#you’ve got to try to capture joy after the first time

[enemiestolovershoe]

Hey. First of all I love your blog! ♡ Second. Can you please do a Pregnancy one with Chris or Matt. Reader and the triplets are Childhood Friends. Matt or Chris and Reader are dating since high school. Now they are both about to turn 21 (they are like 2-3 days apart) .. but a week before they birthday, reader finds out shes pregnant with Chris or Matts child. You can decide after that. Thank you in advance :)

New Beginnings

Matt Sturniolo x fem!reader

Summary: As childhood friends Matt and y/n discover their pregnancy, they face the joys and challenges of unexpected pregnancy while capturing their journey together.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: use of y/n, pregnancy, not proofread

A/n: I couldn’t decide on either Matt or Chris so I will do both! Chris version coming soon. :)

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

You had known the Sturniolo triplets since you were kids, the four of you growing up in the same neighborhood, running through backyards, riding bikes, and watching sunsets from the roof of their house. Chris, Nick, and Matt had always been a constant in your life, with Matt holding a special place in your heart since high school. You and Matt started dating during your sophomore year, and now, almost six years later, you were both about to turn 21. Your birthdays were just days apart, something you always joked about. But this year… things felt different.

A week before your birthday, you found out you were pregnant.

It was a rainy afternoon when the realization hit you. You were sitting in your room, staring at the pregnancy test that had shown two bold lines. Your hands trembled, heart racing in disbelief, as if this moment couldn’t possibly be real. You were turning 21 in less than a week. Matt was too. How were you going to tell him? How were you going to tell them? The triplets were family to you, and keeping something like this from them seemed impossible. But that didn’t make the thought any less terrifying.

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

The next day, you found yourself sitting on the couch at the Sturniolo house, Nick and Chris sprawled out on the other side. Matt wasn’t home yet; he had gone out to run some errands with his mom, leaving you alone with his brothers for the time being. You stared at the TV, though you weren’t really watching.

Nick noticed. “Yo, you good?” he asked, his eyes flicking toward you from his spot on the floor, where he was half-lounging, half-sitting.

Chris immediately jumped in, “Yeah, you’ve been quiet since you got here. Something up?”

You quickly shook your head, trying to play it off. “No, I’m fine, just… tired, I guess.”

“Uh-huh,” Nick said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “You? Tired? You never get tired. You’re like the energizer bunny. What’s going on?”

You bit your lip, your fingers fiddling with the hem of your hoodie. You wanted to tell them, but you knew you had to talk to Matt first. Still, keeping this secret was harder than you thought. The triplets had an uncanny way of reading you, and today was no exception.

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” you admitted, avoiding their gaze. “I’ll be fine.”

Chris shot Nick a look before leaning back against the couch. “You sure? ‘Cause if something’s bothering you, you can tell us. You know that, right?”

You nodded, grateful for their concern. “I know. It’s just… complicated.”

Nick sat up, crossing his arms. “Complicated how? Is it Matt? Did he do something? ’Cause you know, we’ll kill him if he did.”

That made you smile, despite the heavy weight on your chest. “No, it’s not Matt. It’s just… something I need to talk to him about first.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Ooooh, secretive. Now I’m curious.”

Nick grinned, nudging Chris. “Bet it’s something serious. Like, what if she’s… wait, are you pregnant?”

The second those words left Nick’s mouth, your heart dropped. You froze, not knowing how to respond, the color draining from your face. Nick had said it as a joke, but his expression shifted when he saw your reaction.

Chris’s eyes widened, and he sat up straighter. “Wait… no way.”

You quickly looked away, your throat tightening as you struggled to find the right words. “I… I don’t know how to tell Matt,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

The room fell silent for a moment as Nick and Chris stared at you, the weight of the situation sinking in.

Nick was the first to break the silence. “Holy sh—wait, so you are pregnant?”

You nodded, swallowing hard. “I found out yesterday.”

Chris let out a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. “Wow. Okay. Uh… that’s huge.”

Nick’s expression softened, and he moved closer, sitting on the couch beside you. “How do you feel? I mean, are you okay?”

You took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m scared, honestly. I wasn’t expecting this, especially not now, right before our birthdays. I don’t know how Matt’s going to react, or if he’s even ready for something like this. We’re both still figuring things out.”

Chris nodded, his voice quieter than usual. “Yeah, that’s a lot. But, for what it’s worth, I know Matt. He loves you, like, a lot. If anyone can handle this, it’s you two.”

Nick reached over, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Yeah, and whatever happens, we’ve got your back. All three of us.”

“Thanks,” you murmured, a small smile creeping onto your face. “But please, don’t say anything to Matt. I need to be the one to tell him.”

Nick nodded, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “Promise. But you should tell him soon, before one of us accidentally slips up.”

Chris laughed lightly, breaking some of the tension. “Yeah, Nick’s got a big mouth. He’ll probably blurt it out without thinking.”

You laughed, feeling some of the stress lift off your shoulders, even if just for a moment. “I’ll tell him soon. I’m just trying to figure out how.”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Later that day, Matt finally came home. The second he walked through the door, his eyes found yours, and a soft smile spread across his face, one that always made your heart flutter. He moved toward you, his hands resting on your shoulders as he leaned in to kiss your cheek.

“Hey, baby,” he murmured, his voice warm. “You’ve been here all day?”

You nodded, glancing over at Nick and Chris, who were still on the couch but pretending not to listen. “Yeah, just hanging out with your brothers.”

He grinned, glancing at the two of them. “Ah, keeping them out of trouble, huh?”

“Always,” you joked, trying to keep your tone light despite the heaviness in your chest. You wanted to tell him right then, but the words got stuck in your throat.

Matt plopped down on the couch beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “You good? You seem kind of off today.”

You swallowed, glancing at him, your heart pounding in your chest. “Matt, can we, um, talk? Alone?”

His brow furrowed slightly, concern flashing in his eyes. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?”

Nick and Chris exchanged looks before quietly excusing themselves from the room, knowing better than to intrude. Once they were gone, Matt turned back to you, his hand resting on your knee, his expression soft but serious.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice gentle.

You took a deep breath, your hands trembling slightly. “I… I don’t know how to say this. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

Matt’s eyes searched yours, a mix of curiosity and concern. “You’re scaring me,” he said with a small, nervous chuckle. “Just tell me. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together.”

You nodded, feeling a lump in your throat as the words finally came out. “I’m pregnant, Matt.”

Matt blinked, his eyes wide with shock, staring at you as if the words hadn’t quite registered yet. The silence between you both was deafening, and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest, each second stretching longer than the last.

Finally, he spoke, his voice almost a whisper, “As in… we’re going to have a baby?”

You nodded, swallowing hard as you fought the urge to cry. “Yes. We are.”

Matt leaned back slightly, his hands falling from your knee as he ran them through his hair, clearly trying to process the weight of what you just told him. His gaze flickered from your face to the floor and back again, as if trying to make sense of it all.

“I—I don’t even know what to say,” he admitted softly. “Are you… I mean, are you okay?”

You exhaled shakily, grateful that his first concern was you, but still unsure of where this conversation was going. “I don’t know,” you confessed, your voice trembling slightly. “I’ve been freaking out, honestly. I found out yesterday and I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you… I know we’re young and this wasn’t planned. And if you’re not ready, or if you don’t want to be a part of this, I’ll understand. But… please don’t be mad.”

Matt’s eyes snapped up to yours, his expression immediately softening. “Mad? No. No, I’m not mad at all,” he said quickly, his hand reaching out to take yours. “I could never be mad at you for this.”

Your chest tightened as you stared at him, his words wrapping around your heart. “I just… I don’t want to mess up your life, Matt. We’re both about to turn 21. There’s so much we haven’t even done yet. I don’t want you to feel trapped, like this is going to hold you back.”

Matt shook his head, his grip on your hand tightening as he sat up straighter. “No. No way. Don’t ever think that. You’re not messing up anything, okay? This is us. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together.”

Tears welled up in your eyes at his words, but you blinked them away quickly, still feeling a knot of fear in your stomach. “I just… I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t know if you’d be ready for something like this. I wasn’t even sure if I was.”

Matt was silent for a moment, his thumb tracing soft circles over your knuckles. “I don’t think anyone’s ever really ready for something like this,” he admitted. “But… that doesn’t change how I feel about you. Or us. This is scary as hell, yeah, but… I love you. And if we’re going to have a baby, then that’s just… that’s just what’s happening, you know?”

You let out a small, shaky laugh at how simply he put it. “You’re taking this way better than I thought.”

He smiled softly, squeezing your hand again. “Trust me, I’m freaking out a little on the inside,” he confessed with a sheepish grin. “But more than anything, I’m just… trying to wrap my head around the fact that we’re going to have a kid. Like, a tiny human. Our tiny human.”

Hearing him say it out loud made it feel real in a way it hadn’t before. Your heart swelled, and a part of the fear that had been eating away at you since you saw the test began to ease. “I know it’s not what we expected,” you said quietly, “but… I think we can do this. Together.”

Matt’s expression softened even more as he leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “We can. We’ve been through everything together. This is just one more thing, right?”

You nodded, feeling your chest lighten at his words. “Right.”

For a moment, neither of you said anything. You just sat there, the weight of everything slowly settling between you. Matt was still holding your hand, and you could see his mind working through a million thoughts, just as yours had been the day before.

“I love you,” he murmured after a long pause, his voice soft but steady. “I know it’s going to be hard, and I know we’re young, but I love you, and that’s all that matters to me. We’ll figure out the rest.”

Tears welled up in your eyes again, but this time they were tears of relief, of gratitude, of love. “I love you too,” you whispered, leaning into his touch.

He pulled you into his arms then, wrapping you up in a tight, comforting embrace. His chin rested on top of your head, and you closed your eyes, sinking into the warmth of him, feeling the tension melt away.

After a moment, he chuckled softly, pulling back just enough to look at you. “Wait. How did Nick and Chris not figure this out? I feel like they’d be all over something like this.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, wiping at your eyes. “Actually, they kind of… already know.”

Matt’s eyebrows shot up. “What? They know? And you didn’t tell me first?”

“I was going to!” you defended with a smile. “But Nick kind of… guessed. I guess I wasn’t doing a great job hiding it.”

Matt groaned, shaking his head. “Of course Nick guessed. He’s like a bloodhound with stuff like this.”

“Yeah, and then Chris figured it out right after,” you admitted, chuckling at the memory. “They’ve been really supportive though. I think they were more shocked than anything.”

Matt rolled his eyes playfully. “Great. Now I’m going to hear it from them, too. I can already imagine the teasing.”

You laughed, the sound easing the last bit of tension that had been sitting between you. “Yeah, they’ll probably give you a hard time. But they’re excited for us, too.”

He smiled, his gaze softening as he looked at you. “Well, they better get used to it. They’re going to be uncles soon.”

Hearing him say that made it all feel so real, and for the first time since you found out, you felt a flicker of excitement amidst the nerves. You leaned your head on his shoulder, letting out a content sigh.

“I guess they are.”

Matt kissed the top of your head, his voice tender as he whispered, “We’re going to be okay, you know that? I’m here. I’m all in.”

You smiled into his chest, feeling a warmth bloom in your heart at his words. “I know.”

As the weight of the conversation between you and Matt began to lift, a sudden noise from above made both of you pause. You squinted toward the top of the stairs, and there, not-so-subtly crouched and leaning over the railing, were Nick and Chris. They had been eavesdropping the entire time.

“Are you serious?” Matt groaned, shaking his head with a laugh. “You guys were listening the whole time?”

Chris grinned, bouncing down the stairs with exaggerated enthusiasm. “We weren’t just listening, we were, you know, making sure you didn’t freak out and run out the door!”

Nick followed, a wide smirk on his face. “Yeah, and judging by how long that hug lasted, I’m guessing you’re not freaking out anymore. Am I right?”

Matt rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips. “No thanks to you two.”

Chris wasted no time, throwing his arms wide open. “Big family hug! Uncle Chris in the house!”

You couldn’t help but laugh as Chris pulled both you and Matt into a huge, somewhat awkward embrace, with Nick quickly joining in, squeezing the four of you together. It was chaotic and ridiculous, but somehow exactly what you needed. Their energy, their excitement—it was contagious.

“Uncle Nick’s also here,” Nick added dramatically, trying to maneuver his arm around everyone. “I’ll be the favorite uncle, by the way. Just throwing that out there.”

Chris pulled back, faking a look of offense. “Please. Everyone knows I’m the fun uncle.”

“Fun uncle? Chris, you can’t even keep your plants alive,” Nick shot back, making you burst out laughing.

“Wow, alright, roast session,” Chris said, feigning hurt but grinning. He turned back to you, his expression softening for a moment. “Seriously though, we’re so happy for you guys. And we’re going to spoil this kid so much.”

You smiled at him, tears threatening to form again. The weight of their support made everything feel so much more real—and a little less overwhelming. “Thank you, guys. Really.”

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Time Jump: 22 weeks pregnant

A few months had passed since that day, and now, at 22 weeks, you were about to have another important ultrasound. The first one had been more nerve-wracking than anything—seeing the tiny shape of your baby for the first time—but this one felt different. This time, the triplets were with you, insisting they had to be there for this moment.

You sat in the waiting room, glancing down at your noticeably round belly. It wasn’t just a tiny bump anymore; your baby was growing, and you could feel every shift and flutter. Your nerves were getting the best of you, your leg bouncing anxiously as you glanced around. Matt sat beside you, his hand gently resting on your knee, trying to calm your nerves. Across from you, Chris and Nick were flipping through magazines, though they were far more focused on making you laugh than actually reading.

“I’m telling you, these waiting rooms need snacks,” Nick said, tossing his magazine onto the table in front of him. “Like, we’re waiting here, might as well make it a full experience. Get some chips, maybe a little chocolate fountain situation.”

Chris snorted. “A chocolate fountain in a doctor’s office? That’s the most Nick thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to improve the vibe,” Nick shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “And who doesn’t like chocolate? The baby would probably appreciate it too.”

You smiled, shaking your head. Nick always had a way of lightening the mood, even when you were a bundle of nerves. “I don’t think the baby’s eating chocolate yet, Nick. Maybe in a few months.”

Matt chuckled beside you. “Maybe we should get some snacks for you though. You’ve barely eaten all day.”

“I know, I’m just… nervous,” you admitted softly, resting your hand on your belly. It was hard to believe that your baby was getting so big already, and while the excitement was there, the nerves still lingered.

Chris leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “You nervous about the scan? Everything’s gonna be fine, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” you said, giving him a small smile. “I’m just… anxious to see the baby again. Make sure everything’s okay.”

Matt’s hand slid into yours, squeezing gently. “It will be. And we’ll get to see that little bean again, maybe a bit bigger this time.”

Before you could respond, Nick suddenly perked up from his seat, his phone in hand. “Wait, wait, I just had the best idea,” he said, turning toward you and Matt with a wide grin. “Why don’t we film some of this for the channel? I mean, we won’t post it right away—we can keep it a secret until the baby’s born. But imagine how cool it’ll be to look back on!”

Chris nodded along enthusiastically. “Yeah! We could document everything. Your pregnancy journey, the appointments… people are gonna love it, and it’ll be a nice surprise.”

You glanced at Matt, who seemed thoughtful for a moment, then smiled at you. “What do you think? It could be fun. And we’ll have it all captured for when the baby’s older.”

Your nerves eased a little with the idea of making it a memory. “You know, that does sound kind of fun. And besides, I trust you guys won’t make it too crazy, right?”

Nick held up his phone, already getting ready to film. “Trust me, I’ve got this under control. No crazy Nick here—just sentimental Nick.”

Chris laughed. “That’s debatable, but alright.”

A few moments later, Gina, the ultrasound tech, popped her head into the waiting room, a bright smile on her face. “Y/N? We’re ready for you!”

You took a deep breath, nodding as you stood up. Matt was right there beside you, helping you to your feet, and Chris and Nick scrambled to follow, excitement practically radiating off them.

“You guys ready for this?” Matt asked, looking over his shoulder at his brothers.

Nick grinned, phone already recording as he pointed the camera toward the group. “I was born ready. Day one of Baby Sturniolo’s YouTube debut.”

Chris smirked, nudging Nick. “Just don’t cry too hard on camera. We’ve got a rep to protect.”

You rolled your eyes playfully as you walked into the room, trying not to be too self-conscious about the fact that Nick was filming. Still, it felt natural with the triplets around. The ultrasound room was warm, dimly lit, and much more calming than the waiting area. You laid back on the table as the tech set everything up.

Gina gave you a kind smile, clearly used to having nervous parents-to-be in her room. She noticed Nick holding up his phone. “Oh, are we filming this?” she asked with a little laugh.

“Yep, just capturing the moment for the archives,” Nick said, ever the professional.

“Alright,” Gina chuckled. “I’ll make sure to keep the goo talk to a minimum then.”

Chris snickered. “Goo? Sounds appetizing.”

“Not that kind of goo,” Gina laughed, squeezing the cold gel onto your stomach. “Though I’ve had patients say it feels like cold jelly. I’m not sure that’s the right vibe, but hey, to each their own.”

Nick zoomed in a little on the screen, always adding his commentary. “If this were a movie, this is where the alien pops out and does a little dance, right?”

Gina laughed, clearly enjoying Nick’s energy. “Only if you’re very, very lucky.”

Matt, standing beside you, shook his head with a smile. “Nick, if this kid gets your sense of humor, I’m in trouble.”

You smiled, feeling your nerves ease a bit as the tech moved the ultrasound wand over your belly. The screen flickered, and after a few seconds of static, the shape of a much larger, wiggling baby came into view. Your heart skipped a beat.

“There’s your little one,” Gina said softly, adjusting the screen. “And that strong heartbeat, right there.”

You stared at the screen, tears already forming in your eyes as you saw the little movements, the tiny arms and legs, and the flicker of the heartbeat that was now much stronger and louder. Your baby wasn’t just a little blob anymore—it was a real, growing human, and it was beautiful.

Matt’s grip on your hand tightened, and when you glanced at him, you saw that his eyes were misty too. “That’s… that’s our baby,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

From the corner of the room, you heard a small sniffle. “Oh my God, I’m crying,” Nick said from behind the camera, trying to laugh it off but clearly emotional. “I didn’t sign up for this. I thought this was going to be fun!”

Chris wasn’t faring much better, blinking rapidly. “Dude, stop, you’re going to make me cry on camera.”

You smiled through your tears, overwhelmed by the love and support surrounding you. “You guys are so dramatic,” you teased, but your voice was thick with emotion too.

Gina smiled, clearly used to these kinds of moments. “It’s always emotional seeing them like this. And look at that, everything looks perfect. Your baby’s growing beautifully.”

Nick zoomed in on the ultrasound screen, his voice thick with emotion but still joking. “The kid looks like me already, I can tell.”

Chris snorted. “If this baby has your face, we’re sending it back.”

The room filled with soft laughter, the tension finally broken. You couldn’t believe how lucky you were to have all of them with you in this moment, capturing it all for a future memory you’d cherish forever.

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

Later that afternoon, after you’d left the doctor’s office, you and Matt sat on the couch, scrolling through your phones. The day had been so emotional, and now all you could think about was sharing the news with everyone who had been supporting you from afar. You’d been keeping the pregnancy a secret from fans, but now felt like the right time to tell them.

“You really think we should post about it now?” you asked, glancing at Matt.

He nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah, I think it’s time. Everyone’s been wondering why you’ve been quieter online, and we’ve got that perfect little photo from today.”

You nodded, your heart racing as you pulled up Instagram. You found the ultrasound picture from earlier, the now clearly visible shape of your baby, and your chest swelled with love. Matt sat beside you, watching as you typed the caption.

“Surprise! Baby Sturniolo coming soon 💕 Can’t wait to meet our little one. Thank you all for your love and support so far. #BabySturniolo”

Nick, never missing a moment, snapped a quick clip of you hitting ‘post’ and gave the camera a little thumbs-up for his future video. “There it is, folks,” he said with a grin. “First step of Baby Sturniolo’s debut. Stay tuned.”

Matt laughed, shaking his head. “You’re really going all-in on this, huh?”

Nick grinned. “You know it. This is gonna be the best content we’ve ever made.”

Chris, sitting next to him, smirked. “And I’m definitely gonna be the best uncle.”

You chuckled as the guys began discussing ideas for more filming, your heart feeling full. The love and support from all three of them, combined with the excitement of what was to come, made you feel more at peace than ever. Your little secret was out, and now the world—and the Sturniolo fans—would be part of this incredible journey.

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•

[ma1dita]

crazy little thing

a ‘partners in crime’ installment - luke castellan x dionysus!reader

words: 3.4k

summary: (pre-established relationship) The one where he spends all his drachmas to make you smile. Sometimes, the Apollo kids are better matchmakers than Aphrodite herself. Everyone’s tired of you two dancing around each other. Luke Castellan x fem!Dionysus!reader

a/n: lil valentines day special though im working on more est. relationship fluff after this!! happy season 2 renewal babies

(posted 2/9/24 unbetaed)

—

“Come on, you gotta admit—it’s kinda funny!” 

Luke is met with blank stares at the camp store after he places a few drachmas onto the folding table in front of the Apollo kids. They’re not sure if he’s trying to convince them, or himself.

Because yeah, that’s the excuse he goes for, wanting to spend his savings on having them sing to a certain head counselor instead of admitting his blatantly obvious feelings, so if you ask Lee Fletcher and his half-siblings, it’s kind of pathetic.

“What do we look like, a traveling mariachi band, Castellan?” he deadpans, watching the usually confident boy scratch the back of his neck with his face red like someone who’s been sitting out in the sun for too long. 

“I’m not saying to follow her around all day or whatever, just pick a random time to sing a song and catch her off-guard,” he insists, before meeting the judgmental look of one of Lee’s younger siblings.

Lee chuckles, ruffling his sister’s hair before looking at Luke quite seriously, “She’s a good friend. You’re gonna have to pay us more than that. Special song for a special lady after all.”

The son of Hermes knows he’s gonna regret this sooner or later, but proceeds to throw the rest of his meager earnings onto the table. He has other ways of being resourceful anyway, the box of chocolates he nicked from behind the store counter feeling heavy in his jacket pocket.

“Right… she’s just a friend.”

Luke’s hands fidget at his sides as he stands there, feeling a little stupid.

Lee’s little sister scoops up the coins from the table, her raised eyebrows and light aura mirroring that of her older brother. 

“What song were you thinking?” she asks, “Gotta make sure I know it if I’m singing it to your…friend.”

The 18-year-old boy tugs at his dark curls, getting more embarrassed and wanting to retreat with every minute that passes, but he’s never been one to back down from anything–swordfights, monsters, capture the flag, but this—trying to impress you...is a whole different story somehow.

Why are feelings so damn complicated? 

It feels like being at the butt of a joke, or more accurately—at the sharp edge of a sword, and Luke never lets his fights end in a draw.

“You guys got it covered. Just…surprise me too, I guess,” he sighs, walking off without finishing his sentence. He wishes he could pray a little harder to his dad for luck, even if he’s unsure of what exactly he’s wishing for (or if his dad will even listen).

“Castellan’s hopeless. You think he knows it yet?” the girl asks her brother, to which Lee laughs.

“I don’t think she does either, even though everyone else can see right through them. The new bets are on who’s gonna break first. Chiron’s been keeping track, but don’t tell Mr. D.”

If Luke wants a show, they’ll make sure he’ll get his money’s worth—and hopefully, it’ll push you two along faster. Lee bet on you two getting together before the summer after all, and he’ll be damned if he loses to Clarisse.

—

Valentine’s Day might be the day of love, but for you, someone who’s single (not by choice), and heavily busy with making sure people aren’t so…enamored in public (you’ve lost count of the reports you’ve written out due to indecent behavior this morning alone)---this just feels like another Wednesday, except with more hormonal teenagers with uncontrollable urges than usual. 

Oh, the joys of being the daughter of the camp director, also known as everyone’s favorite narc.

Honestly, love can suck it. With this much love in the air, you can feel it suffocating you like a plastic bag over your head. 

That’s an uncontrollable urge. Too much?

Maybe Silena was right, you do need to open yourself up more to romantic opportunities. But if you have to watch another person swap spit and get pawed at like they’re the last dinner roll at the table…. You might commit arson and set this place ablaze.

You just didn’t understand why people had to go all out today of all days. Shouldn’t love be shown year-round? Though you were a person of theatrics and enjoy a good show, it is amazing how much grandiose displays of affection make you cringe. It felt very performative, instead of genuine, and you would know, you’re the best actress at camp. You’ve acted out stories before, knowing all of the greatest romances and tragedies by heart. And you pride yourself on being a decent teacher to the campers, but for some of them, love still translates to a bad rendition of a ballad they heard on the radio.

Nothing gets past you at this point.

But that sucks too sometimes, you know?

Multiple failed flings and a heartbreak or two weigh down on you on days like this one, as you’re stuck being a bystander to outlandish displays put on by the Aphrodite kids being put to work. Love is their domain anyway, and yours…makes you feel a little less undesirable. Each demigod has their own strengths and weaknesses, but perhaps in the name of love, some of them don’t know how to take a hint. Several forgettable prose readings, a Sparknotes version of Eros and Psyche, and too many red roses to count have you reeling from exhaustion and a bit of disgust—-and it’s only lunchtime. 

So yeah, maybe you’re a little jealous; they could call you Nemesis at this point.

The only flowers you got today were from the little kids from along the path to the strawberry orchard, and though it’s sweet—the human side of you misses affection. 

Devotion. 

To be a daughter of Dionysus meant to deal in extremes, obsession or nothing, and there are very few people who can handle that. Always being too much to handle, or uninterested as a defense mechanism. Perhaps that’s what scares admirers away. 

That, or the fact that Luke Castellan is always attached to your hip. To be honest, you’ve always preferred it that way—the both of you working as a pair always gets things done faster around camp and he brightens your mood, whether you admit it or not. 

But you two are just friends. 

Really good friends who look for each other in crowded rooms, hands constantly brushing against the other for comfort, and able to pick up where the other one leaves off. Usually he’s the first person you see in the morning, and the last person you say goodnight to. You know how he likes his coffee and he cuts your apples for you as you two sit together in your unassigned seats in the dining pavilion. You watch each other’s workshops and if one of you is missing, everyone knows to ask the other to get an answer.

Right? That’s totally normal coworker/friend behavior.

If you were ever given immortality, perhaps they’d make you the goddess of denial.

You’re sweeping up confetti from the dining hall floor after an uncoordinated excuse of a flash mob was performed for one of the Demeter kids… and not to sound like a heinous bitch, but maybe next time they should use something biodegradable… or less messy. Sighing deeply, you feel someone’s eyes on you, and when you look up, Luke’s standing there with two full plates of food.

“Take a break, Trouble. No one’s paying you overtime,” he jokes, and you roll your eyes as you put the broom aside.

“No one’s paying me at all…” you groan, before taking the plate out of his hands and knocking your head against his shoulder in thanks. He snickers as his hand brushes the small of your back, tickling your spine as he leads you to sit at a table.

“Just another holiday. You know how it is.”

“It’d be nice to have a night off though. Sometimes I regret taking up the position,” you mumble through spoonfuls of soup. He throws his large hand over your shoulder, kneading some tension from your trapezius. Head jerking along with the movements, you giggle as soup dribbles off your spoon, which makes his lips quirk into a small smile. Being around you felt so thoughtless and easy that if you told him to jump off a bridge he’d do it without question, which should be more concerning—the hold you have on him is irrevocable. Feelings are way too difficult for his teenage brain to comprehend at this stage. It’s easier to wash dishes with lava or fight off a dragon (bad example, he knows, but there’s something about you that already makes him feel like he’s losing before anything’s even happened).

Luke is someone who fights until the end, a soldier who’s always trained and so ready for anything that sometimes it makes you wonder what war he’s preparing for. Infatuation, or the scarier, four-letter word was not something he was ever briefed on.

“No, you don’t. You’re a control freak,” he says with a grin. 

Luke watches you play with the pendant on your necklace, the dragon scale he fashioned into your favorite accessory glinting in your hand. Running your fingers back and forth over the smooth surface, your other hand puts the spoon down and you place your head on his shoulder. He thinks if he had to describe the four-letter word on the tip of his tongue, he’d tell whoever’s asking about the way you kissed his healing cheek after you both left the Garden of Hesperides. More than a year later, Luke is still unable to find the right words even if the weakness has made a home in his heart with your name written all over it.

“I swear if I have to hear another person croak out a lovesong I might just drown myself in the Long Island Sound,” you scoff as his fingers trace circles onto your waist.

There’s a low strum of a guitar that reaches your ears and your forehead meets the cool surface of the table as you shut your eyes and grumble. It’s Lee and his half-siblings, beginning to walk through the hall seconds away from singing until they see Luke shaking his head and dragging his finger across his throat to please, gods, stop. The Apollo kids swivel and 180, walking out of the hall as the music stops dissonantly, rolling their eyes and dragging their feet.

“That was quick,” you say inquisitively as your head pops up from the table to see Luke looking off in the distance.

“Heh… I think they were just practicing or something…”

He then had to run off and pay them more drachmas for the inconvenience. 

Fucking hustlers.

—

The sun sets quickly on Camp Half-Blood since it’s mid-February, and Luke finds you trying to calm your nerves as you look at the mess of glitter and paper mache that covers the arts and crafts hall from floor to ceiling.

“I can’t believe this!” you say in disbelief as you look at Luke, and he takes the can of Redbull out of your shaking hand.  

“There’s just no fucking way everyone decided to use glitter. It’s everywhere! I’m—CONNOR, PUT THE SCISSORS DOWN!”

Luke sighs as he holds his hand out for his younger brother to give up the craft scissors, which he relinquishes with a mischievous grin. 

“Guys, go find trouble somewhere else,” Luke mutters, pushing his head away, and where Connor goes, Travis quickly follows, tossing a canister of glitter back at him and not knowing it was still open.

“Oops.” 

Immediately, the both of you are showered in iridescent particles, floating over your heads and stuck in your hair as the older Stoll brother looks at the two of you wide-eyed.

“You've already got Trouble anyway,” he says teasingly, and this asshole winks at Luke before bolting out the door.

The room is silent now, and you pinch the bridge of your nose, before speaking, “I don’t care if he’s your brother, Luke. I might just fucking kill him.” You'd say more but your eyes are shut as you try not to breathe in glitter, and then the sound of the doorknob rattling catches your attention. Luke is standing there, finally faced with a door he can’t open, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance–but the effect isn’t as menacing as it should be when he’s covered in red and pink sparkles.

“Not if I get to him first, the little bastard.”

“Just open the door,” you say panicked, running over and forcing his hands off the doorknob.

“I can’t if you won’t let me do it!” He grits, elbowing you and trying to unlock the door with both his inherited gift and brute strength.

“What kind of demigod even are you? Lockpicking is supposed to be your thing!”

“Well OBVIOUSLY, but it’s not working, now is it, Trouble?”

Luke finishes off the rest of your energy drink before throwing the can over his shoulder and he swears he can hear you cuss at him under your breath as you berate him about the mess, so he chooses to focus on busting the door down instead of looking at the glitter stuck in your eyelashes and thinking about how the idea of being stuck in a room with you makes him feel weak at the knees.

Through the window, his eyes meet the group of Apollo kids staring at the predicament you two are in (and the barricade of chairs the Stolls put in front of the door). He sighs, and Lee’s little sister flips him off as they start to walk away again, instruments in tow.

“You gonna charge him again?”

A tiny Will Solace looks at his elders for guidance as they walk along the path. As one of the youngest in the bunch, he especially idolizes anything his half-siblings do, going along with whatever they see fit.

“No, but we’re close enough to the archery range that I might just shoot them through their hearts myself. Eros and Aphrodite themselves are pretty much begging us to,” Lee grumbles.

“Why are we doing this again?” Will babbles, and his half-sister grabs his hand to help him walk faster.

“A crazy little thing called love. You’ll understand it better someday, kid.”

—

Thankfully, it all starts winding down after dinner. Luke finds you leaning against a tree flipping through your clipboard during the camp sing-along, so he tugs at your elbow to get your attention.

“Wanna get out of here?”

You look at him, slotting your pen behind your ear as you notice faint glitter particles still dotted along his cheeks. As your lips pull into a small smile, you say, "I still have a few things to do after this, don't you?"

"Cleared your schedule for the night," he mumbles, and whether it's the glow of the bonfire or he's actually blushing, a teasing expression crosses your face as you step closer and cross your arms at him.

"You cleared my schedule for the night. How on earth did you do that?"

Instead of a proper reply, he grabs your hand, tugging you out to the docks near the lake.

"Don't worry about it."

He's not going to tell you that he owes Chris and Annie a few favors before the end of the month to make up for the night shift they ended up taking. Instead, you both sit cross-legged at the edge of the dock, a gentle breeze brushing at your clothes and for the first time today, you're able to just exist.

"I hate Valentine's Day," you suddenly say, looking up at the night sky, and he's watching you closely as the gentle shine of the moon casts a cool glow on your face. Luke cringes at your statement, thinking he's already thrown away his shot.

"Why's that?"

"Tell me something Luke, am I unlikable? Like, is there anything wrong with me?"

He looks at you like you've told him you’re secretly a cyclops.

“The fuck? How many times do I have to tell you that everyone thinks you’re great?"

You don't even give him a chance to finish his sentence before you blurt, "I don’t want to be great, I want to be loved!" Reeling back a little, you lean back on your hands to create some distance.

 “Sorry... that was a lot, and I’m just...wanting to be noticed. It's nice to have people's attention sometimes, you know?”

You’ve got all of mine, he thinks, realizing he never stood a chance at fighting it—this four-letter feeling you give him is the first and only battle he’ll back down from, and you're the only person he’ll wholeheartedly surrender to.

In short, he’s fucked.

"I always notice you." He pulls out a dented box of chocolates from his jacket pocket, opening it up for the both of you to share, and the look of amusement on your face makes him glad that at least one thing somewhat went to plan today, even if the chocolate truffles are a bit smushed. You’re popping one into your mouth and his dark eyes follow the trail of your fingers to your mouth, feeling his heart beat a bit faster.

But then you both hear the soft strum of a guitar from near the trees, and the two of you turn to hear some of the Apollo kids singing beautifully along the coastline.

I'll be seeing you, in all the old, familiar places... That this heart of mine embraces...

You gasp, grabbing Luke’s arm to push yourself up so that the both of you can turn and face a small group of your closest Apollo friends singing to the both of you. Luke’s eyes soften further when he feels you grab his hand and squeeze, leaning against his shoulder as you listen.

“Did you do this?” you mumble, still entranced by the performance.

“Only if it makes you laugh.”

And you do, in the way that he loves—a bit crazy and too loud, and it’s perfect.

I’ll always think of you that way… I’ll find you in the morning sun….

Whether it’s fireflies or Will bouncing light off the water to look like small, glowing candles, Luke can’t tell—he’s too busy watching your lips pull into a smile so confectionery his sweet tooth starts to ache. The little kid was never good at archery like his other half-siblings, but as your eyes shimmer under the ambient lights, you think his added romantic gesture shot you straight through the heart.

“You know, sometimes I really do hate you, Luke Castellan,” you whisper, and it couldn’t be more far from the truth.

“No, you don’t.”

His eyes flicker to you again, but you’re already looking back at him.

“I don’t.”

And when the night is new, I’ll be looking at the moon… but I’ll be seeing you…

It’s quiet now, and you’re unsure of where the Apollonian ensemble disappeared to but instead of worrying about if they’ll make it back before curfew, you stand there in front of Luke with your guard down.

Getting a little closer than he expected, your noses brush before you pull the slightly crushed wildflowers from your jean pocket, the only physical reminder you’ve kept from today, and tuck them into his jacket pocket, sitting right above his heart. 

“Thank you.”

Luke doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath until he feels your lips gently kiss the marred skin on his right cheek, the blemish having an uncanny resemblance to a stroke of lightning; it serves as a reminder of his weakness. The lines blur as his eyes close to savor it and he doesn’t know if weakness is your kisses or his scar—but he is vulnerable to it all the same, realizing there’s a crack in the otherwise perfect persona that he’s worked so hard on.

When his eyes open again, his Achilles’ heel has taken human form.

—

“This has got to be cheating,” Clarisse grumbles as she watches from the distance, hidden behind the trees.

“It’s not cheating if I’m winning. Silena’s gonna get a kick out of this,” Lee chuckles, ushering everyone back towards the cabins. It’s a bit harder to do this in the dark as they try to be quiet and not interrupt whatever will happen next between their favorite counselors.

“Well lucky for you, your gifts are cute and romantic, what am I supposed to do? They fight enough!”

“That’s what got them into this mess in the first place. Come on, curfew’s in 10. We’ll find out which of us wins the bet soon enough,” Chris mutters, pushing them along back onto the main path.

“Easy for you to say, Rodriguez, you live with Luke!”

“Would I ever lie to you, La Rue?” he says with a mischievous grin, and the Apollo kids giggle at the irony.

—

“My body ages,

my anger burns into a seam.

I am so annoyed by love

and still it comes.”

-Kate Baer

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[dhampling]

I've had this idea in my head ever since I first played as a Dragonborn or Tiefling in BG3, and I have no idea why it isn't discussed more. But what if a Tiefling! (Or Dragonborn, whichever you prefer) Tav shows affection by coiling their tail around their s/o? Like they're close by and are just overwhlemed with love and adoration, and their tail just kinda wraps around their lovers leg? Or wrist or anywhere they can reach! Like Tav is hugging Astarion and then without really realizing it, their tail coils around him as well? Idk, I just think the concept is super sweet/cute. I would love to see this as a small story, or even just head cannons if you want to explore the idea as well. No pressure, obviously, ignore it if you wish to ❤️ hope you're doing well!

a tail of... insert pun here! tavs with TAILS. tails with tav. tav tails with dal.

hello sweetling! can i start by saying that i loved this - genuinely, absolutely loved this. i started by writing HCs and got a bit carried away, so i hope you enjoy the little bit of both here! thank you for giving me something different - this is absolutely not something i'd have thought of and i had SO MUCH FUN. a/n: species isn't mentioned, and I've tried to keep it as generic as possible so it could be applicable for tiefs or dragonborn tavs!

headcanons;

As far back as you can recall you’ve been particularly expressive

It’s not something that you’ve ever seen as an issue, beyond the occasional mishap you can laugh over with any tail-whipped parties later

Frantic little licks of excitement when playing with your peers as a youngling come to mind as an immediate example

Running amok and jumping with the widest of smiles as your tail oscillates behind you

Your family chiding you playfully whilst rubbing their stinging ankles after a particularly jovial day in your presence

Your parents holding you whilst you were still small enough to be held

Your tail bony and light, and yet tightly winding around their forearms as you rested on their torso like a twisting vine

A sign of comfort, safety

A sign that hasn’t lost any significance as you’ve aged

Many a time you’ve run into an old friend and accidentally lashed them in sheer glee, loosely wrapping your tail to whichever limb you can to keep them close as you agree to wander the local bustling market together

And so when you begin to bond with your fellow escapists as you search for a cure for your unfortunate parasite problem, it’s inevitable

It doesn’t even cross your mind

Not until the day where everything just went right 

For the first time since your abduction you’ve emerged your battles all victorious, casualties kept to a minimum, and with enough variety in supplies to have a proper meal 

Spirits are high, wine is flowing; and your party has a real energy of optimism

Your tail flitters back and forth like a moth to a flame as your take to your feet and search for the one who has captured your attention

fool's errand;

It takes Astarion a little aback when the wine steers you towards him.

A few weeks in each others’ presence, sure. A night or two; possibly three, maybe even four at this point, of mutual enjoyment under the stars. Frequent back and forth exchanges while on the road, bantering like old friends. You give him your neck, he offers you moral support.

But on a night where the joy is positively spilling from every cup in camp, you step to him?

He’s unsure whether to be flattered or cautious.

If you’re to end your arrangement, surely tonight - where the conversation is so effusive, so effortless across your party - would be the optimal time to do so. Laugh it away as a lapse in judgement between ‘old friends’, as you often joke, and drift from him to a more viable prospect as the coming days pass. Leave him as the least amicable in camp once more. He’d understand.

Not that he’d like it.

But he’d understand.

Or, he’d try to. He might be a little upset if Lae’zel wins Lady Congeniality over him, but it’s not the end of the world.

He’d have to hope the group still would still want to keep him around of course. Be a little nicer to Gale. Offer to help Karlach carry your packs between camps. 

What is he offering you if not his nimble fingers? Maybe he went too hard on gunning for you. Or not hard enough, perhaps?

You quirk a brow as you snap your fingers in his face, wine sloshing gently in your other hand.

Clearly his face is now showing his displeasure.

“You ok? Hello?”

“Oh! Yes, my sweet. Lost in thought.” 

He waggles his fingers and lifts his goblet to toast alongside yours. To new friends.

“I must say - you being lost in thought is entirely unusual. Still wondering about the left handed tongs Gale sent you searching for earlier?” You laugh warmly. He scowls.

“I don’t eat! I haven’t eaten for two hundred years. What use would I have for tongs in a dungeon, darling?’

He sips.

‘A fool’s errand in very poor taste, if you ask me.”

You still. He pauses.

He’s feeling sour, and he’s ruined it for you. Sapped the joy from your evening. Gods.

He wracks his brain for ways he can come back into favour. 

Suggest other things he’d like to taste in order to clear his palate. He hasn’t eaten in two hundred years, and he’s absolutely famished. Whet your appetite a little. Win you back round.

“I can hear your brain whirring, you know.” You whisper, leaning close.

He freezes. Can you see it? Through the tadpole? His horrid scheming?

And you do the most unexpected thing.

Your arms come around his torso to envelop him in a tight hug.

You aren’t fervently clutching at his waist, running fevered hands over his abdomen or pulling yourself close just to feel his body against yours.

It’s soft. Clandestine almost. He doesn’t know how to react. 

“I do so adore you, you know? You make this sordid little adventure a little more enjoyable each day.’ 

You hum. Your head falls to his chest, your tail wrapping around his leg steadily.

‘You can talk to me about these things if you want to. If you figure out what you want to say. I’m here.”

He wouldn’t have anticipated a single one of your actions in the face of his sullen behaviour this evening.

Yet the one that touches him most is the tail now secure around his leg. 

A reminder of every tired day you flit joyously against him as you trek together, the curiosity and jubilee when he powers through a wholly trapped room with nothing but a single tool and a flourish - for good measure, of course.

Your little happy whips as you stumble on dire-needed pouches of gold alongside him. His lockpicking skill that you find oh-so enthralling, providing for the party in making use of his talent.

And every once in a while when you’re aside him, the way this happens.

A moment that reminds him of the beauty within bodies past their use for sexuality. How genuinely happy those little mindless touches make him. How his undead heart could maybe be cajoled into beating again over this one.

He coughs. Smiles. Brings his arms around you, though delayed.

Head resting atop yours. 

“You’re full of surprises aren’t you, treasure?”

Your tail flits against his leg in a happy shiver.

“Naturally, darling.”

You imitate him in a way that makes you both laugh like fools. Toast once again.

"To us."

[alwaysonthemend]

Author’s Note: Hello my friends. I’ve been having the worst writer's block of my life and I am so so sorry that it’s been so long. This fic has been in my drafts for forever so I decided to finish it up since my brain is all out of new ideas. That being said, I’ve always planned on this being a two-part story so I thought I would leave you all with part 1 for now while I try to get my shit together lol. As always, I hope you enjoy. And if you see any typos… no you didn’t. Also don’t worry I promise that part 2 will have hella smut ;)

Content Warnings: Angst / talk of sex (non graphic - happened in the past) / sadness / feelings of not being good enough / low self esteem / unrequited love (for now) / miscommunication

Word Count: 8k

My Taglist: Here

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･

Maybe it's just the excitement of the last show. Maybe it’s nerves or just the tension and energy oozing from everyone as they all prepared for showtime. Maybe it's the fear. Maybe it's the joy of celebration, or maybe it’s the dread of things going wrong. And maybe, if you’re really honest with yourself, it’s the goodbye that stands menacingly on the horizon – like a sentry waiting to capture your heart in his iron first. Maybe it’s none of those things, or maybe it’s a combination of all of them. But it’s worse tonight – that need that you have for him. The one that seems like it’s become a constant storm cloud that hovers oppressively over your heart, no matter how hard you try to push it down. It’s still there – lingering and festering like a wound. You push the feeling away for what feels like the thousandth time. Tonight isn’t the night. 

Show nights are hectic, especially a night as important as this one; Dreams in Gold is drawing towards its inevitable ending, and everyone wants these last few shows to finish on a high note – preferably with as few hiccups as possible. There’s only a handful more after tonight – with just a small break for the boys in between, before the last leg kicks off. And your job is simple: make sure the boys look good while doing what they do best. 

Josh’s makeup is usually first, as he prefers to be ready to go a lot earlier than the rest of the band. A fact which, as he’s stated numerous times, is due in part to his nerves and anxiety before he takes the stage. His jumpsuits may be his armor, but his makeup is his war paint – equally as important (if not moreso) than his beautiful outfits. He’s jittery as he sits in his chair, leg bouncing and fingers drumming endlessly on his knee. 

“Josh,” you mutter as you swipe some gold glitter across his eyelids, “you’ve got to stop moving.”

“Sorry.” He mumbles, voice soft as he tries to rest it for the night. “Just nervous.”

“I know.” You tell him, giving his knee an affectionate squeeze. “But you all are going to do great. You always do.” You pull out a tube of mascara and delicately swipe it through his lashes to complete his look. “What is it you always say? ‘Fuck fear’?” 

Josh gives you an airy chuckle and a lopsided grin. 

“Something like that.” 

“Well, try and follow some of your own advice, Oh Wise One.” 

He just rolls his eyes playful at you, but the tension eases from his shoulders a tiny bit. Small victories. 

There’s comfortable silence for a while as you methodically glue a few rhinestones to his cheek bones. 

“And when are you going to follow my advice?”

You quirk your brow at him quizzically, eyes staying focused on his rhinestones as you attempt to make them as symmetrical as possible. 

“When are you going to say ‘fuck fear’?” He straightens his posture slightly as you pull away from him, brows pinching together. “The phrase seems…” he waves his hand vaguely towards you. “...particularly apt for your current situation.”

You turn your back to him to place the rhinestone case on the counter. You know exactly what he’s getting at but you’re in no mood to discuss such matters with him. He caught onto you a long time ago – his remarkable ability to pick up on subtle nuances and feelings from everyone around him becoming the bane of your existence for the past few months. 

“Sooner or later, you’ll have to admit the truth to him. Once you admit it to yourself, of course.” 

“I’m not admitting anything to anyone, Joshua.” You still haven’t turned back to look at him, instead busying yourself with pulling out the items you need for Sam next. “I wish you would just let this go. It’s just a stupid. It’ll go away.” 

You both know that you’re lying. 

“I highly doubt that, love.” Josh says sweetly, rising from his chair to come and stand next to you. He places his hand on your shoulder and the coldness of his fingers seeps into your skin at the contact – yet the warmth of the gesture isn’t lost on you. 

“I know you.” He pauses, grinning a bit. “And trust me when I say I know him… given the whole twin thing, and all that. This isn’t just a passing feeling.”

“Maybe for me it isn’t.” You say, a slight bit of resentment bleeding out in your tone as you pull open a makeup drawer with more force than necessary. “But he’s just so…” You trail off, looking for the right word. 

“Aloof?” Josh supplies knowingly, hand dropping from your shoulder to rest at his side. 

You nod once at him, eyes dropping to stare at the bottles of foundation that line the counter in front of you. 

“That’s his own fear getting in the way. You know how he is: him and emotions don’t get along too well. They haven’t since we were kids. He prefers to lock them all up and throw away the key instead of allowing himself to be vulnerable.” 

“He doesn’t owe me anything – especially not vulnerability. We got drunk and fucked each other in a bar bathroom… hardly romantic or vulnerable to begin with.” You bite your lip, the unwanted and all-encompassing hurt from that night rearing its ugly head yet again. “And we both agreed that it was a mistake, and then we moved on. There isn’t anything else to it.” 

“Sunflower,” Josh says, the nickname falling from his lips in almost a whisper, “you and I – and him for that matter, know that neither of you have moved on.”  

You don’t say anything. You don’t know what there is to say. You want to believe him, you really do. You want to allow that shriveled up little seedling of hope in your chest to bloom. But you know better. You learned better. 

“You don’t believe me.” It’s not a question. He knows you don’t. 

“I wish I could. But he won’t give me anything to go on. One minute he’s there next to me and he’s flirting and being so sweet… and the next it’s like he’s a million miles away – barely even looking at me.” You sigh, and the weight of it all seems to press down on your shoulders as you slump forward, allowing yourself a moment of weakness with the kind man who stands in front of you. “I just wish he would talk to me. Why won’t he just talk to me?” 

You hate the tears that burn behind your eyes and you hate the ache that opens up like a chasm in your chest. You wish you could hate him, too. Lord knows you’ve tried. 

“Jake isn’t the best at words. But he’ll try. For you, I know he will.” He offers you a kind smile that soothes your aching heart a little bit. “Go to him. I promise he’ll talk if you’d just give him the opportunity to. He’s too afraid to approach you first.” 

You glance at your watch. 

“It’s getting close. I still need to do Sammy and Danny.”

Josh hears the unspoken dismissal and he inclines his head to you. 

“Of course. I’ll leave you alone now. You know I’m only pestering you because I love you and want you to be happy.” 

“I love you too, Josh.” You giggle. “Why couldn’t I have just fallen for you instead of your brother? You’re so much easier to talk to.” You lament, giving him a self-deprecating smile. 

Josh’s eyes glitter with amusement and he grins at you, the apples of his cheeks growing pink with laughter. 

“Oh I wish, sweet Sunflower.” He bows his head, allowing the curls on his forehead to fall slightly. “But alas, my heart belongs to another, anyway. A losing battle it would have been.” He pitches his tone upwards, summoning his most theatrical voice. “My heart burns with undying love for someone else.” He says, raising his arms with an obnoxiously over-the-top flourish.“My soul has been intertwined with another. The call of the universe summoned us tog-”

“Okay, yeah I’m sure.” You interrupt him, shaking your head in laughter at his dramatics. “Give your undying love a kiss for me, would you? In case I leave before you all?” 

“Trying to steal him from me?” Josh asks, placing a hand dramatically over his heart, eyes widening in mock surprise for a moment before smiling at you warmly.“Of course I will. But you better not leave before saying goodbye. And that’s an order.”

You give him a salute. 

“Yes sir, your majesty.” 

And with that, he’s gone – curly head disappearing out the corridor and leaving you with a head swimming with too many thoughts to process. 

Your relationship with Jake has been special from the start. From the first moment that you’d met him, you’d been drawn to him – like a moth to a flame. He made you feel alive and excited and terrified all at once. Trading flirtations with him became second nature – you poking fun at his pension for dressing in all black (pointedly referring to him as emo despite how much he denies it), and he always made sure to laugh whenever your naturally clumsy nature caused you to trip or drop something. But there’s never any malice in your little exchanges – your words instead dripping with thinly veiled joy (and perhaps a bit of nerves) as the two of you interact with each other.  

Even your nickname comes from Jake. That first day that you had met him, you’d been wearing a dress with sunflowers on it. He’d complemented it – telling you the flowers brought out the color of your eyes. And so maybe you’d worn a pair of sunflower earrings the next time you saw him (though you’d never admit to him that you did it on purpose), and Jake had been quick to point them out before jokingly referring to you as Sunflower. And the name had stuck – a fact which you were infinitely glad of. 

Your flirting with Jake continued to escalate as the two of you got to know each other better and it didn’t take long for your crush on him to develop into something more. Jake had carved a space for himself within your heart and no one else could fill it like he could. And before long, those flirty conversations between the two of you snowballed into a drunken, passionate-filled night in a bar bathroom – fueled on by lowered inhibitions and post-show adrenaline. It was fast and hard, but you’d enjoyed yourself thoroughly and hope had unfurled itself in your chest like a flower in the sun. Though it quickly withered and died once the afterglow had died off and Jake had told you plainly that it was an alcohol-fueled mistake. 

He’d said sorry, and he looked like he really was. And you’d assured him that there were no hard feelings and that yes, it had in fact been a mistake. Though it was a mistake for different reasons than what he had thought. For him – at least you assumed, the mistake lies in that he allowed himself to become carried away, drunk and tense from a show. For you, though, the mistake is that you fell for him… and in the fact that you now knew what it was like to have him – only for him to be promptly ripped away from you again. Which only made his absence all the worse. 

And although you’d both promised to act like it never happened, things changed. He grew distant. Never cold, but the familiarity and ease that had once existed between the two of you had been shattered beyond repair. No more flirty conversations or silly exchanges between the two of you. Instead, awkwardness has taken up residence. Every now and then, that old joviality would slip back into your interactions with him but he quickly catches himself and reels it back in. It’s confusing and hurtful, and you often lose sleep over his constant swinging back and forth. Regret lays heavy in your mind when you think back to that night at the bar, wishing that you’d put a stop to things before it got so far. 

You’re snapped from your melodramatic thoughts by Sam boisterously crashing into the room, a goofy smile plastered over his face. 

“I’m ready to be bedazzled!” He exclaimed, planting his lanky form into the chair and you couldn’t help the smile that overtook you, and the sadness of the moment prior is shoved from your mind as you fall into easy conversation with him. 

Danny follows soon after Sam, and in the bustle of getting everything ready, you almost forget about everything. Though the thoughts still remain, brewing in the back of your mind like a thunderstorm just waiting to be unleashed.  

The show is spectacular, as is to be expected from your boys. As nervous as they might be beforehand, they never fail to deliver a jaw-dropping performance. You’d watched from the sides, soaking up the energy of the last show and doing your best to not think about the months that you were about to spend without getting to see them at all. Though you all live in Nashville, there’s no reason for you to see any of them outside of work. And even though they’re technically your bosses, they have all quickly wormed their way into your heart, earning themselves the title of ‘friend’ above all else. 

The night is turning out to be magical and you’re struck with a sudden surge of courage as you stand there watching them perform– or more specifically, watching him perform. 

He’s truly in his element up there on stage, shredding on his guitar like there’s no tomorrow. You always enjoy getting to see this side of Jake, given how reserved he tends to be in his normal day-to-day life. In the time that you’ve known him, you’ve discovered that Jake is stoic and reserved around those he doesn’t know – content to sit in the corner and watch; but when he’s around people that he knows and trusts, his humor and kindness shine brighter than anyone else’s you’d ever met. You’d seen before how the fans often referred to Josh and Jake as the sun and moon, affectionately pointing out their subtle differences in personality despite being twins. But you had learned that Jake is by no means any less affectionate and joyful as Josh is, he’s just content to be a little quieter about it – making those times that he is loud all the more special. 

Once the show was over, the boys and some of the other crew were planning on going out to celebrate – apparently having booked a private room at a restaurant downtown in which everyone could make a little merry before officially saying goodbye. You hadn’t wanted to go, but Josh and Danny had given you their best puppy dog eyes, and you’d begrudgingly agreed to accompany them. 

Which is how you find yourself sitting at a table in the corner, brooding over your earlier conversation with Josh. With the tour being on break for now, you won’t be seeing any of them until it starts up again. And although you’re confident that Josh, Sam, and Danny will probably stay in contact with you here and there, (and maybe ask to get lunch every now and again) you know for a fact that the same can’t be said for Jake. If the past few months were anything to go by, you know that it’s going to be radio silence as soon as tonight is over. You watch him out of the corner of your eye as he goes around the room, making conversation with seemingly everyone but you. It hurts, and maybe it’s the liquor that’s coursing through your veins or the months of hurt finally spilling over, but you decide that enough is enough. You’re tired of living on what ifs and maybes. You hear Josh’s voice in your head, clear as a bell: Fuck fear. 

With that thought in mind, you down the rest of your drink and stand up, determined to finally speak with Jake about what’s going on between the two of you. He’s across the room, talking with Danny’s drum kit tech. Jake looks effortlessly gorgeous, just as he always does.  

As you begin your trek across the room the nerves and adrenaline kick in. You wipe your sweaty palms on your pants and roll your shoulders back. 

He’s right there. All you have to do is ask him if you can speak with him for a moment. You know he’ll agree to – despite everything, Jake is still one of the kindest people you’ve ever met. He’d never intentionally upset you… or anyone for that matter. 

Josh had told you that Jake feels the same. Josh knows Jake better than anyone… and you trust Josh. And you trust Jake not to intentionally hurt you. He’s just afraid – just like you are. 

His back is to you. Easiest thing in the world to just… touch his arm to get his attention. 

Just as you reach your hand out to touch his shoulder, a girl who you’ve never seen before slides up next to him, comfortably easing her arm around his waist. Jake throws his arm over her shoulders and draws her in close and you watch in detached horror as he turns his head to face her and presses a kiss to her cheek. 

You draw back as if burned, spinning on your heel with the plan of getting the fuck out of here as fast as you can, hurt and embarrassment washing over you in waves – mingling with each other and making the perfect concoction for a panic attack. 

Frantically, your eyes scan the crowd in search of Josh: your one comfort throughout all of this, but you don’t see him. God, where the fuck is he? Of all the times-

“Sunflower?”

It’s Jake’s voice, and you turn to see him, Danny’s tech, and the girl looking at you in concern. 

“Are you alright?” Jake asks, dropping his arm from around the girl to turn around more fully. 

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Your voice comes out breathless and a little frantic, doing a poor job of hiding your impending meltdown. 

“Are you sure? You look a little-” Jake starts.

“I was actually just about to leave. Sorry.” You interrupt him, unwilling to spend a moment longer watching someone else have what you want so badly.  

“Already?” Danny’s tech asks, and if you were in a better state of mind you’d probably feel guilty for not being able to remember his name. Instead, your mind is focused on the mounting panic rising in your chest, threatening to overtake you as you desperately try to keep your cool. 

“I’m a little tired.” You supply vaguely, eyes scanning the crowd again in search of Josh. Still no sign of him. 

“Well, I was hoping to introduce you to Lindsey.” Jake says, causing your eyes to cut back to him. He’s smiling, but you can’t decipher the odd look in his eyes. 

“Hi.” She says, giving you a kind smile. “It’s really nice to meet you.” 

She extends her hand for you to shake and your eyes briefly snap to Jake’s. He looks on edge, like he’s waiting for something. Your approval? You’re not sure. 

You shake the girl’s hand. 

“Hi. I’m Y/n.” 

Lindsey smiles. She’s pretty. Very pretty. She’s not wearing a lot of makeup, just a little bit of mascara and some blush. Her clothes aren’t overly flashy and her eyes seem soft and kind. She’s exactly the type of girl you can imagine Jake going for and the thought makes you want to throw up. But instead, like the adult you are, you plaster a smile on your face to match hers. 

“Jake’s told me a little bit about you. He says you’re a great makeup artist.” You know she’s saying that to be nice and to find some ground where you’re comfortable – obviously sensing that you’re on edge and trying to help in any way she can. But you just can’t do this. Not tonight. Not now. 

“I’m alright, I guess.” You shrug, and you can feel how forced your smile is but you persist. “It’s really nice to meet you but I really need to get going. Jake?” You turn to him, doing your best to ignore the tears that are beginning to brim in your eyes. “Have you seen Josh? I told him I wouldn’t leave without telling him and his partner goodbye.” 

He shakes his head no, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that can only be described as defensive and uncomfortable. 

“Sorry, I haven’t. I’ll keep an eye out for him, though.” 

“That’s alright. I’ll just shoot him a text later. Congrats on a successful night,” you say, nodding to the tech, Danny, and then to Jake before turning to Lindsey, “and it was really nice to meet you. I’m sorry I’ve gotta run.”

“That’s okay. I hope you have a good night.” She offers, eyes still watching you in concern. Somehow, her kindness makes this whole thing worse. 

You turn away from the group and, as if in a dream, you make your way to the exit of the bar. 

With no Josh in sight, you pull your phone from your pocket and call an Uber to take you back to the hotel where you’ll pack up your bags for the last time. This time tomorrow, you’ll be in your own bed away from all the madness. You wish the thought gave you more comfort. 

//////

Three weeks pass agonizingly slowly. After being on tour for so long, the sudden change in tempo to your normally fast paced life leaves you floating through your days as if in a dream. Where once it seemed as though you barely had time to even sit down and think, now you have too much time to do exactly that. There’s only so many good shows that you missed and there’s only so many useless outings to be had before you find yourself going stir crazy. Distraction-less, your thoughts swirl hopelessly around Jake and your bitter, self-hating disappointment. 

You think fondly about the first time you met. You think of your flirting and of the soft moments the two of you shared before it all went to hell. You even think of that damn bar bathroom; you think of the passion and the hope that had bloomed in you that night, and of the crushing disappointment and hurt that soon followed. And inevitably, your thoughts always seem to circle back to that last night, when you finally mustered up the courage to say something, only for the universe to seemingly throw it back in your face with a laugh and a middle finger. And the very worst part of it all had been Lindsey’s obvious kindness and concern towards you, despite having only just met. You hate that you can understand why he chose her. 

Those thoughts feel particularly loud tonight as you stare down at an invitation to a group dinner from Josh. He, along with Sam and Danny, had texted you here and there – little things about what was going on in their lives since you last had seen them. But this was the first time that you had been asked to go out with them. 

You’re torn. Torn between the desire to see all of your friends again and wanting to avoid having to see Jake (and even worse, Lindsey) if you didn’t absolutely have to. But, deciding to put your big girl pants on, you accepted, texting Josh a simple Sure :)  

He responded almost immediately, eagerly letting you know how excited he was to see you. 

And here you find yourself, nervously adjusting your top for the millionth time that night as you drive to the bar that Josh had told you about. Despite everything, you couldn’t help but to think about Jake as you had gotten dressed. You feel silly for still allowing yourself to be so hung up on him. You shake your head at yourself, almost in the hopes that the thoughts will slip from your mind at the action. Despite everything, you’re determined to have a good time tonight. 

You’ve never been to this bar before, nestled away just a few blocks from Broadway on the East side of Nashville. It’s a nice place, but not so fancy that it comes across as too uptight or uncomfortable. Walking through the doors, you see that there’s a bar off to the right, with a few larger tables scattered across the floor to your left, and some pool tables and a dart board tucked away in the back. It seems laid back and comfortable – just the kind of place the boys like to frequent. Sam and Danny are already at a table, excitedly beckoning you over. 

“Sunflower!” Danny calls, standing from his seat and opening his arms wide. 

You jog over to him, grinning from ear to ear as you allow him to engulf you in a hug. 

“I missed you.” He tells you sweetly, squeezing you a little tighter. 

“I missed you too, Dan. Especially your hugs.” 

“Quit hogging her!” Sam interrupts, gripping your wrists in his long fingers and pulling you from Danny and into himself. 

Giggling, you hug him too. 

“And I missed you.” You pull away from him, casting your eyes between the two of them. “I missed all of you guys. Speaking of… where’s tweedle dee and tweedle dum?” 

The three of you sit, Danny pulling your chair out for you like the gentleman that he is. 

“Josh is running late, as usual.” Sam supplies with an eye roll, “And I think Jake and Lindsey should be here soon. He said they were on their way a while ago.” 

It feels like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water on you but you keep your expression smooth. Of course he would be bringing Lindsey tonight… Why wouldn’t he?

Unfortunately for you, they do arrive soon, and seeing Jake again feels like a punch in the gut. He’s wearing a pair of dark jeans coupled with a white button up, and his signature necklace glitters against his chest. He looks stunning, and Lindsey’s beauty only stands out more in the beautiful sundress that she has on.

“There you two are!” Sammy says loudly, and Jake inclines his head. 

“Ladies,” he nods at you and Sam, “and Danny, good to see you.” 

Sam scowls as Jake and Danny share a laugh. 

“Y/n! It’s good to see you again.” Lindsey says with a smile, taking a seat in the chair directly to your right. You push back the annoyance, reminding yourself that it’s not her fault that Jake doesn’t feel the same towards you. 

The table descends into easy conversation, though you find yourself having a difficult time keeping up. You smile and nod at what you hope is the correct times, but your thoughts are a thousand miles away. All you can think about is that night in that damn bar bathroom, and how good it had felt in the moment. You think about that night more often than you’d ever care to admit, but the memory is soured anyway by what followed. You can still see Jake’s face, passive and expressionless, as he shattered your heart in two. 

And of course, you think of the last show, when you’d allowed Josh to convince you that Jake felt the same. God, you’ll never forget seeing him lean over to kiss Lindsey’s cheek, her arm wrapped around his waist just like yours had been that night at the bar. You wish, suddenly, that you’d ordered alcohol instead of water. 

“Right, Sunflower?” 

The question snaps you from your racing thoughts and you look up to see everyone at the table looking at you. Your cheeks flush as you wrack your brains to try and recall what they’d been talking about but you come up empty. You open your mouth to spew some bullshit excuse when you hear the door to the restaurant bust open obnoxiously. 

“The party has arrived!” Josh bellows, drawing the attention of just about everyone in the building, and – thankfully, the attention of everyone at your table. You slink down further in your seat, suddenly feeling like you’ve run a marathon. 

Josh and his partner take a seat to your left, and their presence instantly soothes you in a way you can hardly explain. 

“What the hell are you two always doing that makes you so late to everything?” Sam asks him, taking a sip of his drink and quirking his brow. 

“You don’t want to know, brother mine.” Josh says with a lewd grin, causing the entire table to erupt in groans of disgust. You laugh softly and Josh’s partner gives you a wink. 

Conversations pick up again amongst everyone, though you mostly only speak to Josh’s partner, the two of you scooting backwards in your chairs to speak around Josh – who’s leaning forward as he tells an animated story about something or other, hands flapping about wildly. 

“Does he ever run out of things to say?” You stage whisper at his partner, who guffaws loudly and assures you that no, Josh does not, in fact, ever run out of things to say. 

“You should see him when we go to the store!” He tells you, eyes twinkling with affection, “He talks to just about everyone in the fucking Publix. I have to drag him out – for my sake and for theirs.” 

“What does he even talk to them about?” You ask through a laugh. 

“I don’t know. He talks a lot but says very little, most of the time.” 

At that, Josh leans back into his chair and turns his head back and forth between the two of you, eyes narrowed and a mocking frown on his face. 

“Are you two talking about me?” 

“Never!” You tell him seriously, giving your best poker face. 

“Absolutely not. I love you just the way you are, babe.” His partner assures him, and you know that he’s not kidding in the slightest. They’re annoyingly perfect for each other. 

Josh looks on in suspicion as you and his partner lock eyes, both fighting to hold back your laughter and Josh raises an eyebrow at the two of you. You just shrug your shoulders and smile, while his partner smiles into his drink – the both of you completely unable to meet Josh’s eyes for fear of breaking out into giggles. 

“Sure. Whatever, Very convincing.” Josh mutters, shaking his head and fighting a smile of his own. “Anyways, tell us what you’ve been up to, Sunflower.” 

You feel warmth overtake your cheeks as everyone’s eyes turn to you and you wish the floor would open up and swallow you whole as Jake’s gaze finally lands on you as well. For the life of you, you can’t get a read on him – a fact that hurts you beyond measure. 

“Oh, not much, to be completely honest.” You tell them, shrugging your shoulders. “Not much to do around here when I’m not dealing with you guys’ craziness.” 

“Nothing?” Danny asks in disbelief, “No family or friends you’ve been hanging out with?”

“You guys are the only friends I have here in Nash.” You glance down at your lap. “Just been me, myself, and I.” 

Josh, in typical Josh fashion, changes the subject upon noticing your discomfort – and you promptly excuse yourself to the ladies’ room. Rising from your seat, you scamper quickly away from the table. 

You splash cold water on your face and smooth down a few fly-away hairs. Gazing in the mirror, you smile at yourself. Even you can see that it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. 

You jump as the door to the bathroom opens, eyes widening as you see Lindsey entering. You fight back a frown. She’s the last person you want to see. 

“Hey.” She says simply, coming to stand beside you in front of the mirror, 

“Hi.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” You tell her, and wince at the harshness of your tone. “Thank you for asking though.” You add, softer this time. 

“You and I both know that’s not true.” She says kindly, giving you a soft smile in the mirror. “I know we don’t really know each other, but… I’m here, if there’s something you want to talk about. I’m good at listening.” 

You sigh, heart warming just a little at her obvious kindness and sincerity. You don’t know whether it’s better or worse that she’s a good person – it would be easier to dislike her if she wasn’t. But it’s also easier to accept Jake choosing her over you knowing that she’s a genuine person. Deciding to go out on a limb, you choose your next words carefully – keeping them truthful, but vague. 

“Just guy trouble. It’s stupid, really. I don’t know why I’m letting it affect me like this.”

“A breakup?” 

“Not necessarily…” You scratch the back of your neck, nerves beginning to show themselves again. “We, um- we slept together. Once. And I really liked him. But he said it was a mistake and we haven’t really spoken since.”

“Did you,” she speaks slowly – delicately, even. “Did you know him well? Before?”

“Yeah. He was always so sweet. Flirty, but not obnoxiously so. I really thought something was there. Something… real.”

“Mmm.” She hummed, looking in the mirror to smooth her own hair down. “And you haven’t spoken to him since?”

“Not in a way that matters. Not about what happened.”

“Maybe you should try.” She says, tilting her head at you. “You never know unless you try.”

You duck your head, fighting the tears that begin to burn behind your eyes. 

“He’s with someone else now. And they seem to be happy. I don’t want to cause trouble where it’s not necessary. I just need to…” you trail off for a moment, staring at your reflection hopelessly. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” 

“You love him, then?”

Her question makes you freeze for a moment. Do you love him? You hadn’t really wanted to put a direct name to how you feel about Jake. But standing here, crying over him to the girl he chose over you, you figure you’ve hit rock bottom already anyway. 

“Yeah, I do.” Your admission comes out quiet – broken in such a way that you almost don’t even recognize it. 

“I’m sorry.” She says, her gaze dropping down onto the counter, staring at the little puddles of water. “I wish I could say something to help, but I know there’s nothing to say. It just fucking sucks, feeling like that.” 

You nod, sniffling a little and wiping your eyes with the back of your hand.

“And you know what the worst part of it all is?” 

She just shakes her head, allowing you to continue. 

“The girl he’s with now… I get it. I totally get why he chose her.” You let out a watery laugh and you see Lindsey’s eyes fill with her own tears as she watches you fall apart. “I would have chosen her, too.” 

You blink and suddenly you’re being hugged. You’re stunned for just a moment before you hesitantly wrap your arms around her loosely. 

“I’m sorry, Y/n.” She says, pulling away from you and placing her hands on your shoulders, willing you to meet her gaze. “You’ll find the one. I know you will.” 

“Thank you.” You sniffle again and laugh quietly, “God, this is so embarrassing.” 

“Don’t be embarrassed.” She says kindly, dropping her hands and smiling. “Sometimes you just need another girl to listen. I love the guys – and they’re more sensitive and understanding than most, but they don’t get stuff like this like we do.” 

You nod at her, taking a deep breath to gather yourself. 

“Ready to go back out?” 

“Yeah.” You say, and you follow behind her as the two of you make your way back out to the table. 

The rest of the night passes by in a blur. After your return from the bathroom, you don’t allow your thoughts to prevent you from enjoying time with your friends. They really are all you have and you’ve missed them terribly. You catch eyes with Lindsey every now and again, and she always gives you an encouraging smile as she watches you engage, and little sparks of affection and thankfulness for her warm your chest. It really isn’t her fault. 

After you’ve all eaten, and the alcohol begins to take more affect, Sam suddenly rises from his seat and slams his palms against the table (effectively causing all the plates to rattle obnoxiously)

“Daniel!” He says, pointing a finger at poor Danny who looks back at him with wide eyes. “I challenge you to a game of pool right this instant. I’m tired of sitting.”

Danny rolls his eyes playfully and stands, rubbing his palms on his jeans. 

“Don’t start something you know you can’t win.” Danny tells him with a grin. 

“40 bucks says I beat you.” 

The rest of you watch on in amusement as the two bicker all the way over to the pool tables. 

“Jake?” Josh asks, turning to his twin, “Wanna play?” 

“Fuck ya.” Jake responds, also rising from his place. “Ready to beat your ass.”

“In your dreams, Jakey.”

“Don’t call me that.” Jake says petulantly, brushing past Josh with a deliberate nudge against his shoulder. 

You, Josh’s partner, and Lindsey follow the boys over to the tables, laughing at their antics. Everyone is sporting a buzz now and you’re well on your way to getting your own little buzz. You figure you deserve it.

You watch on in amusement as the boys allow themselves to let loose – you love watching them like this. They’re like little kids, giggling and messing with each other as they play pool. 

“I haven’t seen them all together like this.” Lindsey tells you from her seat next to you. “They’re like…” 

“Children?” You supply, giggling softly. “They’re always like this. Even during a tour.” 

The both of you laugh loudly as Josh sinks a ball, exclaiming loudly in triumph before Jake interrupts his celebration to let him know that he hit one of Jake’s into the pocket and not his own. Josh lets out a particularly petulant “Fuck!” and Jake tosses his head back and laughs. 

You watch him, completely unable to pull your eyes away from him. He looks… transcendent like that, joy and laughter making his eyes crinkle at the corners in the way that always makes your heart melt. A pang shoots through your chest as memories of when he used to laugh with you like that enter your thoughts unbidden. You shake your head at yourself, tearing your gaze away from him to look at Lindsey – only to find her already looking at you. 

You can’t quite read her expression – but there’s puzzlement in her eyes. You look away, unwilling to answer (or even acknowledge) her silent question. 

Before long, the boys are far too drunk to be allowed out in public any longer, and Josh’s partner begins making the rounds to let them know that it’s time to go. He’s met with grumblings of disappointment but the boys don’t protest as you all begin to make your way outside. 

“Well, Sunflower,” Danny says, smiling widely with flushed cheeks as he looks at you, “I guess we won’t see you again until tour starts again.” He extends his strong arms, waiting to give you a goodbye hug. You fall into him, letting your eyes fall closed as he squeezes you. 

“You give the best hugs, Danny.” 

“So you keep telling me.” He grins, pulling away as Josh’s partner ducks in to hug you as well. 

“Me next!” Sam exclaims loudly, yanking you from his grip to pull you into his lanky arms. 

“Bye, Sammy.” You giggle. “Till next time.” 

You pull away to see Josh waiting patiently for his turn. 

“See you soon, Sunflower.” He says, pulling you flush against him. Just as you go to pull away, he pulls you in tighter and leans in close. 

“I’m so sorry.” He whispers, just loud enough for you to hear. You blink away the tears that want to fall at his words.

Lastly, Jake stands, hands awkwardly in his pockets as he waits. You’re not sure what to do until he opens his arms for you. Hesitantly, you wrap your arms around his waist, breathing in his scent as it envelopes you. 

He leans in close – so close that his lips are almost touching your ear. 

“See you later, Sunflower.” 

“Bye, Jake.” You say quietly. 

He squeezes you tighter, letting the embrace last for just a moment too long. 

Pulling away, you catch Lindsey’s eyes, and for the first time tonight, she doesn’t return the smile that you give her. 

You trudge your way back to your car, suddenly wishing that you hadn’t gone tonight. And even more, you wish – desperately, that you didn’t have to see him again at all.  

Climbing into your car, you allow yourself to put on your sad song playlist and wallow in your misery the entire way home, before collapsing heavily into your bed – the call of sleep pulling you under. 

///////

Jake K        1:02 AM

I think we should talk

The text is the very last thing you want to wake up to – especially with the pounding in your head and the feeling of nausea that threatens to overtake you. You hadn’t had much to drink the night before but you have a feeling that it’s not the alcohol making you feel this way. You stare at it for a long while, thoughts racing through your fuzzy brain as you try and figure out how to respond. 

You knew you shouldn’t have been honest with Lindsey – no matter how kind she is. Of course she would have caught on after seeing your inability to fix your face when you watch Jake and of course she would tell him what had happened in the bathroom. 

And now he’s probably upset with you. Maybe he’s angry that you’ve kept your feelings from him and fucked him in a bar bathroom like it didn’t mean anything. Maybe he’s going to fire you. Maybe Lindsey wants him to fire you. Your mind races with every worst possible scenario as you shakily type out your response. 

You 10:17 AM 

Is everything okay? 

The speed with which he answers tells you everything that you need to know.

Jake K 10:19 AM 

Can you call? 

You 10:19 AM

Yes. Whenever you get a chance.

Not a second later, his name lights up across your screen with an incoming call. Heart pounding, you can only stare at it. You haven’t had time to think. To plan out how you’re supposed to just act like everything is okay. With a heavy sigh, you accept that it’s too late for that and you swipe to accept the call. 

“Hey.”

“Hey, Y/n.” 

Your actual name… hardly a good sign but you will the nerves and fear from your voice the best you can. 

“Is everything okay?”

A heavy, pregnant pause. Then finally, 

“Lindsey and I talked last night. She um. She knows. About- About us.”

 You close your eyes tight, heart hammering.

“Fuck.” The word escapes you with a sigh, tears already beginning to burn in the back of your throat. “I swear I didn’t tell her, Jake. I swear it. I just-”

“I know.” He interrupts. “She explained. I um.”

You can hear him swallow and you can picture what he must look like on the other end – eyebrows pinched, maybe playing with the chain of his necklace like he does when he’s nervous or stressed. You shake your head as if it’ll clear the image from your mind. 

“Jake, I’m sorry.” 

He sighs – heavy and defeated. 

“Don’t apologize. I- I’m sorry that I hurt you like that. I didn’t- I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t.”

Silence again, both of you just listening to the others breathing. 

“I think it might be best if- if maybe you all find someone else for makeup.”

“No.” He starts, the word louder than any of the others that he’s spoken before. “You can't just walk away. You can't leave. ”

“But I think it would be best if I did.”

This time, you can practically hear him trying to come up with something to say in the silence. But you know there isn’t really much else to say.

“You’re our friend.” He finally says, voice just barely above a whisper. 

That makes you pause as you think of the others – of Josh and his soft, reassuring smiles. Of his partner and the inside jokes the two of you share. Of Sammy and his ridiculous jokes and of Danny’s hugs. You think of all the other tech people – the ones who had taken you in and treated you like family from the very start. All the people that you’re willingly walking away from... and most of them will never even know why.

It kills you. The ache in your chest is a real, breathing thing as the reality of it all sets in. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Y/n, don’t-”

You end the call. 

End of Part I

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

@jakeyt

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@sacredtheslay

[starstwinkleplanetsshine]

Daughter of the Sea

Chapter Twelve: We (Try to) Capture a Flag (Read on Ao3 here)

The rest of the summer passed more normally, which felt strange after the battle. There were fireworks on the Fourth of July, and they were unlike anything I had ever seen. The sky was filled with moving pictures in every color imaginable, with the whole camp sitting on the beach watching in awe. It was the first time I felt any sense of joy creep back into the campers, and it was nice to hear people laugh and sing again. There were still too-noticeable empty places on picnic blankets, and sometimes you couldn't avoid bringing up a story about someone who wasn't there anymore, but for the most part, it was a beautiful time. I sat with Cadence and Will, as well as some of their friends, including a daughter of Aphrodite named Rosaline who I had heard a lot about but never met. 

The rest of the days were filled with training, classes, and lots of swimming with Percy. He was able to begin to teach me how to use and control my abilities, and I began to progress a lot faster with him than I had with Chiron. Percy also helped me with my fighting skills, since everyone said he was the best swordsman at Camp. 

And they weren't kidding. 

But even if I was getting soaked by my own tidal waves, or being slammed to the ground again and again, training with Percy was my favorite part of any day. He could always make me laugh and turn around any bad mood I was in. I felt like I had known him all my life—like even though we just met, our souls had been connected much longer. 

We were practically inseparable for the rest of the summer. 

The only downside to that meant I didn’t get to know Annabeth very well, since she and Percy seemed to avoid each other after their quest. I never asked him about it, and he never brought it up. It's the one topic I was too scared to breech. 

I finally got to talk to her during our last capture the flag game. Percy and I were on the same team as the Athena cabin, of course, and Percy was off trying to find the other team’s flag. For once Annabeth had decided to guard the flag, and she assigned me as her partner. We stood in silence for a while, both of us on high alert. I didn't know if she wanted me to talk, or if we should be silent so as to not give away our position. About fifteen minutes into the game, she finally spoke. 

“You’ve got pretty good skills for someone who just showed up here.” I looked at her confused, not sure if that was a compliment or a dig. 

“Umm, thanks. Percy’s been doing a good job teaching me.” 

Annabeth winced slightly at Percy’s name, and continued scanning the trees. “He’s a good teacher.” We were quiet for a while before she spoke again. 

“Lisen, I wanted to talk about Percy, actually.” I looked over to the blonde girl, and she continued. “You haven't known him for very long, but I need to warn you: he's the most loyal person you’ll ever meet.” 

I thought I had misheard her at first. “Why do you have to warn me about that?” 

Her eyes darkened. “Loyalty can be a dangerous thing, Angie. It can be good, of course, but if you put that loyalty above anything else…that's a liability.” 

I thought about that, and could see what she meant. I wondered if I had that same tendency. 

“Thanks for the warning.” I tried to make my voice as genuine as possible. I was about to ask about how they had met, and all the adventures they had, when two shapes came crashing through the thicket of bushes Annabeth had hidden the blue flag around. 

“Well well well,” Connor Stoll said as he grinned, 

“If it isn't the Pride of Athena herself.” Travis Stoll finished. 

“Too scared to take the flag on your own, boys?” Annabeth taunted back. 

Connor laughed as he gripped his sword, trying to figure out when to strike. “We work better as a pair.” Travis was inching his way around the thicket, trying to go for the flank. I kept my eye on him as Annabeth talked to Connor. I had trained with the brothers when Quintus disappeared and I knew their style—but that meant they knew mine, too. But I had been working with Percy for the past few weeks, and his style was completely different. I was ready to use that against them. 

“Impressed you found our spot.” I said to Travis. He stopped moving and looked at me. 

“Don’t be so surprised. Children of Hermes are very good at finding things that are hidden.” 

“Let's see if being the son of the god of thieves can help you take it, then.” 

Travis grinned wickedly, and a second later, Connor ran forward and engaged with Annabeth. At the same time, Travis broke left and tried to swipe the flag, but I was too quick. I swiped with my sword and he pulled back just in time to avoid losing his hand. 

“Nice work, Jackson! You’ve gotten quicker.” He pulled out his sword and we began fighting, him trying to back me up towards the flag and me trying to push him away. We both gained and lost ground, and I was wondering how Annabeth was doing but I didn't dare to look over. Travis was getting closer to the flag, and I had gotten my fair share of scrapes, when I heard Annabeth curse in Greek. 

“No! Angie, get him!” Travis saw it moments before I did, and he took off after his brother. I sprinted after them, trying to swipe at their ankles but my sword didn’t have the reach. They were getting closer to the boundary, and I was running as hard as I could but it wasn't enough. Annabeth was next to me, barely at my heels, when I heard something whiz through the air. 

I watched as Travis hit the ground, the flag falling with him. Connor kept running for a few seconds before realizing his brother wasn’t behind him, but by the time he had doubled back I already had the flag in my hand, and Annabeth was in front of me. I looked to where the arrow had come from to see Cady and Will, and a couple of their siblings, crouching in the bushes, smiling. Travis was beginning to get up, but was clearly dazed from the soft arrow that had hit his helmet. Now that the brothers knew there were archers nearby, they were more cautious, but not deterred. Connor spun his sword, trying to figure out how to attack Annabeth and get the flag from me, my weapon still drawn. 

I could see him working out a plan when someone ran across the creek, which was the boundary line, pursued by a group of about fifteen campers, all yelling and jeering at him. 

It didn't matter though, and a smile filled my face as I watched Percy cross the water, the red flag in his hands. 

He didn’t stop running until he was next to Annabeth and I. 

“Looks like I have to do everything around here.” He was grinning, and even Annabeth couldn't stop her smile. 

“Nice work, Seaweed Brain. But it would've been for nothing if Angie and I hadn't stopped the Twins.” 

I laughed—we all knew they weren’t actually twins, but we called them that, anyways. 

Percy shrugged. “Teamwork, right?” 

The rest of our team were surrounding us now, cheering and smiling and lifting the three of us on their shoulders. I was surprised to be included, and thought that just Percy would get the accolades. But it seemed that more people than I thought had seen Annabeth and I chase the Stoll brothers and get back the flag, and it felt surreal to be praised so much. 

The first time the whole camp had acknowledged me they had stared in silence, clearly not happy I was there. Now, they were cheering. They carried us to the clearing out of the woods, where Chiron awarded us with laurel wreaths and no cleaning duties for the next week. Even the campers from the other team congratulated us, except for the Ares kids, who looked like they wanted to have a rematch right then and there. I took that as a compliment. 

That night at dinner, Percy and I swapped stories about our time in the game, and he was impressed I could hold my own against the Stoll brothers. 

“They’re really good with swords, it took me until the end of my second summer to beat one of them.” 

I smiled at him, “I had a good teacher.” 

That night at the campfire I sat next to Annabeth, who seemed to be starting to warm up to me after our game of capture the flag. We laughed and danced like idiots and sang too loud, and it was like seeing a whole different side of her. I was used to the intense, calculating, and stoic girl who had everything under control, so it was nice to see her cut loose. As I watched her do the motions to a version of the hokey-pokey using Greek weapons, I got the feeling that we could be really good friends. 

I just hoped my brother wouldn't mess it up for me.

[daifukumochiin]

Summary: Sasuke's orderly life at elite Sairiumu Academy is disrupted by the arrival of Hinata, a timid transfer student whose obvious crush on him, a young man dedicated to his craft and his current relationship, stirs unease. (Initial SasuSaku with SasuHina endgame, modern Norse myth AU, high school, angst, romance, photography, postmodern-ish fic). Rated T

LIGHTS,

BOWS, and

MISTLETOES

an entry for SasuHina Month 2024, Day 27 : Forget and Remember

(for peachy-hina, since December)

ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14369143/1/Lights-Bows-and-Mistletoes

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57030778

Part 1: Lights

go to Chapter List>

ix

The first camera he ever took a picture with was an old Nikon F3 that his father owned. Sasuke could still remember the clarity of that day, the sting of the cold, the freshness of dazzling sunlight that had only emerged from weeks of relentless snowfall that had buried Metro Konoha under a thick, unyielding blanket of white.

After loading their groceries in the car, his father drove up to a nearby playground where the sun directly hit and pulled out his camera bag to capture the neighborhood buried in snow.

"Come here, Sasuke," his father called. Bundled in layers of wool and down, Sasuke got out of the car, each breath a puff of steam that irritated his eyes. The sunlight burned bright and he couldn’t see very well while squinted.

His father’s imposing figure in a heavy coat knelt before him, shielding him from the sun, and placed the camera in his small gloved hands. He guided Sasuke’s fingers over the shutter button and instructed him where to look.

After steadying the camera against Sasuke’s stomach, he pressed Sasuke’s finger over the shutter button, capturing a shot of the picket fencing.

“See that? Now you try,” said his father. “Take a pretty picture. It’s not always like this around here.”

As soon as his father let go, Sasuke, driven by childlike curiosity, decided to move to a spot near the trees, captivated by the crepuscular rays and the golden glint of the sun sharply outlining their dark bodies. He showed the picture he had taken to his father, who, in turn, was pleasantly surprised.

“You’ve got a good eye!” his father said, ruffling Sasuke’s hair. The smile on his father's face, stretching from ear to ear, was warmer and brighter than anything Sasuke had ever known. Obeying his father brought pure joy, and the seed of a dream took root in his tiny heart as his toes curled with glee inside his boots.

They spent the morning wandering the snow-covered landscape, taking pictures of icicles, snow-laden branches, the sky, and the blue shadows. Even when hunger struck, his father’s praise kept him full and content against the cold; even as the tip of his nose and the delicate skin of his cheeks began to burn, the click of the shutter sent a thrill through his tiny frame that felt impossible to contain, making the time forgotten as though the adventure would never end.

One photo grew into a collection. The more photos he took, the more recognition he brought home, and Sasuke bore it with pride whenever his father showed friends the magazines that featured his works.

The great loop of Sasuke's reward and fulfillment revolved around showing his father his shots, chasing after elusive childhood sensations from that early memory. Until it all came crashing down in middle school—until it all came crashing down in middle school, when Sasuke, with grades slipping, boldly declared during a parent-teacher meeting that he didn’t need that much schooling, anyway; he was destined to be a photographer. His natural talent and skill were widely acknowledged, with his father, he believed, at the forefront of those who supported him.

How wrong, how naive he had been; his father had long since changed.

Sasuke never expected to wind up in a similar situation again: his perpetually busy parents sitting with him at the Sairiumu’s counselor’s office. Since he remained tight-lipped and refused to justify his actions, the result was a three-week suspension.

“This is a first. Care to explain?” His father’s tone was steady, almost clinical, as they drove to Sasuke’s shared apartment with Sakura.

A first? Sasuke didn’t respond; the last thing his father needed to hear was how the Photography Club was involved in all this. If his father was referring to the aggression, who could’ve predicted he’d be this desperate too?

In a way, his father pursued his notion of northernness and when he achieved something resembling it, had since been more driven to get closer to it, fully expecting his sons to follow in his steps.

“Didn’t you have karate classes? Was assaulting people all they ever taught their students?” his father said, frustration edging his voice.

Sasuke clenched his fists. He’d asked for those karate classes to avoid disrupting their lives with the stalking and other distressing situations he faced.

“Dear, it must’ve just been the stress,” his mother interjected, trying to diffuse the tension.

His parents left their sons to their own devices but supported each other unconditionally; his father's word was law, and his mother made sure it was carried out.

“As you’ve said, Sasuke hasn’t acted like this before,” his mother added gently. “Take this time to really rest, okay?” She rubbed his cheek, trying to soothe his sulking.

Before they left, his father said, “Don’t you dare pull something like this again. Now I have to go smooth things over with the folks at Iwa Mining Corp. and clean up this mess you’ve made… And don’t be carrying on this way around Chairman Haruno’s daughter. She’s the only good thing you’ve got going for you. All you do is play with your cameras with no business acumen whatsoever.”

He spent the next few days holed up in his bedroom editing photos. By then, a video of his attack on Morio had gone viral, racking up over 150 million views on FikTok. A meme of his furious face had spread like wildfire which equally made him a hot topic for being a looker in full-on rage.

Small-time tabloids and fake accounts quickly jumped in to spread malicious rumors about him. Everything spun out of control so fast that he didn’t have time to process it. Calls kept pouring in, but Sasuke refused to answer, not even from Neji. What followed was a spiral into a grand abyss. His only solace came from Sakura’s reassurances that she’d make things right, as he clung tight to her like Kandata to the single silvery thread of a spider lowered from paradise to hell.

“Why are you still with me?” Sasuke lay on his side, a cocktail of dread and self-loathing coursing through him after a wave of clarity set in, leaving him utterly spent from exertion, drenched in sweat reeking of canned beer.

"What sort of a question is that?" Sakura smiled.  “Of course, it’s because I love you.”

He wanted to believe her words, to trust that her love was genuine; he truly did. But deep down, doubt gnawed at him. Yet, letting go was not an option—that was not his prerogative. Easing his grip on the silver thread would unleash a terrible hell. Sakura was fully capable of it. Even worse, he could end up dragging down his family and their economic prospects with him.

When she looked into his eyes, he wondered what she saw—whether she truly saw into him or was merely looking at him. Either way, he found no reprieve. He'll remain as convincing as long as he possibly can, partly as a matter of survival, and mostly because he's allowing her to break his heart still.

“I need to go take a shower.” Sakura kissed his right temple and slipped off the bed.

As Sasuke watched her, his eyes lingered on the small tattoo just below the curve of her left breast. She had several tattoos, and this tiny plant had always been there ever since he first saw her naked, but he had never thought to ask about it.

Sakura glanced back with a knowing smile. "Why are you looking at me like that? Thinking of doing it again?"

She crawled back to him, planting soft kisses along his neck and up to his lips. He let his hand slide from her back to gently caress beneath her breast.

"What’s this tattoo? This one?" Sasuke emphasized by tracing it with his thumb.

Sakura giggled. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Just wondering…"

"Remember I had cancer when I was a kid? That was in my medication. And I thought it looked cute, so…”

Thoughts of a younger Sakura battling a fatal illness never failed to squeeze his heart to the point of physical pain. Yet, oddly enough, Sasuke was feeling less of that pain than he used to. Perhaps, he’d grown numb; perhaps he’d become heartless—perhaps he had always been. Perhaps that was the reason why he was being punished.

“It’s a mistletoe,” she said.

Suddenly, Hinata’s words from the rooftop came back to him, seizing the hair ends of his arms with the ghost trail of an icy draft. He didn’t believe in superstitions: scientifically, mistletoes are parasitic plants with medicinal properties, but there was no mention of any superstition, in any culture, of mistletoes being bad luck. In fact, they were believed to be the opposite.But at that moment, Sasuke felt a sense of foreboding, as if Sakura's mistletoe tattoo held the same warning as Hinata's words.

His running suspicion came confirmed when in the middle of the night, after Sakura fell asleep, and he’d gone to wash himself, a notification popped off on her phone, her screen scorching bright on her dresser in their dim room.

Normally, there’s an unspoken rule between them not to meddle with each other's mobile devices—Sakura meddled with his phone often to make sure only pictures of her were in his gallery, but he never did. But that night, Sasuke couldn���t resist.

Hey, you awake? I can't sleep. I need you... you're all I can think about.

It came from someone named M.

Mmm…

Like the way her lips formed preparing for the next vowel just before she rolled up her car window the evening, she left him out in the rain down Hashirama’s bridge.

Sakura Haruno was by no means a terrible archer, but during the archery inter-high tournament that spring, she was faced off with Karin Uzumaki, an old rival, who with just a mere smirk, ticked Sakura off like no other. Everything else went red for her during the finals except the target. She stretched her bow aiming for her last shot and let go prematurely.

She kept her smile for the cameras but when it was only her in the car with Sasuke trying to get through Konoha’s rush hour traffic, she kept to herself until they reached Hashirama’s bridge. Then, without preamble, she grabbed her bow case, got out of the car, pushed her way through the dense traffic to reach the bridge railings, and threw her equipment into the river below.

"Sakura!"

"Let's break up."

"Wait," said Sasuke. "How is any of this my fault? Let's first get back to the car."

"You're a genius–figure it out! All you've done was bore me, you know that?! I'd rather be anywhere right now than next to you!"

Never one to be honest with himself, he couldn't comfort her and lacked the right words to say. But someone else had the emotional vocabulary, and Sakura knew just the right guy. Because, even as the rain began to fall, she demanded that he leave, and reached for her phone to call the person on her mind who could offer what he couldn't.

Suddenly, while Sasuke zoned out at the letter M on Sakura’s screen, the phone was snatched from his hand.

“I don’t remember giving you permission.” Sakura glared at him, the screen light harsh against the slight contours of her face. Then she went to the toilet bringing her phone, and stayed there for over an hour. 

As before, Sasuke did the only way he’d ever known to cope. Seeing the bright moonlight filtering in through the window curtains, Sasuke grabbed his trusty Sony A7 II, attached an art lens to it, and went out onto the balcony.

When he checked his shots, a figure flitted through his vision on the streets below, looking up to him discreetly were she not exposed by a nearby streetlamp.

Hasn't she learned anything even after seeing him act his worst? He is no kind, gentle Baldur from Norse myth. And unlike Baldur, he didn't inhabit a fictional, perfect world like Breidablik. 

In the real world, you fight tooth and nail for your dreams, chasing a reckless pursuit that you can almost taste but never quite reach. You could die with no one to have your back—not friends, fathers, mothers, or brothers.

“Are you having fun? Are you having a pleasant time?”

If she were to ask that now, he’d answer: “Does it really matter?”

She wore the same white one-piece dress beneath a lavender cardigan that she had on when they first met. 

From that encounter, Sasuke had learned two things: first, Hinata Hyuuga was hauntingly beautiful in the rain.

“My lord! My lord!”

She chased him desperately through the crowd, losing her umbrella as she fought to catch up. He didn’t stop or even glance back.

“My lord!”

She caught his sleeve.

Sasuke stared at her, puzzled. Who calls out to anyone like that in this day and age? He glanced around, half-expecting to see a period drama crew, as she looked like she belonged on a film set. Then she smiled—this petite, otherworldly girl—and the dark chasm in his heart stirred, causing a shift. 

Without warning, she swooped in and embraced him, rendering him immobile, his mind all white noise and void of thought.

With much affection, she looked up to him, her face wet with rain, her hair damp and her white dress clinging to her skin. 

“Dearest, I found you.”

Second, Sasuke discovered that a pathetic weakness residing in him quivered at her tender voice calling him “dearest”. 

It revealed his hideous desire to be found. Like waiting for pure light to come in the midst of an expanse cold, spacious, severe, pale, and remote. Like a castaway that had swam for miles and hours, struck with the singular desire of laying eyes on that shore and just finally, finally resting there. 

But he was just a young man in the world, and as any human, he was bound to be skeptical. Who else would so freely offer affection on the side of the road if not one of those girls who made a living by sleeping around?

Sasuke pushed her away. “Try someone else,” he said. “I’m in a really bad mood.” The girl, visibly perplexed by this action, fainted. 

“Hey.” Sasuke shook her urgently. “Hey!”

Her shoulders felt awfully frail against his grasp as she stayed limp in his arms almost as if even the raindrops could bruise her collarbones. 

When he took her to the hospital, they were unable to find any ID on her, so Sasuke left his number, hoping to be contacted if she regained consciousness. The next day, he learned she was awake, but she had already gone home by the time he arrived.

Since then, she never left his mind. He marveled at how a mere stranger could affect him so intensely, even though he had just broken up with Sakura. When he and Sakura got back together, it became clear to Sasuke that if he ever encountered that girl again, he would have to conquer the part of him that had almost yielded to her.

Then, as if a temptation of fate, she walked into their classroom, clad in the school uniform, and introduced herself as the new transfer student.

“I’m Hinata Hyuuga. Seventeen. Nice to meet you all.”

After taking a bow, her gaze swept across the room and landed on him. Sasuke wondered if she had come to save him—and if she could. go to Chapter List>

[simpforjesus]

A scenario from my Missing Huldra brother AU that I just couldn't get out of my head

WARNING: mentions of torture and dark stuff if that’s not your thing then don’t read this

Also please forgive my bad grammar and if I've inaccurately written the characters please tell me

For context on this AU check out this post

*******************************************************

After Sindri is found by Kratos and Freya, unconscious in the same prison as Tyr, they take him back to Brok’s home in the realm between realms. Freya heals him as best she can, but due to Odin’s intense torture, he will mostly have to heal the old fashion way . Brok stays by his brother's side, and rarely leaves until finally Sindri wakes up.

“Taking on my brother's form to torture my mind? That won't work on me anymore Odin.” Sindri said as he rolled over, turning his back to Brok

Brok sat there shocked “What the f*** are you talking about? I ain’t some Aesir trick, it's me Sindri.”

Sindri rolled his eyes and didn't move, “just get it over with.”

Brok began to worry, why didn't his little brother recognize him? He placed his hand on Sindri’s shoulder, attempting to comfort him. But Sindri only flinched away.

“Just get it over with Odin!” he shouted “Sew my mouth shut again and start torturing me for betraying you! This trick is getting older than you!”

Brok pulled his hand back still concerned “Sindri it’s me you idiot, Odin is dead. It’s Brok, your brother.” he began but Sindri interrupted him

“Pff, Ya right just like all the other times. First, you’ll hug me and be comforting then as soon as I let my guard down you’ll start yelling that you hate me and turn back into Odin.” Sindri said still not looking at Brok

Brok jumped out of his chair and walked to the corner of the room, infuriated, but not at Sindri. He wished he could go back in time and smash Odin’s soul all over again. So this is what he did to Sindri tortured his mind by taking on Brok’s appearance to give him false hope, only to tear it down with hateful words, sewing his mouth shut with his own shaved hair and physically torturing him! Odin did this to his little brother, and he didn’t even know!

“ I thought you were dead. Twice. After Ragnarok, I thought the last thing we did was fight. That the last words you heard me say were that you were to blame for all the destruction caused by that stupid hammer, and now I finally got you back and you don’t recognize me, no matter what I say?!” Brok stomped his foot in frustration “ I should’ve known you’d still be my dumb pain in a** brother you’ve always been, it probably won’t matter how many times I try and tell you it's me, you won’t believe me thanks to that allfu****. Uugg, and all these years of searching for you why didn't I figure it out before?!” Brok was so angry at Odin and himself, he should’ve guessed his brother was captured by Aesir and tried to rescue him. But no, his little brother has been tortured, both mentally and physically, and he was too prideful to even search until it was too late. Brok was about to shout in anger again when suddenly he heard Sindri say something.

“Brok?”

Brok turned around, to see Sindri attempting to sit up, with an expression of shock and disbelief on his face. Brok ran back to his brother to catch him before he fell. Sindri was still too weak to move on his own.

“What the f*** are you thinking you idiot? Do you want to get yourself even more hurt?! You’re too weak to be moving around!” He shouted. But Sindri  just kept staring at him in disbelief, and even started to get scared, as if he was scared he was falling for the trick again.

“Brok...is....is it really you?” he asked shakily

Brok gripped his brother's shoulders and shouted “ of course it’s me you dumba**, who the f*** else would it be?!”

Tears of joy and relief began to flow from Sindri’s eyes and he threw himself at his big brother, hugging him tightly, as if he was afraid Brok would disappear.  “It's you Brok, it's really you!” Sindri cried as he buried his His face and his brother's shoulder.

Brok was shocked by Sindri’s actions, but soon snapped out of it and returned the hug, rubbing his little brother’s back, trying to comfort him. “It's me Sindri, it's me. It's me and your safe.”

The two stayed like that for hours

***********

Hope you all liked it! It's probably cringe but oh well. I might write a part two to this, idk we’ll see.

Feedback is appreciated😁❤️

[little-grey-dowitcher]

My mom used to make me do a photo shoot any time we went anywhere for any reason, especially for big events or vacations. She would interrupt whatever I was doing, whatever I was having fun with, whatever I was celebrating, and turn on the camera, and the process would begin.

First, we’d have to find the perfect location. Move away from anyone else that might be there (don’t worry, your friends will still be here when you get back). Find a spot with good lighting, find a place that will look nice to pose next to.

Then, I’d have to put myself together. Clean my glasses, make sure there’s no glare on them, push them up on my nose, fix my hair (you’d look so much prettier if you’d let me curl your hair), straighten out my clothes (is that ketchup on your shirt? What were you thinking? You knew I’d want pictures!).

Now I’ve gotta pose. Stand up straight, find something to do with my hands (stop hiding them behind your back, put them on your hips or something. No, not like that. Not like that either… I guess that’ll work). Maybe in another picture I’ll have to sit down, cross my legs, lean back, look over my shoulder (tilt your chin up, you look like you’ve got a double chin). In the next one I’ll have to stand back up and pose with her (lean closer, you’re too tall for both of us to fit in the frame. Don’t hunch over like that! Stand up straight! Now lean into me. No! Just… bend your knees a little).

Now I’ve gotta fix my face. Do my “pretty smile”. The one where my lips curl into a smile that perfectly frames my straight, white teeth (I spent good money on those teeth, now show them off!) without making my upper lip look any less full (it looks like you’re growling, stop that). Make sure my eyes are narrow enough to look like a real smile, but wide enough to still be fully visible. Fix my glasses again, because they slid down while I was trying to get my eyes just right. (Smile! … no, your real smile… no… do your pretty smile.) Try to memorize what my face feels like when I finally get it right so I don’t have to go through this entire process again in the next shot.

Now we gotta do selfies together. Those are especially fun. I have to hold the camera because my arms are longer, and she wants the camera way up high (make sure you get my good angle! The one that doesn’t make me look fat) but my hands are unsteady, so we’ve gotta retry twenty times because it keeps coming out slightly blurry. Gotta stare into the camera as I put my “pretty smile” back on each time. It’s great. I get to watch the joy leave my own eyes in real time, and capture that lifelessness with my own shaky hand.

By the time the photo shoot is over, I’m exhausted. My face is sore from trying to perfect the pretty smile. I’m not having fun anymore. My friends are doing something else and I’ll have to awkwardly rejoin. Sometimes we take so long that whatever event we were at is over, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to anyone before being shuffled out the door.

“It’s to capture the memory!” she’d say. But for the most part, I don’t remember what we were doing before those pictures. Sure, some are obvious, like where I’m holding the first gold medal I ever won in a tournament. When I look at the picture, I barely remember actually winning it. Instead, I remember being dragged away from my friends to go pose with it next to a potted plant in a dingy hotel lobby. Then there’s the less obvious ones. What were we doing in this restaurant? Oh, your 50th birthday? I mean yea, I guess I do recognize that outfit I’m wearing… but only because I really hated that skirt. Didn’t we go to the aquarium after that lunch? Where are the pictures from that? … the lighting was bad, so you didn’t take any? But that was so much fun…

Now, years later, I get to look at those pictures. “Oh, how gorgeous!” my mom gushes, referring to the color composition of the shot of us on the beach at sunset, which she has put several filters over to change the saturation. “That’s so lovely,” she coos, referring to the framing of the image of my husband and I dancing, which she has cropped and rotated to exclude the unsightly barn my wedding took place in. “Beautiful!” she exclaims, referring to the picture of me on prom night, which she has thoroughly edited to remove the horrible fake tan that she forced me to wear in the first place.

What a picturesque childhood I had. So beautiful. So perfectly framed and captured. So devoid of any actual emotion. So empty.

[deus-ex-mona]

Hooray Hooray! Minami-sensei!: Chapter 3

fure fure nya nya count: 1

previous part (chapter 2)

next part (chapter 4)

The Day of the Extracurricular Class—

Kindergarten Teacher: Today, Aizo-sensei, Yujiro-sensei, and Minami-sensei will be joining us as teachers for a day.

Aizo: I’m Aizo. Let’s get along for the day, you guys!

Yujiro: I’m Yujiro. I’ve been looking forward to seeing all of you. It’s nice to meet you all.

Kindergartener 1: It’s LIPxLIP! They’re so cool~!

Yujiro: Thanks for always supporting us. It brings us joy to hear that.

Aizo: We’ll be your teachers for the day, so let’s play together, yeah?!

Kindergarteners: Yeah!

Minami: (That’s just like LIPxLIP…! They managed to capture the hearts of the kids in the blink of an eye…!)

Minami: (Alright! I can do it too…!)

Minami: I’m Minami. I wanna play lots with you guys. It’s very nice to meet you…!

Kindergarteners: It’s nice to meet you!

Minami: …!

Minami: (Phew… I managed to greet them…!)

Kindergarten Teacher: Okay, everyone. I’ll go over the rules before we head out to play in the park later, okay~?

Minami: (Haah… But just greeting them was somehow really nerve-wracking on its own. We’re just getting started, though…)

Kindergarten Teacher: …So you all understand the rules, right? Okay then, you can all feel free to play as you wish till it’s time for us to go~.

Kindergartener 2: Big Sis! I wanna show you my secret base!

Hiyori: I’m sorry, I’m just here as a chaperone. I’m not here to be your teacher…

Aizo: Well it’s fine, isn’t it? You’re the one who said that we could leave the caretaking of the kids to you, right?

Yujiro: That’s true. You’ll have some free time till we’re done here anyway.

Hiyori: I’ll take your word for it and play with them, then! I’m off to get permission from their teacher!

Kindergartener 1: Yujiro-sensei, Aizo-sensei! Play with us!

Yujiro: Sure. What will we be playing?

Kindergartener 1: I wanna play Monsters~!

Aizo: Ooh, that sounds good! I’ll be a real cool monster for you!

Minami: (All of them managed to fit in so quickly… I gotta try my best too. But, how should I go about doing it…?)

Minami: (Ah, there are some kids looking over at me. I gotta talk to them… Um—)

Minami: (That’s it! I may be able to talk to them if I use this puppet.)

Minami: Alright! It’ll be okay! Hooray, hooray, meow, meow…!

Minami: “Hello guys…! Let’s play together!”

Kindergartener 3: Wooow! Let’s play! Minami-sensei, you sang on TV the other day, right?

Kindergartener 4: I love your songs, y’know?! I can sing them too~!

Minami: Eh? Th-thank you… I’m really happy to hear that.

Minami: (Phew… So the kids will meet me halfway as long as I take the first step, huh.)

Kindergartener 3: Minami-sensei, wanna play Heroes with us?

Minami: That sounds good! Will you guys be playing the roles of the heroes?

Kindergartener 3: Yup! We’ll be the heroes, and you’ll be the bad guy!

Minami: Got it! Leave it to me!

Kindergartener 4: And after that, let’s play House! Promise?!

Minami: Yup, of course we can. It’s a promise. I’m looking forward to it.

Minami: (Playing House, huh… It’s as though we’ll be putting on a play. It sounds like fun. I’ll probably be playing the role of the dad, right?)

Kindergartener 4: You’ll be playing the part of the cat, Minami-sensei. So meow with all you’ve got!

Minami: I-I’ll be the cat…?! Will I be able to act it out cutely enough?

Kindergartener 3: And then, and then, let’s play Tag after that~!

Minami: Sure thing! I won’t lose, though~!

Minami: (All the kids look so cute as they talk to me with their sparkling eyes…)

Minami: (How are LIPxLIP faring, though?)

Kindergartener 5: Aizo-sensei! Carry me like a princess next~!

Kindergartener 6: No way. I’m next, you know~!

Aizo: Okay, okay, next person, please~! Queue up and wait for your turn to be carried, okay?

Kindergartener 7: This is for you, Yujiro-sensei.

Yujiro: Wow, it’s so cute. You folded this paper flower, didn’t you?

Kindergartener 1: I’m giving this to you! I made a penguin~!

Yujiro: You’re good at this. It’s super cute.

Minami: (So the two of them can make such gentle expressions like that… I’m sure their fans would be delighted if they saw this too.)

Minami: (Huh…? Over there’s…)

Hiyori: It’s my turn to be the tagger! One, two, three!

Kindergartener 2: Hiyori-sensei runs really fast! We gotta escape!

Minami: (She did say that she’s used to taking care of kids. The kids really do look to be having fun with her too.)

Minami: I can’t lose to them either…! I gotta have fun with the kids too!

[sebsxphia]

tell me all of it! i wanna know!

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

Y: A character you want to protect.

❤

thank you so much for this my love! 💗

F: oh this is really hard! i had to choose two.

the first snippet is from, home & promises with rhett. i’ve cut some lines out, but writing this was such a painful joy. the invisible string part? god damn, if i do say so myself! i’m proud of it because i personally feel it captures the underlying tension between you both after not seeing each other for so long. rhett is trying to prod at you, trying to hear what he wants to hear and you know that, but it hurts too much to admit it.

His gaze flicks to yours. “Is that what you always wanted?”

You know what he’s getting at. You know what he’s trying to unearth, uncover. Prove to himself that this was a good decision.

“Yeah.” You hold your voice again, not letting it waver like it did in the truck four years ago. He leans across the table and instinctively you pull yourself closer to him. It feels like he’s pulling on an invisible string that connects the two of you. It’s a sentiment that was stretched all across America for four years and now it’s drawing you closer and closer to him. Your sweetheart.

…“You happy?” His voice is dangerously low and his Southern drawl slurs his words and sends a shiver down your neck and all along your spine. You grimace at his question and hold your breath before letting it go and telling him a blatant lie that you both know. “Yep.”…

He breaks first and pulls away from the table and slumps back into the leather bar seat. He changes the subject entirely.

the second snippet is from, “who hurt you?” with rhett. again, i’ve cut some lines out, but this came so naturally to me to write and i think that’s why i’m so proud of it. it’s how you don’t say specifically what happened, but how rhett just knows. it’s the subtle phrasing that makes rhett understand and how it doesn’t need to be said. it’s heartbreaking, but it truly shows how well rhett knows you. it’s a piece i hold very dear and personal to me.

“Did you drive?”

You hesitated on your answer. No matter the response, it wasn’t going to help you try and hide what happened.

“No, I ran.”

Rhett’s eyebrows twisted downwards ever so slightly.

“I live a good mile away from town, angel.”

“After everything happened I screamed at Darren, like I lost it Rhett.” You twiddled with the hem of your t-shirt as Rhett continued to patch you up. You still couldn’t look at him. You felt shame clouding your senses. “He lost it back at me. I’d never seen him like that. I mean sure, we’ve only been dating like a month, but- but you really see peoples true colours when they’re drunk, huh.”

…Rhett stuck a butterfly band aid to the side of your face and cleaned up the rest of your blood. “And the gash?” He paused. “He punched you, angel. You don’t get that after a blow to the eye.”…

Now Rhett was finished with bandaging you up he could slip his hands to yours and give them a light squeeze. He wanted you to know he was here. He was going to listen to anything you had to say and reassure you with all his might. The tears that had pooled in your eyes from before were now slipping over and onto your cheeks. You held his gaze and bit your bottom lip harshly. You were trying to stop the sobs that wanted to tear from your throat. You winced as you reminisced what followed after and how you got the gash.

You didn’t need to say it, Rhett knew.

G: 99% of the time i write my story from start to finish, however this preacher rhett series has been completely out of order! it’s been whatever i’ve been feeling at the time to write.

P: similar to the above, i’m definitely a “gardener” and i let the story unfold as i go. i have a basic plan of what i want the piece to include, but as i write it from start to finish, i find myself adding things i perhaps didn’t have planned at all. i just go with the flow baby!

R: oh goodness, absolutely! @hederasgarden @wildbornsiren @yespolkadotkitty and @oncasette were some of the first top gun and rhett fics i read. the way they wrote for the characters and provided such sinfully good filth and incredible imagery was a huge influence to me. i still think about their fics now and i think i always will! they will always stay with me.

Y: my baby boy rhett abbott <3 i will protect that man and give him a good life!

fanfic ask game! ask me!

[creationcitystreet-em]

Captured

Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) x Latina Reader

Warnings: angst, kidnapping, bruising, blood, abuse

word count: ~1300

Masterlist

Bruce raced home in his suit from the orphanage, trying to call you and Alfred the entire way. He knew he was the Riddler's next target, and he worried for your safety as he was out of the mansion as the batman. On his third call to the house, Dory picked up the phone. 

“Dory, are you alright? Where’s Y/N and Alfred?” Bruce frantically questioned. “Something terrible is about to happen.” 

“Oh Master Wayne, I’m afraid it already has,” she told him with sadness in her voice. Bruce tensed up, not knowing the severity of what happened. He soon arrived at the mansion to see parts of it up in flames, an explosion setting off earlier that caught Alfred in the middle of it. 

“Mr. Alfred Pennyworth was taken to the hospital, he was closest to the explosion but was alive when we arrived,” one of the firemen explained to Bruce.

“And my fiancé, Y/N, is she alright?” Bruce asked.

“She was not present when we got here.” 

“What do you mean? She wasn’t working tonight, she should be here.” You worked random hours as a pediatric nurse, which fit nicely with his own batman schedule sometimes, but he knew you had the day and night off. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce drove to the hospital, calling your cell the entire way, but there was no answer. He had no idea where you could have been, and he hoped that you were safe and that Alfred was okay. Alfred was asleep in his hospital bed as Bruce continued to call your phone with no luck. After some time, Alfred woke up and got Bruce’s attention.

“Y/N,” he spoke first. “Is she alright?” Bruce’s eyes shot up from his phone at Alfred’s question.

“You’re awake,” he sighed in relief, the worry for one of the two most important people in his life slowly fading to know that he was severely injured but at least conscious and would heal with time. But his question concerned Bruce. “Was she with you, at the time of the explosion?”

“She was in the other room, stress baking after watching your encounter with the DA earlier,” Alfred told him and Bruce tensed up with worry.

“She wasn’t there when I got home, she wasn’t there when the paramedics and fire department arrived.” 

Alfred’s face grew worried as well, he loved you since the moment you found your way into Bruce’s heart. You were the only one who got Bruce to see the light of day sometimes and to put a smile on his face. You were also good at making Alfred laugh as much as you were making Bruce laugh, you brought an overall sense of joy to the mansion that had not been there since Bruce’s parents died. You always worried greatly for your fiancé as he spent his nights out as the batman, but you supported his wishes to help the city in the way he felt most comfortable doing so. 

“You don’t think,” Alfred began to voice the biggest concern in both their heads when his eye caught the tv outside his room. The news was on and Thomas Wayne’s face was displayed in the same format as the Riddler's previously published videos. “Bruce,” he pointed weakly to the screen. Bruce turned his head and saw that the Riddler was talking about him and his family on TV. He knew they needed to hear what was being said in order to figure out what happened to you.

Bruce turned on the tv in Alfred’s room quickly and put on the news just in time to get the end of the Riddler's rant about his family and his own recording of himself began to show. He would find footage of the entire story later, but he needed to know what the Riddler was going to say.

“Bruce Wayne,” the Riddler spoke to the camera. “You have spent your life living in the luxury your family exploited others for. You’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted and never had to pay for the sins of your father. Well that ends today. Your father took away the promises of renewal he gave to the city, so I took away the one thing you got but deserved least of all. Over a year ago, the city was excited about the new woman in the prince of Gotham’s life. She was one of us, a nobody, yet a beautiful woman who spent her days nursing children to health. Somehow she ended up with you. The town called her lucky, but I knew who was the real lucky one. How could a monster like a Wayne win the affection of such a lady? I guess that’s something I can ask her myself now.” 

The Riddler turned the camera towards his right to reveal you sitting tied up in a chair with tape over your mouth. On the tape was written The Prized Jewel. Your clothing was ripped in some parts, blood both dried and fresh was scattered along your arms, legs and the right side of your forehead. Your mascara ran down your cheeks from your tears. You were still crying as the camera pointed towards you. 

Bruce stood up in a panic and paced towards the tv while Alfred’s heart clenched in pain. “He has her,” Bruce managed to say through his now labored breathing. “Alfred, he has her.” Alfred didn’t know what to say, his own fears taking over his mind. The Riddler continued his taunts on the screen.

“Was it his money? I wouldn’t blame you if it was. I wonder how Bruce will feel being on the other side now, and I get a taste of the life he’s been handed to him. But I worked for it, I got you here all on my own.” He grabbed your cheeks and forced your face to look at him. Your cries sounding through the screen tore Bruce apart as he saw you squeeze your eyes shut in fear. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” the Riddler shouted and it made you jump and only cry harder as you opened your eyes. He caressed the side of your face and then brought his attention back to the camera. “It’s time I gave myself a prize for all the hard work I’ve been doing exposing the lies of this city, and she will do just nicely. Your father got to die before paying for what he did, so now you get to live through your payment. Have fun sleeping alone tonight, Bruce.” 

And the video cut off as the news began to discuss the newest actions of the Riddler. Bruce couldn’t hear any of it anymore, all he could hear in his head was your tortured crying. All he could see was the fear in your eyes. He failed to protect the one person he cared most about in the world. All his work as the batman didn’t matter when you were harmed anyway. Then he thought if he had been there, been at the mansion instead of out looking for the Riddler, he could have protected you then. And that thought brought bile into the back of his throat and a ringing in his ears as he struggled to keep himself standing amidst the anxiety in his body. How was he going to help you when he had no idea who the Riddler was or where he was located? He threw the closest thing near him at the wall across the room, and fell to his knees in anguish.

Sequel Posted!

[ssadumba55]

Dating Peter Pan Would Include...

Request: Hello! Could I maybe request dating headcanons for peter pan? (And the reader stays in Neverland if its ok)

Living in Neverland was a big change from living back home. For one, there were no adults to tell you what to do (besides Captain Hook and his crew, but nobody listened to him). You never went to bed hungry, you rarely cried, all your days were filled with joy, cheer and Lost Boys.

You didn’t miss home, how could you miss what you barely had?

Still, sometimes, the weight of what you did (running away without telling anyone, living in a completely different world, choosing to never grow up) weighed on your shoulders heavily. You often wondered if it was the right choice.

Peter doesn’t have worries, you like to joke he doesn’t think much at all

He knows when you’re worried though, you sit away from the group, head resting on your knees, deep in thought about things you would never share with him and the Lost Boys

“Hey, (Y/n). Look at this!” Every time you were like this he would do something silly, juggling things, racing one of the Lost Boys (and accidentally bumping into a tree), drawing you a ridiculous drawing of Hook being defeated by the gang.

And yeah, sometimes it made him look ridiculous but it was worth it to see you smile when he did it

(and if he enjoyed the kisses on his cheek afterward too, that would be his secret!)

Tink was super jealous of you at first, she used to try and sabotage you every chance she got. Pushing you when you were still getting the hang of flying, getting you captured by Captain Hook on purpose.

“I understand, Peter’s your friend! I’m not going to take that from you, Tink. We could be good friends too!” You told her, while Peter was distracted with the Lost Boys.

She didn’t believe you, but the longer you spent there, the more the two of you got used to each other. She spent a lot more time on your shoulder, laughing and having fun with you than she did hovering by Peter sometimes.

You and Peter weren’t exclusive, after all, Peter isn’t a grown up. He doesn’t do things like romance or dating, not that he’s super aware of anyway, but everyone knows the two of you have something special going on that nobody else can be a part of.

It annoys the mermaids, but at least they don’t bat their eyes flirtatiously around him as much anymore.

And yeah, of course, you’ve probably guessed already that when he wants to get back at Peter Pan, Captain Hook is always kidnapping you. Making you walk the plank, tying you to the mast, threatening you.

Peter always swoops in just in time to save you, but Peter’s not the only one who can save you, sometimes you manage to save yourself. That’s what Peter likes about you the most, you don’t need him, you’d be just fine on your own but you choose to spend time with him anyway.

Somehow the day always ends with you and Peter sitting on a tree branch, staring at the sky. Somewhere down below the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell are still having fun. There’s no bedtime here, so usually the lot of you just stay up until you’re all tired.

“There’s no one I’d rather never grow up with than you, Peter.”

“I was thinking the same thing!” Peter jumps up and takes your hand, pulling you to dance with him.

[gingersforeverbox]

Even more slipups and debates

“its the anon from the jayvik x reader fic request! i would love to see a smutty part two of it, again with whatever youd like to write! id love to see how the pair take apart the reader >:-) if you could try to keep it gender/body neutral that would be fantastic!”

A/N: Hello again anon, I'm so glad you liked the fic! It seems like this week has a bunch of firsts for me because this is my first attempt at writing anything smutty. Please take this piece with a lot of salt because it was certainly a challenge for me! Thank you again for requesting, and please feel free to request at any time!

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: MDNI!!!-swearing and smut: begging, threesome, praise, oral (male receiving), rough sex, creampie, heavy on the dirty talk. Let me know if I miss anything!

It’s been approximately three months since your date with Jayce and Viktor after the group confession that took place in the lab. It was a major success, to say the least. The night was filled with laughter and beaming smiles from ear to ear. Suddenly it felt like something you didn’t realize you were missing in your heart was filled to the brim with pure love and joy. It’s all thanks to Jayce and Viktor that you feel more complete than you had in a long while. But you wanted to take things one step further. You wanted to be one with them in more than just an emotional sense, but a physical sense as well; And good gods were you needy for it. 

In the last few months since the beginning of your budding relationship with Viktor and Jayce, you’ve taken note of some curious findings, and you were a scientist to the core, so it would be unacceptable to just ignore these said findings. For instance, how were you to simply ignore the fact that Jayce makes the cutest little moans when you press the knots out of his incredibly broad shoulders? How could you ignore the fact that Viktor’s eyes hood oh so beautifully over his golden halos for irises when you sit on your knees before him to help with his leg brace in the afternoons after a long day at work? How could you overlook the way they both bore holes into the back of the man who captured your attention with a seemingly hilarious joke. The attention from the two of them was intoxicating, and you wanted to stay under its smothering hold as long as they would let you. 

Your internal monologue is interrupted by the tapping of a hand on your shoulder from behind that is joined by its twin in a mission to smooth up and down your skin from the junction of your neck to the bend of your elbows. “Babe, you’ve been staring off into space for a good minute there. Wanna share your thoughts with us?” Jayce hums.

“Oh, stop teasing them Jayce. They were in their own world for a moment, besides the only reason you’re even bringing that up is because you got caught doing the same thing in your meeting with your fellow counselors today, am I correct? Mrs. Kirraman was happy to report your ‘spacing out’ to me after the fact, after all,” Viktor defends with a smirk.

“Come on Vik, they like it! Right hun? Tell him for me,” Jayce whispers in your ear while spinning the chair to face the lean man. A shiver runs up your spine and heat pools along the apples of your cheeks at the sensation. You can barely think straight, much less fumble with a response as Viktor lazily walks over to place a thumb on your bottom lip, curling the rest of his fingers into a fist to hold your jaw. “Come on then, do you? Do you like it when we tease you so? Or do you want us to stop,” he purrs with hooded eyes. 

“Speak up y/n, or we stop,” Jayce warns.

They have offered you a way out. A way to make it all stop, right here, right now. But why stop drowning when you’re swimming in sickly sweet love and lust? 

“Yeah, I like it,” you offer breathily, much to Jayces enjoyment if his ‘Ha!’ of joy is anything to go by. “I’ve wanted this so badly,” you admit as Viktor lets your head roll onto Jayce’s shoulder while Jayce rolls your chair in between Viktor’s legs where he now leans against the desk. 

Jayce is quick to remove his counselor’s coat while Viktor remains busy cupping your face as he presses a passionate kiss to your lips. Your eyes flutter closed with the movements between the two of you before Jayce begins to pull at your lab coat and top. You break the kiss in an effort to strip faster before helping Viktor to stay balanced as he all but rips his clothes off as fast as he possibly can, his eyes never leaving yours the entire time. Jayce helps to lift you out of your chair before kicking it away to some unknown part of the lab with a clatter, to which you raise your eyebrow to him. “I’ll make sure everything's fine later, I don’t give a shit right now. I need you; we need you.”

Viktor hums in agreement as precum is smeared into your skin while being pulled  by your hips so his hard length is pressed against your lower back. Jayce meets your lips in a teeth gnashing kiss while guiding your hand around him. You grunt as you’re then bent over while Viktor grips your ass and Jayce lightly pushes your head down, leaving open-mouthed kisses along his body from his neck to the tip of his cock.

You feel the warmth of Viktor’s body leave as he leans over to the bottom drawer of his desk where he retrieves a small bottle of lube. “You actually keep lube in the lab?” you ask in disbelief. “Well it started as something for our arms when they would get stuck in machinery, however I will not lie, after Jayce and I got together, We gave it some…alternative uses,” he rushed out, too preoccupied with coating himself with slick, then squeezing some between your legs. 

You spit into your hand before tightly grabbing a hold of Jayce by the base of his cock before sucking the tip into your mouth with a giggle. It takes every fiber in Jayce’s being to stop himself from fucking into your throat until he cums. With a shuttering moan, Jayce lets his head fall back, just to be met with you slowly bobbing your head down his length to his sac, where you are sure to hum for good measure. 

“Viktor, if you don’t start fucking them right now, I’m not gonna make it in time, and I’m gonna cum down their throat before you even get in.”

Needing no further reprimanding, Viktor slides into your heat with a groan. “Fuck, you are tight miláček, you are taking us so well. Our perfect little partner.”

They both begin to press as deep as they can into you as your eyes tear up at the penetration. Jayce pulls back just in time for you to gasp for breath and cough. “Was that too much, y/n?” You shake your head ‘no’ before grabbing his cock again. “Do it again,” you demand, only to be met with a harsh thrust from Viktor. 

“What was that? Use your manners or we will be forced to remind you of them,” Viktor threatens.

 “I don’t know Vik, I think that wouldn’t work,” Jayce smirks.

 “And why is that Jayce?”

“Because I think they would like the idea of being punished too much. It’s not a good punishment if they’ll just get pleasure out of it.” Jayce answers curtly over you.

“Fair deduction, but I bet we could think of some ways for them to learn some manners, for instance let us start with ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, yes?” 

Viktor snatches your arms by the wrists behind your back, using them as leverage to slam himself into you. “Beg him,” Viktor snarls. “Look at him and beg to suck his cock, miláček.”  Your moans bubble from low in your chest as Jayce grabs your chin in between his fingers. Eyes shining up to Jayces face reveal your wrecked composure as your eyes begin to roll into your head. A light slap to your cheek is your reward for not listening to instructions. “Viktor told you to do something y/n, be good and do it for us, yeah? You wanna be good for us don’t you, babe?” You quickly nod and whimper as Viktor’s thrusting increases in strength. 

“Please let me make you feel good Jayce. I wanna be good for you both. Please, you muster up for them. 

“I don’t know, what about you Vik? I think they can do better,” Jayce taunts as he glances up to Viktor as if they weren’t planning on railing you in the lab of all places. “I believe you are right Jayce,” Viktor returns as he slows down in tempo to a barely noticeable pace. Viktor bends over your back to place a kiss behind your ear. “Do you want to cum?” he asks innocently. Again, you nod frantically in response to his shameless questioning. Viktor then nips at your ear in response, “Use your words.” 

“Yes please, I wanna cum so bad, please,” you whine. “Don’t whine to me about it, Whine to him about it,” he states while looking from you to Jayce. Viktor pulls back as you gaze up at Jayce with hooded eyelids, tears slipping down your cheeks at the relentless teasing and overstimulation. “Please let me cum Jayce, I want to make you cum for me. I want us to cum together. I want you to fuck my throat, pleasepleaseplease,  Jayce please.” As soon as you get your last plead out, Jayce removes his hand from your jaw and curls it into the front of your hair, then shoves himself into your mouth, leaving you enough time to suck in a deep breath before moving his free hand to around your neck to feel himself push into your throat once more. Viktor took the hint to move again, setting a staccato pattern with a stressed grunt. 

It’s burning hot. The kind that makes you feel like you’re burning alive from the base of your abdomen. Everything is moving so fast yet not fast enough all at once, and it’s absolutely exhilarating. All around you, hands are pulling at your wrists for balance and leverage and your neck is being kneaded inside and out with Jayce’s cock and hands. Harmonious groans meet your ears that help to drown out your own muffled  keens of pleasure. Panting and skin slapping against one another can be heard echoing through the lab as it cuts through the air. 

“You’re so pretty when you beg, babe,” Jayce grits out through clenched teeth. “Y’know exactly what to say pretty baby, fuck.”

“Fuck yes, take us darling, take our cocks, just like that, yesyesyes so good for us fuck yes,” Viktor bellows as he thrusts faster and faster to match Jayce’s thrusts.

“I’m not gonna last much longer. I want to fuck my cum down your throat babe, fuck. Can I? Can I cum in your throat babe?” Jayce rambles above you to be met with your nodding and humming enthusiastically. With a few more deep thrusts, his seed paints thoat a creamy white as he groans into the humid air. Jayce pulls away and strokes himself through the aftershocks of orgasm as Viktor pounds into you from behind in pure desperation. He watches as Viktor moves both of your wrists into one hand and reaches between your legs to give you direct stimulation. The gasp of pleasure you let out causes both of the men to moan with you in tandem. 

“Vik, I’m gonna cum. Please let me cum, I’m begging you, please,” you cry as Viktor spears into you with a new found vigor.

 “Just hold on a little longer moje láska, I am close, I promise.” Viktor reassures you.

He slams into you one-two-three-four more times, “Cum for me můj miláček, cum for us darling,” he yells in the sex-scented lab. You let out a scream as you bounce back against him throughout your release as he continues fucking you through your orgasm. 

As all three of you come down from your highs, you slump against Viktor’s hold as Jayce finds the chair from beside the anvil for Viktor to rest in, while you stumble over to sit on the desk. While he’s up, Jayce retrieves a spare cloth from the one of the tables and begins to clean himself up before tending to your swollen, fucked out body. Once satisfied with the level of care he’s given you for now, he does the same for Viktor while he catches his breath. You take a deep breath and fall back against the desk with a dopey smile. “That was… wow.” Two chuckles fill the room in agreement.

After around twenty minutes of resting, the men (now fully dressed again) help to put your clothes back on before pulling you up and awake for the walk back to your shared apartment. It was safe to say that this would be something you revisited in the future; However, next time you three will have to remember to put the lube and rag back where they belong, and not left out for the next person to find.

[fullmetalpotterhead]

What are your top 10 favorite moments from the Heaven’s Official Blessing novel? :)

Oh god silver you can’t ask me that I don’t.

Okay. In no particular order I’ll try:

1. Lantern scene made me scream and have to get up to walk around so it has to be on here. Like yes it’s very romantic but ALSO it’s such a power move. No one expected XL to get a single lantern and he got more than anyone could remember being possible. The visual spectacle it must’ve made is also just *chefs kiss*. It’s XL’s reassurance that he’s truly not alone anymore.

2. “Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s such a simple thing to be happy, hahaha…” This one kills me because it’s just. It’s the crux of Hualian’s relationship for me. I got teary eyed just copy pasting that. It’s them teasing each other. It’s them laughing with each other. It’s the relief after a ‘separation’. It’s screaming into the void because it brings up so many emotions to me. It’s silly, it’s short, it’s undoubtedly precious though.

3. XL saying he’d rather be in constant pain than be away from HC in the Ghost King’s Birthday extra. Actually all of how that curse came out kills me. It confirms that everything reminds XL of HC and that he loves HC just as overwhelmingly as HC loves him. It’s so so so precious. (Of the extras I actually just adore this one the most. XL claiming he’s bad at sewing because he’s too manly, the fact that apparently throwing HC across the room is recognized foreplay for them???, the cuddles, HC’s utter joy at XL’s belt. All of it is so precious and makes it really clear what a normal Hualian week looks like)

4. Their first kiss as a couple. Right before they jump into the kiln when XL says it’s the first time they’ve kissed without excuses being there and he doesn’t know what to do with his hands and tries to run the other direction in his embarrassment later. The way HC is so happy and understands XL is just flustered. The way he plays up the spiritual energy excuse still. It’s cute.

5. “A clear and powerful voice in his heart told him that this man really took him for a god.” I think about this quote once a week. I don’t know how to explain this, if this quote doesn’t make you want to rip someone’s heart out I can’t help you.

6. “Cry out if it hurts.” This scene made me cry when I read it. It makes me even more emotional on rereads now that I’ve seen book 4. It’s just. The quiet acknowledgment that it’s okay to still ask for help or express your pain even if you’ve dealt with worse. The care. The tenderness. The intimacy….

7. When QYZ and LW come over for a meal and Hualian basically trick QYZ into eating some. It’s such a little thing, but the way they exchange looks after HC compliments the dish and they watch QYZ get curious? They FULLY know what they’re doing. They are menaces

8. “I don’t worship god. I am god.” If this scene doesn’t give you shivers I can’t help you.

9. XL eating melon seeds with the captured Yushi farmers while PM gets attacked by XJ. This is the height of comedy. I think it’s tied with “I don’t know if you all missed me, but I haven’t thought about any of you at all.” and I simply will not choose

10. “Sigh, it is rather hard work.” HC gets so spoiled mere hours into them officially being a couple and it’s so fucking funny. He learns quickly XL will let him get away with pretty much anything and I love that for them

[celinecooperjones]

Fluffy jopper fic/head cannon where they are lying in bed together after being intimate just talking having pillow talks and hopper is brining up the idea to Joyce of having a baby…

There’s a thin layer of sweat covering both of them, their chests rising and falling rhythmically as they try and catch their breath.

Hopper tugs the comforter over them, tucking it around Joyce’s backside and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his fingers running through her mussed hair.

“Mmm, good morning.” Hopper chuckles, the sound vibrating low in his chest.

Joyce giggles, burying her head into his shoulder in embarrassment. She had all but jumped his bones the second he had woken up, it was much too tempting now having him in her bed every night and day. “Not a bad way to wake up, huh?”

“Not at all, makes me look forward to waking up early,” he tilts his head to capture her lips and she looks towards the alarm clock on the nightstand. “How much time do we have?”

“About twenty minutes,” She informs him, snuggling into his warmth.

Twenty more minutes of peace and quiet before the kids would be up. Twenty minutes before they’d have to actually be parents and get themselves out of bed to make breakfast.

“Want me to make some coffee? We can drink it in bed.”

She thinks on it for a moment before shaking her head, her arms tightening around him. “As appealing as that sounds, I don’t plan on letting you out of this bed until I have to.”

“Is that right?” His voice is lower now, his lips nibbling along her neck. “And what do you plan to do with me while you’ve got me?”

“What we just got done doing,” She whispers huskily. “Unless you have other ideas. We could watch the news, do a crossword...”

He quiets her rambling teasing with a kiss. “I like your first option,” He opens his mouth for her, letting her tongue slide against his as she presses her body tighter to his.

His hand lazily dips around her, resting on her stomach when he pulls her impossibly closer. His thumb strokes along her soft skin, dipping into the divot of her navel as his thoughts take over.

Joyce seems to notice, his kisses having grown lazy and distant. “Hop? You with me?”

He shakes his head, breaking his daze. “Huh? Yeah, sorry,”

“What are you thinking about?” She wonders, her hand stroking the rough hair on his cheek.

“It’s silly.”

“I like silly,” She comforts. “Tell me.”

His eyes drift down to his hand on her stomach, focusing in on a cluster of freckles as he speaks the thought on his mind, the tips of his ears burning. “I was thinking about what it would be like if we had a baby.” He blurts, and Joyce’s eyes widen in surprise, she wasn’t expecting that. “Told you it was silly.”

“That’s not silly, Hop.” Joyce assures him. “It’s surprising, but it’s not silly. I didn’t think you would want another baby after…” She trails off, the topic of Sarah always a tough one, but he knows nonetheless. “And with El getting older.”

“It’s just a thought, Joyce, nothing I’ve thought about seriously.” He insists. “Let’s just forget it.”

He tries to kiss her again but she squirms away. “I want to talk about it,” Joyce tells him.

“You do?”

She smirks. “Hopper, you just said you’re thinking about having a baby with me. Yes, I want to talk about it.”

“The idea doesn’t completely freak you out?” He’s propped himself up on his elbow now but his hand continues to drift along her skin.

“I won’t lie, it makes me a bit nervous, but recently, with the kids getting older, I have thought about it.” She admits. “Not in depth or anything but there has been a nagging part of my brain that says, what if? Y’know?”

“Yeah, Joy, I know,” He smiles. “Maybe we should talk about it, I mean seriously talk about it. See if we still feel this way in a couple months.”

“You do realize if we were to have a baby together we’d be even more of a hot topic in the town’s gossip.”

“Ah, let’em talk,” Hopper decides, swiftly pulling Joyce back to him and kissing her soundly. “Our baby would be cute as hell.”

“It’d be a very hairy baby,” Joyce teases, fingers trailing over the thick patch of hair on his chest.

“And very short,” Hopper fires back, pressing a kiss to her nose. “I love ya, y’know that?”

Joyce just smiles stupidly at him, arms looping around his neck. “I had a feeling.”

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚! 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐳: 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, justifying, encouraging, nor promoting mafia behavior or lifestyle. This is all a work of fiction and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

Warnings: Suggestive themes but nothing too explicit, scenes containing violence and kidnappings.

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

Hongjoong could already sense that something was off the moment he noticed the door wasn't locked and even more worrying was the fact it was slightly ajar. Quickly taking out his gun just in case, he kicked open the door and widened his eyes as it appeared like some struggle took place. Chairs were turnt over, busted picture frames and glass scattered across the floor, and even more terrifying, droplets of blood were seen.

"Y/N!" He quickly remembered about his spouse.

Running into the bedroom, it was in an even bigger disarray than the living room. On the bed, there was a note folded for him to read. Carefully opening it with trembling hands, his eyes took in each letter. Furiously, he crumbled up the paper and quickly dialed his most trusted friend.

"Get the squad ready."

Although you expected that sooner or later you'd be targeted just for the fact you were married to Hongjoong, nothing could have prepared you for it. After all, Hongjoong didn't seem to care much about you, treating your marriage strictly like a business deal and hardly interacting with you. It wouldn't have surprised you if he didn't even care enough to show up and save you.

But you were wrong when he broke in himself and got you safely out of there, despite having suffered quite a few injuries that had you worrying.

"Stop fretting over it, it's just a scratch." He told you when you tried to wipe the blood trickling down the side of his head wound.

"I'm sorry......you're hurt because I-"

"No one is to blame here but me. I chose to go after you and rescue you because I wanted to. If anything, I should be apologizing for getting you in this situation in the first place."

Sighing softly, you tugged at the dirtied sleeves of your shirt.

"It's not like it's really your fault. We were thrown together and naturally they thought they could get the upper hand if they captured me. And to be honest.....you didn't have to save me. I know you don't care about-"

With a loud gasp, you shut up when Hongjoong unexpectedly sat up and kissed you. You were stunned to react and even more shocked by his next words.

"I always cared. And that's precisely why you were kidnapped. From the start, I acted as if I didn't care about you to protect you. They would have never taken you if they thought that I had no regards for you whatsoever. However, I obviously couldn't hide my feelings that well, given the taunting letter they left me. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to get you back to me as soon as possible."

Kissing the top of your forehead, Hongjoong smiled at you for the first time in your marriage life.

"And I'm happy to take you back to our home, where you rightfully belong."

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

Putting the finishing touches on your makeup and fixing your hair, you beamed with joy at your reflection in the mirror. You felt truly beautiful and walked out into the living room, where your handsome husband was currently on his phone, no doubt talking about some business things with Hongjoong. He seemed to always be busy, never having any time for anything else.

Including you, which somewhat hurt you.

"I'm ready." You told him, shyly tucking some of your hair behind your ear as you hoped he'd like the dress you were wearing, choosing a blue color since you knew it was his favorite.

"Ok. Go wait out in the limousine, I'll be there shortly."

Barely even giving you a glance, he dialed Hongjoong up and continued to further discuss some matters. Sighing softly, you walked rather disappointed out to the car, slamming the door behind you. When Seonghwa joined you a few minutes later, you didn't even care to hide your anger and frustration at him. You still had a scowling look on your face when you arrived at the party, not bothering this time to stick by Seonghwa's side like you usually did other times, playing the role of a perfect and loving wife. And Seonghwa neither noticed nor cared about it. In fact, he never really hid how little your marriage seemed to matter to him. Perhaps he treated it as any other business he owned.

"Such a pity to see such a beautiful lady look so down during such a lovely evening."

Recognizing the voice as Minho, a friend of Seonghwa, you forced a small smile.

"Not really much to be happy about really." You merely stated.

"Is your oh so loving hubby being the usual prince charming he is?" He rolled his eyes, knowing full well just like everyone else how he really treated you.

"What difference does it make? He'll never even look at me."

Unable to let the opportunity go to waste, even if it was his friend, Minho gently caressed your cheek.

"You know....... maybe you should stop trying so hard for a jerk like him....and maybe open your eyes to someone who actually knows you exist."

You were frozen when he leaned in to kiss you, then gasped loudly when none other than Seonghwa pushed him off you, sending Minho crashing onto one of the tables behind him.

"She is my wife! And the next time you touch her, I will cut your hand off!" He warned him.

You didn't even have time to process what was happening as Seonghwa dragged you outside, his grip on your wrist tight and fierce. When you reached the car, you were going to ask him what was going on but you had no time as he pressed you against the car and began to kiss you fervently and hungrily. You were left speechless and breathless, with your legs getting weak as he let out low snarls in between his kisses on your neck.

"Mine.......you're all mine."

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

Both Yunho and you were beyond nervous at this point, hell you actually felt somewhat terrified. You knew exactly what his parents wanted when they organized this 'family vacation'. This wasn't a getaway to spend time together and they made it obviously clear at dinner when you came back from the bathroom and overheard him arguing with his parents.

"You know I can't ask her to do that!" Yunho adamantly said.

"You've been married for over a year Yunho. It's time and you know it." His mother insisted.

"I will not impregnate her. Have you ever considered her feelings? Maybe she doesn't want kids. Maybe I don't want kids, have you ever thought of that?" He asked them, voice getting more agitated.

"It's both of your duties to produce heirs to keep control and stability in the organization. Your life is at risk on a daily basis. If you die with no children it'll only cause chaos and disruption." His father reminded him.

That was the one thing you dreaded facing since the day you said "I do", having to be forced to become nothing more than a baby maker. Yunho knew from the beginning how uncomfortable you were during your first night together, that's why he ended up sleeping in another room, as he had done every day afterwards, not wanting you to freak out and giving you your space.

But now you both stared at the single king sized bed in your hotel room, reality staring you in the face. Neither of you said a word as you took turns changing and getting ready to go to sleep in the bathroom, Yunho letting you go first. As you crept into the bed, your hands tightly held onto the blanket, your eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, unaware of anything until you felt the bed shift next to you. You inhaled sharply when you felt Yunho's fingers caress your hair.

"Y/N-"

"Just get it over with will you?! Just knock me up and make your parents happy. I don't care anymore."

Although you tried to sound strong, the tremble in your voice gave you away. You could feel tears starting to well up in your eyes. When Yunho moved to hover above you, you instantly shut your eyes, tears lightly spilling out. You could feel his breath ghost over your lips and then suddenly they moved as he planted the gentlest of kiss on your forehead.

"Good night my dear. I promise I won't take up too much space."

Confused you open your eyes and watched as Yunho turned on his side, facing away from you as he scooted to give you as much room as he possibly could.

"I don't...I don't understand why..." You didn't even know what you were asking at this point.

"I'm not going to be that asshole that will make you do something you're not prepared for. I respect, value and admire you too much to make you go through that. I'll just wait until you're ready."

You weren't going to deny that your heart fluttered at his words.

"But your parents-"

"They can suck it. I've lived this long, I think I'll be fine. They can wait like I'm willing to wait. The only downside is putting up with their bullshit and nagging for disobeying them...."

You could tell he was falling asleep by the way his voice started to mumble and lower in tone, and his tiny yawn made it more obvious. You were prepared for his cute tiny rambling but you didn't expect what he said next.

"But that's what I get for falling in love with you..."

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

Yeosang stared out the spacious window of his office, the glittering city lights looking as splendid as they did every night, bustling with sounds of the inhabitants coming out to party and overall enjoy life. They seemed to be mocking him, mocking him for being happy while he felt miserable and empty inside.

It had been hours since you had already left, your plane had probably already landed back to your hometown and you were now ready to settle into your new life....away from him. He couldn't stop replaying the argument you had just a day ago:

"Can't you at least pretend to care?" You spat out, dropping your fork against the plate of food in front of you.

"If you know what I'm like, why even ask?" Was his only reply.

"Yes I know what you're like! You're cold, stoic, soulless and have no regards for anyone's feelings but your own! Being married to you all these years, I know you better than anyone! But I'm sick of it. I'm sick of you not caring enough to even try." She could feel her voice starting to crack.

Letting out a deep sigh, Yeosang pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"From the beginning, you knew what you were getting in to. We didn't get married because we were a couple of lovestruck fools wanting to vow our lives to each other. Our parents arranged it and we had no choice. If you were stupid enough to catch feelings well then..."

Finally lifting his gaze to look at you, his eyes were unwavering as he coldly declared:

"That's not my fault. And you can't expect me to reciprocate your feelings when I don't even have any to begin with."

Not taking anymore, you began crying tears of heartbreak, anger, frustration and indignation all at the same time. Standing up, you firmly declared your intent of going back home, not willing to put up or stay with him anymore.

"Ok."

Not even a goodbye, a farewell or even another look at you. Those were his final words before you stormed out and made preparations to leave as soon as possible. Yeosang had spent the entire day pacing back and forth, unable to think or do anything except look at the clock almost every hour. He had been counting the seconds since your flight was scheduled to leave, that's how he knew you were home by then.

He cursed himself for being a coward. For not speaking up and telling you how much you actually meant to him, how scared he was of his feelings for you, and most of all, he hated himself for not running out to stop you. Now you were gone from his life forever........ unless....

"Get my plane ready."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

San and you didn't even meet each other until you were both standing at the altar, families ready to join together two criminal organizations to grow their power even further. Both of you looked at each and instantly felt what the other was feeling: shock, denial, insecurity, but most of all, fear. Both of you were afraid of what was going to happen. Though he was trembling just as much as you, San made sure to reach for your hand, squeezing it in his own. With that small gesture, you knew and felt what he was silently saying:

"We're going to get through this together. Just trust me and believe in me. I'll take care of you. You're not alone in this and I'll be right there by your side."

You two got along fairly well, even if there was still awkwardness between the two of you. You were both also still shy around each other that you wouldn't talk unless it was necessary or because something caught one or the other's attention and wanted to share their thoughts out loud, which the other one would try to enthusiastically add on to converse more, but it always ended in awkward laughter.

Yeah. It was extremely awkward. But at least there was no hostility between you two and you guys did enjoy watching movies together at times, hardly speaking a word, but there was no silence at all. You could read each other's minds and feelings all the time. It was truly strange how in tune your thoughts seemed to be at times and scary too. Your mind began to recall times when strange things happened like the time you were craving a certain food and coincidentally, San came later with the exact same food because he got a feeling you wanted some. Or the time you were supposed to go visit extended family but in the end didn't get on the train and went straight home because you felt San needed you. He thought you were crazy, but later that night he was burning up with a fever and you spent your weekend nursing him back to health.

"What did this all mean?" You both thought to yourselves.

"A soulmate is someone that just gets you. It's a connection of minds, a mutual respect, an unconditional love and a total understanding. It's about being yourself and knowing, not only that person is following and understanding your thoughts, but is right there with you, side by side." The actress in the movie you were watching said.

Suddenly everything seemed to click. At the moment both of you felt like the answer to your questions were finally answered. Slowly you both turned and faced one another. Giving you a warm smile as he read your thoughts, San leaned in to cup your cheek with one hand, his thumb drawing circles around it. Brushing his lips against yours, he sighed blissfully as he looked in your eyes.

"My lovely soulmate..."

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

When Mingi met you, he was sort of put off by how different you were from him.

"Hi! I'm Y/N, your soon to be wife but please don't think of me as that if you don't want to. Think of me as your friend. I just know we'll get along!"

You were actually squealing and wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug, almost bouncing up and down with joy while Mingi just stood there stiff as a pole, wondering what the hell made you be so happy and cheerful like that.

"Ok.....ok got it, you can let go now." He tried to squirm out of your embrace, but you merely tightened your grip on him causing him to let out a harsh "oof!" at your strength.

"For such a tiny person, you sure aren't weak." He pointed out.

Married life with you for Mingi was...... different to say the least. He was used to such a gloomy, dark and hostile environment that having a tiny bubble bursting with energy was unusual and not something he was accustomed to. You always greeted him with such enthusiasm and happiness, not to mention you were such a caring housewife, always feeding him and taking care of him. Sometimes Mingi questioned whether you've ever seen the harsh side of the mafia world. Judging by your love for life and others, he guessed no.

And his assumptions were correct when you both were at a party held by some of his other mafia friends. Taking advantage of the occasion, rival gangs infiltrated the building. Storming in, explosions went off in several places, and gun shots were being fired at all directions. Mingi quickly jumped up and tackled you onto the ground, covering your body from the bullets that were being poured out. Taking your hand, he told you to stay down as he safely guided you out of the hall. Once you guys were far away, he quickly sprung up, pulling you up with him as he began running towards the nearest exit, pulling out his hidden gun just in case. You were in shock, even more when you guys passed a couple of dead bodies in the hallway. Feeling sick, you don't even remember how Mingi managed to get you both out of there alive and in one piece before the entire place burst into flames. Staring at the raging fire, you felt like you couldn't breathe, desperately trying to gasp for air.

"Honey, look at me. Look at me ok? You're safe. You're all right and you're going to be all right. Nothing is going to happen to you ok?"

You nodded, trying to choke back tears and forcing a smile on your face, but ultimately failing. Seeing you break down, Mingi immediately pulled you into his arms, his fingers running through your hair as he felt his heart break. You were such a fragile, sensitive and extremely precious person to him. He couldn't bear to see his ray of sunshine and hope in his dark world break down in front of him. He knew had to protect you at all costs and take care of you.

"It's ok my darling angel. I won't let any harm come to you. I swear on my life I'll protect you."

Wiping your tears away, he kissed the top of your head and smiled warmly at you.

"Come on. I'll take you home and have one of those cuddling sessions you always enjoy having."

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

You wanted to die, and that wasn't an understatement. You felt utterly humiliated at the fact your parents actually sold you into marriage to some mafia lord's son to pay off their debts. You didn't even have time to process anything, one day you were just bound and stuffed into the back of a car and soon found yourself inside a grand old mansion. You felt alone and scared, unsure of what was going to happen to you. And you were beyond trembling when you met your future husband, expecting some evil and sadistic man when in reality:

"Hi! I'm Jung Wooyoung, your soon to be husband and I can tell we're going to be really happy together!"

He greeted you with just a charismatic enthusiasm, eyes practically beaming when he first saw you.

"Hi, I'm L/N Y/N, the girl that's going to be caged to you for life......or death. Whichever comes first."

He laughed at that, coming closer and squeezed your cheeks.

"You're so cute, I'm already in love with you."

Love? You seriously thought he was insane. You certainly didn't fall in love with him at first sight. And even after months of being married to him, you still didn't felt love towards him, even though Wooyoung tried anything and everything to not only make life easier for you, but in hopes of getting you to reciprocate his feelings.

"Hey Y/N. Look! I got you a present! Open it. I know you'll love it."

You groaned at the thought of another expensive present being given to you. You felt bad that he went through all these troubles when they'd all end in vain. Peeling the ribbon off the huge box, you didn't even get to open the box since the Welsh Corgi inside jumped out and tackled you to the ground. You couldn't help but giggle when it began licking your face, its tail wagging out of joy.

"I knew you'd like him. Now he can keep you company so you won't be lonely while I'm gone."

Rolling your eyes, you couldn't let the opportunity pass to poke fun at him.

"Who said I was even going to miss you?" You chuckled, petting the dog's head.

"You never know." Wooyoung insisted.

Leaving you for 5 months, you couldn't believe you actually started to miss his obnoxiously loud presence. Sure your puppy kept you complaining and cuddled you, but it wasn't the same. You hated to admit it....

But you actually wanted Wooyoung to come back and smother you with what you always referred to as his annoying affection.

Opening the front door, Wooyoung called out that he was home. He smiled when he was greeted by his furry friend rather enthusiastically. But he was not expecting for you to run out and jump at him, your arms wrapping around his neck. Although he stumbled slightly, he made sure to catch you, your legs wrapping around his waist.

"Y/N are you-?"

He widened his eyes when you crashed your lips on his, kissing him as if your life depended on it. Once getting over the shock, he had a smug grin as he kissed you back.

"Told you you'd miss me."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

Jongho terrified you. From day one, you were intimidated by him. He always had a blank expression, hardly talked and he had a reputation for being brutally strong. Obviously you felt like you were walking on eggshells around him, afraid to piss him off. Anytime he called out to you or came near you, your body would jump.

"Y/N..."

Shrieking, you turned around when you felt his hand brush against your lower back. Tilting his head, he raised an eyebrow at your reaction.

"I needed something from the cabinet."

Without breaking eye contact, his hands gripped your waist as he slightly moved you to the side, fingers digging into your skin. After having gotten what he wanted, his thumb poked your nose as he winked at you.

"Thanks doll."

You swore he was teasing you. He'd purposefully use any occasion to show off his strength to you, his favorite being cutting up wood in the yard with an axe. You couldn't help but stare at his arms that were visible due to him wearing a sleeveless shirt. When he noticed you staring, he sent a smug smile your way which caused you to blush and you immediately retreated back inside the house.

There was also the time he accidentally walked in on you changing. There you were, standing in nothing but your lacy underwear set, for some reason not embarrased or hiding yourself as Jongho inhaled deeply as his eyes raked your body. Subtly biting his lips, he apologized before reluctantly leaving the room.

Both of you were frustrated by that point, tired of the light teasing. Jongho was the one who decided to put a stop to it one night he came home from a mission. He had been badly hurt and you, worrying about him, sat him down to tend to his wounds. It was a struggle since he had to remove his shirt and you were blushing violently, eyes always looking away.

"It's ok doll. I'm your husband...you can look at me."

His hands that were holding onto your arms began caressing your elbows, subtly pulling you closer to him without you noticing until you were firmly planted on his lap.

"Do you want me my little doll?" He asked you, voice in a low whisper as his breath fanned over your lips.

"Cause I've wanted you since the first day I laid my eyes on you."

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.