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#I will eat it up and cry for my past self though
tardis--dreams · 9 months
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Girl you gotta write your term paper and not cry about your poor life choices
#tw eating issues#seriously idk how much detail I'll go into but i had a full blown relapse of my eating disorder i thought I had overcome and i gotta cry#about it now so you've been warned#i didn't think it could get this bad again#I've been having ups and downs over the past 4 years and I've definitely had phases where i felt like I've relapsed more or less#but it was never as bad as it used to be#so now this is annoying#i avoided thinking about it the past few weeks telling myself it was fine even though i knew what I'm doing is stupid as hell#but yeah i guess crying about it isn't gonna solve anything either. i know exactly what helped me overcome it in the first place#and i know exactly why i couldn't get over it for so long. and unfortunately I'm currently in exactly that state of mind that doesn't want#to let me let go of it. i hate it. i hate myself for letting it come to this. i hate myself for everything I've done the past few weeks#i hate that i don't know what to do because one part of me just clings on to the obsession while the other part of me is just tired of my#shit. i don't know how to get myself out of it. it all might get better once I'm back home because food won't be as much of a problem there#I'm torn between not eating anything at all or obsessively calculating my calories and trying to get rid of every single one i consume by#running until my feet are bleeding and i just. don't. know. how. to. stop. it.#maybe deleting the three new food and exercise diary apps would be a start... but how do i delete these dumb arbitrary rules from my head#idk. i can't go home because of this obviously. i won't. but i don't want my remaining 3 months be consumed by obsessive thoughts and#self destructive behaviors either. i don't know#it's my fault so idk why I'm crying- i could at least wait until my term paper is done lmao#wasting precious time here#void screams#tbd probably
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noxtivagus · 2 years
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hfddkjfaskldf
#🌙.vent#i'll fix my account by the end of the week but. i feel so empty right now this hurts so much#i haven't been doing well at all lately yeah not getting proper sleep or not eating well n generally just yeah#it affected my academics a bit i submitted some things late or took so long on stuff. for this one course though in particular#unfortunately two of my grpmates seem to be unnecessarily serious in a way that. god i don't know how to explain but yeah#setting internal dls cldn't meet them but we still submitted on time n. i've. been rather anxious lately so it's been hard to yh in the gc#i can't even cry or really feel it anymore at this point it just feels so empty and hollow inside#regrets.. if i. if i didn't. if i didn't oversleep if i didn't procrastinate if i did better then.#me n my other grpmate who also had some problems w doing their part of the assignment r gna do it by pair. n the other two by pair too#it just hurts bcs there's so many ways this cld've been prevented but i guess i do deserve this#one cld always do better in the future but there's no changing anything that's already happened#i'm trying to. be kind to myself or i'll collapse but ....i want to just end this in a way#this is. i used to perform really well in academics it hurts how i'm like this now. even if it's been emotionally hard that's no excuse smh#from previous years i said i'd do much better this year. but i'm falling apart again n#thinking about how this may idk wld this affect on my grade as a whole or maybe even conduct?#if it does then i want to kms haha. i guess i wouldn't literally tho but. maybe this is the push i needed! i'll be back to normal i have to#be. 'perfect' enough in a way. it hurts i won't cry but it suffocates me n. i'm so tired & i always end up disappointing myself in the end.#it hurts thinking of how i'm letting down my past self n. my future self. i need to do much better but i can't erase my mistakes#it hurts so much that i want to give up i don't want this anymore i was starting to feel better but oh well i'm so fucking disappointed#i have to do my best this sy. this is so disappointing i just want to fucking give up#i can't bring myself to distract myself w games for comfort. i can't bring myself to talk w others at all bcs i don't want to bother them#i'm stuck here on my own just drowning in regrets. trying to swim back up is useless if i'm in the middle of the ocean#maybe years from now if. those exist. this wldn't burden me so much but. now in the present it's just too much#....it's the same feeling of emptiness from years back i know this well#it starts out first a bit destructive. feeling sad then better; then smth like this happens n. i'd change. empty for a while#then i'd go on about my life as i 'should'. just surviving day after day#i'm v disappointed now yes but i do know years from now older me wld be disappointed if i neglect myself#it hurts i'll just do what i need to do i don't know anything more right now other than being alone n in pain n it hurts i'm so stupid#rn mostly i just feel empty but i'd say i'm fine. my mind's clear. i'll push myself to be productive bcs i know i'm capable anyways#just need myself and surely i'll be fine. regardless of whatever problem comes my way. surely i can handle this as always
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targaryenluvs · 7 months
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ooh what about coryo x a plinth!reader, like sejanus’s younger sister who’s friendly but cautious. and though she accepts coryo into the family (since he was her brother’s “friend”) the way he just took his place begins to unsettle her until she finds out what happened but by then it’s too late and she can’t get rid of him
RUNAWAY
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pairings: dark!coriolanus snow x fem!plinth!reader
summary: you’d always considered coriolanus to be a friend of yours. family even. but after sejanus’s death you find him to be off. he’s keeping something from your family and you’ve run out of time to get as far away as you can.
warnings: mentioned murder/hanging, nc kissing, secrets, manipulation, lying, possessive, blackmail, forced marriage, implied sex
a/n: thank u for the requestsss!! i’ve had no inspo lately so thank y’all
he looked so different.
well not so, but to anyone else it was just a change of clothes and a hairstyle. but he truly had changed, in personality and looks. his face rarely smiled anymore, it being reserved for a small group.
what you didn’t know was that the group was just you.
your family has been quick to welcome him, sejanus’s loyal best friend. the one who’d been by his side, when it happened and before it. who helped him in the academy and as peacekeepers. you liked coriolanus a lot back then, he was always nice to you. bringing you a rose or a treat he’d managed to charm a naive baker into passing his way free of charge. you’d always seen him as a brother, his presents being an affectionate way of showing his liking of you. sejanus’s little sister. you were happy for sejanus, as most of the kids weren’t exactly welcoming. having an acquaintance, friend even, was good for him.
but if you’d known he had other intentions in mind for these years you would have ran for the hills.
coriolanus was on the fast track for success.
with the plinth fortune at his back he was for once providing what he wanted to for his family. presidency in the horizon, respect by his side and lucy gray in the past.
but there was something he wanted from the plinth family, even if he’d already taken their fortune and son. their daughter. before now, he was meek. he may have held himself high, fooled some and scared others with his smart self he’d never managed to get the one thing he wanted, you. but there was no way you could deny him now, right?
you didn’t know how it had happened but you weren’t miserable. you knew you’d have to marry one day so why not coriolanus? you thought to yourself as you fixed your wedding dress, you’d asked for time alone before you walked since- well you didn’t know why. you just wanted a second to breathe before the entire capitol came down on you with a million questions, pokes and prods.
you were in corio and yourselfs room. as you surveyed the room one last time as an unmarried woman you noticed something peeking out from his bed. you knew coriolanus liked to write, but you assumed it was all business related. god you wish your curiosity had kept itself in check.
your dress was wet in places. the tears were non-stop and you couldn’t breathe. just when you thought the tears and heavy breathing would die down you felt coriolanus’s hand on your bare shoulder, “you should have not read it.” his voice was stern, unwavering. you wanted nothing more than to kill him. “don’t be hysterical. get up. he’s gone and there is nothing you can do about it. i won’t allow you to ruin my image, get up.” you continued crying as he lifted you up, manoeuvring you like a doll. moulded for him.
he wiped away your tears as you buried your face in his neck and your nails in his biceps. you were holding on to him for dear life, you feared if he wasn’t there to ground you the floor would eat you.
“settle down, we have a wedding to finish.” you choked on god knows what, “do you honestly believe i’d marry you now? no! i’m telling everyone. and they’ll see what a disgusting monster you are. how dare you come to our family for reprieve and safety! use our money! stay in our home and smile at us knowing what you did?” you screamed as you ran towards the door, being met with a guard. he was large, burly and did not look like he cared about you. the tears down your face and he held no sympathy. “i pay him handsomely. he won’t help you, no one here will.” coriolanus walked over to the door and shut it as you walked backwards.
you had no clue what he would do to you, if he could have sejanus hung and then face his family everyday. charm you, love you, sleep with you and now marry?
“would you like to tell your mother? that someone she considers to be a son took her child from her? would she even believe you? or would she die of heartbreak before you could explain? what happens when i prove your lying? no one knows besides you and me. your word vs mine. a powerful business man, game maker of the hunger games, from old money and wealth. coriolanus snow, soon to be president and his dear wife. y/n plinth, a daughter of the plinths, new money with no history in the capitol and whom made money of off the war whilst others suffered. even if they did believe you, who would stop me from making sure they see their son again?”
checkmate.
you had no where to run to and your family on the line, so when coriolanus walked to you, fixed your hair and dress, you let him.
when your father walked you down the isle to the monster who destroyed your family, you let him.
when your mother cried tears of happiness for her daughters marriage, you let her.
when coriolanus kissed you passionately, hand dropping quite low as the crowd cheered for your love. you let them.
and when he carried you to your new bedroom, ripped your dress off and made his way down, you let him.
because you knew there was no way you’d allow him to touch your parents, hurt them. maybe they could get away from his poisoned thorns that dug so deeply. by the end of the night you’d been taken in so many ways you couldn’t move without irritating a bruise. and with coriolanus’s arm trapping you in his chest only one thought blared through your mind.
RUNAWAY!
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rainylana · 1 month
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“Just say that one day you will.”
Dad!Eddie Munson x mom!reader
summary: a short fic about eddie and reader as parents to patty munson:)
warnings: allusions to eddie having a “past life”, mentions of having self doubts as a parent. i think that’s it?? let me know if i missed anything!
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He’s covered in food, spit up. Probably pee, too. His head hurts from his hair being pulled. His stomach aches from not having time to eat. He’s exhausted. He never realized how much you had taken on being a mother until you went back to work at the newspaper office. He didn’t know how you did. How flawless you made it look. Motherhood suited you, and as much as he loved his baby, he wasn’t sure if he looked as graceful handling it all like you did.
“Come on, baby, eat something for daddy, huh?” His voice is soft, eyes wide and whimsical, hoping he can trick his daughter into taking her bottle. “If you’re cranky when mommy gets home that means mommy will be cranky. Mommy’s scary when she’s cranky, yes she is.” His using his baby voice, putting the top of the bottle to little Patty Munson’s lips.
It’s clear to him that she’s not hungry, even though it’s past her time to eat. She’s refused to go down for a nap, crying every time he’s put her down or left the room to use the bathroom. Eddie sighs, putting down the bottle on the table and leaning back into the couch. He holds her on his lap, the seventh month old staying upright by his arms. She smiles, making him laugh.
“Yeah, you think it’s funny watching me struggle, huh?” He wiggles his brows at her. “You just want held, don’t ya?”
Patty was going through another one of her phases where she couldn’t be alone, never wanting to be without mom or dad. She always needed to be in their arms, preferably mommy’s. “Well, I don’t have a problem with that.” He lifts her up and gives her a kiss on the nose.
She’s the carbon copy of him. Dark curls and brown eyes, pale skin and a birthmark on her right shoulder, same place as her dad’s. He worries one day she’ll be just like him. His older now, and when he looked back on his childhood, he felt guilty for worrying Wayne the way he did. He hoped he could raise his daughter to have more sense than he did growing up.
When five o’clock rolled around, Eddie had managed to get the house moderately straightened up. It was difficult with a baby attached to his hip. The dishes were done and the bed was made. Halfway through he had put her in the playpen, only to take her out when she had a meltdown. He nearly broke his neck running back to her.
“Oh, baby.” He nearly fell to his knees when you walked through the door.
“How’s my baby!” You smiled, running to lift your daughter from his arms. She was flailing her little limbs, squealing and laughing joyfully at the sight of you.
“I’m okay.” Eddie’s arm relaxes from the absent weight, the numbness running down his arm that he tries to shake out. “A little tired.”
You laugh at him, giving kiss after kiss to Patty’s cheeks. She’s giggling, drooling all over her red and white dress that was covered in food stains.
“Hi, baby.” You smile and turn toward him, kissing his cheek lovingly. “Rough day?”
“What makes you say that?” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “House is still standing, isn’t it?”
You sit on the couch, holding Patty on your lap. Eddie sits down beside you, relaxing into the couch cushions.
You smile affectionately, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. “Honey, are you sure you’re able to do this? I can take off work for a few more weeks if you need me to.”
“No, no, I’ve got it, babe.” He puts his other hand over yours. “I do. Promise. You did your part. Carried her for nine months and spent another six taking care of her. You need a social life to, y/n. It’s time I do my part.” He smiled at you lovingly, meaningfully.
“We’re finally at a place where money isn’t a problem,” He continues. “I want you to be happy and have a job you love. I don’t mind taking off work for awhile. Wayne and Gareth got the Job okay.”
Your emotions are flooding through you, causing you to get choked up inside. You sigh, laying your cheek on the dark curls of Patty’s head. “I am happy, Eddie. You have no idea how happy I am.”
He always chuckled when you said that, because he did. Eyes flickering between his now sleeping baby, cuddled into your chest, he rolls his eyes. “Now, she wants to sleep. I’ve been trying to get her to nap all day!”
You pat her back and smile happily, kissing the top of her head. “God, I love her so much.” You say quietly. “Isn’t it crazy? Loving her as much as you do? Sometimes I think my hearts going to explode.”
He never knew he could love someone as much as his daughter. When he met you, he never thought his love could go any further than that, but it was like his heart grew and made room for the both of you. It connected you, having Patty together. It made you closer than you could’ve ever imagined.
“I know what you mean.” His fingers squeeze her socked foot. “Sometimes I lay awake at night and just worry about all the things that could happen. I think that’s why I’m tired all the time.” He chuckles softly.
You understood that, too, nodding as you lean back into the couch pillow. He moved over to you, careful to not wake up Patty, and lays his head against your shoulder. “Thank you for giving me this life. I don’t deserve either of you.”
“Yes, you do.” You blink tiredly, looking down at his bushel of curls. “You deserve happiness, Eddie. I wish you believed me.”
He truly believed he didn’t. Though he was not the same man he once was, he had gone through his life a thief and cheating man, a liar and a conman. The things he had done haunted him at night, but you assured him he had done the things he needed to do to survive.
“One day,” He looks up at you, nose barely an inch apart. “I’ll make you my wife.”
You start to blush, eyes prickling at the sides. God, you were so happy. “Really?”
“Just say that one day you will be.” He whispers, glancing at your lips briefly. “Promise me you’ll be my wife.”
You sniffle and choke on a sob, smiling at him through your lashes. “I promise.”
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sinofwriting · 18 days
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Out Loud - Charles Leclerc
Words: 1,807 Summary: She hasn’t been herself and she knows it’s worrying people, Charles. She just can’t get the words out. Note(s)/Warning(s): Reader is Jules Bianchi’s daughter and Charles’ goddaughter. Reader has longish hair. Coming Out (as Bisexual), Some Self Harm, Not Eating, Mentions of Throwing Up, Religious Trauma. Honestly this fic is kind of me just dumping my feelings out after being reminded of my less than great coming out experience as bisexual to my parents. I’m okay, just needed to write this and uh get back into therapy. If I missed a warning, let me know and if anyone reading this needs to talk, I’m here for you. (also, I promise that Dark Max fic is coming, Charles winning Monaco just threw a spanner into my plans and then this fic happened as well)
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Masterlist | Emergency Dental Fund
She’s never said the words out loud. Never spoke them to herself or others. And she isn’t sure why. It can’t because it will make them true. They already are.
And she knows why. It’s not because it will make them true. They already are. It’s because she knows that as soon as she says them once, she’ll never stop.
The idea of saying them as her shaking, has her stomach twisted in knots, has her throwing up, headaches that won’t leave from all her crying. It’s all self-inflicted because she can’t say the words. And it’s only two words, three if she’s going for proper grammar and yet they won’t leave her. They refuse to spill from her tongue and past her lips. They settle in her throat and strangle her. Leave her gasping for breath, clawing at her throat in hopes that their grip will loosen. But it never works out that way.
Charles is concerned. She sees it every time he looks at her. She’s lost weight, because even though she’s stress eating, when she’s not doing that she’s throwing it all back up, and she cries while doing both. Her face is starting to lean towards gaunt and the circles under her eyes are growing larger. She can only hope that he doesn’t see the bruises on the inner sides of her wrists, on her inner thighs, where she pinches and squeezes, barely even noticing the pain that it causes because it’s something for her fingers to do.
He’s concerned and she knows because Arthur is concerned too. And suddenly Pierre is going to be staying with them for a while, ditching Kika because she apparently has a family trip, no boyfriends allowed, even though she knows from a friend of a friend that Kika and Pierre had plans together in Greece and Bora Bora. Plans that Kika was apparently happy to reschedule.
She’s so lost in her head, in her thoughts, in her wishes that she could just speak that she doesn’t hear the light knock of knuckles on her bedroom door before it opens.
“Pierre is going to be here soon. You should get up, come greet him.” Charles' voice is gentle, always gentle with her, even when she doesn’t deserve it. “I’m tired.” She breathes and it’s not a lie. She is tired. Tired of being a coward, tired of pretending like she will ever say when she needs to and really she should just get over herself at this point. But it’s more frightening, the idea of never saying the words at all then what could happen if she does say them. “You can go back to bed after seeing him for a moment, I promise.” Her eyes flutter shut at his last two words and she nods. “Okay. I need to shower.”
As she climbs out of bed, she wobbles and she can feel his eyes on her. “Do you need help?” She tries to smile at him, but she knows that it doesn’t work with the way the worry grows on his face. “I think I’m too old for my godfather to help me shower.” Something crosses his face as if he’s only now remembering she isn’t a little girl anymore, she’s eighteen, no longer the nine-year-old he got stuck with. “I guess so.” He gives her a smile. “I’ll be in the living room, I’ll do your hair for you.” She wants to protest, but he closes the door before she can and she knows that it’s on purpose.
Charles loved doing her hair and when she had turned twelve for a while it had been the only time she would talk to him about anything, even what she ate for dinner the previous night. As she washes her hair, she tries to think of the last time he had done it. Even just giving it a small brush before they left for dinner somewhere or him braiding it or him trying to turn her hair into some sort of flower before going back to just making it look like a rose. When was the last time he had done that? When was the last time she let him do that for her?
It had been before the season started, just before he left for the first race. She remembers now because his hands were anxious to do something. Worried that it’d be a repeat of 2022 where it would start off good and then end in disappointment. She winces as she thinks of how long it’s been and the reminder of what 2023 has been like for him.
Drying off and slipping into an old shirt of Charles from karting and a pair of Lorenzo’s shorts, she nearly goes back to bed. It’s tempting, the blankets comfy and her sheets soft, but she walks past it and out of her bedroom.
Charles is already sitting on the couch, legs spread with a pillow on the ground between them. A host of hair things sit beside him on the couch cushions. The detangler she’s used all her life that Pascale always gives her, the special made f1 car clips from Max, pearl clips from her grandma and grandpa, the bands from her aunt, the different brushes Sebastian bought her that first year Charles was at Ferrari that only get used when Charles and her are going to be doing this for a while.
Seeing them makes her pause. “I thought Pierre was going to be here soon.” He smiles at her, fond and happy, but still worried and concerned. “Within the hour. But he has a key, he’ll let himself in.” She nods, slowly moving closer until she finally sinks onto the floor, sitting on the pillow. Instantly, Charles’ hands are in her hair, tutting at the barely damp locks. “I will have to take you to grandmère soon. It’s been too long.” “I went not that long ago.” “You went just after the season started. We are in August now.” She makes a humming sound, eyes focusing on the tv that’s turned off.
It’s soothing the feeling of her godfather’s fingers in her hair, running through it, quietly hissing each time he comes across a knot, no matter how small. The quiet apologies that spill from his lips each time he tugs what he deems to harsh, when it is barely a tug at all.
“Y’know.” He begins. “When you were born you had no hair. It was amusing to all of us because your father had been promising grandmère that she’d have a grandbaby’s hair to play with. And my father,” Charles takes a breath and she leans into his right leg a little. “He had told him the whole time not to promise that. Jules was beside himself when you didn’t get any hair until you were six months.” “I was a bald baby.” Charles laughs. “The baldest baby.”
“I’m sorry.” She murmurs after a few moments. “For what?” She can see from the corner of her eye him picking up a brush. “For how your season is going. Ferrari is not doing well.” “Ferrari is managing. There is lots of changes and this is not the car that Fred wanted for us, but it is the one we have.” “You think 2024 will be better?” “I don’t know what to think other than I can not think about that. I don’t want more disappointment or broken promises.” “You deserve a good car, the best car.” “Perhaps I’ll get it someday.”
As he starts to brush her hair, her eyes wander, looking at all the pictures she can see and has seen countless times before. There’s many, most of family, some of friends, and some of Charles’ time with Ferrari, in racing. As her eyes wander further, they stop on the small cross hanging on by the window. It makes her breathing stutter and she rips her eyes away from it, forcing them to look back at the blank tv.
But seeing just for a few seconds was enough.
“Charles.” He makes a humming noise, his movements not stilling. “If I had to tell you something,” she swallows, thinking of her backpack by the front door that’s got two spare sets of clothes, her wallet, all her identification, and more importantly a spare phone. “Something that would change things, how would you react?” “That is very vague.” He tells her, fingers starting to twist her hair. “It would depend on how it changes things.” “It would change how you saw me.” That makes him pause and she catches his eyes, so expressive in the tv reflection. “Nothing could change how I feel about you. You are my goddaughter, I love you. I’ve raised you since you were nine. Nothing could ever change the love I have for you.” Tears that had started to build in her eyes when he first started to talk, fall. “I’m,” she takes a shaky breath. “I’m bisexual.”
Silence fills the room and she can’t breathe, can’t take a breath, can’t break the silence, as she waits for him to say something, anything. She doesn’t even realize, but she’s started to move a little away from him, ready to bolt, ready to slip on her shoes by the door, grab her backpack and make a run for it. Because she’s ready. She’s ready for him to tell her to leave, to get out of his house. She’s ready for him to drag her to church, to make her pray like she hasn’t already for wanting not just men, but also women. She’s ready.
She is so unbelievably unready for what he actually says.
“Are you still who I raised you to be?” “Yes.” She nods, not even having to think. Because she is, she promises that she is. She is still the girl that Charles taught to be kind, to be nice, to make sure she is always heard. She is still the little girl that Charles became a godfather to. She’s still the girl that Charles became a father to as well. “I am.” She sobs. “Oh, mon bébé.” He sighs and he’s turning her around before pulling her up into his lap, making her curl up against him as she sobs into his shirt.
“I love you so much. You being bisexual doesn’t change a thing. And I’m sorry if I ever made you think that it would.” “Papa.” She cries and his lips are pressing to her forehead as he somehow manages to rock her. “Thank you for trusting me with this, with you.” He tells her when her sobs have died down and she’s able to look at him with not blurry vision. “I’m sorry I took so long.” “No.” He shakes his head, wiping her tears. “You took as much time as you needed.”
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moonstruckme · 2 months
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i am also sick and now dreaming of comfort from Steve :( hereby requesting a sick fic with Steve and gn!reader pls and thank you (when/if you feel like it!!)
Thanks for requesting babe <3
Steve Harrington x gn!reader ♡ 915 words
When Steve knocks for the third time, you relent. 
You cover your mouth and nose with your blanket as you open the door and block the entrance with your arm. “Don’t come in here,” you warn. 
Steve pushes past your arm easily. He’s carrying a small plastic bag. “How am I gonna make your soup from out there, genius?” 
“Steve, I’m serious,” you say, though you close the door behind him before tailing him into the kitchen. “You don’t want to catch this.” 
He sets his bag on the counter and turns on you. You’re not prepared for his hands on your face, cool and unbelievably soothing. He frowns. “I can tell," he says. "Has it been this bad all week?” 
You’re so tempted to fall asleep in the safe haven of his palms that it takes you a second to answer.
“Pretty much,” you admit. 
Steve hums and thumbs a line down your cheek. “I should have come sooner.” 
“You shouldn’t be here now,” you say, but the fight is going out of you with every second of tenderness. You’ve been pathetically lonesome this last week, filling your home with tissues and discarded dishes while telling Steve over the phone that you weren’t that sick and then indulging in copious amounts of self-pity while walking to the store to restock on drugs and cough drops. 
“You should’a had someone to take care of you,” Steve argues gently. 
“I’m fine.” 
His smile is wry. He lets his hand slip down to your shoulder, giving it a good squeeze before turning around. “Maybe I’ll start to believe you when you can say that without all your consonants sounding like bs and ds,” he says, rustling through his bag. “Deal?” 
You sigh but follow him to the stove, leaning forward to rest your elbows on the counter. “What are you making?” 
“Harrington family recipe.” Steve holds up a box of noodle soup mix. “Water and sodium.” 
You start to laugh but it turns into coughing, horrific, racking coughs that you hide in your blanket. Steve’s hand lands on your back, tentative and then firm as he rubs between your shoulder blades. 
“Jesus,” he says softly. “You okay?” 
You nod, not trusting yourself to speak as the fit dies down. 
“Why don’t you go lie down?” He sounds concerned. “I’ll meet you in there.” 
You want to stay but your cough drops are in the bedroom, so you shoot your boyfriend a lame thumbs-up as you go. Every cough ignites a brood of aches, your throat and chest and temples each throbbing with their own special brand of hurt. The one in your temples sticks around the most. You grab a washcloth after popping a cough drop in your mouth, dampening it with warm water and laying it across your eyes while you lay down on the bed. 
You’re still trying to suppress your cough despite the lozenge when Steve comes in. When you move the washcloth to see him, he looks upset. 
“Your head hurts?” he asks, so concerned you really could cry. 
“It’s just my sinuses,” you say, like that makes it better. “Is that my soup?” 
“Yeah, but it’s too hot to eat.” He leans forward, setting the steaming bowl on your nightstand. “You wanna face massage for now?” 
You blink. “Are you serious?” 
Steve grins, suavish and yet sweet beneath that. “Yeah, honey. Close your eyes.” 
You do. Steve’s hands on your face aren’t a surprise this time, but the effect is about the same. You relax, instinctively, before he’s even done anything, and when he starts pushing at the skin just above your eyebrows with his thumbs, you actually sigh. 
He laughs. “Good?” 
“Yeah.” Your voice is breathy and embarrassing, but at the moment you couldn’t care less. “Where did you learn how to do this?” 
“Hey, I know things, okay?” Steve feigns offense, but he’s no good at hiding the pride in his tone. “I’ve been sick before, too.” 
“Thank you. I owe you my life for this.” 
His voice softens. “Don't sweat it. Just relax for a bit, yeah?” 
It’s not a hard direction to follow. Steve’s thumbs are firm but kind as they press into your forehead and the areas around your eyes. You imagine your skin moldable as wax, his touch smoothing out the crackly lines of your sinuses until they’re soft and supple.
“Can I say something stupid?” 
You crack an eyelid, sniffling. “Sure.” 
“I’m feeling, like, weirdly protective of you right now.” Your surprised laughter launches you into another hacking fit, and Steve’s own smile is guilty as lets go of your face, rubbing your shoulder. “Seriously! I couldn’t give a shit if I’m going to get sick. You look all sad and vulnerable, I feel like a bear or something is going to come in here and you’re too weak to protect yourself, so now it’s my job.” 
“You w—” You press a hand to your chest, tiny tears squeezing out of the corners of your eyes. “—wouldn’t have protected me from a bear before?” 
Steve grins. “And your voice sounds hot like this, too.” 
Your coughing worsens again. You shoot him a look to say Stop making me laugh, but you don’t really want him to. 
“This is what does it for you?” you croak. 
He shrugs. “I’m just saying, there are silver linings.” 
You don’t argue as Steve unwraps another cough drop and passes it to you, placing it in your mouth as he resumes his work on your headache. You suppose there are. 
275 notes · View notes
charmercharm3r · 10 months
Text
Make Love, Not Porn
Puppeteer
HHJ
Masterlist, Story Masterlist
18+ content — minors, do not interact
Synopsis: You crave a life of normalcy, he craves you. And he'd do anything to keep you, even if you're for the world to see.
wc: 4.3k
warnings: smut, explicit sexual content, barista!hyunjin x cam girl!reader, mutual masturbation, cum eating, oral (f receiving), faking orgasms, nonsexual showering together hehehe, lmk if I missed anything
Past Broadcasts : Heat Signature
Live : Puppeteer
Next Scheduled Broadcast : Hi, My Name Is
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☆゚
Fuck self control. Fuck whoever’s watching. Fuck him, and fuck him hard, you’ll do it on camera…
…Is what would’ve happened if your entire livelihood wasn’t excitedly tuning in to watch you masturbate.
It was difficult to watch him touch himself to you while not being able to so much as say his name when you wanted to so badly. All you wanted was to fall to your knees and suckle his leaking cock like it was a sweet treat, make him whimper and cry and beg you to let him cum until there isn’t anything left in his body. Only then would you climb up his body and ride him until he’s a subby ball of overstimulation and dry orgasms. That’s the fantasy.
“Fuck– wait, I’m gonna cum–”
“Have I kept you waiting long?”
A rather loud slap of skin on skin and the creaking of the bed in the background made your body jolt, you obviously had to peek a glance to make sure Hyunjin was okay. And he definitely was.
Both of his hands clasped over his mouth to repress the loud strings of moans turned into muffled heavy breathing and cum shooting from his tip to leave ribbons of white decorating his chest and abdomen. Hyunjin couldn’t keep his hips from rutting into the air as he fought the urge to sob out. 
What a good boy, you wanted to say, but returned your attention to the floods of comments pouring in.
“Sorry, I just got a new pet! He might make some noise, I’m still house training him. So don’t mind the disruptions! How are you today?” You leaned your elbows into the desk and intentionally squished your bra clad breasts together. There was a small grunt that caught your attention, stealing another glance at the boy who struggled to keep a lid on his excitement. Hyunjin had let his hands fall to the bed while he attempted to regain his composure, cum dripping down the sides of his body and cock still twitching, untouched.
Back to work.
“Oh, hard day? I’m sorry to hear that… I hope what I’ve got planned will make it all better, even just for a little while. I wanna get right to it, ‘m so excited!” Times like this, you were glad the camera didn’t show your face, you caught quick looks of Hyunjin sitting up onto his elbow, reaching for his dick again, determination on his face and clearly nowhere near finished.
“We’re taking things old fashioned today. Just me, you,” you wiggled your fingers beside your chest, “and the pretty manicure mister callingherdaddy helped me pick out. I do like purple, even got a set to match because you’ve been so generous. Thank you, sir.”
The comments scrolled faster than you could read, so you didn’t bother for the moment being. Instead, you took your time to pull your hair up, keeping it off your shoulders so that the camera wouldn’t pick up you looking in Hyunjin’s flustered direction. He watched your every movement like a hawk and you were the bunny, waiting for the moment you gave him the chance to swoop in, claws first.
Gently, slowly you ran your hands across your puffed chest, tugging the bra straps to drape off your shoulders as you leaned back in the chair. Hyunjin sucked in a deep breath and lightly massaged the area around his still hard cock at the possibility that you could take a good while, while he could take a good thirty seconds to blow again. But you didn’t really have the patience. It felt like an honor that he’d been so vulnerable with you. Though, maybe that was pushing it considering he’s still a man. Men think with their dicks, and he was certainly using every brain cell he had.
“I’m feeling a little needy. It won’t bother you if I get straight to it, will you?” Hyunjin held your stare with confidence, this time you truly were talking to him. He shook his head, no. “Good. Don’t mind if I help myself, then.”
You were so eager. Eager and wet. Sopping. Before taking off the panties, you hiked your knees onto the edge of the table and pressed your fingers to the darkened gusset. The wetness gushed outwards from the point of pressure and the both of you could hear the lewd slick sloshing between your folds. Hyunjin’s eyes rolled back again for a second as his head fell to the side, pretty lips parting for a heavy sigh. 
That fucking look in his eye, like he was ready to spring up and devour you at any given moment. You wanted him to and it was so difficult to resist. The pinging of the tips going off made you check the screen and slide the panties off but leaving it hanging off your ankle.
“Sorry, lovely, I can’t wait. Feel like I’ve been waiting for this all day.” The shy giggle you let out made Hyunjin smile too, a shit-eating smirk that made you wanna tie him to the bed posts naked and leave him there all night.
As soon as your fingers made contact with your puffy clit a horny moan pushed past your lips. It was hardly any pressure aside from the intense eye contact Hyunjin wouldn’t dare let die down. His hand dwindled higher to grab the base of his cock, stroking just the shortest bit to tease himself. It wasn’t the fact that you were touching yourself that got you so worked up, it was him. The pretty face that couldn’t break away from yours because he was hanging on every word you said.
Your fingers moved a little faster to rub the bundle of nerves in tight circles, perfect pressure to make your eyes flutter. “This is already too much for me. Ha, isn’t that funny? Fuck– feels so good. Just missing– mm– one thing. One big thing.” You gestured with your eyes down to his cock and watched as his entire body tensed up, hand slapping over his mouth again to conceal a groan.
Hyunjin’s body felt on fire, like the cum leaking from him was made of molten lava and it burned in the best way possible. He loved the way your hole clenched the quicker you circled your fingers, how your toes would curl when you pushed harder, the slow rakes of your gaze up and down his lean body, how you’d linger a little longer on the way his hand wrapped around his cock like you were memorizing the way he liked to be touched. It was because you were, still jotting down mental notes of every nook and cranny of his body because you wanted to know it like you knew your own. Don’t tell him that, though.
“Look at that,” you pried your hand away to spread your fingers to show the camera the stickiness between them. Hyunjin couldn’t see it very well, but when you brought your fingers to your mouth and moaned, he got the idea and jerked his cock a little faster. “Mmm, would you taste me? I know you’d be so good with your tongue.
“I don’t think I’ll last long, lovely. It’s so hard to hold back when I think of you.”
Hyunjin matched your now frenzying speed, fucking his hand tighter when you switched hands rubbing at your clit to slide them down to your hole. Oh, you were glistening all over, sweating under the mutual heat both you and the barista were giving off. His wrist occasionally twisted while you attempted to curl your fingers at the right angle, but as well as you knew your body, you knew you’d never be able to reach unless you suddenly learned the secrets of a contortionist within the next few seconds.
Aching limbs, pussy growing more and more used to the ministrations the longer your orgasm refused to come to light, you were ready to fake one just to give your wrist and cunt a break. Even Hyunjin could see the slight difficulty, but wasn’t really sure of why. You’d seemed perfectly fine on your own during all those other live streams where you weren’t using a toy. But when he thought a little harder, the only time there wasn’t an extra source of stimulus, be it that a grinder, vibrator, dildo, there was always an extra set of hands. Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, any person you’d collaborate with for the time being. You called it an “old fashioned” type of stream tonight, but didn’t think it entirely through.
Because you were really struggling, as in to the point where your eyebrows were furrowing and biting your bottom lip to hide the desperate whimpers that hinted to your viewers that you weren’t truly as close as you said you were.
He was right there. He was so close, pretty lips plumped ready to be used and big hands fisting his cock instead of being around your neck. How come this was suddenly an issue? Now that he’s here and you can’t have him, you can’t cum?
As you could see him visibly getting nearer to his end, you mouthed, “come here,” looked at the spot next to your desk and out of view of the camera for him to stand. Hyunjin rushed to the spot and tried to keep the sloshing, slick sounds of his jerking as quiet as possible. You could smell him, his musky scent and hint of coffee grounds that made your mind numb. The atmosphere rose a few degrees as the sweat dripped down his temple and onto his reddening chest. Fuck, everything about him made you want to cut the stream short, end it right here and blame it on a power outage or something, make up an excuse just because you wanted him so fucking badly.
It’s a problem, one that got you so frustrated that you did fake an orgasm, the whole shebang. Your body convulsed, you clamped your pussy around your fingers and let out a moan that seemed maybe a little too forced. But you didn’t care. The orgasm that was on the tip of your tongue could wait the few seconds it took to say your parting words. With Hyunjin at your side, you slipped your hand off to the side to rake your nails down his thigh, feeling him shudder beneath the touch.
“Told you, I couldn’t wait, he he he. ‘M sorry for ending things a little early today. I think that new pet of mine is very eager to play. I promise, we’ll have more fun next time. See you soon, lovely.” You took your hand from Hyunjin to do your sign off and click the ending button. As soon as you did, he rumbled a moan you could tell he’d been dying to let out.
You spun in your chair to face him entirely and spread your legs again. Just as you did, his fist sped up, no longer caring about the noise he made. Rubbing at your clit was his last straw, looking up at him with those desperate, watery eyes.
“Cum, baby. I need you.” The breathy whine, you almost begging him, Hyunjin panicked for a second until you gestured at your cunt, “but if you make a mess, you clean it up, pet.”
He didn’t hesitate even after knowing the consequences. But to Hyunjin, getting to lick his cum off your pussy was definitely not a consequence he’d ever complain about. “Ah– shit, gonna cum– fuck, you’re so pretty. Such a pretty pussy, oh my god, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Within the few inches closer he came, he couldn’t hold back his orgasm any longer and initially missed the first rope or two of cum and splattered it over your thighs, the rest then spreading between your folds with every rub of your fingers on your clit, making even more of a mess than necessary. It was so warm and slippery, your eyes fluttered for a second at the sensation. But you wanted more, too needy to even think about what could come from this.
Before Hyunjin had entirely come down, you reached up to push him down by the shoulders, bringing him to his knees with his face in front of your puffy cunt. He was ready to go to town, but still waited for you to tell him that it was okay. And at just a nod and a small moan, he dove in, licking his seed off your pussy like frosting on a cake. He didn’t know he could taste so sweet when your juices mixed with his.
And dear fucking god, how warm you were. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to start and just sort of went in everywhere. Fat tongue licking stripes up and down and covering every inch he possibly could, messily lathering your bundle of nerves in his saliva just to make it sound sloppier when he finally suctioned it between his lips. He was a master at that, you knew his lips wouldn’t fail to make your legs shake. You wanted to tangle your fingers in his hair, but even that felt like crossing a line.
Was there really a line, though, now that his head was between your legs? It didn’t matter right now, he was doing too good of a job for you to worry about the after part.
Hyunjin slurped and suckled on you until you were moaning out for him, gripping at the armrests of your desk chair and borderline screaming because he was just what you needed. He looked up at you between breaths, smiling into your pussy while softly palming at his cock again. Taking a second for you to gather yourself, he licked up the leftover cum that covered your thighs, gently kissing his way back to where you wanted him.
Even if it was only a few seconds he’d pulled away, you whined when his lips connected to you again. It felt like a broken powerline, the electricity that coursed through you when he buried his face in your warmest parts.
As he sucked in, the tip of his tongue wiggled softly over your clit, and that strange, wonderful feeling made your hands shoot out to grab onto his hair, gripping onto it so tightly that the brief idea it might rip out did cross your mind. Just for a split second, though, because he didn’t stop even as you tugged him in closer, as close as physically possible without your bodies somehow miraculously phasing into one another.
“Fuck, fuck fuck– don’t stop, baby. Fuck, ‘m gonna cum. Don’t you dare fucking stop.” He hummed in acknowledgement, and that little detail is what sent you flying over the handlebars and face first into the pavement for your orgasm to clean sweep through your body. The heat overtook every one of your nerves to make you unsure of whether or not you were completely silent in bliss or screaming at the top of your lungs from the intense euphoria.
Has it always been like that? Were your orgasms always that… vivid? If that’s even the right word for it. Part of you didn’t want to let him go even after the high subsided, content with just running your fingers through his hair. Hyunjin didn’t seem to mind, he was mindlessly kitten licking the rest of his cum off the parts of you he’d missed, head contently laid in the crook of your pelvis. As your heart rate slowed, you tapped the top of his head gently so you could look at him properly.
The bottom half of his face was glistening in juices, yours, his, probably mostly yours. But also, his cheeks were a bright red to match the tops of his ears, and his gaze was no longer carnal but plainly tender, stars and warm pink mood lights making him sparkle. Kindly, you leaned forward to take his chin in your hand and swipe the lingering fluids from his lips and Hyunjin smiled.
“Did so good,” you cooed. He leaned his head into your palm. “Wanna, maybe, shower?”
“Mhm.”
You helped him to stand up and guide him into the bathroom to start the water. He was shaky without your being there to stabilize him, probably more sensitive than he was letting on. When you turned to leave, he reached out for your arm. “Just getting us some towels,” Hyunjin nodded and awkwardly waited in the middle of the bathroom until you returned. His face lit up seeing the multiple towels in your hand.
“You’re coming in with me?”
“Of course,” setting them down and opening the shower door for him to enter. “What kind of host would I be if I didn’t?”
Your apartment only had one bathroom, all of the stuff in here was yours. Your soap, your shampoo, all of your hair masks and body exfoliators, it was just you. Prospectively, Hyunjin knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up about this, about you helping him. You were just doing a service. But then again, you also contradicted yourself. He hadn’t prepared to touch you today, let alone even come into your apartment. This was unfamiliar territory. Does he thank you? Does he kiss you? God, he wants to kiss you. Does he ask what you are now?
You maneuvered him under the water first, gently tilting his head back to let the stream soak his hair. It ran down his cheeks, down his chest and body as his eyes quietly closed under the warmth of the water and your hands. Your touch was feather light, he might’ve thought he was daydreaming if you weren’t softly instructing him when you wanted him to move. Even that put him into such a dream-like, hazy state. If this was all that was to come from meeting you, he wouldn’t mind. 
The lather of the shampoo filled his nostrils to make him open his eyes, seeing you bubbling it between your hands. Hyunjin’s only thought in his head was how beautiful you were, skin damp and wet, rosy cheeks, so domestic and loving. He didn’t notice the small grin playing along his lips when you reached up to massage the shampoo into his hair. You smiled back, though. Just briefly, but he saw it. Warmth filled his chest and pushed his head harder into your hands. “Smells good,” he murmured.
“Do you like orange blossoms?”
“Is that what it is?” He didn’t care enough to look away from your face.
“Mhm.” You were finished with the task much sooner than he wanted. Just as you were about to reach for the body wash, he put his hands on your shoulders to switch places. You stood under the water with a confused expression. “You don’t have to do that,” you said softly while he grabbed the shampoo bottle.
“I want to.”
His attempt at washing your hair was nowhere near as tranquil for you as it was for him. He did his best, but didn’t put enough shampoo in his hands and had to keep going back for more, dropping the bottle a few times. It made you laugh, your sweet giggles making his embarrassment worth it. When he tried to help you rinse it out, he forgot to put his hand on your forehead to keep the suds from getting into your eyes, embarrassment rushing immediately back. Even then, you laughed and smiled and went along with the domestic role playing for as long as he wanted.
It made his heart flutter the most as it was time to cleanse his body. Your hands running up and down, feeling him everywhere, even the most intimate of places. You asked him if it was okay first before traversing further south. Honestly, he didn’t mind you touching him there, even if he was flaccid. For some reason, he trusted you. The way you spoke before about intimacy and human connections made every minute detail feel larger than it was. Like he was connected to a set of strings, being pulled in any direction you wanted and manipulating his every move, he didn’t care, not when it was you controlling him this way. Hyunjin was ready to do anything you asked. He wasn’t even thinking about sex as your fingers grazed his soft cock to get to his thighs. Not so much as a twitch when you looked down at his private area to make sure you rinsed everything thoroughly. That’s not because he suddenly wasn’t attracted to you, but because he was so fucking attracted to you that he didn’t feel the need to think about sex every second he was with you to maintain that attraction. It was a rare emotion to feel, and desperately held onto it.
For you, you were masking the little pang of hurt when there was no physical reaction to being in the shower with you. He didn’t so much as try to kiss you, didn’t try to touch you other than shampooing your hair and hardly laying a finger on you to soap.
It was the post nut clarity. It happens every time. Why did you think he’d be any different? There was one thing all men wanted. He got it, on to the next.
Men are selfish. Which is why he jumped at the opportunity to leave after the two of you were done cleaning up. It went similar to your usual interaction with male partners;
“Did you want to stay the night? In case you’re too tired?”
“No, no, I should get home. I don’t wanna overstay my welcome.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
He changed, took one of your offered snacks for the road, and left.
And you weren’t planning to ever show your face in that coffee shop ever again.
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Hyunjin was skipping home after leaving your place. He had a plan to get you to want to see him again. The only reason you didn’t take him up on your offer of staying the night was because he didn’t want you to think he wanted to go further. He’d snuck one of the other specially doodle cardboard cup sleeves he kept in his apron onto your cam desk with his phone number written on it, also a sweet message that would hopefully make you smile.
He’d fought the urge to kiss you all night, really kiss you. Not the “I wanna stick my dick in you,” kind of kiss, but the “I wanna make you breakfast in the morning and lend you my sweaters so they smell like you,” kind of kiss. All he thought about the whole walk home was just that, he was literally skipping down the sidewalk.
When he came home his roommates asked why he was so late and why he looked so disgustingly happy. Glowing was how Seungmin put it. Hyunjin was absolutely glowing.
But that glow faded over the next few days when you didn’t call him. You didn’t come into the coffee shop. You were still doing your usual streams, and that stung a little, seeing you but not seeing you. He should’ve asked for your phone number instead of leaving his. God, that was so fucking stupid of him to do.
Maybe he misread the entire situation. You got yours, he got his, there was no reason for you to ever speak again. That had to have been the reason you never reached out. And it fucking sucked. He hated it. He had a taste of you– literally tasted you– and was forced to quit you dead cold. It was miserable. He was miserable. The strings were cut and he was a lifeless piece of hollowed out wood. He tipped you during your streams just like before, he knew you knew it was him, but you slowly stopped acknowledging it. Hyunjin didn’t quit, he kept telling you how much he wanted you in the only way he knew how. Until you told him you didn’t want him, he was going to try.
Then Seungmin, ever the big brained menace he is, suggested that he should just stop by your place. Seungmin didn’t know details, he didn’t know who you were or what your job was, just that his roommate was sulking over a girl that was purposefully ignoring him. Hyunjin’s roommate didn’t think the barista would take it literally.
After Hyunjin got off work the next day, he made your favorite drink and even used one of his weekly free bakery items to bring as an extra apology gift. He picked up some flowers from a nearby floral shop, had them write your name in that pretty cursive and it even made the worker blush. They told him, “whoever these are for must either be very special or about to get a hefty apology.”
Hyunjin answered, “both.”
He wasn’t even sure if you’d be home, it wasn’t one of your streaming nights. Still, he hoped and prayed that you were. Hyunjin hesitated to knock, he hadn’t seen you in person in a week and felt the anxiety bubbling in his belly. But he missed you, more than he’d ever missed anyone. If he felt like this now, what was he to do if you were home and rejected him a second time? He doesn’t know if he could handle that.
Still, he found the courage to knock, barely audible but loud enough that you came to the door. Hyunjin stood up straighter, took a deep breath, and waited for the door to swing open. But it didn’t. Did you trip and fall? Did you need help? He swears that it was your footsteps he heard coming.
He stood in waiting, returning to holding his breath after knocking one more time. Nothing came. 
☆゚
tags: @sensitiveandhungry @babebatter @changbinluvr @epiphanynaffit @fawnpeaks @linovely @dumplinbokkieracha @finnydraws @naturules @djeniryuu @skzhomiehopper @yesv01 @hyunjinsamdl @dazzlingligth @alexis-reads-fics @0002linoskitten @chillichillicrabcrab23 @zerefdragn33l @straycrescent @binnies-donuts @soldierstangirl-blog @bakedlilgoonie @levanterlily @shelbyyy44 @yeetmehome @in2heartz @astroodledream @the-sweetest-rose @lilbugs-things @viviennenstan @staurdvst @alex--awesome--22 @imzenning @jeyelleohe @iadorethemskz @skyvastbunny @mamabymychem @katsukis1wife @woozarts @noellllslut @straykids5star
861 notes · View notes
melodic-haze · 27 days
Note
MORE SAD SUB ARLECCHINO. PLEASE. I NEED TO EAT. like shes in absolute TEARS SHES SO ME I LOVE HER PLEASE FEED ME MORE.
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☆ — DEMO TRACK: sub!Arlecchino x dom!Reader
☆ — TYPE: NSFW
☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: A lil petplay (it's like one paragraph)
☆ — NOTES: I lied about not writing for this week lol I needed a distraction. Anyway combined these two bc they worked very sillily together hope yall don't mind 🫶 also YES I DO REMEMBER YOU 🎀 anon w my first ask about Arle :333
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Oh man oh man oh MANNN I wanna do soooo many things to her auhfhthgh
Much as I ADORE absolutely ruining this absolute UNIT of a woman, I also want to take care of her and dote on her so much to the point where she fucking cries from being treated so well UGHHHHH
I feel like there are times at night when she remembers what she had lost in order to get to where she is right now (the chance to have a life that went in a more conventional direction, along w ESPECIALLY Clervie) and while she has learned to deal with the feeling itself in solitary, whenever you see her look out the window she is no longer The Knave—this was Peruere, a lonely girl yearning for something from so long ago
Even when she seems like such a self-assured person, all that composure threatens to fall into pieces the moment you, the one she now holds so achingly dearly in her heart, go to hug her and tell her that she's no longer alone :( no matter how many times you tell her or no matter how many times this scene repeats, it will never stop affecting her so deeply :(((((
I do think that she actually does love to sit on your lap. Sure, maybe it's kinda unnecessary and even more than a little embarrassing, but it makes her feel cared for instead of the way around that she's used to 🫶
"Who would've known that the real reason why you like being on my lap was for this, though..?"
You curled your fingers up in order to emphasise your point, hitting that specific spot within her that forces out a strangled gasp as her thighs make a feeble attempt to close themselves off.. despite the fact that you were comfortably sat right in-between.
Arlecchino makes no effort to answer you properly right away with one of her ever-so-composed words of wisdom or whatever they may be—she opts to tuck her head into the crook of your neck as fat tears roll down her cheeks, your skin almost as wet as her drooling cunt that you just can't get enough of.
(Her makeup is smudged too, though by this point it doesn't really seem like she cares.)
Though with the way your other hand was wrapped around her, softly stroking her back as if soothing your crying mess, and the way her own arms were clinging onto you, you both knew there was so much more to this position beyond your carnal actions.
Something much more emotionally charged, something much more than she usually let herself handle.
And perhaps it might also be because you had been at this for a while; your little lapdog was desperate for a release every time.. only for you to take the chance away from her, as if faking your pet out of her sweet treat. You couldn't help but play with her a little, not when her reactions are often the sweetest—uncharacteristic whines making its way out of her lips as she pleads you to fuck her silly, to--
"--make me forget for a brief moment, please-- ah..!"
And as her loving partner, of course you'd want to comfort her in whatever way you can.
"I'll make you forget your very title, Peruere."
"Please--"
Especially if it means fucking her until all that longing is long gone.
Need her to go from crying about who she had to kill to crying about who she ended up gaining in the end (and crying about how you make her feel too :3)
Just softly tell her that you love her, sing her praises, take care of her, kiss the tears rolling down her face, give her everything that she hadn't been meant to have or hadn't even realised she could ever have as the 'monster' her past has created
I just really really wanna spoil her and make her cry by overwhelming her with so much affection she doesn't know what to do with as someone who doesn't often let such things dictate her actions dude idk 🤷‍♀️
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antiwhores · 2 years
Note
I am screaming crying throwing up at how good your writing is my horny ass self THANKS YOU
if i may please make a request 👉🏼👈🏼 could we have a pussy eater bakugo fic 😮‍💨 lives in my head rent free
Bakugou eating you out
Sorry this took so long, ive been tryna run my W’s up. THANK YOU!! And enjoy
Bakugou loves to eat your pussy, no matter what you have to say about it.
Pussy eating ofc, mentions of all types of freplay and shit, sex, dub-con if you squint, voyeurism, etc.
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Bakugou has never been a very shy person. Nothing about the way he carried himself is shy. When you think of antonyms for shy you think of Bakugou Katsuki.
That’s why you found yourself confused the first time he went down on you.
The farthest you had gone prior was dry humping and mutual masturbation. Giving and recieving head was a big deal for the both of you. It was the next step before penetration.
Bakugou was timid and careful when he opened your legs. It was like he thought you’d jump away and never come back if he made too sudden of a move. It was weird yet endearing since Bakugou was so aggressive when chasing pleasure while he dry humped you.
That careful attitude only lasted so long though. After a couple times, especially after you had gone all the way, he had been a lot more… demanding.
Bakugou found pleasure in tasting you on his tongue. From directly, to the aftertaste. Its like he found himself drunk on it. Your pussy made him feel like a fucking alcoholic.
He started to take you whenever and whereever he wanted. From the safe confines of your bedroom to the risky, crowded closet of his job.
He would get on his knees and place you on his mouth, holding you effortlessly.
His mouth needly licking and slurping at your constricting cunt while you covered your mouth to at least try to prevent being caught. Although, you wondered if the sounds of him eating you bare would attract people quicker than your muffled moans.
His tongue stuck deep into your cunt, scrapping itsef against your walls to bring back the slick that coated them. This was his fourth time pulling you away in the past hour. He was particularly horny today and nothing would stand inbetween him and your sloppy ecstasy, not even work.
First he pulled you to the boys bathroom on the almost abandoned rear side of the building. He fucked your mouth hard on his cock while whining praises mixed with degration. Then he fucked you onto his cock like his own personal fleshlight.
Then it was his office on the top floor. He locked his door as a compromise with you (he didnt want to at first but you said you were gonna scream if he didn’t, asshole move but it worked.) and finger fucked you on his desk until you came twice. He was about to whip himself out for a third orgasm but a knock on the door had you accidentally slapping the shit out of him.
The third time it was your office. He stumbled in with a hard cock and started to thigh fuck you until he came all over your desk and stomach. Then he proceeded to sloppily eat your cunt until you came into his mouth all while he jerked himself off.
And that leaves you to now, the fourth time. Where his lazy eyes watched you during the whole meeting you both attended. He eye-fucked you the entire time. Then after he dragged you into the closet far end of the agency building. It was cramped and he barely even squeezed the both of you in there. The only light was the one seeping from under the floor.
“Fuck,” he groaned into your cunt. You were sensitive after all the orgasm’s you had so far. Fat tears began to run down your cheeks.
A particular targeted thrust of him tongue had you flinching away from his touch. You tried to force yourself off of him but the growing pleasure made you weak in the knees. “Katsuki,” you moaned, “T’s too much. Too many times today.”
He always seems to get genuinely upset when your body jerks away from him when he eats you out. Its like taking a plate of his favorite food, made by his favorite chef, and kissed by a fucking god away from him from him, under his nose.
His grip on you tightened and he pulled you lower onto him. So much lower you were afraid he’d suffocate. A deep growl echoed through his chest as he told you to “shut up and sit pretty” through glistening lips.
He didn’t let you leave until after that painfully euphoric orgasm. And the next. By the end of your work shift, you limped to your shared home only to be fucked into complete immobility as soon as you arrived.
3K notes · View notes
braxlrose · 11 months
Text
request: bill kaulitz x self-destruct reader hcs😌 I mean, she knows she's hurting herself but she doesn't care? doesn't sleep (and even if she does, she goes to bed very late and then gets up very late, so she's usually restless, tired and barely alive/ barely in touch with reality), barely eats (and even if she eats little , I drink too much energy drinks and takes tranquilizer pills), probably does sh and takes drugs (cigarettes, alcohol and drugs) and it all makes her look practically zombie but she likes this lifestyle?
cw: self harm, alcoholic tendencies, drugs, slight ED, toxic relationship, tons of angst, swearing, NOT PROOFREAD.
bill kaulitz x self-destruct reader
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• when you two first met, it was at a party and you guys ended up sleeping together that night. you fell asleep right after so he ended up staying the night at your hotel room.
• when you woke up in the morning, you brushed your teeth and then went over to your drawer to get on new clothes when you felt hands on your hips.
• you turned around to see bill smiling at you. "Sooo, how long do I have to wait before I can ask you out on a date, hmm?" you rolled your eyes and pushed his hands away.
• "Uhmm, never? You don't wanna have to deal with my shit." you said as you pulled your jeans up.
• "Oh come on, everybody has shit."
• "Not like me. So, you should just go." you pulled on your shirt and turned back to him. He was just staring at you, smiling for God-knows-what. you had to admit, he looked amazing. he only had his boxers on, and he looked great shirtless.
• "I'll get you one day, y/n y/l/n." he smiled at you and pulled on his clothes. you rolled your eyes as he kissed you on the forehead and left.
• then you two met again at a music festival and that's when you finally decides to give him a chance after the hours of flirting he spent on you. you weren't scared though, you were sure he'd leave after he saw what you were really like. and you had accepted that.
That was a couple weeks ago. Bill became very aware of the "shit" you were talking about pretty quickly.
• whenever you were at a party with bill you'd always drink too much to the point where you couldn't see straight and your head was pounding like no tomorrow. Bill would take you back to your hotel room and lay you down on your bed and tuck you in. Then he'd sit with you until you finally fell asleep since he knew you'd just stay awake if he didnt.
• one night, you were completely wasted and he had to carry you back to your hotel. again.
"Mmm... Billy I want you soooo bad. pretty pleaaaasee?" you whispered in his ear, giggling and pouting as he unlocked your door and dragged you inside.
"You're drunk. That's not happening, okay?" He said, setting you down on your bed and beginning to wipe your makeup off.
"But Billy..." You'd whine and pout, while he'd just sit there and comb through your hair till you fell fast asleep.
"Goodnight, Schatzi." He'd whisper to you and place a kiss on your forehead.
• you'd also get angry a lot. you were in your hotel room, bawling your eyes out on the bathroom floor. It was 11 PM. your wrists were bleeding a bit from you scratching at them for so long, and your cheeks were bright red from the crying.
• you just wanted to sit there forever and wallow in your own self pity when you heard the door to your hotel open.
"Y/n! You in here?" Bill yelled to you, as you did your best to stand up and wipe your tears away. You gazed at your eyes in the mirror and there were streaks of mascara running down your face. You wiped them off your cheeks and opened the bathroom door to greet him.
"Hey! What're you doing here?" He turned around to see you but you saw his face drop.
"Are you okay? Were you crying in there?" He pointed to the bathroom. You scoffed and rolled your eyes as you closed the door. You pushed the inner part of your arms against yourself so he didn't notice.
"What? God no, I'm just tired. You should probably go." You said as you walked past him and started to change your clothes. He walked over to you and slightly grabbed your chin with his hand. He tilted his head at you and ran his fingers through your hair.
"Come on, just tell me what's wrong." You slapped his hand away and pulled on some shorts.
"I said I'm just fucking tired! Will you back the fuck off?!" You pushed him away and went to grab a new shirt to sleep him. He was bringing up emotions you didn't want to feel. You wiped away a couple tears when you felt his arms wrap around you. He placed some kisses on your shoulders and rubbed his cheek against you.
"I'm here for you, okay? Let me help you.." You could feel anger boiling up inside you. Your eye twitched. He's acting like you needed to be fixed or something. Why would he say shit like this?! You turned yourself around and pushed your hands against his shoulders trying to push his away.
"Can you get the fuck off of me! I don't need your fucking with anything just get the fuck away!" you yelled at him, tears pouring down your cheeks now. You slammed your hand against his shoulder trying to push him away.
"You don't need to push me away, y/n! It's okay!" He wrapped his arms tightly around you as more and more tears came flooding from you.
Your finger nails dug into his shoulders, harder and harder with every word. You could see him wincing in pain but he only hugged you tighter. Why would he want this?
• you hated that he stayed around. you didn't understand why he'd wanna be with someone like you? you set yourself on a path of destruction and ruined everything in your path, why would he take his chances like this?
• you were laying down in your bed when bill came around again. like before, tears were running down your cheeks and mascara was wiped all over your face but you were just laying there. not feeling anything. you had taken a couple different kinds of drugs so you were basically emotionless at this point.
• when bill walked in, he dropped everything and ran to your aid. he sat on the bed and cupped your cheek in his hand to make you look up at him.
• when you turned over at him, he couldn't see anything in your eyes. nothing. all you could remember is how sad you looked.
• he laid down next to you and wrapped his arms around you and kissed your shoulders.
"do you want me to stay?" He asked, brushing your hair off of your face and pulling you closer to his body.
you just nodded and laid down against the pillows as bill whispered sweet nothings in your ear and rubbed your sides with his hands.
• it was about a month into your relationship when bill realized how little you ate.
• at first, he just thought you didn't eat breakfast but over time he noticed you didn't really eat anything unless you were offered something.
• bill also took notice when all you ate was slim jims and energy drinks. Thats when he started bringing you food.
• in the mornings, he'd come in with breakfast and give you a little kiss on the forehead. "Wakey, wakey, baby." He'd say to you and place a bunch of little kisses on your face until you wake up.
"Mmm...what are you doing here?" You said to him groggily, wiping your eyes.
"I brought you breakfast. Come on, geeet up." He'd lift you up by your arms and place the food in front of you, then he'd sit down next to you and wrap his arms around you to make sure you're eating.
"I'm not hungry, Bill." You'd say to him, resting your cheek on his arm.
"Too bad, eat up." He would take your fork and cut into your waffle and place it in front of your mouth until you opened up to eat it.
You eventually would give up and just start eating.
"Why are you doing all of this? I'm just a burden, y'know?" You say to him with your mouth full and your eyes looking up at him all cute and widened.
" 'cause I like you. And I think you're cute." You rolled your eyes and continued eating but bill would have a big, fat smile on his face.
• during the day you'd be like a zombie. your eyes would be dull and half open. Big, dark circles under your eyes and you wouldn't do much. But bill didn't mind. He would lay down with you on the couch and give you massages and kisses on your temples to relax you.
• when bill found out that you hurt yourself, he kissed up and down your body for hours. Whether it was your arms or your thighs, he'd be kissing it. He told you how much he loved you and didn't want you to hurt yourself.
• he didn't want you to feel pressured about talking about your feelings but once you did he would just hold you and listen to you talk, getting everything out. and he would never judge you for anything.
• you told him that you'd stop hurting yourself and you did. for a few days. But that changed once you got away from bill for a little while and you got high at a club.
Bill wanted the best for you but you werent good for him. You knew that, you tried to change yourself for him because you loved him so much. But in the process of being with you, he got hurt too much. You tried to tell him, but he couldn't help but love you. In his eyes, you were perfect.
taglist: @hearts4kaulitz @burntb4bydoll @spelaelamela @bored0writer @fishinaband @billsleftnutt @tokiiohot @bluepoptartwithsprinkles @saumspam @5hyslv7 @killed-kiss @memog1rl @80s-tingz @billybabeskaulitz @victryzvv9 @banshailey
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sirenlulls · 8 months
Text
get him back! → theburntchip
pairing , theburntchip x youtuber!reader
summary , where, in lieu of yours and chip’s reconnection, fans find out how it happened, and just why you ended things in the first place.
part one (bad idea, right?)
oh, i wanna get him back! 'cause then again, i really miss him, and it makes me real sad
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🔴 Y/n L/n Talks On Breakup, Reconnection, The Launch Of Her Brand, & More! FULL POD EP.77 -Saving Grace
join premiere!
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LIVE CHAT !
user: stop i’m actually gonna cry ☹️☹️☹️
user: I KNEW THOSE TWITTER B WORDS WERE WRONG I KNEW THEY DIDNT END BADLY
user: that’s so lala land of them
user: “if i ever complained, i’d be the nagging girlfriend” NO BABY 😭😭😭😭
user: never thought i’d say it but i’m glad they broke up bcs if they hadn’t done it then, it would’ve been MESSY messy
user: off topic but can we please talk about how pretty she is :(
user: “if he ever complained about you, i would’ve given him a belting” YES GRACE 👏👏👏
user: WHY DIDNT WE GET Y/N ON HERE SOONER OMGGGGGG I LOVE THIS DUO SM
user: Sending love from Brazil! XX 🇧🇷🇧🇷❤️❤️
user: stop that’s so sad ☹️
user: she’s so real for the anxiety thing
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LIVE CHAT !
user: i feel like i’m watching a tv show
user: “i don’t want to lose this again” and when i start sobbing????
user: ok but is the dick game good
user: HE SWIPED UP ON A COSTA TOASTIE ☠️
user: nah he’s down BAD me too but like 😭
user: he def would’ve thrown a temper tantrum if she didn’t respond
user: grace booing is so real i wanted a kissing in the rain screaming ‘i love you’ confession
user: her smile when she said she’s happy now man they’re literally my parents ☹️
user: Love you both X ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
user: ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹
user: the world is healing
user: NAH MAN SWEAR THATS CHIPS BOICE COMING IN NOW
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LIVE CHAT !
user: i’m actually gonna cry i missed them sm ☹️😭
user: the camera switching to her looking at him with heart eyes after calling him a bellend is so funny GET HER ASS 👏
user: chip is the new an*rew t*te 🙏
user: oh how i missed him calling her lady and missus
user: he’s the leader of the sassy man epidemic oh lord
user: OMG I FORGOT WHEN SHE YSED TO GO ON COFFEE DATES WITH HIS MUM
user: leave my girl and her spotify playlists alone
user: this has literally made my year
user: just in time for y/n’s fall vids
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[tagged: savinggracepod , gkbarry_ , theburntchip]
❤️ liked by georgeclarkeey, georgebxggs, and 98,992 others
yourusername mum! mum! i made it! i’m on saving grace!!!!!! (and i figured i deserved at least one pic of chip from the launch x)
user that episode was the funniest thing ever i can’t even i nearly pissed myself when grace pretended to spank u with the paddle 😭😭😭
user mother ur so gorg i’m speechless
user you know the content is gonna slap when y/n l/n is there
user im so obsessed with u pls
user CAL AND CHIP AT THE FUNCTION SIR 👏🙇‍♀️
user best video in youtube history methinks
gkbarry_ loved having you on babe, even if the boss man gatecrashed 🫶❤️
yourusername he doesn’t like feeling left out smh
theburntchip oh alright then
max_balegde ICONIC!!!!!!
user MY ROMAN EMPIRE
user i hope you know that twt is in flames rn
user i gen teared up a bit when you talked about the breakup 🥹
user icons only
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[tagged: ynapparel , nellarose , theburntchip]
❤️ liked by landonorris, behzinga and 97,872 others
yourusername self representing by wearing @ ynapparel the past (and every) week 😩🤭 featuring the love of my life & chip ig…
theburntchip wow alright
theburntchip i thought you were a g 😔
yourusername oops sorry babe
theburntchip we’re over smh
yourusername oh no… what a shame ☹️ anyway… hot girl winter!!!!!!
theburntchip the fits are fire though 😮‍💨
yourusername as always x
user EATING SLAYING DEVOURING
user OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
user forever obsessed with u
user graduated from cuntingtion university with an phd in slaying
nellarose love you bae x
calfreezy chip looking dashing as per usual
theburntchip aye thank you brotha
nellarose AYYYY LOOKING SEXY 🔥🔥🔥🔥
yourusername ALL YOU BABY 💋💋💋
ynapparel looking good and dressed to kill 😉😇🩷
user face card NEVER declines
lissiemackintosh this barbie is my mother
user ur so real lissie
faithlouisak doll 🤩
alice_hez 😍🔥🖤
user WHATS THE SQUARE ROOT OF 64?????
user angel girl 🤍
centralcee 😮‍💨🔥🔥🔥🔥
user NAHHH HES BRAVE COMMENTING ON THE POST W HER BOYFRIEND
user CENCH GET OUTTA HERE MAN
user SIRENSIRENSIREN Y/N BABY RUN!!!!!
user OH??????
user wait am i missing smth why are we freaking out
user @ user cench has always been lowk flirting with y/n, like she interviewed him at some event last yr and he was being so flirty and obviously she was giving him blank wall back BUT when her and chip broke up he got even WORSE like man was always in her comments tryna chat her up and she entertained it a lil but now the bitch is back and he’s bold
user NAH MAN GTFO WE JUST GOT CHIP BACK IN THE PICTURE WE CANT HAVE U RUINING THAT
theburntchip just posted to their story
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297 notes · View notes
whatsnewalycat · 3 months
Text
Designated Person | 9
Pairing: Francisco “Catfish” Morales x F!Reader
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Chapter 9: Where The Wild Things Are
Rating: Explicit (18+ only)
Word Count: 8.6k+
Tags / Warnings: alternating pov, infidelity, past romantic & sexual relationship, angst, food mention, jealousy, alcohol & alcoholism, lying, conflict avoidance, crying, internal conflict, birthday party, a low-key dudes rule moment (bros! bros! bros!), tried my hardest hardest with Spanish but I am a white girl I’m sorry if its wrong pls let me know, a lot of dialogue like so much dialogue fuck, children, toxic relationships just bad all around
Notes: WELL HI, long time no see! I know it’s been over 6 months since I’ve updated. I went on a warpath with another series (Psychomanteum—it’s finished if you wanna check it out). But I’m back to force these two dummies to walk through hellfire 💘
[ Previous Chapter ][ Series Masterlist ]
———————————————————————————
Nothing seems right. 
For what has to be the hundredth time, you sift through the sparse collection of t-shirts and dresses hanging in your closet. Each time you push a hanger aside to consider a potential outfit, your brain falls into the same pattern. 
First, you wonder if Frankie would like it. Granted, if you showed up wearing a cardboard box he’d still want to fuck you. 
You want him to like it more than that, though. 
You want him to see you and get all weak in the knees. You want him to look at you in that way he does sometimes. That soft, magnetic look that tugs at every part of you. The one that argues against logic and speaks to intuition instead. That can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of look. 
After considering this entirely reasonable and attainable goal, you picture yourself wearing the clothes through Angie’s eyes. 
You dissect each potential outfit as she would. This dress too low cut, that one too frumpy, the other too short. A critical chorus of slut slut slut plays in the back of your head, accented by the memory of her manicured hands wrapped around your throat, the growl she let out when she squeezed around your windpipe. 
“You little slut, I will fucking kill you.”
Throughout this whirlwind of turmoil, snippets from this morning rise to the surface and drown out everything else. 
Frankie’s lips on yours, hungry and certain. His strong hands on your body, digging into your skin. The way he talked to you, voice low and strained—Whose pussy is this?
Every time these words repeat, your heart hammers in your chest. Tingles trickle out from between your legs and work up your spine.
The time before this, right after he moved in, when you fucked on the couch… you felt dirty afterwards. It sent you into a spiral of self-guilt that gnawed away at you for days. It reminded you of how sex was towards the end last time. Like you could have been anyone. Like he needed something to make him feel alive, and you were just the most ready and willing participant. 
But it felt different this time. 
Intimate in a way it hasn’t been in so long. It felt like an act of something bigger and stronger, like he needed you specifically. Not the rush of endorphins. Not just the heat of another person. Not a substitute for the love his wife wouldn’t give him. It felt like he needed you and nothing else would sate him. 
“I won’t do that to you again, mariposa, I promise. I’ll fix it, I promise I’ll fix it, ok?” 
Right about here is when indecision ties your brain off in a knot that seizes the production of valuable output. 
Then you return to yourself, staring into the closet like it’s fucking Narnia, and slide the hanger aside to do it all over again. 
Frankie collapses into a patio chair with a groan, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair before replacing his cap, then tilts his head up towards the blazing sun and closes his eyes. 
When he trekked through the Andes with his team, there were nights where he felt the cold so deep in his bones, he wondered if he would ever be able to get warm again. 
Right now is the opposite of that. 
Right now he would give up fistfuls of cash to feel that bone-deep freeze. 
He casts a longing glance at the cooler and fantasizes about drinking a cold beer. That psssch-ahsound it would make when he opened the tab. He imagines the condensation cooling his heated skin and the alcohol calming his fried nerves. 
Fuck, that sounds perfect. 
Through the open window to the dining room, he can hear Angie and her sister Marta gossiping to each other, talking about how so-and-so is dating what’s his face again and blah blah blah. His ears perk up when Marta segues into their personal life. 
“Speaking of people getting back together… How are things with you and Frankie?” 
Angie doesn’t say anything, but must make a face at her sister because she follows the question up by giggling, “What, can I not ask?” 
“Ay, Marta. No seas metiche.” 
A beat of silence passes. Marta must non-verbally pry, because Angie speaks again, quieter this time. 
“We’ll see.” Then quickly, almost defensively, she adds, “He’s getting his act together, you know. He quit drinking, and he’s doing this parole program. It seems like… it seems like he’s trying.” 
“Mmm. Is he still living with that girl? Su amante?”
Frankie knows Angie well enough to know she rolls her eyes in response. 
Marta tsks, but any further conversation is cut off by a sudden commotion of squealing and bickering.
He looks down at his watch, reading 1240, and guesses that Angie’s friend Carmen arrived with her five children. 
His eyes clamp shut and he fantasizes about drinking a beer. Maybe three. Hell, make it ten. Ten would do just fine. Ten would anesthetize him just enough to let him clear his head and make this whole ordeal manageable. 
“Just get through today,” he tells himself, “Just one more goddamn day, then you can be done with this fucking charade.” 
The backdoor opens, releasing a burst of chaotic noise. Angie and Carmen step out, and he stands at attention. 
“Oh wow, look at all this,” Carmen tells Angie, “Damn girl, you really went all out, didn’t you?” 
“We don’t really know what the situation will be next year, with Frankie and everything,” Angie’s eyes flick to him, and she shrugs, “So I figured, make it memorable. For all of us.” 
“Sure,” Carmen nods, concern creasing her brow, then she acknowledges Frankie with a quick head-to-toe scan, “Francisco, how’re you doing?” 
“Better than I deserve,” he smirks, and gestures to the gift bag hanging off her wrist, “Let me take that for you. Want anything to drink?”
She hands off the present and glances at Angie, then back to Frankie, “Can I get a beer?” 
“Sure,” he nods to Angie, “How about you, amor?”
“I’ll take a beer, too.” 
“Two beers coming up,” Frankie calls behind him while descending the stairs. 
As he walks to the 10’ x 20’ white canopy tent, he tries to eavesdrop, but the two women talk to each other in hushed tones. He has no doubt it’s about him, though, because he hears Carmen exclaim, “Oh shit, really?” then, quieter but still distinguishable, “Good for you, mamá.” 
After dropping the gift bag on the designated table, Frankie goes to the cooler to grab two cans of beer and a bottle of water, then returns to the deck, where Angie and Carmen both lean against the railing. They both murmur a thanks when he hands them their drinks. 
He rubs between her shoulder blades, “Need anything else?”
“A fucking Xanax,” she jokes while cracking her beer open. He watches foam bubble up from the mouth of the can and his pulse surges green with envy. She takes a long sip, then sighs, “Mmm let’s see. Food is done, Mamá and Marta are bringing everything out. Your mom should be here with the cake any minute. You got everything set up in the tent?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Alright, well,” she takes another swig and shrugs, “Wanna get the slip ‘n’ slide going? We can get the kiddos changed into their suits.” 
“You got it.”
He starts away, but she grabs his shirt to stop him.
When he turns back to her, eyebrows raised in question, her golden brown eyes meet his, then drop to his lips, “Thank you.”
His hand finds her waist and he nods, “Not a problem.”
She kisses him, and he kisses her back, thinking of you—always fucking thinking of you— as he tells himself: One more day.
Leah picks up on the second ring. 
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Tell me I shouldn’t go to this party.” 
She releases a big sigh that makes you grimace, then says, “Tell me you’re not actually thinking of going.” 
You glance up at the Morales residence through your windshield, sinking down into your seat when you spot Benny, Will, and Dani making their way up the driveway. 
“I’m outside in my car.” 
Leah is quiet for a moment before she asks, “Do you want to go?” 
“Yes and no,” you watch the Millers open the door and go inside the house, “I want to see Sarah, and I wanna be there for Frankie, just because… I don’t know, everything, but…” 
“But Angie?”
You nod, casting your eyes down to your hands to pick at the frayed cuticles, “I’m afraid she’s going to say something or do something to retaliate against me.” 
“You did have an affair with her husband—”
“I’m well aware,” you snip. 
The silence that follows wrings guilt from your stomach. A burning sensation works up your throat behind your eyes, so you pinch them shut and hang your head. 
“Fuck, sorry. You’re right. She has every right to despise me. I deserve it. I shouldn’t go, it’s stupid.” 
Your words come out all pathetic and warbled by tears, but you continue anyway. 
“I feel so torn. I care about them a lot and I wanna be there. I want it to be better so that… fuck. I don’t know. Nevermind.” 
“Why do you want it to be better?” 
“It’s stupid.” 
“No, I want you to tell me.” 
You take a deep, shaky breath, tilting your head up towards the drooping ceiling of your car. The answer pulses through your body and tingles on the tip of your tongue. If you speak it you might shatter to dust. 
Instead, you offer up a consolation prize to distract her. 
“I did something I shouldn’t have,” you whisper, then swing your head down to stare at your steering wheel, “I… had sex with him.” 
Leah snorts, “I fucking knew it.” 
“Shut up, you did not,” you scoff, “It just happened this morning.” 
“Rach owes me $10.” 
“You bet that—God, you are the worst.” 
You hang up on her, then stare at your phone for a few seconds before sending a text to Frankie. 
< ME:  < Are you sure I should come? I feel nervous
A few unresponsive seconds go by before you flip the visor down to inspect your reflection in the mirror. Not terrible. Some black smudges around your eyes. Could use some lipstick. 
You remedy these problems while trying not to think too hard about what you’re about to do, lying to yourself in hopes that you can somehow warp the truth. 
This will be fine.
By the time Frankie gets the hose hooked up to the slip ‘n’ slide, his mother- and sister-in-law are setting the last few food items out on the long folding table under the tent. 
Two of Carmen’s sons dash across the deck in their swimsuits. As he passes them on the stairs, he ruffles the older one’s scraggly dark brown hair, calling after them, “Soda and water in the cooler if you boys are thirsty.” 
They holler an acknowledgment as Frankie makes his way inside. 
The relief of stepping into cool, conditioned air quickly dissipates as the commotion hits him. 
At least a dozen conversations meld together in this wall of indistinguishable sound. He can’t quite focus on any of the vaguely familiar faces or isolate one single voice from the warble of people talking. 
A heavy, frantic pounding starts in his chest. His hands start to tingle. Noises disappear completely for a second, replaced by a high-pitched ringing in his ears. 
Jesus fucking Christ, I’m losing it.
He pulls a chair out from the dining room table and sits down, praying nobody notices him clench his eyes closed to inhale a deep, wide breath. 
Then another. 
Then another. 
Everything starts to come back into focus, and he tunes into someone asking, “Fish, you ok?” 
He startles when a broad palm settles between his shoulder blades. Looking towards the source, he finds Will’s dusty blue eyes studying him with concern. 
“Shit,” Frankie mutters, running a hand over his face before he clearing his throat and standing, “Sorry, yeah. Think I got too much heat or something.” He gives his friend a quick, one-armed hug, “Good to see you, man.” 
When Will parts ways with Frankie, he gives him a look that says he doesn’t buy it for a second, but doesn’t push the subject. 
His wife, Dani, approaches with a cautious smile, “Frankie, good to see you.” 
“Good to see you, too” Frankie gives her a hug, “Thanks for coming.” They separate and he asks Will, “Benny here yet?” 
“Yeah,” he smirks, jerking his head towards the living room, “Shooting the shit with your mom.” 
“Figures,” Frankie chuckles and shakes his head, “I gotta go make my rounds, but, uhh,” he gestures from the gift box in the crook of Will’s arm to the back door, “There’s a gift table outside. Food and drinks and all that, help yourselves.” 
“Catch up later, yeah?” Will nods. 
Frankie mirrors the action as a few waist-high kids race past, budging in front of them when Will opens the door. 
He notices a cluster of aimless partygoers lingering between the dining and living room, and starts directing the halted human traffic out to the backyard. It prods them into action, thinning out the crowded common area as he makes his way to the couch, where he finds his mom sitting with Sarah in her lap and Benny at her side. Benny says something to Sarah that makes her and her grandmother giggle. 
“Is this guy bothering you?” Frankie asks, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. 
“Francisco!”  
She passes Sarah to Benny and struggles to get to her feet. 
“Christ, mamá, let me help you” he mutters while taking her well-worn hands in his to pull her upright. 
She’s always been a woman of small stature, barely measuring up to his shoulders once the growth spurts petered out and left him as tall as he’d always be. But each time he sees her, she seems to have shrunk a little bit more. 
As soon as she steadies herself, she kisses his cheek, then pulls him down into a surprisingly tight embrace, telling him, “I missed you so much, mijo.”
“Missed you too, Ma.”
She pulls back from the hug, but holds onto his arms to look him over, “How have you been?” 
“Fine,” he nods, looking away when her keen dark eyes narrow, “What about you, hmm? How was the drive?”
“Bien bien,” she waves off his questions and takes a step back to smile at the birthday girl, “She’s getting so big, Pancho. Such a pretty dress.” 
Sarah grabs at the puffy hem of her skirt and giggles at the attention. 
Frankie snorts in admiration at his daughter, then asks her, “You wanna go see your party, princesa?” 
“Yes!” 
He looks at Benny, “I gotta see if Ang needs me to do anything, do you wanna…?”
“Escort these lovey ladies?” Benny winks at Julieta, “Shit, I’d love to.”
“Jesus Christ,” Frankie mutters, then tells Sarah, “Go with Uncle Benny, I’ll be there in a minute, ok?” 
She jumps off Benny’s lap and runs to the back door, leveraging her weight against the knob. It swings open and she escapes, sending Benny chasing after her, laughing, “Hey, wait up!”
Julieta starts after them just as Sarah’s bedroom door opens, and two little girls come charging towards the back door. Carmen and Angie trail behind, the former carrying a baby tucked into her side, the latter looking around with a puzzled expression pasted to her face. 
“Everyone outside?” Angie asks her husband, slowing to a stop a few feet away from him while Carmen continues outside. 
“Yeah. I, uhh, got the slip ‘n’ slide set up, all the food is out—anything else you need me to do?” 
“Is your girl here?” 
She smirks and tilts her head at him, like she’s joking or teasing, but the humor doesn’t reach her eyes. 
His skittish heart skips in his chest. 
Sensing a trap, Frankie searches her face and shakes his head like he doesn’t understand. 
Angie raises an eyebrow at him, “Don’t act like you don’t know who I’m talking about.”
So fucking sick of this. 
“Whatever,” he blinks, “No. I haven’t seen her yet. Anything else?”
The forced amusement immediately drops from her face and she stomps outside, slamming the door closed behind her. 
He takes a deep breath, pulling his hat up to run a hand through his hair, then glances at his watch. 
1308
He shakes some of the nervous energy from his fingertips and starts to pace the living room. 
What if you decided not to come?
Honestly, it would make today much easier. He could just go out there and play his role. Put on his mask and blame his disposition on the ongoing legal battle. His mother, wife, and friends, they’d be none the wiser. 
Something inside him lurches at the thought. 
Suddenly and very clearly, he understands that if you don’t show, nothing will change. He will drive this ship into the ground. 
As if on cue, the doorbell rings. 
He jogs down the steps, swings the door open, and there you are, wearing a pretty floral sundress and a nervous smile. 
“Hey,” he backs up to allow you entry.  
“Hi,” your smile grows wider, and you step past him as you enter the house, “Long time no see.”At the foot of the stairs, you turn to face him, “Where’s the party?” 
“Backyard.”
“Oh.” 
When you glance down at his mouth, one hundred butterflies start chittering away at his stomach. He licks his lips and notices himself gravitating towards you. It doesn’t help that you’re doing it, too. The subtle way your body bows in his direction, inching so close he can smell the bright burst of your perfume and the damp musk of your sweat. 
“Is everyone out there?”
“Pretty sure,” his eyes flick to the vacant upstairs, then back to you, “Why?” 
Just an inch away, you clamp a grin closed and shrug, “No reason.”
“Uh huh,” he raises an eyebrow, daring to rest his hand on your waist. The contact floods his body with a hot, thudding pulse he can taste. 
Searching his face, you slide your palm over his heart. Beneath your touch, the muscle pounds at its seams. 
Against his better judgment, he leans in to capture your lips in his. Warmth spreads out from his chest through his limbs. You hook a hand behind his neck and pull him closer, your body curving flush against his. 
Only hours have gone by since he last saw you, but it feels like months. It’s like that with you. Timeless when you’re together and an eternity when you’re apart. 
Pulling back, you look at the floor and shake your head, “Sorry.”
“For what?” 
“We shouldn’t, umm,” you swallow hard, shaking your head again as you glance upstairs, “Here, now, you know…” 
He glances at the back door, “You’re right. We should get to the party.“
“Yeah,” you take a big step back and clear your lungs with a deep breath, then hold up your gift bag, “Where should I put this?” 
“Right this way—” 
“Wait, look at me,” you chuckle, tugging at his hand. 
He faces you, asking, “What?” 
You cup his cheek and lick the pad of your thumb, bringing it to his bottom lip, “Lipstick.”
Your brow furrows in concentration, tongue poking out the corner of your mouth as you scrub off the evidence. 
It’s kind of adorable, the way in which you do this. Doting, almost. Reminds him of the times Mamá would catch him with a dirty face in public and try to make him more presentable. 
Briefly, he pictures you as the matriarch of a rowdy crew of children. Driving a minivan to school drop-offs and extracurricular activities and family outings. It suits you. 
He can’t stop his lips from curving into a smile. 
“What?” you grin, eyes flicking to his. 
“Nothing,” he murmurs as you tilt his face around and inspect him. “Better?” 
“Better,” you nod, “How about me?” 
He pinches your chin and looks you over, correcting a smudge before telling you, “All clear. You ready?” 
You give a half-hearted shrug, looking around at the ground, then ask, “Your wife isn’t gonna like… yell at me in front of everyone or pelt me with produce, right? This isn’t an elaborate revenge prank?” 
“Is that what all the tomatoes are for? Shit,” he teases, earning a chuckle and an eye roll from you. “No, but really. She agreed to be nice.” 
“Ok,” you nod, “So I’m like allowed to talk to you and everything without worrying she’ll try to murder me?” 
Frankie snorts, “She wouldn’t murder you—” 
“She has literally told me ‘I will fucking kill you.’”
“That was—” he shakes his head, then brings his hands to your shoulders and stares into your eyes, “It’s gonna be fine, mariposa. We’re gonna go bullshit with people and eat some food, and then we’re gonna home and watch a stupid fucking movie. Ok?” 
You laugh, dropping your gaze for a moment before returning with a bashful smile, “Ok.” 
As you make your way down the food table, piling tamales and Spanish rice and fresh fruit on a flimsy paper plate, you feel eyes on the back of your head. Whether it’s just one set or ten, you don’t care to know, but the feeling sends a shiver up your spine. 
When you reach the end of the line, you take a deep breath before turning to find a place to sit. 
Like every other party, the crowd is mostly separated into cliques. 
Parents from around the neighborhood stick together at a few long tables, bribing their children to eat and drink water before returning to the slip-n-slide. At another table sits Angie’s family, including the queen herself, whose pointed stare you gloss over, ignoring her and Frankie at her side. You find some familiar faces at a table near the edge of the big party tent: Benny, Will, and Dani. With them is a small, elderly woman who must be Frankie’s mom or an aunt or something, due to the striking resemblance. 
The whole thing reminds you of choosing a place to sit in your high school cafeteria. Much like you did in those days, you gravitate towards an empty table nearby, but halt when some calls your name. 
 Frowning, you look around to find Benny waving at you. 
“Over here,” he pulls out the chair beside him. 
You approach with a smile, the tension held in your shoulders dissolving just a little as you take the open seat and greet everyone. 
“Thanks. I didn’t know if, umm… it was ok,” you chuckle nervously and drop your eyes to your plate, shaking your head. 
“Oh, come on now, you’re always welcome with us,” Benny grins, leaning back in his chair to reveal the tiny graying woman on the other side of him, “Have you met Frankie’s mom, Julieta?” 
“I have not,” you reach across Benny to shake her hand, “Good to meet you, I’m—” 
She waves you off and pushes her chair out behind her. You half-expect her to furiously walk away at your presence, but instead she wobbles over to you and holds her arms open. 
“I know who you are. Come here, mija.” 
You stand to accept the invitation, stammering out, “Oh—ok—” 
Emotion wells up in your chest when her bony arms squeeze tight around you and she tells you, “Thank you for taking care of my boy.” 
Not sure what to say, you just hug her back for a few long seconds. The embrace says it all. It feels maternal and earnest and brings a few tears to your eyes. When she pulls away and smiles at you, you notice she’s a little misty-eyed, too, and you smile back at her. She gives your cheek a few pats before you both return to your seats. 
“How’ve you been?” Dani asks. 
You contemplate the question long enough for Benny to interject. 
“Well, she’s keeping Fish out of trouble so I’m sure she’s having a hell of a time.” 
You shrug, “It’s nothing compared to some of the toddlers I’ve had to deal with.” 
Your audience chuckles, then awaits a follow up. 
“No, I, umm… I’m doing ok. Going through a breakup, so that’s tough, but… mostly I’m good.”  
Why did I say that?
“A breakup?” Benny leans back and drapes an arm over the back of your chair, “What happened?” 
“Oh, we don’t have to—” you laugh at your plate, stabbing a chunk of watermelon. 
“Come on, give us the dirt,” Benny prods. 
You shove the watermelon in your mouth and wrinkle your nose at him, shaking your head. 
“Let the girl have some privacy,” Dani scolds, “If she doesn’t wanna talk about it, she doesn’t wanna talk about it.” 
“If she didn’t wanna talk about it she wouldn’t’ve mentioned it,” he counters. 
“It’s fine, it wasn’t even a big deal. We were only dating for a few weeks and it wasn’t a good match,” you explain, glancing around the table, “I don’t know why I said it, sorry, I’m just, umm… nervous.” 
You notice Will studying you and hold his meticulous gaze for a moment before dropping your eyes to your plate. He speaks up then, drawing the fire away from you. 
“Hey, that’s alright. Not like Benny has room to criticize,” he gives his brother a lopsided grin, “Remember that girl that tried to stab you?” 
“Not this again,” Benny groans.
“Ok well now you have to tell me,” you say, flashing a grateful smile to Will before nudging Benny, “Come on, give me the dirt.” 
“Well, if you’re gonna twist my arm about it.” He visibly shifts into storytelling mode, sitting up straighter as a glint of mischief sparks in his eyes, “First of all, I had no business dating her to begin with. She had a PT Cruiser with whiskey plates. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.”
Trying to be a halfway decent host, Frankie makes his way around the party checking in with people, introducing himself to all the unfamiliar faces and making small talk, recycling the same lines. 
Drinks are in the cooler if you’re thirsty. Thanks for coming. I’m doing great, how about you? 
Meanwhile, Ang seems to have taken on his former role as the champion beer drinker of the party. Every time he glances at her she’s either guzzling it down or popping open a new aluminum can. 
When she and Carmen start directing slip ‘n’ slide traffic and seem sufficiently distracted, he walks up to the table where some of his favorite people are seated and takes the open chair next to Will. 
“Look who it is,” Will smirks at him, “We were just talking about you.” 
“Christ, do I wanna know?” he leans forward to rest his elbows on the table. 
“Probably not, I was talking mad shit about you,” you tease, looking at him with a grin that makes his heart swell. 
“Figures you would be,” he shoots back. 
You chuckle and shake your head, “No, actually I was just telling them about how I’m teaching you to cook.” 
“Oh yeah,” he looks around the table, “Did you tell them about the stir-fry?” 
“Ok, you tried with the stir-fry and it was almost edible—” 
“Almost edible?” Benny laughs 
“Somehow the rice was both undercooked and burnt, and the veggies were mush,” you share, sitting up taller when you meet his eyes, “But it could’ve been worse. You’re learning!” 
“I’m just impressed you could get him in the kitchen in the first place,” Benny says, then turns his attention to Julieta, “Mamá, you didn’t make him cook anything growing up?” 
She tsks and waves him off, then explains, “His father wouldn’t let me. He was very traditional, you know, said it was women’s work.“ 
“It’s ok, Ma,” Frankie assures her. 
“I am glad you’re learning now.” A smile stretches across her face, “You must be grateful to have such a good teacher.” 
“I am, really,” he nods and glances at you before admitting, “I’d be a fucking mess without her.” 
Everyone at the table seems to sit with this information in silence for a moment before Will clears his throat and asks, “Are you still working on that car?” 
Frankie leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, “Here and there. Lately it’s just been collecting dust.” 
“Mind if I check it out?” Will inquires, “It’s been, what, a year and a half since I’ve seen it?” 
“Sure,” he frowns, looking over at you and your creased brow as if seeking permission, at which point you give a shrug, then he squints up across the yard and spots Angie talking to her mom and dad. “Let me just tell Ang so she doesn’t lose her shit if she can’t find me.” 
The three men stand from the table. Frankie gives you one more glance before starting off towards his wife. With each step he takes across the grass, he wishes more and more that he could kiss you again. Give you reassurance that you’re doing great in this precarious situation. 
Angie’s father glares at him as he approaches, which isn’t abnormal. Angie follows his line of sight, wobbling a bit as she lays eyes on him. Surprisingly, she smiles, “Hey!” 
“Hey—” 
She throws her arms around his neck and kisses him, the action so unexpected he stumbles back a step. Her lips taste of beer and poor judgment. When he pulls away, he plasters on a fake grin and says, “The guys wanna look at the car, is it ok if I slip away for a few?” 
“You boys and your toys,” she rolls her eyes, “Fine, just be back for presents in a couple minutes, yeah?” 
“Alright,” he searches over her shoulder, “How’s Sarah doing?” 
“Good, good,” she nods, “She’s playing with Carm’s kids in the sandbox.” 
“Make sure she gets some water, I don’t think she drank any with—” 
“She’s fine, Francisco. I’ve got it,” she insists, patting his chest. 
He studies her for a moment, then says, “Ok, I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll be in the garage if you need me.” 
“Give me a kiss,” Angie demands, her long nails scraping at the nape of his neck. He leans in and presses his lips to hers, feeling nothing but irritation and disgust. 
When Frankie and the Miller brothers disappear into the house, so does your social armor, leaving you exposed. 
For a while you make scattered small talk with Julieta and Dani, discussing Sarah and the party and the weather. You watch Sarah play with her friends from a distance, not wanting to disrupt their sand castle building by approaching. Every once in a while, your eyes cheat to Angie. 
A vile, familiar sensation sits heavy in your stomach. 
He warned you that it might be difficult seeing them together, but you forgot how bad it hurts to witness. 
The way she kissed him doesn’t help. Hanging off him, looking at him with bedroom eyes.
It’s not the same this time. He’s different now. 
The foul thing in your belly goes dead weight, making you lurch. 
What if he’s not? 
Before you can spiral too much, you hear, “Chacha!” and realize Sarah is running towards you
“Hi, pumpkin!” you smile and outstretch your arms to catch her as she slams into you. 
“I’m not a pumpkin, I’m just a girl,” she giggles. 
“Are you having fun at your party?” 
She grunts out an “mhmm” while you pull her up onto your lap. Her face is flushed, skin all heated and damp with sweat. 
“You look like you’re hot, do you want some water?” 
“Um. Ok!” she smiles. 
“Ok let me get you—” 
“I got it,” Dani stands and starts towards the cooler. 
You murmur a thanks and return your attention to Sarah, “Thank you for letting me come to your party. I’m having so much fun.” 
She giggles in response, leaning into you. 
“How are you liking daycare? Do you get to play with your friends?” 
She nods. 
Dani returns with a cold water bottle, twisting the cap open before handing it to you. 
“Here you go, sweetie,” you bring the bottle to her lips and slowly tip it back as she takes big gulps of water. Periodically, you pull it away and let her catch her breath, then start again until she pushes it away. 
“Better?” 
“Much better,” she nods. 
“Maybe she should go inside and cool down for a minute?” Dani suggests. 
Julieta leans over to feel her forehead, “Too much sun, hija.” 
“Do you wanna go inside for a minute?” You ask, tucking her hair behind her ears. 
“Chacha will you go with me?” 
“You want me to—oh, um… should we ask your mom…?” You frown at Dani, who grimaces, then Julieta. 
“Just take her,” Julieta insists, “I’ll tell Angelica if she comes looking.” 
“Ok. Ok sure. Let’s go, sweetie.” 
You rise from the chair, sliding Sarah to your hip, then carry her up the stairs into the house. Once inside, you sit on the couch with her for a few seconds before she wriggles away and scampers off down the hallway. 
“Chacha come see my room!” 
“Oh my fucking god,” you whisper under your breath, glancing nervously up at the back door before following her, “Ok, but just for a minute, then we should go back out to the party.” 
“Are you seriously calling him?” Frankie blinks, leaning back against the workbench. 
Will shoots him a look while raising the phone to his ear. 
“Unbelievable. It’s like six o’clock in the morning there, you’re gonna wake—” 
“Hey Pope, I’m gonna put you on speaker.” Will presses a button and sets the phone down next to Frankie, “Now I want Fish to tell you what he just told me and Benny.” 
Gnashing his jaw back and forth, he stares at Will, then Benny. They both watch him expectantly while Santi speaks up, his voice groggy from sleep. 
“Alright, let’s hear it.” 
Frankie clears his throat and rubs his mouth before saying, “I’m gonna ask Ang for a divorce.” 
“Oh shit, ok.”
Will prods Frankie further, “Tell him the other part.” 
“Will you just—Fuck, ok. I’m… seeing someone.” 
On the other line, Santi chuckles a little, “Uh-huh.“ 
“Any guesses on who that might be?” Benny asks. 
“Oh, I have one—” 
“Wait wait wait, let me give you a hint,” Benny grins while scrolling through his phone, pushing off the hood of the car to grandstand, “On June 10–only seven weeks ago, mind you—Fish said about her, and I quote: It’s not like that, we’re only friends. To which you said—” 
“—I said bull-fucking-shit!” Santi finishes, then howls, “That is fucking delicious, thank you.” 
Frankie crosses his arms and shakes his head at Will, “See, this is why I didn’t wanna tell him.” 
“How long?” Santi asks. 
“How long what?”
“How long have you been sleeping with her?”
“It’s… complicated, ok?”
Benny giggles and repeats, “Oh, it’s complicated.”
Santi questions further, “Sure, well, let me ask you this: How long have you been in love with her?” 
“Why does it matter?”
“You do, though, right? You love her?” 
Frankie crosses his arms and glares at the phone, “Yeah.” 
“When did that happen?” 
Heat flares through his veins. He wrings his neck and mutters, “That’s a stupid question.”
“Why’s it stupid?”
“Cuz, Pope, that’s like… that’s like asking how long ago mankind came to exist. Or asking what point a chrysalis becomes a butterfly. I don’t fucking know, man, it just does. I just know that I do, I love her, and I have for… a while.” 
The two men before him are silent, along with the voice on the phone. Frankie, on the other hand, finds momentum in his confession. He continues. 
“And Ang… Jesus Christ, I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve felt like this with her. And the longer I think about it, the more I convince myself I never did. Not this way, like I can’t live without her, you know?” He taps his fingers against his lips, then shrugs, “Maybe I could have at one point, if I tried. But even then… I don’t like who I am when I’m with her. It doesn’t feel right. It’s like I’m wearing someone else’s skin and it doesn’t fit me.” 
He glances up at Benny, then Will. Their faces are somber, but understanding. Benny approaches, leaning on the workbench beside him to rope an arm around his shoulders and give him a supportive squeeze. 
“When are you gonna tell her?” Will asks. 
“Soon. Not today, but this week probably.“
Benny withdraws his touch and crosses his arms in front of his chest, “She’ll go right for the jugular. You know that, right?” 
“I know.” Frankie takes off his cap to run a hand through his hair, then puts it back, “She’s gonna try to take Sarah. Fuck, I’m gonna need another goddamn lawyer, aren’t I?” 
“Can you afford that right now?” Will furrows his brow, studying him, “Be honest.” 
“Probably. Well, maybe. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” 
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but is now the right time? You’re on parole and looking to add felony charges to your wrap sheet. Not to mention the infidelity. On paper, your custody case is shit.” 
Frankie shakes his head, “If I have to keep living like this… all this lying and pretending… I don’t know, man. I can’t do it anymore. Something inside me is about to break. I can feel it.” 
The Millers exchange a look. 
“I don’t think I’m speaking out of line by saying we all just want what’s best for you, Fish,” the voice over the phone tells him, “We want you to be happy. If you need to get out, get out.” 
Frankie glances up at Will, who nods in confirmation. 
“Thanks. It-it means a lot to me,” he shifts his weight to one leg, looking down at his wristwatch, “We better get back to the party. Talk soon, yeah?” 
“Yeah,” Santi says, “Hang in there, buddy.”
After hanging up the phone, Will gives Frankie a pat on the shoulder, “We’ve got your back.”
As they file out of the garage into the entryway, Angie walks out from the bathroom. When she notices them climbing the steps, she calls, “Hi boys.”
To his credit, Benny puts on a convincing smile and greets her with a high five, “What’s up, Angie?” 
She steps aside to let him pass, then fixes her glassy eyes on Will, “How’s the carcocha looking?” 
“Better than the last time we saw it,” Will shrugs, glancing over his shoulder at Frankie, “Just needs a little TLC.” 
“Needs to go to the scrapyard if you ask me,” she snorts and tilts her head at her husband as he reaches the top of the stairs, “Hey handsome.” 
He gives her a half-hearted smirk, then frowns, “Where’s Sarah?” 
“She’s fine, still playing. Francisco,” she tugs on his shirt, so he comes to a stop. 
Jesus Christ, her breath smells like a brewery.
His eyes flick to the Millers stalled at the back door. After waving at them to clear out, he raises his eyebrows at Angie, “What?” 
“I need your help with something.” 
“Sure, what?” 
Instead of answering him outright, she takes his hand and leads him down the hallway. His stomach twists with understanding when she pulls him through the doorway towards the bed. 
“If you wanna lay down for a bit, I can take care of every—” 
She turns to face him, placing her palms on his chest and sliding them up to his shoulders, “I want you to fuck me, Francisco.” 
“Ang,” he chuckles with exasperation, shaking his head, “We have a backyard full of guests here, come on.” 
“They’re all having fun, no one will notice.” She takes his hand and guides it to her face, gently folding down all his finger but the index and pouts, “Please, Frankie.” 
He swallows a groan when she wraps her full lips around his digit and sucks. The wet hot plush of her mouth makes his eyelids flutter and weakens his resolve. 
“I don’t think—” 
She pulls his finger from her mouth like a lollipop and bats her eyelashes at him, cooing, “Don’t you wanna fuck me like you did the other night? Didn’t that feel good?” 
“Well, yeah—” 
“We can be quick.” 
As she reaches for his belt, something moves at the edge of his vision. 
“Mommy, Daddy!” 
He looks at the doorway to find Sarah in the hall, holding one penguin toy in each of her pudgy toddler fists. A big, toothy grin spreads across her face and she giggles, galloping into the room. 
Thankful for the diversion, Frankie smiles and takes a big step away from his wife, crouching down to ask Sarah, “Hey sweetheart, what’re you doing in here?” 
“Showing Chacha my penguins,” she tells him, holding up her toys, “This one is an emperor penguin, and this one is a macaroni penguin!” 
“Chacha?”
Something inside him drops to the floor. He looks up and sees you emerge from Sarah’s room. You pause briefly in the hallway, glancing at Angie before meeting his gaze. The pained look on your face rips his heart in two. 
“I, umm…” you stammer, dropping your eyes to the floor and shaking your head, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I was just—leaving. There’s a thing and-and I have to go.” 
With this, you flee down the hall, then the stairs, your footsteps still echoing heavy in his head while the front door slams shut. 
“Whiskey coke?” 
You look up from the bar top’s glossy wood finish to give Bubba a nod. 
“Ain’t seen you around here in a while,” he comments while scooping ice into a glass. 
“Yeah.” 
It surprises you a little, how hoarse your voice sounds. A self-awareness passes over you and you straighten your spine, glancing around the bar before digging a compact mirror from your purse. By the time you finish rubbing the bleeding mascara from your swollen eyes, Bubba is placing your drink in front of you. 
You exchange the mirror for your wallet, but when you fish out your card and hold it out to Bubba, he shakes his head. 
“On the house.” 
“What, do I get the sad sap discount?” 
He chuckles a little at this, then shrugs, “If that’s what you wanna call it.” 
“Thanks.”
Leaning forward onto the bar, you pull the glass closer, then stab the ice with your straw a few times. Little bubbles of carbonation fizzle up to the surface and release the gassy scent of rail whiskey. Nostalgia sours your stomach. 
“Everything alright?” 
A deep ache branches out from the weight beneath your sternum and curls around your shoulders. Every cell in your body feels heavy and burdensome. 
Staring at the glass, you shake your head. 
“I’m all ears if you wanna talk about it.” 
“It’s a long, messy story.” 
“I got time.” 
You glance up at him, studying his concerned expression, and sigh, “You know that guy who meets me here sometimes? Brown hair, usually wearing a hat? Started a fight that one time?” 
“The vet?” 
“Yeah,” you nod and swallow down the thickness in your throat, then tell him, “We’ve been off and on for years. He’s, umm… he’s married. I was their nanny when it started. I fell in love with him. He made it clear he didn’t feel the same and he wouldn’t leave his wife, but I kept seeing him because I’m an idiot.” 
“Sounds like you kept seeing him because you loved him, not because you’re an idiot,” Bubba observes. 
“Same difference,” you shrug and tilt your head at your drink, “He’s an alcoholic. After his wife caught us fucking, he went off the rails completely. Still kept seeing him even though he kept me at an arm’s length and drank himself dumb every night. The thing is… I never believed him when he said he couldn’t love me like I loved him. I felt it, and I thought…” 
Tingles work up your throat behind your eyes, and everything becomes blurry as you choke out a sob. 
“I’m sorry—” 
“It’s ok.” 
You shake your head and wipe away your tears, but they keep coming. 
“I thought if I kept loving him he would see how good it could be and come around. I thought he would admit to himself that he does love me like I love him. I wanted that with him so bad, I just couldn’t fucking let go. Then, umm…” 
You clear your throat and take a deep, shaky breath. 
“I had to give him an ultimatum. Her or me. He picked her. I cut it off and tried to move on with my life. He called me a few months ago from jail and asked me to bail him out. I got roped into being his custodian while he’s on parole, so he’s been living with me. We agreed not to get involved in, umm, that way again. 
“He’s been sober and opening up emotionally while working through this shit. It’s been really hard. But it’s also been good, you know, because we’ve had to hash out all these problems that we’ve ignored for years. I’ve been able to see the real him, and… I love him more than I ever have.” 
“Uh-huh,” Bubba raises an eyebrow at you, crossing his arms above his beer belly, “So what happened that’s got you in a fuss? He still doesn’t love you back?” 
The question pierces your heart. 
Your voice balances a tightrope as you confess, “I thought he did. I really did this time, I was so fucking certain. He promised he would fix it, that we could be together—and I fucking believed him—” 
Waves of emotion swell in your chest and flood your eyes with hot tears. You fold forward, burying your face in your hands, releasing sob after sob as you replay the last two months in your head and wonder how you could be so fucking stupid to think it was real. 
The world around you melts away until it’s just you and that dense, pulsing pain. Like it’s always been. Like it always will be. 
It doesn’t matter how hard you try to help him. It doesn’t matter that you love him more than anything else in this world. It doesn’t matter. 
Nothing matters, because he doesn’t love you and he never will. 
A hand rests on your shoulder blades and pulls you back to reality. So lost in your self-pity, you didn’t notice Bubba come around the bar to console you. You sit up and wipe your eyes, mumbling out an apology. 
“It’s fine, darlin’. Can I do anything to help?” 
Sniffling, you shake your head, “I’ll be ok.” 
“You sure?” 
You inhale a shattered breath and give him a weak smile, “Fifty-fifty.” 
He furrows his brow and studies you for a moment before nodding, then taking a step back. 
As he makes his way back to his side of the bar, you stare at your drink. A fat droplet of moisture rolls down the thick condensation lining the glass and gets swallowed up by the cardboard coaster beneath. 
You wish you could forget about him. 
You wish you could feel nothing. 
You wish you could hurt him the way he’s hurt you. 
So, you pluck out the straw, raise the cup to your lips, and start drinking. 
The setting sun paints the wispy clouded sky above a brilliant shade of orange. Beneath his feet, the soles of Frankie’s shoes scuff against the driveway. He glances down at his mom, with her arm hooked in his, and says, “Thanks for coming out, Mamá. I hope you had a good time.” 
“It was a very nice party, mijo.” 
She gives him this stifled polite smile like she’s holding something back. So he prods her. 
“What?” 
She waves him off, “Nada nada.” 
“Come on, Ma.” 
They come to a stop at the driver’s side door of her car and turn to face each other. She studies him a moment, then gives in with a huff, “You have been like this all afternoon. Why?” 
“Like what?”
“So stormy.” 
He deflates, “Don’t worry about it.” 
Her lips purse as she tilts her head at him. The ‘don’t make me smack you’ look. 
“It’s messy, mom. How I’m feeling,” he wrings a hand behind his neck and shrugs, “I don’t know. Everything is a mess and it’s all my fault.” 
“All your fault how? Did something happen?” 
“No—well,” he catches himself, swallows, then corrects, “Yeah. I did something bad. And I lied about it. Then I got caught in the lie, and, you know…” 
She nods slowly, waiting for more. 
“I think I might be a bad person.” 
Her expression softens when Frankie says it. She cups his cheeks and stares straight into his soul. Suddenly, he’s five years old all over again, Mamá comforting his bruised heart. 
“There is a good man inside you. I know him well because he’s my son. Let him be brave.” 
He absorbs this for a moment, then croaks, “Ok.”
“Give me a hug.” 
He hunches over to hug her, burying his face in her neck, “Quiero mucho, mamá.” 
“Yo a ti,” she squeezes him, then pulls back and asks, “Will you call me tomorrow?” 
“Sure.” 
He waits for her to get in her car and drive away before returning to the house. Inside, he finds Sarah and Benny reading a book on the couch, while the siren song of the party still roaring out back rubs at his nerves. 
Frankie pulls out his phone to confirm you, predictably and rightfully, did not respond to his messages or calls. Reconciling with you will be a fucking nightmare. Going home to face the consequences seems less appealing with each passing second. 
He starts to consider other options. 
He could stay and drink. Join the party. Doubtful that Angie or any of her people would give a shit. Hell, they would probably encourage him.
Better yet, he could stay and drink by himself in the garage. There’s enough booze laying around, nobody would notice if he drained a bottle or two in order to reach that blissful numb. 
He plops down on the couch next to Sarah and brings his attention to Benny’s reading. 
“—‘Now stop!’ Max said and sent the wild things off to bed without their supper. And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king of where the wild things are. 
But the wild things cried, ‘Oh please don’t go—we’ll eat you up—we love you so!’ And Max said, ‘No!’ The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye… and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day… and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him… and it was still hot.” 
Benny flips the paperback closed and looks down at Sarah, who yawns and rubs her eyes, then to her father. 
“Still want that ride home?”
Frankie considers this for a moment before nodding, “Yeah. Let me put her to bed and talk to Ang, then we can take off.”
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vtoriacore · 2 years
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✧ oh, she wants you!
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note: man im so damn whipped for the genshin women from inazuma so i couldn't help but write a lil' smth smth because there is an appaling lack of content for them and i won't stand for it any longer !!
tw: NSFW, [18+ fem!reader] - mentions of female anatomy, use of "mommy" in yae's, degradation, bondage, slight electric play
characters: yae miko, raiden shogun, kamisato ayaka, sangonomiya kokomi, naganohara yoimiya
synopsis: in which they can't help but want you all over them; just whose fault is it that you're so damn irresistible in every way, shape and form anyway?
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✯; yae miko eating you out, not stopping after your third or fourth orgasm to show you who you belong to after seeing you spend too much time with another shrine maiden; she wants those pretty eyes on her at all times and she won't hesitate to show you that they should be by sending you straight to celestia with her tongue as she enjoys every mewl and moan that emits past your lips.
"hm? what was that? i can't make it out over the moaning, my pretty, dirty little slut. now be a good girl and take it as mommy wants you to, hm?" she'd feel proud of the way your fingers would cradle through her hair, pulling occasionally as you'd buck your hips into her face until you let that sweet aroma fill her very being. the way you beg and cry for more almost makes her climb on top to ride you, almost.
but rest assured, she won't stop until it's only her name you can utter by turning you into a babbling mess as her tongue penetrates your soaking pussy. by the seven, she just loved the way you tasted; how could she not lap your slick up untill you were an incoherent mess, until she couldn't help but engrave you into her senses so she never forgets how heavenly your sweet scent really is?
.
✯; ei blindfolding you and tying you up until you're left to hang from the ceiling by your wrists with the elaborate knots accentuating the curves of your divine body, not paying attention to your pleas as you whine for her tongue to run over every aching from the heat crevice of your supple skin. and although she wants to cave in so bad, she knows she has an eternity ahead of her to worship your body just as you always worship hers.
but even though she enjoys the sight alone, she lives for the way you shiver under her touch as she ghosts her slender fingers over your perked up nipples and the way you moan out her name in that sultry voice like the filthy little whore that you are for her every time; it gets her so wet she can barely stick to just simply watching you all wrapped up as originally planned.
the sensation of when she she sends a shock through your body using her vision leaves you breathless and wanting more, drool making its way down your chin and craving her skillful fingers deep inside you as she makes you sing her praise upon praise despite your mind not thinking of anything other than her body. but you don't mind doing so as long as you get to please your archon, and have her pleasure you in return for your endurance of her self-indulgent acts.
.
✯; ayaka eyeing your form, tracing every curve of your body as a blush overtakes her features over the filthy thoughts she is having. how would you taste if she connected both your lips? would you like the way her hands roamed your body as she begged you to take her? will you press her up against a wall and have your way with her after she gives you the dirtiest lap dance of your life?
god, she couldn't wait for you to expertly touch her as you always do, rough but always making sure her pleasure comes first. it made her unfold so fast, all the embarrassment leaving her body as you'd gaze at her as if she was the one to hang all the stars in the sky. and she certainly knew she'd be seeing the stars you believed she hung by the end of her teasing.
so when the plush skin of her ass pushes against your thighs as she continues swaying her hips in a circular motion, you just can't help but squeeze and prod. how could you when she was practically inviting you to? and finally, when you've had enough teasing and grab her by her hips to bring her down (hard enough to leave bruises), ayaka knows that she won't be walking straight for the next week.
.
✯; kokomi letting you sit on her lap, not knowing how difficult it wold be filling out the battle strategy diaries as you shift around on her thighs. it's not your fault your girlfriend looked so damn hot when she was chewing on her quill though, and kokomi wouldn't ever admit it but she loved the way you'd eye her lips everytime she did so.
you both knew it was a battle of who would snap first, and this time you were victorious as the prietess couldn't help but grow hot under your clothed cunt rubbing against her thigh and your perky breasts pressing up against her own chest creating this delightful friction she wanted more of. and despite you being a distraction, she couldn't help but want to ditch her duties and just have you use her as you please.
with how expertly your hand toyed with her underwear as you wore that annoyingly hot smirk which signified you winning this war for dominance, kokomi just had to submit and plead you to let those fingers thrust into her until she lost her mind instead. and who were you to deny her cute face, cheeks set ablaze and pretty pink lips forming a little kissable pout?
.
✯; yoimiya innocently bending down to set the fireworks alight on the hill of kangon island so they'd illuminate the warm, summer night sky all the while she grows flushed under your stare. you have been not so discreetly looking at her for the past 20 minutes with such intensity she thought she was going to burn up. but at the same time, she wanted nothing more but for you to continue.
"y-you know . . . if you want me, you can have me. i . . . i want you just as bad." she'd eventually mutter out in a moment of confidence, leaning closer into you to search your eyes as you gaze at her lips. and when you eventually close the gap, she can't help but lean into you, letting your hands explore her already flaming body.
yoimiya lives for the way your fingers trace the curves of her hips, the way you eventually slip your fingers under the apricot-orange happi she is wearing, the way you untie the sash holding it together to expose more of her body. and she most especially lives for the way you tell her you're the luckiest woman alive to have graced teyvat as you paint the skin of her neck a deep mauve colour with your lips.
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samkerrworshipper · 6 months
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togetherness pt.3 | matilda’s x reader
lowkey have come to detest this series chase i started it in first person and i no longer write in that format butttt some of yall want it so i have to supply 🤷‍♀️
warnings/themes: self harm implications, talks of past sexual abuse, lots of trauma, comfort, just general sadness tbh
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As we pulled up to our own hotel Sam and Steph were smiling like idiots, joking about something or another. I was lost in thought, thinking about everything that had just happened. My haze was cut short though as my door was opened for me and Sam stood on the outside, waiting for me to hop out. I unclicked my seatbelt hurriedly before climbing out of the car and ducking behind the car to grab my bag quickly. My coping mechanism was to grab my phone out of my pocket and to start to scroll through it as I waited on Sam and Steph to collect their own things. My phone was my social crutch, when I felt awkward it was what I leant to.
“Kiddo, let’s go?”
My head was pulled from my phone as I came to the realisation Sam and Steph had both collected their belongings and were walking towards the front of the hotel, Steph passing her car keys off to the valet. I scurried after the two older women, my behaviour was oddly skittish and I was sure the both of them were picking up on it.
We flashed our ID cards at the front desk before making our way into the team front room where we left our kit bags, just so there was no confusion of them in the rooms. We all individually stowed away our bags, collecting whatever essentials we needed from our bags before leaving them in their spots for the night. I grabbed my drink bottle, my airpods and my ugg boots from my bag before walking over to the food table, it was the table where they left all the snacks that were there to be taken at any time of the day. I picked up a packet of gummy bears instead of a granola bar, Leah wouldn’t have been happy with my switch but I wasn’t eating a granola bar so it was an improvement?
After grabbing the bag of gummy bears, filling up my water bottle and grabbing a bottle of gatorade I followed Steph and Sam towards the elevators, waiting patiently as they clicked the button for our floor. They conversed between the two of them as we went up in the elevator, just general stuff.
“So Y/n/n, we’ll go get Steph’s stuff and we’ll bring it into your room and we’ll move whatever of your stuff is there into my room, okay?”
I nodded at Sam, excepting that this was happening.
As the doors opened I found myself following behind them as they walked towards their room. I followed them into the room as Sam unlocked it with her keycard. The room was similar if not identical to Ellie’s and I’s. Two, matching queen beds, a joining ensuite and two reasonable sized wardrobes. Steph very quickly packed her stuff up, throwing it all into her bags before procuring Sam’s help to move it down the hall. I wordlessly unlocked the door to formerly Ellie and I’s room. When we walked in Ellie was already in there, sitting on her bed, cuddled up in a pile of blankets and sweatshirts. She looked like she’d been crying and I found a part of me feeling bad for her. She was a good person, a person who had been through a lot considering her age.
“Y/n, can we talk?”
I couldn’t find it in me, even with the guilt riding through my body to look at her eyes. I knew that they’d betray me, that I’d no longer be able to be mad at her or annoyed if I was forced to look into those eyes.
“Ellie, how about we try this tomorrow morning? Y/n/n's tired, she’s not feeling too well.”
Steph’s voice was pretty forceful but Ellie found room to rebut.
“I just want to talk to her for fucks sakes, I deserve that at least before my fucking roommate is uprooted.”
I jumped back at Ellie’s harsh tone, finding myself in Sam’s personal space bubble. She didn’t flinch back at my sudden intrusion, instead pushed one of her own arms to my side, steadying me slightly.
“Ellie Maddison, you have already caused yourself enough trouble for one night, I would stop now. I already told you, Y/n/n isn’t feeling up to it. We can try this in the morning, if she wants. We wouldn’t be uprooting her if it wasn’t for you two behaving like three year olds. You both need sleep, not more petty arguing that is going to get us nowhere. Y/n, grab your things, we can talk this all out in the morning, both Sam and I are too tired to put up with any more of it.”
I scurried to collect my bag, I’d never really unpacked so it wasn’t hard. I just grabbed my pillow, bag, phone charger and backpack before scrambling my way out of the room. Sam helped me to haul my big bag down the hallway and into her room.
As soon as we closed the door behind us I could feel a part of me break, the part that broke inside of me every night when I crawled under the covers of my hotel bed or I collapsed on the floor of the ensuite. The vulnerable part of my soul that had never been prepared for this, never prepared for fame or attention. I mean as a kid I’d shied away from it as much as I could, kid Y/n was an insecure, anxious mess who had no idea what she wanted, that part of me was still the same.
“Do you need help unpacking? Steph had housekeeping come in today and clean our sheets so the beds are all clean, I try to keep fairly organised and clean but just a disclaimer that there are some stories about me sleep-talking that I neither deny or confirm.”
“I think I should be fine to put it all away, thank you though.”
Sam smiled at me and nodded, it seemed like there was something else hanging off of the tip of her tongue that she was deciding whether or not to say.
“Okay then, I’m just going to have a quick shower, I do not apologise if I start to sing, it’s a canon event.”
I snorted and nodded Sam’s way as I watched her dip into the ensuite. I set myself the task of firstly, getting changed. I clawed off my layers of matilda gear and very quickly changed into a pair of Qantas pyjamas that we’d gotten on our flight to Sydney, they were fresh and unopened and everything about them seemed comfortable. After I was done getting changed I set myself the task of stowing my bag away on my side of the wardrobe, I didn’t do much more than that, I didn’t really want to unpack right now. So I did a very quick version of my skincare routine and then climbed into my bed. It was comfy, the same as my one in the other room except it just felt different. Once I’d properly situated myself in the pillows I grabbed out my phone and started to scroll on instagram.
It was safe to say that when I was in a bag head space I spiralled a lot.
So when I was in the dumps about a bad game I would often find myself reverting to the hate pages on the internet. The internet is a fucked up place. Some of the things that strangers are willing to put out in the world about a person they don’t know is fucked. It was still a bad habit of mine though to constantly look at those posts.
Leah was always confiscating my phone after bad games, after bad days. She knew me too well, knew how when I got wrapped up in my own head there was nothing to do besides just be there for me. I fiddled anxiously as I flicked through the countless news articles that had been posted. The Australian had a particular hatred for me, had since I was a rookie and since they’d found some photos of me doing drugs back when I was a teenager and published it on the front cover of the Saturday papers. I’d had a particular shared hatred back at them after that. They had a field day every time I had a bad game, I was pretty much the leading lady of page 6. Our game last Saturday had been no different, one wrong kick and I was washed up and cracking under the pressure. The slew of twitter pages and reddit links that I’d been sent after that had been enough to make anyone feel sick to their stomach.
That was why I think I’d gotten roomed with Ellie, she was probably the most hated in the media on the team besides me. I think Sam had thought maybe we’d bond over it but neither of us were vulnerable enough to talk to the other about it. So it had just stewed between the both of us and honestly probably made it worse than it should have been.
“I don’t think I have ever seen a person in such an intense staring competition with their phone.”
I squealed as Sam very stealthily grabbed my phone from my own hands. I immediately sprung up, trying to retrieve it from her hands, I hadn’t had the opportunity to lock it.
“What are you hiding?”
I saw Sam’s interest peak as I fought intensely to grab my phone back. She held it above her head and I might have been taller than her but I couldn’t for the life of me manage to retrieve it from her hands even as I attempted to use her body as a climbing frame. After a few jumps and attempts I gave up, collapsing back into my bed and covering my body and head with the sheets and duvet. The room stayed silent as Sam did the inevitable and looked through my phone screen.
“Y/n.”
Her voice was even and I felt her bodyweight sink down onto the spot at the bottom of my bed. I felt her arms work their way up to the top of the duvet and slowly try to pry them out of my own hands. She succeeded fairly quickly, smiling at me as my face was revealed to the light of our hotel suite.
“There’s that pretty face, no need to be ashamed honey. You ought to not read into what Roger writes, he hates anything to do with women's sports, especially women who are succeeding so heavily at such a young age. You shouldn’t let your mental image of yourself be contorted by words written by a person who doesn’t know you or care about you, don’t do that to yourself, you deserve better.”
I looked at Sam, in all of her glory, sitting above me, an old nike shirt that looked like it had been washed 600 times. Her hair was brushed smoothly back into her classic low pony. It made me cry. Not sobbing crying, just wet, fat tears dripping down my face as I thought about that article. I could probably quote most of the journalist's work, I’d read it over and over and over.
“Come on now, don’t cry, please. You’ve done enough crying for tonight, don’t make me tickle you.”
Sam’s eyebrow rose in challenge as she stared down at me, silently challenging me to keep going. When I did, her hands found their way to my sides and started to tickle me intensely. I immediately let out a choken laugh, trying to suppress my giggles and cries.
“S-Sam stop ittt. S’ not fair.”
She smirked at me as she continued her abuse of my sides.
“Stop crying then, c’mon, there are better things to do with your time then cry over bullshit. I know Williamson would have my head if she knew that I was letting her girl get down in the dumps over something that’s out of your control. I am telling you now, honestly, your whole career there is always going to be someone who is going to try and take you down, journalists, social media, other players. It’s wrong, but we are women in a field that is predominantly presumed to be male dominated, we aren’t appreciated, we’re underpaid and we are slaughtered in the press for anything. The more you feed into it the worse it’s going to get, and I understand that the other stuff isn’t going to just go away but it is going to eventually get better, I promise you that.”
“You promise?”
Sam rolled her eyes and extended her pinky towards me.
“I pinky promise.”
I rolled my eyes at the cliche but interlocked my own pinky finger in hers and shook it. Sam reached down to wipe the tears from my face and smiled at me, a little glint in her eye.
“Now, I think it’s about time we got you tucked in, it’s been a big day for you.”
“I’m not tired.”
Sam rolled her eyes at my immediate defiance and plonked herself down next to me on the bed, resting beside me against the headboard. She lazily placed one of her arms around my shoulder, there was something so simple but complex about the whole situation.
“Do I need to explain to you the importance of getting eight hours?”
“This feels like one of those captain moments where you try and mom me into doing something that’s not going to happen.”
Sam snorted at my reply, nodding her head concedingly.
“Is the defiance just a young people thing or do you just enjoy being a pain in the ass?”
“There’s no fun in it if I agree to everything you tell me to do.”
Sam’s eyes damn near rolled into the back of her head.
“Is it hard using defiance as a defence mechanism constantly?”
The question took me back a little bit, it hadn’t been what I was expecting. She’d turned a pretty mild conversation into something deep so quickly that it took me a few seconds to recover.
“I don’t use defiance as a defence mechanism.”
My voice wavered a little bit, just enough for doubt to seep in.
“Yes you do.”
Sam’s voice was so matter of a fact, like she knew me better than I knew myself.
“No, I don’t.”
“You push everyone out, you don’t listen to anyone who is trying to help you out, you do things that are harmful to yourself without caring, you play with injuries, you put yourself in harms way a little bit to often, you hide your emotions, I could keep listing off if I wanted to.”
I hated how right Sam was, how observant she was, it made me queasy.
“Okay, so I do some of those things, but that doesn’t make it a defence mechanism.”
“What does it make it then? A form of self harm? A form of punishment? I think you’ve punished yourself enough, when does it all become enough, when in the mind of Y/n do you atone for your sins? Because from where I’m looking at it you are leading yourself in the direction of a cliff's edge and you aren't going to stop until you are over that cliff.”
I gulped, unsure of what to say to my skipper, because I couldn’t lie to her, not for the life of me but I also wasn’t going to sit here and listen to her pretty much tell me that I was suicidal or something.
“You don’t know what I’ve done or who I’ve hurt to get here.”
“I know you're a good kid, with a good heart and if Williamson decided to take a shot with you then you have to be worth it. I know you carry baggage, a lot more than you’ll ever tell anyone, some things that you don’t even tell Leah. I have my inferences, I know things are rough with your family, always has been. I know you're hard on yourself, far too hard on yourself considering you are nineteen. I know that you never saw yourself here, never saw yourself as being capable of being here and now that you are you are having an identity crisis because you are secretly terrified that you are never going to be good enough to be here, even though you are. You’re hurting a lot, I know roughly what you're doing to self soothe, it’s not good and I’m worried about you, all of us are.”
I bit down on my lip, staring out at the wall in front of me, unsure of what to say to Sam, because she was right in so many ways but her words were also like a stab in my heart, because until someone is telling you about your behaviours I don’t think it subconsciously sinks in.
“Something to think about, I’m always here kid, if you ever need to talk, or need help, or just someone to keep you company then I’m here, whatever you need.”
“I didn’t ever plan on being a professional football player,” I snorted in between my words, realising I was actually about to go down this path with my captain, a woman who had pioneered womens sport in Australia, “This sounds stupid but all I ever wanted growing up was to own a cattle station, wanted to live the humble life out on the farm. I know that sounds so stupid, because it’s so simple. But I never planned for this, I never wanted this. My parents put me into football and gymnastics when I was six and I was good at them, really good and it was for fun so it was fine. Then it wasn’t for fun and I was playing in national teams and olympic qualifiers. Then I broke my back falling off of a beam and I was happy, I was glad, because it meant that I could do what I wanted. Then I was in the party scene and everything was good, until it wasn’t. Then my parents were shipping me off to the AIS and I didn’t have a say. Next thing I’m here and I’m doing this and I’m grateful, don’t get me wrong. But a part of me never wanted this and I know that’s bad of me to say because there are thousands of girls who would die for my spot but it’s the truth.”
I took a deep breath as I finished up my spew of words, it was a lot, I wasn’t an oversharer, most of it was probably word vomit but there was something about Sam that just made me feel comfortable with being vulnerable, I didn’t know what it was.
“That’s not stupid, having dreams isn’t stupid and it’s okay for you to be upset that you didn’t get what you wanted. You have a gift Y/n, the way that you play on the field is truly exceptional and I am telling you now that if you want to be the best professional footballer, then you can. You could be one of the best players in the game, better than me or any other player on this team, I believe that whole-heartedly. You deserve that, if you want it. If you start to make healthier decisions for yourself, decisions that don’t harm you. When was the last time you ate a proper meal? The last time you took time out of your day to look after yourself? How long until it starts to seriously harm you? Do I need to tell you how dangerous it is for a professional athlete to not be looking after their body, you are important Y/n, and so is your health.”
I fiddled with a loose thread that was protruding from the doona below me. My captain's words were sinking in, deep, like a tattoo. Etching its way into my skin, painfully.
“I am fine, our doctors have had no issues with clearing me, I eat and I do look after myself.”
My justification was weak, it was in my voice and in my mannerism. My statement just wasn’t believable, as much as I was trying to push it.
“So you know how to pass a medical test? I’d expect you too considering you fooled Tony the whole time you were at the AIS that you weren’t using. I’ve heard the story, it just proves to me that you know how to get around testing.”
Fuck. Fuck. It wasn’t surprising Sam knew my history with drugs, I mean anyone who read the papers knew, it wasn’t private information. I was clean now, four years and proud of it. I’d had a bumpy road to recovery but I’d gotten there with time.
“I can look after myself.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“See, as soon as anyone tries to care for you, you close up.”
“I don’t close up. I just don’t respond to being interrogated.”
“You aren’t being interrogated.”
“Sure seems like it.”
“That’s a bit overdramatic, all I am trying to do is care for you, something you are adamant on avoiding.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, because I couldn’t deny Sam in what she was saying, I did push people out who tried to care for me. Long ago Leah had accepted there were some parts of me that I was never going to be able to talk to her about, that was why she’d forced me into seeing a therapist.
“I don’t need you to care for me.”
“The scars on your thighs say otherwise.”
I blinked for a few seconds, taking a deep gulp as the words that Sam had just said set in, had she actually gone there? Had she actually just said that.
“That was a low fucking blow.”
Sam was clearly taken aback by her own words, it had clearly just spilled out of her. Sam was no filter, so it had come to me as no surprise that she frequently blurted, just the fact she’d said that though hit me deep.
“I’m not wrong.”
I could feel tears stemming at the back of my eyes, at the realisation that I was about to have this conversation.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Does Leah know?”
“She’s had her queries, she doesn’t push it.”
“She doesn’t push the fact that you cut yourself?”
If her previous words hadn’t hit hard, those ones had, because those words, that assumption, that accusation was so confronting.
“It’s not like that.”
“Explain to me what it’s like then.”
I pushed Sam’s arm off of my shoulder, feeling like I need a more face to face conversation. I pushed myself off of the bed head, so I was sitting between Sam’s two legs, my legs crossed. It was vulnerable for me, just talking to someone about my feelings was vulnerable for me.
“When I was 15, when I gave up the drugs. I was in a lot of pain, I hated myself. It wasn’t easy, I mean I was trying pretty much everything I could to get injured. I got arrested for speeding underage twice, both times Tony had to bail me out. I was just a mess, so I started to hurt myself, to stop myself from seriously injuring myself. It was the only thing that I could do that would make me feel better, the only thing that I could turn to when shit got real. So it became my thing, then I turned pro and I stopped for a while, especially when Leah started to get on my case about it but then we got to training camp and it was all too much so I started again and I know it’s a bad habit and it’s serious but Sam, I wouldn’t be here right now without it.”
“Are you suicidal?”
It was a question I definitely wasn’t prepared for.
“I’ve had suicidal thoughts over the years, I’ve had my fair share of bad moments but no, I’m not suicidal. I don’t do it because I want to die, I do it because it gives me relief, from life, from football, from stress. For me it's an outlet, when life gets hard that’s how I deal with it. It's unhealthy but it’s what works for me and I know that it’s bad but it’s what works.”
Sam nodded at me, there was a certain softness to her words and features the more I spoke to her, the more barriers that I let go. Sam’s own hand found its way to my bicep, silently comforting me and telling me to stop rambling.
“I get it. You do what you have to do to survive, and there is nothing wrong with that. You do what you have to do to get through the day. You’re not broken. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about or guilty for. You are still a child Y/n, in so many ways. The world is hard sometimes, what we do is hard sometimes, we all have needs. You scavenge for anything that helps you to get through because you want to survive, you want to be ok. Then it works, so you continue to survive. Good for you, you figured out how to survive. You don’t need to spend everyday in survival mode anymore though, you have love in your life that prevents the constant need to survive.
The words burnt my soul and I could feel the tears brimming up again. I hated crying.
“You’re living your old life Y/n/n. But it’s done, it’s over. You get to have the good things that you never had, you can meditate, or go on holiday, you can read books, you can learn a new language, you can learn how to live in a way where you don’t have to hurt to handle all of the things that scare you. No shame, just growth, okay. You don’t have to hide in your ensuite at night by yourself, like you taught yourself to do to survive, am I clear?”
Sam’s eyes bored down into my soul, her words were so strong and definite.
“You’re going to call me, or Leah, or your therapist next time you feel like doing it, that’s an order. You are going to call one of us, call me, and I’ll talk to you, I’ll talk to you for however long it takes for you to understand that this,”
Sam’s hand fell down to my thigh, where we both knew the scars laid, underneath my sweats,
“Isn’t the solution, not anymore, we’re leaving it in the past. This isn’t your way to survive anymore, from now on you aren’t going to just survive, we are going to make you live, I promise you that. From here on out you are going to live, and enjoy living. I am going to try my hardest to keep to that promise, but you need to as well. Promise me you are going to try and do more than just survive, because this shit in the press, it sucks, but it’s going to go away and once it does you are going to be lost, you are going to struggle and that fight that you put in everyday to be here, it’s not going to be as present and when that happens, when all of the outside threats are denominated you are going to hit rock bottom, there’s one positive of hitting rock bottom though, there’s only one way up and when you realise that you have the potential to go upwards and you want to, life is going to get better.”
“Y’know I get why Polks and De Vanna recommended you for captain.”
My words were said with tears and snot running down my face, with the realisation that right now, I was being held accountable for my shit and it was a hard realisation. My captain's words had hit home for me with the realisation that there wasn’t room for me to behave like I previously had.
“I try my best, I expect you to do the same. This relationship, this situation, it doesn’t work if you aren’t prepared to put the work in, if you aren’t prepared to hit rock bottom and work upwards from there. When you do hit that bottom, I want you to call me, tell me you’ve had a bad day, or don’t, talk, or listen, whatever you need.”
I nodded at Sam.
“I am going to try.”
She smiled at me and nodded, all encouragement and comfort.
“Okay then, okay. Come here kid,”
Sam opened her arms for me and I collapsed into them, grateful for just the warmth and comfort of Sam’s arms. I understood why all of the girls gravitated to her, why they seeked her out so often. She understood, she didn’t judge, she listened and then she gave advice, good advice, meaningful advice. One of her hands went to my back, gently rubbing across the nooks and valleys along my back. The other hand reached to the nape of my neck, gently twisting and brushing out the hairs that laid at the beginning of my hairline. I lent into her touch, silently finding so much comfort in her actions.
“M’ sorry, sorry that I didn’t come to you earlier.”
“It’s okay kid, I understand, you were scared and you didn’t know who you could talk to about that. What’s important is you know now, you know that I am always here for when you need help and I expect you to come to me from now on, no more hiding and struggling in silence, okay?”
I nodded into Sam’s arms, just silently finding so much peace and solace in being held. I hadn’t been held in months, not since I’d been with Leah and the last few months with Leah had been hard to say the least. She’d done her ACL, and it wasn’t anybody's fault, I hadn’t been prepared for it though. Both Leah and I were going through rough patches and neither of us were prepared to look after another human being besides ourselves. There had been countless nights between the two of us spent crying and fighting with each other. It was rough, we’d worked through it though. It was hard though, and a part of me felt guilty for not being okay, and a part of me felt like Leah was going through so much worse than me and I could never burden her with my stupid problems.
“Now, I think it is definitely time that we get you tucked in and asleep, I won’t take any arguments, you look like you could sleep for days if you needed.”
I just nodded at Sam, any fight, any defiance that had been in my body was gone, I just didn’t have it in me. She was right, I was tired, I’d hardly slept the whole world cup. I was an insomniac, so that was to blame partially, partially I also just didn’t feel safe sleeping. Ellie was always on the phone with her girlfriend, when she wasn’t she was trying to talk to me or do yoga or something. She’d also been slaughtered in the press most of the tournament, it was messing with her, everyone could tell. Her techniques for combatting her anxiety about it though was annoying to say the least, being the younger one in the situation I didn’t have the confidence to tell her that her habits were fucking annoying to say the least.
I didn’t fight back as Sam gently laid me down on my bed, pulling the covers up over my body and very gently tucking me in.
“Have a good sleep, kid.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back.
“You too cap, thank you, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Sam patted me on the head, giving me her signature smirk.
“It’s no trouble, now get some sleep yeah, I need you to be coherent for tomorrow.”
I nodded along with Sam’s statement, watching as she got up off of my bed and walked towards the light switch, turning it off before jumping into her own bed. She rustled around in her sheets for a few minutes before finding her spot, a few minutes after the rustling ended I heard her breath slow and even out, indicating that she’d fallen asleep.
The situation was not the same for me, it took me a few hours to fall asleep and once I did I only slept for two hours, it was fitful sleep, very light and not very good. I laid in bed for a while before deciding around 5 that I was going to go for a run. I got up as quietly as I could, throwing on a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Once I’d gotten dressed I picked out my pair of running sneakers before creeping my way out of the hotel room and trying my very hardest to keep my steps silent as I walked down the hallway and into the elevators that took me down to the lobby. Our hotel was about 200 metres from the beach, so I made the decision I would take my morning run along the beach.
It was still dark out as I made my way out onto the main road and started my jog down to the water's edge. The sun probably wouldn’t rise before I came home. I planned to do about ten km, the beach was around 4 or so long so If I ran up and then down I would probably do about that. As soon as I got down to the waters edge I started to run properly.
Running had been one of my releases since I was 12. Whenever I was angry I went for a run, when I ran everything stopped. It was just me and the music that I had running through my headphones. It felt the same as I set my pace along the sand, like all of the fucking mayhem from the past twenty four hours was just mellowing out, becoming background noise. If I could always be running I would. The only time I ever felt like I was myself was when I was running. The feeling of your heart pounding against your chest, the feeling of your breath hurting in your throat and the dryness in your throat. As I ran the sun slowly started to rise, slowly climbing along the horizon. I made it about three quarters of the way before I ran into someone, one of the last people I wanted to be seeing.
For a second I wasn’t quite sure who it was, they were the only other person on the beach, standing along the shoreline. As I sprinted my way back to my starting spot the body slowly started to become bigger and the fear in my gut slowly grew. I couldn’t make out much more than their body, with the lack of lighting present in the room. As I slowly approached though, more features slowly started to become more recognisable and I silently screamed internally as I realised who exactly was.
As I approached them I slowed my pace, down to a slow jog, almost a walk. I slowly approached them and internally froze as they turned to face me. Fuck.
“It’s a nice morning.”
Lucy’s face was stone serious, and her words didn’t reflect the general attitude that she seemed to hold.
“So you're enjoying the motherland, then, the sunrises are unbeatable.”
“I’d be enjoying it more if I hadn’t been pulled out of my bed at 5am this morning to come and find you because Kerr texted Leah saying you’d disappeared and she didn’t know where to.”
“I’m allowed to go on a run.”
“You didn’t leave a note, after having what I’ve perceived as a fairly rough twenty four hours.”
“I don’t need the lecture.”
“La Reina wouldn’t have a bar of this attitude.”
“Alexia isn’t here.”
“It could be arranged, if I deem you in need of some attitude adjustment.”
I braced myself in front of Lucy, she was a scary woman. When I’d started in the WSL I’d originally been selected by Barcelona, then after half a season I’d been traded to Arsenal. I’d liked it at Barca, if I hadn't been traded I probably would have still been there, Barca was good, when I’d gotten there I had been a basket case, it had been what I’d needed. I was 17 at the time, and had no idea what I’d wanted, Barca had taught me how to wake up every morning and do something with life.
Lucy opened her arms up to me and I let myself fall into them, letting the older woman embrace me. Her arms were strong and they hugged me to her tightly, comfortingly, in the way that a mother would embrace their child. That was what Barca had given me, a good relationship with people that were like substitutes for my mom.
“It’s good to see you, Luce.”
“It’s good to see you as well kid, although I would have preferred it to be under different circumstances.”
She released me from her arms and sat herself down on the sand, nodding at me to sit down next to her. I followed suit, so we were both sitting on the sand, looking out at the sunrise.
“You’ve been doing it again.”
“I don’t know what you're talking about.”
“I don’t want to tell Ale that you’re lying to me as well.”
I crossed my arms across my chest in frustration, grumbling at Lucy.
“She’s not even my captain anymore.”
“She’s still the woman who took you under her wing, she’s your blood, mija.”
I pursed my lips and looked out at the horizon, the sun was truly rising now, the bright pink and oranges mixing into a tie dye across the sky.
“How’d you know I was going to be down here.”
“Just a hunch, I know how much you like your runs.”
“I wasn’t running away or anything, I just needed to think.”
One of Lucy’s arms fell over my shoulders, it was heavy but so soft at the same time.
“I know mi amor, you should have told someone where you were going though, especially considering the events of the last few hours, you worried a lot of people.”
“Leah told you?”
“She told me she was worried about you, that you had a lot on your plate right now, more than a 19 year old should be handling.”
I pursed my lips again, Lucy’s words were so pensive, so calculated but present at the same time. It was bizarre.
“I, just, this world cup, it was supposed to be the defining moment in my career, when I proved to everyone that I was as good, if not better than everyone else they were comparing me too. But I haven’t been performing, the press hates me, I just can’t catch a break.”
“Sounds like you need a sabbatical.”
I snorted a little bit at Lucy’s words.
“I’m serious, you know, after this, you should take some weeks off. Leah needs it as well, go somewhere, wherever your heart feels like you need to be and just live, or learn to live. Turn your phone off, eat as much as you want, exercise as little or as much as you want, just let yourself be happy, without everyone else, without football, without social media and other people. Learn to love yourself.”
I’d been handed so much emotional advice over the last few hours, it was a lot to absorb, a lot to think about.
“I miss La Reina, I miss Barca.”
“I know mi amor, but you have to be here, you have to be in London. It’s what you are destined to be doing, Ale and us all miss you but you are doing such good things where you are.”
“Your taking me back to the hotel, aren’t you?”
Lucy nodded at me sadly and I took one final deep breath before lifting myself off the sand and dusting any remnants of it off of my clothing. I helped Lucy up and then we both started to walk towards the beach exit.
“I’ll be there to watch you tomorrow, Kei, Leah and I. Play for us yeah? Make us proud.”
The walk back to the hotel was rather sullen, both Lucy and I staying fairly silent, her guiding me to the doors with a hand secured on my lower back. When we got to the door I gave her a hug before parting ways and stepping into the lobby. The team room was a little bit more alive then it had been when I’d walked through earlier in the morning. Kat, Harper, Charli and Ky were all awake, having breakfast together, as well as a few of the other veterans. I made my way through the lobby as quickly as I could, I couldn’t be bothered with talking to anyone.
When I did get back to my room, I was very surprised to find Sam, Steph, Haley and Alanna waiting for me. I was the first person to speak, slipping off my shoes next to the door and breaking the tension.
“Isn’t it a bit early for a mothers group meeting?”
211 notes · View notes
soobnny · 1 year
Text
i hate that man — kim seungmin.
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trope. enemies to lovers. college au. fluff. seungmin being a menace.
synopsis. the four times you think you hate seungmin, and the one time you think that might not have been true after all
word count. 5.5k words
warnings. a joke about jumping out the window, crying over a failed test exam, curse words
author’s note. inspired by that tiktok audio!! u know which one i’m talking about. credits to a dialogue i got from here (ur thoughts n feedbacks r always appreciated)
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one.
Kim Seungmin is not your favorite person.
He is infuriating in the way he enjoys invading your personal space, always hovering around and blabbering his mouth nonstop every chance he gets. It doesn’t help his case (not that he wants to defend it in the first place) that he finds joy in hiding your things from you. You’d be damned if you left your notebook, even a pen, on your desk unattended. You already know the culprit is seated directly behind you, and the only thing you can do is ignore him in hopes that he returns it to you unscathed.
It’s much easier to not understand the reasons for why he annoys you. You would hate to find the truth behind his actions for the fear that he did it simply because he wanted to. This would only mean there was nothing to resolve to get him to stop.
Or worse, that he hates you. You admit with shame that you thought you’d actually get along quite well with Seungmin when you first met him. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie, playful banter and soft smiles directed to each other and the hopes of meeting each other again. It was honestly like a fairytale — until it wasn’t.
And you’ve tried before, to find out. You’ve made sufficient efforts in scouring for answers as to why he was that way with you, going as far as to asking Hwang Hyunjin (as embarrassing as that turned out to be). But, you had come out of all that empty-handed. So, you leave the unknown unknown and since then decided to just endure it. But it still has you wondering from time to time, had you burned down an orphanage in your past life to deserve this? Had you done something so sinister to be plagued by the presence of Kim Seungmin on a daily basis?
So, while you don’t necessarily hate the boy, you’d go as far as to say he was probably your least favorite person. And that notion weighs heavy considering you know resident menace Choi Beomgyu.
Still, Choi Beomgyu had nothing on Kim Seungmin so he’d have to accept being second to the last on your self-proclaimed list.
Speaking of the devil.
Seungmin parades into your classroom like he owns the place, laughing aloud side by side his friends. You simply drown out his obnoxiousness, the way you always do, though it never works considering it’s apparently his top priority to get on your nerves.
“Another Mcdonalds takeout?” He inquires, picking up the discarded paper bag on your desk to look inside. “You really should stop eating this junk so early in the morning.”
“Wow, keep saying things like that and I’ll start to believe you’re starting to care about me.” You abruptly grab the bag from his hands, moving to the back of your classroom to throw your trash properly before the professor walks in.
“Don’t be silly.” He simply laughs, taking his seat on your desk. “What do you even order?”
“Food, obviously.”
“No shit, Sherlock. What food specifically?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Can’t I ask a simple question?”
You know he won’t leave you alone if you don’t answer him. And you hate that you know that. So, with a begrudging sigh, you answer the boy. “Just nuggets and a Big Mac, now get off my desk.”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He’s being sarcastic, evident in how it’s obnoxiously dripping down his tone, but you can’t find it in you to care. As long as he’s out of your hair for a few minutes.
And you almost think the Gods have answered your prayers when you don’t come across him for the rest of the day. Something about that tells you there is a silver lining for the day, even if it is only ever a little line. You would hate to be blessed with his presence atop the Chemistry test you had at 7pm.
It’s one of the few advantages to signing up for night classes. The college halls were usually dead this hour, save for a few students on their way to the library after having their fifth cup of coffee for the day. And the lack of Kim Seungmin. It’s one sacrifice, giving up hours of your night, but honestly it really isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Especially when your professor always ends early in consideration of those who still had to commute back home — they had to catch the last train somehow.
To replace Seungmin, you had Yang Jeongin in your class, but he usually kept to himself more. He was a lot more civilized than his friend, and you’ve been hoping this would’ve at least rubbed off on Seungmin.
“You ready for the test?” Jeongin asks after you had taken your seat next to him. The first thing you discern is the lack of textbooks and notes on his desk compared to everyone else’s pathetic attempt to review last minute. It seems he’s given up like you did.
“Absolutely the fuck not. I haven’t even eaten dinner yet so this is going to be a disaster.” You laugh, dropping your bag down on the ground just as your professor walks in. Jeongin is on his phone for the rest of the free time you have left before test papers and answer sheets were distributed.
It’s a horrible hour and a half, and the difficulty of the test makes you want to fall to your knees and weep. The lack of dinner in your stomach doesn’t exactly help your case as by the last few minutes of the test, you couldn’t care less about why you use ammonium oxalate to precipitate Calcium and Magnesium. The only thing in your head is a picture of your go-to Mcdonalds order as you pass your paper.
A jumpscare greets you on your way out in the form of Kim Seungmin who is holding a Mcdonalds paper bag in his hands, the same one you had just been daydreaming about.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” The sight of the boy spikes up your blood pressure, and you have to pause in your step to catch your breath after not having dinner, suffering through a long test, and seeing Seungmin all within the span of a few hours.
Though, what he does next surprises you.
“I ordered too much for Innie so you can have this, I guess.” He mumbles, shoving the brown paper bag in your direction. It scorches your fingers as you reached to grab it before it can fall to the ground.
It was a strange sight for Seungmin to be giving you something without asking. Strange and funny for it had occurred to you that if someone were to tell you Seungmin would be your stomach’s knight in shining armor, you wouldn’t have been able to believe yourself.
“Oh, thanks? You didn’t… poison this, did you?”
“How little do you think of me?” He simply walks away before you can reply to him again.
You scrunch your nose in confusion, leaning down to look into the contents of the Mcdonalds paper bag he had just given you.
Nuggets and a Big Mac.
Was this also Jeongin’s go-to order?
When you look back up, said boy greets you with french fries stuffed in his mouth. There’s a hint of a smirk that’s barely visible from his puffed out cheeks.
“You know, you can be really stupid.” Jeongin giggles to himself, patting down your head and messing with your hair a little before waving you goodbye. “Bye (name)!”
You simply stare at their retreating figures, head tilted as you try to drink in what Jeongin had just told you.
Stupid about what? The test?
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two.
What is the connotation of a very thrilled Kim Seungmin walking into the campus library as you’re struggling with your part for your joint project?
You’re almost convinced something significant had happened for him to walk in with a shit-eating grin on his face, but you know better than that now. So, you simply ignore him, turning back to your laptop as Felix and Hyunjin greet the boy. He’s late, but knowing him, he’s probably finished his part of the project. You hate to acknowledge his competence, but you have to give credit where credit is due.
You could obviously ask for help, but you’d run through the streets naked first before ever asking the boy to help you. You refuse to be subjected to his taunting more than you already were. Besides, you don’t need help from someone like Seungmin. He’d probably be so arrogant about how you needed his help.
Rubbing your eyes for a split second, you go back to furiously typing at your laptop — so aggressively that Yeji has to pull you back for a bit in fear that you’d destroy your keyboard.
The five of you work on the project diligently, finishing the monstrosity of your synthesis paper for Life Science at almost one in the morning.
When everyone moves to leave, you stay behind, telling them you still had a few deadlines to catch up on, namely a Statistics paper and a book review for your English Literary class. While it wasn’t exactly due yet, it doesn’t hurt to start them when the pump of coffee is already in your system.
“See you guys tomorrow!” You say in a hushed tone, waving at the group before moving your attention back on your laptop.
And maybe it’s the sleep deprivation getting to you but you don’t notice Seungmin still situated at the opposite end of your table.
He doesn’t say anything either. He knows you’re running 50% coffee and 50% restlessness, so he simply sits back in his chair with a book in hand.
He could use the time to annotate anyway.
When Seungmin glances back at you thirty minutes later, he can only watch in amusement when he finds you close to passing out on the wooden table of the library. Your eyelids are starting to droop, and even though it seems you’re trying your hardest to fight it, you find that your sleeved arm is far too comfortable to refuse.
He immediately puts down his book, moving across the table to wake you up. It seems the appropriate time to tell you to go home and get some rest.
When you don’t respond to the gentle shake of your shoulder, he choose the next best thing to wake you up. With a text book in hand, he drops it on the space right beside your head, creating a loud enough sound to jolt you in your sleep.
“Come on. We’re going home. You’re a lost cause, anyway.”
“Fuck you.” You grumble sleepily, sitting up and squinting at your laptop before shutting it down so you can start packing up.
“I’m flattered, really, but no thanks.”
You scoff, and he simply smirks in response as he helps you put your things back in your bag.
“Why are you still here anyway?” It’s a question you’ve been meaning to ask him since you finally noticed him an hour back, but you chose to bite down on your tongue and stay silent instead.
He shrugs. “Had to annotate this book, and I’m already at the library so I might as well.”
“Okay, whatever.” You move to grab a pen that had fallen on the ground carelessly, and in the process, you feel your head collide with Seungmin’s hand instead of the harsher corner of the table.
You see red almost immediately. You hate to admit the small gesture has butterflies erupting in your stomach.
He doesn’t say anything as he pulls his hand back, so you don’t make a big deal out of it.
“What time is it?”
“Almost 4 in the morning.”
You hum, thinking of how you were gonna get back to your dorm. It was probably still dark outside, and you weren’t exactly willing to put yourself in danger over finishing up a few schoolworks at the library.
“You can go ahead. I’ll just text Ode to see if he’s still awake.”
“Why?” He quips, pausing to stand next to you outside the doors of the building when you stop walking.
“You’re gonna make fun of me.”
“There is a chance, yes. But I might not.” Seungmin smirks, and you roll your eyes.
“I don’t wanna walk alone in the dark.”
If Seungmin wants to laugh and poke fun, it seems he’s doing a good job at holding back. “Don’t disturb his sleep. I’ll walk you back instead.”
“Wow, you’re actually being nice to me for once.” You say jokingly.
“I won’t make a habit out of it. Besides, I was the last person seen with you and I don’t wanna be responsible if you go missing.”
There goes being nice.
This is how you end up walking home with Kim Seungmin. You don’t remember much about the walk home, just the proximity from where he’s walking next to you and the warmth radiating from him in contrast to the cold night. He has his hands in his pockets the whole way home, and it’s the little details like what seems to be the first genuine smile you see from him that you remember the most.
When you reach your dorm, he simply stares at you in a way you’re not used to before bowing and turning around his step to start walking back to his own dorm.
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three.
A month later, Chan from your university’s basketball team decides to host a party at his house.
Being friends with half of his friends had its perks in that he enthusiastically invites you when you walk past him by your department’s hallways. And while you had every intent to decline his offer, Ryujin had already accepted for you and told him he’d be seeing you both there.
And by 8pm, you find yourselves inside his packed house, trying to navigate your way through drunken college kids. The entire first floor reeked of alcohol and sweat which wasn’t a great combination by all means.
The music is loud from Chan’s speakers, and you immediately want to go home and jump into the comforting sheets of your bed to sleep the night away. Ryujin doesn’t let you flee as she leads you to the kitchen where she tells you of where Chan hides his secret stash of snacks and ice cream. Another silver lining.
You spend an hour chatting and laughing on the kitchen counter with Ryujin, a spoonful of ice cream in your mouths as you make fun of multiple people’s dancing — not that any of you could do any better. Actually, scratch that, Ryujin could probably take them all on. You continuously ask if it was okay for you to be stealing these expensive tubs of ice cream and Ryujin just tells you she’s done it before, and that Bang Chan could most definitely afford some more if he wanted to. So, you continue to eat the ice cream without guilt.
Well, until Chan catches the pair of you, and you apologize profusely. He just laughs it off, looking at the two of you fondly before feigning a scolding. Turns out, he simply wanted you two to join him and his friends in a round of truth or dare upstairs.
Another thing to add and check off your non-existent bucket list. To be deemed sociable enough to be included in an exclusive circle of friend’s truth or dare despite only knowing around 4 people there. You think it might just be Ryujin’s doing, but you happily tag along to escape the mass of people downstairs.
When you make it upstairs, you’re surprised to see you know a lot more people than you thought you would. Yeji was there, seated beside who you think is Karina. Jeongin is with his friends, Seungmin included. Some of them you know, and some you just learned to be Jisung, Changbin, and Minho. The rest don’t really matter to you as you prop yourselves down in the circle.
And then a round of the game starts, and you start to question the things in this world that perplexed you. You used to think it were simple things — wet doorknobs, tuna fish, cramps, back pains. But after tonight, you might have to start modifying your own list. You can start with someone’s attempt to rap freestyle, the sight of a shirtless Han Jisung whom you’ve barely exchanged a word with but now have seen him half naked, the sudden knowledge of who was wearing a Spongebob themed underwear, someone (you believe was Minho?) roleplaying a scene from Zootopia. The list is endless.
Who knew a game of truth or dare could be this chaotic? Though, you probably should’ve known that especially being thrown into a group of such dynamic people.
Before you know it, the bottle lands on you and you’ve never wanted to wipe the smirk on Jeongin’s face so much than right now because you know he’s probably planning something that has to do with Kim Seungmin.
You think you can keep your anxiety at bay, that is until he starts whispering with Felix and Hyunjin and you swear that if someone opened the window right now, there’s a high chance you would make a run for it and jump and simply hope for the best.
“Don’t worry, it isn’t anything crazy! You can stop chewing on your nails.” You flush in embarrassment when the group laughs, and Ryujin runs a comforting hand down your back to make sure the attention isn’t too overwhelming for you.
“I dare you to hug Seungmin.”
“Excuse me?” You ask him to repeat his dare to you as if you hadn’t heard him. But you did. Loud and clear in fact.
The smirk on his face only grows. “I said, hug Seungmin.”
Okay, you know what, that should be simple. You sigh out in response before getting up from your seat to make your way towards where Seungmin’s situated, thankful he didn’t let you do anything as embarrassing as the others.
However, the closer you make towards where Seungmin is, wearing a top that accentuated his broad shoulders way too perfectly, and sporting a smug grin on his face, you start to think this might be the most difficult one of the night yet.
Seungmin stands in compliance to your dare, and you feel all eyes in the circle shift to the pair of you, as if anticipating it more than you.
His eyes survey you, as if to question if you were really gonna do it. And to egg you on further, he decides to open his arms wide which earns a few howls and whistles from the room. God, you hate him. You really really hate him.
And then you do it, just to get it over with, and Seungmin’s expression switches to a more taken back one. He didn’t expect you to actually push through with the dare. The longer the hug lasts, the more a ghost of a smile threatens to spill from his lips.
You have your arms wrapped around the entirety of his body, and his own resting just around your waist, and he’s crouched down a little so he can match your height better without you having to tiptoe so much.
When he presses you closer, the whole room erupts in cheers; vomiting air, nudging each other, and whistling.
Seungmin allows himself a quick glance at you, but there isn’t much to see when your face is pressed firmly against his chest. Perhaps to try and hide from the embarrassment of your friends shouting “get a room” even if you were just hugging.
He feels so warm in the air conditioned room, and it seems he didn’t have much to drink tonight when he smells more like fresh laundry and the perfume he always wears. This feels nice actually. But you would never tell him that. In fact, you have every intention of taking that observation to your grave.
When you finally notice the glances of friends and acquaintances alike around you, you pull back from the hug and immediately make your way back to your seat without another word.
You make a vow to yourself to get back at Jeongin for humiliating you like that — however, there’s a persistent voice in your head telling you that maybe you hadn’t minded that hug one bit the way you let on.
You ignore it.
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four.
The sound of a shutter going off and a flash of light greets you immediately upon entering your classroom another month later.
It seems Seungmin’s found an upgraded way to annoy you (as if hiding your things wasn’t enough). With a new phone gifted to him on his birthday, he seems insistent on catching you when you’re unprepared. It makes you frustrated — as if he wasn’t enough of an irritant.
You should be used to Seungmin doing stupid things all the time, but even after months, you find that it really is a difficult task to endure. Why is he so intent on irritating you? You’re starting to seek for the answers you told yourself to stay unknown. How could you keep letting him be without knowing why he enjoys getting a rise out of you so much?
To add insult to injury, his loud voice greets you a good morning as he waves his phone around at you. You hope it falls and shatters.
Too far?
“What? Are you camera shy?” He smirks mischievously, turning to focus his camera back on you.
“At what point do you become mature?”
“Hm, not for a long time, I don’t think.” You have to remind yourself he’s provoking you for the sake of it, and you really shouldn’t be as affected as you feel right now. So, you breathe in sharply through your nose and just let him be.
When class ends, you’re quick to rant to Ryujin about Seungmin’s new discovery at getting a kick out of you.
“He won’t stop taking fucking pictures of me.” You mutter indignantly, putting all your frustration into your words.
“You know, they say you only take photos of things if you have love for the subject.”
“What are you trying to imply?”
“Just that there must be a reason why he’s so intent on having your face litter the memory of his new phone.” Ryujin smirks when your face starts to flush red at the realization of what she’s suggesting.
“Oh, shut up.” Your words don’t come out as intimidating as you want it to, and you spend the rest of the day thinking about it.
You confront Seungmin the next day, just so you can stop thinking about it. “Why are you taking so much photos of me?”
You’re already expecting that smirk on his face, and a feigned confusion. But, to your surprise, he looks genuinely surprised at your question. You’d go as far as saying he looked like a deer caught in headlights.
You’ve unknowingly caught his tongue, but he catches himself before you can catch on. With a half-assed smirk on his face, he says the best excuse that comes in his mind.
“Just so I have multiple material to use when I need to blackmail you.”
You’re appalled, and frustrated at yourself for thinking what Ryujin was hinting at might be true. You don’t even know why you were hoping in the first place. You don’t like the boy, right?
Your lips press into a straight line, and you swear your blood vessels might burst if you stare at him any longer so you storm back to your seat and ignore him for the rest of the day.
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five.
There comes a point in the semester when all you’ll know is the quivering of your knees and the bloodshot red of your eyes from crying too much.
For you, it’s the result of a failed test score on a subject you studied really hard for.
You draw your knees up to press your face against them, finding solace in the quiet of the night outside. It’s early enough that you aren’t scared to walk home alone just yet.
You hear footsteps around you, but you simply drown them out in favor of focusing on washing out your frustration over yourself and that stupid test. Though, it proves a more difficult task when someone slides into the seat next to yours. When you look up, you see Seungmin staring at you. And he’s looking at you with an expression you don’t quite recognize, but equally don’t have the energy to try and deduce.
“Seungmin, I’m not really in the mood—“ He shuts you up with a handkerchief shoved in front of your face. “Why are you offering me a handkerchief?”
“Because you’re crying and seeing your stupid tears makes me upset. So wipe them away.” You stare at the handkerchief before studying his features for any hint of malice, but you see nothing but honest concern. You can’t help but feel a little touched at the uncharacteristic gesture.
“Thanks.” He hums, smiling gently down at you, and you think you’ve never seen him look this small before.
When you take the handkerchief from him, you make sure to return what looks like a trial of a smile amidst your scornful face and Seungmin is genuinely shocked you’d actually direct the closest thing to a smile at him — as if he had expected you to brush off his own and reject it.
When he shifts a little closer to where you’re seated, you surprisingly don’t feel repulsed at the distance and the way his shoulders brush against yours.
“Is it something you wanna talk about?”
The cold and quiet atmosphere of the night and the way Seungmin is looking down at you encourages you to speak, the way you never thought you would with the boy.
“Not really. Just… I’m so stupid for failing that test. And, and maybe if I studied harder than I would’ve at least gotten a more decent score.” You sigh, playing with the handkerchief as you look down in humiliation.
Seungmin scrunches his face. “It’s not your fault. We win some, we lose some. What matters is that we keep going despite the losses.”
He doesn’t snap back at you with a snarky remark like he usually would. Instead, he gives genuinely useful advice, and you think your ears could be deceiving you if he wasn’t seated directly next to you.
“Wow, I didn’t think you had it in you to say something like that.” You laugh a little, and you miss the way the tip of his ears heat in red at being able to solicit a laugh from you.
“You wound me.”
You don’t know what takes over you, but you find yourself leaning your head against his shoulder. For now, you’ll blame it on the exhaustion from crying so much earlier.
Your head against his body feels nice and comforting and warm against the biting air from the night, but you can feel him physically tense up at the contact and you almost pull your head back immediately if he hadn’t rested his head against yours.
The compromising position has Kim Seungmin in contemplation over something that’s been such a great concern in his life for the past few months, almost a year even. It had started when he met you, the first time he ever saw you and heard your voice, and the day he decided he’d spend every second thereafter trying to get your attention.
He mirrors the way you interact with your friends, and yet somewhere along the line, it had been misinterpreted into something it wasn’t and he had to live in pretense of irritating you when all he’s ever wanted was your attention. But, he thought, if this was the only way then he’d have to keep the facade up.
Besides, a little attention (even if it was with hatred) is better than none.
When Seungmin grows uncharacteristically quiet, you start to wonder what he could be thinking about and why there’s a small scrunch in his face as if he was deep in thought.
You never used to wonder what he could be thinking about. What’s changed?
“Seungmin?”
“Hm?”
“Why do you enjoy irritating me so much? Do you hate me?”
Seungmin peels his head from yours, staring down at you with a completely horrified look on his face. 
“Hate you?” He feels nauseous that you could even think that, and he’s shaking his head quickly, compromising feelings he’s kept hidden for quite a while now. He’s so confounded by your statement that he gets up from his seat on the bench for a second to stare at you before calming down and returning back to his spot. “I don’t hate you. I— I could never hate you.”
You look at him, and you’re surprised to see that he’s genuinely astonished and a little upset at what you had just tried to imply.
“Then why?” You swallow down a lump in your throat, asking him in the smallest voice he’s ever heard from you. This was the perfect opportunity to ask him why, being handed to you straight on your lap, so you bite the bullet and ask.
“I actually thought we’d get along quite well when we met. And then you just started to… I don’t know.” His eyes are soft as he listens to you, lips slightly parted as if trying to think of the perfect explanation to clear your misinterpretations.
When you finish, Seungmin closes his eyes to recollect his thoughts. For a second, you think he might be coming up with an excuse to save himself but the earnest way in which he looks at you the moment he opens his eyes again quiets the voice in your head.
“I just wanted your attention.” His face visibly cringes at the sudden confession. Seungmin feels like he’s floating, looking down at his physical body that’s trying to explain himself without embarrassing himself further.
“You… what?” You blink.
He sighs out, wiping the sweat that’s gathered from his palms down his pants before tilting his head back as if trying to ask strengths from the Gods so he can admit to you whatever he’s been hiding. And then, he looks back at you and he finally confesses what he’s been keeping from you for months.
“I thought that maybe if I acted the way you did with your friends then there’d be a higher chance we’d get along. But then you misinterpreted it as hatred, and I’ve had to pretend I enjoy irritating you when all I really want to do is hold your hand.”
He squeezes his eyes shut as if afraid of your response, but all you can do is stare at him with your mouth parted.
This definitely wasn’t the response you were expecting.
“But… but it really felt like you hated me. Like— when you’d make fun of me for my food choices or that time in the library when you stayed behind to taunt me for being a lost cause.”
“You have me all wrong, (Name). When I asked you what you liked, it was an excuse so I could get it for you. Do you really think I’d accidentally buy too much dinner for Jeongin, and have the excess be exactly your favorites? And… and that night at the library. I stayed behind because I know you’re afraid to walk home late. So you would be less afraid if I walked you home.”
You meet his eyes, breath catching in your throat when you gauge the level of genuineness in his eyes.
“You— You hugged me as a dare in Chan’s party and sometimes that’s all I think about.” Seungmin falls silent after that, simply letting out a breath he feels he’s been holding for too long.
“Look, you don’t have to say anything right now. I know it’s a lot to take in.” He fiddles with the ends of the sweater he’s wearing, making sure to avoid eye contact.
“Seungmin.” The simple sound of his name from your lips has him looking at you despite trying his best not to. “I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s okay. It must be a lot to take in.”
“I thought you hated me for months and now, you’re telling me the exact opposite.” Your voice gradually quiets down, and Seungmin finds comfort when you scoot in your seat closer. “I really don’t know what to say.”
“Would it hurt to start over?” You’re greeted with his softening stare, and he bites his lips in anticipation for your response.
“I think… I think I’d like that.”
Seungmin immediately smiles, the kind of smile that’s difficult to hide even in the inky night, even if he tried.
You find yourself mirroring his own smile.
The thought of finding out the truth behind Seungmin’s actions has always scared you, but now you know you should’ve never been afraid.
Somehow, things are already starting to change, with an outstretched hand in your direction. You find yourself taking it in yours with ease.
“Hi, I’m Seungmin. It’s nice to meet you.”
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chaoticbardlady99 · 7 months
Text
Yesterday I Felt like Dancing (Astarion x GN! Reader)
Synopsis: You have burnt both ends of the candle and haven’t been taking care of your mental health. Unable to get yourself out of bed, Astarion begins to worry about you…
Author note- I have been hardcore struggling with my mental health lately and writing my silly little fics has been the only thing pulling me along. I thought it might be therapeutic to write about my current feelings (I have ADHD, MDD, and GAD so it’s a party up in here). I hope you enjoy!
CW- Suicidal Ideation, symptoms of depression, brief outburst, mentions of mental health diagnosis and poor medical advice.
Title inspired by song “Into the Walls” by Griff.
*not my pic, could not tell you where I found it so I apologize in advance. If you think it might be your picture, please message me so I can give proper credit.
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Your last day before backtracking from the Mountain Pass to the Goblin camp is a difficult one.
Not for the group as a whole- just you specifically.
Days before a Mindflayer kidnapped you, a healer back home had told you your brain was sick. You had been devastated- resigned to your miserable fate.
You had been struggling for years at that point with inconsistent motivation, exhaustion, nightmares, and irrational thoughts for months. You have been functional for the most part, but then an overpowering wave will hit you like Warhammer in the ribs and you are rendered useless until it passes.
The healer suggested sunlight, exercise, eating healthy, and spending time with friends to help your affliction when you hit rock bottom. You were wildly unimpressed with her. At the time, you preferred to self isolate so you stayed by yourself in the woods trying to find peace there. You would have to let her know that her “going out and enjoying the sun” message is not always wise- you may get a tadpole shoved in your head. You can’t be that mad though- the tadpole helped bring your pep back.
Anyway, you have been doing all of that for weeks now, you even felt great, but today? You could not have hit rock bottom harder even if you tried.
You woke up that morning unable to get yourself out of bed. It was a rest day so it wasn’t a big deal, but you also know that your companions are going to have things they need to talk to you about and favors they need you to take care of.
Gods you had tried to get up. You are grateful that your past self had the gumption to wash off and change into clean clothes last night, but your armor is still disgustingly sitting outside your tent and your hair is long and wild. You had wanted to braid it, but it all felt like too much work.
Everything feels like too much work right now- even staying awake- so you drift in and out of uncomfortable naps throughout the morning. No matter how many times you fall asleep, begging for relief from the painful brick wall sitting on your brain, it never leaves.
You can feel the midday breeze rustle your tent. You’ve been laying here for hours now. You are crying and you honestly aren’t sure why. You feel completely paralyzed by all the things you need to do to be ready for the Underdark.
You need to clean your armor, go over the Goblin Camp’s map with Wyll, find Gale a magical artifact, and probably comfort Lae’zel since she’s been branded a heretic- but you won’t. The shame and self loathing continues. You are a silly, worthless little human being.
Every person who knocks on your tent gets a simple, “I’m just not feeling well,” and then they walk away. You don’t know why it makes you more sad than appreciative. If you were in their shoes- you would be bending over backwards to make sure they had everything they needed and you wouldn’t let them feel alone. Then you resent yourself for feeling that way towards your companions- they don’t owe you anything and you were the one who chose to help them- you didn’t ask for anything in return. This is all your fault.
The only person who hadn’t come to visit you was Astarion- which hurt your heart just a little, enough that the numbness coursing thickly through your body wavered for a moment. You are quite smitten and he is obviously not. Another mistake to add to the swirling black hole your mind has fallen into.
You knew it was stupid to want his comfort and affections- you had merely slept together a little less than a week ago. Astarion has been quasi avoiding you ever since and when he does talk to you- he’s awkward. You constantly look for flying pigs- Astarion feeling awkward or being awkward is unheard of.
You have come to accept that you were just some tryst and obviously he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as he said he did.
Astarion isn’t to blame and the situation itself certainly didn’t contribute to the sudden lack of emotions. You knew that you were on the verge of a mental collapse sooner rather than later, but you had foolishly hoped you wouldn’t be alone through it. It feels less all consuming when you try to find a reason. It’s more comfortable to know than it is to give up and say, “my brain is fucked and there isn’t a damn thing I can do so I guess I’m stuck here.”
You are jolted out of your thoughts by another knock on your tent.
“I’m sick,” you say flatly.
“Ha- you act like that will deter me. I can’t even get sick, Darling.”
Before you even have time to register that Astarion is on the other side of your tent- he pushes his way through the flaps and stares down at you in confusion. And… concern?
Astarion steps inside and kneels down next to you- scanning you for evidence of illness or injury.
“I suppose I had been worried for nothing,” he smiles sweetly at you, “you are totally fine. Come on Darling, you have to get up and eat. Wyll is fumbling with that map.”
You look at him and begin to cry. Astarion’s face lights up with alarm.
“What- what did I do!?”
“Please don’t make me,” you sob, “I just want a break. I’m so tired. I want to lay in this bed forever and never leave, but there is so much to do and it’s paralyzing.”
You continue to cry and you cover yourself with the extra blanket- successfully hiding your face.
“Go away,” you whisper, “I need to be left alone.”
You say it, but you are far from meaning it. You want him to stay- to hold you- but he doesn’t want you so it will only make everything hurt worse once the numbness fades away.
You wait for several moments and then you hear him leave. Your silent cry turns into choked sobs and your body is shaking from the pain you are in. The numbness hurts. The numbness tells you that you shouldn’t be alive.
Maybe you shouldn’t be.
Everyone here would be able to figure it out on their own (eventually) and you would finally be free. Free of your uncomfortable brain, free of your ugly body- free of the expectations of others. You would no longer be holding them back like you are today- like you will again in the future.
You are sure they would temporarily grieve you, but that was the deal with this whole journey. You had all accepted that one of you or all of you could die at any moment. You will just put them in more danger by being here…
You shake the thought from your head, violently- your head is pounding from the growing tension headache and dehydration. The tears eventually stop and you just… well, lay in bed again. You stare blankly at a book over in the corner. You keep trying to convince yourself to get up and read the damn thing- do literally ANYTHING else than just stay here in your bedroll.
Instead, you fall asleep.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You wake up to someone knocking on your tent post. You grumble incoherently, covering your head and you hear your unexpected guest sit down next to you. The smell of food fills the tent and your stomach grumbles.
“You need to eat, my Dear,” Astarion says softly.
You are stunned to hear his voice grace your ears. You slowly pull the blanket down to just below your eyes and look at him. Astarion looks distressed, like he doesn’t want to be here. Why would he? You’re a nuisance.
You sit up gingerly and grab the bowl from him. You manage to give him a lopsided smile.
“Thanks. You don’t need to stay, I will be fine on my own,” you say apathetically, staring into the broth.
“I want to stay,” he says, “if you’ll have me.”
The expression on his face is unreadable, but he seems genuine. You nod, your lips pressed together tightly. You eat as much as you feel like while Astarion studies you.
Usually your anxiety is at an all time high (in maybe one of the better ways) when you are around Astarion- he gives you butterflies, butterflies, and even more butterflies. Usually your heart is racing in his presence, but right now you just feel empty.
“Where is your hairbrush?” Astarion asks.
You frown with confusion, “it’s in my bag, why?”
Astarion gets up and goes over to the bag- digging out a few items. He pulls out a lantern, your hairbrush, and a hair tie. Astarion comes over to you and sits down behind you. You feel him gather up the stray pieces of your hair and get to work.
Astarion runs his fingers through your scalp and your tangled hair- the feeling is soothing and it opens something inside of you. Your body shakes silently with sobs and you feel the worm behind your eyes wiggle as Astarion asks for access. You aren’t sure.
“I want to understand,” Astarion says, “please.”
His voice is so raw and desperate- you swallow thickly before allowing him to explore your current emotional state. The silence in the tent is palpable and you feel tense, uncomfortable even. No one has ever cared for you while you are in this state before.
You feel him continue his hairbrushing after he exits your mind. Astarion leaves soft kisses on your shoulder as he gently pulls apart every knot. It helps- you realize- to feel cared for. The numbness still hurts, you still hurt, but it’s nice to not feel so alone.
After Astarion is done brushing your hair, you feel his delicate fingers begin to intricately braid your hair. You wonder when he learned how to do hair.
“Leon’s daughter, Victoria, used to ask me to braid her hair all the time,” Astarion says in a bittersweet voice as if reading your mind, “I picked it up so that she would stop bugging me about it. She said and I quote, ‘you have the perfect braiding hands!’”
You smile to yourself tenderly, “That’s very kind of you, Star. I am sure she appreciated it as much as I appreciate it now.”
You feel Astarion’s hands falter at your words and you are unsure if you have upset him or not. A pregnant pause occurs before Astarion finally clears his throat and goes back to braiding your hair.
“I’m glad that I can help,” Astarion’s delicate, vulnerable words hang in the air, “I’ve… been worried about you today.”
You feel positively flustered and bad for making him feel that way.
“Oh you don’t need to worry about silly ole me! This happens sometimes” you make your voice chirpier than it needs to be, “This is actually the longest I’ve gone for a long time without this happening. I have theorized that the tadpole might help which is kinda cool- I think?”
You laugh awkwardly- desperate to ease his worry.
“How often does this happen?”
Shit. That was the winning question wasn’t it? Astarion will surely never see you as anything less than broken now.
“I’m not really sure,” your voice comes out in a whisper, “I usually always feel a bit of it all the time, but it’s manageable. I function very well regardless.”
“But this one isn’t manageable and evidently you aren’t functional right now.”
You sigh, “No, it isn’t and no, I’m not.”
“What changed?”
“Nothing,” you say, maybe too harshly, “that’s the part that drives me crazy. Yesterday was incredible- I was on top of the whole world, felt like dancing and screaming from the rooftops, but today!?”
You inhale and hold back the muted scream that wants to fill the air.
“Today,” you hiss, “I don’t even want to deal with any of this shit anymore. I’m so fucking tired. There is too much to fucking do and too many people depending on me. Then everyone gets irritated with me if I ask to push off their problems so I persevere through it despite knowing I’m getting bad again. I’m a giant stinking trash heap that everyone keeps adding more to.”
Astarion finishes braiding your hair and presses your back to his chest, pulling you into him. He puts his arms around your waist and settles his chin and face in between the crook of your neck.
“I just feel like such a nuisance all the time- no matter how hard I push myself to prove I’m not. Sometimes I think everyone would be better off if I just… went away.”
You both sit there quietly. At some point he had taken one of your hands in his and he was tracing shapes into the back of it with his thumb. Your omission still hangs heavily in the air.
“I wouldn’t be better off,” Astarion says hotly, “I’d be stuck with all these weirdos by myself. That would be truly miserable, Darling.”
You shake your head, a half smile on your face.
“And besides- you are not even close to a nuisance,” Astarion states, leaving a kiss on your cheek, “at least you aren’t in constant need of magical objects to eat or blood to drink. Oh and you don’t require a painstaking amount of searching to prevent you from literally burning everyone alive.
“Oh and did I forget to mention, we have not one, but two women who despise each other and follow hateful Goddesses which was a fun choice for whatever sick bastard twisted our fates this way.”
You laugh breathily, closing your eyes and letting the sound defrost some of your insides.
“What I’m saying is- I think you are the least of everyone’s ‘nuisances’, my Darling,” he says, squeezing you tighter to his chest, “despite how little you think of yourself. We ne- no, I want you to stay. I know everyone else would say the same, but I must emphasize that I would be horribly distraught if you disappeared. Hells I’d even pay to have you resurrected.”
You gasp playfully, your voice falling slightly flat, “You? The most frugal man I have ever met would pay 200 gold coins to ‘Strike thy name from the record’?”
Your impression of Withers gets Astarion to genuinely laugh- the sound vibrating in your chest. You lean into him and he guides you back to laying down. Astarion entangles his legs with yours as he holds you tightly- your faces are mere centimeters apart. You love the way Astarion smells- rosemary, bergamot, and brandy. You wish you could be wrapped up in him forever. You are still in pain- everything still hurts and feels too difficult, but right now it feels a little less heavy.
“I would throw bags of Gold Coins at that corpse out of revenge, my Dear,” he teases, “you couldn’t possibly think I would ever let you rest peacefully in your grave- I would be far too angry with you and unhappy without you to let that happen.”
You lay there and despite yourself, you lean forward and leave butterfly kisses along his cheeks with your lashes. Astarion scrunches up his nose reflexively and smiles at you. You plant a sweet, short kiss on his lips.
“Thank you Astarion- for everything.”
You close your eyes as he traces circles along your lower back. Your eyes begin to droop, and you fall asleep.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When you wake up the next morning- you are disappointed to find that you are all alone in your tent. The heavy numbness is still there and you sigh. At least last night made it more bearable.
You look on the side where Astarion had been sleeping and find a note with a bottle attached to it. You pick it up and begin to read.
Tav,
Astarion had asked me about herbs for some relief regarding mental discomforts. I unfortunately don’t know many, but this is a mixture of St. John’s Wort, Valerian Root, and Ashwagandha. Historically, I know these have been used to alleviate emotional and mental pain.
Astarion didn’t tell me why he was asking, but I deduced it was you pretty quickly when he began shooing everyone away from your tent this morning.
I hope this helps- we are all here if you need us. May Silvanus light your path as you navigate this difficult time.
-Halsin
You sit in your own stunned silence for what feels like hours. Halsin knows and he wants to help? Halsin doesn’t think you are screwed or a nuisance? The man barely even knows you!
You are a bit embarrassed, but you can’t help but laugh at the image of Astarion telling everyone to leave you alone.
You open the bottle and a pleasant, earthy smell fills the tent. You drink the mixture (that definitely does not taste anywhere near as pleasant as it smells) and you do feel a slight bit better. Your apathy feels even more tolerable now. You will have to thank Halsin.
You slowly rise from your tent and look around. Everything is packed up neatly in the corner- your clothes from the previous day are folded nicely and you notice all the holes are sewn up.
You jump when someone enters your tent abruptly- the midday sun warming your skin. You turn around and Astarion is smiling at you, but looks nervous.
“I cleaned off your armor and your weapons,” he says awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, “I also packed up your stuff- as you can see. We have to start leaving unfortunately, but I’ll help you get on your armor like I usually do- I might still need help with mine though, but I can ask someone else if it’s too much for you right now. Lae’zel and Karlach offered to pack up your tent. Wyll and Shadowheart figured out the map- Wyll is going to be our ‘fearless’ leader for the day. Gale has some food for you to snack on while we travel- which you will be eating, by the way.”
Astarion is looking at you with a vulnerable expression on his face. He plays nervously with the gold coin in his hands.
You can hardly believe what you are hearing.
“Did- did you do all this for me?” You say with disbelief.
You never thought Astarion was capable of smiling shyly until he had admitted to you that you had been his first thinking creature- you certainly never thought you’d see him become shy twice in your presence.
“I did and it wasn’t a nuisance so don’t even begin to worry about that,” He walks over to you, gently cradling your face in his hands, “I hope this is all okay.”
You smile- the first genuine feeling of happiness you’ve felt in the last 24 hours gently sparks in your chest as you stare up at him. You get up on your tiptoes and bridge the gap between your lips.
“Thank you Astarion, this is perfect- you are perfect,” you are crying tears of joy, “this is the kindest gesture anyone has ever made for me. So just, thank you.”
“Of course, Darling,” he says smiling in between kisses, “I won’t let you lose to yourself. We’ll get through this together from now on- no more hiding.”
And for once? You actually believe someone.
-if you guys like this, please let me know if you would want a part two written from Astarion’s perspective.
Update- I did the thing you silly geese
https://www.tumblr.com/chaoticbardlady99/735969926279528448/i-took-all-this-love-i-found-and-i-hope-that-its
Tag-list: @spacebarbarianweird @domainoflostsouls
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