#who knows if this will show up in the tags again

[bippot]

Talkative

Story Summary -> Mike Wheeler had no idea why Y/N was allowed to be in Hellfire. She just took up all the time he could've been using to talk about, you know, what he wanted to. Maybe she was let in because of Eddie's very obvious soft spot for her? Or maybe it's because the other members genuinely like her? Who knows, but one thing is for sure: her not talking to him drives Eddie insane.

Tags -> Friends to Lovers, Misunderstandings, Mike Wheeler is a little bitch sometimes

Would you prefer to read this on AO3? Click here!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mike had heard it before. So many times, in fact. Literally so many. Y/N had been yapping away about how excited she was for the next Hellfire session for ages - well, since the last one. He had lost count of how many times he'd had to block her out. It was just over and over again. Word after word. Nothing but endless monologues of how cool she thought the direction Eddie was taking the campaign in was.

Or she'd talk about whatever movie she'd just seen. Or something interesting she'd read in an article. It seemed as if she'd just talk about whatever was on her mind, and if the other person showed enthusiasm or interest, they'd make it a full-blown conversation. (You know how two-way interactions tend to go.) And he had been left wondering why the hell Eddie even bothered to let her into the party. She was insufferable.

Nobody else seemed to mind it. It's just that Mike seemed to be under the impression that Y/N was talking up valuable speaking time. Speaking time that he could've been using to talk about El or Will or how weird it was that Lucas couldn't hang out after school today because he had basketball practice. Or...you get the gist. Anyone else could and should be speaking about what he wanted to hear, not whatever fucking dribble Y/N was spouting.

The current 'dribble' was Y/N excitedly gushing to Dustin about the upcoming Billy Joel album that was supposed to come out sometime in July. Mike sat quietly, resting his elbows on the lunch table, flicking between half listening to Y/N and dramatically eye-rolling at Gareth, who was paying the younger boy very little attention.

Billy Joel wasn't something that the members of Corroded Coffin were interested in, but Y/N and Dustin liked him so they'd be courteous. Plus, seeing the two geek out about music was nice. Yet, as most know, Mike isn't overly courteous. For some reason, he felt the need to keep interrupting it. That need only grew with every interruption.

"Jesus, Y/N, do you ever pause for breath?" Mike asked, half laughing and half irritated. "I don't think you've taken a break in the past twenty minutes."

Y/N let out a nervous laugh and immediately apologised in a quiet voice, "Sorry, guys. How were your weekends?" as she deflected the conversation onto them now and swallowed the new sense of shame that Mike had stirred up. Immediately, Mike jumped at the chance to talk about what El had told him in one of her letters. Now this was a topic he liked. This was a worthwhile topic.

That little snide comment never would've made it out of Wheeler's mouth if Eddie had been there. He was currently preoccupied with a drug deal, so anything was free game. Munson had a tendency to let Y/N drone on and on because of that tiny (actually huge and obvious) crush he had on her. All members of Hellfire knew of their leader's infatuation with little Miss Chatterbox, well, except Y/N. It was so plain for everyone else to see. He'd listen so intently, always resting his head on his hand as he gazed at her with longing. He'd ask her endless questions about whatever, even if he had no idea what she was on about.

Any chance to get her to speak more, he took. So when he arrived midway through lunch and greeted, "Hey, Lady Folksworth," and she didn't immediately respond with 'Just Alais is fine,' he knew something was up. It was something she always said. In and out of game. Lady Folksworth, her highborn ranger, hated being called Lady Folksworth. Y/N just gave him a small wave and continued with her food, listening and encouragingly nodding every now and again, but not another sound from her was heard.

Weird. That was weird.

From that moment on, Eddie noticed how little Y/N had said for the rest of the day. Maybe she was on an off day. Tomorrow would be fine. She'd be back to normal tomorrow.

Tomorrow was a smidge louder. Y/N seemed to engage in the conversation at lunch. Then Mike rolled his eyes at something she said.

Apologetically, she asked, "Sorry, did I speak over you, Wheeler?"

"Not the first time. Don't worry, Y/N. We're used to it."

Somehow he managed to play it off as if it were a friendly jab, but they both knew he meant it. Y/N laughed it off originally. She soon decided to shut up once more.

Mike managed to do that every day that week. He'd make some offhanded comment about how talkative she was, essentially shaming her into silence and switching so he could be the one who was talking. And she let him. Why not? He was just a kid. A kid who clearly needs attention. Just give it to him, and he'll start being nice to her. Right?

Wrong. The next session was when Y/N gave up trying to reel back her natural mouthy-ness by becoming a borderline mute at lunch.

Eddie had let the party into the Hellfire room early so they could come up with a battle strategy. Y/N had been a little late and heard from the other side of the door as Mike exclaimed to the other members, "...and honestly, sometimes I wish I could cast an eternal silence on Y/N so she'd just let someone else get a word in for once and..."

She stood in the doorway, just listening in for a moment. It was technically eavesdropping, but still, she was supposed to already be in the room, and she wasn't. If anything, it was Mike's fault for talking about someone he knew was going to arrive soon. From the little window, she saw as the other boys unpacked their bags and sat down, mostly paying Mike's little ramble no attention, which was comforting.

Yet he continued, "She's probably talking the ears off some unlucky guy that has to hear her drone on and on about... about whatever it is she talks about. I don't even listen anymore. Cause, it's like, is it interesting? No. Do we care? No. Not at all. Would this party be better without her?" He paused. "Who's to say?"

Better off without her? The boys wanted the session to just be that, the boys. That's fine. She'd let them do that. It's not as if Hellfire was the best part of her week or anything. Y/N turned and walked away, making a beeline towards the car park. She didn't want to listen to any more, which also meant that she didn't hear as the other boys disagreed with what Mike said.

Dustin actually smacked Mike around the back of his head and reminded his buddy, "You're doing the exact same thing with Y/N as you did to Max. Just because El isn't here doesn't mean another girl can't be cool and interesting."

"Yeah, Y/N's cool. She bought my lunch today since Daniel Oliver stole my money," Gareth admitted, giving Mike a disapproving look.

"Oh, she did that for me last week," Jeff added. "Then she almost got her ass kicked when she tried to steal it back off Danny-boy."

Since her feet were carrying her faster than her brain could comprehend, Y/N managed to bump into someone as she hurried to her car. Eddie held his arms out to steady her, but she was in no mood to be soothed. 

"Hellfire is the other way, Lady Folksworth."

She huffed out, "I know where Hellfire is; thank you very much. I'll-"

"Hey, hey, what's up?" She didn't want to talk. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be quiet, so she didn't answer him for a moment. The silence was broken as she heard him say, "Y/N, what's wrong?" with genuine concern laced in his voice.

"My grandpa just died," she blurted out, not even knowing why she said it. The words were simply leaving her mouth as she felt her lie fall flat.

He knew her better than that. "Which one? The one that's already dead or the other one that's already dead?" He countered, crossing his arms, not believing her lie in the slightest.

Shit. He'd caught her. There were two options in her mind. Go further or change course. "Well, he was like an old guy who was a family friend... you know, he was a non-grandpa," she furthered, walking away from him towards her car. "And I have a headache."

"I'm pretty sure I have an aspirin. Not my usual supply, but I'm bound to have one."

"No...no. I'm fine. Not fine enough to stay. Not that fine, but... I should go."

But there was no way in hell that was going to happen: she wasn't going to get away with these awful fibs. Without having to try too hard, he took a few long strides, making it in front of her in no time and placing his hands on her shoulders to gently push her in the opposite direction.

"Y/N."

"Eddie?"

"Tell me the truth."

Okay. It was time to change course. She used an ancient female tactic that has a tendency to get you out of doing things. Gym. Sex. Chores. All types of shit.

"I'm on my period."

It wasn't exactly a lie either. Maybe that's why Mike's words got to her so much this week? Huh, crazy.

"Ohh," he replied sympathetically, "The offer of painkillers still stands," and just like that, he was being so nice about it. "Name anything, and I'll get it for you. I'll go to the store down the street and be back in no time."

Her heart fluttered. It wasn't every day a boy was so understanding. He didn't even act grossed out by it like they usually did. He actually didn't make a big deal out of it. So, she couldn't help herself and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to give him the biggest, warmest hug she could manage. He hugged her back, closing his eyes to savour the moment.

"You're a good egg," she whispered, squeezing him a smidge. His face was bright red, but that's fine. She wouldn't be able to see it if he buried his face in her hair. "Ed, you can let go now if you want to."

"I don't want to," he chuckled, pulling her tighter to him and refusing to budge. He even started to shift his weight from left to right so they'd begin swaying slowly side to side, making her giggle, which entirely was his intention.

There was something about her giggle that just filled him with an immense sense of joy. It always turned his day around: he felt lighter, happier, and more energetic. It didn't even matter what he was doing. He couldn't understand it. One moment he was feeling listless and miserable. The next, she would start laughing, and then he'd be good and giddy. It was like magic.

Unknowingly, she had been playing with the strand of hair at the nape of his neck, and the moment she realised, she stopped and reminded him, "Hellfire is waiting for their handsome and charismatic Dungeon Master to arrive."

Oh shit. He'd forgotten about that. He'd been so focused on her, he'd forgotten to do his job. It was a serious breach of protocol. But, in this moment, he didn't care. Leaning back so he could see in her face if she lied, he shyly enquired, "You think I'm handsome?"

"Yeah, Ed, I do," she answered seriously, without even the smallest hint of a smirk. It was like she really meant it, and, boy, was he relieved. She really did think he was handsome.

Well shit, his fucking face was heating up again. How the hell did she have this kind of effect on him? And he'd never have guessed that it would've gotten worse as he complimented her back, "Oh, cool. Yeah, that's nice. You're, uh, you're handsome too - I mean pretty. Girls are pretty. I know you're not supposed to call a girl handsome. You're really pretty, Y/N."

Really. Not only was she both handsome and pretty, but she was also 'really pretty'. That last part made him wince a little as he admitted it, but it was worth it for the look on her face. It was the happiest he'd seen her in a while, which made his own face even brighter. It almost made her forget about what Mike had said.

Almost.

She looked away, her lips upturned in a coy grin, but didn't internalise what he'd said. That could wait till later. That could wait until she was in the privacy of her car so she could let out a really unflattering squeal. The urge to do so was increasing every second that she was still in his grasp, so she slowly backed up, innocently letting her hands trail down his shoulders and chest as she moved away.

Bashfully, she tucked some hair behind her ear as she let out, "You can call me handsome if you want to. I don't mind it. Honestly, I was going to say that your hair looked pretty when I saw you this morning, but I didn't want to, I don't know, freak you out or anything."

"You were worried about freaking out the freak?"

"Something like that." She looked down at her shoes for a moment. "Anyway, I better go. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, uh... yeah, see you, Y/N."

He watched as she started to walk away, only to turn around and hurry back, claiming, "Oh, I forgot to do this," and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for being so sweet."

Blushing, he nervously beamed, "Yeah, oh, yeah, you're welcome. Totally welcome," and couldn't help but distract himself from the fact that his cheek felt like it was burning and his head was spinning over the mere contact of her lips on his skin by focusing on her figure as she made it out of his field of vision and towards the parking lot.

Okay. Okay, he needed to calm down before he arrived in Hellfire. The boys would surely tease him if he turned up looking like a freshly picked tomato. It's always a good idea to make an entrance, and that definitely would throw them off long enough that he could return his focus to his second true love, D&D. Opening the door wide and announcing, "My dear boys, we may be one maiden down, and while Alais's absence will render the dynamic a little askew, she will be sorely missed until the next session, but we must press on. So, boys, it's time." 

Eddie immediately sauntered to his chair and waited for his disciples to prepare themselves. He always tried to make his entrances as elaborate as possible. The more attention to where he wanted it to be directed, the better.

Dustin piped up to ask, "Wait, Y/N's not here? I swear she said she was coming earlier."

"She felt ill."

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Eddie swore he heard Mike whisper to himself, "Thank God."

"Anyway, we must press on, gentlemen, without interruption," Eddie said, putting a finger to his lips to still Mike's rising protests.

Despite being one member down, the boys got on with it. Although they could all tell that the party was a little disjointed without their beloved Lady Folksworth. It wasn't that she was the most experienced member, though she might have been the most enthusiastic, but she was the one who kept them on their toes. It wasn't everyday that the Archduke Zariel of Avernus visited the mortal realm. There wasn't a whole lot to prepare for, but somehow, when Y/N was around, it felt like there were a million things to do.

Ultimately, it was a difficult battle (that may have been a slight bit easier if had seven PC's like Eddie had planned), but the boys (Dustin) managed to come up with an ingenious plan to kill the fallen angel and prevent her from returning for now.

The next day, when Gareth and Jeff had walked up to Eddie while he was at his locker, the older boy remarked, "Hellfire last night was quieter, don't you think? It wasn't as high energy as usual."

"That's because Alais was missing," Gareth pointed out, knowing full well that Eddie had been missing Y/N's presence. Even in the session, he seemed a bit preoccupied, a bit concerned if she was okay.

He'd even planned to buy a bunch of stuff she liked and show up unannounced at her house to be like, "Hey! I know I'm a gross, stinky boy and I don't get this period thing, but I hope this helps," but what if her dad were there and just assumed Eddie was making moves on his daughter? Which wouldn't have been completely incorrect. Yet, this was a move out of worry, not lust.

Plus, as soon as the other boys heard, he'd never get away from the teasing. Showing up to Y/N's house with a period care package? That would prove he was totally whipped. Totally. They weren't even dating, and he was completely and utterly wrapped around her finger.

Jeff decided to tease, "I'm sure Eddie was fully aware that Y/N wasn't there to play footsie under the table with him."

"I don't know what you're implying, Jeffrey," Eddie responded dryly. He one hundred percent knew what was being implied. That girl was his favourite thing in the world, and he would have done anything to be with her.

"Well, I'm sure we won't catch you gazing so lovingly at her at lunch again," Gareth said, resting his head on his fist and staring wistfully into the distance as he did his best impression of Eddie.

"Why, fair Y/N, why won't you accept my love? Is it the hair? Should I change it?" Jeff said in an exaggerated, disappointed voice.

Eddie was used to this at this point. He just usually just went along with it, but today he had an update. "I highly doubt it's the hair; she told me she thinks it looks pretty."

"Oooh, did you hear that, Jeff? She said his hair looks pretty."

"I wonder how long we'll be hearing about that one for."

"Remember when she said she liked the shirt he was wearing and he didn't take it off for almost a week?"

Gareth and Jeff burst out laughing. Eddie shrugged it off and turned the conversation back onto Hellfire. What he didn't realise was that Y/N was just about to walk up to him as he declared, "Even though she has a charisma mod of minus two, Alais is a complete chatterbox. That's probably why we could hear ourselves think last night," but she walked away, not wanting to hear if he pulled a Mike.

Mike getting annoyed at her voice was fine. It hurt a little, but she'd get over it. Eddie, on the other hand, that stung. He usually was nice and kind and pretty and sweet and chivalrous and totally cool and out of her league and was great at guitar and had the cutest eyes she'd ever seen, so the thought that she could be annoying him caused her to double down on the quietness thing.

Frankly, if Eddie had said anything actually mean, she would probably start crying and never stop. He was the sweetest guy she knew, and sometimes she felt that there was something going on between them when he would look at her for a second too long, or the amount of times he would force her into hugging him, and they would stay like that for what felt like an eternity, just as he'd done the night before.

Or, if she'd ask for advantage when they were playing, she'd say, "Eddie, if you wanted to be a good, no, a great Dungeon Master, you'd give me advantage right now," in the softest voice she could, and he'd give her that look of 'you know this isn't one of your characters abilities' but would say yes anyway.

As a result, Y/N kept mostly to herself that day. In any of the classes she had with her friends, she said hello and then made it seem like she was intensely interested in whatever the teacher was saying, which wasn't true. Eddie couldn't help but notice how she didn't even say anything other than "Hey" to him the entire day.

Tomorrow came and it was the same. And the day after that. And after that. And then the whole week. He had no idea how long periods lasted, but this was hell. Two weeks went by, and she barely said a word to him.

Actually, he was kind of offended.

It's not like he was planning on asking her to the movies, which they'd done so many times before, but he was going to make it obvious that there was going to be nothing platonic about this invitation. Well, that's what he thought last time they went, yet he didn't manage to follow through.

The moment they had before Hellfire had given him enough of an idea that she could like him. It was a possibility. She'd fucking kissed him, after all. Although it was on the cheek and she could've just been overly friendly and emotional because of, you know, the monthly blood monster. But maybe she liked him? That was a definite possibility.

Now she was ignoring him. You don't ignore somebody you're into. Or do you? Was she playing the hard-to-get move? No. Y/N wouldn't pull that. Would she?

Maybe she knew he liked her and didn't want to upset him when he found out she was going after someone else. That was his exact thought when he 'bumped' into her on the weekend at Family Video and saw her joyfully talking to Steve like she used to with him. She'd looked so happy then, so carefree, as she gestured wildly as she spoke about the movie Clue.

Apparently, Harrington hadn't seen it, so Y/N was giving him a rundown about the Tim Curry flick, telling him all about how Eddie had taken her to go and see it in the cinema the year before. Her laugh was music to his ears, even if it wasn't caused by him.

Very animatedly, she waved the VHS around as she explained, "Yeah, we went back three times because they're were different endings depending on what screening you went to. It was really cool. Each ending had a different killer or killers, I guess because there tended to be multiple, which is kind of genius." Then she put the video down as she almost threw it, which would've been funny, but she'd have to pay for it if it broke.

"Wait, so it's based on the board game?" Steve enquired, resting his hand under his chin as he gazed up at her. "The whole Miss Scarlet in the dining room with the rusty spoon or whatever game?"

Rusty spoon. That definitely should be one of the weapons.

Y/N giggled, confirming, "Yeah, that's the one. In the movie, Miss Scarlet is, well, she's basically a pimp."

"Now I have to see this movie." He leant forward and tried to flirt, "Do you want to..."

No way. Was Harrington flirting with Y/N? That was not happening. Not on Eddie's watch. Sliding in next to her, Eddie wrapped his arm around Y/N's shoulders and squeezed lightly, cheerfully interrupting Steve and greeting, "Funny seeing you here, Lady Folksworth."

Steve immediately stood up straighter, thinking he'd accidentally tried it on with a 'taken' girl. That wasn't his intention. Still....?

"Munson, how are you? How's high school treating you still?"

"It's going swell, Harrington," Eddie retorted, biting back the tone that he wanted to use.

"Think you're going to graduate this year?"

"They do say the third time's a charm."

Staring between the two, Y/N didn't really know what to do or say. She was lost, unsure of how to react to this situation. It was so awkward. She waited for a break in their exchange before lying, "My dad is probably waiting for me in the car. I'll see you two later," and unhooking herself from Eddie's arm. As soon as she was free, she gave them both a wave and began to leave.

Eddie called after her, "You forgot something."

Oh. Was he referring to what she'd forgotten before? He must've, so she made her way back to him and kissed his cheek, expecting that that was the thing he was talking about. Nope. In his hand was the VHS of Clue that she'd left on the counter. He handed it to her with a smug grin.

"Hey, do I get one of those?" Steve joked, earning a swift punch in the arm from Eddie.

"Bye, Steve. Bye, Eddie."

And she was off.

"Why did you get a kiss and I didn't?"

"Why did she say goodbye to you first?"

Actually, what the fuck had he done? He could've sworn he saw her car and not her dad's in the parking lot as he entered. Then again, he hadn't looked hard enough to be sure. Eddie was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to upset her. What if he had? Oh shit, that would suck. That would actually be the worst. The worst of the worst would be if he'd actually upset her and she didn't want to talk to him anymore. If that happened, he would be so royally screwed. 

But, no. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them.

Steve still asked, "Have you guys fallen out?"

"Me and Y/N? No. I don't think so."

"Are you sure? She left in a hurry as soon as you showed up."

Oh, he thought that too. Fuck, Eddie wished that Steve hadn't pointed it out because now it was out in the open. The words had been said out loud. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Are you two... together?"

They weren't, but, "Why do you want to know that?" It was obvious why Steve wanted to know. Eddie's reaction made it clear enough what his true feelings were since he stared at Steve blankly for a few moments before awkwardly shrugging and nervously scratching the back of his neck. The moment he put it together, he whined, "Dude, no."

"What? I haven't even done anything."

"Yet. You haven't done anything yet. Literally any other girl, ask any other girl. Please. I'm begging you. Don't."

God, he felt like such a fucking pussy. He was literally begging Steve Harrington not to ask out the girl he likes. That was how low he was willing to stoop for Y/N.

"But..."

"Just don't."

Harrington hesitated and then said, "Fine." After a moment of silence passed between them, Steve asked, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Robin butted in with "Y/N always comes in at lunch time on a Saturday, and he knows that," and bumped Steve out of the way so she could serve a customer that had been waiting, having been completely ignored by the two boys. "Harrington, are you even going to attempt to do some work?"

With that, Eddie tapped the counter in thought for a moment, his mind swimming with all the possibilities of why Y/N was acting in such a way. She'd claimed it was because of period pain, and not that he knew much about that, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was something else. She'd been almost mute for two weeks now. Did periods last that long?

Then he said something that he'd never ever expected to come out of his mouth. "Right. I'm off to the library." That wasn't it. He went to the library often because books are fucking expensive. The surprise came when he followed that up with "I've got some biology homework to do."

So that's what he did. He went past the fantasy section, his heart panging as he did so, and straight to the non-fiction area, finding one that was named 'The Female Species' in no time. When he opened it, his eyes immediately went to the illustrations. Yep. That was a pussy. Fucking hell, the things he'd do for Y/N. She better appreciate his research.

At the end of their shift, Eddie re-entered Family Video and went straight up to Robin. "I read in a book that periods usually last five days; is it normal for the girl to be really reserved at that time? The book was very factual about organs and tubes and shit, but didn't have anything about behaviour."

Steve heard and beelined for the back office. Robin blinked at him, her eyes wide, and obviously she was just confused why she was being bombarded with girl talk. So, Eddie continued, "Y/N hasn't been herself lately, you know. I think something's up."

"Just ask her."

"She's avoiding me like that time that I didn't shower for a week and she didn't want to be rude." Robin looked absolutely disgusted, as she should. "Don't look at me like that. Our plumbing broke."

"Alright, alright." She placed all of the cashing-up stuff down on the counter and called for Steve to do it. He wasn't as quick as her (she's got some mad quick addition skills, I know it), but it would have to do for today. "I will ask on Monday."

"What about tomorrow?"

Standing her ground, Robin repeated, "No. I will ask on Monday."

Eddie continued to whine for five minutes straight, hoping that if he threw a tantrum, Robin would give in and, maybe, even immediately go to Y/N's house and find out as soon as she possibly could. But no, Robin was tired and had barely sat down her entire shift. Plus, she had to work tomorrow too, so Monday was the best and only option that she was willing to do.

Monday couldn't come soon enough.

At lunch that day, Robin decided to ask Y/N to sit with her instead of with the Hellfire lot, which was a little weird at first, but she quickly grew comfortable with it. Y/N seemed as talkative as ever as she interacted with Robin and the other members of the marching band. What the hell was Eddie talking about?

From his position at his lunch table, Eddie watched with eagle eyes at the band table to see if there was any possibility of Y/N changing her mind and going back to the Hellfire camp. He caught Robin's gaze, and she just shrugged as if to say, 'You're overreacting.' Was he? Was he just reading into it too deeply? Nope. No way. He knew her better than that. He knew her better than Robin did. He was sure of it.

They shared the same fifth period lesson, and the moment she went to hurry to the next class, he easily lifted her off the ground and made his way to the janitor's closet with her squirming in his arms. They got a few weird looks from the other students, but mostly they were too busy with their own schedules to give too much of a shit.

"Put me down! Edward Anthony Munson, fucking put me down!" She exclaimed, slapping his arm in the hopes he'd stop manhandling her. He did once they were inside. He also made sure that he stood directly in front of the door so she wouldn't be able to leave.

Well, he intended to stay posted up by the door like a German Shepherd, but he quickly noticed that the janitor had a Santana poster and moved to take a closer look with a "Sick. He's got a Shango album poster. You know, it's not my usual type of music, but my uncle loves it," so she took the opportunity to try to weave past him.

Still, she had no chance. He quickly whipped his arm out and managed to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her up against him.

"Hey!" She protested. Looking up at him, her anger faded as she saw his face, but she still tried to be stern as she asked, "What are you doing?"

It was moments like this that Y/N became fully aware of how much taller than her he was. She was used to it, but it still kind of threw her. If he'd been any other man, she would've been intimidated, but with him, she just found herself drawn to his beauty.

"Eddie, what the hell?" She asked, her cheeks flushing a pretty shade of pink. Damn, he loved the way she looked when she was blushing. It made her eyes go all soft and dreamy. He didn't answer. He just looked at her beautiful face, and his heart melted into a puddle of mush behind his sternum. He was staring at her lips so hard that he was barely able to muster up a response.

But he did. Eventually. Eventually, he blurted out, "Do you not like hanging out with me anymore?" His voice came out quiet and unsure, almost as if it took all of his courage to get the words out - that's because it had. It somehow got even quieter as he said, "Do you not like me anymore, Y/N?"

The soft, pretty pink on her cheeks deepened and her eyes shone like diamonds. All traces of uncertainty were gone, and in its place was shock. She studied his face for a moment, looking for any kind of signs of joking or teasing in his eyes. When she couldn't find anything, she sighed and said, "Of course I like you. What made you think that... that I didn't?"

"Wha- what? Uh, the fact that you haven't said more than two sentences to me all week." He couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He didn't know what had come over him. One minute he was fine, and then the next - boom! Out came the sass. He'd never been good at holding in his feelings, especially when he was really into someone.

Not even giving her time to explain, he proclaimed, "And don't give me that crap about being on your period because I read up about that shit and it sounds fucking awful, I will admit, but it doesn't last two fucking weeks, Y/N. You're killing me here, sweetheart."

She couldn't help it. At his words, she let out a boisterous laugh that made his heart skip a beat. He hadn't heard her laugh like that in forever, and it just felt so goddamn good. Cackling, she said, "You read up on periods?"

"I was worried about you, and I don't exactly have a mother to ask about it. Uncle Wayne would've never let me live it down if I asked him."

Lightly, she dropped her forehead to rest on his chest as she tittered. His heart was about to burst out of his chest and into the open air. She lifted her head up off of his chest and looked him dead in the eyes, smiling as she claimed, "You're very sweet, Eds."

Sweet? She called him sweet? Everything in his body felt like it had turned to jelly. It took all of his willpower to keep himself from kissing the hell out of her. She still hadn't told him the actual reason, so he continued on his path of questioning. Putting on his best 'I'm a tough negotiator' face, he declared, "I'm serious, though. What the fuck is going on with you?"

"Is that face supposed to intimidate me into telling you what's wrong?"

Whoops. She gave it away.

"So there is something wrong!" He dramatically took his hands off her and flailed them in the air. "I knew it! I fucking knew it! Robin can fucking suck it."

Like usual, she found his little tantrums humorous, and she just gazed at him with a grin on her face as he continued to wave his arms in the air, swearing his fuzzy head off. It was like he was an overgrown toddler, trying his best to get a reaction out of her, and his efforts were successful as she laughed at him. How are you supposed to not laugh at a fully grown man hysterically jumping around in a confined space, accidently knocking over a mop on his warpath? He stopped for a moment, put it back in its place, then started whining again.

"Why won't you talk to me? This is bullshit. I've only had Dustin to annoy this entire week, which is fun, but I'd prefer to annoy you. I even stooped low enough to try and fuck with Wheeler."

"No, not Mike. How did you survive?"

Slowly, he got closer to her with a smug smile on his face, his eyes narrowing as he raised his hand to accusingly point at her as he began to facetiously complain, "You're laughing at my concern! Honestly, Y/N, I don't know why I do it. I had to look the librarian in the eyes and say, 'Hi, where's the section about pussies? Yeah, my friend has one, and I want to know why its making her act all stupid and shit. Oh, and where's the erotica while we're at it? Might as well add that to my collection too. That will give me something to do while I wait for her to even breathe in my direction!' Well, actually, no, I didn't say that, but I could've. I could've done that. I would've done that."

Swallowing down all her anticipation and nerves, she teased, "Aw, you would've checked out erotica for me?"

"Shut up," he joked, then immediately backtracked, "No, don't shut up. That's the whole thing. Don't shut - you know what? Fuck it, I'm just going to -"

Instead of continuing to ramble, he didn't know what came over him, but he knew it wasn't rational. Maybe it had something to do with the way her lips looked so full and soft. His hand grabbed her by the waist and yanked her forward, pressing their lips together with a hunger he couldn't explain. He didn't remember moving, or if he had, he forgot. One moment he was speaking, and the next, well, the next, all of his senses were focused on her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, which caused him to smile against her mouth. He couldn't help himself; he couldn't stop smiling at the perfection of it all. Her body was pressed up against his; she was pressed into his chest. All he wanted to do was kiss her for hours. Her lips felt so soft, so sweet, and he couldn't stop touching them and tasting them. Every single part of his body was in tune with hers, and it was an amazing feeling.

There was a break in the kiss as he pulled back slightly to look at her, his hands resting on her hips as he tried to apologise, "Tell me whatever I did wrong and I'll make it up to you. I'll do what -"

"I'm not paid enough to care about this shit."

The pair broke apart, and their heads whipped to look at the newcomer. It was silent for a while as they just stared at the janitor in the hopes that he might magically vanish. "Get out," the janitor said. "Get out before I make sure you two end up in detention."

Detention was not on the cards as Y/N grabbed Eddie's hand and dragged him into the corridor as he still seemed a little dazed. Addressing the janitor, he complimented, "Cool Carlos Santana poster, by the way. That's actually what we went in there to see. Crazy. We heard about it through the grapevine, you know," so she pulled him away before he could say anything else.

"I swear to God, that was so fucking awkward," Y/N laughed, trying to suppress her giggles.

The moment they made it around the first corner they saw, he scanned if any teachers were around and then began to kiss her cheek, gradually making his way down from her cheekbone to her neck, manoeuvring her so her back was against the cold wall and his front was against hers. He nuzzled his face into her neck, inhaling her scent and absorbing it through his skin. 

Teasingly, he reared back and came to a compromise: "If you tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours, I won't leave the biggest hickey I possibly can on your neck. Just imagine how long you'll be grounded for when your parents see that."

"You're not serious."

"Watch me." He lowered his head once again, his lips finding her skin just above her collarbone, before she tugged on his hair to pull him back up. "Start talking."

Taking a breath, she finally explained, "So, I'm trying this thing where I let other people get a word in. We all know that I have a habit of talking a bit too much, and you're probably sick of my voice at thi-"

"What the fuck are you on about?"

His blunt statement made her jump.

She was just about to speak again when a junior, who obviously had a hall pass to use the bathroom, gave them a funny look and walked by without saying a word. Jokingly, she pointed out, "Why did we choose to do this in a public corridor?"

"And she begins avoiding my question once again," he taunted, moving his mouth under her jaw to plant a kiss there. He grinned, smug, and self-assured, and Y/N felt a swell of pride at his confidence. She considered her answer for a few moments, and in that time, his hand slipped from her hip to her lower back, sliding beneath her t-shirt to graze over her bare skin. She loved the way he was so comfortable in their little game.

"Stop," she laughed, but he kept his lips there, pressing against her neck and making her shiver. "Somebody mentioned that I'm a bit of a motormouth, so I decided to reel it back, okay?"

He craned his head back in surprise. "Who?"

"I'm no snitch, Munson."

"Uh, I'd like to know who fucked with my girl. I'm planning on kicking their ass."

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she coquetted, "Your girl? Is that what I am now?" And to be super effective, she softly brushed some of his hair behind his ear.

There was no mistaking the pleased grin that curved his lips. He gave her the goofiest, most lovestruck grin possible, declaring that, "Oh yeah, didn't you hear? You have been for a while. Did I forget to mention it?"

"You may have forgotten, yeah. Maybe you did, and I was too busy chatting to notice," she joked, and he chuckled. Her hand moved to his chest, and she felt his heart pound against her palm, his breath quicken, and his body tense. Her smile faltered for a moment as she apologised, "I'm sorry for practically ignoring you for a while."

At her words, his answer was low and sincere. "Yeah, it sucked." He tilted her chin up as she'd moved her focus away from his face, suggesting, "You could always make it up to me by hanging out with me after school and rambling to me about every single thought that pops into your head."

"Eddie, I'm sure you don't really want -"

"You don't get to tell me what I want," he said, and the serious expression returned to his face. He shook his head and kissed her again, this time briefly but with a lot of affection. It was an answer in itself. Against her lips, he mumbled, "Your voice is my favourite sound in the world; don't deprive me of it again or I'll probably go insane."

That made her do the most girlish giggle he’d ever heard.

"Just so you know," he said, "you could read anything to me and I'd be enthralled. You could read the fucking Bible to me, and I'd convert in no time."

Despite the casualness of his statement, it made her realise how truly into her he was and how much he thought she was worth listening to. She loved the way he looked at her, like she was the only girl in the world, the way he thought she was so special. He didn't see her as just another member of Hellfire; he saw her as his girl.

Putting his favourite things together, she offered, "Why don't you come over; we'll smoke, and I'll read The Hobbit to you? My parents are out, so it's up to you."

He'd never heard something so perfect for him in his life. The smile that stretched across his face was absolutely, unarguably perfect. She waited until he'd composed himself before she copied his actions from before and kissed from his cheekbone down, which caused him to shiver slightly and unconsciously put his hand on the back of her head. 

Trying to play it cool despite how his body was reacting, he retorted, "What about your cat? Is she in?"

"You'll have to come over to find out."

So he did. He was practically vibrating with anticipation as he pulled his van onto her driveway and didn't even wait for her to get her keys in the front door before he hurried up behind her, grabbing onto her waist and tugging her against him so he could kiss the back of her neck. 

The moment she opened the door and pulled him inside, he noticed her cat and beelined towards her. "Hey, stinky," he said, holding the cat in his hands. He looked at Y/N and back to the cat. The theory that all pets look like their owners seemed to be correct, as Y/N's kitten was as cute as she was.

"Don't call my baby stinky," Y/N playfully warned, stroking the cat and leaning down to bump their noses together, causing the cat to lovingly nip at the tip of her nose.

"I can't help it," Eddie replied, holding the cat by the armpits and holding her above his head, wiggling her from side to side, falsely insulting, "Liquorice is just such a gross, ugly cat."

Faking offence, Y/N grabbed the kitten from his hands and cradled it as she began walking to her bedroom, cooing, "Don't listen to the rip-off Van Halen-looking boy, baby. He failed ninth grade English too many times for his opinion to be valid."

Eddie, of course, was hot on her heels as he followed her. "I'm not a boy; I'm a man."

"Whatever you say."

When they made it up to her room, Eddie immediately made himself at home, kicking his shoes off and jumping face first onto her bed. Y/N rolled her eyes and dropped the cat onto her pillow before sitting on the bed to beam as Eddie turned on to his side and pouted, urging her to "Kiss me?"

How could she not? She obliged, leaning in and pressing her lips to his. His reaction was immediate. He eagerly responded to her kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, tongue eagerly exploring hers. Y/N was the first to pull back as she felt Liquorice pawing at her arm. 

"Oh, sorry, you jealous thing," she joked, giving the cat an equal amount of attention by scratching her belly. She instructed Eddie, "Take over while I find the book."

Liquorice had always liked Eddie, which was weird as she rarely liked anyone. Especially men. But it was as if she saw how kind he was and just went with it when he started to gently run his hands through her fur, purring as he did so.

Reading aloud, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat..." 

Y/N had found the book and made her way back to her bed, leaning against the headboard as Eddie manoeuvred to sit between her legs, bringing Liquorice to sit in his lap. Together they both said, "It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort." 

Of course he knew that bit off by heart.

Slithering her arms around him, she placed her chin on his shoulder, occasionally giving him a peck on the cheek between paragraphs as she continued reading. He leant back, listening intently as he lit his spliff, taking a few drags before placing it between her lips and dreamily gazing at her as she let the smoke out of her nose like a sexy dragon. A sexy Smaug.

Never had he felt so comfortable. In a relationship or just in general. No matter how many people he'd been with before, there'd never been a moment when he'd ever truly felt like this.

Almost the second before she finished the final paragraph of the first chapter, Liquorice was spooked by a sound from outside and decided that she didn't want any more attention. Y/N called after her, "Do not start a fight with the dog next door," and all the cat seemed to do was narrow her eyes and saunter out of the room.

Finishing the last bit, Y/N declared, "Bilbo went to sleep with that in his ears, and it gave him very uncomfortable dreams. It was long after the break of day when he woke up."

Now that he no longer had a cat on his lap to worry about, Eddie took the book from her hands and set it on her bedside table, turning around to face her as he flirted, "Honestly, whoever told you to shut up must not have taste because I've read that so many times and it never sounded that good before."

The compliment was not lost on her as Y/N giggled, "I swore you fell asleep halfway."

"I was resting my eyes." He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers, only to pull back, looking into her eyes. "You're seriously not going to tell me who?"

"Nope." 

Fine. That'll do. He let out a huff, but it was quickly forgotten as she placed her hand on the side of his face, gently ghosting her thumb over his skin as she pressed her lips against his. And that's how they spent most of the evening. Just smooching with the occasional playful bout of taunting.

Over time, it wasn't rare for Eddie to spend all of his free time in the warm comfort of Y/N's bedroom. He lay on his side, leaning over her slightly as she used their intertwined hands to gesture, soaking in all of his focus.

It wasn't long before Eddie pieced together who had made her feel that way. Mike had made some offhanded insult about how long she had been talking, and Y/N looked at Eddie like 'this fucking guy, amiright?', accidently giving it away.

Then Hellfire came, and Mike was very surprised when his PC died only thirty minutes into the session. 

Strangely, it seemed as if the DM was personally targeting him. 

Who knows why?

*Click here for my masterlist*

Wanna be added to a taglist? Either comment on this post or send me a message!

[futbolfatale]

Injury

Pairings: Leah Williamson x Reader, Katie McCabe x Reader, Kyra Conney-Cross x Reader

Tags: Broken Bones, Minor Angst, I think thats all

Summary: You convince your partners to come to the trampoline park only for there to be a "minor" injury.

WordCount: 1.0K

It’s taken months of constant nagging to get all of your partners to agree to go the the trampoline park together. You hadn’t been since your childhood but when one opened up down the street from you it was almost certain you would be going. “These waivers are intense.” Leah scrolls through the paragraphs of rules for her to sign. “But it will be so worth it just think of all the fun.” Leah rolls her eyes but signs the waiver. “Alright let's do this.”

“Come on Ky let's go” You snatch Kyra’s hand and the two of you race off towards the trampolines. There are rows and rows of square Trampolines. You jump onto the one closest to you and let out help as Kyra joins you. “Ky that’s against the rules. You're gonna get us kicked out already” You laugh as you too jump in Union. “They aren't even watching” Ky gestures to the teen who is supposed to be keeping an eye on you but instead has an earbud in and is mostly likely watching TikTok. “Hey, what do you suppose you're getting at? Follow the Rules” Leah gives you her signature captain glare and Kyra quickly moves to the trampoline next to you.

“Look they have a fucking rock wall we have to go and try” You jump off the trampoline and run to the wall but quickly slow to a jog after yet another warning look from Leah. “Katie I bet I can get across before you” You tease sticking your tongue out in a way that you know pisses her off.” you two have to go one at a time,” Leah calls after you. “Will you at least time us” You can’t help the annoyed look on your face she is kind of being a buzz kill. “Yes let me get it pulled up.” Leah smiles and god your heart melts a little. Maybe she isn't such a buzzkill after all. You press a kiss to her cheek before hurrying to the rock wall. “Do you want to go first” you question Katie. “I'll wait I want to find out what the time to beat is” She teases. “You ready” You nod in confirmation. “Ready, Set, Go”

The rest of your hour there passes in a blur of laughter and light scolding from Leah. “Five minutes then we need to get going so we can pick up our takeaway.” Leah reminds you. “Thai” you question as you head over to the question. “Yep, I going to go and order it now”. ‘Have I told you how much I love you?” you press a light kiss to her lips. “Not today”. You yep as Ky pulls you back to the square trampolines. “ Hurry we only have five minutes left”

Yet again Kyra is jumping on the same tramp as you but this time her logic is that Leah has gone to the waiting room to order your takeaway. It only takes one wrong-timed jump and suddenly you are lying on the ground clutching your ankle in pain. “Holy Shit are you okay” You can’t bring yourself to respond as a wave of pain washes over your body. You let out a scream as Ky kneels down next to you. “ We were gone for bloody two minutes what happened” Katie shouts the anger clear in her voice. It only stresses you out more and you let out another cry of pain. “Shitttt Leah is going to hang me” Katie pushes the hair from her face before kneeling on your other side and gently prying your ankle from where it was clutched in your hands. A whimper escapes you as she prays away the sock to show your already swollen ankle. “That's really bad” You cry out throwing yourself back into the ground. “ Girls What is going on” Leah shoots the urgency in her voice clear. “It's broken” Katie explains. “You two were fucking jumping together after I told you not to weren’t you.” Ky at least has the good sense to look sheepish.

“Okay, I will pull the car around Katie carry her outside gently. Kyra go get the last of our stuff and meet us at the car.” Leah orders before taking off. “Here Babe” Katie leans over scooping you up and effortly standing up. It’s so annoying how strong she is but good it's also so hot. “Do you think we can still pick up dinner?” You ask as Katie carries you out of the building. “I doubt Leah would go for that.”. “Do you think if I started crying more she would say yes” You question watching as Leah pulls up in front of the building. “You can try” Katie laughs

So there you are lying in a hospital bed eating thai food and about to get a cast on your ankle. Katie sits next to you on the bed playing some dumb YouTube video on her phone while Leah’s dragged Kyra out to the Hall to lecture her about rules or something.  You can’t help but giggle as the girl on her phone pushes herself down a flight of stairs in an attempt to make an at-home roller coaster. “Hello, they” The doctor startles the both of you so badly that Katie nearly falls off the bed. She lets out a muttered “Bloody hell” before standing up. “Good news it's a clean break and it should heal in the next couple of months as long as you stay off of it.” The doctor explains their eyes barely leaving their clipboard. “ How much longer till we can go,” Katie asks her annoyance quickly growing. “At least an hour possibly two depending on how long it takes to get the cast on. I have to get going know so many patients and all. If you have any questions feel free to ask the nurse.” they leave as quickly as they came.

Three hours later you sat in the car driving home. The air is so thick you could cut through it but you're too hopped up on pain meds to really care. “Soo… Can we get a milkshake on the way home?” You ask. “Are you sure that's a good idea? The doctor said you shouldn’t have milk for a couple of hours.” Leah reminds you from the front seat. “Fuck that doctor let's get milkshakes” Katie pipes up. “Ya milkshakes” Kyra shouts pumping her fist excitedly. Maybe the day wasn't a total disaster after all.

[angelltheninth]

Zayne Gets Angry Over a Patient Flirting with You

Pairing: Zayne x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, co-workers, secret relationship, doggie style, jealousy, clit stimulation, possessive sex, desk sex, colluegues who fuck, unprofessional!Zayne

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: Zayne dropping his professional side is my favorite kink with him. Divider is by @adornedwithlight.

Amazing how quicly he can switch from your co-worker to your lover

One moment he's talking about work, then he's listening to you talk about the latest patient who professed his love for you, and the next moment he has you bent over that patient's file, fucking you from behind

Like a switch has been flipped inside of him he was on you, kissing you to stop you talking about that man

It's the end of the work day, your shifts are over, you shouldn't have to think about patients like that

Confessing love for his doctor, that's completely unporfessional, and as if Zayne fucking you in his office isn't

But that's different, he cares about you much more than that other guy

He rocked his hips against yours, staying inside you a bit longer every time, making your pussy take the shape of his cock

Skilled fingers dance all over your body, easing their way across, one on your chin, keeping your eyes on the photo of the patient, the other flicking your clit

Zayne wants you to say his name while he fucks you

No, just once won't do he warms as he smacks yout clit, say it again, louder this time, clear when he thrusts his cock into you again

Good, that one was better, again

Rarely does he show his possessive side, you make him like this

Every time he sees someone flirting with you with the intentions to hurt your feelings after, like you're some pump and dump kind of woman he really wants to be unprofessional

But he can't, he knows he has a reputation and he knows better than to let his feelings get to him during work

However now, when work is officialy done and it's just the two of you he can let his walls down

Show you how he really feels about you, and those idiots that flirt with you all the time

At some point you realize that he's not even pulling out anymore, he's only touching your clit

What he wants is for your pussy to drain his balls dry

Moan his name while you do it, because it's always gonne be him who fills you up, not some horny patient who doesn't even know you

[bijouxcarys]

Ain't Nobody's Business (Roman Reigns x fem!Reader)

WWE Masterlist

Description: Gionna's incessant teasing about your relationship with Joe comes to a head when you're pushed too far. On the bright side, it leads you to confess what you've been wanting to get off your chest for so long... **THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO "PROVE IT" **

Warnings: NSFW, MINORS DNI, fluff, smut, aftercare, hurt/comfort, oral sex (f and m receiving, 69, daddy kink, pet names, praise kink, mild spanking, comfort sex, cum marking, unprotected sex, idiots in love, multiple orgasms, fingering, spitting, dom/sub, lord forgive me, what am I talking about I'm a satanist <3

Word Count: 12.1k

Tags: @empressdede @thetribalqueen @heauxvibez @bigsimperika

@cyberdejos2 @keyaho @headoftheetable @jstarr86 @southerngirl41

@tshepisho @cry1nwhileimcumm1n @maeb99 @thedesireds @dzdndcnfsd

@expert-texpert @niknakbucks92 @sillyteecup @trentybenty @pittieprincess22

@electronicwitchsandwich @thefairywithboots @eringobragh420

(If you want to be tagged in any future Roman or Damian fics, let me know!)

The night sky over Belfast was clear, a welcome switch up from how chaotic everything was back inside the arena. The show had been electric, and it was just another reason to add to the list of why European tours were Y/N’s favourite live shows to take part of.

“Fans are always so loud over here,” she commented casually, eyeing her phone in her right hand as she adjusted the strap of her gear bag slung over her shoulder with her left. Her muscles were all tensed up and aching from her match with Trinity, but it was a familiar and welcoming sensation. This was what she signed up for, and it was never not worth the pain.

“What can I say? My people know how to make some noise,” Becky answered, a clear sense of pride in her voice.

“You can say that again,” Colby cackled with his tongue sticking out, wrapping an arm around Becky and pulling her in.

“Ew,” Gi scrunched her nose up, looking at Y/N with an exaggerated grimace. The two of them hung back slightly, behind Colby and Becky, and Gi had done nothing but eye her all night with that infuriatingly knowing look.

Ever since Miss Daddio over here had overhead that night in the hotel she’d been relentless with her teasing. And Y/N could just feel it coming again, the inevitable moment when Gi would start poking at her, trying to get a rise out of her.

“So,” Gi began casually as the four of them approached the car, “Who are you texting?”

Y/N didn’t look up from her phone, trying to keep her features neutral. “Nobody interesting.”

“Mmhmm,” Gi hummed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “That’s why you’ve been glued to that thing since your match, right?”

The phone buzzed again with a new message just as she spoke. Y/N glanced down, a little flutter in her chest when she saw Joe’s name on the screen.

Joe: You on ur way back now?

Gionna leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of the screen. “Is that who I think it is?”

Y/N quickly tilted the phone away, typing out a quick reply.

Y/N: Yeah, just leaving the arena now.

“You’re sooo bad at hiding it at this point, Y/N.”

“And you’re sooo good at getting on my nerves tonight, Gi.”

Joe: You good?

Becky and Colby were already in the front of the car, Colby behind the wheel and Becky beside him. Y/N and Gionna slid into the back, settling in for the ride back to the hotel. As they pulled out of the parking lot, the conversation in the front resumed. They were super amped about the rest of the tour, and more so about the fact that they’d actually be able to be together the whole time. And Y/N would be lying if she said it didn’t provoke a sort of envy from within her.

She just couldn’t help but wonder if she and Joe would ever be able to be like that.

“You hear from Charlotte since your match?” Colby asked Becky.

“No, I didn’t get a chance to,” she said, putting her phone on the dashboard whilst she tied her hair up. “Saw the doctor come out of medical, but I don’t know what happened.”

“Damn,” he shook his head. “I’m sure she’s good—even though that suplex was clean as fuck.”

“Yeah, but she wasn’t supposed to do a whole flip and land on her nose!”

“Ain’t your fault, you got them muscles, baby.”

“You’re so annoying.”

Y/N was trying to focus on the conversation up front, but Gionna wasn’t making it easy. She just kept nudging her, whispering little jabs that only she could hear. Whilst Y/N knew Gi wasn’t trying to piss her off, it had been a long fucking night, and all Y/N wanted to do was curl up in bed and enjoy the rest of the night before they had to head out again in the morning.

Joe: ???

“You gonna see him again?” Gi asked quietly.

Gritting her teeth, Y/N angled herself away from her, trying her best to keep her phone concealed. “Not now, Gi, please…”

“C’mon, you gotta give me something at this point…” she trailed off, widening her eyes and pursing out her lower lip. “You kinda owe me after subjecting me to such horrors.”

Y/N snorted a little, glancing at her friend, but kept scrolling through her phone.

“I mean, I’ve kept your secret this long, haven’t I?”

This earned her a glare from Y/N. “That’s because you don’t have a choice.”

Y/N: Liv’s being a pain in the ass…

“You know it’s only a matter of time before someone else figures this shit out.”

Before Y/N could respond, Colby’s voice cut through into the back. “What are you two whispering about back there?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Y/N said quickly, sending him a friendly smile as she caught his eye in the rearview mirror.

“Uh-huh,” Colby replied, not really buying it. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

Becky turned slightly in her seat, giving Y/N a curious look. She even narrowed her eyes a bit, as though it was going to make her crack. 

“What?”

The redhead just smirked a little, before returning to her normal position. 

Joe: She knows, doesn’t she?

Y/N looked down at the text message, a small rush of guilt washing over her. How was she supposed to tell him that not only did Gionna know about them, but she overheard Y/N being fingerbanged to death a metre and a half away from her? 

Y/N: …

Y/N: Don’t make me answer that😩

Joe: I ain’t mad baby

Joe: just wish you’d tell me

Joe: I don’t care that she knows

Y/N: You might not, but you’re not the one having to sit there and listen to her go on about it are youuuu ugh

Joe: 🤭

Y/N: It’s not funny!

Y/N: It’s pissing me off

Joe: Sorry sorry… i know it upsets you

Joe: Just got to the hotel. 217 if you wanna come see me

Y/N: Do you want me to?

Joe: I always want u to come see me baby girl

Joe: Can’t get enough of your fine ass

Y/N was in the process of swiping her keycard to the room she was sharing with Gi when she saw that last message. Even in message form, he never failed to get her all worked up. It was like she could hear him speaking the exact words to her.

Y/N: Lemme settle in first

Y/N: …and I’ll think about it ;)

Joe: Tease

She knew damn well she’d be paying that man a visit tonight.

Letting out a deep breath, she kicked off her shoes and dropped her gear bag by the door. The exhaustion from her match was starting to set in, and all she wanted really was a hot shower and some peace and quiet.

Gi was already sprawled out on her bed, flipping through the channels on the TV.

“Anything interesting on?” Y/N asked passively, covering her mouth as she yawned.

“Uh,” Gi hummed, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Ooh!”

Taking a glance at the TV, Y/N instantly recognised the familiar head of wet, dark hair, along with that familiar black vest. Of course, he had to be on the fucking television. Of course it’s that moment Gi happens to switch over to. Of fucking course.

“Oh, look, it’s your boyfriend.”

Y/N groaned internally. “Who?” she feigned innocence.

With a drawn out sigh, Gi pulled herself back up into a seated position and turned the TV down. “Come on, Y/N. Stop ignoring it and fess up. It’s not like people haven’t noticed you two practically eye-fucking each other, it’s just that I’m the only one who’ll say anything about it!”

“Pretty sure Trin would,” Y/N smirked, knowing full well that if people really were noticing such interactions, it would have gotten back to Trinity, and then to Jon. And then Josh. We all know what the fallout of that would be.

“Uh-huh…” Gi grinned, eyeing her friend up. “It’s seriously like you’re in your own little world whenever he’s within range.”

Y/N simply ignored the comment, heading to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She leaned against the sink, staring at her reflection for a minute. Of course, Joe had been on her mind all night. He was always on her mind, but being able to watch him in front of thousands of people in his element… it just pushed her closer to the edge of letting everyone know—letting him know—that she loved that man with her entire being.

For a few blissful moments, Y/N managed to push everything out of her mind whilst taking a hot shower, steam filling up the small bathroom as she let the water wash away the sweat and stress of the night. Gionna’s teasing, the pressure of keeping things under wraps with Joe, even the thrill of the match. It was just her and the calming rush, and that was exactly what she needed.

But as soon as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself, she could hear Gi’s voice through the door.

“So, are you gonna tell me what’s really going on, or am I gonna have to drag it out of you?” she called playfully, but with an undertone of persistence.

Y/N rolled her eyes as she dried off and pulled on her cotton shorts and an old, oversized shirt—the kind of comfortable clothes she always wore to bed. She took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door, steeling herself for whatever Gionna was about to say.

“Please can we not do this right now?” she asked as she stepped back into the room, running a hand through her damp hair. She tossed her dirty clothes into the corner on top of her suitcase and climbed onto her bed, sitting cross-legged.

Gionna wasn’t having it. “Come on, Y/N! It’s been driving me nuts. You and Roman—you guys together together, or just se—”

Y/N groaned, flopping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. “It’s nothing, Gi. We’re just… I don’t know. Figuring things out, I guess.”

Gi’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she bounced on her bed, leaning forward. “Figuring things out? That sounds like progress! Oh my God, Y/N, this is so exciting! I knew you two had something going on, you gotta tell me everything—how it started, what he’s like when it’s just the two of you, all the details!”

Bitch, you heard most of that shit.

But she didn’t let on, even though her patience was fraying at the edges. “There’s not much to tell.”

“Don’t give me that,” Gi shot back, grinning. “I’m your friend, Y/N. I can see it all over your face. You like each other a lot.”

Y/N closed her eyes. Gionna meant well, but she didn’t understand how complicated things were. “It’s not that simple, alright?”

“Why not?” Gi pressed, her voice full of genuine curiosity. “You’re both adults, you’re both single—what’s stopping you?” Suddenly, her face dropped. “Wait, he is single, right?”

“Yes, he’s single!” Y/N insisted. “Well… recently divorced—but he’s single, Gionna, that’s all you need to know.”

“But–”

“Stop!” Y/N finally broke, shooting up from the bed and staring down at Gionna. “Just stop. I don’t wanna talk about it, Gi, I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m stressed.” 

Gionna’s mouth fell open, eyes wide. “I-I’m sor–”

“No.” She didn’t want to wait for a response, she simply grabbed her keycard. “I’m going to Joe’s room. If you say anything about it to anyone, I will cut you out of my life.” And she left.

Y/N did feel bad for snapping at Gionna the way she did, but could anyone blame her?

She hovered outside of Joe’s hotel room for a moment, fingers hesitating as they curled into a fist to knock. What if he was just saying he wanted to see her out of the kindness of his heart? What if what they had really wasn’t that deep, it was just a pastime for him? What if—

This went on. Looping in her head. All the horrible what ifs that could be, instead of this is and we are. 

Through the door, she could hear the faint sound of commentary. Of course, he was watching his match back. Joe always did this. Rewatching every single bout, scrutinising each moment with the kind of intensity he usually reserved for the ring. She knew it was part of who he was, that drive to be better, to be perfect—but sometimes it felt like he was too hard on himself.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly before letting herself in. The door creaked open, revealing Joe sitting on the bed, his laptop sitting in front of him as one of his legs bent under him, the other with a foot planted firmly off the side. His thick, muscular frame dominated the space, even as he hunched forward, his focus locked on the screen. The muted light from the laptop bore shadows on his face, highlighting the sharp, bearded line of his jaw, his dark hair still damp from his own shower, draped effortlessly in front of his shoulders. 

He didn’t look up right away, too absorbed in the footage of his match against Baron Corbin from earlier in the night. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her quietly. For a second, she just stood there, watching him. Despite the rough night she’d had, the frustration from Gionna, there was something about seeing Joe like this—calm, focused—that made everything else seem distant, almost insignificant.

Finally, Joe’s gaze lifted, his dark eyes meeting hers, and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a subtle smile. “Hey,” he greeted her with a gentle gravel.

“Hi,” she replied, trying to smile back but failing to hide the pout that tugged at her lips. She made her way over to the bed, sitting down next to him with a soft sigh. Her cotton shorts rode up slightly as she tucked her legs beneath her, her t-shirt slipping a little off her shoulder. She was far from dressed up, but Joe didn’t mind. He rarely cared about stuff like that.

Joe glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing the way her shoulders slumped and how she seemed to curl into herself, clearly upset. Without a word, he shifted, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. “What’s goin’ on?” His voice was warm, concerned, but still casual. He knew not to push too hard when she was in this kind of mood. He just had to coax it out of her gently.

Y/N sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Gi,” she muttered. “Still won’t stop talking about us. I know she’s just excited, but I’m over it.”

Joe’s brow furrowed slightly, his eyes softening as he peered down at her. “She’s got no filter, huh?” He said it with a small smile, but there was an underlying severity to his tone.

“She means well,” she admitted, sighing as she leaned further into him. “It’s just hard, y’know? Keeping this thing with us under wraps. It feels… like I’m hiding something important. Like I’m keeping a secret about the best part of my life.”

Joe’s brows lifted sympathetically, his permanent smile seemingly dropping into something more serious. He tilted his head to nudge her gently, encouraging her to look at him. “Hey. Don’t let her or anyone else get in your head, alright? What we’ve got—it’s ours. Ain’t nobody else’s business.”

The way he said it, so firm yet so gentle, tightened that part of her chest only unlocked by him. Dark eyes holding hers with an intensity that made her feel seen. Safe.

“You’re too good at this.”

“Good at what?” he chuckled.

“Reassuring me. Being… you.”

Joe smirked, tilting his head toward his laptop. “You sure you’re not just mesmerised by my match?” he jested. “C’mon, tell me I look good out there.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, though her smile widened. “You always look good. You don’t need me to tell you that.”

“Mm-hmm,” he teased, adjusting the laptop so she could see the screen better. “Watch this part, though—when I start takin’ it to Corbin.”

She watched as the footage unfolded. Joe crouched in the corner of the ring, his body coiled like a spring, eyes locked on Corbin with a sharp intensity. The camera zoomed in on his face, catching every detail: the subtle twitch of his nose, the way his tongue darted out to wet his lips before curling into a sneer. It was pure dominance, calculated and commanding, and yet entirely effortless.

“I like when you do that,” Y/N said, just above a whisper.

“Do what?”

“That… thing with your nose,” she nodded down at the screen. “It’s…” She paused, cheeks warming as she tried to find the right word. “It’s hot, y’know?”

Joe’s laugh was warm and rich. “Oh, yeah? Gonna start takin’ notes on what moves work best for you, huh?”

Y/N groaned, burying her face against his shoulder. “Don’t make it weird, Joe.”

“I’m not makin’ it weird!” he protested, though his grin betrayed him. “You’re the one gettin’ all flustered talkin’ ‘bout my nose.”

“I’m never saying anything nice to you again,” she grumbled against his shoulder.

“Lies,” he said easily, sliding the laptop further down the bed. His arm around her tightened, pulling her closer against him. “You like me too much for that.”

It was that casual confidence, that playful ease, that made her stomach flutter. She was happiest when she was with him, but right now, the stress of the night still lingered, heavy in her chest. Joe must have noticed, because his free hand suddenly darted to her side, fingers brushing lightly against her ribs.

“Whatcu doin’ lookin’ so serious?” he asked, his tone teasing.

“Joe, don’t—” she started, but it was too late. His fingers pressed into her side again, this time with more intent, and a surprised laugh burst from her lips. “Stop it!”

“Stop what?” he asked innocently, even as he tickled her again, a grin spreading across his lips. “I don’t even know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Joe!” she yelped, twisting in his grip, her laughter spilling out uncontrollably. “I’m serious! Stop!”

“Say you forgive me for bein’ so good-lookin’, and maybe I’ll think about it,” he said, his own laughter mixing with hers.

She tried to wriggle away, but he was far too strong, his hands relentless as they sought out every ticklish spot he could find. Finally, with a burst of determination, she pushed against his chest, sending him sprawling back onto the bed. She followed, straddling his waist to pin him down, her damp hair tumbling over her shoulders and curtaining their faces.

Both laughter faded as they settled into the mattress, freezing in position as the moment shifted. Coming down from their giggle fits, Joe held his hands lightly on her hips, staring up at her with those dark, smouldering eyes.

And for a moment, neither of them uttered a word; the warmth of his body beneath hers, and the steady rhythm of their breathing spoke more than words could say. Apart from—

“I love you,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could second-guess herself.

Joe’s eyes softened, his expression melting into something tender, something unguarded. His hands strengthened on her hips a little, grounding her in place. “Say it again,” he murmured, almost reverently.

“I… love you,” she repeated, this time with an air of uncertainty.

His lips quirked up into the smallest, most genuine smile she’d ever seen. “Good,” he said softly, sliding his palms up to her waist. “‘Cause I was already there.” He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, thumb tenderly hovering over her cheek. “Now c’mere.”

Y/N didn’t move at first, her heart thundering in her chest as his words sank in. It was all suddenly so… intimate. Vulnerable. Slowly, she leaned down, her hands finding their place on his chest, fingers curling into the soft fabric of his shirt.

Their lips eventually met, tentative at first—a gentle brush, as though they’d never kissed before. Warm and soft, his lips moved against hers with an unhurried rhythm. Like he wanted to savour every second. She tilted her head, angling the kiss as she pressed closer, her body meshing with his. 

A soft hum tickled his lips as she felt the rough sensation of his beard brushing against her skin. He caught the sound, pulling back just enough to smile against her mouth. “Feelin’ good, baby?” he murmured. A firmer kiss came as a response, hands sliding up his broad chest to cup around his jaw. Fingertips brushing along the edge of his beard as she marveled at the coarse contrast between it and the smooth surface of his skin. 

His hands moved up her back, tracing over the curve of her spine as a groan rumbled against her lips. The steady rise and fall of his chest pushed and pulled against hers, the heat radiating from him like a furnace. One of his hands slipped into her hair, his fingers massaging over the roots as he tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

It wasn’t sweet anymore—not entirely. There was an edge of urgency now, a hunger that made her toes curl and her breath hitch. Joe’s lips parted against hers, his tongue brushing softly against her bottom lip in a silent question. Without hesitation, she answered, opening up to him and letting him in.

The kiss grew deeper, hotter, with less measured movements and more instinctive reactions. 

Joe’s hand found her chin, thumb brushing lightly over her jaw as he tilted her head back. His tongue dipped teasingly into her mouth, the motion unhurried but precise, the gentle swirl making her head spin. Like he had something to prove, drawing soft sighs from her. When he pulled back just slightly, his lips barely a breath away from hers, his eyes were dark, his voice a husky whisper. 

“You know,” he hummed, the pad of his thumb gently caressing her cheek now, “The way you moved your body in the ring tonight—damn, baby. It’s somethin’ else.”

Her cheeks flushed at his words, the heat almost too much to bear, but before she could even think about responding, he kissed her again. The way he moved his tongue… fuck, it spoke in whispers of how he’d use it elsewhere. How it would ripple and flutter between her thighs. 

And the smirk Joe stretched against her lips told her he knew exactly what he was doing. Cradling her jaw, he shifted under her, pulling her further down so she was almost completely laid out on top of him.

“I mean it,” he continued, kissing the corner of her mouth, trailing a path to her ear. “You’re somethin’ special in there. The way you had Trin locked up in that sequence? Beautiful. Smooth, confident… unstoppable.”

A combination of praise and delicate lips brushing over her skin, it had her heart pounding against her ribcage. “Joe,” she whispered, trembling ever so slightly as she gripped onto his shoulders.

“I watched every move you made,” he went on, grazing the sweet spot below her ear. His hand slipped to the back of her neck, holding her firmly in place. “That dropkick—clean as hell. And when you caught her with that suplex? Baby, you had me grinnin’ like an idiot. You’re so damn good, you don’t even see it.”

She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, her nerves melting away under the warmth of his voice. “You’re just saying that beca–”

“No, I’m sayin’ it because it’s the truth,” he interrupted, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. “I see you, Y/N. Every little thing you do in there. The way you control the match, the way you keep the crowd on edge, the way you… command that respect. It’s sexy as hell, baby.” He punctuated his compliment with a small squeeze on her hip.

But this was the thing with Joe. He didn’t just compliment her; he broke her down piece by piece, making her feel seen in a way that no one else ever had.

“Sometimes,” he carried on, lips curving into a teasing smile, “I catch myself watchin’ you more than I’m watchin’ the actual match. You got that fire. Makes it fuckin’ impossible to look away.”

His lips were back on hers before she knew it, and she felt herself melting under his touch. She kissed him back with everything she had; he made her feel powerful and vulnerable, all at once, and she couldn’t get enough.

“I think about you sometimes,” he admitted clumsily as they continued to kiss, their noses bumping against each other. “What it would be like to face you myself…” He nipped at her bottom lip. “The way you’d push me, make me work for it. I’d let you get me in one of those holds, just to see what you’d do with it.”

She giggled airily, sighing contently as his perfectly bulky arms wrapped completely around her, almost as though demonstrating his own hold in his own fantasy.

“And then,” he brushed his lips against hers as he spoke. “I think about what happens after. How I’d bring you back here, just like this, and remind you…” He suddenly used his whole body strength to flip them over, almost like an impromptu, semi-scoop slam but onto a plush mattress rather than a rough canvas mat. “...Who’s really in charge.”

She steadied herself by holding onto his shoulders as he chuckled softly at the small yelp that sounded from her throat. His hips careened forward as if on instinct, causing her thighs to tighten around him to keep him there.

“You feel that?” he whispered, his hand sliding down to pull one of her legs up and over his waist just so she could feel the blatant bulge below. “It’s what your fine ass does to me,” he momentarily got up on his knees just to swiftly pull his tank up and over his body, throwing it behind him, “Every damn time.”

Y/N couldn’t find the words to respond, not when his lips were on hers again, kissing her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. Joe Anoa’i wasn’t just good with his words; he was good with everything, and he knew it.

Joe’s lips began their descent from her mouth, lingering at the corner of her lips before tracing the line of her jaw. His beard scratched against her skin, the sensation both grounding and electric. His hands framed her face for a moment, his thumbs brushing her cheeks as if to memorise her expression and keep it locked away for moments he couldn’t have her.

“Don’t even realise how perfect you are, mama,” he murmured against her skin, finding the spot beneath her ear. Pressing a kiss that had her body trembling in response. Teasing down the curve of her neck, the tip of his tongue tasted her cocoa butter-layered skin, slowly and deliberately, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. When his mouth reached the junction of her collarbone, he paused.

“We don’t need to worry ‘bout nobody else, baby girl,” he whispered, inhaling her fresh scent, “I got you, you got me, we’re set.” He lifted his head, blinking down at her. “You understand me?”

Nibbling at her lips, she nodded, no longer suppressing the grin on her face. He made her so happy. She was like a school girl finally getting a chance with her crush; the butterflies never faded. They just came with him.

Joe shifted, accepting her wordless response as he found the edge of her shirt, tugging it up carefully. He paused, catching her gaze as he pushed the fabric away, his expression shifting tenderly, yet reverent all the same.

“Never get tired of seein’ this,” he teased, roaming his chocolate eyes over her newly exposed skin. Hands followed, calloused fingers tracing over her ribs in a feather-light touch. “Every inch of you is just… damn.”

Cupping the swells of her breasts, his thumbs brushed lightly over her hardening peaks, the barely-there touch pulling her back into an arch like a magnet.

“These,” he murmured, his voice rougher now, edged with hunger. “Perfect. Soft as hell, but strong. Just like you.” His mouth replaced one hand, his thick lips wrapping around her nipple as his tongue swirled in lazy circles. She gasped at the heat radiating from his mouth, and the way he teased and sucked at her with such fervour. His free hand moved to her other breast, pawing needily as he rolled her neglected nipple between his fingers, pinching gently before soothing the area with his mouth as he switched between the perfect mounds. The dual sensations were long awaited and long overdue, and she clutched at his shoulders as if to anchor herself.

Joe pulled back, his lips glistening as he looked up at her, a smirk playing on his face. “Love the way you react to me, baby…”

He continued his journey south, his lips pressing heated kisses down her torso as she liberally ran her fingers over and through his hair, each kiss accompanied by a whispered compliment.

“Your skin,” kiss, “soft as silk.” Another kiss. “This waist,” his hands gripped her sides, “drives me insane.” He paused just above the waistband of her shorts, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there.

“Every part of you, baby. Perfect doesn’t even cover it.”

His hands travelled lazily over her bare thighs, his thumbs making slow circles; his eyes, dark and heavy-lidded, never left hers as he tugged at the waistband of her shorts, fingers hooked under the fabric.

“Been here before, huh?” he murmured with a small laugh. “But it never gets old, does it?”

She shook her head, tilting her head to the side as she watched him ease her shorts and panties down in one smooth motion, tossing them aside like they offended him. Even as he partook in something as simple, as trivial, as removing her clothes, she was sure she had never been so in love with anybody in her life.

“Damn, baby,” he almost groaned thickly, fingers ghosting back up her legs. “You already so wet for me.”

“Well, yeah, what did you expect?” she giggled softly, biting down on her lips as he spread her thighs wider, his thumb brushing lightly over her sensitive spot, eliciting a quiet gasp.

“That good, baby?” he coaxed lowly.

Her eyes were half-lidded as she nodded.

“I need words, sweetheart,” he drawled, leaning down to kiss the inside of her thigh. “Gotta tell me what you want.”

“You,” she sighed, reaching down to move some of his hair out of the way. “I want you, Joe.”

“Yeah?” He pressed a slow, open-mouthed kiss just below her navel, his beard brushing against her skin. “You want my mouth, my fingers, my–”

“Yes,” she interrupted, fingers now threading through his hair, tugging lightly.

His chuckle was deep and rough. “That’s my girl.”

Without further teasing, he lowered his head and settled it directly between her legs; his tongue flicked out in a steady, purposeful stroke. Her back arched off the bed almost immediately as he worked her, his hands gripping her thighs firmly to keep her in place.

“God, you taste good,” he murmured, his lips gliding against her with expert ease. He flattened his tongue, dragging it up before swirling it around her clit, the way he knew would drive her wild.

Her fingers tightened in his hair, and a soft moan escaped her lips. “Joe… fuck, yes...”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed against her, the vibration causing her thighs to tremble under his hold. “Does it feel good, baby?”

“Yeah,” she nodded quickly, her chest rising up and down as goosebumps glittered her exposed skin. He gave her clit a quick, firm suck before flitting his tongue in a figure-eight pattern. “Feels so good, baby.”

Pleased with her answer, he continued, taking a deep breath through his nose as his tongue alternated between quick flicks and slow, languid circles. He even took it upon himself to move his head along with his tongue, tilting and angling himself to make sure she felt every bit of his passion. Whatever he could do to make this woman shake and quiver, he’d do it. Every motion was calculated, designed to bring her closer and closer to the edge.

“So damn responsive,” he said as he moved his head away only for a second, so he could lasciviously spit onto her pussy, just to watch as the combination of both their fluids ran down her swollen heat. “I could stay down here all fuckin’ night.”

“Please,” she whispered desperately.

“Please what, baby?” He kissed her clit, one of his hands releasing her leg so he could run his long, tepid fingers along her folds. “You want more?”

“Yes, Joe, please,” she begged, her hips bucking against his hand.

He fucking laughed, licking his lips. “Hold your leg up so Daddy can get all in that pussy…”

Shit.

She obliged immediately, holding onto the thigh he’d let go of, as he slid two of his fingers inside her, right down to the final knuckle so he could curl them up just at the right angle. Prodding at that rough spot deep inside. His mouth returned, swirling in tandem with the stroking of his fingers. The synchronisation had her crying out, her body tensing as he started to gently grind her hips upward toward his face.

“That’s it,” he growled, his voice barely audible. “Ride my fuckin’ face, mama…” He practically buried his face, feral flicks of his tongue and fast-paced pumps of his fingers hurling her toward a release.

“Oh shit,” she gasped, pulling at his hair and digging her nails into her own thigh. “Fuck, right there, right there… D-don’t stop,” she panted.

He didn’t answer, just maintained the earth-shattering pace in which he set, despite the muscles straining in his bicep, the unsteady breaths leaving his nose, and the stinging in the roots of his hair as she continued to pull at it.

“Fuck, I’m cumming…” she whined, as her body shuddered, wave after wave of pure ecstasy coursing through her. Still, Joe didn’t let up, and he intended to draw out every last tremor. “Joe… holy shit, yes… feels so fucking good,” she groaned, her back arching painfully and her eyes practically rolling to the back of her head. 

When she finally collapsed back onto the bed, breathless and spent, he pulled back, his face glistening with her arousal. He grinned, looking like he’d just won the most priceless championship around.

“Damn,” he sighed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re a masterpiece.”

“And you’re… ridiculous,” she laughed softly, still catching her breath.

“Ridiculously good, you mean,” he teased, crawling back up to hover over her. His lips found hers in a heated, unhurried kiss, letting her taste herself on him. She traced the line of his jaw with her fingers, smiling subtly into the kiss as she took in the characteristic coarseness of his beard. 

Their noses bumped together as their tongues met, and her free hand wandered over his tattooed shoulder, before making its way down his defined back. Muscles moved and tensed under her touch as she reached his lower back, tucking her fingers into the waistband of his own shorts. She tugged at them, letting them snap back against his skin and making him groan softly into her mouth.

“You tryna tell me somethin’?” he murmured, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes, his lips curving into that signature smirk. “Or you just can’t keep your hands off me?”

“Maybe both,” she rallied, pushing gently on his shoulder to usher him to roll off of her. Instead of laying on his back, he leaned back against the headboard, his legs spread wide to accommodate the fully grown tent in his shorts.

She propped herself up on her hand, looking up at him, her lips brushing up his jaw and toward his ear. “You had your turn,” she whispered against him, letting her hand wander down his chest, tracing the hard ridges of muscle. “And now it’s my turn.”

Joe chuckled deeply, wrapping an arm around her midsection as she kissed along his cheek and toward his lips. All the while, her fingers were slipping down and under the elastic in the fabric of his shorts. His head tilted back against the headboard, peering down at her hand as she watched his reactions. His plump lower lip was sucked between his teeth, and it bounced back out deliciously when she had her hand wrapped around him, already warm, hard, and heavy in her grasp.

“Don’t waste no time, huh?” he muttered, turning his head to press a small kiss to her lips.

“Not when you look this fucking good,” she shot back, giving him a slow squeeze that made his hips lift off the bed slightly.

Joe laughed softly, but it quickly turned into a light hiss as she lowered her head and sank her teeth into where his broad shoulder met his thick neck. His other hand, previously resting on the bed next to him, came up to hold onto her arm, trailing his fingers down to where her hand was buried under his shorts.

“Lemme take these off, baby girl,” he hummed, giving her ass a tap with his other hand. She let him go, resting her palm on his toned stomach, spreading kisses of worship over his tribal tattoos as he pushed down and kicked off the intruding item of clothing from his legs. “There we go,” he drawled, cupping the side of her face and urging her to look at him. “Now I’m all yours, mama.”

“You’re always all mine, baby,” she smirked, slowly pecking his lips. But he didn’t let her go, easing her back into a deep and heated kiss.

“Can’t help myself,” he mumbled against her lips, “You’re just so fuckin’ sexy.”

Giggling, she forced them apart, as much as she would have loved to keep kissing him. “I promise you can kiss me all you want after I suck that dick, Daddy…”

Groaning, he sat back, one hand propped behind his head as he got comfortable. “Goddamn tease,” he muttered endearingly. “You gonna do more than tease, or you just gonna sit there lookin’ pretty?” he asked, his voice low and rough, taunting her just enough to make her smirk.

She rolled her eyes, but proceeded to move onto her knees, bending over him so she could kiss her way along his body. “You’re so annoying,” she whispered, pausing to trace the tip of her tongue across the defined lines all over him, years of hard work paying off in his build.

“Fuck,” Joe breathed, his hips shifting. “You already got me hard as hell, baby. You keep playin’, and I might forget how to be nice.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to be nice,” she teased, moving her hair from her face as she came face to face with his free cock laying against his abdomen, thick, long, and already glistening at the tip. She licked her lips at the sight, the corner of her mouth curling up into a sly grin. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“And your ass loves it,” he shot back, his hand brushing over her hair as she opted to stay beside him rather than moving around to lay between his legs. “C’mon, baby. Show Daddy somethin’ special.”

“Am I not special enough, Daddy?” she feigned naivety, flipping her hair off of her shoulder so he had the perfect view of her delicately taking a hold of his rigid length. Looking him in the eye as her tongue slithered out for a quick taste. The muscles in his thigh tensed notably.

He reached out, smoothing the thin wisps of baby hairs on her forehead with his thumb. “So special, baby girl.”

Once again, those school-girl butterflies fluttered deep in her gut.

She started slowly, her tongue tracing the vein along the underside of his cock, her lips trailing gentle kisses down to the base. Her hand remained wrapped around him, following her mouth as she worked her way back up, flicking against the sensitive ridge just below the head.

Joe let out a low groan, his hand moving to rest on the back of her head. He didn’t push—he never pushed, unless she wanted that—but the weight of his large hand encouraged her, his fingers tangling in her hair as she began to take him deeper into her mouth.

“That’s it, baby,” he muttered thickly. “You know exactly what you’re doin’, huh?”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her lips shiny. “I’ve had practice,” she said playfully, albeit sultrily.

“Yeah, with me,” he replied, his smirk returning. “Ain’t nobody else got you doin’ it like this.”

Instead of answering, she shifted her position, getting up on all fours beside him so she had more control over her movements. The new angle let her lean in closer, her chest pressing against his body as she wrapped her lips around him again.

Hissing through his teeth, his free hand snaked up her thigh, before grabbing a handful of her ass. “Shit, baby,” he grunted, his head falling back. “Makin’ me lose my damn mind.”

Her movements became more deliberate once she felt his hand wandering all over her, her hand twisting as her tongue swirled around him. She used the flat of her tongue to press against the underside, her lips sliding down until she felt him at the back of her throat. Ignoring the pulsing and contracting as she swallowed him up.

“Damn,” he chuckled airily, his hand tightening in her hair. “You’re so fuckin’ good at this. Always takin’ care of me, makin’ me feel like a king.”

His praise sent a rush of heat through her, and she doubled down, letting her saliva roll down her chin and drip all over him, working him and making every movement slick and lewd. She knew he liked it when he could hear what she was doing, just as much as see it.

“You’re gonna kill me,” he muttered hoarsely. “The way you’re usin’ that mouth… fuck.”

She glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief once she noticed him eyeing her ass. “Good,” she said breathlessly. “I like seeing you like this.”

She arched her back tantalisingly, smiling to herself when he couldn’t resist slipping his hand back between her legs, a new sheen of nectar coating her centre.

“Fuck…” he sighed. “Get over here, baby, Daddy needs his pussy again.”

Without missing a beat, and without giving her a chance to comply herself, he used all his strength to shimmy down the bed and drag her over so she had no choice but to straddle his face. She barely registered him shoving his face back into her pussy, slurping and lapping at her again until a specific twitch in her clit woke her up, and she resumed her own movements on his cock.

She steadied herself by holding onto one of his thighs, her head bobbing up and down on his length hungrily, little moans and whimpers vibrating from within her throat as he matched her ferocity and confidence.

Wrapping his arms around her legs, he pawed at her ass, shutting his eyes as he enjoyed every second, every drop. Landing a few slaps, even losing an iota of control when his hips rocked up toward her mouth.

He growled, the sound deep and primal. “Yeah, baby,” he encouraged, sucking at her folds and kissing her clit. “Just like that…”

She didn’t. She let herself get lost in it, in his taste, his warmth, the essence that dripped in pearls from his tip. But she had to stop when she felt him twitch against her tongue, lifting her head and giving him one last squeeze. “Not yet,” she said.

“Maybe not for me,” he dismissed, yanking her further up. “Turn around.”

Already dishevelled, she did as she was told, now straddling his face in a way that allowed them both to see each other.

“Wanna make me cum again, Daddy?”

“You know it, baby girl.”

She eagerly rode his face, thanks to the encouragement from his hands on her hips, rocking and writhing her way to another orgasm he so desperately wanted to give her. And he looked so beautiful doing it; alternating between intense glares up her body and delicately shutting his eyes as he feasted. Both ways, she saw his cheeks moving and the growing layer of her essence glittering his facial hair.

Grabbing onto the headboard, arching her back, panting and crying out. Something about a second time was just so intense, so invigorating. And when it did finally come, she swore she saw stars.

He’d literally flipped her onto her back, without parting from her pussy. As if he were countering a pin attempt in the ring. Him, sat up with his arms fully enclosed around her centre as the only thing keeping her propped up on the bed was her upper back and her head.

Her entire body went limp in his hold as the aftershocks of her second orgasm shuddered through her. She even had to tap his arm to let him know he could stop.

Their chests heaved as he gently let her go, giving her room to shimmy back, but not too far that he couldn’t grab at her again. He shifted his position, sliding his legs over the edge of the bed and pulling her up with him. He planted her on his lap, her knees on either side of his hips, the heat between their bodies nearly unbearable. Hands resting firmly on her thighs, his thumbs curling her plush flesh.

“You good, baby?” he murmured with a gravelly lilt, dripping with affection and lust all at once.

She nodded, her hands bracing on his shoulders. “More than good.”

He grinned, the slight crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening as he slid one hand around to cup the back of her neck. “That’s what I like to hear.”

He leaned in, grazing her lips in a gentle kiss before dropping to her throat, nipping at the sensitive skin there. Meanwhile, his other hand drifted down, his fingers finding her entrance, prodding softly and feeling the slick left behind.

“You’re so ready for me… fuckin’ drippin’ for me.”

Her whole body experienced a white-hot flush under his gaze, but she couldn’t bring herself to look away. He was so magnetic. Pulling her in. Making her feel like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

She wasn’t quite prepared for how intense the stretch of his dick would be when he finally guided her down slowly onto him. It was overwhelming, and she let out a soft gasp, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

“Atta girl,” Joe coaxed, soothing her with his rumble. “Take your time, mama, I gotchu…”

Inch by inch, she sank into him, adjusting by the second to the fullness. His hands stroked over her thighs, and up to her hips, brushing comforting circles into her muscles.

“I-I always end up forgetting,” she breathed out, resting her forehead against his, “Just how… b-big you are.”

He hummed, kissing her nose and then her cheek. More than patient as she eased herself into a completely seated position, his length fully encased in her heat. They both paused, the stillness amplifying the intensity of the moment.

“Look at you,” he smiled, “Takin’ me so good.”

Her breath hitched, and she leaned in, capturing his lips in a steady kiss. As their mouths moved together, she began to roll her hips, gauging which angle had him stroking her just the right way. When they both groaned into the kiss, they knew they’d found the right rhythm.

“Yeah, just like that,” he sighed huskily, squeezing her hips and guiding her movements.

“Joe…” she moaned as he dropped his head to her shoulder, tilting his head to bury it in her neck. Sinewy arms clasped around her body, holding her flush against him as hot, wet kisses were planted on her flushed skin. Fingernails dug into her, gently, as she rocked and grinded against him.

“Fuck, I love you,” he grunted against her neck, his hold on her getting progressively tighter and tighter. Sliding his hands back down and under her thighs, he stood up from the bed with her in his arms, turning and planting her on her back, sliding out of her in the process.

Like a lovesick puppy, she reached out for him and whimpered at the loss of contact, but he was quick to shush her and guide her further onto the bed, crawling over her in the process.

“Leati Joseph Anoa’i, if you don’t—”

“Shh, I know,” he interrupted with a grin, leaning down over her to nip at her jaw. “So needy.” He shook his head with an amused smirk. “Got the full name treatment too, damn,” he muttered, shifting back onto his knees and pulling her hips up with him. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, but he shook his head again, the smirk remaining. 

“Nah,” he said, moving to hold onto the back of her knees. “I want these,” he started to guide her legs up, “Up here,” and he settled her calves on his shoulders.

Her breath stuttered as she complied, relaxing her legs over his broad frame. The position left her completely open to him, her body arched in a way that sent a deep, delicious ache through her core.

He leaned forward, folding her nearly in half, his body pressing hers into the mattress as his mouth found her neck. “You always look so perfect like this,” he murmured. “You just made for me, baby girl…”

Lowering his hand between them, he wrapped his hand around his girth, teasing the blunt head along her slick. She whimpered, careening her hips up the best she could in the position she was in, but to no avail.

“Joe,” she whispered desperately.

“What’s wrong, mama?” he cooed, tilting his head to the side. “You need somethin’?”

“You…” she whined, reaching up to grip his forearms. “I need you to fuck me… Please, baby, I need it so bad.”

“Yeah? That pussy need fillin’ up, huh?” he taunted, dragging the head of his cock downward towards her entrance, just barely pushing it in and feeling her tighten already. “Greedy ass pussy…”

With a low grunt, he finally pressed into her, filling her up inch by inch until he was settled deep inside with nowhere left to go. 

“You’re so fuckin’ tight, goddamn,” he sighed, bringing his hand up to rest it beside her head, propping himself up over her. His other hand stroked over her hair, cupping her face. “Feels like heaven every time.”

Lips parted, her nails lightly scratched up his arms as she took a deep breath, savouring the feeling of them intertwined. “S-So… full, Joe.”

“I know,” he mumbled, gyrating his hips to test the waters. Once he felt the familiar flutter and pulsing around his cock, he smiled crookedly, having to fight his eyes’ urge to fall shut.

“Don’t stop,” she begged, encouraging him to keep moving.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t goin’ anywhere, baby girl,” he promised, his voice rough with restraint. He pulled back almost completely before sliding back in, his pace slow but deep, each thrust hitting a spot deep inside that made her cry out.

Shifting his angle slightly, he adjusted his knees for leverage before leaning into her. “How’s that, huh?” he gruffly asked, rotating his hips. She inhaled sharply, his hot tip stroking her deepest spot and sending electric shockwaves of ecstasy from her core. “That where you want me?”

“Yes,” she moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair as she tugged him down for a kiss, despite the small stretch along the back of her legs as her knees got closer and closer to her shoulders.

Joe didn’t just kiss her—he devoured her, his tongue plunging into her mouth in time with his thrusts. Both hands now gripped her thighs, pulling her tighter against him, his movements growing more purposeful by the second. Skin on skin, lewd noises fuelling their desire.

“You take me so good,” he mumbled against her lips in admiration. “Every time, you take all of me.”

She could barely form a response, completely drunk on dick. The way her body responded to him felt almost primal. Hips rising as if he could get any deeper. Nails leaving red streaks across his shoulder. 

“Look at you,” Joe moaned, his tone dripping with pride. He pulled back a bit, his hands trailing down her legs before he unhooked them from his shoulders. “Come here.”

Before she could process his words, he flipped them again, pulling her back on top of him. She straddled his lap, her thighs spread wider over his hips as he looked up at her, his hands guiding her to sink down onto him again.

He groaned, his head falling back against the pillows. “You look fuckin’ perfect up there…”

Bracing her hands on his chest, her fingers curled against the hard planes of muscle as she started to rock her hips. The new position let her control the rhythm, her hips rolling in a way that had him gripping her thighs, his fingers digging into the plush flesh.

“So beautiful…” His hands slid up her sides, pawing at her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her stiffened peaks. “Drivin’ me fuckin’ crazy.”

She leaned forward, her hair falling around them as she kissed him, their bodies grinding and rippling together in tandem. 

His hands felt large and intimidating on her ass, pulling and pushing her, guiding her motions as he thrust up to meet her. But it seemed the more she rode him, the quicker her pace got, the more she whimpered and moaned into his mouth and against his lips, the control she had just moments ago slipped further and further away.

At this point, her movements were fruitless as he was set on throwing his hips into her from below. Each collision knocked the wind out of her, her moans strangled and reverberating in her chest.

“You like that, huh?” he growled. “Like when I fuck you like this?”

Her hands were still splayed over his chest for balance, even though she wasn’t sure how much longer that strength would last. “J-Joe—oh my god—”

“Nah, nah,” he interrupted, hands grabbing at her waist hard enough to make her gasp. “Don’t you lose it yet. Look at me.” His voice took on more of a commanding tone, with a rougher edge. A kind of energy that only came out during times like these… and in the ring.

She forced her head forward, meeting his smouldering gaze. His dark eyes locked on hers, and she saw the way his lips curved into a wicked grin, his ego swelling at the way she was falling apart above him.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he praised, seductive and taunting. “Ride your Daddy… Show me what you got.”

Her hips stuttered at his words, nails raking down his chest in response. “J…” she tried to moan his name out of pure instinct, but a harsh slap to her ass shocked it out of her. Crazy of her to lose track of who he was when buried deep inside of her; how she must refer to him.

“Naw, baby, you been so good until now,” he mocked, raising an eyebrow. “You been talkin’ right, don’t stop that shit now.”

“I-I know,” she stuttered, nodding quickly as the sting from the slap melted into her skin, becoming a searing heat that encouraged her further. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“It’s okay, baby girl, just don’t upset Daddy like that again, ‘kay?” he smoothed a dangerous hand over the side of her head, fingers itching to grab at her harshly. 

“Yes, Daddy…”

What followed was a jarring thrust upward, so jarring in fact that it had eyes rolling back and her nails digging completely into his chest.

“That’s the spot,” he groaned, “Take it baby, don’t you dare close them pretty eyes, look at me.” With his order, he grabbed her face, angling it down so she had no choice but to look him in the eye as he drove up into her, meeting her hips with an unmatched vigour. “All mine…” he grumbled under his breath with clenched teeth. Digging his heels into the bed for further leverage. “Fuckin’ made for this dick…”

She whimpered, her body quaking under his control. “I am,” she breathed, her words spilling out between gasps. “Made for you.”

“Damn right, you are.”

Suddenly, he shifted, rolling them over again in one fluid motion. Back hitting the mattress, her legs spread wide as Joe hovered above her, his large frame looming, completely dominating.

“You wanna get fucked like a good girl, huh?” he growled with unbridled lust. “I’m gon’ give you everythin’, baby, you just gotta take it.”

“Yes,” she cried, high-pitched, desperate.

Without warning, he grabbed the backs of her thighs, pulling her hips up to meet him as he bucked into her, harder, deeper, each movement rougher than the last. Her yelps, cries, and moans filled the space of the hotel room, the sound of their bodies colliding echoing in the air.

“Fuckin’ tight as fuck,” he groaned, his head dropping to her neck as he nipped and kissed. “Grippin’ me like you don’t wanna let go.”

“Don’t stop,” she begged, her hands clawing at his back. “Don’t stop, Daddy.”

“You think I’m stoppin’?” he shot back, lifting her legs higher and pressing them completely into her shoulders. “Nah, this shit too good.”

The angle was deeper now, hitting areas she didn’t even know existed, or that could be hit. Crescent moon shapes were left along his skin, peppering his shoulders, arms, and all the way down his back—complimenting the long red lines of untamed energy she unleashed on him throughout the night.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he rasped, his pace relentless now. “Wanna hear that scream… Let the whole damn world know who owns you.”

She panted erratically, letting out moans and whines, whimpers and cries, punctuated by screams only heard when this man had his way. “Only you, Daddy, fuck yesss… right fucking there, baby.”

“That’s my girl,” he murmured, a hand sliding down to grab her ass, pulling her against him with each powerful thrust. “So fuckin’ perfect. This pussy—” He punctuated the word with a deep stroke that made her yelp loudly. “Mine. Say it.”

“Yours,” she nodded, her voice breaking. “This pussy’s all yours, Daddy.”

Joe’s lips found hers, swallowing her cries as his hand slid between their bodies. His calloused thumb found her hot, swollen clit, circling it in tight motions that had her spasming around his rock hard cock.

“I can feel you, baby, that tight lil pussy tryin’ to squeeze me…” he mumbled against her lips. “You’re gonna cum, huh? Gon’ give Daddy that nut?”

“Shit, yes,” she sighed, her thighs trembling and tears forming in her eyes. “I’m gonna cum, baby, you’re gonna make me cum again,” she continued to ramble, her hand firmly on the back of his head to keep him there. 

“Then let Daddy feel it, sweetheart, cum all over Daddy’s dick…”

She shuddered, every muscle in her body tensing as her ears started ringing. The knot in her abdomen was on the precipice of snapping.

“Oh God, it’s gonna be messy, Daddy,” she said through a deep, guttural groan, his forehead forcing her head down onto the pillow. 

“Good… I want that nut all over me…”

That was it.

The floodgates, literally, were open. And she swore she’d never had such an intense, mind-numbing, out-of-body, orgasm in her entire life. Her pussy spasmed and clenched around him, her clit throbbed at an almost worrying rate, and it seemed the entire room spun. Every time he pulled out, she gushed all over him, the effects amplifying with every careen back inside. 

“Damn,” he bit under his breath, trying to glance down at the mess she’d made as she cried and screamed. All because of him. He’d be a liar if he said it didn’t stroke his ego to an extreme degree. 

Once he knew she was on the tail end of her release, his movements returned to their primal state, his focus entirely on chasing his own. Her body, pliant and spent beneath him, was his to take. Watching her back arch and her body write, he held her firmly in place. The slick, heated connection between them was everything, and he let out a roar of sorts as he slammed into her, driven by nothing but need.

“Goddamn,” he growled, rising to his knees. His hands slid to her waist, pulling her into him as he fucked her weightless body. “Look at the fuckin’ mess you made… such a good girl f’me.”

She could barely feel anything at this point, other than immense satisfaction at seeing her man get off using her. 

“That’s it, Daddy,” she whispered softly, encouraging, despite her trembling form. “Take what you need… Use me. I love when you use me like this…”

Biting harshly onto his lips, he moaned deeply, the filthy edge in her voice sparking all the feral within his soul. “Yeah? Love bein’ Daddy’s good girl, huh?” he muttered roughly through exertion, loving the way she still jolted and twitched in her overstimulation. “Love being my little plaything?”

“Yes,” she moaned breathily. “I love it…”

Her eyes locked onto his, filled with exhaustion and yearning, and she reached for him, her hands skimming up his arms, his veins bulging and prominent under her touch as he grabbed her tightly. “Come on, Daddy,” she invited with a sultry lilt. “Wherever you want…”

The filthy promise in her voice made his stomach tighten, his body aching with the need to let go. Then, with a predatory gleam in his eye, he pulled out, crawling further up her body and planting one foot flat on the mattress, giving him some leverage. He wrapped a hand around his red hot cock, pumping himself as he hovered over her, eyeing every inch of her body.

“You want it, sweetheart?” he asked through a shaky huff. “You want this nut? Don’t worry, baby, imma give you it all…”

“Yes,” she moaned up at him, watching as his long fingers squeezed around the shiny tip, grunting as translucent pearls dripped down onto his hand. “Please, Joe… I need it, baby, I need you to cum for me.”

“Where, baby? You want it on these perfect fuckin’ tits, huh? Your pretty face? Tell me, Y/N, tell me where you need Daddy’s nut…”

“Wherever you want, Daddy, I just wanna feel it all over me.”

His jaw tightened as he pumped his hand faster, biceps straining, eyes locked on her breasts, her stomach, the curve of her thighs as she kept them apart, allowing him the gorgeous view of her swollen, used pussy. “You’re so fuckin’ perfect,” he groaned unsteadily. “Never lettin’ your ass go, you hear me? You’re mine.”

“Uh-huh,” she agreed, nodding her head as she slid her hands up to his sweat-sheened chest. “Always yours. Show me… mark me. Ruin me for everyone else.”

With a sharp, loud moan, his body tensed. “Fuck, here it is, baby…” And with a shudder, he spilled over, cock pulsing as spurts of his release coated her breasts, some landing on her torso. He leaned over, one hand on the pillow beside her head, his breath ragged, watching as his load glistened on her skin.

“Hmm…” he grumbled, lips caught between his teeth as he breathed out his nose. He gave his cock a final squeeze before reaching out to brush his fingers through the mess he’d made, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she pulled his wrist up so she could clean off his fingers with her tongue. “So goddamn beautiful.”

Her lips curled into a soft smile as he gazed up at him in adoration, her hands caressing his arms, fingertips stopping to massage small circles into the muscles. “And all yours,” she said quietly and steadily, despite the intensity between them.

Mirroring her smile, he leaned down to kiss her deeply, his hand cupping her face. “Damn right,” he mumbled. “All mine.”

Joe lingered over her, his thumb brushing her heated cheek as her chest rose and fell, still catching her breath. For a moment, neither of them really moved, their foreheads lightly touching as the afterglow settled over them like a warm blanket. Her hands slid up his arms to rest on his shoulders, her grip soft but steady, as though letting him go too soon might break the spell.

He kissed her forehead first, then the tip of her nose, before finally pressing his lips to hers again—slowly this time, not the all-consuming kind of kiss they’d been sharing, but something sweet, gentler, filled with quiet adoration. She smiled against his mouth, reluctant to let him pull away.

“I’ll be right back,” Joe murmured, his voice low and gravelly as he pecked her nose. “Stay here, baby. Lemme grab somethin’ to clean you up.”

She pouted, her arms tightening around his neck. “Don’t go yet,” she whispered breathily.

Joe chuckled softly, the sound rumbling in his chest. “You’re clingy now, huh? What happened to the girl who wanted me to use her?” he teased, arching a brow.

A playful glare crossed her face as she lightly smacked his shoulder. “I didn’t mean that literally,” she retorted, her lips twitching into a smile. “You’re the one who gets all… extra.”

“Extra?” Joe repeated, pretending to be offended as he leaned closer, their noses brushing again. “You love how extra I am.”

She giggled, her face warm as she tried to pull him back down. “Yeah, I do. So maybe stay here a little longer.”

Joe sighed dramatically, but the affection in his gaze betrayed him. “You lucky you cute,” he muttered, stealing another kiss before gently untangling himself from her. She made a sound of protest as he stood up, the bed dipping slightly as his weight shifted, but he gave her a quick wink. “Two seconds, gorgeous. Don’t go anywhere.”

She watched him walk toward the bathroom, her gaze lingering on the broad lines of his back and the way his shoulders flexed with every step.

As he disappeared into the bathroom, she sank back into the pillows, the cool sheets soothing her overheated skin. Her legs still felt like jelly, and a satisfied hum escaped her as she stretched out. The faint sound of water running reached her ears, and she smiled to herself, still basking in the sanctuary of the moment.

When he returned, towel in hand, the sight of him standing there—naked, hair tousled, a seemingly permanent little smile on his face—made her heart tumble in her chest. He was everything: a force of nature, her safe space, and somehow, her biggest weakness.

“Alright, spread ‘em,” he joked, holding up the towel like he was about to snap it like a gym coach. “Let’s get you sorted.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re so annoying.”

“And yet, here you are,” he grinned, settling on the edge of the bed and gently wiping her down. His touch was grateful, almost reverent, as he cleaned her skin. Never rushing. Taking his time to make sure she was comfortable.

“You alright?” he asked softly, glancing up at her as he worked. “I didn’t go too hard, did I?”

“No,” she assured him. “You were perfect. As always.”

His lips twitched, and he leaned down to kiss her knee before tossing the towel aside. “Damn right,” he said. “But you’re not half bad yourself, baby.”

“Not half bad?” she repeated, rolling her eyes and shoving his shoulder. “That’s the best you’ve got?”

Grinning, he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. “Fine. You’re amazing. Incredible. The best thing that’s ever happened to me. Happy now?”

Getting there,” she teased, resting her head against his chest. “But keep going. I like hearing it.”

Joe chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Greedy,” he hummed affectionately. “But yeah, I’ll keep tellin’ you. ‘Cause it’s true.”

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other, the quiet hum of their breathing and the AC filling the room. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something missing from the bed and stifled a chuckle.

“Joe,” she said, half amused, half exasperated. “Your laptop.”

He frowned, glancing over his shoulder to see his laptop lying on its side by the bed. “Aw, hell,” he muttered, carefully shifting her off of him before reaching down to pick it up. “If this thing’s broken, I’m blaming you.”

She laughed, watching as he flipped it open and checked the screen. “It’s not my fault your balance sucks,” she pointed out. “Maybe you shouldn’t be throwing me around so much.”

He shot her a look, raising an eyebrow. “Your ass wasn't complainin’ fifteen minutes ago,” he said, smirking as he tested the keys. “And it’s fine. Indestructible, just like me.”

“Modest, too,” she said dryly, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Obviously,” he replied, setting the laptop on the nightstand before climbing back into bed. “Now, where were we?”

She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “We were talking about how amazing I am.”

Joe cackled lightly, wrapping an arm around her. “Nah, we were about to talk about how much trouble you’re gonna be when we go public.”

Her breath caught in her throat, and she lifted her head to look at him. “You… want to go public?” she asked, her nerves taking her voice.

Meeting her gaze, his eyelids dropped. Serious. But warm. “Baby, I don’t care who knows,” he sighed. “I meant it when I said it’s nobody else’s business, but if you’re ready to tell the world, then so am I. Let ‘em know you’re mine.”

Her heart swelled, and he leaned in to kiss him, her lips lingering against his. “I’m so fucking ready,” she murmured with intent. “I don’t care what anyone thinks anymore. I just… I want us to be real. Out in the open.”

He nodded, brushing hair from her forehead. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said simply.

She smiled, letting her weight go against him. “We’re gonna have to tell Vince, you know.”

Joe let out a quiet laugh. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll have a field day with that.”

“You think he’ll care?”

“Not as long as we’re professional,” he shrugged. “But if anyone’s got a problem with it, they’re gonna have to deal with me.”

“Big talk,” she teased, her lips curving into a playful grin.

“You know it,” he rallied. “Besides, who’s gonna mess with the Big Dog’s girl?”

“The Big Dog’s girl, huh?” She felt her body flushing all over again.

“Mmhmm,” he nodded, pulling her closer. “You’re mine, baby. And now, everyone’s gonna know it.”

She let out a content sigh against his chest, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the heat of his skin, and everything to do with how he made her feel—soul to soul.

As they settled under the sheets, he grabbed his laptop again, powering it on. “What do you wanna watch?”

Tilting her head to see his laptop screen, she nestled the side of her face into his pec. “Anything. As long as I don’t have to get up for the rest of the night.”

“Good answer.”

As he searched title after title on Netflix, she glanced up at him, her heart full. For the first time, Y/N felt completely at ease, knowing that they were going forward as one—no more hiding, no more pretending. 

Nowhere else she’d rather be.

And just everything she’d ever wanted.

[johnhwatsonblog]

Alright… Here goes all or nothing, I suppose...

Sherlock. Sherlock. @artofdeductionbysholmes

Do you remember the first time we sat here? I was… nervous. Nervous about you. Nervous about being with you, about whether I could keep up without making a fool of myself, about whether we’d even last this long. Nervous about… everything, really. And here I am... Nervous again. Though this time, for a slightly different reason.

Fifteen years ago, I sensed that you were throwing me a lifeline I desperately needed, and I was right. You gave my life purpose by pulling me into the madness, and I guess that says more about me than about you… But I never really had a choice after that. Nor did I want a different choice. I was hooked.

I didn’t realize back then how much I’d come to need you. How much I’d want to be part of the chaos, the mysteries, the danger… and of you. How much I’d want to be part of us.

I thought I was just tagging along for the ride, just a guy trying to fill the gap in your life. If anything, I had no idea how much you would fill mine. I had no idea what I was stepping into. You weren’t the distraction I thought you were—you were the reason I started breathing again, living again. And I didn’t dare admit that to myself until it was almost too late.

Sherlock, I’ve spent fifteen years beside you, in the middle of all the chaos, through moments when I thought I'd never see you again. I’ve spent fifteen years not knowing how to handle being properly us. But every single time, I couldn’t walk away. I didn’t want to walk away. Because it was always you, Sherlock. You. It was always the way you made me see the world differently, the way you needed me even when you didn’t know how to show it. And even when we almost lost everything… I still needed you. And I think… I know I always will.

Perhaps I shouldn’t bring up Mary right now, but it’s important that you understand this:

I loved her, yes. She was everything I needed at a time when I was looking for stability, for peace, for someone to build a life with. And for a while, that’s exactly what I thought I wanted. She gave me the family I didn’t know I wanted, the kind of love that was steady and real. But, as much as I loved her, it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the same as you, Sherlock.

You and I—what we have—it’s, I don’t care how cliché this must sound, it’s different. It’s not just a love built on quiet moments or the comfort of shared days. It’s something that shakes me to my core. Every time I’m with you, I feel like the ground beneath me is shifting. It’s unpredictable, thrilling. It’s essential.

There’s a force between us that pulls me in, whether I’m ready for it or not. I never expected to need you as much as I do, but that’s the truth of it. You make me see the world in ways I never could have imagined before you walked into my life.

With you, I’ve never felt more alive, more like I’m part of something far greater than myself. You’ve turned my world upside down, in a way I never thought I needed, and I know I can’t live without it.

The love I have for you, Sherlock… that’s the one that truly shakes the foundations of who I am. It’s the kind of love that changes everything. And I think I’ve always known, deep down, that it was never really a choice. Not for me.

You’ve been the constant in my life. Through everything we’ve been through, you’ve been the one thing I can rely on. Even when you were… away… I sought you out and found you. You were—and are—ingrained in my very existence. And I’ve realized something crucial in the last year: I will never want it any other way. Nothing matters to me more than this. I just want you.

And I know I’ve never been good at expressing this, but Sherlock… I’m asking you now, in this place, of all places—where it all started, where we began as just partners—to be. To be officially more than just partners for the rest of our lives. I'm ready to make that vow.

I promise you I will never take you for granted. That I will never hurt you as I have before. That I will spend the rest of my days proving to you that I am worthy of being in your life.

Here I am, hoping that you allow me at least this convention.

I guess what I’m asking is….

[texacilian89]

Once again suuuuuuper late to party, please forgive me! Thank you @fussygekko and @obsessedobsesser for tagging me!! 🥰🥰😘😘

Last song: “Waterloo” by ABBA 😂. We were discussing Aziracrow-coded ABBA songs on Bluesky and I threw in “Waterloo”. Then it made me want to listen to it, so I did.

Favorite color: Glow-in-the-dark. If I can get something in glow-in-the-dark I will 100% choose that above anything else. I’m like a little kid with light up shoes with glow-in-the-dark stuff. Aside from that, I’d say yellow or black. But really any color that’s not pink or orange. Those are no-gos.

Last book: It’s been a minute since I’ve read anything other than AO3 (thank you, fanfic writers!!), but… I’m currently going through my audiobooks on Nazi Germany and listening to a Goebbles biography. It’s as disturbing as it sounds. (Should probably state that as a History major I am firmly in the “those who don’t remember know their history are doomed to repeat it” camp. I’d shout KNOW THE SIGNS, but I fear it’s too late. But KNOW THE SIGNS!!!)

Last movie: Probably Steel Magnolias. Just rewatched it and 9 to 5. Because Dolly.

Last TV show: Not counting my true crime shows, that’d have to “Modern Family”. Binged it for the first time and it’s hilarious. I love it. If we’re counting true crime shows, then “Death by Fame”.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Big lover of sweet and savory. I don’t have a preference between the two as it depends on my mood, but spicy is not something that exists in my world. I am a total wimp when it comes to spice. Like think of the least spicy food and that’s too much for me.

Last thing I searched online: The last thing I searched online was actually all the pride flags and their meanings. Given the current political climate, I decided to make friendship bracelets in the different pride flag colors to give to people because fuck those assholes, y’all do matter. End speech. (Also hit me up if you want one.)

Current obsession: Current obsession is definitely Good Omens and the always lovely Sheenbergtennants. I wouldn’t call it an obsession necessarily, but maybe a slight hyper-fixation that’s Good Omens adjacent would be medieval marginalia and the peen tree. And I aim to make that everyone’s problem. 😆😆

Looking forward to: Right now it’s just Good Omens 3, “David Tennant Does a Podcast With…” season 3 (WAHOO!!!), and an as yet undecided vacay. And also, in the immediate future, going home to cuddle the furbabies.

People I’d like to get to know better: Honestly, all of y’all. I’m still not as active on here as I am other places (most of my clowning is on bsky, come join!). If you see this and you haven’t done it, please do it (if you want)!

Welp, that got a little dark and serious in parts. Guess that’s what I get for doing this post-inauguration. 😬😬 Promise I’m not usually such a morose person.

Ten people i’d like to know better

Thanks for the tag @hermiola

last song: one of the songs I loved most lately is 'In The Modern World' by Fontaines D.C.

favourite colour: blue

last book: that is not fanfic? 😂 The last book I've read is Persuasion (and yes, it was my first time). I'm currently reading Emma and a very Italian book written by the same awesome author who tagged me for this game (@hermiola 💜)

last movie: I can't tell you the last 'new' movie I watched at the cinema because I'm a bit ashamed (it's a Xmas movie made by two Italian youtubers, but what don't we do for our kids?). Last movie I watched on my couch, though, is Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (and yes, I don't feel fine about it 🤣)

last TV show: I'm watching THERE SHE GOES for the first time and I've just re-watched Around the world in 80 days. I'm also currently re-watching Scrubs and Staged with my husband (his first time, he's loving it 😂). Last 'new' show I've watched and finished is probably Dead Boy Detectives, though. Oh, I'm also currently re-watching Good Omens. Like constantly, always.

sweet/spicy/savoury: savoury

last thing i searched online: holiday vacation destinations for next summer (because the kids, again, you know 😃)

current obsession: Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens-Good Omens. Probably, also the whole M+D world (so, Staged too, apparently) 😂

looking forward to: those fu**ing pictures of Michael and David with dyed hair.

ten people i’d like to know better: (no pressure tags 🤩)

@anatomic-girl @ineffablerainstorm @somewhere-in-wales @captainblou @firephoenix2305 @phoen1xr0se @sunrisesinthesuburbs @bellisima-writes @yokohamama @missunderstoodlyrics

[spiderb00]

- MASTERLIST (katseye)

NSFW = RED

- SOPHIA LAFORTEZA

FAM OUT - SERIES

A series of cute and funny moments between the family you have formed over all these years. Rediscovering love and the simplicity of life with your girlfriend Sophia, your "daughter" Yoonchae and the Kats.

KIDS OUT - THE SPINOFF

When you and Sophia are out of parenting mode, it's time to really have fun...

Back To High School

"You and Sophia hate each other, but maybe it's not quite like that..."

ONLY MINE

“the only thing that made the party interesting for Sophia, was you” 

BARBIE N KEN suggestive

"Yn was like Barbie, and Sophia was like Ken. It means that Sophia has a fucking boner for Yn."

I'M LIVE

"Being a streamer is fun, even more fun if your girlfriend shows up by surprise on your live."

- MANON BANNERMAN

BUY ME PRESENTS

“You tried everything, expensive gift, nice outings... But Manon just wanted you to be with her foverer” 

LOSING ALL MY INNOCENCE IN THE BACKSEAT

"your car has broken down, and your date with Manon is gone. But your girlfriend always finds a way to make everything special."

CARE AND LOVE

"Your girlfriend had the most stressful day of all, the least you could do was treat her like a princess."

GAME STRATEGY

"Your girlfriend sabotages you on the laser tag."

What is your word of the day?

"The taste of victory is good, but don't celebrate too loudly”

- DANIELA AVANZINI

LOVING YOU IS EASY

“You weren't very open with your feelings, but somehow, your girlfriend always knew how you felt.” 

BATHS AND DINNERS

“You and your girlfriend don't have many quiet moments, but when you do, it's always perfect” 

PRETTY PUPPY

“Your girlfriend is bossy and brat, but you love her, and she loves her puppy” 

DRIVE ME CRAZY

"You are the only person who can drive Daniela's car (besides her), and only she knows why"

CINDY LOU WHO

“You didn't think about the consequences of your actions, and consequently, you didn't think about how Daniela's heart would be after all this” 

DANCE PRATICE

"Your girlfriend tries to teach you how to dance, but things quickly get clumsy"

SHAMELESS

"Your girlfriend is the hottest woman in the world, and you love everything about it."

CLUELESS

"You were surprised to see, that a woman like that would really be into you."

- LARA RAJAGOPALAN

CRAZY GIRLS #1

"Lara isn't your girlfriend, at least not yet."

CRAZY GIRLS #2

“Your girlfriend always gets jealous, but this time, something was different” 

NETFLIX AND (NOT) CHILL

“It was a good idea to watch a movie with your girlfriend, until you complimented one of the characters” 

RIBBONS ON U

“Your girlfriend wants to make the ribbon trend, how cute is that?!” 

A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS

"the bright lights, the Christmas decorations, warm milk and coockies, it’s all magical. But not as magical as “rocking” with your girlfriend around the Christmas three"

PAINTING LOVE

"You and your girlfriend have a cute date where you two paint canvases."

FLOWERS AND PUZZLES

"Leaving your girlfriend on a Sunday morning isn't cool, so come home with a nice bouquet and make some pancakes"

SCORING POINTS IN MY HEART

"In the most important game of the season, your girlfriend decides to surprise you."

NIGHTS LIKE THIS

"Surprising your girlfriend isn't so easy, but you soon discover that everything with her is amazing"

- MEGAN SKIENDIEL

IS IT NEW YEARS YET

"After your ex broke up with you a month before Christmas, you lost your holiday mojo. Maybe you just needed to meet new people, a specific redheaded girl” 

DON'T BREAK MY HEART AGAIN

"You've buried your feelings for Megan, or you've at least tried."

NONSENSE

"Your muscles weren't the only things that grew these days, your girlfriend knows better."

SLEEPY HEAD

"You may be tired, but you'll go where your girlfriend goes."

TEACH ME

"You've always liked football, so your girlfriend surprises you with the Rams game."

MEET THE GIRLS

"Meeting your girlfriend's parents can be scary, but the five girls she lives with, oh man..."

BLOOMING TOGETHER

"Your girlfriend wants to wear matching costumes for Halloween."

- JEONG YOONCHAE

There's nothing to see here yet...

[simp-ly-writes]

Dating Drummer!Jayce

─────── · · Arcane Band!AU

─ · · TAGS: gender-neutral pronouns, written in second-person POV, reader mentioned as shorter than Jayce, nicknames/petnames, fluff, not beta read.

─ · · MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQUEST | WORDCOUNT: 888

─ · · A/N: and then I ask myself, why can't they be REAL 😫‼️

─────── · ·

Drummer! Jayce who is part of the band 'arcane' and just won their first music award runs over to you, picking you up in his arms and spinning you around with a large grin on his face- eyes just begging to hear your praise.

Drummer! Jayce who always supplies you with the most recent and custom band merch (signed by his-truly of course).

Drummer! Jayce who gets special messages from your favourite bands for you just to see the way you look up at his so excitedly every time (god he wants to kiss you badly).

Drummer! Jayce who want to teach you how to play and is the most patient teacher that never tells you that you did it wrong... just that you both can, "do better than that, sweetheart. Lets try again." His chest is warm pressing against your back as he walks you through step by step.

Drummer! Jayce where if you know how to play the drums without telling him is equally impressed, practically jumping in his spot to listen to you play more (and is jealous that at some point someone taught or got to hear you play before him).

Drummer! Jayce who either has too much adrenaline after shows or is absolutely knackered- there is no in between.

Drummer! Jayce when he is tired is so whiny for you, will fall asleep standing or leaning against you and is always apologetic afterwards yet his teasing eyes sparkle otherwise when he see's you blush underneath his arm- seeing how perfectly you seem to fit there.

Drummer! Jayce when he is still full of energy is dragging you away back to your hotel room without any further explanation, only his calloused palms rising up your thigh with a smirk as he talks with the driver feeling you squirm beneath his touch.

Drummer! Jayce who looks at you during interviews with a small smile, often going into his own word as he observes your outfit, recalls your conversation that morning and wonder's if you would want to be something together one day rather than... whatever you both are working through currently (but he would take anything you give him). He also gets called out every time during these interviews, pouting before answering the question he was half-listening to (there's a whole compilation on the internet of these moments).

Drummer! Jayce who gets hella jealous when a member to their opening group takes interest and all your time away. He tries not to say anything about it the first few times he observes it but by the night he is playing his hardest while looking for you in the crowd.

Drummer! Jayce who always bunks across from you on the tour bus so that in the morning there is a chance you are both the first person the other see's and talks to.

Drummer! Jayce who gets teased endlessly by the band for not just asking you out.

Drummer! Jayce who is sick of people throwing themselves at him, stepping away as quickly as possible and watching you quickly look away every time. Who does not want to date that guy for PR, does not want to do that photoshoot with some model when it could be you...

Drummer! Jayce who is terrified that you'll reject him, that you won't want every string and tie linked to dating a member of the worlds most popular band (and he wouldn't blame you... just potentially be broken hearted for the rest of his life and stay forever single in the hope that one day when he becomes old and irrelevant you would finally give him a chance).

Drummer! Jayce who nearly passes out when you agree to date him and then goes on to have the best motivation to work on an entire new album and individual works.

Drummer! Jayce who uses your laugh as the into and outro to his self-entitled album yet never admits in any interview as to who it is (but everyone guessing the right answer anyways).

Drummer! Jayce who always allows you to hear the tracks first and foremost, respects your opinion with musical knowledge or not, and quote "wants to make something you can both feel proud of releasing."

Drummer! Jayce who takes you on month long vacations with him away from the band when on tour breaks and proposes to you during one night walk at some early morning hour where the streets were all empty and for the first time in a long while you both could just live in that bubble, enjoying the moment.

Drummer! Jayce who agrees not to post anything about your relationship until your first wedding anniversary and the whole internet blows up over night.

Drummer! Jayce who cannot contain the smile on his face during his first interview back with the band for a reunion tour who just shrugs his shoulder, waving his ring-cladded hand in front of the camera proudly, "proud to be their husband."

Drummer! Jayce who teaches your kid how to play the drums as soon as they are able to walk, he always reminds them that there is no pressure for them to follow in his footsteps (yet he would also find it super cool if they did).

Drummer! Jayce who dedicates every song and preformance to you and your family.

─────── · ·

─ · · JAYCE TALIS TAGLIST: @sseleniaa @sunshiines-stuff @kiromiix @todorokishoe24 @w2momo @m-arj-1 @reid490 @kaminocasey @chickenlvr123 @peachhiz @hellokittyluvr69420 @mommymilkers0526

[manhattanstrawberry]

𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙄𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙉 𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙄𝘿𝘼𝙔

Synopsis : You’ve got it cut out for you as Japan’s top model, the constant flights, fittings, photo shoots and shows wear down on you and the world loves you but the love of 8 billion people will never amount to his. After finding yourself in an unfortunate situation in Rio de Janeiro, he sees you again but you’re two different people now, but maybe time is just a catalyst.

Tags : happy ending, friends to lovers, you and shoyo don’t see each other for years, complicated reunion, yearning, mutual pining, you hate him but not really

Warnings : mdni, mild angst, sexual content

Word count : 8.3k

Series mlist

Author's note : okay so I give every person who was waiting for this chapter a free pass to pinch me. I took so long to do this chapter because I was busy with school and everything for a while and then I really wanted this chapter to be what I envisioned in my head so I went through many trial and errors for this chapter and I’m so happy with how this chapter came out. I am sorry for the wait and I’m so thankful for those supporting this fic!! I hope you enjoy! ღ

Taglist is open: fill out form

next chapter

“Add some more there.” 

Yume’s finger circled as she pointed to your under eyes. Her eyes squinted as she skimmed over your face, treating it as if it were a puzzle to be solved. “How early did you wake up this morning?” 

“Pretty early, I’d say about six.” The lie fell effortlessly through your teeth.

An anxious gaze of your eyes followed her as you felt as if she would solve the puzzle soon as she crossed the room towards another table

“Why so early you went to bed late and woke up early for a shoot at a 2’ o clock?” The interrogation began as she rummaged through a makeup bag. She walked over, handing a tube over to the makeup artist quickly before turning her attention back to your makeup.

“Isn’t that a bit much for a beach shoot, she’s supposed to look more natural.” Tatsuki turned away from the clothes rack, to look at Yume; confusion spread across his features. 

“Yes, well if she hadn’t woken up so early, maybe we wouldn't have to use so much corrector.” 

You squirmed in your seat at the slight dig. You knew you should have gotten rest last night, and perhaps not sneak out of your hotel room at 1 A.M in the morning to do God knows what. You wish that even a small, miniscule piece of your memory stayed behind for you to remember what you were doing on your little stealth trip. 

You had no memory of anything after talking to that woman on the beach and it caused fear to grow and rattle inside of your bones. How did you end up in the room of the one person you did not want to see on this earth, maybe all your luck had been thrown out the window, grown legs and ran far away from you. Well not too far as you had successfully sneaked back into your hotel room without getting caught, at 10:47 A.M at that. You're sure everyone was already up and about then and maybe the universe heard your cries because you were told later they went out for breakfast and “left” you to get some rest. 

But your mind continued to race to piece the puzzle of how exactly you ended up there. You wondered if you went out to seek him when you were too intoxicated or did you suddenly remember the number you glanced at for 2 seconds before deleting when Tadashi sent you his new international number two days after he was gone. 

You couldn’t possibly have remembered that number from 2 years ago. Perhaps you met him on the beach, maybe the ball rolled over to your feet as you were walking along the shore, maybe he ran up to you and spewed all these heartfelt words to you, apologies and declarations of lov–-stop. 

A heavy sigh leaves you, your mind running in circles. Yume placed her phone down and looked at you as her eyebrow raised in curiosity at the sound of a sigh leaving you, “Are you still tired?” 

You straightened your back in the chair, “No, I’m fine,” you reassured her, placing your bent foot that was perched upon the chair back down until you felt the cold tile under your toes. 

“Why do you look like that?” Suspicion hinted in Yume’s sentence had you on edge, her eyebrows scrunching towards each other. 

“How do I look?” You sat up even straighter to look into the vanity’s mirror quickly, afraid something was off. 

The woman in front of you set down the fluffy brush she was just using along your cheeks, digging through the bag on the vanity in front, “You just look a bit sad—or lost in thought might be better.” She added on to Yume’s question before you heard a small squeal of excitement from her as she found the brush she was looking for. 

“Ayumi, add a bit more highlight there– are you sad?” Yume’s head snapped to your direction, her blunt tone exhausting you even more. 

You shook your head a slight pout on your lips at the sudden interrogation. 

“Okay problem fixed.” Yume clapped her hands, “Ayumi finish up quickly, we need to get some shots before sunset.” 

You walked along the sand of the same beach you had found solace in last night, you were much farther from others, the company renting out the end of the beach for the photoshoot, hidden enough to avoid any unnecessary commotion from the public. 

The sheer white dress adorned on your body had you feeling every inch of the sun rays on your skin, the white bikini underneath shined through the thin fabric.

You felt excited for the warm clear waters to wash over your skin and indulge in the sounds of soft waves against your body. 

Which is exactly what you did and you enjoyed every moment of it. 

The sun had set and the warmth from the day lingered on your skin even as the night breeze started to pick up. The photoshoot had been successful, switching through 8 different outfits of the line and modeling in the sun had done nothing but tire you out. The sight of Mr. Iwasaki’s expressions every time you had modeled his fathers line gave you the energy to keep going, remembering the pure awe in his face as he voiced his excitement during the photoshoot—“It’s like they were made just for you!” 

You smiled at his compliment, mutually expressing your awe at his pictures. The way he took pictures and directed the shoot today contributed to the success of today’s work. 

As the staff wrapped up the set you could feel the humid air of the night against your cheeks as you changed into your clothes,  overhearing them excitedly gush over the bars near the beach, leading to a decision that a celebration should occur tonight to celebrate a successful shoot. You believed they just wanted an excuse to drink but you couldn't blame them after their hard work and the fact that you had done something so irresponsible last night to end up drinking your memory away gnawed at your conscience. 

“Alright let’s go here.” Tatsuki’s finger pointed to a spot on his phone. You contemplated the idea of joining them or going back to the hotel to catch up on your much needed rest but it couldn’t hurt to join them, you decided as your shoulders were already being pushed into the direction towards the more populated area of the beach. 

Taking a longer route to the bar for the group to get a chance to enjoy the beach tired you out even further, your feet barely picking up off the sand. The familiar sight of people drinking and playing around lessened your fatigue but had you grimacing at the thought of your decisions last night and still wondering what you must have gotten up to after you had that lethal drink. 

“Wow they’re good.” You heard a voice interrupt your thoughts as the group kept walking. Your eyes followed the line of sight that the group was looking at. A large net in the middle of a drawn out court for beach volleyball, two men on each side fighting to keep the ball in the air. 

Your ears could hear the loud beats of your heart accelerating at the fact that you might run into the last person you wanted to see right now, you were afraid to run into him after you had escaped his apartment just this morning. You don’t remember ever meeting him under your intoxicated state and with a quick glance over the area, a mop of ginger hair was nowhere to be seen. Relief washed over you as your group walked further onto the beach to head to the bar on the lining of the street. 

“Beach volleyball is very popular out here.” Mr Iwasaki chimed in as the group continued to watch the game even after passing by it. 

“Wow, do you think we could catch a game while we’re here?” Tatsuki turned to his assistant stylist, and Yume. 

“I’d love to, it looks intense.” Nao nodded back. 

“Sure–which way to the bar again?” Yume turned to Mr. Iwasaki, not paying much mind to the topic at hand. 

“Almost there.” 

Hoping to get away from the constant chatter about volleyball and the men playing on the beach you headed to the restaurant bar's bathroom to avoid the conversation once the group was seated. You splashed your face with water, and rubbed your eyes hoping to rid the fatigue from your face, hoping that by the time you got back out there they’d stop with the volleyball talk and move on because you're almost sure you’ll have to hear of him soon.

“–sim, eles brincam muito lá embaixo.” [–yeah they play a lot down there] 

You sat down picking up the last bits of  what the waiter was saying to the group, internally groaning that they did not in fact move on from this topic. 

“Sim, eles são muito bons, tem um cara do Japão aqui também — ninja shoyo, eles o chamam, ele é muito bom!”

]Yeah they're real good, there's a guy from japan here too —ninja Shoyo they call him, he's real good!] His voice exclaimed as he slammed the beers on the table. The water in your throat threatened to rise and choke you, almost killing you at the familiar name running out of the man's mouth. You tried to drown out Mr. Iwasaki's translation to the group and unfortunately for you, you had already understood a good bit of what the man was saying. Of course Shoyo Hinata is loved even thousands of miles away from home. Your eyes focus on the beer in front of you, tempting you to chug it down (and many more) and forget about him and everything having to do with him. You hear Yume’s small whisper to not drink too much for tonight and you nod, deciding to just nurse a lemonade until it’s time to head back to the hotel. 

“Do you want another drink?” Taro, an intern under Mr. Iwasaki, asks you politely from the observation of your dismission towards the beers sitting on the table. 

“Oh no, I’m good thank you,” Your head shakes gently, softly laughing, “I don’t drink much.” 

The group beginning to become more loose from the non stop drinking laugh boisterously at your seemingly innocent decision, and all you could do was laugh along. You wondered how they planned to wake up for work tomorrow, feeling a bit grateful towards yourself and Yume that you didn't touch a drink tonight knowing you’d wake up feeling great tomorrow morning—the opposite of what you felt this morning.  

“We should try to catch the ninja.” Mr. Iwasaki laughs as he slurs, his drink falling over the rim of his glass as his arms raise in excitement. 

“It’s ninja Shoyo Sir and you should stop drinking now.” His assistant takes the glass from his hands and replaces it with water, “We can see him tomorrow, we should go home.” 

You watch the man protest picking up a beer resting in front of him.

“Don’t you want to see the players volley on the beach and see Shoyo ninja guy.” Mr Iwasaki turns to you as he lets the incoherent sentence fall from his lips without a care in the world. His assistant sighs at his boss's second awful attempt at saying the man’s alias. You just wish they’d get over this and stop saying his name. 

“No, I'm not quite interested in volleyball.” You smile back at him.

 Yume sets down her glass on the table to look at you, “But you have friends in the sport—you go to their games…and you seemed quite interested as a teenager.” She rebutted your previous statement. You wonder whether you should just get up and leave and save yourself from this non stop conversation about the sport. 

“I’m not interested in watching tomorrow,” You smile, trying to get away from the situation, “You guys should go without me tomorrow! I’m sure it'll be fun.” 

After a few hours by the bar, Yume decides to head back to the hotel with you, leaving the others behind. You ignore their shouts about volleyball and hoping to see a game after work, hoping that tonight is the last you’ll have to hear about it. 

Of course you’re continuously worked against by someone up there, as you overhear their chatter to stop by the beach after this fitting hoping to catch a game. You're not sure why they are all not tired out of their minds and not feeling the need to stay in their beds for the rest of the day after drinking to the point of liver failure last night. You end up getting dragged along despite your previous protests and constant reminders that you don’t like the sport and you’re not interested. All efforts are thrown away as Yume opens her mouth every time wondering if you have some sort of memory loss. You’re thankful that it seems as if she has it instead, not once recognizing his name. 

You’re disguised once again, this time with a little more effort put in thanks to Tatsuki. You don't think wearing a long sleeved shirt is the best idea as the weather is hot and there are barely any people with a shirt on around you with sleeves. A cap and sunglasses were finally appropriate for the time of day and you were hidden enough to avoid any identification. 

You’re sitting on a stone ledge, as others stand around and sit elsewhere. Your eyes catch him immediately as he's talking to a tall man towering over him. And in a second the noise around you falls flat, the world becomes silent and the sand under your feet feels like dispersed clouds. 

It’s him. It’s Shoyo. And you can feel it in your bones, you’re homesick. 

He looks well, healthy—happy. You want to see him closer. You want to see if he's been graced with freckles from the Brazilian sun, if his hair brushes into his eyes every now and then like it once did, if his lips are chapped from the constant hot weather. 

From here, you can see the smile on his lips, serious but excited for his game. He’s tan and you can see his hard work straining through the sleeves of his shirt. 

You watch him jump as he plays, that familiar feeling sneaking back into you. You hear the voices of awe from your staff and others in the crowd as they watch him jump at unbelievable heights in the sand. 

“–did you see that?” You hear Nao, whisper breathlessly to Tatsuki. He can’t take his eyes off the game as he nods, eyes wide. 

You think it’s unfair, even after all this time he’s still so beautiful and determined in a place so unfamiliar. But even so you share the same feeling as everyone else watching him, because he’s done it. 

You don’t think you've even glanced at anyone else during the game, your eyes hidden under your sunglasses are stuck to him as if he's the only one on the beach. As he jumps and moves around you watch his tousled hair from his movement and you hug your knees wondering if the strands are still as soft. 

You’re not aware of the game coming to an end, eyes still on him as he high fives the large man next to him in victory. A call of your name has you pulling out of your stupor. You look up to everyone else in your group standing up, some dusting the sand that trailed up their ankles. You stand up holding on to Nao’s hand, and you can see the excitement on her face from the game she watched. 

Beach volleyball and Indoor Volleyball have so many differences, but Shoyo Hinata will always give that same feeling to everyone who watches him. 

You’re ready to leave, if you get any closer to him you might kick sand at him or you might just cry and you have no energy to do either. 

But you hear Tatsuki’s laughter and his following right behind. You turn slowly to see Mr. Iwasaki and Tatsuki speak to him as if they’ve known each other since junior high and you wish they'd have a little more self awareness to not speak to an athlete right after his game. To your right Yume is getting impatient, she’s ready to head back to the hotel but you can see it in her shoulders and her relaxed eyebrows that she enjoyed the time she spent out here and the game she got to watch. You turn to her wanting to ask about plans for dinner but she shouts for both men from where she’s standing, grabbing the attention of the three men. 

Out of all the times you’ve felt as if Yume was punishing you, this had to take the cake. You avert your eyes from the men and talk to Nao, hoping that he would barely spare a glance to Yume. 

But instead he looks at the woman who just shouted, catching the attention of the men in front of him and he knows that face and he knows without a doubt the woman standing beside her in conversation with someone else is exactly who he thinks it is. He can feel his knees become weak, his cheeks becoming flushed at thought that you were here, you were here watching him play and he wants to walk up to you and he wants to talk non stop now that you're sober and he wants you to talk to him even if you tell him to get hit by a bus. 

He’s unmoved as he watches you walk away with your assistant, some of the staff still moving slowly behind.  

“We’re heading to Topo Do Barril, Good Game!” One of the men he was speaking to before, shouted to him as they walked off the beach in your direction. 

“Shoyo, você está bem, você parece atordoado?” [Shoyo, are you okay, you look dazed.] 

“Estou bem, Heitor, só com sede!” [I’m fine, Heitor, just thirsty!] He laughs as he wipes the sweat and sand off of his hands on to his shorts. 

“Vamos tomar algumas bebidas!” [Let’s get some drinks!] The man slaps his back, ready to head to their usual spot to celebrate. 

He trails behind the man to the bar he was at last night, way past his bedtime. He wasn’t going to go, wanting to stick to his strict schedule of waking up and going to bed on time. He’d barely ever messed up his routine since coming here, but he felt grateful, he felt as if all of his prayers had been answered when the one night he forgoed his routine he ended up running into you, unfortunately drunk out of your mind and lost but he thought that he was dreaming once again only for you to fall in arms and remind him that you were very much so in front of him. He sits by the table he sat by the night before and waits for Heitor to come back from the bar, he’s completely out of it barely giving an answer to what he wanted to drink when asked. His mind was taken over by you. 

And once again he feels as if he's hallucinating, straight ahead further from the bar he’s at, you're standing outside another bar. You’re probably waiting for the group you were with earlier, remembering the tall man with bleached blonde hair telling him he’s going to that bar. 

Before he can stop himself, his feet are taking him over to you, his mind barely thinking but his body wanting to be near you. 

“I was looking all over for you this morning,” His voice starts off a little loud and excited before slipping to a soft tone. “Were you okay?” 

One of his hands is scratching the back of neck, the other in his pocket fiddling with a loose thread, he’s keeping his hands busy distracting himself from the thought of you in his arms once again. 

You don’t look at him, your eyes stuck on the ocean in front of you. You don’t want to look at him or talk to him, you’re afraid he'll break the poor facade you're putting up and the struggle between wanting to run away from him or into his arms. 

Your feet shuffle against the concrete under your heels, and you fix your sunglasses against your nose properly. Silence stands between the two of you. 

“Don’t speak to me.” You whisper after a minute of silence yet there’s no bite in your tone. 

“Did you have any problem getting back?” 

Your body finally turns to him and your lips are straight before they open once again, “I don't want to talk to you!” He watches as a frown settles on your lips, your eyebrows scrunching in frustration. His eyes glaze over your eyebrows, your nose, your lips, anything that you’re allowing him to see even after all this time. He keeps quiet and doesn’t say anything more and you can feel your insides churn, he’s never had the ability to shut up around you. But even after all the frustration, you still want to hear his voice as much as you hate yourself for wanting to hear it. 

“How did you know I was here—in Rio.” You ask, subtle disdain in your tone. 

Ten seconds pass before he speaks up again, “I ran into you on the sidewalk, you were drunk. I had no idea you were here, I was shocked. You didn’t know how to get back to your hotel and you forgot your assistant’s number, I just did the next best thing and made you sleep at my place until the morning. I just–I just wanted to talk to you.” His voice gets lower as he explains, hoping to ease you of your frustration. 

You stay silent for a moment before whispering a simple Ok, your voice is heavy and your head is downturned, your eyes focusing on the sprout growing out of the crack in the concrete. You feel like a teenager again, standing beside him realizing that some things can’t pass through time and distance. 

“How long are you staying here?” He asks quietly as to not bring any attention to the two of you. You don't reply, your head still downturned. He stands beside you silently before he hears you quietly reply, “A week.” 

He grins. “You can have so much fun in Rio in just a week.” 

You fight back a soft smile making its way on your lips. He sounds more mature, his voice a little older but still carrying that same spirit he had years ago. 

You're silent again before you hesitantly speak up. “I want to see more.” Your voice is still low. Very vague sentence but he understands you he always does. 

“If you don’t mind, I want to show you around. I’ll make sure you have a good time here.” 

You finally raise your head to look at him, your eyes shielded from the sunglasses. “I have work.” A frown forming on your face. 

 You've forgotten about the small disdain over seeing him, slipping back into the familiar feeling of being near him. “And I'm sure you've got other things to do.” 

“We can do things before or even after you're finished and I’ll make time during the day and night for you.” 

You want to ask what he's been up to other than volleyball, if he's been taking care of himself properly and if he's healthy. You want to talk to him and be with him and touch him. But you don't, you stay silent and you can feel his eyes on you. 

You can hear the shuffle of feet coming closer, and it seems like the group is leaving the bar. You look back at him quickly mouthing a goodbye before heading closer to the exit of the bar the group was leaving out of. He watches you walk away before turning back to head back to Heitor and he’s happy. You spoke to him and you looked at him and he knows that even if you chose to throw a stone at him he’d be glad it’s being thrown by your hands. 

The droplets of water race down your skin as you sit on the bed in nothing but a towel, you're trying to delay getting dressed. You’re afraid the moment you get up to put something on it’ll be clothes to go outside and you’ll end up sneaking out again. Your conversation with Shoyo sparks even more interest in your need to see more of Rio (and him). You brainstorm ideas to get out there without Yume stopping you, you know you absolutely cannot sneak out again and you can’t outwardly say that you’re going out because someone would have to tag along. 30 minutes pass and you pick your phone up to message Yume that you think you might have dropped something in the lobby and you're going back down to get it. That small luck of yours seems to walk a little bit closer to you again as she doesn't even ask what you had dropped in the lobby. Getting dressed quickly and ensuring you're properly disguised you head down to the lobby, your phone in one pocket of your shorts and your portuguese language book in your left hand. 

You head back to the same bar he was at the night before and today looking around for him, the sun was lowering down into the sea and you hoped that maybe he’d be here around this time. Taking a few more glances around with no sign of Shoyo, you cross the street to the other side above the beach and you can see the familiar ginger hair closer to the shore talking to the same large man he was playing with earlier. He’s waving to the man as he walks away from Shoyo heading in another direction. He on the other hand walks in your direction, looking around casually before he spots a figure dressed in unusual clothing for the weather once again and you can see a smile growing on his face, he begins to shout your name in excitement before stopping himself, slapping a hand over his mouth and instead running closer to you. He stops by the wall and looks up at you, you look back at him before walking away from his sight. 

In a second you hear deep breaths and footsteps coming closer before he appears beside you, 

“Hi, what are you doing here?” He bites his lower lip to stop his smile from growing even more, his legs slowing down from the quick sprint he just did to reach you. 

“I want to see Rio.” You look at him as you both continue to walk side by side. 

He can’t fight the smile any longer “Okay!” 

He’s a little out of breath, his Adam's apple bobbing everytime he takes a breath and his shoulders look heavy. The hair by the nape of his neck is dark and damp from his sweat and his shirt is clings to his body.

“Let me get changed from my apartment. It's not too far, want to come?” 

You nod your head, a little excited to see what you could see just from the walk to his place and perhaps the fact you’ll get a proper look of Shoyo’s life without you in the past few years. 

“Do you have a roommate?” Your voice lacked any harshness from when you had spoken to him this morning. “Yes his name is Pedro, he’s super cool and he likes one piece too. He’s still in school so I don’t know if he’ll be there— crap I hope he's not home.” 

“Why? Don't you like him?”

“Yes.” He fiddles with the strap of his small gym bag hanging behind his back. “He’s a huge fan of yours.” 

“Oh, is my disguise good enough.” He lets out a small laugh at your question and watches as you toggle with the sunglasses perched upon your nose. “Yes but he’ll probably wonder who I’m bringing into the apartment. I’ve never had anyone over before, he’ll be so confused.” 

You feel a bit ashamed over the slight relief you just got that he hadn’t had anyone over in his time here but all you do is nod. 

 Entering the apartment you had raced out of only yesterday morning seemed much different now, now that you could actually take in everything around you. It was a simple apartment, tidy and if you squint hard enough little pieces of Shoyo’s two years here were evident. He’s got an old–almost deflated volleyball in the corner of the living room and a bottle of soy on the table. There's another clothing rack near the apartment's window with beach shorts lying on it soaking in the setting sun. You follow him into his bedroom as he sets down his bag by the door. 

“I'll shower real quick, don’t worry I won’t take too long!” 

You nod at him once more, watching as he disappears from his room to head to the bathroom. It hits you for the upteenth time that it's been years since you've seen each other, and the broadness of his shoulders isn’t a hallucination but another piece of evidence that Shoyo travelled across the globe and did nothing but work hard. 

His room is now covered in rays of pinks and oranges and you look around at the room you almost went crazy over the day before and even in the shadows casted from the setting sun you can still see that Shoyo is still your Shoyo, the one you knew all those years ago. 

He’s got a stash of one piece manga on his little shelf and volleyball magazines stacked up beside it on the floor. The jacket on the clothing rack hangs down and you look away before the nights of poorly tossing him balls all those years ago invade your thoughts. 

Your toes wiggle from the cold feeling of the floor, a huge contrast from the warm beads of sand you felt last night. You walk slowly taking in his life from the past two years here before taking a seat on the edge of his bed. The sun has almost finished setting and in about 10 minutes you’ll probably be sitting in the dark. 

You reach for the lamp on the nightstand, flicking the switch for some light and right under the base of the lamp, something catches your eye. You see yourself, smiling gently, the other person in the picture covered by the base of the lamp. Pulling the picture from under it, you stare at the picture, specifically the person right beside you. And of course that smile that shines brighter than the sun is on his face and the memory of that night pops back into your head. It was a little after practice had ended late, the six of you walking along the sidewalk to go home. You can remember the way Yamaguchi's fingers fiddled with the phone he had just recently got after the last broke from an incident during practice a few days before. He had only wanted to test the camera of the phone but he’d caught a picture, important enough that Shoyo got it printed out and took it with him even across the globe. 

He’s smiling brightly, his arms raised in the air, one hand holding your bookbag (which you're sure knocked him in the head right after the picture was taken) and the other holding a meat bun. And there you stood right beside him, a soft smile on your face, your eyebrows slightly raised from the sudden photo taking and Shoyo’s flying arms. You can almost feel yourself getting overwhelmed with emotions at the picture but you hold back anything that might overspill and put the picture back down onto the nightstand before Shoyo walks back into the room. 

He’s got a shirt on that's way too tight to your eyes, his biceps training against the fabric of his short sleeves as he uses the towel hung around his neck to dry off his hair. He’s got a simple pair of cargo shorts on, his built calves contracting as he walks further into the room. 

“Wanna get something to eat before?” He continues to use the towel to lazily dry his wet hair, both his hands shuffling around his head. You try your best to ignore the way his shirt rises up a little and look at him. “Before what?” 

A wide grin overcomes his face, “It’s a surprise!” 

You wonder if you should just go back to the hotel and save yourself a fright, you trust Shoyo (as much as you like to act like you don’t) and you know he wouldn’t take you anywhere that’ll scare you or anything but he’s also very much so full of surprises and you’re afraid you might end up skydiving off the top of a mountain. 

You sigh a little, the room is mostly dark, only the lamp on the nightstand adds some light to the room, and you start to feel a little warm. The weight of the bed shifts a little as he plops himself down beside you on the bed, the small light illuminating his face a little that you can see the little shadows casted by his eyelashes on his cheek. You can feel yourself getting warmer, this feels too intimate yet you can’t bring yourself to get up and move away from him. 

You turn your head a but more to properly face him, his hair a bit damp and dark from his shower but his shoulders look much more relaxed than when he ran up to you from the beach, you wonder if he’s starting to feel the same way as you are easing into company that he was once so familar with years ago. 

“Sure, we can eat— but we can’t go to that bar that we went to today,” You hurriedly tell him. 

“Topo Do Barril?” 

You smile a little. He’s gotten so good at the language you feel a little bashful at his ability to easily spill portuguese out of his mouth so effortlessly. You nod, clasping your hands and resting them between your thighs. 

“Today, when you saw me outside, I was kind of hiding from the man who owns the bar,” You feel a little shy telling him what you did before you ended up running into him that night but he just looks at you completely interested in whatever you have to say and you can almost hear his laughter that you know is coming, “When I snuck out, that’s the first place I went to— I bought a beer there but he would have recognized me from the night before from the way I was dressed and I was afraid he’d bring it up somehow and then Yume would find out and kill me.” 

And there it is, the sound that always had you feeling a little bit warmer when you heard it. 

“Seriously?” He laughed. 

“Yes! It’s so not funny,” You slap his thigh, biting back a smile, “He literally has a poster of me in the bar!” 

His laughter slows down a little and a bright smile is left on his face, “I would’ve loved to see how your assistant would react to a random man at a bar recognizing you.” 

You huff at his amusement of your dilemma. 

“Come on! I want us to eat on time before we get there.” He exclaims jumping off the bed before he extends his hand towards you to lift you off the bed. The warmth from his hand envelops your fingers and you pull away quickly as you follow him to the front door of the apartment. 

The rough feeling of the concrete sidewalk has your flips flops scraping against the rough surface, as the cool breeze passes the two of you.  It's darker now and youve hung your mask on to your left ear to breathe freely while leaving your cap on your head. You glance to your right as Shoyo is talking about something you're not really sure you caught any of. His hair ruffles from the wind and your eyes follow his arm that reaches up to brush back his hair.

“Your hair.” 

He stops talking to look at you as you walk side by side. 

“It’s short.” 

“Yeah, I cut it when I came here, ‘s too hot to have it as long like before.” He brushes back his hair once again from the wind. 

“I liked it when it was longer,” His eyes widened a bit, a blush threatening to creep up, he knew you liked how long his hair was in your 3rd year, he didn’t think you’d remember that fact about yourself, “But it’s still cute at this length.” A silly smile on your face has the tips of his ears red and his cheeks hot and before you know it Shoyo’s on the floor, failing to see a small hole in the ground— completely enamoured by you, latching to the straps of his right sandal sending him to the ground. 

“Oh my God, Shoyo!” Your hands fly up to cover your mouth in shock, he’s lying on his back, as you crouch down to him. He can feel himself getting hot from your hands resting on his bicep, one of them moving away from his bicep to his forehead to push his hair back and comb through his strands to get any dirt out. 

“Are you— are you okay?” You giggle under your breath as you watch an enormous grin break out on his face before he’s shaking with laughter. 

“You scared me, gosh.” Murmuring as you slap his arm lightly, “Get up, your shirt will get dirty.” He lifts his back off the ground, as his arms hold him from behind, he’s got a more serious expression on his face now as he leans closer into you. 

“Shoyo, are you really okay?” Your eyebrows scrunched together in concern as you reach out for him to sit him up straight without having him support himself. His body leans more into you and you can feel his hair tickle your neck when his head falls on to your shoulder. 

“Shoyo.” 

“It hurts so bad.” 

“Shoyo what hurts, should we go to a hospital?” A sniffle leaves him from your frantic tone. 

“My head hurts.” He moves his head from the junction of your shoulders resting on your collarbone to look up at you properly, watching your worried expression replaced by a deadpan face. 

“You fell back on your ass.” You get up from your crouching position to stand above him, resting your hands on your hips, “I seriously thought you’d hurt yourself.” 

He quickly rises from the floor, brushing off his shorts, “My back hurts!” 

“Pay attention to where you’re going next time.” You hide your smile as you walk away from him slowly, waiting for him to catch up and as always he does. 

“I was distracted.” He huffed out. You ignore the warm feeling coming over your senses, choosing to ignore his reply. 

“Right there.” He points to the bar he was at earlier in the day. You feel his hand hover over the small of your back as you two hurriedly cross the street to get to the bar. He pulls out the folding wooden chair for you to sit and you take a seat as you watch him call over a waiter, a sense of familiarity between the two’s greetings. He grabs a chair sitting a bit closer to you, his back turned away from the television strung up on the wall. You’d purposely moved to the seat facing away from the television out of consideration that he  might want to watch the game of beach volleyball blaring on the tv, or the neighboring tv playing a football match, leaving the chair facing the television open. 

“Want anything to drink?” 

You ponder a bit, and he watches you take a moment to decide. 

“I do, but what if I run into Mr. Iwasaki.” 

“What about him?” His head tilts in interest. 

Damn 

“I told him and his team I don’t drink.” You murmur almost shamefully before the man beside you laughs out. 

“You?” Giggles leave his lips as you roll your eyes. 

“Yes! I’m a model, I can’t go around drinking like that.” 

He gives you a knowing look enough to remind you of your actions the day before, you shrug with a soft smile. 

“Want a beer? You can get something with little alcohol so you don’t get lost around here again.” “I can’t get lost if you’re with me.” You nod, pushing your cap down more to secure it. 

“One beer, just one! You have to be sober for where we’re going.” 

“Gosh you’re acting like if I have a second one I'll be falling off the rails.” You mutter as he calls the waiter over asking for a beer and a lemonade. 

“One sip of soju used to have you completely off the rails.” He chuckles at the frown on your face. 

“That’s so not true!” 

“Is too.” 

“Is not.”  

He’s still chuckling at your denial before picking up the laminated menu resting carelessly on the table in front. 

“Hungry?”

“Mhm.” You continuously nod as you look at the menu he's holding in front of the two of you, your bodies leaning into each other to read the menu. 

“What do you usually get here?” Your head turns to look at him, and your breath hitches a little from the close proximity you were oblivious to the whole time. He turns his head to answer you, seemingly unfazed at how close you are to him, and for a split second his eyes glance down to your lips before going back to your eyes, the action completely unnoticed by you. 

“Churrasquinho, it’s super good!” He nods excitedly. He can feel the tips of ears getting pink from the simple fact that you’re here with him, experiencing what he has in the past few years. All those times wishing he could share certain moments with you were coming closer to becoming a reality. 

“Okay. I’ll have that.” 

He calls the waiter over again, ordering for the two of you, once again Portuguese falling effortlessly from his lips and you can hear it in his voice and the smile on his voice as he speaks to the waiter that Brazil has treated him well. 

“It’ll take like 10 minutes, so we can eat quickly and go soon.” His attention turns back to you. 

“Where are you taking me.” You ask quickly after he speaks hoping that he’d answer off the bat. 

“We’re going to the Fe– don’t do that!” 

“I just want to know…what if I don’t like it.” Edging him to slip up and tell you. 

“I know you will.” 

You open your mouth to dispute, but your words fall flat and you wonder how often he thought of you to be so confident that you’ll like where he’s taking you. And you believe him 100% percent because he’s always known you and you know deep down even one-hundred years apart from him would not take away the care he has for the people he cares about. 

--

He watches as your eyes widen, under the shade of the cap taking in the action before you. The street is lit with lamps and lanterns and fire, with tents of foods and art travelling all around. 

“What’s this?” Turning to him as you take in his orange-hued features from the lights casting a glow on him.

“Festival Noturno Criativo.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, feeling his nervousness increasing little by little. “You’ve always liked night festivals.”

It’s simple but you’re a bit speechless that he’s still making it his goal that you enjoy experiences outside of work. 

“I have always liked them.” The corners of your lips turn slightly upwards as you look at the bright festival in front. You can hear laughter and chatter over the loud festival music. 

“Come on!” He gestures for the two of you to walk into the maze of art and cuisine of Rio. Walking side by side you look around you taking in the smell of skewered meat on grills and the sound of oil sizzling from another tent. You move closer to Shoyo as people walk through the pathways, until you decide to latch your hands on to his arms to avoid losing each other in the crowd. 

“Wanna shop for something?” He moves close to your ear, earning an excited nod from you. You continue to walk past different booths, some with exciting and bold pieces of jewellery while others showcased paintings dripping with the vibrant culture of Brazil. 

Your eyes land on a woman’s booth with various ceramic pieces lying about. Titling your head towards a piece you move closer to Shoyo’s ear so he can hear you over the music and chatter in the back. 

“I like those.” 

He follows your line of sight to two mugs, red flowers littering the outside with dark green leaves and a funky swirl for the handle. They're cute and a bit wonky but the image of you drinking happily from one of them has him reaching for his wallet in his left pocket. He walks up to the woman, his hand on the small of your back lightly easing you in the direction of the woman. 

“Olá, quanto custa um desses copos, por favor” [Hi, how much for one of those cups please?] He points to the mugs you’ve been eyeing. 

She’s polishing a vase before she looks to where Shoyo’s pointing, “236 reais.” 

You watch Shoyo converse with the woman as he pulls out a few bills from his pocket, you look for a moment to see the woman only packaging one and you shake Shoyo’s arm gently to catch his attention. 

“Get them both! Get one for yourself.” You pull the short sleeve of his shirt as he pauses for a moment and then answers with a nod. He turns back to the woman asking for the other, and reaching back for his wallet to pay. He carefully folds the receipt from the woman and places it in his wallet, his eyes burning into the card pocket he placed it in. He’ll keep it forever. 

He's holding the small paper bag with the two ceramic cups carefully packaged as the two of you continue to walk through the festival. He’s hoping you’ll hold his arm again but at the realization that you both had moved on to an area with less people, he internally sulked. It seemed as if he couldn't hide his disappointment well as you noticed a small pout on his lips, maybe it was his bottomless stomach reacting to the aroma of all the foods around after walking around for two hours.

“Are you hungry?” Stopping to ask him, hoping that he’d crack a small smile at the mention of something to eat. 

He shook his head as his pout deepened into a frown instead after taking a glance at the time. “It’s 9 already.” 

“Oh.” A small frown of your own matching his and wanting to never see that on your face he gently smiles before calling your name. 

“Let’s get one last thing before we leave, something sweet maybe.” 

He’d bought about 10 of them, at the possibility of you liking them and wanting to take some back home with you. He liked them himself, having to restrict himself from buying anymore when he first came to Rio, they were a quick way to mess up his strict nutrition. 

You’re close to the hotel and you two would part ways much sooner than arriving at the lobby to avoid anyone working there or your coworkers seeing you outside so late, with the man they watched earlier on the beach at that. 

“What did you get?” You peered over at the bag holding the sweets he got for you, the breeze picked up once again as you two walked on the sidewalk, the sound of the waves crashing by the shore, harmonizing with your voices as you spoke. 

“Beijinho de Coco, I can’t wait for you to try them!” 

“Can we have one now before we get there?” 

“You can, but I can’t eat anything like this right now.” 

“Pleaase, Shoyo— let’s share one.” You offered, excited to share the little sweet with him— and well Shoyo’s never been one to deny you of anything that makes you happy, except maybe himself.  

He fishes into the bag to open the plastic container they were placed in and takes one out to break it in half. He gives you the bag to keep with the other 9 of them and you can see the receipt laying under the plastic container. You think you’ll treasure it as if it were a rare pearl.  

“There’s coconut on it!” 

He nods at your exclaim, his cheeks becoming warm as you excitedly take your half from his hands, ready to take a bite. 

“They’re called ‘coconut little kisses’ .” 

You pause for a moment, your gaze shifting to the view of the ocean, a gentle smile on your lips as you take in the last of tonight. 

And under the moon he had been looking at for the past 2 years, you share a coconut little kiss with Shoyo. 

Notes:

They both kept a receipt for keepsakes

The ceramic mug he bought them

Festival Noturno Criativo is fictional

Next chapter

Divider creds: @anitalenia @strangergraphics

© manhattanstrawberry please do not plagiarize or repost my work

[arceus-insanity]

My Hero Academia vs Assassination Classroom: Becoming Teachers

Now I recently saw a post going on about how people dislike Deku becoming a teacher in chapter 430. And another user chalked it up to Westerners' disrespect for teachers vs Japan's great revere for them, plus shipping discourse

And while I feel that those definitely don't help, I do feel that that isn't the balk of why a lot of us hate it. It also reads as one of those elitist takes in fandom where they are talking down to those who don't agree with them

Now I'm a Westerner, and I hate Deku becoming a teacher. It's not because I don't respect teachers, and when it happened in Assassination Classroom I was all for Nagisa Shiota becoming a teacher. I would have preferred to see him and/ or Karma become assassins but I was still satisfied with how it ended. So why is that? Especially because we know Hori was a fan of Assassination Classroom, prototype Bakugou was based on Karma for crying out loud.

Achieved vs Happenstance

A big part of it is framing, everyone in 1A, 1B, and basically everyone else explicitly want to be heroes, or at least something adjacent to it. That's why they are in the hero course, and Izuku Midoriya especially has a one-track mind for heroes until the surprise reveal. He was constantly told no, pick something else, for a decade but was still hyper-focused on being a hero leading up to the show. Nor do we see or otherwise learn that he has other developing interests. There's a ton of fanfics and headcanons of him helping his classmates with school work or even just their quirks, but there's nothing in canon. The only character who does anything like that is Momo Yaoyorozu. The vast majority of 1A and once again especially Izuku Midoriya are only interested in being heroes. Izuku is also the only one who didn't become a hero (until years later) despite the need for them totally going down and them being paid per arrest.

Meanwhile, no one in 3E the end class, chose to be an assassin, Kuro Sensei just decided that he was going to teach that class, and the world needed him dead. A lot of students explicitly have other interests and none of them have a personal interest in being an assassin past killing Kuro Sensei. Yes, Nagisa Shiota is shown throughout to be surprisingly good at assassination work, and he is explicitly given an offer to join the world as an assassin. But when he gets the offer he asks himself do I really want to do this. We also learn via the little girl who suggests the career to him in the first place, that he has been tutoring her. We also get to see how he takes the uniqueness and skills from 3E into his teaching job.

So in short the premise of Assassination Classroom is much better suited to have it's characters enter very different fields to begin with.

Better Focus on Academics

Yes, My Hero Academia takes place largely in a school, but they don't put any focus on the school part. Whenever they're doing something in class it's either big combat test or self-directed training. And in the later seasons, more and more time got taken up by the big-name pro-hero fights. The two teachers we see the most of, both have bad teacher tags on Ao3 and I have seen numerous takedowns of their teaching skills accurately citing the series.

Assassination Classroom however has school and studying as a constant theme throughout the series. We see 1E being taught both standard school stuff, and learning various assassination techniques to achieve their goal. Kuro Sensei also makes it very clear that if they are just going to bank their futures on killing him and winning the money, then he sees no point in staying around for them to do it.

Getting it Regardless vs Earning Respect

One ongoing issue I have with MHA is that I largely got into the series because I thought that it was going to criticize societal issues. Instead, it ended up doing a 180. Now this mostly applies to the pro-hero worship, largely because once again there is barely any time dedicated to the actual academic part of the show. But with both the teachers and pro heroes their failures and shit behaviours aren't treated as reasons to lose respect, making any respect for them empty. This also leans into the very real issue of roles that come with unconditional respect, will attract people who will abuse it.

Meanwhile, 3E came into the show without this innate revere for teachers, because their past teachers especially in their school have actively screwed them over at every turn. Karma is even elated at the idea of killing a teacher after his last one betrayed him. Nagisa Shiota was being very blatantly abused at home, and Kuro Sensei is the first teacher to stand up for him. The teachers of 3E have to earn the students' trust and respect. When Bitch Sensei treats them like shit when she first joins, the students return the favour, she has to apologize for her poor behaviour for the class to give her a second chance. So when it ends with the students having a deep connection to their teachers and a renewed appreciation for school it's because that respect was fucking earned. Also, the principal who created this system set up 3E to be abused and sabotaged them every chance he got, got fired for his shit leadership aka actions have consequences. They also didn't feel the need to excuse the bullies shit behaviour either

So in one setting, we have authority figures constantly being shit but being revered anyway. And the other, where the respect has been lost and needs to be earned back, thus the respect they get has a much stronger foundation.

Side notes

Deku sucks at explaining, I've said it both on my main and AU blog, but Deku is horrible at explaining. One of the main aspects of teaching, and he sucks at it because he overcomplicates and goes off on tangents, plus mumbling. If it was just his thought process, it would be a mildly annoying but harmless habit, but he does it when talking to people

Also, Assassination Classroom has a way less bloated cast, allowing us to actually get closer to the characters.

[strandnreyes]

thanks @thisbuildinghasfeelings @paperstorm @futures-tense @reyesstrand !!

When the door swings open and the man in question stands before him, TK feels like all the air has been stolen from his lungs. He knows it’s worse for Carlos, who was going about a normal day until TK showed up in his life for the first time in eight years. It’s written all over his face—shock to disbelief to confusion. He takes a half step back and grips the screen door like a shield, and neither of them say anything for the longest time.

Carlos is in a pair of basketball shorts and a gray tee. He’s barefooted and has a headful of messy curls. There’s scruff on his face and so much muscle on his arms and he’s hardly the same twenty year old that TK left behind. It feels like he’s standing in front of an entirely different person, yet he has the same reaction he did the first time he saw Carlos. It’s like he’s reliving that day all over again.

—

TK looks up as the bell chimes overhead. He’s in the middle of replacing the empty tub of rocky road with a fresh one, and he lets the door to the glass case shut as he hangs onto the empty container. A boy his age stands just inside the door, in a pair of jeans and a maroon t-shirt. He looks a little lost, and TK drops the empty tub and wipes his hands on his required pink apron.

“Hey. Can I help you?”

The boy looks at him and woah. Brown eyes. “I’m looking for the manager,” he says slowly. It comes out like a question.

Oh please don’t let this guy have a problem with the sign out front that declares they welcome anyone with its rainbow font and the cartoon hands holding one another at the bottom. The old men with beer guts and patchy beards, sure. Whatever. But not someone this cute. “Not here. What can I help you with?”

He looks surprised by the fact that TK is unsupervised. “I’m Carlos. I’m supposed to be starting today.”

Oh. TK had nearly forgotten about the new kid that was hired for the summer. This is a much better turn of events. “Ah. I’m TK. I’ll show you what to do.”

tagging @whatsintheboxmh @welcometololaland @emsprovisions @rmd-writes @tellmegoodbye @theghostofashton @ironheartwriter @orchidscript @lightningboltreader @liminalmemories21 @heartstringsduet @freneticfloetry @alrightbuckaroo @henrygrass @chicgeekgirl89 @carlos-in-glasses @carlos-tk @basilsunrise @bonheur-cafe @butchreyes + open tag!!

[crowsofdarkness]

Dorogaya: Chapter Four

-gif not mine. credit to owner-

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Female Agent! Reader.

Content Warnings: language, 18 + implied smut, angst, fluff, kidnapping, violence.

Summary: It has been a few years since Bucky and Reader went into hiding. Just when they thought they were slowly building a life together, the past comes back with a vengeance.

Authors Note: This is the sequel to Soldat! You should read that series first. This takes place during Civil War. Tags are open if anyone is interested!

Tags: @globetrotter28 @sakuracyberhex @chinggay85-blog @bookofriverr @misatxox @that-blonde-girl @cats-chaotic-mind @wintrsoldrluvr @sebastians-love @pumpkin-babydoll @ordelixx @starfly-nicole

Soldat Masterlist | Dorogaya Masterlist

My hard gaze was forced straight ahead, blocking out the noise from outside of the van I had been stuffed inside. Bucky was in the armored van in front and we were driven to an undisclosed location by a large police presence. The metal cuffs were still locked hard on my hands, not allowing me to blast my way out of here. 

Steve and Sam were in the car with me, along with the other person that was hunting Bucky: The new king of Wakanda, King T’challa. 

“So you like cats?” Sam questioned T'challa, finally breaking the silence. 

“Sam,” Steve warned.

“What?” Sam shrugged. “Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don’t want to know more?”

I tuned out while they talked about his suit and mantel of king, however when I heard Bucky’s name, my eyes sliced over to T’challa. 

“He didn’t kill your father. He wasn’t in Vienna.”

Steve looked over his shoulder, hearing my voice for the first time in over an hour. “Y/N-”

I shifted my gaze away from him and looked out the side window, ignoring him. Worry etched in my bones wondering if Bucky was okay. Before the door shut in my face, I watched in horror as the cops locked Bucky into this giant protective glass cube. He was too far from me to be able to feel what he was feeling and if he was alright. 

Thoughts of what they would do to him made my skin shiver. Everyone believed that he was the one who caused the bombing but I knew more than anyone else. Someone was trying to call him out in public. I just didn’t know why. 

“You know,” Sam’s quiet voice pulled me from my thoughts. “He spent every day the last two years looking for you.” 

I scoffed. “Well, he got what he wanted.”

“He wanted to see you again, just not like this,” He admitted. 

“Bucky didn’t do this, Sam.” I finally looked into his eyes.  “We’ve been in Bucharest for the last handful of years, not bothering anyone.”

Sam nodded. “We know that.” 

“Then why am I in handcuffs?” I lifted up my hands. “And why is Bucky locked away in some van?” 

“You did try to set people on fire,” Sam recalled with a quick smile. 

“I didn’t mean to. My powers have had a mind of their own lately,” I admitted. 

Before Sam and I could finish our conversation, the car pulled to a stop in a rather large parking garage and my attention immediately went to the armored van. 

“What are they going to do to him?” I asked. 

The doors opened and with the help of Sam, my feet were placed on the ground and in a split second, I was walking towards Bucky. Only to be stopped by one of the guards. 

“I don’t think so,” they muttered. 

“Let me go!” I spat while pulling myself from his grasp. 

“There are strict orders that you remain handcuffed.” 

“And I have strict orders to kick your ass,” I seethed. 

Steve stepped between us and gently grabbed my arm, leading me away from the guard. We followed a few others to an open tech room, with a bunch of T.V’s lining the walls and in the middle of the room enclosed in glass with a large table and chairs. 

“Please try not to cause a scene,” Steve whispered in my ear. 

“I need to find Bucky.” I stated. 

Steve nodded before pushing me into a chair. Tony was there along with Nat and Agent Sharon Carter. Their conversations were white noise to me as I tried to channel my powers, hoping I could break free from the metal gloves. 

“You’ve been gone for over two years and not even one phone call.” Nat sat down next to me, a giant grin on her face. 

“I could say the same thing about you,” I grinned back. “How long have you known where we were hiding?” 

“Not long but I thought you two could use more time alone,” Nat said. 

I sighed. “Everyone here thinks Bucky is this murderer but he’s not; not anymore. He’s not The Winter Soldier.”

The room was busy with a large number of people that were sitting in front of a large TV that turned one and when the broken face appeared, my heart dropped. 

“Bucky,” I breathed. 

He was still locked in the large cube and he was broken; emotionally. Something didn’t feel right, worry was etched deep into my bones. Steve and Sam sat next to me at the table followed by Sharon, who discreetly unmuted the T.V for us. 

“What are they going to do to him?” I asked Sharon. 

She sighed before pulling a set of keys from her pocket. “Don’t make me regret this.” 

In a quick second, my hands were free and I snapped my fingers, igniting them. 

“Y/N!” Steve warned. 

“Relax, I was making sure they still work. Now, what are they going to do to Bucky?” I asked Sharon again. 

“Agent Ross wants him to have a psych evaluation,” Sharon admitted. 

Steve scoffed. “He’s not crazy, Sharon.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “I know that but they don’t.” 

I followed her gaze towards her boss, Agent Ross, who was directing orders to the bodies that were seated in front of computers. Steve had his hands on a picture that the task force released to the media, claiming to be the Winter Soldier. 

“Why would the task force release this picture in the first place?” He asked Sharon. 

She shrugged in response, “Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?”

“Right,” I nodded. “It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb and get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for The Winter Soldier.” 

“You’re saying someone framed him, to find him?” Sharon asked me.

Sam shook his head. “We looked for you guys for two years and found nothing.” 

“We didn’t bomb the U.N. That turned a lot of heads.” Steve said. 

“But that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guaranteed that we would,” Sharon informed. 

“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” 

My eyes shifted to the TV in the corner of the room and Bucky let out a deep sigh. 

“My name is Bucky.” 

I dared a glance at Steve, who to my surprise was already watching me. The memories we shared meant nothing to me, knowing that Bucky was in danger.  There may have been a point in time, long ago, that Steve and I would have been happy. But after a lot of thinking, my heart only ever belonged to Bucky. 

“Can you tell me about Y/N? What is she to you?” 

My eyes snapped back to the T.V and the feeling of rage filled me. Bucky shoulders stiffened and his mouth pressed into a hard line. 

“You leave her out of this,” Bucky snapped. 

Whoever this doctor was kept on pressing. “I see here in your file that she was held prisoner by Hydra years ago and you helped train her.” 

“That’s none of your business,” Bucky seethed. “She has nothing to do with any of this.” 

The doctor looked through a couple more pages of whatever file he had on the both of us before taking off his glasses. “You’ve seen a great deal, haven't you Bucky?” 

Fear filled Bucky. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Suddenly, the pieces were starting to fall together the longer I stared at this doctor. 

“You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop.” He typed at something on his computer before an evil smile came to his lips. “Don’t worry, we only have to talk about one.” 

The whole building went black in an instant, losing power. People screamed and yelled, trying to get the feed back up. 

My body went rigid, fear completely engulfing me. My lip trembled with a looming desperation to try and hold on to something. I found myself becoming afraid of what I was going to become, trying to hide this person for so long. I shut my eyes, to shut out the screams and pain but the image that appeared in my mind made me jump from my chair with a start. 

The doctor was saying the words. 

Those ten words that would put Bucky back to the person he refused to become again. 

Soldat. 

“We need to find him. NOW!” I yelled. 

“Y/N, what's wrong?” Sam asked. 

“Unless you want the actual Winter Soldier busting his way out of here, I need to find him.” I snapped. 

“Sub level five. East wing,” Sharon said without a second thought.

Not bothering to wait for Steve and Sam, I bolted through the halls and down staircases. The feeling was becoming stronger and I feared that I was going to be too late. I felt myself being thrown into a wall, metal fingers gripping my throat, cutting off my airway. The pain encased my lungs as I thrashed and scratched, trying to free myself. 

Dark eyes stared at me, the man I was in love with long gone, and was replaced with the man I secretly feared to meet again. His fingers tightened and my vision became cloudy but not before I saw that damned red leather journal with a black star on the front. 

“Soldat,” I coughed. “It’s me, dorogaya.” 

His fingers let up only for a second, the name causing a quick flash of remembrance but it was gone as quick as it came.  The doctor was standing in the corner of the room, a smile clear on his face. 

“Why’d you do this?” I tried to ask. 

“Mission Report. December 16th, 1991.” Was all he said. 

My body went limp and the fight within me disappeared.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” I coughed. “You’re going to start a war.” 

“Exactly,” the doctor nodded towards Bucky, “Soldat.” 

In a flash instant, my head was smacked against the wall, blackness taking over. 

[pleasuretrade]

alright i said i wasn't gonna write this and i'm not actually going to but here is almost 3k words of PI Gale and Muscle for Hire Bucky, pretty much entirely ripped from The Nice Guys (2016). this will never be a real fic bc im too lazy to invent a mystery. u dont need to have seen the nice guys

rating: mature (no porn sorry) pairing: gale cleven x john egan but they don't actually get together bc it's not a full fic. just use ur imagination tags: 70s au, private investigator gale, muscle for hire john, violence, guns, john doing violence on gale but they're cool about it, curt is there

“Thanks, Mr. Egan,” she was saying, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, blown out of place in her convertible, obviously a rental, “you’re really giving me peace of mind.”

”Call me Bucky.” He flipped through the money in the envelope. Ten bucks short. Jeez. Was he really gonna mention it? What was ten bucks? He should be above that. He was doing this work to feel like a useful member of society. To feel good about himself for once. But he had to make a living right? If he did everything cheaper than cheap he’d be broke. “You’re short.”

”What?”

”Short. On cash. Ten bucks.”

”Oh,” she said, searching the floorboard with shaking hands. She retrieved her little yellow purse, procured a tenner. “Sorry. Here.”

”Thank you.” John tucked the bill into the envelope, and the envelope into the inside chest pocket of his sheepskin. He pulled out his notepad and pen, flicking his old notes over the little spiral. “Can you describe the guy for me again?”

”Uh, yeah. Six foot maybe? Blond. Thin, but not scrawny. Prettyboy type.”

 John’s pen scribbled across the page. “And you said you got his address?”

 She rummaged through her purse again, snatching out a crumpled sticky note. “Here. Thanks again,” she hesitated, smiled a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “Bucky.”

“My pleasure, Christine.” John beamed at her from behind his aviators.

-

 He’d knocked about ten times. Rang the bell twice. “Gale Cleven?” he called, finally hearing a rustle from behind the door.

”Who is it?” came the muffled reply.

”Messenger service. Looking for a Gale Cleven.”

 The door opened; blond hair, six foot, prettyboy. Bucky swung a right hook into his nose. The guy, Gale, stumbled backward, planting his ass onto a little bench he had in the hallway there.

”What the fuck—“ he spat, angry but dumbfounded. Blood was already pouring from his nose, his hand held up like he didn’t know whether to grab his face or defend himself, and he was looking up with a confusion that looked too handsome on him.

”We’re gonna have a little chat.” John grabbed his arm, and finally the guy started fighting back. He wasn’t small, and he was fit, John would give him that, but John had him outmuscled by profession and outsized by nature. It took just a little leverage to flip him and toss him across the floor, into the living room. The guy rolled and landed on his side, and then recovered gracefully onto his ass. He pressed his back against the wall. John took three long strides, quickstep, and planted his bootheel firmly on his new friend’s balls and the ball of his foot against his dick. Those slacks were too tight, he could tell right where everything was. It was a little obscene.

”Alright,” Gale froze, holding his hands up in surrender. “Calm down. We can chat.”

 John slipped his brass knuckles out of his pocket, fit them across his fist in a little show for Gale. “Stop looking for Christine.”

 Gale raised his eyebrows, but he smiled. John didn’t like that smile. Or, well, he liked it, but it wasn’t really conducive to getting his job done. It was a charming smile, lined with blood that still seeped down his cupid’s bow. Dangerous. Gale Cleven, huh? “Fine.”

”Fine?”

”Fine.”

”What do you mean fine? Just like that? Aren’t you a PI? Aren’t you looking for her? You’re just gonna give up like that, no questions asked?” Something didn’t match up here. Guy with tight slacks, fancy house, and a dangerous smile, and he was just gonna agree to stop looking for his target? John didn’t buy it. He shifted his foot, just to remind Gale where it was.

”I’m not looking for Christine.”

”You’ve been asking the whole city about her.”

“Then maybe I already know where she is.”

 Alright, now John was getting annoyed. “I’m not sure you’re getting my message—“ John presses his foot down and suddenly his ankle twists and he topples to the ground before he knows what’s happening. Little shit’s hands were fast. Maybe John wasn’t the only one here who knew how to fight dirty.

 Gale was up and bolting to a nearby kitchen counter, reaching into a breadbox that John just knew had a gun inside, and now that he was up to speed, now that he knew what he was dealing with, he didn't skip a beat. He was on him in a second, knocking the little revolver out of his hand with a perfectly aimed brass-knuckled punch to the wrist. Gale grunted as the gun went clattering across the floor. He immediately went to dive for it but John didn’t let him, grabbed him by the belt and shirt and tossed him against a cabinet. He went down heavy.

”Wily, ain’tcha?” John said, surprised that he was breathless. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. “Now I really don’t think you’re getting my message, Gale.”

 Gale flipped onto his back, staring up at John, and boy if that wasn’t a sight. Too handsome for his own good, sure, yeah, but now that John knew he could almost hold his own? Now that John was intrigued? Oh, he was just his type.

”I got your message,” Gale claimed, hands up again like it would work a second time, “I got it.”

”See I really don’t believe you. You’re obviously not scared of me, even though you should be, and you’re obviously hiding something, otherwise you wouldn’t look so damn smug. And you really think—“

 Gale twisted quick across the floor, kicking off and going for that god damn gun again, and John dove down with a knee to his back. This guy was an absolute menace. “Alright, okay, I give,” Gale said, breathing hard under John’s knee. The blond hair at the base of his neck looked soft. John wanted to bury his hand in it. Instead, he wrenched one of Gale’s arm behind his back.

”I just don’t trust you, Gale. You haven’t given me a lot to work with, y’know?” John pressed his arm at just the right angle to make Gale really tense up. Now he was getting what John was saying.

”No, no, I get it, I’ll drop Christine, alright? She was a lead on a case looking for someone else, and I’ll drop it, I’ll find another way.”

”You know, you remind me of a guy I used to know named Buck. Spitting image. Only he was a lot smarter than you, right? He woulda taken my message the first time.“ Gale was much easier on the eyes than Buck, but no one had to know that. “Now make sure you tell your doctor, you’ve got a spiral fracture of your radius—’

”Nonono,” Gale said, still a little too calm for John’s taste. But that could be fixed.

“Deep breath,” John instructed.

 Gale kicked out beneath him. “No. No!”

 John leaned into his hold, twisting and pushing hard and fast.  Familiar resistance, and then give. Gale screamed, convulsing under John’s knee, lifting his hips in an instinct to crawl away. Much better.

 John stood, marched across the room and grabbed the gun, dropped the bullets out of the cylinder. Gale was panting on the ground, arm still behind him and twisted just a little wrong, back arched in pain. “Fuck,” he grunted.

”Alright, you have a good day, Buck!” John sang, waving a hand behind him as he left in case Gale could see him. What a guy. Fun job. John would have done it for ten bucks off, honestly.

 Outside, crossing the sidewalk to get back in his car, John was waylaid by a shorter man, eyeing him up and down. “You a friend of Gale’s?” the man asked. He must have seen John leave Gale’s house. Wouldn’t do to have him suspicious enough to check John’s license plate as he left.

”Yeah, yeah. Colleagues more than friends, really,” John lied, getting into his car but leaving his door open. He put on his most winning smile. The man smiled back.

”Alright. Name’s Curt, I’m Gale’s roommate.” Curt held out his hand and John took it.

”Nice to meet ya, Curt, real nice.”

”Nice to meet you too, uh…” Curt was waiting for his name. John wasn’t going to give it.

”Have a nice day now, Curt!” John chirped, shutting his door and putting the car in drive.

-

 John eked his way through the door between partygoers waiting in line. “Ay, Bucky!” the bouncer greeted, patting him on the back.

”Hey, Jim, how’s it goin’?” John asked, turning to walk backward a few steps.

”Gonna be a busy night, might wanna have your earplugs ready.”

”Always do!”

 John bounded across the club, through the door in the back and up the stairs. There was a guy up there, looking around like he was lost. Probably already drunk and confused before the show even started. He had on a smart red suit, too nice for this place.

”Club’s downstairs, sir, up here’s a private residence.”

”Oh, man, you got like an apartment or something up here?” red suit asked. Jesus. Take a hint, pal.

 John walked to his door, unlocking it. “Yeah, or something. Really, you’re not supposed to be up h—“

 Red suit guy grabbed the back of John’s head and smashed it into his door. The bolt, unlocked as it was, ripped through the doorframe. The guy tossed John inside and he landed hard on the floor, suddenly and vividly empathizing with Gale. Red Suit wasn’t taller than him, but he was a hell of a lot thicker. He grabbed John by the hair and got right in his face, ”Where is Christine?”

 John tried to shake his head, ended up just wincing. “I don’t know a Christine, sorry.”

”Come on, you cocksucker, don’t play dumb with me.” Red Suit bounced his head off the ground and sent the world tilting and whooshing around John for a minute there.

”If you don’t want me dumb, concussing me ain’t gonna help.”

 Red Suit shook him by the hair and John finally grabbed his arm, considering his options. “Tell me where the fuck Christine is.”

”Look, I’d love to help, but you’ll have to tell me who Christine is.”

”Fuck you.” Red Suit pulled up and John followed only to keep his scalp intact. He threw John against the arm of the couch. It winded him, knocked his breath right out of him, but it was a tactically bad choice for Red Suit. John had a double barrle shotgun under that couch.

”Okay, alright,” he gasped, “let’s just reason with each other here.” John slipped onto the ground, crouching and putting on a show of catching his breath. He coughed for good measure, too. “You’re looking for Christine, and I,” John curled in on himself, looking discretely under the couch to make sure the gun was still there, “I don’t know who you’re fucking talking about.” John reached under the couch and in one smooth motion had pulled the gun out and rolled onto his back. He trained the shotgun up at the guy, who produced a tiny handgun from his pocket. John laughed. “Ohh, buddy, it’s not even a contest.”

 John fired the first shell as a warning shot several feet to the left, lightning quick, no time to think to aim and taking out his TV and the radio on top of it. Well. Fuck. Sacrifices had to be made sometimes. Red Suit grimaced, but started backing up to the door, gun still trained on John. John let him. He knew he’d see him again, but that was a problem for another day. He waited until he heard steps going back down the stairs.

“Fuckin’ jagoff!” John yelled after him.

 Now who the fuck was that and who was he working for? And who the hell was this Christine girl, really? And why did one deal with her sic some goon on him? And how the hell did John keep that goon from coming back with his friends? He slid the shotgun back under his couch. Looked at his poor TV and radio. “Fuckin’ jagoff,” he repeated under his breath.

-

 The gym was busy on a Friday night. John made his way through the hallway, past the vending machines and lockerroom doors and into the boxing gym. The place was crawling with people, mostly men jacked to the tits and sweating like pigs. John smiled to himself. This was probably what his heaven would look like. Including the blond currently watching his friend Curt in the ring.

 Curt shuffled back and forth, sparring some guy without really trying. Warming up, probably. Gale sat in a metal folding chair outside the ring, looking up. Tight slacks, tight t-shirt, arm in a cast and held against his chest. He watched Curt, sometimes giving him a note, but mostly just watching.

 John walked up and stood beside his chair, watching too for a few seconds. Curt’s nose looked like it had probably been broken before. John wondered how Gale’s was faring after the other day. A sweet little vivid memory of wide eyes and a bloody nose looking up at him prompted John to finally look down at the top of Gale’s head. Gale looked up, and at the same moment Curt noticed.

”Ay! You’re that fuck that beat up Gale!” Curt yelled, pointing at him with an entire boxing glove.

”Sucker punched,” Gale corrected, shooting him a glance. He looked back up at John. He had a sweet little black eye, courtesy of John himself. “You got a lot of guts coming here,” he said. Quiet. Calm. Deep. Almost vacant. A different person than John had met just three days earlier. He looked back at Curt. “‘Salright, Curt, keep goin’.”

 Curt obviously didn’t want to, but reluctantly listened, turning back to his opponent but glancing over constantly.

”So what, you come to break my other arm?” Gale asked, watching Curt and his partner slide across the ring.

”Nah, maybe I just like ya, Buck,” John said, watching Curt too.

 Gale tsked.

-

 They sat in a plush booth seat at the diner, Curt and Gale on one side and John on the other.

“So you really beat people up for money?” Curt asked, leaning forward with much interest.

”Yup.”

”Could you beat up this guy I know? Name’s Lawrence, he’s a real—“

”Curt,” Gale cut him off.

 John smiled, holding his hands out in placating innocence. Gale glanced at his hands. Raised his doctored arm onto the table to rest it there. John almost felt bad about it by now. “Got a favor to ask, Buck.”

“My names Gale,” Gale said.

“I know what your name is. My name’s Bucky, by the way.”

 Curt made a squawk of confusion. Gale squinted at him. Raised his good arm to cradle his face momentarily. “You call me Buck, and your name is Bucky.”

”Alright, well, not legally, but that’s what I’m called. If you don’t like Bucky, you’re free to call me ‘sir.’” John grinned at him, and the corners of Gale’s mouth honest to god twitched.

”Okay, Bucky. What do you want?” Gale drawled, sipping from a glass of coke.

“I want you to help me find Christine.”

“You want me to help you find the girl you made me stop looking for?”

“Sure. Is that a problem?”

“You broke my goddamn arm.”

“Yeah, and I’m real sorry about that, alright? But look, Buck, I got some money, I can pay. I’ll hire you like an honest to god client.”

“It’s gonna cost you a pretty penny, Bucky.”

 Curt looked back and forth between them like watching a tennis match.

 John had anticipated as much, and he pulled out an envelope with five hundred big ones in it, handed it over. “That enough?”

 Gale eyed him. Took the envelope. Counted it. Eyed him again. Nearly smiled. “So why’re you suddenly interested in finding her again? She owe you money for jumping me or something?”

 John laughed. “Nah. See, someone else is after her, and now they’re after me because they think I’ve got some kind of connection with her, when I don’t. All I know about her is her name, what she looks like, and that a few days ago she was riding around in a rented convertible. Now, I know it’s not you lookin’ for her, ‘cause I made sure of that, but I think whoever it is is gonna be a big thorn in my side until I get it sorted out.”

 Despite the prickle John had drawn out of him, mentioning that he’d made sure and all, Gale looked interested. Amused, really. “Hired muscle, asking me for help finding his own client.”

“Well, she’s just the beginning, now isn’t she? I got a feeling this goes deep, Gale,” John winked, “real deep.” So he was flirting. Sue him.

 Gale’s face cracked into a smile. It reminded him of the one he’d seen when they’d met, all bloody nosed and charming. Gale was excited. That made John excited, too. Gale hid it by looking down at his coke though, like he was bashful all of the sudden. Cute. “Alright, Bucky. It’s a deal.” He tucked the envelope into his pocket, took a drink of his coke, held out his hand. Bucky took it. Gale shook.“‘Cause I already know where she is.”

 Son of a gun.

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

sorry this will never turn into a whole fic but please feel free to whisk it away and make it your very own fic if u want. i honestly just wanted to write john breaking gale's arm like in the nice guys bc i have nice guys brainrot forever and am mentally <3 disturbed

[buck-star]

Soldier’s coming home

Bucky comes home to his boyfriend after his assignment for the army.

Pairing: Soldier!Bucky Barnes x CountrySinger!Steve Rogers

Wordcount: 982 Words

Warnings/Tags: established relationship, fluff, mention of smut

Authors Note: @calzone-d some Stucky for you. Divider made by me.

Events: WinterShield Bingo [N4 | Country singer au | @wintershieldbingo], Bucky Boy Bingo [I4 | First Hug | @buckyboybingo], Stucky Bingo [SB6010 | O1 | Writing Format: Flashfic | @stuckybingo]

Masterlist | Stucky Masterlist

“I cried, never hold the hand of another guy,” the sound of Steve’s soft voice echoed through the old country bar. He’s sitting with his guitar on the stage in the front of the tables and the small dance floor in the middle. He’s smiling softly while he lets his fingers slide over the sides of the guitar and nods his head slightly to the music. “Too young for him. They told her, waitin’ for the love of a travelin’ soldier.”

His blue eyes roam through the bar for a moment. He takes a deep breath, taking in the familiar sound of the wood mixed with the smell of the alcohol and food in there. Steve watches the people sitting there but also the few dancing on the little dance floor.

“Our love will never end. Waitin’ for the soldier, come back again,” he continues. Steve’s thoughts move to his boyfriend, the way his calloused hands feel on Steve’s small waist while they both swing their hips to the music. They used to dance every Friday night in that bar until Bucky had another assignment for the army. “Never more be alone when the letter says—“

Steve smirks when the people at the bar finish the line of the song. “The soldier’s coming home.” He keeps singing the choruses a few more times, knowing the people love it just as much as he does.

When he slowly finishes the song, he puts down the guitar and gets off the little stool he sits in. “Thank you so—“

Steve’s eyes widen when he notices a familiar face in the back of the room. Bright blue eyes, long brown hair, and the most beautiful smile Steve has ever seen, belonging to the man who’s leaning with his back against the wall. His arms are crossed over his chest while he grins at Steve.

“So— so much…” Steve mumbles into the microphone while his eyes remain on the man who’s still wearing his uniform. And damn, he looks delicious, sweet, and just… perfect.

The blond-haired man places the microphone on the stool and jumps off the stage. He pushes himself through the crowd on the dance floor toward his boyfriend. Bucky pushes himself off the wall, standing straight while he opens his arms wide.

When he reaches the soldier, he jumps into the strong man’s arms, hugging him tightly. Steve doesn’t care that he’s probably crushing Bucky underneath his weight; he wants to be close to him, as close as possible.

“Stevie, you big baby,” Bucky laughs, wrapping his muscular arms tightly around Steve’s frame. The people in the bar are all staring at the two, clapping and cheering for them. “Missed your voice when you sing; glad I didn’t miss your show.”

“I missed you, Buck, so much,” Steve mumbles, his legs around Bucky’s waist to make sure that the brunette keeps him in his strong, warm embrace.

The blond-haired man leans back slightly, his hands moving to frame Bucky’s face. He locks his eyes with the brunette's blue orbs and grins happily.

“You’re home, baby,” he mumbles before he crashes his lips on Bucky’s. Steve sighs softly, feeling the brunette’s lips so soft and sweet against his. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Stevie. Now let me set you down; my arms are getting heavy with your weight on them,” Bucky chuckles, and with a little huff he manages to set Steve down. His hands remain on the small waist of his boyfriend while he looks the blond-haired man up and down, licking his lips slightly. “You look fuckin’ hot with your hair and beard grown out like that, Stevie.”

Steve chuckles, leaning his head against Bucky’s shoulder. “Thought I would let them grow out a bit; it fits with the country style and makes me look less like a man with thick muscles and a baby face.”

“Mhm, you’re pretty without or with a beard. But I have to be honest; it looks hot,” Bucky chuckles. He keeps his boyfriend close to him while he pecks the pink lips of the blond-haired man.

“You’re not bad yourself, especially in that uniform,” Steve groans. He lets his eyes roam over the people who are busy with themselves again, then he thrusts his hips against Bucky’s with a grin, hips grinding against Bucky’s.

“Stevie… we’re in public,” Bucky mutters under his breath, his cock hardening in his pants. He pushes one of his legs between Steve’s, allowing his boyfriend to grind against his thigh. “Naughty boy.”

Steve whimpers, his breath warm against Bucky’s neck. “You can’t blame me; I missed you so much, and you look so sexy in your uniform,” Steve grumbles, his hands sliding down Bucky’s back to his ass, squeezing the soft flesh in his hands.

Bucky pushes his boyfriend slightly away from him, interlacing their fingers before he pulls them back into one of the bathrooms in the back of the bar. The brunette slams the door shut, locking it.

“You have to be quiet, Stevie,” he says, his head tilted and his voice low. Steve nods, shivering under the intense gaze of his boyfriend, who walks closer to him. The calloused hands of Bucky find their place on Steve’s waist, turning him and pushing him with his stomach against the sink. “We don’t want them to hear your pretty moans, do we?”

“N-no… just for you, just for you to hear them,” Steve moans, his fingers gripping the sink to ground him, when Bucky’s hands slide up and down his sides, closer to his crotch with every movement.

“Good boy,” Bucky whispers, his hands moving to the belt buckle of Steve's pants. “Sounds that are just meant for me, Stevie. Just mine, baby.” He places one of his palms on Steve’s bulge, smirking and kissing the other man’s neck when he throws his head back against Bucky’s shoulder.

Taglist: @rogersbarber @loki-laufeyson68 @etherealdisneyvillainness @winterschildren8 @pono-pura-vida @kimmie113080 @sergeantbarnessdoll @sebastianstanisahotmf @mercurial-chuckles @holylulusworld @randomawesomeperson102 @looking1016 @multiversefanfics @kpopgirlbtssvt @alexxavicry @gremlin-girly @iris-xoxo-juhu @fckedupandbeautiful @princesscore-angel @casa-boiardi @blackhawkfanatic @mrsalexstan @thesarcasmqueen-22 @bamitzzsam @blackhawkfanatic @hisredheadedgoddess28 @bamitzzsam @princesscore-angel @kandis-mom @peachy-satan00 @armystay89 @queen-honeybee-stories [add yourself]

[celli-ohs]

yeowza!

part three of accidentally in love! series gamer!beomgyu x streamer!reader; college!au, fake relationship fluff, comedy, angst, smut

ATTENTION: reply/comment for tag list

5. buy me robux (written chapter 2.2k)

It wasn’t that Beomgyu hated parties. No, in fact, he liked them, under the right circumstances at least. And right now, this party was under all the wrong ones. There was a reason he always tried to avoid going to the ETEN frat parties: it was too loud, too crowded, everyone was either too drunk or high out of their mind to function properly, the bathroom smelled weird, and worst of all it was like everyone was extra horny the second they stepped foot into the house. Well, maybe that was more than one reason, but he didn’t care, all Beomgyu wanted to do was go home. Currently, he had holed himself inside a tiny little closet in the back of the hallway. He’s sitting on the ground, knees to his chest while he distracts himself from the outside world by playing Roblox on his phone.

Usually, Beomgyu didn’t have to resort to hiding when he was forced to come to these parties, but Kai had begged him to join. Soobin was spending the night with his girlfriend, Taehyun unfortunately had a study group, and Kai was too busy talking to others to realize he was gone. Yeonjun (who was his and Kai’s ride back home) claimed he couldn’t care less whether or not he came but ironically seemed to be checking on Beomgyu the most. With no one to hang out and waste time with, he decided it’d be better to get out of the way. At least that’s what he keeps telling himself. In reality, he’s terrified to step foot outside the little closet. When he arrived, he was happily glued to Heeseung’s side, the birthday boy was having a blast.

But about an hour and a half into the party, Jeongin finally arrives, and with him is a parade. Beomgyu immediately spots you in the sea of drunk adults, squished between your friends Yuna and Felix. You’re gorgeous, so beautiful his stomach drops and he feels like he might puke if you look his way. “Hey! You guys made it-” Beomgyu pushes past Heeseung, running up the stairs and down the hall before you notice him. He already felt bad when Jeongin revealed you thought he hated you, and he knew he would only make a fool out of himself if you tried to talk to him, so he’d rather flee than confront you. So that’s why he was huddled inside the closet, wasting time before Yeonjun finally called him when it was time to go.

He’s pretty comfortable, leaning against someone’s old coat as his eyes are glued to his screen when the door to the closet swings open, revealing his peace to the chaotic world outside. “There you are! Dude, where have you been?” Jeongin looks at him incredulously, kneeling down to eye level. “What the hell are you doing in here?” He asks loudly, trying to compete with the volume of the party. Beomgyu shrugs. “Just chilling,” He tries to sound like this was intentional and not because he was avoiding you. Knowing his nature, Jeongin just nods, cheeks already a bit rosy from the alcohol. “I brought you a beer,” He shows him the glass bottle and hands it to Beomgyu, who pauses his game to take a sip. “Quick question, is your friend Kai single?” Jeongin suddenly asks.

Beomgyu quirks a brow. Kai was definitely single. He’s been chronically single since birth, which always shocked Beomgyu because Kai was the biggest green flag to ever exist. Maybe it was Kai himself who held high standards, but then again, there was that one time he confessed to him that he would date Beomgyu if he was a girl, and Beomgyu wasn’t exactly the ideal type. (Beomgyu rejected him kindly, and the two kept it a secret between them). “Yeah. Super single.” He quips. Jeongin looks relieved at this. “Cool, my friend Yuna likes him.” Beomgyu short circuits as he hears this. Shin Yuna, the renowned supermodel and beauty influencer? The same Yuna whose face is plastered all over the city? Shin Yuna, whose last boyfriend was a professional soccer player overseas? That Yuna was interested in Kai Kamal Huening?

No offense to Kai, but most if not all girls ran away after they realized how dorky he was. Beomgyu hasn’t even noticed Jeongin has left to share the news when someone else stops at his feet. “Beomgyu? What’re you doing here?” Yeonjun’s girlfriend looks down at him with wide eyes and shock written all over her face. “Oh hey. Just playing Roblox. I’m playing Fart Attack.” He shows her his screen. She’s not impressed by this at all. “Okay, well I just wanted to let you know that we’re singing Happy Birthday to Heeseung in an hour,” She informs him. “Thanks, I’ll be there. Shut the door will you?” He asks, going back to his phone. She scoffs, finding him funny, and does as she’s told, leaving him be.

He doesn’t know how long he’s alone again, all he knows is that he’s battling it out in the toilet with some kid whose username is blandchikenlegs. Someone hits the door, causing him to jump and miss his attack, and blandchikenlegs wins the round. “Dammit!” Beomgyu curses, just as the door opens. “This is all your fucking fault,” He growls, glaring at Yeonjun. “The fuck? Get your ass out here, stop being a loser, and socialize.” Yeonjun slurs. Beomgyu answers him by kicking his ankle. “Ow! Stop it!” Yeonjun complains. “Fine, fine I’ll leave! Just wanted to let you know we’re blowing out Heeseung’s cake in 20 minutes,” Yeonjun grumbles. “But you’re going to die an emo virgin if you don’t get your ass out here!” He shouts, before slamming the door shut in anger.

Beomgyu grumbles, exiting his game to grovel in silence. With a sigh he leans against the wall, sighing. He can’t leave, not yet at least. If he leaves too early, there’s a chance he might run into you, and he can’t risk looking like a fool again. But on the other hand, if he leaves too late, he’ll miss out on singing happy birthday to one of his best friends and look like a jerk. (Not like that was a big deal. Heeseung forgot his birthday last year). He had to get the timing right, or else he’d be in hot water. With another tiring sigh, he pulls out his phone once more. One more game shouldn’t hurt, right? He’s in the middle of playing another round of Piggy when someone knocks on the door. It was probably Yeonjun again, here to let him know it was time for him to come out- the door opens and Beomgyu winces at the sudden change in lighting. “Yeonjun, I swear to God-”

Beomgyu immediately shuts up when he sees who’s the real perpetrator. You stare down at him, face a mixture of shock and embarrassment. Yet the only thing that crosses his mind at the moment is how beautiful you look above him. The ceiling light behind you acts like a halo. “I-I’m so sorry! I thought this was the bathroom-” You begin to fret, and you’re about to close the door when you stop halfway. “Are-Are you playing Piggy on Roblox?” You ask nervously. Your question has Beomgyu realizing the situation he’s in. You’ve caught him in his hiding spot. Not only that, you’ve caught him playing a child’s game. A part of him wishes he’d been playing League so that he could brag about his stats. Unable to deny it, he nods rigidly. You bite the inside of your gum, and you look nervous for some reason.

“Can I join you?”

And that’s how Beomgyu found himself shoulder to shoulder with you, together tucked into the dark closet, both enamored in an intense game together. “Piggy’s right there! Run, run!” He shouts at you. “I’m trying! The key’s in the next room!” You cry back. “I’ll distract her, go get the key!” He urges, and your character runs off while Beomgyu leads the demonic pig murderer on a wild goose chase. Beomgyu shrieks as he’s killed, you wail beside him having not found the key yet. “Where the fuck is the key?” You mindlessly whine. “Did you check the other room? I didn’t check that one earlier,” Beomgyu leans over your shoulder to peek and point at your screen. “What?! No, I didn’t-AH!” You shout as your character is killed. You groan and lean back helplessly onto the wall defeated.

Beomgyu rests too, closing his eyes for a moment. “Maybe I should play some Roblox games on stream.” You mumble. Beomgyu glances your way, even in the dark he can see the outline of your perfect face. “What are some Roblox games that could boost my ratings?” You ask him, turning. Your eyes connect, and it’s as if the closet grows smaller. His heart is racing, it’s so loud he can hear it, and his ears are drumming louder than the music outside. “Your ratings?” He coughs, looking away first. “Mhmm.” You hum. “My numbers haven’t been steady since March. My manager’s been on my ass about it.” He has no idea why you’re sharing this information with him, but your concern worries him nonetheless. “Play Fart Attack.” He prompts, making you giggle. He can physically feel you laugh, your shoulders bobbing up and down against his.

Unknowingly he begins to laugh as well, chuckling alongside you. “That game is so gross!” You shake your head, grinning at him. “You obviously don’t have taste. Don’t ever ask for a recommendation from me again.” He pretends to act offended. You laugh even louder, playfully hitting his knee. “No! Come on I need help,” You pretend to whine, gently shaking his arm. Never in a million years had he thought you of all people would be clinging onto his arm. Was this some kind of gift from heaven for his perfection and good deeds? Wait- The thought of gifts has Beomgyu stumbling up to stand. “Oh fuck- Heeseung’s birthday!” He’s having a hard time standing straight. His legs are sore from being crouched for however long he was in here, even more so when you joined him.

When he does stand, his legs give out on him, causing him to crash into you. His face is mere centimeters above yours, hovering over you as you lay against your back, hair disheveled from the fall. You smell of fresh lavender and vanilla. His cheeks heat up even more, you’re so close he can see the pupils of your eyes. “Oh my god I’m so sorry-“ He tries to get up, but knocks his head again at something, causing him to wince and duck- his skull bumping into yours instead. As you two groan in pain, there’s a flash of bright light. “Holy shit.” A new voice mumbles. The familiar click of a camera shutter has you and Beomgyu abruptly looking up. When did the door open?!

Your perpetrator is a drunk man he doesn’t recognize, but you seem to. “Hey!-“ You push Beomgyu off of you, looking panicked. You crawl out of the closet, chasing down the man as he makes his escape. “Y/n-“ Beomgyu tries to follow you, but soon is ambushed by an upset Heeseung. “Dude where the hell were you?” Beomgyu’s guilt grows. “I’m sorry, I lost track of time and- I’ll make it up to you I promise!” He claps his hands together as he pleads with his best friend. But Heeseung only rolls his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.” Beomgyu frowns, now trailing after Heeseung. “Bro just let me explain-“ “Beomgyu! Let’s go!” Yeonjun’s girlfriend suddenly tugs at his arm. “What?” He shakes her off, trying to reason with Heeseung.

“We gotta go! Kai just threw up- all over some poor girl.” She grimaces and his stomach drops. “Fuck. Okay.” He nods. “Heeseung I’m really sorry, I promise I’ll explain myself later!” He shouts as he hurriedly leaves. As he weaves through the crowd towards the living room, he can’t seem to find you. He wonders whatever happened to you when you had run off. His fantasy is short-lived when Yeonjun’s girlfriend grabs his arm, tugging him towards the front door. “Finally! Come on, he’s really sick.” Yeonjun looks exasperated as he struggles to hold up a very pale and passed-out Kai. “What the hell happened?!” Beomgyu asks as he helps carry Kai to the car.

“I don’t really know. He was talking to that hot girl- uh that normal-looking woman- the influencer? He got really nervous I think and drank too much, he puked all over her.” Yeonjun is glancing at his girlfriend as the two men place the youngest into his seat. Beomgyu had a feeling Yuna was no longer interested in Kai. “Also, where the hell were you?! I thought I told you to come out for the cake! Jesus Christ man you are such-“ “Oh shut up and drive already!” Beomgyu complains, crossing his arms as he sits in the backseat. Yeonjun reluctantly begins to drive, all while lecturing Beomgyu. “And another thing! Stop hiding and act like a normal person, have fun a little!”

Before Beomgyu can argue, someone else speaks up. “My stomach hurts.” Kai groans, hugging his sides. Everyone becomes extremely alert, turning to the man in panic. “I’m gonna-“ “Not in the car not in the car not in the car notinthecar notinthecar notinthecar notinthecar notinthecar!!” Yeonjun speeds down the road as Kai moans in pain. Beomgyu’s night ends with the horrific smell of rotten milk and eggs filling Yeonjun’s RAV4.

Bonus:

Kai got nervous from Yuna's flirting, causing him to drink past his limit

Y/n forgot to use the bathroom when she noticed Beomgyu playing roblox

Heeseung isn't actually upset at Beomgyu, he's just messing with him since Beomgyu always annoys him for forgetting his birthday

Y/n did in fact do Hyunjin's makeup for the party (she even streamed it)

Felix baked Heeseung brownies as a gift for his birthday

previous | next

yeowza! masterlist

taglist (open): @ancnymcnzjy @hybeboyenthusisast @wonnyy1 @justandloyal2961 @sseishiross @bubbbblessssss

[echoingbirdsofprey]

Back Forty View (On Our Piece Of Ground)

6 - The Way That It Feels When You Lean In And Kiss Me

Pairings: Tyler Owens x OFC Georgis Tennley-Owens, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x OFC Samantha Kazansky

Rating: Explicit (MDNI!)

Warnings: SMUT (at the end) unprotected!piv (wrap before you tap), trauma bonding, brief descriptions/mentions of death and medical crap, braindamaged!Tyler, pregnancy talk and idk what else but its a hot mess.

A/N: Lol these four idiots are just sharing their trauma and touching each other over and over again. Brief description in the beginning of Tyler and Jake burying their dog Dixie in a flashback and mention of death, so just be warned there.There's smut and trauma bonding throughout the whole 6k words of this chapter. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore but I'm having fun writing it anyway lol. As always let me know if you enjoyed it too! Thank y'all for continuing to read. I know it's a journey and I'm so thankful for everyone that's supporting along the way!

Tags: @mrsevans90 @djs8891 @gpsmississippihippie @barnesboo1967 @dizzybee03 @coloraturadiva @kmc1989

Dixie didn’t die when the boys were young, even though she was no spring chicken when they got her, so they had plenty of an understanding of what was going on when it happened. In fact it had been Tyler who had to bury her, not without Jake’s help though. They’d understood death from a young age because of their biological father dying. Kenny, their stepfather, had an old rope horse that had passed that mostly the boys rode, but every so often Kenny would hop on and rope a couple cows, just to remind the boys that he was still nimble enough and a good enough hand to kick their asses. Those boys needed that every once in a while. But there had been enough death for them to understand it. It didn't mean it didn't still hurt.

That old rope horse, Dodge, had collapsed in the stall overnight, and they’d found him cold in the morning. Kenny showed the boys what to do and how to do it and then Tyler was always volunteering at the rodeos when a cow died or a horse had a heart attack from running too hard, or what have you. It was Tyler’s calm demeanor that made him someone that everyone could lean on in those heavier moments. And that carried through even when Tyler wasn’t himself. Even when he’d been in pain, in absolute agony, everyone still felt like they could depend on Tyler for solace. 

So the morning that Dixie died, she died in front of the fire. Jake had been home from a deployment and they had been outside working on cleaning up the property. Kenny had injured his shoulder and couldn’t do much with the tractor, so Tyler, in between tornados, had come home to try to fix it up. Jake’s deployment had gone south, losing Austin, one of his very best friends. He needed time with his brother to blow off steam. 

Their mother had been tending to Dixie mostly, giving her the pain medication that was helping her stay somewhat mobile, keeping her warm by putting a blanket over her, even in the summer, and staying frequent on her food mood swings. She’d eat a certain food for a while and then decide she didn’t like it anymore. That was just what old animals did sometimes.

Tyler and Jake had come in from helping Kenny to their mother sitting on the chair by the roaring fire. “Momma? You okay?” Jake asked, noticing there were tears in her eyes. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her cheeks. Tyler placed a hand on Jake’s back, then squeezed his shoulder. Jake glanced back at Tyler, who’s hand was over his mouth. His eyes were on Dixie, who was curled up next to the fire. Jake tilted his head and then he realized that the dog wasn’t breathing. He crawled the few feet to her and felt her. Warm, but no breath, 

“She’s...gone...I think...” Jake stuttered and Tyler knelt beside him, He rested a hand on the dog’s chest and feeling no heartbeat, tears began to run down his cheeks. He scooped the dog’s body up and waited for Jake.

“Let’s go find a good spot in the field. That was always her favorite place.” Tyler murmured, Dixie’s limp body in his arms, followed closely by Jake. When they exited the house and Kenny saw the dog, he knew immediately. 

“Momma’s pretty broken up.” Jake said as Kenny patted the dog’s head one last time.

“I’ll go sit with ‘er. You boys okay to take care of her?” He asked, and Tyler nodded, sniffling. Jake veered off, going to the barn to grab a shovel, then they headed out into the wheatfield, smack dab in the middle of it and took turns digging until they had a decent spot. Tyler laid her in the hole, and pulled her favorite duck toy from his pocket, throwing it in with her and then Jake scooped the dirt back over her. They placed a rock over the top and as they stood, they faced each other. They silently hugged and then headed back to the house to go see if their momma was doing okay. It would take a while for them to process the loss of that dog, and the house would be too quiet for a long time without her.

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

Heartbroken was an understatement.

Georgia sat in the barn, staring, just staring, at the nameplate on the all door. 

“Wildwood's Blue China - Wilene - Loved by Georgia and Tyler Owens”

Tyler had just gotten their horses all nice, brass engraved nameplates, and the new halters. Tears rolled down her cheeks, into the dirt on the barn floor, thinking of how little time the mare had gotten to wear that pretty new halter. She felt a hand at her back. As she glanced up, warmth spread through her chest and she stood, nearly jumping into Tyler's waiting arms. 

“Rascal can have her stall...then Ducati can have a spot in the barn. Twist needs a friend...” She murmured into his chest. 

“Gee, not now. I know you're tryin’ to distract yourself. Don't. You're allowed to sit with this. You're allowed to hurt.” Tyler's tone was soft and forgiving, his hands the same on her back. 

“But I don't want to.” She said, her eyes reaching his then. There was sadness heavy in the sage green.

“I know you don't darlin’ but you might have to...to help wade through the grief.” He reasoned and she shook her head.

“Why, when you can pull me out of it?” Her hands wound around the back of his neck. 

“Because I ain't pullin', not this time. You never processed your grief for your father completely. I know you didn't. I need you to sort through this . I will help you, but you've gotta work through it. For us .” He motioned between them and then laid a hand on her belly. Georgia understood immediately what he meant and he was right. “Darlin’ you're so good at movin’ on. Don't. If you need to be sad, be sad. I'm here for you, whatever you need.” Tyler offered and Georgia leaned into him more. 

“Can I ask you somethin’?” Georgia's voice was barely above a whisper and Tyler nodded. “When you said you wanted some things to slow down, what did you mean?”

“Life. I just want life to slow up. I feel like we're goin’ a million miles a minute sometimes with all the projects we got goin’ on...the channel, the horses, the house..I just need to hit the brakes a lil’ bit.” Tyler’s hold on her tightened and she felt a wave of tension rush through him. She moved one of her hands down, to the top button that was open on his shirt. She played with the hair on his chest, which made him smirk.

“You know it's all gonna come screeching to a halt when this baby comes, right?” Georgia said, pressing her nose into his chest. She inhaled his scent, which was musky and fresh after showering. Though, Tyler could smell like horse shit, cow shit, and days old ball sweat and Georgia would still think he smelled good. It was because he was her person. 

“I'd like a little respite before that...” Tyler murmured, sighing deeply before pushing his nose into her hair. Horse hair and peaches with some soft floral notes. All sweet, all the time.

“Tyler...I'm so sorry you're exhausted...it's my fau-” She began but he stopped her, peeling her away to catch her irises with his.

“Don't you do that for a second. It's not.” He’d never let her take the blame. He knew he was overextending himself. It was what he did. That was him. He’d work his fingers to the bare bones if he had to.

“You give me and everyone else so, so much of yourself.. .I wish you wouldn't sometimes. ” She said solemnly, her brows knitting as she stared up at him. Her fingers played with the collar of his shirt absentmindedly. 

“I don't know how to be any other way.” He said, leaning down to touch his lips to hers. His eyes drifted down to her belly and his frown turned upside down.

“I know you don't. That's why you're gonna be the best father. But don't lose yourself completely.” She smiled and then it faded, her eyes then searching his. As if she was trying to gauge just how much of himself he’d given away today. Sometimes she could see it, sometimes she couldn’t. He cocked a hip and his hands went under her jacket and traced her sides.

“Y’know there's a part'a me that I reserve for one person and one person only.. .that's you. ..even Jake doesn't know bout my head. Jake knows I'm in pain but you...I told ya...it's unbearable some days.. .but I get up for you . Always for you.” Tyler confessed, his gaze dropping. His face then contorted in pain and Georgia could see he was at the end of his mental allowance for the day. It was getting down to the last month to go and her support system, her husband, was hanging by a thread.

“I know. I love you so much, Tyler. We should take a vacation. We have plenty of people here to take care of the ranch, the channel, the dogs even...” Georgia suggested and Tyler pursed his lips.

“Where are we gonna go on a vacation?” He asked and Georgia shook her head. He was right. Where were they going to go with her as pregnant as she was?

“How ‘bout this then...one day a week, we take the day off. You don’t go into your office, you don’t touch a truck unless it’s to drive us on a date, and I don’t even go out to the barn. I don’t touch a horse or a saddle. We can stay here, or go out for the day, but we don’t do a goddamn thing having to do with work.” Georgia said and Tyler raised a brow.

“Hmm. We just... touch each other all day? That ain’t work.” Tyler mused, pulling her in closer again. His smirk was feral.

“ Yes, Arkansas, we just touch each other alllll day. ” She sighed, not out of annoyance but out of relief knowing that his humor was still intact. 

“So when-abouts do we wanna start this?” He asked, hands shifting so they traveled up her back slightly. 

“When do you want to start it?” She asked, her fingers caressing the hair at his temples, comfortingly. Tyler closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her hands on his head. His most vulnerable area, forever and always. Every so often, he would still see the bull’s hooves coming straight for him, and the ground meeting him before he blacked out, and the thought of the memory made is temples throb, and the crown of his head sear with pain, but as long as Georgia’s hands were there, it would subside quickly. She didn’t know it, but she could always take his pain away in a heartbeat. He should tell her that sometime, but not yet.

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

“You'd kill me if I ever told ya how bad that last concussion was.” Tyler murmured as he ran his hands up and down her side. Laying in bed together, in a house, not some shitty motel, was exactly what Tyler had always dreamed of. It was all he ever wanted.

“You're gonna tell me now.” Georgia demanded, turning to face him.

“Else what?” Tyler teased, his nose touching hers.

“I don't know. Nothin’ scares you anyway.” Georgia whispered, glancing away from him. Her fingers grazed over his bare chest, giving him goosebumps. He chuckled lightly. 

‘That ain't true.” He admitted, his eyes trailing over her naked breasts. He placed a hand on one, squeezed gently and then pressed his lips to hers.

“What are you afraid of Tyler?” Georgia asked, letting her lips linger close to his. He drew back and pressed his mouth to her shoulder and stayed there.

“Losin’ you. Again. ” His voice was almost imperceptible, and it caught Georgia off guard. Her brows knitted and she took his head in her hands as she saw his eyes glaze over and grow misty.

“Well I won't threaten that. I don't ever wanna be without you again.” Her fingers threaded through his hair, the hair at his temples and she traced the tips over his stubble. His breath came out in a shudder, before he began to explain what he’d been told when he’d first woken up from his coma.

“The doctor...said if I didn't rest my brain...if I wasn't careful, it could've bled, and I could've died. They were like ninety ninety percent sure I was gonna die. They almost had to drill a hole up there to relieve the pressure.” He tipped his head down carefully, his nose touching her collarbone. She was careful as she drew his head against her chest. She played with the hair at the back of his neck that he had been needing to trim. 

“Did they?” She asked. He blew air from his lips and then pressed them to the top swells of her breasts. She sighed softly at the contact, the warmth of his mouth comforting to her.

“Nah. Luckily, very luckily, the swelling went down with the anti-inflammatories...and then from there it was just pain and symptom management. I used to get migraines and be down for days on end. I couldn’t drive ‘cause I’d get dizzy, I’d get sick...I guess I sympathize with you pretty hard on the morning sickness...” He explained, his strong arms pulling her in even more than she thought possible. 

“Now I wish I hadn't asked. I didn’t know it had been that bad. You don’t...do you still...” She asked, as Tyler shifted against her. He climbed over the top of her, his head still in her hands. His eyes landed on her, as she dropped her fingers to the nape of his neck.

“No, no. Been about two years without any symptoms. Just need to be careful with my noggin is all.” Tyler’s voice grew husky. Georgia glanced down, as his fingers splayed over her belly. “Especially with the little one on the way.”

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

“I really appreciate you doin’ this for us.” Tyler murmured to Jake as his hand connected with his brother's shoulder and squeezed gently. Jake tilted his head and smiled.

“Not a problem, bruh. You deserve a day off. You plan on goin’ anywhere?” Jake asked, as he saw Georgia coming down the stairs. She sidled up right beside Tyler.

“Not really. Goin’ to get lunch and then we’ll be back. I honestly want to sleep and I think Gee could use it too.” Tyler said softly as he felt her hand fit into his, fingers entwining and closing tightly with his. She smiled up at him and then at Jake. 

“Aright, well, get goin’ then. We’ll hold down the fort. Stay out as long as you’d like. Don’t rush home.” Jake said, punching his brother gently. He watched as Tyler and Georgia left, hand in hand. Grits whined and then gazed up at Jake.

“Sorry bud, ya can’t go with ‘em.” Jake said, reaching down to rub the pup’s ears. Grits whimpered and then trudged over to where Ballast was laying flat out on his side. Ballast side-eyed him and then lifted his head. Grits laid down next to the larger pup and poked him gently. Sam looked up from her laptop.

“Oh, he’s so sad that he can’t go.” She murmured, as Jake sat down next to her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and leaned back. She melted into his touch and glanced at him. His eyes dropped to the floor and he tapped his foot a few times. Sam finished typing what she had been working on and then closed the laptop. “What’s wrong?” She asked, turning to face him, her hands meeting his thigh.

“Did you hear me get up last night?” He asked, running his fingers over her knuckles. She sighed and scooted just a smidge closer.

“I felt you leave the bed...and then I fell back asleep.” Sam said, placing her other hand on his chest. His heart was beating rapidly as his brows furrowed.

“I had a nightmare...” Jake murmured, the frustration in his tone evident. Sam tilted her head.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” She asked and he shook his head. He threaded his fingers through hers and he rubbed his other hand over his face. 

“You were tired. It wasn’t that bad.” He said, letting himself slide slightly down into the cushions. Sam sat up straighter, a dominant gesture.

“You’re supposed to wake me up any time you have a nightmare. We agreed.” She said, annoyed sounding. She climbed over his lap, straddling him and he didn’t look her in the eyes. He felt ashamed, which was not what she had intended, but she wanted him to trust her, even if he thought it wasn’t that bad. 

“I know, I just...it’s old shit...not new shit.” Jake placed his hands at her waist and dug his fingers in, his jaw working as his tone became tight. 

“What does that mean? Please talk to me, Jake.” Her hands rested on his shoulders and she settled her weight across his lap. He sighed heavily.

“Austin...my friend...he was a pilot. He died on the last mission I was on before the Dagger detachment.” He said, his green eyes catching her brown one then. She saw sadness there. His breath became heavier as he struggled to find words to tell her what he wanted to tell her.

“Was that what the nightmare was about?” She asked, biting her lip.

“Do you ever have nightmares about...about Rooster?” His nose scrunched, regretting asking the question immediately. Sam’s expression softened. She expected the slight deflection as it had been hard for Jake to completely open up about all of his trauma. 

“Very rarely. Mostly when it had just happened. Since then...maybe once or twice.” She explained and he nodded, feeling inferior. His nightmares plaqued him, sometimes night in and out, but Sam seemed to never have them. It didn’t meant she didn’t re-live things when she was awake though.

“I haven’t told you everything...about...between me and Rooster.” Jake looked worried, and Sam surmised that it was maybe because after he told her all of his secrets, and opened all of his scars for her to see, that she might feel different about him. 

“Are we telling secrets then, Jake? Because I have one too.” She admitted. His eyes widened and his fingers pressed more firmly into her hips. She nodded.

“You do?” He asked, eyes searching hers.

“Yeah, but you go first. You’re the one that had a nightmare.” She begged, her brows knitting. She shifted slightly on his lap which unintentionally aroused him, but as he began to tell her about his friend, that warm and lusty feeling faded.

“Nothin’ really secret about it, I guess. I beat the hell outta Rooster after we came back from that mission. It was his fault that Austin died. I still believe that. And then, I got court martialed. I was on probation when I met you at the Hard Deck that night...” He explained, his fingers slipping under the hem of her shirt. Her skin was warmer than his hands and he hummed as she drew in a sharp breath at the iciness of his skin against hers. She could melt the ice that coursed through his veins in that moment too.

“Oh, bad boy, huh? I knew I liked you.” She teased, wiggling her hips slightly. He smirked and glanced down and to the side, before his lips parted and he caught her chocolate brown eyes again.

“It was worth it. Rooster was too slow to get there. I never really processed Austin’s death...no one asked me about it. He was my best fucking friend besides Javy, Samantha...and it seemed like no one even cared...’cept maybe his mom and sister.” The green in his eyes had begun to simmer slightly, whether out of anger or neediness she wasn’t sure. It could’ve been a mixture of both. There was a long silence then between the two of them, Sam just observing Jake. He stewed under her gaze, biting the inside of his cheek, his jaw working, his shoulders tensing. She pressed her fingertips into the back of his neck, kneading the muscles there, quelling some of the irritability that had built up in him. 

“Jake, can I ask you about a pilot? You might have known him.” She spoke softly, leaning in closer to him, her lips almost on his. 

“Of course. What squadron was he in?” He asked, his voice soft and sweet again.

“ Yours .” Sam said, her voice cracked at the end of the word. Jake noticed this and he drew back slightly.

“He was? What's his name?” He asked, his eyes darting back and forth from hers to her lips. He watched the pink rise to her cheeks and he knew it wasn’t lust. It was guilt. Why would she feel that , he wondered.

“Bodhi...” She murmured, her gaze falling away from Jake’s, as if she felt dirty for even uttering the man’s name. He was dead, why did she care so much?

“Captain Bodhi Denson. Yeah. I knew him. He was a really good guy. Unfortunate what happened...I missed the funeral.” Jake explained, sucking in a sharp breath, regret pinching his brows together.

“I was there.” Sam said quietly, sniffling. Jake’s eyes widened in realization, but he wanted to give her a chance to explain what had happened and why she’d been there.

“Wanna tell me why?” He asked, reaching up to cup her cheek. He steadied her, guiding her gaze back to his.

“Before you...after Rooster...I was involved with Bodhi...a little.” She admitted, her fingers working nervously at the back of his neck. He was well aware of what she was doing. Her nerves were there because she felt like she’d kept something huge from Jake, when it was really insignificant, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

“Involved how?” He asked, trying to keep his tone flat, judgement out of it. He hadn’t been with her then and he couldn’t be mad at her for past partners, especially a guy like Bodhi.

“Just...involved somewhat...intimately...he was...he helped me after Rooster...” She stuttered and Jake understood. Jake surmised there had been feelings of some sort there and she clearly didn’t want to tell him, for fear of making him jealous. Jake shouldn't be jealous of a dead man, but...

“I don't know if I like where this is going.” He admitted, his brows raised, his jaw tight. Sam brushed her fingers over his temples then, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He let his eyes flutter shut, enjoying the feeling of her lips on his and the closeness between them. When he was vulnerable, when he was in his feelings like he was right now, her kisses always felt like the first time again. They always set a spark through him and grounded him, even when he felt like he was losing control of every bit of himself.

“Jake, do you ever feel like things happen for a reason?” She asked, as they parted. She stayed close to him, their breath mingling. Her voice was so quiet, as if she was trying to make sure no one else heard, even though it was just them and the pups. 

“Maybe.” He shrugged, pulling her shirt up slightly. She let a sigh leave her lips and then kissed him again, adjusting her position again. 

“I think...well...I believe...that maybe Bodhi sent you to me...why else would we happen to meet at the Hard Deck that night? After you lost Austin...I lost Bodhi...the shit with Roos...” Sam reasoned and Jake shook his head.

“Maybe it was just a coincidence?” He said, trailing his hands across her lower back. He left them there, waiting for her to respond again.

“I don’t think so...” She said, digging her nails into the back of his neck as if she was trying to get her point across.

“Why do you think that?” He asked. She let her hands run down the front of his chest, stopping to massage his pecs for a moment. He blew air from pursed lips as he gazed into her chocolate brown irises. 

“Because Bodhi wanted me to be happy.” She murmured, making Jake cock a brow questioningly.

“He told you that?” He asked, his hands moving again. There was stiff, tense air between them and he felt like he needed to move or have her make a move. Something needed to give. 

“No...I know he did. It was just how he was.” She said, her hands lowering more, to his belt buckle. He raised his brows again.

“He was a nice guy...I felt bad when his wife left him and took his kid but...hey, is that why you gave me a chance? Because you think Bodhi would've wanted you to?” He asked and she nodded.

“Partially, yes.” She said, unbuckling his belt. Jake’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his whole body igniting. It didn’t take much, and she’d started it. He just hoped she wasn’t going to try to end it before they began. Jake stretched up and covered her mouth with his, their tongues then tangling, tasting each other for a few moments before they drew away from one another, panting in the same rhythm.

“Why else? What did Nat tell you that night? She talked to you the entire time. To be honest... I couldn't take my eyes off of you that night .” Jake admitted, and there on Samantha’s cheeks was the heavy, rosy blush that she acquired when she was aroused. When she was close to him. When he complimented her and when he touched her. She felt her cheeks heat and she knew that Jake had noticed, as his hands began to tug at her shirt.

“She told me that even though you were an asshole, you would probably be one of the only pilots she'd be okay seeing me with. She told me you were the most surprising guy she’d ever met. She also told me when you guys had sex...” Sam began and Jake rolled his eyes. Hearing Nat’s name dampened his arousal slightly.

“Jesus...here we go...” He said, annoyed, but Sam brought her hands back up to his cheeks. Jake glanced down, his belt buckle undone and pulled apart. She hadn’t gotten to his zipper yet.

“She just said you were not what she expected. She thought you were gonna be some big jerk and you weren’t. She wasn’t surprised that you left after though.” She said and his brows raised again as he swallowed hard.

“I left because we just weren’t gonna work. We’d had a little alcohol, we both were pretty pent up...she asked me and I just needed the release. My hand wasn’t cutting it. I...it just...didn’t feel right with her...not like it does with you.” He reasoned, and her hands left his cheeks to unzip his jeans. This gave him some relief from the tightness that had rapidly become a problem. 

Before he could do anything else, she was removing her own pants, the yoga pants that he so loved to see her in. They shaped her ass perfectly, for his ultimate viewing pleasure. He couldn’t get enough of her. He wondered then if he would feel the same about her when she was pregnant. He had noticed, with his brother at least, it seemed as though he was even more attracted to his wife while she was pregnant, and Jake felt that a lot of that had to do with the fact that Tyler had always wanted kids. It was an extremely  attractive thing to Tyler. Jake on the other hand, didn’t know he had wanted any of this until Sam, so he wasn’t sure how he’d feel. But he was kind of excited to find out. 

“How did we go so long being in the same circle of people and never meeting? How do you explain that?” She asked, her voice rapidly dissolving into a soft and sultry tone, one that Jake had stuck in his head during all times of the day on some days. It was part of what had gotten him through his rehab, though with his recent nightmare, he felt like he’d taken a step back. But he knew Sam would be right there to help him through whatever was going on in his brain. He just wished he could make sense of it so she wouldn’t have to bother.

“Just chance? I don’t know if I believe in all that spiritual shit.” He said, as he lifted her shirt over her head. With it being the winter, and them not being out in the bright California sun all the time, their skin had taken on a more pale tone, the tan leaving them, but Jake still loved her the same. He loved all of her the same, and he knew he would forever, no matter what season it was. He figured he might love her no matter what her body looked like because what it really was that he loved about her was her brain. It was the fact that she made him think, and almost frustratingly so.

“Well, I do. I think the universe lined things up perfectly so that we’d have each other to wade through this mess we’ve got between us.” She said, as Jake took in the sight of her perfect breasts. He let his head fall back against the back of the couch, sage green dipping back and forth between her tits and her mouth. Her lips were parted slightly, lids lowered, as she began to slide his jeans down his hips. She stood from the couch for a moment, to fully pull them off, throwing them on the floor. Jake’s mouth dropped open and his hands reached to guide her back to his waiting lap. She gladly climbed back on top of him, her hands pressing into his shoulders for support. He winced slightly, a twinge jolting through his collarbone as she used him for support, but he didn’t mind it. It let him know that this was all real still and that he wasn’t dreaming.

He often thought he was when he was with Sam. He thought, multiple times a day, how could he have possibly found such a perfect woman? And then he thought back to what she said about Bodhi. Maybe he could, for just a second, believe that her meeting Bodhi had made the stars align so that they could then meet. Jake felt for Bodhi. The man had lost everything, and then he died. Quite the opposite of Austin. His friend had everything going for him. Austin had even been on track for a promotion. Funny how Jake had gotten the exact promotion that Austin was going to get. Funny still how the tables had turned and Jake had seemingly made up for his past transgression by saving Rooster on their last mission. Was that some ass backwards way of the universe telling him to forgive Rooster? Maybe. 

Jake still had a lot of maybes circling around his brain, but as Samantha settled over his hips, the wet warmth at her core centered over his cock, he temporarily forgot all of those maybes and what ifs. Sam had a way of helping him let go of all of his over analytical thoughts and Jake did the same for her, but it was the negative emotions that Jake pulled from her. Jake wouldn’t stand to have her think she wasn’t good enough or that she deserved any less than she got. Jake wanted her to feel like she was the most important girl in the world, because she was for sure the most important one to him. 

“What mess are we talking about now? The one in our fucked up brains or the one that we’re about to make all over this couch?” He purred, his lips brushing the outer shell of her ear as he then descended toward her breasts. She pushed them toward his mouth and while one of his hands cupped one, the other traveled from her hip around the front of her, down to her sopping wet core. 

“A little of both, Jake.” She sighed, her head dropping back as he began to pleasure her. He took one nipple in his mouth, biting softly, as his fingers pinched the other, This set her body alight, her abs tightening, the fire in her belly stoked. Jake pulled his fingers from her and took her panties aside. She moaned his name as he slipped easily inside of her, letting her sink down all the way once he’d breached her entrance. He sucked in a sharp breath as she fully engulfed his length. She was the one who began gently bouncing up and down on him, making words spill from his mouth like prayers. His voice was solid and husky, low and lascivious. 

“Fuck, Samantha. So good, you feel so, so good, babygirl. So good for me. Made for me, swear to God, you were made for me .” Jake felt like he was just throwing out words, but Sam heeded each and every one, all of it bringing her closer to her release. She was wound tight, just at the edge of it, and she swore that Jake’s praises could send her over if he just kept talking. 

“Made for you, huh? Made just for you, Jake?” She mused and his brows furrowed as he nodded, the now burning green of his eyes blown wide with lust. She angled her pelvis so that her clit rubbed against the skin just above the base of his cock every time she came down.

“Just for me, my fuckin’ beautiful girl. My good girl, so good for me.” Jake’s hands searched, grasping for her hips and taking over for Sam as her rhythm became sloppy. He lifted and dropped her rapidly on his length, her walls tightening with each pass. 

“Yeah?” Keep telling me, handsome, keep going .” She moaned, neediness evident in the words, begging him to continue his incoherent banter. 

“Feels so good when I’m inside you, babygirl. So fuckin, uh, so good, uh. You’re so good. And mine, fuck, all mine. All, ohhh, uh, mine .” Without warning, though she didn’t really need it, he was spilling inside of her, deep inside of her and she was cresting her peak all in the same breath. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she dropped her forehead to his, the sweat on their brows making them stick to each other. Jake reached up then, pulling her lips over his, locking their tongues together as they both stilled and let their orgasms wash over them. Their breath through their nostrils was the only sound in the house, besides the crackling fire. They knew the feeling well, the euphoria that had built up and exploded in the pleasure centers of their brains. The coiled fire in their loins burned, the backdraft erupting throughout their bodies. As the ecstasy faded, and they settled slowly from their shared high, they parted, a string of spit still connecting them for a brief moment. Jake reached up and wiped it from their mouths. 

“How did we get here?” He asked, his smile full of exhaustion and warmth, as he pressed his lips to hers once again.

“We started talking about feelings.” Sam joked and it made Jake chuckle too. He pulled her against his chest and they stayed like that for a little while longer, before gathering themselves and heading to the bathroom to clean up.