#I’ve got 2 back to back finals today and another tomorrow

[lynxgriffin]

Eldritchrune - Kris's Birthday

Story Setup Eldritchrune Masterpost

Close to the end of their journey, Kris has a small celebration with the beasts, and reflects some on both their past with their brother, and the light world ahead.

(Reminder that I draw these scenes out of chronological order!)

YAY managed to get another part done! This one won the poll, so had to go with it first! At least Kris finally gets a nice, happy moment with all the beasts they've recruited!

Alt text under the read more:

Page 1

Panel 1 - Wide opening shot. Kris sits facing Ralsei, with the rest of the Fun Gang surrounding them. The Gang now consists of Susie, Noelle, Lancer, Berdly, Catti and Jockington, and Monster Kid. The Fun Gang have set up camp in a hollow crater, the landscape around them rocky and barren. Everyone is lit solely by the glow of a campfire in the center of the crater. Ralsei addresses Kris: “Get plenty of rest, Kris.”

Panel 2 - Medium shot of Kris and Ralsei, still across from each other with the fire between them. Ralsei continues, “Tomorrow we face the last bound god before the Dark Fountain…it’ll be our toughest fight yet!” Kris responds, “Yes. I understand.” They stare into the fire.

Panel 3 - Closeup on a happy Ralsei as he holds up one claw. “And since we’re so close to the end…”

Panel 4 - “...I thought I’d conjure up a special surprise for you!” Ralsei moves his claws, and magically congeals a plate, food and frosting all together in a swirling center.

Panel 5 - Ralsei holds up the finished object in front of the fire: a small frosted cake, topped with strawberries. “SURPRISE! Happy birthday, Kris!” he declares with a broad smile.

Page 2

Panel 1 - Ralsei holds the cake up in the foreground. Kris looks at it in surprise. Behind them, Susie and Noelle look on with interest. “Wow! Is today really your birthday, Kris?” Noelle asks.

Panel 2 - Closeup on Kris. They scratch at their head in confusion, and respond, “I… Is it? I’ve lost track of the days since arriving here…”

Panel 3 - Medium shot as Ralsei happily hands the cake to Kris, who takes it. He says, “Well, I’m not sure if it’s exactly today. But by my estimates you should have had one by now! So now is as good a time as any!”

Panel 4 - A wider upshot as Kris takes the cake, and the beasts watch. Berdly leans in closer, curious, and asks, “What do you humans do on these ‘birth-days,’ as you call them?”

Kris replies, “Well, typically…you eat cake, or some other sweet treat, and you spend time with your friends and family.”

Panel 5 - Kris stares into the fire again, and continues, “And usually, they also give you gifts.” Behind them, as if in abstract shadow, is an image of a younger Kris surrounded by the other Dreemurrs, all smiling. It seems to be a memory of a past birthday.

Page 3

Panel 1 - Closeup of Kris still looking into the fire, their eyes hidden by their hair. A shadow seems to fall over them. The memories of happier times still hurt.

Panel 2 - Lancer pipes up: “Ya got the cake and friends part right here!” Kris turns to see Lancer and Susie smiling at them, and gives a small smile back.

Panel 3 - Noelle leans in over Kris as well, her head taking up most of the panel. She says, “Sorry, we don’t have any gifts for you…but two out of three isn’t bad, right?”

Kris’s smile broadens a little, and they reply, “No, it is not.”

Panel 4 - Kris pulls out a smaller knife…

Panel 5 - And in a shot focused on the cake, begins to slice the cake into equal pieces with the knife.

Panel 6 - Kris offers a piece to Catti, who happily licks it up. “Tasty.”

Panel 7 - Kris tosses a piece across the fire to Berdly, who catches it in his mouth. “Thanks, Kris!”

Panel 8 - Kris turns around and tosses another piece into Susie’s open jaws. “Hell yeah, cake!” she says, excited.

Page 4

Panel 1 - A wide shot as the whole Fun Gang sit around the fire, enjoying their cake slices, small as they are. Kris works on eating their own slice. Noelle says, “That was good! …Do you think there’ll be lots more cake in the light world?”

Panel 2 - Medium shot of Kris, who turns to look up at Noelle. “Yes, there are. But I would have thought you’d be interested in the humans more,” they say around a mouthful of cake.

Panel 3 - Noelle looks off to the right, and responds, “Sure, I’ll have some, if they’re soft… I don’t like the hard bits, like armor and bones.”

Panel 4 - Wider shot as Noelle leans back against Susie, snuggling into her side. “I mostly want to get to the Light World and quiet this feeling in my mind…once I do that, I’ll be happy,” She says.

Susie grins, and says, “More for me, then! I can’t wait to get to the Light World and all that food…”

Page 5

Panel 1 - Susie rests her head on the ground, and continues, “I’m gonna eat up all those humans and finally feel full!” She smiles and licks her lips at the thought. Lancer sits just nearby.

Panel 2 - Wider shot of all the beasts around the fire. Across from Susie, sitting in a loaf, Catti says “Greedy.”

“Oh come on, like you aren’t excited for the food!” Susie responds with an annoyed look.

Panel 3 - Medium shot as Catti looks up towards the dark clouds above them, grinning broadly. Behind her, Jockington also looks Skyward, his body wiggly. Catti says, “Not just that. Open skies. Sun. Fresh smells. New magic.” Jockington adds, “It’s been, way too long since we, learned a new technique!”

Catti reiterates: “Lots of things. Looking forward to them.”

Panel 4 - Wider shot as Kris turns to Monster Kid, who’s been quiet this whole time. They’re mostly buried underground, but their tail is currently out of their mouth. Kris asks them, “You’re looking forward to leaving the Dark World, too?” They reply, “Y-yeah, Kris! I wanna eat some humans too, but…also wanna be someplace niver, y’know?”

Panel 5 - Closeup on Monster Kid’s face as they continue: “Here it’s really hard to find food. And it’s so dark and cold, and e-everyone’s trying to fight each other… I hate it, yo.”

Page 6 

Panel 1 - Wide downshot of the whole Fun Gang huddled together in the empty crater. The barred landscape stretches out around them. Berdly looks to the skies, and says, “Yes, it’s true. The terrain here is so bleak and devoid of sidequests.”

Panel 2 - Closeup on Berdly as he smiles, looking excited and proud. “But if the Light World has as many humans as you say, I’ll be able to max out my volume in no time!”

Panel 3 - Susie looks away and sticks out her tongue, clearly annoyed at the prospect. “Oh goody, we’re aaaall excited for that…”

Berdly, not picking up on her sarcasm, just continues to beam proudly. “And rightfully so!”

Panel 4 - Noelle nudges her enormous nose against Kris’s back, and says, “We’re all really excited to see the Light World with you, Kris.”

Kris turns back towards her slightly, and smiles. “Me too.”

Panel 5 - Kris reaches around the fire to hand the now empty plate back to Ralsei, who takes it.

Panel 6 - Ralsei makes the plate vanish into shards of nothing with a wave of his claws. “Then let’s get some rest!” he says, satisfied.

Panel 7 - The small campfire is now extinguished. Only a thin wisp of leftover smoke rises from the blackened wood and coals.

Page 7

Panel 1 - A wide shot of the crater, still at night. With the campfire out, all of the eldritch beasts are now asleep. Monster Kid is buried underground. Catti is sleeping as a loaf, with Jockington resting on her back. Berdly sleeps with his head tucked under one wing. Susie and Noelle sleep snuggled up together, with Susie’s long tail curled around them. Kris lays nestled between them, long hair and shaggy fur serving as a makeshift bed. Ralsei stands off to the side.

Panel 2 - Medium shot of Kris. They lay awake between the two beasts, staring up at the sky. They look pensive.

Panel 3 - Slightly closer, Kris looks down and to their right. Ralsei asks from offscreen: “Kris! Are you feeling all right?”

Panel 4 - Downshot of Ralsei as he looks up towards Kris. He spreads his arms out in a hopeful gesture. “I know perhaps this isn’t the sort of birthday you would have had back home, but I was hoping I did okay on such short notice…”

Panel 5 - Closeup on Kris as they close their eyes. “I just…” They take a deep sigh.

Panel 6 - Kris looks up from the makeshift bed, looking sad. “I can’t remember the first birthday I had with mom and dad and Azzy anymore.”

Page 8 

Panel 1 - Shot of the dark skies above. Thick clouds silently roll across a starless expanse. “The whole day feels like it’s completely gone.”

Panel 2 - Wider shot, with Ralsei in the foreground. He still watches Kris carefully. “Oh, I see. I suppose Seam has asked for quite a few payments from you during your time here…perhaps you sold the memory?”

Panel 3 - Closeup on Kris as they squeeze their eyes shut, trying to block out budding tears.

Panel 4 - “Yes. Likely,” they say. Kris sadly holds up their left hand above their head. Their hand is missing the pinkie finger…another payment to Seam.

Panel 5 - Closeup on Ralsei as he looks downward. “I’m sorry, Kris.”

Panel 6 - Medium shot as Kris hugs themself, still nestled in the hair and fur. “Asriel would usually get me a book he thought I’d like, and I’d complain about it, but then read it cover to cover in one night. Once I learned how to read, anyway,” they say with a small smile.

Panel 7 - Low angle shot as Kris continues to reminisce, watching the dark clouds above. “Mom and dad also always got me a square of chocolate. I don’t know how they afforded it.”

Page 9

Panel 1 - In a flashback panel, Asriel and Kris sit across from each other outdoors, each leaning against trees. Simple woods surrounded them, and a lazy river rolls by just past them. Beyond the river are a few small homes and farms from the town. Kris holds an apple, while Asriel has a book and feather pen. Both are talking, looking happy. 

Kris speaks over the flashback: “Azzy and I would go and sit by the river in the summer, and he’d point out plants and animals and tell me to give them science names. Even when I said crass or foolish ones, he wrote them down and said he would petition to get the names changed.”

Panel 2 - Closeup on Kris as they look away, the memory still feeling a bit sad to them.

Panel 3 - Closeup on Ralsei, interested and responding to the stories. “Your brother sounds like a generous soul.”

Panel 4 - Kris looks down, still sad and reminiscing. “He didn’t have to be so nice to me. Everyone said he’d leave town and go do great things.”

Panel 5 - Another flashback panel, this time in Azzy and Kris’s shared room. It looks similar to their room in canon, but much older and more bare-bones, with simple wood walls. Kris sits on the edge of their bed, listening. Asriel sits on the edge of the bed, looking pensive, his cheek resting against his hand. 

Kris continues over the flashback: “But he…he told me that he didn’t like that pressure. That I was more fun to hang around than whatever great thing the town expected him to do.”

Page 10

Panel 1 - Closeup on Ralsei. He looks on, his tattered scarf flowing behind him. A curious smile crosses his face. “The way you have spoken about him, all this time…I am so curious to meet him.”

Panel 2 - Kris nestles down into the bed of fur and hair, and shuts their eyes, drifting off to sleep at last. They mumble, “Maybe…maybe soon.”

Panel 3 - Wide shot of all the beasts, asleep in the crater. Kris finally sleeps as well, tucked between Susie and Noelle. It’s dark, and quiet. In the foreground, Ralsei remains awake and watching, his back to the camera. It’s unknown what he’s thinking.  

[slytherinsimp12]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓻𝓾𝓼𝓱 , 𝓹𝓽-2 𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡

Pairing: James Potter x fem!reader

Summary: The day after you and James share a kiss, he invited you to watch him play quidditch. You get jealous seeing him with another girl. You meet his friend group. Things don’t end well.

Warnings: Lily is mentioned as James’ friend for the sake of reader x james,( I love jily), Cursing , Rude Sirius, Angst towards the end.

Author’s note: Hi cuties xx. I hope you enjoy pt.2. I’ll be posting pt.3 soon. Feel free to leave comments or send requests if you have any suggestions/improvements/ ideas for this pt and pt-3. Follow me to keep up the updates. <3.

Part 3 (finale) uploaded!

Part 1 and Part 3

————————————X————————————

You woke up to the sound of your dorm mates bubbling over today’s quidditch match. Your head was throbbing with pain; you barely got any sleep last night. Then it all came crashing back to you, the late night stroll that lead to your kiss with James Potter. Bloody hell. Did it really happen? Or was it just an extremely vivid dream. Dubious about the accuracy of your memory, you got up and quickly got dressed , and headed to breakfast.

The great hall was filled with the chatter of excited students; they were all raving about today’s match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Well that explains the dung bombs last night.

Your palms were sweating with nerves, you were so not ready to see him yet.

Right on cue, you spotted James sitting with his friends, and stuffing his face with food.

“I’ve got to fuel up for the match. D’you think having this amazing body was easy?” James gloated coyly.

Your stomach filled with butterflies, how pathetic. There James was, an arrogant git, attacking his food like there was no tomorrow. Yet, you couldn’t help let out a small smile.

“Y/n!” James shouted across the hall.

Your face flushed red out of embarrassment. You tried looking away , but it was too late. James jogged over to you.

“Hey pretty.” He smirked.

“Hi.” You said plainly.

“So, today is the quidditch match. You coming to see me play?” He grinned.

“Uh… I don’t know. I’m not really a sports kinda person.” You told.

“Oh come on, just come to see the legendary James Potter in action, love.” He pleaded.

Merlin, how could someone be so obnoxious yet so charming.

“Tone it down a notch, ‘prongs’. “ You teased, making air quotes.

“I’ll see if I can come, i’ve got a lot of reading to catch up on.” You continued, walking away before he could reply.

The encounter left your stomach rumbling. Thanks to that idiot James, you couldn’t even think about keeping down any food right now.

You hated how James left you feeling. You didn’t like anticipating your face in a red flush, you didn’t like seeing double vision in a rose blush, and most of all, you didn’t like feeling vulnerable by the mere presence of someone, let alone a boy. A boy that half the school is in love with.

Going to the quidditch match was a bad idea, letting James in was a bad idea, it went against everything you told yourself from your very start of Hogwarts. Yet, you found yourself doing exactly that.

You decided you could spare a few minutes to watch the quidditch match. You gaslit yourself into believing you were going for the sake of ‘enjoying and learning the sport’, and not for James. You made your way into the Y/H stands, trying your best not to be noticed by the messy haired Gryffindor chaser. Although, you hardly doubted he would notice you from 50 feet above.

The match dragged on for 3 whole hours, and you were appalled by the fact that you stayed the whole duration. You watched a handful of matches your whole life, but this one, this one was different. It had something to do with the fact that, James was so effortlessly good at what he did.

Gryffindor won even though Slytherin’s seeker caught the snitch. They were leading by a 100 points, and James had thrown the quaffle into the hoop more than 20 times. Even you knew that the victory was mostly his doing. The Gryffindor team jumped off their brooms, and started jumping with excitement, adrenaline pumping through their veins. You wanted to congratulate James, it was the decent thing to do, right?

As you were walking up to the ground, a red headed girl beat you to him. She hugged him rather intimately, and placed a kiss on his cheek. Your stomach churned. Maybe it was the nausea from not eating or maybe it was seeing that girl being so close to James, you didn’t care. What were you doing? Coming to a quidditch match for the captain of the Gryffindor team? You didn’t expect him to notice you, then why were you so offended when he didn’t? Without thinking, you ran out the filed, wanting nothing more than to forget about the stupid match, the stupid kiss and stupid James fucking potter.

The following night in the library ,you were drowning in a pile of books, struggling to finish all your assignments.

“We need to stop running into each other like this.” A voice whispered into your ear from behind.

“Although, you seem to be more interested in running away from me than into me.” James continued. Well you’d be damned. He did in-fact notice you at the match.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you mumbled, refusing to turn around and look at him.

“C’mon, love. Don’t be coy. Why did you run away like that? Still flustered after last night are we?” He pressed.

“Piss off, Potter.” You spat, trying to walk away.

“Wait! Don’t be like that. Do you want to talk about what happened last night, is that it?” He asked, gripping your wrist, stopping you from walking away.

“No. Clearly you’d rather talk to that red headed girl you were being so ‘friendly’ with earlier. I get it, the kiss was no big deal. It’s cool” You lied.

“No big deal? Ouch.” He said, removing a fake arrow from his heart.

“That red head earlier was Lily Evans. She’s my good mate. Trust me, you do NOT need to worry about Lily, plus I’m certain she’s got a thing for Snivellus.” James explained.

“Snivellus?” You questioned. What is up with him and these stupid nicknames?

“Long story. Anyway, why don’t you join me and the lads in the Gryffindor common room tonight. We’re celebrating the win.” Was James asking you to meet his friends tonight? No way. There was only one person you found more insufferable than James, Sirius freaking Black. He was obviously going to be there.

“Um- I- I have uh… errands-“ you tried to come up with an excuse but James cut you off.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He said, as he winked and disappeared into the dark.

A few hours after dinner, you reluctantly made your way into the Gryffindor common room. Everyone seemed to be asleep. The room was dimly lit, with cosy sofas arranged next to a roaring fire. You spotted James , Sirius, Remus , Peter, Lily and Marlene sprawled in front of the fire place.

You cleared your throat, making your presence aware.

“Y/n! You came!” James greeted, pulling you into a side hug.

After introducing you to the group, James insisted you sat right next to him on the sofa. At some point during the night, his hands found their way to the small of your back, tracing gentle circles on it. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were starting to enjoy yourself. But that didn’t last long.

Sirius insisted on playing a game of Truth or Dare, where he mostly targeted you. You managed to dodge most of the questions, which really pissed Sirius off.

“Ok. Fine. If you’re not going to answer any of the questions, Y/n, why is it that you have no friends? Why do you walk around alone and eat alone all the time like some depressed loser.” Sirius said bluntly.

Heat spread from your ears to your neck. Your face burned with embarrassment. That did it.

“Fuck off , Black.” You flipped him off , as you stormed out of the common room.

“What the hell, mate?” You heard James say.

You were walking so fast it could be considered running.

“Y/n, wait!” James called after you.

You tried to ignore him, but he caught up with you in the corridor because the stupid stair cases decided to move, again.

“Y/n…I’m so sorry. Ignore Sirius. He can be a real dick.” James said.

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted your head up to meet his eyes. They were filled with regret. He probably regretted calling you tonight. What was he thinking? Did he expect his friends to like you? In what world would that be true? You saw how they picked on people like you. How they bullied those different from them. Why did you expect anything else?

“What are you thinking?” James asked, brushing his thumb against your cheek. He was standing extremely close to you again. Practically hovering. Before you could answer, he pulls you in, locking his lips with yours. A sudden warmth spreads through your body. You close your eyes, the subtle pressure of his hands on your waist sending jolts of electricity down your spine. This was wrong. Stop. Pull away. You thought to yourself, but your body wouldn’t comply. You kissed him back with more aggression than you anticipated, running your fingers through his hair. After what felt like an eternity of pure heavenly bliss, James pulled away.

“Should we head back?” He asked.

Then you came back to your senses. Reality was a harsh slap in the face. Deal with it now, so you’re not left wretched later.

“I can’t ,James. I can’t do this. I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I could handle your friends, the crowds and the constant attention your around. But, truth be told, I really can’t. It’s all too much for me. You’re too much for me…you’ll probably be fine, maybe even better off without me. This was a big mistake.” You said, gesturing between the two of you.

For the first time in history, James Potter was left speechless. His face was engulfed with hurt. You didn’t want to hurt him, but it was better him than you.

(All rights reserved, ©)

Tag list 💞:

@colouredbyd , @d1lf-loverrr , @dollysh

[nighttimealone]

NEED ghost one!🥺

The house’s out of detergent and neither Simon or you noticed until you both staring at the filled laundry basket this morning.

“Well, I suppose I’m gonna go out and buy a bottle or two now. Or else we’ll need to go all naked tomorrow if we don’t do the laundry today.” You ruffle your hair in slight frustration, you both just woke up minutes ago, planning to dump the clothes into the washing machine then slump back on the bed again for another hour of slumber.

“Not that I mind that.” Simon voice’s still a bit hoarse from sleep too, but he’s in a good mood apparently, almost make you roll your eyes at his shameless comment, but your lips form a grin when you shoot him a side glance.

“You come with me or you stay home being cheeky?”

“You know the answer.”

Simon must admit, he’s still a bit sleepy from waking in early hours on vacation, eyes half-lidded from grogginess at first.

But he’s pushing the shopping trolley behind you as you navigate through the alley in the supermarket, he doubts he has ever been this awaked before.

The cap and disposal mask conceal his gaze directly sticking on your ass. You rummaged through your closet and finally got a pair of shorts to wear before you do the laundry. It’s an old shorts you own for years, been washed for countless times before it retired due to faded color and shrinkage, tucked in the deepest part of the closet until you fished it out today.

The shrunk fabric clings snuggly to your plump cheeks, a bit too small and tightening around your upper thighs, digging into the flesh faintly and allow them to spill around the hems just right.

He can’t tear his eyes away from how your butt jiggles every time with your steps, almost bump the trolley into other customers when he sees you bend down to pick up a bottle of detergent. “Sorry.” He mutters quickly to the poor customer, fixating on how your supple cheeks bounce tantalizingly when you straighten up that he misses the skeptical look from the customer gives him.

“Got the detergent. let’s go.” You saunter back to him, reach down to set the bottles in the trolley.

A Dangerous move without you knowing, because the next moment his palm covers one of your cheeks, gives it a firm knead and makes you yelp out in surprise.

“What the hell, Simon?” your neck snaps up to meet his gaze with wide eyes, and you find his eyes, swirling with lust and wickedness inside.

“ 's your fault for keeping flaunting that perfect arse of your in front of me.” Simon quickly pushes the trolley to the self-checkout counter, unceremoniously tossing the bottles of detergent with another hand practically shoving the cash into the machine.

Having a closer look at that ass perfectly hugged by your shorts finally break his last string of restraint. He ignores your confused questions at his sudden action, swing the shopping bag over his shoulder and take your hand, striding back to the truck with you following him and try to figure out what happened.

“So this is why you’re all worked up, huh?” You’re dragged into the driver seat along with Simon, now straddling his hips, raise an eyebrow at the tent forming at his crotch.

“Hard not to stop my cock from getting hard when your arse kept jumping up and down the entire time I was walking behind you, love.”

“We’re supposed to go home now and launder those dirty clothes, you know?”

“Adding a few more dirty clothes into the basket won’t be a big issue.” His hands find their way back to your cheeks again, palming them in “And I’ve already said, I don’t mind you have to go about the day without clothes tomorrow.”

note: please feel free to request for part 2 (aka smut) if any of you wants it, thanks

[disaster-writer]

Uncovered Part 3

Alpha!Bakugo x Omega!Reader

A/N: surprise! Have another part today

Summary: Alpha!Bakugo finds out that you’ve secretly been an Omega all this time

Part 1 Part 2

Bakugo stood with his fist poised, ready to knock on the front door to your apartment— that was until he dropped his hand to the side for the umpteenth time that night.

”Fuck— this is so fucking stupid,” he growled, yearning to just punch a goddamn hole in the wall and just leave already.

It was late anyway, you were probably asleep by now. He could just come back tomorrow morning.

He took a step back and turned… that’s what he’ll do, he’ll come back tomorrow morning before you’re meant to report to the agency for work—

He stopped. 

“FUCK—“ Bakugo slammed his fist hard against your front door three times. 

After a few beats he was greeted with the door being swung open and you standing exasperated on the other side.

Almost immediately you rolled your eyes, shaking your head, “No. Go home—“ you went to shut the door but Bakugo shoved his foot in the door before you could.

”We need to talk,” He muttered gruffly, peering down at you with hard eyes.

Your nostrils flared as you stared back up at him with an indignant look, “I have nothing to say to you—“

”Have you been crying?” The words flew past his lips as he took in your appearance. You were dressed in pajamas, no doubt already in bed for the night when he came, and your eyes were swollen and watery as if you had just finished sobbing your eyes out.

You huffed, “Go. Home.”

The two of you stared each other down for another moment before Bakugo forced himself forward and shoved himself inside, throwing you off balance and stumbling backwards, unable to stop him.

Bakugo glanced around your apartment. It was nice— expensive. It was expected of a hero of your notoriety, but even more so due to the fact you were a legacy hero. He wouldn’t lie, despite being relatively close friends ever since Raccoon Eyes all but adopted you into the group during first year, he always did chalk you up to just being another rich kid from another long line of heroes that got everything handed to them on a silver platter. 

He realized with faint recognition that this was the first time he had set foot in your place. You never invited anyone over, always assuming you just liked your privacy but now… he was sure it was more than that.

Bakugo heard the click of the door shutting behind him, followed by a defeated sigh.

“Why are you here Bakugo?” You asked, clearly exhausted, walking past him and deeper into the apartment as you made your way to the kitchen.

”Hah?” He sneered incredulously, following in tow, “You’re really going to ask me that after what happened this afternoon?” 

“I’ve been watching the news all day— you haven’t told anyone yet,” you muttered, reaching the top of your fridge for a bottle of sake.

”Of course I didn’t tell dumbass.”

You threw him a resentful glance over your shoulder, “Well why not?” You spat before unscrewing the top of the bottle and taking a swig before finally seating yourself down at the kitchen island.

Bakugo rounded the island, slamming his hands down on the counter across from you, “How low do you think I am—?”

Your head snapped up, locking your gaze with his once more, ”Pretty fucking low considering I found you going through my shit!— I mean, who even does that!? What were you even trying to find—“

”You’re changing the subject!” Bakugo rushed, ears tinging pink knowing the truth of why he even looked in the first place was embarrassing enough. 

There was a pregnant pause before you finally rolled your eyes and took another swig— it didn’t even matter at this point did it? Your life may as well be over anyway… 

“What do you want?” You finally sighed, resigned to whatever the rest of this interaction was going to be.

”I want to understand,” he replied, more even and controlled than his previous outbursts, “How have you hid this for so long? —And who else knows about you.”

You exhaled sharply through your nose, fingering the rim of your sake bottle in thought. “Why should I even tell you?” 

”I’m not going to say anything.”

“That is until you change your mind.”

”I won’t.” He hissed, “I’m not going to get your license revoked— now will you just answer me.”

You continued to remain silent, making him huff in frustration.

”The cold.”

Your eyes slid to his, confusion painting your face, “What?”

”The cold,” he reiterated, clearly annoyed, “It’s my main weakness.”

You narrowed your eyes, “I already know that—“

”I’m just saying— if I tell… then you tell. I have a lot of enemies that would pay for that kinda information.”

You were quiet once more, eyeing him and weighing his words. His own gaze was unrelenting, pinning you in your seat. Bakugo was many things but you never really knew him to go back on his word…

”You’re the only one other than my family, doctor, and trainer that knows,” you sighed, taking a swig, “That’s how we’ve kept it secret, parents that hired a doctor and trainer to mix up the perfect cocktail of drugs and regimens to pass me off as an Alpha. That and a whole lot of hush money.” You muttered sarcastically.

”Why?”

”Why?” You scoffed, “Because I’m a (Y/L/N). We don’t have Omegas, everyone in my family has been born an Alpha and then has trained to become a hero for generations.”

”But you guys do have an Omega.”

You shot him a glare, “Yeah, I’m well aware asshole.”

”So what? Making you a hero was going to somehow save your family name?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what it is. And I was doing a fine job of it too until you decided to stick your nose in places it doesn’t belong.”

Bakugo finally took a seat, “You all actually think you can keep this a secret?” He asked incredulously.

You quirked a brow, “I am.”

He pursed his lips… technically that was true, but more so because it would have been unthinkable that an Omega would have managed to get as far as you have in this field. 

Honestly it was a goddamn miracle you even managed to get into class 1-A to begin with. 

If it wasn’t for that he probably would have believed you were at least a Beta if not an Omega, especially as your scent gave no indication…

Bakugo perked up, “Why don’t you smell like an Omega?”

“Drugs,” you shrugged, “My brothers also scent me to mask whatever’s left.”

”And what about—“ heats, Bakugo caught himself before he could say it, the realization hitting him over the head like a ton of bricks. You experience heats. A blush spread across his cheeks, mind suddenly clouded by images of you locked away in your bedroom  and—

“What about what?” You asked him impatiently, “Are we done here yet? You already get the gist and if I still have a job in the morning then I need to go to bed now.”  You stood up, rounding the kitchen island back towards the front door with Bakugo following behind hesitantly. He still had so many questions but was suddenly and actually aware that you were an Omega… he had never been very tactful around Omegas before.

You stood by the now open door, waiting for him to leave.

And so he did, but not before you stopped him with one final thing left to say. You had stopped him with a grip on his bicep, peering up at him with serious eyes, “You need to be aware of how you treat me in public going forward. If you start pulling some Alpha bullshit and favoring me on missions or doting on me in front of our friends I will make sure every one of your enemies finds out Dynamight can’t handle the cold. Understood?”

He bared his teeth and in a low whisper said, “Don’t get such a big head— you’re still an extra to me.” 

With that he had tugged his arm from your grasp and headed out.

He would never admit that what you had said was exactly what had been weighing on his mind since he found the pill bottle.

———————

Requests Open

[hyundrinkmyjuice]

i beg of u for a continuation of the lee byung hun actor fic!!!! doesnt have to be smut just like a kiss myb any sort of continuation i beeeggg it was so cute!

Take after Take - Part 2 ── .✦

Lee Byung-Hun x GN!actor!reader

warnings: hot old man warning! BEWARE! HAZARD! (not proofread 💪)

a/n: I post once in a blue moon chat idk and ignore that, and the reader is now gn bc I think I didn't use any pronouns in the last part and in this part so i'm sorry if I got it wrong :/.

Byung Hun’s hand brushed lightly against your arm as the two of you walked off set, the quiet hum of the studio fading into the background. His touch lingered just long enough to send another shiver through you, though you didn’t dare look at him yet. Your heart was still racing, and you weren’t sure if it was from the scene, his teasing, or the way his eyes seemed to linger on you just a little too long.

“Where are you parked?” he asked casually, his voice breaking the silence.

“Not parked,” you replied, finally glancing his way. “My trailer’s just around the corner.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll walk you there.”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“I want to,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument but carrying a gentleness that made it impossible to protest.

You gave him a small smile, and the two of you continued in companionable silence. The air outside the studio was cool, and the quiet intimacy of the moment felt like a breath of fresh air (literally) from the embarrassing moments earlier today.

When you reached your trailer, you hesitated at the bottom of the steps, turning to face him. “Thanks for walking me back. And for... everything today. I don’t think I would’ve made it through without you.”

He smiled, that easy, confident smile that always seemed to disarm you. “You would’ve been fine. But I’m glad I could help.”

His eyes held yours for a moment, and the silence between you grew heavier, charged with something unspoken. You opened your mouth to say something, anything-but the words wouldn’t come out.

“You’re still overthinking,” he said softly, stepping closer.

“I can’t help it,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

His hand lifted, his fingers brushing against yours before moving to cup your cheek. The warmth of his touch sent your thoughts scattering. “Then let me help with that too,” he murmured.

Before you could process his words, he leaned in, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was as soft as it was deliberate. It wasn’t like the tentative kiss of the scene you’d filmed earlier... this was real, and it left you breathless.

Your hands moved instinctively, finding their way to his shoulders as you steadied yourself. His thumb stroked gently along your cheek, and for a moment, everything else fell away... the long day, the nerves, the lingering embarrassment.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against yours, his breath warm against your skin. “Better?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

You laughed softly, the sound breaking the tension. “A little,” you admitted, though your heart was still racing.

“Good,” he said, his lips quirking into a small smile. “Because I’ve been waiting to do that all day.”

Your cheeks burned, but you couldn’t help the grin spreading across your face. “You’re really good at this whole charming thing, aren’t you?”

He chuckled, stepping back but letting his hand linger on yours. “It’s not about being charming. It’s about you.”

His words left you speechless, and before you could recover, he gave your hand a gentle squeeze and nodded toward your trailer door. “Get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”

You nodded, your voice refusing to cooperate. As you climbed the steps, you glanced back at him one last time. He was still standing there, watching you with a soft smile that made your heart flip.

“Goodnight, Byung Hun,” you managed, your voice steady despite the chaos in your chest.

“Goodnight, Y/n,” he replied, his voice in a low and sort of seductive tone that made your stomach do a backflip. (brookhaven style)

As you closed the door behind you, leaning against it for support, you couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face. The day might have started as a disaster, but now, as you replayed that kiss in your mind, you tried not to let your mind linger to other not so PG thoughts about him.

IM SORRY FOR THE ROBLOX JOKE.

[bookmimipascal]

✮ Joel miller x babysitter reader

Warnings : the reader is 19 years old, age gape

English is not my first language !!

𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

September 26, 2013 Austin 📍– Joel’s Birthday

11:08 PM

The phone rang twice.

Then: “Hey.”

His voice was warm, tired, familiar.

You smiled into the receiver, flopping down onto your bed. “Happy birthday, old man.”

Joel chuckled low. “Didn’t think you’d remember.”

“Please. You think I’d forget the birthday of the most stubborn, emotionally unavailable man I’ve ever made out with?”

That made him laugh—really laugh. God, you loved that sound. It was rare. Scratched around the edges.

“Well,” he said, “when you put it that way…”

There was a pause. Not awkward—comfortable.

You rolled over onto your stomach, kicking your feet in the air like a teenager with a crush. “Did Sarah give you her gift yet?”

“Yeah,” Joel said, soft now. “She got me a watch. Said I’m not allowed to use the cracked-screen excuse anymore.”

You smiled. “She’s too good for you.”

He sighed. “Don’t I know it.”

You could hear the quiet in his house behind him—TV low in the background, maybe the tail end of a movie. The clock on your nightstand read 11:11. You didn’t want to hang up.

“You do anything else today?” you asked.

“Worked. Came home. Ordered takeout.”

“No birthday cake?”

“Wasn’t really in the mood.”

You hesitated. “You want me to come over?”

Joel didn’t answer right away. Then—

“I do. But Sarah’s already in bed. And I don’t want her to… you know.”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you. “Yeah. I get it.”

“Wish I didn’t care so damn much about what people thought,” he said.

You closed your eyes. “I know. Me too.”

There was silence again, longer this time.

You could hear him breathing. You knew that sound. You’d fallen asleep to it more times than you could count. You wanted to reach through the phone and be there—curled next to him on that old, too-small couch, , his hand on your thigh.

“Hey,” you said softly.

“Yeah?”

“You know I… I care about you. Right?”

Joel’s breath caught slightly. You rarely said things like that. You both knew what this was. You both knew how fragile it was. How dangerous.

“Yeah,” he said. “I know.”

Another pause.

“I care about you too,” he added.

It hit you harder than you expected.

You pressed the phone tighter to your ear, staring up at your ceiling like it might collapse. “We should just tell her. After this weekend. After I get through midterms.”

Joel didn’t answer right away.

“You sure?”

You smiled. “No. But I want to try.”

He exhaled slowly, like the weight of it was finally settling on his chest. “Alright. After this weekend.”

“Good.”

You almost said I love you.

Almost ..But you didn’t.

Instead, you made a joke about his watch. He grumbled about the battery already running slow. You talked until nearly midnight—about nothing, about everything, about the kind of future you’d never really believed in but wanted anyway.

Then:

“I should let you sleep,” you said. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

“Happy birthday, Joel.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

Click.

The call ended.

And that was the last time you heard his voice.

⸻

— 2:01 AM

You woke to sirens.

Your phone buzzed wildly—missed calls, panicked texts, something about bites, lockdowns, police in the street. You turned on the news. Everything was chaos. No one knew what was happening.

You grabbed your backpack. Stuffed it with whatever you could. You tried calling Joel—once, twice, four times. No answer.

You texted him:

-Joel, what’s happening?? Are you okay?? Please answer

Nothing.

You didn’t know that at that exact moment, he was carrying Sarah out the back door in his arms, heart racing, the world breaking around him.

You didn’t know that by dawn, the world you knew—the one with porch beers and old movies and secret touches—would be gone.

Gone like a dropped call.

Gone like a final birthday wish.

Gone like the sound of his voice, still in your ear.

[kotegiris]

[2024 Birthday Card Story - Lamli] No Matter Which Side of Me

another request! hope you enjoy it anon! again, thank you to my friend who shared this card with me

Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1

-The day before Lamli’s birthday-

It has become the season where the sunlight is dazzling… And Lamli’s birthday is coming up tomorrow.

For the butlers’ birthday this year… I already decided what to give them as a present.

A ring for the pinky finger…

A “pinky ring.”

Apparently, wearing a ring on the pinky finger will “prevent happiness from escaping.”

With that meaning in mind… I prepared a ring embedded with a small labradorite gemstone for Lamli. 

Then, I made preparations for the opportunity to hand him the ring… And wrote him a letter.

“Let’s have dinner together on your birthday.”

After the butlers went to bed… I placed the letter in front of the 3rd floor butlers’ room…

That night I fell asleep while looking forward to Lamli’s reaction after he reads the letter.

-The day of Lamli’s birthday-

Knock, knock…

Lamli: Aruji-sama. Can I come in?

> Yeah. > Come in.

Opens

Lamli: Good morning, Aruji-sama!

> Morning, Lamli.

Lamli: Thank you for the letter!

> Did you read it yet?

Lamli: Yes! Of course I did! Thanks to your letter, I’ve been feeling super happy since this morning.

Lamli: Thank you very much.

> I’m glad you’re happy.

Lamli: Fufu, so…

Lamli: According to your letter… We’ll be having dinner together today, right?

Lamli: Could you tell me more about that?

I explained to Lamli.

I told him that this whole day is for him…

We'll go out somewhere together and enjoy his birthday to the fullest…

And finally, we’ll have dinner together.

For dinner, we can decide where we want to go.

I told him that since it’s his birthday, I want him to enjoy himself without holding back.

> Don’t worry about anything and enjoy your birthday. > Let’s eat your favorite foods.

Lamli: W-Wow… I can have Aruji-sama all to myself today…

Lamli: That’s the best news ever!

Lamli: What should I do… I wanted to make you smile lots today, but…

Lamli: I’m the one who ended up smiling so much. I’m so happy…

> If you’re smiling, then I’m also happy. 

Lamli: Aruji-sama…

Lamli: …Geez, you’re too lovely!

Lamli: Fufu ♪ Today I can have Aruji-sama all to myself, and we can go out together…

Lamli: This will be the best day ever!

> Do you have somewhere you want to go?

Lamli: Huh? Is it okay for me to decide?

> Of course. > Let’s go where you want to go.

Lamli: Actually, there’s a place I’ve been wanting to go to with you!

Lamli: There’s a show that just opened recently…

Lamli: It seems like you can see stars there even in the daytime!

> Stars in the daytime?

Lamli: Yeah. I’m not exactly sure how since I’ve only heard rumors, but…

Lamli: From the moment I heard about it, I thought of you… I’ve been wanting to go there together with you!

Lamli: Aruji-sama, would you… Go together with me to see the daytime stars?

> Of course. > Let’s go!

Lamli: Thank you, Aruji-sama.

Lamli: Fufu. I don’t know what kind of stars we’ll see in the daytime, but…

Lamli: Just seeing it together with you… Will make it the best starry sky ever!

Lamli: Then, I’ll go back to my room and get ready to head out!

Lamli: When I’m done, I’ll let you know!

And thus… We decided to momentarily split up to get ready to go out.

-A little later-

Knock, knock…

Lamli: Aruji-sama, I’m done. Can I come in?

> Yeah. > Come in.

Opens

Lamli: Excuse me.

After I finished getting ready, Lamli came inside my room once again.

However… When he opened the door, I saw that he was wearing a different outfit from before.

> That outfit is…

Lamli: Fufu ♪ How do I look, Aruji-sama?

Lamli: It’s this year’s birthday outfit!

Lamli: How is it? Do I look good?

> It looks really good on you.

Lamli: Fufu. Thank you ♪

Lamli: Ever since I got this outfit I’ve been wanting to show it to you.

Lamli: I’m happy I finally got to let you see it ♪

Lamli: Then… Let’s go to the venue!

Lamli: It seems like you can see the daytime stars at the theater in Espoir!

And so… In the carriage that Lamli prepared, we headed to the theater.

【 Espoir - A Certain Theater】

Some time later… The carriage stopped in front of a bustling theater.

Lamli: It seems like the starry sky is on the basement floor here.

Lamli: Looking at the starry sky in the basement… It’s a bit exciting, isn’t it?

Lamli: I wonder what it’s like.

> I’m looking forward to it.

After going to the receptionist… The person in charge guided us to the venue.

Lamli: Woah~... It’s a bit cold going down these stairs.

Lamli: It feels nice since it was hot outside.

Lamli: But you might get cold. Aruji-sama, are you alright?

> I’m alright.

Lamli: Then, I’m glad.

Lamli: But let me know if you get cold!

I’ll go tell a worker and borrow a coat for you!

> Thanks.

The venue we were led to was pitch black, and I could barely see anything around me.

But from the buzz of people, I knew that there were quite a lot of guests here.

Lamli: Aruji-sama, it’s dark, so please watch your step.

Lamli: Oh, I know! Aruji-sama, excuse me for a little!

Saying that…. Lamli gently took my hand.

> Huh?

Lamli: Fufu, this is safer ♪

Lamli: The venue is dark and dangerous, so… In the meantime, can we hold hands?

> Y-Yeah. 

And so, while holding hands, we looked for our seats.

Lamli: Ah, there it is! These are our seats!

Lamli: Aruji-sama! Please take a seat!

> Thank you.

Even after we sat down, Lamli made no move to let go of my hand.

While feeling the warmth of Lamli’s hand… I patiently waited for the show to start.

Step… step… step…

From the wing of the stage, a man came out and bowed gracefully.

Announcer: Welcome. Thank you for coming, everyone. I will now take you to the sea of stars.

At the man’s signal… The dark surroundings instantly changed to a starry sky.

Lamli: Wow! There really are stars!

> (It’s like a planetarium…)

Lamli: It instantly became a starry sky… I wonder how they did that.

Announcer: First, please take a look at the brightest star on the northern side…

Announcer: It’s a star that has continued to be in the center of other stars for thousands of years…

Announcer: That star guides travelers and is also known as the guardian star of the Grovaner family, who have been protecting mankind.

Lamli: Fufu… Isn’t it pretty, Aruji-sama?

> Yeah, it really is.

Lamli: …Ah, that star… Aruji-sama, do you know what that star on the right is?

> Which one?

Lamli: That one over there…

Saying that, Lamli pointed at it.

But… As if he remembered that we were still holding hands…

He only moved his hand slightly and then went back to holding my hand.

> …Lamli?

Lamli: …Fufu. We should be quiet now since the show’s starting.

Lamli: Sorry, Aruji-sama.

When Lamli said that… He had a cheerful and tender smile. 

Then… he lightly squeezed my hand.

I knew that I should be focusing on the stars, but… I couldn’t help myself from focusing on the feeling of his hand holding mine.

Chapter 2

-A little later-

Mesmerized by the beautiful starlight… The show came to an end. 

Lamli: Aruji-sama~! That was amazing!

> It was pretty.

Lamli: It was my first time seeing stars that close up!

Lamli: Being able to see stars during the daytime and in a basement… It was so exciting!

Lamli: It was really pretty… How did they do that?

> Hm~....

Lamli: I’m a bit curious…

Lamli: Ah! Why don’t we go ask the announcer?

Lamli: I saw him go that way. If we go after him now, we can still catch up and ask him!

> Let’s go.

Lamli: Fufu. I thought you’d say that ♪

So we decided to go after the announcer.

Lamli: Ah, there he is!

Lamli: Hey! Announcer~!

After going into the hallway and walking a little… We found the middle-aged man who gave the explanation for the showing.

Lamli walked up to him and began to talk about his thoughts on the showing.

Lamli: The starry sky earlier was so pretty!

Lamli: The location of the stars was pretty much on point too… …There were some that were a little off, though.

Lamli: But it was really amazing! Hey, just how did you do that?

> Lamli, let’s calm down a little.

Announcer: Thank you for your compliments. You’re very knowledgeable about the stars.

Lamli: Yeah! I love stars!

Announcer: Fufu, I see.

Lamli: So… How did you do it?

Announcer: Hm… Normally, I cannot reveal that, but…

Announcer: Your honest feedback made me happy.

Announcer: …As a special service… Let me tell you the basics of the method.

Lamli: Yay! You’re a good person!

Announcer: Fufu, thank you very much. …Now then, about the method…

Announcer: It’s actually not that complicated.

Then, the announcer explained to us the basics of it.

Lamli: Heh~ So that’s how.

Lamli: That’s a very smart way. I look at stars a lot, but I’ve never thought of that~

Announcer: Fufu… Thank… you…

Announcer: I am honored… By your… compliments…

After the announcer answered Lamli’s question… He suddenly became unsteady.

Announcer: Ug…

Lamli: W-Woah. Are you okay?

> He doesn’t look okay.

Lamli: Yeah, he looks a bit sick.

Lamli: …Hey, are you alright?

Announcer: I-I’m alright. My apologies for causing you to worry.

Lamli: But you’re swaying a lot.

Announcer: ……..Recently, this show has been gradually becoming more popular… I’ve had to be on stage for longer.

Announcer: I knew it had been taking a toll on my body, so… I decided to have a stand-in starting today, but…

Announcer: …They’re running a little late.

Announcer: I have one more show left to do before my substitute comes… I just have to endure it a little more.

Lamli: B-But… It doesn’t seem like your body can handle one more show.

> It’d be better for you to rest…

Announcer: …The show’s finally gotten popular. I can’t cancel it now.

Lamli: Hmm~... That’s true, but…

Lamli: At this rate, you’ll collapse…

> What should we do…

Lamli: Hmm~~~…… …………

Lamli: …I know!

Lamli: I’ll do the show for you! In the meantime, you should get some rest.

> Lamli?

Announcer: What!? B-But…

Lamli: If it’s explaining the stars, then there’s no need to worry! You saw how knowledgeable I am about it earlier, right?

Announcer: C-Can I really leave it to you?

Lamli: Yup ♪ You explained to me how it works earlier, so…

Lamli: As thanks, I’ll do the show for you once as your substitute.

Announcer: T-Then… I will accept your kind offer.

Lamli: Fufu ♪ Leave it to me!

Lamli: I said that, but… Sorry for just deciding on my own, Aruji-sama…

Lamli: But… I can’t leave him alone when he’s about to collapse…

Lamli: I know I’m being selfish, but… Could you go along with it for a little?

> Uhm……

I thought it was very nice of Lamli to want to help the announcer, and I knew that he was very knowledgeable about the stars.

However… I had something else that I was concerned about…

He’s always very energetic, so I wondered if he could create a mellow atmosphere for the show…

I couldn’t get rid of my worries.

> Will you really be okay?

Lamli: I’ll be fine! We saw the show earlier, so I know what kind of mood I need to make.

Lamli: And I know which stars I need to give an explanation for!

He answered, brimming with self-confidence.

I thought it would be rude to keep worrying over him, so I decided to believe in him and leave it to him.

> Do your best, Lamli!

Lamli: I will! Thank you for believing in me, Aruji-sama!

Lamli: I’ll do it properly until the very end, so… Don’t worry and just watch me from the audience!

> Got it.

Then, the announcer guided Lamli backstage.

I sat down in the same seat as before and waited for Lamli’s show to start.

While I nervously looked around the dark venue…

The sound of elegant and light footsteps resounded in the dark.

Lamli: Welcome. Thank you for coming, everyone. I will now take you to the sea of stars.

> (That… Is that really Lamli’s voice?)

Lamli, who had a different air to him than usual, gracefully bowed.

At that moment… My surroundings were instantly enveloped in a starry sky.

Lamli: First…

Lamli: Everyone, please take a look at the brightly shining Big Dipper on your right.

Lamli: Because of its bright shine… It has been passed down for generations as a constellation that resembles a certain person’s weapon…

Lamli: That’s right… It’s the person that we all give thanks to during Thanksgiving, Goetia-sama.

Lamli: According to the legend…

Lamli: Thousands of years ago… Goetia-sama protected this land from the angels all by himself.

Lamli: He was loved and respected by the people.

Lamli: It is said that after Goetia-sama passed… Out of respect and devotion, the people created this constellation for him.

> (Lamli’s amazing…) > (I can’t help but be drawn to his explanation…)

Lamli: And on the other side is…

Without any mistakes… Lamli elegantly continued explaining.

Despite my concerns… The show ended without any issues.

The guests left the venue looking satisfied.

Lamli: Aruji-sama! How was I? Did I do well?

> You were perfect. > You were amazing. 

Lamli: Really? Yaay!

After the show ended, Lamli immediately went over to me.

Without a doubt… It was the usual cheerful him.

Announcer: Thank you very much for doing the show in my stead.

Announcer: Thanks to you, the show was able to go on without any cancellations. How could I ever repay you?

Announcer: I know! There’s still a little bit of time left before the next show.

Announcer: I’ll fully reserve the venue for just the two of you until then. Please take your time and gaze at the stars all you like.

Lamli: What!? Really?! Yaay!

> Thank you.

Lamli: Fufu, I’m so happy ♪

Lamli: …Earlier I was giving an explanation to all the guests, but… Actually, I wanted to give an explanation to only you.

Lamli: Aruji-sama… Could you leave it to me to tell you about the stars?

> Of course. > Please do.

Lamli: Thank you, Aruji-sama!

Lamli: Then… Let’s hurry before the next show starts!

> Yeah.

And so we decided to return to the venue to gaze at the stars again.

Lamli: Look! That’s the froggie constellation!

Lamli: Ah! Do you know what’s over there?

Lamli: If you connect the brightest stars together… It becomes the Aruji-sama constellation!

Lamli was telling me, not about this world’s constellations, but… His original ones that he came up with.

> Uhm… Which star is it?

Lamli: That one, Aruji-sama!

Lamli: …Ah, I know. Excuse me for a little!

Saying that, Lamli took my hand and pointed at the star.

Lamli: That star! Do you see it?

> Y-Yeah…

Lamli: Fufu… Then, next is…

> Lamli, our hands…

Saying that I looked at our joined hands…

Lamli looked as if he just got caught pulling a trick and gave me a small smile.

Lamli: …Aruji-sama… Can’t we keep holding hands like this?

Lamli: At the first show, we had to be quiet, and I couldn’t explain anything to you like how I am now, but…

Lamli: This time, I want to directly tell you about the stars while holding your hand.

Lamli: It’s just us here, so no one will see…

Lamli: So can’t I? Is it no good, Aruji-sama?

> That’s…

Lamli patiently stared at me, and I couldn’t refuse him…

I felt my heart beat faster and timidly nodded. 

> …Alright, let’s keep holding hands.

Lamli: Fufu… Thank you, Aruji-sama ♪

This was my third show of the day… My heart raced at feeling Lamli’s warmth…

We enjoyed a very happy and fun time.

-A little later-

Our small and private show came to an end… And we arrived at a restaurant with a stylish feel.

The seats were all private rooms, so there was no need to worry about the gaze of other people.

We were able to freely enjoy a delicious dinner and take our time looking back on today.

Lamli: The star show… It was so amazing!

> Yeah, it was.

Lamli: We were able to see so many stars even though it was daytime.

Lamli: I heard the rumors, but… I was surprised at how beautiful it was in person.

Lamli excitedly talked about the show. Seeing Lamli’s smile…

I thought that now would be a good time to give him his birthday present. 

> Hey, Lamli?

Lamli: Yes? What is it, Aruji-sama?

> For you.

I took out a small box from my bag.

Of course, inside the box was… The pinky ring I wanted to give him.

Lamli: Is this… a birthday present?

> Yup.

Lamli: I didn’t think you’d go out of your way to prepare a present for me…

Lamli: You spending the whole day with me today was already the best birthday present…

Lamli: I’m so happy; I think I’m gonna cry.

Lamli: Aruji-sama… Thank you.

Lamli: Uhm… Can I open it now?

> Of course. > Open it.

After getting permission from me, Lamli immediately opened the box.

Upon opening the lid… The mysterious shine of the labradorite poured out from within.

Then, I explained to him about the birthday present.

I decided to give the butlers a pinky ring for their birthdays because…

I wish for each and every butler’s everlasting happiness…

And… The reason why I chose to have Lamli’s ring embedded with labradorite is because…

Labradorite is said to be a mysterious stone with a beautiful and deep shine that changes depending on the angle it’s viewed from…

I thought it was like Lamli since the more time I spend with him, the more different and charming sides of him I see.

I told Lamli everything.

Lamli: …Charming?

Lamli: You think that someone like me is charming?

> Don’t say “someone like me.”

Lamli: Huh…

> You’re very charming.

The usual cheerful Lamli and the calm Lamli that I saw today at the show…

All of him is charming… I straightforwardly told him that.

Lamli: The me today…too?

> That’s right.

Lamli: I see… …So you like me when I’m calm too.

> Of course I do.

Lamli: …Thank you, Aruji-sama.

Lamli: ……Uhm… Aruji-sama…

Lamli: Between the calm me from today and the cheerful me… Which one do you like more?

> Huh?

Lamli: I…

Lamli: I want to live as the me you like more…

> …Which one is more comfortable for you, Lamli?

Lamli: Huh? More comfortable…?

> I don’t want you to force yourself.

Lamli: Aruji-sama… You really do care about me.

> Because you’re precious to me.

Lamli: …You’re too kind, Aruji-sama.

Lamli: …But… You don’t need to worry; I’m okay.

Lamli: If I’m able to have your love… Being either side of me isn’t tough.

Lamli: As long as you love me… I can be either one.

> Lamli…

Lamli: So please… Pick one, Aruji-sama.

Lamli: Between the calm me and the cheerful me… Which one do you like more?

> There’s no need for me to choose.

Lamli: Huh?

> Both sides are you after all.

Lamli: Aruji-sama… But…

Between the cheerful Lamli and the calm Lamli… I can’t pick one.

Both sides are precious to me because they’re both a part of Lamli.

> I love all of you.

Lamli: Aruji-sama…

Lamli: …Thank you. …I’m so, so happy…

Lamli: Fufu, me too…

Lamli: Your kindness and warmth… I…… love all of you too.

Lamli smiled, but it wasn’t his usual smile that was bright like the sun… It was an earnest and peaceful smile that was like the stars.

> Happy birthday, Lamli.

Lamli: …Thank you, Aruji-sama.

Lamli: I’m truly glad that I met you.

Lamli: I’m truly glad that I was born…

The lively Lamli and the mature Lamli…

And whatever other sides he may have… Lamli is a precious person to me.

Whatever may happen, that fact won’t change.

With those feelings in mind… From the bottom of my heart, I wished him a happy birthday.

END

[povlnfour]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ PADDOCK TO PADDOCK (LN) PART 2

lando norris x fem!horse rider!reader

series masterlist | prev part | next part

mclaren just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri and 206,311 others

mclaren always wanted to see the paddock in its full glory? go behind the scenes with todays special guest, @/yourusername, as she swaps one paddock for another to see a little of what happens on a race day!

view all 2,472 comments

user3 HELLOOOOO WHAT.

user7 WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

user9 lando needs to stay focused :/

user1 stfu

alex_albon @/yourusername this is betrayal i’m disowning u

yourusername noooo dad pls. i’ll come to williams next💙

user7 y/n calling alex and lily mom & dad… she’s just like us for real

landonorris 🧡

liked by yourusername

y/nupdates just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by mclaren, landonorris and 21,305 others

y/nupdates y/n today after the race!!! she was seen leaving with teammates lando norris and oscar piastri, and oscar’s girlfriend lily! thank you @/mclaren for taking care of our girl today🧡

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user4 prettiest baby in existence she is GLOWING

user6 can’t believe she’s an f1 fan this feels unreal

mclaren it was our honour🧡

meanwhile, in texts ੈ✩‧₊˚

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55 and 128,119 others

yourusername back from my adventures into training. qualifications coming up which means extra work for this little (big) man🫣

view all 3,915 comments

user3 BEANIE BOYYYY🥹

user8 you got this y/n/n!!!!

flo_norris_showjumping best of luck for qualifying, let me know how it goes🩷

user2 carlos in the likes again i’m TELLING YOU lando is talking abt y/n to the grid boys

landonorris he’s kind of cute ig

yourusername DOES THIS MEAN YOU’LL MEET HIM

landonorris @/yourusername literally where did i say this

user4 petition for lando to meet mr. bean

f1updates just posted a status ੈ✩‧₊˚

f1updates asked about his growing friendship with showjumper y/n y/l/n, lando said today that the two are ‘just becoming friends’ and ‘don’t have much time to see each other’ now y/n is back in her home county. but sources close to the two say they’ve been facetiming most nights👀

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user10 everyone leave them alone and let them have their private lives challenge

user11 good! lando should be staying focused on getting good face results. he can’t afford this right now.

user9 thank you! i’ve been saying this for ages!

user3 jobless ppl in the comments he’s a grown man and they’re just friends anyway

landonorris just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by carlossainz55, danielricciardo and 226,382 others

landonorris p2 quali in home race, and some great company. what could be better🧡

👤 tagged yourusername, oscarpiastri

view all 10,400 comments

user7 WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING TOO BUSY TO HANG OUT MR. NORRIS?!

carlossainz55 well done brother❤️

user3 CARLANDO🥹🥹🥹

user1 y’all weren’t apart for very long i see👀

user5 OSCAR IS SO CUTEEE😭

yourusername 🧡 can’t wait to watch tomorrow

liked by landonorris

user6 SHES GOING TO THE RACE????

williamsracing just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by alex_albon, yourusername and 52,118 others

williamsracing just call us mr steal your girl👀 @/mclaren

👤tagged yourusername, lilymhe, zoe_albon

view all 2,466 comments

user5 AHAHHA IM HERE FOR MCLAREN VS WILLIAMS

user1 admin i love u so bad rn😭

mclaren @/yourusername how could you?!

yourusername a rock and a hard place…

alex_albon the BETTER team

user4 y/n, lily and zoe all together🥹🥹🥹

landonorris …

user7 OH HES SNDJSJSJS

user9 you deserve better lando!

user1 @/user9 once again, stfu

yourusername answer my text douchebag

yourusername added to their story ੈ✩‧₊˚

y/nupdates posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by yourusername and 23,404 others

y/nupdates sending all the luck to @/yourusername and mr. bean today as they compete in the final qualification around for paris 2024!🩷

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user2 good luck y/n🥹🫶

user5 eeee today is the day!!!!!

user12 came for lando, stayed for y/n. good luck hon!

yourusername thank you guys🥹🩷 hope i can make you proud

a/n: i realise this wasn’t v interesting but… attempting a slow ish burn bc i love pining

taglist for the next updates can be found here!

- giselle xx

[vdlest]

Home Sweet Home

Characters:

Eddie Diaz x Female!Reader

Summary:

The reader and Eddie are living in together with Christopher. You just got home and saw Eddie sleeping in the couch, waiting for you.

Nothing but fluff and sweet conversations

A/N:

I haven’t written anything in a while. Let’s see if I still have it lol!

It’s been a long day for you.

You finished a lot of works today and all you wanted is to crash into the bed and have the best sleep you can get before another long day tomorrow.

You went inside the house and upon opening the light, you saw Eddie lying on the couch, peacefully sleeping.

A smile immediately formed in your lips.

You put down your keys and your bag by the rocking chair and you approached your sleeping boyfriend.

It’s been 2 years since you two met.

There was a huge fire that took place in the hotel you used to work at. You got trapped in one of the guest's rooms because you were trying to rescue one of the guests too. Good thing the firefighters from 118 came to rescue you, and it was Eddie who saved you when you were almost hit by a falling debris.

You owe your life to Eddie.

If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be where you are today.

A few days after the fire, he checked up on you to see you're okay and that you're not experiencing any trauma. Then he went back again after a week, not to just check on you but to get your number. Since the day he got your number, the two of you are constantly exchanging messages.

Until one day, he finally asked you out, and the rest was history.

"Hey," you gently caressed his cheeks to wake him up.

His eyes slowly flicker and when he saw you, he got up and sat down on the couch, "I fell asleep while I was waiting for you."

You sat down beside him, "Yeah, I noticed that."

"You worked pretty late today," he said as he stretched his arms.

"We had a lot of issues today with our upcoming group, so I had to stay and negotiate with them. Good thing I'm finally home," you answered.

He wrapped his arms around you and hugged you as warm as he could make you feel, "Yeah, you're home. Chris was actually waiting for you too, but I guess he fell asleep." You felt Eddie kissed your head, "I guess I'm not the only one who misses you."

"Aww, I miss you and Chris too,” you answered as you rest your hand on top of his chest.

This is what made you so excited to come home — to feel secured and happy in the arms of your boyfriend. Ever since you two moved in together, you stopped experiencing nightmares that you’ve been experiencing since you were a kid. And every single time you wake up in the morning, your heart is filled with so much love just by seeing Eddie and Chris.

“By the way,” Eddie faces you but his arms are still wrapped around you, “It’s my off this weekend. I’m planning to take you and Christopher out.”

“That sounds like a nice plan to me,” you answered with a smile on your face.

“Are you sure you’re okay to go out with us? I’m worried you might have to work this weekend, given the circumstances you’re dealing with right now,” he said.

You cupped his right cheeks and assured him that it’s totally okay, “I’m off this weekend too anyways. Plus, I’ve been wanting to go out with you and Chris. I can’t even remember the last time we went out, just the three of us.”

“How ‘bout on Monday?”

“On Monday?” your brows furrowed in confusion, “Chris has school, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m talking about just the two of us,” he said. “I mean, the three of us are already going out this weekend, so I’m wondering if we can have Monday just for the two of us. Like, after we drop Christopher off his school, we can go somewhere, then we’ll pick him up in the afternoon afterwards.”

“I mean, I can take a day off on Monday too, but are you sure you want to go out on Monday? Just the two of us?” you asked.

He grabbed your hand and smiles at you, “Why not? It’s only fair to have some quality time for both of us, right?”

In all honesty, you are excited for some quality time with Eddie.

It’s been a long time since the two of you dated, because the two of you will always think of Christopher first. After all, you promised to each other that Christopher will be part and the top priority of your relationship.

“Sure,” you replied. “So where are you taking me?”

He winked at you, “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

“God, you are so full of surprises!” you commented.

Your relationship with Eddie has been both a blessing and a gift. He’s been there with you, through the ups and downs of your life, through thick and thin, through turns and twists. It was like he completed the real meaning of “love” in your life. And there’s no other person you would rather take the risk of falling in love than him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he suddenly asked you, not knowing that you’ve been staring at him.

You shook your head as you fix his hair and gave him a smile.

Well, you know your boyfriend too well. He’s not gonna take that as an answer, “Come on, tell me.”

“I just realized how damn lucky I am,” you confessed and you felt his hands on top of yours, “All my life I’ve been looking for someone who could finally understand me, who could love me and teach me to love myself even better. I’m so glad I finally found you.”

“No,” he kissed the back of your hand and gave you a reassuring smile, “I found my way to you. Right from the moment I saved you, my heart already knew you weren’t just a stranger that I needed to save. I had a hard time forgetting you, so I stopped trying to forget you instead, I accepted the truth that you are someone I won’t be forgetting.”

“I know I’m hard to forget,” you joked.

Eddie chuckles, “I have no plans of forgetting you,” he extended his arms around you and pulled you towards his chest, “You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

“I have no plans of resisting,” you answered.

[catharinawrites]

Ride or Die

Pairing: Biker!Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Word count: 2K

Summary: Your a law student who's been overlooked by her dad and wants to make a change to her life. It just so happened that there is this bar with a very good looking owner who seems to be impressed by your defense skills.

a/n: surpriseeeeeee another chapter today! let me know what you think :)

Previous chapter: Chapter 2: ''This is a bad idea''

Chapter 3: ''you’re Stark’s kid?''

The moment his lips had left yours, reality had crashed back in like a tidal wave. 

You and Bucky crossed a line. A dangerous, irreversible line.

The bar was empty, except for Sam wiping down tables on the far side, pretending not to see anything. Your heart was still racing, your breath shallow and the warmth of Bucky’s touch lingered on your waist. 

His eyes were locked onto yours, heavy with something that sent shivers down your spine. You should’ve pulled away, stepped back and put some distance between you, but neither of you moved. 

Bucky exhaled, his hand twitching against your side before finally letting go. ‘’You should go home’’ he muttered, his voice rough.

You arched a brow, still feeling the adrenaline coursing through your veins. ‘’You kicking me out?’’ 

He shook his head, stepping back as if putting space between you would undo what just happend. ‘’I’m saying you need to think about this’’ 

You tilted your head. ‘’And you don’t?’’ 

His lips quirked in a humorless smile. ‘’Oh, doll, I’ve been thinking about this since the moment you stepped foot in my bar’’ 

You didn’t know what to say to that. There was a storm brewing in his eyes, something dark and conflicted, something you weren’t sure if you should be running from or running towards. 

Before you could respond, the sound of a phone buzzing snapped the tension in half. Bucky pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen and his expression hardened instantly. 

‘’Work’’ he said curtly, already shifting back into business mode. ‘’I’ll see you tomorrow.’’ 

You hesitated but nodded, grabbing your things, waving Sam goodbye and heading out. The cold night hit you like a rock, clearing some of the haze clouding your mind. As you walked home, one thought refused to leave you: 

This was only the beginning. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, you went about your usual routine- studying in the afternoon, then heading to the bar in the evening. But everything felt different. 

Bucky wasn’t there when you arrived, and Nat was het usual observant self, throwing you knowing glances even time you looked even slightly distracted. 

‘’So’’ she finally said, sliding a shot of tequila in your direction. ‘’You wanna tell me what’s got you al dazed and dreamy?’’ 

You scoffed. ‘’I’m not dreamy’’ 

Nat smirked ‘’Your something’’ 

You rolled your eyes but didn’t say anything, taking a sip of the tequila. 

‘’Barnes was acting real weird this morning’’ she continued, pretending to clean a glass. ‘’Real quiet, broody. More than usual’’

You ignored the way your stomach flipped. ‘’Maybe he just had a lot on his plate.’’ 

Nat hummed, unconvinced. ‘’Or maybe something happend last night’’ 

You raised a brow. ‘’And if something did?’’ 

She leaned in with a grin. ‘’Then I’d tell you to be careful’’ 

You scoffed again then smiled at her ‘’You sound like him’’ 

Nat’s grin widened. ‘’Oh, sweets. That’s how you know you’re in trouble’’

Before you could respond, the bar door opened, and Bucky walked in. His presence was immediate, commanding like the room adjusted to accommodate him. 

Your eyes met, and for a second, you saw something flicker in his expression- something unspoken. But then is was gone, masked by his usual scoff. 

‘’Boss man’s back’’ Sam muttered from behind you. ‘’Try not to drool’’

You shot him a glare but he only smirked, walking away. 

The night carried on as usual, but the tension between you and Bucky sudderd beneath the surface. Every glance, every stolen moment when you caught him staring, adding only fuel to the fire. 

But the night took a turn when the bar was nearly closing. 

A group of unfamiliar bikers walked in, their presence instantly shifting the energy in the bar. You recognized their patches- Rumlow’s crew. 

Your grip tightened around the bottle you were holding. Nat noticed and leaned in. ‘’Stay close’’. She murmured. 

Bucky had clocked them the moment they entered. He pushed away from the bar where he had been leaning his expression stone cold. Steve appeared at his side like clockwork, both of them exuding authority. 

Rumlow himself wasn’t there, but the guys he sent were enough to make your skin crawl. 

One of them, a tall broad shoulders man with a scar running down his cheek approached the bar and flashed you a greasy smile. ‘’Hey there, sweetheart’’ 

You didn’t react, merely setting down a glass and raising a brow. ‘’You ordering or wasting my time?’’ 

Bucky watched you and couldn’t help but smile to himself. You were definitely something.

The guys chuckled, glancing at his buddies. ‘’Feisty, I like that’’ 

Sam moved closer to you ‘’We’re closing soon’’ 

‘’Relax man’’ Scarface drawled ‘’Just having a drink, ain’t that right sweetheart’’ 

You didn’t answer, but your grip on the counter tightens

That’s when Bucky spoke. “You got business here?”

The tension snapped tight. The bikers turned their attention to him, their expressions shifting.

Scarface smirked. “Just getting to know your new girl, Barnes.”

Bucky’s jaw clenched. “She’s not yours to know.”

That response had your stomach flipping.

Scarface seemed amused. “That right?”

Bucky stepped forward, his presence a warning. “Leave.”

For a second, you thought the guy was going to push back. But then he chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Barnes. We’re just being friendly.”

He threw you one last lingering glance before turning away, leading his crew out of the bar.

As soon as they were gone, the tension in the room eased, but you were still buzzing with adrenaline.

“You, okay?” Nat asked quietly.

You nodded, glancing at Bucky. His fists were still clenched, his jaw tight.

“I should go,” you murmured, setting down your rag.

Bucky turned to you, his expression unreadable. “I’ll walk you.”

You hesitated but nodded. The walk home was silent at first, the cool night air doing little to calm the fire still burning inside you.

“You shouldn’t engage with guys like that,” Bucky finally said.

You glanced at him. “I can handle myself.”

He exhaled. “I know. Doesn’t mean I want you to have to.”

Something about the way he said it made your chest tighten.

You stopped walking, turning to face him. “Bucky, what are we doing?”

He looked at you, something raw and conflicted in his gaze. “Something we probably shouldn’t.”

You swallowed. “And do you want to stop?”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No.”

Neither did you.

Without thinking, you reached for him, fingers curling around his jacket. He didn’t hesitate, closing the distance and pulling you into another searing kiss.

This was reckless. This was dangerous.

And you couldn’t stop.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past few days had settled into a rhythm—working at The Howling Wolf and exchanging glances with Bucky that burned hotter than they should. The tension between you both crackled like a live wire, unspoken but impossible to ignore. Whatever was happening between you wasn’t just a passing flirtation. It was something deeper.

Tonight, however, wasn’t about the bar. It was about something bigger.

Bucky and Steve had left early, telling you nothing. You hadn’t asked, but their secrecy gnawed at you. Something was going on beneath the surface of their operations, something beyond serving drinks and breaking up the occasional bar fight.

What you didn’t know was that they were at your father’s house—sitting in his office, discussing the one thing that had been poisoning the city for months—the incoming drug shipments.

Tony Stark leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable as he eyed Bucky and Steve across his expansive mahogany desk. He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. “These shipments aren’t slowing down. In fact, they’re only getting bigger. I’ve done what I can to keep the heat off you two, but this needs to stop—permanently.”

Steve nodded, arms crossed. “We’ve intercepted three of their transports already, but they’re adapting. They’re bringing in more men, better security.”

Bucky, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. “Rumlow and Zemo are getting desperate. They’re bleeding money. If we hit their next major shipment, we cripple them. We force them to rethink their entire operation.”

Tony’s gaze flickered between the two men, jaw tightening. “Fine. But it must be clean. No unnecessary blood, no cops, no collateral.”

Bucky smirked. “We’re not amateurs, Stark.”

Tony narrowed his eyes. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

As the conversation continued behind closed doors, you found yourself walking down the familiar hallway of your father’s house. You hadn’t expected him to be home this early, but something had drawn you inside. Maybe it was intuition, maybe it was pure coincidence. Either way, you were here now.

And then you saw them.

Through the slightly open office door, your father sat across from Steve and Bucky, their faces serious, their voices low. The sight made your stomach tighten. Your father—the powerful, respected lawyer—having a private meeting with two bikers? The same bikers you worked for. The same biker you had kissed just days ago and were starting to fall in love with.

Your blood ran cold.

Your dads sharp gaze flicked toward the door and locked onto yours. Recognition flashed across his features. His jaw clenched slightly, but he didn’t react otherwise. Bucky and Steve, unaware of your presence, continued their conversation.

Heart pounding, you took a step back, careful not to make a sound. You needed answers. And you weren’t leaving until you got them.

Whatever was happening here, it was bigger than you had ever imagined.

And now, you were right in the middle of it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You needed answers.

Instead of confronting them right away, you forced yourself to keep walking, moving silently through the hallway. If you stayed any longer, your dad would know you had been eavesdropping. And that wasn’t a risk you were willing to take—not yet.

The rest of the evening passed in a haze. By the time you made it back to your apartment, your mind was still reeling.

What the hell was Bucky Barnes doing in a business meeting with your father?

The Tony Stark you knew had always operated on the right side of the law—at least, that’s what he led everyone to believe. He had spent his life as one of the city’s most high-profile attorneys, a man with power and influence, someone who was respected and feared in equal measure. And yet, tonight, you had seen something different.

You had seen him working with criminals.

You pulled out your phone, debating whether to call him or not. But what would you even say? Hey Dad, mind telling me why you’re cutting deals with the same men you’d normally have arrested?

No. You needed more information before you made a move.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next night at The Howling Wolf was busier than usual. The usual crowd of bikers, drifters, and locals had packed into the bar, the scent of whiskey and leather thick in the air. You tried to focus on work, pouring drinks and keeping the conversations light, but your mind was elsewhere.

Bucky hadn’t been around much tonight. He was upstairs in his office again, likely handling more of whatever business he and Steve had been talking about the night before. Every time you caught a glimpse of the door at the top of the stairs, your stomach twisted.

Sam noticed your distraction. He leaned against the bar beside you, crossing his arms. “Alright, spill it. What’s got you looking like you’ve seen a ghost?”

You hesitated. Sam was the kind of guy who could read people a little too well. 

“Just tired,” you lied.

He didn’t look convinced. “Uh-huh. And I’m the King of Wakanda.”

You rolled your eyes, but before you could reply, the sound of heavy boots descending the stairs caught your attention. Bucky.

He walked into the bar, his presence commanding as always. His blue eyes scanned the room before they landed on you. For a moment, the rest of the world faded, the noise of the bar dimming as you locked eyes. The air between you crackled, full of the unspoken words and unacknowledged tension that had been growing since the night of your kiss.

You swallowed hard. Now or never.

Taking a deep breath, you made your way around the bar and intercepted him near the back hallway, where the noise of the crowd wouldn’t reach.

“Bucky,” you said, keeping your voice steady.

He raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, doll?”

You hesitated for half a second before lowering your voice. “I saw you last night. At my father’s house.”

Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe, but it was quickly masked. 

“And?”

“And you were having a meeting with him. I want to know why.”

Bucky exhaled slowly, his gaze never leaving yours. “It’s complicated.”

“That’s not an answer.”

A new voice cut in before Bucky could respond.

“Wait.”

Steve had appeared beside Bucky, arms crossed over his chest. His brows furrowed as he stared at you. “Your father?”

You frowned. “Yeah. Tony Stark. Why?”

Bucky and Steve exchanged a look—one filled with genuine shock.

“Holy shit,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“You mean to tell me,” Steve started slowly, as if piecing it together, “that you’re Stark’s kid?”

The confusion in their expressions threw you off. “You didn’t know?”

“Hell no,” Bucky said, shaking his head. “We thought you were just a bartender trying to make a living. Not his daughter.”

The realization settled over all of you. The secrecy, the hesitation, the way Bucky had refused to talk—it suddenly made sense.

“Does Tony know you work here?” Steve asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t think he knows… about you two. At least, I didn’t think he did.”

Bucky let out a dry chuckle, running a hand through his hair. “Well, shit. That complicates things.”

You narrowed your eyes. “What the hell is going on, Bucky?”

He sighed, rubbing his jaw before finally meeting your gaze again. “Tomorrow night. My place. I’ll explain everything.”

You hesitated. Was this really a good idea? You weren’t sure. But you also knew you weren’t going to let this go.

“Fine,” you said, crossing your arms. “I’ll be there.”

Bucky and Steve exchanged another glance, something unspoken passing between them. Then, without another word, Bucky turned and walked away, leaving you standing in the dimly lit hallway, heart pounding, mind racing.

Tomorrow, you’d get the truth.

Or at least, you hoped you would.

[otomehoneyybearr]

Kagari Amagase

A Love Tailored to You

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4

Warning: This event story contains NSFW themes. Minors please do not interact.

Kagari: "Princess."

(Wait, is this…!)

Confusion began to cloud my mind as Kagari’s fingers reached for the ribbon of my nightgown—

Before I realized it, my hand had reached out to stop him.

Emma: "Um... today was supposed to be just kisses, wasn’t it?"

Kagari: "…Ah, yes, I know. It was just a joke."

His hand let go without resistance, and he kissed me gently on my forehead, my cheeks, and finally my lips, as if to soothe me.

Only then did I realize how tense my body had become.

(I wasn’t this nervous just a moment ago...)

Emma: "…I’m sorry."

Kagari: "Hm? Why are you apologizing?"

Kagari: "You only got swept up by my teasing. It’s nothing unusual."

The words I was about to reply with were interrupted by another kiss from Kagari.

Kagari: "I look forward to seeing you let your guard down again tomorrow."

Kagari: "It makes it easier to kiss you."

Kagari: "Good night, Princess."

Emma: "…Good night, Kagari."

He pulled the blanket up to my shoulders and hugged me from behind.

As I felt his kindness, a faint pang of guilt pierced my chest, and I quietly closed my eyes.

….

(There’s no way I’d fall asleep after that…! I couldn’t sleep at all! Ah, I messed up.)

(The training was working, but when it really mattered, I just…)

The next day—

While Kagari was out on an inspection, I convinced one of the servants to let me help with sweeping.

If I didn’t keep myself busy, I’d just keep replaying last night’s events in my head, berating myself over and over again.

But it didn’t seem to help. I found myself internally apologizing to Kagari yet again for the umpteenth time.

(With the way I froze so obviously like that— it’s like I was blatantly screaming, “I’m way too nervous!”)

(…No, maybe just being nervous would have been fine.)

(But my reaction last night… depending on how you take it, it might’ve looked like I didn’t want it.)

(Kagari didn’t seem to mind, but I can’t stand that I might have made it seem like I was rejecting him.)

(He probably thinks a second time is still a long way off now.)

(I’ve made him feel like he has to hold back for my sake again.)

A wave of indescribable emotion—part guilt, part something else—washed over me, and I let out a deep sigh.

That’s when I heard the distant voices of some swordsmen, catching my attention.

Swordsman 1: "…Wait, Prince Kagari did what?"

Swordsman 2: "Surprising, isn’t it? Though, I guess… it’s not entirely unexpected, considering…"

(Kagari? What are they talking about?)

I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but hearing Kagari’s name made me instinctively focus on their conversation.

What I heard next was—

(What…?)

By the time the sky had turned a soft shade of crimson, Kagari returned from his inspection.

As soon as he spotted me at the end of the hallway, he quietly made his way over to me.

His expression was neutral, but the air around him was calm and gentle, making my heart race with joy.

Emma: "Welcome back, Kagari."

Kagari: "I’m back, Princess. Was everything fine while I was away?"

Emma: "Yes, there were no issues at all."

Kagari: "Then… did you miss me?"

Emma: "Hehe, of course. I missed you terribly, Kagari."

Kagari: "Perfect answer."

(I bet Kagari is the only one who’d look this happy over something like this.)

The loneliness melted away in an instant, and my lips naturally curled into a soft smile.

But my heart continued to pound relentlessly.

Kagari: "By the way, I have to go out again after this."

Kagari: "Don’t worry, it’s not for a mission or anything."

Kagari: "It’s just a boring party filled with high-ranking officials."

Kagari: "I won’t be back until after midnight, so make sure you go to bed first."

Emma: "…Understood. Please take care and be safe."

(So it was true after all.)

The conversation I overheard from the swordsmen a few hours ago replayed in my mind—

●●●●●● Flashback ●●●●●●

Swordsman 1: "Who would’ve thought Prince Kagari would attend a party in a neighboring kingdom?"

Swordsman 2: "Well, even though he broke away from the royal family, he still has royal blood."

Swordsman 2: "Plus, with his reputation as the fearsome demon and his role as the commanding officer of the most powerful faction, it’s only natural people would want to curry favor.

Swordsman 1: "There’s probably a whole swarm of them scheming to have their daughters become his concubine."

●●●●●● Flashback End ●●●●●●

(There’s no way Kagari would ever love another woman… surely.)

(That’s why there’s no need to feel anxious. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.)

And yet, my heart grew heavier, making me painfully aware of how much I truly cared for him.

Kagari: "Princess."

Emma: "Huh!? Y-Yes? What is it?"

Kagari: "I should be asking you that."

Kagari: "You’ve been holding onto my sleeve. Do you have something you want to say?"

Emma: "Y-your sleeve…? Oh! I-I’m so sorry!"

(No way… I grabbed it without even realizing!)

I hurriedly released his sleeve, only for Kagari to grab my hand instead.

Kagari: "Not until you tell me what’s on your mind."

His grip was firm, and it didn’t seem like he’d let me go.

(I don’t want to trouble Kagari with my feelings any further.)

(But if I don’t say something, he really won’t let me go. He might even be late for the party.)

Frantically searching for an answer, I timidly opened my mouth.

Emma: "Um… I…"

Kagari: "You…?"

Emma: "I just… thought about how I wouldn’t get to see you again today, and I felt lonely… so I ended up grabbing your sleeve."

Emma: "That’s why, um…"

Emma: "I’d like to… give you a goodbye kiss before you go."

Kagari: "…"

Emma: "Is… is that too much to ask?"

Kagari: "It’s not too much. I’d be happy to."

(Thank goodness. It looks like I managed to cover it up somehow.)

Relieved by Kagari’s quick and enthusiastic reply, I felt the tension ease slightly.

Taking my hand, he bent down slightly to make it easier for me to reach him.

Hiding my embarrassment deep inside, I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.

(What should I do… this is…)

Emma: "Ah! Kagari?"

I tried to pull away, but his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, leaving me unable to move.

Kagari: "Is this enough?"

Emma: "Huh?"

Kagari: "That goodbye kiss—was just one enough for you?"

His breath tickled my lips, and his question made my heart leap wildly.

(The truth is, it’s not enough… after everything last night, one kiss could never be enough.)

(But if I kiss him again, I’ll want even more. And besides…)

I don’t want him to go to the party.

That selfish thought was what scared me the most.

Suppressing my hesitation, I nodded firmly.

Emma: "One is enough."

Kagari: "…I see."

His arm around my waist loosened, releasing me from his embrace.

But the freedom was short-lived, as his long fingers lifted my chin.

What I saw in his emerald eyes was a swirling, intoxicating heat.

Kagari: "Sorry, but it’s not enough for me."

Prev | Next

▼・ᴥ・▼

[arsenal-womens-1]

I see you in my reflection part 2

Tw: guns school shooting death blood self harm description of death murder panic attack if there’s any I’ve missed sorry

“The bravest thing I ever did was continue my life when I wanted to die.” — Juliette Lewis

“If you love someone, you say it. You say it right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just passes you by.” — Mark Sloan

Six hours later, you are on your way back to Leah's. It was just going to be Beth, Viv, you, and Leah having dinner tonight after you’re planning on watching a movie called *The Fallout*. You have no clue what it’s about, but it’s apparently meant to be good. It’s cold outside, not too cold, but still cold. The car comes to a stop. Finally, you get out of the car and run to the door. Leah walks up the stairs as slowly as possible, finally opening the door. You run in, running straight to the kitchen. Leah had agreed to let you help with dinner. It’s called marry me chicken. It takes about 45 minutes to cook.

“Right, get all the ingredients out, and we can start cooking,” Leah says, pulling out all the ingredients: 30 g of plain flour, 4 chicken breasts, 125 g sundried tomatoes in oil (drained and roughly chopped), 3 tbsp oil (reserved), 1 red onion (finely chopped), 3 garlic cloves (crushed or finely grated), ½ - 1 tsp chili flakes (to taste), 2-3 thyme or oregano sprigs (leaves picked), or 1 tsp mixed dried herbs, 150 ml of double cream, 250 ml of chicken stock, 35 g parmesan (grated), 8-10 basil leaves (torn), and lemon wedges.

Halfway through making it, there is a knock at the door before Leah can say anything. You run to the door. Beth and Viv are just standing there. “Come in,” you say, taking off their shoes and coats. You all walk back into the kitchen where Leah is still doing stuff for the food. “How was media day?” You just shrug your shoulders at that.

“Boring, mainly they all ask the same question, just in a different way,” you reply. Beth and Vivian just shake their heads. You have said multiple times that you don’t like media days. This is only the second one you’ve done, but you still have the same opinion: “Yeah, they do that a lot apart from a few, and since you couldn’t do any work today, you need to do a bit more tomorrow.” The only downside of living with Beth and Vivian is that they make you do schoolwork. It’s the most boring thing.“What if I don’t do any more schoolwork?” you ask.

Viv loses it at your shoes, saying that no matter what you are doing, the work is still there.

You just accept your fate. “Can someone call my phone? I’ve lost it. It’s aging.” Leah holds your phone up and says, “Thank you.” Opening your phone, there is a text from your dad.

Dad:

“Hey kid, I know we haven’t spoken in a bit, but I thought I would text you and see how you are doing. Also, Max and Missy want to know if you are going to be home this summer for their birthday.”

You:

“Hey Dad, I’m doing good. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it home this summer, but tell Max and Missy that I miss them and I wish I could be there, but I can’t. I’ll send them presents.”

Dad:

“It’s okay, kid. You don’t have to apologize. I know why you don’t want to come back, but they wanted to know if you were able to come. It’s good to hear that you’re doing well. I have to go. The twins need to be dropped off at your grandma’s house.”

You:

“I’ll text you later. I love you too.”

“Who are you texting?” Leah asks as she finishes cooking.

“My dad was asking if I was going home this summer.” In the time the team had, knowing you’ve only ever said that you lived in America, you dodged any other questions, so at one point they all just left it, seeing that you didn’t want to talk about it before you got there. “Are you going home this summer?” they asked.

“No, I think I’m just going to go to another country,” you told them.

They all nodded. “What country are you thinking of going to?”

You had thought about this a lot. “I was thinking Norway, Sweden, Spain, or the Netherlands. I’ve always wanted to go to those countries.” When you said “Netherlands,” Viv smiled a bit for the next 45 minutes. You all talked for 20 minutes before the food was done. It was time for the movie.

The movie starts with a girl sitting on the toilet. Three minutes later, she walks to the bathroom. Viv and Beth are sitting next to each other, and Leah is in the middle. On the end, exactly seven minutes in, it sounds like a door banging and screaming more. It feels like your heart is about to pound out of your chest. A lump in your throat starts to form.

Blood everywhere, screaming, bullets.

“I can’t breathe.” The second you say that, all three of them are beside you. Vivian lifts you up and places you in her lap. “Copy my breathing pattern.”

“Y/N, I’m scared.” The door slams open.

“They didn’t do anything wrong; it should have been me.” Your breathing isn’t slowing down. “They didn’t deserve it; we were just kids.” Beth is now standing behind you, kind of trapping you like a burrito. “Copy my breathing, kid.” You try your best to copy her breathing, eventually doing so.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Your head is still on Vivian’s chest.

“I’m a twin… was a twin. The shock on their faces was something. We were identical. Lucy was 1 minute and 25 seconds older than me. She always would use that or say it was the best time of her life.” Tears were falling down your face. The girls said nothing, so you continued. “When we were 4, we moved from California to New York. Our next-door neighbors had a girl our age. Her name was Lily. She had green eyes, brown hair, and was a little bit taller than us. We became inseparable. We were in the same class. It was grade 6; we were in 4th period English with Miss Cooper. We sat at the back of her class.”

“Today we are learning about Romeo and Juliet.” Lily is to the left of you, and Lucy is to the right. “Lily, give me a pencil; I’ve forgotten mine again.”

“We were 12 minutes into the class when the first shouts could be heard two doors down from us. The screams for help were horrifying. We did everything they said to do. He was down with that class fast. He moved to the one next to us. There was a door connecting both classrooms together. We didn’t barricade it.”

The sound of the door crashing open startles everyone. Before anyone can do anything, he’s shooting randomly all over, and in 2 minutes, he’s gone.

“Lily was on the ground. She was in a pool of blood. He shot her 6 times; 2 of them hit her left lung. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. Her lungs were filling up with blood. Her beautiful face was covered in blood. She was scared. I could tell because of the way her eyes looked. She would get that look when she was scared. Lucy laid her head on my shoulder. She had been shot once, between her chest and shoulder. I remember Lily’s eyes starting to shut. I remember saying, ‘Come on, Lily, keep your eyes open for me. Keep them open.’ I remember her last words so clearly: ‘Y/N, it’s okay. It’s okay. Go be a superstar, win all the trophies. Don’t give up on your dream.’ There was another round of shots. The color in her eyes was gone. She was gone.”

“No, no, no, Lily, don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.” Armed police rush through the door. “Everyone show hands.”

“I don’t really remember much about how I got from the classroom to the ambulance. I remember the paramedic saying that I had been shot 3 times. I didn’t even know that I had been shot. I was in shock. I remember the sirens. I remember them asking questions, getting wheeled into the ER. I was next to Lucy. I remember her heart monitor. I didn’t know what it meant except that she was alive. Within 2 minutes of being there, she flatlined. They tried to get her back, but they couldn’t. 14:25 was her time of death. A piece of the bullet had made its way to her heart. They were dead, and I wasn’t. After that, I turned to self-harm and other things. I wanted to be with them. It wasn’t until about 2 months after it all that it sank in that I had lost my twin sister and my first love in the same day

[devil-in-hiding]

I’m going on a sunset cruise

I got an apology

I’m currently decompressing and making our plans

We leave for the airport at noon tomorrow and fly out at 2:40

I’m going to ask what the earliest whale watching tour is so I can try and do that before we go. We are going to try and snag the car for the aquarium later today, if not and I can’t do whale watching, it’s on the way to the airport

I’m going to pack all our stuff tonight so that it’s ready to grab and go, I’m hoping maybe tonight I can keep little man up and he will stay awake and sleep on the first flight back, if he can sleep and I can read, time would go by much faster. I have another Junji Ito short stories collection to read, and I might see if I can ask for one more stop at Barnes and Noble for another horror manga to hold me over

Sorry I’ve been a major cry baby cunt, I feel out of sorts. It’s been a nice trip, it really has, hiccups and I don’t like being disorganized but

I want to enjoy my finale night here because i don’t know when or if i will be able to come back

I can see why some people go to Hawaii and never go back

[fxreflyes]

Thank you for the tag loopsie!! @chericheribaby I love that both of your urls came from songs :)

Explain the story behind your blog url:

I’ve had the same url since 2018, when I wrote a poem the senior spring of high school for my creative writing class about fireflies and wasps and trying not to die. I can’t find the poem now, it’s probably on my old computer that might be dead (ironic). I got a firefly tattoo for the same reason (I posted about it before here LOL this came up when I was looking for the essay). Is the analogy startlingly original? No, but I don’t think there are any original metaphors left for momento mori’s. My first tattoo I gave myself is a lit match. The metaphors are glaring obvious. I later found that Hanif abdurraqib wrote a fantastic essay here where he calls out the same general analogy:

“I can’t promise that it won’t still, because none of us who know that specific pain can promise that. But I can promise that I’m working on it. I can promise that today looked good because the heat finally sulked off to another corner of the world, and so the fireflies came back out to dance last night, and a good patch of them settled over a sprawling field of yellow flowers as tall as I am. And in a dark field, small slivers of briefly illuminated yellow grinned out from the black. I can promise that tomorrow feels like it might be good too. That, yes, the world is melting and collapsing in irreversible ways. Yes, I cannot keep all of my friends safe and I can’t undo the long trajectory of harm inflicted on the universe. But I’d like to stay alive and keep trying to make my own corner of this tragic spinning pebble as clean as I can.”

Now why is my URL spelled like it is w the fuck ass x and y? Great question. There is style of blog titles that I think has gone out of vogue (I feel old) but I swear there was a time for aesthetic blogs where u swapped out letters in words & that was when I made my url so seven years later here we r.

My first blog url (this post is reading like a shitty autobiography oh my god) was riding-withthe-wind. To be honest I can’t remember where the dashes go in the url, but I had that one from 2013 - 2018 I believe. And that comes from little wing by Jimi Hendrix. “Thats all she ever thinks about riding with the wind” which to me has always been very evocative. It feels very free. Thankfully for all of us, this post has come to an end bc I have only had 2 blog urls.

OPEN TAG!!!! Idk I feel once again too annoying to tag ppl but please please consider I want to know about your url :)

[dol--blathanna]

So since CR campaign 3 is ending today (RIP) I’ve been seeing a lot of Hot Takes about the campaign overall, the events of the past few episodes, and the fact C3 is ending now. I generally try not to get involved in CR discourse (also I am primarily a witcher-themed blog lol) BUT I wanted to share my Super Duper Important and Urgent Campaign 3 Hot Take because I haven’t seen anyone mention it and I'm beginning to gaslight myself over if I'm remember things wrong:

I Can’t Believe Bells Hells Never Called Ira Out For Erasing Ollie’s Memories/Mind-Controlling Him

So way back in the campaign, in episode 31 “Breaking Point”, Ira betrayed the group (including Birdie and Ollie), stole the Moontide crown, and vanished. Imogen and FCG entered Ollie’s mind and found various “grey smears” in his memories, including one where “Birdie was crying”, then both she and Ollie angrily gathered their belongings with the intent to leave as fast as possible…only for the memory to go into the grey smear, and then the next memory having Birdie and Ollie working alongside Ira again, as if their moment of wanting to ditch Ira never happened.

So obviously, Ira was either erasing Ollie’s memories or magically controlling him and Birdie (or maybe both) in order to stop them from leaving. Not only that, but there are these grey smears all over Ollie’s mind – Matt even describes it as “Swiss-cheese”, i.e. Ira did this a LOT! Bell’s Hells even theorise that perhaps Birdie and Ollie kept on discovering that Ira was evil and wanting to leave, or – most importantly – wanting to go back to Fearne. And Ira robbed them of their choice!

And Bell’s Hells…completely forget about this. The next time they see Ira, they’re asking him to help stop Ludinus during the solstice and the first attack on the Malleus Key (and, very importantly, to Please Not Let Xandis Die when they make the plan to crash the airship into the key). And like, I totally get it – they were trying to gather as many allies as possible, and Ira is both very useful but also not particularly trustworthy, so accusing him and starting an argument with him before a very dangerous and time-sensitive mission would have been unwise.

But, 88 episodes since they entered Ollie’s mind have passed and – nothing! It has never, ever been brought up again, despite them working with Ira a number of times since then. And I think that’s a shame because Fearne feeling abandoned by her parents, then all the additional drama with Zathuda, was a very interesting part of her character, and Ira mind-controlling her parents could have been part of why they didn’t go back to her – but unless it’s brought up in the 8hr finale tomorrow, I guess we’ll never know. (Of course this isn’t even touching the question of whether Nana Morri stretched time secretly to give herself more years with Fearne, considering it had been 90 years since Fearne saw her parents but Birdie was under the impression it was 6/7 years – that’s a whole other can of worms that unfortunately was never opened, iirc).

But anyway Bells Hells might have forgotten about Ira meddling with Ollie’s mind but NOT ME. I haven't and I have held a grudge against Ira this entire time and I have no regrets for that. Fearne I love you, Birdie and Ollie I’ve got your back, FUCK Ira all my homies hate Ira, I hope he steps on a lego with his nasty 2-toed feet, also isn’t it funny that he FAILED to blow up his nemesis Sorrowlord Zathuda with a giant bomb on the moon haha what a LOSER. Meanwhile Chetney threw a chisel at Zathuda’s head and Orym slashed him and then Zathuda DIED wow Ira you are so CRINGE you couldn’t even manage that. Also I am Totally Not in Denial About Campaign 3 Ending. We’re definitely getting another 100 episodes trust me. Source: my delusions.

[runningincircl3s]

Nothing Ever After

Noah Sebastian x Reader x Vinny Mauro

Chapter 2

chapter warnings: weed (i mean it's folio c'mon)

this chapters pretty short, it was half written as a filler so we can get to where the miw guys come into the story!! :)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

It was getting closer and closer to the day you were setting off to go on tour with Bad Omens, and living with Noah Sebastian wasn’t for the weak. When he would walk around topless, nothing on but a pair of black shorts or joggers and his chain, you’d have to excuse yourself and pace in circles around your room to clear the thoughts from your head. When you were cooking in the kitchen and couldn’t reach something in the cupboard so you’d call him over to get it for you and he’d tower over you as he easily picked up what you were after you had to bite down on your lip so you didn’t lean over and bite his bicep. 

You were certain he knew how you felt about him, he had to be aware that he was hot, and you were both single, and you would both so clearly flirt with each other. It didn’t help that he was so goddamn nice to you all the time, you couldn't tell half the time if he was actually flirting or not.

Orie was currently out shooting a music video somewhere, so you were sat outside by the pool with Noah, Matt, Jolly and Folio. As you sat talking with Jolly about something, you looked over your shoulder to see Folio rolling a joint. 

“That better be the only one, the neighbours were complaining about the smell the last time you stayed over.” Noah warned, and Folio smirked. 

“Yes, dad. Sorry, dad!” He said as he placed the joint between his lips, searching his pockets for a lighter, only for Matt to throw one over to him.

“I was talking with Chris today,” Noah said, “he agreed to come out to sing just pretend with us, but he asked if we’d rather Ricky come out instead?”

You thought you recognised those names, but stayed out of the conversation as it didn’t have anything to do with you. 

“The fans would go insane for either, I guess we could bring Rick out one night and Chris another? Or have Chris join you in a different song? Maybe a heavier one?” Matt suggested.

“Oh he would fuck up artificial suicide if it wasn’t our first song.” Folio said, passing the joint to Matt as they all agreed. 

"Or even hedonist." Jolly added.

“I was thinking for our last night putting malice on the setlist, and having Chris come out for that, then we all go off stage, then we come back on with the motionless guys and play one of their old songs together. Only issue would be Folio and Vin, it’s not like we can have two sets of drums up there.” Noah explained.

“Wait, what’s going on?” You ask finally, “who are we touring with?” you were trying to work out what they were talking about but there was no hope.

“Motionless in white, I thought you knew?” Noah furrowed his eyebrows, “I met Chris, their vocalist, during shiprocked last year and we thought it would be good to do a tour together. We were supposed to a couple years ago but then we kinda blew up out of nowhere and plans got changed.” 

“Oh that’s sick!” You grin, “they’re the guys who made slaughterhouse, right?” 

“They’re the ones.” Folio nodded, “shit, we could all play slaughterhouse together!” 

“We can discuss it all once we’re all together,” Matt said, passing the joint to Jolly, “they probably already have all their shit sorted anyway, I don’t want them to have to make any changes so late.” 

“No neither do I,” Noah sighed, “it’s just so hard because Chris is always busy, I’m always busy, we never get a chance to discuss things like this directly.”

“We can talk about it on Friday when we’re all together.” Matt said, “I’ve gotta go now though, I told Alyson I’ll help her cook tonight, her parents are coming over so I better go and freshen up. I’ll see you tomorrow guys.” 

“Bye, man.” Folio and Jolly nodded.

“See ya.” You smiled. 

“Thanks Matt,” Noah patted his shoulder, “see you tomorrow.” 

After Matt left, Jolly shortly followed and then Folio announced that he was going in to have a snack and take a nap, leaving you and Noah alone. 

“I’ve seen you’ve had your eye on the pool all afternoon,” he observed, “you can get in if you want?” 

“Well I did bring a bikini,” you smirk, “it'd be a shame not to use it... but I can’t get in by myself.” 

“Who said you were getting in by yourself?” He grinned, “go get changed.”

You smiled, getting up from the chair you’d been sat in all afternoon. You walked past Folio, who was now snoring on the couch, you felt pretty bad for him. You did wonder why he couldn’t stay in Matt’s old room, but when Noah opened the door and showed you the boxes and boxes of merch that were scattered around the room, and the fact that there was no bed, you realised why he took the couch instead. 

You searched through the drawer in your room for the bikini you brought with you. You debated taking it when you were packing your suitcase, but then you realised the guys might take a day off to hit the beach or something, so you opted for taking it just in case. 

You put it on, and caught a glimpse of yourself in the big mirror hanging on the back of the bedroom door. Over the years, you had started to become more comfortable in your own body, and you smiled at yourself as you reached for the door handle before making your way back down to the pool. When you got there, you spotted Noah, who was already in the pool looking over the edge. 

“I’m back.” You announced, catching his attention as you put your phone down by the towels Noah had brought out. 

“C’mon, get in!” He said, “It's so warm in here.” 

You sit by the edge of the pool and dip your feet in, and you swear you went into shock, instantly pulling them back out.

“Fuck! Noah it’s freezing!” You shouted, but before you could get away, he had pulled you in with him. “Stop! This isn’t funny!” You shouted at him, but you couldn’t help but giggle, which wasn’t helping your case. 

“Cold waters good for you!” 

“Maybe if you’re insane!” 

“Hey!” He laughed, before noticing how your body was practically shaking, “oh shit, come here!” He opened his arms, wrapping them around you and holding you close to his chest, you could feel the heat radiating from him. 

“See what you’ve done!” You snickered, but he only laughed. 

“You’ll get over the initial shock and get used to it in a moment.” 

He was right, it only took a couple minutes before you were swimming about just fine. 

“So was this here when you moved in?” 

“Yeah, but we had to get some guys out to clean it. Matt insisted he could do it himself but he took one look at the pool and an hour later he was on the phone to some cleaners.” 

“Typical Matt,” you chuckled, “you’ve such a nice place, here.” 

“I know, it's great.” He smiled, “we had to get out of our last place after the band started blowing up, we had some kinda crazy stalkers, this place just felt a lot safer for all of us. But it’s strange now that all the guys are starting to move out. I guess I never thought about what would happen when we all get to this age and want to start families. I kinda had this vision that we’d always live together, we always have done.”

You frowned, seeing how this clearly upset him. 

“Well that just means you have to get some pets! I can imagine a few dogs running around this place, maybe some cats too, a parrot even!” 

Noah smiled, shaking his head. 

“The only issue is touring, I’d love to have some pets of my own more than anything! But I’d hate having to leave them all the time, it just wouldn’t be fair on them.” 

“I didn’t think of that,” you frowned, and quickly changed the topic, “are you excited to be back on the road?” 

“Yeah, we’ve had quite a lot of time off but it isn’t like we’ve had a break, we've spent most of it working on the next album. But I can’t wait to be back on stage, it always gives me this feeling I can’t explain. I love the atmosphere, seeing everyone so connected and having a great time and knowing it’s because of us, that we created this.” 

You noticed the way the water was slowly dripping from his chain, his hair was slightly damp, sticking to his forehead and oh was he getting buff- and is that a back tattoo?

However, these thoughts soon came to an end as Noah splashed you. 

“Earth to y/n?! Are you listening to me are you too busy checking me out?” 

You felt your cheeks redden, you didn’t even realise he had said something? 

“I wasn’t-”

“Yeah, yeah…” He smirked. This bastard was starting to get cocky, and you hated when he was like this. 

You were now sat on the edge of the pool again, and he was slowly making his way closer to you. As you turned to reach for a towel to wrap around your upper body as your legs dangled in the water, you felt a pair of hands on your waist. 

“You look pretty like this, y’know.” He said, his voice just above a whisper. 

He took the towel from your hands and wrapped it around you, pushing your hair out of your face, letting his hand rest on your cheek. 

You’d never really had a chance to look at him this closely, he was beautiful. You noticed every little detail, every freckle, every mole, the colour of his eyes, the shape of his lips- everything you’d never really paid any attention to before. 

You both alowly began to lean in, inching closer to each other. His fingers slithered from your cheek to under your chin, and you let your eyes shut as you felt his warm breath on your lips. 

“Guys!” The both of you jumped, instantly pulling away from each other as you heard Folio shout from inside, “Nicholas is here!”

“What? I thought he was coming tomorrow,” said Noah as he got out of the pool, grabbing a towel to wrap around himself before holding his hand out to you, “we better go in, it’s gonna be getting dark soon anyway.” 

You agreed, taking his hand and getting up, making sure to wrap the towel around yourself before entering the house. 

“Great to see you man!” Noah grinned at his best friend, wrapping an arm around him, “I thought you were coming tomorrow?” 

“My flight got changed, I texted you,” Nicholas frowned, “didn’t you see it?”

“Shit, sorry!” Noah groaned, shaking his head, “I’ve been talking to Chris and then Matt and then… it’s all just getting so chaotic, we leave in 2 days, you know how it gets.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled, before his attention shifted to you, “hi y/n! It’s great to see you again. I heard you’re joining us as our photographer?”

“Yeah, Bryan thought it would be a good opportunity to get some experience touring. Only thing is I’m not looking forward to being the only girl on that tour bus.”

“Yeah that kinda sucks,” Folio added, “we’ll be on our best behaviour, ma’am.” 

You chuckled, shaking your head.

“I’m gonna take a shower, if that’s okay?” You said, directing your question to Noah as the only shower that currently works is in his bathroom. 

“Of course, I’ll be up in a moment to get changed anyway.” 

You nodded and made your way up the stairs, only to be followed shortly by Noah. 

Nick sighed as he sat down on the couch, looking over at Nicholas who was still bringing his things in from the car. 

“I bet $50 they’ll get together on this tour.” 

“Get together?” Nicholas questioned, “You mean get together? Or like… they’ll start dating?” 

“Both.” Nick stated, “they probably would’ve done it in the pool just now if I didn’t interrupt.” 

“No way, he’s still got feelings for her after all these years?”

“It’s so obvious, man. She clearly feels the same way too.”

“What are you talking about?” Noah asked, coming back down the stairs. 

“Who do you think?” Nicholas looked over at Folio and smirked. 

“Hayley again? Nick, man, it’s been weeks! I thought you were over her.” 

Nick rolled his eyes and sighed as Noah walked back up the stairs with a pile of towels. 

“So what do you say?”

“I don’t think it’ll happen,” Nicholas confessed, “Noah’s spent the last 6 years working on himself, building himself back up and protecting himself. I don’t think he’ll do it.”

“You’re gonna owe me $50 in a few months, buddy.” Nick patted Ruffilo’s back as he walked past him towards the kitchen. 

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