#which I forgot it existed until three minutes ago lol

[thetorturedlovergirl]

I LOVE CHARACTER PLAYLISTS AND I LOVE ANALYZING EVERY SONG AND HOW THE CHARACTER IS RELATED TO THE LYRICS AND HOW PEOPLE ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE CHARACTERS THAT THEY CAN SEE THEM IN THE SONGS THEY LISTEN !!

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: as someone who’s been tormented for being a nerd, you’ve never viewed your friendly teasing towards your best friend seonghwa as bullying. but that is until he completely changes his style and image in school, confronting you about your past behaviour, so you have no choice but to admit the real reason why you’ve been making fun of him...

pairing: popular boy!seonghwa x nerd!reader

genre: high school!AU (the characters are 18 for the spicy parts huehehe), best friends to fake dating to lovers, angst, romance, smut, fluff

warnings: friendly teasing, clichéd/unrealistic portrayal of high school dynamics, hwa does kabedon on yn like once, seonghwa’s a bit of a tsundere, fake dating, hints of possessiveness, slightly problematic remarks, yn is briefly hwa’s slave?! (no, i will not elaborate), bullying, mean girls, insults, hair-pulling, kicking, death threats, some swearing, self-blame, power play, overuse of pet names (princess, baby, little girl, etc.), sir kink (i won’t apologize lol), begging, yunho being nosy (yes, that’s a warning), mention of hypothetical collars, insecurities, making out, loss of virginities, lots of kissing, soft dom!hwa, eating out, fingering, blowjob, consensual protected sex, dirty talk, praising, aftercare, crying, hurt&comfort, a lot of dorky references (cuz that’s me, after all), jumping off a balcony (don’t try this at home!), happy ending

author’s note: will i ever stop bullying poor hwa’s kermit hoodie? no. jk, i lov him so much, he’s so talented & gorgeous no matter what he wears ;-;

disclaimer: all jokes aside, i do not in any way condone bullying and this work is entirely fictional for entertainment purposes! i’ve been physically and emotionally tormented in school and though i have not talked much about it, i do not wish such an experience to anyone! treating people with kindness is cool and i hope everyone spreads more love! ❤️

word count: 9.4k

Having been best friends with Seonghwa for four years now (ever since your first year in high school), you couldn’t help but making fun of every little adorable thing he did. And honestly, you admired his patience when it came to putting up with your incessant teasing. Diligently cleaning up everything after him? You’d call him a neat freak. Not being able to drink coffee? You’d call him a teacup loser. 

So, when he started wearing that green hoodie of his to school, you couldn’t resist the temptation to call him Kermit the frog. And at first, it all started as a joke. But then the nickname kinda stuck and you just kept addressing him as Kermit, even if he wasn’t wearing the delectable green hoodie. And at one point, you could tell that poor Seonghwa was not a huge fan of the whole thing. But he never called you out on it or told you to stop. He never teased you back for being a hopeless nerd who studied 24/7 and read books for fun. So, you kept going.

Until the summer before your last year in high school arrived. Sadly, Seonghwa was going to be out of the country for the whole vacation. You were going to miss him terribly, you realized. You had become so used to seeing him everyday that you couldn’t imagine how you’d last three months without being able to see his pretty face all the time. You’d occasionally text him memes and ask him what he was up to. But as the summer was coming to an end, his replies became less and less frequent, more and more concise. You kept wondering if you’d done something wrong. It couldn’t be the Kermit thing, you began telling yourself. After all, it was normal to tease your best friend every once in a while. Right?

When the first day of your last year in high school came, you were nervously anticipating the moment when you’d see Seonghwa again. Summer without him had been so boring and you couldn’t wait to hug him again and find a new thing to joke about.

The second you saw him, you instinctively knew there would be no more joking around. Seonghwa practically walked into the school hallway like he owned the place. He’d completely changed his style and overall image. Gone were the dorky hoodies you secretly loved so much. Instead, they were replaced by a black leather jacket. Gone were the casual sweatpants he looked so good in. In their place were dark jeans that made him look kinda dangerous. And the whole confidence with which he carried himself was just totally different. 

If you had known that a summer abroad could change a person so much, you would have tried harder at convincing him to stay in the country. On top of it all, he was now hanging out with a bunch of popular a-holes that you had never talked to before. Honestly, you couldn’t even gather the courage to approach your best friend. He looked so distant and unfamiliar that you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. Especially when you heard him laughing at the cool kids’ jokes. That should have been you...

You remembered when you were the one making him giggle, as if it was a century ago, when in reality it was just a couple of months. You kept sighing during the whole day, not daring to even talk to him. If he wanted to still hang out with you after his sudden “change in status”, he would, you kept convincing yourself. But he didn’t. In fact, he ignored you the whole day, making you feel like shit.

Just as you were leaving the school building in a hurry, mentally prepared for an evening of crying your eyes out and eating ice cream, you felt a hand grabbing you tightly. Turning around, you were surprised to find Seonghwa’s eyes staring back at you.

“Hi, princess,” he greeted you calmly.

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you responded dumbly.

“What? No witty comeback?” Seonghwa scoffed, smirking.

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you gonna bully me and call me names again? Kermit? Teacup loser? Neat freak? What’s it gonna be this time?” he spat out, pushing you against the school wall and extending his arms to touch the cold bricks so that you would feel trapped.

“Bully you?” you whispered in disbelief. “H-hwa, I wasn’t...I didn’t m-mean...”

“Oh, yeah?” he mocked your stuttering self. “Then, why did you say all these things, huh?”

“You know why,” you replied.

“No, I don’t. So, tell me right now or I swear, I can make your existence a living hell,” Seonghwa threatened.

“Because I like you, you idiot!” you cried out. “I like you so that’s why I’ve been teasing you. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit how attractive I find all your habits. How adorable it is when you used to tidy your desk and how sexy you looked in that damned green hoodie. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

You were so frustrated with the way he ignored you all day only to accuse you of bullying him that you ducked your head swiftly beneath his arm, simultaneously bending your knees, and, thus, successfully escaping from Seonghwa’s ambush.

“Y/N, wait!” he called after you, but you were running too fast and luck was on your side, as the bus arrived at that exact same moment, allowing you to get on it, before he could.

You couldn’t sleep much that night, tormented by the fact Seonghwa had confused your friendly jokes with bullying and how foolishly you’d confessed your feelings for him. You were certain that your affections were unrequited and now that he had this whole new position in the school hierarchy, he would undoubtedly make fun of you for them. You were even considering transferring to another school to avoid the potential embarrassment.

In the morning, no sooner had you finished breakfast in the comfort of your room than you heard loud honks. They were unlike the ones in your dad’s car so you couldn’t help but wonder what jerk had decided to park in front of your house and make your day even worse.

“Sweetie,” your mom informed you a bit after. “Your friend Seonghwa is here. He said he’ll drive you to school today. As promised.”

“He did?” you mumbled in confusion. But maybe because you weren’t ready to talk to your mom yet about what happened yesterday, you lied. “Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”

Hurriedly, you grabbed your bag and practically sprinted downstairs. You were curious to see what he wanted. And that’s exactly what you asked the minute you entered his car.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Aw, no good morning for me, princess?” Seonghwa pouted and God, you hated how cute you found him after the way he’d treated you the previous day. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he rolled his eyes, starting the engine. “I’m driving you to school.”

“I can see that. But why?” you hissed.

“Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he groaned. “If you’re so insistent on finding out, I’ll tell you. Ever since you told me how you felt yesterday, I’ve been thinking...And I’ve come to the conclusion that you have two options. Option number one is to enjoy your hellish last year of high school. You’ve had your fair share of teasing me so I’m definitely going to enjoy telling everyone about your little crush on me. It’s going to be so much fun to embarrass you in front of the whole school.”

What the fuck was wrong with him? Seonghwa was supposed to be your best friend! Why was he suddenly acting like you were worth less than a dirty rug? Was it possible that he had changed so much in the span of three months? Or was he always like that? Had you been blinded by his good looks? No, that definitely wasn’t the case. Seonghwa was the sweetest guy you’d ever known. How did he get so...cold? Cold enough to chill your bones.

“And what’s option number two?” you grunted, already anticipating the worst.

“So, there’s this annoying girl in our class I want to avoid at all costs. Just because her parents are doing business with mine does not mean I’m into her. Option number two is for us to pretend we’re dating in school. Considering how much you like me, I’m assuming it won’t be very difficult for you to pretend. If you agree, that is.”

What a jerk...You shared your sincere feelings with your best friend and that’s the first thing that crossed his mind? To use you in order to avoid some random girl? If it was any other guy, you would have said no. If you weren’t desperate for even a fraction of Seonghwa’s time and attention, you would have said no. If you weren’t so pathetically whipped for him, you would have said no.

“I’ll do it,” you said. “For how long do you need me to be your fake girlfriend?”

“Just until graduation. Then, we’ll fake break up and each go our separate ways. How does that sound?”

It sounded terrible! You wanted Seonghwa to be a part of your life forever. But with the way he was treating you, you weren’t confident he felt the same way anymore.

“Sounds great,” you lied, because you couldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your thoughts. You’d never be perceived as weak again.

The second you walked into school, Seonghwa’s arm wrapped possessively around your shoulder, everyone’s eyes were on you. It was like high-schoolers had no better thing to occupy their time with but to gossip around the latest dating news. If you weren’t enjoying his company so much, you would have found their reactions pathetic. And somewhat unnerving.

“When did you two lovebirds start seeing each other?” one of Seonghwa’s popular friends Yunho asked.

“Oh, you know what they say. A girl and a guy can’t stay just friends for long,” Seonghwa responded.

You internally rolled your eyes. Your best friend before the summer would have never said such a thing. Whatever the reason for his current behaviour was, you would get to the bottom of it. And right now, you felt like going along with this whole fake dating thing was your best chance at unraveling the mystery.

For the first day of your little arrangement, everything seemed to be going fine. Everyone was staring at you two but you didn’t mind. All you cared about was him. However, soon enough Seonghwa started asking you for weird things.

“Carry my bag for me.” / “Get me a drink from the vending machine, will you?” / “Bring me a snack from the supermarket across the street.” / “Oh, and for my friends, too, doll.”

Seriously, it was getting infuriating. You no longer felt like you were his bestie. You didn’t even feel like you were his fake girlfriend. At this point, you had practically become his slave! Running any errand and carrying his stuff for him. But what was the alternative? If you refused to play your part in this pretend dating scheme, he could easily turn against you and make fun of you in front of the whole school. So, you kept your mouth shut and swallowed your pride.

One evening, around a month after the fake dating agreement had started, you had stayed in the library a bit longer to prepare for an upcoming assignment. By the time you were out of the school building, you supposed that Seonghwa had already gone home. Frankly, the only nice thing he was intent on doing for you was driving you to school and back to your place most of the days.

As you were making your way towards the bus stop, you had the strangest suspicion you were being followed. Not daring to turn around, you started walking faster. But unfortunately, your attackers also sped up and soon enough, you were surrounded by a group of angry faces. Their leader was obviously Eunhee, the most popular girl in the whole school. And coincidentally, this was also the girl whose parents were doing business with Seonghwa’s parents. The very reason you were fake dating your best friend in the first place.

“Well, if it isn’t the little bookshrimp,” she mocked you, sticking a sharp nail into your chest. You didn’t bother correcting her that the right term was bookworm. You were already in enough trouble as it was. For some reason, teasing Seonghwa had been easy because you meant well and you were sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not really. Because he knew how badly you’d been bullied in middle school. But now that you were met with so many threatening figures, you froze rightaway, unable to defend yourself.

“Just l-leave me alone,” you stammered.

“Aw, aren’t you a little pathetic shrimpie?” Eunhee cooed and started pulling your hair harshly and kicking you onto the ground. The other girls were holding you down so that you wouldn’t fight back. “Did you seriously believe you can steal Seonghwa from me? We’re meant to be together and if you stand in our way, I will fucking kill you!”

“S-stop, you’re hurting me!” you exclaimed sorrowfully. You tried your best to shield yourself and push her away but her loyal minions were preventing you from doing so. Just as Eunhee was about to slap you across the face, you witnessed as her threatening hand was stopped mid-air by the interloper whose features you couldn’t quite discern in the dark. But whose voice you would recognize anywhere.

“You think you’re so brave?” Seonghwa yelled at Eunhee and her friends. “Ganging up on her like that? Six against one? You’re the pathetic ones.”

“Hwa, we were just trying to teach her a lesson. She should learn her place, after all,” Eunhee tried to explain.

“A lesson?” he scoffed. “You dumbasses can’t even pass Calculus and you want to teach the smartest girl in our school a lesson?” your heart melted with warmth at how highly he thought of you. “Oh, that’s rich.”

“You won’t tell my dad, right?” Eunhee was suddenly on the defensive. She’d probably be in big trouble if he found out how his precious daughter was behaving in school.

“Get out of my sight right now or I’ll tell the whole country,” Seonghwa threatened through gritted teeth. (Later on, he actually did tell her dad about the incident and Eunhee, along with her followers, were suspended from school for two weeks. Oh, and their rich parents cut off their money, which was pretty impressive an accomplishment). And so, the vicious girls scattered like roaches in daylight. Pulling you onto your feet, Seonghwa grabbed your hand and started walking towards his car which you somehow hadn’t noticed parked nearby. Getting inside, he started the engine immediately but his hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard you were feeling a bit scared. You had never seen your best friend so angry. Well, maybe the only other time that came close was when you were telling him about your past experiences with bullying...

“Are you mad at me?” you asked sheepishly.

“At you?” he chuckled harshly. “Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t know...”

“Why didn’t you fight them back?” Seonghwa inquired.

“I tried, but I was reminded of middle school and just...froze. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you,” he replied calmly. “I was just wondering. Cause I know you’ve been going to self-defense classes. And I thought you were making progress. I mean, the last time I came to watch, you were pretty good.”

That was before the summer. Of course it was. Still, you were touched by the fact that he remembered. Despite acting like he didn’t care, you instinctively knew he did.

“I mean, I was,” you said. “But I panicked.”

Seonghwa let go of the wheel with one hand and placed it on your bare knee, rubbing calming circles around it. You two were alone so you were certain this was no longer the fake dating thing. This was just your best friend being there for you when you needed him the most.

“If anyone tries that shit again, just tell them you’re my girlfriend, alright? They have to be idiots to mess with you,” he spoke angrily.

“Fake girlfriend,” you reminded him sadly.

“That’s none of their business,” he replied, but didn’t correct you. Oh, how badly you wished to be his real girlfriend. To show him how much you cared for him.

“Why did you change so much over the summer?” you suddenly asked, while Seonghwa was driving you home.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seonghwa responded harshly. “You don’t like my green hoodie and you also don’t like my leather jacket? There’s really no satisfying you, is there?”

“I didn’t mean your clothes,” you mumbled. “Just...your overall attitude towards me. Before the summer you used to let me squeeze your cheeks and sit in your lap and now you seem so...unapproachable. I’m just saying, we were closer when I was your best friend than we are now that I’m your fake girlfriend.”

Seonghwa stopped the car abruptly, making you blink in shock.

“I changed because I was sick of you treating me like a little boy and I wanted you to start seeing me as a man,” he admitted but without looking into your eyes.

“W-what are you saying?” you swallowed nervously.

“Nevermind.”

“No, you have to talk to me, Hwa!” you insisted desperately. “If you still consider me your best friend, be honest with me. Please.”

“This,” he gestured vaguely at you as he finally met your gaze. “This is exactly why I changed so much, Y/N. I don’t want to be your best friend anymore.”

His cruel words hurt you more than anything you’d ever experienced in your life. More than all the bullying, the slapping and getting pushed against a wall. Losing your best friend was your worst fear. But you had promised yourself to never be weak again. So the second he said that, you pulled the handle of the side door, attempting to get out of his car. Before you could do that, Seonghwa grabbed your hand, effectively keeping you in place.

“I want to be your boyfriend. For real this time,” he elaborated.

You stared at him in utter confusion.

“But...when I confessed, you acted like you didn’t care. Like I meant nothing to you.”

“Forget how I acted. I only offered the fake dating shit because I wanted to get closer to you again. Make up for the lost time during the summer. Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what Eunhee thinks or says about me? I just used that as an excuse. I’ve told her I’m not into her hundreds of times. And yes, maybe I have changed. Not because I don’t care about you. But because I do. You used to gush about Count Dracula and Darth Vader so much that I thought if I became the bad guy, you’d finally notice me. I wanted so terribly to impress you and make you stop seeing me as your adorable best friend that I got too lost in the feeling of holding power over you...Too lost to notice you liked me all along, didn’t you?”

“I did,” you whispered teary-eyed. “I do,” correcting yourself. “H-hwa, I’m so sorry to break it to you but-”

“If you reject me, I won’t be responsible for attempted murder,” Seonghwa interrupted you jokingly.

“I’m so sorry to break it to you,” you repeated with a sly smirk. “But no matter how hard you try to change, I will always see you as my adorable best friend. And though I have to admit I did stop teasing you temporarily, that was only because you suddenly started behaving like the dangerously sexy king of the high school. Can you blame me for feeling a little intimidated? I know I’ve said this before but I didn’t think me teasingly calling you Kermit would go this far. I never meant to hurt you, Hwa.”

“I know you didn’t, princess,” Seonghwa whispered, gently stroking your cheeks.

“And yes,” you smiled shyly, leaning into his touch.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I want to be your real girlfriend. It would be a dream come true.”

“Yeah?” he chuckled, as if the very idea seemed amusing to him. “How badly do you want it?”

“So badly, I would do anything for you, sir,” you uttered the last word without thinking much, your brain somehow recalling a time when you two had discussed how you’d enjoy being called by a potential significant other. In retrospect, that wasn’t really a thing best friends generally talked about.

“Sir?” Seonghwa grinned, leaning his head against your forehead. “Keep that up and your real girlfriend status will be confirmed.”

“I want to kiss you so much,” you were on the verge of begging. Oh, screw it. “Please, please, let me kiss you.”

He didn’t respond, just connected your lips with his own softly, taking his time with you. It was pure magic. You had thought about kissing your best friend thousands of times. But nothing compared to the reality. Parting your lips further to let his tongue in, you physically couldn’t prevent yourself from moaning into his mouth, overwhelmed by how good it felt. How insanely intoxicating he tasted. How you were burning alive and it would be the sweetest death imaginable.

“Not if I kiss you first,” Seonghwa said once he broke the kiss apart. “Oh, wait, I just did.”

What the hell...had just happened? Sneaking a peak at the time, you were suddenly panicking by how late it was.

“Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me!” you exclaimed. “Can you please drive me home?”

“Sure thing, princess,” he laughed, increasingly amused by your flustered self. “That’s exactly what I was intending to do anyways. I’m not in the habit of keeping little girls past their bed time.”

“Shut up, I’m not a little girl!” you complained. “I’m just a few months younger than you. Asshole.”

“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your devoted boyfriend?” Seonghwa scolded you teasingly.

Oh, God. You loved the sound of that. Your best friend was now your boyfriend. It still felt unreal.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you mewled apologetically, already knowing how to make him weak for you with just one tiny word. “And thank you for taking me home.”

“Anytime,” Seonghwa smiled. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

You could get used to it. Reaching forward to open the door for you, he whispered in your ear:

“I’m taking you out on our first date. Doll yourself up for me, will you?”

You nodded, your heart beating too fast to actually manage a verbal response. After you got inside and suffered a brief interrogation from your parents (using the library+extra assignments excuse), you hurried up the stairs, took a quick shower and then went to bed. No sooner had you closed your eyes than your phone buzzed with notifications.

Kermit the Frog: You still up?

Kermit the Frog: For fear of sounding lame, I moss you already

Kermit the Frog: *Miss...damn autocorrect

You chuckled upon seeing his messages. Whatever demon possessed you to still keep that nickname in your chat, you knew you had to change it immediately. If he saw it on your first date tomorrow, you would never hear the end of it.

You: I’m awake, yes

You: And I moss you too 😉

You purposefully misspelled the word to tease him. After all, it was only in order.

Boyfie 🐸: That obnoxious Kermit nickname better be gone by tomorrow

He texted as if he’d read your mind and you gasped in surprise.

Boyfie 🐸: Or we’re having our first couple fight!!

You: How did you know?!?

Boyfie 🐸: Not my fault you keep your phone unlocked sometimes

Boyfie 🐸: I’m not kidding, change it right now 😡

You: Changed it already

You texted him back quickly, sending him a screenshot.

You: Can I at least keep the frog emoji? 🥺

Boyfie 🐸: NO!!! REMOVE IT OR WE BREAK UP 😡😡😡

You: Damnit, Hwa, your angery Aries is showing...okay, fineee

You sent another screenshot of the now changed emoji.

You: Happy now?

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Much better, princess 🤗🤗🤗

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Now go to sleep, we have early classes tomorrow

You: Wow, so bossy. Okay, sir, I’m going

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Good night, my baby 😘

You: Staaahp, ohmygosh. And good night, Hwa 🥺

The next morning you ran outside faster than The Flash as soon as you heard the oh-so-familiar honks. When you saw Seonghwa waiting there to pick you up, your heart did a backflip as you excitedly took the passenger seat.

“Good morning, boyfriend,” you greeted him and kissed his cheek. “This still feels so strange.”

“Well, you better get used to it, doll. Wow, you really cleaned up nicely today,” he complimented your pastel pink dress. “Not that you usually don’t! You’re always gorgeous, I just meant that you’re especially gorgeous and...nope, that also sounds wrong. Okay, I shut up now.”

“Relax,” you giggled. “It’s fine. I appreciate the effort. You don’t look so bad yourself. Oh, who am I kidding? You’re practically sex on legs 24/7. I think it’s time for me to shut up now.”

“You’re so cute when you get flustered. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Just you,” you admitted.

Once you walked into the school, it was like everyone noticed the subtle change in your dynamic. Because Seonghwa did something he never did before. He carried your bag and gave you his leather jacket! And Hwa’s friends were immediately onto you like bees to honey.

“I mean, I knew you guys were dating,” Seonghwa’s friend Yunho observed. “But I never saw the chemistry before, to be honest. Until now. I mean, come on, Y/N was like a loyal puppy, always following Hwa around.”

“Hey, don’t give him any ideas!” you joked.

“Too late. Already ordered the collar,” Seonghwa winked.

“Kinky. Can’t tell if I’m into it or want to cut off my ears,” Yunho grinned. “Probably both.”

“Nice chat, but we gotta head to class, Yu,” Seonghwa said because his friend was in a different class.

“See you for lunch?” Yunho suggested.

“Can’t. Already made plans with this little girl,” Hwa tilted his head towards you.

“Whoo, enjoy, then!”

“It’s not what it sounds like!” you groaned, feeling uncharacteristically embarassed.

“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa smirked mysteriously and pulled you towards the room you had class in.

“Nothing involving collars and puppies, I assure you!” you yelled (perhaps a little too loudly), twisting your head, not wanting to give Yunho and the rest of Seonghwa’s friends the wrong idea.

When your classes for the day were over, Seonghwa led you towards his car once again. You were a bit nervous to make a good impression on your first date. Even though it was silly. Your best friend of four years had surely made a first impression a long time ago.

“Where are we going?” you asked to break the awkward silence.

“It’s a surprise, princess. Can you be patient for me?”

“I can,” you promised dutifully and placed your tiny hand on top of his. “Anything for you, sir.”

Seonghwa lost focus on the road for the briefest of moments in order to give you a warning look. One look and that was all you needed to keep you quiet and obedient. Eventually, you realized where he was taking you. Though you hadn’t been to his place for a couple of months now, you couldn’t forget how the drive to Seonghwa’s home looked.

“I dressed myself up and we’re just going to your place?” you hmphed in playful annoyance. “So much for our glamorous first date.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of my cooking skills. Shit, I sorta ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”

“Aww, you were planning to cook for me on our first date? Hwaaa, I’ve only had you as a boyfriend for less than 24 hours and you’re already pulling out the big guns! I don’t mean to push my luck but if you’re cooking now, I’m trembling to witness our one month anniversary.”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

“You’re very ambitious to think you can put up with me for an entire month.”

”Hwa, sweetie, I’ve put up with you for four years.”

“Not as your boyfriend, you haven’t.”

“We’ll talk again in 30 days,” you vowed enigmatically.

“Here we are,” Seonghwa announced once he parked in front of his home. “My parents are currently at work so you don’t need to worry about...well, anything, really.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” for some reason his words made you even more worried.

“Nothing, I just meant you can...like, be yourself. There’s no one to impress.”

“There’s you,” you pointed out. “Don’t forget your parents already know me. And besides, you’re the only person I care about impressing.” 

“Not to stroke your ego, but you’ve already impressed me. After all, you’re the only one who’s had the audacity to compare me to a freaking muppet and survived.”

“Point taken,” you chuckled.

“Come on, let’s get inside,” Seonghwa suggested and the two of you entered his house. No matter how much you begged him to let you help with the cooking, he was insistent that he would do all the work. Said something about making up to you for the times you had to carry his bag or buy snacks to him and his friends. When you argued that you also had some making up to do for all the times you teased him a little too insensitively, he said that you agreeing to be his real girlfriend was enough to satisfy his wounded heart. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, you gave up and occupied yourself by mindlessly scrolling through social media. About an hour later, Seonghwa finally deemed his culinary masterpieces ready to be eaten. He allowed you to at least help set the table which you considered a small victory. The second you tried the first meal, you were so overwhelmed by the exquisite tastes that you spoke without thinking much.

“God, I wanna marry you.”

Seonghwa simply chuckled, amused by your unexpected reaction.

“Did I say that out loud?” you whispered, completely mortified, covering your mouth in embarassment.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Shit, I’m such a mess,” you mumbled.

“No, it’s fine. I take it as a compliment. Now, eat up before it gets cold. If my wicked plan works, you’ll have bought me a wedding ring by the time dessert arrives.”

“Truly wicked. I’m in danger,” you laughed and kept enjoying the various meals Seonghwa had prepared. 

Once the plates were empty, you felt so full and warm you couldn’t possibly move. And no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Seonghwa had to physically carry you to the couch so that you two would re-watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi together, warmly cuddled up under a blanket.

Suddenly, you were possessed by the urge to speak your mind and be as honest with him as possible. After hiding your true feelings for four years, now that you were finally given the chance to be yourself, you were feeling uncharacteristically brave.

“You know, even though I was messing around earlier, I had indeed daydreamed about marrying you back in our first year of high school. You were the first boy who ever treated me like I wasn’t the walking joke of the universe. The first who ever hung out with me not as a prank but because you actually saw me as a friend. When I started teasing you about your cute habits, I hope you know I never wished to hurt you. I just wanted to show you that I notice and appreciate every single detail about you. So, yeah, I really like you, Hwa. Have liked you for a long time.”

Seonghwa had paused the movie the second you started talking. And now that you were done sharing your thoughts, he seemed unable to say anything. The silence was a bit awkward so you interrupted it once again.

“I’m sorry, that was silly. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable so early in our re-”

This time, he interrupted you with a kiss, pulling you into his lap, just like the good old days. You smiled into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him.

“It wasn’t silly. I appreciate you saying all that,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And for the record, I know you meant well with all the teasing. In a sense, a part of me even suspected that you liked me back. But I was also feeling a bit insecure. I kept thinking that you could do so much better than go out with dorky Kermit guy who has an obsession with tidying up, you know? That you deserved someone else. But I couldn’t allow anyone else to be that someone. So, I changed myself.”

“Maybe you did change a little. But in my heart, you’re always going to be my Frog Prince Hwa.”

“I hate you so much,” he rolled his eyes.

“Naw, you don’t.”

“Fine. I hate that you’re right.”

Things between you and Seonghwa were going great. It had been three months since you two started dating for real. He was super attentive and caring towards you. However, you were a bit bummed out since not much changed compared to his behaviour as your best friend and as your boyfriend. Sure, you did start kissing each other and occasionally making out (which wasn’t exactly a best friend activity). But there was one thing that still had not happened. And the more time passed, the more anxious you felt to bring it up.

One evening, you had miraculously convinced your parents to let you have a sleepover at Seonghwa’s place. After insisting that nothing out of the ordinary was going on between you two and even if something unusual did happen (which you highly doubted but secretly hoped for), you were going to use protection (and no, you were certainly not referring to Seonghwa’s collection of action figures who carried weapons).

As you and your boyfriend were enjoying your snacks while watching TV from the comfort of his bed, you couldn’t help but finally raise the question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.

“S-seonghwa...do you not find me attractive?”

“What the hell are you asking me that for? Would you be my girlfriend if I didn’t find you attractive?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before so...I was just wondering if there’s a particular reason why we still haven’t...taken things to the next level?”

“The next level?” he chuckled. “Relationships aren’t video games. And to answer your question, the reason’s actually the exact opposite of your concerns. We haven’t done anything more than making out because I find you ridiculously attractive. And it’s taking every last inch of my self-restraint to not pressure you into something you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to wait until you’re ready.”

“Ready? So you knew that I haven’t...with anyone...yet?” you purposefully left out some words because you were feeling incredibly shy discussing this with Seonghwa.

“Of course I knew, princess. You’re my best friend. And my girlfriend.”

“Well, that’s a relief, at least. That you’re not repulsed by my...inexperience.”

“Why would I be when we’re in the same boat?”

“We are?” you whispered in shock.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Seonghwa laughed. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since forever. Did you honestly think I would just screw anyone else?”

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have options,” you pointed out, referring to all the potential love interests swarming around him like bees. “Unlike me.”

“Are you regretful, little girl?” he inquired, running a lazy finger across your cheek. “Jealous?”

“No, I just...want to be the best for you, sir,” you confessed nervously.

“You’re already the best I could hope for,” Seonghwa responded and kissed you hungrily, burying his hands into your hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” you curiously needed to know. “That you haven’t either...”

“It’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation?” he pointed out. “What was I supposed to say? Hi, bestie, let’s have lunch together. Oh and by the way, I’m a hopeless virgin pining over you?”

“You’re right,” you laughed. “It would have made things awkward.”

“Now, unless you have any other pressing issues, I suggest we go back to kissing.”

And without giving you the time to argue, Seonghwa devoured your lips rightaway, gently pushing you down so that your back hit the sheets. Then, he started slowly taking off your jeans. Anxiously trembling under his vigorous touch, you placed a hand against his chest. He immediately noticed and put a temporary halt to his ministrations.

“We don’t have to do this right now,” he comforted you with all the seriousness in his voice.

“No, I want to, I swear,” you nodded eagerly.

“Princess, you’re literally shaking,” Seonghwa remarked.

“What’s wrong with me?” you sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. Tell me to stop if you feel even the slightest hint of hesitation or discomfort and I will, I promise.”

“I know you would, Hwa. I trust you. But even if I’m a bit nervous, I want to do this with you. Please?”

“Well, I can’t deny you since you’re asking so nicely,” he grinned and continued where he left off. “Can I get rid of these?” Seonghwa inquired, carefully pushing your panties to the side.

“Yes, you can do anything to me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have said that,” he chuckled darkly and tore your underwear savagely. You couldn’t even gather the energy to complain about the ruination of your new pair, you were far too turned on by Seonghwa’s aggressive nature to care. He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing your thighs to hold them in place, he began licking your pussy with his tongue and stimulating it with his long fingers. It didn’t take long for you to start squirming beneath his touch, helplessly moaning his name. He didn’t cease his merciless movements until you reached your orgasm. When your breathing finally eased, you gathered the energy to speak again:

“I thought you said you’ve never done this before? How were you so...so...”

“So good?” Seonghwa smirked confidently and bit his lower lip. “I mean...I’ve seen videos. Read some things here and there.”

“Honestly? I think you’re a god.”

“You’ll have to stop complimenting me so much or I’ll develop a god complex,” he joked. “What do you want to do next, baby?”

“I want to suck you off,” you mumbled.

“Who taught you such dirty language?”

“Hey! I read, too,” you pouted and assuredly made your way towards the carpet next to his bed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Seonghwa asked.

“Aren’t I supposed to kneel in order to pleasure you, sir?”

“Princesses never kneel,” he instructed and got up from the bed, urging you to lie down with your head hanging from the very edge of the bed and make yourself comfortable. “Open up that pretty little mouth for me, will you?”

You did as he asked obediently and even went the extra mile to stick your tongue out. Unbuckling his belt and throwing it to the side, Seonghwa was quick to follow your wishes and let his cock spring free from his jeans. Your mouth went dry at the sight of his monstrous size. Seeing your worries if it will fit reflected in your eyes, he expressed his concern for you:

“Are you sure about this?”

“Please, please, I need you,” you whimpered without thinking, eager to have a taste. Without making you wait any longer, Seonghwa pushed the tip of his cock inside, gently letting your cheeks get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he went deeper, allowing you to acquaint yourself with the stretch. When you kept blinking at him in anticipation, he realized you were ready for more and began moving faster, fucking into your mouth at a steady pace. As he neared his high, his motions became less controlled you were sucking more intently, impatient to swallow every last drop of him.

“Shit, I’m going to-” he attempted to break away, but you managed to wrap your hands at the back of his legs in order to keep his cock inside your mouth. 

Seconds later, he released his cum and you began drinking it thirstily. When you had made certain that no drop was wasted, you finally let go of his legs, allowing your boyfriend’s dick to dangle freely outside of your mouth.

“You’re fucking incredible,” Seonghwa praised you and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “My incredible girl.”

“I’m only yours, sir,” you mumbled, way too affected by him.

“You like this, don’t you?” he mocked you teasingly.

“Yes, sir, I want to belong to you,” you whimpered and turned around to pull him back into bed.

“Your wish is my command, princess,” Seonghwa smiled fondly and took a mysterious package out of the back pocket of his jeans. Soon enough, you realized what it was, as he started lining up the condom on his cock.

“Oooh, I brought one of those, as well!” you exclaimed in surprise.

“You came here on a mission, didn’t you? Wicked little thing,” he tsked in fake disapproval.

“It’s not my fault you’re walking around like an Adonis,” you defended yourself boldly.

“You’re one to speak. Freaking goddess,” Seonghwa complimented you and slowly began unbuttoning your shirt you had somehow forgotten you were still wearing. “Is this okay?” he asked softly, always making sure you were feeling safe.

“More than okay,” you consented. Left in nothing but your baby pink bra, you unintentionally shivered at the sudden cold air surrounding you. Soon after that, Seonghwa undid the clasps and you were now only wearing your birthday suit. Feeling a bit timid, you self-consciously covered your breasts and broke eye contact with your boyfriend.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” he pressed the palm of his hand against your cheek. “Do you want to stop?”

You weakly shook your head and somehow managed to gather the strength to look into his beautifully dark eyes once again.

“Then, let me see you, yeah?” Seonghwa nudged your hands away gently. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”

You blushed at his sudden praise and allowed him to have a look. But seconds later, you were getting a bit impatient.

“Please, Hwa, I want you so much.”

“Anything for my princess,” he chuckled and coaxed his tip at your entrance slowly. When you gave him a sign he could go deeper, his movements became bolder. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well.”

“M-more, sir, I swear I can do this,” you begged as you were beginning to unravel beneath him. As he fucked you faster into oblivion, you were no longer thinking straight and his name was the only word you were capable of uttering. Over and over again. Until you both came, blissfully lost in each other’s arms.

“Here, let me clean you up,” Seonghwa offered sweetly, picking you up with little effort and carrying you to the bathtub. 

When he started shampooing your hair, rubbing body lotion into your sensitive skin and covering your neck with soft kisses, you couldn’t stop your tears from falling, touched by his infinite tenderness and by the sheer intimacy of the gesture.

“Darling, are you crying?” he questioned you upon hearing your hiccups.

“N-no,” you lied but it was useless, because it was quite obvious you were, in fact, bawling your eyes out.

“Did I hurt you, my sweet princess?” Seonghwa asked in concern.

“How...how could you think that?” you whimpered. “You’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me. It’s just that...this is the first time I’ve felt so...special, so worthy, so...”

“Loved?” he offered the word you had been seeking for but had been too scared to utter out loud.

“Y-yeah,” you confirmed shyly. “Is it too early to say this? I’m sorry if it is but...I love you, Seonghwa.”

He simply stared at you in disbelief for a couple of seconds. This time, you were once again the one to break the deafening silence.

“You don’t have to say it back. I just...I wanted you to know. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but-”

“I love you too, baby. Of course I do,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And I’m not just saying it, I don’t feel obliged to say it. As my best friend, you know me better than anyone else. And you know I don’t do things unless I want to. So, believe me when I say this.”

“Fuck,” you uttered and only started crying harder in his arms.

“Shhh, you’re safe with me, sweetheart. I would never harm you,” he comforted you and stroked your hair lovingly, putting all your worries and self-doubts at the very back of your head.

After you were all dried up from the bath and had put on your boyfriend’s shirt while he was still in the shower, you were feeling uncharacteristically confident. Confident enough to look for something you hadn’t seen for a while. You had been wondering if he had it hanging around somewhere in his wardrobe. And after a short period of rummaging you found your treasure. The green hoodie. The Kermit hoodie. You smiled mischievously as you changed into it. It still smelled like him, you beamed. Back when he was simply your best friend, the amount of times you had fantasized about him lending it to you should have been illegal. So now that you had been promoted to his girlfriend, you simply couldn’t let such an opportunity pass you by.

Once Seonghwa got out of the shower, water droplets running down the divine skin on his bare chest, you were too busy staring at him in all his beauty and glory to notice the angry look on his face.

“How did you even find this? It was hidden so well in my wardrobe,” he scowled.

“Don’t be mad,” you pouted adorably. “I look so cute in it, right?”

“Cuter than me, that’s for sure,” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and tickled your belly.

“That’s impossible, you make the cutest Kermit,” you giggled, enjoying how easy it was to get on his nerves.

“You’ll never let me live this down, will you?” he groaned.

“Never ever, my stunning Frog Prince,” you vowed and kissed him quickly, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he seemed too flustered to continue scolding you.

“You’re in luck today. Nothing can ruin my good mood,” Seonghwa was determined.

“Great,” you grinned gleefully. “Cause from now on, I intend on making all your days filled with joy.”

“From now on?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, princess, my days have been filled with nothing but joy ever since I met you.”

And indeed, both Seonghwa’s days and yours were nothing but pure happiness ever since you decided to make your relationship real. And despite his foolish statement that he no longer wanted to be your best friend, you had somehow managed to convince him that he was both your boyfriend and bestie and that was perfectly okay. As if in the blink of an eye, spring came which meant that the whole school was in nervous excitement about the upcoming prom. Generally, you weren’t the type to get overwhelmed about such a trivial topic. But now that you were dating Seonghwa, the most popular guy in the school, you couldn’t help but worry a little. What if he wanted to go with someone else? Someone equal in “status”? Your worries and insecurities further intensified when he started asking questions in a weird way.

“I need your help,” Seonghwa blurted out over lunch.

“Shoot.”

“Okay, so, I have this friend. And he really likes this girl and wants to ask her to prom. What do you think would make her happy?”

You blinked in surprise. You knew that when people pulled the “I’m just asking for a friend” card, they were most likely talking about themselves. Was he seriously thinking of inviting another girl to prom? You tensed a little but tried really hard to remain neutral in your answer and actually make an attempt to help your bestie.

“I mean, all girls are different,” you reasoned. “If you describe her to me, maybe I’ll be able to give a more appropriate suggestion.”

“She’s a bit like you. You know, kinda bookish and-”

“It’s alright, Seonghwa, you can say it. I’m a nerd.”

“Well, yes, but...”

“It’s not exactly a slur,” you chuckled coldly.

“I know, but that’s what your bullies in middle school called you. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” Hwa put his hand on top of yours in a gentle, comforting manner.

“It’s fine when if you say it,” you smiled. “I won’t get offended.”

“I was going to say my friend’s crush is intelligent like you but, oh well.”

“That does sound better, I admit,” you giggled.

“She’s also a bit shy and introverted so maybe she wouldn’t enjoy a public promposal. Crowds tend to make her nervous,” Seonghwa observed.

“Seems like you didn’t need my help after all,” you scoffed playfully.

“No, I do! I still haven’t come up with an actual way to propose. I mean, for my friend.”

“Right. Your friend. Well, he can’t go wrong with some poetry under her balcony. If she has one, that is.”

“I’m pretty sure she does.” Seonghwa smirked. “Alright, thanks.”

He jumped from his seat, not even having finished his lunch.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I gotta prepare my friend’s promposal,” he shrugged and disappeared from your sight, leaving you a bit crest-fallen. If he was intending on asking you, he wouldn’t have turned to you for help, right? That would sorta ruin the element of surprise, wouldn’t it? And yet, you knew that Seonghwa wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions and randomly ask a more popular girl out because of public demand. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to just date you for kicks and then ditch you at prom. Despite those very logical reasons, you couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

A week later, you realized all your worries had been for nothing. It was a Sunday morning and you had just finished having breakfast with your family. You were leisurely reading on your bed when you heard some suspicious noises coming from your window. You looked up from your book and you could swear you saw tiny rocks hitting the glass! You jumped up angrily, half-expecting to find a bunch of neighbour kids pulling a prank. But you were surprised when you spotted your boyfriend standing under your balcony. Wearing his iconic green hoodie.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered, though a hopeful part of you already knew the answer.

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” he recited diligently in a song-like manner.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his overdramatic acting but it was the effort that touched you immensely.

“And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!” he continued sweetly.

You were so in love with this man it was insane.

“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return,” Seonghwa kept going.

You couldn’t resist the urge to leap off the balcony. It was just the second floor so what could possibly go wrong? Other than a scraped knee and a bit of a limp. God, you were such an idiot.

“Shit, are you okay?” Seonghwa asked in terror and wrapped his arms around you.

“The excruciating pain is worth it if I get to hug you like this,” you grinned, leaning against him for support.

“Why couldn’t you just walk down the stairs like a normal person?”

“And what’s romantic about that?” you joked. “Jumping off a balcony makes for a much better story.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Only for you, my sweet Frogmeo!” you teased and kissed his cheek.

“Wait, I wasn’t finished!” Seonghwa exclaimed excitedly, not bothering to act offended about your obsession with him and that Kermit hoodie. “There was something about cheeks, I swear.”

“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!” you helped him out dutifully.

“O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” he finished proudly and placed his palm against your cheek.

“Only you could possibly mix Romeo and Juliet with The Frog Prince and somehow make it work,” you praised him.

“Does that mean you’ll go to prom with me?” Seonghwa tilted his head to the side adorably.

“Of course I will, baby,” you responded happily.

“Thank God, ‘cause learning that monologue drained my soul and brain,” he whistled playfully.

“You know, you had me worried there for a second,” you confessed reluctantly, because you didn’t want to keep any secrets from your doting boyfriend.

“When?” Seonghwa asked in confusion.

“Lunchtime. A week ago. When you asked me for advice. I thought that...”

“That I would ask someone else?” he correctly guessed your suspicions. And you nodded. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”

“No, you’re perfect. In fact, too perfect. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.”

Seonghwa smiled sadly and kissed the top of your head. But he wasn’t angry with you. Just wanted to erase those silly thoughts from your mind.

“You deserve so much more, princess. But I’ll try my best to give you all I can.”

“As will I,” you promised and mischievously pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, making his face squished adorably.

“If this is the best you’re capable of, I dread to see your worst,” he shook his head in amusement.

“Prince Frogmeo and the Nerdy Princess,” you sighed wistfully. “That would make a hell of a fairy tale, wouldn’t it?”

“How about Kermit the Frog whoops the Princess’s ass for being a brat?” Seonghwa threatened jokingly.

“You know what? I wouldn’t say no to that,” you giggled and started running away from him. “If you catch me first!”

Prom night arrived and despite all the preparations and excitements around it, it was nothing special in itself. What made it special, however, were the moments you spent with Seonghwa. Just dancing and talking seemed to be enough to make your heart leap with joy. And the smile never left your face the entire night.

“School’s really ending, huh?” you spoke aloud without thinking, while you were swaying slightly to the music in your boyfriend’s arms.

“This isn’t the end of us. We’ll go to college, we’ll grow up. The best is yet to come, darling.”

“You know what I meant,” you replied, a hint of sadness tinging your tone. “In college, I’ll study Literature, you’ll study Music. We’ll no longer be able to sit next to each other in class or exchange notes or hold hands under the desk.”

“We’ll do all sorts of other things,” Seonghwa responded cheerfully, trying to think positive. “We’ll have study dates in college, we’ll visit new restaurants and make more memories together. Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean we are. I’m not giving up on my best friend ever.”

“Your girlfriend,” you corrected him playfully.

“My best friend,” he repeated. “You were right. Being in love with each other doesn’t nullify our friendship. Both are equally important to me. You are the most important to me.”

“God, Hwa, how can you say such things so easily?”

“Is your heart fluttering?” your boyfriend and best friend teased you, swirling you around while dancing. You were met with his beautiful dark gaze again as he murmured: “Hi, princess.”

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you chuckled in response.

And you were finally home.

The End

[manonblaqkbeak]

Sugar, sugar

(genuinely hate coming up with titles lol)

this is just rowaelin being pining idiots, one of my fave tropes for day 11--delayed love confession

just a note, the lifestyle in this fic is more of a background note and doesnt really take centre stage in this fic. it’s one ive been tempted to write for a while tbh but didnt really get around to it until now

cw: very, very light smut (like barely non existent, but just in case), a lil bit of swearing

enjoy! :)

3k words (officially my longest fic, yay!)

Every thought in Aelin's mind was blank. She trudged through her apartment that she shared with Nehemia, absentmindedly kicking off her heels that Rowan purchased for her months ago. Then the light jacket she wore joined the shoes, the fabric was perfectly soft and perfect for the autumn chill.

It was yet another piece of item that Rowan purchased for her. A lot of the things she had know were thanks to Rowan, either from his own wallet or from the biweekly allowance he sent her—a generous allowance that was a thousand times better than her weekly paycheck from the bookstore she'd been working at since she turned twenty-two; her business degree had turned out to be useless and so she turned to the bookstore that had been her stable job for three years.

Aelin barely touched her weekly wage now, it was practically buried underneath the money the Rowan gave her.

Because Rowan Whitethorn, thirty-five and a successful CEO who was well known, was her sugar daddy. Had been now for fourteen months. But he was more than that, more than just a man that paid her to spend time with him. He respected her, was loyal to her, listened to her and responded with actual sentences instead of a word or two like other men she had dated. He was charming, didn't treat her like she was nothing but arm candy, and she knew him so well, as he knew her, and each fortnight she sometimes forgot their whole arrangement, but she was sharply reminded when she received the notification from her bank that the two and a half thousand dollars that Rowan sent her was now in her savings account.

When she agreed to their arrangement after several get-to-know you dates, Rowan had wanted to give her three and a half grand every week, and gods Aelin had been tempted because she had never had so much money in her life, but told him that it was far too much and negotiated.

Two and a half thousand was the lowest that Rowan was willing to go, and even though Aelin only knew him for two weeks at that point, she could tell that he would not budge, so she agreed to the amount.

The first time that money had landed in her account, Aelin had thought that maybe she had imagined the whole thing, but the money was a sharp reminder of what she know was—a sugar baby. Those words still didn't feel like they applied to her.

And he still spent money on her when they spent time together. Just last week he gifted her with diamond earrings in the shapes of roses with a necklace to match. She wore them tonight, not because he bought them for her but because she genuinely loved the pieces.

Needing something sweet—despite the fact she had only finished her chocolate hazelnut gelato twenty minutes ago—she dug through her fridge and found the brownies that Nehemia had baked the other day. She told herself that she would leave some for her long-time friend, but Aelin really doubted that would happen.

Aelin relished in the cold air of the fridge as she found the new can of whipped cream on the top shelf. The fridge was one of the first things she purchased with the money she was now being gifted with (and after that came a new washer and dryer, a dish-washing machine and television. Almost everything in her apartment was brand new now, the food were actual brands instead of the generic, tasteless shit. She had bras that fit her properly and were so damned comfortable that she forgot she was wearing them half the time).

The old fridge was a cheap hunk of junk that she and Nehemia purchased off Facebook marketplace for a hundred dollars, it barely kept things cold, but with expensive rent and bills and general life things, Nehemia and her couldn't afford anything better.

Which was how she ended up in this situation. Picking up more shifts barely gave them anything extra, because the economy right now in Terrasen was shit. Nehemia had made a joke about needing sugar daddies, and Aelin, knowing that Nehemia could never really do such a thing, had decided that maybe it was a good idea.

Nehemia had told Aelin that she was insane for pursuing such a thing, and that she had only been joking, but Aelin was not and that she could handle herself if things went wrong.

Nehemia had told her not to do anything, but Aelin was determined and started her search. It had taken a while to find a website that was genuine and didn't make her feel like she had to scrub her eyes out with bleach.

She created her page in private, because she not only was Nehemia against the idea, but so was Elide and Lysandra—she didn't dare tell Aedion what she was doing. Her cousin could be an overprotective pain in her ass at times, and Aelin was very well aware that if Aedion caught wind of what she was doing, he would have locked her up in her room without any type of device so she couldn't go forward with her plan.

She appreciated their concern, she did, but she was a consenting, tax-paying adult, and if she wanted to use her time to get paid spending time with a rich man, then Aelin was allowed to do exactly that.

It wasn't prostitution, she had looked it up, because it was the sugar babies that had the power and so that was how it went with her and Rowan.

Aelin didn't even have sex with Rowan until it was the sixth month anniversary of her and Rowan's...relationship (and gods, it was the best sex Aelin ever had. Rowan was a generous and completely unselfish lover).

He was the first one she came across on the site and almost drooled down herself when she saw his picture. Silver hair, pine-green eyes, a beautiful tattoo down the length of his left arm and tanned skin, he was stupidly attractive and only ten years old than her.

Aelin messaged him first only after being on the site for ten minutes, deciding that surely he was the best one and that she needn't bother to look at any other candidates.

They hit it off straight away, and after deciding on a restaurant to meet at, Aelin had informed Nehemia of the matter, which she was promptly met with question after question: why can't a thirty-four year old man find someone his own age? Is he one of those men that can't date a woman five minutes older than him because of some stupid made up reason? How do you know for certain that it's him in the picture? What if he's cat-fishing you? What if he's a freak, or a killer? What if he's just pretending to be rich to kidnap you? What if, what if, what if?

And so after a heated discussion, Nehemia had come along on her date-that-wasn't-really-a-date and sat a few tables away from her and Rowan, watching them—especially him—the entire time like a hawk.

Aelin had completely forgotten that her friend was there, so enraptured by Rowan and what he did and how he saw life.

It had been fourteen months of seeing Rowan and genuinely enjoying spending time with him and weeks ago, she realised that she wanted it to be something more. That she had come to care for him, not because of the money, but purely because it was Rowan and he made her feel seen and he wasn't afraid of her, because she had once been told by an ex that she could be too much and that he couldn't handle all her baggage.

Aelin wanted a life with him.

So Aelin told Rowan she loved him when he dropped her off tonight after their dinner and a movie date, telling him how she felt, and he had said thank you. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and went home, leaving behind the pine-and-snow scent of him.

Aelin really wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die.

She was scarfing down her third brownie when Nehemia's bedroom door opened, her friend clad in an old matching pj set, her slippers shuffling across the tile.

“What happened? Are you okay?” her friend asked upon seeing Aelin's guttered look. Her dark brows furrowed. “Did that bastard hurt you? If he did, I'll—”

“He didn't do anything,” Aelin interrupted her friend. Taking the food, Aelin planted herself on the teal blue velvet sofa Rowan gave her for Yulemas last year, ignoring the scent of not just him, but of them both from when he came over after work just the other day with pizza and a DVD that she insisted that she watched because it was too good not to, when they forgot all about the movie as Rowan buried himself inside her, leaving hickeys all over her neck that she had to cover up with thick concealer.

Nehemia joined her on the couch, her friend momentarily forgetting for now that she had walked in on her and Rowan just moments after they finished, muttering under her breath in Eyllwe as she glared at them defiling the couch, and gave her a look that Aelin knew that Nehemia would listen to every word that came out from her.

And when Aelin was done recounting the story, all Nehemia could come up with was, “Oh.”

“Yes, 'oh,'. I've probably fucked up the whole thing. So don't be surprised if I call you on your lunch break tomorrow telling you he's broken things off.”

“Aelin, I don't think he will. I know that I'm not the biggest fan of your...situation—”

“I'm aware,” Aelin said, cutting her friend off. “You still won't let me buy you a new mattress, even though yours is hard as a brick and lumpy as hell. I've told you that you can pay me—”

“Aelin,” Nehemia said, “we're not talking about mattresses right now. As I was saying, I doubt he'll break things off because I've seen the way he looks at you. I still think he's too old for you, but he cares for you. You probably just caught him by surprise.”

“How does he look at me?” Aelin was observant, but sometimes when she was with Rowan, all her observation skills went out the window.

“Like he loves you,” Nehemia said, no hint of doubt in her voice.

Aelin sighed, her feelings slowly starting to crush her. “I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.”

Sighing once more, Aelin put the food back in the fridge, showered and went to bed, forgoing her usual night texting ritual with Rowan.

She really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

X X X X X X

Rowan couldn't concentrate, which wasn't a good thing, since his job dealt with having to concentrate all the time. But no matter what mind-focusing techniques he did, he couldn't stop thinking about Aelin.

Couldn't stop thinking about how she said she was in love with him. How her beautiful eyes had been sparkling when she said those words to him. And how the light in them dimmed when he said thank you and kissed her on the cheek, telling her that he would talk to her later. But he hadn't texted her, nor did she.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you. He really couldn't believe that was what he said. Felt like an utter fool and a bastard as he realised he probably crushed her heart. Aelin didn't like being vulnerable, and she had been when she said those words and he had gone and fucked it all up.

Rowan loved Aelin, he did, but he truly wasn't prepared for those words. He loved how on the weekends they would be up at one am, baking chocolate goodies, dancing in the quiet kitchen, humming quietly to Aelin's classical music playlist, with her wearing not the nightgowns that he loved, but one of his old hoodies.

He didn't think that he would get along with her so well once they met, thinking that their online interactions were nothing but a fluke. He was moments away from deleting the profile because he didn't actually create it, but Fenrys had, his friend grumbling that he needed a girlfriend, with Rowan arguing that creating a profile on a sugar daddy site was not dating but probably the opposite, when Aelin messaged him.

His life-long friend didn't listen, much to Rowan's annoyance—but he didn't grab his phone out of his friends hand; Rowan blamed it on the several whiskys he had downed by that point.

Aelin bewitched him on that first meet up. She was intelligent as hell and funny, and creative and beautiful. He was aware of why she was on the date with him, but he didn't care, just as long as he got to see her again.

Fourteen months later and Rowan was still bewitched. He wanted to be with her on a permanent basis, but wasn't completely sure how to take that step.

Clearly, Aelin had taken that step for them, and Rowan was the worlds biggest moron.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you.

Groaning, Rowan turned away from his computer and looked at the skyline, ignoring the buildings to instead watch the puffy clouds drift by.

Aelin loved watching the clouds, loved stargazing, loved questioning about the universe and what the skies held.

He never really paid any of that stuff attention, not until he met her.

Rowan didn't want to lose her, didn't want her to think that he was about to break up with her over this. He had to see her, so he grabbed his keys and wallet, told his secretary to hold his calls for the rest of the day, and went to visit Aelin.

X X X X X X

It had been an usually busy day for a Wednesday and Aelin was glad for her lunch break as she trudged up to the roof of the shopping centre. She wasn't really allowed up here, but she wanted some fresh air and to feel the sun against her skin as she sat down and dug into her lunch—fast food, unfortunately for her, because she was so frazzled from last night that she completely forgot about making a pack lunch.

Rowan hadn't called her, or texted her. Not even an email had been sent her way.

Aelin hated that she felt so damned mopey. She was an independent woman, but gods, even a good morning text would have been fine.

She finished her lunch, popping several mints into her mouth to get rid of the onion taste, when the roof door crashed open and a familiar hulking figure came into view.

He must have spoken to Elide to find her here.

Aelin's brow furrowed. “Rowan, what are you doing here?” Oh gods, surely he wasn't going to break up with her, she still had hours to go; there'd be no way she could work if she had tears in her eyes.

Taking her hands in his, Aelin stood up. She steeled herself against whatever he was going to say.

“I love you, Aelin. I'm in love with you, too,” Rowan said, his eyes soft and full of genuine love. Aelin's heart shot up into her throat. “I want a life with you. I want us to buy a home, one that has warmth and character, and a big garden. I want a dog. And kids too, if you want, I know that you've never mentioned it, but if you don't want any then that is completely fine. I want to support you in whatever endeavors you want to take, and if you ever want to go back to university, then I'll support you, or if you want to find a way to use your business degree, I'll help you with that, too. Whatever you want Aelin, I'll give it to you, as long as you're by my side, I'll be happy.”

Aelin was silent for so long that Rowan thought that maybe he shocked her into silence. But eventually, she smiled, one that was dazzling in its beauty that it took his breath away.

“You love me?”

“I do, Aelin, I love you.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Rowan groaned at the amusement in her tone, in her eyes. “You're never going to let me live that down, are you?”

She smirked. “Definitely not. It'll be a nice story to tell our children...one day. For now, I think we should contend with being proper significant others.”

Rowan nodded, smiling. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because I need to get back to work, since I'm no longer accepting your allowances. I won't deny the use of your credit card, but other than that, you are no longer my sugar daddy.”

It was Rowan's turned to smirk, and it was the one that made her core clench. “How about I be 'daddy' instead?”

Aelin snorted, even as she clenched around nothing again. Smacking his arm lightly, Aelin kissed him. “Only if you behave,” she said against his lips, “and now I really need to go back to work.”

Rowan walked her back, their fingers laced together, and as she turned to say goodbye, Aelin said, “I'll see you later, daddy.”

Rowan groaned, and it took everything in him not to take her hand and into his car to have his wicked way with her.

By the time he thought of a response, Aelin was already back to work, helping a customer with an impressive stack of books in her arms.

But she knew he was still there, because the way she swayed her hips to the counter was all for him, and when she saw him watching her, Aelin winked, making Rowan's heart flutter in his chest.

He really did love her. And he would live with her teasing him for the rest of his life, just as long as she was with him.

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Safe

Author's note: This is was the first headcanon I had while playing TWC book two (I was so not pleased with the whole spending three months without talking to the LI. I mean wtf Mishka? lol), so consider this a missing scene fic between chapters 2 and 3. I think... [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Mishka Jenkins] Book: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Book two) Characters: F!Detective (Stella), Nate Sewell, Rebecca Pairing: Nate Sewell x F!Detective (Stella) Rating: T Word count: 1528 Reading time: ~6min Summary: Painful memories haunt Stella in her sleep, but fortunately Nate never ceases to look out for her.

"I've been waiting too long for you, Detective…"

Pearls of sweat form on Stella's forehead, damping the pillow cases as she shifts to the side. Grunts and incoherent words escape her lips as she tosses and turns as if trying to escape invisible cuffs.

"Get away from me," she grumbles.

"Don't try to fight it, Detective. It wouldn't be wise of you to hurt yourself right now, wouldn't it, my vessel?"

His unmistakable menacing voice makes her heart beat faster.

"No!"

Her legs spasm as she tries to fight the invisible binds to no avail, face contorted as if she's in pain. With a gasp, Stella's brown eyes snap open and quickly studies her surroundings. She sits up, glances at the window of her bedroom and takes deep breaths to calm herself.

Ever since her last encounter with Murphy, she has had a hard time trying to sleep. Knowing supernatural creatures exist isn't as terrifying as it seemed when Rebecca told her about them. Yet, she never truly gave herself time to absorb everything she went through in the past three months.

A crescent moon embellishes the dark sky. Nights in Wayhaven are as quiet as it's expected from any small town. Stella gets up, puts on a rob and ambles over to gaze out the window, taking a seat on the windowsill.

A couple of minutes of blissful silence pass by before her eyes land on a figure that stands out in the middle of the street. In all fairness, she's certain he stands out anywhere he goes. How could anyone not notice him?

Her features soften when Nate strides on the sidewalk across her building. Unit Bravo isn't always on patrol so late at night, which is why she's surprised to see him still on the streets at this hour. The moment he glances at her window and their eyes meet, her stomach flutters. It astounds her how the warmth in his gaze has such powerful effect over her body no matter how far they are. Romantic relationships were at the last thing on her mind when she accepted the promotion to become detective. Yet, even the remote idea of being closer to Nate elicits emotions she hasn't felt in a long time.

Nate points to the entrance of Stella's building as if asking for permission to pay her a visit. His smile grows wider when she nods and makes her way to the front door. By the time she stands up to leave her bedroom when she hears a door knock.

Her eyebrows rise in surprise. For a moment, she forgot he's a vampire and she briefly wonders if he's always this fast. Shaking her head, she walks up to the entrance and opens the door.

"Hi," she greets with a weak smile.

"Hi," he answers as he studies her features. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." She gestures for him to walk in and shuts the door. "I didn't know you're patrolling the streets until this late."

"It ended a while ago. But I decided to take a walk by myself."

"Can't sleep?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

The two of them share a smile.

"I was worried about you."

"You were?"

Nate's cheeks darken and avert his gaze for a brief moment, then he looks back at her. "You seemed uneasy earlier today."

Stella nods, avoiding eye contact. She didn't expect anyone to notice her shaky hands when Rebecca mentioned Murphy. It probably wouldn't look good if the town's detective gave away the impression she's weak. But when Nate held her hand during the meeting with Unit Bravo, instead of shame, she felt safe. Unsurprisingly, a feeling quite common whenever he's around.

"I've been struggling a little with this," she answers.

Nate takes a step closer to her, worry visible in his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She nods in agreement. "Let's sit."

They sit on opposite sides of the couch, keeping a respectful distance from each other, but with their bodies directed towards one another.

"I keep coming back to that warehouse in my dreams, trapped on that gurney. And when the transfusion is about to start, I wake up. For a few seconds, I even thought it wasn't real. I'm fine. Nothing happened..." She frowns as she thinks about it. "But it did."

Nate doesn't say anything. With his shoulders slumped, he looks down at his hands before he lets a sorrowful sigh. "I'm so sorry..."

Stella snaps her head to the side and frowns. Instead of a warm and inviting gaze, guilt is all she can see as she looks into his eyes.

"I wish I could have protected you from this. I should've found a place to keep you safe."

She moves closer to him and takes her hand in his. "Nate, we were outnumbered and you did what you could."

"I should've tried harder..." He shakes his head. "If I could erase this from your memory, Stella..."

"I know you would, Nate." She squeezes his hand gently. "But we can't change the past."

Staring at her hand holding his, he simply nods.

"There's something you can do for me, though."

His head snaps to the side to look at her. "What is it?"

"Stay close to me," she says with a soft smile.

As he relaxes and smiles back, Stella moves closer to him, lifting his arm to let it drape over her shoulders. Then she rests her head on his chest and heaves a sigh as his hand caresses her arm.

It's past two in the morning when Nate's phone vibrates in his pocket, waking him up. His eyes flutter open and brows furrow in confusion as he finally remembers where he is. He wanted to stay with Stella until she fell asleep and ended up falling asleep as well. Though sleeping sitting down isn't exactly comfortable, it's hard for him to complain if it means having Stella fast asleep in his arms.

The phone vibrates again, pulling him back to reality. The Agency must be looking for him, of course. He then fishes the mobile out of his pocket and grimaces at the missing call from Adam and texts. He certainly isn't looking forward to being lectured about disappearing for two hours. He makes a face at the name in the ID caller and answers the call. "Agent Sewell speaking."

"Nate, where the hell are you?! You were supposed to be back after the patrol ended!" Agent Lovejoy growls.

"Sorry, I..." He tries to stand up only to feel a small hand grip his shirt. He glances at Stella still sleeping and shifting to make herself more comfortable whilst still snuggling up with him. "Got tied up."

"Explain," Agent Lovejoy orders.

He gulps. Is there any other way to explain the situation without making this awkward? After all, Rebecca isn't just his superior and Stella isn't a regular human liaison the Agency is watching over.

"I decided to pass by Stella's neighborhood to see if everything was all right and she was still awake. We talked for a while. She's having trouble to sleep lately and asked me stay for a while."

"I see."

He can almost see Rebecca's narrowed eyes and the wheels in her mind turning as she struggles to figure out how to react.

"She must be still trying to process what happened."

"Yes."

"Is she still awake?"

"No."

"Then come back to the Agency."

"I..." He looks down at Stella's hand tugging the fabric of his shirt. "Can't."

"You can't?!"

"Stella is holding on to me. I don't know if I can leave without waking her up."

"Oh..."

An uncomfortable silence settles between them. He has no idea of how she feels about it. Rebecca can be overprotective with Stella at times. Does she disapprove of the idea of her daughter becoming this close to a vampire?

"She has her hand tugged at your garments, doesn't she?"

"Uh..." His cheeks heat up. "Yes."

"She used to do that to me when she was younger. I'd try to leave when she fell asleep, but I never had the heart to wake her up."

Nate glances at Stella again. She may be confident, independent and strong, but it's undeniable Rebecca's absence in her life left a mark.

"Stay with her. Come back after you make sure she arrives at the police station safely."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you then."

Once Rebecca hangs up, he reaches for the blanket in the backrest of the sofa. Stella shifts again as he covers her body with the blanket, but doesn't wake up. He takes the opportunity to make himself more comfortable, resting his legs on the coffee table.

He looks down at her one more time. Her breathing and heartbeat are steady, calm, her delicate face still pressed against his chest is fully relaxed. Her grip on his shirt loosens up a little. He could manage to put her to bed and leave if he had to. But it's not what he wants. How many times would he have the chance to be with her like this? He doesn't know. He might as well just stay and savor the moment.

[babytsum]

wanna be - m. atsumu

friends to lovers atsumu fluff because i said so.

warnings: none, just unedited so might be a lil sloppy lol, mention of konoha x reader (they go on like one date)

word count: 3.5k

wanna be by the internet (2018)

he remembers you from onigiri miya.

your baggy jeans, loose t shirt, eyebags. he remembers it all down to the way you stuffed your face with onigiris to the neon lights the shined outside. you were pretty, but he was indifferent. after all, he was miya atsumu, a player both on and off the court.

to you, he was miya atsumu, osamu's brother. and miya osamu was simply a friend who owned a restaurant and understood the crushing pressure of being a student with a part time job that struggled to pay rent. besides, one day you'd pay him back because you were one smart cookie, though he didn't know in what way. however, he did notice how atsumu made an effort to avoid eye contact while you introduced yourself. he didn't miss the color that made its way to his cheeks when you held your hand out for him to shake.

and he sees you again waiting outside his team's gym after practice.

that day, your hair was tied back. you wore a long coat that went down to your calves and loose black clothing under it. did you always wear loose clothes? you smiled and waved in his direction and his heart skipped a beat. he waved back excitedly until he turned around and saw hinata jumping up and down at the sight of your happy self. turns out, you were karasuno's manager in high school. atsumu, usually confident and cheerful, now sunk into his sweater while his teammate introduced you to the rest of the group.

"i know atsumu. i met him at onigiri miya a few weeks ago."

he nodded as you spoke. he barely knew you, but your presence had a significant effect on him, one that was beyond what he can describe.

so maybe he goes over to his brother's restaurant more, once or twice a week.

"so, how do you know hinata?" stupid question. hinata literally told everyone like a week ago.

"i went to karasuno and became the team manager for their volleyball team," you answered anyways, how sweet of you, "i actually got to see you and osamu play at nationals. that's where i first met him."

all of the sudden, atsumu wishes that he paid more attention to the pretty managers of the opposing teams. although, he does thank whatever higher power is out there that he got to meet you at some point and curses osamu for not telling him about you at all.

"i didn't know you knew (y/n) in high school."

"what do you mean?"

"i just didn't know that she was a team manager and all that, you know? i feel kind of bad for not knowing she existed."

"oh she definitely existed. who do you think i made extra bento boxes for when we went to tokyo?"

"those weren't mine?"

hinata invites you to watch him practice and he doesn't know if its a curse or a blessing.

on the one hand, you can see all of his talented sets and gameplay. on the other, he usually reached peak idiot during practices, at least that's what sakusa would tell him.

that's not going to stop you from sitting down and letting out a cheer for hinata's, and even bokuto's, spikes. you knew that shoyo and kotaro loved the support they got. it gave them motivation, made them perform better. of course, the team wouldn't mind that.

atsumu just wishes he got a few cheers or smiles from you.

the next time you see him, he's sucking face with some hot model with a drink in hand at a party that shoyo brought you to. you weren't surprised. you were close enough to osamu to hear him rant about his brothers antics, so you brush it off like usual when seeing two people getting a little busy. after all, you were here to take a break from studying

by the middle of the party, you're tipsy and cheering on bokuto who was shaking ass to hot girl summer. hinata is passed out on the couch in a fetal position while kageyama sits down and stuffs his face with rice. osamu joins him and witnesses the mess that is you and bokuto. atsumu looks disheveled and everyone already knows why, all of you just hope that the room he went to earlier was not the master bedroom.

"tsumuuuuu," you slurred as you spoke, a happy smile plastered on your face, "you're a manwhoreeeeee."

"what?"

"i'm joking, but also not," you kissed the tip of his nose, "you're a very nice boy."

he didn't know whether to be offended or flustered, especially with the combination of your little antics and the alcohol in his system, which only resulted in a strong of incoherent words that entertained osamu.

"man, i really wish you met her in high school. she was way worse." kageyama added, memories of you blatantly flirting with your close friends for fun.

"she really was. i believe the first thing she ever said to suna was 'holy fuck, how do you look so fucking hot while shoving those jelly sticks in your mouth?'" osamu laughed, the image of his teammate's red face playing in his mind, "the (y/n) you know is more tame, a stressed college student with a low alcohol tolerance."

you gave bokuto's ass another smack as you giggled at the way his ass jiggled. having athletic friends is fun, especially when the stress from your graduate studies needs to be relieved and their pro player money literally prevents you from paying for your own food. you were lucky.

the day after, you drive to the gym you knew they would be practicing at. of course, sakusa had the common sense to not drink the night before practice. his other three teammates did not.

atsumu is the first one to spot you, a big bag in hand, your hair tied back, another pair of loose jeans and a plain t shirt. it's more different from the flattering plants and small top you wore last night, but he wonders how you can look like this after a night of drunken fun. it was almost like you were glowing.

hinata greeted you first, taking your bag and thanking you for the food.

"are your heads okay?"

"i think i died last night."

"you die every time there's alcohol at a party, shoyo."

"hey!"

sakusa snickered while the rest tried their best to hide their laughs. you weren't wrong, though. shoyo does end up passing out on someone's couch after some energetic dancing.

"what about you, tsumu?"

"i don't remember anything that happened except for bo's ass."

"not even the hot blonde girl?"

"the what?" again, everyone failed to contain their laughs.

"you manwhore!" you chuckled, handing him his bento box.

"you should have seen how red he got when you kissed his nose!" bokuto chimed in.

"i did that?" your smile faded, "sorry, if i made you uncomfortable, tsumu."

"it's okay, i don't remember it." he lied.

the memory replayed in his mind again and a foreign feeling came over him. it was warm.

the next time he sees you, you're at osamu's house to taste test his new food. it's osamu's classic duo, his dear brother that loves to freeload off of him and his stressed grad student friend who also likes free food.

when atsumu walks in, you motion for him to sit next to you while stuffing your face. you're wearing baggy clothes again and he's pretty sure that you slept with your makeup still on from the night before.

"osamu, if you keep cooking like this, i think i might marry you."

"gross."

"what's gross about marrying the hotter twin?" you turned to atsumu, a smirk on your face.

"we look exactly alike."

"yeah, but he cooks."

atsumu couldn't argue with that. you were funny. you were always funny and warm even when talking down to him like this. and it made his heart beat faster, his face a little redder, his smile a little brighter.

fuck.

"i can cook."

"yeah, a pack of cup noodles." osamu responded while you chuckled in agreement.

"they're some fire ass cup noodles."

"yeah okay, playboy."

"playboy?"

"do you prefer manwhore?"

"no."

you throw your head back, laughing again at atsumu's expression. for someone who fucks around, he was easy to fluster. and you enjoyed it every time. the way he would look down in an attempt to hide his crimson cheeks, the slight smile that would rest in his face. he was pretty.

it all confirmed osamu's suspicions.

"you guys want to make every sunday a taste test day?"

"yes!" you responded excitedly. more free food? you're there.

"sure."

after osamu packed up some food for the two of you, both of you walked out. the early afternoon sun was scorching and your baggy jeans and oversized hoodie were not helping.

"you wanna get some coffee? i'll pay."

"what are you doing? trying to woo me or something, manwhore?"

"you look like shit and i think it's because you're tired."

"fair. but you have to drive me home first. i need to change and i do not want to walk to the bus stop."

"you didn't drive here?"

"i wanted to take a nap on public transport, sue me."

after a ten minute drive filled with food critiques, you finally made it to your house, quickly changing into some shorts and a t shirt that was actually your size. your raccoon eyes were fixed and you were back in atsumu's car in no time.

"i had no idea you existed up until a few weeks ago."

"nice way to start a conversation, tsumu."

"sorry-"

"you know, when i was karasuno's manager, i thought you were terrifying."

"how?"

"it was after one of your serves, you had this scary look on your face, but i forgot what you were looking at. you scored an ace, though."

"the fangirls."

"huh?"

"it was those squealin pigs that almost messed it up. i remember."

"you call your fangirls pigs?" you scoffed, "you're a whole manwhore." "yeah whatever, (y/n)."

you both went on to reminisce about high school memories, him mostly talking volleyball while you talked about shoyo and tobio being absolute dumbasses. he was interesting, really. his voice was smooth and his tone was always lively, always showing some emotion.

the cafe was mostly empty, a few people scattered around. the bitter taste of coffee met your lips as you hummed with delight.

"what are you looking at?"

"how are you drinking that shit? didn't you order extra espresso shots?"

"yeah, and? i see a ridiculous amount of condensed milk in yours, but i'm not saying anything."

"whatever." he chuckled.

everything was natural, both easing into friendly teasing comfortably. there was always some sort of glint in his eyes, a sly smile whenever he wasn't talking, reddened cheeks whenever you caught him staring.

being friends with miya atsumu was easy.

every sunday was easy. talking to him was easy. thinking about him was easy. a little too easy. and summer becomes fall. and fall becomes winter. and every sunday, there's a new source of energy you find despite your sleep deprived state.

"bo's sending me on a blind date." you tell the twins excitedly.

it's been awhile since you've gone on a proper date. you really haven't had the time for anything except for fooling around at a party once in a while. even if it went nowhere, at least you had something to distract you from the blonde manwhore who's constantly on your mind.

"oh, really?" osamu grinned, "i would have gone a date with you."

"liar. we both remember what happened while you were in school."

"yuck."

atsumu looked between the two of you, the gears turning in his head until it finally clicked.

"you guys went on a date?"

"sadly, yes," you chuckled, "we became closer friends, but that was not the move."

"agreed."

atsumu had already accepted that he had feelings for you. which he suppressed out of embarrassment. he had already accepted that you would have rejected him anyways. you called him a manwhore after all.

"when is it?" he finally asked, jaw clenching. his harsh tone wasn't intentional, but it was there nonetheless.

"next saturday. i'll tell you two about it when we taste test, again."

"you wanna get some milk tea after?"

"no. i have to buy a dress."

"oh."

atsumu watched you walk out the door, a cheerful smile on your face. he felt sick.

and when next sunday comes, you're an hour late.

you looked like you were up all night studying for exams. he recognizes the smudged mascara, the eyebags, the messy hair. except instead of your usual baggy clothes, it's a dress that loosely hugs your figure. he doesn't miss the way your nipples peaked through or the marks on your neck. nasty.

"samu, i'm gonna need more food than usual."

"you got it boss."

the sounds of the kitchen fill the room as you lay your head down. you turn to atsumu, eyes droopy and exhausted.

"you look like you had fun. who did bo hook you up with?"

"his name's konoha. he played for fukurodani back in high school. bo's such a sneaky lil shit."

"how?"

"i may have had a small crush on him in high school when i saw him at a training camp. i told bo and he probably remembered it and thought it was funny."

"nice," he replied, running his fingers through your hair, "are you guys going on another date?"

you closed your eyes, relishing in the feeling of his touch, "i don't think so. it was fun, but i don't think i like him that much anymore."

"ah."

he internally celebrated while osamu rolled his eyes.

and winter turns to spring in atsumu's apartment.

soft white walls, light brown cabinets, a fridge filled with his brother's food. a few photo frames hung around, the most notable once being a photo of osamu stuffing his face when they were kids. the best part was that osamu hated that photo, yet it was also the centerpiece of his table.

you set down the vase of flowers that you were asked to bring. something about making the party feel more "springy" or whatever atsumu said. you were expecting a nice apartment, atsumu was a pro volleyball player of course. but you weren't expecting it to be this nice.

it almost makes you sad. the fact you were constantly exhausted, studying, and stressed while atsumu was the same age having fun and being a playboy. god, this kind of sucks. why the hell was this man friends with you anyways?

"your dress looks so cute!" always count on shoyo to immediately make you feel better.

"you look good even in your big jeans, but you look even cooler?" bo added on, making your cheeks heat up.

while you and sakusa exchanged a small wave, atsumu came out of his room. an unbuttoned short sleeve, white shirt underneath, jeans. wow. god. fuck. and seeing you in the pink dress that flowed around your body, the sleeves being a little puffed, the same train of thoughts ran through his head.

"you needed help setting up?"

"uhm, yeah. can you guys get the plates out and shit?"

"you want us to shit on the plates?"

"shoyo-" you cackled at the confused tangerine headed boy.

it's a good thing you figured it all out before the guests arrived.

seeing kuroo and kenma after so long was refreshing. and the fact akaashi also had a caffeine addiction was comforting. and yachi? she was so grown now. your conversation with the two was interrupted by a tap on your shoulder.

"hey, stranger."

"konoha?"

you gave him a short hug. both of you caught up on the last few months, the situation being less awkward than you expected. it's not like he was trying to get in your pants again, what was the harm in talking? there's nothing wrong with two tired college students having a conversation, right?

suna's voice became distant to atsumu as he observed the blonde across the room. should he go there and save you? his question was quickly answered when you greeted the man with a hug.

"dude? can you hear me?" suna waved his hand in front of his face.

"don't mind he's just being a simp." osamu responded, a smirk on his face.

"am not!"

"for who?"

"(y/n) (y/l/n)."

"that cute manager from karasuno?"

"yep."

"you go, dude!" suna patted him on the back.

"i don't like her like that, we're just friends."

"why is your face red?"

"it's not red!"

"ooo! is atsumu afraid of (y/n)'s cooties?"

"suna, we're twenty three."

"and you act like you're sixteen with this lil crush, atsumu."

atsumu sighed in response. it was too late. you were going to go home with konoha, or maybe you two would go to his many spare rooms. and you would go on another date. fall in love with him. marry him. have his kids.

"she calls me a manwhore a lot."

"she's not wrong."

"aren't you two supposed to be supportive?"

"no." they both said in unison.

"look just offer to give her a house tour or something," suna advised nonchalantly, "works every time."

"good idea."

feeling a presence behind you, you turned around only to be met with a scary looking blonde towering over you. konoha kissed your cheek and bid you a farewell once he realized another figure grabbing your attention.

"house tour?"

"thought you'd never ask, manwhore."

after a tour of a guest room, a bathroom, and a washing machine, the two of you finally made it to his master bedroom. of course, the pillows on his bed were thrown around and there were a few shirts thrown on the floor.

"i may have forgotten to, uh, put those away."

"how are you gonna give me a house tour and forget to clean your house."

"i remembered to fold my blanket!"

"you don't fold your blanket when you wake up? do you even make your bed in the morning?"

"shut up."

you chuckled as he looked away, a poor attempt to hide his face. judging by the mess of clothing, the setter probably had no idea what to wear for his party. the one that was being hosted by him, in his own apartment, right now.

"i see you had a little fashion show this morning."

"i didn't know what to wear!"

"you're the host!"

"what if i looked bad?"

"who cares?"

he looked at you, a confused expression on his face. his eyebrows were furrowed, mouth slightly parted open. your eyes landed on his lips before you immediately turned away. you couldn't get distracted, but he looked so pretty. instead, you sat down on the bed, finding a pillow to rest your head against.

"if it makes you feel better, you look really nice today, tsumu."

"i did it! you finally didn't call me a manwhore!"

"you're still a manwhore."

he pouted while you threw your head back in laughter once again. atsumu took this as an opportunity to sit next to you on his bed, readjusting your head onto his lap. you looked up at his face, eyes boring deep into yours.

"what are you thinking about?"

"you."

"do i have something on my face?"

"no."

his fingers made its way onto your scalp, slowly massaging your head. a moan left your lips at the satisfying feeling. the past few weeks have only stressed you out, but atsumu's presence cushioned you when necessary.

"how's konoha?"

"he's okay, i'd honestly become friends with him if he wanted to."

"didn't he give you a kiss?"

"it was just a cheek kiss."

"you wouldn't mind if i gave you one, right?"

"who cares? i think everyone should give their homies a kiss."

and with that, his lips met yours. his were soft and warm, and though you were caught by surprised, you kissed back. you two melded together until you sat back up.

"i meant a cheek kiss, but whatever."

"you kissed back!"

"no, i didn't."

"did to."

"i don't want your cooties."

"are you five?"

you rolled your eyes, laying back down on the bed. he ended up giving you a kiss on the cheek, then slowly traveled to your ear, then your neck, then dangerously close to your chest. he laid down next to you, arms around your waist, head resting on the crook of your neck. you acted as if you were indifferent, but of course your cheeks still heated up and your heart was beating faster than usual.

"do you wanna be my girl?"

"no."

"rude."

he chuckled into your neck while you grinned, turning your head to look at the pretty setter. it only resulted in more kisses on your face which you happily received.

"is osamu still single?"

"don't even joke about that."

[drethanramslay]

A funny thing called Fate: Chapter 2

Pairing: Bryce X MC (Aisha Khurrana)

Word Count: 4.6 K words (yeah yeah its more than usual)

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Warning: None, just some cursing

Author’s note: The next chapter is here and it is in Aisha’s POV!!

I decided to take part in @choicesseptemberchallenge20​ and the prompt is heaven which you will find in bold. 

TERMS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

- IIT, Delhi: It’s one of the most premier institute for engineering in India. Delhi campus is said to be the best one in the country. The majority of the Indian CEO’s like Google, at least have a degree of IIT under their belt. 

-ku'uipo: Sweetheart

-'Ae: Yes

- Beta padhai par dhyaan do, dost aate jaate hai: Child, focus on your studies, friends come and go (TBH this is the one line which maximum desi kids have heard while growing up. That's why we can be uh.. awkward in making new friends lol)

-Main kya gadhi hoon: I'm such a dumbass (side note: gadhi (female) actually means donkey in hindi)

-Duniya main maine itna bada gaandu kabhi dekha nahi hai maine: I have not seen a bigger asshole than this guy. (yes I love swearing in hindi and what about it)

Forgive me if i made any errors

10 YEARS AGO- AISHA'S POV

My fingers ran against the spines of the book, my head tilted as I searched for a new book to dive into.

"Found anything of your liking, Aisha?" Tina, the librarian asked, her kind eyes twinkling. The old librarian loved me because I always helped around in sorting the books or with checkout. She suggested that if I were to help her, she would pay me so I decided why not?

But the lack of people coming to the library and their constant need to be fake on social media, flexing about their looks instead of textbooks often left the library empty which consequently resulted in free time.

Not that I minded.

In that free time I would either catch up on my study assignments or I would read the books recently added to the collection be it fiction, politics, history, astronomy... I wasn't picky about the genres.

But lately, my attention is being drawn to medical journals and textbooks. Yes, I'm 16 and that its definitely not people my age do but, to be the person balancing on the tightrope between life and death, the person who stands between existence and heaven... it's just a beautiful paradox that I can't help be captivated by the concept.

That and my strengths are biology and chemistry so its just an added plus. So, I definitely dream of being a world class doctor. 

Not to brag, but I know all the pulse points in the body and can name the bones of the skull in my sleep. My parents don't know that because... let's say there is a reason why I stay out of home for the majority of the day.

Are we again going to go over this? I am sick and tired of your fucking indiscipline. How I wish you could be more like Aditya... Mama's voice rung in my ears which made me close my eyes and take a shuddering breath.

Now is not the time to think about how awful you are. I repeated it in my head like a mantra, making it a point to message my brother and rant about the newest development.

Despite our parents trying to pit me against bhaiya, we were thick as thieves. We always had each other's backs and we're there to cheer each other up. Whenever our parents would scream at any of us, we would wait until they fell asleep to do something to lift the other person up. Midnight feasts, movie binge or just cuddling and imagining a future where we were away from them... That always managed to cheer me up and I knew bhaiya enjoyed it too.

I don't think we fought that much either because we were pretty close in age, with only three and a half years difference. We are pretty like-minded and scientifically inclined only he was interested in computer engineering while I was fascinated by the engineering of the human body.

It sucked that he is in IIT, Delhi while I'm so far away. We still manage to video call irrespective of the time zones but it is not the same as having the comfort of your older brother.

"I think I will take this." I handed her a battered copy of Gray's anatomy.

Tina just gave a knowing smile and I checked out. I headed to the nearby Fleming Beach Park, which is one of the most popular beaches in Maui. It was a five-minute walk from the library and the majority of the school population used to come here to hang out in the evenings.

Not that I was paying any attention to my oblivious classmates.

I headed to Kimo's Beach Shack and the owner gave me a gentle smile.

"What will it be, ku'uipo? The usual?" They asked as they wiped their hand on the dishtowel.

"'Ae." I smiled at them and they started making my favourite drink- Strawberry milkshake.

Precariously balancing my bag, the drink in one hand and my wrist-thick library book under the armpit of my other hand, I headed to the quieter side of the beach, away from the raucous.

I settle down under the shade of the palm trees and lean back against the rocks, taking in the view around me. I could see people from my school roaming around in their swimming suits either playing volleyball or surfing. As I sipped my milkshake (looking like an absolute loner, must I add) my eyes drifted to their happy faces as the joked around, laughing and having fun with their friends.

The two concepts that are so unfamiliar to me.

When I was back in India, I had a good group of friends who I would hang out with and play basketball with. It was good but shifting to a new place can strain those relationships. I do follow them on social media but seeing them enjoying and doing the things which we used to do together, it causes my heart to ache.

And I never really tried making friends here in Maui because a) The people here didn't consider me as one of them and b) My parents kept on saying it is temporary so there was no point focusing on that. Beta padhai par dhyaan do, dost aate jaate hai. My dad told me the one night I decided to express my excessive loneliness.

Thanks papa, real helpful. I shook my head, sipping my drink as I carefully opened my library book.

"You look sad." A childish voice spoke up breaking me out from my melancholy. I looked up and saw a four-year-old girl, her doe-like eyes staring down at me. She was wearing a pink summer dress and a cute bow hairband, taming her light brown hair.

"Huh?"

"You look sad... and lonely."

"I am okay, keiki... Don't worry."

The kid's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "How did you know my name?"

My eyes widened. In the two years in Hawaii, I had learnt a little bit of Hawaiian and spoke in bits and pieces. And I'm pretty sure keiki meant 'child' in Hawaiian so you could imagine the shock I felt when her name was the literal translation of child.

Who the fuck names their child... child?

"A lucky guess. It is nice to meet you Keiki." She moved her hand forward and Keiki's hand clutched my big hand with her small ones shaking it. Her hand was as big as my palm.

"What's your name?" Keikie asked as she sat down next to me.

"I'm Aisha. And, what are you doing here all alone?"

"I came with my elder brother but he and his friends were playing and he forgot his promise to build a sandcastle with me. So I just went walking." She huffed and crossed her short arms across her chest.

"Well, your brother would be worried about you, won't he?" I asked as her eyes scan the crowd, looking for a guy who remotely looks like my little companion.

"Well, I think that's a go-good puni-shi-ment for him." She struggled with the big word.

Aisha chuckled and soon Keiki's giggles joined hers.

"You remind me of the times when I used to bother my elder brother like that. He would get so mad."

"Where is he now?" She asked as her hands fisted the sand, her eyes moving to look at the brunette.

"Well, he is in university, in a completely different country."

"Do you miss him?"

"A lot." I sighed. Her puppy eyes met mine and she reached to hold my elbow. I smiled down at her, appreciating the gesture. She opened her mouth to ask me more questions when we heard a commotion.

"KEIKI!! There you are!" A shout wafted towards us, interrupting Keiki. I saw a tall guy jogging towards us and when my eyes landed on him, I immediately recognized him.

Bryce Lahela. The golden boy of my school, with girls and guys falling for him, left, right, centre. And right now, he was approaching me completely shirtless, his abs glistening in the evening sun. He had a Polynesian tattoo wrapping around his left bicep and ending a little below his collarbone which had me feeling... uh thirsty?

Cool, cool, cool, just act like yourself.

Yeah as if that's helped you deal with your awkwardness. Her conscience snarked at her.

“Shut up.” I muttered to myself. But, I wasn’t subtle enough and Bryce turned towards me, a weird look in his eyes.

Off to a great start, Aisha. Keep up the good work. I mentally groaned as I went back to reading my library book. 

"Thank god Keiki you are okay... I was so worried." He kneeled and hugged her, immediately forgetting my weird mumblings. I could feel the body heat emanating from him and suddenly, the anatomy of the kidney seemed more interesting than the hot guy beside me.

"Its okay Bryce. I was talking to my new friend." Keiki squeaked as she pulled away from the hug, two sets of hazel eyes staring at me now.

My eyes widened and I subconsciously reached to push my glasses up my nose, feeling the back of my neck heating up.

"Well, thank you so much." His voice reverberated and I swear I felt as if I would combust at the spot.

I looked up and shot a tiny smile. "No worries. Keiki here makes a nice study buddy."

I internally smacked my head. Study buddy? Really? Who uses that term now?

"Of course. Daddy says that I'm a beauty with brains." She said with a smug smile.

"Well, that's the one thing that I agree with dad," Bryce said as he settled down on her other side. The one feet distance enabled my mind to resume working.

I smiled down at Keiki and I found that Bryce was looking at me intently.

O... okay?

"Wait... You go to my school right? Lahainaluna High School?"

I nodded my head. I was about to introduce myself when his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

He was snapping his fingers when his face lightened up with recognition. "You are Aisha, right? The newbie who joined us last year I was in your chemistry class last year."

The drink almost fell from my hand and I had to clutch it tighter to prevent myself from making a bigger mess. Clearing my throat I smiled nervously. "Yeah, that's me. You are Bryce, right? You are on the basketball team, right?"

"You know me?" He asked, shocked and I could hardly stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Duh?! You are Mr. Popular with really good looks and either people love you or hate you." I rambled off.

A small smile played on his lips. "And which category would you belong too? The love or hate category?"

I gave a shy smile. "Let's just say I'm on neutral grounds. Give me a good reason why I should like you."

"Because of my dashing looks? My tattoo?" He stretched his hands wide, gesturing towards himself. His hair caught the evening light, making it look like a halo. His hazel eyes had flecks of gold which threatened to drown me but before I could get lost in his sheer beauty, I shook my head to snap out of the daze of his presence and gave a mocking sigh.

"Aaaannnndd, he is just like other dumb jocks who is overly obsessed with his looks. Why are they all the same?"

Keiki put her hand sympathetically on my lap. "Don't worry Ash. I don't like Bryce when he talks about his looks either."

Bryce gasped. "Keiki you are breaking my heart."

"Good."

He reached for her and started tickling her which made her squeal with laughter. I had to get up so that the sand doesn't get on me, laughing at the sight. "Brryyccee!! Stopp!!"

"Not until you tell me I'm the best brother in the world."

Gasping for breath with tears in her eyes, Keiki breathed out in defeat. "Okay, okay. You are the best... brother in... the world."

Bryce pulled back a grin playing on his lips.

"Good."

My phone rang and I saw Mama's name flash on the screen which made me sigh.

"Your mom?" Bryce asked.

"Yep. should reach home before she turns into momzilla." We chuckled as I put my book into my bag.

"Bye Keiki, it was nice talking to you."

"Bye Ash. I like you. Can we make sandcastles next time?" I laughed and nodded, "Sure sweetie."

"Where is my goodbye?" Bryce pouted.

I rolled her eyes. "Bye Bryce. See you around."

And with that, I turned on her heel, and walked home, feeling much better.

PRESENT

Aisha felt like banging her head against the wall of the hospital out of utter embarrassment. In the span of 7 hours, she had pissed off her superior, met her ex from ten years ago, got stuck with a partner who hardly did anything and now managed to embarrass herself yet again in front of her role model.

Rookie... Are you hiding from me? The way Dr. Ramsey had an eyebrow raised, as if to question why she was hiding behind another intern and the appalled expression as she stumbled over her words were forever imprinted in her mind.

Not my brightest moment. Aisha recollected as she sighed at the way she stuttered and finally came up with an excuse.

I'm doing charts. She mocked herself as she shook her head. There was a table right next to me!! I could have come up with anything but that weak ass excuse.

And she had always dreamed that if she were to meet Bryce in real life, she would definitely insult the fuck out of him and then for the finishing stroke, she would probably punch him in his handsome face or kick him in the crown jewels.

But sadly, you seldom get the things you wish for.

I don't have time for this - Main kya gadhi hoon. She mentally groaned as she tried to shut off the part of her brain which was so hell-bent on making her feel humiliated.

She entered Annie's room to find her curled up in her bed, playing idly with her phone. She perked up a little when she saw Aisha, forcing a smile on her face.

"Oh. Hi, Dr. Khurrana."

"I just came by to see how you're feeling Annie."

Annie shrugged. "The same. The nurse came by and gave me some medication a little while ago.."

Opening Annie's chart she checked. "Yeah, antibiotics. It's too soon to see any improvement yet, but hopefully, we'll see some results soon."

Aisha was about to turn on her heel and leave when she heard Annie's small voice. "hey, could you stay awhile? It's... kinda lonely, being here all on my own."

Aisha gave an empathetic smile and reached to sit down on the chair near her bed. "Of course I can."

"Thank you once again doc."

"No, thank you. I haven't been off my feet since I got out of bed this morning. So Annie," Aisha leaned forward, "what are you studying?"

Annie blinked as if she was confused by the question. She took a couple of heavy breaths before attempting to answer.

"My master's is in... English... but my... my..." She swayed, her voice woozy as she tried to finish her sentence.

Aisha was on alert. "Annie, are you feeling okay?" She asked as she felt her pulse which was dropping before Annie passed out.

The heart rate monitor sounded a long, flat tone as her heart stopped.

"OH MY GOD!! Code blue, I need some help here!!" Aisha shouted, pressing the button near her bed.

"C'mon Annie stay with me." As Aisha stood on the nearby stool, performing CPR as she waited for the code team to arrive.

"Aisha?!" Jackie's shocked voice made her lookup.

"Jackie, where is the code team?"

"Room 502 called a code blue just before you. Just keep up with CPR. They'll get to you when they can!"

Aisha's eyes flashed. "That could be too late!! Help me, Jackie we are losing her fast."

"What were her symptoms?" Jackie asked as she snapped on the latex gloves and moved towards the bed.

"Symptoms were headache and nausea. Started during her vacation to Indonesia. Aurora and I did a blood workup and gave her cefpodoxime." Aisha opened the gown and Jackie's eyes narrowed in on the rash rapidly spreading on the side of the body.

"She is breaking in hives. She is in anaphylactic shock!"

"Now that I think about it, it may be because of her allergy to the antibiotics I gave... I had fucking asked her, dammit." Guilt made her chest heavy.

Jackie's face turned into a scowl as she wheeled the defibrillator cart closer. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is. This girl needs you now! We have to get her heart started ourselves."

Aisha nodded as she opened Annie's gown, baring her chest. She took a steadying breath. You have done this numerous times in AIIMS, you can do this.

Taking the paddles, she placed one paddle on the right side, beneath her collarbone and the other paddle on the left side, just beneath her armpit.

A small impressive smile made its way on Jackie's lips. "Good, now set the charge."

"Charging to 300 volts... Clear!"

Annie's body spasmed as the paddles discharged. Keeping them aside, Aisha resumed her compressions on Annie's chest.

C'mon Annie... You can do this... Come back to me. Aisha prayed.

The monitor beeped twice before Annie's heartbeat returned, accelerated but constant.

She let out a sigh of breath as she bent over the bed. Jackie clapped her back. "You are soooo lucky."

"Shut up. Now just give her an epinephrine injection and intubate while I maintain compression."

Jackie nodded her head and Aisha shot a grateful smile as she continued her compressions, her hands aching.

"What the hell is going on in here, Rookie?"

Yikes. Aisha winced at the tone and looked up to find Dr. Ramsey glaring from the doorway.

Time to own up, buddy. She sighed and spoke up. "Dr. Ramsey, she was allergic to the antibiotics I prescribed.

She couldn't gauge his reaction from so far away. "Well... at least you are taking responsibility. Sometimes patients don't know about their own allergies. That's why you always have to be cautious."

Jackie injected the epinephrine pen into Annie's tight. Still unconscious, Annie took a shuddering gasp of air.

"And now we intubate."

"Excellent work, Doctor...?"

A self-satisfied smile made its way on Jackie's face. "Varma."

"You were assigned to this case?"

"No, I was passing and I hear Dr. Khurrana calling a code blue."

A smile made its way on his face which shocked Aisha. This man voluntarily uses his facial muscles to smile? I wouldn't have known. "The patient's very lucky you were here. I'm not confident Dr. Khurrana could have handled this alone."

Now, wait a damn minute... Aisha clenched her jaw. This wasn't her first time she was getting insulted and yeah it was called for but it didn't help her feel any better either.

Jackie bit her lip and glanced at Aisha, which Aisha pointedly ignored. Watch her jump at the opportunity in 3...2...1

"Thank you. Just doing my job, Dr. Ramsey."

There it is.

Gulping down her annoyance, Aisha spoke up. "Dr. Varma really bailed me out." Aisha turned towards Jackie and nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Dr. Varma."

Jackie tried to read her, guilt swimming in her eyes.

She should be guilty, she took the credit of the save when I was the one calling the shots.

"...Anytime."

Fuck you. She narrowed her eyes slightly which made Jackie wince.

Luckily, Dr. Ramsey gave Jackie an out. "Dr. Varma, you should return to your patients."

A relieved smile made its way on her face. "Yes, Doctor." Throwing a backward glance towards Aisha, she walked out.

Dr. Ramsey swivelled towards Aisha, his face drawn tight with annoyance. "And you... you need to have a long hard think about whether or not you're ready to be here. It doesn't matter that it's your first day, or that you're still learning. Whether this girl lives or dies is on you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Dr. Ramsey."

"You still have no idea what's wrong with her, and your first attempt nearly killed her. This is the real world. No room for mista--"

"Hi, Dr. Ramsey? Sorry to interrupt." A short Asian intern interrupted him and Aisha let out a small sigh of relief.

This guy would give my parents a run for their money. Why do I meet assholes everywhere I go?

"For the love of God, what now?"

"One of the nurses told me... that one of the other interns told them... that one of the doctors said..."

Dr. Ramsey certainly didn't enjoy beating around the bush. With a biting voice, sharp enough to make both Aisha and the intern to flinch, he commanded. "Skip to the point."

"Dr. Toussaint needs to see you urgently." She rushed.

Dr. Ramsey pinched the bridge of his nose, muttered something about 'interns' under his breath.

Straightening his coat, who gave pointedly glanced at Aisha. "Remember what I said, Rookie. Next time I see you, you'd better have solved the case." He turned on his feet and stormed out making the petite intern jump.  

Aisha stepped out into the hall with the intern, leaned against the wall and let out a sigh.

"Thank god for Dr. Toussaint. I swear if he wouldn't have called, Dr. Ramsey would have burst a vein or something."

The intern leaned against the wall adjacent to Aisha. "Yeah... Too bad he doesn't actually need to see Dr. Ramsey."

Aisha's eyes widened and she turned to stare at the other intern. "Huh?"

"I made it up! I could hear Ramsey chewing you out halfway down the hall, I figured you might need a save."

Oh my god, that is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me.

Aisha smiled brightly. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. But you could get in serious trouble if he realizes it."

She shrugged with a cheeky grin. "If. Besides, I'm tougher than I look. I'm Sienna by the way. Or Dr. Trinh. Whichever floats your boat."

"I'm Aisha Khurrana. Thanks again." Aisha's pager beeped and she looked down and sighed. "As fun as our little adventure was, I need to get back to work. Nice talking to you Sienna and once again, thanks for the save."

"Bye, hope you solve the case. Also, wait! I heard all the doctors hang out at this bar called Donahue's. I think, just down the street. Apparently, it's like the place to go and decompress after a long shift. Wanna come?"

"Sure!! If only I survive my first shift."

Sienna gave a brilliant smile. "Assuming you live through the next few hours, I'll meet you in the atrium after we clock out."

And Aisha got back to work, tending to her other patients but Annie's unconscious face kept on flashing behind her eyelids and Ramsey's words echoed in her head, like a broken tape recorder.

You need to have a long hard think about whether or not you're ready to be here.

She took a shuddering breath, doubt slipping into her mind, making her question everything she did. Every patient she treated and every prescription she signed.

Am I really cut out for this?

She tried to stop the rising anxiety but it still continued to swell in her like a balloon. Her throat began to dry up and it felt as if the weight on her chest didn't allow her to breathe.

Oh god, it's happening.

Feeling like she was on the verge of a breakdown, she ducked into a dark supply closet so nobody could see her while she tried to pull herself together.

It's okay. You worked your way through med school to get here. You are worthy. She chanted, taking in gulps of air.

It had hardly been a minute when the door suddenly opened and she heard footsteps.

Aisha internally groaned in annoyance. "Get in or get out. Just quit holding the door." She turned around and saw Bryce.

Oh fuck.

He nervously cleared his throat and walked towards her, maintaining his distance. "I feel like I'm interrupting something. Are... are you okay?"

Thanks to the dark, he couldn't see her tear rimmed eyes. Sighing loudly she untied her hair and ran her fingers through it, something she often did when she felt like her life was on the verge of falling apart.

"Nothing. I'm just looking for something." She tried to speak in a sharp tone but it just sounded like her voice was cracking.

She knew that Bryce had definitely heard how close she was to crying. Concern laced his voice. "Hey, I know when we met I was nothing but a dumb, self-obsessed jock but it's different now. I... I know you are not okay. Want to talk about it? Or vent?"

Goddamit Bryce. "Fine! I almost killed my first patient and I fucking swear to god I saw my career flash before my eyes. But it was lowkey my fault. I should have checked for allergies. But I tried fixing my error by calling the shots and Jackie helped me. BUT that's not it! Instead of being a humble person, Jackie swoops in and takes the credit of my save and Dr. Ramsey just goes on congratulating her as if she won some fucking AMA Award-"

"Aisha, breathe."

Taking a lungful of air she continued. "- And don't even get me started on Dr. Ethan Freaking Ramsey. Duniya main maine itna bada gaandu kabhi dekha nahi hai maine. What a dick!! He should get fucking laid to work off all his anger issues-"

Bryce snorted but didn't dare to interrupt Aisha. From the short time they dated, he knew better than to interrupt her mid-rant, it only managed to instigate her.

Another deep breathe. "- Boy does he manage to make me doubt myself in every step of the way like am I worthy of being here? I mean, I threw my heart and soul into med school because I wanted to be the best doctor out there but dammit I don't think I am ready."

When he made sure she wasn't going to launch into a new roast session, he spoke up. "Wow. You managed so many years of med school, but eight hours into the shift and you're surrendering? Didn't take you for a quitter."

Excuse me? Aisha's eyes narrowed.

"You don't know me anymore Bryce. The Aisha you dated is long gone and dead." She said in a low voice.

He shrugged. "True, but I know that you still have the fire in you to do what you love the most. C'mon, you have dealt with worse but yet you are here, standing tall. This is just temporary. I know you can pick yourself back up and break down all the obstacles in front of you."

She looked up at Bryce, only able to see the faint outline of his body. He still was the same- tall, well built and with really good hair. "No offence but... you used to be the guy who would wet himself during chemistry practicals, what happened to make you so...?" She gestured her hand at him, accidentally hitting his hand.

He hesitated. "As you said, things changed and you don't know me anymore Aisha."

"Fair enough."

The lack of space and the awkward silence just fueled the tension between them. She could feel his converse bumping into her shoes and the heated gaze on her face.

There used to be a time when Aisha and Bryce would talk for hours on end and they never ran out of topics to talk about. Be it something as lame as which is the superior flavour of ice cream or as deep as life after death.

Look at us now... Aisha thought to herself, gulping.

Her hair fell on her face as she averted her eyes, unable to come up with something to talk about. Bryce's hand involuntary reached to push back the rebel strands behind her ear, his hands caressing her cheek in the process. It felt as if electric sparks shot up her cheeks, making her blush.

Bryce opened his mouth. "Aisha-"

The door opened and she heard a feminine voice. "Bryce I saw you giving me the look so I decided to join you-"

A woman walked around the corner of the help and Aisha's jaw dropped. It was not because she was shocked that he was dating, he could screw the entire hospital for all she cared but, no... she was topless.

"Oh." The unknown woman placed her hands beside her.

"Sam-" Bryce began and Aisha spoke up at the same time. "I was just-"

The confusion was interrupted again when the closet door opened again and a senior resident stood before them, aghast. "What is going on over here?"

"Oh fuck." The expletive spilt from Aisha's lips.

The topless woman, whose name apparently was Sam, quipped in. "Yeah what she said."

Well, this is totally not awkward.

AUTHOR”S NOTE #2:

Number one, yeah I dragged PB a bit in regards to Keiki’s name.. PB do your research challenge 🙄

Number two, okay so about the tattoo part, me and @bratzlahela​ were just talking about Bryce having Polynesian tattoos based on this post and I had to integrate it in my series lol

This is something I imagined 🤭

Number 3, Also I tried to change up the scene a bit with Jackie because tbh, Aisha is pretty fucking smart and she won’t be like “Boo-hoo. I don’t know anything” And about the part where she spoke about using the defibrillator numerous times in AIIMS, In India the medical education is a little more hands-on and focuses more on clinical practice rather than theory. Medical students from first year start doing ward duty and help around in the hospitals taking patient history, etc. Also, they have a mandatory year of internship without which you don’t get your license.  

Number 4, So about that supply closet scene, how many of y’all thought would you get a make out sesh?

If yes, here is your clown wig 🤡

Number 5, AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT TODDLER KEIKI I SWEAR I WAS JUST GUSHING THE ENTIRE TIME 🥺

Lastly, IT PHYSICALLY HURT ME TO ROAST ETHAN LIKE IM SO SORRY SWEETIE 😭🥺🤧

This was a pretty long author’s note heheheh

Like, comment, reblog and share your thoughts ❤

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[babybubastis]

Inspired by the prompt “Welcome to fatherhood” sent to me by @prettylittlebirds82. I hope you don’t hate it lol. And I’m sorry it took me so long 🙈

Just some angsty, domestic WinterPrincess.

Warnings: pregnancy, pregnancy complications, hospitals

———————————————————————

He moves as the mattress shifts, rolls over in his sleep to place his hand in the warm indentation left by her body.

Footsteps, rustling, whispering flutter on the edge of his consciousness. He burrows into the covers, groaning when his hand still searches, comes up empty, searches again.

“James.”

The whisper of his name is what does it. Whatever is in her voice sets off an alarm and he’s out of the bed and at her feet, blinking his eyes against the bathroom light.

“What’s wrong, sugar?”

Shuri looks up from her perch on the toilet, hands clutching her round belly, then drops her gaze again.

“I can’t stop,” she rasps. It’s then that he notices the steady trickling sound.

Bucky frowns, tilts her chin up so he can look her in the eyes. “You can’t stop what, angel?”

A sniffle. “I had an accident in bed, so I got up to use the bathroom, but I can’t stop peeing.” She shakes her head, whispers under her breath to herself, “It can’t be, it’s too early, it’s not time.”

The crease in his brow deepens, and his stomach drops even before his brain fully registers what she’s saying.

For maybe five seconds, he doesn’t breathe. His chest feels heavy, his right hand shakes, his vision tunnels.

Then she grabs his arm to try to stand, and a switch flips.

Bucky lifts his wife into his arms and strides over to the counter top. He sets her down like glass, eyes and hands frantically roving over her slightly trembling form.

“Are you having any contractions?”

He’s read enough to know that rupture of membranes doesn’t always mean labor is coming immediately. But it’s a damn good indicator, and he has to fight down the panic flooding his veins.

Panic isn’t something Bucky’s accustomed to, despite his whole life basically being one long shitstorm. From being taking captive as a prisoner of war over eighty years ago, to literally being snapped out of and back into existence, he’s had enough stress for three lifetimes. And somehow none of that has prepared him for the slow but powerful dread gripping his gut as his fingertips slide through the small puddle gathering on the cold marble underneath his very-pregnant-but-not-quite-pregnant-enough wife.

A large tear spills over and down Shuri’s cheek, but she shakes her head. “No, I feel fine, otherwise. This doesn’t make any sense...”

Bucky lifts his hands to cup her face, fingers gently wiping away the moisture before placing his right hand on her belly.

“You’re both gonna be okay, you understand me?”

His Queen nods once, bottom lip trembling before she presses both lips together and closes her eyes. She sucks in a breath and blows it out. When her eyes open, they still shimmer. But there’s resolve there, a determination and strength that makes him straighten up. He presses his lips to her forehead and lingers there, breathing her in before pulling away.

The next few minutes are a blur as he rushes around their suite grabbing clothes, shoes, phones, keys, wallets.

She’s still sitting on the counter when he comes back. Her eyes are closed again, head bowed, lips moving silently as both hands rub her belly. Bucky falters as he notices the towel now tucked between her legs. And there’s the panic again. He swallows it down and walks over to Shuri.

When he places his hands over hers, she sighs.

“Let’s get you dressed, baby, then we’ll head to the hospital.”

Her eyes flutter open and she nods. They’re silent as he helps her dress, a cloud of anxiety gathering around them.

“Wait, Bucky.”

“Hm?”

“How are we getting there?”

Shit.

He’s so out of sorts- exhausted, terrified, and trying to shove it all down enough to think straight, but he forgot to actually secure them a ride. Today was only the second day of their “baby moon”. Shuri had wanted to see New York City at Christmas time, just the two - make that three - of them.

Her water breaking at the end of her second trimester wasn’t part of the plan.

Bucky finishes helping Shuri tie her shoes before he runs into the bedroom again to grab his phone.

An ambulance is their best bet, but it’s 8:07 on a Friday morning in Downtown Manhattan. And according to his phone, it’s snowing. Heavily.

Shit.

“What about Tony?”

He whips around to find Shuri slowly climbing down from the bathroom counter. Rushing over to help her, his heart swells in spite of everything at the adorable grunt she lets out as her feet meet the floor.

“Now what about Tony, doll?”

Shuri huffs. “I thought I told you he and Pepper bought a second place in the city? They had their youngest last year at one of the hospitals here, but I forget which one.”

Bucky’s brow furrows. He doesn’t remember any of that.

His wife rolls her eyes and steps past him, waddling over to the desk near the door to grab her phone. “He invited us over for Christmas when I was on the phone with him last night, so they should be nearby. Maybe he can help.”

Before he can say another word, Shuri is on the phone, nervously chewing her bottom lip as her hand cradles their baby.

“Tony-“

Bucky can hear Stark’s voice on the other end then, way too loud for as early as it is, and he busies himself with double checking the small bag he’s packed to avoid becoming agitated.

He really doesn’t have anything against the other man. Despite their history, Bucky can’t blame Tony for what transpired between them all those years ago. And after Tony nearly died to defeat Thanos, Bucky only has respect for the man.

Tony had flatlined on that battlefield.

It was Shuri who sprang into action, refused to take no for an answer. She shouted orders at Doctor Strange to open a portal to her lab, and within minutes, she had Stark on a table while she ran diagnostics and went to work.

She was behind closed doors for hours, allowing only Pepper and Bruce back, along with Strange.

Bucky has no idea what exactly happened. He had waited outside of her lab until his eyes drooped, and the sound of the doors sliding open jolted him awake. Shuri emerged, hands bloody and shaking, but her expression gave nothing away. When it was all said and done, Tony Stark ultimately had her to thank for giving him his life back.

The friendship that bloomed between them after that made Bucky uneasy for... a while. Even after Bucky managed to work up the courage to confess his feelings to Shuri, and she confessed that she loved him back, he couldn’t shake the streak of possessiveness that flared unreasonably whenever Tony was around.

But he never begrudged his love her friendship, even when she decided to build a second Wakandan Outreach Center in New York, and Tony - who was making every effort in using his resources to help rebuild the world he’d saved - eagerly offered to be of assistance to Shuri in any way he could, in exchange for some “playtime,” as Stark called it, in her lab.

And Tony wasn’t the only one who had become a bit enamored with the then-Princess; the entire Stark household loved her, too. And yet, the retired Iron Man and the former Winter Soldier had barely ever exchanged more than two words and a few terse nods over the last few years.

Shuri calls to him, effectively bringing him back to the present, and Bucky realizes he’s nearly worn a tread into the carpet with his nervous pacing.

“Tony is on his way.” There’s a tinge of relief in her voice, but her left hand hasn’t left her belly, and she taps her phone against her thigh in an uneven rhythm.

Bucky walks over to his wife and grabs her hand. He brings it to his lips and inhales deeply.

“You ready?” It’s an effort to keep his voice steady.

She nods once, attempts a small smile that barely reaches her eyes at all.

Then Bucky interlaces their fingers and leads her toward the door and out of their suite. He slings their duffel bag across his shoulders and scoops her up into his arms, barely breaking stride on the way to the elevator. Shuri gives a surprised little yelp that, under different circumstances, might make him chuckle.

Instead, he holds her a little tighter and fights the urge to tap his foot while they wait for the car to reach their floor. It feels like an eternity waiting in that hallway, Shuri’s shallow breath against his neck, their baby cradled between them. He can hear Shuri’s heartbeat, wishes he could hear their little Bean’s heartbeat, too.

When he steps inside the elevator and reaches toward the button for the lobby, Shuri grabs his hand. He arches a brow in question.

**

To Tony’s credit, they don’t wait long at all. It can’t be more than ten minutes since Shuri hung up the phone when Bucky hears their ride approaching.

Any other time, he might roll his eyes and accuse Tony of having a flair for the dramatic. But he’s never been happier to see a Stark Industries helicopter in his life.

The chopper barely lands before Tony hops out, waving them forward. Once inside, they get buckled and take off in record time.

“How you feelin’, kid?”

Shuri looks up and gives a small smile. “I’ll be better when I know Bean is alright.” Bucky runs his thumb across the back of her right hand, and Tony reaches across from his seat to briefly squeeze her left.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, alright? Pepper’s OB owes me a gigantic favor, I already called ahead of you at the hospital. All we need to do is get you to OB Triage, and her colleagues will take it from there.”

Bucky exhales slowly and clears his throat. “I don’t know how to thank-“

Tony waves him off before he can finish his thought. “It’s the least I can do.”

Bucky nods. Shuri sags against him, and he turns his head to place a kiss to her temple.

“But if you want to repay me,” Tony interjects after a moment, “Anthony could be a great middle name.”

Shuri snorts. “You’re insufferable, you know that?” But there’s humor in her voice, and a genuine smile on her face this time, and Bucky is grateful to Tony for the second time that day.

**

By some miracle, triage isn’t busy at all. The on-call doc and a nurse greet them and take Shuri back while Bucky deals with the paperwork and Tony goes in search of caffeine.

It takes everything in Bucky not to chuck the clipboard back across the reception desk and follow after his wife. By the time he’s done filling everything out, every nail on his right hand is bitten down to nothing and his stomach is full of lead. He hands everything over and leans both hands on the desk, fighting the urge to crush the cheap fiberboard.

“So if you could tell me where they took my wife...?”

The middle aged woman behind the desk gives him a sympathetic smile. “Gimme just a sec, hun, I have to make sure they’re ready for ya.”

Before he can object, she stands and disappears through the door behind her desk. Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose and counts down from ten in Xhosa. He has to start over twice before the receptionist comes back.

“Mr. Barnes? They just took your wife down the hall for an ultrasound. She should be back in the room shortly, and then we’ll have someone take you back. Just sit tight, okay?”

But Bucky’s already been away from Shuri and Bean for ten minutes, and ready to crawl out of his own skin for every second. He tries for a smile - something charming yet authoritative, but hopefully not menacing - and sets his fists on the desk, leaning forward.

“Look-“ he starts, but a hand taps him on the elbow before he can finish his thought.

“Hey, let’s take a breather, huh?” Tony nods toward the double doors to the unit.

Tony must see the hesitation in Bucky’s eyes, because he gently nudges him.

“Just a few minutes. You look like you need it,” he says.

Bucky flicks his eyes to the receptionist, then back at Tony and the two large cups of coffee in his hands. He sighs heavily and gestures in front of him. “Lead the way.”

**

The waiting area is blessedly empty. Bucky walks over to a TV in the corner and searches for the remote. He can hear Tony slowly approaching behind him, but decides to distract himself with finding a decent show. But almost every station he clicks on is on commercial. He swears under his breath and slams the remote back down onto the coffee table.

“You break anything in this room, I’m not payin’ for it.”

Bucky whips his head around to find Tony smirking at him, and lets out a little puff of air.

“I just... I want to do... something.” He rakes both hands through his sweat-dampened hair. Then, almost so quietly, he’s not sure Tony even hears: “I’m goin’ a little outta my mind, here.” His voice cracks at the end, and he squeezes his eyes shut against the burn of unshed tears.

“Welcome to fatherhood.” Tony claps a warm hand to Bucky’s back.

“Yeah,” Bucky chokes out through a watery, humorless chuckle. All of his weight slumps into the chair behind him then, and it teeters backwards on wobbly legs. “Baby’s not even here yet, and they’re already giving me a frickin’ heart attack,” he mutters into his hands.

“Like I said,” Tony replies, “welcome to the club. That kid’s gonna scare you shitless about a hundred more times before they’re even outta diapers, so,” he pauses to take a sip of his coffee before saluting the weary man next to him with his styrofoam cup, “buckle up.”

Bucky groans.

Slumped in this stiff chair under too-bright fluorescents, the adrenaline is beginning to wear off.

His hands are beginning to shake again, and a shiver runs through him.

“How far along is she, again?”

“Hm?” Bucky lifts his head, blinking to clear his vision.

“How far along is Shuri? I forget,” Tony repeats.

Bucky blows out a breath. He doesn’t even need to think twice, he’s been keeping track just as closely as her. “Twenty-four weeks, three days.”

“Hm.”

“Yeah,” Bucky rasps, panic threatening to clog his throat again.

Tony clears his throat after a moment. “She still insisting you guys don’t find out the sex?”

“She told you ‘bout that, huh? She uh, she thought it would be a nice surprise. Now I’m not so sure we should’ve waited to find out...” Bucky rubs his mouth.

Another silence.

His fingers twist the fabric of his pants, knees bouncing and jaw clenched as he resists the urge to go up to the nurse’s station for the twentieth time and ask when he can go back and be with his wife.

Tony gently pats his knee, and almost automatically, Bucky stops fidgeting. A little bit of the tension leaves his body and he inhales slowly to keep it at bay.

“Twenty-four weeks, three days,” Tony muses. “That’s early. But-“ he says as Bucky opens his mouth to respond, “but, it’s not terribly early, and you’d be surprised at the things they can do. This is the best place on the East Coast.”

Bucky drops his head again and nods.

“Shuri told me you guys had Arlo here.”

“Sure did.” A small smile lifts the corner of the other man’s mouth as he presumably thinks about his rambunctious and adorable youngest child.

They sit there for several minutes, Tony sipping his coffee quietly while Bucky ignores his in favor of chewing on his nails again.

He doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting there, but he has half a mind to just burst through the doors and bypass the receptionist all together to find Shuri. He’s halfway out of his seat when Tony pulls his phone out and glances at the screen.

A twinge of guilt shoots through Bucky, and he sits back down. “You can take off whenever you need to. You really didn’t have to keep me company. I appreciate it.”

Tony finishes typing something on his phone and puts it back in his pocket before looking up.

“Believe it or not, I’m happy to do it. Couldn’t just leave you here.”

Bucky flicks his gaze to Tony’s, searches his eyes for any hint of falsehood or irritation.

The corner of Tony’s mouth lifts slightly. “Really, Barnes. I know you and I have some shit to work through. But a lot of that got put into perspective after... all the other shit.”

Bucky huffs out a laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” The knot in his stomach unravels just a tiny bit

“And that woman in there,” Tony gestures toward the doors to triage, “I would do just about anything for her. She’s done a hell of a lot for all of us over the years. And she indulges my old ass when I need a virtual lab partner and Bruce is too busy to be bothered. My kids love her, Pepper loves her. I know she saved you, too.”

Bucky’s throat is clogged again. He looks down at his hands, rubs at the upgraded arm Shuri gifted him on their wedding day: black inlaid with gold and purple, a permanent ring of gold Wakandan lettering etched into his left third finger.

“And you feel like it’s your turn to save her.”

Bucky chuckles, in spite of himself, in spite of everything going on right this second. Because Tony is way too on the nose. He sighs, a heavy, weary thing that seems to leave him deflated. He doesn’t look up as he replies.

“How do I save her from this? How do I fix this? This isn’t the way any of this was supposed to go...”

“You don’t fix it,” Tony interrupts. “Just be there. Whatever happens, don’t hide from her, and don’t try to shield her, either. Just be there and take care of them both. I know I don’t really need to tell you that.”

Bucky takes in Tony’s words. He nods, presses his lips together as he looks up to meet Tony’s eyes. A thank you is on his lips when one of the double doors behind them swings open, and his heart stutters for a second.

“Mr. Barnes?” A petite woman in navy blue scrubs looks back and forth between Bucky and Tony.

Bucky shoots up immediately. “That’s me.”

The nurse waves Bucky forward. “Your wife is back in her room, you can come on back.”

He shoots a glance over his shoulder as he heads toward the door. Tony is on his feet now. “Tell the Her Majesty I’ll call her later to check on her. Rub that belly for me. And take care of yourself, too, yeah?”

Bucky tries for a smile, hopes he makes it. His heart rate is climbing again. “Will do.”

**

Bucky pulls open the curtain and Shuri opens her eyes.

The bed practically swallows her up, she’s so tiny, even with her large belly. The pang in his chest is so acute, it takes him a couple of tries to find his voice.

“Hi, babydoll. How are my two favorite people?”

She gives him a wan smile and shrugs. “We’re okay, I think. Bean has been moving a bit, and the ultrasound looks alright. But,” she pauses and closes her eyes briefly. Bucky walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, reaching out to take both of her soft hands in his.

“It’s okay, angel.”

She clears her throat and looks up at him. “The doctor says my amniotic fluid index is 2 centimeters.”

Bucky frowns. ���Is that low?”

“Normal range is 5 to 25 centimeters. Almost all of my fluid is gone. Somehow my cervix is still completely closed, but they want to keep us until the baby is born. The doctor said most people go into labor within 72 hours of their water breaking, so traveling back home is too risky. They’re bringing one of the NICU doctors up soon to discuss things.” Her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip as she pauses, gives him a chance to absorb what she’s saying.

He feels what little breath was in his lungs being knocked out. They’re stuck here. And they’re baby is coming 16 weeks early. The dread in his gut builds. Feels like it’s clawing its way up from his stomach to his chest, and he clamps his mouth shut to keep it from escaping. Something else is bothering his wife. Truth be told, he’s not sure he wants to know what else she hasn’t told him, but he needs to know. He reaches up to pull her bottom lip out from between her teeth. His fingers linger there, caressing her face and memorizing every detail for probably the billionth time.

“What else did they say?”

She sucks in a long breath, then puffs it out. “They said I’m at increased risk for infection now that my water has broken. There’s significantly less protection for Bean and me, the longer I stay pregnant, so they’re putting me on antibiotics, and betamethasone shots to help speed up lung development.”

Bucky swallows thickly. “Do they know how this happened?” She’s been doing everything right - sleeping eight hours a night, taking her vitamins, eating clean, drinking tons of water, exercising appropriately -he can’t wrap his head around this.

Shuri gives a shake of her head and another tired shrug. “I tested negative for any kind of infection. Apparently, most cases of premature rupture have no known cause. Not that that makes me feel any better.” She looks down at her stomach and rubs it slowly, methodically. “According to the scan, Bean is only 1.4 pounds. So tiny, Buck.” Her voice catches on that last part, and then her face crumbles.

Bucky feels like he’s fracturing into a million pieces as he leans forward and draws her into his chest. One hand cradles the back of her head while the other rubs up and down her back. Her belly presses into his, and his control slips.

He’s terrified. For Shuri. For the baby. Heartbroken, because he honestly doesn’t know if their Little Bean is even going to make it. And frustrated, because there isn’t a damn thing he can do about it. Except be here.

Shuri feels the gentle shake of his shoulders. She lifts her head to press her forehead to his, the salt of their tears mingling together as their lips meet. The life inside her belly stirs enough that they both feel the movement, and everything else ceases to matter.

**

She manages to stay pregnant for six more weeks.

Six weeks of daily ultrasounds and bed rest and no privacy and lab draws and living in the hospital because the risk of traveling back home is too great.

Bucky is sure his back will never recover from sleeping on the hospital cot, but he’d give the health of his back and more to have his sweet baby and their Bean safe. He refuses to leave her. Even when Shuri flies in her mother, her OBGYN, her doula, and a couple of the Dora Milaje and puts them all up in a hotel, Bucky sleeps by his Queen’s side.

And when, six weeks to the day that she was admitted, their sweet baby boy makes his way into the world, Bucky is by her side for that too, holding her hand and supporting her as she pushes with more strength than he ever thought any one person could possess.

Ikemba T’Challa Buchanan Barnes is beautiful. Way bigger than predicted for a thirty-weeker, and so strong, but still tiny in the grand scheme of things, and vulnerable.

Bucky barely sleeps because he can hardly stop marveling at the long fingers, the soft tuft of dark brown hair, the satiny chestnut skin. He stays up nights talking with Shuri until she passes out, then quietly reads to baby boy until the wee hours.

It’s another five weeks before they get discharged- five weeks of Shuri faithfully pumping breast milk around the clock until their baby is strong enough to nurse, five weeks of her barely even leaving his room. They’re both a wreck, The White Wolf and the Queen, trying to hold it together enough to make sure their baby boy makes it out of the NICU and back home with them where he belongs.

They can’t get out of there fast enough the day he’s finally discharged. Shuri dresses him in the tiniest little onesie made of black and gold Vibranium thread. She made it herself, embroidered the insignia of the Golden Tribe on the front, and her hand lingers as she brushes softly across it. Bucky’s chest tightens a bit as he watches her eyes squeeze shut for a moment. He knows she’s thinking of her brother.

Silent tears stream down her face as she hovers over Ikemba in his car seat. Bucky flies the Royal Talon himself, because he’s too on edge to let any of the Dora do it. He trusts them with all their lives, but he’s too fidgety to sit in the back with his family.

Home. Get them home. That’s all he wants, and his shoulders don’t settle back down into a normal position until they step onto the tarmac.

Tony calls just as they’re walking into their quarters. Interestingly enough, he calls Bucky’s phone.

“Stark?”

“Hey, daddy, how’s it goin’? You guys in safely?”

Bucky suppresses an eye roll. “Stop calling me that, it sounds gross coming from you.”

Tony laughs on the other end, and Bucky finds himself chuckling as well.

“Whatever, you like it. And you better get used to it, because once my godson learns ‘daddy’ and ‘mommy’, that’s all he’s going to want to say for a while.”

“I think we’re going with ‘baba’ and ‘mama,’ actually,” Bucky replies as he takes Ikemba out of his car seat and hands him to Shuri. He puts the phone on speaker and busies himself with putting their luggage in the closet.

Tony huffs. “You know what I mean. Anyway, how’s my girl?”

“I’m fine, Tony,” Shuri chimes in, settling in the recliner to nurse.

“I’m giving you a week, and then Pepper and I want a ton of pictures of baby boy.”

Shuri chuckles. “Of course. Give Pepper and the kids our love, okay? Well call you later in the week.”

“Alright, Your Majesty. Try to get some rest. You too, pops.”

Bucky snorts as he walks out of the bedroom and into the sitting room to give his loves some peace and quiet. He pauses briefly at the threshold, watching his wife nourish their son, his tiny little grunts and sighs practically melting him into a puddle of gratitude and adoration, before closing the door. “I’ll try. And Tony?”

“Yeah, Barnes.”

“Thank you.”

Tony hums in response. “Nothin’ to thank me for. You guys are family. Just take care of each other.”

Bucky’s chest warms, and he nods. “Of course.”

“Oh, Barnes.”

“What’s up?”

He can hear the smile in Tony’s voice as he replies, “Welcome to fatherhood.” And then the call ends.

A wide grin blooms across Bucky’s face as he walks over to the window overlooking the city. Bright, bustling, beautiful. Home. He closes his eyes and takes a real breath for the first time in three months.

After several minutes, the sweet lilt of Shuri’s voice singing a Wakandan lullaby reaches his ears and Bucky’s face hurts, he’s beaming so hard. He takes one more look at the landscape in front of him, then heads back into the bedroom to bask in the warmth of his family.

[acoolchickouthere13]

Hey. I saw your comment about Cornelia Street possibly being Elizabeth street. Do you have a full more detailed song analysis of it being about time spent at Karlie’s place and not about time spent in the apartment Taylor rented?

I don’t have any evidence of it, it’s just purely speculation. But, there are a couple reasons why I say it’s a fun, creative possibility it’s written about (1)spending time at Karlie’s apartment on Elizabeth street in early 2014(January-March), as opposed to (2)the time at Cornelia St. (May/June 2016-early 2017(so about 6 months to one single year))

So let’s look at the first hypothetical scenario: (1) spending time at Karlie’s apartment on Elizabeth street in early 2014(January-March)

A) the simplest reason that it started out as just a fun, comical thought was “they have the same syllables!🤪” but then I was like “wait a minute...”

B) at the end of Cornelia St. there’s sounds of a storm...which could be the sound of the “perfect storm” of Clean.

C) In “...Ready for It” it talks about “let the games begin”...and in Cornelia St. it says “back when we were card sharks playing games, I thought you were leading me on.”

i. This also makes me believe RFI is also written early on. I do believe it’s a song of duality and sarcasm, as others have also speculated. The verses being her bombastic media alter ego and the chorus being her real self. AND, in the RFI chorus the original lyrics were “in the middle of the night in my dreams, that’s when I get to be with you; you’re so sweet.” —-> wildest dreams is all about dreaming of being with someone, not to mention the liner note HE ONLY SAW HER IN HIS DREAMS, so is “Sometimes I wonder when you sleep Are you ever dreaming of me?” in Delicate, which leads me to believe all 4 songs (Delicate, Wildest Dreams, ...Ready For It, and Cornelia St.) refer to the dreams about the NEW relationship. (“Every night with us is like a dream” in New Romantics also seems like a duality sarcasm song)

ii. Speaking of “NEW”!!... “Sacred new beginnings”

D.) Lyric analysis:

- “We were in the backseat Drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar.” Could this be the same bar in Delicate? “Dive bar on the east side where you at?”

- "I rent a place on Cornelia Street" I say casually in the car. Now I know this song in general is in first person but it could be written from Karlie’s perspective. I think Welcome To New York is written from Karlie’s perspective(“you” being Taylor and “me” being Karlie), and I think the same goes for This Is What You Came For(“she” being Taylor). I have no reason to believe the “I” in Cornelia St. isn’t Taylor...but I also have no reason to believe it isn’t Karlie.

- “We were a fresh page on the desk” resonates again like “sacred NEW beginnings.” Like a new relationship, also “page” is referenced again in NYD

- To me, “Filling in the blanks as we go” has the same echo as “we can’t make any promises now can we babe?”(Delicate) and “don’t read the last page”(New Year’s Day)—-Sidenote: I also think NYD is talking About the rebirth that resulted from “Clean”

- “As if the street lights pointed in an arrowhead leading us home.” This line is recognising the place in the song(wether it be Karlie’s apartment on elizabeth st. Or the place on Cornelia st.) as a place they both recognise as home. “Home” is also regurgitated in I Think He Knows: “I think he knows When we get all alone I’ll make myself at home And he'll want me to stay.” —— ITHK is also a song I perceive to be written early in their relationship, after Wildest Dreams. Where it’s still delicate but Taylor thinks Karlie knows Taylor is invested. “we can follow the sparks I’ll drive. so where we gonna go?” Sparks indicate newness, and I think it’s them planning Big Sur, especially since Taylor drove

- “I get mystified by how this city screams your name”, now, Karlie, as we all know, is allll over NYC career wise and billboard wise lol and, maybe the wonderful enchantment and awe of it never ends and is always amazing...but it could also be the beginning of them knowing each other, finding out this new person you’re into IS all over NYC, it IS mystifying

- “I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away.” The “walking away” is expected when they meet, in Wildest Dreams...but I think this line signifies a turning point for their commitment being more substantial. Saying the possibility of Karlie walking away is possible but terrifying

- “Windows swung right open, autumn air.” Now this fits with the 2016 timeline, and it could very well be true...or it could be an edit to make it fit more with the Joe timeline. If she were really talking about Elizabeth street, it would’ve been during winter...which, is when jackets are worn lol “Jacket 'round my shoulders is yours”

- “We bless the rains on Cornelia Street.” This makes me think of Spring time(April showers bring May flowers)...but neither 2016 or 2014 shows Spring being a season when they lived on either street. So maybe rain is metaphorical in this sense. I’m not sure how though

- “Back when we were card sharks playing games, I thought you were leading me on.” Assuming this was written about early 2014, “games” is reiterated in multiple songs, as I said before. “Baby let the games begin”(RFI), “cat and mouse for a month or two or three”(paper rings) “I’m about to play my ace”(New Romantics).

- “I packed my bags, left Cornelia Street Before you even knew I was gone.” Taylor spends time with Karlie from potentially as early as December/early January 2014 until presumably ~Jan. 27-~Feb 1st, 2014 when she returns back to the Red tour in London.

- “But then you called, showed your hand. I turned around before I hit the tunnel; Sat on the roof, you and I.” They confessed feelings and sat on Taylor’s roof together, which is reiterated in King of My Heart: “is this the end of all the endings?...all these nights we’re spending up on the roof...” Then Taylor goes back on tour, and since she’s happily in a new relationship(or stabilism to say the least), she probably pens “I Forgot that You Existed” and “Clean” about being in London on the Red tour from ~Jan. 28- ~Feb. 9, 2014 at the same time as Dianna and she didn’t even think of her.

- “You hold my hand on the street, Walk me back to that apartment. Years ago, we were just inside”- now assuming this is written in 2014 about 2014 it’d be “months” ago...and if it were written 2018 about early 2014 it’d be “years ago”

- “Sacred new beginnings That became my religion.” I think this is echoed again in Don’t Blame Me, which I think in part is about the trip to Big Sur, and about getting a new publicist.

- “I rent a place on Cornelia st. I say casually in the car.” Honestly I have no idea why the song opens AND closes with this sentence. Is the opener past tense and the closing line present tense? Is the opening line supposed to be Elizabeth at and the closing line Cornelia?? I dont know lol

NOW, let’s look at the second hypothetical scenario and say this song was (2) written in 2018 about May/June 2016-early 2017(so anywhere from about 6 months to one single year))

A) at the end of Cornelia St. there’s sounds of a storm...which could be the sound of “the storm that’s coming” in Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

B) Lyric analysis:

- “I rent a place on Cornelia Street" I say casually in the car. I dont know why this would be said casually as if to seem cool if they were dating for two years at this point, unless it’s casually in an expected sense

- “We were a fresh page on the desk Filling in the blanks as we go.” So renting Cornelia street happened right after Tayvin ended and right as Hiddleswift started(knowing what that outcome was going to be, and knowing Joe was the ultimate long term goal from a PR perspective) so they had everything mapped out, a fresh page (“paper thin plans”(DBATC))

- “I get mystified by how this city screams your name” like I said earlier, maybe the amazement never ends or gets old

- “I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away” after so much time spent together like two years it would be terrifying if this significant person walked away

- “Windows swung right open, autumn air” this does follow the timeline of 2016

- “We bless the rains on Cornelia Street” I still think this is metaphorical because spring of 2016 also isn’t a time when they lived at Cornelia st.

- “Back when we were card sharks, playing games I thought you were leading me on” probably reminiscing on the games being played in the beginning of 2014 two years ago

- “I packed my bags, left Cornelia Street Before you even knew I was gone” i dont know why you wouldn’t tell your long term partner of two years you’re leaving the place or why they wouldn’t know, but the rental of Cornelia st ended in early 2017. Maybe it was to avoid the paps and press

- “But then you called, showed your hand I turned around before I hit the tunnel Sat on the roof, you and I.” I dont know why you wouldn’t know the hand of someone you’ve been seriously dating for two years...

- “You hold my hand on the street Walk me back to that apartment.” Taylor and Karlie didn’t have much, if any, PDA in 2018 so I’m not sure what it’s referring to here

- “Years ago we were just inside.” So heres where it makes me thing it was written about 2014. Even if this were written in 2018 about 2016 it would baaarely qualify for “years ago”, especially since moving out was early 2017

- “‘I rent a place on Cornelia st. I say casually in the car’” I still don’t know why this is repeated at the end

[etherealwaifgoddess]

Maybe I Am? - Chpt.2

Characters: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Summary: Steve takes a risk and the guys go out on a “date”. Master list HERE

Content Warning: first “date” cuteness, making out 

Word Count: 2.5k

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! Today is one of those days where I am eternally grateful for having a “draft” option. Because honestly, ya girl is exhausted. So yay for drafts! Enjoy chapter two. I’m honestly too tired to give ya’ll a better note right now. :-\   XOXO - Ash

Chapter Two

Steeeeve [9:32:08PM]: Hey, it’s Steve.

Bucky Barnes [9:32:47PM]: hi steve

Steeeeve [9:33:15PM]: I had a lot of fun meeting up today.

Bucky Barnes [9:33:39PM]: me 2

Steve huffed staring at Bucky’s second generic response. He was usually so much more lively. Steve took a long sigh and started texting what he needed to get off his chest.

Steeeeve [9:35:21PM]: I’m sorry if I came off as confused or misleading. 

Steeeeve [9:35:26PM]: I didn’t mean to do that. But I am kind of confused right now. 

Steeeeve [9:35:35PM]: I spent so much time liking the idea of you, and you in real life was even more amazing than I could have expected. But I’ve never dated a guy before and I never expected to want to. And now I think I do. 

Steeeeve [9:35:49PM]: I’m sorry. This probably isn’t any less confusing. I’m apparently really bad at this lol. I guess what I’m trying to say is, will you go out on a maybe-date with me? I want to try and see how I feel. I don’t want to string you on, but I want to try.

Bucky stared at the flurry of texts coming into his phone. Damn, serial texter much? He read and re-read Steve texts a few times, chewing nervously his bottom lip, trying to find a response. He wasn’t willing to let his heart get trample on again, not after Brock. But he really liked Steve and if there was a chance Steve might like him too, it was too good to pass up. He had a distinct feeling he was going to regret it, but he tapped out the only honest response he could think of.

Bucky Barnes [9:44:13PM]: i like u 2 steve. i get that ur confused. lets try ur maybe-date and see how it goes? if it goes well cool, if not no hard feelings. k?

Steeeeve [9:45:20PM]: Thank you. Really, thank you for being so great about this. Can we get dinner one night this week? 

Bucky Barnes [9:45:55PM]: im free any nite but tues

Steeeeve [9:46:10PM]: I can do Friday night around 7. There’s a really great Mexican place a few blocks over from the gym if you’re willing to schelp all the way over to Park Slope. 

Bucky Barnes [9:46:31PM]: sounds good. see u then

Bucky sighed, putting his phone away into the pocket of his favorite old hoodie. He had a date. A maybe-date, but for some reason that felt good enough for him at the moment.

xxXxx

Steve discovered the best part of being able to text Bucky wasn’t just that their chatting was no longer limited to when they were both near a computer, but that they now had a full range of emojis, memes, and GIFs at their disposal. He could now send Bucky random funny things he found during the day and he felt a little proud when Bucky would send back a string of laughing emojis, knowing he had brightened the other man’s day a little. He had worried with their maybe-date looming things might be a little awkward but if anything they were going even better. By the time Friday came Steve was genuinely looking forward to their maybe-date. He had even gone out on Wednesday before his shift at the gym to pick up a set of clothes that were distinctly not gym wear. He couldn’t remember the last time he bought a button up shirt but he had to admit the blue and white checked shirt looked nice on him. He was trying not to stress over the maybe-date but he felt this gnawing need to know, definitively, if he was truly interested in Bucky, or just the fantasy of WinterBae. 

Steve raced home Friday to shower and change, hoping he’d left himself enough time to do all that and still make it over to Los Aztecas in time. Taking the time to slick back his hair and do a quick shave, Steve was hustling out the door only to realize he’d forgotten the bottle of wine once he got outside. After a fast double back for the wine he was on his way, making it to the tiny authentic Mexican restaurant with three minutes to spare. He had barely stopped walking when he saw Bucky hopping out of an uber. Steve felt a little flutter at the sight of Bucky and he took it as a good sign. 

Bucky looked amazing in his dark skinny jeans and a silky looking black shirt. A minimalist necklace was around his throat, the simple bar resting just below the wings of his collarbones. Steve noticed Bucky had swapped out the cheery beaded bracelets he’d worn on Sunday for a set of sleek silver and leather ones. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine and Steve felt ridiculous in what Sam had teased was his bible salesman outfit. 

“Heya.” Bucky greeted warmly, extending an arm for a half hug.

“Hey,” Steve echoed, hugging back with his free hand. “Ready for the best Mexican food of your life?” 

“Definitely, let’s go.” 

Steve led Bucky inside the little restaurant, its cozy decor making the place feel intimate instead of cramped. Steve had called ahead for reservations so they were whisked off to a table as soon as he gave the concierge his name. Bucky was looking around fascinated, taking in all the colorful decorations. 

“It’s really something, huh?” Steve prompted with a smile.

Bucky nodded in agreement, “Yeah, it’s beautiful. So much art packed into so little space. Thanks for bringing me here, Steve.” 

“It’s one of my favorite places in the area, mostly for the tacos but also for the art. I got my degree in fine art before I switched gears and went back to get certified in exercise science.” 

“That’s quite a switch.” Bucky laughed.

“Art will always be my first love, but it’s not exactly profitable. And once I got healthier I knew I wanted to help other people do the same. I was really sick as a kid and didn’t hit any major growth spurts until I was almost 21. After that, I worked out a lot getting used to my new body and fell in love with the gym.” 

“Wow. I’m glad you were able to get healthier, and it’s sweet you’re trying to give back to others with that.” 

“Do you go to a gym? I won’t be offended that it’s a competitor, I swear.”  

Bucky barked out a laugh, “No. God, no. I am perfectly happy with not having abs or a totally flat stomach as long as waffles exist.” 

Steve couldn’t help his eyes dropping to Bucky’s stomach which honestly couldn’t have had more than the smallest layer of padding across it. “That’s okay too. Waffles are pretty great.” 

The waitress stopped by to uncork their wine and drop off a basket of fresh tortilla chips and salsa verde. 

“What did you bring?” Bucky asked as he took the glass of white wine Steve had poured him.

“Albariño. A waitress here recommended it a few years ago and now it’s my go to. It’s light and crisp, and kinda citrusy? I’m not a wine snob but it’s damn good and goes really well with tacos. I hope you like white wine, I forgot to ask.” 

“I’ve yet to meet a white wine I didn’t like, so you’re safe.” Bucky sipped the wine and his eyes lit up, “Oh yeah, this is good. I’ll be hunting this down next time I go shopping.” 

“You can get it over at the little wine boutique near the farmers market in Sunset Park. They always have this kind.”

“Nice, I’ll have to check it out. My sister will love this the next time she visits.” 

The conversation flowed as the basket of tortilla chips disappeared, only ebbing when their platters arrived and they tucked into their food. Steve had ordered his usual taco platter while Bucky opted for the taquitos platter, an assortment of slow roasted meats wrapped in thin crispy shells. He let out a groan at his first bite that had Steve’s heart stuttering in his chest. The maybe-date had mostly felt like a friend-date up until that point, though Steve had to admit there was a tiny flutter of like there too. But the noise Bucky made and the expression on his face had Steve thinking anything but friends only thoughts. 

Bucky caught Steve staring at him as he licked a dribble of sauce off his bottom lip. He hadn’t gotten a distinct date-date vibe from Steve but the look on the blonde’s face was priceless. Bucky thought he probably had made a similar one the first time he saw Devon Sawa in Wild America when he was 12. He had never stood a chance of being straight after that. Testing the waters a little bit, Bucky smirked at Steve, making it abundantly clear he’d been caught staring. Steve flushed and Bucky’s smile widened. There might be hope after all.

Steve wasn’t sure if it was the wine or too many tacos but by the time dinner was over he felt glued to his seat. He hated knowing the evening was coming to an end and wanted to do something, anything, to prolong it. The waitress dropped off the sales receipt with a pen and Steve tried to steady his hand as he signed his name. He knew he needed to muster up his courage or he would be saying goodbye to Bucky in mere minutes.

“Thanks again for paying.” Bucky said after draining the last of his wine, “This was really nice.” 

“It was.” Steve agreed, seeing his chance, “You know, I have another bottle of this wine back at my place if you wanna come over for a bit. Maybe you could help me find that movie app you were telling me about for the Fire Stick?”

“Sure, I’m happy to help. I won’t say no to more of that wine either.” Bucky stamped down the hopeful cheering in his chest that Steve was inviting him over. The poor guy probably didn’t mean that anything would happen other than wine and tech help but Bucky could always dream. He would be respectful though, he resolved to himself. He’d never dated a guy who was questioning his sexuality before and Bucky didn’t want to push too far too soon. Bucky figured it was best to let Steve set the pace and just hope his heart didn’t get run over in the process. 

Steve’s apartment was only four blocks from the restaurant, a second floor walk up in an old converted brownstone. It was nicer than Bucky’s little hole in the wall apartment and even had a small second bedroom that Steve had set up as a home office. After giving Bucky a quick tour, he led them to the kitchen to pull another bottle of Albariño out of his cabinet. Passing a stemless glass to Bucky, he poured them both a generous amount of wine which they carried out to the living room so Bucky could show Steve the app he’d mentioned during dinner. A few clicks and a quick download later, Steve had access to a ridiculous amount of free movies. 

“This is so great.” Steve praised, clicking through the different options. “Oh I love this one!”

“Hm?” Bucky looked up from his glass to see Steve hovering over 10 Things I Hate About You. “Oh that one is great. I remember wanting to be Patrick Verona when I grew up after seeing that.” 

Steve gave an amused side eyed look at Bucky. “I think you did a decent job.” he teased, throwing on the movie out of sheer impulse.

Bucky laughed, “You’re sweet. But god knows I’ll never be that smooth.” 

“You’re better off than me. I’ve been told I’m hopeless on more than one occasion.” 

“You hold your own, Rogers.” Bucky assured him, reaching over to take Steve’s hand in his, stroking the pad of his thumb over the ridges of Steve’s knuckles. 

Steve blinked slowly, looking from their joined hands up to Bucky’s face. It felt good, that fluttery feeling stirring in his gut at the contact. He gave Bucky a smile and squeezed his hand gently, making sure his consent was clear.

The movie rolled and they sipped their wine as Patrick did his best to woo Kat. Bucky slowly nudged closer to Steve until he was pressed against his side, his head leaning against Steve’s shoulder. He was warm and comfortable and completely unwilling to move by the time Letters to Cleo played into the credits. 

“I can’t believe it’s after eleven already.” Steve yawned. 

Bucky yawned next, set off by Steve’s. “Same. I had a really good night, Steve.” He looked up curiously, wondering if Steve had found any new revelations on their maybe-date. 

“Me too. This was… really nice. Hey, um, I know this was a maybe-date, but maybe um…”

Bucky shifted so he could sit up taller and face Steve while he fumbled for words.

“I, um, I’d really like to kiss you right now.” Steve blurted out, looking equal parts excited and terrified. 

Bucky’s smile was like the sun. “Okay, yeah.” Bucky reached out to cup Steve’s cheek, going agonizingly slow to give Steve a chance to bolt if he needed it. He leaned up a little and Steve craned his neck down, tentatively meeting Bucky’s lips with his own. 

A soft press, a pause, another soft press, and then the kiss deepened, Bucky’s lips parting to slot Steve’s with his. Steve let out a choked off moan, unable to believe what he was doing and how good it felt. He let a hand rake through Bucky’s hair and it only made him want to feel more of the silky locks. The scent of cedar and teak from his cologne filled Steve’s nose and though it was very distinctly male, Steve couldn’t get enough of it. It was so much more than he could have expected but also not nearly enough. He was breathing raggedly when he finally pulled back, repressing a shudder at the well kissed expression on Bucky’s face. His full bottom lip was shining and red, his eyes heavy lidded and his chest heaving just as much as Steve’s. 

“Whoa.” Steve finally breathed out in amazement.

“Yeah, whoa.” Bucky agreed. “So does this help in sorting out if this was a date-date?”

“I think it was definitely a date-date.” 

“I’m glad. And do you think you’d want to try another date sometime?”

“When are you free next?” Steve chuckled, only half kidding. 

“Easy there, pal.” Bucky warned lightly, patting Steve’s ridiculously broad chest. “We’ll find a day again soon.” 

Steve nodded, knowing Bucky was right for wanting to take things slow. He led Bucky over to the door, giving him one last quick kiss goodbye before the brunette headed out into the early summer night. Steve was still floored by his own reactions to Bucky but it felt so right that he couldn’t agonize over it for long. 

[pb1138]

Very Well Rendered

auighj;fkj??? My first ever commission??? Oh my god??? Also, subsequently my first piece of Data smut lol. 

This was requested by @pinkmoontribe-blog!~ I hope you like it!! 

Warnings: Smut, unprotected sex, desk sex, holodeck sex

The fish drifted lazily past the window, illuminated by the lights from all around, the sounds of centuries’ old melodies drifting lazily in the background. You let out a contented sigh, a lazy grin spread across your face, pride in your heart. This program had taken you weeks to develop, your progress impeded by the heavily degraded source material, but the end result was…breathtaking, if you do say so yourself. The computer trilled a door bell, startling you a bit, but you cleared your throat and responded with, “Computer, open the door.” You turned in time to catch the fascination on Data’s face as he took in the surroundings. Shoving to your feet, you turned a grin to him and gestured towards the room. “Well? What d’you think?”

He cast his golden eyes about the room, studying the details and dilapidation before coming to stand near you, his eyes moving to watch the fish pass by the window. “It is… certainly detailed.”

You chuckled and folded your arms across from your chest. “It’s from an old video game from Earth called Bioshock.” He looked at you with a raised brow, silently asking you to explain. “It takes place in the 1960s. Your character is in a plane crash which strands them in the middle of the Atlantic, and they find a sort of door that takes them here, to the underwater city of Rapture. It’s a dystopia now after a sort of drug-like epidemic turned the denizens volatile, and the character has to make their way out of the city and back to the surface.”

He blinked at you and cast another glance around the room. “I… see. And this is… fun?”

“Well, not yet. I haven’t gotten around to programming the actual game. But look how pretty it is!” You gestured broadly out the window at the city, the glowing lights and signs illuminating the many spires and sighed happily.

“It does look very well rendered. My compliments, Lieutenant.”

You ducked a blush by moving to sweep your hair behind your ear and flashed a grin at him. “Why, thank you, Commander. I’m working on a deviation from it, actually, just a world exploration. The city outside goes for—”

“La Forge to Commander Data.”

Data gave you a rueful smile which you conceded to with a nod. After a quick tap to his comm, he looked back out towards the window. “Go ahead, Geordi.” You watched his reflection in the window, the way his hand drifted back to his side, the way his lips formed his words. He seemed too lost in studying the various life forms you programmed into the deep beyond to notice your roving eyes.

“Data, could you come down to Engineering? I need a second set of eyes on this analysis.”

“Acknowledged, Georid. I am on my way.” He looked at you with another guilty smile. “My apologies, Lieutenant.”

“Oh, no, please.” You flashed him a brilliant grin to hide your dismay at his departure. “I’ve got a few more things to work on in here before my own shift starts in a few hours. Maybe I’ll see you down there,” you purred.

He studied you a long moment before tilting his head ever the slightest in one final nod. “Yes, it is a possibility. Until later, Lieutenant.” With that, he turned and left back through the archway, leaving you alone in your program.

With a wistful sigh, you turned to look back out at the ocean you created and rubbed your face. “Leave it to me to fall in love not only with my best friend but with an android,” you grumbled.

You spent the next three hours hard at work on your creation, the first half hour or so of the game being put into it. The work was going so smoothly that you almost missed the computer reminding you that you had only fifteen minutes to get down to Engineering, like you’d asked it to. Though you were loathe to leave, you jogged quickly back to your cabin to wash your face and put your hair up before darting down to Engineering. As you stepped through the door, you couldn’t help glancing around, nor could you help the sudden wave of disappointment that hit you when you noticed that neither Geordi nor Data were there. ‘Oh well,’ you thought dismally. You’d see them sooner or later.

It was a routine day for once. No near explosions, no near ejections of the warp coil, not even so much as a stray bit of unusual radiation. It was a nice change of pace from the past few weeks which had brought quite a bit of trouble for the ship, and you allowed your mind to wander back to your holoprogram as you worked. From there, it didn’t take long for your mind to wander back to Data, and a smile touched your lips as you replayed his compliment in your mind a few times. So slow was this day at work that nobody seemed to notice when you zoned completely out for a solid hour and forgot to track the computer’s readings, the numbers across the screen replaced by the way Data’s eyes seemed to glow against the lights of Rapture. And then it was back to your plans for the program. You wanted to include an exploration feature for Rapture, with a glass-cased bathysphere you could pilot around out in the ocean. Just cozy enough for two… You got so lost in your daydream, in imagining pale hands along your body, in your hair, slipping your clothes off you, that you barely recognized Geordi’s voice coming across the room in time to snap back to attention and make it seem like you were working. He paused when he saw you and quirked a brow. “Y/L/N, what are you still doing here?”

You frowned slightly. “How d’you mean?”

“Well, your shift was over nearly an hour ago.”

You blinked and looked at your screen. “Oh.” He was right. How deep had you been in that daydream? Clearing your throat and turning your head to hide a blush, you stood from the terminal. “I guess I lost track of time. Thanks, Geordi. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, you were off, darting your way back up to the holodeck to get some more work done.

Some hours later into your work, the door chirped, and you told the computer to open it again. You had your back to the archway, and you were so deep into the algorithms going into the computer that you didn’t turn to look to see who it was, didn’t even care that you’d removed the jacket of your uniform and were in just your pants and a tank top. “Whossat?” you mumbled.

“The program is showing considerable improvement.”

You squeaked and spun around to face Data, but he had his back to you, observing one of various plasmid bottles you’d written into existence. Clearing your throat, you looked back down at the screen. “Thank you. I’m pretty excited.”

“Lieutenant, I wanted to…”

You blinked and turned towards him. “Yes?”

But Data was facing you now, an expression upon his face that made your heart jump to your throat. His eyes were widened a bit as they roved over your body, his lips parted in the beginnings of a wide grin, and the way he stood was far more relaxed than normal. The grin burst across his face the same time his eyes snapped back up to your face, and he breathed out a soft, “Y/N.”

“D-Data? What are you—” You squealed, then, because Data darted across the room to you and swept you up in his arms, laughing heartily as he spun you around. “Data!”

He set you back down and looked at you, his golden eyes flicking across your face as if seeing it for the first time. “I never realized…” he breathed.

You blushed furiously and set your uniform straight. “Wh—What?”

A pale hand reached up and tucked a stray bit of hair behind your ear. “How beautiful you are.”

Your eyes went wide and your blush burned warmer. “I… What? Data, what’s going on?”

The hand moved to brush your cheek gently, and his eyes followed the movement hungrily. “My… my emotion chip has been repaired. And I…” He stepped closer as if unconsciously, his other hand moving to ghost across your arm, barely touching. “I’ve made a discovery.”

You swallowed thickly, struggling to keep your breath let alone your voice steady as you looked back up at him. “O-Oh? And uh, what um, what discovery is that, Data?”

His thumb swept across your lower lip, his head ducking closer. “I find myself preoccupied with thoughts of you. You elicit an emotion from me, something completely unique to any other person. It… It is consuming, as if the world around us is fading away, and it is just you and me.”

You watched his lips as he formed his words then looked up into his eyes and moved to press your hand against his cheek. You reveled for a moment at its smoothness, as you always did when the situation called for you to touch him, but this was different. The way he looked at you, the way he inched just the smallest bit closer, it set an electricity along your skin. “Data, I…” You shook your head and stretched up on your toes to press your lips to his, your arms snaking around his neck. A soft whimper escaped your throat as his arms went about your waist and pulled you flush against him, his head tilting to deepen the kiss.

He pulled back after a moment and let you catch your breath, a fascinated and awestruck grin on his face as he looked down at you. “Yes, I am sure now. I love you,” he whispered.

You beamed so brightly it nearly hurt and pulled him down for another kiss. Against his lips, you purred a soft, “I love you, too, Data.”

You squealed as he lifted you against him with one arm with ease, your legs going about his waist for support, and he carried you over to the desk near the window. He set you down with great ease and moved his mouth down to your neck, placing feather-light kisses that made you giggle. He paused, his cool breath ghosting across your skin, and whispered your name hoarsely.

You ran one of your hands down across his firm chest and managed to whisper out a soft, “Mm?” in your haze.

“I do not mean to… overstep.” He pulled back enough to look at you, a cautious earnestness in his eyes as he took in your flushed expression, your parted lips. “I must ask, is this… ok?”

You bit back a chuckle and nodded eagerly, moving your hand through his hair. “Computer,” you said. He raised a brow at you, and you grinned back. “Lock the door, please.” The grin that broke across his face with the chirping confirmation of the computer made your heart flutter.

He brushed your hair back over your ear, his eyes glued to the movement before he crushed his lips back against yours, his hands moving to the hem of your tank top. In the flash it took to get the fabric off, he moved his lips back to your neck and nipped ever so softly at your skin. Breathless, you pushed the hem of his shirt up and off his body, and were delighted to see the shirt underneath come off with it. You bit your lip as your eyes roved over his marble chest, and gingerly you reached to touch his skin. Data moved his hands down to the hem of your pants and placed another kiss at your neck, his hands paused as if asking permission yet again. You purred and nodded, leaning back against your elbows upon the desk. You watched as he slowly, carefully undid the fastenings and began to pull your pants off, his eyes glued to it as if savoring the experience. You blushed under his hungry gaze and lifted a finger, beckoning him to you.

He met your lips fervently, his hand drifting down to hold your hip, the other moving to your breast. You hooked your knee up to his waist and pulled him closer to you and couldn’t help the gasping moan that you gave when the hand moved between your thighs. A finger teased at your entrance for a moment, drawing slow circles in your wetness but not going in. It wasn’t until you let out a whimper and whispered a trembling, “Please, Data,” against his lips that he allowed the finger to go in.

His lips left yours and trailed warm kisses down your neck and across your shoulder before coming to rest at a nipple. You gripped his hair, clutching desperately as he licked ever so lightly at your bud. The finger inside you moved slowly, thrusting languidly into you as if he were trying to draw more desperate whimpers from you. And as his thumb brushed against your clit and you gasped a breathless, “Data,” he froze in his ministrations.

You watched as he slowly lifted his head and shivered under the heat of his gaze as his eyes roved your face. You were about to ask what was wrong when he scooped you into his arms, turning so that he was sat beneath you on the desk. His hands moved across your back, feeling the shape of your muscles, one moving down to grip the curve of your ass and the other drifting up to hold your hair. He pulled your mouth down to his and nipped playfully at your lip, squeezing your ass at the same time. It occurred to you then that his pants had disappeared, cast away in the fluidity of the switch, and you could feel him nestled against you, warmer than you’d expected. You moved your arms around his shoulders lifted your hips over him and settled slowly down onto him.

He fit so perfectly in you, as if he’d been designed with you in mind. You tilted your head back in a moan as he filled you, as his hands traveled along your body, as his mouth moved to suck at your nipple. He held you closer against him, and your hips lifted again, moving slow against him. It was soft, gentle, two years of waiting urging both of you to savor it, to savor each other. His mouth trailed along to your other nipple and the hand under your ass, after giving one final appreciative squeeze, ran along your thigh, his touch leaving electricity in its wake, until he brought it up over your hip and to your nub. Your deep moan seemed to spur him on again because his other arm snaked down around your waist, holding you firmly as he abandoned your breasts in favor of your mouth again.

Perhaps it was the two years of waiting, but the combination of him in you, upon you, around you, it was quickly too much. You could feel the edge coming, the heat in your stomach urging your muscles to tighten around him, and you whimpered against his lips. “Data, I’m—”

He broke the kiss and leaned back, hungry eyes watching your face as his teeth bit at his own lip. With a sharp thrust into you and a calculated brush of your nub, you were undone. As the ecstasy flooded through you, your body tensed, a cry torn from your throat, and you gripped tightly at him.

As you came down from your high, you slumped breathlessly against him, your forehead upon his shoulder. His hands rubbed delicately along your thighs, across your back. His lips pressed a soft kiss against your shoulder before turning towards your ear. “I love you,” he whispered, barely more than a breath, and he kissed the corner of your chin.

You grinned and buried your face into his neck, your arms dropping around his waist. “And I love you, Data,” you whispered back. Gently, as if he were scared to hurt you, he pulled out of you and cradled you to him to lie the two of you back. You pressed into his side and laid your head on his shoulder and breathed a contented sigh.

The two of you lay like that for a long time, not speaking, Data’s fingers trailing delicately along your skin as he held you, the two of you watching the bioluminescent ocean life drift lazily outside the window. Finally, after almost an hour, he spoke up again. “It really is a beautiful program.”

You smirked. “Wait until I get the bathysphere exploration sub-program running. I think you and I will… really enjoy that one.”

His fingers halted along your skin for just a moment, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. “I am sure we will,” he agreed.

[kinetic-elaboration]

June 22: 1x03 Where No Man Has Gone Before

Today, the second pilot, aka Kirk fights his ex-boyfriend, the superhuman space mutant.

Whaaaaat TV screen by the chess set? That’s such a funny transition for me for some reason.

Spock thinks he can win lol. I love that he’s sassy from the start. And throwing shade at Sarek, which is how I choose to interpret “my ancestor married a human woman” when he very well knows it’s his dad.

“Materializer.”

For a moment, I thought Spock was of a lower rank but then I realized the pilot uniforms only showed three different ranks so who even knows.

I’m barely even paying attention to the plot, I’m too distracted by the outfits and the banter.

Are you certain you don’t know what irritation is, Mr. Spock????? Are you SURE?

THIS ELEVATOR SCENE IS STILL MY FAVORITE IN THE WHOLE SERIES. Kirk is so obviously in love with Spock already, like just the way he looks at him??? And Gary is bitter. Did you finish your GAME GUYS? How was the GAME?? You like that CHESS?

Lol at Kirk’s microphone. I love how different the pilot is and how much more obvious the differences are because it’s sci fi. (Their screen/windshield is also hilarious for some reason? It looks very fake.)

Sulu is head of astrophysics?? Really got a demotion there. This needs to be a thing in fic though, somehow.

Kirk is so brave. Gonna explore this weird space thing to save future space travelers.

New drinking game: take a shot every time there’s a random shot of Kirk looking beautiful.

My mother asked if Gary was hoping he could hold Kirk’s hand when the alien force field attacks and I said yes. Dig it in there Mr. Kirk.

Kirk and Spock flying the ship.

Sulu looking gorgeous.

Some gratuitous k/s arm grabbing.

Love how they show the ship has no warp by having it move really slowly across the screen. But actually--completely underrated problem that I forgot about it what with the whole Gary God Complex thing--if you have no warp capabilities you are stranded for real.

It took me a suuuuuper long time to figure out why most esper people died and two became supermutants. The force field targeted the most susceptible but was too much for most of them.

Also I love how the force field was just literally never explained. It just is. Nor was it explained that that other ship was, which Kirk seemed to think shouldn’t have been in deep space in the first place.

I can’t believe Dehner is telling a literal alien “this is how this thing is and there’s only one version of the thing and these are the limits.” Like??? He has all sorts of abilities you don’t know about? Why do you assume that things as they have been observed on Earth are the only way things can be, especially outside Earth? When you are talking to someone whose very existence would be impossible by your measure?

Looking at medbay, can’t help but feel that McCoy really spruced up the joint.

Gary rearranging himself just so for Jim’s entrance.

I legitimately don’t know what “this long hair stuff you like” is. I was born in 1988 so, that’s my excuse.

A STACK OF BOOKS WITH LEGS

IN LT. KIRK’S CLASS YOU THINK OR SINK.

Kirk is giving Gary those “I love you” eyes. They’re exes. Clearly.

I mean “I outlined her whole campaign for her”? First, putting unnecessary characters into a story because the short version is homosexual is ITSELF homosexual and second--that’s very gay on its face.

Kirk is clearly trying to be the Cool Ex (and, uh, boss) and Gary’s still bitter. “Friend Captain.”

No privacy on the Enterprise I see.

“The one you used to know,” Spock says, clearly jealous.

Love poem from 1996--so ancient.

Imo Spock is glad for this opportunity to shade Gary Mitchell openly. Finally, I can tell Jim my real thoughts: we should kill him.

Dr. Dehner is awfully enamored of this whole “new kind of human” thing given that she must have some knowledge of Earth history, including, you know, the horrifically deadly WWIII fought over exactly this idea but w/e.

Sulu bringing the math.

Spock saying “Jim” again. He definitely actually does this a lot? Maybe later he pulls himself back on purpose on account of Too Many Feelings.

D E L T A V E G A .

Forgot they poached that name. Should have kept it a mining planet. I wonder if it is supposed to be the same place and if Ambassador Spock was thinking about Gary while he was there.

“You’re talking about Gary!” This Kirk and Spock scene is really good too. Just about as good as the elevator scene. I literally cannot read this through anything other than the “ex and future boyfriend” lens and it makes it so much better. (Not that it’s not a good story on its face because it is. But just like the additional layers??)

“Our task: maroon my ex-boyfriend on this abandoned planet.” They’ve known each other 15 years.

Kirk and Spock taking Gary down.

That is 100% a drawing taken from the cover of a 50s sci fi novel.

Spock is so ridiculously, comically armed. Pacifist who? They keep on saying he doesn’t have feelings and yet ALL I see are feelings. Arming himself to the teeth for Jim. Clearly bitter about Jim’s feelings for Gary. Ready to thrown down all the time.

RIP Kelso. Good thing he got that commendation.

“Command and compassion is a fool’s mixture.”

“Don’t wake up Spock until I’m gone or he’ll follow me.” True.

Just Jim and his ridiculous weapon now, off to ruin Gary’s date.

Kirk and Spock would love all these flowers.

“You were a psychiatrist once--ten minutes ago.”

“Did you hear him joke about compassion?” I know the powers corrupted Gary but...did they do all the corrupting? Or did they just allow him to say some stuff he really means?

That “phaser rifle” looks like a supersoaker. (Mom: it probably is.)

Gary claims to know Jim so well but he doesn’t even know his middle name.

He’s so dramatic. SO DRAMATIC. Calling Jim “James” all the time; clearly his personal name for him when they were together. Whereas Jim continues to call him by his last name, which is funny.

And then Spock sees Jim is about to get sad and makes sure to come right over. “I felt for him too,” he admits, reluctantly.

It’s weird how much more dated this ep looks imo. Like I strongly maintain that even on the basis of style TOS ages very well (better than TNG which is 90s to the hilt), but this one looked very...50s/60s sci fi. Not in a bad way, just in a very obvious way. I feel like even the Enterprise looks a lot different after the pilot, in ways I can’t really explain or describe or pinpoint. It’s just subtly.... more unique. More real.

Mom and I were discussing where this fits in the timeline. She thinks early 5 year mission, which is what I’ve always assumed...but I’m bothered by how 99% of the crew is different. So now I’m thinking, like, pre-5 year mission? Maybe like a short mission? This is Kirk’s first command, maybe they sent him out for like a year first. It doesn’t explain how Gary and Spock have “worked together for years” but Dehner could have been wrong about that, or she could have meant they both have 15 years + in Starfleet.

The AOSverse should have rebooted Mitchell instead of Khan and that’s all I’m saying about that but it’s true.

I have always assumed Gary is First Officer in this ep but I don’t remember it actually being mentioned and now I’m wondering if we’ve all just collectively made that up.

Next up is the absolute classic The Naked Time. Maybe I’ll find an opportunity to watch it in less than a week’s time?

[qupshalfempty]

Hii can i get a scenario/headcannon for Smokescreen, where he meets the sarcastic and witty reader, he instantly likes her and even if the reader protests he already claimed him as jer guardian. The last part I want is, how really protective he is of her, elaborate on that part and write much of it. Really dive in deep of the protective thing, that'll make a smokescreen fan squeal.

I love Smokescreen so much… this accidentally turned into a one-shot, oops. This is the longest one I’ve written yet, so it’ll definitely be tagged as long reads lol.

TFP! Smokescreen With Sarcastic And Witty! Reader

Words: 2,160

“Hey!”

The very over joyous blue and white robot exclaimed. You cringed, feeling your ears pop from the loudness of his voice. You couldn’t hear him introduce himself, too busy digging your fingers in your ears, trying desperately to fix your hearing after his outburst. Damn, you hope you didn’t have to get used to this. Alien robots, some “base” in the middle of nowhere, screaming...

“-Smokescreen will be your guardian-”

I snapped towards the tall blue and red bot and gave him an incredulous look, forgetting about the ringing echoing in my head for a second. I cut him off from speaking further.

“Who?”

The loud bot from earlier gasped, “Me?!”

I gave an exasperated sigh, my shoulders slumping, letting everyone know how I felt within a mile radius.

‘Great…’

It’s already been a week and you had had enough. Smokescreen, as he had constantly made sure you’d known since you weren’t listening when you both first met, wouldn’t leave you alone for a second. Always watching, always two steps behind you and breathing down your neck. It was getting claustrophobic, and generally annoying. You even had to explain why you had to go to the bathroom by yourself. He blushed bright blue, before walking back to the main room completely embarrassed after that. Currently, he was making sure you had known his name, again.

“I heard you the 32nd time.”

I groaned out, followed by an eye roll. I just got the usual upbeat response.

“Just making sure, never know when you’ll get into trouble and need someone to call for help!”

“I don’t know, I could just say help?” He chuckled and scratched at the back of his helm.

“I’m also your guardian now, so we’re going to be around each other a lot more! We’ll need to know each other’s names.” He gave you a smile and turned away, strolling towards where Bumblebee stood.

“Don’t know why he had to walk all the way over there, from how loud he is he could’ve had a full out conversation from here…” You muttered. Walking up the stairs to the human area, you overheard some of his conversation with ‘Bee.

“-yep! I’ve got my eye on them! Don’t worry!”

‘Bee didn’t look too convinced from what I could see out of the corner of my eye, but he acted supportive all the same. Giving from what I could tell, positive beeps and whirls in response and giving him a reassuring pat on the back. Arcee was leaned against the wall nearby with her arms crossed, shaking her head.

‘Same.’ I thought sarcastically, ‘If this is the guy that’s supposed to be protecting me, I’ll be dead in a week.’

With all the others gone and only a couple robots around, it was the perfect time to relax doing what I wanted to do. Since I thought they’d think it boring or odd, I didn’t watch it when others were around. That and I usually followed and done whatever the other humans (Miko) wanted to do. I flopped onto the couch, grabbing the remote that almost fell in between the cushions and switching it on (favorite movie/show). I was on the main screen, about to press play before hearing loud metallic steps approaching behind me.

“Hey Y/N!”

I jumped, recognizing the loud voice behind me immediately. I turned from my seat on the couch, distracted from the TV I was watching, and slowly gave Smokescreen a deadpan look. And if you are wondering, yes he did talk to me a second ago, this is how it’s been all week.

“Just saw you sitting over here alone and-.. Thought I’d drop by…” He cut himself off after noticing the look I was giving him. And something so out of character for him, he looked defeated. Head hung low, eyes cast downward, and sighed.

“Look, I know I wouldn’t have been your first choice. But I’d like to get to know you, hang out and relax. Since I’m your guardian, you’re stuck with me.” He chuckled awkwardly, attempting a joke. Trying anything to be around me, he’s used this excuse three times now this week. He’s just never looked this pitiful. So I pitied him and gave him a half smile, an attempt to make him feel better. It seemed to bring back his confidence, if just for a second.

“So, what do ya say?”

He’d looked hopeful while watching for my reaction, like a puppy wanting approval from his owner. Although people could call me cold if they didn’t know me well enough, especially to know my jokes weren’t insults….. I’m not heartless.

“Sure.” I sighed out reluctantly, running a hand through my hair.

“Yes!” He fist pumped without another thought. “Wanna watch TV?”

“Sure.” I repeated, watching him try to contain his excitement as he turned towards the TV I was watching minutes ago before being loudly interrupted.

“What’chya watching?”

He asked nonchalantly, leaning over me to squint at the screen. His shoulder plate brushed against the top of my head, barely grazing the hair on my head. A chill ran up my spine at the contact. I completely forgot about my self indulgent show/movie I was watching before. My face flushed from embarrassment of what played on the screen and the contact, I hope he didn’t notice.

“Oh uh, just (favorite show/movie). I’ve watched it a couple times through now.”

He leaned back and lifted an eyebrow? Eye ridge? I was too busy hiding my blush from his view to figure it out or care.

“What’s it about?”

I then gave a brief explanation as to what the show was and what was currently happening in it, without giving spoilers when possible. No matter how much he begged to know.

“Wha- please! Now I gotta know!”

“Well, we could start from the beginning. If you have the time.”

“Yeah! Always got time to watch you-! I mean, watch it with you!”

“Uh huh, sure stalker.” I said slyly, without missing a beat. His faceplates turned blue, and he focused on the tv to try and shield his face from my view. I made no intention to let him know that I did in fact see, and I didn’t speak up about how there was nothing on the screen to even watch yet.

Throughout the entire show/movie, he’d sat still. Odd for him, since he can’t stand being bored, so I assumed he liked it. It reminds me of how he’s been trying to get to know me all week, I didn’t make an effort until now. In my defense, I was always following the humans and doing whatever they (Miko) wanted to do or was already doing, which was usually getting into trouble. So I never really had time at the base to do anything I wanted. And I had avoided Smokescreen until now so we didn’t speak enough to get to know each other either. I felt kinda bad, but whenever I had joked with him he didn’t know how to take it. At first he assumed I was insulting him, I guessed so when he flinched back the first time I tried being sarcastic. But that didn’t deter him. At all.

“What’s the main character doing? Why would they do that?!”

He snapped me out of my thoughts, I realized I wasn’t even watching the tv anymore and instead opted to watch his facial expressions instead. He was too busy staring at the TV screen to realize, thankfully.

“Oh uh.”

I finally turned my attention to the TV, trying to catch up and see if I could recognize this part. I explained everything from memory, up until the point on the screen anyway. We were getting to a cliffhanger, and he was already chewing on his non-existent nails. He stared intently at the screen, sitting on the edge of his seat if he was sitting, before gasping when the scene came up. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. He looked away to see what I was laughing at, just to see I was looking in his direction. Putting it together, he turned back towards the TV. The blue blush from earlier making a second appearance today.

“I assume you like this?”

“...Shut up.” I laughed and he chuckled, not once offering to look away at the screen. He’d hoped to see what happened to the characters, but I’d already known so I didn’t bother paying much attention. I leaned back and got comfortable, arms set behind my head. It felt nice to sit and enjoy this moment.

The show/movie had ended, and we talked afterwards about it. Enjoying each other’s company for the first time this week. I tested a couple sarcastic comments about the character’s and he had laughed, taking them well. I think we’ll start to get along just fine after this.

Never mind. After sharing that moment, the next week was still full of him following after me like a puppy. And becoming much more careful around me, and making sure the others were careful around me as well. From the shocked faces of the others and the occasional raised eye ridge, I could tell this wasn’t his usual behavior. And the reprimands from Optimus proved my theory, he was usually the reckless one. Even worse than the “wreckers”, and that’s how they got their name. After getting scolded by Optimus, he became even more protective. Everybody noticed, and so did I. How could anyone not? But I didn’t say anything. I just dealt with it, not wanting to upset the bot more. Until now.

The humans were all gone, most of the robots as well. I was sitting on the couch watching another of my favorite shows/movies when Smokescreen walked up behind me. When I greeted him, I got no answer back from the usual hyperactive robot. With suspicion, I turned. He looked like a puppy with his tail between his legs. He had his head hung low, eyes cast downward. You could tell by the look on his face it still bothered him quite a bit that he messed up. I decided to speak up after he sighed for the 8th time in the 2 minutes he stood there.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

He looked up at that, not realizing how he was acting or how he looked. I gave a playful eye roll.

“Something’s wrong, what is it?”

“Just what happened the last cycle...”

I furrowed my brows in confusion, I’m going to assume he meant yesterday.

“That must suck.” Wow, good job Y/N. So comforting. He didn’t seem to notice my failure at comforting him. He just huffed.

“I knooooow.” His helm hit the railing, shoulders slumped over and arms hung limply at his sides. I couldn’t think of anything to say, I’m more of a listener than a comforter if you couldn’t tell. I tapped the couch with my fingers out of habit, thinking for a moment as to what to do or say.

“Wanna rant?”

“Do I!” He took the chance without a second thought. He brought his head up, leaning on his servo that was propped up on the railing. I turned, giving him my full attention. My arm propped up on the back of the couch, watching his facial expressions. He was very animated, talking with the servo that wasn’t keeping him up. He’d ranted for a couple or so minutes, talking so fast I couldn’t quite keep up. But I overheard one part that stuck out to me though.

“-so I just wanted to become the best guardian to try and prove that I can succeed at something! … I just want to help.”

He ended on that note, head hung low again. A pit sat at the bottom of my stomach, I hoped I didn’t add to his frustrations with how distant I acted in the beginning. I shook my head, deciding to try my best with the comforting part.

“This isn’t the usual Smokescreen I know, you’ve been a great guardian towards me. Some could argue a little too great.” He chuckled at that, looking away sheepishly after reflecting back on how he’s acted this past week. I kept going.

“Now, want to watch something, protector?”

I added that last nickname to try and uplift his spirits. It seemed to work, his helm turning a brilliant blue that could be seen from a mile away. He chuckled after the shock wore off, and gave me a half smile back before ruffling my hair with a single digit. The force of it, unknown to him, making my head go in the same direction as his servos. I missed the bright smile he sent my way, too busy swatting at his servo.

“Sure, girlie.”

“Ugh.. what’s with the nickname.”

“I heard it on the TV! What’s with my nickname?”

“...Nothing, you gonna watch this or not?”

“Yep!”

[nikatyler]

Look at that, I’m doing replies after...more than a month? I don’t know. I didn’t check. I also won’t reply to every single thing because 1) my activity feed doesn’t show it all, as always and 2) it’s too late to reply to some things, it would be pointless now. However, thank you all for commenting from time to time, it makes my day. And well, I was against it at first, but I might start replying directly under the posts, I’ll only do replies posts for things I want to talk about more.

Life updates? I’m doing good. My life, surprisingly, didn’t turn upside down when I started uni. My social life also didn’t change too much. But I have a few friends that I talk to in the classes we have together. It’s not a friendship friendship if you know what I mean, but hey. It’s only the beginning, things might change. I’m not losing faith that I’ll walk out of this school with at least one friend.

Played Roses a bit in the past three days. The random gameplay part was boring, I didn’t know what to do, my heart really wasn’t in it, most of the time I just left the game running and interfered only when it was needed, so I cut down on that and went straight to the storyline. I’m not discontinuing this legacy before Regan gets a happy ending. Once Regan is happy, it’s Golden Days time...which means even more intense storytelling. Yay. I’m already exhausted just thinking about it but also, it’s exciting. I love that story so much and I can’t wait to bring it to life.

So yeah. Here are some replies from the past month!

dandylion240 replied to your post “Also apparently on this day one year ago I started creating my ts3...”

I sometimes feel guilty too. I seldom open my ts3 game. But I don’t want to remake my ts3 sims into ts4 because then I know I’d never open the game again

elisabettasims replied to your post “Also apparently on this day one year ago I started creating my ts3...”

I don't play TS3 anymore because it often took up to an hour for my game to even decide it was going to open.

And that was with a GOOD computer.

berrybbbies replied to your post “Also apparently on this day one year ago I started creating my ts3...”

yeah its just a trade off i guess lol but having not played sims 3 for a long time makes me miss it and actually enjoy playing it instead of go in to take pics only! plus loading times are not that bad if you merge everything (but thats a problem on its own haha)

Yeah, creating your ts3 sims in ts4 can definitely lead to not wanting to open ts3 because hey, you have them in this other game that loads a lot faster! And I mean, I do love ts3, but...I’m not going to spend an hour or something just on trying to get into the game to do a random photoshoot.

I have a lot of my stuff merged, but I should probably do it again because I got a lot of stuff since then. Right now, it takes about an hour to load my legacy saves...and that’s quite a long time because by the time it loads, I start working on something else and I don’t feel like playing anymore. I’m usually writing while waiting for it to load and of course, when it loads, I’m in the middle of something I can’t put off - a good dialogue, a fun scene or just something important that I was dying to write and now I finally got to it.

elisabettasims replied to your photoset “Sunset: “Dad! Let’s take a selfie!” Ross: *contemplating the meaning...”

Hey, Ross? Remember that time you took a selfie flexing your non-existent muscles?

Never forget

what an icon

elisabettasims replied to your photoset “Yeah, she’s cooking in your house. Don’t be so upset.”

I bet she doesn't have the "always welcome" trait. It's the first thing I buy, it's only 500 points, LOL

Thank you for reminding me these bonus traits exist! I totally forgot about them.

fataleromeo replied to your post “The character ask meme thing for Ross please ❤”

"This post has so many opportunities to be ruined by tumblr" OMG I feel that so hard ��������

Sometimes I’m surprised by all the ways tumblr can go wrong...and then I’m surprised that tumblr can still surprise me.

elisabettasims replied to your photoset “Oh look, your stepfather still has moodswings of a teenager. That...”

Half the vampires in young adult fiction behave this way. :D Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional. LOL

fataleromeo replied to your photoset “Oh look, your stepfather still has moodswings of a teenager. That...”

Lmao Edward oops I mean Caleb.....

I’d pick Caleb over Edward any day but yeah you’re not wrong lmao

elisabettasims replied to your photoset “Sooo…I don’t know what happened (actually I think I might have an idea...”

One of my sims was an elder and her hair kept going between grey and her natural color when she was younger. Sometimes in the same sitting. She'd come visit, I"d look and it would be grey. I'd look again a few minutes later and it would be red.

Interesting...I think this happened because I had a separate recolour for his red hair, it had only that swatch and no other. When he got older, I switched to a WMS file with all the colours, but I think the game left the original file for his other outfit.

dandylion240 replied to your photoset “Sooo…I don’t know what happened (actually I think I might have an idea...”

I miss his vibrant red hair

Then I might have a pleasant surprise for you in...the distant future. 👀

poisonfireleafs replied to your post “Yup, looks like the German class is destined to always be my biggest...”

Ooh, learning German can be so hard. Good luck!

I found that I actually don’t have trouble with the grammar. The grammar seems quite easy to me, everything has its place. When I’m reading something, I often understand what’s in the text. The problem comes when I hear someone speak German lol. I understand very little. It was fine in high school, my teacher spoke slowly, but my teacher here speaks so fast...it’s fun. D:

Also my vocabulary sucks to be honest...I need to work on a lot of things.

toxoplasmajuice replied to your photoset “Okay so you guys might remember that Eliza is a vampire in this save....”

can i just say that the way you wrote this post's caption is perhaps THE funniest way to phrase this

That was my intention, thank you for appreciating it!

desira-sims replied to your post “spoiler”

We don't accept death. They must all live forever. ��

I wish I could promise that...but hey, I’ve turned one of my heirs into a vampire, I could give in with every generation and they could all be immortal...hmm...it’s tempting.

dandylion240 replied to your photo “So I opened the Rose Legacy save for the first time in four months...”

I saw this and thought he'd been abducted by aliens lol

I thought aliens were involved too and it scared me haha. They’re a big part of this legacy (or of this blog in general) but their time to shine is over. We can’t make everything about them, can we?

fataleromeo replied to your photoset “Lucian: “They’re doing it again, aren’t they? They’re kissing. Dang it...”

Haha! Ross, in fact, probably CAN'T control himself, being a rose gen ��

You are absolutely correct haha.

Actually, they used to be able to control themselves. Back when Sunset was a child, they made sure to not have woohoo until they were sure she was away haha. But I guess times have changed and they care less now lol

[jayascorner]

you can’t take my place

tyler joseph x reader

(the title isn’t a joke lol)

•

•

•

piper thompson. the basketball legend. well, at least up to the third quarter of the year.

she had been known school wide for the best basketball player on the varsity team, for a girl. she’s even better than some of the guys. the spotlight was always on her. and sometimes....people were jealous. whenever she got the ball everyone would cheer for her, knowing her name.

this was all until tyler joseph came along. then the saltiness came upon piper. ever since he came, she’s hated tyler’s guts. not just because he’s a basketball player, but also because he took her place being wickedly talented at it. that just made her so infuriated. she didn’t even bother to talk to him about it or even become basketball buddies with him. they could have been, but she judged the book by its cover.

and oh was she wrong about him

“hey piper! you playin’ basketball tonight?” a guy asks. piper is currently at her locker, finally closing it for the day.

“wow! somebody remembers i play basketball.” she scoffs.

“so...are you?” he asks once more.

“yeah. how’d you know?”

he gives her a look like she was stupid or something. “uhh because you’re wearing a jersey.”

she looks down at her feet. “oh. that.”

you see what i mean? it’s like she doesn’t exist in the world of basketball anymore. all because of that dumb tyler guy.

“yo tyler! good luck at the game! OH RIGHT!! YOU DON’T NEED LUCK!” another guy shouts from across the hall, as tyler just smirks triumphantly.

piper hears that from her locker and totally just gapes at him. he glances at her, but thinks nothing of it and walks away.

it’s kinda rare for both varsity girls and boys to play on the same day. that usually doesn’t happen.

but you know what that means? she can watch him and see if he really is that good. and you never know, he might see her.

but anyways, this is a total nightmare for piper.

her spotlight.

going to another guy.

not.

cool.

>:(

but maybe....

she can confront him!!!

...

...nah.

“hey mom!” she calls out as she comes in her house. it’s common for her to walk home, rather than taking the bus or driving. she is an athlete, after all, and it’s best for her to do the most beneficial things for her body.

she comes in the kitchen to see her mom making dinner. “hi honey. how was school today?”

piper sighs. “just as usual.” she says while putting her backpack down. “i just wish that stupid guy would leave the school.” she mutters

her mom looks up in shock. “WHO’S STUPID?”

“oh just this dude named tyler. he’s new to the school, but totally just took my spot. like nobody pays attention to me anymore. it’s like i don’t exist.” she complains, leaning against the counter.

“okay now we don’t call people stupid. and how did he take your spot?”

“apparently he’s really good at basketball. once everybody saw his talent, they left me back in the dust. i feel like they all forgot i even play basketball.”

“aww i’m sorry sweetie. sometimes life can be hard. just try to tough it out. or maybe you can talk to him. you never know, y’all could become friends.”

piper scoffs. “i doubt it. he’s playing tonight anyways.”

“then talk to him! i’m sure you have a lot in common!” she claps her hands once.

“but mommmmm. i don’t want to.” she whines.

“what? is he good looking or something?”

piper stops to think about that. she never pays attention to his looks. but she could say, he’s definitely not bad looking.

“i mean, kind of. i don’t know. but i’m not very fond of him so don’t get any ideas.” she walks over to the table to do homework at.

“how do you not like him? you haven’t even met him yet.”

she just frowns in response.

“oh. you’re salty.”

piper nods in response.

her mom sighs. “you know, you don’t need to be mad at him for any reason. he didn’t do anything. the best way to change your mind is to actually get to know him. anyways, dinners ready. if you want some.”

“i probably shouldn’t. i have a game in 30 minutes, i’ll eat after.” she says.

“alright.” her mom says.

after a few minutes, she is ready to go. but she still has some time to do homework, so that happens. and of course, she doesn’t finish all of it.

“you really need to wear those slides?” her mom asks.

piper looks down at her new f/c slides and frowns innocently. “yes. they keep my basketball shoes from getting dirty. you know we can’t walk on anything other than a court with those.”

“you could just bring another pair of shoes.”

“but with slides it’s easier because you can just slip them on. why are you so against me wearing these?”

“i’m not against them. i just don’t like them.” she says while putting her own shoes on.

“well i like them. so i’m gonna wear them.” piper smiles joyously. her mom mutters a ‘whatever’ and they leave.

~time skip~brought to you by jish and ty kissing each other’s shoulders (ik ik you could’ve read that wrong)

it’s far into the varsity girls game, aka piper’s game. she notices tyler on one of the top benches of the bleachers, but sadly tyler doesn’t notice her.

wait a sec...SADLY??

...what just happened?

there comes a time where they get a foul and piper has to shoot a free throw. of course she’s gonna make at least one of them. she always does. mostly she makes both. everyone is murmuring her name since they can’t distract the player. at least they remembers she’s a good player.

and of course ya gotta hear those dumb cheerleaders chanting. “hey you! at the free throw line. miss it, miss it!” AS LOUD AS THEY FREAKING CAN!

it’s totally rude to say that but i mean, it’s the other school.

and all piper can hear was her own voice in her head telling her how to shoot the ball. because for some reason, she would always think of the steps to shoot the perfect basket. it’s like those cliché moments in movies if you know what i’m saying.

of course she makes the first one, to her luck, getting her team another point.

by the time she shoots the second one, everybody cheers in excitement. nobody is surprised though. piper looks over to where tyler is sitting. he is clapping and seems pretty impressed.

tyler’s pov

do y’all know what’s boring? waiting for a basketball game, when you don’t have much friends to talk to.

but ever since i saw that girl make more that one three pointers and make both free throws, i started paying attention. it wasn’t as boring.

i believe her name is...pipe? wait- no. why would someone name their kid pipe? maybe it’s pie... pier?? no.. none of those are actual names. maybe...piper? that’s an actual name.

if that’s her name, it’s really pretty. but dude! she is wickedly talented at basketball! i could never. i’m quaking.

sometimes i see her in school, but she doesn’t look to be very fond of me. it seems as if she doesn’t like me or something. all the people i meet like me, well i mean they like me as a person. they all think i’m the best at basketball, when honestly, i think this piper girl is better than me.

i’ve also noticed that she’s really supportive of her team. most team members are supportive, but not like her. i think that’s really nice.

okay now i just wanna talk to her.

maybe she’ll stay for my game.

...eh probably not.

but just maybe!

oh yeah that’s right....

i’m singing the national anthem....

yay...

i really don’t know if people actually think i’m a good singer. i just came to this school like 2 weeks ago, and a lot has happened since then. first, they just let me on the basketball team for some reason. and let me remind you, that was way after tryouts were held.

and then, they just ask me to sing the national anthem. i sang like ONCE, and they were like ‘dudeee! you gotta sing for everyone. forget the instrumental track, we want you!’

seriously, i don’t get how everyone loves me all the sudden. oh except pipe. oh- i mean piper. man, i’m really bad with names. i’m still not entirely sure if that’s her actual name. anyways, the only time i saw her acknowledge me was like today, and she seemed completely offended by me. what did i do wrong, you ask? i don’t know what the heck i did wrong. i haven’t even spoken to her. i want to though. she looks pretty sick.

“tyler! come on!” the new coach (which happens to be my dad) yells. i notice that the girls’ game is almost over. my team is warming up, and i’m still on the benches! what is wrong with me...

i run over to my teammates and start warming up with them.

“bro what were you doing?”

i shrug. “just watching the game.”

“dude why? the girls are wimps!” one of them chimes in.

“no, not if one of them is a frikin’ beast at the sport. besides, they have one of the best coaches. i mean, besides my dad.” i say

“true...”

“yeah.” i said.

“but she’s not as good as you.”

i shake my head. “have you seen how many three pointers she’s made today?”

they all laugh. “yeah right man! girls don’t make three pointers!”

“gosh y’all are so sexist! she made at least 5. and that’s really good for a girl.” i say, starting to grow a bit annoyed at my mostly sexist teammates.

“oh whatever.” one says, while all of them scoff.

“tyler you’re up! go!” my dad said, as i realized that our game was just about to start. and yes, i’m singing the national anthem. not that i’m scared of singing in front of people, i’m okay with it, but i’m not the best with attention per say.

as i make it to my designated spot where the microphone is, i meet up with another dude that’s singing with me. i know he has a much deeper voice than me, so he’ll sing the low harmony. wait a sec...i already know this, we rehearsed it already.

i scan the crowd in hopes to see if piper might still be here, and to my surprise, she is in fact, still here. she’s on the very right of the bleachers, in the middle section.

it’s like she’s standing out to me, i don’t know how.

i have a higher vocal range than the average man. it just comes naturally. when the time comes, i open my mouth and the words start flowing out of my mouth to the music.

piper’s POV

we end up winning our game (hehe thanks to me). i asked my mom if i can stay for the boys game. don’t ask why. she said yes, so here i am waiting on the bleachers.

tyler joseph runs up to the mic with another dude that’s taller than him. “now will you all rise as we sing the national anthem.” the announcer says. everybody stands up, including me, and the boys start singing.

now i didn’t know that tyler could be a basketball champ, and a singer. because dang, he has a voice. this really reminds me of high school musical. he is a literal troy bolton!

and maybe you can be gabriella...

what? no! for one, i can’t sing, and two, gabriella didn’t play basketball in the movies.

ugh fine. worth a shot though.

yeah, a bad shot.

now let’s see if this guy is any good.

time skip :D

okay so yes, i can see what everybody is talking about. this dude it good as heck. man, you should have seen how much three pointer shots he got. there were a lot. seriously i need to talk to him, my mind changed. this guy sparks my interest, if you know what i mean.

right as i’m leaving the brown haired boy comes to me.

“um...can i help you?” i ask.

“are you piper?” he asks.

oh wow, how does he already know about me? do people still know who i am? did i not get kicked out of the spotlight?

“yes, and i’m assuming you’re tyler?”

“yeah, i just wanted to say good job tonight, it was pretty impressive.” he complements you.

“thanks, but i’m not nearly as good as you.” i say, and of course it’s true.

he flashes a smile at me, which is actually very charming. “thanks. but really, you should see yourself. you killed it.”

“but really, i could say the same about you.” i state, mimicking him.

“nah. anyways, it was pretty sick seeing you tonight.”

“yeah, see you later.” i say as i awkwardly walk away.

he’s nice, isn’t he?

THE END

hey guys! here i am with another post! i hope you liked it :)

and also, pls like and comment what you think!! i’d love some feedback!

[staytheb]

Really Hoping You Would

Pairing: PTG’s Yuto x OC [Melanie] || PTG’s Yeo One x OC [Serena] Genre: college!au, slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 2,197 Summary: Halloween is over and done with and now it's Christmas time! Both Yuto and Yeo One have something important to asked of their special one during the masquerade party and they hoped that Melanie and Serena will hopefully say yes. part one {Treat Me}

Warning: none. this one is more sweeter than the previous one. lol also like i’ve been mentioning so far, hasn’t been proofread since i’ve last shared it two years ago.

this one is much shorter and although it wasn’t gonna get a part two tbh, my sister somehow made me do one without having to try. it was kinda scary now that i think about it. but it’s a good thing because this story now exists. lol anyways, i had fun looking up pictures and omg PTG in suits is wow. but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"This is really nice." Melanie commented upon seeing the entrance way as she and Serena entered the building. "I'm just surprised they were able to rent out a place this big and nice to hold their little masquerade party." Serena voiced out still checking out the decor as they continued to walk on further. "Welcome, ladies. You all look enchanting tonight for Phi Tau Gamma's Magical Yule Masquerade Ball." One of the young masked males greeted when they came upon the table where they presented their invitations soon after with a friendly smile. "Thank you." "No, thank you." He smiled before marking their invitations.

"Please do enjoy your magical night tonight." "Thanks." The sisters smiled before the male motioned to his left for them to cross over to. "If you head on this way that's where everyone is gathering and the event should be starting soon." "Thanks." "You're welcome." The pair enjoyed another little walkway before actually entering the main venue area. "Wow." Melanie awed as she looked about although Serena was making a face. "What's up with the face?" The younger woman asked the older woman as Serena shrugged. "It went from blue to red so it's a bit weird." "True. Anyways, let's find our table."

Once the sisters found their table and took their seats Serena couldn't help but voiced out her thoughts. "Okay, Mel, I know Yuto is your boyfriend, but did I really have to come?" Serena whispered as Melanie rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Don't act like you and Yeo One aren't an item, Rina." "We've only gone on like six dates." "Yeah, but you're forgetting to count your study sessions and late night hang outs, too." "Because they don't really count." "Yes they do. You guys act more like boyfriend and girlfriend compare to me and Yuto, anyways." Melanie reasoned as Serena rolled her eyes so she wouldn't smile at the thought.

"Yeah, alright." "Stop being such a loner." "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Serena waved her off as she looked towards the dance floor and noticed several men gathering upon it and wondered if it was time. "Is it starting soon? I forgot what time it starts." "Should be. The event starts at seven and we still have six minutes until then." "I count nine. Isn't there ten of the main members?" "That's correct." A male voice answered as the duo turned to see the male lift his mask to reveal it was Shinwon sitting with them before he wore it again. "I'm just chilling before going up there just to mess with them a bit."

"You're still childish as ever." Melanie stated with a laugh as Shinwon flashed her a grin. "When am I not?" "Anyways, how did you know we would be sitting here?" Melanie asked a second later. "Because this table is reserved for just the two of you." He smirked as Serena looked at him weirdly. "Wait, why? This could seat like six more people." "It could, but there's other seats for the other guests and this table is reserved for the dates of the upper PTG members." "Then where are the other dates?" Melanie questioned as Shinwon shrugged. "Dunno. It's just you two for now because I don't think the others invited anyone. I know I didn't."

Shinwon then smiled while standing up and smoothing out his suit. "Anyways, gotta go before they start calling my name through the intercom." After he said that his name was soon called to the dance floor. "Haha, see? Later ladies." Shinwon waved as he left to join the rest of his friends on the dance floor. Melanie and Serena soon turned their attention to the ten males on the dance floor as they all greeted the guests and thanked them for coming. One by one they talked a bit about the theme, the setting, the clothing, and some other things before ending it by telling everyone to enjoy themselves.

"Too bad the twins couldn't come. They would've of loved this." Serena said a moment later as Melanie nodded. "Yeah they would, but I don't get why some of these fraternities always have their events on the same nights. It's like they plan it without actually wanting to plan it like that." "I know right. I remember getting an invite to a BAP Christmas party and one by WNO, too. I feel kind of bad rejecting them." "They'll be fine. Mark tried inviting me, but I ignored it and just tossed the invitation away." "That's rude." "He knew that we're not together and I was already going to PTG's." "True."

Their conversation was soon interrupted by their dates hugging them from behind. "Hi." The males greeted them as Serena turned shy when Changgu back-hugged her before he pecked her on the cheek although she didn't say anything, but just quickly returned the same gesture after Changgu sat down. "Hi to you, too." Melanie smiled as she turned her head to kiss her boyfriend and greeted him warmly compare to her sister. "I'm surprised your not wearing black." Yuto chuckled before taking the free seat next to her. "I wanted to, but the boys changed the color of my suit and I didn't notice until it was too late."

"Well, you still look good either way." She patted his thigh as he leaned in for another kiss. "Thanks." He then eyed her outfit with a tender smile. "I'm glad that you turned out even more stunning now that I see the overall image." "And I have you to thank for that although we aren't matching." "Still, I happy to know that the earrings really complement the dress and you." Yuto chuckled as he and Melanie share another kiss. "I swear you've become really cheesy lately." "I owe it all to you." "Stop." Their moment was soon interrupted when someone let out a cough to get their attention.

Both Yuto and Melanie turned to the source of it. "Anyways, I'll be borrowing Serena for the rest of the night if you don't mind Melanie and leaving the two of you lovebirds to your own thing that was going on earlier before I interrupted." Changgu grinned as he pulled Serena to her feet as Melanie shook her head with a smile while casting a look in Serena's direction. "Nope, I don't mind at all. Actually, Yeo One, you can keep her forever." "I wouldn't mind that." "Hey, I'm still here, y'know?" Serena interjected causing the other three to laugh before she was whisked away somewhere with Changgu leading the way.

"I hope those two finally make it offical. He's been driving us crazy on whether to ask her tonight or not for weeks now." Yuto said as he watched his friend before the couple disappeared from view. "Well, Yuto, for all of us he better because she's driving me and our friends crazy with the late night talks they've been having lately." "Which reminds me that I wanted to ask you something, Melanie." Yuto said as he brought his girlfriend's attention back onto him causing him to turn a bit shy. "So I know it's kind of late since winter break starts next week and we all get to go home."

"Mmhmm." Melanie hummed as she waited patiently for her boyfriend to continue. "Well, I was wondering, well more like hoping if you would..." He suddenly grew quiet and avoided eye contact, but he took a hold of her hands in his for comfort. "If I would what?" She leaned closer so that he would look at her while squeezing his hand in reassurance for him to continue. "It's okay, Yuto. You can ask me whatever it is that you wanna ask me." Yuto let out a long breath as he faced Melanie with a little more confidence than before. "If you would come back home with me to meet my family for the holidays?"

Melanie froze as she stared at the male. "Excuse me?" Yuto repeated his words as he slightly frowned after saying them. "I know it's sudden, but my mom really wants to meet you." "Oh so you be talking to your mom about me, huh?" Melanie teased causing Yuto to grow flustered at the revelation. "Yeah, but it would be cool if you could come." "I would love to, but I already made plans with my own parents." Melanie cast the male an apologetic look before smiling after seeing his dejected expression. "But I think I could convince them that I can visit another time since they'll still have Serena."

Yuto brightened upon hearing those words. "Really?" Melanie nodded. "But that would mean my mom would want to meet you, too when we have another break." She told him after as Yuto grinned while nodding. "That's fine. I really don't mind." He leaned forward to give Melanie a peck on the lips. "Thank you." "For?" "For agreeing to come see my parents, especially my mom." "Well, you're very welcome then. Anyways, how long do I have to mentally prepare myself?" "Um, tomorrow?" "Wow, really?" "I did say it was kind of last minute." "That's hella last minute." "I know, but I'll help you prepare." "You  better." The two shared another kiss.

Meanwhile for the other couple Changgu had led Serena away from the venue and outside so it would be just the two of them. "Green's a really good color on you." Changgu complimented as Serena smiled while the two walked hand-in-hand. "Well, I hope so, Changgu, since you were the one that picked it out." "Haha, did I?" Changgu asked like he didn't know. "I have good taste." "Again, I would hope so since I'm your date." "And I wouldn't have it any other way, Serena." Changgu said as he stopped walking causing Serena to stop as well and she turned to face him.

"Thanks for coming, Serena." He smiled at her before casting her a knowing look. "Although I have a feeling it took Melanie to convince you to actually come?" Serena shyly chuckled as she bit her inner cheek out of habit and nodded. "Maybe just a little or so. Okay, maybe it was a lot, but I'm here aren't I?" Changgu laughed as he leaned in to peck her on the cheek. "Yes, you are and I appreciate it." Serena smiled as she looked around the place. "Alright so, what are we supposed to do now?" The female finally returned her gazed back onto the male who was shyly looking at her and Serena's eyebrows furrowed. "Um, you okay?"

Changgu let out an awkward cough before taking both of her hands into his. "I've been wanting to ask you something for weeks now although I've liked you a lot longer than that." "Mmhmm." "And I'm really hoping if you would say yes once I ask you." "And that would be?" Serena inquired although she had a feeling of what it could be, but wanted to make sure so she waited for him to continue. "Well, Serena," He began although there was a long pause before he mustered up enough courage to finally asked Serena that one question that's been floating in his head since some time in November, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Do I have to answer?" Serena teased which caused Changgu to instantly frown upon hearing her words and how she was reacting to the question and Serena tried to bring the mood back up. "I'm sorry, Changgu. I was just teasing, but I think I might have taken it a bit far." She looked down and heard him sigh a second later. "It's okay, Serena. I guess I was just expecting something too much that it wasn't really gonna happen in the end after all." Changgu admitted with a flat tone and Serena looked up to see him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Let's get back to the others and enjoyed the rest of the night." The male said as he turned away while letting go of Serena's hands. "Changgu, wait." The female said as she took a hold of his hand again causing the male to face her again with a confused expression although he remained quiet. "Changgu, I, well, I, yes." She agreed although Changgu had no idea what she meant by it until he actually processed her words and broke out into a bright grin. "Really?" "Yes." Serena re-confirmed as the male soon wrapped his arms around the female's body before placing a kiss onto her lips.

"Now I can finally change your contact number to 'My Girlfriend' with a heart." Changgu grinned as Serena rolled her eyes. "And currently?" "My Soon-To-Be-Girlfriend." "Wow. Should I change yours to 'My Boyfriend' with a heart then?" Changgu nodded in approval. "What did you save me as?" "Yeo Changgu." "What, Serena? That's too much." He pouted as she laughed before placing a kiss onto his cheek to cheer him up. "Don't worry, Changgu. I'll change it since you're my boyfriend now." "Oh, right. You have to." He grinned as he laced their fingers together. "How about a dance?" "For you, okay." Changgu chuckled as he led them back inside.

[sussexcraze]

Better than Roast Chicken [Harry and Meghan One Shot]

So…. I gave in and decided to write about Meghan spilling the baby news to Harry. I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to make this because it is weird to retell real-life events of real life people, but all the ideas have been bugging me and I wrote this one shot because my fluffy and sappy heart can’t take it we all love a royal baby. I totally understand if you don’t like reading works like these; feel free to scroll past this! But if you’re up for it, I’ve put it under the cut!

Even before entering the Royal Family, Meghan always prided herself in her ability to ground her emotions and to stay calm in a spectrum of situations. Whether it was her grueling acting days or her trusty yoga routine to thank for this, Meghan knew that a clear head and a calm and collected mindset have aided her in treading through anything thrown at her with such grace.

Up until moments ago, however, the ever composed and unperturbed Meg was now a complete and utter mess.  

It took her three pregnancy tests - and a solid 10 minutes just staring into nowhere - before it sunk in that she was pregnant. There’s a baby in my tummy,she thought. I’m going to be a mother. Harry’s going to be a father.

As she laid on their bed, Meghan’s thoughts were everywhere. Harry was out on a meeting for their Oceania tour, so she was home alone. Without her husband to listen to her litany of commentaries, Meghan was in shambles trying to sort the wave of thoughts that were bombarding her. Her mind flew straight to the tour - she knew the news of her pregnancy would affect it drastically. It’s been planned for months, Meg, she tried to convince herself. They’ve probably forecasted all possible situations and have prepared a dozen of backup plans.

“Have they been so forward thinking as to expect a pregnancy, though?” Meghan muttered to herself. As ecstatic as she was about her little bean, she would be sorely disappointed if she was advised to forego the big tour.  

Her worry lines went even deeper at the dilemma of who to break the news to first. She was itching to tell her mom, who has been nagging her and Harry to give her a grandchild from the moment they were signing the registers in St. George’s Chapel. But then again, shouldn’t Her Majesty be informed first?

And then there was Harry. Oh, dear Harry. Meghan’s features softened at the thought of Harry finding out that he was going to be a father. He’s been itching to become one even before they met, and Meghan was giddy at the thought that she would be bringing forth to the world that dream that he has been holding onto for so long.

Meghan grinned to herself as she started thinking of how she would break the news. He’s a sucker for surprises, Meghan thought to herself. He’ll love a little bib that says ‘daddy’s little angel’ or something. Or maybe I could give him a card that says from Meg and little bean -  

“You better be feeling a lot better because that meeting was long as hell and I had to go through with it all by myself.”  

Meghan was so engrossed with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Harry arriving. She stood up and strode to Harry in one go, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re here already? How’d the meeting go?”

Harry sighed loudly, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Too long for my liking, as always. And more than half of it was all about press arrangements and media-related concerns for the tour, which we both know is the least exciting part of any meeting.” Harry pulled her closer. “And you, how are you feeling? Still tired?”

“Oh, about that…” Meghan nearly forgot that the reason Harry attended the meeting alone was because she was feeling unusually tired for the whole day, and he insisted that she forego it. “I’m feeling a lot better, actually,” she replied. “The afternoon off was well appreciated.”

Harry smirked. “And have you done anything productive during this afternoon off? And by productive, I mean cookies for your husband? Or samosas?”

Meghan couldn’t resist a laugh. “Sorry love, neither. But… I think I’ve got something… better?”

“Finally!” Harry stretched his arms dramatically and cheered like a five-year-old. “We haven’t had roast chicken for so long… please tell me it’s roast chicken.”

That’s it, Meghan thought as she let out a big grin. All the surprise plans are going out the window.

Meghan shook her head slowly as she smiled to the floor. “Strike two, Henry. Something else is in the oven.”

Frankly, Meghan wasn’t surprised when her food-driven and dork of a husband ran straight to their kitchen instead of her arms. Good heavens, was this man not fed during his 34 years of existence?

“Meg, I love you to death, but you never joke about food with a man who is starving after a three-hour meeting!” Harry nearly screamed as he shut the oven door. “What could possibly be better than roast -”

Harry’s words came to a halt as he turned to Meghan, who was standing a few feet before him - with her hands on her belly.

“Not that oven, you dork,” Meghan paused, then chuckled to herself. “Why did I marry you again?”

Meghan could almost see the gears in Harry’s head move like clockwork, and suddenly, his eyes widen ever so slightly, his mouth agape. Meghan watched him with intensity as his eyes moved from her face, down to her stomach, and back to her face again. Harry was… his expression was indescribable; all that Meghan knew was that it was the exact reaction he had the moment she said yes during that night last November.

Harry dashed to Meghan in mere seconds and engulfed her in a big hug. “Meg, I’m going to be a fa- are you really- ” Harry’s eyes widen, immediately taking a step back to put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I - was that too tight?” Harry whispered, his eyes filled with concern.

Meghan laughed heartily at her husband’s reaction. “I’m okay, Harry.” She took his hands from her shoulders and placed them gently on her stomach. “We’re okay.”

Of course, Harry lost it then and there. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stroked Meghan’s belly. Ever the heart-on-his-sleeve man that he was, Harry was not afraid to show what he was feeling; from his eyes, his grin, and down to the slight tremor of his hands on her stomach, his euphoria was palpable. “I- I’m going to be a father, Meg,” Harry whispered as he put his forehead against his wife’s. “We’re going to have a little bean.”

Meghan’s jaw was aching from smiling, but it didn’t bother her one bit. She took the time to wipe her husband’s tear-stained cheeks. “That’s right, daddy.”

Harry chuckled slightly, grabbing her hand from his face to kiss her knuckle. “Mhmmm, it’ll take some getting used to to hear someone else calling me daddy, am I right-”

“Harry!” Meghan barked as she hastily covered his mouth. “You are- no dirty talk of any kind!”

Harry feigned being hurt. “Who said it was dirty talk? And really, it’s going to take some getting used to, considering how often you call me -”

“Aaaaand, zip,” Meghan retorted. She turned her back to him and headed for their bathroom. “If you’re done with your tantrum, Henry, you can come and check the pregnancy tests if you’d like.”

Harry beamed with what he heard and immediately beelined for their bathroom. As Meghan handed him the tests, Harry looked at them with fascination, his grin practically plastered on his face. “I still can’t believe it, Meg. We’ve been waiting for this, and it’s finally here.”

Meghan sighed as she hugged him from behind and placed her chin over his shoulder. “You and I both. I love you, Harry.”

Harry’s features softened. He turned ever so slightly, and cupping her little chin with his fingers, he gave his wife a kiss. “I love you too, mummy,” he replied after.

Meghan pulled away and gave him a quizzical look. “You mean, mommy?”

Harry sighed and smirked at Meghan. “Oh dear, we didn’t think this though, did we? Our poor child’s going to have the most confusing and mixed up English vocabulary for life.” Harry reached out for her stomach to touch it gently, then faced her wife with a sly grin. “Right, mummy?”

Meghan rolled her eyes at her husband. “Well, since you’re not pushing a whole human being in six months time, maybe you can give this one to mommy?”

Harry laughed in response. “No doubt about that, mum- mommy!”

———————————————————————————————————–

Hours and about a hundred tummy kisses later, Harry and Meghan were in bed, with Meghan snuggled tightly into Harry’s arms. It was always how they slept, except this time, his hand was splayed over her stomach.

Just as she was off to dreamland, Harry stirred and nudged Meghan slightly. “Meg, you awake?”

Meghan sighed. “I am now.” She turned to him and gave him a half-asleep look. “What is it?”

Harry stifled a laugh at how she looked. “Before I forget, I wanted to tell you that for the record,” Harry sat up and kissed her stomach one more time. “…this is way better then roast chicken.”

My writing’s a little rusty, so sorry if it’s kind of all over the place. But I hope you liked it! I’m not sure if I’ll continue writing more since I kinda feel bad about making fictional stuff on real people, but I truly adore Harry and Meghan so I might just end up writing from time to time lol would love to hear from you guys!