#-we still chat on the way to and from school every day and hang out at the beach on weekends'

[godsfavoritescientist]

Building off of what I wrote in my fic "Sparks," I'm really compelled by the idea of Ford genuinely no longer being interested in sailing around in a boat with Stan by the time they were seniors in high school.

I like the idea of it not being just a symptom of the resentment that had been building between them, nor it being a dream of Ford's that only paled in comparison to west coast tech, but it being a genuine loss of interest on Ford's end. I think it complicates things even further in some really juicy ways.

Like, imagine going through high school slowly losing more and more interest in the dream you've shared with your twin and only friend ever since you were little kids. How do you break it to him? How do you explain it to him without making it sound like a rejection of him? Without it making him hate you?

How do you explain it without it feeling like a spit in the face to all the hard work he's put into a plan that started out as a way of him comforting you by telling you "it doesn't matter what people say about you, you're going to be an adventurer who sails away into the sunset and never has to hear their mockery ever again, and there will be babes and treasure and heroism, and then they'll all see how cool you really are!"

And all through high school you think to yourself, "he's going to move on to more realistic dreams any day now, and then I won't have to say anything about it!" But no matter how many times you mention something else he could do with his life that he seems interested in, or bring up the challenging logistics of traveling around long-term in a boat, he sounds just as committed to the childhood dream as ever, and completely oblivious to how apprehensive you sound.

So resentment grows, little by little. Because that's easier than confronting the soul-crushing levels of guilt that are building up inside of you, every time you don't take an opportunity to tell him you don't want to do the plan anymore. You don't have a single person in your life who modeled how to have difficult conversations for you. As far as you know, having this conversation with Stan would crush him into tiny little pieces and then he would hate you forever, and you can't stand the idea of losing the only friend you've ever had.

So tensions grow. A lack of interest turns into a bitter resentment that, if you were really being honest with yourself, is directed more at yourself than it is at Stan.

And then the falling-out happens, and it seems like you were proven right. Stan hates you now, and he's never going to forgive you for giving up on his dream. But two can play that game, so you try to hate him too. Because if you hate him too, then maybe it won't hurt as much that he never came back. That he never even turned up at school, or by the boat, or in through your bedroom window in the middle of the night. He knows what dad's like, and how he says impulsive exaggerated things when he's angry, and haven't you both dealt with his harsh words countless times before and been able to dust yourselves off and joke about it later? So why isn't he back at home, joking with you about how absurd your dad acted that night, being impossible and belligerent about ruining your dream, but at least now you're even, because you've ruined his dream too.

-

And now imagine you find out he risked the lives of everyone in existence to bring you back, right after you had accepted your fate was to die killing Bill. It would be terrifying and confusing and infuriating. If he cared so much, why didn't he do something to reconnect with you sooner? Why did he ignore you in favor of trying to make it big without you? Why didn't he take the infinitely safer and simpler action of reaching out to you without you having to track down his address and send a desperate plea for help? You were convinced that he didn't care enough to bother with you unless you had an important enough reason for him to come. But even then, he thought your plans were stupid. He didn't want anything to do with you, not even with the world at stake.

Did he save your life out of guilt? Does he pity you that much? It doesn't add up with what he did in the decade leading up to shoving you into the portal. And the dissonance between the version of him in your head that hates you, and the man who held out his arms to welcome you back to your home dimension, is so strong that you feel like you're being lied to again, like you're back in the depths of gaslighting and manipulation that Bill put you through, even though there's no way that's what Stan is trying to do... right? You can't figure it out, so you run away from it. You don't want to know the answer to whether or not Stan hates you, because you don't know which answer would hurt more, so you try to make him hate you more than ever, because at least then you would know for sure how he feels.

And in the end, after he sacrifices his memories for you, and for the world, things seem clearer. The layers upon layers of confusion and anger and hurt seem to have washed away like drawings in the sand, leaving behind the simple truth: that you two had an argument, and didn't move past it for forty years, and despite everything you put each other through, you both still want to re-connect.

So you sail away in a boat together.

And at first, it's wonderful. It's exactly what you want. It feels like an apology to Stan, and a thank-you for saving the world, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to heal the rift between you two, and it's good to be back on earth, and you wonder why you ever doubted the dream you two once had.

But then, after the first long journey you spend on the sea together, when you get back home to dry land, Stan is already talking about planning your next adventure out on the open sea. He recaps every adventure you had on the first trip, over and over again, and he wants to chat with you all through the morning and long into the night, and you don't have the words to explain to yourself that you don't have enough social battery for this, and suddenly you're slipping back into the horrifyingly familiar feeling of Stan being overbearing and needing space from him and how could you think that? How could you think that about him after everything he's done for you and everything he's forgiven you for? But the longer this goes on, the more you realize that you still don't want to spend the rest of your life sailing around with Stan. It's great fun in moderation, but the idea of your whole life revolving around Stan and going on adventures with Stan and being in a boat with Stan with no time to be by yourself thinking about your own things and figuring out your own dreams makes your skin crawl with a claustrophobic kind of panic that you still don't know how to put into words forty years after the first time this feeling grabbed you by the throat and ruined your friendship with Stanley.

But the first time this happened, it nearly ruined his life forever. You can't let yourself feel this. You don't feel this. You're happy to spend the rest of your life fulfilling Stan's lifelong dream, and making up for the time you crushed his dream, and sure, maybe he crushed your dream once too, and maybe it would be nice for him to support your dreams like you're now doing for him, but you can't say that. He saved the universe, and it would be horrible and ungrateful and cruel for you to try to voice these feelings, especially when you don't know how to voice your feelings without it making other people feel like you twisted a knife into their gut. So you try to pretend the feeling isn't there.

You go out on a boat with Stan again. You planned out another incredible journey together, and this should be fun, and you should be happy about this, but the unspoken feeling you shoved as far down in yourself as it could possibly go is eating you alive. The worst part? Stan is starting to notice. You have never been good at hiding your emotions. The trick to it has always been to convince yourself you don't feel it at all, and not think about it, and that has always worked like a charm. But whenever the emotion claws its way back up to the forefront of your mind, you can tell Stan knows something is wrong. So you can't even give him the happy ending he deserves. You can't even convince him that you want to be here on the open seas forever with him, like he deserves. And you keep trying and trying to hide it, but Stan keeps asking in roundabout ways, like "You're being awfully quiet, sixer," and "whats that look on your face?" and eventually it comes exploding out of you like a shaken-up soda bottle dropped on its cap.

And then it's like you're back at home in New Jersey again, standing in the living room while dad grabs Stanley by the shirt. It all comes pouring out of you, in the worst possible way, with the worst possible phrasing, like a pandora's box of monstrousness, and Stan tries to fight back against the sting of your words, but you're made out of acid and you're burning through him and you can see it on his face, and there's never any coming back from this, not this time, you'll just have to either jump into the ocean or become a monster forever, so Stan can hate you more easily again, and-

-and at the end of the outburst, you're still on a boat in the middle of nowhere in the ocean with your brother, in dangerous waters, and you have things to do to keep the boat running smoothly.

You can't run away from him. He can't run away from you. You're stuck here for at least a couple more weeks, even if you turned around and sailed back towards shore right away.

-

And the thing that compels me so much here, despite how unbelievably angsty it all is, is that it sets up a situation wherein the Stans might end up forced to actually address the decades of resentment and confusion and wanting-to-reconnect-throughout-it-all that they thought they could gloss over and heal with enough time spent adventuring together on a boat. They might end up forced to actually address the crux of the issue that drove them apart in the first place: Ford wanting a little more space to feel like his own person, and to feel like he's able to have his own dreams, too.

It wouldn't happen easily, nor right away, but if they were stuck together on a little boat in the middle of nowhere surrounded by magical creatures they have to protect each other from in order to make it back home alive, then after they had one fight where they brought up all the things they silently agreed to never bring up again, it would probably happen many more times, and each time it would leave them both angrier at each other than ever, until eventually something honest slipped through amidst all the saying-anything-except-what-they-mean bickering. And once enough of these honest moments slipped through, then they would have a thread to tug on to start to unravel the gargantuan knot of their decades of unresolved conflicts.

And then, eventually, maybe Stan could learn that he can have a good friendship with his brother without needing to be glued to him at the hip, and Ford needing a certain amount of alone time doesn't mean he dislikes him or wants to abandon him, and Ford could learn that he can be honest and have a meaningful connection with someone without it driving them away and making them hate him.

[feeder86]

Selfish

“Why are you arranging to go out with the boys? You know we’re going up to help my parents with redecorating this weekend!” Lucy complained, standing straight up and looking down at Ryan, laid out on the couch.

“We’re doing what?” Ryan asked, completely perplexed. “We were there last weekend!”

“Yeah, and I told my dad you’d give him a hand with the wallpapering this next weekend as well,” Lucy continued in her whining tone.

“Their entire lounge?” Ryan shot back. “Nobody told me!”

“Well…” Lucy mumbled, suddenly realising that Ryan was right. “I’m telling you now.”

Ryan huffed in frustration. He hadn’t had a night out with the boys in months. He’d thought, when he married Lucy, that he was setting himself up for a good life. She didn’t want kids, she wasn’t crazy about him visiting the gym all the time and she was a fully qualified chef! However, two years in and Ryan had never had so little time for himself, endlessly fixing up their apartment just as Lucy wanted it, then constantly heading out to see her parents; always being signed up for some tedious maintenance tasks now that Lucy’s dad was getting on a bit and living off his retirement income. “Fine,” he sighed, deleting his planned message to the group chat with the boys. “I guess I can see my friends when I’ve got a couple of weeks off next month.”

“Oh, yes!” Lucy nodded, making Ryan instantly regret reminding her about his time off. The cogs in her head clearly rolling into action, imagining all of the jobs he could get done in that time.

“Ryan!” cheered his buddies a full nine weeks later, amazed that he had actually made it out. “We haven’t seen you in ages!”

“I’m only here for one of two drinks. I dropped Lucy off in town to do some shopping,” he explained to them, not wanting to get their hopes up.

“You’re not coming to the club?” Adam asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise after giving him the biggest hug.

“No… no. I wish I could, but…” he grumbled, considering the best way to explain how much Lucy was monopolising his time; how frustrating and demanding she had become since they got married. . “...I’ve got commitments,” he simply stated, deciding not to poison his time with his friends by complaining about the person who had kept him away from them for so long. 

“Don’t worry about it, buddy,” Jack jumped in, filling the silent void that was killing the mood. “Life happens.”

“Jack!” Ryan exclaimed, seeing his high school best friend and doing a slight double take. The guy had altered quite a bit since Ryan last saw him. Where had that double chin come from? How was he filling that shirt with all that padding in his stomach? What the hell had happened? “How long has it been, buddy?”

“I saw you at Ginny and Fran’s house warming, about four months ago,” he answered. “I introduced you to my new girlfriend, Michelle.”

“Oh, yeah,” I remember, Ryan nodded, thinking back to how drunk Lucy had been that night, and how early they had had to leave. But Jack hadn’t looked so overweight back then. They’d tried out their friends’ new swimming pool. Jack had been one of the first ones in. He definitely wasn’t out of shape. Not like he appeared to be now.

As luck would have it, when the guys all went to grab seats, Ryan ended up next to Jack, right on the end of a long, rectangular table. Back in their high school days, the pair of them had been the best of friends, and that old rapport immediately came back every time they met; even after months of separation. Jack had always been the bad influence that Ryan’s parents had never approved of. He’d been banned from hanging out with the guy on multiple occasions when he was growing up and, even now, he still felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t, giggling away at the crude jokes that tumbled out of Jack’s mouth with ease. 

“So, things are going well with Michelle?” Ryan asked, spotting that Jack had already referenced her several times in their conversation.

“Things are going great!” Jack beamed. He leaned in a little closer, clearly not wanting the other guys to hear. “We’ve even talked about getting married!”

At this, Ryan’s eyebrows flew up. “Married? After four months?” he whispered back, knowing that Jack didn’t want this broadcasting. He remembered how promiscuous his friend had been during his college days. If Ryan had been asked to pick any one of the guys here who was least likely to ever settle down, he would have chosen Jack without a second thought.

“I know!” Jack beamed, leaning back and placing his hands on the top of his stout little paunch, which jutted out into a proper shelf as they sat down. “I’m so ready for it though,” he smiled, seeming to rub his stomach mindlessly. “I’m actually really excited about the idea.”

Round and round Jack’s hands went, rubbing that tight ball of stomach fat, pulling Ryan’s gaze into it. “I’m happy for you,” he mumbled back.

Jack looked around, checking that no one else was listening in, then he turned himself a little more into Ryan, about to divulge even more private information. “Michelle’s super kinky!” he whispered.

Ryan chuckled and leaned in as well. His own sex life was so monotonous these days, he was actually quite ready to hear about someone else having a good time. “Oh yeah? She certainly looked pretty flexible when I met her that one time,” he grinned, settling into dirty ‘guy talk’ with enthusiasm.

“Oh, buddy!” Jack sighed, rolling his eyes and giving a huge exhale. “You would not believe it. She has me wrapped around her little finger. Absolutely anything she wants, I do for her.”

“That doesn’t sound too dissimilar to me and Lucy,” Ryan quipped, chuckling at his own joke.

“No, I’m not talking about boring shit, like decorating,” Jack shot back, having heard all about Ryan’s grumblings. “I’m talking about really kinky, submissive stuff.”

“Really?” Ryan smirked. “I never thought she’d be the dominant type.”

“No,” Jack agreed enthusiastically. “No one else knows. She hides it really well.”

Ryan had to admit that he was getting a little turned on. “So, what type of stuff does she make you do?” he asked next; his eyes twinkling with boyish interest, just as much as Jack’s were.

“All sorts,” Jack answered, his hands slipping onto his gut again. “When we started going out, I was still trying to act like the playboy I used to be. Michelle was having none of it. She’s put guys like me in their place before. Trust me, I’ve seen the pictures!” he smirked.”But her biggest turn on is making sure I overeat and get bigger.”

“Seriously?” Ryan asked, now understanding why Jack kept on holding his stomach. “I thought girls hated it when guys put on weight?”

“It’s an absolute fucking dream!” Jack replied, lowering his voice even further. Just the fact that he had sworn showed Ryan how turned on his friend was, simply by talking about it. “I get home and she’ll sit me in my gaming chair and set everything up for me. Then she brings me endless snacks and beers; a few sodas, cream cakes. Michelle won’t even let me get up. I do nothing around my apartment at all! No washing, no cleaning and certainly no cooking! She gets off on controlling my entire lifestyle when I’m at home. Then rewarding me for it.”

“Dude, that’s amazing!” Ryan had to agree, feeling surprisingly jealous. He’d been up until almost midnight last night, fixing a new shelf for Lucy’s candles, whilst his buddy Jack had been gaming, eating and getting pleasured the entire time.

“You see why I’m so keen to marry her now?” Jack joked back. “Can you believe it? I’m actually living out our dream that we used to talk about in high school.”

Ryan looked a little perplexed, trying to remember what they used to talk about ten years ago.

In turn, Jack seemed a little surprised that Ryan was struggling to recall. “You remember? Mr Hanson was such a bad gym teacher, we used to joke that we would just find some girls who liked fat guys and never have to put on a pair of itchy gym shorts again.”

“Oh, yeah!” Ryan chuckled. “That worked out well for me,” he sighed sarcastically. “I ended up marrying a professional chef, but I’m now ten pounds lighter than I was when we married.”

“Dude, there are other girls out there,” Jack went on enthusiastically. “Believe me! My eyes have been opened in these last few months! If you want the life that I’ve got…” he proclaimed, rubbing his stomach once more, “trust me, you can have it!”

Ryan nodded. No one else had dared to suggest he thought about a life beyond Lucy. Whenever he raised his concerns or annoyances about their marriage, people were keen to stamp them out, reminding him, in their accusatory tones, that marriage was all about compromising. Now, here was Jack, actively encouraging him to imagine being with someone else instead. It was the reason why Jack was, and always would be, Ryan’s very best friend.

Ryan looked at himself in the mirror a couple of weeks later. It was Sunday night. He should have been well rested, and yet he looked nothing but tired. The dirt under his fingernails from digging up Lucy’s parents’ garden all weekend was still visible in places, despite scrubbing for so long in the shower. His ribs were showing in his chest and, although he was built with plenty of muscle, he’d never looked so lanky and slim in his life. He thought of Jack and his life of pleasure and luxury. This… this tiredness and exhaustion was not what he wanted for himself. He looked almost ill.

Life had to change.

Ryan raised his cell phone to the mirror and took a picture of himself. This would be his lowest point, he decided with determination. From now on, things were going to change. He never wanted to see himself like this ever again.

“What’s all this?” Lucy complained, slipping into Ryan’s truck on their way to the supermarket. She held up several pieces of packaging, wrappers from fast food places and sugary snacks. “Is this what you’ve been eating when you’ve been in work this week?”

Ryan nodded without shame. “I feel like I’m too skinny. I’m trying to put on a few pounds.”

“Since when?” Lucy blasted back indignantly. “I’ve never told you you’re too skinny. I like the way you look.”

“I don’t,” Ryan shrugged. “I’ve never liked being skinny. I was always bigger than this growing up. In fact, I was actually quite chubby when I started high school.”

“Well, no. Sorry,” Lucy stated, without compromise. “I’m your wife, and I say no.”

Ryan looked at her in disbelief. “It’s my body,” he declared. “And I want to feel good about it.”

“I said no!” Lucy spat, brushing all the packaging into the footwell and sitting herself down. “Now, let’s talk about something else.”

Ryan got in, sat down and slammed the door shut, neither of them speaking for the entire ride.

‘Fastest ways to gain weight’ Ryan typed into the internet search that evening after Lucy had gone to bed. He quickly skipped through anything that dealt with muscle gains and focused solely on those that promoted increases in fat. He may have married Lucy, but she didn’t own him. In fact, she was the one who needed to learn that more than anyone. This was one ‘no’ that he wasn’t about to cave into.

“You’re looking well,” cried Ryan’s aunt as he stopped over to fix her leaking tap.

“Thanks,” he smiled back. “I feel quite well,” he agreed. “I’ve been trying to put some weight back on these last few weeks. I was starting to get far too skinny.”

“I was saying that to your mom, but she didn’t agree with me. You had gone dreadfully skinny.”

Ryan nodded in agreement. He had always been much more on his aunt’s wavelength than anyone else in his family. “I found some recipes online and I buy in these little calorie shakes that seem to work well on me. I’ve put on about 20lbs altogether,” he explained, raising his shirt briefly to show that his stomach was indeed a little thicker. “Lucy isn’t too pleased about it. But she’s never happy these days.”

“Well, you were never skinny growing up, were you?” his aunt nodded. “You always had a sweet tooth, I remember. You used to eat me out of house and home when you came over!”

“That’s why I’m so tall,” Ryan laughed. “I was always so well fed growing up.”

The pair of them laughed and Ryan packed up his things. In the old days, he would have headed straight home to his wife, but now he was feeling the need to be much more selfish, heading istead to the fast food place he had grown quite attached to and determined that he would at last defeat the Mega Monster Meal that had, up until now, eluded him.

“Come on, we’ve got to go!” Lucy complained, checking the time as Ryan rushed about after his shower. He’d been late home, getting caught up at a job, sending his wife into a tailspin as she tried to get him ready for her friend’s engagement party. She’d laid his suit out on the bed, his underwear, shoes and socks; knowing exactly how she wanted him to look.

Ryan hated being rushed. So what if they missed the first twenty minutes? Was the world really going to end? It was the side of Lucy he hated most, struggling to pull his socks on as his feet were still so wet.

“Oh,” Ryan mumbled, sucking in his stomach and trying to button up the suit pants. He tugged and pulled, holding his breath as much as he could. “I’m too big for them!” he chuckled with amusement, remembering that he had bought the suit for a wedding less than a year ago, when he was much skinnier. “What a waste of money, these were!” he joked lightheartedly. “I only got to wear them once!”

Lucy stared on in horror. She’d told him again and again to cut down on his eating. Couldn’t he see how bad he looked? Wasn’t he ashamed of how his stomach was starting to develop into a little paunch.

“Relax,” he whispered back, trying to calm her down. “I’ll just pair the jacket with my jeans and then we can head straight out.”

However, Lucy’s face had flushed with anger. “No,” she declared, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. “I’m going by myself. I’m not being seen with you, looking like this.”

Ryan stared at her in disbelief. He didn’t have words, listening as she stormed down the stairs and threw the front door closed. He heard her car start and he peeked out the window as that too stormed off down the street; out of view. 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Ryan threw himself down onto the bed; still dressed only in his underwear and socks. How had he married someone so fucking unreasonable? She was just so… 

But then a thought came to Ryan, making his brain tingle into life. Had he actually just been given the night to himself? The whole house? Just him? All evening?

He looked down at his thicker stomach and smiled with delight at it. “Thank you!” he laughed aloud, managing to pinch a little and jiggle it in happiness. He felt a twitch in his groin, realising that with the night to himself, he could watch porn or do anything that he wanted. He could order food in. Lots of it! “Yes!”, he nodded, getting more excited and turned on now. This was his night. Free reign to be as selfish as he liked.

Ryan proceeded to indulge himself in every way possible, looking down at his bloated stomach a couple of hours later. Maybe this was it, he thought to himself. Maybe this was the way out of his miserable life with Lucy. He could seize upon her dislike of his weight gain and run with it. Why stop? He’d certainly gone beyond the point of denying himself for the sake of her ideals. There was a path in front of him, the exit sign shining brightly and a new life within his reach. He just needed to have the courage to reach for it.

“A Saturday night to yourself?” Jack laughed, surprised that Ryan had actually followed up on his promises and made it out for a drink. “You must have been a very good boy!” he teased.

Ryan hugged his friend and stood back to admire him slightly. Jack had grown wider since he’d seen him last, his hips and love handles spreading. Teh guy’s face was bigger, cheeks blooming large. And underneath his t-shirt, Ryan could see that the man’s nipples had become pointed, pressing outwards from his puffy former pecs. “I can see that you’ve been having a very good time of things!” he joked, being in the know about how Jack’s kinky sex life worked with his girlfriend.

“I could say the same about you!” Jack smirked back, poking Ryan in his tight little paunch. “Have you and Lucy been having your own kinky fun?” he teased.

“We’re not really talking at the moment, dude,” Ryan explained straight away; keen that he didn’t have to spend the entire night talking about her. “I want out. I’ve reached the end.”

Jack winced sympathetically. “I can’t say that I’m all that surprised after the way you were talking last time. But that still doesn’t explain this,” he pointed back at Ryan’s middle, smirking.

Ryan laughed, having forgottem how quickly Jack could lift his spirits with his cheeky humour. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied coyly, smiling with just as much mischief.

“Yes you do!” Jack laughed back, patting Ryan’s paunch properly now. “Did you do it on purpose? Is this to piss Lucy off?”

Again, Ryan laughed. He shruged his shoulders. “Yeah,” he nodded in surprise at Jack’s bluntness. There wasn’t anyone else in the world he could imagine himself admitting this to. “I guess I did,” he smiled, resting his hand over his thicker middle like it was his new prized pet.

“Dude, that’s so awesome!” Jack blasted; his face lighting up with all the enthusiasm Ryan remembered when the pair of them used to get up to mischief in high school. “You love it, don’t you?”

Ryan felt like he was dealing with an excitable puppy, but the interest was infectious. “Well, I can’t say I’m against it,” he replied diplomatically.

“Michelle is going to love this when I tell her,” Jack pressed on, ordering them both a couple of beers. “She said at the pool party that you would make a good fatty.”

“She did?” Ryan asked, surprised that Michelle would talk about other guys in that way.

“Absolutely,” Jack nodded. “She said you’re like me; a similar build; perfect for fattening up, apparently.”

“She really is a kinky one, your Michelle, isn’t she?” Ryan chuckled, feeling strangely aroused by the idea of her talking about him like this.

“How far are you planning on taking it?” Jack pressed him.

“The weight gain? Um, well. I’m not really thinking about anything really. I’m just having some fun,” he answered honestly.

“Dude, if you’re ever going to grow a gut in your lifetime, getting a divorce is one of them.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ryan asked, only half listening now as he tried to work out why there was so much blood pumping into his groin.

“A divorce is like a free pass for so many things. No one will bat an eyelid if you start getting properly fat once you two separate.”

“Well, we’re not quite there yet,” Ryan backtracked, wincing slightly as the word ‘divorce’ came up so casually in their conversation. Lucy hadn’t mentioned it to him yet, and neither had he to her. 

“Just imagine it though,” Jack encouraged him. “You, sitting in your own apartment somewhere, drinking as much beer and eating as much pizza as you want after work. No Lucy complaining in the background and telling you off. No massive list of jobs to be completed at the weekend.”

“That does sound pretty sweet,” Ryan admitted; his dick now inexplicably full of blood.

“I just can’t wait to tell Michelle,” Jack said again, more delighted than ever as the pair of them settled in to watch the football game on the big screen.

The realities of splitting from his wife were somewhat different from the fantasies that Jack tried to portray, Ryan soon realised. Divorce was quickly turning into the most expensive thing he had ever done. Lucy’s parents, who had been too impoverished to hire a gardener, or a decorator, or a maintenance guy the entire time he had been married to Lucy, suddenly stumped up the cash to pay for the most cut-throat, killer lawyer for their daughter. With his head in his hands, Ryan soon realised that he was going to have to start from scratch: no home, no pensions, not even his truck for work. The only place that he could afford to live was a room in an apartment downtown, sharing with two students from the local college. Twenty nine years old and here he was, right back at the starting line.

Of the two guys he now lived with, Ryan didn’t see much of Paul, the computer science major. He was often out in the library, or hiding out in his bedroom. That worked fine. With his life turned so upside down, Ryan wasn’t exactly wanting to be dragged out to parties midweek when he had work the next morning. No, the only real pain in Ryan’s ass was Ash; the smart-mouthed literature student with a carefree attitude to life that frustrated Ryan to no end.

“You know, when you get a real job, you’re not going to be able to sit up until 3am watching a movie marathon with your waste of space boyfriend,” he complained at the guy one evening, tired from an exhausting day in work, having been constantly woken by the pair of young lovers laughing so hard at the screen.

“Fine. Whatever,” Ash huffed. “I’ve had a stressful day, okay. I don’t need this.”

“Stressful?” Ryan parroted, feeling the rage bubbling up inside him. “You want to know about stress?” he growled. “You’ve been sitting inside all day typing up an assignment on a computer screen. That’s not what real stress looks like. You’re in college - you have absolutely no idea about the real world; about trying to actually earn a living!”

Ash rolled his eyes. He’d heard it all before. 

Sure, Lucy knew how to press Ryan’s buttons, but this boy was on a whole other level. “You graduate with your masters in nine months!” he blasted. “What the hell do you expect to do then? You’ve got no idea, have you? How can you just wander so aimlessly through life?”

“What does it matter?” Ash sighed. “Things always work out in the end.”

“It matters because, trust me, your twenties will be over in a flash and you need to start getting somewhere in life. Not just watching movies until 3am! And certainly not with someone like Ben! You’re just setting yourself up for failure, and it pisses me off!”

“Like you, you mean?” Ash shot back, visibly annoyed. “You’ve done the whole marriage thing, the house, the cars. Yet, you're back here, sharing a shitty apartment with a couple of students. You did everything right, everything the grown-ups told you, and now look at you! Sometimes life is just like that. So stop taking out your frustrations on me and start focusing on yourself instead!”

Ryan didn’t respond. He stormed off to his room and threw himself onto the bed. Then he took a few breaths and considered what Ash had actually said to him. The guy had been right: he was taking his anger out on him. Ash was young, more academically bright than Ryan had ever been, good looking and full of personality. He had his whole life in front of him without any major mistakes under his belt yet. So why did Ryan feel the need to be such an asshole to him?

Despite not officially apologising, Ryan did make an effort to be nicer to Ash over the coming days. He still didn’t care for Ben, the guy's boyfriend, feeling that Ash could do much better. But he was polite and courteous, never failing to put in his earplugs when he knew they were going to be watching TV until late.

Ryan’s weight had not been a priority for him since he’d moved in. Any erotic fantasies he’d indulged himself in last year were thoroughly dampened by the divorce. Yet, his weight continued to climb, spurred on by the cheap, high carbohydrate diet he fell into whilst living in the apartment.

When he was with Lucy, Ryan had indulged himself in sugary treats and even high calorie supplements that he would now consider an eyewatering drain on his monthly budget. He was having to to work harder than ever to bring in the money and his paunch seemed to lose that fluffy softness of his early gains, solidifying into something firmer and more rounded as it continued to push itself out from under his chest.

New clothes were also a luxury that Ryan could ill-afford. His t-shirts fitted awkwardly around the swell of his stomach and there were many times in work when he felt a cool breeze on his butt crack. Beer was the only luxury he allowed himself in those early days, especially on the weekends, when Paul usually went back to visit his family and Ash was generally out partying with his boyfriend. In those few, blissful hours, he could guzzle down his beers whilst sitting in his underwear in front of the shared TV screen, appreciating exactly why he had given up his marriage. Life was hard, but it wasn’t always awful.

Through word of mouth, Ryan had started picking up more work on some of the other rental properties for students that littered this area of town. Desperate for the work, Ryan had been undercutting people quite dramatically in order to guarantee an income for himself. However, trying to get an early start on these types of properties was never as easy. Students were inherently lazy, he decided, whilst banging on the door of one apartment, trying to get someone to let him in. After a full five minutes, a groggy looking guy crawled to the door wearing only his underwear and a t-shirt that was back to front.

“Your landlord sent me to see your air con,” Ryan eventually explained.

Without a word, the exhausted guy simply opened the door further and let Ryan get by. “You’re not going to be noisy are you?” he eventually asked. “My boyfriend is still asleep.”

Ryan looked at his watch. It was almost 10.30 in the morning. Why would anyone still be asleep now?

“It’s okay. I’m getting up anyway,” yawned another guy, waddling sleepily from the bedroom and giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. It was only then that Ryan clocked him. It was Ben, Ash’s obviously cheating boyfriend; the guy’s face suddenly looking considerably more alert as he too recognised Ryan.

“You’re not going to tell Ash, are you?” Ben shouted, having followed Ryan out of the apartment the second he had finished up; safely out of earshot of his second boyfriend.

“Of course I am,” Ryan replied simply, continuing to walk away, without stopping.

“You’re just going to make him miserable,” the guy shot back. “Is that what you want?”

At this, Ryan laughed. Guilty people always seemed to have such a terrific way of turning things back around on the other person. “Trust me,” he sniggered. “He’ll be way better off without someone like you in his life.”

“Do you think it was easy for me with Ash?” Ben started next; his tone shifting to something nastier. “It’s not exactly easy trying to feel special when your boyfriend has a massive crush on the pot-bellied daddy bear he shares an apartment with. How do you think that made me feel?”

“What are you even talking about?” Ryan laughed, surprised at how far Ben was going with his bullshit. A daddy bear? He was only six years older than Ash.

“Oh, come on. You know exactly what you’re doing,” Ben snapped back, getting more viscious as he realised that Ryan wasn’t willing to compromise with him. “You’re always there, or strutting about in just your underwear, drinking your beers in the living area and being overly friendly. You’ve been trying to fuck things up for the two of us for ages.”

Now Ryan did stop, turning to face Ben properly. “What planet are you living on?” he asked, completely flabbergasted. “I just try to be pleasant. I’m not trying to do anything.”

“Prove it then,” Ben shot back, seizing upon an opportunity. “If you’re really not trying to fuck things up between us, you’ll let this one little indiscretion slide.”

If Ryan hadn’t just had the hardest year of his life, dealing with some of the most despicable, bullying lawyers out there, he may have fallen for Ben’s game. As it was, he wasn’t afraid of standing his ground. “Tell him by the time I get home later. Or I will.”

Ryan crept into the apartment later that evening, finding Paul in the kitchen. “You missed some drama today,” he sighed. “Ash and Ben broke up. I walked in on it all before. It was so awkward.”

“Is Ash okay?” Ryan asked, relieved that Ben had listened to his ultimatum and done the deed himself.

“He’s in his room,” Paul nodded over to the bedroom door. “We’d best leave him be.”

Ryan nodded in complete agreement, deciding to hide out in his room that evening so that Ash didn’t need to see anyone when he would inevitably have to come out for a glass of water, or to use the bathroom.

The evening was slipping away and Ryan had just finished a TV series that he had been charging through for the last two weeks. There was still an hour until he would need to get to sleep; enough time for one last beer, before the inevitable daily grind would start all over again. He strutted out of his bedroom and made for the refrigerator, pausing only briefly to crack the can open and chug a little of it. He burped quietly, finding that the first few mouthfuls of fresh beer always made him the most gassy. Then, suddenly, he heard the door to Ash’s room opening and he stood there, feeling completely caught out.

“Hi,” Ash whispered, not making any pretenses that he was here for any other reason than to see Ryan.

Feeling incredibly awkward, Ryan now regretted coming out of his room without a shirt on; his bloated pot belly on full display. Before today, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but Ben’s words had planted an unpleasant seed in his mind that made him question everything he did a little bit more. “I’m sorry to hear about Ben,” he stated straight away. “How are you doing?”

Ash sighed and began to pour his heart out. He knew all about Ryan’s discovery earlier that day and he thanked the guy for doing the right thing.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Ryan nodded, swigging the last of his beer and crushing the can for recycling. He shouldn’t have really had another one. His stomach felt quite painfully bloated and tight after it.

“Oh, and about those things that Ben said to you,” Ash quickly jumped in, seeing that Ryan was heading back to his room. “I hope it’s not going to make things awkward between us.”

Ryan had to think for a second about what Ash was getting at. The crush? Was Ben actually telling the truth about that? “Um, no. Not at all,” he mumbled back, rubbing his hair with a little embarrassment. “Don’t worry about it,” he smiled, finally making his escape.

An evening out with Jack was exactly what Ryan needed a couple of weekends later, as Ryan’s divorce was at last finalised. Unlike Ryan’s months of hell, Jack’s appearance was symbolic of a life of sheer indulgence and pleasure. Unlike Ryan, his body was pure softness, with blubber beginning to creep its way into the guy’s neck and upper arms. His stomach had swollen quite considerably and his butt had a surprising width to it that Ryan had not expected.

“Listen, I didn’t want to message you about this. I kind of feel pretty bad asking you in some ways, knowing what you’re going through,” Jack started after Ryan had finished explaining how the divorce had eventually played out. “I wanted you to be my best man.”

Ryan smiled brightly. “Of course I will,” he beamed, getting up to hug his old friend warmly as he stayed sitting in his chair.

“Thanks,” Jack smiled. “It’s not going to be a huge wedding. Not everyone approves,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“How do you mean?” Ryan asked, sensing that Jack needed to offload.

“Well, Michelle’s parents aren’t coming,” he huffed. “They’d watched Michelle do this to her old boyfriend,” he explained, rubbing the quite substantial shelf of belly fat under his sagging nipples. “So when the same thing started happening to me, they told her they wanted no part in it.”

“Bonus!” Ryan joked, trying to remain upbeat. “My marriage certainly would have gone a lot smoother without the in-laws.”

Jack nodded, seeming to be somewhat in agreement. “Michelle’s not too cut up about it,” he whispered. “Then, well, you remember my dad. He still goes out running three times a week. So he’s not been all that in favour of Michelle and her wholesome home cooking..”

“You can’t live your life for your parents,” Ryan jumped in. It was a lesson he had learned somewhat bitterly when his own church-goin parents had taken Lucy’s side in the divorce. It made him think back to how much they had pushed him to get married in the first place, and he began to resent them, quite justifiably in his opinion.

“I know, I know…” Jack nodded. “And I wouldn’t change a thing. She’s it for me, y’know?”

Ryan raised his beer and they drank to that sentiment.

“What about you?” Jack asked next. “Is there someone new you’ve been holding back from me?”

Ryan shook his head. “No, not at all,” he stated. “Well… I mean…” he hesitated for a moment. “No. No one.”

But Jack’s interest had already been piqued. “Oh, come on. You can’t give me that and then say nothing!” he teased.

Ryan sighed, realising that he had dug himself into a bit of a hole. “It’s nothing,” he huffed at his own stupidity. “It’s just, one of the guys I live with has a bit of a crush on me.”

“Your first chubby chaser!” Jack laughed wickedly.

“Well…” Ryan conceded. “It looks that way, yes. His ex-boyfriend told me off for strutting around the place in just my underwear. He said I had a pot-belly and told me his boyfriend thinks of me as a hot daddy bear!”

Jack chuckled again. “Well, he’s not wrong. You do have quite the pot-belly!”

“Isn’t it a bit weird though?” Ryan asked his friend.

“Being referred to as a daddy bear when you’re only twenty nine?” Jack asked, simultaneously nodding in agreement. “But once you put on a bit of extra meat, that’s just the way people see you. It’s much more arousing to lean into it, rather than try to fight it.”

“Lean into it?” Ryan asked. “That’s your best advice?”

“Just enjoy the attention,” Jack smirked. “So what if he’s a twenty-four year old gay guy? You don’t have to be into someone to appreciate their admiration,” he nodded knowingly. “Trust me on this one. You’ll come to see that I’m right.”

With the divorce at last over with and all lawyers paid off, Ryan began to feel the financial strain starting to ease. Lucy hadn’t been quite as successful in getting all that she wanted from him. The worst case scenario was, thankfully, avoided. A few more months of living with the boys and Ryan would soon have saved enough money to rent his own place instead. With the ties that bound him to his ex-wife now finally disappearing, Ryan began to remember why he had fought so long for this freedom.

“I’ll have the Monster Meat bucket,” he declared, walking into a fast food place and not feeling guilty about the cost for the first time in months. He sucked in the smell of all the greasy goodness and knew that this was a freedom he would never again take for granted. Now he could gorge on as much as he desired and never have to explain himself to anyone. He could literally get as fat as he wanted now he was divorced and single, with no one to please but himself.

As he settled down into a seat, Ryan felt the bliss of devoting all his attention just to his epic meal for a full 20 minutes. It was all the stress relief he had ever needed. No one in here was particularly slim and it seemed, in those moments, that he had taken himself out of a world that so frustrated him, and into one that he felt comfortable in. Sure, he could probably join a gym and drop this weight in a relatively short amount of time. He could train his body hard and attract some beautiful girl to make his ex jealous. But Ryan knew that he had moved beyond that now. He didn’t care what his ex thought of him, or anyone else for that matter.

Or was Ryan just kidding himself? Was this really a moment of clarity? Or would he soon go crawling back to a diet plan the second things started getting rough? He was desperate to believe that wouldn’t be the case, but no one could ever be totally certain when it came to the future. It was only the present he could master. And so, armed with that knowledge, he went back to the counter, even though he felt almost too stuffed to even think about food.

“I’ll have the triple burger, please,” he stated, adding another milkshake to go with it. “He felt his hardess start to tingle, like the old days when he used to do this. Back then, he’d assumed it to be some twisted excitement about pissing Lucy off. Now he realised that this was so much more. This was about taking himself to somewhere he had never allowed himself to imagine going..

“Is this for you?” Ash asked, handing Ryan two boxes of pizza. “The delivery guy was coming up the stairs as I got home.”

“About time!” Ryan sighed, taking the boxes from him and settling back into the chair in front of the sofa. Two pizzas were a necessity for the Friday night baseball game and he was already four beers down. It would have been a perfect night but for the sticky humidity that had loomed over the city for the last few days; making him strip to his boxers as soon as he got home. “Do you follow baseball?” he asked Ash politely, nodding to the couch to see if he wanted to join him; knowing that, with Paul gone for the weekend, Ash would be on his own otherwise.

“No. Watching sports is not really my thing,” Ash replied unenthusiastically, despite continuing to linger around.

“Do you mind getting me another beer then?” Ryan asked,deciding to put the guy to work if he was so free to just stand about like this. 

Ash hopped to his task with remarkable speed. “Here you go,” he smiled delightedly, heading straight over and handing it over to him, not seeming to realise that he was blcoking part of the TV screen. “I’ve got some chips and dip if you want some?” he asked next.

“Sure,” Ryan nodded, hoping that the guy would at least sit down then and stop getting in the way.

Once again, Ash went to his task, presenting the chips and dip much better than Ryan ever would have. He placed them on the coffee table and then finally sat himself down on the couch. 

“You not having any?” Ryan asked five minutes later, noticing that it was only him actually eating.

“No, thanks,” Ash simply replied, pretending to be interested in the game. “They’re for you. Do you want another beer?”

Ryan felt the remaining liquid in his beer can and nodded, surprised by how diligently he was being looked after. Even when he asked Ash to fetch him the ice cream from the freezer later on, he was surprised that the young guy hopped to it, bouncing off the couch with an enthusiasm he had never seen before.

At the end of the game, Ryan took himself to the bathroom to relieve himself after the seven cans of beer he had ended up consuming. He looked in the mirror and marveled at the reflection he saw within it. Bloated and stuffed, Ryan had never seen his stomach looking so round and tight. Although he had upgraded his underwear a little while back, already these were looking worn and stretched, pulling the waistband down so that a good couple of inches of butt crack were on show. His muscular chest had started to build up with fleshiness in recent weeks and he placed his hand there to feel just how soft it was starting to get under his arms. He pulled the scales out with his foot and wondered just how much he weighed in this overfed state. He stepped on, waiting for the numbers to settle: 256lbs; the biggest number he had ever seen by quite some margin. It was, quite frankly, the cause of an almost instantaneous erection.

“I was wondering, if you’re still hungry, I could make you some pancakes?” Ash asked next as Ryan finally made it out of the bathroom. “I’ve got all the ingredients in.”

Ryan sat himself back down with a grunt and rubbed the shelf of his tight stomach, surprised that Ash was still hanging about the living area. Couldn’t he see how full Ryan was? Was he completely obvious to the heavy breathing and occasional grunt when he had to move, even slightly. He knew that the guy had a little crush, but what on earth was he possibly getting out of all this?

“Go on,” Ash pressed, actually trying to persuade him now. “Just a couple of them; nothing too big.”

Ryan looked up at the guy, already making his way to the kitchen and just waiting for that final nod of approval from him. Out of little more than curiosity, he agreed; watching with interest as he spied Ash settling to his task. Was he really using that much oil to fry the batter mix up? Was he actually rubbing butter into them? Did he really need to pour on that much syrup?

Despite tasting amazing, Ryan knew that every mouthful he was taking was completely and utterly packed full of calories and fat. As if desperate for his approval, Ash had watched him consume every bite of them. A sweat had begun to pour off Ryan’s forehead, but he wasn’t entirely sure that this one was caused by the humidity. “I am absolutely stuffed!” Ryan declared, grunting and rubbing the stretched out ball of stomach fat. “I haven’t eaten this much in ages,” he chuckled. “Not since I was trying to piss off my ex-wife after she told me she liked me being skinny.” “You were putting on weight on purpose?” Ash asked, quite startled by the comment.

“I was going for it, like you wouldn’t believe!” Ryan nodded. “Unless you’ve been through it, it’s hard to comprehend how petty you can be towards the end of a bad marriage,” he grinned, suddenly noticing that his hands were all over his own rounded stomach. “I was even taking this special calorie supplement shake you can buy, just to speed things up,” he laughed, thinking back.

“Oh!” Ash exclaimed knowledgeably, suddenly naming the exact brand .

They both went quiet. What a strange piece of trivia for Ash to just know, thought Ryan. The guy seemed to sense that too, suddenly looking a little sheepish. 

“Do you still take them?” Ash asked next, trying to look a little less interested than his excitable voice made him sound.

“I don’t need to,” Ryan grinned, tapping his fully grown pot belly. I just weighed myself twenty minutes ago. I’ve put on another 40lbs since I moved in here. It seems that I just can’t stop these days!” He yawned, standing up and stretching. “Anyway, buddy. I need to head to sleep,” he declared, seizing upon the fact that his erection from the overeating had at last subsided.

“Do you think there is a way to tell if someone is like your Michelle?” Ryan asked the next time he caught up with Jack at the very hastily organised stag party.

“How do you mean?” Jack asked, only a little worse for wear as he and Ryan gradually fell to the back of the crowd of friends taking them to the next bar.

“You know… Someone who is into the idea of helping someone else gain weight,” Ryan explained, trying to keep his voice fairly low.

Jack chuckled. “Oh, trust me, you’ll spot them!” he nodded. They’re not exactly subtle. “They’ll find ways to ensure you’re eating and they’ll probably want to watch too. If they’re anything like Michelle, they’ll probably try to keep your activity levels low and complement you at the weirdest times; like when you’re bloated from overeating.”

Ryan nodded, taking it all in and finding a striking resemblences to Ash’s more recent behaviours. “Anything else?” he asked.

Jack considered for a moment. “The compliments,” he added next. “They’re totally bizarre. If they’re praising you for overeating, that’s a pretty sure sign. But sometimes they may try to convince you that you look better, or more masculine, or whatever it is they think you want to hear. When the reality is, you just look fat.”

Again, Ryan nodded, keen to match Jack’s thoughts to his own observations of Ash. “You see, I think I might have…”

“Come on!” shouted their drunk friends up ahead. “The night is still young. Stop waddling behind and get your big butts up here!”

Jack and Ryan smirked at each other. Despite Jack’s rather considerable extra weight, Ryan had been lumbered in exactly the same category. The pair of them were, for better or worse, the fat guys on this trip.

“You’re back!” Ash smiled late the next day as an exhausted Ryan made it home. “Did you have a nice time? Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat?”

Ryan looked again at the time. “You’re still up!” he asked with surprise, knowing that Ash always had an early class on Monday mornings.

“Well, I wanted to check that you got home okay,”Ash replied, heading to the kitchen and renewing his offer to make something for his roommate.

Smirking at the fact that he was being fussed over and mothered by a good-looking twenty-four year old, Ryan had been disappointed that he hadn’t had more alone time to discuss this situation he was in, with his buddy, Jack. “Okay,” he nodded, deciding to just let Ash do his thing. “Sure, that would be nice.” He headed for a shower, returning to find an enormous, steaming hot lasagne, glistening with grease and cheese, sitting there on a plate, ready to be eaten. “Did you make this from scratch?” he asked Ash.

Ash nodded. “I remembered you saying that lasagne used to be your favourite dish growing up. I’ve never made it before, but I made a whole bunch of them and portioned them up in the refrigerator for when you get hungry.

Ryan smiled at the effort Ash had clearly gone to for him; a whole new level of care and attention. He opened his mouth to try some and nodded in approval. The lasagne really was delicious, although it was more than obvious just how much oil, cream and several different types of cheeses had gone into it to make it really quite extremely high in calories. If all the beer and fast food hadn’t ensured his pants would be tighter tomorrow, this little calorie bomb sure would.

“How was the weekend, anyway?” Ash asked, sticking around for the show and watching Ryan devour every bite.

“Pretty good,” Ryan nodded. “I had a couple of jibes from some of my old school friends about my weight. But we all turn thirty this year, so the dad-bod is definitely where most of them are at now anyway. I’m just the one who has already graduated from that stage,” he winked at Ash, tapping his gut.

“What did they say?” Ash asked with surprising interest, placing a cushion over his crotch.

“Oh, you know,” Ryan went on, deciding to play up to whatever kinky fantasies he thought his roomate may be having. “Just pointing stuff out to me: telling me how tight my clothes are, how slow I was when we were walking to different places and calling me out on how much I was eating when we went for food.”

“They’re probably just jealous,” Ash shot back straight away.

Ryan smirked. There was no way any of the guys were in the least bit jealous of his sprouting pot belly, making him all but invisible to the many hot girls they bumped into that weekend. This was clearly just another one of those bizarre compliments that Jack had told him to look out for. “Yeah, you’re right,” he lied to Ash, rubbing his bloating gut as he chugged down a few of the sodas Ash had supplied with his late night meal. “I’m sure they are jealous, deep down.”

Stepping on the scale was not something that Ryan did all that often. He could feel his stomach’s rounded shape starting to swell even larger, and he knew, from the fit of his underwear and pants, that his thighs and butt were also bearing the brunt of all that he was consuming each day. Still, as he stepped up, early one Sunday morning, after a particularly gluttonous take-out weekend of having the apartment to himself, Ryan’s eyes widened in shock: 278lbs! “Fuck!” he blasted in shock, before laughing to himself at how fast the latest few pounds had slipped on. He really weighed that much? He didn’t feel that heavy! He strolled over to the mirror inspecting his shape. Sure, his gut was pretty well developed by now and all the extra eating had sure softened his chest up rather a lot. He spun, noting that his butt’s width was quite considerable now, with back fat bulding at his sides and folding under his shoulder blades. Yet, he still didn’t feel like he should weigh 278lbs! Somehow, he had always imagined a guy that size being much bigger than this. What Ryan actually felt as he saw himself there, was very small still; acting as a licence for him to continue to indulge.

Jack’s wedding was fast approaching as the weeks rolled by. After being fitted for their suits, Ryan and Jack headed out for something to eat.

“That tailor seemed pretty pissed off that we left it this late to get ourselves measured for the wedding outfits,” Ryan noted as they sat down and grabbed the menus. “I guess we’ll have to cross our fingers that they can get those pants in for you in time.”

“It’ll be fine,” Jack shrugged. “I put on weight every week, so there would have been no point in going any earlier. I would just have outgrown them. “I’m almost 350lbs these days.”

Ryan nodded. Jack did indeed look impressively large, yet he was only 60lbs or so bigger than he was. And Ryan still felt tiny in comparison. “I know what you mean,” Ryan agreed. “I split some pants the other day. I’d only bought them four weeks before.”

“It’s weird, isnt it. When you’re gaining weight, you’re so tuned into how your body feels and looks. Yet, at the same time, you’re completely oblivious to it as well; how tight your clothes are getting, or how large you seem to other people.”

Ryan nodded enthusiastically. He felt so glad that Jack noticed this as well, sparking a lively conversation between the pair.

“You’ll be getting your own place soon, I take it?” Jack asked. “The two students you're sharing with must be graduating soon?”

“A couple of months,” Ryan nodded, suddenly realising that he had been a little lazy in his hunt for a new apartment. 

“That’ll be nice!” Jack smiled. “Your own space at last!”

“Well, it’s not too bad as it is,” Ryan explained. “Paul is never there at weekends. And now he’s got himself a girlfriend, he’s not there much in the week either.”

“And what about the other one? The one you used to fight with loads?”

“Yeah, he’s there a lot, but… we don’t argue so much these days,” he admitted; suddenly feeling the desire to say so much more about kinky little Ash.

“Before I foget,” Jack jumped in. “Michelle wants to know who you’re bringing as your ‘plus one’ to the wedding next week.

“I’ve got a ‘plus one’?” Ryan asked, genuinely surprised.

“Dude!” Jack grumbled. “Seriously?”

“I’ll find someone,” Ryan replied hastily, seeing how stressed Jack was getting.

“What about that girl you were hinting at when we briefly chatted during my stag party?” Jack asked, clearly keen to get a name locked in.

Ryan thought for a moment. Had Jack assumed he had some potential hot chubby chaser girl on the go? He pondered the idea, realising, quite suddenly, that he didn’t really need one. In the most unexpected way, everything that he had yearned for in life had already arrived. “Hey, Jack,” he asked thoughtfully. “How did you know that Michelle was the one for you?”

“She’s gorgeous,” Jack shot back with a sly grin.

“Besides that,” Ryan insisted. “How did you know that you guys were meant to be together?”

Jack sighed. “I guess…” he began softly, “...it was the way she made me feel: so loved and cared for; admired and adored. I’ve never felt that from anyone before.” He seemed moved, just by talking about her. “Plus she dominated me and forced me to pack on over 150lbs of pure fat; which is one of the kinkiest fucking things I could ever have imagined!” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Ryan laughed and nodded. He made a crack about how much fatter Jack might be after he got home from his honeymoon, but, really, his mind was elsewhere; with someone else entirely.

Ryan arrived home to see a large crate of beers resting on the kitchen counter tied up with a ginormous red bow. He laughed, seeing that it was his favourite brand and noticing that a large tray of assorted doughnuts lay beside it.

“Do you like your present?” Ash asked, coming out of his bedroom with a huge smile on his face.

“You bought these for me?” Ryan asked, feeling his mouth watering at the sight of the doughnuts, even after how much he had eaten with Jack that afternoon.

As if psychically linked, Ash began unpackaging the doughnuts for him, leaving them open for him to stuff one into his mouth. “They’re to say thank you. I just had my novel manuscript accepted for publishing.”

Ryan nearly spat out his doughnut. “You’ve been writing a novel?” he blasted in shock. “Since when?”

“Since you kept reminding me that I need to do something with my life; back when you first moved in.”

“I was being an asshole,” Ryan confessed. “I didn’t mean to make you feel…”

“You gave me the kick up the ass that I needed,” Ash threw back with a smile. “You always told me how clever I was and that I could do anything.”

“You’re an amazing person,” Ryan marvelled. “In fact, you’re the best person I’ve ever met in my life!” For weeks now, he had worried that his behavious around Ash, indulging his little feeder tendencies in subtle ways, had only brought the guy to fetishize him. Their relationship was merely one of a simple exchange: Ryan would enjoy being overfed and catered for by his roommate, and Ash would get to enjoy the subtle art of ensuring a guy that he found attractive, continued to pile on a few pounds. Now, however, every sense felt strangetly heightened in this moment of celebration. He couldn’t believe that Ash had been secretly writing away for months when Ryan had assumed the guy to be inside his bedroom, playing games. Just how blind had he been this entire time?

Ryan took a step forward and Ash did not retreat. He grabbed the much smaller guy’s shoulders and held them firmly. Again, Ash did not stop him. Then, seeing the inviting, warm look on Ash’s face, Ryan took the biggest risk of his life, going in for a kiss and desperately hoping that Ash’s lips would move to meet his.

Unbelievably, Ash was kissing him back, moaning gently, as if luxuriating in something he had never wanted more in his life. The kiss became intense, very quickly. With his shirt lifted off him, Ryan felt the handsome guy’s hands rubbing all over his stomach. Before he knew it, Ryan was being guided into the living space, his sweatpants ripped down and then his body pushed with surprisingly kinky force, back into his usual chair in front of the TV. 

Ryan looked up at Ash with startled arousal. The guy seemed so naturally suited to taking charge. He would have known that this was Ryan’s first gay experience and he led the way with ease, erasing any opportunity for awkward fumblings to slip in. He cracked open one of the chilled beers and fetched the tray of doughnuts from the kitchen counter. Then, when he was sure that Ryan was settled, he plunged his whole mouth down onto the fat guy’s crotch.

Ryan’s whole body twitched.This wasn’t a blow job, he thought to himself, feeling the intense stimulation straight away. He found himself moaning, even when he was trying not to. Was this intense pleasure what it was supposed to have been like all along? Lucy had never made much of an effort with anything in the bedroom, but Ash’s mouth was doing things to him that Ryan could never have dreamed of. He supped on his beer and ate a doughnut, feeling Ash’s hands rubbing the spherical shape of his stomach, clearly getting off on making this moment all about him.

Barely two doughnuts in and Ryan felt his body lurching as it wanted to climax. Ash worked his pace even more, feeling the throbbing in his mouth. Then, when the moment came, he pushed his mouth even deeper, sending Ryan’s hardness all the way down his throat. The pleasure; the orgasm; that intensity. It was unlike anything Ryan had ever experienced in his life. 

There was no going back.

Over the following week, Ryan discovered that Ash had a whole arsenal of tactics to please him. Not only did the guy continue to fuss over him with his cooking and snack deliveries, but his tight, energetic little butt seemed determined to outdo every single previous sexual experience that Ryan had ever had. They spoke at length about their attraction to each other and how smitten they both had become. Ryan had no hesitation in inviting Ash to be his date for Jack’s wedding. And, in fact, spending so much time with a now professional writer, really helped Ryan to produce the best speech he could have wished for. Rather than feeling sick with nerves as the big day arrived, he felt excited and pumped, heartily stuffing himself on the big breakfast Ash had so lovingly prepared for him.

“Your friends really aren’t keen on Michelle, are they?” Ash commented later that evening, as the pair of them were reunited after Ryan’s time sitting at the top table and the endless photographs that needed taking.

“Um, no,” Ryan nodded. “Not so much.”

“I had no idea that your friend, Jack, used to be so slim before he met her,” he whispered, fearing that one of their families might overhear. “Your buddies seem to think she’s the devil incarnate!”

Ryan chuckled. He’d heard it all before. “She’s lovely really,” he tried, looking over at the pair of them as Michelle spoonfed her 350lb husband a large piece of their wedding cake. “She just… knows what she wants.”

“I think everyone here can see exactly what it is she wants,” Ash joked back as Jack’s full, swollen belly was patted with approval by his new wife. “It makes me wonder what your friends are going to say about me eventually.”

Ryan pulled Ash into him by holding his slim hips in his chubby hands. They had decided that it was best to go easy on the public displays of affection, considering that this was their first time out together as a couple. However, Ryan simply could not help himself.  “Oh, yes?” he asked keenly.

“I certainly don’t have any plans to put you on a diet,” Ash grinned, fingering the skin between the stretched buttons of Ryan’s beer swollen gut.

Ryan growled in lustful approval. His hands slipped onto Ash’stight, toned butt and pulled the guy in even closer.

“In fact, how come you’re not eating a big slice of wedding cake for me right now?” Ash teased.

Ryan moaned lightly. This was exactly what he wanted. He knew how much scrutiny he was under today. He could feel the judgemental eyes upon him, for his shocking weight gain, the fit of his tight shirt, and the fact that he was dating someone none of them had ever expected. He should have been nervous or self conscious. However, with Ash in his arms, Ryan had never felt more free to be himself. “But won’t that make me even fatter?” he teased back.

Ash smiled. “Oh… I hadn’t thought of that,” he joked, accepting the kiss that Ryan soon bestowed upon him.

Ryan felt Ash’s hands feeling his big, broad butt as they kissed; the pants he had been measured for only a week ago, starting to feel rather uncomfortable after only a week of dating the handsome twenty-four year old. The kiss ended and both of them laughed, realising how ridiculously long it had taken to get to this point. 

“Is this along the lines of what you had in mind for me?” Ryan asked moments later, pushing out his stomach as far as it would go and stretching those buttons even more.

Ash seemed thrilled, looking around the room in surprise that Ryan was making himself look so large in front of everyone that he knew at the wedding. He smiled, rubbing the underside of Ryan’s ball-like gut and then leaned in to whisper. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” he teased.

Ryan growled in lustful appreciation, then took his boyfriend’s hand and led the way to the wedding cake.

Exactly one year to the day, Ryan and Ash were sitting in that same room, together with Jack and Michelle, celebrating a year since the wedding. They reminisced fondly, thinking about the perfect day it had been and laughing about how shocked everyone had been after Jack came back 30lbs heavier from his two week honeymoon. 

“You can’t be far off the weight I was this time last year,” Jack noted, surveying his buddy’s hefty appearance.

“Possibly,” Ryan nodded, rubbing his large stomach. “I still  don’t feel big yet though,” he replied, as if he was oblivious to the enormous ball-shaped gut and the groaning of the chair, supporting his wide butt and mostrous 347lb body.

“Unless I ask him to do something,” Ash jumped in comically. “Then he always says he’s too fat to do anything!” he joked, making everyone chuckle.

“I’m actually going to be pushing Jack to five hundred pounds this year,” Michelle explained, taking her morbidly obese husband’s hand as if this was an announcement that thay had been planning for some time.

Ryan noticed Jack staring at his face for a reaction; perhaps some surprise that his old school buddy was so ensnared by his beautiful wife that he was willing to take his weight gain to such extremes for her.

“He’s going to be a lot of work for you at that size!” Ash grinned conspiratorily at Michelle. “I hope you’re ready for that?” he laughed.

“Oh, I’m counting on it!” Michelle smirked, rubbing the 430lb man’s knee under the table.

“You’re a very lucky guy,” Ryan nodded at his friend in approval.

“There you go, Ash,” Michelle smirked. “It sounds like we may have another willing volunteer to join the five hundred pound club,” she nodded towards a jealous looking Ryan.

“You’re joking aren’t you?” Ryan laughed. “Ash is heading off on his second book tour in March. “I won’t be gaining anything for almost two months whilst he’s gone. I’ll probably just wate away!”

“You liar!” Ash teased him back. “Last time I was away, you pretty much lived on takeout and put on almost twenty pounds in a month,” he chuckled.

“I don’t remember you complaining,” Ryan smiled back; his voice dripping with affection and lust.

Michelle looked at them both, clearly wanting to cut through their mushy meanderings. “So, five hundred pounds?” she asked again, trying to circle the conversation back. “I’m getting the impression that you boys are kinky enough to enjoy seeing that on Ryan,” she pressed; ever the bad influence.

Ryan and Ash looked at each other with a wicked excitement in their eyes.

“We’ll talk about it when we get home,” Ash stated diplomatically. Unlike Michelle, he liked to be a little more discreet about his kinks and fantasies when it came to enjoying Ryan’s large body.

Ryan smirked and winked at his old buddy Jack. He knew exactly how to read between the lines of whatever Ash said. There was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to get Ryan to that size. And so, just like his high school best pal, Ryan was as good as setting sail for five hundred pounds. How insanely arousing was that?

“Eat up, my friend,” Ryan smiled competitively at Jack. “I’m coming for you, Fat Boy!” 

[tainted-liquor]

'Basketball Wife'

"Back the fuck up, thank you." - Miles G. Morales Earth42!Miles Morales x Booksmart!Reader TWs: Cursing, n I think that's it Ingredients: Sugar, kisses, and a lil bit of smiles! W/C: 980? A/N: This was another request that I rlly loved working on! Enjoy luvs ꨄ

You and your boyfriend, Miles, had been dating for around 10 months or so. He didn't have the best reputation with the faculty, skipping out on certain classes, having the lowest participation score out of most of the students, and overall wasn't a very happy camper. It's not like his grades were bad, oh hell no! He just wasn't a very optimistic person and opted to fade into the background of most people's lives. Which for some reason had the opposite effect, inducing random girls and, very very rarely, boys to throw themselves at him just to say 'I know Miles.'

Now when he decided to join his school's basketball team, shit only got worse for him. He used to eat his food in the lunch room until a pool of girls decided to sit near him in an attempt to snatch his attention. This obviously pissed Miles off even more, pushing him further back into the shadows and closing himself off even more from the people around him. So he decided to eat in the library. It was empty for the most part, with about 5 students eating together and talking, one of them being you. There you sat with your group of girls, chatting away about random topics, ignoring the rather aggressive slam of the library door. For you, it was just another lunch before you went back to your classes.

As you skipped to your 5th-period class, you parted ways with your friend Kayla as you prepared to be assigned the 2-person project your teacher had gone over yesterday. You obviously weren't a fan of work, but you were excited regardless to choose your partner. So when class got started and the teacher announced he would be ASSIGNING your partners? Honey, you were pissed off. The class erupted full of irritated groans and 'Oh my god's as he listed off the names, choosing the oddest combos you'd ever heard in your life. He called your name, and then Miles as you rolled your eyes slightly. Really, you wanted to be with your best friend Amai, but you didn't have much of a choice, did you?

When the teacher finished reading off the list of pairs, everyone scattered across the room to sit next to their partner. So you moved accordingly, scooting your desk over to Miles's with a couple of noisy scrapes. He wasn't exactly rude, just didn't really seem interested. You really didn't feel like explaining what you wanted to do to someone who wasn't listening, so you just decided to compromise.

"Look, we don't have to talk at all, but at least come find me today so we can work on this project. We don't even have to speak, just correct something or write notes on the slides."

So you met every day for the next 2 weeks in the library, with Miles gradually warming up to you as you spent more time together. He went from saying 2-3 words a day to you to having full-fledged debates on random topics. Even when the project was over, he still hung around. Inviting you to watch him practice for his games, putting you on his cfs story on insta, and stationing you in the front row every time he had a basketball game without fail. So it wasn't necessarily a surprise when he asked you out.

You snuck around together for the next 10 months, not really wanting to deal with questions about each other. You had grades to keep up, and he didn't want to attract any attention. Spending minimal time together during school hours but hanging out in Miles's dorm or his house after hours, spending countless nights in each other's arms. He asked you to come to yet another one of his basketball games, to which you happily agreed to make an appearance.

You sat on the benches as you silently cheered for Miles, giving him discreet little heart signs and blowing tiny kisses in his direction every now and again. He winked at you, and no sooner than he did you heard a girl behind you begin to blab on.

"Bitch he winked at me! Oh my god!"

You felt a vein in your temple tense, exercising all of the strength in your body to not turn around. She stepped down a row, sitting slightly close to you as you watched her wave frantically, which Miles ignored. The game went on for about another 45 minutes, with Home scoring the winning shot. The court erupted with loud cheering, you had that same amount of school pride as you yelled along with the crowd. As the team celebrated in the middle of the court, a few players walked over to whoever was important to them in the crowd fixed on the benches.

Miles made a quick glance at you before briefly nodding backward, indicating for him to follow him to the back like you would usually do. Just as you were getting your stuff ready, that dumb bimbo quickly hopped up to grab at his arm. He wasted absolutely zero time in pushing her off, giving her a rather stern "I have a girlfriend. Back the fuck up, thank you." with a grimace that said nothing but pure disgust. He jogged up to you, pulling you from the front of the bleachers and pulling you into a deep kiss. A couple people perked up at the action, watching as two people who seemingly didn't even know each other casually kissed in the middle of the court.

Bitches were mad that day, their delusions coming to a very sharp halt as the reality of Miles's girlfriend smacked them like a backhand from Floyd Mayweather. But you didn't give a single fuck as Miles cooed a gentle "I love you, mi amor." Into your ear. You knew who he preferred over everyone in the school; that mattered to you.

[watchmegetobsessed]

LOVE AND TOUR

A/N: im so excited to post this fic bc *drum roll* it's a collab with @harrysfolklore !! the post tour depression is still kicking our butts so we decided to team up for a story that features LOT! hope you guys will like it and as always, make sure to head over to her blog to check out her fic that features all social media posts for this story!

WORD COUNT: 5.1k

SUMMARY: Y/N and Harry were once friends, but his career pulled them apart. Then in 2019 Harry decides to invite her to ONO London and so their story begins or more like continues.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

2010

The handmade banner hanging over the white board in the classroom is crooked and two balloons have popped already. The sign reads ‘Good luck, Harry!’ and every letter is a different color. The desks and chairs were pushed to the side to make room in the middle and the teacher’s desk is full of snacks and drinks the kids brought in for the little impromptu party the class decided to throw before Harry’s big day.

He is going to his big X Factor audition this weekend and though he is not convinced he will make it, everyone in school is rooting for him. If anyone deserves the success it’s Harry, the goofy, kind boy who makes everyone smile and always helps whenever he can.

The soon-to-be rockstar is mingling with his friends and classmates, music is playing in the background and the chatting is nonstop. Everyone keeps asking Harry if he’s nervous or ready or which judge he is afraid of the most. He tries his best to talk to everyone and be everywhere, though he keeps an eye on one specific girl.

Y/N has been staying in the back for most of the time, sipping on some soda, listening to her friend as he enjoys the spotlight. She’s been friends with Y/N for quite some time, they live just a street away from each other, they often bike to school together and whenever one of them is sick the other one can be expected to show up at their house with the homework.

Good friends. That’s what they are. But deep down, Y/N is definitely feeling more than just friendship towards the curly haired boy who is now set to step his foot on the road to fame.

When the party is over and everyone has headed home already, Harry and Y/N are the last ones to walk out of the school’s building.

“So, be honest, are you nervous?” she asks as they are walking home , pushing their bikes this time. Harry said he hurt his ankle at PE today so he better not get on the bike, but in reality… he is just trying to spend more time with Y/N. 

“Kind of, yeah,” he admits with a chuckle.

“I’m sure you will crush it.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” she smiles at him and his heart skips a beat. 

Harry has been trying to work up his courage to ask Y/N out since probably the sixth grade, but he just never got to the point. Now he tells himself that if he gets into X Factor she will see him in a different light and that’s when he should ask her out, but little does he know he doesn’t need to be in a talent show to have her like him enough to want him.

Reaching her house she wishes him good luck and even hugs him before he waves goodbye and continues his way home. Y/N stands by their front door and watches him get farther away, hoping that whatever happens that weekend won’t change their friendship.

2013

The tour bus is quiet, everyone is asleep. Everyone, except Harry. 

Lying in his bunk bed, his face is illuminated by his phone as he aimlessly scrolls on his social media apps, checking out posts by fans, reading news, just killing time. He knew he shouldn’t have had a nap earlier, because now it will be way too late by the time he can fall asleep and won’t be rested enough when they arrive in the next city. 

He opens up Instagram and goes through his feed, he posts a picture he took of the crowd at the show the other day and then watches the likes flood in like crazy. 

Going back to his feed he goes through his friends’ posts, it’s just the usual, parties, vacations, hanging out, everyone seems to be living their life even though Harry often feels like time has stopped since he’s gotten on the road. 

He can feel himself growing sleepier and he is just about to put his phone down when he comes across a post that wakes him up.

Y/N is not one to post often, she is not like most girls he knows who want to share every and any moment of their life. Last time she uploaded something was probably weeks ago. This time she was snapped in her graduation gown, her hair flowing in the movement flawlessly and he recognizes her parents’ home in the background. It totally slipped Harry’s mind that in a life he left behind graduation was happening these days. 

He scrolls down to the caption and all it says is “Soon” and then a crown emoji. It’s enough for him to know she’s going to King’s College London, that’s what she always dreamed about and it seems like she hasn’t changed her mind.

Before he could think about it, he double taps on the picture liking it, completely oblivious to how fans can see his activity and they instantly start guessing about who the girl is whose graduation photo was liked by Harry Styles.

2014

The screaming intensifies wherever Harry goes on the stage, he is jumping and shaking his long hair to the music while his bandmates are singing ‘Steal My Girl’ and the girls are going crazy, the energies are insane, Harry loves performing, this is truly his element. 

He’s been on the road for what feels like forever and if you asked him what day it was, he would have no idea. It’s a miracle he knows which city he is currently in.

Walking to the side of the stage he stops for a moment right before the bridge that’s his part. He lifts his mic to his lips and starts singing when the music dies down right before his lines.

“She knows, she knows, that I never let her down before…”

His voice fills up the stadium, thousands are singing together with him and he runs his gaze over the sea of people in front of him. He sees so many faces, some are even familiar, Harry tends to remember fans he sees over and over again at their concerts, but most of them are new. The song carries on and the boys start singing along with him, Harry is about to move back to the middle of the stage, but then he sees her.

He sees Y/N.

Or so he thinks. It’s hard to tell, because it’s dark and she is so far away from the stage, it could be just someone who resembles her, but something in his gut tells him it’s her. 

He does a double take, losing the familiar face for a moment but then he finds her again and a shiver runs down his spine. He hasn’t seen her in years, life has been simply way too hectic to keep in touch, last time he met her was probably in 2012 when he went home for Christmas, they ran into each other in town and promised to talk soon because they were both kind of in a hurry, but they never followed up with it. Y/N went to college, Harry’s career was skyrocketing, it was impossible to stay as close as they were before X Factor and Harry always regretted not trying harder, because now he has no idea what’s happening in her life. 

Niall walks up to him and pats him on the back and Harry’s focus shifts to his friend for just a moment, but it’s enough to not find her again when he looks back at the audience. Did she duck down? Walk out when she realized he was looking? Or did he just entirely imagine seeing her and it was just a mirage? 

He can’t get her out of his head for the rest of the show and he finds himself looking for her over and over again, but he doesn’t see her again and his consciousness starts to convince him she wasn’t even there. 

It was just a cruel trick his own mind played on him. 

2019

Why does he feel like he is sending out an invitation to the Queen of England? Why is he so nervous to hit send on an email? This is nothing Earth shattering, nothing will happen if he sends it out and life will go on even if she never replies.

One Night Only is set to happen in a few weeks and Harry is now sending out his invitations to his friends and family, he wants everyone who matters to be there on such a big night. Making the list was no hard task, but then he thought of inviting Y/N as well even though they haven’t talked in so long.

The other night, Harry found himself stalking her Instagram which he is still following. She has been posting once or twice a month, tiny glimpses into her life that doesn’t include Harry anymore.

But he wants to change that.

“Fuck it,” he mumbles under his breath and then adds her to the list of people who will get the invitation and then he just hits send and it’s officially out there. 

Harry is not necessarily one to get overly obsessive about something, but the next few days he finds himself checking his inbox every hour, scrolling through the new emails, looking for one particular address to show up, but he has to come to the conclusion every time that Y/N hasn’t answered. 

Days go by, Harry’s enthusiasm fades and by the end of the week he is convinced she won’t be there and soon he doesn’t even have time to think about it. 

One Night Only arrives to London in december. The venue fills up with excited and devoted fans, but no one is more nervous about tonight than Harry. 

He is ready, his band is ready, everything is perfectly in place, but he knows he won’t feel fully calm until he is on stage, performing to the people who gave him this amazing life. 

It all goes as planned, Fine Line is finally officially out there (it has been for about a week if we are being exact) and Harry couldn’t be happier. Coming off the stage he is still high on adrenaline, taking all the congratulations the crew and guests are giving him relentlessly. His smile is so wide, it’s starting to hurt his face, but it’s a pain he could happily deal with for the rest of his life.

He hugs his mum and sister, all his old friends, they do a group hug with the band and he is sure he has greeted everyone by now, but then he spots one specific figure in the back of the room.

At first he thinks he is just imagining it. That his mind is playing the same trick on him it did a few years ago when he thought he saw Y/N at one of their concerts. Blinking a couple of times he is ready to watch her disappear like a ghost, but as the seconds go by he realizes that she is truly there.

Y/N is standing across the room with a nervous smile, looking all grown up and most importantly fucking beautiful. Even though Harry has seen plenty of pictures of her from recent times, it’s still a shock to have her stand in the same room as him. 

His body moves before his brain could process it. His feet start to carry him towards her and before he even realizes he is running and when he finally reaches her he wraps her in his arms, twirling her around, making both of them laugh.

“You’re here!” he breathes out, still hugging her even when he has put her down.

“I am, you invited me!” she chuckles and they finally lean back enough to look at each other. 

“I know, but… you never replied, I didn’t think you’d come and… You are actually here,” he repeats.

“Sorry I didn’t reply, I wasn’t sure until the very last minute if I would come,” she admits nervously.

Harry’s invitation was all she could think about since the morning she got the email. It was more than unexpected, for a moment she even thought it was just some kind of prank, but it came from Harry's old email address, so she had to believe that it was genuine. She hesitated until probably a few days ago when she woke up one day and just knew that she had to be here tonight. 

“It’s okay,” he smiles at her softly, taking in her every feature. The girl he knew is still there, but she changed a lot, she looks so much more mature and her features have definitely gotten a lot more feminine. 

She looks gorgeous. 

Suddenly it all comes down on him clashing, all the questions, the feelings, he wants to know everything, but he fears they don’t have enough time.

“How long are you staying?” he then asks.

“I took a couple of days off, I’m staying for three more days.”

He sighs in relief. 

“Come on,” he smiles, his hand taking hers. “I want to know everything.”

“Everything?” she chuckles, ignoring the tingles wherever his hand is touching hers.

“Harry, don’t assault the poor girl! She almost didn’t come!” Gemma chimes in. Harry stops, his eyes snapping back and forth between Y/N and his sister.

“Wait, you knew she would be coming?” he asks Gemma, who is sipping on some champagne with a knowing smile. She shrugs.

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” he scoffs, hands on his hips. The sight makes Y/N laugh, because she can see his sixteen year-old self in the pose so vividly, it’s insane.

“You never asked,” Gemma says and walks away. Harry turns back to Y/N.

“She messaged me if I got your invitation,” she admits. 

“So you’re telling me, all I should have done is to send you a message and ask for confirmation?”

Y/N just chuckles, shrugging her shoulders innocently. Harry exhales as he shakes his head.

“Alright, now you truly have to tell me everything.”

2020

“Can you hear me?” Harry asks, as the FaceTime finally loads and Y/N’s pixelated face fills his phone’s screen. He leans back on his plush couch and he tries his best to ignore how fast his heart starts pounding in his chest when he hears her laugh.

“Yeah, I can hear you,” she answers and it seems like she just sat down somewhere too.

Struggling with the unstable connection they share how their day has been so far, though Harry has been up just for a few hours while Y/N’s is almost over. The time difference has been making it hard for them to keep in touch, but Harry has learned his lesson and he bends his schedule around these talks, because there’s no way he would waste even a moment he could spend talking to her.

ONO and the days that followed changed everything. It didn’t take long for Harry to realize that his boyish crush is still very much present and after seeing her it quickly evolved into something more mature. Seemingly, Y/N has been sharing these feelings, because it appears she enjoys spending time with Harry in any way possible just as much as he does. 

It took them quite some time to catch up and it feels like they still haven’t shared everything they missed in each other’s life in the past years, but they know they have all the time they need, even if the circumstances might not always be the best. They are both trying their best.

There’s a comfortable silence in their call where both of them are just staring at each other through the screen. The unsaid things have been hanging there between them, they know it’s more than just their old friendship rekindled, but saying the words out through a FaceTime call wouldn’t be right.

“I miss you,” Harry finds himself mumbling the words, kind of to himself, but she hears the words.

“I miss you too,” she replies, biting her lip as she adjusts the phone in her hands.

“Can I… Can I see you before I go on tour?”

“That’s like… in three weeks,” she chuckles.

“I know. But I want to see you.”

“I don’t know, I have a regular, mundane job, I’m not an international rockstar who can just travel whenever it’s convenient,” she reminds him jokingly.

“Okay, then let me visit you.”

“You’re way too busy to come here.”

“I’m never too busy for you.”

She gasps at his words, the pink clouds so thick around her mind it’s almost sickening. If only she could reach out and through the screen…

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow and if you still think the same, we can… figure something out,” she smiles shyly. Harry knows he’ll feel the same tomorrow and the day after and forever. So he just smiles and nods.

They chat some more until Harry has to leave. Unwillingly, but they end the call and return to their separate lives.

Y/N stays on her couch, her phone still in her hands and Harry on her mind. Her TV is on, but it’s been muted, the screen is the only thing illuminating her in the dark room. With a tired sigh she reaches for the remote and turns the volume back on.

The news are on. She stands from the couch and starts cleaning up, not even listening to what they are talking about on the screen.

“... therefore COVID-19 has been officially declared a pandemic. WHO warns everyone to wear a mask in all public places, countries with a high number of cases are urgently discussing what other safety measures should…”

Y/N is questioning her sanity. She has been for the past week that was spent packing her suitcase, she took three covid tests in the last two days and now she is about to board a private jet at an airport that’s scarily empty. The last part shouldn’t be surprising, the whole world is under lockdown because of the pandemic, Y/N has spent her last month isolated in her apartment, right until one day Harry begged her to fly over to him.

“Y/N, please. I will settle everything, I’ll send a private jet for you, pay for it all, just please… please come here and be with me!”

There’s probably nothing she can deny from him. So here she is, escorted onto a private jet by an airport worker, they are both wearing their masks, just like everyone she has seen in the past week preparing for her travel.

Just as she settles in her seat on the jet, her phone buzzes from a text.

HARRY: Everything alright? Are you boarding already?

With a smile hidden under her mask she types her reply.

Y/N: On the plane, we’re taking off in 10.

HARRY: I can’t wait to see you.

Last time she traveled overseas was for a vacation years ago. She flew commercial then and it felt like hell, wedged between an obnoxious little boy and a middle aged woman who complained about everything. Now it’s just her and literally one single stewardess who is there to serve her. It’s a whole different experience for sure. 

Luckily, the journey feels a lot shorter when she’s comfortable, she can get up anytime and eat excellent food instead of some weird frozen meal on a plastic plate. By the time the jet touches down she feels rested and most importantly excited to see Harry again. It feels like forever when they had to say goodbye in december and in all honesty, it took them way longer to reunite, but it’s all because of the pandemic. It’s late april now, they were planning to meet about a month ago originally at the end of march before his tour was set to kick off. By now he was supposed to be on the road through Europe, but instead, he has been under lockdown just like the rest of the world.

She walks through LAX as if it was zombie land, it’s so eerily empty she is expecting zombies to round the corner any minute, but it never happens. She reaches the car waiting for her, the driver loads her begs to the trunk and then they are off to Harry’s place. 

It’s her first time at Harry’s LA home, and naturally it still baffles her to see where he’s gotten from his old life in Holmes Chapel, one that included her.

But his life includes her now as well, she reminds herself just as the car rolls up the long driveway. Getting out of the car she is about to grab her suitcases from the back of the car when the front door flies open and Harry sprints out. Literally.

He is running towards her with such speed, she almost gets knocked over when he finally reaches her and locks her in his arms, twirling around in the air.

“You’re here!” he breathes out, making her laugh.

“Were you not expecting me?” she teases him when he finally puts her down, but his arms remain around her.

“It’s just… I’m so happy to see you,” he smiles widely, taking her in. She hasn’t changed much since December, maybe her hair has gotten a little longer, but she looks the same.

However their feelings are nowhere near the same.

He thanks the driver and then grabs all her bags, urging her to come inside. Y/N wanders further into his home exploring it right away, already migrating towards the pool outside. Harry sets her luggage down in the hallway and walks after her, watching her stop by the sliding doors, admiring the enormous backyard. She turns around and catches him staring.

“What?” she asks, nervously laughing.

“Nothing,” he shakes his head. “I’m just really happy you’re here.”

2021

He’s nervous. There’s no use in denying, anyone could see it. But no one can blame him, it’s been so long since he last stood on a stage, he’s afraid he lost his groove, though the people who know him beg to differ. 

Washing his teeth in his fluffy robe he is eyeing his outfit for tonight that’s hanging in the corner. He knows his fans will love it, the color pink alone would make them go feral, but the sparkly vest with no top underneath will be surely like they won the jackpot. 

He spits and rinses his mouth just when there’s a soft knock on the door and just by the rhythm of it he knows who it is.

“Come in!” he calls out, wiping his mouth with a towel just when Y/N pokes her head inside, her body following a second later. 

“Hey,” she smiles shyly, taking him in for a second as he moves around the room.

“Told you, you don’t have to knock when you come in,” he chuckles.

“But, what if you’re… naked or something?”

He stops and stares back at her, giving her an ‘Are you kidding me?’ look that gets her all flustered in an instant so he decides to take it even further.

“Nothing you haven’t seen, baby. In fact, you can see it right now if you wanted to.” He starts untying his robe, but she stops him laughing and taking the opportunity of having her so close now he wraps her in his arms and kisses her.

It never gets old. The feeling he gets whenever he gets to kiss her, whether it’s a good morning kiss right after he wakes up, or a tired kiss at the end of the day, a needy kiss when he just wants her more than anything or a make-up kiss after a fight, which doesn’t happen often. He can count it on one hand how many times they got into an argument since they’ve become an item in April 2020, when Y/N spent most of the lockdown with Harry. Originally, she planned to stay only for a couple of weeks, but she didn’t return home until the start of June and she was back by July.

Now it’s September 2021, so it’s been almost one and a half years since then and they are still just as in love as they were during lockdown.

“You’re nervous,” she mumbles against his lips and it’s not a question. She knows him, all of his looks, his movements, she knows what he thinks about most of the time if not always, she can read him like a book.

Harry hums and just goes in for another kiss.

“You’ll be amazing, don’t worry,” she smiles at him, patting his chest as she pulls back. “And even if you make a mistake, the pink sparkles will distract everyone,” she jokes, nodding towards his outfit.

“You’ll be out there?”

“Of course. I’ll be the one screaming the loudest.”

“As loud as last night?” The cheeky grin that stretches across his face is proof that he is not that nervous if he can make dirty jokes.

“Shut up or I’m going home,” she laughs, poking a finger into his chest teasingly. He grabs her finger and pulls her back for another kiss.

“Nope, you’re stuck here. With me,” he smirks, lips coming over hers again.

2023

The bittersweet feeling has been lingering around the crew not just all day, but probably for a week now. Everyone knew that the end was coming and now that the final show is officially here, the emotions are overflowing. Everything they are doing, they are doing it for the last time on Love On Tour. It’s the last stage, the last sound check, last time Wet Leg takes the stage before Harry and it’s the last time Y/N is sitting in his dressing room, watching him put on his outfit of the night.

She can sense that he is different than he usually is before a show, he seems antsy and his eyebrows have been furrowed probably since lunch. Y/N watches him pace the floor back and forth in his sparkly outfit, nervously fixing the wire behind his neck even though it’s exactly in the same spot it usually is.

“Do you want me to help?” she asks and Harry stops in his tracks, as if he just realized what he’s been doing. His hands fall by his side as he exhales sharply.

“Sorry, just… fidgeting.”

Y/N stands from the couch and walking over she absentmindedly fixes his fringed vest, planting her palms onto his chest gently.

“It’s okay to be sad, H,” she reminds him. Harry tends to hide his big, sad feelings, because he feels like it would bother others. He is always so considerate about dealing with everyone else’s feelings, but this time his emotions should be in focus as well.

“I don’t want to be sad, that’s the thing. It was a great experience, sadness should not be a thing when I think of Love On Tour.”

“But that’s why it’s okay to be sad. Because this amazing experience is ending and it’s natural that you’re mourning it. It lasted, what? Like almost two years? And if we count in the planning, this tour has been part of your life since 2019. That was four years ago, no one expects you to just let go of it laughing.”

Harry nods, his arms snaking around her waist as he pulls her into his embrace, needing to feel her close in this overwhelming moment. She’s been his anchor, the person he could turn to no matter what during this insanely long tour, he’s convinced he couldn’t have done it all without her. 

Not even Harry can slow time down, so the moment to step onto the stage for the last time in this tour finally comes. Y/N stands with his family and friends at the side, holding Anne’s hands whenever an emotional song is played by him. He puts one thousand percent into it, just like every time on this tour and Y/N’s chest swells with pride when she realizes that it’s one hundred thousand people screaming at her lover.

Or fiancé, to be exact. 

When Harry sings Falling, to his fans’ surprise, she notices him looking for her in the crowd. The song is melancholic and it was written about a time he felt at his lowest, but to look in his eyes tells it all to Y/N.

He is not there anymore, because he has her. 

She’s twisting her diamond ring around her finger as tears dwell in her eyes while she sings along to the song, hoping that her expression tells him too, that she is happy to be the person who brought light into his life, because he did the same to her.

Then the time comes for Harry’s thank you speech and no eye is left dry after his words. Y/N has to swallow back her sobs when he turns to her and addresses his words straight to her.

“My love, thank you for everything, you were such a big part of this journey and I hope that our journey will continue forever.”

The fans are screaming, phones are pointed at her, recording her reaction as she just nods eagerly, one hand covering her wobbling lips. 

For his final piano piece Y/N moves backstage to watch him from there and be there when he walks off the stage for the very last time in the history of Love On Tour. She is standing there with the proudest and most emotional expression on her face when Harry jumps down the steps and he smashes into her arms right away, burying his face into the crook of her neck. She can feel his tears against her skin and she gently keeps combing her hand through his hair, giving him as much time to recover as he needs. 

When he finally lifts his head his eyes are glassy, but there’s a smile on his lips.

“You did amazing,” Y/N tells him, gently wiping his cheeks with her hands.

“And you did too,” he says and his words make her laugh.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You did the absolute most, Y/N. You gave me your love and support and I couldn’t have done it without those.”

Her heart melts as she pushes up to her tiptoes, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

“You’ll forever have those. You’ll forever have me.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[dotster001]

The Long Game; a For Tuna End

Custom content end, but takes place after the canonical bad end

Part One Part Two Part Three Choose Another Ending

Riddle remembers when he got the call. He didn't know how Grim even had his phone number. It was about four months ago.

“Now's your chance!”

“Sorry?” He was just about to leave his law firm for the day, when his phone had rung, and now he was stuck there.

“Y/N and the baker broke up!”

Riddle nearly dropped his phone. He put Grim on speaker and opened up his text messages. He was still very close with both you and Trey, having dinner with you both every Saturday. Often, you both joked with him about how you would adopt him so you could force him to take a break. Sure enough, both of you had texted him.

Hey, Riddle, so, Trey and I aren't seeing each other anymore. Wanted you to know before you heard it from someone else.

I know you were his friend first, but I hope you don't hate me, and we can still hang out?

Trey's message was similar.

Y/N and I broke up. We're still gonna be friends, nothing bad happened. But I wanted you to know.

Riddle watched the typing bubble on Trey's message space, and nearly threw his phone when he got the message.

I know you've never stopped loving them. So whenever the two of you get together, I want you to know I'm ok with it 😉

“Well? C'mon Mr. Lawyer! Will you be there tomorrow, or not?!” Grim shouted, clearly having been unable to get his attention for a while.

“Trey’s my friend. I can't just take his partner the day after they broke up,” Riddle sighed tiredly. Yes, Trey wasn't wrong. He never stopped loving you, no matter how hard he tried, how many people he dated, how much time he would stay away. But society has rules. He couldn't act on his feelings right away. It wasn't like you held those feelings for him. You wouldn't have dated Trey if you had.

“Don't be stupid, Rosehearts. This is your one chance. I have Ashengrotto on standby at any moment!”

Riddle held back a snicker. Clearly, that was untrue. Azul had been married for two years.

“Go ahead and call him, then.”

“I will! Goodbye forever, Rosehearts!”

Four months later, and it was the first chance he'd had to have dinner with you again. Grim was grouchy, slumping in his chair, refusing to do anything but glare at him. Your current tactic seemed to be to ignore him.

“Tell me everything! It feels like so long since I last saw you!” You said excitedly, scooping a portion of strawberry and walnut salad onto his, then Grim's, plate.

“I've been busy,” he hummed, skirting around the question. He'd been busy because he'd chosen to be. Between Grim's relentless phone calls, and Trey attempting to push him in “the right direction” every day since a month ago, he'd been being forced to face his feelings that he'd spent years trying to bury. Throwing himself into his work had seemed to be the only peace he'd had.

“Riddle, we've talked about this! You can't overwork yourself like this! Someone who spent a year in medical school should be well aware of that!”

Riddle rolled his eyes, but smiled playfully. “You sound ridiculous, right now. I had way more on my plate at NRC than I've ever have at work.”

“Maybe. But one of these days, I'm gonna trap you in my house, and make you take a vacation.”

That didn't sound too bad. Being trapped in a house with only your tender love and care to worry about.

“I'll look forward to that day,” he laughed tiredly. You seemed satisfied with that answer, and continued chatting about what you'd been up to. He winced, however, when he made eye contact with Grim, who looked suspiciously happy.

….

“So?”

“So?” Riddle echoed. He knew exactly what Trey had called him to ask, but he didn't really want to answer.

“So?! A little birdie told me you and Y/N are going on a trip this weekend!”

“It’s not like we'll be alone. Grim is coming,” Riddle held back a slightly bitter tone at that.

“Yeah, and for some reason he's desperate for you to be his dad. I'm sure he's got something worked out.”

“He only wants me so that he can “be rich” and get tuna. And because he was extremely bitter that you ruined his plans, years ago, and wants revenge on you.”

Trey laughed. “I think you'd be surprised, Riddle. He's an interesting little guy. I think he actually likes you.”

Riddle rolled his eyes. “Is it normal for an ex boyfriend to be this interested in matchmaking his ex?”

“It is when the ex boyfriend wants his ex and his old friend to be happy, and he can see how good they would be together.”

“Sure, sure. Listen, Trey, I gotta go,” Riddle muttered, wanting to end this phone call as quickly as possible.

“Don't forget to pack a toothbrush!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“And a swimsuit!”

“Yeah, yeah-”

“And don't forget to pack sunscreen!”

“Bye mom,” Riddle sighed tiredly as he hung up. He leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples. Why did he even agree to a vacation with you? It was already seeming to be more effort than it was worth. But he'd already said yes. And he knew you, and his coworkers, wouldn't take it lying down. The moment his coworkers had heard he was going to have a weekend beach vacation, they'd put all their effort into making sure he had no excuse not to go.

You, meanwhile, had already purchased and planned the vacation. You gave him those sad eyes when he was about to turn you down, and he found himself nodding along.

Two days. That's all he'd have to put up with. He could do this.

….

“I need my own bed.”

Both you and Riddle stared at Grim, who had an angry look on his face.

“The fuck?” You muttered.

“I refuse to go back to the Ramshackle days. I will not be sharing a bed with a stinky human!”

“Stinky?” You sounded mildly offended.

You'd all just arrived at the vacation cabin, and found out there were two bedrooms. You had been preparing to put both your's and Grim's bags in one of the rooms, when he'd dropped the bomb.

“It's fine. I can just take the couch,” Riddle muttered, already tired.

“No! This vacation is supposed to be about you getting some rest for once! I'll take the damn couch,” you growled, dragging your bag over to the very stiff looking sofa.

Riddle grabbed the handle of your suitcase, yanking it away.

“You paid for the beds. You should sleep in one.”

“I have an idea!” Grim shouted. You both turned to stare at him. “Since both of you are stinky humans, and Y/N was prepared to share anyway, you could both share the bed!”

Riddle's eyes widened, his jaw dropping, but you spoke faster.

“I mean, if you're okay with that Riddle, I don't mind.”

He nodded dumbly, and you took his suitcase, carrying it to your now shared room.

It took a second for it all to process, but what made it settle in was the exaggerated wink Grim was giving him.

“Word of warning. Y/N is a major cuddler!” Grim whispered, scampering off to his own room. Riddle's face felt like it was on fire, as you called over to him, telling him the room was ready.

He stumbled in, trying to puzzle out how the trip had gotten away from him so quickly.

“Why did we let him win?” He asked tiredly.

You sighed, then gave him a war torn smile.

“He's really good at what he does.”

You went to the ensuite bathroom, and before Riddle could process, time had passed and you had reemerged in your pajamas. You pulled back the comforter, and snuggled yourself into the bed.

“Aren't you going to change?” You asked.

“My clothes are comfortable,” he muttered.

That was a lie.

“Alright then,” you patted the space next to you, and Riddle gulped. He trudged over to the bed, as though he was taking his death march. Then he stiffly flipped onto the bed.

“You can come closer. I swear I don't bite,” you laughed, as he pushed himself as far to the edge as possible.

“I don't need much space,” he muttered.

“Alright. Good night, Riddle,” you hummed. You quickly fell asleep, clearly used to sharing a bed.

Riddle, meanwhile, found himself staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He wasn't touching you, but your body heat was fogging his mind. Your scent, as well, was inescapable, and sleep, inevitably, evaded him.

He looked at the alarm clock on the side table. 1:35 am. He groaned. This was never going to work.

As quietly as possible, he left the bed, and made his way out of the cabin. He wandered down to the beach, trying to clear you from his head. He stood near the edge of the ocean, and closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the waves drown you out.

Then he was sprayed with a wall of water.

He spluttered, choking on sea water. When he had finally recovered, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years.

“Hey, Goldfishie!”

He groaned, looking out at the sea, where he saw a pair of glowing mismatched eyes.

“Floyd. How are you?”

“Same old, same old,” he hummed.

“Excellent. WHY DID YOU SPLASH ME?!” Riddle roared, making Floyd laugh.

“Because I wanted to. By the way, aren't you supposed to be making out with Shrimpy?”

Riddle's face went crimson. “What-”

“Y/N’s doing the same thing with Jade and Sea Turtle. The day they broke up, they started texting Jade non stop about asking him out. The difference is that Jade is so much better at it than you are.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Riddle snarled.

“It means, Jade already bagged his prey. Like, a month ago. Trey sent me here, because he knew you'd wimp out at some point,” Floyd gave him a disappointed once over. “He's gonna be sad when he hears how fast it was.”

“You used his name…” Riddle muttered in awe.

“Yeah?” Floyd shrugged. “He's prolly gonna be my brother in law one day. That makes him family. But you're dodging the issue.”

Floyd fixed him with a glare.

“Do I need to take a transformation potions, and take care of things myself?”

“First off, why would you even help me? Didn't you used to have a crush on Y/N?”

“Yeah. So did everyone. The difference between you and everyone is that, for everyone, it was just a crush, which meant it went away. For you, it's love. Which is why you're too scared to schmooze them right now.”

Riddle sighed tiredly. He never thought he'd see a day where he had a reasonable conversation with Floyd. He sat down in the sand, staring off into the distance.

“They always were so happy with Trey. What if I never match up?”

Floyd rolled his eyes, slipping below the surface as he groaned.

When he pooped back up, he fixed Riddle with a glare.

“Do you really think me, and Sea Turtle, and Jade, would all be pushing you to this if we didn't think you were capable of making Y/N happy?” He rolled his eyes again, before splashing him with more water. “Seven's, we all used to love Y/N! And we still cherish them! If anyone can give them a happy ending, it's fucking Riddle Rosehearts!”

Riddle stared at Floyd for a moment, before a smile split his face.

“Floyd, somehow you grew up.”

“Ugh!” Floyd splashed him a third time, before diving below the surface.

Riddle allowed himself a giggle, before making his way back to the cabin. He changed out of his dripping clothes, into his pajamas, and made his way back into the bed.

He looked at you for a moment, letting you fog his mind again. His heart skipped a beat, as you sighed softly, then flipped over, wrapping your arms around him, and tangling your legs with his.

For a moment, he thought he would die. Then you sleepily whispered,

“Grimmy, you're so squishy.”

Riddle sighed in relief. His dignity was safe for now. You were just asleep. You weren't actively trying to give him a heart attack.

It felt good though. Resting so close to you. And he soon found himself finally drifting off.

He woke up early. He was always an early riser. But he was pretty sure what woke him up this time was your head resting on his neck, cutting off his air supply. He didn't want to have to wake you, but he needed to breathe.

“Y/N,” he groaned, gently shifting as much as he could with you wrapped up around him. It took a couple calls of your name before your eyes fluttered open, sleepily looking up at him. Then your eyes widened and you shot up, pulling away.

“Oh my god, Riddle, I am so sorry! I cuddle in my sleep sometimes,” you hastily spoke.

“Y/N, it's fine,” he said, looking away so that you hopefully wouldn't see how red he was. He missed your warmth already.

“God, I'm so embarrassed,” you moaned, burying your face in your hands.

“Don't be. Actually,” he steeled his courage, looking at you with what he hoped was a calm confidence. “This seems like a good time to tell you something important.”

You peeked at him from between your fingers.

“I love you.”

Your hands dropped from your face, your jaw dropped.

“I know you were dating Trey, like, a year ago, but-”

“For Seven's sake! Riddle! This is gonna make me sound super sus, but do you think I would have so quickly agreed to share a bed with you if I didn't like you back?”

Riddle stared at you, before swiftly pinning you down, a dangerous smile on his face.

“And why, my dear Y/N, didn't you say something sooner?”

You stiffened, realizing you were probably in trouble.

“Ha ha, well um-”

“My darling rose,” he hummed, gently caressing your cheek. “It's against the rules to keep your queen waiting.”

He leaned in, and the door slammed open.

You both turned your heads to see Grim, who's eyes widened with glee.

“Finally! Tuna for everyone! Riddle's treat!” He skipped out of the room, laughing happily.

“What the fuck?” You muttered.

“I'll go deal with that,” Riddle said, leaving the bed and stretching, before making his way to the door. He stopped for a moment, then turned back to you with a wicked grin.

“Don't think for a moment that you have escaped punishment.”

He held back a laugh as he watched you hide under the blankets.

....

A/N: dear riddle fans. I have gifted you the longest ending to date. Am I forgiven for making you wait so long for his happy ending?

Tag list-@shytastemakerthing @stygianoir @leonia0 @lleoll @eccedentesiast-sapphic @supertmntgirl @cxsmicdustdreams @aethermostbeloved @krystalkiller25 @asmallbean3 @theneurodivergentdummy @candlewitch-cryptic @smilingfox22-blog @phantomgaming1920 @the-dumber-scaramouche @noidonothavetimeforthis @bontensbabygirl @xxoomiii @somany-fandoms-solittle-time @bre99 @stupidsimp @sus0daddy @a-small-tyrant @imlost-sendhelp @mizukiblogs @savanaclaw1996 @kazumify @auspicious-lilana @dragontamer222 @mutegummy @justm3di0cr3 @dreamlessnight @avi-enderson

[literaryavenger]

Heartbroken

Summary: Tony helps you through your first heartbreak.

Pairing: Dad!Tony Stark x Daughter!female!reader

Warnings: Fluff. Language cause why not. Reader is hurting. Tony is an angel. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 1.4K

A/N: I wanted some soft dad Tony and this came out. The end is a little rushed, I didn't know where I wanted it to go but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope you like it!

Masterlist

You exited the elevator and made your way through the living room, not sparing anybody a second glance.

You went straight to your room and slammed the door behind you, leaving all of the avengers that were currently in the living room in a shocked silence.

That wasn’t like you.

You're a cheery and positive teenager that never misses a chance to hang out with your favorite group of superheroes.

Even during your bad days, you at least said hi and chat a bit before going to your room, so your behavior today as you came home from school leaves everyone worried.

They all know high school isn't easy, but it somehow never affected you much.

Maybe because you grew up in the spotlight, being a Stark.

You were the perfect combination of Pepper and Tony, smart and driven, sarcastic and confident, sweet and supportive. Really just a ray of sunshine in everyone’s life.

Everybody at Midtown High knows who you are and every student you meet gets surprised by how nice you are to anyone that approaches you, everyone expecting you to be a stuck up bitch.

You talk to and befriend anybody who’s nice to you, but you spend most of your time with Peter, Ned and MJ.

Speaking of which, while everybody stares at the door you just disappeared through, Peter enters the room through the window, a feat that not everyone is used to yet.

"Damn it, bug boy, stop doing that!" Sam almost yells, never failing to get startled by his abrupt entrances.

"Sorry, Mr. Falcon, sir." he says sheepishly while Bucky snickers like every other time, but before they can start bickering like always, Tony addresses Peter.

"What’s wrong with my daughter, Spider-ling?" he says in a serious tone, despite the nickname he can’t seem to get tired of.

"I don’t know, Mr. Stark. She was fine during lunch, but when school ended she was nowhere to be seen. We were suppose to meet at the exit like always but she rushed home alone. That’s why I’m here, I was worried." the more Peter talks the more Tony gets worried.

It wasn’t like you to not show up to do something you planned to do with someone else, let alone without giving a reason or at least a warning first.

Tony has heard enough so he gets up from his seat and walks towards your room, knocking twice, then once and then three times fast, a secret knock you came up with when you were little designed just for him.

He hears a faint ‘come in’ and, with furrowed eyebrows, he enters your room, finding you sitting on the bed hugging your knees to your chest.

Without saying a word he comes in, shuts the door and sits next to you, putting an arm around your shoulders. You shift to put your head in his chest and, when hug him as tightly as you can, Tony can actually feel his own heart breaking at the sight.

His little ray of sunshine, crying her heart and soul out and there's nothing more he can do but hold you. So he holds onto you just as tight as you are, willing himself not to let his own tears fall at seeing you so broken, needing to be strong for you.

After you calm down a bit, he can’t help himself as he asks "who do I have to kill?"

He feel a little better when he hears your little giggle against his chest, but he's still very worried and you both know he wasn’t entirely kidding.

He doesn’t rush you into talking, giving you time to put together your thoughts before starting to explain.

"I’ve been seeing someone..." you start, sitting up straight, sniffling, and he already doesn't like where this is going. "I’m sorry I haven’t said anything, mom knows though…"

"Of course she does." he mumbles, a little offended you would tell her and not him, and Tony Stark was never one to not voice his thoughts. "Why didn’t you tell me?" he was clearly hurt, pouting a bit just to amuse you. You giggle again as you answer.

"I’m sorry, but I know what you would’ve said: ‘You’re not allowed to date until you’re 65’" you try to imitate him with a deep voice that makes him chuckle.

"Damn right you can’t!" He says and you lighten up a little at his laughter and keep talking.

"I was going to introduce you soon, I swear! But then…" your smile falls and you can’t stop the few tears that escape. "Today, while I was waiting on Peter, I saw him…"

You trail off and he holds your hand giving you an encouraging squeeze but still not pushing you. Then, in the smallest voice he’d ever heard you use, you finish your sentence. "He was kissing another girl…"

He wished you hadn’t finished the sentence. You start crying again, quieter than before, but it still broke Tony’s heart.

"Oh, honey…" He wraps his arms around you again, mentally planning how to kill and dispose of the body of the little prick, when he hears you again, your voice barely a whisper.

"It hurts, dad… why does it hurt so much?" you still couldn’t stop crying, barely able to finish the sentence.

"I know, Tinkerbell." The use of your childhood nickname made you smile against the tears, the memory of how it came to be coming to the forefront of your mind.

You were about 6 years old, watching Peter Pan for the first time with your parents, when you started giggling uncontrollably.

Your parents gave you a funny look, expecting you to be sad at the part where Tinkerbell was dying and worried they were raising a little psychopath.

"What are you laughing at, Junior?" much to Pepper’s displeasure Tony had started calling you that, sustaining that you were turning out to be just like a little version of him.

Your mom disagreed, but was slowly changing her mind, especially after what little six year old you said next.

"Daddy’s just like Tinkerbell: if she doesn’t get attention he dies!" you got out between giggles, making Pepper almost double over laughing as Tony started a tickle attack, a fake offended look on his face.

After that your dad started calling you Tinkerbell, not able to let go of your first sarcastic comment, against him of all people, but secretly very proud.

You were brought back to the present by your dad’s words as he started rubbing your back. 

"I know it hurts now, but it’s gonna get better, I promise. Your first heartbreak is never easy, but the good news is you have your whole life ahead of you to find a guy smart enough to understand how lucky he is to be loved by you and never let you go."

Now, Tony Stark is many things.

He’s a genius, billionaire, former playboy and philanthropist. He’s an entrepreneur, a superhero, a savior. He’s a role model, a caring friend and doting husband.

But, at this very moment, you can’t help but be proud to call him your father.

You wish you could tell him that at the moment, but you can’t find the voice to speak so you make a mental note to tell him later. Right now all you can do is hug him so tight you’re not entirely sure he’s able to breathe, but he doesn’t make any attempts to make you let go.

The next couple of hours are spent between hugs, words of encouragement and Tony trying everything he can to make you laugh.

When he succeeds in lifting your spirits, you both make your way to the living room where all of the Avengers are now, Pepper included. You sit next to her and she wraps her arm around you, having already been updated on the situation, of course.

Everyone else seemed to have come to a mutual understanding of not pressing the matter, knowing you’ll open up when you’re ready and not wanting to upset you again now that you’re back to your cheery self.

You’re glad nobody’s asking any questions, acting like nothing happened, exactly what you need right now.

You spend the rest of the day with your family, forgetting all about your broken heart, realizing you’re better off without him.

At one point your dad whispers to you "I still need the name of the little jerk, so I can fuck him up" and you can’t help but laugh, more glad than ever to be lucky enough to be a Stark.

[le-92vi]

It's You and Me (Part 2)

Suguru Geto x Reader

Genres/Warnings: hs!suguru, biker!suguru, fem!reader, academic weapon!reader, mostly fluff and banter, v little angst.

Word Count: 3.3k

When your highschool crush moves across the street from you, there's not much option other than befriending him. Especially, when he's the one suggesting it.

Notes: It's me! I'm back, hello.

(Part 1)

----

You had to admit that being around Suguru was easy.

He just had this way of making people around him so comfortable, so heard. And him being a year senior to you came as an additional perk.

He'd help you with your projects and assignments whenever he had the time to spare. His well-polished reputation among teachers at school gave you a free pass to many things you couldn't get, even as the top student of your grade.

He'd introduced you and Maki to his other cool, senior friends, often sitting with you during lunch. Let you know about upcoming events and competitions, grabbing you all the extra credits for the perfect final grade.

Your high school life was passing by like a breeze.

And, if he insisted on helping you to make it easier, who were you to say no?

In turn, you'd treat him with your mom's delicious food all the time. It was a win-win situation for both of you.

Your families--especially your mothers--had grown closer too, they were practically always hanging together, save for the time they went to work. It was like your mom was back in her teenage years with her best friend. And oddly enough, you'd always be reminded of Maki when you saw them.

Everything had progressed into the present so, so naturally, it was almost scary. It had always been an object of your fascination how humans formed bonds with each other so easily and then lived to protect them forever.

"Wait," You placed your fork down in disbelief, "So, you went to school together?"

"We did!" Suguru's mom chuckled at your astonished face. She and Suguru were over for the afternoon, just a small lunch get-together, planned out by your lovely mom. "Sadly, I had to move away after for my final year. My parents wouldn't hear a no."

"That's crazy." You were unsure of how to process the piece of information you were presented. You turned to look at Suguru, who was nonchalantly still indulging in his food. "You knew?"

He looked up from his plate, cocking an eyebrow, "I just assumed they knew each other from somewhere, not that they were already friends. I would've never guessed that one!"

"Right? I mean, what are the chances of moving across your best friend from high school?" You mused.

"Well, It was hardly a coincidence," Your mom chimed in, amused by your antics. "We did keep in touch after she moved away, honey. How old do you think we are? We had emails."

"Yeah, and we had been planning to move back here, sooner or later." Mrs. Geto spoke. "Suguru's eventually leaving for college, so we thought a little change wouldn't hurt."

"And by little, she means 30 more minutes of commute to school every day," Suguru contorted his face playfully at his mother, earning a slap on the shoulder.

"We did ask for your opinion, mister!" She defended herself.

And, so the lunchtime chit-chat continued. But your mind stayed hung up on that one sentence.

Suguru is eventually leaving for college.

He won't forever be your next-door neighbor who helps you with homework and brings you to get takeout with his friends. He won't be at your house for these little luncheons soon enough. And, he won't be around to hang out with you forever, soon enough.

Of course, he would visit when he had time and you could talk on the phone, but you knew things wouldn't be the same once he left for college. He'd have a completely new life there. Would he even want you to be a part of it? Would he call? Would he have any time to think of you, or his friends?

Would you ever see him again, after he moves for college?

As his (secret) admirer, it was a painful realization, but more so as his friend.

A mere, off-handed comment hit you like an arrow, straight to the heart. You didn't even realize how much a single sentence could affect you, until Suguru shook you by the shoulder, jolting you awake from your daydream, "Where are you?" He looked at you with a slightly confused expression, wondering what you were so lost in thought about. "You said the other day you wanted help with your physics assignment?"

You were--evidently-- not used to dealing with a situation like this.

When you realized Suguru was your next-door neighbor, you were repulsed by the idea of it, the first thing. You liked him. Maybe it was even enough to call it a crush but, feelings are scary, man! Constantly seeing him around would only accelerate your feelings for him.

You didn't want that. You couldn't be distracted. You wouldn't let him distract you. And, certainly, you wouldn't become one for him, either.

"I think I told Maki I'd call her." you brushed off his question.

***

"Yes, but now I don't Iike him like that anymore…" you were plopped on your bed, on a call with your one and only.

Suguru had left earlier to meet up with his friends. You'd pass on the offer, saying you had homework to complete, which was partially true.

You turned around to lay on your stomach, head resting against your free hand, ranting like she was your therapist, "I just don't understand why I'm acting this way, Maki"

"Didn't you just say, you don't like him like that? I don't see the problem?" She spoke calmly. She always did.

Even if you cried to her about the most random stuff, she'd always listen to you and never judge you for it. Well maybe, she did judge you a little but that's just what friends are for. "Have you considered the possibility that you're still not completely over him and want him to be around longer?"

You hummed in response, repeating after her. "Umm, I'm not sure where you are trying to go with this, but it's not that."

"I think you're just confused. You used to like him, but now that you actually know him he's not your type, so you're just confused." She finished, emphasizing the last part.

"You sound experienced." You chuckled, trying to get a rise out of her.

And, just as if she could see right through you. She cleared her throat, "We are not doing this again," putting on her sternest voice.

***

"Did you miss the bus?" Suguru inquired as he straddled his bike across the street.

"Looks like it," Your hands shot up with dejection.

What could you do?

Both your parents were off to their offices right before you rushed off to school, yourself. "I swear I was out on time."

"I can't believe I get to witness a sight like this, Ms. Perfect missing her bus to school." Suguru snickered as he got off his bike to walk back inside his garage.

He's been hanging out with Maki too much.

You were already crossing over to his house when he emerged from the garage with a skating helmet. "That won't protect my head from a truck," you chuckle.

"Might protect the truck, who knows?" He shrugged. "Who knew there'd come a time that you'd need a ride? I would've been prepared."

He placed the helmet on your head and buckled it securely before revving up the bike's engine, "Hop on," He patted the seat.

With a sigh you climbed his bike, sitting behind him. Your hands gripped a part of the seat behind you to find some sort of balance.

This was as nerve-wracking as it was new to you. Sitting on a bike.

On Suguru Geto's bike!

"What are we waiting for?" You turned to get a look at his face, which was shielded with a helmet.

"You'll fall off if you sit like that," he commented, pushing his visor down.

"How else am I supposed to sit on a bike, then, Suguru?" You sounded annoyed, as you stole a glance at your wristwatch. You were already late. "I'd be really thankful if you get us to school on time."

"I know, so just hold onto me, or something." He turned around to look at you with his visors still blocking you from getting a look at his face. You couldn't make out from his tone if he was getting annoyed at you, or laughing.

"I'm entrusting you with my life. Is that not enough?"

"Oh my god! Just hold onto me. It's not that deep!"

"Alright!" your hands snaked around his waist, awkwardly unsure of how to be. Sure, you were friends but friends don't get a feel of each others' waists, do they? Do you rest your palm against his abdomen, or do you hold your hands in front of him?

Your mind wreaked as you fidgeted with your hands.

Suguru must've noticed.

He removed his hands from the bike and placed them on yours. He crossed your arms flat around his waist, so you were practically back-hugging him now.

You could feel each and every crevice of his abdomen, and it was messing with your brain. His hand rested on top of yours until he was sure you wouldn't take them off anymore.

You could smell his cologne and his shampoo from how close you were to him. You felt a small laugh vibrate through his body as he revved the engine one last time and finally made his way to school.

You were definitely late.

***

You were completely zoned out when the teacher called your name for the third time.

"I get that it's been a long day. I do, but--" She closed her textbook with a sigh, seeing the drowsy and listless bunch sitting in front of her. "Let's end the class here for today."

And, without missing a beat, the whole class was up and about their businesses for lunch. The teacher shook her head, half in disbelief and half in mirth.

You were packing your stuff to leave as well when the teacher tapped on your desk to get your attention, "Would it be possible for you to drop by the library and get these books for me?" She slid a piece of paper towards you.

Noticing how short the list was, you agreed, "Sure, Ms. Seige. I can drop them off by the end of the lunch break."

You folded the paper, tucked it in your pocket, and bid her goodbye.

You looked at your wristwatch and, noticed that you had a good twenty minutes before lunch began. You could still enjoy with your friends if you quickly dropped off the books in time and rushed to the lunch hall.

Not that fifty minutes for a lunch break was a short time, but you hadn't seen any of them all day, except Suguru, of course.

You greeted Shoko with a hug and handed her the piece of paper with the list of books your teacher wanted, along with a few snacks you had picked for her on your way. She had been a huge help to you for most of the year in finding all the books you were asked to gather by your teachers, being the student in charge of the library.

"Who is it this time?" She unfolded the list, flat on the table.

"Ms. Seige. Physics." You dropped your bag by her chair, as you watched her type away on her computer and scribble some things on the list.

"Oh! She's a good one." She turned in her seat and remarked, as she handed you the list.

"That's rare- you praising a teacher," You chuckled.

"She deserves it," She shrugged, turning back to her work. "Do me a favor and, drag Suguru on your way back. He should be somewhere in the back. Let's get lunch together. I'll text the others."

It was flabbergasting and borderline frustrating how Suguru was so effortlessly smart. "Does he ever attend any of his classes?"

"None that I know of."

"Must be nice…" You muttered to yourself, as you wandered off to find him and your books.

***

Suguru was cooped up in a small corner of the library, sitting-- rather leaning the upper half of his body against the bookshelf. From the looks of it, he must've been in that position for a while. Just looking at his stance made you question everything you knew about him.

How was he sitting-- laying, whatever he was doing-- in that position? What about the book captivated him so much, that he was torturing his back like that?

You quickly slipped your phone out and clicked a picture to show the others later. Placing the books on the nearest table, you slowly crept up behind him, mostly to give him a scare, but you were also very much intrigued by his novel's contents.

A little detour and you were practically breathing down his neck. But, the guy still hadn't a clue.

You were able to easily read into his book from where you were standing.

Touch me, tease me. Feel me up.

Two sentences were enough for you to understand what captured Suguru's undivided attention.

"So you were actually into friction, not fiction!" You mock-whispered in his ear, with every intention to give him a jump scare.

And boy, did it work!

Suguru's shoulder, which supported most of his body weight against the bookshelf, slid from the sudden shock. "What the-- OUch!" He was flat on the ground in a matter of seconds. Yet, that didn't stop him from concealing his book at the sight of you. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

You tried your best to not break into a burst of laughter as you stood straighter, towering above him. "Nothing,"

"Why would you creep up on me like that?" He brushed off his clothes, still trying to tuck away his book. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, all flustered and unmoving. A bright red tinge rose on his neck, face, and ears. He was so red he could qualify as a traffic light.

All you wanted to do was pull out your phone and click another picture, but you decided to spare him the torment. One embarrassing picture in the group chat was enough to rid him of his sleep for a few months. Gojo and Shoko would never let him live this down.

"Oh, come on! Don't act like you wouldn't," You grinned, unable to hold back anymore. You held out your arm towards him, "Be grateful that it was me."

He grabbed your hand as he hoisted himself up. "Did you," he sighed, "read any of it?"

He looked like he was on the verge of tears. One wrong move, and you'd be the first reason Suguru ever let his emotions win.

Your face turned blank, almost mirroring his. But, you'd be lying if you said you weren't enjoying teasing him. He wouldn't be upset with you if you told him the truth, right?

That just wasn't like Suguru.

Right?

The corners of your lips curled up into a ghost of a smile, as you looked up at him through your lashes, "Touch me, tease me, feel me up?"

His hands immediately flew to his face, covering up any expression,

"Oh my god!" he whined.

You burst into laughter once again at his unexpected timid behavior. "Suguru," You seized his hands away from his face, "That's all I read. I promise."

His lips turned into a sheepish smile, finally looking at you, "This had to stay between us. Forever!" His hands swung side-to-side, and so did yours, holding onto his as he whined.

You drew your hands back, cringing at his coyness. You had never seen him act like that, and it was kind of creepy. You had to admit.

"Ugh," You mindlessly reacted. "Why are you acting like this?"

Before he could respond, Shoko yelled from her desk up front, "Guys, it's been FIFTEEN years! It doesn't take that long to find three books and a guy!"

You rushed to pick up your books at the sound of her voice, but Suguru caught you by your wrist, "I promise I'll bring you to school and back every day. They can't know," He pleaded.

You could tell how serious he was, just by one look at his face, "I won't." You reassured him. You felt slightly disappointed in yourself for teasing him. Just his expression sat like a heavy weight on your chest. You had no idea a little joke would affect him this much. "You don't have to bring me to school every day. It was meant to be a harmless joke, Suguru."

"I know," He stuck his tongue out at you, walking past you and picking up your books. "Let's go."

This bastard.

He was very much aware of the affect he had on you and used it to the best of his advantage. It took you a whole moment to realize that you had been fooled by his stupidly pretty face.

"Suguru!" You followed after him, but he was already dropping off your book with Shoko and running out of the library.

***

"On a school night? Your parents will ambush everyone," Shoko flicked Gojo's forehead, stopping him from stealing her fries.

"But, this would be our last one!" he theatrically caressed his forehead, turning around frantically to persuade everyone. "They're out of town for the weekend, anyways."

"Still, don't you think it's a little short notice?" You blankly stated. But, who were you kidding?

High school kids from your school would sell their souls to attend one Halloween party thrown by THE GOJO SATORU. There was no such thing as "short notice".

You looked at Maki for some sort of sign, and then towards Shoko.

Your eyes didn't dare look in Suguru's direction. You weren't upset with him. Of course not. Yet, you couldn't. He was never one to talk much, unlike Gojo. It was never easy to understand his true feelings.

"You'll come right?" Suguru nudged your shoulder lightly.

"I don't know," You whispered back.

"Please?" He said leaning ever-so-slightly into you. Looking at you the same way you did, in the library, and his head tilted.

Anything Gojo said after that faded into nothingness, as you looked at Suguru's face. Blood rushed through your whole body so furiously, that you could hear your heart beating in your ears. Your face grew uncontrollably hot. Subconsciously, your hands fanned your face and you leaned backward in your seat. That look on his face felt so foreign to you. It was almost like he was playing some sick joke at you.

His smirk grew into a boyish grin. He so knew he could convince you with just a smile. "Hmm?"

You cleared your throat, bringing your focus to your wristwatch. You needed an excuse. Anything. "I have to drop these off," You gathered Ms. Seige's books from the table, as you scrambled to leave.

"I'll go with you-" He began saying, but was cut off by one of his classmates. You were out of earshot but could still make out by the looks of it that she demanded all his attention.

Dissatisfaction greeted with you a warm hug at the sight of him talking to the girl. You hated feeling this way. Why should someone else get to control how you feel? As disappointed as you felt, you didn't let it get to your head. You didn't look back at the group for a second time.

Sure, he could have other friends or girlfriends.

It was none of your business.

Suguru was just a friend to you.

And that's all he'll ever be.

Tags: @mandysfanfics

[writershapeholeonthedoor]

Kiss me more

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Fem!Reader

Summary: This is the first time your friends are meeting your girlfriend and you're excited about it.

Disclaimer: I've been gone for a while because a few things are going on in my life right now. This is pure fluff, by the way, and inspired by Florence being in my country a few days ago. That said, English is not my first language, so be kind.

MASTERLIST

You were putting the chopped onion in a bowl when you heard a quick honk coming from outside. You knew, without having to look through the window in your kitchen, that your friends were there, and it immediately brought a smile to your face. It has been a long time since you managed to reunite your best friends all at once for a nice dinner to chat and laugh together, after all.

You dried your hand with a dishcloth that you usually draped over your shoulder when you were in the kitchen and, before you could go to the front door, you heard the knock announcing that you had been right on your assumption before. While you walked there to open the front door, you gave a quick glance around the living room to make sure everything was still in place after your almost manic cleaning during the afternoon. Your eyes ended on the dog walking lazily from his laying spot to sit by the door trying to act like a guard dog when he was yawning every few seconds. It made you smile as you leaned down a bit to pat his big head, making his tail wiggle happily.

“That's okay, Billie,” you said. “Stay, okay?”

Billie wasn���t exactly trained but the large dog knew when he was being dismissed and he started to make his way back to his bed in the corner just as slowly as he had come out before. You shook your head in amusement before finally reaching out to open the door. As soon as you did, you saw five people standing at the other side, all smiling and waiting for you, and you found yourself letting out a happy squeak.

“Hey, guys!” You greeted as you pulled the closest person to you for a hug. That turned out to be your best friend since school days, Anne, who gladly hugged you back while her husband, a nice guy you've met since they first started dating seven years ago, raised his hand to show the bag they had brought. You laughed when you saw the Monopoly board sticking out of the bag and, quickly, you all shared hugs. Your other best friend, Jack, had also brought his boyfriend with him, Danny, and the last person in your little friendship group, Hannah, was the first one to teasingly complain about them still standing outside.

You laughed as you took a step to the side, waving a hand to call them in. “Come on in!”

Your friends all came inside while removing their coats to hang behind the door and Jack shut the door behind all of them while talking about the upcoming rain. They all knew your small house, had been there numerous times before, so they were all pretty comfortable scattering around. It felt like decades since you all managed to be together and it brought a warm feeling inside your chest to see all of them there again.

“How have you been?” Anne asked as she put the Monopoly down for you guys to play later on in the night. That was something the four of you have been doing since college when you all came together, even if it always ended up with Jack and Hannah threatening to throw the board across the room. From all across the room, Billie didn’t seem interested at all in the people he was seeing for the first time as he easily slipped to take another nap.

“I'm great,” you replied. “I'm so glad you could all make it!”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Hannah declared with a shrug, hands inside her pockets. “It's been months since we last got everyone together.”

“Months?” Jack scoffed as he placed a hand dramatically on his chest. “More like years.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and, playfully, shoved his shoulder. “You were all too busy getting married and shit.”

As they all shared a laugh, Jack threw his arms around her to put her in for a side hug that Hannah tried to escape in vain. “Don't be jealous. You will find someone to marry you,” he joked before making kissing noises close to her face just to see her squirm.

It worked like a charm and you shook your head when Hannah finally managed to push him away while huffing. “I missed you guys,” you commented when you saw Hannah flipping him the bird.

Anne, who had moved to hug her husband, Ben, turned her attention back to you. “Where is your girl?”

You felt your cheeks growing hot even though you knew it was ridiculous to feel prude suddenly. It's not like they didn’t know you had been dating for the past seven months - it had been a big occurrence in your group chat when you told them, after all - but they had yet to know your girlfriend. You hadn’t been dating just anyone. You were dating one of the new Hollywood darlings, which made it a bit hard to arrange a meeting between her and your friends.

Florence had only shown excitement, though, and you knew she had been trying to clean her schedule for months now to make that happen. Between shooting her new movie and living her life between different cities in the USA for work and her hometown near London to see her family and friends, it took some time but you finally set up a date and that’s how that dinner came to life. And then you had to find a day that your friends could make because they all had their own lives going on between work and their personal lives, but you eventually found a date that worked for everyone. That was the first time your friends would meet Florence and you had been barely containing your excitement all week. Now, however, your friends were there and your girlfriend wasn’t.

“Oh, she asked me to voice her apologies,” you ended up saying with a small grimace.

“How british of her,” Jack teased you lightly and earned another eye-roll in his direction.

“She's going to be late,” you explained, remembering the text you had received from your girlfriend about an hour ago. Florence seemed very sorry in her text and she added several apologies that you quickly brushed aside. You knew she didn’t mean to be late. “She got stuck at the studio.” That was something that had happened before, so it wasn’t exactly news. Usually, Florence was able to be in and out of shooting at the same time every day, but there were times when things got delayed and she had to stick around. That was her job, something she had been dedicating all her life to succeed at.

“Liar,” Hannah retorted with a glint in her eyes. “I bet you told her about us and scared her away.”

You tilted your head to the side and pretended to think about it for a moment. “I did tell her to book a ticket and get as far away from the city as she could so she wouldn’t have to see your ugly face.”

Anne complained with a fake groan of annoyance, looking at Ben and Danny. “It’s like watching kids, I swear.”

“Come on, you can all come with me to the kitchen,” you said after you all chuckled at her, ready to turn on your heels to go back to the kitchen. “We can talk while I cook.”

“You're going to cook?” Hannah asked in disbelief as they all followed you back.

In the kitchen, you put yourself behind the counter again to keep cutting the ingredients while your friends find places to sit or stand around you. It felt like old times and it made you smile to yourself.

“Yes,” you replied after picking up a carrot and doing some silly movement of throwing and grabbing it to show off. “Florence was going to, another reason why she apologized for not making it on time.” Your girlfriend had offered to cook something for you and your friends when you first said they all agreed to meet up at your place, and you immediately agreed but now you had taken over the kitchen. You were glad to have, at least, learned some stuff with Florence over the months.

“I thought you would have people cooking for you now that you’re dating a movie star,” Jack teased you happily as he moved around you to try to find a corkscrew to open the wine he had brought with him. You knew he hadn’t said that to be mean or anything, but you couldn’t deny that the fact that you were dating someone as famous as Florence Pugh had been a big deal among your friends. They teased you about it non-stop ever since you told them, but they did it out of love.

“Jack, I still live in my old apartment,” you declared with a glance at him, smirking lightly when the rest of your friends laughed.

“Fair,” he replied as he pointed the corkscrew at you before handing it over so his boyfriend could do the work.

“Besides, Florence likes to cook and she's great at it too. Her father owns a restaurant and all,” you told them, even though you were sure that conversation had come up at some point. It felt like you hadn’t been able to shut up about your girlfriend ever since you met her. “She likes doing most things around the house, actually, which works fine with me because I hate doing the laundry.” Jack nodded along with that, pointing at himself as if to say he also hated that chore.

Ben decided to jump in to offer you some help while Danny poured everyone a glass of wine. “What can we do to help?”

“Just sit there,” you told him with a smile. “I got this. I was going to say I can open some wine if you guys want to start drinking, but Jack beat me to it.”

Jack quickly lowered his wine glass to say: “Honey, I always want to start drinking.”

After that, the six of you fell into easy conversation trying to catch up on all the things going on in your lives. Anne and Ben talked about plans for the holidays, Hannah was excited about her new job, Jack and Danny were trying to find a new place to live, and you jumped in to talk about your life too. It felt like old times when you would all have dinner during college, before Ben and Danny became part of the group as well, and you honestly wished more than anything that Florence fell into your group as easily as they had done before her.

Just as you thought about her - again, because that was just something that you seemed to do all the time - you heard your phone ringing from where it was placed on top of the counter. Anne helpfully turned your phone so you could see who it was and, as soon as you read Florence’s name on the screen, you moved on to wash your hands to pick it up.

“Oh, damn, guys. I need to answer this. Sorry,” you told them, knowing that your girlfriend wouldn’t have called if she didn’t actually need to talk with you. You pressed your phone on your ear and, upon hearing Jack catcalling just to mess up with you, you moved to stand beside the fridge to pretend to have some privacy for the conversation. “Hey, Flo.”

“How late am I?” You heard Florence’s voice coming out a bit out of breath, but her accent rolling up the words made your heart swell inside your chest and a smile soon blossomed on your face.

“Just a bit,” you replied and waved a hand to shush Jack and Hannah when they started to make a chorus of ‘aww’ loud enough to be heard. “Are you done filming?”

“Yes. I'm leaving the studio right now and I’m going to make a quick stop before heading to your place.” As she said that, you heard an alarm going off and a car’s door opening, so you guessed she was already at the parking lot when she called you. “Getting some wine to make up for my error.”

“You don't have to do that…” you started but then your eyes landed on your friends pouring more wine in their glasses and you rolled your eyes before adding: “but Jack is going to be the happiest man on Earth if you do.”

Florence’s husky laugh met your ears and, like a charm, your lips curled up. That was the sound you loved the most in the world. “Don't worry, I’m getting something good.”

“Great. Remember to use your key,” you told her. “I'll be waiting.”

“See you, darling.”

You ended the call right after that, put your phone away and went back to cooking. You had just started to throw things inside the pan when Hannah wiggled her eyebrows at you. “She has a key, huh?”

You blushed because that had been a new development in your relationship with Florence, something you hadn’t shared with your friends yet mostly because you were too busy and ended up forgetting about it. “Yeah.”

“So this is pretty serious,” Anne commented and, suddenly, every eye landed on you.

“It is, yes.”

“How serious?” Jack insisted with a smile.

“Enough for her to have a key to my apartment. Enough for me to have a key to her place even though I’m never going to fly to London without her,” you told them, adding a shrug in the end to play it off as nothing even though you all knew it was a big thing.

“Do I hear wedding bells?” Danny was the one to speak next and you half wanted to tell him he was spending too much time with Jack already.

“Shut up,” you groaned, turning your back at them to hide your blush. “Flo always says she’s too young to get married and that she’s not doing that before she’s thirty.”

Jack laughed the loudest of all of them as he moved to fill your cup again. “Oh, you can't wait, can you?”

Now smiling, you tilted your head to look at him and said: “I take the fifth.”

For the next few minutes, the conversation returned about everything while you cooked and you all drank wine. It didn’t take that long for you to hear another car pulling up and, a couple of minutes later, the door opening again. You glanced over your shoulder to see that Florence had just walked in while carrying what looked like a wine box that you just knew was more expensive than half of the things you owned. Your friends gracefully pretended not to notice that she was there until walked to the kitchen with a polite grin.

“Hello,” she greeted everyone while putting the wine on top of the counter to give everyone a big wave. Billie, who had been asleep ever since they got there, got up to greet his owner, wiggling his tail and bumping his head against her leg. Florence made sure to give him some pets and a quick kiss to his snout.

“Hey!” You heard all of your friends say back as your girlfriend approached you.

You took a step away from the stove and placed a hand on her cheek, smiling when you felt her arm curling around your waist before you leaned in to give her a quick peck. “Hi, babe. I'm glad you could make it.”

Florence was smiling when you put some distance between your faces, although your bodies were still touching. “And I brought the wine.” She pointed over her shoulder and then took a step to the side to face everyone else more easily.

“That is a damn good wine,” Jake whistled, clearly impressed, and earned himself a slap on his shoulder from Hannah, who also tried to quietly communicate with him to tone down his jokes for now.

Florence, who has heard all types of stories about your friends already, only smiled. She got closer to shake Ben’s hand first, over the counter since she had moved to stand beside you, before moving on to do it with everybody. “Hello, guys. I'm terribly sorry I’m late. I got stuck at work,” she told them, shaking Danny’s hand last. “I’m really sorry.”

“No worries,” Anne quickly appeased her worries with a wave of her hand. “We've all been there before. I’m Anne, by the way.”

She started a round of quick introductions that ended with Florence, in that cute way she usually did, saying: “Nice to meet you all, I’m Florence.” which, of course, made you grab her hand to put her close enough to press a kiss on her cheek. That was enough to get a small conversation going on between your friends while Florence returned to the stove with you. “Looks like you have everything under control. This looks great,” she said while looking inside the pan.

“I learned with the best,” you smiled and turned your head to look at her to see her smile but you ended up hearing her chuckle and receiving a kiss on your temple instead, which was totally fine to you.

“Sorry I wasn't here to help you before,” Florence whispered quietly.

“Stop beating yourself for that.”

She squeezed your waist where her hand was resting against you and kissed your head again. “I love you.” And, God, you had no idea if you would ever get used to hearing those words coming from her. “Go talk with your friends, I can take it from here.”

Florence knew how much you had waited for that dinner and how much you missed having all your friends over at the same time, and her offer made you very thankful for having someone as comprehensive as her beside you. Thanking her with a peck, you soon moved on to pour her some of the cheap wine that was left in the second bottle you guys were drinking before pouring the rest of it to yourself. You handed her the glass, heard her small “thank you”, and joined the conversation your friends were having.

They all made a clear effort to include Florence in the talk even if she was busy finishing dinner and, for that, you were also thankful. They were all receiving her with open arms to your group, something you were fairly sure was happening because you had told them all types of histories in the last seven months. You never hid how important she was to you, though you were sure they would’ve easily seen right through you if you had tried to pretend it was nothing.

Since you met Florence, your life has changed for the better. Being her girlfriend was the best thing that happened to you and you didn’t hold back while saying that to your friends. They were just now meeting her, but they all knew how much you loved her. Now, they got to see it in person too.

“When can we open the expensive wine?” You heard Jack asking when you and Anne were setting the table, and you both exchanged a look before rolling your eyes at your friend’s antics.

“Any time you like,” Florence laughed, stirring the food in the pan.

“You do it. I’m afraid I might break the bottle and be depressed for the rest of my life,” Jack replied and their easy conversation made you smile.

“Guess we’re giving you wine for Christmas,” Florence joked but, when you turned around to the kitchen again, she was already opening the wine while Jack waited with his glass already raised.

“Girl, you do that and you will become my favorite person in this group.”

“Traitor,” Hannah shoved him with a firm hand, making all of you laugh again.

“Darling, dinner is ready,” Florence told you once Jack grabbed the wine again.

“You heard the chef, folks,” you clapped your hands once. “To the table!”

While all of your friends found a place to sit - a bit squeezed together so you could all fit around the table - you went to help your girlfriend move the food to the plates so you could serve everyone. You were standing side by side in front of the stove when you moved your hip to bump into hers, biting your bottom lip to hold back your smile when she bumped you back.

“What?” She asked with her throaty chuckle.

“Nothing,” you replied with a shrug. “I’m just happy.”

Florence chuckled again and turned her head to kiss your cheek. “I’m always happy when I’m with you, so I’m not surprised by the confession I’m about to make.”

“What confession?” You played along with her teasing.

“I’m also happy,” she whispered as if telling you the biggest secret ever and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“I love you,” you declared as a matter of fact as you kissed her quickly and moved to take the first two plates to the table.

It was a fact. A clear one, one that left no doubts. You loved Florence Pugh and you had never been happier than how you were feeling at that moment about to have dinner with your girlfriend and your friends.

As you walked over to the table and saw all of your small group smiling knowingly at you, you thought back about what Jack said about marriage before. You knew it was still too soon to think about it, not only in the relationship but also considering that both Florence and you were still pretty young, but you just knew that’s where you two were heading to. Apparently, all of your friends knew it as well.

“Here we go, darling,” Florence said as she walked behind you to hand two more plates.

“Guys, I don’t think I ever told you guys this, but Florence never played Monopoly before,” you found yourself saying suddenly and, just like you expected it to happen, they all jumped in to start voicing their disbelief about that little fact.

While they started making plans to play the game as soon as they were done eating, you returned to the kitchen, leaving Florence behind to deal with it, but not without kissing her again.

[thatoneweirdo6]

Intercrural 

Diavolo x Male!Reader

TAGS: Male Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Intercrural Sex, Thighs, Frottage - kind of, Submissive Top Diavolo (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mentioned Barbatos (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), thigh fucking, Explicit Sexual Content

Not proofread

-18+ content under the cut-

Diavolo was the fiercest demon in the whole of the Devildom, he wouldn't be the prince otherwise. As the only present royal of the kingdom, all responsibilities of ruling it fell to him, but he wasn't alone in his duties. His future steward Barbatos was always there to lend a hand and speaking of hands, he had his right-hand man Lucifer, working hard at his side.

Diavolo, due to growing up as a royal, was deprived of many aspects of childhood that the common people experienced. He yearned for that easy freedom, outside the palace walls. The restrictiveness of royal life was suffocating, but that's where the exchange student came in. Diavolo's newest obsession.

The exchange program had been to improve relations between the three realms, but it had also been to satiate his obsession with humans. It accomplished... the opposite, with his obsession focusing on the human that now roamed the Devildom. This very peculiar mortal that tamed the seven lords of hell and captured the heart of the future king of hell, himself.

The day had started off normally enough, considering you lived in quite a rambunctious house, even early in the mornings. you had gone to school, chatted with your classmates and passing schoolmates, and then you'd gone home. Home to the House Of Lamentation, not the castle much to Diavolo's chagrin. It was later in the evening that you'd been abruptly invited to the castle. The sudden message disrupted your time spent with the brothers, but you weren't upset. The same couldn't be said for the brothers whose time with their object of affection was being cut short.

"Ya could go the castle tomorrow!" Cried Mammon, clearly upset, "It's late, ain't no reason ya should go out there at this hour!"

Levi nodded, face crestfallen at hearing that you were going to leave them to go to the castle. "You should stay here, whatever it is, isn't important enough to risk your safety by going out right now."

"Yeah! If it's so important then Lucifer can take care of it! No need for you to go!" Mammon whined, clinging to your waist from where you sat on the couch in the living room.

Beezlebub had a sad little frown on his face, and crumbs littered his rosy lips making them look all the more endearing. He didn't want you to go either, but he wouldn't stop you if you wanted to spend time in the castle. They got to see you every day after all.

"You guys get to see me every day. It's only fair to spend time with the others as well." you deadpanned, pealing off Mammon's hands, "We can hang out tomorrow, there are no classes."

Beel brightened up at the prospect of spending the weekend together. Levi grumbled but remained quiet, and Mammon huffed, clearly still upset but settled at the offer. You took a look at your boys and shook your head, an exasperated but fond smile spreading on your lips. With a final hug to the pouting demons, You got up and left for your room to change. You sent Lucifer a quick message that you were headed off to the castle on your way out of the house. The walk to the royal castle was uneventful, but you enjoyed the quiet, a rare occurrence. The moon shone high in the sky, and the whole of the Devildom shone dimly in its embrace.

You walked into the castle as though you lived there, with an easy familiarity that had Diavolo's heart clenching in yearning. The prince stood at the top of the staircase, quickly making his way down to greet his honored guest, having already received their message of acceptance.

"Dia, how are you?" you smiled, letting the prince pull you into his embrace.

"I'm quite alright, and- Erm.." Diavolo hesitated, "I apologize for the abrupt invitation. I half-expected you to decline."

you smiled teasingly, mirth visible in your features, "And why's that?"

You knew exactly why.

Diavolo buried his face in the crook of your neck to hide the rosy hue that dusted his cheeks, "I still have a bit of work left to do, but I was bored and... I wanted to see you."

"I can join you in your office, I don't mind," you offered, pulling away from his warmth to look him in the eyes, quite bold for a human.

Diavolo smiled and nodded, placing one of his large hands against your lower back as you both walked.

---

"When you said you would wait for me in my office, this wasn't what I had imagined," Diavolo admitted, his grip on his fountain pen harsher than necessary.

You smiled from where you were seated on the prince's lap. Your skimpy little shorts covered almost nothing, and your plush ass was pressed firmly against the prince's groin.

"Think of it as an extra incentive to get your work done," you teased, "I'm all yours to do with as you please once you're done."

Diavolo squirmed, his throbbing cock pressed against your voluptuous rear. You smirked, fully aware of the prince's pent-up need and using it to your full advantage. Diavolo felt more distracted than he'd like to admit, desperate to free his weeping cock from its tight confines and bury himself in your warmth. A wicked idea crossed Your mind, and you reached over to grab one of the cookies on the plate Barbatos had left you two with, an elegant tea set situated next to the plate. You popped the sweet into your mouth and took a sip of your tea, a fragrant blend that soothed the tastebuds. Putting your idea into action, You turned slightly to unzip the prince's pants, his red coat having been unbuttoned a while ago. The redhead jolted, his cheeks matching the color of his fiery hair.

"M-MC, what-" He began, cutting himself off halfway with a gasp. your hand grabbed Diavolo's impressive length, one hand being insufficient to wrap around the whole thing. You sat back down, the hot throbbing cock placed in between your thighs.

"Don't get distracted Dia, you still have a handful of documents to look over," You drawled, your tone was as though you were discussing the weather and nothing was amiss.

Diavolo's cock twitched at the sudden arousal that filled him at his beloved's bold actions. The redhead did his best to focus on his paperwork, such a valiant effort. You ignored him in favor of teasing his cock, leaning down to spit onto the leaking tip. your hands wrapped around the fat pudgy head, spreading it's fluids all around the large length, using the new slickness to coat your thighs in preparation. Diavolo threw his head back with a groan and you chuckled, tightening your thighs around the prince's cock and lifting them up to let them drop back down.

"Dia~, you're getting distracted. At this pace, you'll never finish," You smiled, setting a brutally slow pace with your thighs.

Diavolo's hips hitched forward, and desperation mounted in him. A desperate wish to use the pocket you made between your thighs. Your plush thighs encased his fat cock, the slick friction almost had Diavolo in tears. This was cruel and Diavolo adored it. How could he focus on his paperwork when you fucked his cock with your thighs so sweetly? Your hands coming down to tease the blunt weeping head. All pretense of finishing his work was abandoned, and Diavolo leaned down to press his forehead against your shoulder, panting and moaning against your upper back. His large hands came to grip MC's hips to steady them as he began to thrust forward in earnest. You ignored your own throbbing length in favor of servicing your royal lover, your grip tight on the prince's cock, moving both of you in tandem with his thrusts. Diavolo pressed little kisses on your clothed shoulder, his grip tightening on your hips as his climax neared. His thrusts were erratic, frenzied in his need to cum.

The demon prince bit down on his beloved's clothed shoulder as he came. Hot seed spurted from his cock, covering your hands and coating your thighs. You brought your hands up to your face, licking off the excess cum off your hands, the sheer amount was obscene, and Diavolo groaned watching you. The prince's cock was still hard despite having just climaxed.

You looked down at Diavolo's desk with a frown, and shook your head,

"Dia, you still have work to do."

Hope you all enjoyed! :3

[mulledcherrywine]

I’m here, right here

summary: good old yearning 🚬

a/n: back in my as it was era these days, feeling melancholically in love so this is the product

warnings: breakups, relationship problems, dependency (?), angst (maybe? idk i have never written something not fluffy 😭)

Back from work, you were laid out on the couch. Junky reality television droned in the background as you clicked around on your text messages.

After sending a few replies to the ones you missed through the day, a notification popped itself across the top of the screen.

H: are you home?

Knowing each other since you were in high school, Harry had been your best friend for the better part of your adult life. You were a committed friend and was there to give anything and everything he needed - him doing the same. Well, most of the time.

Recently, he’d been occupied. Of course, you knew you couldn’t complain that he chose to spend time with his romantic partners over you, but part of you still yearned just to sit next to him and watch a film, or go out to dinner. Still, you knew when to move over.

You noticed the relationship high he normally gets from someone new had begun to dwindle. He’d hang his head more, start laughing a little less, taking up habits he knew he shouldn’t.

They’d fight, he’d come over, you’d help him through it, they’d get back together the next day and so on, and so on.

You kicked yourself every time, too. Kicked yourself that you could just choke the words out and tell him that finding the “one” didn’t have to be this impending search he made it. You were right there. Through everything. Still, no matter how many times he needed you, you’d open the door and be there with open arms.

His message came as no surprise, leading you to click on it right away. The tiny grey bubble glaring right in front of you. You hovered your thumbs over the keypad for a moment before replying.

Y/N: always :)

He replied almost instantly.

H: can we chat?

Y/N: door’s unlocked, just come in

H: see you in a bit

You pressed the screen to your chest, throwing your head back in a breath on the arm of the couch. He was only a couple blocks away, so it was minutes before he showed.

“Hello?” A familiar voice broke, his shoes making a light sound on the floor.

“Hi,” you said softly, coming into the foyer to meet him. You felt underdressed next to him, his stature tall and well put together.

“M’sorry, y/n. You’re probably busy, but I just-”

“I know, Harry. It’s okay, you’re okay. Okay?”

You brought his figure into yours, arms in the nape of his neck and you hugged him a little tighter than he did you, holding your eyes tight shut as you did.

“Now,” you said, “tea?”

“Please” he responded, hanging his coat on the hook and gently taking his shoes off. You thought for a moment what’d be like to live with Harry - to have his coat on the hook every night, and to get to hold him each day as he walked through the door.

You made chamomile for the both of you, milk and honey in yours, nothing for his. You knew it well.

You brought the mugs to the living room, where he sat on the the sofa, head in hands. His hair fell over his knuckles as he looked to the floor.

“Here, made it your way” you said, placing the mug on the coffee table.

“Oh, thanks. Thank you” he said, straightening up.

You sat on the other end of the furniture, back rested on the arm. Your legs were bent into your chest as you rested your cup of tea on your knees. Soon, he flipped around as well, lounging sideways on the couch; he faced you.

“M’really sorry about this” he hummed.

“Stop, stop apologizing, H. You haven’t done a single thing wrong.”

“I know, I know”

“What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“Had an argument. Was just messy, y’know? I think we just wanted to shout at each other and have a reason to split up for good.”

You hummed in response, trying to imagine what he would look like in a screaming match with someone. It was practically impossible to picture a hostile version of the very gentle person who was sat opposite you.

“Anyway,” he started again, “m’glad it’s over I guess, I just don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner, really.”

“I’ve been there,” you said, “and I think you did the right thing. If you weren’t happy, and only getting unhappier by being with them, then it wasn’t going to get better over time. Trust me.”

His eyes scanned across your face a few times, a sad look affixed on his face.

“You should be a counselor,” he said, laughing lightly.

“I think I am in a way, to you” you said, unthinking.

“What?”

“I just- I just mean that this isn’t the first time i’ve given you advice for something like this.”

“I asked if it was okay, y/n. Y’said it was fine”

“It is! It is, please don’t take this poorly I just misspoke!”

“No, you didn’t. You’re right,” he said, now looking down his mug, “I’ve been a bad friend. Feel like I haven’t even checked in on you once.”

“It’s fine” you spoke quietly.

“No, no. S’not fine,” he started, placing his mug down on the coffee table, “You do everything f’me, take care of me through everything and I haven’t done shit for you, love.”

Your face flushed at the vulnerability of everything. You had deeper discussions about your relationships with other people, but never about your own. Now, you were right there.

“You have things to do, H. You barely have time to talk.”

“I’ll always make time for you, y/n. Just haven’t been good about it, like really, really bad.”

You felt a swell under your eyes, trying to fight the tears from coming. Tucking your legs closer to you, you slumped your head to your knees.

“Do y’know why m’always so distant? Why we never talk about you?” he spoke again, a more serious look on his face now, “‘cause I couldn’t stand to think that someone is hurting you and making you feel what i’ve felt so many times.”

“It’s you who does it, Harry.”

“Does what?”

“Hurt me. Everytime you walk through that door, all I can think about is how you’d never have to even think about heartbreak again if you just opened your eyes and bothered to notice that I’m the one, at the end of the day, who’s always been there. I’ve been the constant.”

You took a deep inhale, tears already having fallen - and more coming now.

Harry’s eyes were mooney and deep, tiredness settled on his gaze.

“I love you, Harry” you choked, “and I hate watching other people fail to.”

He moved slightly forward as you did the same, the both of you much closer now.

Again, his eyes darted across your face, reading you.

“I’ve waited forever. Watched you fall in and out of love with people and-”

“Y’thought I was in love? All those times?”

“Well, I-”

“Why do you think I turn up here? Drive from anywhere to come be here on your couch, and lie around until we fall asleep. Fucking hell, y/n. I love you. And i’m a prick f’not saying anything sooner. I love you.”

In the moment, you took the sides of his face, pulling him into a long kiss. He put his hands over yours, bringing them down to your lap as he put his own on the sides of your face. After, you sunk over his shoulder, his hand over the back of your head, the other around your waist. Even though the couch was barely big enough for the both of you, you made it work.

“M’sorry,” he whispered, “M’gonna be better, I promise. For you.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“M’sorry,” he whispered tearily, “M’gonna do better. Be so good to you, lovie.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“you have nothing to apologize for.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

[forays-into-fiction]

Flower Power

Your parents are total hippies and honestly, they’d give you weed whenever you want, but that doesn’t stop you from going to Eddie to buy it from him. Never mind that flirty little rapport the two of you share... it never goes anywhere. Except tonight it does, when you make an impulsive move.

Request fill for @niallerlover8022​, sorry it’s taken so long, hope you enjoy it 😊

Minors DNI

Contains: Slight Dom!Eddie/Sub!Reader, Hippie!Reader, Drug Use (Weed), Protected Sex, Public Sex, Fingering, Petnames/Nicknames (Babe, Baby, Sweetheart, Flower Power), Slight Degradation/Name-calling (Dirty Girl), Dirty Talk

Your friend Gareth first introduced you to Eddie and since then you’d been buying your weed from him exclusively, despite the fact you could get it from your parents literally whenever and for free.

You had arranged to meet with him after school today to replenish your stash but also because it gave you an excuse to see him. Over time the two of you had developed a flirty rapport, but much to your chagrin it never led to anything concrete.

You were waiting for him by his van at the end of the day when you heard him call out, waving as he drew closer, “Hey, Flower Power! Sorry you had to wait babe, I got caught up talking D&D with some of the guys.”

You give him a gentle smile, looking up at him through your lashes, “Oh, that’s ok. Really, it’s no problem at all, I wasn’t waiting that long.”

He offers you his arm and leads you round to the back of the van, opening the doors and helping you in before climbing in after you.

You sit cross-legged on one of the patterned cushions he’d placed in the back for times like this. The two of you had started this routine where almost every time you’d buy from him, you’d smoke up together in the back of his van.

“So, you just after the usual, sweetheart?” He asks pulling out his little black lunchbox.

“Yes, please.” You smile at him sweetly and bat your eyelashes.

He pulls out a baggie and dangles it in front of you between his fingers, “Okie dokie, that’ll be fifteen.”

You frown at him, “Eddie I know you’re undercharging me. What is it really?”

He gasps in mock shock, holding a hand to his chest, “I would never. That is really the price.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “Don’t lie to me Munson.”

“Alright fine, I’m undercharging you… but that’s just the friends and family discount, and you are my best customer after all.”

Your expression softens, “Awww, we’re friends?”

“Absolutely, sweetheart… unless” his confidence melts away and he looks away shyly, tone shifting, “… unless you don’t… that isn’t what this is?”

You put an arm on his shoulder, bringing his eyes back to yours, you assure him, “Of course we are friends, I’m not just here for the weed. I like hanging out with you Eddie.”

He breathes out a soft sigh, “Good. Good. That’s good. So, uhh… you wanna…?”

“Actually, I was thinking maybe we could head back to my place this time.” You suggest.

He looks at you uncertainly, “What about your parents? Are they home?”

You giggle, “Have you seen my parents? Man, they’re hippies, where do you think I get it from? They smoke more than I do, shit my mum was the one who taught me how to roll a joint. Relax it’s cool and we’ve got all the best snacks you can believe that.”

He rubs the back of his neck and shrugs, “Oh, uh sure yeah that sounds good.”

He sits there still not moving, you prompt him, “Well? We gonna go or…?”

“Oh, uh yeah… just let me…” he moves towards the doors of the van and you follow.

He offers you his hand when you get out and leads you to the passenger side helping you in yet again. You can’t help the heat that rises in your cheeks, he was always so sweet to you, you can’t imagine how he’d gotten a reputation for being ‘mean and scary’.

You direct him all the way to your house chatting pleasantly along the way. You talk about the latest Corroded Coffin performance and mention that you can’t wait for the next one, he playfully teases you a little about being his ‘fangirl’.

As you open your front door you call out, “Hey, mum I’m home! Eddie’s here too, he gave me a lift.”

She emerges from the kitchen, greeting you with a smile, “Oh so this is the famous ‘Eddie’. I finally get to meet him, do I?”

“Muuuum, stop it.” You whine.

Eddie shifts by your side clearing his throat, “Um, hello ma’am it’s nice to meet you. I’m Eddie… Munson, but I guess you knew that.”

“Oh, isn’t he sweet. It’s lovely to meet you young man, come inside.  Please come in.” She beckons him in.

You look to her, “Is it ok if we go up to my room, we’re just gonna smoke a little and hang out?”

“Of course, I’ve just made some brownies too if you get a little snack-y, feel free to help yourselves.”

“Thanks mum.” You grab Eddie by the hand, dragging him up the stairs.

“Your mum is nice… what did she mean by ‘famous’?”

You can feel that traitorous heat rising in your cheeks again as you stumble over your words, “Oh… that’s umm that’s nothing, don’t mind that. I may have mentioned you a couple of times… no big deal.”

“You talk about me with your mum?”

“What, don’t you talk about your friends with your uncle?”

“Uh yeah, I guess… but he’s never referred to any of my friends as ‘famous’.”

“Like I said, don’t read too much into it. Well, here we are.” You step into your colourful, flowery bedroom and gesture around the room.

“Oh, I love it Flower Power, it’s very you.”

You lead him over to your bed and take a seat, motioning for him to join you, “We’re gonna share mine this time, just so you know.”

“What? No, I can’t smoke the weed you literally just bought from me. Don’t be ridiculous, I always smoke from my private stash.”

You slap his arm playfully, “Yeah, well that stops now Mr. Friends and Family discount.”

“No, I can’t.” He protests again.

“You can and you will.” You insist.

He rolls his eyes, “Fine.”

You grin at him self-satisfied, “Alright, so do you wanna roll or should I?”

“I got it sweetheart, you just sit back and relax, maybe throw on some music.” He pulls out everything he needs and begins laying it out over your bed.

You toss him the baggie he’d given you only minutes prior and hop off the bed, placing one of your records on, music emanates throughout the room softly. You join him on the bed again watching him work as he grinds the dried flowers, placing them onto one of his rolling papers. 

You eye his thick, calloused fingers as he goes and your whole body heats with lust as he makes eye contact while he licks the edge of the paper with the tip of his tongue.

He twists it off and lights the end, rolling it between his fingers to get that perfect cherry.

He holds the joint out to you and before you can protest, he says, “You first, I insist since you did pay me for it and all.”

“Oh, this is some first-rate service, do you offer this to all your customers?” You giggle and take a couple of puffs before handing it over to him, he accepts it before replying.

“Nah, just you babe… most of my other customers can’t get rid of me fast enough once a deal is done.”

You reach out a hand and stroke his arm, “Oh, Eddie that’s horrible… I’m sorry people treat you like that. I know, I just know if people got to know you, they’d love you.”

“Sweetheart, what are you apologising for? It’s not like it’s your fault people don’t like me… and besides I’d rather have my close little group of friends than have everyone like me.”

He passes the joint back to you, “Yeah, I guess… I just wish they didn’t treat you like such shit.”

“Yeah, I know, but the people that really matter… well they’re great to me.”

“Good… so, moving on to more cheerful things, I umm have something to show you… here…” You hand him the joint and hop off the bed.

He grins back at you, “Oh, yeah? What’s that sweetheart?”

You move over to your desk, picking up a sheet of paper before turning back to him and taking a few steps back to the bed. You hold it up before him and announce, “I drew up this Corroded Coffin poster… thought if you liked it, I could get some copies made and we could hang them around town, around the school.”

“Oh, sweetheart I love it, you really captured our style too.”

“Thanks that’s what I was going for, um if you want me to change anything before I get the copies made-”

“No, honestly it is perfect, don’t change a thing. Now get back here, still got a few more hits from this.” He wiggles the joint between his fingers.

You re-join him and continue passing the joint back and forth until it’s burnt down to nothing, he discards the roach in an ashtray on your bedside table and flops back onto the bed. 

You lay back beside him staring up at the ceiling sighing contentedly. A few moments pass and you reach over and poke at his side, he squirms away giggling.

“I’m hungry, are you hungry? Want me to get some snacks?”

“Well, you did promise the best snacks, so my expectations are very high.” He pokes you back.

You roll off your bed, tossing a, “Be right back.” over your shoulder as you go.

You pile a plate with brownies and various other snacks that tickle your fancy as you move through the kitchen. You almost bump into your mum as you head back to the staircase, “You two having fun? Need anything else?”

“Nah, we’re all good, thanks mum.”

“Alright, well if you do need anything I’m here.”

You nod and head back upstairs, when you re-enter your bedroom, you present the plate with a little “Tada…”

Eddie props himself up on his elbows looking at you with a dopey grin before stretching out a hand making grabbing motions, “Gimme, gimme, gimme.”

You grin back at him and place the plate on the bed before taking a seat cross-legged in front of him.

He dives right in without any hesitation, shovelling a brownie into his mouth. He lets out an obscene groan and moans, “God, these are fucking gooood. You weren’t kidding huh?”

“I never joke about snacks.” You say in mock seriousness before bursting into peals of laughter and grabbing one for yourself.

The two of you continue to chat and giggle until your buzz starts wearing off and he’s saying goodbye at the front door, “See you at school, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course. We should hang out here again sometime though.” You suggest.

“Absolutely, I’d love that sweetheart, tell your mum I said thanks for the snacks and that her brownies are amazing.”

“Will do, drive safe.” You wave at him.

He laughs and waves back, “No promises. See ya.”

“Bye.”

When Monday comes around you spot him by his locker, you approach him carrying a stack of papers. You pull one off the top and hold it up for him to see. You’d had copies of the poster made and thought the two of you, maybe even the rest of the band could hang some today.

He grins at you broadly, “Hey, Flower Power. Thanks for doing this, it’s really cool. How much do I owe ya?”

You look up at him confused, “Huh?”

“For the posters. How much do I owe you?”

“Oh, nothing. You don’t owe me anything, I wanted to do this.”

“Ah, ah, ah, no I gotta pay you or something. This can’t have been cheap and it would’ve taken a lot of time and effort. You gotta let me do something.”

“Alright, fine… umm, you can… you can buy me a drink tomorrow night at The Hideout. How’s that?”

“Ok and the next time you need a resupply it’s on me.”

You slap his arm, “Eddie no you’re already giving me a discount, I don’t need any more than that.”

“No complaints sweetheart, you will take it.” He says firmly with a smirk.

“O-ok.” You reply shakily, clearing your throat before you continue, “So, where do you wanna hang these? Do you wanna give a few to the rest of the guys to put up?”

He shrugs, “Yeah sure why not? We can just put them wherever.”

He holds out a hand, “Here, I’ll put them in my locker for now and we can give them to the guys at lunch and hang some then.”

You hand them over with a nod and he places them oh so carefully into his locker beside a couple of D&D books.

“Walk you to class?” He offers.

“Sure, let’s go.” You take his offered arm and make your way to your next lesson.

Before you know it, it’s Tuesday night and you’re getting ready to watch the guys performing at The Hideout, Eddie was giving Jeff and Clarke a lift, along with hauling all their gear and Gareth had offered to drive you.

He was downstairs waiting for you to get ready, you pull on your favourite pair of bell bottom jeans and riffle through your closet to find a top, picking out something flowery and paisley and flowy. 

You rush to find bits and pieces to tie together the rest of your outfit. You stumble down the stairs, calling out a hasty goodbye to your parents before pulling Gareth out the door along with you.

He smirks at you and you frown at him, “What’s that look for Gare-bear?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” He replies evasively.

You slap his arm, “No, that smug little smirk was not nothing!”

“I know you took extra long getting ready just for him. This little crush you’ve had going-”

You roll your eyes, cutting him off, “Oh, shut up.”

“No really, all batting your eyelashes, ‘I made this poster for you Eddie, I hope you like it’ c’mon it’s obvious.” He continues to tease, putting on a falsetto and batting his own eyelashes.

“Alright, just watch the fucking road, Emerson.” You grumble sinking down into your seat arms folded over your chest.

“Oh, ‘Emerson’ now, is it? What happened to ‘Gare-bear’? I know I’m right.”

“Ugh so what if you are, that doesn’t mean you gotta tease me.” You whine.

“Awww is someone getting all pouty? Just make a move if he won’t, he’s into you too I know it.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” You wave a hand at him dismissively.

“Anyway, here we are.” He announces as you pull into the parking lot at The Hideout.

You get out of the car, slamming the door shut, he does the same and as his head pops over the top of the car you call out to him, “Thanks for the lift, Gare-bear.”

The two of you part ways as you enter the bar, the rest of the band were already there setting up their equipment.

You’re over this silly game of cat and mouse you and Eddie had, flirting back and forth but never actually going anywhere. An impulsive thought overtakes you, you slip away into the bathrooms. 

Squeezing into a stall you slide off your bell bottoms and remove your panties, you just wished you’d worn something a little ‘sexier’, some lingerie or something, but whatever. You pull your jeans back up and tuck the panties into your fist so that they don’t show.

You spot him over by the stage and call out his name as you approach.

“Hey there Flower Power, looking good. Did you want that drink now or after our set?” He greets you as you come to a stop in front of him, Gareth standing off to the side.

You hold up your hand letting the panties dangle in front of him briefly, his eyes bug out when he realises what they are and you ball them up shoving them deep in his front pocket.

“For luck…” you reach up and kiss the tip of his nose gently before spinning around and flouncing off to re-join the other patrons of the bar.

He stands there shell-shocked, mouth agape when Gareth speaks up, “Man close your damn mouth and hurry up we got a show right now.”

“Wh-what… what the fuck was that?” He stutters back.

“Come on like it wasn’t obvious? She likes you, why do you think she’s always coming to our gigs, buying from you, just hanging around in general.”

“Uh cause she’s your friend… my friend… what?” He’s still dumbfounded.

Gareth rolls his eyes, “Whatever man just get on stage.”

They take the stage and begin the first song, you’re mesmerised by him, the way his fingers move, the way he throws himself into the performance and when he starts singing, God you’re lost to it.

Then what you’d just done catches up to you. You’d brought a joint to share with Eddie after the show but your nerves were shot to hell all of a sudden. You mumble to yourself as you pull it out lighting it up, “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why’d you do that? Oh, shit.”

You take a few puffs before your eyes are drawn back to the stage to find him looking directly at you. You’re falling to pieces, already dripping at the sight of him, nothing to catch your arousal but the coarse denim between your legs.

Once they’re done with their set Eddie turns to his friends as they break down their gear, “Uh hey, Emerson do you mind giving the guys a lift tonight? I’ll still take all the gear but I gotta stick around and talk to y/n.”

Gareth smirks at him knowingly, “Sure Munson, go get ‘er big boy.”

“Uh yeah… thanks.” He mumbles resuming his work.

Jeff claps him on the shoulder, “Hey, man we got this, just go talk to your girl.”

“Right, yeah ok.” He nods, hesitating a moment before hopping off the stage.

You tense as he approaches you, shifting nervously and avoiding eye contact, “So, umm… how ‘bout that drink then?”

 “Could we… could we talk first, maybe outside?”

You nod mutely and follow along after him as he moves to stand by his van.

You both go to talk at once, “Is it-”

“I’m sorry-”

“You first.” He offers.

“I’m sorry, don’t know why I did that. Sorry if I ruined things between us.”

“Oh, sweetheart no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I um I was going to say… or ask really… um Emerson said you ‘like’ me. That, that’s the reason why you come to my gigs, buy weed from me, always hanging around… is that… is that true?”

You pause awkwardly as you’re interrupted by his band mates hefting their equipment over to his van, he helps them load it in before returning to you as they scurry back into the bar.

“So, um… where were we?” He rubs a hand along the back of his neck.

You toe at the ground avoiding his gaze, “Um you were asking if I like you and… well I do, but it’s totally fine if you don’t feel the same…”

He hooks a finger under your chin tilting your head towards him, “Who said I don’t feel the same? Is that really why you come to our gigs and buy weed from me?”

“Uh yeah, I mean my parents grow the damn stuff, I can get it from them whenever I want. Why the fuck did you think I was always coming to you?”

“Oh, baby you didn’t have to do that if you wanted to spend time with me you coulda just asked, you know.”

“Yeah… but I didn’t know how.”

“Well, uh that thing with your panties that was a pretty bold move.” He chuckles.

You slap him across the chest, “Hey, don’t tease me.”

“I’m not. I’m not. It was very… sexy.” He all but purrs in your ear.

“Kiss me?” You whine.

“With pleasure.” He captures your lips between his own, nibbling along your bottom lip. He deepens the kiss as your mouth drops open with a gasp.

When he pulls away, looking at you with hooded eyes and growls, “Fuck you’ve got no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that. Been so fucking hard since the second you shoved your panties into my pocket.”

You groan in response, “Fuck Eddie, I’ve been horny since the moment you stepped on that stage, you always look so sexy up there with that guitar. Makes me wanna rip off all my clothes and throw myself at you. You’ve never seen me after one of your shows, soon as I get home, I can’t keep my hands off of myself.”

“Shit, really?” He breathes out in disbelief.

“Uh huh, do ya wanna um take this further?”

“Like right now? I um… there’s not much room in the van right now.”

“Don’t care… just want you to fuck me.”

“Are you sure baby, all of this isn’t just cause you’re high right? I know sometimes you get horny when you’re high.”

“Oh my god shut up and fuck me, Munson! I wouldn’t care even if you fucked me against the side of your van… need you, Eddie.” You devolve into a needy moan.

“Oh, really? Need me so bad you don’t even care if people see us, do you?” He taunts as he cages you in against the side of his van with his arms, his gaze turning predatory.

All you can do is whine in response and he persists bringing a hand over to stroke along your cheek, “Or maybe that’s what you want, huh? You want people to see us, does that turn you on?”

“Fuck, Eddie… please…” You gasp as he ducks his head, leaning in to kiss down the side of your neck, sucking and biting along the way.

“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” He insists firmly, “You want me to fuck you out here in the open or do you wanna cram into the back and fuck all over our gear?”

“Shit… I dunno, you… you decide.” You gasp and rub your thighs together as his hands begin to wander, your wetness flooding your jeans anew.

“Nuh uh, you know what you want. You just gotta say it sweetheart.”

You search your lust addled mind, what do you want… would you rather be pressed against all their instruments in that cramped space or would you rather be pushed up against the hard exterior of his van… for anyone who walks by to see…

It’s unlikely that anyone would just be walking past, being on the outskirts of town in a dimly lit parking lot. The only way someone would see you is if any of the few bar patrons were to come outside. Would they though? It’s hard to say…

You reply shakily, “Want… want you to fuck me out here… please.”

He grins at you smugly, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Who knew you were such a dirty girl?”

He forces your legs apart with one of his, pressing his knee into your heated core as he continues kissing you and groping at your chest.

You whimper at the sensation, but interrupt him with a tap to the shoulder, he looks up immediately with a concerned expression, “Eddie… wait, could we… could we move to the other side?”

A puzzled look overtakes his features, “What do you mean?”

“The other side of the van… don’t know if I want someone to really see us…”

“Oh, of course sweetheart.” He pulls back and you can’t help but whine at the loss of contact, he chuckles and takes your hand leading you around to the side of the van that faces into the darkened, empty parking lot of The Warzone.

Without warning you’re pushed back into the side of the van, his lips against your own once again. His hand slips under your loose top and traverses the length of your body ‘til he reaches your bare breast and groans into your mouth. You moan as he begins to knead the soft flesh, rolling your nipple between his fingers.

The two of you break apart momentarily gasping for breath, his hand drifts from your breast slowly trailing back down your abdomen to rest at the waistband of your jeans. 

He looks to you for confirmation before proceeding and you give a slight nod, he pops open the button on your jeans and draws the zipper down. His eyes never stray from your own as his hand dips into your pants, immediately coming into contact with the thatch of hair scattered over your mound.

He groans deeply, fingers delving lower to swirl around in your slick folds, “You gave me the panties you were wearing… shit babe, that makes it even fucking hotter. I hope you know you’re not getting them back, they’re mine now… just like you.”

“Fuck, Eddie… please, please, please.”

He eases two of his fingers into your entrance, his thumb presses against your clit and he begins crooking his fingers against your slippery walls. You grip his shoulder tightly panting and gasping as he whispers in your ear, “Love the way you beg. Is that what you want? Want me to stretch you out before I fuck you? Gonna make you cum with just my fingers.”

“God, yes Eddie… fuck.” You mewl.

He continues his languid pace, his thumb slowly moving in slow, tight circles against your clit in a way that has you inhaling sharply.

He increases the pace, gradually building up, winding you up like a spring ‘til you’re ready to burst. “G-gonna… gonna cum…” You whimper as your walls begin tightening around his thick fingers.

He croons encouragingly, “Yeah, that’s it baby, cum for me.”

A strung-out moan escapes from your lips, your thighs quake as you pulse on his digits soaking them in your release, “Oh god, Eddie.”

His hand slips out of your pants and he brings his fingers to his lips, licking away the fluid left clinging to them. Your head droops forward as you catch your breath, he keeps you supported pressed against the side of his van. He tilts your head up to face him, “How was that sweetheart? Was it good?”

“Fucking perfect.” You sigh.

A small smile spreads across his face and you pull him in for a kiss, eyes fluttering closed, it’s short and sweet and he pulls back, “So, you still wanna…?”

“Christ Eddie, of course I do, you got a condom?”

He nods eagerly and pulls a cigarette carton out of his packet, he slips a finger between the lining and the box pulling out a foil packet.

You giggle at him, “That’s where you keep your condoms?”

He shrugs, “Well, yeah um… I dunno… I just heard you’re not supposed to keep ‘em in your wallet, even though everyone does. This was the first place I thought of.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you carried them around in your little lunchbox too.” You tease good-naturedly.

“Uhh… I do actually. You know, keep all the ‘contraband’ together.” He jokes back.

You paw at his shirt, “Alright come on now, it’s your turn.”

He unbuckles his belt hastily, button and zip coming undone just as quick then tugging his jeans and boxers down in one movement until they rest just beneath his balls. 

His flushed cock bounces as it’s freed from its confines, dribbling pre-cum over its length. You admire his impressive size before looking up at him through your lashes and holding out a hand for the condom, “Here, let me put it on?”

“Shit, ok yeah.” He hands it to you and you waste no time in unwrapping it.

You reach down and give his cock a few slow strokes, spreading his pre-cum, his breath catches in his throat and he whines. You line up the condom with his weepy, tip and pinch the reservoir as you roll it down his shaft. Once it’s on you drop your hand lower and tug on his balls gently, rolling them in your palm.

His eyes flutter and he lets out a pitchy, “Jesus H Christ.”

You hook a hand behind his neck and pull him in for another kiss, more heated and demanding, swallowing up all the little sounds he makes as you stroke over his length again.

He grasps your arm, halting its movements, “Shit, please… please if you keep doing that I won’t be able to make it.”

You grin against his lips and move your hand away to roll down your own jeans before grabbing onto his hips and pulling him in closer.

“Can’t believe this is happening.” He murmurs softly.

He places his hands over yours caressing them gently before suddenly wrenching them off of his hips and forcing them above your head against the van behind you. 

He crosses your arms at the wrists and holds them in place with one of his hands, you gasp at the unexpected action. He leans in and nips at your bottom lip, kissing you greedily but briefly.

He uses his free hand to grip the base of his shaft, guiding the tip between your slick folds, dragging his sheathed head through your wetness. He taps against your clit a few times before guiding his cock back to your dripping hole, easing it in the same as he did with his fingers. 

You relish in the slow stretch of your walls until he is fully seated against you, pressing his weight into you, pushing you against the hard exterior of his van. He gives you a moment to adjust before slowly pulling back out and sinking back in. His forehead rest against your own and he groans, “Fuck, you feel so good.

He settles in to an easy roll of his hips, his tip dragging over your soft, spongy walls. You wriggle your arms in his grip, but he just tightens his hold, to be met with your pathetic little whines.

“You like that, sweetheart?” He taunts, “You like being fucked out in the open for anyone to see?”

You nod and with his free hand he rubs your clit lazily, you writhe beneath him. “You do, don’t you… tell me you do, wanna hear you say it.”

You pant and barely manage to stutter out, “Y-yes… Ed-Eddie, I like it… fuck I’m close, d-don’t stop.”

He chuckles, “Wasn’t… fuck… wasn’t planning on it.”

“F-faster… please.” You whine.

He increases his pace, both his thrusts and the swirl of his thumb against your clit, drawing you closer to the brink.

“You gonna cum again for me? Cum all over my fat cock?”

Your walls begin to flutter and you groan, “Fuck yes… say… say that again… tell me to cum on your cock.”

“You really are such a dirty girl, aren’t you? Do it then, cum on my cock.”

His words tip you over the edge, you call out his name clamping down on his throbbing length, gushing all around it. Starbursts of light dance in front of your eyes and tingles spread across your entire body. He continues fucking you through your orgasm, his head coming to rest on your shoulder, kissing and biting on your neck. 

He reaches his own end shortly after you, groaning into your skin as he unloads into the condom. Once his cock has stilled, no longer twitching and throbbing, he pulls out panting heavily. 

He takes off the condom, tying it off and tossing it into the bushes. You pull him back in for a lazy kiss, he breaks away to pull up his pants and boxers and you righten your own clothing.

“That was… wow.” He breathes out in awe.

You giggle, “Yeah, yeah it was.”

“You wanna head back to yours… or we could go to my place? The guys are getting a lift from Emerson, it’s all sorted already.”

You look up at him with a soft smile, “Yeah, um your… your place sounds good.”

“Ok, cool… yeah, my place.” He rubs a hand along the back of his neck before taking your hand in his own, guiding you to the passenger side door and opening it for you.

You take your seat and he pauses for a moment in the open door, gazing at you as you buckle in, “Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?” He sighs.

You hum as you consider, “Hmmm… you know, I don’t think you did.”

“Well, you are. So beautiful.”

You giggle, “You are too… well, handsome I mean.”

The two of you pause for a beat before you snap back, urging him, “C’mon, get in and let’s go… handsome.”

He grins broadly at you, “Anything you wish, sweetheart.”

[bro-atz]

at some point, we grow up

in which: you and minjae are neighbors and grew up together not being able to stand each other, only for feelings to change as you got older

pair: minjae/gn!reader (brief moments of junmin/gn!reader)

word count: 6k

content: fluff, childhood friends, enemies to not really enemies?? (friends to lovers??? enemies to lovers???), barely friends, love triangle andioop, high school romance, kissing, one-sided crushes, love thy neighbor

apply for the permanent taglist here!

“Hey, it’s my turn to build the castle!”

You snatched the tiny shovel from your friend, only for him to snatch it right back. Upset, you complained to his mom. “Auntie! Minjae won’t let me build the castle!”

“Minjae, it is Y/N’s turn, so give the shovel back,” Minjae’s mom came in clutch.

“But this is our sandbox, and it’s in our yard. Y/N lives next door,” Minjae said, making somewhat of a valid point.

“Okay, but you suck at building castles. If I do it, then at least we’ll have an actual castle that won’t fall apart in two seconds.”

“I’ll crush your castle in one second, then.”

“Auntie!”

That’s was pretty much how most of your childhood went: playing in the backyard with your next door neighbor, Minjae. The aunties in the neighborhood liked to joke that the two of you would grow up and get married, but they’d immediately take it back when they saw you chase Minjae around the neighborhood with a worm on a stick or a ball of mud. Minjae was also afraid of heights, and you used that to torment him whenever he was being mean or annoying by grabbing one of his shoes then climbing up a tree so that he couldn’t get it, thus earning the nickname of monkey (well, Minjae was the only one who ever called you monkey).

On your way to school, you would never, ever sit next to him on the bus. He was a popular kid, so he sat in the back of the bus. You, on the other hand, wanted to get off the bus as soon as possible, so you sat in the very first seat. Sure, you were neighbors and would play together after school, but that didn’t mean you had to be friends with him in school. Honestly, you wouldn’t even categorize Minjae as being a friend. He was a last resort— someone you tolerated just enough that you would let go of whatever grievances you have with him in order to avoid a boring day at home.

Minjae seemed to be the same way. At school, he wanted nothing to do with you. When it was time for recess, he and his friends would be on the court playing basketball while you and your friends would play on the playground swinging from the monkey bars or going down the slide or just sitting on the swing waiting for the wind to push you. Even if you both were in the same homeroom, you would keep your distance. He didn’t want people knowing he was your neighbor, and likewise you with him.

There were eleven houses on your block, and the families on the block would gather for potlucks every so often. You and Minjae were the oldest out of all the kids. The rest of the kids were younger than you by a year or two difference, but when you’re a kid, a year is such a huge difference. You and Minjae never wanted to interact with the younger kids because they were so young and obnoxious, and the two of you had more experience in life. That being said, you hated that there was no one else for you to really hang out with at those dinners.

Usually, during these dinners, the families would be busy eating and chatting in the dining room while the rest of the kids would sit in the living room, eating and talking or watching TV. The younger kids always wanted to play while the older kids opted to watch TV. The two of you would sit together— but not too close— and just watch whatever was playing in silence.

The running joke during these dinners was that you and Minjae were going to end up together (which wasn’t really refuted by the time you both entered middle school because you stopped chasing Minjae around with bugs), but you and Minjae still got annoyed by the teasing to the point where the two of you stopped hanging out after school— heck, you both had to walk home after school, but you never walked together even though you were next door neighbors. That being said, you would still reluctantly keep each other company at these stupid neighborhood block dinners.

“Dude, you’re breathing so loud. Shut up,” you told Minjae at one of the dinners while kicking his leg.

You both were in your final year of middle school. The other kids were in their own world as per usual, and you and Minjae decided to watch a movie as per usual, but Minjae was breathing too loud for you to watch the movie.

“I’m not breathing loud. You are.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

The two of you started kicking each other while yelling insults at each other.

“Do you have a problem with watching a movie silently or something? Just stop breathing for a second!” you said with complete annoyance.

“Your nose is the one that keeps whistling! Remind me to tell auntie to make you get plastic surgery— that should also help fix your ugly monkey face,” Minjae shot back.

“You’re the ugly one, mop head! If you won’t stop breathing, then I’ll make you stop breathing!”

You got Minjae in a headlock and pinned him to the ground, hoping that if you choked him hard enough that he’d stop breathing and you could watch the movie in peace.

“Ew, get a room,” one of the boys commented as he looked at the two of you.

“Shut up, Hyunwoo,” both you and Minjae spat out.

“Aw, you both are synced up and everything. You’re totally meant to be,” Sumin, one of the more chaotic boys of the group, teased.

“Bro, I will make you stop breathing, too,” you warned him.

“Ha, I’d like to see you try!”

Next thing you all knew, everyone worked together to tear you and Sumin apart. You had your hand around his neck while he had your hair bunched up in his fists. Jinsik, Sumin’s best friend, was pulling Sumin away while Yujun, one of the youngest boys, worked on getting his fingers out of your hair. Junghoon, Hyunwoo’s best friend, and Hyunwoo pulled your hands away from Sumin’s neck while Minjae had his arms wrapped around your waist and tried to pull you away that way. Hunter, Seeun, and Yechan, the other younger kids of the group, were busy laughing at the whole scene.

“You both gotta stop before the parents see, guys!” Yujun rationalized.

Reluctantly, the two of you released one another. You glared at Sumin, who responded with a stink eye. You lunged at the annoying-ass boy again, but Minjae was still holding you back.

“F— Minjae! Let go!” you nearly swore as you tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

Immediately, Minjae let go, earning a look of disgust from you.

“See? Meant to be,” Sumin teased once more.

“I’ll kill you!”

The rest of the night consisted of the other eight boys trying desperately to keep you and Sumin away from each other.

One day on your way back from school in the wintertime, it was snowing outside. You, like an idiot, forgot to bring a scarf or a hat to protect yourself from the snow. Snow didn’t bother you like that, but it did make your hair wet, and you always got sick after walking outside in the cold with wet hair. You stood by the exit and sighed deeply before walking outside into the winter wonderland.

After two minutes of walking in the snow, your hair was covered with thick chunks of snowflakes. You brushed the snow out of your hair before it could melt when you suddenly felt something land on your head— a hat. You looked to your side to see Minjae walking right next to you bundled up in his winter jacket, his face buried in a knit scarf.

“Thanks...” you mumbled while you put the hat on properly. “I’ll return it to you later.”

“No, that’s for you. Mom made it for you and told me to give it to you. I kept forgetting,” Minjae said roughly.

“Oh… Tell her I said thanks.”

“Will do.”

After the conversation ended, you thought Minjae was going to walk ahead to maintain some distance between you two, so you were surprised to see that he was walking right next to you. You didn’t want to say anything because, while you didn’t really care for his company, it was nice not walking home alone for once. The entire walk home, you both were completely silent while listening to your own music with your own ears buds in both ears, but you kept each other company.

High school was pretty much the same as elementary school. You thought you and Minjae had gotten closer since middle school, but he went right back to his old ways after middle school ended, but you weren’t bothered because you had your own friends and the two of you didn’t even have classes together, so you really weren’t upset that the distance between you two grew. Well, that’s how it was freshman year. Sophomore year, however, things changed.

There was a new family that moved into the block. There was an older couple who moved out— they never had a kid, so your group didn’t change— but the new family had a son named Junmin. He was in the same year as you and Minjae. You briefly interacted with Junmin at the first block party that he attended, but other than the parties, you had no real reason to interact with him.

Minjae was already on the school basketball team freshman year, so when Junmin joined the team sophomore year, the two of them immediately befriended each other. They would sit together on the bus ride home (whenever they didn’t have practice) all the time and talk and laugh while you sat elsewhere talking to some of the other kids in the neighborhood. Even when the three of you got down at the same bus stop, you would just walk home without acknowledging either of them, your headphones blasting music in your ears to make you seem like less of a dick. However, that dynamic only lasted the one semester. It was the first day of the spring semester classes that your world changed.

“Good morning, Y/N,” Junmin greeted you one morning.

He plopped into the seat and sat right next to you. Despite the fact that you had headphones in, you could still hear him. It was too early in the morning for you to react in a timely manner, so you sat and stared at him in bewilderment before responding, “Good morning…”

“Is it okay if I sit here?”

Junmin asking that question well after he got comfortable in the seat was kind of pointless, and while you didn’t really want him to sit next to you, the bus was already moving. You had no choice but to nod. You turned away from him and turned up the volume of the song you were listening to, hoping that he would get the hint and not talk to you. Even though you were listening to music on full blast and you were looking out of the window, Junmin wanted to talk.

“Y/N, I have a question,” Junmin patted your shoulder lightly, trying to get your attention.

With a heavy sigh, you paused your music, took your headphones out, and gave him your somewhat complete attention. As much as you didn’t want to talk to him, he wasn’t a bad kid, so you didn’t want to be too rude to him.

“Why don’t you ever sit with us in the back?”

“Who? You and Minjae?”

“Yeah. We’re all neighbors, after all. Sumin, Jinsik, and Hyunwoo also sit with us.”

“First of all, it’s too early in the morning to deal with all of Sumin’s screaming—”

Right on cue, Sumin laughed loudly, giving you a slight headache.

“That’s fair,” Junmin acknowledged while rubbing his ringing ear.

“And second of all, we’re not friends like that. I’ve never been friends with anyone in the group like that,” you explained.

“Is there a reason why?”

“…No. That’s just how our lives unfolded. None of us are too bothered by it.”

“Why don’t you try to be proper friends with us? It’ll be fun,” Junmin encouraged you.

“And talk about what? I don’t play basketball or watch the games, and we don’t even have classes together. There’s nothing to really talk about with all of you,” you sighed, wondering why Junmin was trying so hard to make all of you guys be friends.

“Okay, fine. But I’m sure you and I can find something to talk about.”

“Like what?”

“Um… What song were you listening to just now?”

You showed him the song, and he immediately gushed on and on about the artist. The two of you ended up discussing music the rest of the bus ride to school.

The two of you got off the bus and walked towards the building together, only to see Junmin get whisked away by the boys.

“Bye, Y/N! See you later!” he called while waving as his friends dragged him away.

You waved in response, an amused smile on your face.

Minjae, meanwhile, decided to grill Junmin as they entered the school through a different entrance.

“Why did you sit by Y/N today and not us?” he asked.

“I mean, we all live on the same block, so why not be friends?”

“You barely talk to Y/N at the block parties, what do you mean?” Sumin furrowed his eyebrows.

“I mean, like… Well… I think we—”

“Guys, get the hint. Junmin has a crush on Y/N,” Jinsik pointed out while rolling his eyes.

“Really? On Y/N?” Hyunwoo was shocked.

Junmin couldn’t even deny his feelings— his face was already bright red. He nodded, and the group immediately erupted into debates about you. Minjae, on the other hand, kept quiet. He was baffled. Why did Junmin have a crush on you, the weird kid who chased him around with a bug on a stick, the crazy kid who tried to fight him, the kid who barely talked to him? He just couldn’t imagine anyone having feelings for you of all people.

You didn’t realize that you, Junmin, and Minjae all had lunch at the same time until you bumped into Junmin— you were with your friends, and the bell rang so you were off to your next class.

“Sorry— Oh! Y/N! You have lunch this period, too?” Junmin was mildly surprised to see you.

“Yeah, you too?”

“Yep.”

“Hey, Y/N,” Minjae put his arm over Junmin’s shoulder, nearly knocking the boy down.

“Hi, Minjae…” you were confused— why was Minjae talking to you?

“Do you still wear that hat my mom gave you?”

You were seriously weirded out. Minjae never talked to you in school, and now he wanted to know about what clothes you wore? “Yeah, I wore it to school today.”

“I thought I saw you wearing it. My mom has another one she made for you. I’ll give it to you later.”

“Okay…? Uh… Bye, Minjae. Bye, Junmin.”

You waved and immediately started walking to class, your friends squealing beside you.

“What’s with you guys?” you asked.

“Junmin is totally into you,” one of your friends said.

“No, Minjae likes Y/N,” another friend stated.

“OMG, what if Y/N is trapped in a love triangle? This is so cute, I’m so jealous!” a third friend added their opinion.

“Stop. Minjae’s just my next door neighbor, and Junmin lives on my block. We’re just neighbors,” you shot down their delusional theories almost immediately.

“Well, if you had to choose between them—”

“No, neither. I’m good. Come on, we’re going to be late for class.”

The bus rides to and from school confused you. Not only was Junmin sitting by you, but Minjae was as well, which ultimately led to Sumin, Jinsik, and Hyunwoo to sit by you all. You barely talked while the rest of the boys screamed about something or the other, but you did feel a little closer to them. You didn’t know how you felt about that, but it wasn’t so bad being friendly with them.

 When February came around, your friends teased the shit out of you. They kept saying that Junmin or Minjae would bring you something for the most romantic day of the year, and that they both would compete to get you the better present. You kept telling them that no, that was not going to happen, but at lunch, Junmin approached your table.

“Y/N,” he said as he handed a tiny bag of chocolate truffles to you. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Th-thank you…” you mumbled while taking the present from him.

Just as quickly as he arrived, Junmin disappeared, leaving your friends to squeal. You tossed the chocolate into your backpack.

“Alright, ladies. If Minjae also gives Y/N chocolate, then I win the bet,” one of your friends said.

“Well I definitely lost… Can’t believe it… I thought Minjae would give Y/N chocolate first,” another friend said.

“See, I told you Junmin would give Y/N chocolate first, and I still think that Minjae isn’t interested,” the third friend said with a grin.

“Why are you betting on my life?” you asked with a sigh.

“We’re betting on your love life—”

“Nonexistent. I don’t have one, and I don’t want one, so stop it,” you said, hoping that you shut down their betting pool.

The bus ride home that day was quiet. Minjae and Junmin were at practice, and somehow, Sumin, Jinsik, and Hyunwoo all managed to get detention together. You treasured the quiet bus ride and had a peaceful time on your way home.

It was snowing when you got home. Snow in February was a little weird, but global warming messed with everything, so it didn’t surprise you anymore. You watched the snow flutter to the ground as you sat at your desk and finished your homework for the night before heading into your living room to sit and watch TV.

The doorbell from the backyard rang around seven in the evening. Mildly annoyed, you went to the backyard to see Minjae wearing his winter coat and scarf. Before you could even unlock the door, Minjae gestured for you to meet him by the sandbox in his backyard. You, completely annoyed by that point, grumbled to yourself as you wore a jacket and boots— it was still snowing outside, but you didn’t think you’d need a hat because you didn’t plan on being outside for more than two minutes.

“What is it?” you asked Minjae as you trudged through the snow.

“Here,” he held out a bag. “For you.”

“Uh, thanks?”

You took the bag from him and waved, assuming that you were good to leave, but Minjae grabbed your hand. He took the bag back and took out whatever was in it before placing it on your head.

“I told you my mom made you another hat. Try it on.”

He held the bag for you as you put the hat on properly. It fit nicely, and it was a rather cute hat.

“Tell your mom I say thanks, then,” you nodded, a small smile on your face as you appreciated the hat.

Minjae nodded. He handed the bag back to you and uttered a small “bye,” before shuffling back to his house. The bag seemed empty, so you wondered why on Earth he left you with the bag. You realized why he did when you got home— there was a tiny tootsie roll in the bag.

You sat in your room, the two chocolates in front of you. You stared at them in confusion. You were about to overthink the chocolates, but then your mother called you into the kitchen. You tossed them into a random drawer in your desk and made your way to the kitchen, completely forgetting about the chocolates.

The rest of the year was annoying, and as was the fall semester of your junior year. Minjae constantly greeted you in the halls whenever you saw him, but it was never in a, for lack of better terms, normal way. Sometimes, he’d make monkey noises and then say that he was doing his impression of you, or he would intentionally run his shoulder into yours, and sometimes he would slam your locker shut just as you opened it.

Junmin, on the other hand, didn’t get to see you as often. His classes were always on the opposite side of the school, and he didn’t even have lunch with you. Because of this development, all of your friends “flipped to Team Minjae”.

“Y/N, face it. Minjae is totally into you,” your friend said to you while walking through the halls, moments after Minjae rammed his shoulder against yours.

“No, he’s not. He used to do this to me all the time when we were kids. This is how he is,” you said while rubbing your shoulder— the impact hurt a little, not going to lie.

“These are things that boys do to their crushes, though. Maybe he liked you when you were kids.”

“Absolutely not. He always destroyed my sand castles and…” you couldn’t think of other things he did to you because you would hold a bug and chase him around before he could do anything to you— preventative measures. “Anyway, we’re childhood friends… No, not even friends. We’re neighbors. That’s all we’ll ever be.”

Junior year meant you could drive home, so you didn’t take the bus anymore. You didn’t see either Minjae or Junmin when you got home, which was always somewhat of a relief because you were tired of seeing Minjae at school. Junmin, on the other hand, wasn’t bad. Seeing him was never irritating.

You shook your head. Why were you thinking about those boys in the first place when they didn’t hold a special place in your heart? They weren’t worth the thought. You had other things to think about, like your grades; not boys, and definitely not the neighbor boys.

“Y/N!” Minjae called your name while you walked through the halls.

“God…” you muttered under your breath before turning to him and asking loudly, “What do you want, Minjae?”

“Come here,” he walked towards the stairwell.

Reluctantly, you did as he said and joined him in the stairwell. “Okay, what is it?”

He closed the door to the stairwell. You narrowed your eyes. What was he doing?

“I have something I want to tell you.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

Minjae took a step towards you, and you immediately took a step back. He was definitely acting weird. He kept walking towards you, and you kept walking backwards away from him, only for your back to hit the wall. Your eyes darted back and forth as he pinned you against the wall. His face was so close to yours that you felt like you could count each individual, surprisingly gorgeous, eyelash of his.

“I like you, Y/N. Go out with me,” he said quietly but not so quietly that you couldn’t hear him clearly.

“Minjae, stop messing around.”

You tried to push him away and leave, but he grabbed your arms and pinned them above your head to the wall. One hand holding your arms and his other hand pressing against the wall by your hip, Minjae said, “I’m serious, Y/N. I like you. I really fucking like you.”

Your eyes went wide— you’d never heard him say the f word before. Your heart raced as he leaned in, his lips nearly brushing past yours…

Then, your alarm went off. You sat up immediately, your forehead breaking into a cold sweat. What the fuck was that dream?!

You couldn’t face Minjae normally after that dream ever again. You did you best to avoid him at any given moment in the day to the point where you just carried all your textbooks with you so that you wouldn’t have to stop at your locker. Your friends didn’t realize that you were trying to avoid him, so they just assumed that Minjae lost interest. At least your love life was no longer a topic of discussion within your group.

You did a good job in avoiding him until the block party. You couldn’t believe that you had to face him during the party, and it made you nervous as hell. Your heart was already fluttering before you even saw the guy. How on Earth did one measly dream make you crush on a boy that was mean to you all through your childhood?

The party was at Junmin’s house that time. Your family was the first to arrive at the party, which thankfully meant that it was just you and Junmin.

“Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while,” Junmin greeted you with a smile.

He was sitting in the living room flipping through channels. You took a seat next to him. “I know, right? How’ve you been?”

“Busy. Practice got so much more intense now that we’re on varsity.”

“We?”

“Yeah, me and Minjae.”

Your heart skipped a beat. Even the mere mention of his name freaked you out. You hated that.

“How have the games been?” you asked, desperately trying to return your heart rate to normal.

“We’re doing well this season! You should really come for one of our games. We have a home game next week.”

“I don’t know… I’m not a huge basketball fan…”

“You won’t know if you don’t try. At least come for me? Please?”

Junmin stared at you with the most adorable puppy dog eyes, making your heart flutter. Unable to deal with his cute face, you nodded, his eyes immediately sparkling after.

“Promise?”

He held out his pinky.

“Promise.”

You locked your pinky with his.

Even when Minjae arrived at the party, you didn’t realize, nor were you bothered by it. It had just been so long since you had seen Junmin that the two of you talked the entire night. Minjae didn’t even approach the two of you because he had no idea what you both were talking about.

“They’re so cute together, aren’t they?” Minjae heard the aunties talking.

“They are! It would be so cute if they started dating.”

“Can I tell you ladies a secret?” Junmin’s mom approached the women. Minjae, still within earshot, heard Junmin’s mom say, “Junmin’s liked Y/N for a while. Hyunwoo’s mom told me.”

“Why Hyunwoo’s mom?”

“Because Hyunwoo can’t keep a secret.”

Minjae frowned. He had no idea that Junmin was still into you like that. With a shrug, he walked away from the gossiping aunties and hung out with the other boys, leaving you and Junmin to talk the rest of the night.

And lo and behold, the aunties spoke the ship into existence. After you promised Junmin that you’d go to the home game and followed through with your promise, Junmin was delighted. He asked you out that night after their school won— you both were walking back to your car, and he asked you when you got to your car. He was ecstatic when you said yes, but he didn’t kiss you. No, he hugged you, told you that he’d text you about taking you on a date, and left to get into his own car.

Your relationship with Junmin lasted the rest of your high school lives. You went to every single basketball game, you both took turns driving to and from school, and he even took you to prom. Your first kiss happened during your senior year homecoming, and, well, progressed to be more intimate as time went on.

Junmin made you completely forget about your brief crush on Minjae, so when you met them at the games, you talked to Minjae normally. Minjae, on the other hand, distanced himself, using the excuse that he hated romance as a reason to keep away (not that you cared about the justification).

When the three of you graduated, the aunties wanted the three of you to stand together and take a picture. You wrapped one arm around Junmin’s and leaned into him, Minjae standing awkwardly next to you.

“What are you doing? Come here,” you stretched your arm out for Minjae and linked arms with him.

Minjae ears went red, and his face turned a dusty shade of pink. Nonetheless, he kept his arm linked with yours, and the huge gap that was between the two of you disappeared. The pictures turned out great with all three of you standing near each other with wide smiles on your faces. The pictures were so good, in fact, that you didn’t even notice that in one of the pictures, Minjae was looking at you longingly despite the fact that he was standing right next to you.

After you graduated from college, you decided to go home for a couple of months. You were tired from studying and just wanted a little break before starting to work. Also, living rent free didn’t sound too bad, and you missed your mom’s cooking. So many reasons to go home.

Being home, though, you were worried about running into Junmin. The two of you broke up the first year of college because long distance wasn’t working out for the two of you. There weren’t any hard feelings, but Junmin did find a new significant other, so you didn’t want to interact because you were completely and utterly single.

Since you had nothing to study for and no work to do, you found yourself wondering what to do with yourself. So, one day, you laid down in the grass in your backyard and just stared at the sky. You thought about how simple life used to be and thought about what you did as kids to pass the time. Sure, there was the sandbox, which Minjae’s mom got rid of the second all the kids on the block went to college, and there was a park nearby, but that definitely wasn’t all of it. You were thinking about it so hard that you didn’t even realize someone had approached you, their head moving over you and blocking the view.

“Y/N?”

“Jesus!” you sat up immediately, nearly screaming. “Minjae! You scared the shit outta me!”

“Sorry,” Minjae apologized, although he didn’t sound sorry in the slightest. “Mind if I join you?”

You patted a spot of grass next to you, Minjae promptly sitting there. The two of you sat in complete and utter silence. The sound of the wind and the birds filled the silence, but for some reason, it just made you even more aware of the fact that you didn’t even know what to talk to Minjae about. So, you laid back down in the grass and stared at the sky. Minjae mirrored your actions.

“What are we looking at?” Minjae asked, being the first one to break the silence.

“Well, I was thinking more than looking…”

“Thinking about what?”

“About how we used to the pass time as kids. Like, other than the sand pit and the park, what else did we do?”

“You would steal my shoe and climb up a tree so that I couldn’t get it because you knew I was afraid of heights,” Minjae responded almost immediately.

“Oh, right,” you couldn’t help but laugh. “I did use to do that, didn’t I? Are you still afraid of heights?”

Minjae didn’t respond, making you laugh harder. You sat up and clutched your stomach as you laughed your ass off. Minjae sat up too, a small frown on his face.

“Come on, it’s not easy to get over a fear…” Minjae pouted.

“No, you’re right,” you agreed as you wiped tears from your eyes— you laughed so hard you started crying. “I’m sorry for laughing.”

“That’s okay.”

You stood up and held your hand out to help Minjae up. After dusting your pants off, the two of you walked to the neighborhood park. You sat on the benches near the basketball court and continued talking.

“Do you still play basketball?”

“Not competitively, but for fun, yeah.”

The two of you talked about very surface level things, but your conversation stretched out and kept going and going. You never realized you could talk to Minjae for so long, but the two of you weren’t children anymore. You grew up, and with growing up comes different conversations.

Both of your families ended up having dinner together, his parents grilling you about job prospects and your parents with him. By the end of the exhausting interrogative dinner, you and Minjae stood outside on the deck. It was pretty dark outside, and the only thing to illuminate the area were the porch lights of all the houses.

“Did you hear about Junmin?” Minjae asked tentatively.

“Yeah… I mean, good for him. He’s a nice guy,” you said with a sigh.

“What about you?”

“What about me what?”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

You burst out laughing. Hearing those words from Minjae’s mouth was so foreign, and you never ever thought he would say that phrase to you.

“What’s so funny?” Minjae looked at you with concern.

“No, it’s just— You sounded almost like an ex-boyfriend,” you explained after calming down. “But, no. I’m not. Are you?”

“I mean, I am an ex-friend that is a boy,” Minjae mumbled, but you didn’t hear him. Louder, he answered your question, “No, I’m not either.”

“Why not?” the words flew out of your mouth.

“What do you mean why not?” Minjae asked with a laugh. “I just never found someone that I really liked.”

You nodded— it was the same for you after you broke up with Junmin.

The two of you went silent. The only thing you could hear were the buzzes of grasshoppers and cicadas. From inside the house, your mothers were looking at your backs.

“Remember when we used to say that these two would get together?” your mom whispered to Minjae’s mom.

“Yes, I do… Do you think they will?”

“Maybe… Should we keep watching?”

“I don’t see why not.”

The two of you were unaware that your mothers were watching you— your backs were still facing them as Minjae spoke softly.

“I have something to tell you.”

Your mind immediately flashed back to the dream you had about him, and memories of crushing on Minjae flooded your brain. You felt your face heat up as Minjae turned his entire body to face you. He didn’t take a step towards you like he did in the dream, but he did scoot the tiniest bit closer to you.

“Remember when you and Junmin started dating?”

You were not expecting him to say that. Your heart calmed down slightly, and you nodded in response.

“Well, back then, right before you two started dating, you came to watch our game for the first time. My heart skipped a beat because I thought that you came to see me even though I knew you were there because he asked you to come… And I kept thinking about how nice it would have been if you were there for me and not him…”

Your jaw dropped. Was Minjae… Confessing?

“I don’t even know when I caught feelings for you, Y/N… All I know is that whenever Junmin talked about you, I’d get annoyed, so I’d annoy you. I liked when you gave me your attention, and when you started avoiding me—”

“You knew I was avoiding you?” you interrupted.

“Of course I did. You’re not as subtle as you think. I don’t know why you were, but I decided to lay off because I thought you were upset with me. I didn’t want to upset you…”

Empty noises left your body. You didn’t even know how to respond to that revelation with anything other than the truth.

“Seeing you with Junmin was hard… I kept wishing I was him…”

“Minjae…”

“Tell me something, Y/N. Did you hate me back then?”

You had to tell him the truth. “No...” you bit your lower lip and looked down. “I avoided you because… I had a crush on you… And we grew up together so I thought it was weird and that I shouldn’t have been looking at you like that…”

“So you didn’t avoid me because you hated me?”

“I hated you when we were kids, but I never avoided you when we were kids.”

Minjae bit back a slight laugh. He smiled with relief, and your heart raced. He had the same face he did when you were younger, but he looked so much more attractive now, like he grew into his features. You felt your heartbeat louder when Minjae leaned into you.

“Y/N, I have something I want to tell you.”

God, your dream was happening. Your high school dream was coming to life.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I like you.”

He reached out and cupped your cheek, your face instantly heating up.

“Can I take you on a date sometime, some place?”

This was so much nicer than your high school dream, to say the least.

“I would like that.”

“And… Would it be okay if I kissed you right now?”

“I would really like that…”

Minjae couldn’t help but smile. You felt his hand snake around your waist and pull you even closer to him. Your hands rested on his shoulders as he brought your face towards his, his lips brushing against yours.

This time, you didn’t wake up— you were awake, and this very real Minjae was actually kissing you. The first kiss was soft, but the second was passionate, desperate. His hold on you got tighter, and he kissed you as if he was trying to make up for lost time. Butterflies filled your stomach. When his lips trapped your lower lip and sucked lightly, you felt the world spinning. He leaned into you and kissed you harder, both of his arms around your waist. Your hold on his shoulders was weakening— the more he kissed you, the more your mind went blank.

Yet, when he released your lips and moved back, you leaned towards him wanting more. You moved your hands so that they held onto his neck and pulled him towards you again. His lips were addicting, and you wanted more of him. But, he kept making little comments in between the kisses.

“I like you, Y/N.” Kiss. “I seriously like you.” Kiss. “I like you so much.”

He tried to kiss you again but you covered his lips with your hand and said, “Shut up. Do you have a problem with kissing without talking or something?”

“No, monkey.”

“Monkey?!” you slapped his shoulder. “If I’m a monkey, then you’re still a mop-head.”

“I’ll be your mop-head,” Minjae rubbed his nose against yours lightly. “And you’re my monkey.”

“Don’t make me put you in a headlock.”

“Kinky.”

“Minjae!” you gasped, your face immediately heating up.

“I’m kidding! Just kidding,” Minjae laughed at your red face and hugged you.

You hugged him back and sunk into his warmth and familiar, natural scent. And when he leaned back to look at your face, you kissed him quickly, smiles blossoming on your face, then his.

You both finally turned towards the house to head back inside, only to see your moms and dads watching the whole scene unfold with popcorn in their hands. The two of you immediately separated, the two of you now completely embarrassed.

“See, we told you that you’d end up together!” Minjae’s mom said with a laugh.

[vitaminseetarot]

New Moon PAC: What Seed Are You Sowing? 🌑🌱🌷

The New Moon is upon us, and it's time for us to plant new intentions for the next coming cycle. The sun is soon changing over into Virgo to tidy up summer's loose ends. Corn is being reaped. Yard sales abound. A new school year is approaching for many students. This is a time when things settle into the average and ordinary, at least until the full blue moon in Pisces is here, which will balance our cerebral productivity out with time for sensitive introspection.

This simple PAC will give you hints as to what seed you may already be sowing for your next lunar harvest, as well as suggestions on how to balance the "soil" it's planted in. Pick any one of the three produce cards from the Garden Variety oracle deck below and I'll see you at your reading!

(divider provided by @saradika)

Pile 1:

Onion (Complexity); Gemini Rising (Socialize); 37 Thistle (Dawn); Octopus; 4 Pentacles, 10 Cups, 8 Swords

"I sow deep, stable, healthy social connections. I must be confrontational instead of evasive."

Pile 1, I can see that your intention for this new moon is very focused on reconciling an old attitude involving new social contacts. Perhaps your manifestation involves parties, study groups, finding like-minded people online to chat with? In any case, you're not just seeking friends for the sake of having some random people to hang out with every now and then (although those kind of fair-weather friends can be just as great, it's a matter of being honest about it). You're currently seeking a kind of friendship of a deeper level. The person with whom you can have the "My Dinner With André" kind of conversations, long hours spent over cups of coffee. I'm even wistfully thinking about the kind of chance encounters you have with somebody interesting at a library, where there's a thrill to having intense conversations in whispers, or having somber debates in otherwise casual settings like cafés. It's a dreamy social encounter.

On the other hand, though, it seems like your mindset of socializing is fraught with the trappings of materialism and social niceties. Many people out there don't like that so many mornings begin with exchanges like "how are you?" or "weather's lookin' gray, eh?" or "I heard the LOL stocks are up this fiscal quarter". But that's how our system is structured right now. It takes a lot of effort and courage to bend beyond identifying with something other than work and safe topics in order to find social connection these days. Don't blame or kick yourself for struggling with this. It gets trickier the older we get.

Thistle is asking you to not avoid confrontation when it comes to meeting other people who might end up becoming a friend someday. No, I'm not talking about being ready for fistfights at any given chance. Be willing to be honest about the things with which you wish to connect with people. Don't assume you always have to pick the road of avoiding difficult topics to bond over simple things instead, like cars for example. The kind of friends you can welcome into your life will be the kind of people who want to hear what you have to say on the matters you care about AND like cars. You can be secure in knowing they share the same values as you. The best kind of friends will lend out an ear, a hand, or a heart to you when you need one, and judging by the energy in your cards, you have what's in you to lend to your future friends in the same way.

Octopus is also here to remind you about emotional boundaries, that of your own and others. It's a silent and sensitive animal of water because what it teaches almost goes without saying. But it still wants to give you a reminder. Maintaining them is important as well as respecting that of others. If someone respectfully comes to you to resolve a difficult conversation, or asking to avoid discussing something for personal reasons, it is honoring their space to respect that request, and vise versa.

Pile 2:

Strawberry (Affection); Taurus Moon (Relax); 17 Bluebell (Dusk); Crocodile; XIV Temperance, 9 Pentacles Rx, 10 Wands

"I sow quality time to relax in between my busy schedule. I must be kind to myself and allow myself this space."

Pile 2, maybe you're just looking for a spa day? I don't think just one, either. You seem like a sweet and caring person who's stretched themselves to the max here. All the worse when it seems like there's no time to really indulge in what you love most. Your reading is crystal. You're sowing the chance to truly, deeply, madly lay back and indulge. Not even indulge like eating a bunch of sweets or watching silly sitcoms (trying to compare my Taurus sun to Taurus moon here, the energies are quite different!). Just indulge as in "laying in one place while hearing birds chirp for hours". And it really seems depressing that it's even being thought about as an indulgence here. Simply laying back and enjoying nature is… human.

Perhaps, however, you're in the thick of finishing some big project before a deadline. The 10 of wands is carrying a lot, but with this card it's hinted that this carrying is completely necessary. If it's not a project, it's just something you can't immediately get away from in order to find this quiet time, like a crying baby or an important class in school. Maybe it's something where you feel like you have to do it all on your own. And maybe it's not the wisest choice to drop everything at the slightest chance and quit, but you've been feeling the urge to do so. What to do when you must push through and don't know when relief will arrive?

You're sowing opportunities for help to reach out to you, so that you may find the needed time to sit back and rest for a while. You must pace yourself with what you're doing and avoid burn out. To do this, you have to find a way to be kinder to yourself and know when enough is finally enough. Taking a break is not the same as giving up, or evading work. It's putting yourself in the position to be ready to tackle the next big thing. And if only this world we live in could calmly accept that we were not meant to work like robotic superheroes, and be more mindful of the body's cycles! Remember that you deserve to have time to rest and enjoy your life!

You can start with baby steps. Take five minutes a day to find a quiet place to meditate or simply close your eyes and breathe. Find new ways to add "pause" moments in your day where you stop to notice a bird, or stare out into the distance to comb out unneeded frenetic thoughts. Once you find these moments to center yourself, it gets easier over time to pace your energy throughout the day. Also don't be afraid of asking for guidance or for someone to come help. To use my life as a quick example, I'm often nervous to ask others to help me watch my pets while I'm away from home, but the reward for asking is huge. It beats being stuck at home with neverending duties for sure! In a weird way, your help may also personally benefit by aiding you. Remind yourself that there is more help abundant out there than you may first think.

Pile 3:

Zucchini (Versatility); Aries Sun (Assert); 24 Basil (Dawn); Turtle; 6 Pentacles, IX Hermit, Knight of Swords

"I sow a healthy exchange of generosity and mutual support. I must honor both my assertiveness and amicability to move ahead."

Yo pile 3, you should know that twice when I shuffled the tarot cards, a whole stack of cards flipped out of the deck at once. I picked out the first cards I saw, the 6 of pentacles and knight of swords, but I kept thinking "whoah there! Take it easy, I don't need all these cards for the whole story." My goodness, you must be in the mood to talk about something. What's got you all riled up? Your cards are like a whirlwind and I have to stop, takes breaks, and rewrite these words in order to collect my thoughts. You must have a lot going on all at once. Let me try to synthesize this energy as much as I can.

One of the first things I noticed about your pile were the orange stripes. They're featured on the Aries cat, Basil, and Turtle. I'm hearing something about "earning your stripes". You're sowing the chance to boldly head out and elevate yourself by embarking on the next chapter in your life. This could involve actual moving, or a major structural shift in how you work and relate. You are seeking a sense of true independence, and traveling seems to be the keystone energy that motivates that feeling. You want to charge ahead without looking back. The 6 of pentacles contains a secret though: none of us on planet Earth are truly independent of one another. We all contribute to each other's time and resource in some way. The way for us to create that sense of independence is by acknowledging that we do it by giving it back again and again.

You are being advised to stand up for yourself, and standing on your own two feet is great, but be open to receive help that other people may offer you, as much as you would do the same. There may be a person in your life, like a colleague, who can offer you advice on how to navigate your situation before you dive in. This could be a position where you're able to mutually help each other out with the same goal. Don't think you have to go it alone. Being adaptable to input could yield more opportunities for you to eventually strike it out on your own. It's a bit of a paradox here, but people are always going to like working with someone who's able to listen and speak out with equal fervor. The idea that true leaders can ignore what other people have to say has resulted in … not so great events in the past. The best leaders are the humble ones who don't constantly shut themselves away in an ivory tower but instead step out and offer help in times of need.

Find ways to ground yourself. It's not the same as settling for less. Your cards make me think of that one random quotememething that gets repeated everywhere despite me not remembering where it's from: It's saying, "Let's just, like, GO, man, we can just up and go, like, anywhere right now, bro." You've got a bit of itchy feet and you're looking to try out something new, maybe go somewhere new. You're at a point in your life where you can more easily absorb spiritual wisdom by staying on-the-go rather than settling for the same-old-same-old. If you wish to truly benefit from your traveling, however, it is often wise to stop for a spell and share stories with the locals. Share some food and connection. Spend time really taking in and learning from one place at a time. You'll have the time you need to go where you want to go and do what you want to do. Remember to enjoy the trip.

Pile 4:

Lime (Relaxation); Libra Moon (Sympathize); 12 Pimpernel (Dawn); Camel; 4 Cups, Ace Swords, 6 Cups

"I sow the chance to rekindle my childhood passions through gratitude. I must be more decisive about my future path."

Dear pile 4, there's a contrast between the soft heartfelt green and pink in your cards and with the gray foggy feeling I channeled. There's a fog moving through, it may be temporary but it's thick. Understanding and friendly you may be, but currently you could be struggling with staying on your own course. There seem to be a lot of other "voices" jumping in, like you're juggling between too many ideas and opinions that aren't yours and it's fogging intuition. You may be feeling lost as to where to go next in life. It may be easier for you to go with the flow than enact serious change at this time. But should any change come your way, it can only be facilitated by properly expressing your emotions and getting in touch with what you truly want for yourself. You're looking to bring passion and beauty back into your experiences.

You're sowing a spark of inspiration that brings you simple, unbounded joy with your creative passions again. It could be art, an old card collection, an arcade game, a hobby you used to enjoy, etc. The color is gradually coming back to your world. You're getting back in touch with your more childlike nature to reclaim your energy, finding the key to your path through these old joys. Nostalgia is like practicing gratitude for what we've been given in the past. Your energy will flourish through reuniting with what made your heart sing. Tapping into what you used to love will help guide your direction. It will also serve to decompress stuck emotions. You're balancing subtle yet turbulent emotions with warm clarity. You're undergoing a long journey for which warm and cold feelings must be brought to balance, as the Camel teaches. This way you don't exhaust your energy too soon before you've even taken the first step.

Being genuinely sad about what used to be in our life is just as healthy a nostalgic expression as finding joy in it. There can be just as much creative power in the deep feeling of impermanence and change. And to balance this energy, you must be willing to embrace both sides, both feelings at once, to allow your intuitive creativity to be fully released. I hear there is potentially a great idea or unexpected "eureka" moment through spending time in old passions where it all comes together. Have you ever gone back to watch a movie years later and upon watching again, pick up completely new and unique insights about a current dilemma? This is part of what you are sowing for this month. You might even go, "wow, I hadn't noticed or thought of it that way before!"

Before I finished your pile I was asked to go on a walk before sundown and it ended up being a very long and peaceful one. I used my intuition and gauged my comfort levels before choosing a path to walk down. I slowed down only when I became aware of how fast I was going so to notice the world around me. This is what you're learning to do this month, pile 4. You're able to pace yourself and take in your surroundings, unfettered by which direction is the 'correct' one to take. You're picking up cool rocks and pointing out large blue butterflies on the way. You're enjoying the journey for the journey itself. When you feel like life is going a little too fast, sometimes going back to what is familiar can help calibrate our senses. Let this month be a walk in the park for you.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

[jewbeloved]

Some places aren't what they just seem to be...🩸🩸♥️

Note: Have this horror fanfic as my way of bringing back my spicy fanfics. I'm kinda losing motivation and I have hell (school) on my tail .⁠·⁠´⁠¯⁠`⁠(⁠>⁠▂⁠<⁠)⁠´⁠¯⁠`⁠·⁠.

Warnings: Murder, bl00D and Knives....mentions of drugs (in the beginning).

Gender: Neutral

💙💚 The Main Four 🧡❤️

You were dropped off to a nearby orphanage by the police after both of your parents passed away due to drug overdose.

The orphanage looked very fancy and aesthetic from the exterior. You wondered what the inside of the building looked like.

When you walked into the building, you were met with a lot of children your age running around, chatting with each other, playing games together, and playing tricks on each other.

You noticed one of the maids walked up to you with a bright smile on her face.

"Hello there dear, are you by any chance the new orphan that we were getting today?". You looked up at her with a blank expression.

"Uhm...yeah, that's me...".

"Well it's lovely to meet you, I can ensure you that you will love it here at the orphanage! What is your name, little one?".

"(Name) (Last Name)".

"(Name)....what a beautiful name! come, let me give you a tour around the orphanage since it's your first time here".

The kind maid showed you every room and area that was around the orphanage. They had a dining hall where the orphans could get their food, they had showers so the orphans could take a bath, they had a library for any orphans who were interested in books.

They even had dorms for where the orphans could sleep and rest up their energy.

You were surprised to hear that there were 40 orphans and 5 maids at this orphanage.

Once the tour was over, the maid gave you comfortable clothes to wear for the day and allowed you to go talk with the other kids.

You spotted 4 boys chatting with each other. One of them seemed to be arguing with the chubby one while the other 2 just watched.

The kid with the orange parka was the first one to noticed you and he waved at you before his other friend in the blue and red beanie looked at you as well.

"Hey, aren't you the new kid?" The kid in the blue and red beanie asked you.

"Yeah, that's me..who are you guys?". You looked at them puzzled.

"Right names, I'm Stan Marsh and this one next to me is Kenny Mccormick...the one in the green ushanka is Kyle Broflovski. And the fatass is Eric Cartman". Cartman immediately looked away from Kyle and at Stan in anger.

"IM NOT FAT YOU GODDAMN EMO HIPPIE!!". Stan rolled his eyes at Cartman's anger towards him while you just stared at the boys with a "•_•" face.

"Alright then...my name is (Name) (Last Name)". They all gave you a thumbs up while Cartman was still pissed off and crossing his arms.

"Mhppmhhhhmmphhhmmmhh". You looked at Kenny with a confused face since you didn't understand what he said.

"Um, what was that Kenny? I'm afraid I don't follow on what you said".

"He said: 'Do you want to hang out with us?'". Stan translated for Kenny.

"Oh...sure!". Your face began to lighten up as you assume this orphanage wouldn't be as bad as the rumors say.

What rumors? No need to worry! those are just said by silly people....this orphanage is perfectly okay!

You ended up spending time with the boys during the "daily activities" the maids gave out for all of the orphans to do and have fun.

You got to know the boys better and they got to know you better as well. You didn't understand why the other kids would call them "problematic". They say that the boys would swear at each other or other orphans, always talking to each other during quiet time, and getting into some fights (Kyle and Cartman).

But you didn't see them do any of those things because they have been so nice and chill around you, but if many orphans were saying it. You didn't care anyways since you were glad you had at least some company instead of going the whole day being awkward while living in a orphanage full of 40 kids in total. (THATS A LOT).

When dinner time came, the maids had all of you dress up in special uniforms for the occasion.

You were confused on why you have to dress in uniforms to eat some food, but you couldn't complain until you see how the food they serve here tastes.

You got in line while holding your trey, the orange-haired maid placed (your favorite food) onto your trey while giving you a glass of milk with it.

Milk at dinner?? I expected to at least get some juice or (your favorite drink).... You thought inside your mind as you left the line to find a table to sit at to eat.

Kyle motioned for you to come over and sit with him and his friends. You sat down at their table and noticed that they all had a glass of milk on their trey as well.

You then looked around to see a few other kids (6 of them) have a glass of milk on their treys too while the rest didn't... was this normal?

"Hey....uhm...do they serve anything else besides milk? or are they just out of stock?". You asked the boys as you pointed to your milk.

"Well, they normally do now because that's all everyone really wants now. You'll get used to it eventually (Name)". Stan said as him, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny began eating their food.

You eyed your food and milk while glancing up at them back and forth. You signed and began eating your food as well while ignoring your milk for a while.

You heard a little cough from the boys and the other 6 kids when they drank their glass of milk.

You immediately looked up at your friends. "Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny? are you guys alright?".

They were silence for a couple of secs before they snap back into reality. "Yeah, we're fine it's no big deal really".

You looked at them confused and eyed your own glass of milk, you picked it up and looked closer at it until you..saw that it was...

Spoiled...

Your eyes widened. "Guys! you just drank spoiled milk!". You panicked as they gave you a concern look.

"What are you talking about (Name)? the milk wasn't spoiled it was fresh, did you hit your head or did Kahl jewness aura hurt-". Kyle pushed Cartman out of his chair with him letting out a "OW!".

"But but-! I just looked at my milk and it was spoiled!". You tried to defend yourself you didn't understand why they were being so calm about this as if it was a normal routine.

Before you could say something else to them, the maids have announced that all orphans should go to their dorms to get ready for the night.

"Oh Jesus finally! I get some goddamn fucking rest after so many hours!".

"Shut up fatboy! you barley participated in anything since this morning!". Kyle and Cartman began arguing back and forth with each other as you watched your 4 friends walk out of the dinning hall.

You signed as you got up from your seat and followed everyone else to the dorm area. All of the other dorms were occupied except for the room that had only one bed in it..it looked a little ragged but it was still comfortable to sleep on, it even had a small candle on the nightstand to light up the room.

You took off your uniform and began to change into some nice warm clothes to sleep at night.

"Oh well, I hope nothing weird will happen at night...". You locked the door and climbed into your bed before falling asleep.

After 2 hours, you woke up to some growling noises. You were half asleep as you rubbed your eyes wondering what that noise was. You shrugged it off since you were lucky your room door was locked anyways.

When you tried to go to asleep, you heard a loud scream that sounded like one of the orphans. You immediately jumped out of your bed at the sight of the scream wondering what was going on outside of your dorm.

You picked up the candle that was on your nightstand and held it close to your face, not close to enough to burn you.

What was that scream just now? It sounded more like a scream of horror....

After 3 mins you heard another loud scream and then another following after that one. You were getting nervous and you wanted to know what the hell was going on...if you remembered, people always said the rumors about this orphanage are what happened at night...

You were snapped out of your thinking as you heard some kids banging on your door letting to be in as they cried for help. Your body was shaking a little at their cries.

"PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!" "HELP US, THERE ARE COMPLETE PSYCHOS OUT HERE KILLING US! THERE'S 10 OF THEM, PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!". The crying kids continued to beg and bang on your door.

The crying and yelling was soon replaced by stabbing noises and more loud screams. You saw something red splattered onto the glass window of your door...is that...

Blood...?

You were now having second thoughts about opening the door since you were sure that some killer must be inside of the orphanage now...why weren't the maids doing anything at all???

This continued until 27 screams were heard and then the alarm began to go off. Your door was unlocked automatically when the alarms went off.

You heard a maid telling the orphans to run to something they call "bunker". Everyone ran straight to the bunkers immediately.

You ran out of your room as well trying to follow the remaining orphans to safety. As you were almost out of the hall, somebody grabbed your hand while placing a knife near your neck.

You were flabbergasted and turned around to see your attacker, it was one of the orphans except their entire body was twitching like crazy as if they were possessed.

They had a evil smile on their face as they saw the fear in you. Another orphan with a knife in their hand was in front of you, their whole body was twitching like crazy as well.

You were confused, scared, and shocked. You had no need what was going on and why there was suddenly some orphans going completely nuts and killing everyone.

You looked at the psycho in front of you and saw something white dripping from their mouth.

Was that...milk?

Your eyes widened even more as you remember the time you heard coughing from Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny when they drank the milk after you discovered it was spoiled.

You were sure that the spoiled milk could've given them a bad stomachache, but it seems like it did something else other than that.

You didn't have anymore time to think as the 2 psychos were ready to stab you dead.

That was instantly stopped when you saw they were pulled back and dragged away at the same time.

2 screams and blood splattering were heard at the same time meaning it must've came from the 2 psychos who were trying to kill you. But how? that happened so fast in a short amount of time....

Thankfully you still had your candle and you shined it around until you saw 4 boys which looked exactly like the ones you befriended when you first came to this orphanage...

"Stan..? Kyle...? Cartman...? Kenny...?". You were shaking uncontrollable in fear because so much has happened since nightfall came...

Their bodies were twitching crazily as well. You wanted answers and you wanted them now..

"What is going on here?! why are all 4 of you holding knives and drenched in blood?! I want answers please!!". The boys stayed silent as they look at each other.

"Guys should we really tell them?". Stan asked as Kyle and Kenny nodded except for Cartman who shaked his head.

"No way, they'll just fucking rat us out!". You had a confused mixed with anger expression on your face as you looked at them.

"What are you guys talking about?! Everything seemed normal and happy when I first came here, but now things started to get weird at the diner hall where we were only given "milk" and that weirdness lead to all of this bloodshed at night! You guys know what's happening in this orphanage and I want answers!". You were on the verge of tears while your anger was still showing.

Stan signed and decided to speak up.

"Basically....this orphanage is about survival...we can't blame you for acting this way. The spoiled milk the maids served us is the calayist leading to all of this bloodshed".

"What do you mean? how can spoiled milk be the cause of this?? isn't it supposed to give you a bad stomachache because when things are spoiled it means they usually god bad!".

"That's usually what spoiled things would do, but this milk doesn't work that way. All of our visions went red when drank the milk after we finished coughing".

"You guys make it seem like this is a normal routine!!".

"Duh, because it is. once you drink the spoiled milk the maids give you, you become a threat to other orphans who didn't drink the milk".

"Goddamnit Cartman, can't you be nice to people for once?!". Kyle yelled at Cartman rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, but the word "nice" doesn't work in my dictionary for jews".

You didn't even noticed that sun had already raised up and all of the blood that was around the place was gone and the boys were no longer twitching or had a knife in their hands.

"No...no....this has to be a dream...it has to be...". You sulked down on the floor next to the wall while your hands were wrapped around your legs.

"The rumors about this orphanage...were true after all...but why isn't this reported to the police....? don't tell me the walls of this sick place is soundproofed!". You couldn't hold back your tears as they streamed down your cheek.

Stan and Kyle sat down next to you and wrapped you in their arms as Kenny pulled down his hood to speak.

"Yeah, you could say that the walls are soundproofed and more orphans are coming here every week or so. we pretty much can't leave since this orphanage is in a forest".

"So I can't leave then...I have to spend the rest of my life in this haunted place....". You cried even more.

You then felt 4 other arms wrap around you.

"It's okay (Name), even if we can't leave you won't share this pain alone because we will be there to protect you from the other orphans".

"But that sounds like the only way we can leave is if we die!".

"At least we will die together instead of dying alone..".💙💚🧡❤️🩸🩸💖💖

I have been way to hook up in watching ONE PIECE and checking out WELCOME HOME I haven't had any time to write anything on my blog or my hellpark blog as well. I deeply apologize for my lack of posts everyone, multitasking yourself can become stressful at some point....

[neondiamond]

🐚 Recently Read Fics - August 2023 🐚

These are all the amazing fics I read over the past month (from shortest to longest). Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments to show the authors your appreciation if you read any of these! 🤍

🐚 Ice, Ice, Baby by @beelou (1k,

Figure skater Harry takes Louis out on the ice for the first time

🐚 You don’t have to say, “I love you,” to say I love you by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed (1k, T)

Louis can’t find his damn sweater.

And it’s not like he doesn’t have other sweaters, he does. In fact, he might have somewhat of a sweater problem, because he fears an avalanche of hoodies every time he opens his wardrobe. They’re comfy and warm and he likes tucking his hands inside the sleeves.

He could grab any other sweater but he wants this sweater. It’s his favourite sweater and it’s a little bit faded and worn out, but that makes it extra cosy. And after getting rained on on the way home from uni, he feels like he deserves a bit of comfort. His plan had been to shower, put on his favourite sweater, make himself some tea, and curl up on the couch with the cat, since Zayn won’t be home til late.

🐚 spoon time by @wecantalktomorrow (2k, NR)

There was nothing going on between them outside of the normal bro-pal-laddy-dude things every other set of best friends did. All sets of best friends did things like this. You know, hanging out every day, staying up late, and chatting until the wee hours which usually ended up as a sleepover and bed-sharing. There is nothing going on between them.

That is what Harry was going to keep telling himself and everyone around them, anyway because it is the truth, after all.

🐚 a ton of things we have yet to do by @red-pandaaa (3k, T)

Louis falls during a polo game, Harry is concerned, and in the end they’re both okay

🐚 Meet In A Minute At The Rendezvous by @loveislarryislove (3k, E)

Harry and Louis' sons are on rival high school football teams. And whenever they play each other, Harry and Louis sneak off to hook up in the restrooms after halftime. They've never been caught yet -- and if they were, it's anyone's guess whether people would be more scandalized by what they're doing or who they're doing it with.

When their sons are injured on the field, Niall comes to find them.

🐚 the “Falling” series by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed (4k, T)

“Is this yours or mine?” Harry holds up a CD, and Louis swallows back something bitter, something that he can feel jittering all the way down to his fingertips.

“Ours,” he says quietly. Don’t you remember, he wants to ask. “Gems gave it to us, for that roadtrip.” He’s quiet for a moment. “I guess it’s yours then, considering she’s your sister.”

Harry looks like he wants to say something but thinks better of it, and just nods, putting the CD in a box that’s filled with all kinds of knick knacks from their bedroom.

Or, no. Louis supposes it is his bedroom now. Or will be, after today.

🐚 The President and His Captain by @tommokat (5k, T)

Childhood best friends turn boyfriends Harry and Louis have kept their relationship quiet for almost a year now, so when Harry's basketball coach enforces a no dating rule for the season, they should have no problem sticking to that rule. Right?

🐚 Let The Ocean Worry About Being Blue by @greenblueish (5k, E)

In a society where young adults go through the so-called Colour Test which determines their affiliation to a Colour - Blue, Yellow, Red or Green - and thus where they'll live, work and socialise for the rest of their lives, Harry is finally about to take the Test. Born and raised in Yellow, he met his boyfriend when he was still a teenager - against the government's recommendation. Louis, however, changed from Yellow to Blue two years ago. The problem: Harry needs to receive a Blue Test result as well, because a relationship between two people who live in different Colours is forbidden.

🐚 If That’s All It Was by @galacticlarry (6k, M)

Harry and Louis are in a long term relationship and are planning to get married. When they end up having to go long distance for a year, things start getting progressively harder to deal with and they ultimately put an end to their relationship.

What happens when they meet again after a few months and all of their unresolved feelings bubble up?

🐚 The Heart’s Home by @homosociallyyours (10k, T)

Louis is alone in the world, working long hours at a restaurant job that barely pays his bills, when he's roped into helping his bosses with a scheme. All he has to do is guard the special catch they've brought in, the one that they expect will bring them unbelievable wealth. But there's a problem: the creature they've caught is definitely half human, with the heart and soul of a human and the voice of an angel. Louis knows immediately that he can't let this mer-squid, Harry, become a wealthy person's dinner. As they spend more time together, growing ever closer, Louis realizes that he's got to find a way to get Harry back to his home-- the sea --even if the thought of losing him hurts and doing it means risking everything.

🐚 Not Safe For Work by @greenblueish (23k, E)

the one where the boys work at Niall's fashion start-up 28 Programme Designs, and omega Louis has a lot of not safe for work thoughts about his colleague Harry, but little does he know that the alpha can read minds.

🐚 Catching a Partner by @berzerkshires (25k, M)

This documentary follows the story of two people who fell in love in the last place you'd expect. Louis is a detective at the Boston Police Department investigating a trail of recent murders. Harry is the latest victim who survived an attempted murder and is sent to live at a safe house with Detective Tomlinson as the killer is still at large.

This is their story.

🐚 We Don’t Need No Piece of Paper (From the City Clerk) by @2tiedships2 (26k, M)

Harry sat on his bed and stared at the pile of luggage by the door. This was really happening. He was being shipped off to America to get married.

In a matter of months, he would be bonded to an alpha his father had chosen for him. Someone that Harry knew nothing about. Not even his name.

🐚 Wind beneath my wings by @lunarheslwt (93k, E)

As an omega carer that works at a rescue and rehabilitation centre for feral alphas and omegas, Louis has experienced all sides of ferality. So Harry- a cold, near mute, non-receptive alpha- was a challenging case for everyone at Phoenix Rehab Centre. Louis wasn’t expecting to feel drawn towards an aloof Harry, or to form a slow bond with him. He certainly was not expecting for his entire life to change in unforeseen ways.