#I’d like to just believe you were too busy to come back here but you’ve used silence as a weapon against me before so…

[fastandcarlos]

Cuddles Are Home : ̗̀➛ Max Verstappen

summary: as max arrives home after a busy day, he's keen to try something new, however it doesn't quite work out as well as he imagined

No words needed to be spoken as Max walked into your hotel room. His muscles were aching, his eyes drooping as a result of yet another long day of practice. Race day was only a day away and he was pushing himself to the limit. You barely glanced at him as he walked in, knowing he had his own routine that he loved. Whilst Max sorted himself, you laid out across the sofa and scrolled through your phone, catching up with the events of the day that you had missed whilst down at the paddock supporting Max.

As soon as you heard his footsteps come back through the room you stood up from the sofa and went into the small kitchen that was attached. Meanwhile, Max walked into the living room and threw himself down on the sofa. He stretched his limbs out as much as he could, with his tall frame it didn’t take much for him to take up most of the room. After a few minutes you returned, placing the hot cup of tea that you had made for Max on the coffee table, you looked in confusion to try and find some space. Max could feel you staring, smiling softly at the expression on your face. He didn’t say a word, he simply tapped against his muscular chest, only to make you scoff, shaking your head as you quickly refused to accept Max’s offer.

“Just lay here, I’ll be alright.”

“You’re sore from a day of racing, the last thing you need is me on top of you,” you tried to argue, but Max was having none of it.

“I wouldn’t offer if it was a problem,” Max assured you, lazily reaching out and taking a hold of your hand. You took a step forward before he used his extra weight to pull you down on top of him. Your head rested at the top of his chest, just underneath his neck, bodies pressed together as you managed to rest your legs between Max’s. His arm wrapped around you, making sure that you were safe in position, squeezing you nice and tight to make the most of the close proximity between you both.

“I can’t believe you’ve got me laying here,” you chuckled as you felt several kisses being pressed against the top of your head, “we’ve become one of those couples.”

“It’s your fault,” he innocently teased, “you’ve turned me into one of those boyfriends I never thought I’d be.”

“Hey,” you giggled, slapping your hand gently against Max’s bare chest. You knew deep down it was true what Max was saying, he had been quite standoffish when you first started dating, but over time you had found a new, softer, side to Max that left him being known more for how affectionate he was towards you rather than the world champion he was.

And you would never have had him any other way.

“I hate that I love what you’ve done to me.”

There he went again, jokingly blaming you as if he wasn’t hopelessly in love with you and thankful for you every single day.

“You’re comfortable, right? We can shuffle around if you’re not babe.”

“I’m alright,” you assured Max, shuffling closer into his side as his grip around you tightened. “I wonder if the Max I knew when we first started dating ever imagined himself cuddling on the sofa like this.”

It was the kind of wholesome moment that Max always refused to be a part of, but now he craved. He laid for some time and told you about his day, filled you in on all the details that you missed from the practice from where you were stood in the paddock, making sure to share every last detail with you.

And as he did so, you listened intently too. You were so close to his heart you could feel it quicken as he spoke about those adrenaline inducing moments, or calming again when he told you how relieved he was to return the car to the garage in one piece.

Once he’d finished speaking, you tilted your head back and looked up at Max. “I could imagine us laying here forever you know.”

He hummed in agreement, “I love being able to hold you this close to me.”

You chose not to respond as you heard how sleepy Max was, silently encouraging him to try and get a bit of rest.

It didn’t take long before you heard Max’s light snores about you letting you know that he was resting, despite your apprehension, laying on his chest had ended up being surprisingly comfortable. You weren’t sure how long you ended up laying there as you soon found yourself beginning to get sleepy on top of Max. You weren’t sure whether it was his touch, or the comfort of knowing that he was right there beside you, but something caused your body to switch. Max was out like a light, and soon enough you joined him, still squeezed on the sofa with your holds as tight as ever, making sure that nothing bad happened to the other person.

“Ouch! Oh my goodness!”

“Babe? What’s wrong?”

A loud groan came from you as you felt the edge of the coffee table hit against your back before landing on the floor with a thud. Your hands rubbed the sleep out of your eyes as you tried to figure how in a matter of moments you had gone from comfortably laying on top of Max to find yourself laid out on the living room floor, pain shooting through you.

Max jolted upright as soon as he heard your voice, cringing as he looked down at you on the floor. Your expression told him everything, pressing your hand into the small of your back where the pain was at its worst.

“Love, I’m so sorry. Are you alright? Tell me where it hurts…please,” Max whispered, pushing himself off of the sofa and joining you on the floor, pulling you into his side.

“Damn,” you sighed, biting down on the inside of your lip, struggling to come to terms with what had happened. It didn’t take long for Max to place his hand where your pain was coming from in an attempt to ease it for you.

“Do you need to get checked out? Does it hurt anywhere else?” Max questioned, the panic strong in his voice as his eyes darted to check you properly.

Your head shook, letting Max take a moment to check for himself that you really were alright, covering every last bit of your body.

“Just my pride, it’s taken a bit of a dent,” you tried to joke, bringing the faintest of smiles to Max’s face. “I think my head brushed against the side of the table, but somehow I just about managed to miss it.”

Max doesn’t look as certain as you though.

“Come on, I think a proper bed might help me to feel better.”

Max is still doubtful as you rise to your feet, refusing to let you do anything alone. He could tell from the feeling in his arms that he must’ve gotten tired, ultimately letting go which led to you rolling off of him and ending up in a bundle on the floor.

“Do you think you might be concussed or something?”

“Max, love, I promise that my head didn’t hit anything, I’ll be alright.”

He wants to nod and assure that you he understands, but he knows exactly what you’re like. He’s lost count of how many times you’ve pretended in front of him to stop him from worrying, not wanting thoughts of you to cloud him when he has so many other things to think about, especially when it came to his career.

Max is with you every step of the way as you walk into the bedroom of your hotel, encouraging you to move as slowly as possible. Only when you’re laid out does he finally begin to relax a little.

As soon as he’s there beside you, you’re rolling across and tucking yourself back into him again. First your leg drapes over him, then your arm, and soon enough you’re pushing your entire frame on top of him.

“Do you really want to do this?” Max questioned, reluctantly placing his arms around you, his voice shaky and filled with concern.

“I think I might be a little bit safer laying in a big double bed rather than the sofa,” you assured Max, keeping your grip on him nice and tight so that he had no choice but to let you stay there.

Max wanted to protest, but there was no way he could argue with his injured girl. “Why do you like this so much.”

The answer was easy for you, it was the one thing that you loved more than anything.

You loved the warmth that it brought you, the comfort, and the way it made your heart race. Above all else, you loved how it always made you fall a little bit more in love with Max every single time.

“Your cuddles always feel like home.”

“Really?” Max asked in surprise, never quite imaging you to feel that way. “If that’s the case, I guess I better let you lay here on my chest for the night, right?”

“I won’t be arguing if you do,” you chuckled, finally feeling Max relax underneath you after your little incident.

Max is still a little wary, he can’t help but fret about you. But having you right there where he can keep an eye on you is the best he can ask for. “I love you,” he murmured, pressing a light kiss against the very top of your head.

“I love you too,” you responded, stretching to be able to capture Max’s jawline with your lips, knowing how much of a sweet spot that sharp line was for him. His strong arms held onto you a little tighter in response, making your heart swell as you both close your eyes again, hoping that next time around you’re still laying there engulfed in each other’s arms again.

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[insanechayne]

~ ~ ~

[neo-nomatrix]

(My) Nuisance

Hobie brown x reader

word count: 964

find the rest of the mini series here

synopsis: You thought you hated Hobie, but for some reason you’re starting to like him just as much as you like Spiderman.

a/n: (maybe too much) british slang used

You hate your next door neighbor. No, no you loathe your next door neighbor. You think he is the worst person to possibly exist. His stupid flat decorations, his loud punk-rock music blasting at unruly hours, the way he would come back to his flat at 4 am stomping his boots yelling with his friends about their latest anarchist protest. But you hate nothing more than the way he looks at you.

Everytime you try yelling at him he opens his door with the cheekiest grin on his face. While you’re standing there fuming he’s leaning against the door panel looking you up and down. The worst part is how much he tries to smooth talk you.

“I already told you how annoying your music is, no one wants to hear that at 3 am alright? Some of us have work in the morning,” you complain, smoke practically coming out of your ears.

“Oh c’mon love it’s not that bad. Don’t have to be such a tosser ‘bout it. It messes up that pretty face of yours,” he says.

“Are you daft? You’re the one keeping everyone up at night with your dumb guitar,” you roll your eyes.

“It’s not that big a deal sweetheart. Y’know i'm starting to think you’re making up rubbish just so you can talk to me more. I’ll admit it’s pretty cute but you could just ask me out,” he leans closer to your flushed face.

“I don’t fancy you if that’s what you mean,” you scoff.

“Not saying that. I’m saying if you wanna snog me so bad you could just say so,” he shrugs.

You could burst out laughing. Kiss him? That’s fucking hilarious.

“You’re joking right? i’d rather die.”

“I don’t believe in comedy, love,” he says.

“Of course you don’t,” you mumble as you storm off back to your door.

You’ve decided he is the worst person ever. He doesn’t deserve your efforts and time.

You set your keys down and fall into bed as you hear amp feedback and the sounds of Hobie strumming his guitar. You can’t help but roll your eyes. How could someone be so incompetent?

You reach your hand over to where the bed and the wall meet to grab your Spiderman plush. You hate to admit it because it’s kind of dumb but you’ve always loved spiderman. Ever since you were a little kid you collected posters, figures, pins, and merchandise having to do with the superhero. Even now, your walls are decorated in spiderman posters, you own spiderman clothing, and even printed your keys to have a blue and red spider web on them.

There was something so nostalgic to the vigilante and his style that you had to adorn your room with touches of blue and red. You thought spiderman was the embodiment of “cool.” From his suit to the way he acted around criminals to the electric guitar on his back. Sure, a guitar was the main thing you hated about Hobie but Spiderman did it better. He made it work in the way Hobie dreams of.

You wake up to the loudest knock on your front door you’ve ever heard. You immediately know it’s him. You try to ignore the blaring pounding coming from your door but it keeps going. You force yourself to get up and answer the door. You hope you can open it, yell at him, then go back to bed.

To your dismay the second you open the door Hobie places his hand on the top of the wood, stopping you from moving it anywhere else.

“What do you want this early?” you groan.

“It’s like 9 am, love. But anyway-” He cuts himself off before finishing his sentence. You’re too groggy to notice that he’s staring inside of your flat. His eyes search the walls and decor in front of him.

“So, I take it you like Spiderman?” He laughs.

“That’s none of your business,” you sigh, crossing your arms.

He pushes his way inside of your flat, moving around like he’s looking for buried treasure. He picks up memorabilia and smiles at them. He holds up a Spider-Punk figurine and turns towards you.

“Spider-Punk huh?”

“Don’t touch my stuff! You know this is technically breaking and entering,” you scold him, taking the figure out of his hand.

He puts his hands in his pockets and just smirks at you. That stupid smirk, displaying half of his teeth and perfectly showing his lip ring.

“What do you want from me, Hobie?” you question after placing the figure back on its stand.

“Jus- Just wanted to apologize for last night,” he starts.

“You mean this morning? We talked at 1 am, remember?” You say, passive aggressively.

“Right, whatever. You’re… You’re right,” he exhaled, “I shouldn’t be blasting my music that early. It’s inconsiderate and rude to the people in my vicinity,” he breathes.

In the time you’ve known him you don’t think you’ve ever heard him say sorry. You’re taken aback, did he really apologize? And did he sound genuinely sorry?

“Oh, oh uhm thanks,” you sat, still skeptical a camera crew would come out laughing saying this whole thing was a prank.

“I wanted to see if you maybe wanted to come to my show tonight? We could get dinner after or whatever you want,” He scratches the back of his neck, he’s nervous.

“I’d like that, I guess,” you reluctantly say.

“Wicked. Uhm, i’ll be leaving then. Sorry again,” he says. Shooting finger guns at you and making his way out the door.

You smile, maybe, just maybe, Hobies getting to you. As he’s leaving you could swear you see some blue and red material with spikes on it slipping out of his pocket.

[augustinewrites]

cw: it’s just angst & jjk manga spoilers

satoru wakes with a start.

his breaths come a little faster than his body can process, his heart is pounding in his chest, and his head feels like someone’s stuck a hot poker in it. 

it takes him what feels like a few minutes to settle down again, clutching the bedsheets in a tightly wound fist. 

once things seemed to have returned to a normal level, he tries to remember what’d startled him. was it a dream? a memory? had he simply jerked himself awake whilst on the precipice of sleep, like you claimed he did—

his mind seems to be clearing up, because his next instinct is to sit up and make sure you’re okay.

you’re fine, sound asleep on your side of the bed. 

satoru relaxes, albeit only slightly. he’s not sure why he’d been struck with such sudden panic. there’s just this…feeling. he might even go as far as to call it an overwhelming sense of dread, if he were dramatic.

there’s something. it’s hiding in the back of his brain, somewhere even his six eyes can’t find or comprehend. 

he leans back against the headboard, reaching up to run his hands through then lightly grip the strands of his hair. outside, the sun’s barely peeking over the horizon, but whatever had startled him had left him wide awake. 

“the kids are gonna be up soon,” you mumble, pulling him out of the mess of his mind. “better sleep while you have time.” 

time. the word flashes like a flint strike in his mind, but the sparks don’t quite catch yet.

so he lays next to you, wrapping an arm around you to pull you into his chest. he feels a bit better, with you in his arms. 

“what’s wrong?” you mumble, voice thick with sleep. 

“nothing,” he lies.

you hum, but he knows that you know him too well. you always know when he’s lying. 

you twist in his arms so the two of you are face to face, the tip of your nose brushing his. 

your sleepy gaze finds his, sending him a small smile. “hi.”

he doesn’t reply because he finds he’s too busy memorizing the details or your face; the flecks of colour in your eyes, the slope of your nose. it’s as if it’s the first time he’s seeing it.

or maybe the last.

the thought comes out of nowhere and scares him so badly that he tries to pull away.

“hey,” you murmur, cradling his face in your hands. he catches your wrist intending to pull you away, but instead he clings to you like a lifeline. you’re the only thing keeping him grounded. “you’re okay.”

he wants to believe you, he really does. but anxiety is beginning to gnaw on the edge of his sanity.

“something’s wrong,” he admits quietly. “i don’t— i don’t know—”

“you worry too much,” you sigh, your thumb smoothing over his cheek. 

“i just want us all to be safe,” he tells you. 

“i know,” you hum again, smiling a little sadly. “i just wish you wouldn’t let it come at your expense.”

there are a lot of things he wants to say in this moment. he wants to ask why you’re worried, because you know he’s the strongest. that he would rip the heavens apart for you. he wants to tell you that he has a plan, and that he knows it’ll work. 

(a plan for what? he thinks briefly. he can’t remember.)

but most of all…he wants to tell you that he loves you and the life you’ve built together. too much to leave it all behind. 

but all that comes out is,

“i’d rather it be me than any of you.” 

“don’t say that,” you frown. “we need you. i need you.”

there’s an awful ache settled deep in his chest, carving into the place where his heart sits.

“well, it’s a good thing i’m not planning to go anywhere anytime soon.” lie. “i love you.”

truth.

he rests his forehead against yours, tangling his fingers with yours. 

the memories hit him like a gut punch. 

handmade mochi. the flick of a lighter. a beach in okinawa. megumi and tsumiki laughing. you in your wedding dress, telling him you love him. 

a crowded station. the beginning of the end. 

his eyelids are suddenly heavy. there’s not enough time, he panics. that can’t be it—

“i’ll be here when you wake up,” you promise, and even though you sound like you’re a million miles away, he can hear the sadness in your voice. “you can rest now.”

satoru closes his eyes.

[lovelettersfromluna]

⋆ ★ Once again, for the first time ⋆ ★

{Ellie Williams x Reader}

Summary: Being in love with your best friend has got to be one of the most emotionally exhausting things someone can experience, so it’s time you put your foot down and moved on….at least, try to move on

an: God it almost feels wrong to just come back after so long without a continuing chapter to what I’ve been working on, pls don’t be mad at me 😵‍💫. I’ve been really busy you guys! I just got home yesterday and while I know you’ve all be asking for other things, I just haven’t been feeling super inspired to continue them RIGHT NOW, and I feel that’s why I’ve been MIA for so long. While I say I’m not inspired to continue them right now, that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning them! I will be coming back to them don’t worry! For now, I hope this little angsty fic is enough for you all, and I hope you’ve stuck around to read it, and if you haven’t, that’s okay too. Anyways, I’ve missed you all so much, and I hope you like this one 🖤🖤🖤.

Warnings: ANGST!!! Eventual smut in future chapters, Ellie is an oblivious idiot, Quiet!reader, momentary alternative love interest (it’s just for the story I promise 😉), jealous!Ellie, possessive!Ellie, Please let me know if I missed anything!

Part 2 can be read, here!

The warm glow of your tv screen became blurry with each passing second. You could barely make out the erratic movements of the video game characters beating each other to a pulp as Ellie’s fingers tapped away at the buttons on the game controller, soft huffs leaving here lips ever so often. “Fucking dick..” She mumbled under her breath, eyebrows knit in deep concentration, eyes almost growing watery from her lack of blinking.

You on the other hand, you were nearly fast asleep. Cuddled into your sofa, resting your head against a pillow that was propped up against the arm of the couch, a plush blanket draped over your body as you watched your best friend control a scantily clad character to violently fight the opposite person.

This was tradition for you and Ellie. She’d come over, you would force her to study with you because she was often too stubborn to do it without you, you’d order shitty take out, watch her play video games, and then you’d fall asleep. It always ended with her dragging you to your bedroom, staying with you for a bit before she left, and then in the morning, she’d be waiting for you outside your apartment to go to school together.

And that was life, life with your best friend that is. It had been that way since you were practically babies, your routines changing and adapting to whatever phase of life you were both in within that moment, but it was always more or less the same. And you couldn’t complain, you wouldn’t change it for the world.

Not even if you were given the chance to have her as something more.

Ellie had always been a charmer, and unfortunately, the extent of her charming demeanor had made its way to you. It was something you noticed early on, as soon as you were able to decipher feelings of love, you were able to link those with Ellie. When people would explain love to you, or you’d see it in others, you thought of Ellie. You realized quickly after that though, that Ellie was your best friend, and feelings would greatly complicate the long history that you two had together.

And so, you swallowed them down.

It wasn’t like it was painful or anything. Sure, seeing Ellie with other girls wasn’t great, but you coped. Life went on, and you promised yourself you’d never let your feelings get in the way of Ellie’s life, your life, or your friendship.

“Man…I’d let Mileena rip my head off any day…” Ellie sighed out, the girl never a stranger to gawking at the make believe video game characters in her favorite games. You let out a sleepy hum, giving her a nod as you cuddled further into the couch, not fully able to comprehend your friends words due to your sleepy state.

The sounds you made caught Ellie’s attention, causing her to sit forward a bit so she could catch a glimpse of your nearly sleeping face. She chuckled softly, shaking her head a bit as she reached forward for the controller, turning off the console followed by the tv before she stood up, taking your hand in hers and pulling you slightly.

“You have the energy of a seventy year old woman…come on, let’s get you to bed grandma” she teased, and it only causes you to whine softly. The couch is so comfortable, and you’re more than happy with sleeping there for the night just so you didn’t have to move and lose the blissful drowsy feeling that came with the sounds of Ellie playing Mortal Kombat lulling you to sleep.

“I’m fine here…” You tried, knowing that she wouldn’t settle for you sleeping there on the couch all night. And she didn’t need to be told twice, she let out a soft hum, one that almost sounded like she’d leave you there, but suddenly you’re being lifted off of the couch, into Ellie’s strong chest, even stronger arms wrapping around your body, which once again caused you to whine.

No matter how tired you were, how close to sleep, you can’t ignore the burning fire in your chest when she holds you like this. Even though being Ellie’s friend was the furthest thing from painful, it was times like this that it got a little too hard. Ellie was always a very affectionate person, especially with people she was close to, and you happened to be at the top on that list.

So, when she’d do things like this, pull you up into her arms and carry you to bed, or slip her arms around your waist and spoon you from behind when you were watching movies together, or when she’d pull you close to her when you were in a crowded room, it was easy to imagine how things would be if it were different, if you were able to have her in the way you wanted.

Only for a moment though.

Ellie hummed softly as she gently rested you on your bed, making sure to pull your socks off because she knew you’d kick them off in your sleep anyways, and pull the blanket, not the duvet, over your body because it was how you preferred to sleep. She knew exactly what to do with you, and it always made your heart tug.

She smiled softly down at you, watching as your heavy eyes grew even heavier once your head hit your soft pillows. She gave your elbow a gentle nudge before she turned off the lights in your room, closed the door, and left your apartment.

And even though you were already falling asleep, you couldn’t ignore the urge you had to ask her to stay. The urge you always had to ask her to stay with you.

You let out a soft yawn, rubbing your eyes a bit before you began writing down in your notebook again. Your headphones played soft music into your ears, the blessing of a noise cancelling headset always making it easy to study in your college library, for a moment, pretending as if you were the only one there.

Until Ellie showed up.

She gently pulled one side of your headset up, her lips close to your ear as she approached you. “Hey stranger” she giggled softly, causing you to whine as you pulled the headset down to rest against your neck. You gave your friend a soft smile as you set your pen down, watching as she promptly took the seat next to you and tossed her bag onto the table.

“Hey yourself…came all the way to the library to see me?” You teased her, propping your elbows onto the table and resting your head against your hands as you watched her slump down into her chair, oversized hoodie hanging on her broad shoulders, light washed denim jeans hanging loose on her hips, short hair lazily tugged up into her signature half up half down ponytail, pretty strands falling down and framing her face perfectly.

God she was a fucking dream.

Ellie groaned softly, her head falling back as she blew air past her lips, staring up at the ceiling of the library. “I have time between classes…so I came to bother my favorite little scholar” She hummed out, giving you a lazy grin as she turned her head back towards you, causing you to roll your eyes at her words.

“You know, you could use this time to study” you try, narrowing your eyes at her playfully, which causes her to roll her eyes right back at you. “Ahhh, please. You’re probably the only one here that actually does that shit” she hummed out, which causes you to shrug, closing your books and stacking them upon one another. “True, but I have the grades to show for it” you nod to herself before you push your things to the side, turning back to your friend and giving her your attention.

“So? What’s happening. You look like you’re just itching to tell me something” you smirked softly, knowing your friend all too well. Whenever became fidgety, or absolutely needed to find you, there was something on her mind.

Ellie smirked softly, staring down at her ring clad fingers before she let out a soft hum, purposefully keeping you waiting with anticipation before she began speaking.

“Do you think Sofia is into girls?”

For a moment, the twinkle in your eye, and the soft smile on your lips as you watch your best friend drops completely. You’re glad she isn’t looking, because you’re sure anyone would be able to see the visible disappointment written on your face as soon as she says it. You only let it fall for a moment though, because you’re immediately collecting yourself, picking yourself up off the ground and giving your friend a soft, reassuring nod.

“Has being straight ever stopped a girl from being into you Ellie?” You tease her, recalling the frequent times girls claimed they were straight, yet somehow always ended up chasing after Ellie after they’ve had one too many drinks.

Ellie groans softly, shaking her head as she sits forward a bit. “No man…I don’t wanna just hook up with her..or..or be her fantasy or something. I wanna…ask her out or something” she mumbled out, cheeks burning red as she toyed with the shiny rings on her fingers. You blink a few times, trying to find the right words to encourage your friend to do it, to pursue whoever it was that she wanted.

No matter how much the words tasted bitter on your tongue.

“Well…ask her, or you can ask around? A close friend of hers would definitely know if she was interested in girls or not” you tried again, watching as your friend frowned in concentration, eyebrows furrowed, green eyes narrowed.

Whoever this girl was, Ellie was doing her head in over her….

It almost bothered you that this was your first time hearing about her.

“You think? I’ve just…I’ve had my eye on her for a while and I think I’m ready to finally make a move, you know?” She sighed out, and you nod slowly, giving her a soft smile paired with a reassuring nod.

“Then go for it, Els. The worst she can say is no, and even then, there are plenty of other fish in the sea” you assure her. Because it’s true, Ellie never stayed single for long. There were always girls interested in her, or her them, and it wasn’t long until she was introducing you to a new, pretty girl that she’d have on her arm for the next however many months.

She smiled softly as she nodded, your words clearly getting through to her, as they always did. She gives a determined nod, moving to stand up from the chair she was sat at. “You’re damn right there is…hey, I’m gonna try to find someone to talk to, but I’ll catch you later, yeah?” She nods, slinging her bag over one of her shoulders, already walking away from the table as her eyes never left yours.

You give her a soft nod, eyes lingering on her form as you let out a low hum. “Always” you confirm, knowing that it was true. You’d always be there when Ellie needed you.

She beamed back at you, giving you a nod. You could practically see the excitement shining off of her body, seeping through her pores. “And I’ll catch you this weekend! Your place!” She shouted, causing your eyes to widen at her volume, the other students instantly shushing her. You give her a quick nod, your hands fanning away as you shoo her out of the library, a soft giggle leaving your lips.

You ignore the little cracks in your heart, because the smile on her face makes up for it. You know it’ll pass, you know this is merely a phase of your life that you’ll look back on and laugh at once you’ve found the person that was right for you, one that filled up the little holes that Ellie left in your heart.

And oh how you couldn’t wait for that day to come.

You don’t see Ellie that following weekend.

In fact, the last time you actually saw her was that day in the library, with the few times you saw her in and out of classes that the two of you shared.

Ellie ended up talking to Sofia that same day, and it turns out she was interested in girls. From the texts that she sent you that night, she was raving about the day that they had set up after hours of talking out in the courtyard. She tells you she’s sorry, that she can’t make it out to your place for your routine weekend together, and you tell her it’s fine, to have fun and tell you all about the date the next morning.

And suddenly, you can’t remember the last time you spent more than five minutes with your best friend.

You text here and there, and she catches you outside of class when you happen to make it there at the same time sometimes, but you don’t really have lunch together anymore like you always do, you don’t sit outside in the courtyard to kill time between classes together, she doesn’t visit you in the library, all of those things just suddenly stop.

And then she tells you, she’s dating Sofia.

She tells you they made it official after the first four dates, and at first you feel it’s a bit fast, but you realize they spend all of the time that you and Ellie used to spend together, with each other instead, and it suddenly makes sense. Ellie had a girlfriend now, and it was the explanation for the sudden lack of her presence, the absence of your best friend on weekends. While you stared at your tv screen alone, she was with Sofia.

And you were happy for her, of course you were happy, why wouldn’t you be? She was your best friend and she had gotten the girl she wanted for so long, just as you expected she would…

But the happiness you felt for her lived alongside the sadness that you felt. The two emotions becoming tenants in the home that was your heart, sitting across one another, glaring at each other as they battled for control of you, controlling how you dealt with the situation, how you coped with the sudden disappearance of your best friend.

So, you didn’t give either one control, you ignored them both after a while, and you simply carried on as if nothing had ever happened.

Ellie really was the only person you occupied any free time with, opting to be with her rather than anyone else, because it felt good. You liked it when it was just you and Ellie, it was easy, and it was easy to not overthink things and simply be, rather than worry about how you were behaving.

So without her, you simply did all the things you did with her, just on your own.

Ellie tried to make time for you, while juggling the escapades that come with the early stages of a relationship, you couldn’t take that away from her, but you saw how hard it was. You didn’t want her to feel bad, or feel like she was neglecting you, or her friendship, even if she sort of was. You convinced her it was fine, that she deserved to enjoy her new relationship, and that it needed more attention than your friendship ever would, not right now at least.

And Sofia was great. She was beautiful, and kind, and sweet, and after meeting her a few times, you considered her to be somewhat of a big sister figure. Seeing her made it clear to understand just why Ellie was so keen on taking her off the market as soon as she could.

But that seemed to make it even harder to deal with.

It was on days like this one where it hit you a bit harder, Ellie’s absence. You didn’t mind being alone, but walking to and from classes without her constant banter and jokes definitely wasn’t the best, and heading out to the cafes for lunch was far too quiet on your own, but, you prevailed.

You were making your way out of your third and last class for the day, a soft sigh leaving your lips as you adjusted your bag on your shoulder. The week was finally closing in, and you couldn’t be happier. You yearned for the warmth of your home, your cozy little bed, your favorite mug filled with your favorite hot chocolate, it called to you as you pushed past the large doors of your college building, making your way out to the brisk outdoors of your campus.

The sound of quickening footsteps behind you was almost drowned out as you took your headphones from behind your neck, and began setting them onto your head. A hand suddenly pulled them down, forcing them back around your neck, which caused your eyebrows to furrow as you turned around to see who in their right mind would try to fuck with a girl and her music.

You almost passed out when you were met face to face with your best friend.

Seeing her made you realize just how long it had been since you saw her. You tried convincing herself it had only been a few weeks, but you found it hard to remember the last time you were staring up into those big green eyes, and not imagining them instead.

Your frown was quickly replaced with a soft smile, adjusting your bag on your shoulder as you stared up at Ellie. “Ellie…god…I was ready to start throwing punches” you joked, pulling your headset from around your neck and pushing them down into your beg before you looked back up at her.

Ellie chuckled softly, watching as you went about putting your things away. Her smile was so bright, eyes twinkling, cheeks red, all signs that pointed towards the same thing.

Ellie Williams was properly smitten.

“I’ve been looking for you, dork…you’re always hiding these days” she groaned out, which caused you to hum softly, giving her a slight shrug. “Been busy studying Els…I’m sorry” you tried, giving her a half smile.

Knowing that your studying was not the cause of the divide in your friendship, and neither was it you hiding.

She pouted softly, stepping forward so that you two could walk together. “I miss you…” She hummed out, staring down at the Nikes on her feet, nearly swallowed up by her baggy jeans. Her words make your heart tug as you stare up towards the large trees, swaying with the autumn wind, sun peeking in between the thick foliage of the leaves.

“How are you And Sof? Things going well?” You questioned, opting to ignore the way you heart beat faster when she said she missed you. You were also genuinely curious, you wanted to hear more about Ellie’s relationship, you wanted her to confide in you and trust you as anyone else would trust their best friend with their relationship.

Ellie instantly smiled bashfully at the mention of the girl, a soft hum leaving her lips as she nodded. “Fuck…she’s amazing, man. She’s like a fucking dream, I swear, I’m honestly not sure what I’ve done to deserve her” she sighed out, voice sounding so dreamy and love sick, you can’t help but smile.

“You like her…don’t you? I mean…you’re my best friend, your approval is one that’s pretty fucking important to me” she chuckled out as she looked over at you, head dipping down a bit to try and her a glimpse of your down casted face, her hands shoved into her pocket.

Her words make you hum, and you’re giving her a soft smile as you look up at her. Her expression is written with one that is concerned, concerned that you approve of her relationship, that you think she’s making the right move with Sofia.

And you know in that moment, you have the power to break it all. You have the power to rip things to shreds, just by telling Ellie you think Sofia isn’t the right girl for her, because you know she’ll listen to you. You know she’ll take your feelings into consideration, because she trusts you.

“I think she’s perfect for you, Ellie” you breath out, giving her a reassuring smile.

Because just as much as you know you have the power to be horrible, and rip everything away from them both, Ellie doesn’t deserve that, and neither does Sofia. They don’t deserve to hurt for the sake of your feelings, at the expense of what you feel for Ellie.

And the smile you see your best friend shoot your way makes it all worth it, because it’s like she’s been waiting for those words to leave your lips to go all the way, to give herself to Sofia completely and give into her as she wanted to this entire time.

“Fuck…you don’t know how happy that makes me” she sighs out, looking up towards the sky and letting her eyes flutter shut as she takes a deep inhale, and you know she’s truly happy.

And that makes you happy.

“Hey, are you busy next weekend? There’s a party Sof and I are going to, you should come with us” she says as she looks down towards you. You know it’s a bad idea, because it means you’ll third wheel the entire night, tucked away in a corner to avoid watching them make out all night long until it’s time to go home, where you’ll be just as miserable there as you are in your house.

But you know Ellie won’t take no for an answer.

You let out a soft sigh before you give her a nod, paired with a half smile, and she’s already cheering loudly, causing people around you to stare, and you groan softly as you give her a gentle shove, urging her to stop.

“I’ll text you the details! Sof and I will pick you up” she confirmed, and you give her a soft giggle before you nod. “Get out of here…I’ll see you then” you promise, and she’s smiling brightly as she begins walking away.

And despite the fact that it’s the first time you’ve talked to her in far too long, and it was mainly about her girlfriend, you can’t ignore the way your heart ignites for that small interaction on its own, and the excitement you feel knowing you have plans with her in the near future.

It’ll be fine, you remind yourself. It always has been, and it always will be. And with that, you made your way home.

The following week, is when you met Alex.

You were making your way to your first class of the day, the early morning sun shining down on you, giving you only a bit of warmth from the brisk air that swirled around you and the other students scattered about within the large courtyard that served as a main point sprouting out to all other campus buildings.

Your eyes were trained on your feet, a habit you had that had caused you to run into many people, many times. It was an easy way for you to stay deep in thought, focusing on the way your shoes sounded hitting the pavement with each steps, watching as they crunched against leaves.

“Excuse me?” A soft voice broke you away from your locked gaze on your feet, your eyes blinking a few times as you looked up to figure out who it was that was trying to get your attention.

When you laid eyes on the person looking at you, you nearly passed out.

It was a girl, she was tall, with pretty eyes and a charming smile. Her jacket hung loosely on her shoulders, bag draped over one of her arms, a paper in one of her hands. Her features were strong, yet soft at the same time, mixing together both masculine and feminine and almost making your mind go completely blank as her beautiful eyes stared into yours.

“Um…could you help me? It’s my first day and I’m sort of lost” she chuckled out bashfully, her hand reaching up to run through her hair as she tried handing you the paper in her hand. You simply blinked a few times, watching the girl almost in awe as she stared down at you, before you realized you were in fact gawking at this woman.

You cleared your throat, giving her a quick nod before you giggled. “Yes! Yea…sorry..I…can I?” You question as you gestured towards the paper, which caused her to chuckle softly and nod as she handed it to you.

Your eyes scanned over the paper, furrowing a bit in concentration before you zeroed in on the first class she has in her schedule, and it made you smile.

“Oh, that’s where I’m going! You must be the new transfer student the professor was talking about” you explain, your heart beating a bit faster as you come to the conclusion that not only is this insanely hot girl speaking to you, but she’s also in your first class of the day.

She smiles brightly, pearly white teeth flashing your way as she raises her eyebrows. “No way…would you mind if I walked with you then?” She hums out, eyeing you carefully before you look up at her from the paper, giving her a shy smile as you nod. “I wouldn’t mind at all…come on”

You learn that her name is Alex, and that she was supposed to start the semester with everyone else, but there were issues with her documents so she had to transfer instead. The entire way to class, you take your time together, strolling along the pathways and hallways of your school, getting to know one another. You realize that although it’s your first conversation with her, you feel as comfortable with her as you do with…

As you do with Ellie.

When you realize that, you realize that you’d gone the longest without thinking about Ellie than you had in a long time. Alex takes her off your mind completely, because she’s pretty, and her smile makes you swoon, and being with her feels comfortable.

And you reckon you could get used to it.

When you both finally reach your classroom, there are students scattered about, waiting for the professor to arrive and for the lecture to start. You hum softly as you look over at your usual seat, turning around to look up at Alex. “I sit over there…there’s an empty right next to me if you want” you suggest.

The empty seat used to be taken up by Ellie before she started dating Sofia.

Alex smiles brightly as she nods before you can even finish your words, and that alone prompts you to grab her hand and drag her along through all of the seats to get to the two seats tucked away in the corner, the ones you used to look forward to making your way to almost every day that you had class.

When you two are settled, you fall into a comfortable conversation, your head resting against your hand as you listen to her speak. She tells you about her old school, about her favorite books and movies, her favorite music. You’re so caught up in the conversation with Alex…

That you don’t even notice Ellie walk into the room.

She walks in as she usually does these days, laughing softly at something Sofia said, her arm draped around the girls waist, keeping her close. Had it been any other day, she would’ve made her way down to the usual seats in the front that she has recently taken with Sofia, but the sound of our laugh quickly catches her attention.

At first, she realizes she hasn’t heard the loud sound in quite some time. The only thing she’d received from you in the small moments she shared with you were tiny giggles, or small hums, but never that deep, belly laugh that she loved so much.

Then, when she looks at you, head tilting back as you cover your lips, laughing loudly at something she was oblivious to, her eyes finally fall on the person your body is turned towards. A head of short hair and a leather clad, broad back is turned towards her, and suddenly Ellie is frowning.

Because that seat, is hers.

Ellie gives Sofias waist a soft tap, mumbling for her to wait for her at their seats as she presses a soft kiss to her cheek, green eyes never leaving you and Alex as she continues to make you laugh uncontrollably.

She doesn’t think about much, other than the annoyance she feels that someone is in her seat, regardless of the fact that she’d left that seat empty, leaving you alone for weeks on end. All she knows, is that she doesn’t like that someone is sitting in her seat, she doesn’t like that this is the first time she’s heard you laugh in weeks…..

And she sure as hell doesn’t like that it’s this mystery person that is causing that laugh in the first place.

“I know! I can’t believe you like that show too, I was convinced that-“ your words are cut off by the dark, looking presence that is suddenly hanging over you and Alex. It makes you frown softly, looking up to find a very angry Ellie standing in front of both you and Alex.

“Ellie? Hey! What are you doing here?” You question softly, unable to remember the last time you’d seen Ellie up there at those seats with you. The question is genuine, and for a moment you assume something might be wrong, but Ellie’s expression seems to be even more annoyed than when she first got there.

Instead, Ellie completely disregards your question, the girl annoyed with how innocent and genuine your words are, your big eyes blinking up at her with a twinge of worry as you await her reasoning for being there with you. She looks at Alex, her tongue pressing against her cheek before she nods her head towards the seat she’s sitting in. “That’s my seat” she deadpans, not leaving any room for argument.

Alex raises her eyebrows, staring up at Ellie before she turns to you for a moment, humming casually as she gives a half shrug. “I was told no one sits here anymore” she hummed out, staring up at Ellie in a challenging manner. It causes Ellie to scoff softly, rolling her eyes before she inhales deeply, and you know it’s because she’s trying to control her temper.

“Well I do, so you should find a different seat” she barks back, her tone progressively becoming more and more irritated with Alex. Alex simply chuckles softly, clearly taking Ellie for a joke as she sighs out. “Doesn’t have your name on it…so I’m not going anywhere” she finishes off, clearly done with the conversation with Ellie. Ellie raises her eyebrows, finally looking over at you as if to silently ask if you’re just going to let someone speak to your best friend that way.

And it annoys you to no end.

It annoys you because Ellie didn’t care about the seat for the past however many weeks since she’d been dating Sofia, you were sure it had been a good month at least, and suddenly she cares about it when someone is taking up the spot.

Taking up her spot.

You frown softly, staring up at your friend before you let out a soft sigh. “I think Sofia is waiting for you, Ellie” you try, giving her a slight nod as if to remind her that her girlfriend was in fact waiting for her down at the bottom of the sea of chairs. You hope it’ll clear her head, and whatever this sudden urge to come and check up on you with it. You see a flash of something ripple across her face, something you can’t quite make out for a moment, but once you do, it’s clear as day.

Betrayal.

She inhales deeply, eyes never leaving yours, only when they dart over to Alex. She wants to stay and say more, try to get the idiot next to you to sit somewhere else, anywhere else, but suddenly you’re turning your attention back to Alex, a soft smile on your lips as you fall back into conversation with her as if Ellie wasn’t standing right over the both of you. Ellie feels like she could burn a hole through the floorboards with how much it makes her seethe.

And the worst part is? She couldn’t even understand why it made her feel that way.

Soon, she’s stomping off like a child, down the stairs of the lecture room towards Sofia. She gives you an apologetic look from her spot at the bottom where she sits with Ellie, and it makes you so confused because why is she even looking at you that way? As if she was to blame for her girlfriends behavior? You give her a small smile back, and she turns around towards Ellie, her small hands rubbing the girls back gently as she bent her head down and pressed a soft kiss to her head.

You eye them for a moment, but your eyes don’t linger like they used to. You’re quickly looking back at Alex as she speaks to you, making you forget all about the very strange behavior your best friend just exhibited.

“Sorry about that…she’s…she’s great, I promise. I’m sure you two would like each other” you nod, giving Alex a reassuring smile. Alex hums in response as she looks down at Ellie, her eyes narrowing down at her for a moment before she nods. “I’m sure we would” she smiles out, and you can tell despite the rude interaction they just had, she’s genuine, and she seems to want to know more about Ellie.

But you save that for later, because you’d much rather get to know Alex than talk about Ellie.

[teddynottss]

• - ARE YOU FLIRTING OR STARTING A FIGHT?- •

PAIRING(S): theodre nott x fem. reader

WARNING(S): smutt

SUMMARY: theodore and y/n are academic rivals, and when one time she gets into an argument with snape and gets detention, the slytherin boy finds a way to follow her there

A/N: thanks for 100 followers ily all 💓

——————————————————

Everyone knew you and theodore were academic rivals, both of you had always been racing to be at the top of your classes for years now. However, you always were a few points ahead of him, so you always managed to find a way to brag about it.

You’d always rub your higher marked grades in front of his face, you’d tease him about it in the corridor, lunchtime, anytime, all the time. One class however, potions, was one you faced difficulty with.

Snape wasn’t the biggest fan of your house, Ravenclaw, neither was he of you. He gave you a hard time in his class, while on the other hand theo had it the way he liked.

One time in potions class, Draco gave Neville a potion which caused the Gryffindor boy to throw up slugs all over the room. This little show earned a good chuckle from pretty much everyone, and seeing as Snape wasn’t really trying to do anything about it, you finally snapped. “What the hell is going on?” you shout. “Calm yourself, ms.” Snape answered. “No, no! Look what hes doing to him, do something about it!” “Alright, shush now. This is my class, my business to handle, my choices to make and take.” He said, more angrily now.

“This is bullshit!” You shout. “All right, detention ms!” Snape shouts angrily. Just then, theodore punches blaise in the face, making his nose bleed. Holding his face, blaise speaks “what the actual fuck was that for?”. Theo then goes for another punch and thats when snape stops him using his wand, “alright nott, detention for you too!” you could see the little smirk appearing on theo’s lips as snape spoke.

Later ~

The both of you had to spend your night cleaning the library for detention, wonderful. You got there and to your surprise, theo was already there before you. You ignore him and immediately get to work, you wanted to be done and out of here in no time.

As you’re putting some of the books back, he approaches you. “You’re not going to ignore me the whole night right?” to that you dont answer. “But really, Longbottom, out of all people?” He chuckles. “What are you trying to say, neville is my friend and everyone always finds a way to make fun of him so i will not allow that to happen in my presence.”

You leave the slytherin boy in shock and he turns back to keep working on his part. After a while, he speaks again “You know that this whole problem thing with snape will cause you to fail his class?” he speaks.

“I do.” You scoff. “That means i have a higher chance of getting ahead of you and being at the top of the grade this year.”he teases. “I dont even fucking care nott.” You speak as you keep your face to the front, putting the books back in place. “But that wont happen.” He adds. You turn to him confused, “huh?”. “That wont happen i said.” He speaks.” “And how come?” you ask. “Listen to me, we’ve been academic rivals for years, every single time i was so close to beating you, but i never did, do you ever wonder how?”

You don’t speak, as you cant quiet understand what he’s talking about. He then proceeds to continue “i did it on purpose, i knew how much it matters to you, i read your diary in our first year saying how you were so bad at everything you’ve tried and that studying was the only thing you were good at, thats why i’d write the wrong answers on purpose. Id also steal potter’s invisibility cloak to sneak into the classrooms and change your wrong answers.”

“There is no way,” you say hesitantly unsure what to say instead. “Yes, you need to believe me.” “What the fuck, are you flirting with me or tryna start a fight?” He tilts your chin to look up at him, “i never wanna fight with you, i just want you to be happy.”

Just then you lean in closer and connect your lips. He kisses you back, tongues colliding, his hands land on your hips and he pulls you in closer. He pins you to the bookshelf and starts leaving wet, hungry kisses on your neck and collarbone. You moan at the feeling and grab his hair, to which he responds by biting the skin on your neck, slowly, then more aggressively. “Theo, i wanna thank you for what you did” you speak in between moans. “I wanna pleasure you please.” “You’ll only pleasure me by doing what i ask you to do, let me give you head until you forget your name, cara mia.”

Just then he lifts you so that your legs rest on his shoulders, he raises your skirt and lowers you panties. “God you’re already so fucking wet f’me bella.” He says as he begins trailing kisses around your pussy. You arch your back a bit, wanting him to eat you out already to which he chuckles before he begins teasing your folds with his tongue.

He licks your folds then keeps a hand on your thigh to make sure you don’t fall before he adds three fingers inside you all in one go. “HOLY FUCKKKK” you scream and squirm and squeeze around him, only burying his face deeper into your pussy as his tongue and fingers work in sync. You feel your climax building already, “im gonna cum, theo.” You moan as theo speeds his movements. “FUCKK, OH SHIT YEAH JUST LIKE THAT.”

You release and theo licks you clean. He then shows you some of your come on his fingers and he makes you lick them off his fingers. “You taste so fucking good,” he speaks, kissing you. You moan into his mouth then speak “let me give you head, please, i promise to swallow everything.” He breaks the kiss and smiles at you before beginning to remove his pants. You kneel between the boy, who’s now sat on a chair, and find the lace of his boxers.

You pull them down to reveal his hard, throbbing cock. You begin leaving trails of kisses along his v line. Then, you grab his cock and begin massaging it. He leans down to kiss you as you’re playing with him. You palm him and feel his dick twitch at your touch, then you take most of his length in one go. He moans loudly at the feeling as you lick around, sucking better than ever.

You allow your head to move up and down as you try to take more of his length, your nails digging into his thighs. He tugs at your hair, his fingers playing with your brown curls. The slytherin boy then pushes your head completely making his cock hit the back of your throat.

You gag loudly, the sound sending shivers down theos body. As a result, he throws his head back, moaning as you quicken your moves. “Ohhh, my god ‘hm, yeah, please.. mm.. hmh.. fuckkk just like that principessa.” The boy now a whining, whimpering mess. him moaning like that oml.

Without warning, he cums into your mouth. You look up at him between your lashes, your eyes filled with tears. He smiles down at you, watching you swallow everything. He then carries you and places you on his lap, “good girl, that was fucking awesome, tesoro (sweetheart).”

“I wanna make you cum one more time tonight, i know you have one left.” he speaks. “Only if you promise to come inside me.” You announce. He chuckles and nods as he begins removing your shirt. He removes it then proceeds to remove your bra.

Your boobs fly out, bouncing, also revealing your hard tits. He immediately lays his mouth on your breast, pleasuring your left boob, licking and sucking on it endlessly. He also used his other hand to pinch and play with your tit on the other side. This man, lord. He was only playing with your boobs and he was already gonna throw you over the edge again.

He then pleasured the other boob similarly, licking, sucking, and biting before he started leaving a trail of kisses all the way up to your neck. He then held your hips and slowly begin lowering you onto him, you were able to get most of him in the first time. Then, he gave you time to adjust before pushing more of himself in. You moan when you have his whole length in and then when you get used to his size, you begin riding him.

As you begin riding him slowly and carefully, he groans slightly at the feeling. Theo then places his fingers on your clit and starts rubbing hard which makes you feel yourself cum start to form. “Im gonna cum again teddy..” you announce. “Do it, f’me cara mia.” You speed your movements and so does he, you begin moaning at the speed of things to which he kisses you to stop the moans from being too loud.

Then, theo uses his hips to thrust deeper into your so that you’re practically bouncing on him. That is followed by him sucking on the sensitive skin on your neck, biting and licking it until you scream as you release onto him. As he’s helping you ride out your climax, you moan his name making him groan and cum inside of you.

The boy then grabs your face and kisses you hard, “i fucking loved that,” he speaks. “So did i” you smile back at him. Just then, you hear a sound coming from somewhere to which you both jump in fear and begin getting dressed. You manage to put your skirt and shirt on, but the slytherin boy only his pants before mr lupin appears.

His eyes widen in surprise at the site of the boy half naked, “a little hot mr nott?” “uhh.. yes sir” he says hesitantly. Remus then chuckles, “im gonna let it slide this time but please try to do it in a more private place and finish your duties too.” You both nod before moving back to your jobs.

[messylustt]

Jzhxjsh if can I make another request, I REALLY LOVE TOOOO MUCH YOUR WRITING AND i need jealous like i need oxygen

“ if i didn’t know any better, i’d say you were jealous ” & “ you look really pretty right now ”

only free to me — leon kennedy. ughhhh i need jealous hobie too like bdjskjdks

hobie’s gaze was locked onto the spider variant talking to you. you and hobie were seated, your gaze looking up at the arrival of someone hobie now easily can say he dislikes. hobie found himself slowly reaching out for you, his leg bent up on the long bench. and by subtly tugging at your suit you were forced to slide towards him, his legs now open around you.

his gaze never shifted from the spider variant who was earning a few too many smiles from you. and it almost felt like a relief when the spider finally got called away. you wave him off, before shifting your gaze to hobie, your smile having fallen. “what was that?”

“what was what?” hobie “innocently” asks, his fingers still not having let up their grip on your suit. you look down at his connected hand. “that.”

he looks down too, a small lazy smile edging his lips, as he rubs the material by your hip between his fingertips. “you look really pretty right now…you know that?”

you give hobie a look. you were used to this. this flirting and smirking attitude. “ha ha.” you mockingly say, turning away to continue eating.

“you think i’m joking?” he raises his brows as you glance at him again. his leg around you seems to be more prominent the closer he shifts towards you.

“you’re always joking.” you remark. hobie shakes his head “don’t believe in comedy.”

“oh, that’s right.” you chuckle, unconvinced, looking back to your food. before you can place a forkful in your mouth, hobie redirects it to his as he leans close by you. you smack his hand away, but it’s too late, your foods gone.

“really? i was looking forward to that.” you mutter, frowning. hobie makes a point to eat it slowly, savouring the taste with small sounds, resulting in you elbowing his stomach.

he slightly doubles over, laughing. and just as you go to scold him, the spider variant from before taps your shoulder. “hey, sorry i didn’t get to ask before — mission report run. but uh, are you free tonight?”

you pause, eyes slightly widening. “oh, uh…yea—“

“nah.” hobie instantly cuts in, looping his arm around your shoulder so that you press more into him. “she’s busy, sorry mate.”

you shift your gaze to hobie eyes narrowing sharply in question. “aren’t you?” he asks you raising his brows pointedly.

“no, I’m sorry, I don’t know what he’s talking about — ” you begin to say to the spider variant but hobie swiftly placed his hand over your mouth, your back now having shifted to his front, his stance now straddling the bench.

“she doesn’t wanna admit it, poor thing, but she’s sick. she’s a lil embarrassed.” hobie states, looking to the spider who is eyeing the interaction with a mixture of a nod and a confused expression. you slightly struggle against his grip, but hobie just rests his chin on your shoulder, you now practically flush against him.

“I’ve told her there’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about, but ya know. she likes to keep up appearances.”

“maybe another time…then.” the spider variant suggests.

“hm.” hobie just hums, silently saying ‘no’ in his head, while he fake smiles at the poor spider until he leaves.

that’s when hobie finally let’s up his grip on your mouth, as you spin to face him. “what the hell was that?”

hobie shrugs. “no, no don’t just shrug at me.” you say pointedly. “you’ve done this before. the last time that guy asked me out. I was not sick then, and i’m not sick now.” you pause, eyes narrowing. “if i didn’t know any better, i’d say you were jealous.”

hobie scoffs. “jealous?”

“then explain that.” you gesture in general to the interaction before.

“he’s a dick.” hobie says. “no he’s not.” you answer easily. “he may be thick headed sometimes, but everyone here knows how nice he is. so, come on, what’s your next excuse.”

hobie’s eyes narrow as you cross your arms. you raise your brows waiting. “if you aren’t gonna say anything, then imma go apologise to him and explain that i’m free — ”

this time hobie cuts you off by tugging you closer and grabbing your chin, his lips smashing against yours. you gasp into his mouth, as you’re tipped back, your back forcing to arch as he holds you against him. his seating position made it easier to control the movements.

your seating position made it hard. hobie used that to his advantage as his hands found your waist, his lips wrapping around your lower and sucking. he then begins to slightly shake his head his lips brushing yours. “but you aren’t free…ya wouldnt wanna lie now would ya?”

you’re shocked, and all that comes out of your mouth is “but i don’t have plans tonight.”

hobie chuckles, licking at your lower lip slowly as he makes sure you stay close. “i don’t mean ‘schedule’ wise, love…” his mouth opens against your own, panting breathes mixing. “i mean you aren’t free to anyone but me…”

© messylustt.tumblr please don’t steal, copy or translate my work onto other platforms.

[itiswhatitisboi]

Golden Years.

synopsis: thinking back on being teammates with kate after she gets drafted, considering them the golden years — and regretting not doing anything about your feelings for her and thinking it’s just too late

warning(s): nothing except good ole’ angst

pairing (s): kate martin x iowa!reader

a/n: first time writing a fic and i kinda blacked out bc this is a doozy

the night your best friends got drafted had to be one of the best nights of your life. you, jada, gabbie and kate had gone to support caitlin and while you, of course, had deep down hoped that a certain blonde would get picked — it was still such a shock when her name got called from the audience. you all got to cheer her on as she walked up to a jersey that would hopefully have her name on the back.

it had ended in a night of celebration, the alcohol making you extra flirty, and kate extra touchy. a dangerous combo considering the feelings you had for. the same feelings you had downplayed for the past two years because this was kate. your captain, your teammate, one of your best friends at iowa.

“i can’t believe you got drafted tonight,” you had hiccuped into her ear with her arm dangling lazily around you as you sat in the booth next to her. the feel of her touch against you had caused you to tune all other conversation out, your attention solely her’s.

she had chuckled and you had felt her body rumble against you, “las vegas here i come.”

“i knew you could do it.” it had been such a light-hearted comment but if only kate knew the weight behind it. ever since she had introduced herself to you your freshman year at iowa, officially welcoming you to the team, it had been an instant connection. one that had grown into a powerful friendship until it eventually left you wanting something more. seeing the type of person she was, you fell for her smile, her kind heart, her laugh, the compassion she had so much of to give, her obsession with hot sauce — all of her. she had become the most attractive person to you and she was all you ever wanted. so when it came to pursuing her dreams, which she had very little vocalized, you were her biggest cheerleader and number one supporter. you always claimed she deserved more recognition, to which she would brush your words off with a bashful laugh, ducking her head humbly.

“i take it you knew i’d get drafted tonight then?” she had teased with you, nudging you with her body.

“without a doubt. they’re lucky to have you, you know that? you deserve this and so much more.”

she had beamed at you and pressed a tender kiss to your temple as thank you. you had no idea but it had take everything in her not to kiss you on the lips right then and there, your words being everything she had longed to ever hear. yes, her family was always proud of her but hearing praises from you just mattered so much more.

but following the draft you had gotten back and were instantly swamped with schoolwork, practically drowning in it. and kate had gotten so busy with packing up her life in iowa. you two had barely seen each other.

one morning you had been sitting at your desk, glaring at the notes that stared back up at you. your mind had naturally wandered to who you always thought about, which was kate. you found yourself dwelling on the seasons you’ve had during the years you had to play together. after that first year you had become an unstoppable duo, elevating the game in such a way that was noticeable to everyone around you, encouraging your teammates to be the best they could be, and overall improving the team. kate may have been the captain but you were damn near equally as important — bluder always liked to call kate the head and you the heart of the team. you both just worked like that.

and as your mind lingered on the thought of kate, you realized that you’d never get that chance to play with her again. that you’d never be out there on the same court with her, chest-bumping her after a crucial block, or giving her a high five following a beautiful three-pointer. you both would never wear the same uniform again. never be teammates again.

and then a horrible thought crossed your mind as you thought about how kate would be finishing her chapter there— would you two remain in each other’s lives?

maybe that was how you found yourself outside her apartment door that morning, knowing she was leaving for good later that day. leaving you behind as she started a new life. your hand hovered in the air until you forced yourself to knock, knowing that the worst that could happen was that you lost touch after she moved and you stayed acquaintances. as long as she’d be in your life, no matter how distant, you’d be able to manage. but one thing was for certain, you wouldn’t be able to handle not saying goodbye.

she opened the door shortly after you knocked softly. her hair was slightly disheveled in a way that made you think she’d been rushing around all morning until just then.

“hey, can i come in?”

kate blinked, as if surprised you were standing right there in front of her before she snapped out of it and stepped aside. “of course.”

the apartment felt like a ghost town the moment you stepped over its threshold. no pictures on the fridge, no display of hot sauces above a the cabinets, nothing.

“what’s up? i thought we said i’d stop by your’s before i left.”

you faced her and watched as she scratched at her brow like the was trying to rid herself of the slight confusion that nestled between her brows. “yeah i know- we did. i just.. i don’t know, i needed to see you.”

kate nodded slowly as you licked your lips, suddenly unsure of what to say. you hadn’t even intended to come here because you knew it’d make you too emotional, that was why you had made the plans to meet up in the first place.

“i guess it’s just really hit me that you’re gonna be across the world and i’m gonna miss you.”

“i’m gonna miss you too,” she smiles softly as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

“no like, i don’t think you get it- i’m gonna miss you a lot. like really miss you.” you began to fidget with her hands as your heart began to beat loudly inside your chest.

you saw the confusion yet appreciation wash across her face. she was definitely confused on why you were so adamant that she didn’t understand where you were coming from. realistically though, she didn’t want to overthink your words because there was no way you returned the same feelings she had for you— right?

“i mean, how am i supposed to go about my day without my favorite person by my side? instead you’re a call away and if i want to see you i have to catch a flight- which they’re so pricy, what is up with that?” you felt yourself begin to ramble and you honestly had no idea why. you just felt like spilling your guts to her and you had no clue if you were going to stop or not.

“what are you saying,” she said softly. she walked closer to you so that she could place a gentle hand on your shoulder, in efforts to comfort you. it hurt late to see you so antsy and she had no idea her move would have so much of an impact on you. “we can call, facetime, text— whatever it is, we can talk as much as you want? okay?”

“it’s not okay— i just want to be with you,” you confessed, the words slipping from your lips without even giving it too much of a second thought. you watch kate’s eyes widen at your words but there was no going back now. “fuck it. kate, i want to be with you. like with you, with you.”

unknowingly to you, that was the best news kate had heard in a long time. hell, it might even beat the draft because hearing what you wanted was the same as what she wanted? nothing could be better.

“i have feelings for you, and i have for a while now.” you confessed. “and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but jesus— i think i was gonna go crazy if you left without at least knowing how i felt.”

you studied kate’s face as she said nothing, simply looking at you. you wondered if you broke her before wondering if you should just leave before you dealt with the embarrassment— or dealt with the reality of losing her friendship over this. fuck, maybe you should’ve watched your damn mouth.

but kate crossing the room and crashing her lips onto yours caught you by surprise and had you staggering back slightly. her hands came to cup your face as she bent down to you. she pulled you as close to her as possible as you came to your senses and wrapped your arms around her neck. you relished in this new feeling, a touch undiscovered as her lips moved against your own.

when you both finally pulled away, breathless, you both wore the brightest smiles on your faces.

kate’s breath fanned your face as she let out an airy laugh. you could’ve sworn she even had a smirk on her face, “who said i didn’t have feelings for you too?”

[blackhairedjjun]

the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

pairing: choi yeonjun x gender neutral reader | genre / tropes: fluff, friends to lovers, reader who likes to cook, ft. friend!taehyun | word count: 2.7k | warnings: food, some profanity

author's notes: yeonjun birthday fic made it on time!! this was more rushed than my usual writing bc i was cramming it in between work, i've been super busy these days :'( but i've wanted to do yeonjun with an s/o who loves to cook for him for a while, and his birthday was the perfect opportunity to write it. so i'm relieved to get this out!

this fic has been cross-posted to ao3 here

the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

you never believed the sentiment yourself until your friend taehyun invited you to hang out with some of his other friends. at the first mention you had doubts about going, but when taehyun mentioned the word potluck, you just couldn’t resist 一 he knew it was a magic word for you.

you didn’t prepare anything too fancy, just a modest batch of tteokbokki. you love how comforting the dish was, from the warm and spicy aroma of the sauce to its soft and springy rice cakes, and it’s a safe thing to make to leave a good impression on taehyun’s friends. at his house you set your tteokbokki on the makeshift buffet table that he had set up, and pray that the guests would actually give your dish a chance.

you underestimated just how much of an impact it would have.

taehyun’s friends love it, but one friend in particular catches your eye. as he takes his first bite his expression changes, his whole face seemingly glowing with delight. his smile is so wide that he’s barely able to keep his mouth shut to chew, and he squirms in his seat in a little dance.

you’ve cooked for others plenty of times before, but you’ve never seen anyone so utterly transformed by your cooking.

“this is so good! mm, i’m so happy... this is so yummy, really... wait, who brought this again?”

taehyun gestures towards you. “y/n cooked it. they’re really good, right? this is, well, it’s their thing.”

his friend whips his head towards you, the wide smile still plastered on his face. it reaches all the way to his eyes, and you see the way they shine in appreciation.

“thank you so much for bringing this,” he says. “can you make this again when you come back?”

you’ve only known this friend for an hour or so and he’s already talking about coming back, which makes your heart flutter and your face grow warm. “s-sure, i’d love to.”

it’s a few months before you’re free again to come to the next hangout, and when taehyun reintroduces you to his friends you note the name of the one whose face lit up at your tteokbokki: yeonjun. this time you’ve brought some spaghetti cooked in freshly made tomato sauce, and again it’s a hit. yeonjun loves it as much as the tteokbokki, and when he’s slurped up his plate and cleaned up he thanks you profusely and looks at you as if you were a saint 一 the patron saint of good food, perhaps. you can’t help but give him a shy smile, and you swear that his cheeks turned a little pink at the gesture.

the day flies by in the presence of good food and good company. when you finally have to leave, yeonjun stops you for a moment; he meets your gaze head on, but the fidgeting of his hands betrays him.

“d’you want to hang out sometime? just you and me, i mean.”

“oh, are you sick of taehyun too?”

from the corner of your eye you see your mutual friend laugh and give you a sly grin. your remark seems to fluster yeonjun, though; he turns his head away to collect himself, which only makes taehyun laugh a bit more.

“i was kidding, i was kidding. but yeah, i’d love to hang out.”

“cool, great.” 

“yeah, cool.”

you try to play it off but your heart pounds in your ears. and though yeonjun is leaning against the wall and trying to seem calm about the whole thing, his heart is racing just as much.

you don’t cook for your first hangout together (he brings you to his favorite ramen shop in the area, which also happens to be your favorite ramen shop in the area) but on your second hangout you make an impromptu meal by cobbling together a stew from whatever you have in your fridge. yeonjun devours it, eating every vegetable and chunk of meat and sip of stew with pure joy all over his face, and when he’s done he stands up to wash the dishes for you. you try to stop him, only for him to gently take your hand before you can grab a sponge. his touch sends a jolt of electricity right through you.

“let me do this for you,” he says. “i wanna thank you for the meal.”

“you don’t have to, yeonjun, i just threw a bunch of stuff together in a pot一”

“please?” he says with a pout. “you’re so sweet for making this, let me repay you.”

his eyes meet yours and you feel your heart soften at the way he looks at you. “okay, fine... and thank you.”

you hang out with him many more times 一 sometimes he invites you, other times you invite him. there’s always a bit of food to share, whether it’s snacks from the convenience store or a home-cooked meal by yourself, but it’s the little moments between the bites of food that make the time worth it. 

one hot afternoon yeonjun helps you clean up after your ice cream has melted and dripped on you, and his hands brush against yours as he dabs an extra napkin against a messy spot on your sleeve. another evening you laugh when he spills some of his pasta out of his plate from too much excitement, and you tut playfully as you give him a bit of your share. on another day you plan to have breakfast together at a nice restaurant to watch the sunrise, only for both of you to stay up late and oversleep. instead you invite him over and team up to make lunch, and soon your kitchen is a mess of flour and breadcrumbs from the breaded pork cutlets you’re trying to make. you sing along to yeonjun’s playlist as you soak a piece of pork in egg, and next to you he draws a heart with the flour residue on the countertop.

you don’t know when exactly your hangouts cross the threshold into dates, but at one point you realize that things feel different when it’s just you and him around. the world feels smaller, the light of day feels brighter,  and even the meals you cook seem to stay warmer for longer. taehyun catches up with you over text as usual all throughout, and when you tell him about your friendship with yeonjun, he simply texts back: friendship?

一

when yeonjun’s birthday draws near, you know exactly what you want to do: make one of his favorite foods, pho, from scratch. finding a good recipe online is easy, and visit to your local market provides you with every ingredient you need. it’s not the most complicated thing you’ve tried to make, and watching videos of other chefs try it out gives you a bit of confidence.

so why on earth are you so damn nervous to make it? 

“i’ve never been so scared to fuck up a dish in my life,” you tell taehyun as you skim some fat off the top of the broth simmering away in a pot. it’s the day of yeonjun’s birthday and you’ve got another hangout (or date?) later that night, and taehyun has offered to help with preps. 

“when you’re scared for something, it just means that you care a lot about it,” he says. he looks up from chopping the onions for the pho and gives you a nod. “you’ve cooked gifts for other people before, you can definitely do this.”

“that’s exactly it!” you say, tossing away the scum you’ve collected. “i made a whole pizza for your birthday this year, taehyun. i roasted pork for my parents’ wedding anniversary, and that should’ve been way scarier than this. but with yeonjun, i… i feel like i can’t fuck this up. if i think about serving him bad pho or even mediocre pho and him getting sad over it, it makes me want to throw myself out of here and go into hiding forever. i’ve never felt like that about anything before.”

“you’ve known him for a few months, not as long as you’ve known me. you want to show the best of yourself for him.” taehyun smiles. “that’s not a bad thing at all.”

“i guess.” you fidget with a wooden spoon as you mull over his words. he’s right, but it’s not like you wanted to settle for mediocrity with your other friends or with your parents either. there’s something else at play, but you dare not admit it out loud. (taehyun already knows anyway, you figure.)

you’re glad to have your friend’s company in the hours it takes for the broth to fully absorb all the flavors. taehyun puts on some of your favorite shows and helps you stretch to ease away your stress, and though you check on your pot from time to time, the two of you also prepare your space. he tells you about his own forays into cooking — he recently ordered a new set of knives that he can’t wait to try — as you place a clean tablecloth on the dining table and wash a set of bowls. his company grounds you and makes the nervousness swirling around in your stomach feel more like a gentle current than a roaring wave.

with the broth done and most of the pho ingredients ready for assembly, the two of you are waiting for the rice noodles to cook when a text from yeonjun arrives.

i’ll be there in 15 mins!

taehyun reads the text over your shoulder and grins. “do you need any more help with the pho?”

“nah, i’m good.”

“that means i can leave, then,” he says with an odd half-smile you rarely see on him. “enjoy your dinner with yeonjun.”

“thanks, taehyun. hey, wait一”

he picks up his bag in record speed and when you blink, he’s at your doorway. “tell me about it over text.”

“hey!”

he’s gone.

you’ve never seen taehyun leave your apartment so fast, and you suspect he knows something that you don’t. still, you don’t let yourself worry about it too much, not when preparing your pho should be the first thing on your mind. you check back on the noodles boiling away in your pot and let out a sigh.

i hope this turns out well, you think.

一

“so, y/n, what do you have ready for tonight? i hope it’s go一 oh...”

“happy birthday, yeonjun.”

whatever remark he was about to make fades into silence when you set down two bowls of pho in front of him. he’s entranced by the savory aroma, the steam swirling upward from each bowl, the noodles and thin slices of onions nearly glistening under the light. you see his lips form a perfect O, the way it always does when his favorite food shows up in front of him.

he doesn’t notice the way your hands tremble as you set down each bowl, or the way your eyes nervously dart back and forth between the pho and his expression. you wonder if he’s excited enough, if the pho will live up to his expectations, then you look at his bowl and think maybe he would like more noodles, maybe the cilantro should be fresher, maybe the broth isn’t salty or sour or spicy enough...

taehyun always said you’re your own worst critic, and you feel all the little criticisms coming in one after the other as you settle down opposite yeonjun. he does a little dance in his seat as he squeezes the lime over the bowl, then looks at you with a smile that lights up his whole face. “it smells so good,” he says. “i can’t wait!”

that’s one good sign, but nothing definitive.

“well, i won’t keep you waiting any longer,” you say. “dig in!”

“thank you for the food!”

the moment it takes for him to slurp up the noodles feels like an eternity to you. as you watch him eat, you pray that the first slurp was as good as it should be, that the noodles were firm enough. then he looks up from the bowl and at you, and you pray that—

he’s smiling. 

it’s different from his earlier excited smile. this one also reaches all the way up to his eyes, but it’s laced with pure adoration. you’ve seen the way his face changes after eating good food countless times, but now this expression seems more tender; he gazes at you as if you were the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen in his life.

you swallow. “is it… good?”

“good? it’s amazing. y/n… you’re so good to me.”

you’re smiling back at him too, and something blooms in you as you gaze back. you feel full of many things: relief, appreciation, affection…

maybe even love.

you feel it bloom as you watch him slurp on the broth and savor each piece of beef with gusto, stopping only to gush about how good it is and how good you are. you feel it settle in you when you dig into your own bowl, savoring the rich flavors of the beef and spices and lime that you poured yourself into, not caring when a bit of broth dribbles off your chin or a noodle falls off and yeonjun giggles at the sight. and you feel it grow in your heart when you try to reach for his empty bowl to wash up, only for him to take your hand again. this time you feel not a jolt of electricity but a wave of warmth.

“rest, you worked hard today. i’ll clean up.”

“it’s your birthday, yeonjun! you are not washing the dishes on your birthday.”

“but what if i want to?” he pouts at you and he knows you can’t resist. “or we can wash them together? what if i want to spend my birthday washing up with you?”

you sigh but relent.

you don’t dare say it to him, but washing up with yeonjun is… comforting. it takes longer than usual, but you don’t mind as he talks about the gift his mom mailed him or about his plans with taehyun and the other guys tomorrow. he tells you some pretty bad dad jokes and you nearly drop the last bowl you’re rinsing from laughing at how awful they are.

he’s still laughing as he pries the clean bowl from your hands and sets it on the rack to dry, and as his hands brush yours, you meet his gaze. he’s looking at you with that same tender look from when he first tried the pho, and your cheeks begin to warm.

“thank you for cooking for me.”

“of course, i want to—”

“you’re always so good to me,” he says. he takes your hands in his, and yours start to tremble; it’s okay, because his do too. “i’ve never had someone who treated me like this before. i want to… i…”

he falters and looks away from you, and you see a hint of pink spreading across his cheeks. he sucks in a breath and when he looks at you again, you move your face closer to his.

you don’t remember who initiates the kiss; all you know is that his lips are on yours, soft and sweet. he wraps his arms around you and you relax in his arms, knowing that nothing your ever make will taste as sweet as this.

when you break apart for air he looks sheepish, nothing like the confident friend you’ve known, but you love the way his eyes shine. his voice is breathy when he speaks: “i like you, y/n.”

“i like you too,” you say, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and brushing your nose against his. a second kiss would be even sweeter, and his lips nearly brush against yours when…

your phone rings and you nearly jump out of his arms.

“what the hell!”

it’s taehyun.

beomgyu i think hyung would be confessing right about now

oh wrong chat

hi y/n :)

[dira333]

Hurting together - Aizawa x Reader

mentions of Chronic pain, requested by @alienaiver I hope this is in any way what you've imagined.

“Nervous?” Shouta asks after a full 120 seconds of your leg bouncing without stopping.

“Huh?! Oh, oh, I’m sorry!” You scramble to a halt, arm resting on your leg to keep it in place. “I didn’t even notice I was doing it.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to stop now. But if you wanna talk about it, I heard that helps.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t wanna … I don’t wanna annoy anyone,” you mutter, eyes flickering from left to right.

“Do you wanna hear my story then?” He asks, not because it’s something he likes sharing, but you’re cute and what’s the alternative? Staring at the wall until he gets called in.

“Oh, if you… if you don’t mind?”

He huffs out a breath. “Well, apparently it’s not healthy to break a bone every single week.”

“Oh!” Your eyes grow huge. “Every single week? Wait, is it the same bone.”

“No,” he snorts softly, “At least then I’d have a better story. I’m a pro Hero, I just happen to get into fights.”

“And what’s your Hero Name? Fragile Bone?”

It takes him a second to recognize the joke, snorting loudly when he does. You’re snappy, now that the anxiety fades.

“No, it’s uh… Eraser Head.” He waits a second for you to recognize him, the star-struckness to hit. But it doesn’t. Instead, you cock your head to the side and eye him thoroughly. 

“Interesting,” you say, “I remember an Interview you were forced to give a few years back. Uh, I think there was a streaker at the Sports Festival?”

He laughs. “Good Memory. Yeah, that was one of our students. He didn’t have his Quirk under Control back then.”

“And you’ve got a broken bone now? Or is this just a check-up?”

“Bloodwork.”

“Yikes,” you pull a face, “me too. It’s the worst.”

“It is,” he agrees, dares to ask before he can lose his courage again. “Want me to hold your hand through the process?”

And it’s smooth, smoother than he’s ever been able to - maybe the absence of his friends does benefit his ability to flirt - and he might even get his hopes up for a second there - until your face falls.

“That’s really tempting, you know, but I… uh… my hands are hurting. That’s why I’m here, you know, to figure out why they’re hurting like this. So hand-holding is kinda a no-go.”

“Oh, I understand,” the dejection must be audible in his voice because you reach out for him, though you don’t take hold.

“But if you want,” you offer, voice a little breathless, “you could… uh… put your hand on my shoulder? It might look weird, but-”

“I’ve seen weirder things,” he offers and your smile lights up the room.

-

“Oh, I didn’t know you were coming in together,” Doc Oc greets him and for a moment he is paralyzed, frozen between two different emotions. Surprise, because Doc OC’s obviously familiar with you and he’s got the worst memory when it comes to names. Embarrassment, because it’s usually not the best thing if a Doctor remembers you by name, let alone this one.

“Ah,” you smile, “We met in the waiting room. Bloodwork, you now. It’s easier if it’s done together.”

“That I can agree with. Now, who wants to go first?”

-x-

“Now, I believe you owe me something,” Recovery Girl announces one afternoon, a big smile cutting into her wrinkly face. “What’s her name?”

“Huh?” Shouta had been busy reading through this week's assignment, deciphering the texts. Denki’s Handwriting almost requires a PHD in decoding.

“Doc Oc and I have been friends for quite some time. One would call us even… very close… if you know what I mean. He said you brought in lovely company.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess…” He can’t help but blush at her tone. Too much information.

“Well, are you going to ask her out? You cannot count this as your first date, surely? A fancy Dinner is a must.”

“A fancy Dinner is a must for whom?” Hizashi’s leaning around the door and Shouta groans. Of all people to overhear this.

“Shouta’s girlfriend.”

“Shouta has a girlfriend? Shouta, my man, why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you love me anymore? Your best friend?”

He crawls further into his sleeping bag, closing his eyes. Those assignments can wait, if he can fall in to a coma first, he-

-x-

“So?” Rumi leans against your Desk. “Did he call you?”

“Not yet,” you’re chewing on your lower lip, “But he’s probably busy.”

“Busy my ass,” she snorts angrily. “You’re a catch. If he doesn’t get a groove on you’re gone. He should know that.”

You level your friend - and boss - with a glare. “I’ve been single for a year.”

“Which he doesn’t know,” she sings. “But on another note, have you’ve gotten the results from your bloodwork? You know we only need that so we can get started on your hands-free Desktop.”

“Why do you sound more excited about this than I am?”

“Because you’re afraid of change and I am not. Just think, your hands will finally get to rest!”

“Yay,” you wave them around half-heartedly when your phone pings.

Rumi’s already grabbing it from your desk, always faster than you. “Oh, it’s your guy.” She hands it back. “Not looking.”

“Thank you for respecting my privacy,” you joke and open the short text only to gasp.

“He’s asking me out.”

“Great, so he’s not an idiot. Confirm.”

“No, no, he’s asking me out for a date tonight. You know how bad my legs have been today, I can’t show up with a cane.

“Why not?”

“Because,” you drag out, “the last time I did that there was no second date.”

“And you think he’s that shallow?”

“I just don’t want to jinx it.”

“Fine,” she huffs, crossing her arms. “Tell him you can’t tonight because you’re working late. Ask him if he’s able to reschedule for tomorrow or Friday.”

You hesitate, but do as you’re told.

“And now,” she grabs your bag as soon as you put your phone down, “you get your cute ass home and rest. I want you as fit as you can be tomorrow so you can enjoy that date.”

“But work-”

“Work is like my ex - it will always wait for you.”

-x-

“Fuck,” Shouta groans, head on his arms. The pain is strong today.

“You… uh… you good?” He hears a familiar voice from the door. Shit, he forgot about training with Hitoshi.

“Fantastic,” he grinds through his teeth though he does not dare to lift his head. Lunch was decent, but he doesn’t want to taste it again.

“Do you need Recovery Girl?”

“No, I’m going to be fine. Can you get me my painkillers from my bag? I would, but moving-”

“Sure, sure.” He can hear rustling and then a pill is dropped into his outstretched palm.

Slowly, carefully, he drags his arm back to pop it into his mouth, swallows it dry. He’s got loads of practice.

“Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be right as rain.”

“Uh, if you say so.”

-

He’s got a black eye.

He’s got a black eye and a date in about thirty minutes and the painkillers are making him particularly loopy today.

Hitoshi wouldn’t have been able to hit him in the face if his reaction time hadn’t been so slow. He’s lucky no bone is broken.

Something tells him that it we better to reschedule, but wouldn’t that make him look disinterested when he’s not?

-

“Mew.” 

Shouta turns to the sound, surprised to see a black cat looking up at him. There’s a hedge there, and he bends down to pet the animal. 

“You’re loud, huh?” He comments on the purring, taking a seat on the ground when his knees turn a little wobbly. He really is getting older. 

The cat disappears into the hedge and he holds out a hand, making little sounds to lure her back out.

Just as he can spot the green eyes blinking back at him, a banknote is dropped into his hand.

“Here,” a voice says, “It’s cold out.”

Shouta freezes, only to look up into your face.

“Uh,” he makes, suddenly envious of Kaminari when he cooks his brain. 

“I didn’t mean-” you say just as he exclaims loudly: “There’s a cat.”

“Where?” You ask, peering into the hedge. “I love cats.”

-x-

“This was nice,” you tell him after Dinner, the episode with the Cat now something you can laugh about. “Would you like to do it again sometimes?”

“Yes,” he nods slowly, “I’m sorry if I was a little loopy today. I took… uh, I forgot to take a nap.”

“Ah,” you smile, “You’re getting old too? If I don’t get my usual lunch nap I’m not so nice to be around.”

Shouta laughs. “Somehow I find that hard to believe. You’re very nice to be around.”

“You think so?” You ask, heart skipping a beat when he nods.

“How are your hands?” He looks down at them, “Can I hold them? Or do they still hurt?”

“If you don’t squeeze them I should be fine,” you say, praying that it’s the truth.

It is a little uncomfortable, if you were to tell the truth, but he’s gentle and your heart blooms at the implications.

If only you could put this moment in a jar, keep it for all the days where it’s hard to get up.

 -

“So?” Rumi leans over your desk, grinning wide. “Gimme the scoop.”

“We went out, it was amazing, I don’t know when I’m going to see him again.”

“That’s not the scoop, that’s a short summary. I want every detail. Also, what does it mean you don’t know when you-”

The ringtone of your phone cuts her off. You take a peak only to gasp.

“It’s him. He’s calling.”

“Well, pick up. I’ll come back as soon as you’re finished. And I want all the details.”

-

It’s hard to find time for another date.

Shouta works two fulltime jobs and you’re overwhelmed with just one.

But he calls or texts every day, sending you pics of cats whenever he’s out on patrol.

It’s nice, but it could be nicer.

When he asks what you’re doing and you’re in bed, pain holding you down, you cannot tell him the truth. Because he doesn’t know the truth. And telling him over the phone seems insensitive.

Sometimes he sounds pretty loopy when he calls and you wonder if he’s getting enough sleep. But when you ask him about it he evades the question so masterfully, that you only remember it hours after the call.

“I think I have to come clean,” you tell Rumi one day during lunch, your hands in thick compression gloves to combat the pain. “This season is hitting me hard and I cannot postpone our next date again just because I cannot go anywhere without a cane.”

“I’m sure it’s going to go well. From what you’ve told me about him he seems very nice.”

“Yeah,” you sigh,”so nice I don’t want to lose him.”

-x-

Of all the moments for a migraine to hit, this has to be the worst. 

Okay, maybe the second worst, because he’s not currently fighting someone.

But he’s been pressing his temple against the fridge doors of this Konbini for half an hour now, clearly unsettling the other shoppers, and his painkillers are far, far away in his car’s glove compartment.

Every time he thinks he’s got it now, turning away from the coldness has his lunch rise up in his throat.

“Shouta?” A familiar voice asks and the ice seeps into his veins. It’s you.

“No, I’m not Shouta. You must mistake me for someone else.”

“You’re wearing a nametag. Backward, but you’re wearing it.”

He sighs. “Can you just pretend you’re not seeing me?”

“I could, but why?”

“This is embarrassing.”

“I mistook you for a homeless man, I think we’ve already reached top embarrassment.”

“I’m having a Migraine.”

“See,” he can hear the encouragement in your voice, knows exactly how your mouth curls at the words even if he cannot see it. “That’s very low on the embarrassment list. Do you need a painkiller?”

“Yeah, but they’re in my car.”

“What are you using.”

“I doubt you have that. You can only get it via prescription.”

Shouta names it, hears you chuckle.

“Oh, you bet I got that. One pill is enough, right?”

“Right.” He can hear rustling before a pill is pressed into his hands. He swallows it dry. 

“It will take me a minute to come to my senses.”

“No worry at all. I can stay here with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Oh, but I want to. By the way… the Bloodwork… was that about your Migraine?”

“Yeah,” he swallows around the lump in his throat. “And other stuff.”

“Mhm.” Some more rustling.

“How did you get those pills by the way? You don’t work in a pharmacy, right?”

“Oh, no, I don’t deal drugs if that’s what you’re asking.” You laugh, but it tapes off awkwardly. “I… I suffer from chronic pain.”

“I’m sorry.”

You laugh again, but you don’t sound amused. “Yeah, me too.”

Silence settles between them. Slowly, the pain in his head eases into something manageable and he peels himself away from the cool glass to look at you.

You’re staring at the ground, a cane in your hands. 

“I’m going to be pretty loopy for the rest of the day,” he tells you, lump in his throat, “But do you wanna grab a coffee after this?”

The surprise in your eyes tells you what he’d already assumed. You’re not used to people accepting your condition as something that just is. 

“Might ask you some questions as soon as my head works properly again,” he adds like a threat, “but for now I’d just like to look at you. You’re really pretty.”

“You’re really loopy,” you giggle.

“Mhm, it’s going to get even worse, sugardrop.” His hand finds your elbow, careful to avoid your hands and you knock your head lightly against his shoulder.

You’re probably a weird-looking couple to the outside world, but he’s never cared much about that anyway.

[luxaofhesperides]

(yourlocalcorviddad)

Wait wait wait, can there be more written about the one with Duke going on college tours with Danny??? If it's not too late?!??

(part one)

Danny’s been in love with Duke for years now. It’s always been kept a closely guarded secret, buried under as many wraps as he could get it. He tried to chase after other fleeting crushes in the hopes of moving on from his feelings for Duke, sure that they were never going to go anywhere.

How could they, when they lived states apart? 

The Danny back then would have never believed that he would one day be waking up in Duke’s arms in a hotel far away from home, traveling around the country to figure out a future together. 

Or rather, planning their own futures by each other’s sides, rather than planning to be together throughout college. Danny knows they’ll be spending even more years apart, chasing after their dreams, but it’s a gift just to a a summer together again. So what if it leads them to living on opposite sides of the country? They’ve managed to survive a long distance friendship for this long, they can keep it up for another few years.

And if it comes to it, Danny can just fly to wherever Duke is. He’s only gotten faster over the years, settling into his powers and practicing them so often. 

The future is daunting, but all his nerves are chased away by Duke’s smiles. 

“Can’t believe we’re almost done,” Duke says as they get settled at a restaurant in Massachusetts. They’re both tired, but the giddiness of getting together, of knowing their feelings are requited, keeps them energized and happy despite the long drive across state lines. 

“One state left, yeah?”

“Yeah, and I got Harvard first on the list so we can visit Jazz.”

“You’re the best,” Danny grins, stretching his legs out under the table to lightly knock his foot against Duke’s. 

This entire trip has felt like a daydream to him. It’s one thing being able to travel around the country with Duke, but to be able to kiss him wherever they go? Even now, two weeks later, Danny can’t believe how happy he is.

It makes the uncertainty of his future less scary. It helps distract him from how much he wants to escape his parents, despite how much he loves them.

Their conversation comes to a brief pause as a waiter comes by to take their order, writing everything down before hurrying away to keep up with the rush of activity in the semi-busy restaurant. 

“Oh,” Danny says, suddenly remembering the third person in their group, “Is Peter going to be joining us?” 

Peter, Duke’s chaperones, is odd but funny. He disappears and reappears like a magician, always carries a gun on him, and treats Duke like a little brother the rare moments he’s around. He’s mostly only been with them to act as transport, driving them around from university to university. 

Duke’s face does something strange when he hears Peter’s name, but it’s gone before Danny can figure out what that’s all about.

“Nah,” he answers, “He’s off doing his own thing. You’ve seen how he likes to follow his own plans.”

“So I guess we’re stopping here for the day?”

“Yeah. I’m sure we can find somewhere nice to spend the night, and until then we can explore—” Duke takes a quick moment to check the name of the town they’re in, helpfully stated on the restaurant’s wall of five star reviews “—Baldwinville. I’m sure there’s something for us to do around here.”

“I mean, we don’t have to do anything special, you know. I’d be happy to just to spend the day with you.”

Duke smiles softly, reaching over the table to take hold of Danny’s hand. “I’d like that too. Maybe we should just take some time and explore the place together. Have a relaxing day before we head to Cambridge.”

“That’ll be nice. I feel like it’s been forever since I had a quiet day.”

“Same!” Duke laughs. “Gotham’s wild, man. Did I ever tell you the story of having a barbeque with Killer Croc?”

“No! I can’t believe you kept that from me!”

Duke launches into the story as if it’s any other day, just the two of them hanging out. Danny’s enraptured as he always is when Duke shares his Gotham Stories. He doesn’t falter even when their food is brought out, and Danny tries not to blush too hard when Duke feeds Danny some of his meal, just so he can try it. 

There’s a reason Danny sometimes daydreams about what his wedding with Duke will look like, and it’s because of this.

But that’s getting way ahead of himself! He shoves the thoughts away and focuses on the story, enjoying their lunch together. 

Duke pays when they’re done, as has become routine; Danny had fought him about the first few times before Duke told him that it was all ‘Bruce fucking Wayne’s money so they don’t need to worry about costs.’ It’s a gift from the man himself to Duke, and rejecting it would be rude. 

That hit Danny right in his midwestern politeness and he could do nothing but let it happen, already planning thank you gifts for Bruce Wayne. 

They walk out into the quiet streets of Baldwinville, hand in hand. Summer has the air humid and full of buzzing insects, and the sweet scent of flowers surrounds them as they head down the sidewalk, idly looking into the display windows of each store they pass. The buildings are old, mostly made of brick, and carry a charm that’s lacking in the urban sprawl of Amity Park.

He likes it here. 

Honestly, he’s been liking a lot of what he’s seen in Massachusetts. 

He wouldn’t mind spending a few years here as he gets his Bachelor’s degree. Of course, it all depends on if he gets into the colleges of his choice, but he’s feeling hopeful about his future. He’s worked hard to bring his GPA up after his freshman year, and his ability to juggle and extreme workload has made him a master at getting things done before deadlines and adapting to things at the last minute. 

Danny idly swings their clasped hands between them as they walk, savoring the time they have together. 

The end of their summer trip is creeping up on them and Danny can feel the distance between them start to pull tight. 

They don’t speak until they wander into a park, just a large grassy field filled with wildflowers and bees. There are a few benches placed beneath large trees and Duke leads them over to it to take advantage of the offered shade.

“I can’t believe we’re almost done,” Duke says, sitting down with a sigh. He tugs Danny down after him, and Danny goes willingly. He swings his legs up to drop them across Duke’s lap, leaning against him, his heart fluttering when Duke gets a hand around his thigh to keep him in place. 

“I don’t want this summer to end,” Danny admits. “I’m not ready to leave you again.”

“Hey, we’ll figure it out. I’m not going to be away from you any longer than I have to.”

Danny can’t resist the urge to lean over and kiss him, so he doesn’t. Duke meets him with a smile, keeping the kiss slow and sweet, though the way his hand skates up Danny’s thigh sends molten heat through his veins.

He pulls back before they can escalate any further (one time in public was enough; he’s still embarrassed by it and can’t look Peter in the eyes) and leans his head against Duke’s shoulder. “It would be nice if we could live together.”

“Planning out our future already? Well, in that case, I want a dog and a pet snake.”

“Why a pet snake?”

“Just feel like it.”

“A dog would be nice,” Danny says, “As long as it gets along with Cujo. Not sure about the snake, but if you can take care of it, I’d be fine with having it around.”

“Think you’d ever live in Gotham?”

Danny considers, then shrugs. “Maybe. I dunno, it sounds like a lot and I already dealt with so much just with the ghosts in Amity Park. But I don’t think I’d mind if I was with you.”

The smile that crosses Duke’s face is soft and Danny wants to see it all the time. He loves when Duke gets flustered; Danny just turns red and shy, but Duke becomes soft and adoring in a way that makes Danny feel like he’s holding sunlight, all warm and happy.

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Duke says, not yet able to bite back his smile. “Now that we’ve visited most of the places on our list, do you know which ones you’re going to apply to?”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Danny answers. He’s been thinking about where he wants to go since summer started and he left school with Mr. Lancer reminder everyone to think about college and preparing their applications. 

It’s been a topic that’s never left his mind since for the past couple months, wondering about what the future holds for him. He honestly never thought he’s get this far, having died at 14 and struggled to adapt to how his life changed after. But he’s gotten back on track with school, has a handle on the ghosts, and the support of his parents to go anywhere he wants. 

For so long he’s been stuck in the routine of school, fight, struggle. There was never any time for anything else, much less planning for the future, and now it’s hanging heavy over his head. 

At least he gets to be with Duke as he figures things out. It’s like going back to their childhood, spending summers together, but they’re both grown up now, walking ever closer to the next stages of their lives. 

He’d love to get into MIT, but he knows the chances of being accepted are insanely low. He’ll apply anyways, just in case, but Danny’s prepared to go somewhere else. Maybe somewhere else in Massachusets. Or maybe go to New York. 

“I really liked the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. If I get in, I think I’m gonna go there,” Danny says, putting his hopes for the future into words.  

“Yeah? I think I might try to get into a college up here too,” Duke replies. “If things work out, we won’t be so far from each other.”

“And even if we do end up far away again, we can make long distance work. Right?”

There’s a worry in the back of his mind that Duke won’t like a long distance relationship, that he’ll be off in college falling in love with someone else, but there’s barely a second before Duke says, “Of course,” as though it’s obvious. Like he hadn’t considered any other option. 

Danny’s heart settles and he shoves away the rest of his general anxieties. There’s no time for that now! 

He intends to enjoy the rest of his summer trip with Duke to the fullest extent possible, which means all of that is a problem for Future Danny.

“Should we go find Peter? We’ll need to figure out where we’re staying tonight.”

“I think we can go a few more hours to a bigger town,” Duke says, “Not that this place isn’t nice, it’s just too quiet. It’s weird.”

“Alright, city boy,” Danny says, standing up from the bench. He pulls Duke up after him, leaning over to kiss the exaggerated offended expression off his face. It’s not like he’s wrong, anyways; Gotham is a big city, and Duke is an urban boy through and through, especially compared to Danny, who comes from a large town and has family living in reclusive rural Appalachia.

“Small towner,” Duke returns, nipping lightly at Danny’s bottom lip and laughing when he squeaks in surprise.

He pulls away before Danny can retaliate, and Danny lets him go, saving his revenge for after they get to their next hotel. 

Their time together is coming to an end soon, and as much as the future terrifies and excites him in equal measure, knowing Duke will be with him, one way or another, gives him the courage to keep going.

He hopes Jazz will be happy that Duke’s dating him now. He’s already hoping to ask her to be a bridesmaid for him.

[fastandcarlos]

The Littlest Surprise » Daniel Ricciardo

caption: hello im a new f1 content creator and would love some feedback if you enjoy my fics tysm 🩷

summary: you’ve not been seen at the paddock for a while and the fans are getting worried, little do they know the reason for your absence is about to make everyone’s dreams come true

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by schecoperez, georgerussell63 and 842,420 others

danielricciardo: always a pleasure to have the fam on my side, excited to show the little ones what uncle danny gets up to 🥺

49,302 comments

username1: is this yet another race y/n won’t be at this weekend??

username2: I cannot wait for the day that this man becomes a dad

username3: if y/n doesn’t hurry up and make him a dad…daniel i’m happy to offer my services 😊

maxverstappen1: how big is y/n/n now! she looks so grown up 🥺

danielricciardo: @/maxverstappen1 she’ll be 6 soon, where does the time go??

oscarpiastri: don’t forget your little adopted aussie nephew

landonorris: and your british nephew too!!

danielricciardo: @/oscarpiastri @/landonorris hey! i might be a bit older but not old enough to be your uncle thank you

username4: anyone else think something might be going on, daniel posting about his family without y/n there is strange

username5: @/username4 let’s not overthink this too much, y/n might just be busy

username4: @/username5 it’s been ages since we last saw her, you gotta admit it’s a bit sus

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by lewishamilton, alex_albon and 629,301 others

danielricciardo: another great weekend of racing, nice feeling to be back on the podium…man how I missed hearing that champagne pop 🏎️

38,402 comments

charles_leclerc: congrats brother, nice to be up there with you once again

username6: y/n not distracting you anymore to stop you getting on the podium??

username7: @/username6 wtf? why would you suggest such a thing?

carlossainz55: always knew you’d be back up there one day, long may it continue!

yukitsunoda0511: you gotta give me some tips bro, those manoeuvres were lethal today 🔥

pierregasly: danny ric just doing danny ric things

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by ynusername, charles_leclerc and 922,547 others

danielricciardo: hey team! just wanted to clear up some things after miami this weekend…me and y/n are absolutely fine, had some things going on that I promise we’ll explain soon ❤️❤️ for now tho, here’s an update on life recently ☁️✨

92,174 comments

ynusername: 🥺🥺🥺🥺

username8: I knew you guys would be okay, take as long as you need my two favourites!!

username9: a big screw you to those who doubted you…real fans love you guys

landonorris: I love you guys, here if you need anything brother ❤️

username10: hope whatever is going on clears up soon, we’re missing you guys around here🩷

lilymhe: tell y/n to gimme a call! ily guys ✨

visacashapprb: can’t wait to welcome y/n back into the paddock soon - see you for race week!

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by danielricciardo, iamrebeccad and 310,409 others

ynusername: it’s been a long few months, but we finally feel ready to share with you our happy news. pregnancy has been tough, I’d love to say it has treated me well, but it hasn’t. I cannot thank daniel enough for being by my side and helping me out whenever I’ve needed him…baby spam incoming ⛅️🍼

ps. each of us chose a picture to share, guess who chose what 🙄

28,461 comments

danielricciardo: words cannot begin to describe how proud I am of how brave you’ve been, the worst of it is over now my love, the countdown to baby ricciardo starts now

danielricciardo: ps my photo is way cooler than yours is

landonorris: omg I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me, uncle Lando reporting for duty!

carlossainz55: the biggest congratulations you two, you’re going to be the best parents

carmenmmundt: so glad to hear y/n is doing better, may the rest of your pregnancy be a dream ✨

lilymhe: the strongest girl I know - so excited to see you become a mum 😍

username11: all my manifesting has paid off, baby ricciardo will be the luckiest

oscarpiastri: AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!

estebanocon: my spidey senses were spot on, I knew a baby was on the way!

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by danielricciardo, lance_stroll and 102,585 others

ynusername: life lately 💫 exhausted but loving all the little things (including daniel 😂)

17,492 comments

username12: y/n looks like she’s living the dream, mum life suits her well 🥺

danielricciardo: im definitely not a “little thing” how else did we end up like this?

landonorris: @/danielricciardo excuse me sir you are about to have a child, sort your humour out

maxverstappen1: glad to see you’re feeling more like yourself again y/n, brunch on me soon!

ynusername: @/maxverstappen1 yes - let’s not tell daniel #gatecrasher

danielricciardo: @/ynusername you know your comments are public…right?

username13: anyone else wishing they could brunch with y/n too??

lance_stroll: sending all the good book recs your way!

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri and 738,603 others

danielricciardo: babymooning 🍼 the smile says it all, so happy to have my girl back on her feet and feeling like herself again…making the last few memories just the two of us 🥺

83,500 comments

ynusername: thank you for the best couple of days and being my personal taxi driver

username14: look at his face - you can tell daniel is buzzing to be a dad

pierregasly: where was my invite?? I thought we were friends

carlossainz55: and mine!

georgerussell63: me too!

landonorris: looks like we were all forgotten!

visacashapprb: enjoy the break daniel! you and y/n absolutely deserve it 🏁🩷

username15: i speak for all your fans when i say keep the holiday photos coming pls

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by ynusername, georgerussell63 and 920,355 others

danielricciardo: mum and dad 🔥🥺

tagged: ynusername

58,429 comments

landonorris: adopt me pls, im less problematic than a baby

danielricciardo: @/landonorris debatable

lewishamilton: so glad to see you both so happy, good luck with everything

charles_leclerc: wow!! y/n looks insane (suppose you look alright too daniel!)

ynusername: mum and dad?? i can definitely get used to hearing that 🤩

alex_albon: it’s not fair how adorable you two are, this kid is hella lucky!!

username16: pls keep the baby spam coming, you guys are the sweetest 🍼💫

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by lilymhe, yukitsunoda0511 and 109,446 others

ynusername: the many faces of a man who has just remembered he’s just signed up for no sleep for the next 10 years 😂

tagged: danielricciardo

23,201 comments

danielricciardo: after all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? you just wait my love 🫢

ynusername: @/danielricciardo this was too good of an opportunity to miss

carlossainz55: make the most of that middle photo whilst you can danny

georgerussell63: you have NO idea how much I just laughed at this y/n 😂😂😂

schecoperez: speaking from experience, you could not be more correct y/n #dannynosleep

username17: embarrassing dad before even becoming a dad 😬

oscarpiastri: call me for anymore embarrassing daniel pics 😂

danielricciardo: @/oscarpiastri no one asked for you to show up here

username18: I just want you to be my mum and dad instead 😭

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by oscarpiastri, carmenmmundt and 113,999 others

ynusername: can you believe this man is really about to become a father?? 🤦🏻‍♀️

32,694 comments

charles_leclerc: sometimes i really do wonder what you see in him y/n

landonorris: the biggest clown known to man, still the world’s biggest kid 😂😂

danielricciardo: is that really how you want to talk about the father of your child? I thought you were supposed to love me

ynusername: @/danielricciardo i do, ily very much 🥰

username17: not y/n releasing all the humiliating photos of daniel now they’re about to be parents

username18: y/n’s clearing the phone album for baby spam and giving us daniel spam in return

logansargeant: more to the point, this is the guy you chose as the father of your child??

lilymhe: the two of you are perfect for each other y/n ❤️

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by ynusername, oscarpiastri and 1,403,407 others

danielricciardo: welcome to the world baby ricciardo 💕

after a lot of hardships and tricky times, y/n and i are beyond excited to share with you that our little one is here. everyone is safe, loved and doing well, my heart has never felt so full 🥺

tagged: ynusername

 ˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[theoddcatlady]

The Worst Wedding I've Ever Photographed

I’ve been a wedding photographer for nearly ten years and I thought I’d seen it all. Trashy, beautiful, tragic, hilarious, or just bizarre. I have stories. I have the typical groom getting caught getting it on with the maid of honor, family getting into brawls, brides OD-ing in the bathroom, gay couples having no one attend their wedding (or worse, the one uninivited homophobic relative crashing to just be a dick) stories. But we aren’t here for the typical stories. If we were, we’d be here all day. We’re here for the wedding from last October.

Fall weddings are probably my favorite, if I ever get married I’ll probably get hitched in the fall. It was the parents of the bride who came to me, asking for my services for a wedding in two weeks. Their original photographer apparently up and quit on them and they were desperate to have their darling daughter’s wedding immortalized in picture format.

Luckily for them, I had a clear schedule. I did charge them quite a bit extra for the suddenness of it all, but judging by the father’s Rolex it wasn’t that big a deal. One thing I’m good at guessing is a family’s wealth status. And once again I was on point- the Seawrights were rolling in dough.

Not that I really liked them though. I’m not required to like all my clients, although it does make things a bit more relaxing. Harold Seawright absolutely leered at my chest whenever he thought I wasn’t looking and Carol was clearly the trophy wife that was over the hill. I’ve never seen a human being that genuinely looked more like plastic than her. Nothing wrong with plastic surgery or Botox, but there’s gotta be a cut off at some point.

I think I should’ve been more off put by the parents coming to me rather than the bride, but I just figured said bride was busy with other wedding planning shit and didn’t think too hard on it.

Day came and uh… oh boy I realized I was getting into something I didn’t want to be a part of right away.

First time I saw the bride, Tanya, I had a brief moment of ‘I don’t know how old this girl is’. She could’ve been sixteen, she could’ve been just eighteen. Definitely not over twenty though. I’ve seen young marriages when it’s a shotgun affair, but then I met the groom. Marcel Wingate. Who was definitely no younger than thirty. And Marcel was just… something felt off. The man was a giant for one, he towered over me let alone Tanya. With his long, pale face and sunken eyes he could’ve been fuckin’ Lurch from the Addams Family.

When he shook my hand and introduced himself, I barely repressed a shiver. But years of practice helped me to smile and act like there wasn’t something slimy about all of this.

Tanya never said a word when she was made over for her big day. Only Carol did, chirping and twittering about ‘how about you make her hair a little bigger’ or ‘make her eyes pop, she has such pretty eyelashes’. Luckily Carol had to go have a smoke every fifteen minutes so the make up and hair people could have a moment to actually work. By the time it was all over, Tanya looked perfect. Her dress was basically a white ballgown, a tiara was placed in her strawberry blonde hair, cheeks blushing a perfect pink. But unlike most brides, she still hadn’t said a word and those weren’t sure as hell tears of joy she was holding back.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the ‘first look’ photo fad. I find it great to get that perfect expression a groom makes when he sees the bride in her dress for the first time. It’s usually quite cute. This was the first time I’ve shot a first look photo where I truly believe it was the first time the bride and groom have actually looked at each other.

Marcel did seem to have his breath taken away by his lovely bride, but her expression was less than thrilled as he took her hand and give it a tight squeeze. My stomached turned when he leaned in for a kiss on the cheek and she quite obviously flinched.

It’s time I put a pin on the myth that arranged marriages only happen in foreign countries, and only people from certain cultures take part in it. They happen all the time in the US, and more often than not it’s an old man who wants a ‘virgin’ bride, and by virgin I mean ‘still in fucking highschool’. This wouldn’t even be the first one I was hired to photograph.

I managed to catch Tanya alone in the room she got ready in, sitting next to the open window and twirling an unlit cigarette between her fingers. “Need a light?” I offered as I came in.

“No thanks. I don’t smoke, but they say it makes you feel better, right?” She said, looking up at me with those doll like blue eyes.

“It also gives you lung and throat cancer.” I took the cigarette from her and lit it up for myself. “But I’m a bad example, so do as I say, not as I do.”

Now that got a smile out of her, even if it only lasted a second. “How often do you smoke?” She asked.

“Depends on the day. Usually I have two or three. Bad day I can have a few more.” I lowered the cigarette and looked down at her. “How old are you, Tanya?”

“Nineteen. Twenty in a few weeks. I have a bit of a baby face.” She poked one of her cheeks. “Why do you care?”

I glanced at the door to make sure Carol wasn’t going to barge in. “Tanya, are you not okay with this? The wedding?” I asked quietly.

Tanya’s eyes widened. “Damn, you’re good,” She also glanced at the door, “… Harold, my stepdad, arranged all of this. If he had it his way it would’ve happened when I was fifteen, but Marcel kept delaying. Business, apparently. He tried to delay another year but my dad implied he had other offers.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “If I said no, Harold would kick me out and cut me off, frozen my bank account. I’d have nothing and no one, and… I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

I reached into my purse and pulled out one of my business cards. “Flip the card over, it has a number for a woman’s shelter- they specialize in helping women escape from dangerous home situations. Hides them, helps them get started in a new city if need be. Below that is my personal home number, if you just need to talk, okay?”

Tanya took the card and clung onto it tightly before tucking it into her bra. “You might be the nicest person I’ve ever met,” She murmured.

I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I try,” I said before extinguishing the cigarette on the windowsill. “If you need to escape any time tonight, just ask me to help you go to the bathroom. We can pull a whole runaway bride,” I joked.

That got another laugh out of her, just in time for her mom to pop into the room. “Well, what’s taking so long? Hurry up, the wedding’s going to be starting in fifteen minutes, and I don’t want you to cry and make your face all blotchy and ugly!” She whined.

Tanya’s brief joy faded and she gave me one more sad look before following her mother out.

The ceremony would’ve been so much more beautiful if I didn’t know the dirty little secret behind it all. Tanya didn’t smile once. I don’t think even one of those bridesmaids was an actual friend of hers, or at least not a sincere one. When the priest said ‘you may kiss the bride’, Tanya let one tear slip down her cheek when Marcel leaned down to kiss her.

I was seriously considering calling the cops, but what could they do? Tanya would likely cave and say nothing was wrong, and since she wasn’t a minor they couldn’t label Marcel a pedo and her stepfather a child seller. It still didn’t make the situation any less shitty. All I could do was snap pictures of the worst day of Tanya’s life.

At the reception I was constantly being nagged by Carol about what pictures to take to the point where I wanted to rip her hair out, but I did notice something different about the first dance between the couple.

Tanya at first was stiff as a board, reluctant to even touch Marcel, but he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Her entire demeanor changed in a blink of an eye to one of surprise and I managed to read her lips- ‘really?’ Marcel nodded and I managed to catch a picture of the first smile Tanya had since she said ‘I do’. By the end of the dance, she was actually starting to get into it, resting her head on his chest as they swayed to ‘A Thousand Years’.

It was a complete 180 change, Tanya was now one of the happiest, and dare I say it flirtiest brides I’ve ever seen. She even leaned up to kiss him on the cheek as they sat down, something that took even Marcel by surprise judging by how he blushed.

I genuinely started to wonder if Marcel slipped something in her drink to get her acting so happy when Carol started to nag me again about where her husband was. She was the kind of mother who forgot this was her child’s wedding instead of her own and she wanted pictures of her and ‘Haaarold’. In order to get the fuck away from her I told her I’d go find him. He’d been hitting the open bar a little hard that night, I assumed he was in the bathroom either throwing up or cheating on his wife. It could’ve gone either way at that point.

When I approached the men’s room, I heard something that sounded like gargling or swallowing. Ew, I know, but I kinda hoped to ruin this nasty bitch’s day if her husband really was cheating so I opened the bathroom door with my camera at the ready.

I made eye contact with Harold.

Or rather, I made eye contact with Harold’s head.

It was sitting in the sink, expression twisted in abject horror. The room was soaked in blood, body parts strewn around the floor. Meanwhile, Marcel had stripped out of his tuxedo and was currently swallowing Harold’s arm. Whole.

Now I was wondering if I’d had something slipped into my champagne. Humans can’t just unhinge their jaw like that, each gulp taking Marcel’s arm deeper down his throat. I saw the tips of Harold’s fingers disappear with a small wave of goodbye… and then I dropped my camera.

Yes, I heard something break, no I didn’t care. I just saw the groom eat the goddamn father of the bride. Marcel’s head shot up and his eyes, before now they were a dull, watery gray but now they were mottled brown and red with slitted pupils. I felt frozen when those eyes looked at me.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, one moment.”

Marcel turned to the sink that was free of a man’s head and vomited, I heard several things clatter on the porcelain before he fetched them out and washed them off. With an embarrassed clearing of his throat, he walked up to me and pulled me into the bathroom.

I thought I was dead, but instead Marcel placed several diamonds in my palm. “For the camera, I didn’t mean to startle you,” He said.

“Uh huh,” I managed to get out as I stared at the literal handful of diamonds. This would pay for more than the camera. “… Why did you-”

“Devour Harold? Oh, I’ve wanted to do that for years,” Marcel chuckled as he grabbed some paper towels to wipe off his chin, like that would take away from the fact he was still naked and bloody in front of me. “A terrible person actually tastes quite divine. You would taste absolutely terrible. It’d be like swallowing nails. Meanwhile, a man who offers his own daughter as a sacrificial lamb to something he knows eats humans, he tastes like the richest cut of steak, cooked medium rare and seasoned to perfection.”

Jesus Christ, this twisted situation had taken on a whole new level of fucked up. “Wait, he seriously-”

“Oh, absolutely,” Marcel snorted, “And he’d do it again. All for what happens when my stomach processes human bone.”

I clutched the diamonds. “… You’re not going to hurt Tanya?” I asked.

Marcel shook his head vigorously. “God, no! I kept delaying the wedding in hopes that she’d manage to find a way out, but I think Harold was getting bored with my cold feet. There would be plenty of other people willing to pay for her, even if my payment would be easily thrice what others would offer.”

God, I was starting to feel a little dizzy. Here I was, talking to a human eating groom. I glanced out the door and a horrible idea entered my brain. One that would surely earn Marcel’s good favor and help out Tanya. “… So if I told Carol she could find her husband in the men’s room?” I asked.

Marcel seemed puzzled for a second but caught on quickly. With a nod, he picked up the head and tossed it into one of the stalls. I heard it splash in one of the toilets and I almost started giggling, I was nearing hysteria. “Go right ahead. I’ll be waiting,” He said as he kicked more limbs out of sight.

I almost left when I had to ask one more question.

“What the hell are you?”

Marcel cocked his head to the side before he changed, just for a second. One moment he was a blood soaked man, absolutely horrifying but normal, the next he was a snake… sort of. His body was gone, replaced by the body of an anaconda, but his head was still the same, minus the flick of a slim, forked tongue from his mouth. Then he was back to ‘normal’. He responded with a shrug.

“Funnily enough, I was hoping you’d tell me. I don’t have a clue.”

I left the bathroom and bumped into Carol almost immediately in the hallway. “Well, where is he?” She snapped.

I just pointed a thumb towards the bathroom. “Think he’s not feeling so well,” I said before I was nearly bowled over by the grumpy bitch.

I watched long enough for her to open the door and for a scaled tail to shoot out, snag her around the arm, and drag her into the bathroom before I headed back to the wedding.

The problem seemed to solve itself that night. Marcel came back, the men’s room locked after apparently someone got quite sick in there. Tanya no longer had to behave a certain way to please her mom and I think she had a good night. I used my back up camera to make sure to get all the pictures of her smiling. Carol and Harold vanished into thin air, never to be seen or heard from again. And those diamonds paid for quite the nice new camera.

Like I said, it’s been a year. I sure as hell haven’t forgotten that wedding, but what prompted me to share it was that I got a friend request from Tanya on Facebook. I normally don’t accept friend requests from previous clients, but this one time I chose to make an exception. She does look so much better, she’s going to college, she now sculpts and paints, she regularly volunteers at the woman’s shelter I directed her to when we first me, and every Friday night is group date night at the local arcade with some of Marcel’s friends that now appear to be her friends as well. Apparently Marcel is quite the Dance Dance Revolution master, but is terrible at shooting games.

Her most recent picture was her and Marcel, smiling. And she was holding up an ultrasound picture.

[bigtreefest]

Touch My Butt

Pairing: Jake Jensen x reader one-shot

Summary: Dating Jake is great, he’s such a gentleman

Word count: 1,506

Content/warnings: mostly fluff, is this what a meet-cute is?, allusions to smut if you squint, the lightest thigh grinding, adorkable awkward Jake, accidental pervy statements, butt-touching, I don’t think I used any pronouns (aka gn!reader), no use of Y/N

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write this for awhile, and it’s one of those things that came out pretty much exactly how I had it in my head, so that makes me really happy.

Who doesn’t love a hot nerd who doesn’t know he’s hot??

Comments, likes, reblogs, and asks are so appreciated. Thank you for reading!!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Main Masterlist

You and Jake had been going out for nearly a couple of months now. You had met originally at a coffee shop where he had complimented your pants, standing behind you as you both were waiting for your drinks.

“Hey, I really like your pants. So many pockets. And the buttons are really cool on the back ones, here.”

You slowly turned around, eyes trailing up from a slim waist to a broad chest, and eventually a pair of blue eyes, tucked behind glasses, just as they started to go wide with realization at what he had said.

“Oh my gosh, I-uh, not that I was looking at your back pockets on purpose, I mean- I didn’t mean to look at your butt at all- not at you at all”

His cheeks began to tinge red and his gaze was glued to the floor, scared to look back up at your eyes, worried for the confrontation that could come from his awkwardness and inability to read the room. His buff arm was rubbing the back of his neck, bicep bulging as you dipped your head in an attempt to meet his gaze.

You instantly giggled “It’s okay. I think I know what you’re trying to say. Thank you for the compliment, I really like these pants, too.”

You turned back around before you got the chance to embarrass yourself in front of the hot, dorky stranger just as your name was called. You grabbed your drink, turned and winked at him, and left to continue the errands on your list, heading to the grocery store.

You were making your way through the produce aisles, figuring out which fruits and vegetables would be best for your meals for the next couple weeks when your eyes landed on the sign for an amazing deal on peaches.

You pushed your cart towards the display and grabbed a bag, examining for varying degrees of ripeness so you could have some sooner, and others wouldn’t peak until next week. Just then you heard the stray squeaky wheel of a cart stop behind you, thinking it was just another shopper going about their business until you heard a familiar voice.

“That’s a nice peach. You like peaches? Wait! No- I, uh, that wasn’t supposed to come out so creepy like that.”

You did your best to suppress a laugh as you paused your produce search and whipped around to see the man from the coffee shop bent at the waist with his head in his hands resting on the handle of his grocery cart. His frosted tips the only thing left on display to you.

“So, uh, is all you’re capable of doing…making allusions to my ass?”

From behind his hands, you heard a muffled “no” before he wiped his palms down his face and looked at you sheepishly. “I don’t know why that keeps happening. I really just wanted to start a conversation with you. And I promise I’m not stalking you either, I’m just out running errands today.”

“Wow, you really know how to convince a girl you’re not an axe murderer, that’s for sure.” Your eyebrows raised, but there was still a smile on your face. You believed him. He seemed genuine.

“I promise I’m not! And I promise I’ll never talk about your butt again” He bursted out, hopeful that he wasn’t blowing this. “Can I, um prove it to you? Over coffee? I mean- n-not now, obviously, you’ve still got your cup-”

“Yes.” In an attempt to save him from his adorable rambling you interjected. “Yes, I’d like to see you again, sure. In a more planned manner. But how about dinner? Tomorrow night?”

“Oh, yes, that’s perfect.” You watched as he stood up taller, shoulders back in a new-found cockiness, and grabbed a peach off the display. He tossed it up in the air and caught it in his hand a few times before you cleared your throat gently to get his attention again.

“So do you want to exchange numbers? So we can figure out the details later?” He went to reach for his phone, losing focus on the peach and fumbling it, grasping as it fell out of reach and you both watched it splat at his feet almost in slow motion.

He bent down and picked it up, placing the newly lopsided peach in his cart. “I, uh, I’ll pay for that.” He rubbed his neck again in embarrassment and looked down, scared to make eye contact. Sensing his nervousness to take another step and mess up again, you softly grabbed the phone from his hands and replaced it with your own. The two of you put your contacts into the other’s phone and handed them back.

“Ah, well, it’s nice to meet you officially,” you looked down at the new contact “…Jake. I’ll message you soon.” He was speechless and still red with embarrassment, so he just stood there and waved with a grin on his face as you left the produce and made your way to the frozens.

Dinner with Jake was great once the two of you had loosened up a little. Conversation flowed easily and you were caught up in his charm that you were sure he didn’t even know he had. This led to another date later in the week at the science center, followed by three other dates the next week, until the two of you were at one another’s apartments each night of the following.

You truly enjoyed spending time together, but you could tell Jake was trying to keep some respectful distance. He’d hold your hand when you walked or drove together, or occasionally put his hand on the small of your back, but it rarely went past that, besides the occasional times where you’d smack his butt and he’d look at you with a playful warning glare. You couldn’t help yourself, it was just so plump. It didn’t necessarily seem to go the other way, though. The one time the two of you had come close to having a heated make out session, he left his hands on your waist while yours roamed through his hair. He did look delicious with it all messed up, though, pairing well with his fogged up, crooked glasses.

Besides that, he would sit on the opposite side of your small 3-seater couch from you, allowing your legs to be tangled, and not much more. That’s what was going on tonight. It was Friday and Jake had come over for a movie marathon. You hoped this would lead to being closer to him, but he seemed enthralled with what was on the screen.

You had gotten up to get snacks, and when you came back, you plopped yourself down right next to Jake, hip to hip. He didn’t seem to mind at all. Maybe he was just trying to do everything on your terms? You snuggled up against him, lifting his arm and placing it over your shoulder, and he let you, for the rest of the movie.

Once the credits began to roll, he groggily stretched and you looked over your shoulder and up at him through your eyelashes. He smirked back down at you. Oh man, how he loved that look. He leaned down do give you a peck. This was your opportunity to push it a little farther, so you shifted to straddle his thigh.

“Is this ok?” He looked up at you in response as his hands gravitated to your waist.

“Yeah, baby. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

You placed a hand on his cheek. “If I’m so perfect, why don’t you touch me ever?”

He looked back at you intently, eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about? I’m touching you right now.”

You giggled and rolled your eyes playfully. “Yeah, respectfully. You always touch me respectfully.”

His cheeks tinged pink. “Yeah, uh, I want you to know I respect you. And that I’m not trying to sexualize you, especially after my accidental pervy statements when we first met.”

You smiled and shook your head at him, leaning down so your foreheads met as you squeezed his cheeks softly. “And I appreciate that, I really do. You’ve been nothing but a gentleman and I see the reverence in your gaze. I hope you see it in mine, too… And how many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t really think you were a perv” you giggled quietly, still meeting his gaze, “I found it endearing.”

You sat back up and lowered your hands to grab his wrists, guiding his palms to snake around your back and down lower over the back pockets of your jeans.

“And I want you to know, it’s okay to sexualize me a little bit. Touch. My. Butt.” You punctuated with pecks, before leaning in and kissing him hard. He returned the passion with a moan, kneading where you had placed his hands and you ground against him as your hands moved back up to tousle his hair.

*screech* I love Jakey. Thank you for reading

[hanggarae]

maybe we can try if you let me ..

6.6k words ☠️ angst fluff hurt comfort pining jealousy royalty au prince! mingyu f!noble!reader one sided love, mentions of infidelity/cheating reader is childhood friends w dokyeom like one mention of blood not proofread

“so, how does it feel?” miyeon inquired excitedly from your side, dusting her fingers carefully over her tiara once again, “i’m still in shocked that one of us is actually getting married”

you forced a gentle smile to her, never wanting to crush her excitement. it’s not her fault she’s blissfully unaware of how you felt about the entire situation. it’s not her fault that your engagement was purely made of convenience. it’s not her fault that you hardly considered it was truly you getting married. it’s not her fault your soon-to-be husband didn’t love you back. and it’s not her fault that you’ve been hopelessly in love with him for years.

miyeon never knew about your infatuation with mingyu, you never told her because the second you did it was a sign that your feelings for mingyu were strong enough for you to inform others of it, and you convinced yourself you’d never let it come to that.

although this should’ve been a dream come true for you, your inner teenage self bashfully giggling at the thought of marrying the prince you’d harboured feelings for since you’d first met him, the part of you that was now mature enough to realise loving someone didn’t always mean they’d love you back quivered in fear at the thought of being tied to a marriage where you’d never receive a fraction of the love you felt.

“it feels.. surreal. i don’t think i’ve still realised i’m actually engaged, that i’ll be somebody’s wife, you know?” you tried putting up a convincing enough act, hoping she’d take your hesitance as nerves rather than melancholy.

she nodded understandingly, soothing over shoulder reassuringly.

“that’s fairly understandable. if i was you i’d be all the same” she hummed, “not long ago we were giggling at the thought of picking a wedding dress and now you’re meeting the tailors at the end of the week”

right. you weren’t particularly excited for it like you’d dreamt you’d be. in fact, you dreading it the more you thought of it. because the fitting would just be you and your fiancé mingyu.

pushing the thought to the back of your head, you smiled at miyeon once again and continued entertaining her questions until you’d both decided to call it a night, miyeon headed back to her chambers while you could barely sleep, mind too busy thinking about what your life had come to and what it will come to after your marriage.

there was no official date for the wedding yet, but rumours circulating the palace led you to learn that there was a ball in a weeks time, whether the wedding would be before or after you could only find out from the prince himself, and whether or not you can would attend the ball with mingyu was also something you’d have to find out from him.

however, you could never bring yourself to ask him. every moment since you’d learnt of the ball was an opportunity to find the prince and get any idea of what was happening, but you were too much of a coward to ever go through with asking him.

you paced outside of his study once again, debating whether or not you should knock on the intimidating oak door. you hovered your fist over the door for the seemingly hundredth time that morning before sighing defeatedly and turning on your heal to leave. but before you could take your first step the doors swung open as you froze immediately.

there he was. kim mingyu, the crown prince and your soon to be husband. he was taken aback for a second at seeing you suddenly, before he allowed a smile to grace his face.

the smile was probably just to be kind, but part of you wanted to believe it was genuine. while he might not be in love with you, you’d hoped he’d at least not think the worst of you.

“y/n. is everything alright? what brings you here?” his eyes continued to run over you, frowning when he stopped at your hand, “what happened to your finger?”

you were flustered when he pointed it out, surprised he even noticed. you quickly recovered and shook your head lightly, corners of your lips curling up.

“oh i had accidentally cut it when i was taking some of my jewellery off, nothing to worry about. i had honestly forgotten about it” you reassured smiling.

mingyu nodded before bringing his gaze back up to your face, “please be more careful next time. now as i asked before, if something the matter?”

you stayed silent for a few seconds, throat running dry at his intense gaze on you. you cleared your thought and swallowed, “um.. if it’s not a bother, could i ask you a few questions?” turning your eyes away from him slightly to focus on the gold doorknob with a floral pattern engraved on its sides.

“hmm, i have a few meetings with the court i attend this afternoon but i believe i’m free for the next hour or so” mingyu hummed thoughtfully, turning slightly to the side to make space for you, “please come in, take a seat”

you sat at the desk chair opposite to mingyu, the situation reminding you of when a principal would scold a student making you unconsciously tense slightly while you mentally cursed at yourself for getting nervous at the smallest of things.

mingyu must’ve noticed your tense posture and took it as a sign to instead invite you to a small round table placed by the fireplace. while you sat however mingyu busied himself with something else.

he returned with a tray carrying a teapot, two teacups, a small pot containing sugar and a small plate of small desserts. you tried reassuring him that he didn’t have to bring the tray, that he didn’t have to pour you a cup, that it was inappropriate for a prince to do such things when you could’ve but mingyu simply reassured you that this was a minuscule action.

after you had both taken a sip of the tea mingyu was the first to speak up, “do you like tea?”

his question was surprising, you thought he would’ve rushed you to ask your questions, any small talk only being a waste of his time.

regardless, you pondered his question for a few seconds before turning to look at him once again, “i don’t really particularly like or dislike it if that makes sense. my mother encouraged me to have a few cups whenever i was sick but i don’t often have it other than that. how about you, your highness?”

“for a long time i didn’t care for it much, but a friend of mine, minghao, he’s quite interested in tea ceremonies” he answered after taking a sip, “whenever we meet he often goes into detail about different tea’s and how their grown, he’s researched a lot into it”

you smiled lightly after he told you that the tea set you were using right now, a gift he’d given only recently after hearing news of the engagement.

a few minutes of silence pass before mingyu speaks up again “oh my apologies, i had forgotten you had a few questions to ask, what were they?”

you played with the ring on your finger as you murmured, “there had been a few rumours that there was a ball to be held in a week?” you took mingyu’s nod as confirmation so continued, “i was only wondering if i was to attend to?”

mingyu tilted his head and looked at you with a confused look for a few seconds. cute you thought.

“well.. of course, you’d be attending with me as my fiancé. who else would i attend with?” he still looked a little confused.

“that’s fine, thank you for letting me know. oh! and if i could ask you one more thing” again you took his nod as a sign to keep going “i understand there likely isn’t a confirmed date yet but i was wondering if you had an idea when the wedding would be?”

“i’m afraid not, the elders in the court are rushing it but it wouldn’t be very princely of me to rush you into a wedding now would it? the guilt of springing the engagement on you is eating me up as it is” he frowned slightly.

you murmured something quietly and if mingyu wasn’t so close to you he’s certain he would’ve missed it altogether, “i’m sorry, y/n, could you repeat that?”

“my apologies, i had said that if the wedding needs to be done in a hurry i really don’t mind. the marriage is for your highness’ convenience so honestly, i really don’t mind when it is. i just wanted an idea so i know when i should tell a friend of mine to take a train into town” you trailed off slightly at the end.

mingyu frowned even deeper at your sentence, he looked.. sullen? in fact it even looked like he was pouting slightly.

“i’ll be sure to let you know” he said rather hastily before grabbing a few of his things, “while i really must head off now to the meeting but you’re more than welcome to stay here if you wish”

and that was all that was said before he quickly parted ways with you, leaving you alone in the study.

you finished up your tea and started to clear up the table. after you had finished you’d decided to look around the study, after all, mingyu had given you permission to stick around.

you looked over the walls, pictures of mingyu with the royal family gracing them. there were some pictures of him and his pet puppy, some of him and his friend that you recognised as minghao, a duke of a kingdom not far from your own.

you continued looking at some more of the pictures, before you stopped at one that was more recent. it had to have been, mingyu’s hair was slightly longer from when he’d grown it out recently, not that you’d been paying attention of course.

you looked over it again, he was with a lady, you recognised her as a princess of another kingdom, it seemed like her and mingyu were close. from the story that the picture was telling you, they were quite fond of each other even.

you swallowed the bitter taste at the back of your throat. honestly, why did you care? he was a good looking guy that would very obviously have hundreds if not thousands of women pining over him, it’s no surprise he’d take a liking to one. and that one wasn’t you. it’d never be you.

you turned your heel and left before you’d allow it to hurt you even more.

you hadn’t spoken to mingyu for the rest of the week. it seemed he’d been busy with whatever the elders wanted of him. you’d been busy too, there were all sorts of responsibilities that you would have to take on when you eventually married mingyu, and you’d spent the week at ‘classes’ that taught you how to handle said responsibilities. you figured that mingyu would’ve had to attend such things too, only he’d have been forced to when he was a child.

but today you wouldn’t have to be bored out of your mind while one of mingyu’s butlers explained which was the proper fork to use. despite being a noble yourself, you were never told to go into such details, your family being content with you simply being polite and having good etiquette.

although, you would’ve much rather potentially die of boredom than do what was actually on your schedule for today. and that was meeting the tailors.

meeting the tailors also meant that you and mingyu would face each other, and you didn’t know how you could do that after seeing the pictures he had of him and that princess, because as much as you’d try convincing yourself that you knew he’d never fall for you, part of you still foolishly longed for it and craved it more than anything.

you made a turn in the hallway and finally came face to face with the door, behind it you knew were mingyu and some of the kingdom’s finest tailors and jewellers. hesitantly, you pushed yourself to know on the door, calling out too in order to alert mingyu of your presence before finally turning the knob.

mingyu smiled at you and you returned it quickly before you were being dragged away by the tailors.

you didn’t think that everything would be done so meticulously, but you were quickly shown just how serious of a matter the tailor’s considered it. first they had a team to decide which colors suited you well, also making sure that whatever color you wore went well with what mingyu would wear. then a team helped you decide what shape and design you wanted the dress to have. and then a team to take the required measurements multiple times to make sure everything was perfect. and finally there was a team to decide what jewellery you should wear. after all of your decisions were finalised the tailors told you’d both have to meet them again once the dress was sewn to ensure the dress was perfect.

by the time they left, you were so exhausted you ended up practically collapsing on the stool. mingyu chuckled at your state, striding his way over to you “if you thought that was bad you’re going to loathe the dress rehearsal”

“there’s a dress rehearsal?” you sighed exasperatedly. you shut your eyes, rubbing at your temples as you felt a migraine approaching.

“yes, darling, there is a dress rehearsal” he laughed, “usually a few days before the official ceremony. royals often do it since our weddings are always expected to be more than perfect”

although you didn’t focus on that last part. you didn’t focus on anything mingyu said after he said that one little word.

darling.

oh it felt nice to believe for a second that this was real. that this marriage wasn’t out of convenience. that mingyu had proposed to you for love and not because you were a rich noble’s daughter that he only proposed to because the elders of the court wouldn’t let him breathe.

“so there won’t be one after the dress is ready?” you peered at him.

“it’s a little different than a dress rehearsal, it’s simply a fitting. they’ll make sure that both of our garments appear well on us and don’t clash with each other” he explained to you, hand combing through his hair.

you nodded slowly and let your eyes close for a few seconds, your head was pounding and you’d decided to allow yourself to relax for a few minutes before reality would cut in.

when you awoke, you were alone.

you were still wearing your garments from last night and you don’t remember walking home last night, or even being escorted.

soon you realised you weren’t home, you were in the palace. most likely one of the many guest rooms. as for how you got there though, that you were still unsure of.

once you got up you noticed something at the dresser. a note.

good morning y/n, once you’ve finished getting ready, please be kind enough to join me in the courtyard for breakfast.

-mingyu

your heart started growing flustered at the thought of mingyu asking you to meet him. you rushed to meet him, quickly changing into the spare clothes someone had left for you by the mirror and making sure you looked presentable for mingyu.

as soon as you were happy you made your way through the palace halls, walking with joy as you thought about meeting the prince and allowed your mind to be taken over by situations you imagine yourself in with mingyu.

when you’d reached the courtyard, the first thing you saw was mingyu as he sat under a tree for some shade from the sun. when he caught sight of you, he beckoned you over with a smile.

“good morning, your highness” you said while joining him.

“and to you, y/n. did you sleep well? i’d noticed you’d drifted off so i brought you to a guest room, i really hope i didn’t impose”

you shook your head, heart warming at the thought of caring after you, “if anything, your highness, i should be the one to apologise”

“nonsense. this palace is as much yours as it is mine, in case you’ve forgotten, we are engaged to be married” he chuckled teasingly.

you’d spent that entire morning talking with mingyu, it felt nice. you’d been closer when you were younger but when mingyu was named the crown prince, you could only see each other so often. the morning with mingyu was nostalgic, but it also gave you hope and made you content with the future you would spend with him too.

mingyu eventually had to leave for another meeting and you were free to spend the day as you wished, mingyu insisting on it considering how tired yesterday had made you. he said you deserved a break.

you’d decided the best way to spend it would be heading back to town. it’d been a few days since you’ve truly done anything there, by the time you’d usually arrive home you’d be too exhausted to do anything.

upon your arrival, you’d been accompanied by a knight, you were unsure of his name but he gave you enough space. that’d been mingyu’s only rule for the day, that you were to be with a knight at all time for safety.

you looked around the town, waving and conversing with a few old friends, mainly congratulating you on the engagement, asking for any details but mainly, they were asking you about mingyu.

it was no surprise that there was a slight bitter tone whenever someone asked you about what mingyu was like, half the town probably wished they could learn what the prince was like for themselves.

by the time you finally had some time alone, well alone with just the knight, you saw a few carriages make there way into town. odd.

you looked toward the knight accompanying you, silently asking what is this to which he caught on pretty quick, “those are guests from the neighbouring kingdom. prince mingyu invited them for the ball that’s in a few days”

you nodded, slowly remembering the ball. you silently wondered if the tailors would exhaust you for hours to find a dress for that too.

you looked over at the carriages again, eyes catching sight of something, or well someone, familiar. waiting for the commotion to die down, you approached the carriages with the knight.

“seokmin?” you gasped.

“y/n!” seokmin smiled back at you, arms immediately engulfing you in a hug, “it’s been too long”

you and seokmin had grown up in town together, friends for a long time until his family decided to settle in the other kingdom. it looks like he’d finally become a knight like he’d dreamed of.

after he was given permission by the rest of the knights, he made his way with you, both of you reminiscing about memories you’d made in the town the second you saw anything.

“wow, so you’re prince mingyu’s fiancé. that’s unbelievable. but i am happy for you, he seems like a good man” seokmin smiled genuinely

“well i’d hope he’s a good man, he is the future king after all” you replied back laughing lightly, “enough about that though, look at you. a commander in the knights, that’s incredible”

the tips of your friends ears turned red as he laughed bashfully at your praise, “i suppose we’re both doing quite well then”

you continued your walk around town with seokmin, passing over a small bridge and looking over at a lake, “so seokmin, will you also be at the ball?” you turned to ask him.

“i believe so yes. mainly to accompany the princess”

ah so that was who was in the last carriage.

it was starting to get dark so you’d thought it was about time to head back. you bid farewell to seokmin and headed back to your home, heading straight to bed.

the next few days were mainly spent getting ready for the ball, except today.

today you were expected to attend a dinner with mingyu and his friends, when you had asked mingyu the occasion he explained that he enjoyed meeting with his friends regularly, and now was a good time to get you acquainted with them.

you were getting ready in the palace, the maids helping you and calming your nerves for tonight. you don’t know how mingyu was able to manage things like this since he was old enough to walk. when you were ready, mingyu arrived at your chambers to escort you to where the dinner was being held, immediately, you were greeted with the sights of all of mingyu’s friends.

you recognised a few, some of them grew up with you. some you had only met today but knew of them. and some you were seeing and hearing of for the first time today.

one person it particular caught your eye however, was the princess you’d seen from the photos in mingyu’s study.

how was she even more gorgeous in person?

she greeted you kindly and throughout the night was a delight, which made you feel even worse because how could you even dislike her? and how could you blame mingyu for falling for her?

you tried not to let your sour mood show to anyone, especially not mingyu, because you don’t know how you’d lie if he asked you what was the matter.

so you made sure for the rest of the night that you wouldn’t let any of your true feelings show, despite wanting nothing else but to cry.

you’d learnt that the princess had only arrived a few days ago for the ball, and was from the same kingdom as seokmin.

so she was the princess that seokmin would be escorting.

you’d decided to ask her about seokmin too, explaining that you were a childhood friend of his. she got excited at that, shocked at how small of a world it is.

when the dinner was finally wrapping up and guests were leaving, mingyu pulled you aside, “is everything alright? you were quite quiet the entire night”

you shook your head, blaming it simply on your nerves and apologised for potentially coming across as rude to his friends.

“nonsense. you shouldn’t apologise. i apologise for springing this dinner on you quite suddenly”

mingyu insisted on you staying the night at the palace, telling one of the maids to lead you there.

a few moments after you’d gotten ready for bed, you heard a knock on the door.

“come in” you said back, going toward the mirror, you looked to see mingyu in the reflection.

“your highness” you turned toward him, “can i help you?”

he said nothing as he took long strides to stand behind you.

he said nothing as he slowly started to take your necklace off for you, as he slowly took off the rest of your jewellery too, one by one.

when he was done he smiled at your confused look, “so you don’t hurt yourself again”

you were surprised at how he remembered and let the first genuine smile make its way onto your face that night.

today was the day of the ball. you were incredibly scared because today would be the day where everyone learnt exactly who the crown prince’s fiancé was. as of right now, you were a stranger to most of the public. your family was well known, and it wasn’t like the engagement was a secret, but majority of people didn’t know exactly who you were.

most of the day was spent getting you ready, making sure your dress was perfect along with the makeup, hair, jewellery, shoes and just everything.

you really couldn’t wait for this to be over.

you’d been to balls before so you were luckily able to skip the butlers teaching you the waltz.

before the guests had arrived, mingyu’s friends had arrived early. the princess also arrived early, along with seokmin. you smiled at him and introduced him to mingyu, smiling even wider as they started to get along.

seokmin had already left by the time you’d met mingyu for the first time, so this was the first time they’d ever met.

minghao had also arrived, greeting you with a smile and congratulating you personally on the engagement.

the guests were to start arriving soon and a maid had informed you to stay with mingyu for the time being, but when you looked around you couldn’t spot him anywhere.

you’d asked a few of his friends, even asking seokmin and minghao while apologising for interrupting their conversation.

you’d decided to check outside of the ballroom too but still couldn’t spot him. worried, you tried to think logically.

in a room with this many guards, nothing could’ve happened.

as you continued looking around you heard giggling, mingyu’s. and someone else’s. you had an idea of who but you really didn’t want to admit it.

but as much as you’d want to convince yourself, you couldn’t erase that it was reality.

you found mingyu. he was with that same princess, they were hugging, she’d kissed his cheek too. he looked at her with such a fondness that you could never deny. and who were you to get in the way of that? who were you to stand in the way of two people so clearly in love?

there was a part of the hallway that was empty that you decided to stand in for a few minutes, collecting your thoughts.

he was so cruel.

how could he be so in love with someone while he was engaged to you? how could he make you fall so hard for him while he knew he’d never feel the same?

you couldn’t take this anymore, when you heard footsteps approaching you snapped your head in the direction.

there he was, “y/n? is everything alright?”

“no. no not really” you murmured, letting out a deep breath.

he frowned slightly, coming closer to your side to rub your shoulder, “what hap-“

“i’d like to call off this engagement.” you kept your arm away from him.

“what? what on earth are you talking about?” he looked angry, but he was controlling himself, “you can’t just suddenly say that”

“i can. nobody could ever force me to marry you, your highness. and i refuse to marry someone like you” you looked at him coldly as you started to walk away.

you didn’t think mingyu would stop you and you were right, because while you walked out he didn’t make any move to stop you, to ask you anything, he didn’t even try to look upset. and that was reason enough for you to never look back.

you didn’t try going back to the palace after that, you didn’t even try finding out what happened for the rest of that night. if it was up to you, you’d forget everything about the last few weeks, he’ll even the last few years. if it was up to you, you’d never meet mingyu, you’d never fall for him either. oh how much better life would’ve been if you could simply turn back time every once in a while.

it dawned on you however how irrational you were being, guilt ate you up when you realised how your actions could jeopardise your family’s relationship with the royal family. however you couldn’t bring yourself to truly regret it. you’d rather be an outcast by your own choice than an outcast in what was supposed to become your home. and you’d loathe being an outcast in your own marriage.

for a few weeks you didn’t try meeting anyone, you hadn’t told anyone about what you did either, mingyu would likely take care of it anyway. so you allowed yourself these few weeks of peace, nobody there who you have to explain yourself to.

“you still haven’t heard anything about her?” minghao asked his friend warily, “this makes no sense. how does someone just go missing?”

missing. well if you were really missing you would’ve been found by now. and if you were really missing then an actual search party would’ve been sent, not just mingyu looking around day and night going mad trying to find any glimpse of you.

the look on your face that night broke mingyu’s heart, so how could he tell everyone the truth after that? he knew that the court would become too hasty and would cut all ties with your family immediately for apparently ‘disrespecting our monarch’. and how could he do that knowing he already hurt you enough?

mingyu was unsure what he really did, but what else could make you look at him like that? from looks of adoration to a cold, inconceivable glare. part of him hated himself for bringing you to such a state.

“how she went missing doesn’t matter. just as long as i can bring her back.. that’s all that truly matters to me” he said slowly, although he knows you weren’t in any real danger that night, he can’t help but grow paranoid at what happened to you since.

ignoring him was one thing, but ignoring your family too was another. he’d even tried asking seokmin and miyeon if they’d heard anything.

the court elders have been pestering him for days, saying that it’s no use trying to find you, that he should call off the engagement officially and just find a new suitor. but how could he when he only had eyes for you.

mingyu was seven when he’d first met you, you who shyly waved at him when your parents introduced you to him. you who at seven years old asked him if he could ride horses, and fight battles, and have his own wizard, and save princesses because that’s what the princes in your stories would do.

mingyu always enjoyed when you came over. you were the only one who was around his age. you were the only one who understood that he was a child too, he felt safe with you. he didn’t have to be the picture of perfection around you, because you wouldn’t belittle him for being a child. you’d never judge him for being himself. even when his friends would poke fun at him sometimes and he’d sulk, you’d always be there to cheer him up.

and when mingyu was eight and his hand started bleeding after he fell, you were the one who was worried for him, who ran to get him a bandage, who told him it’d be alright when he cried about how it hurts so bad. and you were the one who kissed his hand better for him and giggled when you said that usually the prince does the kissing when the girl is in pain.

and even a few months ago, when mingyu was told he’d have to marry soon, no matter how many suitors he’d meet, his mind would always be on you.

and that’s why mingyu’s whole world lit up the second you said yes when he proposed, but everything went dim the second he heard you say you’d never marry someone like him.

mingyu stood on the balcony that night, watching the views of the kingdom, it really was gorgeous. you’d have to be there somewhere. there were no carriages leaving or entering that mingyu didn’t know of, so unless you’ve managed to walk out of the town completely unnoticed, you’re somewhere there.

“you look terrible” he heard a voice behind him say.

he recognised it but couldn’t put his finger on it until he turned around, “seokmin, was it?”

seokmin nodded sending a short smile his way, he joined mingyu on the balcony, letting out a deep breath, “y/n where did you run off to?”

they both stayed quiet for a few seconds, seokmin glancing over at the other before sighing, “for the record, i really hope you’re not blaming yourself for this. because, really, it’s not your fault”

‘oh if only you knew the whole story’, mingyu thought, ‘you would’ve done something to me that would’ve had you executed in seconds’

seokmin continued looking over the city, before laughing lightly at something that caught his sight, “you see that cabin behind the bar? y/n and i used to joke that we’d settle there if we ever did anything to offend the nobles. she really used to get in trouble with them a lot back when we were children. she hated them, always having such strict rules for us. could only imagine how bad it must’ve been for you”

mingyu chuckled at that, despite being shy around him there was a reason he was able to be so carefree around you, and it was because of how much you worked your way around the strict rules laid out for you.

“she really did think highly of you, your highness. in our letters she’d mention the charming prince that was her favourite friend. i was actually quite jealous of you for stealing my spot quite frankly” the knight glared at the prince light heartedly, “i’ve wanted to fight you ever since i was ten”

the two were reminiscing about you for hours on that balcony, laughing with their new found friend.

that morning, you awoke with a headache. perhaps drinking last night wasn’t the best of ideas but it’d been the first time in weeks you’d felt anything but pain or self pity. the cabin was small, you’d stocked up on food before news of you going missing had spread, you weren’t sure what you were to do after that however. if you were lucky you’d be able to sneak around town wearing a cloak that would hide you well enough for some time. right before closing time would be ideal, there wouldn’t be many people around and it wouldn’t be considered odd for you to be walking around in a cloak.

that night, you secured the black cloth around you, basket looped around your arm before you stepped out and made your way around town.

ever since seokmin had told him about that cabin behind the bar, mingyu was sure you’d be there. he’d checked the properties he knew anyone in your family had owned, and even some that your friends’ families had owned only to come up with no luck. and as far as he knew, no recent land purchases were made.

the cabin was small, the only door being at the back, it creaked as it’d opened and when mingyu looked around all he saw was darkness, he didn’t have a candle to light the lamp either. the prince looked around for a few minutes, there weren’t many places to search and you weren’t anywhere. like that, mingyu became more hopeless. where else could you be?

he sat on the rotting floor, tears in his eyes threatening to spill as he realises he may have lost you forever.

you looked over at your basket, content with how much you were able to purchase. it was dark so even without the cloak it would’ve been hard for anyone to pinpoint who you were. opening the door to the cabin, you lit one of the freshly purchased matchsticks and use it light the lamp by the door, the room lighting up immediately.

when you looked forward the cabin was how you left it. starting to put some of your things away, you drowned out the sounds of the town at closing time, more and more patrons were heading into the pub and it tends to get noisiest around now.

one sound took you out of your daydreams however, the door opened. you quickly grabbed the cloak to wrap yourself in once again, turning around to see none other than mingyu standing there.

he looked like a mess. his eyes were bloodshot, he looked somewhat smaller than the last time you’d seen him, paler too.

you two stood staring at each other for a few seconds before mingyu came forward, eyes pleasing with you to not move away like you did last time.

“i’m so, so glad to see you” his voice cracked, “please even if you hate me, never leave like that again” he grasped your hands.

“glad to see me? wouldn’t you be more glad to see the princess?” you glared at him unimpressed.

truth be told it warmed your heart knowing mingyu genuinely cared about you, that he’d been worried about you, but you couldn’t forget the pain he’d put you in.

“the princess?” mingyu tilted his head confused, “y/n what.. what are you talking about?”

“i saw you that night. that night i left, i had tried finding you, and when i did i saw you with the princess, hugging, looking at her in a way you’d never look at me. because why would you look at me like that?” you couldn’t stop yourself from truly expressing how you feel, letting it bottle up for too long, “after all i suppose i really can’t blame you for you not loving me when i’ve- and why were you with the princess that night-“

“please allow me to explain. the princess is merely someone i’ve known since birth. and the princess is in love with minghao, i’ve been trying for years to get them acquainted and she was explaining to me that the duke had finally confessed to her”

you felt incredibly stupid, and incredibly guilty. you stayed silent for a few minutes trying to gather your words.

“my apologies, i shouldn’t have come here. i should have let you have your peace and i’ll be on my way-“

“no!” you shocked yourself with how instantly you had opposed him, “please no. mingyu- your highness. i apologise. i should have allowed you to explain, i could have avoided this. i humiliated you on account of my own insecurities, and it was childish of me to assume something”

“y/n, you can be honest with me” the prince looked at you earnestly, at that you allowed your tears to finally fall.

“it-it hurts. it’s hurts so much knowing i’d be tied to a marriage where only i was giving. and these last few weeks i’ve just been contemplating if it’s my own fault. if it’s my own fault that you’d never be able to look at me how i look at you. and it hurts knowing you’d never love me the same-“

you’d felt mingyu’s lips brush against yours slowly, for a second you’d think it wasn’t happening if it wasn’t for his hand circling your waist.

he slowly brought his lips away from you, both of you breathless, “does it still hurt?” he smiled at you.

“please, never assume that i don’t love you y/n. because i do. i truly do love you, and for the better part of my life i have. i’ve spent years dreaming of a day where i could finally have you to myself as someone i could spend years to come loving. and if i ever made you doubt that then i’m a fool, but please never blame yourself” he said gently, bringing his hand up so his knuckles could wipe at the tears spilling from your eyes, “i love you”

“i love you too” you smiled tearfully at him.

[rafeandonlyrafe]

pretend

words: 1k

warnings: fake dating trope

“rafe.” you groan, “this won’t work.”

“why not? we both know everyone has wanted us together for years.” rafe grips your shoulders, needing you to get it together.

“i just don’t know if i can pretend that good, it’s different when it’s just our parents, this is so many people.” you admit, gnawing on your lip.

“hey.” rafe says, saying it again more firmly when you don’t meet his eyes, “hey. it’s just me. just rafe, right? you don’t have to pretend anything, we just need to be ourselves.” “okay.” you nod, adjusting the straps of your dress. rafe’s dad threatened to send him away to business school if he didn’t get his act together, and he needed an excuse quick to stay behind, naturally he came to you, the one person he always trusted. you came up with this current idea, also getting your mom off your back.

“let’s go.” rafe waits for you to nod before taking your hand in his. “you look beautiful, by the way.” 

you glance down at your dress, trying to hide your blush. you may have been the one to suggest pretending to date, but it didn’t change the real feelings that you have hidden from rafe ever since you were kids and realized what love is.

you head out of the room, keeping yourself close to rafe as you work through the crowd, all here to celebrate midsummers. you head to the main table, your parents on one side, and ward and rose on the other.

“honey.” your mom stands up, giving you a hug as if she hasn’t seen you in weeks, even though you saw her right before getting ready. you know it’s just for the people watching her. “and rafe.” she grins, “so glad you two kids finally realized how in love you are.”

“mom, we’re not kids.” you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, keeping your head down in embarrassment. 

“well, either way, you’re too cute together.” she pinches your cheek, making you push her hand away.

rafe laughs as your mom retreats back to her seat. you give him a glare, “it’s not funny.”

“come on,” rafe wraps his arm around your waist, purposely placing his hand in the cutout of your dress, making your skin there tingle, “you have to admit that it’s pretty funny that your mom has been pissed at you for months for not having a boyfriend, and ever since we’ve been pretending to be together, you’re her golden child?”

“yeah, funny.” you mumble.

“i’m sorry.” rafe says, kissing the side of your head. “do you wanna get away from the crowd for a bit?” “yeah.” you nod, “i’d really appreciate that.” you know the whole point of this whole fake dating thing is to be seen and have others believe it, but you still follow rafe.

“wanna sit?” rafe asks as you approach a bench.

“mhm.” you nod, leaning your head back to look up at the night sky as you sit down on the bench. “we shouldn’t stay long though, we have to be seen together.”

“i don’t think we’re going to have to work too hard to make people believe us.” rafe says, sitting down next to you. he lays a hand on your thigh, that would be casual if it happened a few weeks ago, but now you can’t stop thinking about what it would be like if you were actually dating.

“whys that?” you ask.

rafe laughs, and then realizes you’re serious. “oh come on, we are so close, i don’t treat anyone like i treat you. you’ve been my girl since we were five.”

“yeah but you hook up with girls at parties, we’ve never even kissed.” you should have bit your tongue, not wanting rafe to realize how closely you watch him.

“that’s just sex.” rafe shakes his head. “you’ll always be more than that for me.”

“rafe-” 

“why are we even fake dating anyways?” rafe makes a face.

you go to ask him what he means, but there’s a sudden shout. “rafe! y/n! come up here.”

“it’s ward, come on.” rafe stands up, taking your hand in his and pulling you back towards the main party.

your head is spinning as you replay the conversation in your head. you barely hear ward’s toast until everyone’s attention turns to you and rafe. 

“come on, lovebirds, give us a kiss.” your eyes widen at ward’s words. rafe lets out a laugh, looking effortless and unbothered as he ducks his head, eyes meeting yours, looking for that permission, willing to risk your agreement coming to light if you weren’t okay with it. 

you give him a quick nod and your mouths connect instantly, lips sliding over each other’s as rafe’s arm pulls you in close to his body.

“alright, not too much now.” ward says, and you pull away with a laugh you hope looks casual.

attention drifts back to ward as you sink into rafe, using his large body to hide yours partially, feeling your face go red.

“sorry our first kiss had to be like that.” rafe whispers, rubbing his hands over your arms.

“it’s okay. we knew when we agreed to this that we would have to kiss to convince people.” you give a small shrug.

“you know,” rafe runs a singular finger down to your wrist, your hairs raising, “all i want to do is kiss you again.” you look up at him, confused. it was just supposed to be pretend, and rafe was right, no one is even suspicious. 

“come on.” rafe’s arms stay wrapped around you as he pulls you away, not even bothering to move to somewhere more private where nobody else can see you as he presses you against the railing of the deck. “tell me you want this too. not pretend. not fake. tell me you want to kiss me.” “i… i don’t want to pretend.” you whisper. rafe smirks, ducking his head to connect your lips. you wrap your arms around his shoulders, moaning gently into his mouth as he grabs your waist, pulling you so your hips are flush.

“can we-” rafe takes a deep breath as he pulls away from the kiss, “can we agree to never pretend again? i want you.”

“yeah.” you nod quickly. “i want you too. no more pretending.”