#yeah seven times technically but I was tired | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

roosterforme · 10 months ago

Text

The Younger Kind Part 45 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley is loving his life at home. Skittles continues to fit right in while you inadvertently insist on nearly finding the one thing Bradley wants to keep hidden. A family day at the beach followed by a night alone with you are the only things he wants to focus on right now. It would be great if that's what he was allowed to do.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, fluff, smut, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4000 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

It was late by the time Bradley got home with Skittles, and you were pretty tired after assisting with an emergency at work. But Noah must have heard him pull into the driveway as he called out, "Daddy's back!" in the middle of coloring a rainbow turtle. He was out of his seat and heading for the front door before you could stop him, but it didn't matter, because you were anxious to see Bradley, too.

When you rounded the corner, he was kneeling on the floor and collecting Noah in his arms, a light blue bakery box on the floor next to him. You were used to seeing him with one arm around Noah while he held Skittles, but right now he was looking up at you like you were the only thing in the room worth his attention. It was remarkable that he still made you feel this giddy.

"Hey, Baby," he rasped. "You had a good day? Your emergency patient doing okay?" Then he stood up with his arms full and leaned down to kiss your forehead. He was still in his uniform, tall and strong, holding everything you cared about against his chest.

"Yeah. I had a good day," you replied, somehow managing to squeeze your way between Noah and Skittles to give him a kiss on the neck while he chuckled.

"Me too. Skittles got a clean bill of health," he whispered, and you could hear his stomach growling. It had probably been seven or eight hours since he had lunch, so you bent to pick up the bakery box, already craving a donut.

"That's good. Come on," you coaxed, tucking your index finger inside the top of his pants and earning a raised eyebrow as you tugged him toward the kitchen. "We already ate, but I'll heat up some leftovers for you while the two of you color."

"Daddy, is Skittles your best friend?" Noah asked as you set the box on the counter and took a peek. You gasped, because it was filled with crown donuts. You looked at Bradley over your shoulder where he was now sitting with his son on his lap.

"I think technically either Mommy or Aunt Natasha is my best friend, Bub."

You smiled as Noah sternly said, "No. It's Skittles. Mommy and Aunts don't count."

"Right. My bad," Bradley replied as he fiddled with something in his pocket. When he met your eyes, you noticed his cheeks were a little flushed as you bit into one of the donuts. "I got you a whole dozen this time."

"I see that," you replied, setting it down again so you could heat up a plate of food. "Did you run into Casey?"

"I did not," he replied as Noah handed him a green crayon. "It was just Skittles and I running up the credit card bill. That animal clinic is expensive."

"I believe it," you replied, taking a bite of potato from his plate to make sure it was hot enough. You'd always wanted a dog, but according to your parents, everything to do with pets was too pricey. They wouldn't even let you have a goldfish when you were a kid.

You set Bradley's dinner in front of him before grabbing the container of ants on logs out of the refrigerator for Noah. You arranged them on a plate in a zigzag shape before giving them to him, and he had one in his mouth before the plate was all the way set down. When you turned to get your donut, Bradley reached out and wrapped his hand around your thigh, pulling you back to him.

"Princess," he whispered. "I love you."

He looked tired, and he was clearly in a bit of a soft mood. Maybe even sentimental. The way he called you his best friend a few minutes ago made you smile even now. But his dark eyes held so much devotion as he examined your face that you ran your fingers down along his cheek and let your forehead rest against his. You knew he was starving; you could still hear his stomach growling, but he made no move to release your leg to take a bite of his dinner. So you just stayed there, your lips brushing his every time you moved.

"I love you too, Daddy."

You grinned against his kiss as Noah crunched loudly on his carrot sticks. This was where you belonged. You could barely even remember the details of your tiny rental because of all of the richness of your home with Bradley. It was overpowering. Living with Bradley and Noah had a dreamlike quality that made everything better.

"You need to eat," you whispered, kissing Bradley one more time before returning to your donut.

-----------------------------

"I want Skittles to sleep in my bed!" Noah was practically crying, his cheeks bright red with frustration as Bradley tried to get him ready to go to sleep. He was overtired and cranky, and right now he was inconsolable. "You said after she got her cast off, she could sleep in my bed!"

"Noah," Bradley said in his softest tone as his son's arms flailed in his pajama shirt. "I said we can try, but we can't force Skittles to do things. Do you understand?"

But he just whined, "I want her to sleep in my bed!"

Bradley sighed where he sat in the middle of Noah's bedroom floor, the engagement ring still tucked in his khaki uniform pants pocket. He didn't know where to put it. He didn't even know exactly when he wanted to give it to you. But he desperately needed to get it stashed away somewhere before he just proposed to you tonight, because having it on his person was making him feel a certain way about you. Maybe it was a good thing that Noah was kind of killing the vibe.

"Just get in bed," Bradley told him. "If you get in bed right now, I'll bring Skittles in."

He watched Noah launch himself into his twin bed and pull the blankets up to his chin. The odds that the pup would stay in Noah's room even for a few minutes were pretty slim. You had her out in the backyard right now so she could go to the bathroom, but the little pooch was almost glued to Bradley's side whenever he was home.

As soon as you walked back inside in your cute little shorts and tank top set with Skittles at your feet, Bradley bent and scooped her up. "Noah is losing his mind. Wish me luck." He turned away from you with a smirk and kissed Skittles on her head. "If you stay in there until Noah falls asleep and long enough for me to fuck my Princess, I'll give you a treat."

You were cracking up in the kitchen as he walked away. "You're bargaining with the dog!" But he knew better. Skittles wasn't just a dog, she was his best friend after all.

Noah's eyes lit up in the soft glow from the nightlight when Bradley entered his bedroom with the pup. "She got used to her own bed, okay? So if she doesn't want to stay, we can't make her." But Noah's arms were outstretched, ready to hold his pet, and Bradley got her nestled in under the blankets next to his little body.

As the dog looked up at him, concern for her new sleeping arrangement in her puppy eyes, Bradley bent to kiss Noah on the forehead and Skittles next to her bow. "Try to go right to sleep," he whispered to Noah. "I'm serious."

He just giggled in response as the dog licked his face, and Bradley did not see this little experiment ending well as he exited the room. He patted his pants pocket just as he had been doing all night. It took all he had within him not to open up the box and check to make sure your ring was secure, and he still didn't know where to put it for safekeeping.

When he entered his bedroom, he abandoned the idea of finding a good hiding spot when he found you in the middle of the bed wearing your paper crown. You looked so young and impossibly innocent with your glossy lips and your pajama set, but your filthy words betrayed you. "I heard you wanted to fuck a Princess."

He ran his fingers through his hair and smirked as he stood next to the side of the bed while you crawled toward him. "I always want my Princess," he whispered as your lips hovered just inches away from his zipper. When you looked up at him, every trace of innocence was completely gone, and you leaned in until your lips met his tip through his khakis. "Baby," he moaned, but before you could get his zipper down, he reached for your hands.

"What's wrong?" you asked as he pulled you up so you were kneeling in front of him.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything is very right."

You smiled up at him as he kissed your lips softly. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, as plainly evidenced by the ring in his pocket right next to where your hand just settled. So as he guided your fingers up to his chest, he asked, "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

You laughed against his lips. "You're asking me on a date? We're already in a relationship."

Bradley's hands settled on your hips as he nipped along your jaw until his mouth was next to your ear. "Doesn't mean I can't ask you out. I got selected to fly in the air show, and I want you to be my date for the weekend."

"Really?" you gasped, your fingers tightening around his shirt buttons. "Noah and I get to watch you fly? And you and I can tour the children's hospital?"

"Mmhmm. I wasn't about to let you go with Jake. That man only has one thing on his mind when it comes to you."

"Oh yeah?" you asked, feigning pure innocence once again through your voice. "What does he have on his mind?" When Bradley responded by tucking his hand inside your tiny shorts and stroking your bare pussy, first you gasped, and then you laughed.

His touch remained soft and tentative as he slipped one finger down to tease your opening. "You see, he doesn't want you the way I want you."

"How do you want me?" you whimpered softly, kissing his lips.

"I want you with me for the rest of my life."

"Daddy!" you whined, kissing him desperately as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He knew nobody else had ever spoken to you the way he did, but he also knew he'd never been in love like this before. This time, when you reached for his zipper, he let you have him. His shirt and pants ended up on the floor along with your tiny pajamas, and you welcomed him into your tight pussy as you told him you loved him.

"I have everything," he groaned as he made love to you as you peppered kisses along his flushed cheeks. "You're everything."

After you came for him, Bradley let himself indulge in filling you up while thinking about your belly all swollen and pregnant, and you reached for him just as Skittle came trotting back into the bedroom. Your soft laughter as Bradley curled up behind you had him laughing, too.

"The dog will literally do anything you ask," you whispered as she walked across the room and turned three circles around her dog bed before plopping down. "She stayed in bed with Noah long enough for you to fuck me."

"Dogs are man's best friend for a reason, Princess."

You snuggled in his arms for a few minutes, fingers laced with his as you kissed his forearm. Just as Bradley was starting to doze off, you said, "I'll check on Noah before I get ready for bed." He squeezed you tight one time before releasing you and rolling onto his back to stretch. "Ow!" you gasped when you climbed out of bed. "Shit! I just stepped on something hard in your uniform pants."

His eyes went wide as you started to bend down to investigate, but he vaulted out of bed. "I'll take care of it," he practically yelled, and you dropped his pants. The ring box made a soft thud as it hit the floor, and you gave him a strange look.

"Okay," you replied, glancing at him one more time before pulling your pajamas on and heading out of the room.

"Fuck," Bradley grunted, picking up the pants and rooting around in the pocket until the box was in his hand. He turned away from the door and snapped it open, revealing the most perfect ring he had ever seen. He was already obsessed with imagining it on your finger. But he snapped it closed again quickly and ran for the dresser.

He could leave it with his undershirts, but when he opened that drawer, he realized you were in that one a lot, often borrowing from him. He opened the next drawer down, but it was filled with your cute underwear, so that definitely wouldn't work. He reached for the bottom drawer which was filled with his socks, but he heard you coming back down the hallway, so he dropped the box and kicked it shut.

"Aren't you going to get ready for bed?" you asked as you plugged your phone into the charger, still eyeing him a little cautiously. Bradley realized he was just awkwardly standing there naked in front of the dresser for seemingly no reason, so he was definitely going to have to move the ring later.

"Yeah," he agreed, grabbing some clean underwear and kissing you as he walked past. "Getting ready for bed."

--------------------------

On Thursday, Bradley let you know that everyone was insisting on a beach day on Saturday, but when you texted Natasha about what kind of bathing suit she was planning on wearing, she claimed she might not even go.

"Well I don't know if I want to go if Nat isn't going," you complained to Bradley while you made dinner. "I don't want to be the only female there. In a bathing suit. That would be weird."

"She's going," Bradley said with an eye roll. "She's just being difficult, because she's trying to pretend nothing is going on with Javy. Besides, I'm not going unless you're going." He took the spoon you were holding out of your hand and spun you around to face him. "I don't want to go anywhere without my Princess."

You let him kiss you and slip his hands underneath your top, trying not to moan as his calloused hands danced softly along your skin. When his lips skimmed along your cheek, you whispered, "You just want me there to help you walk safely across the uneven rocks and sand." You bit your lip as he eased his face away from yours to give you a cautionary look. So of course you immediately added, "Because you're such an old man."

One big hand slipped down and softly spanked you on the butt as you laughed. "Old or not, I can still get the job done. And that includes walking across the beach."

"Sure, Daddy. But I'll go, too. Just in case."

"Thank you. Now if you think you can be nice for a minute, I have something to tell you."

"I can be very nice," you said, kissing him on the tip of his nose before spinning around to check on dinner.

Bradley patted you on the butt before reaching into the refrigerator to get two beers out. "Penny offered to take Noah home after the beach and keep him for the night."

As he opened both bottles, your gaze drifted to where Noah was sitting on the kitchen floor, building blocks while Skittles basked in the last rays of the setting sun. You licked your lips as you watched Bradley press his mouth to his beer and take a long drink, the bob of his Adam's apple capturing your attention. "We'd have the house to ourselves for the night?"

He winked at you as he set his beer on the counter and pressed the other one into your hand. "Just you and me," he rasped, pecking your cheek. "And I can think of a few fun ways to pass the time."

Then he was on the floor with Noah, and Skittles was in his lap, but he kept shooting you his smug smile that you liked so much.

On Friday night, after Noah was in bed, you started to get things packed up for the following day. "Why do we need so much stuff to go anywhere?" you mused out loud as you found sunblock and beach towels.

"Oh, hell no," Bradley said, taking you by the hips and pulling you away from the tote bag you were packing. "First of all, you used to bring your textbooks over in that bag when you were babysitting, so it gives me an instant boner." You erupted into laughter as he held you against his chest. "But second, you drastically over packed when we went to the lakehouse."

You looked up at him over your shoulder. "I know," you whispered. "But I want Noah to have anything he might need or want. And you know how my parents were." You didn't like talking about them. They never understood you when you were a child, and that's why you'd moved out as soon as you could. They were also the reason you had a hard time spending Bradley's money even though he wanted you to be comfortable.

"I know, Baby," Bradley crooned, and you melted back against him. "I love how much you love Noah. And I hate that you never got to do anything or ask for anything when you were his age, but there's no need to go overboard for a beach day."

You nodded. "Well then why don't you help me pack?"

"I'd be happy to."

But you and Bradley spent more time kissing and laughing softly than anything else. His hands were all over you, just pulling you closer and trying to keep you there. "Let's go to bed," he whined for the third time, convinced you'd packed everything the three of you could possibly need. "I want to cuddle with you."

You nearly shrieked as he picked you up, leaving the pile of gear for the beach next to the front door, and carried you back to the bedroom. "Oh, you want to cuddle?"

He hummed and nodded against your shoulder. "Yeah. Let's save all the nasty shit for when we're home alone tomorrow night." Butterflies erupted in your belly as he set you down on the bed and climbed in next to you. "Let's cuddle."

You were wrapped up tight in his arms, Bradley's soft, even breaths tickling your neck as he whispered that he loved you. This was perhaps the safest you'd ever felt in your life. Nobody was going to hurt you here. Not now. Bradley would take care of that. And you would take care of him.

As you snuggled in to go to sleep, your eyes caught on the items lined up on the dresser. "What's all of that out for?" you asked softly.

"Huh?" Bradley grunted, probably already part way asleep. But you propped yourself up on your elbow and looked at the purple USB drive, a pile of your underwear, your purple plug, your paper crown, and the bottle of lube. All sitting in a tidy row.

"On the dresser, Bradley."

"Oh," he said with a chuckle as he pulled you down flat again. "I started packing for the weekend, too. So to speak."

-------------------------

Bradley grunted, trying his best not to let you see how awkwardly he was walking across the sand. Not after you made the claim that he'd need you to hold his hand and guide him. You and Noah pranced ahead of him, but he was stuck carrying two bags, a cooler, an umbrella and a beach chair. And the temperature of the sand was roughly that of the surface of the sun.

"Fuck," he growled as the sand rushed into his flip flops and his aviators slid down his nose. How you were managing was literally beyond him. He just wanted to get this afternoon over with and get you back home and into bed. He had some plans for you, all of which were becoming more explicit by the moment as he watched your ass swaying in your purple bikini bottoms.

Literally the last thing he needed right now was to become aroused, so he just pushed your delicious looking rear end from his mind. Apparently you found the perfect spot, because you finally stopped and turned around to look for him. Then you laughed and left Noah with Nat while you made your way back to him.

"This sand is fucking hot," he complained before you could say anything at all.

You took one of the bags and the umbrella from him as you said, "It's August, Daddy. Of course the sand is hot. Do you need me to help you along? Or, I could run back to the Bronco and get your walker?" You started to turn in the direction of the parking lot with an innocent look on your face.

"You're really looking to get it tonight, aren't you?" Bradley replied, dumping everything next to where Noah was burying Nat's legs in the sand. You looked so pleased with yourself, and he thought about the ring that he had moved to the pocket of his dress whites that he'd picked up from the dry cleaner. They were hanging in the back of the closet, and he figured you'd have no reason to look there. Before you could run off, he pulled you in for a tight hug and said, "Stay out of trouble. Be a good girl. And I'll give you anything you want later."

Your lips met his ear, nudging his aviators crooked. "I love you." His fingers skimmed your skimpy bathing suit bottom as you joined Noah who had Nat covered to her thighs.

Javy was trying his best to casually toss a football around with Mickey and Mav, but he couldn't keep his eyes to himself. It was a good thing Bradley was absolutely convinced he was looking at Nat and not you, otherwise he'd have a problem. He left you next to the pile of everything you packed, intending to simply join the little football scrimmage that was going on, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, that's really nice, Bradshaw," Jake drawled. "You brought the family today. The little ball and chain, and the big ball and chain."

Bradley hooked his sunglasses with his index finger and dragged them roughly down his nose. "Funny," he said without emotion. "But you weren't calling her a ball and chain back in April when you tried to hook up with her in my kitchen."

Jake hooted with laughter, and it made Bradley's skin crawl. He was such a dick most of the time, and it was always intentional. "There's a difference between hitting a tight pussy and inviting it to live with you. I know the difference. You don't seem to. I'm surprised you didn't bring your dog along, too."

Bradley snapped. "What the fuck is your problem, man?"

Jake met his gaze, and Bradley was reminded without a doubt that Jake would love to get inside your little bikini bottoms just to say he could. "I don't have a problem, but it looks like you do." He jerked his chin toward the volleyball nets, and Bradley turned to investigate. You were standing there, holding hands with Noah while you talked to a guy with blond hair. Upon further inspection, Bradley realized it was your ex boyfriend, Greyson.

--------------------------

Well, well, well. We actually hate you, Grey. If Daddy and Princess can manage to make it to their sexy night home alone, what would you like to read about? And I really hope that ring is well hidden until Daddy comes up with a plan. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 46

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@chassy21

@solacestyles

@daisyhollyxox

@wintercap89

@blog-name6996

@bcon24

@chaoticassidy

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@katiebby04

@marantha

@averyhotchner

@abaker74

@heli991113

@k-k0129

@noz4a2

@tallyovie

@shanimallina87

@little-wiseone

@ccbb2222

@lilyevanswhore

@xoxabs88xox

@thedroneranger

@cherrycola27

@fanboyswhore9

@xomrsalliej4787xo

@desert-fern

@sylviebell

@wkndwlff

@horseslovers2016

@gennyanydots

@mattyskies

@hookslove1592

@blahehblah

@sadpetalsstuff

@local-spidey

@schoollover

@lex-winchester

@magicalmorg

@nicole01-23

@jessicab1991

@happyrebelruins

@samsgoddess

@ughthisisntright

@bellaireland1981

@sagittarius-flowerchild

718 notes · View notes

kalims · 2 years ago

Text

kiss your best friend | octavinelle

kiss your best friend and see how they react!

parts. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven

characters. azul, jade, and floyd

cw. red flagged eels

note. forgot that this lil' series existed oops. reader is yuu in floyd's

azul ashengrotto

full on yelps lmao

he's visibly shaking as he pushes you away with a gaping mouth that doesn't know whether to stay closed or question what the hell just happened.

if anything his glasses would've broken from the pink shade of his face and the steam out of his ears. but alas.. that is simply not possible realistically.

he's prolly like: what does this mean?! azuls tearing out his hair and grinding his teeth in his mind aggressively because let's face it; what does it mean? why on earth would you.. kiss him for no reason at all?!

you slump. "sorry, uhm,, let's just forget about this yeah?" you sigh. taking in his petrified face and shaking limbs as a sign of shock, and fear. you slap yourself in the face. stupid (name)

but azul peels off the hands on your face and displays a face that is a mixture of embarrassment and shyness. he just pulled out the courage out of his ass after seeing you upset.

and the last thing I want is you thinking that it is a mistake. he thinks. technically it is a mistake but... you get the point.

he doesn't know how to comfort you and just stands there like 🧍‍♂️

azul will start crying if you actually think it's a mistake.

jade leech

jade rn: 😲

you sure do know how to catch him off guard with the element of suprise. usually something as trivial as romance and,, kissing would have him tailing it out the room but he can say that was surprisingly pleasing.

pretends nothing happened to mess with you, literally enjoys your nervous glancing and distraught face.

🚩

but eventually tells you to warn him as you short circuit at the word 'next time' by the near end of his sentence. he really likes to mess with you.

joked aside he really does see whatever obsession ordinary humans have with the physical touch thing.. he can even say he feels a little greedy to keep you to himself.. you know maybe drag you to—

🚩🚩🚩🚩

oh well. to the unfortunate of others he seems way too happy. he's practically chasing everyone off with an eery smile behind you even if they so tried to converse with you.

here you got a happy, big, tall, scary, protective eel man who's obsessed in love.

floyd leech

it's insane how casual his response is.

and a little concerning to be honest, it feels like you guys don't even need a label to be doing whatever together. and it felt like that from the start 👁

he just smiles really wide, showing off his sharp teeth, picks you up and hugs you in the air with a joyous face.

which would have been cute if he didn't practically demand you for more!! if you had a hundred madol for every time floyd had started asking you for a kiss after the first one you'd be rich.

your lips actually feel numb and at some point you had started hiding because you are going to go insane if he asks for another. floyd is around the corner? you're shoving yourself into deuce's locker as you leave your poor friend to deal with floyd's; "have you seen shrimpy?"

you feel bad, of course. hiding from your practically boyfriend with no label but he really doesn't give you a break.

ahem 🚩 hearing "shrimpyy!!~" is like the omen for a tiring day.

we have a happy, big, tall, scary, protective eel man who's even more obsessed in love.

prank successfully failed??

#ㅤ◜◡◝ . . signed !#twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland imagines #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland scenarios #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #azul x reader #jade leech #jade leech x reader #jade x reader #floyd leech #floyd leech x reader #floyd x reader #x gn reader

3K notes · View notes

trblsvt · 1 year ago

Text

in this life | choi seungcheol

summary | honestly, you didn’t really care what choi seungcheol did anymore. but, when his mom called you saying there was an accident, you found yourself at the foot of his bed. genre | fluff, angst, hurt/comfort; exes!au warnings | swearing, mentions of hospitals, injuries from an accident (not life threatening), mentions of drinking, suggestive… for like a flashback, nudity (non-sexual and not descriptive), miscommunication possibly…, jealousy…, insecurities/self-doubt word count | 13.47k words pairing | choi seungcheol x fem!reader minli | lowercase intended i literally have nothing to say about this. sort of a monster to write. i had so many ideas for this, yet little brainpower to execute! it was a fun concept and the longest fic i’ve written for this blog… italics mean flashback or past event… update | i forgot a few things to tag under warnings, sorry :( they have been added

you were doing great, just great. it started raining when you left your umbrella back at your apartment. you were late to work, and you spilled your coffee on the way out of the door. things were great, and it had been seven months since you and your boyfriend called it quits.

you’d like to say it ended in a big blaze of glory, something movie-like, but it was just the opposite. you had sat down with seungcheol and told him that you were unhappy. he was always too busy and refused to make time for anything other than his work. as for you, well you were tired. when you told him, he sort of just looked at you blankly and just shrugged.

he fucking shrugged. great. so that was it. you just stared at him blankly. he wasn’t even going to put up a fight. two years down the drain.

“so that’s it?” you had asked before you left.

“yeah, i guess so,” he had replied.

and that’s how it ended, you packed up your stuff and went back to your apartment. you technically weren’t living with seungcheol, you still had your lease and whatever, but you spent a lot of time at seungcheol’s.

you finally made it to the office and clocked in. nothing important was going on today which was nice, but also this meant your day was going to be endlessly boring. at least it was friday.

you sat down and logged into your computer. “shouldn’t you change your home screen?” a voice startled you out of your thoughts of the hours to come. you spun around in your chair and stared at your friend minjeong. you looked between her and your computer screen. you knew what she was talking about, but you decided to play dumb. “what are you talking about?” you asked. minjeong sort of glared at you.

“that’s from your vacation to jeju,” she frowned.

the same vacation seungcheol took you on.

“yeah, it’s a sunset for jeju. what about it?” you huffed. she didn’t respond, just gave you a look. you knew that look. it was the “i know better than you, why aren’t you listening to me?” look. “seungcheol isn’t even in this picture,” you defended your screensaver.

“but seungcheol was there. that’s a memory with seungcheol,” she countered. she was right. you probably should’ve changed it, but whether it was with seungcheol or not, it was a nice picture. “yeah, it is, but we’re on good terms so what’s the big deal?” you blurted out.

there was the “you’re such a liar” look. “really? when’s the last time you talked to seungcheol since you broke up?” she entertained you even though you both knew you hadn’t contacted seungcheol once since you broke up. “well, it’s not like i keep track or anything, that would be weird,” you brushed her off. you could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “seriously, ___, i don’t think this is healthy for you to still keep remnants of your relationship with him around. it’s going to prevent you from moving on,” she explained.

“i know, just- just give me a little time,” you sighed.

“time? it’s been seven months! how about we go out tonight? you can get your sights on some new man. i think i overheard that changkyun is going out tonight at that new bar.”

“now why would i be interested in where changkyun is going tonight?” you scoffed. minjeong had a theory that changkyun had been crushing on you since he first joined the company, but you were too “lovesick” with seungcheol to see. “he’s so into you! i’m not saying to marry the guy, just take your mind off seungcheol. it’s his loss anyway,” minjeong laughed.

you wanted to believe that, you really did.

you had every intention of going out with minjeong, but the day was going on so momentously, you weren’t sure if you could stand up straight for another second. you both had to unexpectedly stay longer and work overtime, and it might have been the death of you. you heard minjeong’s cheery humming coming around the corner. “are you ready to get absolutely wasted?” she smiled.

“i was going for more of a buzzed thing,” you yawned.

“oh no, don’t do that. you get so quiet when you’re tired before you drink,” she whined. you looked at her, but she was right. you had about three different moods when you were drunk. one, loud. two, quiet. three, insane. and most of the time, the way you ended up correlated to how you were feeling before you drank. you couldn’t explain it, but it just happened.

you were about to offer a clever rebuttal when your phone started ringing. “one second,” you didn’t even bother to check the caller id. “hello?” you replied.

“ah, ___ thank you for answering,” a familiar voice floated through the phone. you paused. you pulled your phone away from your ear and looked at the name on the call.

mrs. choi.

“mrs. choi, hello, i wasn’t expecting you to call me,” you said almost breathlessly. you glanced over at minjeong and she stared at you, wide-eyed. “___, dear. i’m so glad you picked up. i need you to come over,” she sighed. she sounded tired like she had been crying. wait. she wanted you to come over? for what? “come over? what’s going on? is everyone okay?” you asked, logging off your computer and placing the few things you took out of your bag, back into the bag.

“i have hope that it will be. seungcheol was in a car accident.”

you apologized profusely to minjeong and left the office rushing to the seungcheol’s apartment. you knew the way to his apartment, to him, like the back of your hand. you punched the code in that bypassed the need to be buzzed in, and made your way to the elevator.

after you pressed the button to the fifth floor of the complex you felt your hands become inexplicably sweaty. why did you rush over here like a lovesick fool? you weren’t even dating him anymore. why did his mom call you? what was going on? the elevator dinged, alerting you that it was time to get out.

you made your way down to his apartment. 5-12. it looked the same since the last time you were there. you stared at the door. it had been so long since you had been there. your heart was beating so fast, you didn’t know what to do. so, you just knocked.

the door flew open almost instantly. “___, my dear, come in,” mrs. choi welcomed you warmly. you smiled and bowed slightly. when you stepped through the doorway your first instinct was to run away, but you couldn’t. you kicked your shoes off and followed mrs. choi in the direction of seungcheol’s bedroom.

she lightly grasped at your arm. “the car crash happened a couple days ago. we just got out of the hospital. he broke his right leg. it was jammed against the dash and steering wheel. he also has a bruised lung from the airbag, and a mild concussion from the collision,” she explained. you nodded. that sounded awful. where did he crash? did someone crash into him, or did he crash into someone else?

almost reading your mind, she added, “he didn’t hurt anyone else. it was raining the other day. it was dark and his car hydroplaned into a barrier. the cops thought it might’ve been a drunk driving incident since they found newly bought alcohol in the back of his car, but there wasn’t any in his system.”

you were still rendered speechless. seungcheol was the safest driver you knew. he always warned you about hydroplaning and what to do if it happened. why didn’t he do what he always told you?

you realized you were spaced out when mrs. choi rested a hand on your shoulder. “i was surprised that you didn’t come the other day, but seungcheol insisted that you were away on a trip of some sort. he didn’t want me to call you, but you’re his girlfriend! i had to tell you at some point, and you’re obviously back in town,” she exclaimed. “thank you so much for coming, ___. i don’t know where seungcheol would be without you.”

you’re his girlfriend.

what the fuck?

you certainly were not his girlfriend anymore. why did she think you were together? it had been seven months. mrs. choi was sharp, she wouldn’t accidentally slip and say you were his girlfriend unless that is if…

then it dawned on you.

for whatever reason, seungcheol never told his mom the two of you broke up.

fuck.

seungcheol was sick. he was more than sick. he was hurt, physically. and his mom only wanted what was best for her son. she brought you here for something. you weren’t about to make this poor woman’s day worse by telling her you weren’t dating seungcheol anymore, so you played along. “yes, i just got back from a business trip. i always tell seungcheol to call me if something’s the matter. i’m so glad you called me, i wasn’t going to come over for another day or two because of his work schedule,” you pretended. she looked at you fondly. “i always knew you were a good one, ___,” she smiled. it pained you to lie to her, but it seemed like the best option for now.

“we just got back from the hospital a few hours ago. he’s all set up in there. i’m not sure if he’s awake now, but do you want to see him?” she asked. you nodded quietly. you didn’t know what you were going to do in front of seungcheol. you preferred not to think about it.

“before you go in, i have a large favor to ask you. i understand you’re a busy person, but if you could, oh my i feel so embarrassed to ask this. if you could stay with him for a while. take some time off and take care of him because i really cannot stay. my father is ill and i must return home to care for him,” she laughed bitterly. “i would stay, and i would never dream of dumping this sort of responsibility on just anyone, but you’re his girlfriend. not saying girlfriends and wives are only meant for taking care of husbands and boyfriends, but i know you care about seungcheol. i just thought it-”

“yes, i can do that,” you cut her off. why did you say that? “i can contact my manager and work remotely.” why do you keep saying things like this? suddenly mrs. choi’s arms were around you. “thank you, thank you, thank you, dear. i am so grateful for you, and i know my son is too. thank you! i must get going, but i already stocked the fridge. you can go in. once again, thank you so much. our family owes you so much,” she cried. you rubbed her back. “oh, don’t say that. you don’t owe me anything. i’m just happy he’s alright,” you whispered.

that was the first truthful thing you said in that entire interaction.

when you entered the room, mrs. choi accompanied you. seungcheol was awake. he stared longingly out the window on the opposite side of the room away from the door. “honey, there’s someone here to see you,” mrs. choi called gently. you wanted to hide, so you tried to. partially behind her and you looked over her shoulder. seungcheol tried to adjust himself and he slowly turned over to look at his mother. “mom, i really didn’t want to see anyone-” he began, but his eyes met yours and he froze.

“oh come on, darling, it’s ___. she’s agreed to help out some. she cares about you,” she cooed. seungcheol looked like a child who got caught going through the cookie jar.

due to the dim light, you couldn’t really see that well, but you noticed the large soft cast that he had on his right leg. it looked like he was having a hard time breathing, that was the bruised lung. he had some cuts on his face that had already scabbed over, but you noticed some dark spots on his pillow, maybe he had been picking at them. he had a habit of picking at his scabs.

but the most striking thing to you was how pale he was. he looked like a ghost, which was strange since seungcheol loved to go outside to read or watch people. what had changed since you left? you noticed a wheelchair and a pair of crutches.

“mom, i- why did you call, ___? i told you she was busy,” seungcheol asked weakly. before his mom could nag him, you decided that you could save this entire situation from becoming more awkward than it needed to be. “cheol, don’t you remember? i came back yesterday, but i knew you were going to be busy with work,” you forced a smile. you thought you were going to throw up his mother grinned and squeezed your hand. she made her way over to seungcheol’s closet and started rummaging through it looking for something.

you looked back at seungcheol and it looked like he might cry. his eyes yelled at you, what are you doing here?

if you were honest you weren’t sure.

you saw mrs. choi out while she continued to thank you profusely for looking about for seungcheol. “of course, no need to worry. seungcheol is safe with me,” you assured.

“what would i do without you, ___? i hope someday you can join the family officially. i mean you’ve been dating seungcheol for over two years now,” she grinned hugging you.

yeah, i did too, you thought.

she left and instructed you to just heat something up that she left in the fridge. you locked the door behind you and made your way into the kitchen. you pulled out a tray of noodles and plated them. she left you a few tips about seungcheol so you decided to look at it.

he has work off, so no need to worry about driving him to work. once he is better and the doctors clear his concussion can start working from home.

please make sure he is eating three meals a day. he’s been acting differently and hasn’t been eating as much.

for showers, there’s a cover for the cast because he can’t get it wet. i set up a chair in his shower, so he should need minimal help in that area. maybe just changing.

pain medications are in the cabinet next to the fridge. dosage is two tablets every six hours. but, if he isn’t hurting that much give him one, or if he isn’t in any pain don’t worry about it.

he has a doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks to see how his leg is healing is progressing.

thank you so much <3 call me if you need anything

you frowned at the second one. not eating well? seungcheol always ate well. this seemed pretty manageable. you had already called your supervisor, who approved your request to work remotely. you did have to lie and say you were taking care of a family member, but otherwise, it was a mostly truthful story.

when you put the sheet down, the microwave had finished and you brought the plate into seungcheol’s room. he wasn’t looking in your direction, instead, he was looking out the window. “seungcheol, i brought you dinner. your mom made it,” you announced. no response. you huffed and looked around the room. you didn’t want to push him, but you needed him to eat. “i know you’re not sleeping. you’ll heal faster if you eat. your mom needs you to eat,” you continued. yet, to no avail, he still stared out the window, body closed off to you. you sighed, you wished it didn’t have to come to this. “seungcheol, i need you to eat. please, for me,” you pleaded. there was a slight shift, but still no response. “well, i’ll just leave it here, but eat it soon. it’ll get cold,” you sighed, placing the plate on the nightstand where he could reach it.

why did you sign up for this? it wasn’t like you owed him anything. why didn’t you just tell his mom you were broken up? so many questions were flooding your mind, so you almost missed his whispered question. “what, did you say? i’m sorry, i missed it,” you asked, turning around from the door.

“do you- do you have something to eat?” he asked, breath labored.

something in your heart stuttered.

you silently nodded.

“that’s good,” was all he said.

it was almost 9:00 pm. you had your plate of food, and you thought it would be best to run over to your apartment to pick up some clothes and belongings, especially since you were supposed to live here for a while. you would run in and check with seungcheol and let him know you were leaving and then you’d be back in thirty minutes.

you knocked on the door, but no response. you hoped that it wasn’t going to be like this for the rest of his recovery. “i’m coming in, seungcheol,” you called opening the door.

but when you entered you were met with an empty bed. your eyebrows furrowed. you noticed the empty plate of his dinner. then you noticed his wheelchair was gone, and the faint glow of light from under the bathroom door.

you didn’t hear the shower running, so maybe he was just using the bathroom. yet, something in your gut told you otherwise. you made your way over to the bathroom door and pressed your ear against it. you heard quiet sniffling.

oh.

“seungcheol? are you in there?” you asked. dumb question, but you didn’t know what else to lead with. no response. “seungcheol, are you okay?” obviously not. “seungcheol, if you don’t answer me, i’m coming in.”

“no, please. please don’t come in,” he responded finally. “i’m fine.”

“no you’re not. i can help, seungcheol. let me help. what’s going on?” you called. there was a hesitation before he spoke, “i- i don’t know how to do this.”

“what is this?” you asked again for clarification.

“cleaning. i don’t know to do it with this thing on my leg.” that made sense. you already knew he was going to need help with that. you just wished he would’ve come to you first. “can i come in?” you hoped he would say yes.

“no,” he said.

“why not?”

“i don’t want you to see me like this.”

“this isn’t the time to act modest. i’m here to help.” there was a deep sigh on the other side of the door. finally, you heard some shuffling and the door was open. you walked in and took in your surroundings. seungcheol was without a shirt and pants. he sat slumped in his wheelchair as he quickly tried to wipe his tears. you saw some bruises that covered his abdomen. you also noticed how he looked skinnier. that must be why his mom wanted to make sure he was eating. the cover for his cast was sitting on the counter, so you grabbed it.

you knelt down next to him, he wasn’t looking at you. you looked into the shower and noticed the shower chair. “seungcheol, i’m gonna put a towel under you right now, so can you lift yourself up a little?” you said grabbing a towel to put onto the seat of the wheelchair. he did, and you tried your best to arrange it. “can you stand at all?” you asked. he huffed and pushed himself up, and used you as a brace.

you guided him into his walk-in shower and helped him sit down. you paused and looked at him closely. he looked so tired, which was expected, but there was something else there. you just couldn’t put your finger on it. “i need you to take off your underwear, unless you want to shower in them,” you directed. he glared at you and mumbled something. “what was that?” you asked.

“i don’t-” he began.

“now is not the time to be modest,” you chided.

“no! i don’t want you to see me like this! i don’t want you to see me all broken and bruised! it’s not right that my mother asked you to do this! just leave! i know you don’t want to be here, so just go. it’s already humiliating enough,” he heaved. you felt your jaw tighten and your fingers clawed at your sides. you didn’t want to respond to that, at least not at that moment. “take off your underwear, seungcheol,” you ordered, crossing your arms. he finally looked at you in your eyes, and he pushed his underwear off. you had to help him get it over his cast, but otherwise, it was seamless. next, you grabbed the cast cover which was essentially a glorified plastic bag, and slid it over his bandaged leg.

seungcheol’s eyes were downcast again, and he refused to acknowledge you. his shower head was detachable and handheld, so you took it down and placed it closer to him. he still wasn’t looking at you. although you really needed to get some stuff from your apartment, you could stay. when you started rolling up your sleeves on your work blouse and slipping out of your house slippers, seungcheol stared at you incredulously. you stepped into the shower and turned on the water. you made sure the head was facing the ground as you waited for it to warm up. “what are you doing?” he asked. he almost sounded angry, but that could be addressed later. you snatched the washcloth that was hanging on a hook inside the shower and found his shampoo and conditioner. he leaned over and grabbed your wrist, it wasn’t harsh or forceful, just him. “what are you doing?” he repeated.

“taking care of you,” you said shortly. “now close your eyes. tell me if it’s too hot.” he released your wrist and there was that look again. you had to figure out what that was about. you raised the shower head and soaked his hair, and promptly began to lather his shampoo into his hair. he seemed to relax at that. you ran your hands through his hair like you used to. he liked it when you tugged at his strands. it brought him a comfort he couldn’t describe. yet, his hair was shorter now, not the longer strands that you were used to. you wondered what made him cut it, but you knew now wasn’t the time to ask about it.

the rest of the shower went without any hitch. your hands running over the broad expanse of his back. something about that moment was so domestic, intimate, yet you knew you couldn’t have it the way you wanted it. the way you wanted him. so, you pushed it down, just like the way you did when you noticed him distancing himself from you and drowning himself in his work.

you helped him get into some clean clothes and bed after he brushed his teeth and dried his body. after you brought him his pain medication with a glass of water to stick next to his bed, you were about to go out and run to your apartment. he saw you rustling around in your bag that you left in his room. “what are you doing?” he asked.

“looking for my keys,” you replied.

“why?”

“so i can go home and grab some things. i’ll be working from home, i mean, i’ll be working here while i help you.” god, why did you call his apartment home? it hadn’t been your home for so long. “i’ll be back soon. i’ll be quiet when i come back so just sleep.”

“no, don’t go.”

“pardon?”

“don’t go.” he stared at you like a petulant child. was this a symptom of a concussion? “seungcheol, i have to go get some of my things. i don’t really want to sleep in my work clothes,” you tried to reason with the pouting man.

“you left some of your clothes. t-shirts and stuff. sweatpants. just wear that. it’s too late for you to leave now. it wouldn’t be safe,” he shrugged but winced. that was the bruised lung. you didn’t know you left your things over, if you did you would’ve made one more trip to pick them up.

but…

seungcheol didn’t throw out the clothes you left behind. was he stashing them in case he had another girl come over that needed to borrow clothes? was he saving them for a special time to burn them? why did he keep your clothes?

no matter, it was no use arguing with seungcheol, and you were tired. you hadn’t even had time to process the fact he had been in an accident, to begin with. “where?” you asked turning back around.

“in my closet, where your clothes usually are.” he looked at you like it was obvious. why would it be obvious? you wanted to scream. a normal person after a breakup usually burns the things their ex left behind, or they maybe just throw them out on the street. they don’t keep it in the same place in the closet. you breathed deeply to calm your mind. now was not the time to address the elephant in the room. “i’ll be getting a shower then,” you said, eyeing him suspiciously. he just nodded and turned to face the window.

the shower was uneventful other than the thousands of thoughts flowing through your mind. you hoped that they would leave you and flow down the drain. when you finally got out of the shower, you realized you would have to walk through seungcheol’s bedroom to get to the couch. hopefully, he was knocked out. you slid on the clothes that you had left there. it was an old sweatshirt and pajama bottoms, but it would get the job done for the night. the smelled like they were cleaned with his detergent, and you weren’t sure if you loved it or if you wanted it off of your body forever. you tried the best you could to open the door as quietly as possible, and it seemed to work. you were basically out the door without seungcheol waking up or noticing you. that is until he did. “where are you going?” he asked. you hung your head, your hand leaving the doorknob. “to the couch,” you replied.

“why?”

now, there was something seriously wrong with him. you glanced around the room, searching for an answer. “because i’m going to sleep on the couch,” you scrutinized him a bit further. he stared at you with the same confusion. he seemingly picked up on the mutual tension and confusion in the air, “i’ll sleep on the couch, you sleep here,” he clarified. you choked on air. he must have more than a concussion, he had amnesia of some sort because you don’t just let your ex sleep in your bed, especially after you had been in a serious accident.

you had to snap yourself out of the trance you were in before seungcheol could even attempt to get out of bed, which he was already in the process of trying. rushing over to him and pushing him back under the covers was more of a feat than you thought it was going to be. he seemed adamant about having you stay in his bed while he went to the couch. you were getting deja vu or something to the fights leading up to the end of your relationship.

“no, i’ll take the couch,” he had insisted.

“no, this is your home and your bed. i’ll just stay on the couch since you don’t want me to go to my apartment,” you had refused. “talk in the morning?”

“yeah sure.”

“no, you’re the guest here, i’ll take the couch,” he shrugged, once again trying to push himself up. you placed a hand on his shoulder. “seungcheol, i wasn’t the one in a car accident,” you reasoned. “you won’t be comfortable on the couch.”

“just- just let me do something for you,” he muttered under his breath. you don’t think you were supposed to hear it, but you did.

“the best thing you can do for me is to sleep in your own bed and heal.” his gaze lifted and looked at yours. he looked utterly exhausted, and to be honest, you probably looked the same. he inhaled deeply and sat back against his headrest in concession. you smiled at him and before you could stop yourself, you ran your hand through his hair which he happily accepted. “good night, seungcheol,” you said.

“good night,” he replied sounding more at ease. in another lifetime, there would be more to this than a simple good night, but in this lifetime it was different. so much different than you ever hoped for.

“i love you, cheol.”

“i love you too, ___.”

the crick in your back was going to be the death of you, but oh well, you already called into work and took the next week off before you started working remotely. minjeong was surprised that you even agreed to this in the first place. “___, he was an asshole to you,” she pointed out over the phone. you were currently lugging your stuff down the hall to seungcheol’s apartment, phone dangerously stuck between your shoulder and cheek. “he wasn’t an asshole,” you argued. for some reason, the need to defend seungcheol still ran through your veins.

“he was, ___. he was,” minjeong sighed. you knew that she was right, but you needed to believe that the breakup was caused all just a big misunderstanding and move on. “i’ve got to go, minnie,” you sighed reaching seungcheol’s doorway.

“___, don’t- ugh, don’t do anything you’ll regret. he didn’t treat you right. he wasn’t toxic, but he was definitely neglectful to you,” she groaned.

“it’s not like i’m going to crawl back to him. i’m just helping him.”

“but why should you?”

seungcheol had some bad habits, and it didn’t always end up well for you.

“cheol, what are you-” you were promptly cut off when seungcheol pressed his lips against yours with an energy that felt unfamiliar. it was just the average evening, so you didn’t understand why he was kissing you like that. not that he had to have a reason to kiss you, it’s just that it hadn’t happened in so long. you had been with him long enough to know how passionate he was about, well, everything. but, this felt different. not saying it was bad. you craved him being this close for weeks, and he was finally in your grasp. his hands were planted firmly on your waist and he moved you to where he pleased. “come on, baby, just let me feel you,” he smiled against your lips.

call you touch-starved (which you were), but you couldn’t help melting into him. this was the most attention you had felt from him in so long. “cheol, please,” you gasped as his lips traveled down your neck. he pulled you infinitely closer and you let him. yet, something was nagging at you. your stomach began to drop as his hands began to slide under your shirt. sinking suspicions started to bubble up through your heart. “cheol, kiss me,” you begged, not wanting your thoughts to be true. he hummed and obliged. he pressed his lips against yours in this new fervor. the heat between you was becoming unbearable as your suspicion was correct.

beer.

the faint taste of it lingered on his tongue, and it made you want to throw up. for the first time in who knows how long, he touches you like he’s never done before but only because he’s intoxicated. great. you pushed him away. “did you drive home by yourself?” you asked gazing into his tired eyes.

“no, i had joshua drop me off,” he murmured, hands still not leaving your skin, but that’s all you wanted him to do. just get off of me, is what you wanted to yell. how dare you come here drunk and treat me better than you ever have sober for the past months, is what you wanted to scream. “i think it’s time for you to go to bed, cheol,” you opted for instead. he shook his head still grasping at you. “don’t touch me anymore, seungcheol,” you hissed, swatting his hand away and pulling him to his bathroom.

she didn’t sound angry, just exasperated. she had a point. there was no reason why you should offer your help to him. seungcheol never made time for you when you were together, why were you making time for him yet again? it was major deja vu. “look, he wasn’t nice to me, yes. i hated him for a long time, maybe i still do. but, his mom called me, so i feel like i’m doing it for her. not for him,” you attempted to justify. minjeong scoffed. it was a deserved scoff, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. minjeong was there when things ended with seungcheol, so she would know the entire situation from the most unbiased, well sort of unbiased, outside position. she was your friend, and it was only natural for her to want to protect you. you couldn’t fault her for that. “i just want what’s best for you, and i’m not convinced helping him through recovery is the best plan,” she sighed.

“i know. you know he hurt me, i won’t let it happen again. i have no intention of getting back with him. you’re right. he was an asshole. i’ve got to go. talk later?” you asked carefully reaching for the spare set of keys his mom gave you.

“let me kick his ass if he hurts you again.”

“i will.”

“talk later! i’m going to miss you at work. love you!”

“love you too.”

after you successfully hung up without dropping your bags, phone, or keys, you opened the door to the kitchen light on. that’s weird. you were pretty sure you left it off when you went to get your stuff. you kicked off your shoes and made your way into to kitchen, your luggage bag dragging behind you.

you were greeted by seungcheol attempting to push himself up from his wheelchair to wash some fruit in the sink. “seungcheol! what are you doing?” you rushed to his side. he glanced over his shoulder at you. he sort of gave you some dumb look like he didn’t know what was wrong. “you shouldn’t be pushing yourself like this,” you chided. “i can wash these. you need to go back to bed. you should rest.”

“i think i can handle washing some fruit,” he scoffed slumping down in a chair. you rolled your eyes. “it’s not about washing fruit, i know you’re perfectly capable of washing fruit. you were in a car accident a few days ago. you shouldn’t be pushing yourself to get up,” you explained. he just mumbled something under his breath and tried to maneuver his way out of the kitchen. you watched him carefully as he made his way back into his room, and you heard him sigh when he shut the door behind him.

you had a sinking feeling that this was going to be a long recovery process, for the both of you.

it once again time for seungcheol to go to the doctor. the past few weeks had been back and forth to doctor’s appointments. his concussion was going down. to say things were going well would be a stretch. seungcheol barely spoke to you. you didn’t necessarily expect him to be buddy-buddy with you, but it was strange. he always tried to avoid looking at you. you weren’t sure what you did to deserve this treatment, after all, he was the one who broke up with you.

sleeping on the couch for the past weeks was not ideal. working from seungcheol’s home office was not ideal either. it was weird getting on video calls when you were so used to walking to meetings with minjeong. seungcheol tried his best to not disturb you, but sometimes he would knock on the door and sheepishly ask you for help with something.

the drive to the doctor’s and the check-up itself were uneventful. his leg was healing nicely, and they even decided it was time for a boot, which was great because you could tell he was getting sick of sitting down all the time. “well, mr. choi, it looks like your lung is looking a lot better based off of the scans, and according to your…” dr. hwang paused looking in your direction. seungcheol looked at you briefly like was afraid of what you were going to say.

you weren’t necessarily worried about getting kicked out because you weren’t immediate family, but for some reason, you chose against saying you were his friend. “i’m his girlfriend,” you bit the bullet. you hoped it didn’t seem too unnatural when you said it. you saw seungcheol’s ears perk up, but he still didn’t address you.

dr. hwang looked between the two of you seemingly wanting to say something but didn’t. “ah, i see. well you’ve been taking amazing care of mr. choi. according to your girlfriend, you seem to have an easier time breathing. she also said you’re reporting less pain in your head. this is good, since we usually expect swelling and inflammation from a concussion goes down pretty quickly. your concussion should be largely gone by next week, but i would advise against going back to work for some time. you can start walking on this as soon as you feel comfortable, until then use crutches. but, don’t drive until i give you the okay,” dr. hwang rambled, turning back to his computer.

you could tell seungcheol was excited, maybe he was excited that you would be leaving soon. your stomach sank at the thought, but you didn’t know why. seungcheol barely spoke to you, he couldn’t even look you in the eye most of the time. so, why did you feel bad about the thought of leaving him? you were snapped out of your thoughts when you realized dr. hwang had asked you a question. “um, if you could give me a moment alone with mr. choi, that would be great. i can take him out front once we’re done,” dr. hwang fiddled with his pen as he addressed you.

“yeah, of course. i’ll uh, i’ll just be in the waiting room.

after what seemed like an eternity, the two of them came out. dr. hwang smiled at you, and seungcheol looked nervous, finally putting a little weight on his foot with the help of some crutches. “thank you so much, dr. hwang. you’ve been so helpful,” you smiled at him. dr. hwang reciprocated it and patted seungcheol on the back. “mr. choi, look out for yourself. i’ll see you in a few weeks,” he said. seungcheol nodded.

the ride home was quiet, as always. by now you had grown used to it. when you arrived at seungcheol’s apartment and parked the car, he grabbed your hand before you could leave. “do you want to watch a movie tonight?” he asked. hold on, what? “we can order some take out or something.” maybe dr. hwang was wrong. maybe the swelling in his brain was actually worse.

your lack of response must’ve freaked seungcheol out. “we don’t have to! i was just thinking it could be a celebratory thing,” he tried to backtrack.

“no! i’d love- no, i mean, i’d like to watch a movie tonight. that would be nice,” you rushed to cut him off. your heart fluttered at the notion of watching a movie with seungcheol. maybe you could pretend just a little longer…

“what?” minjeong exclaimed. she was not happy with the current situation.

“minnie, when he asked me if i wanted to watch a movie with him my heart fluttered. what’s wrong with me?” you cried, flopping against the couch, turning down the volume on speaker phone. seungcheol had left to get showered and changed. luckily, you didn’t have to help him much with that anymore. “you’re still in love with him, ___,” minjeong sighed. “i feared this would happen. you cannot let him get in your head! remember how he treated you before! just yesterday he wasn’t even speaking with you, he’s probably just manipulating you or something.”

you couldn’t fathom him doing that. sure, he neglected you in your relationship, but he was never manipulative. “i don’t-” you began, but you were promptly cut off.

“you don’t get it, ___! you’re in a vulnerable state because you still love him and you’ve been waiting hand and foot to him, so he sees this as an opportunity to make something out of nothing.”

“if i love him, how is it nothing?”

“because you’re going to make it nothing. you can’t just let yourself fall back into his lap because he decided he wanted a movie night!”

“i don’t think it’s that easy.”

“you’re right, it’s not. that’s why you need to wrap up business there and get back to your life. your life where you can be free and meet whoever you want. where you don’t have to worry about the asshole who treated you like shit.”

“he didn’t treat me like shit.”

“he treated you like you barely even existed.”

you knew she wasn’t trying to be mean, but it did feel like she was opening an old wound.

so much for that dinner you made. the time you wasted was eating at you as you picked through the remnants of your food. it was your first day off in a while and you hoped to spend some of it with your boyfriend before having to go back to work the next day.

it was your bad to even think seungcheol would be home at the time he had said. you stared at seungcheol’s now cold meal. for the fifth time, you flipped your phone over to see what time it was. 11:47 pm and no word from him. you sighed and went to clear your plate. you wrapped up seungcheol’s meal and put it in the fridge. after all, he would be hungry when he got home.

“hello? ___, are you still with me?” minjeong snapped you out of your thoughts.

“yeah, sorry,” you rushed out. “look, i think seungcheol is almost out of the shower. i’ve got to go. i’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“i’m sorry if i come off too cold.” she sounded like she was regretting what she said earlier. she knew how to read you like a book even if it was just over a phone call. “it’s alright. you’re my best friend, i know you wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt me. now, i have to go now, for real this time,” you chuckled and hung up after you said goodbye to her.

you jumped a mile when you heard a clanking noise behind you. when you whipped around you saw seungcheol standing there, eyes wide, you felt something stir in your chest. he was leaning on a crutch with his leg wrapped in the bandages. he told dr. hwang that he wouldn’t wear the boot to bed. dr. hwang was reluctant but relented since the break was healing nicely and the boot wasn’t needed at night. his hair was damp, a plain white t-shirt clung to his body, and pajama pants hung loosely off his hips. something about this image looked so familiar, yet so distant.“sorry,” he mumbled leaning over to pick up the bowl he dropped, surprisingly it didn’t shatter on the hardwood floor. “no, wait, i’ll get it,” you said, pushing forward, frowning at the precarious nature of his stance. he straightened up and watched you pick up the bowl. “how long were you standing there? i could’ve helped,” you asked turning to go place the bowl in the sink.

“not long,” he rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “do you still want to watch a movie with me?” you nodded quietly and made your way to the couch. he followed behind and landed on the couch with a thud. “what do you want to watch?” you asked flipping the tv on.

“um, i’m not sure. i haven’t watched a lot of movies lately.” he shrugged. this was going to be harder than expected. instead of attempting to engage in this painful discussion, you opted to start scrolling through one of seungcheol’s million streaming apps.

you scrolled through movie after movie with varying enthusiasm levels from seungcheol. “stop, let’s just watch this one,” he suddenly said. if you were being honest, you stopped paying attention to the movie titles a long time ago. so when you saw “the notebook” as the selected movie, your jaw slackened. “you want to watch this?” you asked, making sure he meant that.

“i mean, i remembered when you showed me it, and i rewatched it recently. i really like it nowadays,” he said nonchalantly. you had shown him “the notebook” a long time ago. you had to beg him to watch it, and you remembered how he ended up crying by the conclusion. but now, it was strange to hear that he enjoyed the movie. not only that, but he remembered that you showed him the film. it was years ago, and he remembered. “okay, yeah, let’s watch it,” you said pressing play.

you were getting major deja vu while you watched it. seungcheol was curled up next to you, and somehow you found yourself curled up next to him. this hardly happened when you were together, and it made your heart hurt that it was happening after you had broken up. was a car accident what you needed to be close to him? you didn’t need to think about it now, not when you could smell his shampoo and fabric softener. it was so familiar, but you knew you couldn’t get too comfortable. after all, you weren’t his anymore, and he wasn’t interested. yet, something was scratching at the back of your throat. an urge. a desire. a feeling you thought was better to push down.

the movie was long over, but seungcheol had drifted off to sleep about twenty minutes before the movie ended. you didn’t have the heart to wake him, so you let him rest for a while before you lightly shook him awake. his eyes fluttered open and held your gaze with an expression you couldn’t pinpoint. “alright, sleeping beauty, time to get you into bed,” you smiled softly involuntarily running a hand through his hair. he seemingly leaned into your touch while looking around. “is the movie over? why didn’t you wake me?” he asked. you just shushed him quietly and helped him up. he held onto your shoulders and let you guide him to his bed. after a bit of work, you got him under the covers and on his pillow. when you moved to get up, his hand shot out and grasped your wrist. your neck whipped back at him. “what’s wrong?” you quizzed.

“stay,” is all he said, eyes closing.

you sighed. you couldn’t give in to him. you had set your boundaries, you were here to help that’s all. but, the longer you were with him, you realized the reasons why you hated him melted away within hours of being around him more. minjeong needed to be here to snap you out of it. “of course, he’s being nice to you now. don’t forget why you broke up in the first place,” she would’ve said. yet, she wasn’t here, and you were weak for him. as much as you would like to deny it, you knew you’d always crawl back to him. in this life and the next.

there couldn’t be any harm in staying with him, right? it was just one night. he wouldn’t try anything. he wasn’t like that. he didn’t even feel that way for you anymore. he definitely didn’t seem too bothered when you gave in and slid under the covers with him. to your surprise when you started to situate yourself, you felt his arms wrap under your body and pull you to the opposite side of the bed. just like old times. he always insisted to sleep closest to the door. he had told you it was a win-win for the both of you. he could have the comfort of feeling like he was protecting you, and you got the nice view out of his window on the opposite side of the room. you assured him back then that you didn’t need protection, but you never fought with him to switch positions.

you had grown used to his arm around your waist each night, and after you broke up you longed for his presence. you had cuddled your pillows and called minjeong. everything and anything to keep your mind off the empty space in your bed. so, now when you felt his arm wrap around you and his body pressed against yours, you froze. why did the thing you wanted for the past seven months cause you so much discomfort? being this close to him was like stepping into the salty waves at the beach with a cut you thought healed. your eyes began to sting, and you pleaded with your heart to not start shaking your body. you naturally moved closer to him when his grip became tighter around your waist, but your heart cried for the rest of the night.

when you woke up, you surprised yourself realizing you had a dreamless night. your chest hurt, but your eyes were dry. you turned over and noticed seungcheol’s side of the bed was empty. his boot was gone, so he must’ve put it on. you didn’t hear anything coming from the kitchen right outside the room, albeit his apartment was quite small and his living room was right there too. you slid on a hoodie and made your way out of his room to find where he went. maybe he was just as freaked out as you were, so maybe he just left to get some air. if you were him, you probably would’ve done to same. you wanted to kick yourself for falling into his lap again. maybe he regretted inviting you to stay, and now he was disgusted with himself for letting his ex sleep in the same bed as him again. your rational mind told you that wasn’t true. he wasn’t like that. yet, that’s what you told yourself when he show up late to numerous dates or just forget to message you.

you heard quiet arguing as soon as you stepped out of his room. you looked down to the front door and saw seungcheol leaning against the doorframe. his body wedged between the door and doorframe, effectively blocking your view of who was there. you quietly shuffled forward, trying not to startle him. “i just don’t understand why you’re here?” seungcheol asked, almost sounding stern.

“i’m just dropping off some paperwork,” the person on the other side of the door said. the voice sounded familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. “how’d you know where she was?” seungcheol grilled, sounding more frustrated with every passing second.

“look, dude, i’m just here to drop off some stuff from work. minjeong told me,” the guy tried again to reason with seungcheol. you recognized seungcheol’s tone, he got like that whenever he was jealous, but you couldn’t fathom why he would be jealous. you looked past seungcheol and saw changkyun standing there with a case file in hand. “oh my god, seungcheol, stop it. this is changkyun from work,” you nudged seungcheol to the side trying not to surprise him, but you were still upset he was berating your work friend.

“oh, hey, ___. minjeong sent me with these files. let me or minjeong know if you need anything else,” changkyun smiled at you. “i’ll let you go, you seem- um- preoccupied. but, we miss you at the office,” he glanced at seungcheol who was scowling at the ground.

“yeah, sorry about that. thank you for bringing this around. this is super helpful. i was getting tired of reading pdfs,” you laughed. “i’ll see you later.” changkyun nodded and left without another word. you shut the door and brushed past seungcheol. you heard an audible huff behind you but ignored it. after you dropped off the case of files in the office, breakfast was seemingly the best option for you.

seungcheol was already in the kitchen leaning against the fridge. it was highly inconvenient given you needed to get in there for some fruit. however, he wasn’t moving. “what are you doing?” you asked crossing your arms. he didn’t respond, just looking anywhere but at you. “what’s going on with you? what was with that attitude with changkyun?” you grilled, but you were only met with a scoff. now, that was weird. he sounded jealous, but there was nothing to be jealous of. “what’s wrong with you?” you frowned.

“why does it matter?” he mocked. you squinted your eyes at him. compared to last night’s situation, this was an entirely different person. “why does it matter? it’s just weird that he’d show up here unannounced,” seungcheol shrugged.

“he was here because minjeong sent him,” you stared him down.

“why couldn’t she come then? just seems like it’s a cover for him to see you. you didn’t tell me you were talking with someone else.”

“because i’m not talking to changkyun. i’m not talking to anyone. but, why does this matter so much to you? it’s not like he came in the house and started wrecking anything. he just dropped some stuff off.”

“we miss you at the office.”

“what?”

“that’s what he said.”

“i’m not following.”

seungcheol sighed and pushed himself off the fridge and over to his chair, groaning and stretching his leg once he was sitting. “god, ___, don’t be blind. he’s obviously into you,” he laughed humorlessly. now you were even more confused. “so what if he is? i’m not,” you shrugged, opening the fridge to get your fruit and yogurt.

“yeah, sure. whatever, that’s not the point,” seungcheol huffed again.

“then what is the point?”

“that he tried to come here and flirt with you when i’m right here!” he finally snapped. “it’s embarrassing! he looked at me with all this pity when i opened the door. i don’t want his pity. then you come around the corner, and he’s smiling ear to ear.” seungcheol looked like he was about to cry. you wanted to say something, but all you could was look at him, confused. “you pity me too. everyone does!” he rambled. “it’s so humiliating. and, and, i’m sure that you’d be happier at the office where he is. he’s more handsome than i am, and i’m sure he’s smarter and kinder than me. you deserve to go out and just leave me here. you don’t even want to be here. i see the way you look at me. it’s not the same way i look at you, so i couldn’t possibly as you to stay. why don’t you just go date a guy like that? i’m sure he can treat you better than- than me.”

you stood there dumbfounded. your heart ached for seungcheol, but you couldn’t stop the boiling anger in your stomach. how could he possibly think so lowly of himself? did he not see how you were still so infatuated with him? did he not realize the reason why you hadn’t talked to anyone new was because of him? and for him to accuse you of pitying him, after all the care you put into helping him get better. to accuse you of not wanting to be there, with him. you wouldn’t haven’t been here if you didn’t care. you knew you cared too much for seungcheol, for someone who you knew didn’t even care about you. what made him any different from back when you were dating?

“you’re so cruel,” you whispered, grabbing your food and heading to the office.

there was radio silence for the next few hours. you would occasionally hear something, but seungcheol never knocked or tried to come in. the tip-toeing around each other was killing you. it felt awfully familiar to when seungcheol became distant from you before the two of you broke up. work was monotonous and nothing was holding your attention. all you could think about was what seungcheol said. you didn’t realize he felt that way about himself, or you for that matter. it hurt, and it hurt even more to wallow in it when he was right on the other side of the door.

you couldn’t be the same person you were seven months ago. pushing down your concerns, hoping they would pass. they wouldn’t, you knew that, unless you talked to him. he would be getting better soon, and you could put this in the past. you could leave again once this was all over, never to look back. you couldn’t take another heartbreak because of him again.

so your resolve broke and you pushed yourself out of the office chair and went to find seungcheol.

he remembered the day you left like it was yesterday. he heard you gather some things from your room and left without another word. “yeah, i guess so,” he muttered to himself angrily. “you’re such an idiot,” he continued. he didn’t even understand why he said that to you. it was uncalled for, especially given you wanted to talk about your strained relationship. he knew he was distant, but he didn’t know what else to do. so, he pushed it down until he couldn’t take it anymore, well, until you couldn’t take it anymore.

not having you around the apartment for the first few weeks felt like torture. he had drafted and re-written several messages to you and even considered calling, but he never pulled through with any of it. his mind was constantly unfocused on his work. the work he sacrificed everything for. the work he tried so hard to keep up to help you, help the both of you. he couldn’t bring himself to eat as much as he usually did, when the pit of his stomach was killing him from the inside out.

now that you were gone he constantly tried to take his mind off of you. he couldn’t let a breakup disorient him like this. he had broken up with other people before, but never like this. he couldn’t stop replaying everything that went wrong in his mind, everything he could’ve done to stop it. maybe if he put up a fight you would’ve stayed. but, he didn’t fight at all. he cowered at the suggestion of breaking up, and instead of facing it, he fled and accepted fate. waves of uncertainty lapped at his feet and eventually, the waters rose until it was unbearable. if you wanted to break up with him then that’s what would happen, no matter what ran through his mind and heart.

no matter the fact he had a little velvet box in the bottom of his sock drawer.

he was going to a party. he said he would buy alcohol, so he did. while he was driving he felt something shift within him. he thought about all the parties he had taken you to, and how all parties with you there were so much more bearable. all he could think about was how bored he would be. he loved his friends, but something was missing if you weren’t also there sharing a drink or discussion with him. yet, he let joshua convince him to come out. joshua had told him not to drown in any more work. joshua saw how the work was wearing down his friend, and he couldn’t take it anymore. so, seungcheol was going to a party he didn’t particularly want to attend, but he was getting there, even if he felt himself push the accelerator down more than he should.

but something stopped him from going to the party, and now he felt like he was floating above his body. he felt waves wash over him, and when they retreated he felt cold and vulnerable. he felt dazed and had a throbbing pain in his head, leg, and heart. he remembered the beating rain against his windshield and feeling the tires give out on him. he remembered your smile and your fingers running through his then-long hair. you told him everything was going to be alright, and he believed you. then, there was a rhythmic beeping next to him, some rustling by him, and your voice was gone. his head hurt too much, but he forced his eyes open.

in some sort of last-ditch effort of hope, he thought it could be you. you could be there fixing some magazines in the room or adjusting the blinds. yet, he opened his eyes and he didn’t see you there, just a nurse organizing some of the tubes next to him. seungcheol tried turning his head around, groaning. the nurse noticed and left to go get someone. maybe it could be you. no, that wouldn’t make sense. it couldn’t be you, and it wasn’t. it was his mother. she cried and asked him if he was alright. she asked where you were and what he was doing, but he didn’t have a good response to any of her questions. when she started to pry about you, he realized he had forgotten to mention the fact you were broken up. she had called soon after it ended because it was time for her to call her son, but he went into auto-pilot and told her you were fine, and he just never got around to telling her the truth. she loved you, and he knew that.

he definitely couldn’t do it then. it would break her, just like it broke him.

when he saw you standing at the door behind his mother, he wanted to burst into tears, but it would probably hurt his lung. besides, he didn’t need you to see how broken up about it he was. everything hurt, but it only hurt more when he saw you. you looked gorgeous, and your voice was like music to his ears. what if you had a boyfriend? the thought flashed through his mind. any person would be lucky to date you, but the idea caused his stomach to roll.

your hair looked so pretty too, but your clothes looked like a mess. he hoped he didn’t cause you too much worry. yet, he was worried now. his lie was going to be exposed. he saw the way you looked at him, helpless and injured. you wouldn’t spare him, not after what he did. his mom was talking to you just like everything was normal, but he saw the look on your face. you were confused and probably angry. he knew you, and he knew you would correct his mom as soon as you could. so when she backed away and went to get something from the closet, he couldn’t tell what you were thinking, and that scared him.

the last thing he expected was for you to agree and help. he also expected you to correct his mother when she went on and on about how you were his girlfriend and how she knew how much you loved each other. he could sense your discomfort anytime he was around, so he made himself scarce and tried not to be a bother. what you were doing was already such a help to him, and he had no idea how he was ever going to repay you.

he recalled when you pushed him around in his wheelchair at the supermarket, and all he wanted to do was disappear. it was his first visit to the store for a while, and there was something especially embarrassing about having your ex push you around the market, even if they didn’t know he had broken your heart. he didn’t know why he agreed to come. he would feel your hands brush past his shoulders as you would reach to grab something before dropping it in the shopping basket sitting in his lap. the tiny bit of contact from you had him going insane. he wanted to apologize for having you here, for his mom calling, for lying, for breaking your heart. he was scared, that if he opened his mouth, his heart would betray him and he’d say something that would make you run away again. but, he knew it wasn’t the time for that, so whenever your fingers graze his shoulder he swallowed whatever apology or confession (whichever came out first) down until it reached the bottom of his heart.

you were wheeling him past the bakery and he saw the sweet milk bread he would always get as a treat on weekends. maybe you could share it again like you used to, but he doubted it. though, before he could process it, he was clearing his throat. you paused and he sensed you looking at him. “uh-,” he paused, coughing. “can, can we get the milk bread over there?” he asked. you looked around to where he was motioning. you saw it. he felt you pause. maybe he shouldn’t have asked. “it’s no big deal, actually. it was a dumb request. never-” he rambled but all of a sudden your hands brushed over his shoulders and you walked over to the table where the freshly baked bread was packaged. you inspected one and brought it back, placing it gently on the top of seungcheol’s basket. “do you need anything else?” you asked, quietly standing behind him again. he shook his head.

for the first few weeks, it was awkward and humiliating. he couldn’t bear you at his beck and call. he could barely even talk to you, too embarrassed. he needed to get out of the wheelchair as soon as possible. he willed his body to heal faster, so then maybe the pain that festered in his chest would go away. one night, he woke up and he was parched. he had run out of water, he must’ve forgotten to get more before he went to bed. he also noticed his stomach was growling. he had refused to eat anything for dinner. once again, his bad. it reminded him of the time when he would come home late to a dark home. he was starving, but he knew you had eaten. you had long gone to bed, but he smelled the food you cooked. he looked in the fridge and saw his helping there. he sighed. he knew it was your day off that day, but he couldn’t seem to draw himself away from his work. got too distracted.

so, he needed water and food, but to get there he would have to get out of his room and into the kitchen. specifically, he needed to get past you on the couch without waking you. pushing himself out of bed, he reached for his crutches. he got them secured under his arms and made his way out of his open door. you had insisted on keeping it open, so you could hear him if he needed anything. but, he saw the way you walked into his room deflated, leaving his dinner on his bedside table, cleaning the barely touched food an hour later, and retreating to the couch to sleep after a presumably hard day at work. he wouldn’t be able to bear it if he woke you up now.

he stepped as lightly as he could given his situation, but you were out like a light. he contained a chuckle seeing you all curled up on his couch. though, he did feel bad. the couch was no place to sleep for a long time. if only he could share his bed with you and not make it weird… he quietly ate a protein bar and got a glass of milk. he watched from the kitchen how smooth your breathing was. he frowned when you began to toss and turn. he wiped his mouth and moved over to you. after resting his crutches on the floor, he sat on the ottoman in from of the couch, closest to your head. he leaned forward and watched your troubled expression. sometimes he would press a kiss on your forehead, but that would be entirely inappropriate. yet, he couldn’t do anything while he watched this perfect person in front of him suffer.

so, his hand was reaching forward and caressing your cheek before he knew it. your skin felt amazing under his fingertips. he missed holding your hand, hugging you from behind, and kissing your lips. he wondered how he could’ve messed up this horribly. he felt your breath even out, and he noticed how your brow un-furrowed. gently pulling back his hand, he smiled and made his way back to his room. it was only then after he crossed the doorway, he realized what he had done. the clear boundary he had tried to maintain melted within those twenty minutes of him getting a midnight snack. he didn’t deserve the treatment he was getting from you. he wished you would yell and scream at him for what he did. resentment. he yearned for you to resent him, but no, you had to come and be the amazing person you were. he couldn’t let himself feel this close to you again.

but, he broke his promise. just like he always did. he invited you to sleep in his bed after a movie night he suggested. after offering, he realized he probably shouldn’t have offered the movie in the first place, but hindsight is 20-20. it felt too inappropriate, unspeakable even. especially, after he caught what minjeong was saying to you before you turned on the movie. he shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but minjeong was yelling on the other side of the phone and no matter how much you could turned down the volume, he still would’ve heard it.

“he treated you like you barely even existed,” minjeong had said.

now, he didn’t want to believe that, but he knew it was true. working longer hours, barely seeing you, and coming home at odd hours of the night were all factors which were purely his fault. he could’ve requested time off, but he didn’t. it was his ambition that blinded him. the thought that if he worked hard enough now, he could be with you more later. but, he had forgotten he wasn’t the only person in the equation, and you only had so much patience. the patience he had wrongfully wasted.

your back was turned to him. he didn’t know why it hurt so much given the situation. being face-to-face in bed would be too intimate. too dangerous. yet, that’s all he wanted. he longed to feel your body next to his, to know that what was once shared between you was still there. so, he took a risk. he reached forward and pressed his chest against your back, his arm wrapped securely around your waist.

he waited and waited for you to pull away, and much to his surprise, you never did. you stayed in his arms like old times, but he knew it couldn’t be like that. he didn’t know if he could ever have you like this again. the recovery period of you taking care of him was painful on a multitude of levels. he was giving you space since he already felt like a burden, and it appeared to him like he was the plague. it was for the best, but he still wanted to hold you and kiss you to show his thanks. all he could do was say thank you and quietly retreat back into his mind. so, he held you like it was the last time, which it likely was, and he fell into a deeper, quieter sleep for the first time in weeks. the waves retreated and did not come back for the rest of the night.

who was this guy standing at his door? why were you smiling so widely at this guy? why was this guy smiling so widely back at you? did he just sleep in the same bed with you when you had a boyfriend? so many questions, and so little patience left on his end. this guy was so handsome, with a sharp nose and intense eyes. he could see how you could go to someone like that, someone completely opposite of him. any hope of last night not being a one-off thing leaving his mind. the guy glanced over at him and gave him a look he was all too familiar with. the old ladies at the supermarket gave him this look. his mother gave him this look. even you sometimes. he was broken and mangled and people loved to look. so, to hide their nosiness, they concealed it with concern and pity. he hated that. sometimes you would do it, and he wanted to rip his hair out. he hated it when you would generate idle conversation or say his name like some sort of swear word. what ever happened to being your cheol?

the doubt came flooding back into his mind, and he was lost in the sea of his own thoughts again. the waves were back, and he didn’t know how to keep them at bay. the tide was coming in stronger, and he could feel every brick he had built crumble under the pressure. when could this conversation be over?

he didn’t mean to lash out at you and your work friend. it was the waves. the waves that splashed into his face. the water that fell into his throat and choked him. he had to spit it out or it was going to drown him. every little thing he had hidden away came out. the confessions, insecurities, and everything else that held him back now and back then. he just needed to get it out before the waves came crashing in on him again when you would inevitably leave.

“you’re so cruel,” you had said, and you were right. he was. how could he be so cruel to one of the only people who ever showed him unconditional kindness? it was over, and he knew it.

all of his memories felt disjointed. almost as if someone had glued them together into a scrapbook. you were trying so hard to follow what he was telling you. the entire time he refused to look at you. his hands were clasped together, face flushed. “i suppose that was a long winded way to say i’m sorry,” he said finally looking at you for the first time. “i’m sorry for treating you so horribly when we were together, and even now. i’m sorry for standing you up and coming home drunk. you’re right, i am cruel, and i will never forgive myself for how i treated you,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

you knew he had problems with anxiety and doubt, but you never thought it was this bad. you were mad at him, but you wished he had told you. told you about how he felt like he was drowning everywhere he went. “seungcheol, i-” you began but he cut you off.

“i understand if you want to leave. i can just have joshua take me to physical therapy and my appointments. i’ve asked you to stay for too long. it wasn’t right of me. if anything, i owe you so much. you shouldn’t have to be forced to be anywhere you don’t want to be,” he said.

you stared at him. you had never seen him so defeated. when you came to talk to him, you didn’t expect him to be the one prepared with an apology. you just wanted to talk, but now that you began piecing together the things he told you. you realized how much he did care. he saw the food you made for him. he saw the effort you put in. for some reason, that just made you feel a little better. you always felt like he didn’t see you, but he did. this entire time. “what if i want to be here?” you asked, meeting his gaze. his eyes flickered between your eyes and your lips. “then, i would ask you to stay. i would promise to treat you the way you deserve. i would make every wrong i made right with you,” he confessed, moving closer to you on the couch. he reached forward and grabbed your hand. “i'm sorry for being such an asshole to you. i would apologize every second of every day.anything to get you to trust me again,” he continued. “anything so i can be yours.”

your heart felt full. it was healing. for some reason, you believed him. minjeong would probably yell at you for “falling for his trap,” but you had a feeling he was telling the truth, that he wasn’t going to mess it up again. “then, let’s start over,” you smiled, eyes welling up. he lifted a hand and gently wiped the tears that threatened to fall with his thumb. “gladly,” he smiled. you pulled your hand away from the one he was grasping at, and extended it to him. “i’m ___, nice to meet you,” you smiled. he grinned, glancing between your face and your outstretched hand. “nice to meet you too. i’m seungcheol,” he said clasping your hands together. he felt the waves were receding, and by the look on your face, you felt it too.

you were out shopping for what felt like the fourth time this week. you just kept forgetting something on your list that honestly couldn’t wait until the next week. then your phone began to ring. you slid it out of your pocket and answered it. “what am i forgetting?” you asked as soon as the line connected.

“nothing, i was just wondering if you could get some milk bread,” the voice on the other side of the phone asked. you laughed quietly to yourself. “what’s the occasion?” you joked.

“it’s the weekend, and i love you,” seungcheol said. you felt your heart soar. you sighed happily and made your way over to the milk bread. you were still on the line with him, and you could hear him humming. maybe now was the time you brought it up. “so, you want the same kind from the bakery, right?” you asked, stalling.

“of course,” he scoffed. “the fresh ones from the bakery are obviously superior to the ones that one brand makes.” it was funny since he said it like it was obvious. you hummed and placed one of the loaves in your cart. “is there anything else?” you asked. you heard seungcheol shifting around. “nope, that should be all for me,” he replied.

“everything i’m getting is for you,” you rolled your eyes. he chuckled. you continued to chat with him as you walked through the store, picking up a few leftover things. you decided it would be a good time to end the call when you got to the register, but not before you brought it up. “look, cheol, i’m at the register, so i’ll have to go,” you said, getting in line.

“oh, okay, sounds good. i’ll see you at home?” he asked to confirm.

“yes, after i get back, though, can we talk about that red velvet box in your sock drawer?” you smirked.

“yeah, sure of co- wait! how do you know about that?” seungcheol took a second to process what you had told him. he sounded frantic on the other side of the phone, and it made you laugh. “oh, looks like the line is moving, i’ve got to go! we’ll talk more when i get back, right?” you smiled.

“yes, for sure, yes! we will be talking because you weren’t supposed to see that!” seungcheol exclaimed. “see you soon, i love you, ___.”

“i love you too, cheol,” you replied easily. because, in this life, you loved him, and he loved you back.

minli | sort of proofread! working on it… i think the plot makes sense… right… please say it does. this has sort of been my child for the past month or so… i actually used the max amount of pictures in this LOL ASLDKJ. please leave some feedback if you want :) likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated :)

tagging | @a-wandering-stay @cinnamoroxie @wonwoosthetic

2K notes · View notes

sleepyangelkami · 7 months ago

Text

TOUCH STARVED s.harrington

☆ WORD COUNT - 2.5K

STEVE HARRINGTON X FEM!READER

☆ SUMMARY - you were too shy to speak up for what you wanted, even to your boyfriend for something so simple. fortunately for you, he always seem to know exactly what you need.

☆ WARNINGS - mention of pussy whipped, reader has hair, light insecurity, (1) use of y/n, petnames, intended lower case, nothing i write is ever proofread 🩷

walking into family video, steve swore he'd never seen such a glum face.

your expression was saddened, not enough to look upset over something but just enough to tell steve what kind of day you'd been having. and believe me, he'd had his fair share of these kind of days.

"you doofus, that's not how you do it." robin argued, as she always was. nothing steve could do for her ever deemed to be the 'right way' however, before he could give back a snappy argument, he snapped his head towards you, the bells of the store giving a quick ring.

robin looked up confused as she received no snarky comeback before glancing towards you. she could have rolled her eyes, how pussy-whipped was this guy? "hey, y/n." she greeted first, watching as steve stepped away from the counter.

"hi, rob." you gave her a sweet, almost shy smile, she returned it in full. robin was very well used to you getting in these little moods, sort of where you shy into yourself. she'd never mentioned it, though, sort of assuming that was just how you were.

"hey, honey." steve was by your side in an instant, snatching up your bag from you so he could hold it. the sight of him had you leaning into him, almost fluttering your eyes shut. a sudden overwhelming feeling of tiredness fell over you. "you okay?"

he was craning his neck to look at you, you merely nodded. "tired." you answered before making your way behind the counter with him.

technically, you shouldn't be behind the counter and if keith were here, he'd surely have something to say about it. but he wasn't.

family video was having one of them slow days that consisted in hardly five customers an hour while steve and robin argued relentlessly on working the stupid computer that had been around way too long for anyone's liking.

you sat on one of the chairs with steve's arm around you. for as long as you could remember, he'd always been like this. touchy.

and truthfully? you were thankful. some days, all you needed was his touch and you didn't even have to ask, merely hold out a hand shyly and it was in yours. but on days like this, even an arm constantly around your shoulder wasn't enough.

your fingers had trailed up to mess with his. his large hand was relatively big in yours, you could lean against his shoulder all the while. in all of this, you could have fallen asleep.

though, that deemed hard with robin and steve's constant arguing. "you idiot!" steve yelled, pushing buttons at the computer and sort of dragging you as he did so. "you're gonna break it!"

"and what if i did?" she argued back. "not like it's worth anything." she would have kicked the computer, had she been right. unfortunately, the computer was worth something, her job.

steve sat himself back on the chair with a scowl before glancing to you.

even the mere sight of you was always enough to calm him down.

"sorry." he mumbled, knowing he was disturbing whatever peace you were getting. you merely waved him off before going back to playing with his fingers.

a couple more customers came in and fled all the same, renting movies that robin and steve would then gossip about as soon as they'd leave the store. oh yeah, horrible movie. i heard the sequels even worse!

it was best for you to leave them do this.

and by seven, it was time to lock up. you stood outside, waiting for steve who was using the key to pull down the store gate.

robin's head came out from underneath, holding her satchel bag. "night guys!" she called after you without turning around. she didn't even have a drivers license so you weren't entirely sure how she was getting home. nonetheless, you'd learned that it was better not to question robin.

"night!" steve called back before turning to you and rolling his eyes. "that girl." he only shook his head and shut his eyes, concealing his obvious irritation towards his best friend.

you only grinned back sheepishly, knowing they despised yet loved one another dearly.

it wasn't until you were sat in the passenger seat of his car, gazing out the window while your hands fiddled with his fingers that sat atop your thigh that he noticed something was wrong. earlier, you'd shrugged it off as mere tiredness and he supposed he believed you.

the night sky was dark and the hot air coming from the car was enough to lull anyone to sleep. yet still, he had a gnawing feeling that you weren't telling him the whole truth.

you weren't a liar, no. steve would say you were many things, never a liar.

however, you had the tendency to hide things from him. not overly important things like seeing someone else or something or other. you just had the tendency to not speak much about your feelings unless directly asked. you'd shy away and sheepishly shrug, not wanting to bother him.

you always had that fear of burdening him.

as the relationship progressed, he noticed this. he too had the fear of burdening. but slowly, you both began to break out of your shells. him undeniably much faster than you.

the stillness of his house told you it was home. the porch lights were on as he led you inside, hand on the small of your back. a couple lights were left on in the house too.

not the large, centre lights.

the warm lamps illuminating the entire house in a cozy aura.

you weren't too sure how you moved from the door to the couch so quickly. nonetheless, you relaxed into the material as the sound of you and steve's show began to play. a new episode every week. it was a ritual in the harrington house. and by that, i mean just you and him.

steve didn't miss the glances you kept shooting him. whether intentional or not, he could see from the corner of his eye, your head move to look at him and suddenly look back at the screen before he could catch you.

when he did, though, he caught exactly what he needed.

you were looking at him all doey, presumably tired however there was something else in your eye, something that gave you completely away.

a longing.

suddenly, everything clicked.

there was a reason you'd been leaning into him so much today, following him around silently like a lost puppy dog. not that he minded, no, he never minded. but he knew something had been wrong and that you didn't think you had voice enough to speak on it.

"what's wrong with you, huh?" he nudged you, voice ever so gentle. though he knew what you wanted, he sort of wanted you to tell him. "been quiet all day."

you leaned your head against the back of the couch, eyes travelling over his pretty features. and he looked especially pretty in the dim lighting of the enormous living room. "'m always quiet." you countered.

in a way, you were far from wrong. more often than not, steve would have to beg you to speak to more people, try get out there because he knew you wanted to. once again, you feared your voice was much too small. "fair point. but you're more quieter today."

you pursed your lips at him. "just quieter." he hummed in confusion. "it's just 'quieter', more quieter isn't the right grammer."

a roll of his eyes was paired with a pretty grin. "see? there's my smart girl. where was she all day, hm? head cloudy?"

truthfully, you didn't know what was wrong. everything just felt so off, all day you'd wanted to be surrounded by him. his embrace, his words, his scent, his everything. and that was becoming a little too much when the cruel world reminded you that it was, in fact, impossible to morph into another human being by hugging them hard enough. "i don' know." you shrugged, voice sort of small.

but steve had been in the game much longer than you.

it started with the simple feeling of his fingers tracing against your cheeks, grasping a strand of hair and curling it between his index finger. he always thought you looked pretty with your hair framing your face. though you were undeniably beautiful in all aspects.

"there something you want?" he didn't ask it in an accusing way that made you sheepishly look away. he spoke ever so quietly, as if careful of disturbing the peace of his rarely quiet house.

once again, you shrugged.

"sweetheart." he gave you this look. this convincing, knowing, look. steve always had a way of communicating to you, even just through his eyes. it was enough for your heart to quench.

he looked as though he knew exactly what had been troubling you, like he knew exactly how to fix it.

how is it that steve harrington seemingly knew everything in the world? sometimes, even he made you feel a little silly. i mean, he was more tuned in with your emotions than you were.

the show that was playing on the tv was low, barely heard as his eyes searched your own. "you know you can ask for anything, yeah?" you nodded your head while chewing your bottom lip. because you did know. steve always made it easy for you to come to him with anything. yet even then, your own shy nature still prevented you from saying all the words that sat against the tip of your tongue. the universe tended to be cruel like that. "c'mere, honey."

his outstretched arms looked like the heaven you'd been searching for.

without second thought, you found yourself climbing into them, breathing out a sigh of relief as your cheek sat itself against his sweater-covered chest.

this is what you wanted.

his legs were outstretched, somewhere for you to sit against while your own wrapped themselves against his torso. there was something so comforting about the feeling of him against you.

he let you relax your face against him, lips shut tight as one of your hands came beneath your chin. while watching the animations flash across the television, you could feel his own arms slinging loosely around your waist, one hand gently playing with the strands of hair while the other traced against your back.

you supposed you weren't morphed into him but this was as good as it was going to get.

perhaps, this was all you needed.

he was gentle, soft and welcoming.

everything you'd been hoping for.

"this all you needed, hm?" the shapes he drew against your back began to feel a lot like words, a lot like 'i love you'. you nodded, humming ever so softly. "should've just asked, baby."

"i didn't wanna bother you." you mumbled, suddenly feeling like the whole thing had been just a little silly.

you felt his hand against your chin, gently tilting it upwards so you could meet his eye. "you never bother me." and you could tell by the chocolatey swirl in his eyes. he wasn't lying.

perhaps two hours passed since that very moment. steve watched the show episode until it ended, flicking on the television programme that was simply on. he could feel your soft breaths against the nape of his neck, hands outstretched towards him.

you'd fallen asleep in his embrace.

he often told you not to watch the show so late if you would fall asleep albeit you always insisted that you wouldn't. low and behold, he was right. he was always right.

and when the final programme ended, and he deemed it was late enough, he decided it was time to get you into bed.

instead of waking you, he opted to pick you up, carrying you upstairs and surely almost dropping you a total of three times because he couldn't register where he was putting his feet. yet eventually, he made it towards the bedroom and placed you against the bed. the warm blankets soon were draped over your body.

and after all the rustling, the thing that stirred you was the creek of the door.

he watched as your eyes parted, obviously still slick with sleep, and cursed himself. he thought, who, as rich as him, would own a door that creeks so loudly? and made a mental note to get new hinges.

"you okay, angel?" he mumbled into the darkness of the room, slipping off his jeans and slipping into bed with you.

"mm." you hummed as he grasped your body again, holding you close. your arms hugged themselves around his neck, shutting your eyes closed. "wanna melt into you." you mumbled, obviously too tired to register what you were saying.

"yeah?" a chuckle fell from his lips, knowing you would never have the confidence to say such a thing while wide awake. nonetheless, he took it as a compliment anyway. "we should try turkey then."

"what's in turkey?" you questioned tiredly.

"i don't know. everything? i mean, if they can give you a new set of teeth, surely they have the answer to your problems too. we can like, melt ourselves together." he was talking nonesence, though it was lulling you back to sleep anyway.

the sound of your sleepy giggle had him holding his breath, wondering if this was all real. "let's go to turkey then."

"i'll put it on our bucket list, angel." you nodded your head, without response. "you goin' to sleep on me? hm?"

"can you..." you cut yourself off with a breath. then, you reminded yourself that it was steve harrington, the boy you loved more than yourself. and you could ask him anything. "can you keep talking?"

"careful what you wish for, i might not shut up." you only giggled gently before allowing him to continue. "did i ever tell you about dustin's girlfriend?" you shook your head. "oh god, you should have seen it..."

this, you were sure, is where you could actually die happy.

main masterlist/steve's masterlist

335 notes · View notes

m3vl0vesu · 13 days ago

Text

𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕

A/N: Fluff! For once...but not really this is a simple one-shot but kind of mixed in with the rest of my Spidey stuff iykwim. Starts out a little sad. I also just bend the rules of how spidey senses work to go with the fic

!IT IS A ONE-SHOT PEOPLE.!

A reckless Spidey

An injured Spidey

Your thoughts

Tap.

You tapped the edge of the building, watching the way your legs swung back and fourth. It was insufferable. You were insufferable, it's why the mission went hay wire. It was your fault. Your fault. Seven people got severely injured because of your carelessness.

"Spidey..."

What's worse is that he was here, Nightwing. The 'guardian of Bludhaven' his words always made you feel worse. How embarrassing

Nghtwing was a natural leader, his instructions were clear. The tabloids were right, Gotham didn't need a 'friendly neighbourhood Spider' they needed soldiers. Robin was right, he was better. Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy

Your hands gripped the edge, the guilt pounded in your head. Why couldn't thing go your way for once? "Spidey. Look at me"

God. Why did he have to use that tone? You royally fucked up, who manages to make made Nightwing mad?

"Kid, I'm not mad." Lies. But might as well humour him

"And what, your 'just disappointed?'" You added, mocking his voice. Earning a tired sigh from him. Wow, how hostile.

"Can you at least come a bit closer? You're going to fall..." "So? I'll just swing away." You could barely listen to his words, all your senses going off. There was always danger in Gotham, it never stopped but it was manageable. Unless something big happened, so you right now you were fighting the urge to cry. .

A long silence followed, for a second you thought he was gone. Until you felt his presence next to you, great. "I'm fine dude." "And for some reason I don't believe you." Ha ha very funny, you totally weren't stressing right now or anything. You felt him nudge you lightly, "you can't save everyone, you know that right?" You knew that more than anyone, the people you knew, the things you lost. It was common knowledge, but it didn't excuse your behaviour- "But you did?" What?

"What?" "Yeah, things could've been a lot worse if it wasn't for your quick thinking." "But...It was worse because of me." He just shrugged. Shrugged?? Hello? "I'm pretty sure that was group effort, so don't be so tough on yourself." He turned to you, a gentle smile displayed on his face. You couldn't see his eyes behind the mask but you could tell that they were kind ones. He had always been the one hero you looked up to most, it was still weird thinking about how you were now technically co-workers. You wanted to tell him everything, but you couldn't even open your mouth to say thank you. If you did, there was a high chance of you sobbing, please let it just stop here. You didn't know how many more kind words you could take. "Look, you're still new to this whole crime thing, but you're doing well. And I'm not just talking about the big fights with scarecrow and things like that.." Oh god. "..you, helping the little guys really matters. Batman tends to get caught up in all those huge fights but all he wants to do is keep the people safe and cared for. Like you do, all that energy and happiness it's important."

Please stop

"You...you remind of someone." Fuck, these words are not helping. Ha.

He got up and got down from the building, not before giving you a gentle squeeze. Now you were sure that you were going to throw up. After a few minutes of soaking in his words you decided to finally go home. .

. Managing to slip onto the fifth floor unseen for the hundredth time you feel your body go tense. If only you could relax at home like you used to, with the people you loved. You stole one of your aunts shirts from her room. A room that hadn't been used in a while. When you entered the kitchen you noticed something by the door, it was a note that was slide under. Odd. .

. EVICTION NOTICE

90 notes · View notes

luvkyu · 1 year ago

Note

Hi! Can I request a poly Bangchan x male reader x Felix fic where they're all cuddled up together and reader is bigger then them and it ends up with Felix koala hooked on to readers back while reader and Chan dance together!

nights like this ( bang chan + lee felix )

chan x male!reader x felix

chan and felix spend a relaxing night with their boyfriend after a tiring day.

content : 0.7k words, fluff, reader is taller/larger than chanlix, bub pet names

( a/n ) thank you for the req :D i hope its what u wanted <3

chan sighed in content, his head laying comfortably in his boyfriend's lap. he'd been watching y/n play video games for a couple hours now. the familiar sounds of the controller's joysticks filled his ears while he relaxed in y/n's embrace.

chan smiled up at him, almost entranced. he loved watching the way y/n's eyes would focus and his brows would knit together in determination.

"are you staring at me?" y/n asked. despite the sudden question to his partner, his gaze refused to break from the tv in front of their shared bed.

"always assume i'm staring at you, yes."

y/n laughed.

"stop being cute. you'll distract me."

chan was about to protest until one of y/n's hands left his controller to gently stroke his hair. chan's eyes closed at the sensation. his boyfriend's fingers trailing through his hair never failed to bring a relaxed grin to his lips.

"when did felix say he's getting off work today?" y/n asked before he brought his hand back to his controller.

"mm, at seven i think. he should be home soon," chan answered.

"he's home now," felix's voice suddenly joined.

both the boys' heads whipped around to see their other boyfriend standing at the open bedroom door. felix threw his work bag aside and flopped down beside them on the bed.

"baby! we didn't even hear you come in," y/n chimed. felix let out a silent laugh before exchanging kisses with both of them.

"how was work, love?" chan questioned, laying his head back on y/n's lap. felix sighed and laid his own head on y/n's chest, all three now cuddling up together.

"tiring. customer service is tiring. i need a night to recharge with you guys.."

y/n looked down at felix with a small frown. he set his controller aside after exiting his game, done for the night.

"what do you wanna do tonight then, bub?"

"mm.. cuddle. just cuddle," felix replied.

"i think we can arrange that," chan joked. "are you done with games, y/n?"

y/n nodded while hanging one arm over felix's torso, the other going back to chan's hair.

"yeah, i'm done. the rest of the night is for my favorite boys."

the opposite two could feel their hearts swell at y/n's answer. it always seemed to them that y/n constantly knew the right thing to say to comfort his partners, even if it was only a few words. it drove the pair crazy in the best way.

a comfortable silence now drifted over the three, with the exception of their speaker playing softly nearby. y/n and felix began to drift off into a light sleep while chan enjoyed the music.

when a calm, classical song started playing, an idea came to chan. he swiftly left y/n's lap to get up and off the bed. his movement brought the other two back to their senses, their eyes shooting open.

"what is it, bub?" y/n asked.

"dance with me," chan said happily. y/n and felix exchanged smiles, obsessed with their boyfriend's cuteness.

as y/n started to get up from the bed, he felt a weight hold him back a bit. he turned his head to see that felix had latched himself onto his back as if he were a koala.

"lix? you gonna dance?" y/n asked the smaller. felix shook his head and adjusted his arms around y/n's neck.

"if i stay here, i'm technically still dancing with you," he replied. y/n and chan grinned at the cheerfulness in his voice. even after a hard day at work, felix still remained their happy boy.

y/n linked hands with chan while felix stayed put, the three soon swaying to the sound of the soft music. nights like this were unmatched in their eyes. losing track of time, only invested in each other, and all the worries of real life forgotten.

#stray kids #stray kids x male reader #bang chan #bang chan x male reader #lee felix #lee felix x male reader #chan x male reader #felix x male reader #kpop x male reader #stray kids x reader #bang chan x reader #lee felix x reader #skz x male reader #skz x reader #skz fanfic #skz fluff

473 notes · View notes

mcx7demonbros · 2 years ago

Text

No Dinner For You (Lucifer x GN!MC)

Warning. (Most of) the Brothers doesn’t care about MC/Reader (the story takes place in season 1 when nobody in HoL gives a damn about MC). Hunger. Slight mention of demon eating human. Please tell me if I miss anything :3

Not thoroughly proofread

Your first day in the Devildom was hectic. You were dragged down to Hell without your consent and without any prior warning and were forced to participate in an exchange program in order to promote peace between the three realms, the dream and desire of the Demon Prince - Diavolo. Living with you were the seven six demon brothers, who could kill you and eat you on a whim. At the end of the day, you were again dragged into another mess between the second born Mammon and the third born Leviathan, the latter of whom you had to help against the former. Needless to say, you were extremely tired, both physically and mentally.

Right after you managed to find your bedroom on your own (since you were technically abandoned by your caretaker Mammon), you threw yourself on the bed.

It’s so warm and soft. I wish my life down here would be like this bed. You said within yourself as you began to doze off.

You woke up, finding yourself still in the clothes you were in when you were dragged here.

How long have I been asleep? You yawned as you got up from the bed. You had the feeling you forgot something but couldn’t remember what it was.

Suddenly, your stomach grumbled.

Oh right, dinner. You finally remembered what the thing you forgot was. You grabbed your D.D.D and went out of your room, heading to the direction that you believed was the dining room.

However, what greeted you when you exited your room was a dark hallway.

Strange, why is the light not on? You wondered as you tried to find your way through the darkness. After 5 minutes, you reached the dining room but it was also covered in the silent darkness.

Wait, just what’s going on? Are those demons trying to scare me? You asked yourself. Let’s check the kitchen. With that thought you turned back because the kitchen was next to your room.

The kitchen was also covered in darkness. But there was a difference, the darkness didn’t cover everything completely, you could still see the light from the refrigerator. As you walked closer, you could still make out a large figure standing in front of the fridge and you could hear chewing sound.

Since you were in the Devildom, the literal Hell and the kingdom of demons, monsters and abominations of various kinds, you thought it would be better to not alert the creature and turn back.

“Oh, it’s you, MC.” Before you could make your escape, the large creature turned back and discovered you. In the darkness, you could make out the orange hair and a pair of purple eyes.

“Beelzebub?”

“Yes, it’s me.” The orange head demon nodded.

“What are you doing alone here in the darkness?” You asked.

“To devour whatever food I can find in the fridge of course. But I could ask you the same, what are you doing here, MC?”

“Well, isn’t it time for dinner? I came to the dining room but found no one there.”

“MC, uh…I think you should check your D.D.D. It’s midnight.”

What? At first, you didn’t want to believe Beelzebub but when you opened your D.D.D to check, you found his words to be true. The phone screen’s time showed 23:59, and you were just in time when it turned 00:00, officially ending your first day in the Devildom.

“So I missed my dinner.” You said as you tried to reassure within yourself that the demons must have left something for you, though even you doubted that.

“Yeah, we thought you didn’t want to eat dinner so we already ate your portion. There’s nothing left of it.”

“Oh, so is there anything left in the fridge?”

“No, nothing left in the fridge. I ate all of them.” Beelzebub answered then walked past you, exiting the kitchen, leaving you and an empty fridge.

Your stomach grumbled again. But you had nothing to satisfy your hunger. You could only hold your abdomen as you went back to your room. Looked like you would have to suffer hunger tonight. No one really cared about you here. You might even be dead for whatever reason that they probably not knowing anything until your body started to decompose and they only found out due to the smell. You wanted to cry but you manage to hold the tears back.

Don’t cry, MC. If you cry over a meal and the uncaring attitude of those demons, how are you gonna survive in Hell for one year? You shouldn’t cry because of those demons, they’re just like society, which doesn’t give a damn about you.

“May I ask what are you doing here, MC?”

You turned around and met a pair of crimson eyes. You knew it to be Lucifer, the eldest of the brothers.

Lucifer frowned when he saw your face. Even though it was dark, demons could see very well in the dark, they are creatures of the darkness after all. And what the Avatar of Pride saw were your red eyes that threatened to turn to two waterfalls at any given moment and quiver lips.

“No, it’s nothing.” You tried to dismiss the issue and walk away but the eldest already blocked your way.

“MC, it’s my duty to take care of your need while you are staying here and not letting you suffer any unjust discomfort. Tell me, what’s troubling you?”

You were unsure why but you felt attracted to the pair of crimson eyes when you looked at them. You felt that you could tell him any difficulty and it would be resolved.

“I’m hungry.” You said.

“Hungry? Didn’t you have dinner with my brothers?”

“I overslept and missed it. Your brothers decided to divide my portion among themselves. Beelzebub ate all the food in the fridge so now I have nothing to eat.”

“I’m sorry that this kind of inhospitality happened, MC. I wasn’t home at dinner and my brothers caused trouble for you. Nevertheless, it’s my fault for letting this kind of situation happened. Please let me make it up for you.”

“Ok.” You weren’t sure how the eldest was going to make it up for you but you agreed anyway, better than refusing and letting yourself suffer.

With your permission, Pride led you to his room, where he took out some high quality delicious dishes and a bottle of wine from a hidden cabinet.

“Wait, you store food in your room?”

“Well, yes. Sometimes, I need to enjoy a peaceful and quiet meal without my brothers’ interference, so I hide some dishes from Ristorante Six, a high end restaurant in Devildom, in there. I hope you will not tell my unruly brothers about this.”

“Ok. You have my word for that.”

“Very well.”

After the first bite, you found yourself eating the most delicious dishes you had ever tasted.

“These dishes are so good.” You praised as you were digging in.

“I’m glad you like Devildom food. Eat more.”

“Aren’t you going to eat? They’re yours after all.”

“No need. This is me compensating for you.”

“You should eat too. Or else I would be feel guilty of eating someone else’s food, being no different from your brothers.”

“Alright, if you insist.”

Then you assumed eating. You didn’t notice the pair of crimson eyes looking at you. The owner of those eyes didn’t care about eating, but only fixing his gaze on you.

It’s a good feeling. Lucifer said within himself and smiled. He even poured a glass of wine, whose name you later learnt to be Demonus, for you, saying the best food should be accompanied with best wine.

The next morning,

“MC, do you like our new chandelier decoration?” The eldest asked when you stepped inside the dining room for breakfast.

You looked above and found the five brothers being hung on the chandelier.

“Why am I hung up here? I have carefully disposed of all the bills. Why?”

“Lucifer, please let me down. I still need to watch that special episode of Ruri-chan.”

“I didn’t cause any trouble or prank you. This is you being prejudice against me.”

“Lucifer, being hung up will harm my skin.”

“So hungry.”

You looked at the decoration for a little while before smiling.

“It’s very peculiar. But I like it.” You said as you went to your seat and sat down.

“All of you,” Lucifer looked up and said, “Reflect on your action last evening.”

“Wait, what did we do?”

“Figure it out yourself.”

Why the others were complaining, the fourth born looked at you and frowned.

“Oi oi, I think it’s about the dinner last night.” Satan whispered to the others as they began to discuss among themselves.

It seemed that you would be receiving many apologies that same day. And it was all thanks to the Avatar of Pride.

Even if it’s out of obligation, at least he cares for my well-being.

Author’s words

I had this idea in my head some months ago before writing it. With the brothers don’t give a damn about us in early season 1, there’s high chance we will have to go hungry and have nothing to eat if we miss a meal or come to the dining room late.

Also, Lucifer having taken a liking of us since the start (evidence in Lesson 2-A normal) also inspires details in this fic.

#obey me #omswd #obey me lucifer #obey me x reader #obey me lucifer x reader #lucifer x reader #lucifer x mc #obey me shall we date #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me fanfic #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #💙#🦚

945 notes · View notes

suhnshinehaos · 1 year ago

Text

growing pains : act three, part seven

series synopsis : people say that you’ll experience three kinds of love in your lifetime. the first is an idealistic love, the kind that feels straight out of a fairy tale. the second is the hard love, the kind that will leave you with lessons about yourself and the love you want and need to experience. finally, the love you never see coming. this is the story of your three loves. pairing : svt 97 line x gn!reader genre/s : non-idol au, coming of age, angst, fluff, my attempts at humor act three, part seven wc : ~1.3k

act three : the unexpected love ➤ part 7 : ten minute tangent

after years studying and working abroad, yn is finally back home to a new job and new faces. all they want now is to focus on nothing else but their career and one of their coworker’s friends, minghao, makes it all the more interesting.

previous ➤ ��act three, part six next ➤ act three, part eight growing pains ➤ masterlist

you tell minghao that you’ll just meet him back at the building, considering that you’d want to change and drop off your equipment. as long as this particular shoot day is, the goodbyes once everything is settled feel much faster than you’d like. despite your clients telling you that you had done a great job, you can’t help but feel as though something is missing.

perhaps it was just one of those days where everything feels somewhat off.

you go through your everyday commute as if you were on autopilot, but you get off the bus on the stop just before your usual. just so you could walk that extra seven minutes, thinking that you need to shake away the uneasiness in your stomach before heading to the party. you didn’t want to be the one to bring the mood down, especially when it was meant to be a celebration.

you change and grab the camera that seokmin had given you all those years ago, knowing that you would want to take pictures and provide press for the party but not wanting to bring your usual heavy equipment. you play around with the settings, letting out a tired sigh just as three sharp knocks interrupt from what would have been a long train of thought on the events of the day.

you open the door to find minghao.

“ready to go?”

he asks and you nod in response. the walk down the hallway, the elevator ride down, and the first two minutes of your ride to the venue were spent in a complete silence. you think he’s asking you a question, but it goes in one ear and out the other as you stare out the passenger seat window.

it isn’t until he gently nudges your shoulder that you finally snap out of your trance.

“bad day?”

you clench your jaw, holding his gaze for just a few seconds before looking down at your lap. that’s all the confirmation he needs, but he doesn’t press further. he waits for you, stealing small glances as you take a couple of breaths.

the words leave your lips before your mind and your sense of pride could stop them. “it was just- i don’t know. i had great set, a wonderful model, no technical mishaps.. but, something feels missing. i don’t feel like i’ve done enough- or that maybe i could do better.”

minghao nods, processing your words. he speaks softly, in complete understanding. “i know what you mean.”

“yeah, right.” you scoff, his answer seemingly beyond belief as you recalled the days you worked with him. he was always so precise, so clear in his vision, knowing where everything and everyone must be at all times, and it always led to perfection.

“you don’t think i could have a day like that?”

“i’ve worked with you, remember? somehow i don’t believe that xu ‘here’s how everything should be pdf instructions’ minghao has ever had a bad shoot day.”

“ah.” he nods, his grip on the steering wheel turning just a bit tighter. “i’m sorry about that.”

his apology doesn’t do anything to make you feel better, and in the moment you realize that it’s not what you needed to hear from him. you needed to hear something else. “why?”

minghao briefly looks at you, then the camera in your lap, then back at the road. “i think i know where i remember you from now.”

“huh?” you don’t hide the fact that you’re taken aback, eyes wide and brows shot straight up. “what do you mean?”

“years ago, i returned this camera when i was in new york.. i wasn’t really living there or anything. i was only there for about a couple of months.. you know, i didn’t go to university for art or photography or anything- i couldn’t.. i wanted to, and i was passionate… but it wasn’t in my cards. i worked my way up, under the wings of several photographers — even though some of them really just asked me to get coffee half the time. i interned in several magazines too…”

a flash of a memory long buried in the back of your mind comes up. images of a young man returning your camera, sitting with you on one of the park benches as you practically poured your heart out, insisting that you didn’t need to reward him. you listen intently, hanging on to every word.

“and though i wanted to comfort this person, maybe take up their offer for a coffee in thanks, i was already running late for a shoot. and my mentor back then was very insistent that i wouldn’t get anywhere in the industry without him and the connections he had.”

you cut in. “doesn’t sound like a very good mentor.”

“yeah.” minghao laughs, albeit dryly, before continuing. “i guess that’s why i am the way i am. i’m always trying to prove myself… that i deserve the things that i have, you know? i didn’t have to come from some world renowned school, or my family didn’t have these direct connections to art and the industry. i want to prove to the people that hire me for these projects that they made the right decision… and i have shoot days where i think that maybe that mentor was right.”

“i didn’t know-” you feel your words get caught up in the back of your throat, bile building from the pit of your stomach from your misplaced resentment.

minghao shrugs. “my point is, there are days where you just get in your own head. i have my reasons, just as you have yours. it’s just that you have to know when to get out, and ask for help if you need it.”

“why are you telling me all this?”

it’s a short drive to the venue and you reach your destination just as you finish asking the question. minghao parks the car and turns to look at you. “because i want you to know you have a friend in me. whether it’s as photographer-fashion editor-artist xu minghao. or simply neighbor xu minghao.”

you search his face for any sign of sincerity but come up with nothing. the tension in your shoulders slowly disappear, but you still ask a breathless why?

“do i need a reason to want to be your friend?”

“because-” you’re you, one of the most renowned names in the industry, and i’m me, you finish the thought in your head.

“because i think it would be nice. is that reason enough?”

he asks you the question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. and you think about it as you get out of the car and make your way to the entrance. soonyoung and seungcheol had rented an expensive looking house for the party. as soon as you walked in the front door, you heard the dull thumping edm bass and distant laughing from the second floor.

“minghao.”

he’s only a few steps ahead of you, but he stops in his tracks and turns the second he hears you call out his name.

“i, uh- when you’re free, i wouldn’t mind if you helped me. with photography and stuff, i think i was having doubts in myself, and i would appreciate it if you showed me a few tricks.”

he nods to himself and you can’t quite read his expression. his brows are furrowed, and his gaze darts around, almost as if he’s having a conversation with himself. minghao takes a step towards you, hands inside the pocket of his trousers.

“chances are, this party’s going on til past midnight. do you mind being ten more minutes late?”

“what?”

“no better time than the present.”

“what would i even photograph, this isn’t a set- there’s so much-”

“you can take pictures of me.”

from reese, with love <3

trying to make the most 97 liner cameos in this series hahah,, and ik i said slowburn but i have to tend the fire a little bit HAHAHA tysm for reading !! as always, i'd love to know what you think and asks/replies/rbs are always appreciated :) hope you're all doing well and taking care !

#🎐 — growing pains!#seventeen x reader #minghao x reader #seokmin x reader #mingyu x reader #seventeen imagines #seventeen fluff #seventeen smau #svt x reader #svt imagines #svt fluff #svt smau #minghao smau #minghao imagines #minghao fluff

357 notes · View notes

mochis-cream · 3 months ago

Note

i see you have requests open! as such i need to be your first requesting anon ever >:3 can i request a non!idol au drabble fic thing about the reader realizing they like their fwb (nct mark) cuz like..that's just the type of stuff i like 😋🤪 also can I be 🦋 anon?, please and thank you ☺️

one day at a time | m. lee ☆

・ you never meant for things to get this complicated. one night was all it was supposed to be—one night to escape, to find solace in the familiarity of his embrace, and then you’d both move on like nothing happened. it’s just one night, you tell yourself. but deep down, you know that nothing is ever that simple, especially when it comes to him.

m.l x gn!reader ・ nct 127 ・ 엔시티 일이칠 ・ sfw ・ non!idol au ・ wc: exactly 2,400 ・ genre -> fluff, slight angst (does this also count as hurt/comfort??) ・ one shot! -> masterlist!

content warning: fwb (not explicitly stated or properly implied but still), complicated relationships, emotions are hard, reader has a panic attack, crying, love confessions, pre-established relationship (kinda), mark can cook now guys, lowercase intended, narration heavy, please let me know if i missed anything!

author’s note: aw man guys.. SORRY I WAS GONE FOR SO LONG ☹️☹️☹️ was busy with work and technical stuff ☹️☹️ anyhoo WELCOME ANON WELCOME!! ask is so yummy mm i love your brain frfr 🤭 and yes you can be 🦋 anon! thank you so much for requesting! i hope you enjoyed it!!

(moodboard spread by @/pink-horizon, found here!)

it’s just for one night.

or at least, it was supposed to be.

it was just supposed to be for one night. one night, and then you’d both go your separate ways, shoving everything under the rug like you used to. so why? why is it that you’re still here, tucked within the comfort of his home a week later?

you blink your eyes open, the familiar dim light of mark’s guest room greeting you. except, let’s be real, it’s hardly a “guest room” anymore. the way you’ve practically taken over—your clothes draped over the chair, your favorite mug on the nightstand, and your books scattered across the floor—yeah, it’s more your space than some random guest spot.

you let out a sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on your chest. this wasn’t supposed to happen. it was meant to be simple. a quick visit, a night to clear your head, and then back to your normal routine. no strings, no complications.

yet here you are, seven days in, still wrapped up in the comfort of mark’s home… in the comfort of him.

and it’s not like you haven’t tried to leave. you’ve made the effort—packing your bag, setting an alarm, even making it to the front door. but then there’s mark, with that ridiculous bedhead and sleepy smile, asking if you’re really gonna leave without breakfast. and somehow, you’re roped back in, heart doing that weird little flip it does when he looks at you like that.

ugh, why is this so hard? why can’t you just go back to how things were? simple, easy, no weird feelings creeping up on you every time mark laughs at one of your lame jokes or makes you tea just the way you like it.

you close your eyes again, as if that’ll somehow block out the growing realization that’s been gnawing at the edges of your mind. but it’s there, lurking in the corners, refusing to be ignored.

because the truth is, you don’t want to leave. not really. and that’s the scariest part of all.

———

you remember how it all started—how it was supposed to be just another one of those days where you needed to escape, to find some kind of peace in the middle of the chaos that is your life. mark’s place had always been your safe haven, the one spot where you could just… be. no pretenses, no pressure, just you and mark in the bubble of comfort you’d both created over the years.

you’d arrived at his doorstep that night, the weight of the world on your shoulders and a tired smile plastered on your face. mark had taken one look at you and, without a word, pulled you inside, wrapping you up in one of those warm, awkward hugs that only he could pull off. it was the kind of hug that said more than words ever could—“i’m here, you’re safe, it’s okay.”

and just like that, the tension in your chest eased, the world outside fading away as you stepped into the familiarity of his home. it was routine by now: you’d crash on the couch or in the guest room, talk about anything and everything, and by morning, you’d be gone, back to reality. no strings attached, just two friends helping each other get through the tough days.

but this time, things didn’t go as planned.

you remember waking up that morning, the early light filtering through the curtains, and immediately getting that nagging feeling in your gut—like you were overstaying your welcome, like you needed to leave before things got weird. so, you’d quietly started gathering your things, trying to make a quick exit before mark woke up.

except he did wake up.

you were halfway out the door when you heard his voice, soft and a little groggy, calling your name. you froze, guilt flooding through you like you’d been caught sneaking out of a crime scene. when you turned around, there he was, standing in the hallway with his messy hair and sleepy eyes, looking like he was trying to figure out why you were leaving so soon.

“you’re leaving already?” he’d asked, and there was something in his voice—something almost… sad. “i, uh, made breakfast. thought you might wanna stick around for a bit.”

it wasn’t just the words that got to you; it was the way he said them, like he was really hoping you’d stay. and for some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to say no.

so you’d stayed. one morning turned into a day, that day turned into another, and before you knew it, a whole week had gone by. every day, you’d wake up with the intention of leaving, but somehow, mark would always convince you to stay—whether it was with breakfast, or a movie night, or just… him being himself.

and you couldn’t help but notice how much lighter he seemed with you around, how his laugh came a little easier, how he smiled a little more. it was like, for the first time in a long time, things were just… good.

but the longer you stayed, the harder it became to ignore that nagging feeling in your chest—the one that kept whispering that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t just about friendship anymore. that maybe, you were starting to feel something more.

and that scared you more than anything.

———

you don’t know when it happened, when the lines started to blur between friendship and something more. maybe it was the way he looked at you sometimes, like you were the most important person in the world. or maybe it was the way he’d always go out of his way to make you feel comfortable, even when you didn’t ask for it. it could’ve been any of those little moments that seemed so insignificant at the time but now… now they felt like pieces of a puzzle, slowly coming together to reveal a picture you weren’t sure you were ready to see.

it hits you like a ton of bricks one morning as you’re sitting in the kitchen, sipping on the tea mark made you (because of course he knows how you like it). he’s at the stove, humming some ridiculous tune under his breath as he flips pancakes, and you’re just watching him—really really watching him—and it’s like something inside you clicks into place.

oh.

oh no.

it’s not just a crush. it’s not just some fleeting feeling that’ll go away if you ignore it long enough. no, this is something deeper, something that’s been quietly growing inside you, unnoticed until now. and it scares the hell out of you.

your mind races, scrambling for a way to make sense of it all, to put those feelings back in the box where they belong. but it’s too late. the box is open, and you can’t shove everything back inside no matter how hard you try.

and then, like the universe has a cruel sense of humor, mark turns around with a goofy grin on his face, holding out a plate of pancakes like he’s just won the lottery. “ta-da! best pancakes you’ve ever had, right here.”

he’s so damn proud of himself, so blissfully unaware of the emotional crisis you’re having right in front of him. you force a smile, trying to keep it together, but all you can think about is how this is it. this is the moment everything changes.

you barely hear him as he starts rambling about how he thinks he might’ve finally nailed the perfect pancake recipe, how he’s been tweaking it for weeks now, and oh, you have to try this one with the syrup because it’s so good. his voice fades into the background as your thoughts spiral out of control, panic rising in your chest.

you’re gonna ruin everything.

you’re gonna lose him.

the thought of losing mark, of him looking at you differently, of things becoming awkward and weird between you—it’s too much. your chest tightens, breath hitching as the panic starts to take over. you can’t do this. you can’t tell him. you can’t risk everything for this stupid, irrational feeling.

you stand up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor, and mark’s voice cuts off mid-sentence. “hey, what’s wrong? are you okay?”

you shake your head, unable to speak as you bolt out of the kitchen, your vision blurring as you make a beeline for the guest room. you need to get out of here. you need to think. you need to—

but you don’t make it far before your legs give out, and you’re collapsing onto the bed, clutching your chest as the sobs start to wrack your body.

it wasn’t supposed to be like this. it was supposed to be easy. why does everything have to get so complicated?

you curl up into a ball, trying to breathe through the panic, but it’s no use. the walls are closing in, and all you can think about is how you’ve ruined everything before it even had a chance to start.

———

you’re not sure how long you lie there, caught in the whirlwind of your own thoughts, but it feels like an eternity. the sobs have subsided into quiet hiccups, and you’re left feeling drained, emotionally spent. the room is too quiet, too still, and it only amplifies the storm raging in your mind.

then, you hear it—the soft creak of the floorboards outside the door, the hesitant shuffle of footsteps. you don’t have to look up to know it’s mark. of course it’s mark.

a part of you wants to tell him to go away, to leave you alone so you can wallow in your misery. but the other part of you—the part that’s always sought comfort in his presence, that knows he’s the only one who can calm you down—doesn’t want him to leave.

the door opens with a quiet click, and you feel the bed dip slightly as he sits down beside you. he doesn’t say anything at first, just places a hand on your back, rubbing slow, soothing circles like he’s done a thousand times before. the gesture is so familiar, so grounding, that it nearly brings you to tears all over again.

“hey,” he says softly, his voice laced with concern. “what’s going on? talk to me.”

you swallow hard, the words stuck in your throat. how are you supposed to explain this to him? how are you supposed to tell him that you’ve gone and fallen for your best friend like some cliché rom-com character? you can’t. you won’t. you—

“it’s nothing,” you finally manage to choke out, but even to your own ears, the lie sounds weak.

mark doesn’t buy it for a second. “come on, don’t do that. i know you better than that.” he shifts closer, his hand moving to your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “please, just talk to me.”

his voice is so gentle, so full of genuine concern, that it makes your heart ache. you can’t keep this from him, no matter how much you want to. he deserves to know, even if it means everything falls apart.

you take a shaky breath, trying to gather your thoughts, to figure out how to put your feelings into words without making everything worse. “i just… i’ve been thinking,” you begin, your voice trembling. “about us. about… what this is.”

there’s a pause, and you can feel mark’s gaze on you, heavy and intent. “and?” he prompts, his tone careful, like he’s afraid to push too hard.

“and… i’m scared,” you admit, your voice breaking on the last word. “i’m scared that if i tell you how i feel, it’s gonna ruin everything. that we won’t be the same anymore. that i’ll lose you.”

the words hang in the air, raw and vulnerable, and for a moment, there’s only silence. you’re terrified of what comes next, of what mark will say, of how he’ll react.

but then, he does something you don’t expect.

he pulls you into his arms, holding you close, like he’s trying to shield you from your own fears. “you won’t lose me,” he says firmly, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of your emotions. “i promise you, nothing’s gonna change. not like that.”

you want to believe him. god, you want to believe him so badly. but the fear is still there, gnawing at you, whispering that this is all too good to be true.

“but what if it does?” you whisper, your voice small and scared. “what if everything changes?”

mark pulls back just enough to look at you, his expression soft and full of something you can’t quite place. “it won’t,” he insists, his tone gentle but unwavering. “because i love you. i’ve loved you for a long time, and nothing’s ever gonna change that.”

his words hit you like a freight train, knocking the breath out of you. you stare at him, wide-eyed, trying to process what he’s just said. did he really just—

“i love you,” he repeats, like he’s trying to make sure you understand, like he needs you to know that he means it. “and i’m not going anywhere. not now, not ever.”

it’s too much. the relief, the joy, the overwhelming sense of love that washes over you—it’s all too much, and before you know it, you’re crying again. but this time, it’s different. this time, it’s not from fear or anxiety, but from the sheer weight of everything you’ve been holding in, of finally hearing the words you never thought you’d hear.

mark doesn’t say anything else. he just holds you, letting you cry it out, his hand never stopping its soothing motions on your back. and as you start to calm down, exhaustion begins to creep in, your body finally giving in to the emotional rollercoaster of the past few hours.

“stay,” mark whispers, his voice soft and comforting. “just stay with me. we’ll figure everything out together, okay?”

you nod, too tired to say anything, but the decision is made. you’ll stay. for as long as he’ll have you, you’ll stay.

and as you drift off to sleep, nestled in the warmth of his embrace, one thought lingers in your mind:

maybe one more day won’t hurt.

24 notes · View notes

paingoes · 4 months ago

Text

Rubies

Missed Calls

(Content: living weapon whumpee, dehumanization, kinda dubious caretakers???)

=================

“No,” Iza said, “Yeah, I know. No, yeah. Yeah. Okay. No. No. I know.”

She pressed the phone tightly to her ear, her other hand pressed tightly to her forehead as she leaned over the kitchen table. She got up periodically to walk out on the porch if she really had to say her piece, but for the most part she just had to listen. She went minutes at a time without getting a single word in.

The memo had taken about seven hours to circulate. It’d come in the dead of night, otherwise it probably would’ve received more attention. But by the time Iza had woken up, her phone was already buzzing, and she had a soft ringing in her ears like someone was talking about her. By noon, the phone was ringing nonstop. All of their phones were.

Kitty had stayed up all night. Now, she was crashed out on the couch, all curled up in a ball. Iza shook her gently.

“They want you to send everything. The chatlogs, the archives, everything. What you showed me,” she mouthed, still on the phone. Kitty yawned. She pulled out her laptop from beneath the couch, lazily hitting a few buttons. She’d been expecting this. Apollo told her to prepare their case in advance. It’d all felt very urgent at the time; now she just felt tired. She fell back asleep right after. It wasn’t for long.

“He wants to talk to us,” Apollo said, a weary determination in his voice. Kitty blinked her eyes open, sitting up quickly. Her tail flicked behind her.

“I can’t believe it got to Levon already,” Willow sat on the counter, staring out into space. The horror had not left her face since yesterday. Apollo gave her a thumbs up. He could believe it just fine.

They went into the upstairs bedroom for privacy. Iza passed them the phone in the corridor. They sat cross legged on the bed as the dial-up sounded.

LEVON has entered a voice call with APOLLO.

LEVON: Hello?

APOLLO: Hey its Apollo. Kitty is here too she just woke up.

LEVON: Good morning, Kitty.

KITTY: good morning :3c

LEVON: Explain yourselves.

APOLLO: I want to say first that technically we had permission.

LEVON: Is that right?

APOLLO: We outlined that we were going to do a strike on the Centennial Ball and simultaneously run a rescue extraction and that is what we did.

LEVON: Very cute. The situation changes a bit when that rescue is of a million mega-joule atom bomb, living or otherwise. Do you disagree?

APOLLO: No. I know its a different situation.

LEVON: Kitty, do you disagree?

KITTY: no

LEVON: So we understand each other?

KITTY: ya

LEVON: I really don’t appreciate this kind of slickness when people’s lives are at stake. Lying by omission is still lying.

LEVON: And to level with you I think it's kind of despicable that you are trying to pass this off as a rescue mission! It's a very transparent power grab and I am really not amused by it.

KITTY: levon

KITTY: thats not true

KITTY: we had plans to break him out well before we knew abt the psychic thing

KITTY: and actually we didnt even know we just suspected!! we didnt have confirmation until yesterday literally it was just a hunch

LEVON: That’s not what Iza said. Iza said you presented it to her as a weapons acquisition.

KITTY: thats because we were appealing to iza!!!!

LEVON: And now you’re appealing to me?

KITTY: yes!!!!

APOLLO: Can I interject? I don’t think thats fair. We briefed Iza on everything we knew for sure and everything that we suspected. The weapon thing only stood out to her because thats how her brain works. We told her we didnt have confirmation.

LEVON: She felt confident enough to bring dampers, which I’m sure you’re glad to have now.

APOLLO: It was better safe than sorry.

LEVON: Of course it was. Look, I’m reading over the logs right now. Tell me this. Why did you promise him amnesty?

KITTY: …becuz ur gonna give it to him right?

LEVON: Who said anything about that?

APOLLO: Captain?

LEVON: What?

KITTY: ur not gonna give it to him????

LEVON: I’m not saying that. I’m just saying you shouldn’t have promised it.

LEVON: Frankly I don’t think that technology should even exist. Amnesty was not my first instinct.

APOLLO: Okay. I know we messed up. We should’ve told you. But you don’t need to take it out on him.

LEVON: I’m not taking anything out on anyone. That’s not what this is about. I’m telling you the reality of situation. Just knowing the scale of destruction that he’s capable of, I can’t guarantee his safety.

KITTY: levon we’re sorry :(

LEVON: Stop that. Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to him.

KITTY: okiiiiii :(

APOLLO: We will. We know we overstepped. But it’s done now. We’re going to work with you from here and maybe we can figure it out together??

LEVON: For the life of me I can’t understand why you didn’t just come to me with this in the first place.

KITTY: cause it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission :?

LEVON: Is it really? Is this situation any better for either of us? Better for him?

APOLLO: No, she has a point. Would you really have signed off on this if we asked you first?

LEVON: Probably not. Not the way you did it, anyway. I don’t like that you sent your poor brother in there alone.

APOLLO: Lun’s fine. I know the plan wasnt perfect but its the best we could do on short notice.

APOLLO: If you saw the kid now, you’d understand. He’s not in good shape.

LEVON: I believe you. I’ve yet to hear anything positive about the treatment of psychics in Empire.

APOLLO: Are we clear to bring him back then?

LEVON: Put Iza back on. We’ll talk about it.

APOLLO: Okay. Thank you Captain.

KITTY: thank u!!

Call with APOLLO has ended.

==============

(Masterlist)

Tags: @catnykit@indigoviolet311@snakebites-and-ink@vivulapom@scoundrelwithboba@whatwhump@pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @fuckass1000 @fuckcapitalismasshole @defire @micechomper

#whump #whump community #living weapon whumpee #living weapon #living weapon trope #whumpblr #whump prompt #whump scenario #delta #kitty #apollo #levon #dehumanization #bad caretaker #KINDA. a little.

24 notes · View notes

justarandomlambblog · 8 months ago

Text

Coffeeshop/teacher AU...

Sorry my handwriting is horrible that's just how it is and it is 2 am I am too tired to transcribe rn but I will make a more legible version later

Info about the AU under the cut

Mystic's Coffee House is run by a mysterious person, Mystic. That's it, just Mystic. Stage name? Maybe. They're a very popular, high-status coffee shop, and Narinder is essentially the manager at this point.

Narinder, who was disowned by his family at only 17 years old following a huge fight/accident, began working at Mystic just a year or two after. He never finished high school and was homeless at the time, and Mystic took one look at him and decided, yeah, that looks like an employee right there. Is Mystic aware that Narinder is a Bishop, a very famous, very rich family that has so many brands and trademarks under their name that they may as well own half the country? Probably, Mystic knows Narinder's real name after all. But his nametag simply says;

Nari.

Nari is a single father by technicality only; Forneus is a very good friend that he met a bit after being disowned and kicked out, and in the beginning they mistook fondness/kindness as attraction and had a brief relationship. They mutually decided that they only loved each other as friends, but the twins Aym and Baal were born shortly after they broke up, and while they have a very healthy coparenting relationship, Forneus is often away on business trips as she runs a shop all her own. Narinder took over primary custody. Aym and Baal have Forneus' surname, and do not hold the Bishop name (a choice Narinder insisted on).

Aym and Baal are now seven years old and entering the second grade, and their teacher is Mz. Lamb, whose first name is... mysteriously missing. Lamb is a regular at Mystic's and has a huge puppy-crush on Narinder (they think he's cute), though Narinder only knows them as "the weird sheep who tried to ask for my number as soon as they saw me." Everything kinda changes after Aym and Baal enter Lamb's class, as Lamb realizes Narinder bears a striking resemblance to the rambunctious twins and strikes up a conversation about them, and Narinder will NOT pass up a chance to talk about his children.

And thus a friendship is born, which will very quickly snowball into something more.

Lamb believes in living life to the fullest and expresses themself however they feel, they'll go from suits and ties to hoodies to off-shoulder shirts to dresses and they will THRIVE with it. This is their life philosophy; live life to the fullest, and go to the Beyond without regrets. Live enough for your lost loved ones, too.

Narinder and Lamb both know sign language, Narinder bc he grew up using it to communicate with family, Lamb bc after an... accident they were unable to speak for several years. Lamb still has "mute days" and Nari signs as he speaks, a habit he hasn't broken in the ~10 years since he was disowned.

Ummmm I can't think of anything else it's way too late/early but that is the gist of it (without getting into the Bishops themselves). Also they end up getting married, and Aym and Baal 1000% take credit for getting them together.

"Hey pops, remember how dad rejected you when you first met?" "Hey Aym, remember when you dropped the ring and it rolled down the vent in the middle of our wedding." "... I was ten-"

#cult of the lamb #Justa Arts #narinder #the lamb cotl #cotl au #CoffeeShop AU #Narilamb

26 notes · View notes

qatheauthoress74 · 6 months ago

Text

And So I Make This Wish...Rewrite!

Yeah, it's very original title, I know, but ever since I saw the concept art for Disney's Wish (along with watching a ton of YT vids analyzing the film and how much it could be improved) I've decided to throw my hat into the ring and tell my own tale.

The story will be about 17-year-old Asha, the apprentice sorcerer to King Magnifico, the ruler of the Kingdom of Rosas. With his wife, Queen Amaya, they grant wishes under the blessing from the Stars whom the people of Rosas both revere and fear at the same time like mortals towards gods. Asha has been training under Magnifico for the past ten years. Despite showing great magical potential she just can't seem to get the most basic spells working right and feels like a total failure. Which makes it hard for her to muster up the courage to ask Magnifico to grant her great-grandfather's wish.

Asha in my story is awkward due to low self-esteem inflicted upon herself for feeling inadequate and also coming from a mean girl named Grimhilde. Grimhilde acts all haughty and smug but is secretly jealous of all the attention Asha gets as the royal apprentice. Most of the people of Rosas love Asha despite her lack of self-worth and even call her their princess even though she technically isn't related to Magnifico and Amaya. She tries to make up for her supposed shortcomings by doing a lot of chores around the castle and also works as the kingdom's tour guide but gets easily tired from the work. The only friend Asha has at first is Dahlia the royal baker, but that's because Asha excuses herself as being too busy to hang out with the rest of the Teens as she knows she can't help them with their wishes like Magnifico and feels ashamed for it. She likes to draw and dance but keeps these to herself at first due to her confidence issues. The only other beings she lets her true self shine are her Saba, the animals in the forest, and her pet goat Valentino.

Astrophil will be my starboy (or starbeing as in my story they are non-binary). Astrophil gets their name from Asha as a line-of-sight name from a collection of poems titled Astrophil and Stella, written by her late father's favorite poet. Astrophil came to Earth to help Asha fulfill her wish while also getting the chance to explore Rosas and learn more about Asha. Astrophil is pretty smitten with Asha and their dynamic will be similar to Aang and Katara's from ATLA. Astrophil finds the royal couple's excuse to only grant wishes from what the stars tell them as absurd and, with Asha's help, decides to uncover what's really going on in Rosas.

Magnifico and Amaya will be a classic villainous couple who put on metaphorical masks to look like benevolent rulers but only care about themselves. They get away with not granting everybody's wishes by stating that the Stars guide them to choose and will get offended if they make "wrong" choices. The reason they keep the extra wishes for themselves is revealed later on in the story and how it is tied to their magic.

There will be plenty of more characters involved with the story such as Valentino, Dahlia, the Seven Teens, and a few cameos from various Disney films but all with a Wish twist to them.

Once I have the whole story written out, I plan to upload the chapters onto AO3 under my name QAtheAuthoress74. I'm going to title the story as...

"Asha & Astrophil: A Retelling of Wish"

So, be on the lookout when I release it. Fair warning, I'm still in the VERY early developing stage of the story so it will be a while before it's published. But I was just too excited to share some of my ideas with you all.

@annymation @oh-shtars

#disney wish #wish 2023 #wish rewrite #asha x star #asha x starboy #magnifico x amaya #amaya x magnifico #wish au #wish starboy #wish starbeing #nonbinary star

18 notes · View notes

kolour-me-kourt · 4 months ago

Text

Chapter Twenty four:Flying out

"Okay baby I'm heading out I'll try to come back tonight or tomorrow morning" she says kissing his forehead while he was still laying down"if you can leave today just come to the game" he looked pitiful it almost made her wanna cry. When she left her home Friday with all intentions on staying the whole week he had things planned he was pushing for her to come to the away game because he already had something planned with her Phoenix. It's Monday he would be going to Arizona today and she would be going ... back to her city.

She set up a zoom call with Liangelo's assistant and she had a meeting with her new clients Jonah and Lorenzo. She was finally meeting Jonah's partner even though she was pretty sure it was Lorenz. And lastly she had to meet with her boss.... Doing all of this the day she gets back was crazy and that's why she had to fly out at seven in the morning. Cause she had to make her baby's game he was looking too depressed and they needed to win.

Jayson glanced outside "it's still dark I don't want you in a Uber I'll drive." He was yawning before he could even finish the sentence "I gotta head out ... like in five minutes" YN had anxiety when it came to flights and being there on time. he smiled "im just sliding these sweats on and taking you bae give me one second." He peed and brushed his teeth quickly. Walking out grabbing her bags from her hands and they started to go towards the car he grabbed the keys off the hook locking up the house.

They get in the car putting on seat belts and then he takes off towards the airport. "You'll call me when you get home right?" "You won't be sleep?" "I will be ... but still call you'll get there around nine right?" "Yeah if they leave on time" "and then what's in your line up" "I have my meeting with new clients at 10 then a zoom with Liangelo assistant at 11:30 then I have a meeting with my boss at 2." "You can try and get you a nap between those last two."

"Yeah I might be too nervous about that last one I've never been in trouble at work like what if she fires me" "baby you didn't do anything wrong grown men being petty got you in this situation it's your first issue at work they not firing you. You do too much for them" "what if they say I can't come to Boston anymore like to live cause they don't trust me... maybe that's why she's calling me in to tell me the bad news" "let's just hope not ... these four days straight have been better than any other ones cause it's really like we live together" she smiled

"I was thinking about that while I was getting ready to go... like what made this time different" "yeah it felt like you was never gonna leave ... in the best way possible" she smiled "I know what you saying baby" "so you'll come to Phoenix tonight? Game starts at seven I know you'll be tired but baby please" "ima try bae you know the plane ride is a little over four hours ... but I'll try" "that's all I ask"

YN ran the numbers in her head if she Ubers to her office and leaves her luggage in her office while she talks to her bosses. She wouldn't have to go back home she could just Uber or get Leslie to drive her... that would also give her time to catch Leslie up on the meeting. The meeting is supposed to be short so she should be able to leave by 2:30 if she leaves the city at 3....4,5,6. Getting there after six he'll already be at the game but she would still be on time technically.

"You think you can get the private jet to be ready at 3 and then have a car service at the hotel for when I get to Arizona? Like I'll be cutting it close but I might can get there" he smiled "yeah I'll call them right at 9" "okay thank you baby" "thank you too" she smiled and then he pulled into the departure lane of the airports "I love you I'll see you tonight." "I love you too. Call when you get home Fr" "i willl" She kisses his lips grabbing her luggage rushing to tsa.

She barely makes it through before they start boarding first class but she makes it. Once she's on the plane she sighs in relief. Okay good start to the day she thought.

The plane was partially empty it was no one else on her row and they were giving out orange juice and water. Once she landed Leslie picked her up. From the airport.

"Hiiii girl" "Hi Leslie thanks for coming ... breakfast on me" "oh shit I'm ordering everything rich lady" YN laughs. "Girl hush... how you been?"

" busy cause of this Mr.Ball situation writing statements and reworking contracts" "yeah sorry bout that" "he wasn't specific so what happened" "ummm long story made very short Jay punched Melo" "what!??!" "Yes girl" she sighs

"and since you his girlfriend you got punished" "pretty much" "it's was the company or Liangelo?" "Liangelo cut ties I don't even think he told Alicia and then" "why would Jayson just punch him though that seems out of character" "and it definitely is but you not ready for all of that and I can't even tell that story tbh"

Once they got to YNs house she took a quick shower and asked Leslie to order some breakfast. So when YN got dressed and out of the shower she expected food but smelled nothing.

"Leslie what happened" "well Jonah and Lorenzo wanna meet at a restaurant" "ohhh okay" "I'm gonna grab a muffin? You want one? I'm bout to pass out" "lol yeah chocolate chip is fine" "bet" YN goes into her kitchen looking at her muffins shaking her head she walks back out

"Um they're molded I have to deep clean this whole house. I was in such a rush on Friday I didn't even take out the parishable food" "well we about to meet them soon so we might as well just head out" "yeah I'm glad they pushed it to 10:30" "you riding with me?" Leslie asks "if you don't mind Doll😂😂 and if you could take me to the pj after my last meeting" "oh wow yeah just so I can see what one looks like" YN laughs "bet" they head to Leslie's car at 10:00.

"Why you don't invite me on your lil trips I won't bother you and Jayson" "you wanna come to Arizona today?" "Don't play with me yn" "I'm serious we're only staying for a day and then going back to Boston tomorrow morning.... And I can show you arounddd and I can show you were my new place is gonna be we do have a fundraiser to go to tomorrow but like we should still be able to hang out" "you not moving in?" "With him?! Nooooo not yet" "and why not" "I haven't even met his son in person ... I would prefer that before just springing this on him" "but his son is only there half the time" "yeah but still and idk if he's even ready for that"

"well I do wanna come with you" "okay but you gotta come to the game" "of course ... I guess I'll just run and get my stuff after I drop you off at the office for your zoom meeting" "sound good to me see ask and you'll receive" YN laughs "ima ask for everything now ... I'm surprised Jayson ain't called yet" " oh shit I was suppose too call him let me do it now"

YN calls and it rings and rings and rings so she hangs up calling right back. "Baby it's after ten you were supposed to call as soon as you landed" "your phone on dnd" "baby you ain't call me until just now" "I know I was just saying"she smirked "mhm how was your flight" "pretty good it was empty me and Leslie are heading to our meeting now" her way of telling Jayson that she wasn't in the car alone "well okay baby I have the jet waiting for you at 2"

"babyyyy they'll have to wait cause I said 3" "I know but something in my heart told me to tell them 2 I did say you might get there after three so don't feel like you gotta rush they expecting some time" "okay baby thank you I love you and um Leslie is gonna come with me" "to Arizona? And Boston?" "Yeah I wanna show her around my part time city and she wants to come to the game" "okay I'll make sure y'all get the passes and tell her I'll get her a room by us so she don't have to worry bout it". "Tell him thank youuuu" "Leslie saysss thank youuu and are the passes on my phone? " "yeah it's on your phone bae and of course I gotta make sure your friends like me so you'll stay with me" "boy... when are you heading to the team plane" "right now" "did you eat?" " no I didn't ... and I'm feeling it right now"

"your mom had left overs in the fridge" "damn you Fr?" "Hella that's the whole reason she came over for five seconds yesterday ... she said it was your favorite" "you got me tempted to turn around" YN laughs "sorry baby I thought I told you" "I think you did I just forgot this morning with everything going on" "well she'll make you some more I'm sure" "hopefully or you gotta learn how to fix it" "I have too?" "I'll appreciate if you do" "it won't be your mamas tho I don't have time for that" "for what?" "Nothing mamas boy"

"I don't expect it to taste like hers" "you say that and then I fix it for you and you'll be like this shit nasty af" "I don't talk to you like that stop performing for Leslie" YN laughs even louder "baby that's not what I'm doing" "I'll see that ass tonight ... once I get settled I'll get her room stuff and send it to you" "okay baby once again thank you I love youuuu" "I love you too see you soon" "see you soon baby byeeee" "bye bae" YN hangs up

"You got me hype" "good you wanna do something after the game?Cause k think he just has a little dinner planned for us but you can come" "I'll probably be tired and you should be with your man... I'll catch back up with you in Boston" "I don't ride the team plane with him so you can just ride with me" "oh? Really?" "No... I don't think I can. I've never asked😂😂" "interesting" she laughed

"I couldn't imagine being on the plane with all those men" "shit I can!! Walking down the aisle to all those giants" "girl bye" YN laughs She parks the car. "I'm just saying" "I get you girl"

They head into the restaurant to find Jonah and Lorenzo and just like YN thought it was Lorenz. "Damn his partner fine too I'm bout to work for them" Leslie smiles as they walk over "please be professional" "I'm just saying ... or you so in love you don't see nobody else" "that's correct" "whatever bitch" YN laughs again

"Hi Jonah nice to see you again ... hiiii Lorenz" "ouu Lorenz do you two know eachother?" Jonah asks Lorenzo smiles "yes I've had the pleasure of meeting YN before how are you?" "Great I'll be even better once we get started on this deal ... also this is my lovely and always helpful assistant Leslie" "hi nice to meet you two" she smiles bashfully

YN yawns "it's only 10:30 already sleepy?" Lorenzo asks her she smiles "I was on a red eye because you guys are my main priority" "I like that" "so what do you need from us do that we can help you better" Jonah asks "well in a perfect world I would like to construct a list of everything we need to do and then split it up... but that doesn't work" "why not" "well all the jobs aren't equal some are so time consuming plus I need you two to give me deadlines with all these projects"

"Well we have that written out already I can email it over to you later today" Lorenzo states "great! And I was thinking we could rate the jobs like what's the most time consuming and what's the least time consuming and then break it up from low moderate and high and thennnn chose from each"

"that makes sense to me YN ... but you have all the connections" "which Leslie will send you the information and just casually drop me in the conversation within the first three minutes" they all share a laugh

The rest of the meeting went well food was good conversation was great and they got a lot of planning done. Next they rushed to the office so YN could make the zoom meeting. Once it started YN was shocked to see Gelo behind his employee. But she straightened her face and went straight into bite the bullet she apologized for not knowing the personal situation and she apologized for what happened she apologized for everything she could think of and then she offered to pass his buisness to the next employee ... shockingly they agreed. YN thinks it's because he didn't want to pay the contract fees but she'll take it as a win anyway. And now it was 1:00 she glanced at her mini fridge standing up she grabs a water. When her bosses knock on her door.

"Come innnn" YN says melodically "hiiii we just got the good news nice work glad you were able to solve the problem any suggestions on who would should pass it too?" "Um possibly Hannah... I think she also works well with more known clients"

"well I'll definitely keep that in mind.... Now to the real reason we came in here we have a corporate meeting at 2:30" "and we just remembered you're supposed to be off soooo" they glanced at eachother smiling YN speaks up "so?" her heart was racing and breath was heavy.

"We're duiscusing numbers and everything but our bosses have been talking about opening up a new office in a different city ... they asked us who we thought would be a great fit. And we recommended you.... And of course they approved" YN smiled "really?" "Yes and guess what city it's in?" "Where?" "Boston" "really!?!!" "Yes YN" "I cannot even describe how thankful I am you guys won't regret this at all" "we know now we're gonna make a big announcement on Friday so don't tell any coworkers before then except Leslie ... because hopefully she'll go with you"

"so with my current cases" "you'll discuss with your clients if you can be virtual and fly to them when need be it'll be a case by case then .... But in the new building you will be the boss you are officially a partner" "wow thank you guys really!" "Well we're gonna let you head out enjoy the rest of your vacation see you next Wednesday" "of course have a great day guys" "you too!!"

YN couldn't wait to tell Jayson. He would be so happy .

And then doubt set in ... what if he doesn't want her that close. Sure he's buying her a place up there but it's only for a limited amount of time originally she wasn't supposed to be there alllllll the time... hopefully he's happy for her and doesn't think they're moving too fast.

Leslie rushes in knocking her out of her thoughts "I'm ready when you are" "I'm ready now... look at Jayson being right cause it's only 1:25 we're gonna get to the jet by 2 so we can get there early ... yayyy" "yeah if you hurry up"

Leslie laughs

Once they got off the jet Jayson was there to pick her up much to her surprise. "Hiii baby" "hi bae... hey Leslie" "how are you here" "you know with all your planning you forgot ... we ahead three hours back home." She laughed "wow I feel slow" "you shouldn't it gives you extra time baby. It's five our time but it's only two here. You left early and everything" "yes but that's good... I'm glad you made it" they finally get in the car after he puts the bags in the car.

"Leslie your room is right beside ours" "oh ok thank you Jayson" "bae..." "yeah?" "It hadn't even been 12 hours and I was missing you really bad" "I missed you more Fr" YN smiled "should I tell him the good news now or later Leslie?" "Nah tell him right now" YN laughed she only wanted to tell him now because if he didn't like it he wouldn't say that in front of Leslie but YN would still be able to tell if he was genuinely excited or if he was freaking out.

"yeah tell me now" "so baby .... It's so good I'm getting my loft in Boston because I got a promotion at work and...... the company is expanding to Boston they want me to be the boss over there" "bae that's so great I'm proud of you" "so you'll go out there and win for me right?" "I try my hardest everytime" she smiles "so when we get in you're taking your nap?" "Yeah ima try too" "okay we might go shopping or something since we have all this time" "be careful out here" "always baby" he glances at her

"and be on time for the game" "yes sir.... You funding my little trip?" He laughs loudly. "That's how you asking me?" "Can you pay for my shopping spree baby?" "What I get for that?" "To see me in the clothes duh" "dang I was gon give you 2 thou till you said that" "babyyyy" "mhm?" "I want 3 thousand i have to look out for Leslie too. And then really I need four cause what if I see something for you... maybe I should just get the card instead of you zelling me " he laughed shaking his head

"I'll give you the credit card" "hmmmmmm okay baby" "and what do you say brat?" "Of course ... thank you baby" "get me something fly too not just no small shit" he laughed "of course I always look out for you. "

The driver pulls into the hotel room letting them out Jayson grabs a thing from the lobby loading their bags onto it and a bell hop grabbed it from there bringing it up to their rooms.

YN took a quick shower putting on some new clothes and then she headed straight to Leslies room.

Jayson was already sleep soundly so she grabbed the key. "Open up its meee" YN says and soon enough Leslie opens the door smiling "I've never been to Arizona before" "honestly me either.... I figured phoniex had to have a dope ass mall though." "Let me look one up ... we ubering?" "No same car service" "they have a mall but they also have outlets... what you wanna do?" "We can probably get more at the outlet" "bet let me put on my shoes and then I'll be ready" "okay boo I wanna be back here around 5 so I can get ready for the game and I like to see him at shoot arounds" "sounds good to me"

*time skip*

They tried their hardest to make it to every big name store but time wasn't on their side. However they had more than enough stuff. YN had bought Jayson a new wallet from coach and few more gold chains.... One had her name on it one had (your initial) +J it was childish but she thought it was cute enough to get away with and honestly if he didn't wear it she would. She of course got some more clothes and few pairs of shoes and plenty of purses. And now they were back at the hotel. She texted Jayson to let him know they were back and he should text her when he was awake.

"I can't wait to see this game I feel like it's gonna be fun Fr" Leslie says "thank you for coming friend Fr like I'm glad you asked cause I would've just been in there sleep with him." They shared a laugh. "Well good for us both and now you gotta brand new outfit for the game tonight" "idk if I wanna wear it.... I bought it as kind of a laugh like a joke" "YN you look so cute in it tho... so yeah it's corny but he'll love it side it's you" "with the white coach heels?" "Yupp and wear your hair up and do curtain bangs" "Leslie I'm trusting you..." "and you should it look cute on you I think everyone will appreciate you supporting the team ya ass looks great" Leslie laughs

"we gon see... but he just texted so I'm give him about ten minutes to get his self together and then ima go get ready" "okay sounds good to me" "what you gonna wear?" "This?" "Absolutely not you gotta at least wear a cute shirt with some jeans" "what's wrong with my sweats" "girl they five sizes too big and not in a cute oversized way" "I just wanted to see where your heart was ... my fit over there" Leslie laughs pointing to the window seal YN walks over. "Ooooou supper cute" "thank you.... Ima hop in the shower and I'll just come over when I'm done getting dressed" "okay boo"

**Leslie outfit

* YN outfit with white heels

*time skip

The game was in full affect and Jayson was playing his ass off. Grant Williams was being a hell of a play maker and showing major defense. YN couldn't ask for a better game to watch with her friend. The tension was high and the game was close because play offs are right around the corner every players heart was out there on the floor . But YN had nothing but faith in Jayson and clearly he was hot tonight she don't know what would calm that man down after they were done winning.

*time skip*

After going into double overtime Derick white made the game winning play two seconds before the buzzer. The crowd jumped into the air the vibe was electrifying YN knew right now Jayson wasn't going to sleep anytime soon it was just too much adrenaline. He glanced at her smiling. She blows him a kiss and he taps his lips before getting pulled away to do a interview.

Leslie was in complete shock. "Glad i get to go to Boston with you when we move cause I need this energy all the time it's crazy in here!!" "Nah Fr like whew" "you think I have time to run to a bathroom?" "Mhm I'll wait right here" "okay bet be right back" Leslie walks off.

After his interview he came looking for his girlfriend finding her in the stands he kissed her deeply. Making YN shy it was PDA in front of every single person her mother could be watching at home. He pulls away slowly. "I love your outfit tonight....we gotta get you one that just has my name on it though I don't wanna share" He says on her lips kissing her again she moans.

"Yes" she says softly trying to keep from moaning loudly he pulls away after kissing her again. "I gotta get back to the locker room but go ahead to the room.... Change and be ready we stepping out tonight. Okay?" YN nods her head.

"Come closer" "yes baby girl?" "After that performance and coming over here kissing me and my extremely long day I need some before.... And after our date daddy"she whispers in his ear "I'll see what I can do" he starts to stand up she kisses him again "no teasing tonight daddy please" he smiles "since you being so vocal ... be ready for all that... I gotta go. I love you" "I love you too"

After he walks down the hall Leslie comes back. "You talked to him yet?" "Mhmm did you decide what you're doing tonight. Cause he's still talking about a date " "uh.... No need to figure out .... I think I have a date too" "huhhhhh!?!" "Yeah with one of his teammates I don't wanna say yet so don't ask who and don't guess. He saw us together and assumed I was good people" "good job Leslie" "I mean when in Rome." "Alright let's head out and get ready for our dates.... Name or no name I want details tomorrow on that plan" "yes of course"

As they head back to the hotel Leslie opens up Twitter to see Jayson trending. "Jayson is trending" she says looking at YN "he usually trends during and after a game.... Good or bad" Leslie clicks on the trending topic "or for kissing some girl... when tf this happened" YN looks at the phone laughing "Leslie that's me!!!" "Oh shit they don't think it's you. Everybody saying you got the boot"

"this shit gets exhausting like Jay claims I don't have to clear everything up but it's hard not too" " people are noticing you was sitting there before... but again when did this happen" "when you went to the bathroom" "mmm well girl you know it's you it doesn't matter" "let me just post pictures of me In The dress and on the court."

"Courtside wit a bad bitch" her caption said it all without explaining anything.

Once they got back to the hotel YN helped Leslie pick out a outfit for her date. She put on a dress and some heels that she had got from the outlets that day. After she was dressed they went into YN room to help her find something.

"What's the date?" "He only gave one hint... he said artsy... in my head I was thinking of something like a dark blue something" "do you have anything dark blue" "I don't even know what I packed" YN laughs they rush over to her bags

"Which one?" "Both sexy af" "maybe he'll chose for me I can't get dressed right now anyway" "why?" "Cause he gotta fuck me before we leave" "why?" "Because I need it" "oh you said it like it was ritual or some shit" Leslie laughs

"no but yeah he played so well it does something to me... but at the very least turn your location on and let me know when you get in cause we don't know this city and I don't know the man you're going out with" "let me do it right now and give you piece of mind" Leslie picks up her phone "ooop he's here" "turn that location on while I'm watching Leslie" YN says sternly

"done can you see?" YN checks her phone as the room door opens Jayson says something but neither of them could hear fully "yes I can see go have fun" "okay mom" Leslie rushes out the door saying hey and bye to Jayson

"What did you say bae I didn't hear you" "you had me thinking something crazy" "like what?" "you asked Leslie to join on our fun" "I don't share your dick it's too good" he laughed "good this dick only for you" he kisses her picking her up "what are you wearing tonight" "something so chill" "I picked out two dresses" she whined

"cool I wanted you to dress up" he moves his thumb up and down her panties "oh okay" he lays her down moving her panties to the side "we don't have much time ... you wanna argue about outfits or you want a quickie you choose" "... a quickie please" he smiles pullng his pants down just enough to slide inside her her eyes closed immediately. He kisses her lips when he began to talk he kept his mouth close to hers

"We can do both if you want... you wanna argue wit me? Hmmm?" She grabs his hand placing his thumb on her clit he moves it away "ughh you're purposely not doing things that I want" "well ask for it then" " rub my....." "say it ... now" "rub my clit please" her cheeks became red "why are you shy" he slowly began rubbing her clit he smiled

"ohhhh fuck... faster" when he listened her head hit the headboard serval times but she didn't care if anything she love it "That feel good?" "So good baby please don't stop" he could feel himself getting close so he pulled out eating her pussy to give himself more time. "Bet that will shut you up" he groans she whines. "Jay...." "What?" "I'm so close please finger me too" "you're being direct?" She bits her lip "I'm trying" he smiles doing it

"like this?" "Yes" she says while losing her voice she gently grabs his head redirecting him to her clit as she slowly grinds when she gets closer his free hand grabs both of her hands pinning them to her stomach. "Oh baby that's perfect please don't stop" "wanna cum on my dick? Because we gotta leave soon" "ughhhh" "tell me... right now" "I wanna cum from your mouth I wanna...ughhh pleasee I'm so close don't...." once she said that he made his mission to make it happen and it did quickly he kisses up her body sliding inside her

"we don't have time to play anymore. Once I cum we're gonna put on our clothes and head out ... you hear me?" Her back arched and her eyes roll in the back of her head "yes daddyyy" "fuckkkk you feel so good" he groaned in her ear "baby I'm so close again let me cum with you please" "shit" he says softly "please baby....." "mhm ima wait on you" she smiles "right there right there right thereeeee" "like this?"

"Just like that oh fuck I'm Cumming—Jayson pleaseeeee" she whined completely shocked at herself for being wrapped up in the moment she lost it before she intended to suddenly his movements got a little faster and little sloppier. "Cum inside me Jayson" he smiled kissing her forehead "I'm cumming right in this pretty pussy... feel good don't it" "so good I love you" he kisses her again until he was empty and he slowly pulls out "I love you too get ready please" he fixes her panties.

"Which dress?" She says trying to catch her breath He glanced down "you got that one wet so I guess the other one" he laughs "I meant to get it off the bed... damn... the other one was sexier" "yeah but this one will be nice for where we going I would've choose it anyway" "nice to know"

" you ready?" "I'm gonna put my hair up" "no I like it down" "it's all flat in the back" "let me fix it" she walks over to him and takes the time to fluff her hair. "It's really the little things with you" she says while looking up at him "what you mean" "most men would've just let me put my hair up.... But you care about the details when you were visualizing this date ... my hair was down" "you right... i like your shoes by the way" "they're new you should" he smiled holding the door for her they leave the hotel at 10:30.

*time skip*

"Come this way for me" "before I even go in here—" Jayson cuts her off "no baby just experience this I know you're grateful and thankful and you love me" she stared tearing up "okay as long as you know" "you ready?" "Yes" he grabs her hand guiding her towards the building.

When they walk in she was mesmerized. "You out did yourself with this one" "I try" "I thought they closed at nine" "they do... but I'm Jayson Tatum" "I love you baby" "I love you too... let's walk around"

They enjoyed their time walking around slow taking pictures and making memories but now it was time to get back to the hotel. On the way back in Leslie texted letting her know she was already in for the night.

*time skip*

She was on the desk with her legs spread and he stood in between them kissing her slowly. He had a long day she had a even longer day... but she still wanted more of him. However he had already crashed from the adrenaline high and was sleepy.

"Gotta get up early" he groaned while kissing her "so you wanna stop?" "I don't want to but we need too" "okay baby" she kisses his lips again about to get down he holds her close making her laugh "Jay?" "Hmm?" "You said you need to stop" he licks his lips "yeah" "so let me get ready for bed" "I don't want too" she smiled "okay we'll stay like this for a little while" he holds her tightly kissing the top of her head completely zoned out and comfortable in this moment with her.

She felt safe and at peace right now. It almost made her grateful they weren't having sex as bad as she wanted it five minutes ago she loved that she was still getting intimacy without having sex.

He groans causing her to laugh. "Bae?" "Did you have fun tonight?" "Yes the museum was beautiful" "good I figured we should do something out here since I got you dealing with the bullshit tomorrow" "what bullshit?" "The party" "why is that bullshit?" "I'm just going for looks... after twenty minutes we can head out" she smiles

"maybe you'll have fun since ima be there and your friends" "it's a our first party like that Fr" "I know .... It seems like we've done everything" "not a vacation" she lifted an eyebrow "after you get your championship ring maybe we can plan one" "I like the way you talking.... So about Leslie" "yeah?" "We putting her up at the house or?"

"Damn I haven't even thought about that baby I can find her a hotel it's your house so it's up to you" "she can stay with us if you think she cool people then I'm fine with it" "I might hook her up with YFB (friend from Boston) and they can go out while we at the event"

"and you can tell her the good news" "exactly .... They'll have fun together" "definitely" "anything I need to look out for at this event tomorrow? Groupies? People who hate me? People who hate you?"

"Bradley didn't say how big it's gonna be or what but he did say it's industry and it's a black tie gala ... that mean it can be anybody from any entertainment industry" "he's raising money right?" "Yeah it goes towards his foundation" "ohhh okay it's all making sense now like I know you would go just cause it's Bradley and he's like a brother to you but I can feel that you don't wanna deal with anybody else there" he smiles

"you're right baby but like you said you'll be there we have fun with eachother" "you think Ella will come?" "Doubt it ... if he's inviting music people it'll be like Jay Z and Diddy" "ohhh okay" "you scared to be in the room with her?" "No baby I actually feel sorry for her" "I might regret asking this but why" "well you could've down played the sex but I don't think you did and it just didn't sound good and as a woman even when you know it's not you. You question yourself you made her cum but you didn't cum and then you didn't leave me" "she didn't want me to leave you" "she did ... wether or not she said it... trust me baby"

"enough about her" "definitely... but anyway let's get ready for bed so we can be up and ready for check out." "I love you" he kisses her lips letting her go "I love you more"

5 notes · View notes