#while the other two are wearing an open jacket with sleeves and one of those button collars

[descendant-of-truth]

I was messing around with an earlier design for Sonic that I made and thought people might enjoy these

[slushycoookie]

Hey, Hey, It's Your Birthday! ~ Miguel O'Hara x Fem! Reader (18+)

Word Count: 3.8k

Content: You go to the fair with Miguel. Brief mention of vomiting. Miguel hates those rides to death. Fried butter (yeah, it's a content warning). Face sitting. Oral sex, fem! receiving. Vaginal sex.

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WIFE AND GR! MIGUEL CREATOR @bluesidez! It's officially your birthday for me now, but you deserve everything you want in life and more. So take this little something something I made for you.

GymRat! Miguel who's very excited about your birthday.

He’s planned for it ever since you two were together: what to do, where to go, and what he would do to you. However, that last part was for later.

He didn’t give you many details of what he was planning, either. He only told you to wear something comfortable but still cute due to the cooler weather. He didn’t leave you any room to ask questions, either.

GymRat! Miguel who picked you up early.

The place you two were going to was open all day, but he thought it was best to go early. When he greeted you at the dorm, he was blown away. Your outfit, albeit comfortable with the black cargo pants and matching long-sleeve shirt, was cute.

“You look gorgeous.” Miguel said with a kiss, careful not to mess up your make-up.

“Thank you. So do you.”

He looked down at his denim jacket and sweatshirt, grinning at your compliment.

“Anything for my baby.”

GymRat! Miguel who still doesn’t tell you where you’re going. He did say the drive was far, about forty-five minutes away and to get comfortable. You pull up a fall playlist and connect your phone to the aux cord. There, you two make those minutes fly by, jamming out in the car.

GymRat! Miguel who gave himself a mental pat on the back at your gasp when pulling up into the parking lot.

It’s a fall fair that’s supposed to be there for a few weeks before moving on to the next state. You had mentioned going to one would be fun. You couldn’t think of the last time you been to one. Miguel thought taking you to the fair would be an impressionable birthday gift with many things to do.

The rides, the food, the games. Everything there to make it the best birthday ever. At least, he hoped so.

“What do you think-”

“I love it!” You hug his neck and pepper his face with your kisses.

GymRat! Miguel who decided to start with the rides first. Work up a good appetite and not worry about you two throwing up later.

There were a myriad of options to choose from. Rides that spin you high in the air, shake you back and forth, or spin you while you're sitting down.

“What do you want to start with?”

You hum, taking a look at your options.

“I saw one where you have to grab on handlebars while the ride spins very high.”

“You gonna be okay with that?” Miguel watched the ride in question, seeing the ride go high up in the air as people held on tight.

You merely nod, taking his hand to stand in line.

As you two got closer and closer, Miguel kept asking if you were sure you wanted to do it and how there were many other rides the two of you could go on.

“Are you sure you don't wanna go on this ride?”

“Huh? What? I'm fine.”

“Mmhm.” Your cute grin isn't lost on him, “It's okay. I'll hold your hand the entire time.”

“I said I was fine.”

GymRat! Miguel who was not fine.

His heartbeat could be heard in his ears, and sweat clung to his neck. His legs almost shook when he stepped on the ride, and you were blissfully unaware. Children halfway below his age were more ecstatic than him, gripping onto the two bars and grinning with glee.

You matched the energy of the children as you shimmied, chain in front of you for security.

“You ready?”

“Uh-huh.” Miguel gulped and you leaned over.

“Hey, we really don't have to do this if-”

“I'm fine, I'm fine.” He gives you a smooch as if to reassure you. But it was also for himself.

GymRat! Miguel who had his eyes shut the entire time.

Surrounded by screams, a mix of enjoyment and fear while the ride spun around and around. Miguel had a death grip on the bars when the ride slanted, angled in a way where he felt higher than before. He tried to take a risk by popping one eye open, but at the wrong time, the ride made them so high up that he could see the cars in the parking lot.

At least he heard you enjoy yourself, your screams matching the pitch of the kids.

“That was so much fun!” You hold on to his arm, giggling and laughing. Miguel was holding on to you too, a little dizzy, stomach twisting. Didn't help that someone quickly ran out of the ride to vomit in the nearest trash can.

“I'm glad you had fun…”

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Mhm. What's next?”

“I can get you some water or something.” You start looking around, but he stopped you.

“I'm ok. Really.”

He was going to kick Gabriel's ass the next time he saw him. Giving him so much trauma to the point rides make him uneasy. But that wasn't going to ruin your day.

“Okay. I saw this one ride that drops you. Come on.”

Miguel’s stomach churned at that as you’re pulling him along. It still does it when you two are strapped in next to another couple. He's watched six other people before him release blood-curdling screams once the ride drops them, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.

“Can you hold my hand?”

You instantly take it, seeing his uneasy face. “I got you.”

GymRat! Miguel who hated that ride the most.

As the two of you went higher and higher, the grip on your hand got stronger. His heart picked up in speed, and sweat reached his palms. You gasped at how high up you were, seeing the entire fair in your line of sight. Miguel admires your incredulous face, the uneasiness going away at how much of a good time you were having.

Then came the drop.

You and Miguel let out the same shriek when the chairs dropped down. The drop hit his stomach and made him queasy. And it only lasted two seconds.

“Fuck that…” The guy from the couple next to you two let out.

Miguel wanted to fist-bump him in solidarity.

You were just fit as a fiddle, with no hints of being sick or anything worse.

“So fun!”

“Very fun!” Miguel then groaned, holding his stomach.

“Ok, let's get you something to drink.”

You got two glasses of water, and he gulped it down like he hadn't had a drink in years. Good enough to make him feel better. Although he wasn't sure if he could take going on another death ride.

“You know, I saw think I saw a ride that's perfect for you.”

When you took his hand, you led him to a car line, similar to a zip line that takes you all across the fair from above. It was not extreme or intense, which would make him sick, but a nice, gentle ride.

GymRat! Miguel who was grateful for your generosity.

He can do heights if he isn’t hurled at unpredictable speeds.

The car line was peaceful. It was slow, taking the two of you through the entire fair. He could see those death traps, making more fairgoers its victim. The rows of games that you pointed out were the ones you wanted to go to later. The scent of fried food hit his nostrils, an endless amount of options to pick from.

“See? This isn’t so bad right?”

“It’s not.” He kissed your hand, and you smiled at the affection.

When getting off of the ride, your stomach growled in unison—time to eat.

The lingering scent of fried food and freshly popped popcorn radiated all over the fair. You two ordered from a few stands before carrying the food to a wooden bench. Miguel sprawled out his arms as if it were a gourmet meal.

“Bon appetit.” He kissed his fingers for emphasis.

It was standard fair food. A hot dog and fries topped off with an orange slushie. But there was a main thing Miguel wanted you to try.

“Ever had these?” He presents to you fried oreos, displayed on a tray with a dash of powdered sugar.

“No. How good are they?”

“Better than fried butter.”

You scrunched your face, “Ew, you had that?”

“Blame my brother.”

Miguel handed you a cookie, dusting some of the sugar off so it wouldn’t stain your clothes. He leans forward while watching you take a bite, a glint in your eyes.

“Oh my god.”

“Is that a good ‘oh my god’ or?”

“Gimme some more.”

He handed you another one, and you hummed at the crispy yet fluffy texture. “Why haven’t I had these before?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what boyfriends are for.”

You managed to get powdered sugar on your shirt, which Miguel quickly wiped off. He also made a mental note to tell the group chat that the fried oreos were a win.

GymRat! Miguel who declares the rest of the rides off limits since you two ate.

You weren’t mad at all once you saw the endless number of games on display. There were so many options to pick from, from knocking off bowling pins to aiming three darts at balloons to win a prize. This was your day, so Miguel wanted you to pick the ones that caught your eye.

One game involved you two blowing enough water in a hole to fill a clown head. You stretched your arms in preparation while Miguel rolled his neck.

“Winner gets this little guy!” The booth owner showed you two a small, orange rubber duck.

“That’s you.”

Miguel playfully rolled his eyes, “You just called me cute.”

The timer counted down. 3…2…1!

Miguel was hyper-focused in trying to get the water into the hole. His eyes darted back and forth between his clown head filling up and then yours. You’re obviously a pro, as your head managed to have more water than his. That wouldn’t stop him, his thumbs pressing the buttons harder, under the impression that more water would shoot out.

But he had to admit defeat as the bell rang at your victory.

“Yes! In your face!” You jumped up in your chair and did a little victory dance. Miguel couldn’t be upset since your dance was adorable.

The rubber duck was presented to you, and you showed it to him with glee.

“You got a name for it?”

“Hmm, I like Miggy.”

The two of you laugh at the honking noise the prize makes when you squeeze it.

The next game consisted of dart throwing. Miguel saw this giant, blue teddy bear, making his mission to give to you. He wasn’t bad at playing darts, but now, with his girlfriend watching his every move, he was going to be great at them. The objective was to pop the same colored balloons to get the prize. He had to pop three white ones to get you the bear.

“You got this.” You cheered him on and kiss him on the cheek, before giving him some room.

GymRat! Miguel who lined up the first shot perfectly, hitting the white balloon with ease.

Your cheer made his chest swell before moving on to the next one. The balloon was slightly higher, but it wasn’t an issue. He stretched his arms when the second balloon popped. Almost ready to win his girlfriend the prize.

The third time he throws the dart, the wind blew and it curved to the blue balloon, popping it.

Miguel threw his arms up, “Are you serious? Did you see that?”

“I saw it.” The guy who ran the booth said, “No prize for you.”

“Let me try again.” Miguel started digging into his pockets and you stop him.

“Hey, it's okay. I don't need it.”

“You don't, but today is your special day and I'm getting you that bear.” He pulled out more tickets for the owner. Three more darts are placed in front of him and you continue to cheer him on.

Everything was the same. He managed to hit two balloons, but not the third one.

“This game is rigged.”

“Or maybe, you suck.” The guy teased.

Miguel tsked, pulling out more tickets. “One more time.”

“You know, I think I saw the same bear at the game with the goldfish.” You whispered but he shook his head.

“No, I saw the bear here and I'm gonna get it for you here.”

“Okay, babe.” You accepted defeat, walking back with your hands up.

Once again, three darts were placed before him, and he took a deep breath. Miguel took his time, not caring if a line was forming behind him. He was going to win this for you. The first dart hit its target, then the second one. On the third, he paused, waiting for any amount of wind or subtle distraction to keep him from winning that bear. With confidence in his chest, the dart landed, popping the final white balloon.

Miguel hugged you tight while you cheered for him. A couple of passersby applauded him for his achievement.

The booth owner frowned, handing him the stuffed bear. “Congrats.”

Miguel presented the bear to you with a giant smile. Seeing it overshadow you when you tried to hold it, he decided to hold on to it for you.

“I should get you something.” You ponder among all the booths you haven't gone to yet.

“It's your birthday, not mine.”

“For my birthday, I want to win something for you.”

Miguel wasn’t going to push back and let you decide where to go.

There was a booth that included a ring toss. And a cute stuffed bunny with a bow that practically had Miguel’s name on it.

The game was simple: toss the rings on the bottles. If you managed to get five, you won the stuffed animal. Easy peasy.

“Let me know if it's hard.” Miguel said, “I can always do it.”

“It's okay, I got it.”

He didn't doubt you at all. Not when you managed to toss five rings with ease. Able to carry the medium-sized prize in your arms. Miguel was so glad to have someone like you.

Before returning to the car, Miguel circled to the food area to grab another batch of fried oreos. The two of you munching in the car as he drove back.

“Did you have a good time?”

You nod, licking the powdered sugar from your fingers. “I did! Thanks for taking me.”

At a stop light, Miguel gave you a peck on the lips.

“The day isn't over yet. Are you okay with staying at my place? Peter won't be there until tomorrow morning. So it's just us.”

“Of course, I'm okay with that.”

GymRat! Miguel who contained his excitement when pulling out a couple of gift bags.

After returning from the fair, you two showered, put on something comfortable, and turned on a vlog about restaurants making bread. Your eyes lit up at the bags in front of you.

“Oh god, don't tell me you went overboard.”

“I didn't go overboard. Just see.”

He hands you the first present, the glitter-covered bag shining in your eyes. You pull out a pack of satin bonnets, in various colors from blue to pink.

“You know I got a bunch of these, right?”

“It doesn't hurt to have more.” You pulled out the same pack, and Miguel quickly grabbed it. Uh, wait. I think those are mine.”

“You got some bonnets too?”

“The nice lady at the register gave them to me for free, and I thought, ‘We could match.’”

“We could.”

You open the pack and choose the blue one, putting it on. Miguel did the same and you two quickly go in for a cute selfie.

“There’s more.” Out of the bag, there's a hoodie with the same satin texture. “Just in case you didn't feel like wearing your bonnet.”

“Why would I sleep in my hoodie though?”

“Sometimes the heat doesn't work in these buildings.”

You snort and pull out a few satin pillowcases. Miguel doesn't look at you and pretend the bakers making cheese-stuffed bread was more interesting. Only to get smacked in the face with one.

“How many satin-related items did you buy?”

“Only those!”

“Are you sure?” You started digging into the bag, but your suspicions were relieved when there was nothing else.

“See?”

“There’s still another bag.”

Miguel handed you the next one, a bit smaller and lighter than the first one. You raised your brow, and he swore on his life that there was nothing else related to satin.

Instead, you pulled out a pink sweatshirt, white shorts, and matching sneakers. Miguel gave himself another mental pat on the back for getting your sizes right.

“We don't have to workout every day, but I thought if you do want to go to the gym with me, we could wear these one day.”

He went into his dresser and pulled out the same pair.

“I can't believe you wanna match with me.”

“I love you. I'd wear anything you wear.”

“Careful, I might take it to heart.”

“Please do.” Miguel held your hand in his, “I would wear anything you'd ask, I'm so serious.”

“Miguel…” You pushed the gifts aside to kiss him. His hands are on your back, not once having you part ways from him. Your giggles are absorbed into his mind as his lips cover your face.

Now, he could bring up his next present.

“You should sit on my face.”

“You know it’s my birthday, right?”

“I know.” Miguel tugged along the hum of your pajama pants, “This is another one of my gifts to you.”

Your eyes flicker with uncertainty, not meeting his gaze. “You know I’m heavy.”

“Baby, do I need to bring up how much I lifted last week?”

He met your eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t force you into something you didn’t want to do. He wanted to cater to you in any way he could.

“Okay.” Miguel would get up and click his heels together if he could. “You have to pinch me if I’m smothering you.”

“I don’t care if I die in between your legs.”

“Miguel…”

“Okay, okay.” He gave you a reassuring peck, “I will.”

GymRat! Miguel who felt his pants getting tight already when you slowly pull off your pants. You’re taking your time, as if you were waiting for him to back out and change your mind. He was adamant. He wanted you on his face. Nothing will change his mind about that.

He helped you maneuver on the bed. Already he can see your pretty cunt above him. Your thick thighs enclosed around his head. He’s had too many dreams about this.

“Don’t hover. You better sit.”

“Fine.”

Once you sit, he’s immediately on you.

Miguel can’t help but groan into your cunt, you being his most favorite thing to taste. His fingertips press along your thighs to make sure you keep steady. His tongue parted your folds and bumped along your clit. The tip circled around it, making you shift above him.

His toes curl, hearing your sweet sounds of pleasure. Not to mention with every flick of his tongue, your thighs squeeze along his head. Miguel grunted into your pussy when you do that. Your hips rock into his face, and he moves with you. His lips enclose around your clit to suck on it.

“Aah!”

Miguel placed a hand on your back, not stopping when he sucks once more. He’s rock-hard at this point. The urge to pull down his pants to fuck you was increasing. He flattened his tongue and licked a stripe up, your back following the same motion. You grip his hair after that. Miguel’s tip leaking cum when you pull on it. A shiver surrounded him, groaning to get you to do it again. You get the hint.

He’s alternating between sucking your sensitive bud and prodding your hole with his tongue. Surrounded by all of you, the love of his life. Miguel’s tone was light when he mentioned being okay to die between your legs. But he was serious.

The rocking of your hips picks up speed. The tight grip he has on your thighs waver, having trouble keeping you steady while eating you out. He knew you were close when your thighs tightened around him. You’re whimpering, begging for him to keep going.

“Please don’t stop, please I’m almost there…”

Miguel doesn’t. One last suck to your clit, causing you to tremble above him. Your moans reaching to the ceiling while you squeeze around him tighter. It does get harder to breathe but he doesn’t tell you that. He inhaled when he could, prolonging your orgasm by circling your clit.

He masked his disappointment when you got off—licking his lips while watching you come down from your high.

“You got any more gifts for me?”

Miguel pretended to think it over, “I think I have a few...”

Your naked body was pressed along the wall. He sunk his wrapped cock into you while his tongue brushed along yours. Miguel made sure your legs were tight around his waist, holding the underside of your thighs.

He thrusted up into you, shaking the room of his apartment. It’s a very good thing Peter wasn’t here. Miguel’s been wanting to do this to you for a long time. His quick thrusts into your slick sex, you holding on to the nape of his neck while crying in his shoulder. He hoped all of the other presents didn’t compare to this.

“You feel so good…” Miguel muttered, focusing on your plump, delectable body. “So good…”

You couldn’t say anything back as his tip pressed along your G-spot. Your mouth wide open, eyes rolled to the back of your head. He swore he could see a dribble pool from the corner of your lips. His grunting and groaning align with your moaning and whimpering. The melodic sound of skin smacking against skin in the background.

“Oh, I love you…I love you…” You babbled, nails digging into his neck.

Miguel shuddered, thrusts faltering. “I love you too.”

With the combined sensation of his pelvis rubbing along your clit and his cock hitting your cervix, it doesn’t take long for you to climax again. Your walls around him cause his balls to tighten. Miguel wasn’t too far behind, and he unloaded into the condom. His heavy breath fanning your head.

GymRat! Miguel coated your face with kisses before nuzzling your neck. Still having enough strength, he placed you on his bed, not resisting to give you another kiss, especially since your face had a look of pure bliss.

“Happy birthday.”

[etherealising]

flew like a moth to you

read part one here

pairing: richie jerimovich x fem!reader

summary: thoughts of a certain infuriating older man seem to keep racing through your mind and as the two of you continue crossing paths, you’re bound to be drawn to the flame you ignite in one another.

warning (s): implied age gap | language | angst | verbal arguments | smut | titty suckin | dry humping | p in v | unprotected sex | foreplay | dad bod richie | vaginal fingering | cunnilingus | blowjob | oral sex | penetration | richie’s pull out game is immaculate | edited to the best of my ability |

wc: 16k (i’m sorry y’all i just wanna be their third real bad)

The summer breeze drifted through your open bedroom window as you sat on your bed while Xiomara rooted through your closet looking for something to wear for her date the following night. You weren’t sure what was so special about your closet considering you knew Xio’s taste in clothing was more expensive than yours but the both of you treated each other’s apartment like a thrift store whenever you visited.

You scrolled through the calendar on your laptop organizing the upcoming tutoring dates for the next few weeks making sure they didn’t interfere with the days you were working with the summer reading program at the library. You were beyond grateful you didn’t have to sign up for a session of summer school this year, even though you were still doing academic-centric jobs it felt nice to do something you enjoyed without being trapped inside a classroom.

Summer break was treating you exceptionally well even after it only being a few weeks. You’d been recruited by a family friend of one of your students to help tutor their middle school-aged child, and while they could be a pain in the ass at times, the pay was too good to pass up, pair that with the summer reading program through the local libraries you were working at and you were set until the next school year began. Although you were working you still had time to yourself, finally not too tired to miss a night out, even falling back in love with your hobbies because you weren’t dead on your feet from chasing around sticky six-year-olds.

“Ohh wow, this is actually so cute I love the fit of it. Did you thrift it?” Xio’s words drew your attention, your eyes still focused on the digital screen before you finally looked up to see what she was talking about.

You frowned trying to ignore the irritation that crawled through you at the sight of the suit jacket hanging off of Xio’s shoulders. “No, it’s uh not mine.”

Xio’s eyes lit up at the crumbs you’d given her in just those five words, a large grin lined her lips as she slipped out of the jacket holding it up to the light streaming through the room to examine it. “Girl who’s fucking jacket is this? And why the fuck does it smell like a forest?”

A chuckle left your lips eyes rolling as you shut down your laptop before setting it on your nightstand and folded your legs to your chest doing your best to keep a neutral expression. “Just some guy I met.” You shrugged your shoulders hoping you sounded nonchalant.

“Mhm,” Xio’s hum was punctuated by her throwing the jacket at you. “Was it that guy you went on a date with? The boring finance guy?” Her eyebrows raised as she looked at you in question, she had that smile on her face like she already knew the truth.

You played with the sleeve of the jacket, finger tracing around the cuff link. “Okay, so there was another guy.” You bit your lip to hide your smile as Xio squealed before bouncing onto your bed, her hands clapping in excitement.

“When was this?” You didn’t even get a chance to respond before a dramatic gasp ripped through her. The sound seemed to fill up the whole room. “You sneaky girl you got wined and dined by finance bro and then ended your night with mystery jacket guy?” You weren’t sure how she did it but it was like Xio knew things without having to be told it was a superpower of hers.

“I wouldn’t call it wining and dining if I paid for my meal.” The two of you scoffed in disgust at the same time before divulging into a fit of laughter, you’d completely forgotten the way you left out the moment you shared with Richie when you first debriefed your friends on the date.

Maybe it was selfish but you had a strong urge to keep what happened between you and Richie to yourself, sure that another opportunity like that wouldn’t present itself again, not that you even wanted it to. The following school week he hadn’t dropped off or picked up Eva and instead of taking it as a personal slight against you, you took it as a sign from the universe that whatever happened between the two of you was just an outcome of the passion brought on by your arguing, a moment of lust filled weakness.

Xiomara laid on her stomach propping her head in her hands as she looked up at you, “So, any reason you haven’t returned his jacket?”

You shrugged looking down at the fabric in your hands before standing to hang it back up, “I chickened out.” It wasn’t a lie you had every intention to stop by the restaurant and drop it off but every time you worked up even the littlest bit of courage you always talked yourself out of it. “And I don’t even think he cares about it.”

“You are so full of shit!” You didn’t have to turn around to see Xio’s eyes rolling or the knowing look she often wore. “You like him!”

The scoff you let out wasn’t even believable to your ears as you exited the room, Xio’s feet eagerly padding behind you as she caught up before plopping down on the stool at your island while you grabbed the takeout menus from your kitchen drawer and tossed them onto the island.

“Absolutely not, if anything I tolerated him. He’s actually fucking insufferable.” You eyed the menus trying not to catch Xio’s eye.

“Oh, so you knew him prior to that night then?” If you thought Richie was insufferable Xio was being even more insufferable as she gave you the third degree in your apartment. You couldn’t be upset though, you knew you’d be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed.

You were just glad that the whole friend group wasn’t here to gang up on you. You hesitated before speaking, pondering the best way to go about the situation, not particularly in the mood to hear the wild fantasies Xio would come up with. “He’s the father of a student I had this year.”

Xiomara’s scream of excitement was exactly last thing you wanted to hear at that moment as she shot out of her chair and ran around the island to jump up and down in excitement with you, your energy far from matching hers. “Wait till everyone hears you bagged a dilf! They’re gonna fre-,”

“What? Xio, no!” You placed your hands atop her shoulders, halting her excitement before it could get too out of hand. Eyes watching as she folded in on herself lips turning into a full-on pout, “I didn’t bag anybody, I almost fucked him in a parking lot and I haven’t seen him since, that’s it, end of story. Now can we please choose what to order?”

It was beneath you but you gave her the puppy dog eyes, feeling victorious as you watched her completely deflate before nodding and pulling you into a hug, “A parking lot?” She looked at you with mirth in her eyes before you swatted her on the arm with the takeout menus.

The two of you divulged into less Richie-centric conversation, your mind sometimes wandering to the mystery man. Did he think of you as much as you thought about him?

You knew the universe could be cruel, but at this point, you felt like whatever higher power was in control of the timeline of your life found joy in putting you in the most awkward and unexpected positions you could imagine. Case in point being the small blonde child soundly asleep in the backseat of your car, as you stared up at the daunting building facade of a restaurant you had zero intentions of ever visiting again.

You could have easily said no, apologized to Ms. Gattina over the phone, and let her know it wasn’t your job to shuttle kids to and fro once your shift with the library reading program finished for the day, that once the clock struck 2 p.m. the children in the reading program were no longer your responsibility. But then you found Eva sitting all alone at the library help desk long after all the other kids were picked up sitting and listening as the librarian spoke to her mother over the phone to explain the situation and while you wanted to help in any way, you’re not sure what made you agree to dropping off the forgotten child with her father.

A feeling of unease rose inside you the longer you sat there. While you knew you were putting yourself in an awkward position by involving yourself in the middle of a familial dispute, hearing Ms. Gattina’s stressed pleas as she divulged probably more than you deserved to know about the stress she felt with the possibility of Eva being left alone along with said stress brought on by her ex-husband, you found yourself agreeing to her request out of some misplaced feeling of guilt.

And now all you had left to do was drop Eva off with her father, hope that he was aware his ex-wife enlisted your help, and be on your merry way and hope this doesn’t become routine. Sighing one last time you gathered your belongings along with Eva’s bag full of goodies given out before stepping out of the car and hurrying around to the back seat to get the still-sleeping child.

“Eva, sweetie,” your voice was quiet as you gently shook her shoulder trying to wake her. “I need you to wake up.” You stopped as the little girl let out a quiet whine obviously not ready to be roused from her sleep, another sigh left you as you carefully undid her seatbelt and reached in to lift her out of the car hefting her onto your hip and checking the back seat for anything she may have left behind before closing the door and locking your car as you headed to the entrance.

You were surprised at how easily the door swung open, positive it would be locked considering the restaurant wasn’t open to business at this time but you gave it little thought as you stepped into the air-conditioned establishment. It was odd seeing the restaurant like this, quiet not filled with the hustle and bustle of nightlife, the ambiance much more different than the one you experienced when being a paying customer. It was an eerie feeling but it also wasn’t the reason you were there.

The small voice emanating from your neck made you jump, eyes shooting down to Eva’s bleary blues as your eyebrows raised in confusion unsure of what she said. You watched as her small hand lifted, tiny finger pointing in the direction of the kitchen before she spoke once more.

“S’uncle Carmy.” Your eyes moved from the tip of her small finger to look through the small sliver of window that offered a peek into the kitchen, surprised to find a group of people all talking over each other, you weren’t sure how you hadn’t heard the raised voices before but as you continued staring the ongoing argument was made more obvious.

The one person you needed to notice you was nowhere to be found and you couldn’t help the sense of worry that filled you, because if Eva’s father wasn’t here what the hell were you supposed to do with her? Hopefully whoever the hell Uncle Carmy was could take her off your hands, before you could even think about your next course of action you locked eyes with one of the women standing in the group, her own eyes dropping to the child in your arms in recognition.

You breathed a sigh of relief as she excused herself from the conversation, not that anyone paid her words much attention as she moved out of the kitchen and began making her way to you.

“Hi, sorry to just show up but Ms. Gattina asked me to drop Eva off with her father. I messaged him but he didn’t respond.” You gave the woman a forced smile trying not to stare at her heavily swollen belly before realizing she deserved a more thorough explanation. “I was Eva’s second-grade teacher this past school year and I work with the summer reading program through one of the libraries and Eva’s…” You trailed off as the woman raised her eyebrows in amusement at the frantic way you were speaking.

The woman sent you a gentle smile before moving closer, “It's okay, Tiff told me to be on the lookout for you two.” Her hand raised as she gently caressed Eva’s head causing the little girl’s head to poke out from its place resting in your neck, her eyes brightened as much as they could in her tired state as she smiled at the woman in front of you. “Just a bit of friendly advice Richie’s back there on the phone with her now and he did not sound happy.”

You gave a nod of appreciation her underlying tone telling you it was best to get the hell out of dodge, you sent her one last smile before craning your neck to look down at Eva, “Alright sweetie I’m gonna leave you here with…” you trailed off unsure who this woman was to the young girl.

“Aunt Nat…by association at least.” Your eyebrows raised at her words, the sound of them not providing you with any more confidence to leave Eva in her care.

But before either of you could speak another word his tall figure emerged in your peripheral vision, the glare he was sending your way not what you expected. You watched as his expression changed when his gaze dropped to the small girl in your arms, it was almost instantaneous the way his eyes lit up mouth settling into a gentle smile as his hand reached to softly rub up and down her back, his hand bumping into yours before he carefully extracted her from your arms.

“Hey, little monster.” His voice rang through your ears as Eva let out a small giggle before throwing her arms around his neck, the two of them squeezing each other las though their lives depended on it. You tore your eyes away from them as he began whispering to her eyes finding the only other person in the room only to find her already looking at you curiously as you offered a small smile. “Nat could you uh, take Eva for a bit the two of us need to speak.” His words were punctuated by his hand gesturing between you and him.

The woman you now knew to be Nat stood there for a moment before nodding her head as Richie set Eva down so she could walk. You let out a small laugh as Eva moved to wrap her arms around your legs in a goodbye hug before you squatted to her level passing off her goody bag, the small child wrapped her arms around your neck in one last goodbye hug before moving to follow her aunt. “C’mon Eva, why don’t you show me all your goodies in the office.” Nat sent you one last smile before spiriting the two of them away.

You stood to your full height next to Richie both of you watching as they disappeared through the kitchen before the older man rounded on you, hand shooting out with lighting speed as he gripped your bicep and pulled you further from any prying ears in the kitchen finding a perfectly good corner to berate you in.

“Who in the fuck do you think you are?” Richie’s lips curled into a sneer as he looked at you awaiting your answer, the anger he felt translating his iron grip on your bicep.

Frowning, you shook your head confused as to why you were the object of his ire before he spoke over any words you’d thought about spewing. “Waltzing in like some fucking hero carrying my daughter and shit like you just did me the biggest favor in the world.”

Your anger was beginning to peak at the hostile attitude you were receiving, the confusion quickly replaced by how irate you were beginning to feel as your hand came up to shove his arm off of you watching in satisfaction at the look of surprise with how much force was behind it.

“I don’t know what the fuck your problem is Mr. Jerimovich, but you’re not going to stand here and berate me like I deserve it.” Your brows pinched in irritation as you took a step closer into his space, the man's huffs of breath hitting your face. “And for the record, I didn’t do this for you, because while Eva may have been happy to see you a moment ago, you don’t know how distraught she was sitting all alone at the library thinking you’d forgotten about her.” It wasn’t necessary but your last few words were followed by your fingers poking harshly into his chest as you tried to get your point across.

Richie clenched his jaw as your words rang in his ears as he took that last step closer to you closing whatever distance was left between the two of you, your chest brushing against his every time you breathed. “Don’t you ever fucking speak on me as a parent ever again? You fucking hear me?”

The timbre of his voice dropped exceptionally low, his words having taken on a warning tone as they ghosted across your lips. The anger he was stewing in basically emanated off of him, you knew you should have taken his warning, should’ve nodded your head and been on your way and washed your hands of the whole situation but against your better judgment, you just had to have the last words.

“Maybe next time, don’t put the responsibility of parenting your child on me.” You should’ve expected the blow-up, it was written all over his face the moment he saw you upon exiting the kitchen, but for some odd reason when it came to him you just weren’t satisfied until he looked like he hated you.

You let out the breath you’d been holding as he turned to walk away from you, only to be surprised when he spun back around just as fast, finger-pointing in your face as he backed you further into the corner.

“Fuck you!” His voice boomed across the restaurant, your eyebrows raised at just how loud he was, eyes darting behind his imposing figure as you hoped his outburst wasn’t loud enough to draw attention. “You think you’re so much fucking better than me huh? Well, guess what sweetheart, if I’m such a shitty fucking parent what does that make you then huh? Letting me spread you out in pub-.”

His words cut off as you placed your hand on his chest before shoving him back remembering that regardless of how he felt about you, you didn’t have to sit there and take it not getting much further as he quickly moved around you to stand right back in front of you, “No, I’m not fucking done with you.”

“You think because you put on a suit and tie it makes you important?” You paused waiting for him to digest the words, watching on as the anger that once marred his face gave way to confusion. “You’re a 40-year-old fucking nobody.” You watched the hurt flash across his face, a sick feeling of satisfaction coursed through you at just how much you could hurt him with just your words as you tried to ignore the small inkling of guilt you could feel rolling around inside.

Richie’s jaw clenched and unclenched several times, you followed the movement, eyes lingering longer than necessary at the peak of his Adam’s apple over the collar of his shirt before watching as he opened his mouth to speak only for you to beat him to it.

“Tell me this Richie, are you the type of man you would want Eva surrounding herself with?” The question wasn’t meant to rile him up anymore, it was a genuine question you thought he deserved to sit with. And as you stepped around him you tried not to let the embarrassment take over you at the sight of the audience that had since gathered listening to your spat.

Only offering them a small apologetic smile followed by a nod of your head as you took your leave, vowing that you wouldn’t ever give Richie another moment of your time willingly.

Richie did his best to listen intently as the woman across from him spoke passionately about her accounting job, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the circle of condensation that dripped off his glass of water. Dating was still weird to him, the idea that he was no longer loyal to the one person he planned on spending the rest of his life with would sometimes creep up on him when he least expected it, reminding him of how much of a failure he was in this life after already spending four decades on this earth.

The woman across from him wasn’t boring by any means, she was a great conversationalist and while her topic of conversation wasn’t anything to write home about, he appreciated the obvious love she had for her work. Since he decided to move forward with his life Richie’s dating history was mediocre at best, dates were few and far between and that was mostly due to his lack of trying and busy schedule with the restaurant, but on the nights that he did secure a date he was at least somewhat interested in it never felt like that interest was returned; as though he’d never met the level of expectations his dates held him to.

Familiar laughter made Richie sit up straighter in his chair, the restaurant wasn’t particularly quiet in any way but the fact that his ears latched onto that specific noise forced him to pay better attention to his surroundings. Richie’s eyes quickly found the source that caused the ringing in his ears; his hand unconsciously moved to adjust his tie and suit jacket as though doing so would catch the culprit's attention.

There you were tucked into one of the few darkened corner booths in the establishment, eyes locked on the person whose arm you were tucked under, whatever they were whispering in your ear was funny enough to deserve your laughter. Richie found himself watching you, unsure as to why he felt as though he couldn’t look away, the two of you weren’t on good terms by any means but for some reason he always found himself drawn back to you no matter how much you and your attitude pissed him off. He wasn’t even sure how he knew it was your laughter having only heard it a handful of times and never because of him, but it wasn’t like he could just un-notice you no matter how upset your words and observations from weeks ago made him.

If Richie was sure about anything in his life at the moment it was that you were avoiding him, or maybe it was the other way around. Whatever the case was neither of you had contact with the other since you both spewed such scathing words to each other at The Bear, whenever it was his day to pick up Eva from the reading program it was like you were nowhere to be found even though he knew Eva preferred being by your side while she waited. Richie hadn’t realized just how much the whole ordeal frustrated him until hearing Eva make a passing comment about how she thought Frank was funny because you thought he was funny. His frustrations seemed to reach such a point that Syd even brought the argument up to him doing prep one day helping him to see the error of his ways in taking his frustration out on you when you were only doing what his ex-wife asked of you and putting Eva’s safety first when you could’ve easily left his daughter all alone because of his mistake.

He was pulled from his train of thought by his date across from him, the furrow of her brows had him rushing to assure her that he wasn’t ignoring her, using some excuse about how life at The Bear made him scatterbrained and while it definitely wasn’t the reason his mind wandered, with all the new shit Carmy was implementing it also wasn’t a lie. And that’s how the rest of his date went making idle conversation with a woman he was almost positive wasn’t interested in a second date with him as he let his eyes subtly drift to your corner every so often trying to ignore the way watching you radiate in your happiness made him feel a bit better about the whole night. Although seeing you tucked so snuggly into that corner against a man that wasn’t him made him envious.

Richie would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved when his night ended and even more so relieved at the amicable decision to not take whatever this was or could’ve been any further. But he was less than relieved to find you standing on the sidewalk waving off who he assumed to be your date for the night as you stood all on your lonesome, no ride in sight. He tried to tell himself it was none of his business, that it wasn’t his responsibility that you made it home safe, but he also couldn’t allow himself to return to the safety of his own home only to wonder if you’d ever made it home at all. Maybe offering you a ride could extend an olive branch, he could even offer up the apology you deserved during the drive. But more than that, any chance you got you put the care and safety of his daughter first, he told himself it was only right to return the favor.

One of his hands reached to loosen his tie before he forced himself to put his pride aside and take the few steps he needed to get to you. Unsure of how to breach the topic of conversation he gave himself a few minutes watching as you scrolled absentmindedly on your phone, his irritation not only growing at the fact that you were left here alone but also the fact you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings.

Richie cleared his throat before speaking, “Did they just leave you here with no way home?” It was a straightforward question and maybe he should have approached you differently as he watched you jump and clasp your phone in surprise at the sound of his voice.

The silence lingered between the two of you as Richie watched your eyes land on him in recognition, your eyes ran over his attire before looking from him to the restaurant. He took the time to let his own eyes roam trying to ignore the way your chest rose and fell as you tried to calm down from the fright before his eyes moved further down your figure, silently and respectfully drinking in the way the fabric of your outfit hugged your figure.

Richie tugged at his tie as he awaited your answer, eyes latching onto the bare skin of your shoulder where the strap of your outfit had fallen from when he scared you. He cleared his throat before looking into your eyes once more.

The noise seemed to rouse you from your stupor as you blinked away your surprise before opening and closing your mouth until you landed on the best response. “Why? Gonna critique my choice of date again?”

Richie bit his tongue ready to do exactly that, he decided to forego the eye roll and scoff he felt was necessary before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks rocking back and forth where he stood trying to decide if it was even worth offering you a ride with how comfortable you seemed to just stand there waiting.

“How was your date?” The curiosity was obvious in your voice but Richie didn’t allow himself to think anything of it as he raised his eyebrows in your direction.

A chuckle escaped him as he watched you look anywhere but his eyes, maybe this was your way of trying to keep the conversation cordial and make up for your snarky question. “What makes you think it was a date?”

“I…walked past your table when I got here.” He followed the motion of your head as you nodded to the restaurant, your eyes falling to his dress shoes afterward. “Seemed like you were having a good time.”

Richie shrugged his shoulder kicking a small pebble on the sidewalk, “Not as good as you and your date seemed to have.” He knew it wasn’t the answer you were expecting as he watched your eyebrows raise as you finally looked at him, but he hoped his curiosity would pay off.

As another silence settled between the two of you, Richie was sure that was his sign to leave. While the two of you could engage in conversations that lacked substance, maybe it was best not to push this moment between the two of you into hostile territory and just cut his losses when he could.

The sound of your voice made Richie’s brows raise as he listened to the timber of your voice dance through his eardrums. “What makes you think it was a date?” The slight uptick of the right side of your mouth had Richie biting back a smile of his own, a smile that he wasn’t interested in giving a second thought at that moment.

“The two of you seemed real chummy in that dimly lit corner. But you’re here and he isn’t so I’m not sure what to think anymore.” Richie wasn’t sure what forced the words out of him, but he couldn’t deny the enjoyment these less-than hostile borderline flirty moments between the two of you brought him.

His eyes tracked the way you began chewing on your bottom lip, a part of him hoped you were just as confused as him in the feelings department. “Now, what kind of person would I be if I made him choose between me and the surgery he was called into?”

A fucking surgeon of course. Richie couldn’t help but let his mind drift to your words in the restaurant about how he was four decades into life with nothing to show for it. The ice-cold claws of reality sank further into him as he stared at the small smirk that painted your lips clueless to the inner turmoil raging through him.

Richie shrugged, settling back into the cocky facade he always wore, “Seems to me like he didn’t make the right choice.”

The surprised laughter that forced its way out of your lips caused a genuine smile to grace Richie’s lips while he stood only feet from you watching you indulge in his stupid words as Chicago’s nightlife painted you in a cacophony of colorful light imprinting a most memorable image of your joy into his mind.

There were two options for Richie at that moment, end the conversation with you here and be on his merry way. Or he could offer you the ride he’d planned upon first walking over here and make sure you made it home safely; he decided on doing the latter.

Richie eyed you for a moment longer hyping himself up as his eyes landed on the naked skin of your shoulder one more time. His long legs closed the distance between the two of you before he reached his hand out, fingers tracing up your skin as he adjusted the strap in its rightful place, the appendages lingering longer than needed before he dropped his hand back to his side.

“You uh…want a ride home?”

Silence wasn’t ever something that bothered you much, sometimes it was just nice to appreciate the moment without a bit of sound passing, but sitting in Richie Jerimovich’s car with nothing but the quiet sound of the radio station to fill the void of silence as he drove to your apartment bothered you more than you’d liked to admit.

And if the awkward car ride wasn’t enough here the two of you stood just outside your apartment door as you searched through your clutch for your keys. You couldn’t be sure what compelled you to invite him up or what even compelled him to accept the invitation but it felt too late to rescind the offer as you slipped your key into the lock, standing in the quiet hallway as the door knob gave way before moving to the next lock.

You could feel the heat of him against your back as you worked the lock, trying to ignore the involuntary goosebumps rising on your skin rushing to push through to your apartment before turning to him with a tight smile and gesturing him inside. You watched as he hesitated, probably as apprehensive as you considering your track record with each other before he stepped over the threshold into your abode allowing you to close and lock the door.

A quiet deep breath filled your lungs as you hyped yourself up for what you were about to do. In the short amount of time you’d known him, Richie Jerimovich was a consistent pain in your ass but you also couldn’t deny the sensual touches and hungry kisses the two of you shared in the parking lot all those nights ago, or the way you oftentimes found yourself thinking about the older man. And if you were being honest with yourself, you felt guilty for the scathing words you left him with when dropping Eva off.

Turning from the door your eyes landed on the back of his suit jacket watching as he stood in your living room with a framed picture in his hand. It wasn’t surprising that he would look around your home, but the sight of him in your space didn’t make you as uncomfortable as you first thought it would.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” You leaned against the island to take off your shoes as you let your question linger in the air, looking up to already find him staring at you, hands clutching the picture frame.

He cleared his throat before turning to place the frame back where he found it, “Just a water…please.”

You nodded, moving to the sink and washing your hands before grabbing two glasses out of the cabinet and filling them up with the filtered water from the fridge. You turned to find Richie standing opposite you on the other side of the island as you held out the glass to him ignoring the way his fingers brushed yours as he took hold of the glass.

“Thank you for driving me home tonight.” you paused as he shrugged off your words like they were no big deal. “I really appreciate it.”

This whole ordeal felt awkward, him sitting here in your home, the two of you playing at being cordial or whatever the hell this was, especially considering the few words he’d spoken since stepping in were curt with no room to continue the conversation.

“Don’t mention it,” he raised the glass of water to his lips taking a sip. “Should probably drive yourself if you plan on going on any more dates.”

You couldn’t help the smile that spread across your lips as you chuckled, knuckles drumming against the counter as Richie’s words of warning rang through your ear, an obvious shot at the fact he’d found you alone outside the restaurant waiting for the car that was sent for you.

“Why? You not gonna be there next time to take me home?” You raised your eyebrows letting him know his words weren’t as subtle as he might have thought they were.

“I dunno, you gonna invite me in if I do?” Richie’s lips pulled into a smirk as he watched the visible surprise encapsulate your face at the fact he was willingly bantering with you after all of the harsh words previously shared between the two of you.

Snatching the glass out of his hand you turned to refill his half-empty cup needing a moment to compose yourself before you allowed your interest in him to get the best of you and make a mistake you’d be sure to regret. Reminding yourself of the initial reason you invited him up with you, and it wasn’t for the two of you to go tit for tat with flirty words.

“I…uh,” you cleared your throat as you spun around to hand him the glass back. “I want to apologize for what I said to you…about you all those weeks ago.”

You watched as his lips settled into a grim line, eyes falling to your hands that sat between the two of you flat against the surface of the island. “It wasn’t fair of me to call your parenting into question. It’s really none of my business-”

“No uh, you were right,” you stopped mid-sentence as Richie’s voice interrupted you, confusion marred your features as he spoke once again. “I fuckin’ forgot about her.” The admission seemed to weigh heavy on him as you watched Richie sink in on himself, his shoulders losing the tenseness they usually held as he moved to sit on the stool at his side plopping down on it unceremoniously.

“That night she uh…Eva just started crying about how scared she was, how she thought she wouldn’t see me again. And it sounds ridiculous as I say it, but she’s a fuckin’ kid ya know everything is the end of the world to her.”

You didn’t interrupt him, allowing the man to speak about a situation that took up a lot of space in his mind. It wasn’t your place to listen and comfort the man across from you, but the two of you were already so messily entangled with each other that you couldn’t bring yourself to stop his venting.

“You uh…you didn’t deserve all that shit I gave you at the restaurant, I was just blaming you for my fuck up, using you as a fuckin’ punching bag. So I uh…I want to apologize 'cause I was being a fuckin’ jagoff disrepectin’ you and shit by bringing up the parking lot.” He’d finally looked up at you, his cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment looking as though he’d just been scolded for his transgressions against you.

“I’m sorry for speakin’ to you like that, it wasn’t right and you didn’t deserve it.” The intensity of his gaze froze you in your spot as he bestowed you with a proper apology. “And thank you for looking out for Eva the way you do.”

You nodded, sending him a tight smile as you let his words soak in appreciating the fact that he was aware of just how uncouth trying to shame you about the moment you shared with him in the parking lot was. If you were a worse person you would’ve allowed him to take the brunt of the blame, and as much as you hated admitting you were at fault for something, the least you could do was match his vulnerability with a sincere apology of your own.

“Thank you Mr. Jerimo-,” you paused as his index finger gently tapped the center of your palm, eyes landing on yours as he shook his head with a slight frown, the understanding washed over you immediately. “Richie…thank you for apologizing. But you should know that I only said those things out of anger, and I know that’s no excuse…I just lashed out intending to hurt you. And I’m sorry for using your insecurities against you.”

It felt immature as the words left your lips, finally speaking aloud your reasoning for even insinuating that he was a bad parent. And maybe it was just wishful thinking but it felt as though the two of you understood each other just a bit more, not that the conversation was deep enough for anything of the sort but through all your run-ins with him you’d gathered that he didn’t respond well to his parenting being called into question.

Your eyes fell to your palm where the pad of his finger remained, the lightest bit of pressure still there. The organ in your chest picked up speed as you watched the appendage slowly begin moving further across your palm skating closer and closer to your pulse point all you could do was watch, the feeling of yearning you felt just a few short months ago returning more intensely than the last time.

“Eva has a bracelet similar to this.” His whisper was accompanied by his thumb swiping across the skin of your wrist just under the material of the bracelet. You felt frozen as his eyes looked up to meet yours, thumb grazing back and forth as he waited for an answer.

You gave a slight nod trying to ignore how touch-starved you felt, the calloused pad of his thumb provided you with such a small comfort you weren’t aware you were yearning for. “I know,” your eyes bounced between his eyes. “It was the last day of school activity I did with the kids.”

Richie’s thumb caressed the vein on your wrist once more, a gentle back-and-forth guiding motion. You watched as a tiny grin curved the side of his mouth, and his eyes fell back to the accessory snuggly wrapped around your wrist.

He thought it was cute the way you wore something you made with your students long after they moved on from you. His heart warming at the thought of Eva being taught by someone as thoughtful and as kind as you, well at least when it comes to children. A stray thought raced through his mind wondering if life would ever offer him the chance of surrounding himself with someone like you. As his thumb continued to absentmindedly trace back and forth across your pulse point he came to the harrowing realization that what he longed for wasn’t someone like you; it was you.

You watched in real-time as the small smile dropped from Richie’s lips and his thumb stilled on your wrist before snatching his arm away as though he’d been burned. Your eyebrows creased in confusion at the visceral reaction making you question if you did something to unknowingly cause it.

Richie’s tall figure rising from the barstool guided your eyes, “Thanks for the water, but I should head out.” His words sent a wave of dismay through you as you quickly schooled your features, nodding along to his words as you tried to put on a neutral front watching as he walked around the island towards the front door.

You followed after him, mind straying to the article of clothing that hung in your closet. He hadn’t asked for it back but you intended to return it to him all this time and the longer you stood there thinking about it the harder it felt to willingly part with the jacket. Was it weird of you to want to keep it for just a little longer? The thought left as easily as it came when Richie began unlocking your door and another more pressing matter came to the forefront of your mind.

“Richie,” his slender form turned around faster than you expected and you looked into his eyes unsure of how to word your next sentence, the fleeting idea of asking him to stay crossed your mind before you wrangled your thoughts and settled back on your initial inquisition. “I uh know it’s been a few months but I just wanted to make sure…no one knows about that night, right?”

You felt vulnerable under his stare as you watched his eyes flash in recognition slowly roving over your figure, drinking you in like you were the last bit of water on earth before he cleared his throat looking into your eyes once more, a slight dusting of pink atop his cheeks. You held his gaze trying to ignore the tension-filled air as you were more than positive both of you were silently remembering the short-lived affair of that night.

A quiet intake of breath filled the living area of your apartment as you allowed Richie to close the distance between the two of you, his fingers slowly reaching out entangling with yours, the two of you enraptured by the other’s stare. A moment of silence passed between the two of you before his unoccupied hand hesitantly reached up nimble digits softly ghosting the side of your neck, eyebrows raising in question as you offered him a small nod of approval before his hand came to gently grip your neck, his gaze never once leaving yours.

“I told you that night nothing was gonna happen didn’t I?” The way the rough pad of his thumb stroked back and forth against the side of your neck had your eyes fluttering shut as you leaned further into his body head slowly nodding along to his words. “No one saw us. I promised you that…and I wasn’t gonna let anything happen to you even if someone did.”

Your eyes fluttered open as you felt the breath of his sentence against your lips. The hand entangled with your fingers slowly traced a path up your arm guiding over the bracelet on your wrist and ghosting over your pulse point before settling on your tricep, his thumb massaged gentle circles into the muscle in tandem with his other thumb moving from caressing the side of your neck to your jawline.

The two of you easily could’ve stayed in that position all night just basking in each other’s gaze, the both of you teetering dangerously on the edge of this will they won’t they game you both seemed adamant to indulge in. You found yourself standing in his embrace imagining what things would be like between the two of you if that night went further than it did, maybe you wouldn’t be standing here in your apartment wishing that one of you was brave enough to make the next move and send the two of you spiraling into whatever kept drawing you back to the other.

It was almost imperceptible and if it wasn’t for his nose gently bumping against yours as he breathed you wouldn’t have realized he leaned in. You wanted more than a lean in, you wanted to feel his kiss against your lips, to allow his work-weathered hands to map out your body. But as you searched his eyes you realized his uncertainty matched yours, you could meet him halfway easily and maybe that’s all you needed to do. To let Richie know you were just as unsure as he was, but you were willing to test the waters as long as he was.

A moment of hesitation passed before your eyes fluttered shut once more as an insurmountable amount of want swelled in you as you allowed yourself to take what you wanted, what was willfully being offered to you. Your free hand reached up to press into Richie’s chest just before you leaned in softly slotting your lips against his, pressing a gentle apprehensive kiss onto his lips appreciating the way his hand just under your jaw gave a slight squeeze when you moved to pull away, carefully keeping you in place increasing the tenderness of the kiss, the hairs of his mustache tickling the tip of your nose.

Pushing off his chest caused your lips to slowly detach from his, your eyes not daring to open as his forehead pressed into yours, lips ghosting together with each breath you shared. You could feel his hand flexing against your neck, your hand burning as you felt his heartbeat against it. A gasp escaped your lips as his hand left your bicep to grip the other side of your neck tilting your head back just slightly, your eyes shot open to quietly watch as one of his thumbs glided across the seam of your lips with a sense of awe.

Richie’s pupil seemed to swallow the blue of his irises as you looked into his eyes watching in wait as his eyes darted around your face cataloging whatever features he could get his eyes on before finding yours once more. On instinct your hand that wasn’t on his chest moved to grip his left wrist, fingers delicately tracing the veins on his hand before subtly turning your face into his wrist and placing a lingering kiss to his pulse point relishing in the quiet groan that rumbled through his chest.

Having Richie in your apartment like this was dangerous, but as the shrill ringtone of an incoming call rang through your apartment you couldn’t help but feel disappointed that another moment with the man was interrupted, maybe for the best. You weren’t sure if the deep breath he let loose was in disappointment or relief as the heat of his forehead moved from yours followed by the roughness of his palms and he stepped out of your space before reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.

“Hey little monster what���s going on?” You watched Richie’s back as he spoke into the phone shame filling you at the thought of telling him not to answer when the phone initially rang now that you knew it was Eva on the other line.

You tried to calm your racing heart hoping it wasn’t visibly obvious just how much the man affected you in such little time. You weren’t sure what to do with yourself having never felt awkward and out of place in your apartment before, knowing that you looked ridiculous just standing where the older man left you as you tuned out his conversation, instead moving to the frame he picked up earlier and adjusting it to its rightful place so you at least didn’t look like you were just waiting for him to finish his conversation.

The clearing of Richie’s throat from where you left him had you spinning around to face him trying to keep your eyes locked on his face even though seeing him stand there with his tie loosened and hands in his slacks made your mind race with dozens of scenarios.

“I should be getting home.” Richie’s rough voice reached your ears and the earlier disappointment returned tenfold.

You nodded, sending a forced understanding smile his way, moving to once again close the distance between you two only stopping just before you invaded his personal space folding your hands in front of yourself and trying to appear as unaffected as possible. “Thank you for the ride, I'll uh pay you back.”

“You think I helped you today 'cause I wanted somethin’ from you?” His voice dropped an octave as he straightened up eyes moving all across your face as he awaited your response.

You hesitantly shook your head at his words unsure if you could string a coherent sentence together with the way just his look heated you. You stood silent as he took a step forward invading your personal space once more, not that you minded as you allowed his hands to grip your waist lazily holding you in place as though he knew you had zero urge to be rid of him or his touch.

No words were spoken as you allowed his hand to slowly glide from its place on your hip up the curve of your torso biting your lip at the touch before once more finding purchase cupping the underside of your jaw and forcing you to hold his stare.

“I helped you because I wanted to.” His hand slowly began its descent down your neck before skating across the bare skin of your clavicle and landing atop the strap of your dress, fingers gently playing with the fabric. “Don’t think you owe me anything for it okay?”

Richie’s eyebrows raised as several seconds ticked by without a response from you, hand giving a soft squeeze to your shoulder in a bid for you to show him you understood.

“Okay.” Your voice was nothing more than a whisper as you gently nodded enraptured with the trance he seemed to put you in.

“Good,” the timber of his voice was punctuated by his thumb and forefinger slowly pushing the strap of your dress off your shoulder, leaving the skin fully exposed to the cool air of your apartment, his eyes burning into you as he caressed the space your strap once sat. “You should get out of these clothes and get some sleep.”

You stood still as he leaned in to place a soft kiss on your forehead before removing himself and leaning in to brush an opened mouth kiss against the skin of your shoulder. He pulled back before you could even ask for more, you watched as he gave you one more longing look before turning his back to you and taking his leave.

Quiet music drifted through your apartment as you sat in your living room. A relaxing glass of wine sat on the coffee table next to the puzzle you started working on not long after Xiomara left, your nighttime shower and skincare routine having already been knocked out. You usually didn’t stay up this late, but your weekly dinner with Xio ended later than usual as the two of you filled each other in on anything interesting that happened in your lives, including your little back-and-forth with a certain older man.

The sound of knocking drew your attention, you brushed it off as your neighbor. They were always up doing random shit at this time. Another round of knocks led your eyes to your door. You realized there in fact was someone knocking on your door at almost midnight. You were happy to just ignore it as it seemed whoever the culprit was gave up due to the silence but the sound of quiet cursing raised your curiosity so you rose from your position on the floor deciding to check the peephole.

As you gazed through the peephole you were surprised to see Richie’s figure turning to head back down the hallway presumably to the elevator. Confusion swept through you as you tried to think of any reason he would be at your door so late at night only to come up empty. In a split second without much thought, you were undoing the locks on your door before swinging it open.

“Richie?” Your quiet call of his name stopped him in his tracks, eyes burning into his back as you waited for him to face you curious about his presence. “It’s almost midnight, is everything okay?”

You tried to think of any reasons he would be in the hallway leading to your apartment at this time, surprised to see that he even remembered where you lived. He spun on his heel to face you, your eyes darted around his figure to make sure there wasn’t anything physically wrong with him but found he seemed to be unscathed dressed in what you were still getting used to being his usual attire; a dress shirt and tie with slacks sans a jacket.

His lack of speaking was worrying you, and you were sure a few nosy neighbors would quickly poke their heads out if you continued speaking out into the hallway any longer.

“Did you want to…come in?” The confusion was evident in your voice but you felt relieved as he gave a slight nod before making his way back to your door and stepping into your apartment. He walked past you as you closed and locked your door trying to figure out what the next steps were in this situation.

You moved to walk around him, sending a small smile his way as his eyes followed you, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need me to call anyone?”

It was like Richie realized just how weird he was being showing up on your doorstep late at night, offering you no words or explanation. Maybe it was the worry in your voice that finally got through to him. “No sorry I uh,” he paused, clearing his throat before settling into the man you were used to interacting with, taking a small step forward into your space. “I wanted to see you.”

The sincerity in his words took you by surprise, and a flurry of emotions swam through you, relief that nothing was seriously wrong with the man followed by a fluttering in your chest at the idea of him randomly showing up on your doorstep just to see you.

“Oh.” The lackluster reply was the best you could do as you tried to reign in the way a simple sentence made you feel.

Richie’s chuckle drew you from the thoughts racing in your mind eyes meeting his as he watched you, almost like he could see your thought process, “You uh look pretty busy though sorry for interruptin’ you.”

You followed as his eyes looked to the coffee table over your shoulder, a smile lining your lips as you turned to look back at him, a false sense of confidence radiating through you. You reached out for one of his hands taking a step forward to close the minuscule distance separating the two of you and gazing into his eyes as your chest brushed against his with every breath.

“Did you want to help?” You couldn’t help the way your eyes trailed from his eyes to his lips then to his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. Your mind envisioned a myriad of sinful ideas about his beard before you cleared your throat to find his gaze once more.

A more serious look settled across his face as his own eyes were preoccupied with something else before he gave a small nod in agreement.

“Yo no! There’s no fuckin’ rules to puzzles.” Richie’s voice boomed through your apartment as he pointed at the puzzle pieces in front of each of you.

Laughter bubbled out of you at how passionate his argument was becoming, you weren’t sure if it was the wine getting to you or if the lack of animosity between the two of you was finally allowing you to relax in Richie’s presence.

The pounding on your kitchen wall made you jump in your seat surprised by the noise but unsurprised by the yelling that followed, “Shut the fuck up over there!”

“Oh fuck you!”

You raised a finger to your lips trying to get Richie to quiet down as you fought to control your laughter, not wanting to wake up with a noise complaint taped to your door. You watched as the frown on Richie’s face smoothed out before a smile grew on his face and his laughter emerged.

A small smile remained on your face as you replied to Richie’s earlier grievance, “Everyone knows you build the border of the puzzle first.” You pointed down to the border you’d barely added to since Richie’s arrival, instead allowing him to regale you with what his night consisted of, surprised to find that he’d been just a floor below you for most of the night with friends and you never would’ve known if he hadn’t decided to visit you.

Richie sucked his teeth before looking at the puzzle pieces you pointed at, shaking his head as though they offended him, “No, you leave the border for last cause it’s the easiest. Brings the whole picture together.”

You didn’t want to admit that his point was valid so you shook your head in disagreement, “Come on, building the border is like building the foundation of the puzzle.” Your hand traced the bit you’d put together so far before motioning to the irregular-shaped pieces. “Then you just keep building it up piece by piece, the fun is in realizing that even if certain pieces don’t fit together everything has its rightful place and once you’ve done all the building you get to see all your work pay off.

The weight of Richie’s gaze felt heavy on you as he allowed your words to sink in, having no initial comeback wasn’t something you were used to. You gave him a small smile the longer he stared at you before fingering through the puzzle pieces and deciding to continue it.

“You always spew weirdly poetic shit at 1 a.m.?” The smile in Richie’s voice was apparent before you even looked up, his lips upturned softly as he stared at your hands idly messing with the pieces on his side of the coffee table.

You shrugged your eyes shooting at his pile of pieces before reaching over to grab a piece that looked like it might fit, “I’m usually not entertaining guests past midnight.”

Richie gave a noncommittal hum of acknowledgment as his focus landed back on the puzzle pieces scattered around the table, the two of you basking in each other's calming presence as you worked to finish the puzzle, quiet words exchanged regarding which pieces fit where.

With a quarter of the puzzle left to complete you found your eyes straying to Richie more often than probably necessary, watching the concentration on his face as he aligned pieces where they fit. It was odd seeing him so calm in your presence considering how rocky your relationship started with him, you didn’t think you’d ever willingly let him into your safe space let alone enjoy having him there.

“How’s that doctor of yours?” Richie’s words pulled you from your study of him.

Confusion marred your features at the tightness of his voice, he showed up on your doorstep at one in the morning and that’s what he was fucking asking you about?

He caught your eye as he looked up eyebrows raised in question, “I can give you his number if you’re that interested in him.”

The loud scoff from across the table made you smile, “What about you? Any luck with the dating apps?”

Richie’s knee knocked against yours and you weren’t sure if it was on purpose or accident, but as you looked up you realized he’d been watching you for some time, “Decided I’m done with all that shit.”

A chill raced down your spine at how sure he sounded, and maybe it was wishful thinking or you were just being full of yourself, but you couldn’t help but think you were the reason for that decision. You cleared your throat unsure of what to say as you let your attention fall back to the puzzle on the table, it was comical the ease with which you could argue with the older man. But these polite flirtatious conversations just felt different, the underlying tension in them felt different and you weren’t sure how to go about dealing with it. The quiet clearing of Richie’s throat and the slight removal of his knee from the space your legs were internally made you cringe. He was expecting a much different reaction from his statement.

Quiet descended upon the two of you once more as you tried to keep your focus on finishing the puzzle, only for your mind to constantly drift with all the things you wanted to admit to Richie in that moment. You remembered clearly the day when he told you all those months ago that you were a constant in his mind and now all you could do was wonder if this is what it felt like for him. The way your mind latched onto him after the parking lot didn’t feel healthy but you couldn’t pretend you didn’t want more of his time, more of his presence even when he pissed you off to no end.

You smiled to yourself at the thought of it all, once more looking up from the puzzle to find Richie so engrossed with the pieces he was putting together. You couldn’t be sure but outside of Eva being around, this felt like the calmest you’d seen him in your presence. The tension in his shoulders seemed almost nonexistent, his face was relaxed and not at all filled with whatever stress the day brought him. It was like a different person was sitting in your living room, no animosity filled the air between the two of you and the longer you let your eyes rove his face the more confident you were that you liked this version of Richie best.

Hesitantly your hand reached across the table before gently landing atop Richie’s, watching as his eyes moved from the puzzle pieces to your hand on his then to your face. You bit your bottom lip before speaking, “If I asked you to stay the night only because I was worried about you getting home safely what would you say to that?”

The thudding of your heart made you sure it was trying to beat out of your chest the longer Richie sat there staring at you without saying anything. A part of you wished you could take it back, it was a lame excuse, but you could never be too sure with the older man and this option seemed to offer less teasing than if you asked him to spend the night with you outright.

“I would say,” His words were followed by his hand turning over so his palm was just under yours, the roughness of his fingertips brushing against your wrist as he held your gaze. “It’d be rude of me to disregard your hospitality, leave you here all alone late at night worried about me. So I’d stay to ease your worries.”

“Good.” A small knowing smile lined your lips before you removed your hand from under his, making sure to grab your empty wine glass and standing.

As you made it to the sink and began washing out the glass, you felt like you were too far out of your depth. Maybe you overestimated whatever false confidence being around Richie gave you, but didn’t you deserve to go after something you wanted? Richie was an adult and you were sure if he had no interest he would’ve left whenever he was ready, hell he wouldn’t have even shown up in the first place. You rinsed out the glass before setting it on the drying mat.

You turned to find Richie sitting on your couch with the book from the side table in his hands. Smiling as you walked towards him stopping to stand in front of him as he looked up at you, the desire to touch him had your hands pushing his legs apart giving you enough space to stand in between them as he leaned back further into the couch manspreading gently placing your book down next to him.

Your hands unconsciously rubbed up and down the fabric over his thighs as you stood as close to him as the couch would allow, your right hand slowly traced up his thigh following the anatomy of his body up his torso before your hand landed on his slightly loosened tie.

“You know for a while, I couldn’t stop thinking about that night…thinking about you,” you paused as your fingers nimbly began to undo his tie. “And then you drove me home last week and for a moment I thought I’d finally be able to have you in the way I wanted.”

The warmth of his hand reaching out to cup the back of your thigh raised your confidence even higher, carefully climbing atop his lap as he tugged you closer caging him in between your legs. Your hands landed on his shoulder before caressing down his chest and landing on the top button of his dress shirt. Richie’s hands landed upon your own, your lust-filled eyes taking in the apprehensive look on his face. You paused, unsure of yourself before you moved to get up only to stop when his hand fell to your waist keeping you in place.

“Did I do something wrong?” Your brows furrowed in confusion and you couldn’t help how small and insecure your voice sounded.

You moved your hands back to his shoulders trying to create a bit of space between you two looking at a spot over his head instead of at him.

“No, hey look at me,” one of Richie’s hands moved up to cup your chin, gently turning you to face him.“All of this shit…it’s just new to me you know I don’t know how to do this casual shit.” His thumb lightly rubbed across your chin, the vulnerability in his eyes and words keeping you locked in.

“I haven’t done shit like this in years, never thought I’d be divorced trying this shit again. Believe me, I want tonight with you, but what happens after that? Am I supposed to just fuck off and act like I don’t want more with you?”

Slowly your hand moved across his shoulder before softly cupping the side of his neck. It wasn’t the time to mention it but you couldn’t help but feel even more attracted to the man in front of you as he shared the insecurities he was feeling about the growing attraction between the two of you.

“You enjoy tonight,” your thumb traced a path up the side of his neck eliciting a shiver. “We indulge in each other, in our desires and then we go from there. Maybe breakfast in the morning.” You smiled at him watching the tense line of his silhouette relax. “I don’t know what’s going to come from this…but I know I don’t want this to just be one night.”

Your words lingered in the air as the two of you stared at each other, Richie’s smile growing to match yours as the two of you kept your hands on each other's skin. The way Richie stared at you brought back that familiar warmth he always seemed to elicit within you, his pupils slowly dilated as they roved over your face.

The previous tension between the two of you before the turn of conversation ignited once more, your eyes locked on the others as though in a trance. The feeling of his fingertips tracing the skin of your bottom lip made you feel dizzy at the thought of how easy it would be for him to touch you however he wanted, sent a surge of desire coursing through you. You could see the realization flash across his face his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as his fingers that once pressed into your hip began a featherlight trail under your shirt and up the skin of your back, your teeth latching onto your bottom lip at the delicate touches your eyes fluttered as he traced his way along your spine your shirt rising the higher his hand moved his fingers ghosted across the space between your shoulder blades pushing you further into his chest.

Richie’s hand gently grazed down your back leaving goosebumps in its wake as it found your hip once more pulling you down against him your quiet moan being drowned out by his unabashed groan as you settled atop him relishing in the way the hardness in his pants pressed up against you. His mouth fell open as his blunt nails dug into the skin of your hip before his hand skirted down the side of your hip traveling further and further before it met the skin of your leg below the hem of your sleep shorts, his calloused hand running just under the cut of your ass before cupping the back of your thigh, the heat from the palm of his hand warmed your thigh before he gripped your skin his thumb located near your groin slipping under the fabric of your shorts to caress the junction of your hip so close to where you wanted to feel him most a wanton moan escaping you as you unconsciously trapped his hand between your bodies and began rubbing yourself against him needing any bit of reprieve you could get.

His labored breathing hit your face as you allowed yourself to grind against him without consequence, your eyes fluttering in pleasure at not only the feeling but the way he was allowing you to use him to make yourself feel every bit of pleasure you deserved to feel. A high pitched keen left your lips as his free hand tugged the collar of your shirt before attaching his lips to your neck sucking and biting any piece of skin he could get his mouth on.

“R-Richie.” Your moan of his name was followed by his hips rutting up into you, his mouth falling open against your collarbone as he spewed out soft curses against your skin. It was all too much and not enough at once a part of you having no problem dry-humping your way to an orgasm but selfishly you wanted him in every way he was willing to give himself to you. You wanted to know how his body would feel against yours, what he looked like under all the layers of clothing separating the two of you, what he felt like. You needed to know what he would look like atop you and what expressions would he make as he fucked himself into you, in and out in and out. Or maybe missionary wasn’t his thing, what would it feel like if he took you from behind his body crowding you in would he be gentle or would he fuck you in the way he thought you deserved harsh thrusts and bruising slaps to your ass as he punished you for all the attitude you gave him.

The thoughts racing through your mind had you grinding down faster and harder than you previously were. The tension building inside of you on the cusps of shattering through you, just a little more, and you’d be convulsing against the man below you who brought out so many emotions in you. The rough feeling of his lips finding yours startled you not realizing that your equilibrium was off until your back pressed into the carpet below a muffled whine ringing through you at the loss of contact you were once grinding against.

“Quit your fuckin’ whining and let me take care of you,” you felt like you were going insane as his hands slowly slipped under the waistband of your shorts dragging them down your hips and legs at a painstakingly slow pace. “Been wanting you like this ever since that night in the fucking parking lot.” His words were so quiet you weren’t sure you would’ve heard them otherwise, your body clenching against nothing as the cool air of the living room met the slickness spread between your legs.

You sat up on your elbows watching from your position on the floor in a daze as Richie stood above you eyes glued to your cunt as he hastily unbuttoned his shirt shrugging out of it before pulling the white tank top beneath it over his head. You let out an appreciative moan at the sight of the softness of his body wanting to run your hands over the planes of his torso, lavish him with the attention he deserved. You pushed off your elbows on instinct fingers wrapping into the belt loops of his dress pants catching him off guard as your lips met the softness of his tummy leaving eager kisses to whatever spots you could reach as he towered over your sitting form. Your hands moved eagerly from their position, one fiddling with his belt buckle wanting him to feel half of the pleasure he brought you in such little time as the other palmed his bulge through the material.

A surprised gasp ripped through your lips as his hand found the back of his neck pulling you off of him, the desire swimming in his eyes heating you even more. His hand moved from the back of your neck before cupping your jaw and tilting your head further up, you were surprised by the softness of his kiss your eyes closing on instinct as you relaxed into him, his hand on your jaw squeezing as he snuck his tongue into your mouth the appendage running across your own several times over as you followed his lead the passion in which he kissed something you never experienced before. You began maneuvering around trying to raise yourself wanting to feel more of him against you, until he pulled away your shared saliva connecting the two of you as he looked down on you. There was only a moment’s reprieve before his mouth was on yours again his lips moving so slow and sensually, this kiss was different from the very few you shared with him both of his hands now cupping your jaw as he lavished you with everything he had his lips wrapping around your much smaller tongue his head bobbing back and forth as he slowly sucked on your tongue before reluctantly pulling himself away, your eyes finally opening at the feel of his thumb caressing your cheek as he stared down at you with a look you couldn’t quite place.

“Lay back f’me.” Richie’s words were whispered against your lips as you mindlessly obeyed lifting your shirt from under your bottom before leaning back on your elbows and then flat on your back.

You could hear his breath hitching as you found the confidence to spread your legs open so every bit of you was on full display. You waited in anticipation listening as he undid his belt before his pants landed somewhere away from the two of you, he gripped your ankle first, fingers skating up the skin of your leg in a slow almost teasing way as he traced a path up to your hip hand gliding across the skin of your stomach before stopping at the hem of your shirt and gently pushing it over the curve of your breast.

There wasn’t any time for nervousness to grip you as he settled between your legs, his head bending as he placed a soft kiss into the center of your chest. You could feel your heartbeat speed up as one of the hands he was using to hold himself up cupped the weight of your breast, the heat of his calloused palm drew a moan from you. A quiet gasp filled the living room as Richie kissed his way down your chest stopping to lavish your pebbled nipples in kisses before sucking one into his mouth.

The urge to cry out at finally being laid bare for him as he worked you up sat heavily in you. Your eyes fluttered shut as he rose from your breast with a pop. The cool air making it even harder as he moved to show your other nipple the same appreciation. The feel of his teeth grazing across the nerve jolted you a quiet whine followed the movement as you gave in to just how good he was making you feel. You enjoyed the last few moments of pleasure his mouth gave your chest before he began to leave wet kisses down your torso as your legs squeezed around him in search of friction.

Richie’s quiet laughter vibrated against the bottom of your stomach before he moved to scoot back dropping kisses to your hip as he settled himself at eye level between your thighs. His groan reached your ears as he stared at all of your bare to him a whispered “fuck” followed before his lips were attached to the inside of your thigh earning him a guttural moan.

A gasp rang through the air as you felt Richie’s finger slowly trace the circle of your anatomy, you strained to look down your body just as the tip of his finger ever so slightly stretched you out, your hooded gaze finding his blue eyes already staring at you a flush blooming across his face. He held your gaze as he followed the same circular motion this time pushing his finger into the second knuckle as you bit your lip knowing it was way too late in the night for the noises you wanted to make.

Richie’s finger slowly moved inside you experimentally before finding the pattern that made you clench around him and crooked his finger inside your expertly eyes never leaving yours. “You gonna let me hear those pretty noises while I eat you out?”

The rough timber of Richie’s voice had you clenching around his finger, his tongue poked out to lick his lips as he patiently awaited your response maneuvering his finger slower with each second that passed. Your head moved up and down rapidly, sure you’d begin crying if he teased you anymore. “Y-yes Richie, please.”

You were thankful for the care he took when removing his long finger, the feel of every inch of it reverberated through you. He gave you one last small smile before his head disappeared, arms moving to snake around your thighs as his hands landed atop of them wearing your legs over his shoulders as though they were roller coaster restraints.

The first lick of his tongue from your hole to your clit had your head thudding back against the floor ignoring the pain of it as you moaned. Richie’s teeth sinking into your inner thigh caused a delicious hiss of pain to race through you, “Be careful.” You hummed in acquiescence, anything to keep him pleasuring you.

Richie’s tongue pressed flatly against you licking several languid stripes through your folds, each stroke of his thick warm wet appendage mingled erotically with your slickness as the mixture of fluids slowly dripped down you. At the feel of his tongue dipping in and out of you your stomach constricted in pleasure before your hands found purchase on the back of his head trying to anchor yourself to this moment with him. Vibrations from his moans traveled through you adding to the building pleasure along with the way his nose caught your clit just right as he dined on you like a man starved.

You couldn’t help the way you began grinding against his face chasing your release. You’d never been catered to like this before and as his arms moved to hold you down, mouth traveling through your folds before suctioning to your clit you were sure you were seeing stars. The muscles in your stomach tightened the longer and harder he sucked on you, your head grew fuzzy as the knot in your stomach grew tighter, incoherent babbling falling from your lips with each moment.

A loud whine rang through the quiet of your apartment as you finally gave in to your orgasm, you convulsed against Richie’s mouth as the waves of pleasure flowed through you. The aftershocks of it all caused you to jolt against him as you rode through your orgasm, overstimulation brought you back down to earth as you struggled to sit up finding Richie still attached to you.

“R-Richie,” a moan cut off your plea as you found yourself struggling not to succumb to the wickedness of his tongue. “Too much, i-its too much.”

Slowly Richie released himself from your placing a gentle kiss against your clit that jolted you before he leaned back on his haunches eyeing how debauched you looked. Your eyes traced the wetness that decorated his chin following the trail of your slickness into his now shiny beard before landing on the wet spot on his chest as it rose and fell.

Seeing him like this had you clenching around nothing as your hooded eyes fell to his happy trail, wanting nothing more than to return the pleasure. A silent conversation passed between the two of you before Richie stood up causing you to eagerly rise to your knees as you shuffled over to him before hungrily pulling down his boxers.

You stared up at him in appreciation, allowing your eyes to take in every line of him. The softness of his body was a welcomed surprise, he was strong you could see it in his arms and legs, there was no denying that. But you could tell he enjoyed life, indulged in what he liked, no rigid routine of diet or exercise. As you drank him in you couldn’t help but let your eyes fall to the tuft of light brown hair between his legs home to the part of him you’d been waiting to experience.

Unconsciously you licked your lips before shuffling closer on your knees, one hand moving to grip his hip as you steadied yourself before holding the weight of him in your hand, marveling at his impressive erection. The feel of your hand softly caressing up and down his length drew a throaty groan from him as you watched pre-cum drip from his tip in pleasure.

You leaned forward tongue darting out instantly to swirl around the head of his cock needing to hear the noises he would elicit. You were rewarded with a softer moan looking up to see his head thrown back. Opening wide you took the weight of him in your mouth taking in what you could without gagging, moaning around him as the tuft of hairs gently touched your face. Richie’s moans of approval egged you on small back-and-forth movements were your starting point bobbing slowly against him with your eyes closed as sucking him off increased your pleasure.

As you bobbed faster against him your nails dug into the flesh of his hip, your tongue swirling around him as you listened to his mumbled curses. Richie’s hand moved to settle against your neck anticipation growing in you as you waited for him to fuck your face only to be disappointed when he gently pulled you off of him spittle on your lip the only thing connecting you to his cock.

You looked up in confusion, chest rising and falling rapidly as you fought to steady your breathing. Before you could question him he was leaning down to meet you the softness of his kiss not matching your previously voracious ministrations. You leaned into the kiss not at all minding how slowly his lips moved against you passion radiating through both ends of the kiss both of you getting a taste of the other.

Richie’s lips chased yours as you pulled away his eyes slowly opened to find you already staring at him, he cupped your jaw pressing a kiss into your forehead before helping you to stand. Once you were steady on your feet you placed your hand on his chest guiding him back into the loveseat in the corner of your living room watching as his body unceremoniously plopped down, his legs spread wide as his erection bounced off the surface of his stomach.

You moved to kneel in front of him once more, stopping as a hand gripped the front of your sleep shirt pulling on it to get you to climb atop him, resuming your earlier position. You sat above him on your knees, hands resting against his shoulders to hold yourself up doing your best to ignore just how close he was to being inside you.

“What’re you poutin’ for?” Richie’s voice was quiet as his fingers tapped against your lips.

You hadn’t meant to showcase your discontent but now that he brought it up you felt comfortable in voicing what bothered you. “Why’d you stop me?” You realized how immature your ire was as you spoke the words, annoyance growing towards yourself as you were sure you ruined the night.

“It’s nothin’ against you I promise,” his free hand moved to your side skating under your shirt to caress the bare skin of your hip. “Just not sure I’d be able to give you more if I let you do that.”

It was like every little thing about this man kept turning you on, understanding washed over your face as you pulled your lip between your teeth having to stop yourself from sinking onto him. The wheels turn in your head at just how starved of intimacy he must be.

“Has it been that long?” You weren’t sure why you asked, you had zero desire to hear about the intimacy he shared with anyone else but his explanation made you curious.

Your hands unconsciously rubbed into his shoulders helping him to release any tension this intermission might have brought forth.

“Too long,” you bit back a moan as both of his hands skated along the naked skin of your hips, dipping so close to where you wanted him. “I take care of myself though.”

His answer intrigued you, just thinking about him alone in his home late at night using his hand to pleasure himself. You hummed in interest as you looked down on him, your right hand on his shoulder traced a path down his chest appreciating the fact you were finally able to touch the softness of him. Your hand continued traveling down running through his happy trail before finally gripping him in your hand finding him still semi-heard as he moaned at the feeling of your hand wrapped around him.

You languidly stroked him a few times watching the motion as you did so before looking back up at him to find his head tossed back against the loveseat, your free hand moving to grip his chin and force him to focus on you.

“What do you think about when you touch yourself,” you lowered yourself just enough to run the tip of his cock through your wetness choking down a moan. “Because I think about you.”

Richie let out a quiet curse before speaking. “Yeah?” His voice was breathy as he forced himself to hold your stare, his hands pressed into your hips with a vice-like grip as he helped to rock you back and forth against him.

“Mhmm,” you nodded your head trying to pretend you were unfazed by how delicious it felt every time his head caught your clit. “After you left my apartment the other night…I spread out right where you're sitting and played with myself wishing it was you.”

Richie let out a guttural groan as he thrusted up into your hand surging forward to attach his lips to your neck surprising you with the vigor alternating between open mouth kisses and sucking just hard enough for you to know where his lips decorated your neck through feeling alone, but not harsh enough to leave any evidence.

“You’re gonna fuckin’ kill me if you keep talking like this and don’t let me fuck you.” Richie’s hands raced over any inch of skin he could find just needing to touch you in any way possible.

You lined yourself up with him, drunk on the obvious need he was exhibiting and it was all because of you. Slowly you lowered yourself, relishing in the tip of his cock as it burrowed inside of you, the movement earned the older man's full attention.

“Who said you were fucking me?”

Richie looked at you, mouth slightly agape at the feel of you slowly sliding down onto him, twin moans filling the apartment. He groaned, hands sliding around your hips to grip the curve of your ass to help you start moving.

It started slow, far too slow for two people who weren’t even sure they meant anything to each other but neither of you mentioned that, eyes locked on each other as you placed your hands on his shoulders using them to help steady yourself. Up, down…up, down.

“Arms up pretty girl,” Richie’s command was almost so quiet you didn’t hear it stopping as he held you down against him, moaning at the way he brushed that spot inside you just so. His hands moved from their place on your backside before gently tugging the hem of your shirt over your head whispering his approval at having you naked atop him.

Your hands found his shoulders once more as you began to ride him again. Speeding up as his lips found the curve of your breast and kissed across them. Richie filled you so well the length of him hitting just where you needed every time.

“That’s it, keep ridin’ me just like that. Fuck!” You threw your head back moaning at Richie’s words clenching around him at the idea of being coached through an orgasm he gave you.

A sharp gasp escaped you as he grabbed your backside once more, anchoring himself so he could thrust up into you helping add to your pleasure. You hadn’t been riding him for long but everything about this man drove you crazy, your up-and-down motions growing more restless the harder he thrust into you.

You arched against him, hands finding the back of his thighs as you rode him like your life depended on it chasing the high your last orgasm brought you.

“You look so pretty like this, you know that right? Look so pretty ridin’ me f-fuckin’ usin’ me to get off.” Richie’s hoarse voice was going straight to your clit encouraging you to keep going even though your quads burned. “Say it.”

A quiet hum of agreement left your lips as you continued your ministrations the pleasure you searched for not far away. Richie’s hand roughly gripped your jaw pulling you from the world you were in, forcing you to look into his eyes the pupils having swallowed the blue of his irises. “Let me hear you say it?”

“W-what?”

The grinding of your hips slowed down once more as Richie held you there, his hips undulating at a slower pace as well. “Tell me h-how pretty you look r-ridin’ me.” He choked on his words as the two of you moved in sync taking in equal what you were giving back to each other.

You clenched around him, mouth falling open at his command unsure if you could get the words out before cumming. You moved atop him as he gave you a lazy nod encouraging you, you nodded along with him trying to work up the courage as your hand moved from his thigh to rest above his heart the thumping rhythm of it imprinted on your palm.

“I…” your words cut off as his hips languidly rolled into you, the hand on your jaw moving to the back of your neck to pull your face closer, your forehead pressing into his. “I look s-so pretty riding you…l-like this.”

It was a struggle to get the words out but the way you clenched around him told the both of you just how aroused you were by the simple words. Richie let go of your neck allowing you to move back if you chose to but enjoying the way you stayed close to him, lips brushing against his with each move of your hips. One of his hands slipped between your bodies pressing into your clit as he simultaneously bucked into you with a fierce pace fucking you just how you wanted.

You wrapped your arms around his neck messily following his thrust chasing the pressure that built up in your stomach. Your nails raked down his shoulders as you babbled incoherent pleas into his ear essentially begging him to let you come.

No sooner were the words out of your lips did you cry out in ecstasy, tears escaped the corner of your eyes at how forceful your orgasm was your teeth sunk into Richie’s shoulder as you tried to silence your sobs of bliss body convulsing against him for the second time that night as he helped you ride out your orgasm.

You collapsed against him in bliss boneless feeling your equilibrium shift once more, Richie gently laid you on the love seat, one leg kneeling atop the cushion while his other leg held him up never once disconnecting the two of you.

Richie’s hips pistoned into you at a punishing pace, his grip on your hips bordering on painful as he held your body in place from his harsh thrust. You struggled to keep your eyes open wanting to watch him come. Richie’s loud grunts drowned out your quieter moans, both noises combining as you watched in awe as Richie chased his orgasm, desire rising within you once more just watching Richie use you in the way you used him only moments ago.

You watched in anticipation as Richie’s face scrunched up in concentration, his thrust becoming sloppier by the minute. You wanted to reach out to touch him but felt too blissed out to get your motor skills working instead enjoying the show being put on for you. Richie gave you two more harsh thrusts before quickly pulling out of you causing you to hiss at the suddenness and watch hungrily as his hand pumped himself one final time before he spilled all over your stomach and cunt, the sight of Richie riding out his orgasm burned into your brain.

Richie collapsed atop you uncaring that his cum was getting all over him. His forehead rested against your upper chest, his panting breaths cooling your heated skin. The two of you lay there in silence for a while, your hand coming up to run through his hair as exhaustion settled into you. The feeling of lips pressing into your sternum forced your eyes to flutter open.

A lazy smile lined your lips as you tilted your head to find Richie’s forehead pressed into your chest as he pressed gentle kisses across your sternum. A soft giggle escaped you at the ticklish feeling his facial hair left behind watching as he looked up at you his exhaustion matched yours.

“We gotta get you cleaned up.” His voice was hoarse as he spoke to you with his cheek pressed into your skin.

You gave a noncommittal hum in agreement moving to sit up as Richie stood hands out to help you up. You pulled him behind you as you headed to the shower ignoring the way Richie perked up as the two of you entered your bedroom before reaching the bathroom, moving to turn the shower on and waiting for the water to heat up.

Richie helped you step into the shower before willfully following after you. You stood under the water with your head resting on Richie’s chest letting the warmth relax your muscles as Richie wrapped his arms around you pressing a kiss into the crown of your head.

The end of your night was spent pressed against the shower wall as Richie sensually fucked into you from behind, both of you indulging in everything the other had to offer. Before you both finally showered and got into bed, the softness of Richie’s fingers tracing patterns into your skin lulled you into a peaceful sleep engulfed in his warmth.

a/n: ayee yo they fuckin’ over here!!! i swear i’m so funny anyway here’s part 2 finally its long but worth it i promise. i hope anyone that dedicated their time to this tome of a fic enjoyed it and your days are forever filled with joy. also talk to me about it i love shootin the shit about the unhinged fics i write. anyway love y’all besties!!! 🫶🏽💕

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Is it just me or do I feel like iv would use his jacket to mark the girl he liked. Back off cunts she’s taken sort of vibes. Maybe you could write something along those lines?

I think about this a lot myself, so I definitely understand you and genuinely agree. Also III is being a bestie in this one.

Little part II

His mark

It started so innocently. The whole band was hanging behind the stage after the concert. The conversation was light with people reaching in to nibble on some food and drinks. Your stage outfit, as nice as it was to jump around on stage while the huge lights shined on your body, now that you were in the dim of the back rooms did little to keep you warm. And you so could have just excused yourself from the conversation with the girls, knowing full well that they wouldn’t mind holding the conversation off for a couple of minutes but you just didn’t want to somehow break the atmosphere.

That’s when you felt it. The weight pressing on your shoulders. The heat instantly radiated from the leather that was being so casually draped over your body. Crocking your head to the side you saw none other than IV. But you didn’t even have to look. The smell of him, so familiar and at this point engraved into your brain gave him away. “Could hear your teeth clacking together from across the room, it’s so annoying”, he grunted, clearly trying to seem more annoyed than he was. “My apologies and you shouldn’t have tasked yourself with coming to my rescue”, you sassed back, slipping your arms through the sleeves. “Sometimes my kindness surprises even me”, IV shrugged, leaning equipment boxes. “We will grab some more food”, the girls chirped, making you snap your head back at them, completely forgetting that they were there in the first place.

“Is it bad that I secretly fantasized about wearing this?”, you asked so out of the blue that you were almost convinced that you heard IV choke on his drink, “This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long while”. IV stayed silent for a moment before that shit-eating grin spread across his face, “See, depends on what these fantasies entail”, he muttered, clearly delighted with himself. Now it was you who gasped, pushing his chest slightly as you both giggled away.

The next time it happened was in the middle of the show. The open stage, as nice as it was for some parts of the summer, wasn’t all that friendly when the summer rains split the skies. While the first two songs in soaked clothes were kind of refreshing. Rain alsp brought a lower temperature, slowly settling the tremble into your hands. That’s when a familiar figure sauntered closer but you didn’t give it much thought. IV often found himself close to you and the girls. It was his nature, well all of theirs. That’s until IV pulled his guitar off, setting it down and shrugging out of his jacket.

With your eyes already glued on him, you watched him lifting the jacket closer to you. All you could do was shake your head, “Are you insane?”, you mouthed. It was one thing doing stuff like that around the people in the team. A whole different story when fans were involved. “Put it on or I will put it on you”, IV stated flatly. Throwing the jacket up.

The logic within you told you to ignore it. Let it drop. But you couldn’t. It was way too precious. Someone had spent hours making it and it was also his. But just because it was in your hands didn’t mean you had to put it on. You could just hold it for him. Well, wrong. Cause IV dared to cross his arms over his chest as he watched you, and knowing his stubborn ass he would stand there till you did what he had told you to. With an excessive eye roll, you threw the jacket over your shoulder, pushing some of the wet strands away and clinging to your face. “Happy?”, you mouthed, but IV only winked at you before returning to the front of the stage.

And more often than not this had turned into a norm. Going to the bus? His jacket is on your body. Right before the show while the jitters are insane? His jacket. Walking through the backstages while preparing? Band meetings? Rehearsals? The list could go on and on. But since it brought you the same sense of comfort you never voiced it out loud. Too afraid that if you pointed it out he would turn the other way and run for the hills.

“So, where’s your guard dog?”, III's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Smiling you rolled your eyes, pushing a pack of goldfish towards him. “Maybe guarding someone else”, you shrugged, making III snort, “Nice try, I bet all of his security alarms are ringing off right this minute”. You frowned slightly at his words. “Oh come on, tell me that you don’t see a pattern?”, III tilted his head to the side in disbelief. “He’s just been sweet”, you muttered, “Plus, I had told him that I have frog hands and feet. I’m constantly cold”.

III just shook his head, “We all know that but do you see me running after you with a blanket?”. You huffed, letting your mouth drop, “Is this your way of telling me that secretly hate me”, you gave him the best version of puppy dog eyes. “Girl, I held your hair back while you threw up a bottle of tequila, I don’t do that for people I don’t care about”, he pointed out. You leaned in, warping your arms around his lean body, “And that is why I like you”, you muttered again his chest.

Someone cleared their throat and you instantly pulled back. Not far from you two stood IV. The fire in his eyes burning out of control. You expect III to pull back but instead, he casually slung his arm over your shoulders. “In need of a hug too?”, he teased, IV eyes burning holes in his bandmate's face. “Just wondering why you needed one”, IV said through gritted teeth. “Oh, come on, I hug you all good morning and goodnight, don’t start playing favorites”, you slapped III on his chest, pulling out of his hands.

IV equally didn’t waste any time stepping closer to you. And as if it had become your secret skin, the jacket pressed down onto your shoulders. III let out a laugh, shaking his head, “Loud and clear mate, loud and clear”, he saluted before turning back. “Why are you in a pissy mood?”, you crossed your arms over your chest, turning to face IV. His eyes are still on III. “I don’t like when people mess with what’s mine”, he muttered, snatching all air out of your lungs. “What is that supposed to mean”, you muttered, letting him pull you closer to him. “Don’t worry your head about it for now”, IV leaned in pressing a kiss to your temple.

[joongtreasure]

Cupcakes and Kisses

Mingi x Fem Reader (ft. ATEEZ members) Word count: 6.6k Genre: high school au, jock Mingi, kissing booth au Note/s: Based on the film Kissing Booth (2018). This was in my drafts since 2021? + Mention of Changbin of Stray Kids <3 hehe Photo credits: 1, 2, 3

High school—it's the period for the most embarrassing moments of your life. Not only was it the time for raging hormones and puberty, but also a time for wrong decisions.

And today was no exception.

Today was the last day of the pitch for the spring carnival at KQ Prep. The student council required every club in the school to set up a booth for the event. Or else, no extra funding for club activities.

You were the vice president of the culinary and baking club, or as others would like to call it, the foodies. It's not that bad or insulting, to be honest (depending on you if you take it to heart). It is certainly not for your best friend, Jung Wooyoung, who was also the president of the club.

You and Wooyoung were like a tandem, a buy-one-get-one-free deal. In many ways, you and Wooyoung fill each other up: you were the shy and patient one, while Wooyoung was the confident and loud one. There was never a boring moment with him, but that doesn't mean all moments with him were good. Like right now...

Wooyoung, with a firm grip on your school blazer sleeve, dragged you across the hallway, whining, "It's a good idea!"

You, on the other hand, tried to pull away, saying, "No, it's not!"

Wooyoung grumbled. "The water sports are doing a toss and dunk booth! We have to beat their sorry asses!"

"You just want to beat Changbin!" You tried to pull away again but Wooyoung's grip was so firm that your school shoes were starting to skid against the school floor. "How is a kissing booth by us any better?!"

"It will be a hit!"

"It spreads germs!"

"We'll provide sanitation and mints!"

"We could be sued for public indecency!"

Wooyoung sighed and let go of your hand. "Oh, come on, live a little, Y/N."

You shrugged. "Can't we just make a bunch of food for the carnival? I know everyone will be hungry."

Wooyoung gave you a pointed look. "Everyone is going to sell food and trinkets at the carnival."

"Well," you jutted your chin out in confidence, "we could do, uh, well, an apple bobbing competition?"

Wooyoung scowled at you. "That's boring." He sighed. "Look, the majority of the officers already agreed to the kissing booth, Y/N. Except you."

"That's because you implied that San will be in the lineup of kissers," you stated. "Even though you haven't even asked him yet."

"That's because he and I think alike. Trust me, he would agree."

You pouted. "And trust me, the food will sell."

Wooyoung smiled and patted your head. "Oh, sure, you do that," he said before turning around and scurrying towards the student council's office.

You sighed.

-----

You slumped on the empty front steps of the school, sporting a frown on your face. Wooyoung was taking so long in the meeting. You hoped the kissing booth was rejected by the student council.

The doors of the school opened, the sound of the creaking metal startling you out of your thoughts. You looked back to see Song Mingi, the star of KQ Prep's basketball team, exiting the building and looking fresh out of a shower. He probably just finished practice.

You looked away before he could catch you staring. Mingi was one of those guys who looked straight out of a movie—tall, handsome, athletic, always wears a varsity jacket, drives a Jeep, and center of the school's attention. But it would be foolish to think that he's arrogant and proud like the trope. He's one of the sweetest and nicest people you ever met. 

You had a few classes with him. You could say that the interaction between the two of you is funny. He could be playful yet gentle and respectful at the same time. And in time, you also found yourself liking him like the entire student body.

Unbeknownst to you, as soon as Mingi saw you alone on the steps, he smiled and slightly hurried down. "Hey, Y/N," Mingi greeted, plopping beside you on the warm pavement.

You internally freaked when you saw Mingi next to you. The loose shirt, the sweet scent of his shampoo, and the dopey grin were too much for your poor heart. 

"You had a club meeting today?" Mingi asked.

"Not really," you responded. "I'm waiting for Wooyoung to finish his pitch for the spring carnival."

Mingi nodded. "And what will your club be doing?"

You groaned. "Don't remind me. It's embarrassing."

Mingi chuckled. "Why? It can't be that bad."

You sighed before muttering, "it's a kissing booth."

Mingi's eyes widened in surprise. "That's... interesting."

"It's all Wooyoung's idea," you shrugged. "Nothing better than to capitalize on teen hormones, right?"

"Right," Mingi said monotonously.

Seeing his somewhat dry response, you slumped. "I told you it was an embarrassing idea."

"No, I mean, yes—I mean," Mingi stuttered a response. "It was just unexpected, that's all." Mingi somewhat looked conflicted, but he still smiled softly at you. "Is it alright for me to ask if," he paused.

"If what?"

"If you—I mean, would you be joining?" Mingi asked.

You blinked in thought. "What do you mean?"

Mingi studied your confused expression before shaking his head. "Nevermind," he said, standing up.

You groaned. "Great, now you got me curious."

"It's nothing." Mingi laughed. "But, hey, if teen hormones bring you the money, then, why not?" He said, making you laugh as well. "Got a ride home?"

"Yeah," you smiled, "I'm riding with Wooyoung."

Mingi nodded. "Alright, I'll see you around then, Y/N."

You blushed. "Yeah, see you," you said as Mingi continued his way down the steps.

"Hey," he turned to you one last time, flashing you his oh-so-perfect smile. "You look cute as always, Y/N," he said before heading towards the parking lot. You swore you could've melted right on the front steps that day.

-----

It was no surprise the council approved the kissing booth idea. You totally blame Wooyoung. The boy could probably smooth talk himself out of jail if the situation calls for it.

Your club already started building the podium and mini stage for the booth in the school courtyard because there wasn't room in the Home Economics classroom. The weather was too perfect to ignore by anyone who had free period at the time.

"I'm going to get more paint," Wooyoung said to you before jogging towards the doors and into the building.

You were left alone with a few of your members, who were engaged in a hushed conversation while you minded your own business. 

You took a peak at the guys playing at the basketball court. It's no surprise that Mingi and his friends were playing. They always do during free period. They must really love the sport. 

It is also no surprise that they have a few spectators as well. It's the only time you would ever find Mingi and his friends setting their blazers aside, donning only their school shirts that accentuated their build so heavenly. Not that you were staring…

Speaking of, Yunho and Mingi laughed among themselves as Yunho tried to shoot the ball. Mingi effectively blocked him with his hand, however the ball bounced out of the court. It bounced until it was rolling over the pavement and stopped right where you were painting. You were able to grab the ball before it could barrel into the newly painted podium.

Seeing where the ball ended, Mingi ran towards you. "Hey," he greeted as he picked up the ball and crouched down next to you, "it's looking great. What's it for?" He asked, referring to the podium.

"It's for this week's carnival," you answered with a sigh.

"Right," Mingi chuckled awkwardly. "Umm," he paused, "so what will you be doing while," he drifted off, evidently conflicted as he pondered over his words carefully.

You looked at him funny. "While...?"

"While, you know," Mingi shrugged, "while people are kissing."

"I'll just man the booth," you said nonchalantly. "I'll leave it to Wooyoung and the others to facilitate the germ spreading."

Mingi laughed, looking somewhat happy and relieved at the same time. "Still haven't warmed up to the idea, I see."

"Never."

Mingi grinned. His face morphed into embarrassment as Yunho called for him from a few meters away. "Are we going to play, or are you too busy mingling, Mingi?"

Mingi rolled his eyes before smiling at you. "I gotta go. I'll see you around, Y/N."

You waved at him as he stood up and went back to his friends. You chuckled at the sight of Yunho giving Mingi a headlock and basically hauling him back to court. The boys laughed between themselves before returning to their game with their other friends.

You were feeling blissful, like how you always felt whenever you and Mingi talked to each other. You truly liked the guy. However, the blissful feeling was short-lived as a wild Wooyoung plopped down next to you. "What was that?!" He asked.

You blinked curiously at him. "What was what?" You looked at the spot you were previously painting. "I'm almost done. I didn't miss a spot as far as I could tell."

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. "I wasn't referring to the podium. I was referring to you and Mingi!" He exclaimed.

You looked at him funny. "It was just a friendly conversation."

"Friendly?" Wooyoung sighed exasperatedly. "Oh no no no, honey, you didn't see what I see. The guy is into you!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Wooyoung," you shook your head. "We have always talked like that. He's just super nice—"

"Na-ah! Again, you didn't see what I see," Wooyoung replied. All of a sudden, Wooyoung's face broke into excitement. He started slapping your arm, making you groan not in pain but in annoyance. "I just thought of the most brilliant idea EVER."

You frowned, not liking where this was going. "What?"

-----

"This is worse than you pitching the kissing booth idea to the council."

"Oh, come on," Wooyoung said as he kept pushing you towards the gym where the basketball team was training. "I will be of service to you forever if you manage to get him."

It was already past class hours when Wooyoung dragged you into putting his idea into action. He said you guys should have a meeting about the spring carnival after class. But alas, he deceived you again. That sly fox, you thought.

Wooyoung faced you towards him. "Alright, your uniform is clean, no evidence of your lunch anywhere," you rolled your eyes as Wooyoung checked you up and down. Wooyoung scrutinized your face before smiling triumphantly. "No booger or drool in sight too," he said.

"You—!" You exclaimed, but Wooyoung turned you around again and shoved you closer toward the gym doors. Sighing, you walked toward it, and right when you were directly in front of the entrance, you looked back at him. "How is this the most brilliant idea you ever had, again?"

Wooyoung shrugged. "The plan here is simple: talk to Mingi and his friends into joining our lineup of kissers so we can get more people to come to our booth."

"I don't want to use him, Woo."

"The man's too soft for you," Wooyoung smiled. "He will do whatever you want, I guarantee."

You gave him the most innocent look you could ever muster in an attempt to change his mind. But Wooyoung just shooed you with his hand and raised his eyebrows pointedly. With a defeated sigh, you opened the doors and entered.

The basketball team was in the midst of a practice game. You immediately spotted Mingi, running while dribbling the ball across the court. When he managed to outrun his opponent, he immediately made his shot, the ball flying through the air and into the hoop. You stared at him, awed as he was in his element. 

A bunch of squeals echoed in the gym. There was an audience watching with excited grins and squeals near the team's benches. It was an open practice after all. Sighing, you sat awkwardly at the side.

The coach blew his whistle, signaling that training was over. The players rejoiced and immediately jogged to their bags scattered on the benches. There were a few girls who called for Mingi, but he only smiled sheepishly and went to his gym bag. 

"Hey, Mingi," Yeosang, his friend and teammate, spoke between his breaths. "Isn't that your friend?" 

Mingi looked at wherever Yeosang was pointing. And true enough, you were there at the edge of the bleachers, awkwardly twiddling with your fingers.

"Yeah," Mingi said, dumbfounded at the thought of you watching their training.

"I think she's looking for you," Yunho, Mingi's best friend, said. He shook his head in amusement, eyeing Yeosang knowingly as Mingi started wiping his sweat and combing his hair deliberately to the back. Mingi hastily gathered his things before approaching you.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile.

You stood up awkwardly. There was something about a wet-haired Mingi in a basketball jersey that had you tongue-tied for a moment. "Uhh, hi, umm, Mingi."

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Umm, yeah, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, have a seat," Mingi said as he sat a bleacher apart from you, not wanting you to smell his sweaty state. "What's up?"

"Well, our club is hosting a kissing booth for the spring carnival," you slightly frowned at your awkward self. "Umm, but I think you already knew that."

Mingi chuckled and nodded amusingly. "Yeah, you might have mentioned it once or twice," he joked.

You let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? But, well, you see, Wooyoung asked me to ask you about something."

Mingi nodded again, urging you to go on.

You sighed nervously. "Can you," you cleared your throat, "can you be—wait, I must emphasize that it was Wooyoung's idea."

"It was Wooyoung's idea," Mingi repeated. "Got it. Crystal clear. Now, what's up with Wooyoung's idea?"

You sighed defeatedly. Well, here goes nothing, you thought. "Can you be one of the kissers for our kissing booth?"

Mingi's eyes turned wide. "What?"

Your lips formed a thin line. "Umm, can you be one of the kissers for our kissing booth?" You repeated, less confident this time.

Mingi blinked unbelievably. "Why me?"

You sighed. "Well, Wooyoung was hoping your friends too. He said that having the players of the basketball team would bring revenue to the booth."

"Oh."

You frowned. "I'm sorry, I told Wooyoung you might be uncomfortable with it, but he insisted that I should still ask you."

"Why would I be uncomfortable with it?"

"I don't know," you shrugged. You were busy playing with the ends of your school blazer as the conversation pursued. "I guess, I didn't pin you to be the type to openly kiss strangers, or show public displays of affection."

"Maybe," Mingi side-smiled, "maybe not. Or, maybe it depends on the person."

"Oh," you muttered, "sorry. I didn't know."

Mingi then leaned on his knees, getting a better view of your slightly flustered face. "Do you want me to be a kisser?"

"What?" You stared at him blankly.  "Well, Wooyoung said—"

"I mean, do YOU want me to be a kisser?" Mingi emphasized, "You as in Y/N L/N, and not Jung Wooyoung?"

You didn't reply immediately, pondering over what his question meant. "Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know," Mingi said. "I feel like I should listen to you."

Why, though? This conversation was going nowhere and it was making you more nervous than before. Not to mention Mingi's inquisitive gaze that had you looking anywhere but him. 

Do you actually want him to, though? I mean, the kissing booth opens so many opportunities, but you were uncomfortable with the thought of him... the thought of him kissing...

"No," you said.

Mingi smiled, nodding at your answer, which confused you. "Then I won't," he sat properly again against the bleacher, letting his intense gaze turn into a soft one. "I won't join then."

"What? Why?" You were dumbfounded. 

"Just tell Wooyoung I'm busy or something," he said. "But I will try to talk to my friends, though. Emphasis on the word 'try.'"

"W-Would you have joined if I said yes?" You probed, but Mingi already stood up as if the conversation was already over, smirking at your confused look.

"Do you have a ride home?" He asked.

"Umm, yeah, Wooyoung's right outside," you answered.

"Well, then, I'll see you around." Mingi smiled at you for the last time before exiting the gym.

You sat back on the bleachers. Though your stance was already relaxed due to the conversation being over, your mind still couldn't wrap around what just happened in the conversation. Would he have agreed if I said yes?

The doors of the gym creaked as someone entered. It was Mingi again. He approached you with a different glint in his eye this time. What now?

"Hey," Mingi greeted. "Could you hold this for a moment?" Before you could ask, he put the object he was referring to in your hand. It was a set of keys—car keys, in particular. "Don't lose it, okay? I'll be quick, I swear." And just like that, he left again.

You stared at the keys in your palm. You really like Mingi, but he was seriously giving you a whiplash at the moment.

Your phone buzzed in your blazer pocket, indicating that you received a text message. You pulled it out to see a text from Wooyoung.

There's an emergency at home. Had to pick up Kyungmin from our grandma's house. Go get your man!

-----

You walked back and forth in the hallway, in front of the boy's locker room. You didn't know why Mingi left these keys with you, but you figured you had to return them to him before you leave for the bus stop. You couldn't just leave it somewhere and message him about it. Someone could steal it. Or worse, someone could steal his car.

Just in time, Mingi exited the locker room, fresh out of the shower and now sporting a big hoodie and sweats. "Hey," Mingi smiled.

"Hey, you gave these to me for some reason," you jiggled the car keys before placing them on his palm.

"Right," Mingi chuckled. "Shall we?"

You stared at him. "Shall we what?"

"Wooyoung already left, didn't he?"

"How did you know?"

Mingi chuckled. "The hallway was empty when I left," he shrugged, putting his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, "I figured he went somewhere."

"Ah, yeah, he said he had an emergency at home," you responded, following Mingi outside the school. 

Truth be told, Mingi met Wooyoung in the hallway.

---

Mingi smiled as he saw Wooyoung in the hallway. "Hey," he greeted. "Sorry, I don't think I can join. I think I have to visit my grandma that day."

Wooyoung slumped. "Oh, okay. Where's Y/N?"

"She'll be right out, I guess," Mingi replied. "See ya—"

"You like her, don't you?" Wooyoung asked.

"Uhh," Mingi blushed. "I-well, I, umm—"

"Yup, you like her," Wooyoung smirked. "Why won't you ask her out then?"

Mingi sighed. "I don't think she's interested in me in that way."

Wooyoung scoffed. "Believe me, she does." He started walking away. "I'll be taking my leave. Hope you get the guts to ask her out."

Mingi sighed again when suddenly he remembered, "Hey, aren't you her ride home?"

Wooyoung turned around and started walking backward with a smirk. "Am I?" He waggled his eyebrows before disappearing in the hallway.

Mingi grinned and shook his head in amusement before rushing back inside the gym to leave you his car keys.

-----

Mingi glanced momentarily at you with a smile. He would have to apologize in the future for using your kindness like that. But he hoped that doing this would drive him to ask you confidently out on a date.

Mingi opened the school doors wide enough for the both of you and waited until you were completely outside before closing it. 

"Come on, I'll give you a ride," Mingi offered.

"Oh, no thank you," you hastily refused, "I'll take the bus."

Mingi shook his head. "I'm not taking no for an answer. We live a few blocks away, anyway, so it's really convenient."

"But I don't want to impose," you sighed.

"You're not, Y/N," Mingi said. "And you won't. Like ever."

You sighed again. "But—"

Mingi shook his head then snatched your school bag. "If you ever want to see this bag again, you're going to have to catch me," and with that, Mingi ran towards the parking lot.

"Hey, no fair!" You followed him, pouting as the distance between the two of you widened. Damn his athletic build.

You chased after him, groaning in annoyance when Mingi reached his car and wiggled your bag as if to spite you. But you both found yourselves laughing as soon as you almost barreled into him and he caught you before you both could barrel into his jeep.

"Come on, Y/N, it's really not a bother," Mingi said, opening the passenger door.

You sighed. "Fine," you huffed as you grabbed your bag and settled in his passenger seat. "Just this once," you told him.

"Oh, don't count on it," Mingi said, winking at you before closing your door. You swore he would be the death of you.

As Mingi drove his jeep out of the school lot, you both fell into a casual conversation. "So why don't you want me to be a kisser?" Mingu asked.

You narrowed your eyes at his teasing expression. "Oh, stop smiling. I don't want anyone to be part of that"

"I guess, you didn't have much say on the idea?"

You slumped against the car seat with a soft 'yeah.'

Mingi looked at you momentarily before focusing on the road. "What was your idea?"

"Nothing special." You smiled. "I was thinking of just baking cupcakes or pastries."

"I think that's a great idea."

"Yeah, right," you muttered sarcastically.

"No, I swear. I think your baking's great," Mingi stressed.

"How would you know?"

"Because I bought and ate a lot from last year's fundraiser." Mingi smiled and chuckled, almost as if he could smell and taste your fresh batch just by thinking about it. "Especially those cupcakes. I swear, they're good."

"Huh, no wonder the cupcakes sold out easily," you chuckled. "We had an influencer."

"Or," Mingi drawled, "your baking is just that good." He smiled, switching his gaze back and forth between the road and you.

"Said no one ever," you shot back teasingly.

"I just said like seconds ago that they're good." Mingi shook his head in disbelief. "You don't take compliments very well."

"Maybe because I don't usually get them," you retorted.

"Ahh, all the reason for me to compliment you more then."

You looked at him before turning away upon seeing his smirk. "Oh, stop it," you said jokingly, but your heart felt like it was ramming against the seatbelt of his car.

The car slowed down to a stop just right in front of your house. You were about to thank him when Mingi suddenly exited the car. He rushed to your side before opening the car door.

"Thanks for the ride," you said. "You didn't have to do that." 

"I don't mind," he replied, following you to the front door.

"And you didn't have to walk me to the door." You chuckled. "It's literally like a few steps away from the fence."

"But I want to, though." Mingi shrugged and put his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie.

You both arrived at the front door. You were too busy finding your keys to notice that he was lingering to stay with you longer. As you opened your front door, you finally noticed his awkward stature. "D-Do you want to have dinner with us?"

"Oh," Mingi snapped out of it. "Uhh, maybe next time. My mom's waiting for me at home."

You nodded in understanding. 

"Y/N," Mingi sighed. "Do you want to...?"

"What?"

"I mean, umm," Mingi scratched his head awkwardly. "Do you—do you have any of those cupcakes lying around?"

"Oh, could you wait here for a minute?" You smiled before disappearing into your home.

Mingi palmed his face in frustration, muttering 'stupid' and 'dumbass' to himself. He pulled himself together when he heard your footsteps nearing.

You came out again with a small box in hand. "I baked them last night but they're still good," you said, handing out the box of cupcakes to Mingi.

"Thanks," Mingi grinned sheepishly nonetheless. "I'll give some to my mom."

"You better," you smiled.

"Thanks again, Y/N. I'll see you at school," Mingi started walking backward with a soft smile.

"See you," you waved at him. "Thanks for the ride."

Mingi winked at you before hopping into his jeep. As soon as Mingi's jeep disappeared into the night, you slumped against your front door and tried to calm your blushing self.

-----

It was the day of the dreaded carnival. The field where your school held the said carnival was almost in full swing, the lights and excitement gradually increasing as time passed by.

Your club has been there since early morning to finalize everything for the booth. Despite your judgment against the club's concept, you still had to do it for the sake of the team. 

Although, you had convinced Wooyoung to sell baked goods nonetheless. Your point was to remind the audience that you were still the culinary and baking club of the school. Thankfully, he agreed.

So, here you were, setting up a separate table for different baked goods beside the registration.

Wooyoung surprised you with an arm around your shoulder and a big grin. "I can already feel wads of money in our laps." He dramatically inhaled for effect. "I mean, look at our lineup so far."

You begrudgingly looked at the people readying themselves on the mini-stage. 

Leave it to Wooyoung to invite people from the top of the high school food chain. Everybody likes Wooyoung anyway. At least there were a few friendly faces—school mascot San, street dancer Seonghwa, up-and-coming celebrity Jongho, and... student council president Hongjoong?

"How did you get him?" You almost giggled at Hongjoong's icy demeanor just standing in the middle of the lineup.

"Oh, he owes me," Wooyoung said nonchalantly. When you gave him a look, he just replied, "Don't ask."

You shook your head as if to shake the idea of Hongjoong in Wooyoung's debt. It's an amusing sight, though.

"So where's your pretty boy's friends?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen them ever since."

You knew it was too good to be true. Your moment with Mingi lasted only a day as you haven't seen him for the rest of the week. Not even on free period. And when you had a class together, he looked like he was about to doze off and fall from his desk. You didn't want to be a bother.

"Oh, wait, nevermind. Here they come."

You immediately glanced up to see Mingi, Yunho, and Yeosang walking toward your booth. You could feel the crowd starting to buzz upon seeing the star players approach the kissing booth. Your gaze landed on Mingi who sported a plain oversized shirt and ripped jeans. So simple yet so handsome.

"Hey," Mingi greeted with a smile, never looking away from your gaze.

"H-Hey, how have you been?" You tried to keep your blush at bay.

"Well—"

"We're so glad to be here, Y/N. Mingi really convinced us to be here," Yeosang smiled in a—teasing?—manner, which you responded to with an awkward chuckle. 

"Yeah," Yunho chimed in. "Mingi really, really wanted us to join your kissing booth." Yunho smiled widely at Mingi, who only rolled his eyes.

"That's great, great news!" Wooyoung rejoiced. He quickly winked at you before ushering Mingi's friends to the lineup.

When you and Mingi were the only ones left, you smiled sheepishly. "I hope it wasn't much of a trouble convincing your friends."

"Don't worry, Y/N, it wasn't." Lie(-ish). Yunho and Yeosang complained a lot and made Mingi do whatever they liked for the past few days. From doing their homework to washing their cars, they were relentless. He hadn't gotten any proper sleep because of it. But, it wasn't really much of a trouble since he was doing it for you. Well, your club. But mostly for you.

Mingi stared at the table of baked goods in front of you. "I see you convinced Wooyoung to continue with your idea." He smiled.

"He still listens anyway." You chuckled. "Do you want one?"

"Definitely. I'll take a—" 

Before Mingi could finish, Wooyoung appeared and dragged you away from Mingi. "Sorry, Mingi! We're about to start now!" He yelled, but not before freezing on the spot as an idea popped into his head.

Wooyoung went back to Mingi with you in tow. "Actually, can you do us a favor and man the table? I need Y/N for the register."

You clicked your tongue and were about to protest when Mingi immediately said, "Sure."

You looked at him curiously. "Really?"

"I don't see why not," Mingi smiled.

Deep inside, Wooyoung was popping confetti. Wooyoung thanked Mingi before going to the center of the mini-stage. You placed yourself at the registration table as Wooyoung shouted, "And the kissing booth is officially open!"

----

You thought you could handle the smooch-fest behind you. But... you thought wrong. The amount of kissing and hooting was too much for your poor heart. Thank the heavens the registration continued to pile up and you had to put your sole focus there. Well, not entirely.

You would sometimes peek at Mingi who had his own long line to attend to. Mingi manning the food table seemed to generate a longer line than the kissing booth, which made you chuckle softly before turning your attention back to the registration.

It wasn't long before Mingi managed to sell everything on the table and he approached you with the funds he generated. You dumbfoundedly accepted and stared at the small lunchbox where he put the money. 

"I hope I did well, Ms. Y/N." Mingi smiled.

"You did, Mingi," you replied. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Mingi shrugged. "It was no problem." He looked at his watch. "Well, I have to do something for the time being. Will you still be here later?"

You nodded. "I'm here 'til it closes."

"I'll see you then." Mingi winked before disappearing into the carnival crowd.

-----

If you were being honest, the rest of the afternoon felt slow despite the buzz around your booth. With Mingi gone, it suddenly felt boring. You didn't show it though. You still wanted to be presentable to the carnival-goers. 

As night rolled in, the excitement started to die down. The crowd dissipated until only a few people were passing by the booths. The kissing booth was more successful than you thought, thanks to Wooyoung and his lineup of volunteers. 

As Wooyoung set aside the podiums, you counted all the money you had raised from the kissing booth and food table. You were halfway done when Wooyoung finished packing up and stood beside you. "So, how much did we earn?" He asked.

"I'm not done counting," you said. "But, we already have enough to win the student council's favor and have some extra funds for our own," you happily gleamed.

"Yes! Let's get drunk and party!" Wooyoung cheered.

You glared at him. "You're joking, right?"

Wooyoung forced a smile and patted your head. "Of course, I'm joking," he said, though his tone didn't sound as sincere as you had hoped.

You tutted before turning back to the money in your hands. For a moment, Wooyoung was quietly watching you count the bills. Then, all of a sudden, he spoke, "Oh, would you look at the time, it's getting late. Gottagohomenowbye," before scurrying away.

You looked up confused, your eyes following his seemingly excited figure before landing on a tall one that was walking towards the booth. You tried to hide your fluster as Song Mingi stopped in front of the registration counter with a smile. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," you smiled sheepishly. You can't help but notice the oversized windbreaker that he is now sporting. "Umm, we've closed already."

"I know," Mingi said, "I just came here again to talk to you."

"Oh, what about?"

Mingi scratched the side of his head. "Uhh," he mustered, "nothing in particular. What are you doing?"

"I'm just counting all our earnings," you referred to the bills in your hand. "Thanks again to you and your friends. I think you were the ones who attracted the crowd, Yunho and Yeosang especially."

Mingi scoffed. "If the crowd knew how weird they are, they wouldn't be lining up at all."

"And you're not?" You teased.

Mingi raised an eyebrow. "Who wanted me to join your lineup again?"

You rolled your eyes. "That was Wooyoung, not me."

"Sure, okay," Mingi shrugged with a smirk. 

You shook your head, wanting to wipe that smirk off his pretty face. You turned back to your money and jotted down the numbers under the last person to register. "Weren't you interested in our lineup of kissers? I can't thank you enough for helping us and being here and all."

Mingi leaned over the counter and crossed his arms. "No, not at all," he answered as he watched you work.

You looked at him and chuckled. "So you just came to watch your friends make out with a bunch of people, then?" 

"Well, I did to maybe get some material for blackmail," Mingi chuckled then cleared his throat, "but I was also waiting for someone."

"Oh," you said. You sounded so dry that you wanted to beat yourself up for seeming affected. "Who?"

"For you, actually," Mingi answered without a hitch, making you blush madly. "I—uh—also got you something." He placed a small chick plushie on the counter. 

You smiled uncontrollably as you grabbed and squeezed its fluffy material. "Where did you get this?" You happily asked.

"The claw machines rented by the robotics club," Mingi sighed. "My talent is limited to basketball I guess, since I only got one."

"It's cute," you chuckled. "What is this for anyway?"

"I figured a gift is better than $5 for a..." Mingi trailed off, unsure of how you would react.

Your face morphed from happy to surprise upon realizing what he meant. You looked him in the eyes to see whether he was joking or not, but eventually, you avoided his intense gaze. And you suddenly realized how close he was as he continued to lean over the counter, waiting for your response. "Stop that," you mumbled, "please."

"Stop what?"

"That," you said, not looking at him as you pushed him gently away from the counter. "Stop messing with me." 

Mingi sighed as he stood properly, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. "I'm not messing with you, Y/N. I," he paused, plucking up the courage, "I want to kiss you—no, I want to ask you out first because I like you a lot."

You bit your lip anxiously. He wouldn't mess with you, right? You continued to stare at your feet. You can't bear to see if he was joking or not.

Mingi leaned over the counter again in an attempt to see your face. "I can see that you're holding yourself back. What's stopping you?"

You sighed, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back down. "You're Song Mingi—"

"Nope, don't start. I don't wanna hear that bullshit. Give me a logical one like, I don't know, you don't like me back?" Mingi said sternly. His deep voice made the hairs on your nape stand. "I can date whomever I want. And that's you, Y/N. I like you for who you are. You're sweet and kind to everyone. You're one of the smartest people I know. You even stand up to your best friend for what you think is right."

You bit your lip again in a fluster, still too shy to make your move.

Mingi sighed. "If you don't like me back, it's alright, Y/N. I'm not going to be mad." He smiled softly. "I'm sorry for bombarding you with these things. You don't have to answer when you're uncomfortable." He moved to walk away, but you instantly grabbed the lining of his jacket to stop him.

"No, I—" you gripped the material nervously. "I like you too, Mingi. I—" You paused again, not knowing how to say your problem.

Mingi's eyes widened in surprise but waited for you to finish.

"I like you, Mingi. I—" you gulped. "And I also want to kiss you."

"But?" Mingi asked. "I feel like there's going to be a 'but' there."

You looked down at the counter. "But, I don't know how."

"I'm sorry." He smiled apologetically. "We don't have to kiss right now. We can just have dinner for now—"

"But I want to," you blurted out, which you immediately apologized for nonstop.

For a moment, you thought Mingi was going to laugh at you. You guessed that most of the people your age had already gotten their first kiss. Heck, your club's booth was a testament to that. So you were utterly embarrassed by your confession. 

However, Mingi did no such thing. "Move over," he said. You didn't know what he meant until he climbed over the counter. You almost tripped backward when he jumped down right in front of you. He caught you just when you were about to stumble.

"What are you doing?" You mused.

"Can't you tell?" Mingi teased as he held your face tenderly. "I'm trying to kiss you properly."

You shook your head in disbelief and amusement. This guy is really sleek. 

"C-Can I kiss you, Y/N?" Mingi asked. He rubbed his thumb against your cheek, comforting you.

You were extremely flustered by the warmth, not to mention the anticipation of what he was about to do, so all you could do at the moment was nod silently at his question.

Mingi smiled. You thought your heart was going to explode as Mingi came closer. You thought he was going to kiss you on the lips right away, but he planted a soft kiss on your forehead first. Then on your nose. You had to refrain from giggling, given the soft moment. Then he slowly came closer to your lips. You closed your eyes when you felt it against yours.

You couldn't explain it, but you felt warm and fuzzy inside despite your heartbeat ramming against your chest. The air felt soft yet exciting at the same time. It was definitely more than what you had imagined it to be. 

You slid your hand against his chest and rested it behind his neck. His hands softly slid against your waist and pulled you closer. You could faintly hear Mingi humming in delight. And a few moments later, you both stopped to gaze at each other.

Although, you still had trouble maintaining eye contact with his intense ones. And Mingi just chuckled lightly at the sight. "You still don't want me to be a kisser?"

"No, I—" you pouted and Mingi just laughed.

"Don't worry, you're the only one I want to kiss," he murmured before kissing your forehead. "Dinner?"

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 60

Part 1 Part 59

The party is already in full swing by the time they pull up. Drunk high schoolers out on the lawn wearing more thought-out costumes than he and Eddie had managed. Their plans before Nancy accosted them in the hallway involved a pizza and a couple tapes from Family Video that Eddie swears he has to see.

It'd been Eddie’s idea; he’d shrugged on one of Steve’s preppy polos – his words, not Steve’s – and one of his acid-wash jeans, and pristine white sneakers, and called it good. Steve had gone along with the concept for lack of a better idea. He’d chosen his favorite Metallica shirt (the one with the hole in the armpit), a pair of Eddie’s black jeans, and Eddie's leather jacket. Eddie had grabbed his battle vest, pushing Steve's arms through it like he was a small child. It’d still been warm from Eddie’s own back.

To finish the look, Eddie had slid each ring off his fingers, matching them perfectly with their usual placements on his own hands. There was something about the way Eddie's hands felt, sliding up the vulnerable sides of Steve's fingers that made him shiver, goosebumps breaking out along his arms.

Eddie's hands had looked bare, almost risqué in their nakedness. Even now, while being packed in at all sides, Steve can't help looking down at them. He wants to push Eddie's hands into his jean pockets, hide the vulnerability of it from everyone else. He doesn't.

Almost the instant they walk through the door, Hargrove shouts, “King Bitch!” holding up his drink, as if to toast Steve’s arrival.

Tommy’s at his side, laughing like no one had ever said anything that funny in his life. Eddie’s fingers tighten around his wrist as he pulls him along.

Barbara and Nancy are hovering around the punch bowl, laughing. Nancy takes a sip of something that looks disturbingly red from her red plastic cup, and Barbara, while empty-handed, looks far happier than she had at Steve’s party all those months ago.

"Looks like they didn't need us at all!" Eddie calls loudly over the music.

Eddie’s bare fingers sneak under his sleeve to caress the skin of his inner wrist. Steve clenches his fist, relaxes it, wonders if Eddie can feel the flexing of his tendons beneath his palm.

“You came!” Nancy calls, handing her drink off to Barbara with a roll of her eyes, as she throws herself at both of them, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders and pulling them into her smaller frame. She looks down at the pair of them, brow furrowed. “What are you two even wearing?”

The angle hurts his back, even more so when he turns his head to raise an eyebrow at Eddie, who’s already doing the same. “Well, you see,” Eddie says, trying to eel out of her arms with little to no success. “I’m dressed as the king, and Steve’s my noble jester, of course!”

Nancy opens her mouth, looking up at him with a bitchy expression, but Steve interrupts her, “I said we would.” He says it loud enough to be heard over the thrumming music.

“Are you drunk?” Eddie asks, looking at Nancy with befuddlement. Steve can’t blame him. Nancy’s behavior toward him can usually be called catty at best. Not that Eddie doesn’t usually give as good as he gets, but it’s still bizarre to see Nancy’s arm wrapped so familiarly around him.

“No!” Nancy yells, at the same time Barbara says, “yes,” with an exasperated sigh.

“I only had two drinks. When she pulls out of the embrace, she’s already pouting. “I only had two drinks.

Steve holds his hand out toward Barbara, who hands over Nancy’s drink, even as the other girl complains. Steve takes a tentative sip, curious. It goes down like battery acid. It makes him lightheaded and queasy instantaneously. Probably just from the fumes.

“What the fuck is that?” he asks, sputtering. He rubs his tongue with his fingers, hoping to scrub the remnants of that taste off his tongue for good. Eddie’s hand, where it’s still wrapped around his wrist, nudges against his chin.

“It’s pure fuel,” Barbara replies, laughter audible in her tone, even as Nancy nods enthusiastically.

Steve, still grimacing at the lingering taste, drops his hand, rubbing his saliva off on his borrowed pants. “That’s rancid.”

“This is what the Kingdom has fallen to without their King,” Eddie says with a sigh. For some reason, his cheeks are pink, like he’d been the one drinking that garbage.

Steve shrugs, “Carol always used to mix the drinks.”

“Of course, she did,” Eddie says, rolling his eyes.

Barb nods in agreement, but Steve had made the mistake of handing Nancy back her drink, so she was immediately long-sufferingly trying to corral her friend to stop drinking.

Steve flows into the groove of partying quickly. He fades into the music, smiles at his friends, lets the waves flow over him. He’s happy, with Eddie by his side, and friends coming in and out of view.

Enter: Jonathan Byers.

Steve’s breathing picks up, and suddenly the pack of bodies is suffocating. He can feel sweat slick his forehead, and his vision goes a little fuzzy along the edges. He pushes past bodies with no regard, ignoring the startled complaints that follow in his wake.

Steve grabs the lapel of Jonathan’s shirt in both fists, like a kid afraid of losing his Mom in the store. And he is; he’s afraid.

“Where’s Will?” he asks, pulling Jonathan’s t-shirt, stretching out the collar around his neck.

Jonathan’s eyes widen. He reaches out, covering Steve’s hands on his shirt and squeezing. “He’s fine,” Jonathan says. “He’s trick-or-treating with his friends.” There are spots in Steve’s eyes. “Breath, dude.”

Steve inhales, ragged and aching. “You didn’t go with them?”

Before Jonathan can answer, Eddie is there, big palms on Steve’s shoulder, squeezing. He leans forward, whispers in Steve’s ear. “Let’s go outside, sweetheart.”

Steve nods, letting Eddie lead him past the throng of partygoers, pulling Jonathan along as well by the hem of his shirt, still clutched in one of Steve’s fists hard enough to hurt.

They emerge out on Tina’s back porch. It’s dark, but the fresh air hits Steve and his lungs finally expand.

“Jonathan?” Steve asks, wheezy and breathless.

Jonathan meets his eyes, quickly pulling something out of his pocket. When Steve looks down, it’s a walkie-talkie, the same kind the party is so fond of using.

“He begged me to go with his friends,” Jonathan says, talking fast like he’s afraid Steve will punch him if he doesn’t get the words out quickly enough. Or pass out on him. “I told him he’d have to radio in every half hour, on the dot, or I’d call Hop.”

Steve breaths in, breaths out, feels Eddie’s hand steadying the small of his back. “And he has been?” Steve asks.

Jonathan nods, slow, like any sudden movements will spook Steve.

“Well, then!” Eddie says, massaging Steve’s shoulders quick and dirty a few times until Steve melts into his hands. Steve’s bereft when he drops his hands to join their impromptu circle. Eddie digs around in Steve’s pocket, pulling out a pristine joint with a quirked brow. “I think some of us could maybe chill the fuck out right about now.”

Steve rolls his eyes when Eddie looks pointedly his way, but dutifully swipes the joint from Eddie’s hand. He slides it in his mouth, feels it stick to the inside of his lip as he leans forward for Eddie to light it.

The first hit sends him coughing. Jonathan claps his back companionably as he passes the joint to him. Jonathan, suspiciously, doesn’t cough at all. Neither does Eddie, but that’s to be expected.

A few more rounds of puff puff pass, and Steve’s so relaxed he flows onto the ground. Eddie laughs, passes the joint to Jonathan, and plops down beside Steve, patting his thigh.

Eddie’s smiling down at him in a way that makes Steve’s stomach populate with butterflies by the handful. He looks teasing, like he’s thinking of the best thing to say. Steve suddenly knows he’s going to speak and then he does. “Are you alright down there, princess?” he asks. “All calmed down?”

He swallows his desert-dry mouth and hopes his voice comes out clear. God forbid he fucks up so badly Eddie invites Jonathan to warm his bed instead. “Yeah,” he says, throat cracking around the word. In a bid to redeem himself, Steve clears his throat, swirling his spit around to help rehydrate. “I can see the future?” he says, voice lilting upward at the end like it’s a question.

Eddie leans forward, hand patting Steve’s cheek gently. It feels nice. Steve leans into the touch. “Are you serious?” he asks. “Is this another superpower thing?”

Steve wobbles one of his hands together in a wishy-washy gesture that his brain gets caught in. It feels nice, the stagnant night’s air smacking against his palm so he does it faster, smiling.

“He’s just high,” Jonathan says, turning just enough that Steve can see the bottom of his chin. He looks weird from down below. Gargantuan.

Eddie flops gracelessly beside him, burrowing the back of his head into Steve’s ribs. “Damn, so you can’t see the future?” he asks, whining. “We could use another Supergirl.”

Steve’s too busy watching Jonathan to argue over not knowing any supergirls again. Jonathan’s leaning against the railing, and Steve knows, suddenly, that he’s going to take another drag from the dwindling remnants of the joint. And then he does.

“I can see three seconds into the future,” he says wonderingly, still smiling.

Eddie burrows his head harder into Steve’s ribs until Steve brings his hand up to pet clumsily through his hair. “Ugh, you got my hopes up.”

“I’m a supergirl.”

Jonathan and Eddie are laughing at him, but Steve’s looking up at the shitty overhang above Tina’s wonderous porch and wishing it was gone. He wants to see the sky, the stars splashing out above him. He wants to pluck them from the sky and put them, still flaming, into Eddie’s hair.

He wants.

Something answers his wishes. The overhang is gone, rotted away from above him so the white specks can rain down on his face. He holds up his hand, hoping it’ll be cold enough for snow. Even with the red sky, even with Eddie gone from beside him, Steve hopes.

But when he brings it down to his eyes, the stuff smears along his palm, just like ash. Maybe he can’t see into the future. He would’ve seen this.

He would’ve predicted the way the shadows stripe themselves across his face, blotting out all the red in the worst way possible. He would’ve predicted the way that thing seems to move without moving at all.

He didn’t.

Steve sobs, just once. And then, Steve does what he does best: he runs.

Part 61

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @1-8oo-wtfbro @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect

[certifiedfreec]

i feel like there would be some subtle signs that ____ took an interest in you… pt. 2!

(pt. 1 with ghost, keegan, and graves <3)

i feel like there would be some subtle signs that ghost took an interest in you…

👻 eye. contact. the moment you step into a room that he’s in, his intense gaze lands right on you! this man doesn’t want to lose sight of you for a second. the worst part is he knows how flustered you get when he stares, intently listening to you talk and giving you his unwavering attention <3 (he could give you all kinds of attention if you let him 🤭) your face’ll flush when he locks those pretty brown eyes of his with yours, and he can’t help but chuckle a little. “somethin’ wrong, soldier?”

👻 sometimes he likes to be nearby while you’re getting ready for the day- and ofc you let him! his presence isn’t invasive though; he simply lingers in your room while making mindless chat, occasionally glancing at you in the mirror if you’re drying your hair or putting on makeup (if you wear any). need help with your jewelry? he’s happy to clasp your necklace together. need help taking anything off? he’s even happier to assist with that <33

👻 he overheard you one day when you telling a new recruit about how you much you liked tattoos, and when you see him the next day he’s conveniently got his sleeves all rolled up!! he’s totally inked, and they honestly look so deliciously good on those muscular arms of his. he’d gladly give you a tattoo tour… you just might find the rest in some more secretive places ;)

i feel like there would be some subtle signs that keegan took an interest in you…

🎆 he makes faces at you when people say things he doesn’t agree with like you’re the camera in The Office. you get the brunt of his eye rolls, furrowed brows, and pursed lips when others annoy him- it’s his snarky way of bonding with you :)) haters that hate together stay together!!

🎆 he casually saves you a seat beside him wherever the ghosts are at whether it’s the debriefing room, the jeep, the heli, or even at the bar during free time. he’ll place something random in the chair like his jacket, his beanie, etc., and then conveniently pick it up when you walk in :’) he likes having you beside him, though he could probably think some of other seats reserved especially for you- who said that omg…

🎆 you two were walking together when he looked down and noticed that your shoe was untied. he could’ve just told you, sure, but it’s in his nature to help others, so he knelt down onto one knee and tied it for you <3 so gentlemanly! if that didn’t make you swoon enough, then the two pats he gave to the top of your foot definitely did :’) he’d get on his knees for you anytime…

i feel like there would be some subtle signs that graves took an interest in you…

🇺🇸 sometimes he picks the bumpiest, most uneven walking paths during operations so you have to hold onto him for support because he’s silly like that!! one time you were both traveling over some pretty rocky terrain, and you had to grab for his arm to steady yourself- all while feeling your face flush bright red. he simply looked over at you with that cocky grin of his, flexing the muscles that were under your touch. “fallin’ for me already, soldier?” (another corny line he uses when he inevitably does it again: “looks like i swept ya off your feet, huh?”)

🇺🇸 he suddenly becomes a standup comedian whenever you’re around, joking and laughing with all the shadows like it’s open mic night. yes, he wants your full attention- and what about it?! when he finally makes you laugh, he can’t help but get a little smug about it; he loves the sound, and he’d really like to elicit some other kinds of noises from you later ;)

🇺🇸 he’s quick to compliment you when you do something right! it starts out all jovial and good-natured, he’ll say things during operations like “lookin’ good out there, soldier,” and “that’s what i’m talkin’ about!” with that subtle drawl of his… then it becomes a liiiittle more purposeful, and he starts to murmur things for only you to hear like “doin’ so great for me, darlin’,” and “knew ya could handle it, sweetheart.” he’s pretty big on praise with you…do with that information what you will! <33

[duskier]

UR BUTCH BODYGUARD GHOST RAHHHH SHE'S SO 💥💥💖💖🔥🔥💪👊💥 I LUV HER <333

Butch bodyguard Ghost x pop star reader is something so personal to me-

Her silvery blonde hair cropped so short, wearing that stupid black medical mask that you hate because it just makes you ponder the possible shape of her lips MORE-- wears musky colognes and button down shirts with the top two buttons undone under suit jackets! She's got these pale orange freckles and a couple of moles you can make out on her shoulder and clavicle which totally don't make you wonder what other surprises could be found under her clothes... after hours in your shared suites she's got her jacket off, those sleeves rolled up and torturing you with her tattoos and thick forearms (screaming hollering from the rooftops)

She takes you shooting once, because she'd determined to teach you to defend yourself. You can't help but ask, "Isn't that your job?" and she has to just huff out a laugh and shake her head in response because she's so close to actually admitting you being safe is beyond her job it's the reason she gets up every morning. (Her praise when she sees your grip slowly improve, pointing out every good shot left on your target, ohhh that lives in your head a long time after!) You watch her practice her draw from her appendix carry, over and over again she tears her shirt up from her waistband with one hand, her other strong hand darting down to her pistol and aiming it with deadly speed and precision.

Going out and you're drinking much too much at lavish clubs that fall at your feet for a chance to rub shoulders with you but all you care about is your very sober teddy bear of a bodyguard- she's so warm and soft and strong! Ghost doesn't touch you more than necessary, just enough to keep you steady, but it's so hard when you're flushed from liquor and practically throwing yourself in her lap. (She princess carries you up to your hotel room and helps take off your shoes, so in denial of her attraction to you she's blushing at the feeling of your soft ankles in her hands!!)

She is the only person who seems to see you for you, doesn't get starstruck. She gets you these little thoughtful gifts everywhere you visit- things others wouldn't have thought to get you. Like a little treat, a pretty keychain. Of course you could buy these things for yourself, but it sends a little thrill each time she gets you something- it means she was thinking of you.

Your management company being evil and trying to control your diet also sets Ghost off. She likes you just as you are, fuck the lot of them. Ghost ends up spending her free time/time off while you're safe at practice buying ingredients to make you actual dinners, not the frozen pre-prepped meals that were bland and miniscule in comparison to the feasts Ghost is always cooking you. (You catch her cutting vegetables one day, open mouthed watching her arm muscles flex as she chops with efficency. Who knew cooking could be hot.)(She absolutely spoon feeds you, once, and it's horrible how she can't tear her eyes away from your pretty lips wrapped around the fork she's using to feed you the dinner she slaved away on for hours. Totally doesn't lose it at you moaning about how good it is, how you could just kiss her for how good the food is...)

[lloromanic0]

2009 BILL

Bill and fem reader ate friends with benefits and after a fancy date things get VERY intense

Hello thank you so much for the request!!

When I read intense I immediately thought about an argument (but ik that’s not what you meant lol) so I did both :D, I hope you like it and that it meets your expectations! :]

!SMUT MDNI!

Fem! Reader

Content: You feel unsure of your “relationship” with Bill so after your date you tell him about your feelings resulting in a small disagreement,which then leads to make up sex.

Everybody knew that you and Bill fuck, nothing else just sex. Ever since Bill started to gain fame from his band and going on tour you’d barely see him, but whenever he came back to Germany you were the only one he wanted to see. Tomorrow he was coming to see you after two months, even though you missed him you questioned why you couldn’t be in an actual relationship, did he fuck random people while he went on tour and because of that you couldn’t be more than friends? You ignored those thoughts knowing it wouldn’t change anything in your dynamic with him and to be honest you kinda thought being like this with him was just fine.

It was the next morning, Bill had already called you twice a few minutes ago, you returned the call.

Call:

-Hi

-Hi Y/N I just landed.

-Good, how was the flight?

-It was alright thanks. Tonight let’s go out for dinner.

-Hm sure.

-Great I’ll pick you up at 7, is that ok?

-Perfect I’ll see you later then, bye.

-See you later.

You hang up. You felt awkward talking to him for some reason, you ignore it again and moved on with your day. You did some essays you had pilled up, cleaned your room a bit and for the rest of the day you just relaxed in your living room listening to some music. At 5 you started getting ready, you took a shower, dried and styled your hair and went back to your room to change your outfit. You wanted to wear this black leather skirt you got last week,pairing it with some tights underneath, black boots, a long sleeve top and a fluffy jacket since you knew it would be cold. When you were finishing your makeup you heard a car honk you knew it was Bill so you hurried out of the house. He was parked in front of your gate you walked to his car and sat on the passenger seat, he smiled at you brightly.

“How have you been Y/N? I missed you” after saying this he went for a hug, you returned it smelling his intense cologne on his neck and feeling the warmth of his body on yours.

“I’ve been fine…I think, I’ve missed you too.”

He drove to restaurant while making small talk with you,you couldn’t stop thinking about your feelings you never had any problem with the kind of relationship you guys had before he started to leave Germany for months, why did he even bother coming back just to have sex with you and the thing is he probably fucked so many other people out there and you only wanted him.

You arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later, he got out and opened that car door for you extending his hand to help you out.

“You look so pretty Y/N.”

“You also look very handsome Bill…”

During dinner the talk got less and less awkward and you felt you were friends again, after dinner he told he would take you back to his room as you already expected.The time you were there went by fast,he kept teasing you during dinner about how much he needed you, as you slowly gave into his words.

At his hotel room you laid on the bed with him on top of you, kissing and licking on neck, bitting your colar bones, you shifted awkwardly under him which made him confused.

“Are you okay Y/N? You’re acting weird…” he sat up to look at you.

“I don’t know about this we have going on Bill…”

“What do you mean? You’ve never had a problem with it before and you know we can’t really maintain a relationship with the way my life changed drastically.” He spoke firmly.

“I know Bill…but why do you always come back for me if we’re not even in an actual relationship?”

“Because I do love you but you know we can’t be a couple, if I was your boyfriend I would want to be present for you no matter what but I can’t so I’d rather just keep it like this.”

You stayed quiet for a minute.

“Do you fuck other girls while you’re on tour?”

“What!? No! I only want you Y/N please don’t think like that.”

He took both your hands between his.

“Listen Y/N right now none of us can commit to a relationship, it wouldn’t sit right with me to be your boyfriend and not seeing you every day.”

“I know Bill…I’ll always love you and miss you no matter what and if there’s a chance in the future we can actually be together I’d do anything for that to happen.” You looked at him your eyes glossy from trying to contain your tears as you spoke the harsh truth.

“I’ll do everything in my power to be able to do that for you.” He kissed you deeply his hand holding the back of your head as your tongues connected in one passionate kiss, Bill got on top of you once again.

“Will you let me have you Y/N?”

“Yes Bill…” he went back to kiss your neck as he was previously doing,this time you let yourself melt under his touch humming in pleasure as he sucked the tender skin on your neck. He took your shirt off leaving you on your bra, kissing down to your collar bones and between your breasts, his hand was now behind you to unclip your bra freeing your perky tits. His mouth now gently sucked on one of your nipples and played with the other using his fingers, little moans escaping your lips. Your hips grinding against his in a way to let him know that you wanted him, he pulled down his pants and boxers freeing his erection, his tip leaking pre cum. He pumped his length a few times before taking your skirt off along with your tights, he pressed his fingers over your clothed pussy which made you tremble a bit.

“Bill…please I want you…”

“I want you too…” he whispered while pulling down your panties. The tip of his cock now rubbing against your entrance both of you moaning and humming at the sensation, he slowly inserted himself in you his movements deep and firm.Bill’s hips moved slowly so you both could enjoy that moment for as long as you could take it, you clenched around him every time his tip hit your cervix, the way your pussy had the perfect fit for him made him go crazy for you every time. You held him close to you, your hands placed behind his head,you felt his breath on your face as you kept eye contact with him the whole time, intimate moments like this were what you cherished the most in your “relationship” with Bill.

You exchanged wet and sloppy kisses as he thrusted in you unhurriedly making you feel everything vein of his cock, one of his hands reached down to rub circles on your clit making you squeal at the sudden contact. Your hips now moving with his complementing his movements as you both seek for release.

“I’m so close Y/N- fuck…”

“Me too Bill…mmhmm”

His thrusts now becoming faster and steadier as you finally came undone due to the double stimulation he was inflicting on you, the wet sounds of your love making aroused Bill so much, with one last thrust he came deep inside you slowly moving his hips riding his high. He pulled out slowly making you shiver already missing him inside you,looking at him once again his face now red and sweaty as he smiled sweetly at you.

“I’ll grab you a water and I’ll get the shower going for you.” Said Bill as he walked away.

You curled up in to a ball thinking about what just happened, for the first time you felt like Bill made love to you and not just pointless sex.

[lvndrfucks]

Cole Preston was on his last straw.

When it came to feelings and liking someone, he was usually a reserved person. He didn’t make it too obvious, but tried to make it known that he viewed you more than a friend. It was the little things. He remembered your favorite restaurant, your usual coffee order, why you hated wearing polka dots (it was just ugly, in your opinion.)

A person would think they’d catch onto these signs. Especially when it had been six months now. Six months of him pining after you and you thinking “wow, he’s such a good friend.”

Even after uttering those words, he didn’t give up. Now, Cole was determined to tell you how he truly felt. No matter how frustrating your obliviousness could be.

Dinner had just ended and the group of friends decided to try to find an open ice cream shop. While everyone else was ahead, you were lingering in the back with Cole. You were busy looking around the shops while he was busy looking at you.

At the slightest shiver, he was already removing his jacket.

“Are you cold?”

Before you could protest, his leather jacket was already placed over your shoulders.

You smiled at him. “Thanks.” You pushed your arms through the sleeves, savoring the warmth.

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, how was your food? Considering you ate half of mine too.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “It’s not my fault your food looked good too. And I liked mine. Ugh, I wish I tried Eva’s spaghetti, though.”

“But doesn’t spaghetti usually make you sick?”

You groaned, leaning into his arm. You didn’t feel him tense at your touch.

“I know, but it’s so good.”

“Well, if you had it, I think you’d be puking your guts out right now.” He chuckled slightly.

“Yeah, you’re right. As usual.” Your nose scrunched up as you smiled at him.

He even knew what food you couldn’t have. If that didn’t scream romance, he didn’t know what did.

Cole suddenly felt chilled as you let go of his arm. He glanced down at your hands swaying at your sides. Maybe if he just…

His fingers twitched the closer he got. Just when he felt the skin of your knuckles touch his, it was ripped away immediately by your gasp.

“I found one!” You pointed across the street at the ice cream shop.

The group let out noises of excitement and quickly ran over. You looked at Cole with a wide smile, grabbing his wrist to catch up. He looked down his arm.

This was close enough, right?

“I’m hopeless.” Cole laid across the couch with his arm over his eyes. “I’m gonna be single forever. And live alone with my one cat. Then, die with no one attending my funeral.”

Dylan and Braedon looked at each other.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic,” Dylan questioned. “Why don’t you just tell her?”

“I’ve tried!”

“Have you actually?”

Cole peeked over with one eye to see them both looking with raised eyebrows. He groaned while sitting up.

“I thought she would’ve caught on by now. We always hang out together, we’ve both slept over at each other’s places, she’s even worn my clothes,” Cole listed.

“Come on, man. We all know she can be a little…blind when it comes to relationships,” Braeden said. “She introduced Eva and I and didn’t know we were dating until the two month mark. You just gotta be upfront about it. What’s holding you back?”

“I’m scared, okay? What if she doesn’t like me back and— and she’s just messing with my feelings? Like it’s all some game to her.”

“Do you really believe that? After knowing her for so long,” Dylan asked.

Cole huffed and leaned back on the couch. “No.”

“Remember during our Ontario show and she brought brownies,” Dylan recalled, making Cole nod. “She made you brownies. She didn’t even give us any.”

“Which I took offense to,” Braeden chimed in.

“Or when you were sick, she didn’t leave your side until you were better. You said she made you soup and cleaned up your apartment. I don’t think she would do that for us.”

A smile appeared on Cole’s face at the memory. “You really think she likes me?”

“She probably doesn’t even realize it,” Dylan said. “If you can’t say out loud how you feel, try writing it.”

That’s exactly what Cole did. He spent the entire night composing the perfect letter that told you exactly how he felt. Now, all he had to do was give it to you. He was debating whether or not to run away afterwards.

Cole called your name from across the park. You turned around and waved, meeting him halfway. You greeted him with a hug, as you always did.

“Hey, what did you want to talk about? And why at the park?” You wondered.

“Just…thought it was a nice day out.” Not because the park was when Cole realized he had feelings for you. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

He felt like he was breathing too heavily. His stomach began to churn at the very thought of the letter weighing down his pocket.

“Are you okay? You seen nervous,” you observed.

“What? Me? Nervous? Pfft, no.”

You stared for some time before smiling. “Okay. So, what do you wanna tell me?”

“Right, um…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. “I—“

The two of you yelped as the sprinklers suddenly went off. It happened so quickly. You both ran towards the sidewalk, but it was no use. You were already drenched from head to toe, as was Cole.

And the letter.

He looked at the paper in disappointment as it began to rip pitifully in his hands.

You laughed lightly. “Well, that was unexpected.” You looked at the paper. “What’s that?”

“It’s um…a song I was working on. I wanted to show you and get your opinion. Kind of pointless now.” He dumped the remains into the nearby trashcan. Along with his dignity.

“Aw, I’m sorry.” You frowned, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. “How about we dry up at my place and see if we can try to remember any of the song, okay?”

Even in the most glum situations, you still managed to put a smile on Cole’s face.

It was late at night when you texted Cole. He was a little confused to why you asked to come over. You were always welcomed anytime, which was exactly what he told you. What he didn’t expect was to find you in near tears in your best clothing.

“What happened?” He immediately asked while pulling you inside.

The two of you sat on the couch. You wouldn’t make eye contact, but he could see the faint wobble of your lower lip.

“I had a date tonight,” you informed.

“Oh.”

A date…

While he was stuck at home throwing Cheez-Its into his mouth, you were out with someone else.

“Did something happen? Did he do something?” Cole prepared himself for the worst.

“No, he just,” you sighed deeply, wrapping your arms around your stomach, “it was so awkward. We had nothing in common and everything just felt forced. I offered to get food since we didn’t really establish a plan, and he immediately assumed I would pay. Then, he continued to make comments on how it looked like I ‘didn’t eat’ and it just made me uncomfortable. But, apparently to him, the date when great.”

Cole hated seeing you upset. He hesitantly wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You leaned into his touch.

“I’m sorry your date didn’t go well. If you don’t mind me asking, why’d you go out with him in the first place,” Cole asked.

“I don’t know. My friend set me up. She said I should try dating again.” You sat up straight to look at him. “But it’s just hard. I don’t like throwing myself out there. I like building the relationship first, starting off as friends and getting to know each other. Like us, you know?”

He gulped. “Yeah. Just like us.”

“I don’t know.” You looked down. “Sometimes I feel like I’m not the type of person to love.”

“What? What do you mean?”

You scoffed. “I’m in my mid-twenties and I’ve never been in a stable relationship. All I’ve had were bad flings and failed talking stages. I just want what everyone else around me has. I just want somebody to love me without feeling the need to.” You let your head drop into your hands as you sniffed. “I’m sorry. I’m just talking out of my ass right now.”

Cole could’ve done it right then and there. He could’ve told you that he’s always loved you without feeling forced to. That you came into his life so unexpectedly and now he won’t let you go.

But he couldn’t.

It didn’t seem fair in the state you were in. Right now, what you needed was a friend. That was something he could do.

He rubbed your back gently while calling your name. “You’re gonna find someone one day. Because how could anyone not love someone like you.”

“Someone so emotional?” You teased while wiping your cheeks.

Cole chuckled. “Yes. And stubborn, and hard-headed, and a little bit of anger issues—“

“If I wanted to be insulted, I would’ve gone to Braeden.”

“But,” he paused, “someone is going to love all those sides of you. Not a person you pretend to be just to feel loved.”

You stayed silent at first until a small smile appeared on your face.

“I wish all guys could be as sweet as you.”

Your head fell onto Cole’s shoulder with closed eyes. His jaw clenched as a frown appeared on his face. Why is she looking for different guys to love when he was right in front of her?

Cole had a hard time sleeping that night. He was up early the next day, his leg bouncing up and down while he sat on the living room couch. You were in the other room, fast asleep, in his clothes on his bed.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He was losing his mind. If he wasn’t honest about his feelings for you in the next second, he feared he might explode.

“Good morning.” His head snapped up at your voice. “I thought you left. Made me feel like those one night stands,” you joked.

“I really need to talk to you,” Cole stated.

You stared, a little confused, but took a seat next to him, nevertheless. His hands clenched and unclenched around the fabric of his sweatpants as he struggled to look at you. You sat ever so patiently.

“Are you feeling okay,” you asked. You placed your hand over his, but he quickly ripped it away.

He couldn’t think straight.

“No, I’m not okay, actually.” Cole took a deep breath in, finally making eye contact. “I…I like you.”

…

…

“Well, I like you too, silly.”

Cole face-palmed.

“No, no. I mean, I like-like you. More than friends.”

Your brows furrowed. “What?”

“Oh, my God,” he muttered under his breath. “How do I do this?”

He rotated his body to fully face you and took both of your hands in his. There was a surprised look on your face at the warm feeling at his touch.

Cole spoke your name once. “I like you in a way that would involve us being more than friends. And not just best friends. Like…I want to be that person you learn to love.”

At his last word, it was like realization dawned over you.

Oh, Cole.

You looked at the boy in front of you that resembled a lost puppy. The same boy who knew your favorite chocolate was dark, the same boy who binge watched your favorite shows with you, the same boy who gave you flowers on multiple occasions for no reason.

You could see it now. Everything he’s done for you. With you.

He liked you.

And you liked him too.

Cole felt his heart clench as you laughed. He was ready to leave, but your hands didn’t let go of his.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Somewhere to hide in shame.” There was small annoyance in his tone as he looked away.

“No, Cole,” you chuckled, “I’m sorry I laughed. It’s because I can’t believe I never knew you had feelings for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny.”

“Cole,” you called out gently. This time, he looked at you. “I like-like you too. In a more than best friends way.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, really. And I’m sorry I never saw it before. I guess everything between us felt so natural, I never questioned the fact that how I felt about you was different from everyone else. And I don’t need to learn how to love you. I already do.”

Cole’s cheeks hurt from grinning so hard. “Wow. Saying you love me before the first date.”

You rolled your eyes, pulling your hands away. “Okay, Mr. Hot Shot.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” He pulled you back to his side before you could move away. “I just got you. You can’t get away that easily.”

You laughed, letting yourself ease against his body. Your legs draped over his lap as his arms wrapped around your waist.

“So, now what,” you questioned.

“Now,” he tucked your hair back behind your ear, letting his knuckle graze over your cheek softly, “I take you on a date. Then, a second. Then, a third. Then, maybe, I’ll ask if I can be your boyfriend.”

“Ahh, okay. And maybe, I’ll say yes.”

“How do I make sure that yes is definite?”

You shrugged. “I guess you really have to wow me on these next three dates.”

Cole nodded. “Then, the first one starts now with breakfast.” You shrieked in surprise as he lifted you up from the couch and started walking to the kitchen. “The third date should finish around dinner, right?”

[sainzfilm]

begin again - charles leclerc

a/n: such a long wait but if you’re new, check out the first part to this drabble right here!

taglist: @svechyaho @squderia @idkiwantchocolatee @koufaxx @melonunicornbby @myescapefromthislife @leclerclvr @slut-era @pachiibatt @nicolesainz @estevries @sidcrosbyspuck @barzysreputation @uhhevie @verclercswiftie @mick2mercedes @mehrmonga @frenchgirlsblog @idontknowwhoshereither

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

Charles stared at the picture that still hung on his wall – one where you were kissing his cheek while he had the biggest smile on his face from winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2019. He knew for a fact that he was the one at fault, he treated you like complete shit and stood you up countless times by the end of your relationship.

“You know you’re staring at the picture again.”

Rolling his eyes with a scoff, Charles averted his eyes from the picture and looked at his older brother, “Tais-toi, Lorenzo.” Shut up, Lorenzo.

“I’m not the one who’s going to shut up from what I’m about to hear,” The eldest Leclerc snickered, leaning against the doorframe, “Maman invited her over for Arthur’s birthday dinner today.”

“Today…Y/N is coming over, today,” Charles trailed off, mumbling to himself, “How long have you known about this?”

“Maybe a month or two,” He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye before walking off, “Don’t forget to stop making those lovey dovey eyes at her later!”

Groaning in response, Charles dragged himself to the closet and stood there to figure out what was he supposed to wear for tonight. Why does he even bother? You wanted nothing to do with him – or maybe that’s what he assumed since that fateful day half a year ago.

“Maman!” Charles called out, pulling the shirt over his head and walking down the stairs, but freezing in place as soon as he sees you sitting beside his mother, “Where’s Lor- Y/N.”

Looking at Charles standing in his place at the staircase, you smiled softly and gave him a small wave, “Hi, Charles. It’s been a while.”

Pascale patted your back softly and stood up, walking over to Charles and whispering, “Don’t mess it up. You’re welcome.”

Charles chuckled softly and bit the inside of his cheek, walking over to where you sat and took a seat in the couch across you, “How have you been?”

“A lot better actually, you know from…what went down between us,” You casually replied, a hint of bitterness from the words escaping your mouth, “But, no hard feelings.”

“I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you,” Charles blurted out, mentally scolding himself for possibly opening up healed wounds, “There isn’t any excuse. I was an asshole and that’s it.”

Humming in response, you drummed your fingers on your lap, “I probably caused you pain as much as you did to me, so I’m sorry if I did hurt you in anyway during our run.”

“I did come to our spot that day,” He stated, looking up to meet your eyes, “I was just really late.”

“Charles…” You sighed, pulling the sleeves of your jacket down to cover the bracelet wrapped around your wrist, “You don’t have to explain it. What’s done is done.”

“I don’t want our story to be done, Y/N,” Charles chuckled softly to himself, feeling foolish for trying to open a book that was shut close, “You probably moved on, it’s nearly been a year, but I haven’t.”

Shaking your head with a sigh, you stood up and made your way to the front door, “Wish Arthur a happy birthday for me.”

“Y/N, please, just hear me out,” Charles asserted, following you and reaching out for your arm, “I don’t want to let you go this time around.”

“This time around?” You replied bitterly, frowning from how your heart responded differently, “It won’t end well, Charles.”

Charles caught sight of the bracelet that he gave you for your birthday the other year. It was definitely that one from the way the letter ‘C’ and the number ‘16’ hung from it.

“I know that there are still feelings lingering,” He retorted, gesturing towards the bracelet, which caused you to pull your sleeve down further, “I’m not asking you to trust me right away. I just want to win you back.”

You were certain the universe was playing tricks on you from the way the rain started pouring – just like the day when Charles messed everything up. It was as if your body went on full autopilot, running out the Leclerc’s household and into the rain, trying to catch a taxi.

“Y/N!” Charles called out, running after you and getting drenched by the pouring rain, “You’re going to get sick!”

You shook your head, turning around as you walked backwards, “I already am! I’m sick of this shit act you put up, Charles!”

“I’m not putting up a shit show, Y/N! I meant every word I said!” He exclaimed, closing the distance between you two and holding the jacket over your heads, “Please. I still love you.”

You looked in Charles’ eyes, a sudden montage flashing in your brain of countless nights of you crying from what happened between you, sulking whenever you heard your song on the radio, or even feeling your heart skip a beat when you heard his name achieving great things in the world of motorsport.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever missed anyone or anything as much as I missed you. Every day I regret letting go of the greatest thing I’ve had in my life,” Charles explained, voice shaking from the cold breeze of the rain, “I want you by my side. Through my victories and my downfalls, even ordinary days like grocery shopping or going to our spot. You’re my endgame, Y/N.”

It didn’t take a fool to miss the way your eyes were watering from his confession. You rolled your eyes playfully and crossed your arms, “Swear on your future WDCs that you won’t fuck it up again?”

“Cross my heart, Y/N,” He replied, crossing his heart with his finger and a glint of hope shimmering in his eyes, “I’ll spend every single day making it up to you.”

Charles dropped the jacket to the ground and held your face gently in his hands, slowly leaning in and whispering, “Can I…kiss you?”

As you felt your breathing pick up its pace, you took a quick glance to his lips and nodded slowly, “You can.”

Closing your eyes, Charles kissed you softly while his thumbs rubbed your cheeks as the rain continued to pour. You laughed softly to yourself, causing Charles to pull away and lean his forehead against yours, “I’ll never let you go this time.”

“You better keep up with your word, Leclerc,” You mumbled, nudging his nose with yours before kissing him briefly, “To be fair, I never stopped loving you.”

In that moment, Charles knew for a fact that after weeks of feeling like the same day repeated itself, tomorrow finally came and he got to begin again with who he deemed as his greatest love.

[lanternadosafogados]

Jacket Kenma Kozume x Fem!reader

That was just another weekend. [Name] went to Kenma's house so they could do homework together. It wasn't the most exciting way to spend those two days, but it was nice to spend time together since they barely saw each other during the week with classes and club activities.

"Feel free to go upstairs if you want," he said. "I'll check if there's something in the kitchen."

Kenma was the type to prefer snacks while studying, so [Name] knew they would do homework with some simple and questionably quality food.

Still, [Name] simply climbed the stairs until reaching her boyfriend's room.

She had been there so many times that the first thing she did was drop her bag on the floor, near the bed, while lazily lying down.

The boy's room was always the same, but today there was a small exception.

On the chair in front of the computer was a red piece of clothing draped over the backrest, and [Name] recognized it immediately. It was his volleyball club jacket.

[Name] sat on the bed, looking at the open door. She didn't hear any sounds from the stairs.

She stood up, trying not to look suspicious, and approached the chair. Soon, she held the garment in her hands, examining it more closely than usual. It was light and soft, with the team's name written in white on the back.

Perhaps it was a silly, somewhat childish idea, but [Name] thought about putting it on. It would be quick, and Kenma wouldn't even notice.

And that's what she did.

Kozume's wardrobe had a mirror on the door, so she took the opportunity to see how it looked.

Although the sleeves were a bit long, the jacket suited her well. Who would have thought that the red color would complement her?

"[Name]," he called, standing at the door with food in hand.

The girl quickly turned toward him, a surprised expression on her face as she felt her cheeks warm up.

"I was just trying it on," she said. "I'll take it off now."

However, before she could do so, he interrupted her.

"You can wear it if you want."

Kenma didn't seem to mind much about the scene he had just witnessed, but his cheeks had more color now. He just grabbed his backpack and sat on his bed, placing the food in front of him.

"All right," was all [Name] said as she joined him and reached for her bag.

She was looking for a specific chapter in one of her books when she heard him say that.

"Red looks good on you."

Also posted on Spiritfanfics and Wattpad!

[togrowoldinv]

12 Alarm

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

Your firefighter wife gifts you a special calendar she made for you

Note: Firefighter Natasha is back! Cause she’s so hot and strong hehe. This one is super fun. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this idea. Enjoy!

Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 1, Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 2, Main Masterlist

“Do you think she’s going to like it?” Natasha asks her coworker, Carol, as she helps her take some photos.

“A hot firefighter calendar from her wife? Yeah I think so,” Carol answers with a laugh. Nat laughs too. “Especially the photos you take when I leave.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Get out of here,” Nat playfully says. Carol smirks and walks outside the door to stand guard.

Natasha wouldn’t want any of her other coworkers knowing what she’s doing in here. It’s been a long running joke between the two of you that Nat was hot enough for one of those firefighter calendars. Little did you know she was in the process of making one just for you.

She takes her time to pose for each month, some with more clothes on then others, and feels satisfied with her gift. It’s a few days after Christmas when she finally gives it to you.

You were with family and this was definitely a more in private gift. So as soon as you settle back home Nat comes to the living room with a gift in hand.

“I’ve got one more gift for you, sweetheart,” Nat says.

“Oh?” You pat the spot next to you on the couch and she sits close. Her hand immediately goes to your thigh as she hands you the gift. “Thanks babe.” You kiss her cheek and she grins.

As you start to open the gift, your eyes go wide at the peaks of it you get. The whole thing is unwrapped and you feel yourself already heating up.

“Natasha! Is this? Babe!”

“I know we always joke about it, but I thought maybe you’d like to actually have one,” Natasha explains. She seems a little nervous, but her worries fade as you immediately open it to the first month.

“Holy shit,” you can hardly speak as you look at the photo.

Natasha is wearing her full uniform and leaning against a fire truck. Even with the jacket, pants, shirt, hat, and boots you are drooling at the sight of your wife.

“It gets better, you know. January is just the beginning,” Natasha says with a kneeling smile. She’s sitting somehow even closer to you and her arm is wrapped around your shoulders.

You turn the page to February. Natasha wasn’t kidding about it getting better. For this month, Natasha has her jacket opened with no under shirt on. Her abs show through the opening as your eyes fall on her lack of pants. She’s wearing only lacy panties. A rose stem is held between her teeth as she smiles at the camera.

“You like it?” She asks. She was nervous about this one.

“I wish I was that rose.”

“Hmm, we can make that happen,” Natasha says. She starts kissing your neck with fervency.

“Babe, wait. Let me look at the rest of this.” You don’t want her to stop, but you’re itching to see the rest of the calendar.

She relents and you then turn to March. Natasha is manspreading on the step of the truck with her T-shirt sleeves rolled up over her strong biceps. She’s flexing as she makes a serious but sexy look at the camera. Her hands on her knees makes your jaw hang open. She knows her muscles and her hands are a weakness of yours.

“You’ve been looking at this one a while,” Natasha remarks. You look at her and have to blink hard to come back to reality. “Keep going, baby.”

April makes you lose your composure completely. Natasha is wearing only a sports bra, her helmet, and pants. Water from the hose is coming from behind her and sticking to her toned skin.

“April showers, right?” Nat asks.

“This is- wow.” You have no other words to say in the moment. Natasha takes the initiative to move the calendar to the next month.

For May, she’s wearing only her pants and suspenders. They cover her nipples but leave most of her breasts available for you to see. There’s an axe thrown over shoulder.

“I would- um- I would like to see you in this exact uniform please,” you find yourself rambling.

“I can do that, honey. Only for you.” The low rasp of her voice makes you squirm.

You turn to the next page. It’s an action shot of Natasha. Well, an action shot of sorts. She’s wearing a tank top and her pants as she slides down the fireman’s pole. The way her arms flex as she holds on makes your mouth water. The tank top is low cut.

“That one was fun to take. I definitely almost fell a few times,” Natasha says with a laugh.

“I can only imagine.”

Next comes July. You did not expect to see Natasha wearing a red bikini with her helmet on and holding a fire hose, but god you’re so happy to see it. Especially since it’s the same bikini she wore last summer when the two of you spent the day by the pool soaking up the sun and each others touches.

“This next one is going to blow your mind,” Natasha smirks.

“Oh yeah? I’m pretty sure my mind got blown with January’s photo,” you joke.

“Just turn and see.”

You’re not disappointed as you turn the page and see Natasha standing there fully clothed with a black cat in her arms. It’s a cat that you know roams around the firehouse. Nat claims she doesn’t love her, but she does.

“You’re so cute!” You tell her.

“I thought you’d appreciate a breather. Also, you love that damn cat,” Natasha explains.

“You love her too. Little Liho.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nat kisses your cheek.

“Come on September,” you say as you turn the page.

You see Nat’s back muscles flex as she stands with an axe draped over her shoulders. Her hands hold it up, so her arms are flexed too. You’ve seen her back muscles before, but never so flexed like this.

“We need to move some furniture topless or something because wow,” you say.

Natasha laughs at how you are so clearly in deep for her.

October makes you laugh as you see Nat in a sexy firefighter costume that she definitely got from a Halloween store.

“You’ve been planning this a long time, huh?”

“Very long. Also, look how impractical that uniform is. I’d immediately get burnt if I wore that on a call.”

You chuckle at her cute ramble.

For November, Nat is standing at the oven with an apron on. Her T-shirt sleeves are again rolled up so you can see her muscles. You can tell from the angle that she’s only wearing panties on her lower half.

“And for the grand finale,” Natasha says as she turns to the final page.

This time Nat is completely nude but she covers herself. Her lower half is blocked by a helmet while a hose drapes across her breasts, blocking them from your view.

“Damn, I wanted to see all of you,” you say.

“Well,” Natasha smirks. She takes the calendar from your hands and sets it on the coffee table. She pulls you into her lap. “I think we can make that happen.”

Natasha kisses you fiercely as her tongue enters your mouth quickly.

“Hmm, wait babe,” you stop her.

“You want me to put on my uniform, don’t you?” She reads your mind.

“Please?”

“Anything for you, my love,” Nat says. She leaves you with one more kiss before she disappears into the bedroom.

You take the calendar and follow after her. Best gift ever.

Tag List: @gracebutnotgraceful @i-wished-for-you-too @wandasbb @be-missed @likefirenrain @hehehehannahthings @mythosphere-x @readings-stuff @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @madamevirgo @milfloverslut @mrswidowjohansson @alotofpockets @ggrangerdanger @maia-lightwoood @xxromanoffxx @peanutbutterprincess @karmasgxrl @picnicmic @wandaslittlewhore @exhaustedfangirl @when-wolves-howl @natashalovers @sammi1642 @jujuu23 @the-night-owl-blr @strangegardentaco @avatarsnips @romanoffswoman @natashasilverfox @imthenatynat @sayah13 @rach2602 @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @lovelyy-moonlight @huitzilinthebudgie3 @juicyy444 @youralphawolf72 @btay3115 @red1culous @lenam07 @randomwriter1021 @rightwereyouleftme @natismywife @dumb-fawkin-bitch @natashaswife4125 @karsonromanoff @bookfrog242 @theprinceofmarvel

[hazybisou]

ONE DATE

fic

reader x mark estapa

summary: a couple weeks after that day, mark and y/n go on their first (official) date.

a/n: part 2 per request so ask and you shall receive. also i think i’m going to turn this into a series but idk yet so let me know if you’d like this to be a series.

you had been stressing for that past ten minutes. mark had asked you out on an official date (if you don’t count all those times you guys hung out and kissed) and you were a nervous wreck. mark had texted you a couple minutes prior saying to dress in something simple. you didn’t know what he meant by simple. simple as in “we’re going to some fancy diner so go all out” or “wear something meant to stay in/go out somewhere causal”. which one was it?

mark hadn’t told you what he had planned for tonight so you went with the second option. you got dressed in a jean mini skirt, not too short but not too long, with a brown leather belt and paired it with a navy blue short sleeve crop top with an oversized leather jacket in case it got cold. you wore your black knee high boots and your hair was in a half up, half down style, the half up being held up by a claw clip.

you had done some light makeup and looked at yourself in the mirror. “this is too much.” you told yourself. out of the corner of your eye you saw natalie, giving you a look that said ‘be so for real right now’. “what? it is.”

“no it’s not. you look hot.” natalie reassured you. “i’m sure mark’ll love it!” that didn’t ease your nerves.

natalie seemed to notice you being tense. “stop worrying.” she went up to your and grabbed your shoulders. “you guys have gone on plenty of unofficial dates in which they always end up with you two making out. what’s so different about this one exactly?”

you nodded to yourself. “yeah. yeah you’re right. it’s just another date except this time he actually had the balls to ask me after all those weeks of knowing each other.” you turned around and stared at yourself once more. “it’s enough. he’ll like it.”

“atta girl! now go grab your camera. we gotta take some photos to remember this moment.” natalie said and you playfully rolled your eyes before doing what she said.

you guys took some cute pics and soon enough you heard the doorbell ring. “he’s here!” she said in a sing-song voice.

you huffed. “wish me luck.” you grabbed your bag, phone, and house keys. you guys exited your room and headed towards the door. you were about to open it when natalie stopped you. you gave her a look. “make him wait a little and then i’ll answer the door and call you so go over there.” she shooed you into the kitchen. you just threw your hands up in a dramatic way.

you guys waited a while before another doorbell ring was heard. natalie snapped her fingers at you to get your attention. she signaled it was go time and opened the door. “mark, hey!”

mark looked down at his feet before looking back up. “hi, is uh y/n here?” he asked. natalie just nodded.

“let me get her real quick.” she closed the door a little. she put a finger up to her lips. “y/n!” she shouted to make the whole thing more dramatic. “he’s here!”

you walked over started to whisper to natalie. “actually don’t wish me luck because i have a feeling of this will end.”

natalie raised her eyebrows. “you mean you two having sex?”

“no!” you whispered

“oh! well whatever, have fun!” she said before skipping towards her room.

you open the door and are met with the nervous face of mark. “oh, y/n, hi!” he suddenly had a smile on his face. that made you smile.

“hi.” you waved at him shyly. “are you okay?”

mark nodded quickly. “yeah. yeah i’m fine. just nervous.” he reassured you with a smile on his face. he finally got a good look at you. you were stunning. “you look beautiful.” he said amazed.

you couldn’t help but blush at his comment. “thank you! you look handsome as always.” he felt his face heat up before holding up a bouquet of flowers and hiding his face behind it. “i got you these.”

you let out a small gasp at the flowers. “they’re beautiful mark! thank you!” you stood on your tippy toes before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“you ready?” he asked you and you nodded.

“let’s go.” you told him as you grabbed his hand and led him to your car. he had the keys so he opened the passenger door for you to get in and you did so, placing the flowers in the backseat, careful to not squish them. he shut the door and went around the front of the car to the driver’s side as you put on the seatbelt.

the car beeped as he opened the door and got in. he got situated and buckled his seatbelt before turning towards you. “let’s go.”

he got out of parking and turned to back out, an arm on the headrest as he looked back and forward again. “where are we going exactly?” you ask him as he begins to drive, now fully backed out.

“it’s a surprise.” mark responds and you give him a suspicious eye look. “you’ll like it don’t worry.”

“mhm.” you turned to look forward.

“i promise.”

━━━━━━━━━━

you were on your phone for the past five minutes, checking your text messages and responding back to them. you were texting your mom back when you suddenly felt colorful lights shining on your face up ahead of you. you looked up but not before turning your phone off. your jaw dropped a tiny bit at the scene in front of you.

mark had taken you guys to a carnival. you could see the ferris wheel in the middle of the place with booth games, food stands, and roller coasters all around it. the ferris wheel kit up with colorful lights and so did the game booth’s signs. it was amazing.

“a carnival?!” you exclaimed as you turned towards mark who just finished parking and turned the car off. he bit his lip slightly and just nodded. you’ve always wanted to go to a carnival since the last time you went which was at the age of 10. it’s been quite some time.

“i asked natalie to give me ideas but none of them felt right,” mark explained, “i thought real hard and the idea just came to me.” mark got out of the car and went around towards your door. he opened it and you got out, giving him a ‘thank you’. “so here we are.”

you looked towards the carnival in awe. it was just like you remember the last one to be.

“you like it?” mark asked hopeful, his hands fidgeting with one another.

you smiled and turned towards him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “of course i like it! i love it!” you answered and leaned up to press a peck to his lips. “why were you so nervous earlier?”

mark tensed a little but eventually explained. “w-well i was worried you wouldn’t like what i had planned and would bail the next day,” he began, “and i, i know we’ve been on many numerous dates that weren’t really dates but this one’s official. i wanted to make sure everything was perfect and you’d enjoy it.” he laughed. “and i was right. you’re enjoying it.”

you were full on grinning by the end of his rant that you were sure your cheeks would be hurting once you stopped. “mark, even if you hadn’t chose this place and had chose some place else, i would have loved it and had fun anyway. don’t let it get to your head.” you leaned up and gave him a long and slow kiss.

“come on!” you exclaimed as you grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the entrance.

your first stop was at the ring toss booth. you and mark had taken turns throwing the rings and together in total you had scored three meaning you guys had won something. you and mark kept arguing over who would get to choose and you eventually won letting mark choose your guys prize. he had decided on a yoshi plushie.

“it’s cute!” you told him as you took a good look at it before putting it next to your face and smiling before putting it down.

mark turned towards you. “do that again.” he instructed and you gave him a confused look. “the thing you just did with yoshi.”

“ohhh!” you repeated what you had just done and saw mark take his phone out before he began taking photos of you. he looked through them with a smile on his face. he slide his phone back into his pocket. “let’s go.”

you spent the next two hours playing various booth games and arguing over who got to choose the prize. you guys had given the bigger prizes to the younger kids as you both didn’t want them all. by the end, you were walking around holding a small teddy bear mark had won you while he held his yoshi plushie he had won earlier. you gave the bear the name lovey as it had a heart and bow tie.

you noticed a cotton candy stand and couldn’t help but drag mark over. “you want one?” you ask as you turned your head slightly to face him. he gave a small nod. “okay, then we’ll just share.” you asked for blue raspberry and the young man behind told you it’d be three dollars. you were about to pull out a five but mark beat you to it. you turned towards him with disbelief. “why the hell’d you do that?”

“i’m not letting you pay. i’m taking you out meaning i pay. not you. me.” he explained as he pointed to himself. he grabbed the cotton candy from the man as he thanked him before handing it to you. “here you go”

you gave him a sarcastic smile before taking it from his grasp and grabbing a small bit with your fingers. you guys walked around a bit more while eating the cotton candy, talking about all sorts of things. mark was always an easy person to talk to. he always payed attention to what you had to say and you did too. he wouldn’t interrupt but would rather nod and just smile. he was a sweet boy.

you thought for a while before walking over to a trash can nearby and throwing away the stick you had before taking back lovey from mark. you grabbed his hand and began to walk towards a photo booth.

mark looked at you weirdly. you motioned for him to get in. “get in.” his eyes widened a bit sarcastically before obeying. you got in after him, closing the curtain. you pay the amount needed and clicked start as a voice began to talk, explaining what was to happen.

the timer was about to start and mark panics. “what do we do?!”

you thought before you decided. “silly faces,” you rethought. “yea a silly face.” mark nodded and you both did a goofy pose. the timer began and you pointed to the camera. “look there.” the timer went off and so did a click. you both looked at the screen and there was the photo.

it reset and you just grabbed mark’s jaw with one hand while the other one was on your lap as you pressed a kiss to his cheek as mark closed his eyes and scrunched his nose. the timer went off again and so did a click. the photo displayed on the screen before it rest again.

the process repeated twice more. mark and you smiling for the third picture and finally, mark giving you a kiss on the lips as you laughed for the fourth picture.

you both got out and grabbed the strip of photos. “you look so cute!” you exclaimed as you point to the face he did in the second photo. mark couldn’t help but blush as he hid his face in your hair. “what, it’s true!”

“let’s just go before i start getting even more red.” he said and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“whatever you say lover boy.” you told him as you brought his head out of your hair and pressed a kiss to his cheek before grabbing his hand and beginning to walk to your next stop.

━━━━━━━━━━

it was around 9:30 pm when you and mark had decided to leave. you were both in the car, driving back when mark turned to you, “let’s go get ice cream.”

you turned to him with raised eyebrows. “this late?” he nodded. you shrugged, “i’m down. let’s go then.”

you went to the nearest ice cream shop (which was in a shopping plaza) and found parking. mark had gotten out and went over to your side to open the door for you as you unbuckled your seatbelt. you got out and closed the car door, mark locking the car. you both went inside and got in line to order.

after a couple of minutes, it was your guy’s turn to order. “hi! can i get vanilla?” you asked and the lady behind the counter nodded and you turned to mark, “what about you?”

“mint.”

“ew.” you whispered under your breath.

“don’t judge me.” mark said as he held a hand to his heart, pretending to be offended. “ya know that really broke my heart.” he started to fake cry.

you slapped his shoulder and he muttered a small ‘ow’. “shut up you big baby.” he flipped you off and you did the same.

you guys had ordered and were now at the register. you had your card ready in order to pay and do it before mark. “that’d be 9.47” you grabbed your card and swiped it through the card machine before mark had a chance to even pull out his wallet.

“why?” mark asked as he threw his arms up in frustration.

“because why not.”

mark rolled his eyes before you both got your ice cream cones and walked out.

“why’d you pay for us?” mark began and you turned to him as you began to enjoy your ice cream, “this was my treat. i asked you out and i’m meant to pay.” you couldn’t help but laugh.

“just know it’s gonna happen a lot more often.” you told him and he began to shake his head vigorously. “yes it is.”

mark started to disagree. “no it won’t. i’ll make sure you don’t bring your wallet or anything like that. i’ll ask natalie to steal it from you until after our date. including apple pay.”

you just shook your head with a laugh before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips. “you’re too much sometimes estapa.”

mark smiled. “i don’t really care, now do i?”

it’s 12 am rn and this sucks but like you asked for it so here you go. lmk if i should make this unit a series bc i lowkey want to but gotta know if you guys would also like it!! (not proofread)

[thenerdysewist]

I made a Moonshine Cybin Flannel to see NADDPOD Live at Carnegie Hall (featuring an embroidered PawPaw)

Read more for details on how I made this

Making the Shirt:

Like a week before I left for New York, I decided that I wanted to make my own NADDPOD clothes to wear since I don’t have a lot of merch. I remembered that JoAnn Fabrics had this mushroom flannel and so I ran out and bought two yards.

I used this button up shirt/lined jacket pattern from MCall’s:

The problem is that I’m right in between the largest boy’s size and the smallest men’s size. So I had to make some adjustments. I cut out the pattern, then shortened it at the waist because there wasn’t room for my hips in the original pattern. Then I cut out all the pieces: shirt front, shirt back, sleeves, pocket, collar, and cuffs.

I knew from using the pattern before that the sleeves were too big for the armhole, and I don’t like the look of gathered sleeves. So I trimmed 5/8” from both arm holes.

Once those adjustments to the pattern were made, I stitched the sides together.

Next up was the collar. I cut two collar pieces, stitched them with the pattern-side of the fabric facing each other, trimmed the excess at the edges and flipped it right side out and ironed it.

I pinned the collar in place around the neck and stitched it in place.

Next up was the sleeves. I stitched each sleeve together, leaving a gap open at the bottom so that the sleeves could be unbuttoned. I hemmed the opening of each sleeve so no raw edges were visible, the gathered the top of the sleeves so they fit into the arm hole.

I pinned the sleeves into the arm hole and stitched them in place.

I cut two cuff pieces, and turned down one edge so that once it was stitched in place, there wouldn't be any raw edges. Then I pinned it in place so the right sides were together and the excess fabric of the cuff was pointed towards the shoulder. I stitched it in place, then folded the cuff in half, right sides together and stitched the ends. That way when the cuff was folded out the right way, all the raw edges would be held inside.

With that, the main construction of the shirt was complete.

Next were my first attempts at embroidery. I found a reference image online that reminded me of PawPaw and printed it out in various sizes. I stitched together a breast pocket, and pinned it to the shirt. Then I was able to use that and my printed images to decide how big I wanted the embroidery.

Once I decided on the size, I unpinned the pocket and transferred the drawing to the fabric using transfer paper. I pinned the drawing and transfer paper in place, and traced over the image. It left a carbon copy on the fabric, and I traced over that with heat erase pen so it wouldn't rub off while I worked.

After that, it was lot of stitching with embroidery thread. Have some in progress pictures.

With the embroidery done, it was time for the finishing touches. Using the guides on my pattern, I marked off the places where buttons and buttonholes were meant to go.

I used the buttonhole foot attachment and setting for my sewing machine to install the button holes, then I sewed the buttons in place by hand.

To secure the embroidery I cut out a patch of white flannel and ironed heat and bond to the back. Then I placed the patch over the thread on the backside of the embroidery, and ironed it in place. The patch prevents the loose threads from getting snagged on anything.

After that, I hemmed the shirt and it was finished!

I literally finished this project the night before I flew to New York. It ended up being a huge hit at the fan meet up in Central Park.

[bettyfrommars]

I feel like would make for an excellent Vampire, especially the way he is in the later seasons. He'd have no problem charming reader if he really wanted to, and add in the vampire charm on top of that? Omg, I don't think anyone could stand a chance!

(I did clarify with requestor, and they were referring to Stevie boy)

hustler!vampire!Steve x fem!Reader

18+ONLY, mature themes, gore, hustling, possessive!Steve, drinking blood, a murder, reader wears a dress and fishnets, mention of smut. The characters I write for are always over 21. words: 1.6k

note: this request about Steve being a vampire had me writing two things at once: this short piece and a much longer one that should be done in a couple days. I've also been obsessed with the idea of hustler or con man Steve, and I plan to do more with him, but this is just some hustler/vampire Steve hybrid brain rot.

-----------

You can feel him watching you from across the bar; the tan, older gentleman with the thick head of salt n’ pepper hair, wearing the Rolex watch---too cocky to even remove his wedding ring.  You make a point to lick the rim of your martini glass, eager tongue flicking out, making eye contact with him as you take a sip.

That was the signal, that was the code, and he was coming over.  You cross your legs and pinch a cigarette out of its gold case, bringing it to your red lips with manicured fingernails.  The older gentleman is already at your side with his lighter flicked, flame ready for you.

“All alone tonight?” He asks, even though he knows the answer.

“Not anymore,” you coo, swiveling on your bar stool to point your cigarette at the fire he is offering.  You’re wearing fishnets and high heels, and you lick your lips after you suck a drag into your lungs.  

He braces his hand on the bar next to you, exposing the inside of his Armani suit jacket, caging you away from the other men at the bar.  “You want to get out of here?” He inclines his head, motioning to the bartender for the tab after you nod.  

In the elevator up to his suite, there are no words, but his hands grip your hips, pulling you your ass flush against his pelvis.  He kisses the exposed skin of your shoulder, and you stretch your neck to the side, offering yourself.  His lips are soft and eager; his touch possessive but polite.

You reapply your lipstick as he searches for the room key in his pockets, and check it in the tiny compact from your handbag, wiping the corners of your mouth clean, kissing the air. Your eyes glance down either side of the hall, expectantly.

“After you, my love,” the man says, extending his arm, gesturing for you to enter as his eyes shamelessly take you in; pupils blown with desire.   

Sure, you were used to high rollers, but it was your first time at the penthouse suite in this particular hotel and the view from the floor to ceiling windows made you gasp. 

“You like it baby?” The man asks, and you keep him busy, so he forgets to lock the door. “It’s all for you.”  He throws his jacket to the chair and rolls up his sleeves, watching you all the while. 

You turn to face him, tossing your purse on the sofa, pulling the straps of  your dress down your shoulders. “You’ve got a nice view,” you purr.

“I sure do,” he agrees in a mumble, loosening his tie as he breeches the distance, closing in to curl over you and steal a kiss from those perfect lips.

“Well, well, well,” a third, deeper voice enters the conversation, and you both swivel to see who is stepping into view from the hallway.

Steve has an unlit cigarette bobbing between his lips and he is flipping the top on his gold lighter open and closed as he walks.  He’s wearing a white tee that is one size too small, accentuating the muscles in his shoulders, and black trousers with suspenders hanging down his hips.  His hair is slicked back, and there are letters tattooed across his knuckles that spell out: GAME OVER.  

You bite your lip at the way the tuft of hair on his chest peaks out over the collar of his tee.

“Who the hell are you?” The man asks, eyes darting around. “How did you get in here?”

Steve makes his way around the sofa casually, flicking his lighter, as if he were invited.

You take a few steps back, planting your hands behind you on the desk, not far from the man you came with, keeping an eye on the intruder. 

Steve stops to light his cigarette, cupping his hand over the end, and snaps the lighter closed for the final time, shoving it in his pocket.  He squints and rolls his shoulders as he takes a drag, plucking it from his mouth to point at the man with his smoke, blocking the path to the door.  “First, I have a question for you.”

The man looks around, as if to find a weapon, or to calculate how fast he could get to the phone and dial for help.  

“What I want to know,” Steve closes in, making the older man stumble back against the end of the couch.  With one hand in his pocket, Steve takes another drag, gesturing to you with a buck of his chin.  “Did you really think you were gonna fuck my girl?”

The man bristles at that, confused at first, but then he whips his head around to look at you.

You offer him a precocious smile, running the tip of your tongue over your teeth.

“What the—?” The man’s face loses all of its color as the weight of the situation begins to sink in. 

“I asked you a question,” Steve demands, his face void of humor, pushing a cloud of smoke from his tight lips.  “Did you. Think. You were gonna. Fuck. My girl?”

The man stammers, realizing he’s boxed in; Steve is blocking him from the exit, and you’re blocking him from the phone and the door to the bedroom.  

“Okay,” the man says, holding his hands up in the air as if Steve held a gun. “How much do you want? Name your price and you can walk out of here, pretend this never happened.”

Steve chuckles indulgently then, scratching his nose with his thumb.  “You’re all the same, you know that? So fucking weak.”

But then the man figures you’re the easiest one to get through, so he bolts, swinging his arm to knock you to the ground.  

Nothing could have prepared him for the way you stood fast, baring your vampire fangs that dripped with saliva. The irises of your eyes glowed red, and you let out a feral hiss.

“Holy mother of christ—” the man jumps back, reeling, arms flailing.  

Steve steps up behind him, mouth open wide to expose his sharp teeth, and then he chomps down on the side of the man’s throat, crunching into his veins like an apple. Some blood squirts out from the seal of Steve’s lips, but he always does his best to swallow it all.  Cigarettes still smoldering between his fingers, he clamps that hand over his victim’s mouth to stifle the screaming.  The man tries to twitch out of his grasp, but Steve is too strong.

After a few seconds, he decides to break his neck, realizing it’s not worth the trouble.  There will be plenty of fresh blood to enjoy before his heart gives out.  

“Save some for me, baby,” you come over next to him once the man’s body goes limp. You lean in to kiss Steve while your tongues lap up the blood and flick against each other.  

After you’re both satiated, Steve carries the body to the bathtub like it weighs nothing.  Both of your mouths are covered in crimson, dripping down your throats, staining the front of Steve’s shirt.

“Check his pockets, baby,” Steve tells you, and you’re quick to oblige, taking his wallet, watch, and wedding ring.  Steve flips through the wallet, counting the thick stack of cash with a serious expression as he counts.

Once business is concluded, Steve throws the wallet on the kitchen sink and takes your face in his hands, looking you over, searching your eyes.  “Did he touch you baby? You know I fucking hate that.  You know I hate it when they get to touch you.”

You loved Steve more than anything, but you were also very good at your job.  You knew you had to let them have a taste once in a while to build trust and make them think they were in control.  You remembered how the older man had grabbed your hips in the elevator and kissed your neck.

“No, baby, no one touches me but you,” and then your mouth is on his, moaning into the kiss as you devour the claret from each other’s skin.  Steve tilts your head back to suck your chin, kissing down your throat.  The wig you were wearing falls to the ground as Steve’s strong hands yank your dress up to your waist and rip open your fishnets.  He puts you up on the counter between the two sinks and gets on his knees to grab your thighs and bury his tongue inside of you.  You clutch onto his hair, exposing your throat to the ceiling, whimpering his name.

You have sex for the next hour in the bathroom next to the dead body until it’s time to clean up and find a place to hunker down before sunrise. 

It had been a fun winter in Vegas, but both of you knew that too much of a good thing was never wise for those wanting to keep to the shadows.  You’d take your scores from the past 2 months and find a new place to call home, perhaps somewhere cool with long nights and short days.  Maybe you’d keep hustling, or maybe you wouldn’t.  

But you’d always have each other.