#we ordered from a place like five minutes before it closed

[okcoolthanks]

Ordering food and acting like we’re playing a shooter game

[honeypiehotchner]

Juno (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- one shot

Hello again! This goes from zero to 100 in two seconds flat don't @ me!! Sabrina's new album came out and reawakened something in me (everyone say thank you Sabrina) (also this is not beta'd I wrote this in a short n' sweet haze)

Summary: Aaron is working from home but what paperwork he needs to do is the absolute last thing on your mind.

Warnings: smut! 18+ only! this is so filthy! in no particular order: multiple orgasms, cockwarming, choking, brat tendencies, stoplight system, unprotected sex, breeding kink (briefly), face fucking, overstimulation

WC: like 3,400 I lost my damn mind clearly

You’re not sure what’s gotten into you. Blame it on period hormones (probably) or the fact that Aaron looks absolutely delicious right now in his tight black t-shirt (most likely), but you’re going to go insane if either of you have clothes on for another five minutes. 

The problem is, Aaron is trying to focus. It’s one of his days where he works from home, an idea you gave him when you realized how easy it would be for him to do the same paperwork just from the comfort of your living room. It was a brilliant idea at first. You got to see him more, and were able to do your own thing around the house while he did his work. You got to have lunch together, and offer a genuine mental break in between his mountain of paperwork. 

Now, though, you can’t find it in you to give a single fuck about whatever needs to be signed, who needs to clear what, and what phone calls he still needs to make. 

“Honey,” you call sweetly from the kitchen. You watch him from over the island, your thoughts going all sorts of ways -- namely, deep into the gutter. “Want to break for lunch?”

You see Aaron shake his head, still typing furiously on his laptop. “It’s not even noon yet.”

“Brunch?” you try again, walking out of the kitchen. You lean against the doorframe, crossing your arms over your chest in the way you know he loves because of the view it gives him of your cleavage. And you’re wearing a v-neck shirt today for that exact reason, too.

Aaron still doesn’t look up. “I’m sorry honey, maybe in an hour?”

You let out a huff that you know he hears because he finally looks up, eyebrows raised just so. It’s a look that you love. Curious, veering toward that playful annoyance that you can’t seem to go a few hours without his undivided attention. 

Which, you can, by the way. You’re more than capable. It’s just that right now, it’s a crime that his eyes have been looking at paperwork when they should be looking at you.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and there’s some hesitation in his voice. You know he’s assuming the worst. That you’re not okay mentally, and that’s why you need him to take his lunch break now or maybe for the rest of the day. He’s done it before on your darker days.

But you’re okay. You’re perfectly fine. You’d just be even better if he put the damn laptop away and put his fingers to use somewhere else.

Which is exactly why you come to a stop in front of him and reach forward, tilting his screen down and down until it closes. He lets you.

He lets you take his laptop and put it on the table beside the couch. He watches you, his fiery brown eyes taking in every second. He lets you straddle his hips, your arms circling his neck.

“I see now,” he smirks, his hands finding their rightful place on your waist and squeezing lovingly. “By ‘lunch break’ you mean…”

“Put a baby in me,” you blurt, rocking your hips against his.

He stills, his hands making you stop your movements, too. His eyes are darker now in a way you haven’t seen in a while. “What?”

“Please,” you say, leaning your forehead down onto his, trying to move your hips again. “Need you.”

“Honey, we can’t have--”

“Yes I know the semantics, Aaron,” you mutter, now annoyed and lifting your head to glare at him. He has a vasectomy, you get that. “I mean fuck me like you’re putting a baby in me.”

His hands squeeze again. “I see.”

You frown. “Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not,” he smirks, one hand leaving your waist to stroke your cheek. “You’re adorable when you’re horny.”

You roll your eyes, peeling yourself off his lap. He lets you go, albeit with a curious look. You turn and head for the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” he calls out after you, still with that damn smirk lacing his words.

“To get myself off,” you reply in a deadpan. “Since someone--”

You don’t have a chance to finish your sentence before Aaron is right behind you, hands on your hips, spinning you around to face him. That look full of fire is back again, stern this time.

“Did I say you could do that?” he says in a low tone.

“Did I ask?” you retort, backing out of his grasp and darting into the bedroom. 

Now there’s a smirk on your lips. It’s quickly approaching shit-eating grin territory, which you know will only egg Aaron on further. This little game of cat and mouse happens to be your favorite, and he knows it.

You’re barely two steps into the bedroom when Aaron is attached to your back yet again, this time wrapping his arms around your waist, locking you in.

“Color?” he whispers, his lips right at your ear, sending shivers straight down your spine.

You groan. “Green. Neon green. So green, I need you to--”

He spins you again, this time backing you into the wall and attacking your lips. Finally, you think, though you know you’re in for it now. The thought has a grin crawling up your lips, and you’re unable to stop it.

“What’s so funny, hm?” he scolds, moving his lips to your neck instead, to the exact spot he knows makes you weak in the knees. Like clockwork, he has to wrap an arm around your waist to keep you upright, your knees buckling when he bites down just so.

“Nothing,” you manage through a moan, tipping your head back onto the wall. “Shit.”

“You’re ridiculous sometimes, you know,” he says, but he’s smiling against your skin. “Can’t let me focus on work because you need me to fuck you.”

“In my defense,” you try, your hands scrambling for his shoulders, for something to ground you. “You didn’t fuck me this morning.”

“I fucked you last night,” he reminds you, as if you needed the reminder. It’s the reason you slept so soundly. “Was that not enough?”

You can’t help it; you laugh. 

He lifts his head, raising an eyebrow at you. The same question as before on his lips.

“Sorry, I thought you were joking,” you say. 

“You’re insatiable.” 

“Guilty,” you grin, grabbing his face and pulling him back in for another kiss.

You make out against the wall for too long like two teenagers behind the bleachers at school. You hook one leg around his hips, pulling him in and grinding against his obvious erection. It’s enough to have him groaning into your mouth, pressing you against the wall with renowned vigor. 

You can feel how wet you’re becoming and fuck, neither of you have even taken a single article of clothing off yet.

Aaron notices, one hand traveling south without you paying attention, too busy relishing the way he licks into your mouth, stealing your every breath. The kissing becomes increasingly sloppy when he works his hand into your leggings, under the waistband of your underwear, and into you.

“Oh my god,” your back arches against the wall, pushing his fingers deeper. He doesn’t bother with one, starting right away with two, curling them when you grind harder.

“You’re soaking my hand,” he practically growls into the next kiss, adding a third finger after only a few thrusts. Your body accepts it willingly, always ready for him. “Jesus.”

“More,” you gasp, pushing him deeper. “Aaron, more, I’m serious--” Your words break off as he scissors his fingers, making your eyes roll back instantly.

“I can feel you already,” he smirks against your cheek, pressing a kiss there, an action so sweet and gentle compared to what the rest of him is doing. “Come on, honey. You’re cumming as many times as you want.”

That makes you inch closer to the edge at a frightening speed. He says you can cum as many times as you want, but what he means is he’s going to force as many orgasms out of you as he can. Until you tell him to stop or he decides you need a break. 

The thought of being an overstimulated mess in his embrace later has you climaxing against his fingers, your head falling onto his shoulder as his movements never cease, milking every last wave out of you. 

You lift your head in search of his lips again, which he willingly gives to you, his fingers slowing to soothing strokes as you whimper into his mouth. You’ve only had one orgasm and you already feel ruined. He can tell the way you tremble against him, so he checks in once more.

“Green?” he whispers, kissing your forehead.

You nod. “Green. You?”

He smirks. “Absolutely.”

He picks you up into his arms, inelegantly tossing you onto the bed behind you. You giggle as you bounce on the mattress, tugging your shirt over your head as he does the same to his. His hands move for his belt and you practically jump to the end of the bed, swatting his hands away.

“Since when is that your job?” you frown up at him, unbuckling his belt without looking.

He laughs, petting your head gently. “So sorry, you’re right.”

“What was that?” you tease. “I don’t think I heard you.”

“Don’t push it.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” you smirk, pulling his belt out of the loops and tossing it somewhere. You don’t wait for him to reply before you unbutton his jeans, yanking them down with his boxers.

There’s just something about his dick. You hate that you love it, or maybe you don’t hate it at all. All you know is you need it in your mouth right now.

So, you do that, without any warning. Aaron thrusts forward into your mouth on pure instinct, not expecting you to wrap your lips around him so soon. You slide down the edge of the bed onto your knees, pulling him back to you by his thighs. 

You take your time, pushing his jeans and boxers down further. When you pull back for air, he steps out of them and kicks them elsewhere, returning to you quickly, knowing better than to keep you waiting. 

You swallow him down again, moaning around him in the way you know he loves. It takes all of two seconds before he gently holds the back of your head, asking silently for permission that you were already about to grant. You look up at him, batting your eyelashes as you squeeze his thigh twice. Go ahead.

The thing about Aaron fucking your face is that it took a while for him to do it as hard as you really wanted. He’s always so gentle, a quality that drew you to him initially. You love how gentle he can be. But you love it equally as much when he is rougher with you.

Like now, when he has you pinned against the bed, one hand on the back of your head as he fucks into your throat. It’s blissful, quite frankly, the way he feels, and you thank the universe every time for your lack of a gag reflex. 

He holds you there with a deep groan, and you feel him twitch in your throat once before he pulls you off entirely. You frown up at him, once again not getting what you wanted, but he doesn’t have any time for that.

He picks you up by your armpits, hauling you back onto the bed. Your leggings and underwear are gone in a single second, along with your bra. He’s crawling up your body and crowding your space before you have a second to protest that he wasn’t down your throat for near as long as you wanted him to be. 

All frustrations leave your mind the second he pushes inside of you, immediately sliding home, his hips flush against yours. 

It’s a feeling you’ve grown to love, the way he hits you so deep. Another thing it took him a while to be comfortable doing.

He’s not average sized by any means, and you’re the first to admit it made you salivate the first time you saw. The first time he fed himself into you and worried that he was hurting you, meanwhile you were clawing his back because you wanted more. It hurt for a moment, only an uncomfortable pressure because he was bigger than your vibrator, but as soon as you were used to the size of him, you wanted all of him.

He stays there, deep in you without moving for a moment, grinding against you. His lips attack yours again before he pauses to lean his forehead on yours, trying to catch his breath.

“You drive me crazy,” he says on a shaky exhale.

You wrap your legs around him, thrusting your hips up to take him a little more. His hips stutter, pushing in the way you wanted him to, the way you know you can make him do involuntarily.

“Fuck,” he bites out, turning his attention to your neck again.

You thread your fingers through his hair, tugging. “Exactly. So why aren’t you moving?”

He nips at your neck. “Because if I move, I will cum right away.”

“Who said I only want you to cum inside me once?”

He groans again, fingers digging into your hips as you circle them, though he doesn’t try to stop you. “Greedy” is all he says, but he finally moves.

The thrusts are slow at first, Aaron clearly trying to pace himself. You can’t say you’re doing the same, already chasing your second high as he slams his hips into yours. Your hand reaches down to rub your clit, but is promptly smacked away by Aaron’s hand as he glares at you.

“Since when is that your job?” he echoes you from earlier, only this time, there’s more heat to it. He grabs both of your wrists, pinning them above your head to stop any other temptation. “Not this time.”

His thrusts pick up speed and depth, his body moving against yours in the exact way that makes you fall apart. It’s not often that he doesn’t let you cum from added clit stimulation -- not that you can’t without it; it just makes the high feel that much better -- but sometimes he does. It’s an ego trip for him as much as it is for you.

It also adds an unpredictable nature to it, which is why your second orgasm takes you by such surprise. You seize against him, your hands doing all sorts of squirming to try to break free of his grasp, but he doesn’t let you, and he doesn’t let up. You don’t realize why until you feel the warmth spreading into you as he reaches his own peak. 

You’ve clearly worked him up as much as you worked yourself up because his thrusts barely slow down, and he doesn’t soften inside of you. 

Instead, he pulls out only to flip you on your side, sliding in behind you and pulling your leg up and back over his hips. The action causes some of his cum to spill out of you, but you don’t have any time to focus on that before he fucks back into you. 

You’ve ceased to have any coherent thoughts as Aaron whispers dirty nothings into your ear, one arm wrapped around your body to keep you pinned against him. The pleasure doesn’t stop and at one point, you question if your second orgasm stopped at all or if it has continued this entire time.

Aaron reaches underneath the pillow where he knows he’ll find one of your vibrators because he heard you using it this morning. No, he didn’t fuck you this morning, but you fucked yourself, and truly, at 8am, he should’ve known you’d end up like this by eleven. 

Your mind doesn’t register what the sound means until the vibrator is pressed against your clit. Your body jerks, scrambling for some grounding, your hands finding it in wrapping them around his arm. 

He switches hands on the vibrator, so one hand is free to wrap around your throat. Your eyes roll back as soon as you feel the gentle pressure, your body practically going limp against him. 

“Come on, sweetheart,” he murmurs directly into your ear, his thrusts slowing to deep strokes. “You’ve got a couple more in you.”

“A couple?” is all you manage to say, your hand squeezing his wrist so he knows to squeeze your throat a little more.

“Mhm,” his voice rumbles in your ear, sending goosebumps all over your body. “Is it too much?” His question is laced with just the right amount of pity that makes you shake your head against him. “I thought so,” he replies, switching the vibrator to a higher setting.

It sends you into your third orgasm instantly, squirming violently against him as he pushes into you deeper. He knows how much you love that, and loves how much you squeeze around him as he slides inside, fighting against your muscles that threaten to force him out. You’ve done it before, a mesmerized look on his face and yours when you both realized what happened. Since then, you told him you liked it more when he fought to stay inside. 

He takes the vibrator away as you calm down, his hips also pausing, keeping himself deep inside you. The pressure is soothing, and you take a moment to take a deep breath. His palm falls away from your throat, instead propping underneath your cheek.

It takes a few seconds before you feel yourself spasming around him. He chuckles against your back, pressing a kiss to your neck. “Still?”

You nod dumbly, rocking your hips again. “Yeah. I don’t know, I just-- Need more.”

“I’ve got you,” he soothes, pulling out again to roll you onto your stomach instead, one of your favorite positions.

You’re floating as you settle into the pillows, letting Aaron manhandle you wherever you need to be. You groan in your happy, blissed out state as he slides home again, draping himself over your back.

He is gentler now, knowing that’s exactly what you need at this point. The last orgasm he pulls from you is just as gentle, and he pushes deeper into you, letting you ride it out. 

He pulls your hips up and thrusts once, twice before he’s spilling into you. You didn’t realize he was that close again. The warmth is soothing this time as it spreads through you. 

Aaron leaves you only to settle behind you, spooning you once again. Your hand reaches behind you to find him, and he catches your wrist. 

“You need to rest,” he chides softly.

“I know,” you whimper. “Need you inside me.”

“Okay, okay,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your neck as he slides in again, still half-hard, but it’s enough. You settle down as soon as the weight of him is tucked inside you again. “Better?”

“Mhm,” you sleepily nod, pushing back into him so he holds you tighter. “Do you have to go back to work?”

He chuckles against you, sighing. “No, I’m done for the day, I think,” he says. “I’ll tell them you weren’t feeling well.”

That makes you laugh. “We need a better excuse.”

“Or I need to go back to working in the office.”

You roll your eyes. “Like that’ll make a difference.”

He shakes his head, his mind remembering the same memories that you are. The many lunch hours when you went to eat with him, and ended up with your back pressed into the couch, his tie stuffed in your mouth to keep you quiet.

“Go to sleep,” he says, pulling you impossibly closer. “I’ll make us lunch when we wake up.”

“Perfect,” you smile, nuzzling into him. “Love you.”

“Love you too, honey,” he says, pressing little kisses to your neck and cheeks, wherever he can reach. “Now sleep.”

You’re already halfway there. The combination of him nestled inside of you and the post-orgasm exhaustion is enough to lull you into a restful sleep.

[caffeinewitchcraft]

Ghost Eater

Summary: You don't like exorcists. They don't much like you either.

-----

You’d always thought big restaurants like the Brownie Industry only did well in small, midwestern towns like the one you came from. A year working in LA has taught you that, no matter where you go, people will always love garlic bread and sugar.

It’s your day off which means you’re pulling a double shift. You haven’t had time to wash your hair for the past two weeks so it’s frizzing out of your claw clip and flying wild around your face. The lighting is so dim that you’ve tripped over two black purses already, luckily not while you’re running food. The big dining room sounds like an apiary with the tittering laughter of the later adult crowd that’s filtered in from the theater across the four lane road. The main difference between the Brownie Industry here and the one back home is size. The ceiling soars overhead, supported by a series of concrete pillars separating the dining area into three sections.

Normally it would be three servers per section. Today, it’s just you in yours.

One more hour. That’s what the manager promised you. It might even be true if the host stand quits seating you after the table you’re approaching.

There are three people at the table. A woman whose hair might be light blonde or gray in the light of day, her eyes light and piercing. Her face is soft from age, emphasized by the tight, lace collar of her off-season sweater. She reminds you strongly of your mom’s nemesis on the HOA board. The man couldn’t be more out of place next to her despite their equivalent age. He’s wearing a leather jacket – again, it’s not cold here – and a Norwegian metal shirt underneath. His hair is definitely white, so white it almost glows. He’s frowning at the teenager across the table as if she’s touched his motorcycle without permission.

The teenager might be the first you’ve seen all night who doesn’t have their phone out. She’s decked out in what you consider grandma florals – a t-shirt scattered with daisy chains, a bucket hat made out of nana’s carpet bag, and a hand-crocheted scarf in pastel.  You can’t really see her face under the shadow of her hat and there’s an odd, blurred quality to the way she fiddles with her napkin. You let your eyes skip past her and back to the two adults. Teenagers don’t pay the bill.

“Welcome to Brownie Industry!” you chirp. You’re sweaty and red but the faded yellow light hides that. You’re a service industry pro so none of your exhaustion shows on your face when you ask, “Is this your first-time dining with us?”

If you weren’t so burned out, you’d have noticed before you introduced yourself.

“Are you Grady?” the woman asks. Her voice is more posh than you expected even with her lace collar. “Grady Pace?”

Fuck. There’s a noticeable temperature differential now that you’re close to them. The restaurant is warm from the number of bodies, maybe even warmer than the summer air outside, but stepping up next to their table feels like walking into an ice rink.

“I’m your waitress,” you say. You don’t have time for this conversation. You’ve got five minutes in your cycle to take their order and then you’ve got food to run. “If you need any other services from me, I have a website.”

“We messaged you,” the man says. His lips thin to the point his thick mustache covers them entirely. “You never responded.”

Because you’ve been making more money at the Brownie Industry than your other job. “I’ll take a look at it tonight.”

“Wait,” the teenager says, sitting upright. She looks from you to the adults and back again. When she smiles, there’s no humor in it. “This is why we drove eight hours to have dinner at the Brownie Industry? For her?”

“Katie, be polite—”

“I’m sorry,” Katie says, “It’s just—I found a priest, you know? An actual exorcist priest and you guys want to trust a waitress over him?”

“Ugh exorcists,” you say. The memory of sour cabbage is so heavy on your tongue that you stick your tongue out in disgust. When you see Katie’s look, you backtrack. “Effective! Definitely effective.”

“Your mistakes have cost us too much already,” the man says, shaking a finger at her. “We are not converting just for an exorcism.”

“I normally don’t agree with your father,” the woman tells Katie, “but in this case I would like to leave conversion as a last resort.”

“We wouldn’t actually convert,” Katie says, rolling her eyes.

“Pretty sure exorcists can tell when you lie,” you tell Katie. When her scowl deepens, you clear your throat. “Did you all need another minute to think about the menu?”

“We need you to help us,” the dad says. He scrubs a hand over his face. “Look, I know you’re at work and I’m sorry we’re bothering you.”

“We’re desperate,” the mom says. She reaches for her purse. “We’ll pay you. Triple the rate on your website or even quadruple. We need that thing gone by tonight.”

Katie covers her face. “Mom. You’re embarrassing me. Terry isn’t that bad.”

“Oh, he’s bad, young lady,” the dad says sternly. “A bad influence.”

“We caught her trying to perform another séance yesterday,” the mom confesses to you. She leans forward with a pinched expression. “So Terry’s friend Larry could visit too.”

“Interesting,” you say. The food bell rings, but you think you can ignore it for another minute. You study Katie’s blush. “Why did you do that?”

If she was being compelled, she won’t have an answer to your question. You’ve dealt with a lot of ghosts in your time, but so few are sentient enough – or powerful enough – for compulsion.

“Go on,” the dad says, gesturing at you. “Tell her.”

“Leroy, she’s embarrassed enough,” the mom says.

“No, she’s not, Sarah.” The dad – Leroy – gestures to you again. “Tell her.”

Katie huffs, clearly resistant. But when her dad huffs back, she caves. “So,” she says, “I have this YouTube channel—”

“I’m off in an hour,” you interrupt. You don’t care that you’re being rude. Your patience ran out as soon as she said YouTube. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” You turn to go.

“A moment!” Sarah shakes out her menu. “How’s the nicoise salad?”

Of course they’re going to order. They’d better tip too if they want you to help them with their ghost problem.

----.

“You said an hour,” mom Sarah says when you leave out the employee entrance. She’s shivering next to her daughter. Leroy is off smoking behind his motorcycle, parked next to the Tesla Katie is leaning on, but he stubs out his cigarette on the asphalt when you walk up. “It’s been two.”

“I had side work,” you say instead of it would have been one if not for you. You rub your bare arms when the familiar ghost chill washes over you. You want nothing more than to go home and wash the scent of garlic and brownie batter out of your hair. “Was there something wrong with my service?”

“No?”

You try to make your voice light. “I see.”

Sarah frowns at your tone anyway. “Why?”

“You tipped five dollars.”

Katie jolts like a scalded cat. “Mom!”

Leroy scrubs a hand over his face. “Sarah…”

“What?” Sarah throws up her hands. The parking lot lights catch on her Swarovski charm bracelet. “I tipped!”

“Like ten percent,” Katie says. She pulls her bucket hat over her eyes for a beat and then peeks at you from under it. “I’m so sorry. It’s not you, she’s always like this.”

“It was actually a six percent tip,” you say. You’re getting a clearer picture of this little family now. It’s becoming more and more understandable why Katie might have started summoning ghosts. “If you want to be precise.”

Leroy reaches for his back pocket. “Let me.”

Sarah swats at his hand. “We’re about to pay her a lot more than that!”

“For a completely separate job,” Leroy says. He pulls a twenty from his wallet and hands it to you with a grimace. “Sorry, Grady, I should’ve checked.”

“You should’ve paid if you cared so much,” Sarah retorts. She folds her arms over her chest. She taps her cheek and widens her eyes. “Oh wait… you never pay.”

“Sure,” Leroy says. This time it’s his turn to throw his hands in the air. “Sure, Sarah. I don’t pay for anything to do with our daughter’s private school or her dance classes or her health insurance—”

“If the court hadn’t mandated—”

“You make twice as much as me—"

“Guys!” Katie says loudly. Her mouth is a thin line of upset when she says, “Argue about what an expensive burden I am later when we don’t have an audience, okay?”

Her parents speak at the same time.

“You’re twisting my words,” Sarah says. “I never said—"

“Sweetie, you’re not a burden—”

“Can you just get this ghost out of me?” Katie asks you. She goes for nonchalance and falls short. “My parents haven’t been in the same room for the last five years for a reason.” She fakes whispering. “They don’t play nicely with others.”

Sarah bristles. “Katie.”

“God, I know how that is,” you say. The whole interaction is giving you the worst case of sympathy for Katie. Before her parents can say anything else, you change the subject. “How long have you been haunted?”

“Six months,” Katie says. She fiddles with her bucket hat so that you can see her eyes for the first time. They’re brown, like her dad’s, and have heavy bruises underneath. She shrugs. “They only noticed a month ago though.”

“I noticed your behavior had changed,” Sarah defends. Like her daughter, she fidgets. She plays with her bracelet and clears her throat. “I thought it was a teenage thing.”

“What signs did you notice first?” you ask the parents. They glance at each other and then away.

“Let’s just say we noticed different things,” Leroy says dryly. He pulls out his phone.

“Moodiness,” Sarah says. She ticks them off on her fingers. “Laziness. Disrespect. Over-sleeping.”

“Those are just teenager things,” Katie says with an astounding level of self awareness. She shrugs. “I’m a senior now. They’re lucky it didn’t start sooner.”

“I,” Leroy says, “noticed this.” He turns his phone towards you.

“Ah,” Sarah says, “Yes. That.”

You examine the picture. It’s of Katie on a small dirt bike. She’s wearing a helmet in the picture, but you recognize the fashion sense in the floral boots she’s wearing. The scene behind her is of the hills, low scrub brush recognizable to someone who’s lived in LA for the past five years. On the bike behind her is a smudge. It could be a cloud of dirt blown into frame or maybe a camera glitch. It could be if it weren’t for the leering face emerging from the cloud right behind her head.

“I just want to say I did not agree to getting her a motorcycle,” Sarah says.

“Mom, not the point,” Katie says.

“Look how close that creep is to my daughter,” Leroy says. He jabs a finger at Katie’s waist in the photo where you can see a ghostly hand. “I want him gone.”

“Dad, he didn’t mean anything by it!” Katie turns to you earnestly. “Terry never rode a bike before and I thought, like, what if he moved on after he got a chance to? It was a philanthropic effort!”

“Plant a tree if you want to be a philanthropist,” Leroy growls. “I want this guy away from my daughter.”

“He doesn’t mean any harm really,” Katie says. “He would move on if he could! He says he’s stuck to me because of how I summoned him. He’s like, really sorry. He even spelled out Sorry in the bathroom mirror once.”

“What,” Sarah says in a dangerous voice, “was Terry doing in the bathroom with you, Katie?”

Katie splutters. “Mom, don’t be gross!”

The family descends into bickering. You have heard about ghosts being stuck to a person before, but usually that’s when the person has some sort of psychic powers. Katie’s wearing crystal in her ears, but they aren’t charged. She might develop some talent later in life, but right now she’s a normal girl.

The parking lost is nearly empty now. You recognize a few employee cars, but very few customers. The kitchen will be cleaning for another half hour before they’re ready to go home.  The reality is that, if Terry is stuck, you might not be the best way to handle the situation. If he’s not…

Well.

It’s time to talk to Terry.

Opening your ghost sense is hard to describe. Some psychics liken it to a third eye, right in the middle of their forehead. You’ve always thought that sounded really cool like maybe the world gets cast in a blue hue when they do it and the dead appear like they do in movies. You’ve met other psychics who say it’s like a sixth sense. They know where the ghost is and it’s like they download all that information until their minds can just sort of conjure their image.

For you, it’s like letting your body remember it has a second mouth. Cats have an extra sensory organ on the roof of their mouth that lets them detect scents better. Your second mouth is a bit like that. You can still smell brownies and garlic and the city air of LA, but you can also smell/taste something else.

Something like…pepper?

Your eyes water and you sneeze so viciously that your eyes close. When you open them again, four people are staring at you in surprise.

“Gesundheit,” Leroy says.

“You sneeze like Dad does,” Katie says.

“Did no one ever teach you to cover your mouth?” Sarah asks in disgust.

“I wish you would’ve sneezed on her,” Terry says, nodding to Sarah. “She’s such a bitch.”

“Thank you for the commentary, everyone,” you say. You wipe your nose with the collar of your shirt as you consider Terry. It’s dirty anyway. “Terry. Interesting name for a ghost.”

Terry hasn’t noticed that you can see him yet. He’s floating behind Katie, one arm casually flung over her shoulder. It’s hard to place when he died based on his appearance alone. His hair is chin length, emphasizing the width of his jaw. Squire cuts have been popular for several decades and the bowling shirt he’s wearing could either be a modern fashion statement or a dated uniform. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, sun-kissed and with the air of someone who tells a lot of jokes at the expense of others. His arm around Katie strikes you as possessive, the glare he gives her parents venomous.

“I didn’t name him,” Katie says. “He said it’s short of Torrance.”

You blink. “Wouldn’t he be Torri then?”

“That’s a girl’s name,” Katie and Terry say at the same time. Their cadence is so close that it actually sounds like Terry’s baritone comes out of Katie’s mouth. For a moment, his arm flickers, clipping into her shoulder like a bad animation. When it does, Terry’s form grows brighter, more solid. Then Katie shivers and he’s forced out of her.

You and Terry click your tongues at the same time.

You remember how Katie’s hands seemed to blur at the dinner table. Terry’s not just haunting Katie. He’s trying to possess her. You wonder if that’s why Katie looked up an exorcist rather than a simple spiritual cleansing. Did she know how much danger she was in?

“Okay,” you say. You tear your attention away from Katie and Terry for a moment. Business first. “Sarah. Leroy. Who was it that found my site?”

“I did,” Sarah says. She raises her chin when you can’t hide your surprise. “When Katie was looking up exorcists—”

“She didn’t mean it,” Terry says. He pats Katie’s hat. “Right?”

“—I looked up alternative solutions,” Sarah says, not having heard Terry. Her confidence falters for a moment and she rubs her arm. “I have had some… negative experiences with exorcisms. I don’t want my daughter to go through that.”

Katie’s head whips towards her mother. “What? I didn’t know that.”

“It was a long time ago,” Leroy says. For the first time, he reaches out and hugs Sarah with one arm. You don’t know what surprises you more; Leroy hugging Sarah or Sarah leaning into his side. “When Sarah told me, we decided to put our differences aside. I vetted you through some of my contacts and they all agreed you’d be a safe bet.”

“I am,” you say. You’re not bragging either. You’re probably the safest bet in half the western states besides your older sister. “There are some…peculiarities in my method.”

“Charlatan,” Terry whispers in Katie’s ear. He’s grinning now. “Only charlatans are that confident. Look! She can’t even see me!”

Katie looks doubtful.

Usually, you’d try to talk to Terry at this point. Sometimes spirits can be negotiated with. They can be encouraged to move on or to take on a less aggressive form of haunting. Those that are truly stuck can be helped with the right sort of ritual work. But the way Terry’s affecting Katie’s mood and that fucking arm around her shoulders…

You don’t really want to talk to Terry.

“We can ask Terry to move on,” you tell the family.

“Nooooooo,” Terry says and flips you off. “Pass!”

“Sometimes spirits don’t realize how deeply they’re affecting their hosts,” you say.

“You don’t even know how deep I’m about to be,” Terry jeers at you.

“Many ghosts are confused when they’re called to interact with the living,” you say. “It can blur their understanding of death and, as a result, they cling to life. If they stick around long enough, their presence will affect the living like what’s happening to Katie. It’s not always malicious. It can be a symptom of that confusion.”

“Katie, tell her to piss off,” Terry hisses in the teen’s ear. “I’m not confused, I’m bored.” His voice deepens. “Tell her we don’t need her help. Tell her we’re going home.”

Katie opens her mouth robotically. “That’s…” Her brow creases as she tries to figure out what she was going to say. “It seems like we don’t need help then. Terry will move on when he’s ready, like I thought.”

“We aren’t paying you for a ghost therapy session,” Sarah snaps. It’s only because you’re really focusing that you can see the unease under her anger. She’s noticed something wrong with Katie. “Katie, Terry is going away today.”

“Fuck you,” Terry says.

“Fuck you,” Katie says.

Leroy’s head rears back. “Katie, you don’t use that language with your mother!”

“Fuck you too,” Katie and Terry say. The parking lot lights flicker.

“No, fuck you, Terry,” you say, stepping between Katie and her parents. Leroy starts like he’s going to pull you out of the way, but he doesn’t.

“Terry?” Leroy asks. He looks scared. “Terry said that? Is Terry possessing my daughter?”

“Not yet.” You eye Terry’s arm and the way his fingers are sinking into Katie’s arm.

“Oh fuck,” Terry says. He doesn’t look scared. Not yet. Instead, he grins. “You can see me.”

“Not every ghost is malicious,” you tell the parents without taking your eyes off Terry. “But some are.”

“I’m not malicious.” Terry runs a hand through his hair, still grinning. The parking lot lights flicker overhead again. “I care about Katie a lot.”

“Terry’s never hurt me,” Katie says.

You ignore her. She’s not even shaking Terry off now. Her gaze is dull on your face when you say, “I don’t mean to sound like I’m some sort of ghost therapist. However, it’s important to differentiate between malicious and non-malicious hauntings in my practice. My methods are unconventional and, if used indiscriminately, I can get in a lot of trouble.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Leroy says. He steps into your periphery. His gaze flicks from you to the spot you’re staring at over Katie’s shoulder. “We want Terry gone.”

“Not a soul,” Sarah promises. She comes up on your other side. “Please help our daughter.”

“Terry,” you say. Your second mouth is yawning wide somewhere in the back of your brain. The taste of pepper isn’t as overwhelming now. “Last chance. Renounce your claim on Katie’s soul and slither back into whatever hole you came out of.”

“We’re soulmates,” Terry says. He bares his teeth at you. “Go on, Charlatan. Call on your God to banish me. I’ve been around for decades and no exorcist has ever been able to put a scratch on me. And when they manage to push me out?” He laughs and the temperature drops another ten degrees. An unholy light flickers in his eyes. “I just come right back.”

“Then I guess I won’t feel guilty,” you say.

“Guilty?” Katie asks.

You walk forward two steps and grab Terry’s face. Terry’s skin is soft and jelly-like. His facial bones undulate like rubber under your grip. “Hi, Terry.”

Now Terry’s afraid. “What the fuck, you can touch—?”

“Bye, Terry.” You drag him towards you. His fingers pop out of Katie’s arm with a wet sucking sound, and he claws at your wrist.

“Wait! Waitwaitwaitwait--”

You eat Terry.

People come from all around to eat at the Brownie Industry. They love the density of the desserts and the heaps of garlic spread over home-baked (shipped frozen) rolls. It’s a treat to know you’re always going to enjoy the meal even if you’re far from home or eating at the same location a hundred times. It’s consistency, sugar and butter. An easy addiction to have.

Eating ghosts is like that for you. They fizz in your second mouth like champagne and melt like fudge. It’s hard to describe and the ephemeral quality of it sends shivers down your spine. Somewhere Terry is screaming in anguish, maybe crying. You think that the family you’re helping is screaming something too, but the sensation of eating is so consuming you can’t hear the words.

Terry is younger than other ghosts you’ve eaten. He doesn’t have the depth of flavor you’d once been addicted to back in Illinois. The best ghost you’ve ever eaten had been like a six-course meal with all the centuries she’d been carrying. In comparison, Terry is like a bag of pepper chips. Interesting, but gone in a moment. Still, he hits the spot.

When you’re done, you burp a purple cloud of ectoplasm into the still night air.

Leroy is the first to speak. His eyes are so wide you can see the whites all around them. “Pay her, Sarah,” he says breathlessly. His hands shake as he reaches for Katie, steadying her on her feet. “Now.”

You smack your lips and graciously accept the wad of cash Sarah hands you. You raise your eyebrows. “This is more than three times my rate.”

“Consider it a tip,” Sarah says. She’s more composed than Leroy, but still pale. She studies you. “That was…revolting.”

“You didn’t have to watch,” you say. You put your money away and then perk up at a sudden thought. “Hey, if you can, can you leave me a review on my site?”

“I thought you didn’t want us to tell anyone?”

You wave your hand. “Secrets are bad for business. Besides, Terry deserved it. I’m sure they’ll understand if you write that in your review.”

“They…?”

You smile and don’t answer.

The family don’t ask many more questions after that. The parents promise to leave a review and Katie just stares at you as if concussed. You assure the parents that she’ll be back to normal as soon as the soul-shock wears off. 

“And if it doesn’t?” Sarah asks.

“Message me,” you say.

“You don’t check your messages,” Leroy says.

“Oh,” you say, patting your stomach, “I’ll be checking them a lot more often now.”

You’re hungry again.

---

(Patreon)

[slushycoookie]

I Like Your Dress ~ Logan Howlett x Fem! Reader

✩ Word Count: 2.7k

✩ Content: Logan goes crazy over your dress, Domino shows up (I miss her so bad), cream pie is mentioned A LOT, Wade breaks the 4th wall, P in V, Logan does NOT wrap it up this time, MINORS DNI!!

✩ A/N: Reader is the same reader as the one shot I wrote. You don't have to read that one, I don't go into much detail but if you guys want to read that one, read it here

Masterlist | Commissions

The fresh smell of food made Logan awake from his slumber.

Sleepily searching for you on your side of the bed, only to discover that you weren't there. Having a sudden burst of energy, Logan got out of bed to find you. He didn’t need to go far when sees you wiggling your hips at the stove, stirring a pot.

“Hey.”

You look behind you when hearing his voice, “Hi!”

Logan pulls you close as you greet him with good morning kisses. Well, afternoon after checking the time.

“How did you sleep? I let you sleep in a little bit, you were so tired from that mission last night.”

Logan smiles, “I slept alright.”

He sees the multitude of ingredients on the counter and remembers what they're were for. Wade was throwing a potluck since Domino was coming back from a month long mission. Of course, he invited you two and you were so excited. Logan was neutral. He would've preferred to stay in bed with you all day.

You said you were making a few things, but the amount of ingredients you had made him wonder. “How many people are you planning to feed?”

“Enough.” You said, going back to your pot, which he found out was pasta. “Colossus and Peter will be there. We both know how much they like to eat.”

“Don’t push yourself.” His tone was rough but you knew it was his way of caring.

“I won't.”

Logan grabbed himself an afternoon shot of bourbon before excusing himself to get ready. Trying to prepare himself for socializing and dealing with Wade.

When he came back clean and not as rugged, you were finishing up, putting white icing on the strawberry cake. Logan swiped his finger on the cake and licked it, cream cheese on his tongue.

“That’s good.”

“Don’t lick it anymore.” You lightly threaten, smacking his hand away. “Save it for the party.”

“Fine.” Logan kisses your cheek and stands behind you to watch you finish icing the cake. In your beautiful handwriting ‘Welcome back, Domino’ in pink icing. “Would ya look at that? You should be on those baking shows.”

“Nuh uh, I'm okay with just watching videos.”

Once you were finished, he helped you place the cake in the dome, ready to go with the rest of the food. You gave him an order to not eat any of it before you ran into the bathroom to get ready. Logan gave you about five minutes before inspecting the tins. He smiled when he saw you only made a few items, a large tray of pasta salad and spinach dip. Just to make sure it wasn't poisoned, he took a swipe of each, humming at how good it tasted.

He knew you were going to be a while so he opened a window, grabbed a cigar and lounged to smoke. Logan knew you didn't like it when he smoked in the apartment, but said it was okay as long as he let in some fresh air after.

As usual, you took almost a hour getting ready, but it was well worth the wait.

When you stepped out of the room, Logan started coughing, blowing smoke out the window to make sure a lot didn't linger. His eyes trailed your outfit, a tie dye colored maxi dress with thin straps, and cute, brown sandals to match. Logan didn't care when you scolded him for obviously taking a bite of your pasta salad. His breath was stolen away.

“I like your dress.”

“You're changing the subject, but thanks.”

He steps in front of you, eyes lowered as he kept gazing at your form. The dress hugging your body while still being appropriate. Logan's hand rests on your ass cheek, giving it a firm squeeze.

“I really like your dress.”

You avoid his lustful gaze, “Don’t you start.”

“Start what?” He steals a kiss from you, careful not to mess up your lipstick. “I can't compliment my lady?”

“You can compliment me by using your words.”

“It's not as fun that way.” He dips his head between your neck to smell you. You weren't wearing any perfume this time, but the honey scent from your lotion was enough to complete the entire package. Logan growls, squeezing your ass some more and making you giggle.

“We should go, I don't wanna be late.”

“We won't. I swear.” His hand cups the nape of your neck, putting it back so he could kiss you some more. Parting your lips to dive his tongue right in. Your moans spurring him on.

It didn't last long though.

“Logan.” You gently push him away, “We will have some time later.”

He sucked his teeth before grabbing all of the food you made.

Logan remained a scowling mess when you two arrived for the potluck.

You were the more social one out of the relationship, so you immediately flocked to the crowd who welcomed you with open arms. Even Domino, despite that this was the first time you two saw each other. Logan makes his usual rounds of saying hi before picking a corner with a drink in his hand and observing.

It was his way of enjoying himself without being easily annoyed and overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the apartment. Best of all, he could watch you socialize. Your face lighting up at the conversations while that gorgeous dress clung to your body. Logan always likes to admire you in your element, but you wearing that dress was more than enough to make him want to do things to you. His hands involuntary flexed at the idea of feeling your body through the dress.

“There’s my grumpy kitty!” Domino says to Logan, who scowled at her, but there was no malice behind it.

“Hey, Dom.”

“Wade told me that your hair was getting better and now I see why.” She motions to you talking to Peter about him getting highlights. Logan's lips curl upwards again at the sight of you. “She's cute.”

“Thanks. I heard she scheduled you an appointment?”

Domino nods, “Gonna try something new. This is getting stale.” She motions to her afro.

“Don’t you dare change it.” Wade joins in, pointing at her. “You know how I feel about change.”

“Aww.” Domino pinches his cheek, “We all gotta grow up sometime.”

“You know who you're talking to right?” Logan comments under his drink.

“Your afro was one of the reasons you were so likeable in the second movie. Now what do we have, a woman with luck powers? I still don't believe that's a thing, by the way.”

Domino shakes her head at the audacity of it all, “I missed you too.”

She excuses herself, leaving Logan and Wade together. The latter started getting a little giddy, cradling his cup, while shooting multiple glances. Logan promised you that he was going to play nice during the party and not get easily annoyed at Wade.

“What?”

“We’re having cream pie.” Wade mentions, “Do you wanna know what flavor it is?”

Logan holds back an eyeroll, “Sure.”

“It's boston cream pie. I know we have a lot of sweet things considering we also have the cake your lady made, but I really wanted some. Actually, it's been a while since you've had cream pie, right?”

“I guess.”

“Oh you'll enjoy this one. You have a bit of a sweet tooth.” There was a moment of silence between them as they watched everyone enjoy themselves. You were getting many compliments on your food, asking for the recipes to make at home. “ Vanessa and I are huge fans of cream pie. Does your lovely lady like it too?”

Logan glared at him for a second before thinking about the question, “I think so.”

“Has she had it in a while?”

“No.”

“I think she'll be very happy when she gets some-”

“Why…in the fuck do you keep talking about the damn cream pie?” He feels a slight headache coming on.

Wade shrugs before taking a sip of his drink. “I can't like pie?”

Logan growls, ready to toss him out the apartment when you inadvertently save Wade, walking over with a huge smile on your face.

“Hi.”

“Hey, sugar.”

You embrace him with arms around his neck. Your lips kissing his cheek, taking in the aftershave.

“Hi Wade.”

“Hi. Your grumpy boyfriend and I were just talking about cream pie. Do you know we're having pie later?”

Logan felt his eye twitch at the question, his hand on your hip to keep himself from punching Wade.

“No, I didn’t!” Your eyes light up, “What kind of pie?”

“Boston cream. One of the best pies in the world, I should say.”

“Ooh, you know what, I haven’t had cream pie in a long time.”

“Oh really?” Wade tilts his head a little, while you nod. “Well, obviously you gotta have some. I think you'll enjoy it. The author knows what I'm talking about.”

And just like that, he's gone.

Logan didn't want to acknowledge whatever that was so he pulls you amongst his body. The most handy you'll ever allow him to be in public.

“We should go.” He whispers in your ear.

“Hm? We've only been here for two hours.”

That was enough, he wanted to say. Everytime he focuses on you and that dress, he wants to forget behaving and take you back home to lavish on you all night. For those two hours, Logan was trying to keep his thoughts pure enough to get a raging hard on. He didn't know how long he could last.

“Just hang in there a bit longer, okay?” You give him a kiss for encouragement. Logan takes in the imprint of your lips as you go back to socialize. No, he wasn't going to make it.

He hangs on when everyone sits around the table, laughing and talking. You're beside him, hand on his thigh to stabilize him and keep him in the conversation. Logan wants you to go higher, feel the impending hard on.

He needs to get you alone, show you that he was failing at behaving. There weren't a lot of places where you two wouldn't be disturbed. And he didn't want to take you outside and fuck you in an alleyway.

But God answered him.

You excused yourself, making your way to the bathroom. Logan watches you go as everyone continues talking. He gives it a minute before getting up and pretending to grab another drink. Instead, he beelines to the bathroom, standing beside the door and waits. His heartbeat in his chest.

“Who wants some cream pie?” Wade asks, everyone roaring with excitement once you finally open the door.

Logan pushes you back into the bathroom, lips immediately on yours. Your surprised gasp eggs him on while he traps your body against the wall.

“This is all your fault.” He mutters, constantly stealing kisses.

“Huh? What?” You try to keep up with him as his hands are all over your body, feeling your soft curves through the dress.

“You know what. Wearing this dress, not letting me do something to you before we came here. Torturing me.”

As he spoke, his lips were everywhere. Your face and neck. Trying to wear you down and submit.

“Torturing you? That, that wasn't my intention-oh.” His teeth latched on to your shoulder, having some self control to mark you in a place no one could see.

“I need you.” Logan starts bunching up your dress.

You try to stop him by pushing his hands down, “L-Logan? Logan, baby you didn't lock the door.”

“It's gonna be quick.” You let him bunch up your dress, seeing a glimpse of your panties, which he now sees that it's the lacey blue ones he liked. The ones you mentioned reminded you of the accent colors of his suit.

Logan's jeans were getting tight when he removed them, stuffing them in his pocket. Without saying a word, you jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. You whimpered under his lips as he was finally able to touch you while wearing the dress. Large hands molding your breasts through the fabric, still managing to locate the nipple and pinching it. His hips rolling against you, creating a nice friction against your cunt.

You were doing so good at keeping quiet for him, only managing the occasional whimper when he hit a perfect spot. Making sure you were stable on his arm, Logan reaches down to your core. His chest rumbles when he feels how wet you're getting. Sinking one digit inside while his thumb presses on your clit. Making circular motions while he was getting you ready.

“Didn’t need to do much, huh?” He said, watching you twist and turn. “You wanted this as much as I did.”

You didn't say anything but he smelled you. His finger coated in your delectable arousal. If you two weren't on a time limit, he'd reach down to get a taste.

Once you were ready, Logan maneuvers to unzip his pants. Even though you were dazed out of your mind, you remember something.

“I left my purse out there.” Your purse had condoms and knowing Logan, he didn't bring them as you insisted on being prepared in case something like this happens. But now both of you were unprepared.

“I'll get ya plan b at the store.” He continues to unzip his jeans.

“Don’t forget…”

Logan pulls his cock out with one motion, using some of your wetness for lubrication. “I won't.”

He then slips into you. You clutch on to him for dear life, your nails digging into his shirt. Curse his healing factor. He wanted to see the marks you'd leave on him.

He keeps you stable against the wall, sinking into you completely before starting to move. Quick and sharp thrusts in and out of you. Low, wet sounds filling his ears besides your shaky sobs.

“O-Oh god…”

Logan rolls his eyes back at your desperate tone, “God's not here, honey.”

His own voice comes out strained as he's fucking you. How he wants to pull your dress up further to see your breasts move. But having you like this was much hotter. Wanting you to remember that this was the dress that made him go crazy.

“Mmh Lo’…” He almost comes right there when your hand grips the nape of his neck, pulling the hairs.

Logan grunts, picking up speed, feeling some of his cum leaking out into you. His tip pressing against your cervix that was making you croon. Goosebumps forming on your skin as he hit that spot repeatedly. Making you whine and wince under him.

“Squeeze around me, sweetheart.” He commands and you do so. Your walls molding around his cock as you silently cried out. Even at the height of your pleasure, you still managed to be quiet, mouth agape and he wanted to shut those lips with his own. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.”

Logan wasn't far behind, pounding into you mercilessly before shooting his cum inside you. He stilled for a moment then pumped into you a few times to make sure all of his load made it inside. You capture him in another kiss, both of you sighing against each other.

Laughter nearby caused you two to come down from the high. Logan put you down, handing you your panties. He grabbed a few paper towels to make sure no cum stained his jeans. You were checking yourself out in the mirror, making sure Logan didn't mess up your makeup. He did ended up getting some on his face, which had you quickly trying to wipe it away with your thumb.

“I'm good, I'm good.” Logan reassures you before fixing his shirt. “I'll go out first.”

“Okay.” Before parting, he gave you another kiss, completely not caring if lipstick stained his lips.

The party continued as if the two of you weren't missing for the last fifteen minutes. Logan played it cool by grabbing another drink. When you came out the bathroom, you two momentarily locked eyes, before acting like nothing happened.

“Did you enjoy the cream pie?”

Logan jumps at Wade's sudden appearance, “What the fuck? How did you know that I-?”

“The pie's right there.” Wade points to the cut up pie on the kitchen counter. Logan stares at it, a bit dumbfounded. “It's good right?”

Logan's eyes land on you as you're speaking to Domino once more, “Yeah. It was good.”

Tags: @allmyn1ghts

[on-the-clear-blue]

Dead Man's Diner pt3

Dick knew that Tim was sending him looks every few seconds.

How could he not? This places food names were honestly the best, if this was some kinda murder cult Dick would be so disappointed.

Glancing up over the menu at Danny, Dick smiled at the teen who had been whipping down the same cup for five minutes like some wild west bartender while trying very hard not to stare at the two vigilantes.

"Okay, I think I have made up my mind, Red you got what you wanted?" Finally meeting Tim's eyes, Dick mentally winced, Tim's eyes were doing that twitchy thing that happened sometimes...

"Yes. I am." Dick understand slightly but like...the puns weren't that bad

Out of the corner of his eye Dick saw Danny pop up, nearly slamming the mug he had been holding as he fumbled with a note pad, coming closer to the two, he did a pretty decent customer service smile as he waited.

Since Tim was having a problem with words, Dick went first.

"So, I'll have some Boo-berry Poltergeist pancakes, with two sunny side up eggs and a side of bacon?" Dick watched as Danny paused for a moment, let out a little laugh and then started to write before looking to Tim.

"I will have...Ugh, the Wraith waffles with the hunting hashbrowns on the side...please." Dick had seen Tim look less pained over being stabbed than say the wonderful puns.

"Alrighty, anything to drink before I head back and get started on your order?" Holding up a coffee jug in one hand and an orange juice jug in the other, Danny gave a slight smirk.

Perhaps it was the coffee but Tim looked a bit less pained after that.

---

As he slapped down a few pieces of bacon, Danny totally didn't use his ghost powers to bring the bowl of pancake batter over closer as he scooped a ladle full on a freshly buttered side of the flat top, making sure it set first, Danny heard a beep from the frier, heading over he paused to see French fries in there as well.

Shaking his head, he dunked them all into the oil, and moved to set the timer only to see it already clicking down, "Oh um...thank you very much." Patting the deep frier, Danny moved back to the flat top as it let out a gurgling purr.

---

Tim took all of five seconds after Danny rounded the corner into the back of the house to start whispering

"Wing, this place is mocking me. Apple apparition pie? Haunting Hashbrowns? Ethereal fucking eggs benedict." Hissing Tim shifted in his seat, "like I would get it if this place was ghost themed but it very clearly isnt! It is mocking me because I know this place doesn't exist!" Slamming a fist down on the counter, it very much thudded.

Sharing a look with Tim, Dick placed a hand on Tim's shoulder, "Buddy...I agree there is something up with this place but...I very much think it exists? Since we are kinda sitting here."

Dragging his hand down his face with a groan Tim leaned back in his seat, "I know and it is infuriating me..." Grabbing the coffee mug Tim looked at it with a not insignificant amount of distrust before taking a swig, pausing, than taking another, much slower sip, holding the mug with both hands as he lowered it down, staring at the dark liquid with a small glare.

"Red? You okay? Is that the bad coffee look ot oh shittake mushrooms that was poisoned look?" Dick said worryingly, looking to the cup of orange juice that was in front of him with suspicion.

"N-no...I" Tim's words cut off as he took a breath, "Just...tastes just like the kind Mom used to drink, came from this little town in Chile they passed through..." staring at the cup a little longer Tim shook his head, "They closed a few years back, the farmer that made it got killed by a drug cartel that wanted him to plant coca rather than coffee, it's just that this place should very much not have this."

There was a tension between the two vigilantes, Dick moving to speak before being cut off by Danny quickly coming out from the back.

"Order up! Got two pancakes for Mr. Nightwing, side of bacon and eggs and two waffles for Mr. Red Robin with some hasbrowns!" Setting each plate down in front of said vigilante, Danny gave them both a grin.

"And a side of Phantom fries for both of you on the house!"

After refilling the little bit missing out of Tim's cup, Danny seemed to be to there one second and back in the kitchen a moment later.

---

"Phantom fries?" Danny whispered to himself as he started to clean off the griddle, a grin on his face as he did, he might of left the hero business, but oh God was it funny, he wondered if other people got the same fun out of it.

Checking out on he customers through the small window to the front, Danny felt his core thrum at the sight of the two eating, it was a different kind of thrum that he got while protecting people, this one...this one gave him a full body shudder and cleared a fog in his mind he didn't even he had.

Shaking his head, Danny tried not to let the purr building in his chest out.

---

Screw the worries that Tim had, Dick was having the time of his life.

"We can't tell the others about this place Red...Little wing would try and place it in the Alley and B might try and buy it cus holy guacamole this shit is good..." Dick had dug in after Tim's wrist mounted computer had tested the food for any known poisons which said that there weren't any, but still went and saved a few samples for further analysis at the Cave.

Dick didn't know why but the pancakes tasted like those that Alfred made the first week he had been at the manor, he had gotten upset at Brcue and hid in the attic all day, but Alfred managed to lure him down with the promise of blueberries in his pancakes.

They were perfectly fluffy, butter soaked with that little edge around it that was crunchy, the berries were tart enough to battle the maple syrup and...it was just like how Dick remembered.

Shaking his head as he finished up his food, Dick threw a look over at Tim, who was hunched over his empty plate, holding his mug of coffee closer, at Dicks questioning look the teen spoke.

"We have to leave Wing something is just...off about this place, its...they taste like when my dad used to make breakfast after coming home from a dig...has to be brain waves or mind reading or..." Tim continued to ramble on, ideas flowing out of him like a water fall.

By the time that Danny went back to check on the two, they were gone.

[earlysunshines]

sunshine girl

danielle marsh x fem!reader ; fluff

synopsis: you are not a morning person and danielle is an everything person—after working with her you start to like mornings a little more, or maybe just her.

warnings: grumpy x sunshine kinda?? ; reader is hyein's cousin ; soobin from txt and rest of nwjns mentioned ; pining and slowburn, like.. slooowburn ; sooo much fluff like soooooo much… ; loool anything else i didn't mention? ; barely proofread

a/n: fell in love w dani, caved, wrote... dreamy sigh... dani…

there is no universe or alternate reality with a twisted, psycho version of that you enjoys mornings. 

there is no way that you’d deliberately get out of bed just to hear the birds chirping and get up to open the curtains or whatever it is that morning people do to enjoy the grueling hours of 7 - 11am. 

do people actually do this? get up at 7am willingly without benefitting from it? the only reason you’re up is because you need that paycheck to keep you going. the image of the little envelope with your name on it and what you’ve earned renders you awake, at least awake enough to get yourself in the shower, dressed up, and ready to go for opening – you’ve never opened, and even worse, you’ve never met any of the staff that opened either. they can’t be worse than the closers, can they?

as you look in the mirror of your car, it’s palpable that the morning air hates you. your eyes are a little puffy, slight eyebags are visible, and your blinking is slower. you’ve got to get through this, it’s the only way to fit work into your schedule since your classes are all later in the day. 

when you arrive, there’s already someone in your unassigned but basically assigned parking spot – you frown as you back up into a different place. 

after you shift your car to park and check the time, realizing you only have five minutes left before you need to clock in for a six-hour shift, you close your eyes and let your body go limp against the seat. 

–

danielle’s head perks up when she hears the door opening. she halts her wiping of the coffee maker, then turns to see an unfamiliar face – a grin automatically finds its way to her lips.

“hi! you must be y/n?” it’s eight in the morning, you’re barely functioning, and you’re already hit with an overly enthusiastic, excited ray of sunshine; you can’t take the energy, not at this hour.

“yeah.” you respond bluntly, danielle isn’t really phased with the lack of energy that’s being thrown back. “you are?”

she answers with hands clasped together, “danielle! but my friends call me dani.” 

you’re not calling her dani, you aren’t her friend, and she’s just your coworker. 

you walk behind the counter and put your bag inside the cabinet, then grab your apron and put it on. when you turn to the side, you’re met with a shorter woman, her curious eyes, the beauty marks on her face, and a big smile. she puts her hand out and you shake it hesitantly. 

“it’s nice to meet you y/n! have you ever worked mornings?”

“no,” you mumble, unlinking your hands. “only closing shifts.”

“ahh, must be different? i’ll get you situated. i’m excited to work with you!” she says, then walks past you towards the door to the kitchen. she pauses before explaining, “the employees in the back take care of all the pastries other than the croissants and cookies, so we make them over here. i’m going to grab the premade dough and whatnot, you stay here– oh! and could you wipe down the machine? and then just run water for the espresso machine to get the pucks ready.”

you nod at her and she smiles again. you rub your eyes as she leaves your sight, fighting the urge to take a power nap on the counter.

–

the whole morning you’re in charge of drinks right until it hits two in the afternoon. luckily, you’re more fond of being stuck in your corner where the espresso machine is rather than taking orders and socializing with the customers – you wouldn’t be able to greet them as enthusiastically as danielle does with each and every one of them.

you don’t know how she does it.

there's another guy—soobin—who comes in an hour after you. he's a little older, quieter, but all smiles and talkative when it comes to danielle. even as you make drinks and keep to yourself, you can tell danielle's energy is contagious. hearing her and soobin chat freely as they restock pastries and bread makes you wonder if your mornings can be as bearable. if they can do it, maybe you can too.

soobin leaves an hour later than you and danielle, waving to both of you as you two walk out the bakery. 

you fish for your keys and start to walk towards your car, but then your head turns when you hear your name called out. turning around, you spot danielle waving to you, which urges you to stop in your place.

“hey y/n, i just wanted to say that it was nice working with you! i’m looking forward to more shifts with you, have a great rest of your day alright?”

paused in place, you struggle to form words, but you manage to respond a little bluntly, “thanks, i’ll see you tomorrow.”

“bye the way!” she plays with her fingers, “you’re super pretty.” 

caught by surprise, you pause for a moment, clutching the strap of your bag a little tighter as your ears start to warm.

“thank you.”

danielle grins again, and oddly enough, you really like how warm and smiley she is. she's like a beam of sunlight turned into a person. she waves once more before walking in the opposite direction, leaving you replaying the whole interaction in your head the rest of the way to your car.

a small smile finds its way to your lips as you sit in your seat, strangely enough.

–

minji is scribbling in her sketchbook when her roommate walks in, looking a little more giddy than usual.

“dani, hey.” minji greets her, smiling when she does. “how was work?”

“great!” danielle beams, right before plopping down next to her roommate on the couch. “there’s a new member – well, she’s not new, but she just switched to working mornings. today was her first shift with soobin and i, and she’s really good at making the drinks, better than when yeosang was on drink duty.”

“that’s great to hear dani.” minji responds, watching her roommate relax against the cushion. “new coworker seems nice.”

“yeah but,” danielle frowns a little, “she’s not that talkative. she has a tough shell, i really want to know her! she’s really pretty too, like gorgeous, stunning– wow.”

minji quirks a brow. “gorgeous?”

“yes! like, wow, i was taken aback. she looked tired too, but i’ve been tired and i’ve never looked that effortlessly wonderful. i mean, she was making drinks most of the time so she never faced me much. even then, the side of her face is nice and she’s just great to look at.” 

danielles roommate narrows her eyes at her. “right.”

–

the next morning you’re downing two shots of espresso like it’s vodka. danielle watches the whole thing with concern etched into her brow.

“are you okay y/n?” danielle questions, “espresso is strong, how do you do it?”

you nod at her and mumble, “it’s fine.” before you continue to clean the counter, not turning to face her. she frowns at you; danielle will get through that shell. 

soobin is in half an hour later, grinning at danielle as he puts his apron on and saying “hi” to you as well. you respond with a forced smile before plopping the last batch of cookies in the small oven on the counter. 

as soon as soobin is done taking the first few customers, leaving you to finish their drinks, danielle pulls him by the sleeve away from you.

“dani? what is it–”

“let’s go bag the pastries, come.”

“um, okay?” he walks over towards the shelves with her, putting on some gloves before asking, “why are you being so strange?”

“i want to get closer with y/n.” she says with a pout. 

“is that all?” soobin questions her–and this strange behavior. “i think she’s just timid.”

“you were timid too, but it took two hours into the shift for us to start talking about hedgehogs.”

“well, i like hedgehogs. you have to find out something you two like.”

danielle sighs defeatedly. “she barely responds to me unless it’s work-related!”

“you’ve got to give her time, people are different. she’s probably not a morning person? and maybe she sees this as just her job, maybe she doesn’t want to interact with others.”

danielle watches you from where her and soobin are after hearing you call out the name of the order. you hand it over to the elderly woman, who thanks you warmly and it earns a small, genuine smile from you. danielle finds your smile lovely, especially the small dimples on your cheeks that form. 

“you’re going to help me out, okay? we have to warm up to her.”

soobin sighs before bagging a cream bun. “okay.”

–

it’s painfully slow for a few minutes, so you walk out from behind the counter to fix up the pastries that the various customers have disordered. 

danielle follows and you jump when you turn to see her beaming at you. “hi!”

“danielle,” you tighten your jaw. “hi.”

“it’s slow on wednesday mornings, most people are already at work.”

“i figured.” you reply as you close the packaging for the rice doughnut.

“so, how are you this morning?”

“i’m fine, um, how are you?”

danielle smiles; the conversation is flowing in the tiniest bit, but still, it’s something. “just tired, i had a lot of work to do because one of my professors loves to assign things last minute, i stayed up quite late. are you in college too? i kind of guessed that we’re around the same age.”

“i just started my second year.” you answer.

she jumps a tiny bit to show the excitement over a commonality, you think it’s adorable.

“really? me too! what are you studying?”

“english and creative writing–” you cut yourself off when you catch a mother and her daughter in the corner of your eye, shutting down the conversation immediately when they start to walk towards the register. 

you throw a small smile at them and greet them warmly before tak ingtheir orders. danielle huffs, but she’s shining again once she’s realized that your shell has chipped just barely.

–

you don’t work fridays or the weekend, danielle has already been aware of that after checking the schedule. it would be weird in the eyes of, well, many people, but she checks everyones schedule just in case any mishaps occur, danielle is considerate beyond measure.

she’s attentive and notices many things – she’s like that with everyone, but you? you’re different.

sure, she’s attentive to the way soobin stumbles over the small bump under the door to the kitchen each time he has to grab something from the back, how he jumps each time the phone rings, and how often he bags the pastries backwards. with you, however, she notices a lot, she learns. 

two weeks after you two start working together, danielle has managed to learn three things about you.

one: you laugh whenever soobin slips up – or really any little mishap that happens with him (which occurs often) – but you always try to conceal your amusement. two: as soon as noon hits, you’re much more awake, which is when danielle sparks more conversation with you. and three: you both go to the same university, and you don’t know this, but she figured that out before you even told her after catching you in the dining hall from afar.

it’s not easy to miss something – or someone – that stands out so boldly, especially if it’s your charming visuals.

her job used to be something that she’d get done and enjoy while it lasted, but now that you’re thrown into the mix, a new challenge and person is clouding her mind throughout her days. she’s so tuned in to everything about you, for some strange reason. and one afternoon, the rare moment she loses focus – attention slipping away in the heat of a rush – danielle bumps into you, spilling a small cup of hot coffee all over your hand. 

you gasp loudly, clutching your hand and biting down on your teeth as tears start to form. “fuck–”

“y/n!” danielle almost yelps, earning the attention from the customers in the shop. “oh my gosh–” she places the cup on the counter before grabbing your wrist and running it under cold water. somehow, her holding your wrist seems to burn more. “i’m so so sorry, y/n are you okay? i’m so–”

you shake your head and push her hand away from your wrist, wiping away the small tear in the corner of your eye. “it’s fine, it was an accident. you should go help soobin out, there’s a long line.”

she can’t tell if you’re mad at her, it breaks her heart. the tone of your voice is always so hard to decipher, and as much as she wants to stay there and help you out – probably with another string of apologies – you have a point, she should do her job, but you’re burnt. danielle is much more worried about you rather than making money in the moment.

but still, your look and tone sends danielle back to the register, and before she tends to the customer, she looks back at you, pouting a little.

–

as soon as you reach the door to the drivers side of your car, you feel a tap on your shoulder. 

turning around, you’re met with danielle.

“did you need something?” you ask her, tilting your head.

“no, i just wanted to apologize for burning your hand, i’m so sorry.” 

you shake your head. “it’s alright, it was a mistake.” 

“yes, but still, can i make it up to you with coffee or pastries?”

“danielle,” you catch yourself and danielle by surprise when a small giggle slips out. you clear your throat before continuing, “we work at a bakery, i can always treat myself to both of those without charge.”

“well, i really want to make it up to you.”

“you’re really sweet, but it’s alright.” you catch your coworker off guard with the sudden compliment, there’s a small flush that spreads across her cheeks. “besides, my hand feels better.” you show her your hand, putting it out in front of her, it’s still red and swollen. “it’ll heal more. i’ll see you tomorrow, alright? get home safe danielle.”

danielle can’t really respond to you after that, you’re already waving to her once more before heading to your car. she watches you glance down at your hand, gently holding it as you do so. the guilt in her starts to grow even more.

–

hanni watches danielle storm into the house, rub her face with both hands, and plop onto the couch like she’s just gotten rejected by someone as if she were in some type of romance drama. 

“dani? what is up with you–���

“i’m a terrible person! my coworker probably hates me– i’ve been trying to warm up to her these past two weeks and then i go and burn her!”

hanni’s eyes widen, her brows raise, and her jaw drops. “you burned your coworker?”

with tired eyes and a bedhead, minji appears from the hall in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. she groans as she runs a hand through her hair, squinting her eyes. “what’s with all the noise? i’m trying to nap…”

“dani burned her coworker.”

minji’s a little more awake now, tilting her head. “the really pretty one?”

“yes!” danielle groans into the cushion, the bottom of her palms covering her eyes as she lies there defeatedly. when she takes her hands off her face, she opens her eyes to see minji and hanni hovering over as they stand, awaiting an explanation. “i’m a terrible person.”

hanni moves danielles legs over so that she can sit on the couch, putting her legs on her lap as the younger woman loses it. minji sits on the opposite end, putting her legs over on hanni’s lap as well and resting her head against a pillow.

“okay well why are you a terrible person?”

“i spilled hot coffee all over my coworker’s hand! gosh, i tried to apologize and everything, i even offered to compensate for the damage and she declined! y/n has to hate me…”

hanni looks over at minji to pout, then looks back at danielle. “hey, it was a mistake. what did she say?”

“well, she was really normal about it as if i didn’t just burn her hand, she brushed it off like it was nothing. i offered to have coffee with her or share some pastries but then she giggled and was all like ‘you’re really sweet but it’s okay’ and i don’t know, what if burning her hand makes her talk to me less and she hates me forever and–”

“dani.” minji butts in, making the younger one quiet down. “you made her laugh and she said you’re really sweet.”

“and?”

“and?” minji groans, sitting up on her elbows now. “dani, she said you’re really sweet. why wouldn’t she want to talk to you?”

“because i burned her? or maybe i’m annoying and talk too much but i really can’t help it-”

hanni puts a finger to danielles lips, dramatically shushing her. minji laughs at the action before hanni butts in, “dani, first of all; you’re not annoying. second; you’re literally the greatest person ever and i love you and if you ever stopped talking so much i’d have to i don’t know, die?”

minji snorts. “the hell?”

“what i’m saying is no one could ever hate you and honestly if she does; she’s not worth your time. plus, you shouldn’t waste your energy on someone who doesn’t appreciate you. you’re wonderful bro.” danielle’s eyes soften as she looks at hanni, and minji’s bottom lip protrudes from how sweet her words are. hanni sits danielle upright and puts both hands on her shoulders. “how about this: minji and i go visit you at work tomorrow and we’ll be the judge of your coworker.”

“you’d do that for me?”

hanni nods. “yes, but also please hook us up with some free pastries and drinks because i have to do a wrap around on this whole lecture so let's see it as an exchange, but also i love you dani and don’t want you losing your mind over this woman.”

“and i’ll be the judge of whether or not your coworker is as gorgeous as you think.” minji adds teasingly.

danielle smiles from ear to ear, making a small little noise as she pounces on hanni and hugs her like she’s her savior. minji laughs at the sight, smiling as well. 

–

you park near your cousin’s highschool, you always pick her up after opening shifts since the time aligns perfectly. you send a text to your cousin to let her know you’re there and your burnt hand sits on the wheel, so you take a few moments to examine it as you wait for a response.. 

minutes pass before your cousin arrives, knocking on the window and grinning at you, breaking you out of your small daydream.

“hi y/n, sorry i came so late, my teacher was being an ass.”

“language hyein.” you scoff, knowing damn well you curse like it’s your second language. hyein gets into the passengers seat and steals your phone, putting on a song as you start to drive again. “anyway, how was school?”

“oh god, it was so draining today. i swear my physics teacher wants me dead.”

“this is why you don’t take physics as a sophomore.”

“well someone won’t help me.” hyein rolls her eyes playfully, making you giggle. “anyway, school was just school. how was work?”

“it was alright, i kinda– well, my coworker spilled coffee on me. burned my hand a little but it’s not too bad.”

“the tall one? soobin? or was it the pretty one, your little work crush?” she raises her brows knowingly, smirking. 

hyein is one of very few people who you let loose around. despite your age gap, she’s your cousin, and your favorite one too. ever since you moved to live with her and her parents for school, you’ve gotten closer, spending hours rambling and practically getting glued to by the hip. she knew everything about you and what you felt.

she knew how you felt about your morning shifts; you coming home with a smile on your face after work was different. you dreaded work and the people you worked with for closing, all some stupid braindead men that you had to order around half the time. danielle and soobin were far from that. the duo eased your worries and actually did their job relatively well, you were able to do what you loved – stay stuck in the corner making all of the drinks – without worrying about the bakery. it was a breeze, you loved teh switch to mornings other than waking up at a time that has you quiet, moody, and only functioning after at least two shots of espresso.

hyein also knew about the interest you had in your new coworker danielle. you’ve never rambled about someone this much, calling her sweet, lovely, nice – not to mention the whole tangent regarding her eyes and pretty smile. hyein watched you chastise yourself for being so distant and avoidant because of your moods in the morning, comforting you for not being able to form decent bonds and friendships because of how early you had to get up.

you grip the wheel a little tighter. “danielle, it was an accident though.”

hyein eyes you. “so the pretty one.”

“her name is danielle.”

“point proven! you don’t just recognize your coworkers by how attractive they are you know…” hyein teases, “sometimes you talk about her and i wonder if my older cousin can finally be a normal person that’s capable of having a crush on someone.”

you keep your eyes on the road, but use your right hand to push her head playfully and ruffle her hair, earning a whine. 

“just because i think someone is pretty does not mean i like them. you’re so young, you don’t know shit about crushes and romance.”

“stop cursing.” hyein warns. the light turns red and you step on the break, then turn to look at her with raised brows. hyein laughs and cocks her head, giving you stupid puppy eyes. “i know when someone likes someone, or at least when they start to. you think she’s pretty but in a way that sounds like you’re an admirer.”

“what?”

“you tell me you can’t talk to her and look at her sometimes? y/n im sixteen, but im also not new to having crushes, ive been there. you like her.”

“do you want to walk home?”

hyein pouts, crossing her arms and making you laugh in the process. “youre no fun.”

“whatever.” you mumble.

when the two of you get home, hyein steals your keys to open the door to the house. she gets in first, obviously eager to do whatever it is that she’s up to after school — probably calling her friends or laying in bed.

you walk over to the kitchen and run your burnt hand under cold water, clenching your teeth slightly when you feel the stinging. 

in the drawer near you, there’s the first aid kit, over the counter tablets, and other health related items. you rummage through to find the burn relief cream, leaning against the countertop as you twist the cap open. you squeeze out a line of the cream that extends down to the base of your pointer finger, then you begin to rub your reddened skin. 

your thoughts drift to the moment of when you burned yourself—well, when danielle burned you. she had this look in her eyes, so pure and so regretful that it made you feel bad. 

she was so sweet with the offer, she’s ways so lovely. she’s honestly adorable. the way the words rushed out of her, the small pout on her lips and the fact that she offered to make it up to you. every nerve in your body wanted to accept the offer, but danielle shouldn’t have to pay or spend time on something to make things up to someone like you. it was a mistake after all. 

then your thoughts drift elsewhere, from the whole burnt-hand incident and then to the person who burned you–to danielle. she’s bubbly in the mornings and although you used to hate that, her smile and greetings started to wake you up a little more. the crinkle of her brow every time she catches you downing shots of espresso always makes you suppress a laugh, the expression is so adorable and she’s just so—

“stupid hyein,” you sigh to yourself.

youve been absentmindedly rubbing the burn-relief cream in the same spot for almost a minute, all because of your coworker taking over your thoughts. you begin to rub the rest of your hand and add another dot of cream to the lower area of your hand.

hyein’s called you out multiple times for having an alleged crush on your coworker, but you’ve always dismissed it. however, the words she’s said to you before ring in your head in the moment. you crease your brows and purse your lips subconsciously.

“maybe you can’t talk to her because you’re attracted to her and not because it’s 8 in the morning.” hyein shrugs, looking at you as you sit lazily on the couch. she’s lecturing you after another ramble about your day, the mere mention of danielle prompting her to quote on quote ‘educate you’ on what love is. “you talked to your friends perfectly during morning classes from what you’ve told me, maybe you’re just all shy and blushy and—“

you smack the palm of your hand on your forehead to stop yourself from thinking of that memory of you and your cousin.

“i don’t have a crush on danielle… what is she thinking?” you mumble to yourself. you halt your actions after the realization that you’ve just talked to yourself hits. you press a hand to your cheeks, feeling a weird warmth from your skin, making you shake your head and groan. “i can talk to her fine… just fine.”

 —

“morning!” danielle beams as she catches you walking in. you manage to shoot a small smile, danielle likes that you’ve been giving her more of those.

you put your bag in the cabinet, then put on your apron. without turning to face her, you start to speak, “danielle?”

she almost jumps, not expecting you to even interact with her. maybe you needed help with something? or a question regarding the new breakfast pastries.

“y/n, did you need something?”

you shake your head. “no, i just, um— how are you this morning?”

danielle pauses, you turn to meet her eyes and blink as you wait for an answer. your coworker short circuits momentarily before stumbling over her words as she responds, “oh, i’m— i’m great! tired of course, you know with school and all. thank you for asking y/n.”

“did you get enough sleep?” danielle looks at you after you ask that, wondering where all of this friendliness is coming from. she’s not against it though, maybe you’re just awake this morning.

“i tried to get as much as i could.” she says, then smiles. “is your hand okay?”

“it’s fine. i put ointment on it and it’s like nothing happened.” you assure.

without any warning, you disappear into the back, probably looking for dough to bake. danielle is still stuck in her place, blinking a few times before she runs the espresso machine. she wonders for a moment, furrowing her brow at the rare interaction that you started. but then, she’s grinning to herself just thinking about it all.

danielle wonders: maybe you don’t hate her, maybe her roommates were right. 

—

you hear a bundle of voices, three to be exact.  when you look up from the steam wand, you’re met with three women that all look your age—they all probably go to your university, or maybe the other one that’s also close by.

one of them walks up to the register, soobin greets them, but their attention seems to be on you for a bit.

“hi, is danielle here?” one asks. 

soobin nods, still looking at the screen of the register. “yeah, she’s in the back. did you need her?”

“we’re really close with her, could you grab her?”

soobin nods again, humming in response before he walks over to the door leading to the back. 

you continue to make the cappuccino that an older lady ordered a few minutes ago, creating a small lavender looking design with the steamed milk and pushing it out on the counter. 

“for park!” you call out, the lady comes up to the counter in seconds and smiles at you. she pats your shoulder and it makes your heart warm knowing she’s happy with it.

the three girls from before, they continue to eye you from the register until danielle is back, and when she returns, she starts squealing at the sight of them.

“you guys really came!” danielle beams, immediately reaching over to hug them as best as she can with the counter in the way. “what pastries did you all want? oh! i can also grab you drinks.”

the one with bangs nods, then orders for all of them. “mmm i’ll have an iced vanilla latte, minji wants a hot tea and haerin just wants a cookie and iced tea. you know she’s out early today? oh my god, as soon as we heard we scooped her up immediately-“

the rest of their conversation doesn’t process in your head as you start with the drinks. you had just put the puck in the machine, twisted it in place and started to pull the espresso before you feel a tap on your shoulder.

danielle meets your eyes and you feel yourself soften up a bit. 

she tugs on the cloth covering your shoulder just a bit before she speaks. “hey.”

“hi?” 

“can i introduce you to my roommates and our friend? you wouldn’t mind? would you?”

“oh, no— but i’m kind of… making one of their drinks right now.”

“oh, sorry— wait what?  i was going to make them—“

“well since they’re you’re friends i think they’d appreciate their drinks out earlier. and it’s okay, don’t be sorry danielle. i’ll do whatever if it’s not busy and when i’m done.” you swear you see a little more pink on her cheeks than usual, stronger than the blush she wears—you could be wrong.

“right, yeah, do your job!”

you stifle a giggle and purse your lips to conceal your smile, ultimately failing. danielle’s tone and mood are contagious sometimes.

(all the time.)

when you’re finished with the drinks — danielle had lingered nearby here and there as you made them — you placed them on the little counter for danielle to pick up. she had smiled at you, mouthed a “thank you,” and rushed over to sit down with her friends. 

it wasn’t busy at all, the only other customers in the bakery had been a corporate man that soobin was tending to. the man bought a loaf of milk bread and ordered a brewed coffee, soobin could handle all of that. he will handle all of that.

danielle sits with her friends at the table, giggling as she does so and looking as happy as ever. there’s a weird flutter in your stomach, like someone poking you there from the inside and it’s not that it hurts, it’s just odd. 

pretending to busy yourself is something you’re really good at doing, and plus, it’s a great way to excuse your glances toward danielle as she talks to her friends. she’s really smiley and giddy, it’s the cutest thing ever.

a few minutes pass and you’re still bagging some items, daydreaming as you do so. 

(danielle seemed to pop up here and there, strangely enough.

here and there turned into her being the star of the dreams.)

you’re in your own world until a faint “hey y/n!” is muttered into your ear, making you jump and almost elbow your pretty coworker.

“did i startle you? i’m so sorry—“ danielle starts, but you’re quick to cut her off as soon as she begins to apologize. 

“no, no. sorry i was in my own world.”

“i get that.” she chuckles, “hey, most of the things are bagged–i was wondering if you’d like to meet my friends? soobin is cashiering and he should be fine since it’s not too busy so…?”

you take a quick glance and look over at her friends who are looking at the two of you eagerly. the one with bangs has this smirk on her face, making you hesitate.

“please? i don’t know why but–” danielle lies, she knows why. “um, they want to meet you.”

“me?” 

“yes!”

you pause and honestly think of declining until danielle shoots her bottom lip out a bit. in no time you’re biting the inside of your cheek before responding with a nod, and you’re so grateful because she’s grabbing your hand—two fingers of yours—and leading you over to the small table near the windows.

danielle is gripping your pointer and middle finger lightly, but it feels like she has a hold on you as a whole. your body is all warm and fuzzy and your mind is hazy and her skin is really soft and nice and—

“this is y/n!” she introduces, letting go of your fingers. “y/n, these are my roommates hanni minji, and this is haerin.”

“nice to meet you all.” you greet softly with a small smile. they all stare and you feel yourself shrinking under all the pairs of eyes. you poke the inside of your cheek with your tongue before clearing your throat. “are the drinks alright?”

minji scans your face, eyes tracing each and every feature before her gaze softens. she nods at you and responds, “they’re great, wonderful.”

you nod at her and grin again, looking down at the table to avoid any eye contact. 

hanni chuckles. “yeah this latte is actually amazing, danielle’s made me lattes before but they’ve never been this good.”

“y/n is really good at making the drinks, practically keeping the bakery in business. i bet our boss is happy with you in the mornings.” danielle completely ignores hanni’s teasing and adds to the praise, making you wave your hand and shake your head.

“ah, no, no. i mean i can only make drinks but danielle is really good at every aspect of her job, she’s wonderful with customers.”

“oh stop–”

“no, you are.” you look up to make eye contact with her, then look over to soobin, who’s brewing another batch of coffee. “soobin is great, but he’s really clumsy sometimes and it’s kind of funny catching him stumbling over words. you’re a natural.”

“you’re so sweet.” danielle mutters in awe before  lips turn up even more, her cheeks flush slightly and her friends all look at each other with smirks on their faces. 

“i um, i try–”

you hear the door opening and two pairs of very familiar voices make you turn immediately. turning around, you see your cousin and her best friend in a group with three others you just barely recognize. danielle spots this as well, she starts to stand before you pause her in the act.

“danielle, i got it.”

“it’s a big group y/n.” she continues to stand up, but when you place your hand on her arm lightly it’s like you’ve frozen her in place. minji and hanni immediately give each other knowing looks, and haerin observes the whole ordeal intensely. 

“it’s my cousin and her friends, you should stay and hangout with your friends. besides, you haven’t had a break today, relax.” your hand slides down to her forearm without any thought. despite the small action, danielle is flustered by it.

“you sure?”

“positive,” you affirm, then look at all her friends. “it was nice meeting you all.”

the group watches you walk over behind the counter, and as soon as you’re at a distance where they can talk without you hearing anything, danielle’s friends – minji and hanni for the most part – go ham on her.

“oh yeah she’s gorgeous.” minji chimes in, shrugging it off like you’re not the prettiest person danielle has seen. “you were right.”

just gorgeous? 

“yeah she’s really pretty dani. and also, she doesn’t hate you, there’s no way.” hanni says as she munches on a croissant, earning a punch to the arm from minji. hanni whines, croissant still in her mouth, “hey! what was that for?”

“finish chewing before you talk! you’re so gross…” 

“you didn’t have to hit me!” hanni groans, nudging minji with her shoulder.

haerin rolls her eyes at the two before taking a sip from her iced tea, watching danielle glance at you. haerin has known danielle for a while, the last time she had been like this was forever ago, this admiration can’t be something that’s purely platonic, not with those dilated pupils and puppy eyes. 

and you, you’re no different either. haerin watches you glance over to make eye contact with danielle, eyes softening and your teeth showing as you smile at her the moment you meet each others features. 

while minji and hanni continue to bicker, haerin continues observing. danielle is making it look like she’s invested in the bickering – which, she very much is; it’s always entertaining when the two argue over stupid things – but her mind is somewhere else.  

“danielle,”

“haerin?” danielle turns her head and hums in response.

haerin blinks. “you like her.”

minji and hanni stop bickering, their presence enhancing the shiver down her spine.

“no, no. i just think she’s really interesting, i couldn’t possibly–”

haerin shakes her head, putting a hand up. “you look at her like she’s… like there’s a halo around her head.”

“i–” danielle turns to glance at you again. you’re laughing with one of the girls, she assumes it’s your cousin that you mentioned. you flick the younger girl’s forehead and she groans, which earns the most pure, natural laugh and smile she’s ever seen on your face. you’re cute, especially when all of your teeth are showing as you laugh. when you make eye contact with your coworker again through waterlined eyes, your lips purse into a closed smile.

danielle is blushing, her cheeks burn, and the vulnerability is displayed right in front of her friends. she tries to laugh it off, but hanni’s jaw drops and she throws a hand over her mouth.

“oh my god.”

minji starts to chuckle. “she has a point, danielle. whether you know it or not, it makes sense.”

“i barely know anything about her, you can’t be serious.” danielle rolls her eyes and pouts. “even if i did, it’d be impossible to even do anything remotely romantic. she’s like stone.

“she was literally everything but stone from what i saw earlier.” haerin comments. “danielle, it’s okay to have a crush on someone, you know?”

hanni hums in agreement. “yup, and you really need to stop that flirting you do with us every ten seconds because it’s grueling and if you’re going to flirt, flirt with someone you actually want because everytime you say anything remotely flirtatious ten years of my life get taken away.”

minji snorts and danielle can’t help but do so as well. “wooow, my flirting is very wonderful thank you.” she crosses her arms and looks over at you again. “and what if y/n doesn’t like my flirting?”

“nah,” hanni sips on her drink. “you called her a good barista or whatever and i saw her like, malfunction for two seconds. she was blushing a little.”

“well she wears blush so–”

“dani, can you–” hanni facepalms. “just, shhh. she doesn’t hate you and you know what, you can build off of that.”

haerin shrugs before taking a few more sips of her tea. “yeah, she’s pretty and smiles at you sweetly. it’s not impossible.”

danielle takes one more look at you, you’re still chatting with your cousin and her friend seems to be joined in the conversation as well. the rest of the group of teenagers have left, so the place is pretty empty. you smile here and there as you clean the counter and wipe the machine, occasionally looking at the two girls who converse with each other.

“okay dani, i love you but i also need to get this lecture noted and also oh my god i have a report due tomorrow and–”

 hanni feels a finger to her lips, similar to how she shushed danielle the night before, but now it’s reversed. minji snorts and haerin laughs before danielle assures, “go, go. i’ll see you later and bring extra snacks hanni.” 

the group begins to clear the table, dismissing danielles efforts to leave it be so she can take care of it. they all bring their silverware and dishes to the little trays near the trash before walking over to the exit, each girl hugging danielle before they all leave the bakery.

when danielle turns around, she spots you still conversing with the girls, but tending to the daily housekeeping simultaneously. you look up and catch her in your eye again, displaying a small, toothy smirk at her.

danielle chuckles to herself, making you do the same even as she moves over to package pastries.

–

today is your offday, so you’d usually wake up two hours later than you usually do for work. but when your phone rings around the same time you’d arrive at work, you groggily reach over to squint your eyes at the screen, reading the contact name that is calling you at this time in the morning:

incoming call: danielle

“does she know im not working? shouldn’t she be off today too…” you mumble to yourself before picking up and putting your phone on speaker. “hello?”

“y/n, hi, did i wake you up? you sound tired, ah, i’m sorry.”

feeling bad, you lie to her. “no, i’ve been awake for a bit now. is everything alright?”

“i just wanted to ask, um, how far do you live from work?”

“less than ten minutes, why do you ask?”

“i’m sorry if this is a big favor but i’m supposed to cover for soobin today since he’s sick. i walked to work since i live a fifteen minute walk away, not too far, but i forgot the keys and it’s storming really badly…”

you’re a little more awake now after hearing the light rumble of thunder coming from outside, it urges you to rub your eyes. “danielle, are you safe from the storm right now?”

“i mean, i’m standing under the little roof thing near the entrance. water can’t get me from here.”

“jesus,” you mutter to yourself, then jump at the next sharp thundering sound that comes after. “i’ll be there soon, okay? i’ll pick you up and you can just give me the directions to your place. be careful, i’m on my way.”

“thank you so much, im sorry again–”

“no, no. it’s fine, i’ll be there, see you.”

before she can respond, you hang up on her, running to the bathroom to splash water on your face and fix your disheveled bedhead up. then, you run towards the entrance of your house and grab your keys that hang on the hook near the door, slide your slides on, and quickly run out.

it’s storming hard, and you’ve already gotten a clue on how bad since you had been pretty drenched from simply walking to your car. 

you speed through the neighborhood and into the main road to get to the bakery faster. desperately looking through the windshield for your coworker, you spot her near the entrance just as she said, then drive up as close as you can.

rolling down your window, a bit of water gets on your face, hair, and the top of your shirt – but it doesn’t stop you from yelling, “get in!”

in a few seconds, danielle is in the passenger seat, her hair visibly damp but not too wet. she runs a hand through it, and it feels like your heart just skipped a beat. her hair is wavy now, more than usual, quite curly. was it always like this? her hair looks beautiful, framing her face perfectly, strands sticking to her skin from the raindrops—like elements of a painting coming together to create something breathtaking.

“sorry, i would’ve asked my roommates but they had some important stuff for their classes and whatnot so they left earlier this morning. i also didn’t want to wake minji up, i know her lectures are pretty bad.”

how thoughtful of her. 

shaking your head, you respond, “it’s fine, i just don’t want you getting sick. i’m glad you called.”

“really?”

“u-uh, i mean, yeah. i’m still not the best at opening and you’re pretty much the best at everything so… soobin and i need you in the mornings. i know im off today but whoever is working this morning probably needs you.”

“aw, that’s so sweet of you.” danielle’s smile grows and grows as she notices everything about you in the moment: your hair is messy, you have some old, loose t-shirt on with some poorly scribbled figure of… you? then, a small giggle leaves her lips once she notices the dog prints on your pajama pants. 

your blush grows deeper with each passing second. “i um, didn’t have time to change. do you want to type your address in my phone or…?”

“you look so cute y/n.” it slips out of danielles lips, but she’s able to play it off well with the little tilt of her head and a sly smirk. it works wonders on you. “i like your shirt and pants.”

you cough to ease your nerves, then shift the stick of your decade-old, hand-me-down five seat toyota to ‘drive.’

“my cousin made it for me when i was still in highschool a while ago. sorry, that’s not important.” you facepalm yourself mentally. danielle thinks this little story is very important, but you cut yourself off.  “do you just want to tell me the directions?”

adorable, danielle almost says out loud. 

“yeah, turn left at the stop.” 

danielle spends the rest of the time staring out the car and gazing out to see the rain that pours down from above. you’re stiff in your seat the whole time, especially when she does that little thing where she glances at you with those pretty eyes occasionally. it’s a simple look and yet you’re flustered beyond words.

you reach an apartment complex and drive as close as you can to the entrance. she gets out and mutters a haste “i’ll be quick” before leaving you alone with a racing heart and flushed face.

when she returns, there’s an umbrella in her hands and the keys to the bakery. once she gets in, you start to drive back.

“danielle?” 

“mhm?”

“is your hair naturally like that?” you ask. 

“ah,” she moves a hand to her hair to run her fingers through, though not without a little struggle. “i straighten it usually, it’s easier to maintain. the rain must’ve made it a little curly again huh?”

“i think your hair is beautiful like that, really.” you admit, eyes stuck on the road. “you look good with any hairstyle.”

“why thank you! i could say that for you as well.”

you scoff playfully, shaking your head as you turn into the bakery parking lot. “right, like my half-awake head is even the tiniest bit alluring.”

she winks at you, leaning in just a bit closer. “i think it enhances the natural allure, no?”

words get stuck in your throat, danielle laughs, and then she waves at you as she gets out the car. the rain has stopped just in time for her to clock in and a little beam of light hits her in the best way possible. you can’t help but stare at her in awe. 

“thank you for keeping me from getting drenched, you’re the sweetest.”

“yeah, i mean, you’re kind of the pillar. our boss isn’t ever here, you’re practically the boss no?”

“you’re too charming, i’ll see you in a few days?”

your mouth opens but nothing comes out for a moment, not until a bright idea pops up in your head.

“i can take you home after work, don’t want you walking in these conditions.”

“y/n,” she starts, looking confused. “it stopped raining.”

“it’s whatever, you know what– i can drive you to work in the mornings.”

“oh, you really don’t have to. isn’t the gas money quite–”

“no, no. i’ll give you a call or text next week, it’s nothing. see you danielle.”

–

little did you know, this would turn into a routine–the small gesture of picking up danielle instead of letting her walk in the mornings.

sure, she got a little less cardio, but she managed to crack that shell open just enough to glimpse what was inside. and everything hidden by your reserved demeanor was everything that made her heart flutter and more. each feature and curve of your face, beautifully highlighted by the soft glow of the café lamps captivated her beyond measure. but what she loved most was your personality—every word, every gesture. it captivated her in ways she hadn’t expected, and she found herself falling deeper with each passing moment.

you were caring, sweet, and had lots to share. there was never a dull moment with you the moment she figured out how to get you to talk a little more.

as for you, mornings weren't dreadful anymore. you started waking up earlier than usual just to make it to danielle's on time. you liked this new routine—seeing danielle first thing in the morning, sharing a coffee with her, chatting while the pastries baked. the smell of fresh coffee and baking bread filled the air, making the workspace warm and inviting. just being in her presence was the perfect start to your day. her laughter and smiles made everything brighter, transforming mundane, tiring mornings into something special.

and what kind of cousin would you be if you hadn’t told hyein everything like the two of you usually do. hyein is on the other side of the couch starting at you smile as you ramble about this routine you’ve fallen into with heart eyes and a wide grin.

“i mean, i haven’t ever liked mornings since her.” you begin, your fingers starting to fiddle with one another. “and oh my god she keeps flirting with me! it’s actually terrible. do you know how hard it is to stay normal when she’s calling me what, a fucking angel first thing in the morning? and it doesn’t help that she’s literally gorgeous, i mean you’ve seen her; she’s straight out of a dream.”

hyein groans as she sits up. “well if you’re so in love, quit complaining to me, you’ve been like this since the month started.”

you sit up as well, furrowing your brows. “what?”

“just ask her out already! it’s clear she’s into you.”

“i think she’s just flirty though.”

“old and stupid oh, you piss me off.” hyein throws a pillow at you, making you yell ‘hey!’ before throwing it back at her face. she laughs before clinging the pillow close. “but really, at least a ‘friend’ date or something… it would bring you two closer. those morning rides aren’t going to lead to anything more than what you already have, probably. plus, soobin and actually working gets in the way of your little lovey-dovey stuff.”

you look at her, biting your lip as you ponder.

hyein is right, hell, she always is. for a child, she’s pretty good with giving advice and an even better listener. she’s your best friend and favorite relative all in one, it would be somewhat betraying to not take the advice.

“well, what if she’s taken?”

“oh my god…” your cousin throws her head onto the cushion of the couch. “she calls you pretty and flirts with you – girl, of course she’s single.”

“okay but… i don’t know.”

“well i know that you’re stupid as hell.”

“language!”

“just check her instagram or something? people with significant others always post something.”

you fall silent, biting your lip again before looking at her with an apologetic feeling in your eye. “i don’t have anything but her number…”

“oh y/n, that’s not a problem at all.” hyein rolls her eyes and scoots up next to you, leaning against your shoulder as you peer over to watch what she’s doing. she holds the phone up to your face to unlock it and taps on the intagram icon, immediately clicking  on the search bar. “do you know her last name?”

“um, it starts with an m i think?”

“you don’t know her last name?”

“why would i know this?”

“do you have an app for your schedules or anything? oh my god, you’re seriously getting on my nerves… i can’t believe you managed to even have a girlfriend for that one year–”

you cringe at the mention of your history with women. “okay don’t mention that please… and fuck her, she was terrible to me.” you frown.

“sorry,” hyein know’s she’s hit a little spot, knowing your past with much detail, then continues. “anyway, let’s just search her up and…” she types in ‘d-a-n-i-e-l-l-e’ into the search and a few accounts pop up. she looks at the small profile pictures displayed and the first one makes her click her tongue. “found it!”

her page is pretty just from the first glance–you two haven’t even looked at any of the posts or highlights either. danielle’s profile picture is jus ther with a beanie over her head and looking at the camera with her pretty eyes and god you almost melt right then and there because no model could top her visuals. 

you reach over to scroll through her posts; she has thirteen in total, and a few catch your eye. one post, in particular, stands out: a single photo of her posing in front of a mirror, wearing a crop top that shows off her slim figure and a denim jacket hanging loosely off one shoulder. she looks absolutely stunning. as you stare at the image, lips slightly parted in awe, hyein looks over and sees your intense gaze. before you can react, you're interrupted by a playful pinch to your cheek.

“you’re so down bad.”

“i’m not!” you scoff, taking the phone out from her hands and scrolling yourself. 

there are photos of her with friends, snapshots of mesmerizing views (though none as captivating as her), pictures with her family, beach scenes, dogs, and several selfies—you find yourself lingering on those a bit longer. her entire page perfectly matches her energy; it's cute and vibrant. as you scroll, hyein catches you smiling to yourself, lost in the charm of danielle’s online presence.

one of her more recent posts, posted about three months ago, catches your eye. it’s her and haerin posing together with haerin’s face being cupped by danielle’s hand as they pose. the caption has your heart sinking a bit (a lot).

“beautiful, gorgeous, and lovely birthday girl💋👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 i love you lots sweetie”

hyein catches the whole thing live, watching your small smile turn into pursed lips. “that doesn’t mean anything y/n, friends can be like that.”

“they’re pretty close…” you swipe to see a picture of danielle’s nose nuzzled into haerin’s cheek and frown. “she’s taken.”

your heart sinks even more just looking at the picture longer, urging hyein to snatch your phone out of your hands and click on the mentioned tags. she finds haerin’s account – it’s public, thankfully – and roams around as you sit there defeatedly.

it’s not looking the best so far, not when hyein clicks on a post with danielle and her group of friends, and after hyein swipes to the next photo she’s met with danielle and haerin hugging each other, cheeks pressed together as they pose for the photo. you catch a glimpse before your head falls over on hyein’s shoulder like you’ve just come back from an unsuccessful war.

“it’s over.”

“y/n, lift your head up! i pose with my friends like this too… maybe she’s touchy.”

“not with me.” you pout. hyein flicks your forehead. “hey!”

“stupid,” she says. “maybe it’s because she likes you and is wary of boundaries. from what i’m seeing, you should initiate.”

“i can’t possibly do that.”

“you’re literally a liar.” she spits out. “as soon as your friends initiate something you’re clinging like a koala, even with me you’re like that.”

you fall over onto the couch, giving up and looking up at the ceiling; your life isn’t over because your really adorable, amazing, lively, vibrant, cute, helpful, captivating, adorable coworker is taken. 

(it’s over.)

hyein allows you to sulk for a moment before widening her eyes and gasping, “wait, i literally know haerin.”

“you do?”

“kind of. i just checked her account on my phone and a lot of people i know follow her, she’s that pretty upperclassman everyone likes. there’s no way she’s dating danielle, like, i have proof.”

sitting up immediately, you crunch your brows. “are you serious?”

“yeah. my friend is friends with her, she’s very much single and i don’t think she wants to mingle.”

“holy shit, you’re serious?”

“language~” hyein teases. “yes, i’m not trying to feed your delusions by the way–i don’t support homewrecking.”

you practically pouce at hyein and tackle her into a loving, grateful hug. she squeaks at the contact, but warms up into the hug. 

“i love you forever, i’ll buy you lunch and treat you to pastries and anything and–”

“it’s fiiinneee.” hyein pulls away and chuckles at you. “i just want to help you out and be happy. and after seeing danielle… she’s really adorable and you’re so giddy for her so she must be wonderful.”

“she is.”

“yeah, all you do is run your mouth about her.”

a laugh is shared between the two of you before hyein reaches for the remote to turn on the tv. you go back to your phone, clicking on danielle’s profile to stalk her again, lingering on posts of herself. you feel your cheeks burning and somehow the little glare your cousin gives you despite her not being in your vision or peripheral.

–

you’ve been reluctant on asking danielle out, even if it’s a simple ‘hangout’ or ‘friend date.’ she’s effortlessly charming as always with each interaction, even getting bold and watching you from over your shoulder at times – everything she does makes your heart beat and beat and beat.

danielle’s been equally flustered and enamored by how open you’ve been with her. the two of you have cracked jokes and shared small stories during the quiet moments with soobin, but danielle especially enjoys you just by yourself. there’s something much more tender about you when it’s just the two of you. you’re physically more touchy wth danielle, and she can’t really tell if it’s on purpose or you’re just touchy like that. you often shove her playfully in conversations, and when you both lean against the counter, you somehow manage to move over ever so slightly so that your arms are touching. 

your coworker has been attentive to all of this, unsure of whether this is just how you are and she’s overthinking things, or this being something more–maybe a sign that maybe you’re into her just a bit.

none of you question it really, and besides, danielles just as touchy. she sometimes leans her head on your shoulder – but very, very briefly – when something is amusing, and sometimes her hands find their way to your hair to fix it, or maybe even to your forearm just because. 

soobin is a bystander, the poor guy thinks it’s just how girls are and is completely oblivious that the two of you are fighting the thick tension in the air.

–

the last coffee beans were grinded, so you tap on soobin’s shoulder and tell him that you’re going to the back to grab more. he nods at you and sends you that pursed grin, you place a hand on his shoulder and thank him.

when you reach the small closet, you find danielle in the room as well, rummaging for packaging and more boxes for the pastries and desserts. she’s oblivious to your presence until you knock flicker the light on and off once, making her squeal and jump from surprise. your coworker turns around and hits the rack unknowingly, when she sees you, she starts to calm down.

“y/n! you scared me!”

you laugh. “sorry, i just needed some–”

above danielle, you spot a bag of coffee beans—at least three pounds heavy—starting to tip. before it can fall, you move without hesitation. you rush over, reaching out and getting on your tiptoes to catch it with one hand just in time.

a sigh of relief leaves your lips, but you catch your breath again as soon as you look back down.

danielle is close. her face is a few inches apart from you and your hand is still up to hold the coffee beans, making the moment much more intimate and nerve-racking than it actually is. she looks at you intensely, her lips parting before her eyes dart down to your lips. 

“y/n,” she almost whispers.

you gulp and look down at her lips, then away, putting your arm down and grabbing the coffee beans with you as you do so. your faces are closer now and you feel your heartbeat rapidly pounding against your chest, threatening to break through. danielle still stares at the features presented to her, pupils dilating.

you break the tension, looking away and stepping back, holding the coffee beans to your chest almost like you’re hugging them. your eyes dart around the room nervously, your cheeks burn like they’re steak being put onto a hot iron skillet, and you gulp one last time.

“the um, t-the beans… they almost fell on you.”

“yeah?” 

“i’m um, i need to uh– yeah, there’s no more grinds and i need to make a latte…”

“right.” danielle starts to smirk, looking at the aftermath on your face. “you do that then. oh, and by the way.”

“hm?”

she steps forward to push hair out your face and behind your ear, her fingers graze against the back of it. “your ears are red–and warm.”

“oh, um, maybe.” you mumble softly. danielle giggles at you before you leave the room, 

–

the two of you don’t speak on the incident the rest of the shift since danielle can tell you’re flustered and she’s also really good at keeping a conversation going. plus, work is in the way at times, so doing your job saves you.

after you two clock out for the day, both of you walk to your car and danielle watches you closely before looking out the window again. you feel a shiver down your spine as you get out the parking spot and the grip on the wheel is tighter the whole way to her apartment complex.

you park in front of the entrance, danielle unbuckles her seatbelt and says, “thanks for the ride.”

“it’s no problem.”

“i’ll see you tomorrow.”

“yup.” 

your coworker narrows her eyes at you, looking at you questionably as if she were expecting something different. she puts her hand on yours, smiles, then gets out the car. 

she starts to walk towards the entrance, and as she walks through the door you huff.

“i can’t be like this, fuck me. another lecture from hyein would kill me.” you groan.

you grab your keys, unbuckle your seatbelt, and get out the car as soon as possible. you sprint towards the entrance and look around for danielle, catching a glimpse of her walking towards the stairs, so you follow after her.

she’s already up a flight somehow right when you reach the bottom of the stairwell, you catch her hair just barely and shout up at her,

“danielle!” she looks down to see you breathing a little heavier than normal. “wait!”

“y/n? what are you doing here?”

“i– wait there.” you call out before running up the stairs. danielle doesn’t listen and starts to walk down as well, which leads to you running into her when you clash halfway, accidentally bumping her. “s-sorry.” 

“you’re out of breath.”

inhaling quickly, you nod. “a bit.”

danielle laughs. “why did you run after me?”

“i was um, i was wondering…” you poke the inside of your cheek with your tongue, struggling to make eye contact with her. “are you um, well, fuck, sorry– okay, um.”

“take your time.” she teases.

you giggle before looking into her eyes and composing yourself. “do you want to hangout outside of work sometime? i really… like working with you and talking and yeah all of it, but work kind of limits a lot.”

she looks at you with a growing blush fostering her cheeks. one good look at you–messy hair tucked behind your ears, the baby tee hugging you, your flushed face from running, the adorable look you give her as you wait for an answer – danielle nods and her teeth show as she smiles at you.

“i would love that.”

“really?” you ask, eyes widening. you shake your head and laugh to yourself before asking, “when is good for you?”

“i’m not doing anything right now, are you?”

“i need to pick my cousin up soon but that’s it.”

“okay! you should go pick up your cousin and we can head downtown?”

“oh, now? today?” you say in disbelief; danielle hasn’t given you a chance to plan or mentally prepare for this. you’re already winded, but this is like a tornado picking you up and throwing you over to another continent. “i mean, yes, that’s perfect, yeah.”

“pick me up later then, that alright?”

“i’ll text you when hyein– er, when i drop my cousin off.”

“perfect, i’ll see you then?”

“yes, mhm.”

–

you’ve never driven so fast, nor have you gotten ready so quickly. your cousin gripped the door handle tightly as you sped fifteen miles over the limit in a neighborhood, glancing at your concentrated, flushed face.

usually, hyein is the one rushing home after school since it makes her homesick. but today, the unexpected sight of you bursting into the house, darting to your room, and emerging five minutes later with a denim jacket, jeans, and makeup on left her wide-eyed.

hyein’s laying on the couch when she catches you fixing your hair in the mirror, clenching your jaw and taking a deep breath.

“what’s up with you.”

“danielle.”

“elaborate?”

“i dropped her home and asked her to hangout and then i was like ‘oh okay when?’ and she’s basically saying that now, today, like later. i have to pick her up like right now– wait, do i look good? too much? too little? is it–”

“you look fine y/n, very pretty. i think danielle will appreciate it.”

“you sure?”

hyein sighs and stands up, you’re a little taller then her, so she has to tilt her head up just barely to fix your hair and pat down your jacket. 

“stop stressing, it’s just a hangout, no? you didn’t say it was a date did you?”

shit. 

“i mean no, but–”

“okay so stop stressing and go pick her up!” hyein rolls her eyes at you. “you’ll do great kid.”

“who are you calling kid?” 

“blah blah blah, go get out the house.”

you look at her defeatedly, brows curled up and a pout played on your lips. hyein simply laughs at you before you grab your keys, tote bag, and head out the door.

-

you reach her apartment complex and spot her outside, waiting while engrossed in her phone. danielle jumps when a car honks at her, but then she sees you in the driver’s seat. a smile spreads across her face, and she runs over to you, her excitement palpable.

danielle gets in the passengers seat. “hello again.”

“hi.”

“downtown? are we going to metro or are you going to park there.”

“it’s a surprise,” you smirk mischieviously before starting to drive. danielle giggles and trusts your little ‘surprise.’

the car ride is filled with laughter as you two sing along to your favorite songs. despite having slightly different music tastes, there are many songs that you both enjoy and can belt out together until you find a good spot to park in the city.

danielle waits for you as you pay for parking, looking out at the social city and lovely views. but one view is lovelier than the city, lovelier than everything really. her lips turn up when she looks at you pressing the button and grabbing the ticket that’s dispensed out. 

you fix your hair. “okay, before we go to the surprise did you want to check out the stores?”

“i don’t go downtown too often, so i don’t know what’s good.”

“me neither,” you shrug, then look around. “the city is big, we can surely find something we both like. i hope you like exploring.”

“if it’s with you, then why wouldn’t i like exploring?”

you're caught off guard by the compliment, opting for a chuckle to hide how it makes your heart run a marathon and your tummy twist and turn.

three hours pass but you swear it’s only been thirty minutes. 

the two of you walked everywhere, exploring small cafes, charming clothing stores, and vintage record shops. danielle made sure to take as many pictures of you as possible, insisting on "capturing the moment" and telling you that you're "adorable." her reasons made you giggle nervously, each compliment warming your heart.

you hold onto danielle’s bag of clothes and trinkets she had bought – you practically had to fight her to simply hold the bag – as you lead her down an alleyway. she’s following you mindlessly, not questioning your sudden change in plans since it must be part of your oh-so-lovely surprise.

“i’ve had a lovely time with you, we should spend time together outside of work much more often.” she says softly, turning to look at you and smile. she’s glowing. 

it's five in the evening, and the sun is beginning to set, golden rays seeping through the little cracks in the alleyway. each beam enhances her already striking features. her eyes shine when they catch the light, turning her brown eyes into a mesmerizing gold. the wind tousles her curly hair, making her even more beautiful with each stray strand. the way her teeth peek out when her smile widens makes your knees weak—you could stare at her for hours.

she snaps you out your trance. “y/n, can i ask you something?”

“yeah, what is it?”

“did you not like me when we first met?” 

you two continue to walk, but you’ve fallen silent. looking down at the ground, you shake your head and turn to look at her again.

“no, no that’s not it.” you shake your hands in defense. “i’m just… not a morning person, and very cautious.”

she giggles, “what?”

“when i did closing, all my coworkers were terrible. it was a nightmare despite being awake at the time, you know? and it’s different waking up so early for me, i’m not a morning person in any way.”

“i’m aware.” danielle interjects, making you roll your eyes and shove her with your shoulder playfully. 

you look around the area, clicking your tongue as everything starts to become recognizable. grabbing her hand, you find a little exit and lead her to a small area overlooking a part of the city near the river. it’s beautiful, and danielle is mesmerized by the view.

from where you both stand, you watch her mouth fall open, her hand almost covering it. she sighs in awe, taking in the scene—the buildings with some windows lit and others dark, the flowers in full bloom, and the trees with vibrant leaves.

“y/n, was this the surprise?”

you start to walk ahead, then turn around and motion with your head for her to follow. she watches you sit down on a rock that luckily has space for two people. she sits down next to you, watching as you prop yourself up with both hands behind your back.

you both sit in comfortable silence, the golden hues of the sunset reflecting off the river and casting a warm glow over everything. danielle’s eyes dart from the view to you, her smile never fading. you catch her gaze and smile back, feeling a sense of peace and contentment. the moment feels perfect–it is perfect.

“this is the surprise, and also kind of my apology for being an ass to you the first few weeks of working.”

danielle admires the side of your face as you watch the view, the sun hitting you beautifully, tracing each feature she adores the most.

“i’m not a morning person, and i guess i was stubborn and always pissy. i didn’t want to talk a lot because i was scared of you and soobin – mostly you – being terrible like the closing staff.” you meet her eyes with your own. “but you’re far from that.”

she does that thing where her eyes soften and her lips form something between a pout and a smile, much like the time she talked about a puppy she ran into on the street. but now, the emotion of adoration and awe is much more intense. her gaze seems to hold a deeper meaning, reflecting the beauty of the moment and the bond you share. 

“y/n, you’re so…” she covers her face with a hand, concealing her blush. “you’re wonderful.”

“i just wanted to share a view i really like with you, since i appreciate you a lot, you know? and we’ve been getting close so… i just… yeah.”

avoiding her look, you turn to watch the view again. yeah, you’d much rather be staring at her while she admires the view, but you can’t possibly do that when the sun is exposing your crimson cheeks.

“can i take a picture of you?” she asks, pulling out her phone. “you’re just so gorgeous right now, i really want to have something to look back on later.”

look back on you? you?

“yeah, sure.” you respond bashfully.

she holds her phone up, then looks at you, grins, and says, “cheese!”

you chuckle and shoot her a lovely, toothy, beaming smile. “cheese!”

–

the two of you alternate between talking and admiring the view for another two hours until the sun starts to set. by then, danielle has ended up close to you, your arms touching purposefully.

as you walk back to your car, a gust of wind brushes past and danielle shivers. she's only wearing a cropped t-shirt and sweatpants, which isn’t ideal for the cooler night. without a second thought, you slip off your jacket and drape it over her shoulders, grinning.

“thank you, y/n,” she says, looking up at you through her eyelashes. “you’re not cold?” 

you shake your head, the warmth from the evening and the moment enough to keep you comfortable. “nope, i’m good,” you reply, enjoying the way she pulls your jacket closer around herself. it looks even better on her.

“i have a longsleeve on, and i don’t want you getting sick dani.”

her eyes widen and she gasps. “oh my god.”

“what?”

“you called me dani!”

you ‘tsk’ at her and shake your head, but smile to yourself. “yeah and?”

“you never ever call me that.”

“well i’m very fond of you now so… dani it is.”

both of you continue on to the car, enjoying each others presence while lingering close.

–

you reach her apartment complex and somehow those five – almost six – hours seemed like they weren’t enough. the last thing you wanted was the night to end, but here you are, parked in front of the entrance.

danielle hesitates in her seat, not wanting the night to end either. “hey, just to clarify…”

“yes?”

“did you… was this a date?” 

you melt. “at first i just wanted to hangout with you, but as soon as you got into my car when i picked you up i really wanted it to be. what did you think it was?”

she relaxes into the seat and lets out a sigh of relief. “oh thank god. you were so adorable and cute the whole time and the thought of this just being coworkers– no, friends, hanging out was dreadful.”

“well then, it was definitely a date.”

she hums before silence follows. you two sit there smiling like idiots at each other, the air filled with excitement and adoration.

“i’ll see you at work tomorrow?” danielle says it like it’s a question, but it’s guaranteed unless something deadly catches you by surprise. even then, you’d still make an effort to see danielle.

“yeah. i’ll pick you up too.”

“great,” danielle mumbles. without any warning, she quickly reaches over, placing a hand on the back of your neck and pressing her lips to your cheek. her eyes close, and you freeze in place as she hides herself by pressing her nose into your skin. “i really, really enjoyed everything. i like you so, so much.”

her voice sends a shiver down your spine, and the feeling is heightened when she kisses your cheek again, lingering before she pulls away.

she winks at you before waving. “have a good night, y/n. sleep well.”

your mouth is agape, and you can’t even move. you sit there, watching her walk back to her apartment complex. she looks back once more to wave and smile again. you’re flushed, your heart racing faster than any f1 car. you realize you’re the happiest you’ve been in ages.

–

danielle squeals as she enters the apartment, making minji and hanni – who are playing some card game – jump and yelp themselves.

“what the hell man?” hanni yells.

“oh my god it was a date.”

“well obviously.” minji responds, watching danielle flop onto the couch. “she ran for you just to ask to hangout, i don’t even do that for you guys.”

“maybe because you secretly hate us.”

“hanni shut up you’re no better.”

danielle kicks her feet, smiling like a little kid and sighing dreamily. minji and hanni give each other a glance, then shrug at each other. 

“she took me to this wonderful view and oh my god it was beautiful but not as beautiful as her like oh my god and talking to her is so fun and natural and she’s so sweet and–”

minji cuts her off, noticing the jacket she has on. “is the denim hers?”

“yes.” danielle says smittenly, she’s lovestruck. “and i kissed her cheek just now.”

“oh wooow maybe your flirting can get you places.” 

danielle grabs a pillow and throws it at hanni, making the trio all laugh together. 

–

work is normal the next day—well, for the most part. it's just much more annoying since the two of you can’t be hopelessly in love in front of soobin and all the customers. after all, it’s a professional setting.

you can’t help but steal glances at her whenever you get the chance, especially when she’s taking orders. she’s so sweet and friendly with everyone, and it only makes you fall for her even more. if hyein were here, she’d probably roll her eyes and pretend to gag at how hopelessly in love you are.

danielle catches you staring after she’s finished putting a customers croissant in their bag, smirking at you knowingly. 

“hey, do your job!”

“oh shut up…”

she laughs before grabbing your wrist, dragging you to the door to the back. she looks over to soobin, who’s cleaning the counters, and shouts, “we’ll be back! i need y/n to help reach something for me.”

he shoots a thumbs up before starting to wipe again. danielle leads you back to the storage room giggling, then closes the door to leave you two alone.

“hey, we’re still on the clock.” you warn.

“i know, i know.” danielle starts to wrap her arms around your neck, pulling you closer. “i wanted to do something i didn’t get to last night.”

you clench your jaw. “right.”

“mhm.” she says, staring at your lips. 

you couldn’t resist any longer. with a surge of giddy excitement, you close the distance between you and danielle, eagerly cupping her face in your hands. as your lips meet hers, they are just as soft and inviting as you had imagined, yet the reality surpasses any expectation. 

she pulls away first to mumble against your lips, “you’re lovely.”

“you’re even better.”

danielle closes the distance, you both smile against each other and savor the short amount of time you both have in the storage closet. kissing her is everything, she’s just perfect.

time seems to stand still as you both melt into the kiss, a tender warmth spreading through every inch of your being. it’s as if the world around you fades away, leaving only the sensation of her warmth, the taste of her lips, and the intoxicating feeling of being so close to someone you adore.

when she starts to cup your cheeks, you conclude that maybe mornings aren’t so bad–definitely not if danielle is in the mix.

[meowjuyo]

anton as your affectionate bf: headcanons

this is so long help + it’s organized in sections 😁😁

💭 anton x fem!reader

💭 texts in pink: oc, texts in blue: anton

💭 fluff fluff fluff (and crack)

physical touch

- anton might be the humanized version of ‘physical touch.’

- hand always on ur back or around ur hips

- top of the head kisses

- fixing ur necklace or hair while you’re talking

- as long as you’re in the same room, anton can’t last a minute without physical contact.

- anton’s hand will always be on ur hip or around ur waist.

- he’s backhugging u like 30% of the day

- morning kisses. barely awake kisses.

- tracing anton’s nose while he’s sleeping (he’s actually awake so he’s giggling w his eyes closed)

- “TON I LOVE U BUT IT’S SO HOT. STOP HUGGING ME” “are we breaking up”

- waking up w his leg on you, his face nuzzled on ur neck, and his hand placed light on ur head — it’s a heavy morning.

- “can i bite you?” */stares at anton for 5mins* “is that a yes”

- imagine being against pda while dating a guy who'd tear up if you sit on the other side of the table at dinner? yea, anton.

- fav kissing spot: anton’s nose

- his fav kissing spot: */his nose bled while trying to answer the question

- you guys would last for 5hrs on the couch in silence as long as anton’s wrapped around you

down bad anton

- when he’s talking about his day but you’re rlly focused on what he’s saying so he got flustered all of a sudden “stop staring at me, you’re making me nervous” — “YOU’RE telling a story, where else am i supposed to look at?”

- suddenly smiling from ear to ear during breakfast because “1 year ago, i just thought you’re really nice to me and now i’m eating breakfast with you in our shared apartment” */insert anton giggles (and grumpy you ‘coz u js woke up & he’s talking non sense)

- smiling from ear to ear whenever he hears ur name in his group of friends. (would result to 1hr of anton yapping about how cute you were yesterday and the day before that, and two weeks ago)

- anton buying matching EVERYTHING. and giving them to you with a shy smile.

- matching rings, matching trinkets, matching bracelets, matching phone cases— told u, everything.

- “why are you hugging me all of a sudden?” “you’re the cutest i adore you so much” (you’re just eating bread)

- “hi, can we date with the intention of marrying you & having pets as many as you want”, “anton, we’ve been together for almost two years”, “oh, i thought i was being delusional”

- even on casual days, anton would send his newly made playlists for you.

- "i'm gonna take a nap" "okay, me too" "are you sleepy?" "no" "then why..?" "i wanna take a nap with you"

- anton taking care of you when you're sick. and you always feel bad. "baby, sleep somewhere elsee. you'll catch my fever" "i can't sleep without you next to me"

- "have i told you that i love you?" - anton says while eating dinner.

- anton having five story highlights with just you

- anton using a photo of the two of you as his profile photo in every social media platform.

- has two pouches of things that you MIGHT need in his everyday bag (thats why his bags r always gigantic)

- anton's really expressive. he's expressive but would get shy right after saying that he loves you.

cute stuff

- "they're cute, they're just like us" - anton w every single couple in a romance movie

- anton learning how to cook your favorite foods & baking ur fav pastries at home

- would always be on a facetime w u even in social events (he can’t function w/o seeing u)

- anton massaging u after a long week !!!

- handwritten notes :(

- anton writing post-its and sticking it on ur forehead while you’re sleeping whenever he has to leave early in the morning

- anton writing DETAILED handwritten letters for you every monthsary to tell u his favorite moments w u that month, to tell u that he’s proud of u for every single thing that u’ve done that month. he’s such a words of affirmation guy.

- anton not ordering a lot because he knows that u get full easily so he’ll get to eat ur leftovers anyway

- but anton would always make sure that you’ll eat A LOT. that’s why he’ll research a lot about the restaurant menus that you’ll eat in.

- anton brushing your hair every night

- anton letting you style his hair (once went to work w pigtails)

- reading together (and anton falling asleep on ur shoulder right after one chapter)

- SUNDAY RESET IS ANTON’S FAVORITE DAY !!! the everything shower, doing each other’s nails, cooking together, eating a homemade fancy dinner with candles, talking about your week, and ending the day with wearing couple face masks while watching a 2000s romcom movie.

- anton going with you to ur nail appointment and him sitting next to you for 2 hours.

- anton’s closet is basicslly your closet, and your closet is basically anton’s.

- you wearing anton’s clothes & anton wearing your watches and accessories in a daily basis

- gazing at each other in the midst of the crowd, exchanging warmest smiles

- anton running to you to carry you in a hug

- you mentioning that you like this specific cake ONCE in a casual conversation and anton buying it for you every night.

- “did you hear something?” “BABY STOP SCARING ME”

- when you wanna wear something revealing but you asked anton first so now he doesn’t know if he’ll be mesmerized with you or he’ll be offended that you think he won’t let you wear that

- anton waiting for you to come home til midnight because he wants to have dinner with you (it’s 12am)

- anton carrying your handbag / shoulder bag as if it’s his bag.

soft spots

- arguments w antons barely happen but when it does, it often ends almost immediately.

- anton’s always the one to apologize first. even though you’re at fault, anton makes sure to talk to you without making you feel invalidated.

- anton’s definitely a date to marry guy. which is why during deep talks, he’s always talking about the future with you.

- anton finding you crying. he won’t ask why, he’ll just hug you warmly til you feel better. once you’re feeling better, he’ll buy u guys pints of ice cream and watch your comfort movie in silence and in each other’s arms.

- imagine anton’s soft voice welcoming you home after a tiring day. "how was your day, my love?" anton asks, carrying your bag, gently pulling you to the couch so he can massage your shoulders while you spend 2 hours talking about your day.

- mornings with anton are always so warm. you're cooking your breakfast while anton's just hugging you from the back. his face buried at the side of your neck, while talking casually about your plans for that day.

[thevoidstaredback]

Batman pulled up a world map as soon as the alarm started blaring. There was a red dot centered in Illinois, so that's where the map zoomed in.

"That's Amity Park!" Robin exclaimed.

Batman hummed. "Robin, contact Red Huntress and find out what's going on from her end." The boy nodded and left the room. "Constantine, Zatanna, figure out what's going on."

"Already on it, Batsy!" Constantine called in English before going back to his now four alternating conversations in Esperanto and Latin. Zatanna didn't even acknowledge the order.

"Everyone else," he continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "set up a perimeter a few miles out from the town. Keep it in your line of vision, but don't get too close." He turned to look directly at The Flash. "I want you to run recon. Make sure this is the only place they're coming from. Once we find out their goal, that's what you'll be looking for."

"Aren't they looking for a child?" The Flash asked. He was ignored.

The heroes emptied the room swiftly, quick to ZETA as close as they could to the town before setting up a perimeter ten miles out. Close enough to see the town, but not close enough to cause any panic.

It was nearly twenty-five minutes later before Constantine and Zatanna joined them all. Though, they were both quick to make it known that the town was wholly aware that they were there.

Constantine went to join the hero's block-in, though he didn't stay in one place. He moved from hero to hero, keeping both eyes and one ear on Amity Park. If it was going to move, he would be aware of it only seconds before it did. He needed to be ready.

Zatanna pulled five of the American based heroes away from their posts to explain what she knew. It was barely any better than a recap from the meeting that they had vacated.

"Like we tried to explain earlier, they're looking for a child that the US Government took from them."

"The one from the pictures right?" Aquaman said, "Phantom??"

Zatanna nodded. "Yep. He's the town vigilante; Operating for several months longer than Red Huntress. From what Deadman told me and Constantine, Phantom is a baby ghost; he's only been dead for about a year." She ignored the various reactions. "He's also favored by several Ancient Beings."

"'Ancient Begins'?" Superman asked.

"Think Primordials,"

"Oh, dear," Wonder Woman muttered.

The magician continued, "Don't attack any of the R̶͎͔̿̅ḛ̴̗̦̯̭͇̰̎͑a̸̻̜̤̼͕͔̘̱̫̓ĺ̴͉̘̥͚̪̹́̈́͋̓͜m̶̬͇̅͑͌ṣ̷̨̺̜̣̮͔̤͕̃̍́͂ denizens under any circumstances. They're already going to be hostile towards us, we don't need to give them another reason to be."

"A bit late for that, don't ya think?" A new voice called, startling the heroes into falling into defensive stances.

It took several seconds to find the source. When they did, Batman asked, "Who are you?"

The being, female in appearance, was above and slightly to the left of the group. She looked to be in her late teens with teal-grey skin, a slight teal glow, and flaming teal hair tied in a high pony, bangs framing her face. Her eyes glowed the same radioactive green as Phantom's had in the picture, though less so. She was wearing black pants, a black crop-top, grey knee boots, and a single black elbow glove. There was a guitar strapped to her back that gave off a slight purple glow. Even from where the Justice League heroes were standing, they could feel heat radiating off of her.

"It doesn't matter who I am, does it?" the girl sneered down at them, "What matters is that you dickheads took on of ours, and we intend to get him back." She very obviously assessed the group, not hiding her distaste. "Phantom told me this world had other heroes." She lowered slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where were you."

"Excuse me?" Green Lantern asked.

"Where were you?" she reiterated.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"You're talking about the threats here, right?" Zatanna asked.

The being turned her full attention to the magician. "You knew?"

Zatanna nodded. "My colleagues and I have been keeping an eye on Amity Park since the rifts opened up last year."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she nodded at the five heroes. "These your colleagues?"

"Technically."

"I don't much like technicalities," she hummed. "You must be the one Deadman told us about."

"You know Deadman?" Green Lantern asked. He was ignored.

"Yeah?" Zatanna nodded.

"I'm Ember," she said after a moment, touching down in front of Zatanna. "Deadman convinced the Council to hold in Amity Park until the end of the day. The second the sun goes down, we act on our own."

"I'm Zatanna," she shook her hand, "We're going to find him."

Ember glared, her grip tightening. "You better. He's done more for your world than any of you could ever acknowledge." She turned her glare on the five heroes before flying back up. "And once he's back with us, where he belongs, we'll think about calling a ceasefire." She left before another word could be said.

Zatanna fell into a crouch, her hands covering her face. "This is a nightmare," she whispered before popping back to her full height. "That could've gone better."

"It also could've gone worse." Aquaman tried to console. It didnt work.

"Well, you heard her, we have less than twelve hours to find the kid before the R̶͎͔̿̅ḛ̴̗̦̯̭͇̰̎͑a̸̻̜̤̼͕͔̘̱̫̓ĺ̴͉̘̥͚̪̹́̈́͋̓͜m̶̬͇̅͑͌ṣ̷̨̺̜̣̮͔̤͕̃̍́͂ denizens set themselves loose."

The group shared a loo, quickly moving to pass on the word to everyone else. Off to the side, Superman was relaying to The Flash.

***

Barry had worked on time limits before. Hel, he was usually pretty good at meeting them ever since he got his powers! What he wasn't great at was working under huge amounts of pressure.

He had to cover the entire United States in less than twelve hours. Easy, done. Adding on every out-of-country US Base around the world? Slightly less easy, but still very doable. Looking for a child in what was probably a secret, undocumented, or at least heavily covered, US Base is a bit harder, especially undetected.

Normally, the Justice League would have no problems with making their opinions on matters known, but this was a delicate matter. Even more delicate than the Metahuman Rights Act and Diplomatic Missions to other worlds. This was an issue they'd not been previously aware of, and the dimension that it most affected was now very close to decaring war.

No pressure.

He'd already cleared all of the known Government Bases along the East Coast and was steadily moving inland. Superman, upon Zatanna's and Constantine's advisement, was being productive away from Amity Park. With The Flash covering the US and Superman literally everywhere else, they had hopes of finding the child within the next few hours. The problems were going to start anew after that.

Batman was already working on several extraction plans based off of the blueprints for every US Gov. Base he has access to- don't ask. But, without knowing the actual building's layout, guard posts, shifts, security, whereabouts, etc., no one could make a concrete plan.

There were too many unknowns and it was upsetting everyone.

Robin had managed to get ahold of both his team, readying them for evacuation, and Red Huntress. Apparently, there was nothing she could do. She'd tried to capture the ghosts - as she'd called them - but they'd quickly overwhelmed her. Everyone was locked in their homes until further notice. Luckily, the ghosts seemed content to them the humans alone as long as they stayed out of the way.

There was now five hours until the sun set in Illinois, and Barry had only just cleared the Midwest.

Nothing. Not a single hint as to where they were keeping this child! They had the two fastest heroes out looking for him, the had pictures of what he looked like! By all means, they should have found him already! And yet, they were still empty handed.

The people of Amity Park were getting restless. The ghosts that had taken over Amity Park were getting restless. The Justice League were getting restless.

Constantine and Zatanna had declared that the town would likely not be moving any time soon, not that anyone even knew what the meant. They'd still be keeping an eye and ear on the town, but it no longer had most of their focus. Instead, they were trying to get ahold of Deadman with little success. If they didn't reach them soon, one of them would have to go into the town proper and talk to the ghosts. No one was very excited for that.

Minutes before the sunset in Illinois, Robin received an emergency call from Red Huntress. One that everyone was patched into.

A boy was missing from his house. Daniel Fenton, son of the town's resident Ghost Hunters, hadn't been accounted for.

The sun set over Amity Park Illinois.

Part 3 Part 5

[drabbles-mc]

We Were Just Leaving

Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Warnings: 18+, smut (protected p in v), language, alcohol, strangers to lovers

For Week 2 of Hot Bucky Summer: "What should I call you?"

Word Count: 6.3k

A/N: my first time ever writing smut for bucky. it truly is a Hot Bucky Summer! 😂 biggest thanks to @buckybarnesevents for putting on this event! endless appreciation for all of your hard work 💞 maybe i'll write more for these two in this event if another prompt strikes inspo for them 👀

Going out on your own to get a drink and decompress after a long week had sounded like a great idea until about three minutes ago. Ever since then you’d been silently kicking and cursing yourself for not taking up your coworkers on their Happy Hour offer. The last thing you’d wanted to do after the way your week had gone was socialize, even with coworkers that you generally liked and got along with.

But now that seemed like the greatest thing in the world compared to the situation you were about to find yourself in. Theo from the finance department and his same half a dozen jokes seemed like a dream to be across a table from compared to your ex who had just walked through the door of the bar you were at.

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath.

You had less than a couple minutes to try and scamper out before he saw you. And the only reason you had that kind of time at all was because the bar was busy and it would take longer to spot you in the midst of everyone. But the second that your ex got up to the bar with his buddies to order drinks, your cover would be blown.

You dug some cash out of your purse, tossing enough onto the top of the bar to cover the one drink you’d ordered so far and the tip for the bartender. You were zipping your bag back up as you were hopping off the stool that you’d been sitting on. Your eyes were fixed on your purse, frustrated that this was the one time that the zipper decided to jam. The whole time you were straining your ear to make sure that you could hear how close your ex was, trying to hear his voice or his laughter.

“Fuck,” you were trying to weave your way through the crowd but the clusters and groups of friends all lingering and waiting for their chance to slink up to the bar and order were all packed tightly. You didn’t remember when this spot became a popular place to be. You huffed, trying to say, “Excuse me,” loud enough for people to hear you but not so loud that it came across as rude or drew any real attention to you.

A pocket of space opened up and you were more relieved than you should’ve been. Clutching your bag tight to you, you took long, measured strides to try and slip through the small groups of people that had parted ways just enough for you to sneak through. You were almost to the other side of them, almost out of what would be an easy range for your ex to see you, when someone took a step backwards as they laughed and inadvertently bumped right into you.

The fact that it was an accident did nothing to soothe your nerves. Them stepping back sent you stumbling mid-stride and bumping right into someone sitting at one of the few small high-top tables that the bar had scattered around. You felt a hand on your back and the heat flaring up in your face and you were already sputtering out five different apologies at once before you’d even fully turned around to face the person you’d bumped into.

When you looked at his face, all the words stopped cascading past your lips. Still white-knuckling your purse, still feeling like your face and throat were on fire from embarrassment, you found yourself incapable of looking anywhere but at the icy blue eyes staring back at you.

He didn’t look happy about you bumping into him, per se, but he didn’t look as angry or annoyed as other people in the bar might’ve been. No drinks were spilled in the process, which was a bonus. He raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked at you, but his expression was otherwise neutral.

“S-sorry,” you finally forced out, clear but still uncertain.

He shook his head. “It’s fine.”

“Okay.” You nodded, knowing that you should be forcing your feet to carry you away, but you were locked in place.

His eyebrows went from raised to pinched together. Apparently, he took your hesitancy to leave as you not believing his simple reassurance. “Really,” he emphasized with a small nod, “it’s fine. You can go—seemed like you were in a rush anyway.”

Your eyes widened slightly at that, the full scope of the situation coming back to you. You cleared your throat. “Right. Thanks. Thank you. Sorry. I’m just gonna—” you were halfway to motioning over your shoulder when a vaguely familiar voice blared like an airhorn in your ear.

“Well look who it is!”

Turning to look over your shoulder, your stomach dropped. It wasn’t your ex, but you knew that he was going to run right back to your ex and tell him that you were here. Even if you tried to bolt it wasn’t going to do you any good. You were in it now.

“Hey,” you said, keeping it short, trying to make your tone as unenthusiastic as possible.

“Oh, Ricky’s gonna be stoked that you’re—”

“I was just—”

He waved you off. “Wait right here—I’ll go grab him.”

“Don’t—” It didn’t matter what you were going to say next because he was already taking back off towards the bar. You let out a deep sigh. “Fuck.”

You’d nearly forgotten the man stuck in the middle of all this until he spoke up again. “So, who’s Ricky?” There was a hint of amusement to his voice despite the fact that his expression hadn’t changed much at all.

You shook your head. “Whatever you’re already thinking, just go with that,” you said with a shake of your head.

“Rough.”

You had to laugh at the simple response. “Yeah. That’s why I was, you know,” you gestured vaguely towards the door that you had previously been trying to get to as quickly as possible.

You shook your head again, unable to do anything else. Each second that passed you could feel the anxious jitters building. You had no interest in talking to him ever again, and you knew that if he started talking to you, it was going to be nearly impossible to get out of it. That’s just how he was. You were so deep in thought and oncoming panic that you hadn’t noticed the way you were gnawing the inside of your lip until you felt a slight sting from it.

Turning to look at the man who hadn’t asked for any of this, you said, “You don’t owe me a favor, but do you think you could still do one for me?”

He shook his head, “I’m not gonna beat up—”

That got a genuine laugh out of you. “No, no. I mean, I bet you could. But just, can you pretend that we were here together and that we were leaving? I just, I need an exit strategy.”

“What, you want me to pretend to be your new boyfriend so your old one will leave you alone?”

“You don’t have to be my boyfriend. Just, be some friend that wanted to grab a drink with me. And get me the fuck out of here. Please.”

The pause that ensued didn’t give you anything resembling hope. But he must’ve taken just enough pity on you because his shoulders dropped as he sighed. “Alright, fine.”

Relief coursed through you even though you were nowhere near through this exchange yet. “Thank you.”

“What should I call you?” he asked.

You gave him a confused look. “My…my name, I guess?”

Your face and the tone of your response had him feeling whatever embarrassment you’d been battling with earlier when you bumped into him. He saw it all over your face then, and he was certain that you could see it all over his face now. The whole situation was much simpler about sixty seconds ago when you were the more flustered one in the scenario. Now he was the one in uncertain territory. He didn’t know why he asked it like that, but it was what had come out of his mouth when he tried to ask you for your name. It crossed his mind for a moment that maybe you’d bumped into the wrong person to get you out of this mess but it was too late now.

“Yeah. Um, enlighten me?” The laugh that you let out at that wasn’t a cruel one, which was the only reason he didn’t double-down on his embarrassment. You were amused, perhaps even a little relieved. After all, you could’ve just told him your name in response to his first question. As it stood, you told him now and he nodded. “Right.”

You figured you should know his too. “What’s—”

You didn’t get to finish the question let alone get the answer before your ex and his friend reappeared in front of you. They each had a drink in their hand and smug smiles on their faces. The reality of what had you asking ridiculous favors of a stranger you’d only known for about five minutes suddenly crashed down over you again. The knot in your stomach was back with a vengeance as you looked at the man in front of you, knowing that he was feeling none of the dread that you currently were.

“I didn’t believe it when he told me,” Ricky spoke up, nodding in the direction of his friend. “Thought you were still avoiding me.”

You forced yourself to swallow past the lump in your throat. “I tried to tell him that we were just taking off,” you replied, hating how defeated you sounded.

The smug look on your ex’s face disappeared instantly when he heard the word we. It was only then that he realized you were standing right next to a man. A man whose name you still didn’t know but he didn’t know that part.

“We?” Ricky repeated. “Well, care to introduce us?”

You tried not to let your panic show on your face. At this point you were ready to just give this random stranger you’d met in a bar an equally random name and apologize for it later. You barely registered the sound of his chair scraping against the floor as he pushed it away from the table and stood himself up from it.

Fighting the uncertainty out of your voice, you said, “This is—”

He cut you off by putting himself between you and Ricky, holding his hand out for the man to shake in the process. “James,” he said as he nonchalantly slipped his free hand into yours. It wasn’t a gesture you’d been expecting, but you weren’t going to go against it either. There was something reassuring about the callouses of his palm against your skin as he threaded your fingers together. When he broke off the handshake with your ex, he gave a small tilt of his head and said, “Ricky, right?”

You knew that you weren’t doing a good job at all at hiding the pleased and surprised look on your face. The feeling only intensified when you saw the way it through Ricky completely off-kilter, whatever hand he had been planning on playing now no longer available to him.

He cleared his throat, and you noticed the way he adjusted, tightened his grip on the glass he was holding. He tried to recover from the temporary upset. “So, you’ve heard about me, then?” he asked, the look on his face letting you know that he considered it to be a good thing.

You were rolling your eyes and about to come back with something when James beat you to the punch. “Unfortunately, yeah.”

You tried to suppress the smile that wanted to take over your face but you weren’t sure if you did. You found yourself giving James’s hand a light squeeze, instinctively placing your other hand in the center of his back.

Ricky was trying to sputter out a response and James didn’t let him get a single coherent word out. “Like she said,” he gave you a small, gentle nudge towards the door, “we were just leaving.”

“I—”

James was already turning around and taking off towards the door. He called back over his shoulder, more nonchalant than your ex could ever hope to be, “Nice meeting you, Ricky.”

You were glad that the music and general chatter of the bar was hiding the sound of your laughter as the two of you made your way towards the door. Navigating the crowds was so much easier when you were attached to a man built the way that he was—funny how that seemed to work. The two of you were able to quickly maneuver your way to and out the door.

There was no better sound in the world to you than your boots hitting the concrete sidewalk outside the bar. The relief of being out of there was more than you were able to say in the moment, so instead you just kept laughing as you instinctively headed in the direction on the sidewalk that would eventually lead back to your apartment.

In that moment, there was no better sound in the world to James than the sound of you laughing. You were thanking him as the two of you walked away, and he was content to follow you under the guise of being committed to the little ruse you’d put together, to getting you far enough away from the bar to be considered out of the danger zone. He wondered if you, in the midst of your relief, even noticed that you were still holding onto his hand. He certainly still noticed.

You stopped suddenly and turned to look at him, eyes wide. “Oh, shit,” you gasped.

He looked over his shoulder, expecting your reaction to be because your ex had followed the two of you, or something similar. “What?”

You gestured back towards the bar. “Your drink! We didn’t pay—”

His laughter stopped you short. Shaking his head he said, “I was paid up.”

Your shock and tension both disappeared. “Oh. Okay.” It was then that you realized you were still holding his hand. You let go immediately, face warm as you let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

The two of you stood on the sidewalk, a few inches separating you as you faced each other. “So,” you started, the awkwardness that had previously disappeared rearing its head again, “James your real name or just something you made up so my ex can’t stalk you on Facebook or something?”

He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t have Facebook. But yeah, it’s my real name. You,” he cracked a tiny grin, “you can call me Bucky, though.”

You smiled. “Bucky? That, you know, that what I should call you?” you joked.

He laughed, head tilting back slightly as did. He felt the way his face heated up at that and he just hoped that it was dark enough outside to hide the fact that he was probably blushing. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Reaching out, you gently placed your hand on the outside of his bicep for all of a moment, not that it stopped him from being able to feel the warmth of your palm through the blue fabric of his henley. “Well, thank you, Bucky. I appreciate it. Sorry if I totally ruined your night.”

“You didn’t,” he said with no hesitation. “Sorry that your ex ruined yours.”

You shrugged, feeling the way that your lips were slowly tugging up into a smile. “Could’ve been worse.”

“Do you have plans right now?” Bucky asked, unsure of where the question came from or how it got out past his lips.

You chuckled, shaking your head. “I was just planning on going home. Why? Have better plans in mind?”

It took him no time at all to realize that he’d walked himself into this with no idea where he was going with it. He knew that he had a decent poker face but even so he had a feeling you could read him like a book in that moment. And he definitely wasn’t reading like a mystery novel.

“I didn’t know if…you know…” he trailed off for a moment, “Wanna get…coffee? Or something?”

You chuckled and gave a small shrug. “Sure. Coffee sounds good.” You started to walk. “Or something.”

He quickly strode to catch up with you. “Got a place in mind?”

You laughed as you looked over at him. “Well, it didn’t seem like you did.”

It could’ve been a much more embarrassing call out if there hadn’t been such a warm look in your eyes. The only thing that he could think to do in the moment was follow you, so that was exactly what he did.

You couldn’t remember the last time that an invitation for a simple cup of coffee had suddenly caused an entire night to slip by. You didn’t even end up drinking all your coffee, too wrapped up in the conversation that you were having with Bucky. Funny that at the start of your evening you’d figured that a night alone was what you’d been needing, and yet sitting across from Bucky at a little café table, going wherever the conversation strayed to, left you feeling better than any number of nights by yourself at a bar or at home.

Bucky was fairly certain that he could talk to you all the way until the sun came back up again. He was also fairly certain that that fact had nothing to do with the caffeine from the coffee he’d had. His cup was empty, but he still found himself toying with it in his hands as the two of you talked. He didn’t know when the last time he got coffee with someone was. At least, someone who wasn’t Steve or Sam or Nat. This felt so foreign and new, yet there was something so familiar about you.

The pair of young twenty-somethings who were working at the coffee shop didn’t exactly tell you both to leave, didn’t exactly kick you out. But you both noticed the way that they were starting to wipe down the counter and tables and you knew better than to be the people who stayed right up until the last minute. Even though this time, you really wanted to. Getting a few more minutes with Bucky almost seemed worth it.

When the two of you were back out on the sidewalk once more, you turned to face him. The jitters you’d had when you left the bar hours before were gone, but there was a new feeling in its place. Similar but different. More excitement, more curiosity, more hope. You didn’t know what to do about it, though, didn’t know what to say to articulate those feelings.

“Well,” you finally said with a soft laugh, “now I really took up your whole night.”

The smile that Bucky gave you was charming enough to nearly have your knees knocking together. “Not the whole night.”

You hummed in amusement. “Then I’ll let you go before it turns into that.”

He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You’re alright getting home?”

You smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I’m only a couple blocks away.”

“I can walk you,” he offered.

You should’ve hesitated at least a little bit, but you didn’t. “That’d be nice.”

The two of you fell into stride beside each other. The first little stint was silent, but not uncomfortably so. You couldn’t speak for Bucky, but you knew that you were trying to figure out what was going to happen when you made it to the main door of your apartment building. You also knew, though, that no amount of overthinking it now was going to make it any easier to navigate then. So, you did what the two of you had been doing successfully for the last few hours, and picked a new topic out of thin air to talk about.

By the time you reached your building, you were walking so close to Bucky that your arm was practically pressed against his. He didn’t seem to mind—it wasn’t as though he was trying to pull away. Every now and then when you laughed, you’d give him a playful little bump, shoulder to shoulder, and Bucky had to fight the urge to drape his arm around you and pull you closer.

Stopping in front of one of the many tall brick buildings on the block, you nodded towards the door before opening your purse to find your keys. “This is me.”

Even though you’d hold him that you were only a couple of blocks away from the café, he still found himself surprised at how quickly you’d arrived. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed that the evening was over so soon. Never mind the fact that the evening had started hours ago, and completely on accident.

It took him a couple seconds longer than it should’ve to realize he was supposed to be saying something to you. “Oh,” he said, trying not to let his disappointment show, “okay.”

You were smiling as your eyes stayed trained on your purse, still fishing around for your keys. “Thank you for, well, all of it I guess,” you punctuated your sentence with a laugh.

He smiled warmly at you even though you weren’t looking at him yet. “No problem.”

“Ah,” you said as you finally found your keyring. You never thought your purse was all that large and yet you never seemed to find what you needed when you needed it. “Right. Well, I’d, um,” you stammered, wanting to ask and say about twenty different things and unable to decide on a single one of them. Taking a breath to get yourself together, you said, “I had a really good time, despite how all of this started,” you laughed for a moment and so did he, “and it’d be, I don’t know, I’d like to see you again…” you trailed off even though you didn’t mean to.

He smiled, relief and excitement battling it out in his chest. “I’d like that.”

Without giving it a second thought, he pulled out his phone and gave it to you, fumbling his way through asking you for your number. He would’ve been more self-conscious about his lack of grace with it if you hadn’t seemed so eager to type in your name and number.

You held his phone back out to him. “So, yeah, let me know when you’re free.”

He reached to take it back from you. There was the briefest moment of hesitation before you let his phone go, one that got him to look up from where your hands were nearly touching and into your eyes. You let go of his phone, and he slipped it back into the pocket of his jeans, but neither of you took your eyes off the other. Bucky couldn’t help but to notice the way that your teeth pulled just slightly at your bottom lip. He found himself opening his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He could’ve let it all die out there, or he could’ve let himself succumb to the nerves of not being able to conjure up something to say, but instead he found himself choosing a third option that he hadn’t even thought was available to him.

Stepping in and closing the tiny strip of space left between you, Bucky pressed his lips to yours. It was gentle, and brief. He pulled away when you’d barely gotten past the shock of him kissing you at all. You saw the way his eyes were searching yours, looking for the cue to either get lost or come back for more. The moment of silence terrified him, almost had him sputtering out an apology.

Then you closed the gap and kissed him again. A little more conviction, a palm resting against his chest. It was a minor miracle that you hadn’t dropped your keys to the ground as he kissed you back. His hand came up and cupped your cheek, palm warm against you despite the chilly night air.

When you pulled away, you couldn’t hide that it’d left you a little breathless. His hand was still cupping your face and it had you smiling wide enough to make your cheeks ache. Fidgeting with the keys in your hand, you forced yourself to speak. You purposely ignored how soft and breathy your voice was.

“You can come up if you want,” you offered.

You were just far enough away from him to see the surprise that crossed his features. “Yeah?”

You nodded, keenly aware of the way his hand felt on your face as you did. “Yeah.”

The slowness of the elevator in your apartment building was usually something that served to be a mild annoyance for you. However, this time, you wished that it would’ve taken longer to climb up to the fifth floor where your apartment was. Hell, you would’ve been fine if it had gotten stuck if it meant you had a few more moments with Bucky keeping you pressed against the wall, his lips capturing yours over and over again.

It was the singular chime that broke the two of you apart, the alert that you’d arrived at your floor. The walk from the elevator door to your apartment door was a short one but it felt tragically long when you had Bucky behind you with his hands on your hips and his lips on your neck. You had no idea how you managed to get your key into the lock so that the two of you could get inside, but you did it.

You closed and locked the door behind you once you were inside. Out of habit you reached and flicked the lights on. Bucky still had one hand on the small of your back, using the other to deftly undo the laces on his boots so he could toe them off beside your door where the rest of your shoes had been tossed haphazardly as the weeks had passed by.

You’d hardly dropped your purse and keys off when he was pressed up against you again, his chest flush against your back. You sucked in a tiny gasp as your body melted back into him. You wanted to say something but the second he was pulling the collar of your shirt to the side and pressing his lips to your shoulders, whatever pleasantries you’d been thinking of went completely out the window.

 Even though you knew your apartment like the back of your hand, had navigated through it in the dark and after nights out when you had more than a few drinks, you nearly found yourself stumbling as you walked through the lit-up room with Bucky attached to you.

Once the two of you were in your bedroom, Bucky put his hands on your hips and spun you around so that you were facing him. He wasted no time as he leaned in and kissed your lips, like the few minutes of being unable to had been hours instead. His hands trailed their way up to your face, palms warm and rough to the touch all at once. Keeping his lips on yours, he walked you back towards your bed. You were reaching for the bottom hem of his shirt just as the backs of your legs pressed against the side of your mattress.

Bucky indulged you, assisting you in peeling his shirt off over his head and tossing it aside. Any time that you would’ve spent standing there gawking at him was quickly stolen away as he pressed himself close to you again, firmly but gently getting you back onto the bed.

Every movement felt like it fed so easily into the next. The pair of you were nothing but wandering hands and ragged breaths as you stripped the clothes off each other. The floor was littered with them but neither of you cared. Bucky was down to his boxers, you your bra and panties. He had you pinned underneath him but it didn’t stop his hands from roaming everywhere they could. They wandered across your stomach, up and down your thighs, grazing over your chest. Every touch and graze had you pressing yourself into him more and more, teeth pulling at his bottom lip as you let out little whines and whimpers of encouragement.

You could feel the effect that it had on him. No amount of wanting to feel every inch of you underneath his fingertips could stop him from grinding his hips against yours. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had him feeling so desperate so quickly—he didn’t know if there ever had been a last time.

Like you could hear his thoughts, Bucky felt your fingers curling over the edge of the waistband of his boxers. You started pushing them down his hips and Bucky had no intention of stopping you. He quickly kicked them off the rest of the way before his fingertips dragged down your stomach until they slipped underneath the waistband of your panties. The lightest brush of his fingers had you bucking into his hand and whatever plans he’d had to drag this out no longer mattered. He easily pulled the flimsy fabric down your legs, making quick work of it as you lifted your legs to help.

It took every last shred of Bucky’s self-control to not just slip right into you. The way you had your legs wrapped around his waist would’ve made it so easy to do. He kissed you, neediness bleeding from his lips to yours as his hands continued to trace lines up and down your thighs.

 “Do you have—” Pulling away just enough so that your lips weren’t touching anymore, but not so much that you couldn’t feel his breath on your skin as he spoke. He managed to get out half the question he had before you cut him off.

“Top drawer,” you answered, already knowing where it was going.

The chuckle he let out got a smile out of you. The awkwardness and discomfort that occasionally accompanied first-time hookups was nowhere to be found. He pressed a brisk kiss to your lips before leaning and reaching over for the handle of the top drawer of your nightstand. You took advantage of the momentary position of vulnerability that he was in, lifting your head to kiss and then suck a mark where his neck met his shoulder. You heard the groan he let out, but more than that you could feel it as you kept your lips pressed there.

Him quickly tearing the foil of the condom with his teeth shouldn’t have been as hot as it was, and yet you found yourself staring. He caught it, too, and the smirk on his face would’ve made your knees week if you’d been standing rather than on your back beneath him.

You watched him roll the condom on, biting down so hard on your lip you were surprised that you didn’t draw blood. Your eyes slowly traveled their way back up his torso until you were looking into his. The eagerness, the tension in his body could be felt in all the places the two of you were connected. Even so, he still waited for one more yes from you.

The yes he was waiting for came in the form of you putting your hand on the back of his neck and pulling him down into a kiss, in the way you wrapped your legs a little tighter around him and pulled him in closer to you. You felt the way that he instantly gave in, slowly pushing into you as you moaned into his mouth at the sensation. You felt the way that he smiled into your kiss as your nails bit down into the flesh of his neck and shoulder.

“Fuck,” he rasped out, lips brushing against yours as he spoke. He took a moment to revel in it, the feeling of being buried into you so that his hips were flush against yours.

Moving your hand from the back of his neck so that it was cupping his chin, you pulled him back into another kiss. You felt each little hum and moan that he let out as he started to thrust into you, his arms on either side of your head caging you in. He kept himself pressed tightly to you, leaving your hands to wander the broad, muscular expanse of his back. The way you moaned his name, the moments when you’d rake your nails down his back, let him know that he was pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

He peeled himself off you, separating his chest from yours. You longed for the contact as soon as it was gone, but before you could think too much on it, he moved one of your legs so that it was draped over his shoulder. When he picked up his rhythm once more, you were grabbing onto his hips before you even knew what you were doing, begging him not to stop like he’d ever even dream of that in the first place.

Your leg was starting to tremble against his shoulder. Instinctively he turned and pressed a kiss to the side of your calf as he continued to thrust into you. Your grip on him tightened as you breathlessly moaned, “Just like that.”

A few more thrusts just like that and you were coming undone around him. He soaked in every moment of it, the feeling of you, the way you cried out his name, the way your body arched and tensed before going pliant.

He was chasing right after you, after that same high. He was nearly there and the soft, needy way you whined out, “Bucky,” in the waves of aftershock sent him clean over the edge. His hips stuttered as he came, your name tumbling from his lips. He collapsed against you, face buried in the crook of your neck as your legs went back to looping around his waist, keeping him pulled tight and still inside you.

You weren’t sure if it was your own heartbeat that you were feeling thudding in your chest or his, but you supposed it didn’t matter. Both of you were fighting to catch your breath, bodies practically melting into each other’s. You wrapped your arms around him, hands gentle on his back where just minutes before you’d been digging your nails into the cords of muscle there. He kissed the column of your throat, the little bit of stubble that was growing in feeling extra ticklish in your sensitive state, enough to get you to giggle and twitch at the sensation.

Once he’d gotten a little bit of his breath back, he propped himself up enough to look at you properly. “You okay?”

You laughed, unable to do anything else but that and nod for a moment. Finally, you said, “I’m great, yeah.” It got a chuckle out of him as you reached and trailed your fingertips down his cheek. “You okay?”

He nodded before leaning in and kissing you. “I’m great.” A few more moments passed in comfortable silence, the two of you just taking in the sight and state of each other. You noticed the small shifts in his expression, and you waited for whatever was coming next. “Um,” he looked over towards the door of your bedroom, “where’s your…so I can…”

You laughed, head dropping back against your pillow. “Out the door and to the left.”

He chuckled, a blush creeping over his cheeks. “Thanks. I’ll be, you know, right back.”

You afforded him the illusion of privacy as he searched and grabbed his boxers off the floor and scampered off to your bathroom. You chuckled as you managed to get yourself out of bed, making your way over to your dresser on wobbly legs to you could grab your own shirt to sleep in. You were back in bed and under the covers by the time Bucky came back.

When he got back to your bedside, he reached down and grabbed his shirt off the floor. He didn’t make an immediate move to put it on, instead just holding it loosely in his hand. “I can—”

“Stay,” you didn’t even want him to put the idea of leaving out into the universe. Not after the night the two of you had just had. “I mean,” you laughed softly, “if you want. I’d like that.”

There was no hesitation as he dropped his shirt to the ground. “Okay.”

He easily shimmied down underneath the covers beside you. You curled into him, allowing his arm to slip beneath you and pull you tighter so that your head was resting on his chest. You could feel the warmth of his skin, the thrumming of his heartbeat. You also started to feel not just the tiredness in your muscles from everything that had just happened, but also the exhaustion of how late it was now.

The same tiredness was present in Bucky’s voice as he spoke, words partially mumbled as he spoke them into your hair. “Light’s still on out there.”

“Leave it,” you replied words equally mumbled as you said them with your lips partially pressed against his chest. “I’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

The hum of amusement that he made let you know that he wasn’t going to worry about it now either. Draping his other arm around you, he slipped his hand underneath your shirt so that his hand was splayed across the center of your back and keeping you tight to him. Nestling farther into him, you rested your palm on his chest as you finally let yourself start drifting off to sleep.

(divider by @saradika-graphics 💞)

MCU Taglist: @garbinge @beardburnsupersoldiers @artemiseamoon @late-to-the-party-81 (If you want to be added to any of my taglists please let me know! xo)

[joonipertree]

tags: fluff, just fluff, kenma being a #streamer. i love streamer kenma it scratches that itch in me that craves a parasocial kind of love.

"Kenmaaaa" you drawled while opening the door, leaning heavily against the doorframe of your boyfriend's office room.

It took you five seconds to register where Kenma was sitting, which was in front of the computer unsurprisingly, and the camera that had a red light on. The second monitor to his left was showcasing Kenma on the screen while the third one had an onslaught of comments popping up.

oh shi--

You jumped back, mostly out of surprise.

"Yes, honey?" Kenma spoke, one side of his headphones off as he turned towards you. "The camera won't pick up on you, don't worry."

You crept back in, feeling nervous even though the camera wasn't even on you.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were streaming."

"Nothing to apologise for. What's up? Need me for something?" He urged you forward and you padded your way inside, the only comfort being in proximity to your boyfriend.

"I-uh- didn't feel like cooking so I thought we could order something?" You were halfway through your sentence when Kenma picked up his phone. He was nodding along, opening an app in it.

"What are you feeling?" He murmured, completely ignoring the eruption of comments blasting on his screen. There was a lot of yelling. You tried not to look at it but it drew you in, most of it was gibberish and question marks. You could make out the words 'WHAT' and 'DATING???' a lot.

"I'm not sure? Feeling indecisive today." You probably had an idea but it had vanished a couple of minutes back.

"Want burgers? Pizza?" Kenma didn't even seem to care at that point, solely focused on his phone. He did take a hold of your hand though, running his thumb through your knuckles.

THAT caught on camera and the gibberish got louder and faster.

"Burgers sound good." You snapped back to him, letting his hand ground you.

"That burger place you like?"

"Yes please."

"Honey mustard one?"

"Yes."

"Mh-hmmm." Kenma dragged out the sound before placing in his own order.

"Wanna get ice cream? Been craving it." He worked quick to add it in, knowing what you wanted but still asking in case you changed your mind.

"I can pay for the---"

"Shut the fuck up." Kenma murmured with only an upward glance at you, a small smile on his face when you pouted.

You finally took a look at the main monitor, a pretty sunset with the main character looking off into the distance on the screen. "What game you playin?"

"It's a fantasy game. Pretty new, haven't even started yet. You'd like it, it's very pretty." Kenma turned the monitor a bit so you could see it, pressing play so some more of the graphics would come on screen. You let out a little gasp, taking it all in.

When you realised that there were a lot of people waiting, you blinked out of your revery and threw an apologetic look at Kenma.

"Sorry, you were busy and--"

"Never too busy for you." Kenma murmured again and scooted towards you till he was just out of frame, his lips puckering up while he craned his neck upwards, too lazy to stand up.

You laughed and gave him a peck on the lips, then the nose and then the forehead. He grinned widely, adjusting back into the same position he was in before.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" You call out and walk back.

"Okay, baby."

You were about to close the door when you head a very disgruntled, 'shut the fuck up.' from Kenma. Curious about what he would say, you listened in from the hallway.

"Yeah I am dating someone. No, I'm not saying their name....we've been dating for a while now. I am not soft for them....okay chat keep the screenshots between us....what do you mean they're already on twitter??? Ya'll are annoying. No, Kuroo I'm not buying you food. Yeah, they are special, dumbass."

You grinned so wide your cheeks hurt, already scrolling through twitter to see if people actually posted anything...

.....Kenma's name was trending

And oh the thread of pictures after pictures, of his eyes turning into liquid, his smile, the hand holding yours that. It was enough in the frame for his thumb to be seen. The person that posted it was SCREAMING about how soft he is.

Then there was a screenshot of him tilting his head upwards and your hair was the only thing that showed up as you kissed him. There was a fire hazard in the comments. It made you chortle. You saved all of them to use as leverage. Seeing as Kuroo was retweeting some of them, he had them too.

A/N: second day in a row im posting kenma hehehehehehhehehehhe hyperfixation tyme

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Death Wish 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, violence/abuse and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Bucky Barnes

Part of the mob drabbles au

Summary: you're desperate for a way out of your life and you ask a powerful man for help (plus!reader)

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Photo Inspo

Adrenaline buzzes in your ears and sears through your veins. You shouldn’t be here. Yet this place is no more treacherous than your home. Thing’s can’t get much worse so you may as well try to make them better. 

Or maybe you’re so desperate for it to end, that you don’t care how. 

You stand before the two men in their dark suits. They mutter as if you can’t hear them, “Warren’s girl.” 

“One of them,” the other intones. 

“Boss said not to bother.” 

You sway, your hands twined up behind your back. You expect to be turned away but you’re not ready for it. You chew the tip of your tongue. 

“I can wait,” you say. 

The don’t acknowledge you. They turn to block you out with their shoulders and lower their voices. One glances over his shoulder at you, Walker? Or something. 

“Your daddy send you?” He asks. 

You shake your head. You should probably lie but you’re no good at that. The throbbing in your swollen lip assures you of that. 

“So why should we let you in to see the boss? You out here at midnight looking like a tramp,” he challenges as he faces you again. 

“Hey, she looks like she’s had it bad enough. Don’t be a dick,” the other man reproaches. “Look, sweetheart,” he steps forward. “Man’s busy. With important business. Whatever you’re looking for, ask your daddy.” 

You could sob. Your father has no idea you’re there. If he did... if he knew why... 

Your shoulders slump and you hang your head in defeat. Why did you think this would work? It’s a fantasy. That same escapist wish you make every night when you cry yourself to sleep. 

You close your eyes and see Adrienne’s teary-eyes and Kitty’s helpless expression. You can’t let your sisters down. You can’t stand to see them suffer any longer. You can take it all, but it’s seeing him raise his hand to them that guts you. 

“I need to see him,” you raise your head. “I can wait.” 

You say you can but if your father realises you’re gone, if he finds out where you’ve gone, or even manages to guess why... 

Walker sighs. He elbows the other man. “Go tell him so can come back and tell her to scram on his orders.” 

The other man returns a dark look but goes inside. You hug yourself and shiver in the night air. You have only your quarter-zip sweater and a pair of silky pajama pants. You’re not surprised the men can barely keep from laughing at you. 

You wait. It takes longer than you expect. If anything, you would think they would only pretend to tell the boss. That’s what they all do. They lie. They ignore you. They just don’t care. So why are you here? Why would this go any other way? 

Before you can wave the white flag, the door opens. 

“In,” the man holds the door as he steps out.  

You flinch and Walker sneers at his partner in confusion. You’re just as surprised. The other man huffs. 

“Well, he said you got five minutes, so get.” 

You waver on your feet then scurry forward. You step inside the dark brick building, another man waiting just inside. He’s silent as he points you down the hall. He directs you with the terse gestures; upstairs, to the left, around another corner.  

You stop before a door with another duo standing vigil by the door posts. The left one knocks, tilts his head to listen, the opens it. You’re pointed inside.  

Your nerves flurry and wrap you up in a billowing storm. What are you doing? That question doesn’t matter. It’s too late. 

You drag your feet inside. The door slams at your back. The room is dim, lit only by a lamp with a glass shade on the large desk across from you. Behind that, sit a man. The man. Bucky Barnes. The boss. The king. 

He sits with his elbow bent over the armrest of his chair. He watches you calmly. You stand in silence by the door. He beckons you closer with two fingers. 

“Can’t see you back there, doll.” He says. 

You hold your breath and come forward. You gulp as you stop within a foot of the carved desk. Your eyes scour the vintage print of the wallpaper and the wooden paneling. This place is steeped in history. 

He raises his hand, cradling his face as he brings to fingers to his lips. He watches you patiently. Waiting. You stare back at him. You’ve never seen him this close. You don’t even know if your father has. 

“Why are you here?” He asks at last. 

Your eyes narrow on the gold sheen on his pinky. It’s the only safe place to look. You feel like you’ll melt in the blaze of his oceanic irises. You exhale. 

“I need someone dead.” 

He doesn’t answer. Your words dangle in the air as he mulls them. You purse your lips and wince at the pain in the split along the swollen flesh. 

“A man. The one who did that to you?” He sits up straight and points at you. You follow the glint of his ring. You nod. “Low life. Let me guess, daddy doesn’t know you been sneaking around.” 

You shake your head, “he doesn’t know I’m here. Or that I’m asking.” You take another breath as your eyes water. You bring your hand up to your cheek as it pulses. Your father’s knuckles left a nasty welt. “Because it’s him. He’s the one who did this. And I want him dead.” 

He scoffs, more amused than disbelieving. 

“Warren’s a soldier of mine. You're asking me to off him?” 

“I’m begging,” you finally make yourself look him in the eye. His is formidable man. Dark hair, dark beard, a touch of grey here and there. Even at this hour, he wears a nice suit and sits with authority. “Please, my sisters--” 

“And how are you and your sisters going to make up for his cut. He brings in money. What can you give me?” 

“You can take everything. We just want to be free,” you say. 

He clucks, “what he has now is nothing compared to a lifetime of what he can get.” 

You lower your lashes. That’s it. At least he didn’t laugh because you almost did when you said it out loud. Your father isn’t going to die. He’s so rancid, even death doesn’t want him. He’s not human, he’s a curse. And this man you’re asking for mercy, he’s the same kind. 

“Sorry for the bother,” you eke out. “I was mistaken.” 

“So you were,” he agrees. “Go home. Put some ice on it.” 

It’s like another punch in the face. You nod, “thank you, sir.” 

“You can go,” he dismisses. 

“Yes, sir.” You put your head down and drag your foot back. 

“Ah,” he tuts. 

Your eyes flick up. He extends his hand across the desk. Right. He is still who he is. You step closer as he holds his hand steady. You bow down and kiss the sigil on his ring. An outdated and demeaning gesture. 

Before you can stand straight, his large hand frames your chin. He pushes your head up as your eyes round. You stare at him as his gaze drifts down to your neck. The bruises by the zipper of your sweater tingle. 

“You were never here,” he lets you go. 

“Understood,” you retreat, “sorry again for wasting your time.” 

[dira333]

Anniversary, again and again - Ushijima Wakatoshi x reader

for @cheesypuffkins87

You wake up to an empty bed, the place next to you cold. 

For a minute, you stay where you are, one hand resting under the other pillow.

But you have to get up, even if you don’t want to. 

Your alarm chimes up and you know you can’t snooze it again.

Even without a note you know where your husband is. It’s half past six, so he’s on his morning jog, running the distance he’d otherwise have to take by train or car. 

-

In the kitchen, a bright yellow Post-it smiles back at you from the coffee maker. 

“I love you.” It says, with proper punctuation and all. Wakatoshi still hasn’t quite figured out the meaning of love notes, but he’s taken it to heart when you mentioned you’d be quite happy to find some of them littering the apartment from time to time. 

You take the Post-it and place it in a little box you keep with the snacks you hide from him before you get started with breakfast.

The calendar on the Fridge is mocking you. You have to work through Lunch today, which means you can’t take the subway to the Gym and eat with Wakatoshi. His neat handwriting reminds you that practice will run late today as well.

Above that, the date is circled with a heart.

Today’s your anniversary. Your first, too.

If everything goes right, you’ll see him at nine pm, tuckered out from extra training. And it’s the middle of the week too, so you doubt he’s thought of reserving a table for Dinner. Not when he has to be up at five the next morning anyway.

-

“Isn’t today your anniversary?” Kimiko asks at work.

You scowl. “Yes.”

“And you’re working?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Both Kise-san and Yamamoto-san managed to get this day off before I could ask.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

You agree, even though you keep it to yourself. 

You try to call Wakatoshi during the quick break you get to scarf down the Bento you brought. The call is directed to voicemail immediately, which tells you that he’s probably turned his phone off and left it in the changing room. 

It’s nothing new. He’s deliberate in many things, and training is just one of them.

Still, you text him.

“Love you, miss you. Do your best.”

-

You buy his favorite snacks on the way home, stopping when you get to the flower bouquets. They’re nothing special, just assortments of roses and tulips in different colors, but still… it’s your anniversary. 

You buy two, deciding to put one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom when you get home. 

The apartment is quiet. You’re exhausted to the point that you leave the groceries that are not temperature sensitive on the counter and flop down on the Couch, closing your eyes for a quick nap.

-

The door closing wakes you.

You blink against the bright light, groggy from how deep you were sleeping.

“Love?”

You turn. Wakatoshi’s standing in the door, dripping.

“Oh, Wakatoshi,” you scramble up and over, cradle his cold face in your hands. “Did you get caught in the rain?”

He smiles, nuzzling into the touch.

“It started just a few minutes ago, but it was a downpour. Did I wake you?”

“Yes,” you lean up to kiss him. “But I’m glad. I’ve slept for far too long. I don’t even have Dinner ready.”

“Do you wanna order in?” Wakatoshi stops you as you try to pull away, your thoughts already on Dinner.

“Order in?” That’s unlikely of him.

“Yes. I-” He stops, pursing his lips. “I couldn’t get you flowers.”

“Oh.”

“I know,” Wakatoshi nods, his brows twisting. “I remembered that today is our anniversary but the stores were already closed when I got out of training. I tried at the gas station down the road but they had nothing pretty enough.”

“It’s okay,” you lean in to kiss him again. “Today has sucked, but I’m glad I have you.”

“But-”

“How about…” You hesitate before you trudge on. “How about we prepare Dinner together and then talk about what we want our anniversary to look like? I’m sure we have different ideas. And then we can celebrate it the way we want to on the weekend?”

“That sounds good.”

“Now dry up so we can get started,” you push him toward the bathroom. As expected, his large frame does not budge.

But Wakatoshi does move, after one last kiss, stopping when he passes the kitchen.

“Did you buy flowers?”

“Yes,” you smile. “They’re for us. I can buy you flowers as well.”

Wakatoshi smiles and it’s one of your favorites, small and almost shy. 

It’s the same smile you saw when you confessed to him.

As if he can’t believe that this is happening to him, of all people.

-

Sunday

You wake up to an empty bed, the place next to you cold. 

For a minute, you stay where you are, one hand resting under the other pillow.

The sounds and smells of the world are only slowly registering in your mind, your brain still hazy from sleep.

But there’s the telltale sound of plates knocking against each other. And does it smell like coffee?

“Oh, you’re awake!” Wakatoshi exclaims as he steps into the bedroom, a tablet in his massive hands.

“You made breakfast?”

“Yes,” he nods. “You didn’t say you wanted it, but I thought it would be enjoyable.”

“I said I wanted you in bed when I wake up,” you send him a teasing grin, “and you went the extra mile.”

“Anything for you.”

Wakatoshi leans over to kiss you.

You’re glad, now more than ever, that you married him.

[incorrectbatfam]

Do the batfamily members ever get too into their undercover work? (Undercover in an office and theyre worried about spreadsheets, working in a warehouse and coming home complaining about missing parts)

Bruce: Status updates on your undercover missions. Dick, you first. What have you got down at the docks?

Dick: I haven't confirmed the Killer Croc sightings yet, but more importantly, our catch hasn't been measuring up to last year's. Tuna we're doing okay on, but the salmon population seems to be on the low end. I've contacted the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries but it'll be another 3-5 business days before they can come down and check it out.

Bruce: At least you're doing something to help. Jason?

Jason: Class was okay. I think the kids are warming up to me as their substitute while Mrs. Maloney is out on maternity leave. The average on the last vocabulary quiz was 83.53% so either I'm doing my job right or they need to be challenged. I'm worried about Tristan Lancy, though. He's normally a good student but his grades have been dropping recently and his parents don't seem like safe people to tell. I'll talk to him tomorrow and try to pair him up with a peer tutor if he needs it.

Bruce: Also see if he has any alternate contacts besides his parents. Tim, any updates at the chemical plant?

Tim: If by updates you mean OSHA violations, I could go on all week. We got a batch of new recruits today and they were just thrown into the work—no PPE, no safety training, nothing. This is what happens when you place production over employee well-being. I'm gonna file a complaint after this meeting. Also, I think the union will have something to say about the manager cutting people's lunch breaks short.

Bruce: I see. Damian? Please tell me you found something volunteering at the zoo.

Damian: Depends on how you define "found." While I have not obtained evidence of a mutant larvae black market, I did help some of the animals at the sanctuary make progress with their recovery. Bobo the monkey is healing from his broken arms and we're gradually getting him re-acclimated to climbing higher surfaces. Suzie the black bear was born a little prematurely but seems to be catching up to her peers in terms of growth. Lastly, we got a grant for additional wildcat research and enrichment. As an aside, we are having an educational seminar on European mountain goats this Friday at 3:30 and I expect all of you to be there.

Bruce: I'll put that on our calendars. Steph?

Steph: It's not really undercover work for me, just work. Anyway, yes the newest Batburger location is being used for money laundering. But I really need to vent about the customers for a sec. We don't open until 10 and at 9:30 this morning some moron was banging on our door demanding Jokerized cheese fries. Then right in the middle of the lunch rush, Janie got sick so I had to fill in as the cashier and it was hell. After that, I had to step in between a fight at the drive-thru because the customer claimed we only gave him nine pieces of his ten-piece Robin nuggets and tried to beat up the kid who took his order. And to top it all off, an entire high school hockey team came in five minutes before closing.

Bruce: Cass?

Cass, blowing balloons: Can't talk. Arranging bat mitzvah.

Bruce: Duke, you're my last hope.

Duke: Margie's bringing a peanut butter chocolate cake to the bake sale. I swiped her recipe and we can easily beat her. Her ganache is way too watery and just runs off the top of the cake, which isn't even leveled. She's also trying to do something with a raspberry filling that isn't working at all. It's like she couldn't decide on what to bring. The bake sale committee also asked if we can bring some apple pies because the original baker has to go out of town for a family emergency. I think we'll win if we bring them with some ice cream and a touch of caramel, even though this isn't a contest.

Bruce: Thank you. At least our most critical case has been taken care of.

Barbara: ...I'll save my book launch for later.

[hanglimi]

fireworks - yu jimin

y/n finally got to make jimin do what she wanted, and it ended in a night that the both of them would never forget.

this is a part two of this fic!

TAGS - jimin x f! reader, fluff, slight angst, college au

WORDCOUNT - 2500~

WARNINGS - swearing, suggestiveness, THE amusement park date,

A/N - heyyyy guys, i'm sorry i was gone for like a month and a half. will i ever be consistent? no! but atleast enjoy this fic!

“go on a date with me.” 

you know you didn’t phrase it like a question–if you had even wanted to in the first place. it was more of a demand, and considering the fact that the girl in front of you had practically offered herself up to you, of course you weren't going to ask nicely and give her the opportunity to decline.

“that’s all?” jimin wondered aloud, her tone made it feel like she was making fun of your request.

you raise an eyebrow, reaching your hand out towards her own, holding it briefly–as if to enunciate your feelings. 

“if you want it so bad i could ask for much, much worse.”

she flushed red at the words and quickly backed away from you, shaking her hand violently before hitting the wall behind her with the force of her unknown feelings.

“i lied!” she sputtered, hot on her feet, quick to take the elevator down to her level.

“i’m perfectly fine with just a date!” she yelled down the hall as she entered the metal box, not noticing the multitude of heads that turned to observe her odd behaviour.

“she didn’t give me her number,” you mumbled, shutting the door as you laughed to yourself due to her idiocy.

“i’m still trying to wrap my head around this,” aeri said, her eyes overlooking the school’s campus, deep in thought. 

“you’re going on a date.” there was a pause, then a slight laugh, “with y/n? the girl who goes for anything that moves?”

“it wasn’t really an option, aeri, more of an order.” jimin’s head was on minjeong’s lap, enjoying the security and comfort it was giving her in this time of need.

“and of course you followed because you like being ordered around,” ningning giggled, teasing her friend.

“yeah, jimin.” minjeong agreed, shaking her head. “you know you could’ve easily disagreed with her offer, right?”

“you guys don’t understand because you weren’t there standing in front of her. it was her tone of voice–the way she was looking at me, i felt like i was drowning in a sea of y/n-”

“that's enough.” ning drawled and rolled her eyes, “i don’t want to hear about your sexual fantasies.”

“it’s not sexual!” jimin stressed, getting up from minjeong’s lap with speed, smacking the poor girl in the face with her hair. “it’s just a crush. a school crush, to be exact.”

“and you guys have already progressed so far in the five minutes of seeing each other to be going on a date.” minjeong said, rubbing her cheek softly with a pout on her face in pain.

“who knew jimin had more game than me,” aeri sighed, looking up at the sky and wiping an invisible tear from her eye. she stood up suddenly, clasping her hands together to create an abrupt sound.

“so?” the group looked on at her in collective confused silence. 

“when is the date? we have to prepare you for this.” aeri paced around the group, staring jimin down.

“oh my god, i forgot to get her fucking number,” jimin groans in realisation, her palms pressing into her face as she let her head fall back down into the shorter girl’s lap. this time, minjeong pushed her away, not wanting a repeat of several seconds ago.

“well then go get it, dumbass”

you let out a deep sigh as you stretched, raising your arms over your head, hearing a couple cracks release in your body as the morning sun rays forcefully entered your room through one of the closed curtains.

it was one of those rare days– the days where you weren’t scrambling to throw a party later in the evening. the days where you realised just how lonely you actually were when people weren’t drinking or smoking pot in your room. it’s not something you were particularly proud of, but either way, it was the only way you had succeeded in making lasting friends. even though half the things you and your friend group talked about with red eyes and running noses wouldn’t be remembered the following days. 

but thinking too hard about it was making your heart beat weirdly, and your lungs take in smaller amounts of air, so you ignored the thoughts and rubbed at your eyes as you made your way to your couch to catch up with your morning doom scrolling.

ten minutes in, and you were somewhat interrupted by a knock at the door, one which started off timidly but gained in volume the longer they knocked.

“whoever’s there, there's no party today!” you yelled, hoping the message got across.

after a pause, the knock sounded again, as loud as the other one ended, and you grumbled as you got up to go open it and tell the person off.

an unexpected face appeared in front of you, and you couldn't help but let out a wide smile. you could feel her eyes raking your body up and down, and while you did like a little bit of appreciation, you didn’t like how your skin started to heat up at her gaze, so you stopped her drooling short.

“what a nice gift for me at 1 in the afternoon.” you said, jimin standing in front of you, her phone held tightly in her grasp.

she slightly untensed at your words, and cocked her head. “you look like you just woke up, but it's literally 1pm.”

“a girl does what a girl needs to do” you shrug in response.

she shakes her head, and instead hands you her phone, open to a new contact page. 

“a woman with such little words, but such big actions.” you giggle, grabbing her phone, entering in your contact information. “i can get behind that.”

you hand her phone back and she just stands there, looking anywhere but your eyes. 

you raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to leave you to your devices.

“so, what’s your favourite first date spot? food-”

“oh don’t worry baby, i’ll be planning the date. just sit tight as i figure things out.”

you regret all your choices as you frantically search up on google “first date ideas.”

it’s not that you’d never gone on a date before. (you had only been on one, and honestly, it didn’t really count because the girl had to leave early anyways.) it's just that you had never gone on a date with a girl you liked this much.

jimin was an enigma to your brain–like fitting a square piece into a circle hole. she turned your heart inside and out, twisting and wringing it dry, and it’d last you through the whole day. the small amount of interactions you’ve had until this point have kept an eternal smile on your face as you create scenarios in your mind before sleeping. it’s never been like this before, and it’s definitely stressing, and scaring you. 

the flirty facade you’d been using on her can only last so long. and you just know it’d run out by the time you're on this date.

“not what I was expecting when you said you’d plan it all out.” jimin marvelled at the amusement park in front of her eyes, twisting and turning rails high up in the sky. 

“is it not to your liking?” while the way you said it had a teasing tone to it, you genuinely felt insecure as she looked around, viewing the experience.

“you know that's not what i meant.” she said, turning towards you, and gazing at your outfit. you were simply wearing a pink shirt and shorts (quite short shorts, but shorts all the same), but the way she was eating you up made you feel as though you had shown up naked.

you simply pushed her limp body towards the ticket line. one; to advance to the actual fun part of the date, and two; to get her damn eyes off of you.

the night was young, and you could tell jimin was excited by the way she was pulling your hand towards each of the activities, the smile on her face never fading. the joy she was exuding was enough to make your night as you simply watched her like a puppy observing its owner having fun. 

she looked back towards you as she ran ahead, her smile so wide it made your own lips curve up. the wind was hitting her face, making her hair flow in the same direction–all that made her look even more beautiful in your eyes. the tight feeling in your chest hadn’t gone away all night, and it wasn’t something you were used to. it was annoying you, because every time you got near the girl, your brain short circuited, your breathing close behind. this wasn’t like you, but you couldn’t say that you minded that much.

“let’s play this one y/n!” the girl screamed ahead of you, using both her hands and jumping up and down to wave you towards her. you let out a breath of happiness, and increased your pace, ignoring the tug of your heartstrings.

“this one?” you coughed, analysing the game. It was one of those ones that were bound to scam you out of your money. completely impossible, but you don’t think that’s why jimin was so eager to play it. 

the aim of the game was that one person had to wear a blindfold, holding the water gun up to the target’s level. the other player was to stand behind them, listing directions for the shooter to listen to and follow. this wasn’t the complicated part of the game–the game in itself wasn’t complicated at all honestly, just rigged. the part that got jimin so excited, so bouncy and giggly, was where the player who was directing the shooter had to wrap their arms around the other’s waist. (they definitely didn’t have to, and jimin only told you the truth after finishing the game.)

jimin was standing very close behind you. you could feel her hot breath on your neck, the hairs all over your body rising at the feeling. the clerk at the game stood there, an eyebrow raised at the your positions, but started the game anyway.

miss after miss, swear after swear, and you had ended the game with 2 points. a high score and the only score for the both of you. the ghost of her hands were still around your waist as the clerk signalled the game ending. you laughed at a comment jimin had made as you pulled the blindfold off of your face, shaking your head to properly get your hair out of your face. she stopped talking and looked at you for a quick second, before looking away and pulling you towards another game, thanking the man that stood behind the counter.

the two of you didn’t notice the clerk’s slight smile as he looked at the both of you, giggling and running away from his stand.

“young love,” he muttered into the night.

"no ferris wheel?” jimin asked you as you urgently pulled her along with you. she had dragged you to way too many stupid rides and games. well, they weren’t stupid, they were actually fun, but the whole reason you planned the date here was going to happen soon, and you had no time to waste anymore

“too boring,” you said, glancing back at her. “and i may just be deathly afraid of heights.” she laughed heartily, and you couldn’t help but grin widely at that.

you finally reached your final destination, which was an area of flat grass, where hundreds of other people sat, preparing for the show. you led her far off from any other people, and helped her sit down on the ground before lowering yourself too.

“so what did you bring me here for?” she asked, a questioning look in her eyes. she had hope in you–after all, today was the most fun she had had in days considering the amount she was studying beforehand. the grudge jimin held inside from you blasting music all day long was practically long gone. it was barely a thought she even remembered after spending this night with you.

“you trust me, right?” you stared at her in the eyes, holding her cheeks in your hands. she felt them warm up at the contact and nodded her head. “then just wait and see.”

so the two of you waited, and waited for what felt like eternity–which you wouldn’t have minded spending with jimin by your side–before you could hear people shouting in glee. you pointed upwards, redirecting jimin’s gaze to the sky, just as the first firework popped.

honestly, you think you watched the girl’s face more than the actual firework show, but the way her face lit up at each one gave you much more joy than any emotion gunpowder exploding could evoke in your body. she turned to you after a bit, and you swore you saw tears in her eyes before she hit your shoulder lightly and told you to watch the fireworks too. you listened to her for about 5 seconds, before turning to her again, capturing her face and drawing it pore for pore, line for line in your mind. that’s something that no matter how high or drunk you got, you would never forget.

the two of you had large grins on your faces as you walked out the amusement park exit, hands ghosting on top of the other.

“thanks for, you know,” you stand there and don't extrapolate, rubbing the back of your head in shyly. for the first time, you weren’t able to look into Jimin's eyes. there was something about the girl–something that was making the person you’ve hid inside for so long come back again.

“why are you thanking me?” jimin said, perplexed, and she didn’t like how she was staring at the side of your face, not at all.

“just for, like, actually coming out with me tonight.” you let out with a suspicious tightness in your chest, the intensity of her eyes was too much for you at this moment. “it was a great hangout-”

“hangout?” she cut you off, a frown forming on her face. “the deal was a date. i came out here with the mindset that this was a date.” 

“well, it could totally be a date!” you waved your hands in front of her, eyes wide as saucers–your entire demeanour screamed asking for forgiveness. “i just didn’t think you’d want it to be one. considering this wasn’t really done out of your will,” you mumbled, finally facing your body to look at her.

“i could’ve easily declined your request, y/n.” she stepped closer to you.

“i did this out of my own free will, y/n. i did it because I actually like you.” 

you froze at the comment, and the heat that was spreading all over your body decided to come up to your face, causing your cheeks to flush and a smile to break through your tight lipped mouth. 

“i’m glad,” you whispered in her ear, pulling her towards you until she was flush against your frame. the square piece that wasn’t fitting before had finally forced its way into the round hole–and you couldn’t have been any happier.

“because i definitely like you too.” you finished, and you swore that that night, another firework–not included in the show–had blown up in your heart.

A/N - why did i write this like one of them was going to die 😭😭

[personasintro]

Mutual Help | #47

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it mutual help

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook x reader

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fake dating au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language, mature content

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 15.1k+

⇠ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯. | 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ⇢ 

"Okay, can you stop sulking already?" You finally break off the silence, not knowing whether you should laugh or be tired by Jungkook's visibly tensed behavior.

It's been only five minutes since you came home, just having enough time to take off your shoes before Jungkook has walked into the bedroom with long strides as you've followed him, just to find him unbuttoning his shirt with quick and frustrated movements.

"I am not sulking," he mutters, annoyance thick in his tone as you snort and take off your blazer before it's tossed onto his bed. You want to tell him the opposite, but five seconds later and Jungkook finally bursts. "Can you believe him? What an asshole!"

Your eyes widen as he turns around, a half of the buttons already unbuttoned exposing his chest but you refrain from eyeing him.

"Who does he think he is? Honestly, I can't believe how calm you're about it!" he exclaims, showing confusion on his face as you snort again.

"Please," you sit on the edge of his bed. "Man like Yoongi can't piss me off, I'm used to his antics."

"That's exactly it, you shouldn't be used to it, Y/N," he points out, voice slightly raised but not at you. He is just frustrated and you understand him. Yoongi has made you feel so many emotions close to irritation and anger, so you can relate to current Jungkook's state.

"Trust me, I wanted to strangle him," you inform him with a chuckle, standing up to stand in front of him, hands placed on his warm chest, a fabric separating you from the direct contact with it. "Why are you getting so worked up over this, anyway? I mean, I was mad too but I think Benjamin got the message. Plus, thanks for the whole boyfriend thing." you tease him and he just gives you an annoyed roll of his eyes, but the corner of his lips lifts up.

"You were visibly uncomfortable, I had to do something."

"You definitely did something," you hum, hands moving directly onto his warm chest as you rub it softly.

"I'm serious," Jungkook mutters, "It was either the boyfriend thing or directly telling him to fuck off."

You laugh at that, throwing your head back as you stare at Jungkook's eyes, the prominent scowl catching your attention. "That wouldn't be a good idea, I mean telling him to fuck off... besides, we have enough experience to the whole fake dating thing, huh?"

This time it's Jungkook who snorts at your joke, "Stop joking, I am mad."

"Why? Fuck him."

"Who exactly?"

"Both of them," you shrug, earning a chuckle from him. "Not gonna lie, I did feel bad a little bit about lying to him but it's still better than directly explaining to him I'm not interested. He wasn't completely vocal about it, but it was more than obvious. You know? It was such a bad situation. Though, I don't understand why Yoongi decided to butt in at that exact moment... I honestly don't know what that man thought."

"Maybe he has a crush on you too," Jungkook suggests, watching your expression as you bulge your eyes out before you start laughing as if he told you the biggest joke. He stares wide eyed, confused and not understanding what's so funny about it.

To him, it would make sense.

"Yeah, I think he's the least common person to have a crush on me."

"Why not? Didn't you hook up with him before?"

Your face freezes for a second, your mouth closing slowly as you seem genuinely taken back at the sudden call out by Jungkook. Can you even call it that? It's not like he made it up or something.

"Well--but we both were drinking and he made it clear he's not interested," you manage to say, "I--no, he definitely doesn't have a crush on me, Kook. I would know."

"Yeah, just like you're aware of all the male stares you get on the streets?" Jungkook scoffs jokingly, staring knowingly at you as you gape at him.

He has always been telling you men turn around to take a look at you, which in fact you think he's exaggerating. Yes, you're aware of some of them doing that but that's definitely in scenarios when you look your best, going out and most men are like that. They stare at every woman.

"That's different," you argue, sliding your hands off his chest as you cross your arms over your chest. "I see Yoongi every day, well, five days out of the week. He can be an asshole, but he's not that bad, which is not the point right now, but he really is not interested in me."

"Yeah, just interested enough to fuck you before."

"Jungkook!" you exclaim, but he only just shrugs as he's trying to prove his point. His voice is nowhere near shaming or angry, he's saying it completely normally with a light tone. "You're wrong in that though. He didn't fuck me."

A confusion makes it on his face and he grimaces, looking confused as ever. "You told me you hooked up."

"Well, yeah, but you cut me off before I could explain," you tell him in thought, lips frowning at the argument that had taken place while you went ice-skating. "We didn't have sex."

Jungkook just stares, clearly shocked by the sudden information and he has no idea how to react, but a weird grimace crosses on his features that it almost makes you laugh. "Do I even wanna know what you did with that asshole?" he mutters, causing you to chuckle as you shrug.

"Nothing dramatic," you wave him off, "I just gave him a handjob and he ate me out. End of the story,"

Now he fully makes a disgusted grimace that makes you laugh, ignoring as you slap him on his buffed chest in disbelief. "Stop!"

"What?" Jungkook exclaims, bursting in laughter as he scrunches his nose and makes a gagging sound.

"You're such a child!" you scold him, laughing with him as you slap him again but this time he catches your wrists and holds them. It lasts only a moment as he suddenly lets you go but not before he pokes you in your ribs, the annoying action you both often do to each other.

It causes you to curse at him, pouting right after as he cackles.

"Anyway, we got drunk and I was a horny mess. I guess he was too and it happened. But I didn't fuck him."

"Thank god," Jungkook mutters and you kick him in the shin, not too violently of course as you sit back on his bed again. "Why were you a horny mess?" he suddenly asks confusingly, causing you to snort.

"Do you need a reason to be a horny mess? Don't you guys wake up with a hard dick just like that?" you ask unbothered, leaning back on your elbows as Jungkook purses his lips. "But to be completely honest... it was when you got back with Kiko and I had no one to have sex with,"

Jungkook's eyes almost bulge as he stares at you surprised, but that only lasts for a second as his lips curve in a smirk and he joins you on his bed, laying down on his side as he plops onto his elbow and holds his head, making himself comfortable.

"Oh god," you roll your eyes, "Don't look so smug, you moron."

Jungkook laughs, eyes crinkling to show how pleased he is by your confession, enjoying every bit of this while you already know what's about to happen. He never misses any opportunity to not only boost his ego, but to tease you whenever he can.

"So you missed me?"

"No, I missed your dick," you correct him, laughing when his face drops and he's obviously joking because even his corners of lips start to twitch as he fights back his own laughter. "It was a tough time, okay?" you exclaim dramatically, causing him to finally laugh.

"Well, you've got my dick now," he tells you lightly and amusingly, causing you to roll your eyes again as you dramatically sigh. "I didn't know you missed it though."

"Oh, get over yourself!" you exclaim, Jungkook smirking immediately as you shake your head with a grin on your lips before you shrug. "Come on, it doesn't take a genius to know I enjoyed us having sex."

"You're right," Jungkook hums, your heart jumping at his deep and raspy voice in thought but at the same time it doesn't sound too different than usual.

You feel your face getting hot and it definitely has something to do with the fact Jungkook doesn't sound as if you just told him something new. He obviously acknowledges the fact you enjoyed and enjoy having sex with him. Although, you've never talked about it before and you don't think you're planning to confess how nobody has ever made feel sex so good, it's more than obvious you both enjoy having sex together. Jungkook has no reason to think the opposite.

"I enjoy having sex with you too," Jungkook admits casually, your head almost cracking how fast you snap it towards him, eyes watching him as he shamelessly stares at you as if he just made a very casual confession.

You search his face, wondering if he can see how much his words affect you once again. If he has any clue about the excitement bubbling in the pit of your stomach. And it seems as if your eyes have their mind of their own because you eye him, letting his entire figure sink in as he lays on his side with his head propped up, looking like a freaking model from a magazine despite he had spent hours on a party.

From head to toe, Jungkook could be considered as a human being that is engraved by Gods themselves and it's unfair how breathtaking he looks while doing a bare minimum. But that's nothing new and you should've gotten used to it by now, still remembering the first time you met him. He obviously looked different and younger those years ago, wasn't so muscular and big back then, but looking good enough to make you slightly nervous to be in the company of such a handsome guy.

Gawking at Jungkook, he absolutely enjoys the attention you're giving him but doesn't really do much, he just lays there watching you with his full attention. Trying to break it off, you gasp and frown at Jungkook when you notice another feature of his that is hard to miss.

"Is your dick seriously hard right now?" you scold him, not hiding your disbelief and grin as you shake your head at him. Unbelievable.

He looks down at his crotch, looking back at you with a grin as he shamelessly and cockily shrugs. "You talking about my dick gets me going."

"Oh, shut up," you tell him, sitting straight as you push his shoulder, causing him to budge a little as he laughs.

Watching you standing up, you start to gather your things which are just your pajamas as you salute to Jungkook.

"Where are you going?" he exclaims childishly, causing you to laugh as you don't even look across your shoulder to give him a look.

"Taking a shower, don't you dare to sneak on me." you tell him, hearing him scoff loudly.

"You did it to me!" he shouts as you're already in your bathroom, still hearing him perfectly as you take out your make-up bag from the bathroom counter and pull out make-up removal pads, along with other products you need to take it off.

"What about me? I am hard!"

You snicker, wondering if it doesn't bother him if any of his neighbors could hear him – no matter how big Jungkook's apartment is, you really doubt it is soundproof from his loud voice.

"Take care of it, bunny!" you yell back, amusement more than clear in your voice as Jungkook scoffs once again causing you to giggle to yourself.

"Okay, I'm gonna rub myself one out! Don't come in here anytime soon!" he yells, informing you as you facepalm yourself, laughing.

"Ew! Gross!"

"Man gotta help himself!" You can't with this man, that's for sure.

"Help yourself, champ. You got it!" you yell encouragingly, bursting in laughter when you hear Jungkook gasp in disbelief as he's silently laughing to himself.

"I thought you missed my dick!" he whines loudly.

The only response he gets is the clear sound of you shutting the bathroom door, your giggles heard until a running water replaces them.

"Honestly, you're just too dramatic," you say, chewing on the tangerine you peeled for yourself while face-timing Taehyung.

It's not rare for him to call you, but it's been a while since the two of you talked just like that and considering Taehyung's complaints, it's more than clear he called you to vent. You've nothing better to do anyway, it's Sunday and you've been enjoying the weekend just by sorting out your things, watching movies and cooking for you and Jungkook, who's been busy this whole weekend.

Working the whole Saturday and coming home at night just to spend his Sunday locked in his office, editing the set of photos that need to be done by the end of the week – which is today, makes you feel bad for Jungkook. He had barely any time to eat and if it weren't for your annoying pestering, you're not sure if he'd even eaten lunch.

It's close to the evening, the sun is slowly setting as you're sitting in the kitchen with your phone propped against the fruit ball, facing Taehyung who's laying on his couch with chest bare, a sight you're familiar with. The man loves to be half-naked when he's home.

"He bailed on me!" Taehyung exclaims, showing his annoyance at absent Jimin who's not here to stand up for himself and you take it as your responsibility to do so.

"He's sick, Tae," you deadpan, peeling another tangerine while Taehyung loudly sighs. "He's allowed to be sick, of course he doesn't feel like hanging out."

"He was fine yesterday when I talked to him!"

You raise your brow at him, stopping your task for a second to find him pucker his lips as you sigh. "You guys are like a married couple, honestly."

"Ah, like you're the one to talk!" he says right away, scoffing at you as you give him a glare.

"Plus, didn't you say you spontaneously wanted to hang out? Not everyone is free all the time, Tae. Not even Jimin."

He knows you've a point, you can see it in the way he looks away for a moment and is too stunned for words. That's until another deep sigh makes it past his lips.

"Fuck, I know... I'm just so fucking bored. Zuri bailed on me too and I've got nothing to do." Taehyung whines like a little child he sometimes is, too dramatic for his own good and you snicker, already recognizing the look of boredom he sports.

"Who the fuck is Zuri?" you ask, brows furrowed in confusion as a smirk makes its way on his lips at the mention of a woman.

"Ah, this hot chick I hooked up a few times. We were supposed to meet today but she canceled on me," Taehyung frowns, being reminded that he's been bailed by two people today.

For some reason, you do feel bad for him though. He's a social butterfly and although he has his days when he just wants to do his own thing that doesn't require another person, you know he quickly grows bored being by himself.

"Who even cancels on The Kim Taehyung?"

You snort, giggling as you shake your head at your friend. "Jimin and Zara, apparently."

"It's Zuri," Taehyung corrects you, "Don't worry about it, I couldn't get her name right the first time too."

And that makes you laugh, Taehyung joining you as he finds the memory of him forgetting the name of a woman he hooked up hilarious. Zuri wouldn't find it hilarious for sure, you actually feel sorry for her but at the same time, she probably knew what she's getting herself into considering Taehyung is very upfront with his potential hook-ups. Yes, he likes to fool around but he's not a douchebag that treats women like trash. At the same time, you're sure he has managed to break a few hearts as someone liked him too much to understand he's not interested in a relationship.

"I'm sure she loved that you couldn't remember her name right," you tell him with a full mouth, ignoring the grimace he gives you to annoy you. "Is it really hard to remember a name of someone you're about to have a sex with?"

"If you're wasted like I was then yes," Taehyung deadpans, making you giggle again.

"You're unbelievable, my friend." you tell him, conversation flowing to another direction as you joke around and talk for a few more minutes until you bid goodbye.

You still have to go grocery shopping considering you gave up on it yesterday, too comfortable on Jungkook's couch with a stomach full while binge-watching The Hunger Games.

Cleaning up your mess, you walk up to Jungkook's office and knock on the door, barely waiting for any response before you slowly push the door open. It's not surprising to find him the same way you did around lunch time. Sitting behind his desk, eyes big staring at the screen as the clicking sounds of his mouse resounds while he doesn't even spare you a glance.

Walking up to him and standing behind him, you lean down to admire the photos he has taken and is now editing in Photoshop. It never amazes you to see how talented he is and it's actually rare for you to catch him working on this stuff, since he usually used to work when he was alone. This is his work-time, so he obviously wasn't editing or working on anything while you hung out.

But as you take the picture he's editing into the sight, your heart clenches at the pregnant woman who's holding her big belly. The colors are vibrant, looking pretty and alive as her soft pink dress makes a great contrast with other colors and her skin tone.

You know Jungkook works on different kinds of photos, whether it's a family portrait, weddings or photoshoots, he's very versatile with his skills and offers of service. Now that you think about it, you remember him mentioning a couple of times he has done a pregnancy photoshoot, but it's not something he does very often.

So to see the woman smiling happily at her belly, the growing child inside her, actually makes your heart crack at the thought of Jungkook photographing this and now having to edit it. Maybe he doesn't think about it too much, he's great at hiding his emotions when it comes to something so heartbreaking that he has experienced. And once again, history is here to haunt him and a painful reminder of what could've been is right in front of his eyes.

If Jungkook notices your lack of verbal response, he focuses on the picture instead as he skillfully sharpens and improves the colors again.

Sighing, you sneak your arms around his neck and down his chest, resting your chin against the top of his head. You're leaning against the back of his chair, staring at the picture.

"When did you take this?" you ask him quietly, hearing him clear his throat as he continues with his work.

"Two weeks ago?" he answers unsurely, not really showing any kind of emotion which makes you dubious if he's fine or only acting like he is in front of you.

"Are you okay with taking pictures like this?" you ask carefully, knowing it's a touchy subject and the curiosity in you once again wins. It's not even about curiosity but more about your own worry about Jungkook's well-being.

Obviously, he's in control of what job he's taking and if he didn't want to take this kind of photoshoot, he had every right now to agree to this. In the worst case, he could've cancelled if this was booked way before he discovered Kiko's lie. But knowing Jungkook, he's not the type to cancel on anything and to be fair, you'd be proud of him for not letting it affect his work. On another hand, you don't see a problem even if he did cancel it – if it meant it helps him and he needs more time to heal.

"It's my job, Y/N," he points out quietly, giving you a little signal that maybe he's not completely fine with it as he looks. You've known him for years, so you know the lack of emotion in his voice is him hiding it.

Sighing, you don't mean to pry any more and you're slowly sliding your arms up, just to be stopped by Jungkook's quiet voice.

"It wasn't exactly easy because thoughts kept coming to my mind whether I wanted it or not... but I was focusing on my work, so I tried to block them, you know?"

You straighten, coming to his desk to face him as he slightly pushes the chair away to give you more space while you lean against the wooden desk.

"But I'm fine, really. I can't break down at every sight of a pregnant woman or something. I do feel sad because like I said, it makes me think of questions like what if... but I'm gonna live." he assures you, giving you a soft smile as you react the same before you give him a gentle nod.

"I need you to live, who's gonna be my best friend?" you joke, trying to lighten up the mood.

Hair put in a man-bun while you're sure the hair tie in his hair is yours, you watch as his features relax and he gives you an amused grin showing the set of his front teeth. Despite the fact he has been locked in his office the entire day and wearing one of his lazy home outfits – which is similar to yours; a pair of sweatpants and a random shirt – he looks slightly tired from staring into the computer screen for hours but still handsome as ever.

"Oh, get out," he scoffs but laughs with you, "Who were you talking to? I heard you laughing." he asks, changing the topic as you chuckle at the instant memory of Taehyung and his dramatic call.

"Taehyung. Apparently Jimin and one of his hook-ups bailed on him, so he's been feeling... offended, petty? You know him," you laugh and Jungkook nods, chuckling at Taehyung as well. "I'm going to the groceries, you want something?"

Jungkook looks surprised as he thinks. "Oh, shit. We were supposed to go yesterday, weren't we?"

"Nah, it's fine. You were working and I was too lazy to go," you shrug, "The fridge isn't empty, I'm sure there is enough food to cook something for tomorrow but I've been craving some snacks, so I'm gonna get them." you explain.

"Snacks? There is a whole cupboard full of snacks." Jungkook reminds you, although you feel the need to correct him that the cupboard is no longer totally full – thanks to his midnight visits to eat some snacks in the middle of the night, despite his current "diet" as he likes to whine about.

"My period is coming, I need different snacks." you tell him, his brows shooting up as he chuckles and nods in understanding.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks, leaning comfortably against his chair as you shake your head.

To be completely fair, you hate having to go grocery shopping alone but that's exactly what you were doing back when you were living alone because there was no other choice. Well, it's not like you can't do it. You're an adult but you prefer to go with someone else. But Jungkook is working and you're completely fine with going by yourself.

"Nah, it's fine. You should finish this, so you can finally rest." you remind him as he playfully rolls his eyes at you.

"Are you taking a car?"

"No, I think I'm just gonna walk there. It's not that far away and I've been sitting on my ass the whole weekend." you explain to him as he frowns a little.

"It's about to get dark," he informs you as if you didn't know and it makes you chuckle. "I'm going with you. We can take my car and buy groceries for the next week while we're there." he tells you, already reaching for the mouse to click off his opened tabs.

"You sure? You're working."

"This was my final picture anyway. I'm done," he informs you, saving the pictures and files as he finally turns off the computer. "Let me just grab my wallet and keys, and we can go."

You nod, both of you scurrying out of his office to get your things before you get into Jungkook's car as he drives you to the nearby store.

It's weird to be thinking this, but it actually feels therapeutic to just go and shop, even though Jungkook has been tossing so many unnecessary items you definitely don't need. So you remind him of his diet but he only acts as if he hasn't heard you, ignoring you which makes you laugh.

You push the cart through different aisles, mostly stopping in the candy and snacks section so you can finally decide what your heart – or more like stomach – desires for, while Jungkook disappears somewhere to grab some of his needed groceries. By the time you're done, your cart is somehow almost full but that's only because you've bought more meat, vegetables, fruit and more basic food that it's needed.

Both busy standing in line and then putting your items onto the conveyor belt, you're both in your own thoughts until it's your turn. Just as you're about to greet a young cashier that looks to be your age, your eyes meet but that's until Jungkook tosses something else onto the belt. You and her both look at the sudden item being tossed, your cheeks flaming hot when you notice it's a package of condoms. The girl looks behind you, your own eyes following the vision as you're met with unbothered looking Jungkook who gives you a shrug.

"We ran out,"

Oh god. Turning around, you feel your cheeks hot as the woman looks just as shy as a quiet greeting leaves past her lips and so does yours. You quickly move to put scanned groceries back to your cart as Jungkook can't help but have the time of his life looking at your flustered and evidently shy face.

Giving him glare amuses him even more, no matter how inconspicuously you're trying to do it with your head facing downwards only for your eyes to glare up at him. But the overly confident and amused man has the audacity to actually send you a wink, completely distracting you until you realize he's paying with his card all your groceries. You haven't separated it, since most food you'll share but you were planning on paying for it. You'll just send him money later.

"Have a good evening," The cashier politely says, cheeks red as she realizes how it sounds and her wide eyes look at Jungkook, thankfully not staring at you.

But Jungkook isn't affected at all, raising the corner of his lips up. "We will," he tells her with a completely amused tone while you wish for the floor to swallow you whole. "Have a lovely evening." And he takes the receipt from her hands, bowing slightly towards her as the woman is too stunned to speak and barely manages to bid the last goodbye.

You're rushing out of the shop, smacking Jungkook in the arm as soon as you're out while he cackles at your flustered face.

"Condoms, really?" you scold him once you stop at the truck of his car, he opens it with his keys still in the pocket of his jacket.

"What? We need them, we really ran out," he laughs and you shake your head at him, grinning at the absurd situation. You did run out, since the last time you had sex Jungkook used the last condom – it's hazy but you do remember him tossing away the empty box. "Come on, it's a completely normal thing!" Jungkook exclaims, laughing as you start laughing.

"No, I know," you tell him, both of you putting your groceries in his truck. "The poor woman is probably traumatized because of you."

"Oh, please, she most likely has sex too," Jungkook tells you, scoffing amusingly.

"It was about your behavior later, you moron and you know it," you scold him, causing him to laugh as he doesn't hide it and shrugs with a grin. "You made her flustered."

"I have that effect on women," Jungkook muses, pursing his lips cockily as you roll your eyes, both of you bursting in laughter again.

"Sure, Jeon, whatever helps you sleep at night." you sing out to him, pushing the cart to take it back to its designated place while Jungkook shoots you a playful grin, closing the trunk as he gets inside the car waiting for you to join him.

The rest of the evening is spent nice, maybe not how Jungkook made fun of and insinuated to the poor cashier. None of you actually make a move to have sex once you get home and take care of the groceries. You both relax while binge-watching 'You', Jungkook urging you to go to sleep once your head keeps falling and eyes can no longer stay open. So you take a shower, accepting the warmth and softness of Jungkook's bed right after, waiting for him to join you after his shower.

And once he does, the two of you fall asleep in a comfortable darkness and silence, enjoying the few hours until your alarms wake you up in the morning.

If you had to name one person that you truly don't understand, you'd know right away who that person is. A man with sharp eyes, usually a stone cold expression that has made you believe he's not as bad as he represents himself but then he reminds you that he's not just a man of those features. It's a man who has invoked a new profound ability to irritate you to the core.

Monday is just like any other Monday at work – everyone has jumped straight into their responsibilities and daily tasks, although the party that happened on Friday is still merely discussed amongst the staff.

Despite your nonchalant and cold attitude you've been giving to Yoongi today, the day isn't as bad since you're absorbed in your own work. To be completely exact, you're not even sure if you're giving any attitude to him since you've been ignoring him whenever he was in the same room but it's not like he's been asking for your attention. But at least, you used to spare him a glance or a brief nod in greeting which definitely isn't happening today.

And you've no idea if it's for your current and today's attitude towards him, or if he can still remember the look of disappointment you gave him as him and Jungkook almost went for each other's necks – you've no idea what makes him approach you first.

Because Yoongi never approaches someone first, not if it's work related which you're sure this is not.

"Can we talk?" He approaches you all of a sudden and you hold yourself back from flinching at the sudden voice next to you, not expecting anyone to approach you just like that.

To be fair, you haven't even noticed him since your eyes have been locked onto your phone – using your break to drink tea and drive away the short-lasting boredom for a moment.

You let your eyes set on him briefly, sparing him a glance as you're staying leaned against the counter in the break-room.

"I'm on my break," you murmur, pettily staring back into your phone but not before you take a small spit of your tea, setting the cup beside you as the man in front of you sets a burning gaze at you.

"I can see that," he mutters back smartly, causing even more annoyance to bubble inside of you. "I'm using my own break to talk to you, so you could show some gratitude."

At this, you scoff loudly and your ignoring facade breaks just like that. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

"Tell me something you haven't told me yet," he tells you, shrugging as you scoff again, avoiding his sharp eyes in fear otherwise you're going to jump on him and strangle him to death. "I'm here to apologize."

And you laugh, bitterly and amusingly at the same time as you laugh in his face which makes him frown and takes a lot of control not to just turn around and leave.

You really are pissing him off and you don't probably even realize it. And maybe he's not the most self-reflective person, he knows he wasn't completely good to you. And he hates that he actually feels guilty and it's your stupid face you made on Friday before you left.

"Min Yoongi and apologizing?" you scoff, "That's hard to believe." you tell him honestly, still sounding bitter but you eye him suspiciously. Well, Yoongi can't blame you for being suspicious when it comes to something as an apology from him.

"Well, then believe it," he mutters, not hiding his annoyance but he has never done that when it comes to you, nor anyone else.

You stay quiet, raising your brow at him as he expects any response from you to help him, but he doesn't get it which makes him let out an annoyed huff.

"I'm sorry for how I acted on Friday." he says bluntly and almost robotically, so emotionless that it actually makes you burst into laughter.

"You're so shitty at apologizing. Have you ever apologized before?" you ask, met with a glare in return.

"For your information yes, very rarely and a long time ago but yes," He rolls his eyes, "So, I apologized. Bye."

"Wait," you call out to him as he's about to turn around, staring at him in disbelief. "That's it? I apologized and bye? Don't you have anything more to say?" You know you're pushing your luck but a simple sorry doesn't cut it for how he acted.

"What do you want me to say?" he sighs, "Sorry I was an asshole. Good?"

"Well, perhaps you could start with why you are sorry. And not just because you are an asshole, because we all know that."

"God, how does he put up with you?" he murmurs under his nose, causing you to glare at him as you put your phone next to your cup just to cross your arms over your chest.

He hesitates, staring at you instead but is met with another raise of your brow as you wait expectantly. Sighing both in defeat and annoyance, he rubs his skin behind his ear as he smacks his lips.

"I shouldn't have interfered into your business with Benjamin and your boyfriend,"

Ignoring the way he calls Jungkook your boyfriend, mocking you, you keep glaring at him.

"I took it too far."

"Why did you do it though?" you ask him, still eyeing him as if he should burst in laughter and tell you he's joking. You'd like to think you know him to some extent, and you do. But it's hard to detect whether he's really sincere or playing some tricks on you.

But the sight of him shifting on his spot, visibly looking uncomfortably as discomfort is visible on his scrunched and frowned features, makes you think that he might be sincere after all.

"Why did you butt in just to call me out? You knew Benjamin was interested in me, yet you told him about Jungkook which okay, I have no idea how that came up in your conversation with him but fine... it happened and you didn't exactly lie to him,"

You know it would be a douche move to tell him that he didn't have to tell him about Jungkook. If he was on your side, he could've just stayed quiet and not assure Benjamin Jungkook is only your friend. But it's stupid because he didn't lie, something you did. You and Yoongi aren't friends, yet he knows some things about your life that strangers shouldn't know – but it's your own fault for being open to him because despite his annoying personality, some things aren't that hard to tell him.

You guess it's more about the fact he should've been on your side, or at least something you'd appreciate about him if he did that. But he didn't. In a way, you feel slightly betrayed but can you be surprised? Like you said, you and him aren't friends.

"But you still decided to stick your nose and make Benjamin think as if he has a chance. I lied and I feel fucking guilty about it, but it was the better way to not hurt him."

"Or it was a better way for you so you didn't have to confront him and make yourself uncomfortable," Yoongi tells you, your mouth hanging open because you feel absolutely called out.

And you feel even more guilty than ever when you realize that he's right. You didn't exactly decide to lie to Benjamin just for your sake, so he's wrong about that. You lied for your and Benjamin's sake and Jungkook helped you with it.

Benjamin might not be a completely bad person, but the way he looked at you when Jungkook was next to you and the tone he talked with – it's something that made you extremely uncomfortable. Something Jungkook noticed that night and decided to pretend to be your boyfriend for your own sake.

"I'm not perfect, Yoongi," you remind him through your clenched teeth, "I did it for both my and his sake. It still doesn't excuse you for butting in and acting like an idiot. Is it really that fun to annoy me? Do you really hate me that much?"

Yoongi opens his mouth, a little perplexed by the sudden questions thrown at him. "I don't hate you, Y/N."

"Well, you sure make it seem like that," you scoff, "Couldn't you just mind your business? I just don't understand why you did that."

"Because I'm an asshole," he tells you honestly, "I really was bored and I didn't know what harm I'd cause."

"You're unbelievable. You never know, Yoongi," you tell him angrily, not hiding your disappointment. "I know we aren't friends but I was at least expecting you to have my back." you scoff at yourself.

Maybe you're making this more dramatic than it has to be. You didn't even know how much this whole thing upsets you and that you actually were expecting him to have your back, not until now.

"You women are dramatic, just another reminder why I'd rather deal with guys," Yoongi comments, making you look at him furiously as the corners of his mouth twitch but he controls himself, sighing. "Like I said, I crossed a line and I'm sorry for that. You're right, it wasn't my business and if Benjamin made you feel uncomfortable, you did what you thought is right,"

You stare at him.

"I still think you should've been upfront with him. You shouldn't care about others feelings too much, be more honest because than it'll backfire at you,"

Did he just give you advice? 

It's funny how you've been told you're honest your whole life. And you are. You know you're straight-forward, honest and blunt. But it does not always apply to every situation and it really depends on that situation you're in. For example, you really wanted to spare Benjamin's feelings because he has never openly said he likes you or anything like that. If he did, you'd be honest with him and tell him politely you're not interested. You wouldn't have to lie to him.

"So now that's done, my business here is finished." Yoongi says, smacking his hands together as he gives you a tight smile and turns around without another word.

You stand there speechless, staring in disbelief as his figure slowly disappears among the group of people who enter the break-room. Shaking yourself out of your stunned state, you finish your tea quickly and go back to work.

It's around lunch time, too consumed with your work and not feeling hungry at all, that you stay behind and work on some calls that need to be made when you see Yoongi again. You're surprised he's still lingering there considering most people from this department went out for lunch. But his sharp and expressionless face is not the first thing you see and it is not an indication of him still being in the building.

It's the paper bag with a croissant in it being tossed onto your desk that makes you jump, rushing to apologize to the woman who's on the phone with you that sounds concerned on the other line. Looking at Yoongi, you see him briefly giving you a look – noticing he's wearing a jacket that means he was outside and came back just now.

The woman's voice is just an empty sound you can't concentrate on, not as you watch Yoongi giving you no other reaction as he drags his feet to his desk, holding his own paper bag from the bakery nearby. For the rest of the day, he doesn't spare you a glance but you're not innocent either because you never thank him for the croissant he bought you. You didn't ask for it but you still appreciate it.

None of you mention it but that's how things are with you. Some things are better left unsaid – at least that's how things are better with Yoongi.

When you come home after a long day, the apartment is quiet and for a moment you think Jungkook is working outside again, but that's soon to be proved wrong when you hear sounds coming from his office. The door stays closed and you tell yourself you're going to wait for him to come outside to ask him if he wants the take-away tonight. You're too tired to cook tonight, plus you feel the sudden pressure in your lower back and stomach from time to time, knowing it's just a matter of time before the first round of cramps will make themselves known.

You could just go there and knock, ask him if he wants something to eat since there's nothing cooked and you'd like to eat something before you fall into your state of pain and uncomfortable period symptoms. But you decide to wait a little bit longer, hearing voices which makes you wonder if he's calling with someone. Plus, whenever he has his office door closed you don't like to interrupt him because even if he never said anything about it, you know he closes the door to have privacy and time to work.

So in the meantime, you take a warm shower and make yourself an alchemilla tea after you change into more comfortable clothes. You wait a few minutes, texting with Jimin for a minute as you ask him if he's alright since Taehyung told you he's apparently sick. He doesn't give you too many details, just says he must have caught a cold but it's nothing serious, he's still going to work like any other adult person that's scared to take a sick leave.

Your stomach grumbles a little, notifying you of hunger considering you haven't eaten much today and you weren't exactly hungry, until now. Seeing Jungkook has been locked in his office ever since you came, you decide to knock on his door after all.

Fist in the air to knock and brows furrow, you hear another voice that definitely isn't coming from the phone and you realize Jungkook has someone in there. It is weird because he has never mentioned anything about visitors but you don't pay too much attention to it, since he can invite whoever he wants to his home. You just wonder how you could have not noticed the extra pair of shoes in the entry that doesn't belong to you or Jungkook.

Knocking, you hear Jungkook let out a response with a short "Yeah?" causing you to open the door to find two pairs of eyes already staring at you. Even through your confusion at the sight of another woman sitting right next to Jungkook behind his desk, you greet both of them as they greet you back.

"Hey, how is it going?" you ask, smiling at the young woman that seems to be familiar but there is barely enough time for you to think about when you have seen her before.

"Good, I'm just showing Ester my recent works," Jungkook answers happily, grinning at Ester who gives him a shy smile and seems to be a little surprised by your sudden appearance. "Oh, you met her before, you remember? In the club?"

Ah, that's where you know her from. She's the woman Taehyung was trying to introduce to Jungkook which turned out to actually happen. According to the words he said to you that night, he just wanted Jungkook to meet someone and talk to someone new.

Turns out they have more in common since she's a photographer too, which would probably explain why she's here and they're both looking at Jungkook's work on his computer.

"Ah, yes, hi! It's good to see you again," you tell her with a smile, still unsure of her presence but you have no reason to be impolite.

She's pretty just like you remember her being that night. Well, she definitely wears less make-up and you get to see her features more clearly, since you're out of the darkness of the club where you saw her the last time. The same could be said to you because even if you weren't putting the best effort in your appearance that night, your face is make-up free and you are wearing baggy clothes right now. Still, she definitely looks more presentable than you at the moment.

"Y/N, right?" she asks and you nod, "It's good to see you again." she says back, returning the polite smile as you look back at Jungkook which catches his attention since you're reminded why you're here.

"I was just about to order some food, I'm not in the mood to cook tonight. Do you guys want something?" you ask, well both of them since Ester is here and it would be impolite not to include her.

It seems like Jungkook took care of her since there's a bowl of snacks on the desk and he must've offered her a drink too. Your can of sprite to be exact but it's not like it matters.

"Oh, no, thank you! I'm leaving actually," Ester informs you, glancing at Jungkook as they look at each other until he glances back at you.

"Sure, I'll just have the same you order for yourself," Jungkook tells you, "Thanks."

You nod, feeling like it's a fried wings type of night knowing what order Jungkook would choose anyway. You excuse yourself, giving them one final smile before you close the door and leave them up to their business.

By the time you order the food and make yourself comfortable on Jungkook's couch, cuddled up with a blanket that's wrapped around your body, the door of Jungkook's office opens.

"...like I said, it's nothing to be stressed about. I've seen your work and I wouldn't recommend you if I didn't believe in you. You'll do great..." You hear Jungkook, Ester nodding at him with a smile that shows gratitude.

She bids you a goodbye once she notices you on the couch and the sounds coming from the television. You sit upright, waving at her and saying goodbye to her, ignoring the sharp pain in your lower stomach. You hear their muffled voices for a minute or two until the front door is closed.

Pressing the heating pad on your stomach, you pray the food delivery will arrive soon so you can at least eat something before you go to sleep. Jungkook's feet paddle against the floor as he joins, the space next to you bending slightly under his bed.

"Did you order the food?" he asks lightly, checking what you're watching just to find you're binge-watching Harry Potter again which makes him mentally chuckle.

"Yeah, it should be here soon," you answer, voice muffled by the blanket as Jungkook frowns, noticing your state.

"You okay?"

"I just got my period," you tell him, glancing at him just to not be able to hold back the pout that makes it onto your lips.

"Aw," Jungkook lets out, "Did you take something?"

"Yeah, it got too uncomfortable," you answer, "Sometimes it's manageable but there is a month when it gets too much."

Jungkook nods, staring at you in a pity wishing he could do something for you but he knows there's nothing much he can do. So he just cuddles to you, slightly frightened you'll tell him to fuck off considering women are unpredictable when on their period, joining your warm space under the blanket.

He kisses you into your hair, hand placed over your stomach to already find the heating pad there.

"Do you need anything?" he asks, causing you to shake your head.

"No, thanks," you tell him quietly, "I already made myself a tea, took a painkiller and have my heating pad," you inform him which makes him nod. "But you could rub my tummy, if you're so willing to help." you tell him with a giggle across your shoulder which makes him laugh.

Never misses an opportunity for some good rubbing, Jungkook thinks as he shakes his head at you with a grin plastered on his lips, hand already pushing the heating pad away to caress your aching lower stomach.

You hum comfortably, the painkiller already starting to work as the intervals of your cramps mitigate slowly.

"How was your day?" Jungkook asks quietly beside you, head resting against one of the cushions as he watches the movie with you.

"You're not going to believe it but Yoongi actually apologized to me today," you share the news excitedly with him, Jungkook rolling his eyes at the mention of the annoying man just right when you lay on your back, motioning for Jungkook to continue with his caressing. "And he bought me a croissant for lunch."

"You didn't eat lunch?" Jungkook frowns, your turn to roll your eyes at him.

"Wasn't hungry that much," you mutter, feeling as if you're about to get scolded by your parents but Jungkook just sighs. "Anyways, he did apologize in his style but I was so shocked that he did."

"He had a reason to apologize," Jungkook says and you nod, shrugging.

"Yeah, well, he never apologizes so I guess that's why I was so shocked."

"What a lovely man..." Jungkook says sarcastically, causing you to smack your lips as you raise your brow at him.

So you share everything that's been said between you and him, not forgetting to point out he actually admitted that it wasn't any of his business and that he crossed a line. Jungkook just nods, not really giving you any verbal response even though the clear annoyance of topic 'Yoongi' is very much visible. Ending this topic of conversation, you ask him about his day and even though you don't voice it out, Jungkook sees your curiosity of Ester's sudden presence in his home.

"I was editing the entire day, made some bookings and things like that," Jungkook tells you, "I invited Ester because... you remember when I told you about Junho offering me the job?"

You nod.

"Yeah, well he was looking for another person and Ester came to my mind. We followed each other the night we met at the club. She finished college two years ago and has been trying to start her own business, but she's still pretty new at it but she's really good at what she's doing. I get the feeling she's very insecure about her work and it's sad because she really is talented. So I asked her if she would be interested in working with me on the project in your company. She's been struggling financially as well, from what I've understood and I know how hard it is to start. I had no one to explain things to me or help me, it sucks when you have no one. So I offered to help." Jungkook explains, telling you how the two of them actually met again.

"That's sweet of you, Kook," you tell him genuinely, smiling at your friend that just shrugs as if it was nothing. "Show me her Insta." you propose, so he momentarily stops rubbing your stomach to pull out the phone out of his pants.

With one hand, he opens the app and hands you the phone to check her account.

There aren't that many pictures of her, most of them just of nature and animals but there are some people that look like her friends. In one or two she's in them as well but there are no solo shots of her, which to be honest you'd expect the opposite because she looks photogenic.

"Wow, she really is good." you hum as Jungkook silently agrees, tossing his phone next to him once you hand him the device.

"We just showed more of our stuff to each other and I kinda explained to her what the project is about, what her role is going to be in it. I mean, Junho said he'll tell me more details soon so it's not like I know everything about it."

"Yeah, there isn't much information or further details yet. At least nothing you already don't know," you inform him, knowing the further details should be discussed this week. "I'll look into it tomorrow, it's supposed to happen in two months and we don't have much time to organize everything."

All of you in the company have to make sure everything is planned and settled. Two months might seem like a long time but it really is not. You have to have everything planned for the next big meeting which should happen with Mr. Huang who's going to be present through a video call, so you can present it to him and make sure everything is up to date.

Glancing at Jungkook, you find him staring at you with a mischievous smirk which makes you laugh in confusion.

"What are you staring at?"

"You're kinda hot when you talk business,"

You burst in laughter, ignoring the little butterflies his compliment caused.

"Shut up," you scold him, interrupted with a buzzing notification from your phone. "The food's here."

But Jungkook is already standing up, getting the food and coming back quickly with the delicious smell of fried wings and fries which makes you almost moan. You dig right in, stuffing your face until you're too full to continue but Jungkook assures you he'll gladly finish the food.

When you mention and tease him about his diet, all he gives you in response is a great view of his tattooed middle finger.

You can't believe your desperation.

With the absence of Jungkook for the past couple of days, the only time you got to properly talk to him were the evenings whenever you'd watch a one episode of some show, you realize that you got slightly needy.

Maybe it's the fact that Jungkook has been barely home, working on his own projects to the point he couldn't join you in mini-golfing with Jimin and Taehyung last weekend, which was the only time you've hung out ever since you moved into Jungkook's place. It's not his fault and you completely understand that.

If he's home, he's usually back in his office working again and you could clearly see how exhausted and busy he has been. Work isn't the only thing that occupies his free time. He makes sure to go to the gym to keep himself sane, which you understand, because you've your own routine to do whenever you come back home after a busy day. A lot less productive than Jungkook working out for two full hours.

You still have time to talk about your day but the true absence which makes you desperate is Jungkook's touch. It sounds silly and you think of it this way because you're not ready to have sex every day. But you're not going to lie – your period ended and you kind of expected something to happen, whether it was a way to make each other feel good after an exhausting day or just simply using the fact you're hooking up.

The truth is that nothing happened which again, you actually understand because Jungkook seems to be too busy and his head is in other places.

You obviously couldn't have sex while you were on your period, at least it's not something you wanted to brought up to the table. But after your period ended, things just stayed the same. Busy and absent.

It's got to be your hormones, you're sure of it. Because at first you were fine with not having sex at every opportunity, even if there weren't that many to begin with.

But Jungkook would just do his own thing and so would you. Sleeping next to him being shirtless definitely hasn't been helping. Or the sight of him coming out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped lowly on his hips.

Anyway, the lack of Jungkook's touch or him showing any interest in you made you want to stomp like a little kid. It's true Jungkook is usually the one to initiate sex or anything intimate. The only time you actually initiated something was when you were tipsy.

Shortly said, you grew tired after a week of nothing happening and it's been only recently that you've started to feel sexually frustrated. And the memories of Jungkook innocently brushing his hand past your lower back in the mornings whenever you'd meet in the kitchen before your work has definitely sparked the flame of desperation and horniness. Or the fresh scent of him whenever he'd come out of the shower, hair still wet and skin glistening.... Fuck.

You've heard him playing a video game when you brought him the cinnamon rolls you've baked today – a poor attempt at trying to distract yourself. Honestly, it's not that dramatic but he's not working anymore and you kind of salivate at the thought of his dick. Plus, the last time you had sex was when you were attending your company's party together – the simply memory of that is giving you butterflies.

Walking into his office and being met with gun shooting sounds, you find him in the same position as you've last seen him with the only difference of an empty plate on the desk.

Shamelessly, you stand behind his chair and sneak your arms down his chest, chin resting on top of his head as you stare at the game. He barely pays you attention, cursing under his breath when he misses the shot but shows his great gaming skills when he manages to kill the other character.

His hair smells nice of his shampoo, looking fluffy and wild considering there's no hair-tie that holds it in place this time. His chest feels hard under your touch, your hands itching to touch him some more but clearly, your presence isn't important right now because Jungkook's big eyes stay glued on the screen.

"Kook," you whine, "How long are you going to play this game?"

"Why?" Jungkook murmurs, cursing right before a triumphal "Ha!" startles you.

"I'm bored," you tell him, standing straight as you keep your arms next to your body, slowly walking around the chair to lean against his desk to face him.

But no response is heard from the man in front of you, who's too immersed in that stupid game of his which makes you purse your lips in annoyance. He's making this very hard and while you're trying to do things in a subtle way, you're not sure how long you'll be capable of doing that.

You groan silently, poking your head in Jungkook's direction which makes him frown. "Y/N!" he scolds you loudly, whining when you're covering most of his screen.

"Jungkook we've barely been hanging out lately," you whine, fully realizing you sound like a bratty child but who cares. Jungkook clearly doesn't as he hums, making you wonder if he's even listening to you. "Can we hang out?"

"What do you want to do?" he asks mindlessly, pressing the keyboard's button repeatedly.

"I don't know...." you mutter, pouting as you slightly rock on your heels, whining loudly when Jungkook totally ignores you once again.

So you stand in front of him, earning a fit of complaints right away. This way Jungkook finally looks at you, frowning with a pout on his own lips before he grabs your waist and tries to pull you away. "It's the final round! Babe, come on! I'm gonna do everything you want later, just let me finish this!" he says too quickly, probably not even realizing what the stupid petname caused to your burning flame of desire between your thighs.

Sighing, you move to let him finish the stupid game while the loud sigh of relief resounds from him once he notices he luckily hasn't been killed yet.

So you stand there, looking grumpy as ever while you listen to constant keyboard smashing and clicking caused by Jungkook's quick fingers.

Three minutes later, when you're debating to leave because this is ridiculous, Jungkook finally smacks his hands in one quick and hard clap, showing his smug joy of winning. He leans back against the chair, stretching his neck before he finally gives you the attention you've been desperately trying to get.

"What's up?"

You scoff, laughing at the absurdity of this situation.

That catches Jungkook's attention and his eyes slightly widen in surprise and confusion, hands reaching for your hips as he brings you closer to him and you let him. Pulling you to his lap, you sit on his thighs with heart picking up pace with each second you're closer to him.

"Is there a reason why you're being this needy?" he chuckles, cocking his head to the side slightly.

You're not sure what possesses you but suddenly his gaze seems too much, so you lean your head against the crook of his neck, using the fact he can't see your face this way.

"I'm just bored," you murmur, feeling his hand on your hip as he squeezes it.

You don't see him poking his tongue into the inside of his cheek, a knowing smirk on his lips as he hums against you. You're never this needy and you wouldn't come here just because you're bored. You'd scold him or do anything else rather than having that look in your eyes. You probably don't know how easy it is to read you.

Jungkook didn't realize the reason for you coming here, not until you just stood by with a weird look on your face, clearly preventing yourself from either saying or doing something. So he has taken the chance to touch you and bring you closer to him. And what did you do? Listened to him like an obeyed puppy and that's when he knew.

"Just bored, huh?" Jungkook chuckles again, trying his best not to laugh at the way you cling to him like a little child, sitting on his lap like it's the best place to sit in. "You sure there's nothing else?"

And that's when you groan, throwing your head back for a dramatic moment which causes Jungkook to laugh while his hand caresses your hip. "You know..." you simply tell him, causing him to snort.

"Of course, I know. It's not hard to tell you're horny,"

"Jungkook!" you whine, hiding your face into the crook of his face embarrassingly while he enjoys the embarrassment you're currently experiencing.

"What? Just say you want sex, babe, it's not a crime." he teases you, causing you to groan in response.

"Don't say it like that," you mutter, "It's the stupid hormones."

Jungkook hums in response, giving the side of your ass a small smack. "Okay, let me just play one round and I'll take care of you."

Face flushed, you groan both in annoyance and embarrassment. "Seriously? You've been playing this for hours."

"Let's not be dramatic, it's barely been an hour," Jungkook rolls his eyes playfully at you, "You gotta be patient."

"You're doing this on purpose," you comment, huffing a little. "Is game seriously more important than sex with me?"

Jungkook cackles, "God, you're so needy," he murmurs cheekily, "Of course it's not, but I want to play this final round. So be a good girl, either sit on my lap and watch or wait for me in the bedroom."

Ignoring the urge to press your thighs together, you wonder what possessed Jungkook to say things like this because that's certainly another side of Jungkook.

"Jeon, I'm so wet, you've no idea." you admit desperately, placing a kiss on his jaw as you slowly start kissing his neck – your secret weapon to make him pay more attention to you. He sits there, letting you kiss and occasionally suck onto his skin, not too much though since you don't want to leave any marks.

For a moment you actually feel bad considering now Jungkook finally has free time to do something for himself, other than hitting the gym and other things he does to occupy himself. But just like Jungkook called you, you're being needy and probably selfish as well because you don't care about his stupid game. And as you sneak your hand between your bodies, locating his crotch idea you make sure to squeeze the soft bulge that's in his sweatpants. Fuck, this man isn't wearing anything underneath and you quickly have to catch yourself from moaning out loud.

"Now you're playing dirty," Jungkook groans, letting you rub his bulge as you smirk against his neck.

"If you don't want me, it's okay just tell me." you murmur, stopping your movements for a second since you had the courage to even say out loud the possibility of him not wanting to have sex with you right now. Which surely would be okay because he's allowed not to want sex whenever you want and vice versa – you'd be just fucking embarassed if that's the case right now since you've stooped low by clearly showing him your neediness.

"You crazy?" Jungkook chuckles, "I always want you."

And he's not lying because his dick in your hold hardens even through the thin material of his sweatpants.

"Then fuck me, do something." you whine, ignoring how much wet it feels between your thighs by his shameless confession.

You're not sure if he really means it or said it just for your sake – but it doesn't matter. He's clearly getting hard.

"You know what?" Jungkook hums in a low tone, "Go grab a condom from my nightstand," he tells you, giving your ass another smack as you straighten, sparkles of excitement in your eyes as you meet his gaze.

He hides a grin, licking his bottom lip as his gaze momentarily falls onto your lips.

"Bring the toy as well."

You freeze, staring at him with wide eyes before you look around confusingly.

Yes, since there's not many of your things at your own apartment – you obviously took the box with the sex toy in it as well. You certainly weren't planning to leave it for the woman that's about to move in there. Not that Jungkook gave you a choice since he told you to not forget to bring it as well – which you would even without him telling you but the fact he reminded you of it made you feel even more excited.

"Bring it... here?"

"Just do as I say," Jungkook tells you, grinning when he notices you rolling your eyes at him but you obey.

Standing up, you walk out of the office to his bedroom, quickly opening the new package of condoms before you take out the single foil. Glancing at the box that's placed in the corner of the room, you bite your lower lip before you quickly pull out the sex toy too. You're not sure what Jungkook is planning but you trust him, knowing it'll be worth it. He hasn't fucked you in his office yet, so maybe that's what he wants right now. Although, you don't exactly understand where exactly he wants to have sex since there's still a bunch of your boxes and a disassembled bed taking most of the space.

Not burdening your mind with it, you quickly grab the things and make your way over there. Jungkook is already setting the new game for him and you stare, giving him a look as he motions you with his head to come closer. You do, setting things down to his desk as he sits back onto his chair again, eyeing you up and down.

You certainly don't look too attractive. Wearing leggings and one of his baggy shirts you found laying on the washing machine in the bathroom the other day, you can't say you look your hottest at the moment.

"Take off your leggings and panties," he tells you casually, causing you to almost choke as you look at him dumbfounded, but he cocks his brow at you in challenge.

"Is–"

"Just do it," he cuts you off, motioning with his hand for you to get to it.

You hate how many butterflies and sparks it gives you.

So you listen to him, taking off your clothes just like he told you to with his eyes on you the entire time. Panties and leggings tossed on the ground, you reach for your shirt but he cuts you off with a raspy tone.

"Leave the shirt on,"

Giving him a look, he ignores it and cocks his head at his evident growing bulge that makes you swallow dryly.

"Pull me out,"

You hesitate for a second but drop onto your knees the next one, already hooking your fingers under the hem of his sweatpants as he helps you to take it off. His hardening cock almost slaps you in the face as it stands upright, still slightly growing and hardening as you lick your lips unknowingly.

You're about to touch it, wanting to taste him again because it's been a while since you had him in your mouth, but Jungkook cuts you off before you can even get close to him.

"Stand up,"

You do, still watching him attentively while trying to figure out what's his plan.

"Get the condom,"

Your hands move embarrassingly too quickly, already ripping open the foil package as you're about to hand it to Jungkook, just for him to tell you to put it on. He notices the surprise flashing on your face but you're already moving to obey him, slowly and carefully sliding the condom down his length.

"Is it good?" you ask unsurely as Jungkook has watched the whole process of you putting it on.

He grabs his length, causing you to stand upright while the wetness is starting to become too uncomfortable to you. Watching him giving himself a few testing tugs makes you bite onto your lip harshly, shamelessly salivating at the sight even when Jungkook looks up at you finding you ogling him.

"Turn around and bend over,"

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

You do without any words, waiting for him to stand up or do something but surprisingly he stays in his spot, barely moving. You're about to look back at him to voice out your confusion when you suddenly feel his two fingers between your thighs, rubbing your pussy which makes you whimper.

"Fuck, you really are wet," Jungkook says in amazement, rubbing your clit and folds for a good minute as you grind into his hand.

The second he pulls away you're ready to cry out, eager for him to continue because you get a feeling you'd be able to cum just by him rubbing you. That's how desperate you are.

But before you could make any sound of disapproval, Jungkook licks his two fingers by putting them into his mouth, just in the right time for you to see as you look across your shoulder.

And then he puts them out, wiping the saliva onto his shirt as he pats his lap.

"Come sit on it," He wants you, what? Before you can properly show your shock, he's gently grabbing you by your hips and pulling you into his lap. "Come on," he prompts you with a light but raspy tone.

Glancing again across your shoulder to make sure this position could actually work, you find Jungkook gripping his length with one hand while the other stays on your hip, gently guiding you onto his lap.

The moment you feel his tip grazing over your hole, you gasp and press your thighs together. You still don't fully sit on him, hands gripping the arm rests of his chair to keep yourself balanced. The position will clearly make it harder for him to enter you and as if Jungkook could hear your thoughts, his deep and raspy voice reaches your ears.

"Spread your legs a little,"

It's kind of an awkward position with your ass in the air and legs slightly spread, you don't get the time to dwell on how it must look because Jungkook pushes his tip inside of you, making you gasp in an instant. Brows pinched together, you almost fall back on him at the pressure of his length slowly entering you. When Jungkook's tip is safely inside of you, spreading you for his hard cock, his hand reaches between your thighs as he locates your clit, giving it a few slow circles to help you relax.

Hand on your hip slowly pulling you down on his lap, you also put some pressure as you carefully start sitting down on him, moaning when you can feel him inside of you as he stretches you. Your wetness provides enough lube not to make this unnecessarily painful and even though the stretch is tight and it burns, you love every second of it. You hear Jungkook sigh in pleasure once you press your thighs together like before. He feels your walls tightening but he mostly focuses on you, making sure this position isn't hurting you. He hasn't stretched you out after all and there has not been any foreplay. Just you and your needy cunt.

Moments later and you finally fully sit down, whimpering when your ass meets his pubic bone as his length is fully nestled inside of you. Your back automatically meets his chest, head thrown back as you're trying to make yourself relax but it's hard when your walls clench around him, trying to get used to him inside of you.

"You did great," he mutters, lips placed on your temple for a short second. "Now sit back and wait."

What?

Eyes instantly open, you're met with a sight of the ceiling before you tilt your head towards him, already finding him staring back at the computer screen as he pushes the chair closer to the desk.

"What?" you mutter in confusion, still trying to get out of your already fucked out state.

"You heard me," he tells you, barely giving you a glance as he starts a new game causing your jaw to drop in disbelief. "Have you ever heard of cockwarming?"

"You can't be serious," you scoff.

Of course, you know what that is. You did wonder about it before but it has never been on your mind with Jungkook. Not with him when whenever you were about to had sex, you were too eager to feel him. You just don't think you're the right person for this since you lack patience. Cockwarming sounds like a torture.

"It's a compromise," he tells you, trying to hide the amused tilt to his tone.

You're speechless, trying to wrap your head around what is happening as Jungkook happily goes back to his game as the sounds of it start to play from the speakers.

"Jungkook," you whine not even a minute later, finally feeling the familiar burn of pleasure that comes back and is nowhere near satisfied.

You need at least some kind of friction. You clench around his length unwillingly, your body asking for more as your name leaves Jungkook's mouth in a low and warning tone.

"I can't do this, don't do this to me." you whine, throwing your head back again to lean it against his shoulder as he quietly chuckles under his breath. This bastard...

"Spread your legs you brat," Jungkook tells you through his clenched teeth, hands still skillfully playing the game as he shoots other players. You do as you're told, spreading your legs. "Now bring them up."

Ah... you know what he means, so you bring your legs up which isn't completely comfortable either since your muscles protest a little bit – you, doing the bare minimum for your body in the form of basic stretching or exercising.

The cold air hits your crotch right away and you shiver, not because of the sudden breeze but the fact you're stuffed full with Jungkook's cock. Your knees hinder a little bit since his arms are outstretched to play with the keyboard and mouse, but somehow it's not as bad and he is able to play even with your knees up.

Jungkook continues to play the game as if none of this is happening in the first place, making you mentally scoff in disbelief at this man and his self restraint. His hands are busy, not where you want them to be for sure, so there's not a chance he'll do anything at this point.

So you clench around him, grinding your hips a little which earns you a disapproving grunt in return.

"Kook," you moan, shamelessly grinding with his cock inside of you because you definitely won't just sit there and go through this torture.

"Grab the toy," he orders all of a sudden, causing you to stop your shameless grinding as you glance at the toy. "Do it." he says with a firm tone when you take a moment to react.

Thinking he has a plan, you listen to him and grab the sex toy he has so kindly gifted you. To be honest, whenever you'd use it alone it didn't bring you such pleasure as you wanted. But when you use it with Jungkook, that's a whole nother story.

You're not sure what to do with it, having a tight grip of the cock-shaped toy makes your cheeks feel hot for some reason. But luckily, Jungkook is here to guide you.

"Turn it on,"

"Turn it on?"

"For fucks sake, just do it babe," Jungkook grumbles through clenched teeth, your heart picking up its pace at the word again.

You turn it on, the sex toy coming to life as it starts vibrating in your hand. Your whole hand buzzes and your face gets flushed, your eyes glancing at Jungkook's side profile as you find him staring at the screen with a clenched jaw.

He takes his chances, pulling his left hand off the keyboard just to adjust and make you grip the sex toy the opposite way. He leads your hand between your legs, pressing the buzzing and vibrating device against your clit which makes you arch your back immediately, a loud gasp resounding from your open mouth.

"Fuck, holy shit this feels good," you gasp, Jungkook's hand leaving yours as you want nothing but whine at the loss of touch. It's funny because his cock is still inside of you, fully erected and ready, but you still yearn for more touch. Somehow, it feels like he's not touching you enough.

"Yeah?" Jungkook asks breathlessly, feeling you repeatedly clench as the toy brings you another wave of pleasure. "Make yourself cum then."

And you do because this is the only way to do that for now. Your body moves naturally, still looking for some kind of friction as you grind, wanting to feel Jungkook's cock moving, but you're immediately scolded and warned by Jungkook. He really expects you to just sit on his cock?

You're beyond annoyed and frustrated, hating how restricted you currently feel but weirdly enough, the whole situation is so fucking hot and something you've never done or experienced before. And the fact that Jungkook looks so hot and he barely does anything. You imagine how your connection must look right now and you wish Jungkook had a mirror nearby, so you could see it with your own eyes. You're so full of him, desperate for him to thrust inside you like he always does. Desperate for him to deliver a few slaps on your ass, gripping your hips tightly as you can hear the sinful sounds of your body meeting his one.

You really like to torture yourself but the simple thoughts that can be also considered as memories make you feel even more hot, your whole body already burning with desire. You wish you wouldn't be gripping the armrest with your right hand, so you could grab your breast and squeeze it like Jungkook does. But you're too scared to move much, scared to lose the unbelievable pleasure that flows through your whole body.

You circle the toy against your clit, moaning a set of curses while Jungkook's breath gets hitched every now and then but besides that, he barely reacts.

Growing more desperate, you feel the familiar knot that suddenly snaps and before you know it, you're already cumming around Jungkook's cock with the sex toy still pressed against your swollen clit. Riding yourself off the orgasm, the toy slips from your hand and hits the floor with an audible thud, your whole body relaxing as it keeps clenching around Jungkook's cock for a few more moments until you're completely satisfied.

Too fucked out, you flinch once Jungkook abandons the game and sneaks his hand between your thighs to rub his fingers over your pussy, right around where he's nestled inside you to find you swollen and wet.

"Fuck," he simply mutters, rubbing you as you whimper and moan at the same time.

"I can't believe you just made me do that," you admit breathlessly, tilting your head towards Jungkook as he looks at you with a smirk, moisturizing his bottom lip with a tip of his tongue.

He shifts on his spot, his length poking you on a weird spot inside you that makes you whimper.

"Ow,"

"Sorry," he apologizes right away, patting your sides to get you off him. He helps you, holding you by your hips as you're trying to stand up on your wobbly legs.

Using his desk for support, you lean against it as you face Jungkook, noticing how wet and coated the condom is with your cum.

"What a mess," Jungkook teases, glancing up at you with mischievous eyes but your eyes are too focused on the treasure between his legs.

Dropping down on your knees, ignoring how they hurt from the impact, you give Jungkook a glance and cock your head towards him.

"Take the condom off," you tell him, watching how dark his eyes suddenly turn as he understands you immediately.

He does slide it off, debating for a second where to put it and you snort, causing him to roll his eyes at you before he tosses it carelessly on the ground, but not before he rolls it over so the wet part is inside. He wipes the wet fingers against his shirt just as you settle more comfortably between his legs and wrap your hand around him.

He sighs in content, leaning his head back as he lets you do your own thing.

You lick him, kiss his tip, suck on it as you truly cherish the pleasure you're giving him. He groans here and there, making soft but audible sounds which makes you satisfied because Jungkook isn't the type to scream his lungs out. He sounds so hot with the deep and raspy groans, occasional sighs as he lets you unknowingly know that you're doing a good job.

He's in his own world, grunting once you finally wrap your mouth around him and try to take as much as you can of his hard length. You dribble down his length, your saliva sliding down the hard and veiny skin, down to his balls. You suck him off, growing accustomed to a one rhythm while your other hand pressed against his balls, rubbing them which makes him almost shoot out of his place.

You've never been so bold with anyone but Jungkook always livens up another version of you. Version that even you didn't know about. Or maybe it's the fact how comfortable you feel to do all of these things with him.

You've noticed how Jungkook likes to be touched there, it's like his breaking point in every blowjob and you're happy, mentally cheering, at your own discovery.

Even though it has never been your favorite sexual act to do, Jungkook kind of changed that. You never liked to have a mouth full of dick, choking yourself for some air with a need to gag. In your teenage years, close to adult years, you always wondered how it'll feel like and to some extent, you never understood what's so special about it.

Yes, you still don't like to gag feeling like you'll throw up any second because – who likes that? But there's a certain kind of pleasure in giving pleasure to your partner. You also once thought the penis has to be the ugliest human and male part. But now you're salivating just at the sight of Jungkook's one.

You can't give Jungkook all the credit. Even when you started dating Haechan, you obviously experimented a lot because then you were very inexperienced. Your interest in blowjobs and different sexual acts grew. But only Jungkook sparked a new rush of interest. And maybe that's why he's so irresistible, maybe that's why you're willing to play with fire if it means having a mindblowing sex life.

"You close?" you ask breathlessly, a trail of saliva connecting you to his cock as he breathes out at the sight. His tensed thighs and rushed breaths give you a clue he might be.

"Yeah, shit," he answers, watching you through the hooded eyes. "Where can I cum?"

"Whenever you want," you answer immediately, Jungkook biting harshly onto his lower lip as he quickly searches your face while your hand works on his length, pumping it and squeezing it.

"Fuck, take your shirt off," he demands, your eyes widening a little as they spark with a new found interest.

Jungkook's tone is urged and rushed, causing you to act quickly as you momentarily let go of his cock and pull the shirt over your head, exposing your naked breasts to him.

"Fuck, you're a goddess," Jungkook curses, your whole chest and stomach clenching with butterflies and you can't help but smile at the praise and compliment.

And then your lips curl into a tiny smirk, your mouth sucking on his tip that makes him groan loudly, head thrown back once again with his eyes shut. You bop your head again, trying to take all of him which is almost impossible but you still try your best, always retrieving when you feel as gagging.

"Gonna cum on your tits, okay?" Jungkook manages to let out, voice groggy and you hum a soft "Mhm" around him, and he swears he's about to see stars.

A few more pumps and seconds of the warmness of your mouth, he informs you he's cumming so you pull away, his hand replacing yours as he quickly jerks himself off. You watch with dark but attentive eyes that makes Jungkook think how cute you look, kneeling on the floor completely naked waiting for him to paint your skin with his cum. And that's his breaking point, his cum shooting straight onto your chest, some of it getting on your neck.

The warm white liquid paints your skin, his hand working on his length as he jerks himself through the orgasm. A small amount still spurts out of his tip but in a slower manner, coating your nipples as his cum drips down your chest.

You look down at it, breath hitching at the sight of his cum on your skin. Fuck, this is so hot. But then Jungkook does something that makes you salivate. He takes his dick and guides it towards your chest, smearing the cum over your breasts as his cock starts softening. Once he's done he looks smug as fuck, smirking with hooded eyes and hair falling into his face.

You stand up, just for Jungkook catching you and pulling you towards him. He pushes you closer to him causing you to bend down slightly as you're baffled about what he is about to do. But then he licks a long stripe between the valley of your breasts, tasting his own cum. And as he pulls away, he gives you a cocky grin which makes your breath hitch.

Next second you know, his hands are on your ass cheeks as he spreads them open, chuckling a little at your completely speechless expression. And then, delivering a gentle slap to one of your ass cheeks, he licks his wet lips.

"You already know what to do."

Turning on your heel, you rush to the bathroom to take a shower to clean off Jungkook's drying cum. Little do you know Jungkook watches you as you walk out of his bathroom, biting into his lip at the sight of your naked figure.

[iveleftitwithyou]

casual pt. 2 | paul lahote x reader fluff

you asked, i answered! this is part two to this smut from last night. someone requested this plot for the next chapter and i was so excited i had to write it immediately, so to whoever asked, i hope i did it justice!

thank you guys again for all of the love and support as i find my writing feet for the first time in years. it's been so rewarding to see the little like and reblog notifications come through, y'all are the best. i hope you enjoy!!! ❤️

warnings: mention of sexually explicit material, swearing, fluff

word count: 1.73k

------

you’d never seen Paul look so calm.

he was stretched out on your bed, your comforter resting loosely on his hips - he must have pushed it off when he’d gotten warm during the night. having a body temperature of 108 degrees was not for the weak. soft snores escaped his lips as you admired the softness of his features, your head resting on his bare bicep. you’d been like this for about twenty minutes, just admiring the beauty of your boyfriend as he slept.

your boyfriend. the word that once felt like a weight upon your shoulders was lifted now, a sense of peace overwhelming any fear or doubt associated with the term.

after your, ahem, eventful night on the side of the road, you and Paul had a long conversation about your relationship.

“is it casual now?” Paul smirked, his nose just inches from yours as he hovered over you on the seat.

“you know, i might have to reconsider that,” you sighed, closing the distance to plant a kiss on his lips. he laughed and buried his nose in your neck, kissing the delicate skin softly.

“i had a feeling you’d say that, princess.”

the two of you had stayed up late that night, you explaining your fears about being in a relationship and him finding a way to quell each of them. how did you get so lucky?

being around Paul was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. to everyone else, he was a tough, temperamental asshole, but to you, he was nothing but perfect. it was more than just the imprint - it was your first time feeling so connected to someone, and you wanted to soak up as much of it as possible.

unfortunately, though, you knew you had to wake Paul up soon; before you left last night, you had promised Emily you would come for lunch today.

propping yourself up on one elbow, you placed your hand gently on Paul’s face, fingers gently stroking his chin as you attempted to wake him up without startling him. his face twitched at your touch and he leaned his head further into your palm, but didn’t wake.

your hand slid slowly down to his shoulder, applying gentle pressure as you shook him awake. a look of confusion flashed across his face as he opened his eyes, assessing where he was. when his eyes met yours, the confusion disappeared and a smile took its place.

“g’morning, princess,” Paul mumbled, pulling you into his chest. he let out a sigh as he got comfortable once again, apparently planning to go back to sleep.

“Paul, we have to be at Emily’s at 11. we need to get up,” you made no effort to escape his grasp.

“five more minutes? don’t wanna let you go yet,” he bargained sleepily, petting your hair softly and planting a kiss on the top of your head. he knew he would win.

“fine, but i’m counting in my head.”

after a little more than five minutes, it was really time to get up, or you’d be late. you removed the blankets from yourself, groaning as the cold air hit your exposed legs. you untangled yourself from Paul’s hold, leaving a short kiss on his forehead as you climbed out of bed. you could have sworn you saw him blush.

your first order of business was to take a shower. you’d gotten a little sweaty last night, both for the expected reason and because your boyfriend was essentially a space heater covered by a blanket in your bed. you gathered your clothes, throwing together a random shirt and jeans, not really caring enough to put a lot of effort into your outfit today. Paul sat up on his elbows as he watched you grab a towel out of the linen closet.

“ooh, taking a shower? mind if i join?” he was only half serious.

“you wish, Lahote,” you remarked, turning around to give him a joking side-eye before you shut the bathroom door. maybe next time you’d let him.

—------

the ride to La Push was quiet, but good quiet. the quiet that happens when you feel comfortable with someone.

Paul’s eyes darted back and forth between you and the road, trying to soak in as much of you as possible without crashing the car. “you look so good today, y/n.” he smiled, squeezing your hand softly. “i mean, you always do, but being my girlfriend suits you.”

your cheeks turned red as you looked at him, unable to hide your smile at hearing him call you that. you were his, and he was yours. there was no more uncertainty.

“i think being my boyfriend looks good on you, too.” it was your turn to make him blush.

Paul didn't let go of your hand until he had to shift the truck into park, maneuvering to the end of the dead-end street. he jogged hastily around to your door, opening it for you and helping you out of the tall truck. as soon as your feet were on the ground, he grabbed your hand again, squeezing it once as he offered you a soft smile. 

“guys, Paul and y/n are here!” Seth yelled to the rest of the house, smiling at you both as you and Paul entered the front door. 

“ooh, y/n is here!” Embry repeated excitedly in a high-pitched voice, running over to wrap you in a hug that almost knocked you over. “i missed you sooooo much” you laughed awkwardly, knowing he was just doing it to piss Paul off, but wanting to avoid another fight between the two. last night had been enough.

surprisingly, though, Paul just smacked him upside the head, pulling you into his side tightly after Embry let go.

“wow, no fight about that? she’s changed you…” Embry feigned solemnness as he retreated to the dining room table. you eyed Paul suspiciously, but there was little anger in his eyes.

you and Paul moved to join the other pack members at the table, still attached at the hip. Paul pulled out your chair for you to sit before taking a seat in the one next to you, scooting it as close as possible to your side. Jacob eyed you suspiciously. you knew the boys could tell something had changed between you two, but you weren’t sure if Paul was ready to get into it, so you bit your tongue and smiled timidly back at Jake.

just then, Emily rounded the corner with two giant steaming hot pans of lasagna. the smell made your mouth water; you and Paul had skipped breakfast, so you were extra hungry as you served yourself from the pan. “this looks delicious, emily, thank you.” she smiled, appreciating the gratitude.

after a few minutes of allowing the pack to enjoy his imprint’s cooking, Sam began running through the patrol schedules for next week. it was hard to focus on his words when all you wanted to do was admire your new boyfriend, but you tried your best to remember the shifts Paul was assigned to. you didn’t like asking him about the schedule a million times throughout the week.

Emily came to collect the empty lasagna pans a few minutes later, gesturing for you to follow back into the kitchen. you squeezed Paul’s arm and whispered, “i’ll be back,” waiting for a nod of acknowledgement before standing up from your seat and joining Emily.

“so, what happened? you guys seem different today, in a good way. Paul seems much calmer than normal.”

“if i tell you, you can’t tell anyone, Em,” you sighed, thinking of the teasing you’d get from the pack if they found out what you and Paul did last night.

“well, if he thinks about it when he goes on patrol later today, they’ll all know soon enough.” you had temporarily forgotten this one key aspect of your boyfriend being a shifter - nothing was a secret among the pack.

“oh, god, Em, i’ll never live it down” you buried your face in your hands, cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

“come on, y/n, if they know better they won’t say anything. especially not with Paul around.”

“i hope not,” you winced. “we may or may not have had a… fun night last night, if you know what i mean, and it stirred up a lot of feelings for both of us. i asked him to be my boyfriend.”

“oh my god, y/n!!! finally!!!” Emily squealed, grabbing your hands in hers with a toothy smile on her face. you were grateful she chose not to pry on what you meant by “fun.” she surely knew what you were implying.

“did you tell her?” a deep voice came from behind you, startling you. Paul chuckled as you jumped at the intrusion. you relaxed into him as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, leaving a kiss on your scalp before gently resting his head on it.

“about you being my boyfriend, yes. and you better keep your thoughts quiet on what happened last night, Lahote.”

“woah, what happened last night?” shit, of course Quil had heard that. “you two get it on?”

“i bet they did. they don’t call him ‘lucky Lahote’ for nothing” Embry added, smacking Paul gently on the shoulder. you couldn’t help but chuckle at the nickname despite its implications. Paul was yours now, and you knew his days of one-night-stands were over with.

“can you guys shut the fuck up?” Paul glared at the pair, tightening his grip on your waist slightly. “actually, what happened was that y/n finally agreed to settle and be my girlfriend - something you two idiots will never experience.”

you couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at the shocked and hurt looks on Embry and Quil’s faces, knowing neither would have a good comeback for that. they both just looked embarrassed, and you were proud of Paul’s wit. it took a second for you to realize that he had not only unashamedly introduced you as his girlfriend, but he also thought you… settled?

“i didn’t settle, Paul. you know you’re too good for me.” you twisted in his embrace, wanting to make eye contact with him to drive the point home. he shook his head before pressing his lips against your forehead.

“i guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

tags: @midnightheat