#I found this at the grocery store and I started laughing in the baking aisle

[xxmandaveexx]

IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW

[jishyucks]

Groceries are Overrated — ldh

‣ pairing: supermarket worker!haechan x customer!reader

‣ genre: fluff, strangers-to-lovers?, sorta slice-of-life

‣ wc: 5.6k

‣ summary: After multiple encounters, you develop a crush on the boy working at your local supermarket. And who knows? Maybe the feeling is mutual.

‣ warnings?: nothing too bad I think!, mentions of hyuck breaking his pinky finger LMAO, jokes of plans to stalk/kidnap (false accusations)

‣ an: uhhhh tell me how I made an entire fic that’s set in a mf grocery store (˶x     x˶);; it genuinely was only supposed to be like 2k or less,, this is how u know that I romanticize EVERYTHING (sigh imagine how easy life would be if situations like these existed)

‣ taglist: @flowerjun @mosviqu

Your roommate, Karina, had the knack of sending you out to the grocery store against your will. In fact, you couldn't even recall how many times it had occurred in the last month. It feels like you’ve dropped by the store every day on the way home and you’re beginning to think that the employees believe you’re crazy.

But, in all honesty, you couldn’t blame her. After all, no one could resist the taste of your cooking and baking.

So here you were, moving up and down the seemingly endless aisles of the store on a mission to locate cream of tartar for your meringue cookies. 

It was odd because you’d usually find the powder alongside the sugars and spices in a bag or container like salt and pepper. Today, it was nowhere to be found, not even the price tag stuck to the shelves that indicated that it was there, just not in stock.

You sigh and slowly make your way down the aisles, laying your eye on every single item sitting on the shelves. Other customers looked at you like you were crazy, occasionally stretching your neck or lowering yourself into a squatting position just to view the bottom shelves. But at this point, you honestly could not give two shits if you looked looney.

“Did you lose something?” A pair of feet appear in front of you in the middle of your squat. You freeze and look up to see an employee looking down at you. He looks like he’s trying not to laugh, “I’ve seen you go up and down the store like… a lot of times.” 

Your eyes widen and laugh sheepishly. Standing up, you shake your head, “Um, actually I was looking for the cream of tartar! I can’t… seem to find it.”

“In the cereal section?” 

Now that you’re up and standing, you get a better look of the worker in front of you and you recognize him as one of the newer employees of the store. You can only say this with full confidence because you’ve been acquainted with a majority of the staff and most, if not, all were older than forty. This employee, you would say, was around your age. You take a quick glance at his name tag and read it. 

Donghyuck.

“You never know!” You laugh again, this time wishing that the ground would just swallow you whole before the (actually really cute) boy could reply to you. How could you embarrass yourself like this?

Donghyuck lets out a short snort, “It’s in aisle six, you know, with the sugars and spices?” 

It takes you a second to realize that you’re currently in aisle 23. “I looked! I swear it wasn’t there!”

He grins, “Then let me take you.” 

The boy begins walking away from you and you trail not too far behind him. If Donghyuck miraculously brings you to the cream of tartar, you’re going to think that the universe is against you.

He walks about three paces in front of you, strides slightly longer than yours. Although you both did not know each other, you found it a bit awkward walking in silence. “Just a random thought but are you a new worker here?”

Donghyuck slows down and turns to look at you, playing off of your question, “What are you, the owner of this place?” 

“No,” You shake your head and laugh, “I just know a lot of the employees here because I go here a lot.” 

“Ah, makes sense,” Donghyuck hums, “I just started working here last week. My grandma works here and I needed extra money so she got me this job.” 

You make a sound of acknowledgment. This time, you decide to joke, “Ohhh, so you’re a nepo baby! So what do you do? Roam the aisles?” 

He gives you a look, but it’s quickly wiped off of his face when he goes to answer you, “I sorta do everything, so if you do go here a lot, you’ll be seeing me everywhere—ah, here we are.” Donghyuck shuffles over to the rows of spices and uses his finger to follow his place. 

“See, it’s not—”

“Found it!” Donghyuck bends down and snatches a bag of cream of tartar. Then, he turns to hand it over to you, the corners of his lips sitting high on his cheeks. 

“Thanks,” you say, unsure of how to end the interaction.

“You’re welcome,” Donghyuck nods, “Well, it was nice meeting you, loyal customer, but I have to go back to whatever I was doing. I’ll see you around!” Before you even get to bid him goodbye, Donghyuck spins on the balls of his feet and starts making his way back to the last aisles.

You’re left thinking how you actually hope to see more of him.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

It’s once in a blue moon that you go to the grocery store for a reason other than ingredients and food. Today, you’re set on finding a plant or two to liven up your apartment. The only problem was you genuinely did not know what plant best suited you and Karina.

You have your phone out, searching up the plant names you can barely read from the name tags. Being that you were in the garden centre of the store, the sun was beating down against your forehead and you’re really wishing that you can find some plants and leave so you can get back to your air-conditioned home. 

Your goal was to find a plant that could thrive without direct sunlight, given that your apartment didn’t receive sunlight all day, and one that might be a bit neglected due to yours and Karina’s busy schedules.

Francee Hosta. You read, a flowering perennial plant. Lavender blooms in the late Summer. Grows tall, 28 inches. Great for landscaping and can fill empty space well. Best in part to full shade.

“Good competitor,” you say under your breath. Mentally, you put a star on the plant and move on, hoping to gather as many options as you can. You’re not even halfway down the entirety of the garden centre so you’re fully confident that you’ll find one, but you just wish that it was actually easier finding the plant you wanted.

You move on, positioning yourself right beside the next plant you intend to research. It resembled a small aloe vera, only each ‘leaf’ was adorned with white stripes. From where you stood, the plant's name tag remained frustratingly out of sight, perched on top of the high racks. 

Letting out a frustrated groan, you stretch yourself as much as you can, reaching for the plant. Balancing on your tippy toes, you strain to touch the pot's glass edge, but it remains just out of your fingertips' reach. 

Before you can fully process the situation, a hand swiftly reaches for the same pot, snatching it away from you, “A zebra plant?”

Falling back on your heels, you turn to find Donghyuck holding the small plant in his hands, “Out of all the plants here, you want a zebra plant?” He holds it out for you to take, which you only do because you’re thrown off by his sudden appearance.

You completely ignore his question and ask him one of your own, “You again?” 

“Like I said, I do a bit of everything,” Donghyuck shrugs, “Wait, but I work here, I should be asking you that question.” 

“I’m trying to look for like two houseplants,” you say, “What’s the problem with zebra plants?” You frown at the poor plant in front of you, getting attacked for absolutely no reason.

“Nothing, there’s just way better ones than it,” Donghyuck snickers. 

You frown, “Well, since you seem to know more about plants than me, can you help me?” You turn to place the plant back. But when Donghyuck notices this, he quickly takes it out of your hands and places it back onto its spot. 

“Of course, of course,” he smiles. And just like a few days before, he starts leading you down the garden centre, eyeing the plants, “Well, what sort of plant are you looking for?”

You explain everything to him, “But I think I prefer smaller plants since my place has limited space.” 

He hums and files through his limited knowledge of plants, “I actually don’t know.”

“I thought you knew things about plants!” Your blink at him, mouth agape, “Why did you even ask me what I was looking for if you didn’t know what I was even talking about?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, “I do but because of the tags.” He reaches over and plucks out the name tags you’ve been using to do research on. Then he flips it around revealing a bulleted list of the plant’s features, “I was going to help you look for one.” 

How the hell did you not see the list in the first place?

“What the fuck,” you say, “That’s been there this whole time?”

“You’re telling me you haven’t been using these to pick the plants out!?” Donghyuck sucks his teeth and shakes his head as if he was disappointed in you. 

You defend yourself, huffing, “To be fair they’re not as visible as they should be.”

Donghyuck hums, “The more you know. How ‘bout I start over there and you continue from where I found you and we meet in the middle?”

You nod, “Sounds good to me.”

The two of you take about half an hour looking for plants, taking the job more seriously than it actually was. You could already predict that one out of the two plants may possibly be dead in two weeks, but it’s the thought that counts. 

“Okay,” Donghyuck approaches you with a plant in hand. Its leaves spill out of the pot, connected to the long, growing stems, “I think this one would be pretty. It’s one of those plants you can hang from the ceilings and it matches what you’re looking for.” 

You take the plant from him and hold it up, taking in its appearance, “I actually like it. I’ll take this one.” 

He nods and takes it back, “Did you find one?” 

You nod, too, showing him the plant you had chosen but sat on a nearby platform, “It looks like an average plant but it should do. Thanks for the help by the way.”

“It’s no problem,” Donghyuck shrugs, “This is the most boring position yet.”

The two of you start walking toward the entrance back into the actual store, passing by other customers, “Really? How many other positions have you worked?”

“This and the one from the other day,” Donghyuck snorts.

You’re genuinely surprised with how well you and Donghyuck can converse despite only meeting once before this. But you like to think it’s a skill you picked up from speaking to the other workers, “You’re kidding.”

“I’m really not,” he shakes his head, “Boring-est so far.” 

Once you two reach the entrance, he halts, “I’ll see you around?” Donghyuck realizes he’s still holding one of your plants and he gingerly hands it over to you. 

“You know it.”

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Karina’s grip around your wrist is so tight that you feel the circulation failing to reach your fingertips. She’s dragging you down the sidewalk, walking at pace way too fast from your usual, “I promise you I’ll be quick. You can just sit at those benches at the front if you want.”

You groan, taking into account the fact that Karina’s begged one too many times to go to the grocery store with her, “Fine. But if you take longer than ten minutes, I’m leaving.” You can’t say no to your best friend completely, not when you know that her time of month’s coming up and she needs to stock up for her cravings and toiletries. 

“Wait, no! I need you to help me carry stuff,” Karina pouts. You both reach the front entrance and now she’s stopped, not ready to go in until she’s satisfied with a plan. 

You sigh, but in a loving way, almost as if you were a mom giving in to her kid’s wants, “Fine. I’ll wait for you.”

She lights up and claps, “Great! Okay you can sit and just wait until I’m about to go for cash.”

You nod, watching her jog in and leaving you to dawdle in not long after. 

“Hello! Good afternoon!”

It was almost a jumpscare hearing that voice, not expecting it to be the first thing you would encounter walking in. Usually the greeter was an older man who was working part-time despite retiring from his old job, but today, it was the very same boy you’ve run into during your two previous visits.

“A greeter?” You snort. 

Donghyuck puts his arms up in defense, “I told you I did everything.”

“Yeah but I didn’t think greeter would be part of that list.” Suddenly, you forget about your desire to sit at the metal bench by the bathrooms.

“Me neither, but here I am,” he shrugs, “What are you doing here?” The question was odd because it’s one you wouldn’t normally ask customers at a supermarket, but Donghyuck thinks it’s perfectly okay to ask you the question because it was your third time that week going to the store.

“My roommate needs things,” you say simply, “Is this position better than the plants?”

“I get to stand here and do basically nothing,” Donghyuck nods, eyes widening, “I get why Mr. June likes it.” 

“Where is he anyway?” You question.

Shrugging, Donghyuck leans against the high counter he was standing behind, “Personal day or something? I’m not too sure.” 

You hum, “Well at least he’s getting the break he needs.”

There’s a brief silence before Donghyuck gasps, brows escalating to the top of his forehead, “I just remembered!”

“Remembered what?” You don’t recall anything that you and Donghyuck have spoken about. 

“This is… weird? But I’ve never asked you for your name,” Donghyuck points out. It’s just now that you realized that he actually hasn’t asked for your name. You both just started speaking to each other as if you knew each other, so introducing yourself never even crossed your mind, “I mean… I think you know mine because of my name tag, but I don’t know yours.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “What if this is some ploy for you to stalk me?” You playfully take a step back and eye him down, “And what if your name isn’t really Donghyuck?”

“I’m not gonna stalk you,” Donghyuck he whines, “And my name really is Donghyuck! You can ask my grandma!”

You let out a laugh and sigh, “I know, I was joking. My name’s Y/N.” 

Before Donghyuck can process everything, he gasps, “Are you the Y/N grandma talks about?” He brings his hand up to his head and runs his hand through his hair, “The Y/N that had to bake for practically an entire village of people?”

“So your Grandma is Mrs. Lee?” You don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that your heart warms up at the fact that Donghyuck was related to Mrs. Lee, who was probably the sweetest lady you’ve ever met. 

You think it was good because Donghyuck seemed to be close to his grandma, enough for her to get him a job and enough for him to know stories from work—it could really reflect the kind of person Donghyuck was. But now, thinking it through, it could be bad because there was no way you were developing a small crush on a boy you’ve only met twice before today. 

“That’s her,” He nods and allows for a child-like smile to surface on his face, “She’s the best right?”

You almost let out an audible ‘aww’ because of the way you can tell that he was probably a grandma’s boy. You nod, “She is. I should’ve put two and two together.”

His head tilts to the side, “What do you mean?”

“When she’s on cash, she talks about her grandson being a ray of sunshine,” you say. For some reason you suddenly feel shy as you speak to Donghyuck, “She says ‘I just know Hyuckie is going to be such a great man one day!’ I don’t know why it didn’t click that Hyuckie comes from Donghyuck.” 

Donghyuck blushes at the nickname, attempting to use his bangs to hide, “So she talks about me too?” You nod. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

“She hasn’t said anything super embarrassing,” you tease, “The worst one was probably how you were in a rush to get home after an exam just to play video games and you cried cause you broke you broke your pinky. I found it funny but it wasn’t too bad.” 

Donghyuck’s jaw drops in the slightest, “She told you about that?” 

You nod and giggle, “Can I see your pinky?”

“Sorry I don’t usually show it on first dates,” Donghyuck peeks at you at the corner of his eyes and smirks. 

You facepalm, “That sounds so wrong.” You want to laugh but you hold it back, not wanting to give Donghyuck the satisfaction.

“Lee Donghyuck, are you doing your job?” From your right, the voice of Mrs. Lee calls out to her grandson, a delightful blend of playfulness and a touch of seriousness. 

Following the direction, you greet Mrs. Lee with a bow, waving at her before turning back to Donghyuck with hands to your hips, “Yeah, Donghyuck, are you doing your job?”

“Y/N’s distracting me!” He responds in a childlike manner, and Mrs. Lee simply shakes her head in response, a faint smile gracing her lips. As she turns away, you spot Karina waddling down from a cash register with four bags filled to the brim with different things. 

“Y/N!” She calls. She uses her head to gesture to the bags. By this time, she’s standing by the exit, setting two bags down at her feet for you to carry. 

“I have to go,” you say to Donghyuck, “I’ll probably see you the next time I come here, right?”

He nods, “It’s likely.”

“Well, see you Donghyuck!” you turn and wave, “Or should I say, Hyuckie.”

Rolling his eyes, he waves back before quickly flipping you off, but instead of his middle finger, it’s his pinky. You respond with a good-natured shake of your head, gathering the bags in front of you. With a nod to Karina, the two of you make your way out, leaving the lighthearted scene behind. 

“Bye, Y/N.” 

It’s good to finally have a name to your face.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

True to Karina’s suspicions, her period started the day after her cravings. 

And when Karina gets her period, she gets sick. And when she gets sick, you take this as your cue to go to the grocery store to gather ingredients for the special stomach-hugging soup your mom taught you to cook growing up. It was something that you both looked forward to every month despite Karina not being at her best condition.

The produce today wasn’t up to par as it usually was. All were stacked rather messily, making it difficult for you to filter through the veggies. You’re only surprised because in the amount of times you’ve gone to the supermarket, there has not been one day that it organized this poorly. 

“This is like your… fourth time in the last ten days or something?” The voice sounds from behind you, “Just tell me you miss me and go.” 

You turn to see Donghyuck with a cart of banana-filled boxes and it all suddenly makes sense to you, “Why would I miss you?” You turn your attention back to the bok choy sitting to your right and rummage through the pre-filled bags.

“It happens more than you think,” he shrugs, “Reason this time?”

You find a bag that seems pretty good and you plop it into your basket, “My roommate’s sick so I’m making her soup.” 

“Mmm,” Donghyuck hums, “The weather lately has been making me crave hot pot, so soup sounds so good right now.”

“Now you’re making me crave it,” You feel your mouth water at the thought of hot pot on this cool, rainy afternoon and sigh, “But I think my soup’s better than hot pot. Any. Day.”

He scoffs, “I don’t believe you. Nothing can beat hot pot nowadays. Not even kimchi jjigae.” Donghyuck pushes and pulls at the banana cart as if it were a baby in a stroller, “Thank you.”

Your brows furrow, “For what?”

“Now I know what I’m eating for dinner later.” His grin forms a taut line, “Hot pot.” 

You begin making your way to the potatoes, grabbing those thin plastic bags on the way. To your surprise, Donghyuck follows you. You look at him, “Are you sure you aren’t the one who misses me?” “You wish,” he laughs, “I just need to stand still just for one minute at least. Produce clerk has to be the worst. But I do like talking to you.” Donghyuck shifts back and forth on his feet, “Anyway, what is this soup you’re making?” “See you do miss me!” You pick out three decently-sized potatoes and gently drop them into your bag, “It’s a family recipe and it doesn’t really have a name to it. We just call it stomach-hugging soup.”

“There’s a clear difference between me missing you and me liking talking to you,” Donghyuck grumbles, “We barely know each other but it’s just so easy talking to you. That’s why.” The way he nonchalantly says this takes you aback but you try to play it off, this time moving on to some nearby taro roots. 

“Whatever you say, Hyuckie,” you retort. Though he was right. It’s never been this easy for you to talk to someone, better yet, a boy. 

“Hey! That nickname is reserved for special people only!” 

“I’m a special person, aren’t I?” you joke, but quickly wave it off, “Don’t worry, I won’t call you that if you don’t want me to.” 

Repeating your steps from both the bok choy and the potatoes, Donghyuck watches you quietly with a smile that’s so gentle that it would lull a newborn to sleep. You don’t notice this, though, because your mind is distracted by how ungodly big the taro roots are.

“I need to… get back to stacking these bananas but,” Donghycuk gulps, “It would be cool if I could taste this special soup one day.”

You turn to him, and smile, eyes bright at the idea, “Of course. One day.”

He waves and saunters down toward the front of the produce section.

Once he’s gone, you try to make sense as to what Donghyuck was trying to imply. Friends outside of this weird new relationship you both have? Something more than that? You’re not too sure of anything and there was no way you were jumping to conclusions.

Before your thoughts start to eat at you, you shake your head to rid of them all, and along with it, the idea of the small lingering crush (that’s truly starting to develop) on this boy.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

It isn’t until one week later that you return to the supermarket. The reason this time was that you and Karina were truly out of groceries for once (which honestly was not surprising). 

It would be a terrible lie if you said you hadn’t thought of Donghyuck at least once within the last week, wondering how he was doing while constantly being put into different positions at work. You hoped that he wasn’t put onto the floor as a produce clerk like he had been the last time you saw him, both for his sake and for the sake of the store. 

It was late at night when you finally found the time to visit the store, much later than your usual trips. By this hour, the store had bid farewell to the bustling moms and their screaming children, leaving only adults who had dropped by after school or work, much like yourself.

It would also be a terrible lie if you said you weren’t wondering if Donghyuck was here today. 

You grab a rolling basket on the way in, greeting Mr. June when you pass him at the front. You go down the store aisle by aisle while grabbing everything you’ve listed down in your mental list. Occasionally, you brought your phone out to look if you’ve missed any of Karina needed, a screenshot of her text appearing last in your photos. 

You spend an hour or two going through the list, part of which was you comparing two different products to see which one would help you save money. 

Your third terrible lie of the night would be if you said you weren’t jerking your head toward any other person who entered the aisle hoping it would be Donghyuck. 

It was so stupid because this very boy only found out what your name was not too long ago. You’ve only met this boy four other times. And you barely knew anything about him except for the small tidbits you picked up through conversations with him or with Mrs. Lee. 

And this leads you to your fourth (and hopefully, last) terrible lie of the night—that you weren’t disappointed when you didn’t run into Donghyuck during your time at the store. 

You sigh as you load your things onto the conveyor belt, sorting them with pairs or other like things so it would be easier for you to carry everything. In your head, you’re already planning out how you were supposed to carry everything on your own. You’ve done it before, so you can (while harnessing the power of the universe) do it again. 

“This is a lot of stuff.”

You freeze at the voice and you finally look up, finding that Donghyuck was, in fact, your cashier. 

He immediately reads the shock in your facial expression and snorts, “Everything, remember? How’s your night doing?” Donghyuck starts scanning your items, sliding them from one side to the other.

You shrug, “Tiring… Do your shifts usually go ‘til this hour?” 

Donghyuck shakes his head, “Not typically, but I’m filling in for someone today. One of the other employees got sick so I stepped up like the good person I am.” He flashes a proud expression, and you can't help but chuckle at his confidence, “Anyways, where do you live?”

“What?” you laugh nervously, “I swear you suck at hiding your intentions of stalking me.” 

Donghyuck quickly takes back his question, realizing that he worded it all wrong and it being taken out of context was not good look at all. “No no! It’s not that, but…” How can he put this in a non-stalkery way? “My shift is almost done… you have a lot of things to carry… I would like to walk you home?” He cringes at the way it comes out as a question but it’s too late now. 

“Okay, if you’re not going to stalk me,” you think, “What if you kidnap me?”

"I promise, no kidnapping plans here," Donghyuck replies with a playful grin. "I'm a certified good guy, I swear!" Unbeknownst to you, he intentionally slows down his scanning, making sure that he has more time to chat with you (just in case you didn’t agree to his proposal). It's been a week since he last saw you, and this supermarket seems to be the only place where you both get a chance to talk. Besides, there was no one else in line.

There’s this very feeling in your chest that’s practically yelling at you to trust him, so you do, “It’s about two blocks down. It’s not too far, it’s a good eight minute walk.”

“I’ll meet you at the front then?” 

Not even ten minutes later, Donghyuck meets you right where he suggested. He isn’t wearing the vest the employees wore as uniforms. Instead, he’s thrown on a dark hoodie. He picks up your bags, “Let me take those for you~” 

“Didn’t see you coming,” you say, “I can carry one, you know.” You can't deny feeling a hint of nervousness. This marked the first time you were going to interact with Donghyuck beyond the supermarket setting. It's hard not to wonder if your dynamic is shifting from a mere employee-customer relationship to something more meaningful—even if it was just a friendship.

“It’s okay, I insist,” Donghyuck smiles, “Let’s go! Lead the way.”

You stand up and you lead him out the door. You begin taking your route home and Donghyuck quickens his steps to keep up with you, “So, what you’ve been up to the past week?”

A pleasant breeze blows past you both and you turn your head to reply to him just as you’re stopped at a red light, “I’ve just been busy with school and some other responsibilities. I only found time to go to the store after school today.”

“Ah, your load must be heavier than mine,” Donghyuck makes a sound of recognition, “I only have morning classes and then I’m free for the day.” 

“You’re lucky,” you laugh, “Mine usually runs the whole day because my faculty’s suckass at scheduling… but it is what it is, I guess.”

The light switches and you’re both allowed to cross. There are only a few cars waiting to go, which emphasizes how late in the night it actually is. “Well at least you’re holding up,” Donghyuck grins, “You still have time for cooking and what not.”

You nod, “That’s true, you’re right.” 

The conversation between you two unfolds with familiar ease, similar to your convos at the supermarket. Donghyuck brings up Mrs. Lee, questioning about how you came to know his grandmother. You share your story with him, detailing the moments and conversations that led to your connection.

“Are you close with your grandma?” You ask out of curiosity.

“She practically raised me because my parents were mostly out at work,” Donghyuck explains, “Now that she’s a little bit older, I still go over to her place and help around the house. She’s at retirement age, but she likes being busy. So I let her be busy at work and tell her to relax when she’s at home.”

Your heart swells at Donghyuck’s relationship with Mrs. Lee and a slight surge of emotion wells up within you. It really wasn’t helping with the crush you were trying to conceal, not when Donghyuck seemed like a genuinely great guy. 

“I think that’s really sweet of you.” You feel the corners of your mouth rise to your cheekbones, “I bet she appreciates it. She seems to really love you, so there’s no doubt that she does.” 

You finally reach your place and Donghyuck realizes this when you slow to a halt. He can't help but feel a tinge of disappointment that your place isn't farther from the store. Nevertheless, he holds onto the hope that he'll have more opportunities to walk you home in the future. 

You retrieve your bags from his hands and you don’t notice the way his breath hitches at your proximity. “Thanks for walking me home and carrying my bags. Are you fine getting home?” 

Donghyuck nods, “I actually live pretty close, believe it or not, so don’t worry about me. I’ll see you around?” It seems like this was something you’ve been saying to each other a lot.

“Of course and thank you again,” you say, “Goodnight, Donghyuck.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

As you begin to turn away, Donghyuck's gaze lingers on you. Despite it not being your last encounter with him, in that moment, a sense of urgency washes over him, realizing that this might be a pivotal moment. It feels like this decision could only be made now or never.

“Wait!” He calls out. It comes out embarrassingly louder than intended. He swears he could hear his voice echo down the street. 

You pause and turn to face Donghyuck, looking back at him curiously, "Yeah?" There are so many thoughts running through your head, only you couldn’t pick them out for the life of you. 

Donghyuck starts jogging to catch up with you, his footsteps rhythmically hitting the pavement. "I... actually have a question," he says, his voice slightly breathless. "It's been on my mind for the past week."

You meet his gaze with an expectant look, raising your eyebrows and giving a nod, encouraging him to continue.

“This sounds weird but,” his palm finds the nape of his neck and he’s suddenly (extremely) nervous to even be standing in front of you, “I think I like you… and I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date some…time? It’s okay if no, but I just figured that since we get along well that it was worth try—”

“I would love to.” 

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, really,” you retort, giggling under your breath, “I’m actually kinda relieved you made the first move.”

A rush of excitement surges through Donghyuck, and he's almost overwhelmed with the urge to jump for joy, “I’ll plan something out and let you know, if that’s okay? I didn’t think I would actually get this far.” He feels his cheeks heat up out of embarrassment.

“Take your time,” you snort, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Okay! I promise you I will not disappoint!” he exclaims, “Goodnight, Y/N. For real this time.” 

You offer a wordless response, shuffling closer to Donghyuck before rising onto your toes to plant a gentle peck on his cheek.

“Goodnight, Donghyuck.”

(And you best know Donghyuck went home that night skipping, excited to tell his grandma everything the next day.) 

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Thank you for reading! (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ Pls support my fic by liking/rbing (whatever you're most comfortable with!)

[fgumi]

ꕥ comfortable; — jake & heeseung drabble, wc: 799, genre: fluff

the kitchen was filled with the sweet scent of sugar and almond flour as you carefully measured out ingredients for macarons. it was supposed to be a quiet afternoon of baking, but the peace was interrupted when jake and heeseung unexpectedly wandered in, their eyes lighting up at the sight of you busy at work.

“macarons? can we help?” jake asked, already reaching for an apron.

you smiled, nodding. “sure, but it’s a delicate process. we have to be careful.”

heeseung grinned, grabbing an apron too. “how hard can it be? we’ll be master bakers in no time.”

as you started guiding them through the steps, it quickly became clear that “master bakers” might have been a bit ambitious. jake accidentally spilled a bit of almond flour, creating a small cloud of white powder, and heeseung nearly knocked over the bowl of egg whites as he tried to whisk them. despite the minor mishaps, the kitchen filled with laughter, the three of you teasing each other and enjoying the lighthearted chaos.

“you’ve got flour on your nose,” heeseung pointed out, chuckling as you wiped at your face, only to smudge it further.

“and you’ve got it all over your shirt,” you shot back, grinning as he looked down in mock horror.

jake, trying to pipe the macaron batter onto the baking sheet, ended up making a mess of it, the shapes far from perfect. “well, they’ll taste good, even if they look like blobs,” he joked, his bright smile infectious.

as you worked together, you couldn’t help but think about how lucky you were to have met people who understood and accepted you so completely. there was no awkwardness, just easy conversation and the warmth of genuine friendship. you found yourself reflecting on how effortlessly the three of you had clicked, how natural it felt to be around them.

as the macarons set and the oven preheated, you all took a break, leaning against the counter and chatting about funny moments from the past few weeks. you shared the story of how ni-ki had drawn the entire grocery store’s attention by breakdancing in an aisle after you’d made a passing comment about missing his full-out performances.

“i thought the store manager was going to kick us out,” you laughed, shaking your head at the memory.

jake snickered, adding his own tale. “remember when layla dragged jay through the mud after that rainy day? i’ve never seen him look so defeated.”

heeseung was next, recounting the time he’d tried to race sunghoon at a skate rink, only to trip and fall on his face, losing the race in spectacular fashion. as he told the story, his laughter was contagious, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made your heart skip a beat.

you found yourself staring at him, caught off guard by how attractive he was when he laughed, when he talked so animatedly. the realization hit you like a wave, and for a moment, you panicked, thinking about how this could complicate everything. you quickly pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the macarons instead.

once the macarons were in the oven, heeseung excused himself, mentioning something about playing league for a bit. the moment he left the room, you turned to jake, grabbing his arm.

“you have to swear secrecy,” you blurted out, your voice a mix of urgency and embarrassment.

jake looked at you, surprised, but nodded. “okay, i swear. what’s up?”

you took a deep breath, then confessed, “i… i couldn’t stop thinking about how attractive heeseung is when he laughs, when he talks. and it freaked me out because… i don’t want to make things awkward.”

jake’s reaction wasn’t what you expected. instead of being standoffish, he just smiled, a knowing look in his eyes. “honestly? i get it. heeseung’s got that charm. it’s hard not to notice.”

you blinked, surprised by his easy acceptance. “but… what if it makes things weird? i don’t want to mess up our friendship.”

jake shook his head, patting your head gently. “it won’t get awkward. we trust each other too much for that. and if your feelings ever go beyond just thoughts, everyone would understand. heeseung would most definitely do everything in his power to keep you comfortable.”

his words were a comfort, easing the tension in your chest. you sighed, a small smile tugging at your lips. “thanks, jake. i just… didn’t want to complicate things.”

“you won’t,” jake assured you, his voice warm. “and besides, if anything, it just means we all care about each other a lot.”

you nodded, feeling a bit lighter. as the smell of freshly baked macarons filled the kitchen, you couldn’t help but feel grateful for the friends you’d found, for the bond that felt unbreakable, no matter what.

disclaimer: this, in no way, reflects the idol. this is purely fiction. a/n: something similar to this happened to me an hour ago and this is my way comforting myself ✧ comments are appreciated! ✧ !nanamlist

[fandomsnstuff]

@taznovembercelebration

Day 3: bakery au/playlist

Kravitz gives Taako a gift and gets invited to a party

Read it on AO3

Kravitz stands pressed against the brick wall outside the bakery, out of view of the large stretch of front windows. He drums his fingers on the plastic case in his hands.

This is. Insane. Taako's working. He's almost always been working when they see each other. What on Earth made him think that making him a mixtape in cd form, cassette form, and spotify form (just in case he doesn't have a way to play the other two) would be appropriate?

Sure, they see each other every day when Kravitz comes in for a sweet treat. And Taako flirts with him over the counter every time, and loiters around the little table he sits at by the window to talk to him more. Then of course there was that time they ran into each other at the grocery store and stood in the aisle talking for at least 30 minutes. And the time they ran into each other at the movies and went for dinner and a walk after. Then Taako gave him his number the next day when he came in for a danish, and they text almost every day. Taako even joked that they were meant to be when they found out that Kravitz's old college roommate is his brother in law.

But a mixtape? What is this, 1986?

But here he is, with an hour and a half of music he carefully curated for Taako in three different forms. At this point he can't not give it to him.

He takes a deep breath and walks into the bakery. The bell above the door jingles and Taako doesn't even look up from where he's loading some fresh cookies into the display. "I was wondering how long you were gonna stand out there."

Kravitz freezes. "You could see-"

"Sure could." Taako comes up and leans against the counter, smiling smugly. "Whatcha got there?"

Kravitz hides the tape and cd behind his back, his face burning. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing." Kravitz takes a very sudden interest in the wall behind Taako. "Tell you what," Taako says, drawing Kravitz's eyes back to him like a magnet, "I'll trade you. You show me what made you stand outside my place of business for 10 minutes, and I give you one of my new ginger molasses cookies, on the house."

Kravitz eyes the cookies in question. They do look good, perfect picturesque cracks on top, sugar on the outside glistening like crystal. And Taako's cookies are always perfectly crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle.

"They just came out of the oven," he says tauntingly, "still warm."

The unfortunate thing is that Kravitz can be bought. Especially with baked goods. "I, um," his heart is still racing, but he approaches the counter, "this is so dumb, but I," he laughs, embarrassed, and presents the gifts, "I made you a mixtape? You mentioned that you've been listening to the same music when you bake since you started working here, and maybe you want to, but I just thought you might like… another option." Taako's very good at keeping his composure, but his eyebrows have raised. Kravitz hopes that's good surprised and not incredulous, bad surprised. "I didn't know what you have to play music so, uh, yeah."

A beat of silence passes, then Taako barks a laugh. He picks up the cassette and flips it over, reading the tracks. "Hozier, ACDC, Taylor Swift," his voice rises in pitch as he reads out the artists, "My Chemical Romance, Ed Sheeran, The Backstreet Boys, Nickleback-" he cackles, "you're a freak, Krav, this fucks."

Kravitz laughs. "You said you like variety."

"Well I've certainly got it now." He puts the tape down and walks back to the display, grabbing a paper bag and a pair of tongs. "I think I owe you two cookies for this."

"You don't have to-"

"Too late!" He packages up two ginger cookies and hands the bag over to him. "No take-backsies."

"Thank you." He takes his treat and sits at his table by the window, watching Taako as he takes his new music into the back, and a moment later the song playing over the speakers stops and Take Me to Church starts.

Taako isn't able to stop and talk to him a lot, he putters around, filling the display case, cleaning, helping other people who come in. When Kravitz is on his way out, Taako calls out, "hey, Krav!" He turns, and Taako says, "do you want to go to a party?"

"Like, in general?"

"No, I'm- there's going to be a party this weekend. With my friends. Barold will be there. Do you want to come?"

"Oh," other than Barry, he hasn't met Taako's friends, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your friends."

"Well," Taako scoffs and crosses his arms, "it's my birthday party so I can do whatever I want and they can deal."

Kravitz's eyes widen. "It's your birthday? I had no idea-"

"You wouldn't. Anyway, you in?"

"Yeah, yes, for sure."

"Cool. I'll text you."

Taako texts him later that day with an address and a time for the coming Saturday. He asks if he should bring anything, and Taako's response of "just your handsome self" makes his heart do somersaults. He considers getting Taako a gift, but he made him a mixtape. Maybe he already considers that his gift. He thinks about bringing wine, but he knows Taako's pretty particular about his wine pairings. The idea of flowers goes straight out the window, that'd be too much.

He follows Taako's instructions and just brings himself. There's food and desserts set out, including a cake that's been pre-cut so people can just grab and go. He asks Taako, "no candles?"

He snorts. "Trust me, you don't want to hear these fuckers sing."

The party itself is… fine. Taako's friends are welcoming, and include him in conversation and games. But there's a history and camaraderie here that he's very clearly not a part of. Of course it's Taako's party, so he can do what he wants, but Kravitz feels like he shouldn't be here.

Taako sticks around in his general vicinity for the most part, which Kravitz is grateful for. It reminds him that he was actually invited. But at some point Taako gets dragged off to do god knows what, and Kravitz takes the opportunity to step outside.

The cool night air is refreshing. He takes a deep breath and sits in one of the patio chairs. A minute later, the sliding door opens and Barry steps out. He sits in the chair next to him, "you okay, bud?"

He shrugs. "Yeah." Barry gives him a sympathetic look that somehow makes him want to spill his guts. Kravitz sighs, "it's just- I'm glad that Taako invited me, but it just feels like- everybody's nice and all, but you've known each other for so long, maybe it'd have been better if his birthday party was just his closest friends, you know?"

Barry snorts. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, but," he chuckles and shakes his head, "do you know how Taako normally celebrates his birthday?"

His brow furrows. "He has a party? Has all his friends come and give him presents?"

"No. He lets Lup buy him dinner and that's it. He never wants a party or cake. I'm not even allowed to know where they're going for dinner." He leans in close and lowers his voice, "this party didn't exist until he invited you to it."

"Then…" he looks back through the glass of the sliding door, where Taako's scrambling to get out of Magnus's arms like an indignant cat while Merle loudly sings Happy Birthday, "why?"

Barry looks a little smug. "I have a few ideas."

"Like what?"

He shrugs and stands, clapping a hand on Kravitz's shoulder. "I'll see you in there."

"Wha- Barry!"

But he's already gone back inside.

The Monday after the party, Kravitz is sitting at his table in the bakery, daydreaming out the window when a slice of confetti cake is set down in front of him. Taako sits across from him with his own slice of confetti cake that has a purple candle sticking out of it. He takes a lighter out of his pocket and seem to light and blow out the candle in one go. He picks up the fork on his plate and digs into the cake. Kravitz picks up his own fork and tentatively takes a bite.

"I hear Barold spilled the party beans to you," Taako says after a long silence. He's deconstructing the layers of cake with his fork.

"Party beans?" Kravitz says eloquently.

Taako huffs. "Party beans! The beans about the party!" He slumps back in his chair, and scoops a lump of icing into his mouth.

Kravitz doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing. They both pick at their cake in silence as Green Day serenades them through the speakers.

"I just never really saw the point," Taako says eventually. "For our entire lives, our birthday was just another day, because we had no money to make a big deal about it. Then we got some money and a couple of friends, and we could make a whole shindig about it. Lup loved it, I didn't really care. I liked planning it for Lup, but I just didn't need it for me. I let her take me to dinner because she insists on doing something."

Kravitz takes a moment, then says, "you deserve to be celebrated, Taako."

"I know," he snaps. "A birthday party's just too much."

"But you love getting attention." He shrugs, still slumped in his seat. Kravitz says, "so why the party now?"

"I wanted to spend time with you, doofus. And a birthday party was the first thing that came to my idiot brain."

"Oh." Kravitz stabs at his cake. "You don't need to throw a party to get me to spend time with you." Taako stays low in his seat, looking at his decimated piece of cake. "Can I take you to dinner?"

Taako finally sits up. "As long as you don't tell the waiters it's my birthday. I've been subjected to too many sparklers and stupid hats."

Kravitz laughs. "I think I can manage that."

[urfavstargirl1]

I'll be Home for Christmas - an e.m. series

Part 2: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Summary: Y/N pays a visit to the ghost of Christmas past, in the form of Eddie Munson

Cw: drinking, swearing, Nancy, Robin, and steve makes an appearance, the Hideout, the chaos in the days leading up to christmas, angst, reader takes a chance on herself, second chance romance, best friends to lovers, set in the future, latina!fem!reader

word count: 10.2K

AO3 | Spotify Playlist

a/n: not much to say other than this was a hastily written and edited chapter with way too much soul, (ps. this chapter is influenced by the Smiths songs of the same name)

Part 1

“What the hell man?” I angrily hiss at Alex and my brother who are nonchalantly taking items off the shelves of the baking aisle. I glance at the cart that is already filled with cinnamon, rice flour, brown sugar, limes, cilantro, jalapenos, and various sodas.

“What’d he say?” Alex smiles at me. 

“What’d he say? What the hell Alex? You knew he was gonna call me, didn’t you? Was this his and your big plan, to drag me out to the Hideout?,” I frantically ask as he crosses an item off the list and pushes the cart forward, making me follow him.

“Seriously, is this a prank or something? Who else is in on it, huh? First my parents and siblings, now you. What’s next, everyone at grandma’s house?”

“Chill out,” he says while looking at the list. 

“Look, it’s up to you if you want to come with us tonight. But, for the record, Eddie wanted me to ask you, but I refused. Told him, if you really want her to go, you’re gonna have to ask her yourself. Now, help me find the masa,” he commands, ignoring my tirade.

My feet are glued to the floor and my body is rigid.

“C’mon,” Alex says as he bends down to check the lower shelves.

I’m not usually this paranoid or irritable. In the courtroom, I am calm and collected, fierce and strong. With my friends, I’m stylish and sophisticated, friendly and sweet. With my family, I’m nothing if not batshit crazy.

I take a deep breath and scan the shelves for masa, the maize dough made of corn we use to make tamales, a savory dish consisting of masa filled with succulent meat and spicy chilis wrapped in a steamed corn husk.

I used to hate eating them every year, but now that I haven’t had them in so long, I’m actually kind of craving them.

I find the masa at the bottom most shelf and put a few bags in the cart. 

“Look, we can talk about it more at the house, for now we gotta get everything on the list ‘cause it’s flying off the shelves,” Alex calmly says as he crosses another line on the list.

“Okay,” I huff, already embarrassed at the minor scene I just put on the display.

“You seriously need to relax,” Alex laughs at my state of disarray. “We need to make a stop at the liquor store anyway, so we’ll get a head start on the drinking when we get back.”

“Say no more,” I say exasperatedly. A shot of tequila is just what I need to take the edge off.

As we turn the corner to the next aisle, we almost T-bone my brother who has nothing but candy in his hands. He tosses in the candy canes, chocolates, and gummy candies.

“For the stockings,” he shrugs. 

“Uh-huh sure they are,” I cock an eyebrow at him. Even though he’s just a sophomore in college, he’s always been a kid at heart. I guess that’s one of the many perks of being the youngest. 

We continue to shop and run amok the busy grocery store, splitting up and coming together again with all the different food items and paper products on the list.

Once everything on the list has been found and we exit the store, my brother insists on racing Alex to the car. Meanwhile, I have to push the heavy ass shopping cart, but it was all worth it to see him slip on some leftover snow. Most of the roads have cleared up, but that didn’t save my brother from tripping and falling flat on his face. 

“Fuck,” my brother screams loudly, garnering the attention of a few bystanders. Some  gasp in shock while Alex and I burst out laughing. From a few cars away, I see Alex help him up. My brother nods to something Alex said and smiles.

By the time I reach them, I ask if he’s okay to which he says yes. Alex and I tease him the entire way to the car and even while we load the groceries into the back. 

“Shut up, it wasn’t that funny,” my brother playfully scolds.

“You should’ve seen yourself. You slipped and fell like a Looney Tunes character or something.”

We laugh about it in the car some more as we head over to the liquor store.

“Close your eyes, it’s illegal for you to be here,” I tease as I wrap one arm around my brother's shoulders and place the other hand over his eyes.

He shakes my hands away and rolls his eyes. “Relax, I literally turn 21 in four months.”

“Bet that doesn’t stop you from having fun at the University of Michigan,” Alex teases. “Rumor has it you almost died getting your stomach pumped your first semester.”

My brother's skin turns white and his eyes widen. He shivers at the memory and shakes his head. “We don’t talk about that day. I almost never wanted to drink again”

Alex and I laugh as we grab a cart and fill it with the obligatory tequila and beer.

Once all of the errands have been run, we return to my grandma’s house. The men in the living room are shouting at the football game and the women in the kitchen are gossiping over the stove. 

The sight of peak gender roles would normally spark a rage in me, but right now, it’s more comforting than anything. Home for the holidays as I’ve always known it. 

Just as long as they don’t make me do anything in the kitchen though, then we’ll be good. 

As we transfer the groceries to the dining room table, the ladies in the kitchen start unpacking them. I run over to the living room to chastise the men into helping too. Solving the centuries long conundrum of machismo a little bit at a time.

They come help unpack the groceries and get the bright idea to start pouring the tequila shots. It’s only 2:00 but we’re on holiday time now.

Multiple arms are flying across the kitchen to simultaneously put food away and distribute tequila shot ingredients.

Alex passes me the salt shaker first. I lick my hand and pour salt over it and pass it to the next person. Someone else hands me a lime and then a shot glass filled with the clear liquid.

I look at some of my younger cousins around us who have plastic cups filled with juice to join the festivities.

We all quiet down so my mom can give a small toast. She repeats it again but in Spanish and then we all raise our shot glass and shout “Salud”, the Spanish word for cheers.

I lick the salt off my hand, take the shot and instantly scrunch my face. I bring the quartered lime to my lips and suck, chasing the bitter flavor. 

“All these years and you still can’t take a shot like a champ,” Alex whispers. 

“Fuck you,” I hiss and smile. I weasel my way into the kitchen and sneak a bunuelo, a sweet dessert consisting of a flat piece of dough fried crispy golden brown and topped with cinnamon and sugar. 

The house starts to feel hot with so many people and the kitchen appliances I’m sure have been running nonstop all morning, so I go outside to the backyard for some fresh air. Alex follows me and I’m instantly reminded of our conversation in the grocery store earlier. For a second, I actually forgot about it. 

We sit down on the patio furniture by my grandmother's garden and clothesline.

“So what’s the deal with you and Eddie,” Alex asks as he takes a bite out of his own bunuelo that he managed to sneak out. They’re making so many, I doubt they noticed a few were gone. I frown at the sugar crystals that fall onto his jacket.

“What’s the deal with me and Eddie? What’s the deal with you and Eddie?”

“I asked you first,” he says nonchalantly before taking another bite.

I shake my head and shrug, “What do you wanna know? I mean, it sounds like Eddie’s already told you a lot.”

“Yeah, but I wanna know your side of the story.”

I press my lips together and without thinking, sigh in relief. No one’s ever asked me that before.

“What’s to tell? I mean, he was just some guy I dated in high school,” I say, but the words feel bitter and false as they leave my tongue, making me scrunch my face like I had when I took the tequila shot earlier.

“Doesn’t sound that way. Doesn’t look like it either,” he replies, jutting his chin out at me. I look down and realize my shoulders are hunched over and my arms and legs are tightly crossed. I subconsciously uncross them.

I shrug. “It’s… complicated.”

“That’s fine. I can handle complicated,” he calmly states with a small encouraging smile.

I take a deep breath and look down at my lap. I reluctantly take a bit of my bunuelo and let the sweet fragrant cinnamon sugar disseminate on my tastebuds.

“I, uh, I have a lot of history with Eddie.”

“Alright, so where does the story begin?”

“Um, high school. Sophomore year. We were in the same health class. In all honesty, that’s probably the only way I could have ever met him, you know. A state mandated class everyone had to take,” I laugh nervously. 

“But um, I got to class first, and he got there late and the only place to sit was in the seat next to mine. And… you know the first thing he said to me? 

He arrived right as the teacher started talking. And after a few minutes she had us start some bullshit assignment, as they always do, and Eddie whispered, ‘Hey, can I borrow a pencil?’ and so I’m thinking, ugh, here's some loser who’s late to class and doesn’t even have a pencil. But whatever, I’ll lend him a pencil and be done with him.

So I reach into my backpack and pull out a spare pencil. I say sure and am about to offer it to him when I look up at him. It’s the first time I ever really looked at him. A real square in the eyes kind of look, and my stomach dropped. I had no idea why. 

Here was this weird kid with buzzed hair who was suddenly making me nervous. I instantly hated him for it. So just as he’s about to grab it, I pull my hand back and say, ‘Only if you can give me a good reason why you should’.

And then he said, ‘Oh sweetheart, I can give you plenty.’

So I said, ‘Okay, let’s hear ‘em.’

Then he asked, ‘Do you smoke?’

To which I replied ‘No’

So he goes, ‘Well, I can get you a good discount on… wait, you don’t smoke?’

So of course I had to tell him ‘No, it’s not really my thing’ 

And then he started struggling to come up with something to offer me in return. He ended up digging through his very empty backpack searching for something. And you know what he ended up bartering for my stupid pencil? His most prized possession: Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album on cassette.

He had brought it to show off to his friends or something, but insisted it was the only thing of value he had on him. 

At the time, I didn’t listen to anything like that so I basically told him I didn’t want it. But then he reversed the trade on me and said he’ll loan me the tape. He said I had to listen to it all the way through and if I still didn’t like it, then I could give it back to him and he’d come up with something better tomorrow, but if not, I could keep it.

In the moment, it felt stupid, but fifteen year old me decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. So later that night, I listened to the album all the way through, just like he said. I’d never heard anything like it. It was the first time I’d ever fallen in love. Eddie was the one that made me fall in love with music.”

“Eddie never told me that story,” Alex laughs and I smile at the memory.

“Yeah, Eddie kind of snuck into my life that way. We got really close that year and practically inseparable the year after. By the time senior year rolled around, we’d both fallen head over heels for each other. 

But, you know my parents. I mean, now, it’s all ‘when are we having grandkids’, but back then it was, no dating, no boys that are friends, and practically breathing around a boy was barely allowed. And being the oldest, they were always the strictest on me.”

“But you still dated him?”

“Yeah,” I smile, “His Uncle Wayne was cool with it, so it was really just my parents we had to worry about. Anytime we hung out I always said I was with a girl friend. 

We got away with it pretty easily when we were just friends, but once we started dating, we were going out more often, staying out longer, and getting home later. 

We had a few close calls in the beginning, but like most teenagers in love, we thought we were invincible. After a while, the close calls started becoming more frequent till one day, we finally got caught.”

“So what happened?”

I gulp and look down at my lap. It was easy to talk about the good stuff. To look back on the fond memories I had of Eddie. What my cousin is asking of me, I’d rather not relive.

“My parents were so mad. I almost thought they were going to have a heart attack. They wanted to kick me out of the house. They wanted to call the cops on Eddie. Ironically enough, there were plenty of reasons for the neighbors to call the cops on us. Domestic disturbance and all, but no one ever did.

But anyway, my parents wanted nothing to do with me. 

Their perfect daughter became the perfect disappointment. And as much as I hate to say it, if it weren’t for my siblings, I don’t know where I’d be. They were the ones to calm my parents down and convince them to let me stay.”

“Man, that’s fucked up.”

I shrug, “Yeah, I… It was hard. But it made things easier for my siblings, in terms of dating, so at least something sort of good came of it.”

Alex and nods and contemplates my words. I start feeling nervous about all that I’ve just shared, so I change the subject on him. 

“So how did you and Eddie become friends?”

Alex goes on to tell me how him and Eddie were the new guys at the garage for a while. And since they were the youngest, they naturally had more in common than with any of their other coworkers.

They would go to car shows around the state, check out local bands, and go to bars together. Since Alex was new to Hawkins, Eddie introduced him to his friends and became part of their friend group.

“If you come tonight, you can meet them all. They went to Hawkins High too.”

I consider his offer. I consider it for the next couple of hours as we talk about Eddie between holiday family duties.

It’s like I can’t help myself. I want to know everything. I didn’t realize how much I felt like I missed out on his life and I want so desperately to catch up, even if I don’t have any intentions of still being a part of it. The curiosity gets the better of me.

And somehow, explaining all of it to him is like breathing air. I didn’t realize how understanding he would be or how easy it would be to talk to him about it all. 

I almost felt bad for taking up all the time just talking about myself and my past relationship with a boy, or maybe a man now, that I hardly even know anymore.  But he never made me feel guilty about anything I had to share. 

And in an odd way, Eddie has become the bridge between us. Even though I wasn’t particularly close with Alex growing up, I’m surprised to learn just how much more we have in common now than we ever did as kids. 

“Yeah, I mean you guys are both good kids. I’m sure whatever’s going on, you’ll find a way to deal with it.” 

For the remainder of the day, I end up hanging out in the living room or running off to help in the kitchen. At different points in the day, other family members show up. We switch between playing card games, sharing family gossip, and commenting on whatever’s on tv. 

Somehow, it ends up being some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t realize how smart or interesting or funny my family is. 

Have they always been like this? In brief moments through it all, I feel a tinge of guilt for constantly looking down on them, on this town. Maybe it’s not so bad here after all.

It’s not so bad when you have good times, for a change.

Around 7:00 the tamales are ready and we start eating dinner. 

My siblings, Alex, and I get stuck at the kids table, as per usual. My siblings discuss their plans for the night and Alex explains my tentative acceptance to his offer. 

“Just go Y/N, you know you want to.”

Of course I want to. I want to see Eddie, but does he even want to see me? After everything that happened?

“You’ll regret it if you don’t go,” my sister says and I know she's right, but somehow it still feels wrong. 

“Let’s just go. I promise, if you want to leave at any moment for any reason, I’ll take you back home. No questions asked,” Alex offers. 

My siblings look at me expectantly. I avoid their gaze by looking down as my plate and messing with the empty corn husks.

“Fine,” I grumble. My siblings and Alex cheer aloud, catching the attention of the adults in the next room.

As the clock ticks closer to 9:00, I attempt to nonchalantly let my mom know that I’m going out with Alex and a few of his friends. I pray to God she doesn’t know that Eddie is one of them. 

She smiles at me endearingly and tells me that she’s glad I’m going out, that she wants me to have fun. 

I feel a sharp pang in my chest at these words because she’s never wanted me to have fun. Why now?

Alex and I walk out the door and into the cold crisp night. We pile into his truck and head out to the bar. He tries to give me a pep talk on the way there, but I’m too distracted, wondering what’s going to happen next.

What will he look like? On the phone, he still sounded the same. Will he be excited to see me? Will I be excited to see him? What will his friends be like? Do they know about me?

We get to the Hideout and make a beeline toward the bar. The place is just like Eddie said. It’s filled with bright colorful lights, tinsel and ornaments galore, and booming with loud Christmas music. The stage is set up with amps and equipment, but no one’s there. 

Turns out none of Eddie’s friends are here yet either. Alex and I order our drinks and talk. My cranberry Christmas cocktail isn’t half bad. I keep taking nervous sips to avoid having to say anything and am soon on my second drink. 

Slowly, the churning in my stomach goes away as I consume more of the drink. But I can’t help looking at the main entrance and eyeing other patrons.

“Relax, he’s gonna show up.”

I swallow the tiny remainder of saliva and pride down my throat. God, I’m a grown ass woman, why am I feeling like a nervous sixteen year old?

And then I see Alex smile and nod at someone behind me. Oh no. It’s time. 

“Steve! Nancy! Over here,” Alex waves.

I look over and see a young man and woman sauntering over to us. I sigh in relief.

Alex greets them and introduces them to me. We make small talk as some of the band members enter the stage.

A woman with cropped blonde hair, in a bob that reaches her chin sits at the drumset. She pulls out drumsticks and tests the instruments.

“Oh, look, it's Robin! Robin!,” Nancy exclaims loudly and waves over to the blonde girl. The girl makes eye contact with Nancy and smiles.

A tall man with dark brown skin and a flat top haircut enters the stage and sets up his guitar. Another man, who is noticeably shorter but with much longer hair joins in and tunes his bass guitar.

Where’s Eddie?

The nervous churning in my stomach starts ramping up as the clock keeps ticking and Eddie is nowhere to be found. For a second, I think I can distract myself with the chit chat from Alex and his friends, but I know nothing about them so it’s all hard to follow.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I declare. Alex is the only one that acknowledges me. He raises an eyebrow at me and I nervously smile before turning on my heel and making a beeline for the restroom.

Just like any other dingey bar bathroom, there’s pictures and posters and crayon markings? The walls are plastered with them. 

I stand in front of the sink and grab ahold of it. I look at my reflection for a moment before closing my eyes and breathing in deeply. 

What if I just left? What if I just got out of here and never had to–

“Ladies and Gentlemen, The Hideout presents a Hawkins favorite, the new and improved, Corroded Coffin!” A voice announces from outside the bathroom walls.

The crowd cheers and a charismatic voice announces into the mic, “What’s up Hawkins, how we doing tonight?” 

The crowd goes wild. Oh God.

“We’re gonna get this Christmas party started, but with a little twist,” the same voice adds. 

There’s muffled noise before the sound of live instruments disseminates through the building. 

Here goes.

I slowly make my way out of the bathroom and weave through the crowd, making it my mission to find my cousin and his friends who are leaning against the bar. 

“There you are! Almost thought you got stuck on the toilet or something,” Alex yells into my ear. I shove him lightly and smile.

And then I turn my head forward and see him. It’s Eddie. My Eddie.

He’s wearing ripped black jeans with their signature chain and a black sleeveless shirt. It must be to show off all his new tattoos because otherwise only an insane person would wear something like that in the cold. 

But they really do draw the eye. His pale arms are now covered in tattoos. Practically full sleeves.

I let my eyes travel upward and land on his hair. His beautiful, beautiful hair. It’s still long and shaggy, but not the wannabe Kirk Hammett way I last remembered. It’s sort of like a poofy mullet in an Uncle Jesse from Full House kind of way. It’s undeniably hot.

My eyes settle on his face. He has earrings now and a lip ring too. 

I look into those familiar brown eyes, which are staring right back into mine. He sees me and he smiles. I nervously smile back and shyly wave. 

He closes his eyes and pulls the mic closer to his lips. You would’ve thought that microphone was a person and he was going in for a kiss the way he does it so seductively. It makes my heart feel 

Eddie Munson, once a weird boy with a buzzcut, is now a confident man who’s an absolute rock god.

It makes something stir in my heart. I love seeing him like this. It’s just like I always imagined. But it also brings in this deep wave of regret. It makes me realize how much I missed all these years being away.

I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could turn back time. Maybe things would’ve been different.

I’m so lost in thought that the audience applauding when the song ends is the only thing to snap me out of it. I clap, but I have no idea what song they just played or how any of it sounded. All I noticed was Eddie.

“Looks like we have a special guest in the crowd tonight,” Eddie exclaims into the mike and I can feel the blood drain from my face. 

“This next song is dedicated to her,” He says as he smirks at me. I can feel my cousin look at me, but I can’t take my eyes off Eddie. The way his fingers wrap around the fret of the guitar. Or the way his strong arms hold the precious instrument.

And then he starts strumming, and I instantly recognize the melody. The other guitar player and bass player join in and the girl on drums starts adding to the beat.

“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away,” Eddie closes his eyes and wails into the mic.

“This year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special,” he sings as he opens his eyes and winks at me. 

If it weren’t for the darkness of the bar, I’m sure everyone would be able to see the raging blush on my cheeks. 

“Once bitten and twice shy, I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye. Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me,” he sings.

His voice is just as beautiful as I remembered. It takes me back to the nights he’d sing me Black Sabbath in the back of his van, or hum Metallica at his uncle’s trailer.

“Happy Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it, with a note saying "I love you", I meant it. Now I know what a fool I've been, but if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again,” his lips purse before the head of the microphone.

Between each verse and chorus, the members of the band absolutely shred, perfectly turning what originated as a perfectly pop song into a heady, sentimental, rock song.

The band plays the rest of the song, and as they finish, I end up being the loudest one in the room, clapping and cheering them on. Eddie blushes and smiles at me. I even accidentally look at the guy on bass, who looks back at me a little too devilishly for my liking.

It ends up making me drop the smile from my face and subconsciously scoot closer to Alex.

Corroded Coffin play a few more songs, mostly metal sounding renditions of popular Christmas songs, before Eddie closes out the set and the audience cheers for them all.

I wolf whistle, earning his attention and he smiles and shakes his head. The band gathers their instruments and slowly get off the stage. 

“That was incredible! After all these years, Eddie still has it,” I smile sheepishly at Alex.

“They were so good! Robin was the perfect addition to Corroded Coffin,” Nancy squeals and pats Steve’s chest. 

“I kept telling her. Eddie said they needed a new drummer when Gareth left for college and she was the only other musical genius I knew,” Steve says.

“Did she even play percussion in band?” Nancy asks.

“Nah, but it didn’t even take her that long to learn. According to her, learning another instrument is like learning another language. Whatever that means,” Steve shrugs.

I smile and laugh at his statement when the strong scent of cigarette smoke and cologne fills my nose. I turn my head to the source and find the bass player standing right in front of me.

“Hey there,” he gruffly says with a smile, displaying lines around his mouth.

“Hi,” I reply questioningly, looking around to make sure he’s actually talking to me and not someone nearby.

“I saw you out in the crowd earlier. A pretty thing like you is hard to ignore,” He smiles and leans forward, making me lean back.

I nervously laugh, not knowing what to say back.

“Is this your first time here? I swear, I’d remember if a girl like you ever came around.”

“Um,” I look over at Alex, Steve, and Nancy who are too engrossed in conversation with the tall boy on guitar and the drummer who I guess must be a Robin, a mutual friend of all of theirs that I've never even met. 

“It’s been a while,” I nervously reply.

“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” He asks, outstretching his arm and holding onto the part of the bar that’s a little too close to my arm for my liking.

“Uh,” I look over at Alex who has finally noticed my plea for help.

“Watch out Simmons. That’s my cousin you’re hitting on,” Alex says as he greets the strange man. They do that handshake to hug thing guys always do. 

“Alex buddy, c’mon, why didn’t you tell me you had such a hot cousin,” the man asks as he moves his hands outward. 

“Because hot and cousin should never be in the same sentence,” Alex jokingly punches him in the arm. 

I laugh nervously and scan the room, but he’s nowhere to be found. The stage is clear and all his bandmates are here. C’mon Eddie, where are you?

“Tell me baby, what are you drinking,” the creepy bass player asks me.

“Um,” I look from him to Alex and back to my empty glass on the bar.

“Hey bartender,” Bass Boy barks to the older man behind the bar. “Give the lady whatever she likes, on me.”

“Oh, no, that’s really not nec–”

“Y/N?”

I turn over my shoulder, in the direction of the voice that called my name. There’s a sea of people, but only one Eddie Munson trying to weave his way through them. 

“Eddie?”

And then without thinking, my body lurches forward and once he’s in arms reach, I wrap my arms around him. His body is warm against mine. I’m surprised to feel more muscles under my fingertips, but he still smells just like cigarettes and Irish Spring soap. 

He hugs me back just as tightly. I fit in his arms perfectly, and for a moment, the world stops. The earth stops spinning on its axis. At this moment, it’s just us. No one else. Just me and Eddie, like no time has passed at all.  

It feels so good. It feels so right to be back in his arms like this.

But then, the moment ends and he’s the first one to pull away, but only enough to still hold me at an arm's length distance.

“It’s you, I can’t believe it’s you,” he exclaims with wild eyes.

“I know! I can’t believe it’s you either,” I reply, still holding onto him too, like an anchor. As if letting go of his arms could mean letting him go metaphorically too. Can’t have that happen again.

“Munson,” someone whistles. We both turn to look at Bass Boy, Alex, and the rest of the gang gawking at us.

Eddie brings an arm around my mid back and ushers me over to the group.

“Great set by the way,” I whisper to him as we make our way over.

“You liked it?” Eddie smiles.

I nod and smile sheepishly, “Yeah, of course I did. You played our song. I loved it.”

“Good. I was worried it was either gonna be really cool or really corny,” he says and I laugh as we reach the group.

“Hey man,” Bass Boy says to Eddie, smiling, but the rest of his face is scrunched in anger.

“Hey Jim, this is Y/N,” Eddie introduces me.

“Yeah, looks like we got a head start on the introductions Eddie,” I smile at him and wink at Jim, the creepy bass player.

Jim nervously laughs and shakes his head, “So, uh, remind me how you two know each other?”

Eddie and I look at each other and smile which turns into giggling. 

“We, uh, we go way back,” Eddie smiles at me and nods before looking back at Jim.

I shyly look at Jim and decide it’s only right to bust his balls a little bit more.

“Hey Jim, can I still take you up on that free drink?” I ask in a sweet innocent voice.

“Um…” Jim looks nervously from me to Eddie. I look over to Eddie and he’s rolling his eyes, turning into a fit of laughter.

“C’mon man, you really offered to buy my girl a drink,” Eddie teases him.

“I didn’t know she was your girl man,” Jim huffs and crosses his arms.

Now, technically, I’m not Eddie’s girl, at least not in the way one might assume from hearing that phrase, but god does it sound so good to hear them all calling me Eddie’s girl.

“But he did learn I was Alex’s hot cousin. Didn’t you Jim,” I smirk at him and wink. Eddie bursts out laughing. He leans into me and I wrap my arm around his back to help prop him up.

“Hot cousin. Oh god Jim, c’mon man. The least you can do is buy her the drink, for her troubles,” Eddie laughs.

I bat my eyelashes at Jim and smile innocently. “Pretty please?”

“Whatever,” he grumbles. I order my drink and Jim actually sticks to his word and pays for the drink. When he leaves, I take a sip and ask Eddie if he wants one too.

“Hell yeah! Free drinks always taste better.”

I laugh and smile at him. He hasn’t changed a bit.

“I can’t believe how long it’s been. I mean, just look at your hair? Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it’s just so different from the last time I saw you. What happened to looking like a wanna be Kirk Hammett?”

“How dare you suggest I’m not still a wanna be Kirk Hammet?”

I take him in and he looks broader, stronger. Eddie’s never been the type to work out, but maybe after fixing cars all day, it’s had an effect on his body. 

And even in the way he smiles, there’s almost a glow to his features that I haven’t seen in a really long time. I’m glad it’s still there.

I laugh, before telling him in an earnest way, “You look good Munson.”

He returns the same look and says, “You look good too, sweetheart.”

The moment lasts for so long before he clears his throat. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but uh, I brought some friends with me,” Eddie says as he ushers me closer to the group.

Eddie moves aside and the girl on drums smiles at us. 

“Hi, I’m Robin,” She greets cheerfully. 

“I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you,” I  nervously smile. 

“Oh, so this is the legendary Y/N we’ve heard so much about,” Robin comments and I can feel myself turn ghost white.

“You probably don’t recognize me or Steve or Nancy for that matter, but we all went to Hawkins High too.”

“Class of ‘85,” Steve smiles.

“‘86,” Nancy, Robin, and Eddie say in unison.

“You’re right,” I laugh, “You were all juniors and sophomores when I graduated in ‘84. Although I think I remember Steve. Even though he was a grade below us when I met Eddie, I distinctly remember hearing about some kid with the hair all the girls in the grade below us would fawn over.” 

“Guilty as charged,” Steve blushes as Nancy brings a hand up and musses with it.

We smile and laugh as Steve cringes out of her touch and moves his hands up to fix his hair.

“Well, I say we propose a toast,” Eddie says and I look at him in confusion.

“You don’t even have a drink Eddie.”

“I’ll just share yours,” he shrugs as if that were the most obvious thing ever.

“Tonight we celebrate the homecoming of our New York superstars Y/N and Nancy, who have graced us with their presence this holiday season,” he says in that silly albeit formal voice he used to always use for D&D campaigns.

Nancy and I look at each other and in the same breath say, “You’re from New York too?”

“Yeah, I went to Sarah Lawrence and fell in love with the city! I’ve been doing internships at different publishing agencies across the city since, but my dream is to be a reporter for the New York Times.”

“No way! I actually have a friend that works at the Times. I could always put in a good word for you if you like.”

Nancy looks starstruck. “Oh my god, that would just be perfect. Are you a journalist too?”

“No, um, I’m a,” I nervously say and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m a lawyer, actually. But, my roommate in undergrad was a journalism major. She’s the one who works at the Times. Now that we live in the same city again we try to get coffee once a month. Maybe you can join us sometime.”

“Yes! That would be a dream come true,” Nancy exclaims with a twinkle in her eye.

Robin and Steve look at each other and they make this offputting face. Like they hear us and comprehend the words we’re saying, but because they can’t relate in any way shape or form, they don’t really understand.

“So how long have you been living in the city,” Nancy asks, completely unaware of the look that just transpired between Steve and Robin.

“Um, for the past two years. After law school, I passed the bar and made the move to work at a law firm there.”

“Holy shit,” Nancy and Steve say in unison.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eddie looking at me in awe. The newfound spotlight put on me makes me want to run out of here.

“Shit,” Eddie claps a hand on my shoulder and I flinch from surprise.

“Finally put all that stubbornness and fierceness to good use huh? I heard you’d done it all, but goddamn, it’s something else to hear it from you. You really went out and did everything you said you would.”

I look at Eddie and see the amazement and pride in his eyes. For a moment, I feel like I’m too big, bigger than everyone else here. I want to make myself smaller.

But it’s only when Eddie looks at me, like he’s looking at a movie star or an angel sent from heaven, that it goes away. Like nothing else matters. Because if Eddie Munson is proud of me, then I must be doing something right.

“Guys, this girl right here was one tough cookie. She could talk her way out of practically anything. Forget bullies or hardass teachers. She was a fighter, that one.”

I look at him and I could cry. To hear myself be described in this way, is endearing but it’s not the whole truth. I was a fighter, but not in the moment it mattered most.

“Thanks, haha, but um, enough about me. How do you all know Eddie?”

“That’s a long story,” Steve chuckles as he runs a hand through his stupid hair. 

“So I've heard,” I reply, slightly annoyed that none of his friends will explain to me how they know each other. 

“Let’s just say we were all at completely different corners of the high school cafeteria who somehow managed to find each other,” Nancy adds. The four of them all smirk like they’re in on some inside joke. It infuriates me. 

The rest of the evening, I try to fit in with their group but find myself feeling like an outsider looking in. Even my cousin has managed to seamlessly incorporate himself into their friend group. Which is good for him, but inconvenient for me.

All throughout the night, I find my eyes drawn to Eddie, like I’m some compass and he’s the goddamn North Star. I distract myself with sips of my drink and busying myself with getting a refill. 

I scan the wood planked interior with neon signs and coca cola decorations scattered about. The scent of tobacco and haze of cigarette smoke fills the air. Patrons select songs on the jukebox, but a certain one won’t stop playing Don’t Stop Believin by Journey and it’s starting to make me hate the song. 

“This old place hasn’t changed a bit,” Eddie comments to me while the rest of the gang are concentrated on a game of pool. Steve is waiting for his turn while Nancy strategically positions herself for her next move.

“No, not really,” I neutrally say. “They even have the same band that’s been playing since 1984.”

“Yeah, I heard they had to replace a few players though, just never sounded the same since.”

“You think so?”

“After Gareth and Jeff left for college, I tried to find a few replacement players, but no one wanted in. Corroded Coffin actually went on hiatus for a little while.”

“What? Oh Eddie,” I place a hand on his bicep. He looks down at my hand then up at my eyes. 

“I can’t believe that happened. That really sucks. I know how much it meant to you.”

“It’s okay. I ended up finding some new people who really kick ass, so it was worth the wait.”

“Even if some of those players are super skeezy,” I look over at Jim who’s cornered some poor girl at the bar.

“Sorry about Jim. He just got out of a relationship so he’s been really… on the prowl lately.”

“He was so creepy Eddie.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him. He’s a beast at bass though. Got a lot of energy. Just doesn’t know how to channel it sometimes.”

I nod, understandingly. “So things are all good with the band now?”

“Yeah, they are now. Back at home base, just having a good time.”

“That’s good. I’m really happy for you Eddie.” I say, and I mean it. 

“Thanks. You know I could never give up guitar though. Whether I’m playing alone or with a full band by my side, the day I stop playing is the day I die.”

I laugh at his theatrics.

“Seriously, I’ll never stop. Even after you left, I couldn’t stop playing those stupid songs by The Smiths you always liked.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he nervously fidgets with the rings on his fingers.

“I always liked hearing you play. Even when your uncle complained about the noise because he had to get some shut eye before his next shift.”

“God, I forgot about that. I was such a little shit back then.”

“Back then?”

Eddie laughs and I smile at him.

“How has Wayne been?”

Eddie’s eyes widen. “Oh yeah, Uncle Wayne’s doing alright. A lot better, now.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, the doctors found a hernia in him about a year or two ago.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, he had to get surgery but he’s fine now. He’ll be retiring in a few years so that’s kinda been his saving grace.”

“Aw, that’s great. Your Uncle Wayne’s always been a good man.”

“Yeah, you’re not the only lady who thinks so.”

I wrinkle my nose, “What?”

“He’s got a girlfriend now.”

My eyes widen and I nearly spit out some of my drink, “Shut up!”

Eddie nods and chuckles. 

“No fucking way!”

“Yup. They’ve been together since the hernia stuff happened.”

“Wow, way to go Uncle Wayne. How’d they meet?”

“She was one of his nurses.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Do you like her?”

“Yeah, she’s a good woman. I can tell she makes my uncle happy.”

“That’s good. I’m glad things really turned around, for the both of you.”

Eddie nods with a pained look on his face. Oh no, did I say the wrong thing?

“What about you, how’s the old parental unit?”

“Um, they’re doing alright. Been taking care of the restaurant while my siblings and I all go off and do our own things. Once my brother graduates, they’re looking to get an RV and travel the country or whatever. Typical middle-age shenanigans.”

“Nice,” he laughs. “You know, sometimes I still go out to the restaurant. Usually with Alex. He’s a pretty good buffer. After all this time, the food never dispapoints.”

My heart stops for a moment and I grab him by the arm. “You… You still go to my parents restaurant?”

“Yeah.”

“Do they… you know, see you?”

“Yes, they see me,” he laughs, “It’s kind of hard not to.”

I gulp. “Do they ever… say anything?”

“Nah. They’re cool. Eddie, the customer, they like. Eddie, the former love of their daughter's life, not so much.”

I tighten my grip on his arm to anchor myself. I think I might faint.

“How’re your siblings doing?”

To my luck, the change in subject subsides the bubbling wave of anxiety about to crash on me.

“Oh, they… They’re doing good. My brother’s still in undergrad and my sister’s in grad school.”

“Wow,” Eddie nods, but he looks at me like he understands, even though he can’t relate at all.

“What are they studying?”

“My brother’s doing business and my sister wants to do aerospace engineering. She got a little too obsessed with Top Gun if you know what I mean,” I snort and Eddie laughs.

“I swear, you three are every parents wet dream.”

I shrug, “Yeah, we are aren’t we?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Eddie reassures me. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s just… you know how my parents were. It wasn’t just me who got pressured into having a lucrative, stable job.”

Eddie reaches outward and grabs my hand, “Yeah, I know.”

I look at our intertwined limbs and frown. Accidentally admitting a shameful truth feels weird, but just like when we were kids, he’s the only one that’s ever understood how I felt. 

“They’re proud as hell, you know. Got tons of pictures of you at the restaurant. Sort of looks like a shrine actually, with a candle and everything.”

I laugh and roll my eyes, “Ugh I know. I’ve been trying to tell them to take it down but they won’t listen.”

We laugh in unison, but when we stop and catch our breath, something overcomes me and I feel compelled to be a little too real with him.

“You know, sometimes I think they’re just relieved I got my degree and haven’t gotten pregnant. I think that’s all they really wanted from me. I don’t think they really cared what else I do.”

“What? I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Um, you’re right, it’s not true anymore. Now that I’m the same age my mom was when she had me, all she can talk about is how much she wants grandkids.”

“What?” Eddie snorts.

“Yes! She went from, sex is a forbidden act of the devil to an absolute necessity we will incessantly encourage you to have.”

Eddie chokes at my words. “That is… mental.”

“Yeah, I finally got to the point where I’m comfortable with sex, but kids, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that.”

Eddie blinks and lets go of my hand, “Yeah, um, I’m sure your boyfriend probably appreciates that.”

“My ex, um, yeah, I wasn’t afraid anymore with him, but that’s all in the past.”

“Oh,” Eddie replies. The clanking of pool balls catches our attention.

“What about you? I bet your, uh, girlfriend probably loves watching you perform live.”

“Yeah, uh, she did, before she dumped me and skipped town to Indianapolis.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” he shakes his head. “Like you said, it’s all in the past.”

And then he grabs my hand again and looks at me. I look back at him and without saying a word, his eyes tell me something. 

They say to me: those relationships might be in the past, but ours doesn’t have to be.

“Hey uh, I know this might be kind of weird, but uh, do you maybe want to get out of here?” Eddie asks me.

I look over to Eddie’s friends and Alex who’s sitting at the bar with some girl. 

I don’t know what to do. Instinctively my body screams yes, I want to be alone with you Eddie, but the angel on my shoulder says it would be wrong.  

“Um, let me just check in with my cousin real quick.”

I make a beeline over to my cousin before Eddie can say something.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but Alex, uh, sidebar?”

“Side what?” 

“I need to ask you something.”

The girl looks at me irritatedly. “Sorry, he’s my cousin, we’re here with mutual friends, this’ll take thirty seconds.”

“Make this quick Y/N,” Alex commands with raised eyebrows.

“Eddie asked me if I wanted to get out of here!”

“Ok then, what are you still doing here? Talking to me?”

“Because I’m…What? I can’t go!”

“Why not?”

“Because… because… it…”

“Do you not want to?”

“I-I… It’s not that I don’t want to…”

“Y/N it's a simple yes or no question, do you want to go with him?”

I inhale deeply, “Yes.”

“Okay, then, it's as simple as that.”

“No, it's not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because, because… what if my parents find out? What if I get in trouble again?”

“Y/N, you can’t be serious. This isn’t 1984. You have a masters degree and you’re still afraid of your parents?”

“Well… I also need to get home and be there for them and grandma and everyone.”

“Y/N, we literally spent all day with them, what more could they want from you? You’re an adult. You can do what you want. This is your life to live. You’ll literally be fine. Now c’mon, go home with Eddie,” Alex gently nudges me away. 

 “Everything okay,” Steve asks as I approach the table.

“Oh, um, yeah. I was just telling Alex that I’m ready to head out, but he’s gonna stay here for a bit longer, so I’m gonna head out with Eddie.” 

I look over at Eddie and he smiles shyly

I nod, physically aware of several sets of eyes on me. 

“Ok,” Eddie says as he sets his drink down and straightens his jacket. ‘Let’s get going then.”

I nod and move over to give everyone a hug goodbye. “It was really nice meeting you all. Nancy, ask Eddie for my number and give me a call when you’re in New York.”

Once Eddie has said goodbye to the girls, he gives a final goodbye to Steve. They do a weird handshake thing where it looks like Steve is passing something to Eddie, but I can’t quite see what it is. He pockets it quickly after, and I can only assume it’s a little bit of weed or something.

“You ready to go, sweetheart,” Eddie asks and if those exact words don’t make me feel seventeen again, I don’t know what will.

I nod and he places an arm around my waist and leads me out of the bar. The cold blast of night air hits us and I shiver. Eddie holds me tightly against his side. We walk over to his car in silence, only the sound of the pebbles and grass crunching beneath our feet to fill the air.

He leads me over to a small forest green sedan.

“Oh no! What happened to the van?”

“I had to say goodbye,” he says as he opens the door for me. “She finally gave out back in ‘89.”

“The end of an era,” I comment as he slides into the driver's seat.

He puts the key into the ignition and starts the car. He pushes around a few buttons and a warm and welcomed heat is released from the air vents. 

A Metallica tape roars from the dash. Eddie lowers the volume and mutters a quick “sorry”. I guess some things never change.

He pulls out of the parking lot and turns onto the main road.

“Hey,” Eddie looks over at me, “Do you want to go touch the stars? For old times sake.”

My eyes light up and I grin. Going out to “touch the stars” was our code for going stargazing at Lovers Lake. Just the two of us, alone, away from all our problems.

“I’d love that.”

The drive there is silent, in a comforting way. Eddie knows these roads like the back of his hands. And being in the passenger seat like this, by Eddie’s side, even in a different car, feels familiar, in a surprisingly good way. 

You can feel the passage of time in the new car and the new hairstyles and new clothes we wear, but otherwise, it feels just like it did in ‘84.

Eddie even takes us to the same spot we used to go to. 

God, have I just gone through a time machine? 

I look over at Eddie as he puts the gear in park. The light from the moon illuminates his features, skin more sturdy and with a few more creases than it did in ‘84, but just as beautiful.

We get out of the car and proceed to lay on the hood of his car. The warmth of the car welcomed in the cool of the night.

“It’s easier to climb on this thing than the van was, but it’s so much smaller! One wrong move and I’m gonna fall off.”

“Sorry we don’t all have fancy lawyer money to buy us fancy lawyer cars.”

“Well, this fancy lawyer doesn't need a fancy lawyer car in New York, but she does have quite a lot of fancy lawyer debt,” I retort.

“Debt?”

“Yeah man. I was lucky to have had enough scholarships to cover undergrad, but law school was all out of my own pocket.”

“Shit. You holding up okay?”

“Yeah, the fancy lawyer money’s been helping a lot. Even though living in the city costs quite the pretty penny.”

“How’re you liking it?”

“The city?”

“The city, the job, everything.”

I exhale, “I love it. It’s everything I hoped for and more.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by how different things are than what I was used to growing up. But in a good way, like, I can’t believe this all exists. I can’t believe how big this world is.”

Eddie turns his head over to look at me.

I look back up at the sky and see the most stars I’ve seen in years. It’s like glitter.

“But other times, when I’m in a room full of people, I feel sort of alone. Like even though I connect really well with my friends or coworkers, I don’t think they really understand me or the kind of life I came from. 

I mean, by Hawkins standards my family is doing well, thanks to the restaurant, but Eddie, you should see these people. 

I mean they grew up in big cities with things like lake houses and beach houses and fancy private schools and summer trips abroad and family members that are also lawyers or doctors or engineers. 

Meanwhile I…I’m the first in my family to even go to grad school, let alone graduate from it. But it’s weird because even when I’m back here, I feel out of place. Like I’m too much for Hawkins, but not enough for New York.”

“You were never too much for me.” Eddie says in a low voice as he keeps looking up at the stars.

“Not then,” he turns to look at me, “And not now.”

I’m starting to blink rapidly. It’s one of those rare moments where someone says just the right words at just the right time. Like I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect moment. 

I don’t really know what to say, so all I can think to do is reach out and grab his hand and intertwine our fingers. Even after all these years, I still feel just as safe and protected by Eddie. Like I could say my deepest darkest fears and he would still be by my side.

“Do you think you would ever move back to Hawkins?”

I sigh, “I don’t know. Never say never I guess, but I really don’t see myself coming back. Do you think you would ever move out to the city?”

“I tried the city thing for a bit after high school actually. I tried kicking it with Gareth in Indianapolis. But I had a lot of unresolved issues that got in the way of it so I had to come back. And now, I feel like I’m finally at a good place, a stable place. I’ve got a good job, steady paycheck, good friends, family, music. It’s more than I had as a kid, so I think I’m gonna keep riding this out for as long as I can.”

“That’s fair,” I muse, contemplating the ever-widening gap in our life choices and dreams.

I snort at the impending realization, “Wait, I almost forgot to ask, how’s the old side business coming along?”

“Actually, I uh, closed up shop a while ago?”

“What? You did?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“A bit of a drug bust,” Eddie chuckles.

I shift my torso to face him and look at him with concern, “Eddie.”

“With Wayne.”

“Oh… Wait, what?!”

“Yeah, turns out he knew the whole time. But it wasn’t until a particular deal I had at the trailer while he was home that he finally called me out on it.”

“Shit. What did he say to you?”

“He wasn’t even mad at me, he just said he was disappointed which was about a thousand times fucking worse for some reason.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah and it made me think about how you weren’t a big fan of it either. So I made a promise to myself that when I had the money and could land on my feet, I would stop. Sure enough, I gave it up after I started working at the mechanic shop and had enough money to move out.”

“Oh, Eddie. That’s-Wow.”

“I mean, I’m definitely not opposed to sharing the occasional joint with Robin and the gang, but otherwise I’ve been trying to distance myself from that whole thing. Helped me get through a lot of stuff when I was younger, but now, I kinda don’t need it as much anymore.”

“Wow, you’ve really mellowed out over the years,” I shove him teasingly and he chuckles. He rests his head against mine. 

“I’m proud of you Eddie. And not just for walking a cleaner path, but for everything. For graduating, being there for your uncle, finding your own family, and–”

“Growing up?’ he asks, but it’s teasing. “Yeah, in a way. Even though l liked immature Eddie, maturity really suits you too.”

“I’m proud of you too babe. Even though we were miles apart, I was always rooting for you.”

I turn over to face him, this time turning my entire body to face his. “You were?”

Eddie mirrors my movement and turns his whole body to face me. “Yeah, of course I was.”

I close my eyes and lean my head into his chest. “I think I want immature Eddie back.” 

Eddie strokes my hair. “I know, but I wanted you to hear it. And deep down, I think you needed to hear it too.”

“Eddie, “I prop myself up on my elbows. “There’s something I think I need you to hear too.”

“Yeah,” he asks, propping himself up on his elbows too. 

I inhale, breath shaky. I look at him, and the moonlight is bathing his pale skin so perfectly. He looks like a prince, like a beauty. 

And then it hits me, in this moment, it’s everything I wanted. Everything I couldn’t have with Eddie as a teenager, I can finally have now. And I want it, more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

Please, please, please, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time.

“I’m sorry.”

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taglist: @tayhar811@all-time-otaku

[kakyoinscheryblush]

Something behind the glass surface [ Jotaro Kujo x reader ]

Masterlist << Previous chapter ｜Next chapter

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Chapter three, Invisible force

Few days have passed and Y/n didn’t see any signs of Jotaro’s existence in school. Maybe he was skipping or was he sick?

Or was he just avoiding her…? She tried not to bother herself with that since it was distracting her from the classes she had.

On one fine Thursday, her mother, after binge watching the entire seventeen seasons of Under the Morozov royal court, decided that Y/n had to get some groceries from the convenience store not so far away from their house.

The girl compiled since she got the chance to buy some snacks for herself. She grabbed one bigger tote bag from the bottom pantry in the kitchen, and she took the money her mom left on the counter (along with the list of the items she had to buy).

*On the way to the convenience store, 1.st p.o.v*

The weather was sunny and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect time to get sent out to get the groceries and go for a walk. I was greeted by a few eldery couples that lived in my street.

I inhaled the fresh air and sighed. There was no Aiko or Yamabitch in the two kilometre radius so I was good. Once I got to the convenience store I checked if I had my wallet in my jacket pocket and house keys.

I entered the almost empty store and greeted the cashier to which he greeted me back with a polite smile. “Alright let's see what mom wanted me to buy…” I murmured as I pulled out a small paper out of my jacket pocket.

Milk

Eggs

Chocolate for baking

Vanilla and baking powder

‘Mom’s gonna be baking a cake? Woohoo!’ I fist bumped the air silently as I collected the items around the store. Once I got all the items I needed, I stopped in the candy aisle.

There was so much candy here! I really couldn’t choose until I spotted Konpeito star candies! Those were my favourite! [I took a quick google search and I found these, you can check them out, they're really cute!]

I grabbed one package and headed to the cashier. While I was paying I saw a lady struggling to carry her two full bags out of the store. ‘Maybe I should help?’ I thought as I glanced at the lady one more time.

“Here you go ma’am, have a nice day!” the cashier said as he gave me the receipt and the change back. “You too!” I replied back as I stuffed the items carefully into the tote bag and put it over my shoulder.

I grabbed the candy and headed to the lady at the exit. Mom didn’t specify when I have to be home and besides, I don’t think she’ll mind if I’m not in my room all the time.

“Hello ma’am, do you need help with your bags?” I politely tapped her on the shoulder and she turned her head to me. “O-Oh, hi sweetie… Was I really that obvious?” she laughed as she turned to me.

She had shoulder length dirty blonde hair and green eyes that sparkled with joy. She was wearing a beige blouse with an white bow on the collar and a dark brown pencil skirt with simple black flats.

I panicked, “No no- I just saw that you were struggling with your bags and I didn’t want to just walk past you, because that would be so rude and I didn’t want to …” I stopped talking before I could embarrass myself any more.

‘I need to put ‘Stop embarrassing yourself to strangers’ on my to-do list A.S.A.P ’ I thought.

“Hahaha it’s okay darling! Thank you so much for helping me.” She showed me an okay sign and grinned widely.

“Again, no problem ma’am!” I said cheerfully. I grabbed the two full bags and grunted under my breath. Damn no wonder she was struggling to carry those bags.

We exited the store and she started to lead the way to her house. We talked, well, she was chatting her mouth off and I nodded at her.

She told me a few jokes but all of a sudden she stopped telling a story and turned to me. “Oh my God! How rude of me! I never asked for your name!” she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Her green eyes flashed with panic.

I laughed, “Oh it’s no big deal ma’am. I’m Y/n.” I extended my hand but I forgot I was holding her bags in both of them. She noticed and giggled, “I’m Holy! But you can call me Seiko. You have a really beautiful name, Y/n!” she beamed at me.

“Gee, thank you ma’am! You too have a really pretty name.” I complimented her as I blushed. Getting compliments from strangers was something I’ll never get used to.

She glanced at my right hand that was holding the bag handless and a packaging of Konpeito star candies.

“Oh my! Those are my son’s favourite candy too! He doesn't admit it though, but I can see how his eyes light up when he sees them laying on the counter..." Holy gushed as she talked.

I chuckled, "I'm glad there is somebody else who appreciates those bad boys." I shook the bag gently. This was my favourite candy ever since I could remember. I always begged my mom to buy me a package when she took me with her to the store.

We walked for a few minutes until Holy came to a halt. I wasn’t even paying attention to where we were going but when I glanced back I noticed that this was the street I always pass on my way to school. Alright, good, I wasn’t lost…

She stopped in front of a huge traditional looking mansion and turned to me. “Thank you so much for carrying the bags for me, darling!” She thanked me as she smiled. “It’s no problem, Holy!” I replied back.

Okay so do I just place the bags here and-

"JOTARO, DEAR! COME HELP ME WITH MY BAGS!" Holy cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

Did she just say....

Jotaro!?

My heart stopped and I sucked in my breath. ‘What the hell!? Her son is Jotaro!? I- What-’ I panicked and my heart started to beat faster.

This is going to be so fucking akward, what will he think? How do I know his mom nad why am I helping her carry her groceries-

I continued to panic until I heard footsteps nearing us from the entrance of the huge house. I didn’t even dare to turn around to look at Jotaro as I felt him stop near us.

My eyes were glued to Holy since I didn’t want to make this more weirder than it already was.

"Jotaro, dear! Just grab those bags and carry them inside. This girl was nice enough to carry them all the way here…” Holy said as she motioned me with her finger to give the bags to Jotaro.

I slowly craned my body towards Jotaro who didn’t move a muscle. I gulped and smiled awkwardly at him.

I didn’t say anything and extended my arms to him, “H-Here you go…” I murmured. He sighed and walked towards me and grabbed the bags from my hands.

His fingers glided smoothly from my hand and I fought the urge not to fall unconscious from fear. His gaze fell on the candy package in my hands and I subconsciously gripped it harder.

What I didn’t notice was that he wasn’t wearing his usual school uniform. He was wearing a plain dark grey shirt and black pants along with…

Were those bunny slippers?

My eyes widened when I noticed he was wearing a pair of fluffy white bunny slippers. I totally forgot I almost shited my pants from how scared I was a few moments ago, because this was just much more amusing.

Holy just watched the painful interaction from the side and raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to comment something but Jotaro spoke faster,

"You can go in, I need to talk to her," he said gruffly. Holly smiled, "Oh? Do you two know each other?" she asked curiously as she gestured to both of us with her finger.

"Yes, now go inside." Jotaro snapped and Holly laughed. "Is that so? Why don’t you invite her inside? I can make you two some tea and snacks!'' She fully turned to Jotaro, completely ignoring his rather rude remark.

I just stood there, horrified. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I must've eaten something bad and I was just hallucinating this whole thing up.

I glanced at Jotaro who shrugged his shoulders, “Whatever…” he murmured as he went up to tip his hat, but he realised he wasn’t wearing one and he only stuffed his hand in the pocket of his pants.

Holy giggled at Jotaro who only glared at the floor, “Oh, come on in Y/n! I have so much tea to choose from!” she cheered as she grabbed my hand that was holding the candy package and rushed me in the huge yard.

We stopped at the house entrance and we took off our shoes. “Here, you can take these slippers!” Holy gave me a pair of plain fluffy slippers which I took and put on.

“Before Jotaro gets here, I just want to thank you for being his friend… I know he tries hard to make friends, but he always thinks that people can understand his emotions without him expressing them. So, I’m glad you stuck around!” Holy giggled as she got behind me and basically pushed me to the kitchen.

I didn’t even get to explain what was truly going on so I just shut up, I’m sure Jotaro will explain to her when he gets inside.

The candy was still in my hand and as I sat on the table I put the package on it. I laid the tote bag with stuff I bought next to me.

“Okay just sit here, sweetie. I’ll make us some tea and I’ll bring you two snacks!” Holy said as she dashed to the kitchen.

Awesome, great! What the fuck do I do now? My mom is probably worried sick for me right now��.

*3.rd p.o.v P.o.v, Mom*

M/n checked the clock and noticed her daughter still wasn’t home. What could she be doing?

“Eh, she probably ran into one of her friends on the way home and they decided to grab something to eat.” she said as she un-paused Under the Morozov royal court.

It was time to find out if Constantin will accept being in the royal family after being their servant but newly discovered son!

*At the Kujo household, Y/n, 1.st p.o.v*

Holy was making the tea and I heard footsteps getting closer and closer. ‘Okay so Jotaro decided to come inside, for a second I thought he went to grab a semi-automatic gun…’ I thought as I exhaled.

He walked towards the table and sat in front of me. We didn’t utter a single word to each other.

“So… Uh… You want some…?” I asked as I gestured towards the Konpeito star candie package. Jotaro’s eyes gleamed with joy for a short second, and if I wasn’t looking at him already I would have missed it.

“Yeah.” he replied firmly. As I reached to grab the package…

It moved towards Jotaro!?

“The fuck-” I jumped out of my chair as my eyes widened in surprise. Was he some kind of magician in free time? I glanced at Jotaro who sat completely petrified. He coughed a few times and grabbed the package from across the table.

“Thanks…” Jotaro softly murmured as a few strands of hair fell over his eyes. I was still confused on what kind of supernatural activity just happened? Because I’m sure stuff around houses doesn’t have invisible legs-

Just in time I was about to question Jotaro about the whole thing, Holy entered with a tray with a tea pot and three cups. “Here you go!” she said as she poured us the steaming tea. It smelled like cinnamon and apple.

“Do say Y/n, do you go to the same class as Jotaro?” Holy questioned as she poured the tea in Jotaro’s cup, who was currently chewing the candy. “Oh no, we go to separate classes.” I answered to Holy who nodded at me.

“Hm, interesting… Do keep an eye out for my sweet JoJo, alright?” Holy cooed towards Jotaro who blushed from the embarrassment.

“Alright, that’s enough. Go watch that shit soap opera of yours and don’t bother me any more.” Jotaro sneered and Holy only laughed.

“Whatever you say, dear…” Holy grabbed her tea cup, placed it on a small plate and walked to the living room.

“Can’t believe she watches that shit show… She always fangirls over that one Dmitri guy… Can’t believe her…” Jotaro groaned and placed his face into his hands.

My eyes widened at the mention of a specific character. “Does your mom also watch Under the Morozov royal court!? My mom’s obsessed over it. But who’s mom isn't?” I laughed as I pictured my mom squealing as she watched the Russian soap opera.

Joaro uncovered his face and cracked a small smile, “Your mom too? I thought mine was the only one who watched that crap…”. Wow this guy even smiled, what won’t I find out about him?

I laughed as I reached for the package of the candy, but again it moved towards me!?

“Okay what the hell!?” I exclaimed as I looked at Jotaro who looked at me with a weirded out expression. “What do you mean, what the hell?” He questioned me as if I was crazy or something.

“T-The package just moved on itself!” I pointed to the candy pack which was lying motionlessly on the table. Jotaro looked at me like I was crazy, had foam coming from my mouth and I had just grown three heads.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He simply replied as he grabbed more candy from the pack. I looked at him in disbelief, “N-No you don’t get it I’m not making this shit up! The pack literally moved towards me!” I exclaimed but Jotaro didn’t even bat an eye.

Was I truly just seeing things?

I sighed as I composed my posture. I won’t forget this but maybe I was just seeing things. I glanced at the pack of candy and grabbed a few and popped them in my mouth. We stayed like this until the whole pack was empty.

We didn’t say a word to each other, only a few occasional glancess. And as if she was summoned, Holy appeared by the table and smiled.

“I still can’t believe my baby boy finlay has a friend over!” she gushed as she wiped an actual tear from the corner of her eye.

Jotaro groaned and I laughed. “Mom, don’t even start…” Jotaro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Now that he wasn’t wearing his gakuran I could see his well defined muscles.

I mean… Now I see why Aiko and Yamabitch (and many more…) wanted to work with him in the first place. I slightly blushed and glanced away before he could catch me looking at him.

“You know sweetie, why don’t you ask Y/n to work with you on that biology project? As you told me, working in pairs isn’t forbidden…” Holy suggested as she side eyed Jotaro. His eyes widened and he coughed, “U-Um, whatever…” he looked away from us.

Holy turned to me, “I mean as long as it’s alright with you, dear.”. I nodded my head slightly, “Oh, it’s no problem Mrs. Kujo…” I replied as I glanced at Jotaro and he was probably having a mental battle with himself in his head.

“I’ll leave you two alone now…” Holy giggled as she walked away with her empty cup of tea.

“Erm- So… you know that one new aquarium that opened a few streets away-” Jotaro raised his head and fully looked at me, “The Sea Life Aquarium?”.

“Yes that one! My mom told me there will be a dolphin performance next week… And we can even pet the dolphins! I just need to find the poster so I can find the exact time and date…” I trailed off as I looked at him.

His eyes sparkled after hearing what I said and he looked like he wanted to say something but he just nodded and sighed.

“Alright, you know where you can find me at school.” he said as he got up and grabbed the empty candy package and crumbled it up.

I looked at the clock and I noticed that I was gone for one and half hours?! Mom is probably at the police station filing my missing report.

“Oh jeez, my mom is probably worried for me by now… I should be going now.” I said to Jotaro who hesitantly nodded. I grabbed my tote bag with stuff and sighed.

“Oh, you’re leaving Y/n? Jotaro dear, can you escort her to the entrance?” Holy appeared from the kitchen.

Jotaro nodded and walked towards me, “Let’s go…”. I walked to the doors and took off my fluffy slippers. I noticed Jotaro still wearing his bunny ones and I giggled, “Cute slippers you have, Jotaro…”.

Jotaro glared at me, but not that glare that meant ‘I will kill you in a matter of seconds’ but a much joking one warning me not to joke about his cute slippers anymore. I put on my shoes and we walked out.

It was still warm and the sun was beginning to set down, illuminating the sky and the clouds in a beautiful pink and orange hue.

We stayed quiet as we walked to the entrance of his yard. I turned to him to say something but I immediately closed my mouth.

He wasn’t looking at me, rather at the pink and orange clouds in the sky. His face was illuminated by the orange glow of the sun and his eyes sparkled from the shine.

I never really had the chance to see his features this close up. Not that it was in my interest even looking in his direction a few weeks ago…

He had striking aquamarine eyes that could be easily mistaken for a pair of gemstones.

‘Y/n what are you thinking!? You are supposed to be thinking of an excuse you are going to tell your mom as to why you were gone for so long! And not how pretty eyes Jotaro has!’ I scolded myself and I could feel my cheeks burn from my thoughts.

He turned his head to me and sighed, “Alright, when you find the poster you can bring it to me so we can figure out when the dolphin show will be…” he explained as a few hair strands fell over his eyes.

Hm, this look was a bit unusual since he always wore his signature hat. Jotaro could really let his hair free from that hat once in a while…

“Okay! I think I noticed a few on my way here so I'll just tear one down… Not like anybody is going to notice anyway.” I said as I re-adjusted my bag on my shoulder.

“See you at school then Jotaro.” I waved at him but as I tried to turn around a sudden force pushed me towards him.

I closed my eyes waiting for the impact of the stone pavement to meet my face… But it never came. Instead of rocks meeting my face, I was met with a pair of arms holding me tightly.

I opened my eyes and I was met with the cotton material of a dark grey shirt. I slowly craned my head up only to see Jotaro’s widened eyes and blushing cheeks. I myself probably looked the same, if not worse.

“Uh- Erm-” I sputtered out noncoherent words and Jotaro just stood there petrified. I couldn’t move my arms because he had his arms wrapped around them.

Jotaro came back to reality and quickly un-wrapped his arms from me. “Urm, yes, s-see you at school too-” he murmured and he speeded away back into his house without a second glance. I stood there for a few moments processing what in the fuck just happened.

I certainly didn’t trip on thin air, something pushed me towards him, but what? His house must be haunted or something…?

But what kind of ghost passes you candy? You know what, I have time to think about this when I get home.

I nodded in agreement with my thoughts and started to walk away from his house, but not before glancing at his house for one last time.

As I was walking on the way to my house I noticed a poster of the aquarium that I agreed to bring Jotaro the next day at school. I looked around and there weren’t any people so I just tore it down and folded it into a small square.

I quickly got home and walked inside my house. “Mom! I’m so sorry-” I entered the living room only to see mom fast asleep on the couch.

“Oh…” I whispered to myself. I grabbed a blanket and covered her with it. “I’ll explain myself in the morning…” I said as I turned off the TV and went to the kitchen.

I placed every item in its designated place and I put the tote bag back in the pantry. Once I was done I went to my room and changed into my pyjamas. The sun finally set and now my room was illuminated by my nightstand lamp.

I grabbed my favourite manga and started to read. This went on for half an hour but my thoughts went back to the incident with Jotaro in front of his house. I furiously blushed and slammed the manga in my face.

I remembered he smelled like a fresh fabric softener and a hint of cigarette (as expected).

The embrace, even if it was only to prevent me from falling, was surprisingly warm… For a second I felt like I didn’t want him to let go…

‘Wait, why was I even wanting him to not let go? Am I even hearing my own thoughts?’ I groaned as I removed the manga on the nightstand. I turned around and smothered my face against my pillow.

Surely I’m not going crazy… Right?

*At Kujo household, 3rd p.o.v*

Jotaro slammed the doors of his room and grabbed his hair. “Star Platinum what the fuck!? Why did you do that shit for?” Jotaro exclaimed as his stand appeared in front of him with an innocent confused face.

“Ora?” Star Platinum asked as he put a finger on his chin. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why did you do that shit with the candy and don’t get me started on the crap you pulled outside.” Jotaro raged at his stand.

Star Platinum had enough of his users' bullshit and flicked his forehead. “Ow- What the fuck-” Jotaro began as Star Platinum shook his head.

“Ora ora.” Star Platinum said and Jotaro’s eyes widened, “What do you mean, ‘I’m doing you a favour’ ?! The only thing you’re doing here is making her more afraid of me than she already is!”.

Star Platinum shook his head and explained in more Ora oras. Jotaro blushed but quickly composed himself.

His own stand was making fun of him right now. How unbelievable! “I’ve had enough. You- Disappear-” Jotaro closed his eyes but Star Platinum didn’t manifest away.

Jotaro ignored the blabbering of his stand and laid on his bed. Jotaro closed his eyes and sighed.

The images of Y/n in his arms flashed in his head and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. To be fair… He liked the colour of her cheeks when she blushed…

“Ora ora~” Star Platinum sang as he made kissing noises to mock Jotaro. He groaned and threw his pillow which Star Platinum caught and slammed it on Jotaro’s head. “Ow- You piece of shit-” Jotaro rose from his bed and once again threw his pillow on his stand.

Star Platinum laughed as he once again struck Jotaro with his own pillow. After a few minutes, they both stopped and collected themselves.

“Don’t you even dare to do that shit in front of mom or anybody, am I clear?” Jotaro threatened to his stand and Star Platinum shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.

“Whatever, I’m going to sleep. I don’t have energy to argue with you anymore…” Jotaro said as he went to brush his teeth and dressed in his pyjamas.

He went to his bed and laid on his back. But this time without rude interruptions of his annoying stand.

His mind once again wandered back to Y/n. Jotaro fought a small smile that was forming on his face as he thought of the upcoming aquarium visit with her.

That is, if she wasn’t scared to even approach him after today. But deep inside, he hoped she would agree to go with him to the aquarium…

Maybe, just maybe this project won’t be as bland as he thought it would be…

[lilacliquors]

day seven: christmas wrapping

pairing: dane whitman x reader

word count: 818

notes: here's day seven. it's out later than usual, but i did want to get this one up. this christmas song is actually the one my dad hates the most, so i laughed while writing this one up. it felt good to write something fluffy. as always, reblogs, comments, and asks are highly recommended, and likes are appreciated. enjoy <3

christmas was the one time of year you found yourself running around like crazy. there was so much to do, and so little time to get it done. presents to buy, decorations to display, a tree to put up and decorate, the rush just never stopped. plus work on top of it all was draining, but somehow, you managed to see it through year after year.

this year, however, you found yourself in the tightest time crunch you’d ever had. you had offered to host christmas dinner for your family this year, and that meant even more running around. with you mother’s help, you’d managed to put together a list of the dishes your grandmother had always served at dinner, and you were determined to make it work. so off to the store you went, list in hand and determination on your mind. your cart was soon full of main courses and sides, salad and dressing, and baking supplies for dessert. but there was one question you had on your mind: ham or turkey? you decided to send your mom a text, she would have the answers.

you opened your phone and tapped on your contacts, scrolling through them when a name stopped you in your tracks. dane whitman. his contact had been sitting in your phone for some time, completely untouched. you’d met him earlier in the year at a nearby bar, and you got along well enough to exchange numbers with a promise to getting together soon. but any and all attempts to make plans fell through. one pf you was always busy, or was away, or had work, it was nuts. and it didn’t feel worth it, but it did feel like a missed opportunity. you tapped on your mother’s name and sent off the text, and received your answer in seconds.

“ham, i knew it. always a christmas ham,” you said, and you snagged one. with your cart full, you went to checkout and couldn’t bring yourself to look at the bill. thanking the cashier, you took your groceries and made your way back to your car, packed it up, and drove on home. it was only when you got home and started to put things away and check your haul that your eyes went wide. you forgot something. of course your forgot something. with a groan, you grabbed your keys against and made your way back out to the car, muttering to yourself. why did you think hosting would be such a good idea this year?

you got back to the grocery store and did your best to hide your face so the same cashier wouldn’t see you come back in. who knew if it was even possible, you were just nervous about looking like a fool. you began to walk through the store, another list in your hand, but this time, only one word was written on it in bold red ink. you walked up and down the aisles, huffing and muttering again, until finally you found what you were looking for. without a second thought, you reached for the can of cranberry sauce, and your hand collided with another.

“oh, sorry about that,” a man said, and your eyes widened as you looked at him.

“dane?”

you made eye contact with dane whitman, the one and only, and when you did, he smiled down at you.

“hey, wow, what a surprise,” he said, pulling his hand back while yours remained resting on the can.

“yeah, no kidding. oh my god, it’s great to see you! it’s been ages,” you said.

“it really has been. i’m, er, i’m sorry we haven’t been able to get together,” he said.

“me too. this year has just been…”

“insane.”

you nodded, pulling the can off of the shelf and holding it in the same hand as your list. you two were both quiet, and then you cleared your throat.

“does this mean you forgot cranberry sauce, too?” you asked, and he chuckled. then the chuckle turned into a laugh, and soon you were both laughing in the aisle of the grocery store. when you both calmed down, you smiled at one another, and he shook his head.

“i did, actually. it’s one of my favorite sides for christmas. and since i’ll be by myself this year, i figured i’d treat myself.”

“by yourself? that’s not way to spend christmas. uh, i know it’s sudden, but would you like to come for christmas dinner tomorrow night? my family will be there, but i don’t want you to be alone.”

he thought for a moment, and then with a smile, he nodded. then reached to take the can of cranberry sauce from your hand.

“i’d love to. and here, let me cover that for you. and a second can. just in case,” he said, and you smiled. perhaps hosting christmas dinner did have its perks after all.

[bitsandbobsandstuff]

The Midnight Coconuts

Summary: Bucky and his girl take a trip to the grocery store. Several things are involved, including coconuts, a 25cent gum-ball machine, Avengers branded Jell-O, chocolate milk straight from the jug, and tampons.  Characters: Bucky x Reader Words: 3k Warnings: Some swearing. Insane levels of fluff. Dangerously adorable Bucky. One (1) random reference to Not Another Teen Movie. 

A/N: Listen, I will never be over silly domestic Bucky! I originally started this story before TFATWS came out and when I imagined Sam had a niece, so just go with it. Part of me wrote this, because I needed to convince myself that I love grocery shopping (one can only eat takeaway and Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken for so long) and the other part wrote this because I firmly believe domestic routines can be the most romantic adventures out there.

When the doors to the grocery store whoosh open with a gust of stale manufactured air, Bucky skids to an abrupt and dramatic stop.  

“WAIT!”

Behind him, you stumble in panic, fumbling with an armful of reusable grocery bags. Instantly you’re imagining spilled blood and stab wounds and clean ups on aisle three and god dammit, how can there be a problem? This is a grocery store at midnight on a Wednesday. Shouldn’t the forces of evil be sleeping? Why is it so impossible to get a day off work? Don’t they know you need rest? And peanut butter? And that you’re dangerously low on toilet paper?

The forces of evil are the worst.

Raising weary fists, you huff.

“What? Where is it?”

Bucky sidesteps toward a row of small red and green machines beside the entrance, falling to his knees and smushing his nose eagerly against the glass. Reaching a hand behind him, there are several impatient grabby motions, before he glances back.

“Babe, can you give me a quarter? I need a gum-ball.”

Planting a sneaker clad foot on his ass, you shove. Hard.  

“Bucky, we talked about this. Remember how you agreed to lower the drama and keep things in perspective? I thought we were under attack.”

“If I don’t get a green gum-ball,” he declares dramatically, “there will be an attack.”

Throwing the cloth bags at his face, you stomp off to retrieve a shopping cart, plunking your purse in the front and hunching over the handlebars.  

“I thought you said you were a millionaire now. Buy your own gum-ball.”

Bucky rolls his eyes.

“Like I carry loose change,” he scoffs. “C’mon, just one quarter. Please?”

This time, he gives you the Look. That patented Bucky Barnes stare, with the wide eyes and full pouty lips and faux innocent expression, and if this man wasn’t the love of your life you’d quite happily stab him in the heart.

Instead, you open your purse and fish out a quarter, flinging it at his frustratingly pretty face. It bounces off his forehead and he scoops it up with a grin.

“So just to clarify. You came to the grocery store covered in knives, but you forgot to bring money?”

Giving you an indulgent smile, he jams the quarter into the slot. With a twist and shake, a gum-ball rattles free, and Bucky crows with delight when he sees the green candy. He pops it in his mouth. 

“I didn’t forget. I made a conscious decision to remove the temptation. If I bring cash, I’ll spend it. You know I ain’t great with that whole self control thing.”

“How encouraging to hear, from the man with knives pouring out his ass.”  

Jumping to his feet, he throws an arm around your shoulders. 

“Ass knives sound painful.”

“Depends on how sharp they are,” you mumble, pulling a carefully folded sheet of paper from your jacket.

“Excuse you? My knives are always perfectly sharpened, thank you very much. What kind of expert assassin runs around with dull knives? Damn baby, it’s like you don’t even know me.”

Ignoring him, you flatten out the paper and smooth the edges, sighing happily at the block letters and structured diagrams drawn in deep blue ink. 

Here it is, your masterpiece. A monument to productivity. The gold standard by which all optimization models should be benchmarked. This isn’t just any list, this is The List.

Everything is grouped, first by aisle, then by product location within the aisle, and then from top to bottom shelf order, to maximize efficiency. This is the dream list. The kind that inspires jealousy. The kind people hold up at TED talks when they talk about time management techniques. Marie Kondo wishes she had this list. 

Bucky snorts when he sees the carefully printed boxes.  

“God, you’re such a square,” he says adoringly. He plants a sugary wet kiss on your temple and you grind an elbow into his ribs.

“We discussed this, Bucky. Don’t mock my lists.” 

“Sorry babe, I ain’t mocking. Your lists are beautiful, they always get me all hot and bothered,” he agrees, dipping lower to lick behind your ear. “And I really love that list you keep with all those dirty, filthy, sex things you wanna do to me.”

“I don’t have a list like that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Bucky sighs, “and I don’t know how many more hints I can drop here.”

Reaching under his shirt, you rub his belly consolingly. “Okay then. This weekend I’ll sit down and make you a special list. One so disgusting and dirty and depraved, it would make Wade Wilson cry.”

Bucky laughs and squeezes you tighter. 

“About damn time honey. I’m equally parts terrified and horny. So where’re we headed first?”

“Produce,” you answer promptly, plowing forward, Bucky still chuckling beside you.

The whole scenario was ironic, actually. There was no need to grocery shop - automatic ordering mechanisms  across the Avengers tower rendered the task meaningless - but sometimes it was a welcome relief to partake in such an ordinary thing. Unable to sleep after one particularly terrible mission, you found yourself wandering the aisles of your 24-hour supermarket, dressed in pineapple adorned pajama pants and one of Bucky’s rattier sweatshirts, searching for ice cream. The unexpected symmetry of products arranged along the shelves, the rainbow hued produce, the hint of baking bread wafting from the ovens, all those everyday trappings of normality, they washed over like a soothing balm. Soon enough, the boiling bad thoughts simmered to nothing more than a cache of blurry memories.

When you got home, sleep came fast, deep and dreamless.

One month later, the idea struck again.

After 36 hours of Bucky tossing and turning, dark shadows bruising beneath weary blue eyes, you took his hand and led him down the dark street for a midnight adventure. He was skeptical, disbelieving that something so simple could chase away the insomnia. But he dutifully followed you, strolling aimlessly through the aisles, throwing odds and ends into the cart. 

The tension gradually eased, he began to relax, and suddenly? 

He was hooked.

An hour later, after arguing the health benefits of frosted Cheerios over oatmeal, poking each hunk of cheese in the display, and loading the cart with every single flavor of spaghetti sauce on the shelf, the heavy weight of remembering began to ease. When he collapsed into bed, he slept for eight hours straight.

I don’t know what that was, he swore the next morning, munching through his third bowl of frosted Cheerios, but it was magic.

And with that, a midnight ritual was born. Sometimes you make the trek alone, sometimes Bucky does the same, but whenever life permits you go together. This small slice of domesticity brings a warm comfort to this strange life.   

There is no doubt, this is your favorite area of the entire store.

Barrels filled with tart oranges and smooth red apples. Tables piled high with bananas, some just shy of yellow, others sunshine perfect, and a few with speckles of black (which are the best). Shelves lining the walls, overflowing with bundles of herbs and lettuce, all coated in a fine layer of mist. 

Bliss. 

Heading straight for the apples, you plunge into the Gala pile, rummaging until you come up with ten perfect ones. Peaches follow, fingers rubbing along the delicate pinky-orange fuzz. Squeeze, smell, squeeze, smell. Five are chosen for a pie (Sam pleaded shamelessly until you agreed to make him one), and in the cart they go. Heading toward the wall of herbs, you’re reaching for the basil when a metallic bang makes you jump. Spinning around, you find Bucky lobbing coconuts into the cart.

“We need these.”

“We really don’t, Buck. I hate coconut, it tastes like suntan lotion.”

“They’re not for eating,” he grabs an apple, wipes it on his shirt, and takes a juicy bite. “They’re for security.”

Sticky juice drips from his lip, catching in his beard. When you reach over to swipe it away, he nips your finger with a grin.

“Explain please.”

“See it’s like this. We’re just here shopping, doin’ our thang -”

“Don’t say thang.”

“- when someone attacks. What happens? BAM. One of these furry beauties breaks their face. Problem solved.”

Giving him a slow perusal, you raise an eyebrow.

“Were the 47 knives you’re carrying not enough to deflect this attack?”

Finishing off the apple in three sloppy bites, he carefully tucks the price sticker in his pocket so he can scan it before leaving and sets the mangled core beside your purse.

“Babe, these are my back-up plan. A good soldier always has a back-up plan.”

While you grab a bottle of extra-pulpy orange juice, Bucky picks two jugs of chocolate milk, snaps one open and takes a swing. Ever the thrifty shopper, he pulls a familiar bag from his back pocket, fishes out a crumpled piece of newspaper, and dangles it before you.

“Found a coupon for this,” he says gleefully. “Buy one, get one free. It’s called a BOGO. A BOGO. Hilarious, right? Fuck me, I love the future.”

Still laughing, he takes another long drink of chocolate milk and smacks his lips.

It was a lazy Sunday morning when you discovered this particular habit. Walking into the living room, you found Bucky buried in a sea of Sunday newspaper, tongue between his teeth and scissors in hand while he clipped coupons. He wasn’t picky, if it was remotely interesting, it went into the YES pile. It was one of those random things that brought him inordinate levels of joy, so of course you encouraged it. On his last birthday, you gifted him with a green zippered bag decorated with angry looking owls and official looking letters stitched across the front:

Bucky’s Coupon Bag  Thriftn’ Machine Since 1917

He laughed for five straight minutes and then stuffed it full. The bag accompanies you on every trip and the sight of Bucky excitedly rifling through his wad of coupons still makes your heart swell.  

Setting aside his BOGO, Bucky continues down the aisle, leaving you to pause in front of the yogurt. While you contemplate the merits of blackberry vs strawberry, Bucky slides over holding three cans of Reddi-Whip. 

“Are you actually planning to eat that? I thought you said whipped air is for, and I quote, ‘spineless, tasteless trash heathens’?”

Bucky shakes the can of spray whipped cream and wiggles his eyebrows, leveling you with a sultry stare. 

“Hell no I’m not eating it. This is for the bedroom. Last week I watched this god-awful movie where some blond guy - who looked exactly like Steve, by the way - made himself a whipped cream bikini for his girl. Decided I’m gonna do that for you. You’re welcome.”

“That sounds gross and unsanitary.” 

“If by gross and unsanitary you mean spicy and sexy, then yes. Yes it does.”

Whistling what sounds like the theme music from a bad porn, he adds two tubs of honey swirled Greek yogurt, pats your butt, and strolls ahead, throwing a roughish wink over his shoulder. Imagining the melted whipped cream soaking into your bedsheets, you mentally add more laundry detergent to the list.

“Hang on, turn here.”

Tugging the cart behind him, Bucky stalks toward the feminine hygiene display. It takes him a minute to scan the products before squatting down to the bottom shelf. Grabbing two jumbo boxes of tampons, oddly enough the brand you prefer, he pops back to his feet.  

“Dare I ask why you need these?”

A faint pink flush crawls up his neck.  

“Well, you know, two reasons. They’re really great for stopping bloody noses, you know? Just poke ‘em up there and they soak it all up.”

 He mimes the execution and adds a thumbs up.

“And the second reason?”

Squinting at his boots, he shuffles his feet a bit. The pink flush deepens. 

“Um, you know - I know you’re out, since I stuck the last one up Steve’s nose last week, and yeah. Anyway. It’s about that time. Of the month. For you.”

Clearing his throat, he reaches for his chocolate milk, but you grab his wrist.  

“You know when my period’s going to start?”

He shrugs self-consciously and fiddles with a loose thread on his shirt.  

“Well yeah. You think it’s just a coincidence when all your favorite candy shows up every month?” Looking up, he shoots you a crooked smile and leans over the cart to kiss your forehead. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, you haul him in for a real kiss instead and his startled laughter tickles your lips. When you break away, those bright blue eyes are shining. 

“Thank you, Bucky,” you murmur.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he whispers. 

This is the aisle where the cart officially explodes.

Lasagna noodles.

Egg noodles.

Spaghetti noodles.

Penne.

Linguine. 

Fettuccine.

Literally one of every noodle is selected, because Bucky Barnes is a self-proclaimed noodle slut. 

As you organize the boxes and search for orzo, you see him furtively add an extra bag of elbow macaroni. A quiet cough hides your laughter.

The last time Sam’s four-year-old niece came to the tower, she and Bucky spent hours making glittery elbow macaroni necklaces, which they ceremoniously gifted to everyone. When Sam casually mentioned her enthusiastically telling everyone at pre-school about her friend Bucky and how much fun she had visiting him, Bucky ran to a craft store and bulk bought supplies of glue, string, paint, and glitter, just in case she comes over again.

Months later and the entire team are still finding puddles of glitter all over the tower, but the delight on Bucky’s face anytime someone mentions that arts and crafts afternoon? 

It’s worth the mess.     

Gathering up brown sugar, instant oats, and chocolate chips, you turn to drop them in the cart when Bucky makes a strangled noise. Glancing over, you find him bouncing on his toes, vibrating with excitement.

“Babe. Babe. Are you making monster cookies?”

Adding a can of raisins, you search for the good vanilla. The kind that actually tastes like vanilla, not a cheap car wash air freshener. 

“I promised I would,” you remind him. Bucky plasters himself against your back, wrapping you in an enthusiastic hug and nuzzling his face against your neck.

“I love those fucking cookies,” he declares. “They’re my favorite thing ever. Next to you I mean.”

Finding the vanilla, you spin in his arms and return the squeeze.  

“I know you do. But you have to share them this time, okay? You can’t just eat them all yourself like the last two times. Agree?”

“Agree…to disagree. They’re wasted on other people, no one else loves as much. It’s for the best when I eat them all, it’s proof how much I love you. I’m doing it for you. I’m supporting you. Because I love you.”

“You’re completely full of shit,” you reply.

“I swear I’m not! Just listen!”

The excuses grow longer and wilder as Bucky outlines his rationale against sharing, walking backward and dragging the cart with him as he pleads his case. He’s diving into the science of super soldier metabolism levels and caloric requirements and the fact that his sister never shared anything with him, when he bumps into a tall display. 

He pulls up short, eyes narrowing. Plunking his fists on his hips, he growls a disgruntled sigh and glares at the rows of packaging. 

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

Lined up in neat rows, you see boxes of Jell-O organized by color and flavor. On the cover of each are an assortment of familiar images.  

“Are these Avengers themed Jell-O?” you ask, picking up a box with Sam’s image and the words Wild Berry Wilson. The rows extend further, filled with Lime Green Hulk and Blue Raspberry Rogers and Black Cherry Widow and Strawberry Lemon Stark. Exasperated, Bucky grabs the Sparkling Orange Spider flavor. 

“Is this for real? The kid gets one and I didn’t? Someone in PR is getting fired.”

“Well there’re only so many flavors, Buck,” you point out practically, but Bucky’s not in the mood for logic. Instead, he swipes an entire shelf of Jell-O flavors into the cart.  

“I swear to god, I have to do everything around here. Fine then. I’ll make my own flavor, Blackberry Kiwi Soldier or Winter Watermelon Rainbow, or something.” He pauses thoughtfully. “Anyway, I’ll work on the name. But I’m bringing it to dinner tomorrow night and everyone is gonna eat it.”

He dumps in a bag of mini-marshmallows and grabs sprinkles for topping, before marching down the aisle. Cringing at the volume of sugar in the cart, you make another mental note to schedule a dentist appointment.

“Go do your manly duty and find the meat. We need two 5lb rump roasts.”

“I like your rump roast,” he instantly responds and reaches over to smack your butt again. Anticipating the move, you catch his arm and twist it behind his back. He barks out a breathless laugh and you slap his ass in return.

“Your innuendos are tragic.”

Releasing him with a gentle shove, Bucky snatches up his three coconuts and ambles away, laughing while he juggles them. When he returns, he has the requested rump roasts, several packages of bacon, and a bundle of cocktail shrimp.

“If my innuendos get better, then can I touch your butt?”

“Maybe. But they better be real good.”

An added benefit to shopping at midnight? Not a soul in line.

Loading everything onto the conveyer belt, you automatically organize for bagging. Boxes together, produce together, meat together. Bucky adds a pack of batteries, a tin of mints, and some trashy magazines.

The last three items in the cart are his coconuts. They rattle around until you toss them at him, motioning back to the produce department. 

“We made it out alive. Go put them back.”

Still chomping his tasteless green gum-ball, he shakes his head and plops them down. 

“Nah, I have another idea for them. Got all those craft supplies at home, I’m gonna make you something.”

“Should I even ask?”

Bucky blows a huge, wet bubble and looks you up and down.

“Have you every worn one of those coconut bras? Like on TV, with the ladies in grass skirts? I’m gonna make you one. I already have string and glue. And glitter.”

“I think you may be overestimating your crafting abilities.” Digging out your credit card, you wait for the final tally. 

“Well, if it’s terrible then you’ll just be naked. Either way, I win.”

Shaking out your grocery sacks, he packs everything with Tetris-like efficiency and slides all of them up the vibranium arm.   

“How about I make you a deal. I’ll wear a coconut bra, if you’ll make yourself something to wear as well.”

Bucky blows another sugary bubble, pondering the idea.

“Like a coconut man thong?”

“Exactly like a coconut man thong.”

“Deal. Add it to that special dirty list you’re making me honey. We got loads to do.” 

Outside, the night air smells sweet and cool, the barest hint of a spring rain and fresh grass lingering on the breeze. Already, your eyes are feeling heavy, tonight’s quiet adventure ushering in that sought after peace. 

In your right hand, the three coconuts swing gently in their plastic sack. Humming under his breath, Bucky yawns, reaching for your other hand. His warm, calloused palm squeezes tight, his thumb stroking lightly over your skin.

He turns to you with a sleepy, lopsided smile.

Midnight and coconuts.  

It always does the trick.

***

[silversatoru]

play-thing — part one

gojo satoru x getou suguru x f!reader

t/w: nsfw 18+, dark content, drugging, manipulation, noncon/dubcon, oral (f!receiving), nipple play, this story contains very dark themes so please do not read it you’re sensitive to any of these topics

synopsis: suguru and satoru are missing something in their lives, and who better to manipulate than an lonely, impressionable girl who just moved to tokyo from another city. they’re willing to take extreme measures to transform you into their perfectly submissive little play-thing. 

wc: 1.9k

suguru and satoru do everything together; live in the same house, work at the same company, even share a closet of the most expensive clothes, but something was missing. they both felt it, the empty space between them, and they were determined to find the perfect piece to fill the gaping hole in their lives.

and you practically fell right into the palm of their hands, in a local grocery store of all places. a pretty little thing with a freshly broken heart who’d just moved here from a neighboring city. no friends, no family nearby, anxious and impressionable and desperately in need of a couple capable men to show her around. it all started with an innocent question: “hey, sorry to bother you guys, but could you tell me where the baking aisle is?”

how you ended up here you still weren't quite sure. 

“let us take you on a tour of the city tonight,” satoru had cooed at you.

“there’s a few really nice bars, we could grab some drinks,” suguru added, both their voices smooth and terrifyingly persuasive.

but they seemed nice enough, and you weren't in any position to be picky with making friends right now — after all, you’d have to get accustomed to the city somehow, right?

wear something pretty, satoru had winked at you before you parted ways and continued your shopping, and for some reason you were very inclined to do as he said. they were both intimidatingly attractive and you weren’t exactly sure what their dynamic was yet, but you decided that if you ended up in bed with one of them tonight, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

you’d chosen a short and silky black dress, something elegant but classic that would absolutely catch the eyes of both men. and it did, satoru’s eyes glazing over your body several times before he even bothered to say hello to you. suguru was less obvious, his dark eyes giving you a quick once-over before giving you a warm smile and wrapping his arm around your shoulders as the three of you entered the first bar.

it was small, dimly lit with a few lanterns and packed tight with people. a little too crowded for your level of comfort, so you stuck closely to the sides of suguru and satoru as they led you deeper into the pub. the dark-haired male gestured towards an empty seat at the end of the countertop, the two of them standing on either side of you after you slid into it. satoru spoke with an impressive level of charisma, ordering three of the same drink from the bartender — who he seemed to know quite well.

taking a few sips of the liquor did wonders for you initial anxiety, and the casual conversation with both men was helping you to settle in as well. 

so, where are you from? 

what made you want to move to tokyo?

what do you do for a living? 

you were painfully oblivious to how the conversation stayed entirely centered around you; you still hadn’t learned anything about the two men, but they were learning everything about you. 

an hour or so in, a warm dizziness began to swirl around the inside of your head, slowly exacerbating until you felt like you were about to tumble out of your seat. you’d only had a couple drinks, and you normally handled your alcohol fairly well, so why did you feel absolutely sloshed right now? 

“guys, i think maybe-” you turned towards your two tour guides and crashed forward into suguru’s chest without warning. 

“think you went a little heavy, toru?” he scooped his hands under your plump ass and lifted your unconscious body into his muscularly arms. 

“not my fault she has no tolerance,” satoru shrugged, throwing some cash on the counter, “might be easier with her like this anyway”. 

“i suppose,” suguru clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth, “stupid girl, didn’t your parents teach you not to trust strangers so easily?”

the two of them casually made their way out of the bar together, making jokes about how poorly you handle your liquor to anyone who gave them a questionable look — but the bar was so loud and jam-packed with people that they made it out without any incident.

you were slow to come out of your sleepy haze, head nodding up and down as you struggled to maintain consciousness and take in the scenery around you. in a futile attempt to brush some hair out of your face you realized your hands were tightly secured behind your back. panic immediately flooded your system, chest tightening and hot tears brimming at the edges of your eyes. 

“just a precaution, angel,” suguru came walking into your hazy vision, a warm smile on his face as he tucked the loose strands of hair behind your ears, “how are you feeling?” 

“wha-, whaaat happen- ed?” your words were garbled, your brain barely able to form them. 

“don’t worry about it,” satoru appeared next to suguru, “you just drank a little too much, but we’ll take good care of you, won’t we suguru?” 

“of course, no need for you to worry about anything anymore,” he gave an affirmative nod. 

“i don’t think-” you wracked your brain for any recollection of what had happened tonight, but you found nothing, “i don’t th- think i — understand”. 

“you will soon,” satoru flashed a bright smile, but it wasn’t nearly as inviting as the first time you saw it. this time it was eerie, evil, threatening — what exactly was he talking about? 

your brain was quickly turning to absolute mush, your vision getting darker and foggier than it already was as you tried to hang on to the sound of their voices.

just relax

we’re gonna make you feel good, you wanna feel good, princess?

you want us to make you feel better?

“mhm,” you gave them a slow nod. you did want them to make you feel better! you felt groggy and confused and nauseas! so of course you said yes! that is what they were asking? right?

you felt the bed shift around you, several hands tracing over your skin and gently pushing you onto your back. you tried to question them, tried to form the words, but your brain was unable to produce a single word or movement at this point.

a hot tongue connected with the side of your neck, lips latched onto the skin and sucking gently on the sensitive area. another mouth was on your inner thigh, sucking a little harder and undoubtedly leaving a small marking. you subconsciously let out a squeaky, shaky breath, the warmth of their tongues eliciting a response in your doped-up body.

goosebumps raked through your body when you felt a pair of slender fingers slip under your dress and brush over the thin material of your panties. it was satoru, his middle and index fingers prodding at your clothed cunt and sending jolts through your legs. meanwhile suguru continued to cover your neck in sloppy kisses, one of his large hands groping at your covered breasts.

your brain had gone numb, from the drugs, the confusion, the terribly intoxicating pleasure. you hated how clueless you were, how useless your body was right now, but what you hated most of all was that you weren’t even trying to fight back. their touch felt good — too good for you to ask them to stop.

it wasn’t long before satoru’s fingers were replaced with his mouth, his tongue running up and down the fold in your panties and absolutely soaking the material with his saliva. he groaned from the taste, getting just as much pleasure from this as you were. he was quick to push the fabric to the side, sliding his tongue against your sticky folds with hunger and urgency. he lapped at your cunt, flicking your clit with the tip of his tongue and evoking a series of twitches from your lazy body.

“be gentle with her” suguru’s voice sounded far off in the distance as he mumbled into your chest.

satoru heeded to the other man’s instructions, slowing his pace and going more gentle on your sensitive, puffy clit. suguru found your hardened nipples through your thin dress, rolling them in his fingers and enhancing the already blissful feeling you were getting from satoru’s tongue.

the two of them working together was incomprehensibly euphoric, your stomach coiling into tight knots with each swipe of his tongue. without warning he dove even deeper, his tongue shooting into your cunt while his nose rubbed against your throbbing bundle of nerves. between that and suguru giving your nipples a sudden tug, your body was crashing with waves of pleasure — strangled moans and pitiful whimpers the only sounds that your mouth could produce.

it was a near-holy experience, the feeling of the sedatives pumping through your veins as satoru tongued your pussy and suguru massaged your breasts through your heightened orgasm. you felt like you were floating, the room was spinning, and then everything went dark.

a real shame that you wouldn’t be able to remember any of it by the time you woke up.

bright sunlight pierced through your eyelids the following morning, forcing you awake and causing you to jolt up. you were laying in a large bed that was situated at the back of a rather large room, fitted silk sheets cool under your skin. confused of what happened and where you were, you stood from the bed and made your way to the door, feet patting on the soft carpeted floor. 

when you opened the door you entered a long hallway that led to a wide stairway covered in the same fluffy carpeting. two voices were laughing and talking beneath you, and curiosity fueled your motivation to walk down the stairs and into an open-concept kitchen and living room. 

satoru and suguru, the two men from yesterday were busy at the stove, pancakes and bacon sizzling away on two cast-iron pans. they wore matching aprons, suguru’s reading chef daddy, and satoru’s reading mr. good-lookin’ is cookin’. 

who the fuck were these guys?

“feeling better?” suguru was the first to notice you loitering at the edge of the room. 

“yeah, how are you? didn’t picture you to be such a heavy drinker,” satoru laughed, flipping a pancake with grace. 

you didn’t remember much, nothing past sitting down at the bar with them. you weren’t much for getting wasted but you were plagued with more stress than usual lately — maybe you really let yourself go last night. 

“ah, sorry about that, I don’t even remember what i did, honestly,” you shrugged, “thanks for looking out for me though, where’s my stuff?”

“in a hurry to leave? stay for breakfast,” suguru brushed off your question with a captivating smile, his eyes squinting together in the most adorable way. 

“we insist,” satoru chimed in, humming as he continued to focus on the sweet-smelling food. 

and so you stayed, which was probably the worst mistake that you’d made in the past twenty-four hours of countless terrible mistakes. 

part one | part two

a/n: im on a yandere/dark content kick today i cant help it. anyway if u wanna be tagged when i post part two lemme know :) and if u want some yandere megumi go read @katslutski​ ‘s tell me 

(ily kat <33 so happy to have someone to get into very specific obsessions with)

[mouthfulloftoothpasterry]

Hooked

Summary: Harry and Y/n meet again. This time spending more time together and getting to know each other. 

warnings/ disclaimers: Swearing, mentions of death, mentions of childbirth. 

Harry was out searching for a book. He had left Loralie with his mother for the day since he had some errands to run and it would be a busy day. He had finished all of his books and he was on the search for another, maybe even some extra ones for his classroom. He had stopped by his favorite coffee shop and ordered his favorite black coffee to start his day of errands, then he went to the market to get everything for dinner tonight- he thought he might as well get it out of the way since he hates grocery shopping.

Now he’s on the way to a bookstore, he didn’t want to order it on Amazon or just go to a big chain store so he did a quick google search and found a small book store a block down the road from the coffee shop he had gone to. He wanted to find the book burning in water, drowning in flame- his sister had recommended it to him and now he was itching to read it.

He made his way to the bookstore, it looked like a homey place just from the outside of the store. It was a rust colored brick with two sconces on either side of the top of the book shop, a rather tall building- possibly a flat at the top. Harry looks at the cacti peeking through the windows, little flower stickers to decorate.

Harry walks into the book shop, opening the door making the golden bell at the top of the door frame sound off. As soon as Harry steps in he notes the warm scent, it smells like the owner had been baking cookies. “Hello!” He hears a cheerful voice sing while he steps toward the poetry aisle in search of the book. “Is there anything I could help you with today?” He hears the voice again making him turn his head. To his surprise it’s Y/n, he’s been thinking about her. “Oh, hi.” He says bashfully, smiling and stepping over to the cashier counter she was behind.

Y/n smiles, continuing to add price tags on the back of her new shipment of books. She had started her little business officially a bit after she had gotten pregnant with Milo. Milo’s dad had left her after she broke the news to him, they were in their early twenty’s (Y/n being twenty one and him being twenty two) so it was understandable that he didn’t want children yet but the way he dealt with the situation was just dramatic and too much on Y/n. So she put everything into her little book shop, she took out a loan and bought this place, starting planning and putting her all into it, it wasn’t easy but it was worth it.

“Hi Harry.” She says, adding a book to the stack. Harry blushes at her tone again, she’s hard to read. “Um… do you happen to have burning in water, drowning in flame?” He asks, whirling around her display of different styles and colors of bookmarks. He is a twenty six year old man, why is acting like one of his students who thinks he’s handsome? Y/n laughs, nodding while she pulls her mug up to her lips- Harry thinks it’s hot chocolate (and he’s right). “It’s in poetry, first aisle, third shelf, second row.” She says, impressing Harry in how she has memorized every single spot of her book store.

Harry gives her a tight nod, walking over to the poetry section and looking for the book. “Is this your place?” Harry asks, making conversation while the rest of the store is dead silent.

“Yeah, me and Milo live in the flat upstairs.” Y/n admits. Harry’s ears perk up, she didn’t say anything about a partner. He walks back to the counter placing his book down, not handing it over to her yet. “When did you open this place?” He questions, looking around the shop. He sees some crystals, some candles- that both look up for sale and also her personal ones. It’s cute.

“After I got pregnant with Milo. Right after Xavier left me.” She says, leaving Harry wondering. “Xavier is…?” Y/n sighs, rolling her eyes a bit. It’s only their second time meeting and she’s already giving him her sob story. “He’s what would be Milo's father.” She says, picking at her bare nails. She doesn’t consider Xavier Milo's father, he’s never been there for him so he’s not a father. Harry’s lips form a tight line, “um, Loralies mum died… so… we’ve all got baggage.” He laughs, trying to cut the tension.

Loralies mum had died, she died during childbirth. She already had a particularly painful and rough pregnancy with Lora and that was just extremely unexpected, Harry just thanks his stars everyday that his little one is safe with him. “That’s awful, Harry. I‘m sorry.” Harry smiles at her, “it’s okay. I’ve got my Lora so I’m okay.” Y/n nods, smiling and grabbing the book from between his fingers. “She’s a sweet girl.” She compliments.

Harry nods, feeling a little cocky over how well he has raised his daughter. “Is this all for you?” She asks, pulling out a small brown bag with the logo and name on it- they are cute. “Yes please.” Harry politely says, making her laugh under her breath. “If this is your first time here? You get a free bookmark with every book you purchase if it is.” She says, nodding over to the bookmarks. Harry nods, looking through the bookmarks and picking a random Fleetwood Mac one- cute, he thinks. Y/n adds the bookmark to the bag, setting it infront of him. “13.22” she says, Harry fishing his wallet out.

“Are you doing a lot today?” He asks, motioning down to all the books stacked around her while he hands her a ten and four singles. She shrugs, “the usual.” Y/n says, handing him back his change. Harry thinks for a second, pausing his response making Y/n a little nervous. “I could help?” Harry offers, setting his coffee on the table. Y/n gives him a questionable look, sharpening one of her eyes at him. “You want to put tags on books and reorganize with me?” She asks, making Harry laugh. He nods, putting a bookmark back in its place “see, I’m already helping.” He says cheekily.

Y/n smiles, shaking her head. “I guess you can help.” She says.

Soon enough they are sat on the brown carpet, mountains of books around them. Y/n has a blanket wrapped around her and Harry has his legs stretched out. Y/n is tagging books while Harry is setting by the book shelf closest to them organizing. “I swear they put something in the water fountain at that school, the kids are always running and screaming around my classroom while I’m trying to talk about how Van Gogh cut off his own ear.” Harry says, making Y/n loudly giggle, thinking about how Milo probably gives him a horrible time on Wednesdays.

“You like working where Loralie is?” She asks, Harry of course nodding. Loralie is his baby, he loves knowing she’s just up the stairs- especially if she were to get sick or hurt he would be right there to take care of her. “Yeah, I wish I could always be with Milo but one of us has to make the money.” She jokes which makes Harry laugh.

“She always comes waddling into my classroom screaming for me- which disrupts the class but I don’t care.” He shrugs, his mind going back to Loralie. “Oh shit, I’ve got to pick her u-“

“Hi! How are you, baby!” Y/n cheers, Milo running toward her then crashing into her in a hug. Y/n’s friend Mikaela had babysat Milo for the day while Y/n tried to get as much work done as she could. Usually on the weekends (like today) Milo will be in the store with her… which tends to distract her. “Um, I’ve got to go but we should do this again? Maybe… over dinner?” Harry asks, Y/n’s face lighting up.

“Are you asking me on a date?” She teases, Harry blushing and nodding. Y/n laughs, slipping her phone from her pocket, “take my number and we can schedule that date you’re begging me for.” She teases.

Harry gets her number, thanking her for the book and letting him stay before he slips out. Now he’s got to get back to Loralie. But he’s got a date!

**

Later that night when Harry and Loralie are practicing her memorizing her ABCs his phone beeps. He ignores his at first, just expecting it to be a stupid text from his friend Mitch, but once he looks down he sees Y/n’s contact name. “Keep going, bug.” Harry says, grabbing his phone from the carpet while they set on the floor of the living room, unlocking his phone.

Hii, im free next Friday :) let me know if that works with your schedule!

Harry laughs at her cute little smiley faces, trying to think up a response that doesn’t make him sound a thousand years older than her. The tip of his tongue sticks out while he types back his response, his eyebrows knitted in concentration.

Hello! Friday works, how about 5:30? I can pick you up.

He lays his phone back down and helps Loralie with her letters, pulling her onto his lap. “D is for Daddy!” She cheers, making Harry smile, chuckling and kissing her round cheeks while she squeals. Harry hears his phone ding, grabbing it and reading the response, thanking god she answered. He thought his heart would explode out of his chest. It was beating so hard.

That sounds good ☺️ see you then!

Harry got her to say yes, but now he has to deal with the anxiety of actually going on the date. What should he wear, where should they go? Should he be opening the door and pulling out her chair or is that not in-in dating anymore? He hasn’t dated since Loralies mum and his baby is two years old now, it’s been quite a long time since he dipped his toe into trying to charm a woman. He just hopes he’s still got it.

****************************

The day is here. Loralie is with her grandma so Harry can get ready for the date. He’s been panicking and running all around his little house. He showered and smothered himself in lotion and his best cologne- he wanted to smell nice for her. He was adding leave in conditioner to his hair (which he hardly remembers to do) to make it more silky and the curls look a bit prettier than they usually do- he doesn’t know much about hair, he just does what his sister tells him what his hairdresser tells him he should do.

He planned out an outfit, a pair of tan dress pants with a white tank top and a cardigan over it. He had thought over the outfit a bit too much, was it too casual for the date? Was the cardigan too much? He decided against his thoughts and layers some pearls on, sliding his rings on that were in a jewelry dish, placed in there before his shower. He takes a look in the mirror, readjust his cardigan before he gives himself a little nod. He feels good about this.

He makes his way over to Y/n flat, walking up the metal steps to her flat and knocking on the door. When she opens the door he notices just how amazing her home smells, just like her book shop. He needs to remember to ask her where she gets her candles. “Hi,” Harry smiles, looking his date up and down. She was dressed nicely. It was a sage green dress with spaghetti straps, it stopped a couple inches above her knee. Harry thought it was cute.

She paired it with gold jewelry and a black cross body bag. Dirty white vans to go along with it that added a child-like feel to the outfit. Harry thought that was cute too.

“Hi,” she smiles, glancing behind her. “You look nice.” Harry says, suddenly feeling hot. Y/n laughs under her breath, thanking him. “You look nice as well.” Harry smiles bashfully, looking down at his feet. “Thank you”

Y/n says her goodbyes to Milo, hugging and kissing him before thanking her friend again for watching him. It’s the same one from last week, Mikaela. They get into Harry’s car, a bit of awkward silent before Y/n breaks it, Harry stopping the tapping of his fingers along to the low radio once her voice interrupts it. “So, where are we going?” She asks, smoothing her dress out against her thighs.

Harry laughs, he’s not prepared for dates and for some reason he hadn’t thought about the most important part. “I’ll eat anywhere to be honest.” Y/n admits, looking through her window at all the different places.

Harry was looking around in a panic and he finally pulled something out of his ass that sounded good, especially on his teacher salary. “Olive Garden?” Harry says, trying to say it confidently but it definitely comes out as more of a question. Y/n’s eyes light up, she’s in the mood for bottomless salad and breadsticks. “That sounds heavenly.” And Harry is happy to hear that.

They walk into the busy restaurant, instantly getting escorted to a table. Harry is happy they didn’t have to wait- that would have just been embarrassing since he threw this together last minute. They sat in the booth, sliding in and getting comfortable. “So, how’s the bookstore?” Harry asks, pulling apart his breadstick. Y/n knocks her shoe with his under the table, she thinks it’s cute how bashfully he can get when just asking a simple question. “It’s good. How are your little art students?” Harry playfully rolls his eyes at her choice of words.

“It’s good. They are doing self portraits.” Y/n laughs, her eyes widening.

“How’s that going?” Harry laughs, shaking his head. “They look like shittier versions of Picasso’s paintings.” Y/n dramatically gasps through her laughs, “aren’t you supposed to worship the ground that man walks on? Why would you say that?” Harry rolls his eyes once again, chuckling at her. “I’m just behind honest!”

Their date goes on the same, they order their food, giggling while they eat and even getting into a little food fight with the leftover breadsticks. (They weren't being humble, they asked for another basket) They finished their food, “That was fun.” Y/n admits smiling. Harry nods, taking the check and opening his wallet. “Here,” y/n holds out her card, Harry shaking his head. “I’ll pay.” Harry shrugs her off, handing his card tucked in the black check book the waiter had brought over back to him before she can further protest.

Y/n scoffs, throwing another breadstick at him that he tried to catch but it’s too greasy. “Hey! I thought we had a truce?!” Harry questions her. She shakes her head, apparently swearing off the truce. Harry shrugs, thanking the waiter when he brings his card back along with their mints. “You better sleep with one eye open then.” Harry says, standing up and waiting for her. She laughs, standing up and pulling her bag over her shoulder. “I have a three year old, I basically sleep with them both open. You’re nothin’.” She says, Harry nodding his head in agreement. He knows just how she feels.

They drive back to her flat, Harry of course walking her to her door. “I had so much fun tonight.” Harry says, looking down before he looks up at Y/n. She smiles, blushing. She hasn’t dated since Xavier and she admired that to Harry tonight, they both admitted that they haven’t dated since their children’s parents so they felt a lot comfortable knowing they were both rusty.

“Me too, you’re a really sweet guy, Harry.” She says. She needs to remember to thank her forgetful little Milo for leaving his folder in Harry’s classroom. “Thanks for agreeing to go out with me. I was pretty nervous.” Harry admits a bit sheepishly. Harry is a bit giddy on the inside about them hitting it off so well, they were having the best conversation and at times they were getting extremely loud, probably annoying the people around them, but they didn’t care, they had fun. “Yeah, I was nervous as hell but I haven’t had this much fun in a while. Thanks for tonight.” Y/n smiles, leaning in for a kiss.

Harry’s eyes widen, but he still kisses her back. He hasn’t kissed anyone in so long he thought he had forgot how to for a second. His hands come up to cup her jaw, moving his lips with hers. “I’ll see you soon. Have a good night.” Y/n smiles, opening her door with red cheeks. Harry nods, a little flabbergasted. “Have a good night.” He says, trudging down her steps.

And now he’s hooked on her.

Tag list: @romionefp @iaalien @hopeyoustaythenight @evanjh

If you liked this please reblog and please tell me what you thought of it ☺️ thank you for reading!! I hope you all like the series so far I’m writing part three right now so it should come out soon ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[obsessivelyloved]

We need more edd in our lives. Can you write a fix about how edd fell in love with reader pls

Yeah I've been trying to write him more lol. Donut King is like a real place with baked goods and drinks and I've been there once but I'm not sure if more of those places exist outside of like one town. Reader is gender-neutral, thank you for the request! <3

________________________________

He didn’t believe in things like love at first sight. But oh boy, did meeting you really push that belief.

Edd met you at the grocery store, bumping into you in the art supplies aisle. You said “Sorry! Wasn’t watching where I was going,” with a small laugh and it was as if his heart melted.

He was only able to give you a small smile before you took off. As he stared off into space at the sketchbooks, he pondered why his face felt so warm.

* * * * *

Edd saw you again at Donut King. You didn’t say a word to him, didn’t even recognize him when you glanced his way. But the feeling in his chest was back and he felt so warm.

He needed to know your name, find out who you were and get to know you.

Which is how he ended up here, sitting next to Tord in his room.

“You could’ve just talked to them you know,” Tord said with fake exasperation. “Not that finding them is hard for me, god no, but perhaps you would have made a better impression.”

“Well what was I supposed to say? ‘Hey remember me, the guy you bumped into?’”

“Yes, that's exactly it! Or you could have, I dunno, complimented their shirt? Or hair or something? People always like talking to me.”

“That’s because you flirt with them with the pure intention of getting something from them and I don’t want to come off as wanting something. I just want… to be their friend. They look like they could use one.”

Tord rolled his eyes but Edd knew he wasn’t really bothered by this. He slid his laptop over into Edd’s lap.

“Here, I found their social media or whatever. Tell me when you’re done stalking their pictures and I’ll help you find a pattern or routine. Then, I’ll make sure you won’t make a fool of yourself.”

Edd lightly punched Tord’s arm. “I’m great at talking to people! I just need a head start with this one. So we're for sure going to be friends.”

“Uh-huh. Just admit you have a crush and you don’t actually want friendship.”

Edd kept his eyes on the laptop as his cheeks flushed.

“Oh my god you do have a crush!” Tord laughed. “Aw don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. And I’ll still help you get into their pants.”

“Tord! That is so vulgar!”

“You’re not denying it.”

“Ugh, why are you like this?”

“Still not denying it!” Tord said with a huge grin.

Edd rolled his eyes. He focused on the pictures of you and butterflies fluttered in his chest. Despite what Tord kept saying, he wanted to get to know you and he couldn’t wait to meet you.

[handsomelyhiddleston]

The Cabin - Tom Hiddleston x Curvy Reader (Part 2/3)

Part 1

You woke up as the movie credits were scrolling. The kiddos were all still asleep strewn about the den. Looking at the clock, you realized it was about lunch time.

Walking into the kitchen, you saw Lisa sorting out the food that needed to go to the grill while one of Chris’ sisters was working on making some side dishes. “Anything I can help with?” You walked to the coffee maker to make a second cup of coffee.

“I think we’ve got everything sorted” Lisa answered. “Can you bring these out to the guys?” She was holding a large tin pan full of hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers.

“Of course.” You answered, holding your coffee in a way that let you grab the pan. “Do you mind opening the door?”

Chris’ sister hurried to the door, sliding it open.

“Thank you” you said, heading down the wooden deck to where the guys were sat by the grill.

“Look who’s awake” Chris teased, jogging to you to take the pan.

“I have to say, I needed that nap.” You laughed, following Chris to the grill.

“Are the kids still passed out?” Scott asked, watching you take a seat next to Tom. Chris started grilling the food.

“Yup” you answered. “I restarted the movie so they’d have the background noise.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Tom asked, seeing you were still in your fuzzy socks and sweater.

You shrugged, sipping your coffee. “I’m good for now. Anyone know what the plans are for the rest of the day?”

“Food. Probably hit the store in a bit. I think jetlag is gonna hit everyone harder than they think” Chris laughed.

“We should go get stuff for drinks after lunch” Scott suggested.

“I’m in. We should get a list from your mom of anything else she thinks we’ll need right away” you replied.

“Do you mind if I tag along?” Tom asked, looking between you and Scott.

“Of course, not” you answered, shivering a bit as the cold soaked through your sweater.

“Scott, can you go grab a pan for the cooked meat” Chris asked.

“Sure thing” Scott answered, getting up.

“Can you grab the blanket by the door?” you called out as he walked towards the cabin.

“God, do I have to do everything around here” Scott teased in a dramatic voice, making the rest of you laugh.

“Would you like my jacket?” Tom asked as you took another sip of your coffee.

You turned to look at him and shook your head no, a soft smile on your face.

When your gaze lingered a bit longer than one would call socially acceptable, Tom’s cheeks turned pink. “Do I have something on my face?”

You laughed. “No, you’re just…hear me out…like, if I were to write a perfect gentleman into whatever story I’m writing…I think that’s you…you check all of the boxes.”

Tom smiled and cleared his throat. “If I may ask, is that a compliment or are you trying to gently inform me that I’m incredibly boring.”

Chris let out a loud laugh, which prompted both of you to laugh. “I meant it as the highest compliment” you assured him.

“Well, in that case, I’m extremely flattered.” Tom replied, lifting his arm and prompting you to fill the small gap between the two of you. When you’d scooted against his side, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders.

When Scott returned, he tossed the blanket over both of your laps, going to stand by the grill with Chris. By the way they would take turns glancing back at you and Tom, you assumed they were talking about you.

“Chris mentioned that you do some sort of writing or consulting outside of your books.” Tom said, simply wanting to get to know you better.

You laughed, knowing that it drove Chris crazy not knowing what else you did for work. “Well, that’s accurate.”

“Is it safe to assume you won’t tell me what it is?” Tom smirked.

“I mean, never say never” you replied, looking up at Tom.

“Well, if I can’t know what else you do for work, what do you do for fun?” He continued, the two of you chatting until it was time to go inside to eat.

It felt good to have the cabin full of people. Chris’ family and a few of their family friends, including you and Tom, spent the next hour eating, laughing, and telling embarrassing stories about each other as you do when you’ve got the whole family together.

You were banished from the kitchen when you’d tried to help with the dishes. “You and the boys go do your shopping, we’ll clean up” Lisa said, handing you a short list and shooing you away.

“Now I know where Chris gets his stubbornness” you teased, hearing Lisa laugh as you left the kitchen.

You climbed the stairs, stopping at Chris and Tom’s rooms, both of them sitting in Chris’ room with Scott. “You guys ready to go?”

“Just waiting for you” Scott replied.

“Let me grab my jacket and my shoes and I’ll meet you guys’ downstairs.” When you made it outside, Chris already had your SUV started, letting the heating warm up.

“Mind if I drive?” he hollered out the window.

You shook your head no, walking around to the side of the truck and climbing into the back seat next to Tom. Scott was sat up front in the passenger seat. “I’ve got the list from your mom.”

“Then we are ready to rock n roll” Chris said, looking in the various mirrors to make sure it was safe to back-up.

Chris drove around the town for a while. He drove down a few scenic roads showing Tom the beautiful landmarks. When he saw a perfect, untouched patch of snow he insisted the four of you make snow angels. Of course, he made sure to get a picture of everyone laying in their angel.

Next stop was the liquor store. You pushed the cart around with Tom as Scott and Chris added various bottles and pre-made beverages to the cart.

“Y/n!” you heard Scott call from a few aisles over.

“Yes?” you laughed, looking to see if he was going to pop around the corner.

“Do you have a beer pong table?” It was Chris’ voice you heard this time.

You and Tom laughed at the brothers. “No” you answered.

“If I had to bet, I’d say that you’re about to be the proud owner of a brand-new beer pong table.” Tom laughed, walking with you towards the front of the store.

When you rounded the corner, you saw the brothers walking towards you. Scott had a fold-up beer pong table in his hands and Chris had two cases of White Claw and a bag of red solo cups in his.

“White Claw?” you laughed.

“Less calories than beer means that I have to spend less time at the gym while I’m here.” Chris replied, putting everything in the cart. “Speaking of, Tom do you want to work out with me in the mornings?”

“Absolutely” Tom replied. “I was a bit nervous to go running with all of the ice and snow.”

“I’d be more worried about the bears” you said, watching his eyes go wide.

“Now I’m extra glad that I didn’t try to run this morning” Tom said, following you as you pushed your cart to the front of store checkout. Chris pulled his card out before you could even offer to pay.

Next stop was the grocery store.

As Chris and Scott gathered the things on their mother’s shopping list, you took Tom to the baking aisle. “You mentioned that your family bakes when everyone gets together.”

“I did.” Tom smiled as he continued. “My mother and my sisters are usually baking some sort of sweet.”

“Well…” You gestured to the various options laid out in front of you. “What do you want to bake?”

“Really?” Tom asked, looking over at you.

“We can make pretty much anything” you answered. “I mean, unless you don’t want to.”

“No, no. I do.” Tom replied, swallowing back a bit of emotion. “I just…I know we really only just met so you have no way of knowing any of the craziness that has been going on in my life.”

You could sense a bit of hesitation in Tom so you reached out and grabbed one of his hands in yours.

Tom smiled, his eyes watering a touch. “And I’m not complaining, I promise you. I’m grateful that I’ve been afforded so many opportunities. I just…I only got to see my family for 4 days all last year. Home is the one place I feel like I can completely be myself and relax and…Well, when I found out I wasn’t going to see my family on the one break I have for the next three months, I didn’t expect…”

When he stopped talking, you slid your arms around his middle, pulling him into a hug.

“I apologize.” He said, wrapping his arms around you. “I’m sure a simple ‘thank you’ would have been a much more eloquent response.”

You could feel a light laugh rumble in his chest. “Don’t apologize.” You loosened your arms a bit to pull back from the hug.

Tom’s arms held you against himself for a moment before letting you go. “What is your favorite thing to bake?” he asked you.

You thought for a moment before answering. “Cookies.”

“Then I’d love to bake cookies with you” he replied, turning towards the various bags of chocolate chips.

“FYI” you said, grabbing a small bag of sugar and flour.

“Yes?” he put two different types of chocolate chips in the basket.

“I think anything you say in that accent sounds eloquent.” You pushed the cart further down the aisle to grab the oil. You could hear Tom laugh behind you.

“I’ll have to remember that.”

When the four of you got back to the car, Chris recommended picking up pizza for dinner since you guys had been gone a few hours.

“Just text your mom to make sure she isn’t already working on something.” You replied

When Chris got the green light on his pizza plans from Lisa, he placed the order over the phone and you guys picked it up on the way back to the cabin.

As everybody dug into the pizza, you took your baking supplies to the kitchen to tuck them away. You wanted to make sure that no one else used them before you could bake the cookies with Tom. Deciding to catch up on your work emails, you grabbed a slice of pizza and headed upstairs to your room. Sat at your desk with your headphones blasting your favorite music, you started replying to potential project proposals and questions your publishers had about your next works.

Because of your headphones, you didn’t hear Tom walk into your room about a half hour later. As he walked up to your desk, he was calling out your name not realizing you couldn’t hear him.

Standing behind your chair, he glanced at one of your computer screens, understanding what you’d been doing since you’d disappeared. What he didn’t expect, though, was what project you were currently emailing about.

See, most of the people that knew you as an author knew you wrote books in the same category as Hunger Games or Beautiful Creatures…Well, having the ability to hide completely behind an anonymous pen name let you venture into some projects that you deemed a bit more…fun? Maybe spicy is the right word.

Feeling bad for accidentally snooping, Tom put his hand on your shoulder to get your attention, scaring the absolute shit out of you. You threw your headphones off and turned in your chair, your heart going a million miles an hour.

Tom was stood there trying not to laugh. “I’m so sorry.”

“OH, dear god” you laughed, laying your hand over your heart and leaning back in your chair. “You about gave me a heart attack.”

“I was meant to come and tell you the brothers want to play beer pong, but I think they can wait a bit longer.” Tom said with a grin on his face.

You tilted your head to the side, confused as to what Tom meant. “That sounds both ominous and sexy” you laughed.

Tom chuckled and turned your chair back to face your computer. “Mind telling me what project you’ve got coming up?”

“Now it makes more sense” you continued laughing. On your screen was the proposed cover of your new book in an email you were replying to. You leaned your chair back so you were looking at Tom upside down. “You sure you can handle it?”

“I’m a bit offended that you think I can’t” Tom answered.

“You asked for it” you replied, standing up and walking over to your door. Sliding the lock in place, you walked to your closet, turning to Tom. “You coming?”

Tom opened his mouth to speak and paused, choosing to simply nod and follow.

Walking to the back of your closet, you pushed your clothes to the side and opened another door. This was your writing room. Specifically, for your ‘adult’ books.

You’d covered the walls in inspiration, essentially. In addition to your mainstream ‘young adult’ or ‘new adult’ novels, you wrote adult books…erotica…but your books were very inclusive. They featured various orientations, gendered pairings, gender identities, ethnicities, body shapes, body sizes, and various forms of being differently abled. Your walls were covered in artwork that featured real bodies in all of their various forms.

“So, this is your secret career?” Tom asked, looking at all of the various things hung on the walls.

“One of them” you answered, opening a cabinet full of dozens of books.

As Tom sorted through them, he understood your niche. “I think this is brilliant” he said, staring at you with an eye crinkling smile.

“Thanks” you replied, feeling your cheeks warm. “I don’t know how I thought you were going to react, but that definitely wasn’t it.”

“I mean it” he replied, continuing to look at the various books. “I love storytelling. Obviously, it’s a huge reason why I pursued acting. I love literature and music and many other various forms of art but acting has been my passion for so long. It’s only now that I’m realizing how narrow of a range that I’m personally capable of expressing.”

“Hey, that’s not true” you replied.

“That came out wrong” Tom turned to you. “What I meant to say was that as an actor I will never be able to personally tell many of these stories. Sex aside, obviously.” Tom lightly laughed.

“The only reason I was able to tell a lot of them was because I talked to and got to know people that had little to no representation IN these kinds of stories.” You pulled out a box of letters and printed emails. “When I started writing these books, I wrote for women that looked like me. Bigger women are rarely cast as the romantic lead, in literature or on screen. When we are, we have to go through some stupid ‘worthless to worthy’ journey where a ‘special kind of man’ swoops in to complete us and convince us we deserve love. We’re never just allowed to happily exist AND have a happy ever after.”

When you turned to look at Tom, he caught you off guard by roughly pressing his lips against yours as his hands held either side of your face. When he pulled back, his hands lingered a moment longer. “I do apologize. I couldn’t help myself.” He cleared his throat and turned back to the box you had pulled out. “Please, go on.”

You stared at him a moment longer, trying to gather your thoughts before turning back to the letters. “What I was saying before you so delightfully interrupted me…” You glanced at him, seeing him lick his bottom lip as he smiled. “Under my pen name, I run a page online. People send me their personal stories, fantasies, questions, worries…These people come in more than just various shapes and sizes. Some of them are in wheelchairs or are not as able bodied as you and me. I have a woman with Tourette’s who shares stories about her sex life and romantic life with her wife while living with her various tics. I just saw that someone started a new forum for people who have had mastectomies. When I go to write a story that represents something I can’t personally speak to, I talk to those that can. I get permission to even attempt to represent them. Sex is the easiest part of these to write. I feel responsible to do right by them and to translate the truth of their experience into a bit of romantic escapism. If they want to, everyone should be able to find characters they can relate to.”

“I think that what you’ve done is really, quite incredible.” Tom complimented you.

“Thank you” you replied, chuckling. “It’s weird getting compliments for essentially writing porn.”

Tom laughed, turning one of the books over in his hand. “Am I allowed to read any of them?”

“Go for it” you replied. “You just cannot tell Chris about any of this. At all. Pinky promise?” You extended your pinky towards Tom.

With a very serious face, Tom hooked his pinky in yours and answered. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“We should probably go downstairs. Chris and Scott are probably wondering why the hell we’re taking so long” you laughed, walking out of your writing room.

Tom turned to grab a book before following you out, closing the door on his way. “I’m going to tuck this in my bag in my room.”

“I’ll meet you down there.” When you got to the bottom of the stairs, you saw Scott and Chris practicing their aim with no beer in the cups. “Who against who?”

“Us against you two, obviously” Chris answered, Scott switching to stand on the same side of the table as Chris.

“Oh, it’s like that?” you laughed, opening two of the cans and filling your cups.

“You guys don’t stand a chance” Scott added. “Has Tom ever even played beer pong?”

“I have, actually” he answered, coming down the stairs.

“Then let’s see what you got!” Chris teased, acting like a total frat boy.

The four of you played quite a few rounds before your lack of sleep and buzz from the alcohol finally got the better of you.

“I’m calling it quits” you said, covering your mouth as you yawned.

“I should probably go to bed too since I’m setting an alarm for 6 am to go work out” Chris pouted, letting his head fall back.

“I’ll set mine as well” Tom added.

“You guys are so boring” Scott teased, starting to clean up the cups.

You grabbed the cups from yours and Tom’s side as well as all of the empty cans and started walking towards the kitchen to throw them away.

“I’ll grab those” Tom said, taking the cups from Scott and following you into the kitchen.

You dumped the cups and cans in the trash and turned to see Tom walking in with the rest of them. “Thanks.”

Tom dropped the cups into the trash and turned to you. “About earlier…”

“About that…” you smiled, half asleep and tipsy. You loosely wrapped your arms around Tom’s middle. “Want to explain yourself?”

Tom chuckled. “I think my actions were self-explanatory.” He placed one hand on your cheek, the other pushing your hair out of your face.

“I don’t know” you teased. “I think I need further explanation.”

“Explanation or demonstration?” Tom asked, his thumb brushing against your bottom lip.

You pretended to be considering the two options for only a few seconds before his lips were against yours again.

“Y/n!” Scott called. You could hear him and Chris talking just around the corner.

You felt like two teenagers being caught by parents. You and Tom broke apart, both scrambling to be pretending to do something else. He ended up pulling the trash bag out of the bin and tying it up even though it could clearly hold more trash and you ended up unloading the dishwasher.

“What happened to going to bed?” Chris asked, confused as to why you two were doing chores.

“I’m going” you replied. “I just didn’t want your mom to have to do this in the morning.”

“Well then you should have asked for help” Chris replied, helping you finish unloading the dishes. Scott started wiping down the counters and refilled the paper towels. Tom tried to hide the smirk on his face as he took the trash to the outside bin, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m going to bed for real this time” you said, putting the last glass away.

When you woke up the next morning you could hear someone in your shower. Part of you hoped that maybe Tom had come up to use yours since him and Chris would both want to shower after coming back from the gym.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Chris said, interrupting your short daydream about a very sweaty Tom walking into your room after working out.

“Oh, it’s just you” you teased him, turning over and snuggling back into your bed.

“Damn, someone woke up in a mood” Chris teased back, walking toward your bed with a towel wrapped around his bottom half. “You hoping it was someone else?”

“A girl can dream” you turned over to smirk at him.

“Are you two a thing?” He asked, dropping down to lay in your bed.

“I don’t know” you answered honestly.

“Do you like him?” Chris continued, laughing when you blushed.

“I mean, I haven’t exactly gotten to know everything about him, but I think he’s kind of great.” You replied.

“Well, for what it’s worth I approve” he said, rolling back out of your bed and heading downstairs to get dressed.

Part 3

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

By Your Doorstep (Part 3)

Summary: Dean talks with Sam about his growing feelings for the reader before inviting her and Tessa over for the evening. Later on in the week, Dean and the reader head out on a date but it doesn’t exactly end smoothly...

Pairing: Doctor/Neighbor!Dean x reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 3,500ish

Warnings: language, brief mention of sex toys, minor frightening situation

A/N: Parts of this series are told from two different POV’s. Dean’s POV are written from limited third person. Reader’s POV are second person (like a typical reader insert). Enjoy!…

_________

Dean’s POV

“Hey,” said Dean, answering his phone as he walked around the grocery store after dropping Y/N off at home. “You gonna come over for the game, Sammy?”

“I got a brief I need to write up for my boss unfortunately,” said Sam. “I can’t wait to quit.”

“Same. You tried these baked barbecue chips yet?” asked Dean, picking up a bag.

“Trying to force your guests to be healthy for once, doctor?” teased Sam.

“Well the girls are having a spa day thing I forgot about and Y/N and Tessa are coming over later for the game so I don’t want it to be a total dude fest of beer and more beer,” said Dean, putting the bag back and get some regular baked ones instead. “They should be over by second half but still.”

“Trying to impress this girl or something? With chips?” laughed Sam. Dean groaned and threw his head back. “Dean. You’re overthinking this. You know brownies are the real way to a woman’s heart.”

“See? I knew there was a reason I didn’t hang up on you yet,” said Dean, turning down the snack aisle.

“I take it the date went well if she’s coming over to hang out.”

“Yeah. She’s cool.”

“She’s cool? That’s all I’m gonna get?” asked Sam. “You haven’t had a girlfriend since you were twenty two and now that you have one it’s just cool?”

“Fine. I like her. She’s cute and she smells pretty and she’s…” trailed off Dean, tossing a tub of brownie bites in the cart.

“She’s what?” asked Sam.

“She gets me, gets what we went through.”

“Her parents fuck ups too?”

“No. But they died a few years ago. She’s got a sister about nine years younger. She’s just starting her senior year now. She’s had to raise her the past few years on her own.”

“...She really does get you then,” said Sam. “Where’d you meet her again?”

“I was taking a walk in the neighborhood. She was looking for their dog. They’re having a really hard time of it right now it sounds like but she just, keeps going with a smile.”

“She’s not a damsel though. Don’t try and sweep in and save the day too much you know. You’d hate that.”

“I know. I helped her get a job at our office since she just lost hers and they’re crunched on cash. Plus the sister is going to college next year,” said Dean.

“She should apply to that grant you got. Mr. Y/L/N helped you with it, right?” asked Sam.

“Yeah he...what’d you just say?” asked Dean, pausing in front of the dip section.

“The grant money. It paid for nearly all your undergraduate right?” asked Sam. “It’s the same one I did too.”

“Mr. Y/L/N,” said Dean, shutting his eyes as he realized why Y/N’s house looked so familiar. “Sammy.”

“What?”

“Y/N, the girl, her house...where was Mr. Y/L/N’s house?” asked Dean.

“Over on Pine I think,” said Sam. “I know it’s in your neighborhood somewhere.”

“Oh Sammy. Shit,” said Dean. “I think I know why he stopped talking to us a few years ago. His house, that’s Y/N’s house. Mr. Y/L/N was her dad, Sam.”

“No fucking way.”

“Yes fucking way. Fuck,” said Dean adding some sour cream and onion and guacamole to the cart. “She’s gonna think I’m just trying to pay her back for what he did or something.”

“Yeah but you didn’t know that when you got her the job. You gotta tell her at some point but it doesn’t have to be a problem,” said Sam.

“Well what if he went and told his family about the guy he caught stealing? I’m sure she’d think I’m great then. Of course, the one woman that I’m like…”

“You’re like what?” asked Sam. Dean was quiet, heading over towards the beer cooler. “In love with?”

“Geez, Sam. I barely know her. I’m not in love with her,” said Dean. “I just...I could see myself being in love with her.”

“So...you pre-love her,” said Sam.

“Exactly.”

“Yeah there’s no such thing, dumbass. You’re fucking falling for this girl and fast.”

“I know,” said Dean, shutting his eyes by the milk. “She just...she feels like you. Like she’s got no ulterior motive. I just...something is telling me I can’t fuck this up. I’m not supposed to.”

“Then you won’t,” said Sam. “You sure it’s not like that thing with Lisa?”

“That was me ignoring all the crap because I thought somebody loved me. Sam the moment I met this girl like...I don’t know,” said Dean. “I don’t think she’ll fuck me over.”

“I hope she works out. She sounds special.”

“She is and that is terrifying.”

“Dean contrary to what we grew up with and how your love life has gone so far, there are people that have amazing relationships out there. You can be one of them if you want,” he said. 

“I know. Take a break and call at halftime or something, okay? The losers miss seeing your face too.”

“I will. Talk to you soon Dean.”

Reader’s POV

“Hello, Y/N,” said Tessa as you walked past her room an hour later. “How was Dean’s?”

“Good. He invited us over later to watch football. Some guys your age will be there too if you’re interested.”

“Alright,” she said. “Hey so you know how we were talking about sex stuff yesterday?”

“Oh yeah. We were gonna talk more,” you said. You took a seat in her desk chair and she sat up on her bed. “The fake dick thing, that was throwing you off, right?”

“Yeah. Well, I kinda talked to Hailey about that stuff last night and she has one. She like showed me it so I kinda get that apparently it feels good if there’s something up there?” she asked.

“Yes, it does. What’s with the questions about sex toys?” you asked.

“I know my birthday is coming up and I’ll be eighteen and I kinda…I’m a hormonal teenager and-”

“I can get you a private gift,” you said with a smile. “Just shut your door if you’re gonna do it when I’m home, okay?”

“I do that now.”

“Good,” you said. “I’ll pick out something small and by the time you want something more, then you can pick that out on your own, okay?”

“Okay,” she said. “Did mom ever...talk about this stuff with you?”

“No,” you said with a laugh. “I found out on my own. It’s perfectly normal and natural and guys aren’t the only ones allowed to get off on their own.”

“Not sure I’d ever ask her anyways,” she said.

“That’s what sisters are for,” you said. “You have fun at Hailey’s then?”

“Mhm. It’s okay if Toast goes to Dean’s later right?”

“Uh, let me check quick,” you said, pulling out your phone.

Hey. Toast can come over too right?

Duh, Y/L/N. He’s more than welcome. 

Okay. We’ll see you later.

Later sweetheart.

“Yeah, Toast is cool,” you said. You stood and Tessa cocked her head, smiling at you. “What?”

“How was your date?” she asked. 

“I like him. I like him a lot.”

“Good. Tell him if he fucks with you though I’ll kick his ass,” she said. “So will Toast.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it with this one.”

“Whoa, whoa, ladies,” said Dean as you and Tessa started to put on your shoes to head home after the game. “It’s only seven and you two need dinner.”

“What are you making?” asked Tessa.

“I was going to do enchiladas?” he said. Tessa looked at you and you nodded.

“Only if we help though,” you said.

“Alright. Tessa how about you make up some guac for us. You can hang out at the counter, get off that ankle of yours,” said Dean.

“He so likes you,” she said as you walked back with her to the kitchen.

“Yes, I do,” chuckled Dean. Toast followed close by and whined, pawing at your foot. “She okay?”

“My meds are home. Supposed to have them with dinner,” said Tessa with a sigh.

“I can run home and get them real quick,” you said. “Ten minutes.”

“Alright. We’ll get started without you.”

Ten minutes later you were back along with some of Toast’s dog food. You could hear laughter coming from the kitchen, Tessa snorting to herself.

“Here you go dork,” you said, popping the bottle down in front of her.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a few. You used a bowl and fed Toast some dinner while Dean worked on putting the tortillas together. “I like your doctor boyfriend.”

“Oh course you do,” you said, smacking her arm.

“Someone told me she’s turning eighteen in a few weeks. You got any big plans?” he asked as he tucked the last enchilada in a casserole dish.

“We might get a pizza,” said Tessa. “Nothing fancy.”

“Oh I think we can do better than that,” you said with a smile.

“I thought…” said Tessa and you shrugged. “We’re going out? Are we going to Monico’s like we used to?”

“Monico’s? That’s very fancy,” said Dean, giving you a quick look. “You got room for one more?”

“I…” you said, Dean cocking his head. “Sure. You wouldn’t mind, would you Tessa?”

“Yeah, Dean can come,” she said. “Oh shit, would they even let Toast in?”

“He’s a service dog so legally yes, they have to,” said Dean as he popped the casserole in the oven. “Y/N, why don’t you help me set the table. I never eat in the dining room anyways.”

You carried some plates in the room around the front of the house, staring at Dean as he set some spots down.

“Dean. That is a hundred dollar a plate restaurant.”

“It’s her eighteenth birthday and mine was real shitty. I can afford it. Let me. Please.”

“You can’t just buy stuff for her or me.”

“Why not? I like you. I care about you and she’s part of that so I think caring about her is going to be pretty important to you at some point so I might as well start now.”

“Dean.”

“What?”

“Thank you,” you said. 

“Oh. Well...okay then.” You left the plates on the table and walked around to where he was, Dean glancing away when you wrapped your arm around his waist.

“Let me go dutch at least.”

“Bake me a pie and we’re even,” he said.

“Alright. Pie is it, Dean.”

Thursday Afternoon

“Hello, Y/N,” said Dean. He grinned as he walked into the lab. “How’s the first week going?”

“She’s a fast learner,” said the lab manager. “What do you need, Winchester?”

“Just saying hi to our new colleague,” he said. 

“I already know she’s your girlfriend, Dean.”

“You’re no fun, Wesley,” said Dean. “You like it?”

“I like the pay. Wesley says after a little while I can take some certification courses and work on more complex things. The research hospital tied with the university is really good for that stuff,” you said.

“Oh yeah, those guys do pretty well over there. I think our last tech went on to the radiology program over there. I know blood and urine samples aren’t the most fun thing to work on but-”

“Dean this is more than what I was making as a paralegal even,” you said quietly. “This job is great and Tessa’s on better insurance now. Honestly. I owe you one.”

“All you owe me is a pie,” he chuckled. “You got plans tonight? I know you’ve been busy.”

“I’m free if you had something in mind,” you said.

“Do you maybe want to go out for dinner? Maybe do a round of bowling?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you said. “Sounds fun. Pick me up at six thirty?”

“Sounds like a plan sweetheart.”

“Okay, were you conning me?” asked Dean as you walked back to his car that evening. You giggled and he pulled you into a noogie. “How the fuck do you go from a twenty eight your first game to one fifty? There is no way you weren’t pulling a fast one.”

“What can I say, maybe I just needed a warm up game,” you said. Dean ruffled your hair for a moment before fixing it, leaving his arm around your shoulder when your phone rang. “Hey Tess. What’s up?”

“I think somebody’s in the house,” she said quietly. “I’m in my closet with Toast.”

“Dean, call 911,” you said, his hand already moving into his pocket. “Someone’s in the house.”

“Y/N, I think they’re upstairs,” she whispered.

“Don’t say a word. I’m right here and Dean’s calling the cops right now. Toast’ll protect you until they get there okay?” you said. 

“Y/N, they say they’re already responding to a call your neighbor put in. The cops are there?” said Dean.

“Hello, Elmdale police department. Anyone home?” said a voice through the phone.

“Tessa it’s okay. Those are the police,” you said. “We’ll be home in five minutes okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

“Thanks again,” you said, saying goodnight to the officers. You shut the door after yourself, Tessa sat on the couch with her arms crossed. “Tessa how many times have I told you. At night, you lock the front door. The storm door is broken and has been forever. The front door’s been wide open for hours.”

“I don’t need you to yell at me,” she said.

“Tessa somebody could have walked right on in and-”

“Oh my God, I know,” she said. She stormed upstairs and slammed her door shut, opening it quickly for Toast to come inside before it slammed again.

“I’ve told her so many times,” you said as you paced the family room. Dean walked over and rubbed your arms, kissing your forehead. “Sorry.”

“She made a mistake. Kids make them. So do adults.”

“I know she’s shaken up,” you said. “I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“Yeah but maybe she won’t do it again,” he said. “She’s not the only one shaken up.”

“Yeah, I know,” you said.

“How about I crash on the couch tonight,” he said. “Give you girls some peace of mind.”

“You can sleep in my room,” you said.

“I thought you had a twin sized bed,” he chuckled. “The couch is fine. I want to. I wasn’t just talking about you two either.”

“You’re sweet,” you said.

“Oh I’m very aware,” he said. “Go talk to your sister.”

“There’s blankets in the cupboard under the TV,” you said.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said. He kissed you and you headed upstairs, knocking on Tessa’s door. 

“Tess. Can we talk?” you asked. The door opened slowly and she had her arms crossed at you. “I’m sorry for freaking out. I got scared too.”

“I’m sorry I forgot about the door again,” she said quietly.

“Tessa, we...we gotta protect ourselves. We gotta make sure we do things like lock doors and windows at night. Two young women alone in a house...I know your mind already went there once tonight. Please, please remember to lock the door from now, okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

“Dean’s gonna stay the night on the couch downstairs,” you said.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna get past him,” you said.

“He seems like a really good guy. You deserve one of those,” she said.

“I think so too,” you said. “Night.”

“Night, Y/N.”

Dean’s POV

“Sammy boy, isn’t it past your bedtime?” chuckled Dean as he answered his phone, watching some late night TV quietly from Y/N’s couch.

“Shut up. How big is the guest room at your house? I was thinking of getting a new bed and just having it delivered there.”

“Oh, you finally gonna get off that tiny ass mattress?” teased Dean.

“De…”

“You can have the spare bedroom at the end. It’s bigger, got it’s own attached bath. Plus it’s empty so win win.”

“Would a king fit?” he asked.

“Probably. I’m not home right now but I can measure tomorrow for you,” said Dean.

“On a hot date?” laughed Sam.

“I was. Y/N’s little sister had a bit of a scare.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Kid just accidentally left the front door open and neighbor called the cops, cops came, Tessa heard it and freaked a bit. I’m crashing on the couch for the night. They’re a little shook up still.”

“Well someone’s gonna get some brownie points for that one.”

“Nah, Y/N knows I’m only here cause I want to be, dude.”

“Not at all what I said but whatever. Oh by the way, I got another call from mom today. I let it go to voicemail.”

“What’d she say?” sighed Dean, running his hand through his hair.

“She just like...wanted to say she’s thinking about us, like both of us or some shit.”

“Oh that’s nice. Better late than never, ain’t that right Sammy?” said Dean, rolling his eyes and laying down on the couch.

“Dean. I’m not saying...can I ask why you hate her so much?” Sam asked after a beat. Dean moved the phone away and shut his eyes. He put his head down and let out a deep breathe, moving the phone back. “De.”

“She’s not a good person. You know that. Leave it at that.”

“Did she smack you around too?” asked Sam quietly.

“Dad at least you knew was an asshole. She pretended she wasn’t though and she’s just a bitch that blames her shitty life on us when we turned out awesome. She can get fucked along with him.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“Yeah. Block her number Sam. It’s the best thing you can do.”

“You think there’s no chance of anything with her then.”

“Mom’s shouldn’t tell their kids the shit she said to me. Ever. I’m just glad you never got it as much.”

“I punched her in the leg once,” chuckled Sam. “Got my ass spanked but it was worth it.”

“What’d she do?”

“I just remember she made you cry real bad and I got as pissed off as a seven year old could.”

“We got each other’s backs,” said Dean. “All that matters.”

“Tell me about Y/N,” said Sam, Dean shaking his head. “Come on. No more depressing shit. She sounded cute when I talked to her at the game Sunday. I bet she’s cute.”

“She is,” said Dean. “I’m super into her, like super into her, don’t get me wrong but like...I just like her too. Like she’s gorgeous but it’s not like, why I’m attracted? I’m probably not saying this right.”

“I get what you’re saying,” said Sam. “You should totally take her to Mel’s for dinner tomorrow.”

“I really ought to take her to a sit down restaurant before she runs off on me.”

“Mel’s is sit down.”

“Mel’s is greasy burgers and pulled pork at picnic tables.”

“If she doesn’t like Mel’s I can’t like this girl Dean. I’m sorry but those are just facts,” said Sam. Dean rolled his eyes and smiled, staring up at the ceiling. 

“We could get the sweetheart special. My cholesterol won’t like it but my soul will,” chuckled Dean. “Really? Mel’s?”

“If that girl doesn’t love the ice box pie at the end, she is certifiable,” said Sam.

“I have faith in this one,” said Dean. He shut his eyes and hummed. “You really want to listen to me talk about her?”

“I got about two hundred pages to sign and stamp. I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“Alright. You asked for it.”

_______

A/N: Read Part 4 here!

[h2bakugou]

Hi there! Can I please request the main three + Kirishima with an s/o who has younger siblings and is used to them buttering them up thinking it’ll help them avoid getting into trouble so when their boyfriend compliment them they instinctively turn to him and is all like “Alright you demons, what did you do this time?” Before realizing that it’s just their boyfriend? Thanks!

a/n: hi!! of course! this request is super cute, having siblings is both a treasure and a nightmare lmfao. thank you for the request love!!

headcanon: them with an s/o who has younger siblings

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: fluff, swearing

»»————-　★　————-««

izuku midoriya

»»————-　★　————-««

Having younger siblings is truly a blessing. Sometimes.

You love your siblings, you do, but they are pure chaos. 

“Did we ever tell you how pretty you are?” Your younger sister’s voice rang out. You were just shopping for some snacks and they wanted to come with you.

You knew they’d done something. They always buttered you up so you wouldn’t get mad. But no matter what they did, you’d still love them. Being stern was just a way of teaching them, you wouldn’t go as far as actually hurting them if they did something bad.

“What’d you do this time?” You question, turning around to eye both your younger sister and brother.

Covered almost head to toe in what you assumed was baking flour, your brother and sister smiled back up at you. You let out a small laugh before returning to your older sibling instinct.

“What were you guys even doing?!” You placed the snack you’d picked up in your basket and sighed, taking both of their hands and walking over an aisle where the opened bags of flour laid, covering the floor.

“We wanted to get the sugar you needed! So we stood on the shelves to get it.” Your younger sister spoke softly, smiling.

“I see. Well next time, if you can’t reach something, ask first okay? You could get hurt if you fall back.” 

No matter the situation, you always try to make the moment a teachable lesson. They’re still growing, they’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay.

If there’s anything you can do, you just want to teach them the right way to do things, or at least the best of the options.

“We will!” Your brother promises, hugging you, coating you in flour from your waist down.

“You’re going to need to pay for the bags of flour.” A store employee speaks, already bringing the equipment to clean it up.

“Of course, here you go.” You hand over the money and head to check out, bringing your flour-coated siblings along.

“We’re gonna get a bubble bath after this!” Your younger sister spoke up, which started your brother.

“Bubble bath! Bubble bath!”

It’s a long day of cleaning up before you can relax.

You sometimes forget you’re at the dorms. Despite not actually having your siblings around, you still feel like whipping Mineta into shape is about as close as you can get.

It never works, but maybe one day it will.

“You look beautiful, (Y/n).” The comment totally throws you off. And you’re quick to come with a response.

“What’d you demons do this time-”

Realizing it was Izuku who complimented you, you immediately started to feel flustered.

“What?!” Izuku’s a bit confused. You waved your hands and eventually hid your face.

“My younger siblings always butter me up and compliment me when they’ve done something. I forgot I was at the dorms for a second.” You laugh. Midoriya smiles and gives you a hug.

“That’s so cute. I didn’t know you had siblings.” You hug Midoriya back and sigh.

“I love them to death, they’re little shits but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

»»————-　★　————-««

katsuki bakugou

»»————-　★　————-««

Your younger brother reminds you a lot of Bakugou. He’s loud and obnoxious, but he can be sweet.

It doesn’t change the fact that the little devil practically butters you up when he knows he’s done something to get in trouble.

For example, the time he put superglue on his teacher’s chair. 

“You know I love you so so much and I wouldn’t have anyone else be the best older sibling?” Your brother smiled at you, even handing you a store-bought cupcake.

“Something seems...suspicious. Is there hot sauce in this cupcake?” You eye the cupcake.

“No.” Your brother laughs.

“What’d you do then?” You quirk an eyebrow up at him, waiting for what line of trouble you’d have to get him out of now.

“I sorta put superglue on my teacher’s chair and now they’re going to call home and I don’t want mom to be mad at me, it was just a harmless prank and no one got hurt!” Your brother explained. Despite wanting to burst out laughing, you knew where he was coming from. 

“Alright. I’ll talk to them, and I imagine I’ll have to sign something too?” You set the cupcake down on the counter and look at your brother.

“Yup!”

You extended a hand for a high-five which your brother joyfully completes.

“Good prank, but let’s not do it again. I might not always be able to pick up the calls made home.” You gave him a hug, ruffling his hair.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” You smiled.

“You’re welcome!”

Your brother, while being a little devil, was honest. You’d tried your best to help teach him while he was growing up that honesty was a good quality in someone strong, and your brother wanted to be the strongest.

Answering the phone call, you sat beside your brother, telling them how it wouldn’t happen again and that if need be, you’d replaced the pants his teacher had been wearing that day as a sort of apology.

Also signing the note that ‘proper punishment’ would be distributed for his actions, you packed it up in his bag for the next day.

Being in the dorms was honestly a bit lonely. You loved your brother, albeit he was chaotic, you missed him coming to you with his tales of how he was king of the schoolyard.

Walking down the seemingly empty hallway toward your dorm, a compliment threw you off.

“Did I ever tell you how much I loved you?” The voice didn’t belong to your brother but your first instinct was to ask what the hell he’d done now.

“What’d you do this time?” You turn and see your blonde boyfriend staring at you with a funny look on his face.

“I mean uh...hey Bakugou!” You can feel your face heat up.

“I was saying I loved you, I didn’t do anything.” Bakugou confronted you. You nodded and let out a laugh.

“I have a brother who says the same thing to me when he gets into trouble.” You lay your arms across his shoulders.

“He reminds me a lot of you actually. He wants to be the strongest hero ever one day.” You smile, knowing that Bakugou’s goal was pretty close to that.

“Oh really? Well, he’ll have to surpass me!” 

“I think you’d really get along with one another. He’s a secret All Might fanboy too.”

»»————-　★　————-««

shoto todoroki

»»————-　★　————-««

Todoroki knows what it’s like to have siblings, but being the youngest himself, he wasn’t aware of what it was like to be an older sibling.

You, on the other hand, were an older sibling. You had a younger sister that was quite devious.

She usually found herself getting into trouble out and about, whether it be in school, or whenever you went out to the store with her, she always caused some chaos.

Like the time she ‘laid a trap’ in one of the grocery store aisles.

She’d spilled some water and waited for someone to come and walk through the puddle. But she was caught before someone did something.

The store attendant brought her over to you where she proceeded to butter you up.

“You’re so beautiful, I love you so much you know that right?” She smiled, grabbing onto your hand.

“Oh yeah, what’d you do this time?” You ask, turning your attention toward her.

“She spilled water all over the floor which could’ve lead to an accident. I’m going to have to ask you both to check out and leave.” The attendant wasn’t happy. You were a little upset but you’d make this moment memorable.

“Just a second please.” You spoke to the attendant before bending down to your sister’s level.

“Why did you spill water on the floor?” You asked, waiting for her response.

“I was laying a trap!” 

“Yes, but what could’ve happened if someone got caught up in the trap?” You asked, holding her hands as she starts to come to a realization.

“They could’ve gotten hurt.” She speaks softly.

“Mhmm, and would you want someone to get hurt?” You tilt your head to the side.

“No. Only bad guys hurt people.” She nodded, her smaller fingers looping with yours.

“That’s right, and you want to be a hero one day right? Like All Might?” You smile.

“Yup! He’s the coolest!” 

“Alright, so no more laying traps! Let’s apologize okay?” You turn to the store attendant who seems almost impressed by how fast you’d turned the interaction to positive instead of negative.

“I’m sorry Mr. Man! It won’t happen again! I’m gonna be the next All Might!” Your sister cheers as you head out of the store, not buying anything.

You take your sister with you to the dorms on one of your days off. You promised she could meet All Might, and while they’re playing in the common room, you completely blank at a compliment made to you.

“You’re so beautiful.” Todoroki says softly.

“What’d you do- Sho!” You try not to embarrass yourself. You look over and see that your sister is still playing with All Might, holding his action figure and zipping around imaginatively.

“I didn’t do anything. Why do you ask?” Shoto hugs you briefly before looking at you with concern.

“No no, my sister usually compliments me before telling me she got into trouble. I blanked for a second.” You reassure him that he hadn’t done anything. You give him a quick kiss on his cheek before looking back to watch your sister.

“I didn’t know you had a sister until today.” Todoroki smiles, holding your hand.

“She’s a little rascal but I love her. You’re the youngest of your family aren’t you?” You nudge him.

“I am-”

“Awe you’re the baby!” You hug him, poking his cheek and teasing him lightly.

“I’m 16, not an infant-”

»»————-　★　————-««

eijiro kirishima

»»————-　★　————-««

Your little brother is quite spirited. He’s chaotic but as sweet as can be.

But he never fails to butter you up when he gets into trouble.

“You’re so pretty, red really is your color!” He smiles as he stands before you, holding something behind his back.

“Mhm, what trouble did you find yourself in now?” You ask, sitting down in a chair at your kitchen table.

“I need someone to sign my report card, and my grades are low.” He says softly. He’s a bit sad, and for some reason, you feel upset.

“I can sign it for you, but why are your grades low?” You ask, looking at his report card. His math grade was dangerously close to failing, and his science grade wasn’t too high either.

“I fell behind.” He speaks quietly, ready for a scolding.

“I’ll sign your report card, but can you promise me something?” You ask, getting a pen ready.

“Mhm!” He lights up, a half-smile on his lips, still worried he’s about to get yelled at.

“If you need help, ask for it. There’s nothing wrong or unmanly about asking for help.” Quoting your boyfriend, you feel a bit silly. You sign off on his report card and hand it back to him, ruffling his hair.

“I have a study group you can come to if you want, you could meet Eijiro!” You know it’s probably a bit overwhelming to study with a bunch of high schoolers while being so young, but you’re positive Bakugou would help him out.

“Yes! I wanna go!” He smiles, vibrating with excitement.

On the day of the study group, Kirishima compliments you like he usually does. But being so focused on picking your brother up for the study group you space out.

“You’re so pretty, and wow red is so you’re color!” Kirishima comments, his favorite red sweater resting over your shoulders.

“What’d you do this time...” You freeze when you notice it’s Kirishima complimenting you instead of your younger brother.

“I just complimented you is all!” Kirishima smiles, his toothy grin making you smile as well. You hug him and laugh.

“I know, my brother tends to call me pretty when he gets into trouble. He’s coming to the study group tonight actually.”

“Awesome! wait you have a brother?” Kirishima’s excited, probably more excited to meet your brother than he is.

When you return with your brother and arrive at the study group, everyone is happy to meet him.

“This is Ei, my boyfriend.” You introduce your brother to Kirishima.

“What’s up, little man?!” Kirishima gives your brother a fist bump and smiles.

“I see why you chose him.” Your brother comments. You turn red, shaking his head.

“He’s about as red as you are!” Your brother teases you, poking fun at your blush. You sigh and sit down with him, showing him the basics.

“Bakugou can you help me with number four?” Your brother bravely approaches the blonde who isn’t exploding for once.

It’s the most calm you’ve seen Bakugou in a while. But your brother learns a lot from him, and from Kirishima. 

Kirishima loves your little brother and he’s happy he got to meet him.

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[topsytervy]

Brownies ~ Rafe Cameron

Blurb: You have a craving for brownies at 2 AM and your boyfriend Rafe helps you make them.

Word Count: 1,598

Warnings: uh swearing. I'm pretty sure that's it

~~~~~~~

You sat on your boyfriends bed, scrolling through your phone as you tried to find a brownie recipe that caught your eye.

You were spending the night at Tanneyhill since the rest of the family had decided to take a weekend trip to the mainland. Rafe declined, deciding that there was no way in hell he could survive a weekend with his family.

So here you were.

It was midnight, Rafe had fallen asleep hours ago, but you just couldn't. Not with the craving of brownies as intense as it was.

You smiled as you found a recipe for caramel brownies that looked delicious and bookmarked the page so you could make them when it was a reasonable time. 

You sighed, beginning to lay down but Rafe's voice scared you.

"You good, Y/N/N?" He mumbled, his back to you. You were about to answer when your stomach growled, causing Rafe to turn his head towards you, an amused expression on his face. "Or is someone a bit hungry?" He chuckled.

You smacked his shoulder. "Shut up. I've been thinking about brownies for the past two and a half hours at least." You replied sheepishly. 

"And whats stopping you from making brownies?"

"I know damn well the only brownies Rose has in this place are from the box and I want to make them from scratch."

Rafe sat up and looked at you. "Then why don't we go get what we need to make them from scratch?" He grinned.

You shook your head. "No. We don't have to. It's late and you were sleeping and it's ridiculous to make them right now-" 

Rafe placed his hand over your mouth. "It's never too late for brownies, baby." He smirked before getting up, tossing you one of his hoodies before pulling on a different one. 

You grinned as you pulled on the hoodie before getting out of Rafe's bed, extremely grateful you wore slip-on shoes today as you quickly pulled them on.

You and Rafe ran downstairs before throwing open the front door, Rafe grabbing his keys as you did, and you raced to his truck, climbing in. You buckled yourself in as you waited for Rafe to finish locking the door.

Rafe opened the driver’s side door and slid in easily, buckling himself in before shoving the keys into the ignition and starting the truck.  

"Buckled in, sweetheart?" He glanced over and you nodded as his hand found it's home on your thigh, the smile on your face growing. "Then let's get this show on the road."

During the ride to the nearest Wal-Mart, you grabbed the little notebook and pen Rafe kept in the glovebox and wrote down what you needed to get as the radio played softly in the background. 

You looked over at Rafe with a small smile and he glanced at you. 

“What?”

You shrugged. “Nothing. Just admiring you.” 

You saw Rafe blush. “Well, stop. You’re distracting me and I don’t want to crash with precious cargo in the car.”

You felt your heart speed up. “Awe, Rafe, baby.” You cooed, resting your head on his arm. 

Rafe shook his head with a chuckle. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s not like this is a new development.” 

“I know but still. You shock me sometimes.”

“I hope it’s a good shock.” Rafe laughed as he pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and easily pulled into a spot near the door.

“Of course it’s a good shock you silly billy.” You answered, leaning over to kiss his cheek before unbuckling your seat belt and hopping out.

Rafe followed your actions and easily fell into step next to you, grabbing your hand. Rafe grabbed a cart, leaning against it as he pushed it into the store and towards the grocery section.

"Alright, baby. What do we need?"

“Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, unsweetened cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Plus, caramel cause I want to add caramel.” You listed off as you looked at the little notebook in your hand.

“Of course you do.” He chuckled and you swatted him with the notebook. 

“Shut up. If there’s anything better than brownies, it’s caramel brownies.”

Rafe shook his head before you lead the way down the aisles, picking up each ingredient and placing it into the cart. 

As you crossed the last item off the list Rafe began heading to the home section. You raised your eyebrows as you followed him, stopping in front of the wafflemakers before grabbing one and placing it next to the groceries.

“Why are you buying a wafflemaker?” You asked.

“Cause every time you spend the night, Y/N, you want waffles for breakfast so we go out and get waffles. Now, we can make them at home.” He grinned, looking at you.

“Correction, We can make waffles at your home since it’ll be at your house.” You pointed out.

“Good observation.” He nodded before grabbing another waffle maker and adding it to the cart. “Now, we can make waffles at both of our homes and we have matching waffle makers.” 

“Rafe Cameron, I am not letting you buy me a waffle maker.” You scolded, grabbing one of the boxes to put it back. 

“Then I guess we will just have to move in together in order for both of us to have waffles.” He smirked before kissing your cheek and turning around to head to self-checkout.

You blushed slightly before following, looping your arm through his and resting your head on his upper arm as you walked with him. “You’d really want to move in with me?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Who else is gonna make sure you don’t accidentally cut your finger off while cooking. Someone’s gotta make sure you stay in one piece baby.”  Rafe pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

You rolled your eyes at his reasoning before walking in front of the cart as you approached the self-checkout lanes. You scanned the items and Rafe pulled out his card, paying for it as soon as the last item was in the bag. He grabbed the receipt before tossing it into a bag and grabbing one of the plastic bags.

“Thank you for taking me to Wal-Mart at a ridiculous time just to get things for brownies and thank you for paying. And thanks for buying a waffle maker cause you know how much I love waffles. You’re the best baby” You grinned as you walked ahead of him, turning around so you could face him. 

“Anytime bubs. Just know that this means I get the first brownie out of the pan.” He winked.

You walked up to him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I knew there would be a catch.” 

An hour later, you sat on the counter at Tanneyhill, scraping the bowl clean of batter as you waited impatiently for the brownies to bake. Rafe leaned against the island, smiling as he watched you.

***

Rafe swiped some batter earlier multiple times, hence why you got the bowl. That was apparently a rule in your house but he was positive that you were making that shit up. Who has a rule about whoever swipes batter during the baking process, doesn’t get to lick the bowl, spoons, beaters, etc?

Supposedly, your nana.

Rafe would just have to ask nana Y/L/N at the next family function.

“What?” You asked, looking at your boyfriend as you licked the spatula clean before going back to scrape some more batter out.

“You got something right here,” He leaned over and took his finger, wiping your chin before popping his finger into his mouth.

You scrunched up your nose. “Gross, Rafe. That was on my face.”

“So? I’ve kissed you when you’ve had a crying session and snot was running out of your nose.” He shrugged.

You rolled your eyes before glancing at the timer next to you. 

Three more minutes.

“You know, I could get used to this.”

“Hmm?”

“This. Me and you, in our own place, making food at an unreasonable time, a cat or a dog running around. Maybe a couple of kids in the future if you want them.” You stared at Rafe which caused him to get nervous. “Only if you want them because I’m, obviously, not going to be the one carrying them for all those months and delivering them and-”

“Rafe,” You cut him off from his rambling, “Your genes are way too good to let go to waste. Of course, I would love to have kids with you in the future.” You reassured him. 

He smiled. “No, sweetheart. Your genes are way better than mine.” He argued.

You got down from the counter and wrapped your arms around his neck and he slid his own around your waist. “Either way then, our kids are gonna be fucking gorgeous.”

“Damn straight.” He smirked, kissing your lips as the timer went off.

Rafe’s grip tightened on you as you attempted to pull away and you groaned. “Rafe, I am not in the mood to wait another hour and a half for brownies. Please let me go so they don’t burn.”

“Since you asked politely,” Rafe gave you one last kiss before letting you go and you immediately grabbed the oven mitts. "Actually," He took the oven mitts from your hands and slid them onto his hands, turning off the oven before opening it to pull out the pan.

"I think I can take a pan out of an oven." 

"Not without burning yourself you can't."

~~~~~

[tooruluv]

Kei Tsukishima x F!Reader ( part 5 )

❝ they were the sun and moon, destined to be together but only ever totally meeting once every hundred years or so. ❞

description: in a world where you only see color when you're in love, you've grown frustrated of the greyscale. but falling in love with someone you barely know was never something you planned. and, him not returning the feelings definitely wasn’t planned.

genre: soulmate au... except not quite. everyone is born colorblind. you can only see color once you fall in love (and it grows brighter until you see full color as the love grows). however, that doesn't ensure a lasting connection. it simply means that love exists in that moment, until it doesn't.

word count: 1,282

warnings/notes: bake sale shenanigans 

prev | next

“  i’ll make the most of the sadness ” - slow dancing in a burning room, john mayer

┏━━━━━⋇⋆⋆⋇❦⋇⋆⋆⋇━━━━━┓

Of all the things that you found yourself mulling over, almost kissing Kei Tsukishima was something that you never expected. Yet there you were. Pacing your bedroom by yourself with one hand pressed to your lips chasing the near ghost of his.

You should talk to him about it. 

It isn’t that you were embarrassed, nor were you even upset. You were just confused. 

He was so close to kissing you. He was so very close. And he would’ve, too, if your mom hadn’t walked in. He would’ve done it. 

He would have, right?

Sighing, you flopped onto your bed. Maybe Mai and Haru were right about “baking”. 

You juggled your containers of desserts, struggling to hold them in your arms. The cupcakes and brownies were definitely moving around in the plastic tubs, but you were just trying to get them from your house to the bake sale table.

Tsukishima suddenly appeared at your side, grabbing only the top container.

“Oh. Hey.” You managed to get the others in a stable position. “Hey.”

“You said hey twice.” 

“Yeah.” You were going to talk to him. You were going to talk to him about the almost kiss. Yes. That was what you were going to do. “Actually, I wanted to…”

“You guys made cupcakes!!” 

You were going to commit arson if you got interrupted one more fucking time.

Yamaguchi walked up to you both, smile plastered on his face. He must’ve already brought whatever he made (his cookies, if you remembered correctly) because his hands were empty.

“And brownies.” Tsukki said. 

Yamaguchi looked between you two. He noticed the abnormal distance between you and his best friend, and how you aren’t looking at him in his eyes or making some remark. He is observant if not anything. 

When you met Kei Tsukishima for the first time, you simply wanted to be his friend. You thought he looked cool, and he ordered the last thing someone your age would order. You were infatuated, absolutely and completely.

You remember watching in the black and white, wondering and fantasizing about what color his hair was or what color shirt he was wearing that morning.

And now here you were, seeing color in your friend’s eyes.

Friend. 

That was exactly what you wanted to be.

You ignored the pressure on your chest as you pushed down the fact that you were in love with him. You ignored the pain in your heart as you realized that you could see a little bit more gold in his eyes.

“You guys made these? They’re deli--hey that’s mine!!!--licious!”

You were sitting in a chair with Tsukki, Mai, and Haru around you. None of you were really talking, mainly just scrolling through your phones and laughing about random things as you waited for school to open and start your sale.

But the second you heard Nishinoya, you whipped your head around. Tsukki did, too.

Noya and Tanaka were eating your desserts, faces stuffed with the baked goods you created. You exchanged one knowing look with Tsukki before the both of you jumped up to stop them.

That’s how you ended up shopping at the local grocery store with Tsukishima.

Nishinoya and Tanaka were lucky that you considered them your friends (or at least, friendly acquaintances). Because you could have their head on a stick for eating every single thing you made.

“I cannot believe them.”

Tsukki rolled his eyes as you both scanned the shelves. “I can. It’s typical of them. Nishinoya and Tanaka are… more than enough.”

You chuckle a little. You liked this. Being normal.

He reached above your head to grab a box of cupcakes from the shelf. Okay. So maybe it wasn’t normal. 

You felt your heart skip a beat when his arm stayed above you for just a millisecond longer than it should’ve been.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” You told him as you grabbed one from a lower shelf.

“About?”

“Well, about how we…”

“Are you two finding everything okay?” A worker asked, walking down the aisle. 

“Yeah, yup. We’re doing alright.” 

You were going to do something to end up on the national news.

“You know, I wasn’t expecting you to buy something instead of baking your own.” Ukai said to you when you placed your store bought brownies and cupcakes onto the table.

“We didn’t. Originally.”

“We?”

“Oh, right. Tsukki and I baked for a long time yesterday.” You shrugged. “But someone decided that they were simply too good to put out for the rest of the school.”

“And by someone you mean those two.” Ukai pointed his head towards the two in question.

You smiled, taking a seat next to the coach. Your own coach sat with the baseball coach at the other table, talking to the volleyball third years. 

“Are you and Tsukishima… you know…?” Ukai questioned.

You immediately shook your head. There was no way you were having this conversation with your family friend, someone you see at family outings. Not today and not any other day.

“I’m not having this conversation.”

“Okay, quick question then.” He leaned back in the chair. “Do you think we should wear our black jerseys or should I try to get orange jerseys for home games?”

“Keep the black, the orange is bright. Noya will look good standing out.”

“Hm.”

Fuck. So much for that.

“Coach Ukai” had always been Keishin Ukai to you. You didn’t know exactly how it happened, but their family had always been close to yours. Growing up, they would be at all of your family events and you remember going to volleyball games and Ukai coming to your softball games. 

So, when he came to your house for dinner one night with your parents and he asked “Hey, I heard you want to volunteer. I’m coaching the boy’s volleyball team if you want to help after your softball practices.” you couldn’t really say no.

“That’s perfect!” your mom said.

You kicked her under the table.

The bake sale went as planned. It made the teams quite a bit of money, just enough for the needed buses. 

Tsukishima watched as you sold the random baked goods. He watched you smile at every interaction and mess with Coach Ukai. Once, you caught his eye and smiled directly at him.

You couldn’t feel his heart hammering against his ribs.

“Go talk to him.” Mai muttered to you as you cleaned up some things at the table.

“What?”

“Go fucking talk to him.” Mai repeated. “I know that it’s eating away at you. Go ask him about the kiss. Right now.”

“We’re busy.”

“Oh, no.” Mai took the trash out of your hand. “No. Nope. Go fucking talk to him. Now.”

And you were being pushed.

Tsukki sat on a chair, legs spread and hands crossed over his chest. But the second your eyes met his, he sat up straight and pushed his glasses up.

“Can I talk to you?” you asked.

He gave you a nod and he stood, following you around the corner. Everyone was in class, so there was no chance of being caught unless someone from the bake sale interrupted.

“I would like to tell you something first.” He started. You just blinked up at him. “We’re friends.”

You furrowed your brows. “Yes. We’re friends.” Friends don’t nearly kiss while covered in baking ingredients. 

“Yes. Friends.”

Oh. 

That’s all he had to say. He was emphasizing it. 

So you would too.

“Friends.” You said again, nodding. “Best friends?”

He smiled (something you loved, but you ignored that). “That spot is reserved for Yamaguchi. You can be my second in command, though.”

“That sounds cooler, anyway.”

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