#But I’ve seen the take pop up more and more that she should “talk to and learn from five pebbles to be more assertive” or w/e

[raining-its-pouring]

A little tired of people saying Moon can’t stand up for herself. Like yeah I think one of the flaws she has is she is too lenient and forgiving, but also in her situation it’s VERY HARD not to be. And it’s very situational, usually manifesting with Five Pebbles.

She stops talking to you if you annoy her enough, and only starts again if you win her back over. You have to put in the work. She isn’t “rolling over” and letting things happen to her, despite the fact that she is in absolutely no position to bargain. As stated by her, her kindness and her words are the ONLY thing she has. So her taking those away from you, the player, is absolutely her standing up for herself.

Everyone brings up how she handles Five Pebbles (esp the comms thing) and it is incredible to me just how many people lay this entirely at her feet when the game states over and over again that even despite Moon’s intentional feather-light influence over him, he still resents her for being his superior. He seeks out a mentor who is her opposite.

He wants to be something more than what he is, wants to be detached from her, and she can’t do anything about that but do the best she can to exert as little influence over him as possible.

She is stuck between a rock and a hard place here, and was betting on her kindness to have fostered enough mutual respect that she wouldn’t have to resort to forced communications. She was wrong. He was driven by fierce desperation, something that she wasn’t privy to. And she paid for it.

Yes, this is a flaw of hers. But it’s not a universal one. (the rest of the iterators look to her for help- she’s the group senior for gods sake- and people act like she can’t take a stand) I genuinely doubt Moon would’ve waited so long to used forced comms if it were happening to anyone else. If it were being committed by anyone else. And that just makes the tragedy even sweeter.

[ahsokaismyqueen]

Kindergarten Chaos Pairing - Tyler Owens x Teacher!Reader Summary - When you joked that Tyler should come talk to your class of kindergartners about the weather, you didn't expect him to actually want to do it. Of course, you didn't expect him to make a confession in front of them either. Word Count - 2.3k Warnings - Hi, yes, it's me. I hope you all accept my apology for my absence with this nothing but fluff Tyler fic. <3

The closer that the clock ticked to 12:00, the more nervous you became. You were still debating whether this was a good idea. You and Tyler had been dating for a little over seven months now. When you had joked about him coming to talk to your kindergartners about the weather, you hadn’t expected him to take it seriously. Instead of thinking it was a joke though, Tyler got excited. He wanted to do it. In fact, he said it sounded fun. 

You weren’t sure how fun he was going to find it when twenty-three tiny humans surrounded him, tugging on his shirt sleeves, asking whether he’d ever flown into a tornado, and inevitably, way too many questions about his personal life. 

With a groan, you buried your face in your hands. At least this would be a good endurance test of your relationship. If he could handle this, you had no doubt he could handle anything. 

At that moment your phone rang, and your heart skipped a beat when the secretary’s name popped up on the caller i.d. “Hello?” You answered. 

Her voice was low, amused. “You know I’m happily married, but my God, that man is gorgeous. Congratulations, honey.” 

You laughed, the tension cracking a bit. “He’s here?” 

“Sent him down to your room. I just had to call. And like I said - congrats.” She said, and you heard her let out a sigh. “That’s one handsome cowboy.” 

You shook your head at her shenanigans, but a smile formed on your face, because as nervous as you were about this whole thing, you were excited to see him too. “Thanks, I’ll make sure he stops by when he leaves and gives you an autographed picture.” You teased her. 

“I know you’re joking, but I’m not. Please do. I want something pretty to hang on my bulletin board.” 

Before you could reply, there was a knock on your door, and through the window, Tyler’s familiar smile greeted you - sunny and relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world. 

“I’ll make sure you get one, I promise.” You said with another laugh. “But I gotta go.” You hung up and practically floated to the door, opening it with a grin. “Hi.” 

“Hi,” Tyler said, and to your utter delight, pulled out a bouquet of orchids. “These are for you.” 

Touched, you took them from him, and inhaled the calming scent. “You didn’t have to do that.” You said, but held them close to your chest. 

“I haven’t seen you in two weeks.” He said, his voice low. “I’ve got some making up to do.”

Glancing down the hallway, you tugged on the front of his shirt, pulling him into your classroom and closing the door behind you. “Well, my students will be back in . . .” You peeked around his shoulder to glance at the clock. “Three minutes. So if there’s anything else you want to make up for . . .”

Tyler’s smile turned into a smirk as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against him. “I can think of a couple of things.” He said, and leaned down to meet your lips in a sweet kiss. 

It was chaste, a brush of lips, but even that was enough to set your nerves alight and ground you all at once. Kissing Tyler always had that effect: calm and fire, all rolled into one. 

When he pulled away, slow and reluctant, you let out a soft sigh and wrapped your arms around him, resting your head on his chest. “I’ve missed you.” 

You felt his lips press against the top of your head and smiled when his arms tightened around you. “I guarantee you not as much as I missed you. I still can't believe how those storms were forming back to back, nonstop.” 

“They made for some beautiful shots, though.” You said, leaning back enough to meet his eyes. “Last I checked the views were in the hundred thousands. Even though that one near Enid almost gave me a heart attack.” 

HIs expression sobered, and his eyes drifted, like he was seeing it again. “Yeah, those night tornadoes are the worst. We were lucky. I’m glad we got as many people out as we did.” He said, then his gaze came back to you, giving your hip a squeeze. “You know I won’t be mad if you stop watching the lives, right?” 

 You gasped in mock outrage. “No way. I have to keep my position as the number one wrangler fan.” 

Tyler laughed, shaking his head “I don’t think anyone’s trying to steal-”

The door to your classroom burst open, and within seconds you were surrounded by five year olds all asking: a. if they could go to the bathroom, b. what you guys were going to be doing now, or c. who that man was. 

You glanced at Tyler, half-expecting to see panic on his face, but he was grinning at you like this was the best part of his day. “Okay everyone!” You said over the noise. “Remember how I told you we’d have a special visitor today? This is Mr. Owens, and he’s going to talk to us about the weather!” 

One of your little girls, Chloe, pointed straight at the flowers still in your hands. “Did he bring you flowers?” 

Heat rushed to your face as you glanced down at the bouquet you’d forgotten you were holding. “Chloe-”

But Tyler answered her before you could. “I sure did. You should always bring someone flowers when you’ve missed them.” 

“Hey! You’re on her happy wall! Look!” One of your students grabbed Tyler’s arm and started dragging him to the collage behind your desk, a display that was covered in pictures. Some were of your students, others were places you traveled, family, and friends. “See! You’re right there!” You heard your student say, pointing at a specific picture. 

You couldn’t help but smile when you looked at it. The picture was one of your favorites. It had been taken over the summer when you were hanging out with the crew. Boone had snapped it at the perfect moment, and you’d loved it ever since. You were leaning against Tyler, laughing, your head tipped back against his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around you, and he was looking at you, not at the camera, with a soft, beaming expression. 

Glancing over, you saw Tyler staring at the photo too, a quiet smile tugging at his lips. Then he turned back to the student. “A happy wall, huh?” 

Ryan nodded, still holding Tyler’s hand. “She says it’s pictures that make her smile when she looks at them.” 

“All right,” you said, cheeks still burning. “Let’s all go to the carpet so Mr. Owens can tell us all about his job!” You ushered all the kids to their assigned carpet spots at the front of the room, giving Tyler a smile when they were all sitting on their dots, wiggling but attentive, waiting for him to start.

You should’ve known that he would be incredible at this. 

Within five minutes not only were the kids captivated, but you’d somehow found yourself on the carpet too, with one of your kindergartners in your lap. Tyler was so engaging. In fact, that was one of the first things that you had noticed about him when the two of you had met. Every time you saw him interact with someone though, you were reminded of it again. 

But watching him with your students? That was next level heart melting. 

Sometimes when you had guests, you could tell that they weren’t used to being around kids, and didn’t quite know how to talk to them. Tyler however, was a natural. He made it easy for them to understand what he was saying, made the science sound like magic, brought out some pictures for them to look at, and even did a little demonstration with two bottles and some food coloring. The kids gasped like he’d summoned a tornado right there in the classroom.

It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen, and if you hadn’t already been completely in love with him, this would have sealed the deal. 

Then he made the classic rookie mistake, the one every non-teacher makes. 

Tyler asked if they had any questions. 

You let out a sigh, knowing there was no stopping the tidal wave now. But you couldn’t help but smile as Tyler took it all in stride, Fielding every off topic, wildly imaginative question they threw at him from, “Do clouds have bones?” to “Can tornadoes eat sharks?” with patient good humor. 

It wasn’t until little Chloe raised her hand that you realized you should have stopped this long ago. 

“Do you love our teacher?” She asked, her big eyes shining with innocent curiosity. 

You froze. 

Oh no. 

That was not how you wanted that conversation to come up. “Oh, would you look at that guys?! It’s time for us to-”

“I do.” Tyler interrupted before you could finish your sentence. His eyes were directly on you even as he put a hand up, mock whispering to the class, “but I haven’t told her that yet, so shhhh!” 

Your heart stopped, then picked up at double speed. You barely had time to process what he said when another student, oblivious to the emotional bomb that had just been dropped, blurted out:

“When you two get married, are you gonna be Mr. Teacher instead of Mr. Owens?” 

“Recess!” you shouted, louder than you meant to. “Time for recess, everyone!” 

The class erupted into cheers and scrambled to line up. As they did, one voice called out from the back: 

“Can Mr. Owens go to recess with us?” 

“Please, Mr. Owens! Pleeeease!” came the chorus of tiny voices, rallying like a flash mob. 

You turned to look at Tyler. He wore that grin, the one that melted your common sense and made you fall in love with him a little more every time. Like the kids, you couldn’t help but want him to stay. “Mr. Owens is more than welcome to come if he’s not too busy.” You said. 

He didn’t even pause. “I’d love to.” 

————————

“Where on Earth did you find him?” Your friend asked you, staring at Tyler across the playground. 

He was manning the tire swing, spinning it with enough gusto to make the kids shriek with laughter. When one group stumbled off like dizzy little ducklings, another was already in line, hopping in place with excitement. Tyler didn’t miss a beat, steadying each kid, laughing with them, listening to their stories like they were the most important thing he’d heard all day. “At a bar on a bachelorette trip.” You said, smiling at the memory. 

“Does he have a brother?” She teased, bumping your shoulder. 

You laughed, shaking your head. “Nope.”

Then your eyes returned to the man surrounded by children, who looked like he belonged in the middle of all that joy

Softly, with a smile you didn’t even try to hide, you said, “You know, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.” 

“Have you told him yet?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. 

“I haven’t,” Tyler looked up and met your gaze, his smile hitting you like a spark. His words from earlier echoed in your mind. “But I think I’m going to.” Glancing around the playground, you found the perfect person to deliver your message. “Chloe! Come here, please!” 

The little girl darted over from the slide, face flushed from playing. 

“Can you give Mr. Owens a message for me?” You asked her, crouching down. 

She nodded, practically bouncing, excited to be given a special job. 

You leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Tell him that I love him too.” 

Her brow furrowed for a moment, but then her face lit up. She took off running, beelining for Tyler. You watched her tug at his pant leg, and he gave her that charming smile, then bent to listen. 

She whispered in his ear. His eyes locked on yours from across the playground, and you watched as his brows knit in confusion. He nodded at Chloe as she grinned at him, then took off back to you. 

“I told him!” She declared. 

But Tyler was still looking at you, his expression puzzled. Something wasn’t right. 

You braced yourself. “What exactly did you say, Chloe?” 

“That you loved his shoes too!” 

Next to you, your coworker choked on a laugh. 

You resisted every urge you had to face palm. 

“You should have seen that one coming.” Your friend said, trying and failing to hide her smile. 

She wasn’t wrong. 

Ten minutes later you were lining the kids up to go inside, and as embarrassed as you were, you couldn’t help but smile as you felt a warm hand rest low on your back. 

“I didn’t know you liked these boots so much.” Tyler said, voice teasing as he leaned in close.

Heat flushed your cheeks. “Well, I mean . . . I am a sucker for a good pair of cowboy boots.” You stammered, avoiding his gaze.

“You sure that’s what you were trying to say, sweetheart?” He asked, sending a grin over to one of your students waving goodbye. 

You smoothed your hair and glanced over at your friend, holding up a finger to signal one more minute. “What else would I have been trying to say?” You asked, feigning innocence. 

“You tell me.” 

His eyes were warm, steady and full of the kind of affection that made your knees weak. You let yourself hold his gaze this time, and your voice softened. “Why don’t I tell you tonight?” 

“After I take you out?” 

“Oh? You’re taking me out?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“Yes ma’am.” Tyler said, stepping closer, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I’ve got a lot of making up to do, remember?” 

Your smile turned to a full grin at his words, and the chaos of the day melted a little. “I’ll clear my schedule.” 

Tyler’s smile in return was all mischief. “I just have one request.” 

He reached over to hold the door open for you, and used the moment to lean down and whisper in your ear.

“Make sure you wear some really nice shoes.”

[girlinterupptedsblog]

Mine, Even If You Don’t Know It

Pairing: possessive-best-friend Rafe x reader

Summary: rafe hates the fact you are talking to new guy. So when he gets chance takes your phone and calls it off with the guy. Bwhinde your back.

The sun had been relentless all day, baking your skin as you lounged beside the pool. Rafe had been in and out of the water, but you preferred soaking up the warmth, only dipping your feet in when it got too hot. You two had spent the whole day together, just like always—laughing, teasing, bickering. It was effortless.

Except, something was different today.

Rafe had been quieter than usual. Not distant, just… distracted. His jaw clenched every time your phone vibrated. And it had been vibrating a lot.

He knew why. He always knew everything about you. That was the thing about being best friends with Rafe Cameron—there were no secrets. Not because you told him everything, but because he found out.

This new guy—Jake, Jason, something like that—had been texting you for days, and Rafe had seen it. He'd caught glimpses over your shoulder, the way you smiled at your screen, the way you typed fast, fingers hesitant but excited. It pissed him off more than it should have.

Now, you got up, stretching lazily. "I gotta pee," you announced, setting your phone down on the lounge chair. "Be back in a sec."

Rafe didn’t respond. Just watched you walk inside, eyes tracking every step. The second the door shut behind you, he moved.

Water dripped off his body as he climbed out of the pool, barely bothering to dry his hands before grabbing your phone. His thumb swiped up. No password. Rookie mistake, sweetheart.

He went straight to the messages.

Jason: Had fun last night. When am I seeing you again? ;)

Jason: Damn, you’re really ignoring me now? That’s cold.

You: Sorry, I’ve been out all day. Maybe this weekend?

Jason: Can’t wait ;)

Rafe scoffed. His grip on your phone tightened. Can’t wait? The fuck did that mean? What exactly had you done last night? You hadn’t mentioned anything to him about this.

His pulse hammered as he tapped the call button before he could stop himself.

It rang twice before the guy picked up. "Hey—"

"You’re done talking to her." Rafe’s voice was low, even. But there was an edge to it, sharp enough to cut.

"...What?"

"You heard me," Rafe said, his grip on the phone tightening. "She’s taken. Stop texting her."

A pause. Then, laughter. "Taken? Dude, she didn’t say anything about a boyfriend."

"Yeah? Well, she wouldn’t. But she is. And if I see your name pop up on her phone again, we’re gonna have a fucking problem."

Silence.

Rafe smirked. Smart guy.

He hung up and quickly deleted the call log. Then, for good measure, he went back into your messages, blocking Jason’s number before placing the phone back exactly where you left it.

By the time you stepped outside, Rafe was back in the pool, arms resting along the edge, looking as unbothered as ever.

You picked up your phone, checking it absentmindedly before frowning. "What the hell?"

"What?"

You looked at him, confused. "Jason blocked me?"

Rafe blinked, playing dumb. "Damn. Sucks for him."

You huffed, tossing your phone down with an annoyed sigh. "God, guys are so weird."

Rafe chuckled. "Yeah," he agreed, smirking as he dunked his head back in the water. "They are."

[sunkissedleira]

Home is in Your Arms

Pairings: BratTamer!Zayne x Bratty!Reader (f)

Summary: Zayne and you have spent the last few weeks apart due to conflicting, busy schedules. Tonight is fully dedicated to each other and catching up on all that missed time.

Content Warnings: 18+; MDNI; reader is an office worker; Tara makes a brief appearance; mentions of Nero; busy schedules; tons of teasing; fluff; domesticated life; established relationship; grinding; cunnilingus; missionary sex; dirty talk; reader being a brat; Zayne being a tamer :P; creampie; post-orgasm cuddling; L-bombs; probably missing other tags, I apologize; 5.4k words

Notes from Leira: Ya girl is a wee bit nervous about dropping this little number since it's my first time posting my writing on Tumblr in manyyy years, but I felt pretty good about how well I think it turned out. I hope whoever's eyes, if any, are pleased <3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is no greater feeling than clocking out on a Friday. Especially after a grueling week full of early mornings and even later nights. Overtime truly isn’t for the weak. With a tired sigh, you gather up your work bag and turn the light off in your cubicle.

“Let’s get out of here before something else comes up.” A voice pipes up behind you, and you turn to see Tara. Your friend and fellow coworker is playfully looking around, as if waiting for the boogeyman to appear. “If I get another email about the Calico presentation, I’m not gonna be responsible for my actions.”

You smile, slinging your work bag over your shoulder and leading the way to the elevators. You hit the down button and lean on the wall. “After next Wednesday, we’ll be free women. The projects will be done and we’ll be transitioning out of the busy season. We just gotta keep it together until then.”

A small pout forms on Tara’s red-tinted lips. “What if I have Nero plant a virus in the mainframe and just destroy the entire system?”

The elevator pings before you could answer, and the two of you step inside. Tara taps the button for the lobby. “I didn’t know you hated Nero enough to get him fired. A shame too, I always liked him.”

Tara giggles, digging around in her bag to retrieve her phone. “So, what are your plans for the weekend? There’s a food festival in Azure Square tomorrow, but I might be too tired to go.”

You hum softly to yourself. “I’m not sure. I think I’ll take it easy and stay inside this weekend. I feel like I’ve seen the walls of my cubicle more than my room lately.”

“You’re not gonna spend some time with your hot doctor?” Tara teases as the doors open into the lobby. “With all the OT you’ve been clocking and his infamous busy schedule, I assumed you’d be inside his skin all weekend, God willing.”

A snort from you as you both head towards the revolving front doors and exit your office building onto the streets of downtown Linkon. You make your way toward the train station, pulling out your phone. Even if she was joking, Tara was correct. With your recently conflicting schedules, you hadn’t been able to see your favorite doctor in over two weeks. “You make a good point. Give me a second.”

“Take your time. I’m gonna run in here and grab some snacks for later.” Tara makes a detour into a convenience store and your park yourself on a nearby bench, placing your ringing phone to your ear.

Just when you think you’ll have to leave a message, the line opens. “Good evening, Miss. Salarywoman.”

Before you realize it, you’re grinning from ear to ear at that familiar soft-spoken voice. “Good evening, Dr. Zayne. Are you busy?”

There’s an small, amused hum from him at the use of his title. “I just arrived back to my office to finish some paperwork. Are you on your way home?”

“I am,” you nod, “I was debating if I should pop up at the hospital, so we could go home together. Is the paperwork more important than me?” The pout in your tone is loud and clear.

Zayne chuckles. “The paperwork is quite important,” he responds slyly. “However, you know you are my most important priority. I’ll see you when you arrive. Be safe.”

Another dazzling smile lights up your face. “Yes, sir.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking into Akso Hospital, you bask in the cool air caressing your heated skin. As the seasons change and the weather heats up, you really begin to question your decision to not buy a car when you moved into the city.

But, why spend all that money when the train worked just fine and when you could always ride passenger-princess style in Zayne’s car. As you breeze through the hallways, you greet a couple of familiar faces. Dr. Greyson greets you with a knowing smile and a quick side hug.

“You didn’t hear it from me, but our dear Dr. Zayne is definitely in need of his Vitamin You fix. Your timing couldn’t be better,” Greyson teases.

You smirk, playfully hitting Greyson’s shoulder as you continue your walk. “Don’t worry, Greyson. I’m clocking in for the night shift as we speak.” Greyson’s light laughter echoes gently in the quiet hallways as you go your separate ways.

Moments later, you reach Zayne’s office door. The anticipation of finally seeing him after so long wins out against using your manners to knock and notify him of your presence. Instead, you barge right in.

He's seated at his desk, glasses in place, and fingers flying across the keyboard with quick and precise taps. He doesn’t speak as you shut the door behind you and approach him.

You quietly sit on the edge of desk and take a look around. His office is neat, not a pen out of place. The bratty urge to start rearranging everything to mark your presence begins to bubble in your stomach, but you remain still.

Instead, you pick up a framed photo near your hand. It’s not like you’ve never seen the photo before, in fact you have a copy on your own desk. Any time you can encapsulate the love and affection that beam through the quiet man’s expressive eyes whenever he’s genuinely happy, you take full advantage. Your smile is bright in the photo; his face is partially hidden in your hair, but the joy in his bright hazel eyes is evident.

You place the photo back down and shift your gaze to the real-life man in front of you. To your surprise, he’s already staring back at you. Hazel eyes beaming with amusement with his arms across his chest.

“Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane?”

You wrinkle your noise playfully and cross your legs. “Always. But, I’ve been up and down memory lane so much these few weeks, I’m sure the soles of my shoes have been worn away.”

The amusement in Zayne’s eyes fades into something softer. Without a word, he takes your hand and gently pulls you into his lap. With his arms wrapped tightly around you, he buries his nose into your hair and breathes in deeply. You can feel his body relaxing as he slowly exhales. “I missed you too…” His voice is almost silent in the quiet room.

Neither of you speak. You just allow yourselves to savor the warmth and presence of the other after being apart for so long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exiting the hospital, your hand is tightly gripping Zayne’s as you follow a half-step behind him towards his parked car. As you walk, you’re chattering away about your current projects at work and all the overtime you’ve had to clock. Zayne listens patiently, humming in acknowledgement to show he’s actually listening.

At the car, he opens the door for you and protects your head as you slide into the seat. Before you can do it yourself, he leans in close and buckles your seatbelt.

A cheeky smile spreads across your face. “Dr. Zayne is aware that I’m fully capable of buckling my own seatbelt, correct?” You can’t help the sarcastic remark.

“He does, indeed,” Zayne’s signature smirk graces his face. He’s still close enough that you can smell the sweetness of candy on his breath. “But, he wants to do it anyway. And he knows you’ll be good and let him.” Soft lips brush across your nose and then the door shuts.

Badump. Badump. Badump. Badump.

A slow, deep inhale to slow your heart. You watch Zayne cross in front of the car and slide into the driver’s seat. Once he’s safely buckled in, he glances over at you. “Ready?”

Words fail you for some odd reason, so you just nod. A sudden heat has cascaded over your body. Trying not to show it, you softly clear your throat and cross your ankles in front of you. Then, you do what you do best when you’re flustered. Deflect.

“Soooo,” you hum, turning your gaze towards the window, “I’ve told you all about what I’ve been up to. How was Dr. Zayne’s last few weeks?”

“You’re asking as if we haven’t been in contact every day.” He cruises easily through traffic, which is relatively heavy due the public’s rush to get home after a long day of work. “Do you want to pick something up for dinner? I can stop at that dumpling place you love.”

You can’t help but smile. Even still, the need to tease burns through you. “The dumpling place that I love, huh? You don’t like it?” You turn to face him, watching his handsome features remain calm and stoic despite your teasing.

“Their dumplings are very good. I especially like the dessert ones.”

“Of course you do,” you giggle loudly, earning a small smirk from him as he keeps his eyes on the road. Ever the safety tyrant. “The dumpling place sounds lovely.” You finally grace his proposed question with an answer. “And we’ll definitely need to get those dessert dumplings for my dear Dr. Zayne.”

You earn a chuckle this time, along with a slight shake of his head at your antics. “Definitely.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the dumplings secured in Zayne’s hands, you take the initiative to unlock the front door of his home. Kicking your shoes off, your socked feet pad softly against the hardwood floor towards the kitchen.

You flick on the lights and quickly wash your hands before you start digging around in Zayne’s fridge for drinks. You can hear Zayne unpacking the dumplings on the counter behind you. Drinks in hand, you bump the fridge door closed with your hip. “How tired are you, right now?”

Zayne glances up briefly, as he organizes the dumplings onto a matching set of plates. “Are you trying to make plans for after dinner or something?”

Setting the drinks down, you lean on the counter. “I’m just wondering how the night will play out. That’s all…”

Something about the way in which the words spill from your lips causes Zayne’s movements to slow to a stop. He gives you his full attention as he grips the edge of the counter and leans in closer to you.

He watches your eyes shift quickly down to his lips and back up to his eyes. He wonders if you even realize how much you’re giving away to him right now. Maybe you do and don’t care. It has been a few weeks since you two have shared a space, shared food, shared a bed…

He can’t help the smile that crosses his face. Instead of getting pulled into your orbit, he leans back and resumes his duty of organizing the dumplings onto the plates. Where’s the fun in just giving you what you when you want it?

“I’ll bring the food and drinks. Why don’t you go find us something to watch. We can finish that show we started a while back.”

Slightly thrown off by his dismissal, you find yourself in the living room and grabbing the remote to queue up the aforementioned television show. Throwing yourself on the couch, you can feel a particular emotion scratching up your throat. It takes a few seconds to register as frustration. The more time you spend in Zayne’s presence, the more the frustration begins to grow.

It’s been weeks since you were last together. Weeks since you felt his lips on your lips; his hands roaming your body as if every inch belongs to him (be real, it does); those eyes watching your every movement, cataloging every moan and whimper he pulls from the deep depths within you; his tongue—

“What are you doing?”

You physically startle at that voice. Looking up, you see Zayne eyeing you with an eyebrow raised. Coming out of your daze, you realize that you were staring blankly at the home screen of the streaming service. Remote poised to pull up that show. Frozen in time. You feel your face heat up immediately. “Uh, I, um…”

Sitting next to you, Zayne’s expression turns to a concerned one. His hands gently press against your cheeks and neck. Doctor mode activated. “You’re a little warm. Are you feeling alright?” His hand drops from your cheek to your neck, fingers brushing a particularly sensitive spot.

You squeak. Actually squeak. It shocks you and Zayne both. Covering your mouth, you shift away from him. “I didn’t mean to do that. You, um, your hand…I got ticklish.”

“Hm…” Zayne doesn’t speak. Those eyes slowly scan you from head to toe and your body temperature continues to rise. “Do you want some water?” He finally asks, hazel gaze meeting yours.

“Sounds good.” Your words are barely audible. It isn’t until he’s a safe enough distance away in the kitchen that you release a breath and slump into the cushions of the couch. You’re not even sure why you’re feeling so embarrassed. As you listen to Zayne pouring your cup of water, you finally queue up that show and pull your legs up onto the couch.

“Here, love,” his soft voice caresses your ear as he hands you the water from over your shoulder. You take it with a gentle “thank you” and he goes to turn off the lights. He sits close to you, placing your legs in his lap.

The silence that follows is one you’re familiar with. It’s comfortable, safe, soothing. So very Zayne. You eat and provide commentary during the show. Zayne chimes in every now and then, providing his own opinions of the show’s plot lines. You fall back into the domesticated routine you know so well with him. You finally feel home for the first time in weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the dumplings have been consumed, you snuggle closer to Zayne—feeling the need to be deeper within his presence. His arm slides around you, his nose burying itself in your hair, his body relaxing even further into the cushions. You know these signs as Zayne finally feeling home as well. His fingers, which have been slowly massaging your bare calf are now drawing light circles up and down your leg below your skirt.

Your throat is itching again. The frustration returning. You don’t move, waiting to see what he does next. The show is no longer important.

Zayne softly snuggles the top of your head and you feel him pull you closer. You’re not sure if it’s your individual body heat or the combined heat of you both, but you’re warm again. His touch is gradually becoming more and more distracting.

But, you notice, he’s not initiating anything. It’s as if he only wants to be close and feel your skin on his skin. Nothing more, nothing less.

The show continues, but you’re no longer watching. You’re plotting. Scheming. How can you get him to give you what you want without admitting anything?

Zayne’s certain you’re unaware of how obvious you’re being right now. He knows the show has long since lost its hold on you. He knows his caressing is sending you into a spiral. Your breathing has changed, it’s a little faster. Your thighs are pressed together. And you’ve been squirming in his lap for the last ten minutes.

A scheme is being plotted, for sure. But not yours. His.

He drops his head, bringing his lips down to your ear. As if by accident, but definitely on purpose, he gently brushes the shell of your ear. The light shudder that speeds down your spine is delicious. “You don’t seem to be paying attention anymore. Are you sleepy?”

The deep inhale and exhale you perform does not slip by unnoticed. Zayne’s opened a door for you. Admitting to being sleepy will mean this cuddle session can move into the bedroom. He’s almost made it too easy for you, honestly. “Yeah, I actually am. I guess all that OT is catching up to me.”

A proud hum settles in his chest. Good girl. “Let’s have a bath and get you into bed then, shall we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bath water is warm and far too relaxing. Zayne even added bubbles and dimmed the lights. You could almost fall asleep. Almost. If not for the large man whose solid, bare chest and a solid something else was pressing against your back. Whose strong, but gentle hands were sliding up and down your arms. Soft breaths brushing across your neck. There was no way you could actually relax. However, your torturer seemed almost in a daze as he rested against the side of the tub, legs spread to fit you perfectly in between.

Truth be told…he looked too serene. Looking over your shoulder, you’re met with his handsome face. His eyes are closed, jaw unclenched, eyebrows relaxed. He looked so peaceful, you actually second-guessed your next actions. You know how busy the hospital keeps him on a daily basis. He loves his job, there was no doubt in that, but it takes its toll. He even lost a patient last week. The first one in almost half a year.

That burning frustration begins to melt into guilt. Zayne was probably just trying to enjoy the first moment of peace he’s had in weeks, and you’ve been focused on how to jump his bones. Or rather…how to get��him to jump your bones. What a terrible girlfriend.

“Why don’t you just turn around, so you don’t have to keep breaking your neck to look at me.” His eyes don’t even open and he didn’t move a muscle, except for the miniscule smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

You flick water at him and turn around anyway, sitting fully in his lap now. His arms circle your waist and pull you closer. “Be honest, you have an extra set of eyes somewhere, don’t you?” You begin to playfully poke at his arms and chest.

Zayne keeps his eyes closed, but his smirk shifts into a smile. “I don’t need more than one set of eyes to feel when you’re staring holes into my face, love.”

A huff and an eyeroll from you. You let silence cover you both as you slide your arms around his shoulders, nails lightly dragging across the nape of his neck. “Zayne…”

He hums softly in acknowledgement, eyes still closed.

A beat of silence. Of contemplation. Then, the confession. “I really you missed these past few weeks.”

Hazel eyes finally meet yours. Zayne shifts to press his forehead against yours. The unflinching eye contact seems to cause another heat wave throughout your body. Or maybe that was all in your head and you’re just warm from the water. His hand cups the side of your face and soft lips are against yours instantly. Your lashes flutter close and you lean desperately into the kiss.

Finally, finally, finally! Weeks of missing this, weeks of dreaming about this, and it’s finally become reality again.

Your tongue brushes against his and a quiet whimper breathes out of your nose. Zayne’s hand slides to the back of your head, pulling you deeper into the kiss. You don’t realize it, but your hips are moving. Slowly, at first. A slow whine that drags your clit against his hardening shaft. That whimper from earlier morphs into a full moan.

Your hips keep moving; pleasure licking its way slowly up and down your spine. That familiar tingle in your stomach grows bigger and bigger. Your body feels like an open flame, burning hotter and hotter with each roll of your hips. It’s all happening so fast. But, it’s been weeks and you need it so bad. Need him so bad.

“Sweetheart,” that voice is in your ears again. You can hardly concentrate; your brain is melting inside your skull as your head tilts back. Another moan crawls its way out of your throat. You hear that honeyed voice again. Firmer. The stern tone of voice causing your hips to freeze in place. “Look at me.”

Your eyes, which you don’t remember closing, open to meet his gaze. You gasp softly at the intense burning in his irises. Your senses return to your consciousness and you realize a few things in quick succession.

First, Zayne’s body is incredibly tense. You recognize this as him holding back, him fighting off the pleasure he surely felt alongside you earlier. Second, his grip around your waist and at the back of your head have tightened in an almost painful way. The weakening fire inside flares instantly and you moan, trying to move your hips again. But, you can’t. “Zayne.” A whimper of his name. His expression doesn’t change but you see the raging fire in those eyes. “Zayne.” You try again.

You watch him watch you. Gaze unhurried and calm. His head tilts to the side. And when he smirks, your danger sense starts sounding in the back of your mind. “I thought good girls asked for their pleasure. I didn’t realize they just took it without permission. Explain yourself.”

You can barely form a singular word that’s not his name, let alone formulate some explanation for his stupid question. “I-…I need…Zayne, come on…” That’s all you got right now. But, you can see it’s not enough as he sits and waits for his explanation. Your eyes burn with unshed tears, trying to move but his embrace is rock solid. The implication is clear: you’re not going  anywhere or doing anything until he says so.

“Try again.” His voice, chilled like a snowy day in December, sends a shiver throughout your body. “Good girls get rewarded when they do what they’re told, right?”

You nod frantically.

“I’m waiting…”

A deep inhale as you force your brain to think. Just as concepts of thoughts begin to stick together in your mind, you feel it. His fingers slipping between your legs. Light brushes against your clit. Not enough to do anything except make you tremble and whine. What a dick. That thought is loud and clear in your mind.

“Mmm…glaring at me won’t change anything, love.” The amusement in his voice pisses you off. “Use that big, pretty brain of yours. I know you’re fully capable.” His middle finger circles your nub slowly, so lightly you barely feel it but it still sends burning flames down to your fingertips and toes.

Your curse and struggle harder against his strong hold. “Zayne…it’s been so long…” you breath. A change in tactic is needed. You know he wants you to ask (read: beg) for him to fuck you. But, why should you? You lean closer, kissing him softly before nipping at his bottom lip. “I thought you missed me. You need it too, baby. I know you do. I can feel it.”

You lower your voice, something between a breath and a whisper directly into his ear. “Didn’t you think about me at all while we were apart? Hmm? Didn’t you dream about having me in your arms like this again? Pressed so closely against you. Riding you until you,” an involuntary moan escapes as your own fantasies briefly take over you, “until you’re cumming so deep inside…”

You hear it. Faint in the grand scheme of it all. But it might as well have been echoing through a megaphone into your ear. Zayne’s soft moan. His grip on you shifts, loosening just enough for you to reach down and bump his hand out of the way. A few slow, deliberate pumps of his shaft, and a quick twirl of your thumb across the tip…hook, line, and sinker.

Water splashing fills the quiet bathroom and you find yourself propped up against the edge of the tub; hands planted on the platform leading to the two steps; legs spread. A quite open and vulnerable position. You’re trembling with excitement and anticipation. Making Zayne lose his cool was one of your favorite past times.

Speaking of, the man in question places a firm hand between your shoulders blades—effectively keeping you in place. When you feel his tip gliding up and down against your lips, catching against your clit every pass, your trembling cranks up to full blown shaking. “Do it!”

“Oooh,” Zayne chuckles darkly. “My little brat is so demanding today. You know that’s not going to get you what you want. Try again.”

A noise of frustration bubbles out of you as you struggle against his hold. You’re somehow back where you started. Damn him! “You’re so mean to me!”

“Am I?” He questions, teasing you further by slipping his tip just inside your sopping hole. Not enough, of course. Just a taste. Just to bait you. Zayne knows your little seducing dirty talk trick from earlier was supposed to get him to lose his cool. But, his little brat would have to try harder than that.

However, you were entirely correct. He really did need you and not a single night passed that he didn’t ruin his sheets thinking about you. “So mean to her, she says. But, I left work early. Abandoned some very important paperwork. I drove her home so she wouldn’t have to take the train after such a long day. I bought her dinner. I snuggled with her. I’m giving her a bath before bed. Where’s the meanness, sweetheart? Tell me.”

The entire time he’s talking, he’s switching between teasing his tip just barely inside and brushing it against your clit repeatedly. You’re actually so close to your orgasm, you’d be embarrassed if you were in your right mind. “Oh my god, I’m so close. Zayne, baby…fuck…” You’re whimpering again.

And then….he stops moving. You cry. You genuinely start crying. You’re not sure if the words you’re saying make sense, but you’re sobbing enough to make him flip you over onto your back and drop to his knees in the water. Strong hands spread your thighs apart and a soft warm tongue is slipping between your lips. He kisses your clit, so swollen it's peeking from between the safety of your equally swollen lips.

Then, he gently sucks it between his lips and one flick of the tip of his tongue sends white-hot pleasure all throughout your body. You’re pretty sure you’re screaming. Most likely his name and that you love him. Don’t quote yourself, though.

Your mind goes blank. It’s just burning pleasure continuously rolling over you, wave after wave after wave. It’s so good. It’s exactly what you wanted. What you needed. When you finally float back down to Earth, you’re on soft sheets with Zayne above you. He’s kissing all over your face and neck, murmuring something that sounds like praises. You reach up and pull him down for a kiss to ground yourself.

“Welcome back,” he teases you.

“Shut up.” A chuckle as he nuzzles your cheek. “I thought brats didn’t get rewards.” You uttered.

A playful snort from the man above you. “You don’t remember begging and pleading with me and apologizing for being a brat while you were crying?”

You immediately cover his mouth to stop him from retelling any more embarrassing moments. He gazes down upon you with eyes full of amusement and joy. They’re so bright and happy, you drop your hands and sigh. “You suck.” Your arms slide back around his shoulders and his lips are on yours again.

His hands are gentle, featherlight as they graze down your body before grabbing ahold of your thighs. Without breaking the kiss, he slowly pushes inside you. You both moan into the other’s mouth; the kiss becomes increasingly sloppier. Your breaths intermingle, but you both refuse to part. You’re so full of him, the stretch every time he dives deeper and deeper causing an arch in your spine.

“Oh my god,” you finally detach yourself from his lips. Your head falls back into the pillows, a broken moan escaping into the air.

Zayne is tucked in the crevice between your neck and shoulder. His moans growing in volume with each passing stroke. “S’good, baby. It’s so damn good. Never again are we going this long without this. You understand me?” His hips smack roughly against yours.

A loud gasp from you, before you whimper, “yes!” Your nails rip down his back; he doesn’t flinch, just groans and shudders against you. His pace remains slow, but he’s reaching so deeply you can’t do anything but cry and hold onto him. It’s building again. Stronger this time, which is scary. You try to warn him, “Zayne, I’m gonna—you’re gonna make me—.”

But, he already knows. How could he not with the death grip you currently had over him? He could barely pull out. “Let go for me, love. You want to give it to me, right? It’s mine anyway. Cum for me.”

You can’t breathe as your vision goes white and you arch up into the heavens. No sounds can find their way into the open space even with your mouth open. A beat passes. Two. Three. Then… “Holy fucking—oh my god, I’m—.” You can’t even get the words out through all your moaning and squirming under his heavy weight.

“Breathe, baby.” He snickers, hips still rolling, lips pressed to your ear. “You sound so good when you cum for me. God, I love you.” A wet, hot kiss to your neck. More praises. More confessions of love. A full body shudder underneath him. More whimpering from you. That telltale tightening. “Came again, huh?”

“Feel s’fucking good, baby,” you slur your words, fully drunk off the pleasure currently drowning you. “Don’t stop. Please. Cum inside me. I wanna feel it so bad. I’ve been so good, right? I deserve it, right?”

How could he argue against that? When you beg so sweet, when you hold him so tightly like he’ll float away if you don’t anchor him down, when you moaning straight into his damn ear. “Oh…fuck…” The curse slips from lips; usually only revealed during passionate times such as these. He’s so close. He’s been close, to be honest. But, what kind of lover would he be if didn’t make sure you are well taken care of first?

You know he’s close. All the signs all there. The harsh gripping of your thighs. His teeth sinking into your neck. Your name falling from his lips again and again like a prayer. No, a promise. You hold him close. What was it he said earlier? Oh yeah… “Let go for me, love. You want to give it to me, right? It’s mine anyway. Cum for me.”

He gasps softly against you. A loud, broken moan echoes through the room. You feel it. Pulse after pulse after pulse. He’s actually moaning so loudly. A burst of pride explodes in your chest, having finally successfully gotten your ever cool and aloof lover to drop his control. You whisper praises into his ear as he continues to rock his hips into yours and tremble. Until, the room falls silent.

“Damn,” you giggle after a while, “maybe we do need to start spending more time apart like this.”

He pinches your side, chuckling when you squeal and fight against his hold. Zayne allows himself a few moments of post-orgasm bliss before getting started with his aftercare. Once you’re both cleaned up and in your pajamas, you’re back in his arms. He rests on his back with you splayed across his chest. Your eyes are bright and unguarded as you stare down at him. His heart clenches and he can’t help but admit it again, “I love you.”

A shy smile from you as lean in and kiss him tenderly. “I love you.” You nuzzle his nose. “You are everything I never knew I needed and more than anything I’ve ever wanted. Stay with me?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promises. “How could I go when you’re the embodiment of the life I never thought I would have or deserved.”

You pinch his nose, snickering delicately at his furrowed brow. Then, “you deserve the world.”

“You deserve the world. Way more than me.”

Laying your head on his chest, you listen to his heart. Calm, steady, strong. Just like its owner. You can’t help but place a kiss there. His arms tighten around you. Your exhaustion is finally catching up to you. But, before you full succumb, you murmur, “I guess we’ll just have to find a world to give each other, huh?”

Fingers drifting up and down your back as you let sleep take over before he can respond, Zayne can only smile to himself. A kiss to the top of your cute, sleeping head. “I guess we do. Goodnight, my love.”

[webbluvrsugar]

Hellowww, love your writing.

I can't stop thinking about reader being tuned on by Ethan being such a nerd, like every time he says something smart or dorky she just wants to jump his bones.

a/n: since I’ve been so obsessed with the concept of my bully!reader, I decided to make her in this one. Final request that has pretty Ethan header because it consumes a lot of time and I can’t get them out quick.

not proofread

Ethan turns you on in the weirdest ways…

Ethan is always telling you some random nerdy thing that you didn’t even ask about but sometimes relates to what your speaking of, he blames his quick thinking and apologises when you mock him for it, what he doesn’t know is that… it’s attractive, in a way.

You don’t know where your fondness for nerds started, but it surely seems a lot more noticeable when he’s a sound, sure, you make fun of him and you curse him out but there’s always times that you find yourself biting down on your pen, slowly getting more interested in what he’s saying, it’s weird…

“I can’t believe his head exploded like — why would he take off his spacesuit?” You comment about a recent movie you’ve seen, completely disgusted by it, you sit down on your chair, Ethan, who’s sitting on the desk besides you, can’t help but listen it.

“You know… that’s actually not true.” He points out.

Your frown, turn to him with a scoff. “What?”

“Your head wouldn’t explode if you.. took off your suit.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It wouldn’t, it’s impossible.” He mutters. “You would just… go blind from the blood vessels in your head popping, then you’d slowly freeze and —“ he keeps speaking, your eyes go down to his lips, you can’t even remember what you were talking about in the first place. “You’d asphyxiate.”

Your lips are lightly parted, he thinks you’re confused but you aren’t, you’re just in a very.. very light transe from what he just said, eyes focused on his before he speaks up.

“S — Sorry.” He fiddles with his pen, sighing.

“Uhm…” you chuckle, almost if not believing him. “how do you… how do you even know that?”

“I… read a lot of books, google things often…” he swallows hard, nervous of your reaction.

“‘Course you do.” You mock, crossing one leg over the other. “Tell me, E, what other facts do you know?”

It’s the first time you really do seem interested in what he has to say without making fun of him and Ethan takes advantage of it, he starts rambling about some geek movie stuff, something that you quickly start ignoring once you feel heat pooling down your stomach, it’s unlike you, it’s unlike him to be seducing you — if he’s even doing so — but it just works so well, and after a matter of minutes, you’re not sure what you’re even staring at.

Somehow, Ethan notices it, this time, it’s going to be him who teases you.

“Got it?” He raises one eyebrow, tries to hide back the smirk on his face.

“Y — Yeah, totally.” You swallow. “But it was so hard to, I was getting distracted by all your geeky stuff, I mean shit’s so boring.”

Ethan chuckles, and it’s the first time he’s ever laughed at you, in your face. “For someone who’s so smart, you don’t seem to have a lot of brains when I’m talking.”

“What?”

“Just saying, you’re.. so dull when you’re talking to me.” He points out.

“The hell does that mean?”

“Nothing, I just… I just think maybe you’re not so truthful about your hate towards me…”

You scoff, as if you don’t believe him, deep down, you know he’s probably right, but you’ll deny it.

“What? You think I find you hot or something? Get a grip, nerd, I wouldn’t like you even if you were born again.” You scoff, so upset that you stand, grab your things and leave.

Ethan know he should be offended, but he really can’t be anything other than glad when he sees the look on your face as you walk away.

[ladykailitha]

Shut Up and Drive Part 6

Hey guys! We are back with this story! It seems like it hasn't been getting the love it did in the early chapters, I think Part 3 vanishing killed the momentum. But it's back now, so I hope now that people know it's going to be here every Saturday until its done, it'll start getting the love again.

In this we have the aftermath of the mall fire and Eddie runs afoul some bullies at the community pool.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

~

Eddie setup behind the rec center for the first time on Tuesday and made pretty decent money from the sun-soaked moms and bored teens.

He had been there about an hour and was thinking of returning to the bliss of their new A/C unit when Harrington came up to him.

God, it took everything Eddie had in him not scream in fright.

The dude was banged up to hell. A swollen eye, a butterfly bandage on his nose and split lip. He walked up the picnic table with limp and wincing with every step.

“Holy shit, dude!” Eddie hissed as Steve slumped in the bench across from him. “You okay?”

Steve shook his head and then grabbed it in pain. “Nah, I was in the fires and I really need the relief.”

“What’s the matter, pretty boy,” Eddie said with a smirk, “they run out of the good stuff?”

Steve pulled an orange medicine bottle out of his pocket and set it on the table between them. “It makes me throw up every hour on the hour, whether I’ve eaten it or not.”

“Dude, that sucks,” Eddie said with a wince, picking up the bottle. Then he let out a low whistle “Vicodin. That would go for a pretty penny around here.”

“That’s kinda what I was hoping for,” Steve admitted shyly. “My wallet got lost in the destruction so it’s going to take some time to get a new ID and bank card. So I was wondering if I could trade my pills for your weed.”

Eddie looked at him sidelong. “And why should I believe they’re the real thing?”

“Go ahead,” Steve said jutting his chin at the bottle. “Take one. Pick one at random and try it. If tastes like aspirin then you can scam a couple of stupid jocks with it, but if it’s genuine you trade me for the weed.”

Eddie eyed him for a moment and then shook up the bottle in his hand. He popped out a pill but instead of throwing it in his mouth like Steve expected Eddie licked it.

“Dude!” Steve cried, scandalized. “What did you lick it for?”

“Despite the stereotype, Stevie boy,” Eddie said dryly. “I don’t do the drugs I deal. With minor exception of a joint every once in a while, I steer clear of drugs. I’ve seen what they can do and would like to skip that part, thanks.”

“So why do you deal then, Mr. Morality?” Steve huffed, jutting his chin at him.

“To keep the lights on, dude,” Eddie said with a scowl. “No one wants to hire a kid who failed senior year twice and the factory doesn’t pay Wayne enough.”

Steve shrunk in on himself. “Oh.”

Eddie pulled out a bag of weed and tossed it on the table. “Even trade.” Then he snatched the bottle from the table and stormed off, leaving the licked pill behind.

Steve watched him go and then looked at the pill for a moment. He slipped it into his pocket and then grabbed the bag of weed. It was more than what he wanted, but he figured that’s how much the bottle of pain pills was worth. He shoved it in his pocket and followed the path Eddie had taken, all though much slower.

~

It took Eddie a couple of days before he went back to the rec center picnic table. He shouldn’t have blown up on Steve especially when it was clear he didn’t know his situation. But he just got so mad.

He was getting out of his van when he saw Callahan out by the pool, talking to a couple of the lifeguards as he neared the bottom of his stomach hollowed out.

“And Billy or Heather weren’t acting weird a couple of days before the mall fire?” Office Callahan was saying as Eddie slowed.

The two girls looked at each other and the one shrugged.

“I mean I guess,” she said with a grimace. “But I just assumed that they were sneaking off to make out or whatever.”

“Yeah,” the second girl said, hugging her sides. “But there is no way either one of them are responsible for the mall fire. That’s just insane!”

“And that’s not just refusing to speak ill of the dead?” Callahan asked. “Because you need to be honest with me. They can’t get in trouble, but it would be good to find out who did it so the families can have closure.”

Lead filled Eddie hollowed out stomach. Shit. Both Heather Holloway and Billy Hargrove are dead? Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck.

“No,” the first girl said firmly. “Was Billy a bit of dick? Sure, but he wasn’t an arsonist for fuck’s sake!”

“Rachel!” the second girl admonished. “You shouldn’t swear.”

“I don’t care, Amy,” Rachel said, glaring at Callahan. “I’m not going to stand by and let the cops railroad him just because he was ‘troubled’ or some shit.”

Officer Callahan coughed. “Right. I think that’s all I have for you ladies, you have a nice day.”

That’s when Eddie sped up so that Callahan wouldn’t stop him. He didn’t want to be questioned by the cop on where he was that night. Because on 4th, he didn’t think ‘a gay bar in Indy’ would be believed or go down well if it was.

He decided he better be seen using the pool so he didn’t rouse management’s suspicions about why he kept coming but not using the damn thing.

He had pre-slathered himself with sunscreen at home and slipped his suit under his jeans. So he was able to get undressed quickly without getting glared at by the other guys changing in there.

He fished out a quarter and paid the lock. He pinned it to the bright red swim trunks and padded out to the pool. He looked around but didn’t see Amy or Rachel.

Instead in their place was Steve Harrington. He was still pretty bruised up, but it was fading to yellow and purple. He sat on top of the lifeguard tower, little red buoy in his grip as he called out orders to running kids.

Eddie loped over to the tower and yelled out, “Hey, Harrington. Sweet gig you got there.”

“Better than the mall that’s for sure!” Steve said with a smirk and shook his head.

“Should you be out in the sun with the...” he made a motion to circle his face.

Steve shrugged. “Probably not, but my dad wanted me to have a summer job and with Billy and Heather both dying, this was the only place that was hiring.”

“What a horrible thought,” Eddie said with a grimace.

He looked at Eddie with such hollow eyes he briefly wondered what horrors he had seen in that mall fire. He shook off the thought with a shiver.

“You have no idea.”

Eddie decided to leave it at that. He really didn’t want to know. “See you around, man.”

He leapt into the pool and over his head he could hear Harrington telling him to be more careful with all the people in the pool, but he ignored him determinately. He needed to be seen in the pool for a couple of hours.

So he made himself as visible as possible. Splashing around, playing tag with a couple of second graders, swamping a couple of jocks.

Then when he noticed the lifeguards and management’s eyes slid over him did he get out and dry off. He trotted over to the picnic bench and mostly people watched. He made a couple of deals, but it was more about setting a pattern for the adults to leave him the fuck alone.

Once he had it down pat, he started raking in the money. Just enough to keep the bill collectors at bay for the summer.

Saturday came and it was time to face the music about who might have not made it out of the fire alive.

He drove out to the same spot as before and saw everyone in black. Even King was in black and Cruise and her Pink Ladies wore black armbands.

The entire atmosphere was sober and quiet. It gave him the chills even in the hot summer air.

And though he would never admit it to anyone he felt a sharp pang of something too close to relief to examine to see King standing there by his black two door sports car. Jeff had been pretty sure it was the Spyder, but without having seen it he couldn’t be sure.

All Eddie knew was that was a pretty car and he would love to take it for a ride. He knew that would never happen, but boy did he dream.

King spotted him and nodded his greeting. Then he stood up and read the names of the missing or dead members. It wasn’t many. Just a handful or so, but it was enough. And for some of them it was no doubt their first brush with death. He couldn’t make out faces, but he could tell some of them were sobbing.

But it was King who looked the worst for wear. There was just something about the way he stood, the way spoke that sent another chill down his spine. He thought back to the haunted quality that Steve Harrington had and while everyone had suspected King was in the fire, this confirmed it for Eddie.

King was in the fire and possibly saw any of the names mention actually die. God, Eddie wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy. Yeah, the jocks and street racers were assholes most of the time, but that would leave scars that might not ever heal.

There weren’t any races, just kids buying drugs and getting crossfaded with the alcohol that seemed to be pouring like water on like a man dying of thirst.

Eddie made a lot of money, but at the same time it didn’t feel right. There was something scummy about profiting over their grief.

The next day saw him just handing out the money to the homeless on Main Street. He had even talked to Wayne about it, about maybe giving it to some of the families of the victims.

But with the names of the families not released yet, and Eddie only knowing Billy and Heather, they thought it might make things worse, if they suddenly got money.

Well, okay, he knew Steve was in the fire too, but he doubted Harrington needed the dough.

And while Eddie could hold onto it until they released the names, having the money sitting there made him uncomfortable.

So he went to the homeless. The ones he knew were struggling. And just passed the money around he was careful to not give too much to too many people because the last thing he needed was getting jumped.

Come Monday he was feeling better about the whole thing.

But there was something niggling in the back of his head. Something he just couldn’t put his finger on. Just out of view in the corner of his eye, but if he turned to look, it would vanish like fog in the morning sun.

He went back to pool, this time to just swim. He didn’t feel like dealing, not after the weekend he had.

He slipped into his red swim shorts and pinned the key to his locker on his waistband yet again.

When he padded out to the pool he gave a sigh of relief that Harrington must have gotten off or taken a break or something, because Rachel was in the lifeguard tower.

What Eddie didn’t realize as he splashed around were that there were some jocks with a grudge or something stupid.

Because before he even knew what was happening, he was being shoved into the water. He could hear the shouts and the shrill of the lifeguard whistle as he struggled against the two other boys and for breath.

Then suddenly he was being yanked out of the water. He was against someone’s chest, their forearm, keeping his head above water. Then they had reached the edge of the pool, and the arm shifted to underneath his armpits to haul him out of the water.

He was laid on his side as he coughed up water.

Vaguely he could hear behind people yelling and screaming.

Then Rachel gently pulled him into sitting position so she could wrap a towel around him. “Hey are you okay? You swallowed a lot of water.”

Eddie coughed again, shivering despite the heat of the sun and the warmth of the towel.

“Fuck!” he finally bit out. “What the hell were they thinking?”

Rachel shrugged. “Our boss, Felix wanted to call the cops, but the manager, Joan said that it was just boys being boys. Like they weren’t trying to fucking kill you.”

Eddie nodded. “At least tell me they got thrown out.” He pulled the towel tighter around himself.

“Yeah,” she murmured. “Felix got them banned for life.”

Then two paramedics came trotting up to the two of them.

“Hey,” the one guy said, “I’m Derek and this is my partner, Tony. We’re here to check you out and make sure you don’t need to go to the hospital.”

Rachel stood up. “I’m going to leave you in their capable hands, because I’ve got to get back to work.” She jutted her thumb the direction of the lifeguard tower.

Tony smiled up at her. “Thanks for taking care of him until we got here.”

She blushed and Derek shoved his friend playfully.

Eddie shook his head. Straights. Fuck him. They were annoying. He had nearly drowned and they were flirting. Gross.

After a few questions and a lot of taking his vitals he was told to go to his doctor to be sure, but it seemed like he was good to go.

He went home and for the first time in awhile, pulled out a joint. He hadn’t partaken since before the school year ended when he smoked one to get through the anxiety of his exams. But today he really needed one.

He lit up and took that first drag, letting the feeling slowly take him away.

Eddie would like to say he was surprised when Wayne came home only an hour later, but he wasn’t. He was grateful to see him and allowed himself to coddled in the way that only Wayne knew how.

~

Part 7

Tag List: CLOSED

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[duhnova]

Cry-Baby | Choi Seungcheol

synopsis. decked out in leather and riding a harley davidson like he’s got business with the devil, choi seungcheol was the talk of your small town. everyone looked down on him and when you come home for the first time since starting uni you find it hard to believe that the pouty lipped kid you tossed off the merry-go-round when you were six was some slick haired delinquent. 

pairing. biker!choi seungcheol x fem!reader 

word count: 4.9k

genre. fluff, angst, opposites attract, drama?, kind of college au

warning(s): mentions of parent death, mentions of parent illness, alcohol, let me know if i forgot anything!

this is apart of a 90's collab! you should check out everyone elses fics! - there might be a smutty & more angsty part 2 to this if there’s enough interest! also huge shoutout to @onlyhuis and @onlymingyus for proofreading for me, ily guys <3

When you left for university three years ago you never wanted to return home, the small town always made you feel claustrophobic. But now you’re sitting on a train, about an hour away from your childhood, the sony walkman you got as a graduation present from high school sat in your lap as you listened to the same nirvana cassette on repeat. 

The nerves of being home began to get to you as the familiar views of the old trailer park that sat outside your town came into view. An old pickup truck that adorns the same white and blue paint of your best friend's truck drives down the road that travels along the train tracks and it makes you wonder if it’s him coming to meet you at the station.  

“We’ll be arriving at the station within the next five minutes.” The worker smiled at you as she continued down the aisle of seats to tell the other patrons of the cart that the train will be stopping for a couple minutes at your stop before embarking to the next station. 

You put your walkman in your pocket so that you aren’t scrambling to gather your things when the train stops. Just as you got your backpack situated the train jolted a little as its breaks screech to a stop. 

“Ladies and gentlemen we have reached our next stop.” The worker's voice is drowned out by your music as you stand up and grab your suitcase before hopping out the door with the worker's help in lifting your bag down. 

“Thank you!” You call out and wave as the door closes and the train takes off again, no one else got on or off. 

“Y/N!” You hear a familiar voice call from behind you, the roar of a diesel engine brings a certain comfort to you that you haven’t felt since you left. 

“Gyu!” You call out with a smile on your face, the change in his appearance being more shocking in person than you thought it would be, having only seen him in pictures he sent from the crappy disposable cameras he and his friends like to use. All the work he’s been doing on his family's ranch has paid off as his muscles glisten with dirt and sweat. 

“I’ve missed you cherry pop.” He hugs you tightly as you laugh at the nickname he gave you years ago because you always had cherry lollipops on you. 

“I’ve.. missed you too.” You choke between laughs and the way he was squeezing you a little too tightly. 

“Sorry,” He laughs as he lets you go to grab your suitcase instead. “Are you hungry? It was a long travel day for you.” 

“I could eat.” You smile as you take your headphones off to let them rest around your neck as you follow your best friend to his truck that was still running and emitting a gross smell of diesel. 

“Great, let’s go to pops diner.” He lifts your suitcase over the side of the truck bed like it was nothing before he opens the door for you to get in. The leather of his seats were warm from his heater that left the cabin toasty unlike the train car you had been sitting in almost all day. 

“How are you?” You ask about the owner of the diner who was well into his 70’s at this point, his restaurant having been open for almost five decades at this point.

“He’s doing good, got his hip replaced last summer,” Mingyu shifts the car into drive after he reversed out of the spot he parked at. “Still kickin, Cheols mom still works there too.” The mention of your old childhood playmate makes you smile bittersweetly. The last time you two had talked was before you left for college and he seemed angry about everything in life and he took it out on you leaving a sour taste in your mouth and the lack of communication between the two of you over the past few years.  

“That’s nice, how is she doing? I remember last you told me she was in the hospital for something.” Mingyu sighs a little from beside you.

“Yeah she was, took me forever to get anything out of Cheol about it but she’s doing good now. Or so I’ve been told.” Seungcheol had always been hard headed and he’d rather talk about other people's problems than his own so it didn’t surprise you that Mingyu had to dig for some type of answer from him. 

“Is she working today? I’d love to see her…” Your voice trailed off as you thought about the lady’s son, who you desperately wanted to see as well but how you left things made you hesitant.

“Not today, she’s off for the weekend.” You nod, mumbling that it’s nice that she takes the weekend for herself. 

“I know you and Cheol had some blowout when you left but I’m going to see him later after I drop you off, if you wanna come with you’re more than welcome too.”

“What’re you two doing?” Mingyu was surprised you didn’t immediately shoot down his offer, he thought it would take more convincing.

“We’re going to the river for a bonfire with Jeonghan and Wonwoo.”

“They’re home too?” They had both left for college around the same time you had.

“Yeah, they come home every break they can.. Unlike someone I know.” He laughs lightheartedly. You huff quietly, unsure of how to respond. How do you respond anyways? You never wanted to come back, memories weighed heavy on your heart and the only thing keeping you to your hometown was the friends that resided in it.

“Hey,” Mingyu's voice softens. “I get it, you got out when you saw the chance and I’m proud of you.” 

“Thank you.” Your voice was just as soft as you watched the familiar scenery zip by. A nice silence fell between the two of you as he focused on driving, the train station sitting a couple miles out from the town you used to live in. 

“The bank sold the house by the way.” Mingyu broke the silence, a nervous sweat settled on his forehead as he broke the news to you. 

“About time.” You sigh, another weight you didn’t realize you were holding lifted off your shoulders. “Less for me to deal with now.” 

“You’re not upset?” Mingyu looks at you out of the corner of his eye. 

“No,” You sit up straighter and begin picking at the hem of your jacket. “My father was a drunk with thousands of dollars of debt he owed the bank so I’m not even surprised they sold it to make back what they lost and then some I’m sure.” 

“At least an actual family bought it instead of some corporation.” Mingyu tried to lighten the mood. “They just moved in and they have a newborn and a cute dog that I think you’d like.” 

“What kind of dog is it?” You side eye Mingyu, appreciative of the fact he moved on from the sensitive topic so quickly. 

“A corgi, they said it’s a black tricolor… Whatever that means.”

“It’s the fur color, it’s mainly black with a little bit of brown and white?”

“Yes! See this is why you went to college, you’re smart as hell.” You shake your head with a smile on your face. 

“You’re smart too, Gyu, and not going to college doesn’t affect that.” He shrugs as he slows his speed down after approaching the edge of town. 

“If you say so cherry pop.” Just as he pulled up to the first stoplight the roar of a loud engine could be heard from a distance. 

“I bet that’s Cheol.” You look at Mingyu confused before your question gets lost once you see the helmet less Seungcheol sped by on a motorcycle you had never seen before, his once dark hair was bleached blonde.

“That’s Cheol?” You asked as you watched him disappear down the opposite street you and Mingyu turned down. 

“Yeah, he changed quite a bit since you left.” That was an understatement as Seungcheol looked as big as Mingyu, maybe bigger if you dared to think.

“I can see that, can’t believe he bleached his hair.” 

“He did that pretty recently actually, said he needed a change and decided the worst that could happen is his hair would fall out.” 

“He’d look good with a buzz cut.” Mingyu laughs at the thought causing you to laugh too. 

“You should tell him that tonight when we hang out, I guarantee he’ll either blow a gasket or take you seriously and actually cut his hair off.” 

“He would drown me in the river first before he’d listen to me.” 

“I don’t know cherry pop, you were very influential to him for a long time. Remember how he did your bidding all throughout elementary school?” 

“Yeah cause I tossed him off the merry-go-round at recess and he decided he was scared of me until junior high.” 

“I think we were all scared of you after that,” Mingyu puts the car in park after pulling up to the diner. “The older kids wouldn’t mess with me either because you scared them too.” The fact Mingyu is younger than you by two years makes you question reality as he’s much bigger then you now and has been since junior high. 

“Still wild to think about.” You laugh as Mingyu hops out the truck to run over and open the door for you, he’s never allowed you to open your own door since he started driving. 

“Oh, I guess Cheol’s mom is working today.” Mingyu closes the door behind you and puts the key in the handle to lock it as he stares at the familiar woman through the window that was taking someone’s order. “Someone must’ve called out of work today.” 

The two of you walk to the front door together, making small talk about anything and everything. Seungcheol’s mother greeted the two of you with a smile and handed you two menus once you sat down. 

“It’s good to see you sweetheart.” She smiles widely at you, she was always like a second mother to you growing up especially after you mothers untimely passing. 

“It’s good to see you too, you look great.” You smile warmly, despite any animosity you might feel for her son right now you will never be able to hate this woman. 

“I’ll start you two off with some water?” You both nod, prompting her to walk away. 

“So how’s the ranch?” You scan the menu, already knowing what you want but wanting to check to see if anything new was added. 

“It’s good, Cheol doesn’t work there anymore.” Mingyu doesn’t look up from his menu to see your surprised expression. “Mr. Johnson offered him a job as a mechanic after seeing the work he would do on the farm equipment.” 

“Mechanics suit him.” You smile at his mother when she comes back with your waters. 

“Do you two know what you want?” You both nod, letting Mingyu order first despite the look he gave you after you shrug and take a big gulp of your water. “Are you getting your usual sweetheart?” She turns to you.

“How do you remember what I used to order?” Your eyes widen.

“You’d order the same thing almost every time you’d come here since you were a kid and I’ve been working here longer than you’ve been alive so I have it practically engraved into my memory.” She laughs quietly as she takes your menus. “You and my son are the same in your consistency in ordering the same thing.” 

“Oh.” You could feel your face heating up at the thought. You’re happy she didn’t bother to push a conversation as she went to help more people that came in. 

“You and Cheol are as opposite as opposite can be.” 

“You don’t say.” You roll your eyes playfully. 

The banter between you and Mingyu continued on, even after your food came you both found something to poke — and trust me there was a lot to poke at that has happened over the past three years that couldn’t be conveyed over letters and the occasional call here and there. 

“We should head out now, get you to the ranch so you can clean up and rest before tonight.” Mingyu paid for your guy's food like the gentleman he is and held the door open for you as you walked out into the warm summer air. 

“Am I obligated to go swimming tonight?” Mingyu shakes his head. 

“You’re not but we’ll all be swimming so,” He hops into the truck after opening the door for you. “Just to be safe you might wanna wear your swimsuit.” 

“Got it.” You nod your head before watching out the window again, committing your old hometown to memory again. The drive to the ranch was peaceful and long, sitting a few miles out of town on the opposite side of where the diner was. 

Once you got to Mingyu's house and greeted his family and caught up, you went to the spare room upstairs to unload your bags and lay on the bed to unwind. A quick nap was sure to help the oncoming headache you got so after changing your clothes to be a little more comfortable you crawl under the freshly cleaned blanket and almost instantly knock out. 

A couple hours pass by before Mingyu is knocking on the door to wake you up, telling you the guys are heading to the river now and that you two need to get going soon.

Groaning quietly as you sit up in bed and stretch, it felt nice to not have to worry about anything as this is the first summer you decided to not take summer classes as you'd be graduating early after this upcoming fall semester. Getting up and taking your walkman out of your bag again you took out the nirvana cassette and put in green day instead, the music more uplifting and giving you an ounce of energy to put your swimsuit on and a pair of shorts and jacket to cover yourself. 

“How was your nap dear?” Mingyu's mother greeted you as you walked down the stairs, your friend standing by the door waiting (im)patiently for you. 

“Amazing, sitting all day in those train seats takes a toll on your back.” You take your walkman headphones off and half hazardously shove them into your jacket pocket. 

“Tell me about it, I can’t sit for too long now without going stiff.” She smiles warmly as she wishes you two well as you b-line to the door after Mingyu told you to hurry up. 

 “Couldn’t even give me time to say bye.” You grumble as you shuffle up to the truck where Mingyu was holding the door for you. 

“Sorry cherry pop, the guys are waiting for us and we still gotta get drinks.” 

“Why are we getting the drinks?” You buckle up and put your headphones back on, both of your tastes in music are dramatically different as he puts in a country cassette into the radio. 

“You’re home, they want you to get what you want instead of drinking what they like.” 

“They still drink that shitty dollar beer right?” Mingyu nods. “Then we drink the same thing, not much has changed as I still couldn’t afford the expensive stuff being at college.” 

“Great, that makes this run cheap.” The ride to the corner store was quick, the street lights lining the road leading from the ranch to town making the trees look ominous. 

Once you guys had secured the alcohol you made your way to the river. The long body of water stretched for miles outside of town in both directions, and the one spot you guys have always met up at since junior high was hidden away. You had thick bushes to climb through and poison ivy to look out for as it wasn’t a regular site on the river to be at. 

“Mingyu! Y/N!” Jeonghan called happily when he saw the two of you emerge from the bushes. The bonfire was already large and roaring while Cheol and Wonwoo were already in the water swimming. 

“Hannie!” You smile and hug him happily, he was always the least affectionate person so when he offered you a hug you always took it. 

“How have you been? It’s been years!” He pulls away from the hug to greet Mingyu while sitting down in his chair and pats the one next to him that looked to have been occupied by Seungcheol at one point based on the jacket hanging on it. 

“I’ve been good, college has been tough but I'm graduating a semester early.” You smile at Mingyu who hands you a beer before he sets the box down and makes quick work to strip down to his swim trunks so he can join the other two in the water. “How have you been?” 

“I’ve been great, graduating a semester later than I should've, but I took a light load last semester because I was back and forth to be here for Cheol while his mom was in the hospital.” you nod your head while taking a drink of your beer. You never realized that his mom being in the hospital was that bad. 

“Mingyu didn’t tell me much about her being in the hospital so I didn’t realize it was that bad.” You look out at the three guys who are currently climbing the rock in the middle of the river so they can jump into the water.

“He wanted to write to you, ever since you left it’s all he had been beside himself about but when his mother got sick he wanted to write to you even more.” Jeonghans voice was soft, nervous that the said male would hear your two's conversation and start hounding him for spilling the secret. 

“I wanted to write him too, but-“

“But you couldn’t, I’m not as hard headed as Seungcheol so I get why but I don’t get why you couldn’t have let him down sooner.” You sigh, this was a conversation you knew you’d have eventually as Jeonghan was Seungcheols best friend outside of you and he was the only one that knew about you two. 

“I wanted to, believe me it was never my plan to break things off the day I was leaving but I was selfish and didn’t want to let him go yet.”

“You are selfish,” You laugh quietly, thanking him. “But he’s selfish too, this town holds too many bad memories for you and he wanted to tie you to it when you finally had the chance to escape it.”

“You know, I asked him to come with me.” You took another sip of your beer, your eyes back on the blonde who seemed to feel you staring as he tilted his head back and gave you a bitter smirk. “When I first got the acceptance letter and I was on the fence about going, he wanted me to go but he also wanted me to stay and so I told him to come with me so I didn’t have to choose.”

“He never told me that.” Jeonghan opens up another beer and gingerly takes a sip of it. 

“I’m not surprised, I think he thought it was a joke.” You finally tear your eyes off of Seungcheol to look at Jeonghan. “After that I didn’t tell him I committed and just continued to relish our time together.”

“Y’know, he wanted you to go because this was your dream but he wanted to be a part of that dream and you keeping that from him and then cutting ties with him when you left is what broke him.” 

“I didn’t mean to.” You mumbled and looked down at your half empty beer can. “He was the one that told me that if I wasn’t willing to make things work then he didn’t want to hear from me.”

“Well he’s dumb,” Jeonghan takes another sip. “But so are you.”

“I know.” You close your eyes and sigh, letting your head lull back on the chair. 

“Are you going to talk to him while you’re home? It is the first time you’ve been home since leaving after all.” 

“This isn’t my home anymore.” You don’t bother to open your eyes as you take in the warm night air. This hasn’t been your home since you left and it hasn’t felt like home for far longer, the only thing (or person) that made you feel remotely anchored here was Seungcheol. 

“It was your home at one point, and I'd argue it still is because Seungcheol and the rest of us are here.” 

“Corny loser.” You mumble, a small smile cracking at your lips before you sit up straight. “I’ll talk to him, I promise. I had been prepping myself all week to mend things between us while I was here.” 

“Good.” Jeonghan smiles and downs the rest of his beer. “Now hurry up and finish drinking so we can go join them in the water before it gets colder.” 

“You’re going to die in that water, it’s too cold for you already.” You laugh before downing the rest of your beer so you can strip down to your swimsuit, making sure not to toss your walkman around too much. 

“I’ll manage.” He shrugs after taking his clothes off too before walking cautiously up to the edge of the water. He barely touches it with his big toe and he curses. 

“Told you,” You stand beside him and watch his reaction. “You just gotta go in as quick as you can.” You show him how it’s done as you take a deep breath in and hold it as you quickly walk into the water before you’re deep enough to dive under. 

“Show off.” He huffs before he follows in your footsteps, cursing the whole way up to his shoulders. 

“You did it han,” Wonwoo pats him on the shoulder. “You’re shivering already.” 

“It’s fucking cold and you’re all insane.” He huffs and starts to swim around a little, letting the cold water soothe his warm skin. 

“I think it feels good.” You had popped back up next to Mingyu who was standing with Seungcheol who was watching Jeonghan worried. 

“It does feel good.” Mingyu lets the water support his body as he starts to swim backwards, no longer being a wall between you and the ire of your freshman year of college. 

“It’s good to see you Y/N.” Wonwoo gives you a small smile before he also swims away, leaving you and Seungcheol alone and seeing the look on Jeonghan's face in the distance makes you believe that this was planned. He clears his throat when he seems to realize you two are alone.

“Um,” Is all he manages to say before you’re taking a deep breath and turning to look at him. 

“Hi Seungcheol.” He flinches at the use of his full name.

“Ouch, hi litt-“ He catches himself using the old nickname he had for you. “Hi Y/N.”

“God I hate this.” You can’t be bothered to hide the fact that the whole situation makes you sad and angry already, you missed him and he was right there in front of you and you were both acting like you wanted nothing to do with each other, which might’ve been true right after you had left but as time went on it faded into longing and anger at oneself.

“You hate this? How do you think I feel?” He crosses his arms and looks down at you. 

“Cheol I-“

“I don’t want to hear excuses.”

“Ok asshole I was going to apologize but not anymore.” You roll your eyes and turn away from him so you could swim away, the conversation you had with Jeonghan felt like complete bullshit now. 

“Wait,” he grabbed your arm to spin you back around, the water splashing violently at the fast movement. “I’m sorry, for everything.” It was rare that he’d ever apologize and right now it felt out of place as he had no reason to apologize at the moment. 

“I practiced how this conversation would go for weeks and this was not one of the ways I accounted for. You weren’t supposed to apologize first.” You look up at Seungcheol who was just staring at you silently now, his hand still holding tightly on your arm. “Seungcheol I-“

“Stop calling me that.”

“Stop interrupting,” You huff, the smallest smile forming on his face “I’m sorry for how I left things and for everything leading up to when I left.” 

“Y’know, I spent most of the first year you were gone blaming you, and then I started blaming myself until my mother made me realize that neither of us were to blame and then I spent the remainder of the time just numb.”

“If you stopped blaming me, how come you didn’t write to me?”

“You never wrote to me.” He sounded hurt and you were hurt too but you hated the pain in his voice and it caused you to move closer to him, hoping you could erase even just a hint of it.

“I’m sorry, there was never a time where I didn’t think about writing to you but your words kept playing in my head about how you never wanted to hear from me if I left our relationship behind.”

“It wasn’t much of a relationship then was it, we were just friends exploring each other,” That’s what you liked to tell eachother when you were in denial about your feelings. “I wrote letters, most of them are stamped and sitting in my desk drawer because I couldn’t bring myself to send them.”

“Yet you bought stamps for them?” You raise an eyebrow curiously. 

“Yes,” He huffs, trying to hide the ounce of embarrassment he’s feeling. “I’d get these bouts of feelings where I’d want to send them and I’d get all the way to the post office with a stamp on the envelope and the second I’d park I’d back out and go back home only to hide it away with the others.” 

“Cheol…” 

“I know it’s probably stupid and I’ll just burn them all now since you’re home and-“

“I’m not staying,” You cut him off for some reason. “I mean I’m staying for the summer but I’m going back home to finish my last semester of college so I can get a job at a vet clinic there.” 

“That’s ok, this time I promise I will write.”

“You should come with me.” You blurt out like you did all those years ago.

“I can’t leave my mother, she won’t leave this town and with her health fluctuating I just can’t.” He gave you an actual answer this time unlike he did when you were younger. 

“I get it, she needs you.. But one day you have to leave this place, don’t you think?” Your hand gently touches his arm as you drift even closer to him. 

“I never thought of leaving until you left.” He mumbled as his hands moved to ghost over your sides that were under the water. 

“One day?” You sounded hopeful. “Even if we’re old and married to other people do you think you’d still leave?” 

“I..” His voice trailed off as your breath got closer to his face. “I’d never marry… unless it was you.” He whispered before he finally kissed you, the weight of what he said disappearing as you both got lost in the taste of each other. After what felt like an eternity you finally pulled away out of breath, a quiet whistle could be heard from behind Seungcheol somewhere and you assumed it had to be Jeonghan since Mingyu would’ve quite literally jumped the two of you. 

“Cheol- '' He cuts you off.

“Let's enjoy the night, yeah?” He didn’t want to talk about what he just said, or what the future would hold anymore. It’ll take time, you both realized, for things to go back to normal but for now you were content with how things were because this time he knew what to expect when summer ends, he just hoped that you’d change your mind about long distance relationships. And you hoped he’d change his mind about rotting away in this small town.

feedback + reblogs greatly appreciated! let me know what you guys thought!

[mousy-muses13]

Chapter 1 

Viola

Why won’t these damn flowers grow. I’ve made sunflowers grow and I’ve kept the tomatoes and grapes on this small farm alive but god forbid I want to grow peonies. I guess Italy doesn’t have the climate for peonies. I stand up as I hear a car approach and I slowly turn to see an all black sedan pull into my drive way. I instantly know it’s Kate since she is the only one who knows I live out here. The rest of the world even my family thinks I’m MIA after a mission gone wrong. This isn’t a normal check-in visit that’s not for another few months so this must be serious. I wipe my hands on my apron and wave to the neighbor who is looking out his back door to see if little ole me is ok. I give him a thumbs up before the old alpha gets his pants on and grabs his rifle to come “protect” me. 

The black sedan parks in front of my cottage and Kate’s familiar face pops up. “What’s wrong? Who died?” I tell her as soon as she sees me coming out from behind my cottage with one hand on my hip and one providing shade for my eyes.

“ What? I can’t just visit my favorite operative?” Kate tells me with her arm outstretched. I roll my eyes at her a walk towards her. 

“Kate, you and I both know I haven’t been under your employ in three years. So why are you here. It’s way too early for your visit to check up and give me updates on my sister. So either the world is ending or I’m in danger.” The look on her face instantly changes to a more serious expression. 

“You know you are too smart for your own good. Let’s move this conversation inside. I could definitely go for some wine if I’m going to tell you this news.” We both walk towards the front porch of my cottage and enter in. Kate makes her self at home at the small kitchen table. She looks stressed and worried. I turn to the cabinet that has the glasses and I pull down two wine glasses. It might only be 14:00 but it’s Italy and it’s never too early for wine. I grab a chill bottle from the back of the fridge and set everything down on the table. I pour us a glass each and sit down. 

“So am I compromised? How bad is it Kate?”

Kate brings the glass of white wine to her lips and takes big gulp. Uh oh this is going to be bad. “Viola someone got into the data base last night and some sensitive information has been compromised. We don’t know the extent of it yet but we have reason to believe that they were after you and information on your new identity,” She downs the other half of the glass and sets the glass down, “Now don’t worry I have already thought of another plan to keep you safe. Do you remember the 141 team? They need an omega for their pack and you would be a perfect fit. They can protect you and you can help them. A car will be here tomorrow morning to pick you up so pack two bags. After I leave here I’m going straight to them to inform them of the plan.”

“Kate!!! What the fuck!!! I rather have whoever is coming after me to find me then be force into a pack. You know this is one big reason why when I presented I wanted you to put me into hiding.” I stand up fast and wave my hands as I talk. Presenting as an omega at 24 after working so hard in the army, it killed all my dreams. Any other soldier who has presented while enlisted gets packed up and never gets to go back to work and are rarely ever seen again. Kate knows this is what I’ve been avoiding. 

“Viola we changed your identity because you are a known face in human trafficking circles. So for your safety I hid you. I promised you then that I would keep you safe from them so the team you helped build and put together doesn’t end up searching the world for you. I’m keeping my promise to you,” she gets up and walks over to me. Pulls me into a hug and when she draws back she pulls my favorite scarf with her. She puts it in a ziplock bag. “Remember a black car just like the one I drove in today. Stay inside and out of sight. Local police should be driving around just in case” 

With that she walks out and into the car and drives away. Well shit now it’s time for me to pack up. First I need to close the house up then pack. I start to close and lock up all my windows and I grab two of my old army duffle bags. I go into my bedroom and head to my closet. I assume if I’m going to be with the 141 I should pack more plan clothes then what I normally like to wear since I’ll most likely be staying on base with them. It’s been a while since I’ve stepped foot on a military base. I set my folded clothes in the first duffle bag. I head into the bathroom for my toiletries and pack of scent patches. There is no way I’m walking onto a military base as an omega and not have my scent concealed that would be worse then being dropped behind enemy lines without ammo. Who am I kidding with or without scent patches it feels like I’m being dropped behind enemy lines without ammo. 

I grab the second duffle bag and head to my basement/nest. I need my nest items. I know I've only been an omega for three years now I don’t know much but I do know that my omega stops annoying me when I have a nest. I fold and pack the vital most important items to build a nest at the base. I go back up stairs and grab the other bag and go set them by the front door. I head back to the basement/nest and I turn on the two T.V.s I have for surveillance. I go to the built in drawers and pull out my old army knife and some throwing knifes. I sit myself in front of the T.V.s and watch for any movement. It’s been awhile since I’ve pulled an all nighter. I just have to wait for the black sedan to pick me up in the morning. 

Price

What in the bloody hell could Laswell want to tell us if she has to come to this base in person to tell us. It has me and the boys all on high alert since she told us. I look at my watch and see the time. Laswell should be here in ten minutes. I stand from my desk and walk out of my office to go find the boys so we can go meet her outside. I walk out of the admin building and look up at the sky. What could she need to tell us. I continue forward and wonder what needs to be said in person. Usually when we get new mission details from her it's usually over secure video. Very rarely does she ever give us mission details in person. I finally get to the 141 barracks and lucky for me they are all in one place for once. “Come on boys. It’s almost time to meet up with Laswell.” Kyle walks out from the small kitchen area. Simon is in the living room and barely even twitches. Johnny comes out of his room with a wet mohawk. “Simon, come on we need to go meet up with Laswell. Now is not the time to act like this.” 

Simon slowly gets up and turns to me, “ I’m only going along because I respect Laswell not because I want to listen to you.” I turn and leave the barracks with the boys behind me. Simon has been pissy lately and seems to disagree with me on almost every decision. It all start a couple of month ago when the brass wanted us to start looking into omegas. They want us to have an omega to level us out. It would mean less ruts and less angry alphas. Simon thinks they want us to have an omega so they can spy on us; Kyle wants one so bad I want to just choose one so I can see him happy; poor Johnny feels stuck in the middle he doesn’t want to disappoint Simon but you can see how much he craves the touch of an omega. I on the other hand have been rejecting every single omega file that has landed on my desk with some excuse of why they wouldn’t work. I personally think an omega would be a nice change but I see where Simon comes from. With everything that has happen with Graves and Shepard its understandable. 

We make it to the meet up spot and a black car slowly approaches. Laswell steps out and has a bag and a thick folder with her. “Lets talk somewhere more private shall we.” We led her back to our barracks and into a small meeting room that is off of the living room. We all sit down and she sets the folder down in front of me. I open and see two pictures. The first one is of a women’s military service photo; slicked back brown hair in a tight bun, bright green eyes, and straight mouth. The second is of the same girl but she is in a white dress with flowers, hair flowing lose, a big smile with cubby cheeks. They almost look completely different. I look back up at Laswell as if I’m looking for answers. “ Look more closely at her file Price.” I look past the photo and I see the women name. Viola “Riot” Stuart.

“ Laswell do you want us to find this women after being missing for three years?” I know we don’t usually go looking at missing cold cases but for Laswell we would. Everyone in our line of works knows about Riot and how she went MIA. I would’ve had her on the task force if Laswell didn’t turn it down.

“ No Price I don’t want you to find her. I know where she is at and yes before you ask I have for the last three years. As of tomorrow afternoon, you four will be officially courting her as your omega and she will no longer be considered MIA.”

Picture of how I think Viola cottage looks like.

Previous | Next

[socksdoeswrites]

[summary]

you had decided it would be a good idea to confess to the man you have had a crush on for months, but never expected to end the way it had.

[paring]

yuuji itadori x f!reader

[tags/warnings]

i don’t thiiiink there’s any real warnings on here?? some fluff most definitely. all characters aged up! baseball player! yuuji, baseball player! megumi, college au, please tell me you catch the sukuna reference in here! two fanfics in two days. not to toot my own horn, but i’m lowkey proud.:)

[word count]

3.5k (o-0)

enjoy!!!

—————————————

you hated his guts. you despised his care free personality, loathed the way he could turn anything into a sorry excuse of a joke, and most importantly, you couldn’t stand the fuzzy feeling you felt whenever he was around you. his smile never faltered. his voice always full of energy. his eyes lit up with such passion. 

to hell with it. 

you had single handed searched for any imperfections he had. everyone has them. you delved into what could possibly make him tick, only to find yourself obsessing about him even more. truly, you couldn’t understand what you hated more. the fact that he was so annoying and arrogant. or the fact he made your heart falter so easily. 

you couldn’t stand it. as much as you wanted to deny it, you still had feelings for the one and only.

yuuji itadori.

going to a few of his games, you could tell he was so passionate. full of a type of fire that no one could extinguish. sure, in high school you had found it do be charming. you had found it cute at the simple ways he laugh, and the stupid little jokes he told. it was something no one could understand, let alone you. but as you entered college, things took a different route.

the reason for such hatred for such a simple guy was something ridiculous. you had carelessly listened to a close friend about wanted to talk to him. 

“he’s just a simple guy,” 

nobara let go of her straw pushing the popping boba against the roof of her mouth. a strong flavor of strawberry filling her senses. 

“the worst thing he could say to you is no.”

you moaned to your friend, earning a sympathetic look from her. resting your forehead on your hands, that laid sweaty on the table, you murmured. 

“he’s not just some guy, nobara. you know i’ve been crushing on him for months!”

“jeez, don’t remind me. how you still haven’t said a word to him since that party is beyond me.” 

she rubbed her temples in agitation. this was a common occurrence. nobora and yourself would meet at your favorite cafe and supposedly work together on the up coming project you had in your college history class. but the two of you always ended up talking about something way in left field. 

“how about this?,”

your head perked up taking in your best friends girly like features. 

“megs and him should be done with practice now. i can text them real quick? have them meet us here?” 

that sure got your eyes to sparkle. 

“you’d do that?! for real?”

hearing you were raising your voice a little too much, you covered your mouth before looking around to all heard you. but it seems your caution was silly, no one batted an eye over towards your table. nobora laughed, a girlish tone indeed, and nodded.

“if i do invite those bozo’s, you’re talking to him. can’t pussy out.” 

she reached for her phone the phone charm the both of you shared hung low, as her fingers worked on her key board. her eyes met your for only a millisecond before a familiar sound insinuated she’d sent a text. 

“done. now we wait.” 

her smile was infectious, and you couldn’t help but thank her a million times before shoveling your books into your bag. you could think about history right now? the two of you spoke about class, a less interesting topic, before a chime rang through your ears. you looked as if you seen a ghost when she picked up her phone. 

“they’re coming. they’re about two minutes,”

she circled the cafe, and looked in the direction she’d wish to point at.

“that way.”

this was going to be the longest two minutes of your life. 

“wait, is yuuji even single? is he into dating, or talking for that matter? oh my god, what if he’s gay?”

nobora nearly choked on her drink trying her best not to cough up a lung, her goofy grin found your eyes.

“babe, stop thinking so much. from what i know he’s completely single. he’s not gay. i don’t reckon at least. he’s been big into his baseball career though. practice has kicked his ass.” 

you hummed along as she spoke.

“but! i’m positive he’ll give you the time of day. don’t sweat it, girl.”

you saw her eyes travel towards the door, a halt her speaking. you heard the welcome bell of the cafe, and followed her gaze towards the sound. to your horror, stood two solid figures looking around. looking for you. 

“welp, here goes nothing. itadori! megumi! over here.” 

you head shot back to your friend, cursing her to yourself. how could you be mad? what’d you expect? for them to not interact with the two of you? the familiar sense of butterflies haunted your stomach. their eyes locked over towards the table you sat in, a pleasant look falling on their features.

“damn, kugisaki. you always this loud?”

yuuji poked fun before pulling up a chair, straddling it as his hands rested on the back of it, and of course he had to sit next to you. nobora’s face contorted into a scowl, as she flicked his head. 

“you’re twice as loud as me, smartass.” 

“girls, girls don’t fight. you’re both pretty.”

megumi chimed in pulling a chair closest to nobora. he stretched his hips, and slouched in the chair letting his head fall on the railing.

“how’ve you been?” 

a voice from beside you drug your attention to meet those breathtaking golden brown eyes. even if you never told yuuji how you felt, you had a feeling he always knew how to read you. he was always gentle when he spoke, as if he spoke too loud you shudder. he blinked timidly waiting for your response. 

“i’ve been alright,”

you poked his nose.

“how’ve you been? practice not too bad?” 

yuuji chuckled at your actions before rolling his neck to look over at megumi. 

“practice is fine. coach can be a major dick though.” 

his tone was as if he was speaking to the whole group. you didn’t mind it. considering if you stared in his eyes for too long you’d feel you’d melt. megumi glanced up for a moment groaning as to some what agree with him. nobora stayed locked on her nails.

“i don’t understand how you guys get out there a sweat your asses off. sounds disgusting.” 

she picked at her cuticle, a bored look on her face. you knew she considered them friends. she just desperately hated when they talked sports.

“good thing your prissy ass isn’t out there then, huh?”

yuuji taunted her. their relationship was somewhat of brother and sister. they bickered about silly things, and even if yuuji meant to tease. nobora was so easy to tease, at least for him. you laughed at the antics. bad move. 

“y’know, megs? i’ve been needing to speak to you privately about out calculus homework. can you spare a chat somewhere no where near this table preferably over there?” 

nobora smirked at you, as she pointed to the opposite side of the cafe. you swore your blood ran cold.

“you can’t just talk here?” 

megumi murmured under his breath.

“no, dingus. now get up and follow me.” 

he huffed, but reluctantly followed behind the shorter woman. you could’ve killed her in that very moment.

“okay, weird.”

yuuji chimed in. he rolled his head so his face was now looking up at you. cheek squished against his veiny hands.

“any idea what that was about?”

he questioned up at you. to which you shook your head vigorously.

“nope! no idea at all! y’know how she is. always mysterious!” 

you nervously laughed, causing yuuji to lean up to you.

“you feeling okay? lookin’ a little red.” 

his hand came up to feel your forehead, and soon traveled down you cheek. if you were gonna do this now was your chance. you grabbed his hand gently and held it like a prize in your own sweaty palm. your eyes stayed focused on his chest not daring to look into his eyes. 

“yeah, i’m, uhm, i’m okay. i do wanna talk to you about something though.” 

he didn’t respond, so you took this as your opportunity to continue.

“we’ve been friends for a long time, and i truly appreciate all you’ve done for me. you truly have an act for bringing people out of bad moods. that’s one thing i really admire about you.”

you licked your lips.

“i think the way you play baseball is extraordinary. i love how you treat your friends. i love how laid back you are. i really look up to you, yuuji.” 

you felt his limp hand go somewhat stiff. 

“i know this might be weird, and the last thing i wanna do is ruin a friendship, but i think i may have feelings-!”

“wait, wait, wait. hold on,” 

yuuji pulled his hand away from yours, and you couldn’t help but feel your heart sink. finally looking up towards him, you seen his eyebrow knitted together a look of pure confusion on his face.

“are you trying to confess to me?” 

his sentences were slow, as if he was trying to truly figure out the meaning of your words. 

“i was, uh, yeah. trying to.” 

you raised your brows towards him.

“y/n, i, i don’t.” 

he couldn’t finish his sentence. running his hands through his pink tufts he stumbled to find something to say. but the pain you had felt in your heart was answer enough. your mind had raced over the outcomes of what he could say next. your throat felt as if was closing, and the only sort of sound you heard was your heart thumping in your ears. you had read this all wrong.

“you know!,”

you forced a laugh, at least a shaky one.

“i don’t know what i was thinking! i, uh, just forget y’know?” 

“y/n.”

“gosh, would you look at the time? i have so much homework and studying to do. i’ll see you around, yeah?” 

you stood stumbling over your words grabbing your things, and ignoring the hands that reached for you. all you could possibly think about was getting out of that restaurant, getting away from everyone, getting away from the one person you had been crushing on. you didn’t acknowledge the voices calling out for you. you didn’t care.

pushing the decorated door open. you saw the gray sky cluttered with didn’t sorts of puffy clouds, and then. rain. how fitting for your current situation. you stumbled down the streets to your shared apartment with nobora. lucky for you, it wasn’t that far. a part of you wishing that the man you adored would run after you, say he’s loved you forever, and kiss you under the lamppost while the rain fell around you.

but this wasn’t a fairy tale. 

you spent the whole night crying in nobora’s arms. she patted your head lovingly. she had the movies, ice cream, and self care resources down to a t. you were her best friend. course she’d take care of you. 

now, that wasn’t the thing that caused you to utterly hate yuuji itadori. sure, he indirectly broke your heart, but the next day in the class you shared. a tall, blonde, well figured women sat near his desk obviously entranced with yuuji. you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the sight. when he looked your way though. he’d acted like he didn’t even know you. his eyes did a once over of you, and then back to the bimbo who pushed her chest up for a better view. 

you were done. you swore up and down he’d never make you feel like this again. 

and you meant it. 

~~

it had been close to over a year since you last talked to him. the only reason you had even stepped foot near a baseball field again was because nobora practically begged you to come. you indulged her. but never stayed long enough to see how the game would end. the farther you were from yuuji, the better. 

nobora and megumi have both had their fair share of telling you he’s asked about you. but you ignored it. you had your heart broken by him once. why did you want it again? 

the only time you had come remotely close to thinking about seeing him again. was when your fellow roommate had talked about a small get together she had planned on hosting. 

“it’s almost christmas, y/n. don’t you wanna spend it with people who love you?”

you scoffed and shuffled through the book you were reading. 

“i appreciate you and megs trying to get us to talk again, but you can’t blame me for not wanting anything to do with him.”

“and i don’t. but i do miss hanging out with all of you guys. if you really feel uncomfortable seeing him i won’t host it. but from what i’ve heard from him. he’s seem sorry.” 

you played with the idea in your head. sure, you’d seen him every once in a while but running away from him seemed to solve most of your problems. you took the longest ways imaginable in order to not see him, and you’d admit it was getting tiresome. you had to admit, you missed the board night games, the silly gossip spread back and forth, and most importantly, you missed your friends.

“okay, fine. host it here, but i’m staying far from him.” 

nobora squealed in delight jumping to hug you.

“don’t worry! it’ll be alright!” 

guests started piling in by seven, and you couldn’t help but feel a tad bit antsy about the events that could occur. you played out all the different scenarios of what could happen if you’d seen him again, and juggled with thoughts a like. the party didn’t seem much fun to you anymore. talking to older classmates and even some friends from high school. you began to let loose. until you heard the laugh you painstakingly couldn’t deny. 

your eyes traveled around the cluttered room, and finally landed on him. he had gotten taller since the last time you seen him. his hair a little longer in the back. arms a little bigger. most definitely more intimidating. but that smile? way more charming than you ever could’ve imagined, and just like that as if they never left. the butterflies in your stomach began. 

you had tried so hard to hate this man, and from you thought you had it. but that laugh always drug you back again. the way he handed situations, everything about this man you desired, and you cursed yourself for it. how could this go around be any different from a year ago? 

surely his feelings hadn’t changed over night. so here you were. stuck in the same position you were back then. you hated the fact he could make you feel so many emotions all at once. a small hand drug you back to reality.

“you okay, girly?” 

nobora played with your hair, a concerned look in her eyes. she knew exactly who you were looking at. 

“i’m fine. thank you for this.” 

you felt the familiar burn in your throat giving her a weary smile.

“you’ve done so much for me, and i could never say thank you enough.” 

she shoved you playfully.

“there’s no reason for you to thank me. you’re my best friend.”

her smile turned into a tight lip line, and her eyes shot open.

“okay, i dunno how to tell you this, but yuuji is literally walking up to us right fucking now.” 

there your heart went. right into the pit of your stomach.

“you’re lying.”

“i’m not. don’t freak out, my eyes are literally locked on him.” 

“oh, don’t freak out? the man i was so helplessly in love with and who also broke my heart is walking up to us and i cant freak out, areyoufuckinnuts.” 

the last part of your sentence was rushed to say the least. your eyes stayed locked on nobora’s until you felt a small tap on your shoulder. 

“hey, you.” 

‘you’re fucked.’ 

you and nobora pulled on the fakest smiles you could muster and timidly turned your attention to yuuji.

“ohmygod, yuuji! i didn’t expect to see you here!” 

nobora chimed in.

“it’s been like, forever since we’ve seen you!” 

you two were hopeless. if he didn’t already think weird of you guys, he most certainly did now. 

“uhm, yeah. i’ve been so busy with baseball i just haven’t had time.” 

he scratched the back of his neck.

“y/n? i was hoping i could talk to you somewhere a little more private? if it’s okay with you.”

two things could happen in this very scenario. one, he tells you to get the fuck out of his life and that he want absolutely nothing to do with you anymore. two, he says the same thing but in a less threatening tone. 

you couldn’t help but think the worst, but your body movements betrayed you, as you nodded softly. 

“we can talk in my room. if that’s alright?” 

“yeah! totally.” 

he followed you like a lost puppy, as you surfed through the crowds of people to get to your stairs. to say you weren’t absolutely shitting your pants was an understatement. you looked back to see if he was still behind you, and you were correct. his cheeks were flushed a dusty pink, and his eyes traveled around the banister of the stairs. 

his eyes seemed to light up as he caught glimpse of the christmas decorations hung neatly. one thing you could ignore was no matter how mad or upset he was. his eyes always seemed to hold hope. 

“this is it.” 

you opened the door to your bedroom, and gently lifted your kitten from running out. yuuji closed the door behind him before turning his attention to the creature you held in your hands. 

“aww, since when did you have a kitten?” 

he held his index finger out petting him along the space in between his eyes.

“nobora got him for me for my birthday. i named him ryo.” 

you smiled as you held him out towards yuuji. the kittens legs laid limply in the air, as he licked the tip of yuuji’s nose. he was a lazy cat to say the least. you sat him on your bed to which he gladly curled up to, and turned to face yuuji.

“so, what’d you wanna talk about?”

that seemed to catch him off guard, clearing his throat before speaking.

“look, i really don’t know how to start this off other than saying i’m sorry. i know i reacted terribly to you when you tried, y’know, i didn’t know how to take it. i didn’t mean to ignore you it just,” 

he groaned trying to find the right words.

“it surprised me. i look at you and think how could someone like you have any sort of feelings for someone like me?”

“yuuji…”

“it’s not an excuse. being too pussy to communicate about this isn’t fair for you, and i hurt you, god,” 

he slid his back against the door, leaning against it as if his legs would give up any opportunity they got.

“i hurt you. and i’m so, so sorry.” 

you couldn’t help but hug him. it was all so quick you don’t exactly remember how you got this close to him. but here you were, hugged tightly against his body, hands buried in the hair you loved so much, and eyes closed breathing in his sweet smell. words couldn’t describe anything right now.

yuujis arms wrapped around your hips as if to bring you even closer than you already were. his thumb rubbing over your lower ribs. 

“you’re so stupid.” 

you mumbled against his neck.

“anyone would be stupid to not fall for you.” 

his chuckle vibrated against you. you pulled away to come face to face with him again. 

“i forgive you, and i’m sorry for ignoring you too.” 

yuujis face lit up with something you could only name as relief. he rested his head against the door.

“i might’ve gotten you something.” 

you quirked a brow at him.

“turn around and close your eyes.” 

you did as you were told. only to feel his warm hands move your hair to the side, and a cold chain land on the front of your throat. 

“you can open them now.”

as soon as you did you ran to your full body mirror to see just what he had given you. 

a small silver chain, and a heart shaped jewel in the middle of the jewelry. your heart nearly stopped. 

“oh my god.”

yuuji was right behind you, hands wrapped around your waist as he leaned down to push a kiss on your shoulder blade. 

“like it?”

you locked eyes with him through the mirror.

“love it.”

yuuji gently spun you to face him asking you the question you’ve been dying to hear.

“so, does this make us a thing?” 

you’d have to admit, it was a silly way to ask, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.

“i’d like to think so.” 

he pecked your lips.

“that’s the best present i could ask for.” 

[katnissmellarkkk]

girl I'll send you emojis!!!

🧩

“That’s not where that goes,” Peeta insists, but laughs anyways at my antics as I try to shove the misfit piece into the puzzle between us.

“Well, it’s going to be,” I say with determination, half for his entertainment, pushing the piece back down as soon as it pops up again. “Ugh!”

“Katniss.” His voice is soft and warm. A tone that would typically fill me with joy but tonight fills me with dread. Because I know what he’s about to say.

As if reading my mind, his hand comes up to rest on my forearm, causing me to jolt slightly. I’m still not used to him touching me again, not since before he was hijacked, and every little contact sends a shiver or buzz straight to my core.

Maybe I’m just extremely touched starved. Or maybe I’m just starved for him. For the feel of his hands on me, the feel of him beside me in the darkness. For the feel of him and whatever used to exist between us before.

“We can finish tomorrow,” he suggests and I notice not for the first time the blue and purple circles under his eyes.

“Yeah,” I whisper, dropping the ill fitted piece into the box to my left and nodding. Trying not to look too disappointed.

Since Peeta’s been back in Twelve, we’ve had breakfast and dinner together almost daily, we’ve begun our memory book to memorialize those we’ve lost, we sometimes talk on the phone. Occasionally we even go for walks into town together and watch the shops being rebuilt.

But today was special. Today is my birthday and Peeta was the only person to remember. Which is fine by me. Because truly, he’s the only person I wanted to spend it with.

For my birthday, Peeta brought me a small cake, made with chocolate and buttercream and my name frosted in cursive across the top. It was the prettiest thing I’ve seen in months and it caused my heart to skip a beat, seeing him there in my doorway, looking so happy and holding the dessert with both hands.

But the cake could only last so long and after we were finished eating, I had to come up with another way of keeping him here in my presence.

The only issue is I had none. I had nothing of interest that could hold him here, not even on my birthday, and I soon found myself dreading the moment he would inevitably have to go.

But to my surprise, and honestly my delight, Peeta went digging through the closet in the living room where my mother stashed all our old knick knacks from when I was child. And he soon came up with an ancient green puzzle my parents must have done together decades ago.

Puzzles were never something I enjoyed doing. My father and Prim did them together when she was small, both of them having an insane amount of patience I severely lacked. And after he died, I could barely tolerate looking at the few boxes of them we had, even when Prim begged me to help her finish them.

But tonight when Peeta dug one out from the bottom of my mother’s pile I easily accepted his invite. I would have accepted just about any activity he wanted to do. Anything to spend more time in his presence.

But evidently time isn’t on my side here and I’ve prolonged our goodbyes enough. Because it’s finally time to let him go and I have nothing left here to make him want to stay.

I can’t explain know why but I have the most irrational fear of crying as I haul myself up off the ground and walk him towards the door. I feet feel like they’re made of concrete and a pit begins to grow in my stomach as he pulls on his jacket and opens the door.

“Happy birthday, Katniss,” he whispers, turning back in the threshold and staring at me for a long moment.

He hesitates, seemingly debating with himself, before finally reaching out and taking my hand in his, giving it a small squeeze.

And I want to launch myself at him then, I want to wrap my arms around his neck and hold on for dear life. I want to ask him to stay with me tonight and hold me in bed and be there should the nightmares come. Less than a year ago at this time I could have maybe said those words.

But not now. Not tonight. Maybe not ever again. Maybe things between us would never progress to that kind of intimacy again. The kind where I could ever be so vulnerable and unafraid of rejection. Where I could ask for something so exposing and expect anything but a gentle denial in return.

But he remembered my birthday, I reminded myself. He remembered my birthday and he made me a cake and he’s here in Twelve. He’s just down the road and that’s better than where he was six months ago.

“Thank you,” I murmur, probably a full minute too late. “Thank you for everything, Peeta.” I don’t know why but his name feels foreign on my tongue, the two syllables feeling strange as I speak them aloud.

He stares at me for a few more seconds, his cornflower eyes so soft and kind as he lingers in my doorway. But like everything else, this moment passes too. And then he really does have to go home.

“Goodnight, Katniss,” he says, his voice like a caress as he finally turns and goes, walking down my porch steps and then down the road, the sun setting with an orangey hue in the background.

“Goodnight, Peeta,” I whisper as I watch him walk further and further away from me. “Come back soon, please. Pretty, pretty please, come back soon.”

[send me an emoji and i’ll write a tiny micro story in honor of katniss’ belated birthday]

[naneun-no]

You guyyyysssss (fandom rant ahead)

I was off X/Twt for a long time because I switched over to bsky and have generally found it to be a much more positive, small space (like I actually have regular, positive interactions with mutuals rather than just shouting into the void and observing dumpster fires, imagine)

But I hopped back on X these last few weeks to keep a closer eye on the discharge stuff, and because army Twitter still pops off sometimes with HILARIOUS memes and takes and content even if generally it’s a hellscape.

But like.

Good GOD is it a hellscape 😫

Do you guys go on there?? Do you see the crazy?? Has it always been like this??

Like I knew tkkrs acted crazy cause I would get their asks in my inbox, but I guess I’m even more delusional than them cause I really thought the taennie “cosplayer” pics combined with AYS and the enlistment would be a wake up call. Guess not 🙂‍↔️🤣

The other ships are fine because I find it cute and funny — it’s a little weird because I’ve spent so much time in my jikook bubble that I forget that there are genuinely vmin and minimoni and namkook and poly truthers out there and that is so funny and odd to me? But like in an amusing, interesting way. They’re not being dicks about it.

But the solos??? THE SOLOS. That’s the worst part maybe?!?! I went down a rabbit hole y’all and they’re out here talking about Jimin like “he gives too much love to the members, they don’t deserve him, I will never respect them” you mean his best friends?? Like I’m not saying he doesn’t have other friends who he’s closer to and who I’ve never seen, and I’m glad he does! And obviously he doesn’t have the same level of connection with every single BTS member at every single moment! But like… he would choose them over you every single time? And every single member would choose Jimin over their solo stans every time? Like what

There are people out there who really try to protect him from six of his closest connections in the world? Ppl who take it upon themselves to be like “get behind me” to a grown man they’ve NEVER MET in order to protect him from HIS OWN FRIENDS. How do they say it with a straight face??? I’m laughing as I write this???

I dont even mind people being solos. Like. I think the forced-OT7-ication of all BTS fans is kind of silly. Why should we expect every single person who stumbles upon BTS to be equally obsessed with each member, or even value them all? I wish they would, but for some people, they just will never click with all 7 — they find a member they gel with, and they support them alone. Fine. Whatever. But then to go out of their way to hate on the others? To craft narratives where the members hate each other and hold each other back when they so clearly are the happiest as a team? Bro how? Why? What? BTS could have disbanded years ago and they didn’t. They didn’t have to renew and they did. Maybe don’t assume you know more about a literal stranger’s life and situation than they do???

And the crazies hide in plain sight. Because I watched AYS with my IRL friend who is 1) an extremely sweet, clever person and 2) a taekooker (she was targeted as a baby army by the bad algorithms and now she’s sucked in) and watched her say “aw they have such a sibling relationship” when jikook cuddled in bed and then watched her squeal and get butterflies when Tae forced JK’s head onto his shoulder (and I’m not saying anything negative about taekook in that moment but it was far from a cutesie coupley moment, even amongst other AYS taekook moments). I just say that to show how wild perspective can be because she truly saw alllll the jikook antics and chalked it up to friendship and saw 3 moments of taekook coexisting platonically and saw it as a grand romance.

And same for me! Like I ship/support/whatever you want to call it jikook, so that’s the lens through which I viewed AYS and the enlistment and the discharge live and all of it. And sure there are so many people who think I’m crazy for being a real person shipper but at least I’m not denying multiple levels of reality to do so?? And I have a healthy sense of self-doubt?? Idk if jikook are anything more than friends, I *think* they are but they could just be friends and I would be like “ah, okay” because I DON’T KNOW THEM.

Sorry this is such a random rant I’m just… I’m in such shock after doomscrolling on X for like an hour. I need one of those eyeball-washers that’s in a chem lab. I need a juice cleanse. I need to spring clean my brain because what in the anti solo fuck did I just read 😭😭😭

I know this is nothing new. I know if any of my followers read this you’re gonna be in the comments like “Nico it’s always been like this where have you been” but idk I guess I had time away and forgot how bad it was. Stay safe out there for real 🥹

[fortheloveoffanfic]

What if this is the last time I see you?

Hozier x fem!reader

Author's note: I'm sorry that I haven't finished one angsty story before forcing another onto you. But this one is shorter, I promise.

Summary: A chance run-in between exes at the farmers market leaves Andrew wondering if he’ll be okay never seeing Y/n again. Part 1 of 2.

Warnings: ANGST

At first, Andrew thinks his eyes must be playing tricks on him. But the longer he stares, the more it makes sense – and the more it makes sense, the more he is convinced. A pop-up farmers market, a fruit vendor selling an assortment of brightly coloured, sure-to-be sweet, freshly picked fruit. Or so he says.

She’s wearing a jacket that he swears he’s seen before, but it could’ve very well been on a mannequin in a store front and not in her closet – or on her body.

But he’s certain that its her. She’s carrying the basket in a way that’s all too familiar. She’s looking at strawberries and those are her favorite in the summer. It must be her.

So it must be divine intervention that he drove past the farmers market and decided to stop, because Andrew usually gets his produce at the grocery store, on the occasion that he’s home for long enough to do his own shopping.

Setting down the bright, glossy apple he’d been holding onto for a criminally long period, he inches towards her little section of the booth, debating what he should say. ‘Hi’ doesn’t feel like enough, but he fears that if he takes a chance with anything more he might stomp all over their impromptu reunion. He doesn’t want to be too much;

What a funny thought, he thinks. Considering the whole reason for their end was because he wasn’t enough.

Well, that might be a bit of an unfair distribution of blame. He’s pretty good at playing the victim where the demise of their relationship is concerned.

By the time he reaches her, Y/n has already placed a few strawberries into a plastic baggie and is looking for a few more to round off her purchase. And he settles on the very measly and shamefully uneventful; “hey.”

Surprised, Y/n jumps slightly and twists to face him, eyes going wide. “Andy, oh my gosh, hey.” She hesitates for a moment before reaching out for a hug that becomes quite a clumsy endeavor. They don’t seem to know each other as well as they used to; he can’t tell if she’s reaching for his neck or midsection, so their limbs get tangled in a strange manner. “Sorry,” she mumbles bashfully when the whole thing goes on for longer than any ‘I haven’t seen you in five years’ hug should take.

Shrugging off the unwarranted apology, Andrew stuffs his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans in an effort to keep himself from touching her again. “How have you been?” He tries to sound nonchalant, but his gaze drips to her left hand, looking for any sign of a ring. And when there isn’t one, he feels a knot in his chest loosen a little.

“I’ve been….” Y/n trails off, as if the question is the hardest one she’s been asked in a while. In some ways, she supposes it is. Is she supposed to lie to Andrew? Tell him she’s fine and happy and her life is going fantastically well when the truth is she hasn’t been able to scrub the memory of him from her mind and she still buys his favorite brand of tea because when it brews, the smell makes her house feel a little more like home. “I’ve been alright,” its something between the truth and any lie she can tell; she is alright. Alive and healthy, if only a little sad sometimes – but who isn’t, right? “You?”

Andrew fumbles with his words, he’s not sure why but the question feels almost taunting. Why would she throw that back to him? Why wouldn’t she just assume that she’s stowed the best of him into a box and taken it along with her? Everyone else sees it, they tell him he hasn’t looked the same since she left, that he talks differently and he’s truly a little depressing to be around sometimes. “I’m…..okay.” Just okay – not good, not bad, but somewhere in limbo, surviving.

At his response, Y/n nods absently. God, he wishes he knew what that meant. He wishes he still knew her well enough to know what anything she does means. There used to be things that only he understood about Y/n. There’s a version of her in his mind that still whispers in the dark, even if they’re the only people in the room, and ensures all the cutlery in the drawer is packed in the same direction. There’s a version of her that might have tilted her head at his response, and told him that she knows that ‘okay’ is never just ‘okay.’

But this is someone else, someone he doesn’t know. But he loves her anyway.

He’ll love every version of her. But at least he’s only lost one.

“You’re probably the last person I’d expect to run into, here especially,” but maybe she doesn’t really know him that well anymore. Maybe he goes to the farmer’s market every Sunday now and they’ve just been missing each other.

Maybe he goes with his girlfriend - a wife even -and right now she's at another vendor. She's going to be back soon. And she'll be beautiful and Y/n will think; no wonder he let me go so easily, because he knew there was better was out there.

Shaking off the unsettling thought, Y/n adds, “you used to get everything at the grocery store.”

“You used to grow everything yourself,” he notes, not maliciously though. It's really just an innocent observation; he wonders why she stopped.

“I guess…..we’ve changed,” Y/n muses, and a little sliver of her wonders if they’ve changed enough to make it work for a second time around.

“Not too much, I hope,” but what he really means to say is; ‘I hope we’re still the kind of people that can love each other.’ “Ehm,” he clears his throat softly, and finally gathers the courage to ask what he’d been thinking about since he discreetly examined her finger, “seeing anyone?”

What a question! Simultaneously, it makes her want to laugh and cry. “Not right now, no.” Of course, she’s seen other people since their break-up, but nothing ever sticks, and that might be because every man is now measured to Andrew; does it taste the same when they kiss her? Hold her hand the way he used to? Do they tell the same sort of jokes or thread their fingers through her hair before falling asleep? “What about you?”

Andrew waves his hand dismissively, “no one serious,” there isn't really anyone at all, but he doesn’t want to seem like he’s a complete wreck and one more white lie can’t hurt.

“Good,” the word slips out almost without thought, and Y/n quickly shakes her head when Andrew arches a brow. He isn't supposed to know that she's relieved; that he just quashed one of her biggest fears - that there's another woman that knows him as well as she does, but couldn't love him half as much, “well....not good. Just you know….you’re good at being on your own,” he was pretty damn good on his own even when they lived in the same house, “so I’m sure you’re doing good,” god, she wishes she had stopped talking three minutes ago.

Hesitating, he bites his tongue as the urge to tell her that he's not okay and it's all her fault wells up. Didn’t she see the lie in his eyes when he said he was okay? Is he that much of a stranger to her now?

Again, Andrew shrugs halfheartedly, “I’ve been okay,” he repeats before pressing his lips into a thin line. He doesn’t trust himself to add anything more, because then he’ll say he still misses her and its been far too long for him to still be mourning an empty side of the bed and the sound of her laughter in the drawing room.

He shouldn’t still go into his home studio and still expect her to come trailing after him, armed with a book with the intention of curling up on the sofa that gets just the right amount of noon sun. He shouldn't miss the way she looks while humming along softly to what he's working on, blanket draped on her folded legs, hazy light washing her face - he shouldn’t have left her blanket there after all this time.

He shouldn’t even be thinking about it, because the more he does, the more he wants to tell her. Beg Y/n to come back – to take him back because he’s really only half himself without her.

“I should let you –”

“You probably have –”

“Sorry.” Another clumsy, awkward apology, this one in aching unison. There’s silence for a while, and Y/n tugs her lower lip between her teeth. In a way, it feels like they’ve been standing there for too long, at least, like this. Not knowing what to say to each other, with the nails of her free hand digging into her palm so she doesn’t reach out to touch his arm. It shouldn’t be like this, she never wanted them to come to this; reduced to two awfully familiar strangers. “I should um….I have to….go…” She goes to say home, but the word doesn’t come, “I gotta go, Andrew.”

Swallowing the lump that’s been caught in his throat since he first saw fifteen minutes earlier, Andrew nods stiffly. “Of course,” he breathes. The last thing he wants is for her to leave, but he doesn’t really have any right to keep her. “I’ll leave you to it.” They both nod that time, shy and unsure but no one leaves. Not immediately. His eyes stay matching hers, and there’s a hundred things weighing down the tip of his tongue, but clinging to it like molten sugar.

I'm sorry I let you walk out, I'm sorry about everything. I still keep your ring in my nightstand, just in case. My mom still asks about you. I should've been better, let you in and I know that now. I'd do it now. I'm actually horrible on my own now, because you've ruined me in the best way - and the worst. But he doesn't say any of it; the moment is long gone and his pride does a pretty good job at keeping him quiet.

A shuddered breath escapes her lips upon realizing that she actually hasn’t moved an inch; Y/n doesn’t think she can be the one to bring herself to leave this time. She doesn't want to turn her back to him again. So she lingers, and she swears roots are sprouting from the soles of her feet, keeping her in place, staring into his eyes because lost in them is suddenly the only place she wants to be.

“I should go,” he eventually determines, glancing away. Though, the minute he says it, Andrew is lashed with immediate regret; he does not want to go. He doesn’t want to leave, but he suspects that this time its entirely on him to turn around and walk away.

“Right, right,” Y/n blinks quickly, then, just as he’s about to turn, she interjects, if only for the purpose of holding him there a little longer, “it was really nice seeing you.”

He nods, but doesn’t say anything, not right then. Though, when he turns away and starts retreating to the other end of the small tent, squinting his eyes at the midday sun, catching him square in the face, he pauses. Throwing a cautious backwards glance her way, he finds that Y/n has returned to picking out strawberries and on a whim, Andrew finally allows himself a singular moment of weakness – perhaps in a way of giving her what she’s wanted since their very last fight. “I’ve missed you,” he utters.

Y/n’s head snaps up just as she hands the bag over to the vendor for weighting, “what?” Her brows are furrowed and her lips are slightly agape.

Hating the sudden vulnerability that comes with those three little words, he shakes his head, “nothing. I’ll see you around,” he spares her a short wave, and she does the same.

After that, not a single word is traded between them again; Y/n pays, plops the bag into her basket, and walks off, and he watches her go. There’s a sinking feeling in his chest as she weaves her way through the busy market, and there’s a strange sort of finality in the moment where the last inkling of her green jacket disappears.

What if he never sees her again? What if that moment, in that tent, surrounded by fruits honeyed by summer’s warmth and the bitter heartache of something unfinished, constitutes the last fifteen minutes they will ever share?

What if she’s gone from his life forever and he’s damned to an eternity spent looking at her pictures and never hearing her voice again? Wondering what she’s doing and if she’s finally moved on from him?

Can he survive it? Truly? Without feeling like a shell just being shuffled around by the wind?

Returning to the assortment of ruby-toned apples, he struggles to escape the onslaught in his mind and Andrew finds himself unable to choose any, not even one, so he goes with strawberries instead.

To be continued.....

[woso-fan13]

2024 Whumptober: 9 (aus)

No. 9: OBSESSION

Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” 

You were frozen in fear, your eyes rapidly darting around to see all of your teammates. No one had noticed yet, but you were sure that they would be livid when they realized. There’s no way they couldn’t be- you were standing there, staring at the remnants of a broken window which scattered around your feet. 

Specifically, it was the broken window from one of Harper’s doll houses, but you still broke something that didn’t belong to you. It was your fault- you should have been watching where you were walking- and you were prepared for whatever the punishment would be. 

“You alright there, joey?” 

You look up when you hear the voice, locking eyes with Mini for just a moment before looking away. Maybe she was talking to someone else. 

She wasn’t talking to someone else. 

She clarified this by walking over to you, stepping over the now slightly damaged doll house before gently gripping your elbow and leading you away from the other girls. 

She looks at you closely, watching as your eyes fill with tears and your lip starts to wobble. The mother in her is screaming at her to take care of the scared kid, and she just does that. No questions asked, she pulls you into a tight hug. One hand stays pressed firmly to you back and the other guides your head into her neck. 

Safely tucked away, you lose your composure for just a moment, a half dozen tears slipping out of your eyes. You blink rapidly, pulling away. Mini just looks confused at the total change in attitude. 

Until Kyra appears behind your shoulder in the background, picking up the doll house and showing Mini the broken window. She looks from the window to the house and back again before popping the window back into the frame. 

“I don’t care about that stupid toy,” Mini starts, breaking the silence. 

You look surprised and confused- all feelings that you shouldn’t be currently feeling and Mini feels her heart break the tiniest bit more. 

“I don’t, really,” she insists, “Harps barely plays with it, I’ve only ever seen her use it twice. I doubt she would even notice if it was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” you say lowly, “I didn’t mean to break it, I promise. I’ll replace it.”

“For the third time, I don’t care about that toy. Besides, Kyra’s already fixed it. Everything’s good, bubs.”

You’re frozen again, but not in fear this time. You’re stuck in your place as you work to process what she just told you. 

“You could break every window in my house, and I would still love you, buddy. You’re basically my kid, got it?”

Mini pulls you into a tight hug, pulling you slightly closer when she feels like you might try to pull away. 

You’ll deny it until the day that you die, but, just for a moment, you didn’t care about that stupid toy either. 

[justkending]

Mr. & Mrs. Hunt (Chapter 5/7)

Mini-Series Summary: Two of the most stubborn people in the group partnered together for an undercover mission are also the two people with the most hatred for each other, so what could go wrong? Or is it, what COULDN’T go wrong?…

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger Reader (Enemies to Lovers) (Fake Marriage Trope)

A/N: I think we are staying on track for this to wrap up within two more chapters, but again, we are both in the dark if that's the case😂 Thank you guys for the love! If you are wanting to be tagged, please send me an ask. It's a lot easier for me to keep track of who's been added and who hasn't :)

_________

Y/N’s POV:

Okay, so maybe I blew up a little more than necessary, but I tried to chill out before he started chasing me, ordering that I didn’t walk away and talk to him. Let a girl try to get a hold of her emotions for a second big guy.

I’ve been anxious all day, waiting to talk to him about some deep seeded trauma, and then he comes and screws up all of it with a simple acceptance of an invitation. I know he didn’t mean harm by it, but he’s a trained professional. That was not a trained professional response. Plus, stepping out of my normal routine of being a bitch to him to keep him at a distance wasn’t just a switch I could flip.

Again, I could have handled that better, but now my brain is in mission mode, trying to reprogram what this night has set up for us. Considering the invitation was for tonight, it gave me little to no time to prepare.

“What time did she say dinner was?” I shouted from my bedroom, where I was going through our small, hidden arsenal of gadgets Tony had made for us.

“Six,” Bucky replied from his room down the hall.

Great, that was forty-five minutes from now… “Ok, I can do this.” Deciding it was best to keep some bugs on hand in case we could plant them in the house, and we would be planting them, I needed to consider sizes and placements.

“Should we bring over some wine or something?” Bucky’s voice was now in the doorway to my room, but I kept my back to him as I sifted through our tools.

“I made a pie earlier today. We can take that,” I answered absentmindedly.

“Why’d you make a pie?”

“Felt like it,” I shrugged and walked out of the closet with three small wires/ bugs in hand. When I looked up, I saw he had changed into a nicer button-up and was tightening a tie around his collar he hadn't been wearing earlier. “Why are you wearing a tie?” I examined him.

“Same reason you’re wearing a nicer dress. I want to make a good impression,” he shrugged, straightening pieces of his outfit.

“I’m wearing this because we were going to our ‘anniversary dinner,’” I made sure to put the lie in hand quotes. “I had a story that went with it, but this can pass as casual, too,” I motioned to my dress and moved toward him, placing the wires on the bed. “This looks like you’re about to give a sales pitch.”

Without thinking, I pop his collar up and loosen the tie to get rid of it. The whole time I’m focusing on untying it, I ramble about what the plan is for the night.

“I’m going to give you a wire to put wherever you see fit, and I’ll do the other two. I’ll excuse myself to use the bathroom and sneak it where it’s needed. I feel it’s important we look for cameras already in the house in case it’s a setup. We don’t need them having hard proof that we bugged their place. We want to come off as simple yet good assets if we want them to bring us on board for their work,” I struggle with a certain spot on the tie he somehow fixed in an efficient way I’d never seen. “Jesus, were you a sailor in another life? Might as well have knotted it.”

He doesn’t respond, but I get it off in the next two seconds and look at him to see he had been studying me intently as I invaded his space. I see my slip-up, push the tie into his chest, and take a step back.

“Sorry.”

“No problem,” he answers rather calmly, and I look at his eyes, seeing patience there. Always that damn patience. How did he still have it with me even with how I’ve treated him? “Listen-”

“About last night,” I say at the same time, and he seems shocked but gives a single nod to tell me to continue. “I want to say I’m sorry for being all over the place recently. From last night to thirty minutes ago.”

He seems frozen by my apology, and I became anxious enough that I start to word vomit.

“I took some time to think after last night and spent the day stressing, thinking how I was going to talk to you about it because I do want to. I want to get what I can out on the table if you’d be ok with that,” I look up through my lashes, and I see the most subtle turn of his lip as he watches me attentively.

“Are you hinting that there’s a chance I’ll get to see the side of you others are lucky enough to see?” he retorts, grin growing and taking a step closer to me.

His use of the word ‘lucky’ shortcircuits my brain, and all I can do is nod once, slowly, as my answer. He takes another step, and I match it with one back. I feel more vulnrable than I was expecting to.

“You can understand now why having our plans for the night changed made me slightly temperamental.”

“I think slightly may be an understatement.”

“I think you still should choose your words carefully,” I say, tightening my smile. However, it doesn’t shut him down like normal. Instead, he laughs under his breath, and the doorbell rings.

Both of our heads shoot toward the noise, and solemnity takes over the room.

“You don’t think that’s,” Bucky pauses as he turns back to me.

“How often am I wrong?” I take a deep breath in and smooth my dress out as I walk over, pausing beside him. “Hide the wires. I already did a sweep of the house while you were getting ready to make sure we didn’t have anything out of place. I’ll tell them you’re getting ready.”

I don’t need to open the door to know who it is, but when I do, the urge to yell, “I told you so!” in Bucky’s face is strong.

“Bethanne!” I smile kindly and immediately notice the dish in her hand. Reggie is behind her, holding two others, looking like he just got off work and had been dragged over here. “Did Beau tell me wrong? Are we not eating at y’all’s house tonight?”

She scrunches her face in a practiced motion and lifts the ceramic bowl up as she explains.

“I hate to ask this of you, but our oven is still the old rickety one. The new one had some faulty design, and we had to ship it back. Needless to say, it decided to give out on us today of all days,” she raised her shoulders. “I know we sprung the dinner on you suddenly, but would you two be willing to host if we provide the food?”

Not on the money of what I guessed, but pretty fucking close to the money if you ask me.

“Who is it, Doll?” Bucky’s voice carries from the hallway he’s now emerging from. The first three buttons on his dress shirt are undone, and he’s messing with the cuffs on the sleeves. “Hey, Bauers,” he smiles yet still holds shock in his features by the neighbor's appearance. “Did we get the time wrong?” he asks, looking at his watch before coming to my side, where I've now moved and am letting themselves in.

“No, no, no,” Bethanne shakes her head and hands off one of the pots to me as she takes one from Reggie, who looks more bothered to be here than happy. Long day human trafficking, asshole? “We had some appliance issues thanks to some of the renovations we were doing. I was just asking your wife if we can use your house as tonight's setting and possibly use your oven while here.”

Without hesitance, Bucky takes the dish from my hands and the dish Bethanne had swapped for and nods for Reggie to follow him.

“No problem at all. Let me help you ladies with that. Char," A nickname he had never used for my character before, but it seemed to work fluently. "Would you like to get some wine for the two of you while I get this organized in the kitchen?” he asks me, placing a kiss on the side of my head while his hands are full as he walks towards the other room.

I don’t know how he’s learned to play his role so well, but it’s convincing, even to me.

“Uh, yeah,” I almost stutter in my response as I motion for Bethanne to follow me to the wine cooler out in the garage. “Red or white with tonight's dish?”

"Do you have any more husbands like that in the back I can steal? What a gentleman," she coos, shoulder-bumping me.

___________

Half an hour of baking the food and getting it plated, and our conversation continued with questions strictly about us mostly, which would have been fine if not for the reason behind such invasive intentions.

They started off simple. How’d you guys meet? Who made the first move? What did we love about the town so far? What kind of hobbies and adventures did we take on before moving here? All questions we had prepared for, and if not, could easily improvise.

So far. No slip-ups. If anything, we sold the scheme far better than I’d imagined we would, even when they became more personal. And our discussion on being the ‘prude couple’ last night seemed to affect Bucky’s actions a lot more than I was expecting.

An obvious hand on my thigh under the table and an arm thrown over my seat in a slightly possessive manner seemed to catch the eye of Reg, who mimicked some of the moves as if it were a competition.

In addition, Bucky kept making small compliments about how I looked and how smart I was when they asked about my job. Dropping little comments about things I did (not my character) that he loved and appreciated.

“She’s always doing things like that. I almost never have to worry about making coffee in the morning because she has it all set up just to hit a button and go.”

“You should ask Charlotte about that. She’s the reason our house looks like a home. I’m sure she could give some advice on the kitchen backsplash.”

“She may not know how to boil an egg correctly, but her baking skills are unmatched. I've put on a few pounds now that we have a nice kitchen to spend time in."

I did my best not to act shocked every time he dropped a compliment, but the fact he could have made shit up for my character and used those details as conversation pieces, yet he went the honest way (although more convincing, of course), shocked me.

“Speaking of baking skills,” Reginald nodded his head back to the kitchen counter behind us and smiled at me. “I spied a pie on the counter. Any chance we can have that to finish off this dinner?”

I was still staring at Bucky from his last form of appreciation when I blinked out of my distraction and returned to our neighbor.

“Oh, of course! I was just about to offer,” I smiled, standing up, and Bucky quickly stood next to me, pulling my chair out. “Thank you.” I smiled at him and placed a hand on his arm as I moved around to the counter.

“How sweet. Oh, Charlotte, would you mind telling me where the bathroom is?” Bethanne asked, standing and giving her husband a look for not showing the same chivalry as Bucky.

I watched her, knowing that I would have used the same excuse to do what we planned to at their house. But I was two steps ahead of her.

“Of course! Beau, do me a favor and get some plates out for dessert. I’m going to show Beth-”

“Oh, I’m sure I can find it,” she waved off, coming around the table and moving to the hall promptly.

Yeah… Not without a chauffeur, honey.

“No problem,” I waved off, moving with her casually. “I need to grab some floss from my bathroom before dessert. I’ll show you to it.”

I can see the most subtle glaze of annoyance at my insistence, but she smiles and walks a step ahead of me.

I show her to the bathroom and make it seem I’m going into the master down the hall while she’s in there. And I do, but I keep an eye to make sure she isn’t snooping in any other room besides the one. We’ll have to survey it after they leave, but better that and the dining room than the whole house.

Once we’re back with the boys, no wandering to be done, Bucky helps me plate a slice of chocolate pie for each of us, and I offer to move the conversation to the porch. Any kind of redirection from the comfort of the inside of our home is welcome.

“I love how you’ve decorated your porch. It’s so cozy,” Bethanne notices, pointing out the colorful decorative pillows, hanging swing the size of a daybed, and loads of plants and decor that make the space more intimate. She and Reggie are sat on the two rocking chairs facing the front yard, and Bucky and I are sat close together on the swing, where he’s controlling the tempo we sway in.

“I always wanted a spot outside to escape. We didn’t really have that at our last home, and it was important for me to have this time around,” I replied.

My answer is actually very true. I loved being outside, especially when it was something as simple as sitting in the backyard or swinging on a porch. I had one requirement about this mission, one I’m not even sure Bucky knew about. But I asked Tony to supply a nice budget for the porch.

Call it cheesy, but growing up in such an unnatural and dehumanizing way, you crave a small part of that normalcy you see on the movie screens. For some reason, a porch I could escape on but still be within the comfort of my own home was a dream. And because it was, I thought I’d make this situation a little more bearable by granting that small wish I always had.

“Well, I may have to start budgeting for a new kind of renovation,” she patted Reg’s back, and he gave her a tight-lip smile. "What do you say, Reggie? Do you think we can get a swing like that one?” She smiled over at us just as Bucky pulled me into his side, his arm going around my waist and his hand resting on my hip.

“I have a feeling we might as well have built a home from scratch by the time you’re happy with the renovations we’ve taken on,” Reg answered with a nod before taking a swig from his beer. “Get that recipe for the pie from Charlotte, and I’ll consider buying you a new porch,” he winked my way and turned back to the front of our lawn.

I found Bucky’s hand tightening at the action, and his thumb started rubbing in an up-and-down pattern along my hip. When I turned to him slightly, his gaze stayed on Reg.

Before finishing cleaning up for the night, we said goodbye to our guests, and just when we thought we hadn’t made any headway in our conversation about work (mind you, we had dropped hints and notices about it all night, but neither of the two seemed to take the bait), Reg stopped on the last step to our porch and turned to Bucky.

“You mentioned working in transportation, and by the sounds of your new job up here, if you’re interested in a more innovative place, I may have some ins for you,” he shook Bucky’s hand. “I have some coworkers around the states that could use some employees like you on their route.”

“I may take you up on that offer. It all depends on how this week rolls out,” Bucky answered perfectly. The Bauers said their goodbyes, and we watched them walk home before turning to each other.

In a silent celebration, we grinned at the invitation and then sent wordless glances to tread carefully when we got in before scoping the place for bugs…

_______________

Bucky’s POV:

I’m not surprised that the blonde sole cycle instructor of a neighbor was able to get a wire in our bathroom, but neither Y/N nor I were in the mood to remove it right away and give away our knowledge of it, so we each grabbed another drink for the night and debriefed subtly on the porch where the only bugs we had to mind were the crickets chirping their music for the night.

Bethanne was right. Our porch was nicely done, and I hadn’t even noticed Y/N had hung lights out here until she plugged them in.

“I feel like this spot is more put together than the rest of the house.” I noticed the details when we were out here earlier. Now, we both have taken up spots in the rocking chairs our neighbors had vacated.

“I may have focused more of my attention on this spot than the others,” she smiled as she brought a tumbler glass up to her lips. She had drank wine while Bethanne was here, but as soon as they were gone, the whiskey I had made a glass for myself was stolen out of my hand before I could take a sip. Now, we had each of our own.

“Was what you said about the porch a real thing? I mean, we have balconies at the compound,” I looked at her as I sat my drink on the small table between us.

“Balconies and porches aren’t the same. At least in my head, they aren’t,” she nodded, taking a deep sigh and resting her glass in her lap. “Did you mean what you said when you were complimenting me all night?” She lulled her head to the side to look at me.

I had been giving quite a few compliments. It felt easier to use the ones I had picked up on than the ones I made up. Yet again, I think anyone should get the recognition they deserve when they excel in something. Y/N just tended to excel in more than I think she was aware of. And I was learning she didn’t seem to be used to people taking note of those things.

“Why lie?” I shrugged, starting to rock in a steady pattern.

“Because that’s this whole gig. A lie,” she answered, taking another pull of the hard liquor.

I considered her perspective and shook my head, looking out to the lights on the other side of the street. “I guess it gets tiring at points. Don’t really feel like doing it if the truth can be just as usable.”

She didn’t answer for a handful of seconds, and when I turned back to her, she was staring at me like she was waiting for another shoe to drop.

“How are you so patient? Seriously, is it a drug Tony made you before you had to deal with me on this mission? I don’t get it,” she laughs, but I can hear the genuine confusion in it as she sits forward and turns her body to me.

Honesty. I’m in a mood to be 100% honest.

“Want me to be real with you?” I asked, turning my own body.

“It’d be preferred,” she nods and rests both her arms on the armrest.

“I don’t know anything about your past, but I know most people have a reason for acting the way they do. It took years and a ton of patience before I felt like I was even close to who I used to be. I still struggle to come to terms with the fact I’ll never be who I was before the train incident,” I sigh and rest my head back against the chair as I look at her. “I guess I have understanding more than patience. I understand that you have a history of your own that I don’t know, and I can’t blame you for a lot of the things you do.”

“But you should. I’m an asshole to you,” she says, and the admission is kinda nice to hear, even if it is sad.

“Yeah, and I was hoping you’d be willing to share why that is,” I reply calmly.

She tenses some and sits back in her chair, pulling her legs under her to sit crisscrossed, the chair rocking with her movement and her dress overflowing past her knees.

“I guess now is as good a time as ever…” She looked at me sidelong before finding comfort in the view in front of her instead. “I didn’t really have a chance to develop a personality of my own because my time in this lifestyle,” she motions around her, “started as soon as I could walk. So I had no identity to fall back on since I had to find it after I escaped.”

I had questions, but I found it best just to listen. Clearly, what she was talking about wasn’t something she brought up lightly, and being an ear to listen was what she needed right now.

“I was left behind by whichever no-good parent gave me up, and Adonis Hummel took me as his own and decided he’d try to recreate the famous assassin, The Winter Solider, from birth practically.”

The name drop came quickly and struck home. I didn’t know her whole story, but I had enough imagination and experience to believe where she was going.

“Wait, Hummel?” I started because the name sounded familiar, but…

“He was a low-level scientist who worked for Hydra when they were still using you under Pierce. He thought he had the brains and resources to create his own version of you. A version that would be more undetectable as a woman and a version he could tweak however he wanted,” she rolled her shoulders. “Lucky for him, I didn’t have to be brainwashed since I knew nothing besides the life of abuse, experimentation, and a shit ton of conditioning... " 

"To clarify, I say that for context, not sympathy,” she straightened, and I could see her shifting back to her unbothered disposition, but the truth was shining through the cracks. She may not have wanted sympathy, but something about the vulnerability seemed to lighten the load on her shoulders.

“As for why I may have built a wall around you, an unhealthy and senile wall, I felt as though…” She gulped as if the next part was harder for her to say than the abuse of her past. “I felt as though you had been my competition my whole life, and a part of me, a young and in-need-of-therapy part of me, thought it was best to keep you as far away as possible and hold onto that anger instead of work through it. It felt easier than facing the fear that I didn’t actually equate to you in any way. So that’s another reason why I felt everything with you was to prove a point.” She lets out a short breath after using all the air in her lungs in one swift swoop.

I-

It’s a lot to take in…

She doesn’t move her head back towards me after her confession, and I can’t seem to break my stare from her.

“This is where you say something like, ‘Well, it’s your lucky day. I’m actually an asshole either way, so we can go on hating each other for completely understandable reasons!’ or I don’t know? Anything but silence would be preferred, though…”

Her hand is gripping the arm rest unconsciously like an anchor keeping her on earth.

On instinct, I reach across and pull her hand into mine, keeping my stare heavy, enticing her to look at me.

She closes her eyes at first and takes another short breath before turning.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel unworthy of being on the team.” I feel like I personally am the reason for her suffering, even if I had no correlation with her before I joined the team. "You are more than an asset to the team and are your own kind of weapon. It's incomparable."

“Ugh,” she sniffles and rubs an eye with the heel of her free hand as if to disguise a possible tear as allergies. “This would be so much easier if you were a piece of shit misogynistic asshole, but you're part of the few good ones out there. Steve, Sam, and Clint included, not Tony,” she noted.

I smiled, thinking about how I’d make a team like that even if she had me believe otherwise for so long.

“What I’m trying to get at, B, is you’re not the one I should be blaming for my past. You’re just as much a victim as I am, but I took the easy way out of making it more manageable for me, and I only made it harder for us both in the end. And for that,” she turned and stared into my eyes fully, the hand she held squeezing my own. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve an ounce of the kind of cruelness I tried to bury you in. You are the opposite of what they tried to make you, and you’re genuine in proving that to anyone who meets you. I've been envious of the strength you have, and I can say confidently that I deeply regret ever blaming you for that.”

I once again have to process yet another collection of words I’d never thought I hear. From her. Ever. A part of me believed this was a dream, but the part that Y/N had a grip on was practically pinching me into reality.

Without hesitating, I stood up, pulled her arm up with me, and yanked her into my body in a crushing hug.

She froze at first… The motion was quick and surprising, but slowly, she unhooked our hands, brought both of hers tightly around my waist, and laid into me. I rested my head on top of hers and pulled her shoulders in with my arms, wrapping both of my own tightly around her.

I wasn’t going to let go until she did, and by the looks of it… She wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

Marvel Tags:

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[hayakawalove]

Swing, Swing Baby

Summary: You go to a party with your husband for Halloween, but it isn't just any type of party. It's a swinging party. He goes off to find a partner of his own, and that's when you meet Eren. He shows you just how fun swinging can be.

A/N: Another kinktober fic! ...Late. I know! But we only have one more after this. These are coming out late, but better late than never, right? Comments are appreciated! I'd love to know what you think!

CW: Smut, Swingers, Costumes, 69 (Sex Position), Oral Sex, Cunnilingus, Alcohol, Dirty Talk, AFAB Reader, Gender Neutral Reader

W/C: 1,690

Credit to cafekitsune for the banner

It’s loud in here. Music bounces off the walls, filling the house with bass. Your husband is long gone by now, his comforting presence no longer by your side. It’s not like you’re anxious - you’ve just never been here before. This was the first time you and your husband decided to go to a party like this. 

Lights fill the living room as you walk on the sidelines, your eyes glued to the couples around you. It’s a mess of tongue and roaming hands, the sight causing your gut to warm. 

“Hey, I haven’t seen you here before.” A man says next to you. 

You jump in place before swiveling your head in his direction. A lump forms in your throat when you realize how attractive he is. He has long brown hair pulled into a bun, with bright green eyes popping out of his skeleton makeup. 

“Probably cause I haven’t been here before,” you tease, fully facing him.

He’s shameless in the way he lets his eyes drag across your figure, slowly at first until he reaches your face. Your skin is warm all over, but you feign confidence. 

“Touché. What’s your name?” 

You tell him your name and he tells you his, Eren, before he offers to get you a drink. You let him because you figure you’ll need something to ease your nerves. It’s hard to figure out why he’s talking to you, when presumably he could have anyone at this party. 

Eren comes back with two red solo cups, one for you and one for him. His magnetic green eyes watch you as you take a small sip of the drink before holding it close to you. 

“Any good?” He questions, taking a gulp of his before leaning against the wall beside you. 

He made two margaritas, the lime juice embedded in your bottom lip as you speak. 

“It is pretty good.” You say, looking around the room. “Where’s your partner?” 

Eren chuckles and follows your gaze. Maybe you weren’t supposed to ask that? It was hard not to, you were incredibly curious. Where was she? Was she in this room, watching you speak to him? Or was she already coupled off with someone else? You had to know. 

“She’s with another guy already. It never really takes her long to find someone.” 

“Oh, so you’ve been to this kind of party before?” 

Eren grins at you, and you try not to let the anxiety claw at your insides. 

“Yeah, a couple times. They’re always super fun, and the people are nice. But I will say, I’ve never met someone like you before.” 

Your cheeks burn at the comment, and you eye him as he scoots closer. His cologne fills the air around you, a mixture of sandalwood and nutmeg. 

“Yeah?” You straighten up, looking into his eyes. 

“Yeah, you look great in your costume.” He murmurs, dragging a finger across your skirt. 

You were dressed as a butterfly, at least that’s what you were going for anyway. It wasn’t overtly obvious with the skirt and tight shirt you wore, but the wings on your back certainly helped. 

You lean forward, pressing your chest against his as the tension between you grows. All of a sudden you forget that you’re even at a party; in your head it’s just the two of you. 

“Do you want to…should we…” you breathe out, your mind jumbling all the words that fall from your lips. 

Eren chuckles and pulls away, holding out a hand for you. “Do you want to find somewhere private?” 

You agree maybe too readily, causing him to grin. His touch is warm beneath you, his fingers intertwined with yours as he leads you down a long hall. 

It’s impossible to keep your hands to yourself for too long. He turns around and smashes lips against yours as he walks towards a vacant room. Anticipation starts to grow in your stomach. You were going to sleep with someone besides your husband. There was only one rule. You couldn’t go all the way with your partner. Your husband agreed to follow the rule as well. You whisper the rule to Eren between messy kisses and slick tongues, and he easily accepts. It shouldn’t be too hard to follow, even if you really want more from him.  

The two of you stumble into an empty bedroom, with wandering fingers scraping exposed skin. The light is already low and the bed looks a bit too inviting. Eren parts away from your lips, before laying on the plain bed, his body relaxed as he waits for you. 

“What-“ you begin, unsure what he’s getting at. 

“Want you on top of my face,” he sighs out, adjusting the pillow behind his head before beckoning you with two fingers. “Come on.” 

There’s lead in your throat and weights on your feet as you glide over to the bed. It doesn’t even creak as you ease yourself on top of his lean body. The two of you are still fully dressed, a fact you’re well aware of based on the rising of your body temperature. There’s no time to take your clothes off. No time for anything else but this. 

You position yourself on your hands and knees above him, with your face inches from his growing core, the bulge of it not lost on you. It's making your mouth water, the way you can see his cock twitch and jump beneath his black jeans. 

Eren’s making quick work of your underwear behind you, taking it off so fast the fabric nearly rips. He must be as excited for this as you are. Maybe even more excited than you. 

“Eren-“ you chide, not wanting your underwear to rip. 

He cuts you off immediately, his tongue diving into your pulsing heat. You let out a drawn out groan, your body jumping in surprise. Eren wraps his hands around your thighs, dragging you further down on his face. 

You claw at his legs, briefly forgetting this was supposed to be a mutual activity. Eren reminds you easily, swatting the side of your ass as he slides his tongue over your cunt. You let out a moan before fumbling with his pants. Your shaky hands pull down his zipper, before you ease his cock from the confines of his boxers. 

It fills your hand nicely, the weight of it pushes against the inside of your palm. He’s harder than you thought possible, and there’s already a steady stream of precum dripping from his slit. 

It looks too good to resist. 

You flick your tongue against his tip, reveling in the shaky breath he lets out behind you. The air is warm against your clit while he circles his tongue around. You have no time to focus on how good it feels. You open your mouth wider to take him in more, letting his cock slip past your lips and down your throat until it’s all you feel. He’s hitting the back of your throat in a way that you know will leave bruises, but somehow that makes it even better. 

“Just, just like that.” He speaks against your pussy, words ghosting over your tender flesh as he dives his tongue into your hole. 

You rock back against his face, letting his hands guide you back and forth as you use his tongue. Your head is bobbing now, while you drag your tongue on the underside of his cock. The noises the two of you are making are downright filthy. You would be inclined to believe the whole house could hear you, if it weren’t for the blaring music downstairs. 

Eren sticks his tongue out to circle your clit, his grip tightening as your moans increase. You briefly wonder if the concoction of his spit and your cum will smudge his Halloween makeup, but you don’t have much time to think before he wraps his lips around you. He’s sucking your swollen clit with everything he has, the pressure making your breath hitch. It's a miracle you aren’t passing out from oxygen loss between his skills and his cock. 

You swallow around him, your throat constricting around his cock before you speed up. The inside of your mouth is covered with his precum, the taste salty sweet as it flows down your esophagus. 

“Fuck yeah baby,” he moans against you. “Shiiiit,” Eren whimpers. 

Your high is approaching all too fast. If you had it your way, you wouldn’t be leaving this room for the next several hours. You think he must be getting close too, judging by the way his hips are rotating beneath you, as if he’s trying to reach as deep as he can into your throat. 

Eren sucks your clit one more time and that’s all you need to be pushed over the edge. You moan admittedly loudly around his cock, letting him slip even deeper than before. He buries his face against your pussy to swallow every drop of cum you so graciously give, before rutting his hips against your mouth. He cums not a moment later than you, the warm liquid seeping down your throat. There’s so much of it that it easily starts to drip from the corners of your lips, making a mess out of your chin. 

You swallow as much of it as you can before popping off, slipping your tongue out to clean your lips. When you slide off his face to sit next to him, you notice that he looks like a mess. As much of a mess as you probably look. His luscious locks are this way and that, ruining the perfect bun he wore before. There’s a lustsick expression on his face, and your cum covers his mouth and chin. You let out a giggle at the sight before he follows, his rich voice filling the small room. Eren reaches a thumb up to drag across his bottom lip, wiping away your cum. 

“Let me know if your husband ever changes his mind on your guy's rule,” He says, his tone joking but you know he most certainly isn’t. 

You can agree on that. 

[writtenbyan-aries]

My Favorite Edit | Matt Sturniolo

I asked a friend of mine to make me t w o different edits for t w o different one shots, so the credit for these edits is all her! 🖤 The edit will be posted within the fanfic, but her socials are linked right below! I’m also pretty sure tumblr ruined the quality, so if you wanna see it without tumblr quality, click below.

Instagram - jas.sturn_ | TikTok - http.sturnx

Here is Chris’ version 🖤

∶ Summary: While doing an interview, reader gets asked about fan edits

∶ Warnings: slight flirting, kissing, fluff

∶ Word Count: 2.7k | unedited

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

“Hello hello everybody, and welcome back to the podcast.”

You smile at the host, Lydia, as she continues, “I know you all have wanted me to bring on y/n, and let me tell you the wait is over because, for the listeners, I have her sitting right across from me, hello, y/n.”

“Hello, Lydia. Thank you so much for having me on!” You smile and she scoffs, “Thank you for coming on! I cannot tell you how many comments I’ve seen requesting to bring you on.”

“Same with me! I kept seeing stuff like, go on the Chatter Babe Podcast!” You laugh, “I’m just finally happy I get a break to do this!”

“Right, you’re a busy busy girl.” She laughs, “So today, we can talk about whatever it is you want, I mean I have a few topics I want to cover but they should be quick.”

You nod, “Fire away, girl.”

“Okay so first off, is it true that you’re working on a new movie?” She squints and you smirk, “No comment on that.”

She gasps, “I’m getting a yes from that, but I understand that you’re not obligated to speak on it, so moving on. Your last movie, when is it coming out?”

“Should be out within the next month.. it has to go through editing and getting finalized and all of that, but the premiere date is arriving quickly.”

“Can you tell us that date?” Lydia asks and you smile, “February twentieth.”

She gasps, “oh thats my birthday!”

“Wow, that’s so weird..” you reach down into your purse and pull out two tickets to the premiere, “I just happen to have these for that day and I figured you would like to come.”

She gasps louder, “Oh, y/n. You did not!”

“Happy early birthday.” You laugh, “This is also a thank you for bringing me on today.”

“Oh I’m going to cry. You’re literally so sweet.” She takes the tickets, “Oh I’m so exited. I’m going to tell Ryan to cancel anything and everything that he has planned because this is better.”

You laugh, “Oh, no. Don’t say that.”

She shakes her head, letting out a sigh, “anyway.” She laughs, “Oh! Did you see the one edit a fan made? They like took clips from my videos and mashed them with yours to make it look like we collabed finally?”

“No!” You laugh, “I didn’t, but now I kind of want to see it!”

You watch as Lydia pulls it up, turning his phone to let you watch.

“That’s actually crazy.” You lean back, “I mean, they got their wish.” You shake your head, “I have major respect for editors. I see a few pop up on my feed every now and then and I watch them a few times because it amazes me just how much effort they actually put into them.”

“Right? Like I want to know how many hours one edit takes, you know? Like they have to take at least an hour if not more.” Lydia shakes her head, “So you said you see some every now and then, what kind of ones do you get? Sometimes I get the grinch ones and I’m like how and the hell did that get on there?”

You laugh, “No, I get those, too. It always shocks me because I’m like, wait, how did I get here?” You sigh, “I get those, and then every now and then I’ll see some of my friends and I’ll send them to them and be like look at you!”

“Who are those friends?” Lydia tilts her head and you laugh, “some of my girl friends and then the triplets, Nick, Matt, and Chris.”

“Do they like the edits?” She asks and you tilt your head back and forth, “They like the funny ones, like when the fans clip the more funny moments from their weekly videos.”

She nods, “I like the edits that are like synced with the music behind it, you know what I mean.” You nod, “Yes, I like those ones too.”

“So. Speaking of, the triplets..” she smirks and you sigh, smirking at her, “Whaaat?”

“Out of the three of them, do you have an edit that you love the most for just one of them?” She tilts her head and your jaw drops slightly as you laugh, “I love them all equally.”

Lydia points, “Ooh with an answer like that I think you do have one in particular!”

You did have one, one that you vowed to never let see the light of day.

You shake your head, “I mean..”

“See!” She sits criss crossed on her chair and laughs, “Show me! Show me!”

You sign, “Fine, but you can’t tell anyone.” You glance towards the camera, “Not like that matters.” You laugh, pulling up the edit on your phone and you lean over to show her.

“All of you keyboard warriors out there will have to use the sound to your best ability.” She laughs and leans in, staring at the screen as the edit plays.

She leans back with a smirk, “Oh I fucking knew it!”

“No you didn’t, shush.” You put your phone away and you fail at hiding your smile, “He doesn’t know I have this. He doesn’t know anything.”

“Are there secret feelings here that I’m getting a whiff of, because if so, wowza you guys would literally break the internet.” Lydia grips her chair, “Like, I know you guys are close, and for a while there I thought you guys were a thing.”

“We’re just really good friends, Lyd.” You assure, more so trying to convince yourself more than her, “If shit happens, it happens. One thing I’ve learned over the last year, is that you just have to step back and just let things go the way they’re meant to.”

“Wow, that’s actually really good advice, y/n.” She nods, turning to look in the camera, “I’m not going to say any names, but if the person I just watched in this edit is watching, you better step up your game because you’d be stupid not to snatch this bitch up.”

You cover your mouth laughing, “Thank you for that. I hope he got the message.”

She laughs, “I hope it did something.”

After an hour, you were finally done and just chatting off camera, “So does he really not know you have that?”

You shake your head, “That’s one that I kept to myself and until today, wasn’t ever going to see the outside of my folder.”

“I’m serious, you guys would be a hot ass couple.” She raises her brows, “I think after tomorrow.. you’re going to have yourself a date to your movie premiere.”

“After tomorrow, I’m not going to ever get a piece of peace and quiet, especially from them. They’re going to hound me until they know.” You laugh, pulling out your phone, “Speak of the devil.”

You turn your phone, showing her Matt’s name on the screen before answering it, “Hello?”

“Hey, oh wait, you’re not in the middle of that podcast, are you?”

You laugh slightly, “We just wrapped up, you’re good. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to see if you had the rest of the day free, we’re going to catch a movie and I wanted to see if you wanted to go.” Matt pauses and you smirk at Lydia, “Yeah, what time? I need to stop at home first before I come over.”

“I think Nick said, hold on.” He yells to Nick, “What time does the movie start?”

“Six!” Nick answers and Matt repeats to you, “Six.”

“Sounds good. I’ll come over around five.”

“Okay, see you the- oh wait, how’d your podcast thing go?” He asks and you let out a sigh, “I’ll tell you about it then.”

“Okay. See you later.”

“Yep, bye.” You hang up and Lydia smirks, “A movie? What are you going to tell him there?” You shake your head, “No, I’m going to try and hold off on that until the podcast drops.”

“We’ll see about that.” She smirks, “I’ll let you know when the pod is about to drop.”

“A heads up, perfect.”

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

You managed to make it through dinner, the car ride, and the movie last night without spilling beans on your little secret.

You were proud of yourself.

You almost let it slip a few times, but covered it up with something like, I told Lydia I can’t talk about it, you’ll see it on the podcast tomorrow.

Well, it was tomorrow, and life as you know it was about to change for the good or for the bad - okay, a little dramatic, but you were nervous.

Your phone rang at eight a.m sharp with Lydia on the other end, “Hey, my producer is about to upload the video.”

“Sounds good.” You sit up, “Thanks for having me on again.”

“Thanks for coming on. I definitely want you back, and oh, thanks again for the tickets! I’m super stoked about it!”

“Anytime!” You hang up and let out a sigh before you get out of bed. As you’re walking to the bathroom, there’s a knock on your door and you stop, walking over to look out.

You laugh as you open the door, “What are you guys doing there?”

“We came here to watch the premier of your podcast with Lydia!” Nick walks in, “We brought breakfast, so don’t worry.”

“I was woken up early, so this better be worth it.” Chris laughs as he walks in and Matt stands there, “Nick messaged Lydia for the time she was dropping it.”

“Of course he did.” You laugh, “she just called me. Said he was uplo-“

“Here it is!” Nick calls out and you close the door, walking over with Matt. He sits down while you stand behind the couch, watching as Lydia’s intro plays.

“Aren’t you gonna sit?” Nick asks and you shake your head, “No, because I feel like I’ll need an easy way to escape the embarrassment here in a minute.”

“Oh now I’m really excited about this.” Chris rubs his hands together and you gently smack him upside the head, “My embarrassment is not for your laughing pleasure, sir.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” He rolled his eyes and you glance at Matt, watching him look away as soon as you catch him looking.

You chew on your lip, taking a deep breath as you hear your voice on the tv. You tilt your head, “Do I really sound like that?”

Nick shushes you and Matt shakes his head, giving you a small smirk. You smile, leaning against the couch as you continue to watch.

Eventually you get to the part that makes you want to run and hide, but you stick it out.

Chris looks at you, “The grinch? Y/n? Really.”

“Shut up.” You laugh, groaning quietly as their name gets brought into it. Nick reaches back, patting your leg, “Thanks for the shoutout, y/n!”

“Oh just wait.” You mumble, rubbing your hand over your face.

“Out of the three of them, do you have an edit that you love the most for just one of them?”

All three of them turn to look at you and you laugh nervously, “Don’t.. look at me like that. I said I love you all equally.”

“Yeah, but one more than the other two.” Chris shakes his head, “Crazy work.”

Nick gasps, “I need to see this edit.“ He stands up, turning around to face you, “Right. Fucking. Now.” You shake your head, “Too. Fucking. Bad. Because no one is ever going to see that edit.”

“Where’s your phone.” Nick crosses his arms and you shrug, “I don’t know.” He scoffs, “Liar.”

You shrug, “It’s not.. that big of a deal, okay. So just-“

“He doesn’t know I have this. He doesn’t know anything.”

“He does now.” Chris and Nick say in unison and you laugh, “You guys don’t know anything. Clearly. That could have been anyone, okay?”

“But it wasn’t.” Nick shakes his head, “Now spill.”

“..but if the person I just watched in this edit is watching, you better step up your game because you’d be stupid not to snatch this bitch up.”

“Well, it’s not me, so.” Nick sits back down and stands back up, “But I still want to see this edit.”

You stare at him for a few seconds before he grabs your arm, “Chris, go. I got her!” You fight back against Nick but he pulls you over the couch and you let out a yell, “Whoa! Hey! You can’t-“ you break out into laughter, “Matt. Help please.”

He moves over and looks down, “All you gotta do is tell us who was in that edit and it can all be over.”

“You’re siding with them!?” You scoff, “That’s not shocking.”

He smirks, “Hey, I’m curious, too.”

“I got it!” Chris yells, running down the steps, “What’s the password.” You laugh, “Go fuck yourself is the password.”

“That won’t work.” Chris huffs and Nick stares at him, “Clearly.” He rolls his eyes, looking down at you, “Just tell us.”

“Matt.” You state and Nick shakes his head, “He isn’t going to help you.” You lift your head, “Matt.” Nick laughs beside going serious, “Oh shit.”

“What, did she finally say who?” Chris asks and Nick looks at him, “Give her the phone.” He nods towards you and lets you sit up. You take the phone and sigh as you get into it, “Here.”

You glance over at Matt, who has a smirk on his face, “Let me see it.” He moves beside you, his hand resting on your shoulder as he leans behind you to watch the edit.

After it ends, it goes quiet and Chris is the first to break the silence, “Y/n likes Matt! Y/n likes Matt!!”

“I mean, who didn’t see this coming?” Nick looks at you, “Lydia was right, you guys act like a married couple half the time anyway.”

“Oh so now you’re not surprised.” You take your phone back and Nick laughs, “I mean, Matt has a secret edit of you that he likes so it’s not really a big deal.”

“How do you know about that?” Matt asks, laughing nervously, “That, I mean.. fuck, fine. Here.” Matt hands you his phone and you go look at the video.

“That’s a good edit.” You smirk, looking over at him. He shakes his head, “Yeah, yeah. We all have edits that we like, so what?”

You stand up, “I’m going to go get ready for the day.” You walk away, mumbling to yourself as you walk up the steps to your room.

As you’re getting your clothes out to change, Matt walks into the door way, “Hey.”

You look up with a smile, “Hey.”

He walks in, closing the door behind him, “So, I guess the feelings are mutual, huh?” You shrug with a nod, “I guess so.”

He walks over, “Lydia is right though.”

You tilt your head, “About?”

He smirks, “That I’m stupid if I don’t snatch you up.”

You shrug, “I wouldn’t say, stupid, necessarily. But I didn’t say anything, so how would you have known to even s-“ Matt cuts you off with a kiss, pulling you in closer by your hips. Your hands slide up his arms to his neck and he leans back, “What do you say?”

“To?” You tilt your head and he smiles, “To finally being my girlfriend?”

You smile, “I say, that that is a great idea because now I finally have a date to my premiere next month.”

“Is that the-“

You cut Matt off with a kiss, “No, of course not.” You smile, “I think it’s great because now, I don’t have to hide how much I actually like you.”

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

Thanks for reading! I love you all so much! Catch you in the next one! 🖤

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