#But I spent too much time overthinking it so whatever

[sky-is-the-limit]

Meddle About (Part 1)

P: Captain Price x F!Reader

Summary: You meet a handsome stranger at a pub and begin a beautiful friendship. Though you start developing feelings for the older man, he doesn't seem to reciprocate. That is, until you flirt with someone else to test the waters.

NSFW part 2 here.

WC: 2.3k words

CW: Nothing other than some angst (light), age difference and jealousy.

Notes: The age of the Reader is mentioned only because I feel uncomfortable writing about an age difference where X person is under the age of 23-25.

@glitterypirateduck

You stumbled into the pub, your heart heavy and your mind clouded with the weight of your breakup. The air was thick with the aroma of alcohol and the sound of muted conversations. You sought solace in the dimly lit corner, choosing a table far from prying eyes, hoping to drown your sorrows alone.

As you sat there, lost in your own misery, your gaze wandered aimlessly to the booth next to yours until it landed on him, the older man sitting alone, his presence almost ghostly in the shadows. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, drinking a glass of whiskey with a distant look in his eyes.

At first, you paid him no mind, too consumed by your own despair to acknowledge anyone else's existence. But then, just as the ache in your chest threatened to overwhelm you completely, a notification on your phone pushed you over the edge. It was a message from your ex, a cruel reminder to pick up your things from his apartment.

With a choked sob, you buried your face in your hands, tears streaming down your cheeks to the thought. And then, as if sensing your despair, the older man's voice cut through the haze of your misery.

"Are you alright, love?" He asked, his words gentle and filled with genuine concern.

Startled, you lifted your head to look at him, your vision blurred by tears. His face came into focus, and you found yourself momentarily captivated by the sight of blue eyes, the ruggedness of his features softened by a hint of kindness. He extended a napkin towards you, a silent offering to wipe away your tears.

For a moment, you hesitated, unsure of whether to trust this stranger even with such an innocent gesture. But something in his demeanor, the warmth in his gaze, made you lower your defenses.

And so, with a shaky breath, you accepted, allowing the soft material to soak up whatever was left of your relationship.

As the night dragged on, the heaviness in your heart began to ease, replaced by a sense of relief as you found comfort in conversation with the stranger. He didn't speak much, but his attentive listening spoke volumes.

You found yourself pouring out your heart to him, recounting the details of your breakup, the betrayal, the lies, the countless nights spent crying yourself to sleep, wondering what you had done to deserve such treatment.

Were you ruining his night out? Was he growing tired of your rambling? Was he secretly wishing for an escape from your company?

Your overthinking vanished every time you looked into his eyes, finding nothing but genuine interest and compassion staring back at you.

The hours slipped away and the pub grew quieter, you realized that this stranger had become more than just a sympathetic ear. And though you couldn't quite put it into words, you knew that his presence had brought you a sense of peace that you hadn't felt in a long time.

As the night progressed, you learned that he was a military man, a Captain stationed at a base just twenty minutes away. His hesitance to get into the specifics of his job only added to the air of mystery surrounding him but you respected his boundaries, content to learn other parts of his personality. It wasn't like you'd understand much of the military life anyway.

In between sips of beer, you discovered common ground in unexpected places. He spoke passionately about his love for football, declaring his support to Liverpool with pride and that sparked playful banter between the two of you, given your loyalty to Manchester United. And then there was his love for 70s rock music, a good old Sunday roast and his German Shepherd named Bucky.

Everything he uttered seemed to captivate you. But it wasn't just his words that kept you staring in awe. It was the way he carried himself, the undeniable aura of strength and confidence that followed him.

His strong, masculine features were impossible to ignore. The full beard that hugged his face and trailed down to his neck, the small charming beauty mark on his nose, his ocean blue shaded eyes.. There was no force im the world that could tear your gaze away from him.

Despite being seated, he seemed to tower over most in the room, his tall frame accentuated by his broad shoulders and defined physique with thighs barely fitting under the table.

Each time your eyes met, you felt a rush of excitement, a flutter in your chest that you couldn't quite explain.

He definitely noticed, there was no doubt about it. You caught him watching you, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips but he never made a point of it. It was as if he welcomed your attention, basking in the way you were taking him in yet never crossing the line between polite conversation and flirting.

Around two after midnight, the pub began to empty out, leaving only you and the interesting stranger as the sole costumers.

Stepping outside, the chill of the rain hit you both, shimmering under the moonlight as it landed on the darkened street below and he wasted no time in offering you his coat.

You protested but he insisted, draping it over your head as you both dashed towards your car. The rain poured down relentlessly, soaking him through and yet he seemed unaffected, almost as if he enjoyed the feeling of the water against his skin or perhaps in a way to make the night last a little bit longer.

As you turned the ignition, a sudden realization struck you. In the midst of the conversation, you had forgotten the most basic of exchanges. Names.

"Hey!" You called out over the drumming rain, "I never asked for your name."

"John Price." Came his simple reply, accompanied by a a small smile.

You reciprocated with your own name, something so simple suddenly feeling intimate, important. After saying your goodnights, you closed the door and began to drive away, the rain beginning to taper off.

But then, a nagging thought tugged at your brain. His coat still laid draped over your shoulders. Without giving it a second thought, you turned the car around and rolled down the window, calling out into the night.

"Hey, John! I still have your coat!"

He turned, his silhouette illuminated by the fading streetlights, and yelled back, "Bring it back here tomorrow, same time."

With a smile tugging at your lips, you nodded in agreement. That night, as you drifted off to sleep, the thoughts of your recent breakup seemed distant and insignificant. Instead, your mind was filled with the memory of the handsome Captain and the promise of tomorrow.

/////

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, your meetings with John at the pub became a tradition. Every Wednesday and Saturday, like clockwork, you would find yourselves drawn back to that familiar corner booth, where the outside world faded away and it was just the two of you, lost in conversation.

Your advances were subtle yet unmistakable, a brush of your hand against his, a playful flirtation laced with innuendo. And though John never shut you down, his demeanor remained restrained, as if he was holding himself back from crossing an invisible boundary.

He never pushed for more, never crossed the line into something deeper, leaving you to wonder if the attraction was one sided.

It was both frustrating and endearing at first, what had started as a playful game of cat and mouse had morphed into something deeper, more profound and the anticipation of seeing him, of sharing those precious hours together, became the highlight of your week.

You found yourself drawn to him in ways you couldn't fully comprehend. It was borderline obsessive how you tended to every detail, choosing the perfect outfit and spending hours grooming yourself to ensure you looked your best for him.

While his eyes traced the curves of your body with hunger, his hands always remained glued at his sides. Always a good conversation, a walk to your car and a goodnight to leave you awake at night, going through every scenario possible.

It was maddening, the way he welcomed your touches and flirtatious banter without ever making a move of his own.

Perhaps, if he was to turn you down outright, to reject your advances and put an end to the torture, it would be easier to accept. You could move on, content in the knowledge that you had tried and failed. But John never did that.

And so, that particular night, you swore, it would be different.

////

Another Saturday night unfolded and you found yourself once again nestled in the comfort of your favorite booth at the pub, opposite of John.

Dressed in figure hugging black dress that accentuated every curve, you couldn't help but feel confident and ready for what you were about to do. The neckline dipped low, offering a glimpse of your cleavage while the bold red lipstick painted your intentions clear for all to see.

Taking a moment to gather your courage, you lifted your glass to your lips, the sweet aroma of your fruity cocktail easing your nerves. After taking a sip, with a playful smile, you turned to John, nudging the glass towards him.

"Wanna try my drink?" You asked, your voice laced with a hint of playfulness.

You knew all too well that John was a man of simple tastes, his preference for whiskey never changing. Your intentions weren't supposed to change that, anyway.

John's gaze lingered on the glass for a few seconds and returned to yours, a small smile playing at his lips.

''I don't think I'm gonna enjoy drinking that one, love.'' He replied with a chuckle as he took another sip of his usual choice.

That was your moment.

With a coy smile, you took another sip from your cocktail, savoring the fruity sweetness that danced on your tongue and then, with a boldness you hadn't known you possessed, you placed your hand on John's thigh, the touch of your fingertips freezing him into place.

"You don't have to drink it to enjoy the taste." You replied, your words dripping with innuendo whilst you took in his unusually tensed reaction.

Without waiting for John's response, you leaned in, the anticipation coursing through your veins like wildfire.

Your heart pounded loudly against your chest as you pressed your lips against his, the taste of whiskey and strawberries mingling together the more you took his bottom lip between your own. There was a hesitance in the way your mouth moved, your tongue grazing his own as you awaited for him to deepen it.

Feeling the warmth of John's palms resting on your shoulders, you couldn't help but anticipate his next move, to reciprocate the kiss and finally make you his.

But to your surprise, instead of drawing you closer, John gently pushed you back, disconnecting your lips with a tender touch that almost felt like betrayal. His eyes remained closed, his expression unreadable as if he was still lingering on the taste of your kiss, contemplating what he was about to do next.

Feeling the weight of John's eyes piercing through you, you couldn't bring yourself to meet them, the sting of embarrassment and disappointment burning hot against your cheeks.

You felt exposed, vulnerable in a way you had never felt before. As his hands left your shoulders and came to rest on the table, you could sense the tension in the air, thick and suffocating.

And then, finally, his voice broke the silence, "Y/N, I can't." He said, his tone filled with a mixture of pity and regret.

"Even if I want-" He started to say, but then abruptly stopped, as if his own thoughts had betrayed him.

You wanted to scream, to cry out in frustration and anger, but all you could do was sit there, confused and curious to the thought of him finishing that sentence.

Summoning every ounce of courage you had, you took in a deep breath and with trembling hands, you finally raised your face to look at him.

All you managed, was a one word question coming out as a barely audible whisper, ''Why?''

His hesitation, his struggle to articulate his thoughts only grated against your nerves but you sat there patient, waiting for him to state a good enough reason that would match with his last sentence.

"You're so young and I-" John began but his words only added to your ticking bomb. His excuse felt like a slap in the face, and before he could finish, you cut him off, your voice dripping with disbelief.

"Young? Is that it?!" You exclaimed, the anger in your voice palpable. "I'm 25 for fuck's sake!"

In that moment, what he said, the implication of his excuse became painfully clear. It wasn't about age. It was about fear, about his own insecurities. But you refused to be dismissed so easily.

"Younger, then." He persisted, correcting himself, his tone tinged with frustration. "You should be out there flirting with guys your own age, not messed up middle-aged men that you meet at a shady pub."

How dare he, you thought, how dare he belittle your choices, your feelings like that?

Your eyes widened in disbelief at what he was saying, the anger bubbling up inside you threatening to boil over. How could he be so blind, so oblivious to the depth of your feelings?

"Guys my age, huh?!" You retorted sarcastically, raising the volume of your voice just enough to make him look back into your eyes.

But instead of backing down, John simply nodded to your question. And then, as if to salt to your wound, his eyes trailed around the pub, landing on two young guys ordering a drink at the bar.

"Someone like him, not me.'' His tone devoid of self-pity or insecurity.

It was as if he was protecting you, shielding you from the potential pain that could come from being with someone like him.

His words only added more fuel to your fire that was threatening to consume you whole and so you stood up from your seat, straightening your dress with a determined flick of your wrist. Every fiber of your being screamed with frustration, but you refused to let it win.

"You know what, maybe you are right." You said to John, your voice tinged with bitterness.

Trailing your gaze towards the blonde guy at the bar, who seemed more interested in his reflection on his front camera than anything else, you saw an opportunity.

With a calculated move, you turned back to John, his eyes awaiting your next move. With a forced smile, you continued, "Maybe I should take my chances with a younger guy."

Without another word, you turned on your heel, grabbing your purse and made your way towards the bar. As you approached the blonde guy, you could feel John's eyes boring into your back but you tried your hardest not to take a peak.

Instead you sat down next to the new stranger, who finally put his phone down and turned his attention towards you, giving you a warm smile before introducing himself with a simple, ''Hey.''

Glancing back at John for a brief moment, you noticed an unfamiliar look in his eyes. A mixture of possessiveness and jealousy that sent shivers down your spine.

With his jaw clenched and posture tense, John seemed poised to stand up. But you refused to let his sudden change dictate your actions and so maintaining the same fake smile as before, you turned back to the blonde guy.

"Hey, there." You replied, your tone light and casual as you greeted him back.

It was time for you to finally be the cat and it was only a matter of seconds before the mouse came running back to your claws.

[cherriesformatt]

collab of the year || matt sturniolo

matt x fem!reader

summary: matt invites you to meet some friends

warnings: none I think maybe a little suggestive

word count: 1,2k

a/n: hope you like this one

🍒

I was in my bed scrolling through twitter and all I had on my page was videos and pictures from Tara's party. Which Chris and Nick attended while me and Matt had a little gateway trip for our anniversary. They called him on FaceTime and that ended up in Tara's vlog. Everyone thinks it was hilarious including me. I also loved all of the memes with Matt going to bed while the party was happening.

When we came back boys told us about everyone and that they really had fun. I was really happy about that because they usually don't really go out that much. Especially not to parties.

I stopped scrolling when I felt arms around my body.

"Good morning" I heard Matt's raspy, morning voice.

I smiled when I felt little kisses on the back of my neck sending shivers down my body.

"Morning..." I said and turned around to face him.

I smiled when he opened his eyes.

"I am surprised it's like 9 and you're up" I laughed and fixed his hair from his eyes.

"Well...I have things to do" He said and smiled.

"Like what?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Like...you" He pulled me to himself even more and I was about to kiss him when I heard loud knocks on the door.

"Are you guys up? And dressed? Can I come in?" Chris said from the other side of the door and I looked at Matt and kissed his cheek and moved away a little.

"Yes... come in" I said and Matt growled and covered his head with a pillow.

Chris came into the room and looked at us.

"I have news!" He sat on the bed next to Matt.

"Me too, I actually hate you both right now" Matt said and threw the pillow from his face at Chris.

I rolled my eyes and sat up. I put my hair into the bun and looked at Chris.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Tara invited us for dinner to celebrate 1 mil, she wants us to meet Johnnie. Jake, Larray, Sam and Colby are going to be there too. Nick also said that they can come over here after dinner and we could hang out. y/n you will finally meet Tara!" Chris said.

I looked at him. Pure panic in my eyes. I need to clean up this place.

"Well... Then I should start to clean already" I said. That was kinda my thing. Cleaning when I am stressing out.

I spent half of my day cleaning the house, even if it was already pretty clean. Boys helped me a little, mostly Matt. Chris said he is going to clean his own room. Do I believe him? No.

"So should I like match the energy and go all black?" I asked Matt going through my clothes. I already did my make up and was standing in my underwear trying to find something I like.

"I already told you, wear whatever feels like good for you" He said looking at his PC.

"I hate men" I said dramatically and texted Nick to come downstairs.

He walked into the room and looked at me.

"Wow... I bet the other triplet does not get this view. All because I'm gay, how lucky..." He said sarcastically.

"I get more than that..." Matt blinked at him with a smirk on his face.

"Shut the fuck up, my room is above you, I fucking know" He said.

"What do I wear? Help me…He is useless" I looked at Nick pointing at Matt.

"Can't you wear that dress you bought last time we went thrift shopping? And the platform docs with it" He said and went to my jewelry box.

"Those are cool, wear this too" He put a chain and some small hoops on the dresser.

"Thank you Nick" I smiled at him and started to put the outfit together.

"See learn that for the next time" I told Matt when his brother left the room.

"Just to be sure... Did Chris saw you in your underwear?" He asked and I laughed. Can't believe he was still thinking about it.

"Probably? I don't know, who cares...Matt maybe I am just going to stay home" I said and sat on the bed.

"You literally need to stop overthinking that. You know that I also am not a fan of big groups but this people are really cool and chill. It's gonna be okay" He looked at me and smile.

"You look beautiful as always and everyone is going to love you" He stood up from his chair and came up to me.

He put both of his hands on my cheeks and gave me a quick kiss. I smiled and wrinkled my nose.

"Alright..alright.. you will ruin my make up Matthew" I took his hands of my face giving him one more quick kiss.

The dinner went great. They all were really nice. Me and Matt were the only couple there so sometimes they made little jokes about it. I felt very welcome even if I wasn't part of their world. I tried to stay out from the cameras usually. But I didn't want to be rude so when they were filming stories I was on it. I was kinda stressing about people talking shit about me.

When we came to our house and at first we talked and played games together. Then we decided to go to topgolf but before that they wanted to film some TikToks.

"You and Matt are literally a goal couple. He is just so sweet checking on you all the time. Look at him he is scared I'm going to eat you" Tara said to me and I laughed.

"Yes.. he is the best" I looked at Matt with a big smile.

"Do you wanna film TikTok with me? I love your outfit so much" She asked me and i said "fuck it if tara yummy asks you to make a TikTok with her you make a TikTok with her" in my head.

"Okay...I usually only post for my friends but if you want I'm in" I smiled.

We decided to use "Tara Yummy is a mindset" audio since we kinda match with our outfits. She was a real sweetheart and such a funny person. They all were.

"I am really glad you are having fun tonight" Matt said while we were driving to top golf. He put his hand on my knee and smiled.

"It's really fun I'm glad we are doing this. And that you guys are meeting more people" I said and looked at the back at his brothers.

"Girl your and Taras TikTok is so viral" Nick showed me and my eyes went big for the numbers.

"Fuck... that's crazy" I said and Chris laughed.

"Told you that you should start to film as well" He said.

"No thank you..I just couldn't say no to Tara" I laughed.

Topgolf was souper fun. I won with Matt for the first time since forever so I was so happy. Everyone had so much fun and we filmed a lot. Boys were teaching Tara how to play and she looked so cute with the club because she is just so small.

"Matt is sad because his girlfriend is better than him" Jake said while we were on our way to the cars.

"Poor Matty" Chris made a sad face.

I laughed at them and looked at Matt. He just shook his head.

"Well...he is a winner anyways, he has the hottest girl in town, I dare you to show her to the world Matt" Tara said and I blushed.

I BLUSHED. WTF

"Are you flirting with me?" I looked at her and she laughed.

I might have a new best friend.

[wileys-russo]

i saw this clip and i thought it would be a perfect reader x player (katie either dating or just friends) you can decide ofc https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJwaJ74L/ its so precious

start a family II k.mccabe

finishing your lap thanking the fans you made an immediate beeline to where you could see your family waiting for you on the sidelines.

growing up in a big household of six kids you adored how many of your siblings still made sure to come to as many of your national matches as they could.

today however only your best friend, mum and two of your sisters made the trip given the game wasn't actually in ireland, but you were still grateful for the flood of messages from the rest of your family and friends and never felt unsupported.

you also knew a large part of your fiances family had made the trip, and though they weren't seated with your family you'd all be going out for dinner and drinks tonight which you were sure would end up with at least half of you kicked out of whatever poor venue you all descended on.

greeting your family you rushed through their hugs, immediately scooping up your eight month old niece, cooing at her affectionately. bouncing her in your arms you spent some time chatting with them, waving to a few fans who called out your name as well as some of the girls loved ones who you knew quite well.

"can i go take her to see the girls?" you asked your older sister who nodded without an issues, knowing you'd never ever let any harm befall the bundle of blankets and chubby cheeks in your arms.

"it would be the one who gets in for free without a ticket that gets to go on the pitch!" your younger sister shook her head with a roll of her eyes as your best friend shoved her head playfully on your behalf, making you grin as they messed about.

turning away you kissed your neices forehead and made your way over to where a few of your team mates and friends were gathered in the middle of the field. your fiance spotted you the moment you turned around, sprinting over with a beaming smile on her face.

"well hello little darlin." katie cooed, hugging you from behind as the two of you pulled faces at the newborn in your arms. "she laughed at me!" katie cheered as the girl let out a few giggles. "dream on baby, that was at me!" you argued with a shake of your head.

"no it was at her auntie katie, her favourite auntie!" katie quickly scooped the baby from your grasp, holding her up and pulling faces as again your neice giggled making your fiance send you a smug smile, resting the baby on her hip.

you couldn't even find it in yourself to be mad at her, the sight of her with a baby in her arms sending your hormones into a spin as you imagined how good a ma she would be to your own kids.

"i know that look too well gorgeous." katie smiled knowingly as she swaddled your neice back up in the bright green ireland blanket in your arms, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"soon." katies hand came to rest on your cheek, bending down to sweetly kiss your lips, mumbling about how she couldn't wait to start a family with you.

the two of you had been together about four years now and knew this was the next step, you were engaged and had been for around six months now but had both decided you'd rather invest in a family than a big flashy wedding. you'd already been to a few appointments and you were due for your first round of IVF next month.

you hadn't yet told anyone, it was your own little secret joy and as much as you were incredibly nervous for a potential failure, the thought of being pregnant and soon enough holding your own baby in your arms drowned that out.

"hey, get the hell out of that pretty little head of yours." katie recognized you were beginning to overthink, flicking your ear playfully before stealing a kiss as your sister called out your name gesturing for you to return to them.

"oi your bum looks great in those shorts!" your fiance yelled after you with a wolf whistle as you sent her a wink over your shoulder making her cheeky grin widen.

you couldn't wait to start a family with her.

[adore-laur]

Dadrry idea: since Harry left his position of head chef and there’s a second baby now, maybe they’re struggling a tiny bit with money. Not too much but things are a little stressful and they have to cancel a holiday maybe? Or one of the girls just doesn’t get a toy she wants or something? And they have to explain it to the child just while Harry picks up a few more shifts

——

Harry handled the finances and was highly aware of each transaction made in the family. With two kids, you both had to be quite frugal, especially since Harry was working fewer hours at the restaurant and you were a stay-at-home mom. While there was never an issue of not having enough money to pay the bills and provide your children with life’s necessities, the prospect of running out still haunted your mind. It was possible that an unforeseeable emergency could snatch a hefty chunk of money away. Additionally, there were other boring adult charges like mortgages, taxes, and monthly subscriptions that all left a bigger deduction with each year that passed.

Then there was the summer trip to Italy happening in two months. The plane tickets had already been bought and gifted for Christmas, and the villa was booked in advance. It was expensive, but the other option of staying in a cramped hotel room for a week was undesirable in all regards. The space and privacy were crucial for your sanity.

Italy was not a cheap travel destination per se. There would be money spent every day on transportation, dining, tourist traps, and whatever else sucked you in with its magnificent European beauty. Indulging in extravagance would be tempting, but if you planned and budgeted ahead of time, maybe the financial repercussions of the trip wouldn't be so deplorable. Your wishful thinking was blatantly deceptive.

After putting the kids to bed, you sat at the kitchen table under the dim chandelier and waited for Harry to finish unloading the dishwasher. His silent presence was comfortable as you pondered the logistics of the upcoming trip. Well, pondered was putting it lightly—you were brooding.

"I can hear you thinking," Harry said, setting the last bowl in the cupboard to his left. He washed and dried his hands, then walked over to you with his cotton pajama pants slung low on his hips. His bare torso was at your eye level, and you fought the urge to bury your face in the warm, chiseled skin there.

"My head is going to explode," you muttered, feeling an imminent migraine pulsing near your temples.

He fell into the chair beside you, exhausted from an eventful Saturday filled with dad duties, and scooted it closer to you. "Why, baby?" he asked, his palms scrubbing down his face as he yawned.

"I'm overthinking everything."

Placing his elbow on the table, he cradled his cheek in his palm and gave you his full focus. "Break it down for me."

"There's mainly one thing." You huffed, deciding to broach the topic before it got swept under the rug. "The Italy trip. Prices are going up, and I'm worried we won't be able to afford going anymore."

Harry's expression was the epitome of flummoxed. "Wait, what? Where is this coming from?"

"You're not working full-time," you explained, "and I'm not raking in any income. I mean, will we be able to financially recover from the trip? What if—"

"Hold on, hold on," he said softly, his eyes pinching shut. "Can I interrupt, please?"

You half-heartedly waved your hand in his general direction, in desperate need of his sensible guidance. "Be my guest."

"Let's backtrack for a second. Honey, why do you think we won't be able to afford it? The biggest costs are already out of the way."

"I just told you why. Think about it, Harry." You tapped the table to emphasize each point. "A meal for four people will probably cost over a hundred dollars. That includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so if we multiply that by the seven days we're there, it's going to be well over a thousand dollars."

"Okay," he said. He didn't seem to have anything to add after that, so you continued.

"Then there's transportation." You groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "We still have to decide if we're renting a car. If not, we'll have to pay for a bus, or a train, or a taxi. That's going to add up very quickly."

"Mm-hmm." Harry had a dopey look on his face, a hint of a smile tugging the corners of his lips up. Whatever. You were being realistic, and he was in a dreamland where money grew on trees.

You carried on, getting tangled in the vines of your brain's dense jungle. "And then what about all the sightseeing and activities? That's the most expensive aspect." You shrugged helplessly. "I was recently searching for free things to do in Tuscany. I guess there are a lot of buildings we can look at, but I don't know if the kids would enjoy it."

Harry nodded along. When he realized you were done with your long-winded explanation, he lifted his eyebrows and said, "It's a good thing we can spoil them with the raise I got yesterday."

"And also—what?" You stopped abruptly, catching your breath. Did he just...?

Harry stood and bent down to kiss your forehead in that sweet way of his—gentle and imploring, like he wanted to caress your brain and will it to calm down. "I got a raise yesterday," he repeated nonchalantly, nuzzling his nose into your hair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" you demanded, lightly smacking his shoulder.

"I'm telling you right now. I wanted to wait until we had a moment to ourselves." He crouched in front of you, holding your knees just like he'd done when you told him you were pregnant for the second time. The memory was so vivid that it almost left you stunned with emotion. "Five percent pay raise. We're going to be just fine." His simple smile was remedial. "We are not canceling this trip."

You exhaled, releasing all of your worries into the air, the pounding in your temples dissipating. "Why didn't you stop me from rambling on?"

"Because it's healthy to speak those types of thoughts aloud instead of letting them simmer," Harry replied like the perfect husband he was.

You cupped his cheeks and kissed him deeply, pouring all of your love and gratitude into it. "I'm so proud of you," you whispered against his mouth. He savored your words by humming and sliding his tongue across yours for a brief second. "I appreciate the hard work you put into making our little family happy. And thank you for making this vacation possible."

"Wanted to spoil my girls," Harry murmured, craning his neck to kiss you more. His wet lips pulled at yours, greedy for their pliancy.

"Are you going to pick up more hours at the restaurant?" you asked in between the sounds of lip-smacking and heavy breathing. Something about him at night, in the dimly lit kitchen, with you as his sole focus, was igniting that secret fuse only he could play with.

"Shhh..." His fingers dug into your waist as he lifted you off the chair. Your legs and arms wrapped around him, warmth flooding right under your skin like wildfire. "No more work talk. I want some alone time with my wife before a hungry baby wakes us up."

You giggled and bit his bottom lip in excitement before he carried you to the bedroom.

Miraculously, your six-month-old gave the both of you forty minutes of uninterrupted time to roll around in the sheets.

When you went to sleep later that night, visions of Tuscany's hillside vineyards and swimming in the vast sea erased your concerns. As did the unequivocal vision of the man beside you making precious memories with his babies.

With Harry, there was no need to sweat the small stuff. His eyes were set on the most important thing—family.

——

[loveshotzz]

All I Really Want Is You

older!neighbor!widower! steve x fem!reader chap three/ten - a slow burn series of blurbs - updated every wednesday

Mr. Fix It

summary: when your kitchen sink breaks, you ask your new ‘friend’ for help.

wc: 2.8k

warnings: 18+ series for future chapters. lots of pining, and steve opens up a little about his past.

authors note: this chapter was a struggle for me, lots of overthinking and rewriting. I hope you guys like it though 💗

🌇 chapter one | chapter two -> chapter four

Series Masterlist/Playlist/The tune:

Early June - A Thursday

Your first week as a waitress at The Whale was a whirlwind, long hours on your feet leaving you exhausted every time you climbed your staircase each night. Dishes and laundry piling up around your apartment, so when you finally have a day off it is dedicated to playing catch up. The smell of coffee fills your apartment as you stretch looking out your living room window. New curtains ready to be hung leaning against the wall.

His car is gone, the normal work day in full swing for most of the city. You haven’t seen him since that night in the alley, your schedules seeming completely opposite now. Part of you hopes maybe today you’ll at least catch a glimpse of your new friend and his cute dog.  

Most of the day is spent going up and down your stairs to the shared laundry room in the basement of the building. In between loads is filled with distractions of things to do in your room and whatever you left playing on your TV. Your eyes actively avoid the dishes that have piled in your sink while you actually fold your laundry. It is only when you don’t have any more excuses that you finally drag your pink fuzzy slipper covered feet over to the one chore you’ve been dreading all day.

“I gotta get better at washing as I use,” you grumble like every other time you find yourself here.

You only get two plates and a bowl deep when the sink starts to clog, groaning annoyedly you flip the switch of the disposal only to be met with the sound of metal grinding against metal. A smell resembling burning plastic hits your nose and you’re quick to flip it off, the water still refusing to drain. Slamming down on the faucet handle, you wait a couple of minutes before daring to reach in to see if a piece of silverware got stuck in there. When your fingertips meet nothing but warm water, panic starts to set in. 

You flip the switch one more time out of curiosity, and the same unbearable sound drowns out your TV. You huff turning it off, hands finding your hips as you look around for a solution you know you aren’t going to find without calling someone. Bandit’s bark catches your ears, and you hate that all your frustrations seem to disappear at the thought of seeing him.

You pad over to your window, eyes going big and head dropping at the sight that’s waiting for you.

Of fucking course.

It’s obvious he barely got home from work by the black slacks that still cover his long legs, but the dress shirt is missing. Instead the white tank top he wears underneath is all that’s there. Tucked in so it fits tight across his torso, his dark chest hair peeks out the top with a silver chain shining against his bronzed skin. His forearms flex tugging on the tennis ball trapped in Bandit’s tight grip, his sock and slide covered feet plant on the ground for added balance. The smile on his face you swear is brighter than the sun that isn’t hidden by any clouds today and you didn’t realize how much you missed it. 

It’s somehow even hotter than it looked outside, and you immediately regret not changing out of your warm slippers, but he’s already spotted you with an offering of a friendly wave with his big hand. He gets the ball away from Bandit, losing his footing surprised, shock painting his features before the dog starts jumping on him. Steve raises it over his head, keeping Bandit too distracted to see you at the gate that he’s signaling for you to let yourself in from. 

Your hand shakes a little when you unhook the latch, nerves from never being at his house before and not seeing him for the past week try to get the best of you. He smiles when he looks at you from over the rim of his sunglasses letting Bandit win finally but it’s too late for toys when he spots you. Bounding over with big paws, Bandit wastes no time jumping on you, making you stumble back a little before catching him in your arms.

“Bandit! Come on, don’t knock her down,” Steve scolds, but those pretty giggles that he loves so much come out when his dog starts licking your cheek and it tells him all he needs to know.

“Hi buddy, I missed you too.” You grin, your animal voice coming out only a little when you feel Steve’s stare fixated on you.

Bandit wags his tail jumping down satisfied before grabbing his ball again bringing it back to you to continue the game you interrupted.

“Hey tough girl.” Steve smirks shoving his hands in his pockets watching you accept his dog’s invitation. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

You play with Bandit’s ears to try and distract him as you do your best to get the rubber ball out of his iron tight bite, completely losing focus on why you came over here in the first place when you succeed and throw it towards their front door.

“Oh my god, my sink!” You gasp, your hand covering your embarrassed grin.

Steve’s eyes widen, his eye brows marrying together in the middle with concern. 

“Is it flooding?!” He asks incredulously as Bandit trots back over carefree. 

“No, not flooding.” You assure him going back in for the toy, and you can tell your nonchalance is getting to him. “My disposal is making sounds and it smells like plastic burning every time I run it, so the water won’t drain.” You get the ball away from Bandit cause he lets you, only continuing your explanation after you throw it again. 

“I was hoping my good friend and neighbor could come check it out?” You try to lighten the mood with a smile but the concern never leaves his face, the pink that dusts his cheeks tells you he’s not unaffected by your ‘charms’ though.

“It’s probably something stuck in the pipes, let me get some tools and I'll come back with you.” He speaks like he’s sure he knows that’s it, snapping his fingers at Bandit to get him to wrap it up.

“Are you sure? I’m not interrupting anything tonight?” You hope he doesn’t pick up on the hidden ulterior motives in your question, but the smirk he gives you tells you he does.

“No honey, I’m all yours.”

It’s strange having him in your apartment again, and god you wish he had put on a real shirt when he got his tool box. The tops of his shoulders are covered in even more freckles, the tint of redness from the sun becoming obvious in your harsh kitchen light. The muscles in his arms twitch in the cold air of your AC that works harder with the heat of two bodies in your small space. 

His gaze falls on your full sink and you immediately regret going to get his help. Silently cursing your hormones for getting the best of you. 

“Sorry, obviously I was trying to do them. It’s been a long week, I started a new job serving and-“ embarrassment makes blood rush to your cheeks as you go to move past him in an attempt to clean some of it up.

“Hey, you’re fine.” He grabs your arm before you can make it, long fingers wrapping around you in a firm grip but still soft enough for you to pull away if you really wanted to. “I’m not judging you.”

His lips tug into a warm smile when you don’t try and break away, the gold specs in his eyes lighting up while his thumb brushes against your heated skin in a soothing motion. It only grows wider watching how your shoulders give in to his whims with a slump.

“Just know I was about to do them!” You argue weakly with a point of your finger and he just nods, the corners of his mouth twitching in an effort not to laugh at your distress. 

“How else would you know your sink is broken?” His voice wavers when he tries to play along with a straight face, but it becomes impossible when he catches the roll of your eyes. You do that a lot to him. He likes it.

“Better watch yourself Steve,” you warn with a grin wrapped around your words that hold no real threat, but it’s hard to fight it when he still hasn’t let you go. 

He’s closer now, and you notice his five o’clock shadow is as dark as it was the first day you met. Salt and pepper covering his sharp jaw. The faded fresh scent of his deodorant mixes with the spice of his cologne, and the sweat that kissed his skin outside. You want to bury your face in his shirt and inhale.

“You shouldn’t threaten the guy that’s here to fix your sink honey. That’s not very smart,” he tsks looking down the edge of his nose at you with squinted eyes, “you’re lucky I’m so nice.” 

You immediately feel the loss when he drops your arm and if it wasn’t for the wink that followed, you would have missed it more.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” you tease trying to play off how flustered you are but the slight shake in your voice doesn’t go unnoticed, confidence smoldering in his stare before his teeth come out in a blinding smile.

“Let me go take a look, see what I can do. Your dishes aren’t offending me, I promise.” He does his best to ease the last bit of self consciousness still hanging onto the way you look over at the small mess before walking away with tools clanking in the metal box loudly behind him.

It had been almost an hour with him like this.

He’s on his back, long legs extending over the small space of your kitchen tile. Slides kicked to the side, white sock covered feet wiggling with his movements under your sink. The top of him is hidden, the tank top that was tucked in now loose and pulling up, giving you the hint of his happy trail. You try not to stare at the way the muscles in his arm harden with each twist of his wrist, or the grunts that leave him every now and then.

You find out he works in marketing for The Cubs and used to play baseball himself in high school, laughing when you confess how much you don’t like sports. He promises to take you to a game sometime saying he knows you’ll have fun and you try not to think too much into it. He knows you're rolling your eyes again when you answer “sure” with a smile in your voice. He lets you complain about your first week as a server, surprising you when he asks questions because he’s actually listening.

Metal clanks loudly, cutting you off and drowning out the playlist you chose to fill any empty gaps in conversation that never seemed to happen. An “I’m fine” coming out from under the sink just a little too even to really sound ‘fine’.

There’s a beat before you see him reach for the pliers at his hip, readjusting like he’s set his sights on the culprit.

“Wait, I don’t think you ever told me - hmmpf - what - come on - restaurant you work at?” He readjusts again.

“The Whale,” you give him an answer, hypnotized by his ability to multitask like this.

“Oh, my wife loved that place.” He says it casually like he didn’t just drop a Hiroshima sized bomb on you, or maybe he does and that's why he chose to do it hidden from sight. 

You're thankful he can’t see the way your jaw drops, or the disappointment that fills your eyes. There’s a beat of silence before you answer, trying to hide the shock in your voice.

“Wife? I didn’t know Bandit had a Mom.” You look up at the ceiling, mouthing the work ‘fuck’ into the void.

There’s another clank of metal followed by a ‘there you are.’

“Erm - I mean - umm, technically I got Bandit after - I didn’t want to use ex wife, I just don’t know the proper term to say I’ve been widowed for five years.”  He grunts one more time before he starts shimming out. “I do think I found the source of your clog though.”

Your favorite stray clings to his forehead when you get to see his face again, a pleased smile pushing his cheeks up despite the new information he just told you as he holds the ring you thought you lost during the move.

“My ring!” You gasp, jumping off your couch, the opal stone catching in the setting sunlight. 

“Clearly, you do, do your dishes.” He wiggles his eyebrows at you laughing when you shove his shoulder lightly snatching your jewelry back.

“You’re hilarious Steve.” The tightness that had formed in your chest relaxes, his smile becoming contagious.

He likes the way you say his name and the way your lips twist up every time you do. It’s sweet enough to ease the guilt that he’s fought with since the day he met you.

“I know,” he huffs as he pushes himself up, reminding you how broad he is when he’s back on his feet. “You should’ve seen my speech at the Legends of the Ball gala last year.”

He gets that eye roll he didn’t get to see earlier, and god he doesn’t want to leave yet but when you slip the ring onto that finger he knows it’s time to go. For now.

He clears his throat before turning around to test his work. Flipping the switch, the sound it’s supposed to make returns, the water in the sink draining quickly.

“Annnd, all back to normal.” His grin is proud when he turns it off. “‘Now, let me clean my mess up and I’ll get out of your hair.” Mirroring his own words he finally pushes his back and you see the dusty pink that covers his ears when he slips his feet back into his slides.

“I feel like I can’t let you leave without offering you a drink or something?” You know all you have in the fridge is some rosé you got on sale at Aldi, but you needed a reason for him to stay.

“How about this, you can bring me back some of those fish tacos one night this week and we’ll call it even.”  He can’t look at you when he suggests it, hoping his ploy to see you again wasn’t obvious while he busies himself with putting all his tools away.

“I think that’s more than doable, I need to thank you for finding my favorite ring too, maybe you should pick a dessert while we’re at it.” You bite your bottom lip when his eyes meet yours with a lopsided grin.

“I’m a big fan of cannoli’s.” He snaps the clasps of his tool box closed before doing a once over to make sure he didn’t leave anything behind. Not that, that would be a bad thing if he did, you’d have to bring it back to him. 

“Consider it done. Seriously, thank you Steve.” All your teasing from before is gone, making his  face soften at your sincerity and he wants to tell you that’s enough for him.

“Anytime, that’s what neighbors are for right? It’s always just me and Bandit anyway. It’s nice to feel useful again.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, like he wouldn’t help you with anything you asked of him despite how he hardly knows you.

You walk him to your door where you both stand on either side of the threshold, toe to toe. Neither one of you is sure of the proper way to say goodbye.

“Give Bandit an extra treat from me for letting me steal his Dad for a few hours.” You break the ice leaning against the door frame, crossing your arms making the decision easy.

“I’ll be sure to tell him it’s from you.” Steve’s eyes gleam from the evident admiration you have for his dog. 

“You better.” The threat is empty, the smile on your face to prove it. 

“Have a good night honey. I’m always just next door if you need anything else.” He loiters a little bit unsure of himself before finally turning to make his way down the stairs.

“I’ll try not to lose any more jewelry down the drains!” You call after him, relishing in the laugh it gets you that echoes down the narrow hallway. 

You wait till he’s out of your sight before you shut your front door. Your mind racing with everything you’d learned about him tonight, sleep was going to be impossible. 

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beta’d by @superblysubpar & @newlips 💗

dividers by @newlips 💗

chapter four

[ilypaigebuckets]

kate martin x competitive swimmer reader por favorrrrrrr

Someone Who Isn’t Me - K.M.

u cannot tell me i didn’t eat with the title right there it’s literally swim i feel like a genius. literally wrote half of this and went to finish it and i guess i forgot to save it bc it was all gone :(

pairing: reader x kate martin

plot: kate has a game the same day as your swim meet and can’t make it to watch you, which makes her feel like you need someone else who can make more time for you.

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

you had woken up at 7 am sharp and had starting to get ready for your swim meet that afternoon. you were doing the 100 free and were pretty nervous for it. you tried to calm your nerves by playing some music and taking your time to get ready. you heard a ping on your phone and ignored it, trying to stay in the zone. you heard a second ping a while later and decided to see who was texting you. you looked down and smiled as you recognized the notification to be your girlfriend.

k ❤️

sent an image.

I’m so sad lovely 😔😭

you quickly typed in your password to see what the image was. turns out, it was an email from her coach to her team saying that her game’s start time would be postponed for 2 hours later.

y/n

awe :( i’ll miss you teddy bear

good luck at your game i love you!

you were going to miss kate and kate was going to miss you. it was hard when the two of you couldn’t make it to each others games and events. you knew it would be especially hard on kate, she had a tendency to overthink and think the worst of herself when she couldn’t show up for you.

on the court, kate was a mess. “kate!” her coach called to her, “whatever’s going on with you, i need it to stop. you need to focus on what’s on the court, you’re our glue.” kate nodded, absentmindedly and ran back to the court. in the end, iowa ended up losing 56-67. kate walked back to the locker room defeated. ‘great’ she thought ‘another reason this is the shittiest day ever.’

she got back to her apartment and saw you’d texted her again.

My love 💕

hi kate kat!! how was your game? do you wanna come over :)

kate smiled faintly at your message. you were so positive, even when plans didn’t turn out the way you two had expected.

Kate

i love you so much i’ll be over in 10 🤗🥰😘❤️

kate grabbed her backpack and packed some clothes and her toothbrush into it, she figured she’d spend the night at your place. you two had a tendency to have sleepovers a few times a week and she didn’t want to be alone tonight after this tough loss.

about 8 minutes later, you heard a knock at your door. you opened it and there you saw her. your beautiful girl standing there with a pout on her face. you grabbed her bag from her and stood on your toes so you could reach up to kiss her nose. you grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch.

“i missed you today baby!” you said to her as you sat down on the couch next to you. she groaned and pulled you onto her lap, wanting to be closer to you after a day apart.

“you aren’t close enough!!” kate whined as she hugged your body close to hers. “i was having such a hard day already and not seeing you just ruined it. i was starting to think that.. i don’t know maybe you need someone who can be there, who can show up for you. i feel terrible. god.” she buried her head into the crevice of your neck and inhaled your scent. “god y/n i was thinking maybe you need someone who isn’t me. but now i’m here and i can’t imagine not having you. we lost and i should be so upset about it, and i was, but it’s like now i’m with you and none of it matters anymore.”

you simply giggled and kissed kate soundly on her pink lips, tasting her chapstick as you did so. kate started to perk up and smiled too. her spirit seemed to brighten the more time she spent with you. she put her hands on your shoulders, shaking you, “how do you make me so happy, y/n? hm? how do you do that? tell me your secrets!”

in that moment you wanted to cry. you loved how you and kate could overcome seemingly anything, not letting a bad day come between you guys. “i hate seeing you upset, kate. you’re my person. i wish i could be around you all the time.”

[lowkeyrobin]

can you do a gally x reader where its like a lovers to enemies to lovers??? thanksss 🫶

thank you for requesting!! I hope you enjoyed bc this genuinley rotted my brain bc I spent way too much time overthinking it 💀💀 ; HOLY SHIT POST WRITING ROBIN HERE.... uh I didn't see the first lovers bit I am so sorry 💀 I actually apologize bc idk how to fix it now LMFAO ; also ending is rlly dumb but jsjskdndns ; send tmr requests please 🙏🙏🙏

GALLY ; i don't want to be your enemy anymore

summary ; a little enemies to lovers trope with Gally because why not

warnings ; language, guns, knives, WCKD stuff

word count ; 1.6k

masterlist

Being stuck in that peaceful, dystopian Hell with Gally for three years was enough to make you rethink every single life choice that could've probably led you there, which wasn't much considering most of your memory had been erased. But, after escaping the maze, WCKD, fighting against Mother Nature in the Scorch and the Cranks, making it to the Right Arm, raiding a WCKD train, and a no-plan-plan to storm the Last City, you never thought you'd see Gally again, for better or for worse.

You two had never gotten along whatsoever, prior to, or post Thomas entering the Glade.

Gally would always do anything and everything just to piss you off. From the frequent physical fights to dehumanizing and undermining you for whatever reason, it never stopped. You were truly enemies, always out to get each other back or glare at each other from across the entire Glade.

He thought it was dumb for you to be awarded the graciousness of being a Runner, for whatever reason. Builders didn't have a lot going up in the membrane and he just proved it, constantly. But, sometimes you'd do the same, you weren't any better than him, just short-tempered, you supposed.

All those wasted nights sleeping in the Slammer over fighting, all the alcohol wasted due to throwing it all over each other. You both had a fire burning in your hearts to just kill each other, but in a way, it was fun. It was fun to piss each other off and get a reaction, and to just yell and scream your emotions out at each other. Toxic enemies, perhaps.

Minho though, good Lord. He always had to tease you, his fellow peer, about it.

"Oh, you're so in love with Gally" and "You look at each other with hearts in your eyes." You couldn't go a day without him bringing it up at least twice.

But now, you were trying to get Minho back from WCKD, and that's all that mattered. What did matter was that Gally was fucking alive.

Of fucking course, just your luck.

How he wasn't dead was beyond you, considering you watched Minho impale him with a spear.

You thought for a moment he was working for WCKD, considering he killed a small child last time you saw him, and he and his buddies basically kidnapped you and your friends. But, he took you guys back to some Rebellion setup hideout just outside the city, considering you couldn't get into the walls, now knowing there were microchips in your necks tracking your every move.

You stuck back while Thomas spoke to Lawrence, the guy in charge, turned half-Crank. You didn't want to be anywhere near Gally while he took Thomas down, so you stuck with the others, silently looking for reassurance in each other.

༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚

The sun sets rather quickly, and you, Newt, and Thomas join Gally into sneaking into the city through a train tunnel. That in itself was its own thing. You don't even know why you agreed to come with them, considering you were being led by Gally, but, alright then.

He takes you three on a little tour of the city, showing you all the bright lights and the building that towered over the rest, WCKD's headquarters.

You're perched on a balcony, looking over at the building from afar. A telescope rests on the ledge of the wall, Thomas looking through it. Gally stands on his left, and then Newt and you on the right.

Newt looks over at you, sensing your discomfort from a mile away. "You okay?"

You nod, arms crossed as you look out into the city.

Thomas looks up and over at you two, telling you to look through the telescope to look into the windows of the building. Apparently, he'd seen something of interest. The blonde steps forward, looking through the lens as Thomas stands next to him.

Gally looks to you, a weird kind of look in his eyes. You shrug, silently asking what he wanted. He mouths a little message that he'll talk later, probably wanting to get back before doing so.

After returning, you find your way onto the rooftop, needing some alone time. You'd forgotten about Gally looking at you entirely, needing to clear your head over seeing him again and being shot at as per usual earlier. The fact WCKD was able to track you was what had you slightly scared. I mean, what if they were able to see you right now, trying to take a breath all alone on the rooftop?

You don't hear Gally sneaking up on you, but when the footsteps become closer and closer, you quickly turn your head back to see him a few feet away. He apologizes for running up on you, seeing the way you quickly turned around in defense mode like you were scared or something.

"I just came out here to talk, about earlier" He explains, sitting down next to you, although making sure to leave some room between the two of you.

"What's to talk about?" You ask, looking up over the walls of the city in front of you.

"I dunno, to apologize, and try to make amends, I guess" He answers with a little snark, "I'm not asking for forgiveness, but if we're gonna work together, I'm not acting like your enemy anymore, okay?"

You take a second to actually look at him, noticing his freshly buzzed hair and his desperately needed growth spurt, mentally and physically. You slowly nod and turn away, looking back up at the walls ahead.

He exhales through his nose, a little frustrated. He wanted an actual truce, knowing you. "Y/n, I'm serious. I'm not bullshitting, I don't wanna be that stupid kid a year ago that had fun fighting and making fun of you, I want to work on the same team. I don't wanna be best friends, but I don't wanna be your enemy either"

You bite the inside of your cheek, trying to conjure up a response.

"Yeah, fine"

"...Cool"

"Initiate phase four"

You and Gally await as Newt rounds up all the kids, keeping a close eye on Thomas forcing Teresa to give them intel and directions. Thankfully, she was halfway on your side.

Newt and Thomas send you two off with the children, all under the age of thirteen or so, directing them down to the bottom level of the parking garage where Brenda awaits. You're dressed in the slightly uncomfortable WCKD guard suits, you in the red variation like Newt, Gally in the grey like Thomas.

Once they were safe on the bus with Brenda, the two of you quickly scurried away to get lost in the crowds and hopefully meet back up with Newt and Thomas soon. You make sure your gun has the safety on while in your belt, deciding to work with handguns tonight, while he decides to go for the more bulky, electrical type of gun this night.

Somehow, Gally with a gun was kind of hot, but you'd never admit it aloud.

You power walk down the streets, making and pushing your ways through the crowds, fake patrolling the bottom layer of the WCKD tower, awaiting a message from Thomas. He tries to strike up some small talk as you also await Lawrence to bring the corporation down, since the Rebellion would never be stopped by just a few seventeen and eighteen year olds plus their forty year old father figure friend. Another plus, to properly destroy WCKD wasn't a bad idea, so the idea commenced with a very certain plan.

"Y'know, I didn't expect to see you again, like, if I ever saw you guys again. Not in a rude "I thought you would've died" way, but I didn't take you as one to try and take down the government and shit. You're a tough shank though, I'll give you that, " He speaks, speaking calmly, trying to give you that reassurance once more that he genuinely wasn't trying to start anything.

You nod, "Never thought I'd see you again either, but it's kind of relieving, to be honest. You changed in a good way. A really good way." You lightly smile, giving him a little shoulder nudge. "And don't worry about the past, it doesn't matter anymore, I couldn't care. Just... got a little scary seeing you again I guess" You shrug.

He nods. "Yeah, it's fine. Uhm... fuck, sorry" He says, trying to find the right words, "I'm not saying this like, to try and weird you out or distract you but I feel like to not hate each other anymore, we need to be open-"

"I like you too, if that's what you're getting at." You shrug, stopping in your tracks as he does. "If not, then sorry, kinda jumped to conclusions." You awkwardly chuckle, double checking your safety again.

He nods, "Cool. We'll talk about this later then?"

"Why not now? Under the soon to be burning building?" You joke with a light laugh.

"I missed that laugh" He mumbles

"Hey, hey, calm down now" You chuckle, shoving his shoulder, "We have a mission, here. We're children at war, Gally"

"The mission can wait a moment" He suggests, giving you a look, awaiting approval.

You dramatically roll your eyes with a smile, accepting his move before quickly pulling him in for a little kiss. You dragged him by the strap of his WCKD vest, almost making him fall on his knees for you.

"Now come on, we gotta go find some people to get in formation with and get to Newt and Thomas" You nod sideways, pulling your mask back up.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go"

[wing-ed-thing]

Best Friend Headcanons with Izuku Midoriya

Tags: No Reader Pronouns, Classmate!Reader, Interpersonal Conflict

𓆃 Overall a solid friend who's gentle, considerate, and supportive of anything you could ever set your mind to, but your friendship will require a lot of work if it's reaching anything past surface level.

𓆃 Because, make no mistake, Izuku is a very good friend, but your relationship will either always be surface level or he'll become one of your very best friends for your lifetime.

𓆃 It's very easy to befriend Izuku in the first place. It takes less than one meaningful interaction to put you on his radar, and especially in group settings, time spent together doing activities is enough to naturally draw you close.

𓆃 Even if you weren't necessarily Izuku's friend in the first place, if Iida invites you both to his place for studying one week and Ochako invites everyone out to BBQ the next week, you're basically friends by proxy.

𓆃 Because Izuku doesn't care too much about the barrier between classmate/acquaintance and being friends. He'll most definitely care if you care, but that certainly doesn't stop him from awkwardly raving about your quirk or costume or other notable trait that's unique to you.

𓆃 Social anxiety be damned; he's curious!

𓆃 It also doesn't hurt that he's extremely easy to match energies with.

𓆃 And that's one of the most endearing parts of having Izuku as a friend, especially if you also have niche hobbies or special interests. Izuku is always eager to learn and spend meaningful social time.

𓆃 The hour doesn't matter; Izuku is always down to sit for any length of time in the common area at odd hours to chat or just share space.

𓆃 He's also surprisingly down for most anything short of criminal activity or rule breaking. Although, it does take some convincing.

𓆃 You and the rest of your friend group will want to grab fast food at an odd hour and it takes at least a half hour of warming Izuku up to the idea and talk him out of sticking too strictly to his sleep routine.

𓆃 The key is that you have to drop hints about it throughout the day to warm him up. You have the best record by far when it comes to convincing Izuku to take spontaneous trips or do spontaneous projects.

𓆃 (You convinced him to do a snack run in 5 minutes flat.)

𓆃 One fantastic thing about Izuku is that he never makes you feel like you're bothering him and always makes it abundantly clear that he wants to spend time with you no matter how mundane the activity is.

𓆃 He loves running errands to the point that somethings he'll run errands for you... and this is where you might run into some issues.

𓆃 For all of his overthinking, Izuku sure likes to assume. He likes to assume your needs; he likes to assume when conversations are over (even if you're bringing something serious up to him and you really need to talk it all the way through); and most egregiously, he often assumes your feelings.

𓆃 Izuku reads into everything, and there are times when the amount of reassurance he needs is excessive. And the worst of it is that he won't even ask if you're mad or annoyed or whatever negative emotion he's afraid of you having.

𓆃 He'll just be avoiding you for a few days and it's up to you to ask if anything is wrong with him.

𓆃 Or the times he comes to you, his way of asking can be presumptuous and sometimes even insulting.

𓆃 "I know you were outperformed by Komori in the last match-ups, and you're super angry— I mean, it's no wonder because, with her new support items, the matchup was super one-sided from the beginning, so I understand why you're feeling really useless and weak right now..." and he'll say all that without you having even said a word.

𓆃 This can inadvertently turn things that are occupying your brain space into issues with him. He'll express regret that he didn't help you more with your strategy— even if you didn't even ask him for help in the first place— and suddenly the conversation about feeling bummed about your loss has turned into comforting Izuku.

𓆃 And any kind of direct conversation leads to him trying to overcompensate. No matter how calm or peaceful you are in bringing up issues between the two of you, you can almost certainly count on him saying, "I'll never do it ever again," "I can't believe I've been such a bad friend," and "You don't deserve to have to deal with someone like me."

𓆃 While he's not trying to be manipulative, his words most definitely come off as such. And it comes from an inability to take things he's done wrong in stride.

𓆃 And this isn't to mention if you do something that bothers him. He'll ignore that and plan on taking it to his grave, not realizing that there's been an awkward resentment or tension building up that will inevitably burst.

𓆃 Although, make no mistake, Izuku isn't some passive guy who will take the hits as they come without a word. If he's not passive-aggressive in his anger toward you, he's not afraid to let everything he's been stewing in explode on you all at once, and those unfiltered thoughts can be nasty.

𓆃 For someone so well-spoken in most other parts of his life, Izuku doesn't know how to split the different between passive-aggressive avoidance and direct, emotional sputtering when it comes to his interpersonal conflict communication.

𓆃 The moment emotions get tied up in everything is the moment Izuku implodes.

𓆃 He'll never tell you that he felt left out of something or that something you've been saying has been rubbing him the wrong way, but he expects you to pick up on that without ever mentioning it to you.

𓆃 Depending on the level of issues you have with each other, you're going to have one serious conversation that makes or breaks your entire friendship. Because for how skittish and people-pleasing Midoriya is, he's surprisingly high maintenance.

𓆃 He expects, on some level, that everyone thinks like he does and is as thorough as he is. Izuku doesn't like having direct conversations about issues, so he doesn't until it's too late.

𓆃 And truly, isn't that how it goes when direct communication isn't within your wheelhouse?

𓆃 That's your main obstacle because it's truly bound to happen. But if you care about each other enough and choose to listen with open hearts and minds, you'll have made a friend for life.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

[frvnkcastles]

A MAN WITH A BLACK HEART OF GOLD ➵ F. CASTLE

Summary: When there’s a death in the neighborhood, you call Frank for comfort and protection.

Warnings: Mentions of death, anxiety, fluff mostly!

Word count: 2.1k

Author’s note: Taking a quick break from requests for this little thing I whipped up after experiencing this very thing myself. A dead body was found in my neighborhood and it freaked me out, but thankfully it was updated on the news that a crime wasn’t involved. Still, I wouldn’t mind if I had Frank next to me tonight!

The last thing you expected coming home from getting the groceries for next week was a bunch of police cars and an ambulance on your street. The sight instantly made you nervous, your grip on the bag of food tightening as you walked through the crowd to get to your door. The police were swarmed by the building across the street, giving you access to your own home, but before you made your way inside, your neighbor caught your eye.

”What’s going on?” you queried with both curiosity and dread. You knew there was plenty of crime in the city — if not through reading the news, then through knowing Frank. You had befriended the Punisher himself a few weeks back, and he had already taught you a lot about staying safe and protected, but even with everything he had shared with you, you felt uneasy that something had happened so close to your doorstep. You were used to hearing about what went down at night from him, but right now, it was barely evening and whatever had happened, it was right across the street from you.

”Apparently they found a dead body in one of the apartments”, your neighbor whispered, and with shock punching you in the gut, you swallowed. ”They won’t say what happened, though. Maybe it was natural causes”, she continued, and weakly, you nodded. Maybe she was right. But you had heard enough from Frank to know that there was some seriously fucked up stuff happening in your city, and it made you sick to think something like that had happened in your neighborhood.

You headed inside, working completely on autopilot as you got in your apartment and started unloading the groceries. You enjoyed every second you spent with Frank, in fact, you had gotten quite attached to him, but right now, you regretted ever listening to his haunting tales of criminals and crooks. All it did was make you overthink, your brain going in evil loops as you wondered if there was a murderer on the loose — maybe a serial killer, even? Maybe he was targeting people in your area. Maybe you were next.

You spent the evening refreshing the website of the local news, waiting for something to pop up. When it finally did, all the article said was that a corpse had been discovered and the police was still investigating whether or not it had been a crime. You gnawed on your nails anxiously. How hard could it be to tell if someone had murdered them? Even you knew there would have to be signs of a break-in or a struggle or something. Or maybe you had just watched too much TV.

Either way, it was driving you mad. And you knew what could make you feel better — calling Frank. You just didn’t know if you were in the stage of your relationship where it would be okay to do. Your encounters tended to be initiated by him, as he would either show up on your doorstep or behind your window unannounced, or you’d run into him at a coffee shop or a diner in a way that you suspected wasn’t random. You knew he was a busy man, and the last thing you wanted was to scare him off by being clingy, or worst case scenario, to endanger his life by calling him at the wrong time.

But it was Frank. Frank, who was always so good to you, Frank, who was way more talented at giving support and comfort than he gave himself credit for, Frank, who never judged or laughed at you if it wasn’t meant to be laughed at. God, it was no wonder you were already falling for him, when he was such a perfect gentleman every time you saw him.

A little embarrassed but hopeful that he’d be understanding, you decided to call him. You paced back and forth in your apartment while the phone rang, your nail between your teeth and your feet shuffling anxiously. It felt kind of awkward, too trivial to actually be worth Frank’s time, but the fear of what had happened beat the shame in you. You were growing more terrified by the minute, and you knew it was something only he could alleviate.

”Hey, sweetheart. What’s up?” Frank’s voice hit you through the phone, and gulping at the thickness of his voice, you shook yourself out of the daze you had fallen into while waiting for him to pick up.

”Hi, Frank. This is kinda embarrassing, but, uh… if you have the time—I understand if you don’t, would you maybe mind visiting? And… maybe even spending the night? The police found a dead body across the street and I’m just a little freaked out”, you rambled, your nerves getting the best of you, but Frank listened patiently instead of interrupting you.

For a beat, he was silent, and it was enough time for you to start wondering if you had made a mistake calling him. But finally, he spoke up. ”Yeah, darlin’, I’ll be there. Hang on f’me, yeah?” he answered, and with a weight rolling off of your chest, you sighed.

”Thank you, Frank.” You hung up the phone and threw yourself onto the couch, burying your face in your hands as you groaned. This was very much not what you had expected from your night, but maybe, it was a blessing in disguise. After all, you were officially signed up for some more time in Frank’s company, and the mere thought got you to smile to yourself. He had stolen your heart so effortlessly, it was ridiculous.

You didn’t know when to expect him, as you obviously couldn’t make him drop everything just for you, but when it started to get dark, you grew anxious again. He was taking his sweet time and being alone in the apartment made you uncomfortable, with every sound from outside your little bubble making you alert.

Finally, though, there was a knock on your door, and you jumped with your hand on your chest. You tiptoed to the front door and stole a glimpse through the peephole just to be safe, feeling calmer when you saw Frank standing there with his head hung low and his hands folded in front of him. You opened the door, and despite the worry inside your soul, the sight of him brought a smile on your face. He looked too good to be true, his sleeves rolled up and his dark hair covered in rain droplets.

”Sorry it took me a while. I made a pitstop”, he announced, gesturing at the bag in his hands. He walked inside, gently kicking the door shut behind him, and leaning down to briefly kiss your cheek before making his way to the kitchen. The casual gesture made your face hot and your heart skip a beat, but you followed him to the kitchen without commenting on it.

”What’s all this?” you asked as he began taking things out of the bag — chips, food containers, a bottle of beer for him and your favorite soda for you.

”Figured you ain’t gonna be able to sleep, anyway. We might as well make a night out of it. Watch a movie or somethin’, whatever you want”, he shrugged like it was the most normal thing ever for him to show up with everything thought of. You felt giddy, unable to believe he would do all this for you, and you did the only thing you could think of and stepped in to hug him.

He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you, looking down at your face, painted with all kinds of heavy emotions. ”You must have been real scared, huh?” he muttered, and shyly, you nodded. ”It’s aight. ’M here now and I’mma make sure you’re safe”, Frank reassured you, just his words enough to console you. All it took was his presence to make you feel protected, and you appreciated it deeply.

”If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t heard of anythin’ goin’ down over here and I’m always on top of these things. I’m sure it was just a one-time thing”, he went on, and nodding, you pulled back from him and grabbed the soda can from the counter.

”I hope so. I kind of just wanna think about something else, so… how about that movie?” you suggested, drawing a sip from your drink.

Frank agreed quickly, and you two huddled up on your couch with the food and the snacks. Time passed in a blink of an eye, with midnight rolling around by the time you were finished with the first movie, but as Frank had suspected, you weren’t exactly eager to go to sleep. Sleeping made you vulnerable, and it scared you — so, you watched another movie.

You ended up migrating from your end of the couch to Frank’s arms. Totally platonic, you told yourself. He was sweet with you, surprisingly affectionate too, but you weren’t sure he felt the same way that you did. At least, you didn’t think he was ready to. He hadn’t told you everything, but you had read the news enough to know what he had gone through and what he had lost, so you doubted he was looking for a relationship. It stung, you had to admit that much, but you found a small consolation in the fact that it wasn’t anything personal.

A yawn slipped from you, and Frank noticed, perceptive as always. ”You should get some rest, sweetheart”, he pointed out, and begrudgingly, you supposed he was right.

”I don’t mean to push but… will you stay in the bed with me?” you asked carefully, hoping you weren’t crossing a boundary, but he didn’t seem to have any hesitation regarding the matter.

”Sure thing.”

With that, he helped you up from the couch, and you went ahead with your nightly routine of washing your face, brushing your teeth and changing into your PJs. When you stepped into the bedroom, Frank was already lying on your bed, his arms behind his head as he waited for you. Seeing him like that, it made your chest tighten and your stomach do a backflip. You had imagined this exact situation countless times, though you suspected your daydreams ended very differently than what reality had in store for you.

You settled under the covers, sighing deeply as you rubbed your tired eyes and felt the stress of the day weigh you down. Frank observed you closely, a small smile on his lips, and it made you chuckle nervously.

”What?” you questioned, earning a shrug from him.

”You just look real pretty, ’s all”, he revealed, and with your eyes widening, you stared at him, trying to find any hint of joke on his face. There was none.

”Thanks, Frankie”, you replied sheepishly, tucking your hair behind your ear. ”And thanks for the food and for staying with me. I really appreciate it”, you added, and with a soft nod, he dropped his hands to his lap and shifted deeper into the mattress.

”I know it ain’t a permanent solution, but I want ya to know I’mma keep an eye on this place. I’ll make sure nothin’ happens to you”, he promised, and surprised, you lifted yourself up to rest on your elbow, your gaze meeting his.

”You’d do that?” you spoke in disbelief, and with a completely serious look, he nodded once again.

”Course, I would, sweetheart. I never wanna see you in harm’s way. I know this is still pretty new, but I, uh, I like you”, he confessed, his voice almost nervous. You couldn’t imagine him ever being nervous, but as you both sat in his admission, the air growing hot between you, that was exactly how he felt.

Feeling impulsive, you closed the space between you and kissed him. He melted into it immediately, his big hand reaching up to cradle your face, his lips moving against yours in a way that was thrilling and enchanting. He took your breath away, kissing you with passion but sweetness, and it was even better than you had imagined.

Breathless, you broke the kiss, and he dropped his forehead to yours. ”I like you, too”, you returned the favor, and breaking into a grin, Frank kissed you again, shorter this time but equally delicious.

In hindsight, you were beyond glad you had called him, and he felt the same way. And for you, he was going to get to the bottom of what had happened.

[dreamwritersworld]

Outgrown…(miles morales x reader)

Miles and Y/n always walked hand and hand growing up. They were best friends…secretly in love…but then came in Gwen.

They fell into arguments frequently..

“Y/n you don’t get it! God! I just wish she was here all the time!”

Silence stayed between the two. Tears slipped from Y/n ‘s eyes.

Rio and Jeff heard everything miles said and how much Y/n just tried to remain calm and comfort him. They didn’t understand about what or why but they assumed he was just missing a girl Y/n couldn’t be.

“ok..ok you’re right I’m not her…and I don’t get it..I’m so sorry I can’t be her or won’t ever be her.”

Sorry.

that was all Y/n ever knew to say. The girl was so good at overthinking with her heart. Too needy for her own good…Miles knew that and he didn’t have to say it for Y/n to feel it.

“yea..so..just ugh just realize it. you don’t understand what I’m going through ! I just wish you got that.”

“I do..i do. Please stop. I’m just trying to comfort you. Remember that I was always here before Gwen and after Gwen. It was always me miles.”

“Well…I’m sorry but I just don’t want your comfort: Whatever you’ve got to say..it won’t make me feel better.”

Y/n loved Miles but he never accepted her affection or friendship anymore…they were outgrowing each other and it physically hurt her heart.

Whenever she hung out with him she shouldn’t have to feel this way…she felt horrible and felt like everything was a competition between her and Gwen. He compared them all the time now. This wasn’t how it was supposed to feel…not when they spent what? Their whole life together.

“ok..that’s ok..I have to go, goodnight Miles.”

that’s all Y/n could settle on saying goodnight and go.

Y/n opened the door to both parents listening in the living room. She quickly dried her tears before they fell.

“oh honey…”

Rio rushed up to Y/n hugging her as she shed tears on her shoulder.

Jeff spoke softly and tried lighting up the mood for the young girl.

“It’s ok! We’ll get him to come back to you! You’re our favorite Y/n. He’s just not thinking straight, I’ll knock his senses straight!”

“oh…it’s ok Mr.Mórales. It’s just the way he feels and that’s fine. I’ll be just fine, I won’t be around for awhile..I wish the best for you two. I love you guys!”

Y/n gave both parents the sweetest hug before letting go and walking out the door.

That was the last time the family and her spoke.

Miles thought about all of it for the next month. He couldn’t feel anymore guilty, now that Y/n made it clear she didn’t want to talk anymore…little did he know the sweet girl couldn’t bother to open his texts cause all she kept on hearing her as his voice yelling at her repeatedly

Miles: Y/n

Miles: I’m sorry

Read 11:09 p.m.

Miles: I know you opened my text

Miles: you know i didn’t mean it

Delivered

this wasn’t the first time Miles reminded Y/n she no longer had much importance to him..she couldn’t bare forgiving him again only to get hurt.

Y/n was precious to Miles, but she no longer compared to Gwen and he was too blind and upset to realize..she’s exactly what he needed. The girl who he grew up with knew everything about him, knew how to hold him down, and love him the way he was supposed to…for the longest Y/n was his breath of fresh air.

In many ways it was because Y/n never had powers like him..that’s the biggest thing she didn’t have that Gwen did. But was it really that beneficial? Y/n would pull him back to a normal life…to reality.

Miles kept Y/n in his orbit, rather she realized it or not. He smiled every time he saw her. Even though he knew he hurt her, he loved her from a far. All Miles needed was for Y/n to shut him out and not talk to him, leaving him in the dust..that last month of no contact with her broke him. That’s when he realized he could complain about missing Gwen but he wouldn’t actually do anything about it..not like the way he would with Y/n. She was where his heart resides.

Y/n always worked late to help her mother keep food on the table and her siblings shoes well kept. So, Miles followed her when she did her walks home…he could see the stress she was going through, how desperately she needed a way out.

When Rio visited the corner store Y/n worked at she never failed to mention Miles

“Ay Mija he misses you! I miss you! You were the brains behind all his projects..now that boy can barley think.”

The sweet girl smiled and respected Rio for her support always, but it hurt her hearing about him. By the end of the day Y/n’s body was so sore and her mind was fried..Miles wasn’t there, so she had more times for shifts. Y/n made sure she was going to graduate valedictorian, top of her class. Show her younger brother and sister that they can do it too…she’d set a higher curb. Her mother couldn’t be any prouder.

The hard work and sweat is what seemingly caught Miles attention. Y/n knew what she wanted and she was going to go for it.

That, was something Y/n had that Gwen didn’t. His best friend always remained humble and kind to everyone. Never once called his parents out there name…never once raised her voice unless she was really frustrated. Truth was he never heard her yell so..he would never know. Y/n never once betrayed him or turned her back to him, not like the way Gwen did. Of course he forgave her..but when you mess up as bad as he did..do you deserve forgiveness?

After awhile of missing her, needing her. He’d figure he would follow her example. Go for what he wanted, go for the idea he constantly pushed away… and so he knocked on the door of her apartment hoping it’d be her.

“Lita! Ve a bañarte y de ahí vas a tu cuarto and I’ll be there.”

Miles could hear her sternly mother voice and hear chairs shift. Then there was a little girls voice..Lita’s the exact copy and paste of younger Y/n.

“Why did he yell at me? I hate him!”

“I’m sorry Lita! I was just upset!

His confidence went down the drain immediately hearing the little sister yell and the silence the brother got from his response. It’s obviously wasn’t the same argument and situation but it was frustrating because all he wanted was to take back the girl he took for granted.

Miles waited out the door with roses knocking one more time to get Y/n’s attention. When chains from locks were coming undone and the door finally creaked open, Y/n was taken by surprise…

!❤️💙!

i just wrote this up because i needed something to do with this song, it been stuck in my head! nothing too serious :)! the whole thing Lita said and her older brothers response was supposed to be a cute parallel of y/n being mad at miles for yelling and miles apologizing

Tag list: @justleila @tati-the-fangirl @kxllanxtdoor @abbersreads @abislays123 @not-aya @usernamepasswordsstuff @moralesluvrr @inluvwithneteyam @twinkletwinklenotastar @ilystarz @vodoo-heart @papichulo120627 @mashiromochi

[starscabaret]

First Sexual Encounter Yandere! Jaden ✧.*

pairing: yandere! Hood Drug Dealer (jaden) 💸 x Fem Reader

summary : jaden and y/n get freaky… it is unfinished there will be more parts im sorry <33

warnings: nsfw, sex, kinks, etc 

Authors note: read Jaden’s intro, i love him 

It was an early Saturday morning. You spent the night at Jaden’s apartment, the night was filled with cuddling and movie-watching. Jaden wanted to spend as much time with you as possible, so he asked you to spend the night. Of course, you agreed. Sleeping in his arms, in his bed, always granted you the best sleep. 

Having his body so close to yours aroused you to no end. But you kept quiet. You and Jaden had only gone as far as some heavy making out. He hadn’t seen you naked, and you hadn’t seen him in all his glory. He was a gentleman, he didn’t want to rush things with you, and he could control himself. Well, at least he thought so.

Jaden leaves you in the bed to fix you a glass of water. While he is away in the kitchen, a distinct arousal begins to creep on you. You feel your pussy begin to water, you feel the wetness in your panties, making them transparent and damp. Your insides clench at the thought of anything filling it—especially any part of Jaden.

He comes back to the room water in hand, he sits it on your side of the bed as he bends down and kisses your forehead. Good Morning sweetness.

 Hi, Jaden. You reply meekly as he slides back into bed behind you. You stay turned away trying to will your need for him away. If you turned around you’d see his handsome face, perfect brown skin, beautiful smile, and a million other things you love about him.

What’s wrong? He questioned pulling you into him.

Nothing, just sleepy. You reply.

I know you’re lying princess, you’ve been in here snoring for 12 hours. He whispers in your ear.

He adjusts his arm around you and his forearm brushes against your hardened nipples in your t-shirt.

You involuntarily moan aloud. Your face began to heat up in embarrassment. You start to turn around to fake a yawn or some other dumb excuse, but he already heard you. 

He turns you around to face him, hey, I feel the same way about you, don’t be shy, he said grabbing your chin and forcing you to look in his eyes. 

His other hand guides one of yours down his shirtless torso, to over his flannel pajama pants, making you feel his hardness.

He is ecstatic, you had moaned because of his touch. He thought it was so adorable you were hiding the fact that you had sexual urges too. Because he had them for you. But he preferred spending time with you and he would never rush you to sex.

Even though your hand was barely touching his length you felt the warmth radiating off of it. You even felt a dampness, where you guess the tip of his dick would be. 

Can I see it? you boldly asked. You may not have known it but Jaden would do anything for you. Especially this. 

Are you sure y/n? He asked holding your hand in his and kissing it. Jaden was looking into your eyes for confirmation of what you were asking him. 

Mhmm You nod. 

He sat upset to lay against his headboard, dragging you with him to sit beside him. 

Go ahead princess he smiled at you. Making you do the work for what you wanted.

He was hiding how much he wanted it too. He knew that his cool and calm demeanor balanced out your erratic overthinking personality. He was hiding how his heart was beating out of his chest. How unprepared and desperate he was for your touch. 

As you pulled the waistband of his briefs down, his dick sprung out. 

Truly you didn’t know what you were expecting. But whatever it was, this was better. The only clues you had to go off was the feeling of his hardness when you sat on his lap or cuddled. 

8 inches of gorgeous chocolate brown bobbed above his torso. About an inch from the tip, it started to turn into a pretty pink. And the tip… the tip was a soft cushioned shape shining from drops of precum. While you stared and almost drooled over it in shock, you saw a small pearl of precum work its way out of his tip.

You did the only thing you could think to do when greeted with such beauty… asked to worship it, Do you want my help, can I touch it please J?

What about you, sweet? You don’t want Daddy to please you first? he said while biting his lips and staring at you with low hooded eyes. 

He had never called himself daddy before, and neither had you. But something about it coming from his mouth, in his bed, pretty dick out had your panties getting wetter. And Jaden wanted to be your Daddy, he wanted to be the most important thing in the world to you. He wanted to provide you with everything you ever wanted. Protect you from everything bad. 

You gave no response to his question and immediately removed the shirt you were sleeping in. Turning towards him so your pussy was facing him. You were making sure he could see the way your panties gripped your puffy lips, making them apparent through the fabric. Making sure he could see the large wet spot developing.

Jaden likes to think that he can read your mind. He studies everything about you. He is addicted to you. You in this position he knew exactly what you needed. And he was confident he could give you that. 

He damn sure wasn’t letting anyone else do it. Seeing you like this made him even more jealous of anyone who came before him. Hell, he even became jealous of your fingers and toys. Jealous of anything or anyone that got to see you like this. 

[tlou-reid]

How You Get the Girl ❆ Pope Heyward

☃︎SUMMARY: pope doesn't know how to end conversations correctly and it puts his relationship on the line.

☃︎WARNINGS: angst, kinda short, kiara is rude in this lmao, i was very uninspired so this is not that great

☃︎swiftmas masterlist!

.｡❅⋆⍋∞｡∞⍋⋆❅｡.

Stand there like a ghost, shaking from the rain.

You knew who it was before you even opened the door. The pounds on your door were loud, but not aggressive. Pope had texted you, asking if it was okay if he came by to talk. You didn’t answer, but you knew he would come anyway.

You were mad, that much was obvious. Not the silly kind of mad you’d get when Pope stuck his spoon into your frozen yogurt or the loving kind of mad you’d get when JJ made him do something stupid and you worried about him. No, you were the kind of mad that had both of you questioning whether or not you were still dating.

It had been two days since you last spoke to him. Friday night, standing at the party, beer in your hand, and JJ begging you to walk away. You couldn’t remember when he had joined the conversation, but him pulling you away was the only thing that kept you from slapping Kiara right across her kooky fucking face.

You hadn’t heard the full story or the full conversation between Pope and Kiara, but you were mad the second you heard commenting on the dress you were in, telling Pope that you’d really decided to show off tonight. You knew she was hesitant to accept you, but you didn’t think she was actively plotting against your relationship with Pope. He’d already told you about their history, but it seemed like there were feelings still lingering.

While Kiara had been the one to stab the dagger into you, Pope was the one who twisted when he let out a sigh, mumbling a “yeah”, before trying to change the topic. He didn’t stick up for you, didn’t defend you from Kiara’s baseless accusations that you were trying to impress other people. Instead, he agreed and moved on. Anything to please her, you thought.

Since this was the little bit of the conversation you had heard before you blew up on them, you had spent the whole weekend overthinking and coming up with other hurtful things they could’ve been saying about you. You’d convinced yourself they were true, which led you to avoid the entire Pogue friend group all weekend.

So now, here Pope was, hoping he could patch up your wounds and go back to the happy relationship you’d been in. He stood in the cold rain, the chill from the coming outer banks winter was nipping at him, making his face pale and his nose gain a pink hue.

She’ll open up the door, and say are you insane?

“Are you insane?” You asked when you fully opened the door, ushering him inside. No matter how mad you were at him, you didn’t want him to get sick. You still loved him after all. He stepped in quickly, seeking both the warmth your house provided and to be closer to you.

“Y/N,” he was out of breath as if he had run here. “I’m sorry for whatever you think you heard, but I promise I wasn’t saying anything bad about you.” He was talking fast like he didn’t think he’d have time to get everything he wanted to say out. “I would never, ever say anything bad about you or believe anything anyone else says.”

“Pope, I heard you agree with her.” You rolled your eyes, crossed your arms over your chest, and took a step away from him. He knew you were being defensive. He could only imagine how much hearing that interaction must’ve hurt your feelings. All Pope wanted to do was go back and tell Kiara to stop, to walk away from the conversation entirely, to get up and go dance with you instead of listening to her. But he couldn’t. So, here he was, trying his hardest to get you to listen.

Say it’s been a long six months and you were too afraid to tell her what you want.

“No!” He exclaimed, growing frustrated with his inability to find the right words to say. “Y/N, please,” he was growing desperate, tired of the space between you two. “I just wanted her to shut up! I don’t know what’s going on with her! I wanted her to stop talking and I wanted to go dance with you, but I’m stupid and I didn’t.” Pope looked crazed, eyes wide and arms flailing to emphasize his points.

“You didn’t defend me!” You exasperated. Your voice cracked as you basically yelled at him. You wanted him to see how bad he hurt you. Kiara, you could deal with. She was just a girl who was friends with your boyfriend. But, Pope was your everything.

“I know,” Pope’s voice was gentler now, “I know. I should’ve. I should’ve told her that you can dress however you want. That you could’ve shown up in a trash bag, or even naked, and I still would’ve shown you off. I don’t care what people think or see or feel about you. I should’ve told her that but I didn’t and I’m so sorry.” At this point, Pope’s eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

“She’s gonna keep doing this,” You informed, cocking your hip to the side. If he was going to allow her to, there was no point in this conversation. His words were sweet and calmed your overthinking, but you needed change to happen.

“I won’t let her,” Pope sighs out, taking a step closer to you. He relaxed a bit when you didn’t step away from him. “I’ll tell her to stop and that I’m not going to talk to her if she doesn’t.” You could tell by his face how serious he was. His dark eyes were boring into yours.

He took another step towards you, “Please, don’t let this be the end of his. I’ve had a wonderful six months with you.” You held eye contact for a moment, before taking quick steps to wrap your arms around his waist. He didn’t waste any time pulling you close to him. “I’m sorry,” he breathed into the top of your head.

You nodded, letting the tears fall onto his shirt. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. When you pulled away, he kept his hands on your waist. Pope pulled in for a kiss. You couldn’t stop the words from leaving your mouth as you pulled away, “I love you.”

He smiled as you uttered the three words he’d been waiting for the first time. He’d already said them, but it was taking you just a bit longer. He wasn’t too worried about it, as he could see the way you loved him in the things you did.

“I love you, too.”

And that’s how it works, that’s how you get the girl.

[popcornpoppin]

Christmas with you - s. h.

pairing: steve harrington x GN!reader

word count: 1.6k

warnings: mentions of difficult family relationships, slight swearing (the word "ass" is used once), no use of "y/n", otherwise it's all fluff <3 

a/n: people probably won't read this since it´s fluff but i had the idea and really wanted to write it so… we celebrate on the 24th here so that’s why i chose to post it today. hope everyone has a wonderful holiday whatever you celebrate or if you don’t celebrate anything at all. no matter what you can consider this my gift to you. to anyone who finds the holidays difficult i hope 2024 is kind to you and know you can always message me if you want someone to vent to. i might not be able to give any advice but i´ll always lend an ear <3 as always idk how i feel about this but i´m trying to get back into writing, so i´m trying not to overthink it.

Christmas was always difficult. After the mandatory Christmas dinner you always spent the rest of the night holed up in your room to avoid all the yelling and arguing. You didn't even bother to come down to open the presents anymore. It was only nine in the evening but you'd rather spend the rest of the night doing nothing before falling asleep than spend a second longer around your family. 

It was a beautiful night outside. The pavement and all the trees were covered in beautiful white dust. All the houses on your street were adorned with beautiful lights and decorations. The street lights were cascading beautiful shadows and making the snow sparkle. It all seemed like an idyllic Christmas, except it wasn´t.

Even if it was early you decided to try to sleep and wash away the loud voices that were carried from downstairs. You were just about to turn off all the lights in your bedroom when you heard the hard thud of a pebble hitting your bedroom window. 

Knitting your eyebrows together and slightly tilting your head in wonder, you walked over to the window. It was too dark outside to see anything. Due to the contrast of the darkness outside and the brightness in your room, all you could see with the window closed was your own reflection. Opening the lock and lifting up the window you were met with a cold breeze. Leaning the top of your body out of the window you looked down to find out who had thrown the small stone.

“Steve?”

You were met with a smile you knew all too well and a beautiful head of fluffy, brown hair.

“Grab your jacket, I want to show you something” Steve shouted, just loud enough for you to hear without your parents hearing him from inside the living room. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, an offer you couldn´t refuse.

“What do you have planned this time, Harrington?” You laughed as he tilted his head in amusement; his boyish grin making his rugged, good looking features shine even more.

“It´s a surprise. Now hurry up, I´m freezing my ass off down here” but his smile only grew bigger as he complained. 

“Fine” you dragged out the ´e´, laughing as you continued “You're so impatient” 

Quickly, but silently, closing your window you headed over to your closet and grabbed your spare jacket and shoes. Both of which you kept in your room just in case you had to sneak out.

Lifting the window again you quietly and carefully climbed out and onto the drain tube. You softly started closing your window again, slowly closing it this time so your parents wouldn't hear. Making sure your window was just open enough so you could slip your fingers under it and open it again later, without too much cold air coming in and making your room freeze. Satisfied, you let yourself slip down the tube until your feet hit the ground with a soft thud.

Wrapping your arms and jacket closer around you, you walked over to Steve with small, hurried steps.

“Close your eyes” He grinned when you stopped right in front of him.

“Why?” You wondered aloud. You trusted Steve more than anyone else but this behavior, all the mystery, was a bit unusual for him.

“Like I told you, it's a surprise. Just trust me?” There was a soft, nervous expression grazing his features now so you decided to do as he said.

“Ok” You closed your eyes and let Steve put his gloved hands over them. He quietly told you when you could start walking and led you away.

From what you could tell with your sight gone it wasn't a long walk. You assumed he had taken you to his house, after all it was only a couple of houses down from yours. 

All you could hear around you was the quiet night breeze blowing against the few leaves that were still left on the otherwise bare trees and the soft crinkle of yours and Steve´s feet against the snow.

“Okay you can open them now” Steve removed his hands from your eyes and let them drop back to his sides.

Slowly opening your eyes you let them adjust to the light again as everything slowly got less blurry. 

“Wow” You let out a stunned breath.

“Do you like it?” Steve asked cautiously.

Tears started welling up in your eyes as you were met with the sight of the treehouse behind Steve´s house covered in Christmas lights, the one you had built together as kids. 

“It´s wonderful” You quietly muttered, almost unable to speak as you felt so moved by the gesture. Steve smiled softly.

“Come on let's head up” He ran ahead towards the small wooden ladder and started climbing.

You quickly followed after him, grabbing the planks with a firm grip so you wouldn´t slip. Steve held the hatch open for you so you could easily climb in. As you looked around inside you were taken aback by the sheer amount of work he had put into decorating the treehouse. Just like outside there were lights adorning the walls. In the middle of the room he had put a blanket on the floor with soft pillows for the two of you to sit on, a fluffy blanket in case you got cold and a picnic basket. In the corner sat a small, plastic Christmas tree which he had decorated with various ornaments the two of you had made when you were younger, including baubles you had painted one christmas after accidentally breaking the ones his mom had hung on their Christmas tree. The memory of it tore on your heart, remembering a time when his parents actually came home and celebrated Christmas with him. He had later told you that he preferred spending it alone, because at least then there was no fighting. 

Shaking the memory you pushed your body into the treehouse and walked towards the picnic blanket. Taking off your jacket you watched Steve do the same, revealing that he was wearing the Christmas sweater you had knitted for him. Smiling softly you sat down on the pillow next to Steve. Once you were settled he started gesturing towards the basket. 

“I made us some food” 

He started by pulling out plates, cutlery and napkins and setting them down between the two of you. After everything was placed in an orderly manner he started pulling out various boxes of Christmas food that he had prepared for the two of you. Finally he pulled out two glasses and a bottle of sparkling cider. Popping the bottle he first poured one glass, which he handed to you and then another one for himself. 

After you were done eating, you started putting everything back in the basket. As you placed the items back you felt a cool breeze prick your skin. A small, barely noticeable shiver rushed through your body. Steve noticing the movement grabbed the blanket and held it out for you.

“Here, I don't want you to grow cold and get sick” He muttered, pushing the blanket into your hands. You knew for a fact that if you were feeling the cold creeping on then Steve was definitely cold too. 

“I don't want you to freeze either” You answered with a frown. Moving the basket, you scooted closer to him until your side was pressed against his and wrapped the blanket around both of you. 

Neither of you said anything, sitting there in complete silence. The warmth of his body against yours made heat flush your cheeks. Turning away to hide the tint of pink from Steve, you didn't notice that he was blushing as well. 

The silence was finally broken by the sound of shuffling. Steve carefully and slowly moved his arm until it was resting around your shoulder. Even though he had a reputation in school for being a ladies´ man, it was all different with you. Whenever he was around you he felt like the little eight year old schoolboy who had grown a crush on his best friend. 

His body was stiff and you could tell he was holding his breath, awaiting your reaction. He let out a deep breath, his body visibly relaxing when you put your head on his shoulder. Closing your eyes you took a moment to breathe in his cologne, it was natural and comforting. You let yourself enjoy it, carefully memorizing it all - so that you could always remember how the two of you, for the first time ever, had a happy Christmas memory. 

“Uh oh”

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Steve´s voice. Tilting your head up towards his face you furrowed your brows “What?”

Steve only pointed upwards in response. You followed his gaze up to over your heads where he was holding a mistletoe between the two of you. Your eyes shot back towards his face, he was grinning slyly now.

“Oh, you are such a dork!��� You laughed, pushing at his chest.

Steve only grabbed your wrist in response holding your hand against him and using it to pull you closer to him. Your lips met in a soft kiss and you melted against him, his thumb lightly rubbing circles on your cheek. You let out a content hum. There were no words spoken about what this meant for your friendship. There was no need, you both knew each other well enough to tell this was something you both desired. A small part of you guessed that this was something you both had wanted to do since you first learned what a crush was.

[whatsaninterestingplacethisis]

Too Good

Imagine

Mat Barzal x Latina!Reader

Synop: y/n finds herself in a slum and pushes her boyfriend away because of said slum.

cw: angst + fluff, depression, insecurities, comparisons, overthinking, cussing, mat picks up reader bridal style

+

It hit you like a wave of doubt on any other day. You were on your lunch break, grabbing a cup of coffee and you noticed these group of girls who looked like models. They were outstandingly beautiful. Their hair and makeup, even the way they stood, everything about them looked perfect.

When you got home and looked at yourself in the mirror, you noticed your hair was messy and your makeup worn out. You couldn’t help to think back to those girls and compare what you saw in the mirror.

You quickly fixed your hair and took off your makeup and started to feel and look better but the shocking image in your mind still ate at you. You tried as hard as you could to not compare yourself to others because it was pointless but for some reason today it totally slipped by you.

You spent the rest of your afternoon on the couch rotting as you watched your favorite show. Your phone started ringing and Mat was calling

“Hey beautiful”

You tried not to laugh at the irony

“Hi”

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Nothing just watching my show.”

“Ok so you don’t mind me coming over with pizza from our favorite place?”

“Of course I don’t.” You rolled your eyes at his obvious offer.

“Great, I’ll be there in 5!” You knew Mat lived farther than 5 minutes away and the pizza place would take longer

“You’re already on your way with the pizza aren’t you?”

“I didn’t think my girlfriend would pass up on this amazing offer so I planned ahead.”

“I guess you’re right, drive safe!”

“Will do”

+

You left your front door unlocked for Mat to come in with ease as you got plates ready for the meal.

“Honey I’m home!” Mat yelled obnoxiously

He found you by the living room and before he could set the pizza box down he cups your face and gives you a smooch before hugging you.

“I’ve missed you so much.” He said into your neck

“We saw each other two days ago.” You muffled into his shoulder

He pulls away and sets the box down, “I know but I need to see you every so often to function properly.” He said very dramatically as he placed slices on both plates.

“Uh huh, I’m sure that’s true.”

“Oh it’s very true.” He hands you your plate and both of you walk to the couch to find your seats

“Should we watch a show or movie?” He asked

“Movie.”

+

At the near end of the uninteresting movie, Mat and you and cuddled on the couch barely falling asleep before he speaks up,

“I have a surprise for you”

“What’s the surprise?” You ask as he holds you from behind

“It’s not really a surprise but what do you think of moving in with me?” He says so calmly with a smile on his face that you couldn’t see

You felt your heart stop for a quick second and your whole body freeze. You shift in your lying position before sitting up, out of his grasp,

“You want me to move in?”

He had a nervous smile on his face now, “ I mean yeah. I’m always at yours or you’re always at mine so why not?”

You kept silent and observed his face fall from a bright smile to a regretful one.

“You don’t have to say yes now. It takes time to move.” Mat tried to soften the surprise but he was starting to rethink of asking you at all.

“I’m sorry if asking you is too soon and if you’re not ready.” Mat said after you still kept silent

“No no, I want to live with you matty it’s just you caught me by surprise.” You tried to reason but it didn’t sound too convincing

“Are you sure? I could understand if you want to say no, for whatever reason. I just think it would be nice to wake up next to you every morning.” He cradled your face with his hand

“I want to. Trust me. Just give me some time.” Truth is you really did want to share a home with Matty but your conscience couldn’t understand why he would.

+ +

The next few days you found yourself deeper in this pit, from what you called it. A slump. Since Mat offered you moving in, it had left you conflicted.

You knew he loved you and cared for you but some sick part of you didn’t want to believe it. He called and texted when he could but when he wanted to meet up you made an excuse not to. You felt stuck in between believing Mat and believing what your mind was telling you.

As much as you tried to push away those thoughts, they still haunted you in your sleep. You dreamt that Matt was leaving you for someone else and woke up crying that morning.

Of course it didn’t take long for Mat to notice your absence. So he called the morning of that nightmare.

“Hey babe, I’m free after practice today. I want to see you. I haven’t seen you in almost a week.”

As much as you missed his presence, you felt awkward being physically with him.

“Sorry Mat, I’ve been just so busy with work lately. I’m going to have a long day today too.” You weren’t a very good liar and Mat could tell something was off.

“Baby why are you lying?” He asked without any malice but just pure concern.

Your heart stopped again and you could feel a lump in your throat starting to form.

“I’m not.” You choked out

“Is it because I asked you to move in? It’s really fine if you don’t want to, I’m not going to force you to move in with me. I don’t mind driving over to your place.”

You tried stopping your tears from falling and let out a trembly breath over the phone, unfortunately Matt heard it

“Baby you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just- I need some time to think- time alone.” Your voice clearly wavered

“How long do you need?” His voice sounded flat this time

“I don’t know Mat. Just give me a few days. I’ll call or text when I’m ready.” You were face palming yourself in your empty apartment

“Okay, I love you.” Mat’s face on the other side of the phone call was confused and hurt. Although both of you knew he would respect your wishes,

“I love you too Mat.” You ended the call quickly and found yourself with no plan on how to better yourself.

++

Two days had passed and still no plan. If anything you tried your best on was to avoid people, especially Mat. You tried to get a home cook meal in after work even if it was just a quesadilla.

Then loud knocks were heard from your door.

“Y/n, I know you said to wait but we need to talk.” It was Mat yelling across your door and you felt your stomach drop.

You walked to your front door and peeked at Mat through the peep hole. Truth be told he didn’t look good either.

“Fuck” you whispered to yourself as you froze to open to the door.

“Please open the door” Mat yelled again for you to hear.

You reluctantly opened the door to let him in. You could only look at him in the eyes for a second before walking away.

“Can we talk?” He closed the door and slowly followed you into your living room

“Sure” you had no idea what to say. Every possible negative thought was running through your head.

“First, I’m sorry that I came here even though you wanted me to wait. I was worried about you and us to be honest. Second, why are you distancing yourself?” His voice had gotten closer to you but you still weren’t looking at him.

“It’s not about moving in.” You tried you best getting a sentence or even a word out before crying.

“Then what’s the problem?” You felt his hand touch your arm but you pulled away.

You really couldn’t help but chuckle in exhaustion. You knew if you told Mat all your insecurities and how they form the chances of him leaving were high.

“I’m not alright, clearly.” You started to tear up, “Um I don’t know how to say this, but sometimes I think very bad about myself and I start to believe it. And when I do, I start to distance myself from the people I love because if they knew how I saw myself they would think the same.” You started to sob through your confession, still avoiding his eyes in case you were right.

He tried to touch you again and you couldn’t help but to find comfort in his embrace.

“When do you feel this way?” He whispered into your hair

“Sometimes it comes at random. These past days it’s because I was comparing myself to these girls. It’s ridiculous honestly.” You tried to pull away, starting to become embarrassed in your vulnerability.

“It’s not ridiculous. I mean this whole situation isn’t ridiculous.” He sighed and you started to think he didn’t know what to say, you wouldn’t have known either.

“Besides you not wanting to tell me all of this because you thought I would see you that way, which I would never.” He spoke slowly, “I wished you knew you could trust me with anything.”

“I do trust you, it’s just I don’t trust myself to let you see the whole real me.” You leaned your head on his chest in embarrassment.

“I think I’m seeing all of it now and I still love you if that’s what your worried about.” He lifted your head up so you could look at him.

“Why?”

“Because when I first met you I knew you were the one, as cheesy as it sounds.” You saw him smile in the first time in a while, “I knew you were the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, through the good and bad.”

“You’re too good, Mathew Barzal.” You started to tear up again but from happiness.

“You might have to remind me every once in awhile though.” You gave him a sad smile

“I don’t think I’ll mind.” He caressed your face and leaned in for one of many shared kisses.

+++

2 months later

“I think that was the last box- Matthew put me down!” Matt caught you by surprise by carrying you bridal style into your shared apartment.

“Give me a sec, I’m trying to be romantic here.” He kicked the door open with his foot and stepped into the living room you have seen plenty of times.

“We’re not married silly.”

“Not yet anyway, but very soon.” He still had his ways to make you flustered.

“I believe a proposal comes first then marriage.” He had set you down both standing now.

He started to get on one knee but you knew better, “oh please, get up” both of you laughed as he stood up to meet you eye level,

“You know I would never propose to you like that, you deserve something more romantic.” He pulled you in by the waist

“You’re right. Propose to me in a private but romantic area, not a public proposal.” You whispered up to him

“Anything you want, I’ll give.” He whispered back.

[hard-core-super-star]

During an interview with Hailee, someone asks reader to marry them, and Hailee isn't too happy about it.

it it cool that i said all that? [H.Steinfeld]

pairing: hailee steinfeld x actress!reader

summary: doing interviews with your girlfriend is all fun and games until someone gets too comfortable with their questions.

warnings: none, just fluff; a speck of possessive hailee; two dashes of (not-so) secret relationship vibes; awkward interview moments that gave me second-hand embarrassment while writing

wordcount: 1.1k

a/n: does anyone else remember when comic-con was a big deal? yeah, me neither. so, instead of a convention-type vibe, i went the talk show route. [specifically stephen colbert because he's the only host i can honestly say i like] slowly but surely getting through all of my requests but the urge to write alpha!kate pt. 2 is starting to take over my life so...don't be surprised if i disappear for a few days and then post it out of the blue.

* * * * * * *

There are only a few things more nerve-wracking than having to sit in front of a room full of people and answer questions you’re definitely not prepared for despite all the time you’ve spent overthinking. The only thing that could possibly make that situation more anxiety-inducing is having to do it next to someone you’re dating…in secret.

It’s not a well-kept secret by any means but the lack of confirmation from both parties is more than enough to have fans from both sides analyzing every single comment that gets exchanged. You don’t really mind it, even though sometimes you feel like there’s a target on your face. 

A target in the form of looks you can’t hide and smiles you don’t share with anyone but Hailee.

Okay, so maybe you’re incredibly obvious about your feelings for her but it still took her until after you finished filming Hawkeye to realize the truth hiding beneath all your stupid jokes. It would be easy to make fun of her for being so oblivious if you weren’t exactly the same way.

It took more than a few tries but the two of you eventually gathered enough courage to be honest with each other leading to the start of quite possibly the most chaotic but most rewarding relationship you’ve ever had. Just because most people in your life haven’t caught up yet doesn’t make it any less amazing.

The thing no one prepared you for, though, is having to do talk show interviews while avoiding the topic of said relationship. It’s not like either of you is genuinely trying to hide the truth, it’s just easier to explore your developing feelings when there aren’t a ridiculous amount of eyes trained on the pair of you.

Eyes that sometimes don’t quite know how to read the room.

Which brings you back to your current situation.  You and Hailee are sitting slightly too close together while doing another interview where you have to dance around spoilers while trying to get people excited for Hawkeye.

It turns out, you don’t actually have to do much since seeing the two of you together seems to be more than enough to get people talking about the show.

“So, y/n, I know this is your first time doing an interview like this and I don’t want to scare you away so how about we get some questions from the audience?”

The crowd erupts into cheers and you can’t help but let out a nervous laugh even though you already knew this was going to happen. Being notified ahead of time still isn’t enough to stop you from worrying about what this segment will bring.

“What’s the worst that could happen right?” You joke, sharing a look with Hailee who merely shakes her head at you.

Of course, the list of “worst things that could happen” is quite long when it comes to people asking you whatever they want.

And right now, the way the brunette hasn’t let go of your hand since you sat down is definitely at the top of everyone’s list of questions. You’re sure no one is surprised by how affectionate she can be sometimes but it’s unusual to see her happily holding onto someone in a room like this one.

You swallow down your nervousness in order to focus on the questions that get thrown your way. Most of them are, in all honesty, softballs. Things like,”What was your favorite part about shooting Hawkeye?” and “Who’s the strongest Avenger?” 

You’re thankful for the easy questions until the humor your responses carry inspires some…bolder comments. Stephen lets everyone know the next question will be the last and the lucky fan who’s chosen takes her chance.

“Marry me?”

The easy atmosphere of the room leaves you completely unprepared for the question and the only real response you can offer at first is a laugh. A laugh that earns you a grin from the bold fan and a glare from your unamused girlfriend.

“Yeah, sure,” you reply with a shrug. “My manager will email you my schedule.”

Your response is just as unexpected as the question which just makes the audience laugh harder.

There’s a slightly smug look on your face that disappears the second you turn to look at Hailee.

She’s an actress, and a fantastic one at that, so she hides her emotions well. Unfortunately, you’re an expert at reading her and the lack of a smile on her face tells you all you need to know.

“Too bad you have a very busy schedule,” she says through a chuckle that sounds more forced than anything you’ve ever heard out of her.

“True, true. I’m a very responsible dogsitter and I don’t think Martini would be fine with me leaving her for so long.”

“Does she get jealous easily?” Stephen clearly picks up on you trying to change the topic but Hailee’s not done voicing her displeasure.

“Her owner does.” The words are a mere mumble but the microphone picks her up loud and clear.

Your eyes widen and her comment renders you utterly speechless. It’s not that the words are a complete surprise, you just can’t believe she actually said that in the middle of an interview.

She realizes what she said a few seconds later and her soft eyes meet yours. There’s a layer of nervousness in them that she can’t quite hide and the sight makes your heart clench. You can’t do much to reassure her though so you merely squeeze her hand three times and let the interview continue.

The minutes feel like hours but you eventually wrap up and are allowed to go back into your shared dressing room. Hailee all but drags you inside and you close the door behind you once you're in the safety and privacy of those four walls.

“I shouldn't have said that,” she blurts out, her hands emphasizing her words and the anxiety they carry. “I just, I don't know what came over me. It was stupid and I’m-”

“Lee.” You quickly cross the small space between you and grab onto her slightly shaky hands. “You don't have to apologize, everything’s fine.”

She blinks a few times but the action doesn't get rid of the genuine surprise that's etched onto her features. “You…You're serious?”

“Incredibly. I thought it was cute that you got jealous like that.”

Her usual playful energy comes back the instant she realizes you're not upset. And it very quickly becomes clear she's not actually upset either.

“Excuse me, I wasn't jealous. I just thought it was a lame question.”

“Mhmm, right.” You let go of her hands in order to wrap your arms around her waist and pull her close. “I'll make sure to remind you of that if I ever propose.”

She leans in to kiss you until her brain catches up to your joke. There's a hint of a pout on her lips that makes you chuckle.

“What do you mean if?”

You don't bother with replying and instead kiss her again, knowing your actions will be more than enough to soothe her worries.

[hiimawarish]

for you, i would fall from grace

s. diluc overthinking whether he is worthy of you or not. cw. a little angst? maybe? also fluff. fem/afab reader. reader is not from mondstat, but it is never specified where she comes from. tw. mention of death (crepus). not proofread. wc. 0.9k a/n. idk what to say, i just had a thought and it ended up in this. i wrote this before i had to connect to my teaching training, so excuse any typos. credits. dividers by @/cafekitsune.

He was tainted.

The realization dawned on Diluc as slowly and certainly as the sun set every evening. He was tainted. His hands, the same hands he used to protect Mondstat from the Fatui, were stained in blood. He had always known, of course—there was not a day when he could forget that his own father’s blood had been spilled by his hands, even if he had done so out of mercy. 

What was that saying Adelinde always said when he was a child? 

Oh, right.

Hell is full of good intentions.

In any case, Diluc had never truly been the oblivious type. Not to his own faults and flaws, anyway. He was aware of his shortcomings, his mistakes. Perhaps that was what had pushed him to spend sleepless nights protecting the city. Whatever his reasoning, Diluc had always known that his actions would never wash the blood off his hands. He didn’t mind. He hadn’t minded. Not until you came along.

You came barreling into his life on an evening he remembered perfectly. If he had been any good at painting, perhaps he would have been able to replicate the crimson glow of the sunset that day. He would have been able to place each cloud perfectly in the sky, stained in shades of pink, orange, and purple. You came into his life laughing, an outlander visiting Mondstat for the first time—he had been fortunate enough not to have to leave his post at the Angel’s share, and instead spent the night refilling your drinks and snacks, listening to the stories of your travels.

Diluc had never been quite as chatty, and he had realized early that most people found him too broody and intimidating to even approach him. You did not. Whether it was the adrenaline of finally arriving at Mondstat or the dandelion wine working through your organism, you didn’t know. The only thing you knew was that you needed to speak, to ramble, and he had turned out to be a good listener.

That should have been the first sign, Diluc realized. He should have known at the moment that you would become more necessary to him than air—that he would feel an asphyxiating pain within his chest whenever you were away. He should have known, but who could have guessed that Master Diluc, the head of the Dawn Winery, the owner of Angel’s Share, would fall head over heels for a sweet thing like you?

You were sweet.

You were, in Kaeya’s words, full of joy. 

“She’s good for you”, he had said, ignoring, as usual, the glare sent his way. “You need some sunshine.” 

Sunshine. He had called you sunshine.

Diluc soon realized that, no matter how much he willed Kaeya to be wrong, he was not—you were sunshine incarnate. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear the sweetest wines he produced were all made when you were around. He might even swear that the longer you stayed, the less Fatui incidents he encountered. You were sunshine—you were his lucky charm.

But he was tainted.

He realized that as blinding as your light was, it seemed to dissolve his own darkness. The shadows that had grown within his heart melted whenever you wrapped your arms around him; your warmth trapped him in a golden cage he’d gladly stay. It dawned on him as you laid next to him in bed—your soft breathing, your chest rising and falling, one of your hands clutching the pillow, the other wrapped around his waist. 

Your hands were clean, only ever tainted by the occasional tears of frustration. He feared, sometimes, that you’d be tainted by him whenever he held you in his arms. He lived in constant terror that you would realize what he actually was, that you’d see through his mask only to realize he was far too damaged for you… That he was far too consumed in darkness for a creature of light like you. 

“Just go to sleep.”

Your voice, as if it were no more than a mermaid song, snapped him out of his musings. His amber eyes looked down at you, your frame curled up against his side. Your eyes fluttering open, just slightly, enough for you to glance at him, an amused smile on your lips. He still relished in how easy you made it seem—how contagious your smile was, pulling his into a curve without him willing his lips into it.

“I thought you were asleep,” He whispered back.

You closed your eyes, head softly nuzzling into his side. He could feel you taking a deep breath, as if trying to take all of his essence in. “How can I sleep knowing you’re overthinking again, hm?”

Harsh words whispered in the softest tone made Diluc chuckle amidst the darkness of your shared room, the vibration from his laughter resonating deep within your ribcage.

“Overthinking,” He repeated, almost musing.

You pulled on him, then, asking him quietly to close his eyes. Diluc merely smiled, allowing you to pull him wherever you wanted him, until he had transformed into a protective cocoon for you. 

Maybe you were right.

He was overthinking—even if he were nothing but a moth attracted to your flame, you would not burn him. You were too gentle a burst of sunshine to ever dream of such a thing.

And he was far too powerless against you, no matter how blood-stained his hands were.

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