#*drags hands down face* I'm glad I finally got to write this- I've been wanting to write this for a long time- but wow I feel sick

[shadowxamyweek]

What The Fuck Do You Mean They Gave Amy Rose an Eating Disorder

Alright. I said I’d talk about why I think Amy has an eating disorder, and so here I am, ready to throw down.

Disclaimer! 

Let me explicitly say- there’s nothing wrong with exercise and there’s nothing wrong with going on a diet. Not intrinsically, anyway. If you’re being smart and healthy about it, you’ve got good people supporting you or you’ve got your own good mental supports to make sure you’re not hurting yourself, that’s awesome. I am not saying these things are evil. What I am saying is there exists a very dark and obsessive undercurrent to *any* sort of health choice due to cultural expectations that, if a person is not careful about, they can get sucked into.  

Trigger warnings!

This is very 'Dead Dove, Do Not Eat.' We're gonna be talking about eating disorders and self harm. It's right here on the tin. If you don't think you're gonna be okay reading this, then don't. I want you to be safe. I believe I've tagged this appropriately, but if I've missed something, please let me know.

What even is an eating disorder? 

Broadly speaking, it is any behavioral condition characterized by abnormal eating habits. Some eating disorders stem from physical difficulty with eating that becomes psychological, while others originate due to psychological issues themselves. There are eating disorders that occur because people just wish to be in control of something, those that originate due to side effects of medication, those that occur due to side effects of other psychological conditions like anxiety or depression. 

This is to say- not all eating disorders are due to an obsession with body image. 

However, it cannot be understated just how many people develop an eating disorder because they are obsessed with body image. 

I am of the opinion Amy falls into the latter category, that she is obsessed with body image and, due to that, has an eating disorder.

So what’s going on with Amy? 

Let’s look at Sonic Battle (2003). It’s a PVP fighting game for the Game Boy Advance, picking up the plot directly after Sonic Heros and introducing us to Ermel (who would die and come back as Germel). Much like the previous games, you would have a singular plot that was divided into sections. We will be focusing on Amy and Cream’s chapters within the story. 

Amy Rose (X)

Cream (X)

Battle is what introduces us to Amy’s boxercising. Originally, she started it to get stronger, Cream citing Amy’s desire to keep Ermel safe after briefly getting kidnapped. However, once she realizes she can lose weight via this method, she becomes obsessed. Cream talks about it, seeming visibly uncomfortable with Amy’s fixation on losing weight, but we don’t really get much in the way of details until we actually fight Amy and see this weightloss obsession in action. 

In the Amy chapter of the story, she takes Ermel back to her apartment to train. They set a goal of 5 KOs, then 10. Amy feels faint, citing lightheadedness. Ermel leaves her alone in her apartment.

The next time you see her, only a few moments later, Cream is there. Turns out Amy was so lightheaded she had to go for a liedown. Cream says she’s worried about Amy. Specifically, she says she’s ‘burnt out,’ from overworking herself. Amy promptly comes back from her short break, stumbling into the room, to which Cream exclaims they can’t keep going because Amy can’t walk straight. Amy tells Cream she’s fine, and proceeds to start another goal of 10 KOs.

After that, Amy wants to keep working out, but she’s reaching her limit. She’s unable to speak more than a word or two without gasping for air. Insisting she can keep exercising, she tries to excuse herself to ‘change tactics’. When Cream follows her, it’s revealed that Amy’s been wearing excessively heavy weights on her arms and legs during this entire training spree.   

Amy says to go for another goal of 10 KOs. Cream, visibly upset, says that Amy has lost her focus on training. Still, you fight her anyway.

After this, Amy collapses. 

She is able to pull herself together after a second, rushing off with Ermel to keep fighting in search of the Chaos Emeralds. Cream seems relieved that Amy’s alright, saying, ‘she’s the strongest woman I know.’ 

The relief does not last long. After you finish Amy’s chapter, you switch to Cream’s. It opens up post boxcercise with Amy congratulating Ermel on getting strong. Cream noticeably stays very quiet during the exchange. 

Then, Amy asks, ‘how much did I lose today?’ 

Ermel tells her that she’s burned 1000 calories during their workout session. If she wants, she can lose a kilo/2 pounds-ish per three days if she is able to keep this up, but she will have to eat only 700 calories a day max and drink 4 liters/ 1 gallon-ish of water a day. Amy gets very excited. She also says she’s going to purchase some ‘super diet-machine.’ to further her progress. She thanks Ermel for helping her get closer to her goal. 

After a bit of a back and forth, Cream says to Ermel that Amy is really getting into this dieting. When Ermel asks, ‘Is getting thin good?’ Cream explains that Amy wants to be thinner so that Sonic might like her back. Ermel, understandably, doesn’t get it. Cream replies that, sometimes, a person will do anything for someone they love. Ermel stays silent, and Cream says that one day, they may eventually understand. 

(I swear there’s an additional dialog option if you go back to Amy’s place to talk to her where Ermel suggests she eat nothing but lettuce leaves, but I have misplaced my own copy of the game and cannot verify this. As such, I am not going to use it as evidence, but I do ask that if anyone DOES have the game, fact-check me on this place. I’d like to know if my memory is correct or if this is just a fabrication due to… everything mentioned above.) 

So okay, that’s the beats of the story. Now let’s talk about dangerous exercise and diet culture:

Exercise and Eating Disorders

Boxercise feels like a direct parallel to stuff like Jazzercise (60s-80s) or Zumba (00s-10s), which is just normal exercise with a twist of some sort that make it palatable for mass engagement/marketing. These different fun and exciting methods (and they can be- they can be fun- I’m not even gonna lie.) of workout were often sold as methods of both gaining strength and losing weight, but the losing weight often becomes their focus. This game even calls out the ‘this will make me stronger’ to ‘this will make me thin and desirable’ mental pipeline that can happen in the culture surrounding these sorts of exercise methods, unfortunately fostered despite whatever intentions their creators or individualized mentors had. There is nothing wrong with any of these styles of exercise. However, overexercise can be a hallmark of an eating disorder, and a culture of obsession that can surround fad exercises promoting extreme weightloss is dangerous. (X) (X)

It’s not new. The culture around these fad exercise methods might create a special sort of vortex, but look closely, and you'll likely pick up a few people with the same mindset at any old gym. ‘If I just keep pushing, if I just keep going, if I ignore the pain, I’ll be who I want to be.’ That’s how people get permanent injury, from Jannet going way too hard at pilates to Keith pushing far too much weight. 

Speaking of weights- We are lead to believe that Amy has been wearing weights this entire time. I don’t just mean for the fight mentioned above. Think about it- she takes them off during that massive workout/fight, but when did she put them on? We don’t see it. We’ve been with her nearly the entire time. This reads to me that she has had them on the entire day, not just for her exercising. 

It should be noted that wearing weights in this manner for an extended period of time can lead to damage (X) . As an aside, I have found no studies on the matter, but at least half of the people I know who have also had an eating disorder at one point or another intentionally weighed themselves down in some manner thinking they could burn more calories by doing whatever it was they were doing. This includes wearing training weights all the time, overfilling backpacks and carrying them around, and other things.

It’s not the exercise that is bad, it’s not the method that is bad, it’s not most of the community that is bad, but there is (and has always been, and will always be, unfortunately) a portion of it with this dangerous mindset that a person can get sucked into if they are not careful.

Due to the evidence above, it seems clear to me that Amy has gotten sucked into this mindset. 

That’s just a part of it though. The restricted eating is where it gets really solidified for me. 

Diet Culture and Eating Disorders

Now, obviously I’m going to be going off of human numbers, so if you wish to counterargue that ‘oh well they’re smaller/different species of course they’d need less calories’ that’s fine- feel free to do so- but just understand I personally don’t think the text was written with that sort of calculation in mind. 

The average human body, even if it is a body largely at rest, needs about 2,000 calories a day to help maintain good health (X) (PLEASE ignore BMI it's a bullshit method of measurement). Various fad diets or crazes have come and gone across the centuries, with focuses on trying to achieve whatever body type was popular in that moment. 

‘This will make you sexy. This will make you wanted. This will finally make someone love you. Before, you were unlovable. After, maybe you’ll have a real chance.’ 

Noticeably, in the fad diets of the 90s into today, the focus for a lot of people attempting to lose weight has been ‘restrict your caloric intake.’ That’s not a problem until you start cutting out foods with nutrients the body needs to survive and/or getting to under a 1,000 calories a day (X). 

Despite what a lot of popular caloric or generalized eating restriction diets will tell you, if you keep your body from energy, it will go into protection mode. Protection mode is where your body acts like it is starving, because it is, thus slowing down its stash of burnable energy. Your average caloric burn then DROPS. This causes it to become harder and harder to lose weight the longer you starve yourself, which creates a vicious cycle.

Furthermore, if you are both working out and dieting, you need good caloric intake when working out in order to help facilitate building muscle. If you don’t eat properly while working out, you don’t build the muscle you should and, in fact, you can lose muscle or cause permanent damage since your muscles won’t have the tools/energy to repair themselves after workouts. 

Crash diets/workouts like this are also not sustainable. There have been dozens of studies on how losing weight too quickly can be bad for the body, but beyond that, the mental tax of trying to maintain a non-maintainable lifestyle of limited eating/ overworkout often ends in a massive rebound (a rubber-banding if you wanna call it that) due to lethargy or mental fatigue (not helped by the lack of food.). That plus a brutalized metabolism will cause people to gain the weight they lost back, make it more difficult to lose, and might ultimately result in the person gaining more weight than they had previously. Again- vicious cycle. (X)

But the dieting industry, the diet culture doesn’t really care about that. It largely doesn’t care if its product or concept or whatever hurts you. Its job is to make money. 

Because here’s the thing- Most people have a part of themselves, however small, that would love to change. Most people would like to be liked, to be needed, to be desired in some capacity. Due to this, a person's self worth is often tied up in some part of themself, often something that is visual, often something that, if given the opportunity, they’d change. 

How does continued hunger relate to mood? 

The concept of being ‘hangry’ is pretty well known. (X). Be hungry long enough, you get physically unwell, and you can unlock a special sort of anger that only comes with being hungry. 

Not just that, but being hungry for extended periods of time can also cause issues with mental clarity (X).

It goes just beyond hangry though. Food and nutrition have long been understood to affect mood and mental well being, though not to the scientific degree able to be achieved today (X) . To summarize as simply as possible- your gut biome, which is dictated largely by your diet, directly impacts mental and physical wellbing. If your gut biome is maintained as it should be, then you overall will have a healthier mental state and overall feel better. If your gut biome is poor, due to undereating or lack of intake of needed nutrients, your biome will start to wither. This will directly impact your mental and physical wellbeing. (X)

I’m not going to dwell on this for terribly long, but I want to bring it up in correlation with the previous two sections because who amongst the Sonic crew is often labeled as being emotionally unstable and prone to moodswings? 

Amy Rose. 

Who is often fingered as having outbursts of volatile anger? 

Amy Rose. 

And who do we see starving themselves in game and working themselves past the point of exhaustion? 

Amy Rose. 

Listen, I confess this one is a bit of a stretch. It’s more of a continuation from the two other points that I sort of wanted to point out. If you can understand the previous arguments for her overworking and underfeeding herself, then this one feels like a natural third component in that and, as such, I felt it should be at least mentioned. 

What I Personally Have Seen in Regards to Eating Disorders in Media while Growing Up.

Thank goodness so much has changed. I remember eating disorders taking up whole episodes in television series, whole issues in comics, whole books in novel series, and it has largely evaporated. The problem is still around, because of course it is, but it is far less of a joke now than it use to be. 

When I was growing up, there were a lot- and I mean a lot- of stories that said, ‘Oh, if you were just a little better, someone would love you. Someone will notice you. If you were prettier, cooler, thinner, buffer, whatever- people would notice you. Someone would love you. Maybe even that specific person you wish could love you back.’ 

‘If you just tried a little harder, maybe it’ll happen.’

And you saw this in the real world, in the marketing, in the fashion, everywhere. Advertisements pushed that if you didn’t fit this very specific, narrow, palatable concept of beauty, then you weren’t worth anyone’s time. 

When this was portrayed in media, it often manifested directly into characters doing insane things to change themselves. Sometimes it was their style of dress, or their personality. Oftentimes, it would manifest in them trying to get buff or be thin.

With a lot of stories, the character often came to the conclusion of, ‘Hey, just be you. You’re good as you- don’t do things to impress other people. Don’t be who you’re not because you feel you have to.’ 

But it was a coinflip as to whether or not the story would prove that to be wrong or true. 

Worse still, even if the lesson was still ‘just be you,’ the whole ordeal was often portrayed as a joke. 

Specifically, women- girls- working out to exhaustion, starving themselves, was portrayed as a joke. 

If the goal of the story was for comedy, and the end had the character revert back to who they were previously, it can usually be put into one of two categories: 

‘How could you be so stupid? How could you believe you ever needed to change? How dumb are you to fall for social pressure like that?’ 

or-

‘How could you be so stupid? How could you believe you could change? You’re not strong enough to change. You’re too you to ever be liked.’  

On that note, let’s back up and return to Amy.

I’m the sort of person that’s got a narrow focus when it comes to Sonic properties. Specifically, if it’s not game canon, it’s not canon to me. 

However, in understanding that other canons exist, other properties within the Sonic universe exist, I won’t ignore them. Even if I don’t think they’re canon, if there is a throughline within, I cannot help but to notice. 

So it’s with this in mind that I ask you: Do you know of Sonic Spin and Dash?

It’s a manga. Put out in the early 00’s, it was a little series of comics that focused on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Eggman having arbitrary interactions. They’re largely cute and lighthearted. I couldn’t tell you officially what the official age demographic would be for them, but I’d have to guess something fairly young. 

Volume 6 is titled, ‘A Maiden's High-Tech Diet.’ In it, Amy freaks out about having gained 3 kilos/ about 7 pounds. Despite the fact that she’s a growing girl, this deeply upsets her. She asks Tails and Sonic not to eat (in front of her? At all? Unsure.) while she’s trying to diet. Eggman shows up and offers her a solution- a diet machine that will help her achieve the weight and look she wants so deeply. 3 days later, Amy approaches Sonic again. 

She’s emaciated. Wobbling in from off-stage, unable to even speak a sentence without pausing, she asks Sonic if she’s looking thinner. 

Let me rephrase- she’s asking if she looks ‘thin enough’.

Eggman, via his dieting ‘robot’ which really is just a mech he’s hiding inside, asks Amy and co. to perform more insane tasks to weaken them and cause them to be too exhausted to fight him. However, even during this, Amy has other ‘slimming’ products that she’s bought which she uses to defeat Eggman.  

In the end, everyone exhausts Eggman, causing him to give up his scheme and leave. By the end of all of it, he himself is looking thin, having worked off much of his weight in this charade. 

It’s just played off as a joke. 

Alright, but that was early 00’s. How’s Sega been about Amy now? 

Well, this hasn’t really come up in games again, thank goodness. I reiterate- times have changed, and I’m very glad about that. That doesn’t mean this sort of thing is entirely gone, however. This image is from Sonic Channel in 2022 (X).

The image is accompanied by this caption:

---

“Otome Straight!” Emmy is passionate about boxercise , saying it's perfect for dieting

Indoor training on rainy days is perfect! Bouncing the punching bag and working up a good sweat with Emel's support

"Mom, do your best. Ato Sukoshi."

 Let's keep a healthy body with training for the rainy season !

---

Once again, we have this focus on dieting and food reduction. Again, not a bad thing- perfectly normal- but the reason I take pause is because of the crossed out icecream picture. 

@mysuperlaserpiss - I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to bring up your comment on that initial post I put out.

…Yeah. Yeah, I 100% agree. 

So when conversations around eating disorders comes up, one of the first things to discuss is, ‘what is your relationship to food?’ Essentially, it boils down to: do you see food as fuel and that it is a normal thing to have, or do you see it is something you have to earn/avoid? (X)

Amy beating the shit out of a punching bag sporting a crossed out picture of icecream, talking about dieting, smacks of, ‘you see food as something you have to earn/avoid,’ to me. It’s as simple as that. This appears as though she’s beating the desire for certain foods out of herself. Simply put, that’s not healthy. 

Okay, so what? 

Man, I don’t know.  

I don’t know, alright? I don’t know. 

I’m biased. I was inundated with the idea of ‘you need to be better’ from a young age from all angles. I am strong, but not appealingly buff. I am not what I'd call heavy, but I'm most certainly not appealingly slim and doctors have always bitched about my BMI (which again- terrible system to work off of). Not that long ago, I was hiding weights under my pant legs even in the dead of summer thinking the extra weight on me when I moved about my day would help me burn calories. Not that long ago, I was walking around 30km/18 miles a week on top of doing several hours of intense exercise a week, all while only taking in around only 500 cal a day.  I am constantly combating the idea that i need to deserve to eat, but if I eat, I won’t be loveable. Yeah, I’m doing better- significantly so- but I am a biased, untrustworthy source to write about this and I recognize that. I am biased because I’ve been through it. I am biased because I have lived this very specific, isolating nightmare, and no matter how much better I am now, there are still days where all I can manage is a couple hard boiled eggs and maybe canned low-sodium fish. 

I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is what I’ve been through, and when I look at Amy, when I look at her storylines through the games, I see a portion of me that I never would ever want to see in anyone else.

I see someone desperate to be wanted. I see someone disoriented and angry from lack of food. I see someone hurting themselves thinking it's normal to do so. I see someone trying and trying and trying so hard to fit this idea of ‘perfect’ and falling short.

There’s a lot of conversation right now around Amy’s character. How she was presented in early games vs now is significantly different, so of course it would be a subject of conversation. Sega seems to be trying to bring the characters into a new age, both in terms of the 2020’s and in terms of the characters' age themselves. There are those that say that Amy’s new presentation is due to her becoming older and more mature, while others argue that she’s become a shadow of her former self.  

I can see both sides of the argument. Of course I can- I’ve been with this characters since almost the beginning. Still, when I look at the changes in Amy Rose, when I look at how happy she is, how energetic and content, my knee-jerk reaction isn’t to start wagging fingers. 

It’s just, ‘Ah. Good. She’s eating.’ 

[d1xonss]

Hi!! Could I request a one shot where reader and Daryl are like complete opposites?? But he realizes eventually he’s grown to love her or something like that?? Thank you!

Enchanting

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 5/6

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Fluff

✧ Word Count : 3.6k

AN ~ Thank you so much for this request! I’ve been writing some pretty sad stuff lately so I’m glad to have something on the lighter side lol. I tried my best with this considering I haven't been writing much outside of the series I've been updating. But I'm always up for the practice. Hope you enjoy!

He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. How someone so fragile, so delicate, so perfect, survived this long in a world as shitty as this. 

Alexandria as a whole felt like a dream within itself. Arriving with his family at the giant gates after living a life of hell on the road, it was something he would call a miracle. Though he hardly believed in such a thing, he thought this was as close as it was going to get. Houses lined up down the road, running water, electricity, it almost seemed too unreal to him to even want to stay in a place like this. 

It took him some time to get adjusted, some of his people having to drag him out of the house by his hair to actually give this place a chance. They wanted him to open up, socialize a bit more with some of the people in the community seeing as they were planning to stay in this dream-like place. 

Carol was the most persistent of them all. She poked and prodded at him for days to get out of the house and actually give this place a chance. He would argue and say that he had left the house since their arrival, but in her mind, going out for hours to hunt was hardly the socializing she had in mind. All she wanted was for Daryl to be able to thrive here as the rest of them were slowly doing, not wanting to see him completely shut himself out.

So, after a whole week of trying to coax him out of the secure home, he finally agreed to a party. 

Did he enjoy parties? No, absolutely not. He didn’t know what to do at those types of events, not knowing how to really talk with others freely as it wasn’t exactly his strong suit. He would most likely just awkwardly stand in the corner by himself until enough time passed for him to be able to leave. And at least then he could say he tried.

When the day finally came it was safe to say he was a little nervous. He hadn’t talked to really anyone outside of his close knit group in what felt like forever. He had no idea if he would even be good at the whole “small talk” thing as he never once was to begin with. But still, he promised he’d try.

So, after getting back from a hunt he went on earlier that day, he headed towards the lit up house as instructed. Though the closer he got, the more nervous he became. His palms began to sweat a little as he wiped them a few different times on his jeans, trying to swallow whatever anxiety was creeping back up to haunt him. It shouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but it was. To him, it was.

He eventually forced himself to open up the front door with almost instant regret, seeing a few turning heads to notice his presence in the room. Though he tried to ignore it for the most part, only nodding to the familiar faces he saw in different areas of the mostly filled house. He already grew uncomfortable at the watchful eyes that managed to follow him, purposefully looking away as he kept his head down while he moved.

Alright, time to find a corner, he thought to himself as he subtly scoped the place out, preparing to be alone for most of the night.

“Daryl!”

Damnit.

He reluctantly turned his head to see Carol approaching him rather quickly with a wide smile on her face as she quickly brought him into a hug, “Oh, I’m so happy you made it.” 

“Mhm,” he hummed with a nod as he patted her back awkwardly before she finally pulled away, “Said I’d try…so m’ tryin.”

“And I’m very proud of you.” she said sincerely as she placed a hand on his cheek for a moment, before pulling back with an even larger smile, “You want something to drink?” 

He dipped his head in a nod of appreciation as she tapped his shoulder, “I’ll be right back.” she promised, before turning around to maneuver through the sea of people.

Daryl patted the sides of his legs nervously as he waited for her return, scanning over different things in the house that caught his attention. One was the slightly flickering light above his head, another was the music playing somewhat softly in the background of people’s loud conversations. And the third was a laugh. A quite delightful laugh that had his attention from the second it hit his ears.

Daryl’s head whipped in the direction of the sudden delicate noise, his eyes catching sight of a woman he had never seen around the community before. Over the past week he had managed to see a few other residents of Alexandria when he traveled outside, sending them a polite nod when he passed through. But he had never seen you before.

He watched intently as you interacted with someone else from right next to you, whispering something close to your ear as you let out another light and enchanting laugh. His eyes moved over the features of your face, seeing your eyes crinkling at the corners and dimples forming on your cheeks from how wide you smiled. His lips parted a little at the sight, his head even tilting a bit to the side as he continued to study your movements.

You occasionally tucked a piece of hair behind your ear everytime it got in the way of your eyes, your hand effortlessly falling back down to grasp the cup of the drink you held in your hands. Your nose occasionally scrunched up a bit as you spoke, clearly about something that brought you joy and it intrigued Daryl more than he was willing to admit. A part of him wanted to get closer to hear the delightful story you were surely telling. He could in fact almost make out the sound of your voice from where he stood-

“Here’s your drink.” Carol’s voice quickly cut into his thoughts.

He practically jumped out of his skin at her arrival, glancing down to see the beer bottle in her hands before swiping it in his own grasp with a quiet thanks. Her brows furrowed in slight confusion as now all Daryl could seem to focus on was the ground, but curiosity got the better of her as to why he was so jumpy. Her eyes glanced behind her shoulder and did a scan of the surroundings…before a smirk was brought to her face.

“She’s pretty.” she commented casually.

Daryl’s eyes flew up to meet her smug expression with a scoff, “Dunno what yer talkin bout.” he brushed off as he raised the bottle to meet his lips.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “I’m not dense, Daryl, and neither are you…” she trailed off before glancing back once more to catch you laughing yet again, “I think you should go talk to her.”

A scoff was the only response he could come up with, a reddened pigment covering his cheeks at the suggestion. You were already having a good time, why the hell would you want to talk to someone like him instead.

“I’m serious.” Carol pushed, “I think it’s the right kind of socializing you need.” she finished with a wink.

He gave her a pointed look as he took another swig of the liquid, his eyes panning back over towards you as the person whom you were once talking with, suddenly walked away. So now you stood alone, swaying back and forth a little to the music in content as you occasionally took a sip from your own drink as well.

“Well, would you look at that…a spot seemed to open up.” Carol teased as she nudged his side a little to which he just brushed her away with an annoyed grunt.

Though he couldn’t argue as he continued to casually glance at you still standing alone, though it looked like you didn’t mind too much. You looked almost too peaceful in a cramped party filled to the brim with people. Maybe he should take a chance. Just this once in his life maybe the leap of faith would do him some good, giving him an opportunity to talk to you.

After having an eternal inner debate with himself and a loud sigh left his lips, he finally pushed himself to move forward. He tried to ignore Carol’s wide smile in encouragement as he passed by her completely, but it truly was hard to ignore. He huffed as he moved further, awkwardly squeezing by a few people lingering in the way before he could reach you.

Although it happened all too fast, now standing in front of you with somewhat of a blank expression as you now looked him in the eye. Daryl swallowed thickly as he stood frozen upon seeing your gaze match his, your eyes were beautiful as they seemed to hold something much more than he was expecting. Everything about you seemed to make time stop for him.

“Hi.” you greeted politely after a few seconds of silence, sending a smile his way that almost caused him to melt.

He cleared his throat, “Hey.” he responded dryly, now almost panicking as he didn’t think this through as much as he should’ve. He was suddenly rendered speechless, not knowing what to say next as you looked at him almost expectantly.

Though your eyes narrowed the smallest bit, the smile still remaining on your face, “I recognize you, you’re new.” you stated with a raised finger, “Apart of Rick’s group, right? Daryl?”

“Uh huh.” he mumbled as he continued to stare, almost in disbelief that you had recalled seeing him before, enough to recognize him and even know his name. He’d almost wished you would repeat his name again so he could hear you say it just once more.

Your smile widened even more if that were possible as you suddenly held out your hand for him to take, “I’m (Y/N).”

And just like that, after hearing your name for the very first time, he could never seem to get it out of his head. He didn't necessarily know it then, but you would soon become a person that Daryl cared very much for. Someone he would give up his life for. Someone he would grow to love.

He was infatuated with you, slowly finding the time to leave the house more and more so he could have a chance at catching you outside as well. Normally he would never be so bold as to plan something like this just to get a chance to talk to you, but he couldn’t help it. There was just something so special about you that he couldn’t ignore.

Months in the community went by just like that, getting countless chances and opportunities to spend more time with you on multiple occasions. You were honestly flattered that the stoic man wanted to seek you out whenever he got the chance, offering to help fix something in your house or inviting you out on one of his hunts, you were always excited upon his arrival.

In exchange you would always have something to give him in return for his countless acts of kindness. Whether it was giving him something you had baked or his worn jeans you offered to patch up and sew, you wanted to give him something. He always seemed to deny your persistence, wanting nothing in return as he thought you were the best gift he could ever receive. But still you pushed, batting your eyelashes at him until he finally agreed to take whatever you presented, leaving you smiling at his bashful state.

You knew of his growing feelings towards you, of course you did. You picked up on it after he stopped by your house about three different times to make sure the bathroom sink he had fixed was still working properly. Daryl however was still painfully oblivious as he failed to realize that after all this time, you too found yourself growing feelings for him.

“I think you should just bite the bullet and ask her.” Carol advised as she mauvered around the kitchen, cooking dinner for the two of them.

Daryl’s constant resort was to just scoff at her words as he held his head in one of his hands at the kitchen island, “Alright.” he mumbled sarcastically.

She whipped around with slightly widened eyes, “I’m being serious!” she said as she stirred something heated on the stove, “And you better do it fast before she gets swept up by someone else.”

His eyes quickly snapped up towards her at the possibility, “Ya think that’ll happen?” he asked, not even trying to hide his worry.

He cared for you deeply, unlike anything he had ever felt before, the last thing he wanted to see was you with someone else. But at the same time he was scared. Scared to ask you out for some kind of date if you didn’t see him the same way he saw you. He didn’t want to ruin what he already had with you, he didn’t want to scare you away. But the suggestion of you being with someone besides him now made him worry further.

“I think that it could happen.” Carol corrected, “She’s very kind and pretty, it’s hard for me to believe she hasn’t found someone yet.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing…” Daryl said as he trailed off, “Better then endin up with some asshole like me.”

The woman sighed heavily as she dropped the wooden spoon in her hands and turned around fully to face him, “Daryl, that girl absolutely adores you. You might not be able to see it, but I do. I think you should just…take a chance. Like you did with that party.” she spoke knowingly.

He sent her a glare through his lids, earning a small laugh from her as she turned back around. His mind seemed to wander for a long moment as Carol’s back was facing him now, thinking if now was really the time to make some type of move. He wanted nothing more than to just confess what he’s been feeling for so long, wanting to sweep you off your feet and never let you go. But it wasn’t that easy.

He had thought about this situation before in the past, a lot more than he was willing to admit, but everytime he seemed to always talk himself out of it. He didn’t know how you would react, if you would be offended or flattered. If you would turn him down easy for leave him brokenhearted. There were too many possibilities for him to ignore, too many scenarios to think through.

But in the end you were the kindest person he had ever met and he felt safe with you, safer than he had ever felt before. Perhaps that was the only reason he needed to finally take a chance.

Before he could even process what he was doing, he suddenly stood up from his seat and headed straight towards the front door, trying not to talk himself out of the sudden decision he just made. He was fast and light on his feet as he walked down the porch steps, nearly falling on his ass as he missed the last one in a hurry. But he hardly let it bother him, looking like a man on a mission to others he was passing by on the sidewalk.

The walk to your house felt fast and slow all at once, his heartbeat rapidly pounding in his chest with each step closer he got. He felt his hands begin to sweat a bit as he trudged up the steps to your pretty yellow house, noticing the arrangements of flowers you had on either side of the porch that matched your personality perfectly. He was inches away from the front door now as he stood back and hesitated to knock on the wooden frame to your home. His eyes glanced down for a moment to your welcome mat below his feet, scraping off his dirty boots as he would never wish to track mud into your house.

With his boots clean(ish) and a huff passing from his lips, he finally raised his fist up towards the door to give it a firm and heavy knock, waiting for you to answer. The seconds seemed to go impossibly slow as he waited, wondering to himself if you were even home. You loved to head to the gardens this time of day, picking your share of the fruits and vegetables being grown. Perhaps he had missed you completely, contemplating if he should just turn around and head back seeing as the seconds turned into minutes.

But then he heard it. The faintness of your voice calling through the house that you were coming, followed by the pitter patter of your light and delicate footsteps. He swallowed thickly before the door was suddenly swung open, revealing your smiling face that seemed to light up even more at just the sight of him.

“Hey!” you greeted cheerfully as you bounded forward to close the distance between you two, bringing him in for a tight embrace.

He grunted at the sudden impact, but smiled a bit to himself as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around you softly. He feared that he would break you if he squeezed a little too tight.

You pulled back with a smile just as wide as your eyes lingered a bit over his face, “What’s up? You need something?” you asked politely.

He couldn’t help but think that he needed you and only you, but it felt a little wrong to be that blunt right away so he settled with a shake of his head, “Nah, just…just wanted ta see ya.” he spoke honestly.

Your eyes twinkled at the sweetness of him as you laughed lightly, “I’ve been wanting to see you too.” you admitted, “It feels like it’s been too long since we’ve hung out.”

“Yeah,” he grunted as he cleared his throat a little, “Shit’s gettin busier round here.”

You nodded in agreement, a little sympathy on your features as you knew how much he did around here for the community, “But- uh…” he quickly corrected, “I’ll always make time for ya…no matter how busy it gets.” he admitted nervously.

Your heart warmed as you smiled at him sweetly, “You sure?” you asked a bit playfully, “You sure you’re not too busy?” you poked as you ventured out to take his hand softly in yours.

He smiled down at you as you intertwined your fingers with his, as you normally would do, “Never.” he promised.

His eyes then took the time to take in your appearance as he normally would do. Your hair was pulled back a bit as it was tied up with a light pink ribbon, framing your face angelically as a few strands fell from the front and landed just above your cheekbones. He then noticed the sundress that fit your figure beautifully, finding himself loving the many skirts and flowy dresses you constantly wore. And then the jewelry that hung around your neck, a tiny pink diamond that was shaped into a heart as it sat in the middle of your chest.

It was actually a gift he had given you weeks ago, something he had found on a run that just reminded him of you. It was so soft and delicate, and the heart seemed fitting to your style. 

“Did you…want to come in for a bit?” you asked as you noticed him grow a little quieter than usual.

He snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of your sweet voice, “Oh- uh- nah…I just came over here ta…ask ya somethin.”

“So ask.” you prodded gently with a soft squeeze to his hand that made his knees feel like jelly.

You knew that Daryl often had a hard time with things like this, seeing it made him uncomfortable to say or ask something out of his comfort zone. But you were always so patient with him it blew his mind, always willing to wait for him to just come out and say it.

“Alright, so uh…” he cleared his throat before swallowing thickly, “I was just um…just wonderin…if ya wanted to maybe…go on a ride with me sometime…?”

Your eyes brightened a little as you went to open your mouth to answer, but he quickly cut you off, “Nah, I mean- n-not like just a ride, but like…out together sometime…just the two of us...kinda like-”

His rambling went on for a few more seconds before you decided to cut him off instead. He suddenly clamped his mouth shut in a split second when he felt the softness of your lips brushing across his cheek, leaving a light peck before you pulled away with a smile.

“I’d love to.” you said.

The man was stunned to silence, feeling his face get hot and the burning of his cheek becoming more intense as he tired to process your actions. You couldn’t help but laugh a little to yourself as you gave his hand another comforting squeeze while gazing up at him through your long lashes.

“I’m free tomorrow at noon…if that works for you?”

He stood there in bewilderment for a moment or two before frantically nodding his head, not counting on his words in this moment in time. You nodded back before venturing your hand out of his hold and up towards his face to move some of the hair that had fallen over his eyes. He almost quivered at the feeling of your fingers gently touching his hair, silently wanting more though he would never ask.

“I can’t wait.” you admitted gently and quietly, lulling him back into the same enchanting trance he was hit with the moment he caught sight of you for the first time all those months ago.

~ Thanks for reading!

[aylish91]

Ok so you are one of my favorite writers and I've been wanting to request this for awhile but wanted to wait until you aren't bombarded

Can you write a small drabble of either reaper or error or both giving cuddles (or whatever you think they'd give sense error has hephophobia and in some au's reaper kills what he touches) or them just comforting reader

No worries if not, I hope you have an amazing day and your work always makes me smile and I look forward to seeing what you post :)

Aaawe! Thank you so much! It makes me so happy that you like my writing!

I made an Error drabble for you! Somehow cuddles also turned into confessions though, so I hope that's okay. I will have to drag out my Reaper boy after I get the other requests done for ya.

I'm sure he would love to come out and play~ ; )

Confessions

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Error?”

The only indication your friend had heard you were the huff of air and sideways glance he sent your way.

You were tired. So very very tired. You tried not to lean more into his side.

“Sometimes, when I look at you, I just want... I just want to kiss you. You make living in this dying world worth it.” When all was silent except for the increasing buzz of glitches, you pressed forward to put the metaphorical nail in your coffin.

“I think I love you.”

A choking sound.

“W-w-wHaT?!

You fell asleep to the sound of one of his stuttering crashes. You didn’t want to think about how embarrassing your admission was. You hadn’t even bothered to look at him the whole time you had sleepily drawled your confession. You knew he wouldn’t feel the same, the guy only used this place to vent and hide away for a bit. But, you needed to get it off your chest. Your world was on its last leg and there was no telling if you’d ever get another chance before it all ended.

Perhaps that had been a mistake.

…

One month, three days.

You hadn’t seen or heard from him for one month and three days.

It hurt, but a part of you was almost glad. It saved you from whatever rejection he was going to come up with. As it was, you doubted it even mattered. Your world had finally given out. The void was calling, and no man was going to stop it from claiming what it was owed.

Everything felt disembodied and heavy as reality disappeared around you. All you could do was close your eyes one last time and sleep, knowing full well there would be no tomorrow to wake up to.

At least near the end, you had someone who made it worth it.

…

“p-PiX-xeL-L-l !!!”

…

Warmth was the first thing that you took note of. A pleasant, perfect warmth. The kind that makes you never want to move again because you and the universe had aligned while you’d slept. The next thing you noticed was the rhythmic rise and fall going on beneath you. It was enough to ignore it for a while, but eventually, your confused curiosity got the better of you. Stirring, you opened your eyes and looked around.

Everything was glaringly white as far as the eye could see outside of the little area you were in. Familiar blue strings draped down in droves around you, some connected to little skeleton dolls, while others held glowing cartoonish hearts. Looking down, you found you were sunk into a giant bean bag chair. But that wasn’t all.

Directly beneath you, without your usual blanket barrier, was your missing bone friend. He had you pressed against his chest, one hand on your back while the other rested on your waist. It was the first time in the whole history of your friendship that you had ever had so much of yourself touching him.

Your heart thudded within your chest. Glancing up at his face, you froze.

Error, the Destroyer, stared down at you, yawning then... pulling you... closer...

“Either get up, or stop move-moving, Pixel.”

…

Pixel?

You were so confused!

Where were the angry glitchy shouts? Where was the gnashing of teeth while he pushed you away? Where were the threats of violence and death or those tight blue strings?

He sighed, looking away. “Don’t think-k-k about it. I only saved you out of bor-ordom.”

Of course! You were alive! Gaping back, emotion squeezed at your chest. 

“You saved-but what about… you said…"

His grip tightened, an annoyed growl rumbling in his chest. “I changed my mind! It’s n-n-not like I LoVe yOu too.”

Oh. Oh!

It all clicked.

Pressing your face back against his chest, you clung to him with the goofiest of grins, your overjoyed laughter muffled by the soft fabric of his sweater. “You dumb stupid bastard.”

“Hey!”

“Never change.”

He didn’t seem to know what to say or do with that, quietly letting you finish laughing while he slowly relaxed back into the bean bag. You in turn melted more into him, knowing now he was more than okay with you. 

You wanted to laugh more, maybe even cry as you absorbed all that was him.

Error had other ideas.

After a long while of silence, he took a steadying breath, shakily lifting a hand to slowly run his fingers through your hair. You let him, enjoying the closeness and sensation it left on your scalp. You were glad he seemed more than content with your cuddle pile.

It was enough to almost lull you back to sleep until you caught his soft muttering above you. 

“…You’re… soft.”

It made you giggle again, allowing yourself to snuggle even further into his warmth. “Thank you. I love you too.”

You could feel more than see as a surplus of error symbols formed around him and his face glowed. “I, you-ou-ou! Shut up!”

You only smiled up at him.

Life was going to be quite the adventure from this moment on. 

You couldn’t wait to share it with him.

[blueraineshadows]

No Light Without Darkness - Part Two

Song I listened to while writing: Just Pretend - Bad Omens

Sebastian Sallow x F!MC - dark/angst/eventual smut/trauma NSFW 🔞 Part One

The day had dragged. Every hour an irritant, and MC was snippy with everyone, no matter the situation. Some at the Auror office assumed it was because she'd had to chase down the prisoner through Azkaban last night. Anyone who had tried to give her a ribbing for it had been left at the sharp end of her tongue.

She was tired, drained, and she was aching inside at the memory of Sebastian's face in that prison cell.

As the hours dragged, her nerves increased. Tonight, she was going to Apparate into Azkaban and go to him. He had almost touched her hand last night. She couldn't let that go. She had to try again. Oh, she would probably get into trouble for doing such a thing, but since when had a little rule breaking ever stopped her before? Especially when it came to Sebastian Sallow. Of course she couldn't keep away.

As she was switching off her desk lamp, completed reports stacked neatly in her tray, her superior, Jenkins appeared. "You look tired, MC," he said. "Get some sleep, I will see you in the morning. I've got a big case I want you in on. Meeting, my office, 8am sharp."

Normally, this would get her blood pumping. Being invited in on big cases was an honour an Auror could only hope for. Tonight, she had heavier things on her mind though, and she could do without the extra stress. But, she hid her exhaustion behind a smile. "Sure thing, boss," she said. "See you tomorrow."

....*....

Sitting in his usual spot, on his bed, back against the wall, arms resting up on his knees, Sebastian stared at the wall opposite him. He knew every crack and groove in the stone, could map them all out with his eyes closed if he wanted. He didn't know how long he had sat there today, just staring. His food tray sat beside him, uneaten, a dry crust forming over the slop.

MC had stood outside his cell. She had said his name. It was all he could think about. He had never expected to see her face again, not ever. He would die inside these walls, he knew that. Seeing her had been a shock, waking up old memories, old feelings he had thought long dead.

But, it was also like a punch to his soul. She was out there, living her life, a life without him. He had lost his right to any of it, blamed nobody but himself, but the biggest loss had been her. She hadn't turned her back on him, she had helped him, and it had all been for nothing.

For the first time in a long time, he had felt something, he felt pain. When she had gone, he had savoured it, nurtured it, let it seep through his cold bones. The memory of her face was an image to cling to, so beautiful, so soft, her eyes like stars in this darkness. It had been a rare, fleeting gift, and he was glad he had taken the moment to just look at her.

Lost in these thoughts, he didn't hear the footsteps. When he caught movement at his door, his dry eyes swung to the iron bars and froze.

Surely not.

It was her, right there, as if conjured from his drifting thoughts. He stared at MC, unable to move.

This was it. It was the final straw. His mind was surely starting to split off and finally turn to madness. Surely she hadn't been stupid enough to come back here. He had to be seeing things.

"Sebastian? It's me," she said. "It's MC."

He swallowed. That was her voice, soft, beautiful. He couldn't move, scared to lose the illusion.

She looked sad. He supposed he must look pitiful. He didn't deserve her pity. His eyes swung away to stare at the wall, unable to handle the image any longer. He heard her move, feet shuffling. Yes, she should just leave. It would be easier.

"I understand if you're not ready to talk," she said. "That's alright. I can talk. Though, I'm not sure where to start. Let's see..."

He couldn't help himself. His eyes moved back to her. She was sitting on the floor, her side leaning against the bars, arms hugging her knees. She was looking down, not at him, soft tendrils of hair sweeping free from the clasp that held it. She looked out of place against the chill and shadow of the prison.

"I suppose I could tell you a bit about me," she began. "I'm an Auror now. It's how I can come here to see you."

And so she talked. He sat and listened, unmoving, his eyes itching, almost as though tears were forming but just couldn't seem to make it out to trickle free. She spoke of her training, her adventures, the people she had met, London. A life lived.

After a while she fell quiet, and when she looked at him, there were tears in her eyes. "I think about you. All the time," she said, softly. "I've missed you."

Those soft words were like scalding blades through his heart. Inside, he was breaking. On the outside he was a stone mask, blending into the walls that held him. It was safer this way.

She sighed and stood. Her face was set with determination. "I should go, but I will be back. I promise."

He watched her walk away. His hope was a tiny, trembling thing and he was too scared to look at it. Hope wasn't a word for this place. It just never survived.

....*....

Every day MC went to the prison to see Sebastian. Even though he never spoke a word, she still went. She would sit by his door and talk, or take a book to read to him. He had loved reading at school and she wanted to try and draw him out. The empty look in his eyes was killing her, but she wouldn't give up. It wasn't in her to do that.

She even brought gifts for him. She slid boxes of his favourite sweets through the bars. He never took them, and the box had disappeared when she returned. She had no idea if he ate them, but she still brought them, just in case.

After three weeks, she was beginning to wonder if he would ever speak to her, was he too far gone? The drain of the visits was hitting her. It was a hideous place, the heavy weight of the utter desolation was paying a toll she was struggling to carry.

Her work was beginning to suffer for her efforts. She had made some dumb mistakes and her colleague, Holloway, had called her out over her errors. They were working a big case, tracking and gathering evidence of an Ashwinder group that had been causing a lot of trouble. The Ministry were under pressure to crack down on them, and MC was struggling to maintain her glowing record.

MC had vowed to sort her shit out, look after herself. But, when her shift was over, she had gone to the prison as usual. She couldn't keep away, despite everything.

However, this visit had left her ripped open and raw. This time, his shield had broken and she was still trembling even now, in the comfort of her own bed...

She had sat in her usual spot at his door, passed her gifts through the bars and telling him about her day. It had been just like all the other times, until he had spoken.

"Why?"

She wasn't sure if she had heard correctly to start with. She had stilled, head tilted, listening for any more. Turning to look at him, she saw he was looking at her, a slight frown on his brow. For once, he didn't look like a statue.

She gripped the iron bars of the door. "Sebastian?"

"Why do you come here?"

Her heart thudded in her chest at the sound of his voice. It was rough, coarse from lack of use, but there were hints of him in it. She sucked in a breath, feeling a little overwhelmed that he had finally spoken.

"How could I not come?" She said.

His face contorted and he turned away from her. "I'm not okay," he said. "You should stay away."

"That sounds like a reason for me to keep coming," she said. "I...I can't stay away from you."

He started to shake his head. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. This was the most she had ever got out of him, she was so close to chipping a hole through that shield. She got to her feet. "I know you're still in there somewhere Sebastian, I know it. You're tougher than anyone knows. I refuse to believe you're gone."

He stood, quicker than she had expected, and she jumped, surprised. His eyes narrowed and he stepped towards her, deliberate, careful steps until he was in front of the door. "Stop it," he said. "Stop coming here. There is nothing here for you. Go back to your life."

Now she was shaking her head. "I won't give up on you."

His head drooped, his hands curling into fists. "I will die in here. There is no hope. Let me go, MC. You have to let go."

"No!" She cried. Tears formed and slid from her eyes. She thrust her hands through the bars and her fingers grazed the front of his prison issue shirt. He flinched. "Please...Seb. I love you."

His head lifted a little, his eyes dark with endless depth as he gazed up at her through his lashes. She shivered. The glitter of anger flashed in his gaze. It might not have been what she wanted to see, but it was an emotion none the less.

His jaw clenched and he spoke through gritted teeth. "How can you love this? There is nothing here."

"I don't believe that..."

A scream of rage burst through his lips cutting her off. She gasped, flinching backwards, stepping back from the door, her hands coming up to press against her chest. He launched himself at the bars, gripping them until his boney fingers went white. The cords of his neck stood out as he raged, his whole body shaking with it.

Someone a few cells down began to cackle loudly, and then someone was screeching like death's own siren.

MC was gasping, her chest tight and heart hammering. This was going to bring the whole prison guard down on them.

Sebastian's rage dwindled as quick as it had appeared, and he stood there panting, grasping the gate, head resting against the bars. He was shaking so badly and then a sob racked his body, an awful tearing sound.

MC rushed to him, her arms snaking through the bars to hold him. "It's okay, I'm right here," she soothed.

The iron was cold and unforgiving, a hated barrier between them, but she held him. He felt so fragile, it made her tears flow faster. And then, his fingers were gripping her coat, grasping and pulling at her, holding her closer so that she was crushed against the bars. She winced but let him do it as he sobbed, his ribs heaving with the effort. To feel him in her arms was a shock, but it was also a relief. Finally, she could actually feel him, and he was responding to her.

The atmosphere around them seemed to shift, the air became frigid and she heard the rattle and hiss of the Dementors as they swarmed above their heads. All this emotion was a pull and they had come to feed.

Sebastian stilled. His breaths were fast but he was getting them under control really quick, faster than MC could control her own. He looked up, his face was ravaged with pain, but there was a light, small, but it was there in his eyes. "Go," he whispered. "Get out, now, while you can."

They both looked up at the horror gathering above.

"I can take them," she said.

He shook his head. "No, too risky. You need to leave. Now."

"What about you?"

His look was like a stab in her heart. "There is no leaving here for me."

"Seb..."

His face closed off, the emotion gone, like a shutter sliding into place. He stepped back away from the door and turned his back.

MC felt like there would never be any happiness ever again, her heart a cold, broken thing. She looked up again, a Dementor had broken free from the mass and was moving towards her, mouth yawning open. She could feel the suck of it's breath.

With one more glance at Sebastian, she Apparated and was gone, leaving him in that frigid hell.

....*....

When MC didn't come back the next day, Sebastian sat and stared at his wall. He knew it was for the best. She was wasting her life sitting here with him. She had given him enough warmth to store safely away in a corner of his heart.

He closed his eyes and remembered the feel of her softness through the cold iron. The scent of her hair, the feel of her hands stroking his back, his hair, a cherished remembrance. He swallowed hard. All the love he held in his heart for her threatened to burst out and consume him, but he held it tight.

That was his. He needed it. If he let it out, then it would draw them here. They would come for it, come for his love, and they would suck it all away. He might be broken and lost, but he would never let them have that. He would protect his love until his dying breath.

To be continued... Part Three

[doyouknowbtsswag]

A Flash Of Time |Jung Jae Chan|

A (H/C) girl smiled shopping for new clothes. She grabbed two outfits and started to walk to the cash register. Before she could make it to the register blood seeped through her shirt.

"No!" Hong-Joo yelled sitting up on the bed a tear going down her cheek.

Hong-Joo caught her breath and grabbed her post it writing down what she remembered from her dream. She ran her fingers through her hair as she got out of bed. She placed the sticky note on her window next to the many others.

"I feel like I've seen her before" She mumbled before making her way to the bathroom.

———

Jae Chan dropped two bags and ran to a (H/C) girl seeing her falling with blood coming out of her stomach. A person turned his head as Jae Chan passed him pushing the man away out of the way. He was crying putting pressure on the wound and yelling for people to call 911.

Woo-tak woke up looking around remembering he was on patrol with his partner.

"Let me drive" Woo-tak demanded as he took off his seat belt his partner looked over confused and pulled over.

"Don't take your seat belt off that quick"

Woo-tak ignored him as he got out of the car and walked to the driver's side. He waited till his partner got out anxiously looking at his watch. He caught a glimpse at the time and date thanks to the wall in the background. He saw what the place looked like which he concluded to be the clothes store in the mall. Once he got in the driver's seat he looked at his watch at 12:07. The clock read 12:29 in his dream and the mall was 15 minutes from where they were. Woo-tak turned the sirens on and sped to the mall.

———

I smiled laying on my bed texting Jae Chan about what time we would meet at the mall. We both decided after dating for a year and a half to move in together. I was moving into his house which meant I would also be sharing a house with his brother who is not aware of this. That's the point of this shopping trip in a way. I wanted to get him a small present in hopes he'd be fine with me moving in. I got up and got dressed leaving my phone on the bed. I decided on a baby pink shirt with black pants. I brushed my hair and added mascara and lip gloss as I didn't feel like fully doing my face. I grabbed my phone, purse, and keys and walked to the door. I slid my sneakers on and made my way to the bus stop. I went on the bus and I saw Jae Chan looking out the window saving a seat for me. I made my way to him and sat down. He looked over and smiled.

"I'm glad you're finally off work so we can go on a date," I said as he smiled.

"I just finished a big case so they gave me a day off"

"You deserve more than a day with all the work you've been doing recently"

"It just comes with the job" He smiled before holding my hand.

"Well I'll always be by your side even if everyone hates you," I said.

"How can anyone hate this face," He said letting go of my hand and putting his hand on the side of his face.

"You'd be surprised mister," I said hitting the red button indicating to stop the bus. "Come on"

"What's that supposed to mean," He said but I just smiled and walked off the bus.

"Mm, nothing," I said smiling as he grabbed my hand. We walked inside the mall and I saw a clothing store I've been meaning to go to. I decided to wait not wanting to drag Jae Chan into the store wanting to surprise him. We kept walking till he stopped.

"Do you mind if I go to another store real quick?" He asked.

"Sure" I smiled. "I'll go to the clothing store"

"Alright, I'll meet you here in about ten or fifteen minutes"

"Sounds good" I smiled.

"I promise I'll be quick," He said kissing me softly.

"Take your time" I smiled.

"I Love you"

"I Love you too"

He kissed me on the cheek again and walked away. I walked inside the store looking around for something worth to wear. I was getting tired of wearing the same clothes on date nights and wanted to impress Jae Chan with new outfits. I smiled at the memories of past dates making me 10x more excited to buy a few new outfits.

Jae Chan walked to the store holding two small bags. He was going to propose soon so he was over the moon when shopping for stuff he needed for his idea. He thought of what to get Seung-won as you keep insisting to get something for his little brother. He walked back to where you two originally left off.

I grabbed two outfits and started to walk to the cash register. I made eye contact with Jae Chan and smiled before I could make it to the register I felt something go through my side. I looked down and saw blood on my baby pink shirt. Jae Chan dropped his bags and ran to me seeing me falling with blood coming out of my stomach. He was crying putting pressure on the wound and yelling for people to call 911.

"It'll be alright" He whispered. "I'll keep you safe"

I looked at him barely able to think. I looked up seeing Jae Chan panicking. I did my best to stay awake holding onto his white shirt accidentally getting blood on it. He kept whispering I love you's and stay awake for me. I made eye contact with him seeing tears fall down his face. The face that deserves a smile, not sorrow. The world started to go black as I lost consciousness.

Woo-Tak ran into the store and froze. He was too late to stop the accident however not the person. Woo-Tak looked around trying to find the face that appeared in his dream. He spotted the man from the corner of his eye and ran after him. The man started running trying to get away from Woo-Tak but he was too slow as he was pushed to the ground.

"I'm Lieutenant Han Woo-Tak from Sangku Division. You are under arrest for attempted murder. You have a right to an attorney and the right to stay silent" Woo-Tak said as he handcuffed the guy who was trying to slip from his grasp.

Woo-Tak called for an ambulance even though others did the same. Kyung Han came running to where Woo-Tak was bewildered by seeing Woo-Tak suddenly arresting someone.

"Ya! You can't keep running off when trying to get someone alone" He said.

"Duty calls" Woo-Tak simply said. "Charged with attempted murder"

"What?"

"He stabbed a young girl in the clothing store," He said looking back. "Can you take him for me? Thanks"

Woo-Tak booked it back to the clothing store shooing everyone away to give space to you two. Jae Chan was a crying mess and Woo-Tak felt awful for not being there on time to help. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder which made no effect on Jae Chan.

"It's gonna be okay, she's going to make it I promise," Woo-Tak said trying to help him.

He watched as the paramedics moved Jae Chan to the side so they could reach you. Once you were moved onto the stretcher they wasted no time in taking you to the ambulance. Jae Chan raced behind them wanting to be with you. Woo-Tak walked worriedly, he didn't meet you much. All he knew was you and Jae Chan were dating. On his way back to the cop car he picked up what he assumed the bag was Jae Chan's. He continued his way back to the cop car seeing that he was finally in the back. Kang Han whipped his forehead looking at Woo-Tak.

"You owe me now"

"I know" Woo-Tak gave a fake half-smile. "I'll drive to the station and do the paperwork"

Kang Han nodded getting into the car. In the mirror, you could see the man glaring back at him. The only thought that went through his head is why he chose to attempt to kill you. He hoped you'd make it for Jae Chan. Woo-Tak frowned and made his way back to the station letting them know in advance.

———

Jae Chan ran with the paramedics and was allowed in the ambulance. They pushed him to the side as they made sure you were still breathing. He stopped himself from crying even though he wanted to do more. Panic set inside him his eyes darting at every moment the paramedics did. He watched them apply pressure where the wound was and how they made sure the oxygen mask stayed on. Once they made it they rolled the stretcher out and he jumped after. He followed them for as long as they allowed him as he broke down in the middle of the hallway. A nurse had to escort him to a chair and let him know she would tell him how she was doing. He stared blankly at the wall blaming himself.

If only he didn't take you to the mall. If only he went with you to protect you like he promised when you first started dating. He waited hours not leaving the seat he was on. His conversation with his friends and brother were dry. The only thing he looked forward to was waiting for the nurse to tell him the news. Hong-Joo would normally ask several questions to cover the news and get the scoop but she didn't. Even if she tried he wouldn't answer. He thanked Woo-Tak for catching the person who tried to kill you. Oh, would he do his best to convince them to take his case during prosecution.

"Mr. Jung?" The same nurse called his name as he swiftly got up ready to bomber this nurse with questions. "Fortunately he didn't puncture any important organs. Even though she did lose a lot of blood we are going to monitor her for a while. Follow me"

He didn't ask any questions like he originally wanted to. All he wanted to do was see you and make sure you were fully okay. He wanted to be by your side when you woke up. Once they made it to the room his heart broke seeing you hooked to a monitor that caught every beat you made. He gently sat down and held your hand.

"I'm sorry" He whispered tears falling down his face.

"Here," Woo-Tak said gently holding the small box.

"Thank you" He whispered stuffing it in his pocket and paying attention back to you. Woo-Tak patted Jae-Chan's back and left. Jae-Chan stayed by your side till they kicked him out because of visiting hours. He frowned and walked home on his way he got a phone call. He picked it up noticing it was from his work.

"What?" He said bluntly not in the mood.

"We have a case for you," Mr. Choi said

"Listen I don't-"

"It's about what happened at the mall"

"What?"

"It's your case except"

"I'm handling that?" He said his voice piping up a bit.

"Mhm except the person already has a lawyer"

"Who?" Jae Chan said.

"Mr. Lee"

His eyes opened wide and he stopped in his tracks whatever slight happiness flew away.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

When Theo and Adam materialized in Theo’s bedroom, the first thing Theo did was bolt to the door.

"Dad! Adam's staying for dinner! We're going to play video games. Tell us when dinner is ready."

Theo closed the door and leaned heavily against it, gathering his thoughts. Did he really hear Adam correctly before they left? Was this just a trick of his brain after thinking so intensely about confessing his feelings to Adam? There were spells where you could attempt to sway someone's opinion by focusing intensely while near them, but Theo hadn't finished that chapter of his textbook yet. Adam's feelings were probably genuine if that was what he'd actually said.

"You love me?" he asked breathlessly, watching every part of Adam's face for clues of his sincerity. When Adam sheepishly nodded, Theo released the breath he'd been holding onto. "I love you too! I mean, I like you. Like like you. My aunt says that you should never say the word love until you're in your thirties or if a guy's rich. But if I were to say it to you, it would be true."

"That makes sense, I think," Adam replied, reaching for Theo's hand once more. "I don't think you should really use your aunt’s advice given her own relationships, but I get it. We like each other then. Like like."

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Theo blurted out, caught up in the rush of reciprocated feelings. When Adam nodded, Theo wrapped his arms around him. "You're my boyfriend."

Adam laughed, suddenly free from the worry he'd been carrying with him for so long. 

"You're my boyfriend too. Can…should we….?"

The warlock trailed off, pulling away far enough to line his lips with Theo's. He leaned in for a kiss, only to bump into Theo's nose instead.

"Sorry, I've never really…."

Theo beamed despite the awkwardness. Adam wanted to kiss him. Kissing Medora had been okay, but this was Adam, the boy he'd been crushing on since he'd first learned about crushes. 

"Let me show you how," Theo replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think I've got the basics down."

Theo reached for Adam's chin, pulling his face close enough to brush their lips together. 

His lips are soft, just like Medora's. Better than Medora's. This is all I ever wanted and I can't believe it's happening.

Every part of Theo seemed to be blazing with passion. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. Adam was here in his arms and eagerly kissing him just like every fantasy he'd ever had. How had his parents ever gotten bored of this feeling and had affairs? Kissing Adam was like holding onto lightning, feeling it radiate throughout his body, leaving him numb to any other sensation.

"I'm glad you two have finally figured things out. It was getting ridiculous."

Adrienne picked up a fire truck from under Theo's bed and waved it around without a care for the other two people in the room.

"Rien? What are you doing in my room?" Theo gasped, immediately pushing away from Adam in horror. "Who else is here spying on me? Luci? Saturnia?"

Theo's sister rolled her eyes, continuing to play with the toy in her hand.

"No one cares about you and your boyfriend, stupid," she teased. "I'm just here to make sure you two didn't mess this up and drag everyone through another week of your stupid pining. Luci thought it was going to be at least another month at the rate you two were going."

"Get out of my room," Theo demanded, his face feeling red hot suddenly. He wasn't sure if it was embarrassment, anger or just repressed feelings finally breaking free, but the last thing Theo needed was his little sister teasing him. "Adam and I were having a moment. Alone."

"Ha! Just wait until I tell Dad that you're upstairs kissing a boy in your bedroom," Adrienne laughed, watching as her brother's face turned pale.

"You wouldn't! Rien, come on! What do you want?"

Adrienne pretended to think seriously about the request and laughed.

"I think I can forget that I saw anything in exchange for one of those charmed crystals I saw you writing about the other day," she said. "And your dessert tonight."

"Rien, I was writing about those crystals for an exam," Theo whined. "I don't know how to make them! What possible use could you even have for one? They're used for dark summoning."

"It doesn't matter what I want it for," Adrienne laughed, still playing with her brother's truck. "I want one and you want to keep Dad from murdering you for kissing boys in your bedroom."

"I'll get one," Adam said, interrupting the glares the siblings were giving each other before Roman came up to get the kids for dinner and the damage was already done. "My dad's head of the council and my sister is marrying the queen of Pleasantview. If they don't have one, no one would. I just need the weekend to ask them for one. Do we have a deal?"

Adam winked at his new boyfriend, ending Theo's opposition before it could start. There was no way Adam could convince his father or sister to give an object capable of dark magic to an eleven year old. She wouldn't even know what to do with it anyway, which meant that she'd never recognize a fake. All he had to do was ask a witch from the Crystal Cove coven to make a replica that lit up or something and Adrienne wouldn't even notice.

"And Theo's dessert," Adrienne reminded him. "Dad's making cupcakes."

"What? That's not fair! I love cupcakes!"

"We have a deal," Adam interrupted, extending his hand for Adrienne to shake. "Thanks for keeping our secret."

Adam leaned against Theo, wrapping him in his arms as comfortably as if he had been doing it for years. The closer he got, the less Theo seemed to care about his sister's demands.

"You can have my cupcake," Adam promised.”If your dad made enough for all of us, that is. I didn’t ask in advance if I was allowed to stay for supper, but if I get one, it’s yours.”

Adam smiled and for the first time in his life, Theo didn’t mind losing his dessert to his little sister.

“Okay.”

[offwithhxrhead]

Incorrect Quotes ft. the Liddell-Van Dorts

. thought i'd give this generator a go and i absolutely am so glad i did .

Alice: Hello, I'm Alice. I work at a shop now. Here to help. Look, they gave me a badge with my name on it in case I forget it. Very helpful, as that does happen.

Shapeshifter: *transforms to look like Maddie* Maddie: Okay, are you like BLIND? You look nothing like me. First off, I'm way taller. Secondly, I DO NOT look so sleep deprived and lastly, if you could drag comb through that hair you're like a 7 on a good day and I've been told I'm a constant 10.

Maddie, writing in their diary with a glitter gel pen: I'm losing my sense of humanity. Nothing matters. God is dead. There's blood on my hands.

Victor: What can therapy do for me that screaming in my car for 30 minutes can’t?

Alice: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down.

Cop: You ran a red light. Alice: So did you, hypocrite. Cop: I was following you. Alice: That was dumb, I'm a terrible driver. Cop: Get out.

Victor: I've got a weapon, and I'm... admittedly VERY afraid to use it!

Alice: Remember, when burying a body, make sure to cover it with endangered plants so it’s illegal to dig up! Alice: Make sure to follow me for more gardening tips!

Victor: BEHOLD, the field in which I grow my fucks! Lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren!

Maddie: What, I can’t be in a bad mood? It’s like people think, “Oh, Maddie is such a nice person, Maddie is so happy-go-lucky! Maddie can’t be in a bad mood!” Well, you know what? Maddie CAN be in a bad mood. And right now, Maddie IS be in a bad mood.

Alice: Social distancing says you shouldn't be within an elbow's distance of each other. *later, in a barfight* Alice: Social distancing doesn't say nothing about feet! *kicks opponent in the face*

Victor: Sometimes I wonder if I’m hearing voices. Victor: Then I remember that’s the last bit of sanity I have trying to get me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.

Maddie: Well, if you're not at least a little bit gay for your friends, then what kind of friend are you?

Alice: I apologize for saying 'fuck' in front of Maddie. Victor: You just said it again. Maddie: Alice: I am not a role model.

Alice: How long do you reckon it’ll be until Maddie finally snaps and commits murder? Victor: I’ve been going through life assuming it’s already happened at some point and it’s just that no one was ever able to trace it back to her.

Maddie: Victor, Alice, I love y’all and all, but can I ask what in the hell are you doing? Victor, trying to stabilize a tower of folding chairs that Alice is sitting atop: Oh nothing much. Alice: I love you too :)

Alice: Guys where did Maddie go? Victor: She got arrested. Alice: How the hell- Maddie: *bursts in through the window* The cops are after me, I thought it would be fun to steal crackers and throw them at people.

Alice: Maddie, what do you have? Maddie: A KNIFE! Alice: Okay, have fu- Victor: NO!

Maddie: Would you take a bullet for me? Victor: ...yes? *Alice angrily bursts into the room* Maddie: *running away* Great, thanks!

Maddie, washing the dishes: Who the fuck used this pan?? Maddie: Wait. I the fuck used this pan… Victor: It was you the fuck. Maddie: It was I the fuck… Alice: Who cooks rice in a pan? Victor: She the fuck.

Victor: Why would anyone want to harm Maddie? Alice: Maybe because they met her?

Maddie: Mom, that’s disgusting. You’re only giving free stuff to beautiful people. Victor: Yeah, you should be ashamed of yourself. Alice: Oh yeah? *gets really close to Victor* How about a muffin on the house baby? Victor, giggling: I’m pretty.

Victor: You know, it’s fine to admit you were wrong. Maddie: *Sipping their drink after accidentally adding salt* I just like the way it tastes.

Victor: If we lose, you’re out of the will. Maddie: I was in the will?

Victor: Am I right, Maddie? Maddie: I’m almost certain you’re not, but to be fair, I wasn’t listening.

Alice: What situation is not instantly improved by the addition of fishnets, I ask you. Maddie: Being a fish. Alice: Well, shit.

Alice: What the fuck is wrong with you?? Maddie: What? No good morning? Alice: Good morning, what the fuck is wrong with you??

Victor: *chokes on something* Maddie: Jeez, Victor, don't die on us. Victor: Don't tell me what to do, I'll die whenever the hell I want!

Maddie: You know what I’ve realized? Alice: Some thoughts are better left unsaid? Maddie: Nice try, anyways-

Maddie: Help! I’m drowning! Victor: Calm down. We’re only in six feet of water! Maddie: NOT ALL OF US ARE TALL!

Victor: Talk dirty to me, baby~ Alice: The dishes. Victor: Wh- Alice: They’ve been there for 4 days and it’s your turn to wash them. You still haven’t cleaned them and I have asked you to do so several times.

Alice: *sees someone doing something stupid* Alice: What an idiot. Alice: *realizes it's Maddie* Alice: Wait, that's MY idiot!

@thevalicemultiverse

[bylightofdawn]

Did not get a lot of resting done today. Ended up driving into the outskirts of San Antonio (and that was far enough, thank you very much. What the ever living FUCK did they do to 35/1604. I know, they're improving and adding what looks to be a huge overpass junction but fuck that hellscape for the next 4+ years). It was the closest place the Boy and the Heron was playing sadly and I wanted to see it.

I TRY and see Miyazaki films in theaters if I can because the experience is definitely the best viewing wise. I can still recall the way goosebumps broke out on my arms when I watched Princess Mononoke in theaters the first time around. A bunch of my high school buddies and I convinced my grandma to drive us to the ONE THEATER in the entirety of Houston that was playing it for like...one day or something stupidly short run like that. We were all in our baby weeb stages and it was a huge deal because we'd never seen an anime brought over and aired in the US like that. And holy shit the score of that movie? Amazing. It was a mindblowing experience suffice it to say.

Sadly, this movie did not give me the same sort of emotional payoff. It was fine, I enjoyed it and no one tells a tale quite like Miyazaki. It was prolly more of a mindfuck than some of his other movies and lawl there were kids like...6 years old there and I can only imagine how that's going to stick with them for years like a confusing fever dream of a memory, I'm sure. LOL

I certainly don't regret going to see it but I feel like my finally going to Hawaiian Bro's Island Grill afterwards might have been a bigger highlight for me. Oh mah gawd I just inhaled a Kahlua pork plate which I'd picked up for lunch tomorrow so I'd opted for the smaller size and I was going to eat their Molokai chicken tonight. But lemme tell you, driving home for 30 minutes in the dark smelling that damned pork the whole way? Pfffft guess which one I opted for and I regret absolutely nothing.

Now I am going to try and get some writing done so wish me luck as I battle the ending of Seeds once again.

EDIT: Oooooooor I could get summoned over to my mom's YET AGAIN to deal with her bullshit. Which I'm glad I did because apparently when her soon to be ex husband 'canceled' the insurance they just moved him off of her policy and left hers in place and she was going to be charge 100 bucks on January 1st. Which the only reason I caught it was because mom was mentioning some other random email she got. -drags hands down face- I've seen way too much of my mother in the past week. I am at my limit of mother facetime.

[mediocre-daydreams]

Hey 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

Can I request

“Do you trust me?” “No”

“You flinched”

“because i’m in love with you, isn’t that obvious?”

i've been wanting to write a taylor fic for a while and rep is my all-time favorite album; thus, this mess. i'm not sure how i feel about it tbh i wrote it in two parts and both times i was multitasking so,,, i think the ridiculousness of it all will make up for it

𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞

bucky barnes x avenger! reader

inspired by delicate (not taylor's version, unfortunately)

notes: reader dumb asf, friends to lovers/mutual pining but x10 idiocy factor, literally just crack with a side of *stupid* angst, swearing, brief suggestive language, bucky's actually the worst communicator EVER, natasha and wanda mean well but don't give the best advice (but we love 'em always)

w/c: 4.1k

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

this ain't for the best my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me

“this is useless,” bucky complained, flopping himself onto the couch, next to you—which was a bad idea, because the man was 6’3 and nearly 250 pounds. you felt yourself bounce as the cushions sunk under his weight.

“holy- watch where you’re sitting, barnes!” you scrambled back into your previous position, trying to regain your dignity as if you hadn’t just been catapulted simply because of a super soldier sitting down.

“this whole amends thing is bullshit,” he groaned, waving his hands in the air out of frustration. “i mean, i go up to people all sunshine and smiles and i’m like, ‘hi, i’m bucky, i’m here to make amends,’ and then they’re all like, ‘fuck you, asshole!’” he threw his face into his hands and groaned.

you stifled a laugh. “you look like an overgrown toddler right now.” it was true—his bottom lip was jutting out, he was slumped in his seat, and every once in a while he’d sigh or mutter something negative audibly like he was throwing a mini temper tantrum.

“who looks like an overgrown toddler?” natasha rounded the corner and smirked when she saw bucky and his pity party. “oh yeah, i see it.”

bucky rolled his eyes. “this is ridiculous. do you know how sore my cheeks are? i’m trying my fucking best here, and all i got today was glares, a cup of coffee thrown at me, and the middle finger from two grandmas.”

“your own people, turning against you.” you patted bucky’s shoulder reassuringly. “there, there. we’re still here for you.”

“gee, thanks,” he grumbled.

natasha covered her mouth to hide the knowing smile on her face. she was the best spy in the world, but the only thing that could make her break was watching you and bucky interact. neither of you was aware that you were very obviously teetering the line between teammate and soulmate. there was no in between, just a precarious tightrope walk.

“alright, you bums. tony’s hosting another one of his galas-”

“actually, it’s an extravaganza,” tony corrected, sauntering in with his yellow sunglasses perched at the tip of his nose as he checked off items on his holographic pad. “and attendance is mandatory. i will be marking lates and absences.”

tony didn’t even look up from his device when he said, “and yes, barnes, that includes you. consider this a part of your whole… making amends thing.” tony finally looked up from his screen to make intense eye contact with the three of you. “fabulous! i’m glad we’re all on the same page. 7:45 sharp; dress nice.”

with a snap of his fingers and a call for JARVIS, tony was gone as quickly as he had butted in.

natasha grimaced. “right. what i was going to suggest was that bucky takes a plus one. you know. breaking news: winter soldier has a heart! winter soldier, the secret romantic! bucky barnes, giving tony stark a run for his money as the womanizer of the decade?”

bucky looked uncomfortable. “sure…” he dragged out. “yeah, i’ll think about it. thanks a lot, natasha.”

we can’t make any promises now can we, babe? but you can make me a drink

your eyes flickered between the two of them and the thick tension laced in their glares. was this Sexual Tension™? you jumped up from your spot and excused yourself hurriedly, speedwalking to your room at an awkward mid-speed gait.

natasha had basically asked bucky out right in front of your face. great. what were you supposed to do, tell her to fuck off and let you make a fool of yourself in front of bucky? tony’s parties were never your scene anyway; natasha had much more grace and composure. bucky and natasha made sense. they had similar backgrounds, were equally sharp-minded, and admittedly, the both of them were very, very beautiful.

you buried your face into a pillow and screamed. technically, the rooms were soundproof, but it was more dramatic that way. at some point during your toddler-esque fit (bucky was rubbing off on you), you were struck with a brilliant idea. what you needed was a movie-style makeover montage.

you and wanda had always worked together perfectly. it was like you could read each others’ minds. well, wanda literally could, but you could do it…hypothetically? she was more than thrilled to help you get dolled up.

“i have snacks!” wanda squealed, running into your room with bags of gummies and packets of chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds floating behind her. (you had a unique taste in candy, so what?) she wiggled in place as she examined your setup with nothing but pure delight in her eyes.

wanda came up behind you while you were fiddling with your laptop and her enthusiastic but sudden exclamation made you jump. “ohmigosh, are we going to watch the bootleg version of legally blonde the musical? you know me so well,” she swooned, “that’s my favorite broadway production!” 

wanda flitted between the various products you’d laid out in your bathroom. you’d prepared it all—an army of nail polish bottles, mountains of glittering jewelry, and heaps and heaps of makeup products that you’d probably never finish in a lifetime.

“bucky is gonna freak when he sees you!” wanda said decisively as she brushed your hair. you examined yourself in the mirror with a frown.

“wan, i’m pretty sure he and natasha are going as a couple.” you fidgeted with a stray piece of hair and wanda grabbed your hand before you could do any more damage to her styling.

“don’t fidget. you only do that when you’re really upset.” wanda sighed, meeting your eyes in the mirror. “i’m sorry, babe. i really thought- well, i’ll just say this is a surprising development for me too. i can’t really promise you anything without totally invading bucky’s bodily autonomy and forcefully and very immorally looking through his private and most intimate thoughts, but i really did- do think you have something there.”

you smiled sadly, unconvinced. “thanks. it doesn’t matter anymore, though. what’s done is done and i’m not going to cry over spilled juice.” you pursed your lips. “even if i really like orange juice…” you huffed.

wanda didn’t correct you. you were already pretty upset.

“hey, chin up a bit! you still get to go to the party with the hottest date ever, me,” she gestured to her body. “and, i mix a mean drink. none of that bartender nonsense. i’ll whip up something way better for us. what d’you say? wanna get totally trashed and embarrass ourselves in front of stuffy businessmen?”

you cracked a smile and looked up at wanda mischievously. “hell yeah. and let’s crack out the kazoos.”

is it cool that i said all that? is it chill that you’re in my head? ‘cause i know that it’s delicate

you were hopping around on one foot, still trying to put on a shoe, as you left your room and crashed into the most delicious-smelling wall you’d ever crashed into.

“bucky?” you squeaked, feeling your face heat up.

“hi, doll.” he smiled down at you fondly and helped you steady yourself before he got on one knee to help you with your shoe. you knew bucky ran warm, but you swore there was a heat in his cheeks too.

“you look b- you are beautiful,” he muttered, just loud enough so you were the only one who could hear it. you gulped, feeling like bucky had suddenly adopted wanda’s abilities to mind read from the way his blue eyes searched your face as if he was admiring art.

“you look okay, i guess.” you poked him in the chest. “c’mon, i’m sure nat’s waiting for us.” you ignored the pang in your chest as you said natasha’s name, but it was totally because you were just hungry.

“i’m hungry,” wanda whined, able to sense your distress and quickly changing the subject. “do you think tony got a fondue machine?” her strides had widened as she lauded on and on about the potential food options, picking up her pace at each mention of a different dish.

soon, there was good distance between bucky and you and a very distracted wanda. your eyes were fixed on wanda’s back, but you weren’t oblivious to the way bucky’s gaze was glued to the side of your face.

“doll, can i talk to you real quick?” he placed a gentle hand on your arm and you froze, whipping around to finally look at him with wide, doe-like eyes. you snatched your arm out of his grasp only moments after, walking down the hallway faster than before.

bucky’s face fell. he’d opted not to cover his metal arm that night, but he was beginning to regret that decision. he couldn’t tell how much of your avoidance was due to his arm or from some other unknown reason, and he wasn’t sure which was worse.

“no, wait-” bucky jogged to catch up to you, but you only threw an anxious glance over your shoulder. when you locked eyes, you stiffened. bucky was perplexed. he couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong.

“sweetheart, why are you running from me?” he cooed, giving you distance but wary that you’d run from him again.

“it’s nothing, buck. i’m just… menstruating,” you lied.

“no you’re not.” bucky looked at you pointedly. “i know because we always do movies and chocolate on the 20th, and it’s the 5th. so… ‘fess up.”

“i-” you smiled weakly. “seriously, it’s fine. c’mon, you heard tony. i’m not getting marked late and ruining my perfect attendance record.”

--

bucky watched as you dashed off, throwing open the doors to the center of the party, leaving him alone and dejected in the hallway. well, not for long. natasha, in a slinky silver dress, snuck behind him silently and coughed. bucky shrieked yelped.

“you’re actually so pathetic.” natasha crossed her arms. “i literally asked her out for you and you’ve somehow managed to make her run away from you?”

bucky shriveled under her piercing disappointment. “what are you even talking about?” he grumbled, kicking an imaginary stone.

“you were supposed to ask her to be your plus one, idiot.” at this point, natasha seemed more upset than bucky, who had already resigned to the fact that he’d be forever alone.

“but you said that was a suggestion,” bucky retorted.

“you should know by now that anything i say, whether it be phrased as a suggestion or not, is mandatory. do better, barnes.” natasha puched bucky in his [flesh] arm before quirking her head thoughtfully.

“i think there’s still a way to salvage this. all you have to do is ignore her, so that she’ll wonder where you are, and then-”

“natasha, that is entirely a contradiction,” bucky interjected.

“buchanan, don’t you trust me?” natasha snapped.

“absolutely not. and don’t call me that.” bucky tried to stand taller and puff out his chest to assert dominance (to hide the fact that he was absolutely clueless on modern courting strategies), but natasha was unimpressed.

“i’m going to pretend i didn’t hear that, because i’d quite like for you to show up to the party in one piece. and don’t think it’s because i’m soft on you. i just think you’d make a good couple and i’m bored,

“so, like i was saying. you disappear, all mysterious and broody. that should be easy enough for you. then, she’ll think, ‘where are you?’ so she’s either going to text you or call you, and that’s when you invite her over. make sure you’re somewhere in the back… preferably dark and a bit secluded.”

bucky was incredulous. “you do realize i’m trying to get her to like me, not tyring to kill her, right?” his trust in natasha, which was already nonexistent, was somehow continuing to deteriorate.

“gramps, i’ve gotten more action in the past year than you’ve had in your entire life.” natasha flipped her hair. “anyways, she already likes you, dingus. i don’t know why…”

natasha stole a look towards the glass doors, which revealed tony’s extravaganza in full swing. she patted bucky’s arm patronizingly. “you’re not trying to get her to like you, alright? you have to show her that you feel the same, because full offense, you’ve been absolutely shit at expressing your feelings. have you always been like this? or did 40s girls just have low standards?”

natasha sauntered off, leaving bucky alone and confused in a hallway once again. he steeled himself, pushing back his shoulders, before stepping through the doors and into the party scene with determination.

he immediately deflated when he caught sight of you, hand resting delicately on top of some shmoozing billionaire (or so he figured), laughing gracefully at something the man had said which probably wasn’t even that funny anyways.

natasha’s step one suddenly became much easier. he had no inclination to chat up some new money assholes who’d probably end up badmouthing him to the press the next day, even if it meant being by your side. he stealthily (or as stealthily as one could for a hulking serum-enhanced man) maneuvered through the excessive crowd to the open bar that he was planning on living off of to survive the night.

third floor on the west side, me and you handsome, you’re a mansion with a view do the girls back home touch you like i do?

“a whiskey, neat,” bucky said, absolutely emotionless, as he slid into a booth. the bartender, who was horrible at hiding their expressions, seemed to cower in bucky’s presence. bucky took advantage of that. 

“and make it fast,” he glowered. it was only when the bartender gave bucky a little salute, addressing him by his military title, that bucky smiled for the first time that night. maybe this party wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

“buck!” you screamed into his ear. you were kneeling on the seat from the booth behind him, leaning over the divider so you could make sure you were close enough to shatter his eardrums. he let out a high pitched squeal very masculine sound of being startled. 

“aw, did i scare you?” you hopped the booth divider and slid in next to him. the booths were unusually small and bucky was unusually large, so you were essentially halfway on his lap. bucky didn’t know how you could be so nonchalant about it. he felt like he was going to throw up. or that other parts of his body were going to go up.

“n-no,” he insisted; his chin was pressed against his neck.

“that’s such a lie, bucky. you flinched.” bucky tried to protest, but you wouldn’t have any of it. “no, you definitely did! admit it, i surprised you.”

reluctantly, bucky conceded. “okay, maybe i was caught off guard. but i was busy looking for my girl, so whose fault is it really?” he was proud of his answer until he remember what natasha had advised him. 

“make sure you disappear, all mysterious and broody.” well, great. it’d been less than 10 minutes. “she’ll think, ‘where are you?’ and that’s when you invite her over.” you’d found him before he could even make a move. the step which he anticipated would be the easiest had already been blown.

“your gi- oh, that reminds me, where’s nat?” your golden demeanor seemed to dampen for just a moment before you perked up again, looking up at bucky with those infinitely deep eyes. he gulped. wasn’t he supposed to be the one with the mesmerizing “steel blue” eyes? you were completely unfazed. this was not going his way, not at all.

“she’s in the bathroom… menstruating, “ he lied, regurgitating your excuse from earlier. you narrowed your eyes at him disbelievingly.

“oo…kay. well, that sucks. she’s gonna miss out on the caviar gun.” you nodded your head towards a man in a bright, coral-colored suit, who was indeed holding a bedazzled sniper rifle (whether it was real or a prop, bucky was too far away to tell) and shooting caviar like bullets into an eagerly waiting crowd. bucky wanted to say that he was surprised, but he wasn’t. this was a stark event, after all.

bucky’s attention was broken as you gasped animatedly. “you used to be a sniper in the 40s, right? we should ask the man if you can try it out!” bucky blushed as he felt your soft hand take his large, calloused one in his. 

(he’d once asked you how you kept your hands so well maintained. you’d recommended him some obscure brand of floral lotion. he was wearing it today.)

bucky tried thinking back to what natasha had advised him. “make sure you’re somewhere in the back, preferably dark and bit secluded.” he glanced over at the steadily growing crowd at the caviar-fest. that was literally the opposite of what he’d been told to do. c’mon bucky, you already fucked up step one. you have to pull through with step two.

“actually, i think natasha, uh, wanted me to get her a drink,” bucky blurted. your lips twitched enticingly for a brief moment as if getting a drink was personally offensive to you or something, but you nodded anyways.

“you’re, um, a good date,” you stammered, looking anywhere but at him. bucky blushed. was he winning you over? “natasha’s lucky to have you.”

bucky wanted to die. this was worse than when he fell off the train.

“oh doll, i keep meaning to tell you that-”

“here’s your whiskey, sergeant bucky barnes- shit, james- seargent buchanan barnes. sir.” the bartender pushed the glass towards bucky hastily, their face pale and sweaty. you eyed bucky with suspicion.

“what did you do now, huh? always getting into trouble without me,” you joked, with a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. he sighed, tapping his fingers against his drink, leaving nervous fingerprints in the condensation. it was rare to see you so… guarded. you were the person who’d taught him how to feel freely and embrace vulnerability. now, you were the one putting up a front.

“i’ll admit, you are a good influence on me.” bucky waved the bartender over once more, who scurried up to the two of you instantaneously.

long nights with your hands up in my hair echoes of your footsteps on the stairs stay here, honey, i don’t want to share ‘cause i like you

“w-what can i do for you today?” the bartender forced the words through their teeth, mouth locked in a fake smile.

“what do you want, sweetheart?” bucky’s tone took a complete 180 as he looked down at you fondly, though you weren’t paying attention. you were more concerned about the bartender who looked like they were on the verge of a heart attack, swaying back and forth.

“i’ll have a… um, i’ll have whatever he’s having,” you smiled sweetly at the flustered bartender, who’d regained color in their cheeks at your comfortable tone. 

bucky wrapped an arm around your shoulder, sending you into a dizzying haze of his cologne. “why are you still here? you heard m’girl,” bucky glowered. 

you shot him a disapproving glare. “first of all, you’re supposed to be here working on bettering your reputation. second of all, you really should stop calling me ‘your girl’ if you’re out here with nat, i don’t think she’d be comfortable with-”

“can you just shut up for a second?” bucky removed his hand from your shoulder and slapped his forehead. then he realized how rude he looked.

bucky had been worried about you earlier because you’d clearly been hiding your emotions. but it seems like he’d only exacerbated the issue, because now there you were, biting your bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to stop it from wobbling. you were unblinking and bucky knew the glassiness in your eyes wasn’t because they’d been open for too long; rather, that you were tearing up and didn’t want to release them.

he really was good at fucking things up, wasn’t he?

“oh, doll, i didn’t mean- shit, i’m so sorry, are you crying? i didn’t mean to make you cry, i must’ve sounded like such an asshole just then,” he prattled, holding his hands up in surrender as he tried to undo all the damage of the night.

“no, no, it’s fine!” you laughed fakely. (thank god you were an avenger. you’d be a horrible actor.) “i didn’t mean to cling on to you the entire evening, i imagine nat’s wondering where you’ve been. how inconsiderate of me! i hope everything’s still okay between us?” your voice was almost an octave higher than normal.

“listen, i-”

“and i’m totally going to get out of your hair now—your hair looks really good by the way, really soft—and you can go have a super fantastic time with nat! um, let her know i have tampons if she needs any. okay, bye!” 

the bartender had perfect timing. well, perfect for bucky, and unfortunate for you.

“here you are, ma’am! i wish the beautiful couple a beautiful night.”

that only made you more upset. bucky was very bad with crying people.

“you know what? let’s go. we need to talk.” bucky stood and grabbed your forearm, marching towards the dark, secluded place in the back that he should’ve gone to from the start. 

you trailed behind him without protest, quickening your footsteps to keep up with his steady, determined pace. “hey, watch it! these are louboutins!”

bucky all but shoved you into a seat. he stood over you for a few loud heartbeats before he sank into a chair of his own, massaging his temples with exhaustion. “alright. you are not allowed to leave that chair until you hear me out,” he growled. the soft tone he only reserved for you was gone.

“you really piss me off sometimes.” that was a rough start for bucky. it was pretty apparent that he wasn’t the most feely-feel of a guy. “yeah, you do. and y’know why? because you’re so- you’re so you.”

you looked at bucky like he’d gone insane. that was a fair assessment. bucky felt like he’d gone insane too, with the way he’d stopped having any control of what came out of his mouth.

“you do this- this thing, where you’re so optimistic about everything except for when it comes to yourself. you see the best in people—even me, for fuck’s sake—but you can’t see it in yourself. the whole fucking night, i’ve been trying to tell you that i’m not with natasha—don’t give me that look—but you keep running away from me because- because why? ‘cause you don’t believe that in any universe, i’d want to be with you? because you’re wrong!” bucky was flushed and his voice had gotten much louder since the start of his impassioned declaration.

“and you pretended to be happy for me, even though you clearly weren’t happy—yeah, that’s right. i could tell. you’re a shitty liar—because you’re just the kindest, most selfless, the most deserving person i’ve ever known. and i’m one hundred-fucking-six years old. you deserve the world, doll, but it’s like you’d rather give yourself up for the world. nothing could replace you.”

bucky slipped out of his seat to come sit on his knees before you. he took your hands in his, resting your intertwined fingers on your thighs. “nothing could make me feel the same way i feel about you,” he whispered. 

neither of you said anything. in the dimness of the corner the two of you were tucked into, he could vaguely make out the fluttering of your lashes, clumped together from the tears that’d soaked into your makeup. he could see your parted lips, swollen from having been bitten and chewed at this entire time. he could even feel your breath on his face, and at that moment, it was as if the air of your soft exhales that tickled his cheeks was the only air left in the world—like you were his only source of oxygen, and that he couldn’t survive without you.

sometimes i wonder, when you sleep are you ever dreaming of me? sometimes when i look into your eyes i pretend you’re mine, all the damn time

“that was a lot of swearing,” you hiccuped, eyes wide and brows furrowed. you shook your head in perplexion as your eyes flickered between his, like some possessive marking of a predator who knows they had their prey entirely under their control. “i don’t- i don’t get it.”

bucky wanted to choke you out. (not in a literal, violent manner! or in a sexual one, for that matter! at least, not in this context.) you were so stupid. how did you still now understand?

“isn’t it obvious?” he chuckled humorlessly. “i’m in love with you, idiot.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

marvel masterlist | main masterlist

taglist: (comment to be added!)

@bambamwolf87 @yourallihave @im-a-slut-for-fluff

[miyacreampie]

Lenny sensei's class has begun!~♡

“Naughty boy~♡”

synopsis 💭;; Ushijima being horny and desperate enough to touch himself while talking to us on the phone.

note 🖋️;; This is my first time writing something like this. It was something random that popped into my head lmao- sorry if it's shitty or doesn't make sense- I started writing it at 3am-

Male pronouns used.

Not enough.

Ushijima felt as if he needed something specific to help him get off. He had asked Tendou for help with his dilemma, and the redhead did so, albeit being surprised. Now, Tendou knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but Ushijima usually never showed any interest towards these kinds of things. But Ushijima was a man after all- it was bound to happen eventually.

The olive-haired man went through the sites Tendou had sent him, although it did make him cum, he still didn't feel satisfied. He texted his friend that it didn't work, but thanked him for his help. (Although that did take a while because his hand was shaking.)

‘Maybe if I try touching somewhere else it'll calm down..’ He spread his legs, reaching down to touch his hole. ‘I'll try this since that woman in the video seemed to enjoy it.’ Wakatoshi flinched and let out a shaky breath as he inserted one finger.

Just as he was about to insert a second finger, his phone rang. Ushijima didn't want to answer, but after he read the contact name, he answered it because he didn't feel like dealing with being attacked with questions. Especially during his current situation.

“Hey, ‘Shijima-kun!” (Y/n)'s tone of voice was as playful as Tendou's, but with a more adult charm to it. Ushiwaka's cock twitched upon hearing it. “I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place for the weekend– it's cool if you can't. Heh.”

Another finger entered Wakatoshi's now clenching hole. He let out a soft moan, not loud enough to be heard over the phone, but it still had him fearing his friend may have heard him. “Uhm- s..sure…” Ushiwaka didn't know how or why, but (Y/n)'s voice made him feel hot. Maybe he'd finally be able to get his dick to go down after all! He'd do anything at this point- desperate wouldn't even be the right word for him. He was beyond desperate.

“Oh cool. Anytime is fine. Well, I guess I'll–”

“How've you been lately, (L/n)-san..?” Ushijima asked, trying to drag the conversation on.

(Y/n) was taken aback by the other man wanting to talk more. Usually they would end the call there. “I've been good I guess- can't say the same for the weather though, am I right?” The (h/c) man let out a quiet laugh. “What about you?”

Ushi answered, despite his voice not agreeing with him. “I..I've been w-well..hng~..” Unlike the first time he let out a lewd sound, (Y/n) heard it loud and clear this time.

A smirk slowly crept it's way across (Y/n)'s face. He had never heard Ushiwaka sound so..whiny. It made him kinda happy. “Are you sure? You sound a bit unwell to me.” (Y/n) feigned a concerned tone, and listened for his friend's voice.

“Hah~..mm~..”

“‘Shijima-kun?”

Upon hearing (Y/n) call his name from the other end, he snapped back into reality (from wherever the hell his mind was). “Y-yes!” That came out a little louder than he would have liked it to. He cleared his throat. “I'm perfectly fine..(L/n)-san.”

“Wakatoshi–” There was a brief silence (other than Ushijima's quiet whimpers and moans) before (Y/n) continued. “–please don't push yourself. Get some rest.”

At that moment, Ushijima felt as if he were about to cum. Was it because (Y/n) said his name? “..again...hah~..”

“What?”

Ushiwaka rolled over on his stomach, still playing with his hole as he rubbed his cock against the fabric of the bedsheets underneath him. “My name– say it again.. please~”

‘Is he being serious right now?’ (Y/n) unconsciously raised an eyebrow. “Wakatoshi..?” His voice came out a little deeper, but a bit quieter than he thought it would, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing?

Hearing his name in a soft-spoken voice; he lost it. Ushijima let out a loud whine as he shot thick ropes of cum onto the sheets as well as his stomach and chest. It was so much more intense than the other times– his vision was hazy, and his body shook from the intensity of the orgasm. Then, it finally happened. His cock spewed a bit more cum before finally going limp.

Wakatoshi had never felt so relieved. He didn't even care about the mess he made. He was just glad he finally got rid of his (kinda) painful hard-on. Though that didn't last long as he was scared half to death by (Y/n)'s laughter. Did the orgasm fry his brain? How the hell did he forget that he was on the phone with (Y/n) that fast?

“‘Shijima-kun, you naughty, naughty boy..~♡”

“W...what?”

“Tori-kun told me about your little problem, so I decided to check on you. I didn't think you'd get off to my voice..you dirty boy~♡”

‘Shit. I got carried away. But it felt so–’ His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the growing pressure in his lower abdomen. He was getting hard again.

“Fuck.”

I hope I made the homies horny 😩 thanks for reading, darling. ♡

The class session is now over!~♡

[delirious-donna]

I'm so so glad that you are taking requests, now I got plenty plenty ideas! But unfortunately, I don't wanna scare you lol. So I'm just going with the one running on my mind for a while-

Since you want the requests to be precise, here you go!

Pairing : Natsu/Lucy(cause they're the best duh)

Prompt : We all know that Lucy has somehow gotten the idea that Natsu is incapable of romance so in this story, Natsu somehow learns about her misconception and it makes him feel uncomfortable for some reasons. But he doesn't quite realise what he feels so he chooses to not think much about it. Meanwhile Lucy decides that she needs to put some boundary in their relationship since it's painful for her to confine her own feelings. I'm implying the regular physical contact between them(cuddles, sleeping in one bed, close proximity). She doesn't wanna ruin their precious friendship for the sake of her supressed emotions. Hence she slowly starts trying to move on, which she can't. Natsu finds it all too confusing and frustrating. He can't bring himself to imagine someone else with Lucy.

And I'm a big Gratsu brotp fan, Gray gets what's going on and helps out Natsu. You can write their convo as per your choice! Finally Natsu understands and in the end, talks to Lucy.

Hope you can finish it soon!

Time To Talk [NaLu]

an: Hi Anon! Firstly, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get around to writing this for you!! Secondly, this is my first ever ask on tumblr so I hope I've done okay? I didn't anticipate it would turn out this long, and to be fair I probably could have made it longer but I reined myself in! XD

pairing: Natsu Dragneel x Lucy Heartfilia

warnings: SFW, fluff, angst, Natsu is oblivious, Gray is a good friend, just wholesome feelings being discovered, lil fight between ice and fire, injuries and a lil blood

Masterlist

A dull ache added to each beat of his heart. He didn’t understand it, why did it hurt? Rubbing the spot on his chest where his heart lay beneath, he frowned and replayed the conversation he had overheard, although he was sure he was not meant to.

“You don’t get it Mira, Natsu, he – he just isn’t capable of feeling the way I do. It hurts but I have to put a halt to this before I drown in my own misery.”

Natsu had pondered those words for the past few days, puzzling over what exactly Lucy had been trying to say and coming up with a big fat nothing. True indeed that the Fire Dragon Slayer was more than a little dense, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was simply inexperienced.

Entirely unaccustomed to emotions more complex than happiness, sadness, anger, fear and familial love, it was not surprising that he chose to ignore the pang in his heart whenever his hand brushed against Lucy’s. Oblivious to why his stomach flitted nervously with enormous bat-like moths whenever they were parted, which gave way to ticklish wing strokes of dainty butterflies when they were finally reunited.

He knew that Lucy meant more to him than the rest of his beloved Fairy Tail family, but when he tried to define it, he couldn’t. It was like the words were stuck fast in his throat, choking him until he was blue in the face and it was maddening for the poor boy.

It was dragging him down, making him grumpy and abrasive to those around him.

His callous roughened hands curled into tight fists, eyeing the prominent veins that stood proud against his tanned skin and wished for a good brawl. A fight with someone that could take his intensity, absorb his flames and throw back an equal amount of power. Something, anything to take his mind off this problem that he had no idea how to even start to unravel – let alone resolve.

Gray!

Ruffling his vividly pink hair, he grinned his signature toothy grin but it was not full of good humour this time, oh no, he had come up with a plan to hopefully squash all thought of Lucy’s words out of his head. If he could not solve the problem, he would knock it from his head and who better to engage in a physical smackdown than Gray Fullbuster.

He just had to go find him…

~

Lucy sighed.

This was harder than she had anticipated. She had meant what she said to Mira, it was more than time that she place some boundaries on her ‘relationship’ with Natsu. Could you even call it a relationship? Honestly, she didn’t know at this point.

It felt wrong to say it was only a friendship; it wasn’t normal for a male and female to share a bed more often than they slept separately. To wake up in the mornings entwined in limbs that did not belong to their own body, basking in the bodily heat that the other provided in a way that spoke much more than a platonic friendship.

Lucy felt the safest when she was physically touching Natsu, innocent enough with hands that brushed against one another until that alone had not been enough. The contact evolved into quick hugs and then into arms that remained draped around shoulders and waists long past the point that would seem appropriate.

The last thing she wished to do was jeopardise the friendship that they did have, she would box up her own swelling feelings for her precious Salamander, and swallow them down. A bitter pill indeed, but it would be for the best. How long she could have gone on pining for someone that she was confident would never return her feelings, she wasn’t sure, but it was best not to find out.

Yet, it was like dying a thousand deaths when she bore witness to the mixture of hurt and confusion that etched upon his face when she denied him entry to her bed. Forced him to curl up on her sofa instead, a sofa that was much too small to contain his hulking mass but it was either that or the floor.

The scrunch above the bridge of his nose, sharp eyebrows drawn low into a frown and his lips tipped down as if he had tasted something unpleasant on his tongue. It hurt, every intimate detail that she noted was an individual agony, but she resolved to follow through.

It’s for the best…

Lucy tried to remind herself of this fact in the dead of the night; listening to the ferocious draconic snores of the Dragon Slayer in the next room. Sleep refused to come to her, dancing around her restless form that was much too small within this bed. Her fingers grabbed for the pillow that Natsu used, dragging it to her chest and nuzzling her face into the downy soft material. Inhaling that all too familiar scent of campfires that tickled her nose in the most addicting way and letting the tears fall freely.

Why couldn’t you love me like I love you, Natsu?

~

“What you staring at Ice Princess?”

Gray turned to spot an agitated looking Natsu. He cocked an eyebrow, watching intently as the pink haired idiot smacked his fists together until they ignited. The flames wreathed his hands, dancing their ritualistic war dance along his skin until they reached his muscled shoulders.

This was getting excessive now.

The Ice Mage was used to bouts of aggression with Natsu, the pair of them always keen to square off and prove who was the better mage, but this smacked of something else entirely. Barely a day went by without the two of them being dragged apart by Erza, and on one occasion, even Master Makarov had intervened.

Something was wrong, he could sense it like an approaching thunderstorm. The air was as thick as molasses, sticky on the skin and dragging the oxygen from the lungs until they burned.

His eye twitched as Natsu bumped into his chest with his own, their forehead inches from colliding and then he noticed it. The faint purplish colour under the Salamander’s blazing obsidian eyes, the near-constant grind of his sharp jaw and the sadness that he was trying to mask with his aggression.

Gray had known that Lucy was not her usual self either. Similar to how Natsu appeared, she was tired and often close to tears over apparently nothing. He was a smart man and putting two and two together, the answer was clear enough. Things were not as rosy as they normally were between the princess and her dragon. He would get to the bottom of this, but first, a good beat down sounded like fun.

He played along with the pathetic lure that Natsu had baited him with, knowing that the fiery male would be more willing to open up if he were to be physically exhausted.

“Staring at a pathetic piece of shit, that’s what!”

The fists flew in a flurry of movement; connecting with steely jaws and hardened stomachs. Ice met fire, the opposing elements engaging in a battle of their own. Fireballs flew in every direction, Natsu was getting sloppy in his technique and it worried Gray. He had to bring this to a close quickly.

“Ice Make – Ice Geyser” the raven haired male roared.

He leapt back as the ground around Natsu erupted with deadly looking ice spikes. His opponent managed to dodge the worst of them, as he had predicted he would, but he was not at his best. Ice wrapped around his left ankle and quickly coursed up his leg until he was immobilised from the waist down on one side.

Natsu panted heavily, his chest heaving with every breath he took and a nasty swelling already blooming over his right eye from an uppercut that Gray had landed earlier in the fight. A trickle of blood oozed from his cut brow and bathed the side of his face in blood. Cuts around the eye always had the worst way of making it look so much worse than it actually was.

“Feeling better?” Gray asked as he slowly melted the ice to free his friend.

The pink haired male fell to his knees and then back onto his butt. He pulled his knees up to his chest and linked his arms around his thighs whilst his cheek rested atop. Gray dropped to the dusty ground, giving Natsu enough space to not feel crowded but close enough to reassure him that he was willing to listen.

“Not really man,” came the quiet reply.

Manifesting a small lump of ice, he wrapped it in his discarded top and offered it to the Dragon Slayer.

“Something wrong with you and Lucy? I was sure you guys were as solid as a rock…”

Natsu scoffed as he pressed the makeshift icepack to his swollen eye.

“You tell me, I – I just don’t know what has changed. If I’ve done or said something that I shouldn’t have. Fuck, I wanted to forget about this but I overheard a conversation between Lucy and Mira. I still don’t understand it but it won’t leave my head. I thought that beating it out would be best, but you can see how well that has worked.”

The words poured from his mouth like a dam bursting its banks. He pounded his bloodied fist against the ground, kicking up dirt and small pebbles under the intensity of his strength.

“What did she say?” Gray asked tentatively, not wishing to interrupt but needing more context than he had been given so far.

Natsu reiterated the words he had heard and Gray understood immediately. This was just like him, he couldn’t see what was right in front of his face. Oblivious wasn’t the right definition, for he knew it was there, more like overwhelmed and uncertain.

“Fucksake… Natsu.”

“What?! What the fuck am I missing here? Will someone just tell me?! I cannot stand the not knowing, it’s killing me and Lucy is drifting away from me and I don’t know why,” he yelled, his voice raw with pure unfiltered emotion.

Gray huffed through his nose as he pinched at the bridge to stem the headache that was fast blooming.

“Is Lucy your friend?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of course she is!”

“Do you think that she could be more than a friend?”

A look of confusion descended on the portion of Natsu’s face that he could see, and Gray would swear he could see the cogs whirring and grinding in his brain as he scrambled to understand what that meant.

“Let me put it this way flamebrain, how would you feel if you were to walk in on me kissing Lucy? Like passionately kissing, my fingers tangled in her golden hair, pressing my-”

His words were cut off as the Dragon Slayer lunged from his throat.

Gray chuckled darkly as he managed to avoid being grabbed and shackling the enraged male with ice once more.

“Don’t like that thought do you?” he smirked.

“Bring your fucking face here right this second, I want to knock your damn teeth out!” Natsu roared like a feral beast. His face was as vividly pink as his hair, veins popping on his forehead as he strained against his bitterly cold restraints.

“Natsu, calm yourself.

“Listen, man, Lucy thinks that you do not see her as anything other than a friend, but given how you just reacted, I think it’s safe to say that your feelings are more than simply born of friendship. You need to talk to her, she is pushing you away to save her heart. I bet it is killing her to do so, and you need to stop it before it becomes irreparable. Understand?”

The dawn of comprehension was amusing to watch. The metaphorical light bulb moment seemed silly to imagine until it was basically happening in front of his eyes.

~

The walk along the canal that led Lucy towards the Fairy Tail guildhall was no longer a comfort, instead, her feet felt leaden. She knew he would be there, Natsu had left her apartment earlier in the morning and had not yet returned. Part of her wished to return to bed, to wrap herself tightly in the lingering scent of him on her bedsheets and stay there forever.

Her morose thoughts were interrupted as a blur of motion came barrelling towards her.

As if summoned by her thoughts alone, Natsu stood in front of her, out of breath and looking badly beaten up. The blonde gasped at the wound on his eyebrow and the eye that was practically swollen shut.

“Natsu! What happened? Do you need me to find-”

Time stood still as he interrupted her words to pull her into a tight bear hug. Her feet dangled and for a moment she didn’t know how to react. It didn’t last long as her arms hooked around his neck and she squeezed him in return.

A wealth of tears sprung from her eyes as she lost herself within his embrace, how she had missed this. Lucy buried her face into the soft fabric of his scarf, the intense scent of him filling her to capacity as she let the barricades come tumbling down.

Her heart was in ruins, and she knew right then that she would never be able to stuff these feelings down ever again. She didn’t know what this would mean for their future, and it hurt her to think of having to physically move away to find any semblance of closure or peace.

“Luce,” he mumbled into her hair.

She gasped as she realised he too was inhaling her scent, one hand spearing into her blonde hair, holding her to him as the other crushed her torso to his own.

At long last they parted, her feet once again kissed the ground and she hesitantly met his gaze.

“We’ve gotta talk Luce, let’s go home.”

[sandsorghum]

The fic I've always wanted to write I don't know what to say about this one because it means a lot. Maybe once I get some distance, I've spent too much time with it. I'm just glad to have made it for Nanami's birthday, under the wire. But also it's unbeta'd. The format is new for me too, sort of a slow-burn triptych, best thought of as snapshots. I want to experiment more with it in the future, so I hope it does well. Please let me know your thoughts! Thread Count Genre: Slow Burn, Romance, Friends to Lovers WC: 5.3k

i.

Ache, behind the eyes. Throbbing. Fizzling fiber optics.

Static hissing. Constant haunting. Pelting silver sibilance. The ghosts chorus against asphalt.

Chill in the air. Condensing upon dewy brows. He tilts his head ever so slightly. Satin relief, the sheets are cool too. Except in one spot.

Warmth already leaching into his fingers. He flexes them against his palm, to assess how sticky he's made the bed.

This thread count is too high.

Shit.

"Relax."

His body refuses, does the opposite. Freezes as he hears his name dissolve into a warning. Something fractal spreading in his lungs, spidery and sharp, an icicle breaking off between his ribs as he struggles to sit up.

A hand settles in the crease of his elbow, touch no longer tentative. Firm as the voice, equally familiar. Too familiar.

"It's okay, Akemiuchi's loyalty program is gonna guarantee me a decent discount on the next duvet."

"I'm-"

"It's a good chance to rack up those points. There's this crocheted quilt I've been eyeing? It's the cutest thing ever. I'll show it to you next time."

Nanami winces, sweet intentions souring into an implication. An imposition you've already accepted as inevitable. He's the worst. He had a few moments of consciousness to spare, he knows he did, could have called Ijichi or Shoko even, directly, but no he'd wasted those final flickering seconds to drag himself over here.

The last thing he remembers before slumping over was your welcome mat. Rubber now, instead of fabric.

He can't keep doing this. Not to you.

"Phone." He rasps.

You fluff the pillows behind his head. "It's charging."

A rectangle glares in the periphery of his slits. 3%. It'll do. Ijichi's prompt with calls, especially those coming in at this hour.

" - a real viper's den of cables, took me a while to find yours. I told you you should switch to Android, that port design is super dumb - Hey."

Fingers clamp down on his wrist before he can even reach the nightstand.

"It's late-"

"I was editing a presentation anyway. Clearly we've both got issues with work boundaries."

His arm stretches out again, sinews shrieking their protest, bones creaking their own echo. He ignores them. Deft fingers skate up his swollen biceps, insistent. There's a pressure at his shoulder and he flinches. When had you gotten so strong?

When had he gotten this weak?

"Crap - sorry. That hasn't healed yet? Or is it new..."

He doesn't dignify you with a response, but the tight seam of his lips reveals enough. Nanami's further given away by the loose slump of his limbs. Defeated and betrayed by the mutiny of his howling muscles.

His body sings its triumph with a fresh pang rolling hot through his gut, crimson banner unfurling over ragged veins. He'll be damned if he admits to such a vicious victory. Nanami sucks in a breath instead.

"Fine, don't tell me."

There's something clipped in your voice, something abrupt in the way you stand and stride to the bathroom. A cabinet creaks, but that's all. Nanami watches the silhouette of your hands meld into the shadows to retrieve something off a shelf.

The lowest shelf.

There isn't any other sound besides the soft shuffle of your returning footsteps. Well, of course you'd know where everything is in your own home. Including the things you rarely had a use for. You hadn't even bothered to switch the lights on. Nanami wishes you did. Wishes he could confirm your dry eyes and blank face, numb and neutral as you moved through the motions of getting medicine for a man who has soaked your front step scarlet again.

Routine, right?

The tub thuds against the table, crisp and resolute.

"There's a quarter of the salve left," you mutter. You aren't looking at him. You wouldn't be able to see him in this dark anyway.

"If it isn't enough, I've another jar. Top drawer. Aspirin's there too."

Easy access, even blind, Nanami thinks. The room's still swathed in navy blues. He's invisible in this ink. It feels safe to smile, just for a moment.

"Thank you."

Your head tilts up and his mouth hardens with restraint once more. They were just two words, you couldn't possibly have detected anything beyond civility in them.

But there's a suspicion, once tightly coiled, now starting to slither from the base of his spine and it's this: People don't unquestioningly accept their ex-colleagues into their apartments at 3am to bleed into their bed, out of sheer politeness.

A sliver of a pause before you say,"You're welcome."

You move to the door.

Nanami exhales, the exhaustion deflates and the stubbornness exsanguinates as his bones relearn their weight. Your palm meets the handle and you let go of the breath you didn't know you were holding. But it hitches when you hear the grunt of your name. You glance over your shoulder.

"Akemiuchi, was it?" An index prods at your comforter.

"Uh. Yeah?"

The confusion furrowing your brows is clear in Nanami's mind, he knows just how those lines will knit and scrunch your puzzled expression. He knows, even at a distance, with you all the way across the room how you'll shrug and shake your head at his apparently random question.

"Okay."

"Okay. Rest well, Nanami."

Then you're gone, and it's safe now.

It's a famous brand, there's a branch three blocks down from his neighbourhood. He's seen the quilt, a recent addition to the autumn collection. An elaborate fuss of mint and pastels, taking pride of place in the storefront window. It's got tassels too.

Gaudy, unabashedly.

Nanami closes his eyes and his mouth twitches.

ii.

He shows up at your doorstep tonight, a night of thunderstorms, looking like an envoy of Zeus and giving you about as much warning. His always imposing silhouette had crumpled in a crack of lightning.

When the skies next belched and blanched, you'd seen his clothes drenched with rain and red. And a goopy violet you'd never seen before.

"What do you tell people?" you had asked early on, not expecting any proper answer. You were right not to.

"They don't ask."

"You don't let them." It's neither question nor confrontation, but you get confirmation in his silence, eyes downcast amidst the downpour.

He'd had the decency to be mollified about the dramatics.

You were people to him too. He'd given you the same answer he gave everyone else. You could tell how well it was rehearsed, even through his grimaces, mumbling his way through something about Private security.

Unlike others however, you weren't polite enough to accept his excuses. Especially not when he dripped all over your carpet.

"I'll replace it," he shudders, heaving himself against the edge of your bathtub.

"It's $3000," you pointed out, kneeling and pressing a towel to his side. He arches a brow, not so much shocked by the hefty price tag, but by your lavish attitude towards interior decorating. You, on the other hand, are startled by a swoosh and soon after, the chime of your phone receiving the bank's notification.

You stare at your screen, then back up at Nanami, who simply pockets his mobile with a small shrug.

Somehow, it seemed smug.

Whatever this new gig was, it paid a hell of a lot better than the previous one at which you two had met. You pull the cloth away.

The fibers are saturated scarlet, staining your fingertips. What kind of job could be worth this? Moral fetters at the expense of financial freedom, was that the trade off Nanami had made? Nanami Kento, whose resentment and disdain for Mondays was sustained throughout the week, whose bleak, sombre expression stayed whether cast under cost-cutting fluorescents or the neon glitz of Shinjuku's excess.

You remembered the distant din of middle management's chants, the chugging and choking of sycophants, all muffled by plumes of cigarette smoke escaping thin lips, and a jacket draped wordlessly over your shoulders. Sobriety never seemed to be an issue for him.

Yet, he always appeared more exhausted than his hungover colleagues, the shadows beneath his naked eyes darker and deeper than those hidden under the department head's sunglasses. Nods to decorum couldn't disguise the stench of alcohol or the slur of his speech, a nasal wheedling appealing to Nanami's efficiency as another stack of files thumped down unceremoniously before him.

You gaze at Nanami now, beneath the bright white lights of your bathroom, teetering on the edge of your tub. He looks just as tired, except now he reeks of iron, not whiskey. Liberated from a desk, still duty-bound. We all pick our poisons and our prisons, you think.

The two of you have an understanding by now. Whatever his next chapter was, that story is sealed behind a steel vault, nothing will ever rust away at its hinges. You don't care. You're just...nosy, occasionally. Fiction formed from a few bad habits.

The consternation had been there before, threatening to bubble over, acidic enough to bleach bones. Yet even then you knew, Nanami had no use for emotional effervescence.

So what could you do, but wipe away the stains and residuals? Return him smudge-free glasses so he's immaculate and impassive once more. Though there's no alternative to ignoring your instincts, the filtrates of fear never quite boiled down to what you could label mere curiosity; still corrosive, always gnawing away at you.

In the stretch of months after, in his indefinite absences, the fangs drill down to your marrow. You only muzzle its maw when Nanami reappears with gashes and abrasions and an expression masking whatever else his shredded suits can't.

And you, you've gotten pretty decent at disguising the twisted relief that comes with finding his pulse; intermittent, but in your hands. You're the worst.

"You always did have expensive taste," he comments, catching your stare before you can tunnel further down that rabbit hole.

You blink, then snap the clasps on the first aid kit and scoff, "Please, your midweek coffee bill was double my lunch budget for the month."

Your hands make quick work of the packaging.

"Even if I was buying for two," you add.

"Did you want a reimbursement? You always said it was your treat."

You roll your eyes. "Because someone always forgot to take a break. Seriously? Not even a vending machine sandwich? Nobody should be able to survive solely off six espressos."

You pause, laying out a few other implements. "The cafeteria's ciabatta is a lot better now though, after you gave them those tips. Shame you left before you saw the benefit of your feedback pay out."

"Hm."

To anyone else, the sound is non-committal. But you recognize that hum, the rich roundness hinting at his satisfaction, that a minor injustice of yeasty mediocrity had been redressed.

You recognized it, because it was rare and you'd always had to strain to hear it, replaying it in your mind to compensate for the sore dearth set by reality's quota.

"Besides, I couldn't risk our top sales lead collapsing from low blood sugar at an important stakeholders' meeting. Oh, and Shuichi's department head now, so thanks for that."

There's a suspicion of amusement which rumbles low in his chest, a sound you've heard even less frequently, and so conversely, dreamed about more. But it cuts off abruptly into a rough grunt when your fingers ghost over his ribs, swiping antiseptic. You look up sharply.

"This is even worse than-"

"It should have been you." Nanami's interruption rings mildly vexed, to your surprise. He grips your hand with a force that's even more unexpected, as he pulls it away. "You had more seniority than him."

"Yeah well, you know how it is." you mutter, fist clenching around the cotton swab before hurling it into the bin. "Apparently women my age are meant to be running nurseries, not boardrooms."

Nanami watches you fiddle with the surgical thread, spooling it through without hesitation. Meets your gaze, unclouded by worry or weariness. It had been 2am when he had turned up unannounced. And he feels your hands, reassuring warmth hovering over his wound. He nods once, and you touch skims over ruptured skin, where a fresh scar awaits to adorn his obliques.

His breath seems harsh and loud to his own ears.

"You could manage both if that's what you wanted."

"What makes you think that?"

"You're capable of a lot. Discipline and kindness."

The crescent of your eyes and lips glint brighter than the curved piece of silver weaving in and out of his flesh. It's a pleasant distraction, he'll admit that much.

"Ruthlessness too," he adds, wincing as the needle digs into a particularly tender spot.

"Go on," your smile is sardonic, both bee sting and nectar. Nanami feels a twinge in his rib cage, in his chest free from any visible bruises.

"You're beautiful."

Maybe he lost a lot more blood than he realised. He only notices his accident of sincerity when the thread is tugged tense, the needle jerking back abruptly. Then the anvil drops over his windpipe.

He glances at the gleaming point, barely quivering between your thumb and forefinger. The tremble of your lips is terribly obvious by contrast.

Desperation surges through him suddenly, a riptide of an urge to have them quake against his own, to savour your whimpers shaking against his tongue, give you a taste of your own medicine, have the pinprick of his incisors sink into where you're soft and vulnerable. You've given him countless stitches, and he hasn't left a single mark on you. It's unfair. It's cruel.

"How-" A distracting slip of pink darts out to wet your lips. The needle nips into his skin again and he has to hold back a groan.

"How is that trait relevant to being either a manager or a mother?"

Nanami grips the edge of the tub, white-knuckled as its porcelain. There's a pause. Longer than he's comfortable with, though you don't seem to notice. Or comment on it at least. Small mercies.

Then he says, "It doesn't hurt your odds."

"My odds aren't that great."

For a moment, Nanami wonders if you're still fishing for compliments. But then, dorsal finned mischief flashes in your grin and you let him off the hook.

"Most smooth-talkers aren't like you. More style than substance."

Your smile stretches wry, deprecation retreats into the furthest corners of your cheeks. "Not that I meet many of them though."

"It's difficult to find someone compatible." You lean forward, on the pretext of inspecting the knot before you snip the thread. Your hand settles on his knee. His spine stiffens into a limestone column. The caterpillars in Nanami's belly curl into tight cocoons.

"Someone who isn't intimidated by my ambitions," your fingers are feather-light, trailing up his toned hamstrings. Nanami feels the winged creatures twitch in their chrysalis.

"My desires..." Your palm curves higher, like your lips, closer to the apex of his muscled thighs. Newborn butterflies stir, damp with arousal. Nanami swallows, perhaps his spit could extinguish the sparks fluttering in his gut.

"Someone who's sensible and strong, who could hold me down long enough to..." The ridges of your knuckles have met the crest of his seams, any further and you'd feel the effect of your touch, of your smoldering eyes.

"...put a child in me." Your whisper fans the flames in his hollowed cheeks, in his skin scorching and stretched thin over the flint of his jaw, in the recesses of his throat, scratchy with kindling.

"If that's what we both wanted." It's the slightest graze of your thumb, but Nanami's already doomed by the briefest jolt of his hips. Fuck. You definitely felt that. Your eyes flicker, but by some sheer miracle, not downwards, to where the wet spot is staining and straining against his fabric and your fingers.

"Do you know someone like that, Nanami?" you murmur and he breathes hard, sees the vapour of his harsh pants slip behind your own mouth, parted and patient. Your fingers haven't moved a fraction too.

His brushes with death have sculpted his body, corded his chiseled torso with complete control, each synapse wired with lightning to assess curses, salivating for his flesh and demise.

Nanami knows the anaerobic burn of adrenaline, what it is to run on fumes into the jaws of danger, to dispatch nightmares, to delay the inevitable. Countless demons slewed in calculations of perfect precision, in single fell swoops and too close shaves.

You are the greatest peril Nanami has faced in years.

It takes every last fiber of his being, of his battered body, crafted far beyond the demands of labour and the delusions of purpose, not to buck into the threat and promise of your gentle heated hands or crush his mouth to yours.

"No," Nanami croaks. "I don't."

iii.

There's something soupy about the atmosphere tonight, thick with humidity, hot fog rolling in. The sheets stick to his clammy skin.

He doesn't remember how he got here this time.

Regret reverberates together with recognition as his cuticles clink against glass. There's the rustle of foil, conveniently within reach too. The plastic pops twice underneath his nail. The end of the row, Nanami notices.

He wonders if these are the drowsy kind, or maybe it's just a moonless night and all the shadows are melting together. Eventually he finds the silhouette he's looking for, slumped into a chair.

Nanami squints at the world's saddest mountain, gradually losing its slope. It's the blanket sliding off you. It puddles by your ankles, next to a basin of water, tinged pink and tepid by now. You shiver slightly, his eyes dart up and sure enough, there's the rag, twisted in your hands.

An exhale wheezes its way from his ribs and Nanami winces; he should know by now shallow sighs are all his sunken chest will allow. But the pain is dulling everything, pounding against his ivory dome like a petulant brat with balled fists.

His mobile - had you confiscated it? Such sly sweetness - Focus, landline then for a taxi, tip extra for the smears on the seats -

"You should be carrying an umbrella with you these days. Could probably fit one in that holster."

Your admonishment pierces through his haze, sounding less groggy than he'd hoped.

"It'd obstruct movement."

"Or try wearing a poncho, unless you're worried it ruins the lines of your suit." You stand up, retrieving a familiar looking quilt off the floor. The shipping had been free, he recollects.

"Given the latest state of your jacket however, I doubt that's a priority."

Nanami hauls himself up, or tries to. His deltoids have other ideas, and every muscle beneath them agrees. The veto is unanimous, and he grimaces.

You shuffle over, remarking, "I've been looking for a good tailor. I'm sure you have recommendations."

"Bulk orders from the department store," Nanami grunts, combating gravity as he attempts to swing his leaden legs over the bedside. You drag the duvet back over his lap and it might as well be lumber.

"Shame on you," you scoff with such force that he stops struggling for two whole seconds to look askance at you.

"Deluding some atrocious tie designer out there into thinking they have a shot in the fashion industry."

Against his better judgement, Nanami decides a snort is worth the risk. It isn't, obviously. He learns, too late, the appeal of mirth's medicinal qualities is gravely overstated.

"And if I told you they were custom pieces?" he snipes.

"Then I'd applaud whatever keeps attacking you."

A warning filters through the back of his brain, Whatever, not whoever. Suspicion alone is a lethal enough threshold to his world, he can't risk you. And yet he's here, the voice whispers. Far from an emergency.

"My assailants are probably acquainted with decent tailors."

Nanami's cynicism towards humour as a balm ebbs, watching your lips curve.

"I'm in stitches," you state, digits skimming Nanami's pectorals, skirting around the petunias starting to clot there.

"You took a dozen this time," you add, a little softer.

He lets your palm stay on his chest. "Where's my cell?"

"Down the chute."

"I'll use yours then." He brushes your hand away.

"Mine's outta juice too." A fist this time, knuckles pressed to his breastbone.

Nanami's eyes flick up to the ceiling for a moment, he's long suspended belief in heaven or gods, the gravity of his bones remind him of this; Any covenant he's made is between his cursed technique and body - more altar than temple.

"Got a pull out couch?" he asks at last.

"Oh shut up. You're staying here," you huff in disbelief and he looks at you, a Vestal Virgin with embers for irises. A braver man than him would wait for the hint of a spark.

But instead he says, "More water, please."

You nod, handing him a mug that's still warm but empty. "I'll fetch the thermos - oh, hang on. Let me rinse that out, sorry."

Nanami takes a quick sniff before passing it over. "Nicaragua?"

"Guatemala, Santa Isabel," you elaborate. "Tea's probably better for putting you down though."

"Water's fine."

You slip out into the shadows, taking the aroma of the dark roast with you. Nanami reclines against the headboard, your scent lingering in his passageways. Yet another inconvenience he's instigated. A longstanding tradition, fitting its origins. There had been a time when you insisted on oolong instead, or the superiority of Ceylon. You were convincing enough in those first few months, with your tiresome tirades and passionate grandstanding in the pantry, all before 8am. Nanami had almost attributed your bright eyes to the beverages you rigorously argued for, even as he refused to deviate from the ritual masochism of his "sad bean juice". Not so much elixir as IV drip. "That much caffeine will wreck your melatonin production," you berated him. He had no idea what you were talking about but then, neither did you. The destruction of Circadian rhythms, the annihilation of any balance beyond the kind in the books you pored over (long after your bosses had dumped them on you a quarter to 7), would never boil down to what was poured into your mug. The defeat was inevitable. Nanami told himself he didn't miss your near daily trivial one-sided debates; they just interfered with his morning reports. Still, he had stared too long at the pair of steaming takeaway cups you carried in one day. "A peace offering," you said. "Robusta. The cafe down the street has a fresh batch every Tuesday." You leaned forward, depositing them under his nose. "Here's to the grind, on our terms." A croissant wrapped in the white flag of a serviette slides next to his cup, over the grey laminate of the table. Compromise shouldn't smell this good on you, he had thought. In your kitchen he's spotted both the conical slopes of the Chemex, and your stash of pyramid pouches with their loose leaf treasures. Just one more thing he's taken away from you on a night like this. He's an aberration, an intrusion - much like the flavours infringing upon your tongue. It ought to be the routine lull of chamomile, instead it's coffee, keeping you alert; iron and tannin tangling in the air. Nanami's mind drifts to the rude awakening your taste buds must endure, wonders about the sweetness there, more hazelnut than herbal, strong or mellow, aggressive or pliant- "Here." Nanami reaches out, fingers grazing ceramic that feels like hearthstones. He finds the handle by sheer luck. The sips he takes are small and slow, tendrils of steam climbing up his sheer cliff face. Over the rim, Nanami feels you watching him absently. Your concern suspended over the ravine between the both of you, silence slack in your carabiners.

Then you murmur, "Your mouth's too hot."

His throat goes taut. "What?"

"I forgot. Now the reading won't be accurate," you sigh.

Something rolls off his shoulders when he recognises the thin beak of the thermometer outlined in your grasp. The sensation is more weighted than mere relief, Nanami can't quite name it. It's a residual sludge in his gut, turning the ground to mud as he tries to trample it.

"I'm fine."

"Liar." The mattress dips and the boulder in his belly plummets as he feels your body brush next to his. He pushes back, it's Sisyphean, your breath against his clavicle, his soles are slipping.

"What are you-"

"Last I checked," you interject, wrestling the covers over your laps, "this is my bed."

His knees buckle as you shove aside his thigh with yours.

"You'll catch this bug." The warning is futile, Nanami knows. He's already set down the mug.

Your tone takes on a solemn timbre. "An extra risk. There's no known cure for cooties either. Sorry to break it to you."

Nanami huffs through his nostrils, he ought to feel more patronized than placated. But there's a levity to your touch, gently pressing him back against the bed.

"And I really hope you're not a blanket hogger because I'll kick you out. Injured or not."

There's already too little space between you and him but Nanami turns on his side, stoic expression that much closer. "You should have kicked me out a long time ago."

"Probably," you agree.

Nanami startles as your fingers sweep beneath his fringe, pressing your palm to his forehead, then to yours, then back to his.

"At least your fever's broken, I think."

Perhaps the pills worked, but Nanami doesn't feel the same relief flooding your gaze.

"Are you sure?"

Your touch lingers, he leans into it. His temperature is rocketing, if anything. Hesitantly, Nanami's hand glides over your temples.

"You're too warm yourself."

"I'm not," you object, despite the steadily building furnace in your cheeks. "Check again."

"This isn't accurate," Nanami mutters, but his touch settles over you. His fingers should stay in a delicate arch over your head but his hand is drifting to cup your face, feeling your smile curve into his palm. He cradles it, together with the quiet of your breathing slowing into sync.

"I should keep a couple of shirts in the closet. What size do you wear?" you mumble sleepily.

"That's not necessary."

You crack open an eye. "So you're gonna insist on staying half-naked in an unmarried woman's bed?"

Nanami retracts his hand swiftly, as if he's been scalded.

"That's not what-"

"Don't get me wrong," you smirk, drowsiness completely vanquished. (Had it really been there in the first place? Nanami wonders.)

"Wearing just perspiration and bandages is a great look on you, but..."

You pull the blanket higher over the distinct curves of his biceps, shifting closer. "You'll get cold. And the forecast said rain tonight."

The meteorologists must be right for once, he thinks.The atmosphere is electric, frenetic with an impending summer storm. He can feel the crackling in his capillaries, heat condensing in the air.

You're an inch, maybe less, away from his face now. Near enough anyway that he can make out the feathered arc of your lashes, can see how they'd flutter with each of his exhalations, if he isn't careful.

Nanami holds his breath, becomes statuesque. You notice.

He's a magnum opus of masonry, Michelangelo's misery, muscles cast in moonlight and breaking all mortal molds - but the truth is, he's built himself from scratch. You know this. You've admired his Adonis belt, cut from alabaster, yes, but you've also witnessed that rigid expression, pale as chalk. The bricks in his abdomen, the welts chiselled crudely into his spine, your hands have traced all this.

It's how you know where to look for movement now, your palm pressing over the telltale pounding in those marble pectorals, fingertips skating the shadows that dance along the column of his throat. Nanami swallows cinders, the inferno in his belly growls. There is smoke in his lungs, his trapped protests, his warnings will taste like ash.

Because Nanami's not sure how much more of your mercy he can take, how many more miracles will lay to waste his mornings and nights as he remembers the softness of your skin, free from soot.

Reality isn't this good to him, Nanami isn't kind enough for it-

But you are.

Your kiss is gentle, glacial. Mouth drifting over his, as innocuous and inevitable as an iceberg.

A kiss so gentle it rips the hull of him wide open.

A hissing, gasoline fumes siphoned from his clenched teeth as he rolls your body on top of him and his cracked ribs, your gasp tangling with the rustle of the sheets. They bunch in your fists as he feels you struggle to push away from him, to alleviate the weight, but Nanami needs it, like pressure upon a spurting wound, grabs your hips and holds them flush to his own as he locks his other hand around your nape. He nips your protest in half, teeth and tongue raking and tilling along your bottom lip, until at last you let submission bloom in the bruises there.

Nanami doesn't know if he will survive this tenderness; if it'll survive him. The struggle is exhausting. But then, your hand clutches the hair at the back of his neck, roots silken in your strong grasp. Soft blonde strands sprout through the gaps of your fingers, the furrow of your brow eases into a plateau, a quiet moan pushes into his mouth; and Nanami knows he's lost.

And found again.

He feels the sickle of your smile, the swipe of your tongue as it reaps the first fruits of spring.

The scent of rain starting to fall can't compare to the taste of you, the scattered sounds are even more vague. Nanami doesn't register the gale's shrill whistle, too focused on the high peals of your whimpers. Precipitation's heavier pitter-patter against the panes is drowned out by the hammering of your heart underneath him, all of heaven's rumbling can't contend with the rushed whispers of his name and yours. Nanami links your hands together, the syllables loop around your bodies tighter and tighter as the intervals between your chants get shorter, breathier.

You pull away from Nanami at last, not quite completely, as he tries to temper his greed by suckling at your neck, your pulse barely a pacifier for his petulance. You pant, head lolling further to the side.

The sky has mistaken itself for the sea, deluge of melodrama lashing against your window. The cityscape is shrouded in silver, though you're not exactly enamoured by the view at the moment.

Nanami coaxes your attention back to him, lips roving over your cheeks and chin and nose. He rests his forehead against yours, gazing deep into your eyes. The silence is different now.

There had always been a certain detachment and distance, as if he were tuned to the frequency of a far away planet, a separate world. Still, you were pulled into each other's orbit; a pair of satellites emitting mixed signals.

You sense him drifting now, calibrating, calculating again; static buzzing as he searches for the right words.

You sigh and tug Nanami into another kiss.

He's a little surprised the atmosphere isn't scorching, that he isn't burning up upon reentry, falling back into your gravity. The heat is still there of course, just under your tongue and evident in the kerosene trails you're painting across his chest. It's diffuse this time, simmering rather than searing. Languid as syrup, as butter browning in a skillet. No flash in the pan, you tell him, lips still occupied.

Nanami closes his eyes, the liquid light filling him brighter than any solar flare. You drag your kiss, slow and soothing, till it's tucked into the hollow of his throat.

"Sweet dreams, Kento."

How redundant, he thinks without verbalizing it, arm curling around his one impossible yearning that has already come true.

Quietness seeps through the room as you curl into Nanami's side, and he allows himself to drift into warmth's embrace; the warmth of a sunbeam spilling through billowing muslin curtains.

Perhaps he could get used to this thread count.

[moririki]

⤷ MORE THAN YOU'D BARGAIN FOR

DENJI X READER -> 1.7K
when it comes to a fool blinded by love, it sure hurts to have the short end of the stick

REQUEST -> ✰
CONTAINS -> angst, friends with benefits‼️, happy ending bc i'm weak like that, denji not knowing how to process emotions, very loose college!au cos i'm lazy, makima being slightly antagonised because fuck her, mentions of sex but nothing super explicit i don't think
MORI'S THOUGHTS -> thinking about denji's hands. i want to learn how to animate manga panels now so i can do a csm edit. also the writing style got kinda boring im SORRY

HEARTBREAK WAS ALWAYS BOUND TO HAPPEN IN THESE SORT OF RELATIONSHIPS. anyone with a pair of eyes and ears could give a clear answer to the question "who does denji like?" and no matter how much you wanted that answer to change, it would never be you.

even when the blonde boy had been so insistent on his heart belonging to another, he still had urges. so under the influence of one too many bottles of alcohol, it was a fairly easy decision for both of you to fall into bed together. more than once. more than you'd care to admit.

being with denji was nice. he was funny, sweet at times and vulgar during the others, and you found yourself repeating a mantra of don't catch feelings for your friend during your time together. and truth be told, it was hard not to, even when you and denji had finished your business and the topic of conversation always seemed to make its way back to makima.

it left a bitter taste in your mouth when denji acted like nothing had happened between the pair of you in other settings. the bitterness turned sour when you realised that there was no reason for him to have to either, and you cursed yourself when you realised you had done the worst thing possible and gone and fallen for your friend who so clearly wouldn't like you back.

but there were times where you thought that you just might have a chance.

even though your cursed your heart for fluttering and rearing its head each time so willingly at denji's mercy, you couldn't help but take every offhand action of his as a ray of hope. with the way his hands engulfed yours to anchor himself as he thrusted into you, the way his lips left urgent kisses on your lips as you panted beneath him, the way he whispered sweet nothings into your ear as you cried out in ecstasy.

and even when you were lying next to each other in his bed, catching your breath. you would turn to look at his face sometimes, only to see him staring at you already with a look in his eyes that could only be described as wistful. but you were a fool to think that you could ever upseat makima in denji's eyes.

false hope could only get you so far.

with his breath tickling the back of your neck and his large hand rubbing patterns into your hip, this false hope really had gotten you somewhere. but all good things must come to an end. words that you dreaded to say weighed heavy on your tongue, but you dragged yourself along, lifting them just enough to feel them escape your lips before you could really stop them.

"denji, what are we?"

you felt the hand that rested on you go still, and the arm that was poised as a pillow for you went rigid. hell, the boy that was holding you so close to his chest had practically stopped breathing, and you felt your eyelids slide shut in a bitter defeat before you heard another word. it's not like you needed them to understand how he felt, anyway.

"we're friends, aren't we?" his tone was so controlled, so even and level and unlike the denji that you knew and, dare you say it, loved. it sent another shot tubneling straight through your heart, and you were glad that you were currently facing away from him. you wouldn't be able to handle seeing the look on his face as all of your tentative hopes were crushed under his heel. all you wanted to do was curl in on yourself and maybe try to cry away the numbness that was invading your body from the chest outward.

you raised a shaking hand to push denji's own off of you, and you felt the mattress underneath you creak as the boy shifted in confusion at your behaviour.

"y/n?"

your kept your back turned to him as you got out of his bed, pulling on your own clothed and scowling in frustration when you couldn't find your shirt anywhere. you were seconds away from letting the first droplets fall, and you did not want to let denji see.

you snagged some random material of a shirt off of the bedroom floor, yanking it over your head and turning to face denji with a face that you hoped wasn't too scrunched from holding back your tears.

"we're not just friends and you fucking know it."

you didn't have time to register his wounded facial expression or the pleading calls of your name that he cast towards your retreating figure, but you grabbed your shoes before leaving his dorm, shutting the door behind you a little too forcefully and storming off back to your own room.

you must look insane, padding along the halls with no shoes as angry tears streaked down your face and you tried your best not to audibly sob. by the time you had made it back to your room your eyes were streaming, and you flopped on your bed with little regard for anything else other than crying your eyes out.

truth be told, after that fateful night and the best cry of your life you felt much better. you knew where you stood, you had your feelings sorted out, and you knew that a little distance would really help you to finally move on from your friend.

now, if only denji would stop calling and texting you like nothing had happened.

you felt like you could scream when you saw a notification from him, asking if you wanted to study for the test that you had next week. you bit back the petty urge to ask him if he wanted to study with you as just friends, instead opting to turn your phone off and bury your face in your pillow once again.

matters of the heart take time, after all.

on denji's end, things weren't looking much better. he brushed off his confusion at your actions and words when you had left so abruptly the other day, only to find himself staring at his ceiling trying to decipher his feelings and what the hell you had meant.

he likes makima. and he has, for a while now. he could count on one hand the amount of times he had interacted with the girl who sat in front of him in the lecture hall, and every time had been met with this strange giddy feeling in his chest. though it was rare, he knew that feeling.

but the one he felt right now was so, so, different. when the door clicked shut behind you, it felt like a piece of him had up and left along with you. the very reason that he had accelerated things so far in your relationship was because of how right things felt with you. the slightest graze of your fingertips across his chest didn't light any fireworks in his mind, but it's like warmth perforated his skin and was injected straight into him from you.

truth be told, that feeling was the most addicting he had ever felt. and when he heard that air of finality right after the door shut behind you, it didn't take long for denji to realise just how cold everything felt without you.

but he still liked makima, right?

that giddy feeling in his chest he got from her was enough to fill the you-shaped hole, right?

you not talking to him wasn't what made his heart hurt, right?

he only realised just how wrong he had it when he talked to makima for the fourth time ever. she had turned in her seat, even smiling at him and asking for a pen, and all that came to mind was how much he missed your smile.

hell, he missed everything. the sound of your laugh, the smell of your hair. the way you fit against him and said his name. and that's when he realised this you-related feeling was.

longing.

there was a knock on your door. and another. you groaned, rolling over to check the time to see that it was three in the morning.

by the time you had cracked your door open you saw a flash of blond hair and a face all-too-familiar, you knew it was too late to slam your door shut. denji's face perked up, and you already knew that you were done for.

he lifted his hand, revealing a pretty albeit crumpled bouquet of flowers. you almost giggled to yourself, guessing that the mastermind of that romantic gesture was most likely denji's roommate aki. but it was appreciated, nonetheless.

"what do you want, denji?" you were painfully aware of just how much of a mess you looked right now- eyes still red around the rim from how many self-pitying tears you had shed over this entire situation.

denji's mouth and opened and closed, and you sighed against your barely open door which still had a chain on it.

"i'm not in the mood, denji."

"no, no, it's just that i wanted to say that i've finally figured out what we are." it appears tgat your friend finally found his voice. you looked him in the eye again, trying not to let the hope in your heart build itself too high. "we're way more than friends, y/n."

you felt any resistance crumble at those words, and the sheepish smile on your face grew.

"so, can i come in?" you smiled at denji, shutting your door to undo the latch before opening it again, wide enough to let him back in to your life. consider him a weakness of yours.

the first thing denji did when he crossed the threshold of your door was wrap his arms around you, dried tears and crumpled flowers and all, and bury his face in your hair. the only words he had to offer was a mumbled i miss you into your skin, and you felt your body melt against him like it had so many times before.

when you finally broke apart, you couldn't help but wonder.

"so, what are the flowers for denji?" the boy before you blushed, his eyes flitting off to the side. he raised a hand to the back of his neck, taking a breath to summon some courage.

"i was hoping... that i could take you out on a date. or be your boyfriend. something like that."

"what?" denji was still bright red, though his eyes were locked onto yours.

"you heard me." you smiled once again, taking a step forwards and effectively closing the distance between you two.

"i would love to."

take a look at the menu - ,, ⚖️ ·˚ ༘ ꒱

[unluckyhoneybee]

I just found your page, I looooove how you write.

We got to see how Gina reacted, can you write one about Mick's mum's reaction? I'm sure Corinna would be hilarious, sweet and would embarrass his son as any funny mum would 🤣

🤣😏😅

Part 10. Best friends to lovers MARSTERLIST

Note: I changed this a bit. We already had Gina reacting to the relationship so I made this more like Corinna catching them in a compromised position. And obviously, Mick would get grumpy.

Warnings: nothing to warn really. Things get steamy, but that's it.

"You did so well, babe" You said snaking your arms around Mick's neck. He was flustered and sweaty and his hair was a mess. "I'm so proud of you."

He had a wonderful race, he had battled so well with others, he had gained some places and defended them.

"Are you?" He had that cheeky smile that made you weak on your legs.

"Mhm. So so proud" You whispered on his lips.

He grabbed your hips and pulled you closer. He was happy with his results and wanted to celebrate with you. And a quickie on his driver's room would be just the beginning of it.

"Why don't you show me?"

You gave him a deep kiss, dragging your tongue against his lips and pulling softly his hair. He moaned in your mouth. You gently pushed him to the sofa and made him sit, climbing quickly onto his lap. He didn't have so much time, he had media duties.

The kisses grew deeper and more passionate. You were devouring each other mouths. Your hands had travelled down and were fighting with the zip of his suit. You cupped his member and Mick moaned in your mouth. His hands had lifted your dress and were now caressing your butt under your panties. But right when you finally freed his member, you heard the door cracking open and a loud wasp.

You jumped from Mick's lap and looked at Corinna, who was covering her eyes but laughing.

You wanted the earth to open and swallow you.

"Oh guys... You are really fast!" She said laughing.

"Mum..." Mick had finally fixed himself and was standing right next to you. You tried to hide behind his broad shoulders, too embarrassed to face your mother-in-law.

"You should have locked the door if you wanted privacy, Mick"

Corinna was so right.

Mick sighed and brushed his hair.

"Em... Do you want something, mum?"

You pinched his side.

"Don't be rude, Mick" You whispered to his ears.

"I'm glad you have her to control you. Those genes you have..." Corinna said smiling. "They were looking for you, Mick. You have something to do"

Mick grunted and you gave him a little pat on his back.

"Mick, you will continue later, she is not going anywhere!"

"Mum you really need to stop with this."

He was blushing so hard that it made you laugh. You gave him a little kiss on his cheek.

"Go Mick, you have duties" You caressed his lower back and pushed him gently. "I'll be right here"

"Oh no, not you"

Corinna and you laughed loudly. You were embarrassed at first, but it was kind of funny now.

"Sorry, babe. See you later"

He rolled his eyes and left the room first, Corinna and you following close behind.

"You know I have been there too, right?" Corinna kept joking and joking and you couldn't breath from laughing. "I've also had quickies on the driver room"

"I'm begging you, mum"

"I'm just happy that you are both happy, son" She linked your arms "I will knock next time, don't worry"

"Yeah, that would be nice, Corinna" You said blushing again. "Now we have to deal with him like that for the rest of the day"

You two laughed together.

"I hate you both, you are horrible" You heard him saying.

"Mick, the best thing you have done in your life is getting me YN as a daughter in law, I can't believe I changed your diapers"

You really loved her, but sometimes she was too much. Your belly actually hurt from laughing with her.

"Best mother in law ever!"

A bit shitty, not gonna lie. I'm drained from my two past exams.

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime — Epilogue // Wanda Maximoff

chapter fourteen | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad

author’s note: the final part is here! thanks again to everyone who stuck around with this fic, i really appreciate it 😊💗 now enjoy!!

The sound of a rooster crowing pulled me from my slumber and I groaned when I realised I definitely wasn't getting back to bed anytime soon.

Quiet laughter came from beside me and I didn't have to open my eyes to know that Wanda was finding my disgruntled self entertaining.

"I said yes to the chickens," I mumbled tiredly, not opening my eyes as I stupidly thought it would let me contain my sleep for a little bit longer, "but I should have drawn the line at the rooster."

Her fingers grasped my shoulder as she rolled over to hover above me. I squinted through my tired eyes, seeing the amused smile on her lips as she looked down at me. Despite how much of a morning person I wasn't, I appreciated how beautiful she looked with bed hair and a nightie.

"Shut up," she said jokingly, and I closed my eyes again. "You love them."

I rolled my eyes beneath closed lids. "I'd love to cook them, sure."

She slapped my shoulder gently. "Don't talk about Nikolai, Vanya and Sonia like that!"

A smile ghosted my lips. The first thing she'd done when getting the damn chickens was name them the most Sokovian names she could think of – I shouldn't have expected anything less. Though, now it meant she was extremely attached to them.

"My apologies, love," I mumbled.

She hummed disapprovingly before putting her whole body weight on top of me and hugging me. I sighed contently, resting an arm around her waist and appreciating the feeling of her so close to me. I could have fallen back asleep in this position if it wasn't for Wanda's wide-awake, curious self. Why did she have to be such a morning person?

"So, what are your plans for today?" she asked, fingers scratching against my shoulder blade tenderly.

I exhaled calmly. "I'm going to attempt to fall back asleep right now... then I'll let you know afterwards when I wake up."

She didn't say anything after that, and I was stupid to believe I'd gotten away with it because she suddenly got up and straddled me, jumping up slightly and startling me awake.

"Wake up!" she ordered, too hyper for my sleepy self.

I groaned, rubbing my eyes and finally opening them to see her looking down at me with a grin, hair falling around her face. There was a hint of annoyance in my expression as I narrowed my eyes, but she ignored it as she rested her hands on my chest.

"I hate you," I muttered.

"You're up now, so let's do something," she insisted, making me roll my eyes. "We should go on a walk. It's pretty outside. The sun's rising and it'll be fun!"

The sun's rising because its bloody dawn and that damn rooster crows at the same time every day, leaving me disgruntled and annoyed.

But of course, I didn't have the energy to explain that to Wanda, so I simply shook my head and closed my eyes. "Maybe tomorrow, Wanda."

She suddenly leaned down, jolting me slightly and making me open my eyes. She was inches away from my face as she pouted.

"Not tomorrow, now!" she exclaimed loudly, before leaning forward and peppering kisses all over my face.

I sighed, keeping her stable by resting a hand on her waist, but not appreciating the fact that falling asleep would definitely be a challenge now.

"I love you, Wanda, but please keep it down," I said quietly, still not used to her energy so early in the morning.

"Tell me what I can do to wake you up," she said sternly, stopping kissing me and sitting upright again.

"Absolutely nothing, love."

"Oh? Nothing?"

I hummed and closed my eyes again, getting used to her weight on top of me and deciding I could probably fall back asleep if she was quiet long enough. Wishful thinking, of course.

Her fingers found mine and she slowly lifted my hand, putting it underneath her dress and on her thigh. I knew what she was doing – it was cute – but it wouldn't work.

Not even bothering to open my eyes, I said, "Wanda, darling, we've been together for three years. I am able to resist your charm, believe it or not."

"Really?" she asked challengingly, letting go of my hand and resting hers on my shoulders. "I don't believe you."

Before I could counter her with a response, she leaned down and began nibbling on my ear softly. It was a sensation I was familiar with, but I refused to let her get her way, so I ignored her stubbornly. She knew me too well though, as she let go of my ear and trailed kisses down my neck before sucking on the skin sensually. Admittedly, I was a lot more awake then I was thirty seconds ago, definitely aroused by the gorgeous woman on top of me, but she couldn't win this. Not when she was playing very unfairly.

"Wanda," I said with a warning tone, squeezing her thigh and signalling for her to stop.

I should have figured that would provoke her even more, as she manoeuvred herself so her knee was now pressing between my legs. I'm ashamed to admit that I gasped into her shoulder at the sudden pressure, and judging from the quiet laugh she let out, she was very much aware of the effect she had on me.

"I told you you couldn't resist," she said knowingly, raising her head from my neck so she could meet my eyes.

Hers were darkened with pleasure and mischievousness, darting to my lips. I glared at her.

"I really hate you."

She shook her head, tongue wetting her lips, as a playful smirk stared down at me. "No you don't. Now lose the nightdress, moya lyubov' (my love)."

I tried to retort, but she closed the gap between us, lips capturing mine in a heated kiss. I definitely didn't mind being woken up like this...

—

After actually getting out of bed, I reluctantly agreed to go on a walk with Wanda, strolling around our premises and making the most of the countryside we lived in. As much as I didn't want to admit, I was glad she'd dragged me outside, since the morning stroll only made me appreciate our home more.

When we returned, Wanda went to her studio whilst I made us some tea in the kitchen, hoping to warm us up after the slight chill in the Autumn air. I joined her soon enough, smiling when I saw how involved she was with her work in no time. The studio was big enough for her to make a mess and it not seem so messy since it was spacious enough. I shouldn't have expected any different – Wanda couldn't tidy up to save her life.

"One day I'm going trip over your things," I announced as I stepped over some loose materials by the door, teacup and saucer in hand.

She chuckled, though her attention was still on her painting. "When that day finally comes, I'll clean up. Promise."

"Of course," I muttered sarcastically.

I stopped behind her and studied the painting she was working on. It was a close-up of a flower bed, with intricate details being put in the flowers themselves and ladybirds flying around. Wanda sensed my presence and accepted the tea from my hand, smiling at me gratefully before blowing on it to cool it down.

"Is this that commission you got last week?" I asked curiously.

She nodded, unaware of the paint streaks on her face. I rested a hand on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling at how adorable she was.

"The guy is paying double for me to put twelve ladybirds in the painting," she explained with amusement. "He wants to be able to count every single one."

I snorted with laughter. "Wow. That's very strange."

She shrugged, though I knew she was thinking the same. "A commission's a commission... is it evil if I only put eleven in?"

I laughed, nodding. She glanced up at me with a bright smile on her lips.

"It's very evil," I told her, before squeezing her shoulder.

She grabbed my hand on her shoulder, holding it comfortingly. "D'you want to do some gardening later?"

"Sure. I've just gotta do some work on my manuscript first. The writer's block is real."

"Of course," she said, giving me a knowing look. "Best-selling authors don't just become best-selling authors without putting in the work."

I rolled my eyes at her comment, but a smile played on my lips. "I'm leaving now."

She chuckled and I pressed a kiss to her cheek, trying not to get paint on my lips.

"Good luck with the writing," she said as I began to leave.

"And you with the painting," I called back.

Today was nothing special – probably a regular day when it came to Wanda and I's lives – but it made me smile. If the past three years had taught me anything, it was to be grateful for the mundane.

After Wanda broke things off with Y/B/N, it took a while for both of our families to recuperate. In their eyes, Y/B/N had broken things off because he wasn't interested in Wanda anymore, hence our parents' reaction. And Wanda's parents were upset because they believed it was her fault that Y/B/N wasn't interested, hence their reaction.

Our relationship with the Maximoffs was inescapable though, since Y/B/N and I were authors of theirs, so we had to mend what was broken. The only person who knew the truth about Wanda breaking it off with Y/B/N, apart from me and him, was Pietro. He didn't know why, but he knew that it was Wanda's choice.

After things calmed down between our families and everybody's anger had faded, around about the time that my second book was released, I'd saved enough money from the sales to buy a place of my own. With my father's help, I was able to buy a cottage in the countryside – the perfect place for privacy and to do my writing.

It was surprising that I got help from my dad, since I half expected him to be against the idea. But he was so proud of me for achieving all I had that he was happy to help. So, I got my own place and the first thing I did was invite Wanda to live with me. Nobody really saw it as more than two friends living together, especially since Wanda had started selling her paintings under a male pseudonym. Her parents were only reluctant because they wanted her to get married, but after she told them that she didn't want to and stood her ground, they left her alone.

I think they realised that they couldn't exactly stop her, and if they tried to, they'd lose their daughter in the process. So, to Wanda and I's excitement, we were moving in together...

"Are we there yet?" Wanda asked for the millionth time.

"Terpeniye (patience)," I told her, and felt her smile beneath my hands that were covering her eyes.

"Nice pronunciation," she commented, and I couldn't tell if she was teasing or not.

We finally stopped before the cottage and I was buzzing with excitement. I'd chosen it with Wanda in mind, a surprise for her, since I knew she'd only ever wanted to live in a place like this. What better way to give her that then now with me?

"Okay, this is it," I announced, removing my hands from her face.

I stepped beside her, leaning forward to see her reaction. She was raising her eyebrows with surprise, taking in the appearance of the front of the cottage. It was in a lovely field with tall trees and colourful flowers surrounding it. Vines had overgrown the bricks, but it looked stunning and I hoped Wanda would think the same.

Her lips curved upwards into a grin of disbelief. "This is it? This is ours?"

I pulled the key from my pocket and held it out towards her. "It is. All ours."

She laughed wholeheartedly, jumping up with excitement before grabbing the key and pulling me into a hug. I laughed alongside her, returning the hug, before pressing a kiss to her cheek and motioning to the door.

"Do the honours and I'll show you around," I told her with a smile.

She was practically beaming as she moved to the door, opening it. Her excitement only intensified when she saw the living-room it extended into, a large fireplace in the centre of the back wall and the furniture already in place.

"We can change the décor," I told her as I showed her around. "This came with the place, but we can change it up to however we want."

"I love it."

I intertwined our fingers, admiring the sparkle of delight in her blue eyes as she looked around the place eagerly. That was the look that made this whole thing worth it.

"You've not even see the best bit," I said, before tugging her into the hallway. "There's a kitchen and our bedroom and of course, a study for me, but this is the bit I know you'll love."

She watched with curiosity but allowed me to skip the other rooms and show her the room that I envisioned as her art studio. It was a spacious room, filled with random, old furniture from the previous owners, but I ignored it and stepped further inside, facing Wanda.

"This can be your studio!" I exclaimed, motioning around me. "Look, here can be where your desk can be." I pointed to the left wall, the space in front of it. "You can get some shelves put here for your supplies. And here–" I pointed to the space before the window at the back, "–is where you can paint on your easels. The natural light will be perfect!"

She followed my every move, hanging onto my every word, and nodded along with a joyful expression.

"I can't believe you've already thought about it," she admitted.

"Come here," I said, waving my hand for her to join me. She did and I wrapped an arm around her waist, stopping before the window. "You see that?"

"The perfect view," she realised, eyes wide as they took in the view of the garden, which I planned to show her next. "It's beautiful."

"You can paint everything there," I said with a nod. "The trees. The flowers. And this place isn't far from the train station, so we can take some day trips, too."

She leaned into my side gratefully. "Y/N, I love it. All of it."

My heart fluttered as she said that, it being all I wanted to hear.

"We can also get the coop for the chickens you wanted," I reminded her, before pointing out the window. "Right there. We'll get fresh eggs and they're cute – what's not to love?"

She pulled apart, arms still laced around me, and I waited to see what she thought. Her eyes twinkled in the sunlight coming from the window, matching the smile on her lips. Then she moved forward quickly, kissing me hard and leaving me no chance to react before she pulled away.

"I have no words," she said softly, caressing my cheek. "I'm so grateful."

My face was warm as I smiled shyly. "I'm glad. You know I'd do anything for you."

Her smile widened as she leaned in again. "Thank you."

Moving in with her was the best thing to happen to me, and my dream of being published had come true, so that was saying a lot. We both knew we could never get married and be together in public, but this was the next best thing. We had our own little slice of heaven to merely be, and it was perfect. She could paint as much as she liked and I could write as much as I liked, the two of us making a living and not having to rely on husbands we didn't love.

The only people who knew about the truth of our relationship was Steve. I knew I could never trust my family with the truth, knowing liking women was very different to becoming a writer. So, I was content with them living in denial about why Wanda and I lived together. Wanda was the same with her parents, but it was a few months into moving in when she decided she wanted to tell Pietro.

I was obviously hesitant, since Pietro was a standup guy, the reason I was even as successful as I was, but I wasn't sure if he'd be okay with discovering his sister liked women and I was the one she was with. Wanda was certain he'd understand though, since he was her twin and would only want the best for her. Plus, according to her, he loved me, so he wouldn't have a problem with it.

He was her twin at the end of the day, and nobody knew him better than her, so I trusted her to tell him and decided we could do it at dinner, inviting both him, Steve and Peggy over. Peggy didn't know about Wanda and I either, but I wanted to tell her, so we decided to do it together...

"We've been here three times and it still makes me jealous how peaceful it is," Peggy complimented as the five of us sat around the kitchen table. "No annoying neighbours. No nosy townspeople. It's perfect."

"Thank you," Wanda said with a friendly smile. "That's why we love it, too."

"Are you all finished?" I asked, standing up to grab mine and Wanda's plates.

"Oh, please, let me help," Pietro offered, about to stand up, but I shook my head.

"It's okay, I've got it," I politely declined, before stacking the plates together to take to the sink.

I glanced at Wanda and she gave me a knowing look before clearing her throat and looking to her brother.

"Piet, can you help me with something in my studio?" she asked him casually. "There's a lightbulb I can't quite reach."

He nodded and wiped his face with his napkin. "Er, sure." He looked to everyone else. "If you'll excuse me."

The two of them left the kitchen, leaving me with Steve and Peggy. I distracted myself with putting the plates in the sink before popping the kettle on, knowing they'd want tea.

"Dinner was lovely, Y/N, thank you for tonight," Steve started, easing the tension he knew I was feeling. I'd told him my intentions before inviting them and he was completely okay with the idea. "You and Wanda seem to be more and more comfortable every time we come here."

I leaned against the counter as I smiled gratefully at him, knowing he was giving me an opening to tell Peggy the truth.

"Yeah, we are," I said, eyes flickering to Peggy's as she watched on with interest. "We, er..."

My mouth went dry as the words I'd practiced in the mirror this morning escaped me. I'd only ever told Steve about Wanda and I, and that was by accident. I knew Peggy wouldn't judge me, but it was still terrifying to admit.

"Y/N, sweetie, are you okay?" Peggy asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

I nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes, sorry..." I just had to say it. No more overthinking. "Wanda and I are together. As more than more friends. I'm in love with her."

Peggy raised her brows with surprise, barely believing it, but then she glanced at Steve and knew I was being serious. I let out a breath of relief, glad that I'd finally said it.

She stood up from her seat and I was half-afraid she'd leave altogether, but she didn't. She walked to me and pulled me in for a hug, squeezing me gently.

"Thank you for trusting me with such an important thing," she said, pulling away and smiling at me gently. "I guess it makes sense. You both compliment each other well and make each other happy. It's beautiful to see."

"Thank you," I said, returning her smile. "That means a lot coming from you."

She nodded and glanced at her husband. "I take it Steve already knew."

He raised his hands in defence. "Hey, I basically figured it out myself!"

She rolled her eyes playfully and I couldn't help but laugh.

"He did," I backed him up. "And he was the only person to know, so I owe him a lot. He gave me the support I wanted when I had nobody else."

Peggy smiled endearingly at Steve before looking to me with kind eyes. "Well, now you're not alone. You have me, too."

"I know. I'm glad."

"Does anybody else know? Or is it just Steve and I?" she asked hesitantly.

"Just you two," I explained. "My family would never understand. Especially with Wanda and her history with my brother. Same with her family. But she's actually telling Pietro about us now. I can only hope he'll take it well."

Peggy was certain as she said, "I'm sure he will."

I made tea for all of us and joined Peggy and Steve at the table as we waited for the Maximoff twins' return. Eventually, Wanda returned with her brother in tow and judging by the smile on her face, I could only hope it went well. Though I noticed the tear streaks on her cheeks and joined her side with mild concern.

"Are you okay?" I asked, grabbing her hand, but I didn't get chance to hear a response as I felt myself being lifted off the ground.

"Y/N!" Pietro exclaimed in my ear, hugging me from behind. "Welcome to the family, sestra (sister)!"

He set me down and stepped beside his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tugging her close. A grin was directed my way as Wanda's cheeks dusted pink. She was glowing with happiness, her brother's opinion mattering the most, and it warmed my heart to witness.

"I see things went well," I noticed, before smiling at Pietro. "Thank you, Pietro. It means a lot to have your support. Though you know this doesn't make me your sister, right?"

"Yet," he pointed out, making me sigh. "You know, I always suspected you had the hots for my sister, but I could never be sure."

Now it was my turn to flush with embarrassment, especially when Steve and Peggy laughed from the sidelines.

"Wanda's happiness is all that matters to me," he continued, looking to his sister with a genuine smile. "I'm glad she picked the right Y/L/N."

I chuckled awkwardly, eyes falling to a nervous Wanda. "Me and you both, mate." He laughed, patting me on the back, and I gave him an appreciative nod. "Seriously, though, thank you, Pietro. Your approval means a lot."

"No problem," he said with a shrug. "I'm always here if you need me."

"As are we," Peggy added, before looking to Wanda. "Both of you. Anything you need, ever, just let us know. It's what we're here for."

"Thank you," Wanda said for both of us, and when she looked my way, I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.

We were lucky that the most important people in our lives knew the truth about us and were supportive. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

—

As promised, after spending the morning on my manuscript and Wanda with her commission, we went into the garden to do some gardening. And by we, I meant I was doing it as she attempted to help out beside me.

"Hey, I think there's something stuck here," Wanda said, fingers stuck in a pot of soil.

"Then pull it out," I said like it was obvious, trying not to laugh.

I continued to rake the plant beds before me so I could eventually plant some vegetable seeds when Wanda's adamant voice spoke up again.

"I think you should check it out, Y/N, I can't seem to get it."

"Wanda..."

"Come on!" she insisted, and I sighed dramatically before dropping my rake and heading towards her.

Kneeling down beside her, I took a peek in the plant pot and put my hand in, rooting around until my fingers found something metal.

"It seems to be a ring," I realised, pulling it out and dusting the soil off it. "Maybe the suppliers of the soil dropped it in accidentally. Or maybe a bird dropped it in the pot without you realising..." I chewed on my lip with thought. "Huh. Well, here you go."

I gave it back to Wanda and prepared myself to stand back up, but Wanda groaned and facepalmed.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" I asked with an amused smile.

She looked up at me through parted fingers. "It's my ring."

"How many times have I told you to stop wearing rings when we're gardening?!" I said questioningly, shaking my head. "Stuff like this always happens!"

She rolled her eyes and looked up to the sky. "Why am I in love with an idiot?"

"Wanda–"

"It's for you," she said, holding out the ring.

I furrowed my brows. "Well, why didn't you just– wait." My eyes widened as I realised what she was implying, feeling stupid for not realising sooner. "Is this– are you– huh?"

Wanda swallowed nervously before clutching the ring tightly and meeting my gaze. "I've been in love with you for a long time, you know that," she said softly, her accent thick with emotion. "The time we've spent here in our little safe haven has been the best of my life. And I... I know we live in a world that won't let us be together. But that hasn't stopped us."

My heart was hammering in my chest as Wanda offered me a small, nervous smile. We'd never talked about marriage since we were so content in our little bubble, but clearly she'd thought about it without me knowing. I guess I had, too. But I never expected either of us to do anything about it.

"I know we can never really be married, but what is marriage if not a union between two people who are in love anyway? I mean, we basically already have that." She snickered to ease her nerves, then licked her lips shakily, eyes tearing up. "I'm asking you to marry me and if you say yes, I'll know you're my wife and that's all that'll matter... so Y/N Y/L/N. Will you marry me?"

I didn't even need to think about it. Wanda was the love of my life and just like she'd said, the past three years had been the best. We could never truly be married in the eyes of the world, but she'd be my wife and that would be enough. She'd always be enough.

"Of course I will, Wanda," I answered, tears of happiness slipping from my eyes.

She raised her eyebrows. "Yes? You said yes?"

I laughed, nodding, and leaned forward to kiss her. She returned the favour, salty tears mingling between our lips, but it didn't matter because she was going to be my wife and that's all I could think about.

Our smiles broke the kiss and I wiped her tears away with my thumb before pressing another kiss to her lips.

"Here, let me put this on you," she said between laughter, hands fumbling as she tried to find mine.

I put out my hand and let her slide the ring on my finger. It was a simple silver band with a small, elegant gemstone sat on top, perfect for someone like me who didn't like anything too flashy.

"It's beautiful, Wanda, thank you," I said, smiling through my tears.

"I've been wanting to ask you for a while, but I wasn't sure you'd say yes," she admitted.

"Are you joking? Why wouldn't I?" I asked with an exploding happiness in my chest. "I'm so bloody in love with you, Wanda Maximoff."

She laced our fingers together as she nodded in agreement. "That's good. Because I'm in love with you, too."

And when she said that, it wasn't unlike anything she'd told me before. If she wasn't telling me she loved me, she was showing me in all sorts of ways. But this was different... this was the first time she'd told me as my fiancé. And then she'd soon be my wife. And it made me realise.

I'd spent so long thinking that if we were in a different life, we could have had it all. But we were getting it all now, so maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the wrong lifetime after all.

FIN.

[xuxishortcake]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ

John Mayer - Your body is a wonderland

¹:⁰³ ──♡──────³:³⁰

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : your boyfriend, Taeyong has been worn out due to working hard on his latest comeback & you just wanna appreciate him & tell him how much you love him <3

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 : sub!idol Dom!reader smut , angst ? some pretty cute fluff : 3, cursing , cream pie, cunninilingus, handjob , blowjob , praising

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 1.7k

hey everyone! this is my first official ff, so pardon me if there's Grammer errors, spelling mistakes, etc. I got inspired to write this while listening to "your body is a wonderland." I just love the soft, morning sex feel of the song & wanted to turn it into a ff. I'm not sure if I'll be an active poster , but I did have fun while writing this & making up stories is a hobby of mine so we'll see. feedback is very appreciated, & enjoy!! :3

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it was a pleasant Sunday morning & you woke up a little earlier than usual to the sound of birds chirping. You rubbed your eyes to adjust to the light streaming through the semi transparent curtains. next to you, lay your peacefully asleep boyfriend, Taeyong. {damn,} you thought, {even while sleeping he's just breathtaking to look at. God really does have favorites huh.} it made you smile to see him look so tranquil.

the night before, he came in the apartment quite fatigued since he had been out all day, practicing for his group's newest comeback.

"hey bubu," you said as you stood up from the couch you were sat at. you walked over & you hugged him. "how was everything today? any new progress?"

"mmm, everything's going along well, just a little tired because the recording session was a bit hard. I'm just glad to be back home & hugging you." he said while putting his head in the crook of your neck.

"you seem tired, baby." you reply, moving your fingers through his hair "want me to make you some tea maybe?"

"yeah, that'd be great. I'm just gonna go lay down on the bed for a bit. " he smiled tiredly, putting his backpack & shoes next to the door.

you went into the kitchen to get a kettle onto the stove. once it started boiling, you poured it into two small mugs for the both of you, added the tea bags & stirred in some honey. you left for the bedroom & came in to see Tae curled up, fast asleep on the bed. you sighed, a bit sad & put down the cups onto the night stand next to the bed & sat down besides him. you glanced at the clock on top of the night stand, 9:55 PM. makes sense he was tired, he left pretty early in the morning. however, you wanted to talk to him at least for a little bit more since it felt like the two of you hadn't had a conversation or even really cuddled in so long for his job was keeping him very occupied. sure you both texted back & forth while you could, but it just didn't feel the same as actually being there together. it wasn't too long before his comeback would be present, but then again, he'd be busy with promotions. a bit crestfallen, you slipped out of your clothes, went to get washed & had gotten into bed.

back to the present, you were thinking of how nice it was just to be close to him & know you could finally have a day where you could both just enjoy each other's company. you knew you wanted to do some extra special caring for him. knowing how he's been so hard at work was a sign he's in need of some extra special lovin'. you felt like you hadn't been able to tell him how much you loved & appreciated him, & now, you felt like you could finally do it. you snuggled up closer to him, gently put your hand onto his face & started caressing him. Taeyong 's nose scrunched & his eyes fluttered open.

"good morning bubu. " you said, continually stroking his cheek with the tips of your fingers. "sleep well?"

taeyong smiled & stretched a bit. "yeah, I feel well rested. how about you?"

"same same. I'm just glad you don't have to go anywhere today. I've missed being able to be with you. "

"I'm sorry I fell asleep so quickly last night y/n. I just wanted to lie down since I felt so drowsy but I dozed off like an idiot & didn't get to talk to you while I had the chance. I feel so bad since I feel I've been terrible at spending time with you & actually being a boyfriend. " he looked down glumly.

"no, baby, it's fine. it's understandable since you've been going pretty hard lately, & we have all day today so : )" you assured him pressing a small kiss on his forehead.

you smiled & held his cheeks between your hands & kissed his lips ever so gently. he kissed back, & you started to kiss back a little bit harder. before you knew it, things were starting to get really heated. you had slid your tongue over his lips as an ask to come in, & he happily let you in. that cute little bubblegum tongue of his sure knew how to get you riled up, cause damn, was he a good kisser. tongues playing harmoniously while softly panting. you broke out of the deep kissing to kiss his cheek & then started to leave kisses all along his sharp jawline. you climbed on top of him & worked your way down his neck, leaving a plush trail of kisses with him sighing softly. your hands trailed down his stomach & onto his forming hard on. starting to slowly stroke his covered bulge, you now moved your lips to his nipple, giving a few light licks, giving you great joy to hear the sweet little whimpers that were coming out of his mouth. you started to work faster with your tongue & hand. you lightly dragged your tongue down his abdomen & hooked your fingers around the waistband of his boxers & pulled them off. his cock sprung up & slapped against his stomach. the tip was sore & red, glistening with precum, which made you lick your lips in anticipation. slowly, you started to stroke it,from the base & squeezing a bit once you came to the top. you began to pick up the pace, taking in your boyfriend's pretty flushed face, begging you to touch him more.

"fuck tae, your body is like a wonderland. you're so beautiful. "

he started blushing at the compliments, hand slightly against his mouth , & that just made you want to do more. you stopped stroking his length & he whined at the lack of friction, trying to buck his hips in the air. however, you had a firm grip on his left thigh & wouldn't let him. you moved further down his body, until your head was in between his thighs. you started leaving kisses & bites all along his inner thighs. reaching to his dick, you placed a quick kiss on the tip & started giving a few kitten licks.

"fuck y/n,you're such a tease. " taeyong panted out.

"I'm just trying to savor every moment of this baby ♡" you said smirking since you knew what you were doing to him.

finally, you took him whole & he groaned out loud. bobbing your head up & down, his tip sometimes reaching the back of your throat, making you moan & send out vibrations, which made him moan right back . chest heaving & eliciting pretty moans , his back was slightly arched & his hips were pushed up a bit, but you made sure he was held put. he practically melted by your hands, & it was amazing to feel you had this much power over him. you could tell he was reaching his limit, & you got off of him with a *pop*. you were about to position himself into your entrance when he grabbed your wrist.

"no....not yet. I want you to feel good too. please, sit on my face. "

"ok, I'll let you since you've been a pretty good boy." you say as you crawl up onto him. you lower yourself slowly above his face & he holds your thighs in place. he takes one long lick across your slit, savoring it as if it tastes like candy & starts eating you out like he'll never be able to do it again.

"you're so pretty, y/n" he says against you, nose deep into you.

"ah fuck, & you're so good at this tae." you say tugging onto his hair, trying tohold back moans.

the way he eats you out is unbearably good. his tongue, gliding along your vulva , up & down & making circle motions on your clit gets you feeling so high. you felt yourself coming to a reach, & taeyong could see it & started to go even faster. your thighs started to shake in the euphoric feeling & you held his hair as he continued lapping up your juices until you told him to stop. finally, you got down off of his face & positioned yourself. you lowered yourself down onto his firm cock. "ohhh" taeyong let out a deep groan, relieved he was finally getting attention on him again. you stretched your torso across to pin his hands above his head & slowly started to move, your hips going perpendicular. moving your head towards him, you went back in for more kissing. tongues entangling & beads of sweat falling down in between your foreheads. having a tight grip on both his hands, you started going at a quicker pace, drawing out more moans from tae.

"oh my god. I'm close, y/n." taeyong moaned out against your lips with his hands starting to tremble.

"ok baby. you can cum." you replied, increasing the movements of your hips & pushing your lips into a deeper kiss with his. you felt his thighs starting to quiver & his hips bucked up deeper into yours, warm cum spilling out from inside you. you both rode it out together until you started to pant. not moving anymore,you were still on him with a bit of cum dripping out of your pussy, creaminess covering his cock. you rose up & got some tissues to clean the both of you. after that, you laid down next to him. him turning to meet your face & his chest still rising.

"it doesn't matter how long we've been together, you still manage somehow to make my heart race with every breath you take." taeyong said, a bashful little smile creeping onto his face.

"well, you never fail to make me smile at your sappy commentary." you giggled, running your hands through his messy hair. "you're pretty cute too."

"I can't believe I get to date someone as angelic as you." he said, snuggling his head into your chest, arms wrapping around your waist.

"ha, you make my heart flutter, really. I'm so lucky to have you. " you cuddled him back, hands on the back of his head, gently caressing him.

"love you, y/n"

"love you too, yongie" you replied smiling, savoring the intimacy of the moment.