#though I have some ideas that I feel suit him

[rooksamoris]

I'm back >:D

I looooove your last fic with Silver so I came up with another idea with a pathetically in love Silver

I was thinking of an idea that the perfect has been wearing more makeup lately (Vil's influence probably) . Especially lipsticks, pretty colors and everything

Silver is happy and calm on the outside, talking to the Prefect. But on the inside, he's struggling to resist the temptation of kissing the Prefect. (Maybe he can't resist? 🤭)

Silver es un devoto adorador de los besos de todo tipo. (Change My mind)

SPARKLY LIP GLOSS !!

💞 — in which silver gets distracted by how good you look in the makeup vil gave you. 💞 — silver vanrouge x reader. 💞 — gender neutral reader. 1k words. warnings: none. guys this down-bad silver stuff is beginning to become a saga and i love it. i feel like i unintentionally write him like an arthurian hero sometimes. i hope you enjoy miriam!! i enjoyed writing <3 you're so right

Something was different about you lately, and Silver had noticed it. You just seemed a bit more sparkly.

He asked you one day about the blue eyeshadow you were wearing, and you told him Vil had recommended it to you. It seemed he had a recent shipment of makeup, and rather than wasting all the extra products that did not suit him or were not in his shade, he was giving them to you as a thank you for your troubles. You went on and on about how sweet it was, talking about the way he managed to figure out your undertones and complexion for a curated box, while Silver could do nothing but stare at the brown shimmering gloss across your pretty lips.

You were breathtakingly beautiful to him before, but the makeup you were wearing now enhanced your greatest features. And it was an outward expression of yourself, which he could appreciate.

Some of the products were waterproof and sweat-proof, or so claimed the companies’ advertisements, and you decided to test that out during your sparring with Silver. He noticed how your lashes seemed longer and more curled, or how your cheeks seemed more flushed. You tested out a dewy skin tint, and he nearly let you get a strike in because the beauty of your complexion bewitched him. 

You were always striking to him, but this took things to another level. He was growing weary of constantly fighting the urge to pull you close and kiss you. He was a disciplined soldier, but matters of the heart always brought out the weakest in people. 

His eyes were narrowed in on your lips today. You were wearing such a pleasant shade of pink that put peonies to shame. Surely, they would have withered the moment they were face to face with you. His eyes drifted back up to your eyes. You were staring ahead while talking about a recent experience. How he loved the way your mouth would move, the way the corners would be tugged up into a smile that he swore to preserve. He swore it upon his knight's honor that your days would be filled with joy, for he would raise his blade to any threats upon your safety and happiness. 

Silver could not help but be frustrated with you, though. He felt that you must have been oblivious to his feelings for you. Did you not reciprocate? Plenty seemed to fly over his head, but he thought that you had to have felt something for him. You guys spent hours and hours together. He had seen the way you looked at him so tenderly when his bleary eyes were just barely opening after another nap. You would always look away afterwards.

You took out the lip gloss from your pocket and opened it up, the soft applicator making a little ‘pop’ sound as it was released from the sticky confines. You brushed it against your lips, slowly and carefully, before smacking your lips as you finished. 

“Hmm?” You raised a brow as you noticed Silver watching you. You held the lip gloss out to him, “Wanna to try some? Vil said it was too warm for his skin,” you said.

Silver took it from your hands, nearly correcting you to say he was staring at your lips, not the pink tube you were holding. He figured it would be impolite to decline, so he just nodded, opening it the way you did, staring the applicator down. It got to brush your lips before he did… he pressed it to his pale mouth and brushed it across the way you did before looking back at you, “It feels quite soothing,” he said, “Rejuvenating,” he added, as he handed it back to you.

You nodded and took it from him, trying your best to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat. It looked so good on him, bringing out the bit of pink in his eyes, “It looks lovely on you.”

“I believe it must diminish in comparison to how it appears on you.” 

You both went silent.

His silver brows were knitted softly, “You must forgive my bluntness,” he said, bowing his head slightly, “But I truly mean it.”

“Ah, no need to apologize. It’s sweet.” 

Deep within his chest, he could feel the pounding of his heart. He wanted to reach inside and soothe it before it began to get any false hopes. When he looked back up at you, his eyes could not help but be drawn to your lips.

It seemed you noticed it this time, since you tried to find his gaze again, “Silver…”

He stayed quiet, merely leaning forward a bit, waiting to see if you would pull away before glancing back into your eyes. There was a burning ache that he had been trying to ignore for ages, and now he just wanted to give in, to have his hunger sated. There was a ferocity to the feelings that he was having for you, and trying to force them back was just not working. 

You could never know that these feelings were so forceful with the way he watched you so kindly. 

His hand gently grasped your chin. “Reject me if you do not reciprocate,” he murmured, his thumb brushing gently across your skin.

Instead of pulling back, you leaned forward as well. You reached out for his free hand, resting on his leg, and you placed your hand on top of it like a comforting canopy. “I won’t,” you said. Your eyelids fluttered shut, and you waited for the kiss to come, welcoming it with open arms.

Silver’s expression faltered, the crease between his brows disappearing. He looked down at your lips again, his eyelids dropping a bit as he came closer with the intent of kissing you. 

“There you are, Silver! His Majesty requests your presence! You must not keep him waiting a moment— oh my.” Sebek’s yelling came to an abrupt stop when he saw the scene before him, and Silver on a bench alone, nearly kissing. His cheeks became pink.

Silver pulled back, frowning. He looked over his shoulder to shoot a look at Sebek, before letting his gaze soften as he took you in again. His hand shifted to cup your cheek, brushing his thumb along it, “We shall continue another time. I swear upon it,” he said, before standing and retreating with a bow.

©rooksamoris 2025. do not steal or translate my work!

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[bm571158]

Burnout- MV1

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten

Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen🔥

Part Fourteen🔥 Part Fifteen

Tag list: @littlewhiterose @dontsupressthejess @idontknow0704 @vinylphwoar @katyniss

'The Breaking Point'

By the time they landed in Qatar for the second race of the triple header, the bruise was just starting to fade on Talia's wrist. It didn't stop Max looking at it and being reminded of how angry he was though, the idea of some drunk guy with his hands all over Talia made him bristle with anger just thinking about it.

He'd tried so many times to ask her about it, and she just kept changing the subject or telling him that it was fine and that he needed to move on.

Given that he'd already sealed the deal on the drivers championship and it was mathematically impossible for Red Bull to win the constructors Max had assumed he was in for a fairly peaceful end to the season.

But the team were still desperate to work out what issues were plaguing the car. Didn't want to finish the season without having some kind of grip on it. The conversations around Checo's future with the team had intensified again, and weren't sounding in any way positive.

All of it had rather taken the shine off Max's moment of triumph in Vegas. It felt like a lifetime ago already.

Then, just to make it even worse, Talia was busy filming and Leo was there was well. Much to his relief Max had avoided him so far, but that was more because he kept turning off to escape him every time he saw him. He definitely didn't have it in him to be civil with Leo on top of everything else.

It was after sprint qualifying that Max ran into him. He'd just finished with media, heading back towards the Red Bull hospitality for a strategy meeting. His suit tied around his waist, the sun low in the sky but the heat still stifling.

As he rounded the corner with the sun in his eyes, Max didn't spot Leo standing there until it was too late to turn around. Would've been too obvious why he'd turned to go back the opposite way. So Max forced a polite smile and tried to walk by quickly enough that Leo wouldn't feel the need to try to speak to him.

"Vegas was wild, huh?" Leo called. "Thanks for the party invite. I had a great night."

Max stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at him, jaw clenched. "You were there? I think you know you weren't invited."

"Surprised Talia didn't tell you." Leo smirked. "Trouble in paradise already mate? She's a handful that one. Feisty."

It took less than a second for Max to connect the dots in his mind. Fists clenched by his side, he saw red.

"You lay a fucking finger on her ever again and I swear you'll regret it." Max hissed, stalking over to Leo and shoving him back roughly against the wall.

"I've had my hands all over her all day mate." Leo smirked. "I get paid for it too."

Max shoved him back against the wall again as he straightened up.

"You really want to do this here, Verstappen?" Leo asked, nodding towards a couple of people who'd turned to look at the pair of them.

Max couldn't have cared any less who was watching.

"You think I give a shit who's watching?" Max snapped. "I meant what I said. You lay a finger on her ever again and I'll-"

"Max!" GP's voice cut through the paddock, just as Max raised his fist. His engineer running over just in time to grab Max. "Hey, hey! Let him go."

Leo was red in the face, but smirking, as GP dragged Max further away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" GP asked, keeping a grip on Max like he was afraid he might go for Leo again if he let go of him.

Max didn't answer. His hands shaking, fists still balled at his sides. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been quite so angry. All he could see was the look on Talia's face when she'd come back to the booth, the rip in her dress and the bruise on her wrist.

Leo stood up straighter, smoothing out his jacket. "You're really falling for her, huh? Cute."

Max tensed again, and GP was quick to start dragging him back in the direction of Red Bull.

"Come on. Let's go." GP ordered, dragging Max with him. "Whatever this is about, he's not worth it.

🎥.

Talia stood drumming her fingers against her leg as she waited for the film crew to sort themselves out. They were running late, should've been finished hours ago and as a result she'd missed sprint qualifying while she was waiting to them to finish adjusting lighting and making minor adjustments to the shots.

She was still waiting for them to sort themselves out when Leo arrived on the set out of the corner of her eye, and she turned a way a little as if having him out of her line of sight meant that she didn't have to deal with him.

"I'm telling you the guy is an absolute nutter, completely unhinged. Just grabbed me and slammed me into the wall like some kind of cage fighter." Leo told everyone. "Someone had to come and pull him off me!"

The crew mumbled awkwardly, Netflix pushed their mic in a bit closer, suddenly looking intrigued.

"I know they call him Mad Max. Temper issues and everyone knows it. We should be worried about Talia. The guy absolutely loses it when he doesn't get his way. If I hadn't kept my cool it would've turned into a full on brawl." Leo continued.

Talia's stomach twisted as she looked round and met Leo's eye. He had a smile on his face, like whatever game he thought he was playing he was pretty sure he was winning. Like turning Max into the villain was the only goal.

"I don't understand. Why was he even talking to you in the first place?" One of the crew asked, looking puzzled.

Leo gave a dramatic sigh. "Who knows? I asked him if he'd seen Talia and the guy just lost it. Guess he doesn't trust her? Maybe he's compensating for something!"

A few people laughed nervously, no one questioned him. Talia took a step back, her stomach twisting with guilt. Leo was lying, but she was just as bad because she was letting him. The fear of what he could do to her, her career and whatever was going on with her and Max enough to keep her silent. And as Leo looked up at her with a smirk she realised he knew that all too well.

It was late by the time the filming wrapped up. Talia left wondering how many different angles they could possibly film something from before there wasn't a single new angle left.

But as she slipped away having finally got changed back into her normal clothes she heard a voice behind her.

"Talia."

His voice actually made her skin crawl, and she turned to face him reluctantly, keeping as much distance between them as she could.

"What do you want, Leo?" Her voice was low, guarded.

"You're not very apologetic for someone who's fake boyfriend just threatened to strangle me."

"He's not my fake boyfriend." She said calmly. "And whatever he may or may not have threatened to do, I'm sure you more than deserved it."

"Did I?" Leo asked. "Because no one else seems to think so. Give it half an hour I think he'll be coming to give me the apology he owes me."

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that." Talia muttered, because she couldn't imagine Max apologising to Leo for anything, in any lifetime.

"You're all just part of an act to him, don't forget that." Leo continued. "The second he doesn't need you to save face anymore he'll forget you ever even existed."

She didn't answer him, couldn't. The words hitting far too close to home, to the part of her that sometimes laid in bed with Max's arms wrapped around her wondering exactly how much of this was real and how much of it was just some kind of performance that they'd fallen into.

"Because at the end of the day Talia, you're just some dirty little slut dancing around on stage and enjoying having everyone's eyes on you. What would someone like that ever want with someone like you?"

Leo stepped back without another word, a satisfied smile on his face. He knew from her expression that he'd planted the seed of doubt, made her question Max just a little.

🎥.

Talia made a beeline for Red Bull without even thinking about where she was going. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, ducking past the red bull staff who tried to greet her. She needed Max. She needed the Max who held her hand when the cameras weren't looking. The Max who laughed and taught her how to sim race. The Max that had bought a blanket that he now kept on his sofa specifically because he knew she always got cold.

But as she reached the corridor that led towards the drivers rooms and offices she stopped dead at the sound of voices. Christian, Jos and Max clearly in the middle of something.

"It's not about her." Max said sharply. "I didn't lose control because I was thinking about her. I nearly hit him because he's an annoying asshole and he deserves it."

Christians voice followed, tight and exhausted. "You nearly hit him Max, in full view of all the press in the paddock. That's not nothing."

"I don't fucking care about him." Max snapped back. "He got in my face."

"Because of her." Jos chimed in. "I told you having her around was going to be bad news."

There was a beat of silence. "It's all fake anyway, isn't it? This whole fucking thing. I only did it because you were on at me to do something to divert the attention away from the fact that this fucking team is falling apart at the seams. So I did what you wanted- got the pretty pop star on my arm to distract everyone and give them all something else to talk about. She's not the reason I'm not doing well. The car is shit and the team doesn't seem to know what they're doing. That's why. I couldn't give less of a shit about what Talia is doing, I'm here to race and that is it."

Talia stood rooted to the spot around the corner. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. The words settled like a knife to her chest. The same Max that had kissed her when he won his world championship, the Max that had worshipped her body in their hotel room in vegas... it really was all just a business arrangement to him.

Another man who was just trying to use her to get what he needed.

She backed away slowly, silently, before anyone noticed that she was there.

🎥.

It was late by the time Max made it out of the strategy meeting. It hadn't helped that he was late getting there because his Dad and Christian just would not let the incident with Leo go. By the time they'd finished pouring over all the options for the sprint and qualifying it was dark outside.

He stepped out into the almost deserted hospitality looking around in confusion when he didn't spot Talia. They'd made arrangements that morning for her to meet him there when she was done so he could drive the two of them back to the hotel, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Have you seen Talia?" He stopped a member of the social media team as they walked by.

"She left maybe an hour, hour and a half ago?" She offered. "Said she wasn't feeling well and she really didn't look great. I guess she was going back to the hotel."

"Alright, thanks." He mumbled, pulling out his phone to try and call her as he set off quickly through the paddock to get back to the car.

It went to voicemail.

"Hey it's me. I was just checking if you were okay, someone said you weren't feeling well and I just wondered if you wanted me to get you anything on the way back? Let me know. I'll be back in like fifteen or twenty minutes I think."

She didn't call him back, or text him to say she'd got the message or wanted anything, but he stopped off anyway and picked up some painkillers and her favourite kind of soup just incase.

When he made it back to the hotel the room was dark, the air con humming the only thing breaking the silence.

Talia was already in bed, curled up on her side. The soft glow of the city lights beyond the window illuminating her a little.

Max kicked off his shoes, padding across the carpet towards her.

"Hey, how you feeling?" He asked softly.

She didn't turn around, didn't move. "Just tired, got a head ache. Long day." She mumbled.

Max paused. Something about her voice was off, not cold but quietly removed. Like a door had been closed that he hadn't known existed.

"You should've said, I could've driven you back." He said.

"I didn't want to wait around." She said simply.

He frowned at the way she brushed him off. He'd never known her so cold and disinterested.

"Okay, well I brought you some soup if you're hungry and there's some painkillers in the bag. I didn't know if you'd eaten or whatever." He told her, setting it down on the table. "I'm going to go and shower."

When he came back he changed in silence, slipped into bed beside her, the bed sheets cool against his skin. The distance between them felt wrong, unfamiliar. He'd got so used to her curling into his side in bed every night that the distance between them as she lay unmoving felt as vast as an ocean.

So almost instinctively he reached for her. Let his hand fall on to her hip, his arm around her middle pulling her back towards him.

And that was when she moved. It wasn't sharp or dramatic. Just a slow, wordless shift, sliding out of his grasp and further towards the edge of the bed.

Max blinked at the back of her head, hurt and confused.

"Talia?"

"Just go to sleep, Max." She said quietly .

He stared at the ceiling for a long time, trying to work out what had changed, because it was clear that something had. He just didn't know what, didn't know how to make it right.

[knowledgeableknitter]

Ten Minutes is too Damn Long

A new fic-let

Pairing: Congressman! Bucky Barnes x you (I wrote this with curvy/plus sized reader in mind, and the first part clearly is, but this part is less obvious)

Word Count: <1000

Summary: Your Congressman husband just defended your honor at a gala. Now you show your appreciation in the limo on the ride home.

Trigger Warnings: 18+ MDNI. It's smut. In the back of a limo. Riding Bucky. Slight obsession vibes, from both of you. Him threatening violence gets you off.

Author’s Note: This is Part 2 to "Emotionally. Physically. Frequently.", but each can be read as stand alone.

Masterlist

His breath caught. Then he exhaled your name like a prayer.

“You are the dessert.”

You were still smirking when his fingers curled around your wrist, pulling you just slightly off balance, not roughly, but with purpose. His eyes burned hotter than the city lights behind him.

“Ten minutes is too damn long, sweetheart.”

“Bucky—”

But he was already walking, already leading you through a narrow side hall, past guests sipping champagne and pretending not to notice how tightly his hand held yours. Every step matched his tension. He was silent as he marched on, his jaw locked as though restraint was costing him more than he could afford.

He found a door marked ‘Private’, a single-occupant restroom, all marble and gold fixtures, and tugged you inside before anyone could look twice.

The lock clicked.

You turned toward him, lips parted, ready to tease, but he was already on his knees.

Just like that, no words, no hesitation.

Just Bucky Barnes, the man half the room wanted and the other half feared, sinking to the floor in front of you in his tailored suit, like you were something to worship.

His hands came up slow, sliding over your calves, then the backs of your thighs, coaxing your legs apart with nothing but reverence. He looked up at you, jaw tight, eyes glassy.

“I need to taste you. Now.”

You opened your mouth to say something, some kind of protest, maybe just a curse, but he was already lifting the hem of your cocktail dress.

“Bucky, we’re—”

“—In public?” His voice was low, gravel and smoke. “No one’s gonna hear you. And if they do?” He kissed the inside of your thigh, hot and slow. “Good.”

You pressed your hand to the marble counter behind you, balance faltering as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of your panties and eased them down your legs.

He tucked them into his jacket pocket like a trophy.

“You have no idea what you did to me tonight,” he murmured, pressing another kiss higher, dragging his mouth along your skin like it might burn him. “Standing there like you own the world… then reminding everyone you own me, too.”

You barely managed to keep standing when his mouth finally found you.

His tongue swept through your folds, slow at first, then insistent, groaning as he tasted you.

Your knees buckled slightly, and his hands shot up, palms splayed across your thighs to hold you steady.

You whimpered, trying not to let your head hit the mirror behind you. “Fuck, Bucky—”

He growled against you. “Say it again.”

“Yours,” you gasped. “I’m yours. All yours.”

He latched onto your clit like he was starved, sucking with the kind of focus only a man on his knees and in love could give.

You gripped his hair, one hand planted against the sink for balance. Every swipe of his tongue was a worship, every moan of his name a litany. The sounds were filthy in the silence, wet, hungry, and frantic.

He pulled back just enough to rasp: “Don’t hold back. I want them to hear how good I make you feel.”

You gasped his name again, thighs shaking.

You came hard, mouth open in a silent cry as your orgasm crashed through you. Your body trembled, and Bucky held you still, tongue never stopping until you begged.

Your back hit the mirror. Your hand fumbled for the edge of the counter as your vision blurred.

Bucky stood slowly, mouth slick, pupils blown wide. He was breathing hard, chest rising and falling beneath his wrinkled dress shirt. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, never breaking eye contact.

“I should let you make that speech more often,” he said, voice wrecked and reverent.

You let out a breathless laugh, still catching yourself. “I just might if this is the result. That was not subtle.”

“Neither was the way you claimed me.” His hands smoothed over your waist, then down your back, possessive and grounding. “Fair’s fair.”

You looked down at yourself, dress hiked up, lipstick slightly smudged, thighs trembling.

He reached out and tucked a curl behind your ear. Kissed your temple.

“You taste like mine,” he whispered. “And I want you to remember it for the rest of the night.”

You blinked up at him. “We’re skipping dessert.”

He grinned, slow and wrecked. “I already had dessert.”

You tugged your dress back down, still trembling slightly as he adjusted your posture for you with quiet care, straightening your straps, and fixing your necklace, like nothing about you could ever be out of place.

He turned you toward the mirror, hands on your waist.

“Your lipstick is still smudged,” he murmured behind you.

“So fix it.”

You expected him to ask for your lipstick or something, but he didn’t.

Instead, he swiped his thumb across your lower lip, then ran it over the corner of your mouth in one clean motion.

He didn’t ask you to check it.

Just whispered, “Perfect.”

You turned to leave, but he grabbed your hand, gentle, but firm, and kissed the back of it like he was still on his knees.

“Let’s go home.”

Tag list: @lovely-seb @calwitch @its-in-the-woods @ficmeiguess @yesiamthatwierd @kitasownworld

[unlikeable-female-character]

A Quick Dip

here is my entry for the Wet Hot Logan Summer Ficathon!

I was given a prompt from @dis-plus-fanfic-reblog-writes and it was Logan and you in a cabin/hotel/wherever. Both covered in sweat one summer night, full moon, and even the shower water cannot be cooled, but you two are near a beach/lake/similar

For The Wolverine/Ronin/Mountain Man Logan.

Was quite excited about this as there aren't many fics for this particularly (or these?) version of Logan and that's a shame. I knew, however, that I could never do justice to a Logan in Japan story so chose to base this one around Mountain Man Logan. He might only appear at the start of the film but he makes an impact.

word count: 2741

warnings: smut, fondling, nudity, unprotected p in v

***

You’d seen the man in town a few times. Whispers and rumours followed him and you confessed that you were more fascinated by him than you should be. He lived up in the mountains ‘somewhere’ no one was really sure. His long tangled hair and unkempt beard coupled with his almost permanent scowl should have made him a person to avoid, but when you’d heard him speak he was quieter than you’d imagined he’d be, blunt but generally polite. He radiated a general air of ‘if you don’t fuck with me I won’t fuck with you’ and that seemed to suit everyone. His name, you were told, was Logan and he had ‘abilities’. No one would elaborate on what those ‘abilities’ were.

You’d moved, at least temporarily, into a cabin owned by an uncle, nestled away on a mountain road. Not totally isolated but far enough away to give you the peace you needed. It was a short drive into town and an even shorter walk to the sparkling lake in which you’d taken any number of bracing swims. The first time you’d encountered Logan close up was when he had walked up to the cabin one day and knocked at the door. He’d come to warn you about the start of hunting season and how the combination of men, beer and guns wasn’t always the best. Maybe a woman by herself should find a room in town for the duration. You thanked him for his concern but for now you’d stay put. Why should a bunch of drunken yahoos drive you from YOUR home? Logan didn’t argue, he’d delivered his message and what you did with that was your business. ‘I’ll be around though,’ he said quietly, ‘keep an eye on things’ and stalked off ‘Thanks,’ you called to his retreating back.

For some reason you couldn’t quite pin point the idea of Logan keeping an ‘eye on things’ didn’t feel creepy and intrusive. You felt safe. You spotted him occasionally, and if you did you gave him a friendly wave. It took a few times before he waved back. Or rather briefly raised his hand before disappearing into the trees.

As time went on, he would come and spend more time with you. He reminded you of a stray cat, one you would not ignore as such but just leave to his own devices, not push him, not try and force anything until finally he was there and you both acted like it had always been that way. He didn’t say much, just listened while you chattered on. At one point you started to come back from your job in town to find previously broken things fixed. Logan never asked, just saw a need and did. You would thank him the next time you saw him, and he’d nod in acknowledgment, refusing any payment or gratuity for his work.

Eventually you managed to persuade him that he didn’t have to do it all for nothing. Which was how you found yourselves on your porch, you on the swing chair, him sat on the steps, enjoying the comfortable silence of the late afternoon. He’d fixed some loose shingles on the roof for you for the low, low price of a cold beer and a sandwich, the empty plate and bottle on the boards next to him.

He had shed his usual heavy coat and was sat just in a pair of grubby jeans and a white tank top, his hair caught back in one of your hair ties, much to his chagrin. You laughed as he grumbled and told him to stop complaining and wasn’t it better to not have his hair in his face while he worked in the heat. The weather had taken an extremely warm turn, hot and sticky and humid. There was little to no breeze and moving at all just made you feel sweaty and tired. There was a sheen of sweat on Logan’s arms and the bit of his chest you could see. You felt guilty for looking but, well, you were only human. There was nothing even vaguely resembling air conditioning in the cabin and you were suffering for the lack of it. Logan snorted. ‘You’ve got a window don’t you?’ You fanned yourself with a magazine. ‘For all the good that does. Just lets more bugs in.’ ‘Get some screens, I’ll put them up for you.’ You were too hot to argue with him. ‘This fucking heat is supposed to go on for daaaays,’ you whined, ‘i tried just sitting in the bath last night with the shower on me but even the cold water was warm.’ Logan shifted a little at the thought of you lying in a cool bath, slightly ashamed of the effect such thoughts were having on him. Standing up, he brushed the dust off his jeans and picked up his shirt and coat. ‘Well you could always go jump in the lake,’ he suggested, and off he walked. Logan wasn’t much for saying goodbye.

Later that night, laying like a starfish in bed, still awake, hot and sweating after at least an hour of trying to sleep, you gave up. You just wanted to be cool for a fucking minute! Maybe Logan had the right idea. Maybe you should go and jump in the lake. You lay staring at the ceiling for a while longer, turning the idea over in your head. You could…it was past midnight, the chances of you running into anyone was remote. You could just jump in, cool off. You knew, somewhere in the back of your brain, that this was not a good idea. That you didn’t go swimming at night, certainly not without letting someone know. But you’d been wallowing in your own sweat for days now and you were sick of it. The heat had possibly driven you out of your mind.

You gathered up a towel and slipped on a pair of sneakers. You saw no reason to change from the tank top and shorts you had on. Maybe you’d skinny dip for a bit anyway. You just wanted to be cool.

You found a flashlight and started to make your way down the path to the lake. You hardly needed it, the moon full and bright in the sky, no artificial light to dim her glow. As you neared the lake you thought you heard a soft splashing. Animals you assumed, coming for a much needed drink. What you saw when you emerged from the trees was no animal. Well…not quite.

Logan was stood, his back to you, knee deep in the water. Naked as the day he was born, his hair still caught in the hair tie at the base of his neck. His back rippled with muscle as he flexed his arms and you had to stop yourself from gasping on seeing six brutal looking metal blades shoot from between his knuckles. That solved the mystery of what his ‘abilities’ were you supposed.

All sense left you and while you knew you should leave him and go back home you couldn’t look away. He was magnificent. As he turned to walk back to the lake shore, you took in his broad chest, the thick hair across it and down his stomach to the thatch of public hair and his cock…you were ashamed to feel yourself clenching around nothing at the sight of it.

You felt hotter now but it had nothing to do with the weather.

Logan stood still and scanned the tree line, making no effort to pick up his clothes. ‘I can smell you,’ he said. Coming from any other man the shiver up your spine would have indicated how creeped out you were by that statement. When Logan said it…

You emerged from the trees and walked across the patchy grass at the shore. Logan made no effort to hide his nakedness and you made no effort to hide that you were looking at him. ‘Both had the same idea, huh?’ You said ‘Something like that,’ You pointed at where the blades were still protruding from his hands. He noticed and you watched as they slowly retracted back into his arm. ‘The folk in town told me about you. Not details but…’ ‘Thought you wanted to cool down,’ Logan interrupted. You stared up at him. ‘Yeah I do.’ He splashed his feet around. ‘Water’s cold.’

Logan did not look away as you peeled off your top and pushed down your shorts. You found you did not mind. You stood there naked on the shoreline, only a few feet between you. Logan simply gestured to you with his fingers and as if he was pulling an invisible string you walked into the water.

The water was cold. Not cool. Cold. As it rose up your legs the further you walked in, the more your breath started to catch. You continued walking until you were waist deep, Logan having followed you as you waded deeper. ‘Are you still too hot?’ He asked. His voice felt so close and you could feel his heat radiate off him. Turning your head slightly you could see that he was now standing no more than a few inches behind you. ‘Yes,’ you breathed out. You felt the water move around you, felt Logan bending down and cupping his hands. Then a slow trickle of water started to run from your neck down your back. It made you shiver and let out a small sigh. Logan did this a few more times before speaking again. ‘Turn around’ You did. You continued to look at him, his gaze on you never wavering. He cupped his hands in the water again and let it run down your front this time, over your breasts, your stomach. He was just about to anoint you for a third time when you stopped him, taking his hands in yours and placing them over your breasts. He froze, staring down at where his large hands rested. You placed yours over his and urged him to squeeze. He did and you gasped, a slow massage to each breast, then his fingers trailed slowly down the slope of each, culminating in a soft pinch to your nipples. ‘Logan..’ you began ‘Don’t talk,’ he said. You nodded your head. With an almost glacial slowness he leant forward and pressed his lips against yours. Once, twice he kissed you softly, his hands settling on yours waist. Your skin felt hot where he touched you, but a different kind of heat to that of the last few days. He pulled you flush to him, his erection now pressed against you as he kissed you again, his hands moving down over your backside to cup your buttocks. ‘You going to fuck me or what?’ Logan looked at you. ‘That what you want?’ You wrapped a hand around his hard cock. He groaned into your touch. You supposed that gave him his answer.

You felt Logan run his hands over your ass again, lifting you so that your legs were wrapped around his waist, your arms around his neck. You could feel his cock against you and feel the wetness of your arousal leaking against him. ‘Been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you, Princess?’ and for then the first time you saw Logan smile. A proper smile. It opened up his face and you saw the man he was behind the beard and hair and scowl.

He carried you to the edge of the water, dropping to his knees and laying you back on the ground. You were already so wet for him but he reached a hand between your legs and began to stroke you, making you raise your hips to press harder against his hand. ‘This what you do?’ He breathed in your ear, ‘this what you think about to get yourself off?’ For a man who often said barely three words to you he had suddenly found a voice. You nodded your head which gained you another smile. ‘Tell me you want it,’ he said, already lining himself up to push inside you ‘I want this,’ you said and with that he thrust himself inside you. You let out a gasp at the suddenness of his entry. Maybe once this was a man who would have taken his time but now, now he just wanted to be inside you, to fuck you, to fill you up.

You looked up at Logan as he loomed above you. His eyes had darkened with the lust pulsing through him. The feel of his skin against yours was hot, any coolness the water had provided long since gone. As he moved his hips, hard and fast, there was a soft slap slap slap sound as your bodies touched. It didn’t take long for you to be covered in a sheen of sweat again although this time you didn’t really care. All you cared about were the long hard strokes of Logan’s cock as he fucked you. Your legs were open so wide and he was so deep inside you. There was something primal in what you were doing, the lake lapping at your legs, the moon the only witness to your actions. Logan was a rutting animal, the only sound his grunts and near snarls as he continued to pound into you. When your brain allowed you to remember that you were entirely alone in the wilderness and no one would hear save Logan you let yourself go, no longer allowing yourself to be restrained by propriety. You were loud, panting and wailing into the night air. Logan’s arm snaked around your waist and he flipped you both, you now on top. ‘Go on,’ he snarled through gritted teeth, ‘fuck yourself.’ He held tightly onto your hips as you moved and fucked back onto his cock, hard and so big. You braced your hands on his chest, the hair tickling your palms, his pubic hair tickling against your clit as you ground onto him. You reached behind you and felt at the place where you met, your fingers brushing over Logan’s tight balls, which garnered another groan from him. You were both smeared in dirt from the shoreline but you didn’t care. Another dip in the lake would soon see to that.

You felt a drop of sweat starting to run down your neck and travel between your breasts. Logan reared up and caught the drip with his tongue, licking a long strip between your breasts and up to your throat. You put back your head and invited him to bite you. As you continued to ride him, he licked and sucked at you leaving marks you weren’t sure you could explain. He remained sitting up and thrust up into you in perfect rhythm with you. Your hands were around his neck then in his hair, the tie long since snapped and discarded. As you felt your climax pooling in your stomach you held his face and stared into his eyes. He didn’t look away and you both came staring into each other, Logan capturing your screams in a deep, messy kiss, his hips stuttering as he pulsed his thick come deep into you.

You had no idea of the time when you walked back to the lake to wash the now drying mud from you. Logan sat on the shore, making no effort to join you, just watching you as you washed. The air had grown humid and sticky again and you felt little cooler than you had when you first walked here. You couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

You dried off and pulled on your clothes. Logan had started to dress as well. ‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said. The walk back to your cabin was silent, you thinking about the ache between your legs and how good it felt. You glanced at Logan and wondered what he was thinking. As usual his face was unreadable. Before you went inside you turned to him as he stood on the path. ‘Thank you,’ you said. Logan merely nodded. ‘Weather isn’t supposed to break for another few weeks,’ he said before turning and walking away. Oh, you thought, and felt the ache between your legs again. You supposed you might have to take a few more walks to the lake. To cool off.

[mysteriesofmilo]

Let's see...

(Obviously this is only taking the first few episodes into account)

#1: Yeah, while they did slightly update a few things, I would say so far, the show has remained true to its roots of being enjoyable for anyone. This one needs no further explanation, so I'll just leave it at that.

#2: Yes, the revival is canonically set one year after the original series (though with the original series lasting as long as it did, and including The Bust Accord, it's exponentially more likely that it took place over TWO summers and we are now entering the third).

#3: Yes, the stakes are slightly higher. Yes, the show seems to me, a little more focused on The Gang (except for the one therapist episode). Yes, Candace does seem to have matured a bit. And yes, I feel like the Doof and Perry subplots have taken more of a backseat.

#4: Yes, almost every episode so far has required some knowledge of previous episodes. Whether it's Candace defending her sandcastle crown or Carl having to literally moonlight three part time jobs because the agency doesn't pay him, each episode has some continuity with the original series.

#5: Not really. I mean, we learned more about Buford and his life-size molds of all his friends, but so far this season has been lacking in the backstory department. Though we DID get a full episode (including Melissa!) about the Fireside Girls that barely included Phineas and Ferb at all.

#6: A few Phinabella moments here and there, but so far the biggest one was the photo and the hug in Mantis Fact! that reiterated how Phineas thinks of his inventions for Isabella: if something goes wrong with them, he becomes unusually upset (even though Isabella appreciates the thought more and doesn't need the big grand display). And, the fact that Phineas made the pogo stick for seemingly no other reason than to surprise Isabella with another trip to space was a close second.

#7: Ferb has been a lot more chatty this season. He's getting multiple lines per episode now, and despite the fact that I can't get past his new VA not even being British, I'm happy about that.

#8: Not really. They've been mostly sticking to the "one new song per episode" rule this season and I hate that part. Don't get me wrong, I love the songs they have given us, but I think I would like more.

#9: Really the only "cameo" I think they've done in regards to their other shows is when Candace was listening to Chop Chop Chop. And the only two-part episode so far has been Meap Me in St. Louis (and I guess Summer Block Buster / Cloudy With a Chance of Mom). I hope they'll do more in the rest of season 5 and in season 6, since they slowly did more and more special episodes as the original series went on, but I'm not sure they will.

#10:

Yes, they did make Meap Me in St. Louis.

Yes, Stacy and Perry continued their storyline. So far we have Stacy "pet sitting" Perry (and playing video games with him) and her actually becoming Agent T (for Teen). And I'm sure this WILL come up more in the future.

Again, we did get a Fireside Girl episode where PnF only had a cameo appearance.

Act Your Age has not been decanonized yet. And I don't think they'll do it at all.

Phineas and Ferb have not been split up at all in the reboot -- though they WERE split up in It's No Picnic.

So far we haven't really gotten a Slice of Life episode for Jeremy, Vanessa, Stacy, Irving, or Django, but we kind of did with Carl.

Doof is evil again.

We haven't yet gotten a future episode in the revival, but there's still time to change that!

The episode where Phineas temporarily falls for Isabella has not happened (yet) and will (probably) stay a fanfic idea.

Buford does play a major role in the Candace Suit arc, and in the Bread Bowl Hot Tub arc.

But like I said, it's still early. Early in the show itself there wasn't much risk taking, there wasn't much music (at least compared to the rest of the show), there wasn't much variation of the formula or exploration of characters' backgrounds, etc.

I do plan to reblog this again at the end of the revival to see how many we end up with.

Top 10 List of Things I Want to See in Phineas & Ferb's "Revival"

It has been about a week since it was shockingly and wonderfully announced that Phineas & Ferb is returning for 2 more seasons, and it was met with almost universal applause and excitement, howbeit with some concern about certain directions that may be taken in risk of "hurting" the show, particularly considering the original series did end on their note(their being Dan and Swampy). 

However, I for one am SO excited to see it come back, never having lived it live and in person, to be able to be alive and see the show as new episodes are coming out is an experience I am so very excited for!!!

Note, while it is called a "Top 10" list, it's not really in order of importance, but it looks better with the words TOP 10 in the name xD. Plus there is some sort of order, just not an exact science. 

Anyways, without further Ado, let's get to the list!👏👏

P.S. A major thank you to my dear friends Guy and Cayla, who helped me with many of the ideas shared in this piece, and to Cayla as well for helping me with the artwork for the cover for this post. Links to their stuff will be down at the bottom of this post. Love you guys!!💙

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Top 10 List of Things I Want to See in Phineas & Ferb's "Revival"

--- #1: Don't Lose Sight of What Got You Here

I start not with something that I would so much want to see, but more of a weary concern and warning for the possible changes that may happen to the show. The biggest strength Phineas & Ferb has is that while it is a "children's animated series", it's writing and incredible comedic events and musical performances are made for basically every age group, no matter how young or old you are, and brings people from all over the world together to enjoy the awesome, wild, and hilarious antics that come with the show. 

These are things that I hope will remain a part of the series moving forward, and shouldn't change as we reach it's "revival".

While I expect some things to need to be updated for a more modern world, I hope and have faith that the show will not veer too far from the direction of the first 4 seasons, and keep what has brought so many people to "fall in love" with it for so long.

--- #2: Into the Future! (Slightly)

One of the bigger questions that I've seen is, where on the timeline is S5 and S6 going to be, and it seems that the common opinion is that it should be sometime after the original summer the original show is at. In my opinion, I think Season 5 should begin the summer following the original summer, ALTHOUGH I absolutely love the idea of Phineas & Ferb and the crew being in Middle School. However, I think at this current time it's just too much of a change, and having the "revival" start the summer after would give a fresh start for new ideas, while still keeping the kids close to the age they were. 

--- #3: A Different Focus, a Slightly More Serious Experience?

In the original version of P&F, it is well known that the show, while it is called Phineas & Ferb, mainly revolved around Candace and her daily quest to "bust" Phineas & Ferb, while also having to deal with her daily life as a teenage girl. While I still believe that should be a part of the show, with everyone growing up a bit (if #2 on our list happens), I would love to see the focus shift from being a bit less about her, and more to being about the crew, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford. We see it some particularly in Season 4, but IMO there is still so much untapped potential, particularly with the latter four, that it would be really cool to see the show more through their eyes on a daily basis. 

Also, with them being a year older, and having the experience from the previous summer (while I am not expecting it), I would be very interested in seeing the show continue the path they took in some of their best episodes, particularly in Summer Belongs to You, and several times in S4, of it being a little more on the serious side, and it not always being lighthearted and humorous. Not all the time of course, but in some episodes, to see them go through some hardships, have some strengths, and more importantly, weaknesses, particularly with Phineas (which NOTLP did AMAZINGLY well with!)

In addition, as an aside, I think it would be really cool to see Candace mature a little bit, as she gets closer to adulthood, especially after what happened in "Last Day of Summer". Not always wanting to bust them, and in fact on occasion being supportive of what they are doing. That doesn't mean she stops being worried about them, but to be there for them in case anything goes awry. 

(And yes, we could also use a little less Doof and Perry as well, they are important but with Doofenshmirtz being such an overreaching part of MML, I think he could stand to take a small step back here)

--- #4: Trying to Keep Continuity and the Timeline Consistent 

As best as they can anyways! xD

One thing that the "Dwampyverse" (consisting of Phineas & Ferb, Milo Murphy's Law, and Hamster & Gretel) struggles with is keeping the timeline consistent, with changes between shows that in part break and mess up some once thought canon parts of the other shows. Now this isn't always bad, considering MML pretty much makes the P&F episode "Act Your Age" de-canonized due to Doofenshmirtz's becoming Professor Time, something that many in the community appreciated greatly. 

But it would be nice if the upcoming revival would keep most of the continuity from the first 4 seasons, both in the timeline and in callbacks to previous seasons. Hoping to see some flashbacks and backstories that are built on things that happened in the first 4 seasons!

--- #5: Backstories and More Character Building

This one is something that I really thought the show didn't take enough advantage of in the original iteration of the show, to have so many wonderful characters and barely(if at all) touch on their backstories. Random questions that pop into my mind, like how was Phineas & Ferb's first weeks together as stepbrothers, how and when did Phineas & Isabella first meet (PLEASE), how and why did Buford choose Baljeet specifically to "bully", how and when did the "crew" form up officially, how did Fireside Girls Troop #46231 come together, and many other things that have never been answered.

On top of that, there are so many possibilities for character building. The only Fireside Girl outside of Isabella that we know basically anything about is Ginger, and that's only because her character plays a minor role with Baljeet, as well as her older sister Stacy. Flesh out their characters, make them unique and special as individuals, not just as a group. There's such an uptapped well just with them, and that doesn't even include the main crew, particularly Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford, who each have incredibly diverse backgrounds and ancestry that could be awesome to see at least a little bit more about. And while I am not at all interested in knowing about Ferb's Mom or Phineas and Candace's Dad, I do think there is more that we can learn about Phineas and Ferb as well to further strengthen their characters.

--- #6: PHINABELLA, the Phineas Perspective

Now I made a point to mention that this list was not particularly in order, because if it was my heart would have put this #1-#10, and it would have just been a "Phinabella Moments I Want to See" list… Which, I mean, who knows, next list maybe hehehe🤭🧡💗

But yes, it is time to finally discuss the Phinabella aspect of Phineas & Ferb that is prominent throughout the show but particularly in S4 where so much emphasis was placed on it, leading to the crescendo that was "Act Your Age" (that looking back could have been done significantly better). While I don't expect the Phinabella aspect to continue quite as strongly as it did in S4, I am quite sure there will still be plenty of great and funny moments between them.

Saying that, I think it's time we shift perspectives on this pairing, instead of always being about Isabella and her struggles to get Phineas to realize her feelings for him, and instead putting more emphasis on Phineas' perspective of their friendship. It's clear throughout the show that Phineas cares about Isabella, from building a haunted house to scare her hiccups away, to saving her from falling off a building in "The Beak" episode, trying to make a giant sundae machine when she got her tonsils removed, helping her and the Fireside Girls countless times with their many patches, and I could go on and on.

I think it would be awesome to see how his mind works in these situations where he is helping Isabella, and while I am not wanting him to realize his feelings for her until the end of Middle School/beginning of High School (which is one thing about AYA I absolutely love and keep as canon), I think it would be great to see his side of their friendship more. Oblivious Phineas is a necessity, but it's clear throughout the show and particularly in S4 that even if Phineas is too young to truly understand his feelings, that he does consider Isabella to be a very dear friend and someone very important in his life, and it is something that I would love to see more of. 

--- #7: MORE FERB

The show is called Phineas & Ferb, and in my opinion it's time to give Ferb his due. Yes he doesn't talk much, yes he is a man of action, but it's time we get to know more about him and experience the show more from his perspective. Ferb-Centric episodes, whether it be celebrating his Birthday, or focusing on something he really wants to do or something he enjoys, would be awesome. Or better yet, in "Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension", Ferb raises his hand that seems to point to him having a secret double life, what did he mean by that? In short, we need at least one #FerbAppreciationDay, if not multiple, and we need to know and experience more of our green headed British young gentleman!

--- #8: More Songs Please (SPECIFICALLY DUETS!)

This is kind of obvious, but if it's not the best thing about Phineas & Ferb, it's certainly in the top 3, and I think everyone would agree that we would love to see the musical performances continue. In addition to songs in general though, I in particular would LOVE to see more duets between particular characters, and primarily with Phineas and Isabella (of course lol), Candace and Isabella, and Candace and Vanessa, among others. There wasn't enough duets in P&F in our opinion, specifically amongst the female characters, and it is something we need more of in the revival!

--- #9: Cameos and Special Episodes (but let's not overdo it)

As we saw throughout Phineas & Ferb, but particularly in S4, there was a variety of special episodes that happened, most notably the Marvel/P&F crossover, and the Star Wars AU(the latter being far more praised then the former). We also got the 2nd Dimension special episode that came after the AT2D movie, and the "time-warp" episodes that included the "Temple of Juatchadoon" episode. 

With there only being 40 episodes, it's clear we aren't likely to get sequels to all of these, however in my opinion, if there were 3 I would love to see specifically, it would be:

#1: 2nd Dimension AU

#2: Star Wars AU

#3: Juatchadoon AU

In addition, I do expect there to be cameos with characters from both Milo Murphy's Law and Hamster & Gretel to happen somewhere… HOWEVER, my hope is that it is limited, and that the mistakes from MML in particular are not made, crossing over shows too much and it becoming a hodgepodge of all the shows into one mess. Honestly I wouldn't mind seeing a DCOM one day of all 3 series' together doing some sort of mission together, but in terms of the show itself in it's revival state, let's keep them at most sprinkled in. 

--- #10: Hmm, What's Left on the List…

Finishing off, let's hit on a few more random things I didn't get to, as well as ideas that were given to me by Guy and Cayla, where I won't write a real descriptive piece but are things that we'd like to see…

+FINISH THE MEAP TRILOGY, "MEAP ME IN ST. LOUIS"!

+A continuation of Stacy and Perry's storyline, where Stacy has to help Perry protect his identity of being a secret agent, IDC how important it is or isn't, it needs to at least be brought up again

+An episode entirely about the Fireside Girls doing something together that doesn't involve Phineas & Ferb

+(Either a retcon or just ignoring of "Act Your Age", officially de-canonizing it (which could be further helped by, oh IDK, Gretchen secretly having a crush on/feelings for Ferb and having them be close friends hehehe)

+Phineas & Ferb having an episode where they aren't together, whether through a disagreement or something that happens that splits them apart for the day, and seeing how that affects them

+ Seeing a “Slice of Life” episode with characters we don’t normally see getting big amounts of screentime (Jeremy, Vanessa, Stacey, Irving, Django, etc)

+Doof being a teacher and/or pursuing his efforts to become Professor Time, that way the MML timeline remains canon/consistent

 +If we do get an episode where the characters are grown up/in the future, it would be absolutely lovely to see Phineas and Isabella together, either on a date or just spending time with one another🧡💗

+Bonus episode idea: An episode where Phineas (even if its because of a random -inator shot) falls for Isabella and they have a day together, and to see her reactions to it(this would be in a similar vein to what happened in a Kim Possible episode, but not quite as emotionally intense of course)

+Buford (Guy really wants to see more Buford lol)

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If you have reached this point, it means that you either read the whole thing, or skipped to the end, which honestly, I wouldn't blame you lol. But this was a lot of fun to write, and I appreciate everyone that did go ahead and read through this. I am extremely excited to see what happens, and the coming announcements over the next weeks and months as things begin to fall into place as we get ready for the show to return. 

Once again, I would like to thank my dear friends Guy and Cayla for helping me out with ideas for this list, links to follow them will be down below. 

Have a great day, God Bless, and Carpe Diem!

My Instagram:

https://instagram.com/cjracingpnf

Guy's YouTube Channel:

https://youtube.com/@parodyo7376

Cayla's Carrd and Instagram:

https://missmasterpeace-dblmp.carrd.co/

https://www.instagram.com/dbl_mp1/

[dendriticheep]

Just some of my thoughts on Touya. Please take them with a grain of salt.

When Touya woke up from his three-year coma, he found himself in a completely different body, at a different stage of development.

Puberty is something most people go through gradually. For Touya, it happened while he was unconscious. He woke up with a new voice, new height, a physically matured body, and on top of that, severe burn scars that permanently changed his appearance.

Waking up looking so different, even disfigured, would likely trigger body dysmorphia and identity issues. His reflection wouldn’t look or feel like “him.” It would feel like looking out through someone else's eyes.

And in his new reflection he would see reminder of the fire, of everything he lost, and a symbol of his father’s betrayal.

Touya had already shown signs of emotional instability as a child. He was intense, and highly reactive. He lashed out emotionally and physically. He became obsessed with earning his father’s approval. He struggled to make friends and grew dependent on his younger brother for emotional support. To put that into perspective, when Touya was thirteen, Natsuo was only nine or ten. A little kid trying to carry the emotional burden of his eldest brother's breakdown.

These traits didn’t go away. If anything, they worsened. A three year coma, intense physical and emotional trauma, would all affect his ability to regulate emotion.

The part of his brain responsible for empathy and decision making may be stunted. Severe and prolonged trauma can freeze emotional growth. That means he is left with the emotional intelligence of a scared, angry and reactive teenager.

Dabi doesn’t see the world as it is. He sees it through the lens of someone who was abandoned and betrayed. That shapes everything he believes.

I've mentioned cognitive distortions in the past... here are a few examples he falls into:

All-or-Nothing Thinking
People are either good or evil. Heroes are fake. His father is a monster. There is no room for nuance or complexity.

Overgeneralization
Because he was hurt, the entire hero system must be corrupt.

Emotional Reasoning
Because he feels unloved and angry, he believes he is unloved and the world is cruel.

These distortions form a warped worldview.
In reality, he is loved by his family. Not every hero is corrupt. The world isn’t black and white.
But Dabi can’t see that, because his pain filters everything.

Dabi treats “Todoroki Touya” like he really is dead. When the pain became unbearable, he built a new identity to carry that weight. He defines himself entirely by what he has lost and what he intends to destroy.

He keeps his scars visible, and even amplifies them with piercings (the ears and nose, to match the staples), and low-cut shirts-- It becomes a core piece of his identity.


When he appears on television it's with the message:

Look what your number one hero did to me.

Look at what your system creates.


Immediately after the coma, he wanted to go home. He wanted to apologize for the way he had acted and the things he had said.
He felt bad. He regretted it.

He loved Natsuo. He leaned on him. He cried to him nightly for comfort.

But after becoming Dabi, he openly wishes Natsuo would die, just so Endeavor can suffer more. His actions are deliberate. He doesn’t lash out blindly. He chooses to hurt people, including those he once loved. He's clever and can be methodical.

He weaponizes pain. If hurting someone innocent means he can get revenge on the one who hurt him, he will do it.

He has made peace with becoming a monster, so that he can control the ending. He does not see people as individuals anymore, but as tools and collateral.

But beneath everything, he just wanted his family to see him. He wanted his father to be proud. He wanted love and approval and acceptance... But he chose to destroy himself in pursuit of what he thought he wanted.

[miyaz6ki]

☆ wearing their clothes

synopsis. seeing s/o wearing their clothes for the first time :) (like shirts/sweatshirts or jackets/coats :pensive:)

the blade has spoken. erm... first draft being posted... i feel a little nervous after changing from reshinless to the user i use everywhere..

pairings. albedo, alhaitham, capitano, childe, wriothesley, diluc, neuvillette, kinich, xiao, dainsleif, wanderer

albedo felt himself heating up already. the red that crept up his neck was noticeable as you looked up. you were wearing his lab coat, and all cozy in the bed you both share.

"you're.. wearing.. my.." - "oh.. wow."

he had just come back from work and he couldn't wait to cuddle with you in bed, yet it was as if he wouldn't mind conducting another experiment with his new 'assistant' by his side <3

alhaitham when he suddenly walks into the empty home, tired of the work he's done for only archons knows how long he had been working. he just wanted to come home and tell you about all the things he's been- oh.

he was stunned. star struck. fuck. were you really wearing his sweater right now? the grayhead felt himself simply smirk at he adorable sight of you simply sleeping on the couch. a dinner made just for him, along with dessert on the side (ifykyk)

"maybe i'll tell you when i wake up, love."

capitano who simply lets out a chuckle, one out of love. he loves how large his coat looked on you. he handed it to you after going out for a while, asking you to simply hang it beside his desk. yet you had better ideas. and by better ideas? is to wear it of course!

"well what do we have here? you're so adorable my love."

he tucks strands of your hair behind your ear. adoring the way you tried your best not to fall over as you tried to spin. this was enough to keep you warm though. not to mention how he was already carrying you bridal style to bed.

childe laughs, seeing you try on one of his shirts, looking at yourself in the mirror before turning to see him.

baby, you look amazing! how about another spin?

even when you simply scoffed, he loved how you looked right now. fuck, he could feel himself reddening already. he definitely will let you have full access to his wardrobe. just take it all like how you took his heart too.

wriothesley just put his jacket over you to keep you from being wet while watching the melusines play with sigewinne, yet right now he was more focused on how much he admired your figure in his clothes. his jacket.

"what's wrong?" "...nothing. you look amazing today, yk that?"

he chuckled at your behavior, unaware of your own attractiveness as you told them to stop running around the fountain with the wetness of the floor spreading. you couldn't help but ease up and laugh as well.

a certainly crazy day at the court of justice- neuvillette was finally finishing up the last few cases, not to mention how absurd some of the cases were.

not realizing he ended up taking your jacket instead of his home, only realizing it when the melusines mention how different it look from his usual one. oh man. there you were. trying on his coat that just seemed a little too big (or small) on you. gosh were you cute.. what do you mean his ears are red?!

"i.. it looks better on you than me, doesn it?"

dainsleif who was there immediately as soon as the red wine was spilled onto your outfit. quick to spring into acting, he throws his jacket over it just as fast. scolding the person who jealously just oh-so accidentally ruined your outfit tonight purely because they wanted your significant other? oh please he wasn't having any of that!

but by the time his anger went away, he didn't realize how.. alluring you looked.. in something he wore all the time. it definitely suited you better, only noticing after he finally parked the car. he definitely had to give you more of his clothes.

"you.. uh.. i.. well.. you're beautiful. you know, you're welcome to keep that."

diluc's face was turning as red as his hair seeing how you quietly snored, sound asleep in his- no, your shared bed. seeing how closely you held his coat to your chest, as well as the shirt you wore.

"...I don't.. deserve you."

he simply took his boots off, letting his arms snake you close, one of his hands trailing up to your scalp, calmly stroking your head as he feels you smile into his chest. this was life.

kinich who always had an interesting wardrobe, you really just wanted to see how comfy his clothes were if he can swing back and forth that far!

and in which you did, spinning and looking at yourself in the mirror in his clothing. you loved it even more from how it smelled just like him too <3

"someone's having fun aren't they?"

you felt yourself blush out of embarassment of getting caught. but before you could apologize, he already had his lips on yours.

when xiao decides it'd be a good idea to give you a hoodie just to realize you never gave it back. is it just.. yours now?

and to find out the answer? yes! it is! and he finds out in the cutest way possible—by finding you sleeping soundly and wearing it all the same. almost indifferent about it as if it was normal.

"you okay?" "i-i've been looking for this y-you know.."

he only flushed more when you tell him you missed him so much.

finally coming home, wanderer, or scaramouche just wanted to cuddle. no words shared. just to hold you in his arms.

but maybe it was good that didn't happen. because now he was looking at the love of his life, and eating the food they made him. knowing how they made it with the knowledge on how he can't really taste anything. not to mention you were wearing.. that sweatshirt he lent you.

you.. look.. good.

[pastelaspirations]

WAIT, WAIT, OKAY, NO, W A I T. HOLD ON. I'M FREAKING OUT. I WAS LITERALLY OUT CELEBRATING YESTERDAY, 'CUS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY. AND THEN, I CHECK HERE AND I- I'M NOT OKAY, MAN

MIRAGE, YOU CAN'T- YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS TO ME-

O k a y, I... I apologize in advance for the long reblog. I'll try to make it short, I promise.

FIRST, I CAN'T FREAKING- I CAN'T HANDLE IT, IT'S SO WONDERFUL, MAN. I have actually wondered how these two would interact together. AND I THINK YOU DEPICTED IT PERFECTLY, MAN, IT'S JUST HOW I IMAGINED-

Ætherverse!Error is just. So angry. So done, so fed up with everything and all the idiots of the world, all the time. And Perseverance!Error just... does not care. My man's in a perpetual state of "I've got way bigger things to worry about" and "It'll actually be way more fun for me personally to mess with you than to be genuinely angry."

Therefore, when these two meet, it's just... Ætherverse!Error like, "Ew, who is this stupid, hooligan looking homeless person? With a... crow??? And he's got a gun???? No, absolutely not, I don't trust this guy for a second, he's probably looking for my money. W a i t, what if he works for Nightmare, no, wait, w a i t, I gotta make it seem like I don't suspect him. Okay, just- Keep acting nonchalant so he'll go away and THEN, I can strike with backup and a plan, and he'll stand no chance-" Meanwhile, Perseverance!Error is just... giving him this weird look because literally the only thing running in his mind is, "Why's this shorty, pompous bastard so mad-"

A l s o. I'm not done with Ætherverse yet, I'm on chapter 74. BUT WHAT IF, WHAT IF, OKAY, HEAR ME OUT.

What if these two, somehow, through multiverse shenanigans, m e t. During this time frame.

H e h e h e, and if they met, Ætherverse!Error would eventually discover Perseverance!Error is an ex-bounty hunter and will use it to his advantage. >:)

Ætherverse!Error, thoughtful and calculating look on his face: W a i t, so you're a... bounty hunter...? Perseverance!Error, confused why he's not freaking yelling at him anymore, but answers anyway with a smug look: Ex-bounty hunter. And unfortunately for you, I'm retired. Ætherverse!Error, mind going through all the mental calculations in his head: Can you take down a really persistent mafia boss? Perseverance!Error, a bit flustered and really confused at this point: Uh- Yeah, sure, if that's who you wanted, but like I said, I'm retired, I'm not working anymor- Ætherverse!Error, clasping his hands in front of his face: Can you take down a really persistent mafia boss and rescue hostages? Perseverance!Error, just staring at him for a long time, completely dumbfounded, before muttering: Y e a h, but that would jack up the price to high heaven- Ætherverse!Error: I'll give you 35,000 G. Perseverance!Error, mouth still hanging open from being interrupted midsentence. It takes a few tries before he's able to choke out: Wait, how much- Cue the heist to save Sans and Frisk in chapter 74 by the random ass bounty hunter, his dog, murder of crows, and his very reluctant, weirdly dressed "Royal Guard" friend that Ætherverse!Error hired to deal with his problem. XD I haven't read the chapter, so I don't know if they would do well or not. But considering the sus foreshadowing of Sans being a monster beyond multiverse comprehension, I'm guessing they are going to bite off more than they can chew.

BUT I'M SORRY, THIS DRAWING JUST. GAVE ME SUCH IDEAS THAT I TYPED OUT EVEN THOUGH NO ONE ASKED.

two different Errors from the fanfictions I read :D Error on the left from the fanfic: Ætherverse, by: @mspandorasart Error on the right from fanfic: Perseverance, by: @pastelaspirations

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

So much of my impression of Reed Richards as autistic in the new Fantastic Four movie comes from Pedro Pascal's delivery. The way he chooses to say these lines makes such a difference--like "I am that smart" or "Anyone can build a crib, only I can build this" could EASILY have made him read as an a-hole, but Pedro's Reed says them with a sincerity that feels very autistic to me. He's not bragging or being snide, he's just stating the truth, and there's even a lot of gentleness in it. (And, I mean, come on, his confusion about the extra screws for the crib? "They included two extra...I have no idea why." He meant that!) His argument with Ben about how "cooking is more of an art than a math or a science" and how he failed his driver's test because of "poorly placed signage" (I love him) could have felt pedantic or prideful, but he says them with this sweet, almost abashed feeling that feels very genuine and familiar.

His reactions to Sue's pregnancy and the press post-Galactus excursion also read as autistic: he is clearly feeling a lot, but he isn't sure how to express it, so with Sue it comes out as immediately moving to problem-solving ("we'll have to design tests to account for our mutated DNA--") and with the press it shows up as reassurance-seeking: even though he's at the mic, he is constantly looking over at his family as if they could tell him what he should say. They even do end up answering some questions for him, and the most he says without a very long pause is his first comment: "I'm sorry we don't have a prepared statement" (which because of its delivery also feels very autistic).

And there's also his face, which is highlighted as very expressive in contrast to his fairly monotone voice. "I finally crossed it off the list," is said very simply and without context (true autistic information-sharing lol) but when Johnny jokes with him afterwards about taking back all the bad things he's said, Reed's face is telegraphing that he doesn't know how much of it is a joke. And at the start of the film, it's joked that his face is what gives away the pregnancy. (Not to mention Ben's joke about being surprised Reed isn't in panic-induced sweats and his reply that "I had that scheduled for later"...sir. You're not dodging the allegations)

Even in his fight with Sue the entirety of what he says is just so autistic to me. "I don't dream, I don't wonder. I let all of the worst things into my head, because it's my job to think of the bad things so that we can do them to them before they do them to us!" and Sue responds, "It's not your job, it's you." And he immediately agrees. And when Sue says "Sometimes, you being you hurts me," he can only pause and say "I don't mean to..." And Sue responds, "I know." And both of them feel so honest in how they say these lines! Reed really doesn't mean to hurt her, of course he doesn't, but he also doesn't know any other way to be, and he doesn't know how to make it hurt her less, and you can feel that he's really at a loss for what to do. Thankfully he is met with understanding, but the experience of the way you are and how you function being something that can hurt other people without your intending to or being able to help it is extremely relatable to autistic people. On top of this interaction, Reed feels like his whole family's pain is his fault, because he "should have known" that the suits "were...inadequate"--self-blame which makes him even more relatable.

And then there's the heartbreaking scene with him and Franklin where he quietly tells him, "I hope you're not like me. There's something wrong with me...always has been." It wasn't just the mutated DNA that made Reed feel wrong. He says he's always felt that way. There's nothing more autistic than that.

Anyway yeah I'm used to Reed feeling like a colder, less-emotional version of Tony Stark, but Pedro Pascal really breathes new life into this character. He is anxious and particular and warm and very, very autistic.

[heesdreamer]

Wishful Thinking

PAIRING ➩ jungkook x reader

WC ➩ 20k

SUMMARY ➩ Born and raised in the busy city, you are in for a major life shift when you’re sent to the country side. You imagine the farmers son won’t be much help. (nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter)

AUTHORS NOTE ➩ Marking this as my official leave from retirement. This is the first work since Skin on Skin I feel a genuine connection too and I can proudly say I love it a lot. I hope you like it as much as me! Please check out the playlist and listen as you read if you'd like (PART TWO OUT NOW)

Growing up in the city had influenced a few factors of your core development and the way you went about life. You took a second to open up to strangers, had faster reflexes than most people you’d met from other places and could ignore the sound of a horn two feet from your ear. 

What it hadn’t done is making you a spoiled and sheltered brat, although you imagined your father would place some strong disagreement on that statement. 

It absolutely had not made you the type of person that was so ‘out of control’ you needed to be sent to the middle of absolute nowhere to learn a thing or two about respect and taking care of things other than yourself.

This was not an issue you had and you could not fathom the fact you had been in the car for six hours now heading towards your new summer hell. You were in your early twenties and you should have slammed the door in your fathers face when you opened it to his scowl but sadly, his name was on the lease and he probably would have had the door  removed.

Instead you had packed two bags, said bye to your precious cats and dragged your feet all the way to the car.

You imagined your fathers vehicle had never seen so much dirt in its life and even he seemed a bit bothered by the gravel roads that left a cloud of dust all over his doors and windows. Your father had been raised almost exactly the same as you so it felt a bit ironic and hypocritical.

It was not your fault he was a wealthy businessman, stationing his small family in the bustling streets of the city instead of a nice sized home somewhere. Your idea of dinner around the table was grabbing a bite to eat at the local pizza place, your fridge covered in project plans and work reminders instead of toddler art and positive report cards.

Your dad had raised you in a cold apartment suited for a bachelor, leaving you to get your fatherly advice from doormen and paying cleaning ladies extra to change your diapers. He was somehow still surprised to see you standing with a glare on your face as you exited the car and stared at the farm house. 

“Atleast try to be pleasant.” He mumbled under his breath, the familiar expression he had whenever he felt embarrassed by you creeping up on his face. You had seen it your entire life, when you stood too slouched in front of a client or stuttered giving a speech at a company dinner. 

You sent him a stronger dirty look that easily slid off your face when the door opened. 

Despite what he may think, you actually were not a terrible person and you had no intentions of disrespecting the home owners even though you would rather eat the horses hay than have to stay here.

It was actually a beautiful home, grand in size with a large wraparound porch and land full of crops and various sized barns and pens. 

There had been a faint memory of coming here a handful of times when you were younger, listening to your father take a gentle and relaxed tone you had only heard a few times and playing with the farmers boy that was around your age.

That had been a lifetime ago and while the landscape was relatively nostalgic and familiar, you had changed so drastically that you couldn’t feel more out of place if you tried. 

You watched as the large bearded man approached your father, pulling him into a tight hug unlike his friends back home who would greet him with a firm handshake. This man clearly did not care about your fathers hesitance to embrace him, the rim of his cowboy hat knocking your fathers thin framed glasses slightly askew.

You had a hard time holding in a laugh at his dishevelled appearance after the bear hug and the man's sights set on you right as a smile crept up on your face.

“There she is.” He greeted you like he was an uncle you saw frequently and your eyes widened at the realization he was coming to give you a similarly tight hug, knocking the breath out of you as he nearly lifted you from the ground.

“Sorry honey, we are huggers around here.” You hadn’t even noticed the small woman behind his staggering frame and you caught her gentle eyes in your gaze right before she pulled you in for a much softer hug. “Except for my son sadly. He didn’t quite inherit that trait I suppose.”

The boy hadn’t left the porch, a few feet behind his parents as he stared at you and your father with an expression that was much colder than his warm parents held. You could tell he had already built some bias around your visit and you didn’t mind considering you had done the same, defenses building at his sour look.

“I’m sorry but I..” You trailed off awkwardly as you glanced between the bubbly couple, hoping they could understand so you didn’t have to tell them vocally that you had no idea who they were. The woman's face dropped just slightly but the farmer gave you a soft smile as he cupped your arm.

“That’s alright honey.” His gentle tone almost made you want to turn around and jump head first into the car, creeping its way under your skin and making you feel like that little girl that used to sneak branches in her room to use as a christmas tree. “It’s been lifetimes since we got to see you.”

His gaze fell over your shoulder towards your father with that statement and you almost thought it sounded hostile, or however hostile somebody so warm could manage. Your fathers throat clearing behind you confirmed your belief and you looked down at your feet as you were ushered inside. 

You learned from listening in on the conversation silently that he was in fact a bit upset with your father. The man, Minchul apparently as you heard his wife softly calling him, had made a handful of comments about missing out on your life that he was attempting to disguise as jokes.

You had watched enough tense conversations with businessmen to be pretty good at picking up on what people actually wanted to say. Your father responded each time with a different excuse about being busy but you knew he wished he could tell the farmer that he simply outgrew him and whatever this dynamic was.

The woman had told you softly that her name was Nari and you watched as she barely sat down, bouncing between the table and the kitchen whenever she noticed somebody was running low on their drink or the finger foods she had prepared. 

Her tending to you all didn’t feel like the panicked way your fathers cooks would try to keep him pleased and calm but rather like she enjoyed taking care of the people around her, eyes bright whenever you thanked her or took a bite of something she had made.

“Jungkook will be helping her with her chores and duties.” Minchul’s low voice was bringing you back to the conversation, interest spiked as you realized they were discussing your stay there. 

You had very little information about how long you would be here or what exactly you were meant to accomplish but your eyes shifted over to the son at the mention of his name, sitting across from you and also not having spoken a word. 

He was staring at his father as he spoke, gaze unwavering and still as cold as it had been outside. You had realized outside that he was the same boy you had played with when you were a kid but he had clearly changed as much as you had because he no longer had an ounce of welcoming energy to him.

“If she gives you any trouble son, feel free to call me.” Your father was speaking directly to him like you weren’t even there and Jungkook’s jaw shifted at the use of the word ‘son’. 

A smile almost crept back up at the interesting reaction but it faded as soon as he looked at you, curious like he expected you to say something snobbish in return to your fathers jab. You didn’t have any plans to, used to him warning people about you like you were a walking disaster.

“I’m sure we can manage.” His voice was flat and lacking any real care but you hadn’t figured he would reply at all, let alone with something borderlining disrespectful. 

The rest of the table seemed to agree because the room fell silent at his comment and your dad seemed taken back by the fact Jungkook hadn’t immediately agreed with his implication. You barely moved, not wanting to put yourself on the wrong side of things while he was still here.

���Apologize.” Minchul was speaking the word hushed and you looked at him with widened eyes, not even realizing it had been him speaking considering how cold it came out. It was completely different to the tone he used with the rest of you but Jungkook didn’t seem affected at all.

“I’m sorry sir.” He said it easily, practiced and lacking any real apology. It seemed the phrase alone was all his father wanted to hear because his shoulders lost tension and he awkwardly patted the table as he changed the subject to something about your dads car.

You removed yourself mentally from the conversation again but you caught the way Jungkook’s mom rubbed his shoulder soothingly as she passed him on her back to the kitchen.

----

“You are really just leaving me?” Your voice was icy as you watched your father toss your bags out of his car, squinting his eyes at the dirt it brought into the air and glaring at you like it was your fault. “I don’t even know these people.”

“I do.” He said simply as he closed the trunk and watched you with disappointment swirling in his gaze. You could tell there was a lot he wanted to say to you but as always, he left it plain and gave you a firm nod that you knew put an end to this conversation.

You did nothing but watch as he got into the driver seat and pulled off down the dirt road, headlights disappearing behind the trees and fields of corn. You sighed softly and sunk down on the rocky path way, not really caring if they were watching from the window and judging you.

You didn’t know these people and it was hard to even process that this was really happening to you right now. The sun had fully set when you stopped thinking yourself away and you realized you had been outside for a lot longer than you had meant to be. 

Nobody had come out to get you or even check if you were alright but you figured they were just giving you the space to throw your internal tantrum before inevitably accepting your fate and figuring out what to do from there.

Your sigh turned into a dragged out and low groan as you buried your face in your dusty hands, cringing away when you felt the sting of the debris entering your eyes and realizing you felt like you were going to cry regardless of the pain.

“You sleeping out here?”

You jumped at the sudden voice coming from your right, looking sideways at a pair of dirty and ripped boots before trailing up the tall frame and landing on Jungkook and a raised eyebrow. He had been the last person from the family you expected to come outside to collect you and you groaned again.

“I just need a minute okay?” Your voice came out cold but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care about his feelings right now. He was unwillingly participating in your banishment but it was still participation in your eyes and for that alone, you disliked him.

“City girls and their minutes.” It was mumbled under his breath but loud enough for you to hear. You didn’t even warrant it with a reaction, staring numbly at the gravel and willing a loose horse to run him over with your mind. 

He didn’t leave the entire time you sat there and you could feel him staring at your back as you practically curled into a ball. Eventually you stood up calmly, dusted yourself off and headed inside the house.

----

Jungkook had silently left your bags at the foot of your door and disappeared down the hall into what you assumed was his own, soft music coming from behind the peeling wood. You left your door open, feeling awkward in the unfamiliar room like you had somehow broken into this nice family's home and crawled into a random bed.

You barely slept at all the first night and the sound of the roosters screeching only two hours after your eyes actually closed was enough to make you consider hitch hiking back to the city. 

The entire family was downstairs in the kitchen to your dismay and you couldn’t fix your face in time, seeing the concern radiating from Nari as she took in your exhausted eyes and closed off demeanor. You mumbled a morning greeting and shifted onto the seat furthest from them all.

“Did you sleep okay?” She asked softly as she placed a glass of orange juice in front of you and you nodded at her, both of you knowing you were being nice rather than honest. She pursed her lips and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder for a second as reassurance that she understood. 

“Good because you have a long day today.” Minchul sounded as cheerful as yesterday but there was an underlying tone to his voice that made you not want to disobey him. He made pleasant conversation with his wife as you and Jungkook ate silently on the other side of the table.

Jungkook hadn’t even waited for you to finish eating, cleaning off his place and kissing his mom on the side of the head before pushing through the front door. You watched in disbelief as he left you behind, scarfing down the rest of your eggs and rushing after him, nearly tripping down the stairs as you followed him to the largest barn.

The smell was assaulting but you didn’t visually react, not wanting to give him the satisfaction considering he was leaning against a slate of wood and watching you for any signs that you were going to complain.

When you gave him a firm and determined stare he was tossing a silver bucket in your direction, both of you tracking it as it hit the barn floor and bounced a few times.

“Seriously?” You remarked, your first real word of the day being forced out due to disbelief. He didn’t answer and instead entered one of the stalls holding a large cow. “Couldn’t just hand it to me?”

There was no reply again and you sighed as you followed him, scowling when you saw the black and white animal staring at you with a bored expression. Jungkook slid a small stool over to you before leaning back again on the wall of the stall. The cow took a step towards him and you flinched back as its large belly almost pushed you over. 

“Am I supposed to do something with him?” You gestured at the stool and cow in confusion and Jungkook raised an eyebrow. 

“She’s a girl.” He said simply and you gave him an incredulous look, feeling like you were going insane from attempting to communicate with him. “You’re supposed to milk her.”

You stared at him silently for a few seconds, trying to figure out if he was joking or not before glancing at the bucket and realizing he was apparently very serious. You took a breath so deep that it moved your entire body as you tried to calm yourself, ignoring the slightly amused look he grew at the action. 

You hadn’t even sat fully on the stool before he was speaking again.

“Wrong.”

You glared at him and adjusted your position, leaning forward hesitantly to reach out to the cow. 

“Wrong again.”

Another attempt, a different section of the utters that looked as foreign as the rest of the large creature. She shifted like she felt as awkward as you did for touching her and you sighed at his lack of interjection.

“Touch her there and she’ll probably kick you in the face.”

You let out a loud and bitter laugh that made the cow grunt softly, standing from the stool and shoving it in his direction. He watched you quietly as the rage built up inside you, even more so at the indifference on his face.

“If you aren’t even going to attempt to help me, then you go ahead and do it.” You spat as you pointed between him, the bucket, and the cow. He didn’t say anything again and the silence was somehow more annoying than him making small comments towards you. 

He wordlessly moved the stool and you sat down with a huff, at first just picking at your fingers and then deciding to actually watch as he milked the cow. It was slightly interesting, especially considering your current options for entertainment.

His hands were gentle with the animal and she seemed a lot more relaxed now that he was the one near her undercarriage and not some strange girl with tense shoulders and shoes that definitely weren’t made for a barn floor. It was intriguing to you to watch the cows body language change so outwardly. 

Jungkook finished up after some time and you followed him to his next set of chores. This time and the next, he didn’t bother trying to get you to do anything. Instead he did them all easily and allowed you to simply watch as he herded the sheep into their pens, poured disgusting sludge into the trough for the pigs and dragged the stubborn horses back into the gated area. 

By the end of the day, you were exhausted without having done much at all.

He didn’t even seem phased by the fact he had spent the entire day in the sun doing hard physical labor and you sighed as he walked ahead of you back to the house. 

You felt like an invisible shadow following him around all day with little to no conversation between you and it pained you to watch the sun set knowing you had wasted your time and learned nothing but the fact Jungkook was a stubborn asshole.

His dad was waiting on the porch as you approached and you watched as Jungkook’s back hardened at the sight of the kind man. He was smiling largely but it was past his son and towards you, clapping his hands in delight as he took in the dirt on your pants and your sweat dried hair. 

“How was your first day?” He asked warmly as you ascended the steps. Jungkook had slowed down to let you pass and he lingered at the patch of grass near the bottom. “Was he a good teacher?”

The shift in his tone made you glance backwards towards the teacher in question and his flat face showed no sense of what he wanted you to say. You felt like you were hesitating too long and you turned back to Minchul with a soft smile.

“The best. I learned a lot actually.” You said gently and he smiled proudly, a large hand between your shoulder blades as he led you inside for dinner. 

Jungkook was as silent as always but he didn’t look as unimpressed with you when you caught his eyes across the table. There was a beat of nothing before he gave you a small nod, enough for you to understand he appreciated you lying to his dad for him.

Dinner was calm and quiet as you zoned out from exhaustion and you barely flinched when his parents asked you to work together to get the dishes washed and dried quickly. You moved on autopilot to the sink and responded with a light mumble as they wished you both a goodnight. 

Jungkook stood wordlessly next to you, taking each wet dish you handed him as he dried them precisely with a towel. It was quiet through the first half of the sink and then he was clearing his throat with a hint of awkwardness. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” He said in a near whisper. You didn’t even glance at him, handing over another dish casually.

“I didn’t do anything but spare myself the awkwardness of watching you get lectured.” Your tone was flat like it genuinely meant nothing to you but you figured you both knew the reason you had done it. He seemed tense at your answer so you sighed softly. “I know what it’s like to have a dickhead for a father.”

He paused his movements when you said that and you wondered if it was the wrong thing to speak into the quiet kitchen before you heard him laugh softly under his breath. 

It didn’t take a psychologist to realize Jungkook had a different relationship with Minchul than most other people would. His cold and harsh tone towards his son seemed to come out of thin air the second he laid his eyes on the younger man and you felt yourself becoming more nosy than you should be.

Their dirty laundry was none of your business and you hurriedly finished dishes. 

----

The next day's chore list actually seemed a bit more lax and you quickly understood that he must do all of the extremely difficult things at the end of the week. 

Monday was more about maintenance and you felt a little guilty for doing nothing yesterday so you were glad that you could actually help with some smaller stuff, both going stir crazy from doing so little with yourself and also feeling useless the more he sweated and moved around.

You helped sweep loose hay from the stables, collected eggs from under the squawking hens and even assisted him in filling up the water barrels with fresh and clean gallons. You were actually feeling a little satisfied with yourself when the day started to come to a finish and you glanced at him to see what you had to do next.

He surprised you when he pulled two small items out of his jean pockets, fidgeting with them until the lighter was producing a flame that he used to light the rolled up paper. You eyed him curiously as he inhaled around the joint before stretching his hand out towards you without so much of a glance or a word.

“Wow.” You breathed out a mocking laugh as you took it from him, studying it before putting it between your lips and speaking around it. “I am genuinely shocked right now.”

He laughed flatly at your tone and looked at you from the corner of his eye. You were sitting on a small hay bale while he leaned against the large wheel of an old tractor, behind one of the barns a bit further away from the house. 

“It’s rude to make assumptions about people.” He said flatly as he took the joint back but you knew he wasn’t serious, lightheartedly replying to you and only furthering your bewilderment.

“What would your dad say if he knew you were getting me stoned right now?” You were only teasing and you hoped he could tell by the tone in your voice, it seemed like he did because he shrugged his shoulders casually. 

“Less what he would say and more what he would do.”

The statement was heavier than he intended it to be and you both fell silent at the darker implication to his words. He passed it back to you and you watched him for a long moment before hitting it, seeing the way he almost winced at himself for saying something so awkward. 

You let it hang in the air for a few minutes as you listened to the sounds of his inhales paired with the animals in the distance as they got ready for bed. EVentually you were sighing and his eyes went to you, almost in anticipation.

“Good thing I don’t tend to make a habit of reporting back to fathers.” You lifted your shoulders like it was a simple thing to say and his face flashed with something heavier again. 

You’d smoked weed before a few times but Jungkook either had some especially strong country grown shit or your tolerance had significantly diminished because you somehow ended up in one of the sheep fields, both flat on your backs as you looked up at the stars.

For once you appreciated the fact he didn’t talk much because you felt a bit ridiculously emotional at the sight of them all. A childhood of light polluted skies had robbed you of star gazing and pointing out made up planets so it was overwhelming to see so many of them above you. 

Jungkook seemed to be thinking similarly despite growing up under this sky, his mouth parted a bit in awe every time you glanced over at his side profile a few feet away from you.

“I get why you guys like it out here now I think.” You said wistfully, voice a little breathier than you realized it was when it was escaping you. He laughed a little at the sudden declaration and it didn’t seem as mocking as it had a few hours ago. 

“Thought it would take longer to whip you into shape.” He joked back, voice a little higher than normal and you figured it was the high having settled in that was making him more comfortable to engage in conversation with you. “Some sweeping and a view was all you needed to appreciate the simple life?”

He was clearly messing with you and almost mocking your fathers reasoning for sending you here but you felt a light sting deep in your chest. 

Jungkook was not the reason for it but he was the accidental messenger of the rhetoric your father had been spewing at you since nearly middle school. He couldn’t fathom a world where you cared about things or paid attention to people other than yourself.

It felt impossibly suffocating to argue with somebody who had a different reality in their head, left wondering how would you begin to correct a version of yourself that didn’t exist? 

There were no number of saved movie tickets and sentimental souvenirs, no hours spent making your friends a sloppy birthday cake instead of buying them something store prepared, and no amount of love and empathy in your heart that could convince him you were a thoughtful person. 

“There's nothing simple about this.” You ignored your heavier feelings as you raised a limp hand to gesture to the endless sky.

“I’m sure the city has its own views.” He retorted and you turned your head to the side when you noticed a hint of longing in his voice. He stiffened like he could feel you staring but didn’t look at you, eyes a bit more shifty. 

“Breathtaking ones. I never get used to it.” You said back softly, wondering if that was something he wanted to hear or if it would fuel the fire to his apparent inner conflict. You were left wondering because he didn’t reply to you. 

The silence didn’t last as long as usual, the intoxication in your lungs making you both a little less awkward and a little more lax when it came to unraveling useless information. He told you about the town's small population and how everyone he passed had probably changed his diapers at some point and you ranted about your cats back home and how guilty you felt for leaving them alone.

“Why didn’t you bring them here?” He said like it was an obvious option, maybe too high to remember that you weren’t exactly on a purposeful vacation. Your silence seemed to remind him of this fact and he kissed his teeth in realization. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

“Your parents?” You said in confusion, rolling over onto your side in the grass so you could face him and groaning softly at the tightness in your back. He glanced at you and nodded, still laying flat and staring at the sky in between looks. “I don’t have anyone who would bring them here for me.”

Your voice barely held any bitterness, it was just the truth. It was a pretty big favor to ask even to somebody you would consider a friend and you didn’t even really have any of those anyways. 

“Assuming you don’t know how to drive a stick.” He said thoughtfully and you shook your head with a light eye roll at his subtle jab. “I can take you.”

“What?” You sat up and he did the same, although avoiding looking at you head on. “Why would you do that?”

He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal he just offered to drive you twelve hours round trip just to bring your two cats all the way back here. He glanced back towards the house, the warm glow of the porch lights small considering how far out you were, and then back up towards the never ending sky full of stars. 

“Gives me a break from chores.” He said noncommittally like he was offering to do a load of laundry for you. 

You woke up the next morning with a soft knock on the guest bedroom door, opening it to see Jungkook leaning against the side of it with truck keys dangling around his finger. He gave them a little spin when he saw your eyes widen in surprise that he parents had actually agreed to the request he had made this morning after your conversation in the field.

You nod your head in understanding and close the door so you can hurriedly get ready, feeling a bit amused at the fact you’d been arguing only a few hours ago. Jungkook is silent when you find him in the living room and as he shows you to the truck, excitedly climbing into the passenger seat and waving goodbye to Nari who stands on the porch with a concerned look as she clutches a dish towel to her chest.

It felt beyond ridiculous that you were making this trip with somebody you barely knew and even worse, barely got along with.

He was silent for almost the entire first half of the drive, playing music from a rotating stack of CD’s and cursing under his breath whenever the truck made a particularly loud noise. It was comforting to feel the rumble underneath you as he shifted gears and passed miles and miles of barren farmland. 

You had only been there for a couple days and you were already craving new scenery, eyes widening with excitement when you could vaguely make out the city skyline in the distance. You were still probably an hour out but it was undeniable the way your blood felt warmer. 

“Do you see it?” You asked him excitedly, breaking the bubble of silence. You looked at him as you sat up but you didn’t need to hear his answer out loud, seeing it on his face as soon as you saw his expression.

His eyes were bright with awe and interest as you approached the tall skyscrapers and dizzying highways, traffic seemingly coming from every direction as he went from leaning forward to try and see the tops of buildings past the windshield and focusing on not missing the exits you rushed out with poor directional skills. 

“It’s bigger than I thought.” He eventually said and it came out in one singular breath that made you smile, understanding the feeling all too well. 

You let him take it all in so he didn’t get too distracted trying to navigate the busy and tight streets with hsi truck that stood out clearly compared to most of the more compact and practical vehicles around you. 

You eventually managed to make your way to your apartment and he looked slightly surprised as he exited the driver seat and looked up at the building. He had heard stories of your dads lavish lifestyle so he clearly hadn’t been expecting the exposed brick and dirty windows of your building. 

It was hard not to laugh at his expression, shaking your head and walking past him. You felt giddy knowing you would get to be home even if it was temporary and you could hear your cats meowing behind the door before you even pushed it open.

You greeted them enthusiastically as Jungkook closed the door behind you, eyes scanning around your small and homey apartment. 

“Not exactly the penthouse suite.” He muttered and you glared at him from where you were crouching by your cats on the floor. 

“Must to his dismay.” You didn’t need to say you were talking about your father for him to understand what you meant. “He won’t even step foot in this place.” 

It felt especially ridiculous considering how nice and welcoming your apartment was. The walls were full of pictures of your friends and cats, postcards from random beachy cities covering your fridge door and mismatched furniture.

You had decided as soon as you moved in that you would make your place the polar opposite of the studio apartment you were raised in, trading in cold tile and sterile feeling lights for warm toned lamps and fuzzy rugs to comfort your feet. 

“Do you need anything?” Your voice was softer than he had heard it before and Jungkook shook his head as he kicked his shoes off. You watched him quizzically before he gestured towards your clock on the wall. 

“Might as well stay here tonight.” He said simply and your heart lurched at the idea of getting to sleep in your own bed. “I’m fine now but reckon I’d be exhausted halfway through the drive back.”

You weren’t even slightly planning to argue with that or question what his parents reaction would be, quickly standing to your feet to prepare something for him to wear other than his jeans and flannel. He stood there silently as you made him a comfortable bed on the couch, eventually wandering over to stare out your large living room window.

“Breathtaking right?” You spoke from behind him and he jumped a bit before nodding and glancing back at you.

“Yeah it’s beautiful.” He watched you for a few seconds before turning back to study the city and its seemingly never ending skyline. 

Jungkook must have been more tired than he let on because he was asleep almost as soon as he laid down on your couch and you took a few hours to enjoy your space for the last time in a while, preparing your cats and their things both for travel and for extended stay.

It warmed your heart to picture them with so much space to run around, basking in the sun and chasing field mice while you did your chores. Jungkook was clearly being generous with his offer to take you but he really had no idea just how much it meant to you to have them with you in such an unfamiliar place. 

He was just as quiet the next morning and as you brought your cat carriers and extra bags down to the truck but the ride back was a lot warmer and you felt ages less sour as you approached the town this time around. The hushed conversations between you felt smoother as you lost some of the awkwardness. 

His father was sitting on the porch when you pulled back up and he enthusiastically greeted your cats in their carriers, Nari rushing out at the sound of your voices to help bring them inside. 

You watched from the doorway as he gave Jungkook a firm nod and placed a hand stiffly on his shoulder. Jungkook pursed his lips at the action of approval and returned the nod with one of his own. 

“Was that good?” You whispered to him as he passed you in the doorway and he let out a large breath that you imagined he had been holding since he left the truck.

“Yeah, I think it was.” He said back and you smiled at him, glad he had not gotten in trouble for trying to help you out. 

The following week felt a lot easier now that you had a large piece of home with you, bed a little warmer with your cats curling up next to you. The chores were brutal and you were miserable half the time the sun was out but you were getting used to the ache of your body and the burn covering your skin. 

Jungkook was still silent most of the day but he was doing things slower and more exaggerated so you could actually learn the few times he noticed you showing interest and paying attention. There were tasks you could do fully on your own now and you found yourself looking forward to when the sun would set and he'd knock on your door softly, an expectant look on his face as he flashed another joint between his fingers.

It was a nice routine for the two of you to wander out to the field near the sheep barn, smoking until the tightness of your bones faded enough for you to giggle into the grass and tell eachother random tidbits about your life. 

“I heard your dad tell mine that you ran away.” Jungkook said gently one night when your conversation started to borderline on serious and you said nothing for a while. 

“At 22 I thought it would just be considered taking a vacation.” Your voice was half humorous and half bitter, the latter side much more apparent in your tone. You sighed so deeply you felt like you were going to melt down into the dirt. “I’ve been further away for much longer, he only noticed this time because one of his clients saw me while traveling.”

“You went alone?” His questions rarely held so much interest and you glanced at him, finding him staring at the stars with his eyebrows furrowed like he hadn't considered that possible.

“I’m always alone.” You shrugged to yourself. “Aren't you?”

You weren’t trying to make a harsh assumption but you’d been there two weeks and not once did Jungkook leave the farm land other than your trip to the city. His parents went off to town a few times a week or to a friend's house for supper but Jungkook stayed throughout it all, never once hearing mention of a friend of his or seeing a photo somewhere in the house.

He shrugged but it was one of those times where you both already knew what his answer would be. His eyes shifted over to you and you watched curiously. 

“Not so much anymore.” He said plainly but you smiled a bit at the implication, knowing it was probably a change for him to have you following behind his trail all day long. Maybe even a welcomed change now that you were getting along finally. ly.

You and Jungkook spent the next week with the exact same routine and now that you were used to most of it, you felt yourself going stir crazy. Little things were always changing, animals needing more help than usual or storms making it so you had to help around the house instead but for the most part everything stayed exactly the same. 

It was a welcomed assignment when Nari softly asked you to take horses into town and pick up a few things. You didn’t ask why you couldn’t just take the truck even though you were beginning to wish you had as you stared at the large creature.

“You know I can’t ride that, right?” You said simply as you shook your head firmly. Jungkook laughed a little at your fearful tone before gesturing at the single saddle he had pulled off of the wall. 

You were confused for a few seconds before realizing he was insinuating you both get on the horse together, your gaze shifting over to him to see him standing by the horse and clearly waiting for you to reach the same conclusion. 

“You’re joking aren’t you?” Your voice shook a little as you squeaked out the question. 

Clearly he wasn’t because Jungkook had easily lifted you up onto the large horse before swinging his leg over and situating himself naturally. You were left sitting behind him, feeling like you were about to throw up and having no choice but to wrap your arms tightly around his middle.

He was laughing at you when you squeezed your grip anytime you took a turn or the horse sped up to cross a road. It felt a bit ridiculous as some cars passed you but you saw more and more horseback people as you got closer to town and almost all of them enthusiastically greeted Jungkook. 

The stories he had told you about knowing everybody here were clearly true because he couldn’t be more liked if he tried.

It didn’t take long to arrive at the market and Jungkook reached a hand up to you so you could slide off the horse, his hands sturdy above your hip so you didn’t land the wrong way. You eyed him as he tied the large animal to a post outside, petting its nose softly and whispering something you didn’t hear.

A whistle behind you made his hands freeze and both of you turned to see an older man sitting outside the market, a bucket full of loose change infront of him and a brown paper bag around a glass bottle sat on his lap. 

“Pretty little thing.” His accent was even heavier due to the slur in his speech and your eyes narrowed as he scanned down your frame. Jungkook’s mother had left some pretty farm dresses and cowgirl boots outside your door a few nights ago and you had been excited to wear them until his eyes were on your bare legs. “Ain’t from around here.”

It was a statement and not a question and you scoffed at him.

“What gave it away?” You said coldly. You knew you still didn’t carry yourself like somebody from the country even when you wore their clothes and did their labor, the lack of a drawl in your voice really not helping you towards fitting in. 

You could feel the presence of Jungkook approaching behind you now that he had gotten the horse situated and you glanced over your shoulder. His face was cold again and he was a lot closer to you than he typically would be, nearly touching your back to his chest. 

“Johnny.” He said simply, addressing the man and making himself known. 

“Oh you’re Jeon’s boy aint you?” He said with an amused smile, looking like he was suddenly reminiscing. Jungkook must have nodded or given him a confirming look because the man was suddenly laughing so hard he was swaying to the side. “Them Jeon’s… are good men.” He pointed at Jungkook as he paused, then laughed loudly again.

You felt yourself reaching back and wrapping your hands around Jungkook’s elbow before you could think about it, going to pull him towards the entrance so you both could leave this conversation and not hear whatever it was he was laughing so hard about. 

The man's eyes flashed with interest when he saw you touching his arm, hugging it to your side in a way that could come across as intimate rather than instinctual. 

“Oh, is this your missus?” He called and you saw an older couple's head turn with annoyance at his loud tone and the outdated phrasing, shaking their heads in disapproval. 

Jungkook’s cheek shifted as he addressed you like that and you sighed at the realization this was going to take you too far off track for you to bother with. You tugged him softly and ignored the obnoxious laughter coming from behind you as you entered the market.

“Just ignore it.” You said softly, not letting go of his arm even when you were deeper into the store. He glanced at you like he was upset you hadn’t let him handle it and that furthered your reasoning for keeping a hold on him. 

“He was disrespectful.” He said plainly, eyes still heated even when you stopped walking and turned to face him. The tips of your boots touched his as you reached into his shirt pocket to pull out the list his mother had given him, catching him stuffing it in there before you mounted the horse. “How can he talk to a woman like that?”

“He was a drunk idiot.” You stated, catching his eye for a second as you stood there before realizing how close you were and taking a step away.

Jungkook still seemed irritated as you shopped, filling a basket full of the ingredients his mom had written in neat handwriting. He took the basket from you when it was more than half full and starting to get a little heavy and you gave him a thankful look. 

It was hard for him to stay annoyed considering the countless older women that stopped to coo at him and ask him how his parents were, remarking on the last time they’d seen him and how tall and handsome he had grown up to be.

This was something you had also noticed, much to your dismay. 

You figured you had been too distracted your first two weeks but your general dislike for your situation and Jungkook himself to realize the devastating fact that he was actually the most attractive person you had been around.

He was now constantly distracting you without even meaning to, tan skin and big eyes so effortlessly lifting things two times your size and controlling stubborn animals. It was a bit ridiculous that somebody with forearms that veiny and strong also looked that good in a stupid cowboy hat. 

Even now, leaning against a fridge as he watched you scan over the list in his washed denim jeans and giant belt buckle. It was something straight out of a cowboy fantasy and you felt like a fool for falling victim to it. 

It didn’t help your new found dilemma that he was also the sweetest person you had ever met now that he was done giving you the silent treatment and glaring everytime you messed something up.

Whether it was natural southern hospitality or his mothers teachings, Jungkook was a well mannered boy down to his core and did not consider opening the door for you or carrying bags for the older women in the store anything other than the bare minimum.

You weren’t surprised that he was so aggravated by the drunk man for eyeing you or calling you his missus, like you were a piece of property because that was just the type of guy Jungkook was. 

“Reckon we are almost done?”

And then there was that.

Your eyes shifted over to him as his voice broke you from your thoughts and you almost outwardly sighed in annoyance with yourself. Never once in your entire life had you considered that a southern accent might bring your heart into your throat but apparently that was just something that happened to you now.

You imagined Jungkook didn’t even think he had an accent let alone realized how heavy it was but the low drawl and phrases he used made you feel like a preteen girl who had just discovered british boy bands for the first time. 

“Yeah pretty much, just…” You trailed off as your eyes landed on a small booth tucked in the back corner of the vendor section.

Jungkook squinted at you before turning around and scoffing a little when he realized what had caught your attention so easily. 

You felt like your feet were magnetically drawn to the rows of pretty farm dresses, lace bandanas and cowgirl hats. Your eyes were wide as you took them all in, already feeling your bank account emptying. The clothes Nari had been bringing you weren’t hideous but they certainly weren’t the most flattering things you had ever worn.

He stood there holding the baskets of groceries while you pointed out everything you wanted to the woman at the booth, smiling happily as you left the store with your arms full. 

“You’re ridiculous.” He said flatly as he shook his head and situated the grocery bags in the saddle bags on each side of the horse. His words lacked any heat and you rolled your eyes as you watched him.

“What I am, is sick of sharing a closet with your mother.” He shot you a look. “No offense.”

A laugh escaped him as he finished, turning to you expectantly. It felt more natural now to step closer to the massive animal and he stared at you as you stood in front of him, making sure you were ready and nodding when you gave him an expectant look.

His hands were back on your hips, confirming to yourself that you were inching into delusional territory when your stomach lit up. He was easily lifting you almost above his head so you could swing your leg over the saddle, further forward than you had been.

You almost scooted back to your place but he was mounting before you could and you quickly realized he had placed you there purposefully, now sat behind you with his thighs on the outside of yours.

“Oh so I’m steering now?” You glanced back at him and he looked amused, taking off his hat and adjusting it before placing it on your head. You squinted at him and his mischievous expression before quickly facing forward when he was kicking his foot and whistling lowly to get the horse to start to move.

“Lucky is good to learn on.” He said simply and you suddenly considered steering you both into a lake when you heard his low voice now behind you and near your ear. “He’s gentle.”

“He’s huge.” You remarked plainly and this time when he breathed out a short laugh you could feel it on the back of your neck.

You rode in pleasant silence and the sun was far less brutal now that it was starting to set, the little bit of shine kept out of your eyes by his hat sitting comfortably on your head. You tried to ignore that flutter in your chest at the fact you were wearing his hat and riding his horse, back pressed to chest even if it was just for safety.

“Does it ever get annoying living in such a small town?” You mused in a calm voice after another group of people waved to Jungkook. “Running into ex girlfriends all the time I bet.”

He didn’t respond right away and you swore you thought you felt him tensing behind you. You glanced over your shoulder at him, hoping to find him wearing an amused expression and instead he was just staring at you blankly.

Your eyebrows furrowed for a long second before you were turning back forward with a mouth parted in understanding.

Suddenly it was awkward and you mentally punched yourself for being the one to bring the uncomfortable air to the conversation. Neither of you said anything and you somehow decided that was worse than whatever was about to come out of your mouth.

“Sorry. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know?” 

“Just stop talking.” He grunted behind you, sounding more pained and embarrassed than angry with you. “It makes it way worse when you say stuff like that.”

You weren’t sure how anything could make it better but you genuinely didn’t think any less of Jungkook for not having a girlfriend before, if anything it felt a bit ridiculous considering what he looked like but you definitely could not say that to him. 

Instead you just fell into a silence that you hoped wasn’t marking the return of your feud. You gave him another apologetic look in the barn after he helped you down and he sighed softly when he saw it, giving you his habitual nod and taking his hat off of your head gently so he could wear it again.

You found yourself unusually bored without the company of Jungkook who had disappeared into his room almost as soon as you got back. 

You ended up sitting on one of the rocking chairs on the porch, your more affectionate cat napping in your lap while the other brushed against the wood arches. You were attempting to write in your journal but your mind was blanking or rather full of other things.

There was genuine guilt inside of you for accidentally making Jungkook feel embarrassed but you weren’t really sure what to do about it, finding him hard to read when it came to certain things. 

It was easy to tell when he was tired of a particularly repetitive chore, when he felt irritated by his dad more than usual, and when he was getting moody because he was hungry but how did you make him feel better about something like this without making him more humiliated when you brought it up again.

The boy in question was interrupting your string of thoughts and half composed apologies when he was bursting through the front door. 

You sat up quickly, eyes wide from the way it slammed against the side of the house and cracked on its old hinges. You were just opening your mouth to ask him what had happened when Minchul was storming out right behind him, his belt in his hand and an expression that made your blood run cold.

“Do it again until it's right.” He was screaming down the porch at Jungkook’s tense back that didn’t stop moving. 

He didn’t seem afraid necessarily but rather furious as he made his way to one of the barns, shoulders squared and barely giving you a glimpse of the glare on his face before he slammed the large door shut and disappeared inside. 

“That damn boy is useless.” Minchul spat to himself and you stared at him with a shocked and fearful glance. He faltered when he noticed you sitting there and sighed softly, body relaxing just enough for you to narrow your gaze. “Sorry you had to see that honey. You think he would know better by now.”

You didn’t dare respond to him, not trusting yourself to hold back from saying something that would get you or Jungkook in any trouble, or any more in his case. Your eyes drifted to the belt in his tight grip and he sighed again before heading back inside. 

Supper was painfully silent and you felt terrible for Nari considering she had spent hours preparing it. 

You made sure to hum softly after every few bites, exaggerating the noise so she would know you found it delicious. She gave you a knowing look across the table and smiled at you, breaking the quiet with a soft question about how you liked the town. 

It was unlike you to speak at the dinner table but the men were clearly abandoning that role for the night so you and her exchanged gentle small talk while you all ate, trying to make the room feel less suffocating. 

You’d understood after the first few nights that it was expected of you and Jungkook to do the dishes so you hugged Nari goodnight and drifted over to the sink.

You didn’t say anything, didn’t ask him if he was okay in fear of making it even worse. His shoulders were still tense like they had been earlier and the look on his face was bugging you, not used to seeing it compared to his usual expressions.

“I’m sorry.” He surprised you by being the first to speak, a low mutter as he took a wet plate from you and dried it off. “He shouldn’t have done that in front of you.”

You wanted to retort that he shouldn't have done it at all but that felt stupid and obvious, something you both already knew and didn’t need to voice. You just shook your head at his apology, not needing to accept one from him.

“You’re a good man Jungkook.” You finally decided to say plainly, not emotion in your voice so he could take the words as simple and true as they were. 

He faltered with his hand in mid air, only a brief second before he was taking another dish.

When you were done washing you leaned against the counter next to you, watching him and waiting for him to finish up. He wasn’t looking at you  but you knew he felt you staring. He sighed when he dried the last one and finally turned towards you.

“Why are you lookin’ at me like that princess?” He said with exhaustion lacing his words and although the name was mocking, it still sent a jolt through your body. 

“You know you’re handsome right?” You weren’t trying to flirt with him, especially not with this awkward air from what you had seen. You were just genuinely wondering if he had even noticed, unable to tell by the way he carried himself.

Jungkook stared at you with an unchanging expression, like he was waiting for you to say something else or even laugh at him. 

It wasn’t the first time you noticed the sheer size of him, not exactly the tallest man you’d met but certainly making up for it by the width of his shoulders and the broad muscle on his chest. His father was a naturally large man with a round belly and tall stature but you imagined Jungkook could take him quite easily in terms of strength.

“C’mere.” You baited softly, not moving from the counter and just watching him with an almost expressionless face. He took a few seconds but his feet were eventually moving and he was a few feet closer to you now.

Your hand was on his arm, gentle and tracing as you squeezed it lightly but kept your gaze locked on his face. His body was locked with tension as he looked at you, almost curiously. 

“No girlfriends but..” You faded off when you saw the flash of annoyance pass over his face, not liking that you were bringing this back up again. “Have you ever hooked up with someone?”

The question lingered in the air adn you almost wondered if he was planning on rejecting you. He hadn’t done anything that made you think he was necessarily interested in you the way you were becoming interested in him but you knew you were relatively pretty and he clearly didn’t mind your company, showing it in his own stoic way.

“What’s it matter?” He mumbled back, shifting a step or two closer like he hadn’t realized he was.

His lack of an actual answer inside the response told you what you needed to know and he seemed to understand that considering the way he sighed.

“Do you think I’m judging you?”

Your head had cocked as you said it and he let out a humorless laugh at the earnest way you asked it.

“Aren’t you?” He retorted and it was a bit more heated than his voice had been before, defenses clearly up despite the way your hand was still smoothing over his arm as you had this conversation. “I’m not some loser.”

Your eyebrows furrowed at the outburst, wondering when he had drawn that conclusion. It wasn’t that surprising that a southern boy would associate sexual experience with masculinity or social class but you shook your head.

“I already told you what I think of you Jungkook.” You answered back, stopping your hand from rubbing his skin and letting it just rest instead. “I think you’re a good man.” Your tone was gentle and smooth so he didn’t have any reason to think you were making fun of him. “And that you’re handsome.”

Your hand moved to sit on his firm chest and you could feel the way his heart raced underneath your palm, fast and pounding as you stared up at him. Jungkook might genuinely be the most beautiful man you’d ever seen, sun kissed skin and scars littering his body from a lifetime of hard work. 

His features were strong and manly but paired with gentle eyes that watched you quizzically and you were sighing softly without even meaning to. You hoped you weren’t overwhelming him with your sudden forwardness but there was only so much time you could spend watching him think lowly of himself before you longer to inform him of the way others viewed him.

You leaned up on your tippy toes while simultaneously bringing his face down so you could kiss him softly, thumb rubbing his jaw and cheek. 

He only hesitated for a second before he was kissing you back, taking a few steps forward until your back was hitting the counter again but this time with his body pressing against yours. Your mouths moved together eagerly and you made a small noise when his hands were on your hips, yours moving to play with the hairs touching the back of his neck.

His height and size was making you feel crazy as he tugged you against him, his strong arms around you and the thought of how easily he had lifted your entire body earlier made you feel warm as you made out desperately. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat was making you jump away from each other and your eyes were both wide with panic as you saw his mother standing at the bottom of the stairs in her nightgown. Your chest was rising and falling both from the intense make out session and embarrassment. 

“I-“ You squeaked out in an attempt to explain but nothing followed and you almost thought his mom looked amused.

“Goodnight.” She said softly before turning back around like she hadn't seen anything. You’d expected to be sent up to your rooms for the night but clearly she was attempting to meddle by leaving you alone again. 

The tension had popped and you awkwardly looked at Jungkook. 

Jungkook let out a shaky breath as he watched his mom go back upstairs, his heart still beating like a drum in his chest. His cheeks were still flushed red with embarrassment, and he ran a hand sheepishly through his hair as he looked at you with an unreadable expression. 

He took a deep breath and the sound made you feel way worse. You shifted on your feet, not really knowing what to do in this situation. It felt so ridiculous that you couldn’t help yourself from bursting out into soft laughter and he gave you a disbelieving look. 

Your forehead fell against his chest as you laughed softly, eyes squeezed shut from embarrassment. You felt his body shaking slightly as he joined you in your giggle fit and you were glad he wasn’t taking this as seriously as you feared he might. 

You could feel his hand in your hair as he brushed it out of your face and your laughter faded off into a warm smile as you looked up at him, rocking onto your tiptoe to press against him in another kiss. It was much sweeter this time, lacking any real heat.

Only until his hands were back on your hips and then you couldn’t stop yourself from parting your lips and pushing deeper, grateful he had understood what you wanted when he pushed you back against the counter and tilted his head with yours. 

It was picking up in pace again and your tongue was moving against his bottom lip, whining softly when he licked against your own and bringing one of your hands back to rub his hard chest.

“You’re a good kisser.” You remarked against his mouth and you could quite literally feel him smirk, the realization making you feel like you were truly going crazy.

“You’re pretty.” He said back in that same monotone voice he always had and you smiled at the now familiar sound of it. His hands tensed against your hips and you quickly got what he wanted, kissing him again with more fever after his compliment towards you. 

You weren’t sure how you went from arguing with him a few weeks ago to making out desperately in his kitchen but it was hard to dislike the change in things when it felt so good, barely able to pull yourself away from him when he was whispering into your mouth that you needed to get some sleep.

He was right and you knew that but he practically had to maneuver you both towards the bedroom hall, stopping to kiss you along the way and laughing when your hands were stubborn in their exploration of his strong arms. 

You’d closed your door and immediately pressed your back against it as you sucked in a deep breath, waiting until you heard his own close down the hall before you were throwing yourself on the bed and screaming into the pillow. 

----

The next morning left you feeling slightly anxious and embarrassed, nervous to face Jungkook with your new development and downright terrified to see his mother.

She was alone in the kitchen when you ventured down and you froze at the bottom of the staircase, considering turning around and booking it back up the stairs until her gentle gaze landed on you and it was too late. 

“C'mon honey, I won’t bite.” She said with amusement lacing her words and your shoulders halfway relaxed. You blushed and walked fully into the room, avoiding the counter she had seen Jungkook pressing you against last night like it was infected. 

“I’m so sorry ma’am. I didn’t mean to disrespect you and your house.” You said quickly with a sigh as you sat on one of the stools, not even planning to address it but unable to stop yourself from feeling foolish. 

She watched you with patient eyes as you spoke it in one breath and then smiled gently. “I haven’t seen my baby smile like that since he was a boy. I know he’s a grown up now and he does what grown ups do.” Your face flushed at the implication and you suddenly wondered if she had already figured this was happening. “I think you’d do him some good.” 

You weren’t sure how to respond to her kind words and you stayed quiet and stiff on the stool.

The floorboard creaking made you turn back to the doorway and you froze even more when you saw Jungkook standing there, his expression alerting you to the fact he had been there longer than you had realized and most likely eavesdropping. 

“Hi.” You instinctively breathed out when you noticed him, ridiculously handsome in the early morning. 

He cleared his throat and entered the kitchen, giving his mother a soft kiss on the cheek as a greeting before placing his hands on the island and looking at you awkwardly. “Hey.”

Nari suddenly decided she had something to do that involved her going out to the chicken coop but you didn’t miss the instigating look she shot him over her shoulder as she left. You almost thought his cheeks were tinged pink as he quickly looked away from her and your lips curled upwards just enough for him to sigh. 

“Listen I-”

“Do you want to do something with me today?” He had cut you off and then froze like he hadn’t even realized you were speaking. 

Your eyes were a little wide as you stared at him, forgetting what you were even trying to tell him, most likely something that would give him the option to pretend the kiss had never happened but you liked his idea a lot better. 

“Something like.. other than chores?” You half teased as you reminded him that you did something with him almost every single day if farm work counted. He was nodding his head swiftly and going between avoiding looking at you directly and staring into your eyes intensely. “Yes Jungkook, I would. That sounds very nice.”

He looked overly relieved that you had agreed and you began to really question his sanity if he actually thought you would reject him after what had happened. 

Jungkook had instructed you that you would need a bathing suit and something comfortable to walk in, not leaving much to the imagination about what he wanted to do but leaving you excited regardless. 

You almost asked him how he had gotten the two of you out of duties but you saw Nari carrying a small bag of hay as you stepped out onto the porch and realized quickly she must have agreed to help out today. 

She was giving you a soft look and you returned it with a small smile and a wave goodbye, hearing the hinges creak behind you as he made his way out of the house and paused next to you to look at his mom as she disappeared back to the nearest barn.

“Ready?” He said softly and you nodded your head at him, glancing to the side and feeling glad to see him smiling subtly. 

The new development between you did not change the fact Jungkook didn’t talk much but it did mean he let you be the one to shuffle through his CD collection until you found something you liked. He actually had a few things you managed to recognize and you put in the back of your mind to request a mixtape of his favorite tracks. 

You preferred the windows down and wind blowing to the cold and sterile AC of your car back in the city, hair in your face and the now familiar scents that the warm air danced through the old truck being things you had grown used to faster than your usual that you had simply tolerated for two decades. 

He was tapping the steering wheel to the music and your eyes scanned over him briefly now that he was distracted. 

He had abandoned his button up flannels for the day in place of a loose shirt that was tucked into his jeans and belt in random places, showcasing his large belt buckle that you had started to think was his signature. 

Clearly you were obvious enough that he caught on to the feeling of you staring because he was sending you a sideways glance that made you laugh. Most guys would probably smirk cockily if they noticed you checking them out like that but Jungkook was certainly not most guys, quickly facing forward again and swallowing hard.

You watched from the side mirror as dust kicked up nearly to your window, feeling him shift gears as he pulled off onto the side of the dirt road. 

There was nothing special about the area he stopped at, a simple stretch of road with trees canopy over the top and giving you a nice break from the sun. You looked at him, curious why he was stopping. 

“Cmon.” He said and his eyes flashed with something bright before he was getting out of the driver's side and gesturing for you to slide across the bench seat of the truck so you could come out his door. 

His hand was reaching out to grab yours, helping you out smoothly and the act made it so you were standing almost as close as you were the night before. He took a few seconds to let his eyes dart over your face before he was stepping back and keeping his hand over yours. 

“It’s through here.” He breathed and you nodded, letting him gently guide you through the trees and brush. 

You could see a faint desired path, dirt in place of grass where people had been stepping and venturing off from the road like you were now. 

Luckily it wasn’t a long walk considering you were not exactly accustomed enough to the outdoor life to enjoy branches in your face but you were glad you had heeded his warning about comfortable shoes. 

You felt his hand squeezing yours as he slowed his pace, leaving you almost stumbling into his back from your lack of paying attention. 

He glanced back at you as you came to a stop beside him, hands wrapping around his arm similarly to the way you had held him at the market. He stepped to the side more so you could see what he was bringing you towards and your mouth parted. 

The quarry was only a little bigger than a pond, surrounded on all sides by trees and tall rock walls that glistened from the water splashed on them by the numerous small waterfalls in various places alongside it. 

The water was a beautiful blue-green shade that looked especially inviting given the heat today and there was a small slope that led to a patch of sand, sporadic bushes of flowers and long hanging vines decorating the empty spaces. 

“Wow.” You breathed out as you stepped out of the tree line, walking along the top of the quarry until you could shuffle your way down the slope towards the beach. 

Jungkook stayed right behind you, silent and squeezing your hand every so often whenever the path got a bit steep. You were grateful considering how little focus you had now that you were presented with such a beautiful sight. 

“Do you like it?” He was asking softly when you made it to the waterline, the area even more breathtaking from down below. Your eyes scanned over the quarry walls around you now and you almost felt emotional. 

You’d never seen anything even remotely similar to this and it was overwhelming you a little bit. It was like an oasis hidden just off the dirty road, untouched by civilization and nurtured by the elements around you. 

“It’s amazing.” You turned to face him and he looked pleased that you were excited, biting the inside of his cheek and nodding as he took off his hat and placed it on a nearby log. 

Your eyebrows raised in question before he was shifting backwards and kicking off his boots, a laugh of disbelief leaving you in a single breath. 

The girlish giggle was leaving you before you could stop it and you didn’t care enough to feel embarrassed about the sound, hurriedly removing your easiest layers before pulling your dress over your head and leaving you in your bathing suit. 

When you emerged from the lacy fabric you were greeted by a shirtless Jungkook and you fully froze, eyes locking on his chest and the full expanse of his tattooed sleeve that you’d been catching glimpses of whenever he wore a shirt. 

You already knew he was strong, easily detectable by his stamina and how much he could move and carry without breaking a sweat. Plus the telling veins lining his forearms that pulses whenever he shifted or gripped something. 

None of these small tidbits could’ve prepared you for the sight of Jeon Jungkook shirtless and you couldn’t even bother to disguise how intensely you were staring at his toned chest and the happy trail wedged between hard ab muscles. 

Jungkook seemed to not even notice the way you were looking at him but that probably had something to do with the fact he was staring at you the same exact way, hair messy from removing your dress that now sat at your feet. 

You imagined at another time it could’ve been heated but instead it was bashful, almost shy as you both came to reality and looked away in sync. Your cheeks felt warm again and you squinted up at the burning sun like it was the cause and not the pull in your stomach. 

It was easier to run towards the water than face him again and he seemed to agree considering you could hear the sound of him entering right behind you. 

The two of you splashed and played for nearly an hour, throwing handfuls of water and filling the echoing quarry with your shrieks and laughter as you did so. Your stomach was aching from how hard you were laughing and your cheeks felt even worse, in the best way possible. 

You’d even begun to wonder if you had ever actually smiled before this exact moment, the happiness rushing through you feeling so foreign. You were completely detached from yourself. 

The wealth of your family name, the cold expressions you both faced daily and learned to force onto yourself and even the heaviness of the city air and its routine were all fading from your mind. Right now you were simply a girl having fun in a beautiful place with a boy that liked you enough to free his day and show it to you. 

Jungkook was either thinking similarly or simply recognizing your melancholy because the play splashing faded into the two of you slowly inching closer and closer in the water until your arms were looped around his neck and his settled warmly on your waist. 

Your eyes were scanning over the parts of his chest that were not under the hazy water, cold fingers lightly tracing over the scars and marks littering his tan skin.

He was simply watching you, eyes on your face and only shifting away briefly whenever you made eye contact. 

“Where'd you get this one?” Your voice was a whisper and it felt like the first time you’d talked in a while, smoothing over a particularly large mark spanning across his left collarbone all the way to his shoulder. 

“Got bucked off Lucky when I was fourteen.” He said in a low voice, referencing the large horse you’d taken into town together. “Landed wrong on the wired fence.”

You nodded softly as he recounted the story, feeling a deeper warmth when you thought about teenage Jungkook and his mishaps as he grew into the practiced country man he was now. His hands squeezed your waist as your hand crept up to his cheek and you shifted closer.

“This one?” Your tone was more hesitant when you saw the look on his face at the touch, already knowing he’d be explaining that especially deep mark next. 

“I was seventeen.” He started off slowly and you watched him, hand moving to cup his cheek and obscure the scar from your vision. His face instinctively pushed against your palm and he sighed. “Accidentally tipped a barrel of feed we were transporting to the neighbors. My dad sent me flying into the wall and I guess there was an old nail or something.” 

It was the first time he had outwardly voiced what you already assumed and although you knew, it didn’t make it any easier to hear him say it.

“Has he always done that?” You whispered and he shook his head. 

“Just when I became a teenager.” He said simply, like it wasn't a big deal to him. It probably wasn’t anymore and you couldn't help but frown softly, feeling worse when his eyes flashed with concern. “Happens less now.”

Another thing you didn’t need to hear out loud to understand. Jungkook was bigger now, stronger and harder to push around even if he allowed it up to a certain point. You had a feeling that he'd never lay a hand on his father to test the theory but you had full confidence he could lay him out if needed and you imagined Minchul had realized something similar.

You felt the words leave you, not exactly sure if that was what he needed anyways. There was nothing you could say that would make it stop and you figured he had thought of any reassuring phrases you would’ve come up with anyways.

There was only one thing that made sense to you and you hoped it was the right choice when you kissed him softly. 

It was so gentle he barely felt it and then you were pulling back and pressing your forehead against his. His gaze was softer now and you could feel the wet droplets from his hair on your skin, his large hand leaving your hip underwater to hold your face and bring you into him again. 

This time there was some heat behind the action, mouths moving together as you wrapped your legs around his middle to be as close as possible. 

Jungkook kissed you deeply, a low noise sounding from his chest when you were tugging softly at his lower lip. It felt like a habit to tangle your tongue with his and you sighed against his mouth, one hand on his jaw with the other resting on his chest as he held you weightlessly in the water. 

“Have I mentioned you’re a good kisser?” You breathed against his mouth and he made a low noise, used to your antics and teasing comments by now. His hands were under your thighs to keep you supported around his waist and you sighed as you fell back into a kiss. 

It felt utterly ridiculous, disbelief still clouding your mind when you felt the butterflies in your stomach and the way your skin felt tingly wherever his hands traced. You had barely felt anything before you got here and suddenly your days were full of satisfying muscle aches and electric glances across the room with a boy who was holding you like he actually managed to care about you. 

You felt like a fool for putting so much weight behind kissing him, behind being somewhere he considered special and laughing like little kids together. 

“I am so happy you are here.”

All of your concerns faded away when he whispered the words against your lips, unable to keep kissing him but loving the way he pecked your mouth a few times before realizing you weren’t responding anymore and looking at you heavily. 

Maybe he could tell it was something you needed to hear because one of his hands left your leg in favor of pushing your wet hair behind your ear, thumb tracing over your swollen lips. 

“You mean that?” You accidentally whispered it and that felt much more vulnerable than you had meant it to come across, not able to stop yourself from seeking confirmation. You’d spent your entire life feeling like you were taking up space, a ghost in crowded conference halls and an investment only worthy of funding. 

Jungkook had nothing to take from you, you had nothing to offer him here in this new version of you that you had barely begun to understand yourself and yet his eyes were soft and genuine as he nodded. 

“I was just going through the motions before you.” He responded right when you needed to hear it most and the rare show of vocalized honesty from him hit harder. You could tell it was difficult for him to say these things out loud without feeling insecure and you appreciated it even more. 

You kissed him eagerly and barely processed the way he was standing out of the water and easily carrying you to the shore, only recognizing your new location when your back touched the warm sand and you gasped softly.

It was swallowed by his mouth as he placed himself over you, holding his weight up with his left arm so he wasn’t exactly pressing against you. He felt even better in this position and your hands tangled in his hair, pulling him down and keeping his mouth moving with yours like it was the only way you could function.

You weren’t sure how long you stayed there like that, going between kissing heavily and whispering sweet words to each other that made your chest tighten so much it felt like it was going to explode.

The sun had started to set and you felt slightly chilled in your damp suit, flushing when he noticed your shiver and silently moved to help pull your dress back over your head. He stood from the sand, offering a hand to lift you up and steadying you before finding his discarded shirt. 

It was silent on the way back to the farm but welcomed. You had abandoned the passenger seat in favor of sitting in the middle, laying your head on his shoulder and smiling every time his hand moved from the gear stick to rest on your bare knee. 

He had his left arm out the window as he tapped the top of it occasionally along to the music but he quickly withdrew it when you pulled in the long driveway and saw the porch light still on. It was dark by now but not quite late enough to cause any suspicion, sky a dark blue as the sun fully set. 

You were glad you had enough sense to scoot back into your seat because you passed the scattered trees and could now clearly see Minchul stood on the porch, not at all trying to pretend he wasn’t waiting for you.

Jungkook was tense and his face was dark in a way that pulled a pout onto your face, hoping you didn’t have a sour end to such a beautiful day.

He sighed as he parked the truck and you reached your hand over to grab his, his eyes darting to you quickly like he had forgotten you were sitting there with him. You watched as his shoulders dropped as they lost their tension and he gave you a soft smile and squeezed your hand in his. 

You were both exiting the truck and you gave Minchul a small wave, only slightly surprised that he didn’t return it. He was still keeping up the charming and friendly persona with you but clearly it didn’t matter when his hard gaze was locked on his son. 

“How were the Johnsons?” He said lowly and you knew better than to respond or showcase any confusion on your face even though you had no idea what he was talking about. 

“The Johnsons?” Jungkook’s voice was casual as he walked, barely faltering at the question and not even glancing at his dad as he stepped onto the porch. You stayed on the yard and watched them, breath held as it almost seemed like they were sizing each other up. You weren’t used to seeing any defiance from Jungkook and it worried you. “We were at the Lee’s. Mary said hello.”

He went inside, sending you a glance as he did and you stood there silently.

Minchul scoffed and you saw his jaw clench in annoyance, clearly wanting to test Jungkook and catch him in a lie. Nari and him must have come up with a cover story beforehand about where you two were the entire day, something you stupidly hadn’t even considered. 

His gaze fell on you and while it wasn’t as icy, it still didn’t look thrilled to see you. You were glad you had become so accustomed to having a flat expression because the last thing you wanted was to be the one who fucked it up and got the both of you in trouble.

“Thank you for letting us have some time off.” You said softly, tone as polite as you could manage and he stayed very still for a few more seconds before giving you a small smile and nodding. You stayed there as he turned to head inside, finally letting out the breath you were holding.

----

It was difficult to know Jungkook was so close yet also understanding spending unnecessary time with him could get you in trouble potentially. You knew you were both adults but it was his fathers house and clearly he didn’t have sound reasoning for his hatred towards Jungkook.

As much as you wanted to lounge in his room with him and listen to music, you settled for opening your door and letting it float down the hallway towards you as you journaled.

You were back to chores the next morning like normal and you couldn’t help the shy smile on your face when you saw him in the kitchen. He returned it and you felt his foot nudge against yours when you slid onto the stool beside him, side eyeing him playfully as Nari brought you both a plate of breakfast.

There was a welcomed silence as you ate rather quickly and then you were both slipping out of the house, soft giggles escaping you at the fast way he walked towards the barn. He glanced behind you towards the house and must've determined the coast was clear because he was scooping you off of your feet to get you there quicker.

“You’re insane.” You laughed and slapped against his shoulder as he bridal style carried you into the barn, rounding the corner and setting you down when you were out of sight. 

“Is that a bad thing?” His eyebrow went up and you narrowed your eyes jokingly, a bright smile on your face as you stared up at him. “Maybe I just missed you.”

You still weren’t used to the quiet boy you had grown accustomed to being able to say the most devastating things like he didn’t even realize what they did to you. You sucked in a breath at the statement and it wasn’t long before he was kissing you again.

There seemed to be a mutual addiction to the action now that you’d done it a few times and you were glad you weren’t alone in that, not sure what you would do if he wasn’t so willing to kiss you all the time. 

Kissing you didn’t seem to be the only thing on Jungkook’s mind because it wasn’t long before he had you laid back against a blanket over the hay, making you half wonder if he planned this or if it was just a spontaneous decision. Either way you appreciated the gesture, not sure you could enjoy the way he was kissing down your neck as much if you had scratchy grass poking you back.

“Jungkook.” You gasped his name out when his teeth brushed over your collarbone and his back hardened at the sound for a second before he was humming, low and sensual as he questioned the reason for your call. “More.”

He picked his head up long enough to look into your eyes, scanning over your face with a dark expression you hadn’t quite seen from him. It was similar to the way he looked when he was particularly focused on a hard task but there was something deeper there and you suddenly felt flustered. 

“Tell me what you want.” It was a soft instruction that subtly reminded you he didn’t really know what he was doing.

“Anything, just…” Your hands were in his hair and you kissed him softly as you tried to collect yourself, distracted by the way he was looking at you and the weight of his body on top of yours. “Just you. I just want you.”

That seemed to be enough for him to forget his inexperienced based hesitance because his mouth was back on yours, sloppy and hot in a way that made a shiver go down your spine. His hands moved under your dress, pushing it up so it sat under your ribs and exposed your lower half.

He went back to kissing down your neck and this time he didn’t stop at your dress, skipping your covered section and shifting his body further down so he could have his mouth on your stomach. You sucked in a gasp at the sensation, keeping your hands in his hair to keep yourself grounded under the illusion of some control.

It was a world changing sight to see him down between your legs like that, eyes darting from your lace panties back up to your face to make sure you were feeling okay. You imagined he was being met with a very eager expression on your face, nearly pleading as you took in his messy hair and doe eyes. 

The first press of his lips alongside your inner thigh was almost enough to ruin your life and you whined softly, shifting your knees further apart so he had no issue getting where he needed. 

“Quiet down princess.” The already low drawl of his voice had taken an even deeper tone and you shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut like you were pained at the idea of silence. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful baby.”

He had no idea the way he was wrecking you with the pet names, made even more clear by the way his mouth was on your core through the thin wet fabric of your underwear. Your hips bucked as you made a strangled sound and his hand was shooting up to hold you down, pressing against your stomach and kissing his teeth at you like you were an animal he was trying to settle. 

The instinctive way he attempted to tame you made your head spin, not even realizing how sexy you would find that until he did it. 

“Jungkook.” You were breathing again and shifting your hips upwards, heat surging through you when you realized you weren’t even able to move under his strong hold. He was easily pressing you against the blanket with one hand and one of yours moved from his hair to pull at the waistband of your panties.

He didn’t need you to explain that to him, hurriedly sitting up enough that he could pull them down your thighs and grunting a little when you kicked them away, settling back between your legs and taking a deep breath at the sight of you bare.

“Please.” You pleaded and he looked back up at you.

“You want it baby?” He said lowly, a whole new persona to him you hadn’t even begun to fantasize about and you nodded eagerly, eyes a little glassy. “Want me to taste you?”

You made another high pitched impatient sound and he laughed a little, breath hitting your wet folds making your body tighten for a second. 

He was finally done teasing you and you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep quiet like he requested as soon as his mouth was on you, hands moving to your knees to keep your legs from clamping around his head as he licked against you. 

“Oh fuck.” You whined and he closed his eyes at the taste of you, tongue slow and testing as he explored what areas brought the biggest reaction out from your lips. He was clearly a good kisser in more than one way because you felt like you were going to pass out just from the way his mouth moved, getting more eager the more comfortable he got. 

Your hips rocked forward against his face as much as his grip allowed, searching for friction and finding it when his nose brushed against your sensitive clit. His mouth quickly followed, tongue working your bud and bringing noises out of you that you didn’t even know you were capable of.

“Feels so good.” You mewled and he groaned against you, sending another wave of pleasure and longing through you. 

“It’s good princess?” He was breathing heavier from the lack of oxygen considering he hadn’t taken his mouth off of you since he got down there and you almost laughed at the sound of it. You weren’t sure if he was dirty talking or genuinely looking for reassurance but you nodded eagerly regardless, hands tangling back in his hair and pressing his face back between your legs. 

“Make me cum.” You said the order softly, more of a plea than anything and he took it easily, practically making out with your cunt in his desperation to give you what you wanted. Jungkook was clearly a pleaser and you found it even more stupid nobody had jumped his bones yet, although a possessive flare surging through you every time you remembered you were his first. 

You did a terrible job keeping quiet as he ate you out and you figured the rough way he was squeezing your thighs was meant to be reminders but you ignored him in favor of rolling your hips along with his mouth, biting your lip to keep from outwardly screaming when you realized you were about to cum.

Your grip in his hair tightened almost painfully and your breathing picked up, chest rising and falling in heavy pants as you got closer. Luckily Jungkook knew enough to not stop, pressing his tongue against your hole with his nose nudging your clit and bringing you to release so suddenly you felt dizzy.

“What the fuck?” You felt almost startled by how fast and intensely he made you finish and he slowed down, eyeing you curiously and almost looking like he was smiling. He kissed your thighs a few more times softly before he was coming back up on top of you.

You moaned when he was kissing you out of nowhere, not even slightly disgusted at the idea of tasting yourself and instead eagerly licking into his mouth.

“Wait.” You gasped into it and he barely slowed, only pausing to kiss the corners of your lips and let you speak. “What about you?”

Your hand was inching between your bodies to feel his hard length but you faltered when you felt the wet patch on his pants instead. His body tensed on top of yours and your eyes went back to his face, taking in his embarrassed expression and feeling a million different types of warmth rushing through you suddenly. 

“Fuck.” He said in one breath, eyes shutting tight for a second like he was willing himself to disappear. 

“That might be the hottest thing that has ever happened to me.” You said far too loud for the quiet barn and he looked at you like you were crazy, eyebrows furrowed and cheeks turning pink when he processed the dazed out look returning to your face. “You came in your pants from eating me out? Are you even real?”

He was frozen for a long few seconds with that same expression before he was pushing out a singular disbelieving laugh and resting his head on your shoulder. You giggled as he groaned into your hot skin, hand coming back up to his hair to pet it gently this time.

You didn’t move for a bit, kissing softly until the heat was beginning to feel too intense now that you didn’t have a mind numbing distraction. 

“We have to do our chores.” You whispered against his lips and he sighed softly, knowing you were right. 

He was gentle as he helped you stand up, sitting you back on a wood slate so he could pull your underwear backup and adjust your dress. His hands were smoothing through your hair to help control it, picking loose pieces of grass and straw as you watched his face. 

The barn was quiet as you reached up to cup his face, pulling him in for another kiss and sighing softly when you felt him smiling. 

“What are you doing to me?” You almost groaned as he pulled away again, tugging you off of the wood so you were standing in front of him. You were close enough for your chest to press together and you craned your neck to look up at him. 

“It’s mutual.” He responded easily and you felt like you were really going crazy. 

Luckily he had more sense than you and was backing up a few feet to pop the tension filled bubble and help keep you focused. It was almost impossible to watch him do chores now that you knew what was hidden under his shirt, and became familiar with those grunts in a different context. 

You worked through the day together and kept your shy smiles and loaded glances to as much of a minimum as you could manage. 

Supper was much more pleasant today and you felt like things were starting to really flow nicely around here, your heart feeling content as you and Nari joked around over the meal and the men listened with fond smiles.  

Your gaze went to Jungkook for the hundredth time today and you found him already watching you, eyes bright and a smile on his face that you usually didn’t see at dinner time. He must have felt similarly to you about how good the day was because he didn’t look away, holding your eyes affectionately. 

When you finally blushed and looked away, your line of sight landed on Minchuk and you froze. 

He was staring at you with an expression of understanding, like he had just figured something out. His jaw tensed as he looked towards Jungkook and you felt red hot fear in your chest. 

Jungkook had started conversing calmly with his mother and didn’t seem to notice the expression on either of your faces. 

It wasn’t until your time to do the dishes that you even dared to look at him again, breathing a sigh of relief when he sunk against you for a hug. 

You wrapped your arms tightly around him, stretching on your tiptoes and burying your face in his neck as he circled his against your lower back. The fact it was overly sappy didn’t miss you but you couldn’t really care anymore, longing to be near him after any amount of time. 

“I feel crazy.” His voice was slightly muffled by your hair and you smiled at the sound of it and the warm tone he only seemed to take when he spoke to you. “How did I miss you so bad when you are right here?”

You shake your head, not trusting yourself to speak without saying something even more ridiculous but he hopes he knows what you mean, what you want to shout into the quiet kitchen. 

No, you aren't crazy. No you're not the only one feeling like this. No you don't understand it either. 

You only see a glimpse of his eyes before you are kissing and you can’t even remember who started it, if you went on your tiptoes or if he bent down to your level to catch you in something so feverish it felt like you had gone a year apart. There was no way of knowing who backed your bodies up against the counter, whose hands explored the other's frame first and who decided completely abandoning the dishes was somehow a good idea.

The only thing you could pinpoint was the exact moment it ended and he was suddenly ripped from you in a way that was so jarring you felt your knees go weak like you were going to collapse without him.

It took you a few seconds to track his body, stumbled across the kitchen like he had gotten thrown. The icy expression on his face made you realize he had been, your eyes darting to Minchul standing only a few feet away with his chest puffed and his eyebrows pulled together in a way that made your mouth part in shock.

“What the hell do you think you are doing boy?” His voice was venomous and he made another move in Jungkook’s direction that had you covering your mouth, lips still wet from kissing him. 

Jungkook didn’t move a muscle, not even slightly flinching or faltering his hardened expression. You wanted to shout at him that now was not the time to challenge his father, not after such a good day and certainly not over you. The look on his face told you that there was no point in trying to diffuse the situation, his shoulders squaring as he shifted his body defensively. 

“Oh.” Minchul looked genuinely surprised under all the rage until a bitter laugh slipped out as he stared at Jungkook mockingly. “You’re tough ain't you. A real man now?”

“Minchul.” You said slowly, taking a step away from the counter and trying to put yourself in their peripheral vision. You had a light amount of hope that seeing you in the room might be enough to humble the angry man and also calm Jungkook down enough to at least hold this off. You had wondered if you should call out for Nari but you decided against it. “We.. we were just-”

“I know what you were doing.” He spat as he turned to look at you and the way he stared at you stole all of the hope from underneath you. It was the exact same way he looked at Jungkook and you knew that any effort he was putting into faking a charming persona was no longer applied to you. 

“Watch it.” Jungkook was speaking for the first time and both of you snapped your gazes over to him.

His voice had never sounded like that and you felt a wave of fear run over you, not towards him necessarily but towards the outcome that would be caused by this level of anger coming from both of them. He clearly had no intention of pushing away his feelings and fauxing respect to get his dad off of his back, combative and aggressive now that you were being spoken down to. 

“Y/N.” Minchul was speaking calm and slow but the way his glare never left Jungkook’s taut frame sent a shiver down your spine and your eyes widened. “Go outside honey.”

“I-” You went to object but he sent you another look that left no room for argument and you turned desperately to Jungkook. He was clenching his jaw and looking pained as he finally looked at you just long enough to give you a confirming nod. His face barely softened but it was noticeable to you, a silent act of reassurance that he would be okay.

You felt beneath yourself as you stumbled outside, not really sure what else to do with your body once you got out there. You got the strange urge to call your father even though he would never help you, even to call your mother who had been dead for most of your life.

Your brain was just searching desperately for solutions and even more so when you heard crashing from inside the house, tears springing to your eyes as you took a few more shaky steps away to try and put some distance between you and the grunts of anger and pain.

The sensible part of your brain noticed a light switching on upstairs as the volume increased, realizing Nari must have woken up and would most likely be rushing down to the kitchen and putting a stop to whatever was happening. 

It was a power you clearly did not have and you felt so overwhelmingly useless.

You felt like you were outside for hours alone like that even though it was only a few breathless minutes before Jungkook was coming outside. He was walking fast and storming right past you, similarly to the way he had been the other week when Minchul brought out the belt on the porch.

“Jungkook.” You called out to him and your hands reached for his arm, heart clenching when you made brief contact before they were slipping off as he refused to stop. You started to chase after him without really thinking about it, needing to speak to him before you exploded. “Wait please.”

He whipped around at the crack in your voice and you faltered when you saw the blood on his lip and redness surrounding his eye and cheek. You were sure there were more marks you’d be able to pinpoint tomorrow and you were suddenly grateful for the moon lighting him up. 

Your hands were coming up to cup his face instinctively as a wounded noise left you and he winced at the feeling of your hands on his injuries. Your mouth was opening and closing as you searched for the words to say, head shaking as you felt like you were about to cry or throw up or both. 

“Did you know?” His voice was hoarse and your eyebrows automatically furrowed in confusion. It was asked softly but he scoffed at your expression and repeated it in a much harsher tone. 

“Know what?” You almost begged, wanting so badly to understand him and be able to help in some way. You took a step closer and he looked pained by the action, your stomach turning at the way he avoided looking directly at you. “Did I know what Jungkook? What happened?”

He was quiet for a long time and you felt like the dirt underneath you was slipping away and finally waking you up from this dream you’d been living in. You half wanted to sink with it and wake up in your warm bed worlds away from here with vague visions of a beautiful cowboy and the other half was clawing at the collapsing ground and pleading for the dirt under your nails to stay until morning. 

“Your dad owns the farm.” He said it so simply like it didn’t take the air out of your lungs and you shook your head, both in denial and confusion on what he was saying. His eyes were cold as he stared at you like he wasn’t sure if you were the enemy or not anymore. “He owns everything. You own everything.”

He emphasized the pronoun like he was trying to make it really clear to you that you played some type of role in this situation and you shifted away from him.

It suddenly made so much more sense to you, the way Minchul and your father interacted like they were forced to and the memories of coming here as a child feeling so foreign and locked away. How kind the Jeon’s had been to you and the pure fury towards you and Jungkook for getting involved, it was all a result of your father placing his polished shoe on another aspect of your life. 

This time it wasn’t an apartment back in the city or your daily schedule, not even your name on the important document that locked you into the family business for life if anything tragic happened to him. Your father had managed to put his greedy hands on something you had deemed untouchable.

Jungkook had created a world for you that didn’t allow the bad stuff to exist, that blocked out every memory you had that was grey and cold. He had brought the sun to you and now you were learning your father had already staked his flag on its surface. 

“What are you talking about?” You didn’t know what else to say and you could feel hot tears on your flamed cheeks now. You had never felt adrenaline like that, pure emotion and panic as your chest started to rise and fall quickly. 

Jungkook was quiet as he watched you like he was conflicted about what to do. Once a particularly rough breath ran through your body he was softening his shoulders and gaze simultaneously, pulling you against his frame as you wracked with a heavy sob. 

You hadn’t had a panic attack in years, since you were a teenager who could barely stand the sight of a crowded crosswalk or a presentation. There was no doubt in your mind that you would not be able to get out of the strong grip of it easily on your own and you sunk against him. 

“I’m sorry.” He breathed and you pushed your face into his chest, muffling the strangled noise that left you. “Of course you didn’t know. I know you didn’t know.”

“I want to go home.” Is what you eventually breathed out even though you realized as soon as you said it that you weren’t sure what you were referring to. The thought of your apartment was only comforting until you remembered he didn’t even exist there and you sunk lower against him.

“We can go there.” He said back hurriedly like he had already considered that as an option. You felt terrible for not being in the state to talk to him properly, to ask him if he was okay and if he could face his father again. “I’ll take you, we can go home.”

You weren’t sure he knew what that meant to you but he was gently lowering you on the stairs and going back inside before you could tell him. His back was tense and you had half a mind to yell out for him to come back, to not go in and to stay with you where you could pretend you could keep him safe.

Instead of sitting there and feeling useless, you stood to your feet and chased after him.

He was already on his way back out and you bumped into each other, a startled sound leaving him as his hands reached out to grab your arms and steady you. You were still breathing heavily and now confused by how quickly he had returned, eyes going over his wide shoulders.

Nari was standing in the middle of the kitchen with a dim look on her face, stealing her of her usual warmth and soft glow. Minchul was nowhere to be seen but you could tell by the damage to the room that it had been a full blown scuffle between the two of them. 

You felt devastated for her, knowing how much love and pride she held for her kitchen and the things she created. There were shattered plates and disarrayed decorations, a large hole in the wall that you had a bad feeling was created by Jungkook’s back. She met your eyes over his frame and you felt relief when she softened slightly at the sight of your swollen eyes and remorseful stare.

“Go on, honey.” She said in a voice so gentle it broke your heart, Jungkook’s hands tightening on your arms at the sound of it. “I’ll be alright here.”

He was shifting and you could hear the sound of the keys in his fingers now, only just feeling the cold metal pressing against your skin. You nodded swiftly at her and gave her one more heavy look that you hoped she would understand despite your lack of words, her smile in return making you believe she had.

Jungkook and you were quick to leave the house and you felt another sob go through you when he spared one last look towards the barn where Lucky and the other horses were most likely asleep for the night, knowing there was no certain timeline he would be able to see them again any time soon. 

He was opening the passenger door for you and making a soft noise with his teeth to get your attention through your devastation, closing it softly once you were sitting on the bench seat. 

You waited until he was sat and finished taking a few deep breaths, until you were squealing out of the driveway and pretending the light wasn't still on upstairs. Only after you were on the dirt road and heading towards uncertainty did you scoot over into the middle seat. 

This time around you weren’t damp from the quarry water and your cheeks were not sore from smiling so hard you felt euphoric. There were no shy glances and no toeing the line between unlikely friends and something more. But there was the feeling of his hand wrapped around your knee like he was scared to forget you were there and the soft kisses you were laying on his bruised face as he drove. 

Going back the same way you came but with your heart full of adoration and something much more real that you were too afraid to name just yet. You felt like your fantasy world was finally mixing into reality and the colors mixing with your cold gray was a lot less jarring knowing he was the one braving it all with you. 

Jungkook released a soft breath when your head landed on his shoulder and you felt the weight of it all go with it.

[traveler-at-heart]

Sharing is caring

Summary: Natasha doesn't like to share.

Natasha Romanoff x F!R

A/N: Thank you to @jujuu23 for reading this before I posted :)

Natasha wanted to have a good day.

But then recruits were stupid, Steve was being annoying about paperwork. And now, this.

Her favorite mug. Gone.

“Did you do this?” is the first thing she says to Sam as he enters the kitchen.

“No, I like the idea of keeping all my fingers”

And precisely then, you walk in.

Newest addition to the team, top of your SHIELD class, expert in weapons, languages and the most delicious desserts. Steve had to enforce a rigurous meal plan when even Bucky gained a good five pounds.

Natasha likes your easy smile, beautiful eyes, and those full lips that can be both alluring and mysterious.

That perfect mouth that is now sipping from none other than Natasha’s mug.

Sam crosses his arms, expecting the Russian to say something. But she stays glued to her spot.

As you enter the room, you feel two sets of eyes on you. The attention makes you falter, but you push through. There’s no place for shyness when you’re an Avenger.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Real nice” Sam says, and you nod, considering if it’s a good idea to address Natasha directly. You still haven’t quiet figured her out. 

“Do I have something on my face? You’re staring”

“No” Natasha rushes to say, before Sam can tell you that you’re holding her mug, the one that made her rip Barnes’ arm off when she saw him using it.  

“You sure? Dirt? Chocolate?”

“Your face is perfect” she hurries to say, and Sam has to cough to hide his laughter 

“Smooth, Romanoff”

“Ok, then. I made coffee and added a little nutmeg. Wanna try it?”

You offer her your mug and she takes it, smiling. 

“This is really good!”

“Finish it. I have to train. I don’t mind sharing” you wink at her, and Natasha has to keep from smiling. She doesn’t like new people knowing she can go soft.

“Can I have some?” Sam steps in.

“No” Natasha cuts him off and you laugh, waving goodbye. 

—

Heroes can save the day, but forget to bring out an extra chair when doing mission debriefings. 

This is the first time the entire team has been on a mission together since you joined, and now the conference room is crowded. There’s no place to sit, except for a small sofa in the back of the room.

That’s where Natasha usually sits, because it gives her a view of everyone. She can read their expressions, guess what they think, take that information to asses what needs to be refined in their team dynamic. 

Right now, though, she’s one of the last people in. The minute she looks at her spot, she sees you, leaning against the sofa, your hand discreetly holding your side.

“Rookie, you’re in Red’s spot” Tony says, walkign right after Natasha. 

She shoots him a murderous glare, but all you do is laugh, trying to stand up without anyone noticing you’re injured.

But Natasha notices.

“We can both sit here” she rushes to say, and you nod, knowing your voice would be strained if you thanked her out loud.

Mission debriefing goes by in a blur, your breathing heavy. 

Natasha is ready to tell Steve to can it, but Tony steps in, and everyone leaves the room.

Everyone except you. 

Natasha can’t leave either, worried about your condition.

“It’s nothing major” you say, knowing why she’s still sitting next to you.

“What is?” she tries to play dumb, but that makes you laugh. You wince after a second, though. “You should go to the Medbay”

“Cracked ribs, that’s all. The doctors won’t be able to fix that either way” you smile at her, but make no effort to move. Natasha stays put too, and you know she’s patient enough to wait it out. “Fine. I’m going”

You expect Natasha to leave for her room once you promise to get checked out. But instead, she follows you.

“Just in case you need something”

The doctors confirm what you already know. Rest, painkillers, no training for a couple of days. What you had missed were a couple of cuts, since you didn’t even change out of your suit until now. A nurse cleans them up and patches you up, but you’re left in nothing but a tank top and your tactical pants. 

Why is the Medbay so damn cold?

When you open the door, Natasha is already waiting, a hoodie in her hands.

“I’ve told them to fix the damn AC a thousand times” is all she says, and you smile, grateful. You struggle when you have to slide the hoodie down your body, and Natasha’s hands are quick to pull the fabric down gently.

“Thank you, Nat”

“Come on, you need your rest” 

Walking back to the living quarters, you can’t help but wonder if she’s being nice out of pity or something else. Whatever it is, you just hope she doesn’t see you as the rookie that screws up during their first group mission.

“You know where to find me, if you need anything” 

You nod, waiting until she walks into her own room to get inside.

The first thing you do in the privacy of your room is enjoy the fact her hoodie is soft, and smells just like Natasha.

You might not give it back to her.

—

Tony’s idea of a party is shut down the next morning. You can guess that Steve is aware of your injuries, as the doctors are required to submit a report.

Still, Stark insists on some team bonding activity and by a miracle, Natasha gets him to agree to movie night.

That’s how you end up in the entertainment room. There’s popcorn, soda, pizza and chocolate. 

Once again, and unbenknowst to you, you end up sitting on the couch Natasha takes up for herself.

“Hey” she walks up to you, vaguely aware that the rest of the team is waiting to see if Natasha asks you to move. “Mind if we share?”

“Not at all!” you say, moving to the side so she can sit. It’s hard to pretend you’re not excited about Natasha’s request. 

Considering she’s always keeping her distance, sharing the couch during movie night seems like a big deal.

“Everyone settled?” Tony asks, his gaze lingering on you two. Natasha glares, so he turns around and starts the movie.

After a couple of minutes, you reach forward to open the pack of M&M’s that no one seems to want. You can’t help the laugh when Natasha reaches for them at the same time.

“We can share these too” you say, handing them to her.

Natasha is trying to pay attention to the movie, but you’re shifting in the couch, sometimes your knee brushing against hers. 

“You’re not eating the green ones” she notices, leaning close to you to not interrupt the movie.

“Oh, shit” you laugh, somehow sensing that Natasha wants to know why. “My brother and I would agree to leave those for last, and then split them. Stupid”

“Wouldn’t want to mess with tradition” she says, separating them. You watch her, holding back a smile.

—

“Y/N’s all packed up and ready to go, right?” Steve says, reading over a file. 

“Yeah, she walked by like five minutes ago. Medics gave clearance” Sam says. “It’s just a recon mission, either way”

They’re going back to reviewing the team’s schedule when Natasha sprints past them.

“Yo, what’s going on?” Sam says, hoping there’s no threat to deal with. Steve is about to walk out as well, when he hears Natasha’s words.

“I’m going with Y/N! How could you be so irresponsible to send her away when she just recovered?”

Captain Rogers decides to hide behind the door, Natasha’s anger making him feel small.

“Alright, have a good one” Sam gives her a thumb up, and the redhead just rolls her eyes. He sighs, going back inside.

Steve stays silent for a second.

“The safe house only has one bed” he says, considering if it’s worth telling Natasha that. "Should we tell her?"

“No, thank you”

—

Recon missions suck. 

There, you said it. Unfortunately, those are the most frequent ones for you, as the newest member of the team and being practically unknown to the general population.

You’re walking to your car, hoping the mission can be done quickly. It’s a day and a half and being alone makes it specially boring. As soon as you open the driver’s door, you find Natasha sitting, smiling up at you.

“Jeez! What are you doing here?”

“Backup. Cap asked me to come last minute” 

“Oh” you get quiet, nodding.

Natasha tries to stay neutral when she notices how your face falls. Did she read into the situation? A part of her thought you liked being around her.

Either way, she can’t back out now. Once you’re settled in the car, Natasha drives out of the Compound, to the small office you’re meant to infiltrate.

“Is… did…?” you mumble a couple of times. Natasha keeps a poker face, waiting for you to speak again. With a sigh, you finally let it out. “Did Steve send you to babysit me? He thinks I screwed up because I got injured, doesn’t he?”

“No, it’s nothing like that” Natasha says, mentally kicking herself for rushing to join you. She didn’t even consider your feelings, too eager to spend time together. “I just didn’t like the idea of you going alone”

“Oh” you say again, this time blushing. Natasha can sense something shifts from your tone alone, so she turns to look at you. Your eyes meet hers and you smile. “Yeah, I was actually thinking how boring it was going to be. So, I’m glad you tagged along” 

“I’m glad too” she says, trying not to smile.

“Let’s see if you keep saying that after I put on my roadtrip playlist”

“Bring it”

Natasha tries to enjoy the songs, though she’ll never tell you that pop music isn’t really her thing. What she does enjoy are the gummies you offer. In your words, road snacks are key to the trip.

As you park close to the safe house, you leave your bag in the living room and then go down to around the corner, checking you have everything you need in your jacket pockets. 

“Wanna go over the plan?” Natasha says, trying to keep calm. It’s just a recon mission. You’ll be fine.

“Bug the conference room for the meeting happening tomorrow. Hack into Russo’s computer and download everything. In and out, easy peasy” 

Natasha nods, and you wink at her.

“If I finish in under 10 minutes you buy me dinner”

“Deal” Natasha says, and she wishes she could tell you she’ll buy you dinner no matter what happens.

You finally go, walking up to the building, strolling casually. As you’re about to reach the doors, a man leaves the office and you snatch his ID to get past the gates.

That’s the easy part. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of people in the hallways still, and the office you’re supposed to infiltrate is at the end of the long corridor.

The conference room should be close to the elevator, so you decide to take a look around. As you approach, you hear voices inside.

It will be difficult to bug a room with other people in it.

Looking around, aware that you’ll be suspicious if you just stand there, you think of a way out.

And then you spot the distraction you need.

Well, whatever it takes to get the mission done.

—

Natasha finds a cafeteria that is across the office, and she gets to sit by the window, looking out as you skilfully snatch the ID from someone who’s leaving.

Standard time for a mission like that should be under fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, the man whose ID you stole is coming back exactly five minutes later. 

Natasha’s not sure if he forgot something, or if he noticed he was missing his ID and decided to return for it. The fact of the matter is that if someone notices you used it to get inside, you’ll be in trouble.

She suddenly wishes you had a comm with you so she could help out. Hell, if the man keeps talking to security, Natasha will find a way to make a scene and distract them long enough to get you out.

Just as she’s about to stand up, one of the cleaning staff walks out and hands over the ID. Did you notice what happened and dropped it? Were you still inside? You didn’t need the ID to exit the building, but still.

The man takes his ID, and walks back inside. 

It’s been nine minutes. Natasha will give you five more before she intervenes.

She’s so focused on looking out the window that she misses the moment you step inside the restaurant, and sit in front of her.

“What…? “ the redhead does a doble take, and you take great pride in that.

“Janitor’s closet, grabbed one of their uniforms. Nobody questions cleaning staff”

You pass her the USB, smiling at her shocked expression.

“And you gave him back his ID, as if you weren’t the one who took it”

“All under ten minutes. You know what that means?”

“Of course. Let’s check the menu” Natasha says, smiling at you.

After ordering a couple of cheeseburgers, you read over the desserts.

“We could share a brownie” you say, holding back a smile. You’ve noticed Natasha has a sweet tooth, and is less than inclined to share her food, especially if it’s a dessert.

“Sure” she says after a beat, and you clear your throat, speaking after the waitress leaves.

“You know, I can handle rejection”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m the youngest of three. I’m used to people telling me to leave their things alone” you say, smiling at her. “If I’m bothering you…”

“I don’t mind sharing” she cuts you off, her shoulders tense. It’s a bit uncomfortable for her to be vulnerable like this. “Not when I’m sharing with you” 

“Oh” you blush, biting your lip. The way her words affect you make Natasha regain some of her confidence. 

“How come you didn’t want to do a recon?”

“I don’t know. I like group missions. Or at least going with someone else. Like I said, I have siblings and I guess being around the team makes me feel like at home”

“Well, I like them because I can take a break from everyone. But that’s just because I’ve been dealing with those boys for years now” she laughs.

“Yeah, I get it. It can feel like a frat house sometimes. Let’s have girls night, no boys allowed” you joke, but perk up a second later. “Wait! That actually sounds fun. Oh my Gosh, we could go to the movies, or a museum, or dinner…”

“Sounds like a date to me” Natasha interrupts your rambling, pleased when you play with your hands.

“Yeah. That could be a date” 

Once the food arrives, you eat and chat. Natasha does agree to sharing dessert, which makes your heart melt a little at the gesture.

The last part of the mission is supposed to happen tomorrow, when a couple of shady businessmen meet at the building you infiltrated. All you have to do is sit and take pictures of whoever walks in, so intelligence can run background checks.

After dinner, you head back to the small apartment. For the first time since you arrived, you walk past the entrance to check the space.

“What’s wrong?” Natasha asks when you come back, fiddling with your hands.

“There’s only one bed”

“Oh”

“You can totally take it, the couch looks fine…”

“No, you’re still recovering, I’ll sleep on the couch”

Natasha and you speak over the other for a few minutes until your voices die down and you stare at each other.

“We could share?” you suggest.

“Ok” Natasha nods, trying to pretend it’s not a big deal.

But when you change into an oversized t-shirt (no shorts because you truly thought you’d be alone here), and lie down in the small bed, your heart is practically beating out of your chest. 

“You ok?” Natasha says, trying not to move.

You give up with a sigh, turning on your side and moving closer, until you’re inches apart.

“Just need to sleep on my side. And I usually hug a pillow. Don’t ask me why, I just do”

“Well… here” Natasha moves even closer, taking your arm. She places it around her waist, and pulls you closer. Your breath hitches for a second, but Natasha smiles reassuringly. “Is this better?”

“Yes”

As a matter of fact, it’s the best sleep either one of you has gotten in years.

—

You’re not in the mood for parties.

But that’s never stopped Tony before.

After waking up cuddling Natasha, (and barely completing the mission because you didn’t want to leave bed) you were eager to ask her out, or have her ask you out. Whichever was fine by you.

But as soon as you parked the car, Cap was waiting with a frown and a big file.

“We leave in an hour” he said, only to Natasha.

Apparently, this was going to be a very demanding mission, and Cap didn’t want you pushing yourself.

So, Natasha, Sam and Steve had been gone for a few days now.

Tony was mildly disappointed, but this was Pepper’s birthday party and he wasn’t about to call it off for a few working Avengers.

Still, you try to cheer up and put on a good face, mainly for Pepper. You’re not sure she really wanted this big of a party, but she seems happy enough.

Most of the people attending are from Stark Industries, so you try to blend in and speak to some of them.

“Hey, do you work in legal?” a young blonde asks when you go get another drink.

“Oh, no, definitely not”

“Thought I knew you. I’m in HR”

“Fun” you say, but the tone you use makes her laugh. Before you can do anything, she changes seats and moves closer to you.

“I’m Sasha”

Reluctantly, you give your name. Even after the bartender hands over another glass of Chardonnay, Sasha keeps talking to you, though she doesn’t really care if you work at Stark Industries or not. After your third glass of wine, you begin to relax, and say a couple of jokes that make her laugh a little too loud.

She’s definitely flirting.

“Wanna take this conversation somewhere else?” she asks and you look around.

“I think I need some air…”

“We could…”

But she doesn’t get to finish her sentence, because Natasha is by your side in an instant. Little drops of water wet your shoulder as she approaches you, having rushed from the shower to see you.

“Hey, detka. Having fun without me?”

“You’re home!” you shout, excited at seeing her again.

“I am. Come on, let’s go to the balcony” she says, taking your hand. You’re halfway there when you remember Sasha, and try to turn back to say goodbye.

“I don’t want to be rude”

“And I said I like to share with you, not share you” 

“Oh” you blush at that, and stay silent as Natasha drags you out of the party. 

“Was that too much?” she asks when you finally get to the balcony.

“No. I just drank too fast and I’m happy to see you” you say, your hands going around her shoulders. 

As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, Natasha holds your waist and pulls you closer to her.

“I’m happy to see you too” she leans her forehead against yours. “And about that date…”

“Yeah, I’m up for it” you confirm with a nod. Your faces are inches apart, and Natasha  can tell you’re sneaking small glances at her lips.

“As for other stuff…” 

“Mhm” you hum, aware that she’s leaning forward. You let her lips meet yours, and the kiss is short but tender. “Will this date have more of these?”

“Hell, yeah” she nods, making you laugh.

“Tomorrow, then?”

“Can’t wait” she nods, kissing you again.

Unfortunately, you’re interrupted by Sam, who is sporting a shit eating grin.

“Anything you two wanna share with the team?”

“No” you answer at the same time.

Some things, are meant to stay between you two. 

[piastriprincess]

naked  in  manhattan  !  ⸻  lando  norris  x  reader  .

featuring  lando  norris  ,  established  relationship  ,  smut  . word  count  2.5k author’s  note  18+  MDNI  !!�� yeahhhh  i  have  no  excuse  for  this  one  .  something  about  lando  in  that  f1  premiere  suit  burrowed  into  my  brain  like  the  world’s  horniest  parasite  and  then  i  had  this  .  just  me  ,  promoting  my  lando  is  a  yapper  during  sex  agenda  !!!  enjoy  <3  this is the first time i've ever written smut so i hope it doesn't suck . lmk if i should do more . title  is  from  naked  in  manhattan  by  chappell  roan  (a  little  on  the  nose  but  indulge  me  !)

There’s music playing softly from the hotel bedroom — some house track Lando queued claiming the two of you needed “getting-ready music” for the premiere, even though he’s been ready to go since before he put it on, waiting for you. 

“You know, you’re not going to get any prettier just staring at yourself in the mirror,” you call out from the bathroom, adjusting your earring. 

“I know. I’ve already peaked,” he calls back, smugly. “Come check me out.”

You roll your eyes, smiling as you slip your heels on and emerge from the bathroom. And oh. Maybe he has peaked, because there is something about your boyfriend in that suit. 

It’s navy, double-breasted, accentuating his already broad shoulders. Underneath, a clean white oxford shirt, unbuttoned just enough to see the tanned skin at his throat. He looks stupidly good. Enough to make your mouth water, enough to make your breath catch a little in your throat at the sight of your beautiful boy. 

“Well, hello, gorgeous,” he grins, insufferably cocky already, fiddling with his ring around his thumb. “What do you think?”

You think you want to forget the premiere entirely, get the door locked behind you and a Do Not Disturb sign on the knob so you can ruin him properly.

“I think,” you say instead, slowly walking across the room towards him, “that this is completely unfair.”

He tilts his head, amusement flickering through his expression. “What is?”

“That you’re letting me see you in that suit before we leave and expect me to be able to behave,” you reply, close enough by now to see the way his eyes flash, the surprised, pleased sort of grin that takes over his face.

“Baby,” he whines, tugging lightly at your hand as you run it slowly down the lapel of his jacket. “We can’t. We’re already late. We’ve got to be there in, like, ten minutes.”

“You’d think that’d be enough time for someone who races for a living,” you tease, tugging him in and kissing him hard, tongue slotting against his in a way you know will make him forget. Sure enough, he kisses you back eagerly, fingers weaving into your hair and tugging lightly. Your hands get greedy over his chest, smoothing over the fabric, appreciating how expensive he feels under your palms. 

“Oh, you’re gonna get me in trouble,” he breathes into the kiss, pulling you flush against him by the waist, hands roaming over the silk of your dress as you walk him back across the room. 

“That’s the idea.”

He stumbles slightly, the back of his knees knocking into the edge of the bed, and he sits with a soft curse under his breath. He looks wrecked already, gazing up at you dazed, breathless, like he can’t believe his own luck. 

You drop to your knees in between his legs, the hotel carpet scratching at your bare skin through the slit of your dress. He watches as your fingers dance gently up the inner seam of those pretty navy blue pants, hissing when you press your mouth to the crease — not quite where he wants you, you think. But close enough.

“Fuck, baby,” he breathes out, head falling back, pupils blown wide. “If you’re gonna act like this every time, I’ll wear a suit more often.”

You glance up through your lashes at him, fingers making quick work of the button. “That a promise?”

He huffs out a tense little laugh. The flush of arousal is already blooming red up his neck like spilled wine, color crawling from beneath the crisp white linen of his shirt and painting his skin up to his jawline, delicate and obscene. His hand slides into your hair — not forcing, not guiding, not yet. Just there, possessive and warm, thumb brushing against your temple. 

“You’re lucky we don’t have time,” he mutters as you slide the zipper down, deliberately slow. “Or I’d be dragging this out proper. Making you beg for it.”

You grin, fingers dipping beneath the waistband of his briefs, and his hips twitch slightly at the contact. You can feel his cock already, warm and straining against the thin fabric. “C’mon. You really think you could hold out on me?”

He snorts, raking a hand through his already messy curls. “Fuck no. Already bricked just watching you on your knees for me like this.”

You hum in mock sympathy, lick your lips just to see how he’ll react, and a muscle in his jaw ticks at the sight. “You sound kinda desperate, Lan,” you muse, your hand sliding into his briefs and palming his hard length. “Guess I’ll have to help you out.”

“Jesus,” he hisses, dark eyes fixed on you. “Such a fucking tease.”

You blink innocently, letting the fingers on your other hand drag up the line of his trousers. “God forbid a girl wants to appreciate good craftsmanship.”

He smirks. “You talking about me, or the suit?”

“The suit is nice,” you say slowly, your nails digging into the skin at his hip bone. He groans at the sensation, guttural, and his hips kick just like you knew they would, enough for you to tug his trousers and briefs down in one fluid motion. His cock springs free, hard and prettily flushed and leaking just a little at the tip. “But this is really more what I was admiring.”

He doesn’t even pretend to hide how much he’s enjoying the view, eyes alight with hunger, chest rising and falling unevenly. “Go on, then,” he says, voice suddenly smug in a way that makes your stomach flip. “Be a good girl and put that pretty mouth to use, yeah?”

You don’t need to be told twice. 

You lean forward, not breaking eye contact, and press a kiss to his flushed head, watching the way his breath catches, the way his thighs tense with anticipation under your hands. Then you take him into your mouth, slow and deep, licking a stripe up the underside of his shaft. A moan punches out of his mouth immediately, low and ragged, and his hand tightens in your hair, pulling at the strands just enough to ache. 

“Fucking hell,” he whines, hips rocking up into your mouth, and you hold him there, let him feel the back of your throat, let him know you can take what he wants to give. “Look so fucking pretty with your mouth on me, baby.”

You hum around him, pleased, and he twitches against your tongue, lashes fluttering as his eyes slide shut for a brief, heavenly moment. The reaction propels you to sink your mouth a little deeper onto him, hollowing your cheeks around his length. 

“Look at you,” he moans, gaze half-lidded and hand fisting in your hair. “On your knees, so fucking desperate over me in a suit. Sucking me off like you can’t wait two fucking hours to have me in your mouth.”

Your thighs squeeze together involuntarily, pathetically chasing the relief to the ache between your legs, and you whimper. There’s spit pooling at the corners of your mouth as you look up at him through your lashes, and when you rake your nails against his skin you can feel the muscles at his core twitch, the telltale sign he’s about to spill, and he’s chanting your name like it’s a fucking prayer and then —  

“Waitwaitwait, shit — stop.”

You pull off him with a little pop!, blinking up at him, lips swollen and spit-slick. “What’s wrong?”

He blinks back dazedly then leans forward, hand brushing gentle on your jaw like an apology before he kisses you, messy and languid, tasting himself on your tongue. “Nothing’s wrong. Jus’ — don’t have that much time, baby, and I need to be inside you.”

Your knees go a bit Jello at that, so you let him drag you up from your knees and kiss you again, all teeth and tongue and white-hot need this time. His hands ghost down your sides, thumbs digging into your skin as he grips at your ass, pulling you into him with an ease that makes you whimper. Your hands fall against his chest, tugging at the lapel of his jacket, fisting the white linen of his shirt in between your fingers. “This needs to be off,” you mumble against his mouth frantically. 

He pulls away, slight confusion in his eyes. “Thought you liked —” 

That’s when you let the straps of your dress slip off your shoulders, the silky fabric pooling around your hips. There’s a moment, long and heavy, where his eyes flick unmistakably over your bare chest. “Oh. Yeah. Okay. Off now,” he breathes, already shrugging out of the jacket and fumbling with the buttons. 

You’ve never seen Lando undress so fast, practically ripping the shirt off himself, shedding his pants and boxers gracelessly. Then he’s crowding you onto the bed, rucking your dress up your thighs with hands mapping every inch of your body they can find. When he settles between your legs, his fingers trail up the inside of your leg, pushing your panties to the side and groaning when he finds you already soaked.

“Fuck. Really are gagging for it, aren’t you?” he says, cheeky little grin on his face as his fingers tease over your center. Your hips buck instinctively, chasing the pressure of his touch.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same about you, watching you get naked like a man possessed,” you tease, voice going breathy halfway through when he starts rubbing tight, slow little circles against your clit with the pad of his thumb. 

He laughs, the sound easy and delighted. “Yeah, well, you lay on the bed tits out like that and I kinda lose all higher brain function. Haven’t fully recovered, to be honest.”

“You’ll live,” you start to reply, but then he sinks two fingers into you without warning, curling them against the spot he knows you like, and you forget what you were going to say entirely. 

“That feel good, baby?” he says, low and ragged, and you nod. But that’s not enough for him — never is, even when you have no time, and his fingers slow to a standstill inside you. “Use your words f’me.” 

“Yes,” you breathe, canting your hips against his hand. “So good, please, Lan.” 

He smirks, pleased, and begins to move his fingers again, thrusting in and out of you lazily. He dips his head down to kiss you, slow and delicate, and it nearly makes you dizzy. “Wish I had more time,” he murmurs against your lips. “I’d take my time with you, get you nice and soft with my mouth first. Make you fall apart on my tongue. Make you beg for me.”

You whimper, mind hazy as you grind against him, clenching around his fingers. 

“But you did this to yourself, didn’t you?” he goes on, withdrawing his hand and sucking you off his fingers. You nearly whine at the loss of contact until he’s dragging his cock against your slick, head catching at your entrance, and your back arches instinctively off the bed. “Could’ve had me all day if you asked nicely but no, you just got so fuckin’ needy for me the second you saw me in that suit.”

He pushes into you, slow and torturous, and when he bottoms out you jolt against him with a long moan, gripping him like you don’t want him to leave. “Fuck,” he breathes, eyes fluttering shut at the pressure. “So ready for me, pulling me in like that. Perfect fucking pussy.”

“Maybe don’t wait so long to fuck me next time,” you breathe, nails digging into his back. 

“Oh, she’s got jokes, does she?” he snaps, eyes dark, and he stays perfectly still inside you. 

“Lando, move,” you plead, wrapping your legs around his hips and trying to roll yourself against him, but he plants one large hand on your thigh to stop you. 

“Don’t think so,” he hums, grinning teasingly. “Don’t be so cocky when I’m this deep in you. You wanted this, baby. You’ll take it how I give it.” With that, he pulls out nearly all the way and slams back in with one hard thrust that makes you see stars. 

“That what you wanted?” he groans against your ear. “For me to move like that? Ruin you like you tried to ruin me?”

“Didn’t hear you complaining when you were moaning my name five minutes ago,” you gasp, breath hitching as he starts to move inside you again — deep, controlled strokes, rolling his hips against yours. 

“That’s because your mouth was on me,” he pants, hand sliding up your thigh and gripping hard enough to leave a bruise. “Hard to complain when I’m halfway to heaven.”

Your laugh dissolves into a near-pornographic moan as he pistons his hips into yours, faster now, obscene sounds filling the room. “Taking me so fucking well, baby,” he says, voice tight with effort. “So fucking good for me, like this pretty little pussy is mine.”

“It is,” you whine before you can stop yourself, head rolling back against the pillow at the possessiveness of it, shooting straight up your spine like an electric shock.

“Fuck,” he rasps, pace stuttering for a second. “Say it again.”

“It’s yours, Lando — fuck — I’m yours.”

“Jesus,” he whines, hips snapping into yours with a renewed sense of urgency. You’re barely coherent, all whines and gasps and moans, pleasure coiling white-hot in your core, and he just keeps talking, running that filthy, perfect mouth of his like it’s all he knows how to do. 

“Gonna come for me, baby?” he grits out, hand snaking between the two of you and flicking at your clit in the way he knows will make you fall apart around him. “Look at me. Wanna watch you when it happens, yeah? Be a good girl f’me. Need to feel it.”

Your vision blurs and you shatter beneath him with a cry, clenching around him like a vise, and Lando groans loud and unfiltered. He keeps moving his hips, fucking you through it, chasing his own release until his rhythm falters and he spills inside you with a strangled “Fuckfuckfuck—” and a broken moan of your name. 

He collapses on top of you, and for a moment all you can hear is the soft sound of your breath mingling together, the beat of his heart against yours. The house playlist is still thrumming from Lando’s phone, across the room. 

“Fuck me,” your boyfriend groans, voice muffled with his face buried into your neck. 

“Just did,” you breathe, grinning like a menace, and he lifts his head to giggle and press a sweet kiss to the corner of your mouth. 

You arrive to the red carpet twenty-five minutes after you’re supposed to be there — fashionably late, Lando reassures you with a smile. 

If anyone notices the wrinkles in his brand-new shirt, they don’t say a word.

[ddarker-dreams]

Impasse.

Yan Chrollo x F Reader

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, captivity, Reader makes a joke about dying, discussions of parenthood, some not SFW implications. Word count: 2k.

Chrollo has been acting strange today. 

You’ve been hesitant to acknowledge this shift. For better or for worse, the two of you have fallen into a routine. It’s a strained routine, yes, but it provides a degree of stability otherwise missing from your upended life. To put it simply, you bother him and he bothers you. There’s some nuance — for instance, your schemes are limited in scope, owing to a power imbalance so unfair you think the universe owes you a solid. Nonetheless, you’re proud to say you’ve hurt his feelings once or twice. Then there’s his part. He specializes in picking your brain, making you uncomfortable by pretending he’s normal, and making you uncomfortable when he quits pretending. 

He's abstained from any of these behaviors since this morning. This pushes you past the ‘uncomfortable’ threshold, now you’re nervous. 

This is made worse when he looks you dead in the eye and asks, “Have you ever wanted children?” 

“Children?” You repeat, your voice not dissimilar to a mouse’s squeak. “Like, kids?” 

There’s a brief glimpse of amusement on his countenance, but he’s quick to redirect your focus. “Whichever word you prefer.” 

You study him. Presently, you’re sitting atop a barstool overlooking the area’s living space, while he leans against a nearby support column. He’s changed into his evening attire, a loose white shirt and gray sweatpants. You’re not so fortunate. You’re still paying for an indiscretion committed earlier in the week. Consequently, your wardrobe has been reduced to his preferred aesthetics. You’re wearing a black nightgown with thin spaghetti straps and lace embellishments.

Given your vulnerable position, risqué outfit, and his not-so-subtle interest in wooing you, the potential implications inspire discomfort. You shrink into yourself. What is he getting at? You’ve managed to avoid most of his physical advances, but you’re not delusional; if he willed it, you’d be at his mercy. You always feared he was operating on an invisible timer known only to him, each passing second bringing you closer to— 

“You’re overthinking things,” he notes. “I have no ulterior motives. I’m simply curious.” 

“Curious?” you repeat back, cautious. 

He nods. 

“What brought this ‘curiosity’ about?” 

Chrollo stares at you. You can feel his eyes dissecting everything, from your closed-off body language to your barely concealed hostility. 

“... I see,” he eventually says. “You won’t trust me without context. Very well. It’s nothing so grand. Though, in return for my honesty, I expect yours. Does that sound fair?” 

Feigning nonchalance, you shrug. “I guess.” 

He stands to his full height and walks over, pulling out the barstool to your left. He doesn’t intrude on your personal space, but his proximity has you shuffling to the right. He allows you your meager defiance. 

“Last night, I had a dream,” he starts. Then, a pause. He’s giving his word choice unusual consideration. “In it, we were married… or maybe not. Whatever the case, it was a far more conventional lifestyle. You had to take a phone call — with your mother, I believe — so you asked me to watch over two names I’d never heard before. They bore such a resemblance to you. Aside from their eyes, that is.” 

You wonder if he’s aware that he’s smiling. 

Chrollo clears his throat. “As I said, it’s nothing so grand.” 

It’s your turn to scrutinize him. You might not be a virtuoso in the art like he is, but you have your methods. What strikes you is how much of himself he revealed, unwittingly or by design, although the latter suits him better. He must have decided it was a worthwhile sacrifice for any insight you’ll give. 

“Kids… they always sounded nice to me, in theory. Except for when I was a teenager. I was vehemently against the idea then,” you can’t help chuckling at the memory. “I don’t know. I guess I came around to the thought again, but… it’d only be after I established myself. Solid career, housing, whatever. And, of course, the right partner.” 

You’re sure your side eye doesn’t go unnoticed. 

“Not that any of that is in the cards anymore. You’re not delusional enough to think otherwise, right?” 

The skin beneath his eyes crinkles. “And if I was?” 

“I’d fling myself off a balcony.” 

“I wish you wouldn’t say such things.” 

You begin picking at a stray thread on the hem of your nightgown. “Yeah, well, I wish for a lot of things that don’t come true.” 

“I suppose we’re alike in that regard.” 

“Gross,” you make a face. Pursing your lips, you hesitantly ask, “Was that really all you had on your mind? You’ve been so…” 

“So…?” He repeats, matching your inflection. It goads you along. 

“Pensive? Gloomy? Something to that effect. It’s like there’s this little rain cloud floating over you.” 

You motion to the space above his head where the proverbial rain cloud would be. 

“A few days ago, you said some choice words,” Chrollo recalls, much to your displeasure. You were hoping he’d leave that in the past. “They left an impression.” 

You swallow thickly. “I’m sorry.” 

Chrollo gives a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Lying isn’t one of your strong suits; I suggest avoiding it.”

While shifting around in your seat, you wish you could turn invisible. 

“During your little outburst, you asked if I was ‘happy’ with how things are. An interesting question, to say the least. I’ve given it some thought.” 

Svelte fingers graze your jawline. You stiffen up, every muscle seizing into place, as if you’d been paralyzed. His touch is gentle, almost featherlight. Your pulse quickens like you’re a lamb awaiting slaughter. Staring straight ahead, you desperately search for some object to fixate on. You settle on the support column. An avant-garde clock sits high on it, the bottom half of its frame drooping, as if it were paint splashed against a wall. 

You count the seconds as they pass. Two, four, ten… 

His fingers tighten around your jaw and he turns you to face him. 

What a sight you must be — cheeks squished together, eyebrows high, lips agape. And then there’s him. He’s frowning, but aside from that, you can’t get a read on him. The intensity of his gaze holds you captive. Without warning, he leans forward, tilting his head slightly as he does so. You squeeze your eyes shut. You can feel his warm breath fan against your face, how he strengthens his grip, likely anticipating resistance. 

“How can I be ‘happy’ when you’re still so adverse to my touch?” Chrollo whispers, his lips brushing against yours as he talks. You fight the urge to cringe.  “What will it take to have you where I want you?” 

After what feels like an eternity, he lets you go, but doesn’t move back. 

You reopen your eyes. You’re more familiar with the man sitting before you, if only by a fraction. Even then, an unnerving atmosphere lingers, speckling your skin in goosebumps. You wrap your arms around yourself and exhale. The consequences from that day’s lapse in judgment have been manageable until now. 

Your day-to-day existence is defined by a lack of control. Over where you’ll go, what you’ll do, even what you can wear. Chrollo is the composer of your life and you’re his pièce de résistance, whom he always makes adjustments to. You must match his tempo or scramble to catch up. This paradigm has slowly yet surely eroded you, sanding over your harsh edges until you’re soft to the touch. 

You wanted to hurt him, wanted him to feel what jagged pieces remain, but now that you may have accomplished just that, you’re burdened by regret. 

Not for what you did. 

No, for what you possibly started. 

“Chrollo.” 

“Hm?” 

“How much of me are you willing to destroy to get what you want?” 

Chrollo lets out a low hum, as if the hypothetical you presented him with was nothing so unthinkable. This alone stokes your anxiety. Sometimes you wonder if this is not already the path you’re being ushered towards. He’s amassed victories, some small, others sizable. You’re far more docile now compared to when he first took you. Back then, you could barely function, panic ruled your every waking thought and seeped into your dreams, denying every respite. 

“You have the wrong idea,” Chrollo asserts. “I don’t want to destroy any element of you. All I’d like is a change in perspective.” 

You gawk at him. “Huh?” 

“Haven’t I proven I’m not as terrible as you feared?” he questions, tilting his head. “I could’ve been every bit the monster you imagined me to be, if not worse.” 

“Should I— do you expect gratitude, or something?” 

Mirth dances in his eyes like flecks of ember. “It wouldn’t hurt, but no. All I’m suggesting is that you cease torturing yourself for the sake of pride.” 

“I don’t get what you’re talking about.” 

“Don’t you, though?” he challenges, his confidence vexing. “Patience is one of the few virtues I have, but it’s finite. Your love of testing it grows tiresome.” 

You watch as the thread you were tugging at snaps off, fluttering to the marble floor. Your trembling fingers long for another task to occupy themselves with. He sounds as composed as ever, yet beneath the façade, microscopic fissures are forming. You’ve been chiselling at him in your own way. Testing what you can go away with, what remains taboo. Have you finally stumbled into the latter? 

Or was it something else?

Recalling the muted delight on his features when he recounted his dream, you frown.

You’ve always believed the human mind’s capacity to dream is its cruelest gimmick. 

Nightmares are no stranger to scorn — those phantasmagorias that play feature length-films of your fears and insecurities. You’re made to be an unwilling member of the audience, every frame composed with malicious intent. These night terrors deserve their ill-begotten reputation. 

What doesn’t get enough credit for hurting just as much, if not more, are lovely dreams. The idyllic, the picturesque, the unobtainable. They are a heartache you gladly hold the door open for. Once inside, your inner world is redesigned. The spectacle is so dazzling that you come to prefer it over reality. Dreams, both good and bad, are destined to end. For every long nightmare you awake from, there is a paradise you had mere seconds to explore. 

From the corner of your eye you glance at Chrollo. 

For such a greedy man, the dream he fondly recounted is so unremarkable, you almost find it pitiful. 

“That’s quite the conundrum,” you murmur.  “Oh?” 

“You don’t want me to be debilitated by terror, but I’m still supposed to fear you enough to stay in line.” 

“How astute.” 

“Is there really no other way?” You ask, scrunching your eyebrows together. “Couldn’t you just let me go and share in my joy? Surely, that must be better than having me glare at you twenty-four seven.” 

Chrollo chuckles, as if the suggestion you presented is a nonsensical fantasy. 

“I’m not a good enough man to do that, love. You never noticed all the things I did. People are drawn to you. You’re equal parts endearing and naive, it’s an alluring combination. I can’t stand idly by and watch others take from you what I want most.” 

“... How long were you stalking me, exactly?” 

He gives an enigmatic smile. “I’ll leave that to your imagination.” 

Before you can do just that, he gives your thigh an unwelcome squeeze. 

“Let’s call it a night,” he says, his casual tone belying how the statement’s an order. “Tomorrow will be a busy day.” 

You don’t bother voicing your newfound apprehensions. Instead, you wordlessly hop down from your seat, scanning your surroundings for a path to the master bedroom. The home is sparsely lit, but you manage to find your way. You pause at the lack of a second set of footsteps. Chrollo had gotten into the habit of walking audibly at your request, as you found his former silence ‘off-putting.’ 

You discover he’s yet to get up himself, seemingly lost in thought. “You aren’t coming?” 

“In a moment,” he responds. "Go on ahead."

It feels like his eyes are on you even after you’ve left the room. 

[mainblogonly]

timeskip!sakusa x f!reader, fluff, slightly suggestive (morning after) but nothing specific/explicit at all

sakusa kiyoomi, msby's #15 and now olympian, cannot believe his fall from grace. the olympics ended just a few days ago, they threw a huge celebration last night (which he honestly really enjoyed), and by some twist of fate—he's here.

he paces around the living room of his hotel suite for half an hour before finally deciding what he needs to do. he never thought he would resort to this, but he figures that desperate times call for desperate measures.

to his surprise, miya atsumu answers the facetime call after just a few rings.

"omiomi!" atsumu greets, "you seemed to have a lot of fun last—"

"i'm about to ask for your advice and if you speak a word of this to anyone, i will end you." kiyoomi says sternly.

"woah, woah, relax man," atsumu says, putting his free hand up in surrender, "what's up?"

no backing out now, kiyoomi thinks.

"so... the party last night..."

"the party, indeed," atsumu smirks, "is this about a certain someone i saw you leave with last night?"

"yes, we slept together." kiyoomi says as calmly as possible, hoping to manage his friend's reaction (even though kiyoomi himself is freaking out internally).

"let's go!" atsumu fist pumps, "hell yeah, man, congratulations! it's about time! you've been crushing on her for forever; i was so close to just locking you two in a room myself—"

"that's not the point," kiyoomi groans.

don't get him wrong, it was definitely the best night of his life, but how does he explain to atsumu that he didn't want things to go like this? he had a whole timeline in his head—take you out on a few dates, kiss you in front of your apartment door, get you flowers and treats from your favorite bakery, go on a couple more dates, and then get into bed together (maybe on the same day that he properly asks you to be his girlfriend). he didn't want things to start with a drunken hookup.

"kiyoomi, hey, you still there?" atsumu says a lot gentler this time, seeing the worry on his friend's usually stoic face.

"i don't want a one-night stand, but i have no idea what she wants. and i'm... scared that that's what she wants."

atsumu has never heard kiyoomi admit his worries like this, not even when they were first recruited for the olympics and the excitement started transforming into nervousness. he knew that you mattered a lot to kiyoomi, and this just solidifies that.

"i mean, it doesn't have to be a one-night stand. you can just talk when she wakes up."

"that's true, but i—" kiyoomi hesitates. going to atsumu for advice was embarrassing enough, but admitting this next part is even worse. he's finally got the blonde to a more serious spot, and he knows his next admission will just bring back the teasing.

"hey, you're kind of starting to scare me," atsumu sighs, "please just spit it out."

kiyoomi says nothing. instead, he braces himself for what's to come.

kiyoomi turns the phone camera and atsumu sees to the hotel's dining room table overflowing with every single breakfast item on the room service menu. in addition to all that, there are even desserts and several cups of juice and coffee.

there's a beat of silence.

and then suddenly, atsumu is practically dying of laughter, "what the fuck, omiomi? what did you do?"

kiyoomi faces the phone back to him, his face a lot redder than a few minutes ago, "i panicked, okay? i figured—you don't have breakfast with your hookups, right?"

"this is breakfast for at least 10 people!"

"i wanted to make sure i got something she liked!"

"don't you already know what she likes?"

"well, i was worried she might be in the mood for something else!" he groans, rubbing his hand across his face. he moves the phone a bit so atsumu can't see how much he's stressing about this.

"she's going to think it's stupid. i just like her so much and i panicked and i just hope she had a good time last night and i feel like she won't take me seriously with this fucking spread but it's not like i can get rid of it and i have no idea if she'll even want to go out with me now and i—"

"just ask her," atsumu says.

"miya, she's asleep and—"

"did you have a good time last night?" atsumu practically shouts, somehow looking past kiyoomi through the phone screen.

"what—"

"a great time, actually," you say.

kiyoomi turns, seeing you leaning against the bedroom door behind him.

"but, i don't kiss and tell, so you should go back to bed," you make your way to kiyoomi, gently placing a hand on his arm, "'cause it looks like this guy and i have a lot to talk about."

atsumu gives a quick goodbye, winking at kiyoomi before hanging up. kiyoomi sets his phone down and turns to completely face you. your hair's still a little messy, you're wearing his shirt—oh wow, you look good in his shirt—and kiyoomi nearly forgets the situation he's in. before he can begin explaining himself, you speak up.

"yes, i've been up for a while. yes, i heard most of that conversation—i think atsumu forgets how loud he is—and," you move closer, wrapping your arms around his neck while his hands find your waist, "yes, i would love to go out with you."

when your words finally register, he feels a stupid grin spread across his face.

"yeah?"

"yeah," you smile up at him, "it's not every day that i get to wake up to a breakfast buffet."

you laugh at the way his cheeks turn pink before he buries his face in the crook of your neck, "did i at least get something you like?"

"well, i like you."

"not what i meant... but i like you, too." he says softly.

"so i've heard," you gently nudge him back so you can look at his face properly, "i believe you like me so much?" you grin.

he groans, "you're never going to let me forget this, huh?"

[petvlss]

Did You Kiss a Chili Pepper or Something? # H.J

🌶️— In which you tried out a new lip plumper and totally forgot, and when Han came home and kissed you, he had a small surprise waiting for him.

word count: 665

pairing: bf!h.j x f.reader

warnings: a bit of language, Han is DRAMATIC (as always)

A/N: idk when i got this idea but i wrote it down likkeeeee 2 days ago and I was bored today and decided to finish it. also bnd will be coming I have ZERO motivation and cant stand looking at words rn. this is not proofread if there is anything you see then please lmk also I hope everyone is doing well.

Han hated being busy. More than that, he hated being away from you. That’s why he decided that when he got home from work, he would take you out on a nice date at the new restaurant that just opened.

About an hour before he got home, you started getting ready. You’d recently bought some new makeup and were excited to try it out. Standing in front of the mirror, you carefully applied everything, admiring your reflection. You looked beautiful. For the final touch, you reached for a new lip plumper—a tinted gloss that promised fuller lips. The sting was intense at first, but faded quickly.

That’s when you heard the familiar sound of the front door closing and keys clinking on the table.

“Baby?” Han’s voice echoed through the house.

“I’m upstairs!” you called back.

You heard his footsteps racing up the stairs, and moments later, he burst into the bathroom.

“Hi!” you greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hi, wow, you’re pretty.” He huffed, slightly out of breath.

“Thanks!” You did a little twirl to show off your outfit.

He grabbed your waist and kissed you. The kiss deepened until he suddenly pulled back and licked his lips, his face twisting in panic.

You saw it immediately: the exact moment he tasted the lip plumper.

He began frantically wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “What’s wrong with you?” you laughed.

“Did you make out with a chili pepper before kissing me or something?!” he shouted, rushing to rinse his mouth out at the sink.

You blinked in confusion, then looked at the little tube sitting on the counter. “It’s a lip plumper, babe.”

“You’re telling me you willingly put that on your mouth?! That’s spicy! Why is it spicy?!” he groaned, splashing more water on his face.

“Han, you’re fine,” you said, trying not to laugh as you rubbed his back.

“No. It burns,” he mumbled dramatically, burying his damp face in your neck.

You laughed, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. “It’s supposed to tingle, not feel like you’re being attacked. I think you're being dramatic.”

“Well, my lips feel like they’ve been thrown into a volcano,” he mumbled into your neck, clinging to you as if he’d just survived a war.

You rolled your eyes and gently pulled away. “You’ll live, drama king.”

He gave you a playfully offended look. “Is this how you treat a man who nearly died in your bathroom?”

You grinned. “You kissed me first. That’s on you.”

Han groaned but finally stood up again, his lips slightly redder than before. “You put the fiery salsa on your lips first, though!” He looked in the mirror. "It looks like I have lipstick on!"

You leaned in with a mischievous smile. “Honestly? Kinda suits you.”

He blinked and then smirked. “You’re lucky I’m in love with you.”

You shrugged. “I know.”

“Now come on,” he said, grabbing your hand. “Let’s go on this date before you try to murder me with anything else labeled ‘tingly’.”

“Don’t tempt me,” you teased, grabbing your bag.

The two of you walked out the door, fingers intertwined, his lips still tingling, and your smile growing wider by the second.

TAGLIST : @lixies-favorite-cookie @velvetmoonlght @felixsonlyrealwife @thetoastghost222

[boyfhee]

゛HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT ✶ 𝗌𝖾𝖼𝗋𝖾𝗍 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾

𝐈𝐈𝐈─────𝗐𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆, 𝗁𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗄.

﹙엔하이픈﹚ㅤ .. ㅤ ❛ bf ! enha x fem ! readerㅤ❜ ⠀ꢾ꣒ㅤ────ㅤ kissing, skinship, suggestiveㅤㅤ星ㅤㅤ3O2Oㅤㅤ

thanks to srubae, jiah and baefyri for sharing their ideas >< this did not turn out the way i wanted it to but hope you like it nonetheless 🪽

HEESEUNG

you could feel his gaze lingering on you even from across the lift. it’s uncomfortable— so many people pressed up together, pushing and pulling— it’s hot.

and you finally take a sigh of relief when the lift stops and around half the crowd steps off. it barely lasts for a second though, because your boyfriend shifts to your side, interlacing his hand with yours.

“feeling hot?” he whispers close with lips brushing against your earlobe. it’s intentional, he is having way too much fun like this, pressed up together in the back of the elevator.

“a little,” and you’re not sure if it’s the heat making your face warm or if it’s heeseung. you try to push him but he pulls you closer, lowering his head down your ears again to leave a gentle nip.

you swear everyone heard your little gasp but the lift stops, much to your relief, causing everyone to step out. you gulp in nervousness and anticipation, the door closes, and you’re already pressed up against the elevator walls, his lips devouring yours.

he barely gives you a moment before pushing his tongue past your lips, eliciting a soft gasp in response. he’s kissing you deep and rough, like a man hungry for weeks. you can see his floor approaching in the display, your heart racing, the door opens— and he’s out.

“have a good day at work, princess,” you watch the doors close onto him, still catching your breath. it was going to be a long day at work.

JONGSEONG

expensive suit, hands in pockets, classy and composed, sharp tongue and he’s always a step ahead, corporate hours but inappropriate thoughts— one can never guess what the park jongseong does to you behind the closed blinds of his office.

“i want more,” he whispers in a low and husky voice, chasing your lips, only for you to cover his mouth with your palm.

“jay—” a pause, and you take a peek at the closed door before looking at him again. your voice is hushed although you’re afraid your heart is beating louder. “i need to go.”

he grumbles under his breath. honestly, he would rather spend this entire day looking at you rather than looking at some boring documents. “what for?”

“meeting,” you say it as a matter of fact, as if he isn’t the one hosting the meeting, as if he isn’t the one leading the project.

“should i cancel it?” his face finds solace in the crook of your neck with his warm breath fanning against your skin. “just say the word,”

it’s tempting, really. there’s a thrill in knowing you two can get caught any moment, a sense of excitement laced with dread. he traces the purplish mark on your neck and you know it by the smirk on his face that it would be a tough job to cover it up.

“i’ll see you after work,” but you pull yourself together despite his hands running over your waist. and he barely protests before letting you get off his desk, knowing he can only ignore work for so long.

he sits on his desk, eyes admiring your figure as you leave. it’s amusing how you’re fixing the creases of your dress as if he wouldn’t ruin it again. he chuckles, hands moving to fasten his belt as he calls you out from behind. “fix your hair, baby. they’ll know,”

JAEYUN

asking jake for help was a bad idea, you should have seen it coming. he’s rarely up to anything good, especially when it has anything to do with being around you. yet still, you call out to him and he offers to help, like the good senior he is.

“hm, let’s see,” you can feel your heart race as he steps behind your chair and leans over you, caging you between his arms as an excuse to review your work.

you can feel his breath next to your ear, the way he deliberately gets closer to make you squirm in your seat. he knows the proximity makes you nervous and he whispers in a low tone. “you need to do it like this, miss yn,”

“y-yes. thank you,” you can barely focus on what’s displayed on the monitor, too dazed by his breath against your skin. you can barely function and the scent of his cologne only makes it harder for you to pay attention to work.

“hm? did you say something?” he leans against you even more, just enough for you to feel his chest against your back. he is a little too close, you can almost see your coworker eyeing you from across the room.

“t-thank you, sir” it’s the way you stutter, the shaky salutation that slips off your tongue that makes his lips curl up in a smirk.

“good,” he knows you’ll do anything to keep your relationship a secret and you know he is enjoying teasing you way too much.

SUNGHOON

he is the head of finance, handsome, efficient, your boyfriend, but first and foremost, he is a menace— and sunghoon would agree.

he has been at it since the morning— leaning a little too close to compliment your new skirt, deliberately brushing his hand against your waist, and now he is giving you looks from across the conference room while you are giving a very important presentation.

it’s working, unfortunately enough. the way he sits with his legs slightly open, the watch that hangs a little loose on his wrist, the rimless glasses that rest on his nose, and the smirk on his lips— everything that is making your thoughts to inappropriate places.

and sunghoon manages to be the last one to leave the room, always. he strikes a conversation with an employee or pretends to be on his phone to buy time and just when everyone leaves, he locks the door, making his way to you, like he is doing right now.

“you did so well, darling,” he is impressed, mostly by your work, also by the way you look in that new skirt with that blouse that compliments you a little too well. “you look so hot, i was barely holding myself back there,”

another thing— he is shameless, snaking his arms around your waist from behind and whispering praises in your ear. he knows just how to get you worked up, even though you look a little annoyed right now. “i need to arrange these papers, hoon,”

you warn but your words fall deaf to his ears. he knows you are busy, hell, that turns him on a little, but he isn’t the one to back off. “let me help,”

he sits on the nearest chair and pulls you down on his lap, having that smug grin on his infuriatingly handsome face. he does help you, slow, teasingly, kissing your neck while your hands tremble to put the sheets together. it was going to be a long day at work.

SUNOO

you’re alone in the break room, trying to get the coffee machine to work. you’re five minutes from a meltdown when the door creaks open softly.

“need a little help?” he asks.

you look up, and there he is—sunoo, with that soft smile, his ID badge swaying gently as he tilts his head with a sweet smile. you don’t even answer and he is already next to you, pressing the buttons to try to get the machine to work.

there’s a gentle smile on his face as he offers to make your coffee. he’s subtle, careful, his fingers occasionally brushing against yours while asking you to pass the cup, and it happens again when he hands you the coffee. “stressed?”

“a little,” you nod, biting back a smile. he almost has you pressed up against the counter and you’re not sure if it’s intentional. your face heats up when you feel his gaze shift to your lips briefly.

he looks around momentarily, just making sure the two of you are alone before bringing his lips close to your ear as if to whisper a precious secret.

“i love you,” he whispers softly, gently brushing a few strands of hair off your face. he loves the way you get shy at the slightest of touch, the way you take a sip to hide your smile.

he is being subtle, trying to, even though he is a little too close to be deemed appropriate for coworkers. you’re just about to leave as he reaches out to wipe the coffee off your lips, his thumb pressing against your lower for longer than usual.

you feel the tension just as heavy as his gaze on your lips. you hold your breath, hoping, anticipating, but he just steps back, licking his thumb clean. “have a good day at work,” and he’s out of the door.

JUNGWON

you can barely register when a hand wraps around your arm and pulls you inside the restroom, when you get pressed up against the wall, and when his lips capture yours. it’s messy, you’re tugging on his tie while his hands are roaming all over you.

your fingers get lost in his hair, tugging onto the strands and he nips onto your lower lip, drawing a fairly loud moan from you, and as if on cue, you hear someone talking right outside the restroom.

“wait—” you gasp, pulling away slightly, only for him to chase your lips like a mad man, kissing you deeper.

“shh,” he’s kissing you slow, swallowing your soft gasps and little moans. “just keep kissing me, baby,” and jungwon is a damn good kisser, because you are losing your mind and your knees are giving up.

you hear the sound of footsteps and muffled conversations again and gosh, you know you weren’t wrong about someone being around.

“wonie, there’s someone outside,” your words are punctuated by heavy breaths, fingers still gripping his shirt.

“there’s no—” he responds with a silver of irritation, only to pause when he hears the conversation outside. your hand instantly covers his mouth when he tries to speak something, his body pressing closer to yours as if trying to hide both of you in a corner.

it’s thrilling, a little scandalous. being seen with your boss like this won’t do any good. but jungwon is far too gone to care. you both hear the footsteps getting faint, soft giggles mingling in the air between you two, and his lips are back to yours.

NI-KI

he doesn’t flirt. instead, he sends long unreadable glances from across the room. he checks you out quietly, once, up and down, and then he looks away like it means nothing although you feel his gaze lingering even when his eyes are no longer on you.

he calls you to the copy machine, saying it isn’t working or just makes up an excuse to be near you. you explain a task to him and he simply leans against the nearest wall, not even blinking away from you.

“are you listening?” you ask with arms crossed over your chest. you know he is not— he can’t pay attention to anything if you’re around him.

“i’m not sure,” he sighs and then takes a step towards you. “do i focus on you or your words?”

and his voice, his voice, low and raspy, quiet, it sends shivers down your spine. he barely says anything, doesn’t have to, you’re already feeling butterflies just by his eyes on you.

blame it on his height, but he towers you effortlessly every single time, like right now— leaning over your shoulder, taking a long pause before whispering. “see you after work,”