.

You manage to stay still for a grand total of two minutes. You can’t help the way your hips grind onto his cock. Carmen’s fingertips dig into your hips within seconds, stopping you completely.

“Hey. No moving. Be a good girl, yeah? Stay still, and watch the movie.” Carmy’s not playing around. Even though you can’t see the look on his face, his voice is stern.

The minutes of the movie feel like hours. Carmen’s throbbing inside of you, and your breathing becomes more rapid by the minute.

“Just a little longer, then I’ll fuck you. Keep being a good girl for me,” he says, kissing the back of your head. “Already done so good. M’ proud of you, baby.”

Overtime, cockwarming becomes normal in your relationship with Carmy. It’s not always so sexually charged, though. Often times, Carmy just wants to feel close to you, and what’s a better way than to be inside of you?

This leads to lots and lots of cuddling with his dick in you. Sometimes it leads to sex, other times you spend hours in each others arms, savoring every moment together.

I also thing that Carmy would mess with the idea of you keeping his cock warm with your mouth while he does paperwork at the office. Just you, kneeling at his feet, drooling around his length with your head halfway resting on his thigh. Everyone once in awhile his hand trails down to lovingly pat on your head, and you just look up at him with the most cock drunk look in your eyes. Carmen’s convinced he’s died and gone to heaven.

[imfinereallyy]

Steve and Eddie don’t get together for awhile—in fact it takes them longer than most people expect. It’s not filled with miscommunication and longing though. Instead it’s a slow build to falling in love.

Steve and Eddie do grow close after the spring break from hell. In fact, they would come to consider each other best friends (second only to Robin, as under the friendship agreement she made Eddie sign). But they fall into an easy sort of friendship, finding more things in common than just the kids eventually. They share a love of weird, eclectic movies, cars, weird food recipes, and even books. They teach each other about the stuff neither one would ever dream to be interested in.

Eddie learns about sports intensely. To the point, he joins a softball league with Steve and Robin (she is only team manager, there to look at the pretty girls who signed up).

Steve learns all about music. To the point he wants to learn an instrument. He wants to learn guitar at first, wanting to share Eddie’s love for it but finds it’s not for him. Instead, he takes up the drums, much to Robins's reluctance.

It’s simple between them, despite their history (both upside down and non-upside down alike). It’s not something Steve has with anyone else, seeing as most of his friendships involve a complexity that he can’t even understand himself.

It goes on for years, supporting each other through nightmares, heartbreak, grief (Eddie), and a sexuality crisis (Steve). They get tattoos together, take odd classes at the rec center together, and eventually share an apartment together with Robin in Chicago.

Robin tries to convince Steve for years there is something between him and Eddie. But Steve denies it, and he really means it.

Eventually life changes, their friendship stays strong but things are bound to take new shape.

Steve moves out to live with his boyfriend of a year. Eddie helps him, even cooks dinner for the two of them in their new apartment. They’re all friends, they hangout all the time.

Months pass, things seem okay, fine. Then, a year and change passea. Things are a little sour. Steve and Eddie’s friendship stays strong, but Steve seems to have problems with his boyfriend. Eddie listens because he cares; he loves Steve, and Steve loves him. They’re best friends; they would do anything for each other.

Including telling your best friend that maybe this guy isn’t good for him.

Steve doesn’t react poorly, just small. He shrinks in on himself. Like he knows Eddie’s right but doesn’t want to agree. Instead, Steve smiles sadly and moves on.

But Eddie doesn’t hear from Steve for a month.

It drives him insane; they haven’t gone that long without talking since Eddie was in a temporary coma. He’s worried he might have cost himself a best friend. Robin had moved in with her girlfriend a month before his talk with Steve, so Eddie was left to his own devices in his new one-bedroom apartment. Spiraling about Steve.

Robin said he was fine, and Eddie should believe her but he can’t help but worry.

He almost cracked and went to Steve’s apartment, keys in his hands ready to storm the castle.

Except….

When Eddie throws his apartment door open, there’s Steve, hand raised, ready to knock.

He looks exhausted, with two bags under his eyes and one bag in his hand.

“Hi.” Is all he managed to croak out before falling into Eddie’s arms, which had been open and ready for the sweet boy.

After the crying had calmed down and they had moved to the couch, Steve explained everything.

How Eddie had been right, Steve and his boyfriend weren’t good for each other. How he had been isolated from everyone except Eddie and Robin. How the last month, the fighting had only escalated. How things had slipped from just arguments to unforgivable words and actions.

How Steve was worried that everyone would choose his boyfriend instead of him.

Eddie rushed to ease his worries and offered to beat the guy up. It made Steve laugh.

Steve tells him he doesn’t have anywhere to go, but he’ll get out of his hair. Maybe go to Robin’s.

Eddie insisted Steve stayed and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

That’s when things start to slowly change.

Steve promises to look for a new place right away, Eddie says it’s no rush.

The first night, Steve tries to sleep on the couch, but Eddie pushes him to the bedroom, insisting they can share. It’s not like they haven’t before; it’s nothing new.

Except it is.

Suddenly, the days pass, and Eddie can’t fall asleep unless Steve is beside him. And Steve can’t stay asleep if Eddie isn’t there.

It starts off on respectful sides, but pushes into tangled limbs in the middle of the night, to finally just snuggling into each other's arms even before they fall asleep.

Everything else is the same….yet somehow different.

It’s like every little thing they do together brings a new kind of joy. Even boring things like doing the dishes or laundry seem so much better with Steve around.

They start to know each other’s habits, even more so than before, with how little space there is now in the apartment. Steve knows the exact place where Eddie always forgets his keys and the way he stretches his spine when he’s tired versus the way he does when he’s bored.

They fall into a lovely pattern of warmth and a type of love they can’t quite place.

They both don’t talk about it, but Steve ponders on it often. Why it feels so different now? After all these years? It hits him one day that it isn’t because he loves Eddie any less or more than he did a few years ago. No, it’s because they both have grown, and changed from who they used to be.

And so has the love between them.

Steve and Eddie, at 19 and 20, could never have the love they have now for each other, for the type of people they were then. Their love was platonic, wholesome, and what they needed then. Steve could not love the kind of man Eddie was then, and vice versa.

Now though, grown and changed but somehow still the same, their love was something new and bright.

Steve only smiled at the realization, not in any rush to move forward. Just enjoying his time with his Eddie.

Eventually, though, Steve stops looking for a new place, and Eddie never asks him to leave. Everyone refers to the apartment as theirs and not just Eddie’s. Robin stops making sly comments and instead smiles happily, almost fondly, at them when they gravitate toward each other. Eddie asks for Steve’s advice on how to deal with the landlord. Steve opens the mail regardless of whose name is on the front. Months pass, and suddenly, Steve is turning 28, and Eddie has a cupcake with a singular candle on it.

“Make a wish, sweetheart.” Eddie says, the soft glow of the flame lighting up his face.

Steve smiles softly at him and leans in. It’s not a risk, in the end, to kiss Eddie. It should be nerve-wracking and scary to change their friendship. But it’s not—it’s easy.

Their lips are soft as they lightly kiss. Steve whispers against Eddie’s mouth, “Don’t want a wish. I have everything I need.”

Eddie huffs a laugh across Steve’s lips. He says nothing—he doesn’t need to. Instead, Eddie leans in again, capturing Steve’s mouth once more.

[jungwondazed]

18+ only. / camping tent sex with jungwon

it was much chillier at night, a gentle sprinkle hitting the plastic lining of your camp tent. a few days ago jungwon urged you to come along the camping trip with him and his other friends, telling you how much you needed a break from studying all the time. with much effort he convinced you to tag along, promising you how he would take care of you the entire time, despite your worries because you’ve never been camping before. 

the group was divided into six different tents in a small camping ground just nearby the forrest, you and jungwon were luckily able to get your own. the space was extremely tight, no extra room for anything but two bodies and a small side table for a lamp and belongings. 

the day was a very long one. you had no problem with nature, in the sense that flowers are pretty and sure maybe you’d dip your feet into a pond every once in awhile but in a boy’s world, camping was a whole different thing of it’s own. for the most part, you stayed by jungwon’s side to which he was kindly receptive about. he was extraordinarily cute out in the wild, with his gear and backpack, throwing his head back to laugh every time one of his friends cracked a joke. it was fun observing just how men acted around each other, something you couldn’t handle for any longer than a week even if you were paid to. but jungwon was having the time of his life, and you enjoyed just being there with him. however, you felt like you didn’t contribute much, feeling a bit like a burden as you didn’t do anything but stand beside him. was it also wrong of you to slightly miss him? sure he was next to you all day, but not being able to talk a lot even with his presence made it harder. 

with that last thought, the tiredness from the day finally took over and you were seconds away from sleep, before jungwon’s body scooted closer towards you. too exhausted to do anything about it, you kept your eyes closed and in response he pressed his body against yours, wrapping his arm around your waist in the sleeping bag you both shared. 

“mmm?” he breathes out. you can feel that small smile anywhere. “my baby’s asleep isn’t she?” 

you feel the tip of his nose rub your cheek, before his lips pressed gentle kisses on your chin. finally, some undivided attention from him. 

“you’re not upset are you baby? i noticed you were a bit quiet before settling in to sleep. i missed you so much too, you know.” his arm wrapped around your abdomen shifts so that his hand can touch you a bit more. his fingers ghost right under your sleep shirt, and you question if the chill you feel is from his touch or the sudden rush of wind on the outside. 

he makes his presence much more apparent when he brings one leg over you, almost on top of you at this point. jungwon’s kisses grow wet and intimate, the pecks are deep and sloppy, and you hear the tiniest bit of desperation behind them. 

“wanted you with me all day for a reason, ____. if you weren’t by my side i think i may have gone crazy.” 

his hands dip under your shirt entirely, the callouses on his hands from today’s activites are rough on your skin. he rubs you from the sides of your waist to your navel, and gently to the underside of your breast, hesitating a bit as his breathing speeds up. 

he pulls back from touching you there, before doing something that makes your breath hitch immediately. jungwon lifts himself to be completely crouched over you, both his hands pulling your shirt up to cover just your chest. you feel his face inches away from your abdomen by his breath on your skin, and he licks a stripe right at the midline. he kisses your entire stomach, moaning into it, whispering things you can’t quite make out. your stomach caves in at the sensitive sensation, and a whimper escapes your lips. you feel him chuckle right at your waist, satisfied that you’re giving him a reaction. he circles his tongue at the side of your stomach, sucking on the lower side of your rib cage, not caring how eager he really looks. he continues making out with your entire front side because not only did it make you feel good, but he missed you desperately too. 

your stomach was entirely wet, although you didn’t mind. a few seconds pass before you notice a pause in jungwon’s movements. you open your eyes a bit to see him lost in thought, calculation in his eyes as he glowers at the way your panties reveal a bit under your sleep pajamas. you look away, red in the face at the arousal in his stare. you’ll never get used to how much his demeanor changes when he’s turned on. 

his fingers creep at your sides, hooking themselves onto your pajamas and pulling them all the way down. you open your eyes, shaking your head at jungwon and trying to reach for them to dress yourself again. 

“there’s people around us,” you hush out in a single breath and he pushes you gently back down, giving you a serious look and you back down immediately.

despite the demeanor, his movements are gentle, slowly prying your legs apart as he lays himself between them. his face is directly in front of your cunt, and he snickers at the wet spot that formed on your panties. you’re mortified, to say the least, but jungwon looks up at you, the slightest smirk on his face that you would’ve missed if not for the small lamp.

he presses his fingers firmly on your damp panties and you bring your hand to your face to hold back a moan. he’s a bit cruel with his foreplay, not immediately going in stick his tongue in you, jungwon takes everything slowly because he likes making you gradually lose it. he rubs you right there, fingers circling you through that thin cloth, and you’re sure your slick is soaking every string of fabric. jungwon watches intensely at the way your legs are scrambling everywhere, stomach heaving in and out at the mere stimulation of his fingers. 

he inches his face closer to you, sticking out his tongue just slightly and pressing it firmly against that same wet spot. 

“wonnie, please no” you whine out and he fucks his tongue over your panties, lapping at your clit, and slowly losing your own mind. 

he pulls your shirt up to your mouth, signaling you to bite down on it, making you feel a bit pathetic and inferior. he enjoys that though, and he continues licking your pussy.

“you like this don’t you?” you feel his teeth grazing on your panties and your abdomen buckles immediately, a small fang hitting your clit and you swear if it wasn’t for the fabric you may have came all over him. he furthers it by slightly biting your clit ever so gently, it all makes you want to do nothing more but push his head deep inside you, needing his tongue in all your holes if this is the game he wants to play. 

“what if i stopped just like this? hmm? is this enough for you?” his face pulls away, halfway getting up before you pull at his arm to stay there. his bottom lip releases from the tugging of his teeth, his jaw dropping a bit at how eager you look. jungwon has a thing for making you beg, pushing you to ask him for what you need. he likes to see and hear your desires, especially if it makes you look the way you do now. 

you shake your head with tears forming in your eyes. he wouldn’t be as cruel as this would he? you want him on you again, you wanna feel all of him inside you, really. instead of lowering himself down to tease you there again, he creeps up at you, a dark sensation in his eyes as he’s beyond turned on. he eyes your body the whole way up, before he’s right in front of your face, leaning down to kiss you deep. you love when jungwon gets like this. he’s all about teasing you to get desperate but what about him? does he ever realize how needy he looks? with the way his tongue is deep inside your mouth, you’re at ease knowing he’ll always need it just as much as you do. 

“you heard everything i said earlier, didn’t you? i missed you baby.” you nod, bringing your two hands to cup his pretty face. you heard all of him. 

“i wanna give it all to you right now, but you have to be quiet okay? kiss me whenever you can’t take it.” and you almost fall apart at his demand, jungwon and his filthy ideas that force you to be silent and secretive. curse the way you both were in the middle of a public camping ground and not the comfort of your own home.

he gets up on his knees, pulling his bottoms and boxers off, and you whimper at how big he’s gotten. his cock hits his abdomen once he pulls it out, his tip glistening a bit with him pre-cum. it’s bulging and you wanna do nothing but suck on it, teasing him like he did to you earlier. he smirks once he realizes you staring, lowering down to kiss you once more before he pulls the front of the sleeping bag so that it drapes his broad shoulders, covering the both of you completely.  

you reach up to touch him through his shirt that he still kept on, wanting nothing more than to see him in his entirety. you grip at his shoulders, feeling how fit he’s always been. 

he pumps himself a few times, clear fluid leaking down on your stomach and you gasp at how he’s already making a mess, not even inside you yet. his eyes close and bites his lip at the feeling of him stroking himself, and a small bit of jealousy bubbles in your chest wishing he was getting off by using you. but god, you can’t deny how good he looks right now. stroking his dick above you like he was about to finish all over your stomach when in reality he hasn’t even begun to fuck you. 

you pull your panties down since he didn’t earlier, and he opens his eyes to lazily chuckle at you, making you blush. he kisses you on the lips again, his cock laying right on your stomach. you think you gushed a bit just at that feeling, your patience quickly thinning out.

with his mouth still pressed against yours, he lines his tip to run it up and down your clit. you moanly loudly and he bites down to gently shut you up. jungwon and his fucking teasing, you’re on a thin line, just a few more minutes and you don’t care what anyone sees or hears, you’ll climb on him immediately if you have to. 

his tip strokes your clit over and over, your hole clenching around nothing as he stimulates you this way. it fits so perfectly between your folds, and you force back a whine. jungwon’s not too quiet himself as you feel him pant against you, his tip as sensitive as ever. he presses the entire backside of his cock to stroke between your folds, still not entering your hole yet. he humps your pussy this way, and you wraps your arms around his neck to taste his lips again. 

he can barely kiss you back. always pushing you to the brink, never realizing how he can barely hold on too. 

“please, just please” you whimper out, begging for anything in you at this point. 

it’s minutes later before he finally reaches down to grab himself, lining to fit right into your hole. he groans immediately once his tip is inside, you moaning alongside him.

“fuck me already fucking please,” you’re desperate, too turned on to worry about anything. he brings his arms behind your head so that you rest on them, holding himself up with his forearms. 

“wrap your legs around me” he demands and you do just that, realizing what this angle does to you, but it excites you nonetheless. 

after a few more strokes with his tip he deepens himself, stretching you out further to which you can’t recall a time it ever feeling better than this. he’s big inside you, his thrusting steady. you kiss him as you can’t find a will in yourself to be quiet, hoping his lips can silence you as much as possible. 

jungwon finally bottoms out, so deep both of your chests touch each other for a minute as he rests there, letting himself twitch inside you. your walls warm the throbbing of his penis, which makes him struggle to immediately start thrusting. his moans are a bit whinier, still deep but there’s a soft desperation there that leads you to believe how much he needs it now. 

he finally pulls back and pounds hard inside you, your whole body shaking. usually, this would have made you cry out but jungwon taking his time to warm you up, he could do anything and you’d probably take it a bit too well. he fucks himself in and out, still cradling your head, kissing your forehead in adoration of his girl. he loves you so much, you feel it in the way he keeps his hold around you soft.

you like when jungwon fucks you at a pace that he maintains, laying there and letting himself thrust in and out for minutes so long, doing nothing but mewing and whining at how good it feels. tears brim your eyes as you feel yourself getting closer, while simultaneously hoping this never ends. 

“could fuck you all night,” 

you nod at his confession, genuinely believing him. you love how he never stops pumping in and out of you, his stamina so consistent there isn’t a doubt in your head that this could keep up for hours. 

you don’t realize how jungwon meant what he said in this situation, because throughout the night he brings you both right to the edge before pulling himself all the way out for a few seconds just to thrust inside you all over again. you ask him why he won’t let you cum over and over, promising that you can handle it instead of being edged this way. he whispers how he doesn’t believe you, that he’ll only allow that after he sees how well you behave when you do cum.

with the countless edging, it gets to the point where even jungwon doesn’t know when it’s time to cum, he edges until he absolutely can’t anymore. there’s been multiple instances where he’s so close his mind forgets the entire game he’s going at, speeding up because he’s so ready to spill himself in you. however, you can always tell when he’s given up on the edging, his breathing and whines gets very evident. he fucks fast, hitting a spot so good you couldn’t force him to edge you again even if you wanted that. you beg him for your release in the minutes of him finally giving in, and you could cry at the orgasm that builds up. 

“i love you so much, ____” he weakly moans, kissing you in the places he can as he’s far too gone to be precise. 

“i love you, wonnie, love you so much” you reach up at his face, feeling his warm skin. 

he looks down at the way he’s entering you, his final strokes sloppy as he cums deep inside you, the semen releasing as the base of his cock hits your clit. he groans so deep and he thrusts a few times more to which you cum right with him, moaning in his mouth and digging your heels deep in his lower back. you’re both completely on each other, holding each other so tight the only friction being him stroking in your walls. he continues moving in and out of you, dragging out your orgasm for as long as possible. it feels good beyond words, for a split second you think about whether you would wanna suggest a round two, but the thought goes away when he pulls himself out, his seed pouring out of you and the exhaustion hitting you once again. 

he lays on you for a minute before rolling right by your side, pulling your body against his and burying his face inside you inner neck. both of your eyes are closed, the after feeling of sex resonating between your bodies. 

was this something jungwon was thinking about doing to you all day? or did he only feel up for it once he saw how down you were? you recall back to the many times jungwon has comforted you this way, blushing at how good he always makes you feel. 

“feeling any better?” he starts, “i don’t like my girl going to sleep upset.” his lashes brush your skin as he lazily kisses your shoulder. his aftercare is always so sweet, reassuring you that he still loves and adores your body even after he had his way with it. jungwon keeps you close after sex, you used to think that this was to make you feel better but his care is so sincere you wouldn’t doubt if he did it for his own needs too. 

you smile, turning your head around to slightly look at him. he always looks his best after cumming. 

“i was never upset” 

[pyro-les]

To save a life - Rio Vidal X goddess of life reader

880 words - warnings: none

Based of this request

taglist: @thecavalrywife @hannah-0730 @believe-in-magic13 @jenniferjareauwife @wandasreallover @thesharkwhalewhoohooooo @acutenobody

Yin and yang, light and dark, life and death; they had many names but all of them lead to the same two people. Since the dawn of time they have had the two most important jobs, they brought life and death, maintaining the circle of life. They brought the beginning and end respectively, so similar yet so different, but as people have always said, opposites attract.

They understood each others jobs, respected their decisions and knew that the other would always be right in when they said it was someone's time. However there was one time they disagreed, both stood at the edge of a lake, watching from afar the cries of pain both emotional and physical of the witch known so famously as the witch killer. And that is why they recognised her, Rio and Y/N had been there everytime she took life, being drawn there as a part of their jobs.

But for once she was pleading for a life to be saved instead of taking one. The witch called out to anyone listening not to take him, that he hadn't even got a chance to live yet, it couldn't be his time already. And so they stood there, life and death both of their powers subconsciously fighting for control of the child. They had no choice in the matter, not usually anyway, the fates were not chosen by them, it was just nature. They could lend a hand in the process of their respective powers but ultimately it was not their choice and yet as she stood there watching the grieving mother Rio felt guilt.

"Please, don't take him. Please!" She continues to scream. Rio and Y/N started to walk closer, they wanted to help, they really did.

Looking up with tears still streaming down her face Agatha watched the duo walk closer. She hadn't seen them before but as they grew closer they became more clear and she started to realise who they were, she had heard legends of them. She didn't say much more, her eyes pleading enough, she just whispered a final weak "please".

With a breath Y/N finally spoke up "All I can offer is time.". Agatha looked at her with a small smile relief written all over her face while Rio looked at her with confusion and worry.

"Sweetheart, you know you're not allowed to. We can't break the rules." Rio spoke in a hushed tone, she seemed almost upset to say so.

At this Agatha started to worry again, she wasn't supposed to hear that but she did. "No, no, please! I'm begging please, let him live."

"She's been through enough." Y/N said to Rio, her voice was filled with pity. "It's the least we can do, the only thing we can do."

Rio sighed, she didn't want to break the rules, she didn't know what would happen if they did. But if her lover was going to break the rules than so would she, she would try and hold off her power for along as she could. She had to admit she didn't want to have to take the child, she was saving everyone pain this way, or atleast holding it off for awhile.

"Fine, I'll try to delay it as long as I can, but it won't be forever." She may have seemed disgruntled but she was glad she was helping, just apprehensive.

Y/N looked at her with a smile, she knew Rio would do it for her, just this once. "Thank you." She spoke quietly, mirroring Agathas much more loud, repetitive one.

They stayed there awhile longer, waiting for the child to be born, they had helped a bit already but they couldn't do much until they were here. They didn't have to wait long though, soon enough they watched as the witch held her child close, she was so so glad he was there, she couldn't let him go.

Y/N walked the few steps closer to the witch, an unspoken question in her eye as she slowly puts her hand out as Agatha nods gently. She slowly brings her hand to the baby's chest, closing her eyes as her hand begins to glow, a subtle pink hue bleeding into the child, the very essence of life seeping into his soul. She could feel his heart beat grow more and more steady, a stark contrast from the dull, slow pulse it had been mere moments ago. The small amount of her power left inside of him would protect him for a few years atleast, she could only do this once, she had already bent the rules enough. So she gave him as much as he could handle, as much time as she could.

She pulled her hand away after a few minutes knowing any more power would be too much for his tiny body. Y/N opened her eyes slowly and looked up to the witch, she looked much more calm now, relieved. "Thank you." She spoke gratefully, no amount of words could truly convey how grateful she was but they understood anyway.

Their job here was done, they had saved a life, one that was never supposed to exist in the first place. They had broken the rules but it was worth it.

[bkgml]

“i want you” part 2!!

part 1

katsuki wakes up late.

feeling his girl wrapped in his arms, he peels open his swollen eyes.

you’re still asleep, still peaceful. it’s as if you have no idea what happened the night before.

and he wants you to stay this peaceful. even if it’s just for awhile longer.

“hey man, you okay?” kirishima asks as katsuki exits his bedroom.

katsuki looks awful, and he knows it.

“memory’s back.” he mumbles, grabbing the coffee pot from kirishimas hand.

he feels a hand patting his back.

“howd she take it?”

katsuki answers with nothing but a sigh, heavy with sorrow.

“i’m sorry.” kirishima says.

“i don’t know what to do.” katsuki whispers.

he can feel tears in his eyes but he refuses to let them fall.

“go see her. enjoy the last moments you have with her.” kirishima responds.

katsuki nods slowly.

on shaky legs, he inches towards his bedroom.

he opens the door and you’re still sleeping soundly.

he inhales deeply before shutting the door and taking one last look at kirishima. kirishima sends an awkward wave and a smile his way while watching the door close.

katsuki turns to you and watches you stir slightly as he climbs into bed.

wrapping his warm arms around your waist and pulling the blanket higher on your bodies, kisses your face softly before finally taking a deep inhale of your hair and falling asleep.

“why is this happening? we love each other isn’t that enough for them?!” your voice, muffled and filled with anguish reaches katsuki’s ears behind the closed doors.

he frowns, burying himself deeper into the comfort of your scent on his sheets.

“i know. the commission does what they want though. they can’t have the number 2 heroes girl go missing, then no civilians will feel safe.” kirishima reasons.

“he keeps me safe! don’t they have any trust in him?! if they trust him enough to do his job then they can stay the fuck out of my business!” you yell and katsuki hears your voice break.

jumping out of bed and opening his door he sees you crying with your face in your hands and kirishima awkwardly standing to the side.

katsuki engulfs you in his arms and you fist his shirt.

“don’t cry, sweetness. they’re not worth it.” he says, rubbing your back.

“you’re worth it. we’re worth it katsuki, don’t you get that?” you look up at him with furrowed brows.

he threads his fingers through your hair and looks at you softly.

“of course i get that.” he says, kissing your forehead.

you tuck your face into his chest and sob quietly.

kirishima paces the room in distress.

“i don’t know what to do. i don’t know how to help you guys.”

you and katsuki look up from your spot on the couch, you in his lap and his arms caging you in.

katsuki hears a small whimper of defeat from beside him and he shushes you, pressing small kisses to your face.

you look to him, tears filling your eyes.

“are you going to kick me out?” you whisper, hand clutching his shirt.

“don’t worry about that right now. we’re going to fix this i promise.” he says, reaching his hand behind your head and pulling you closer to him.

the three of you spend the day inside, ordering food and discussing plans to propose a deal with the commission.

katsuki looks over at you, eyes drooping and your face resting in the palm of your hand.

he reaches for your thigh and you perk up a little, eyes meeting his.

“go take a nap, okay? i’ll be right here when you wake up.” he assures you.

you rest your head on his shoulder.

“you promise?” you ask meekly, hand reaching out for his.

he squeezes your hand and thigh in affirmation.

pressing his forehead to your temple, he nods against your head.

“go sleep.” he says softly.

“yeah yn, you deserve a good rest right now.” kiri chimes in with a smile.

you nod and hug katsuki before walking to his bedroom and sending a wave to the two of them.

the men continue talking and you fall asleep quickly in katsuki’s bed.

you open your eyes and look to the clock, 4:00am.

you smile as you feel katsuki’s arms tighten around your waist.

turning in his grip, you admire his peaceful face.

“i love you more than anything.” you whisper, pressing a kiss to his nose.

peeling your eyes open, you admire the chirps of birds outside katsuki’s open window.

6:30am.

you don’t feel katsuki beside you so you stretch a little before swinging your legs over the bed and walking towards the door.

as you open it, you hear the lack of chatter between the two men and see the empty apartment.

“…kats?” you call into the open air.

“katsuki??” you say walking into the empty kitchen and pacing.

“katsuki? kirishima?” you call more urgently, practically running into the living room.

“kats?!” you call, voice breaking.

you’re panting now, hyperventilating. he wouldn’t leave you like this. not this way.

“baby?? hey. i heard you calling for me.” katsuki says, jogging into his living room.

you whine, running to him.

“katsuki.” you whimper, jumping into his arms, limbs wrapped around him tightly.

“hey. hey. what’s wrong?” he soothes, eyes and hands running over your body to check if anything’s physically wrong.

“where were you?” you sputter.

“i thought you left me again. you promised you’d be at the table when i woke up.” you cry, pressing grateful kisses over his face between your words.

he walks you over to the couch, sitting with you in his lap.

“i’m sorry, sweetness. i had to pee. kirishima went to get us breakfast.” he says, running his hands over your arms.

“i thought-“ you hiccup.

“i thought you left me. i’m being so irrational.” you says through tears.

“i’m not leaving you. never again. i promise.” he says, his own eyes a little teary.

he kisses you sweetly until your tears stop.

“do you wanna take a shower before kirishima gets back?” he says softly against your lips.

you nod in reply and he takes you to the shower. where he shampoos your head for you and drags a loofa over your skin, pressing kisses over your skin in the process.

by the time the two of you are done, freshly cleaned and in new clothes. kirishima has breakfast laid out for the three of you.

“hey guys. let’s eat!” he says cheerily, sitting down and digging in.

the three of you eat together, finally laughing just like old times.

after you finished eating, you all joined together to wash, dry and put away the dishes, still laughing.

“should we watch tv?” kirishima asks and katsuki nods, the two of them starting to walk to the living room.

you stand still, confused.

“but what about making a plan for the commission?” you ask.

they turn back to look at you.

katsuki reaching his hand out and kirishima grinning.

“we made the plan before bed last night.” kirishima says, grin never faltering.

you hesitate, confused. but eventually take katsuki’s hand anyway. watching tv with them until sundown.

“you’re tired.” katsuki says, watching you stifle a yawn.

you shake your head in protest but lean forward to rest your head on his chest anyways.

you yawn again and he grins.

“sleepy girl.” he teases.

“no… no i’m not.” you mumble sleepily.

he pats your arms before standing, forcing your head to fall back onto the couch.

you groan, trying to get comfortable again.

“come on. kirishimas already asleep. let’s go sleep.” he says, soothing your protests and lifting you over his shoulder.

you look to your red headed friend and seeing that he is-in fact asleep.

katsuki pushes kirishimas head until his falls onto the other end of the couch, allowing him to lie down with only the slightest bit of uncomfortableness.

“night kiri.” you say slowly, tiredly. as you watch over him from your spot on katsuki’s shoulder.

“alright. there you go.” katsuki says, placing you down on his bed. the bed that’s been your home for the last three days.

“come.” you whine, making the slightest grabby hands at him.

he laughs, climbing into bed with you.

you shuffle close to him and wrap yourself completely around him. giving him no chance of escape. not that he wants to, he’s perfectly happy in the prison of your warm limbs.

“missed you.” you say quietly, tracing his face with your finger. as gently as you can, following the curve of his nose and lips, his cheekbones and brushing up his hair to see his cute forehead.

“missed your face.” you whisper, eyes meeting his.

he looks perfectly content.

“missed you too, sweets. you and your face.”

you hum, tucking your face into his neck to place warm kisses to his collarbones and allowing your hand to slip under his shirt to trace his chest and his abs.

“are you nervous about tomorrow..?” you ask, eyes refusing to meet his.

he brings his own hand up his sweater that you’re wearing to trace your spine slowly, the rhythm making your eyes flutter closed.

“no. me and kirishima made a great plan. it’s gonna work.” he says firmly, hoping to convince you.

you release a shaky breath. worry evident in your tone you ask,

“but what if it doesn’t?”

“hey guys! i didn’t hear you go to bed last night.” kirishima says, greeting the two of you with a fresh pot of coffee.

“yeah? that’s cause you were conked out before 8.” katsuki retorts and you giggle.

kirishima laughs too and pours three cups of coffee for the three of you to enjoy.

“alright guys. todays the day.” kirishima announces.

katsuki nods, taking a sip from his mug. and you tap your fingers on your own mug.

“so why don’t i know of this plan?” you ask, finger tracing the rim before you take a sip.

the two men look at each other.

“cause i like teasin you. making you nervous.” katsuki grins, mischievously.

you groan. glaring at him.

“it’s working a little too well. don’t i need to do anything to prepare? anything i can help with?” you say.

“you have to go back to your apartment and get dressed in clothes other than mine.” katsuki replies, pinching the baggy arm of his sweatshirt your body.

you laugh but a question plagues your mind.

“you aren’t gonna come with me..?” you ask.

he cups your face and you lean into his hand.

“the press would be broadcasting a sighting of the two of you before we’d get a chance to even talk to the commission.” kirishima answers, face apologetic.

you huff but you understand.

“you’re gonna meet us at the commissions office at noon, okay?” katsuki says as he bids you farewell at the door.

you nod. his arms are around your waist and you don’t want to leave them. you know it’s silly, but you just got him back. you don’t want to risk never getting held by him like this again.

“promise this plans going to work.” you say, holding out your pinky as a silent request.

he rolls his eyes before linking his pinky with yours.

“so childish.” he says.

you step onto your tippy toes and press your lips to his as a farewell.

you press all your emotions into him while your lips move together slowly.

“noon.” you confirm as you pull away.

he nods, releasing his arms from around you.

“bye kirishima.” you say, hugging him right.

“bye yn. see you there.” he replies.

you step out the door and begin your walk to your apartment.

*incoming call from ‘katsu’*

“hi, suki. i’m walking into my apartment building right now.” you said calmly.

“have you seen the news??” he asks, a little panicked.

your brows pull together in confusion, your step pattern faltering slightly.

“…no, why?”

your phone dings as a new message comes in.

10:14am

katsu: ARTICLE: pro hero dynamites ex girlfriend last seen wearing men’s clothing while exiting his apartment building. have the two come together once more?

“shit.” you say, palm coming to cover your mouth.

“what does this mean, will the commission still meet with us?” you ask nervously.

“i hope so. just focus on getting there, okay?” he replies and the two of you say your goodbyes and hang up.

standing outside the commissions office, you feel dread creeping up the back of your neck.

“we’re gonna be okay.” katsuki assures you.

“yeah yn, our plan is gonna work.” kiri chimes in.

the three of you walk into the building together and you grab katsuki’s hand.

as he looks at you, he feels the need to protect you and shield you from these people.

you feel his grip tighten on your hand and you smile up at him with an unsure look on your face.

“don’t show them you’re scared.” he whispers lowly to you.

you nod in reply and straighten your back a little more, lift your chin a little higher.

you all walk through the corridors and your head goes fuzzy, you know you see katsuki talking to the receptionist and you know you watch as the commission greets you all coldly but it’s like you’re not even there at all.

you stand in that office across from the conference table of people for hours as katsuki and kirishima argue with them.

finally, katsuki is fed up and slams his fist on the table, silencing everyone.

you come out of your trance then and hear the quiet murmurs of the commission and katsuki’s heavy breathing.

“if you people don’t get your shit together and stay the fuck out of my business. i’m quitting.”

you gasp, eyes flying towards him in protest but he puts his hand up to shush you.

you watch as the commission attempts to mask their shock and play it off.

“please. you wouldn’t quit. and besides, even if you did we still have plenty of hero’s. the world doesn’t need dynamite.” someone retorts.

you feel white hot anger bubbling up through your veins but katsuki and kirishima don’t seem fazed.

“then i’ll quit too.” kirishima says.

you hear noises from outside in the hallway before the door opens.

“and i’ll quit too.” mina says, stepping into the room.

“same here.” kaminari says.

“i will also quit.” todoroki nods.

suddenly you see around 20 hero’s walking through the door, all announcing they’re quitting.

finally, izuku, the number one hero steps into the room.

“and i’ll quit too.” he declares.

the whole conference table of commission members shift uncomfortably in their seats.

“WE DID IT!!” kirishima screams.

the whole sidewalk of pro hero’s erupt in cheers and hollers.

some hug you, others pat katsuki on the back.

you feel overjoyed and jump into katsuki’s arms, the two of you sharing a kiss.

“let’s go home.” katsuki says.

you nod quickly, dropping back onto the ground.

while you’re sitting in bed that night, there’s increased touches and sweet kisses shared between you.

“i love you more than anything.” you whisper while being held tight in his arms.

“not as much as i love you.” he grins, arms tightening around you and he kisses your temple.

“i guess we should thank that villain that took away your memory, huh?” you say giggling.

he rolls his eyes playfully before biting your nose.

“just go to bed.”

[f1amour]

heyyy! can i request “i’m scared of losing you” (from angst1) with oscar piastri?

❝ i’m scared of losing you ❞ — oscar piastri

pairing | oscar piastri x reader

content warnings | lots of miscommunication, angst, comfort, happy ending

★ JOIN MY SHORT N SWEET FRIENDSGIVING !

─────────────────────────

it had been a few months since you last attended a race due to your job obligations but in oscar’s eyes he only saw it as one thing; you’ve missed him winning a race, twice now.

in his eyes he thought you may no longer love him that he wasn’t worth enough for you. however, in your eyes you believed he no longer loved you especially due to his lack of presence in your life and never asking you to join him for a race weekend in months. both of you afraid to lose each other didn’t touch on the subject and living as if everything is okay.

until it wasn’t.

“i may not win another race this season but i would appreciate your support! you weren’t there for my two wins and i…i’m tired of this,” oscar argued back, you had both gone out to dinner in monaco after he returned from singapore. it started with a sweet conversation of what to do for the break to now bitter comments towards each other.

“tired of what? of me? i’m trying, oscar. i just started my third year of university and then work—.”

“work! it’s always work this work that. they always need you for something even though it’s not even in your title to do all that! you drop everything to be there for them but you can’t be there for me not even once…baby?” his mean words hit you immediately and you sit on the couch of your apartment hands covering your face as you sob uncontrollably.

“baby, yn…hey, hey breathe with me. it’s okay i’m here” oscar whispers on your ear, both arms cradling you now. was it okay? his approach may not have been the best but he wasn’t wrong. your job had been putting too much on your plate when you were meant to just be an underpaid intern who was doing multiple jobs that were not your responsibility.

“but you aren’t here, osc. i…i know that your career is demanding but you didn’t take a second to look back and realize i ease being left behind. i feel guilty i wasn’t there for your two wins especially your first. i begged my job to let me just visit you for a day to celebrate but they made me stay. it wasn’t even my day to work and i still stayed. i chose a job that doesn’t value me over you…you do care about me maybe not right now—.”

“i’m gonna stop you right there. i’m an idiot who didn’t bother asking how you’ve been recently and expecting you to support me more when i didn’t see what you’d been going through. i’m so sorry,” he whispers, his forehead pressed against yours kissing your tears away.

you whisper out five words you’d been feeling for awhile now, “i’m scared of losing you,” closing your eyes ready for oscar to say you’ve already lost him, “i’m scared too.” his voice matches your vulnerability.

opening your eyes looking at him in shock, “you are?” you felt like you were both taking a big step in admitting this. maybe, just maybe this would help in repairing your relationship.

“i am. i think we’ve been selfish towards each other but we also haven’t communicated right. i should have asked you more about how the job was treating you-,”

“i should have asked you how the team had been treating you.” you counter back and he chuckles.

“i know you want to be independent when it comes to your career. but i think you should quit that job and focus on school only. i know you don’t want me to take care of you financially but just let me do that for now until you graduate and find a job that will value the skills you have. i can’t lose us. i can’t lose you, yn. i love you.” his words filled with nothing but love, oscar meant well and for once you decide to take him up on the offer he’d been giving you since you started dating two years ago.

“okay.” a simple word replacing your frown into a smile on each others faces. there was work to do on your communication with each other but for now you both got to breathe a sigh of relief after facing a fear that would no longer happen.

[1chaerry]

Atp I need ANYTHING with Laxus. I feel like I’m in love with him. His tattoos are so cool. Idk if you read the 100 year quest show yet, so maybe smth with him after the new members joined? If you didn’t maybe smth at the tourment? I’m happy with everything

The way I am in love with this man as well, I get you. He looks so fine and in the new season he looks scrumptious. So, I want to understand the 100 Year Quest a bit more before I write about it. I guess, I'll write a part 2 of this.

Lightning Sparks and Dew Light

summary: ever since you joined Fairy Tail, you've had a strange relationship with Laxus, at first you were best friends but then, things changed and somewhere along the line of growing up, everything waa gone.

c.w. : angst, fluff, GMG, best friends to enemies to rivals to lovers trope, hurt feelings, confessions, slight banter

w.c. 2.2k

Reader is called "Saram" meaning "Human/Person"

"Wendy, have you seen my jacket?" Saram asked as she looked around Fairy Tail Team A's room. Despite not being a member of the GMG teams, Saram had roomed with them - it was the insistence of Lucy and Wendy - and had been staying there throughout the event. Currently, she was looking for her jacket as they were all going to head out to the arena for the D-3 of the games.

"I'm not sure, maybe you left it in Team B's room?" Wendy suggested as she sat on the carpet in front of the bed, Carla helping the girl tie her hair up. Saram pondered over her words for a moment, she remembered going to Team B's room with Mira, Juvia and Cana last night after dinner to drop the girls there. She had stayed in the room for awhile longer with them, talking and laughing - Gajeel and Laxus were not supposed to return until later so she made herself comfortable - and perhaps, somewhere between her stay there she must've taken off her jacket.

"I think you're right, you guys go ahead, I'll join you all at the Arena later." Saram smiled and left, hearing Erza kick awake Natsu and Gray behind her as she closed the door, and walked towards Fairy Tail B's room. The rooms were on completely different floors so it took her a bit time to get there but eventually Saram found herself standing in front of their room.

Two knocks later, Cana opened the door, a grin blooming on the brunette's face upon seeing Saram. Immediately, the card user enveloped the girl in a hug.

"Saram!"

"Cana, we just saw each other last night." Saram pats the girls head, ruffling her hair, Cana grumbled about messing up her hair, her hands coming up to fix her hair. Saram was pretty close with Cana - well she was close with everyone. except the one person - and so she knew that Cana was just kidding when she was grumbling.

"Did you need something?" Cana asked, hands on her hips. Saram nods, "I think I left my jacket here last night."

Cana hums, thinking, "Well, I was heading out, Mira and Juvia are waiting downstairs, you can go in and check. Do you want me to wait?"

Saram shook her head, "It's fine, you go on ahead, I'll close the door behind me when I leave."

Cana nods and walks out as Saram walks in. She doesn't notice Cana stopping to say something as the door closed behind. Nor does she notice the shoes that were still by the doors of the room as she walked into the room in search of her jacket. Cana shrugged in the hallway and walked away, thinking that Saram heard her words.

The woman looks through the room, not noticing the large jacket - not her own - in a corner on a single sofa. Her bare feet brushed against the carpets as she walked over to where she sat with Mira, Cana and Juvia the night before - she knew it was Mira's bed because Juvia had pointed out the picture of the Strauss siblings beside the pillow last night - talking and spending time.

"Ah, there it is." She found her jacket neatly folded on the low, small chair that was beside Mira's bed. She bent down slightly and reached her hand towards the jacket –

— when the bathroom door swung open

"Where's Saram?" MiraJane asked as she sipped the coffee.

"Oh, Saram is in our room, she left her jacket there, said she'll join us once she finds." Cana shrugged as she chugged her beer.

"Where's the lightning bastard?" Gajeel chewed on a piece of iron.

"Ah, Laxus-san was taking a bath, he said that he will meet us later." Juvia said as she bit down on the piece of cake.

MiraJane and Cana paused, before they glanced at each other.

"Should we do something?" Cana asked.

"Let them fight, rather than Saram ignoring him constantly, that's better." MiraJane chuckles and the others shivered.

Saram froze like a deer caught in headlights - her entire figure stilled, eyes slightly widening - as the door opened and her eyes met those of Laxus'. Steam drifting pass the bathroom door as he closed it behind him – his eyes steadfast upon her, gaze heavy – his own silhouette was frozen. They stood in silence – Saram wondered what was more hurtful, the silence or the fact that she no longer held anything to tell him – eyes on each other.

As if regaining her senses, Saram swallowed her feelings and walked towards the door, silently and Laxus watched her – considering that the bathroom had to be crossed to reach the door – as she walked closer towards him. His heavy gaze, it used to be soft and gentle once, felt like a weight upon her frame. And just as she was about to cross him, he moved. His large frame blocked her passage, she cursed how tall and bigger he was than her that he so easily blocked the path, her eyes immense darted up to meet his eyes.

"Move." She said in low voice.

"Saram, talk to me."

"Move." She emphasized.

"How long will you not talk to me?" Laxus spoke, his voice firm and tense - holding a sense of wear - but Saram didn't care. She wanted to leave. She would have used her magic but considering that he was on the B Team, she didn't want him to use his magic or injure – she isn't doing this because of him, he can go to hell – and if Fairy Tail lost because of that, she would not be able to forgive herself.

"Dreyar, get out of my way."

Laxus felt a crawl in his skin at the name. He despised it. Hated the way she called him.

"Saram, I know I have done a lot of wrong things in my life and I haven't even repented half of it yet but I really am sorry. The guild, Gramps – I will apologise for as many times needed, but, you have to talk to me." His voice was almost pleading – a stark contrast from the strong and firm Laxus – and Saram hated the way her heart faltered at the tone.

"I have nothing to say to you." Her voice was cold and unrelenting.

"Then tell me. Tell me how I can ask for forgiveness. How I can make it up to you, even a little, for everything I have done? Yell at me, fight me, curse me out – but please, talk to me, Saram."

Saram clenched her jaw and proceeded to push pass him but he grabbed onto her wrist causing her to stop. If she felt goosebumps from his touch, she doesn't acknowledge it - the way his touch was firm yet gentle – and keeps her eyes down.

"Saram–"

"You were my first friend in this guild. The first person I went on a mission with." At her sudden words, his own gaze fell upon her figure, "You were my best friend. And then you changed completely. You became colder, more violent, uncaring. Until you eventually began considering everyone beneath you when you became a S-Class Wizard."

She looked up at him, "Even that, I could have forgiven. I was willing to forgive everything. Just so I could have my best friend back. And then, you started the Battle of Fairy Tail."

Laxus' mind goes back to the events of the Harvest Festival. He, to this day, regretted that day. The day he ruined everything, ruined every bond he had and yet he was welcomed back into the guild.

Saram was confused when she was suddenly not in the guild – Cardia Cathedral was recognizable immediately to her – and found herself facing Laxus. Her lips pressed into a line as she instinctively took a step back, goosebumps on her skin.

"Laxus?"

"Saram, so nice of you join me." He mocked as he sat there.

"What's the meaning of this? Stop this mess, Laxus, you can still fix this." Saram tried to reason but flinched when lightning struck right on her side.

"Fix what? This is the redemption of Fairy Tail, Saram!" Laxus laughed as he stood up, walking closer to her.

"Why don't we also fight and see who is stronger?" He sneered. Saram dodged to the side as lightning strike where she once stood. She shook her head at Laxus, a look of desperation in her eyes, "I don't want to fight you, Laxus. There has to be a more reasonable method to talk."

"I do. I've been itching to fight you!" He laughed and sent lightning towards, Saram's eyes widened as she put her arms in front of her in fear.

"Laxus!"

"I was wrong, back then, I was an idiot. I hurt Gramps, the guild members," He clenched this jaw as he stared into Sarah's eyes, "I hurt you."

"You forced me to fight you." Saram glared, "You used your damn lightning to teleport me to you just so you could fight me." She yanked her wrist out of his grip as she took a step closer to him.

"And I regret every bit of it."

"You hurt me, you didn't hesitate one bit."

Laxus clenched his fists as he couldn't move his gaze away from Saram, "How can I make it up to you, Saram?"

"I don't know, can you? I have too much anger, hurt, pain in my heart to forgive you like the others have." She truthfully concised.

"Then," This time his gesture was soft as he placed his hand on her head, her body voluntarily looking up at him, "Can I hope that there is a chance of forgiveness as well?"

She paused, there was a moment of silence before she scratched her cheek, "......I won't say for sure but I'll think about it..."

Laxus' lips twitched into a small smile, barely visible as he nods, "That's enough for me now."

"I didn't forgive you."

At her rebuttal, Laxus could not help the grin that came to his face, "I know."

"Don't smile."

"I'm not."

Saram didn't know how it happened. One moment she was beside Asuka in the Fairy Tail cheer area and the next she found herself kicked harshly in the stomach, depriving her of air. She couldn't even decipher what was happening, mind disoriented, as she found herself held up in the air by red locks of hair on her hands and legs. Gaining her steadiness, she found her eyes meeting those of Laxus'.

His eyes were furious and wide in rage. Bolts of lightning sparked around him as his eyes were dark.

"Let go of her." He glared.

"Lax- mmph!" Saram struggled as Flare wrapped hair around her mouth, muffling her words. A muffled scream left Saram as she felt her skin burn where Flare's hair was holding her, her body convulsing inwards.

"What a pretty girl." Flare gave a cold smile as she tightened the grip.

Laxus felt his blood boil as he watched Saram struggle. Ivan laughed and when a muffled shrill scream left Saram as magic hit her, hot and head on, Laxus felt his restraint snap.

Saram was barely awake, she couldn't use her magic. Something was stopping her from using it. Her body felt drained and she felt like ants were crawling up her skin as her body convulsed in pain. She was barely aware of Laxus fighting Raven Tail as she fought to keep her consciousness. Her ears were ringing, her vision felt tunnel-like.

What she did register, was that someone held her limp body in strong arms, her head against their chest as they held her close to them. She knew that scent. The scent that she was aware of her entire teenage years and adulthood. And as her eyes closed, she found herself clutching onto that person for dear life.

Laxus clenched his jaw as he held her, running to the infirmary with her body, ignoring the yells and shouts of shock and surprise when the true arena was revealed. He found Wendy ready to heal Saram as he laid her onto the infirmary bed. He didn't leave. Laxus stayed by her side, eyes trained upon her, watching how she breathes slowly, the slight stirring and the way her face frowns at times.

And when she gained consciousness, Laxus practically engulfed her as he hugged her, his large stature easily dwarfing her own. Saram stayed quiet but he felt her hands grasp onto his turtleneck as he felt his shirt dampen. He placed a hand over her hair, a softness that he never he could relay came through as he held her.

"Sorry, I dragged you into something against your wish again."

"Shut up."

"I'm quiet."

"Stop smiling."

"I'm not."

"You are." She leaned back and looked up at him, face scrunched into a frown yet it didn't hide her tear streaks. Laxus smiled, it was more of a smirk, as he cupped her face with his large, calloused, rough hands.

"I'm not."

"You drag me into weird situations."

"Sorry."

"Shut up."

"Sorry."

"Laxus!"

She hits his chest in annoyance as Laxus chuckled, deep and rich, it didn't hurt him, but he knew that he deserved at least this much.

"Sorry, Saram." He sighed, leaning his forehead against her own, his eyes closed. Saram grumbled but the way her hands clenched onto his turtleneck betrayed her words. The way she didn't push him away or yell, contradicted everything she knew of her own feelings.

"You're forgiven this time."

"About the harve-"

"Don't push it."

"Sorry."

[heavyhitterheaux]

Best Friend's Boyfriend (NSFW)

Synopsis: You and Jack run in the same circle of friends, and you both have feelings for each other but are scared to admit them. Your best friend knows how much you like him and swears that he doesn't like you back. Instead of helping you to ask Jack out on a date, she starts to date him all in a plan to make you jealous. But you get the last laugh in the end.

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Best Friend!Reader

Requested by: an amazing anon 💕

Do not engage if you are underage

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

A sigh escaped your lips as you took another swig of your drink and looked over to your left and rolled your eyes.

She was all over him.

Again.

Her being your “friend” Skylar.

Him being one of your close friends, Jack.

You and Jack had been friends since you met in middle school at the age of eleven and you didn't meet Skylar until you moved to Atlanta with Jack.

Your entire group of friends decided to spend a week in Denver staying at an expensive top of the line cabin since it had been awhile since you all had seen one another.

Well since they had seen you.

In the back of your mind, you were debating on if you were going to leave and cut your trip short because you weren't quite sure how much more you could take.

Recently, you and Skylar had spent some time together when you confessed to her in confidence that you saw Jack more than a friend, but you weren't quite sure if he felt the same way towards you.

So what did she do?

Go out on a date with him despite your feelings and they had been together for the past two months.

After that occurred, you distanced yourself from the both of them and when Jack would try to invite you somewhere, you steadily declined. He had been missing you and was very excited when you said yes when he asked you to come to Denver.

However, the only reason that you agreed was because you had been told Skylar would not be in attendance. So when you arrived, you immediately wanted to walk back out the door and go home.

Even though she was all over him, Jack looked uninterested, but your thoughts were interrupted by Urban coming to sit next to you. Besides Skylar, he was the only one who knew how you felt about Jack.

Urban had told you time and time again to tell him, but being as shy as you were, you decided against it.

“You okay? If I would’ve known…”

“It's fine, Urby. Don't worry about it. Just have to make the best of it I guess.” You replied while shrugging.

“If it makes you feel any better, Jack is not as interested in her as she thinks he is. Probably won't last too much longer.”

“But it’s the fact that she calls herself my friend and then goes behind my back and….”

Urban immediately cut you off.

“She's not your friend. Friends don't do what she did.”

“I have a feeling that she used me to get to him. Urban, you know I’m quiet and wouldn't harm a fly. She took advantage of that.” You confessed as you poured yourself another glass of some wine that Jack had bought for you since he knew red was your favorite. It was a new brand that you had never tried before.

“I know, but karma's a bitch. She’ll get hers.”

“And it seems as if she doesn't care. She acts like nothing happened between us. How? How can she do that? I told her how I felt and…”

“Tell him how you feel. That's who matters in all this anyway.” Your eyes went wide at Urban's suggestion and you quickly shook your head no.

“I guarantee you that it will go better than you think. He really misses you.”

Before you could have a chance to respond, Jack made his way over to the both of you and picked you up and brought you into a hug.

Urban simply smirked as he looked behind you and Jack to see Skylar rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her.

The one thing that Urban didn't tell you was the fact that Jack liked you as well. Jack thought the feelings weren't reciprocated and when Skylar approached him to ask him out on a date, he figured why not?

Even though he had been around her for a few years because of you two being friends, he didn't notice that something was off until he had spent more time with her when it was just the two of them. He often talked about you, but all Skylar would do is talk down about you and that was one thing he put a stop to immediately.

He didn't know why he kept her around for so long, but quickly made a decision that when this trip was over, he was done with her. He had a feeling that was why you would decline when he asked you to hang out with him. He also noticed how the two of you seemed to have drifted apart within the last year, and not just recently.

However, Urban didn't like her from the moment you introduced her to them.

“I missed you.” Jack said as he whispered in your ear before hugging you tighter and you immediately melted into his arms.

“I missed you too, bubs.”

“I have you for an entire week and I'm definitely taking advantage of it. Did you like the wine I got for you? I know red is your favorite and my mom said that you might like it.”

“It's really good and I'm definitely getting a few bottles when we get back home. Thanks for thinking of me.”

“Always.” Jack said as his hands rested on your waist and he quickly reached up and poked your nose making you laugh.

A minute later Sunni and Cope came through the front door with bags of food since no one had wanted to cook when you all had gotten there and set them on the counter in the kitchen. All of you decided to simply relax the first night and then do different things around Denver for the remainder of the time that you were there.

“Finally! I'm starving!” Exclaimed Urban who was hot on their trail.

You and Jack laughed and it looked like he wanted to tell you something before Skylar had called his name.

One thing you did notice was him sighing when she did it, wondering what that was about.

“Babe! Can you fix my plate and bring it to me!?”

“Sure.” Jack said quietly, but he still had his eyes on you.

“We’ll continue this later.” He said as he leaned down to whisper it and you immediately nodded.

—

“What movie are we watching?” You asked as everyone had gotten their food and made their way back into the living room.

“Y/N! Come and sit by me.” Skylar piped up and said and you looked at her confused. Jack was hoping that you would say yes while Urban stifled a laugh once he saw the look on your face.

“Sorry, Urban already asked me.” You answered without missing a beat and going to sit next to him.

“The Nun!” Cope suggested and you knew for a fact that you would probably have to sleep in Urban's room if everyone agreed on that.

“I’m not watching any scary shit. Next.” Sunni said and Cope rolled his eyes.

“Bad Boys 3! The next one is coming out in a few months.” Jack said as he was scrolling through his phone.

“I still can't believe he slapped Chris Rock.”

“I don't see how anyone finds him funny anyway.” You said remembering all the movies that you had seen him in.

You had fallen asleep during every single one.

“I second that. When it first happened, I thought it was a joke.”

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

Jack glanced over at Skylar who was now downing another wine cooler and he noticed that she hadn't stopped drinking since they had gotten there earlier in the day.

“Uhh Skylar, do you want me to get you some water?” He asked concerned and she quickly turned up her nose at him.

“For what? If I wanted it, I would have gotten it.”

“I was just asking.” Jack replied as he held his hands up in defense and you quickly rolled your eyes.

One thing Skylar could not do was hold her liquor. It would go one of two ways, her crying and throwing up, or her being knocked out for hours. You were hoping it was the latter so you would be able to have Jack to yourself for a while.

—

The movie had finally ended and Skylar having gotten drunk off her ass was now passed out on the couch which you weren't surprised by. However, you were caught off guard when Jack asked you to help take her upstairs.

“Um, sure.”

You weren't quite sure exactly what you were helping with since Jack could easily carry her but said yes anyway.

He told you to go first up the steps as he slung Skylar easily over his shoulder. You couldn't wait to go to sleep yourself in the hopes of tomorrow being a better day for you.

All Jack did was lay her on the bed and once you turned around to leave, he caught your hand.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah? What's wrong?” You asked after growing suddenly concerned.

Jack held your hand for a few minutes before opening his mouth and responding to you.

“I… should have never said yes to going on a date with her when I knew that you were the person that I wanted. I didn't know if you felt the same way so the easiest thing to do was to distract myself.”

Your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest before it suddenly felt as if it had dropped down to your stomach.

“It wasn't supposed to be like this and I quickly learned that she only wants me because of what my name is attached to. I don't like her as a person at all. Now I see what Urb was talking about.”

“Jack….”

“Let me finish. You know she's a heavy sleeper and the last thing she is about to do is wake up. I've liked you since I met you but was entirely too scared to say anything.”

“I… I told Skylar how I felt about you and instead of helping me figure out a way to approach you about it, she goes and asks you out for herself. She continues to act like nothing happened as if we're still close but that was…. Friends don't do what she did.”

You felt as if a weight had been lifted off your chest once everything was finally out in the open.

“So that's why you've been avoiding me for two months?” Jack asked as he pinched your cheek.

“I didn't want to, but I felt as if distance was best.”

You said as you shrugged.

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Never do that again.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

You turned to walk away once more when Jack had suddenly stopped you and captured you in a kiss catching you off guard. You eagerly kissed him back and the two of you were in a full blown makeout session when Jack's hand snuck under your shirt. He smiled when he came to the realization that you weren't wearing a bra.

“I need this off of you.” He said as he massaged your left breast and kissed down your neck.

“But… she's right there.”

“So, what's your point babe? I know you want this just as much as I do. But just say the word if you want me to stop.”

Jack was met with silence and he easily got your shirt off in one swift movement as he laughed and kissed the shell of your ear.

“I didn't think so.”

Jack's hand quickly reached into your shorts and began to rub small circles along your clit and he simply smirked noticing how wet you were.

“Mmm, all of that for me, huh?” He asked as he moved his fingers up to his mouth to taste you.

All you could do was eagerly nod as he cupped your face to kiss you once more.

“You taste so good, but I want more. I need you to do something for me, pretty girl.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go and lay on the bed.”

“I..”

“Keep quiet and don't make a sound because I’ll stop. Lay on the bed and I'm going to fuck you right next to her.”

Your adrenaline was pumping at the thought of getting caught, but the last thing you were going to tell Jack was no. Slipping off your shorts, you did as you were told as you noticed Skylar had rolled to the other side of the bed and let out a loud snore as Jack quickly undressed and began stroking himself while peering down at you making your mouth water.

Jack then climbed on top of you leaving a trail of kisses down your body until he got to your most prized possession and spread your legs apart and he took one long lick making you gasp.

“Shh, stay quiet for me. Look how pretty this pussy is.”

Your hand instantly went over your mouth in an attempt to keep quiet as Jack pleasured you. He then inserted two of his fingers as he sucked on your clit. A moan escaped your mouth for a quick second, but you quickly recovered in the hopes of not waking Skylar up.

“You taste so good, baby. I can't wait until you cum all over my face.”

Not trusting your voice because you knew the second your mouth opened that a moan would escape, you eagerly nodded your head as you started to roll your nipples in between your fingers as Jack continued to give you his undivided attention.

You didn't know how much time had passed, but Jack had made you release all over his face multiple times before you slowly felt him slide into you. The sensation made you gasp and he quickly kissed you to make sure you stayed quiet.

Your arms instantly went around his neck as he began to increase his pace. Jack had taken one of your nipples in his mouth when you felt Skylar move. You know Jack felt it too, but all he did was bite down which he knew was going to lead to you squirming. Once he lifted his head back up, he smirked at you before continuing to pound into you.

“You’re taking me so well, pretty girl.”

“Jack…” That was the first time you had moaned his name all night which quickly gave him an ego boost as it escaped from your lips.

“I’m…..”

“Close? Me too. Come on then, baby. Cum for me, cum all over this dick that's rightfully yours.”

That was all it took as you reached your peak with Jack then releasing all over your chest and stomach.

All that could be heard was heavy breathing as both of you were trying to catch your breath. Jack was still hovering over you and leaned down to kiss you as his fingers started to slowly rub small circles along your clit once more. He quickly heard your whimpers and smirked.

“Hmm, didn't take you for a girl who would fuck her best friend's boyfriend.”

“All she did was keep my spot warm until I could rightfully take my place. Now it's my turn. Lay down and let me ride you.” You said as you leaned up to kiss him.

[straylightdream]

five long years

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭: bang chan x f.reader

↳ One bad fight leads to you breaking up. What happens when you can't stay away from the one person you truly love.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.2k

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: drinking, breaking up, angst, lots of crying and emotions, Chan is quite jealous in this. mention of a parent passing away before the story. Smut warning below the cut.

𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: unprotected sex, creapie, kind of rougher sex, lots of break up sex.

Breaking up is never easy and you’re both aware of that. The problem with breaking up with someone you’re still madly in love with that you can’t seem to stay away from. Bang Chan the man who owns your heart and soul even though you know you believe you’re not meant to be together.

Five long years spent together. You saw each other through your highest highs. You celebrate job promotions and successes you’ve achieved together.Then there were the low moments. He held your hand through losing a parent, and held you through the countless nights you cried yourself to sleep. Laying in bed the day after finding out you lost your mother he held you close kissing away your tears, whispering over and over he loved you and would be there to hold you forever. You thought then at that moment that you would be with Chan for the rest of your life. To this day you still want to believe you stay together.

No matter how perfect it may have seemed, you fought. The fights started out as little arguments here and there but that changed. You started to fight too much, and it was draining. Chan was known for being stubborn, and the longer you were with him the more you fought for what you wanted. You didn’t lay down and just listened to him, but you were stubborn as well. What used to be little arguments here and there turned into screaming matches that ended with tears, and Chan storming out of your shared home. Many nights you would make up and promise to never fight again, but some fights were bigger than others. 

The last blow that ended your relationship four months ago was an ugly fight. Chan’s jealousy reared its ugly head, worse than it ever had before. He never was a fan of your friendship with Hyunjin. Hyunjin and you became friends in college and he was even a part of your friend group you shared with your fiancé. It took Chan awhile to warm up with Hyunjin once you started dating, but even once he warmed up to him you knew he never fully trusted him even though you never once had feelings for Hyunjin.

Chan and you got into a screaming match outside the bar where you were out celebrating Jisung’s birthday. According to your boyfriend Hyunjin shouldn’t have felt comfortable enough to rest his hand on your lower back as you were talking. You knew that the alcohol you had both been drinking wasn’t helping the situation at all. Emotions were high as your screaming match unfolded outside the club on a chilly fall night. With tears streaming down your face you called off your relationship and handed him back your engagement ring. You’ve never in your five years together had you seen Chan’s face change so quickly. The look of anger and jealousy, changed within a second to guilt. His dark eyes were brimming with tears as he stared at you completely shocked. Turning on your heels you quickly started to walk away. You pushed your way back into the bar with the attempts to get your purse so you could go back home. You couldn’t stand the thought of being stuck in this bar any longer. You just wanted to go home and cry yourself to sleep.

Grabbing your purse with tears streaming down your cheek, you said your goodbyes while brushing off everyone’s concerns. Stepping back outside before you could grab a cab, Chan grabbed your hand. He looked like a complete mess with his own cheeks stained with salty tears. “Don’t walk away,” he pleads. He sounds as if he’s barely holding himself together.

“We’re done, I can’t do this anymore,” you cry, pulling your hand away.

“No we can’t be. I love you too much for this to be over.”

“I love you, but I can’t do this.” Shaking your head you step away from him. How much you wanted to take him back you needed space desperately.

That night changed everything. You went back to your apartment you shared with Chan and he didn’t return home. He never actually fully returned home, he moved into Changbin’s guest room and packed up some of his stuff while you were at work two days later. From that terrible night on you felt like you had a Chan shaped hole in your heart.

There was a piece of you that believed that you weren’t actually done. That he was going to return to you and beg for you to fix things, but that didn’t happen. It was probably for the best that it didn’t. It took two weeks before you saw him again. He stopped by the apartment to grab some more clothes while you were home. He must have thought you wouldn’t be home since he came by in the middle of a Monday afternoon. He probably didn’t know that you had the day off from school to go to a doctor's appointment.

He searched through his side of the closet as you sat awkwardly on your bed. Your eyes were trained on him. You watched him as if he would disappear for forever if you looked away.

Packing away his last shirt he stood in front of you staring into your soft eyes. There is a long moment you just take in each other’s presence. You want to beg him to stay but you know you shouldn’t. 

“I still love you,” he says. You never thought you would actually get to hear him say those words again.

“I love you too.” 

Those four simple words from each of you led to you both naked with him hovering over you as his lips are attached to your. Kissing you like he needs you to breathe. In the moment you feel like you need him to breathe. With each touch of his lips against yours it feels like a rush of oxygen to your lungs.

He slowly slides into you, earning a gasp. Your hand is tangled in his dark curls holding him close to you. Your lips barely part. Sweet whispers of his name pass your lips between kisses. His hips move at a quick pace. Things between you feel different. You aren’t sure if that’s a good or bad thing. In the five years you’ve been together you’ve had all types of sex, but this is different. Things are rougher and more lust filled. Chan movements are those of a man starving for touch. 

Each of his movements feels like he’s trying to prove a point.

He pulls away from you and sits back on his knees as he thrust his hips into you at a firm and quick pace. His hands grip your hips bound to leave bruises in their wake. One of your hands grips your pale blue cotton sheets below you while the other reaches for him. You want to hold on to him and never let go. A warm wave rushes over you closing your eyes, your head tilts back moaning a mixture of his name and curse words. His movements don’t stop until he finds his own release moaning your name.

In the aftermath of naked bodies colliding you lay there on your back trying to come down from your high. Looking over you can feel his eyes burning into you. There is a screaming silence suddenly taking over the room. There is so much left unsaid between you. The room feels like it’s rapidly losing oxygen and you suddenly feel like crying.

“We’re not back together are we?” he rasps. There is a squeezing feeling taking over your chest. This “break up sex” did nothing but hurt both of you even more than you thought was possible.

“No we’re not,” you sigh knowing that sex just doesn’t magically fix things. There are a lot of problems you had at the end of your relationship, but your sexual chemistry and connection wasn’t one of them.

“Okay.” He’s clearly hurt and he has every right to be. 

Without saying another word he gets up and leaves. Even after your passion filled romp in a bed you used to share, you aren’t getting back together. You want him back but it’s for the best that you don’t get back together. The only problem is neither of you can seem to stay away from each other. 

What should have been a one time thing, doesn’t stay that way. Soon Chan finds his way back to your home you used to share often. The sex continues to feel different and after finishing he leaves each time. You wonder if keeping things at just sex will fill the void in your heart caused by your break up, but so far it hasn’t. 

-

Sitting in the teacher lounge at the large table you listen to your friend and fellow teacher talk about her latest date. You’re hardly paying attention, you’ve been staring at the most recent text you had received from Chan’s mom telling you Chan hasn’t been in contact with her. Since your break up he’s seemed to distance himself from everyone other than Changbin who he’s been living with since you broke up. 

Minho nudges you, catching your attention. Looking up at him he gives you that same sad smile he gives you quite often now. Minho is your best friend and coworker, he’s the only one you have truly confined in since your break up. You’ve been friends since your final year of college and he’s seen you in your happiest moments with your ex and the times you would call him crying after a fight. He’s one of the few people that know that you and Chan are broken up, but still sleeping together. Your friend group knows about your break up, but they all think that you and Chan aren’t even talking at all.

You wished no one really knew about your breakup, but it’s been a little hard to hide. Since that night in the club you can’t help but be sad and when you showed up at work not wearing your engagement ring, immediately all your fellow teachers knew that you and your fiancé had broken up.

“Why are you staring at your phone? Did he text you?” Minho would never say Chan’s name out loud at work. He didn’t want your coworkers gossiping about you and your ex. He knew you wanted to keep your relationship or whatever was going on with Chan private.

“His mom did. She hasn’t heard from him in a while, and she also asked me to take him back,” heavy sigh passes your lips. Chan’s mom took your breakup hard. She was like a mom to you and she to this day loves and adores you. This isn’t the first time she’s asked you to fix things with Chan, and it’s probably not the last. She’s always told you how much she loves you and how she believes you’re the perfect person for her son. After losing your own mother you truly bonded even more with Chan’s mom. She’s a wonderful woman who you knew really loved you.

You texted Chan, “hey can we possibly talk today?”

It takes him about ten minutes to respond, “yeah. Did you want me to come over?”

You know this isn’t a good idea. Literally anytime you ex fiancé ones over to your apartment you used to share it always leads to you having sex. Even though you know you should talk about your feelings and what is going on you know this always ends the same way.

“Yeah that would be good.” You text back. 

The rest of lunch went by in a blur. Your final two periods of the day you spent thinking about Chan. Since breaking up he seems to be on your mind more than he was when you were together. Maybe that's what happens when you break up with the person you thought was the one.

After work you cook yourself something small for dinner while waiting for Chan to come over. He said he would come over after he finished a track he was working on. Since the breakup he seems like he’s in the studio even more than before. Maybe that was his way of coping with your break up. 

There’s a knock on the door. You know it must be him. He still has his key to your home you used to share, but since your first time you slept together after your break up he always knocks on the door. It’s been months and it’s still weird to you that he has to knock to enter the apartment you once shared together. Opening the door you find Chan standing on the other side. He’s dressed in a hoodie and a pair of jeans.

“I didn’t think you would actually come over,” you step aside so he can come in. That’s a lie you knew he would come over.

“You asked me nicely, and we both know I can’t exactly say no to you.” He’s always said since when you first started dating many years ago it’s hard for him to say no to you. He always told you that’s how he knew you were the one.

He follows you off toward the living room. You plop down on the navy blue couch that you both picked out during an extremely long trip to ikea with you trying to find the perfect couch for your living room. There have been countless times you’ve made love on this couch or fallen asleep together watching a movie. He sits down on the couch next to you.

Sitting there silently you stare at his hands as he mess rubs his thumb along his knuckles. A nervous habit he’s had as long as you’ve known him. 

“So why did you ask for me to come over?” he asks, breaking the silence that’s formed between you. You know you guys really don’t make small talk anymore.

“Your mom is worried about you. She texted me asking me what’s going on,” you love his mother dearly, but you aren’t sure how much longer you can stay in contact with her at this point. All your conversations with her lead to her asking for you to work things out.

He groans and tilts his head back. You know him too well to know that he has something he wants to say, but this is his way of trying to push away whatever it is. “She’s hard to deal with these days,” he sighs. You don’t say anything, you just stare at him. “She only ever talks about you.”

You look away shaking your head. You wished it was easier that you could just say screw it and take back Chan, but you don’t know if all this would be worth getting your heart broken again.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh.

He reaches over resting his hand on your thigh. Your eyes lock on his cold ones. He doesn’t seem to have the same warmth behind his eyes he did when you were together. You swallow pushing away the thought eating away at your mind. You missed when you were together and you tried to tell yourself that this breakup was for the best.

“Just stop,” he sighs.

“Chan,” you sigh. This should be easier, but it’s not.

“I miss you,” he says with his eyes still locked on yours.

“I miss you too,” you sigh. You miss everything about the man sitting next to you, the only thing you don’t miss is the fighting. You miss all the happy moments you shared together but you don’t miss your fights.

Pushing away all the thoughts that told you this was a bad idea you leaned forward crashing your lips into his. You’ve fallen into the same routine you always do with him. You tell yourself over and over it’s best to stay away but somehow you end up craving his touch. Your lips move together and pull you onto his lap. With your knees resting on each side of his strong thighs. His lips move down your neck leaving a trail of wet kisses in his wake. His lips know all the right places to touch have you moaning.

Your hips roll against his jean clad crotch. You feel his erection straining against his jeans with each movement. It doesn’t take long before he’s pushed his pants down to his thighs just enough to free himself and your panties are pushed to the side as he slides into you causing you to gasp.

Your forehead is pressed to his as you ride his length slowly. Your lips are parted as you silently moan with each movement. One of his hands grips your ass while the other is resting on the side of your neck. His thumb keeps brushing against the sensitive skin on your neck. He knows all the right places to touch you. He applies a little bit of pressure to your neck earning a moan from you. You aren’t sure if another man will ever understand your body like Chan does. His hand on his throat is intoxicating you. 

Tilting your head back you moan his name. Your fingers grip his shirt holding on for dear life as he pushes you closer to the edge. You ride his length showing him how desperate you are for him. His hand leaves your throat and your eyes open staring at his dark ones for a long moment. Leaning forward his presses his lips to the middle of your throat where his hand was not long ago. He presses a few open mouth kisses there before he kisses his way across the delicate skin across your neck.

“You feel so good,” he mumbles with his lips on your collarbone.

The feeling of Chan thrusting in and out of you is enough to drive you wild. From the moment you first had sex Chan made a point to understand everything about your body, and everything that made you tick. It took very little effort for him to learn all the ways to make you scream and fall apart because of him.

As the wave crashes over you and a warmth spreads across your body. You lean forward resting your forehead against his shoulder. Both his hands grip your hips moving you up and down his length. His pace has grown sloppy as he’s getting closer and closer to the edge. He pushes you down on his length leaving you resting on his thighs as he paints your walls white. Your head remains on his chest as he slowly drags his hand up and down your back.

“I love you,” he says barely loud enough for you to hear. You want to tell him you love him too, but you hold back. 

Pulling away from him you look at him for a long moment before leaning forward and pressing your lips to his for a soft kiss.

You know deep down inside you can’t keep this up. This whole situation is emotionally draining for both of you, and sooner than later you need to figure out if you should fully part ways or get back together.

-

Two weeks have passed and you haven’t spoken to Chan once. You can’t push away the empty feeling in your chest as you lay in bed staring at the spot in your bed that used to belong to Chan.

His soft words of “I love you,” still play in your mind. You wish you could have said those three words back to him, but you knew you couldn’t.

You thought when things ended between you it was for the better, but you can’t seem to push away the tugging feeling of an invisible string pulling you towards him.

In these long two weeks you’ve thought about your relationship with Chan nonstop. His voice always seems to echo in the back of your mind.

Grabbing your phone you opened your messages and clicked on his name. His last text to you from two days ago reads, “I miss you.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to respond then. You type out, “Chan, can we please talk?”

He might not text you back, and in all honesty you wouldn’t blame him. You’ve practically ghosted him the last two weeks as you attempted to sort out your feelings. You thought a lot about your relationship with him, and what your future looks like with and without him.

Your phone lights up quickly with a message from Chan, “I can come over soon.”

Forcing yourself out of bed you get dressed and go into the kitchen and make two cups of coffee. A knock on the front door lets you know that Chan is here.

Opening the door he’s dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, with a baseball hat.

He walks inside and follows you to the kitchen. You slide him a cup of coffee and watch as he takes a drink. He sits his cup down on the counter and takes his hat off, pushing his fingers through his dark curls. He looks tired like he hasn’t slept much, but he looks just as handsome as ever. From what Changbin has told you since you broke, according to him Chan’s sleep schedule is worse than ever.

“I’m sorry I pushed you away,” you say, breaking the silence between you.

“YN?” He pauses.

“Yeah Chan?”

“Do you want an actual future with me?” His words are straight to the point. It’s clear he’s tired of playing games. You can’t blame him at all. This game is mentally exhausting. 

“Honestly yes.”

“How do we fix us?” He sighs, reaching forward and taking your hand in his. His thumb slowly drags over your knuckles just like he used to do when he was trying to comfort you.

“You can’t be jealous like you were,” your eyes are focused on him. “I need to stop being so stubborn with you. We need to work on communicating more.”

“I’ll try to push my jealousy away,” he says.

“We can’t just jump back into how things were,” you know you can’t go back to being engaged again suddenly. “We need to rebuild before we can think about getting married.”

“Okay, should we try dating again?” he asks.

“Like starting all the way back at stage one?” you can’t help but smile thinking back to your first few dates with him five years ago.

“I would prefer we aren’t all the way back at stage one, because I still want to marry you,” he rests his hand on your cheek.

“I still want to marry you, but we need to rebuild before we think about planning a wedding,” you’re trying to think logically. You just spent months broken up. Suddenly things aren’t fixed and perfect. Even though your heart desperately wants to marry him tomorrow you need to think logically and work on communicating more. 

“Okay.” he says softly with his hand still resting on your cheek.

“Okay.”

“I just need you in my life. There is something that keeps me drawn to you. I haven’t ever loved anyone like I love you,” he leans forward pressing his lips to yours for a soft kiss.

“I love you too,” you sigh, pulling your lips away from his.

“Okay, can I move back in?” he asks, sounding so unsure.

A smile tugs on yours as you step closer to him. He pulls you into his chest before you can even say anything.

“Yeah. We need to rebuild, but I miss you being here. I hate waking up alone.”

It’s not long before you’re both in your shared bed, and completely naked. Chan rests between your spread legs slowly rolling his hips into yours as your fingers are locked in his dark hair holding him close to you. His lips hover overs yours as you moan his name like a prayer. One of your legs is resting on his lower back right above his butt. You want him as close to you as possible. You don’t want to ever experience losing him again. Your hand claws at his back trying to touch every part of him you can. 

“I love you,” you say.

His hips still for a moment and he looks down at you smiling. Leaning forward he presses his lip to the tip of your nose gently. “I love you so much.”

His hips move into yours at a slow but steady pace. You missed the feeling of having every part of him, his mind, body and soul. 

You find your release moaning his name and whisper over and over again that you love him.

Things aren’t perfect between you, but you both desperately love each other and know your own faults and want to fix them. Both only see a future together and you both know that love is never easy and sometimes you have to fight to make it work.

Regarding taglist: 

If you aren’t interacting with my writing outside of liking the new post I’m gonna have to remove your name from the taglist. You will also be removed if I try to tag you and your blog is listed as "invisible". If you've changed your URL and didn't let me know I will also be removing your name. I’m sorry for the inconvenience but my interactions outside or likes feels like it’s nonexistent right now. All of my taglist are still open though. If you request to be added to one via this form, I kindly ask for interactions in the form and feedback and reblogs. To be quite honest, those really encourage my writing. 

[idontevenknowwhatt]

Goodbye

Summary: Y/n is shot while arresting an unsub. The precious final moments where both Emily and y/n know there's no escaping the inevitable, but they hold on to each other as long as they can.

Warnings: Talks about death, dying (reader dies), a little angsty but mostly just really sad, hard hitting final moments between two lovers.

A/N: Hello again, sorry i'm not a super consistent writer but thought of this the other day. It is a little bit sader than I might normally go but why not I guess. Also this won’t follow any specific episode. I hope you all enjoy it :))

—--------------------------------------------

The pain in your side is unbearable, sharp and biting. You feel your body weakening with each breath. But it’s the silence that follows the chaos of the gunfire that feels like the loudest thing in the world.

You know that this is the end. And it’s too much to ignore. There’s no saving you now, no way to stop the bleeding that’s spreading quickly. You both know it. But even so, Emily refuses to let go of you. Her hands, her touch, surround you. She's steady and warm, holding you close, never once wavering.

You’re not sure how long it’s been at this point. Time feels like it’s standing still, or maybe it’s moving too quickly. All you know is that Emily is with you, and that's the only thing that matters.

"Em," you whisper, your voice weak. You try to sit up despite the pain in your side, and she’s there instantly, guiding you gently into her arms. She doesn’t need to say anything. She doesn’t need to ask. She just pulls you into her lap, your back resting against her chest as if she’s trying to shield you from everything.

Her breath is steady in your ear, but you can feel the tremor in her hands as she wraps her free arm around you. The other pressed firmly against your side in hopes of stopping the bleeding. You lean your head back against her shoulder, just below her neck, your cheek brushing gently against her skin. She smells like warmth, like home.

"Hey," you say softly, your words coming out ragged, and you force yourself to look up at her, even though everything in your body wants to shut down. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

Emily’s arm tightens around you, her fingers coming up to brush the hair from your face. Her voice cracks slightly as she responds, but she keeps it steady for you. "Tomorrow…" she begins, trailing off like she’s trying to pull herself together, like she’s grasping at a future that’s slipping away. "Tomorrow, we’re going to start planning that honeymoon we never had. We’re going to pick the perfect place, somewhere beautiful. You always talked about going somewhere tropical. You’ll let me spoil you with fancy dinners and walks along the beach at sunset. You’ll let me show you the world the way you deserve to see it."

You close your eyes for a moment, the warmth of her body against yours more comforting than anything else. Her heart beats against your back, steady and rhythmic, and for just a moment, you let yourself feel the softness of her words, the hope in them.

"And the next day?" you ask, your voice barely audible, your eyes half-closed as the darkness creeps in. You want to keep talking and stay in this moment, even if just for a little while longer.

"The next day…" Emily pauses again, taking a shaky breath, but you can feel her smile against your hair. "We’ll start thinking about the life we're going to build. We’ll talk about where we’re going to live, what kind of house we’ll have. You've talked about moving out of our apartment for awhile. Maybe a little farmhouse. Or a big house in the city. You’ll want a garden, right? Somewhere to plant roses and vegetables. And I’ll be there, helping you. You’ll have me with you every step of the way."

Her words are a balm, soothing the raw edges of the pain inside you. You want to tell her that you love her. That you’ll always love her. But all you can do is nod against her chest, your body growing heavier with each passing second.

Emily’s voice lowers, and you hear her take another shaky breath. "And we’ll have kids. A little girl who has your eyes, and a boy who’s just as stubborn as you. You’ll teach them everything, and I’ll watch you with them and wonder how I ever got so lucky. You'll be the best mom."

You can hear the tears in her voice now, the desperation to make all of this real, to somehow keep it from slipping away. You want to respond, but it feels like you don’t have the strength anymore.

But Emily isn’t done yet. "We’ll have so many moments," she says, her voice thick with emotion. "Holidays, birthdays, quiet mornings where we just wake up next to each other and don’t say a word because we don’t need to. We’ll grow old together. I’ll hold your hand through everything, and we’ll look back on our life, and we’ll laugh, and we’ll cry, and we’ll just be... together."

Her words wrap around you like a warm blanket, a promise, even if neither of you can keep it. You can’t fight the tears now, and they slip from your eyes, though you don’t know if they’re from the pain, the beauty of everything she’s describing, or the sheer heartbreak of knowing that none of it will happen.

You hear Emily’s voice again, low and raw with emotion, and you shift just slightly in her arms turning to look up at her. "I love you so much," she says, her lips brushing against your forehead, her hands holding you tighter than you thought possible. "You are my everything. I can’t even put it into words. The way you make me feel...I never thought I could love someone like this. I never thought I’d have someone who loved me the way you do."

You’re barely able to open your eyes now, but you look up at her one last time. You want to say it, to tell her how much you love her, but your voice is a whisper, almost drowned out by the weight of everything. "I love you," you murmur, your voice weak, but your heart full. "You’re my heart, Em. You always have been. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you."

Emily gently presses her lips to yours, a final, soft kiss, and you feel the love in it. You kiss her back with all the energy you have left. It’s everything you’ve always felt, everything you’ve always wanted to say. But now, you know you don’t have to say anything else. She knows. She always has.

"I’ll love you forever," Emily whispers, the words barely escaping her lips as her arms tighten around you. Her forehead rests against yours and you fight with everything left in you to keep your eyes open for as long as possible. "I’ll love you forever. And I’ll carry you with me, every single day of my life."

You can feel the darkness closing in, but it’s not scary. It’s peaceful, in a way. You don’t want to go. Not really. But Emily’s here, and she’s holding you, and you know that wherever you go, you’ll always carry her with you.

"I’ll always be with you," you whisper, even though you’re not sure if she can hear it. "In your heart. Always."

You feel Emily’s tears fall against your cheeks, her grip tightening one last time. "I know, baby. I know."

And with that, you let go.

—--------------------------------------------

[havin-fun-imagining-twd]

Onstage

What - it's nothing to panic about, Lori's secret pregnancy, Shane's changes for the worse, Sophia gone for over a week, and now a barn full of walkers. It's fine. No big deal, nothing is wrong, so you're gonna step onstage and act like it. On the bright side, Daryl isn't stuck in a bed anymore!

When - the morning after Keep this dog asleep. (the night where Glenn discovers the barn in Season 2)

Who - this is part of the Slowpoke Series, which is a canon compliant slow burn Reader x Daryl. You're also Shane's younger sibling

Pronouns - she/her

TWs - a few cusses, panic, bad screenshots

References - lots, y'all, want the Masterlist?

Length - longer bc I've been awol, I've been dreading posting again, friends, so thank you much for reading. Kind feedback is always welcome :)

“Goodness. You two slept together.”

“Wha—Carol!” you squeak, accidentally splashing some coffee on your hands while you’re at it, to which Carol apologizes, “Oops!”

Glenn and you fell asleep beside each other, by the fire pit. You two must have conked out while staring at the barn.

Brr, the sun hasn’t warmed the day yet, you’re like an ice-pop.

“Wh’appened?” Glenn mumbles, still half-asleep in Dale’s camp chair.

Carl, freshly freed from the house and now officially back to the tents, also wanted to know, “What was the joke?”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Carol whispers in your ear and wipes the coffee off your hand with a tissue she had in her pocket.

That ship has sailed, Carol!

Lori smiles and shakes her head, and hands Glenn a coffee cup. “Carol was teasing them about having spent the night out here. Must’ve stayed up far too late having fun.”

“‘Fun,’” Glenn groans to himself, blindly nursing his coffee. You notice he winces and reaches for the back of his neck when he tries to bend it forward. Must’ve slept on it wrong.

“How late did you guys stay up?”

“I don’t even know, little man,” you answer Carl while reaching out for a hug. “But ‘far too late’ sure is correct.”

He returns your reach and hugs you back, tucking his head down across your neck like he used to when he was little. You press a kiss to his temple and hold him awhile longer, not wanting to let go first.

It’s good to have started the day on an up-note. You’re already on guard this morning. Less so about the genuine, bona-fide barn full of walkers on the property and moreso that Glenn won’t keep the secret long enough.

Which is backwards, but…the worry is that Shane will, um, and, and— oh God, and Carl can’t go near it! What are you gon—

“—Here, Maggie left these for you two.” Lori has returned and plunks down what resembles an Easter basket filled with peaches.

“Wait, should you be lifting heav—” Glenn cuts himself off, apparently having woken up a brain cell and remembering the pregnancy is still a secret.

You run onstage and speak up for Lori. “That’s how her arms stay so toned. Can you believe she hand-whipped the cream for the ambrosia?” Solid improv.

Lori seems to tamp down on whatever frustration she’s feeling. “It’s not heavy, Glenn.”

“Mom can lift so much, that puny basket of peaches is nothing,” Carl tells him, apparently thinking Glenn was being dumb.

Rattled, it takes a moment before Lori recalls what she was talking about. “Maggie also gave us a bucket filled with tomatoes along with another big bowl of eggs. We have to find a way to thank them. They’ve done so much.” She sighs. “Even last night, we cooked the meal, but they provided the food. Meat, even. All we contributed food-wise was the field green salad and the two cans of creamed corn.”

You’ve got to keep it to yourself that by not revealing the Greene’s massive secret about a barn full of walkers, you’re certainly giving them some kind of fucked up recompense.

And like you said last night, there are worse things to be bribed with than food. In fact, you have no immediate plans to do anything other than sit here, miserably tired, in T-Dog’s camp chair and stress-eat peaches — and stick close to Glenn lest he get the urge to open Pandora’s box about that barn.

“Carl, Miss Patricia hopefully mentioned how the barn is unstable? They won’t even go near it, and we are forbidden.” You swipe a peach and have at it. The juice dribbles down your hand and chin. Carl smirks. You snort; at least he’s seen you look grosser. So, in a very ladylike fashion, you shove the rest of it in your mouth in one bite and immediately swipe another. “There’s some kind of vermin problem, too, and you don’t want none of them diseases rats and the like carry. Keep away.”

Mid-chew, you realize that you just lied flawlessly by slipping in truth. You’re not big on lying. In fact, you hate it. You don’t do it, or, at least you think you don’t? Do you?

This and the weight of last night’s inward decision that you made sits heavy in your stomach, making the peach sink like a rock.

You’re going to leave, with your brother. Shane can’t stay here, not when the news of the baby and now the barn gets out. You’ll even go to Fort Benning despite all your misgivings. Anything to keep things from imploding here when those secrets get out. Not, um, not that you’ll stay away forever from the group, just until, um…

Well, if looks are any indication, Glenn’s also busy being miserably tired and stressed. He was the one to discover the barn’s secret, first off. And he’s not good with secrets, and now has three to contend with. The pregnancy, Shane losing his temper and physically hurting you. And now, the stupid, stupid, awful barn.

“Did your head flop down when you fell asleep, Glenn?”

“It must’ve, it’s so stiff!” he mutters. “I can’t have a stiff neck when the…”

Smart, he knows not to finish the sentence and instead resumes warily eyeing the barn. You’re grateful your neck is fine and dandy, you’re in no fit state to mess up your neck or shoulder again. For real, by the grace of God, you’d fallen asleep nestled in T-Dog’s camp chair and your neck stayed blessedly straight and untwisted.

“We search for Sophia in groups, it’s all good,” you cover for him. Carl is still next to you, so the fewer questions, the better.

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep, but you’re restless. Seeking something to busy your hands with, you think to yourself you know what? Your friend could use a massage. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, considering you slept together (lol).

Shoving the rest of the second peach in your mouth, you consider that slurping the juice off your hand may be a mite untoward, so instead you…wipe it on the clothes you wore all day yesterday and fell asleep in…such a feminine, classy woman. Didn’t even brush your teeth last night.

Whatever, a neck and shoulder rub is the least you can do for a friend you may not see again. “Glenn, I can do you a massage,” you offer.

“Wait. Really?”

“’Course.” Let’s face it, you may not see him again after you leave. Maybe no one here, just look at the track record of losing peop — oh my gosh, crybaby much? Get your butt back onstage and act fine.

“Can you, with your arm still wrapped like that?” he checks regarding your modified sling.

“Sure can.”

“Dude, that would be, like,” Glenn sighs, then you hear Lori call for Carl, who gets up and goes to his mother. “Thank you, that would be awesome, it hurts really bad,” your friend accepts.

“Eh, it’s the least I could do, considering last night we did,” pause for dramatic effect, “sleep together.”

“What the h—”

“—Bro, I know," you drone. "That’s what Carol joked about a few minutes ago. Didn’t expect that joke outta her, right?”

“Slept together, now I get it,” he cracks up halfheartedly. But in an instant, his gaze gets drawn right back toward the barn and resettles into uneasy, blatant stare.

That rattles you. Suddenly, you become convinced he’s gonna spill the beans before the one week (at least one week!) trial. For a few moments, you feel breathless, as in you can’t inhale enough. That happened last night, too, you figured it was because of the cold air.

You cough, inhale extra deep. The sensation goes away. But now you’re starting to get mad. As you rise from the chair, you’re more than conscious of your inner kettle beginning to simmer. Not gonna lie, you sound snotty when you comment, “Glad to see they didn’t learn how to jump as high as a hayloft and find their way out yet.”

“Y/N.”

In lieu of any new comeback, you start on his neck. Immediately and likely without meaning to, he lets out a thankful groan. That warms you, and you remind yourself he’s worried for a good reason and that you love your friend.

And, strangely, then you think back to how you did this for Daryl, gave him a massage. How pleasant the closeness felt, how strange it made your stomach feel. How he’d silently cried but was vulnerable enough to ask you not to stop…

And with the jokes about you and Glenn, you’re feeling some unpleasantly conflicting emotions. Full disclosure, you’d had some hidden and very unwelcome hurt feelings when you found out about him and Maggie. Residual, you reckon, from when you’d two had a little fondness (lol Dale) for each other.

Really, you know it’s just that you’re lonely and things are stressful. More than stressful.

“Wanna kick the ball around later with the others, see if the girls can’t beat y’all this time?” Together, Jimmy and he have been an unbeatable team so far, and you three girls want to change that.

“Anything to make the pharmacy trip suck less.”

Man, you’d forgotten all about that. It’s supposed to feature none other than Glenn, Maggie, yourself, and maybe T-Dog. “That’s still on?”

Glenn shrugs. “I don’t remember. And I don’t want to go today, let’s do it tomorrow or Monday.”

“Fine by me. Naught dire we need yet.”

He unexpectedly exhales in pleasure when you must’ve hit a spot he needs worked out.“I haven’t gotten a massage since, like,” your friend sighs again, and he sounds weighed down when he continues. “Varsity baseball in high school. Appa was really good at shoulder rubs.”

“Oh.” A memory about his dad might will probably spark a whole lot of memories, and he’s still iffy about crying in front of people. “Want me to stop?”

“Heck no.”

“Are you cool with crying? Massages sometimes do that,” you hesitate.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant the act itself can make folk cry sometimes.” Especially if memories get brought up.

“Make ‘folk’ cry?” he teases. "You already used the word 'naught,' too, bumpkin."

You pause the massage to give him a very light shove. “Shut up, buttface.”

Breakfast is eggs again, you can smell them cooking. The Greenes have been very generous with eggs. And, of course, now extra-generous with the peaches and some tomatoes, apparently. Maybe the thrill of yellow squash or string beans is in the future, too.

Ooh, or dairy. Oh my gosh, or red meat! Jimmy mentioned they’ve made a ton of jerky what with their cattle.

“G’morning,” you hear Shane behind you.

“Heya.”

“Morning, Shane.”

The razzing is clear in his tone of voice, but try telling that to Glenn as your brother says, “Lookin’ cute, you two. Didn’t know this was a thing now, I thought that ship had sailed.”

Yeahhhhh, Glenn wriggles away from your hands quicker than you can whine, “Shaney!” who simply cracks up, “Just teasing.”

“I’ll tease your face,” you wish you weren’t snickering back. “And you know my heart belongs to darling Theodore,” you add in an exaggerated accent.

T-Dog, unfortunately, hears, and utters a soft “Da hell?” aaand you cackle even harder. Surely he knows the not-so-secret secret that you think he’s a catch? Too old for you, but, like. What a gem.

“Glenn, my apologies.” Shane winks. “It’s too easy to rile this one up. And Dog, don’t worry.”

“It’s cool,” Glenn answers so awkwardly.

You scrunch your lips at your brother in an effort not to smile. He’s acting like himself again, the real Shane. You don’t feel as if you’re looking at a stranger, you don’t feel the urge to stay on-guard or stay onstage. “Proud of yourself?”

He shrugs with a lazy grin. “It is real easy to rile you up.”

“Mmhm, well I’m fixing to escape to Fort Benning right now, lemme just wash up first.” You insert this little seed in hope it takes root. He was planning to go there before things changed.

He was planning to go without your input or foreknowledge, too, but he was doing what he thought was best for the group. For Lori and Rick.

Until he didn’t anymore, according to what he said to Lori.

That night, the same day Daryl had almost died, was something else.

The things he said to Lori echo in your head, the confident flirting while she was visibly unreceptive and shaken.

Then you recall the way he’s been “pragmatic” and almost irritated about the continuing search for Sophia.

Then the way he blew up at you, hurt you.

And finally, how your first reaction to finding out there was a barn filled with walkers a mere one minute trek from where your people are sleeping in tents was to insist that the secret must be kept from Shane at all costs. That the secret had to stay that way because of what would happen if Shane found out.

Maybe it’s from sleeping too close to the campfire or because it was so chilly last night, but the breathing trouble is back. It's fine, this happened last night, it ended up being fine.

You cough a few times to try and inhale more deeply and ease the tightness in your chest, but you feel strange and a little nauseous. Maybe you're coming down with something.

“Lemme take over here — aw, Glenn, hey, sit back on down,” Shane insists to your friend who just tried to escape. “Heard you slept on your neck wrong. That shit stinks, man. But,” he holds out his hands and wiggles his fingers. “I got so much practice with massages from this one’s migraines, I might should switch careers. C’mon then,” he says lightheartedly.

The unease you just wrestled with lessens. This is the real Shane, the confident, even cocky, but goodhearted one.

Huh, cool, your breathing feels a little better, too.

He looks at you and points with his thumb toward the house. “The uh, the little one, what’s the blonde girl’s name again?”

“Soph—oh! Um, sorry, y-you mean ‘Beth,’” you stammer, all the mirth from a moment ago zapped.

The look in your brother’s eyes changes from easygoing to dampened to cold.

He tries to sound nonchalant behind a thin veil of both defense and offense. “Yeah, the, uh, the teenager. She asked for you.”

“Okay. Thanks.” You’d be off like a shot if there wasn’t another potential time bomb to worry about.

Glenn.

To your friend, you assure in truth, “He does give a mighty solid massage.” But when you lean over enough for him to see your face, you can feel your eyes darken when you hold the finger to your lips and set your jaw.

And as you make toward the house with your coffee and another two peaches, you’re grappling with the fact that, in an effort to keep Glenn quiet so everything won’t blow to pieces, you’re behaving not unlike the very person that you’re trying to prevent from igniting the explosion in the first place.

Another worry is the way you so easily slipped in and out of being onstage.

You’ve always been one to insist on truth and honesty. It’s a badge of honor you wear with pride, and even Daryl, prickly grump Daryl, has mentioned it and appreciates that about you.

And yet, look at your conduct over the past week or so. You can certainly lie, and be believable at it. You don’t like that.

Ew, gross, you’re getting nauseous again.

As you near the porch, Beth’s soft, clear voice calls your name, and she exits the house to meet you. “I got somethin’ for you. Can you come upstairs?”

“Sure. Your dress is cute!” comes out automatically. You’re still dazed and stressed. Her sundress really is pretty, though. Briefly, you consider how it would be nice to feel feminine again.

She leads you up the stairs, and it strikes you how odd it is that you have to go upstairs for whatever she’s going to give you, right? Then, you worry that it’s to do with the barn.

And you’re right.

Or, at least, you think you are. Maggie is upstairs when Beth brings you there.

The tightness comes back, so you focus on your breathing and will your stomach to chill out. You're onstage, you need to perform.

“Y/N, hi!” Margaret says this a little overly chipper, even though her appearance suggests that she’s had about as much shut-eye as you, if not less. “Sleep okay?”

“A-About as well as you, I reckon,” you answer with a hint of humor and only a trace of a stress stutter. Buying time with a few more coughs, before you get too defensive, you play it off as if Beth does not know that you and Glenn know. “We stayed up far too late and ate way too many peaches,” you say the girl. Which is the truth, you aren’t lying! You aren't lyi — nope, don't you cry! Stay onstage, stay onstage, stay onstage—

—As it so happens, now is when you recall how you are currently carrying two peaches in your hand, so your cheeks heat. The urge to cry goes away, so, small win. “I ate way too many, at least.”

Beth giggles. “I love peaches, too. I had peach cobbler as my birthday cake two years ago. The ones we grow are so good!”

“Thank you for the basket of food, by the way, it was very kind.” Very kind bribery, please keep it up, we haven’t had this much available food in months, in fact, we’ll probably do anything you ask us if you let us stay here!

“There’s plenty more where the peaches came from. The season’s almost over, but we still have bushels left to pick, the hens haven’t slowed production yet, and we’re almost out of canning supplies we’ve done so many,” Maggie responds.

Beth is opening a big trash bag on her bed that looks like it’s filled with blankets, so Maggie takes the opportunity to lock eyes with you again. She mouths, “Thank you.”

For not saying anything? “She doesn’t know we know?” you mouth back.

She shakes her head.

You relax muscles you didn’t know you were tensing.

“Yay, I got it open without rippin' it!” Beth exclaims. “Y/N, Maggie and I had gathered up a bunch of clothes for charity, but that’s when things got, w-well,” she halts, unsure of how to describe the outbreaks. “The bad things happened, but, um, we, well, we still had all the donations bagged. Daddy and Shawn also…” She quiets at mentioning her deceased older brother and turns weepy.

Her big sister finishes for her. “Shawn donated clothes, too. And Mom.” She swallows. “There’s plenty to share with your group, is what she means.” Maggie nods her head at the bag on the bed, then to two others on the floor.

They're sharing...all of those?

You don’t get a chance to ask it because Beth is already answering. “When I saw how y’all looked, it was scary. The,” she starts, then stops. “Not that you were scary, I meant y’all must’ve been out there a long time. It’s scary to think about.”

“In your defense, I did look scary the first time you saw me.” Wild hair, sweat-drenched, sobbing, and covered in Carl’s and your own blood. Rough day.

But having been ‘out there,’ as Beth worded it, it’s not so scary when you’re with a group you trust. It even feels comforting to have them all. Which is when you consider how Shane and you will be back out there in a couple weeks, alone.

“Here.” Beth shyly points to the bag. “I wanted to offer for you to look through the bags first. If, if you want.”

The offer is (more) bribery to keep you quiet, which cools the warmth of the charity, but doesn't lessen the grateful tears you spill. Plus, yes, you all could use some fresh clothes, there’s only so much mending that can be done. And to be offered first dibs, even if it’s just to butter you up, is still being offered first dibs. “I’d love to take a look, thank you,” you say in earnest.

Beth combs through the bag and chats in her shy manner, handing you a barely-worn, calf-length dress that had been gift for Maggie, then a (pure wool?!) cardigan their mother had been giving away.

You find it hard to believe that she’s doing this as bribery, Beth doesn’t seem the sort to easily conceal things. She’s got an innocence that hits as genuine.

But, then again, you who hate dishonesty are apparently great at it. Who’s to say she’s not, too?

The breathlessness briefly comes back. You clear your throat and cough once.

Beth next, to your apprehension and then delight, has you try on the dress and cardigan (which shockingly fit). While retying the modified sling around your upper arm, Maggie keeps trying to catch your eye again in order to, you don’t know, communicate something via meaningful glance? But you don’t have the bandwidth for it, so return her look with a polite smile and shrug.

Her little sister then proceeds to gussy you up in a way reminiscent of how Amy did once at the quarry camp to see how Glenn would react. Gosh, was that only two-ish months ago, wasn’t it? Or has it been longer? It feels like longer.

Beth has manages a quick, respectable braided style for your hair, touches up your eyebrows for you, and even adds blush. She then claims that your hiking boots “look okay” with the ensemble and has you use the full length mirror in her closet to inspect the full results.

The dress is lovely, you have to admit. The neckline doesn’t dip too low bonus that it doesn’t show your bruise, the waist is defined, and it’s long enough past your knees to be comfortable. The length also helps lessen the lingering apprehension you have about showing natural (*cough cough unshaven*) legs.

You actually feel…pretty. Been a while.

It’s as if she knew you were yearning to feel girly again. If this is bribery, you welcome it. Worse ways of being bribed than with fresh food and a makeover from a genuinely sweet kid. And hey, since you have to be onstage so much, might as well dress nicely for the audience.

When you’re walking downstairs to bring your people the donations, Maggie murmurs in your ear, “Y/N, I didn’t put her up to any of this, it was all her.”

When you pull away from her, she's insistent. “It wasn’t her bein’ nice to keep you quiet. Remember, she doesn’t kn—”

“—Good mornin’, girls. What’s in the bags?” Patricia’s voice calls from the bottom of the stairwell.

“We had some clothes to donate since before Easter,” Beth answers. “I figured they could use ’em.”

“They certainly could. I’m glad I have plenty I brought from my house when we moved in.” You can see Miss Patricia in the hallway by the stairs, clearly wearing one of her late husband’s shirts over her dress. Her brows lift. “Seems you dolled your friend up some. You clean up nice, sweetpea!”

“Thank you, ma’am. I-I do feel like a lady again,” you allow, your cheeks again warming.

“Never stopped being one, as far as I’m concerned. Always kept your Ps and Qs,” she’s kind enough to maintain. “Oh, speaking of ladies, I don’t know how y’all are doing on girls’ supplies, but we should have enough to share while you’re still with us.”

“Margaret and I were gonna look for some more on the next drug store run tomorrow or Monday to make sure you’re well stocked.” Along with everything else on the list(s) that was forgotten when those two…got distracted.

Ugh, how different things would be if you’d gone along for that trip! None of this barn bullshit!

Again, you feel the need to cough to help you breathe better, so you cough twice and try clearing your throat.

“Uh-oh, sounds like cold and flu season is well on it’s way,” she muses. “Don’t let me keep you holding them bags all day, girls. It’ll be funny watchin’ your daddy react if one of them ends up dressed in his giveaways,” the woman comments wryly. “Now, I did intend to check on those stitches today, Y/N, so come see me later. Hersh is just finishing up with Daryl’s, in fact, then he’ll be all set to go, if you were wantin’ to see him out.”

Oh, right! Today is finally the day he’s leaving that room!

Carl, too, but he’s already out and has been wandering around outside as much as his energy and mom will allow (which isn’t very much yet).

Daryl, on the other hand, has been too dizzy and too ashamed to do much more than a trip around the perimeter of the house.

Carol and you cleaned his tent yesterday as a surprise. It was her idea, of course. She enlisted your help specifically because you twice mentioned not thinking his sweat smelled bad, which is weird, but, for real, it doesn’t smell bad to you. The cigarettes, on the other hand, ew.

“Are we not going today?” Maggie asks quietly about the postponed pharmacy trip.

With tact, you suggest, “We could all use some rest after stayin’ up so late.”

She peers into your eyes, then nods and adjusts her hold on the two bags in her hands.“That’s a good idea. I’m not up to it, either.”

Upon stepping back outside onto the front porch, Jimmy and Glenn are kicking the soccer ball around already. Glenn is keeping his neck taut as he and Jimmy go back and forth, but the pain must have lessened.

The irresistible urge you have to make light of everything seizes you, and you leap into matchmaker mode because, why not? You won’t be here much longer, and maybe Maggie and Glenn linking up will lead to the rest being permitted to stay. That’s what matters.

Oh, and, uh, because you love Glenn, and Maggie is kind…oh fuck, are you just a calculating, cold strategist?

The feeling that you’re running out of air and going to vomit returns, but you push yourself onstage and commit to the role. You have to keep your shit together.

“Ain’t he handsome when he plays? Good sportsmanship and confidence rolled into one.” You playfully hold a smile back when you glance at Maggie and giggle to hide your heavy breathing. “Also the shiny hair.”

“He does have great hair,” she softly agrees.

“Y/N, do you and Glenn like each other? I-I thought…” Beth’s face has paled.

Maybe that’s why you over-act when you exclaim, “Of course I like him, that’s why I’m such a great wingwoman for him.”

Margaret blushes. “Let’s get these bags to their camp.”

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

Him

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

“I can’t hunt?”

“You can do as you please,” the old man remarks. What, is he making fun of him? “But doing so while recovering from a concussion would be foolish, as would be heavy lifting or other strenuous activity, and that’s not considering your collarbone and ribs. I’m curious as to how you’d wield your weapon or bring back what you hunted, for one, if you would even make it off the property without keeling over.”

Daryl bites his tongue and keeps his words to himself. Well, fine! I can still bring that little girl back. She’s got legs, she’ll be able to walk on her own.

Hershel cleans up his stuff and stands. “Now, then, I’m sure you’re ready to finally see yourself out.”

“Damn straight,” is probably not the smartest response in front of the old man, what with the cuss word, but damn straight he is ready to get the hell out of there. Still, he remembers his manners. “Thanks for everythin’.” He even holds out his hand for a shake. Which is dumb because the guy’s hands are full.

Daryl…puts his hand back down and grabs the few things he had in there with him. Y/N once described the Dr. Farmer as ‘unreadable.’ Definitely is that.

Unreadable, Hershel drawls, “It’s good you’re on the mend,” and inclines his head toward the door. “After you.”

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

You

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

Dude, you had a panic attack.

It wasn’t too too bad, all things considered. Initially, you’d thought it was a mild asthma attack, but in hindsight, wow you were oblivious to all of the signs.

It started to happen when some of the group was going through the clothes, right after Maggie and you dropped them off and she left to do choring.

Lori was beside you, low-key beside herself trying to figure out how your people could “ever repay the family now?”

Next, T-Dog joked about the sizes being too small for him. “Ain’t sure what here I could fit that won’t result in a show for y’all.”

This is when Andrea murmured to Carol, “Reminds me how it’s been awhile.” The way Carol reacted clued you in that it might have been a sex joke. Especially given the way Andy next gave your brother a once-over as if you weren’t right there. You vividly recall licking your teeth and rolling your eyes.

Then Shane — and he did this without having seen Andrea do the once-over — nudged T-Dog in the ribs and began to unbutton his own top. “Worse things than a show these days, friend. And that there clean shirt is calling my name.” Naturally, he proceeded to swap garments right where he stood.

Per usual, Lori was more graceful than you. She ignored it as if he were her own brother acting like a frat boy, and merely continued to sift through one of the bags. She smiled upon finding something, tapped Carol on the shoulder, and handed it to her.

It’s been a week now since Shane's betrayal of her and Rick. Even you are still figuring out how to see him. The hopeful part is that he’s been leaving Lori alone. If his sights have indeed turned to Andrea, all the better.

Back to the moment, you next worried that what if he and Andrea got a little too close, did something foolish, and she ended up pregnant, too.

Not that Lori’s baby is Shane’s, the baby is Rick’s regardless, but...

The tight feeling returned in your chest.

It was in the midst of this that Dale complimented you. “Kiddo, you’re all gussied up! Any occasion?”

“Mmhm, all dressed up for the ‘show.’” The nausea was back, plus a fun new notion of being observed, as if everyone and anyone, seen or unseen, was staring you down.

Dale just nodded with raised brows, and you and he shared a look. Instead of tempering your fears, it piqued them. It wasn’t his fault, but Mr. Horvath’s expression started to mirror the way he stared into your eyes after catching Shane lose his temper and leave you with a bruise on your sternum.

The fears within you, the stress, the dread, all started roiling stronger and stronger. You cleared your throat, then coughed, but it didn’t help. You felt so restless and, oddly, cornered.

And so, not knowing where to look therefore looking in all directions, you happened to spy Glenn staring at the barn. Again.

The air felt too…thin? And then you noticed Lori examining the torso of one of the shirts in the bag as if testing it for stretchiness or room. You could see the shadows clouding her face right before she abruptly put the shirt down.

Then, there was Carol, holding up something that had clearly must have been Beth’s a few years ago, and it looked as if it would fit Sophia perfectly now.

It was just about then that your lungs simply couldn’t keep up.

“Kiddo?” sounded in your ear.

You may have panted something to do with “puffer,” referring to your largely unused inhaler. At any rate, instead of next going to the logical location of the RV to find the med bag, you made for the treeline. You didn’t want anyone near you, didn’t want anybody to see you, didn’t want a fuss, didn’t want to be touched, didn’t want anyone to even think about you, so you had to hide.

Panting, a numbness started to affect your fingers and spread to your torso and toes. You repeatedly coughed in an effort to break up whatever was making it hard to breathe.

Once you started coughing, it dominoed. Your stitches were tugging at the forceful coughs, and soon, you were hacking. The hacking led to retching, one, two, three times. Tears started to fall.

“Baby, here,” came from your right and a warm, delicate hand touched the small of your back. Lori. She pressed the inhaler into your hand. “I shook it up, it’s all ready.”

Bending forward slightly to open your airways, you tried to exhale enough so you could take the dose properly as you clasped the trigger.

One puff. Hold breath in.

Your pulse thudded in your ears.

Another puff. Hold breath in.

The relief that usually comes with the medication wasn’t as apparent as it normally would be. It helped somewhat, but.

You tried another dose.

More tears of frustration. You panted to her that you thought your were going to pass out. "F-Feels like m'gonna die," you may have also said.

The phantom sensation of your hand being covered in Amy's blood returned. You recall wiping it with the hem of your dress, and Lori taking your hands, preventing you from continuing to do so.

Lori calmly instructed you to, “Try this with me, honey,” and slowly breathed in through her nose. You copied as best you could.

She then slowly breathed out through her mouth. You copied as best you could.

Over and over she coached you until things started to ease.

You looked around you. Your new sweater was hanging off your elbows. Your pulse was still loudly thumping, but two doses of a corticosteroid will do that. In your escape, you’d made for the big rocks where you’d shared (sort of) a cigarette with Daryl. The stones felt nice and cool, and Lori’s gentle rubbing of her hand across your back was comforting.

“Been a while since you’ve needed the inhaler. ‘Decorative,’ you called it once,” she softly chatted. The sensation of not getting enough air wasn’t quite gone just then, but you felt pretty normal again.

“I reckon the cold and the smoke must’ve done me in,” you mumbled. Your throat was mildly sore after all the coughing. “It’s good it was mild.”

“Were you wheezing?”

“No, I…just couldn’t breathe enough or something.” You shrugged. “I don’t always wheeze when I need it.” Your nose was stuffy from crying.

She was thoughtful for a moment, and had begun to lightly scratch your back. “You and Glenn seem off this morning. I’ve seen you two tired before, but today you both seem…there’s something else going on, clearly. Did you two fight?”

“Not exactly.” It’s true. “We’re on the same page.” You weren't prepared to have to go onstage again, but just in case, you tried pulling yourself together.

“Was it about Maggie?”

You laughed genuinely. “Ha, not at all.”

Lori didn’t mirror your laughter or even smile in return. “Honey, I think you had a panic attack.”

That's ridiculous! was your initial reaction, which is why, at first, you protested. “Oh, it wasn’t that dramatic.”

“It looked different from where I was. But even still, it didn’t have to be or feel ‘dramatic’ to have been one. You know that.” The nonjudgemental straightforwardness in her voice, in her eyes, was enough to convince you that she could see straight into your heart and read what was there. “Y/N, is there something more going on?”

More than anything, at that moment, you didn’t want to lie to her.

But what could you do? Tell the truth, yes, 'the truth will out,' you know that. But you were convinced that telling the whole truth, right then, would be like lighting dynamite.

In your view, you would be exposing everyone to chaos and even violence, and you'd all seen too much of that already. And no, you couldn’t just tell one person because it never just stays with one person. Lori was/is not in any position to have more fear on her plate.

So what did you do?

You crawled back on that stage and you lied — by telling the truth.

“I’m worried he’ll talk.” Vague and a lie of omission, and maybe a little throwing your friend under the bus, but Lord have mercy on you, it was truthful.

Lori squeezed her eyes shut. “Me, too. Oh honey, I’m so scared!” she whispered, covering her mouth.

So scared of Shane, just like you are. “Rick won’t hold any of it against you. We all thought he was dead.”

She shook her head and stared at the ground.“But you saw how Shane behaved, you, you heard the things he said, Y/N,” she nearly hissed. “I don’t know who that man was, but it wasn’t Shane, just like when he had m—” then Lori cut off.

“When he had what?”

She shook her head again. “Seems Dale’s on his way over. He told me about what was going on so I could bring your medicine to you. He hadn't known what 'puffer' meant." A look of pure guilt. "And —oh, Y/N, I’m so sorry that you’re worrying yourself like this over my mistakes! It's not fair to you.”

“Your kid ain’t a mistake, it’s so good that they’re here,” you replied in total honesty. First time all day.

Maybe she’ll be honest with you and spill whatever Shane did that she’s not being upfront about. Whatever it is could surely have been described in a sentence. “What else did Shane do, Lore?” It can’t have been that bad, or could it?

All she did was shake her head once more. “Like you said, he hasn’t been himself.

‘Hasn’t been himself.’ Fine. You’ve got secrets, too, so there’s no way on earth that you can cast stones.

You stepped back onstage for hopefully the final time, and made yourself deliver the next lines. “That’s why we’re goin’ to Fort Benning.” Without you all. “Just him and me. Within two weeks, I hope?” The nausea still hadn’t gone away, and simply saying this brought it back.

Her brows sunk caution. “When was this decision made? I-I thought—”

“—I ain’t told him about it yet.” The bitter smile, you hadn’t been able to stifle. “Shouldn’t be hard to convince him, considering he was fixing to not so long ago.”

Lori’s apologetic tone wasn’t a put-on. “I’m so sorry he didn’t tell you. I had no idea you were left in the dark.”

That’s when some tightness came back to your chest, and your breathing turned faster again. “I know, Lore.”

She noticed. “Honey, hey,” she soothed, “breathe slowly, deeply." Her hand cupped your cheek. "His mistakes, his choices, his reactions are not your responsibility.”

“I know, b-but—”

“—And you don’t have to leave with him if you don't want to.”

“But wh—”

“—No buts.” Lori cupped your cheek, stood, and swiftly made toward Dale.

And here is where you hadn’t known she was going to be quite so straightforward with him.

In fact, you’d hoped she’d join you onstage and lie, too, but she behaved beyond reproach. “It was a panic attack, so please make sure to respect her privacy about it. I’ve got to check on the laundry.”

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

Him

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

Funny thing, he’s wearing the same clothes he had his accident in. He’s in the same stuff leaving that he had been when he got carried in there, except now they’re cleaned and mended.

It’s been good to be back outside, he prefers it. He can’t wrap his head around why some people can keep inside in front of a screen all day. You don’t get to hear or feel the wind indoors, can’t hear the birds and all that.

Now, he couldn’t say for sure, but stepping outside and knowing he didn’t have to go back in must feel at least half as good as getting freed from prison.

If prison was a nice-ass farmhouse without the risk of getting shanked or worse, obviously.

Merle would have some words if he heard Daryl say something like that out loud. Though, Merle was pretty settled when he was in lock-up. Fared fine.

His first view when he steps out into freedom is Glenn and the teenage boy kicking the ball around. Those two are straight into it and pay him no mind as he walks around them.

The rest of the group is around the picnic table, looks like they’re sorting laundry (?), therefore ain’t paying him no mind, either.

Phew.

This is good. He was wondering if Y/N was gonna parade him out or make it a big deal, but after hearing her and the other ladies talking in the hallway, she didn’t come back in. Works for him, he doesn’t like a crowd.

…But, like, where is she? He figured she’d be around, is all, but she ain’t by the table.

Ah, yeah, duh — she's probably still doing something with the girl that's about her age and her little sister. Still seems off Y/N and Glenn are only “five or six years younger” than him, but that’s what Y/N has said a few times.

The next thing he sees is Lori, who is swooping down the yard and toward the big rocks where he and T-Dog took a smoke break once. And where Y/N had her first try of a cigarette, too. Lori looks like a woman on a mission, damn. Dale is staring in the direction Lori is walking, those big-ass brows of his slanted downward. Wonder what that's about?

Over the sound of a few leftover end-of-season cicadas, he hears the normal drone of crickets, light talking from the group, the thunk of the ball getting kicked, a very loud crow, some cows mooing, somebody coughing, birds doing their thing, chickens clucking, the wind blowing. Mmm, good stuff. Being inside and hearing it just don’t sound as good as being right out in it.

Then, “Daryl!” comes from his left, and he sees Carol walking to him. She’s a good woman.

And now the memory of her kissing him on the cheek is making his cheeks heat up as quick as she steps toward him.

“I’ll carry those for you,” she quietly insists about his small pile of clothes. He lets her.

She’s been very, um, attentive. Been having most of her meals with him, babying him as much as he’d allow, and all-in-all has been treating him extra after he had his accident.

There are more coughing sounds that he almost pegs as being Y/N’s, but when he looks back in the direction of the noise, there’s no one, just Lori off on her walk, and she wasn't coughing.

“We moved your tent closer to the rest of us, so you would be closer to where we could help you.”

Closer. Great.

Daryl wanted nothing less, but a kind gesture is a kind gesture, so he mans up and acts proper, grunting, “Thank you.” It’s not like they went and messed with his stuff, they just moved the tent, and for a real kind reason.

Glenn rears and kicks, sending the ball soaring. Damn, he's good.

“Now, it may smell and look a little different, but all of your things are still there.”

“Huh?” What’d she mean?

“You deserved a nice, clean place to go back to,” Carol explains. “Y/N and I tidied your tent.”

…

...

…they what?

He gets the weirdest image of himself as being onstage and forgetting whatever it was he was supposed to say next, leaving him standing there like a mouthbreather in front of the audience. And he kinda wants to cuss the audience out.

His first idea after learning Carol and Y/N was: What the hell, y’all been messing with my stuff?? What gives y'all the right?

But, come on, even he had it in him to keep his mouth shut. They’d taken the time and effort to clean up his shit and it was probably as nice as when Carol had worked her magic in the RV. That's damned decent, in fact.

So, Daryl does not act like a jackass, and instead, remembers his lines and thanks Carol again.

“It was no trouble. How about I bring you some more breakfast once you’re settled in?” she quickly offers. See? Very attentive. And he didn’t do shit to have earned it, which made it more uncomfortable.

Aw shit, his cheeks feel all warm again. First around Y/N, now Carol? Maybe there is something to this whole concussion bullshit.

Or, maybe Carol done kissed you on the cheek and said you were a good man and that you did right by her little girl as much as a father should and that’s the best possible thing somebody could be told.

“Do you want some more coffee, too?”

I wanna to be left alone, lady. “Nah, m’great. Thank you.”

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

You

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

“Last night seemed to be an indication summer was officially over. But today,” Dale blows through his lips, “Well, we can already tell it’ll be a warm one.”

“Did we hit the first day of fall, yet? I forgot what date it is today.”

“No, that’s on the 21st. We’ve got some time.”

“Oh, wait!” you squeak (ouch, your throat is still sore from coughing). “Ain’t it the Holy Days for you still?” Rosh Hoshanah was sometime last week, but that one got sort of messed up because of everything that’s been going on.

Oh man, it was the day after Daryl got into his accident, wasn’t it?

Dale’s cordial expression falters. “Yes, it was last week.”

“Yom Kippur is soon then, right?”

“It’s on the 18th this year, yes. Two days away.”

There’s this very insistent raven that’s been cawing away. Or is that a crow? You can’t tell the difference. You can tell that you’ve bummed Dale out, however. “I’ve bummed you out.”

Smiling sadly, he concedes, “Jewish holidays are usually lonely ones in mixed company. And now, especially with it being the holiest time of the year, after everything…” He lifts his shoulders.

“I’ll do the fasting with you so you won’t be alone!” Ow, stop raising your voice so high. “Is it no food or drink at all on that day, or is water okay?”

A happier smile. “No food or drink — barring serious health concerns, of course, in which case, one is required to not fast.”

“No water must suck! When my lot do fasting, water don’t count.”

He nods his head once. “It’s all part of the atonement. It’s considered a blessing for us to fast for it.”

“And the feast after it is fun,” you sigh with a grin. You’ll enlist Carol and Lori to see about making him a yummy fast-breaking meal for the day.

This is what you needed. Dale didn’t press you regarding the panic attack, and has simply been keeping you company by the big rocks. You’ve haven’t had to go back onstage while he’s been sitting with you. You’d probably be content to stay here a good, long time if you didn’t have to use the toilet something major.

“Did you see if there was a pair of suspenders in the bags so you and Mr. Greene can match?”

“Is this your way of saying you’re feeling well enough to head back, or that you need privacy?”

“It’s my way of sayin’ I gotta go potty real bad.” You stand. “Suspenders are pretty cool, you can party like it’s 1899.”

“I actually quite like how suspenders look,” he chuckles, stretching and getting to his feet.

“Mm, they remind me of the Old West, I love ’em.”

Dale and you walk back until reaching the side of the farmhouse, whereupon you excuse yourself to head to the treeline and do your business.

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

Him

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

As soon as the heat starts to sink in, he unbuttons his shirt halfway and kicks his shoes off. Getting the socks off without hurting himself takes some effort, but it’s worth it. His stuff is so squeaky clean and fresh, he wants to avoid sweating the place up too quick.

His old pillowcase is gone, probably scrapped for dishrags seeing as it was pretty worn. In its place is a flower-covered one with soft, thick cotton fabric. There's some phrase about a 'woman's touch' that must apply here. Or, if Merle were here, prime Darylina ammo. Joke's on him, the pillowcase is soft as hell.

And being in there might seem boring, but it's 10 times better than being stuck in a damn bed and listening to music for days on end. Just cloud-watching through his tent window is fun enough for him.

In fact, it’s rad! He’s so psyched to not be in that room anymore!

Cloud watching, playing with his bolts, farting if he's gotta; he's content as can be. Seriously, he’s in such a good mood right now.

But as luck would have it, by the time he’s decided to see how easily a bolt can poke a hole through the mesh window (the answer is very easily, and it’s real satisfying) none other than Andrea herself appears at his tent door. The chick who shot him.

Now, she’s pretty as a picture and then some, but he doesn’t want his belly showing in front of her. If he’d been paying attention and heard her making her way to him, he would’ve buttoned up.

So, he tries out the same tactic as last night, when Carol walked in on him shirtless; maybe by not closing his shirt, she wouldn’t think about it? Or…fuck it, just about everybody has seen some part of him uncovered in the past week. At least there ain’t no scars on this side.

All he’s got to do is make like he’s onstage and that it doesn’t bother him having his literal nipples on display.

“Hey.” Andrea steps into his tent, looking like she is about to eat crow.

She hands him a book. He accepts the maybe peace-offering.

“It’s not that great, but…” she trails off, breathes out, and looks as shamefaced as can be.

Y/N, Carol, and T-Dog all mentioned she’s been kicking her own ass for shooting him. Granted, he’s still a little pissed, and, yeah, real thankful that she’s a shit shot, but — she was trying to protect the group, right? Ain’t even her fault he got stuck in that damn bed. The concussion, split side, and broken ribs did that for him.

He figures he’s gotta make it clear that she’s off the hook without making her feel worse for being let off the hook. And, he thinks he knows just the way to break the tension. It’d got the librarian at his high school to laugh the first time he made the remark, which is probably why he was usually allowed to eat in there during lunch if he asked.

Now, he knows reading is still on the no-go list, don’t worry, Y/N, but he casually holds the book up and flips through the pages.

He’s gotta, it’s the setup.

It’s good that Andrea ain’t said nothing yet, because it’s the perfect opportunity for him to pretend to be dead-serious when he complains, “What, no pictures?”

The joke does the trick. Andrea smiles and relaxes.

“I’m so sorry. I feel like shit,” she starts to go on, but he puts a stop to it.

Tucking the book aside as he settles down onto the pillow, he cuts in, “You and me both.”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me, but, if there’s anything I can do, I—”

He cuts in one more time, “—You were trying to protect the group. We’re good.” He means it.

But, ya know, just because things are chill doesn’t mean he can’t bust her balls a little, right? “But hey,” he stops her as she’s leaving. “Shoot me again, you best pray I’m dead.”

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

You

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

“It went great! Better than I ever expected.” Andrea takes a seat beside you on the log. Judging by the look of serenity on her face, it appears that the monkey she’s had on her back for the past week is finally gone.

“Good, m’glad.” You knew it would be fine, but Andrea was so nervous.

“And I have to say, I can see the appeal now.”

“What appeal?”

“Daryl was,” she thinks on the right word and picks: “Charming.”

Ah. You see what she’s trying to do. “Well, go tell him that, then,” you suggest, cool as a cucumber. She and Dale thought you and he had a romantic thing going on. Lol, nah.

“And he was funny!” she goes on.

You sip your tea. “Mm, he can be.”

“Not angry, or, or nasty.” She closes her eyes and breathes out a sigh of relief. “I was so worried about how it was going be.”

You tilt your head in partial agreement. He can be a dick.

Your job for the rest of the day, so Papa Dale done told you, is to be chill (yes, he used the word ‘chill’ and it was adorable). It’s your only responsibility today, seeing as he joined you when you went to check the highway spot for Sophia. She hasn’t found it, it’s untouched. Again.

So now, your job = keep chill.

“Are you helping with target practice later?”

Oh, right, and there’s that. You suppose you could continue helping Beth with drawing her weapon smoothly, keep drilling her never, ever forget to switch the safety back and forth.

But…okay: maybe today, that isn’t your job. Maybe you need a rest from being onstage. “I think I’m gonna sit today out.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I just need a day,” you answer in too high a pitch.

Andy doesn’t inquire further. “How’s the little fuzzball?” she instead asks.

“Still sleeping,” you coo. The sluggish little chick you’d scooped up while quickly sprinkling feed-corn in order to feel useful is your insurance for keeping chill. Can’t not keep chill with a chick asleep in your lap.

“It must feel nice and safe wrapped up like that.”

“Mm.” The chick is nestled in a dishtowel, half its body also covered by your new cardigan.

“Y/N, have you not gone to visit him yet?”

“Not yet. He’d appreciate some time to himself, I reckon, after a week bein’ stuck in there and visitors and checkups at all hours.”

Glenn’s off doing farm chores with Jimmy, so he’s being kept busy and won’t be a concern. As for you, you’ve got your sleepy chick and are content to stay here on the log. You ate lunch, yet another peach (you’re up to six), just finished the leftover raspberries, and are now washing it all down with some fresh mint tea you made in honor of one of your best friends. She’d make her own mint tea and would call it ‘wild mint’ tea because it sounded exotic.

When Dale mentioned today’s date, you remembered it was her birthday. She was the most confident girl you’d ever met, and a sweetheart to boot. You really hope she’s alive.

Andrea chuckles to herself. “I gave him that terrible book to keep him occupied.”

Book?? To Daryl? But the concussion! “A book?”

“I brought him The Case of the Missing Man,” she shares with a grin. “He can join the survivor’s club of those who’ve read it — Y/N, is something wrong?”

“Oh, um, nah, it’s all good, uh,” you are fumbling so hard right now. Cool, you’re feeling lightheaded again, cool cool.

It’s all cool. There’s no fire. Stay chill. “I’m gonna pop over and make sure he ain’t cracked into it yet, he’s, it’s, it’s not safe yet. C-Concussion and all.” Listen to you, smooth like butter.

“Oh shit.”

“Andy, don’t sweat. Even if he did start on it, like,” and you pause, because, “I don’t actually know what can go wrong, I didn’t ask Miss Patricia, but I’m sure it ain’t nothing serious!” You cup the (awoken and now loudly peeping) chick between your hands as you book it (pun intended?) to Daryl’s tent.

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

Him

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

For Y/N to glide over wearing a pretty dress, hair all fancy, and holding some little bird was not something he put on his bingo sheet.

“Hiya, Daryl.”

It takes him a second. “Hey.” He ain't never seen her in a dress.

And with that little bird, he gets the image in his head of her bursting into song and the farm animals and forest critters doing a musical number with her.

He’ll *ahem* keep that to himself...

“I hope you’re enjoyin’ your new freedom! Mi—”

“—Who’s the little guy?” he had to ask first.

“It's a chick.”

Clearly. “Why?”

“It’s cute.”

She ain’t wrong. “…Can I see?”

“Yeah, it's adorable!”

He begins to get up, but she steps over faster than he can stand. She kneels beside his cot and, delicately, transfers the wrapped chick into his hands. Carefully, he unwraps the washcloth around it and slips his hand underneath it so sits on his palm with its teeny legs dangling through his fingers. It’s peeping like it’s getting paid for it, holy shit it’s so fucking cute.

“I came here wonderin’ if I might I borrow the, uh, the book Andrea just lent you?”

Ha, called it! The second Y/N found out he had contraband, she came to the rescue.

The chick quiets down, appearing to relax in his hand. His hand must be good and warm for it.

Maybe it’s because he’s in a good mood, but he smiles like a dipshit for a few moments before saying anything. “Nah, I wouldn’t dream of checking it out ’til you said it was fine.”

“Oh ha-ha,” she play-mocks, assuming he wasn’t being serious.

Eh, okay, maybe he was sorta razzing her, too. But he wants to come out on the other side of this whole concussion bullshit on the up, and if reading is still off-limits, it’s still off limits. He’s not gonna full-on disregard somebody who gives a shit.

“How’d ya end up dressed like that?” is his second question while he pets the chick lightly along its head using the feathers on his bolt.

“I wear this, like, all the time.”

“Oh right, yeah, you do,” he sarcastically responds. He tries to reach with his left arm to pick up the book under his cot, but gets a sharp twinge and surrenders that he can’t do that move yet.

Y/N snorts at the sarcasm and tells him straight, “The Greenes had some giveaways, so Beth gave me this outfit. Oh, thank you,” she says when he instead points in the direction of the book. She picks it up and hugs it to herself. “I do believe Carol put a few things aside for you to try on, too.”

“’Kay.”

Y/N looks pretty.

It’s nothing new, obviously her face is nice, but it's the whole blushing thing that keeps happening to Daryl's face that's annoying. Seems he's started blushing like a belle over all the damn women in camp these days. That really was some smack to the head he got.

He’s imagining himself as being back onstage again, forgetting his lines. He can make something up on the spot: “How you gonna search in that?”

“Ain’t like my ankles are tied together. Women have always been able to move, play, do manual labor of all sorts in dresses, corsets, stays, stockin’s, you name it,” she serves back with just enough fire that his belly did one of those good flippy-floppys. “That reminds me, Nervous Nelly came back! Did any of us tell you? She’s fine as can be, I fed her half a peach yesterday!”

Some of them baby hairs around her face are coming out of the braids. Her skin's got a sheen to it. And did she put pink stuff on her cheeks or something? Or is that because she was moving around a lot and it’s gotten warm out? Because her lips don’t look like there’s nothing on them but they’re nice and —

“—Dare, you okay?”

“Yeah. Tired.”

“You must be.” Why is she frowning? “You looked like you’d just got hypnotized or — you sure you feel normal?”

“M’fine, I just spaced out.”

She’s gonna have him do a thing, isn’t she? “Follow my finger for a little, please?” Ah-ha, see?

Pointer finger extended, he goes along with it for the 10 or so seconds it takes for the slight crease between her eyebrows to relax.

“Please stick out your tongue for me?” is her next request and, uh, why?

Well, he goes ahead and does it for her anyway. The hook ’em horns he makes at the same time are a sure sign he’s in a good-ass mood.

Y/N lets herself smile, then elaborates: “If it came out tilted, it’s a sign of stroke.”

Stroke? That’s a little much.“C’mon, you’re worried I had a stroke?”

She nods once. Her chest expands big as if she were inhaling really deep. “A smoker, extended bed rest, head trauma,” she quietly counts.

Is he hearing things, or does her breathing sound a little too fast?

“Can you point your toes three times?”

He point his toes three times, and yes, her breathing is a little too fast.

“Now please lift both arms parallel to the bed.”

He lifts both arms. The baby chicken is sleeping now and doesn’t wake with the motion.

“Okay,” Y/N whispers to herself.

“Tell me you’re not stressing out about nothin’.”

She blinks a few times and deadpans, “I would never.”

“Here,” he holds the chick near her face. “Get zen like this pipsqueak.”

“But you ain’t ‘nothing’ and you are at an elevated stroke risk.”

He’s only got the one word for her: “Zen.” The hovering motion he made with the chick was a fun touch, the little thing didn’t even mind.

Her expression suggests she’s trying to not smile, and, in a move he doesn’t anticipate, she leans forward to rub her nose on its beak. Her lips brush against his fingertips when she does, and his train of thought derails.

Next thing, her hands are overlapping his as she gently takes the chick back and re-wraps it in the washcloth. “’Lil buddy you’re fine, you’re fine,” she coos. “I’ll grab you the hand sanitizer and leave you to some peace, alright man?” she addresses to Daryl, who's still a little distracted, so a grunt and a chin tilt is how he acknowledges this.

Merle would be laughing his ass off right now, goddamn. ‘Sweet lil virgin Darylina’ sounds about what he’d be cackling about.

Y/N flips open the cap with her thumb and squirts the hand stuff onto his palm. Smells like lemons.

So, he didn’t have that stuff before, meaning she’d likely been the one to put it in there when she’d cleaned his tent with Carol. “Hey, um, thanks for the surprise.” Damn, he’s awkward. Smells way better in here.”

“Carol is so wanting to help you in any way she can. I was in it just to see you end up with that pretty floral pillowcase. I had to stop her from hangin' the matching curtains,” she snickers, then waves him goodbye and, boom, leaves.

So…how long until his heartbeat and head stop racing?

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

You

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

Yet another stage performance today. You had to act like you weren’t distracted by how boyishly charming Daryl looked lounging there with his shirt unbuttoned to his hecking waist, good Moses. But like, the way he snuggled the chick, and how your legit lips bumped into his fingers?? It was an accident! Ohh, but how he'd noticed your panicking so was all soothing and stuff...

Dude, and you were trying to sit like a dainty lady the whole time, too, what a poser.

Still, you think you were convincing in your latest stage performance. Oscar-worthy. Golden Globe. Emmy. Tony. Somebody hook you up with your EGOT.

Oh, and that little jab at his new pillowcase, aw yes, that was top tier friendzoning!

Or — oh, it wasn’t interpreted as flirting, right? No way did you intend that! And, hold up, there's no way he'd even care. It's Daryl.

Eh, you've earned a B- so far at being chill. You've got to get that grade up.

So, you are going to go pick fruit, alone, and you’re going to stuff your face because the show is over, you’re off stage for the rest of the day!

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

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[cjlouwho]

The Clarity

The final part of my Meeting the Parents series! You can start from the beginning here, and read the final part below or on ao3. Each part can be read separately, but it makes more sense if you read them all.

They had just made it out of The Gables and onto paved road when Buck couldn't stay silent any longer. He had been staring down at the photo album, listening to Tommy sniff and suck in breaths every now and then. And judging by the fact he was occasionally swerving slightly off the road, it was easy to assume his eyes were blurred with tears.

“Tommy,” he started, his voice soft yet assertive, “you need to pull over.”

Tommy sniffed again. His grip on the wheel tightened. “No, I'm okay.”

There was no way he could drive all the way home like this, and no way that Buck was going to let him. “Tommy,” he repeated. He looked over at him, noted the red-rimmed eyes and his trembling lip. Buck reached out and touched his shoulder, stroking his thumb back and forth over the muscle. “Babe, pull over.”

Buck wasn't sure if it was the touch, or the pet name, but the dam Tommy had been building up burst. He pulled over to the side of the road just as the tears started to fall.

He leaned forward, shoulders shaking. He rested his hands and head against the steering wheel.

The photo album was quickly dropped to the floorboard. Buck unbuckled and raised the center console so he could scoot into the middle seat and wrap himself around Tommy. It was an awkward angle, but one arm wrapped around his waist, while the other rubbed up and down his back. He laid his head against Tommy's shoulder and held him.

They were like that for awhile. Silent except for the occasional gasp of breath from Tommy. Buck didn't try to stop him, didn't try to silence his cries. He just maintained his hold, and wished more than anything he could go back to the Kinard's place and knock Frank out.

It took a few minutes for Tommy's breathing to return to normal. Buck moved away just enough for him to sit up, but kept a hand on his back.

“I don't know why I'm crying,” Tommy admitted, pressing his palms against his eyes. “I'm not even sad, I'm angry.”

“That's understandable. He- He's an easy man to get angry at.”

“I don't even think it's him I'm angry at. It's me.”

Buck's eyebrows furrowed. “You? Why would you be mad at yourself?”

Another wipe of the eyes and Tommy turned to Buck, who looked all kinds of concerned. “I should have known better, Evan,” he said. “I led you in there blind, and I... I should have known better.”

“You told me they were unpredictable.” Buck shrugged. “You weren't wrong.”

“The last few times I've gone, Dad's been mostly silent. Even when mom threw that frying pan at his head, it wasn't because of anything he said, it was because he kept trying to stumble toward her and tickle her. I thought,” he let out a humorless laugh, “I thought if I brought you with me, showed them how good we are together, they'd be happy for me. For us.”

There were so many things Buck wanted to say, but none of them sounded right. None of them would fix anything.

Instead of I'm sorry or you know I love you, right the thing that came out of Buck's mouth was, “Let's get a motel.”

Tommy blinked once, twice, three times at him. “What?”

“Let's get a motel,” he repeated. “We don't have work tomorrow. Let's be spontaneous, drive to the nearest motel, do some sightseeing in the morning.”

“There's not really much to see here.”

“Oh, I'm sure there is. All the crappy motels have those stands with the brochures. We'll close our eyes and pick something.” Buck leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of Tommy's mouth before moving back to his seat. “You want me to drive?”

Tommy, still trying to figure out what was happening, stared out the windshield at the vast amount of nothingness around them. “We don't have any stuff.”

“Please, we have emergency bags in both cars. Clothes, toiletries, first aid kits, whatever we need is back there.”

That was true. Seeing as they were both a bit disaster prone, they had started leaving a duffel for each of them in both vehicles. Whether it was a natural disaster, or manmade, they'd be prepared.

Still, Tommy had questions. “Why are we doing this?”

Buck reached out, wrapped his hand around Tommy's wrist, giving him a pleading look. “Does sitting at home for the rest of the afternoon sound intriguing to you? It'll be fun, Tommy. We'll be like cowboys on the run.”

*****

Cowboys on the run turned into a thirty minute drive toward an overpriced stay at a lackluster motel just off the highway named Frederico's Sleep n' More. “I don't even wanna know what the more stands for,” Tommy mumbled when they walked into the room.

Evan had intended to use the restroom and return to Tommy all perky and ready for whatever adventure awaited them in whatever town they were in now. But as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom he was met with Tommy lying on top of the bed, feet dangling off the edge, not asleep but eyes closed. He looked relaxed, which was a relief, but Buck couldn't help the sadness that overcame him at the sight. This man who drove three hours just to help his parents out for the day being treated like garbage. Almost worse actually, because garbage once served a purpose, and it seemed to them that Tommy never did.

Buck walked to the bed, toeing off his shoes before gently letting his body dip beside Tommy.

Tommy, eyes still closed, laid out his arm. A silent ask for Buck to curl up beside him.

He never had to be asked twice.

Once Buck was tucked into Tommy's side, head resting on his chest, Tommy folded his arm over him. The soft scratches up and down his back had Buck closing his own eyes, humming out a sigh of contentment.

“Can I ask you a weird question?” Buck asked. He rested a hand over Tommy's pec, and Tommy brought his free one up to wrap around it.

“Always.”

“Did- When you got hurt, did your mom or dad ever get you things? Like, to try and make you feel better?”

Tommy didn't even have to think about it. “No. My mom would get me a couple things for my birthday and Christmas, usually clothes. And the only thing I remember my dad ever buying me was a football when I was like ten, I think. He got pissed when I accidentally broke our window on a throw, so I didn't mess with it much after that. I did have to do a lot of odd jobs around the neighborhood to earn money for the new window though.”

“Did he...” Buck hesitated, and Tommy squeezed his hand.

“You can ask anything,” Tommy assured him.

“Your mom said he'd hit you sometimes, like when you'd get into trouble. Did he then?”

Tommy stiffened for a moment, and Buck almost regretted asking. “Yeah, he did. The belt was his favorite form of discipline.”

Buck sat up on his elbow so he could look at Tommy. “Even though it was an accident?” He couldn't imagine getting hit as a child, or hitting a child, regardless of whether the act was intentional or incidental.

Tommy squinted his eyes open just enough to see Evan. “Dad always said the best way to never make the same mistake twice was to remember the pain from the first time.”

Buck didn't even know what to say. No matter how distant and neglectful his parents might have been, he was never afraid of them. Never had to worry about being hit. He laid back on the bed, tugging Tommy over to him. They settled into their new positions, Buck with his arms wrapped around Tommy, Tommy with his head on Buck's chest and an arm draped over his waist.

“Do you remember that double wide across the street?” Tommy asked.

“Mhm.”

“Mrs. Thompson lived there when I was growing up. She had three kids, all girls and they were a few years older than me, but she liked me. She'd let me come over and do my homework at her dining room table. Her yard had grass and she'd let me play out back whenever I wanted. And when my dad would get really pissed at me, she'd let me hide out at her place until I saw the light turn off in my parents bedroom. That's how I'd know they were asleep, and I'd sneak back in my own bedroom window.”

“Did you ever get caught?”

“No. I'm sure they knew, but they never bothered to act like they cared. My dad did come to Mrs. Thompson's house a couple times looking for me, but she'd always say she hadn't seen me. She'd also tell him to get off her property because his breath was gonna stink up her whole house." Tommy snorted at the memory.

“She sounds like a good woman.”

“Mhm,” Tommy hummed, “she was. I used to pretend I was her kid. I'd say my name was Tommy Thompson. Thought it sounded better than Kinard. I swore that one day I'd grow up and have a home just like hers. Her girls were always happy, they all laughed together. Her husband worked a lot, but he was nice too. He played guitar and he'd let me sit with his girls and listen while Mrs. Thompson cooked dinner. Their house always smelled so good and clean. I- I wanted that so bad.”

“What happened to them?”

“Mr. Thompson died from a heart attack when I was about thirteen. That was rough, but Mrs. Thompson was so strong through all of it. She died while I was in Iraq; I didn't find out until after I got home. I was devastated. I'm not sure about their daughters.”

“They sounded like wonderful people,” Buck said. “I would have loved to meet them.”

“They would have loved you,” Tommy replied. He was sure of it too. “Anyone with half a brain would love you.”

Buck laughed at that, beginning to run his fingers through Tommy's hair.

The conversation died down there. Tommy never stayed awake very long when his head was getting rubbed. A couple of minutes and he was out like a light.

Buck couldn't sleep though. His heart still ached for Tommy, both present and past.

He was once a boy in desperate need of love. A mom to hug him, a dad to teach him. He didn't get either of those things.

He was a burden. That's all. A burden that neither parent ever really wanted in the first place. A mouth they had to feed, a body they had to clothe, a soul they had to provide for.

He was once a teenager, quiet and reserved. Too smart for his own good. Never congratulated for his accomplishments, never told he'd done a good job. Never guided down a path, but forced in one direction when he didn't make the right choices at seventeen years old.

He was once man who had resigned himself to never having love. Cut himself off to happiness and let anger and hatred bubble up inside of him. Pushed people away because the people he always cared about either didn't care about him or they left him somehow, even if they didn't mean to.

And now he was a man that, despite all of that, held endless love in his own heart. Who Jee called the “best hug giver”, much to Buck's dismay. Who would do anything for his friends, risking his own life without a second thought. Who calmed children at the scene of a four alarm fire when they didn't know if their mom had made it, and stayed with them until they'd all been reunited. Who stayed up all night when Buck was sick with the flu because the only thing that helped his nausea was for his back to be rubbed.

And everything started to make sense. It was clear why Tommy clung to the Buckley's the way he did. Why he was always ready and willing to hop on a helicopter to take Phillip to a game, or make sure Margaret was in town on one specific weekend to go to Carrizo Plain and look at the wildflowers. It made sense that he happily and quickly accepted that the Buckley's were trying, were actually making an effort to be there for their children now, even if was a bit late.

Late was better than never, and Buck had a feeling Tommy's own parents would never be making the effort that his own were.

It didn't make Buck magically forget his own turbulent past with his mom and dad. He'd still feel that twinge of jealousy when they'd laugh a little harder at Tommy's jokes, or listen to his stories a bit more intently. He'd still get a little annoyed at Tommy when he didn't notice.

But he did understand it now, which had been half the battle to begin with.

Carefully, as not to wake Tommy, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to do some research.

*****

Nearly two hours passed before Tommy started to stir. He lifted his head, glaring around the room in confusion until he remembered where he was at. He shifted so he could look at Buck, who was smiling at him softly. Buck loved how Tommy looked when he first woke up. His hair a curly mess, a little drool on his lips, eyelashes fluttering with every blink. And that rough voice when he'd first speak.

“Hi.”

Yeah. Just like that.

“Hi yourself. Get some good rest?”

Tommy nodded, pushing himself off of Buck but remaining by his side. “Mhm.” He rubbed his eyes, and did a little yawn as he stretched. “D'you sleep?”

“No. Had too much fun watching you.”

Buck was pleased by the smile that washed over Tommy's face. “M'hungry,” he said, rubbing a hand over his stomach.

Buck laughed. “Go freshen up and we'll find someplace for dinner.”

Tommy leaned over, a bringing his fingers just under Buck's chin, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Mm,” Buck moaned cheerfully as they parted. “What was that for?”

“Just love you.”

“I love you too.”

With one final kiss, Tommy got up and headed for the bathroom.

Buck took a screenshot of the website he had up on his phone. A reminder for himself to talk to Tommy about it during dinner. During his research, he'd found they were having a tulip festival outside of Los Angeles in a few weeks, and Buck was sure his mom would like to go.

[baronessvonglitter]

Law of Attraction ~ Chapter 4

Rom Con AU divorce lawyer!Dave York x fem!Reader

Word count: 2,759

Summary: You and Dave naturally become closer in a friendship comprised of two lonely people.

WARNINGS: Rated T. No smut, but there is brief mention of a fantasy (nothing described). Dave is a capital S - Simp! No physical infidelity but definitely an emotional affair. Fluff. Idiots falling in love and they don't even know it yet. No use of y/n.

Author's note: I wanted to give these two some more time together to let their romance blossom. They keep going on dates that are not dates but are totally dates. I want to thank everyone who's shown love for this lil series of mine, which is honestly such a surprise because I wrote it thinking people would pan it. I will strive to keep bringing y'all some rom com goodness 🩷

Series Masterlist

Out of sight, out of mind. But even when you're not in sight, you're still on Dave's mind.

He starts his morning early, a brisk run through the park, a shower, selecting a suit for that day, rifling through the abundance of ties he has on a spinning rack in the walk-in close he shares with Carol.

Nine times out of ten she disapproves, making a face when he comes down, swiftly putting down her tea so she can remove whatever color or print has offended her eyes and telling him which one to wear. Though he's a lawyer he's not going to argue with his wife. He goes upstairs and switches it out for the one Carol wants.

Breakfast is usually had on the go, but he makes sure the girls get to school with something nutritious in their bellies, walking them to the school doors and kissing the tops of their heads before they disappear inside. He's aware of the looks some of the mothers and even the teachers give him, and he gives a friendly wave or smile to each, but he's not thinking about their smiles and sultry 'good morning' greetings.

He thinks about you more often than he should, considering you're no longer his client. But he appreciates that you promote his services on the corkboard near the register at your bakery.

A smile stays on his face all day when you send over a thank-you gift of an assortment of bagels and muffins, complete with flavored cream cheese, butter, and jam. It's the most thoughtful thing anyone's done for him in a long time, made concrete when he spots a special blueberry muffin in a separate pastry box from the others, with a little note tucked inside:

I can't thank you enough, Dave. I'll always appreciate what you've done for me. Your name is signed on the bottom.

There's a slight scent on the paper, probably the perfume on your wrist that rubbed off as you wrote the note. He presses it to his lips just briefly.

He goes to your cafe every morning, heart racing, gut twisting with anticipation of seeing you. He subtly checks himself in the window before going in, making sure his hair looks okay and his tie is straight.

On the days he doesn't see you there, disappointment sits heavy in his chest, similar to a kind of heartbreak, as he orders his coffee and heads across the street to work.

He tries not to look overeager when he does see you behind the counter, though he feels the blood rush to his face (and even lower, if he's honest). Sure, he's found other women attractive, but he hasn't had a crush since high school.

And that's just what this is - a crush.

You're beautiful and kind and funny and smart. And single.

And he's married.

Still, it's not a crime to get a coffee and a raspberry danish just because the owner is a stunning and sweet former client.

You greet him with a smile that's different from others, special, set aside, more genuine. And he returns that smile. You've stopped insisting he doesn't need to pay, and take his credit card with a little smirk as you spy him putting money in the tip jar.

"What? Business is obviously terrible," he returns your smirk, glancing back at the line that's formed, that forms every day in fact. You haven't had a bad business day in awhile, and he's happy to be a small part of your patronage.

Every day is too much, right? It's not like you have much time to chat anyway. A quick hello, do anything fun over the weekend, hope you have a good day.

He makes the choice to go just three days a week. He's worried he might come off as a stalker, some deranged guy wanting your attention because you're single now. On the days he doesn't come to your cafe he stays at the office, puts his coffee order in with a group DoorDashing from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, and it never tastes the same as yours.

It doesn't help that you're suddenly gone for a week. Then two. The last time you'd been absent was right after your breakup with that asshole Javier, and he worries about you. In between meetings and consultations, he finds your file with your phone number, but thinks twice about calling or texting you.

The next time he's at the cafe he casually asks the young man at the register, "Hey, I haven't seen the big boss in awhile," and the cashier tells him your on a vacation with your family.

He's grateful you're okay, and glad you're enjoying yourself after all you've been through so far. But it doesn't really ease the ache that gnaws at him like a fresh bruise that has yet to turn an odd color.

It takes him completely by surprise when, the next time he does see you, you pull him aside to show him your photos from the cruise you took with your parents and siblings, turquoise-polished thumb swiping gracefully over photos of you with your family posing in front of a huge cruise ship; some scenery shots of the ocean and pink sands of the Bahamas; and others of you hanging out on the pool deck sipping a fruity orange drink, a beatific smile on your lips. Dave gives a small cough when he sees one of you in your swimsuit, obviously just a selfie and not meant to be seen by him. He blushes as you click out of the photos.

"Sorry, I guess I just wanted to tell someone how it went," you tell him, putting your phone away.

"Don't be sorry. Looks like you had fun."

"I was a little seasick the first few days. It was awful," you laugh.

"I know how you feel. My wife and I took the kids on one of those Disney cruises last year, and I'd never been happier to set foot on dry land."

He asks you more about the sights, the beaches, the restaurants. There's nothing better than the smile that lights up your face as you talk about your experiences, and he hangs onto every word.

Suddenly there's a buzzing in his pocket. He reaches quickly for his phone and learns he's late for a meeting with a new client. He curses quietly. "I have to go," he apologizes. "We should catch up later."

"Lunch tomorrow?" It's hard for him to ignore the hopefulness in your voice, the notes of which sing straight into his heart.

"Tomorrow," he nods and smiles, heading out.

It's just supposed to be one lunch. Just two people who know each other and get along well. Just friends, but even Dave doesn't dare to let his mind venture too far into any further possibilities because of the fact that you're vulnerable.

Dave wants to feel guilty for monopolizing your free time, especially considering the way he feels about you. But then one lunch turns into two, and then three. and it becomes the most natural thing in the world to meet with you for an hour or so during the day. There's a significance in carving out time for each other that neither of you mention as an easy, genuine affinity blooms between you.

He's never texted another woman simply because he wants to. Everything has been business related, but he catches the way his heart skips a beat when he receives a text from you. Due to the nature of his work he keeps some privacy by only showing your name and not the message itself on his home screen. It's usually something related to your plans:

I heard that new sandwich place is really good. We should lunch there soon.

I'm trying out a new muffin recipe. Stop by tomorrow and tell me what you think.

They're featuring Monet at the museum this week and I'd love to get you in for free again!

It's not a date, but quite reminiscent of one when he does meet you on the front steps of the museum. His hand naturally rests on the small of your back, a gesture born of protectiveness and intimacy. You don't smell of roses this time, but something softer, sweeter, indefinably you. Dressed all in pink, from the casual long sleeve shirt and sequined skirt to the flowers you're idly twirling in your fingers, you look like a dream.

He never feels at peace unless he's in your presence, a fact which he tries like hell not to think about. You're not even trying to be alluring, and that's the hard part. If you'd make a move he'd politely sidestep it (or at least he tells himself he would) but you're just friendly, approachable, sweet.

You watch the art and Dave watches you. Your profile, the way your eyes squint slightly when you're really trying to see the details of the paintings, the quick pink tongue that peeks out to wet your lips now and then. And when you catch him staring at you, you have the audacity to smile, give him a playful shove. It could be your slight warning, your reminder that he's married and you're friends. But he doesn't mind the contact, as brief as it is.

As he walks you to your car it starts pouring down rain. Sans umbrella, he whisks you under the nearest canopy to wait out the sudden shower.

"How did you know I wanted to see a movie?" you tease him, and he looks up to see you're taking shelter under a marquee heralding classic films.

"Shall we?" he asks, and after purchasing two tickets you find your way inside. The theater is cozy and warm as The Apartment plays onscreen. Your fingers touch while you share the popcorn bucket, and he chuckles when you get brain freeze from your cherry icee.

"Are you okay?" he asks, slipping his arm around your shoulders. It's an involuntary act that doesn't register until he feels the warmth of your body under his touch and he tenses around you for a moment.

He's tempted to leave it there for the rest of the movie, but he knows how it would sound if someone saw him here with you and it got back to Carol. He could probably talk his way out of it if she ever questioned him, but he also knows she's so preoccupied with her own life that she'd be completely oblivious if he were to bring you home and do ungentlemanly things to you in front of her.

"What does she do?" you ask as you're sharing a post-movie snack at the cafe. It's near closing time and you've whipped up Monte Cristo sandwiches and hot herbal tea. ("I just love tea after a good rain," you'd told him, and he stashed away that little fact in his ever-growing file of you in his brain.)

"Carol's a hospital director at Mercy Memorial," he says, hoping that saying her name out loud will ward off the thoughts he's having about you.

"That sounds pretty important. A lawyer and a hospital director.." you sip your drink, letting the heat from the cup warm your hands.

"She likes taking charge and making decisions," he shrugs. "I guess you could say it suits her."

You'd brought her up simply because you felt you needed to. Spending all this extra time with someone whose wife you weren't even acquainted with was starting to feel like a secret you could never spill. You thought about all the women you know Javier had been involved with, knowing he was taken. Did they ever stop and think about you and how their actions would hurt you?

Then again, you doubt any of Javier's whores had daydreamed over Monet paintings with him, or shared a laugh over an old black and white film. They likely never ran through rain sprinkles or cooked a late night meal together.

But it doesn't necessarily make you innocent.

"What would she say about us.. hanging out?"

Dave really thinks about the question. "I don't know, " he says at last. "She might not even care."

"Don't say that," you tell him immediately. "She's been with you for so long. She obviously loves you and the girls." When Dave goes quiet over this, you fill the silence before it can become awkward. "Sorry.. I didn't mean to put a damper on our day."

Our day. Dave has to smile at the comforting sound those words have."I'm sorry," he says. "I wish I knew what was going on in Carol's head. It sometimes feels like we're in a chess match and she's playing by a different set of rules that's never existed before."

You lean forward in your seat, listening.

"She's a control freak," he says at last. "She works too much and criticizes people for what they lack. I proposed to her when I was in law school and she refused, saying she wanted to be engaged to an actual attorney. She wouldn't say yes until I passed the bar."

That should have been the first red flag, he knows that now. But he was young and in love. Carol had first dated Dave's college roommate before things went sour with them. Now he knows she just wanted to marry status.

"She hated that I changed fields. Criminal law is where most of us can make a name for ourselves, but I wanted something else. She gave me the cold shoulder for three weeks when I switched to family law." He chuckles at it now, but at the time he felt like nothing he could do was ever good enough for her. Any time he was happy she seemed to be the opposite.

"And then the kids came and every perspective I had changed. Children can bring a couple together. But more often they split you apart."

"Alice and Molly are great," you tell him, sensing he needs some positive reassurance. "They're such sweet kids."

Dave agrees smiling. "And how are you doing? How's living on your own for the first time?"

A dry, bitter chuckle leaves you. "I'm considering getting a cat. But I know I'd pick up stray after stray.. I'm continually one cat away from being the Crazy Lonely Cat Woman."

"You should get a dog," he says.

"Do you have one?"

He shakes his head. "Can't. Carol's allergic."

"Then I'll definitely get one. We'll pick out a dog together and I'll keep it at my place, and you can come and visit whenever you want."

"That actually sounds like a nice idea.."

"What kind of dog should we get? A nice golden retriever? Labradoodle? Shiba Inu?"

"I'm pretty sure that last one's made up," he smirks. And yet it feels so normal, discussing something so domestic with you, and the thought of sharing any kind of space with you sets a new beat to his heart, as if redirecting and resetting it.

Later after you've closed up he walks you to your car. There's a chill in the air and you've rolled your sleeves down. You've put the pink flowers you had from earlier that day in your purse. When you release them they fill the air between you with their fragrance. "Give these to Carol," you tell him, hating to waste the last of their beauty forgotten on your dashboard.

"And, do me another favor, Dave?" He turns back to you when you call out.

You smile, holding his gaze a little longer. "Wear blue more often. It brings out your eyes.."

Carol doesn't come home until after Dave is already awake. She either ignores or doesn't notice the flowers he left on her pillow, and it pleases him to have a reminder of you in his own bed, as if you've already made your mark on something so intimate.

Later when he comes downstairs in a navy suit and royal blue tie, he ignores Carol's critical stare as he grabs an apple from the counter.

"Darling, change something about that suit. You look like you're going to a wedding."

He shakes his head, enjoying the look on his wife's face when he refuses to comply. "I like it. Blue's my color."

"At least get that ridiculous wilted flower out of your pocket."

He pats the pink bloom you gave him the night before, a small symbol of his insubordination and leaves without saying anything, pulling out his phone to text you good morning.

dividers by @strangergraphics 👑

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[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 18, Unread - Pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, Explicit Sexual Content Minors: GTFO; I don’t serve your kind here. (hand stuff), mentions of sex.

Word Count: 1.1k

Previously On...: Bucky came home from his mission and woke you up in the most pleasant way possible.

A/N: Why can't I say no to you people? SUPRISE DROP

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when I update, please enable notifications from my Blog page!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

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You woke up the next morning with a pleasantly familiar ache between your legs. True to his word, you had, after the fifth or sixth time, had to beg him to stop. You’d lost count of how many orgasms he’d managed to coax out of you, but you’d been too sensitive to continue any further, and the sky was already lightening with the promise of dawn when you’d both finally succumbed to sleep.

“Mornin’” Bucky whispered into your hair, planting a kiss to your head.

“Morning, Buck,” you greeted back, snuggling closer to his chest. “Can we just stay in bed all day and play last night on repeat?”

Bucky chuckled. “As much as I’d love to, doll,” he said, “I’ve gotta do a mission debrief with Steve and Tony at some point today.” At the sight of your pout, he added “But we can make them wait a little while longer.”

You kissed lazily for awhile, welcoming the familiar sensation of being next to one another once more, physically and emotionally, but soon your hands drifted lower, and before you knew it, you had one hand wrapped around his dick while he had one of his buried in your cunt, your thigh draped over his.

Neither one of you spoke or broke eye contact as you brought each other to completion yet again, and though you technically weren’t having actual sex, it felt like the single most erotic experience the two of you had ever shared. 

“Holy shit,” panted Bucky as he pressed his forehead to yours. “That was so fucking hot.”

Your chest heaved with your own heavy breaths. “We should do that all the time,” you agreed. 

“I love you,” he kissed you again.

“I love you,” you whispered back to him when the kiss broke.

Bucky cleared his throat, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “I was thinking.”

“Well, that sounds unfortunate,” you joked, but his face remained serious.

“We should leave here,” he said, not quite meeting your gaze.

Your face turned puzzled. “What do you mean? Like, actually take that vacation we talked about?”

“Well, yeah, but no.” Bucky huffed. “I mean, we should leave the Tower. Get a place, just the two of us. Really start over proper, without everyone else always around.”

“Bucky Barnes,” you grinned at him, “are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Would it be so bad?” he asked back. “Think about it– a place of our own, that we could make into a home. Where we could create brand new memories. Maybe think about starting a family.”

That took you by surprise. “You mean, like, have kids?” 

“Only if you wanted to!” Bucky said hastily. “I’d never force you into anything you didn’t want to do. I know we never talked about it but, if I was gonna do it, I’d only ever wanna do it with you.”

You sat up. This was now too serious a conversation to be had lying down. And naked, probably, but you didn’t make a move to get dressed. “I… I honestly never really thought about it, Buck. About having kids.”

“You don’t have to decide anything right now, sweetheart,” Bucky sat up to join you. “I’m not tryin’ pressure you into anything. And I wouldn’t want kids until after we were married for a little bit, anyway. It’s just… somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ about.”

“Married?” you asked him, eyebrows raised.

Bucky’s cheeks colored. “Well, I’m not sayin’ tomorrow, or the day after, but come on, doll! You gotta know you’re it for me. Ya think I haven’t been dreamin’ ‘bout callin’ you Mrs. Barnes since the day I met you?”

You nudged him playfully with your shoulder. “You dirty liar.”

Bucky’s body immediately tensed at your words. “Why do you think I’m lyin’?”

“The day you met me? Come on, Barnes.”

“Oh,” Bucky let out a shaky exhale, “it was definitely that day. I remember thinkin’ to myself ‘Always did want a wife who made awful jokes.’”

You had no idea if he was being serious or not, but it was sweet all the same. “You sure you didn’t always want a wife who did all the housework and had a pot roast waiting for you every day when you got home from the office?”

“Pfft,” Bucky waved away the thought. “Obedient, submissive women are overrated. Gimme a sassy girl with a dirty mouth and a heart of gold anyday.”

You laughed at that and then bit your lip, considering. “Yeah, okay,” you said after a moment.

Bucky’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Really, doll? You’ll marry me?”

You barked out a laugh. “Whoa, slow down, Casanova! I’m agreeing to getting our own place! You wanna marry me, you’re gonna have to go through the trouble of putting together a real proposal. Our engagement story is not going to be ‘well, we lying were in bed after jacking each other off, and then he said ‘we could get married, if you want.’’ I am far too classy for that.”

It was Bucky’s turn, now, to laugh. “Yeah, alright, sweets. You deserve something special, anyway. You deserve the world.” He kissed your shoulder. “I’ll think of something that’s gonna knock your socks off.”

“Looking forward to it, Barnes,” you said, your heart feeling both fuller and simultaneously lighter than it ever had before.

The two of you went back to kissing (and maybe fucking once or twice) when, eventually, Bucky’s phone buzzed. He stole a quick glance at the screen (thankfully, this time, he did not currently have his dick inside of you). 

“It’s Steve,” he said, picking it up to read the message. “He wants to debrief in twenty.” Putting the phone back down, Bucky reached for you again, but you gently pushed him away. “What?” he whined, looking pitifully rejected.

“Buck, you reek of sex,” you warned him. “If I can smell it on you, you know Steve will, too. Go take a shower so you don’t traumatize your best friend!”

“But I thought you liked it when I smelled like sex, baby,” Bucky rubbed his body playfully against yours. 

“I do,” you agreed, “but that doesn’t mean that everyone else will!” With a grumble, Bucky turned and dragged himself out of bed, but you managed to smack him on the ass before he got very far. “Hey,” you said, getting his attention once again, “if you hurry up and get back quick from your meeting, I’ll make sure you reek of sex all over again in no time.”

Bucky saluted you. “Ma’am, yes ma’am,” he said with a grin before heading to the shower. It took all of your willpower not to get up and join him, but you knew that, if you did, there’s no way in hell he’d be able to make his meeting in time.

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