hbosucc

[hbosucc]

hi are you coming back soon I loved your fic of Greg it was amazing!

This is so so sweet of you omg 🥹 I haven't felt inspired to write for Succession since I finished the show--maybe it's time for a rewatch!

I've thought about starting fics for other shows/movies, but I'm not sure if I should post them here, or make another sideblog. I'd probably post them here and just change this account to be multi-fandom tbh.

Thank you again for the kind words! I love to see that people still like my fic:') Having the energy to write after I get off work is so hard but if I can manage to start again, I'll be posting it here.

[hbosucc]

I loveeee your Greg fic!! I just started watching succession and this is exactly the type of fic I was hoping to find :D

Just know if if u ever decide to write more Greg fics I’ll be here to read them!

Omgg that makes me so happy, thank you so much!!! If I write any more I'll definitely be posting it here. Work is just so draining rn I have no energy for the important things in life (writing fanfic hehe)

[hbosucc]

Back from Christmas break and working on a new fic! This one is going to be a 3-parter, each one with a diff Succession guy, in the same location (ski lodge for the winter vibes). I'm planning to do one for Greg (which could be a continuation of my previously posted Greg fic), one for Tom, and one for Kendall.

I'm considering Stewy and Shiv chapters as well. We'll see!

So far I've been feeling most inspired to work on the Tom chapter, so that one will likely be out first.

[hbosucc]

i’m obsessed with your greg fic! u should definitely write more for him if you feel up to it!

Oh my goodness thank you soso much!! That makes me so happy to hear, you have no idea:') feeling more motivated to work on it now, I'm gonna work on the next chapter later today.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 9

Hi loves! This is the last chapter I have written, I might write more on it, especially if anyone wants to send a request. I had so, so much fun writing this.

Ok, chapter content warnings! This chapter is 18+, minors dni.

Sexual content: p in v, unprotected sex, oral (m receiving).

Swearing

Alcohol consumption

Link to previous chapter here

That's all! Thank you to anyone interacting with these posts, it makes me happy to know that people are reading:)

Chapter 9: A Night Out

On one of Greg’s rare weekend nights off, I’d suggested we go out on the town. Usually when we spent a night together, one or both of us would have to get up early the next morning for work, so we’d have to do something low-key, like order takeout and watch a show. Finally, we both had the whole weekend off, and I was so looking forward to spending it with him.

          “You’re sure your family won’t be there?” I asked, putting the finishing touches on my makeup in front of the mirror. We were at Greg’s place, and I’d brought an overnight bag with this time.

          “No, definitely not. They’re at some corporate retreat in, like, Poland or something.” Greg appeared in the mirror behind me, coming up to wrap his arms around my waist. I leaned back into him. I loved him, I knew it for sure now. I hadn’t told him yet, but I was fighting the impulse to. If he didn’t feel the same way, I didn’t want to know. I wanted to bask in the warmth of the feeling in private for a while before letting it out into the world, where it would either grow or be snuffed out.

          “Okay. Good.” I put down the makeup brush and gave myself a final once-over. I looked good, he looked good, it was all good. “You ready to go?”

          The club he’d picked had, I learned, been recommended to him by his cousin Roman. I hadn’t met Roman at the gala I’d attended with Greg, but I’d heard a lot about him. I wasn’t entirely sure if I trusted his taste in nightlife, but I was game to try something new. Greg’s driver let us out in front and we headed inside. He’d made sure in advance that we would be on the list.

          Inside, it was more dimly-lit than I’d expected. It wasn’t too crowded, but I supposed that it was still relatively early. We learned that all of the drinks on the menu were named after early film stars. I ordered a Mae West, and Greg decided to try a Brando. Drinks in hand, we wandered from room to room, ending up on a balcony upstairs, overlooking the dance floor.

          "Oof, that’s a strong one.” I tried a sip of my drink. It was clear, bubbly, and slightly fruity, and I could tell the bartender had poured it with a heavy hand.

          “Mine’s good. Want to try?” We swapped drinks. His was just as strong, but darker and smokier, with some kind of whisky in it. I wasn’t a fan.

          “You don’t want to dance?” I raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the floor below. It was crowded full of hot, sweaty, attractive people, but somehow, I didn’t feel too out of place. I guessed the Roy lifestyle was finally rubbing off on me.

          “I’m gonna need a few more drinks in me before I do any kind of dancing.” He laughed nervously.

          “Okay.” I turned, slightly put-out. I rested my arms on the balcony, leaning over slightly.

          “Y/n?” I heard over the music, and turned to see the last person I would have expected.

          “Theo?” My mouth dropped open. “What the fuck?”

          “Right?” He laughed, his arms open. We hugged briefly, his strong arms squeezing me around the middle. “How the fuck are you?”

          “I’m really good, actually!” I said, turning and beckoning Greg over. “You?”

          “Oh, you know. The usual.” Theo grinned. He had the same hungry look in his eye, and was still, unfortunately, very sexy. Now, though, I knew this fact objectively, and it didn’t have as much of an effect on me as it would have in the past.

          “Theo, this is Greg. Greg, Theo.” I introduced them as Greg caught up. I noticed his hand come to rest on my hip, almost territorially.

          “Hey, nice to meet you, man.” Theo held out his hand, and they shook.

          “So, uh, how do you know each other?” Greg asked. My eyes met Theo’s, and he must’ve read something in them.

          “We knew each other back in college, actually. We used to party in the same groups.” Theo said. “And you two…how do you…?”

          “Oh! Greg’s my boyfriend. We met online.” I blurted.

          “Ah, the apps. I’ve heard good things.” Theo nodded. “Maybe I’ll have to try it out myself one of these days.”

          “Are you here with anyone?” I asked.

          “Yeah, I’m here with a few of the old crowd, actually. We have a table downstairs, if you guys want to join, please, feel free.”

          “Yes, definitely! We’ll meet you down there.” I smiled at the thought of seeing some of my old friends. We still followed each other on our socials, but I hadn’t seen most of them in person in a few years.

          “Cool, cool. See ya.” He flashed one last grin before disappearing back into the crowd. I relaxed against Greg, not having realized how my body’d tensed up in Theo’s presence.

          “Okay, are you going to, like, tell me how you actually know that guy?” Greg asked, and I looked up at him. His expression had soured slightly, and I realized he was jealous.

          “We knew each other in college.” I said, meeting his eyes, then looking away. “And, okay, yeah, we hooked up a few times. But that was years ago.”

          Greg was silent for a moment. A frown crossed his face, then was wiped away as he tried to conceal it. “He seemed pretty excited to see you.”

          “Sweetheart, are you jealous?” I pressed my front against him, taking his pouty face in my hands.  

          “No, of course not.” He laughed nervously, his gaze flicking down to meet mine. “That guy was, like, really hot, though.”

          “I hadn’t noticed.” I rolled my eyes, then stopped. “What, are you saying you’re surprised I could sleep with someone who looks like him?”

          “No, I’m not saying anything.” He ran a hand over his hair. “It’s just, that makes a lot more sense than this, anyways.”

          “Greg, what the fuck are you talking about?” I drew back.

          “I mean, two hot people together makes more sense than you being with me. Okay?” He downed his drink. “I’m getting another one. Do you want to go find your friends?”

          “Hold on.” I touched his arm, stopping him. “Are you feeling insecure? Is that what this is all about?”

          “Yeah. Okay? I guess I am.” He sighed.

          “Why…why on earth…” I started, pressing my cold drink glass to my forehead. I was not drunk enough to handle this. “Greg. You know I’m, like, extremely attracted to you, right?”

          “Yeah, I guess.”

          “Come on, Greg.” I followed him as he started down the stairs, back towards the bar. “Don’t throw a fit.”

          “I’m not.” He said, though I could barely hear him over the music.

          “Babes.” I grabbed his hand, but he continued on his route, pulling me along through the crowd. I stopped as we reached the bar, crossing my arms as I waited behind him while he ordered. He took a long swallow of his drink once it arrived, then turned to face me, looking less annoyed, almost ashamed.

          “Feel better?” I cocked my head. He shrugged. I glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to us: they weren’t. “Come on.”

          I’d noticed three bathrooms at the back of the bar: women’s, men’s, and a one-room all-gender restroom. I pulled him into the one-room and locked the door behind us, pressing my back against the cool wood as I turned to face him.

          “You need to pee?” He asked, setting his drink down on the counter.

          “Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “Why, do you?”

          “No.” He snort-laughed, before seeming to remember that he was upset, and his face stilled again. I crossed the room to him, slowly, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

          “Well,” I started. “If you don’t believe that I find you attractive, I guess I’ll have to do something to show you.”

          “Okay, and…what would that be?”

          “Shh,” I said, standing up on my toes to kiss him. “Trust me.” I drew back, my hands lowering to his belt, sliding it open. I unzipped his pants, pulling them down over his thighs as I knelt on the tile floor. He was still soft, but perked up as I ran my hand over him through the fabric of his underwear. His breathing quickened as I pulled him out, stroking lightly, slowly, up and down. He tensed, hardening, as I took his head into my mouth just for a moment, before pulling back to look up at his face.

          “Starting to believe me?” I asked softly, circling his head with my tongue, teasing.

          “Maybe.” He said, then sucked in a gasp as I took him in fully for a moment, hitting the roof of my mouth. I licked a strip down the shaft, towards the head, taking it back between my lips once again.

          “Does that feel good?” I asked, looking back up at him. His eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted as I continued to tease with my tongue, waiting for an answer.

          “Yeah, of course it fucking does.” One of his hands came down to rest on the back of my head, and he gently moved me back down to take him in once again. I quit my teasing, picking up the pace, relaxing my jaw and throat, trying to fight my gag reflex. I wasn’t worried about the choking noises I usually produced while giving head; guys generally seemed to be into that. I was more worried about barfing on his dick, which had never happened before, but I didn’t want tonight to be the first.

          “That’s it, yeah,” He breathed out as he held my face in place and started fucking it. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the goal I’d set in mind: to make him feel good, desirable, sexy. I didn’t love giving blowjobs—does anyone, truly?—but for Greg, I was more than willing to do it.

          After a particularly deep thrust, I sputtered, pulling against his grasp. He let go of me immediately, and I pulled back to catch my breath, reaching out to work him in my hands while I took a second.

          “Are you okay?” He asked, shuddering and letting out a moan as I took him right back into my mouth. I could tell he was just about at his limit, and he came suddenly, his cum filling my throat. It wasn’t horrible—I’d heard horror stories—just salty, and I was able to swallow it with little trouble. I pumped him a few more times, letting him down from his high, then got up from the floor and faced myself in the mirror. My mascara was running, just a little, and my lipstick was completely gone. I blotted my under-eyes and reapplied my lips while Greg caught his breath.

          “That was…” He started, letting out a long breath. “like, really fucking nice.”

          “Good.” I turned to look at him, leaning against the counter.

          “Shit.” He pulled his pants back up, re-buckling his belt, then turned to look in the mirror. He ran a hand over his hair, smoothing it back. Then, he finally looked at me, almost bashfully.

          “You know, I’ve never swallowed before.” I held his gaze.

          “Like, ever?”

          “Never.” I nodded. “Look, Greg. Before we go back out there, I need to know that you know that I don’t want anyone else but you.”

          “I do, it’s just…” He sighed. “It’s hard to believe, sometimes, like…I guess I’m okay, but I don’t think I’m that good-looking, comparatively, and I know I’m kinda skinny…”

          “Greg.” I groaned. “Remember how surprised you were that I was insecure about how I look? That’s how I feel right now.”

          “Yeah, I guess so.” He nodded. “Okay. I believe you. On one condition, though.”

          “And what’s that?” I raised an eyebrow.

          “You’ve gotta do that again.”

          “Deal.” I shook his hand, grinning goofily up at him. He took my face in his hands and kissed me, long and sweet, before pulling back.

          “We don’t have to go sit with my old friends.” I said. “I didn’t really want to, I just said yes to get rid of Theo.”

          “Are you sure?”

          “Yes, absolutely. I don’t know if I would call them friends, really, acquaintances would be more accurate.” I unlocked the bathroom door and peeked out. The coast was relatively clear, so Greg and I snuck out together, back into the crowd once again.

          We managed to steer clear of anyone I knew for the rest of our time there, downing more drinks, dancing stupidly, making out in the middle of the crowd on the dance floor. Essentially, being an annoying couple, obviously obsessed with each other, and we didn’t care. In the early hours of the morning, once we finally got tired, he called us a car, where we made out some more in the backseat, barely managing to keep our clothes on until we made it back to his apartment. There, we made it to the elevator before we were on each other again, stumbling out once the doors reopened onto his floor, and then we somehow made it down the hall to his room and onto the bed.

          He pushed my panties to the side, testing me with his fingers, and I moaned into his mouth.

          “I’m ready,” I pulled back, breathless, our foreheads pressed together. My hands worked him out of his pants, quickly, and then he was in me. No condom flashed quickly through my mind, but I was on birth control, so I hoped that either he’d have the sense to pull out, or my body wouldn’t betray me for this one indiscretion. If not, there was always Plan B.

          “You like that?” He asked, his hands on my wrists, holding me down. He knew by now how my body reacted to light domination, and he’d gotten quite competent at it. “You like me fucking you?”

          “Yeah,” I whimpered, wrapping my legs around him, angling myself upwards. He let go of my wrists and held my legs up instead, hitting deeper inside of me. I threw my head back, each of my fists gripping a handful of his sheets. My moans filled the room, mixing with the sounds of our bodies colliding.

          “I love you,” He groaned, and before I could wrap my head around the words, he pulled out, sending a spray of cum across my stomach. I let him catch his breath, coming down from his high.

          “I’m gonna get something, for the, um…be right back.” He scooted off the bed and disappeared for a moment, coming back with a towel to clean me up. He flipped on one of the bedside lamps and began very intently wiping his cum off of me. I propped myself up on my elbows, watching him.

          “Thanks.” I gave him a smile as he dropped the towel into his laundry basket, then slowly made his way back over to the bed. He looked a little shy, and I could guess why, so I gave him a little encouragement, patting the bed next to me. He sat back down, and I pressed a kiss to his cheek, resting my chin on his shoulder.

          “So, about um…well, what I said…” He started.

          “It’s because I finally gave you a blowjob, huh?” I teased, and to my relief, he chuckled.

          “No, no, it’s not that.” He smiled. “I, um…well, I do.”

          “You do what?”

          “Come on,” He laughed, and I drew back, giving him a kiss, feeling the smile on his lips.

          “I love you, too.” I pulled back slightly, speaking the words onto his lips. “If you meant it, of course.”

          “I did—I do.” He stammered. “I love you.”

          “It feels nice to hear it, and to finally say it.” I kissed him again, then drew back to take in his face: slightly flushed, his pupils blown out, sweat at his brow. “I fucking love you, sweetheart.”

          “I love you.” He said again, whispering it out, as though he was feeling the weight the words carried.

          We were mostly silent after that, kissing slowly in the dark, the lights of the city coming in through the windows, the sounds of late-night traffic filtering up from the street below. Together, we slipped into a comfortable, deep sleep, wrapped around each other. I certainly hadn’t expected the night to go like this, but at some point I’d have to realize that Greg somehow always found a way to subvert my expectations.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 8

Link to previous chapter (18+ only, minors dni!) here.

This chapter is kind of part two to the previous one; it picks up right after the last one ended.

Content Warnings, same as always:

Sexual Content (only mentioned in this chapter, no explicit scenes, but it's still an 18+ chapter)

Swearing

Alcohol consumption

Mention of drug use

Maybe fluff towards the end??

That's all! I'm having a really weird, difficult time irl right now, and posting these is something fun to look forward to. So, if you're reading, thank you:) xoxoxo

Chapter 8: Meeting the Fam, Part II

Back in the main room, I craned my head to look for Greg. I spotted him at the bar and had to stop myself from breaking into a run. He glanced up and met my eyes as I approached him, his smile disappearing as he saw the traces of unease I hadn’t been able to wipe from my face.

“Hey, are you okay? I just saw your text.” He asked, taking my hand as I reached him.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine.” I gave my best attempt at a smile, looking over my shoulder, then back up at him.

“Are you sure? I was looking for you for, like, a while.” He looked concerned, which almost made me start crying again.

“I’m sure.” I squeezed his hand. “What did Kendall want?”

“Just, like, family drama, which is also work drama, like usual.” Greg sighed. “They really can’t chill out, even for one night.”

“God, that sucks.” I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Greg lowered his voice. “You’re kind of…I don’t know, something feels different?”

“I’m…” I closed my eyes for a moment, then looked up at him. “I just did coke, Greg.”

“Oh, oh.” Greg’s eyebrows went up. “Okay, gotcha. No, that makes sense. Um.”

“I know.” I nodded. “There was this really nice girl I met in the bathroom, and she asked me if I wanted a bump, and I said sure, why not.” I felt bad lying to him, but Tom’s warning from earlier about ruining Greg’s career rang through my mind. Tom was a prick, but there was still something that felt dangerous about him. And as much as I hated Waystar, I did not want to be responsible for Greg getting fired.

“Oh, I see.” Greg nodded. “That’s cool, I mean, I don’t care that you did it—I mean, I’ve done it before, too, just so you know—I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Thank you.” I lowered my voice. “I’m wondering if it was cut with something weird, though, and that’s why I was feeling so sick at first. I’m okay now, though, I think.”

“Are you sure? I mean, we can totally blow this off, and, like, head home, if you’re not feeling well.”

“Really?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Yeah, totally.” He nodded. “I think Logan’s supposed to be giving a speech at some point, but I don’t really need to stay for that.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” I leaned against him, glancing out over the crowd. I saw that Tom had reappeared across the room and was now talking to his wife. His eyes met mine for a moment, a smile tugging up the corner of his lips.

“Do you want to just go back to my place? I mean, it’s closer, and you haven’t been over yet.”

“Yeah, we can do that.” I ripped my gaze away, meeting Greg’s eyes again, giving him a more successful smile this time. I really was interested to see his apartment.

“Okay, cool. I’ll call the driver if you go get our coats? Meet you out there?”

“Okay.” I nodded, taking his coat check ticket and heading for the exit, keeping my gaze straight ahead, my shoulders back.

I got our coats and stepped out into the frigid air, wrapping mine around myself and trying not to shiver. My legs were mostly bare, and I shifted from foot to foot, trying to warm myself. I felt my phone vibrate and I pulled it out to see a text from an unsaved number.

Remember what I told you.

          My fingers shook as I tried to think of how to respond, if I should at all, and I knew it wasn’t just from the cold. I wasn’t surprised that Tom had been able to find my number—not really. I put the phone back in my pocket, wrapping my coat tighter around myself. I was about to head back inside to wait for Greg, the cold outweighing my fear of running into Tom yet again, but then I saw Greg heading towards me. The car pulled up, and the driver came around to open the door for us.

          In the warmth of the car, I still shivered, scooting closer to Greg and laying my chin on his shoulder. He squeezed my thigh, then interlocked his fingers with mine.

          “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to turn up the heat more, or anything?” He asked softly, brushing some of my hair back from my face.

          “No, it’s okay. I’m warming up now.” I smiled. “I’m excited to finally see your place.”

          “I am, too! It’s kind of crazy. I don’t know if I told you, but Kendall, who you met tonight, actually owns the place, and he’s kind of just, like, letting me live there right now.”

          “Really?” I asked. “That’s really cool of him.”

          “I know, right?” He went on to tell me the story of how he hadn’t been able to believe it at first, that he’d thought Kendall had been playing a joke on him. Given the initial impressions I’d gotten of his family members, that didn’t surprise me.  

          We pulled up to his building and he helped me out, leading the way inside, then up in the building’s elevator, almost to the top floor. When the door slid open to reveal his apartment, I was surprised at its size, despite how he’d already described it to me. It had the tallest ceilings I’d ever seen in an NYC apartment—or any apartment, anywhere, really.

          “Jesus, this is incredible.” I breathed, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the lit-up city.

          “It is. I still can’t believe I get to live here sometimes. Like, I keep waiting for him to kick me out.” He let out a nervous laugh.

          “That’s kinda fucked up.” I turned to face him, leaning against the glass.

          “Yeah, it is.” He sighed, coming over to me. “Hey, did anyone…did any of them say anything, like, weird to you? I mean, I saw that Tom was with you at the bar while Kendall and I were talking, and then, like, the next time I looked over, you were both gone.”

          I closed my eyes, leaning into his chest. I didn’t want to lie to him. The truth swirled around inside of me, and I felt a wave of nausea as the mix of no food, lots of alcohol, and two lines caught up with me.

          “I’m going to throw up,” I choked out, realizing I didn’t know where his bathroom was.

          “Oh, fuck, okay, it’s this way.” He read my mind, pulling me down a hallway and into a bathroom, flipping the light on. I bent over the toilet, making it just in time for my guts to upend themselves, spilling the evening’s overpriced g&t’s into the bowl.

          Another wave came up, and then everything was out, nothing left inside of me. I felt Greg’s hands in my hair, smoothing it back from my face. I spit into the toilet and closed the lid, flushing and propping up my head, unable to look up at him.

          “I’m sorry.” I croaked. “You didn’t have to—you didn’t have to stay.”

          “No, no, it’s okay.” He said, rubbing my back slowly. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

          “I’m—I’m fine now.” I pushed myself up and stood shakily, looking at myself in the mirror. My makeup was streaked down my face, my hair mussed, my eyes red and teary. “Fuck.”

          “Do you need to throw up more, or do you want to go lie down?”

          “I think I’m done. Do you have, like, mouthwash or anything?” I asked, leaning on the counter, my head in my hands.

          “Yeah, I’ll go get some. Be right back.” I heard him pad down the hall and open another door. I spat into the sink and turned on the tap, rinsing my mouth with water while I waited. How much did I need to tell him? How much could I tell him?

          “Here,” He reappeared in the doorway, handing me a bottle of Listerine.

          “Thanks,” I took a big swig, swishing it around between my teeth for a minute, until it stung my gums, then spat the minty foam and rinsed it down the drain.

          “Do you want, like, one of my shirts to wear to bed?” He looked like he wanted to reach out and touch me, but hesitated.

          “That would be great, yeah.” I nodded. He led us down the hall to his bedroom, which was just as big as I’d imagined it would be, having seen the rest of the apartment. “You don’t have any makeup wipes, do you?”

          “No, sorry.” He shook his head, rummaging through his drawers. He pulled out a white t-shirt and handed it over.

          “That’s okay. Can you help me with the zipper?” I turned around, and he pulled the zipper down so I could slide the dress off of my body. I shuddered as I remembered how Tom had done the same thing just hours before. I unhooked my bra quickly, pulling the t-shirt on to cover myself.

          “Y/n.” He took my hands in his. “Please just tell me what’s wrong.”

          “I…” I started, swallowing, closing my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, into his searching gaze. “Tom was being, like, kind of weird.”

          “How—how so?” He sat down on the bed, pulling me to him.

          “When you weren’t around he…he was just…I don’t know, like, weirdly interested in me, I guess.” I bit my lip. “But I was worried because if I told you anything, and he found out, he said he’d…” I was still too high, and having to deal with conflict felt incredibly overwhelming, and I collapsed, sniffling into his chest.

          “Fucking Tom, oh my God.” He sighed, pulling me onto his lap.

          “Please don’t let him know I even said—said anything.” I whispered, another sob coming out.

          “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’m not scared of Tom, okay? You don’t need to worry. Whatever he said he’d do to me, don’t worry about it.

          “Did he…” Greg trailed off, and I looked up at him. “Did he do anything to you?”

          “No.” I shook my head. “Almost, but no. He said he was, like, just joking with me or something.”

          He ran a hand over my hair, reaching down to wipe my tears with his thumb. “God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…I should’ve realized he would do something tonight.”

          “It’s not your fault.” I whispered, swiping at my face. “I’m gonna go wash my face, okay? Be right back.”

          I got up and went back to the bathroom, cleaning off my face the best I could with soap and water—I knew it wasn’t great for my skin, but it was probably better than sleeping in a full face of makeup. I padded back to the bedroom and found him sitting in the same spot, on his phone.

          “You’re not texting him, are you?” I balked in the doorway.

          “Hey, come here.” He opened his arms, and I allowed myself to be wrapped in them once more. “I don’t want you to worry about Tom. He’s a dick, yeah, but he’s kind of…like, on the outs with the fam right now. He’s impotent, okay? I’m not worried about him.”

          “If you’re sure…” I swallowed.

          “I’m sure.” He laid back against the pillows, pulling me down with him. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

          “It’s not your fault.” I said again, burying my face in his chest.

          “Is there anything I can do? To make you feel better?” He ran a hand over my hair, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

          “I don’t think so. I’m okay.” I whispered. I wished I could just go to sleep, but I was still too wired from the coke. It was going to be a very long night.

          “You don’t want me to kill him, or anything?” He asked, and I giggled, trying to stifle the noise with my hand. “What, you don’t think I can put out a hit on him?”

          “Not really.” I said, pressing my lips together, but more laughter spilled out, and he joined in, still holding me close.

          “You don’t want me to have the mob take him out?” He teased, and I shook my head, giving him a kiss.

          “No, if you’re going to kill him, I want you to do it yourself.” I rubbed my nose against his. He’d succeeded in making me feel better, at least for the moment.

          “Well, whatever you want.” He pressed another kiss to my lips, and I let myself melt into him before pulling back. “Do you want to go to bed?”

          I shook my head. “I’m kind of tired, but I’m not going to be able to sleep for a while.”

          “Do you want to watch a show or something, then?” He asked, rolling over to grab a remote from his nightstand.

          “Sure.” I sat up as he scrolled through some options, landing on something light and stupid, pressing play on a random episode.

          “Are you hungry at all?” He asked. “I have, like, cereal, and probably some chips and stuff.”

          “No, I’m okay.” I smiled. His place was such a bachelor pad. “Thank you, though. You’re the sweetest.”

          “Nah, I’m not.” He protested, but I could see that he was pleased.

          “You are, too.” I kissed his cheek, moving down to his neck.

          “For real, though, do you need anything?” He looked at me, our eyes locking in the dim light coming from the TV screen. It might’ve been the fact that I was high, but it felt like he was looking straight into me, reading my mind.

          “No, no, I’m…I’m good.” I whispered. “Just need you here, with me. That’s all.”

          “Okay.” He breathed out, pulling me closer to him once again, our limbs wrapping around each other, my ear pressed to his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, thumping away, and relaxed into the sound. I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while yet, but that was okay, as long as I could stay with him, just like this.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 7

Hi babes I'm back with another chapter! This chapter ended up being super long so I'm cutting it in half and just posting the first half now.

Also! Kendall, Shiv, and Tom finally make appearances in this chapter hehe.

This chapter is 18+!! Minors dni. Link to previous chapter (also 18+) here

Content Warnings for this chapter:

Sexual content (Tom being a creep/harassing reader)

Alcohol consumption

Drug use

Swearing

Chapter 7: Meeting the Fam, Part I

I smoothed my hands over my dress, a fitted emerald green number that Greg had bought for me. He’d left the price tag on—by accident, I was pretty sure—so I knew that it was way too expensive. But then, I supposed that considering the occasion, it was appropriate. I’d even splurged on a mani-pedi earlier that day, and had tried my best on my own with my hair and makeup.

          Looking myself over in the mirror, I was fairly pleased. My hair was behaving for once, and the jewelry I’d picked out went well with my dress. I had gone for a subtle but polished look, and I felt I’d accomplished it, for the most part.

          Greg texted to let me know he was there with the car, and I buzzed him in quickly to get his opinion before we left. I opened the door and let him in, taking a step back so he could see the full look.

          “Wow! You look great, oh my God.” He said, looking me up and down. “Give me a little…yeah, give me a little spin.”

          “I look okay?” I asked, doing a slow spin on one heel. He gripped my hips and pulled me in, giving me a long, deep kiss, his hands moving down over the silky fabric to squeeze my ass. I giggled and pulled back, my arms wrapped around his neck.

          “That would be a yes.” He gave me another quick kiss before helping me into my coat.

          “Are you sure?” I bit my lip, taking one last look in the mirror.

          “Hey, hey,” He wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Are you still nervous?”           I nodded. “A little, yeah. Are you sure I—”

          “You literally look incredible. Okay?” He spun me around so I was facing him and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “If you don’t want to go, like, if you want to cancel and stay in, you just say the word. I mean, it’s just some stupid gala.”

          “No, no. We can go.” I took a deep breath and nodded.

          “Okay.” He smiled and took my hand, and we walked down to the waiting car together. It wasn’t a limo—that would’ve felt a little too prom—but a black town car of some kind, with a bottle of chilled champagne and two flutes in the back. We popped it open on the drive, and it helped to settle my nerves, though only slightly. Greg’s presence helped as well; he seemed surprisingly at ease, which made me more relaxed as well.

          By the time we pulled up outside of the event, I still felt like I was walking into a lion’s den, but at least I had a glass of champagne buzzing through my bloodstream. The driver came around to open the door, and Greg stepped out first, taking my hand to help me out.

          We walked up to the entrance, and I was surprised to see what seemed to be paparazzi on either side of the carpet going up to the building entrance, held off to the side by velvet ropes. Their shutters clicked and flashed as I took Greg’s arm, holding my clutch in my other hand. The staff inside the door marked us off on their list as Greg gave them his name, then we checked in our coats and headed into the main event.

          “Okay, first things first: do you want a drink?” He asked.

          “Yes. I think that would be a great idea.” I followed him over to the bar and he ordered for us, getting me my usual gin and tonic. As he ordered, I surveyed the room, leaning back on the bar. I didn’t recognize anyone at first, though that didn’t surprise me. I knew what some of his family members looked like, but other than them, I hadn’t been sure who would be at this event.

          “Gregory Hirsch!” A voice boomed, and a man I recognized as Greg’s boss, Tom, appeared on Greg’s other side.

          “Hey, Tom.” Greg said, handing me my drink and taking his. I peeked over his shoulder and met Tom’s eyes, which widened in surprise.

          “And you must be the girlfriend.” He extended a hand, and I took it.

          “Y/n.” I supplied for him as we shook. He looked me up and down, his eyebrows raising.

          “Well, Y/n, it’s nice to finally meet you.” He side-eyed Greg. “How much is he paying you?”

          “Excuse me?” I almost spit out the sip I’d just taken.

          “Tom, c’mon, man.” Greg hissed, his arm around me tightening.

          “Gregory, I’m only kidding.” Tom laughed, unshaken. “No one’s going to believe that this beautiful creature agreed to go out with you for free, though, I’m just warning you.”

          “Just because that’s how you find women, Tom, doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone else.” I cocked an eyebrow at him, holding his gaze. Tom’s straight face broke, and he let out another booming laugh, clapping Greg on the shoulder.

          “You’ve got yourself a feisty one, huh, Greg?”

          “I—I guess?” Greg said, looking over at me apologetically.

          “Well, good for you.” Tom looked me up and down one last time. “I’d better go find Logan, but, Y/n, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

          With that, he walked off, and Greg and I exchanged a look.

          “Well, that was Tom.” Greg sighed.

          “Jesus.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I don’t know how you deal with that all day.”

          “Neither do I, sometimes.”

          “Shoot,” I said, opening my clasp and searching inside for my phone. “I think I left my phone in my coat pocket, I’m gonna go grab it really quick.”

          “Do you want me to come with?”

          “No, that’s okay. I’ll be right back.” I gave him a peck on the cheek and hurried back out to the lobby, giving my ticket to the coat-checker and explaining the situation.

          As I waited for my phone to be retrieved, I felt a presence behind me and turned around, coming face to face with Tom again.

          “Didn’t mean to startle you.” He smiled. He wasn’t as tall as Greg, but I still had to look up at him, even in my heels.

          “No worries.” I shrugged.

          “So, you and Greg, huh?” He asked, his eyes dipping, then coming up to meet mine again as he leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “How much is he paying you, really? You can tell me.”

          “Tom.” I folded my arms. “Please tell me you’re not actually this thick in the head.”

          “I’m not, I’m not, I’m just trying to understand.” He laughed. “What is it about Greg that does it for you? He’s just so awkward and…and goofy, and you seem so lovely and poised. It’s not making sense to me.”

          “I don’t know what to tell you. I like him. He treats me really well. And besides that,” I smirked. “he’s incredible in bed.”

          “Now that, I don’t believe.” He chuckled.

          “You don’t have to.” I shrugged. “I’m enjoying myself, that’s all I can tell you.”

          “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

          “Well, you’re not going to. See it, I mean.” I turned to grab my phone as it was held out to me, then back to Tom, my face flushed. I had to stay composed. There was a weird chemistry swirling between us, and I was trying to keep my mind on Greg and ignore the fact that his boss was attractive, in a silver-fox kind of way. “Did you follow me out here just to pester me about Greg?”

          “No, no, not—well, not just that.” He followed me as I walked back to the door leading into the main room.

          “What, then?” I stopped, my heart pounding in my throat. He was standing too close, his expensive cologne sharp in my nostrils.

          “Well, let’s just say…if you ever get tired of climbing that beanpole,” He looked across the crowded room, our eyes landing on Greg at the same time. He was now in conversation with one of his cousins, nodding intently. “You should…let me know.”

          “You’re married.” My eyes narrowed, and I went to walk past him, but his hand on my arm stopped me.

          “My marriage is...not strictly monogamous.” He said in a low voice, his bright blue eyes locked on mine.

          “Well,” I started, stepping back, moving my arm out of his grip. “Good for you.”

          “It could be good for you, too.” He shrugged, his hands in his pockets. I was about to walk away, and he could see it, because he spoke quickly. “By the way, if you happen to mention this conversation to Greg, I’ll make sure his career at Waystar is over.”

          I took one step closer to him and looked him in the eye again. “Fuck off.”

          Leaving it at that, I walked back into the crowded ballroom, weaving through the well-dressed elites until I’d reached Greg. He was talking to the cousin I recognized as Kendall, and he introduced us.

          “Nice to meet you.” Kendall said as he shook my hand with his sweaty one. His eyes never landed on mine, instead scanning the crowd over my shoulder, nervous energy surrounding him like a cloud.

          “Shiv!” Greg said, stopping a woman in her tracks as she was about to walk past us. “Hey, Shiv, I wanted you to meet my girlfriend, Y/n.”

          “Oh,” She said, joining our circle for a moment. She’d seemed to be on a mission, looking for someone, but her eyebrows raised. “Girlfriend?”

          “Hi,” I took her hand when she offered it. “I love your dress, by the way.” I did—it was a deep blue velvet, floor length, and perfectly fitted to her curves.

          “Oh, thank you.” She gave me a quick smile, tucking some of her short orange hair behind her ear. “Have any of you seen Tom?”

          “No, not in a while.” Greg shook his head.

          “Fuck.” She sighed. “I’ve gotta find him.” She paused before resuming her speed-walk through the crowd. “Nice to meet you. And, uh, congrats, Greg.”

          “Why’s she looking for Tom?” I asked Greg, trying to keep my voice even.

          “Oh, I thought I told you, Shiv and Tom are married.” He said, his arm around my waist once more.

          “Oh.” I said. “No, you didn’t.”

          “Yeah, well, but on the down-low, I don’t think things are going so well.” He said in a low voice.

          “That’s juicy.” I took a sip of my drink. Kendall’s eyes finally met mine, and he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he’d been in.

          “Hey, uh, Greg, could I talk to you for a sec? Like, in private?” He asked, looking up at Greg, who looked down at me.

          “Well, does it have to be, like, right now?” Greg asked.

          “It’s fine. I’m getting another drink.” I said, turning on my heel and heading toward the bar, draining my glass on the way. I ordered another g&t, putting it on Greg’s tab. I slid onto a barstool and checked my phone, figuring Greg would text or come find me when he was done with Kendall. It was most likely work stuff, or family stuff, and I had no desire to get in the middle of any of that.

          “Mind if I join you?” I looked up, saw Tom, and sighed.

          “You’ve decided to stalk me for the evening, huh?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink. “Is that what rich people do for fun?”

          “No, no, I’m just surprised that Greg let you out of his sight again.” He said, feigning innocence. “I’m keeping an eye on you for him.”

          “He didn’t ask you to do that.” I said, but it came out almost like a question.

          “Maybe not.” He leaned in. “Are you bored out of your mind yet?”

          “What do you mean?”

          “I mean, by all this. It’s not like you know anyone else here, and everyone’s talking shop.” He raised his eyebrows. “I’d be pretty bored if I were you.”

          “Yeah, well, what am I supposed to do about that?” I rolled my eyes.

          “Do you want to go do drugs?”

          I barked out a laugh, covering my mouth with my hand. “No, thanks.”

          “Are you sure?” He prodded. “Come on. I can see it in your eyes, you kind of want to.”

          “You’re crazy.” I scoffed, but my resolve was wavering, and I knew he could see right through me.

          “You know you want to.” He sing-songed. “Come on. You know I have the good stuff. This might be your only chance, ever, to do really high-quality coke.”

          “Oh, my God.” I sighed. “If I were to say yes, where would we even do it?”

          “I’ll show you.” He stood up.

          “Fine. Jesus Christ.” I followed him out a side exit, up a staircase, the crowd thinning more the further we went. “Where are we going?”

          “It’s a secret.” he said. We reached a heavy oak door, he knocked, then pushed it open when there was no response. I followed him into a large study-like room, lined with tall windows and bookcases, a chandelier lit above us.

          “What is this?” I asked, taking it in.

          “This is a private meeting room.” Tom pulled a small baggie of white powder from one of his pockets, shook it, and opened it, taking a seat at the long, gleaming wooden table in the middle of the room. “Come here.”

          I took the seat next to him, crossing my legs as I watched him cut a few lines with a credit card.

          “You know, I knew you would say yes to this.” He pulled out a short glass straw and put it to one of his nostrils, making two of the lines disappear, then sniffing and leaning his head back.

          “Yeah, okay, right.” I said, taking the straw as he handed it to me. “How?”

          “You just have that coke-whore gleam in your eye.” He looked at me smugly, and I lowered the straw, keeping eye contact as I snorted a line, then handed the straw back.

          “Well. I can’t say I’ve heard that one before.” I held the back of my hand to my nose and sniffed, making sure it went all the way to the back.

          “I’m like a bloodhound for these sorts of things.” he said. He did one more line, then handed it back to me. “Here. You do the last one.”

          “If you insist.” I said, and then the last line was gone, vacuumed up into my nasal cavity. When I opened my eyes and looked up, I saw Tom’s phone in his hand, the lens trained on me. “What’re you doing?”

          “Oh, nothing.” He lowered the phone, then held it out so I could see the video he’d taken of me snorting a line. My face was only visible for a moment at the end, but it was, undeniably, me.

          “Why…” I started, swallowing as the coke drip filled my mouth with the familiar bitter taste.

          “Well, Y/n,” He bent in, lowering his voice as his phone disappeared back into his pocket. “When Greg told us he had a new girlfriend, we had to do a little background check. So, I know which school you work at.”

          “But why…why the video?” My heart thudded in my ears, and I could feel the color drain from my face.

          “Come on, Y/n, you’re obviously a very smart girl, you can put it together.” He leaned in, tilting my chin up and forcing me to look at him.

          “What do you want from me?” I tried to keep my voice steady as I searched his eyes, panic rising. Why, why, why had I agreed to go anywhere with this insane man? I heard my phone vibrate in my clutch and turned towards it, but his grip jerked me back.

          “You know what I want. And…” He whispered. “I know you want it, too, just like I knew you would follow me up here. You just need an excuse to let yourself do it. And I’ve just provided you with one.”

          “What do you mean?” I pressed my lips together in an attempt to keep them from trembling.

          “It would be…a real shame if my thumb happened to slip, and that video was sent to Greg. Or, to your principal’s email address.”

          “And if—” I swallowed. “If I fuck you, or whatever, you’ll delete it?”

          “Who said anything about fucking?” One of his hands trailed down, sliding one of my dress straps over my shoulder.

          “Tom, come on,” I said. My head felt light, and I knew the coke was starting to hit my bloodstream.

          “We’ll see.” He said, rising from his seat and pulling me up with him. He pulled me flush against him by the hips, and I bit my lip, determined not to make a sound. “This doesn’t have to be so difficult, you know.”

          One hand climbed to the zipper of my dress, and he slowly pulled it down, my dress falling open in the back.

          “What if someone walks in?” I asked, looking over his shoulder at the door.

          “They won’t.” He said, his lips next to my ear.

          “Tom, I—” I started, and he stopped my lips with his finger.

          “Listen, if you really don’t want to do this, by all means, just say the word.”

          “I…” I started. My phone buzzed again, and Tom grabbed my wrist before I could reach for it.

          “Hey, hey, Y/n, look at me.” I met his eyes, and he continued. “I’m just fucking with you.”

          “What?” I choked out. “What do you mean?”

          “I’m just fucking around.” He chuckled, turning me around so he could zip my dress back up.

          “You’re—you mean—”

          “I wasn’t going to make you fuck me, Y/n,” He said incredulously. “You really though I would do that?”

          “Tom, what the fuck,” I balked. “But…the video?”

          “Oh, come on, I was never going to send it to anyone.” He held his phone up so I could see the screen, and pressed delete on the video he’d taken. “Just a bit of razzing the new kid, okay? That’s all.”

          “You’re fucked in the head.” I spat, grabbing my purse and stalking past him towards the exit.

          I could hear him laugh as the door closed behind me, and I sped down the stairs, heading towards the women’s restroom. I locked myself in a stall and sank down onto the toilet, letting out a sob. The coke coursing through my veins was not helping things, I knew. My heart felt like it was going a million beats a minute. I pulled out my phone to see missed texts and a call from Greg.

Greg: So sorry about that! I’ll meet you again in a few

          Can’t find you, where’d you go?

          Are you okay?

I texted back: Sorry, got sick. I’m coming back in now.

I sniffled and took a deep breath, trying to collect myself. I closed my eyes and took a few more deep breaths, in and out, before leaving the stall. Crossing the room to check my face in the mirror, I looked a bit blotchy, and it was clear I’d been crying. I dabbed at my under-eye makeup, then put on a coat of the lipstick I’d brought in my purse. Smoothing my hair, I took one last deep breath, nodded at myself, and left the restroom.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 6

Hi everybody!! I hope you're all doing well <3 It is so dark and cold (I live in the PNW, near where the Twilight books are set, for reference lol) but I'm trying to stay cozy and keep my spirits up.

So what better way to do that than sharing another chapter! This one is very Christmassy and cozy, I hope you enjoy xoxoxo

Link to Chapter 5 (18+ minors dni)

Content Warnings:

Sexual content (less explicit in this chapter, but they still have sex)

Swearing

Reader is dealing with some body image issues. It's not the main focus but it is discussed.

Alcohol consumption

Estranged family dynamics mentioned.

“You’re sure you don’t want to spend Christmas with your family?” I asked Greg as we walked back to my apartment from the coffee shop, baked goods and coffees in hand.

          “Oh, I’m very sure.” He laughed wryly.

          “Not even your uncle—the one in Canada, I mean?”

          “Nope.” He shook his head, taking a bite of his cake pop.

          “Well, lucky me, then.” I smiled up at him, though I felt a little sad for him—somehow, I hadn’t realized things with his entire family were so bad. Not that things with my family had been great the past few years, either.

          “They don’t think you’re real, by the way.” He waved his half-eaten cake pop at me, his eyebrows raised. “Yeah, they think I made you up. They call you my imaginary girlfriend.”

          “What?” I scoffed. “Why?”

          “They think I’m, like, lame and broke and stuff, I don’t know.” He rolled his eyes. “I mean, compared to them, I guess I kind of am, but it’s still like, come on guys.”

          “That’s fucking annoying.” I scrunched up my face. “They sound like they suck.”

          “I mean, yeah, most of the time.” He sighed.

          “Well, if you ever want to prove them wrong, I suppose…” I started, pulling my keys out of my coat pocket as we reached my building. “I suppose I could go with you if there’s ever, I don’t know, an event or something where they could see us together.”

          “For real, you’d do that?” His eyebrows shot up as he held the door open for me.

          I considered it for a second. “I would.”

          “But I thought you, like, really hated ATN?”

          “I do.” I shrugged, leading the way up to my floor. “But I really don’t hate you, so. If it would get them off your back, it’d be worth it to me.”

          “Wow, okay,” He said as we reached my door.

          “I mean, if you think that wouldn’t be a good thing—like, if I’d damage your reputation by being your date, or anything, then I don’t have to, of course.” I unlocked the door and threw my coat onto the rack.

          “Why would you—I mean, how do you think you’d do that?” He hung his coat and scarf and followed me into the living room.

          “I don’t know…I mean, I’m sure they all date models and stuff, and I maybe…” I trailed off, unsure how to continue without sounding as insecure as I felt. “Would they make fun of you, because I’m not, like, perfect-looking and super skinny?”

          “What?” His eyebrows shot up, and he sat down next to me. “Why would you even…even think that?”

          “I just want to make sure that I wouldn’t make you regret bringing me along.” I said, unable to look at him. “I mean, I’ve seen the women your cousins have dated, and they’re all, like, tall and skinny and gorgeous. I’m nowhere near as…well, I know I don’t look like them.”

          “Baby, no.” He said, taking one of my hands and squeezing it. “You are…you are literally so fucking beautiful. I would never, ever be worried about you…fucking embarrassing me. Like, if anything, you should be embarrassed to be seen with me.”

          “Are you sure?” I looked up at him, to my embarrassment, with tears in the corners of my eyes.

          “I’m—God, I’m so sure.” He cupped my face in his hands and pulled me closer, wiping the tears with his thumbs as they spilled over. “Why would you even think something like that?”

          “I don’t know,” I said softly. “I mean, I do know, I guess. Just insecurities that I need to get over.”

          “Well, I wish you wouldn’t be insecure, because you’re so beautiful, and also just really fucking hot, and,” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “I really, really like seeing you naked. And in clothes. I just like seeing you, in all forms.”

          “Thank you, sweetheart.” I laughed, sniffling and swiping under my eyes with my sleeve. “Okay. I feel better now. Thank you.”

          “I just—Jesus.” He shook his head. “They’re gonna be so shocked that somehow, someone as hot as you decided to even, like, give me the time of day, much less have sex with me.”

          “They sound insufferable.” I squeezed his hand. “No wonder you’d rather hang out with me.”

          “Yeah, um, you can say that again.” He scoffed. “Jesus. Anyways. Do you want me to plug in the tree?”

          “Yeah, sure.” I smiled as he gave me another kiss, then stood up to plug in the lights strung around the Christmas tree we’d put up in the corner. We’d spent a free evening decorating it together with my old childhood ornaments, and he’d finished it off by putting the star on top, no stepladder required.

          “Okay, so, do you want your present now?” He asked once the multi-colored lights were on, illuminating the dim room.

          “Yes, I would love my present.” I sat up, knowing how excited he was about it. He’d been trying not to drop hints about it for weeks now; having to keep it a secret had been driving him nuts. His excitement was infectious and very endearing, especially since I’d grown up in a family that had been kind of Grinch-y around Christmastime.

          “Okay, here it is,” He grabbed a flat rectangular package from under the tree and brought it over. “It took me so long to find something, but I do think I found something, like, worthy of you.”

          “You’re so fucking sweet.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek and ripped the wrapping paper at one end, sliding the present open. As I peeled it away and saw what was inside, my eyes widened, flipping it over to the back cover, then inside to the front page.

          “Oh, my fucking God,” I said, my voice pitching higher with each word. “How in the world did you find this?”

          “Well, I can’t reveal my sources—” He started, and I swatted at him, laughing, unable to believe what I was seeing in front of me; what I was holding in my hands. It was, if my quick glance inside the front cover was correct, a signed first-edition copy of one of my favorite novels of all time.

          “Greg, this is crazy.” I said, my eyes filling for the second time that day, but for a completely different reason. “I can’t believe…is this, like real?”

          “Yeah, I mean, it was authenticated, if that’s what you mean. I made sure before I got it.” He smiled, putting a hand on my thigh and squeezing gently.

          “Thank you so much. Oh my God, Greg.” I sniffled, unable to help it. “This is literally the coolest, most thoughtful gift I’ve ever gotten.”

          “Hey, of course.” He said softly. “I’m really, like, really glad you like it.”

          “Seriously. Thank you.” I looked into his eyes and leaned in to give him a lingering kiss, before drawing back and standing up. “Okay. My gift for you probably isn’t as good, but…” I grabbed it from under the tree and brought it back, sitting down next to him again and handing it over.

          “Well, I’ll be the judge of that.” He grinned, ripping the thick envelope open and sliding out the card. He flipped it open, and the two tickets fluttered into his lap.

          I waited while his eyes skimmed over the writing inside the card, then he picked up the tickets, and his brow furrowed.

          “You got me tickets to see Hamilton?” He asked, looking up at me.

          “Yeah. I mean, you said you liked the show, but I didn’t think you’d ever seen it live before." I pulled my shirtsleeves down over my hands.

          “That’s…oh my God, this is literally an insane gift.” He kissed me, his hands bringing my face to meet his. “I can’t believe you got fucking Hamilton tickets. You don’t even like musicals.”

          “I don’t, but you do.” I shrugged. “I can sit through it for a few hours, just for you. Unless you want to take someone else—”

          “Okay, come on. No. We’re—we’re going, obviously.” He squeezed my thigh with one hand, looking at the tickets again to read the details. “I can’t believe you. ‘Oh, this probably isn’t that good of a gift’, that’s…you’re crazy.”

          “Well, I’m glad you like it so much.” I kissed him on the cheek, curling up and laying my head on his shoulder.

          "I love it." He kissed the top of my head. “Thank you.”

          “Of course.” I took his face in my hands and gave him a kiss, long and slow.

          I lit a spiced-cranberry scented candle, and we watched a Christmas movie together, snuggled on the couch with popcorn and our now-cold coffees. Halfway into the movie, we ended up just making out, and then moved things to the bedroom. The sex was slow, sweet, and vanilla, but I wasn’t mad about it.

          “I’m just, like…I hope you know, I’m really glad I met you.” He said, stroking my hair as we lay together afterwards, coming back down to Earth.

          “I’m really glad I met you, too.” I looked up at him and smiled, kissing him softly, then snuggling into his chest again. I could see it had started to snow outside my window, the flakes showing up under the streetlights, soft little flurries beginning to coat the bare tree branches. I felt a tugging on my heart, and I knew that I was falling in love with him, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it—not yet. I would tell him eventually, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment: the quiet, the warmth of our bodies pressing together under the sheets, the clean smell of him, the taste of him still on my lips. It was a nice moment, and I wanted to bask in it, letting it last as long as possible.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 5

Another smut chapter yay! Same as Chapter 4, this chapter is for 18+ readers only, no minors.

Link to previous chapter

Content warnings for:

Sex (protected, between two consenting adults), oral (f receiving), sex while blindfolded.

Swearing

Thank you all for reading/liking! :') I'm having so much fun rereading as I'm posting these chapters. Thinking about maybe taking requests if anyone's interested at some point!

Chapter 5: Bootycall

          I hadn’t seen Greg in a week, not since the morning after our first night together, and I hated to admit it, but I missed him. Sure, we texted every day, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t very independent-woman-boss-babe of me, but it was true: I was starting to fall for him. Not in love, necessarily; that would take more time, but I was feeling things for him nonetheless.

          On my couch after work one night, scrolling on my phone with a mug of tea, my feed was interrupted by a phone call. I saw it was from Greg and waited half a second before picking up.

          “Hey, what’s up?” I asked, putting him on speaker.

          “Hey, sorry, I know it’s kind of late. Am I, like, disturbing you, or anything?”

          “No, Greg, you’re fine.” I laughed. “I literally wasn’t doing anything.”

          “Okay, cool, um…well, I was wondering, and like,” He sighed. “It’s been, like, a really fucking long week at work, and super stressful, and I missed you, and I was basically wondering if I could come over?”

          “Is this a bootycall?” I asked, faking incredulence.

          “No. I mean, not necessarily, um, to what I understand as the definition of—of a bootycall,” He said, and I couldn’t hold in my laughter anymore.

          “It would be okay if it was, you know.” I said, leaning back on the couch. “What time are you coming?”

          “Oh, um…I can be there in, like, half an hour? If that works for you?”

          “Sounds good.” I stretched and stood up. “I missed you too, by the way. See you soon.”

          We hung up, and I went down the hall to make sure my bedroom was presentable. I pushed my dirty clothes off the bed and into the laundry basket, then pulled the sheet and comforter up, smoothing them out. I gave my pits a quick sniff-test and changed into a set of matching underwear. None of this was necessary, I knew that; Greg probably wouldn’t have noticed, much less cared, whether my bed was made or not. But it made me feel more put-together and gave me something do while I waited for him. I pulled on a silky robe and went back to the kitchen to pour two glasses of wine, then lit a candle in the living room and settled back on the couch to wait. It had only been a week since we’d last slept together, but I could feel the need to have him rise rapidly in me once again.

          When he arrived, I buzzed him in and met him at my door, pulling him inside and kissing him before he had a chance to speak. I closed the door and he pushed me against it, running his hands through my hair and locking at the nape of my neck. Breathless, we broke apart, looking into the others’ eyes.

          “Hi.” I smiled, my hands on his chest.

          “Hi.” He said back, looking at me with a strange expression. It took me a moment to recognize it as something between lust and adoration.

          “So, rough week?” I asked, one hand reaching for his tie, slowly beginning to loosen it. “Need someone to take your frustrations out on?”

          “Yes and no,” He ran his hands down my back and over my hips, giving my butt a squeeze. “I just really, really fucking wanted to see you.”

          “Well, I’m flattered.” I kissed him again. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me down the hall to my room, letting me fall back onto my bed. He threw his suit-jacket off to the side and undid his belt, stepping out of his pants. I could see he’d popped a tent already.

          “You need some de-stressing?” I asked, looking up at him through my lashes as I crawled to the edge of the bed, palming him through his underwear.

          “No,” He stopped my hand, unbuttoning his shirt.

          “No?”

          “I mean, yes, but,” He pulled his shirt off, holding onto his tie as he pushed me back on the bed. “I wanted…I want to do something for you, tonight.”

          “Oh, do you?” I raised my brows, propping myself up on my elbows.

          “Yeah, so just lay down, and, um, is it okay if I..?” He moved behind me, and I could feel the silk of his tie slip over my forehead, coming down to block out my vision.

          “Oh! Oh, yes,” I assured him, and he tightened the makeshift blindfold so it would stay on. I lay back against my pillows and waited, tension building as I had no idea when or where I’d feel his touch next. I felt a pull at the belt of my robe, and it fell open so I could slide out of the sleeves. The air above me shifted as his weight came down on top of me. He kissed me, tilting my face up to meet his.

           He drew away, and I felt his lips move to my neck, then my cleavage, feeling me over my bra, then continuing down. He pressed kisses to my stomach, then my hips, and I felt his fingers hook under my thong and pull it down my legs. Kissing my inner thighs, getting closer and closer, he was teasing me, making me wait.

          And then finally I felt his tongue on me, and I gasped. My body started as though I’d been shocked. His hands came up to hold my thighs in place as he moved his tongue slowly over me, circling my clit before coming to rest on it, flicking it languidly. I’d severely underestimated his abilities, I had to admit, though I had never been happier to be wrong about something.

          He sped up, seeming to notice how I reacted to different movements, figuring out what I liked and replicating it. With my vision gone, I felt everything even more vividly than usual, to an almost overwhelming degree. My legs began to shake as he continued, my moans pitching higher and higher as my thighs clenched against his grip.

          “God, yes,” I breathed, one of my hands gripping a handful of blanket, the other finding his head and weaving through his hair, holding him in place as I grinded myself against his face, his tongue still going. I clenched one last time, letting the eruption of pleasure ripple through my body as I came. I rode out the warm waves, then collapsed back against the sheets, letting go of him.

          “Jesus Christ,” I said, my legs still shaky as I tried to sit up.

          “Was that good?” He asked, untying the blindfold. I grabbed his face and gave him a long, slow kiss, tasting myself on his lips.

          “What do you think?” I chuckled softly, kissing him again.

          “I don’t know, you tell me.” He smiled. He wanted to be praised.

          “I liked that very, very much.” I indulged him. “Actually, I fucking loved that. Did you enjoy yourself as well?”

          “Yeah, actually, you taste really fucking good.” He reached around and unhooked my bra, tossing it to the other side of the room.

          “The blindfold was a nice touch, too, where’d you learn that?” I ran my hand idly over his shoulder, down his arm, and back up.

          “I, uh, I’ve had some experiences,” He said, with that shyly devilish little smile he gave me sometimes.

          “Well, I’m lucky to be getting to enjoy your expertise.” I kissed him and brought my hand down, slipping under the band of his underwear, feeling the satiny-soft skin of his head. He blew out a slow breath, his eyes fluttering closed as I began to stroke him, feeling him harden under my grasp.

          “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about being inside of you literally all week.” He groaned as my fingers quickened.

          “What a coincidence, I’ve been thinking about the same thing.” I kissed him, moving on top to straddle him and sliding down his underwear, his dick springing out. I was more prepared this time, grabbing the condom I’d left on my bedside table and ripping it open. He helped me slide it onto his length, and I rubbed myself against him, aroused enough that he soon slid inside with no discomfort, just a few shorter strokes for adjustment. I rode him slowly, sighing at the sensation, his hands moving to my hips, then up to my breasts, cupping and squeezing.

          I felt myself climbing towards an orgasm again. I knew I probably wouldn’t be pushed over the edge before he was, but I was enjoying the ride nonetheless. At this angle, my clit rubbed on him each time I went down again, and combined, it was a lovely sensation. His hands had gone back down to my hips, moving me faster and faster, until he held me in place, letting out the kind of moan that could only accompany an orgasm. He pumped a few final times before I lifted myself off, curling myself next to him as his breathing returned to normal, coming down from his high.

          “Fuck.” He laughed, giving me a kiss before pulling off the condom and tossing it across the room into the garbage.

          “Lucky shot.” I rolled my eyes. “If you missed, you’d be cleaning your cum out of the carpet.”

          “I never miss.” He stretched out, getting comfortable.

          “If you say so.” I got up to use the bathroom. When I returned, I was surprised to see him still awake, his gaze shifting from the ceiling to me as I rejoined him on the bed.

          “Hey,” He started, turning towards me. “I wanted to ask you something. And, um, if you say no, that’s totally okay, but, um…I still wanted to just, like, put something out there for your consideration.”

          “Yeah, what’s up?” I asked, propping myself up on one arm.

          “Would you…well, I was wondering if…” He took a deep breath, looking at me with his big, dark eyes. “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

          “Oh,” I said, absolutely thrown for a loop.

          “I mean, if it’s too soon or you don’t want to or something—”

          “Greg, sweetheart, I would love to be your girlfriend.” I took his face into my hands, stroking his cheek with a thumb.

          “Well, that’s—that’s great news.” He smiled, leaning in to give me a kiss. It was cute to me how nervous he’d been. It was slightly high-school, but also very, very Greg. And I liked him quite a lot, so I didn’t mind the idea of putting a label on our relationship.

          “You’re so sweet.” I said, laying my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around me.

          “I wasn’t sure if I was asking too soon, or if you maybe weren’t—you weren’t as into this as I was, so,” He let out a breath. “Very happy you said yes, to say the least.”

          “Well, I’m happy you asked.” I ran a hand over his chest. “I mean, I’m having a good time, and it seems like we work well together.”

          “Yeah, it does.” He kissed my forehead, then lay back against the pillows.

          “Do you want to stay the night, or do you need to get back to your place?” I yawned, snuggling in closer.

          “No, no, I can stay.”

          “Good.” I curled into him, closing my eyes. I listened as his breathing slowed, evening out, and he began to let out little snores with every other exhale. I could feel myself begin to slip away too, and let sleep take me over.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 4

Smut time!! This chapter is 18+, no minors should be reading.

Link to previous chapter

Chapter content warnings:

Sexual content between two consenting adults: fingering, p in v, protected sex (wrap it before you tap it guys be safe out there), slight power play (mdom, fsub, very light in this chapter but it is present)

Alcohol consumption

Swearing

As always, thank you for reading! Mwah xoxoxo

Chapter 4: Sleepover & The Morning After II

          “Jesus, that was…really fucking good,” He set his utensils down on the plate, sitting back in his chair.

          “Good. I’m glad you liked it,” I said. No sarcasm, no jokes. I was glad. I’d always loved cooking, especially for other people. Cooking for just myself was fine, but there’s a different kind of satisfaction that can only come from feeding someone else.

          “Do you want help with the dishes?” He asked as I stood and began clearing the table.

          “That’s okay, I’ll just leave them in the sink for now. Go pick out a movie, I’ll meet you on the couch in a sec.” I ran some water over the dishes in the sink, then grabbed our wine glasses and a new bottle and followed him.

          “What would you like to watch?” He looked up at me as I came over and handed him his glass.

          “Oh, I don’t know. It’s always so hard to pick, isn’t it?” I sank next to him on the cushions. “Do you want more wine?”

          “Sure, pour me up,” He said, his eyes on the screen, scrolling through the streaming services, so he didn’t notice my look of amusement. “I really can’t decide, honestly. You should pick something.”

          “Okay, fine, give me the remote.” I took it from him and continued scrolling. “You don’t have a favorite movie?”

          “I mean, I guess if I really thought about it, I could come up with something.” He furrowed his brow. “I haven’t had a lot of time to just, like, chill and watch a movie recently.”

          “They’re really trying to suck your soul out over there, huh?”

          “Yeah. Consider my soul…sucked, I guess?” He said, and we both laughed. It seemed like he was beginning to feel more comfortable around me; he had a much more relaxed vibe about him tonight. Maybe it helped that the truth about his job was out in the open, or maybe it was the fact that we were hanging out in private for the first time, with no one else around. I was glad, either way.

          “Okay, we’re watching my favorite, then.” I clicked on a movie and poured myself another glass of wine, settling back next to him as it started.

          “This is your favorite movie?” He raised his eyebrows as the opening scene played out. It was a horror movie, and not even close to my favorite, but I’d picked something bad on purpose.

          “Mmhmm.” I nodded, biting my lip to keep my face straight. “What, you’re not into it?”

          “No, no, it’s fine, I…like it.” He looked over at me, his focus leaving the screen entirely.

          “Yeah?” I asked, my eyes flicking down to his lips, then back up to his dark eyes.

          “Yeah,” He breathed, and then his lips were on mine, one of his hands in my hair, the other cupping my face. I leaned in closer, running my hands over his shoulders, then pulled back slightly.

          “Do you…is this okay?” He asked, our lips only barely parted.

          “Yes,” I nodded. “I just like being pursued, that’s all. Making you work for it a bit.”

          “Oh, yeah? I can do that,” His lips moved over to my ear, sending a shiver down my body.

          “Do you want to fuck me?” I asked softly as he moved to the side of my neck.

          “Of course I do,” he said. “are you kidding me?”

          “I’ll assume that last part was rhetorical,” I said before I could help it. I could see I’d confused him and taken us out of the moment, so I continued. “How badly do you want to fuck me?”

          “I think,” He started, moving his hand up to just below my jaw and applying a soft pressure to the sides of my neck. “I should be the one asking you that.”

          “Is that so?” I could feel the heat growing between my legs, causing a delicious kind of discomfort.

“I think so,” He held my chin and turned my face so we were looking directly at each other. “I can stop this at any point, so, Y/n, I need to know. Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes,” I breathed out as his other hand trailed almost lazily down over my thigh, applying just the slightest pressure as he reached his destination between my legs.

“Yeah, but, uh, how badly?” He whispered onto my lips, pausing the motion of his fingers.

“So very badly,” I whispered back, placing my hand on top of his and bringing them together under the waistband of my pants. “Feel for yourself.”

“Jesus,” He chuckled. “You’re this wet already?”

“I can’t help it,” I drew back, almost offended.

“No, no, I like it,” He pulled me up onto his lap so I was straddling him.

“What, you’re this fucking hard already?” I teased, running my hand over his erection through his pants.

“Hey, that’s your fault, for being so sexy,” he said. I rolled my eyes and chose not to comment, kissing him instead to shut him up.

He moved his hands from their grip on my hips up under the hem of my shirt. I raised my arms to allow him to lift it over my head, letting it drop to the floor. His long fingers managed to unhook the clasp of my bra more quickly than expected—I’d anticipated there to be more fumbling around on his part. There was a lot more to Greg than I’d expected, in general.

“How long have you wanted this?” I asked, pressing myself more fully against him and eliciting a low moan.

“Since I fucking…since I saw you across the room at the bar,” He slid his hands up my torso from my waist to cup my breasts, rubbing a thumb over each nipple. “What about you?”

“The same,” I admitted, sighing as I melted into his touch. “Part of me wanted you to pull me into the bathroom and have me, right there.”

“Fuck, I just…” He gazed up at me, and we stared at each other for a long moment, our bodies moving against each other, building pressure. “I want you so bad.”

“Have me, then.” I bent down to press a long kiss to his lips, softly biting the top one, then the bottom. I shifted off of his lap and slid my pants off. He got the hint and did the same.

“Do you have, like, a condom?” He asked, kicking his pants off and to the side.

“Yeah, I’ll grab one.” I padded down the hall to the bathroom and found the box I kept under the sink, separating one from the pack and returning to the living room. The couch was empty, our clothes strewn over the furniture. I was confused for a second, before I felt his hands on my hips from behind, pulling me in so that my back was pressed to his chest.

“I think I’m too tall for your couch.”

“You’re gonna be too tall for my bed, too,” I laughed, taking his hand and leading him into the bedroom.

“We’ll make it work somehow. I have faith in our…tenacity.” He backed me onto the bed, and I handed him the condom.

“Tenacity, huh? Good word,” I smirked up at him as he ripped open the wrapper and slid it on. I scooted back further onto my pillows, and then he was on top of me, kissing my lips, my neck, my collarbone; feeling me everywhere, pinning my wrists down with one hand and using the other to play with me. Rubbing with his thumb while slipping in one finger, then a second.

“Is this okay?” He whispered into my ear as my whines and whimpers reached a higher pitch.

“Yes, yes,” I breathed. “Please, Greg. Please fuck me.”

With that, his hand came up to cup my face so he could kiss me as he gave the first thrust. I moaned onto his lips as he pulled out and then pushed back in, slightly deeper this time. He continued going slowly until I’d adjusted, and then his pace picked up, my legs wrapping around him, skin slapping against skin, faster and faster.

He slowed again, and I whined in his ear.

“Shh, I’m just trying to…last longer,” He whispered. “You feel too fucking good.”

          “I need it,” I pouted, straining against his grip.

          “You need this?” He teased himself against my entrance.

          “Mmhm,” I breathed. “Please.”

          With that, he was fully inside me again, and I threw my head back against the bedspread, unable to contain a moan. He filled me up so perfectly, moved so perfectly, hit such a deep spot, I almost couldn’t handle it, but the idea of him stopping was so much worse.

          He kissed me again, and I knew he was getting close. I squeezed my legs tighter, angling myself upwards, and with a few more thrusts, he let out the most authentic, full-bodied moan I’d heard in my life and collapsed on top of me, releasing my wrists, his arms shaking. Once he’d caught his breath, he kissed me deeply before rolling off to the side.

          “There’s a trashcan over by the door.” I said, running my fingers over his shoulders as he sat up to peel off the condom.

          “Okay,” He stood, still catching his breath, and dropped it into the trash, coming back over to spoon me from behind and press a kiss my shoulder.

          “Did you, um…did you cum?” He asked.

          I turned to face him. I really didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I couldn’t lie to him, either, so I spoke gently. “I didn’t. It’s always been really hard for other people to make me cum.”

          “I’m sorry.” He said, so earnestly I could’ve cried, so I laughed instead.

          “Greg, sweetheart, it’s okay.” I ran a thumb over his cheek, tangling my hand in his dark hair. “If you’d gone down on me, that’s…well, that’s usually how it happens, when it does.”

          “Oh,” He started, pulling back. “You should’ve—I would’ve, if…no, I should’ve thought of that.”

          “It’s okay. We’ll just have to try that next time.” I said, propping myself up on an elbow. “And besides, I just wanted to get straight into it tonight. Just because I didn’t cum doesn’t mean it was bad sex, or that I didn’t enjoy it. She’s just very, very particular.” I gestured to my crotch.

          That made him laugh, to my relief. “Well, okay. I do want to make you, though. For real.”

          “I know. Unfortunately, it can’t really be forced. It just either happens or it doesn’t.” I shrugged. “But, I have to say, I was impressed nonetheless.” I gave him a squeeze and felt him twitch under my hand.

          “Well, that’s good to hear.” He rolled onto his back, and I stood up. “Where are you going?”           “Greg, rule number one for people with vaginas: Always pee after sex. Seriously. Have you ever had a UTI before? Not fun.” I called over my shoulder as I headed out to the bathroom.

          When I came back, he was dozing off, mumbling something as I crawled into bed next to him.

          “What?” I asked, laying my head on his chest, his arm wrapping around me.

          “We never finished the movie,” He said drowsily into my ear.

          “No, I guess we didn’t,” I laughed softly, pressing one more kiss to his lips before settling down to sleep.

--- The Morning After: Part II ---

          I was stirred from my sleep by a crashing sound somewhere in the apartment. When it came again a moment later, I sat upright in bed, reaching over to confirm that I was alone in the sheets. I was pretty sure the noise was Greg, but on the off-chance he’d snuck away while I slept and someone else had broken in, I pulled on my robe before heading down the hall.

          I stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, taking in the sight of Greg in his underwear, fumbling with the coffee machine. The crash, I assumed, had come from him tipping over the grinder and spraying half-ground beans all over the counter and onto the floor. I covered my lips with a hand, attempting to stifle a laugh, but it didn’t work. When he heard me, he turned around sheepishly, giving me such a woeful expression that I burst out in another wave of laughter, and he joined in.

          “I was trying to make us coffee, I was going to bring it to you in bed, and it was going to be very romantic, I promise.” He sighed, running a hand over his bedhead. “Do you have a vacuum or…a broom, or something?”

          I helped him clean up the mess, and since he’d spilled all of my beans, we got dressed and walked to a café down the street. I found us a table while he paid, and once I’d settled into an overstuffed chair near the fireplace, I watched him. Though he was a goof, and sort of a nepo-baby on top of that, I was somehow still attracted to him. It wasn’t even a height thing—I’d gone out with guys the same height as me before, and had been perfectly attracted to them as they were. I couldn’t put my finger on it, not entirely. He had a certain Greg-ne-ce-quais.

          I mean, he had a very handsome face, so that was probably part of it. And he made me laugh often, though not always intentionally.

          While walking over with our drinks, he got a phone call, and I watched him try to balance both cups while pressing the phone to his ear. Based on the panicked look on his face, I assumed it was work-related. I met him halfway to grab my cup from him, and he mouthed a “Thank you” as he followed me to our seats.

          “Okay, um…I mean, I was supposed to be off today,” He said into the phone, rubbing his face with his free hand. “Jesus, okay, yes, I can be there. Give me like an hour—okay, fine, thirty. Okay. ‘Bye.”

          “That was your boss?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee.

          “Yeah, how’d you guess?” He sighed. “I know we were supposed to hang out this morning, I’m so sorry.”           “It’s okay, Greg,” I reached over and put a hand on his knee. “I know you don’t have much of a choice.”

          “Yeah, no, not really. I mean, I’d obviously much rather hang out with you than go in.”

          “I know. Go on, I’ll survive, somehow.” I smiled to let him know I was joking.

          “Okay, yeah, I should go. They called me a car already.” He went to stand up, then stopped and looked over at me. “I really, really had a good time last night.”

          “I did, too.” I smiled. He leaned over to give me a quick kiss, then stood up. Still sitting down, I was eye-level with his dick for a moment before he turned to walk out to the street. I watched him through the windows as he speed-walked off down the street to meet his car. Too soon, he was out of sight, and I was alone with my coffee. I was disappointed, of course—I’d hoped we would have time for another round back at my place once we’d finished our drinks—but I had, for the most part, outgrown the petty grudges I used to hold against the men I dated for things out of their control. We were adults. Sometimes, work came first.

          God, no wonder Greg was so high-strung. I’d hate having to be on call all the time, working for people who expected the impossible from me. I had a pretty good idea of what his salary was, and while it was probably exorbitant, it seemed that they made him work for it.

          As I sipped my coffee, I wondered, my mind in the gutter as always, how Greg’s head game was. My instincts said he might not be the best at it, but what he lacked in skill, he might make up for in enthusiasm. Though giving me head hadn’t been his first instinct last night, he still seemed eager to please. And, to be fair, I had really been ready to just get straight into it. Next time, I wouldn’t be as impatient, and we could take our time and try different things. It would be fun. In my experience, the first fuck with a new partner was never the best. We’d figure each other out soon enough, and I was looking forward to the process.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 3

A little shorty chapter today! I probably won't post a chapter a day forever, so enjoy while it lasts lol. Eventually I will run out of chapters.

Link to previous chapter

This chapter is also fairly tame. Swearing, dubious morals, discussion of ATN news. Smut starts in the next chapter after this one (chapter 4).

Thank you to anyone reading!! <3 I think all that any writer can hope for is someone, even one person, reading their work and enjoying it. So I hope you enjoy xoxoxo mwah

Chapter 3: Confrontation

“You work for fucking ATN?” I hissed over my coffee mug. We were at my favorite café near the school on my lunch break. Greg had a rare day off, so he’d been able to meet me last minute, though he hadn’t known I was going to confront him about his job.

          “I—I can explain,” His eyes grew wide.

          “Yeah, you’d better be able to explain that, Greg,” I said, folding my arms. “God, I finally find a guy I actually like, and he works for the fucking devil. When were you going to tell me about this? Were you waiting for me to sleep with you first, or something?”

          “No, no,” He sighed, putting his face in his hands for a moment before looking back up at me. “My family owns ATN. Well, my cousins and uncle do. Remember how I told you I was really broke? This job was my last resort, believe me, but I, like, really needed it. I was literally living in a men’s shelter when I started there.”

          “Fuck,” I said under my breath, taking a sip of my latte. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

          “I mean, first of all, it’s an embarrassing place to work, obviously,” He said, and I nodded. “Also, I just…I think…I mean, it’s not like I’m super rich or anything, but I think…in the past, some girls have maybe gone out with me, just because I’m technically part of the Roy family, so they expect that I will be. Rich, I mean, which I’m not.

          “And—and I thought you seemed really cool, and I wanted to get to know you without all of that…stuff in the way, at first.”

          I let his words sink in. He had lied by omission, yes, but I understood his reasoning.

          “It’s bad, I know.” He looked at me pleadingly. “I’m so, so sorry I didn’t tell you right away.”

          “You should be.”

          “I am!” Greg sighed. I had to look away, because the puppy dog eyes were coming out, whether he realized it or not. “For the record, I wasn’t trying to wait until after I—we—you know. Slept together? I was just nervous to tell you. I really, really am sorry.”

          “Could you quit?” I cocked an eyebrow. “The job, I mean.”

          “I mean—I could, in theory, but that would, um…” He trailed off, trying very hard to come up with an answer. Finally, I took pity on him.

          “It’s okay, Greg,” I sighed, locking eyes with him. “I wouldn’t expect you to quit your job, where you’re making God-knows how much money, for someone you’ve been on two dates with. I know that wouldn’t be fair of me.”

          “Okay, thank you, that’s cool, because I really…I don’t have a lot of, like, life skills, you know? And if I quit, I don’t know if—I mean, they might be so pissed about it, they might not give me a recommendation so I could get a new job, or anything.”

          “I know. I’m not totally unreasonable, you know.” I cupped my hands around my mug. It was warmer inside the café than out, but I still felt cold. “You have to do what you have to do, I get it. As long as this isn’t, like, your dream job, and you love working there, or anything.”

          “No, it’s nothing like that, not at all.” He shook his head vehemently. “I even asked if I could get switched out of ATN to one of the other divisions, but my boss got, like, really mad about it, and I had to stay.”

          “God, that sucks.” I blew out a puff of air. “So, what’s it like being Satan’s nephew?”

          “Well, to be fair, I didn’t really know him until pretty recently, so…it’s not like we’re close, or anything.” He played with the handle of his mug, and I noticed he’d barely drank any of his coffee.

          “This is so wild. I can’t believe it.” I shook my head at him, but let my lips form into a smile. I felt I’d probably given him a hard enough time.

          “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” He laughed, like he couldn’t believe it either.

          “Well,” I checked my phone. “I need to head back to campus, my break’s almost over.”

          “Oh, for sure.” We both stood and bundled back up, then headed out into the cold once more.

          “Thanks for coming to meet me. I know it was a bit of a drive for you, just to come get yelled at.” I bumped my shoulder into his—well, it was closer to his elbow, truthfully—as we walked down the salted sidewalk.

          “Hey, no worries. I should’ve told you sooner, I just…” He cleared his throat. “I like you, I guess? I mean, not I guess, I know, but I just…”

          “Do you want to come over to my place sometime this weekend?” I asked, once it was clear he was having trouble getting his words out.  

          “Really?” He raised his eyebrows, stopping for a second to look down at me.

          “Yeah. I could make us dinner, we could watch a movie, you know.” I shrugged. “If you want.”

          “That—that would be really cool. Yeah, I’d be, um, very down.” He said, a smile spreading across his face.

          “Cool. Text and let me know which day works better for you.” I stood up on my toes and gave him a quick peck, pulling back to look at him.

          “I will…I will do that.” He gave me two thumbs up and I couldn’t help letting out a laugh.

          “Okay. See you, Greg.” I crunched over the sidewalk to my car, stopping to give him a wave before sliding behind the wheel. Well, fuck. It looked like I’d be hitting the grocery store after work and coming up with a good recipe to make, all for some ATN asshole—though, to be honest, he wasn’t really an asshole. As much as I wanted to stick to my principles, I couldn’t help myself. I liked him, and I wanted to see more of him.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader: Chapter 2

Hiiii just posting the second chapter!

Here is a link to Chapter 1

Not many content warnings for this chapter in particular, just swearing and two consenting adults kissing. This fic is 18+, but this chapter is the most tame.

Anyways Chapter 2 is below! If you read this fic ilysm. I had the time of my life writing it and even if it isn't super good I hope someone else can maybe enjoy it too. Mwah xoxoxo

Chapter 2: The Morning After + Second Date

I woke the next morning to a series of notifications from Greg, and I realized with a twinge of guilt that I had forgotten to let him know I’d gotten home all right.

Y/N: So sorry to worry you! I made it home just fine last night, I totally blanked on letting you know.

          I took a quick shower, and when I came back out, there were new messages from him through the app. Dripping water on my phone screen, I swiped it open.

Greg: No worries, it’s all good

          Glad you didn’t get murdered by your driver!

That was in bad taste, sorry

          If you want to text instead, here’s my phone number:

The phone number exchange—that was a good sign. I saved the number to my contacts and sent him a text.

Y/N: Hey Greg, it’s Y/N :)

          I resisted checking my phone again as I finished getting ready for work, blow-drying my hair and pulling on my tights in between sips of coffee. Once I was ready to go, I headed down the steps of the brownstone and into my car at the curb. I’d only used a ride app the night before because I had known I’d be drinking, but I did have a car of my own, mostly used for driving to and from work. I lived in an area that leaned more suburban than downtown, so parking wasn’t too hellish.

          I made it to the school early enough to get a decent spot in the staff parking lot, and headed to the lounge for my second coffee of the day. The coffee in the staff lounge was notoriously bad, but it’d been a late night by my standards, and I was desperate.

          “Hey, lady,” Katelynn, my closest work-friend, breezed in behind me to pour some coffee into her travel mug. She shook two packets of sweetener into hers and stirred. “How’re things with you?”

          “Good, actually.” I nodded, holding my hands around the paper cup to warm them. You’d think that at a private school, they’d be able to afford a better heating system. And better coffee. “I went on a date last night.”

          “Ooh, how’d it go?” She sat down across from me at one of the tables. Though we were about the same age, Katelynn was an actual, fully qualified teacher. She taught ninth-grade History and Politics, bless her. Somehow, she seemed to love it.

          “It was good! Well, I thought it was, at least, but we didn’t kiss at the end.” I admitted. “I know that’s so high school of me to think about, but I’m just not used to that, I guess.”

          Katelynn’s face became serious, and I loved her for it. “I know what you mean. That is kind of weird. Maybe he was too nervous? Or maybe he just didn’t want to be presumptuous?”

          “You’re probably right.” I nodded. “He did seem a little nervous.”

          “That’s probably it. He was just intimidated by your beauty and brains and charming demeanor.” She smiled at me over the lip of her cup.

          “That’s got to be it.” I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “You’ve cracked the case.”

          “Do you have a pic of him?”

          “Oh, yeah, let me find one.” I opened up the app we’d met on and went to his profile, pulling up what I thought was his best picture, then held it out to show her.

          “Oh! He’s cute!” She exclaimed, grabbing the phone from me. “And he’s six-five? Sheesh, babes. Lucky you.”

          “I think he actually is six-five in real life, too. Crazy, right?”

          The warning bell rang, and Katelynn stood up to go.

          “Crazy. Do you want to do lunch sometime this week? I need to hear more about this guy.”

          “For sure. Text me.” I nodded, and she was gone, off to unlock her classroom and let the students in. I took my cup with me to the library, where I was scheduled to meet with one of my one-on-one students for English tutoring. My heels echoed down the emptying halls, and I checked my phone one last time as I walked: still no text back.

          I stuffed my phone into my pocket, trying to stuff my disappointment away with it. I needed to focus on my job now; he’d text back soon enough. That was what I told myself, anyways.

---

          He did text me back, eventually, later that day.

Greg: Hey! Sorry I didn’t text back earlier, work = crazy again today

          But I have Sunday off, if you’re free?

          To hang out again I mean

          I waited as long as I could to respond, trying to hold onto a shred of my dignity.

Y/N: Hey! That’s okay, I know how it goes.

          Sunday should work. What did you have in mind?

--- Second Date ---

I had to give it to him, it was a cute idea. Much better than a lot of the dates I’d had in the past, which, at their most creative, had been going out to dinner.

          “Have you ever ice skated before?” I asked Greg as we sat together on a bench, lacing up our skates.

          “I did when I was younger, but it’s been a while,” He gave a nervous laugh. “But I don’t know, I thought it might be fun. What—what about you, have you?”

          “Yeah, I’ve been a handful of times.” I nodded, standing up very carefully. “But it’s been a while for me, too.”

          “I thought it seemed like something you’d be good at, for some reason.” He followed me up and into the ring, moving with more grace than I had expected for someone as tall and gangly as him. His vibe didn’t exactly scream hand-eye coordination.

          “Good? I don’t know about that. Competent, maybe.” I laughed. It truly had been a while. I wanted to look over my shoulder at him, but I was sure I’d lose my balance and fall over if I didn’t keep my eyes straight forward.

          “Well, then I guess we can be competent together.” I felt his gloved hand wrap around mine and looked up to see him skating next to me. He looked down with a tentative smile, and I nodded.

          “Deal,” I gave his hand a little squeeze as we got into a rhythm together, our weight moving from leg to leg in sync. I’m sure we looked a bit ridiculous moving at our snails’ pace while children zipped around us on either side, showing off for each other. I let out a shriek as one whizzed particularly close, almost clipping my shoulder.

          “These fucking kids,” He laughed.

          “Right?” I blew out a puff of air, watching the condensation form a little cloud.

          “Do you, um, do you like kids? Or want them?”

          “Not particularly.” I admitted. “Even though I work with them, I like being able to leave them at the end of the day. I don’t think I could do it twenty-four-seven.”

          He nodded thoughtfully. “That would be, like, a lot.”

          “What about you?” I watched him out of the corner of my eye. Partly because he was cute, and partly to watch his face as he came up with an answer.

          “I could take them or leave them, personally.” he said. “It depends on the kid, I guess.”

          “What about animals? Like, pets, I mean.”

          “I do—I do like them, um, in concept. My mom has a dog, and I guess I’ve always been partial to dogs, myself.”

          “I’ve always been more of a cat person,” I said. “I like dogs too, though. But I think it must be so hard to have one here in the city, with no yards for them to run around in. I know there are dog parks, but, you know.”

          “Yeah, I definitely get what you’re saying. It doesn’t seem fair. To the dogs, I mean.”

          “Exactly. You get it,” I let go of his hand as we made it to the wall of the rink opposite the entrance, resting on the rails for a moment. I watched as a teenager in the middle of the rink did a very impressive jump, spinning while in the air, before landing perfectly on the ice again.

          “How come you didn’t kiss me?” I asked, looking up at him.

          “I—um,” He started, his face reddening. “I should’ve, I know. I regretted it right after you walked away. I just…I didn’t want to come off too strong, or feel like I was, like, being a creep, or—you know, in the age of, like, Me Too, I didn’t want to…overstep any, or, I mean, make any assumptions?”

          “Greg,” I sighed. “First, you’re not going to be cancelled for kissing someone at the end of a date, as long as you don’t, like, force it on them. Also, I was giving you the look. That’s usually a sign that a kiss would be acceptable.”

          “Well, I’m sorry.” He said, exasperated, but I could tell he understood. “I wanted to kiss you, okay? I just—I don’t know, like, froze up.”

          “It’s okay.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, actually, for making a big deal out of it. It’s stupid, I know. I feel like a fucking teenager—”

          I was cut off mid-sentence as he leaned down and planted a quick, firm kiss to my lips. He drew back, checking my face for a reaction.

          “Well,” I said, regaining my composure. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

          “I suppose I am.” He grinned and took my hand, and we rejoined the stream of skaters, going around and around the rink. We went around so many times I lost count, and came close to falling a handful of times, but one of us always managed to steady the other before we could end up with our butts on the ice.

          Once we’d returned our rental skates and laced up our own shoes, he walked me out to my car. Just in time for the sunset, we leaned against the bumper and watched as the sky swirled with pink and orange and finally dark blue.

          “I hope you know, I wanted to kiss you for longer, but with all those kids around, it would’ve felt, like, weird.” He turned to face me in the twilight.

          “I think that was smart.” I said, looking over my shoulder at the mostly-empty parking lot. “Don’t see any kids around now.”

          “Well, lucky me, then.” His hand came up to cup my face, the other one resting on my hip as he pulled me in. I stood up on my toes, and our lips met again. We moved slowly at first, shifting to find what was comfortable, and then came the tongue. He wasn’t clumsy or overbearing with it, as I’d suspected he might be. I reciprocated, my hands running over his hair and down towards his jaw. In the freezing air, I could feel myself heating up as our bodies pressed together.

          When we finally broke apart—I’m sure his back was starting to ache from having to bend down to reach me—I felt flushed and melty, like a microwaved marshmallow.

          “Jesus,” I breathed.

          “Yeah,” He nodded, and we both laughed.

          “Well,” I started, not quite wanting to leave, but knowing I still had the drive home ahead of me, and school in the morning. “Unfortunately, I have to get going.”

          “Hey, duty calls.” He said. “Let me know when you make it home?”

          “I will. I actually will, this time.” I smiled, hitting the button to unlock my car.

          “When can I, like, see you again?” He asked as he began backing away.

          “I’m not sure.” I furrowed my brow. “Maybe we can get lunch sometime this week?”

          “Okay, I’ll—I’ll text you.”

          “Sounds good. ‘Bye, Greg.”

          “’Bye. Have a good night!” He called after me as I slid behind the wheel and started my car, turning the heat up.

          I replayed the date in my head on the drive home, smiling to myself. There was a lot to like about him, and no big red flags so far. He seemed a little too agreeable at times, almost too eager to please, but that I could understand. That wasn’t a major moral failing; at least not in my book. He was also becoming sexier to me the more we got to know each other. He wasn’t necessarily my normal type, but there was just something about him.

          Parking in front of the brownstone, I went up the steps and into the warmth of my building. I closed my door behind me, bolting it, and hung my coat up on the hook. I pulled out my phone and shot Greg a quick text, letting him know I’d made it. As it sent, I saw Katelynn had texted me while I was at the rink.

Katelynn: Is this the guy you’re dating rn???

          Attached was a picture, and I clicked on it to make it bigger. It was from some press conference for ATN news, the biggest right-wing-affiliated news network in the country. It was the kind of news channel where talking heads railed against the LGBTQ+ community and abortions, insisting that our country was going to pieces because we’d legalized marriage equality. To put it mildly, I was not a fan.

          And there was Greg, standing right next to the head of the division.

[hbosucc]

Greg Hirsch x Reader

Ok being brave and posting the first chapter!! It's an x Reader fic (I used Y/N, so much nostalgia lol) with few descriptions of the reader insert, besides afab/uses female pronouns, works as a tutor, and is mid-20's in age.

First up, Content Warnings: This fic is for readers 18+ only. The first two chapters aren't explicitly NSFW, but later chapters will be.

Content Warnings for:

Sexual Content: consensual, protected sex between two adult characters, fingering, oral (f and m receiving), p in v, slight power play (choking, one partner holding the other's wrists down, all consensual).

Swearing

Alcohol & (in one of the later chapters, I will put another warning at the top when I post it) drug use

The Roy family & their whole mess lmao

If I can think of anything else I'll make sure to add it!

A few other things:

I found out about the allegations against Nicholas Braun (Greg's actor) after I'd already written most of this fic, and I do not condone his alleged actions at all. This fic is only about the character he played.

Greg is kind of a pathetic, goofy little man. I really can't explain my attraction to him!! I simply had to write this fic to get all that out so I can go on with my life lmao.

Chapter 1: First Date

I took a seat at the bar, anxiously checking my phone again. I’d met people from dating apps before, but was still always a bit nervous beforehand. First dates, in general, freaked me out. But the man I’d arranged to meet was really cute—in his pictures, at least—and the bar he’d suggested was fancy and well-populated, so I decided to brave my nerves and wait a while longer for him to show.

          Taking a slow sip of my gin and tonic, I surveyed the room, narrowing my eyes. Usually, I would’ve waited for my date to arrive before ordering, but he was late, and I was hoping the drink would settle my nerves.

          Was that him? His bio had listed his height as 6’5”, which I’d initially thought must’ve been an exaggeration. If that was him, he certainly hadn’t been lying. I watched as he glanced around, looking almost panicked, until his eyes landed on me. He visibly relaxed, his lips turning up into a smile as he headed towards me.

          “Hi, Y/n?” He asked, and I nodded, looking him up and down. He was late, after all; I couldn’t go too easy on him. He slid onto the stool next to mine, unwinding a scarf from around his neck. I couldn’t help but notice his hands: large and long fingered. With his height, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t seriously packing below the belt. I snuck a look down at his shoes, clocking their size while he ordered himself a drink.

          “Would you like another?” He asked. My gaze snapped back up to meet his.

          “That would be great, thanks. Gin and tonic.”

          He turned back to the bartender to order for me and open a tab. I finished my first drink and the second appeared almost immediately.

          “I’m like, so, so sorry I’m late. I should’ve messaged to let you know, I just, work was literally insane today.” He blew out a long breath, and I felt bad for him for a moment. Unless he was a fantastic actor, he seemed genuinely frazzled.

          “Well, I suppose I can forgive you, as long as you keep the drinks coming.” I smiled to let him know I was joking—well, mostly—and was rewarded with a nervous laugh. “What do you do for work? It wasn’t in your bio.”

          “I—well, I work for a media company.”

          “This is New York, Greg, you’ve got to be more specific than that.” I rolled my eyes, but stopped when I saw how apprehensive he looked. “Unless you’re under an NDA or something, of course. If you tell me, you’d have to kill me, and all that?”

          “Something like that, yeah.” He ran a hand over his dark hair and gave another nervous chuckle.

          “That’s okay, we don’t have to talk about work. Mine’s pretty boring, anyways.”

          “Oh, what do you do?” He asked, straightening up.

          “I’m a tutor at one of the private schools on the upper-east side. English, mostly, though I can do most other subjects in a pinch.”

          “That’s impressive, you work at one of those rich people schools?” He raised his eyebrows. “You have to be, like, really smart to work at one of those.”

          “I suppose so.” I laughed, almost choking on my drink. I liked his bluntness. Most people use bluntness as an excuse to be an absolute dick, but he was blunt in a nice way. It seemed as though he was incapable of pretense; he just said whatever came to mind, even if it didn’t come out in the most eloquent way.

          There was a beat of silence, and I stirred the lime wedges around in my glass. I knew I needed to slow down; my limit was typically three drinks. Less than ten minutes into the date and I was halfway there already. I was supposed to be pacing myself so I wouldn’t end up drunkenly throwing myself at him. Not that I was completely opposed to taking someone to bed on the first date, but I had to admit that was beginning to feel juvenile to me. If I liked someone enough, I preferred to let the tension build up for a bit first.

          “So,” I started, having realized that so far, he’d been asking all the questions. “Did you grow up here, in New York?”

          We went over the usual first-date questions, and I began to feel more comfortable as the date went on. I’m sure this was partially due to the gin loosening my nerves, but Greg also just seemed so harmless. There was an initial timidity to him, but I could see the beginning of something else underneath that. Something in him wanted to break out, and I could feel myself growing intrigued by the idea of opening him up.

          “So, what are you, like—what brings you to the app? The one where we met, I mean.” He swiveled to angle his stool towards me, finishing off his first drink and catching the bartender’s eye to nod for another.

          “Well,” I tried to choose my words carefully. This was the part where I knew some guys would get scared off, and I liked Greg so far, so I hoped that wouldn’t happen. “I’d like to find something long-term, to be honest. I’ve dated people over the years, done the whole casual thing, but I’ve grown tired of it. What about you?”

          “Yeah, same, actually,” He nodded thoughtfully. “It’s just, like, so hard to find cool people, you know? People are so, like, fake nowadays.”

          “I suppose so. I think people have always been fake, to some degree, but now it’s just easier to see. Social media, and all that. Broadcasting every thought you have out into the world.” 

          “I didn’t even think about that,” His eyes widened in a nearly comical way, though I could tell he was being sincere. “but you’re absolutely right. People can just, like, send all their opinions out there, no matter how crazy.”

          “Exactly. I mean, I use social media, don’t get me wrong, but not to that extent.” I hastily added, “And I don’t think I’m better than other people for using it less often, or more discreetly, it’s just a preference.”

          “I feel like…I hope this isn’t too much, okay, but your voice is really nice. I feel like I could listen to you talk, like, all day. And you have all these smart things to say, too.”

          “Greg,” I was taken aback and quite flattered. He’d managed to fluster me. “I’m not that smart, I promise—and I say plenty of nonsensical things. If you’re around me enough, you’ll see lots of that. I’m just on my best behavior at the moment.”

          “Well, I’d be interested to see you on your worst behavior.” He said, then seemed to realize what he’d implied, and chuckled nervously. I could see his wheels turning, formulating an apology, and I cut him off.

          “Likewise.” I drained my drink through the straw, the toe of my boot nudging his leg as I turned to order another.

---

          “Are you sure you’ll be able to get home okay?” He asked. We were out in front of the now-closed bar, waiting for my ride.

          “I’m sure. It’s just an Uber, Greg, I’ve taken them hundreds of times.” I smiled up at him. It was freezing, and we were both bundled up in our coats, scarves, and gloves. I really did have to look up at him now that we were standing. He was nearly a foot taller than me, even in my heeled boots. “Are you sure you’ll get home okay?”

          “Yeah, okay, yeah I’m sure.” He sighed with a grin. “I do appreciate the concern, though.”

          “Well, you paid for all of our expensive-ass drinks, so it’s the least I can do.” I said. “Thank you for that, by the way. I’ll get the check next time, if you’d like.”

          “It’s no problem, really. I, um…I used to be really broke, not too long ago, actually, and it feels really nice to be able to pay for stuff now.”

          “I know that feeling.” I nodded. I squinted as a car pulled up to the curb across the street, barely able to make out the license number in the dark, and compared it against the one on my phone screen.

          “Well, that’s my ride,” I said, looking back up at him. “I would like to do this again, if you’d be interested.”

          “Yes, I would. I’d be…very interested,” He said, his breath seeming to catch in his throat.

          “That’s great to hear,” I stepped closer, pausing for a moment, wondering if he’d make a move. When he didn’t bend down to kiss me, I had to admit that I was disappointed, my stomach sinking, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment at my presumption. I stepped back, giving him a wave instead. “Well, I’ll see you, then.”

          “Yeah,” He cleared his throat, and he called after me as I crossed the street. “Let me know when you get home!”

          “I will. Goodnight, Greg.” I gave one last wave before shutting myself into the backseat of my Uber. The driver played music on a low volume the whole drive, and it began to snow lightly as we approached my apartment building. I got out and stood in the cold for a moment before heading upstairs, trying to wind myself down. It had been a good date, and I had thought I’d felt some chemistry between us. Though without the kiss that tended to punctuate a good first date, it was hard to tell for sure. I knew I would overthink it all if I let myself, so I got ready for bed, taking a sleeping pill so I wouldn’t stay awake and replay the date over and over in my mind, wondering if and where it’d gone wrong.

[hbosucc]

thinking about posting the Succession fic i've been working on!!

I told my tattoo artist I was too scared to post it bc I was nervous about people being mean and she said that I was letting the haters win by not even posting it in the first place.

Well, she said it in a smarter/more profound way than that lol.

So I'm trying to be brave yay!!