#wow look at me being all productive today

[pucksandpower]

Under the Influence

Charles Leclerc x Reader

Summary: Charles Leclerc knows three things (1) wisdom teeth have nothing to do with being wise (2) his face looks like a chipmunk and (3) he really really really loves his girlfriend

Warnings: mention of minor medical procedure

You wake up to the sound of your phone buzzing on the nightstand. Bleary eyed, you reach for it and squint at the screen. 37 missed calls and too many texts to count, all from Charles.

It’s the big day — your boyfriend is finally getting his wisdom teeth removed this morning. You had wanted to go with him to the oral surgeon but Charles insisted he would be fine on his own.

Clearly, that was not the case.

The phone starts vibrating again and you swipe to answer. Before you can even say hello, Charles’ slurred voice comes through the speaker. “Ma choupinette! I misssss you!” He draws out the last word for several seconds. You stifle a laugh at how loopy he sounds from the painkillers.

“Hi, my love. How are you feeling?” You ask gently.

You hear some shuffling on his end of the line.

“I feel ... so good! I can’t feel my face though. Is it still there?” More shuffling noises. “Yep, still here! Wow, my cheeks are soooo big and fluffy now!” He descends into a fit of giggles.

You grin and shake your head. Your poor Charles is definitely still under the influence of the drugs. “I’m glad you’re not in any pain. Are you home already?”

“Yep! Safe and sound in my bed. But it’s so lonely without you here. You should come over and cuddle me!” His words come out muffled, no doubt because his mouth is still numb.

You glance at the clock — it’s still relatively early in the morning. “I would love to but I have a few things to take care of first. I’ll come by this afternoon to check on you though, okay?”

Charles lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Fiiiiiine. Hey, did you know you’re the most beautiful girl in the whole world? And you’re so nice too! I’m the luckiest ...” He trails off into incomprehensible mumbling.

You have to press your hand to your mouth to hold in your laughter. Anesthetized Charles is even more adorable than regular Charles. “Thank you, my love. You’re very kind. Now get some rest, I’ll see you soon.”

“Okayyyy, bye bye gorgeous!” Charles singsongs before hanging up. Still chuckling, you set your phone down to start getting ready for the day. Your productivity is short lived however, as your phone immediately starts buzzing again.

Charles is calling you back.

With a mix of amusement and exasperation, you answer the call. Before you can ask what’s wrong, Charles’ cheerful voice exclaims, “I forgot to tell you I love you!”

You can’t help but laugh out loud this time. “I love you too, Charles.”

“Yay!” He cheers. In the background, you hear a woman’s voice telling Charles to stay in bed and get some rest. It must be his mother looking after him. Thank goodness for her help today.

You talk Charles into hanging up and leaving you be for now. As entertaining as loopy Charles is, you do need to run some errands. You eventually make it out the door and head into town. While perusing the aisles of the grocery store, your phone buzzes again. Expecting it to be Charles, you don’t even look at the screen before answering with an amused, “Yes, my love?”

Instead of your boyfriend’s sleepy voice, you hear numerous screams and squeals on the other end. Before you can ask what’s happening, the chaos turns into a bunch of people chanting “Say it again! Say it again! Say it again!”

Your stomach drops. You pull the phone away to look at the screen. Sure enough, Charles is broadcasting on Instagram Live and waving at an alarmingly large crowd of fans gathered below his apartment. Dreading what you’re about to witness, you bring the phone back to your ear. The chanting continues until Charles finally obliges.

“Y/N Y/L/N, I love you sooooo much! You’re the bestest, most bootiful, charming girl in the whole universe and I love you more than racing!” His confession is met with deafening squeals from his adoring devotees. You stand frozen in the cheese aisle, one hand clutching your grocery basket, cheeks flaming red. This is not exactly how you hoped your relationship would go public.

Charles is still slurring sluggishly into the phone, rambling on about how perfect and wonderful you are. You try to get a word in edgewise to stop him but his fans keep egging him on.

“Charles, honey, maybe you should get off Live and rest ...” you attempt feebly.

He gasps dramatically. “Wait, are you my girlfriend? Y/N? Is that you?”

You sigh, resigned to your fate. “Yes Charles, it’s me.”

The screams somehow increase in volume at this admission. Charles laughs with delight. “Guys, this is my girlfriend! Isn’t she the coolest? I’m the luckiest guy ever!”

Despite your embarrassment, you can’t help but melt a little at his ear-to-ear grin and heart eyes on the screen. He looks utterly smitten, even in his disoriented, post-op state. His fans seem to be eating it up too, flooding the comments with things like “My life won’t be complete until someone looks at me the way that Charles looks at Y/N” and “Charles is boyfriend of the year!”

You spend the next 15 minutes gently trying to persuade Charles to end the livestream and rest to no avail. He is having far too much fun gushing about you and interacting with his followers. You field a few questions from curious fans, keeping your answers light to avoid revealing too much. It’s clear they are enthralled by this lovestruck version of the normally private Ferrari driver.

Finally, after Charles has told the story of your first date no less than five times, his mother comes to your rescue. She appears on camera and tenderly tells Charles the “show” is over and he needs to sleep. He pouts adorably but allows her to tuck him back into bed and take away his phone. Just before the Live ends, he blows a loopy kiss to the camera and says “Love you, mon chouchou!” The fans go wild in the chat before the feed cuts out.

You slump against your shopping cart in relief. Your phone is already flooded with texts from friends and family who saw the Instagram fiasco. You shoot off some quick reassurances that you’re both fine and it was just the medication talking. Bagging the rest of your abandoned groceries, you check out as fast as possible. There’s somewhere you need to be right now.

Twenty minutes later you’re knocking on the door of Charles’ apartment. His mother opens it with an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry about earlier dear, the anesthesia made him a bit out of it as I’m sure you noticed.”

Charles perks up when you enter his bedroom. “You came!” He mumbles happily, making grabby hands at you. You settle onto the bed next to him and he immediately nuzzles into you like an affectionate kitten. His mother slips out to give you two some privacy.

You run your fingers soothingly through his hair. “How are you feeling now, my love?”

“Mmm ... sleepy. And really happy you’re here." He smiles dopily up at you. “Did I do something silly earlier? I don’t really remember.”

You debate downplaying it but figure he’ll find out eventually when the internet explodes. “You may have repeatedly declared your undying love for me on an Instagram Live ...” you say sheepishly.

Charles’ eyes go wide. “No way, really? Wow ...” He blinks slowly, processing this new information. A sly grin spreads across his swollen face. “Well it’s true. I meant every word.”

You kiss his forehead tenderly. “I know you did. Now get some more rest, I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Charles looks up at you adoringly. “I love you,” he says.

“I love you more,” you boop him on the nose.

He giggles. “No way. I love you more-er.”

“Impossible. I love you most,” you insist.

“Nuh-uh,” Charles protests. “I love you most-est.”

You laugh at his stubborn persistence. “Alright, you win. Now close your eyes.”

Charles snuggles impossibly closer into your side and soon his breathing evens out as he drifts back to sleep. You brush a few curls off his forehead and whisper “I love you most-est-est.”

You make sure the blankets are wrapped securely around him and shake your head affectionately at your adorable, clueless boyfriend. Today certainly didn’t go as expected but you wouldn’t trade your Charles for anything in the world.

[httpsryu]

muse? pt. 4

pairing: kang haerin x fem newjeans!reader

summary: getting a new member way long after debut and before a comeback isn't really the best idea to haerin

category: enemies-to-lovers (?), kpop idol au

genre: slow burn, angst, and fluff

warnings: a bit frustrating and A LOT of jealousy

a/n: i appreciate all the love muse has gotten so far! tysm everyone :)

With a small sigh, you proceed to walk into the dressing room, following your hair and makeup stylists. Seeing the fellow '06 liner, you can't help but to already roll your eyes knowing she's probably going to say some remark to you. 

"I would think you've gotten lost or something." Haerin immediately starts upon seeing you at the doorway. 

Huddling the already soaked towel around your frame, you can't help but chatter your teeth. "I think I'm knowing my way around this building since we were here pretty early." 

"Hmm. Good for you." Haerin shuts her eyes for the makeup artist to do her eye makeup. 

You can't help but to let out another very obvious eye roll at the other. 

"Y/N-shi, inside the changing room, there's a new outfit for you to change into." Your makeup stylist says, handing you another warm towel to which you immediately reach out for.

You bow at the older lady, thanking her with a smile before disappearing off into the changing room.

Haerin watches through the mirror, the door closing. She's still thinking about how there was a glowing energy around you, you're a different vibe when it comes to work.

However, Haerin will never admit that. Never in her life.

"Y/N-shi did amazing today." Haerin's stylist starts to talk to the other stylist. "I was so amazed at how well she grasped the cameras!"

"She used to be in a pre-debut show with other SM trainees." The other said, getting your seat ready and making it comfortable for you. "I heard that Min Hee-Jin wanted to bring Y/N with her after leaving SM but the other upper people didn't let her."

Haerin goes on her phone, pretending to not "care" about whatever the two pretty unnies are gossiping about.

"Really?!"

"Yes! She practically grew up in Min Hee-Jin's arms." The other explains, looking over and making sure each makeup product is sitting on the makeup table. "Apparently, not only did she grew up in Min Hee-Jin's arms but also in Yoo Young Jin's arms, he only trains the special trainees."

The cat-like female controls herself from rolling her eyes; yet again. Everyone is praising you for being this special star but why has Haerin not seen it yet? This supposed star that Min Hee-Jin went through lengths of bringing over here messes up the easiest part of the choreography?

Haerin doesn't get it; she really doesn't.

It pisses her off even more.

And because it pisses her off, something in her is intrigued by you.

"Unnie?" You call out from the changing room.

Haerin's stylist cannot help but to let out a small 'awe' at the tone of your voice.

"Yes, Y/N-shi?" Your stylist responds, coming over to stand in front of the changing room. "Is everything okay?"

You immediately panic at that statement, looking over in the mirror at the small rip in your dress. Only the second day of being in the group and you've already ruined a dress.

"Something happened to the dress."

"What's wrong?"

You opened the door slowly, peeking your head out with a derpy smile. "There's a rip in the dress."

"Let me see?"

With some shyness in the steps of your feet, you walk out the changing room.

Haerin almost feels her breath hitch at the sight of you in the mirror, her eyes looked at you, trailing from head to toe. Somehow, just somehow you manage to look stunning with wet hair and the "ripped" dress.

Wow.

This doesn't get past the pretty unnie who just finished up the last final touches of both Haerin's hair and makeup. She lets out a silent giggle at how cute the two groupmates are.

"Hmm, we don't have any backup dresses but..I think we can work with this somehow." Your stylist thinks, rushing out the room.

"Haerin-shi, take care of Y/N-shi. We'll be right back shortly." Haerin's stylist says before shortly following the other out in need of aid.

The feline-like female sighs once again. "You cause trouble everywhere you go."

"Here we go again.." You shake your head in astonishment, genuinely surprised at how someone could ruin the mood SO FAST. "Let me give you a word of advice. you should change your personality. no one would ever like someone who’s fussy and sensitive.”

Haerin snaps her head to turn at you. “I won’t ever ask you to like me, so don’t worry.” 

“Who says I'm worried? Stick close to your words, Haerin."

Haerin could only stare back at you, blinking blankly. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing ends up coming out of her mouth. She lets out a huff silently before turning back around and paying attention to her phone.

"Always trying to start something." You grumble under your tone, which does NOT go pass the cat-eyed female.

Haerin is starting to feel ticked off.

First, she had to wake up early in the morning to do a reshoot for the album (keep in mind that these photos were taken a couple months ago). Second, as if the company wanted to torture her enough, she got assigned with you for the duo shoots (which wasn't even a thing til now because of six members). Lastly, you just LOVE to mumble stuff knowing that she can hear.

Before Haerin could say anything, the two stylists enter the dressing room with various of ribbons and different fabrics to layer over the slight tear.

"Y/N-shi, you can help in the decision of which one looks well with the dress."

The cat-eyed female is a bit curious, so she constantly darts her pupils back and fourth with the screen of her phone and the reflection of you and the two pretty older ladies through the mirror. And somehow, Haerin's eyes focuses on you more than her phone.

Your stylist holds up a pretty piece of pale pink lace and Haerin feels her throat dry up in the back at how pretty the pink looks against you.

"Haerin-shi, what do you think?" Haerin's stylist questions, smiling a bit too wide.

You look up at your group mate in anticipation on what she'll say.

"It's pretty."

The oldest member watches the couple shoot between Haerin and you with her arms crossed in dissatisfaction. Anyone could tell that Haerin and you don't get along like the others.

"Haerin-shi, could we have you whispering something in Y/N-shi's ears? Like you're telling her a secret only for the two of you." The director suggests, hoping the shot will turn out beautiful like the how the others did.

You can't help but to feel a sense of electricity at how close the two of you are.

Haerin fights her eye roll back, scooting a bit more closer towards you and she holds up her hand besides your ear. She slowly moves her face to your ear, she's a bit nervous and uncomfortable with how close this is.

"Y/N-shi, could you tilt your head towards Haerin-shi a bit more?"

Listening to the directions given to you, you move a bit too close but a butterfly leads you to move a bit too far to where Haerin accidentally kisses your cheek. Both girls turn pink at the sudden contact, looking shy afterwards.

What just happened?

However, this shot comes out perfect.

Minji smiles in satisfaction, pushing down the bitter taste in the back of her mouth.

"No fair!" Hanni protests, sitting down on the picnic blanket in a tantrum-like manner as she watches with envy at Haerin and you.

Danielle could only pat the back of her group mate while she too holds back the bitter taste in the back of her throat with a pout.

Hyein can only shake her head at the way the others are acting. "They are so down bad."

Both Haerin and you pull apart immediately after the accidental kiss.

"S-sorry." You apologize, playing with the grass in your hands while looking down to avoid looking at her.

She clears her throat, rubbing the back of her nape in embarrassment. "It's whatever."

Another shot came out perfect.

"They're naturals at this." Your manager views the photos, impressed with how they're looking so far.

The director and staff all nod in agreement at how the two of you look so perfectly paired up.

"There's something in your hair." Haerin points out, prompting you to look up as you brush your hand through your hair. "No, it's there. Careful, you might take off your headpiece."

"Here?"

The feline-like female lets out a small silent laugh, bringing her hand up to fix the falling elf-ears. Fixing your hair afterwards.

"Thanks."

She hums in response.

"Oh! Haerin is so going to get it for trying to get to MY woman!" Hanni fists the blanket in her hand in frustration.

Being in the van close to midnight is a nightmare for the girls. All they want to do is eat and go to bed. Yet, here they are. Stuck in traffic on the busiest road in Seoul.

"Unnie, I'm so hungry." Hyein whines to Danielle, laying her head down on the older's shoulders.

Danielle could only pat the youngest's head to console her. "We'll be home soon."

Haerin looks from the rear view's mirror of the van from her seat, noticing you asleep. Minji, being the oldest she is, besides you as she keeps trying to protect your head from falling into the windows.

Wait; did she just put your head on her shoulders?

"OMG NO!" Hanni whisper-shouts, looking at her ex-roommate in frustration. "Minji is making moves on MY Y/N."

There goes the Vietnamese's delusions again. Haerin wants to just roll her eyes at the way Hanni keeps claiming you as hers. Since when were you a property?

"She sleeps so peacefully." Danielle softly speaks, looking over at you with pureness in her eyes. Oh, how she wishes you were the one laying on her shoulder.

Hyein fights back a giggle at the way everyone is acting.

"She's my roommate at the end of the day." Haerin flatly says, inserting her headphones in to not get bothered and bombarded questions about why she just said that.

Haerin doesn't know either.

Why does she feel the need to tell everyone that you're her roommate? Like why did she even bring it up?

Resting her head against the window, the cat-eyed girl couldn't help but to let her mind flashback to the accidental kiss. Her lips softly grazing against the plumpness of your cheeks. Haerin brings her fingers to her lips again and she can't help but to smile a little over the moment from earlier.

Realization seeps in and her smile drops, eyes blank as she returns back to her usual expression and shuts her eyes. Drowning herself in the music coming from her headphones and traveling into her ears. (in the back of her mind; she doesn't know why her stomach is feeling funny).

"I think Haerin thinks Y/N is cute." Hyein smiles at the others, gulping nervously at the three girls' expressions.

The bang-haired girl waves her hand, brushing it off. "Yeah right."

"No. I'm being serious." The youngest defends her case. "She just doesn't know it yet herself."

The oldest of the bunch shrugs carefully, not wanting to wake you up. "It's only been the 2nd day, who knows?"

"Come on~ everyone knows Y/N is quite cute." Danielle says, understanding Haerin. "And Haerin does like pretty girls."

Hanni rolls her eyes, covering her ears with her hands. "Stop. Stop. Stop. She's my pretty girl, though."

Hyein sarcastically shakes her head while sighing. "Y/N unnie is actually mines, so..."

The other three could only look at her, assuming that it may be a part of puberty.

Pacing back in and out of the shared bathroom in the room, Haerin wonders if she should wake you up to freshen up. Each time she walks out the bathroom, she's met with you peacefully sleeping and she doesn't dare wake you up with how content you look in your bed.

BUT, there's practice tomorrow! If anything, Haerin would not want you messing up tomorrow. AT ALL.

With full decision in her mind, she strides towards your sleeping figure.

"Hey. Wake up." She taps on your shoulder repeatedly. "We have practice tomorrow."

Opening your eyes tiredly, you're met with your member peering over you. And somehow in the dim light of the bedroom, she looks somehow angelic and not annoying like the past day. If only she looked like this all the time, perhaps you would be able to tolerate the introverted member.

Haerin's eyes widen at the sudden eye contact you and her both made, backing away.

"It's 2 in the morning, I figure you'd want to wash up before going back to bed." She rubs the back of her nape, looking at the ground. "We have practice tomorrow."

Letting out a small incoherent noise, ultimately, you listen to your roommate and sit up from the bed. "Thanks."

"You need to get better at knowing the schedules." The other states, walking back to her side of the room. "I may be your member but it's up to you whether you want this spot on the team or not."

Too out of energy to defend yourself, you let out a nod before vanishing into the bathroom. Leaving Haerin wondering why you didn't argue back with her.

Could everything be okay with you? Perhaps, was Haerin a bit mean to you? Not that she cared or anything.

She was only just warning her; she has no idea why you would be upset by her words. The cat-eyed girl shakes her head to forget all about it and keep her mind CLEAR from you. She DOES NOT want you to be the last thought in her head before going to bed.

That sounds like a definite nightmare.

Charging her phone, she places it on the bedside table before drowning herself into her covers. Shutting her eyes to get some rest for tomorrow's day, your face suddenly pops up.

The raven-haired female immediately opens her eyes in a frantic state. What the hell? She sits up, trying to process what just happened. Alarmed and frightened, she gets out of bed to walk out to the kitchen for some air.

Grabbing some water from the fridge, Haerin could only chug it down in hopes of being able to sleep and it was all just a fragment of imagination because she was EXTREMELY drained and over-worked.

"Rin?" Jihye comes walking down the halls to a rare sight of Haerin. "Everything alright?"

Haerin shuts the fridge, smiling at her best friend to not worry her. "Of course."

"How's Y/N? Is she sleeping well?" The Australian asks, walking over to grab a cup of milk. "I hope she's not too exhausted, she just got here and she's getting into all these schedules all of a sudden."

The other could only roll her eyes, agitated at how other other girls are worrying about you. After all, you're her roommate not THEIRS. So why does it matter that you end up being on her best friend's mind at the end of the night.

"After the concept photos, I think I saw her in a new light." Jihye shyly confesses, looking down at the cup of milk with a soft smile. "She's just so fresh, I don't know how to describe it."

"Do you have a crush on her or something?"

The curly-haired couldn't help but to giggle lightly. "Of course not."

That was the biggest lie Jihye could've ever said.

"Good."

prev. part ----- next. part

finally finally pt. 4 is up!!

taglist: @xszn , @airice , @nnewjeansstuff , @xeiinpain , @jiwoneric , @brocoliisscared , @ilamara , @linnnsworld , @gayforall , @lorsstar1st , @haechansbbg , @dhdhdjjf , @hyejin67 , @mushroom-main , @ilovekimminji , @justme-idle , @kyuusberry , @masuowo , @iraa567 , @shycreationdreamland , @idunnofr , @imahybridicannotbekilled , @twicesserafim, @awkwardtoafault 

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Man 11

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Lloyd Hansen

Summary: a demanding customer complicates more than your work life.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You half smile and half cringe. Oh boy. He wants you to do that. With him there. Well, you never really did it with an audience. You’re more of a loner when it comes to... cumming. 

You let out a brittle chuckle, “sir, that’s... you know, I think I’m pretty good. I got lots of action today--” 

“I’m not asking,” his voice is dusky and makes your chest thump. Wow. Okay, you can see for a split second how he might be attractive. If you just photoshop the caterpillar off his lip with your mind Adobe. 

“I understand but what if I just focused on you, sir. You seem to enjoy that--” 

“Don’t make me repeat myself. It’s getting old. Fast.” 

“Sure, that’s fair, I hate a broken record,” you gulp and look down then back up, squinting as you smile with a strain in your cheeks. “So, like down here or... it’s a bit tight...” you sheepishly show your teeth then laugh for real as the joke bubbles in your mind. You can’t help but let it free, “that’s what she said.” 

He blinks and looks at the ceiling then down again. He sits back in his chair, legs wide, hands on his thighs. 

“Get on the desk,” he orders. 

You inhale and steel yourself. This is a lot. You think you’ve been handling things well. One thing in particular but you don’t know how much more you can take. Today has been intense. What time is it? 

You move forward, once more face to face with his crotch before you manage to plant a foot and stand. His eyes flick down and he hums. You turn slowly and try to see the corner of his screen. Holy, it’s not even three o’clock. 

“What the hell are you looking at?” He snarls. 

“Nothing, sir, promise--” 

“Turn it off.” 

You should say the same thing about his dick. You keep your mouth closed and press the button to black the monitor. You put your hands on the desk and carefully slide his delicate keyboard and mouse aside. They’re so light you nearly toss them. You shake your head. 

“What?” He sneers. 

“It’s just, sir, Apple products are made to break. This keyboard feels like a wafer.” 

“This isn’t what we’re doing right now. Focus.” 

“I’m focused,” you whine and consider the desk. This glass better be sturdy. 

You lift one knee, then the other. You don’t like this. It's like crossing ice; tenuous and just as cold. He clicks his tongue. 

“You know, you don’t got a bad ass considering,” he mutters. 

You should thank him. It’s a real compliment. All those squats you do when the shop slows down are paying off. You’re too frazzled to do much more than turn over and sit facing him. As hot as this might seem in his head, the logistics are not easy. Or safe. 

You glance around and frown, “sir, what if I break--” 

“You keep talking, and I’ll break something on you,” he swivels the chair slightly as his hand crawls up his pantleg. 

“Got it, okay, so...” you bend your legs, putting your feet on the glass and wiggles your toes.  

You slowly pull your thighs apart. You tremble as the cool air slips between them and grazes your cunt. Your ears are burning and your skull is pounding. You’re dizzy. This desk is really high up. You could fall and crack your head open. 

“Take your fucking time,” he growls. 

“Sir, I got a bit of stage fright here,” you squeak, “I never really... you know, in front of someone.” 

“No use being shy when you had me down your throat twice today,” he reprimands. 

“Fair,” you tilts your head, “that’s a good point.” You look down at your body and reach down between your legs. You blow out between your lips, almost whistling as some of the tension seeps out. “That’s helpful advice, actually.” 

He sighs and you seal your lips. You nod and close your eyes. You can do this. How many times have you done this? Well, maybe you shouldn’t be proud of that.  

You feel down your tummy and along your pelvis. Goosebumps rise and you shiver, leaning back on your other hands as your feet arch against the edge of the desk. You feel along your coily hair and delve between your tender folds. You’re wet but that’s better than the alternative. You’d rather this not last forever. 

You press down on your clit and take a deep breath. You let it out slow as you trace the sensitive bud and hum. Alright, gotta get the rhythm. You’re thinking too much. Stop that. 

Wait, no. You need to think. You need to picture something. This is too much pressure. Knowing he’s watching you, you have to think of anything else. Of someone. Someone sexy. You gotta get the motor going. 

You ease back onto your elbow as the heat begins to flow. You picture this burly guy you saw down at the sandwich shop. You don’t quite have the clear picture of him but he was tall and thick and he had some nice eyes. He also looks pretty grumpy but he could probably channel that energy into some good hip action. 

Okay, back to the point. You put together the fantasy; thick arms, hairy chest, throaty grunts, and a big... yeah. That’s it. Your fingers swirl faster, slippery as your excitement builds. You moan and tilt your head back. You’re almost there. 

You flick your fingers up and down, your thighs quivering. You gotta give this guy a name. Something sexy. Gene? No, ew, that’s not it. Hm. Oh, yes, Adam? The first man. The epitome of maleness. 

You squeak as your breath hitches and your lashes flutter. Your toes curl and you put your head forward as the tension winds tight and all at once, unleashes. You quake and drone out madly, head lolling as you fight to keep your fingers moving. You feel your orgasm flowing from you, wetting your cunt and the creases of your thighs. Fuck... 

Suddenly, your land on your back. The glass braces and you wait for a crack. Lloyd pins you by your neck. He swats your hand away from your cunt and frames your entrance with two long fingers. He drags them up, rubbing your buzzing clit as you squirm. 

“Oh, Adam,” you burst out and your eyes snap open in horror. You didn’t mean to let that out. 

“Adam?” He growls as he stops, squeezing your throat tighter, “who the fuck is Adam?” 

You touch his wrist, “I meant... Floyd?” 

[watchmegetobsessed]

DECODE

A/N: okay wow, it's actually here, but let me say a ew things first: i am no it proessional so there are some made up stuff so don't come after me if there are untrue things in the story lmao. also, the ending... im not entirely in peace with it, but i've been sitting on this story for way too long so i just bit my tongue and finised it. don't come after me if you don't like it... but anyway! hope it didn't turn out as bad and you'll enjoy the story!

WORD COUNT: 13.7k

SUMMARY: You're up for the promotion you've always dreamt about, but right when you need to prove everything goes downhill. Lucky for you the cute, quiet IT guy, Harry, is there to help you out.

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There’s that feeling when you wake all by yourself, a moment of peace takes over you for not starting the day off with your one true enemy, the alarm, but then panic instantly stabs you in the chest when you realize it’s a weekday and there’s absolutely no way you just woke up before your alarm, feeling this rested. 

Your eyes pop open and you sit up in a frenzy looking around in the room, figuring out what happened and what should be done now. First you check the time on your phone and when you see that it reads 8:32 you almost start crying, but there’s no time for that, so you jump out of bed and sprint into the bathroom, stopping on the way when you spot Eric in the hallway, fully dressed, ready to leave.

“Eric?! Why didn’t you wake me up?!” you snap at him. He turns to you with innocence all over his face.

“I thought you were off today,” he simply says.

“Off?! We have the board meeting today, how could I be off!” you practically scream as you rush into the bathroom to get ready in less than two minutes hopefully.

“I’m sorry!” he calls out from outside. “I’ll see you in the office!”

And the next thing you hear is the front door opening and closing.

“Motherfu…” you mumble as you start washing your face like a crazy woman.

You leave in ten minutes, but you’re fifteen minutes late already, no matter how magically fast you got ready. You don’t have time to get a bagel for breakfast and you’re already halfway into the office when you realize you left your lunch at home too. You somehow shorten the route and win a few minutes on your way in, but you still arrive ten minutes late, looking like a hot mess, completely out of control as you make your way to the twentieth floor to your desk, pretending you haven’t just had the absolute worst morning of your life. 

The elevator almost closes right in front of you, but before you could smash against the sliding doors a hand sticks out and stops it, letting you slip in last minute.

“Ah, thank you,” you breathe out, your purse sliding off your shoulder and your folder almost falls from your hands.

“N-No problem,” a sweet and smooth voice answers, but your hair is such a mess, it covers your vision and you don’t see the kind man that saved you a few minutes with his move. The moment the elevator arrives to your floor you jump out and rush towards your desk.

“You alright, boss?” Zaya, your intern asks, who is more like a personal assistant at this point. She eyes you curiously from her desk as you gasp for air and try to soothe out the wrinkles on your blouse, though there’s absolutely no use in it. 

“Everything is perfectly fine,” you force a smile on your face as you start your computer, emails flowing in like crazy the moment you open your inbox. “Just had a rough morning.”

With Zaya’s help you go through everything at light speed, it’s one of your biggest strengths, being fast and productive, so in just about twenty minutes you reduce the thirty-seven unread emails to just two. 

You’ve cleared your schedule beforehand so you can have a practice run for your big presentation. Today’s board meeting is gonna be an important one. There’s a promotion at risk, one you’ve been working your ass off to get and now it’s so close, you can almost feel it between your fingertips. This presentation and what stands behind it all is what you’ve worked for night and day for the past month and you have never been more confident in yourself, though you can’t shake the general nervousness off.

You make your test run to Zaya who says her mind is blown and there’s no chance you won’t get the promotion. 

“You got it, boss,” she fist bumps you, something you’ve grown to like, it’s her form of appreciation. 

“I hope so,” you sigh. “Alright, I’ll grab a coffee quickly before the meeting.”

You head a few levels down to the main kitchen area that has the best coffee machine in the building. It’s already past the morning rush, so you’re delighted to see that there are just a few people lingering around. Including Eric.

“Hey!” you huff out a smile as you stand next to him at the coffee machine. He peeks at you, just a tiny smile on his lips, but it doesn’t reach his eyes like usual.

“Hey.”

“If you’re curious, I was only just a bit late this morning,” you chuckle to yourself, grabbing a cup while Eric waits for his own coffee to get ready. 

“Mm, great. Sorry about… the morning.”

“It’s okay, are you nervous? About the presentation?”

Funny enough you’re running for the promotion against Eric, the guy you’ve been hooking up for the past few months. It’s nothing serious, no strings attached, mostly just sex, though you believe that if you spend at least three nights together every week and spend time outside of bed as well, that has to mean more than just a regular hook up.

Right?

“Not really,” he shrugs, but it doesn’t sound genuine.

“It’s okay, you’ll do good,” you smile at him warmly as you place your hand on his arm and give it a squeeze, but you’re surprised when he moves out of your touch, shooting you a look.

“Not… in the office, Y/N,” he grits through his teeth, looking around to check if anyone saw the tiny gesture while you’re just blinking at him dumbly.

Yes, you usually keep your… whatever it is out of the office, but he hasn’t been this distant to you before. Before you could ask his phone starts ringing and he mumbles an apology before running off.

You write it off as nerves, you know Eric to be highly competitive, it must be a new field for him as well, running against someone he is involved with. 

Your heart is racing when you enter the boardroom, welcoming the people that will decide your future at the company, the CEO, the CFO, the head of marketing and a few others you’re not that familiar with, but you know they have power.

For the promotion you had to come up with a plan to boost the numbers on the website that hasn’t been doing much lately. You worked up a plan for a marketing strategy that would reach the target audience in a better way, it’s pretty awesome, you’re quite proud of it and you’re convinced you’ll kick ass with your presentation.

There are a few more minutes left until the meeting, you pour yourself some water and go ahead to open your slides on your computer so you have it all ready when it’s your turn.

“What… Oh no,” you whisper, when your computer starts lagging and the cursor freezes. “No, no, no!”

“Everything alright, Miss?” the CFO notices your panic.

“Yes!” you force a smile on your face. “Everything is… perfect.”

He nods and turns back to his previous conversation while your panic intensifies. You keep pushing buttons and trying to move the cursor, but it looks pretty dead, so you decide to shut it down and try to restart it, hopefully it will come back from the dead. 

Eric strides into the room, but as he takes his seat he doesn’t even look at you, just sets out his own laptop and paper notes and stares ahead of him. No matter how you try to catch his attention, he ignores you fully and it’s just another punch in your stomach.

What the hell is happening?

“Alright, everyone ready?” Daniel, the CEO claps his hands together. “Eric, you’re up first,” he gestures at him and while you’re still desperately trying to revive your computer. 

Eric sets up and when his presentation appears behind him your stomach drops instantly. 

The title, the topic, the colors… everything. You know all of it, because… because you made it. It’s yours.

You forget about your computer as Eric starts talking and he presents your idea, everything you came up with and worked hard on, he hasn’t changed a bit about it and now he is making it look like it’s his own. If you were panicking before now you’re about to set on fire.

That would be probably nice, because you wouldn’t have to go up there and most likely embarrass yourself. 

How did he get your presentation? Why did he steal it? You can’t blame him just out of the blue, you need proof and right now the only device that could have it is dead in front of you. 

You are so screwed. 

“ Holy fucking shit, oh my God!” you keep mumbling under your breath as you approach your desk, holding your dead computer to your chest, eyes wide from what you just went through.

“Boss? You alright?” Zaya’s eyes widen when she sees you all shocked and traumatized.

“No! I’m anything but alright!”

Luckily, the small meeting room near your desk is vacant so you’re quick to take it, Zaya following you right after, shutting the door closed so you can unleash fully.

“Oh my God I can’t fucking believe him! The asshole! How did he fucking do it?!” you snap, throwing everything to the table so you can anxiously start pacing the floor with your hands on your hips. “I cannot believe this, what the hell!”

“Y/N, what happened? You’re starting to scare me,” Zaya eyes you and she actually looks scared which is a new thing, the girl is fearless.

“Eric! He stole my… my whole fucking presentation!” you whisper-yell, throwing your hands up into the air. “Every slide! Every detail! It was all mine! And he sold it as his own!”

“W-what? But… how? And what did you present then?”

“I have no idea! He was up first, as we all knew ahead of time, he went up there, opened his presentation and it was mine! I thought I was about to fall off my seat, fucking hell,” you groan, rubbing your face with your hands. Thanks to your rushed morning you’re not wearing any makeup today so at least you can’t turn yourself into a panda bear. “My laptop died right before the meeting started so I could use it as an excuse and… fuck, I made up a whole other plan on the spot!” You’re about to start hyperventilating, maybe even crying which you’ve never ever done at work before.

“But… that’s good, right? That you came up with something new?” Zaya tries to see the bright side of it, but you shake your head violently.

“You know what I came up with? I said I’m planning to rebuild the whole fucking website! All of it!”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes! I basically set myself up for failure!”

Everyone knows a full makeover could easily be a death sentence, especially with such a short notice. You have no structure to it, no plan and most importantly no IT support to do the actual work. Because you can dream up any idea, but you cannot actually write the code for it. 

Zaya tries to cheer you up but you both know you’re not only knee high, but probably neck high in deep shit. She promises to take up extra hours to help you figure out what to do and though it’s nice, the situation still feels pretty much lost.

You’re on the verge of tears when you make your way to the IT department to have your computer checked out, which is still pretty much dead. You’re already dreading the interaction, Steven, the head of the IT department is a real pain in the ass, he never wants to actually help with anything so it’s always a fight to get things done with him. 

When you walk into their office he is the first one you see and you almost groan out loud, but manage to keep quiet as you approach him.

“Hi Steven, do you happen to have a moment?” you ask, as politely and nicely as you can in the light of what just happened, but apparently it’s not enough for him, because the look he gives you makes you want to turn around and run away.

“What’s the matter?” he grimaces, fixing his glasses as he leans back in his seat.

“My laptop just died,” you hold up the device. 

He stares at you, then at your laptop and then his eyes flicker back to you and he stays silent for what feels like forever before he speaks up.

“I have no time for this now,” he says, returning to his own computer and your shoulders fall forward in defeat, but then he speaks up again. “Go to the back and ask for Styles.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out and are already on your way away from his desk.

Maneuvering between the desks you’re trying to find out who’s Styles or who to even ask to tell you where to find him and you’re just about to stop at one of the desks when you see a big screen, a sticker on the back of it that says H. Styles, so you make your way over there.

As you’re approaching the desk a head full of chocolate curls appear and soon you spot the guy sitting behind the screen, peering up at you with curious, green eyes from behind his glasses.

“Are you… Styles?” you ask, feeling weird that you only know his family name. He stares at you for a second with wide eyes and you start to think you’ve got the wrong guy, but then he nods, the curls bouncing along with the movement.

“Y-yeah. I’m Harry Styles.”

“Great! Steven said you might be able to have a look at my computer, it’s completely dead.”

“Sure,” he clears his throat as he pushes back from the desk while you round it to give the laptop to him. “W-what happened?” he asks as he opens it up and tries to turn it on, but the screen remains black.

“Um, basically it froze right before the most important presentation of my life and then it died and hasn't turned on since then,” you summarize with a sad smile as you watch him grab some kind of cable to connect your laptop with his computer.

Harry hums as he opens some kind of program that has a long, complicated looking code running in front of him and he clicks and searches in it so easily as if he was reading a children’s book. 

“Is it fully dead?” you ask after a couple of minutes. 

“No, but you got a virus, it might take some time to restore everything and some files might not make it, I’m sorry.”

You let out a shaky breath, feeling like crying again, but you manage to swallow them back as you lean against the edge of Harry’s desk. He looks up at you like a frightened kid.

“I-I can try to get everything back, I promise, it’s just that–”

“No, I know it’s not up to you. Thank you though. I’m just on the verge of… would it be weird if I started screaming right now?” you ask rhetorically as you pinch the bridge of your nose. 

“I can set up another one for you to use with all the access cloned from yours, but you won’t have the files in the meantime.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Is there any file in particular you want me to try to recover?”

“There’s this folder that would be nice if I had it, here, this is the name,” you say as you grab a post-it and a pen and scribble the name down with all the files in it. 

“Okay, I will try to restore it. Give me a few minutes to set your replacement computer up.”

Nodding sadly you wait by Harry’s desk, watching him work on his computer like it’s an instrument and he is pretty much a professional. You know nothing about programming, but Harry seems like a wizard, you have no idea why Steven makes him deal with all the tiny things when he could pretty much redeem the world. 

“Here, this is the password, everything is set up,” he hands you the new computer.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll give you an email when I have something about your old one.”

“Okay, my address is–”

“I know, I just… I literally just logged you into your account,” he reminds me with a shy smile and you realize he’s right.

“Oh. I forgot. Well, thank you so much, Harry. And I’m sorry you have to deal with it now.”

“It’s fine, I’m the newest on the team, this is how it goes. Rookies get to deal with all the device issues,” he chuckles shortly.

You nod with a sympathetic smile and pay one last look to your savior. He looks young, around your age, but he’s sporting a slight stubble that adds some harshness to his otherwise boyish face. He’s got kind eyes behind his glasses, the prettiest pink lips you’ve ever seen on a man and his curls are screaming to be touched, though you’re not sure HR would take it well if you were just walking around the office, touching people’s hair. Oddly, it wouldn’t be the first time they would have to deal with a situation like this. Bobby DeMarco was a weird dude who worked in sales and he had an even weirder obsession with playing with women’s hair randomly. He didn’t last too long at the company, luckily.

When you return to your desk it takes everything in you to focus on working and A, not find Eric to claw his eyes out and B, not anxiously wait to hear anything from the board about today’s meeting. They are supposed to give feedback today and approve if you can continue working on your project and they can easily just kick you out of the whole thing as well. If that happened Eric would still have to prove himself to be a good fit for the role, but you’d have no chance to ever step up at the company.

You’re a mess, to say the least. You’re panicking over having to do a full website makeover in just a month, you have no idea where you stand with Eric and honestly, you’re torn between never wanting to talk to him and also screaming at him until your lungs give up.

God, your sister will be so mad, she was right! Jeanie warned you. She said it right at the beginning when you started hooking up with Eric that it’s not gonna end well, but you thought she was talking about being dumped eventually, not getting your promotion stolen from you!

When Zaya comes up to you with a question later in the day you’re still so shaken up you can barely make out an answer for her.

“I think you should report it,” she suggests, holding her notebook to her chest.

“And what do I have as proof? My computer is totally dead with all the evidence I made the presentation,” you groan, leaning back in your seat.

“Let’s hope the hot IT guy can restore everything.”

“Hot?” you chuckle. “How do you know he’s hot?”

“You said it’s Harry doing it, right? Curly hair, glasses?” You nod. “I know him, he is definitely hot,” she shrugs smirking, shifting her weight to one leg. “You know what would be nice? Hooking up with him to get revenge on Eric!”

“H-Hooking up? Why would Eric care about who I hook up with?” you clear your throat, pretending like you haven’t had a thing going on with Eric these past months. Zaya gives you a look that clearly says you shouldn’t think she’s stupid and blind.

“Please, Y/N.”

Sighing you roll your eyes as you give up the act.

“Judging from the betrayal Eric gives absolutely no shit about me.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she shrugs just when your computer pings, signaling two new emails in your inbox.

One from the board and one from Harry.

“Oh shit,” you gasp as you lean forward so fast you almost fall off your seat and Zaya runs behind your desk to see what’s happening as you open the email from the board.

Your eyes skim over the lines several times before you finally process what was written in it.

They approved your plan. You’re still up for the promotion.

“Congrats! You made it!” Zaya cheers.

“Fuck,” you whisper under your breath.

“What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted.”

“The chance and the promotion? Yes. But now I have to do a full website makeover in a month which is practically impossible.”

You’re still moping and silently panicking when you’re approaching Harry’s desk for the second time today. When he sees you he jumps to his feet and you almost break a smile because he looks like a puppy for a second, but then you see that he has taken his sweatshirt off, wearing only a simple black t-shirt that puts his tattoo littered arms on display.

Fuck, Zaya was right. He really is kinda hot.

“Hey,” he waves at you when you finally reach his desk.

“Hi, how did it go?” you ask with a deep breath.

“Actually kinda good, I could save most of your stuff,” he says as he sits back and you walk behind his desk, seeing your laptop still wired to his computer. “I saved the files onto a harddrive, but I don’t recommend you to keep using the laptop, it’s… it’s pretty fried,” he chuckles, pushing the glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and for a moment you just stare at his side profile instead of focusing on what he’s showing you on his screen.

“Uh, that’s okay, I’ll be fine with the files,” you clear your throat.

“So um… I don’t know if it matters or not, but I-I thought you might want to know that you didn’t just get the virus because you clicked on something, it was… well, someone put it on your computer and it started attacking the firmware.”

You blink a few times as you process his words and then it all starts to make sense.

“What do you mean someone put it on my computer?”

“Well, there was a malware hidden on your computer that basically attacked the firmware which made it impossible for you to use the laptop and it also attacked the files saved, I found an implanted code that was giving access to–”

“Harry, I don’t really understand what you’re saying,” you remind him, his words sounding absolutely foreign to you.

“Sorry,” he breathes out with a nod. “So basically, the virus stopped your computer from working and it also gave access to a third party to reach your files.”

“So someone could use my files?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

You feel like fainting again, because now it all makes sense. And you’re starting to see red.

“Can you see what files they messed with?”

“Actually, I’m glad you asked,” he smiles proudly. “I was able to find everything they duplicated and there’s a folder they tried to get rid of, but I restored it.”

“Is it by any chance the folder I gave the name to you?”

“It is,” he nods, his fingers starting to type on his keyboard at lightspeed. “Here. See these lines?” he asks, pointing at a code you understand nothing of, but you nod. “It’s basically something they should have paid attention to if they wanted to leave no trace, but I found it so now we know what they were trying to put their hands on. I even have time stamps too. The virus was on your computer for a while and then it was activated to attack the firmware today.”

This is all like a movie, it feels like you’re in Mission Impossible or James Bond, except it’s not a great villain who is working against you but the guy you trusted to let into your bed. The guy you considered your friend and even something more than just that lately.

You made a mistake, you see it now and you want to dwell on it but you know you have no time for that, you have to keep moving forward.

“Do you know who did it?”

“Unfortunately, no. I could only get proof if I had access to the other person’s computer who was hacking yours. I’m sorry.”

Harry seems genuinely sad, as if he failed, but he did so much for you already.

“It’s okay. Thank you so much, can you… like, make a record of all these? So we have all this as proof at least.”

“Already done,” he nods. “Do you want me to file a report?”

“No. No need for that,” you shake your head. “But… I want to ask a favor from you. I know we barely know each other and you probably have a lot of work, so feel free to say no.”

“What is it?”

“Do you want to help me redesign our whole website?”

You’re anxiously chewing on your bottom lip as you wait for the Skype call to be answered, your sister’s name flashing on the screen until her pixelated face replaces it.

And she looks mad, just as you expected.

“Y/N, I told you so! I literally told you so!” she starts off, the voice cracks a bit as the call stabilizes.

“Can we skip the part where you tell me off like a child for hooking up with a coworker who ended up fucking me over?” you flash a smile, but she rolls her eyes at you, leaning back on her couch, her right side getting more illuminated by the lamp beside her couch. It’s past seven in the evening in Tokyo while it’s just six am for you. For the past six months this has been your usual, trying to call each other at a time that’s reasonable for the both of you with the insane thirteen hours of time difference. It’s definitely a hard task and sometimes you have to plan a call days, even weeks ahead.

“No, because I’m so mad!” she groans. “Mostly at the fucker, but you as well!”

“I really don’t need to hear how much I fucked up,” you mumble, looking down at your lap.

“Sorry,” she sighs, realizing she is making you feel even guiltier. “I’m just… you worked so hard for this and now he is ruining it.”

“I’m still up for the promotion,” you shrug.

“Yeah, but you said it’s almost impossible to do what you presented.”

“Well, things are looking a bit better now.”

She listens intently as you tell her about what Harry found on your computer and how you ended up asking him to help you out. You truly didn’t think he would say yes, but he didn’t even think about it before agreeing. So now you have the IT part covered by him, you just have to come up with all the rest.

“This Harry guy…” Sammy starts and you hold up your hand.

“Don’t give me the speech again, I learned my lesson.”

“No, actually I wanted to say that I like him.”

“For real?” you ask, raising your eyebrows. 

“I mean, he is willing to work an immense amount of extra time on your project and he basically has no benefit from it. I hope you do realize how big of a sacrifice he is making for your promotion.”

You knew how big of a deal it has been from Harry to help you out but now that Sammy said it out loud, realization hits. It’s not right he gets nothing out of it, so you note to yourself to go over it with him when you meet him in the morning for your first planning session.

“I’ll talk to him about it. Now let’s talk about something else.”

Harry was afraid he wouldn’t be able to wake up so early in the morning and make it into the office for the meeting with you, but it turns out his excitement to be working with you is kicking him out of bed even before his alarm goes off. 

He does his usual morning routine, shower, get dressed, breakfast and checking he has everything he needs in his backpack for the day and then he’s on his way. When he walks into the café that’s two blocks away from his apartment the bell gently chimes above his head, catching the attention of the owner, Frida. 

“Harry! You’re up early today!” she greets him with a beaming smile, her grey hair is in her signature low bun, her blue eyes twinkling at the sight of him.

“I have an early meeting,” he mumbles with a shy smile, the tip of his ears turning red and she doesn’t miss it, but she knows how closed off he is so she doesn’t even try to tease her about it. 

“The usual?”

“Um, yeah, but can you make it two?”

“Of course,” she nods with a knowing smile, her suspicion is getting proven that this early meeting is with someone special. 

The two chat lightly while Friday makes the coffees to go, handing the paper cups to Harry once they’re done.

“Have a lovely day, Harry,” she waves after him and he nods back, pushing the door open with his hips, a cup in each of his hands.

He can’t deny there’s a pep in his step as he enters the building that’s eerily empty so early in the morning. He did not expect his day to take such an unexpected turn yesterday. He’s seen you around the office a few times before but he knew nothing about you, just that your laughter is ridiculously contagious. Then you jumped into the elevator with him in the morning, looking a bit messy but very pretty nevertheless. He could only blink as the elevator sped up and moments later you were out of sight.

But then you strolled into the IT department with your ruined computer and he finally learned your name. While he wanted to help with your laptop as much and fast as possible, he was also dreading the moment you’d pick the harddrive up with all your files and then never talk to him again. He felt silly, crushing on a woman he only officially met just a few hours before, but he couldn’t help it. Even when you were visibly stressed and worried he thought you were enchanting. 

He was not expecting you to ask for his help, but luckily his brain clicked instantly and agreed without hesitation. For one, he’s been dealing with boring projects as the rookie on the team and this seems like a great challenge for him. 

On the other hand, he would have said yes to anything you asked him, literally. 

So now as he walks into the meeting room where you’re supposed to meet his excitement is mixed with some anxiety, because as much as he is curious about this project he is nervous to spend so much time with you all of a sudden. He can only hope he won’t seem like a freak to you.

Thanks to the early Skype session with Sammy you’re on time too, arriving to the office building just minutes after Harry. He’s setting his laptop up when you arrive, his head snapping up when you approach the desk and take the seat next to him.

“Morning,” you smile at him warmly.

“Good morning,” he smiles back, fixing his glasses to sit straight before reaching for the extra cup of coffee. “Um, I brought you this. Actually, I realized too late that I don’t know how you like your coffee, so y-you don’t have to drink it…”

“Oh! That’s very kind, thank you! I drink coffee however I can,” you chuckle. “I just need the caffeine.”

You see a small smile flash across his face before he returns to his computer while you settle next to him. 

“Before we start, I wanted to go over something with you.” Harry turns to you curiously as you try to figure out what to even say. “This is a huge thing and I know it needs a lot of time and work. I don’t feel comfortable letting you do it without getting anything for the work you do.”

“Oh, I-I don’t need anything, I’m glad to help.”

“That’s very kind, but it still doesn’t feel fair. If there is anything I can do for you, literally anything, just feel free to ask. I would feel better if I knew you’re getting your reward for your work.”

Harry thinks about it for a few seconds before nodding to himself.

“Do I have to come up with something now?”

“No,” you chuckle. “Just promise me you’ll think of some way I can pay you back.”

“Okay.”

In the next hour you learn two things. One, working with Harry is incredibly easy. He is efficient, communicates well and simply a great at teamwork, it’s like a breath of fresh air after some of the people you’ve previously worked with.

The other thing you learn is that he is incredibly smart and it makes him very… sexy.

God, you shouldn’t be having these thoughts after what happened with Eric, but you’re not immune to a good-looking man with so much knowledge, especially when it’s in IT. You know nothing about coding and when he pulls up his miles long codes, types quietly for a few minutes and then shows you what he did, explaining to you the science behind it… it’s making you feel things you shouldn’t be. It’s so attractive when someone knows so much about something and they’re passionate and devoted to the field. It’s clear that Harry’s field is programming and he is ridiculously good at it. 

You were afraid the task would turn out to be impossible and every time he spends just a little more time silently staring at his code you’re expecting him to give up and tell you he can’t do it.

But he comes up with something every time and by the time the meeting ends you feel oddly enthusiastic and optimistic about the whole makeover that was scaring you to death just yesterday.

“Harry, you are… truly a life saver,” you sigh contently as you lean back in your seat, a long list of tasks on your screen, but you can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now. 

“I’m happy to help,” he smiles shyly, nodding to himself. 

“Do not forget about the payment, I really want to pay it all back to you.”

“I won’t, I promise,” he chuckles softly.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Tomorrow,” he confirms before packing up his stuff and leaving.

You stay in your seat for a little longer, just having a break before starting your actual work day. Opening up your calendar you check what meetings you have today and that’s when you face what you’ve been religiously ignoring since yesterday’s ordeal.

The weekly marketing sync where most of the time it’s just you and Eric, because Dominik, the third person who should be present likes to cancel last minute. 

It’s ridiculous that you still haven’t gotten into contact with him. Part of you was expecting him to come to you, to give you any kind of explanation though there is nothing he could have said that would have explained why he did all of that.

It’s been radio silence on his part and now you have to face him and talk to him.

You’d rather throw up in the middle of the office than do it, but you have to suck it up and deal with him.

He is there in the meeting room when you walk in, typing away on his computer like nothing happened, like he didn’t just try to ruin your career.

“Eric?” you call out, your voice sounds a lot more confident than you were expecting luckily.

He looks up, his face remains completely blank and it just angers you even more.

“Hey,” he nods without batting an eye.

“Hey?” you chuckle, as you close the door behind you, shutting you away from the rest of the people outside. “Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Y/N, do you really want to do this?” he sighs, as if it was tiring to even think about the situation.

“Eric, you stole my whole presentation and sold it as yours!”

“Are you sure about that?”

You’re seeing red. And you’ve never been this close to actually punching someone in the face. 

“Of course I’m sure about it! That was my presentation! Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Eric stands from his seat, taking his sweet time as he walks closer, trying to intimidate you with the height difference, which used to work, you even found it hot when he towered over you, but now it’s like his existence is giving you the ick.

“You have no proof, Y/N. And you didn’t say a word at the meeting. That ship has sailed, now it’s time to move on.”

“It was all just a joke to you?”

“I told you at the beginning I didn’t want anything serious, that wasn’t a lie.”

“But did you do it just to fuck my presentation up? We literally started hooking up when the open position was announced.”

“Does it matter?”

“It does!” you laugh in disbelief, tears stinging your eyes, but you refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry because of him.

“Okay,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just wanted to get to know you and see what you’d come up with for the presentation, but then one thing followed the other and… I went with it.” He shrugs and then goes back to his computer like you just discussed the weather and not how he used you and then threw you away.

You can’t hold yourself together any longer, so you turn around and get as far from him as possible as you try not to start sobbing in the middle of the office. Fuck, this shouldn’t hurt this much, but you really trusted him, you thought you could have something serious, you were hoping Sammy wouldn’t be right about him, but she was. Unfortunately.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you mumble under your breath as you approach your desk Zaya is not in today, so it’s pretty calm around your desk, but then you spot someone lingering there.

“Y/N?” Harry sees how shaken you look as you finally reach him at your desk. “A-Are you alright?”

“Hi Harry,” you force a smile out, but you can’t fool anyone with it. “Did we… Do we have a meeting or something?”

“No, I just wanted to show something… Y/N, are you about to cry?””

“N-No,” you shake your head, but your lips are already wobbling and you fail to prove your words right.

“Uh, come on, let’s have a break. Want to come up to the roof?” He gently circles an arm around your shoulders and you let him lead you back to the elevators.

“Roof? We can go out to the roof?” you ask, wiping your tears away.

He doesn’t reply, just makes sure to shield you from the curious eyes as you make your way up to the top of the building. You genuinely didn’t know the roof could be used and when you see Harry push the heavy door open that leads outside you’re guessing it’s not exactly a public spot, but you don’t question it.

It looks just like how a rooftop should look, it’s definitely not open for public use but when Harry leads you over the corner and you see a little bench there, facing the panoramic view, you know you have just found a secret spot.

“Is this where you hide from Steven?” you attempt to joke as you sit down with him. 

“Sometimes, yes,” he chuckles. “Not my spot though, I think the janitor comes up here to smoke, but I haven’t run into him yet.”

You sit in silence, Harry gives you time and space to pull yourself together, not rushing you to talk at all and you’re grateful for his patience. Staring ahead at the view you take a few deep breaths, telling yourself not to let Eric’s bullshit get to your head. 

“I’m sorry you had to… deal with my tantrum,” you chuckle sadly at last. 

“That wasn’t a tantrum,” he smiles softly. “And don’t be sorry, everyone could have a bad day. Want to talk about what happened?”

“I trusted the wrong person,” you purse your lips. “Um, the virus you found on my computer. Someone from the company put it there to fuck up my chances for a promotion I’ve been dreaming of for a long time.”

“What? Are you… are you serious?”

“Yeah and the worst part is that… god, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been kind of… hooking up with him and he said it was all just to get closer to me.”

Harry opens his mouth to say something, but then ends up closing it, processing what you just told him. You don’t blame him for being lost and confused, it’s a shitshow, to say the least. 

“That’s… That’s awful, I’m sorry,” he clears his throat, gently shaking his head. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” you chuckle. “I trusted the wrong person. Learned my lesson,” you shrug, and you wish you could actually end it all in your head with that, but you know it will bother you for a while at least. 

“Can I ask who this person is?”

“Eric Sonders.”

“I think… I know him. Didn’t think he could be this… vile.”

“Me neither!” you laugh. 

“So… he stole your idea and presentation, so now you have to do something else? And that’s the makeover?”

Nodding you briefly tell him what happened at the meeting, he listens intently and then shakes his head in disapproval, probably just as upset and lost about Eric’s behavior as you are. 

“You should report him, this is incredibly unethical and unacceptable.”

“I have no proof. We can’t prove that he did it all to my computer, you said it yourself.”

“Shit, you’re right.”

While Harry is deep in his thoughts you just stare ahead of yourself, doing a short assessment of your current situation. This should have been an exciting, professionally challenging time in your life, working on something that would earn you your promotion, but now, you feel like it’s more out of your reach than ever.

“We’ll make it work,” Harry speaks up, as if he could read your mind. “We can do it.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. It’s gonna be a tight stretch, but… It’s not impossible.”

“You are truly a life saver for agreeing to do it, Harry. I have no idea what I would do without you.”

He turns to you with a sheepish smile and you notice the slight pink shade on his cheeks as he nods.

“I’m happy to help.”

Part of you knew this would be deadly, but even after expecting the worst, it hits you like a train.

In the next two weeks you feel like you spend every waking moment working on the project with Harry. Sometimes you do it together, sharing ideas, discussing them, sometimes you’re together but work in silence and sometimes you do it apart. Whichever it is, you eat, drink and dream with the new website.

While Harry is taking care of the coding, you do everything else, that means content writing, planning, organizing and also designing. It’s been ages since the last time you designed anything, once upon a time you thought you’d end up in that field, but then somehow marketing came into the picture and now you have to combine your two passions. 

It’s destroying you absolutely, but slowly it’s starting to add up and you can see the progress. 

On a Friday evening you’re still in the office after seven, practically everyone has left by now, but you’re deep in work with Harry beside you. It's one of those quiet sessions, when you’re working together, but only speak when there’s an issue. Neither of you said anything for about an hour when the silence is interrupted by Harry’s ringing phone.

“Ah, sorry,” he mumbles, jumping in his seat at the sudden noise as he reaches for the phone, checking the caller ID before his eyes go wide. “Oh shit,” he mumbles and you look up at him as he answers the call. “Hey Mitch!”

You hear a voice from the phone, but it’s too muffled for you to make out what they are saying.

“Um, I’m kind of still at the office… No, I didn’t forget!” he protests, but the look on his face clearly tells you he did forget something. “I-I don’t know… Yeah, I’ve been just working with Y/N… No, I won’t– Mitch… No!... Uh, okay…”

He holds the phone away from his ear, covering the mic with a hand as he looks at you with anxious eyes, he looks like a reindeer caught in headlights. 

“Um, I forgot I was supposed to meet two of my friends for a few drinks. Is it okay if I leave now?”

“Oh God, of course! Harry, it’s so late, I shouldn’t have kept you here so long.”

“You didn’t keep me,” he chuckles, before the worried look returns to his face. “Actually, would you… I mean only if you want to–So do you maybe… want to come?”

It’s adorable how he stumbles over his own words and you see the familiar pink shade tinting his face again, it’s a color you’ve seen a lot lately and you’ve grown to quite like it. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your time with your friends.”

“You wouldn’t intrude, I mean, I’m asking because I want you to join, obviously.”

“I-I’ll just go home and work some more, it’s fine–”

“Y/N, we’ve been working all day,” he chuckles. “You deserve some free time as well.”

You think of his words, these two weeks has been so busy you didn’t even do anything else than working and sleeping practically. Some off time would be actually amazing for your fried brain.

“Only if you truly don’t mind,” you say at last.

“Let’s pack then,” he beams with a smile as he shuts his computer down.

Twenty minutes later you’re walking into a bar you’ve never been to, joining Harry’s friends for drinks and though you can’t put your finger on it, but for some reason you feel a bit anxious. 

“Hey guys,” Harry waves at a couple sitting in a dimly lit booth. The woman is the first one to look at you with a beaming, bright smile as she slides out and holds her hand out for you.

“Hi! You must be Y/N! I’m Sarah and this is my husband, Mitch,”

“It’s nice to meet you,” you breathe out as you shake hands with Mitch as well.

You’re instantly bombarded with questions from Sarah as you slip into the booth and don’t even notice that Harry leaves and then returns with two drinks.

“Oh, thank you,” you smile at him as he sits beside you.

“So how is the project going?” Mitch speaks up, lazily draping an arm to the back of the seat behind Sarah.

“It’s going good,” Harry hums with a small nod, very humble about how much he has gotten done in just the first week.

“Mostly because of Harry’s hard work,” you add, praising him the way he deserves and it brings back that pink shade to his cheeks.

Sarah and Mitch are very easy to talk to, they seem curious about the projects the two of you are working on and just you in general. You’re having a great time hanging out with them and you feel like you’ve known them for a long time even though you literally just met.

You don’t even notice how time flies by, only when Sarah checks the time and lets Mitch know that they need to be heading home so the babysitter can leave.

“It was really nice meeting you, Y/N. I hope we can do this some other time,” Sarah hugs you.

“If Harry doesn’t mind me interrupting his time with his friends, then I’m in,” you chuckle, looking at the man in question who just shakes his head with a shy smile, letting you know he definitely does not mind.

“Alright, then it’s settled!”

They say their goodbye to Harry as well and suddenly it’s just the two of you in the booth and Harry is noticeably more nervous than before.

“Um, w-we don’t have to stay, if you want to go home, you co–”

“I’m happy to stay, Harry,” you smile at him without hesitation. He seems surprised, but excited at your answer.

You order another round of drinks and with the previous ones already consumed, it seems like Harry is slowly opening up, leaving his shyness behind and you get to have a peek behind his walls. The more you find out about him the more sure you get that he is truly an amazing, brilliant person and you wish you had met him earlier.

Maybe then you wouldn’t have fallen for Eric’s bullshit. Maybe then you would have fallen for him.

The drinks you’ve had don’t actually let it register, but you’re already developing a crush on him. How could you not? He is sweet, caring, smart, very thoughtful, basically the polar opposite of Eric. It’s making you question what you even saw in that asshole, you really put the bar too low.

“Oh shit, it’s already three in the morning,” you chuckle, when you finally check the time. “I should head home, I can’t sleep all day tomorrow,” you sigh, rubbing your face with your hands, realizing just how tired you feel. 

“I’ll call an Uber, is it okay if we share one?”

“It’s more than okay,” you smile at him lazily.

Minutes later you’re out in front of the bar, waiting for the ride to arrive. It has gotten significantly chillier, you did not dress for a night out so you’re holding your blazer jacket tight on yourself. When Harry notices he shrugs off his jean jacket without a word and drapes it over your shoulders.

“No, you’ll be cold!” you try to protest, but he shakes his head.

“I have a hoodie in my backpack,” he shrugs and pulls out a black hoodie, putting it on right when a car pulls up in front of you.

“Thank you for inviting me out tonight,” you quietly speak up on the backseat of the Uber, staring at Harry’s dimly lit handsome face. His glasses slid down on the bridge of his nose and you had enough drinks to have the courage to reach out and push them back gently. The gesture seemingly surprised him, but he doesn’t protest, just keeps his eyes focused on you.

“It was nice hanging out with you outside of the office.”

“Now we know we have things to talk about outside of the project,” you chuckle, making him grin as well. “We’re a great duo, Harry.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure about it at first, I have never had to work this closely together with an IT guy and I was afraid I might be too intense for you. But it all turned out so good, I like spending time with you.”

“Really?”

“Is it that surprising?” you chuckle, letting your head fall back and rest on the back of the seat. “You’re a cool guy, Harry Styles. And very handsome.”

The last comment rolls off your tongue before you could bite it back and though it’s too dark to see it, you just know he is all blushed. Before any of you could speak up, the car comes to a stop, you’ve arrived at your building. Harry gets out of the car with you and walks you up to the door. 

“See you on monday?” he shyly kicks the dust, hands in his pockets. 

“Yeah. Thanks for tonight,” you repeat yourself and there’s a heartbeat of silence where you feel that moment.

You probably should not be feeling this way, not after getting yourself burnt so bad, but you can’t help it. You want to kiss Harry and for a split second you believe he wants to do the same. His eyes flicker down to your lips and you move just a tiny bit closer to him, time stands still and just when you think he’ll do it, he clears his throat and steps back.

“Good night, Y/N,” he mumbles nodding before he walks back to the car. 

You stand there, feeling stupid as you blink after him before snapping out of your trance, forcing yourself to walk inside. As you take a quick shower and get ready to bed you get into a spiral. 

First of all you’re such a needy idiot for jumping from one man to the other. You should not be looking at men at all after Eric and yet here you are, crushing on yet another coworker of yours, what is wrong with you?! 

And second, why were you expecting him to kiss you? You’ve barely known each other for a few weeks and Harry is a reasonable man, he is probably not at all like you, he probably doesn’t want to get involved with a coworker especially not you. Some signs were giving you a feeling that he might have liked you more than just a friend, but you must have totally misread him. 

You have to control yourself and not scare him away, especially since he is doing you a huge favor, the last thing you want to do is to make him uncomfortable.

Harry hasn’t stopped thinking about you all weekend. Specifically about that moment in front of your apartment building where he would have sworn he felt you were expecting him to kiss you, but he couldn’t do it. Not when you were clearly intoxicated.

He didn’t want you to think he would ever take advantage of you like that.

The next week starts oddly. He gets some extra tasks and you get involved in another project as well, so you can’t work together like last week. Monday and then Tuesday rushes by without the two of you meeting. By Wednesday Harry is craving to see you again and it seems like it’s finally happening, because you don’t cancel your morning meeting. He arrives in a good mood with coffee for you and him, excited to show you everything he finished in the past days.

But then he can feel the change in you when you walk in.

You seem off, but at first he can’t tell why. You’re not your bubbly self, you seem very closed off and oddly professional compared to the times the two of you met earlier. Harry tries to tell himself it’s nothing serious, but the more time you spend together the more obvious it’s getting and he can’t take it anymore.

“Y/N?” he quietly asks at the end of the meeting. “Is everything alright?”

“Sure,” you nod, but it’s like as if you didn’t even believe it yourself.

“Did… Did I do something that upset you?”

“Nope, I just…” You sigh, giving up the facade you’ve been trying hard to keep up. “Listen, about Friday, I’m very sorry, Harry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I feel like I overstepped a line and made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry about that. If I made you uncomfortable. I want us to work well together and my unfiltered mouth was not at all professional that night, so I’m really sorry about that.”

Harry is blinking at you, confused and lost about what you truly meant by all that. He did not see this coming and now he has no idea how to react other than just looking at you with a startled expression.

“Can we just go back to where we were before that?”

“Where… I don’t-I mean, um…”

“Let’s just forget about when we parted ways, please?”

“So… Uh, yeah,” he at last nods, trying his best to mask his disappointment. He thought there might be something more between the two of you, but this conversation is proof that you just had too many drinks and you didn’t mean any of it. 

“Thank you so much,” you breathe out in relief. “I wouldn’t want to ruin our work together.”

Harry nods silently and doesn’t ask more about it. 

He is trying hard to hide his disappointment and part of home wants to know if you felt even the slightest spark on Friday or it was all just the alcohol, but he is not one to dig into things that might end him up in an awkward situation. He just swallows it all down and pulls his walls up again.

You can feel a bitter taste in your mouth as well after your talk with Harry. Something felt off, but you can’t put your finger on it and soon you have something else to worry about. 

You’re surprised to see Eric chatting with Zaya when you return to your desk. Your intern, bless her heart, is trying to keep a straight and professional face but you can tell she wants to scream at the man who definitely thinks he is charming the young girl with his small talk. 

“Eric? What are you doing here?” you ask, biting your tongue so you don’t tell him to leave and fuck himself.

“Hey, can we talk? Privately?” 

You look at Zaya and her eyes tell you what she thinks: it’s the literal worst idea ever. And you want to say no to him, but judging from his antics lately he would somehow use it against you so you don’t have much of a choice.

“Sure,” you mumble and the two of you take an empty meeting room. “So?” 

“Look, I want to apologize.”

What? Is he for real? That was unexpected.

“My behavior was uncalled for and very unprofessional.”

“Do you mean the way you stole my idea and presentation or the way you talked to me when I confronted you about it?”

“Can you not attack me, please?” he gives you a look that would have put you in place before, but now it just annoys you. He is trying to make you be the one in the wrong and you want to snap at him for still being such an ass, but you want to be the bigger person and stay professional. No matter how much you hate him, you’re still colleagues. 

“Go on,” you sigh, folding your arms over your chest.

“I know I can’t change the past but I think it's best if we deal with it in a decent way.”

How noble of him, pulling the rug from underneath you and then acting like he is this decent, peaceful man who just wants to work together. You want to throw up, but you swallow it back and force a smile onto your face.

“Sure, of course,” you tell him.

Seemingly Eric is satisfied with the work he did, but he is so tone deaf it hurts. He smiles nodding and heads out of the room with you behind him.

“Great talk!” he enthuses before walking away.

Zaya turns to you with wide eyes and you just shake your head.

“He wanted to apologize, though he didn’t really succeed, but I feel like it doesn’t matter to him,” you shrug as you sit behind your desk.

“You’re not forgiving him, right?”

“Of course not,” you scoff. “But we’re still colleagues, I can’t keep up the beef, it’s too tiring. I’ll just ignore his existence.”

You don’t think much of Eric’s ridiculous attempt to make peace, you keep your focus on your own project. 

There’s a bit of awkwardness between you and Harry after your little talk, but you feel like with time it eases and you write it off as just him not fond of situations like the one you put him into on Friday. 

Thursday afternoon the two of you are having another session together, working on some details he’s been trying to figure out himself, but he needs your input to finish them as well. It turns into brainstorming which results in a bunch of new things you want to include, but it will also add more work to your plate.

“I’m really sorry I always just keep adding new stuff to your load,” you sigh, truly feeling like you’re constantly overstepping boundaries, but Harry just shakes his head.

“I’m excited about these all. These are great functions and I’m looking forward to writing the code.”

“That sounded so nerdy,” you chuckle, but notice that Harry’s smile has disappeared.

“Sorry.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s great, I love it when someone is so passionate about something. I love it when you get deep into the tech talk. I think it’s amazing how much you know about these stuff.”

“But you can always just tell me to shut up, I know a lot of people don’t like it when I talk like that,” he mumbles, noticeably avoiding looking you in the eyes.

“Has… someone told you not to talk about programming?”

“Um…” He shifts uncomfortably and you’re about to tell him he doesn’t need to answer, but then he speaks up. “My ex girlfriend hated it when I talked about IT stuff,” he shrugs, but you can tell it’s something he struggled with. 

You can’t imagine ever telling him to stop talking about something that brings him this much joy. It’s clear this is his element and any woman that would try to restrain it is an idiot and can’t appreciate how wonderful this man is. 

You watch him quietly finish up on his computer before he starts to shut it down and you know you have to say something.

“She did not deserve you.”

He blinks at you surprised so you continue.

“Anyone who wants you to stop talking about something that makes you happy is not a person you want in your life, Harry, I hope you know that.”

“Uh… thank you,” he mumbles, that lovely pink shade taking over his face once again.

“You can always talk tech with me. I like listening to it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It amazes me, because I know nothing about it.” And it’s really hot, you want to add, but then bite your tongue. 

There’s a tiny smile on his pink lips and you can tell this moment matters to him more than you could imagine and you’re glad you could make him happy like that.

“D-Do you want to grab something to eat?” he suggests as the two of you head out of the meeting room.

“That sounds great! I’m starving!” you groan. “Let me just grab my bag from my desk.

Harry nods and follows you, he already has his backpack with him. You’re musing about what you should have and Harry is telling you about this amazing bagel place he loves when you spot the familiar figure near your desk. 

“Eric, what are you doing here?” you ask, but you’re tempted to phrase your words differently, because it’s quite obvious he was snooping around your desk, not expecting you to show up after office hours.

“Y/N, hi! I was just… I thought I left some papers here the other day,” he clears his throat, stepping away from your desk. 

“You had no papers with you,” you simply say, knowing well something is off with him.

“Maybe I remembered wrong,” he chuckles. “Alright, see you later,” he waves and then leaves quickly before you could ask any more questions. 

“What was that about?” Harry asks as you launch at your desk, checking what might have changed.

“He was looking for something. He is trying to play me again,” you hiss through your teeth, frantically examining what he could have put his hands on, but you see nothing out of place. But then you realize that he must have thought you left your laptop, that’s what he was looking for. “Oh my God,” you gasp, quickly starting your laptop to see if there is anything wrong with it. 

“What? What’s going on?”

“Harry, can you, uhh—Can you check if there is anything wrong with my laptop?” you plead as he rounds your desk and sits nodding, though he is a tad bit lost about what’s happening.

“Like, check if there’s another virus, or something?”

“Yes. I think he was trying to tamper with it again, I can’t know for sure if he hasn’t touched it earlier.”

You knew his half-assed apology was tactic, but you didn’t think he would do it all over again. Eric really isn’t the person you thought him to be.

You watch Harry type away on your computer, anxiously waiting for him to say anything and in the meanwhile you’re planning how you’ll get rid of Eric the moment you finally get your well-deserved promotion. There’s no way you’re letting a snake like him work at the company. 

“I don’t see anything,” Harry finally leans back and you exhale in relief.

“I can’t let it out of my sight from now on,” you grumble, shaking your head. 

In this moment you feel like you’re running out of energy, all because you trusted the wrong person. Feeling defeated you collapse into Zaya’s chair, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Harry softly says, as if he could read your mind.

“I’m in this situation because I made all the worst choices. I can’t blame anyone else but myself.”

“You couldn’t have known this is how it would turn out to be.”

“I know, but…”

“No but. Just… You know what? I’ll install an extra security program on your laptop so only you can access it, alright?”

“Really?” you sit up straight.

“Yeah, just give me a few moments.”

He gets down to work, works his magic and a minute later he is explaining to you what he got set up on your laptop to secure it.

“Harry, I owe you so much at this point,” you sigh in relief when it sinks in that Eric will not get his hands on your things again. “I have no idea how I will be able to pay you back.”

You notice a slight shift in him as he clears his throat, looking at you nervously.

“About that… I-I think I know h-how–I mean I thought about what… you could…”

“You know what you want in return?” you perk up, happy to do something for Harry after everything he did for you. 

“Y-you can say no, it’s okay, I just–Um…”

“Harry, whatever it is, my answer is gonna be yes,” you chuckle, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He looks at your hand and then up to your eyes before finally speaking up.

“Go on a date… with me?”

Harry has been working up the courage to ask you all day, but he didn’t think he would have the balls to say it out loud. Sarah and Mitch urged him to shoot his shot, even after the kind of awkward conversation you had earlier. His friends were convinced you were into him regardless, but he’s been struggling to believe it himself.

It was kind of random he blurted it out, but now it’s been said and he is about to faint, waiting for your response. You’re staring back at him, eyebrows slightly raised, lips parted, but no words have left your mouth since his question.

“Y-You don’t have to, I-I understand–I mean, it’s–”

“Harry,” you cut him off. “I would love to go on a date with you,” you finally tell him and it feels like a stone has been lifted off his shoulders, his heart is about to jump out of his chest any moment.

“But I won’t take it as your payment,” you add and now it’s his turn to be surprised. 

“What?” he breathes out, not sure what to make of your words.

“I would never take it as a payment, because I would go on a date with you regardless, Harry. Think of something else and we will have the date as well.”

“Really?” 

“Of course,” you chuckle. 

“Okay, alright, um… then… it’s a date!”

Harry is late.

He promised to be there at the meeting room on time to support you and answer any tech related questions that might come up in connection with your presentation. Eric is now presenting his (your) idea, he has added some features to it since he stole the whole thing, but it’s still mainly yours. 

“Thank you very much for your attention,” he nods as he finishes his talk and the board claps shortly before it’s your turn to stand in front of them. 

You’re plugging your laptop together with the projector when the door of the meeting room opens and Harry’s head pops inside. Relief washes over you as you watch him apologize for his late arrival and take a seat. Your gaze meets his and he smiles at you sweetly, holding his thumb up for you as you load the presentation. Now you feel braver, knowing he is here to support you.

You desperately wish you could read minds as you go on with your presentation. You’re met with mostly blank faces, but they were the same during Eric’s presentation as well, so you can’t tell what they are thinking about. It’s going smoothly, you rehearsed it a million times instead of sleeping in the past few days and when it’s time for questions you ace all of them, even the few tech ones. You’ve spent so much time with Harry that you can easily give an answer to everything at this point.

“Thank you for your attention,” you nod smiling at the end and disconnect your laptop from the projector, walking back to Harry.

“You did amazing,” he smiles at you proudly and his approval means the most to you. 

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry I was late, I had to take care of something.”

“It’s okay. I’m just happy you’re here.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it.” The CEO stands up and all heads turn in his direction.

“Thank you for the presentations, I would like to ask the candidates to leave the room so we can vote.”

You gather all your stuff and head out with Harry by your side. Eric ignores your existence, as if he didn’t lie and cheat his way to this moment, but you’re not stressing yourself anymore about it. 

You definitely believe in karma.

“You’ve got this,” Harry smiles at you softly and your heart melts at his expression. 

You’re planning to have your date tonight. It’s gonna be either a ‘you’ve got the promotion, now let’s celebrate with our date’ occasion or ‘you didn’t get the promotion so let’s cheer you up with a date’, you’re fine with both, truly. You know you put everything you had into this promotion and if they still decide not to choose you, that’s their loss and your sign to move on. 

You’re beyond excited about your date. There’s been an obvious change in your dynamic since Harry has asked you out, there are more glances, little touches, compliments and some very apparent sexual tension that’s still within the lines of comfort, it’s not too hard to control yourself, but you keep noticing more and more things about him that are pulling you towards him.

“I will miss our little work session,” you smile back at him shyly.

“Little? They usually lasted hours,” he chuckles, making you laugh too.

“Loved them all,” you shrug and the look on his face tells you he did too. 

The board takes some time to make their decision and when the door opens fifteen minutes later your heart skips a beat. The CEO asks you all to return to the room and you take your previous seat, Harry sitting next to you. His hand brushes against your knee shortly and you look at him, your gaze meeting his as he gives you an encouraging smile.

“Thank you all for these amazing presentations, we were very pleased with the plans and projects,” the CEO starts as he stands at the head of the table. “We had no doubt you two are the best applicants for the position and it’s been hard to decide who to choose, but at last we made a decision.”

Oh God, you’re about to throw up. Is it you? Is it Eric? You hope you won’t cry. That could happen in either case, but you really don’t want to cry in front of all these people. 

“The person we chose to fulfill the position is…” His eyes scan over the both of you as you hold your breath and then it finally lands on you. “Y/N Y/L/N. Congratulations.”

And just like that, your lungs fill with air again and it feels like a rock has been lifted off your shoulders. 

“I told you,” you hear Harry beside you and when you look at him you see pride all over his face and you can’t stop yourself from throwing your arms around his neck to hug him.

“Thank you, it wouldn’t have happened without you,” you mumble as you squeeze him tight before letting go of him, going up to the board to shake hands. 

At first you don’t even process it, but then Eric’s voice hits your ear and you realize he is turning red across the table, complaining nonstop about the outcome.

“...The whole thing was so fucking out of the blue! Redesigning the whole website? That’s like suicide!...”

You don’t even have the chance to react to his comments, the CEO speaks up for everyone.

“Y/N’s idea is daring, innovative and brave, just what we need. We don’t want to play it safe and your idea was definitely in the safe zone.”

“His idea,” you scoff under your breath.

“Actually, there is something I would like to show you, if you have a few more minutes,” Harry speaks up as he starts his laptop and moves over to where the board is. You’re watching him completely puzzled.

“There’s been an unfortunate incident about the presentations. Y/N’s original idea was stolen, a virus has been planted on her computer to cover up the deed, but I could not recover enough information about the perpetrator to make accusations, that was until a few days ago.”

What?!

You see Eric’s red face turn completely white as Harry types away on his computer and then shows something to the board. They curiously eye the alleged proof as Harry continues.

“Proof could be only found on the perpetrator’s device and a few days ago I had access to Eric’s computer when he brought it in for a check up, since it’s been working too slow. As expected and told, I make a full check on every device in these cases and found unquestionable proof that Eric stole Y/N’s presentation through the virus.”

Oh lord. 

You watch as everyone on the board processes what they see on Harry’s computer and you can feel the switch in them towards Eric.

“Eric, let’s have a chat in my office. Now,” the CEO says and it’s definitely an order and Eric doesn’t try to go against it, just nods and follows him out of the room.

“Harry, why didn’t you tell me you were planning to do this?!” you ask as you rush up to him. The board members are leaving the meeting room, leaving the two of you alone. 

“I uh– I wanted it to be a surprise. Eric showed up at the IT department the other day and I got his case without him knowing so I could snoop around. Found the evidence right away so I thought the board should know what he did.”

“Why did you wait until they announced who got the promotion? This could have kicked him out of the contest right away.”

“I knew you’d get it,” he smiles shyly. “I had no doubt they would choose you, I wanted you to experience defeating him after what he did to you.”

To say you’re touched is an understatement. He didn’t just help you immensely to get this promotion, but also went out of his way to serve you justice. He has done more for you than anyone ever. 

You just know you can’t let the moment pass and ignoring the fact that you’re still at work, though no one is around to see, you close the distance between the two of you and press your lips against his.

This kiss has been hanging there for a while and you’d be lying if you said you have never fantasized about what it would be like to kiss Harry, but reality is a thousand times more magical. His lips are soft and warm, go so well with yours and once his first wave of shock passes he finally returns it and you melt in his arms. 

You had a feeling Harry was a great kisser, but the way he claims your lips just blows your mind. He is sweet and gentle but also demanding at the same time and if only you weren’t in the office you’d pretty much jump into his arms and let him do whatever he wants to you. 

Somewhere in the distance a phone rings and it breaks the spell, making you realize that you shouldn’t get carried away. 

“Sorry,” you smile, your lips barely just an inch away from his still. “I got… I just–Thank you. For everything you did for me.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he returns your smile and pecks your lips shortly one more time. “And I will always be here to support you.”

You might look like a lunatic as you watch the guy on the other side of the glass door of your office finish up the sign on the door.

Y/N Y/L/N, Head Of Digital Marketing.

God, you still can’t have enough of the sound of it even though you got the promotion two months ago. Okay, the first month you spent in your old job, teaching the ropes for your successor before you could start your transition into your new position.

Now it’s official and you couldn’t be happier about it.

Checking the time you sit back to your computer to finish up work for the day. It’s been one hell of a week, you’ve worked overtime three times so it’s great that today is finally Friday. You answer some more emails and check your calendar for the next week, making sure everything is settled.

There’s a soft knock on the door and when you look up your heart skips a beat, seeing Harry walk in, his backpack on one shoulder.

“Hey. Are you done?”

“Just one moment,” you smile and he nods, walking over to the window, patiently waiting for you to finish everything up. 

When you turn the computer off and look up at him, you notice that he is staring at you already.

“What?” you ask, packing up.

“Nothing, just… you look so pretty.”

You still haven’t gotten used to his compliments, though they always just keep on coming and coming. You love them.

And you love him.

Walking over to him you wrap your arms around his waist as you steal a kiss. Usually you try to keep the PDA out of the office, but sometimes he is just too hard to resist. Like now.

You’ve been officially a couple for two months, your first date after your big presentation was like a dream, Harry took you to all of his favorite spots in the city and then you just spent hours stargazing on the roof of his apartment’s building, he had a whole setup with a mattress, blankets and pillows, it was the sweetest thing ever, the best way to celebrate your win. Since then, it’s been endless dates, movie nights, trips on the weekend, you’ve been kind of inseparable. Well, outside of the office, because you try your best to stay professional at work. 

“What was that for?” he chuckles softly, his cheeks have that soft pink shade on them that you just want to kiss all over. 

“I’m just happy. That’s it.” Reaching up you fix his glasses before taking a step back and heading out.

Usually you just walk side by side to the elevator, but today you feel extra upbeat, so when you step into the elevator you gently take his hand and lace it together with yours and you can’t help but smile every time you’re in here with Harry.

Because he told you this is where he saw you for the very first time that day you overslept before your disastrous presentation. He was the one who held the elevator’s door for you. You were so disoriented that you didn’t notice him then and he likes to tease you about it, saying that he knew that moment he was into you, all while you didn’t even look at him. In return, you always bring up how you were the one kissing him for the first time. 

It’s crazy to think how much has happened between those two things or even between that morning and today. He was the quiet IT genius who you dragged into your madness. He is still a genius, but you’ve gotten to know the sides of him others can’t see and you love all of them, it just took you some time to open him up. To decode him.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[carriesthewind]

Yeah so anyway, I'm making my response to this fucking garbage its own separate post in case people want to reblog it without having to reblog a scare-mongering lie.

This video pisses me the fuck off whenever I see it, and today I'm not in the mood to just scroll past.

Wow! Am I being lead to panic by scaremongering algorithm fodder completely unsupported by real evidence?! test:

The reason you think something exists is just what you're being told by a nefarious *them*, there is actually a conspiracy behind it!

I, an ordinary person with no expertise who critically examines the world around me, have uncovered this conspiracy.

"That's what they're telling you." (put the emphasis wherever appropriate for the conspiracy of your choice - in this case, it's on *telling*)

This new tech thing is actually a bad idea and the old school method was better - which clearly proves there must be a secret conspiracy, because why allow the possibility of incompetence and investor tech-hype when you can instead assume a highly-competent evil conspiracy?

I will now tell you my conspiracy theory while scrolling rapidly through a document without pausing or allowing you to actually read any of it. This allows me to look like I have proven my claims while doing nothing of the sort. Because do you really think someone could do that? Quickly flash a document on screen and just lie about what it says?

But Owl! This is real! A user upthread found the patent and it *does* prove it!

Yeah. I read the linked patent. Did you?

Let's quote the "real purpose" hidden in the patent, as claimed out in the video:

"The real purpose of these screens is to use the little camera at the top right here to scan your face and use AI facial expression analysis to judge whether or not you like the packaging designs of the product you're looking for."

This is complete made up horseshit.

First, let's look where the reblogger directs us, to column #4 on page 17:

"Preferably, each retail product container further comprises customer-detecting hardware, such as one or more proximity sensors (such as heat maps) , cameras, facial sensors or scanners, and eye-sensors (i.e., iris-tracking sensors). Assuming cameras are employed, preferably cameras are mounted on doors of the retail product containers. Preferably, the cameras have a depth of field of view of twenty feet or more, and have a range of field of view of 170 degrees with preferably 150 degree of facial recognition ability. Preferably, software is employed in association with the cameras to monitor shopper interactions, serve up relevant advertisement content on the displays, and track advertisement engagement in - store." (emphasis added and references to figures removed for readability)

That is the extent of the "nonconsensual data collection."

Now, to be fair, there is some stuff on page 18 and 19 which kinda-sorta-maybe has at least some relation to the claim in the video:

"Preferably, the controller/data collector is configured such that as a shopper stands or lingers in front of a given retail product container, the display associated with the retail product container changes yet again. At this point, preferably the controller/data collector has been able to use the customer-detecting hardware to effectively learn more about that particular customer, such as gender, age, mood, etc. The controller / data collector is configured to take what has been detected about the customer to determine which advertisement and other information to present to that particular customer on the display associated with the retail product container in front of which the customer is standing. By tracking shopper data in parallel with which advertising content is being served on all displays within the viewing range of the shopper, the retailer and the brands are better served, providing new analytics. As such, the system provides advertising, influence opportunities at the moment of purchasing decision, optimizing marketing spend and generating new revenue streams....

"Additionally, preferably all inputs collected by the IOT devices will be analyzed locally as well as remotely (via cloud) to provide the feedback inputs for the system to push more relevant/targeted content, tailored for the consumer. The analytics are preferably conducted anonymously, images captured by cameras are preferably processed to collect statistics on consumer demographic characteristics: (such as age and gender). This data is preferably subsequently analyzed for additional statistics for the retailers that are valuable for in-store merchandise layout design and smart merchandizing, including the ability to track the shoppers “traffic” areas, known as “heat maps”, areas were [sic] customers would concentrate more and spend more time exploring, etc." (emphasis added and references to figures removed for readability) (And note the repeated emphasis on preferably - they don't have a patent to do any of this.)

Which, like, not great! I fucking hate the idea of shit like this! But there is literally nothing here about monitoring your expressions to sell the data about how you react to packaging!

This isn't a nefarious plan hidden in the patent. It's tech bros adding on totally sick ideas about how they can sell this shit to walgreens. (Because to be clear, I'm sure walgreens's corporate office would love to collect and sell this kind of information. But just because they would, doesn't mean they can or are. And this patent sure as hell doesn't prove it.)

Because let me be clear: the image capture of consumers is so irrelevant to the product that it literally isn't even included in the claims section of the patent.

Because the patent is quite explicit and detailed about the idea they are selling big retails stores on - this is a better, new, innovative, tech-driven way to "provide an innovative advertising solution"! (The words "AI," "intelligent," and "machine learning" are deployed liberally, but in the same way that "blockchain" was a few years ago. It's advertising tech hype.)

I want to make it clear - the OP in the video is straight up lying to you. Whether for fun or profit or just attention, I don't know and I don't care. If you shared this, you probably should have know better, but everyone makes mistakes. OP, on the other hand, is just a fucking liar.

But Owl! What about "the senators looking into this"?

I don't know how to tell you this, but thing linked about is a press release by a politician's office. That doesn't mean it's not true, but it's not evidence on it's own. Like, the letter linked in the link included links to sources, but is not itself evidence (ooh, layers of links to actually get to a source, my favorite)(actually my computer wouldn't even goddam open the links to the source, I had to independently search for it).

Anyway, the letter to Kroger linked in the press release by the senators contains a single sentence and a single link relevant to the claim here (linked for your convenience because it sure as hell wasn't for mine). Unfortunately, this article is itself based on a goddam press release (That isn't linked! Again, you're welcome.)

And when we finally get to the underlying fucking source. "In addition to transforming the customer experience and enhancing productivity for associates, the EDGE Shelf will enable Kroger to generate new revenue by selling digital advertising space to consumer packaged goods (CPGs) brands. Using video analytics, personalized offers and advertisements can be presented based on customer demographics." So it's purporting to something *kind of* like the claim in the video, but an entirely different format completely unrelated to the thing the video is scaremongering about.

Now Kroger did actually start using the advertising screens in 2023. And you can believe what you want about the data privacy claims and the claims about not using video, just sensors (which remember is entirely consistent with the patent). But remember: being skeptical of a company's claims is fine and good! It does not mean you have proven they are lying, and it especially does not prove you have claimed they are doing something extremely specific! And most of the articles, and the letter from the senators, are (much more reasonably) concerned about so-called "dynamic" or surge pricing. (Which is not related to the screens.)

Like goddamn. Aren't there enough real problems with surveillance and price-gorging to be concerned about without having to make up fake ones? Hell, why can't we at least be concerned with the real problems with those dumb screens, which is that the a) make shopping harder and b) catch fire?

[marwhoa]

request: fem! reader, romantic, one shot. so the idea was the rise! boys (individual.) with a s/o who has thick unruly hair that curls after being wet. (like.. if their hair was at their shoulder blades it would curl to above their shoulder.. speaking from experience) the reader always straightens their hair bc they find the curls kind of ugly?? and in some turn of events the readers hair gets wet and curls in front of em and get all embarrassed but they are consoled or sumthin!! very fluffy idea and it's not super deep :^( soz!

🝮 “ errand day ”

rise!boys x curly-haired!y/n

author’s note: no need to apologize, love :33 but wow this one took me a bit. I didn’t know if I wanted to do it cause I have straight hair, so this required investigation, interviewing, and research! Hopefully my findings resulted in a relatable read 😎 the request was for a fem!y/n, so there are some tidbits indicating feminine identity :))

word count: 4.9k

The schedule for today was nothing special, just a couple of errands and a visit to some oddball friends of yours. Going over the to-do list for today, you hummed under the warm water and scrubbed shampoo through each layer of your thick curls. Dread washed over you through fatigued arms, tired from hovering over your head and getting to work.

With a huff, you plopped conditioner into your hand, thudded the bottle down onto its shelf, and then worked the conditioner from the middle and end of your hair. How much easier would this whole thing be if your hair was straight—quicker, too. No need to walk through layers, ensuring each section got ample cleansing, just a simple touch and go. 15 minutes flat, and you’re out!

But no, here you were, having passed through more than enough songs in your shower playlist to constitute well over an hour.

“ What a bother.. ”

You mumbled, turning the nozzle for the shower straight to off and tugging down a shirt to scrunch your hair dry with. With a towel wrapped to dry the rest of you, you stepped out onto the bath mat, stared at the products, blow dryer, and straightener eagerly awaiting your daily routine, and felt your shoulders get even heavier.

Look at the bright side, surely you’ll grow muscles eventually from this, right? Having your arms up all the time, getting to work on such an unruly, mind-of-it’s-own head of hair?

Right?

After almost two hours of working your magic of taming the beast into straight, silky locks, you finally were released from that lab of a bathroom, ready to venture out and begin your errand run. First on the list, groceries! Your fridge was running pretty dry, and that just wouldn’t do, now would it?

┆ ── ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — Mikey 💌

It wouldn’t truly be Mikey if you weren’t given periodical check-ups, messages asking how it’s going—and it definitely wouldn’t be Mikey if responding to these messages didn’t instantly open the door to any old conversation in the book.

♡ MICHEL

how successful is the grocery run

YOU

they were somehow out of bread? How is that even possible? The whole bread aisle, gone?

♡ MICHEL

ohhh…

ur not going to like this

[sent an image]

You gawked at your phone upon being sent a selfie stating your dearest, Mikey, and some sort of… giant loaf? Behind him?

YOU

Dang

Can you save me some bread off him?

♡ MICHEL

Gross

But tempting…

Maybe! ᗡᗡ:

You shook your head and pocketed your device, continuing to rummage through the aisles for the last items on your list. At least they have everything else. Unless some sort of “ Milk & Eggs ” monster intends to turn its head in your direction. With a cart full and a list fully crossed out, you went on forth to pay, bag, and head back to base to drop off the goods! Next on the list was going to b—

“ Y/N! ”

There was no chance to respond or even look before you were swept up in familiar arms. Grip tight on the plastic bags, a scream got caught in your throat as your eyes locked with Mikey’s. Why hadn’t he told you the battle closed in on where you were? Not a text or a call? He placed you down a couple streets later, flicking his nunchucks to return to the battlefield—but, not without planting a kiss on your cheek.

“ Sorry, didn’t want you to become toast! ”

With a wink, he shot off, and your hand dove for your phone to send a text.

Of course, that’s when you saw the incoming messages.

NOTIFICATIONS

You have four new messages!

———————————————————

♡ MICHEL 1m ago

I SEE U, GOING 2 GET U K?

♡ MICHEL 3m ago

Aw man, Savers Saturday, look, Doughy’s made it … (expand message)

♡ MICHEL 4m ago

You’re at Anchor’s Market, aren’t you?

♡ MICHEL 4m ago

Are you on Fourth and Avenue?

… Alright, so maybe he won’t get chewed out. You laughed lightly, continuing home to drop off groceries when suddenly a blur zipped straight past you and completely drilled through the wall beside you. Stunned silent, you slowly followed its aim of trajection to see none other than “ ♡ Michel~ “ getting launched down Fourth street, taking parts of the street with him.

So much for not becoming toast, huh?

“ Mikey! ”

You rushed to his side after he hadn’t popped straight up like usual. He was a bit dazed, staring at the sky when you approached.

“ Whoa.. what a pretty Angel.. ”

“ Why you—shut up, you flirt, are you okay? ”

“ I am now.. ”

He groaned, taking your hand as you helped him up. Leaning against you for a second, he inhaled sharply then jumped up.

“ Alright, I’m ready! Oh, but you’re too close to the fight, Y/N, I should—“

You shushed him with your index against his lips, shaking your head then pointing at the rather large… behemoth… Breadhemoth? No? Okay.

“ I’ll be fine, just focus on thaaAAHH! ”

Your eyes trailed up to yet another projectile, this time zeroed in on Mikey, and he was quick to pull you close and turn with his back to the bullet.

With a heavy THUNK, the bread ammo bounced off his shell and managed to pulverize a fire hydrant right beside you both. Right as the water spouted out, the creature neared. Alongside it came Mikey’s brothers, whose attention zeroed in on the geyser shooting from the damaged hydrant.

“ Michael, you genius! ”

Shouted his brother, Donatello, as he gestured to the water. The brother in red, Raph, followed his point and nodded, slamming his fists together with a grin.

“ Right, water will make this big guy all soggy! ”

Just as they instantly went along with this plan, Mikey was a step away from joining before all his boyfriend senses shot off at once. Subtle sniffling reached his ears, and he was quick to whirl back around to make sure you hadn’t been hurt.

While physically intact, you were sopping wet, and it was then that his attention trailed straight to your hair.

“ St—Stop LOOKING, Mikey! ”

Your hands rose to feebly hide the growing lion’s mane, your straightened curls frizzing like an aggravated cat’s fur. All those hours of work, ruined by some run-of-the-mill New York trouble—and in front of your boyfriend of all people, who had yet to see your hair’s natural state. Before that sight, you expected disgust or, or insults—something! Anything, along the same caliber as you thought when you would see such thick curls in the mirror.

Instead, the opposite came. A soft voice and delicate touch, grasping for your wrists and gently bringing them away from your face. You flinched, jerking them back, but his motions remained. Soon, you relented and let him move your hands back to your sides.

“ Hey, Y/N, it’s okay. Did that scare you? ”

Picking up on what might’ve actually upset you, he danced around it, and you simply averted your gaze.

“ Your hair—“

“ Don’t. ”

“ No, it’s—I love it. ”

You stiffened, taken aback beyond belief. It was a reaction unlike any you had expected. Many people before him had less than savory words to say, like “ fix that rats nest before you go out! ” or “ wow, you’re not even going to try? ”, or even “ wow, bad hair day? ”.

Never love, though. He loved your hair? Even, even in such a sopping, frizzy state?

“ You’re fibbing.. ”

Your lips quivered into a pout, and inadvertently you tugged for your wrists to be free.

He let go, but only to wipe clear your rolling tears. Mikey leaned in to place a kiss on your forehead, tucking and brushing some unruly clumps of hair out of your face.

“ Of course I do, just look at it? There’s a bit of heat damage, but for the most part it’s so long and healthy! What’s not to love? You should wear it like this more, in fact! ”

With such a genuine, beaming smile, there was no doubt in your mind whether he was telling the truth or not. Through in and through out, he loved your hair..

Maybe..

Maybe you could learn to love it, too…?

┆ ── ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — Raph 💌

Would it really be an errand run without Raph jumping to the opportunity to tag along in some way, shape, or form? Albeit out of the public eye, down winding roads with narry a soul in sight, Raph accompanied you on the trek to Silver Market. Partly to spend whatever time he could with you, partly to protect you from whatever threats lurked down New York streets—no matter the hour!—, and partly because he just didn’t fancy the idea of you carrying heavy groceries home alone.

Not like you minded any of these things. His time was always appreciated—so, you snuck a kiss on the cheek just before the Market’s street.

“ I’ll try to be quick, okay? ”

“ Take ya time, Y/N, ‘m in no rush. ”

He returned the kiss, stepping back to meld into the shadows in a way that never ceased to amaze you. … or scare, if even just a teensy bit, because how the hell?

But whatever, you turned on your heel and ducked into the air conditioned market to begin going down your list.

At the same time, Raph waited outside, watching the people pass by, none the wiser of his presence. His eyes trailed to the sky above, noting the diminishing sunlight. Odd, considering the hour, but as his eyes caught the darkened clouds, it made total sense. It must’ve been bad weather moving in.

Raph turned to the alley’s entrance, searching for you. As a smile crept on his dreamy, dazed expression, he couldn’t help but think of how much happier he was when you were brought up. Without fail, the thought of your cute li’l self brought smiles for days. And who would he be, if he didn’t fight to protect you?

See, he and his brothers used to fight for the sole purpose of protecting the New York people, but after meeting you?

Well, he couldn’t help but be driven to clear the streets of crime just so that you would have a safe place to be. Evil-doers should always beware of a hero with something to protect, because he would stop at nothing—

Nothing. He thought, watching you finally peek the corner and rush over, to ensure you stayed safe.

You trotted down the alley, looking every which way for him. Assumedly he would have stayed here, right? Unless something happened? You fished out your phone, two seconds from shooting out a text to get his attention when a shifting of shadows caught your eye. Of course, you smiled as your beloved hero stepped out with a toothy grin, you should have known he was staying there.

“ I finished! ”

“ Raph can tell. Let me help—“

He bent down, slipping the bags from your hand with ease, and purposely leaving you with the lightest one. You rolled your eyes playfully and began walking the way back. It wasn’t long before you noticed the dark overcast, not the distant rumbling as you looked over your shoulder towards its direction. It’s going to rain soon, you thought, twirling your straightened locks in your fingers.

“ Yer nervous. Scared o’thunder? ”

You shoved Raph away, laughing, as he neared you with that goofy grin of his.

“ You could say that. More like I just don’t want to get wet. ”

He nodded thoughtfully, picking up the slack.

“ Then let’s get movin’ ”

Despite the quickened pace, the rain was faster and eventually caught up with you both right before you reached the steps of your complex. Both of you rushed in, slamming the door behind you and breathing heavily from the sprint. Slouched over with your hands resting against your knees, you couldn’t help but notice the cascading locks that were curling up. Grocery bags thudding against the floor as your hands made quick work to push the hair behind you, out of your face in a feeble attempt to hide it behind you. As lighting illuminated the room, it’s loud KAKOOM echoing, Raph noticed your uncharacteristic quietness.

“ Y/N? ”

Raph rose to full height once he caught his breath, watching you with a confused look as your face flushed with embarrassment. Tears welled up and fell down your cheeks in large globs, immediately startling him.

“ Wh—! What’sa matter, Suga’? ”

Just as lightning flashed outside, Raph was right in front of you with his forearm resting against the door. Leaning down, his hand held your face delicately and wiped away the tears.

“ Is it the storm? ”

You shook your head, pushing him away. Realistically you could never move him, but of course he wouldn’t do anything to upset you, thus letting himself be knocked aside. Raph watched your frame retreat deeper into the apartment, likely to your room, and waited a couple moments before he pursued.

It wasn’t hard to pick up the soft sobs over the rain, but soon a gentle knock on your door roused your attention.

“ Go away, Raph.. ”

You slurred your words through tears, rubbing them away while cursing your ruined hair.

“ Y/N, suga’ please, can Raph come in.. ”

No fair, you thought as your hand reached for the door knob, he knew using a voice that gentle would always get to you.. With a subtle click, the door would creak open until finally the green and red peeked in. He found you on the floor and sat.

“ Oh.. Is it ya hair? ”

Cocking his head curiously, you couldn’t help but sneer and avert your gaze. That was answer enough, apparently, since he seemed to exhale and mutter “ thank pizza supreme ”. Confused, you stared at him with enraged sadness. He was thankful? Glad you were upset about your hair? You opened your mouth to chew him out, only to be tugged into his lap and hugged.

“ I was worried it was sum worse. Why’s ya hair the problem, ‘cuz ‘s not so straight no more? ”

The gentleness with which he twirled his finger in your hair had quelled your anger if not just a teensy bit.

“ Yeah, it’s… It’s hideous, unruly, I hate my curls! ”

Your hands rose to yank on the curls that dared rear their heads from the rain, but big warm hands caught yours before they could.

“ Ya hate ‘em? But suga’, they’re a part a’ya, and I love all o’you. What’s to hate? ”

Sending it wasn’t a question but rather a statement, you held your tongue and watched him.

“ The way they frame ya face, how they have no single direction, well I’d be damned to not love ya in any form, Y/N. Ya hair makes ya look like some cute vixen, and they, well.. ”

He seemed a bit bashful, escaping your gaze and shifting his view to all over the room instead.

“ I like ‘em cause they remind me a’my spiky shell, what with how they jump out atcha! ”

With a beaming smile that big, you couldn’t help but snort and bury your face in his chest.

“ You goof.. ”

┆ ── ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — Leo 💌

Leo wasn’t one to let you go long without hearing from him, but as you ran your errands and eventually made it back home, the silence on his line had been a bit unnerving. So, with the produce shuffled into your fridge, cabinets restocked, and every inch of the house replenished to all its glory, you swiped up your phone and gave him a ring.

“ Alright, tough guy, what’s the deal? ”

You playfully growled, tapping your fingers along the counter as he sputtered confusedly at the end of the line.

“ All day, and not a word from you? What am I, chopped liver? Doesn’t the sweetest girlfriend to New York’s hero deserve even a little bit of ‘phone blowing-up’ treatment? ”

The laugh on the other side was enough to enliven you. Leo continued talking, so you straightened up and made your way to the couch before stopping to almost a skidding halt.

“ Wait, you’re where—?! ”

Looking to the window behind your TV, the silhouette on the fire escape made a scream catch in your throat. It was none other than Leo, who hung up and came in after sliding open the window.

“ I said I’m here, now get on your finest swimsuit, mi amor, for I have found the world’s greatest spot! ”

“ Wh—Leo, What?! It’s—“

You whirled around, staring at the clock displayed on your oven.

“ It’s 8 pm, Leo, can’t it wait til tomorrow? ”

“ Nonsense, now hurry and change before I change you myself. ”

His hands grab your shoulders, tugging until you’re at the door of your room. He taps, faking as though he’s wiping dust off, then gives you a push into the room. Leo winks before closing the door, likely waiting right outside for you, so you kick away an imaginary rock and start to change.

“ NoNsEnSe, he says.. ”

Grumbled under your breath, you adjust the straps on your top while in the mirror. Once done, your focus settles on your hair, still in moderately good condition from this morning’s straightening. Better safe than sorry, you conclude, as you neatly pull your hair up with a bandana that just so happened to match your top. Strands are tucked away before you give a curt nod and go to open the door.

“ I heard that, by the way. ”

Leo looks down at you with a side eye, grinning as you roll your eyes.

“ Whatever, lead the way, bully. ”

One second, you’re standing in the hallway of your New York apartment, the next second you’re staring across an inky lake that’s captured the sky’s likeness, with stars rippling like fish on it’s surface. A gentle breeze rolled by, tugging at your hand, beckoning you forwards to greet the water. Stress, fatigue, even fear slip off your shoulders, as though the lake itself were taking the uncomfortable coat off to hang up on a hook.

“ Leo… ”

Your voice was meek, paling in comparison to the sight laid out before you.

Leo smiled, letting you take in the view a bit longer. He stepped down the dock, it’s creaking catching your ear as he neared its end. Even the groaning wood under the weight of its visitors was charming.

“ I’m waiting.”

Leo smirked, standing in his signature “ go on, applaud me—PRAISE me ” pose. You simply rolled your eyes and approached him, dropping down to sit at the dock’s edge. Your feet dipped into the abyss, met by a crisp temperature that begged your immersion into the depths.

“ Fine, this is pretty good.. YOU did good, though I could’ve been spared the on-the-spot forced dress-up. ”

The water was disturbed by Leo leaping in, to which you shielded yourself from the splash back. He was greeted by you scolding him for not giving a warning, brushing it off with laughter.

The night air was filled with banter between two lovebirds, with Leo trying his damndest to coax you in with him, and you’re dodging each with yet another quip. As the minutes melted into hours, the stars couldn’t help but focus on you both. Their lights reflected in your eyes, blinding Leo into a lovesick haze as he couldn’t do anything but just..

stare…

“ What, is there something on my face? ”

Confused, your hands searched your face, tucking aside a strand. Inspection complete, nothing out of the ordinary, you looked back to Leo and found his expression had shifted to a more devious one.

Uh oh.

You somehow knew what was coming next.

“ Leo—Leo, no, don’t you dare—-“

His hand shot out, grabbing yours.

“ LEO—NO, NOOOOO—!!! ”

Yanked forth, the world seemed to slow down as you screamed out, plunged under. Your eyes peeled open, stinging slightly, but catching a glimpse of the purest enjoyment painted across your boyfriend’s face.

As you both resurfaced, with his laugh now audible, you gave a huff and wiped tears and dripping water from your face.

“ You play too much, Leo, I said no! ”

His expression dimmed, dropping like a fallen curtain as he watched you grab the floating bandana. Enraged, hurt eyes glared at him, but he couldn’t focus at all on them as your hair began curling into the most gorgeous display he had ever laid eyes on. This was the first time he saw your hair this way, not straightened, but rather..

“ And stop staring, I know it’s ugly! ”

“ Stop that. ”

“ Wh—? ”

Stunned, you looked to him. There was no hate in his eyes, no disgust or repulsion. Your frizzy curls were there, bright as day, yet here he was staring at you as if your beauty never faltered…

“ Stop calling yourself ugly—frankly it’s an insult to me, the king of gorgeous faces who would never dare date an ugly woman—but even worse, it’s an insult to the most beautiful girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling mine. ”

Leo’s hand cupped your cheek, pulling you in to plant a kiss on your lips.

“ But, how—why aren’t they ugly to you? ”

“ Uh, because I said so, that’s why. ”

“ That’s n—LEO! ”

Definitely done as a move to win this argument, Leo’s arms wrapped around yours firmly. Your body lifted straight out of the water before being dunked unceremoniously.

While your hair was already wet, he didn’t have to make it more wet!

┆ ── ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — Donnie 💌

By the time your errands adjourned, it was a quarter past 4, and you were heading home. The walk had been rather tame, as quiet as it could be for a city regularly wrecked by mutants, aliens you name it. Today would have gone down in the books as the most normal, had you not gotten a message from your beloved requiring your presence at the soonest available time. Something about a new project coming to its end?

Whatever it was, you shot off a response that said your company would come once groceries were up. The other errands planned for the day could wait, especially since you were just itching to see whatever it could be that had him so needy for you to be in the lab.

“ Bags empty, trash cleared away, house—“

You gave a once-over to your living room and kitchen countertops before nodding with a hum of approval. It would appear that Donnie’s chariot would arrive, post-haste, without a second to spare.

Thus, keys in pocket, jacket donned, and shoes tied, you left your apartment complex and made your way towards the least shadiest alleyway to simply “ disappear into. ”

In record time, you were approaching the lair from the winding underground pathways, and giving quick hellos to each brother you passed. Your being in the lair wasn’t exactly a rare sight, but whenever you were here, it was usually always for Donnie. So, none of the brothers would really hold you long—lest they wanted to risk a brotherly wrath.

“ Donnie~? ”

Your sing-songy call was accompanied by a rapping upon his lab’s doors, which slid open shortly after with a “ fwssh ” and gust of smoke. You coughed, wafting it away as you stepped into the room.

Unbeknownst you you, your hair had already began reacting to the rather humid lab, lifting into the curls they so dearly longed to return to.

“ Ah, Y/N, your timing is much appreciated! ”

While his voice came from god knows where, your eyes landed upon his figure emerging from curtains that you were sure had to have been a new addition to the lab. Maybe his experiment was behind there? His greasy hands were rubbed into clothes, leaving behind oil marks as he pushed up his goggles and shot you his characteristic grin.

“ Just behind this curtain is a contraption that shall better the lair, an update to my previous ‘betterments’—a betterment to the betterments, so to say! ”

Whatever point he was trying to make went straight over your head as you simply nodded affectionately, trying to follow as best you could.

“ Right, right, Donnie. But, dear, can you please enlighten me with what was sooooo important you had to interrupt errands day? ”

Without a word, it seemed as if a lightbulb went off in Donnie’s head as he nodded and reached for the curtain.

“ So, it should come to no surprise to anyone how much the new lair has needed robot assistants! ”

“ It really doesn’t—“

“ Nonsense, so of course you are the first one I thought of when I felt Odie should be introduced to someone! ”

“ Oh you’ve named him already? ”

You leaned your weight on your left leg, hand perched neatly on your hip as you waved your hand. Donnie shushed you as he reached for the curtain to reveal his newest creation!

“ Ta-da! ”

Behind the curtain stood the blocky silhouette of a robot—one made with parts you were sure you recognized from a certain animatronic, but never mind that. There was something a tad bit weirder.

“ Why Odie? ”

“ I show you my genius, and you linger in the name? ”

To your eager nod, he could only give a loud sigh, literally labeled aloud as “ loud sigh. ”

“ Odie, otherwise known as 0-D-1-3, his model number. Now—“

Before he could turn back to the bot, a loud clanking sound got both of your attentions.

“ Oh, that’s not good—“

“ What’s not good?! ”

Both of you stared directly at the bot after it took a hefty step forward, clattering down a hammer to hit the floor. Its oculars shifted mechanically around the room before settling in you and Donnie. An unsettling smile began to grow on the analog mouth it had, but just before it spoke, its foot stepped on the fallen hammer. Slipping immediately, the creation slammed into the lab’s hard floors, buzzed and circuited, then promptly stopped.

“ … Dam—“

As though censored by an otherworldly being, the bot exploded, sending Donnie diving for you instantly to shield you from harm’s way. The sprinklers caught on shortly after the smoke reached the ceiling, and he simply exhaled annoyedly into a recorder as he went on about “ attempted 26, failed ”. He continued to look over you, free hand resting right beside your waist as he detailed this outcome.

You, on the other hand, were both spooked by what happened in a matter of seconds, and also the water raining down in you. There wasn’t even a chance of you processing how close your boyfriend was, nor the precarious position, all paling in comparison to the heaviness waying over your chest at the way your hair was gradually lifting off your shoulder. Shrinking from the long silky locks, you were sure that unruly mess of curls were all coiling up into their snakelike appearance that you cursed every morning in the mirror.

Whilst speaking, Donnie’s eyes wandered until they caught your teary, paled expression. He had noticed the new hair style, but the importance of that was far below the importance of ensuring you were okay.

“ Dearest, what’s the matter? ”

He searched your body for wounds, calling Sheldon to bring a towel as the sprinklers halted. Once brought, he wrapped you in it, but flinched when you tried to push him back.

“ Hey—“

“ Don’t touch me—don’t look at me! ”

Baffled beyond belief, all Donnie could do was slouch back and watch you with analyzing eyes. His gaze scanned and scanned, searching for what might have caused such a reaction, but all he could come up with was: cold & wet, hair no longer straight like usual, shoved to the floor after robot exploded. He could only hope you wouldn’t blame him for struggling to figure out the problem.

“ I… I’m sorry if that spooked you.. ”

“ It’s not that. ”

You answered, flinching when he suddenly rose his voice and asked “ then what is it? ”, a statement leaking with desperation and a tinge of fear. You scrunched your eyes closed, closing in on yourself with a tight hug, balled up beneath the towel.

“ It’s… My hair, I.. I spent so long on it, just for it to turn into this ugly mess.. ”

Donnie was confused, something you couldn’t blame him for. After all, you were diligent in your hair-straightening or concealing the curls, so this just might have been the first time he’d seen them in their true nature. What you didn’t account for, though, was the hurt expression he shifted into. Silence lingered for a bit before his gaze shifted to the device on his arm.

After a bit, even you were curious. He had nothing to say? Was he just going to let you sit there and cry?

“ What’re you doing? ”

“ Checking my data. ”

“ Huh? ”

Donnie looked up, scooting to sit beside you and showed some sort of pie chart projected. He twirled a stylus and used it to slide the projection, focusing on certain parts.

“ Mhmm… so, this is the breakdown of your identity—this aspect, ”

He points to personality, glancing to you to make sure you’re watching.

“ See that is a huge chunk of who you are, and this part, intelligence? Obviously that is high as well. ”

You wiped your eyes, trying to figure out why any of this was important. He continued on, pointing to bits and then pointing out how integral they were to your being.

“ What’s your point, Donnie.. ”

Defeated, you sighed out. Tears dried, heart heavy, curls..

Unfurled.

“ My point is, Y/N, that ‘ugly’ has no place in your data. I for one am a genius who speaks in strictly facts, so your insistence on false information? Highly insulting. ”

His hand cups your cheek, and you welcome the touch with a scrunched, pained expression. Tears threaten to spill once again.

“ You’re beautiful, my dearest, every bit of you. That does not exclude your curls, which are also you. ”

Donnie leans in, placing a soft, lingering kiss upon your forehead. You grip his hand, which then turns into interlocked fingers, and sob softly into his chest. He rubs circles on your back, and you can’t help but begin to hear the seedlings of thought in your head say nice things about your natural hair.

“ I love you, Y/N. ”

[koinotame]

bone and marrow; cut and served

word count: 2.4K content warnings: i think this one works better without too specific warnings, but general content warning for heavy yandere content and everything that comes with that, including kidnapping, torture, explicit physical abuse, drugging and so on. ← NOT kidding please heed the warnings

summary: you pay a visit to the captive in your basement.

a/n: wanted to try something a different style since i think my dialogue could use some improvement. so this is 100% dialogue and is meant to read like a dialogue script!

Ah, y-you're back… You're… finally back…

…Paid? You got… paid? Did you… are you selling me off to someone else? O-oh, you mean my ransom finally got paid… by my family…

Right, you did mention that…

…

…You're not going to hit me for disobeying you, or forgetting? N-no? Because you're… not that cruel?

Wait, does that mean that. That when you ripped off my nails o-on camera, it wasn't so you could… so you could rewatch the recording and enjoy my pathetic crying and wailing? O-oh… I see…

I… I guess that does make more sense. I mean, who would… who would want to record something like that for their own sick pleasure, right?

Hii— I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you! Of course it's—of course it's fine if you want to record something like that for yourself! Someone like me has no right to com—

Ah, a joke…

Of course I'm relieved. I'm just…

…

I'm not used to you not digging your nails into my cheeks every time I dare look away from you…

And, um, well. This doesn't. It doesn't feel real, you know? It's been five months since you, uh, p-placed me in… well, kidnapped me. B-being free again sound so… surreal…

This isn't… some sick joke, right? It's really not? You promise?

I-I'm glad. …Thank you.

…Huh? There's something seriously wrong with me if I thank you after everything you've done to me? W-well! You know!

…I don't sound very thankful? That's, um…

…

…Do you want me to get knees and kiss your shoes? You'd need to unbind me for that th—No! Of course I'm kidding! I'm—

O-oh, you're really… you're really doing it, you're really unbinding me. I, wow…

You must really trust me…

W-well, yeah, of course the handcuffs were really uncomfortable. You only ever let me out of them when you were, were t-tortu… I can't say it.

The… huh? No, rubbing them this harshly won't just make the scarring worse, l-like you're, um, saying. W-wait, please don't thro—ow!

Oh, this is… disinfectant…

Um, well, for all I know you could've put some cleaning product in here like the last time you… Even if you're insisting it safe because the ran… Right, the ransom got paid. I'm free now…

N-no! I'll use it, I'll use it! You're way too close!

Even if you put something else in here again, or it's really disinfectant and you're going to beat me again for using it because this really is just your idea of entertainment… I'll use it. You did give it to me, after all.

…Only on my wrists? Okay, only on my wrists…

…

So, uh, when's the exchange date? Or time? You're not usually this chatty. Normally you just dump food on the floor in front of me, or whip out the camera and then, well…

…Today? In… in a couple of hours? Oh… you're really early then?

You want me to… you want me to get cleaned up first? Y-you mean, in your bathroom? I'll get to… use your products? R-really?

Yeah, I'm… really happy to be clean again… I seem happier now than when you told me I'm to be free?

Well, it's just. It's just sinking in that this is for real now…

And the drive should be pretty far away from… I mean, what would I know. I was out cold for that. I just assumed… It would be kind of stupid to kidnap and hold someone close to where they live, right? You'd want to be a distance away and not get caught… right?

OW!

Ow, that really hurt! You didn't need to twist my arm like th—ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I wasn't calling you stupid, I was complimenting y—ah!

You're pulling… holy shit, you're pulling my hair really hard. I won't run, so you don't have to—hng! I'm—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to backtalk.

…I knew it.

You said, earlier, earlier you said you weren't that cruel, but you really do enjoy my tea—I mean, you really do enjoy hurting me.

Ah! Don't shove me that hard, you—

Because we've… arrived? At the—wait, wait, wait but you said that was still a couple hours away? You—oh, your… your bathroom…

Y-yeah, of course I knew that. I was just…

…

The bath looks really warm… Is it really okay for me to—I should just get in already and stop wasting your time? Y-yeah, um… sorry…

—H!

You made this scalding hot on purpose, didn't you?

N-no, I'm not complaining. I'll take it, I'll take it… This is better than no bath, s-so…

…I should put my hands out? Okay…

Is this your—your bath soap?

…

…I'm! It just feels really nice to smell something so mundane again…

No, wait, wait, I'll use it! I'll stop wasting your time, please don't take it away!

…I should… I should be thankful because I finally get to clean myself?

R-right… Um, t… thank you very much…

—H-huh? I should kiss your feet to r-really prove it l-like I offered to earlier?

That's… that's so… I'll—Okay, I'll do it..

Oh it was a, it was just a joke… I'm not eager! This is just—Of course you'll hurt me less if I do as you say, even if it's—

Even if it's something like this…

…

It's… it's already time to get out?

Um, right…

…

Actually, um, could I… could I stay a couple more minutes? I just… This is my first bath in so long, I don't want it to end…

OW! You really don't have to pull on my hair every time I—ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't—

Wh… what are you… doing with those scissors?

If I… if I misbehave again you're going to… No, no, nonono I'm sorry! Please, please, don't—I'll behave, just don't—Please! I'm really sorry, I don't, I won't—

Aah…

Okay, thank you, I'm sorry, thank you…

…

A-ah? Change into this? You even… you not only let me use your bathroom, you even got me new clothes…

Y-yes! Thank you! I'm sorry! I'll—

Eek!—I'll be quiet now. I'm sorry.

…

S-stick out my hands again? Okay…

…Handcuffs again? No, no of course I don't mind! It's okay! Please don't get mad…

Y-you're not? Okay…

…I talk a lot? Um, I think… Maybe, I'm just kind of lonely…

You, uh, you have been my only social contact for five months now…

Or, um, roughly five months now. I'm assuming. It's kind of hard to tell how much time has passed when you've been stuck in a basement for so long.

I just…

…

I'm not—I'm not just stalling for time!

It's just… Are you, are you sure this isn't some messed up joke? You're not dangling this hope in front of me just to take it away?

This would… this would be a good time to reveal that.

…No? My family really paid the entire amount?

…They've never really… cared about me, so it's kind of surprising… Honestly, when you first mentioned it, I thought you were joking. I mean, it's true they have the money…

I'm their son, so it's only natural? Well, yeah, I guess, but…

It's… That's cruel of you to say. You had to have known what our relationship was like before you…

…Anyway, this joke isn't funny anymore. Please take me back to the basement now.

…

…It really isn't. You've done it, you've completely dashed my hopes. I hope you're happy now. I… I'm never getting out of here, I know that, okay?

It's… really cruel of you to toy with me like that.

So just… just take me back.

That's what the handcuffs are for, too, right?

…

…No?

No, you're really just going to throw me away like this?

Actually, I… when you approached me that night and told me to get into your car or else, I didn't know what to do. It made me so, so happy when I realised you must've planned this months in advance.

To think you were spending that much time thinking about me…

I was so, so certain you were finally getting revenge on me…

…Yeah. I thought… I'd been stalking you for two years, and even before that—so I thought… I thought that you'd taken me home to put me in my place, to teach me a lesson.

The last couple of months have been the happiest in my life. It's like… I was in heaven.

I mean, getting tortured in real life is a totally different ballpark than fantasising about it, that's true, but! But! Even if it was just painful, I wouldn't mind, because it's you! I could never hate or dislike anything you do to me!

You're backing away, but I promise you don't have anything to fear! Even if you go through on your promise, I don't mind! I won't struggle.

I belong to you, so anything you do is justified! You have that right!

But seeing your expression, you really didn't know about any of that…

I thought—I thought!

I thought maybe for once I was something special to someone, even if you did just hate me! I thought that with hard work and a lot of time, maybe I could be someone special to you in more ways than just the toy you keep in your basement!

I thought that…

…I guess it makes sense that you just remembered me as that rich loser you shared a class with once. But I…

…

…Why don't you just keep me in your basement again?

You wouldn't even need to keep me in handcuffs; I'd never run away! Or—or, of course, you could keep me bound the entire time, if that would make you feel more at ease!

You can… you can keep doing whatever you want to me! At any time! I won't struggle anymore! I'll cry and look cute and pitiful and pretty and whatever else you want me to!

You don't need to feed me regularly, or at all, or—Please don't back away…

I actually… I actually really like it when you pull on my hair!

I… I really love looking at my reflection in the mirror you left up in the basement, because I get to see the permanent marks you left on my face, like when you broke my nose three weeks into being home with you!

My favourite is probably when you coo at me and call me cute and condescendingly wipe away my tears—it always seemed to please you when I cried even harder… Even if—even if that was just an act, you seemed to be having fun!

And—and you really liked forcing me to look directly into the camera and.. and making me degrade myself, and repeat all those embarrassing lines, and—

What about that time you suggested getting me a shock collar? Or, or what about all those times you threatened to carve your name into my skin so I'd be ruined for everyone who came after you? You were joking but, but you seemed really into the idea! We could do that!

Am I talking too much again? You can tape up my mouth if you want, or break my arm for scaring you, or for being so arrogant, or—

Don't you—don't you want that to continue?

Nothing has to change!

Just throw me into that chair and lock the door and don't give me anything to eat for a week in punishment and raise my price and things can go back to the way they were! Or however way you want them to be!

Ack—Y-you're really pulling again, I can feel your nails really digging into my scalp—No, that's not a complaint!

I'll be good! I'll do anything! Anything—just please, please, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease don't throw me away!

Pl—

…Really?

You'll do it? You will?

Thank you!

Thank you thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthank—

Mgh! I'm sorry, I'll be quiet now.

…Do you… do you want me to kiss your feet? Hehe, of course I'd be happy t—

Nngh! You're pulling my hair really hard…

You should… you should lead me around your house more like this. I have to bend at such an awkward angle when you pull like this…

Ah! Right, sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be good.

…

…Um.

We… just passed the basement?

…

…Why are you… unlocking the front door?

…Hey?

…

…Um, um that's the—that's your car. Why are you—

Aah! Wait, no, even if you shove me into your—You're just—You lied to me!

No—wait—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get mad and accuse you of anything! Please, don't throw me away! I'll be good! I can—I can be useful!

I'm obviously already yours, but I could really b—

Stop, wait, don't close the car door! I'll—UGH!

Ow, you really… you really hit my stomach hard…

…That's what I get for not cooperating? I'm sorry…

…

Nngh…

…

W-wait, don't start driving, I—ow—Wait! Don't you want this too?

I know it wasn't just my imagination! You—hng—you enjoyed this too, didn't you? You insist you're not like that, but you actually really like having someone at your mercy, d-don't you?

I can be that for you! You don't—you don't have to do this! I'd be really happy like this, so won't it work out for both of us if you—

You can, you can, keep extorting my parents for larger and larger sums of money! I know they've set aside a fund for my inheritance—even if it's smaller than my brothers', it's still enough for you to live a comfortable life! And then I can stay with you forever, so…

Aren't I talking too much again? Aren't you… going to punish me for this? I know you want to.

So won't you—Ahh, you really kicked me hard—Won't you please recon…

…Why are you stopping? Y-yeah, this place is pretty remote, but we're in the middle of the road… W-wouldn't it be better to turn arou—

Wait, no, nononononononono please don't bring out the chloroform, wait, please, don't throw me away like this, I can be good, wait wait no wait, please—

Please don't leave me like this!

[harlowsbby]

Forever Attached

Requested, late night calls with Jack while he’s away.

“Alright I think were all done here for today I’ll see you all tomorrow morning? For rehearsals yeah?” Nemo said and almost immediately Jack was out the door and headed back to his hotel room.

“Where is he going?” Ace asked as he watched Jack quickly leave the venue.

“Yeah I haven’t seen him run off that quick in my life.” 2fo added on.

“Y’all already know he’s in a rush to call Y/N, they stay on the phone all night.” Urban said.

“Really? How do you know I thought the two of you weren’t sharing rooms this tour.” Nemo asked.

“All ima say is the walls are very very thin.” Urban shivered at thought of possibly having to hear the two of you again tonight.

Ace and Nemo gave one another a knowing look and immediately felt pity on Urban.

When Jack arrived back to the hotel he quickly made his way to his room and locked the door behind him.

He sent you a quick text stating that he was going to shower real quick and that he’d call you right after. Being away from you was one of the hardest things Jack has ever had to do.

He loved being around you and making sure you’re always around him 24/7.

After a quick wash up he turned off the water and put on a pair of gray sweats, he didn’t bother putting on a shirt. He applied some lotion and a few hair products into his hair before leaving the bathroom and flopping onto the bed.

He looked at his phone seeing you had texted him back from earlier. He went to your contact and hit the FaceTime button after a few rings you finally answered.

“Damn about time I thought your ass fell asleep.”Jack joked as your face appeared on the screen. You rolled your eyes playfully as you sat up a bit in your bed so your face would be more visible.

“Let’s not do too much now Jack or else I’ll hang up, it’s already pass my bedtime.”

He always felt guilty whenever he’d call you so late even though you reassured him that you didn’t mind, he still felt guilty keeping you up.

“You wouldn’t hang up on me.” He teased and you looked at him with a eyebrow raised. “And what makes you say that?”

“Because you miss me.” You huffed. “I do miss you but you didn’t say you missed me? Wow I guess I’m chopped liver.” You faked cried, he smacked his lips.

“Here you go you know I miss you, I’ve been talking about you to the guys all day long.”

“Oh I know Urban had sent me a few videos of you reminiscing on our little gas station runs.” He cheeks started heating up. “He did? Ima beat his ass tomorrow.” You both laughed.

“I thought it was cute I can’t wait for you to come back home, this bed gets cold when you aren’t in it to keep me warm.” You pouted and faced the camera to show his side of the bed, that was now replaced with a Winnie a Pooh bear.

“Well it doesn’t seem that empty you’ve replaced me with a stuffed animal.” He gasped which made you laugh. “You’re so silly Jack.” You smiled.

“But that’s why you love me.” You nodded.

“That’s true but I love you for many other reasons.” That last sentence had you wanting to hear more.

“You care to name a few of them?” He asked. “I think you should go first.” He smacked his lips.

“Fine, I just hope Urban can’t hear me.”

He readjusted his spot on the bed so that was he was laying flat on his stomach and holding his phone up with his right hand.

Your stomach began to flutter as you studied his face. A few of his wet curls were sticking to the side of his face and the way his eyes always seemed to shimmer like the ocean always made you so weak.

“I’m waiting.” You song sang. “How many reasons do I have to give?” You thought about it for a few seconds.

“Give me 5.” He nodded his head and thought about it.

“I love you because you’re always there for me, you’re always making sure I’m doing well even when I push you away you just never give up on me.” He said.

“Three more reasons.” He laughed.

“You make me laugh, you’re my comfort person and lastly you complete me.” He paused. “I remember telling Urban how one day I just wanna meet someone that I can love on and call mine and I’m so glad I’m able to call you mine Y/N.”

“You’re my person too Jack, I’m so glad we found one another.” He smiled as well.

“Me too baby, me too. I can’t wait to fly you out. I miss you so fucking much you have no idea.”

You grinned. “Oh yeah? What do you plan on doing when I get there.” He smirked. “I can think of a few things.”

“A few things like what?” You whispered and before Jack was able to say something a knock came from his door followed by the door being unlocked.

“Urban? Ace?! What are you two doing? And how did you get a key to my room.” You watched with a hint of glee and entertainment.

“Tell him Urban.” Ace said and pushed Urban forward. “I mean I just came to ask if you know you’d keep it down tonight I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Urban mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked and that’s when your mouth dropped in horror.

“You could hear me?!?” Jack! I thought you said you weren’t sharing rooms with Urban that’s so embarrassing.” You yelled through the phone.

“I’m not! I guess the walls are super thin.” With the two of you being away from each other and not being able to physically touch one another, phone sex was really the only option you had to satisfy your personal needs.

“And why are you here Ace?” Ace shrugged his shoulders. “I got bored and by the way you’re such a simp I heard all the reasons as to why you love Y/N.” Ace teased.

“You’re my person I just love you so much.” Urban tried mimicking Jack.

“I prayed for times like this I’m just so glad I found you.” Ace added on.

“Oh Jack you’re just so sweet! I can’t wait to give you needless kisses.” Urban mimicked you and the two of them made kissing sounds, Jack’s cheeks grew red in embarrassment.

“You know what ima knock the both of you out since you wanna be all in my business.” Urban and Ace quickly ran out the door with Jack right behind them.

“Oh, so you’re just gonna leave me here.” You spoke though the phone as Jack’s phone laid on the bed.

“Jack! Come back and get me.” You yelled and huffed before hanging up the phone call.

[creative-crybaby]

Vixen

PAIRING: timeskip!Hanamaki Takahiro x fem!reader

GENRE: smut (18+)

Minors DNI

TAGS + WARNINGS: oral (m receiving), cum eating

Let me know if I missed anything.

WORD COUNT: 1.5k

SUMMARY: With your boyfriend's help, you put your new lip stain's transferability to the test. All characters are 18+

© creative-crybaby, do not repost or modify

“In here!”

Having called your name from the kitchen, the former athlete follows your voice. Your tone indicated you were distracted, and with his current need for your attention, he knew he had to get to the bottom of this.

Hanamaki pokes his head into your shared bedroom at your response, quirking his brow. There, he finds your back to him, seemingly focused on your reflection in the full-length mirror. Careful not to startle you, he quietly approaches your figure, soon hearing a light click.

“Whatcha’ doin’?” Hanamaki hums, peering over your shoulder. You blink in surprise, then compose yourself quickly before facing him.

“Just getting ready,” you respond. In your hold is a tube of lipstick, and you return your attention to the mirror to fix potential makeup errors. “Some girl friends and I are having lunch and going shopping today.”

“Was that today?” Your boyfriend purses his lips. Your brows crease as you eye his reflection. He chuckles, a twinge of nervousness still somewhat noticeable in his voice. “Kidding, kidding.”

You don’t bother answering, instead opting to fan your lips, which sport a mid-tone rose hue. You then face your partner again. 

“What do you think?” You step back to give him a once-over, tilting your head at different angles to show off your makeup. 

Hanamaki whistles lowly, his eyes scanning every inch of you before he takes your hand, pulling you into him. “I’m a real lucky guy.”

“Obviously.” You laugh airily, tightening the embrace before pulling away several seconds later. His eyes soften; no matter how often you two tease and poke fun at each other, he meant what he said. Judging by your equally-smitten expression, you’re aware of this fact. 

Hanamaki’s eyes trail to your lips, his lids drooping slightly. “New lipstick?”

You hum in confirmation, the corners of your lips twisting upwards. “Lip stain.”

“Lip stain?” 

“A lipstick that basically won’t come off.” You plant a kiss on his cheek, staying there for a few seconds before pulling back and making your boyfriend face the mirror. No evidence of your affection is to be found on his face, and his brows raise in slight fascination. “Totally kiss-proof.”

Hanamaki perks up at your last comment. “Bet.”

Not a second later, you smash your lips against his, making him produce a strange noise in surprise before following your lead. Unfortunately for him, you pull back before things can escalate, and he pouts. You quickly kiss his pursed lips as an apology, then gently turn his head to look at his reflection once more. Not a stain in sight. 

“Oh, wow,” Hanamaki mumbles, squinting his eyes ever so slightly at the mirror. You giggle silently before leaving a trail of soft kisses from his jaw down his neck. Your boyfriend subconsciously tilts his head, giving you more access as he sighs from your touch. “Oh, wow.”

You giggle again, tickling his skin as one of your hands slides down his body and playfully tugs at his sweatpants’ waistband. Hanamaki’s head snaps towards you, meeting your narrowed gaze. A familiar smile grows on your painted lips, and he gulps. 

“There’s one more thing I wanna try to test this product,” you whisper like you two aren’t the only ones in your shared apartment, like you’re palming his bulge in a crowd, in front of an audience. His face explodes with heat like he’s being watched. “Mind if I give it a go? Just to be sure, of course.”

Your boyfriend’s mind draws a blank. It’s not uncommon for either of you to initiate sexual acts, though it doesn’t stop him from getting flustered whenever you make the first move. As much as he loves taking care of you, having you take control gets him feeling like a high schooler again—antsy, surely sweating as heat radiates off his body, and his thoughts reel past him as he stays stuck in his brain. The same person who put him in that spiral is the only one who can pull him out of it.

Your hand slowly glides back up his body and away from his crotch, and Hanamaki snaps out of his state. He grabs your wrist, halting your retreat, and your eyes widen at the sudden action. You’re quick to regain composure, however, and a smirk grows on your face. With your lips back on his, you lead him to your shared bed, the back of his knees hitting the side and forcing him to sit on the mattress. Neither of you pulls away from the kiss, even as you assist him in removing his sweats and boxers down to his ankles and freeing his cock. 

Much to Hanamaki’s displeasure, you break the little makeout session, dropping to your knees and settling between his thighs. You give him another look–peering up at him through your lashes with that same smirk–though you wait like he might back down. Your lover only further spreads his legs, leaning back on the bed with his hands and giving you a reassuring smile, doing his best to ignore the acrobatics in his belly. 

Knowing you, your boyfriend braced himself for your upcoming teasing, only to hiss when you took about half of his cock in your mouth. A shiver crawls up his spine, and he lets out a gurgled whine. 

You’re not wasting any time, your mouth warm and wet as you coat his shaft with your saliva. Hanamaki has to refrain from snapping his legs closed with you in between them, flexing his thighs to keep him grounded as his breathing grows shallow. The view below doesn’t help; pretty painted lips wrapped around his cock, a light sheen of drool glossing them the more of his dick they take. He’s almost embarrassed at how fast his vision grows hazy. 

The sounds are just the icing on the cake, ringing in his ears and sure to bounce around in his skull for the rest of the day. The loud slurping and gulping have him gripping the sheets, trying his best not to grab your head and force the rest of him down your throat. Not that it was necessary, what with you reaching his base in no time, the air from your nostrils fanning his trimmed pubes. Every time you pull back, a clear ring of your spit and his precum stays behind, some of it even oozing down to his balls. 

“Shit, baby,” Hanamaki drawls, throwing his head back as you bob yours faster. You moan–on purpose, no doubt–and the vibrations make his toes curl. It isn’t until he hears you gag does he realize he’s been lazily rutting into your mouth. Your nails dig into his thighs as you match his rhythm, encouraging his desperate movements. “O-Oh~”

His release is approaching a little too quickly for his liking. It’s nothing either of you isn’t used to, but it doesn’t embarrass him any less. He can only hope you’ll spare him any teasing this time, especially considering no coherent words can leave his parted lips. Just louder whimpers, a desperate gaze falling on you, and hope that you’ll get the message.

And you do, it seems. The coil in your lover’s belly snaps, his core muscles tightening as he shoots rope after rope of cum into your warm and awaiting mouth. The contractions of your throat as you swallow every drop make him quiver, and soon your touch becomes too much for him to handle. Something else you seem to be aware of, as you take your time sliding the rest of his cock out of your mouth, teasingly pulling back from his tip with a loud and wet pop.

Hanamaki has to blink a few times to steady his vision, his chest rising and falling with every heavy breath. You, on the other hand, rise from your spot as if the past couple (yes, couple) of minutes didn’t happen, making your way to the nightstand to check your phone. 

“Gotta get going,” you say, your voice somewhat hoarse. Your boyfriend doesn’t miss how you lick your lips clean before glancing at the mirror. “These stains are something else.” You face him again, offering a smile while smoothing out your dress. He couldn’t respond even if he wanted to, your nonchalance entrancing him and sending blood rushing downwards once more. After several seconds of silence, you pick up your purse by the vanity, plopping your phone inside as you exit the bedroom. “Might have to get more shades later today.”

Your tone was so casual that Hanamaki hadn’t realized what you said until he heard the entrance door shut. His gaze immediately falls to his cock, with the only evidence of your activities being the subtle shine from your spit blanketing his shaft. No colour in sight, aside from the vermillion hue of his tip, it’s like you weren’t wearing any makeup when you were sucking the life out of him.  

With his eyes rolling to the back of his head, he drops onto the mattress, his pants still bunched at his ankles and his bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat.

Oh, wow.

© creative-crybaby, do not repost or modify

[salty-croissants]

Hey! If your still taking requests, I was wondering if you can do Rayman/Ramon being a father to him and His S/os kids? I can see Rayman being his kids to work, like bring your kid to work day, that would be so cute

Thank you for the request !

I’ve been struggling to get back writing for quite a few days now , had a massive writer’s block phase … I’m really sorry I took so long to get this done ! Hopefully I’ll finish the next request a bit faster ;-; 

Anyway , I really enjoyed writing this one : I love the idea of Rayman being a sweetheart to his kids … it brings me joy :,) 

Hope it turned out okay ! 

And again , sorry about the inconvenience ;( 

Details : use of gender neutral reader ; 

established relationships ; 

no warnings needed 

Rayman 🧡

Two words : Best Dad . 

Rayman has always had a soft spot for children , so now that he has a family with you , the love of his life , he truly feels like the luckiest man alive .

He knows that he can’t be around all the time , but whenever he’s there he wants to be as present as possible and make everyone smile … that’s probably the most important thing for him .

Rayman is more than happy to bring his children along to work when he is allowed to , and the sheer enthusiasm he has when talking to them and answering their questions is surely something to behold …

< Ohh - what is that , Dad ? > 

< That is the television production studio , sweetie : it’s the place from where the things I say get filmed and then put on tv . 

It’s one of the most important rooms in this building , and the one where I spend more time into . > 

< That’s so cool !! 

Can we go in there now Dad ? Can we ? Can we ? Can we ? > 

< Hehe , alright , let’s go !

Just be careful and stay close to me , okay ? > 

< Okay ! > 

Rayman isn’t bothered in the slightest by the fact that his coworkers and staff members could see him and his kids , and if anyone has complaints about it ?

Well , he is ready to have an hours long argument with them if necessary , so most people don’t even try to talk about it … at least not out loud . 

When he comes back home , despite how tired he may be , Rayman is pretty much always down to see what his children have been up to while he was away : 

they crafted something or made a drawing ? He will see it .

They want to tell him all about something cool that happened today ? He will give them his full attention .

< Dad ! Dad look , it’s you ! We made it together ! > 

< Wow - that’s such a good drawing you made there ! I love it ! > 

Rayman makes sure to keep every little thing they gift him , and sometimes you can find him sitting somewhere , smiling while staring at something they made …

< Aw , is that a new one Ray ? > 

< Mhm …

Y’know y/n , sometimes I look at you and our family and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have all this .

I can’t thank you enough for staying with me … I love you , I love you so much ~ > 

< I love you too sweetie … I’m so lucky to have you as well ~ > 

Ramon 🖤

Saying that Ramon will do anything to keep you and your kids safe is an understatement …

He is ready to throw his life away to ensure that , and that often brings him to make many , many dangerous decisions .

< y/n ? Is … is Dad okay … ? > 

< Don’t worry hun , he just needs some rest and he’ll feel better soon …

Still Ram , that’s not an excuse for doing stuff like that . 

Please , please promise me you’ll never do it again … > 

< I … hnn … I’m sorry … I just - I forget myself sometimes …

I’ll try to be more careful , I promise . > 

Ramon’s softer side is especially visible when he is spending time with your children , playing with them …

< Aha ! We got you ! >

< Heh , you got me … >

< And now you’re trapped , forever !! >

< Noo - how could I be so easily defeated ?? >

You can’t help but smile whenever you see your partner like that , at this point only ever smiles when you’re all together : it’s the one thing that keeps him sane . 

Since he doesn’t want to make your kids worry about how bad things actually are , with Eden constantly on the hunt for him and his beloved family , Ramon most likely confides  to you at night , when his tormented thoughts prevent him from getting some much needed rest …

< y/n … ? > 

< Hey love … can’t sleep … ? > 

< … yeah … 

This is just such a huge mess … I really have no idea how we’re gonna make it through this with those assholes constantly looking for us .

You deserve better … our children deserve better … maybe the both of you should - > 

< No . I know what you’re about to say , and I’ll never leave you , no matter what happens .

I know that … things aren’t easy right now , and I honestly have no idea what’s gonna happen next … but I know we’re going to get through this , and we will be happy , all three of us … I promise . > 

Your loving words always manage to give Ramon some reassurance , and with a momentary sense of peace he eventually manages to fall asleep in your arms , grateful to have you and your kids by his side . 

He will do everything in his power to keep you safe , no matter what it takes . 

[glitterwordsdarkthoughts]

Chris had been acting weird all day. The two of you were supposed to get lunch, but he'd changed plans at the last minute and requested that you meet him at the studio instead. "I want your opinion on a song."

It's odd because you're not musically inclined - he knows this. Still, you settle into the desk chair he steers you into, ready to listen earnestly. "I kind of - um, wrote it about you. or with you in mind?"

It may take longer than it should to realize that the song playing is a love song. The song about you that he wrote while thinking about you is a love song. It shocks you a little, makes you sit up straighter, carefully taking in every word. "Play it again."

He does hands shaking. You could listen to his confession forever, but you're afraid he'll shake right out of his skin from nerves if you make him play it a third time without saying anything. "I love it," you admit, "I love you too."

He deflates in his chair. "You couldn't have said that the first time you listened to it," he whines, relieved.

You grin, "Play it for me again."

"You really like it that much?"

"Yeah, I do." And you don't just mean the song.

You were a little confused by the things Minho kept presenting you with. At first, you thought nothing of it. Snacks every now and then - normal. The coffee you love - very sweet of him. Stickers after you complimented the one on his phone case, a keychain, a cute stress ball: it isn't until the items become a collection of things that you question it.

You want it to mean something, something crazy like he likes you. But you're terrified it doesn't mean anything at all. You've convinced yourself that he's just being kind. You don't want to mention it and never receive another thoughtful gift from him. Each item brings you so much joy. Curiosity is eating you alive, though.

"I really appreciate everything you give me, but why?" You ask, fiddling with the newest gift, a cute cat plush.

He looks startled, like a deer in the headlights.

Chan chuckles from behind you, "It's because he likes you!"

Minho looks horrified, hissing, "Shut up! I'll kill you." Then to you, "I can stop if it's making you uncomfortable."

"No!" You startle; that's the last thing you want. Calmer, you add, "I really enjoy it because it's you, and I like you, too."

"I want you to stay," Changbin murmurs against the bare skin of your shoulder.

Your skin is tacky with sweat, and your brain is a little foggy from your last orgasm still. "What?"

His arm tightens around your waist like he's afraid you'll disappear. "I want you to stay."

"Like for now or?" You question because you desperately need clarification, your heart beating wildly.

"Forever."

You roll over abruptly, fighting against his firm hold to face him. "Say that to my face."

"I want you to stay with me forever. I love you, and I can't stand to watch you walk away anymore."

You don't know if you're more relieved at finally hearing those words or pissed that it took so long.

"Can I look?" You gesture toward the sketchbook on the table, and Hyunjin agrees, distracted. Usually, you'd work on your own project while he worked on his. Still, you just can't find the motivation to be productive today. If you don't distract yourself with something, it's only a matter of time before he catches you staring.

It isn't until after you start turning pages that he remembers what's in that particular book. The damage is already done, though; before he can resend the agreement, your wide eyes are already taking in page after page of you. The whole book is a character study of you.

"Wow, a little obsessed, aren't you," you try to joke, but it doesn't land. You don't know what else to say, hating the sudden tension.

"I am," he admits after a beat of silence, "you're sort of amazing."

"Sort of?"

He glares, "Stop fishing for compliments."

"But I love getting compliments from you."

"Why?"

Feeling brave, you drop the playful jesting. "Because I'm kind of in love with you."

Jisung's lying on the couch, phone held above his face. "You're cute," you declare, just to watch how his cheeks color.

"Don't tease me," he grumbles, turning to pout at you.

"It's not teasing if it's true."

He rolls his eyes, focusing back on his phone. You've liked him for a while, always complimenting him, and his blushing and stuttering are rewarding, but you'd really like to know how he feels about you. Seungmin had said Jisung's an idiot, and you would have to spell it out for him.

"I like you! Like a want to date you - like you."

The phone drops onto Jisung's face. "Ow! Wait. Really?" He questions, turning so fast he nearly rolls off the couch.

"Yeah."

He beams, "I like you too."

You blurt out, "I like you!" It's a poor excuse for a confession, and immediately, you regret the words. You stuff the cookie Felix made into your mouth, so you can't speak anymore. Clearly, you shouldn't be allowed to talk.

He laughs, his smile lighting up his entire face; it distracts you from your embarrassment. "That's good because I've been trying to seduce you with baked goods for a while."

The sound of your surprise is muffled by the cookie in your mouth.

"Please, don't choke. I won't be able to kiss you if you do."

At the admission, you do choke, struggling to swallow and coughing to clear your windpipe once you do. "Not helpful," you complain.

He giggles more, enjoying your reaction, and is relieved that you are both on the same page.

"I wish you'd look at me like that," you mutter, wistful; maybe you've had too much to drink.

"Like what?" Seungmin questions.

"Like you want me."

"You're drunk," he points out. The words sting like the worst rejection. This isn't the first time you've told him you liked him, hinting at your desire. It's also not the first time that he's brushed you off.

"Not so drunk that I don't know what I want." You stand abruptly, having to use that table to steady yourself.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

He sighs heavily before following you outside. He pulls you to a halt on the sidewalk. "Are you serious?"

You stare, confused and hurt.

"Do you really like me?"

Huffing, you demand, "Haven't I told enough times?"

"Just once more - I'll take you seriously this time."

There's something earnest about the way he says it that makes you swallow your pride. "I like you, you asshole."

"I like you too."

"I'm sick of going on blind dates," you complain over coffee with Jeongin.

"Then why do you keep going on them."

You stare him down momentarily, weighing the pros and cons of honesty. The silence stretches so long it pulls him from his phone. You decide to be honest; lying to yourself and going on stupid dates hasn't lessened your crush on him. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, or some shit like that. "Because I can't go on a date with you."

"Why can't you?"

You gape at him. There's a list of reasons, starting with him being your friend and not liking you romantically, but this is the day for taking chances apparently because instead of answering, you ask, "Will you go on a date with me?"

He smiles, "I'd love to."

The easy agreement leaves you a little baffled and angry at yourself; if only you'd known it would be that simple.

[slowlypalefire]

Harrison vs Victor Event story

Part 1

*The translation are not guaranteed to be entirely accurate, so expected some errors.

The season is February. Valentine's day is getting close.

At the end of my mission, I secretly visited a popular chocolate shop.

(When it comes to Valentine's Day, of course,maybe chocolate?)

(It might be a good idea to give it to the Crown members as a token of your daily gratitude. Also-)

Harrison: "You're so happy even when you're alone. eh"

I heard a voice that made me stifle a laugh. When I looked behind me, Harrison was there.

Kate: "Harry, why are you here,Huh!? We should have separate a while ago..."

Harrison: "Did you think you'd manage to separate from me after the mission?"

Flash back

Harrison: "This is the end of this mission. Kate, from now on-"

Kate: "Ah, that's though! I have something important to do.I just remembered something, so please excuse me. Well then."

Harrison: "Oh, hey…Kate?"

End of flash back

Harrison: "It would bother me if you left in such an awkward manner."

"I thought you might get into trouble again, so I followed you and..."

Pausing, Harrison looked inside the store.

The interior was decorated with enthusiasm for Valentine's Day, and my purpose was completely obvious.

Harrison: "..Sorry about the that."

Kate: "It's okay. It was my fault for being too lax."

I'm trying to prepare for Valentine's Day It was easily discovered that I had done this, and I was relieved of my own naivety./

It was easily discovered that she had been trying to prepare for Valentine's Day, and she was relieved at her own carelessness.

Harry shook his shoulders funny, and said, while he looked into my face.

Harrison: “So, are you going to give it to me? Kate's 'chocolate' "

Kate: "That's-"

Victor: "I also want to receive chocolate from Miss Kate"

Kate: "Victor!"

Harrison: "...Wow"/ "...Uwa"

Victor: "Gokigen yo, Kate, Harrison. I can't believe I ran into you all on my way here!"

"I am lucky enough to be loved today too."

"I’m a lucky boy!"

Harrison: "Guys like you really show up everywhere"

Victor: "It was a coincidence that we met like this.Coincidence! Let’s not be shy and get along."

Harrison: "Stop it, don’t cross your arms,Na. Don't come near me."/

"Stop, don't cross your arms. Don't do it. Don't get close to me."

Victor: "Again, again ~ I'm happy"

(This is how these two argue when they meet face to face.)

Perhaps the problem is that he cares too much, but Harry, who is usually an adult, only dislikes Victor, didn't even try to hide it.

(Is it like a parent and child? No, isn't it too old?)

(Anyway, I smile just looking at it.That's true, isn't it?)

Victor: "Valentine's day is important to both men and women.The fact that you can convey gratitude and love to others.It’s a fantastic event.

"I love Valentine's Day. Let's enjoy it!"/

"I love Valentine's Day. Let's have a lot of fun!"

Harrison:"...When you're like this, your voice is too loud"

Kate: "Fufu... But that's exactly what Victor says.Because it is a great event and i have to enjoy it "./

“Hehe... But Victor is right. It’s a special occasion. I have to enjoy it "

Victor: "I see! I think I'll buy one too.Well then.."

Clerk: "Um,I'm sorry. The product is currently out of stock."

Kate: "It's very popular.Don't you have anymore ingredients?"

Clerk: "The ingredients is out of stock as well.Right now, we are only accepting reservations for products."

Kate: "Eh?"

(It seems strange that there are no products at all even though it's before Valentine's Day and it's a good time for stores to fill out items.)

Harrison: "I knew it"

Kate: "After all, what does that mean?"

Harrison:"Take a close look inside the store.The package is just a decoration and the product is empty."

Kate: "Ah"

Harrison: "And this store smells like chocolate even though no one does not do anything."

"It seems like it's not just today that the chocolates disappeared.Is there a reason?"

Clerk: "That is,the supplier suddenly told me that they could not deliver the chocolate."

"The store manager is hurriedly investigating, but the cause remains unknown."

Kate: "I've never heard of cacao or chocolate being in short supply..."

Clerk: "Yes. It seems like something like this only happened at this store and its affiliated stores."

(Does this mean someone is buying up all the chocolate before it's distributed?)

Harrison: "Hey, Victor. I think it's about time you revealed the truth."

"You're not just passing by,

you came to this store for some reason...

Isn’t that so?"

Victor: "You're still good at seeing through me."/

"you're still good at spotting lies."

Unhaunted by Harrison's piercing gaze, Victor broke the ice.

Harrison frowned at Victor's smile, which was full of compassion, as if he were happy to see his child grow up.

Victor: "Even if you don't have chocolate, you do have tea, right? Can I order three of those?"

We were the only customers on the outside terrace.There was no one there.

It's cold season, but the tea Victor ordered warms my body from the inside out.

Victor: To put it simply, a certain trading company, it seems like the company president is interfering with the distribution of chocolate"

"It seems like they're buying up all the items from this store and its affiliated stores before they even hit the shelves."

Kate:"....No way, Jude"

Harrison: "You've become stained now."

Victor:"Haha, Jude is the president of a trading company, so it's no wonder."

"Of course Jude is not the culprit.This time, he is a good collaborator. "

"Jude told me his information. Of course, the high information fee has been paid."

Kate: "As usual, still demanding rewards i see"

Victor: "His name is Daniel Brown.

He is the president of the Lown Company.”

"Brown is a long -established trading company for three generations."

"Not only does he have trust in the company, but it seems like the people around him have a lot of trust in him as well."

"The best proof of this is that he have never fought with Jude in the past."

Harrison:"That means approaching him and finding out his motives and see if there is nothing else?"

Victor: “That’s right.Currently, there is little chance of an incident,

Normally, this is not an incident that would move the Crown."

"However, there is a possibility that a major incident may be lurking."

"Now that I know, there's no reason to leave it alone."

"And if things continue like this,I'll be in trouble."

His usual smile disappeared and he looked serious. Victor tells me.

Kate: "Is there something wrong, Victor?"

Victor: “If we can’t get the materials back... Kate's chocolate, i wouldn't be able to get it"

"This is a grave situation."

Harrison: "Kate has nothing to give you. You didn’t say anything."

Victor:"Oh, that's right."

"But- I didn't say I wouldn't give anything away."

(.......eh?)

Even though Victor was smiling, he was giving Harry a somewhat combative look.

Victor: “What do you think, Harry? How about compete with me to something like that?

Harrison: "Game?"

Victor: "It would be better if we could solve this case first. Then Kate can give you chocolates."

Harrison: "What if I say I don't want to compete?'' Then?"

Victor: "Those who don't fight are considered losers.Of course, you lose here."

Harrison: "....."

"Okay. I'll ride this battle."

Kate: "What, what?!”

Harrison: "What, that was a surprise?"

Kate: "Yes, Harry always avoids troublesome fights as much as possible in my image"

Harrison: "Well,if it's about you,That's a different story."

"Besides, when I'm provoked like this, I can't afford to keep quiet."

Victor: "I like it. That belligerent look. It gives me chills."

Victor returned to his usual smile and clapped his hands cheerfully.

Victor: "Okay, if that's decided, it's an undercover investigation. "

"I heard that a social club is being held at his mansion tonight.Of course, I have already obtained the invitation card."

Where did Victor lead us? I wonder if he was planning on getting into it.

I decided to leave it aside.

The Queen's Aide is extremely mysterious.

Victor: "However, there are certain conditions to participate ."

Kate & Harry: "Certain conditions?"

[tokischaaaaa]

bom espírito esportivo ⚽️

!hamzah x !🇧🇷 reader

notes!!: this was from a request but i accidentally deleted it :(, so to anonymous this for u bbg . hope i did service to you 🫡🫡

warnings: fluff, some spicy scene

word count: 1.8k

flashback to FIFA 2023

today was the day that y/n and hamzah would finally watch the world cup together! y/n was hosting a watch party at her apartment, and she had invited mandy, martin, and, of course, her boyfriend hamzah. it was perfect because she knew there would be competition between the four of them, especially since the match was canada vs. brazil.

mandy and martin were rooting for canada, and y/n, naturally, was rooting even harder for brazil. she had made it her mission to make everyone feel sorry for canada and boast about how much better brazil’s team was.

buzz buzz

y/n's phone vibrated with new texts from hamzah:

oye you're gonna lose

canada for the winn

neymar? more like neymar ruin

…

y/n, is that how you say bad?

did i say something worse??

she giggled as she read hamzah's messages and sent him a 😤 emoji in return. she realized it was her cue to start decorating and getting ready for the watch party. sliding on her neymar brazil jersey and levi jean shorts, she clipped on some gold hoops and a gold jesus necklace.

"perfeito," she said to herself, smiling at her reflection.

before she could start ordering food and decorating her apartment, she noticed her cat, belinda, lounging on the floor.

"oh, belinda, eu tenho um presente especial para você, meu amor," y/n cooed, scooping her up and grabbing a small package her mom had sent her a few months ago. inside was a tiny cat sweater with "brazil" printed in dark green, surrounded by yellow accents.

she went to the kitchen, grabbed some catnip, and let belinda enjoy herself while y/n tried to slip the sweater on.

"eh, isso vai ter que funcionar. temos que fazer com que todos sintam que estão do lado errado,"

—> eh, this will have to work. we have to make everyone feel like they're on the wrong side,"

final product 😮‍💨 ^^^

y/n grabbed the beers and chips from her pantry and placed them on the living room table, hanging some brazilian flags around the couch. she called a nearby restaurant and ordered some food since she didn’t have time to cook.

as she turned on the tv, a knock echoed through the apartment. belinda freaked out and started scratching the door.

"probably the delivery man," y/n mumbled, opening the door to find hamzah wearing a canada jersey, chain, black sweatpants, and, of course, a hat.

"wow, even for the world cup you manage to look homeless," y/n snickered, taking hamzah's hat off to let his curls breathe.

"okay, but at least i don't look like a fool," he said, pecking y/n’s forehead.

"oh, shut up," y/n said, shoving him inside.

"hey, they left something outside your door, by the way," a familiar voice chimed in.

"mandy!" y/n screamed, running to hug her friend.

"y/n!" mandy squealed as they giggled together until martin coughed.

"greetings, martin," y/n said, taking the food from his hands.

"greetings, y/n," martin nodded back.

meanwhile, hamzah had made himself comfortable on the couch, and belinda crawled up to him. "y/n, what did you do to your poor cat?" hamzah asked, wide-eyed.

"what?" y/n said, suddenly worried belinda might be hurt. she looked at her cat and then at hamzah’s expression, and she burst out laughing. "i thought belinda was hurt! you scared me," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"she is! she's being humiliated," hamzah teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

thirty minutes later, y/n had set up all the food, and they spent the time making fun of each other's teams. with only fifteen minutes left before the game, they turned on the tv, and hamzah decided to strike up a conversation.

"so, let's say canada wins," he began.

"which they won’t," y/n cut in.

"lies. if canada wins, i take you to a party/karaoke, and you pay."

"ha! okay, fine. if brazil wins, i take you to a brazilian party/karaoke, and you pay—with your slushy money."

"it's serious stuff!"

"mhm."

soon, the game was about to start. hamzah grabbed belinda and held on to her.

"filho de puta," y/n hissed under her breath as the players sang the anthems. neymar jr. was the first to grab the ball, getting dangerously close to the goal.

"amor! entre por favor!" y/n cried, standing up.

"why are you calling him husband?" hamzah asked.

"don't worry about it, burro," y/n smiled.

neymar shot for the goal, but a canadian player blocked it. "let's go!" hamzah yelled, jumping up, startling belinda, who meowed at him.

"that’s right, belinda. canada’s the best—they’re going to get us the win."

"what do you mean, 'us'? she’s a brazilian cat."

"not today, she’s canadian."

"no, she isn’t." as y/n and hamzah bickered, the game intensified by the minute.

"you two are way more competitive than we are," mandy laughed.

"yeah, feels like i’m watching two fox commentators argue," martin added.

through the tv, y/n could tell neymar was getting tired after about thirteen missed shots, all blocked by canada.

"your boo thang is getting tired. they might have to sub him out," hamzah snickered.

"you’re so stupid. you have no idea how this works," y/n said, flicking him.

"hey! wait, hey!" hamzah suddenly shouted, his voice rising as neymar scored.

"te amo neymar! você é tão sexy!" y/n screamed, grabbing belinda and kissing her all over.

belinda purred, licking her back as y/n taunted hamzah, who was now pouting.

"oh, don’t be a baby. there are still forty more minutes," mandy said.

hamzah grumbled, clearly upset. y/n ran into her room and pulled out something from under her bed. she returned to the living room and tossed it to hamzah. it was a framed photo of the two of them from when they first started dating. both were holding guaranás, hands intertwined, from when they first met in brazil, where they shared their first kiss—all because of one soda.

hamzah looked up at y/n, who had her arms crossed, and then stood up to hug her. "you really forget i’m canadian too," she said, squeezing his shoulder.

hamzah smiled, and the couple decided to end their fiery debate. they turned off the tv, much to the relief of mandy and martin, who were happy to see the tension between the couple dissipate. martin and mandy politely declined an invitation to continue watching the game at a bar, so hamzah and y/n bid them farewell and drove off to the bar.

after arriving at the bar, they were greeted with the lively atmosphere of soccer fans chanting and cheering. y/n and hamzah found a spot in the corner to watch the game on the big screen. as they sat down, y/n's competitive spirit returned. she looked over at hamzah, who was still wearing his canada jersey, and decided to tease him a little more.

"you know, i’m still not over that canadian block. i need something to wash down the bitterness," she joked.

hamzah chuckled, "oh really? what do you have in mind?"

y/n smirked and leaned in closer, "i need a drink—something with a twist."

without explaining further, she grabbed the waiters attention and said "i need two coronas and five limes,"

the waiter nodded in response and quickly brought them to her.

hamzah watched her curiously as she ordered.

"what are you going to do with the limes?" hamzah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"you'll find out," y/n smirked as the drinks arrived.

once the drinks were on the table, y/n picked them

up in her hands and used her free hand to lead hamzah to the car, she made hamzah hold the drinks and limes as she took control of the wheel and started a speedy commute back to her apartment.

once they arrived at y/n’s apartment, she led him to her bedroom and shoved him on the bed.

y/n started unbuttoning hamzah's shirt. as it came off, revealing his chiseled abs, y/n was in awe. she resumed her lustful actions, removing her shirt, revealing her black lace bra. she ripped her pants off and climbed on top of him, grabbing a lime and squeezing it over his abs, sucking up the juice as it trickled down.

a moan escaped hamzah's mouth as y/n sucked harder and faster. she was too distracted to notice hamzah trying to say something. he picked her up, changing their positions, and unclipped her bra. he squeezed the lime over her already hard nipples and started sucking like there was no tomorrow. y/n grabbed his hair, pushing him lower to her breasts. after letting him suck a little more, she grabbed his chin and started kissing him all over.

y/n lay on hamzah's chest, breathing heavily.

"para tudo bailao!" he sung with a raspy voice.

y/n slapped his chest playfully. "you always ruin the moment!"

"yeah, but it's just to get closer to you," he said, grinning.

"in brazil, we’d call you monte de merda," y/n said, snickering.

"what’s that?"

"don’t worry about it. if i were you, i’d worry about canada losing—"

y/n was cut off by hamzah kissing her.

“shush babe, don’t forget your paying.” hamzah mumbled into y/n’s hair.

“paying how? we’re home now.” y/n smiled looking up, making eye contact with hamzahs bambi eyes.

“com beijos.” hamzah grinned. proud of the small amount of words he picked up on by y/n.

hamzah then covered y/n’s face with kisses all over.

“ah hamzah stop, your acting like belinda.” y/n smirked.

“my kisses are clean!” hamzah scoffed dramatically.

“oh god not this sassyness now,” y/n sighed.

“listen, at least i’m not as dramatic as your ‘husband’ neymar.” hamzah shrugged giving y/n one more kiss on her nose.

y/n’s face turned a light pink, “touché,”

y/n cuddled up closer to hamzah, her head resting on his chest. she could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, a comforting reminder of the love they shared. with her arm draped over him and his hand gently rubbing her back, y/n sighed contentedly.

"i guess we're both winners tonight," she whispered, feeling his warmth enveloping her.

hamzah smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "yeah, but i think i won the jackpot," he teased softly.

y/n chuckled, closing her eyes as the exhaustion of the day finally caught up with her. "we’ll call it a tie," she murmured, nuzzling into him.

with hamzah’s arm wrapped securely around her, she felt safe and cherished, ready to drift off into a peaceful sleep, knowing that no matter what team won or lost, they had each other.

that’s what i call ‘bom espírito esportivo’ aka good sportsmanship ⚽️

toksichaaa speaks: i rlly hope yall liked this , lowkey gave me nostalgia with all the neymar edits lol , ALSO TO THE PERSON WHO REUQESTD THIS ILYSM , im def off my break now 😈😈😈

[yenqa]

GLUE SONG!!

synopsis : love songs were definitely your favorite song to write. but with little experience it’s hard to get the right words out, so you search left and right for any opportunity. until you realize, he’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

warnings : uhh theyre so awkward Lawl, i dont think theres any tho?? just fluff

wc : 606 words

003 : great minds think alike

Being productive on a Saturday morning was something you didn’t expect would happen. But your mom just couldn’t get out of bed this morning and forced you to buy ingredients for dinner.

Though, she let you use her money to go shopping as a reward for the fact you probably had to go to three groceries stores just for her special surprise of a dinner was truly a karma itself coming for you.

So you didn’t mind the fact you had basically gotten free money, even if you had to take a little detour on the way home.

Deciding to try a new cafe today, you pull open the heavy door admiring the calm atmosphere of it.

The cafe wasn’t busy, but still had a few people sitting around, a majority with eyes glued to their laptop and an empty coffee cup sitting next to them.

You walk up to the cashier, waiting for the tall man to notice you as you make sure they have the drink you want to order.

He looks up to you, eyes widening as he quickly puts his phone down, walking up to the cashier.

“Sorry, not many customers have come today, surprisingly, what can I get you?”

Before you can even realize, you say “Do you have a recommendation? I don’t know what to get.”

That's a lie. You always drink a latte.

“Oh, that’s okay, I always get the iced americano.” 

He has a faint smile on his face, and a slightly bigger one grows on your face. His smile is cute, You think, admiring how his hair is styled or the few moles on his nose.

“This is awkward, I don’t really like strong coffee flavors, do you have anything lighter?” You let out a chuckle while saying it.

“Oh—sorry um, you could get a latte? The weather is getting colder, can't have you catching a cold, can I?” He blushes slightly while saying that, making sure to look everywhere but you.

You want to curl up in a ball and roll away. Can you believe this gorgeous man is flirting with you and can’t even look at you? 

Quickly glancing at his nametag, you let out a grin, “Wow Sunghoon, we just met and you already care so much for me? And yes I’ll have a latte, please.”

He nods, adding the order to the machine.

“Sorry—Um I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, is that all for you?”

You let out a breathy smile, “Don’t worry Sunghoon, you didn’t. Yes that’s all.”

“Oh okay, sorry—Your total is four dollars and ninety-five cents, you can insert the card here.” He points at the small black box in front of you, you quietly thank him, paying and leaving to sit down.

Soon after you sit down, he places your cup down in the order station, unsure of how to get your attention as he looks at you awkwardly. Chuckling, you walk up to him, taking your drink.

“Thank you!” You glance at the glass doors you walked in, “I’ll see you around, yeah? I’ve got to run some errands for my mom.” 

“Oh—yeah see you around.” He waves goodbye as you happily take your drink.

The second your out of view Sunghoon sits back down, why does he have to be so awkward around everyone? Especially pretty people like you?

He thought he was crazy for flirting with you out of nowhere, he probably made you uncomfortable and now you’ll never come back to the cafe again. He sighs, going back on his phone to distract himself.

Little did he know that you’re thinking the same thing.

back masterlist next

YENQA > first meeting what do we think 🙏

taglist : @nicholasluvbot @latriii @wtfhyuck @wonqr @enhastolemyheart @luvistqrzzz @jiawji @yswon @fakeuwus @xharisrealm @yeokii @xrvrqs @wonfied @redm4ri @keikeu @melsjy @enhaz1 @wvnkoi @noascats @mrchweeee @collectaed @noirxraa @jakeists @sngvhs @yuemvi @delulu4-life @envirae @heelover5 @kjrcrz @darly6n @girlokarina

sorry if i missed u (if i did dm me!)

[ficsbyuzi]

All the ways lead to you - part 3

Read Part 2

Characters - Aemond Targaryen and Inara Maegyr (OFC) in a modern AU.

Warnings - Slow burn. Mentions of alcohol and smoking. 

Summary - Inara tries to figure out how she feels about everything that happened on her first day at work.

Note - Flashback and internal monologues are in Italics.

Word count - 1593

"He is a man of few words. You'll get used to his personality once you start working with him," Margaery's voice cut through the hustle and bustle of the coffee house.

"He seems hard to impress," Inara shrugged, adding sweetener to her coffee.

"Well, he is a celebrity, a superstar here in Westeros. He meets and works with so many people every day. In his situation, anyone would act stoically while dealing with their staff."

Of course. He looks every bit of a superstar.

"His family descends from the ancient Targaryen royal line and still kind of owns this city."

Oh. Wow. Targaryens of Old Valyria.

Margaery chuckled, noticing Inara's eyebrows shoot up in astonishment and awe.

“Red Keep Production house and studios are half owned by them, so this show is his home production. Have you seen any of his work before?"

So he is The Boss.

“I should have done some homework before coming here." Smiling sheepishly, Inara made a mental note to watch some of Aemond's acting projects over the weekend.

They finished their coffee and she took her leave to attend her second orientation meeting with the on-set medical team. However, she had a hard time focusing on the presentations, her thoughts constantly drifting back to him. 

To the enigmatic Aemond Targaryen. 

Back home, she tried to immerse herself in her chores and her books, but thoughts of him clung to her like a shadow she couldn't shake off.

Although she was left feeling a bit intimidated by his presence, she couldn't help but replay her brief encounter with him in her mind.

His voice still thrummed through each fiber of her being, drowning her in a tantalizing warmth.

He was not around her anymore, yet she could still feel his gaze lingering on her, like an invisible caress.

There was something about him - both unnerving and exhilarating. Intimidating yet inviting. 

An inexplicable pull was drawing her to him. 

Maybe he has the same effect on everyone around him.

Maybe I am merely in awe of a celebrity. 

Yeah that's all it is. 

But since when have I started fangirling over movie or TV stars?

She rolled her eyes at her chattering mind and tried to clear her head by writing in her journal.

I had a good day today. The world of glamor and showbiz is a realm far beyond anything I've ever known. But I need to learn more about how to maintain a professional decorum. It is unlikely that I will ever have the chance to know someone like Aemond Targaryen on a deeper level.

Smiling, she stared at his name on the paper for a moment. Of all the words she had ever written, those were two she never thought she would find in her personal journal. Ignoring the flock of butterflies taking flight in her chest, she continued - 

I'm just an employee. A small cog in the grand machinery of his professional life. Why would he pay any attention to me?

She frowned at her own musings, closing her journal with a sigh. Glancing at her phone one last time, she noticed the emails from both teams in her inbox. Emails that were a reminder of her role as a professional. She was there to work and forge a path to a career she aspired for.

The sky thundered outside, the sound interrupting the chain of her thoughts and bringing her back to her reality once again. 

My first rain in King's Landing. 

As the clouds began to pour, sleep gently flickered her eyes closed. Her mind, hanging between wakefulness and the subliminal, recalled a cherished memory from the past - her father telling her favorite bedtime story about a valiant Valyrian prince and his dragon, the largest in the world.

-

Two months ago.

"You need a drink," Criston Cole, Aemond’s best friend and his personal assistant, remarked pointing a finger at him as he entered his office. He dropped a file onto his cluttered desk, taking the chair across the table.

"It's ten in the morning," Aemond replied, sifting through the pile of documents scattered around, his frustration palpable.

"Your face says it's ten at night."

Aemond sighed deeply, rolling his eyes. Criston chuckled, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to him, who accepted reluctantly. Criston placed one between his teeth too, lighting the cigarettes for both. Taking a long drag, both men leaned back in their chairs.

"This project is vital. It has to work. We have it to get renewed for two more seasons," Aemond said, exhaling a thick plume of smoke through his nose.

"Everything will be alright."

"As long as my uncle sits on the board, nothing will be alright," Aemond muttered, his gaze drifting back to the mess on his desk.

"Why do you worry so much? Your mother and I are doing the best we can."

"That's not enough!” Aemond's voice rose as he slapped the table, causing a few papers to flutter. "Where's Aegon? Why isn't he in the office? I have rehearsals; I shouldn't be doing his work." He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up abruptly. "Call him right now!"

"Aemond, calm down," Criston said, his concern evident in his voice. 

"And this..this pile of papers - why is it on my desk?" Aemond swiped the files off his desk in a fit of rage. "Where are my scripts? Where is the report on the CGI budget?"

One of the folders slid to the edge of the table, its contents spilling out. A document with a photograph of a young woman caught Aemond's eye. Instinctively, he picked it up.

"Do I have to do the hiring too now?” His tone softened a notch as he examined the document - a resume, “Be an HR consultant too?" 

The name on the document read - Inara Maegyr. Bachelor of Medicine. Diploma in Makeup and Prosthetic arts.

"I brought that file. It's a list of shortlisted medicos," Criston explained, stretching out a hand to take it from Aemond, who was still engrossed in the document. "And it wasn't for you to check, anyway."

"Hire her." Aemond handed over the resume he was holding and tossed the rest of the folder aside.

"What? Hire who?" Criston asked, his face contorted in confusion as he took the document from Aemond, who was already lighting another cigarette. "There are interviews and proper processes to follow before the project goes on the floor. I can't just hire anyone..” He paused to check the name on the resume.

 “Inara Maegyr, what's with her?"

Aemond only exhaled curls of smoke in response.

"She seems... interesting," Criston said, raising an eyebrow at the document.

“Hire her, she looks..” Aemond fumbled, but quickly corrected the course, “I mean, she seems suitable for the job.” He flicked his cigarette into the ashtray, watching the embers fade.

“We don't want to lose a talented candidate, do we?” 

“Who's acting like an HR consultant now?” Criston teased him. 

-

Aemond was reclining on a couch in his opulent bedroom, an unbuttoned shirt draping over his frame, a cigarette poised between his fingers. Wisps of smoke swirled around him, as he gazed up the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. 

Thoughts of her.

Her innocent smile. 

A smile that felt like a refreshing mist in the putridness of his life. A simple, unassuming gesture from her, yet it pierced through the shadows that often clouded his days. 

The way her stunning, fire-colored eyes lit up when she approached him with her sweet demeanor, stayed with him. 

Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, he ran a hand through his hair, as he recalled their brief interaction. A smile played on his lips, resurfacing the dimple on his cheek. 

Ever since he had read her resume, he had been curious about the woman behind those impressive credentials. He had been eagerly anticipating meeting her in person.

But upon finding her so close, his words scrambled out of nervousness, and he couldn't even make eye contact with her - an unusual experience for him. Typically, people went speechless in front of him, not the other way around. He couldn't afford to shatter his composed exterior. He couldn't allow her to expose a vulnerability that he rarely acknowledged. 

But now, he was certain that he had driven away the unstained, unadulterated warmth she emanated. Unintentionally, he had intimidated her. 

He wasn't accustomed to being caught off guard by such intense emotions for someone he had just met.

It had been years since anyone had stirred any feelings within him. 

Despite being surrounded by a bevy of attractive business women, actresses, and models at work, he had never felt this way about anyone else, the way he felt about - 

“Inara,” surprised by the unfamiliar sensation of her name on his lips, he realised he had never voiced her name before.

Curiously, he picked up his phone to google the meaning of her name.

A ray of light.

An image of a ray of light piercing through the window of a darkened room closed for too long, surfaced in his mind. 

Sky roared outside, pulling him back into his dimly lit room. The sound of heavy raindrops splattering and clattering against the sophisticated French windows lulled him to sleep.

As he closed his eyes, a soothing petrichor filled his retiring senses, wrapping him in a blanket of tranquility.

The sweet, mellow scent brought back the memory of the moment when their eyes first met.

-x-

Taglist - @zenka69

Part 4

[naurimastaur]

A prank a day keeps Severus Snape away!

Summary: in which Fred and George introduce y/n to her very first prank, and Snape into a life of eternal regret.

Pairing: slightly Fred x fem!reader

Note: the twins might be a little ooc as I haven’t read much of them in a while!

Warning: this probably needs heavily edited but I’m lazy so!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n peacefully walked down the corridor before a twin appeared at each side, linking an arm with hers.

“ Do you know what day it is?” Fred questioned. She shook her head in confusion. It was astounding if Fred remembered what year they were living in never mind what day it was. This could only mean one thing; a weasley scheme.

“should I know, or is it just something you’ve made up to entertain yourself?” She mocked.

“ It’s only the most important day of your life,” George piped in, face moving uncomfortably closer to hers. A Cheshire cats smile overcoming his features.

“ If this is another product of yours you want to test on me, do you mind getting me a lawyer first?” She groaned. “Or a legal contract that promises if I turn into an actual test Guinea pig, that you’ll buy me a pink sparkly cage to rot in?” She said batting her eyelashes at them both.

“Of course not, you know if that happened we’d stuff you down Percy’s trousers.” Fred replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What a twit,” George replied, unhelpful.

“Besides, today you are the grand master behind the prank rather than, well being the prank.” Fred replied, believing this to be a flattering position to bestow upon someone.

“Wow! Upgrades! How lucky am I?” She exclaimed.

George choosing to ignore this, immediately jumped into the plan. “We need you to tell moaning myrtle that Snape’s caught a fancy for her.”

“You want me to tell the ghost of a fourteen year old that a grown man is in love with her?”

“Precisely! See George, I told you she’d get on board in no time!” Fred beamed.

George continued, “And while you girly talk with mytrle we’ll cause a distraction forcing Snape into the bathroom and into his phantom lover’s hands.” He smiled accomplished.

“ If only you two put this much thought into school, imagine the outcome.”

“ To end up as greasy and alone as Snape?” Fred replied, grinning.

“ Letting your emo haircut from adolescence follow you twenty years into adulthood?” George added.

“ Having your only friends be your empty chemistry beakers?” Fred continued.

“ The last and only interaction with a woman being your own mother?” George added, for good measure.

Y/n shook her head in plain disappointment, knowing that the real shame was coming from her eagerness to agree with the plan. To join in on the fun for once.

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“Oh wow I seemed to have dropped this strange unfolded note from Professor Snape’s diary.” Y/n called out, pacing the girl’s bathroom. “It would be really such a shame if anyone were to read it!”

“Professor Snape has a diary?” Myrtle said suspiciously, popping out of one of the near toilets. Is that still unhygienic even if she’s a ghost and technically doesn’t touch anything?

“Hey don’t judge we all have our own coping mechanisms.” Y/n replied with a hand on her heart and a solemn look on her face. “Look I’d really appreciate if you gave that note back before I get in trouble,” she said, adding a slight quiver to her lip.

Myrtle, forever the drama seeking ghost teen took it into her grip, ignoring y/n’s pleas and gleefully giggling at her misfortune. However, all her giddiness was ceased the moment she read the note.

“Professor Snape, likes… me?” She questioned, unsure of herself and even more unsure of the paper before her.

“Well,” y/n replied hesitantly, “ I really wasn’t supposed to say.” She mustered the most shame filled look she could imagine, it wasn’t difficult as it naturally seemed to appear whenever the twins were around. “But you didn’t hear it from me!”

She was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps and panicked shouts from the corridor. “HIDE!”

“Sorry got to go!” She ran, following the familiar voice of Fred, leaving myrtle in a more petrified state than the basilisk attack fifty years ago.

“Into the closet quickly!” Fred urged shoving her in. Wasn’t chivalry just alive and thriving amongst young men today? Peeking out of the slight crack in the doors frame they saw Snape approach, his raggedy cloak cascading behind him, before his path was blocked by a semi- transparent creature.

“Why hello handsome.”

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“How does Myrtle of All people have a better love life than me?” Y/n moaned, throwing her head back against Fred’s chest in despair, forced into his embrace due to the lack of space.

Fred smiled to himself looking down at her, letting out a lighthearted chuckle.

“Are you teasing me?” She questioned, humour laced in her tone paired with a scolding look in her eyes.

“Course not, wouldn’t imagine it love.” Fred held up his hands in mock surrender. “Besides,” he continued on, wrapping his arms around her frame, “I think you’re just looking at the wrong people is all.”

Y/n froze, catching the suggestion in his tone. Before she could fully process however, the door of their hidden sanctuary was thrown open, a steaming Snape stood in front of them.

Well shit.

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A/n: Hello I’m unsure if this’ll get any attention but my first post did well so I’m back again! Lmk if I should stick to x fem!reader or nb!reader.

@thescrunkler just for you babes xx (if you hate it close your eyes).