#without the commitment of a relationship??

[sprenthecreator]

IMPURITIES EP. 4 | Falling Away From Me

Final episode from this LSF mini-series

Male reader x Chaewon, Eunchae

9,4k words

tags: hate sex for chaewon, fluff for manchae, threesome

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If you'd known how things were going to end, maybe you would have thought twice before falling for Yunjin and Chaewon's manipulation that night in New York.

You were in the living room, sitting in your usual spot, with an iPad on which you checked schedules that apparently no one cared about anymore, your hair messy and your shirt wrinkled, thinking about how you'd lost control of everything thanks to the seeds of chaos you'd once planted and that were now weeds impossible to prune.

A year had passed since that night, and what started as a little game you thought wouldn't amount to much had mutated into the main source of your exhaustion, because the truth was that your authority had eroded to the frustrating point where none of the girls respected you like they used to.

Nah. They didn't even respect you, in general.

Much of it was solely your fault, and it was something you'd made peace with a long time ago. But the girls had been consciously pushing the boundaries ever since, knowing it was as simple as giving you pussy once in a while to get you off your butt. That way, they killed two birds with one stone: they satisfied their carnal needs, and kept you appeased.

At first, it was one-off things you didn't worry too much about, like staying out late without telling you or breaking minor rules of living together. However, when they realized you weren't making a big deal out of it, they started skipping practices, staying out all night without checking in, and seeing as many guys and girls as they pleased.

And all this while making you cover for them.

For God's sake, what the hell had all that become? It was a fucking circus, and you were the highest-paid clown in it. It had to end, and soon. Of that you were sure.

Unfortunately, your only problem was that you had no idea how to proceed. While it was true that your emotional bond with Chaewon—who was the best-behaved of all of them—was by far the strongest compared to the other girls, your relationship had soured thanks to your constant encounters with the others. If it had happened a year ago, you might have been able to address the situation with the levity it required, but now you felt like there was a sea of ​​distance between you.

And all because of jealousy, bad decisions, and the audacity of four girls in their prime.

Laughter upstairs brought you out of your reverie. It couldn't be Chaewon, since you knew she was busy with her own things at that hour, and it couldn't be Kazuha, since she was out on one of her individual photoshoots. That left you with the Three Musketeers.

It wasn't your business to know what they were laughing about, and it never had been, since it was their personal space. But for some time now, you'd been suspicious of even the smallest thing. The laughter could only mean two things: either they were laughing at something innocent, or they were committing one of their misdeeds.

Experience told you it was the latter.

With a heavy breath, you put the iPad aside and stood up, heading for some stairs you hadn't climbed in days, maybe weeks. As you climbed them, you felt a strange discomfort run through your body, knowing you were entering a domain over which your jurisdiction was now null.

Upstairs, you looked around, noticing one of the doors was wide open: the bedroom Sakura and Yunjin shared. More laughter came from there. You walked cautiously, careful not to make your footsteps creak the wooden floor as you approached. A few feet away, you frowned as a smoky smell reached your nostrils. Like... burnt grass, but more intense.

When you peeked your head around the left side of the frame, your suspicions were confirmed and even exceeded.

Sakura and Yunjin were sitting on one of the two beds, dressed in loose clothing and with their hair down. Nothing out of the ordinary until you noticed that Yunjin was holding a lit joint between her index finger and thumb. She didn't notice you were watching, so you watched as she took a quick drag, held it, and then blew the smoke into the air.

They had a long history of inappropriate behavior, but this was completely new and more serious. At least for you. And you weren't going to tolerate it.

"Can you explain to me what the fuck you're doing?!" you asked, abruptly entering the room.

They both got a bit of a shock, but relaxed—yes, they fucking relaxed—when they saw it was you.

"Oh, calm down, manager-nim," Yunjin said, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. "It's just a friendly joint, it won't hurt anyone."

Maybe you were just too irascible and irritable, but that alone was enough to make your blood boil.

"Do you do this shit outside the house too?" You raised your voice and took a step forward. "Do you know that crap can ruin your fucking career? For the love of God!" You threw your hands in the air. "What the fuck are you thinking?"

"If you don't like it, leave," Kura said, shrugging. She took the joint from Yunjin's hand. "We're adults and we know exactly what we're doing."

"And I don't think you're the one to lecture us on morals, are you?" Yunjin asked with a giggle, tilting her head. "My throat still hurts from how well you fucked my face last night."

You snorted, feeling your frustration rising in your body.

"Maybe I'm not, but I'm still your fucking manager, and I've had enough." You walked over to them, grabbing Sakura by the wrist with one hand and taking the joint from her with the other. Then you turned around to walk to the door. "Next time I'll inform the company, see if that will get you in line."

Sakura and Yunjin laughed behind you. Did you tell a joke?

"Yeah, we'll just sit here and wait for you to do it," Kura mocked. "Take your time."

"Goodbye, manager-nim!" Yunjin said to you, still giggling, as you stood under the door, biting your tongue to avoid responding.

In the end, you left the room and slammed the door behind you.

The joint in your hand was still lit, and since you didn't have a stain-resistant surface nearby to put it out, you simply let it burn in a corner of the hallway floor.

As you turned around and started walking down the hall toward the stairs, one of the doors at the far end opened. You stopped as Eunchae emerged from her shared room with Zuha, wearing headphones, a cropped T-shirt that showed off a good portion of her belly, and tight shorts.

And she was carrying a can of beer.

"Oh, hello, manager-nim," Eunchae greeted with a nod of her chin after hanging the headphones around her neck. With a defiant look, she opened the can of beer in front of you.

You clenched your fists and teeth, closing your eyes to summon whatever patience you had left after dealing with the other two.

Since becoming an adult seven months ago, Eunchae had joined the others and started acting like a rebellious brat, and she was undoubtedly the biggest pain in the ass. Not because of what she did, but because, as the maknae, everyone jumped to her defense as if she couldn't even kill a fly.

"Hong Eunchae..." you began in a low but threatening voice. "You better have a good reason for having that damn beer in your hand. You know very well we don't drink here."

Eunchae walked toward you and stopped about a meter away, leaning her weight on one leg and crossing her arms.

"I'm 18 now. I think I can do whatever I please, right?"

"You can do it outside the house. But there are rules here."

"Rules?" Eunchae chuckled. "The same rules under which you fuck my unnies over and over again?"

You were silent for a moment. You had no defense against that.

"That has nothing to do with all of you being brats in constant disobedience," you opted to say.

"If we're in constant disobedience, it's because you haven't had the courage to stand up to us," Eunchae took a step forward. "Or am I wrong? Huh?"

At your silence, Eunchae brought the beer can to her lips and took a long sip. A bit of beer trickled down the sides of her chin and slid down her long neck. Then she looked at you again, closer this time.

"I just drank," she said defiantly. "Are you going to do something about it?"

Eunchae studied you for a moment, noticing your fists clenched in rage. You were about to say something, but she got there first.

"I thought so."

Then, leaving you fuming at her insolence, Eunchae turned on her heel and walked back to her room, her hips swaying.

Definitely, you'd had enough. Something had to change, and it had to change right now. Your mind immediately went to Chaewon. She was the leader, and also supposed to be the most mature, she had to take responsibility for the behavior of her members.

Feeling steam coming out of your ears, you walked to the other end of the hallway. The door to Chaewon's room was ajar, and with your best-contained anger, you entered.

Chaewon was sitting on her messy bed, knees pointed out and feet tucked under her thighs as she scribbled in a notebook. She was wearing short pajama shorts and a loose shirt that slipped off one shoulder, and she was listening to music on her AirPods. Her gaze shifted toward you when she noticed your presence, her expression stern.

"What's wrong?" she asked me with a coldness that made your heart sink, taking out her AirPods as you closed the door behind you with a firm click.

You stood near the door and crossed your arms, feeling the full pressure of being in a place you shouldn't be under normal circumstances weighing on your shoulders. You felt like an intruder, and that's probably what she thought.

"Chaewon, this has gone too far," you finally said, your voice calm and in contrast to how irritated you felt. "The damn house is in disarray. There's no more respect, no more order. Everyone does whatever the hell they want without fear of the consequences, and honestly, I'm fucking exhausted. Do you know what Eunchae was doing? She..."

You stopped saying what you were going to say when Chaewon put her notebook and mechanical pencil aside and got out of bed with a sudden movement.

"Same thing again?" she asked, her tone cutting, taking slow steps toward you until she stopped less than a meter away. "Do you realize the way you're talking?" She tilted her head. "I'm not your fucking babysitter! When are you going to get this through your head?"

You gritted your teeth, focused on not getting any more upset than you already were.

"No, you're not the fucking babysitter. You're the leader of the fucking group, and you don't seem to care that this shit's going down!"

Chaewon let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. She turned and walked over to the desk, where she began shuffling her sheet music, something she did when she was under severe stress. Her hands were shaking.

"And what about you?" Chaewon asked without looking at you. "How can you expect to blame me when this whole fucking mess is your fault?"

"My fault?" You pointed at yourself, walking over to her side. "I've been trying to keep them in line for a damn year, and you just let them do whatever the hell they want," you were inadvertently raising your voice. "You're not using the damn authority you're supposed to have! This is your responsibility too!"

Chaewon turned to face you, her face inches from yours.

"My responsibility?!" She raised her voice too. "I'm sick of taking the fall for your damn mistakes while you..." her voice cracked. "While you fuck the others like you don't care about what I feel!"

Bingo. That's the root of the whole damn situation. The worst part is that it was also your fault for letting her get involved not only sexually with you, but emotionally as well. You liked each other, a lot. But the nature of your working relationship complicated things a lot on your end. Of course, she didn't care, and she allowed herself to feel jealous of the others.

"Chaewon... ugh!" you huffed in frustration, bringing your hands to your face. When you lowered them, your eyes wandered down to her desk, where you noticed an envelope among the sheet music with what appeared to be the HYBE logo. "What's this?"

Chaewon looked where you were looking and tried to hide the envelope, but you were quicker and grabbed it. It was, indeed, an open envelope with the HYBE logo in one corner. She tried to take it from your hands, but you covered yourself and pulled out the folded paper inside.

"You've got to be kidding me..." you muttered.

The sheet contained a notice: an anonymous complaint about LESSERAFIM's behavior, mentioning rumors of parties in nightclubs, lack of discipline, and even dating scandals, with implications for legal action if these behaviors weren't corrected.

Every ounce of patience you'd been mustering evaporated in the heat of your boiling blood. That explained everything: both the girls' audacity at seeing their actions had no consequences and Chaewon's passivity in the matter. She was hiding it.

Betrayed by the leader of the group you were leading. It had gotten to that point.

"Kim Chaewon..." you slowly lowered the sheet of paper, your gaze fixed on the floor. "You knew about this and didn't do anything to fix it?"

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Chaewon tense, completely still on her feet. You could tell she hadn't planned for you to find out.

"It's not my problem..." she said hesitantly. "If they want to come, then let them. I'm tired."

You raised your gaze to face her, frowning.

"Then let them? What the fuck are you talking about?" You shook the sheet of paper in your hand and then threw it on the desk. "Don't you realize that your passivity makes you just as guilty as the rest of us?!"

"Guilty?!" Chaewon raised her voice, her face turning red. "Of course, because you can fuck the others like common whores in need of cock, and I have to smile and act like it's nothing!" She gave you a little shove. "You think it doesn't hurt me to see you with them? It makes me sick! Sick!"

"Chaewon-ah! It's not all about you!" you yelled, hands outstretched. "Don't you understand? You're being a fucking selfish bitch and letting everything get ruined over a fucking jealousy scene!

"I..."

"Grow up and talk things over with me instead of letting things get to this point!" Fuck!" You slammed the side of your fist against the desk and turned your back to take a few steps away, feeling your head start to hurt.

Chaewon, instead of closing the distance between you, took a slight step back.

"Do something, then," she said, her voice shaking.

You stood very still, thinking you'd heard her wrong.

"Excuse me, what?" you said, slowly turning around and closing the distance between you.

"Do something," Chaewon repeated louder. "Be a damn man, and do something. You're the highest authority in this house, right? Do something."

You stood in front of her, staring into her eyes as your breathing grew labored. Rage took hold of you and clouded your thinking, so you didn't measure your strength when you grabbed her by the arms and slammed her against the wall on one side of the bed, smashing your lips against hers.

Chaewon moaned and grabbed at your shirt, tugging at it and biting your lower lip as you kissed her furiously. You wrapped your arms around her body, and she wrapped her arms around your neck, one hand in your hair and the other across your shoulders. She fought for control of the kiss, making your teeth clash and your tongues swirl. In the end, it was your determination to prove your dominance that allowed you to subdue her.

You grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her into the air, spinning her onto the bed and throwing her face up against the mattress. Chaewon trapped your torso with her strong thighs, hands on your shoulders as you exchanged saliva and heavy breaths.

In a pure surge of desire and anger combined, you ripped off Chaewon's shirt with a sharp upward jerk. Chaewon gasped, her small breasts covered by a black bra that you wanted to rip to shreds.

"You're going to learn who's boss, you fucking whore," you growled. "Open your mouth."

"Make me, asshole," Chaewon barked back. "You're not gonna boss me around after months of being a pussy."

In response, you slapped her firmly across her left cheek, making her moan. Then you grabbed a handful of her short brown hair, pulled her head back, and bit her exposed neck. Chaewon dug her nails into your shoulders and let out another moan, letting you trail kisses and sucks down to her chest. You slid your hands under her back, and after removing her bra, you took one of her breasts into your mouth.

Chaewon's back arched as you swirled your tongue around each nipple and sucked on them like never before. After leaving each mound covered in saliva, you slowly lowered your mouth between them until you reached her tummy, pausing there for a moment before moving to her lower abdomen and, with your hands on her waist, yanked her shorts and panties down her legs.

With her now wet pussy exposed, you wasted no time parting Chaewon's legs, pushing her thighs back and planting your mouth there, giving her an upward lick before devouring her silky folds, addictive not only for their texture but for their taste.

"Oh god," Chaewon moaned after a few seconds, as you sucked and licked her clit. "Stop being such a fucking weakling and fuck me already."

"Shut the fuck up," you snapped, and slapped her pussy. She moaned. "You're not in charge. Get it through your fucking head."

Before Chaewon could protest further, you sucked on your middle and ring fingers and slowly guided them into her tight pussy. Chaewon reached out and gripped strands of your hair as you began pumping your wrist, simultaneously licking her clit in rapid motions.

Chaewon writhed on the bed, her moans getting louder as you went faster, your sole goal being to make her explode as quickly as possible. You succeeded after a few seconds, when Chaewon tensed her thighs and exploded against your mouth, stifling sweet squeals of pleasure that she muffled against the forearm she was biting.

"Cum again," you said, in a low but commanding voice, still pumping your fingers even though Chaewon was still squirming.

"B-But! I'm still-"

"I said cum again."

Chaewon grabbed your hair with both hands, pulling hard. Not even a minute passed before your commands sank in and she came for the second time in a row, her body seized by a series of spasms that made her crumple the sheets beneath her.

"Good girl," you said, standing up while her legs were still shaking. "That's the least obedience I expect from now on."

Still somewhat dazed from climaxing twice in such a short amount of time, Chaewon remained silent as you removed your clothes. When you were completely naked, you climbed onto the bed with her and, kneeling beside her face, took your hard cock in one hand and forced it into her mouth.

Chaewon didn't protest and closed her lips around your cock with a moan, propping herself up on one elbow to grasp your shaft at the base and pump her head with long, hard pumps. Her control didn't last long, however, as you pulled a handful of her hair into a ponytail and began fucking her face.

"That's it, slut, take it all," you groaned, rapidly pumping your hips.

This wasn't anything new between the two of you, so she was able to take almost all of your cock before her gag reflex kicked in. Still, saliva slowly seeped from the corners of her lips and dripped down her chin, and it only got worse when, after a moment, you buried the entire length of your cock inside her mouth, resting it against her throat.

"Choke on it, bitch," you gasped, tightening your fingers in her hair, feeling her throat caress your tip.

Chaewon gagged against your cock, saliva spilling from her mouth in thick drops that fell onto the sheets. Her nails dug into your buttocks, a signal to stop that you ignored at first. Only a few desperate slaps on your thigh finally made you give her a break, letting her cough and catch her breath.

"You fucking..."

You returned the words to her mouth with another sharp slap to her cheek. Chaewon groaned, looking up at you with eyes filled with pleasure and anger.

"I don't want to hear you, shut the fuck up," you said, going to kneel between her legs.

"Fuck you, motherf... mmmgh!" Chaewon squealed as you took your cock inside her in one swift motion. "God, why can't you just be mine?"

You placed your hands on her thighs and pressed them back, fucking her slowly at that angle you knew she loved. Funny, but yes: even mad as hell at her, you cared that she enjoyed it.

"Because I'm not interested in belonging to a selfish bitch," you said, jaw clenched, panting at how good the way her pussy squeezed your cock so deliciously always felt. You didn't really think that, but it was the first thing your anger put in line.

Chaewon grabbed her legs behind the knees, keeping them spread. She moaned as you went faster and pounded her against the bed.

"Those bitches don't deserve you!!" Chaewon protested amidst her moans.

"And do you?"

"At least I truly love you!" Chaewon squealed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. "Why doesn't that matter to you?!"

You pressed both of Chaewon's thighs together and rested both of her heels on your right shoulder, then leaned forward and pushed her legs against her body with your hands flat on the mattress.

"Then why did you let all this happen?!" you yelled through a grunt, reaching deep into her pussy with each thrust. "You don't do that shit to someone you love!!"

"And you don't deliberately fuck that person's groupmates either!"

That was the last thing Chaewon screamed before cumming again, suffocating your cock with her tight walls. She shuddered beneath you and gripped your forearms, every muscle in her body contracting in an orgasm that wasn't half as strong as what you knew you could achieve in her.

"If that bothered you, you could talk to me, Kim Chaewon," you murmured, fucking her slowly. "Talking. You know what that is, right?" You slowly raised your voice. "Talking instead of putting the fucking executives on our fucking heels!! What the fuck were you thinking?! Ugh!"

You pulled out of her pussy and grabbed her forearm to force her to stand up off the bed, carry her to the desk, and bend her against it. Chaewon braced her hands on the surface, crumpling some sheet music and knocking a couple of pens out of their containers to the floor.

"I don't have to go around telling you what the fuck to do and what not!" Chaewon yelled back, a moan escaping her throat as you came back inside her. "You're a fucking adult and you know exactly what you're doing!"

"And that excuses you from being fucking negligent?" you asked, hands gripping her waist as you pounded her pussy again with fast, hard thrusts. "I understand that you're mad at me, but hiding something like that from me? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"You had to wake up somehow, you fucking asshole! Mmmgh!" Chaewon squealed, slumping her upper torso against the desk, knocking more of her things over. "I hope it teaches you to think with your head and not your dick!"

You reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair. Chaewon moaned as you pulled it back, causing her to lift her chest slightly off the desk.

"So you're not even sorry?" you growled, your brow furrowed.

"I won't fucking be sorry until you are!" Chaewon snapped back. "And believe me, you have plenty of reasons to apologize!"

You wished your mind had come up with a response to that, but all you could muster was a resounding slap to her right buttock that reverberated throughout the room and made her scream. More like those landed, on each buttock. One after the other until her ass was tinted a bright red, making it look like a jelly cake that you jiggled with each violent thrust.

"Keep going, keep going, keep going!!" Chaewon squealed, her hands braced against the wall in front of her. "Keep going, daddy, please!"

Chaewon exploded within seconds, in an electrifying orgasm that still wasn't the strongest you could get out of her, so you lifted one of her knees and placed it on the edge of the desk to adjust the angle and continue fucking her through a climax that still didn't relax her body.

"Oh fuckkk!!" Chaewon slammed her hand on the table, resting her forehead on one of her notebooks. "That feels so good!"

You gritted your teeth, sweat dripping from your temples and onto your chest as you redoubled your efforts. You squeezed her left buttock with your hand, and with the other, you had her behind the neck, both grips tight and rough. The railing continued until Chaewon came again, and this time you smiled when her neck arched back and she screamed at the ceiling.

"My god!!" Chaewon growled, her pussy squeezing you as her whole body shook. "How can I hate you when you drive me so fucking crazy, son of a bitch!"

"I'm the one who should hate you for what you did," you gasped, sliding a hand from her ass to her waist and pulling out of her pussy.

"And yet, you don't," Chaewon turned to look at you over her shoulder, straightening her back slightly with her hands resting on the desk again. "I'm everything you've ever wanted, and that's why you love me."

"Then you understand how disappointing it is for me that you would hide something like that out of jealousy," you said, unclenching your jaw and calming your breathing. The anger was slowly dissipating. "I… didn't expect that from you, Chaewon,” you shook your head. “You're better than that."

Chaewon opened her mouth to say something, but only a stutter came out. Then her eyes glazed over, and she wrinkled her nose in an attempt not to cry. She was realizing.

"I-I..." Chaewon pouted and looked away, two tears falling down her cheeks. "God, I'm sorry."

That looked more like the Chaewon you knew, one who put her pride aside and was mature enough to know how to give in when necessary. But despite it all, it broke your heart to watch her cry. Always.

You sighed and tilted your head, watching her as she wiped away her tears to no avail, as she sobbed on and on. Chaewon then straightened her back, turned around, and snuggled up to your chest with both arms in front of her.

"I'm so sorry, I really am," Chaewon sobbed. "You don't deserve to go through this because of me."

You swallowed and wrapped your arms around her, holding her close. You stroked her back and hair to comfort her.

"I'm sorry too," you said quietly, staring into space. "For... acting without thinking about how you'd feel."

"What I did is much worse!" Chaewon whimpered. "I messed up, and now we're going to be in trouble!"

"Chaewon-ah, please breathe," you said, seeing that she couldn't find relief from her tears. "There's time to make things right. We just have to absorb the blow and improve. It won't be more than a scolding."

That seemed to calm her down a bit. Chaewon made an effort to regulate her breathing and hold back her sobs, after leaving your chest wet with her tears.

"You think so?" Chaewon looked up at you. "I really don't want this to end because of me. I've worked so hard in this group, and... and..."

You cupped her face and kissed her gently. Chaewon held onto your wrists, kissing back.

"We both made mistakes, okay?" you said, gently holding her face. "You've already apologized for yours, and I apologize for mine."

"Can you really accept my apology? What I did..." Chaewon looked to the side and slowly shook her head. "God, I'm really sorry."

"I can accept them as long as you commit to putting things in order. To really put things in order like the leader you are," you did a pause. "Can you accept mine?"

"I can accept them..." Chaewon now looked at you. "But you know what that entails."

"I... I think I know," you nodded.

"We have terms, then?"

"They're going to riot about it, and we will have to find a solution for them, but we have terms."

"Great," Chaewon sighed and rested her forehead against your chest. "I'm still mad at you, though."

"I know, I know," you said. "Can I do anything to remedy it, even just a little?"

Chaewon looked up at you, and slowly reached down to grab your cock and rub it.

"Fuck my ass," she said, her hand sliding down your cock, wet with her own fluids. "You've never done it, and I think this is a good time to."

You chuckled.

"Really? Right now?"

"Well... you're not doing it with Kura anymore," Chaewon scribbled on your chest with a finger from her other hand while giving you a lazy handjob. "So you better get used to doing it with me."

Damn it, you weren't going to fuck Kura's ass again. The thought was painful. The sacrifice was more than necessary, though.

"So be it, then," you said, and slid a hand behind her to squeeze her ass. "Turn around."

Chaewon obeyed and bent back against the desk, her fists resting on it. She pushed her round ass back, pressing the back of your cock between her buttocks. There was no lubricant on hand, so you'd have to settle for natural methods, using saliva and her own fluids to prepare her ass.

"Mmm, fuck," Chaewon moaned, straining as two of your fingers made their way inside her butthole. "Slow, slow."

"Haven't you done this before?" you asked, carefully stretching her insides. "Not even with toys?"

"Those three have put the wrong ideas in your head, honey," Chaewon sighed, your fingers now fully inside her. "Not all girls are sluts who like things up their asses."

"I had to ask," you shrugged. "Do you feel ready yet, sweetie?"

"I think so..."

You removed your fingers from inside her ass and grabbed your cock, pressing it against it. For her first time, her hole yielded quite easily to your length, slowly filling it. Chaewon dropped her chest onto the desk.

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought..." Chaewon murmured. "Wait stop!" she said, when you were only inches away from being completely inside her.

"Is that your limit, baby?" you asked, your hands on her waist. "You can relax, I won't push any further."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, darling," Chaewon sighed, looking at you over her shoulder. "I know Kura can take it all, but I..."

"Kim Chaewon," you grabbed her neck and pulled her closer so she was looking into your eyes. "Never, and I repeat, never. Compare yourself to other girls."

"But..."

"Never. You drive me fucking crazy, no matter what. I've told you that more than once, I’m pretty sure."

Chaewon remained silent, and looking into your eyes, she pushed her hips back and drove the rest of your cock into her ass with a small cry of pain. You took her hands and intertwined your fingers together.

"Hey!" You frowned, concerned by her pained face but also delighted by how good it felt. "Baby, you didn't have to do that..."

"Shut up," Chaewon reached behind her to cover your mouth, her eyes closed as she adjusted to having you inside her ass. "You shouldn't have said that: you forced me to prove how much you deserve the best of me."

Chaewon took your hand from her mouth and returned it to the desk.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" you asked.

"Just move, asshole," Chaewon replied. "I'll get over it."

Somewhat hesitantly, you began to move slowly, your hands on her waist. Your cock slid in and out of her with some friction, lacking proper lubrication, but that didn't stop it from feeling simply delicious after just a few pumps. For Chaewon, it was a similar sensation: over time, her expression softened, slowly transforming to evoke the pleasure she felt.

"Is that better, darling?" you gasped, one hand slowly moving up her smooth, beautiful back to rest on one of her shoulders. Now your rhythm was steady, not too fast for fear of hurting her.

"Oh yeah, it's feeling like I thought it would," Chaewon replied. "You can move faster."

You did so, gradually picking up a steady rhythm until you were slamming your pelvis against her ass with each thrust. Chaewon's moans grew louder and louder, letting you know that ecstasy was taking over her and that she was beginning to enjoy every second of it.

"Do you like it, sweetheart?" you asked, gaping, your fingers clutching her shoulder and waist.

"Yes daddy," Chaewon nodded quickly, gripping the opposite edge of the desk. "I love it."

"Can I go faster?"

"I'm not in pain anymore... so use me however you wish."

Those magic words were like gunpowder to the flames, allowing you to slip out of your restraints and give her a good pounding against the desk. All Chaewon did was moan, squirm, and throw even more things off the desk, including HYBE's letter. The room erupted into a perfect cacophony of flesh against flesh and moans.

Interrupted by the sound of the door opening to your left.

You and Chaewon quickly turned your heads and turned your backs to hide your private parts, seeing Eunchae standing under the door, her eyes wide open, fascinated by the scene before her.

"Hong Eunchae!!" Chaewon squealed, frowning, her face flushed. "What did I tell you about knocking on the damn door?! Get lost!!"

"No... this is entertaining," Eunchae said, looking down—probably at your ass—with the door still wide open behind her.

"God, I said get out!" Chaewon yelled, grabbing a pencil to throw at her. She missed badly. "And close the damn door already!"

You grabbed Chaewon's wrist and leaned close to her ear.

"Let her stay," you muttered, glancing at Eunchae out of the corner of your eye.

Chaewon glared at you like you'd gone crazy.

"Huh?! Didn't you learn anything from our argument?"

"This is our chance to start weeding," you said even more quietly so Eunchae wouldn't hear. "Trust me. I have a plan."

Chaewon stared at Eunchae for a moment, rolled her eyes with a snort, and stared at the ceiling.

"Okay, Eunchae," she said loudly. "You can stay. But for God's sake, come in and close the damn door!"

Eunchae hurried into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. You then carried Chaewon to the bed, putting her on her hands and knees as she faced Eunchae, whose eyes lit up at the sight of your naked bodies.

"Should I just... stay around here?" Eunchae asked nervously, pressing herself against the wall next to the door with her hands behind her back.

"If that's what you want," you shrugged, and as you looked down at Chaewon, you thrust back into her ass with a single gentle thrust.

Chaewon moaned, her ass raised from you and her back arched. You left your hands on her buttocks and went back to fucking her with the same intensity as a moment ago, only now looking at Eunchae as you did so.

Eunchae watched intently, leaning against the wall, her breathing quickening as she brought a hand to her crotch to touch herself over her shorts.

"Enjoying this, huh?" you asked between gasps, watching her rub circles on her slit.

"You two look... so hot, yeah," Eunchae nodded, biting her lower lip as Chaewon whimpered in pleasure, seconds before experiencing her first anal orgasm.

You gripped Chaewon's waist with both hands, thrusting slowly and deeply as she moaned and writhed, crumpling the sheets beneath her hands. Her ass suffocated your cock at one point, forcing you to stop and enjoy the sensation.

When Chaewon's orgasm passed, you grabbed her shoulders and straightened her back to press her against your chest. She turned her face, kissing you as she met your lips. You wrapped your arms around her, one hand playing with one of her nipples and the other between her thighs, rubbing circles on her clit. Then you pulled your cock out of her ass and quickly slid it back inside her tight, warm pussy. Chaewon moaned against your lips, placing her hands over yours, and fell forward again as you began pounding her pussy with fierce thrusts that made her shake like a rag doll.

In front of you, Eunchae had one hand inside her shorts and panties, fingering herself faster. She let out small, almost inaudible moans.

"Look at that, baby," you told Chaewon, and you slapped her ass so she arched and looked at Eunchae. "The brat is horny."

"Manager-nim... you move so well," Eunchae said with a small sigh, her cheeks flushed, moving her wrist faster inside her shorts. "When are you going to...?"

Perhaps sensing what her question was going to be, your body tingled to let you know you were close to cumming. So, grabbing Chaewon by the arms to keep her back straight, you pumped up your energy to give her a few last wild thrusts before erupting inside her pussy.

"Mmmgh fuck!" you groaned, balls deep inside her as you filled every corner of her pussy with slow pumps.

"Fuck..." Eunchae moaned. "Is he...?"

"Cumming inside me, yeah," Chaewon nodded, looking into your eyes with her mouth agape. "And he's cumming a lot."

Your head was spinning at that moment, overwhelmed by pleasure. Chaewon fell chest first onto the bed as you released her arms, now giving her buttocks a hard squeeze. Her grippy pussy was also throbbing around you, and you looked down before pulling out of her and watching your cum spill out of it.

Chaewon slid an arm underneath herself and with her fingers scooped a good amount of cum from between her folds.

"Baby," Chaewon looked at Eunchae. "Could you pass me a wet wipe?" She pointed to her nightstand, and as Eunchae watched, she brought her fingers to her mouth to eat your cum.

"Y-yeah, sure," Eunchae nodded, practically trotting over to the nightstand to grab the pack of wet wipes and hand them to Chaewon, her gaze fixed on your fluid-soaked cock.

While you sat down to rest and catch your breath, Chaewon took a brief moment to clean herself up. A minute later, Chaewon tossed the two wet towels she'd used, crumpled into her trash can and looked at Eunchae.

"So? What are you waiting for?" Chaewon asked. "Come here, cutie."

Eunchae kicked off her slippers and climbed onto the bed, kneeling beside you. Chaewon knelt in front of her and, taking her by the shoulders, led her into a gentle kiss that slowly turned passionate. Eunchae was visibly nervous, but Chaewon was sweet to her the whole time until she warmed up and was able to relax.

Chaewon grabbed Eunchae's crop top and slowly pulled it over her head, revealing the pastel pink bra underneath.

"Can I take that off too?" Chaewon asked, her hands behind Eunchae's back.

Eunchae nodded, and Chaewon unclasped her bra so it fell onto the mattress. Eunchae's tits were even smaller than Zuha's, but they looked soft, and her nipples were small and pretty. Chaewon brought one to her mouth, making Eunchae moan and grab the sides of her head.

"Unnie, touch me down there too..." Eunchae moaned, twirling strands of Chaewon's hair around her fingers.

"Hm?" Chaewon looked up with a nipple in her mouth. "Like, here?"

Chaewon slipped her hand inside Eunchae's shorts and panties, and you watched as she reached her pussy, making Eunchae roll her eyes as she circled her slit with her fingers.

"Oh yeah, just like that," Eunchae sighed, as Chaewon continued sucking and licking her small tits. "You can undress me too."

"I'm a little busy," Chaewon replied, kissing between her breasts. "Manager-nim, will you help me?"

You looked at Eunchae silently, and only when she nodded in approval did you knelt up to go behind her and pull both her shorts and panties down to her knees. Eunchae gasped, feeling your cock brush against one of her buttocks. Chaewon, for her part, arched her back and lowered her kisses to Eunchae's tummy..

"Just relax, princess," Chaewon said, looking into her eyes. "We're going to make you feel good."

Eunchae reached behind her to cup the back of your head, while Chaewon inserted two saliva-stained fingers into her pussy. She let out a moan, and you noticed a slight tug on your hair from her, a signal you took as a green light to bury your face in her long neck and shower it with kisses.

"Can I touch you, sweetheart?" you asked in Eunchae's ear.

"I can literally feel your cock against my ass, manager-nim," she replied, turning her head to look into your eyes. "I don't even know why you're asking."

Then Eunchae subtly joined her lips with yours, in a tender kiss you hadn't expected from her, considering the way she'd been behaving all these days. You placed both hands on her small waist, then moved them to different places: the left one to her tits, playing with one of her nipples between your fingers, and the right one between her legs to rub her clitoris.

Chaewon began slowly pumping her fingers in and out of Eunchae, who moaned against your lips at the double stimulus that made her squirm her hips and buck slightly. Soon, Eunchae's breathing became heavier as Chaewon fingered her faster and you rubbed faster, pushing her hips back to crush the back of your cock between her nude, soft buttocks.

"Does that feel good?" you softly said against her lips.

"So, so good," Eunchae moaned, her eyebrows raised and her mouth gaping. "I think... I think I'm gonna... Oh lord!"

Eunchae tightened her fingers in your hair as she came with a soft moan, her body trembling against yours. You moved your fingers slower, and Chaewon pulled her fingers out of her to go down a little further and lick her pussy with gentle licks. 

"I want you to... eat me," Eunchae managed to say in the midst of her climax. "Can you?"

"I'll take care of it," you replied, taking her hand and leading her to lie down on one of the pillows.

Eunchae made herself comfortable with a pillow under her head, right in the center of the bed. You got on top of her, and after a small, warm kiss on her lips, you slowly moved down her upper torso, stopping at her tummy to lick and kiss it. Then you went a little lower, now between her thighs, pressing them back and bringing your mouth to her pussy.

"Oh my... so good," Eunchae sighed, arching her back and grabbing your hair.

Chaewon joined you and lay down next to Eunchae to kiss her lips. Then she moved down her neck, stopping at her tits and sucking on them again, one hand coming down to join you as you ate her pussy with slow licks, soft kisses, and gentle squeezes of her thigh.

Eunchae's moans grew louder as you let go of the gentleness and began to eat her pussy the way you really knew how, resulting in another orgasm that had her whimpering against Chaewon's lips and cuddling her like a teddy bear.

"Mmm, I think it's time for the main attraction," you said, wiping your chin as you knelt between Eunchae's spread legs. "Do you want to do it?"

Eunchae broke away from Chaewon's lips and looked into your eyes, then at your cock just above her pussy. She bit her lip, her cheeks flushed and her breathing ragged, visibly very horny.

"Yes... I do," Eunchae nodded. "Please fuck me, manager-nim."

You took your cock and pressed the tip between her folds, but instead of taking it inside, you rubbed it up and down between them.

"Why should I?" you asked.

Eunchae frowned, confused. Beside her, Chaewon, on the other hand, gave a small smile, knowing where this was going.

"Well... because I'm naked in front of you and you just have to put it in?" Eunchae retorted.

"Indeed," you nodded. "But I'd be giving you what you want. Why would I give you what you want like you deserve it?"

"Oh come on, manager-nim!" Eunchae protested, clutching the pillow under her head with one hand. "Don't be like that! I'm sorry, okay?"

"Your apologies aren't enough, I need something more."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Eunchae tilted her head and grabbed your cock, trying to push it inside her. "Just do it!"

You grabbed her wrist and stopped her, doing it yourself, but you only got the tip inside. Eunchae twisted her hips in a desperate attempt to push more inside her.

"I need you to promise me that you'll start behaving," you said, with a stern tone in your voice that you hoped would work. "And that you'll start respecting my and Chaewon's authority, no matter what."

"And if I refuse, what are you supposed to do?" Eunchae challenged you.

You shrugged and pulled your tip out from between her folds. You made as if to get up from the bed.

"No, stop!" Eunchae stopped you, trapping you with her legs around your waist. "Oh my god, I can't believe you coerced me into this!"

"It's your fault for being nosy and not knocking before entering," you said. "And now you only have two possible choices. Decide."

"Fuck, fine! I promise!" Eunchae said. "Just fuck me!"

"You promise what?"

Eunchae rolled her eyes and growled in frustration.

"I promise I'll behave and respect your authority no matter what!" Eunchae finally blurted out.

A surge of relief washed over your body, making you take a deep breath. Nothing assured you she wasn't lying, but it was a start.

"Good girl," you smirked. "It wasn't that hard, was it?"

"Shut up."

"It's weird to ask, but are you a virgin?"

"That's none of your business!" Eunchae snapped.

"Just asking, rude ass."

Now certain you'd gotten what you wanted from her, you grabbed your cock by the base and slowly guided it inside Eunchae. The absurdly tightness of her pussy led you to believe she was indeed a virgin, but when you looked up, you didn't notice her even the slightest bit worried about it. A pained expression was what you would have expected, but Eunchae just seemed to be enjoying every inch of you filling her.

"Damn, look at you," Chaewon said from beside Eunchae, kissing her neck. "Taking all that cock in exchange for not being such a rebellious brat anymore. Don't you think that's a reasonable exchange?"

"I'm not so sure you know?" Eunchae retorted, when you were halfway inside. "But I don't think I’ll regret it anytime soon."

You sincerely hoped she wouldn't, because you wanted to get that matter with her over with so you'd only have to worry about the other three musketers.

After a few seconds of slow thrusting, your cock was buried deep inside Eunchae's pussy, which felt like a tight, warm glove enveloping you perfectly. You placed her right heel on your shoulder, and with your hand on her left thigh, you began to move your hips.

"Oh my god, Eunchae," you sighed. "You're crushing me, damn it."

"Yeah? Does it feel good?" Eunchae asked as you took the entirety of your length in and out of her with each slow pump.

"It feels amazing," you nodded, squeezing the flesh of her soft thigh beneath your fingers. "And for you?"

"You have no idea," she sighed, letting out a long moan.

Chaewon ran a hand down Eunchae's tummy and between her legs to rub her clit with swift, agile movements of her wrist. That urged you to go faster. Eunchae found Chaewon's lips again and moaned against them as you began to fuck her with swift thrusts, her hands cupping her unnie's face.

Not wanting to keep her waiting, you reached out and slid a hand between Chaewon's buttocks and found her pussy, inserting two full fingers inside her. Chaewon moaned and pulled away from Eunchae's lips, watching as you moved your wrist as you fucked Eunchae's tight pussy at a perfect pace.

The room was soon filled with both of their moans and the occasional thump of your pelvis against Eunchae's crotch. The two of you merged again in a kiss, and the first to cum was the maknae, squealing and squirming her hips. Her pussy felt even tighter that way, throbbing around your shaft and wetting it with her warm fluids.

After a few seconds, you pulled out of her and lay behind Chaewon, placing a few kisses on her shoulders.

"Come ride me, my love," you whispered in her ear.

Chaewon quickly pulled away from Eunchae and straddled you, taking your cock straight and impaling herself on it in a single motion that made you both moan. She placed her hands on your chest, and with her face only inches from yours, she began to rapidly move her hips to fuck herself against you.

Eunchae snuggled up close to you, making you turn around for a kiss. You gasped against her lips, and she caressed your abdomen. Chaewon then began to go faster, straightening her back to jump on your cock. Eunchae knelt right next to her, and returning the favor, began to kiss both her neck and her tits until she came.

Chaewon's nails dug into your abdomen as her slim, sexy body writhed on top of you, her hips grinding back and forth with your cock buried deep inside her. Soon, she got off of you, and Eunchae lay down next to you again, this time on her side. You turned toward her, and with her back pressed against your chest and your arms wrapped around her body, you went back inside her pussy.

Your lips and Eunchae's met again, this time in a fiery, heated kiss. Chaewon lay in front of her, intertwining their legs together as you fucked her pussy with hard, deep pumps. A few seconds later, you broke away from Eunchae's lips and brought Chaewon's face closer. Eunchae tilted her neck toward you, enough so the three of you could share a sloppy three-way kiss.

"Oh my fucking god, I'm going crazy," Eunchae moaned, breaking away from the kiss. "Keep going, oppa... god, keep going, keep going!"

You planted one foot on the mattress and gripped Eunchae's waist, slamming your pelvis against her buttocks and making her whimper in pleasure until she came in a maelstrom of moans and little whimpers. The way her pussy clenched around you made you moan and realize how close you were to cumming too.

"Eunchae, I'm really close..." you gasped, squeezing her against you as she writhed in pleasure. "Where...?"

"Out, oppa, please," Eunchae replied with a moan, clutching your forearm. "Not inside."

Exactly the response you expected. You buried your face in her neck, making her feel your hot, labored breathing as you resumed the rhythm in and out of her. Eunchae reached behind her and gripped your head, tugging at your hair. A minute later, you moaned as you felt that delicious tingle travel down to your lower region, and just before cumming, you quickly pulled out your cock, pressed the tip against her ass, and masturbated until you exploded.

"Mmmh fuck!" you groaned, squeezing Eunchae tightly against you as you shot a thick load that stained her waist and hips, and completely filled her ass.

"Mmm," Eunchae moaned, watching you cum, stroking your hair. "It feels so warm against my skin..."

"Let me do you a favor," Chaewon said, kneeling up to bend over Eunchae's ass and wipe your cum off with her tongue while it was still coming out from your tip. "Stay still."

Chaewon did an impeccable job cleaning every stained spot on Eunchae's skin, and when she was done, she brought your cock to her mouth to suck every inch slowly. When she left you glistening, with only a light layer of saliva, she lay down next to Eunchae, staring at the ceiling.

Silence then reigned in the room, your breathing slowly returning to normal. A while later, Chaewon sat up, covering her breasts with a blanket, and looked at you.

"This is the first and last time this happens, okay?" she asked. "You know exactly why."

"I know," you nodded, part of your head resting on Eunchae's. "You can trust me."

"Very well. The ship will stay afloat, then."

"Look on the bright side, we've already taken a step. It's one less weed to cut."

"Oppa... unnie," Eunchae said in a small, tired voice. "Please don't let the others find out about this. I'm a little embarrassed that they'll get that image of me."

You hoped Sakura and Yunjin weren't paying attention to the noise because of how high they must be, because otherwise, they would surely have realized it was two pairs of moans, not just one, and immediately associated it with Eunchae.

"They won't, sweetie," you replied, stroking her hair. "Don't worry."

You then felt a calmness you hadn't felt in a long time. HYBE's letter was still pounding in your head, but patching things up with Chaewon and putting Eunchae back in line was definitely a turning point you were grateful for.

Chaewon stood up and began searching for her clothes with slow movements. You stared at her, noticing a big change in her expression. Her anger and resentment had definitely disappeared. Eunchae, for her part, just squeezed your hand with her eyes closed, relaxing.

Then your phone rang with a notification. You looked for it, but the noise had come from the floor. Chaewon ended up passing it to you, and you sighed in relief when you read what you'd received.

"What's wrong?" Chaewon asked.

"HYBE postponed the meeting to Monday. We have time to sort this whole mess out."

Chaewon mimicked your sigh, putting on her panties and T-shirt.

"Thank the Lord," she said, lying back down.

Eunchae sat up a minute later and got out of bed to find her clothes. Her cheeks were still flushed, and she glanced at you, embarrassed.

"I'm... sorry about the beer, oppa," she said, putting on her panties and bra. "And everything. I promise to improve and help you with the others. To... I don't know, make them reconsider."

Chaewon nodded, a proud little smile on her face, a mirror of yours.

"Thanks, Manchae," you said, watching her get dressed and imitating her, putting on your boxers and sweatpants. "I really appreciate it."

"It’s nothing. But can we take a nap?" she asked, already dressed. "I'm exhausted."

As soon as she said that, Chaewon got closer to you and cuddled up to you.

"Yes, but he's mine," Chaewon said. "You lie down over there," she pointed to the other side of the bed.

Eunchae rolled her eyes, shook her head, and lay down with you two.

But not even five minutes had passed when you heard a sudden commotion in another room: music now playing incredibly loudly. The ones responsible? Probably Bob Marley and Willie Nelson.

You sighed against Chaewon's back, realizing you had a lot of work to do.

[kelltonic]

Defences ★彡

Mickey ‘Fanboy’ Garcia x Reader

Description: While at the hard deck with the other daggers, Mickey - your boyfriend - get’s heavily flirted on by a stranger when you’re not around, and he is never more committed to shut someone down.

Warnings: Alcohol/Drunkenness, very light sexual harassment (fem on man). Canon-typical asshole Hangman. I love Reuben. Fanboy is a sweetheart. Other than that it’s just an established relationship and fluff. No use of y/n.

WC: 1,500

A/N: Guys if you want more Mickey (or any top gun) PLEASE request - I have been struggling for ideas lol - even if it’s just another version of an already made fanfiction with a different character, or a headcanons prompt!! - ALSO for anyone who read my prev a/n on my other fanboy ff, I GOT 100% ON MY ENGLISH EXAM!!! I actually started tweaking out (it was creative writing). We don't talk about my other exams though.

“Oh come on!” Mickey groaned while throwing his arms in the air, physically complaining over the miss he just hit in pool. “The tables gotta be uneven or something.” He said, mostly jokingly.

"Don't be bitter that I'm just better." Reuben shrugged, flashing a cocky smile to tease his best friend with.

After a long day of flying, most of the squadron retired to the most familiar place on base, the Hard Deck. A comforting yet bustling bar that welcomed naval aviators with open arms.

"Now that's funny-" Fanboy was about to start, but was quickly cut off by that oh so familiar southern drawl.

"Boys, boys, let me show you how a real man shoots." Hangman mocked, condescendingly snatching the pool cue out of Fanboy's hands while simultaneously shooting a wink to one of the many attractive women scattered around the bar. Payback's face formed a frustrated expression as he leaned back to watch what Hangman would do. Hangman did this more than anyone would like. Preferably, he'd never interrupt the games for some silly flirting exercise, but something about Jake couldn't live without the thrill of the tease.

Fanboy was about the opposite, despite what his callsign may allude. Sure, before he met you, he would throw around a few pick up lines and enjoy the spotlight whenever a pretty girl noticed him. But now? He is duller than a rock if someone tries to get a piece of him. You're his favourite person in the entire world, and he makes sure you know it - as long as you promise not to tell Reuben. He can't have another passive-aggressive flight because Reuben decided to teach him how significant of a role he plays in Mickey's life. He would rather jump out of his plane mid flight than let you think you meant anything less to him.

So when the girl Hangman had been flirting with had finally approached him with her friends who had been giggling like hyenas at the squadron the entire night, he just went to get another round.

He looked back from the bar to see the girls clinging to various daggers while waiting for the drinks, chuckling at the sight of Reuben getting surrounded. He didn't think anything of it until one of them separated and began approaching him.

But he didn't want to assume anything, she may just be coming to do the same thing as him.

"Hey handsome." She giggled, leaning against the bar next to Fanboy. Welp, there goes the lack of assumption.

"Hi." He responded bluntly, giving a brief polite yet not hinting smile. All that warranted was a giggly and flirtatious response.

"Come here often?" She said, clearly a little tipsy if not anything further. She scooted closer to him, practically brushing him. As much as he wanted to make space between him, the bar was particularly crowded and he honestly didn't want to bother the aviator directly behind him.

"Yeah a bit, most of us frequent this bar the most." He said with a dry sigh, averting eye contact. He couldn't help but wish Penny sped up with the drinks, but he would never in any lifetime say that to her and face her (and Maverick's) wrath.

"Come on pretty boy, loosen up." She giggled while gripping his arm, trying to push their bodies flush together.

"Okay no thank you." He quickly spoke, lightly pushing her away. He was uncomfortable, and couldn't help but feel guilty despite the fact he had done nothing wrong. "I have a girlfriend." He stated, easily plying her hand off his arm.

"Is she here?" She said while staring into his eyes playfully, unbothered by the physical signs he was presenting.

"No?" He said, puzzled by her persistence.

"Then she doesn't have to know." She responded while trying to close the distance again.

"Here ya go." Penny interrupted with a small smile, placing a tray of various alcoholic beverages in front of them before dashing off to another patron. all Mickey could think was 'oh thank goodness' as Penny saved him from this uncomfortable and awkward encounter.

He grabbed the drink tray and flashed the girl a small, awkward smile as he sped walk to the full group again.

"Ayy!!" Reuben and various others bellowed, grateful to see another wave of drinks. "Our saviour." He joked, taking a beer.

"On land and sky." Mickey responded, placing the tray down while grabbing himself a beer. It only took a few awkward shuffles from Mickey for Reuben to detect something was off, despite his current state.

"You good?" He asked with a smile, tilting his head as he carefully watched Mickey's reaction.

"Yeah, yeah, I just feel... dirty." Mickey murmured, the guilt of another woman's attraction to him weighing on him like an elephant.

"Dirty? Or like.. dirty." Reuben repeated, shifting from a playful to serious tone.

"Dirty." Mickey echoed, reaching for his phone in his back pocket. "...One of the girls was flirting with me. Hard." He elaborated.

"Since when was that a bad thing?" Reuben scoffed, before a wave of realisation hit him. "Ohhh... right, okay." A neutral tone flowing through his voice. It only took a second for a puzzled expression to take over his face. Mickey had to admit one thing, Reuben was one of the most expressive people he's ever met.

"So... why do you feel bad?" He mocked, a slight laugh leaving his mouth. "You didn't flirt back.. right?" Reuben questioned. He knew how utterly enamoured Mickey was with you, he had to get his callsign from somewhere. But he couldn't help but seek clarification.

"No!" Mickey swiftly reacted after taking a gulp of his beer, a frankly offended expression covering his face.

"...." Reuben just stared, a little dumbfounded at Mickey's loyalty policies. Despite a hint of respect also developing, he couldn't help but laugh at Mickey's commitment to you. And his standards for what counts as something he should feel guilty for or not. However, Reuben was also observant. Even if he wasn't, it would still be easy to tell how sad the thought of someone else flirting with Mickey made him. Someone other than you. But his trance was interrupted by an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay, look. I'm only ever going to say this once, so listen up." Reuben began, placing his beer down as he forced eye contact with Mickey. Landing a hand on his shoulder, he groaned as he realised what he was about to say and the possibility of Mickey never letting him live it down. "You're attractive. Really damn hot, man. Both physically and personality wise. You have good energy and people are naturally drawn to your confidence and kindness. So you're gonna have to get used to the idea of people, women included, approaching you and flirting." Reuben stated, more teaching than hyping.

Mickey was conflicted between smiling and teasing Reuben. "Come on man, that's the nicest thing you've said to me." He said with a chuckle as his shoulders dropped and his gave Reuben a quick hug before he potentially got bitch slapped by him.

"Okay off." Reuben scolded, pushing Mickey off of him with a forced groan.

"...I'm still gonna call her though." Mickey quickly ushered while typing in your contact on his phone, which just elicited a 'why do I even try' motion from Reuben as he walked away.

Your phone rang a couple times before you got the chance to pick it up, busy with an email.

"Hello?" you spoke seriously, forgetting to check the caller ID.

"Babe!!" Mickey spoke, excited to hear your voice. He always sounded ecstatic whenever you two spoke.

"Hey baby, what's up?" You spoke warmly, a complete shift from your initial greeting.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you more than anything in the entire world. Even flying." Mickey spoke quickly, not for a lack of authenticity.

"I love you too... why are you calling to tell me this?" You said with a small chuckle, it wasn't uncommon for Mickey to randomly declare his love, especially over the phone due to distance. It was however rare for him to do it at this late hour.

"Some girl was flirting with me. BUT! I didn't at all entertain it for a second." Mickey emphasised, he was only slightly tipsy but the honesty made you giggle. You would never in a million years have to worry about his loyalty, and this is one of the reasons.

"Well I appreciate that." You responded softly, the yearning for his presence briefly satiated by his voice. All you could hear on the other end of the line was a low giggle, as far as you could tell he could very well be twirling his (non-existent) hair and kicking his feet.

"I miss you sweetie." You whispered with a gentle desire from the heart.

"I do too, but you'll never guess what Reuben said to me." Mickey said with a chuckle, you could practically hear his smile, and his longing.

A/N: Bit of a corny ending but I didn't know what else to do lmao.

Started: 12:00am Sunday 22nd of June Ended: 8:00pm Thursday 26th of June

[kissmeizuku]

"Embarrassed to be your boyfriend." Bakugo x Reader (ANGST + FLUFF)

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You and Katsuki had been in a relationship for over 5 months, and it's been going very well!

Well, until one morning he woke up and said "Yeah, I'm gonna be a complete asshole to Y/N without reasoning."

On that day, you had screamed like a banshee, "KATSSS!!!" like you always do.

You ran up behind him and hugged him tightly, but he, instead of smirking a little and turning around to ruffle your hair and kiss your cheek, decided to grunt in annoyance and shrug you off.

You blinked in confusion. Maybe hurt, maybe shocked, maybe concerned. But mostly confused.

"Did I do something wrong, sweets?" You asked, tilting your head.

He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, his upper lip pushing up a bit to show his sharp left canine tooth. "Jus' leave me alone." He growled out.

You paused there for a moment. Well, maybe he's just stressed from homework... if that's even possible for him. You thought, before ultimately nodding and leaving him alone.

A day after that, you grinned when you saw him leaning against the hallway wall, through the swarms of crowds trying to get to their classes on time. You hugged him tightly and leaned in to kiss his neck, but he just placed a rough hand on your forehead, pushing you back.

You pouted slightly. "You're still mad about something?" You asked.

He nodded, grunting in irritation, turning his head to the side so he didn't have to look at you.

You grumbled something under your breath and turned away, walking away to leave the explosive boy alone... again.

A week. An entire week. You were drowning without him. You were confused, sad, and scared all at the same time. Did you do something wrong? Is he cheating on you? Did he lose feelings? It was horrifying.

You couldn't take it anymore, and you stood up, walking around to hopefully find Katsuki. And there he was, talking to Denki, Kirishima, and Sero.

You gently tapped him on the shoulder, staring up at him with big innocent eyes.

He tensed up feeling your touch, and he growled, snapping. You broke his last straw.

"What the fuck do you want now?!" He yelled, eye twitching.

You froze.

He was yelling.

He always yells.

But never at you.

"...I just wanted to ask som-" He interuppted you.

"God, could you fuck off for once? I'm embarrassed to even be dating you! You're so damn clingy, overly affectionate and touchy. Tch. Pisses me off!"

Denki, Kirishima and Sero watched with wide, blinking eyes, the juice boxes in their hand forgotten and comically, slowly slipping out of their hands while they watched the scene before their eyes.

You swallowed thickly, shrinking into your shoulders, as if trying to make yourself invisible so he'd stop yelling at you (God bless Hagakure).

"I-I'm sorry..." You mumbled out, fidgeting with your fingers, slowly backing away and then leaving.

He snarled, rolling his eyes as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

"Can you believe that extra?" He muttered to the other three, who were still frozen like they just saw All Might commiting a murder to an innocent person.

"Dude..." Sero started, blinking.

"What?"

"Bro..." Denki added.

Katsuki cocked his head to the side.

Kirishima cleared his throat. "That... wasn't very manly of you..." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The fuck do you mean?"

Denki stepped forward, frowning a little. "That was a total dick-move. All she wanted was to ask a question."

"And then you yelled at her and called her clingy..." Sero reminded, as if Katsuki forgot it.

Of course he didn't forget it.

He wanted to.

But he couldn't.

And the guilt was eating his insides.

"And?" Katsuki questioned, acting nonchalant.

"Bakubro... She's your girlfriend. You know who you just yelled at, right??" Kirishima said awkwardly.

"Of fuckin' course I know. Why would I yell if I didn't? I said she's being clingy, and I meant it. You would get sick of it too if you were her boyfriend." Katsuki shot back, crossing his arms.

Denki blinked, golden eyes wide. "...I mean, if you don't want her, I'll gladly take her." He offered, shrugging.

Kirishima snickered, and Sero stifled his own laugh with a hand clamped over his mouth.

Katsuki growled. "Fuck off, Pikachu. You wouldn't be able to handle her anyway. She's too clingy and annoying for your own good."

"Naaahh! I can handle her! Me personally, I'd be swooning and tripping on my own shoes if she were being clingy with me." Denki grinned.

"You're already swooning for her when she's doing literally nothing." Sero snickered out.

"Exactly! Just number 396 why I should be dating Y/N and not Bakubro dating her." Denki said boldly, smirking.

"Hey, I have an idea." Kirishima mentioned, grinning with his sharp shark teeth.

"What is it now, shitty hair?" Katsuki replied, his hip tilting to the side. (gay pose I mean what who said that)

"If you're clearly so tired and sick of Y/N... why not let Denki borrow her?" Kirishima suggested smugly. "Because you so very obviously don't want her..."

His brain said "kill all 3 of them right now" immediately at that suggestion. Sharing you? As if you were some trophy? Oh, fuck no.

But did he really want to back down on a challenge?

Also fuck no.

So he reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Whatever. Go ahead. See how long it takes until you get sick of her clinginess."

Denki bounced up and down, grinning. "WAIT, REALLY?! OH, HECK YEAH! THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME! I'll ask her out tomorrow!"

[stethosc0pe]

I adored harker x langdon!! How would she react to learning frank calls her “the wife” even though they’re not engaged?

waiting for a woman like you

frank langdon x goth!reader little oneshot that can be read with or without Like I Used To

wc: 1.4k

content/warnings: canon typical gore, blood, fluff, established relationship, cutesy, commitment issues, just a drabble in between bigger chapters ;)

a/n: I AM NOT A DOCTOR SORRY FOR ANY MEDICAL INACCURACIES!! thank you for your request, i loved writing it ;)

hopefully no exclusionary language (no mention of hair texture, skin color, weight or height) and all my readers are bisexual even if not explicitly stated!

Today in the Pitt, things are fast. Patients come and go fast. People die fast. Your lunch break goes fast.

It’s the type of day where patients are in the hallway until they can get a room. If they can get a room. Okay, most of the time they don’t get a room.

But! Like a door to heaven, you watch a man in a cast walk out the door with his care instructions in hand, and like so, a bed is empty. You take a woman who’d been in a car crash into the room.

She’s around your age, and she’s already had some glass picked out of her arm in triage. The seatbelt did its job, but is starting to leave a nasty bruise around her shoulder and where it rested across her chest.

‘Hey. I’m Doctor Y/N Harker. I’m gonna start to check you out okay?’ You need to palpate her chest to check for out of place ribs. And she needs a CT scan and bloodwork and probably pain meds and…

‘Thank you. My hero.’ She smiles gratefully at you, and you give a small one back while you draw the curtain that separates the smaller rooms.

You ask her for a brief rundown of what happened and her symptoms. She tells you all about the wreck, and how she’d been throttled around in the midst of it.

While you listen to her lungs, she says, ‘Um— my head hurts? Do you think I have a concussion?’

‘Any nausea, vomiting?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Sensitivity to light?’

‘A little.’

‘You might. We’ll have to get some scans done for that, so I’ll order one.’ You sling your stethoscope back around your neck and let your hands hang from it on either side.

‘You’re Dr. Langdon’s wife, right? He pointed you out to me earlier, when I was stuck in the hallway. You seemed busy.’

‘Yes, very busy. But, uh—‘ You huff softly, like you don’t understand where she got this information, ‘—We’re just dating. Not married.’

‘Really? Sorry. I didn’t mean to, like, assume…’

‘Oh, no, totally fine. Don’t worry about it. Just— did he say that to you?’ Your voice goes up an entire octave at the end. You can’t help it.

‘Yeah. He asked about the crash, and we were just small talking— and then, I said Are you my doctor?, and he pointed to you and said No, not me. But see the angry one right there? That’s my wife, she’s great.’

You scoff, ‘We’re not even engaged.’

‘Oh. Does he know that?’

‘God, I hope so.’ Your brow creases in worry, the patient laughs a little and you snap back to the task at hand, ‘Right, let’s get you in a wheelchair and down to imaging.’

-

As you round a corner, you see a blur of black scrubs and brown hair walk past you. He doesn’t see you, he’s got his back to you. Perfect.

You walk closely behind him and grab ahold of the neck of his scrubs and pull him back with… medium force, like a cat scruffing a kitten. You don’t actually want to hurt him. But scaring him, that you don’t mind. He was walking freely before so, the collar chokes him for a second until he bounces back with wide eyes and turns around to find you, less than pleased.

‘Oh, hey. My wonderful and non-violent girlfriend. Yeah, I have a second to talk. Thanks for asking nicely.’ He complains, pulling his scrubs back to normal.

‘Have you been telling people we’re married?’ You cross your arms over your chest, indifferent to his whining.

‘…No.’ He huffs and lies. He’s an okay liar, but you can tell. Well, technically it’s not actually a lie? Technically… he never said those… exact words.

‘Okay, let me ask you a more specific question. Are you referring to me as your wife?’

‘Umm...’ He scratches the back of his neck like he’s guilty.

‘What the fuck?’ You throw your arms up.

‘On occasion.’

‘Frank.’

‘Stay calm!’

‘Frank!’ You scold. Somehow the glare gets sharper.

‘What?’ He whines, indignant. ‘I thought that would be endearing to you!’

He’s got this dejected look on his face. Mouth open a bit in a frown and ready to argue, like you’ve rained all over his parade. You grasp him softly by his upper arms.

‘Honey, I love you. You obviously don’t have to work very hard to endear yourself to me,’ He brings his hands up to touch the bottom of your arms that hold him. You are in a less than ideal fork in the road, and he’s being given a soft warning, but it doesn’t stop him from reciprocating touch, ‘But I don’t wanna be known as your wife. I don’t want people to know me as Frank’s wife. Especially not my colleagues and patients. I want to be Harker. For my whole career.’

‘You don’t have to take my last name.’ Frank shrugs.

‘Honey, that was never on the table.’

‘Do you have any flexibility? On anything? Ever?’

‘Upon request.’

‘I’m requesting.’

‘Fresh out.’

He rolls his eyes, ‘Go away. I’m working.’

You ball your fist into the shoulder of his shirt so he can’t walk away from you. You hush your voice so only he can hear it.

‘If you keep calling me wife, I’m going to start telling people—patients and coworkers alike— that yes, we are engaged, and it’s a lavender marriage.’

He gawks at your audaciousness, a single, incredulous, amused huff bursting out of him. He smiles with an open mouth, and you soften a tiny bit. ‘You are insane.’ He says.

‘Yes.’

‘Couldn’t we hyphenate? Couldn’t you see me as a Doctor Langdon-Harker? That’s six syllables. It’s so long and obnoxious. I like it.’

He’s talking like he’s wholly unfazed by the concept of being bound together legally and socially. This is not something you’re familiar with. You never thought you’d be getting married. Sharing a bank account—in this case, with a man— seems all too stressful, and you the last thing you want is to be anyone’s housewife.

You’re a working woman. But you are starting to think about it now. That maybe… because he’s a doctor too, it’ll be easy. You won’t be expected to stay at home and cook and clean and be disgustingly traditional. He knows you’d never go for that, and he seems to still want it.

You let his shirt go, but you stay in each others personal space.

‘You actually want to marry me?’

‘That’s the plan.’ He smooths out his scrub top, lightly perturbed, for the second time today, ‘And what do you have against my shirt? God.’

You look him up and down. You sigh. You suppose… at the end of the day… maybe… this could be sweet.

‘Do you know what dress you’re gonna wear, or…?’ You ask, still having not broken your irritated demeanor. But he can read you. You’re trying to change the subject. He just smiles.

‘Ugh! I’ll think about it.’ The hyphenation, you mean. Definitely, definitely, not marriage yet. Fuck, you hope he can read between the lines there. He’s smart.

Right?

‘Music to my ears, Harker-Langdon.’

‘It’s like you have no survival instinct.’

-

Later that day

To you, Frank is doing a shitty job with the sponge stick. You still can’t see what you’re doing inside this man’s throat with all the red. And you’re still annoyed at him.

‘Oh, my god, sponge better, asshole!’

‘I am! Asshole!’

‘Hey, play nice? At least while you’re inside a dying man?’ Says Robby from the sidelines, watching over the surgery.

Frank finds it to be an apt time to joke, filling precious time with unnecessary comments. ‘Oh! Don’t worry, she can smell the grim reaper from a mile out. Honey, do it!’

You ignore him.

‘He’s not gonna die.’ You scold nobody in particular, being fed up with talking to men for the day. You look up at Robby for a second through your clear glasses, ‘Your pseudo-son will if he doesn’t let me do what I need to do.’

‘You might be in the doghouse tonight, son.’ Robby says to Frank as he walks around him to your side, trying to get a better view.

Frank sighs.

‘I’m always in the doghouse.’

‘No, he’s not.’ You assure your attending, ‘He just particularly responds to this tone of voice.’

Frank Langdon has nothing to say to that. Probably because it’s true.

‘Can one of you call off the wedding? Get cold feet? Cuz’ this is becoming unprofessional.’ Robby half-jokes. Oh, good. So he’d already told your boss that you’re engaged before you could get to him.

‘Frank!’

Frank is too used to the call of his name to have a visible reaction.

‘It’s been unprofessional, Robby.’

my requests are open!

send me an ask to be added to taglist!

current taglist:

@rustnroll @qardasngan

[2-dsimp]

“Wish upon a unicorn’s horn~❦ pt1(?)”

Synopsis: You were head over heels for a unicorn, the son of a noble family of alicorns living amongst the clouds. Admittedly he yearns for you, you were the magic to his crafted horn. However, his “friends” are envious of his high profile and seek to sabotage his only source of happiness in his stuffy posh lifestyle he’s forced to bare, you.

Tw: gn! commoner reader x yandere! noble unicorn, elite college setting, toxic friends, unhealthy relationships, angst, crushes, mutual pinning, obsessive tendencies, misunderstandings, coercion, discrimination, manipulation, drama,

•:•.•:•.••:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:

You loved Reine, that awkward unicorn boy from the mythical lands. His long silky curled strands of rainbow hair, those jeweled red eyes that sparked, the fair skin with freckles dotting it. His bigs ears and well managed tail.

The only problem was that he was rejecting your every single heartfelt confession. No matter how well thought out or sweet it was. You were so very persistent in conveying your love yet he brushed it off as a joke.

What you didn’t know was that his two fake friends, Malak and Lera were behind it. influencing him to commit cruel actions with each rejection. They were only friends with the dorky twerp because their parents wanted close relations. With Reine’s filthy rich cooperate family, the Unias. They were a famous magic craftsman business within the mythical realm for all races.

_____

Sure enough Reine always felt bad at seeing your reaction. you Never shed a tear and just kept smiling as always taking every rejection in stride. Gods you were so precious, he absolutely wanted to fold every time you’d bat your pretty lashes and say you loved him. Presenting him the most personalized gifts that he knew must’ve taken so much time and energy. Yet his friends would always tell him otherwise to trash your feelings in your face. And being the gullible unicorn he was he did it.

“H-how long do I have to keep playing hard to get? T-this had g-gone on long enough right? I know now that they really do love me! Reine would stutter, he really just wanted to finally accept your endless confessions with countless more of his own. “No matter what I’ve said, They’ve been loyal in trying to woo me all semester! ”

But He held back on the urge since his friends told him. that being mean and playing hard to get was supposed to make you even more hooked on him. Which is why he went along with their cruel schemes of begrudgingly rejecting you at every opportunity you presented. Each time more harsher than the last.

The poor unicorn, just wanted you to crave him even moreso than you do now. Till you were unable to live without him just as much as he couldn’t without you. His master bedroom was testament enough with posters, tapestries, and pages upon pages of every interaction you guys had. He was grossly obsessed with you.

His friends sneered at him, not believing how gullible the insecure unicorn was, they all took him as a joke. Malak hooked an arm around his shoulder.”don’t be too hasty milord, obviously we gotta do one final test to make sure they’re not after your pureblood status right Lera?”

Lera, joined him rolling her eyes at Reine for how utterly oblivious he was for falling for their trick in destroying his love life. “Mhm, and today’s Valentine’s Day! So get this, once your love toy comes over to confess reject them ruthlessly. If they actually love you, then they’d put up with it.”

“Huh? But what if everything backfires? I don’t know this doesn’t seem any good at all.” Reine stammered nervously, The unicorn boy’s horn glowed a nervous orange. sweating seeing you come around, the last thing he’d want to do is drive you away. He absolutely adored you! But his friends said it’d be okay in the end. He could trust them right?

Truth be told he’d always accept your gifts, after piecing them back together he’d store them in his dwelling to admire and read through the love letters with a lovesick sigh. He was an absolute hopeless romantic at heart. He would’ve accepted your confessions a hundred times over if it hadn’t been for his so called friends meddling.

“Oh don’t be a wuss you’ve managed to keep the act up since the start of first semester se it through to the end doofus” Malak chuffed, smacking Reine in the back launching him forward just to see you bounding towards him holding tons of gifts, but most importantly a decked out Valentine’s Day card letter.

“Yup this is the final test of her love for you, we’re just looking out for a fellow noble unicorn” Lera chuffed flipping her mane as she and Malak both shared a devilish grin about how successful they are to ruin his love life.

.

.

.

————————-

A/n: let me know if I’m cooking in my attempt at diving back to my wattapad era, for a pt 2. 🫡

[sirxaibs]

Do you know that scene in 'Regular Show" when Rigby tells Mordecai that his dating someone? You know, this one.

https://youtu.be/mTj87DvP0zE?si=dHh1sLPRuU5AA7RU

Right, so this is the exact same way I Imagine Sal telling his gang about him and his S/O. Right so you can just do whatever with it, you can turn it into a fic, use it in one of your other request, or just don't do anything with it. I just wanted to rant ig💀

OK GUYS PRETEND IM READING MY REQUESTS AND NOT BUSY!!!

this is a short one and is a heavily silly one!! I guess this can go with for popular reader AU! (modern au? idk i make a zoom reference)

masterlist

synopsis: gang minus ashley (supposed to be a dude hang out until the reader crashes it) finds out youre dating sal. Larry is as dramatic as fucking always.

“Dude,” Larry groaned, voice raspy like he’d just woken up which he had, two hours ago. “I think I’ve hit a new low.”

Todd didn’t even look up. “You say that so often bro.”

“No, no, this one’s different,” Larry muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “I stayed up late watching compilations of goth girls with nose rings reading poetry last night. I don’t even know why. My brain’s starving, bro.”

Sal snorted softly, while drawing. “You’re unwell.”

“I’m deprived, man,” Larry said, dragging himself into a slouched sit up. “I haven’t been touched in, like, months. Not even accidentally. I brushed hands with some chick at 7 Eleven and popped a big one.”

Todd grimaced and finally looked over. “You need help.”

“I need a miracle,” Larry said, pointing between them like he was conducting a funeral. “I’m surrounded. Whores to the left of me ” he gestured to Todd, “virgins to the right ” he tossed a finger toward Sal, “and here I am, balls dry and brain fried.”

Todd pushed up his glasses. “Being in a committed relationship with Neil does not make me a whore.”

“tell that to neil, i think he would say otherwise” Larry replied, picking up a cold chicken nugget from the coffee table and eating it without hesitation.

“That’s private.”

Sal blinked. “youre actually so gross man”

“Don’t act surprised,” Larry said, pointing a chicken finger at him. “You’ve got that hopeful little ‘I believe in true love’ look in your eye. It’s disgusting.”

Sal gave a noncommittal shrug. “I just think you find the right person when the time’s right. Someone who sees you. Who, like, actually wants to sit in your mess and love you anyway.”

“Okay, Plato,” Larry scoffed. “You say that like someone’s gonna come knocking on the door and say, ‘Wow, Larry, I love how you smell like weed and sweat. Let me fix you.’”

Sal offered a small smile. “Maybe they will. You never know.”

Larry stared at him, deadpan. “Dude. No offense, but I’m not taking dating advice from the other virgin in the room.”

Sal opened his mouth like he might respond, then just shrugged again. “Fair enough.”

“Like, I’m dying out here,” Larry groaned, tossing his head back. “I’m the whole package! like you both think I am!”

Todd was trying not to laugh now. “You are… impressive.”

“Don’t parronize me, Todd. You’re out here getting laid between being a smart fuck and fucking smart and I’m just trying to remember what it feels like to make eye contact with someone who isn’t in a Zoom lecture.”

“You haven’t been in a Zoom lecture for months,” Sal said helpfully.

“Exactly!” Larry snapped. “I’m practically a ghost!”

Todd sighed, rubbing his temple. “You do realize that you could… I dont know, go outside and meet someone, right?”

Larry leaned forward with a dark grin. “thats not in the cards mate”

Sal let out a laugh that made Larry smirk. “dude then that's fully on you”

“Thank you,” Larry said proudly. “I may be dying inside, but I’m still funny. That’s all I’ve got.”

“Maybe you should try actually dating instead of just flirting with sad bookstore cashiers and girls who sell crystals on Instagram,” Todd muttered, standing to stretch.

“I like sad girls!” Larry defended. “They’re mysterious. not to manic pixie dream girl these girls but fortunately for them, it makes them on my radar, they've seen things”

“They’ve seen you,” Sal muttered under his breath, grinning.

“Exactly. And they ran,” Todd added.

Larry flopped over. “You’re both cruel. I open my heart and you throw shade.”

“much needed shade,” Todd muttered.

“literally shut the fuck up” Larry said with a shrug. “Anyway, if either of you know anyone hot, weird, emotionally damaged, and preferably into aliens or tarot, please send them my number.”

Sal gave him a look. “You say that like you’re a good investment.”

“I could be,” Larry corrected.

Todd rolled his eyes. “dinner could come faster if you shut up.”

“mmmm sure,” Larry said, suddenly perking up. “And if it’s pizza, I’m sitting next to you and giving you a personal special gift.”

“God, please don’t,” Todd muttered

Sal stretching. “We’re getting you a hobby.”

“Sex was supposed to be my hobby!” Larry called after them.

Sal blinked slowly, coming back from his stretch. “Dude, calm down.”

“I won’t!” Larry flailed his arms dramatically.

Todd shifted just enough to rest his chin on his hand. “You have issues.”

“I have needs, Todd. Human ones. I’m touch starved and mentally unstable. It’s a great combo if you’re into damaged goods, but apparently no one is!”

Sal sighed, still sketching. “Maybe you need to stop going after people who are guaranteed emotional disasters.”

“Oh, and what would you two know about my kind of dating?” Larry snapped, voice getting sharper. “Todd, you skipped the trauma part and jumped straight into cozy domestic bliss with Neil like it’s some damn romcom. And you ” He jabbed a finger at Sal. “You’ve got the dating experience of a damp napkin. Don’t lecture me on romance when your only action comes from drawing mysterious girls in your sketchbook like it’s 2005.”

Sal’s pencil froze for half a second. Larry leaned back, huffing, muttering under his breath. “God, even my insults are sad now.”

But Sal didn’t respond. He slowly set the pencil down and looked up. The room was quiet.

Larry glanced up. “What?”

Sal gave Larry a long, tired look. His voice was low and calm. “Actually, smart guy, I have been dating someone.”

Larry froze. “What?”

Sal shrugged once. “Yeah.”

“…Bullshit.”

“I’m serious.”

“No. No, you don’t just drop that like it’s nothing. Who? Who the hell would date you?” Larry excitedly looked at him. “No offense, but if i were into you, I would but that’s because we match each others freaks, who else would?”

Sal leaned forward slightly. “It’s Y/N.”

Larry blinked. Todd looked like he was trying not to visibly flinch. Larry sat up a little straighter. “I’m sorry what?”

Sal nodded, a little awkwardly but without backing down. “Yeah. It’s been a little while now.”

“You’re telling me… Y/N. Our Y/N. The only normal person who tolerates our lame asses. That Y/N.”

“hey im normal”

“youre literally not todd”

“Yes.”

“And you’re dating her?”

Sal just nodded again.

Larry slumped back into the couch like he’d just been slapped across the face with a cold fish. “Unbelievable. I am literally in hell.”

“It wasn’t a secret,” Sal added quickly. “We were just… taking it slow. Didn’t want to make it weird.”

“Didn’t want to ” Larry laughed, raspy little noise. “Bro. Everything is weird. You should’ve led with that like, weeks ago! That changes the entire dynamic! I’m out here crying about not being loved while you’re sneaking off to make googly eyes at the one decent human being left in our orbit!”

“It’s not like I did it to spite you,” Sal muttered.

Todd held up a hand. “Okay, let’s not turn this into a thing ”

Larry ignored him. “You didn’t even tell me! ME. im highkey offended.”

Sal actually looked a little guilty. “I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“’Hey Larry, stop crying into your ramen, I’m dating the coolest person we know!’ That’s how you bring it up!” Larry exclaimed.

Todd muttered under his breath, “You’re being a little dramatic.”

“I earn my drama,” Larry hissed. “You guys are all out here winning at love, and I’m over here making up scenarios in my head.”

Sal’s voice was quieter now. “I get it. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

Larry let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Nah. Nah, it’s fine. I’m happy for you, man. Seriously.” He looked off to the side and added, “I’ll just go sacrifice a lock of my hair to the moon goddess or whatever the hell it takes to not die single.”

Sal chuckled. “Want help with that?”

“Not from you, traitor.. You don’t belong in my trenches anymore.”

Sal offered a faint, slightly guilty smile. “youll find someone ”

“I know,” Larry mumbled. “its just so rough”

The three of them fell into silence again Larry sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “Whatever. At least I still have pizza.”

“I actually thought we would warm up some leftovers” Todd pointed out.

Larry stared blankly into the void. “I have nothing.”

then the front door creaked open.

“Hey, losers!” came Y/N’s familiar voice. The warmth in her tone was immediate, She kicked off her shoes in the hallway with a thunk, holding a tote bag full of snacks and energy drinks. “I brought sugar and caffeine. Prepare to worship me.”

Larry didn’t even look up. “Oh, look what the cat dragged in.”

Y/N paused, eyebrows knitting in confusion. “What’s with the tone?” She walked in further, holding out the snacks proudly. “I got those weird sour gummies you like, Larry.”

“Oh, wow,” Larry said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sour worms. Truly, you do care.”

Sal was now refusing to make eye contact with her, suddenly very invested in the corner of his page. Todd, meanwhile, was watching the scene unfold like it was a sitcom. Y/N squinted at all three of them. “…Did someone die?”

“Not someone,” Larry muttered, resting his chin on his knees. “Just my faith in friendship. And honesty. And romantic transparency. But whatever.”

Y/N blinked. “Okay. Definitely weird vibes going on here.”

“Is it?” Larry asked, dramatically pulling the blanket tighter around his body like he was the heartbroken lead in an indie film. “Or is it just the smell of secrets festering in the air?”

“What is going on?” Y/N laughed nervously, looking between the three of them. “Why are you all acting like you just got caught burying a body?”

Todd hummed. “Could say something was buried.”

Sal cleared his throat and didn’t look up. “Larry’s being dramatic.”

“Oh, I’m being dramatic?” Larry whipped around to glare at Sal. “You kept your little romance saga under wraps like it was state security, and I’m the problem?”

Y/N’s smile faltered. “…Romance saga?” Silence. Too long. “Sal?” she asked slowly, eyebrows raised.

“Hmm?”

“Wanna fill me in?”

He shrugged. “Not really.”

Todd let out the tiniest chuckle. Y/N looked back to Larry, confused. “Okay, am I missing something? Why are you glaring at me like I just kicked you in the face?”

“Oh, don’t play coy, Juliet,” Larry hissed. “You think you’re slick. Romeo told me everything”

“did he now?” Y/N laughed, exasperated now.

“i would argue not everything” sal peeps in

Y/N’s mouth opened, then closed. She looked at all three of them, eyebrows furrowed in panic. “Wait. Wait. What do you think you know?”

Larry stood, pointing dramatically. “Don’t play dumb! I know about you and Sal!”

“Oh my god,” Y/N finally muttered. “He told you?!”

“Damn right he told me,” Larry snapped. “Dropped it right in my lap like it was no big deal.”

Y/N flushed. “It wasn’t supposed to come out like this ”

“Oh, you think?”

“I didn’t mean ”

Larry threw up his hands. “Do you know how long I’ve been bitching about being single to both of you?! You could’ve at least let me know you were off the market so I could suffer in targeted isolation!”

“I was going to tell you eventually!” she said, defensive now.

“When? At your wedding?” Larry barked.

Todd: “Oof.”

Y/N rubbed her temples. “Okay. Okay, fine. It’s true. We’re dating. Happy?”

Larry crossed his arms. “Not really. I was hoping one of you was secretly wanting to date me.”

Sal smirked faintly, still not looking up. “Sorry.”

Y/N looked over at Todd. “you're such a bitch”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to help,” Todd said casually. “Watching it click was the highlight of my week.”

Larry exhaled through his nose. “Yeah. So congrats, lovebirds. I hope you’re very happy. I’ll just be in my room. Alone. Googling shit for special time that looks like one of you.”

He stomped toward the hallway like a man defeated. Y/N looked to Sal. “…Should we talk to him?”

Sal shrugged. “Give him fifteen minutes. He’ll come back for snacks.”

Todd held up the sour gummies while opening them. “I’m hiding these until he calms down.”

Y/N sighed and flopped down onto the couch with an audible groan. “dawg i’m so confused, i feel like i just cheated in him.”

Sal finally looked up, his voice quiet and honest. “Ew me too, but at least its out in the open.”

Y/N gave him a small smile. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

Todd smirked to himself. “About time.”

[antianakin]

See, the other thing to keep in mind is that attachment doesn't mean love at all, not in a positive way, at least.

The word attachment, as it is used in Star Wars, means a greedy, toxic obsession with something. It doesn't actually have to be a person, either, it can be a place, an object, or even just an idea. Attachment is an unwillingness to accept CHANGE. It's a desire to hold on to something exactly as it is because you believe it will make you feel good. It's also in some ways a fear of loss, as well, a fear that that loss will cause you pain and a belief that holding onto the thing as hard as you can will keep you from feeling that pain.

Letting go of attachments isn't a good thing because the Jedi happen to be psychic space wizards with abilities that have the potential to be dangerous and so they have to limit the things they do in order to avoid being dangerous as much as possible. Letting go of attachments is a good thing for LITERALLY EVERYBODY because it is, quite simply, the healthy way to have relationships with anything in your life. People leave, homes get destroyed, objects can be lost, and ideas can be changed as you grow and learn more about the world. The only guarantee that anybody has in this world is that things change, and that can be scary, for sure, but you have to be able to accept that or you'll always be miserable.

A lot of people find ways to explain away the Jedi's rules by saying "well they're Jedi, so things are just different for them" without realizing that the whole point of the Jedi is that they're intended to be examples of the best possible way to live your life, both in universe and out of it. The Jedi's entire culture is based on good mental health practices, things that they do try to help teach everyone they meet if they can, but it's also things that you as the viewer are perfectly able to learn from them, too. Anakin is a cautionary tale of someone who chooses selfish greed over selfless compassion, someone who can't let go and accept change. And so it stands to reason then that if Anakin is the cautionary tale, then the Jedi are the opposite. They are what Anakin was MEANT to be, which means you as the viewer should be able to look at them as an example of what YOU can be, too.

The rule about attachment isn't just about keeping your powers in check. The Jedi have years of specialized training to keep their powers in check. The rule about attachment is there because literally EVERYBODY should be doing this as a general rule of thumb. Anybody can cause someone harm by being too attached to something. Anakin's attachments destroy an entire galaxy in order to make a really obvious point, but there are plenty of other ways your own attachments to people, places, things, or ideas might be causing you or someone else harm.

It's not "great power comes with great responsibility," it's "being a person living in the world automatically comes with a responsibility to yourself and the people around you." If you try to look at this as just a thing the Jedi have to do because they have magical powers, then you've kind-of missed the whole message behind Anakin's fall and the Jedi's destruction. You can look at Anakin and go "Well, but that wouldn't happen to ME because I don't have magic powers" as opposed to recognizing that this can still absolutely happen to you even if the consequences are smaller and so you still need to learn the lesson that Anakin couldn't in order to live a happier, healthier life.

The attachment rule arguably has nothing to do with relationships specifically, it's just the place where Anakin tends to struggle the most (although I'd argue he also struggles with attachments to his own IDEAS of how the world works, as well, but that one's a little less obvious) and so that's what people tend to focus on.

The Jedi do also seem to have rules about their members getting married and having kids, but that's more of an issue with COMMITMENT to the work the Jedi do and not an issue of attachment, so that's a completely separate conversation.

I was listening to a star wars podcast that mentioned the no attachments rule and I was once again reminded that people have a very odd interpretation of that rule. that interpretation being that jedi condemned love as something bad that should be avoided at all costs. whereas I've always understood it as a kind of 'necessary evil' precaution.

let's look at a more mundane analogy like speed limits. I know this sounds ridiculous right off the bat but bear with me here. does driving inherently mean you have the potential to be dangerous to those around you? yes, it does. if you hit someone with a car, you're more likely to hurt or kill them. it's a privilege that should be used with caution. okay are there people out there who drive responsibly and aren't likely to hurt anyone even at high speeds? sure, tons of them. probably even the majority because they learn all these rules and pass a driving test and all that. does that mean that we should allow everyone to drive as fast as they want? no, it doesn't. because there are people that are irresponsible or don't exercise enough caution and even one of them can deal severe irreparable damage if they're allowed to drive at high speeds. so can people exist normally without driving above the speed limit? sure, they can still get to their destination just fine.

are we sensing the pattern here? high speed driving itself isn't the villain, it's not inherently bad. but knowing there are people out there who might do it irresponsibly and will deal real bad damage when they do and the fact that we can't predict who these people are and apply the rules to them selectively means that it's safer for everyone if there's one universal rule which doesn't ban driving altogether but just limits it for the sake of avoiding future accidents.

okay, now let's apply that to the Force, only we multiply everything thousandfold.

does being Force-sensitive inherently mean you have the potential to be dangerous to those around you? yes, it does. a person with a car can do a lot of damage but nowhere near what we've seen a single dark side user like Palpatine or Vader do. same thing here, being able to use the Force is a privilege that should be used with caution. are there people out there who use the Force responsibly and aren't likely to hurt anyone even when they allow themselves to have specific relationships (like spouses, children, etc.)? sure. probbaly the majority of the Jedi order because they're taught all this philosophy about how they should use their power, it's this really nice set of teachings about love, selflessness and managing your emotions.

now...

does that mean that we should allow every force user to have specific relationships? no, it doesn't. because there are people that are irresponsible or don't exercise enough caution and even one of them can deal severe irreparable damage if they're allowed to be reckless with their relationships (I didn't even need to reword this part). so can people exist normally without specific relationships? sure, they can still form deep loving connections and have their emotional needs met, in fact the jedi are explicitly shown to encourage community and cooperation, their whole social structure is very akin to one big family. masters and padawans being clear examples of the order's version of parent child relationships, your crechemates being like siblings to you, etc.

so no, the no attachments rule isn't implying that all forms of love are inherently bad or dangerous. what it is, in my mind, is just the result of a long history where the jedi realized that some behaviors can lead to disastrous consequences if left unchecked. my guess is that there must have been many jedi who fell to the dark side because of attachment i.e. obsession so the most natural thing to do if you're an institution tasked with the responsibility of teaching Force users how to use their power responsibly is to make a rule for these behaviors and I don't understand why this is so offensive to people.

it's not that different from analyzing a bunch of car accidents, identifying a pattern (high speed), deciding that you can do away with that without seriously harming anyone and establishing a rule to minimize the chance of future accidents.

and yes, these kinds of rules require some sacrifice. taking longer to get to your destination sucks but you make that sacrifice to keep the people around you safe. and of course having to be careful about your relationships and avoiding some types of relationships is a much bigger sacrifice but as we already said, so is the danger that one dark side user poses in comparison to one reckless driver.

great power comes with great responsibility and this applies to Force users to an extreme extent. yes, personal sacrifice and selflessness at that scale are extremely difficult to comprehend for most of us but so is the power that comes with being able to wield the Force. it's much easier to 'deconstruct' that idea and say it was wrong and corrupted to begin with without bothering to try and imagine what the implications of such a power are and it's sad to see that this is the route most people take when looking at the jedi.

[edawgz]

ᝰ.ᐟ THE MAN AT THE MARKET

𖦹ׂ ₊˚⊹⋆ bucky barnes x fem. reader. ~1.5k words. relearn me ch 1.

❚ ❙ ❘ angst, comfort, war mentions, fluff, beginning of a relationship, slow burn.

: ̗̀➛ He came for apples. You offered a conversation... In a quiet corner of the city’s weekend market, you meet a man who watches the world like it might break beneath his touch. He doesn’t say much -- doesn’t seem to know how -- but something about him keeps pulling you back. You weren’t looking for anything. Neither was he.

| masterlist. | marvel masterlist. | relearn me main. | relearn me ch 2. |

The first time you saw him, he was hovering in front of the apples like they were ticking bombs.

It was early, mist still clinging to the corners of the stalls, the sky a hesitant shade of gray that threatened rain without committing. You were thumbing through the day’s bread selection when you noticed him -- tall, broad, hands stuffed deep in his jacket pockets, shoulders stiff as rebar. Something about him seemed off, but not in a dangerous way. He looked like a soldier who’d wandered onto a movie set for something too gentle.

You watched him hesitate over the produce crates, eyes flickering over Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, as if he didn’t trust any of them not to betray him. His hair, half-tucked beneath a dark cap, was longer than you expected for a man who stood like that. Military, maybe.. or ex-military. He didn’t reach for anything, didn’t even shift his weight... he just stood there, staring like the apples were going to move first.

You turned back to your bread, tucked a sourdough under your arm, and thought that was the end of it.

But when you circled toward the flower stall, you found him still there completely unchanged. And before you could talk yourself out of it, your feet made the choice for you.

"Fuji’s the safest bet," you said, voice casual as you stepped beside him. "Crisp, not too sweet. Good for slicing or baking."

He blinked slowly. It was like he hadn’t expected to be spoken to. His jaw tensed, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes.

"I-... " he started, then stopped. He looked down at the crate, then back at you. “I don’t know the difference.”

You offered a small shrug with a bit of a smile. “Most people fake it. You’re already ahead by admitting it.”

Something softened just a touch in his posture. It wasn't relaxed, exactly, but it softened in the way someone might ease their grip on a trigger.

“You cook a lot?” he asked.

You held up your bread. “Enough to know that bad apples make terrible impressions.”

A pause. Then -- just barely -- his mouth curved into something that was not quite a smile, but more of a twitch of acknowledgment like he was someone remembering how to smile.

“Fuji, then.” He reached for one with his left hand. You immediately noticed the singular glove.. it was thin, well-worn leather, and ultimately a strange choice for spring. Still, you didn’t comment.

He held the apple like it might bite. You took a step back, sensing he’d had about enough interaction for the day.

“Hope it’s the right kind,” he said quietly.

You gave him a small smile as you turned. “You’ll know next week if you come back for more.” You said, it was a bit of a teasing statement because you didn’t expect to see him again, but you made sure that playfulness was hidden beneath her tone.

The market was routine for you on Saturday mornings.. the rhythm of bread, flowers, and something sweet you didn’t need but always bought anyway. You had your vendors, your usuals, your spot on the corner bench where you sipped lukewarm coffee and watched the neighborhood unfurl.

But he showed up again. Two weeks later. Same time, different jacket. Same wary eyes. This time, he stood near the pastries.

You passed by him with a nod. He didn’t return it, but his gaze flicked toward you and stayed there half a second too long. That was enough.

You bought your bread. Your flowers. Your unnecessary sweet. And then, impulsively, you doubled back. He was still there, staring down a tray of danishes like they might ask for his résumé.

"Strawberry’s good," you said, stepping up next to him as you forced yourself not to grab another sweet.

His head turned slightly. “I remember your voice.”

You smiled and raised your eyebrows, “That’s not creepy at all.”

He didn’t apologize. Just studied you like you’d surprised him by staying human.

“I didn’t think you’d talk to me again,” he admitted.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” you replied, before gently continuing “Besides, you looked like you could use a second chance at the apple aisle.”

This time, he really did smile. It was a slight slip in the cold demeanor, but ti was real.

You bought the strawberry danish and handed it to him without giving him time to protest.

“Next time,” you said, “you get the coffee.”

He stared down at the paper-wrapped pastry in his hands like it had been handed to him in another language.

The third time you saw him, it was raining.

Not heavily but just enough to soak through your cuffs and make the world smell like wet concrete and dirt. He was standing beneath the awning of a nearby shop, not at the market this time. You almost passed him, umbrella tilted just enough to obscure your view, but something about his stance caught your eye.

He wasn’t watching the rain... he was watching people. His gaze held a kind of quiet and vigilant weight to it.

You debated whether or not to stop. Maybe you’d imagined the comfort of the last exchange. Maybe he’d pulled back. Maybe that was all it was—three odd, disconnected moments in the middle of busy city noise.

But then his eyes met yours. And it was like something clicked into place that neither of you had the words for.

You stepped under the awning beside him. The rain tapped out a steady rhythm over your heads.

He didn’t look at you when he spoke. “Wasn’t sure you’d show up today.”

“I could say the same.” You smiled while shaking off your umbrella cautiously so you didn't douse him -- or yourself -- in the rain you were so diligently avoiding.

“I don’t like rain.” He grumbled with a slight shrug.

“Because it’s wet?”

He huffed out something like a laugh. “Because it reminds me.”

You nodded once, even though you were beyond curious.. you didn’t ask what it reminded him of because he didn’t offer. There was a stillness between you, but not an uncomfortable one. It was like you were both waiting for something to arrive without knowing what.

“I’m Bucky,” he said eventually, quiet enough you almost missed it beneath the pounding of the rain.

You turned slightly to face him, head tilting a bit so your eyes could meet his from beneath the bill of his cap. “Nice to meet you, Bucky.”

He looked down and his mouth twitched. “Yeah. You too.”

After that, it became a pattern.

He’d show up at the market -- sometimes earlier than you, sometimes after -- but he never hovered as long, never stared quite as hard. He asked more questions.. about jam, about how to tell if a tomato was ripe, about whether fresh thyme was worth the trouble. You started to walk the stalls together, not close enough to brush shoulders, but not too far, either.

He didn’t talk much about himself, but he listened. And when he asked things, they were careful, specific, and showed the interest of a man who was genuinely interested.

You learned his coffee order by accident when you brought him one and he said, “This is exactly right.”

You never asked what he did for work. He never asked what kept you up at night. That was the unspoken rule between you.. surface details and soft things only, nothing that risked collapse.

Until the day you forgot the rule.

You were sitting on the edge of the market fountain, sipping your coffee, when you gently asked, “Were you in the military?”

He froze, it wasn't a dramatic movie-worthy freeze, just a tiny stilling of the hand that held his cup and a subtle shifting of weight like he was bracing for something.

“Yes.”

You waited, letting the silence stretch like thread between you.

“Do you miss it?” you asked.

He didn’t answer.

You thought maybe that would be the last time you would see him. But two weeks later, you came to the market early. The sky was bright for once, clear and bluer than usual. You bought your bread. Your flowers. Your unnecessary sweet. And you waited.

And he came.

He didn’t speak right away. Just stood beside you in the bread line. Finally, without looking at you, he said, “I don’t miss it. But sometimes I miss who I was supposed to be.”

You turned toward him slowly, you weren't expecting an answer two weeks later... but you were happy that he was willing to share one regardless.

He added, softer, “Before everything.”

The air between you changed. It didn't become charged, but honest.

“I don’t know who that version is,” he said. “Or if he ever existed.”

You didn’t pretend to have answers. You just said, “Maybe you get to relearn him. One piece at a time.”

He looked at you then -- really looked -- and for the first time, he nodded. Not like someone agreeing, but like someone accepting the possibility.

[thepinkpanther83]

Grease And Honey (Pt.2 Morning Regular)

Chapter Two: “Morning Regular”

Eddie Munson x Female Reader

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Previous Chapter: Chapter One: "New Girl, Same Grind" Next Chapter: Chapter Three: “Check Engine Light”

Click "Keep Reading" below the cut to read. 😘

Chapter Two: “Morning Regular”

It started with the bell.

Again.

And again.

And again.

You weren’t even surprised the third time Eddie walked in that week. By then, you had his order memorized… black coffee, nothing fancy, just “hot and bitter, like my last relationship,” he’d said the second time, shooting you a crooked grin that had you biting back a smirk of your own.

The first day, sure. You’d chalked that up to curiosity.

The second? Maybe convenience. The garage was only a block away, after all.

But by the fourth morning in a row?

You knew damn well he was showing up for reasons that had very little to do with the bean juice.

He usually didn’t stay long. Just enough time to hover near the counter, ask how your morning was going, make some quip about the music you were playing (“This is either a really depressing breakup playlist or you’ve got deep taste, New Girl”), and toss a crumpled bill into the tip jar without ever looking down to see how much he’d given.

Callie noticed it too.

“That’s like… a twenty,” she whispered once behind the pastry display as Eddie took his usual window seat, one table away from Lorraine’s spy perch, because of course it was.

“Don’t look at it,” you whispered back. “If he sees us reacting, he’ll start putting weird stuff in there just to mess with us. Like a bottle cap. Or a condom.”

Callie stared at you. “Why does that sound exactly like something he’d do?”

You didn’t answer.

Because you were too busy watching him pretend not to watch you.

He’d bring a newspaper or a greasy notebook some days, scrawling something that looked halfway between invoices and lyrics. Sometimes he’d just sit with one ankle propped on his opposite knee, one hand loosely wrapped around his mug, eyes skimming the shop like he was absorbing the walls.

But when you passed by? When you laughed with a customer? When you reached up to adjust the chalkboard or wiped your fingers on your apron?

That’s when his gaze found you.

And lingered.

Just a little too long.

Somewhere around the sixth visit, you stopped pretending it was a coincidence.

He always came in around 9:15. Just after the early rush, just before the moms with strollers and screaming toddlers took over the seating area. Always alone. Always with a new line ready, something stupid, something funny, something that always made you smile even when you didn’t want to.

“This place smells like nutmeg and capitalism,” he said once, sniffing dramatically as he walked in.

You’d glanced up from wiping the espresso machine. “I could say the same about you.”

He’d barked a laugh at that, slid a five into the tip jar, and said, “Keep talkin’ to me like that and I’ll start thinkin’ we’re in love.”

Another time, it was: “Y’know, the longer I drink this coffee, the more I realize I might be in a committed relationship. It’s bitter. It’s complicated. But I keep coming back.”

You tried not to laugh.

You tried not to like him.

But it wasn’t just the sarcasm. Or the grin. Or the way he always left his sunglasses tucked into his collar like he couldn’t decide if he was coming or going.

It was the way he watched you.

Not with that lazy, lustful stare men usually offered when they wanted something they didn’t plan to stick around for, but with real interest. Like you were a puzzle he was still figuring out. Like he wanted to ask you questions he hadn’t decided how to phrase yet.

You found yourself noticing things.

He read, always brought a different book, spine cracked and filled with notes in the margins. His pen was always in his front shirt pocket. You caught him scribbling once and teased, “Writing your manifesto?”

He deadpanned, “Grocery list. But I’ll be sure to include ‘overthrow the government’ just for flavor.”

He lingered longer each day. Some mornings he stayed through the lull. Others he came back after lunch for a second cup and no real excuse. He started asking about your routine. Your favorite tea (you told him), your least favorite customer (you didn’t tell him, but you looked at Lorraine, which got a snort out of him), your taste in music, your childhood dog’s name. He made you laugh. A lot. And he didn’t hide the way he watched you when you did.

Once, you caught him just… sitting there. Mug in hand. Elbow on the table. Chin resting on the backs of his fingers. Watching you sweep the front mat.

“What?” you’d asked, feeling your cheeks warm.

He shrugged. “You clean like you’re mad at the floor. It’s cute.”

You rolled your eyes and turned away before he could see your smile.

You tried, really, tried, not to fall for the charm. But damn it, he was sneaky about it. Funny, yes. Sarcastic, always. But smarter than he pretended to be. You started noticing how quick he was to pick up details, how fast he responded when you mentioned something in passing, your favorite honey blend, the indie band you used to road trip to. Two days later, he showed up wearing their faded logo across his chest like it’d always been there.

You didn’t ask if he’d bought it just to impress you.

You didn’t have to.

Callie caught you watching him once, chin resting in your hand, stirring your tea with lazy circles as he chatted with a biker at the next table.

“You’re toast,” she said simply.

You snapped upright. “Am not.”

She raised a brow and dropped a cinnamon scone in front of you. “I’ve worked here long enough to spot the smitten. Just don’t get too gooey too fast. Hot mechanics have danger written all over them.”

You bit into the scone to avoid answering.

Later that afternoon, Eddie came back for his second coffee. He claimed he “forgot to get something strong enough to survive paperwork,” but you noticed the way he lingered, leaned on the counter like he belonged there, watching the way the light filtered in through the front windows.

“Black coffee and black hearts,” he muttered, eyeing the chalkboard.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing,” he smirked. “Just naming our future band.”

You blinked. “Who said we’re starting a band?”

“I did. You’re the moody frontwoman. I’m the guy who writes all the lyrics and dies mysteriously in a tour bus fire.”

You laughed into your sleeve, shaking your head.

“You’re so weird,” you said.

“I’ve been called worse,” he replied, handing you a ten for a two-dollar coffee. “Keep the change, frontwoman.”

And yeah, maybe your heart fluttered a little as he walked away.

You tried to keep your guard up.

You really did.

But the problem with Eddie Munson wasn’t that he was charming, it was that he was accidentally charming. Offhandedly kind. Casually thoughtful. Like he didn’t even notice he was doing it.

It started small.

One morning, you were mid-rant about the supply order being wrong again, two cases of oat milk and not a single box of chai concentrate, when he walked in, raised one eyebrow, and handed you a to-go cup of tea from the gas station up the block.

“Not as fancy as what you make, but I figured if I heard ‘oat milk’ one more time I might stab myself in the thigh.”

You blinked at the cup. Then at him. “You bought me tea?”

He shrugged. “You sounded like you needed it.”

Didn’t even stay that day. Just tipped his invisible hat like a dork and walked out.

Another time, you were helping a customer with a stroller and didn’t notice the little kid’s blanket had fallen behind them. You didn’t even see Eddie outside. But five minutes later, the door opened and he held it out, folded and dirt-dusted.

“Lil dude dropped this. Figured you’d want to return it before it gets run over by the weird art teacher’s Volvo.”

Then there was the table.

Table Three had a wobble. Always had. You kept meaning to fix it, but it was one of those things you just stepped around. People complained, you apologized, they moved.

But one day, Eddie came in, sat there, leaned back, thunk thunk thunk, then disappeared for a few minutes.

Came back, sat down again.

No wobble.

You peeked under later and found a thin washer wedged perfectly under the short leg.

You didn’t say anything.

But you made sure to bring his next coffee in a really nice mug instead of a cheap one.

“Trying to seduce me with ceramics?” he asked, eyes twinkling.

You just smiled and went back to the register. “It’s on the house.”

And then… there was the door thing.

Every damn time, every time, a woman, an elderly man, a parent with a stroller was within a ten-foot radius of the front entrance, Eddie was there, stepping back, pulling it open, nodding them through like it was just… normal. Like that’s how men are supposed to behave. Not flashy, not performative. Just natural.

Callie saw it too.

“He’s either got the soul of a Southern gentleman or he’s angling for a free sandwich,” she whispered once as Eddie held the door open for a woman carrying three grocery bags and a baby on her hip.

You didn’t say it out loud, but you were pretty sure it was the first one.

Then, one slower morning, as you wiped down the window ledge and he stood at his usual corner table, stretching out a little like he’d just come off a double shift, you asked:

“What’s with the limp?”

He glanced up. “What, this ol’ thing?”

You nodded toward his knee. “You sometimes walk like you’ve either survived a war or forgot how legs work.”

He snorted, took a sip of coffee, then set it down.

“Motorcycle wreck,” he said. “Back in… ‘97, I think. Some asshole ran a red. Wrecked my bike, wrecked my knee, wrecked my summer.”

“Ouch,” you said, cringing slightly.

He shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Could’ve been worse. I still got both legs, and I didn’t die.”

You tilted your head. “You said motorcycle… was that the only injury?”

He grinned, wide and unapologetic. “Oh no. I also tore a ligament stage diving at a Corrosion of Conformity show in Chicago. Three years before that. Landed wrong. Ate shit, and busted my ass real good.”

You blinked. “You’ve injured the same knee twice?”

He held up two fingers and a smug smirk. “Double whammy. What can I say? I’ve always had commitment issues, with common sense.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled. “That explains a lot.”

He took another sip, watching you over the rim of his mug. “Yeah? Like what?”

You shrugged. “Like why you come in here occassionally limping and flirting instead of resting like a normal person.”

He grinned. “Nah, I’m not normal. I’m memorable.”

And the thing was?

He really was.

He left not long after that.

Drained his mug, flashed that familiar crooked grin, and said, “See ya tomorrow, maybe,” like it was casual, like it didn’t send a flutter through your chest every time he said it.

And then he was gone again.

The bell jingled. The door shut. The street swallowed him whole.

You stood behind the counter, hand wrapped around a lukewarm mug of honeyed tea you’d forgotten to drink, watching the last curl of his silhouette vanish past the window.

It was getting harder not to fall for it.

The charm. The wit. The way he looked at you like you were the only person in the room worth paying attention to.

He made you feel seen, not just looked at, but really seen. Like he was always studying you with that mechanic’s mind of his, figuring out how all your parts fit together and where the cracks were.

And God help you, you liked it.

You liked him.

You told yourself it was just flirting. Just harmless fun to pass the time in a sleepy town with too many gossip circles and not enough good coffee.

But it wasn’t just anything anymore.

It hadn’t been for weeks.

And maybe that was why Lorraine’s words kept echoing in the back of your mind like a leaky faucet you couldn’t quite tighten:

“He’s not the settling down type.”

You didn’t want to believe her. You didn’t want to let the fear crawl in and root itself under your ribs.

But it was there anyway. Just a little.

A question you couldn’t quite shake: Was this who he really was?

The town heartbreaker. The flirty mechanic with commitment issues and a smile he gave away too easily.

Or was he just… misunderstood?

Wounded, maybe. Still recovering from something no one had the right to explain on his behalf.

You didn’t know yet.

But you wanted to.

And that, more than anything, scared you.

Next Chapter: Chapter Three: “Check Engine Light”

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Masterlist

[slaaverin]

What makes me confused was why JK rarely walk side by side with Jimin, especially at the airports. I often see Jimin holding Jk’s shirt. Like in AYS. He said Jk walk fast so Jm had to hold his shirt or even his body, just to keep same pace as Jm.

At the Vietnam airport JK walk so fast without care meanwhile Jm walk far behind. JK always walk in front and sometimes far away. It seems he leaves Jm behind and doesnt care where he is. It makes me sad. also make me dont believe who claimed seeing Jk’s hand on Jimin’s waist in NY. JK very rarely touch Jm in public. Usually it’s the other way around. It makes Jimin seem very clingy towards Jk and him getting mock n more hate by the antis. Very contrary when Jk wlive with Jimin, always touchy towards Jm (esp. nape & caress his back).

I was thinking about BMP readings that said JK cant wait to let the world know that Jimin is his. That they commit in a relationship.

Now I’m sceptical because why Jk always walk so fast and didnt care that Jimin was left behind.

I’m sorry. Maybe it’s nothing but I’m just sad.

I can confirm: It's nothing.

Certainly not something to worry about or begin to doubt for such a small irrelevant detail.

Can we stop micro analyzing everything they do? I'm tired

In airport it makes sense they would be a bit careful.

Honestly this doesn't mean anything

How can you say that when jk has spent the entire time with JM right after MS and devoted whole trips to him

Are we 5?

This is a discourse I really didn't expect to pop up I'm baffled

[menlove]

What about this India theory? They were fucking somewhat regularly but they never talked about it, they were never romantic and affectionate, and/or they had no rules or commitment with it. John, with his abandonment issues and angry-clingy disorganized attachment style, nudges things in that direction. Paul, with his borderline psychotic level avoidant attachment style and his terror of being controlled, tried his best to react well but ultimately doesn't reach the bar John was looking for. John takes this as abandonment and he's pissed but he knows he's being irrational so he tries (over multiple escalating "abandonments" like their trip to NY in May etc) to force himself to be reasonable but he ultimately can't. So he brings Yoko in as a threat to Paul/to show Paul he doesn't need him for anything, even creative partnership. Meanwhile, Paul spends the next two years oscillating between trying to prove to John that what they had, sex and partnership and ultimately being each other's number-one without defining the relationship, was good and can still be good -- and just as often giving in to his fear that John is going to leave him over this because he knows how all-or-nothing John can get and he needs to be prepared for that eventuality so he desperately looks for a wife.

see this I'll buy. right along the same lines w how I envision things honestly & how they both react to shit. I don't know how much I'd hinge on india itself but I do think like Narratively it's a good spot for things to happen so it's interesting to think about. but I could totally buy that and Especially if it's not a full actual conversation. because paul has expressed he really doesn't know what happened and that there were never any blow out fights which. ofc he could be lying about but seems to ring true. so I could see this & the conversation itself is like. so lowkey that he's leaving it anxious but ultimately sure it'll go back to normal and johns leaving it like "and if I fucking killed myself what then" like 💀

[montywithchildhoodtrauma]

I suppose its been a while since I've forced my SAMS incorrect quotes upon you all...

Except this is all NovaFrost because I can and will die for them.

Nova: Fight me!

Frost: *gets on one knee and pulls out a ring*

Frost: Fight me for the rest of our lives.

.

Nova: That was so hot, Frost.

Frost: I literally called the person who just flirted with you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.

Nova: I'm so in love with you.

.

Nova: What are you planning to do?

Frost: Hey, now. "Planning"?! Do you KNOW who you're talking to?!

.

Nova: Thought I was meowing back at my cat for the past hour, but it was just me and Frost meowing at each other from different rooms in the house.

.

Nova: Just be careful, Frost!

Frost: *heading out the door* I'm always careful, Nova!

Frost: It's everything around me that's careless.

.

Frost: What's two plus two?

Nova: Math.

Frost: ...I will accept that answer.

.

Nova: Remember that time you dared me to lick a swingset?

Frost: No, I said, "Nova, don't lick that swingset," and you said, "Don't tell me what to do," and licked the swingset.

.

Nova, texting Frost: Text me when you’re home safely.

Frost: I’m home dangerously.

Nova: Stop it.

Frost: I’m home lethally.

.

Nova: Are you ready to commit?

Frost: Like, a crime or a relationship?

.

Nova: Is something burning?

Frost, leaning seductively on the counter: Just my desire for you.

Nova: Frost, the toaster is literally on fire.

.

Nova: How do I tell Frost that I want them to yell at me like they're Gordon Ramsay and I'm a poor little chef who just ruined a crème brûlée?

.

Frost: Did you know spiders can hold 8 guns at once?

Nova: How does it WALK??

Frost:

Frost: Did you know spiders can hold 7 guns at once?

.

Nova: *Holding up a pack of pencils* These are kinda cute.

Frost: Nova, that’s gay.

Nova: We’ve been dating for 2 years—

.

Nova: Cause your pretty and your smart, and your ignoring me so your obviously my type.

Frost, who was distracted: I'm sorry- what were you saying?

Nova: Perfect.

.

Nova: I’m in love with you.

Frost: We called off the prank war last night at midnight, dork.

Nova: I know.

Frost: Ah. Okay. Um. Cool. Neat. Very cool. Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcool-

.

Frost: You look mentally ill.

Nova: I am. Let’s go.

.

Nova: Oh, my God. Do you know what this is?

Frost: It’s a book. There’s a lot of those in here. This is a library.

.

Nova: You got a date yet, Frosty?

Frost: No...

Nova: Well, you do now! Get your butt up and hold my hand!

.

Nova: Ha! Don't you know the trappers trap can trap the trapper?

Nova: I must be losing it, I'm quoting Frost.

.

Frost: Do you take constructive criticism?

Nova: Not without crying

.

Nova: I love you.

Frost, not paying attention: What was that?

Nova: I said I’m selling you to the zOo-

.

Nova: Frost, do you love me?

Frost: Of course I do!

Nova: Would you still love me if I did something bad?

Frost: Well, of course I… would…

Nova: I mean something really, really—

Frost: Nova, what did you do?

.

Nova: I want to be with you for the rest of my life.

Frost: Damn, that sounds like a marriage proposal.

Nova, getting down on one knee: That's 'cause it is.

.

Nova: Crushes are the worst. Whenever I’m near mine, I start acting stupid.

Frost: You always act stupid.

Frost:

Frost: Wait...

.

Nova: Shouldn't get stressed out, it's not good for the baby.

Frost: What baby?

Nova, crying a bit: Me.

.

Frost: Hey there demons, It's me, ya boi.

Nova: Frost, NO!

.

Nova: Keep it running. *Tosses keys over shoulder into empty parking lot.*

.

Nova, on the phone: What’s up, Frost?

Frost: I’m sitting in a pool of blood.

Nova: …Um, is it YOUR blood?

Frost: I think so.

Nova: Do you know where the blood’s coming from?

Frost: Probably the stab wound.

Nova: YOU’VE BEEN STABBED?!

Frost: Oh, yeah, definitely.

.

Nova: Remember, when burying a body, make sure to cover it with endangered plants so it’s illegal to dig up!

Nova: Make sure to follow me for more gardening tips!

.

Frost: *shatters a window and climbs through it*

Frost: *turns around and helps Nova through it* Breaking and entering is wrong Nova.

Nova: Okay.

.

Frost: Why are you burning our marriage certificate!?

Nova: Good luck trying to return me without a receipt.

.

Nova: *sharpens knife* We've got ways of making people talk.

Nova: *cuts piece of cake*

Frost: ...Can I have some?

Nova: Cake is for talkers.

.

Frost: So I can either do something dumb that could very well get me injured or I can listen to Nova and not do the thing,

Frost: Well there’s a clear right answer here.

Frost: *proceeds to throw five packs of mentos into a barrel full of diet coke*

.

*Bullying Prevention Day at school*

Teacher: Frost, what would you do if one of your classmates viciously teased you again and again?

Frost: Oh, that’s easy. I’d take a pencil out of my pencil case—

Teacher: To write something to your teacher?

Frost: —make sure that it’s really sharp, and ram it into their eye at full tilt! My mom always says the pencil is mightier than the sword because they can’t outlaw bringing pencils to school!

Teacher: *internal screaming*

.

Nova, cowering in fear: What do you want from me?!

Frost, standing in front of Nova: *bites into the whole KitKat bar like a heathen*

Nova, crying: Please...stop...

.

Nova, holding an antique bottle: Is this whiskey or perfume?

Frost: *grabs and chugs the entire bottle*

Frost:

Frost: It's perfume.

.

Frost: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.

Nova: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to their knees and sob while apologizing profusely*

Frost: That one. I want that one.

.

Frost: *dangling from a rope over a pit of fire* Remember when I said I’d tell you when we’re in too deep?

Nova: Yes?

Frost: We’re in too deep.

.

Nova: Hey, wanna hear a funny joke?

Frost: I only like dark humor.

Nova, turning the lights off: What do you call a fake noodle?

Frost:

Nova & Frost: An IMPASTA!

.

Nova: Can you recommend a book that'll make me cry?

Frost: General Mathematics 8th Grade Edition.

.

Frost, sweating: Nova, there’s something I need to ask you-

Nova: Finally! You’re proposing!

Frost: How’d you know?

Nova: Frost, you’ve dropped the ring five times during dinner.

Nova: I even picked it up once.

.

Frost: BE A BETTER PERSON!

Nova: WHY?!

Frost: BECAUSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE MORALS IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, AND IT SURE AS FUCK AIN'T GONNA BE ME, SWEETHEART!

.

Frost: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down.

.

Nova: What happened?!

Frost: Do you want the long version or the short version?

Nova: Sh-short??

Frost: Shit's fucked.

Nova: Okay, long.

Frost: Shit's very fucked.

.

Nova: Can I have some?

Frost, mouth full of cheesecake: It's really spicy, you wouldn't like it.

.

Frost: *gets set on fire and screams in agony*

Frost: Nah, I’m just kidding. Fire does nothing to me.

.

Frost, singing: ~Hush, little laptop, don’t you cry.~

Frost: ~I'm gonna find you some more Wi-Fi.~

Frost: ~And if that Wi-Fi doesn’t work…~

Frost: ~I will destroy the fucking Earth.~

.

Frost: Nova and I are no longer friends.

Nova: FROST THAT IS THE WORST WAY TO TELL PEOPLE THAT WE’RE DATING!

.

Nova: My level of gay has reached “sighing deeply whenever anything extremely heterosexual happens near me”.

.

Frost: Nova, can you help me? All of my clothes keep disappearing for some reason.

Nova, wearing a hoodie that's 5 times bigger than their size: Spooky.

.

Nova: I only have two emotions: exhaustion and stress. And I’m somehow always feeling both simultaneously.

.

Frost: I love the term 'partners'. Are we dating? Are we robbing a bank? Are we the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies and are members of an elite squad known as the special victims unit? Who knows.

.

Nova: I have a new hoodie.

Frost: Wrong.

Frost: We have a new hoodie.

.

Nova: Are we fighting or flirting?

Frost: I'm pinning you against a wall with my hand around your neck-

Nova: Your point?

Frost:

Frost: Flirting.

.

Nova: Baby vibes... hold gentle... like hamburger.

Frost: Punt like footb- Baby vibes... hold gentle... like hamburger.

.

Frost: The stars are so beautiful...

Nova: They're just giant balls of gas.

Frost: You know what, if you're just going to ruin this, then-

Nova: And yet none of them are as huge as my love for you.

Frost: Oh...

.

Frost: Working sucks.

Frost: I want to be a malewife where my only responsibilities are being sexy and cute.

.

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Sign of the Times - Carlos Sainz

<word count - 1652>

It had only been a week, yet it felt like a dragged out lifetime of pain and suffering. The time that you had spent apart from Carlos had been the worst hours of your living memory, yet it would be for the rest of your life. 

The two of you had broken up after a 4 year relationship that was filled with love and laughter. The split was allegedly amicable, well, that was what you told yourself to make you feel better. If you forced yourself to believe that you didn't want him anymore either, it would make this easier.

But it didn't.

You spent every last minute mourning the loss of the man who you were certain was the love of your life, and you still weren't convinced that he wasn't. You had had a few, short-term boyfriends in the past, but none of them even held a candle to Carlos.

Even when he was the busiest man on earth, whether it be due to race weekends, sponsorship obligations or personal commitments, he was always there. He was the perfect shoulder to cry on, the comfiest pair of arms to fall into, and the most beautiful face to think of before you went to bed every night.

There was something between the two of you that you felt could never be replicated with another partner, the fire seeming forever quashed. The flames had died out, and they couldn't bribe the doors to heaven on the way to the sky this time. Still, you had to try and push it all aside and live your life, even when there was half of it missing. 

Against your better judgement, you had decided to take Carlos' offer of attending one final grand prix as a final goodbye to the life of big cities and fast cars. Each second that ticked by of your journey was miserable, to say the least.

Normally, you'd be on the flight with Carlos to whatever fancy hotel the team had booked you into and ready for another weekend of adrenaline. That wasn't an option this time, it was more nostalgia with a bitter sweet sting. 

All of this was for the last time. You wouldn't be going to a race again, you wouldn't be stood in the garage again, you wouldn't be the girlfriend of the F1 superstar, Carlos Sainz, ever again. Well, you could attend races again, but that didn't mean you wanted to.

From the moment you touched down at the airport to the second you flopped down on your hotel bed, everything was a blur. You didn't quite know whether it was because you weren't concentrating, or because your eyes were hazed over with tears, or because of the humid Mexican heat. But, it wasn't clear either way. 

You decided not to go to practice and qualis, not wanting to look at Carlos unless he was driving for an hour and a half straight. That would give you time to slip away so that you didn't have to see him in person. That would make you sob and look like a wreck in front of everyone. 

You couldn't help but watch qualifying on the TV, and you hated the smile that tugged at your lips when you saw he was on pole. The pride that swelled in your chest was something that you wish you could push down and ignore, but that wasn't possible.

You saw that smile on his face as he went for his interview, and that glint in his eye that appeared when he was really happy with his performance. If things were as they should have been, you would have gone and kissed him senseless and told him how amazing he was, despite the fact that he already knew it.

He'd spend the night in bed, planning out every last race detail that he could to make it as successful as he could, and you would be fully content with just sitting there and watching his mind work. It was really brilliant to see Carlos do what he did best, and it just showed that he was made for it. 

"Why do you always just sit there and watch me?" he would ask each weekend, without fail.

"Because I like looking at you," would always be your response, and you always got the same reaction. He'd put his notes down and wrap an arm around your waist, tugging you into his lap so that he could kiss you until you couldn't breathe.

Just the thought of it made it feel like there was a hand squeezing your throat as tears welled up in your eyes. You turned the TV off, not even bothering to get changed as you tried to force yourself to go to sleep. 

Your pillowcase became wet with tears as you silently sobbed yourself into a fitful slumber, your mind forcing you to watch your favourite memories of Carlos while you were unconscious. Even in your sleep, you couldn't escape the evocations that haunted you like a ghost on halloween. 

Eventually, your alarm went off and you wasted no time in getting up and getting ready. The routine was numbing, but it gave you something to do. If your brain could focus on something else, then it wouldn't be thinking about Carlos. 

Giving yourself a once over in the mirror,  you saw your normal self. Your hair was immaculate as ever, your makeup was flawless and you were dressed in one of those pretty sundresses that Carlos had always loved. But, the spark was missing. The glow that you had was dimmed out, like when the clouds sat in front of the moon. 

At least clouds could blow over, and you were hoping that that could be the case for you. The gloom would eventually fizzle out and return to the brightness that you were used to. Then, you'd be able to carry on with your life and somehow get to be the best version of you, even when you were missing the best part of you. 

You arrived at the track early, taking the familiar path to the garage and sitting down at the back. A team member handing you a set of headphones, and you got comfortable for the long-haul. You could have gone and wandered around the pitlane and grid with celebrities and journalists, but you didn't want to be seen. 

Finally, all of the drivers were in their cars and you got to see the five red lights go out for one more time on race day. It was time for the final show. You'd been here before and it was what you knew, but it didn't make it any easier to endure. 

The time had passed by within a flash, and you didn't want it to be over. You wanted to stop the hands on the nearest clock just so that you could take it all in for one final time. It was true when they said that you don't realise what you have until it's gone, and it was really hitting home.

The life you were living was the life that dreams were made of, and you hadn't fully appreciated it until it was being ripped away from you. You wanted to dig your nails in and grip onto it harder, hold onto it for longer, claw it back for a minute more. 

The joy that everyone else felt when Carlos crossed the line in first place was palpable, but not reciprocated. As much as you wanted to leave and bid it a not so fond farewell, your feet stayed rooted to the spot as the team cleared out of the garage to parc ferme to greet Carlos when he parked up. 

On the screen, you watched as he leapt into their arms, fist punching at the air. You wanted so desperately to be happy for him, but your attempts at forcing such emotion were futile. All you felt was anguish. You realised that coming here wasn't delivering the closure that you thought it would, but it was too late. 

Someone in the team had dragged you out to the podium ceremony, unaware of the status between you and the Spaniard. You didn't want to be there, not in the slightest. Seeing him so happy while you were utterly miserable was a slap to the face. It was like he had taken a scalpel to the barely healed over wound, slicing it clean open again. You felt the familiar burn of tears pricking the backs of your eyes.

As the Spanish anthem played, his eyes scanned over the audience. For a brief moment, his eyes locked with yours and you knew that it would be the last time. You could tell that he had seen the tears as his expression softened, but that was all he gave you. Carlos could have been holding it together, but you knew him better than that. He didn't think you'd be there, that was all.

It really was a sign of the times, and your week of convincing yourself that this was amicable was now up. If you had the option, you'd take him back and never let go. Just as quickly as his eyes had met yours, they were on the other people in the crowd. 

It felt like you had meant nothing to him with the way that he was able to skim over you so easily after such a fresh breakup. The Italian anthem transitioned in, and the team was jumping and singing along on all of your sides. You would have joined them, but there was no point. You could have joined them, but there was no point. You should have joined them, but there was no point. 

The tears that you had been holding in all day ran down your cheeks like the droplets of champagne dripped down Carlos' face. You couldn't help but cry. He used to be yours. But he wasn't. Not anymore. 

A/N - I was so tempted to call this a 'Sain' of the Times but I thought that the joke didn't fit the story lolll. If you've reached this far, a reblog on this would be greatly appreciated, and so would a read on the mafia Charles series, which you can find here.

Also, I need some ideas since mine aren't hitting, so drop any that you have in my inbox! Love y'all 💖

|masterlist|

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Your favorite smut phanfics of all time?

Ah yes, you could say I’m quite the Connoisseur in this section. I do apologize that some may be repetitive. If anyone asks, I didn’t post this. Though I do think we should have a moment of silence for spring_haze.

Favorite recent smut fics:

a pair (ao3) - dipnpip

Summary: Dan fantasizes about the idea of becoming even more committed with Phil. It gets him a tad hot and bothered.

As He Comes, So I Come (ao3) - cloej88

Summary: Dan and Phil have just returned from Chicago, where they finally sorted themselves out. They’ve slept a full ten hours under their own roof, and now they have an uninterrupted afternoon to rediscover one another’s bodies.

get to heaven in our own sweet time (ao3) - jonsaremembers

Summary: Dan and Phil choose their costume for Halloween 2024. Yeah, it breaks the internet, but they only have eyes for each other.

Get Wrecked (ao3) - httphowell

Summary: Dan’s dreams have been haunted by a new version of Phil—blonde, bold, and unrelenting. When Phil refuses to stop asking about his dreams, Dan cracks, confessing every detail of how dream-Phil ruined him. Now, Phil is determined to see if he can make those dreams a reality.

in this smoking chaos (ao3) - writingcollective

Summary: Dan bottoms for the first time, not being able to shut down his inner demons that whisper internalised homophobic thoughts into his ear. But Phil guides him through it, somehow.

Incapacitated (ao3) - mermaidstailonmyface (louislittletomlintum)

Summary: the one where dan has a broken arm and needs help with washing his hair

Long distance loving (ao3) - harrysbabyboo

Summary: Dan’s on the American leg of the WE’RE ALL DOOMED TOUR and he and Phil have phone sex

make me feel (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan discovers a new use for his walk-in closet

our lips must always be sealed (ao3) - uhmyeah

Summary: dan and phil have silly tour sex

#tits out for #tit (ao3) - Merrydith

Summary: Phil is questioning his confidence, but when Dan suggests they try something new after a show, Phil flips the script and makes Dan see how confident he really is..

(A VERY dirty story, i am so so sorry)

Unbuttoned, Unbothered, Unstoppable (ao3) - httphowell

Summary: After their Terrible Influence Tour show, Dan and Phil return to their hotel room, where Phil, still buzzing with energy, lounges in a half-unbuttoned shirt, golden trousers, and a pair of ridiculous wolf ears. Dan wants to make fun of him, but instead, he finds himself staring, caught off guard by just how good Phil looks like that.

Inspired by that picture... yeah, you know what one I'm talking about (it's included if you don't know, come find out)

What If (ao3) - httphowell

Summary: Even though they’ve been together for over a decade, they still haven’t tied the knot. After reading lots of comments about wedding theories about them hiding their fingers, Dan suddenly craves the intimacy of pretending Phil is his husband for the night.

Favorite older smut fics:

A Different Kind of First Time (ao3) - adorkablephil (kimberly_a)

Summary: Phil has only ever had casual hook-ups in the past and so has never had sex without a condom. Now in a relationship with Dan, he experiences it for the first time.

After The Gig (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: aka the fic where dan and phil are lovers from rival bands in England in the 1980's and they cant get enough of each other after getting home from their gig

angel boy (ao3) - kae_karo

Summary: Aka the one where angel!Dan goes into a demon club looking for a bit of entertainment.

As You Please (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: In which Dan ruins the mood during sex. Except he doesn't.

Baby It's Cold Outside, But I'll Keep You Warm (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: It’s Dan’s first time and he’s nervous, but Phil comforts him.

Benefits (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: They never talked about it.

"It" being those nights where one or both of them just needed a release and they helped each other out.

Maybe they both secretly wished they were more than friends, but friendship did have its benefits.

can't help the itch to touch- to kiss. (ao3) - thescienceofphan

Summary: Phil is Deaf and Dan sleeps around a lot. So when people see them together, they worry about Phil’s emotional well being and shame on Dan for preying on a deaf boy, but it’s not like that. Not at all.

(or an AU where deaf!phil and playboy!dan are best friends and people think they’re dating)

Cast a Spell on You (ao3) - yellowlampshade

Summary: Hogwarts graduates Dan and Phil have been dating for three years, and that's fine with Dan except for one thing: they've never done anything sexual together. Dan thinks that maybe wearing Phil's jumper with some lace panties could change that.

(Hint: he's right.)

Choking On Your Alibi (ao3) - zinther

Summary: When Dan had first responded to a stranger’s roommate ad, he figured they’d be like acquaintances living together; simply exchanging pleasantries now and then. However as it happens they had quickly become good friends. But what will happen when Dan walks in on Phil hooking up with another guy?

Christmas Can’t Be Cancelled - jilliancares

Summary: Dan’s boarding school doesn’t allow the students to celebrate Christmas, so when they’re locked in their rooms for the day, Phil Lester makes sure to get locked in Dan’s room instead of his own.

Diary - i-love-phan-and-butts

Summary: Dan and Phil are playing his and seek when Phil hides in Dan’s closet and finds a load of sex toys and possibly a sex diary of dreams he’s had about Phil and Phil confronts Dan about it.

Don't Be Shy Love (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: Dan walks in on Phil in the shower

Dress Me Up & Watch Me Go (ao3) - phandomsub

Summary: Dan is sick of Phil's grumpy mood, so he takes matters into his own hands by pulling out a pair of pretty rompers.

Duality (ao3) - melapplesphan

Summary: During the filming of their 2018 Easter baking video, Phil finds that he can’t stop staring at Dan’s curls and wishing he was wearing his pastel outfit, so he asks Dan to put it on for him. Or, how Phil finally stumbles onto the main reason why he gets so turned on during the late nights he and Dan spend baking. In which Phil has a thing for Pastel Dan, running his fingers through Dan’s curls, and telling Dan he’s beautiful. Equal parts fluff and smut.

Fuck Away The Pain (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Phil’s boyfriend cheats on him leaving him a mix of sad, angry, and a million other unidentified emotions.

Luckily Dan was always there for him.

Give Me More (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Who knew a lazy morning full of fluff and cuddles could turn into edging and overstimulation so quickly.

Glass Depth Mood (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: 'I don't know you but we're wearing matching costumes at this Halloween party and your ass looks amazing in that costume'

Hearing You (ao3) - centroid (orphan_account)

Summary: They were laying on Phil’s couch, watching a movie. Maybe watching was a bad choice of words.

“You look so beautiful like this. Cheeks flushed, hair messed up, eyes blown. I love it.” Phil breathed, and Dan blushed more. A smile tugging at his lips, Dan brought his own to meet Phil’s once more in a single kiss.

‘I want you.’ Dan signed with a seductive glint in his eye.

“You look so pretty, sprawled out for me. Do you know how sexy you look?”

“Ah- Phil”

I can't get enough of you (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Phil wakes up feeling extremely sexually frustrated and no matter how much he gets off it isn't enough.

Luckily Dan was more than willing to be Phil's human sex toy.

I love him (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Phil had hidden who he really was for such a long time that he was scared of people knowing the truth.

Luckily Dan comes into his life, making him feel safe and so extremely happy.

Dan makes Phil feel less scared to be himself, and he finally feels comfortable and ready to come out and show the real side of him.

No more fear, no more secrets, no more hiding.

If I’m a Saint, Then Your Heaven - botanistlester

Summary: Phil is less than excited to start his Sex in the Bible course, but he can't bring himself to regret it when he meets a gorgeous angel dressed in all pink by the name of Dan.

In a Strange Room With a New Last Name (ao3) - yellowlampshade

Summary: The first thing Dan did after accepting the proposal was write to Chris.

Just days after turning eighteen, Dan is forced by his parents to accept a marriage proposal from an Alpha he's never met.

“Daniel? Daniel, wait, you don’t have to…” Philip was behind him, his hand on Dan’s to stop him from undressing, and he couldn’t be numb anymore. Every feeling hit him at once and suddenly he was crying and couldn’t stop. He brought his hands to his face to muffle his sobs, and this wasn’t how this was supposed to happen, it was so much better when he felt nothing because now everything hurt. He missed his room and his friends and his brother and Chris and he was so afraid of this.

into your glow (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: “Me? I’m driving you crazy?” He pulls back and takes the beat to wrap his hands around Dan’s thighs, tug forcefully until Dan’s farther down the bed. “Do you even understand what you look like right now?”

Let Me Make It Up To You (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: aka a fic about after the 2012 incident and how Dan tries to apologise and make it up to Phil leading to beautiful smut of them making love to rekindle their love

Life in Death (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: Dan, the God of Death, and Phil, the God of Life, have sex. Except sometimes, embarrassing things happen while Dan has Phil's cock in his ass.

Look in the Mirror (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: As soon as Dan saw the mirrored ceiling in the back lounge of the tour bus, he knew he was in trouble.

Love me (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Dan is cute and he knows it, and he really wants his boyfriends attention. So he decides to annoy Phil until he gets what he wants.

Lovestruck (Be the One to Take Me Home and Show Me the Sun) (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: Dan has gone up north to visit Phil again. He meets and hangs out with some of Phil’s friends, before spending the some quality alone time with Phil back at his flat.

Only Fools Fall (ao3) - sinking_wthatship

Summary: Basically just awkward strangers Dan and Phil with lots of sexual tension but also emotional connection (sort of). SPOILER ALERT There is smut. And Tooth-rotting fluff. Lots of it.

Paper Cuts - jilliancares

Summary: Dan’s hands are covered in paper cuts, and masturbating has become entirely to difficult. Luckily Phil is there to help him.

Partner Project (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: aka the fic where dan and phil are partners for a uni class project and the project brings them together a little closer than just two class partners usually are.

Post-Tour Agenda (ao3) - blissedoutphil

Summary: They had lots of important things to do after the tour. Like sleep, for one. And sex. Also five months' worth of laundry. And what better way to decide who had to do laundry other than a sexy dan vs phil!

Quiet - cuddlephan

Summary: Cat stays at Dan and Phil’s, and Dan and Phil share a bed to make things easier but Dan wakes up with hard on/wet dream.

Sensations (ao3) - Misha_with_wings

Summary: Sure Dan and Phil usually kept their sex life fairly vanilla, but sometimes they’d play rough and Dan was a screamer and Phil loved taking control.

Sleepy Drawings - jilliancares

Summary: Dan is drowning is textbooks, and he can’t help it that he falls asleep in the library. Phil, an art major, can’t help it that he draws the sleeping boy, and neither of them can help the relationship that blooms.

Take it Slow (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: A fluffy and smutty oneshot about Dan and Phil’s first time.

The Locker Room (ao3) - thewakeless

Summary: Dan and Phil meet and fuck in the University showers.

The Three A's of College: Alcohol, Assumptions, and Avoidances (ao3) - jilliancares

Summary: Dan loves a lot of things about college. The only thing he really doesn’t like is his horrible roommate. (And when his best friend accidentally outs him to said horrible roommate, it becomes Dan’s life mission to avoid him).

Truth or Truth (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: aka the fic were dan and phil come home from a night out to drink even more alcohol and play an edited game of truth or dare and end up confessing their feelings for each other which lead to them finally giving in to how much they've wanted each other for so long.

Typical (ao3) - Junebug1312

Summary: Dan and Phil hate each other. Everyone knows that. But what happens when Dan breaks both of his wrists and can't do certain things himself?

Also when has someone saying "prove it" ever actually worked as an invitation.

Weave Me Into Your Skin - botanistlester

Summary: When Phil finds a pair of panties mixed in with his and Dan’s laundry, he’s not sure what to think, consider he’s certain neither of them has brought home a girl in the past few weeks. What’s even stranger is what he finds in Dan’s room when he goes to inquire about the offending garment.

[wisteria-lodge]

Do you have any thoughts on a Hermione/Draco/Harry (maybe Ron if he feels left out lol) poly ship? I've been a huge fan of Hermione/Draco for ages and Harry/Draco has a lot of good foily stuff that bakes well into a romantic plot. Harry and Hermione don't strike me as the sharing types (the neglected only child thing, Harry at home, Hermione in the society she chooses to integrate in), however I can see some ways in which it can work with Draco because of all their shared memories. Harry and Hermione have a kind of adopted relationship lol but he seems to finally stop treating her too much like an older sister/mother by the end of the books so if the hate-lust for the pointy aristocrat won out even that could reasonably fall to the way side. You have a compelling way of writing ships though so if this interests you, I'm curious how things might take shape in your voice 👀

I've written Hermione/Draco, and I've written Harry/Draco, and in both cases Draco brings a (very necessary!) grounded, practical element to the relationship. But! I think poor Draco would have a lot of trouble grounding Hermione and Harry at the same time, because the two of them need very different things in order to feel safe and secure.

I talked it over with @niche-pastiche, and we tried out a few things:

(Viktor Krum has been thrown in for some extra balance and structural integrity: we've written Viktor/Ron and Viktor/Hermione, and he was a lovely, stabilizing influence both times. Viktor is just generally lovely.)

But! He wasn't included in the brief, and we did think of a way to make it work without him:

I think to give this the best chance of working, Harry/Draco and Ron/Hermione need to be very comfortable committed couples. And THEN you need a Harry and Ron who have... always been kind of attracted to each other. (neither of them have realized this) (Hermione has known since the tent) (it's not hard to make this totally canon compliant.)

This is a very confident Hermione who... wants to give Ron a Valentine's day present, basically. I've always thought that a healthy, happy Hermione would also be - quite horny. And very straightforward in that desire, the way that she's straightforward about everything. (She likes pretty quidditch players, it's not that deep.)

So she decides that Ron would be happier if he had a chance to be with Harry, and obviously she invites Draco out to brunch and, and just comes in with - "Did you ever get the impression that Harry... well... was hung up on Ron a bit?"

at which point Draco is like - "Merlin's teeth, are you serious? All this time, Harry's thought Weasley was straight."

(one of my favorite Lucius/Narcissa headcanons is that they're the type to bring a third in every now and again, and Draco is aware of this. So he wouldn't be so very shocked at the prospect.)

Anyhow, Draco and Hermione bond over their partners being dense, and just pull out all the stops planning a Valentines' night in a hotel suite. Draco's not going to be left out, but there are a few positions he has in mind for Harry that require a second person, and Hermione just wants to wear some pretty (scandalous!) clothes and watch some pretty quidditch boys, and see Ron blush.

(of COURSE she ends up involved by the end, I'm sure. Every single one of these people is so competitive, there's no way it isn't going to manifest in their dynamic.)

I actually think it would end up being very sweet, and *very* funny.

[gojosprisonrealm]

a stsg playlist for you!

hi everyone! my brain is constantly full of stsg brainrot, and likewise, i hear lyrics and immediately have it stained in my mind as a stsg quote. so, here are some song recs/ songs that are just canonically stsg for you along with my highlighted lines from the song that made me align it with them! just bc i’m so brainrotted! -xo, lizzy

ps, i see them and i immediately need a cigarette and divorced dad rock.

thick skull- paramore

“hit over the head (epiphany)/

over my head (repeatedly)/

thick skull never did (nothing for me)/

same lesson again (come on, give it to me)”

the chorus of this song makes me envision satoru falling victim to the prison realm upon seeing kenjaku in suguru’s body. he’s been torn apart by suguru and let him go unscathed, and he never truly learned from that, seeing as though leaving suguru’s body after death is what caused his downfall.

weird fishes/arpeggi- radiohead

“i’d be crazy not to follow/

follow where you lead/

your eyes/

they turn me/

turn me into phantoms/

i follow to the edge/

of the earth/

and fall off”

if i could just use all the lyrics to this song, i would. satoru’s six eyes are a focal point of their arc throughout the manga, seeing as geto explains in the HI/PD arc that if he had gojo’s eyes, he could fulfill his goals. and of course, gojo’s six eyes come back to bite him later when they recognize suguru in the shibuya arc.

from me, the moon- lav

“tell me if the years are all gone/

is the moon still in love with the sun?/

do you still keep count of my sins?”

i fear this one is a slap in the face. they spend so much time together only for suguru to throw them to the side so quickly. i envision this one from satoru’s pov, asking if his other half still wants him. it could also be suguru, too, in that third line, asking if he’s done too much to ever regain satoru in his life.

i guess- mitski

“i guess, i guess, i guess this is the end/

i’ll have to learn to be somebody else/

it’s been you and me since before i was me/

without you, i don’t yet know quite how to live”

they had an identity together as the strongest. they reference that often in the HI/PD arc. i think that’s why suguru’s line in their KFC breakup (yk the one, are you sg bc you’re the strongest, vice versa) hits so hard. gojo had always thought of them as the strongest together while suguru had always seen satoru as an entity so far out of his reach. gojo had to relearn who he was without the man who made him so strong.

past life- tame impala

“well, somewhere between a lover and a friend/

it was different back then/

surreal, poetic but uncertain/

like a chick flick with a confusing end”

yall had to see this one coming. it’s SO THEM. satoru sees suguru in everything, and im sure he sees themselves in yuji and megumi. also, the reference to things being different back then ties together beautifully with the manga’s timeline of introducing their relationship in a flashback. i’d also like to touch on that last line. the confusing end can mean so many things, but i mainly pull from it a reference to their complicated timeline of betrayal, death, resurrection, imprisonment, etc. however, it could also be related to their relationship status when they parted ways at KFC and when suguru died. did that love still exist? we’ll never know, especially bc we can’t be 100% sure what suguru’s last words were.

i’m not a mountain- sarah kinsley

“i swear im unattached/

living in the past, but/

i can’t get off my feet/

you say we’ll all go mad/

but i don’t believe that/

so you’ll prove it to me”

first two lines remind me of the HI/PD arc in its entirety being satoru’s memory in a dream. the last three are reminiscent of suguru’s slipping mental health and his ability to commit what satoru had believed to be impossible (aka, mass murder and leaving him).

i’d hate me too- susannah joffe

“when we last spoke i was a dog with a broken leg/

i couldn’t run to you so i’d bite till you’d shoot me dead/

…

i wanted you to hate me so you’d know i was still there”

i have nothing to say here. just pain.

what are we gonna do now- indigo de souza

“i know you’re worn, you’re exhausted/

this is love/

this is lost on you/

i’m holding my night in your hands”

gojo NOTICED that geto was depressed and detached before the breakup even happened but he tried to see past it because he didn’t want things to CHANGE. i can’t they’re so tragic. he knew he was exhausted but he wanted their love to last and he entrusted his happiness to geto. fuck, man.

duvet- bôa

“and you don’t seem the lying kind/

a shame that i can read your mind”

satoru very clearly did not want to believe that suguru had committed the atrocities he did, but he could believe it because he had noticed how off he was. he read him like a book. this could also signify gojo’s disbelief in seeing suguru’s walking body after having killed him. he’d know his soulmate anywhere.

i saw you in a dream- the japanese house

“i saw you in a dream/

you had stayed the same/

you were beckoning me/

said that i had changed”

this one is definitely from suguru’s pov. we all know the breakup tore up satoru, but it had to destroy suguru, too. his drastic change has to haunt him at night right alongside the thought of gojo.

the comfort of a laugh track- roar

“will i live in shame of/

the things in the past that i should have done for you?/

and is it possible to/

forgive all the ignorant ones if they’re just too young?”

satoru wishes he could have done more to help suguru in his poor wellbeing. maybe then he wouldn’t have left. satoru also forgives his students for their ignorant optimism in spite of knowing what’s to come for them if they’re anything like himself. this entire song is stsg coded; i highly recommend.

—

ANYWAYS, sorry for the yap sesh. i love stsg with my whole heart, as tragic as they are. enjoy the last few days of pride month, folks.