#'quick review' yeah that did not last long

[satorusugurugurl]

The Single Dad Club! (Chapter Three: Gojo)

Summary: The Single Dad club consisted of Grto Suguru, Gojo Satoru and Nanami Kento! But with summer upon them, the men find themselves ladies who are willing to have them leave their self-appointed club!

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x AFAB!Reader

Word Count: 5.2K

Warning: mentions of lost child, panic, flirting, fluff, cursing, oral sec (male receiving) smut, p in v, unprotected sex

A/N: The last and final part of the Single Dad Club Summer Series! I had fun with this mini series! Yay for Sexy dilfs!! 😈💚

Part One Part Two

“It’s official. God hates me and wants me to suffer.” Gojo sighed as he lay on the warm side of the beach. “He has doomed me to be single for all time..”

“You’re being dramatic.” Suguru scoffed, shaking his head as he turned the page in his book.

Gojo sat up, glaring daggers at his best friend, who was unbothered by the intense stare. “Oh, shall we review just how much he hates me?” Knowing there was no way to stop the bitching, Geto huffed out a sigh, placing his bookmark in place before he turned his attention to the white-haired man. “Exhibit one,” he gestured towards Nanami, who was building a Sandcastle with Yuuji and his girlfriend. “And Exhibit number two!” he stared at the beauty walking down the shoreline with Nanako and Mimiko. “Both you assholes went and got yourselves girlfriends this summer, disbanding The Single Dad club!” Suguru sighed, running a hand down his face.

“You’re still stuck up on this?” When Gojo pouted, Gero rolled his eyes. “You know it’s as simple as getting on Tinder, right?”

“All the people on there just won’t be for my body!”

“Well fuck Satoru, what do you want?”

“I want a summer romance like you and Nanamin over there!”

“Oh, I fully intend on turning this summer romance into a long-term relationship.”

The sweet, romantic tone of his best friend's voice had Gojo sticking his nose up as he gagged, sticking his tongue out. “Ya’ know what, kiss my well-toned a—”

“Gojo!!” The sound of Tsumiki screaming sent chills down his spine. He was on his feet in an instant. It was a scream that wasn’t full of fun or laughter. This was the scream all parents dreaded to hear.

“What?! What’s wrong?!”

“I can't find Megumi!!”

Those words hit him like a baseball bat to the gut. But Gojo didn’t allow the panic to take over. Instead, he pushed it down, running towards the crying Tsumiki.

“Where did you last see him?”

“I told him to wait for me while I use the restroom! I was in there for five minutes, maybe longer! But when I came out, he was gone!” The young girlfriend sobbed into Gojo’s chest, holding onto his white T-shirt as she cried even harder.

In situations like this, it was easy for someone to lose sight of what to do. Luckily for Gojo, being a firefighter allowed him to push the panic aside and process clear and concise thoughts. If he were to panic, things might go unnoticed, or he might act out irrationally. Right now, it was best for him to stay calm.

With a shallow breath, Gojo gently grabbed Tsumiki’s arms in an attempt to ground her. Feeling his hands on her arms and squeezing them gently, the young girl breathed more steadily. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you tell me where you saw him last?” His adopted daughter pointed him in the right direction, and with a quick shout to Suguru to watch her, Satoru was off, sending sand flying under his sandals as he ran as fast as he could.

On the other side of the beach, you crouch down to the small boy you had noticed admiring a sea turtle barricade placed on the beach. You knelt next to him, staring at the said. He turned his head, looking at you for a moment before turning his attention back to the sand.

“Pretty cool, huh?” You finally asked, toying with the whistle around your neck. “The turtles are protected this way, and when they start hatching, they’ll head straight for the water.”

The dark-haired boy hugged his knees close to his chest. “Yeah, I guess so.” You could easily tell he was withholding his excitement. As hard as he tried to play it cool, you could see the glimmer in his eyes.

“Do you like sea turtles?”

“I like all animals.”

“Yeah? What’s your favorite animal?”

The young boy narrowed his navy blue eyes as he slowly turned to glare at you. “I shouldn't be talking to you; you’re a stranger.” The blunt words and sharp tone took you off guard from a young boy his age. Was he even a kid? He had to be what, seven, maybe eight years old? “And what’s with that look on your face?” Damn, now he was even calling you out!

“Heh—I’m not a stranger, like stranger danger kind.” You gestured towards your white lifeguard jacket and red baseball cap. “I’m a lifeguard.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be watching the ocean? Making sure no one drowns.”

You laughed out loud, tilting your head back. “I already did that; I was just about to grab my bag and call it a day. But watching people in the water isn’t all we know. We help with medical emergencies, monitor the weather, and even provide water safety lessons.” The apprehensive look on the boy's face twisted into a more neutral look as you spoke. His eyes focused on your lifeguard gear, deeming you not to be some kidnapper. “But we also help get lost kids to their folks.” You ruffled the top of his hair before standing.

“I’m not lost.” He corrected you.

“Oh really?” Your eyes scanned the emptying beach. “Where are they?”

He didn’t say a word as he looked around, blinking a few times before standing. There was a look of confusion on his face as he turned in each direction, north, east, south, and west, as if he was on the search for something or someone. Your chest constricted as you could see his eyes flash with panic before he slowly looked back up at you.

“I-I don’t think my sister heard me when I told her I would be over here.”

“Okie dokie, where did you last see your sister?”

“By the bathrooms.”

You shoved your hands into your pockets, motioning towards the bathrooms with your chin. “At least we know where she is. Come on, I’ll walk you there.” much to your relief. The little guy had no reservations about following you to the bathroom. Sometimes, kids put up a fight, not believing that you were a lifeguard, and they didn’t stop crying until one of your coworkers came to help you. Thankfully, this kiddo was a bit older than the ones you usually dealt with, making it a less painful experience for both of you.

When you get to the bathrooms, you get a description of his older sister before stepping into the bathroom to see if she is there. Much dismay, there was nobody in the restroom except for yourself. His sister either ran off in search of him or returned to find their parents. Regardless, either his sister or his family would come looking for him shortly, and even though you had clocked out for the day, you decided to stay by his side until they arrived.

“She’s not in there kiddo.” You stretched your arms above your head. “We can wait a bit, but we might need to make an announcement..”

“I don’t know if they’ll be necessary. Knowing Gojo, he’ll be running around here within the next few seconds.”

“Whose Gojo?”

“MEGUMI!!”

You gasped as a flash of white flew past you. The shock had you placing your hand on your chest, feeling your heart rate spike as a man began frantically running around. He whirled around, searching everywhere, and it was fairly easy for you to put two and two together.

“Megumi?!” The man shouted, groaning as he ran his fingers through the tuffs of soft, pristine white hair. You hadn’t spoken to the man, and you could feel the anxiety radiating off him like an industrial air conditioning unit. “Megs?! Where are you?!”

He couldn't see the boy standing behind you from where he was standing. But the concern and fear in his eyes had you moving forward. “Excuse me, are you looking for—”

“Oh, thank god!” Large hands grabbed both of your arms, yanking you forward towards him. The smell of sunscreen musk became prominent as the handsome man leaned down to get in your face. “I need help finding my son! He’s about this tall! Black hair! Blue eyes!” He released one of his hands off your arms, putting it near his upper thigh. “A-And he was wearing a White T-shirt and shark swim trunks!” Beautiful cerulean eyes searched your face as if you had the answers to all of his questions, which way you did. “He’s a little too serious for a seven-year-old, but I wouldn’t have him any other way!”

You could practically hear the eyes rolling behind you as Megumi, you were assuming, groaned out loud in apparent embarrassment. “An overly serious seven-year-old? You wouldn’t happen to love animals, would he?” The man blinked and then twice before his frantic shaking came to a stop. “Because this kiddo was admiring, let’s see, turtle barricades.” You stepped to the side, motioning towards Megumi.

“MEGUMI!” Gojo yelled, dropping to his knees and grabbing his arms around Megumi and a crushing hug. His son grunted at the squeeze, averting his gaze as Gojo stroked the back of his head. “Oh my god, I was worried sick about you! Why didn’t you wait for your sister, like she told you to?!”

“I told her I was going to look at the barricades. Apparently, she wasn’t listening to me.”

You smiled, admiring the loving scene between father and son. The relief was visible in the muscles of Gojo’s back, and as hard as he tried to hide it, you could see the slight smile Megumi had tugging at the corners of his mouth. Little moments like this made you love your job even more.

You put the red duffel bag on your shoulder before turning your baseball cap around and clearing your throat to get their attention. Gojo released his bear-tight grip around his son, looking over his shoulder at you—a stunning beauty, white and red, who looked like she was by Zeus out of seafoam. Your body was perfect, your smile dazzling, and the way your eyes sparkled as you watched the scene unfolding in front of you had his heart skipping a beat.

Was it illegal to fake a heart attack in front of a certified lifeguard? Because he would do pretty much anything right now to have you perform CPR on him! But instead of raking up an ambulance bill and putting a damper on the whole day, Gojo stood up, dusting his knees off before towering over you.

“Thank you so much; I appreciate you staying with him.”

“Eh, it’s all part of the job! He's a good kid, smart too; you did a good job teaching him about stranger danger.”

“Being a first responder, I engraved it into his and his sister’s brains.”

“Oooh, a fellow first responder!” You took the opportunity to look him up and down shamelessly. “Let me guess,” Gojo smirked, placing one hand on his hip as he watched you slowly trailer your eyes over every inch of his body. He had broad, lean muscles, his legs were long and toned, and he had a pretty face. Long white lashes anyone would kill for, eyes with the same shade of Lagoon water, and a smile that had you swooning. You could have easily continued to stare at him, but you decided not to be a horndog and slowly trailed your eyes back to his face. “EMT?”

“Nope, fire rescue.”

“Ah, a firefighter, I would’ve never guessed. I would’ve needed to inspect you further.”

Gojo took his bottom lip between his teeth, shamelessly humming. “Ooh, sweetheart, I’d let you expect me anytime, any place.” He stuck his hand out in front of you. “Gojo Satoru, nice to meet you.”

You, too, his hand, shaking it. “Nice to meet you, Gojo.” Just as you gave him your name, you could hear yelling in the distance further down the beach.

Both you and Gojo turned your heads, watching as a group of people came running down the shoreline. People looked frantic for a second, but as soon as they saw the three of you standing near each other, their faces relaxed, and their running slowed to a walk. Assuming this was their group from how the children ran directly to Megumi while the adults stood back, you exhaled through your nostrils.

“Well, it looks like your families are here, so I think I should be getting home. I wouldn’t want your wife for your girlfriend waiting for you and Megumi much longer.”

Gojo snickered, glancing up at the sky with a grin before focusing his attention back on you. “There is no Mrs. Gojo. It’s just me, myself, and my two kids. You’re looking at the sole survivor of The Single Dad Club.” A choir of groans sounded from the group around you.

“Satoru, enough with that terrible club name!”

“I have to agree; it doesn’t work well when you’re the only member.”

“You guys suck!” Those pretty blue eyes found yours. “So yes I'm single.”

You bit your bottom lip, feeling a certain confidence burning in your chest. “What a coincidence, and so am I.” Gojo perked up; not only had you helped his kid, but you were a fucking hot lifeguard that was single on top of it?! This had to be one of the best days of his life.

“Uh-huh, well, I think we should change that.”

“Yeah? And just what do you have in mind to change that?”

“You, me, dinner and drinks. Consider it as a token of my appreciation for you taking such good care of my son. And I think you’re very attractive, and I would like to get to know you more.”

You could’ve done flips. You were so excited, but you had to play cool, not wanting him to know you were as eager as a seagull going after a fry. “I believe that would be sufficient.” You held your hand towards him. “I’ll just need your phone so I can give you my phone number.” Gojo was screaming in his head as he placed his cell phone in the palm of your hand, watching as your painted nails gracefully moved across the screen. “Text me, firefighter~.”

“Will do lifeguard.”

You adjusted your bag, waving goodbye to the rest of the group. And when you were out of sight and out of earshot, Gojo began violently fist-pumping the air. It was an action that had his kids cringing with embarrassment over his actions and the rest of his friend group. He couldn’t help it, though. It had taken all summer, but he finally scored a date with a woman who was just as kind as she was beautiful. Gojo couldn’t wait to get to know you more.

Two days later, when you both had a day off, Gojo took you to the best restaurant he knew. You both sat there exchanging daring stories of times at work. Where he’d been stuck on the second floor, where the fire was burning, or when you had gotten sucked into the current, trying to save someone. Both of you had an understanding of how dangerous work could be, and you both knew how precious life was. It wasn’t often you found someone you clicked with instantly like this.

Not only was Gojo remarkably hot, strong, and brave, but he was also caring and compassionate. Although he insisted, a lot of his friends and colleagues knew him as an arrogant ass. That didn’t change the fact that he cared about his kids. He spoke fondly of them. Tsumiki and Megumi had both lost their parents, and Gojo had taken them in, adopting them both and raising them as if they were his kin. That in itself was so attractive.

Knowing that he was fully capable of stepping up to the plate and wasn’t scared to do the right thing, he checked off boxes you didn’t think you had when looking for a partner. You found yourself entirely enthralled by his stories, the way he spoke articulately, and how he stared at you. It wasn't in a way that he was eye-fucking you across the table. No, there was a softness in his eyes, a look that included lust and curiosity.

And your assumptions about that look had been correct. Gojo had been right when he thought the gods themselves had made you. You look so pretty in your uniform for work. But seeing all dolled up made him think about how cute you must look on lazy days with your hair, a mess, sweatpants, and a baggy T-shirt. He found himself to know what that looks like. Because not only were you beautiful on the outside, but he could tell you were on the inside.

You were kind, compassionate, and brave. His son had been proof of that. But hearing stories of you going out during a typhoon to save some drunken idiot, he had an abundance of respect for you.

“Gojo.” Your sultry voices pulled him back into the conversation. ”If you keep staring at me like that, you’re going to burn holes through my skin.”

“Oh! Shit, sorry.”

You didn’t mind him staring; you would be lying if you said you weren’t staring at him. “Just what were you thinking about?” The softness that graced his features was not something many guys on first dates had. The majority of them wanted one thing and one thing only while you were looking for something a bit deeper.

“I was just thinking about how amazing you are.”

“Oh, I’m far from amazing.”

Satoru laughed, sipping his soda while you took a sip of wine. “Okay, have you looked at yourself? You’re a lifeguard; I’m sorry to be blunt about this. You’re very attractive.” His words had your cheeks flushing hotter than the wine, and that was because they were sincere. “You save lives, and you look hot when doing it.”

“Says the literal firefighter.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. We both save lives, and we both look hot doing it. So I’m sorry for staring, but your beauty has enchanted me.”

You felt your cheeks burning, your eyes starting towards the table just as the waiter brought your dessert. “You’re very sweet, Satoru.” Satoru loved the sound of his name leaving your lips as he took the spoon off the plate and dug into the crème brûlée cheesecake.

“I think you’re sweet too.” He offered the first bite to you, holding the spoon in front of your mouth. “I’ve had a perfect time with you tonight. Being a single dad, I don’t get out as much as I want, and my dating life has been nonexistent. I was pretty sure I’d been cursed by the gods themselves there for a while.”

He watched as you wrapped your lips around the spoon, taking the bite off. “I know exactly exactly what you mean. Dating can be busy when you’re first responder.” You followed his lead, taking a scoop of the dessert into your spoon before offering it to him.

“Then we got lucky, huh?” He chopped down on the bite. You offered him, licking the cream off his lips. “We know how difficult it can be when you’re busy saving lives.”

“We definitely did. So, I think we should do this again.”

There was part of Gojo that didn’t want the date to end so soon. Both of you were having a great time, and the conversation was great. But he didn’t want to push his luck either. So, instead of asking if you wanted to go back to his apartment, he excitedly offered you another bite of the dessert before pushing the strawberry around with your spoon.

“Say, Satoru.”

“Yeah, Sweetheart?” You swiped some caramel off the plate with your thumb before bringing it up to your mouth, licking it off slowly. Seeing you do that had Satoru sitting up straight, his mouth suddenly dry as he did his best not to choke on the dessert. “M-mm?”

“What do you say after we’re done devouring the dessert? I take you back to my place and let you devour me?”

In all your years of living, you had never seen a man stand up and ask for the check as fast as Gojo did. It was cute but also strangely erotic in a way. He was eager to get you out of the restaurant and back to your place, and it took every ounce of your being to behave yourself until then.

Thanks to some unknown reason, you managed to keep your hands to yourself until the door to your apartment shut. As it did, you threw yourself into the firefighter, arms frantically working at the buttons of his shirt. Gojo’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden kiss, but that shock slowly melted into lust as he wrapped his arms around you, searching for the zipper to your dress. Hands moved nearly in sync as you began undressing the other.

Gojo sighed against your lips, groaning at the cool air hitting his bare chest as you unbuttoned his shirt completely. You pulled away from his mouth somehow, dragging your eyes down the dips of his abs, noticing faint burn scars that lingered here and there. That made him even more attractive, which was almost unbelievable.

“Like what you see?” The question had heat pulling between your legs. You did like what you saw. You liked it very much so.

“Mhmm~ I like it a lot.” Slowly, you crouched down, trailing kisses over his bare skin. “I want to see more.”

Your hand pressed firmly over his crotch as you pushed him back against the wall, and you dropped to your knees, unbuckling his belt. “I-Oh fuck!” A nervous yet excited laugh bubbled in Gojo’s chest as he looked down at you, watching you pepper kisses over the bulge in his boxers. “What are you doing, pretty girl?” The incredulous look you gave him made another laugh form in the back of his mouth.

“Did not make it clear enough back at the restaurant?” A white brow rose as you hooked your fingers under the waistband of his boxers. “I’m going to devour you, Satoru~”

With a fast tug, you yanked his boxers down to his thighs, freeing his thick, throbbing erection. It bobbed in the air, the tip pretty and pink, twitching as pre-cum beaded at the tip. Your mouth began to water as you stared at the beautiful cock in front of your face. Satoru groaned as he watched you gently wrap your hand around the base before taking him into your mouth with a groan.

“Oh fuuuck—” He let his head fall forward, eyes fluttering, threatening to close as you hummed around him. “Fuuck, you’re good at that.” He breathed out with a sigh as you began bobbing your head around his length.

His praise had you dripping as you took him further into your mouth, allowing the tip to slide down your throat. As you did, he jolted and cursed under his breath, and you couldn’t help but admire how reactive his body was to your touch. Every time you bobbed your head or swirled your tongue around his leaking tip, you drew more reactions from him. From him bucking his hips forward to soft whines and deep guttural groans. Every sound and action he made only drove you further.

You were on a mission to please. A mission that had your eyes water with each inch of him you took in your mouth. One that left you messily sucking this sexy man’s cock, a mixture of drool and precum running down your chin, hitting the floor. All of it was so hot, turning you on even more.

If given a chance, you could have stayed there on your knees all night long, pleasing Satoru with your mouth, but he grabbed a handful of your hair, gently pulling you off of him. There was a pop—followed by your ragged, needy breathing. Hearing that almost had Satoru reconsidering what he was doing. While your lips felt so good wrapped around his cock, Satoru wasn’t quite ready for things to end there.

“I need you.”

It wasn’t a want; it was a need. This man needed you. The raw power behind his words, the way they sent butterflies swarming in your stomach and caused your pussy to throb, was truly all he needed to say. This man did not need to beg or say please. Not when he needed you. Making him beg, while he would look so pretty when doing it, would be cruel at that point.

So you did the humane kind thing and rose to your feet before dragging him across the apartment into your bedroom, where you shoved him down on the bed. He didn’t fit or change positions. For one fact, you were far too fast, discarding your drenched panties and dress to the side before straddling him. The second thing was that he liked you taking the lead and doing what you wanted without asking him to be the more assertive.

“I need you too~” You whispered as you reached behind, gently taking his spit-slick cock. “I need you really bad.”

“Fuuuck,” Satoru groaned, biting down on your lips as you kissed him. “Then have me, sweetheart, have every part of me; I’m yours.”

Those words rang in your ears as you slowly lowered yourself onto his thick length. The feel of his stretching your tight walls had both of you groaning into each other's mouths as you made out. The kiss was deep and intimate, which was fitting, seeing that you were lowering yourself onto his length. The kiss, however, wasn’t similar to the one-night-stand kisses you had shared in the past. Those kisses were fueled by the desire to fuck and get off. While this kiss, while the lust and need were there, was also filled by a need to relish in each other. Almost like a silent promise, a mutual understanding that this would not be a one-night stand.

This was something more, something real and deeper.

Both you and Satoru could feel that as you pulled back away from his mouth, sitting up tall as your hips sat against each other flesh to flesh. The pleasure of merely being connected was so intense, so pleasurable; it made your eyes roll back as Satoru’s hands found their way to your hips, holding them as you lazily rolled them over his cock. With each roll of your body, muscles tensing as you rocked, Satoru was entranced by your body.

How you moved reminded him of the waves on the shore—powerful and beautiful, majestic and entrancing. You rolled with such ease, your mouth falling agape in pleasure, that Satoru had to fight the urge to thrust up into you. Because of this, watching you use him was so arousing.

“Mmm~ fuck baby, your cock is so thick!”

Satoru grinned as a harsh moan was fucked out of him with your seductive moves. “Mm~ fuck, yeah? Does it feel good in that tight pussy of yours?”

“Y-Yeah~! Feels good~ it feels really good!” You pressed your hands firmly against his pectoral muscles as you rocked fast, bumping his cock like he was your own personal sex toy.

“Yeah~ fuck you feel so good too.”

Knowing that he felt as good as you did had you digging your nails into his chest as you began bouncing up and down his length. Satoru hissed out a curse as his fingers dug into the fat of your hips, squeezing you as you left crescent moon indents in his skin as you rode him harder than he’d ever been ridden before. He felt drunk, head spinning as his eyes roamed over every part of you. From your face twisted with pleasure, your hips rising and falling on his length.

As he admired your beauty, you did the same to him. Watching his pretty ivory skin flush with each bounce on him. How he watched you through the frame of thick lashes. He truly was handsome. Fuck even the sounds he made were intoxicating.

There was a mutual admiration for each other, which seemed to make things all the more intense.

“Nngh!” Satoru clenched his teeth as you bounced madly on him. “Fuck~! Fuck~!”

You could feel his entire length twice inside of you, urging you to keep going. “F-Fuck your throbbing! Satoru!” He growled from underneath you, sitting up, holding a hand against the small of your back. “Hahn! Fuck!” He smirked, nipping at your bottom lip as he slowly began thrusting into you.

“Yeah~ you feel so good, you’re so wet and tight~!”

“N-nngh, yes, yes!”

“I can feel you throbbing, too~ god, you feel so good! So wet baby~ so tight.” He kissed you, stealing your breath away. “Are you gonna cum?”

“Y-Yeah!!”

Satoru grunted, his thrusts becoming messier. “Good~ cum for me, sweetheart~ I wanna cum with you.” He slammed his lips against yours as you rolled faster and harder, grinning your clit against him, chasing that sweet release until you both reached it at the same time. “C-Cumming!” Satoru grunted as he kissed you with a passionate heat.

“Me too!” You screamed as you moaned against his lips. As you came hard, soaking his pelvis with your release, he filled you with hot sticky cum.

As the aftershocks of your orgasm washed over you both, you fell forward, resting on Satoru’s chest as he placed a kiss against your forehead. “Fuuck, you‘re perfect.” Satoru trailed kisses down your temple to your lips.

“That tickles!” you laughed as he kissed you deeply. “Mhmm~”

“You don't seem to mind all that much.”

“Yeah, you're right. I don't.” He groaned, rolling you onto your sides so you were spooning. “Just like you won't mind me waking you up and making the best French Toast in the morning.”

“Ha—yeah, I have a massive sweet tooth, so I’ll probably be all over you tomorrow morning. In more ways than one.”

You turned just enough to kiss him softly, winning a grin. “That sounds like a pretty great morning to me.”

You pressed another chaste kiss against his lips. Gojo was grinning as he snuggled you tighter against him. It was a soft, sweet, intimate moment, once Satoru had longed for all summer. A romance like his friends had found, one he too wanted to last way past the summer months into autumn, winter, and spring. A romance that could last a lifetime.

That night, The Single Dad Club was officially disbanded completely.

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3 @wil10wthetree

[luvkyu]

rivals ( lee donghyuck/haechan ) part two

donghyuck x male!reader

hyuck wants to get closer to his rival.

content : 2.2k words, fluff, high school!au, academic rivals trope

( a/n ) the long awaited part two </3 this is v soft compared to part one and im in love w it tbh. i'll start writing part three soon, which will also be the last part :)

part one

"what do you know about y/n?"

jaemin's brows furrowed at the sudden question.

"y/n from our class?" he asked, looking between donghyuck and his open locker.

"yes, that y/n. dumbass."

jaemin clicked his tongue and flicked his friend's head.

"not a lot. i don't think anyone really knows a lot about him. he's really good friends with mark though."

"mark lee??"

jaemin nodded, "yeah. jisung said that y/n hangs around after dance practices sometimes and then they leave together."

donghyuck nodded, a little surprised at the way his heart sank.

"but i think they're also neighbors so," jaemin added.

"ah okay.."

"why?"

donghyuck felt a small surge of panic run through his body. he could hear the suspicion in jaemin's voice.

"..nothing. just wondering."

"whatever you say," jaemin replied with a small smile.

it was monday morning, and if you asked donghyuck, the weekend passed way too slowly. he hadn't told anyone about spending time with y/n on friday afternoon. it was driving him crazy if he was honest. he kept finding the urge to bring up y/n in random conversations, or just tell one of his friends about how much fun he had killing time in the restaurant before they had to part ways that evening. his grudge against y/n was crumbling fast.

"haechan."

donghyuck's head snapped back up to look at jaemin.

"what?"

"you coming? lunch time."

"oh right, yes."

jaemin snickered at him. he watched donghyuck hurry to zip up his school bag and close his locker, but not before stealing a quick glance at y/n's unoccupied locker across the hall.

donghyuck and jaemin eagerly found their table of friends after entering the cafeteria. the others began to go get their food, while donghyuck's attention was fixating on one thing. or rather, one person.

he frowned as he looked around at the different tables. y/n wasn't to be seen anywhere. donghyuck did, however, spot a different familiar face. he took a deep breath and began walking over.

"hi, sorry, um.. do you know where y/n is, by chance?"

mark looked up from his phone in confusion. why was lee donghyuck asking for y/n's whereabouts?

"why?" mark asked.

"i wanted to eat lunch with him. does he have a different lunch period?"

the corner of mark's mouth tilted in thought.

"no, he's in our lunch period. he just eats up at the rooftop garden."

donghyuck's face instantly brightened at the information. with a small bow, he said a quick thank you and rushed out of the cafeteria.

the small bag of food in donghyuck's hand was getting more crushed and crumpled with every step he took. just the idea of seeing y/n made him nervous. the kind of nervous where your head gets fuzzy and your body feels shaky. he hated it, but he loved it.

before he knew it, he was already at the top of the stairs and pulling open the door to the rooftop garden. he stood still for a moment after finally finding y/n. the male was sitting at one of the shaded tables, headphones on, chopsticks in one hand eating cup noodles while he flipped through a textbook with the other hand.

donghyuck felt his heart flutter. he continued walking over to him until he was finally sitting down next to him. y/n jumped at the sudden presence of someone else. he quickly removed his headphones to sit around his neck, looking over at his classmate.

"are you really studying while eating?" donghyuck asked. y/n looked at his textbook, feeling a little self conscious.

"i was just reviewing a little."

donghyuck's brows furrowed in disapproval.

"lunch is supposed to be a break. give your brain some time to breathe," he gently closed the book and pushed it aside before looking back at y/n with a soft smile. "talk with me instead."

"are you just trying to get me to fall behind so i won't be top student anymore?"

"that would definitely be a perk, yes," donghyuck responded with a small chuckle. y/n rolled his eyes, but still laughed along.

"what are you even doing up here?" y/n asked.

donghyuck looked away as he tried to form an answer that wouldn't embarrass himself. he could feel himself getting flustered, but he'd sooner move schools than let y/n know that.

"i wanted to eat somewhere that wasn't so crowded," he answered. "same for you i assume?"

y/n nodded, "i hate eating in the cafeteria."

"what about when it rains up here?"

"usually i'll just stay on the top step of the stairs," he replied while pointing to the staircase inside. donghyuck only nodded, which surprised the other. he thought surely donghyuck would make fun of him or tease him.

"you're nicer than i thought you'd be," y/n said quietly.

"hm? i'm nice?"

"nice-ish."

donghyuck began to unpack his lunch in efforts to hide his growing smile.

"i can be mean if you want," he joked before his gaze locked with y/n's.

"no no, i like nice donghyuck," he responded quickly.

donghyuck's face was practically on fire. he could feel it, but he refused to look away from y/n this time. it was quiet between them for a moment, simply staring at each other through the tension until donghyuck cleared his throat.

"are you doing anything tonight?"

"i'm st-"

"studying, right." donghyuck laughed lightly. "can i join?"

y/n felt his heart jump.

"you want to study together?"

"yeah, why not? we can exchange numbers and meet at a café or something."

"that sounds great actually."

"yeah??" donghyuck became much more excited, perking up in his seat. y/n flinched at the sudden enthusiasm before laughing it off.

"you're warming up to me, y/n!! i think it's time for nicknames."

y/n looked at him with furrowed brows. "what? absolutely not."

"you can call me 'hyuck' and i can call you.."

"nothing."

donghyuck frowned. "'nothing' is not a good nickname."

"will you just eat your damn lunch?"

donghyuck sighed dramatically and looked at his food, "fine."

"thank you, hyuck."

"wha- no!" donghyuck's jaw dropped while y/n smiled to himself. "no, no! not fair, you can't use hyuck if i can't use one for you!"

"okay. sorry, hyuck."

"y/nnn!.." he whined.

"eat your lunch, please."

donghyuck was about to argue again, but the smile still stretching on y/n's lips made him give in. he couldn't help but grin a little himself. he clicked his tongue as a final protest and finally began to eat.

donghyuck let out a heavy exhale as his eyes drifted to the entrance of the cafe again. he was early, waiting since 5:45 when they agreed on meeting at 6 o'clock. now he was simply just paranoid and nervous, awaiting y/n's arrival.

his fingers were fidgeting with the straw of his coffee when he finally spotted y/n walking inside. he quickly sat up straight and pretended to be immersed in the books in front of him.

"hi," y/n said quietly while sitting down across from him.

"hi!" donghyuck sounded more enthusiastic than he meant to, scowling to himself in result. but the smile that instantly grew on y/n's lips made him feel better.

before their recent interactions, donghyuck had never really seen y/n's smile. he always stayed quiet in classes and never really made a scene, something donghyuck couldn't say for himself. but donghyuck found that the more y/n smiled, the more he loved it. and whether he realized it or not, the deeper he fell.

"do you wanna go get a drink or something?" donghyuck asked as he gestured to the cafe's counter.

"i will in a little bit."

donghyuck nodded, at a loss for what to say next. he was afraid of seeming bland to y/n, especially since he wanted to get closer to him. with anyone else, donghyuck was outgoing and great at making conversation, but y/n seemed to just make his mind go blank.

"how was your day?" y/n spoke up instead.

donghyuck perked up. such a simple question, and yet it made his heart beat faster.

"it was alright. it just went by slowly."

"mine did too. i was nervous to meet here."

donghyuck looked at him with shining eyes. y/n's cheeks were the lightest shade of red, gaze averted as he got his textbook out from his bag.

"really? why?" donghyuck tried to sound as nonchalant as he could, but he wasn't sure if y/n could see through him or not.

"i just get anxious easily. especially with new people."

"ah.. well let me know if i can do anything to make you feel more comfortable."

y/n smiled again. "thanks, hyuck."

as y/n began to actually study, donghyuck couldn't tear his view away from the male. y/n was just so different from what he initially thought.

"hey, you know my friend jaemin, right?"

"oh, uh.. he's the one that sits beside you in first period right?"

"mhm!"

"then yes," y/n answered. "i mean, i don't know him, i just know who he is. why?"

"well i was thinking maybe you could come hang out with us this weekend. he wants to go to that new arcade that opened. i think a few of our other friends might come too. they'd like you."

y/n looked up from his book, now entranced by the endearing gaze from donghyuck.

"that sounds cool.. i don't think i've been to a real arcade before."

"what??"

y/n flinched again before laughing softly and nodding in confirmation.

"you have to come then, you have no choice," donghyuck announced proudly.

"alright, then. when are you guys going?"

"saturday."

"oh.." y/n's grin fell slowly, in turn making the other's heart drop. "i have plans with my friend on saturday actually. i'm sorry."

"oh, that's okay then." donghyuck looked at his drink, playing with the straw again. "which friend?"

"do you know mark?"

"ahh.. yeah, i've talked to him a couple times."

"he's pretty much the only friend i spend time with outside of school."

"so do you like, have anything more with him?"

y/n looked at him a little confused.

"what d'you mean?"

"like, more than friends." donghyuck's voice had grown softer the more he spoke. he felt embarrassed asking such questions, but his curiosity outweighed his embarrassment.

"oh. no, i don't really feel that way about him. i'm pretty sure he's straight anyways," y/n replied.

"ew."

"i know, right."

a soft exchange of laughter sounded at their table. y/n didn't even know donghyuck was into guys, but it was nice to know now.

"wait, why do you ask though," y/n quickly realized. donghyuck quieted down at this.

"..just curious about you."

y/n blinked. "curious?"

"yeah. i wanna be closer with you, if that's okay," the other responded happily. y/n looked back down at his book, hiding his stubborn smile.

"mhm, that's okay," he answered while nodding slowly. after bringing himself to look back up at donghyuck, he saw that the male was still gazing right back at him, refusing to budge.

y/n's heart jumped when donghyuck's eyes shifted down to his lips for just a second. he couldn't tell if he was seeing things or if donghyuck was really considering kissing him. it had to be the former.

"we should actually get to studying now.." y/n croaked out. he silently cursed at himself for the way his voice shuttered, and for the way it made donghyuck smile before nodding along.

"right," donghyuck agreed as he went back to his own textbook.

it was quiet between them for a couple minutes. y/n soon reached into his bag and pulled out the heavy fabric of donghyuck's coat.

"oh, also.. i brought your jacket back."

donghyuck's eyes widened a bit. if he was honest, he'd kind of hoped that y/n would keep it. maybe wear it outside, or even just in his bedroom when he wanted to feel some comfort. it made donghyuck's chest feel fuzzy to imagine y/n in his clothing.

"oh, right.." he began to take it, but decided to stop, "actually, that's okay. you can hold onto it."

"what?"

"in case you get rained on again. i have too many jackets anyways. might as well give one away."

y/n nodded, unsure of what to say. he tucked the coat into his arms and sat back in his seat. he was a little confused. donghyuck had no reason to be this nice to him, especially when he hated him so much before.

"why did you say hyuck instead of haechan?" y/n asked suddenly.

"huh?"

"you told me to call you hyuck earlier. as your nickname."

donghyuck twisted the pencil in his hand as he thought of a good answer.

"mm.. everyone calls me haechan."

"..so?"

"..so you're not everyone," donghyuck explained, quickly going back to his school work.

y/n felt heat rush through his body. did he hear that right? he was practically just staring at donghyuck now, as if waiting for him to correct himself or add something mean. but the male just sat, eyes going between his different books, occasionally writing something down or taking a drink of his coffee.

y/n smiled softly. he tightened his hold on the jacket still in his arms, took a deep breath, and finally returned to his own school work.

[jjwantsme]

34+35

j.m

pairing: jj maybank x kook!reader

summary: four times they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, and the one time they were caught.

warnings: nsfw, piv, praise kink, oral (f receiving),boob sucking, public sex, spit, a little of sub!jj, degradation kink, cussing, let me know it i missed anything :)

authors note: this is my first actual smut on tumblr so PLEASE have some mercy on me 🥲

masterlist

y/n and JJ were truly obsessed with each other. not in a lovey-dovey cute way- i mean, that too- but in a lustful perverted way.

ever since the week they got together, the pogues couldn’t recall one day where the boy’s neck wasn’t covered in love bites, or where his cheeks didn’t have lipstick stains on them.

they thought- or should i say, hoped- that it was a honeymoon phase type of thing, that their sex life would calm down after the first few weeks of being together.

oh, how they were utterly wrong.

it’d now been a year and a half, and if anything, it’s gotten worse. much, much worse.

i know what you’re thinking. ‘it can’t be that bad!’

so, here i am, providing you five instances to prove just how bad it is.

the first time

“J, we don’t have time!” y/n squealed when her boyfriend had pinned her against the door.

“no worries,” JJ mumbled as he kissed down her neck, “i’ll be quick.”

y/n had missed her alarm, after a moan-filled night, making her late for work. and JJ wanted to let her get ready, he really did, but how can he resist her when she’s in those pajamas?

it wasn’t long before JJ had his hand wrapped around his long cock as he pulled her lace panties to the side, “jus’ woke up so needy for you, babe. need to feel you.”

y/n couldn’t do anything but whine and gasp in pleasure when she recognized the feeling of his length destroying the walls of her pussy, her nails immediately going to his tan back.

“fuck, JJ!”

“i know, i know,” JJ cooed as he slid all the way into her, “jus’ let me destroy this pussy real quick, yeah? you gonna let me do that?”

the girl choked out a moan as she nodded.

he kept a tight hold on her, her back still against the door, as he began bouncing her on his cock, a groan escaping his swollen pink lips.

“y’gonna make me cum if you keep squeezing me like that, princess,” he groaned, before letting out a much louder moan, letting a hand go down to grip her ass.

moans filled up the entire house, echoing throughout the walls as y/n made it known just how good she felt.

“please, please cum, please, i wanna feel it inside me so bad, please, J” she started begging, making his eyes rolls to the back of his head.

“wanna be your cockslut every morning, J, oh fuck- i’m gonna cum!-“ she chanted over and over.

“that’s it, cum on my cock, baby, make me happy,”

she granted his wish as she felt her orgasm wash over her, his following close behind as his cock twitched before releasing.

one last moan fell from y/n’s lips as the bouncing slowly came to a stop, their foreheads resting against each other as they tried to catch their breath.

“damn,” JJ breathed out. “you gotta start waking up late more often.”

the second time

“what about this one? is this dress okay?” y/n asked as she stepped out of the dressing room in yet another dress, JJ looking up from his phone and smiling at her.

“baby, you look like a goddess in everything you wear. how am i supposed to help you choose?”

y/n rolled her eyes but chuckled. “JJ, midsummer is in two days. two! i have to get a dress or my parents will be pissed; so you’re gonna have to start being more detailed with your reviews.”

she did a little twirl, “so, thoughts?”

JJ bit his lip, his thoughts becoming less and less pure the longer he stared at her. “definitely compliments the…chest area.”

“J, be serious!”

“oh, trust me, I’m being serious.”

he felt a smirk crawl onto his face, “how about i help you take this one off?”

“mm…” she couldn’t deny the fact that it was a nice idea. her fingers were tired from zipping up so many dresses, anyway. “fine. no funny business, though!”

JJ giggled like a little boy and quickly got up, leaving his phone behind as he followed her into the dressing room.

it wasn’t long before he had the door locked with y/n in his lap.

“babe, i said no funny business,” y/n whined as he began unzipping the dress off of her.

“mm, sshh, jus’ helping you get undressed.”

y/n rolled her eyes and began pulling the dress down, causing her plump breasts to bounce as she moved her body.

“goddamn, baby,” JJ whistled quietly as he moved a hand to grip her left boob, squeezing it lightly with his hand.

y/n couldn’t help but bite her lip, “J…” she warned.

“can i suck them, please, baby? please, just let me put that little nipple in my mouth,” he tweaked her right nipple with his index finger, making her groan.

“J, we’re in public…”

he smirked, taking her reply as a yes to his question.

“that just means we gotta be quiet.”

JJ dipped his head down, taking one of her nipples into his mouth as she immediately arched her back, making access even easier for him.

y/n ran her fingers through his hair, making him groan around her nipple before releasing it to bite hickeys all around her boob. he licked the mark he left and went to her other breast, nibbling gently on the nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

“mmh, so good, J. Such a good boy for me.”

JJ moaned at the praise, lightly bucking his hips as his boner became painfully hard.

he licked all around her nipple while continuing to buck his hips into her ass, trying to relieve his clothed bulge with any kind of pleasure.

“love being your good boy, love sucking on these pretty titties,” he fit as much of her boob into his mouth as he could, squeezing the other one in his hand.

y/n tugged on his hair in pleasure, grinding down to meet his thrusts.

JJ released her from his mouth and hummed slightly, licking her nipple one last time before moving up to kiss her red lips.

so much for finding the right dress, y/n thought.

the third time

JJ pulled y/n into a closet at the midsummer party, locking it behind him.

“J, my parents will kill me.” she warned him, wrapping her arms around his neck out of instinct when he gripped her waist.

“not if they don’t find out.”

he connected their lips, a messy makeout being the turn out as their tongues mixed together.

JJ pulled away from the kiss, a wild look in his eyes. “you just look so gorgeous tonight,”

he began kissing down her neck, “wanna taste you.”

in no time, JJ had her thighs over his shoulders as he pressed a kiss on her clothed clit.

y/n jolted with a moan at the action.

he slid her panties down, revealing her puffy wet pussy as heat radiated from between her legs.

“such a pretty pussy, princess.”

he licked a long stripe from her entrance to her clit, making her cover her mouth to quiet her moans.

she knew she had to be quiet. their friends and family were just outside, after all.

he licked all over, connecting with her folds and sucking on her swollen clit.

JJ starts eating her pussy like a mad man, the obnoxious sound of him licking her weeping cunt filling the dark closet.

his warm muscle laps at her hole with a sense of greed as he whimpered into it, the taste of her pussy giving him just as much pleasure.

he made sure not to let her clit go untouched, though. spitting on it before reattaching his mouth to it, sucking on it as if it was his favorite lollipop. which, between you and me, it was his favorite lollipop.

it soon became too much for y/n, the sight of his head between her thighs mixed with the feeling of his tongue abusing her hole. she felt it before she even heard it, her orgasm bubbling before crashing down onto JJ’s tongue, him licking her clean.

JJ licked his lips before placing a few kisses around her clit, her hole clenching around nothing at the feeling.

he then looked up at her, eyes blown out and chin glistening with her juices.

“thank you for letting me eat your sweet pussy, my love.”

the fourth time

it seemed like a normal drive for the rest of the pogues.

they all sat in the car on the way to the pier, kiara and john b in the front as y/n and JJ sat in the back.

little did they know, JJ and y/n were having some fun of their own.

“better keep quiet, baby,” JJ whispered into her ear as he had three fingers deep inside her. “wouldn’t want our friends to know you’re a dirty slut, would you?”

y/n shook her head as she bit back a moan, digging her head into JJ’s shoulder.

he moved his fingers in and out, a large cocky smirk plastered on his face as she whimpered into his shirt.

“you okay back there, y/n?” john b asked after hearing one of her quiet whines, keeping his eyes on the road.

her cheeks grew red in embarrassment while JJ’s smirk grew bigger in amusement.

she looked up him as she bit her lip, begging for any hint of mercy.

he looked at her then back at john b, “yeah, she’s good, her stomach just hurts.”

“oh, okay. probably just motion sickness.” he nodded in response, just as y/n came all over his best friend’s fingers.

poor thing. he had no idea.

the fifth, and final, time

“we’re gonna get in trouble!” y/n whisper-yelled at JJ after he pulled her out of class, just for a quickie.

he scoffed, “yeah, right.”

he was right, though. they never did.

he led her into the girls bathroom, making her gasp in a mix of surprise and guilt.

“you’re a boy! you shouldn’t be in h-“

JJ cut her off with a kiss, which quickly became heated as he began unzipping his pants.

though, lucky for him, they were interrupted just before he was able to pull anything out.

“ahem,” the vice principal cleared her throat as she stood in the doorway, looking at them with nothing but pure judgement.

y/n immediately pulled away from the kiss, a mortified look on her face as she realized her biggest fear had came true.

they had been caught in the act.

“mrs. shelly-“

“no! this is unacceptable, and both of you will be following me to the principal’s office!” she scolded them before turning around on her heel and heading towards their destination, content when she heard their footsteps close behind her.

“well,” JJ whispered into his poor girlfriend’s ear.

“looks like our reign of terror is over.”

[elenasalvatore94]

Against All Odds

Summary: Emily, a brilliant engineer, and Lando, a rising star in Formula 1, navigate the intense world of motorsport while battling personal demons and unexpected challenges.

Warnings: bad language, smut, anxiety diasese.

Emily Stone had always been good at pretending. Pretending she was fine, pretending she was happy, and pretending that the heaviness in her chest was just a phase. At 30, she had carved out a respectable career for herself as a performance engineer at McLaren Racing, surrounded by the roar of engines and the relentless pace of Formula 1. It was the perfect place to hide—a world so fast that no one noticed if you were standing still inside.

Her days were a blur of data, simulations, and meetings. The precision required in her job suited her; it allowed her to focus on something other than the gray cloud that hung over her mind. Emily's colleagues respected her competence, even if they thought she was a bit distant. But she didn't mind. The less they knew, the better.

It was a Tuesday morning, and the McLaren garage was buzzing with activity. The team was in Silverstone, preparing for the British Grand Prix, and the atmosphere was electric. Emily sat at her workstation, reviewing telemetry data from the last practice session. Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, her eyes scanning numbers that would be incomprehensible to most. But to her, they told a story—a story of speed, performance, and the fine line between victory and defeat.

“Emily, do you have a moment?” The voice broke her concentration. She looked up to see Tom, her team lead, standing beside her desk.

“Sure,” she replied, forcing a smile. Her voice was steady, betraying none of the turmoil inside.

“Lando needs some adjustments on his car,” Tom explained. “He felt something off with the balance during the last stint. Could you take a look?”

“Of course,” Emily nodded, gathering her tablet and notes. She followed Tom out of the office and into the bustling garage.

Lando Norris was already there, leaning against his car, deep in conversation with one of the mechanics. As usual, he had a relaxed, easygoing demeanor, but there was an intensity in his eyes when it came to racing. Emily had worked with Lando for a couple of years now, but they had never exchanged more than the necessary pleasantries. He was some years younger than her, full of energy and life—everything she felt she had lost along the way.

“Lando, Emily's here to discuss the balance issues,” Tom called out. Lando turned, flashing a quick smile that was both charming and disarming. “Hey, Emily. Thanks for coming over.”

“No problem,” she replied, keeping her tone professional. “What exactly did you feel out there?”Lando shrugged, his brows knitting together as he tried to articulate the sensation. “It’s hard to explain. The car feels a bit skittish on the exits, like it’s not gripping the way it should. Especially in the high-speed corners.”

Emily nodded, jotting down notes. “That could be an issue with the rear suspension or the aero balance. I’ll check the data again and see what adjustments we can make before the next session.”

“Sounds good,” Lando said, watching her with a curious expression. “You always seem to have everything under control, don’t you?”

She looked up, caught off guard by the comment. “It’s just part of the job,” she replied, her voice neutral.

“Yeah, but still,” Lando persisted, his tone light. “You’re like this mystery in the garage. Always focused, always working. Doesn’t anything faze you?”

If only he knew, she thought. But instead of sharing that, she just gave him a small smile. “I guess I’m just good at what I do.”

Lando nodded, accepting the answer but not entirely convinced. “Well, I’m glad you’re on our side,” he said, the playful tone back in his voice. “I’ll leave you to work your magic, then.”

Emily watched as he walked away, feeling a strange flutter in her chest—something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She shook her head, trying to dismiss the feeling. There was no room for distractions, especially not here. Not now.

Later that evening, Emily found herself still at her workstation, long after most of the team had left. The garage was quiet, save for the occasional clatter of tools being put away. She was engrossed in the data, trying to find the optimal settings for Lando’s car, when she heard footsteps behind her.

“Still here?” Lando’s voice cut through the silence.

Emily glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see him. “Shouldn’t you be resting? You’ve got another practice session tomorrow.”

“I could say the same to you,” he quipped, pulling up a chair beside her. “But I needed to clear my head. Figured I’d see how things were going.”

Emily hesitated, not used to this kind of casual conversation. “I’m almost done. Just fine-tuning some parameters.”

Lando leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

“I guess not,” she replied, focusing on her screen. “It’s just… you’re different from everyone else here. Not in a bad way,” he added quickly. “Just… different.”

Emily sighed, knowing she couldn’t deflect forever. “I like to keep to myself. It’s easier that way.”

“Easier doesn’t always mean better,” Lando pointed out, his tone softer now. “Sometimes… it’s good to let people in.”

Emily’s fingers paused over the keyboard, his words hitting closer to home than he realized. “Maybe,” she said quietly. “But it’s not always that simple.”

Lando didn’t push further, sensing that he had touched on something deeper. Instead, he switched the topic back to racing, asking her about the adjustments she was making. As they talked, Emily found herself opening up more than she had in years, their conversation flowing naturally from one topic to another.

By the time they wrapped up, an hour had passed, and Emily felt a warmth she hadn’t experienced in a long time. As Lando stood to leave, he glanced back at her with a smile. “I’m glad we talked, Emily. You’re not as much of a mystery as I thought.”

She smiled back, a genuine one this time. “Thanks, Lando. For… well, for everything.”

“Anytime,” he replied, giving her a small wave before heading out.

As the door closed behind him, Emily leaned back in her chair, feeling the weight on her chest lighten just a little. For the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe, things could get better.

[zeroeightzeroone]

mon cœur - han jisung

love collection masterlist

genre: fluff, soft

synopsis: how did one 'i' meet the other 'i'?

pairings: idol!han jisung (istp) x fem!reader (infp)

wc ~7.6k| moodboard

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ｡ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:

'closed for construction, sorry for the inconvenience.'

jisung blinks at the paper with bold text, allowing the words to register before he lets out a frustrated sigh. he continues to read the sign repeatedly, like if he read it enough, time would speed up, and the cafe would magically finish construction and reopen. unsure of how long he's been standing at the cafe's entrance inside the company building, he takes a couple of reluctant steps back, pulling out his phone and swiping into the group chat. a pout on his lips as he taps away and sends a message to the boys.

hanji: did you guys know the cafe on the first floor is closed for construction

leader bang: yes they sent an email last week

leebit: ^^

seungmoo: lol did u not check your email last week

jeonginnie: when was the last time you checked your emails

hanji: so you all knew 

hyune: yeah cos we checked our emails

dwaekki: are you on the first floor right now

hanji: … yes

yongbokkie: haha

dwaekki: so you found out right when you texted us

seungmoo: changbin hyung pls you found out yesterday since you also didn't check your email

hyune: oh right haha

leebit: 2racha sharing one brain cell

dwaekki: ok well han didn't need to know

hanji: ok well you all suck i'm going to get coffee somewhere else

leader bang: take someone with you

hanji: i'll be fine if i take any of you, i won't hear the end of how i don't check my emails so i will go alone

leebit: hehe

hyune: you won't hear the end of it regardless

leader bang: well come back safe

he sends a cute little emoji, acknowledging chan's message, before he shuts his phone off, slips it into his pocket, and pulls a black face mask out from the opposite pocket. hopefully, the mask would help hide his identity, just enough not to draw any attention to him during his quick coffee run. jisung loops the elastics around his ears and adjusts the nose wire as he walks to the front doors of the building, bidding a polite bow to the front desk staff. he then makes his way out of the jyp building.

he takes his phone out again, strolling as he researches what cafes there are in the area; a handful of cafes near the jyp entertainment building, a lot of them within walking distance, too. however, just to be safe, jisung looks for a cafe that isn't frequented often, one that would be emptier than the competitors nearby so he can go in and out promptly.

mon cœur.

that's the name of the cafe jisung chose; the walk to the cafe is a minute or so longer than the others, but seeing as it's almost empty according to the foot traffic tracker in the review app, jisung doesn't mind the walking.

upon entering the cafe, he's greeted by the barista. jisung's first breath is laced with coffee beans and the scent of freshly baked pastries; he scans over the cafe's interior and walks towards the cash register. eyes gazing at the white walls, oak wood accents and various green plants scattered around the cafe, the interior giving off a clean but soothing and comfortable atmosphere. even though jisung knows he will order the same thing he gets at every other cafe, he lets himself look over the menu.

"good morning, welcome to mon cœur; what can i get for you today?" jisung's eyes meet the barista's, who smiles warmly towards him. 

"can i get an iced americano?" he asks, his eyes drifting over to the empty cups displayed in various sizes at the cafe. " a medium size, please."

the barista nods as she punches in his order, confirming his item. jisung grabs his wallet as the barista is transferring the respective cost onto the card machine for payment.

"it'll be ready as soon as possible."

jisung politely smiles behind his mask, his eyes becoming crescents as he waves his hand, "don't worry, take your time. i'm in no rush."

making his way over to one of the tables, jisung takes a seat and pulls out his phone, deciding to pass the time by scrolling through the messages from fans on the bubble messaging app. meanwhile, he can hear the barista working in the background, the coffee machines running, ice being poured into cups, sinks turning on and off and fridge doors opening and closing.

ding!

jisung's attention is captured by the sudden chime of the bell dangling over the door, his gaze snapping towards the entrance where he feels like his mouth has suddenly gone dry. the barista turns to greet the new customer inside the cafe.

"good morning, welcome to–oh, y/n!" the barista's tone quickly shifts from customer service to casual. "you're not on shift today?"

jisung finds himself curious and entranced by the new presence inside the cafe, his eyes following the girl who has just entered, and he walks up to the counter.

you chuckle, "of course, i'm not on shift today. i'm only scheduled once or twice a week–i do have work later. the higher-ups have a meeting, so we start later than usual on those days."

when he realizes he's been staring for a second too long, jisung snaps out of his daze and looks back at his phone screen, scrolling. he tries not to eavesdrop and listen in, but he's getting snippets here and there in between the loud sounds of machines drowning out some of the words exchanged between you and the barista. it's like he can't help it but he also he isn't sure what's gotten over him; he had seen the tiniest glimpse of your face–a quick side profile as you walked by the table he's sat at–and now he finds himself quite intrigued by you.

"well, you work at your other job more, so it makes sense. you're here tomorrow for work, aren't you?"

"that's right, are you? are you my partner tomorrow?"

maybe he's so intrigued because you're the only two customers in the cafe; with the addition of the barista, only three people are standing in the small unit. maybe it was the lack of other customers and conversations to eavesdrop on had jisung drawn to the one you were having with the barista; either that, or it's the fact that all he's seen is the quickest glimpse of your side profile, and the only thought that registered in his brain that moment was 'pretty'.

"anyway, the usual for you?"

you nod with a smile, "you know me so well, thanks mia."

the barista, whose name jisung now knows is mia, beams at you as she lets you know she'll finish his drink before getting to yours.

it's been less than a minute since she's begun his drink, and in the back of jisung's mind, he wants mia to take her sweet time preparing his shot of espresso, water and ice just so he can listen to your voice a little more. unfortunately, even if she did choose to take her time, you decided to take a seat at the table across from jisung, leaving mia to get back to her job and not wanting to leave, him, the customer waiting too long–saving the conversation for later.

you're clad in jeans and a hoodie. you place your bag down on the chair across from you and pull out your laptop, setting it on the table. your eyes glance towards the man sitting on the opposite side of the cafe. the bottom half of his face is covered by a black mask, and dark strands of hair cover his forehead. you purse your lips together to shoot the stranger a small smile with a nod of your head.

this causes jisung to snap out of his trance, his whole body heating up at the belated realization that he's staring again. only this time, he was caught staring at a stranger by the stranger herself. his focus moves back to his phone where he tries to occupy himself once again with the bubble messages, but can't help but wallow in embarrassment at the fact he was caught. you probably thought he was a creep, some stranger in a cafe you frequented (clearly, seeing as you and the barista are on a first-name basis and the fact you apparently work here) staring at you from across the room and saying nothing.

"hi sir, your iced americano is ready," the barista, mia, announces, capturing jisung's attention as he scrambles to his feet, out of the table he's seated at and up to the counter to claim his order. mia slides jisung's drink towards him, accompanied by a straw and cup sleeve.

"thank you," jisung smiles under his mask once again. the smile doesn't reach his eyes as he thinks and rethinks that you, a beautiful stranger at this cafe, probably thinks he's a creep now. 

mia bids her usual parting greetings to customers to jisung, who then turns on his heel, making a beeline for the cafe doors. the door opens with a ding and shuts behind him, at that moment mia's eyes fall on your relaxed frame behind your laptop. all the while, jisung speed walks back to the company building with burning cheeks.

"he was totally into you," mia sings with a mischievous smile.

you scoff in disbelief, looking at mia, whose grin resembles that of the cheshire cat. "he was not. i don't even know him."

"well, he may be a stranger, but that sparkle in his eyes when you walked in is something i could recognize anywhere."

…

due to scheduling, jisung didn't have to go out and get his own coffee to start his day off–the boys had gotten so busy that their managers would take it upon themselves to do a coffee run for the boys and other staff members working with them that day the moment practice began.

the day after jisung went to mon cœur to grab his coffee, he couldn't stop thinking about you. he couldn't stop thinking about the brief glimpse he had of your side profile, how beautiful he found you, how you intrigued him so much that he found himself eavesdropping on your conversation with the barista that day. how could a stranger he didn't even get a clear view of be spending so much time running through his mind?

a month and a half of schedules filled to the brim had passed before their schedules allowed enough time during their breaks for the boys to finally fetch their food and drinks on their own. it was also in that month and a half, the jyp cafe had completed the construction they had undergone and started business up again–but they were no longer jisung's go-to.

he made the short walk over to mon cœur when his break allowed him to, walking in and ordering an iced americano, sometimes a slice of cheesecake to-go if he felt his work efforts were plentiful and flourishing through the week.

to his disappointment, you weren't the one behind the bar.

instead, it was usually mia, the girl who served him the first time and the one you were speaking to that day, joon or aera. even though he wasn't greeted by you behind the counter, the walk to mon cœur has become somewhat of a routine for jisung that he enjoys, allowing him to clear his mind for those couple of minutes.

chan claps his hands together to grasp everyone's attention. "let's take a break. we've practiced without a break since we got in, so let's take a thirty-minute break to relax." he glances at the computer, " everybody better be back on time."

the room is full of agreements as everyone inside of the practice room begin to file out.

some of the boys opt to go to the cafeteria and get something to eat in the meantime, and some of the staff share the same idea as they make their way to the elevator. most of the herd is waiting for the elevator to go up while jisung waits for the elevator to go down.

when the elevator arrives to go up, jisung steps aside to avoid being pushed in with the crowd as they all squish into the small space. it isn't until the elevator doors close and the sound of it whirring as it travels up that jisung realizes he isn't alone in the hallway.

"where are you off to?" seungmin nudges jisung.

"gonna get some coffee, maybe something small to eat too."

"hmm, what are you thinking of?" the slightly younger of the two asks as the elevator going down arrives on their floor; those exiting file out on the floor while jisung and seungmin make their way inside the elevator.

"i was thinking a cheesecake slice, maybe a small bun too," jisung tries to visualize the display fridge at mon cœur that showcases the many desserts and delicacies they offer.

"i don't remember the cafe downstairs having cheesecake slices? was it a new addition after the construction?"

"oh, i'm not going to the cafe downstairs."

seungmin pauses, blinking slowly, "you're going to a cafe that's farther than the one we have on the main floor?" jisung nods, "why?"

"it's not too long of a walk, just a couple of minutes," he begins to explain. they have great cheesecake slices, and their drinks are great too, so it's worth the couple of minutes."

"i'll come along, i wanna see how good this cheesecake is that you're taking the extra couple of minutes to walk."

jisung shrugs and goes along with it.

they pass the front desk on their way out, bidding the receptionist a polite bow before walking out of the building, obscuring the lower half of their faces with face masks they'd pulled out. much like jisung had said, the walk is indeed short, maybe feeling even shorter since they filled the time discussing work–how comeback preparations have been going.

the bell dangling above the cafe entrance chimes when jisung gently swings the door open, seungmin walking in first and him following behind. the cafe is quiet as usual, with a handful of customers scattered inside–there may be around five customers besides jisung and seungmin. the large windows facing the street are where most customers choose to sit, relax, and take sips of their drinks while enjoying the street view.

jisung and seungmin make their way to the counter, and to jisung's dismay, it looks like the barista behind the bar isn't the beautiful stranger that's been on his mind.

jisung nudges seungmin, who moves his head slightly in his direction, jisung points toward the overhead menu, "have you decided?"

seungmin shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest and making slow strides up to the counter to get a closer look at the menu. "we just got here, of course, i haven't."

the closer they are to the counter, the closer view seungmin gets of the many pastries and dessert slices presented behind the glass. the pastries sit on long ceramic plates, lined up neatly by their different type, while the desserts are lined up inside the fridge, sitting on individual ceramic plates and angled to show off the various layers. jisung already has his eyes on the new york cheesecake slice and an iced americano, but he also finds himself eying a double chocolate muffin as seungmin hums to himself and moves around as he looks.

the barista, joon, greets the two of them with a bright and toothy smile: "good afternoon and welcome to mon cœur. i'm here to help whenever you're ready!"

jisung and seungmin smile behind their masks, crescent, sparkly eyes beaming back at the barista who recognizes jisung as a regular who's recently been frequenting their cafe.

seungmin nudges jisung, who shifts his attention to the boy, "the chocolate muffin looks good, but–"

"but what?"

seungmin whispers, "we're gearing up for a comeback, should i really—"

jisung cuts him off, "yes, we've worked hard, so we deserve a little treat. plus, you'll burn it all off in dance practice later."

seungmin hums as he ponders jisung's point before shrugging and deciding on the cake. the two boys place their orders separately, jisung going first, and in the middle of seungmin's order, someone comes out from the back of the cafe through the curtains.

"joon, do we have any–" 

you had walked out, eyes looking at the many shelves, and didn't notice the customers standing opposite of joon at the cash register.

immediately you're pursing your lips together in a sheepish smile as your cheeks heat up, bowing in apology before continuing your search all on your own. this time, you stay behind the bar instead of going back through the curtains into the back of the cafe, your eyes rifling over the shelves to check and recheck the stock.

joon apologizes with a soft smile, but seungmin shrugs it off with a chuckle before finalizing his order. once he's given the receipt and directed to move to the pickup counter, seungmin finds his friend frozen in his tracks and doing a terrible job hiding how he's blatantly staring at the female barista who emerged from the back. jisung practically has heart eyes.

seungmin nudges him; with a whisper, he says, "you're staring, you know."

jisung snaps out of his momentary trance to scoff and deny the other's claims, crossing his arms over his chest–subconsciously stealing a couple more glances at you.

"talk to her," seungmin murmers, and jisung shakes his head immediately, "why not?"

"job doesn't allow that."

"who said anything about the big 'd' word?" seungmin teases, "i just said talk to her, but if that's what you're thinking of–get her number and ask her out."

jisung shakes his head profusely. even though he wants to do exactly that, he's too nervous to speak to you. he wasn't even expecting to see you behind the bar today since every other time he had come to the cafe, he was greeted by someone else.

the one time jisung doesn't come alone is when you're on shift–he likes it, of course; who wouldn't enjoy an unexpected sighting of something, someone, so beautiful. what he doesn't like is how seungmin caught him red-handed, already anticipating the teasing and jokes when they walk back to the company building.

you hand their orders off to them, thanking them and bidding the two a nice day before they're out of the cafe and walking back to the company building to eat in the practice room. when they're outside, halfway to the company building, seungmin speaks up.

"it wasn't just the cheesecake and coffee that made the walk there worth it, was it?" there was a tinge of playfulness in his tone. 

"shut up, i don't know what you're talking about," jisung denies, taking a long sip of his iced americano.

"mhmm…" seungmin hums, "as if you weren't all heart eyes for the barista that came out from the back."

jisung's cheeks flush; he tries hard to sound stern, only to stutter and stumble over his words, "s-shut up, i'm not taking you with me next time."

…

that was a lie.

seungmin continued to tag along with jisung whenever they had the time to go to mon cœur during their break, jisung avoiding the slightly younger one's knowing gaze as he smiled teasingly. it was odd how you were always behind the bar suddenly when jisung was accompanied by seungmin; whenever he came solo, it was never you. 

a blessing and a curse.

a blessing that jisung has the opportunity to see your pretty face and your radiant smile when tending to customers, and a curse when seungmin gives him teasing looks and wiggles his eyebrows playfully. 

"i hate you," jisung murmurs as seungmin dawns a mischievous smile, the two of them now standing in line, waiting for you to complete another order before tending to them.

they watch as you transfer the orders of the customers in front of them over to joon, who makes the orders behind you. before they know it, you're standing behind the point-of-sale system and smiling at the two boys.

"hi, welcome to mon cœur," your voice is like honey to jisung's ears, "what can i get for you two today?"

seungmin nudges jisung to go first, but jisung finds himself struggling to speak, unable to order even though he gets the same drink every single time he's here. jisung stutters under your waiting gaze, your sparkling eyes, and seungmin intervenes to ease the awkwardness.

"two medium sized iced americanos, please."

you relay his words back in confirmation, catching a nod from the one in a windbreaker as you punch their order into the system. meanwhile, jisung's gaze travels to the name tag pinned on the upper left side of your apron.

'y/n.' 

"anything else for today?" your eyes drift from the pos screen to the two boys standing in front of you. the one wearing the beanie you recognize as a new regular, and his friend with the windbreaker a new new regular.

you watch as the man wearing the windbreaker nudges the man in the beanie, who shakes his head in response. his deep brown eyes crinkling into crescents as he bids you a smile under his mask. you exchange a soft, toothless smile and connect the pos to the card system so they can pay. you hear the sound of the button buzz as you move to get the respective cups and set them up.

seungmin turns the machine back in your direction, opting against taking the receipt before walking to the pickup area. the two men lean against the wall-mounted tables nearby.

"y'know, it's now or never."

jisung scoffs, rolling his eyes, "i don't know what you're talking about."

even though half his face is covered by a mask, jisung can tell seungmin is deadpanning at him because of the way his eyes droop.

"i'm just saying," he shrugs, "take the chance; what do you have to lose by doing that?"

jisung blinks, realizing seungmin has a point. if you reject his advances, he can always go back to being a regular at the cafe on the first floor of the company building. if you accept, well, he hasn't really thought that far.

regardless, he doesn't think he's ready for that, despite the fact it's been almost two months since he began frequenting mon cœur instead of the company cafe. with a soft sigh, jisung chooses to nod his head in acknowledgement and turn away from seungmin, facing toward the front as they wait.

"hi!" you grab the attention of the two boys, "your order is ready!"

pushing themselves off the table they're leaning up against, they walk up to the counter as you slide the tray with their order closer to the centre of the counter. seungmin makes the move to slide the tray toward himself, nearly sitting on the edge of the counter. you bid them a friendly smile before going over to clean up whatever you see fit.

jisung nudges seungmin when he notices the two wax-lined paper bags with the cafe logo on the front. jisung picks up one bag, peeking inside to find a chocolate chip cookie, "did you order cookies? did i just not hear it?"

seungmin shakes his head, confused as he thinks back to confirm that he only ordered the two of them iced americanos. he shakes his head again, "just the drinks... here, let me ask."

seungmin looks over to you and joon, wanting to make sure he isn't interrupting either of you.

"hi, sorry!" seungmin calls out; both you and joon turn towards the pickup counter. your feet follow the direction of your gaze as you move to attend to customers. seungmin holds up one bag, "we didn't order any cookies?"

you and joon look at each other, exchanging a smile before turning back to the two men.

"they're on the house," joon beams.

"oh?"

"you guys have been coming here quite regularly for the past couple of weeks," joon explains, "it's a little thank-you treat for the support."

"we really do appreciate it," you add.

"well, in that case," seungmin cleared his throat, "thank you so much."

"we also appreciate it–how hard you work and all," jisung pipes up rather awkwardly in his opinion.

as seungmin and jisung walk towards the front doors of the cafe, they both turn back to wave toward you and joon who stand at different stations behind the counter, bidding you two goodbye.

"thank you, have a good day!" joon waves.

"we hope to see you again soon!"

…

as the weeks went by, the cafe visits went by as well.

sometimes jisung would go alone, sitting in the cafe for a bit to clear his mind in between work while sipping on a beverage and taking small bites of dessert. other times seungmin or another member would offer to tag along, also wondering why jisung would choose to go to a cafe a couple minutes away instead of the one on the first floor of their workplace. however, the members chalked it up to the quality of the drinks and desserts, finding them to surpass those of the cafe at the office.

unlike before, jisung didn't need to be accompanied by seungmin to increase the universe's chances of finding you behind the counter. it was rare but on the rare occasion that you'd be working the same day jisung would come in for his regular order, you would engage in small talk when you were done cleaning up behind the counter and not attending to other customers.

"good morning jisung, the usual today as well?"

"am i that predictable?"

"maybe our americano and cheesecake is just that good."

"hmm… you're right about that, but no cheesecake today, i'll go for a chocolate muffin."

"look at you, changing it up, making things interesting."

"i'm full of surprises, y/n."

"one day it's cheesecake, another day a muffin. maybe another day you'll be getting something else?"

sometimes small talk in passing became conversations where he'd learn more about you and small details of your life you were willing to tell him.

through these conversations, he learned that you work two jobs to make enough money to move out of your parents' house and somewhere closer to your university campus–cutting down the commute time and translating it into study time. you'd noticed how beneficial that extra couple of hours was over your first year when your friends in the city let you stay over for a couple nights. since it's the summertime, you can pick up more shifts at your other job, which pays a bit more than the cafe job, and any free days are taken over by a cafe shift.

it's also through these conversations that jisung's intrigue and interest in you has grown.

when he first saw you, he was already curious and wanted to get to know you because of how you caught his eye. now, you've caught his attention and his ear as he wants to learn more about you, your life, your personality–just you as a whole.

it's safe to say he's moved on from a surface-level attraction to a pretty stranger and into crushing hard on that cute stranger, wanting to dig below that surface and uncover what you're willing to show him. the more he learns about you, the more he has yet to discover as the questions keep coming. the more he learns, the more interested jisung becomes in you.

of course, you've also taken the time in those conversations to ask jisung about himself and his life but he keeps the information sparse and omits some details. it's left you even more curious and wondering, wanting to know more about the boy who comes into the cafe whose order you have memorized.

what you've been told is that jisung interns for a company as a media producer and that he's one of many producer interns on a team under a big company.

he could say it's a strategy to leave you wanting more, to leave you guessing, but it's really because of his job. he wants to open up to you and let you in so you can get to know him, but he holds himself back. with the career jisung is in, the risks of being open are much greater than they would be for someone in a less publicized job.

jisung doesn't want his job to shift the way you see him and treat him. he wants you to treat him as jisung, the boy from the cafe who loves iced americanos and cheesecake. he doesn't want you to treat him as a person of importance in the music industry; he doesn't want to be treated like a celebrity.

maybe it's the fact that jisung has a crush on you that sways his judgement when he wants to think that you aren't the type of person to go blabbing to the tabloids about how an idol asked for your phone number–exposing each and every detail of who, what, where and when. nevertheless, jisung wants to trust you.

its a friday morning when jisung walks into the cafe; he knows you don't work on fridays so he's shocked to see you in the cafe when he steps inside–the shock evident in his wide brown eyes. you aren't standing behind the counter but sat at one of the tables near the window with your laptop in front of you, but jisung still wasn't expecting to see you here today. you exchange a warm, lopsided smile as he walks over to the table you're seated at, slowly dragging the chair out and taking a seat.

"what brings you here?" you wonder, leaning your weight on your palm, your elbow propped up on the table as you look at the man sitting across from you.

"the usual," he shrugs, "need my coffee fix. how about you? you don't work here on friday‘s?“

you nod with a tired sigh, "that's right. can't believe you remembered that." a lazy chuckle slips through your lips, "another late start at the other job, figured i'd come here and get some stuff done before i'm holed up there 'till five in the evening."

jisung watches as your fingers curl around the handle of the mug, lifting it off the table and to your lips to take a brief sip of–what smells to be hot chocolate–before gently placing the mug on the table next to your laptop.

"how long have you been here?" he asks, you shift your eyes to the analog clock at the top right corner of your laptop.

"hmm… since around seven?"

his eyes practically bulge out of his head, "the cafe isn't open until eight."

"yeah, i got here when aera did," jisung turns to see the short brunette behind the counter before turning back to you, "helped her a bit with pre-opening and then took a seat down here."

"your bosses here must love you, free labour," he teases.

"that's what aera said before she made me sit my ass down here."

the girl behind the counter's ears perk up at the sound of her name, a loud "hmm?" catching both your's and jisung's attention, your heads snapping in her direction. the girl blinks, a wet mug in one hand and a drying rag in the other as she stares at you both. the cafe falls quiet with the three of you exchanging looks before jisung waves at her, the girl waving back with the hand holding the rag before going back to drying the ceramic dish in the other.

you and jisung exchange eye contact before a short fit of giggles erupts from the both of you, now sitting up straight and facing the other.

"you didn't wanna take the late start as an opportunity to sleep in?" jisung wonders, leaning his weight on the table.

you shake your head, "i did that the last time and almost ended up late for work."

he sucks in a sharp breath to which you kiss your teeth with a nod.

"yeah, at least i'm up and ready to get to work while i'm here," you say, taking another sip of your hot chocolate before making a belated realization: " i should let you get your usual order. i don't wanna keep you too long since you probably have to get back to work too."

jisung nods his head with a sigh, pushing himself up off the chair and bidding you a smile under his mask. when he's turned around, you've put your headphones back in too.

he knows he needs to get back to the company building so they can continue with recording and dance practices before they're off to do some interviews and radio shows gearing up for their next comeback–the company doing what it can to promote its rookie boy group. it's a bittersweet feeling, as he does enjoy his job, but he doesn't want to stop talking to you.

jisung and aera engage in small talk as he orders, the barista tapping away on the pos screen in between to make sure she's got everything right even though he orders the same thing every time. her ears perk up this time when jisung adds something additional to his order–this time, it isn't a cheesecake or a muffin. the completion of the transaction triggers a shrill noise from the card machine, and jisung slips his card back into his wallet while moving to the pickup counter.

meanwhile, you've got both hands wrapped around the warm mug of hot chocolate, your lips resting on the edge of the rim as your eyes graze over your laptop screen. your focus on reading the latest email from the university president regarding changes to academic policies and such results in you just holding the mug up to your lips and not taking a sip.

even after reading the email over twice, you can't grasp what they were getting at. you choose to take a sip of your drink, swipe around on the trackpad to close the email, and switch tabs. at the same time you place the mug back down on the table, jisung is standing across from you with an iced americano in one hand and a wax-lined paper bag in the other. his mask is pulled down, resting under his chin.

this may be the first time you're getting a good look at the man without a mask covering half of his face. of course he's slipped it down before to take sips of his drink as he leaves the cafe, getting glimpses of his unmasked face for a couple of moments before he's out the cafe doors. however, he's now standing in front of you, allowing you to get a clear look at his face.

you slip one side of your headphones off, holding it between your thumb and pointer finger while you address the man across from you, "the usual, as usual." you tip your chin in the direction of his coffee.

your eyes move to the off-white paper bag in his other hand.

"not a cheesecake this time?" you ask playfully, head cocked at an angle.

he smiles and shakes his head, "i got a cookie this time."

you hum in acknowledgement, "chocolate chip?" he nods, "a good choice."

"actually," jisung begins, "it's for you."

your eyes widen, "what–"

you quickly drop the headphone in your hand as jisung extends his arm, the off-white bag in your own hands before you know it. you glance down at the bag and then up to him.

"wait–"

jisung is quick to cut you off, shaking his head as he starts to make his way to the door, walking backwards. there's a cheeky smile on his lips.

"you got here early, and are working so hard," he explains, "a free cookie, you deserve it."

"thank you, but ji–"

he waves you off the moment he hears the word 'but.' you open your mouth to speak again but he's already rushing out of the cafe. the loud tingling of the bell hanging above the door catches aera's attention from behind the counter where she was cleaning, both of the girls now looking at the entrance, where the door closes slowly. aera looks over to you, moving closer in your direction from behind the bar where you sit perplexed with a slack jaw.

"–i already get the cookies here for free…"

aera sets the cleaning rag down as she leans on the counter, "whats that?" she gestures to the wax-lined paper bag in your hand, a knowing smirk on her face.

"a cookie."

"he gave you his cookie?" you nod and aera coos, "how sweet."

"i mean…" you blink slowly, staring at the bag in your hands. you purse your lips, trying to hold back a shy smile, "yeah, sweet."

…

another couple of weeks fly by without any run-ins between you and jisung, whenever you're on shift he doesn't come by and vice versa. regardless of whether you had the opportunity to see him, every time you saw a cookie–it didn't even have to be the cookies that the cafe sells–you were reminded of jisung and his gesture.

the sight of the sweet snack popped an image of the boy and his bright, mischievous smile as he ran out of the cafe before you could even explain that you get the cookies for free since you work here. however, aera and mia argue that even if he knew that for a fact, he still would have bought the cookie for you as a sweet gesture.

pushing the front door open with your hip, hands stretched up to your head as you collect your hair into a ponytail, you walk into the cafe greeting mia who waves at you from behind the counter with a lopsided smile–the hair tie held between your teeth. there are one or two customers in the cafe whose attention shifted to you for a moment when the bells chimed before going back to their own business, paying no mind when you walk by where they're seated on the way to the bar.

"good afternoon, miss y/n," mia greets with a bright smile, arms crossed as she leans on the counter.

the girl chuckles when you mumble back an afternoon greeting, and the hair tie between your teeth makes it hard to speak clearly.

you split your ponytail in two, pulling the sections to adjust the style before redoing your afternoon greeting, speaking clearly, "afternoon madam mia, to what do i owe this pleasure to?"

mia rolls her eyes playfully as she nods her head in the direction of the back area of the cafe, blocked off to the customers as they keep storage and stock there. you walk toward the bathrooms, going into the back through the staff door and retrieving your apron off the hooks. you notice new boxes stacked on each other, calling out your name to be counted and organized for inventory later on while you're on the move, adjusting your apron.

"when was inventory delivered?" you ask mia as you walk through the curtains, joining her behind the bar.

she hums, thinking, "last night before closing? since it was so late–joon and kino were literally about to lock up when the delivery arrived–they had to stack them up in the back and leave it for us today."

you click your tongue, shaking your head at the explanation, and mia makes a sound in agreement, sharing your sentiment without words.

"i did most of it earlier–the ones i could carry on my own," she states, walking over to the sink to rinse the towel under hot water before ringing it out, "i'll need your help with the rest."

you nod, tying the straps of your apron together behind your back, and survey the area behind the bar, looking for something to do.

"you can bring out some more cookies," mia says.

you turn to find a mischievous look in her eyes.

she puts her hands up, feigning innocence, "what? i'm just giving you a task."

at that moment, the bell hanging above the entrance jingles as a customer or two enter the cafe. mia, already standing facing the door sees the customers who come in before you do.

"speaking of cookies," she smirks, occupying herself by rinsing the towel again.

you turn to face the entrance, walking toward the cash register and are met with the familiar eyes of jisung's. behind him, seungmin trails into the cafe, also clad in a mask as usual. the two men walk up to the cash register, but only jisung ends up standing before you as seungmin excuses himself to the bathroom, bidding you a wave before walking off.

"long time no see," you greet jisung, whose eyes light up at the realization that you have noticed his absence, "the usual today as well?"

jisung hums as he thinks, "if i ask you to surprise me, how would that go?"

you shrug, "who knows? never know until you try."

he claps his hands together, nodding his head, "i like that mindset–surprise me."

you shake your head with a smile, punching in his order and sending the transaction to the card machine to complete the payment. he walks to the pickup counter, leaning on the wall-mounted tables across from it as he waits for seungmin to come out from the bathroom. meanwhile, you pause momentarily as you think of what to "surprise" him with, standing in front of the coffee machine with your brows knit together while mia takes seungmin's order.

the two men engage in conversation as they wait for their order to be completed and handed off to them at the pickup counter, discussing the details of a movie they watched a couple nights ago and parts that stood out to them.

standing beside the pastries, one of the off-white wax-lined paper bags sits on the counter in front of you, empty as you call over to mia, "do we have a permanent marker or something?"

"let me check in the drawer."

you mumble out a quick thanks before scribbling something on the back of the paper bag before sliding on a pair of food-safe gloves to retrieve the dessert that will be going into the bag.

the beverages ordered by the two men are sitting at the pickup counter, waiting to be handed off. the rest of their order sitting in two paper bags in your hands. you double-check to make sure you're pairing the correct food and drink together before calling the respective customer.

you call over to seungmin first, sliding his order closer to the opposite end of the counter for him to pick up along with napkins and a straw. when jisung walks up to the counter, seungmin is ripping the paper open to retrieve the straw from the inside, sliding it into the lid and tossing the waste into a nearby bin. you feel your body warm up as you slide jisung's order closer to him, fighting the clamminess of your hand and sliding the paper bag over to him.

you bid him a smile, jisung takes a look at his "surprise" order, eyes scanning over the items. it's his regular iced americano, minus the cheesecake, replaced by whatever is inside the wax-lined bag.

"how'd you know i liked iced americanos?" he teases, and you play along, shrugging with a shy smile.

"good guess?"

he peeks inside the wax-lined bag to find a chocolate chip cookie sitting inside, reminding him of the last time he saw you, a smile playing on the corner of his lips. he looks at you and then at mia, bidding you both a goodbye and good day before him, and seungmin are out the doors, on the way back to work.

seungmin takes a sip of his drink through the straw, looking over a jisung, "what'd you get?"

the slightly older boy holds up the bag, "cookie."

"is that your thing now? you exchange cookies?" seungmin teases, a playful smile on his lips.

jisung rolls his eyes, "i mean—shit!"

seungmin stops in his tracks when jisung hurls forward, tripping over something. thankfully, he caught himself fast enough that he didn't end up falling on the sidewalk, what did end up falling was the paper bag with the cookie inside and a bit of his iced americano when he tightened his grip around it, squeezing some of the beverage out.

seungmin looks around the pavement, trying to identify what caused jisung to trip, only to be met with the flat cement, "how did you manage to trip over nothing?" seungmin scoffs with a chuckle, eyes then moving to jisung's feet that are clad in chunky shoes. he clicks his tongue, "never mind, i see it now."

jisung doesn't reply, staring at the pavement.

"are you okay?" seungmin finally asks, wondering why the boy wasn't coming up with a snarky reply or spitting out a flustered excuse with embarrassment. he blinks at the boy who stares at the pavement, jisung points to the bag.

seungmin tears his eyes off his band member, eyes following the direction jisung points at. the wax-lined paper bag sits empty on the pavement floor, the cookie–now broken into pieces–sitting nearby, and ants are beginning to make their way over to the dessert.

"are you that up–" he stops himself with a quiet gasp of realization.

jisung isn't fixated on the fact his cookie is broken and being stolen bit by bit by ants; he's fixated on the off-white, wax-lined paper bag that had fallen out of his hands face down. the backside of the plain bag faced up to the sky, a message scribbled in the corner with a permanent marker.

'+82 02 xxxx yyyy, thanks for the cookie :) - y/n'

[smilingcrittersthingig]

Oops, I seem to have written a oneshot about Reborn Starstudent instead of reviewing for my exams…

Welp 🤷‍♀️

The way I feel about you

He stood atop a platform under a big hole, the chicken looked around the large cavelike area until his eyes drifted to the green rabbit who was across him.

“Hoppy!” he yelled, the rabbit looked up to meet his eyes

“Hoppy come on! Jump!” he encouraged her, holding his hand out for the rabbit.

He kept his sight directly at her while she jumped, he noticed that her spring was a bit small, his worry grew larger the moment he felt her paw brush against his, his eyes widened as he saw her get swallowed by the abyss.

“HOPPY!!!” he almost tried to go after her but he was grabbed and dragged by the blue elephant.

“WAIT HOPPY FELL DOWN—!!!” he tried struggling out of the elephant’s grasp.

“WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT, KICKIN! THEY’RE CATCHING UP!” he kept his grip on the chicken who was still reaching and yelling for the rabbit.

“HOPPY—!!!”

Kickin woke up in a cold sweat.

He clutched his chest, trying to steady his breathing and desperately resisting the tears coming out of his eyes.

He looked around his dark room, he didn’t like the dark. Kickin stood up from the bed after he calmed himself down, turning on the lights.

The chicken hugged himself, recalling the time with Hoppy. He fought back tears again before looking out the window. He needed to check up on her, he just felt he needed to.

Kickin walked out of the house and started to walk to Hoppy’s house, he just needed to make sure she was there, he needed to make sure she was alive. Just a quick glance, it’s not creepy, is it?

A raindrop dropped on his head with more following right after, it started raining. Great, just his luck. He ran through the rain, ignoring the mind tricks his brain gave him as he saw glimpses of scary figures and such.

He’s not gonna last through all this. His attention was immediately stolen by a light coming from one of the windows. It was from Bubba’s house, he’s still awake?

Kickin didn’t want to stay outside any longer, Hoppy’s house was still a distance away. He quickly walked to the front door and knocked on the door.

Silence

He knocked again, this time with rhythm.

Still Silence

He started banging on the door loudly. For someone having big ears, his hearing sure suc—

Bubba slammed the door open “Okay okay what—!?” His irritated expression immediately softened as his eyes landed on the chicken, shivering from the cold rain.

“Kickin-? What are you doing here?” the elephant asked, very confused about the appearance of his yellow friend.

“long story.. can i come in..?” he nervously rubbed his arm “Yeah- of course, come in” he moved out of the way and let Kickin inside his house.

Bubba quickly closed the door and ran to get a towel for Kickin. The chicken tried to shake the water off until he felt something soft get thrown at his face.

“I’m allowing you to step inside my house, not to dirty it.” he ruffled his wet feathers with the towel before Kickin slapped his hooves away.

“I can clean myself you know.” Kickin slightly glared at Bubba. “Can’t risk you making more of a mess here” he glanced at the trail of water.

The chicken quickly wiped himself off before sitting down on his couch, the elephant followed and sat beside him. “So… Are you going to explain why you’re here?”

“…I wanted to check up on Hoppy… But the rain held me back so I decided to rest up here.” he replied.

“oh” Bubba felt his chest sting. He noticed the fact that Kickin has gotten way more attached to Hoppy lately. They’ve always been a duo but he’s recently been closer to her than usual. He’s been suppressing his feelings about that.

“How about you? Why are you awake?” Kickin raised his eyebrow at Bubba. “I was reading a really interesting book” he answered which the chicken laughed in response to.

“Of course you did” he chuckled, Bubba found his cheeks warming up but looked away in an attempt to not be seen in that state.

“You don’t mind if I stay here until the rain goes away, do you?” the chicken asked, Bubba stayed silent for a bit before forcing a small smile. “Yeah… Of course”

Kickin smiles back before grabbing the remote near him “You got some cool shows here?” he turned on the TV. “Well I have some horror movies I can put on”

Kickin looked a bit hesitant “… I mean unless you don’t want to—“ “No! No I can watch it! Put on the scariest one!” he threw the towel aside and tried to pull a confident pose, but he didn’t look as proud as he usually would.

Bubba smirked “Really? Alright I’ll take you up on that then” he grabbed the scariest movie he had and put it on as he sat beside a Kickin who’s already regretting his decision.

Bubba watched the movie intently. He’s already watch this one and was looking closely at the details he might’ve missed.

He looked away from the screen to see how Kickin was doing, he was stiff as a stick with his eyes dreading the next loud sound. Bubba could only silently chuckle to himself while looking at the terrified chicken.

Then a jumpscare came up which caused Kickin to let out a scream and latch onto Bubba’s arm as he flinched, his face warming up from the sudden physical contact.

“… I-I mean that uh— You didn’t hear anything” he nervously laughed as he let go of the elephant’s arm. He quickly snapped back to reality and cleared his throat to stop his blushing.

“So much for being able to watch it hm?” he teased the chicken to ignore what he was currently feeling “Hey!” he glared at Bubba who chuckled in response.

They continued to watch the movie until it ended. Bubba found his ears drooping down, he didn’t exactly want the movie to end, not because he liked the movie, it just meant Kickin would be leaving afterwards since the rain has also gone away.

He let out a sigh “Alright I guess you have to get going no—“

He felt something lay on his shoulder. He turned his head and sees Kickin had fallen asleep right on him. He could feel his face warm up as he looked away in panic.

Okay Bubba you got this. Just wake him up and… let him leave. The elephant felt terrible, he hated this feeling. Why can’t he just be a good friend and be happy for him. Why is he so upset about this.

…Actually he already knows why he feels that way.

He looks at the chicken’s face again, he looked peaceful… It… It would be fine if he let him sleep in, right? It looked like he hasn’t been sleeping much anyways.

He knows he’s being selfish… He’s a selfish bastard.

He tried standing up to grab a blanket for Kickin but the chicken held onto his arm and refused to let go. Bubba stayed frozen for a couple seconds before sitting back down and letting Kickin sleep on his arm.

… He closes his eyes and lightly laid his head on Kickin’s.

He knows why he’s been feeling this way.

He liked Kickin.

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #12 – What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

I initially meant to read this back last year when it was up for a Hugo nomination, but well – honestly I forgot my copy in an airport waiting room and it’s presumably now living a good life somewhere in a New Jersey compose heap. But a friend had a copy and said they enjoyed it, so! Stole it for a few days, and very glad I did. It’s a quick, fun shot fungal gothic, great for stormy nights.

The basic plot is, well, it’s very explicitly Fall of the House of Usher with a slight admixture of Ruritanian Romance. The Ushers are a genteely impoverished family of minor aristocracy in Ruravia, a less than impressive principality in Eastern Europe. Alex Easton, Roderick Usher’s former commanding officer in some recent war (the Gallacian Army they served in having a habit of getting into these quite habitually) receives a letter from Roderick’s sister Madeline begging company and help, as she is deathly ill. Of course by the time Easton arrives the pair of them look like they’re one stiff wind away from dying, and the estate and the lands around it are both decaying and full of unnerving strangeness. The only person who seems happy to be there is Eugenia Potter, an Englishwoman and amateur mycologist studying the great variety of mushrooms and fungus to be found in the area.

So yes this is very much aiming to be Gothic Classic, at least in aesthetics and trappings. An overgrown and decaying estate several times too large for the last remnants of the family who now occupy it. Genteel madness and disease, hidden behind polite euphemisms and high walls. A deep, atavistic horror at parasitism and the desecration of the human (especially the well-bred, young and female) body by an alien presence. There’s even a cowboy for some reason. It definitely all works for me, but then my exposure to the genre is all a bit second hand.

Speaking of parasitism – mushrooms! The book expresses decay and desecration basically entirely through the idiom of fungal infections, both in terms of metaphor and imagery in descriptions and just in the actual source of the horror here. The lights in the tarn are fungal blooms, Madeline’s disease and her reanimation are both the result of almost drowning and inhaling that fungus into her lungs, and so on. There are two really effective horror beats in the book for me – the image of an infected hare which had just had its head shot off slowly jerking back to its feet as a dozen others placidly stood there and watched it be shot, and the moment of realization that Madeline’s oddly long and wispy body hair is in fact mycelia growing out of her skin – and both play off of this pretty directly.

I very awkwardly didn’t use any pronouns for Easton when giving the plot synopsis because the book actually plays around a bit with gender and pronouns in a way I’ve always loved and wish I saw more of. Easton is Gallacian (unrelated to the actually existing Galicia, I think), and the Gallacian language has a variety of pronoun sets beyond just he and she – one for children, one for God, and one (ka/kan) particularly for soldiers. Which, due to the exigencies of early modern warefare’s manpower requirements, eventually led to both men and women being perfectly eligible to become ‘sworn soldiers’. So y’know, Enlist today! Service guarantees citizen-transition!

(But actually I enjoy the thought and at least superficial sociological plausibility/consideration of what gender means in Gallacian society a lot more than how a lot of modern spec fic just kind of assues that every culture in the world has the perspective on gender of a well-educated 21st century progressive, material conditions be damned).

Anyway yeah, overall very entertaining read. Though Goodreads tells me it’s now the first in the series, which given how cleanly this one ended is not something that fills me with an abundance of faith.

[whispering-ways]

☆・✷ physics problems (pt. 2) ✷・☆

☆ summary: you have a breakdown over your physics test scores and katsuki overhears you

☆ pairing: kastuki bakugo x (female implied) reader

☆ tags: cursing, fingering, oral sex (female receiving), nicknames like sweetheart and darling

☆ notes: sorry it took so long to write this guys! it's my first week back in college so i've just been a little busy :/ hope you guys like it! :)

Every hour of the next day seemed to drag on forever; it felt like 3 pm would never come. You spent every hour thinking about Katsuki and spending time with him. Specifically thinking about this dream from last night where you and Katsuki.... never mind. These last couple of hours wouldn’t go by any faster if you kept thinking about how badly you wanted him. You shook your head, trying to clear all thoughts of him from your brain as you stepped into the gym for a quick workout. 

You got on the treadmill and started to get into the groove of a run. It didn’t help though, your mind slowly drifting back to thoughts of Kastuki again. He’d always looked good, but after years of training and maturing into his looks, he was undeniably hot. And of course, you didn’t have a crush on him just for his looks, but they were definitely an added bonus.

You didn’t know whether it was his piercing red eyes, the confidence he always carried himself with, or the physique he’d managed to fill into, but something about him was so alluringly attractive. You were so distracted thinking about him that when the beep of the treadmill echoed out indicating you were done with your workout, it startled you, bringing you back to reality.

You left the gym and took a quick shower, hoping some cold water would flush the thoughts out of your head before you had to see Katsuki. There was only about an hour left now before you had to head to his room and you hurried to your room to choose what to wear. After much deliberation, you set on a white tank top and leggings; simple but perfect for a study session. You only had about 15 minutes left, so you gathered up all the things you needed to study in your backpack and headed to Katsuki’s room.

Walking to his room, you took a deep breath to calm your nerves. You couldn't believe you were actually going to study with him, much less in his room. It seemed like he hated helping anyone or bringing anyone to his personal space so it was a little strange to you that he’d offer to study in his room, but nevertheless, you were happy that he did. 

You hesitated for a moment before knocking at his door. The door swung open almost instantaneously to reveal Kastuki in a black compression tee tucked into a pair of grey sweatpants. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think he looked out right now. Your eyes looked him up and down before returning to look right into his eyes.

“Are you just gonna keep on staring or are you actually coming inside?” Katsuki said with a smirk as he leaned against the door frame. 

“S-sorry, yeah I’ll...uhh...come in,” you said with a blush painting your cheeks. He moved to let you pass and you walked in. You looked around his room, which seemed pretty minimal. It made sense though, he was a no-nonsense type of guy. The only personal touch to his room were two All Might figures on his nightstand near a miniature replica of his gauntlets. 

Katsuki shut the door and then sat at a floor desk he had set up for studying. “Well don’t just fucking stand there, sit down so we can get started dumbass,” he said. You hurriedly sat down, carefully putting your bag to the side. You pulled out a notebook and some notes from class and you both started to get to work. 

“Ok, let’s see how fucked you really are first. I printed out some practice problems from this unit that should cover a little bit of everything. Do the problems and then we can figure out what we need to review so we don’t waste time reviewing bullshit you already know well,” Kastuki explained, pulling out a couple of sheets that he’d stashed into his textbook.

You got to work immediately. You did your best, but you had to admit, you were definitely very clueless. It took you about 30 minutes to finish up all the questions, but after you were done, you handed the sheets back to Katsuki. He started to grade the papers, but as he went through each and every problem, his face looked more and more confused. 

“What the fuck is this? Have you not paid any attention at all in class or something? You’ve got all the formulas right, but you’re using the wrong formulas for the most basic shit! No wonder you’re fucking failing!” he exclaimed. “You know what, let’s start from the basics. Maybe if we can drill those into you and make them second nature, you’ll start getting this shit right.” He pulls out his textbook and starts flipping through the different chapters until he finds the one he was looking for. 

“Okay, so here’s the chapter that we’re reviewing in class, maybe going through this shit will help you see the connection between the formulas and the questions.” You lean over your side of table to see the textbook better before he lets out a frustrated sigh and says “Just get up and sit next to me, no fucking use of leaning over like that, you’re not gonna be able to see shit anyways.”

You shift your stuff near Katsuki and sit near him, trying not to think about how close you were to him. You did your best to concentrate, but it was hard when Katsuki’s face was just a few inches from you. Trying to not think about how nice it’d be to kiss him seemed even harder than physics right now.  You start truly paying attention to the textbook and doing your best to get the concepts. The way Katsuki was explaining them though definitely did help; he broke down everything in a way that was a lot easier to understand than how you’d been reviewing the content. 

Katsuki looked over at you to see how you were doing after about a half over of going through the textbook. Your face had determination written all over it, your eyebrows furrowed together as you paid careful attention to what he said. He hated to say it, but it was pretty endearing to see how focused and in the zone you were. He could tell you were trying your best but with the way things were going it seemed like just reading through the book wasn’t going to help. 

He closed the book with a loud thud, making you jump. “Hold on, let me try to find a video or some shit so you can understand this better. There’s no use reading this fucking book if you’re clearly not fucking getting it,” Katsuki barked, annoyed with the little progress you were making. He honestly thought it’d be a lot easier than this. Trying to find a way for you to grasp the basic was getting to be a pain in the ass, but he was doing his best to not show it.

He got up, grabbed his laptop, and sat on his bed. He typed for a second, before looking up at you to say “Well what are you fucking waiting for? Get on the bed. I’m not sitting on the floor anymore, my fucking back is hurting.”

You scramble up and join him on the bed. He starts playing a video of some Indian tutor explaining kinetic energy, the primary focus of the current unit. But yet again, you just can’t seem to focus on the material; all you could really focus on was Katsuki. You were trying, truly, to pay attention. But it was a little hard to focus when you were so close to him that you can see him breathing in and out. Every breath he took flexed his muscles ever so slightly. It was impossible for you not to sneak a couple of glances at him while watching the videos. 

Katsuki feels your eyes on him. They’re only on him in quick glances, but it still pisses him off. You should be paying attention to the videos, not him. He had to admit though that your glances were definitely making him flustered. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think you were attractive and judging by the way you were looking at him, he guessed that you thought the same about him. With the way you were so focused on him, he’d be an absolute dumbass not to have picked up on that earlier. Nevertheless, you both were here to study and his main priority for now was getting you to understand at least a little bit of the unit. 

After the video finished, Katsuki flipped through the textbook to find a practice problem based on the concepts you just saw. “Ok listen up, this one shouldn’t be too fucking hard. Do the problem just like they explained in the video and you should get the shit right,” he said, pushing the textbook toward you. 

You worked carefully through the problem, taking careful attention to finish ieach and every step just like mentioned in the video. After about 5 minutes, you had finished all the work for the problem and you handed over your notebook to him to show him your work. Kastuki skimmed his eyes over the page, fully expecting you to get this question right.

To his surprise, although you used the correct steps and formulas, you’d gotten all the constants mixed up. There just seemed to be no way to get you to understand anything. “Are you fucking with me or are you being for real?” Kastuki barked.

You turned towards him, absolutely confused. “W-What do you mean? I did what you asked. Did I do something wrong??

That was all it took to set Katsuki off. “I don’t know, did you do something wrong?! I’ve been giving you the simplest fucking shit from the unit, and you still can’t seem to get it right! I mean come on, a toddler could do this shit! And if it was just formulas, maybe it wouldn’t even be so fucking bad, but once you get formulas right, you start fucking up on the constants. It’s like your brain can’t handle two things at the same fucking time!” 

You flinched, taken aback by the harshness of his words. “I promise I’m trying my best Katsuki! I really am doing my best to study and get them right!” you exclaimed, trying to explain yourself.

“Trying to do to your best my ass! All afternoon you’ve done nothing but ogle me and don’t you dare try and deny it because I’ve seen you. All fucking day you’ve been looking at me!” Katsuki yelled. He was right, you couldn’t even deny it; all you could do was hang your head in shame. 

“Don’t look all sad now, you know what you were fucking doing, “ he said grabbing your chin and tilting your face upwards so you had no choice but look him right in the eye. “Maybe that’s why you’re failing. Every time you’re studying, you’re really just  thinking about me fucking you huh? Don’t try to deny it, I heard you fucking call my name out last night so I know you’re thinking of me.” he asked, the intensity of his eyes piercing right through you,

Although Katsuki was pretty pissed at your progress, or lack thereof, he had to say that looking at you all nervous and embarassed definitely was turning him on.  The cherry red blush on your cheeks coupled with those wide eyes looking up at him? Just too adorable. He wanted to just throw care to the wind and kiss you, but you needed to study. Out of the blue, an idea popped into Katsuki’s head.

A mischievous grin spread across Katsuki’s face. If you weren’t nervous before, you definitely were now. “You know what? Since nothing seems to keep you focused on studying, let’s try a different approach - one that will have you thinking about only me,” he said in a low, suggestive tone that sent shivers down your spine.

Before you could blink, Kastuki grabbed your wrists and pinned you down on the bed. You looked up at him, eyes wide, as he said “Alright here’s what we’re fucking do. I’m gonna ask you a question, and if you get it right, you get a reward, got it? If you don’t want to do this, say something right fucking now and I’ll let go, but if not, I’m going to continue.”

You stayed silent, your heart beating so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of your chest. “Good. First question, if potential energy is associated with position, kinetic energy is associated with what?” Katsuki asked.

You racked your brain and although you weren’t too sure, you mumbled out an answer, “M-motion?”

“That’s right, good job. Now time for your reward,” he said before leaning down to kiss you. The kiss startled you but gradually eased into it. It was surprisingly gentle, something you didn’t expect from someone who could be so brash. Your head felt like it was spinning: this felt like a dream. Just yesterday, you were thinking about him and now it’s turning into a reality. You couldn’t believe you were actually kissing Kastuki.

 His lips travel past yours to your collarbone, leaving a trail of soft kisses in their wake. As he brought his lips close to yours again, you leaned closer expecting him to kiss you again. “Mm not yet, my impatient girl, you’ve got to answer another question if you want another reward,” he said pulling back with a chuckle.

The pout on your face was absolutely irresistible and made Katsuki want to come back and kiss you, but where’s the fun in that? “Alright sweetheart, next question. What theorem says that an average force acting on an object makes a push or pull, making a change in momentum?” he asked. You knew the answer to this was something to do with impulse, but you wondered what’d happen if you gave him the wrong answer.

“Uhhhh...is it...Newton’s second law?” you said tentatively.

All he says is ‘wrong’ before shifting one of his hands to the small of your back to pull you closer and start making out with you. This time it was far rougher than last time. He took no time to slip in his tongue, making you feel warm all over. You couldn’t even think; your head was overwhelmed with the feelings of his lips and his hands on you.

You could get used to punishment like this. You loved when he treated you soft, but something about him going rough now just set you ablaze. He lets go of your wrists to switch positions, his back now pressed against the headboard of his bed. He pulled you into his lap and continued to kiss you. He looked up at you through his eyelashes, the intensity of his eyes making you squirm.

“You ready for the next question sweetheart? Are displacement and velocity both vectors?” he asked. You spent a moment trying to remember before settling on a guess of yes. Luckily you were right and you waited expectantly for your reward. “Oh sweetheart, you thought you’d get another fucking reward for answering it right? I know you got the last one fucking wrong on purpose. So you know what? You don’t get any more rewards.”

He pulled you close and your arms automatically moved to wrap around his neck. His hand slipped to the back of your head to pull your head back slightly, giving him access to now kiss your neck. He started off gentle and then soon built up to marking your neck up. Your neck was left with multiple little hickeys that stopped right at the neckline of your shirt. 

“Just take my shirt off already please, I can’t take any more teasing,” you pleaded. Katsuki laughed, “Be patient, I got you, sweetheart.” He took your top off, throwing it to the side. Immediately his hands were on your breasts, massaging the soft skin through your bra. You stopped him, gently lifting his hands from your chest. He looked up at you, worried he’d gone too far, but that feeling dissipated as soon as he saw you taking your bra off.

You tossed your bra aside and put his hands back on your breasts. It felt so much better than him feeling you through the fabric of your bra. His hands were the perfect combination of rough and soft. Kastuki leaned down to pepper some kisses on the top of your breasts, trailing down to the center of your chest. He bit down on the side of one of your breast, sending pleasure all through you. You moaned out, the mix of pleasure and pain making your toes curl. Kastuki leaned back to see the pretty marks he’d made all over you, proud of his artwork.

“Now we’ve got something only you and I can see, but extras still know your fucking mine,” he said with a smile. “Lay down for me sweetheart and I’ll make you feel even better.” He lifted you off his lap and you were surprised how easy it was for him to pick you up. You laid down and you felt his eyes looking you up and down.

“I know you know you’re pretty so I’m not gonna fucking tell you that. But you really are fucking gorgeous,” he said leaning down to leave a trail of kisses starting from your breasts and moving down. He got on top of you and went back up to kiss you, massaging your breasts again. His hands slowly moved downwards and ghosted his hands right over your pussy. He looked at you for any sign of discomfort before starting to slowly rub your clit. 

He kept kissing you and gradually worked his way to rub along your slit, but came back again to rub your clit again. He moved down, leaving kisses in his wake and lighting your skin on fire,  stopping only at your pussy. He left soft and gently kisses down your inner thigh and licked a stripe of skin, resting his lips right near your lips. 

He looked up at you for a moment and said, “You have no fucking clue how many nights I’ve imagined what it’d feel like to do this.” You barely had a second to get yourself together before Katsuki dove right into eating you out like it was his last meal. He lapped at your clit, trying to find out what’d make you cum. Judging from your moans though, he’d say he was definitely doing a good job of making you feel good. 

Your back arched and you squirmed from the pleasure you felt and Katsuki took that as a sign to amp it up a notch. He licked along your slit and then started sucking right on your bundle of nerves. 

“K-katsuki ~,” you whined, and somehow hearing you call out his name made him want to please you even more. It was like music to his ears. “Keep fucking moaning like that baby,” he growled out. He kept sucking your clit and slipped two fingers inside your pussy, slowly pumping them in and out of you. You moaned out again, head spinning with pleasure, which just made Katsuki’s attack on your pussy grow even faster. 

He pulled off your clit just to kiss you again. You could taste your juices on his tongue when he slipped it inside of your mouth, continuing to pump his fingers at a relentless pace. WIth every pump, his fingers kept hitting your sweet spot and you felt the pleasure build up inside of you bit by bit. “Are you gonna cum, sweetheart?” Kastuki asked.

“Y-yes, gonna...c-cum soon,” you mewled out, your head too foggy to come up with proper sentences. “Too bad baby, you cum when I fucking tell you to, and if you cum before I say you can I swear to God, you’ll be punished for it,” he replied.

This had to be some sort of cruel punishment; you didn’t know how you were gonna last ny longer but you agreed to not cum. “Good girl. Now I’m gonna countdown from 5, and when I get to 1, then you can cum, alright?” You nodded your head, praying he’d count fast. 

Katsuki loved the desperation on your face. He could tell how badly you wanted to cum but it was just too fun to tease you. “5,” he said, starting the countdown. It took everything in you to not cum as Katsuki just kept going faster and faster.

“F-fuck Katsuki, please, I want to cum so bad,” you cried out. 

“Not yet, you have to wait for me to get to 1. Don’t make me punish you darling. 4.” 

Your pussy was quivering around his fingers as you tried your best not to cum. You were an unraveling moaning mess, eyes rolling back to your head.

“3.” Katsuki counted, bringing his other hand up to now rub your clit. It seemed like 1 would take forever to get to at this point. Your climax just kept building further, the pleasure making you dizzy.

“2.”

“Thank fuck,” you thought. “Almost there, just have to wait a little longer.” You gripped the sheets, holding on to hear that last number.

“1.”

You finally cum, squirting all over his hand, the built-up pressure released at long last. “Fuck sweetheart, you really made a mess of these fucking sheets huh?” Kastuki says with a chuckle.

“Fuck I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make such a mess. I can wash the sheets if you’d like.” you offer. 

“Nah, its fine, I like seeing how good I made you feel. Don’t think I’ve ever made anyone cum that fucking much,” he replied. “Stay right there, let me get you a towel so you can get clean and shit.” He left for a moment, bringing back a small hand towel and some water. You wiped away the remains of your juices that painted your stomach and tried your best to dry the bed while you were at it. 

You took a sip of water as he said “You know, its funny that you remembered you more when you were eaten out than when you were studying. Maybe we need to do that more often.”

You blushed “M-maybe. If I’d known you’d be down to do something like that, I would have asked you to tutor me a long time ago,” you say, falling back into the pillows. Katsuki grabbed another towel to cover the wet spot on the bed, lifted your legs and placed the towel right underneath them. 

“If you’re tired or some shit, you can take a nap here; I don’t give a fuck.” he said nonchalantly.

“Really? I might just have to take you up on that offer, I am pretty tired,” you reply, pulling his blankets to your shoulders and getting cozy. He climbs into bed with you, slipping his arm behind your head. 

“Come closer so we can cuddle and shit,” he says pulling you close.

“I never thought you’d be the sorta guy to cuddle, Katsuki. You going all soft on me?” you say with a giggle. 

“Just shut the fuck up and take a nap with me, sweetheart.”  

A smile stretched across your face as you cuddle up close to him, legs wrapping around his. The warmth of his body surrounds you, making you feel utterly cozy. It didn’t take long before you felt your eyes close. You soon drifted off, content and happier than ever before.

[scorpiussage]

The Lost Footage of You | Part 2 (Tom Buckley/OC)

Pairing: Tom Buckley (Red Lights)/OC

Summary: Tom gets called to a review a very odd case involving a young woman and some unexplainable found footage. 

Warnings: Violence, very dark themes, smut

Part 1

V.

Tom is there waiting for her when she gets released from the psychiatric facility. Despite regaining her freedom, she looks terribly lost as she shuffles around awkwardly in the intake atrium. 

“Hey,” he greets with a small wave. 

She gives him a weak smile in return. 

“I heard your house is still cordoned off. Do you have anywhere you can stay?” He asks gently, trying to not scare her off. 

Unsuccessfully it seems, because she starts to walk away from him and he panics, “You could stay with me!”

“If you want,” he quickly adds when she turns back around to look at him. 

It’s a bit of a standoff as they regard each other and she contemplates her options. Eventually she says, “Fine.” 

…

Tom normally doesn’t feel self conscious about his warehouse apartment, but he desperately wants her to feel comfortable. He starts trying to give her a tour but it becomes awkward quick because his apartment is an open layout. 

“Here, I’ll take your coat,” he immediately jumps to fill the silence. She absentmindedly hands him her jacket while looking around his apartment. 

“Cool place.” 

“Yeah I–uh–got a good deal on it,” he realizes too late that he doesn’t actually have a place to hang up coats, so he just drapes it over the back of a chair. 

She turns to look at him with that sharp gaze of hers and he thinks she going to scold him about what a slob he is. (It’s what his last girlfriend did.) However, instead of digging into him about his general lack of organization, she asks, “Aren’t you worried?”

His voice cracks in nervousness, so he clears his throat, “About what?”

“They think I killed all those people. Aren’t you worried I’ll kill you too?”

She’s so earnest in her concern, her shame and guilt so evident that he has no idea how they even suspected her in the first place. He approaches her slowly, like how one would a skittish mouse, “I’m not afraid of you.” 

Kissing her feels like the most natural thing in the world; like coming home. 

“Do you trust me?” He asks, his thumb tracing the seam of her lips. Her tongue darts out to taste the appendage, making his gaze darken with arousal. 

Her answering nod is timid, but her voice is firm when she says, “I do.” 

He pulls her into another kiss, this one searing hot and bellying his desires. She moans into it, a soft sound that he endeavors to hear more of. Reaching down, he grips her under her thighs, hoisting her up so that she can wrap them around his waist. 

In the distance he can hear what sounds like popping, but he ignores it in favor of the way she tastes. He seats himself on his couch, placing her on top of him. His hands drift up to grip at her hips, the tips of his fingers teasing up under the hem of her t-shirt. 

That’s all the prompting she needs to let him guide her hips down until she’s grinding her core against the bulge in his pants. She pulls away from the kiss to gasp his name, her hips starting a solid rhythm that will have this ending far sooner than he wants to. 

“Fuck,” Tom hisses. This is the most turned on he’s been in a long time. Everything about her is driving him wild; her smell, her voice, even the way she tastes. 

Before she can pull him into another mind blowing kiss, he stops her, “Wait. I wanna do this right.” 

He gently nudges her off of his lap before standing up. He grasps her hand in his and leads her up the stairs to the loft where his bed is waiting. 

She smiles at the sight, “Not a couch person?”

“No, no, normally I don’t mind, but I wanted you to be comfortable for when I do this.” 

She’s still processing his words when he pushes her down onto the bed. He’s quick to crawl up between her legs, nudging his nose against her legging covered sex. 

“Tell me this is okay,” he practically begs, his voice raspy and desperate. 

Her fingers thread through his hair, tugging on his locks encouragingly, “Please, Tom.” 

She barely gets his name out before he’s tugging off her pants and underwear. She tries to shyly close her legs, but he shoulders his way between them. He guides her hands to re-tangle in his hair and he looks up at her with hooded eyes, “Use me.” 

He immediately begins devouring her, licking and sucking up her juices like it’s his last meal. Her hips begin grinding against his face and tongue and he can’t help but moan at the actions. Fuck, he loves eating women out. 

He slowly eases a finger into her while he sucks at her clit, obsessed at the way her cunt flutters around the digit– squeezing it like the most wonderful of hugs. His name is being chanted at him and her grip is unrelenting in his hair. He might actually cum just from this. 

He pulls away to slip a second finger into her, pumping them in and out and rubbing that spongy spot inside of her that has her letting out a high pitched keen and arching off of the bed. If he were paying attention, he would’ve heard what sounded like glass shattering in the distance. 

“Fuck, do you know how perfect you are?” He tells her and chuckles when all he gets in return is incoherent babbling. 

Sitting up, her iron grip in his hair releases and her hands fall limply by her sides. Her face is flushed so prettily and her chest is heaving in these great big gasps. He runs his free hand up her stomach and under her shirt, groping one of her breasts and timing his squeezing of it with the rhythm he’s fingering her with. 

“Tom,” the way she says his name sounds like she’s begging for him. Normally he’d spend quite a bit of time on the foreplay, kissing and sucking and rubbing her all over. But he’s so uncharacteristically wound up, like he’s going to explode if he doesn’t do something about it. 

Removing his fingers from her, he starts tugging at the button and zipper of his pants, her hands joining his in pushing the offending fabric down his thighs. She immediately grips him, her soft hands pumping him up and down–squeezing the head on the way back up like she’s trying to milk every last drop of cum from his cock. 

They work together to line him up with her fluttering cunt, Y/N being the one to notch the head in her entrance. He manages to take his time pushing into her, easing back and forth so that there’s no discomfort. The lights in the apartment (and around the block) flicker as he seats himself fully inside of her. The two of them are completely blind to it, though, their entire beings with each other in this moment. 

He shoves her shirt up, pushing her bra with it. Her tits are perfect, and as juvenile as it is, the vision of them alone could be enough to make him cum. He buries his face between them, giving a playful bite to one as he starts fucking her harder. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulls him up so that their lips reconnect, their tongues meeting in a filthy dance and their breaths mingling. 

“Let me–fuck– let me know where you want me to cum,” he demands while hauling her hips up and driving into her at a punishing pace. 

She manages to get a strangled ‘Pull out!’ in-between her squeals of pleasure. 

He barely pulls out in time, his cock already spurting all over her belly before he’s even really wrapped a hand around it. 

“Fuckkkkkk,” he groans, dropping his head to rest in the crook of her shoulder. He settles even more deeply on top of her when her fingers begin carding gently through his hair. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” She whispers out fearfully. His only answer is to hold her more tightly because even he isn’t sure where things will go from here. 

…

Tom is reluctant to leave the following morning. She watches him from a cocoon of blankets on the couch while he dallies about. He’s doing everything he can to put off making his way to the police station to finish his viewing of the video tapes. He has one more to watch today and he’s sure it’s from that night. 

“I’ll still be here when you get back - I’m not running away.” 

Tom’s head jerks up to look at her, his brow pulled down in confusion before he realizes what she means. She thinks he’s reluctant to leave because he’s worried she’ll run off. 

“No, no that’s not-,” he stutters, trying to figure out what to say, “I’m not worried about that. ‘Just don’t really want to leave you is all.”

He doesn’t exactly have the words to explain his complex feelings about his role as a paranormal investigator in her case. He can tout her innocence all day, but he doesn’t know if he can convince the police of the same thing. 

Coming to a decision, he moves forward and pecks a kiss to her forehead, “I’ll be back soon.” 

He heads out the door only to come to a sharp stop right outside. 

All the cars along the street have their windows broken out. He runs to his car, also with broken windows, and is relieved to see nothing has been stolen. A sudden memory of last night rushes to the front of his mind and he rubs his face with a groan. 

His powers haven’t ever done destruction quite on this scale before but it’s obviously the cause of this. How embarrassing. 

Opening his car, he quickly brushes the glass off his seat before starting on his way to the police station. He wonders to himself while he drives if his and Y/N’s gifts feed off each other; if somehow they amplified the output. 

As he pulls into the station he realizes he’s going to have to run some experiments with her later about it. (Likely with more sex - not that he’s complaining) 

It’s early on a Saturday a morning and so the station is far quieter than usual with only a hand full of officers manning the desks and all of them either half asleep or fully. The front desk officer recognizes him and just waves him through without taking his eyes off his phone. 

In the unused interrogation room, the box tv with the stack of video tapes waits for him. One set off to the side, a mental note to himself that it’s the only unwatched one. He holds his breath when he pushes it into the VCR. 

It starts midway through a conversation with one of the victims. 

“-oh uh, we actually don’t really want this filmed. I hope you don’t mind,” the man says while eyeing the camera nervously. He about 40 years old and balding, there are other men behind him of similar disposition. 

It’s quiet for a moment as Y/N seems to contemplate this request before she says, “Um, sure.” 

The camera doesn’t get turned off though, instead the view changes to the inside of her bag as she shoves it in there, still recording. 

Things are quiet and muffled for several minutes before the screaming starts. It’s not the men who’s screaming, though, it’s Y/N and it’s perfectly clear she’s begging the men to ‘Stop’. 

Tom can’t see what they’re doing to her but it can’t be good. No woman screams like that for no reason. 

After a while she goes quiet and the tape continues recording the inside of her bag until it runs out. 

Tom feels like vomiting. 

When the VCR spits out the tape he stares at it for a long while.

 When he was a child, he’d made a vow for himself. That he would stop all the psychic con artists he could and that he would protect anyone he ever found to be like himself. It wouldn’t be until he was much older that he would remember that, and here he is in a very particular sort of situation. 

They’ll never believe her innocence, this he knows for fact. Women like her– people like them, don’t have the fortune of being celebrities like Silver was. Because when confronted with the real thing, people will only feel fear. 

Coming to a decision, he grabs all of the video tapes and shoves them into his bag. 

The walk out of the station is just as easy as the walk in was, in fact, he’s certain the man at the front desk didn’t even register him walking out. Still, though, he tries to look natural as he gets back into his car and starts driving away. 

When he’s far enough from the station, he guns it back to his apartment, already making a mental list of what he needs to grab. 

Y/N is sitting at his kitchen counter flipping through one of his books when he comes barging in. Her little jump of fear and the accompanying squeak would be adorable if this wasn’t such a dire situation. 

“Grab what you can, we’re leaving.” 

Her jaw drops and she stares at him with wide eyes before what he says really registers and then she’s hopping up and helping him grab essentials. 

She stops him at one point, resting a gentle hand on his arm and looking up at him with those big mournful eyes, “Where are we going to go?”

He presses his head against hers and says, “Wherever we want. Far away. And while we’re driving there’s something I have to tell you about.” 

Later, when they’ve stopped for the night and he’s thinking things over, he wonders if they were drawn together. If their powers are magnetic forces pulling their lives onto the same track. 

Whatever it may be, they’re here together now and he’s no longer alone. He’s finally found another like him. 

THE END.

[lanas-delight]

invisible string

♫ rec: invisible string by taylor swift

✰ an enhypen scenario || fem!reader x sunghoon, feat. made up friends & the members

✰ description — you always believed in luck over fate—until you met him.

✰ warnings — some language, some angst, but mainly just teeth-rotting fluff

✰ notes — inspired by invisible string by taylor swift (yes i listen to taylor swift). anyways, enjoy!!

Luck was what you believed in—not fate. You would call it dumb luck, not “meant to be.” Your parents met by luck, a sweet story how one only met the other because they were lucky enough to miss their train and meet their soulmate while waiting for the next one. It was luck, and you were sure of it. Your parents always said that the saying about things only happen for a reason was wrong, that if you’re lucky, you’ll be just fine. You thought it wasn’t all that fair, but who were you to judge?

You made every decision with perfect judgment, never acted impulsively unless it was just to buy a snack instead of saving money, but you were careful, cautious so you wouldn’t have to use luck. You would just have to be patient.

You never dated, it was something that you didn’t think about much. Your friends were all dating, one was even engaged, and you were the maid of honor, but you didn’t have a date. You had no “dance partner,” she called it. Your best friend, the bride, then said your date could be the best man. You were skeptical, but to please her, you agreed.

You planned to meet him at the nearest diner, maybe food would calm your nerves. Though, you hadn’t seen what he looked like, you just knew his last name. Not his first, just his last. Not even the bride knew her future husband’s best friend at all. What were you to do? Sit alone with a sign that has his last name written in bold on it, hoping he’ll walk right over—like that isn’t crazy and stalker-like.

You were told he was “a bit of egotistical asshole,” which didn’t help your worries at all, but you were just desperate to be alone at your best friend’s wedding. It was stupid, and you felt stupid, but however this “cold-hearted player” guy (you were told a LOT of things about him except his name..) may be like, you were just hoping he wasn’t that way to you.

There, at the diner, you went in and waited, ordering a cup of tea to keep you company while you waited, and waited. It was to the point you sat there, reading a book tediously, about to give up. Your tea was just about gone and the waitress was bringing another cup to you.

“What are you reading?”

A voice rang out in front of you, one that sounded like honey, but was deep like a melancholic poem. Mist on a summer’s evening, a gentle breeze in the spring. You looked up, and met eyes with a tall, dark-haired boy with a lazy smile on his face, his teeth barely showing between his lips—it was quick to notice that he had fangs, not like a vampire, though. His skin wasn’t as pale as everyone else’s in the diner, he looked active and that he loved the outdoors. He had bigger hands, long fingers and red knuckles, maybe he did pottery or worked some construction before. He had on a loose, white long-sleeve shirt and black pants, like he had just left church. A lot of assumptions, but that’s what you did best. You were sure you’d be lucky enough to be right on most of them.

“Oh, uhm,” you placed your thumb in between the pages of the book, closing it to show him the cover, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” you answered, “my friend suggested it to me.”

His face lights up a bit, and he gestures to the seat ahead of you. You nod after a moment, so he sits and smiles, “I just finished it the other week, how do you think of it so far?” You wondered if he was gay for a second, but you shrugged it off.

“I really like it,” you smiled, “I worried it wouldn’t be all that great, despite all of it’s overwhelming great reviews, but I really like it so far.”

He nodded, “It’s great, yeah,” he looks at the book, “What chapter are you on?”

“Three. I just started this morning,” you lightly rubbed your thumb on the paperback cover. You thinned your lips, “Did you sit here just to talk about the book?—Not that I have a problem with that,” you chuckled nervously.

He shrugged, “Yes and no,” he twiddled his fingers some on the table, “That, and well, I thought you were really pretty,”

Your eyebrows lifted a little, “You think I’m pretty?” He looked up at you, almost offended at first.

“‘Course I do,” he smiled, “Do you think you’re pretty?”

“You’re a flirt,” you ignored his question, scoffing, but he continued to smile. He had a nice smile.

“Only with pretty girls,”

“There’s plenty of those,”

“Well only you caught my eye,” he admired your face, “I’m not too good with flirting, but I’m flattered you see how I talk as flirting.”

You rolled your eyes, “How is that a compliment?”

He shrugged, “You think I have game,”

“Wow,” You laughed, “You’re confident,”

“No, no,” he shook his head, “I’m just myself.” He reached his hand across the table, open for a hand shake, which you obliged.

Your eyes were stuck on him like glue, “I’m Y/N,” you say, and his eyes light up a little, like there was beauty to your name and it sang with harmony in his ears. “And you are?”

“Sunghoon,” he kept your hand in his for a second more, then he glanced around, “You wanna get out of here?”

But you halted, “Oh, I’m actually—” you checked the time on your phone, it had been well over an hour since you were supposed to meet that other guy so there was nothing better to do. “Yeah,” you nodded your head, “I’d like that.” And he smiled.

“You’re crazy,”

“Am I?” He was holding your hand, but that’s not what you were calling him crazy for. Instead, it was for how he was wanting to try this kind of rice a couple blocks away from the diner you two had met at, dragging you all the way there with his hand tied to yours. Experimental—you never liked to try new things, but for some reason, you felt at ease with him. Like the world was floating, yet you kept in control of it. It felt so normal, not like you had just met him 30 minutes ago.

“Yeah, I would think so,” you both stopped in front of the food stand, waiting in a short line. The stand looked familiar, you were sure you’ve seen it before somehow. “You made me walk three blocks just to get rice? I don’t—”

“Shh,” he shushed you, “You’ll understand why,” almost implying he’s tried this rice before, but once it was your turn, he ordered for you, paid, and sat down with you at the nearest bench. Shoulder to shoulder, he handed you chopsticks and you both shared the bowl of rice, “I need a full evaluation afterwards,” he says, covering his mouth, it was full of rice.

You took your first bite, humming, then nodding. “Oh my god,” you say, “this is amazing,”

“Right?” Sunghoon laughed, his eyes crinkling a little, “I told you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you took another bite, “thank you.”

“For . . . ?” He looked a little surprised, which confused you mostly so you repeated yourself.

“Thank you,” you say again, “for all of this.”

Sunghoon smiled. “Don’t thank me just yet,” he says, “It’s not the end.”

You furrowed your brows, “End of what?”

“Our first date,” he answers confidently, “I have somewhere else to take you next,”

But you were appalled, “First date? I never said yes to a date?”

“Do you not want this to be a date?” He takes another bite, “Hm?” He tilted his head some, your eyes meeting with his. They were a dark chocolate color, warm and deep, you could drown in them and be just fine never coming back up for air.

“Well, I didn’t say that,” you grinned, take another bite. He was gazing at you, lovestruck but he didn’t know he loved you, but he was sure he would. You were starting to think that way, too.

After the rice, he took you to this aquarium, paid for you and joked when he asked you to pay him back. You actually planned to, but knew he wouldn’t accept it. He was a gentleman, a kind one that had a smile to warm, you would be just fine on a freezing, winter day. You had never loved anyone before, but you were starting to think that maybe this could be the beginning. You’ve told him stories, he’s told you some. You had completely forgotten about that best man you were supposed to meet, but that didn’t matter anymore.

Because you had met him.

For the next few weeks, you and Sunghoon went on a good handful of dates, all around the city, alone and not a word spoken to anyone about them so it would be more intimate, only about you both and no one else. You were getting to know each other, not exactly official but not looking anywhere else either.

Everything felt so right. He would tell you about places you always went to, and you would do the same for him. It felt that that any of those times, you could’ve met him, like you were both parallel lines that finally joined together to form a heart.

You had told him before on one of the dates, how much you valued luck and chance, rather than what was meant to be or not to be. He was the opposite—he believed in soulmates and what the universe may give you. He had a good argument, but so did you, though it wasn’t a dealbreaker or anything. He hadn’t asked you to be his girlfriend, but he referred to you as his girl often.

However, there was one date you would have to wait to have as the wedding was the following day and you were talking with your best friend, trying to calm her nerves for her big day. You hadn’t told her about him yet, but you were sad because he had other (pre-you) plans that next day so he couldn’t be your date either.

“You’ll do just fine, F/N,” you tell her reassuringly, “Jay’s not going to care if your hair’s not absolutely perfect.”

“You don’t know that!” She exclaims, sitting down on the couch across from you.

You stared, “Well do you know that?”

She covered her face, “No, but”

“F/N, he’s universally in love with you. There is nothing that can keep that man from marrying you tomorrow,” you tell her, though she still shakes with anxiety. She pushes her hair back a little as she leans back up. “Besides, you’ll look amazing no matter what. He’d marry you in a trash bag.”

She laughed, “God, you’re right. I don’t know why I’m stressing so much about this.” She pulls her hair back into a loose ponytail, “You sure you’re okay with no date tomorrow?”

You shrugged, “I guess I have to be. He never showed up at the diner so I guess I’ll just have to hook arms with the best man, ignore the elephant in the room, and then die alone.”

“You’re not going to die alone,” she tells you, “Maybe he forgot or something,”

“Didn’t you say he was a douche anyways? A player? Maybe I dodged a bullet,” you sat back in your chair.

“I know. But don’t worry, tomorrow will be just fine, yeah?” She smiles, but you click your tongue.

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”

“I don’t know, maybe I should take your job!”

“Oh whatever,” you sigh, “Everything will be just fine. Don’t you worry, okay?” And she nodded before both of you headed to bed, anticipating the next day where one of you will be married and the other, alone.

The next day, everyone was already starting to gather around, taking their seats. Your best friend always wanted a beach wedding, so there it was, an arch covered in vines and white roses at the end of an aisle between rows of white chairs. It was beautiful, little white rose pedals spread on the sand, leading up to where the groom stood.

You were in the dressing room with your best friend, already dressed as you helped her finish up getting ready. You had just sent a text to Sunghoon about your day, which he replied and said he hoped he could’ve been there, too. You were a bit sad, but you didn’t let it bother you all that much. It wasn’t your wedding day, after all.

Once it was time for the ceremony, you held your hands together in front of you nervously, waiting at the front of a line coming from the right, while the line coming the left was the groomsmen, where the best man was nowhere to be seen. You honestly hoped he wouldn’t show, just in case you wanted to beat his ass if you saw him, but nothing could have ever prepared you for the following moments. The flower girls, your best friend’s neices, got in front of you and the best man who had just appeared, but you paid no attention and stared forward, waiting for it all to start.

A light melody begins to echo with the wind from the piano. You reach your elbow out, waiting for the best man to hook his arm with yours, but familiarity struck once he did. You looked over, just as the flower girls started to go down the aisle, and you saw him. You saw Sunghoon, the previously labeled “cold-hearted player” that was so egotistical, you’d want to rip your hair out. He was the douchebag, and you couldn’t believe it.

“Sunghoon?” You whispered, just as both of you started to walk down the aisle together slowly. He looked over at you, then blinked a couple times.

“Y/N? You’re— You’re the maid of honor.” An obvious observation, but he was in shock, honestly.

“What’s your last name?”

“What?”

“Last name.”

“Park.”

Oh fuck.

“You’re the best man that stood me up.”

“Stood you up—” He scoffed in disbelief, “I met with you, didn’t I?”

You shook your head, “You didn’t tell me.”

Sunghoon knitted his brows together, “I didn’t know? And you didn’t tell me either,” he remarks, all of the conversation being in a whisper as you both made it down the aisle. At the end, you two parted ways and went to the opposite sides of the altar. The other groomsmen and bridemaids all follow suite and the ceremony begins with the bride walkong down the aisle, the light melody transitions into the wedding march as all rose from their seats and watched her approach her soon-to-be husband at the altar.

It was beautiful, each vow perfectly written and spoken to one another, and there, the couple were married and everyone cheered and clapped.

It was wonderful, but your mind was elsewhere. All you have come to know about Sunghoon, could have just as easily been a lie—egotistical, asshole, cold-hearted, player—was any of it true at all?

After the ceremony and into the reception, Sunghoon tried to talk to you a few times, but ultimately stopped when you ignored him every time and gave all of your attention to your busy friend, who was the happiest girl in the room.

You didn’t want to talk to Sunghoon. You didn’t want to look at him, or even think of him at all. You had no idea what to think of everything now. Was he really like that? Even his best friend said that stuff . . . You really hoped this was your happy ending, but maybe your luck just ran out.

It had been two weeks since the wedding. Your best friend and her new husband had gone off to their honeymoon, so you basically worked, went home and slept, then went back to work the next day. You made sure there was no chance you could see Sunghoon—ever. You didn’t hate him, moreso that you couldn’t, because there was something inside your heart that didn’t want you to hate him.

It was late, it was just a Thursday after work where you stuck overtime for the past four hours. It didn’t help that it had started raining heavily on your drive home. You pulled into the apartment’s parking lot, then searched frantically for a jacket or an umbrella, but found nothing to your surprise. You were normally prepared for stuff like this, but it had slipped your mind that you had taken in your umbrella the other day, forgot it on the dinner table, and your jacket was probably sitting in the dryer. Sunghoon would’ve reminded you to grab them. He always watches the weather. He’d know. You huffed and got out of your car quickly, trying to rush in before you got soaked, but just as you got out of the car and shut the door, there he was, standing there like some dramatic movie scene.

“What the hell are you doing?” You call out to him, “You’re going to get sick, you’re not even wearing a jacket!”

“You aren’t either!” He called back out to you, the rain growing harder and harder. “Y/N, listen to me okay? I—”

“No, no I don’t want to hear your excuses,”

“I don’t have excuses,” Sunghoon stated out, “I don’t have anything to say that would ever excuse my mistakes, but that’s the past. I’ve changed, and I don’t want to be that version of myself ever again.”

You rolled your eyes, “You’re insane.”

He shockingly smiled, “Insane, crazy, stupid—you can call me whatever you want, Y/N, but I’m never going to stop feeling the way I do about you.” A strong declaration, but that wasn’t as surprising as the words he spoke to you then.

“How—” you hitched your breath as you shook your head, “How am I supposed to believe that all the things they said aren’t true? That you were ‘such a player that you couldn’t find it in your cold heart to even care that you hurt them?’ How can I be sure you won’t do the same for me?”

Sunghoon stared into your eyes, distant but still warm. His heart couldn’t have ever been cold. None of it made any sense. God, the things your best friend and her husband keep running around your mind like a racecar track.

“Because I won’t. I haven’t done any of that in years. In high school, and college, I was an asshole and was convinced I was supposed to be the bad boy everyone’s scared of. I let them be scared of me because I thought no one could ever love me, and when someone did, I ran.” Sunghoon stepped towards you on the pavement, his hair wet and his clothes soaked. His face was flushed with pink, a gentleness in his eyes that only you could ever recognize. It was him. “You don’t have to forgive me, but I will do everything in my power to make up for it all.”

“Sunghoon . . .” You tried not to cry, “Our luck has run out,” you told him, but he wouldn’t hear you. He stepped even closer, standing right before you now, close enough to feel some rain droplets bounce off of him and onto you.

“No, there’s no luck, there’s no fate,” he tells you firmly, “All I know is that I’m falling in love with you, Y/N, and I’m willing to do anything for you.”

You felt the same way he did. Of course you did. There was no part of you that could ever hate him. You wanted him, and absolutely no one else. You didn’t care if you both died tomorrow, as long as you had him, you were just fine. You were more than fine. You were perfect, because of him.

You gave him a soft smile, “I’m falling in love with you, too.”

And he gave you this . . . smile.

It was that type of smile that warms your heart and eases your worries. it was one that you could never forget, one that will save you from your darkest nights, one that can heal your wounds and pain with just a glance. Your heart was beating so fast that you couldn't even get a decent breath. Your head was full of thoughts burning with anticipation as he slowly leaned in closer to you. Heat rose from your stomach to your chest and your heart definitely skipped a beat as you felt his breath on your cheeks. You watched his eyes flutter as he started to close in. That was it — at that very moment his lips brushed over yours like a wave of warmth and all of your body reacted to him instinctively. You raised your hands to his face, and kissed him like there was no tomorrow, but it was gentle, passionate, full of love. Time seemed to have just come to a great pause as we kissed. The taste of his lips silenced your thoughts.

The rain was so cold against your skin, but it didn’t bother you one bit. It didn’t seem to bother him much either. His hands went limp on your waist, but you lowered your hand and took one of his into your own, holding him close to you as your lips moved against each other. His other hand lightly pulled onto your shirt, but you tilted your head slowly and touched your lips to his for a second time, very carefully and gently as if you didn't want to break him with a single touch. The kisses began to slow after a short time, becoming tender and infinitely more. It was like you were growing more intimate. It was so easy to get lost in him, lost in his connection between the both of you.

Before, on those dates or whatever they were, you both were just friends. Friends who stared at each other a second too long. But as of this very moment, with your lips kissing his, he was no longer just your friend. Instead, he was now a lover. Your lover. He was your soulmate, as you were his.

You pulled away and stared into his eyes, and he just smiled at you, “Come on,” he whispered to you, “let’s get out of this rain,” and as you giggled, you both headed inside and out of the rain together.

The wedding was set for the spring. It had been a couple years since your best friend’s wedding and the whole declaration-turned-kiss-in-the-rain moment, and you couldn’t be happier. You had (mostly) everything finished for the wedding, even though it was in a couple months and you had plenty of time to add or change stuff.

Sunghoon helped as much as he could, though he knew how much you wanted to plan it so he would only offer his opinion when you asked. It was your day, he would say, but you would always tell him it was his day, too.

You still believed in luck, and he still believed in fate. You felt you were lucky to meet him, and he felt that it was always meant to happen anyways. You didn’t agree out loud, but you knew he was right (you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right). Because whether it was luck or fate, it was always him. It was always him you were going to love forever. And with that, you knew.

You were going to be just fine.

—————————————————————————

a/n — OKAY IM DONE W WEDDING STUFF the next fic will be something wayyyy different (itll probably be angst lolz) but NOT ABT A WEDDING. anyways, i hope u all enjoyed <3333

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

My Old man's tale about benetint (product) & review:

in summer 2008 i was 14 & my best friend's family took me to Vegas w them. she had only just moved to my school for 9th grade & i hadn't met her older sister til this trip. She was 21 & soooo insanely beautiful like if barbie was a hollister model she had the look so refined in every sense, i was dazzled by her.

& she was so sweet to us, my friends parents went & did their own thing so the whole trip we spent with her but she wasn't annoyed about it at all she seemed content to hang w us & protect us from vile men along the strip.

On this trip i went to sephora for the first time. hadn't heard of it before. it had huge windows so everything was glowing from sunlight & it was sooo overwhelming. my friend's sister liked this brand benefit so i picked out a little starter kit that came w bad gal mascara, high beam highlighter, booing concealer, and benetint.. Let me tell you for the next year i cherished this kit like it elevated me a new level towards Prestiged Adult Woman status. but the makeup was noticeably nicer quality for sure! from my memory at least.

the thing i remember most was benetint cus i wore it soooo much for the rest of the summer & beyond, i stretched that tiny bottle as far as it wld go cus i luved it sm.. but after it ran out i never tried to use it again idk just being a teen moving onto the next thing. But lately i jst rly wanted a goood lip tiiiint cus i dont wanna b wearing lipstick or gloss all the time its too much i just want chapstick but i like a little more color too.. usually i wld use lip liner but it always felt like it wld smudge off so quick n its kinda drying.

so i tried benetint again bcus i remember it being so easy to put on n then just forget about, it didnt get on ur clothes or teeth or nothin. after wearing for a couple weeks i can say this is still tru! i rly like it, very convenient, chapstick goes gr8 over top so my lips r never dry from it. its kind of expensive but it lasts a long time , for me i dnt have much makeup rn so felt nice to get st i actually use ^^ the taste & smell of it are mildly rosey, rly brings me back to those times..

being in vegas those 4 days w my friend n her sis are definitely a core memory for me it was totally surreal. i wish i had photos still but no clue where to find them, my friend's fb account got hacked years ago n had to get deleted, so many photos gone </3 we stayed at treasure island & across the street was this huge mall that was repeatedly playing an ipod commercial with the song Shut Up & Let Me Go by the ting-tings, like... ON REPEAT, ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT, so that song gives me the wildest flashbacls like i'm literally There. In the august heat. i can smell it like. its amazing thank you advertising :)

this is not an ad btw i mean obviously LOL i honestly just got thinking so hard about vegas '08 after purchasing The Product. oh yeah there was thunderstorms too... i went to hot topic at the mall which was wild for me since they didnt have one any where near my town.. i got some shorts from hollister i remember, also a rarity. friends sis got me my first ever drink, a peach daquiri...just one <3 it was such a nice break from my woeful home life lol i wanted to live in america so bad after this xD

thats my story...o and benetint is chill i mean i genuinely wanted to recommend it to ppl who want st simple it looks rly pretty cus until this i was struggling to find anything worthwhile. theres other shades too. Yup. Thanksyou for reading my LiveJournal Entry tonight minasan ^_^ Hope you're well x

-PMD9

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Carey didn't really like going into the Director's office. Like, yeah, sure, she'd have to come on by every once and a while if Lucretia wanted to talk to her or just some of the Regulators in general. But being in an office wasn't exactly Carey's preferred "let's have a conversation zone". Sadly, this was a conversation she would prefer to have as soon as possible, so waiting to catch the Director outside her office was a no-go.

Carey rapped on the door, and then let herself in before the Director could answer. The office had grown more cluttered since Candlenights. Maybe it was the quick pace they were making with collecting the Relics, but the Director often seemed much more weary than she used to. There were times when she truly looked her age. Carey didn't know much about how humans aged— though she was learning! She was learning.— but every time she looked, the Director seemed to have aged a few more years.

There was a stack of papers stacked on her desk in a messy pile. The Director had three out in front of her— Carey could recognize Magnus's chicken scratch. She seemed to be reviewing the mission reports from the last relic collection. The Temporal Chalice and whatnot. At the very least, that might make this conversation a little easier.

The Director looked up at her. Had she ever told them how old she was? She looked worn and on edge, but she put on her professional face as Carey shut the door, the face she rarely let anyone see her without. Carey knew when someone was wearing a mask all too well.

"Carey," she said, moving the reports aside. "What can I do for you?"

Okay. Okay. She could do this. Just had to say words! In a good order. Yeah.

"Well, uh," Carey said, sitting herself down in one of the chairs across from the Director's desk. "I just had a question, 'Creesh."

The Director let out a little annoyed sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Please don't call me that," she said.

"Just keepin' you on your toes," Carey said. She swung her tail back and forth to give herself something to do. "No, but, for real. I did have a question."

The Director waved her hand in a "go ahead" motion. Carey cleared her throat.

"Is there anything… other than the Voidfish that can, like, static up someone's memories?"

The Director blinked. She sat up a little.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," Carey said. How in-depth did she want to go with this? She picked around in her mind for a starting point. Her gaze lingered on the mission reports and Magnus's shitty handwriting a moment longer. "Y'know the— the whole thing that the Chalice did where it, uh… rooted through the boys' memories a bit?"

The Director kept her face perfectly neutral. Not a crack.

"I'm aware," she said, glancing down at the reports as well.

"I don't know how, uhm, in-depth they got with you on those reports," Carey said, even though she did know exactly how in-depth Magnus had gone with his (which is to say: barely anything. The deep and understandable distrust of authority figures hadn't changed in Refuge.). "But I was talkin' to Magnus and, uh. We were just wondering. 'Cus there was an entire… bit. With a buncha static, apparently? Like, a real long bit. And I know static is kinda the Voidfish's thing, but he's inoculated obviously, so—?"

She left the question open-ended, watching the Director's face. As expected, there wasn't a shift in expression. There was open concern there, a little bit of curiosity. But from what Carey could tell, the Director seemed to be telling the truth when she said,

"As far as I'm aware of, nothing else has powers remotely like the Voidfish." She paused, tilting her head. "It may be a memory spell, or mayhaps a curse? But Magnus should— he should not be receiving any memory-impacting side effects of the Voidfish since he has been inoculated with the ichor."

"Killian was thinkin' curse," Carey admitted, swinging her legs. "But then it's just like— why, y'know? Like whatever he can't remember isn't doing anything other than— than— ughhhh." Carey dragged her hand down her face. "Director, can you keep a secret?"

"Carey," the Director said, with a touch of humor. "Think of who you're asking."

"Fair enough," Carey relented. "It's just— it's not my secret to tell, but also you are like, one of the only people I could think of of knowing what the hell might be going on. But it's— well, y'know how Magnus grew up in Raven's Roost?"

"I'm well aware," the Director said. "As he keeps mentioning it every other conversation we have."

"Yeah," Carey said. "He does that. But he— I mean, again, he grew up in Raven's Roost. Like, that's his entire thing. But, uhm. He told me that sometimes in like, the last few years he lived there, things seemed… off?"

"How do you mean?"

Carey groaned, trying to think.

"Like— his mom ran a flower shop? But no one ever heard of it before. No— no one seemed to know his mom. And I can tell it upset him, but he doesn't like to talk about it, y'know? It's hard— it's hard to kinda chip away at his brain when he doesn't really trust his brain in the first place."

And there it was. For the first time since Carey entered the room, a small crack appeared in the Director's perfect mask. It was a small thing— she clenched her jaw and drew back on herself slightly, barely enough to be noticeable. And the look in her eyes changed from professional interest to completely and utter devastation and back to professional interest once more. She locked herself back up even faster than Magnus did. That being said, Carey wasn't as close with the Director as she was with Magnus.

She knew Magnus's tells. The way he held himself, the tiniest change in his expressions, the pitch of his voice. But it was hard to see past the brick wall that was the Director's facade. All she got were these little glances, the restless note in her speech, the state of her office.

Magnus held secrets he didn't know about. Carey knew that. The Director looked like she held all her secrets and the weight of the world as well. In some way, she did.

Carey didn't know if she'd be able to have the courage to do what the Director did. She was beginning to become uncertain if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Magnus should not be receiving any memory-impacting side effects of the Voidfish," the Director repeated, voice steady, body still. Carey's tail thrashed a bit. Then, with a touch of sincerity and a weird twist of what Carey could only identify as yearning, she added, "but I genuinely hope you can find something that will ease Magnus's mind."

"Yeah," Carey said, watching as the Director straightened the reports out, then pick up a pen. "Me too."

[scoonsalicious]

Reminder: I am on a posting break for new content until May 23rd so that I can focus on writing WFLT...

In the meantime, please enjoy this fourth and final installment of Unwanted: Unusables, or, chapters from the original story that never made it into the final draft. Today, we're looking at the discarded remnants of Chapter 8: (what would become) Unexpected. As a reminder, Jade went by Jewel in those early days, lol. This version of the chapter never got finished, so it ends abruptly and isn't nearly as long as the last two Unusables.

Enjoy!

The morning of Jade's move-in day, you woke up with a pit in your stomach. It wasn't remotely Bucky related-- he had done an excellent job of calming all those fears over the last week (and it certainly helped that his erection was currently pressed into your backside as he nuzzled at your neck); the girl was just mean and you couldn't shake the feeling she'd be a giant pain in your ass.

"What 'cha thinkin' 'bout, doll?" Bucky asked, his voice still thick and coated with sleep. "Can practically hear your teeth grindin' together."

"Sorry," you murmured, turning around in his arms to face him. "Just mentally gearing myself up for the arrival of our new teammate later this morning." You practically gagged on the word "teammate," and Bucky let out a low, rumbling chuckle. Leaning in to kiss the tip of your nose, he said "I'm hopin' it won't turn out as bad as all that, but if it does, I promise I got your back, 'kay? I'll help you beat the shit outta her, 'cause no one messes with my girl."

"Barnes, that might be the sexiest thing that's ever come out of that mouth of yours," you murmured as you leaned in to kiss him.

"Even sexier than this tongue?" he asked, sticking the appendage in question out for your review. "'Cause I know that gets you making all kinds of pretty noises for me."

"Hmm, might have to remind me again what that tongue can do, then I'll let you know if it's sexier than what you just said," you told him with a sly grin.

"Gladly." His smile was feral as he rolled you both over so he was hovering on top of you. He slowly began peppering your face and neck with kisses, working his way down your body. When he'd finally settled himself between your thighs, he looked up at you, blue eyes like sapphires in the morning light. "Better make yourself comfortable, Baby doll. We're gonna be here for awhile."

*

You were the last two to arrive in the common room for Jewel's welcome party, because of course Tony had to make it party. Bucky's arm was wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you in close to him as you whispered something silly and flirty into his ear, causing you both to laugh before sharing a quick kiss.

"Oh, are finally publicly acknowledging this, then?" Tony asked, giving you a knowing look. "Pepper owes me $100 bucks."

You cocked your head. "Not you, too, Boss," you groaned. "Has everyone been placing bets on us?"

The corner of Tony's mouth cocked up in a smile. "Literally everyone. We have a board in one of the lesser-used conference rooms to keep track of the odds and everyone's wagers," he said, raising his tumbler of whiskey to you in mock salute. "Only one who never bet was Rogers, which was odd, because we all figured he'd have an advantage with inside information."

You felt Bucky's arm tense around you and a quick glance to your left showed you his jaw had tightened at the mention of Steve, as well. "Everything okay, Buck?" you asked him.

He looked at you and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, 's all good, Pocket." He pressed a quick kiss to your temple.

Before you could press the issue further, however, FRIDAY announced that Steve was on his way down to the common room with Jewel.

"We had Cap show her to her suite," Tony offered, "so she could drop off her stuff before heading back down. And my God, did she have a lot of stuff. You'd think we'd invited her to take up permanent residence, not just a three month probie position."

You raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. You didn't like that she was here, but you were intent on playing nice. It was only three months, after all, and you doubted she'd be able to hide her true colors from the rest of the team for that long. You could get through it, especially with Bucky's support.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and soon enough, Steve was leading Jewel into the common room. You had to admit, she looked stunning, her raven hair flowing in loose curls down to her waist, her tight jeans accentuating a figure you'd been previously sure was unobtainable outside of Jessica Rabbit. For a moment, you wished that people could wear their inner ugliness on the outside. Bucky's arm tightened around your shoulder.

"You got this," he whispered into your ear before pressing his lips to your temple. You leaned into him, the press of your body expressing your gratitude, speaking for you when you couldn't find the words to voice your emotions, when the words weren't enough.

You watched Jewel's eyes span the room, as though she were searching for something. Her eyes lit up when they landed on Bucky-- someone-- and she made a beeline straight toward where the two of you stood.

[sleekervae]

New York Romantic 1.2

Masterlist

a/n: I'm so so soooo sorry I'm dragging out the date sequence... but I also love a good build up and I hope I did them justice! And I promise that the actual date is next!

pairing: Tom Blyth x ballerina!oc

summary: the seagull

word count: 4,943

taglist: @watercolorskyy @carolanns-world @alana4610

"Tom, how many hours did you sleep last night? Quickly," Tom glanced up at the call of his name, finding Marcelline standing over him with her phone.

"Are you filming me?" he asked plainly.

"Yeah! We're gonna look back on this when we're in fourth year!" she replied ecstatically, "How many hours did you sleep last night? C'mon!"

Tom was taken aback at first, his mind blanking out before he stuttered a quick, "Erm -- six?"

Marcelline's face fell into shocked dismay, dropping her camera lens and turning around, "What the f-- how are all the guys sleeping better than us!?" she shouted to another classmate, Kathy.

"Because men don't fret like women do," she replied.

"Hey! Brian got three hours!" another student pointed out.

While Tom managed about six hours of sleep, it wasn't exactly the kind of rest that left him feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. Instead, it was a restless, fragmented slumber filled with half-formed dreams about missed cues and forgotten lines. He'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, his mind running a relentless marathon of overthinking. Every detail of the day ahead looped through his brain: rehearsals, costume fittings, the potential pitfalls of his performance.

An hour on the phone with his mom before bed had been both a blessing and a curse. She was her usual buoyant self, overflowing with encouragement and excitement, "You're going to be brilliant! I just know it!" she'd said, her voice brimming with pride. Tom could almost see her smiling on the other end of the line, her enthusiasm a bright beacon in his otherwise cloudy thoughts. She'd wished him all the best for his show and reminded him how much she was looking forward to having him back home in England. One more week and he'd be on a plane again...

As he got ready that morning, he tried to shake off the lingering drowsiness. The mirror reflected a version of himself that looked more frazzled than he'd like to admit. Dark circles underscored his eyes, a testament to his lack of rest, but there was a spark there too—a determination to push through the fatigue and give the performance of his life.

He packed his bag with a meticulousness that bordered on obsessive, double-checking that he had everything he needed for the day. Script, check. Costume, check. Snacks to last the day, check. With each item he ticked off his mental list, he felt a tiny surge of control in the midst of the chaos.

Sunny's performance review was the following Monday, so he had the luxury of staying home that morning. He lounged on the couch, feet up, looking more relaxed than Tom had ever felt in his life. That being said, he wish Tom luck and told him he'd catch him at the show. Just as Tom was about to leave, Sunny stopped him and tossed him a small bottle of cologne, "Trust me, you'll want this for your date,"

Tom caught it, barely. "Thanks, I think?" he read the Jo Malone label with intrigue, "Basil & Neroli..."

"It'll make a better impression than just deodorant," Sunny assured him.

Tom stuffed the cologne in his bag, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Sunny's thoughtfulness, but grateful nevertheless, "Seriously, thanks mate,"

"Go knock 'em dead," Sunny said, waving him off, "And remember, the date's about having fun. Don't overthink it!"

With a final nod, Tom stepped into the hallway and nearly collided with Noelle. She emerged from her door at the exact same moment, wearing a navy mini dress sprinkled with delicate white flowers. A light white cardigan draped over her shoulders, her hair cascading in long, soft waves that framed her face. The white trim on her black backpack coordinated nicely with her converse sneakers, and there were little white berettes clipped at the sides of her hair that added a lovely touch of innocence and charm.

Tom felt his breath catch. This was a far cry from her usual ballet attire which was clean, sleek and perfectly packaged. She looked relaxed, fresh, and irresistibly sweet. Every time Tom thought Noelle couldn't be any cuter, she somehow managed to surpass his expectations.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice betraying his admiration.

"Hi," she replied, a shy smile curving her lips.

He couldn't help but stare, feeling like a giddy schoolboy, "You look... wonderful,"

Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself,"

"Thank you,"

They started walking to the stairwell, slower than usual to a fault, "So... are you excited?" she asked.

"For what?" a teasing smile tugged at his lips.

She shrugged shyly, "For tonight,"

"What part of tonight?" he asked, his nerves easing a bit, "There's a lot happening tonight!" he laughed as she rolled her eyes.

Noelle shook her head with a candid smile, "And I'm personally excited for all of it," she said.

"Me too," now, if he could just make it through the next twelve hours with peace and calm...

They hit the lobby and immediately heard the sound of sticking and cutting, they were both curious and dismayed to find Doris putting up 'DO NOT ENTER' tape over the elevator doors. She was mumbling under her breath, only pausing when she turned and found Tom and Noelle watching her.

"Elevator's out of commission," she simply said, "Don't ask,"

With an uncertain glower Noelle looked to Tom, who simply shrugged back as they started for the doors and wished Doris a good day. The older woman was so frustrated and annoyed with her renovations plans, she was none the wiser to the palpable energy between the pair.

The ride to school was nothing remarkable—New Yorkers squeezed together like sardines, the air thick and unmoving. Noelle and Tom managed to snag the last two seats at the back of the bus, a comfortable silence settling between them.

Tom turned to her, curiosity piqued. "So, when did Daniel give you the ticket?" he asked.

Noelle shook her head, her expression softening into a smile, "He didn't."

Tom blinked, confused, "Then how did you get your ticket?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief and excitement, "Stanis is a magician," she replied, her smile widening.

Tom didn't press for more details; there was still a part of him that found Stanis intimidating. He could very well imagine Stanis being involved in a high society crime syndicate, the type where he knew dirt on everybody and would use it to his advantage. So instead, Tom settled back in his seat, smiling to himself as Noelle locked her pinky around his, the simple gesture filling him with warmth.

And that was how Tom found himself here: sitting on the cold auditorium stage floor, watching his castmates run through their final rehearsals. The memory of her finger wrapped around his was still fresh in his mind, a welcome reassurance that he could push his nerves down. The bustling energy around him, the snippets of dialogue floating through the air, all of it seemed more manageable with the thought of Noelle in the audience, her presence a comforting anchor.

As he tried to focus on his lines, a familiar voice broke through his thoughts.

"Jordan! How many hours did you sleep?" Marcelline's voice carried across the auditorium.

Tom couldn't help but snicker to himself as Jordan forced himself to look up at the camera, a dry, tired glare crossing his face.

"Eight," Jordan answered bluntly, his voice tinged with irritation. Somehow, it still didn't look like enough for Jordan.

Tom's amusement was short-lived as he realized his own exhaustion mirrored Jordan's. The final rehearsal was proving to be as challenging as he'd anticipated, but the thought of Noelle watching him perform kept him going. He straightened up, ready to dive back into his role, determined to give it his all.

In the dressing room, the tension wrapped around Bianca like a suffocating shroud. She meticulously adjusted the layers of her costume, her movements sharp with a lingering resentment she refused to acknowledge. As Iseul delicately applied makeup nearby, she ventured cautiously once more into the fraught silence.

"You've been awfully quiet all day," she noted, carefully applying her eyeliner in the mirror.

Bianca scoffed back, "I've had a lot to do today," she replied simply, "Stanis doesn't have just one star pupil, after all,"

At that, Iseul put her liner down, turning to her friend with a concerned scowl, “Bianca, I know how close you are with Noelle,” she began, her voice gentle but firm, “but do you think there might be a part of you that’s feeling… maybe a little jealous?”

Bianca froze mid-adjustment, her brows knitting together defensively, “Jealous? No way,” she retorted, her tone sharp with denial, “Why the hell should I be jealous of her?”

Iseul sighed softly, sensing Bianca’s resistance. “It’s okay to feel that way, Bianca. It happens between friends, more often than you think. But maybe… maybe you’re projecting your fears onto her?”

Bianca shook her head adamantly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features. “I’m not projecting anything,” she insisted, her voice wavering slightly. “I'm not afraid of anything, either. I'm a friggin' ballerina in New York City for Christ sake...” her voice trailed off, the unspoken fears lingering heavy in the air.

Iseul reached out, placing a comforting hand on Bianca’s arm. “Bianca, listen. Noelle’s not you. She feels things more, she had a lot of compassion for people. I'm not saying you don't!" she held up a finger before Bianca could interrupt. "But... even you've admitted you can be intense, and stressed. And we know how stressed you've been since getting this part --"

"What is your point, Iseul?" Bianca finally asked, "We have like -- ten minutes before we have to be on stage!"

"I know!"

"So get to the fucking point!"

"Don't be so mean to Noelle! And lighten up about Tom," she told her.

Bianca scoffed, "And what does Tom have to do with anything?"

"Noelle told me what you said about him. How he's no good for her? For the record I completely disagree, but... Maybe you think that because you're jealous of her? You're jealous of what they have?" she reasoned gently, “Maybe instead of antagonizing her, you could talk to her. Tell her how you're feeling, truly,”

Bianca hesitated, her emotions a tumultuous storm inside her, “I'm not jealous, Iseul. I'm just... I'm so sick of everything coming so easily to Noelle!” she admitted quietly, her eyes avoiding Iseul’s gaze, “She's got a great body, flawless hair, everybody loves her -- even friggin' Stanis! And why not me? Why can't I be that likeable? Why can't the guy that I like just pay attention to me and not to her?"

Iseul’s heart ached for her friend, seeing the vulnerability beneath Bianca’s facade of strength, “Bianca, of course people like you! We're your friends!” she reassured softly, “But to be honest... you can be really bitchy sometimes, and just really unapproachable. And if that's the way you've been feeling then maybe you should talk to Noelle about it? Just be honest with her! She'll definitely understand!”

"Will she? How could Little Miss Perfect possibly understand?" she rolled her eyes.

Iseul cocked a brow, "What perfect? She gets zits and period cramps just like we do. She farts and burns her food just like us. Her parents are deadbeats who probably don't even give her a second thought. And she had to miss this recital because she got really sick, and you got her part! So really -- how perfect is her life?"

"You're not gonna' guilt me, Iseul!" Bianca snapped, "I worked just as hard for Giselle as she did!"

"I'm not trying to guilt you, Bianca!" Iseul snapped back, "I just want you to chill! You and Noelle have been best friends since kindergarten, and you know she has your back! You don't need to be threatened by her!"

Bianca nodded slowly, her thoughts swirling with conflicting emotions, “I guess so,” she murmured finally, a mixture of resentment and determination simmering beneath the surface.

As they finished preparing for the performance, Bianca’s heart was still heavy with unspoken fears and unresolved feelings. Deep down, she knew she needed to confront the truth she had been avoiding: the fear of losing herself in Noelle's shadow, losing her to someone who might not understand her as deeply as Bianca did. Yet, amidst the swirl of emotions, Bianca clung to her denial, unwilling to admit the jealousy that gnawed at her heart.

Just as the tense silence settled between them, a knock on the dressing room door broke the moment. Startled, Iseul turned to see a delivery person holding a bouquet of vibrant red roses, a card nestled among the blooms.

"I've got a bouquet delivery for Iseul Jeong," he announced. Iseul's surprise was palpable as she accepted the flowers.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" the delivery man took off with a curt nod and Iseul settled back in her chair, both girls adamant and curious as she read the note.

“Dear Iseul, good luck on your performance tonight! Wish I could be there in person, but I already know you're going to kill it! All the best... your secret admirer? I've got a secret admirer!” Iseul exclaimed softly, her cheeks tinged pink with pleasure.

Bianca’s gaze flickered to the roses, her irritation simmering beneath the surface as she averted her eyes. The timing of the gesture felt like a cruel twist of the knife, a reminder of her own tangled emotions. She busied herself with her makeup, her thoughts a turbulent storm of envy and uncertainty.

As Iseul admired the flowers, a faint smile playing on her lips, Bianca wrestled with her inner turmoil. She knew she needed to confront Noelle, to voice her fears and concerns. Yet, as she watched Iseul’s delighted reaction, a part of her couldn’t help but resent the happiness that seemed just out of her reach.

The auditorium hummed with the low murmur of excited conversations, the anticipation of the upcoming ballet recital palpable in the air. Noelle and her family settled into their seats, Franca fussing with Chiara's hair and trying to fix her slightly smudged makeup. And ever in her teenage angst, Chiara batted her away like a bratty cat. Noelle, however, was only half paying attention. Her eyes kept darting to the illuminated face of her watch, or she would double check that she had her ticket in her purse.

In another part of the campus, Tom was in the final stages of preparing for his performance. The backstage area was a flurry of activity as actors milled about, doing vocal exercises and stretches. Tom adjusted his costume, the stiff collar and unfamiliar fabric feeling both thrilling and constricting.

He glanced at the mirror, taking in the reflection of himself as Boris Trigorin. Excitement bubbled in his chest, mingling with a gnawing apprehension. He could hear snippets of lines and bursts of laughter from his castmates, their warmups filling the air with a kind of chaotic energy. Tom’s fingers tapped nervously against his script, the worn pages a comforting anchor amidst the chaos.

Back in the auditorium, Franca leaned over, her voice coming in a whisper "Are you feeling alright? Do you want to stand up before the show?” Franca’s voice was a soft but frantic hum in the background as Noelle’s gaze flicked to her watch again.

"I'm fine, Franca. Don't worry," Noelle smiled reassuringly.

The house lights dimmed, signaling the start of the performance. Noelle’s heart pounded, not only from the excitement of seeing her friends dance but also from the anticipation of what lay ahead with Tom. She forced herself to focus on the stage as the first notes of the orchestra swelled, the curtains parting to reveal the dancers.

Tom, meanwhile, took a deep breath, the finality of the upcoming performance settling in. He moved to join his fellow actors, feeling the camaraderie as they wished each other luck. The scent of greasepaint and the soft rustle of costumes created a familiar backdrop to his growing nerves.

As the ballet began, Noelle’s eyes flickered between the graceful movements on stage and the persistent ticking of her watch. Her friends twirled and leaped with ethereal beauty, their dedication evident in every precise step. Noelle felt a pang of pride and longing, wishing she could fully immerse herself in the moment but knowing that her mind was already halfway to Tom’s show.

Despite the tremendous music, Maurice could still hear Chiara's nails tapping away over her phone. She was texting furiously. With aloof dismay, he leaned over, his voice barely a whisper as he scolded her, "Put the phone away, Chiara. Security's gonna think you're filming," Chiara sighed dramatically beside them, clearly unimpressed, but Noelle remained oblivious, her thoughts far away.

As Noelle watched Bianca gracefully glide across the stage, her emotions swirled like a tempestuous sea. Pride welled up within her, a fierce joy that threatened to overflow as she witnessed her friend's flawless execution of each pirouette and arabesque. Yet, beneath the surface, a trace of lingering resentment lingered from their recent argument. Despite the saltiness tainting her admiration, Noelle couldn't deny the admiration she felt for Bianca's talent and dedication, her heart swelling with conflicting emotions as she applauded vigorously at the performance's end.

Sunny sat in the dimly lit theatre, his anticipation palpable as he waited for the play to begin. His fingers twitched with nervous energy, but he was anxious as his phone buzzed discreetly in his pocket. Retrieving it, he read the confirmation text: his flower bouquet had been delivered anonymously. The gesture warmed his heart, and he couldn’t suppress a giddy smile as he imagined Iseul's surprise and -- hopefully -- delight. He hoped she wouldn't think she had a crazy stalker or anything. Adjusting in his seat, Sunny glanced around the theatre, his excitement growing as the lights dimmed and the stage came to life.

Tom’s turn on stage was fast approaching. He joined the others in a circle, their whispered encouragements a soothing balm to his nerves. His mind wandered briefly to Noelle, imagining her in the audience, her presence a steadying force. He straightened his costume one last time, taking another deep breath.

As the ballet performance reached its crescendo, Noelle’s eyes met her watch once more. It was almost time. She leaned over to Franca, whispering her plan to slip out quietly. Franca nodded, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Noelle rose from her seat, her heart pounding with a mix of emotions. She cast one last look at her friends on stage, then slipped out of the auditorium, her steps quickening with purpose.

Tom stood in the wings, the stage lights casting long shadows. The call for his scene came, and he moved forward, his heart racing with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Somewhere out there, he knew Noelle was making her way to support him, and the thought filled him with a surge of confidence.

As he stepped onto the stage, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the performance and the promise of seeing Noelle after the final bow.

Noelle slowed her pace to a cautious jog, mindful of her surgeon’s warnings against strenuous activity, including running. She focused on reaching the theater without pushing herself too far into discomfort. The new auditorium for the theater kids was more accessible this time, and she navigated towards it with determination, her purse clutched tightly as if afraid her ticket might escape.

Arriving breathless, Noelle found the door attendant in the process of closing up. Her lungs protested the exertion, legs already sore from the brief jog. She managed to catch her breath enough to hand over her ticket, which the attendant glanced at briefly before nodding her through the entrance. The theatre was already dark, the actors already on stage opening up the scene when Noelle ducked in. She skimmed along the wall and finding one in a handful of empty seats in the back row.

Just as she sat down, Tom stepped onto the stage, his heart racing with a mix of nerves and excitement. The auditorium stretched before him, a sea of expectant faces shimmering under the soft glow of stage lights. His gaze flickered across the audience, searching, hoping to catch a glimpse of Noelle.

"In this tranquil setting," he began, his voice steady and resonant, "where the lake whispers secrets to the wind, I find solace in the embrace of nature's beauty."

Marcelline, embodying Nina's youthful admiration, approached him with eagerness, "Boris, tell me of your latest story. Your words weave magic in my mind."

Tom, as Trigorin, smiled warmly at Marcelline, his eyes reflecting the character's depth of experience. "Ah, Nina," he replied, "your enthusiasm is a balm to my soul. I draw inspiration from the simplest of moments, the fleeting whispers of life."

Jordan, portraying Konstantin, interjected with a hint of resentment. "Your stories, Boris, they enchant Nina and the world. But do they speak of truth or mere fantasies?"

Tom met Jordan's gaze, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ah, Konstantin," he mused, "the artist's eternal dilemma. Truth, illusion—perhaps they are two sides of the same coin, perceived differently by each soul."

The other actors, fully immersed in their roles, engaged in a lively discussion that echoed Chekhov's exploration of art and existence. Tom's performance carried the weight of Trigorin's introspective nature, his voice resonating with the character's complexities.

Throughout the scene, Tom's eyes darted to the audience between lines, silently hoping to spot Noelle among them. His performance, a delicate dance of words and emotions, captured the essence of Chekhov's themes while his heart beat in anticipation of her presence.

Noelle sat in the dimly lit auditorium, her gaze fixed on the stage where Tom, transformed into Trigorin, held court with his eloquent words and charismatic presence. The play's dialogue floated through the air, mingling with the soft rustling of the audience and the occasional cough. Yet, for Noelle, all peripheral sounds faded into insignificance as she watched him.

Tom's voice resonated with a depth that captivated her, each word a brushstroke painting vivid images in her mind. His eyes, usually warm and inviting in their everyday encounters, now held a new intensity—a reflection of Trigorin's conflicted soul. She noticed the subtle shifts in his expression, the way he leaned forward in earnest engagement with his fellow actors, and the graceful gestures that punctuated his dialogue.

As Trigorin, Tom embodied a blend of charm and vulnerability that stirred something deep within Noelle. It wasn't just the character he portrayed but the essence of Tom himself, laid bare on stage. She felt drawn to him in ways she hadn't fully acknowledged before, his presence enveloping her thoughts and emotions with an undeniable allure.

In the darkness of the auditorium, surrounded by the unfolding drama and the palpable energy of the performance, Noelle's heart beat in sync with the rhythm of the play. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Tom, each fleeting glance he cast towards the audience igniting a flutter of anticipation in her chest. The distance between them seemed both vast and infinitesimal, a tension she struggled to define yet couldn't deny.

Noelle's fingers curled around the armrest of her seat, her breath catching in moments of poignant dialogue that resonated with her own inner turmoil. She watched Tom with a mixture of admiration and longing, the lines between reality and fiction blurring as she found herself caught in the spell he wove with every word and gesture.

She glanced around the theater, noticing the rapt attention of the audience, but her focus remained on Tom. In that moment, watching him embody Trigorin's complexity, she couldn't deny the magnetic pull he exerted on her heart. Each word, each gesture only deepened her admiration and affection for him.

And then finally, finally, Tom saw her. As his gaze settled on Noelle, a soft smile touched his lips, and he delivered his line with an intensity that resonated with his own emotions:

"Amidst the chaos of life's stage, a solitary figure emerges—a beacon of serenity in a sea of tumult...."

The words carried a dual meaning, echoing both the character's sentiment and his personal recognition of Noelle's presence; a calming presence amidst the nerves and anticipation of the performance. He was doing so well, he was so close and he would be at the end.

On stage, Bianca's movements were fluid and precise, each step echoing the rhythm of the music pulsing through the theater. As she pirouetted and leaped, her eyes occasionally strayed to the audience, seeking a familiar face. Amidst the sea of spectators, she caught sight of Noelle's family—her aunt adjusting her seat, her uncle leaning forward with interest. But Noelle's absence was palpable, a void in the audience that Bianca couldn't help but feel keenly.

A flicker of disappointment crossed her features, mingled with a hint of resentment that tightened her movements, infusing her dance with an unexpected intensity. She pushed through, channeling her emotions into each graceful arc and turn, determined to make her performance memorable despite the absence that weighed on her heart.

The final curtain fell with a hushed finality, the stage bathed in the glow of the overhead lights. The audience erupted into a thunderous standing ovation, hands clapping in unison as cheers filled the air. Backstage, the cast of gathered, their faces glowing with relief and pride. Tom stood among them, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He ran back on stage to take a final bow with his cast mates, so overwhelmed and grateful for the reception.

Amidst the celebration, Tom's gaze found Noelle in the audience. Her eyes sparkled with pride as she clapped enthusiastically, a radiant smile lighting up her face. Their eyes locked briefly, a silent exchange of shared joy and accomplishment passing between them. Tom's heart swelled with happiness, knowing that he had not only impressed the audience but also earned Noelle's admiration.

As the curtain fell and applause thundered through the theater, Tom found himself swept up in a whirlwind of backstage activity. He exchanged quick hugs and high-fives with Marcelline, Jordan, and the rest of the cast, their faces alight with exhilaration and relief. The adrenaline from the performance surged through him, keeping fatigue at bay as they navigated the maze of corridors backstage.

They reached the dressing rooms amidst laughter and excited chatter, the air thick with the lingering euphoria of a successful show. Tom sank into a vanity chair, his legs trembling with lingering nerves and the lingering rush of performing. His costume felt like a second skin, a reminder of the character he had just inhabited, and he couldn't help but replay moments of the play in his mind.

"Tom! Group photo!" Marcelline's voice broke through his reverie, pulling him back to the present. He pushed himself up with a smile, joining the cast for a photo that captured their shared triumph. Flashbulbs popped as they posed, their faces still flushed with the heat of the performance.

As the theater buzzed with post-show excitement, Tom stood near his dressing room, scanning the crowd with anticipation. Amidst the throng of well-wishers and fellow actors, he spotted Sunny weaving through the crowd, a wide grin plastered on his face. Sunny approached with his characteristic exuberance, arms outstretched in a gesture of camaraderie.

"Mate!" Sunny exclaimed, pulling Tom into a quick but heartfelt hug, "You killed it out there! Seriously, the whole audience was eating it up."

Tom laughed, returning Sunny's embrace briefly before pulling back to meet his friend's enthusiastic gaze. "Really?"

"Yeah! Fuck'n move over, Dicaprio!" Sunny clapped Tom on the shoulder, nodding towards the dispersing crowd, "You were incredible. And hey," he added with a wink, "I reckon someone else agrees with me," Sunny nodded subtly towards the hallway where Noelle stood, her presence a beacon amidst the backstage chaos.

Tom followed Sunny's gaze, his heartbeat quickening at the sight of her. Noelle's eyes met his across the room, her smile radiant and genuine. She approached them with a grace that seemed to quiet the bustling energy around them, her focus solely on Tom.

Noelle moved gracefully through the bustling crowd, her steps echoing just behind Tom's. As she approached, a rush of excitement and pride filled her chest. When Tom turned to face her, she couldn't contain her joy. With a playful squeak, she threw her arms around him, feeling his warm embrace as he lifted her off her feet for a brief moment. His presence, neroli oil mixed with the faint scent of his costume, enveloped her, filling her senses with a blend of musk and the lingering energy of the performance.

"Oh my gosh, Tom!" she murmured against his shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with sincerity, "You were incredible!"

He chuckled softly, "Thank you, Noelle," he replied, his breath warm against her hair, "I'm so happy you could make it!"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," she said softly, her fingers brushing lightly against his as they stood close together, "You're always worth the wait,"

Tom's smile widened, his gaze softening as he squeezed her hand gently, "And you make every moment special," he replied, his voice filled with quiet sincerity.

In that fleeting moment, amid the buzz of the crowd and the shared euphoria of the evening, Noelle felt a comforting warmth envelop her. As she locked eyes with Tom, a silent giddiness passed between them, a taste of whatever adventures lay ahead for them for the night...

[wonderlandleighleigh]

The cooking show in ‘78 is a big hit, which doesn’t really surprise Midge, much. She’s always been a whiz in the kitchen, and she’s funny as hell on top of that, and so the combination of her quick humor and delicious food winds up being an irresistible one-two punch.

Susie is happy, too. It’s keeping Midge in the public eye without having to send her on tour. Abe isn’t doing all that great now that Rose is gone, and the kids are a fucking mess, apparently, with Esther’s genius starting to make her life much harder, and Ethan is still trying to decide whether he wants to do his rabbinical studies here in the states or in Israel.

Shit’s nuts, in short.

But the show is fun. It’s low stakes, and every once in a while they have a celebrity guest come on to make one of their own dishes. Gordon Ford came on once for a steak au poivre recipe where he just hit on Midge the entire time. It made for good TV, but Midge left set annoyed as fuck and the two women drank their way through a couple of bottles of wine that night.

Shy Baldwin came on for an episode to make paella and Midge makes lots of jokes about Jewish people and shellfish, while Shy complains about the fact that when he does cooking shows everyone wants him to make fried chicken.

“My fried chicken is terrible,” he laughs. “I gave Reggie salmonella once.”

Midge laughs at that. “You did not!”

“I did! He’s never let me live it down!”

It’s a great episode, two old friends who have mended a long-broken fence giggling their way through a half hour of television, talking about the tour in 1960, and having a frank discussion about Shy’s coming out the year before. Shit gets rave reviews TV Guide, and even Variety picks up a blurb about the two’s warmth and effervescence on screen.

Susie is happy.

“I booked Lenny Bruce for next week.”

Susie is less happy.

“Mike!” she snaps. “What the fuck?! Seriously!? She hasn’t spoken to him since his overdose in ‘66!”

Mike blinks. “I thought they were friends.”

“Before he fucked his life, yeah,” Susie tells him. “They haven’t spoken in years.”

“Do they hate each other?” Mike asks. “Should I cancel?”

Susie blows out a breath and thinks for a moment. Midge doesn’t hate Lenny. Quite the opposite. They just...never got it together. “Let me talk to her. See what she wants.”

“The guy’s been clean since he almost kicked it,” Mike shrugs. “And he’s mostly working behind the scenes producing documentaries these days. I thought it’d be a nice ‘hello, old friend’ kind of episode.”

Susie squeezes her eyes shut. “Just...lemme take her temperature on it.”

*****

“Oh.”

Susie observes her oldest friend quietly as the comedian absorbs the information. Her eyes look sad and wistful for just a moment before she takes a breath and sits up straight.

“It’ll be fine,” Midge says. “It’ll be...nice. To see him.”

Susie eyes her suspiciously. “Will it?”

“I uh...yeah,” Midge nods. “I think the last time we spoke, we ran into each other at a Grammy party he stopped in at right after he got clean. He was...it was nice.”

Susie sighs softly. She likes Lenny. She, too, has run into him here and there, and since getting his shit together and winning his appeal, he’s been good. He was downright sweet the last time, buying Susie a drink. Thanking her for trying to drag his dumb ass out of that hole he was in.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Lenny wound up being husband number five.

“Okay, then. Lenny is on next week,” Susie confirms.

*****

He gets to set a little early to prep, and say hello. He’s quiet now, which Midge finds strange, but he’s clearly happy to be there. They share a friendly peck in greeting and then the work starts.

Susie hovers, whether to keep an eye on him or to keep an eye on her, Midge doesn’t know, but they run through what they’re doing (chicken soup - she can’t believe she hasn’t made it on the show yet), and the director does his usual shpeil, explaining how things work, where to look, where to stand.

Once the cameras are rolling, that old chemistry comes roaring back like a tidal wave. Their banter is fast and funny, and they laugh together. They shamelessly flirt, and Lenny drives her nuts by adding too much chili powder to the soup.

“You like spicy food,” he accuses.

“But chicken soup isn’t a spicy dish, Lenny.”

“Why not? We’re adults. We’re not committing murder. We can make spicy chicken soup.”

It goes off the rails from there, and suddenly they’re adding an entire jalapeno to the soup, and Lenny goads her into doing a party trick she’d mentioned to him long ago; eating an entire hot pepper without incident, which she does. 

They eat the soup, and declare it delicious, surprisingly, with all the spice.

They end the episode with their arms wrapped around each other, and Lenny laughing and trying to avoid her spicy breath as she giggles her way through the outro of the show. Once she gets out her “thank you and goodnight!” she turns to him and huffs in his face, making him jerk back, still laughing.

Susie can’t remember the last time Midge lit up so much with anyone other than Susie herself. It looks good on her, and since her mother died, she’s been down.

“You still out in LA?” Susie asks him as he’s getting ready to leave.

“I just moved back,” Lenny admits. “There are three docs shooting here in the next year I’m working on, and I’ve been asked to be more active, so I got a little place.”

Midge hears and perks up, but doesn’t say anything.

“Well...don’t be a stranger, then,” Susie tells him, patting his arm as she walks off, leaving the two comics to talk, though listening as she goes.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were moving back?” Midge asks.

“We don’t talk very much anymore, I didn’t think you’d care to know,” Lenny offers helplessly.

“You’re so dumb,” she accuses. “Of course I care to know. We should throw you a housewarming party.”

“No.”

“Lenny.”

He sighs heavily, as unable to say no to her as Susie is. “Fine.”

Susie smirks and heads for the offices to get a bead on last week’s ratings.

*****

After that, Lenny guests on the show once a month, and even when he’s not there, Midge brings him leftovers. 

END

[ash-writies]

(RK900 x Connor x fReader)

BINGO - Hurt on the job OR Car crash.

The androids didn't pay attention because they were arguing and Reader gets hurt chasing the suspect or gets injured to protect them OR Reader was chasing the suspect via carcase. You choose.

A/n: Since I already did hurt on the job, I went with Car Crash. Check my latest update “here” to see the new asks I’m accepting :) Likes and reblogs are very appreciated ;)

Summary: Connor made a mistake the night before and Nines won’t let him live it down. After talking to him on your way to catch a suspect, he tells you why.

Warnings: Angst, fluff towards the end, reader is chillin in the hospital

~1.1k Words

You looked at your computer screen, eyes scanning over the words as you tried to ignore the Androids next to you. You and Hank had began working together when you realized your cases had some similarities. You glanced at Hank who was typing across from you, unaware of the tension beside you. You pressed your lips together and tried again to review what you had so far.

It was a planned assault on an android. Luckily the android, a PL600, was not too damaged. There were a few more attacks like this that were given to you along with the cases Hank and Connor had gotten. The attackers were a human and an android; the victims had explained their dynamic, the human was asking all the questions and the android was doing all the work. Whether the android had deviated was still up in the air, along with the purpose of the attacks. You were hoping to catch them soon so one of the RK models could determine the former. You were also hoping they’d be more involved in the investigation.

You glared at them, knowing they wouldn’t miss it. They were arguing since earlier last night about Connor making a mistake but Nines wouldn’t drop it. You were sure that’s what they were doing right now and Connor’s guilty expression as he looked away confirmed it.

Suddenly Hank groaned, “it feels like we’re getting nowhere!”

“Yeah, all we got is a list of victims and crime locations,” you sighed, running your fingers through your hair. 

Nines reviewed the list before adding, “the locations might be able to reveal where the suspects are hiding-”

Hank threw his hands up, “why didn’t you say anything?”

“I haven’t determined a probable location,” he glanced at Connor who quickly looked away. 

Feeling pretty tired of this tension, you stood and turned to Nines, “can we talk real quick?” He nodded and followed you outside. Once you were around the corner, out of sight and earshot, you turned to Nines with a frown, “are you still going on about last night?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-” he began, looking away.

“Don’t play dumb, I know you’re saying something to him.” 

He frowned, eyes flickering to yours for a moment, “well it’s between me and him.”

“Not during work hours-”

“Then I’ll drop it during work hours,” he snapped before storming off.

He must’ve been true to his word because he and Connor began working together, albeit reluctantly, to find some possible locations. When they reduced it to four possible spots, You decided to split up and check them. You and Hank took your respective partners and left.

On the way to the first location Nines only spoke to tell you the plan for entering. You wondered if they added pettiness to his code of if it was something he just grew into. The first location had nothing and no one. One the way to the second location you kept your eyes on the road but spoke to Nines, “why won’t you drop that Connor made a mistake? It wasn’t even anything serious.”

For a long moment he didn’t say anything, “because you favor him over me. I don’t understand how you can like the inferior model…”

Your jaw almost dropped, RK900 was jealous? “I don’t like him more than you-”

“Yes you do,” he interrupted, “you treat us differently.”

“Well yeah, you’re different people. You don’t react to somethings the same way Connor does.” You pulled into the parking lot of the second location and put the car in park.

“You’re more affectionate towards him…” he said after a pause.

You turned to face him, eyes searching his face and finding something sad and vulnerable, “I didn’t realize you wanted me to- you always stayed further away, out of reach.” Of course, right now- when you’re supposed to be going inside or coming up with a plan- you realize how his behavior was defensive. 

Suddenly his face changed, ending the moment, “there they are!” You followed his eyes to see an android and a man running to their car. You threw the car into drive and followed them as they speed away. You turned on the sirens, glad you took a car from the station and put all of your focus into following them. You don’t need to see Nines to know that he’s alerting Connor and the others at the station of the situation.

You fight the urge to slow down as your car barrels towards theirs. You braced as you came into contact with their car, knocking them off course and sending you sliding into a stoplight pole. 

You didn’t feel car come into contact with the pole. It took you a while to feel anything. When the darkness cleared from your vision you saw Nines pulling you out of your seatbelt. You were saying something but you didn’t know what, his LED was red but he was talking in a low calm voice, “you’re alright, you’re okay, everything’s fine.” You trusted him but couldn’t shake the panic that settled in your chest, you kept your hand on his wrist as the darkness returned.

You slowly blinked as you tried to adjust to the lights in the hospital. The room you were in had two big windows with the curtains drawn and one wall painted sage green. On your left Nines was sitting in a chair, LED yellow, and his eyes closed. While you were content just watching him sit, you knew he’d prefer to talk to you. You shifted and called his name, “why are you here?”

“So you didn’t have to wake up by yourself,” he said before recapping what you missed and your condition (whiplash and a concussion), “Connor and Hank are speaking with the suspects now and Connor will join us at home tonight.”

“Okay, are you alright?” he nodded, “do you want to join me?”

“No, you need your rest-”

You moved to the edge of the mattress, “C’mon~ lay with me…” He reluctantly followed your request. Once he was settled he wrapped an arm around you so you don’t fall. “I’m sorry I made you feel less than Connor. I should’ve talked with you about it or realized sooner.”

“It’s alright, I shouldn’t have held it in for so long.”

“Promise you’ll talk to me more?” you asked, trying to keep the conversation going before falling asleep.

“I promise,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” you murmured, letting yourself drift asleep, “I love you.”

“Love you too.”