#If I had 3k to blow I would spend it on this. For sure

[shima-draws]

I'm sorry what? You said THOUSANDS of dollars? For a Pokemon card?

It's actually not uncommon for the really rare cards to go for that much lmao look up listings for a PSA 10 Charizard and you'll see :')

But yeah this card

currently goes for about $3000 or more on most auctioning sites. It's a JP only card too which makes it even rarer

[abswife]

stranger

you find yourself alone at a party and want nothing more than some peace and quiet. but the cute girl with the braid seems to have other ideas.

cw// smut with little plot, top! abby, bottom! reader, drinking, nicotine, fingering, cunnilingus, reader's appearance is not mentioned other than being afab and having hair, abby is a sweet respectful baby

this is my first fic for abby so sorry if it kinda sucks :/

word count: 3k+

__

The accelerated bass made the whole house shake, though you’d never be able to tell with the sea of bodies that flooded every room. People jumped up and down, spinning and shimmying to the rhythm of some generic trap song. You could hardly make out the shape of the living room you were in, what with all the gyrating college students and flashing lights. You’d lost track of your friends long ago. They were likely in the midst of the chaos, dancing to their heart's content, or had already left with someone to spend the rest of the night with. Not that it mattered, this isn’t your first party. Having gotten through almost three full years of school allowed for plenty of time to get used to the ragers your school’s frats would throw. 

Someone suddenly knocked their elbow into your arm, making the liquid in your plastic cup slosh onto the floor and on your shirt. 

“Fuck.” You muttered, not bothering to say anything to the culprit considering you weren’t even sure who had done it. 

Having had enough of being jostled by the people nearest you, you made your way through the crowd toward the back door. You successfully managed to reach it, and downed what was left of your drink as you swung the door open. The cool air rushed over your face, and immediately you felt much less overwhelmed. You stepped out on the small patio, closing the door behind you. There were a few other people out here, mostly couples that wanted somewhere calmer to talk or makeout. Though, it was kind of hard to see with the only light coming from the small porchlight and the colorful flashes through the windows. Setting your now empty cup on a small table near the door, you walked down a few steps before plopping down onto the edge of the wood. You pulled your vape out of your pocket, taking a big hit. You weren’t a big smoker, but alcohol always seemed to worsen the habit. The air was colder than you initially thought, and you tugged your denim jacket closer to you. 

“It’s pretty cold out here, huh?” A voice behind you spoke up. You turned, and your eyes fell upon a tall, blonde woman. Her hazel eyes were slightly watery, likely from the wind that blew toward her face. She had on a bulky jacket, but you could tell she had a muscular frame under it nonetheless.

You blinked, unsure what to say. “Yeah, but it is February,” You said, cringing slightly at yourself. You turned back around, hoping that would be the end of that awkward interaction. However, she sat down on the step next to you, resting her elbows on her knees. The stairs weren’t very big, and no one else would be able to get through with both of you sitting there, but you didn’t really care. You looked over at her, raising your eyebrows. She gave you a soft smile, then her gaze drifted down to your vape.

“Can I get a hit?” She asked, gesturing toward it. You thought for a moment, then shrugged and handed it to her. She raised it up in a way that said ‘cheers’ and then took a hit from it, handing it back right after. You watched her as you grabbed it back from her grasp. She looked out into the yard as she held the vapor in her lungs for a few moments before blowing it out through her nose, the smoke curling through the air around her face. She glanced back over at you, and you blushed and looked down, realizing you were caught staring at her. When you met her eyes again she had a small smirk painting her face. Immediately, you copied her actions before, facing the grass and taking a hit. As you exhaled, you slipped it back into your breast pocket. 

“What’s your name?” The woman asked, causing you to face her again. You told her your name, then asked the same question. “I’m Abby.” She said, flashing her pearly teeth. You just noticed that she had freckles sprinkled over her nose. 

“Are you a freshman? How come I’ve never seen you before?” You asked, even though you could tell you guys were the same age. She chuckled and shook her head, rubbing her hands together. 

“No, no. I’m a junior. I just don’t tend to come to stuff like this. I’m pre-med so I don’t usually have the time.” She explained, brushing away stray hairs that had fallen from her braid. You hummed in acknowledgement. You didn’t know many other pre-med majors, so it took you by surprise to meet one at a party. Though, it made sense, that seemed like the sort of study that wouldn’t have much free time. 

“So, do you approach strangers like this in the cafeteria or…?” You questioned, slightly teasing her. Her eyes widened and for a moment you worried you’d offended her, but then she laughed. Her head hung down, forehead almost hitting her thumbs where they clasped atop her knees. When she looked back up at you, you couldn’t help but smile.

“Just the pretty ones.” She said, and the ease with which the flirtatious words came from her lips embarrassed you. You bit your lip and looked away, the heat from your cheeks letting you know you were sporting a light blush. You hadn’t expected this very attractive stranger to hit on you, but you certainly weren’t complaining. Another chuckle sounded through the air, and you knew she was amused at your reaction.

You weighed your options. 1. You could feign disgust, and get up. This is the easiest route, considering it meant you could leave this party and go back to your apartment, spending the rest of your night in peace. 2. You could lightly turn her down, and then disappear back into the crowd of people, drinking to your heart's desire. 3. You could flirt back. Who knew what would happen if you did that? Number three was tempting, though you were afraid of making a fool of yourself.

 ‘Fuck it’, you thought. You turned back to her and smiled lightly.

–

Her keys jingled in her unsteady grip as she desperately tried to put the right one in the lock. Admittedly, you weren’t of much help, considering you wouldn’t stop kissing her for even a second. Even when she wrenched her lips away to actually look at what she was doing, you moved your kisses down her jaw and across her throat. She swore, then finally managed to unlock the door, swinging it open and pushing you inside. You giggled at her urgency, and gripped her jacket to pull her in with you. She kicked the door shut behind her as she reattached herself to your lips. You shoved each other’s jackets off, and she led you to her bedroom. Your back briefly met the door before she opened it and continued to walk you backwards towards her bed. 

The back of your knees hit the mattress making you fall backwards onto your butt. She rucked her shirt up and off, throwing it into the corner. You took the chance to admire her. You had been right about her being muscular. She had soft abs and big arms, and her sports bra covered her broad chest. You bit your lip and reached up to the nape of her neck, pulling her back down toward you. She willingly let you, and put one of her knees on the bed beside your thigh. She practically lifted you to move you further back on the bed, then properly straddled your hips. You slipped your hand into her hair as best as you could with it still neatly braided, and scratched her scalp as you kissed her. She groaned at the feeling and gripped your waist, thumbs slipping under your shirt. Your other hand found its way to her waist, and you ran your fingers over the muscles of her stomach. She pulled back to slip your shirt up slightly, before looking in your eyes.

“Is this okay?” She asked, hands shaking with anticipation where they held the hem. You couldn’t help but smile at her. Instead of replying, you helped her take the clothing item the rest of the way off, and then reached behind your back to undo your bra. She gulped as you pulled the straps down your arms, letting your tits out for her to see. The cold air in her room made your nipples instantly harden, and you grabbed the back of her neck again, attempting to drag her back down to kiss you. She resisted a moment, still wanting to look at your breasts, but gave in and leaned back down to your lips. You arched your back, pushing your chest into hers, and the feeling made you shiver. You panted as she began to kiss your neck, a hand gliding up from your waist to cradle the underside of your breast. Her thumb brushed across the soft skin, not yet touching where you wanted her to. A whine bubbled up in your throat when she sucked at a spot in the junction between your neck and shoulder. 

As she finally began to palm your full breast, you pulled the hair tie from the end of her braid, sliding your fingers through her locks to undo it. Her lips continued to trail down, kissing the skin of your left tit before taking your nipple into her mouth. You sighed and gripped her hair, making her groan again. You took note of how she seemed to like having her hair played with and pulled. She grazed her teeth over your nipple and you swore under your breath. Her responding chuckle sent heat directly to your core, and you suddenly remembered that you both still had pants on. 

“Pants. Off.” You managed to get through heavy breaths. Her lips detached from your breast with a ‘pop’ as she looked up at you with an amused smile. You could see the internal conflict over whether to make a joke about your condition, however she must have decided against it as she sat back on her knees to unbutton your jeans. You lifted your hips to help her shimmy them down your legs, and she tossed them over her shoulder. Her hands met your hips and her fingers ran over the top of your underwear. The pads of her middle and pointer finger lightly pressed over your clit through the fabric, further dampening the material. 

You grabbed a pillow and slid it under your head, gripping the sides of it. Abby continued to barely apply pressure over your underwear as she admired you under her. Her obvious staring embarrassed you slightly, and you raised an arm to cover your eyes. You hear her huff a breath through her nose, and then some shuffling. Becoming curious, you removed your arm from your eyes. She had taken off her bra, her small tits now free, and had started moving down to lay on her stomach. Her hands drifted to the inside of your thighs, pushing them apart lightly. You made eye contact as she kissed from the inside of your left knee down to the junction between your thigh and groin. 

You bit your lip, desperate for her to continue her path. However, she quickly changed direction, lips trailing their way back up. Then she switched to the other side, giving the same treatment. You bucked your hips up, seeking friction. The corner of her lips turned up, clearly entertained by your neediness. She reached a hand up to rub at your clit through the material again, a little firmer this time, while she sucked marks onto your skin. You felt your breathing pick up again, and you grasped at the sheets. The attention she was giving you was nice, but not enough. 

You huffed out, “God- Abby, please.” You were too shy to fully articulate what you wanted and hoped she would just know. 

She lifted her mouth from where she had been sucking at your inner thigh, and gave it an extra lick before asking, “What?”

You knew she was just teasing you, wanting you to actually tell her what you wanted her to do. However, you were nothing if not stubborn. “T-touch me, please.” You breathed out.

She hummed, changing the movement of her thumb to run over your whole slit, occasionally catching your clit. “But, I am touching you.” She said, and pushed your right leg further out, emphasizing her point. You groaned in frustration and clenched your eyes shut, trying to work up the courage to actually do what she wanted.

You opened your eyes and looked back down where she was waiting patiently with a smile that made you want to punch her and kiss her at the same time. “Take them off and touch me.” You pleaded, cheeks burning. Abby hummed again, as though considering what you said. Apparently that had been satisfactory since she hunched over slightly to hook her fingers under the waistband of your underwear, pulling them off and flinging them across the room. 

It was her turn to bite her lip as she gazed at your unclothed pussy, wetness spread all over your labia. She spread your legs back out, making ample room for her broad shoulders. She settled back on her stomach, but leaned over to one side in order to reach her hand up. She used two fingers to spread your lips open, putting your full core on display for her. You whined out and palmed your breasts, needing some kind of stimulation. You could feel yourself becoming wetter by the second, the seemingly eternal teasing leaving you desperate and on edge. The pads of her fingers found your clit and she made slow, broad circles over it. Unable to handle the overwhelming sensation, you threw your head back and sighed. It took all over your concentration not to cant your hips up. 

You almost cried when you felt her fingers leave your clit until you realized she was prodding at your entrance. You look down, and her eyes are fixed on your pussy. She slowly pushed a finger in, and the intrusion is not particularly pleasurable. However, she quickly crooks her finger up towards your stomach, and the new angle has you biting back a moan. Her fingers are thick, a fact you had somehow missed until now. She slowly rocked her finger in and out, transfixed on the way you seemed to pull her in deeper. Your hips jumped involuntarily, and she used her other hand to press on your lower stomach, effectively holding you down. 

Finally, she looked back up at you, a smug look overtaking her features. Maintaining eye contact, she leaned her head down and pressed a kiss against your clit before licking a broad strip up your folds. The unexpected feeling made you let out a quiet yelp and your hand shot down to hold the top of her head. She hummed, as though she was appreciating your taste, and then continued her languid ministrations. You couldn’t help but let your moans free now, unable to conceal them because of the overwhelming pleasure. The vibrations from her moans added to the feeling, and you could feel yourself squirming despite her hold on your lower half. 

She detached her mouth from you and asked, “Does that feel good?” Then immediately dove back in. You were sure it was really a courtesy, considering the sounds you were making. Even so, you breathed out an ‘uh-huh’ and combed your fingers through her blonde locks. 

It was almost embarrassing. Your shameless moans and the wet sounds of her finger plunging inside you were the only noise in the room, but you couldn’t find it in you to care in your current state. The only thing you could focus on was the blissful pleasure Abby was giving you. She swirled her tongue in circles around your clit, and then funneled her lips around it to suck it into her mouth. You arched your back and gasped. Sweat started to form on your face and neck, making your hair stick to your skin. 

Just when you thought that it couldn’t feel any better she suddenly added another finger without slowing down. A particularly loud cry slipped from your lips, and you gripped her hair. She moaned unabashedly, licking at you faster. You could feel your orgasm approaching, and tried to shut your legs around her. She used her free hand to grab your thigh and push your leg up towards your chest and out, effectively keeping you open for her. Your hand that wasn’t in her hair fisted the pillow under you, and you turned your head to try to bury your face in it. The pace of her fingers didn’t falter as she lifted her head to say, “Cum for me. C’mon, you can do it. Cum on my fingers.” 

Her words sent you over the edge, and you let out a strangled whimper as your legs trembled. She kept fucking you through it, slowing her pace as you gradually came down. You gasped for air, panting like you just ran a marathon, and released your hold on her head. You could feel her kissing your thighs as she gently removed her fingers. You watched as she brought them up to her mouth, sucking your juices off of them. The pornographic sight made you flush, and you covered your face with your hands. You could hear her moving around, and then she wrapped her hands around your wrists and pulled your palms from your face. She flashed you a beautiful smile, and pecked you on the lips.

“Was that good?” She asked, settling onto her side next to you. You were still trying to catch your breath, and the question made you laugh. “Uh, yeah. I thought that was obvious.” You answered, turning over to face her. She smiled brighter and placed a hand on your back, pulling you closer. You nuzzled into her, your face finding a home in her neck. Your breathing finally settled, and she rubbed your spine up and down. Sleep began to overtake your body, and you fought to stay awake. “You can sleep, it’s okay.” Abby said, pressing her nose into the crown of your head. Her reassurance soothed you, and you allowed yourself to drift off in her arms.

[sc0tters]

Present | Nico Hischier

summary: Sydney and Nico were given a second chance but do they take it or leave the once broken relationship, broken.

request: for @writingonleaves in the @callsign-denmark‘s luck of the puck fic exchange.

warnings: swearing, drinking, like two brief mentions about sexual themes.

word count: 8.75k

authors note: this was SO much fun to write oh my god! there could have been about 3k more in this but I was trimming portions to try to get it out in time. Think I have fallen in love with another fic couple and this was honestly really different to my normal stuff so we might see some small changes to future works because of this!

Nico was like a bad smell she couldn’t get rid of.

Albeit they had broken up well over four years ago, Sydney still couldn’t let herself move on. That was the first relationship that she had been the one to end it. What made that all the much more painful to swallow was that she was on a losing battle playing second fiddle to hockey.

The last normal conversation they had felt like it was weeks ago. Sydney had forced herself into everything that wasn’t Nico after they started fighting. Arguments ranged from complaints of how long Nico was spending at the rink away from practice to how she felt like more like his roommate than his girlfriend. Both had the same complaints behind them, Sydney missed her boyfriend.

Yet each time she tried to confront him about the matter Nico reminded her that she wouldn’t understand what was going on in his life as it was hockey. Those blows were low and she hoped she could forget about them tonight when she swore he was going to be the same caring and thoughtful Nico that Sydney fell for a year and a half ago. Her birthday was one night that Nico made Sydney feel like a princess.

So as this night came around for the second time in their relationship and the third time since he met her. It would have been understandable for her to have had expectations. But in reality all she wanted was for him to show up.

After missing two different nights with her friends and one dinner with her parents after cancelling in the last moments. Sydney’s friends resorted to saying how he was flakier than dandruff but nobody thought he could miss his girls birthday. Sure Nico had things to learn in life, but just like hockey he was learning to be a better boyfriend each day.

Sydney tried to remind herself of that as she sat at the table staring at the empty spot next to her. Everyone did their best to take her mind off of the fact that this time Nico hadn’t even given her an excuse. But no matter how hard they tried to mask their disappointment for the Swiss boy, nothing changed the fact that Sydney felt so alone in a room of the people who were meant to make her the happiest.

So part of her felt a little relieved when it came time for her to go home. Her coat was heavy on her skin as she began the short walk back to the apartment “wait!” The voice made her freeze as her grip on the gifts she held intensified.

Her mouth felt dry as she turned to see Nico running towards her “schatzi I’m so sorry.” The hockey player blurted out as he finally stopped in front of her with his tie loosely fastened around his neck. Sydney clicked her tongue as she shook her head “all I wanted was one night where you would put me first.” She admitted looking at the ground.

The boy was quick to place his hands on her shoulders “of course I put you first, you’re my girlfriend.” Nico spoke plainly like it was the stupidest thing he had heard her say “do you really?” Sydney scoffed as she took a step back.

It seemed as she had snapped “you never want to spend time with me anymore and when you do you’re on your phone distracted.” He avoided her eye as she mentioned that “but when you do pay attention you make me feel so awful like I’m uncool like or not good enough for you.” She brought her hand to her eye to wipe away a tear before it had the chance to roll down her cheek.

Nico knew he hadn’t been a great boyfriend as of recent but he thought he could change “practice went late tonight.” He confessed letting her look down to see his devils bag still in his hand “I think we should break up.” Sydney blurted out and in that moment the hockey player swore his world stopped spinning.

His eyes widened as he tried to figure out if this was just some joke “I mean we barely act like we’re together anyways and when we do we fight so it won’t be much different to right now.” Sydney shrugged as she pointed it out to him.

The boy remained silent as he wanted to wake up from whatever bad dream this was meant to be “goodbye Nico.” She mouthed trying all that she could to not let her voice break as she felt her heart go.

He watched her turn her foot as she began to leave him “please Syd don’t leave.” Nico pleaded feeling himself grow nauseated by the silence as her heels clicking against the sidewalk echoed in his ear “I love you.” It was a place hope statement for him wanting to make sure that she couldn’t leave without hearing him say it one last time.

Nico let out a sigh of relief finally seeing her turn around “there we are.” He smiled holding his arms out as she hugged him “I love you Nico.” Sydney sniffled as she felt a tear roll down her cheek resulting in him kissing her temple.

It took everything from her in that moment to stop herself from listening to her gut as she was close to staying with him “but I simply do not like you anymore.” Her confession had him dropping his hands from around her as he grew confused “and for that I can’t stay.” Sydney shook her head as she cupped his cheek getting one last time to look at him before she stepped away.

Nico felt like the world hated him as a cab pulled up in front of them “I’ll get my stuff during the week.” Sydney announced knowing that he was going to have a roadtrip and wouldn’t be able to stop her. What killed him the most wasn’t that she left, it was the fact that she didn’t even look back to him before she got in the cab.

Even as that happened years ago, the memory still managed to haunt the Jersey native. Even as she completed her degree Sydney couldn’t help but avoid that block. Nico had done well pushing his emotions down as he tried to respect her wishes. It hurt him that Sydney had walked out of his life but he knew she wasn’t unjustified. Nina made sure to call her younger brother out when she was on the other end of a drunken phone call from him.

Despite the fact that, his family only met Sydney on a handful of FaceTime calls, it was clear that she was ready to give him the world. So it was suffice to say that the family was shocked to hear that things had ended. Nobody blamed her for leaving either, but when she revealed to her Instagram page that Nina of course still followed that Sydney moved to Florida. Seeing her in a new NHL teams colors served as the harsh reminder that there was no space for their relationship to come back together.

From time to time Nico would drive past places in New Jersey and would see the memories of the grin imprinted on her face. He’d sometimes go back to the old restaurants and places that Sydney showed him wanting to make sure her Swiss man saw the real city. Nico somehow always ended up disappointed when she wouldn’t show up.

They had each learnt over the years how to live apart whilst never letting go of the remnants of that stained your hearts. Sydney loved being in Tampa, her dream was to work in sport and she was doing it. The lightings began to hold her heart and Sydney swore she would never leave, even as the garden state was still her home.

So when the star’s seemed to align and she was let go from Tampa mere hours before the offer came to go home. To say that Sydney was contemplating it that was an understatement, a life she loved that she ran from was ready to catch up to her. All of those years avoiding the hockey shows and the prudential centre were now for nothing.

Her friends swore she was stupid for even considering turning down the offer, not only was it finally a chance to come home. But it was also the job that Sydney had in a big circle on her vision board as a teen. Nico ended the season injured and that meant that Sydney was going to have to work with him.

That’s why she ended up on FaceTime with her closest friend needing all of the advice that she could get “what are you so afraid of Syd?” Willow sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair “what if things end up the same again?” Sydney’s voice was barely above a whisper as she swirled the wine in her glass. The fears were justified as the girls remembered the time that Sydney was always left waiting only to be met with disappointment.

Willow much like Sydney had left New Jersey after they graduated, yet she didn’t have as much to lose coming back “look I’m in New York if he thinks about being an ass.” Willow offered resulting in a smile forming on the older girls lips “I guess I should get on a call and tell them I’m coming home?” Sydney announced as she figured that nothing could go too badly wrong.

Family skates were a time that everyone loved and to celebrate the start of the season Nico convinced Sydney to join him for her first time on the ice “you seriously telling me you don’t know how to skate?” Nico couldn’t help but laugh as he stared at the girls nervous expression “I was always a field hockey girl growing up so don’t even!” Sydney scoffed as she shook her head.

It made the boy smile “think it’s cute you didn’t know.” The hockey player confessed as he looked down to her skates “just keep your doing that with your feet.” Nico nodded as he loosened his grip on her hands.

Sydney felt her eyes go wide “you better not.” She shook her head going to argue with him “I won’t let you get hurt schatzi.” He kissed her temple before let finally let go her sending a soft push to the small of her back “I’m doing it!” She cheered realizing that she could now skate by herself.

Nico smiled on as he let out a laugh “I’m so proud of you!” He clasped his hands together “wait how do I stop?” Her voice went shaky as Nico forgot to teach her that part.

A smile formed on Sydney’s lips as she fiddled with her necklace remembering that moment as she stared at the ice in front of her “doc is that you?” A familiar Canadian laughed as he hadn’t seen her in years “good to see you Bas.” Sydney turned around to see the older boy who matched her grin.

It took him seconds to pull her into a hug “time has been good to you kid.” He announced hinting to her longer hair that now wasn’t touched by the box color that Sydney loved to play with in college “I hope you aren’t stealing the doctor before I finish giving her the tour Nate.” Jillian teased as she had been tasked with showing Sydney around.

Sydney turned her attention to the older woman when she heard the sound of the boys coming in “if we could just head straight to my office so I could set up?” She proposed hoping that Jillian would agree, unaware of the girls reasoning for cutting her tour early “yeah sure.” The blonde nodded as she motioned to Sydney to follow her.

Within two minutes Nico was stood in the space that once held Sydney’s feet “you’re here early.” The captain pointed out as he furrowed his eyebrows “just figured I’d come meet the new physio early.” Nate shrugged as he threw his hands into his jacket.

His panicked state was noted by the younger boy “was he really that bad?” Nico let out a snort as he began to think that he wouldn’t need any rehabilitation before the trip to Czechia “I’ll let you make your own opinions about her.” The Canadian patted the boys back before he walked away fearing he’d say anything more.

Sydney felt herself cheer as she looked to everything that she had organized “nobody told me when I should see you but I need to be-” Nico cut himself off as his eyes widened seeing her name on the plate that sat on her desk “Sydney.” Her name felt foreign on his tongue as he never knew he’d get the chance to say it again.

The girl froze not knowing what to do as a smile forced its way onto her lips “what is it that you needed to see me for?” She cocked her head ignoring the way her heart pounded out of her chest “to get cleared so I can be back on the ice.” Nico explained as he pointed to his shoulder.

She nodded directing her head to where the examination table sat “go sit up there.” The girl pulled her hair into a pony “take your shirt off too.” She added watching him sit there like he was frozen.

His cheeks turned red as he grew embarrassed “right sorry.” He sighed pulling his shirt off before he placed it next to him “so how are you?” Sydney’s voice was soft as she ran her finger over the area.

Nico watched her intently “I mean I’ve been as good as one can be for captain and injured.” He confessed as he shrugged wincing as her hands turned her shoulder “I meant how is your shoulder feeling?” The girl stood there awkwardly as she reminded him why he was there.

The boy nodded as he gasped “right sorry.” The hockey player was quick to make it seem like he knew that all along “really hoping I’m ready to be cleared.” He was scared that she would stop him from traveling.

Sydney clicked her tongue as she stared at his arm “well I think you should pack your bags.” A smile formed on her lips as his eyes lit up “so think you should go get back to your team cap.” She bit her lower lip as it got caught between her teeth.

He pulled his shirt over his head and it helped her breathe again as she was no longer staring at his chiseled chest “so how have you been?” Nico twiddled his thumbs as he took in the sight of Sydney in her devils tracksuit “last few years in Florida has been real good t’me.” She shrugged trying to ignore the fact that he still used the same cologne that she had bought him.

All he could do was nod as his eyes leaned to the door “y’know I’m sorry.” Nico apologized as he sucked at his teeth “think you should get back to your team now.” She reminded him as she shook her head not caring for his apology.

Nico frowned when he watched her open her door “schatzi please.” He pleaded with a frown “think it’s best if you go.” Sydney mumbled looking to the floor as she refused to meet his eyes until he left.

As the door shut behind her she let out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding in “fuck.” The physio felt her voice break when her head pushed against the door. It was going to long season if Sydney couldn’t even get through the mere act of talking to him.

Nico felt like he was barely above water watching the team practice as his legs bounced. His mind ran a million miles a minute holding every thought that he had kept in about Sydney came flooding back “you okay?” Jesper furrowed his eyebrows as he slid onto the bench next to the captain.

The Swiss man sighed as he nodded “she’s back.” The blonde couldn’t tell if the captain was asking him or admitting to that “who is?” Jesper felt like he was out of the loop.

Before Nico could answer him the older boy began poking his thigh “Syd is the new doc!” He whisper yelled feeling as though his mouth was about to fall out of his jaw “I know!” Nico sent him a glare trying to hint to his teammate that she was who he was talking about.

His lips turned into an o shape as he nodded “guys I expect you all to make yourself familiar with your new physio Sydney James.” The coach pointed to her as she sent the guys an awkward wave.

She was grateful for the fact that only a handful of the devils players she knew were still with the team as unfamiliar faces stared back at her “don’t try getting hurt to meet me early though, I look forward to meeting you guys throughout the season.” Her joke went down well with the team who cracked a laugh in response.

It made Nico feel sick as he saw the way that Luke and Alex looked up at the girl. They were far too friendly with her that the Swiss man wished he could just announce to the team that Sydney was off limits. But as she was pulled into a conversation with Nate who couldn’t help but send Nico a reminding look, the captain knew it wouldn’t work.

He spent the first two weeks of training trying to get his emotions under control as Nico needed to keep the green eyed monster to himself. Part of him wished he was still injured so that he could be the one spending time in her office as Sydney hadn’t spoken to him after that moment when she cleared him. Nico was willing to go as far as to pull some kind of rank to get the chance to sit with her during the flight to Czechia, only stopping once he was spoken down.

The flight was peaceful for the girl who got her beloved window seat. If there was one trait that Sydney was happy to say she got from her mom it was the fact that she could fall asleep anywhere and the hard plane wall seemed to be a favorite. Her phone was out as the team got to their hotel, snapping pictures to send back to Willow so the girls could talk about their future trips to Europe.

Nico smiled as he saw the girl grin only letting his expression drop when she flipped her phone around to show something to Jack that made him laugh in response. The Hughes boy was finally getting a chance to get to know her as the couple of interactions they had prior, were all under her being Nico’s girlfriend.

It was unclear to the Swiss man though when Sydney and Jack became so close but now he had seen them sit together on the bus for the entire ride to the hotel “you cannot be jealous Nico.” Nate reminded the younger boy as he could sense the glare the captain sent the centre from a mile away.

As she laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear Nico felt his heart flutter “I’m going to give him extra laps then.” Nico warned looking up to his friends “why don’t you talk to her?” Nate shot back pointing out that it was the most obvious thing that he could have done.

That resulted in Nico rolling his eyes as he shook his head “she didn’t seem like she wanted that.” He mumbled choosing to believe that Sydney had a change of heart by now “look don’t tell her I suggested this but she won’t turn you down if you’re injured.” Nate lowered his voice as he avoided the girls eyes like he was sharing a secret or something.

Nico truly wanted to call the idea for what it was which was a plan destined to fail “that’s never going to work.” He knew that he couldn’t hide anything from his Sydney and the captain prayed that she still knew him like that “just think about it.” Were the parting words that the older boy left with him as he walked off.

It didn’t take long for the knock to come at Sydney’s temporary office door “come in!” She called out as she wrapped the ice packs ready to go “hey Syd.” His voice was soft as he stood with one foot in the doorframe.

The girl furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to see Nico looking anywhere but where she was “what’s up cap?” The physio crossed her arms waiting to hear what brought him into her office “hurt my shoulder.” He pointed to the recently recovered one and it made the girl feel like her heart was in her chest.

She motioned to him to come over like he was a sick child waking their parent up in the middle of the night “did this happen in practice or?” It worried Sydney as the last she saw of him he was looking alright. Because as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had been keeping an eye on him.

Nico nodded “Nate pushed me into the board and I think I just hit it weirdly.” He confessed as he took his shirt off not caring for the fact that he threw the older boy under the bus “good news is that it looks really good.” Sydney mumbled to herself as she studied the moment of his arm.

Of course the boy thought she was complimenting him at first “ah.” His gasp sounded like a wince making the girl furrow her eyebrows “you know I think we might have to pull you from tomorrow’s game if it doesn’t get better.” That was a blatant lie made her want to see just how honest the boy in front of her was being.

His eyes went wide as he thought about it “maybe I just need a painkiller and good night sleep and I’ll be good?” He offered as she dropped her hands going to reprimand him “doc!” The whine echoed in the hall quickly turning Sydney’s attention away from the boy.

She frowned seeing Luke walk in as he clutched his nose “what’s up bud?” The girl was quick to go over to his side to help him to her table “Jack hit me with the puck.” He explained making her hold back a laugh as this wasn’t the first time the siblings sent each other to see her.

So as Nico sat there dumbfounded by how fast he lost her attention Sydney couldn’t help but glare at him “if you’re done playing pretend I have an actual patient I need to see.” She spoke with spite. He was left to grab his shirt as he went to scurry out of the room beyond embarrassed with the new mental note to never listen to Nate again.

Maybe Sydney would have felt better if she knew the guilt that Nico carried after he left her room. But as she sat on the phone, she didn’t really care how he felt “you know the slap in the face that I felt today?” Sydney sighed as she fiddled with the ends of her robes strings.

Willow was still in bed as she had barely woken up from a night out “look I think you need to have a serious chat with him because that was a total dick move.” All the older girl did was validate her feelings “if he wants to have a relationship with you then he needs to be mature.” She added leaving Sydney to nod as she stared out of her window capturing the European nightlife.

It hurt her knowing that he seemed to care enough that little to do that to her “Will I think there’s someone at the door.” Sydney sighed hearing the sound of breathing outside of her room “I should go back to bed anyways.” Willows words made the younger girl laugh as the screen went black.

Sydney took those few paces to get to the other side of her room “hey-oh.” Her face dropped seeing Nico now stood in front of her “can we talk?” This time round his face was full of this sorry expression that even made the physio feel bad for spending her last hour bitching about him.

She nodded opening her door a little further to let him in as she wanted to avoid Nate and John’s room that was right across the hall from hers “I was a dick today.” Nico never really knew what words were appropriate for certain situations, especially when they came to the girl in front of him.

He watched her facial expressions softened as she let her arms drop to her sides “I know.” She nodded letting out a sigh “I just keep on trying to figure out how the hell we navigate this because I’m really happy you’re back.” The captain confessed as he scratched the nape of his neck.

Sydney did her best to hold back a grin as she knew his words were going to make her swoon “I just don’t want to lose you again.” They both knew he was hinting to romantically yet as the room grew hot she ignored that “you pull a stunt like that again and I will not talk to you.” She felt like he had made a mockery of her job by faking being hurt just to talk to her.

The boy nodded “I’m not that scary and if you want to talk just tell me that.” She warned him making him smile “I’ll make sure you have your food before I come talk.” He teased making her playfully roll her eyes as she pretended to be annoyed.

Nico watched her send him a genuine smile as he heard his phone go off reminding him that he was meant to be playing the F1 video game with Timo “well I think I should head back to mine now.” He announced reading the message from the boy wondering where he was.

Sydney nodded as she tugged at the necklace on her neck “and Nico?” Her voice was softer as they both shifted back to her door “I’m glad to be back too.” Whilst the physio couldn’t bring herself to say what she meant aloud, Nico knew it all too tell “have a nice night Syd.” Once he started the walk back to his room he realized that they each knew each other too well.

It was one of the reasons why neither one of them could find themselves in a long term relationship with another person. Their hearts couldn’t be given to strangers when the scars of that relationship were still impounded on them. So as much as Sydney probably would hate to admit it, she was still the same person that Nico knew like the back of his hand and he was that to her.

If Sydney had the choice her birthday would have been just another day. After the nightmare that was her birthday when she broke up with Nico it became a day she preferred to forget. That’s why she ended up awake early and on a run through the city she missed. It made her happy seeing the way that the summer leaves were now turning to different shades of fall with crisp oranges and reds painted the trees and streets in front of her.

Going for a run was never her first choice of activities but now that she was back in Nico’s life for her birthday, it brought up emotions Sydney wished to forget. Her feet took her to coffee shop that she hadn’t seen in years “you okay doc?” Jack’s voice was soft as he furrowed his eyebrows “just great.”She lied pulling her AirPods out of her ear as her head felt dizzy.

Jack held his hand out to the girl as he motioned inside “I could do with some company when I have my coffee if the birthday girl pleases.” A smile formed on his face as she was quickly confused forgetting about her previous emotions “really thought Nico wouldn’t tell us about your birthday?” Jack didn’t now the details of why they ended as neither party felt up to revealing that to him.

Sydney shook her head as her eyes stuck to the corner as memories came flooding back into her mind “can’t say I expected him rush to it.” She mumbled clenching her hand around her phone as she realized that nothing had changed in the cafe after all those years. The Hughes boy saw where she was staring“you want to go sit there and I’ll get you your normal?” Before he waited for the girl to answer the hockey player left wanting to get her a birthday treat.

It had been pouring all day when Nico ran into the girls favorite cafe “hey schatzi.” He smiled kissing her temple before he slid into the seat next to her “you’re all wet!” She complained feeling him shake his hair in her face like a dog.

A laugh left his lips as he hooked his fingers under her jaw “missed ya.” Nico mumbled before he pecked her lips. The kiss was far too short for her approval and it had her letting her lips form a pout as Sydney went to kiss him again “seems you missed me too.” The hockey player smirked watching his girlfriend roll her eyes.

His hands went to her sides pulling her that much closer to her as he smiled “don’t know why I do.” She clicked her tongue pulling him into a proper kiss. Nico groaned as her tongue swiped across his lower lip and before he got the chance to enjoy the kiss she pulled away “that’s why.” Nico nodded to himself as he had to do everything in his power to stop the blood from rushing to his cock.

Jack noticed that Sydney hadn’t moved and it left him squeezing her arm as he grew worried “you alright doc?” He furrowed his brows watching as she practically had her soul come back into her body “yeah I-I’m sorry.” She nodded tucking her loose strands from her braid behind her ear.

The boy felt bad thinking he had been apart of it “we can take it to go and I’ll drop you off at yours if you’d prefer?” Jack offered hoping that the girl would tell him what was going on eventually “yeah maybe that would be best.” Sydney nodded as she frowned “think I need to go home and take the day.” Part of her felt pathetic as she truthfully thought that she could survive and get through it all but maybe she wasn’t that brave.

From the moment Nico realized that Sydney wasn’t at work he felt like shit. Jack didn’t fail to mention his little interaction with the girl and how she was really off from the moment they walked into that cafe “what if she doesn’t want to see anyone?” Jack inquired as he pulled up his phone to find the address that the physio had put in when he dropped her off “she can turn me away and I won’t say that it was you who gave me the address.”Nico knew he wouldn’t stop worrying about the girl.

It made the boy scoff “I am telling you so I don’t get extra laps.” Jack reminded the older boy as he spoke in a duh tone “same thing?” The captain shrugged as he rolled his eyes.

Sydney sat comfortably with her pint of ice cream when she was curled up in a blanket“go away I’m sick!” She faked a cough at the sound of a knock at her door “I know you’re in there and I know you’re okay!” Nico called out as he looked to the bags of Chinese takeaway in his hands.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she skeptically walked to the door “what are you doing here?” The physio asked staring through the peephole to see where he was “you shouldn’t spend your birthday alone.” He was met with silence “and I brought you food.” That offer worked far better as the girl opened the door.

Nico smiled as he held the bags up “can I come in?” He asked as she nodded “you didn’t need to do this.” Sydney pointed out as she shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets.

It made the boy roll his eyes “I am here because you deserve it and you always loved this places egg rolls.” The smell made Sydney moan “god you are a saint.” She nodded opening the bag like she hadn’t eaten in weeks “why is there a cupcake on the top?” Sydney took a step back as she cocked her head waiting for this answer.

The captain awkwardly looked to the ground “realized I’ve never gotten you a cupcake on your birthday.” He confessed reflecting on how poor of a boyfriend he had to her “thank you for this.” Her smile was genuine as her heart felt full.

He brushed her off as he wanted to just do something nice for her “so why don’t you go sit down and I’ll get some plates?” It was like a flip switched in their minds and before they both knew it they were back to this domestic couple laying on the couch as they caught up “so how is it being captain?” Sydney had never gotten the chance to congratulate him on that as they always thought she’d be by his side when it happened.

The boy placed his chopsticks on his plate as he looked up “I’m just glad we are doing better than last season.” In a competition for felt like last place Nico was relieved to know that the team had improved “everyone always blames the captain when the stuff on the ice goes wrong.” The weight of the world had been on his shoulders and he didn’t think he could do it again.

Sydney frowned as she shook her head placing her hand on his “never thought it was your fault neeks.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she squeezed his hand “you’d be someone who would be the most justified to hate my guts.” Nico pointed out making the girl move closer to him.

Their legs touched and it seemed to make him melt into her couch “I broke up with you because this wasn’t right for me anymore, not because I hated you.” Sydney confessed needing him to know hear her “you were always too good to me Syd.” Nico sighed bringing his hand up to cup her cheek.

She was proud that she hadn’t started to cry as she realized how much she missed moments like this with him “nice to know you think that.” The girl smiled as she watched his eyes dart to her lips “y’know I’m proud of us for reaching our dreams.” Nico announced dropping his hand as he moved away from her side.

Sydney missed his touch as she nodded “think you being captain is a bit more impressive than a physio.” Her words made him send her a glare “without you we’d be a dead team walking.” Nico was quick to quip back “like Jack would have killed Luke and you know the boys love you.” It had been barely a month since she joined the team and it was clear that for many she was like a sister that they never had.

It made her blush as she hurried her head in her hands quietly shaking her head “they like me?” She let her lips formed an o as she smiled “they like me!” It had her kicking her feet “the more you say it the more I regret it!” He matched her tone causing her lips to shoot into a line.

It was sent with this glare “on that note I’m going to get another drink.” Nico smiled getting up as he sent to the kitchen “you know I’m glad you came back to Jersey.” He confessed looking into her fridge as he had put his juice into it.

The other side of the room was silent “it’s good seeing you out of that awful shade of blue.” A laugh left his lips as he played harder against the two Florida teams as Nina let it slip that it was where Sydney relocated to “and I really do know I was a fool for not running after you.” He rambled on cracking open the bottle.

He was confused not getting any response “I was stupid for not doing that and I know I should-” the hockey captain laughed as he cut himself off seeing Sydney fast asleep on the couch.

It was sweet and comforting as she was out cold already too far gone to be woken up from sudden noises “you’ve never stopped being so beautiful.” Nico sighed placing his glass on the table “happy birthday Syd.” He pulled her blanket over her tucking her in.

Soft huffs left her lips as she nuzzled her head into the pillow behind her “goodnight.” The captain picked up her plate heading to clean up for her.

Snow fell on the roads outside as Sydney was busy in the kitchen “Syd come get the door!” Her mom called out turning the Christmas music down “ma I gotta make sure that my cookies are right!” The physio complained wipe the flour on her apron.

The girl was irritated as she walked through the house avoiding the areas of her scattered younger cousins who ran through the first floor “you came!” Sydney’s brother let out a giggle turning to see when his sister would come to him “Syd, Nico is here!” Kyle squealed not noticing as his sisters eyes went wide.

Sydney felt embarrassed as she was covered in flour and a definite bit of chocolate “I know.” She nodded hearing the gasps from her uncles as they realised that the Devils captain was stood in the living room “merry Christmas Syd.” Nico smiled sending her a wave “your dad said I could come.” He explained pointing to her father who did nothing more than nod willingly as he took full blame for the matter.

As her family began to move closer to him with many never having had met him before Nico found himself getting overwhelmed sending Sydney a hopeful look that she’d come and save him “alright alright people hands off my captain.” The physio groaned pushing through as she wrapped her hand around the Swiss man’s “I need my sue chef for the rest of my cookies.” She lied ignoring the complaints from the older members of her family who couldn’t help but sigh at the news.

Nico smiled seeing the chaos that was the kitchen counter “you don’t mind that I’m here?” He asked pulling the coat from his shoulders “Nico you deserve to spend Christmas with people who love you.” Sydney began placing the cookies into the oven as she set her timer.

The boy found a comfortable place in the corner of her kitchen “but if you can’t spend the day with your family I’ll happily let you spend it with mine.” Since she was a kid the house was always full on holidays and that’s what she had grown used to “you really mean that?” To say he was touched was an understatement.

She nodded watching him go to hug her “I’m gonna get flour all over ya.” Sydney went to stop him but instead it only made him hug her tighter “I’ll let you make a mess out of me any day Syd.” Nico confessed as he kissed her head, if only she knew she already made him feel like that each day.

January came and went and now the team was celebrating a flurry of wins with a family skate session “doc where are your skates?” Luke quizzed the girl as he crossed his arms “they are in the corner.” Sydney pointed to the side.

The boy furrowed his brows as the girl grinned “and why aren’t they on your feet?” He spoke in a duh tone “because this is time for you guys to skate with your families.” Sydney shot back like it was the most obvious thing in this world “you are family so get those on before I push you onto the ice.” the duo had formed this brother sister bond that had them questioning why they only just met.

Nico watched the interaction from afar “you better get her on the ice before I do.” Nina warned as she skated to her brothers side “don’t want to make her uncomfortable.” He confessed watching as she ruffled her hand through the younger Hughes boys hair.

Nina sighed squeezing his hand “if you don’t I’ll tell her about how you slept talk about her for a month after she dumped you.” The girl warned with a smirk on her face “you wouldn’t.” The Hischier siblings each faced off in front of each other.

But their moment was cut short when Luke cleared his throat “Nina she said she’s not skating if you don’t come skate with her.” The Hughes boy sighed not knowing how he ended up in the position of biding the girls battles.

It made her laugh “I’m coming baby!” Nina called out seeing the girl waving at her.

It made Nico smile as he realised that the duo were still just as close as they used to be “who would have thought you’d be putting up a fight with your sister for doc.” Dawson teased seeing the girls embrace each other “you want take extra laps?” Nicos offer left the boy silent as he shook his head letting the captain watch the sight.

The crowd that the prudential center was ecstatic after the boys won their final game of the season “doc we did it!” Jack cheered seeing the girl smile as she high-fived him “so you gonna come with us tonight?” He asked seeing the crowd of his teammates funnel into the locker room.

She grew confused as she furrowed her eyebrows “come with you?” She trailed off hoping the boy would fill in the gaps “we are going to celebrate and you’re coming with!” Luke chuckled as he sent her a grin “you better come with Syd.” Nico pleaded letting out a groan as he could see she wasn’t sure.

The quick desperate looks that the boys sent her were enough “just spend me the address and I’ll be there okay!” She pinched the bridge of her nose as she heard them all cheer.

Sydney looked good in her red dress and that’s what left Nico practically attached to her hip “neeks if you don’t leave we’re both not getting any action tonight.” The physio warned as every guy that thought about looking her way was instantly turned off by the idea of the Swiss man next to her.

Nico forced a laugh as he sipped his beer “who says that I really want to go home with some stranger anyways?” He shot back making her smirk “the captain decide he’s too good for a reward now?” She teased stirring her straw in her drink.

He did everything he could to not get angry that she failed to note his flirtatious acknowledgements “only if this girl doesn’t come and give it to me.” The captain nudged his shoulder with hers “so blonde with the big tits still has a shot?” Sydney laughed seeing that a girl that had been trying her luck all night with the boy was still there waiting for him.

It made Nico cringe at the memory of how her fake nails practically dug into the skin of his arm “don’t remember you referring to yourself as big tits.” The joke have time to land before Sydney brought her hand to hit him “I’m kidding!” Nico groaned having to massage the area of his now sore arm.

She sent him an unimpressed look that only made him smile in response as he held back a laugh “have to admit that it was pretty fucking funny.” His voice was soft as he tried to re break the ice “shut up.” Sydney rolled her eyes as she turned her head now noticing that their faces were millimetres away from each other.

Nico was the first to move but instead of moving away, he hooked his fingers under her jaw and pulled Sydney closer. His lips were rough against hers and if it wasn’t for Willow yelling in her mind Sydney would have melted into his touch. Yet that wasn’t the case as she pulled away “Nico.” Their foreheads touched like they were struggling to breathe.

The boy was embarrassed as he had been rejected “I should go.” Sydney announced as she looked to her watch. Tonight she was grateful for the fact that she wasn’t wearing heels as it meant she could slip away from the scene.

Still running wasn’t something that Sydney enjoyed. But somehow here she was avoiding her feelings. It was surprisingly tougher than the girl thought to avoid Nico as he was everywhere. Shortly after that night in the bar the team ended up on a roadtrip to play their wild card game, and Nico was in the seat next to her.

Luckily for them both they ended up asleep and were forced to talk. Then the countless awkward elevator rides came where somehow not a single person on the team could be in the same lift as them. Still neither one of them broke, it was this battle of stubbornness that seemed destined to go on forever “Hischier is down!” The announcer called out as the coaching staff looked to Sydney as her eyes went wide.

In that moment she no longer cared about the fact that she had rejected him. The awkwardness they both felt seemed to dissipate as she slid onto her knees in front of him “what hurts Nico?” She asked seeing him clutch different parts of his body “my knee.” Nico frowned locking eyes with her as it made the girl sigh.

The physio didn’t hesitate to do the right thing “I need to check you out in the room.” The team was already three down in the third and Sydney came to the conclusion that with injuries she was going to make the boys cut their losses with less than five minutes on the clock.

He went to argue as the boys helped him up “need to check you out Neeks to make sure you’re okay.” Her voice was soft fearing the worst as he didn’t put any weight on his leg “I’m fine he spat shaking his head as he almost couldn’t believe that she’d take him out of a game this big.

It was funny how Sydney taking him out early ended up being the reason why Nico wasn’t walking into the end of season gala with some kind of brace around his knee. The team were happy together and as the happy couples within it finally got the chance to celebrate how far their partners came over the long season, it felt incomplete.

Sure Nico would have wanted a HABs the cup to complete it. But it was actually when he searched for Sydney that he realised something was off, she was gone “you seen Syd?” Nico asked Nate wondering if the girl was hiding in a corner beating Luke at the days wordle that he always struggled to get.

But instead Nate motioned out to the terrace that was attached to the venue “said she wanted to get some air a couple of minutes ago!” Nate called out over the music as he shrugged. Nico patted his teammate on the back to thank him before he went straight for the door.

If he hadn’t looked hard enough he would have missed her but there stood Sydney in the corner as she let her black dress blend into the night “there you are Syd.” He was quick to regret placing his hand on the skin of her back realising how cold she was “you’re practically frozen.” Nico pointed out removing his suit jacket.

Sydney smiled feeling the thick material wrap around her shoulders “what are you doing out here?” The captain asked as he cocked his head “just been doing some thinking.” The physio confessed as she shrugged.

Nico nodded hoping to hear more from her but decided against pushing for it. But as he stood there and her lips remained shut the boy lost hope and went to leave her “I don’t want to just be your physio Nico.” Sydney blurted out feeling her throat go dry as the nerves hit her.

It made his feet stick to the spot where he stood “I thought I did a good job letting the boys get you too.” Nico pointed out as she sighed.

She knew telling him was a stupid idea that would only end up hurting her “I keep on trying to remember all of the reasons why we didn’t work.” His face dropped as her eyes went shut “but it only works for like a minute until I see that you’ve grown into this great guy who deserves the world.” It made Nico smile knowing that Sydney felt that way.

The girl tucked her hair behind her ear “but you’re going to Switzerland and I’m meant to be in France.” Willow had indeed convinced Sydney to take that girls trip that they so clearly deserved “and you need to be able to be free back there.” Nina hadn’t withheld any information from the physio so she now knew about all the girls that wanted him both in his home and hers.

Nico took a step back closer to her “why turn me down in the bar?” He asked still thinking back to the moment where she ran away from him “I was scared it was going to be a one time thing.” With that Nico had his hands on her waist spinning her so that she could look at him.

His eyes pierced hers “I’ve been ready to go six stages in with ya since I was so boring you feel asleep on your birthday.” Nico teased her and was only met with a scoff “I had a long day okay!” Nico began to sway her back and forth as they listened to the music that traveled from inside.

The boy rested his head against hers as they both swore they could be there forever “I want to be yours forever.” Sydney confessed making him smile “I am yours forever.” He mumbled leaning down to peck her lips.

Not to be dramatic but the sound of fireworks went off and Nico swore the world understood him, or at least that was until he looked up to the sky to see fireworks going off. They made him smile as he heard Sydney squeal in delight.

So there the duo stood arms wrapped around each other with the inevitable spending the night between the sheets with tangled legs looming over their heads. All the moment needed to be perfect was one final touch “Nico you wanna go on a date tonight?” Sydney smiled as she already had an idea forming in her mind.

Nico nodded as he thought about the perfect place to go “why don’t we go get pizza?” Most people would have cringed at that idea whilst they were dressed in the high clothing that they were “like right now?” Sydney wasn’t used to the side of Nico that was ready to pull her down the stares and out to something impulsive.

He nodded pressing the open button on the elevator “ain’t no time like the present baby.” Nico announced letting the doors slide shut before he let his lips lace with Sydney’s. The world went on but I’m hat moment for them it all stopped allowing the duo to enjoy their present.

[shadowtriovibes]

dance in a storm in my best dress

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 3K

Summary: by request: "I have a fun idea! How about Sebastian and f!mc are "just friends" until one day she asks him to help her try on/give his opinion on some new dresses, and desire and spice ensue??"

"Go on and change back into your robes, Mister Sallow," the shopkeeper says. "I suspect we’ll be inquiring about your opinion shortly." While Sebastian returns to the back, Mr. Hill summons a modesty screen around the rack of dresses you’d pulled and waits patiently while you slip out of your school robes and wrestle your way into that first dress – the periwinkle blue. There are so many layers that it takes you at least ten minutes to even put on your crinoline, which Mr. Hill assures you he’ll let you keep on for all three options. "Have you even put one on yet?" you hear Sebastian call out when he returns. "Merlin's beard, you’ll take on a den of trolls by yourself but you’re bested by today’s fashion trends!"

“Thank you for coming with me,” you say softly, shyly tucking your face a bit deeper into your oversized scarf as you avoid snow swirling around you.

It’s not an intense blizzard by any means, but nevertheless you appreciate that Sebastian had agreed to trudge down to Hogsmeade with you that afternoon when he could have spent the day with a dreadfully boring book by the fire in his common room, which is typically how he spends any free time he has as a seventh-year N.E.W.T.s student.

“Of course,” he says easily. “It’s about time I came up for air, so to speak.”

Despite the ongoing pressure of your final year of school, it had felt like all of Hogwarts had been abuzz about the upcoming holiday ball for what felt like weeks. Even you and your treasured trio of Slytherins had made plans to go together, and your daydreams of twirling across an enchanted dance floor in a fabulous gown had helped get you through some of the most arduous study sessions you’ve ever experienced.

With your end-of-term exams having concluded the day before, there was now only one thing standing in the way of you blowing off some steam at the ball with your best friend.

You need a dress.

Poppy had been the one to inform you that Mr. Hill had specially ordered some lovely fabrics from London as soon as he’d caught wind of an upcoming formal occasion. While it’s certainly too late to have anything custom made, you hoped you’d be able to find something in his shop that would suit you with a few minor alterations.

You’d invited Sebastian to join you on your shopping trip primarily for moral support, as the two of you were going to the ball together as friends.

(Anne had been quick to claim Ominis as her date so that she wouldn’t have to take her own brother, and you and Sebastian had been equally loath to bother asking anyone else.)

However, you suspect you may also need some help physically donning the dresses. You may not know much about what’s in fashion these days, but hearing some of your classmates boast about precisely how many garment layers they’d be wearing had nearly made your head spin.

“Do you have your dress robes?” you press him skeptically. “Anne said you were procrastinating.”

“Yes, nosy,” he laughs. “Ominis made me pick some out last weekend, and Mr. Hill should have them in for me by now.”

“Good,” you say primly. “You’ll have to try them on while we’re there and make sure they fit.”

“This is now my second trek into Hogsmeade for this silly ball,” he points out with a cheeky grin. “I hope it’s going to be as enjoyable as you lot are saying it’ll be.”

“It will,” you insist. “We all need something like this, something that’s just… joyful, I suppose.”

Sebastian glances sidelong at you with a tender smile.

“Fair point,” he agrees. “Right as usual, you are.”

“You’re still surprised after all this time?” you tease him, bumping your shoulder against his while he laughs.

When the two of you walk into Gladrags, Augustus Hill perks up excitedly and slips out from behind the ornate counter.

“Ah! Just the young witch and wizard I was hoping to see today,” he crows. “Come in, come in! I dare say, it’s awfully frigid today.”

You hang up your cloaks while Mr. Hill rustles up a tray of tea for the both of you. Ever since that troll encounter years ago, the Gladrags shopkeeper has always had a soft spot for you and Sebastian, which often results in the two of you feeling downright spoiled every time you visit him.

“Thank you, Mr. Hill,” you say as you accept the warm mug he offers.

“Mister Sallow,” he says as he hands Sebastian his tea. “Your dress robes came in just this morning! Why don’t I send you off with young Otto to try it on and mark up any alterations?”

You glance warily at Sebastian, reluctant to split from him as you do your shopping.

As though he’d read your mind, Mr. Hill laughs and insists, “He won’t be kept long, my dear! Fitting a young man’s dress robes is a much simpler task than that which you have on your hands, I should expect.”

“Why don’t you just pick out some things to try while Otto works his magic?” Sebastian teases. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Once you agree, Mr. Hill sends Sebastian to the backroom while you sip your tea and discuss some of your preferences with the kindly shopkeeper. You admit to not being very knowledgeable about fashion, but you have some colors in mind that you think may suit you – as well as very strict expectations on how much range of motion you want to maintain.

“I need to be able to breathe,” you insist, glancing hesitantly at some of the impossibly small corsets in the window display.

Peering over his spectacles with a wise smile, he answers, “I think that can be arranged.”

He then begins to show you the collection of remaining dresses he has in stock. As the premier clothier for the majority of your fellow witches at Hogwarts, he doesn’t have an unlimited supply this close to the ball, but his selections don’t disappoint.

“This blue color is quite pretty,” you sigh, gingerly inspecting the sleeve of one of the dresses he offers.

“I suspected you might like that one,” he says brightly. “Let us pull it for now and select a few more for you to try on, hmm?”

You end up also selecting a red gown with a smart-looking cape that would show off your house colors brilliantly and a crisply white evening dress with delicate golden embroidery around the bottom of the skirt.

“This should do for a start,” Mr. Hill says.

“Really? No green?” Sebastian asks from behind you.

When you turn to remind him pointlessly that you aren’t actually a Slytherin, your words fail you.

He looked utterly dashing in his dress robes. At first glance, he appeared to be wearing what looked like a Muggle tuxedo, but the extra-long tails and high collar gave away that it was most certainly wizarding apparel. His jacket and pants were both inky black – so dark that they appeared to even darken the room around him, or maybe you had just lost focus of everything that wasn’t him.

Of course, having been expertly fitted by Otto, Sebastian’s robes seem to cling to every inch of him. The waistcoat makes his waist look exceptionally narrow, or perhaps it’s that his chest looks so broad. His shoulders appear to be broader as well underneath his jacket, and while the long tails might appear to shorten other men, on Sebastian they merely elevate the length of his legs.

He slips on a pair of white gloves that Otto hands him and you bite down hard on the inside of your cheek. He looks like a proper gentleman dressed like this, you think – not at all like the haphazardly-robed young man you’re used to seeing.

“Ah! Excellent,” Mr. Hill says with a clap, breaking your trance. “A perfect fit.”

“How do I look?” Sebastian asks you teasingly.

“B-brilliant,” you stammer. “It, um. Fits. You’re fit – I mean, it fits very well.”

“Of course, we’ll charm the waistcoat to whatever color you’d like to match your dress, once you’ve made your selection,” Mr. Hill explains as he gestures to the garment. “Or simply leave it white.”

“Of course we’ll match,” Sebastian says easily. “But getting this one to make a selection isn’t going to be easy.”

You scoff and turn back around to the rack of dresses to hide your persistent blush.

“Go on and change back into your robes, Mister Sallow,” the shopkeeper says. “I suspect we’ll be inquiring about your opinion shortly.”

While Sebastian returns to the back, Mr. Hill summons a modesty screen around the rack of dresses you’d pulled and waits patiently while you slip out of your school robes and wrestle your way into that first dress – the periwinkle blue. There are so many layers that it takes you at least ten minutes to even put on your crinoline, which Mr. Hill assures you he’ll let you keep on for all three options.

“Have you even put one on yet?” you hear Sebastian call out when he returns. “Merlin’s beard, you’ll take on a den of trolls by yourself but you’re bested by today’s fashion trends!”

“Come and help me then!” you whine.

“Er – is that alright?” Sebastian asks Mr. Hill.

“Of course!” he exclaims. “He’s your date, it would be unchivalrous not to assist you.”

That’s when you realize that Mr. Hill probably thinks you and Sebastian are properly dating, but for reasons you don’t want to admit to yourself just yet, you don’t correct him.

You could also sorely use some help as well.

“Mind the petticoat,” you mumble as he ducks behind the screen.

You’re both quiet as Sebastian helps carefully bundle up the skirt of the dress and drape it over your upright arms, slowly working it down your body so that it doesn’t catch on any of the boning in your corset. Once the skirt gracefully pours down over your petticoat, you gently smooth the bodice and turn around so he can lace up the strings crossing your back.

“Too tight?” he asks softly.

“N-no,” you murmur. “You can even do them a bit tighter, actually.”

You gasp softly when he pulls on the strings and cinches your waist tighter, and Sebastian pauses for a beat, but you don’t instruct him to loosen it.

Once he fumblingly ties the strings together at the small of your back, he mumbles, “All set.”

He offers you a hand to steady you while you shuffle out from behind the screen. Mr. Hill immediately laves praise onto the dress, and while you agree that it is quite lovely, a glance in the mirror reveals that periwinkle blue just isn’t a color in which you shine.

“No matter,” the shopkeeper insists. “Onto the red, shall we?”

Sebastian again helps you slide the dress off up over your head and replace it with the red one, this time lacing you tightly from the start. There’s a delicate cape that goes with this one, so you turn around to face him so he can drape it over your shoulders and tie the small silk ribbons that sit just at your collarbones.

“Ought to be plenty warm in this one,” he jokes halfheartedly, trying and failing to resist the urge to sneak glances at your décolletage.

“Is the cape a bit…?” you ask quietly, wrinkling your nose. “Is it too much?”

“What?” he asks dumbly. “O-oh, no, I – I think you look great. It’s a great dress, really.”

You’re nearly as red as the dress when you emerge for a second time, and once again Mr. Hill thinks you look like “a buxom Beauxbatons beauty from the boulevards of Paris.” However, regardless of your house pride, if you’re going to be blushing like this all evening at the ball – and the odds on that are significant – you know you simply can’t go with red.

“I have one more to try on,” you tell Sebastian softly. “It’s that white one, just there.”

You notice Sebastian’s gaze linger on the ornate embroidery, a pleased look passing over his face.

“It’s stunning,” he tells you. “Shall we get it on you?”

You merely nod, not trusting yourself with words at the moment.

The moment Sebastian helps you slip into the white dress, you know you have a winner. As if imbued with magic (and perhaps it is indeed), the white silk shimmers almost like the fresh snow outside the shop window. However, instead of feeling like a proper ice princess, you feel warm all over – especially where Sebastian’s hands mindlessly reach out to trace the fine embroidered patterns on your bodice.

“You look…” he exhales. “You just need to see, come on.”

He walks you out for the last time and even Mr. Hill refrains from commenting until you twirl in front of the mirror, your skirt gracefully lifting and falling with your movement.

“...I look beautiful,” you whisper. “Oh, Mr. Hill, it’s just lovely.”

“This is the one,” Sebastian insists. “You have to pick this one, it’s hardly even a choice.”

“Your companion is correct!” Mr. Hill crows. “My dear, it’s as if that gown was made precisely for you.”

Otto comes by to charm a few simple adjustments into the fabric of the dress and you watch yourself in the mirror with wide eyes as it molds itself to your body. Now it looks just like one of those custom dresses in the illustrations that the girls in your year pour over in the shopping pages at the back of the Daily Prophet.

“I think we’re done here,” Sebastian says quietly, his eyes still fixed on that one embroidered seam at your waist where your bodice meets your skirt.

“Of course,” Mr. Hill agrees. “Let’s get you out of that crinoline so I can send you two lovebirds on your way for a nice Butterbeer or two!”

As he babbles on about how it’s just like the last time the two of you came into his shop together, you meet Sebastian’s gaze and realize both of you are steadfastly refusing to correct the man. You know that you’re blushing, but seeing him blush just as fiercely is quite revealing.

After you pay Mr. Hill and make plans for Otto to deliver the dress to the castle once the storm lets up, you and Sebastian wordlessly trudge down to Sirona’s lively pub. There you manage to snag a small booth in one of the far corners – one that you’re well aware is a popular spot for snogging.

“So…” he says softly. “Lovebirds, are we now?”

“Don’t start,” you warn him. “You know how Augustus is, it’s usually just better to let him talk than spend all afternoon trying to correct him.”

“You didn’t even try,” he observes.

You counter, “Nor did you.”

Just then Sirona drops off your drinks and Sebastian forfeits his turn in your verbal duel by taking a pointedly long sip.

Then you forfeit your own turn when you get too distracted by the bit of Butterbeer foam on his upper lip to offer anything remotely witty.

“Well, regardless,” Sebastian eventually murmurs. “You did look beautiful in that dress.”

“Thank you,” you say. “And you were very handsome in your robes.”

“Proper fit, one might say,” he retorts.

The cheek, honestly.

“Sebastian,” you say quietly. “I need you to be honest with me about something.”

“Go on,” he says, taking another long sip while you consider your words.

Slowly, you ask him, “Since we met… have you ever once thought about us being more than just friends?”

“Have I ever once thought about it?” he repeats. “Of course I have. Countless times, probably”

“Then why haven’t you ever said anything?” you ask, staring deep into your mug to avoid having to meet his eyes.

You flinch slightly when Sebastian reaches across the table and plucks one of your hands off your mug. He laces his fingers with yours and pulls you closer, and the noise in the room seems to dwindle to a whisper as he meets your gaze.

“Between you and me, you’ve always been the brave one,” he tells you earnestly. “And I’d rather have only friendship with you than ask for too much and lose you entirely. Believe it or not I have learned when to stop.”

You smile ruefully at the reminder of just how much Sebastian has grown since you chose to give him the chance to do so.

He drags his thumb across yours. “So, if you want to be brave, I’ll be brave with you.”

You exhale shakily before you finally confess, “Of course I want to, Seb.”

You’re nearly in his lap at this point, and there’s absolutely no way the conversation you’re having could be interpreted as merely friendly by any onlookers. So, you think, why not be brave?

When you kiss him, the first thing you notice is that he tastes like the caramelly richness of the Butterbeer you’d both been drinking. But then it melts away and it’s just him, just Sebastian. He’s wonderfully warm, and underneath the initial sweetness he tastes a bit like the fluxweed stem he mindlessly chews on while he studies to help him focus.

His nose slots against yours as he tilts his head to kiss you deeper, and you wonder what he’s noticing about you.

But a moment later, the feeling of his warm hand on your thigh immediately makes you lose your train of thought.

“Seb,” you whisper, pulling back just enough to press your forehead to his.

“Let’s go back to the castle,” he blurts out eagerly.

You fondly roll your eyes and let him steal another kiss before you push him back with a gentle hand on his chest.

“I believe you just said something about having learned when to stop?” you tease him.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” he says cheekily.

“You’re just going to have to be patient, Mister Sallow,” you insist as you reach for your drink. “I thought I saw quite the gentleman in you today. I don’t suppose you could act like him until after the ball?”

“I could,” he offers. “But where’s the fun in that?”

“Tell you what,” you bargain, leaning in close. “If you can be a perfect gentleman from now until the ball, I’ll let you help me put my dress on, and then afterward I’ll let you take it off.” 

You hear him loudly swallow and take a deep breath before he holds out a hand for you to shake and breathes, “You have yourself a deal, love.”

[sluttywonwoo]

instead of you [part twenty] || l.mh

pairing: [best friend’s brother] lee minho x college!reader ft. han jisung

summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either. 

warnings: swearing, angst, reader has emetophobia,

word count: 3k

a/n: revamped my tom holland series from my main blog ( @wazzupmrstark ) to try and motivate myself to finish it!!

series masterlist | early access to the next chapter on ko-fi

As soon as the cable car reached the peak, Minho ushered you into the Men’s Room with your head buried in his shoulder so that no one could see you. He blocked the door with the trashcan once you were inside to prevent other people from coming in. Anyone else who had to use the bathroom would just have to hold it until they were back at the loading dock.

You were a goddamn wreck, and that was sugarcoating it. Your eyes were red and puffy from crying, your nose was running- you’d gotten some snot on Minho’s shirt, which would have mortified you way more if you weren’t having a meltdown, and you couldn’t catch your breath no matter how hard you tried.

Minho helped you up onto the counter and yanked a bunch of paper towels from the dispenser on the wall for you to blow your nose and wipe your eyes with.

“Thanks,” you murmured as you took them from him.

He slotted himself between your legs, eyes searching your face. He had this helpless look on his face and you just wanted to kiss it off, but that was what had gotten you here in the first place. It was clear that he didn’t really know what to say, and you didn’t blame him.

You, yourself, couldn’t pinpoint the reason you were crying. It was either your paralyzing fear of heights that had sent you spiraling a few minutes prior, or the fact that you were falling for your best friend’s brother and had kissed him… also a few minutes prior. The most likely answer was a combination of both, but you weren’t ready to come to that conclusion.

You let Minho dab at your cheeks with a paper towel, let him attempt damage control, even though you were far beyond repair.

“I’m such a horrible person,” you groaned.

“No, you’re not,” Minho assured you in a hushed tone, but even if he believed what he was saying you knew it was a lie.

In his mind, you had kissed your boyfriend’s brother twice now. Once had been his fault, you were both drunk, and even if you’d shittily played it off like you thought you were kissing Jisung, it was still Minho who had initiated it. The second time was on you. You were sober and you knew exactly what you were doing. But the reality was potentially worse. You’d kissed your best friend’s brother twice, when you were supposed to be pretending to be in love with him. You’d betrayed him, and if he ever found out you were afraid it’d ruin your friendship. And what made it worse, was that stupid list of rules you’d agreed upon on the plane before meeting his family. There was an entire clause dedicated to not flirting with Jisung’s brothers. You were pretty sure kissing went way past flirting, not to mention all of the other things you thought about doing to his brother.

“Yes, I am,” you insisted. “I kissed my boyfriend’s brother! Twice!”

“Technically, the first time was my fault.”

“But the second time- there shouldn’t have even been a second time.” Minho didn’t respond. “I’m the worst girlfriend ever!”

“You’re not the worst girlfriend ever. It’s not like we slept together.”

You gave him a look. “Well, I’m a pretty bad one.”

“I mean, I kissed you back. I’d say that makes me a pretty shitty brother.”

“We’re both awful people,” you seceded, sniffling. “Maybe we deserve each other.”

Minho’s upper lip twitched almost imperceptibly, but he shook his head.

“Are you going to tell Jisung?” he asked.

“Should I?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I just- I know it’s wrong not to tell him, but I don’t want to hurt him.”

“I mean, you love him, right?”

“Yes.” You answered automatically, because for the millionth time, you did love Jisung. But not in the way Minho thought you did.

“And you don’t want to break up with him?”

“No, I don’t.” You stared at the ground, suddenly fascinated with the dirty grout between the tiles. “Do you think he’d forgive me if I told him?”

Minho didn’t respond right away and your heart sank. “Probably. Eventually. But I don’t think he’d forgive me.”

You felt your eyes well up with tears again. “B-but you’re his brother. He has to forgive you.”

“Jisung, uh,” he paused and you thought he might’ve been getting emotional too. “Jisung hasn’t had it very easy because of me. I know he’s always kind of felt like he was living in my shadow, that’s why he went abroad for uni. He’s completely unique, you know? Of course you know, you’re his- anyway. He’s got his own talents and ambitions, and so many achievements! But he feels they pale in comparison to mine. I think most of it comes from people who used to pretend to be his friend or use him to get to me. I know h- I know he resents me for it.”

You shook your head. “That’s not true.”

“Why do you think he never told you what I do for a living? Why do you think I’m always joking about him being upset with me?” You pursed your lips, unable to give him an answer. “Exactly. And you, I’ve never seen Jisung look at anyone like the way he looks at you. If he finds out I kissed you, more than once, if he finds out that I think-” he stopped short. “That’s just one more thing he thinks he’s lost to me. I don’t think he could forgive me for that.”

“He’d get over it eventually,” you tried.

“I don’t know if he would.”

You could tell Minho had been beating himself up over this for a while. Maybe you had more in common than you thought.

You weren’t sure if Jisung would forgive you either if you were being honest with yourself. You knew Minho was right on some level. Jisung had always been a little possessive of you, but it wasn’t until you met his brother that you understood why. You’d stabbed him in the back in spite of that, and yet part of you still wanted Minho.

You wanted to take him by the collar and kiss him again and again until you couldn’t think anymore. You wanted him to kiss you back, chasing your lips like he couldn’t get enough of you.

He was like the sun: blinding and brilliant and warm. If you lingered in his presence for too long you’d get burned.

“I have an idea,” Minho murmured finally after a painful silence. “You’re not going to like it.”

“What is it?”

“Maybe… tell Jisung after the trip is over? I know it’s asking a lot, but it’ll just make things less complicated.”

“I… don’t think I’m going to tell him,” you said quietly.

“Wait, really?”

You nodded. “I don’t want to ruin you and Ji’s relationship.” And selfishly, I don’t want to ruin me and Ji’s relationship.

“Are you sure?”

“I think so.” You sighed and pushed your hair out of your eyes. “I’m sorry for kissing you.

“It’s fine. Guess we’re even now.” He gave you a weak grin.

“Yeah, we’re even. Consider your IOU voided.”

“Do you still have the postcard?”

“It’s in my backpack back in Tokyo.”

His smile brightened and he opened his mouth to respond, but at the same time, the door to the bathroom rattled against the trash can as someone tried to get in.

“Sorry, man, it’s um, out of order,” Minho sputtered out in a panic as he walked over and pushed the door closed with more force. He held his hand to it for several seconds as the person on the other side continued wrestling with it.

You gave him an anxious look, but he just returned the look and shrugged. He seemed entirely too calm for someone who was about to be discovered in the men’s room with a woman that looked like she’d just been railed. You looked like a mess for a completely different reason, but you knew no one would believe you if you tried to explain yourself. And after being recognized once today it wouldn’t surprise you if it happened again. Minho was pretty famous. Getting caught fucking someone in a bathroom halfway across the world wasn’t a great look for a K-pop idol.

Maybe you should get down from off the counter. Sitting up there only made you look guiltier.

Minho didn’t let up until the knocking eventually stopped. He was stronger than you thought he’d be. He’d only used one hand to hold the door closed while the other person had seemingly thrown their whole body weight into it. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said casually and helped you hop down. “Your eyes are still pretty red, you should splash some cold water on your face.”

You followed his advice and turned on the faucet, cupping your hands underneath the running water and bringing them to your face. The chill was a shock to your system, grounding you in the moment and helping soothe the burning of your cheeks.

You straightened up and made eye contact with Minho in the mirror who had been standing behind you the entire time watching. He handed you another paper towel to dry off with. You thanked him silently and turned around, looking to him for his approval.

He gave you a once over, uncrossing his arms and reaching toward you hesitantly. “Can I?” he asked, eyes flitting to yours. You nodded and he brushed a strand of hair out of your eyes. “There.” His voice had dropped to a whisper and you found yourself staring at his lips again. He was a walking distraction. He didn’t even have to do anything to have you at a loss for words. “I think… we should probably keep our distance from each other. At least, for a little while.”

You did your best to ignore the pang in your chest as you nodded in agreement. He was right, and you knew that. The fact that he was the one to suggest it should be a relief to you, but it wasn’t.

“Okay, let’s go back down to the bus before they leave us here.”

Minho held your hand in the cable car on the way back down the mountain, but neither of you spoke. The bus was also silent. Minus the handholding.

There was only one more stop before the tour was finally over and you could collapse into bed and try to forget the entire thing. It was a bullet train that would take you back to Tokyo, but it was running a couple minutes behind so your tour group was ditched at the train station by the guides who left with the buses while you waited.

You were standing next to Minho on the platform when his mother pulled you aside suddenly, asking to speak with you for a moment. Your heart leapt into your throat as you followed her a couple paces away from the group. What could she possibly want to talk to you about? Did she know something? Was she going to confront you about how close you seemed to be with the son you weren’t dating? A million possibilities ran through your mind, but you honestly had no idea what to expect.

“Is everything okay?” you asked breathlessly.

“Oh, everything’s fine! I’m sorry if I worried you by asking for a word. I just wanted to let you know that I talked to Jisung earlier today and he mentioned your… aversion to stomach illnesses so Dom and I looked to see if there were any extra rooms available at the hotel and we’ve booked you your own for the next few days until we leave. Jisung can join you when he’s feeling better, but we didn’t want you to have to deal with that ickiness.”

“Oh my god, you didn’t have to do that!” you exclaimed, embarrassed that Jisung had told his mom about your stupid irrational fear.

“Well, you and Jisung were supposed to have your own room anyway, but someone,” she looked pointedly at her husband, “messed that up. We would’ve switched you both sooner, but nothing at the resort had opened up. It’s not a big deal, trust me, okay? We want you to get some good rest and I know you won’t be able to do that with the twins keeping you up all night. We know Minho will be fine with them, but you shouldn’t have to suffer through that.”

You clutched your hands to your heart. “That’s so thoughtful of you, thank you!”

“Of course! We just want you to be comfortable, love.”

You thanked her again, but she insisted that it was really nothing and let you get back to standing silently with Minho.

The train pulled up a few minutes later and everyone got their tickets stamped as they boarded and filed into their seats. You and Minho sat across from each other while his parents took the seats beside you- Dom next to Minho and Nikki next to you.

It had been a long day so no one was in much of a mood to talk, thankfully. You tried to nap, but you were still too on edge to relax. The events of the day had exhausted you, but not enough for your body to give in to sleep. It was like your brain was trying to protect you from letting your guard down.

Y: what did you say to your mom??

J: what do you mean

Y: she told me you talked to her about my “aversion” and now i have my own room??

J: oh yeah

J: you’re welcome ;)

Y: it’s EMBARRASSING

Y: they got me my own hotel room??? like? i don’t want them to spend extra money on me!!

J: technically they were already going to spend that money anyway but dad fucked up the reservations. they’re still saving money

Y: ig but still :(

J: look, i knew you wouldn’t get any sleep tn if you came back to our room. i still can’t keep much down and neither can felix. it’ll just stress you out- not to mention that you have a tendency to puke whenever you’re around people who are also sick

Y: …

J: you know i’m right

J: i didn’t want you to be miserable

Y: i know…

Y: thank you. i love you.

J: always :)

J: and make some use of that alone time ;)

You rolled your eyes and slipped your phone in your pocket. His idea might help you relieve some stress, but you knew you’d be out like a light as soon as your head hit your pillow.

Your new room was much smaller than the one you shared with the Han boys, but it was cozy. It was on a completely different floor, which made you feel a little lonely, but mostly you were relieved to have your own space. There wasn’t a kitchenette like there had been in the other one, which wouldn’t be a problem since you weren’t going to be doing any cooking, and a queen-size bed lay in the middle of the room. You almost cried when you saw it, thinking about how you’d get the whole thing to yourself for at least a night.

As tired as you were, you still took the time to shower the day off. You scrubbed yourself with the bar of hotel soap until your skin was raw and the bottom of the tub was full of suds. All of the sweat and grime was long gone, but you still felt dirty.

Eventually, you gave up and rinsed yourself off before wrapping one of those big white towels around you and calling it a night.

You went to sleep naked, not having bothered collecting a change of clothes from the boys’ room. You didn’t want to venture in there if you didn’t have to, and you’d just text Jisung in the morning to bring you something to wear anyway.

-

The morning came far too quickly. You felt like you had barely blinked and the sun had already risen. It was past nine, the Hans had let you sleep in a little, but only barely. There were still plans for today, and you had to be downstairs and ready for them in a little less than an hour. You weren’t sure if the twins were feeling up to tagging along today, but you hoped they would. You didn’t know how you were going to spend another day alone with Minho- especially now that you had agreed to keep a distance from each other.

You texted Jisung to ask him to bring up a change of clothes. His mom had left the second key to the room with him so that he could join you when he was feeling up to it so you told him that he could just let himself in and leave the clothes on the bed.

Instead of waiting around, you decided to be proactive. You pushed yourself out of bed, groaning at the stiffness of your muscles, and made your way into the bathroom to wash your face. You used the bar of hand soap sitting on the counter to lather up- against your better judgment- and then rinsed it off with cold water to wake yourself up.

As you dried off with a washcloth you heard the door to your hotel room open and close and you breathed a sigh of relief.

“Y/n?”

“In here!” you called back, not thinking twice about it. Jisung had seen you naked plenty of times, and even though you had told him to leave the clothes on the bed you figured he might just want to say hi or something.

The bathroom door slid open and you turned towards Jisung to ask how he was feeling, except it wasn’t Jisung standing there. It was Minho.

no taglist bc i'm feeling lazy sowwy... but lmk what you think i always appreciated feedback!!

if you want to be tagged in the future, add yourself to my taglist here!

[stormy427]

Need Someone Older

This is just pure smut. There is no actual sex in this but dear god. Don't look if you are a minor, please save yourself.

WC: ~3k

Nightfall set upon Lycina and her companions quicker than expected, already weary from a long day of travel the group decided to find the nearest tavern and spend the night there rather than spend valuable sleeping time setting up camp. The tavern was nicer than the group expected, with several other patrons sitting at the tables and a soothing rumble of conversation that filled the air. The companions got rooms for the night and headed off for some well needed sleep, all of them except you.

Being surrounded by lively conversation and finally having a nice warm meal helped to dramatically raise your mood from what it had been on the road. You and a certain self absorbed vampire had been bickering constantly lately and honestly you could use a break from him. You haven’t been able to figure out why Astarion has been so cold to you recently, but for tonight you plan on pushing those thoughts out of your mind and what better way to distract yourself than finding a decent looking person and having some fun?

So that’s exactly what you did, you had a few glasses of wine and found your target. He seemed to be around the same age as you, he wasn’t horrible looking or smelling and was able to keep a semi-intelligent conversation. ‘Good enough’ you thought and asked if he wanted to go back to your room and continue ‘talking’ there. He excitedly agreed and you two walked up the wooden steps of the tavern stairs into your room which was unfortunately right across the hall from Astarion. You made a mental note to try and be semi-quiet tonight so as to not alert your companions, but especially Astarion, of your late night adventures.

You and the guy quickly got to work disrobing yourselves and moved to the bed before he leaned in to kiss you. The kiss wasn’t terrible, maybe too much teeth, but nothing that would stop you from wanting to fuck him. It had been several months since you had last been touched by someone other than yourself and you were eager to orgasm from someone else's fingers for a change. You obviously weren’t expecting any mind blowing sex from this random guy you found in a tavern and yet you were somehow still disappointed when it was done. The guy rolled off you and asked if you came to which you replied dryly “Yeah of course, it was great.” the guy didn’t pick up on your tone and replied proudly “I could tell you were enjoying it from how much you were moaning, glad you came so many times.” You were a bit confused if this man thought a moan was equivalent to an orgasm but you decided not to ask. The guy put back on his clothes and quickly exited your room after that little chat, you were grateful that he left quickly and didn’t try to continue talking to you.

You put on your night clothes before laying back down on the bed and spreading your thighs hoping to actually orgasm tonight. Your finger had just made contact with your desperate clit when you heard a loud knock on your door, you audibly sighed before standing up to get the door. When you opened it you didn’t expect to be face to face with an annoyed Astarion who quickly brushed past you into the room. “No please, come on in Astarion.” you mumbled under your breath, obviously irritated at his intrusion.

You weren’t entirely sure why he was in your room and didn’t really want to accidentally initiate a lecture by talking first, so you stood silent for a moment. It took Astarion a second to start speaking to you but when he did he spoke with a dangerous edge to his voice, “So darling, did you and your mystery man have fun tonight? I’m dying to know all the debauchery our little Lycina got into.” You felt the tips of your ears and cheeks flush when you realized that even your fake moans had been heard by Astarion, you began to apologize but Astarion stopped you with a finger across your lips in a shushing action.

The air suddenly felt charged with how close he was standing to you, you could feel his cold finger on your warm lips and for the first time you wondered how his finger might feel elsewhere. “Pray tell my love, how was he? Did he take proper care of you? Hmmm…” he asked, you were shocked by his question but didn’t back down from this conversation. “Actually, he did take very, very good care of me. Thank you for your concern.” You replied indignantly, praying Astarion didn’t somehow know you faked every noise with that guy. Astarions ruby red eyes took on a predatory glint as he locked eyes with you and smirked slightly, effectively staring you down due to his height advantage. The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down your spine that you tried to conceal from Astarion. “Oh really, well it seems that you my love are a liar. It’s a shame really, it would have been entertaining to hear the real thing.” 

You weren’t sure if this was Astarion leading you into some sort of a trap so you decided to continue with your confident facade and said “You’d be so lucky to hear how I really sound, it's a shame you probably wouldn’t even compare to that guy.” that sentence was most definitely a mistake, immediately after you said it Astarion’s eyes darkened and he began moving towards you. “You think any of these boys you sleep with would compare to me?” he asked incredulously, all the while continuing to walk towards you, forcing you to step back.

 “You may be older but that does not mean you're better, a-after all the skills you- uh don’t use tend to fade away” your voice faltered halfway through the sentence, betraying the anxiety that was building in you. At this point Astarion had effectively bracketed you against the wall with his hands on either side of your head while his body blocked any hope of exiting the situation. He chuckled darkly before leaning down and saying “Darling, I think you will find that every part of me has aged well. You obviously need someone more experienced. Someone who knows how to drive you mad with pleasure until you’re begging for more. You need to be feasted upon until you can’t handle it anymore.” Your breath hitched at his words, the feeling of his breath against your ear only added to your inner turmoil of being extremely horny and extremely confused as to what was happening. 

Astarion grazed the shell of your ear with his lips before leaving feather light kisses down your neck and jaw. Your pulse was erratic and you were sure he knew the effect his words were having on your body, his lips made their way to yours leaning in for a surprisingly gentle kiss. He moved back slightly and eyed your blown pupils and flushed face before moving his hands from the wall and cupping your face in both hands before kissing you harder and pulling you flush against him.

One arm dropped down to your waist while his other was holding the back of your head. Once in his arms you leaned up and kissed him again while threading your fingers into his curls and tugged slightly which earned you a soft groan. Astarion’s hands moved under your ass to pick you up, causing you to yelp at the sudden change, he pushed you up against the wall and began leaving wet kisses on your neck, sucking love marks where everyone would see.

You tried to fight the whimper that left you by clapping your hand over your mouth, Astarion moved up to bite your earlobe hard before whispering “My love, I think it would be a bad idea for you to hide those delectable noises from me.” your hand dropped immediately, “Ah, see I knew you were my good girl.” 

You responded with a soft moan as you felt yourself getting impossibly wet from his words. Astarion’s assault on your neck stopped and you whined at the loss of his mouth from your skin, “Relax lover, I just want to ravage you properly. I will gladly fuck you against a wall later. Would you like that darling? Hmm?”. You nod desperately, unable to form intelligent thoughts anymore. 

He lays you down gently on the bed before standing up to remove his shirt. “Gods, I want you so bad.” you breathe out, sitting up in an attempt to reach him, desperate for more contact. “Tsk, where are your manners pet. What do we say when we want something?” he clicks his tongue at you in mocking disapproval. 

You’ve never begged anyone for anything in your entire life but you can’t seem to find the self-control needed to resist his request. “Please touch me, I’ll let you do anything you want to me just touch me please”, you pray that Astarion will take pity on you and your dripping pussy. He is standing at the foot of the bed, eyeing you up and down his eyes almost black with lust. You can’t wait any longer for him to touch you, your fingers find the hem of your night shirt and begin to pull it off before you notice that Astarion has begun crawling up the bed towards you. He catches your stalled wrists and you immediately let go of the fabric, his fingers replace yours as he slowly pulls your shirt off and tosses it on the floor. 

With his hands on your bare shoulders he pushes you back onto the bed before kissing you passionately, he hitches his leg under yours to slot himself between your thighs. You groan with relief when you feel him roll your hardened nipple between his thumb and index finger, Astarion grins against your mouth at the sound. He dips his head lower where he leaves open mouth kisses between the valley of your breasts and down your stomach before reaching the waistband of your trousers. “May I?” he asks, his voice deeper and more gravelly than normal. You respond by slowly pushing your trousers down before Astarion helps fully take them off before taking in the sight of your naked body. “Oh my little treat, we are going to have so much fun together.” he cooed while his fingers began tracing up and down your now naked thigh, each movement leaving goosebumps behind them.

 You grabbed Astarions hands and placed them on your breasts, “Astarion, I’m going to make myself cum if you don’t touch me. I don’t think either of us want that. Right?” He practically whimpered when you spoke and shook his head before composing himself and saying “That would be an incredible sight to see but I would much rather have a taste instead.” You moaned when his mouth finally surrounded your nipple and his fangs grazed the soft flesh, your fingers laced themselves in his hair and tugged slightly, earning a soft moan. 

He moved down your body, leaving feather light kisses everywhere he could, you could have cum at just the sight of him between your thighs. His kisses turned into love bites on your hip bones, making you pant and gasp with desire, “Astarion please touch me-e-ahhh” your whining turning into a strangled moan as his mouth engulfed your aching clit, he swirled his tongue around it for a moment before pulling off to start licking the arousal that had accumulated on your inner thighs. “You taste even more delicious than I could have ever imagined. Gods I can’t wait for you to come all over my face” his voice was thick with desire, he reconnected with your pussy and began to devour you. 

His tongue started making slow circles around your clit before speeding up, he switched between circling your clit and licking broad strokes through your folds, every movement bringing you closer and closer to an orgasm. “Fuck, you’re gonna make me cum if you don’t stop.” you said breathlessly trying to squirm away from his devilish tongue, “Darling, I am going to make you cum until you cry. I’m begging you, give me as many as you can and I will lick up every single one.” his voice muffled against your thighs. 

He continued the same relentless pattern of circling your clit and licking, drawing out high pitched whines, gasps, and moans until you feel a familiar heat burning across your skin. Your orgasm hit you harder than you’ve ever felt before, you tried to tell Astarion but all that came out were broken gasps and cries before you hit your peak. True to his word, Astarion licked up every bit of your arousal before pressing soft kisses to your inner thighs as you attempted to regain the ability to breathe. 

“My love, are you alright?” he asked in a surprisingly caring manner, once he saw you nod he added slyly, “Can my delectable little pet handle more of me?” You were completely wrecked, your eyes were blown wide with lust and your cheeks hot with blush. You wanted more, you wanted so much more of him that it was concerning to you. 

You choked out a response after a moment, “Astarion, I will take whatever you give me. Please, I promise I can handle it and be good.” You couldn’t believe the words coming out of your mouth, but they were more true than anything you’d ever said. Astarion groaned at your response, obviously delighted to continue “Oh thank you darling.” He continued muttering soft ‘thank you’s’ and terms of endearment as he kissed your inner thighs, hips, and lower abdomen. 

His words and kisses made you shiver with desire, your body already eager for another mind shattering orgasm. Astarion moved back to your pussy and placed a few feather light kisses on your sensitive clit before teasing your entrance with his finger, you gasped at the feeling and began to beg for him to be inside you. His finger plunged deep inside your tight, warm walls as you moaned at the feeling of finally having, at least part of him, inside of you. He moved out from between your thighs to lay beside you as he lazily fingered you, never looking away from you. Astarion moved his finger in and out of you slowly, teasing you again, wanting to hear you pleading with him to go faster. Of course that didn’t take too long before you started whining with frustration and trying to move your hips to get more friction. He added a second finger and you squealed with joy before realizing that he wasn't going any faster despite your pleas. Nothing was working, he wouldn’t go any faster or deeper no matter what you said or did, you were getting so worked up that tears began to form in your eyes. When he saw this Astarion sped up, just enough to hear you moan in delight and for you to call his name out like a prayer, just enough to bring you right to the edge of bliss. And then he would slow down again, he only needed to do this one more time until you were so frustrated and wrecked that you truly began crying, Astarion smiled darkly at the sight of tears running down your flushed cheeks before leaning closer to your face and licking them away. He left kisses on your cheeks and forehead while muttering words of encouragement for you, ‘you look so beautiful like this’, ‘I got you darling, trust me’, ‘you’re doing very very good for me’, ‘my gorgeous little Lycina’. 

He added his thumb into the mix and began rubbing your clit much to your delight, there were still tears slipping out of your eyes but Astarion was there to wipe, or lick, them away. You were brought right to the edge of an incredible orgasm before he removed his fingers completely, you let out a scream of frustration before the tears began again. “I’ll let you come again if you answer a question for me. Can you do that little pet?” he asked teasingly, through your tears you promised to answer anything so long as you could come. 

“Good girl, has anyone made you feel this good before?” he asked with a quirked eyebrow, “No!” you cried out in earnest. “Very good, you’re doing so very good for me. One last question…” you interrupted him quickly saying “No, no, no, no, you said one question then I coud come. Please, please, please, ple- ah-” Your word was cut off by a particularly rough thrust of his fingers, “Hmm..yes, well too bad. My last question is- do you agree that having someone older and more experienced is much, much better than having someone your age?” 

You look at him through watery eyes, hot tears threatening to fall once again, “Yes! Okay! I’m sorry for saying that you’re old and bad at sex!” you sobbed out. That’s what he wanted to hear, that he was right and you were wrong. You would plan your revenge after he made you come again. His fingers and thumb started moving faster than they had before, curving upwards towards your most sensitive spot. You could feel the knot building more and more with each skilled thrust of his fingers, you were quickly approaching a devastating orgasm, you were a blubbering mess and Astarion couldn’t be more pleased. Your orgasm crashed into you as he leant down to your neck and began to lick and nibble on the sensitive spot below your jaw. You came hard with a high pitched wail and clutched onto Astarions free arm, digging your nails into the skin hard enough to break the surface. 

It took a minute to come down from your high, during which Astarion kissed your cheeks, forehead, and lips softly helping to keep you grounded. He moved your hair off your face and began stroking it tenderly while whispering “you did so good darling” “I got you my love, you’re okay”. You looked completely destroyed and yet positively beautiful to Astarion, you finally looked him in his eyes and gave him a breathtaking sleepy smile. You raised your hand to cup Astarion’s cheek which he leaned into lightly, closed his eyes and smiled softly, you two stayed like this for a moment in total silence completely at peace in the moment.

When you finally spoke all you could think was “Wow. Woah.” you might not have been fully there yet but Astarion chuckled deeply and brought you close against his chest as you both laid down. "That was amazing darling, you did very good. Was I too rough with you? Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice, "No, I feel incredible. It was amazing, unexpected but amazing." you assured him. "All I want to know is when can I return the favor?" you asked flirtingly. He looked down at you adoringly and whispered “You may be the next cause of my death my love. You need sleep darling, we have to think of how to explain your appearance when our companions see you in the morning.” 

Oh. Fuck.

[sleepyangelkami]

INDIGNATION j.todd

 ☆ WORD COUNT - 3K

JASON TODD X FEM!READER  ☆ SUMMARY - the joker has tortured jason enough so he moves onto the thing he knows he loves the most.  ☆ WARNINGS - angst, torturing, whump, blood and gore, ptsd, crowbar lol, beatings, intended lower case, nothing i write is ever proofread 🩷

it was supposed to be a good night, one filled with laughter and excitement, those nervous grins across the table because even after so long, jason still managed to make you so utterly timid especially when it came to flirting. you loved the boy with your life as he did you, so the plan had been to spend the evening at a restaraunt of your choice though he knew anything you picked, he would adore.

but while it was supposed to be a lovely night spent with your boyfriend of three years, though you had been friends much longer than that, everything turned to a change. he knew he was a little late though you would hardly blame him for having to help dick grayson get ready for his own date, instead you'd smile and tell him it really wasn't a problem. you were always kind like that. so you waited for him, outside of the restaraunt by yourself.

you supposed, looking back on it you perhaps shouldn't have waited outside alone in a summers dress within the black amiss of the gotham streets, it wasn't safe and the vigilante had warned you of such over and over, you supposed it was your fault after all that you were now in the situation you were in.

it all happened so fast, he approached you on his motorcycle, a sloppy grin on his face as it matched your own, you remembered kissing him softly and that was one of the last things you remembered before a sharp blow to the back of your head.

and now, as the man sat strapped to a chair the only thing on his mind was the unconscious girl in front of him, he didn't care for what would happen to him for he knew nothing could be worse than loosing you, his love. he knew who it was, the joker, he'd never truly leave even when jason prayed to any sort of god above that he would. he was always watching, like a stalker behind a camera, lurking though the man supposed it wouldn't be too hard to find out about you seeing as it had been all over the papers, the son of bruce wayne, supposedly died, dating the daughter of his fathers best friend.

"c'mon, princess, you gotta wake up." though he wanted to reach out, to push the hair away from your bloodied cheek that it was sticking too, you had fallen and cut your face yet nothing happened to him, why had the joker kept him if he weren't going to do anything aside from knocking him out and dragging him to your whereabouts. he cursed as he looked down at the restraints, holding him into the chair so he couldn't lift his arm.

it was the splutter of a cough that had his head instantly springing up from where it hung, eyes instantly surveying your form as you, weakly, attempted to sit up though with great difficulty due to your own restraints, chaining you to the stone wall behind you, it was damp on your back like a cloth dipped in water. the first feeling was confusion, the next was fear, and after that you weren't too sure what came up albeit you were sure it was more than five emotions mixed together. "jay?" a feeble rasp, the back of your throat felt like sandpaper.

"i'm here, baby, right here." confused, hazy, eyes glancing towards him where he sat wishing for nothing more than to allow himself out of the restraints, to hold you in his arms. he was a vigilante, he had seen a lot of fear in his life but on your face, he was sure that the emotion was enough to make a grown man cry, enough to make him swallow the lump at the back of his throat, apparently. "I'm gonna get out of here, 'kay? just gotta hold on." attempting to scratch the restraints against the seat he was shoved into, hoping they'd rip open but the attempt worked to no avail.

a night supposed to be filled with laughter and happiness, so why did tears coat your eyes? why did you back yourself against the wall only to glance up at your wrists, tied in some sort of cuffs that looked to be something one would only see in a tv werewolf show, then you remembered it was real life, that the blood surrounding your wrists from accidentally pulling a little too hard.

the sound of loud doors creaking had both the lovers heads turning, fear written all over them. "I see you have both awoken, good, it was getting a little boring all by myself." and a shrill laugh that had your body sinking into the wall further. you had always known of the joker, the man that had taken away the love of your life once but never, had you seen the man, sure on tv or on the newspaper but not in real life, not so close to you. "and what do we have here, a scared little doe?" You tried to back your face away when dirtied, calloused hands came in contact with your chin, holding it in place sternly. you were scared, terrified, even but even so you did everything you could to hide it on your face, unfortunately, you were never a great actress.

"let her go." the words gritted through the mans teeth, he was furious, he had never had a bigger indignation for someone other than the man in front of him, his hands on his loves face. "do whatever the fuck you want to me but let her go." but he wouldn't beg, he never did before and he certainly wouldn't begin now. he didn't miss the way your eyes flickered with distress because as utterly petrified as you were, you were double times for the love of your life. you had lost him once, it would never happen again.

this didn't seem to frighten the joker nor did he halt, instead, he roughly let go of your jaw in which you stared up at him in terror. it had occured to you that you were never often scared for yourself, usually, you were worrying about your lover and now as you sat on the cold ground, all you could do is stare. your mouth didn't open nor did your eyes blink, you just stared. you always wondered if you'd have a fight or flight instinct but never would you have guessed it would be to freeze. "how romantic, the knight ready to give himself up for the princess." a grin on the mans face, his makeup almost embedded into his skin.

"she's not a part of this-" but the joker was quick to shut the man down.

"oh, but she is." seemingly more serious than before, you didn't like this look, suddenly his laughs and grinned seemed so much less scarier than his serious, stern expression. "you knew she was as soon as you asked her to be yours." the jokers eyes moved from jason's to yours. "and now she'll pay the price for your idiocy. i mean, the papers, the news, you didn't really think no one would find out?" and his shrill laugh back, a giggle but not one filled with joy or happiness, one with a set goal to strike you with terror. "you're the reason she's here, you're the reason she's going to die, not today, maybe not this week, this month, maybe not even this year but the girl will die." turning his stern glance back to your boyfriend. "and her blood will be on your hands." and suddenly something struck jason todd, a strong, careless vigilante that people looked to when they needed a cold opinion, now he sat in the chair and his own stomach doubling over because for once in his life, the joker was right. jason todd would be the death of you, and he couldn't prevent it. "now... where were we?"

the sight, joker standing above your body, unmercifully beating your limp body with something sat in between his fingers, gripped harshly. but for a second, jason couldn't hear your pleas for him to stop, he couldn't hear your whimpers and attempts to get away from the man that so cruelly beat your body for his eyes had attached to something else. a crowbar, sitting harshly in his hands. a crowbar, possibly the very same one. but it didn't matter to jason for the only thing on his mind, he wouldn't let what happened to him happen to you, he couldn't. he wouldn't.

"hey! get the fuck off her!" but his shouts working to no avail. "don't fucking touch her!" attempting to shove his leg out, trying with everything he could to hit the joker in some way but he couldn't, he was too far away and all he could hear was your whimpers and sobs, begging the man to stop. "stop it!" but he couldn't help the glass that coated his eyes. he remembered this all too well, he couldn't re live the past but he gladly would if it meant you being safe. you were yelping, gasping and crying, but your body could hardly get away from the man covered in makeup, standing in a purple suit as if he were anything important.

it was jason's fault, all his fault, he should have left you out of this, you never should have been involved yet here he sat, his own voice choked, he couldn't do anything, he wasn't in control and there you lay, getting a beating for simply being in love with him. it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair in the slightest. y/n l/n the sweetest soul on the planet, according to jason, anyway, the girl with the gentlest of touches and the softest of voice, and the worst about it as he knew you lay, weeping and hyperventilating, he knew that in the back of your mind. you were relieved. because your lover was safe, a beating would hurt but nothing could beat the pure agony of the night jason todd was taken away from you.

your cries had begun to slow down, all jason could hear was the sharp intake of breaths as one landing followed the next, he couldn't see you, the joker being in the way of your body but he could only imagine the damage done to your pretty skin. "She won't die to today." the joker appeared to be out of breath as he raised himself from the previous position, his back still facing the man. "but she won't live forever, we both know that." jason's face twisting into some expression to keep himself from letting out the lump that had gathered at the back of his throat though his eyes still covered in tears that had been for you, the sound of your sobs echoing the room. "keep her guarded, while you can." and the joker had the impertinence to laugh. "sorry about that, dollface, nothing personal." as he bent down to stroke your hair from your face, jason heard you let out a whimper, he jolted forward in his chair. "just needed to teach the big boy here a lesson, a gift for your co-operation." as he dropped two keys on the ground in front of you.

for some sick, twisted reason the joker was merely expecting.... a thank you. so he waited, his face watching yours expecting for you to praise him, to adore him for letting you live. you were the kindest in the world, for the man that had killed your husband to be, you could spare nothing but honesty. "fuck you." and for a second, jason had been the proudest of you he had ever been, that was when his face twisted once more, realising that the joker wouldn't have taken such words lightly.

"bitch." slashing your face with something that jason could not see. he held your face up by your hair, pulling harshly on the roots. "you're lucky to be alive now, don't make me regret my decisions." but he needed her to stay alive so jason todd could live in fear, the fear that one day she would be snatched from his grasp, now, however, was not the time because he was sure that jason todd simply wasn't scared enough yet. jason watched as the joker slowly stood, turning to face him. "we'll meet again, the next time i won't be so kind." and that was all he had said before leaving the cold, damp room, the two lovers sat atop stone themselves, alone.

jason couldn't wait to look, he needed to see, he had to apprehend the damage. but as soon as his eyes laid on your body, he was almost upset with himself for looking. you were propped up against the wall, your long chained hands on the ground, your head hanging low but what jason could see from his angle, there was blood, too much blood. yet two keys sat in front of you, the jokers 'gift' had been your ticket straight out of there. "princess, fuck, okay you're gonna be okay, i- fuck." he was stressing, the keys so close to your body yet you were too feeble to take them, to unlock you both but if you stayed still any longer you were sure to pass out. "baby, listen to me, can you hear me?" the panic rising in his voice. a raspy hum in response but your vision completely blurred. "you need to get the keys, get us out of here and let me take you to the hospital, can you do that, sweetheart? c'mon i know you can, you're strong, angel, we both know that." that was something you certainly not, but he was trying to be encouraging, after all you supposed it was your fault you were here in the first place.

your hand reached out, slowly, wearily but nonetheless it reached out. jason could barely see the blood that coated your hand as you grasped the key into your hand, shoving it into the lock of your handcuffs. you unlocked yourself and just as you did so, your arms felt slightly limp. if there was one thing jason knew about you, it was that you were determined, so much so it annoyed him at times how utterly stubborn you were but in the end he loved it with every inch of him. "good girl, c'mon angel can you bring the other key over here? fuck, i'm so proud of you." but you knew it was nothings, to attempt to coax you into freeing him of the restraints.

you had the other key in your hand and somehow, you had made it to his chair, you weren't sure if you had crawled or staggered, you couldn't remember how your body moved from the wall to the centre of the room where jason todd sat in a chair, tied in restraints as you had, and you certainly weren't sure how you had managed to get a key stuck straight into his handcuffs.

it was now that you were close, now that your proximity defied you, you couldn't run, he could see every bruise that tattered your face, a large gash running across your cheek, and all up your arms was more bruises and grazes but he didn't miss how the blood soaked through your dress. your fragile, gentle body littered with so much danger, jason todd had never hated himself more and he could only assume you hated him the same, judging by the way you had not yet met his eyes, not yet said a word.

when his hands finally fell free they came to grab you, gently yet firmly as you practically fell limp. he shoved himself off the chair in an instant, crouching down to the ground with your body, holding you oh so close. he wrapped his arms around you, holding your head to his chest. he would save you but for a second he needed to hold you. to remind himself that you were here, alive, he wasn't sure if it would be the last time he ever would. how could you not hate him? it was all his fault, he was sure that after tonight, he'd never see you again, and how could he blame you?

he was expecting you to shove him away with the little strength you had left, maybe stay silent or perhaps you would raise your voice, he would have if be it he was in your position. however, what he hadn't expected was another whimper as you shoved your head into his chest and the next words to fall from your lips. "i'm sorry." sorry? you? why would you possibly be sorry? "i shouldn't have made you come to dinner, i'm sorry, i'm sorry, s-so stupid." but nothing could ease your sobs as you clung to the larger man.

"hey, hey, sweetheart none of this is your fault." as he pushed your face out of his shoulder with his hands, staring right into your beautiful eyes that looked so saddened, fat tears rolling down your cheeks as you scrunched your brows together. "okay, i fucked up, i never should have left you alone and i won't do it again okay just please- fuck just dont- dont leave me." and he knew how selfish it was to ask of you, to stay with the man that was sure to ruin your life but he wouldn't, not as long as he could help it for he would cling to you for the rest of your life, if you let him.

you shook your head, allowing the silent tears to continue to make their way down your cheeks. "'won't leave. 'wont ever leave." and once again your hands clung to him, like he would disappear if you had let go. he left once, you would never allow that to happen again. "jay, e-everything hurts." everything burned, right through your skin and you couldn't help but shake in his hold.

"fuck- i know baby, i'm gonna save you 'kay? promise." and he did just that. jason todd. some said he was a hero. others say he's a villain. some say that he was once a hero and turned bad others say he was never good to begin with.

but with you? jason had never done anything but save you. an everlasting hero.

main masterlist/jason's masterlist

[andreafmn]

Speak - Chapter 3

Word Count: 3K

Story Description: Bella Swan was a disaster when Edward had left. Deciding she needed a little help, Charlie Swan receives with open arms his younger daughter (Y/N) Swan. She helps Bella during her depression and becomes inseparable from her long-lost friend Jacob. What she didn’t expect was falling for a hotheaded short-tempered silver wolf.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Twilight, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Stephanie Meyer and Summit Entertainment. The only thing I own is Swan Reader insert, any upcoming characters, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ storyline.

Chapter: 3/?

A/N: oh oh, Paul seems to be sneaking into (Y/N)'s thoughts... Also changed up the story to third person POV, cause I couldn't continue in first. 😅

If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories. You can request at any time any story or one-shot you desire. Hope you enjoy, and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

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Chapter 3

For the past couple of days, a smile had been plastered on (Y/N)’s face. The nightly phone calls with Jake had started growing longer, even though they didn’t have much more to talk about. But his voice was a comforting embrace during Bella’s tortured screams. As time passed, the girl just seemed to get worse.

As Christmas day finally approached, Charlie and (Y/N) thought she’d be happier. At least just a bit better. It had always been a cheery holiday regardless of their familial situation. Renée made sure that the girls woke up to presents under the tree and spare cookies “Santa” had left behind. Even if Bella never said she liked the theatrics of it all, (Y/N) could tell she enjoyed the thought that went into it. Those were moments the younger Swan was sure would overshadow whatever black cloud that was hanging over her.

Granted, she had no way of knowing how deeply in love Bella was with this Edward character. In less than a year, he was able to cause more damage than their parent’s separation had ever been able to, and she had been devastated – for a bit.

“Hey, Bells,” (Y/N) tiptoed into her room. Much like every other day, she sat on her office chair staring into the endlessness of the woods behind our house. “I was gonna wrap up some presents for tomorrow. Mind if I do it in here for a bit of company?”

A grunt of agreement.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes as she placed everything on the bed, unloading the unnecessary amount of presents in her arms. “You know, Uncle Billy invited us over to spend Christmas with him and Jake. Dad is gonna try to put on a barbecue in this snow,” she chuckled, and she could have sworn she had heard the skin on her cheeks creak up into a smile. “I still remember when we were little, and he tried so hard to light the barbecue during a blizzard. And the wind just kept blowing the flame off. He was so pissed and packed the steaks away.

But, yeah, I’ve never understood why they like meat so much. I mean we’re in freezing weather and he still wants to do a cookout.”

“Just be thankful there’s something he can cook,” she croaked out. (Y/N) almost leaped off the bed when she heard the sound. But treating her like a wild animal was the best route – no sudden sounds or movements. “And that you eat meat.”

“Right, the vegetarian thing. I mean, I can make you anything, so you don’t feel left out.” (Y/N) softly prodded around the situation, maybe she could catch her sister in a moment where she’d finally agree to leave her bedroom. “I’m sure everyone would be more than delighted if you were there.”

“I’m not going, (Y/N),” Bella whispered. Her shoulders slumped once more and all the liveliness that (Y/N) could have sworn had returned to her body, dissipated in a breath.

“Come on, Bella,” she complained. “You need to leave the house for another place other than school and the Newton’s store. You were broken up with, you’re not dead.”

Bella’s body morphed back into the statue-like position she rested in most of her days. Her sights were once again frozen on the window, searching for something – someone – that simply was not there. (Y/N) had joked to their dad that they should throw the chair away while she was at school, but as each day passed it seemed like more of a possibility.

“Fine, Bells,” she sighed and gathered all her things. “You know, this guy must have been heaven on earth, cause no one’s worth this much pain.”

It’s difficult to pull someone from a hole they created for themselves. Bella was stuck deep in this hole, but she was making no effort to get out of it, regardless of how many people were trying to help her. (Y/N) found it almost baffling how many people cared for her sister, but she only cared for the one guy that left her to rot.

The girl finished wrapping the rest of the presents in her room before starting a quick dinner for her father and herself, knowing Bella would most likely not eat anything, like every other night. (Y/N) knew her irritation was visible. She loved her sister, but her behavior was starting to become unbearable. A couple of more months of this and she was sure she’d go insane. It had been four months and, as time passed, she seemed to be getting worse rather than better. It was exhausting.

After finishing up a pot of spaghetti and meat sauce, (Y/N) left a plate served inside the microwave and a note on the fridge for her dad. She was far too exhausted to clean up and left all the dirty dishes in the sink. Dad could clean it, she thought. Instead, she went up the stairs and plopped onto her bed, allowing the warm comforter and the pillow to pull her into a deep sleep.

But before she could truly succumb to slumber, her phone rang. Jacob’s name lit up the screen, and under the words, “come outside” were displayed. Instantly, a smile spread across the girl’s face. If there was anyone that could put her out of my sour mood, it would be him.

Running out the door, she put on her boots and wrapped a jacket around her body. She was met with the visual of Jacob in his truck wearing a devilish grin on his face. He reached over and opened the passenger door for (Y/N) and beaconed her inside. Trying to avoid spending more time in the cold she jumped into the truck, sighing contentedly as warmth engulfed her.

“Hey,” he smiled. Jacob leaned over the center console, placing one hand on her cheek and pulling her toward him before placing a kiss on her lips. “Couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you.” 

“I noticed,” she chuckled shyly. There was no reason for her to still be nervous around him, but she simply couldn’t help the butterflies in her stomach. What she didn’t know at the time was that the butterflies were a warning. “I’m glad you couldn’t wait.”

“Were you able to convince Bella to come?” 

“I tried,” she sighed. “There’s just no getting through to her right now.”

“Man, that Cullen bastard really did a number on her.” She could see the anger coming from Jacob. It was like a burning aura that surrounded him. His teeth were gritted, and his hands had closed into a tight fist. “Where does he get off abandoning her like that? If I were him, I would have never let her go. She doesn’t deserve that.”

That had stung. (Y/N) knew he was probably not over his silly crush on Bella, but to mention being with her while being with (Y/N), hurt. But she knew she couldn’t bring that up without causing a fight. “Can we please not talk about that,” the girl said instead. “I feel like my life has become Bella Swan’s Days of our Lives.”

“Yeah, sorry,” he laughed awkwardly. “You know, something weird happened the other day.” 

“What happened?” 

“You remember that guy that was staring at you at the bonfire a couple of days ago?” 

“Paul something?”

“Lahote, yeah,” he corrected. “He came over and told me I should stay away from you. Did something happen there?” 

He was... jealous? The question came out of nowhere. (Y/N) thought she had been clear that she had never met him before seeing him that night, and that she wanted nothing to do with him. Although ever since that night she could not get his addictive stare out of her head. When she closed her eyes at night, even if she started by thinking of Jake, her brain couldn’t help but dissolve into his piercing brown gaze. Her head would not shake the image of the boy from it.

“Jake, I already told you that you have nothing to worry about there,” she smiled at him in an attempt to subdue his anger. “I don’t know who this Paul guy thinks he is, but I am not interested in him in the slightest.” 

“It’s just, the gall this guy has to think he has some kind of claim over you. As if he doesn’t know who you are to me.” 

“What am I to you exactly?” she teased. They had yet to have any conversation about where this relationship was headed. It had been such a short amount of time, but they had known each other for a lifetime. "I would like to know." 

“Well, I’m hoping you’d like to be my girlfriend,” he grinned, any sign of anger disappearing. “What do you say?” 

 “I don’t know,” (Y/N) giggled coyly. “Maybe I should keep my options open just in case Paul decides to ask me out. Wouldn’t want to close out the market.” 

“You’re funny.” 

He leaned in once more for a kiss, but this one was different. Jake scooched closer to (Y/N), doing his best to deepen it. She ran her fingers through his long hair as his hands rested on the sides of her face. This was desperate and passionate, just the thing to push Paul Lahote out of her mind.

As the windows started fogging and their hands started traveling south, a knock on the window startled the teenagers apart.

“I really hope that’s not you, Jacob Black, with my daughter,”  Charlie spoke through the fogged-up window, flashlight in hand.

Jake flashed her an apologetic smile before rolling down the window on his side. "Hey, sheriff. How’s your night been?” 

“Well, it was a very uneventful one at first,” he grumbled. “Until I came home, and I saw your truck with misty windows and my daughter in the passenger seat. Hi, (Y/N).”

“He~ey, dad.” She gave him a small wave and covered her reddened face with her hands. “We were just talking.”

“Last time I checked talking doesn’t fog up windows, honey,” her father countered. “Let’s go, (Y/N). Jacob, get home.”

She jumped out of the truck after squeezing Jake’s hand as reassurance and joined her father’s side. Promptly, he pushed her behind him, acting as a barrier between Jacob and the girl.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Jacob.”

“Alright, Mr. Swan,” he responded. She could tell he was swallowing the laughter that had bubbled in his throat and was threatening to spill. “Bye, (Y/N).”

“See you, Jake.”

“Get in the house, (Y/N).”

Her father’s reaction was perplexing. He’d always liked Jake. He even joked when they were little that they would make a cute couple. Now, he was acting as if he’d caught her with a dangerous stranger. She wondered if he’d reacted this way when Bella first brought Edward around.

“What was that spectacle outside, (Y/N)?” Charlie finally broke the silence, fuming. “What exactly did you think you were doing?”

“Um, I was kissing my boyfriend,” she responded matter-of-factly. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Boyfriend? Since when is Jacob Black your boyfriend?”

“As of five minutes ago, roughly?” She was trying to liven the mood adding a tone of comedy, but she could tell her father was having none of it. “I don’t get why you’re so upset, dad. You’ve always loved Jake.”

“I’ve already got one heartbroken daughter,” he sighed. Charlie rubbed his temples, hiding the fear in his face. “I don’t know what I would do if both of you were. Jake’s a good kid but I could never forgive him if he hurt you, honey.”

“Let’s not get ahead of this, dad,” she chuckled dryly. (Y/N) had faith in her relationship, but she couldn’t help the doubt that crept into her head when her dad mentioned Jake breaking her heart. “We literally just became official. You’re ending us before we’ve even started. One thing I can tell you is that I won’t be like Bella.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t know that. I just don’t want to see you in the same pain your sister is going through.”

“Dad, I understand you’re worried,” she smiled at her father. To calm him, (Y/N) grabbed his calloused hands and gave them a squeeze. “But I am not Bella, and Jacob is not Edward. Have a little faith in me, yeah?”

“I can’t help it, (Y/N),” Charlie said. “It kills me to see Bella like this. I don’t want you to go through that.”

“I know, and I promise you that you will never have to go through this again with me,” she said. “Now, why don’t you go eat and go to bed? We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Alright, darling,” he responded defeated. “Good night.”

“Good night, dad.”

(Y/N) disappeared up the stairs, passing by her sister’s room. She mumbled a good night to her stoic sister before finally getting into her bed to hopefully sleep this time. She wanted to rest. Yet, when she closed her eyes the same ones that had been haunting her dreams stared back.

Something about him called to her. She only knew his name and still, he took possession of her thoughts. Deep inside her, something begged her to get closer to him. There was no reason for him to be in her head, much less in her dreams.

She was standing in a clearing, looking over a still river. Her body was clothed in a white flowing dress and her feet were bare. (Y/N) turned, taking in the scenery and breathing the fresh air. The sun felt warm against her skin, beckoning a smile to her face.

“You look beautiful, darling,” a voice spoke. “Absolutely radiant.”

“Thank you, Paul. And you look as handsome as ever,” she giggled. “Come here.”

He walked slowly to her, a playful grin propped on his face. His arms circled her waist and wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her from the ground and spinning her around. As he slid her back to the ground, he placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb running through her cheek. (Y/N) closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch, his warmth feeling better than the one the sun provided.  

She felt different with him. Unlike with Jake, Paul didn’t make her feel butterflies. He made her feel calm, at peace. There was a homely feeling to being in his arms. Like she had found the right place to be in. She fit perfectly between them like she was made to be there.

(Y/N) allowed him to pull her toward the water, sinking into the comfortable river. She gave him a smile and shrieked happily as the coldness seeped through her bones. Her white dress quickly soaked and his denim shorts darkened.

“This water is freezing, Paul,” she whispered to him. He kept her close, his arms wrapped around her. “Don’t you dare let go.”

“I would never, beautiful,” he grinned. (Y/N) could feel his breath tickling her face, cooling the droplets of water that had splashed on it “I’ve got you now, and I’m never planning on letting you go.”

“Is that a threat?” she joked, copying the smile on his face.

“It’s a promise, darling,” Paul said. “It’s a promise.”

He closed the space between them and pressed their lips together. (Y/N) felt sparks running through her body, the feeling of belonging washing over her. This is where she was meant to be. He was who she was meant to be with.

“I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you more, Paul.”

(Y/N) woke up with a startle, her breathing uneven and heavy. Her whole body was overheated. Her blanket felt too warm. She didn’t understand what that dream meant. More importantly, why it felt so real. She knew she loved Jake, and she didn’t even know Paul. What pull did he have on her that she kept dreaming of him? 

She got up from her bed, going downstairs to get a cup of water. She was startled when she found her sister staring at the sink, the faucet running, and an overfilled glass under it. (Y/N) ran to the sink, turning off the water and putting a rag on her sister’s hand to soak up the water that had run down her arm.

“What’re you doing, Bells?” (Y/N) muttered.

“S-sorry,” Bella stammered finally realizing what she had done. “I didn’t realize.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “Why don’t you sit and drink that water? Have you had anything to eat? I can make you a quick sandwich.”

“Uh, sure,” the girl breathed out. “I, uh, overheard you and Charlie.”

“Oh?”

“You two are together?” Bella questioned. (Y/N) was surprised that her sister seemed interested in her life. Rarely was the time she inquired in (Y/N)’s life. “I didn’t know you liked him.”

“You’ve never asked,” she chuckled dryly. “But we’ve just been talking these past few days. Most we’ve done is kiss a few times. Tonight, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“Well, that’s nice.” (Y/N) placed a cheese sandwich before her, and Bella started picking at it and placing small bites into her mouth. “I always thought… never mind.”

“What, Bells? What did you always think?” She knew what her sister was thinking. Bella had always known Jake liked him. If she didn’t, she at least had to have an inkling. “That he liked you?”

“I thought so…”

“Well, maybe he did,” she sighed. “But that’s neither here nor there. He’s with me now, and that’s that.”

(Y/N) got up from the dinner table, leaving Bella by herself. She had no idea where that conversation was going, and she didn’t want to see where it would go. Her whole life she’d been second to Bella. To their parents, their friends – though, they wouldn’t notice – to Jake. This was the first time she felt she was being put first, and Bella wasn’t going to take it from her. Not this time. As much as she loved her sister, it was time to put herself first.  

Taglist: @winter-soldier-101@zheezs14 @a-sifu-hotman @sunflowerleii @DyslexicCatterpillar @Blackbluerose666 @slutforsainz @kortniec696 @xcastawayherosx @minhaimaginação @bluebirbnamedJay @sirenheadenby@andreiaafaria@bluetreecloud20 @valejewel @nogitsune-the @user0ur0mom @skyesthebomb @swidkid

[hearts-hunger]

home for the holidays — chapter three

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Cabin Fever Masterlist

Series Summary: The Cabin Fever gang spends Christmas in Frankenmuth.  || Chapter Summary: Jake has an important question to ask you.

⮡ part one | part two

Pairings: Jake x Reader, Sam x Danny, Josh x Baby | Genre: holiday fluff | Word Count: 3k | Chapter Warnings: none!

A/N: I'm finally updating this fic can you believe it!! Everybody blow a kiss to the sweet nonnie who asked if I was going to write more for this fic, because their encouragement and interest gave me the motivation to write this chapter that I've been daydreaming about for year now. I hope you like it, and nonnie, this one's especially for you! ♡

You woke gently to the strains of a crackly Christmas vinyl and your boyfriend’s soft voice singing along, snuggled in blankets that smelled like him and blissfully content. You opened your eyes but stayed still for a moment, enjoying the peaceful, comforting air of Christmas: you felt the afternoon sun shining all golden over the snow-covered windowsill, smelled cookies baking from the kitchen, saw your boyfriend’s childhood bedroom in all its cosy clutter. You also saw Jake, sitting on the floor as he sorted through a wooden jewelry box, leaned against the bottom bunk you were curled up on.

“What a wonderful feeling, watching the ones we love,” Jake sang with the record, his voice quiet to keep from waking you. You had to agree with Ray Charles; you loved to see Jake back in his parents’ house, comfortable and settled among all his boyhood memories. He sifted through the jewelry box, and the necklaces and bracelets jingled musically as he untangled them. 

“Hi Jakey,” you said softly. 

He turned, a sweet smile lighting his handsome face. 

“Well hi, sweetheart.” He reached a hand to gently brush your hair back from your face. “Did you have a good nap?”

“Wonderful,” you agreed, stretching a little under the warm blankets. “Thanks for letting me sleep.”

He chuckled. “You’re welcome, honey. You were almost asleep at lunch. You needed a little rest, huh?”

Your early-morning flight from Nashville had led right into a trip to downtown Frankenmuth where you visited some of the old holiday haunts; and though you’d loved being back in your hometown with your little family of Jake’s brothers and their partners, you’d all needed time to recharge before the rest of your planned Christmas Eve fun.

Jake turned back to his jewelry for a moment before he pulled out a well-loved Atocha coin necklace.

“Here,” he said, handing it to you. “I forgot I had one here. Now we can match.”

You smiled and cradled it in the palm of your hand. “You could have wrapped it and given it to me tomorrow,” you said.

He shrugged, a little bashful. “I guess I could have. Consider it an early present.”

You closed your fingers over it. “Thank you. I love it.” You liked it even better than you would have liked a new one, knowing it was one he’d worn and loved for a long time before you were together and wanted to share with you now.

He angled his body closer to you for a kiss, and you brushed your fingers through his hair as you gave him what he asked for so gently. It was a little awkward with him still on the floor and you on the bed, and you giggled as he made his way onto the bed with you without breaking the kiss.

“Are you sure we’re gonna fit on this bed tonight?” you asked, scooching over to make room for him, even though there wasn’t a lot of room to be made. The twin bunk beds he and Josh had had since childhood were comfortable enough for one each, but two adults had to squeeze if they wanted to share.

He hovered over you and kissed your neck. “It’ll be nice and cosy,” he said, his breath warm on your skin. “Don’t you think so?”

You laughed and tucked your necklace into the pocket of his jeans, freeing up your fingers to comb through his hair. “Yeah, I think so.”

He kissed you for a long while, loving and lazy and humming along with the music as his hands wandered over you. You relaxed completely under him, thankful you were spending this Christmas and every one to come with the man you loved and the family you had together.

He groaned a little when the alarm on his phone went off, indicating it was time to start getting ready for another round of holiday fun. You, Baby, Danny, and the Kiszka boys were going to walk around downtown some more; later, when the sun set, you were going ice skating before you went to the local pub to watch Papa Kiszka’s set with his band. You were looking forward to it even if you were reluctant to leave Jake’s bed, but Jake buried his face against your neck as you started to get up.

“I’m not letting you up,” he said, wrapping his arms around you and pressing kisses to your jaw. “Let everybody else go bust their asses trying to ice skate. We’ll stay nice and warm right here in bed.”

You giggled. “Jakey,” you cooed. “You can’t be a Grinch on Christmas Eve.”

“Oh yes I can. My brain is full of unwashed socks or whatever.”

You laughed out loud, and he beamed at you like it was the prettiest sound he’d ever heard. 

“It’s his heart that’s full of unwashed socks,” you told him. 

“You’re the boss,” he said. He kissed you again. “I love you very much, you know.”

“Enough to go ice skating with me?” you teased.

He gave you a wry smile. “Yes, and that’s saying something.”

You smiled. “Aw, Jake. I love you very much too.”

—

“Jake, it looks wonderful. Quit fussing.”

He didn’t answer you right away, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration as he tried to get the placement of one particular clove bud just right. Though you’d thought the soy candle making at the Frankenmuth Historical Society would be a fun little diversion, Danny and the twins had turned it into a competitive sport. Each one of them had painstakingly attended to every last detail in a way that seemed totally unnecessary and amusing to you, Sam, and Baby.

After a few moments, Jake stepped back when he’d arranged the cloves and pieces of dried orange just the way he wanted them on the top of your candle.

“There!” he said. “I know I was driving you crazy, honey. Sorry. But it had to be done.”

You smiled and looked over the candle you’d made together — or, at least been together for while Jake made it. He’d done the lion’s share of the work, not because you’d been unwilling to help, but because you had figured out five minutes into the process that he was going to be particular about it.

He’d let you pick the scent, though, and you were happy enough with that as he poured the last layer of wax over the top to set the decorations. Besides, you had to admit that it looked beautiful. You tied a festive piece of twine around the ring of the mason jar, and you stifled a laugh as you saw Jake’s face.

“Does that look okay?” you asked, a little too innocently.

His expression was pained with stress at the crooked bow and an intense desire not to upset you. He reached his hand out to the bow, stopped short, and reached out again.

“Don’t be mad,” he said, glancing up at you before he quickly straightened the bow. “It’s really nice, honey. It was just a little crooked.”

You laughed, not unkindly, and kissed his cheek.

“I’m not mad,” you said. “I know you just want it to be perfect, and that’s okay. Is it perfect now?”

“Yes,” he said with a grin, holding it up to look at it more closely. He met your eyes. “It was a good idea to come do this, sparrow. I know we had to kill time before ice skating, but now we have a beautiful Christmas candle.”

You gave him a slightly weary smile. “I’m glad you liked it.” It wasn’t as relaxing an activity as you’d thought it would be, but hey, he was right. You had a lovely Christmas candle to show for it.

Jake showed off your creation to the others, graciously buffing up your contributions to the creative genius, and you got to see the candles Danny and Josh had been fussing over while their partners looked on with amusement. Josh’s was eucalyptus and grapefruit, decorated with dried lavender — not exactly Christmassy, but it would fit nicely in their home. Danny’s was warm and spicy with star anise and cinnamon sticks on the top, and it was perfectly him.

Jake, Josh, and Danny started examining the other’s candles, and they quickly started coming up with ideas for other candles they could make. The rest of you coaxed them out of starting their own candle business with the promise of a stop by the popcorn shop, and as soon as you got their masterpieces put safely in the car, you headed down the street for their prize.

You all perused the selection of flavored popcorn at the sweet shop, enjoying the warm, sweet air and the strains of festive music piped through the rows upon rows of treats.

“I’m gonna get some of the salted caramel,” Jake said, taking a sample from the tray and sharing it with you. “I know you’re not big on caramel, but just try it.”

You did, and it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn't your favorite. Jake smiled when you handed the little cup back to him.

“Which one do you want?” he asked.

You walked a little further down the display, perusing your options.

“Oh, never mind, I know which one you want,” he said sweetly.

You grinned up at him. “Oh yeah? Well, if you’re so smart, you get it for me.”

Jake did, getting a bag of the caramel and another of the Oreo flavor for you. He handed it to you with all the confidence and pleasure of a man who knew he’d picked exactly which popcorn his lady wanted.

“Aw, Jakey, you did know which one to get me,” you said happily. 

He shrugged. “I’m a genius, what can I say?”

The six of you walked down the darkening streets of downtown Frankenmuth, munching your popcorn and enjoying each other’s company as you admired the Christmas lights and sparkling decorations. Eventually you made your way to the ice rink, taking a moment to ooh and ahh over the twinkling lights draped overhead and the beautiful Christmas tree in the middle.

“Isn’t the tree beautiful?” you asked.

“It’s very pretty,” Jake agreed. “And I’m glad you like it, because you’ll be seeing it up close the whole time we’re hanging with the slow skaters in the middle.”

You smiled, and as you got your skates, you noticed that Jake kept glancing at the ice with more and more apprehension.

“Are you sure you want to skate?” you asked. You thought it was kind of charming and funny that a man so graceful and skilled on stage in front of thousands of people was worried about a little ice skating. “I don’t mind sitting this one out, honey. We can get some coffee and just watch.”

He frowned. “But you want to skate, right?”

You shrugged. “I want to be with you,” you said simply. “And I don't want to make you do something you're not comfortable with.”

A slightly bemused smile crossed his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe you were real, and he studied you with that loving gaze you knew so well.

“What?” you asked, feeling your cheeks warm.

He shook his head. “Nothing. I don’t know.” He smiled. “You’re something, aren’t you sparrow?”

You pressed closer to him on the bench, remembering another time he’d said that to you.

“Something good or something bad?” you asked.

He grinned and kissed you. “Something good, for sure.”

After a few more kisses, he knelt in front of you and helped you out of your boots.

“You don’t have to, Jake.”

“No, I want to. See, this is one part I can do.”

He set your boots to the side and ran his thumb over your ankle as he grabbed your skates, loving you without even having to try with his absent, comforting touch. For Jake, showing you love was as easy as breathing, and you felt your heart squeeze at the gentle way he cared for you above himself.

“Thank you,” you said softly.

He smiled up at you. “You’re welcome, sparrow. It’s my pleasure.”

When both pairs of skates were laced, you took his hand and led him onto the ice. He took your other hand too, almost immediately unsteady, and you leaned close to kiss his nose.

“Thanks for skating with me, Jakey.”

He gave you a rueful smile. “You’re welcome. You sure you don’t want to do a couple laps without me?”

“Nope, I want to be right here with you.”

You skated together for a long time, holding hands, managing to keep him upright most of the time. You watched Baby and Josh skating gracefully, his fantastic agility on the ice making up for her slight clumsiness; Danny and Sam were slow but steady, attempting tricks and laughing when they went awry. When the crowd thinned, you, Danny, and Baby raced each other while Josh and Sam tried to keep Jake steady; all three of them ended up in a heap, and you three came back to your partners and laughingly helped them back up.

“Go skate for me,” Jake said when you’d gotten him safely to the wall. “I want to watch.”

You did, flying across the ice, loving the feel of the cold air stinging your face. When you finally came back to Jake, you were breathless and flushed and very happy.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, brushing your hair back from your face. “Like the sugar plum fairy or something.”

You beamed and kissed him. “Thanks, honey.” You took his hands again. “I missed you, though.”

Back near the tree, you skated slowly as a light snow started to fall.

“You did that whole loop without falling!” you said. You moved in front of him and skated backwards, holding his hands and leading him. Though he’d gained some confidence, you felt a new sort of nervousness come over him, something more like excitement than anxiety, and felt yourself start to get excited too without even knowing what it was for.

“I want to try a trick,” Jake said. “Since I’m getting so good.”

You laughed. “Are you sure?” You weren’t convinced you’d make it out of this attempt without a few bruises, but you were willing to try whatever he wanted.

He grinned and squeezed your hands. “I’m sure. Absolutely sure.”

“Is it a trick for both of us, or just you?”

His brown eyes twinkled with mischief. “Both of us, if I have any luck. You ready?”

You nodded, still holding his hands and watching as he slowly lowered himself to one knee in front of you. You couldn’t imagine what kind of trick this was, but you held off asking before he’d shown it to you.

He let go of your hand and reached in his pocket. “Sparrow, will you marry me?”

You blinked. “Wait — what?”

He laughed, big and bright, and for a moment, all you could think of was how handsome he was. His soft brown waves were dusted with snow; his face was rosy with cold; his smile lit up his features until you felt like your heart might break just looking at him.

“Will you marry me?” he asked again, patient and attentive.

You looked from his handsome, bashful smile to the little black box he held. Inside was a beautiful ring, all rainbows in the rosy glow of the Christmas lights, and you couldn’t think of a single intelligent thing to say. Something tight and wonderful felt close to breaking apart in your chest, and you tried to keep from crying, but all of a sudden he was blurry and the lights were a swirl and there was nothing on earth but the feel of his hand holding yours.

“Jake, are — are you serious?” you managed.

His smile was so tender as he looked up at you with nothing short of adoration.

“I’m serious, sparrow.” He squeezed your hand. “I love you, sweetheart, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

And oh, there it went. The most fragile part of your heart shattered into a million shiny bits, making room for a flood of emotion you couldn’t have held back if you tried.

You fairly threw yourself at him, and it was his turn to keep you steady as you put your arms around his neck and kissed him like you’d never kissed him before. He laughed and hugged you tight, joy and wonder coming off him in waves.

“Of course I'll marry you,” you said, and your voice was wrecked, and you hadn't even realized you’d started to cry. He pulled back just enough to see your face and tenderly brush the tears from your face.

“My sparrow,” he said, just for you to hear. “I love you so much, Mrs. Kiszka.”

You’d never heard anything more wonderful. You cried harder and kissed him again.

“Aw, sweetheart,” he laughed. “Don’t cry. Are you happy?”

“I have absolutely never been happier in my whole life,” you said with a joyful, watery laugh. “I can’t believe you. What on earth am I going to get you for Christmas that could top this?” 

He grinned. “Just you.”

You cradled his beloved face in your hands and tried to stop crying, but you loved him so much, and he was looking at you like you were the most wonderful thing in the world.

“I love you, Jake.”

He kissed you, and everything was right in the world. “I love you too, my little sparrow.”

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[sublimecatgalaxy]

Cruel Summer; Part 1

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Kook!Reader

Summary: The reader comes in from out of town to OBX with her family when she bumps into JJ (quite literally) at a party which spurs an awkward family bathroom situation and a 'get to know you' conversation.

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: Flirting, swearing, mentions of drugs and alcohol, mentions of family death.

Song: "Bellyache" by Billie Eilish

A/n: This fic, by the time I post it, will have been two months in the making. I've been planning and writing it for about a month and I'm so happy that @tee-swizzle helped fuel the fire behind my passion for this character! I hope you guys love it, this is part 1 of 5.

The Outerbanks has always been like a fever dream. 

Warm amber skies, pristine blue ocean waves, green grass and flowering trees, seemingly perfect people. 

It seems that the tourists and the natives are all on the same page, just different parts of town come with different responsibilities and different roles in the socioeconomic hierarchy of the island. Some people get up to go to work their asses off all day, fishing, selling, participating in good, honest blue collar work; but others are trust fund babies, people who hit it rich and decided to buy a big fancy boat and a big luxurious house right on the water. Both are lucky to live there but there’s downsides to each, I’m sure. 

My family is… different.

My grandmother was a family woman. She and my grandfather would chalk up the money to take us to Outerbanks once a year, sometimes every other year depending on if money was tight. My grandfather worked with gears- creating and selling them- and he owned his own business and made an honest living so he was proud to spend it on his family for a nice vacation with his wife and loved ones. 

There were about twelve of us at the time; we’d all pack up our things and make the long journey down to the island with bright smiles on our faces and excitement bubbling in our veins. It was exciting- it was all I looked forward to as a child when school would come to an end in June. I just knew that if I counted down, made the two month paper chain, we would soon venture down to Nags Head to kick back for a few weeks.

When my grandfather died, the family went their separate ways and we didn’t go back on our little adventure for nearly a decade. It was heartbreaking to see my grandmother not even want to touch any of the money the love of her life left behind, money he wanted us to spend on spending time together in his favorite place, but it was just too much for her. And when she died and left a ton of money to my mom and stepdad, we knew exactly what we had to do to make both of them proud. 

We had a trip booked within a month after the funeral, planning to spread both of their ashes in their favorite places on the anniversaries of both of their deaths, which just happened to be one day apart by a decade.

Since we’ve been back we’ve done just that, scattered their ashes (with permission of course) and celebrated their lives as a family; just me, my sister Katie, my mom and step dad, all together under one roof. We’ve played games, gone shopping, gone to the beach (obviously) and overall just had a great time like we would’ve when Katie and I were younger. There is this lingering sadness, it’s no longer a group of us, we’re no longer being corralled by my grandma and grandfather and I kept help but sense this silence that just swarms around us which makes the blue skies look a little darker, the waves a little more violent and the heat a bit more harsh. 

“Are you having fun?” Katie yells loudly over the booming music, long hair whipping in her face as the beach wind blows against us, sending shivers down my spine. I should’ve brought a sweater. 

“Yeah, I’m having fun! Just thinking about how grandma and grandpa would not approve of us getting drunk under the age of twenty one with a bunch of people we don’t know.” Katie’s head tossed back in laughter as she grabs my hands in hers, urging me to sway with her to the music and I let her with a defeated smile. “Like it’s not exactly the safest thing to do.” She gives me a tired, deadpanned look and she reaches out to smack at my arm, disapproving of my caution that I always seem to be stuck with, even in situations like this where I’m supposed to be relaxing and letting loose.

“At least we’re not like the rest of our family, they barely go on any vacations anymore- they’re practically hermits.” I chuckle, letting her twirl me under her arm as my skirt flows in the wind. She’s not exactly wrong- there are pictures all over social media of their bland life, going to their nine-to-fives before coming home and drinking themselves into a stupor. I think that’s called depression but we’re not for technicalities in this family. “Gran and gram would be happy we’re living.” I smile foldly at her with a firm nod, knowing that my grandma would’ve loved the women that my sister and I turned into. We’re free spirits, just like her, taking leaps, smiling at strangers (especially those who are rude or mean), and we’re trying our best to carry on her legacy the best we can, with each other. 

“You’re right.” I fall into her arms, wrapping mine around her in a tight hug as she lets a sigh of relief escape her lips. “Oh that note, wanna do shots?” I ask, pulling a squeal of excitement out of her as she begins to jump up and down, clapping her hands like an excited child. 

“Now we’re talking!” She cheers, dragging in glances from those close to us and I feel my cheeks growing warmer at the unwanted but earned attention. “I’ve trained you well, young Skywalker.” She yells as I walk away, my eyes rolling at her overall silliness.

I sift through the crowd of people, bumping into teens left and right as I try not to stumble onto my ass,  and I can see the bar in sight. So close yet so far. There’s about twenty feet of sand and young adults between me and the bar and I can practically feel the cold steel but before I reach it, I feel a cold substance dump down the front of my shirt and a mess of blond hair in front of me.

“Oh my god, fuck-“ I look up at to see a blue eyed boy, probably my age, standing, shocked, in front of me with a wide eyed look on his face, cheeks reddening in embarrassment as he looks square at my chest, or more at the red drink he just dumped down my bra.  “You came out of nowhere.” Definitely should’ve brought a sweater. I’m still standing, surprised, looking at him with wide eyes as I try to think of what to say but nothing can come up but curse words.

“I’m sorry, shit!” I take a step away from him, going to escape and to deal with my awkward embarrassment elsewhere but the attractive stranger reaches out to wrap his fingers around my wrist seamlessly, pulling me back towards him as I gasp, hitting his chest with a firm thud. His eyes are kind and soft, hand reaching up in surrender to show me that he means no harm and, for some reason, I choose to believe him.

“Woah, woah woah- not so fast.” He nods in the direction of the bathrooms, silently offering to help me with the mess that he made and I take a leap of faith, nodding my head, allowing him to lead me hand in hand towards the bathrooms, away from the bar and my sister and the rest of civilization. Alone with a cute, random stranger… Maybe not the best idea to wander off with a random guy at a party but there’s something about him that just makes him so easy to trust.

“It’s fine, seriously, I’ll just go clean it off.” I call out to him as the noise from the party dies down and I jog ahead so I can turn around to look back at him with a shrug but he just looks down at my shirt and frowns.

“Let me help. I feel like a dick.” He pouts, reaching past me to hold the door open to the family restroom and I take one more look back at the party and, when I see Katie talking to a handsome guy, I decide to go ahead and step under the cute stranger’s arm into the bathroom without any questions. I hoist myself up into the vanity with a sigh, head thumping back against the mirror as I avoid looking at my ruined shirt, wondering how I’m supposed to clean up a red stain this big and have it actually come clean. “It’s my friend's drink anyway so I don’t care. I’ll get a new one when I come back from helping you clean up.” 

“My knight in not so shining armor.” I laugh nervously with a gentle blush, watching him pull a few paper towels out of the dispenser before handing them to me and I try to wipe it off but to no avail, the red drink seeping further into my tan shirt with every wipe without care and I look up at the blonde with a frown. He looks nervous, biting at his lip as he watches me rub at the cotton.

“You know it.” He laughs awkwardly, taking the paper towels from me, wetting them before handing them back to me. “What’s your name?” He asks finally, leaning up against the wall in front of me, kicking his leg back to rest on the tile with a dopey smile on his face.

“Y/n. Yours?” 

“JJ Maybank.” How cute. It matches him perfectly, his baby blue eyes and soft blonde hair- the fact that he’s so tall and handsome as hell- like a prince from a Disney Princess movie. Or maybe he’s more like the boy that the Princess falls in love with because he’s not a prince. “Nice to meet you, JJ Maybank.” I hold my hand out to him which he takes almost immediately, shaking it sternly with a bright, pretty smile on his lips. “Wish we could’ve met in different circumstances.”

“Nah, spilling a drink on a pretty girl is sort of par-for-the-course for me.” He blushes, reaching up to rub bashfully at the back of his neck, bicep tensing breathtakingly, and my brows pinch together in a teasing look of confusion, head tilting at him.

“Oh you have a habit of doing it?” I ask with a snicker, watching his face pale, his finger raising to point at me, stopping me before I can get the wrong idea.

“That’s not what I meant.” I giggle, slapping a hand over my mouth as he scoffs, reaching out to slap my knee. “Oh, so you’re funny?” He smiles sarcastically as he sends me a dramatic eye roll. 

After a few seconds of silence, both of our eyes flicker down to my shirt once more to address the elephant in the room and we both wonder for a moment as to how we can clean my shirt or find another one in the meantime. It isn’t until JJ’s pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it in my direction that I realize what his idea is. My jaw drops as I look down at the shirt in my lap, not appalled at all but instead incredibly more attracted to him. How chivalrous. 

“Take it.” He offers with flushed cheeks, leaning against the cold wall as I fight the urge to drift my eyes lower, seeing obvious and apparent abs in my peripheral vision as I desperately keep my gaze on his face. 

Fuck me, please. 

“Really?” I ask hesitantly, not sure if I should really just be taking a random person's shirt but I guess if it’s just out of the kindness of his own heart then… sure. He spins around on his heels, subtly offering me privacy as I slip out of my ruined shirt before throwing on his t-shirt that is definitely way too big on him which means it’s practically a dress on me. 

“Yeah, it’s not shocking for me to be lacking a shirt.” His head tilts back so he can stare at the ceiling with a chuckle and- I watch him, the way his jaw elongates into an michelangelo type curve, his shoulders, his back- he’s just sculpted- after a few moments, I give him the okay to turn around. His pupils seem to dilate in size the minute he sets eyes on me, and I can feel myself flushing just from his heated gaze. Stupid boys and their hormones.

“So you’re from here? Obviously, that was a stupid question.” I scoff at myself, reaching up to facepalm but he reaches out, fingers wrapping around my wrist to stop me with a bright smile, almost asking ‘how could you tell?’ He takes a step  towards me, almost stepping fully between my legs and I suck in a breath, trying my best to remember to breathe when all I want to do is just-

“Home sweet home, born and raised a pogue on the cut.” He shrugs proudly, arms fanning out as he bows dramatically and I give him a big round of applause which pulls a hearty laugh from him.

“I just learned that term not too long ago.”

“I was testing you, to see if you knew it. Most tourists don’t.” How could he tell I was a tourist? He winks, reaching out to pat the side of my thigh as he hops up onto the counter beside me, thigh pressing against mine and I suck in a much needed breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. What am I, twelve? Why can’t I just talk to this guy?

“We’ll I’ve been here a lot since I was younger so-”

“Honorary Kook.” He tips his hat to me with a shit eating smirk and he knocks me with his shoulder. 

“Not a Kook.” I start but he cuts me off with the clicking of his tongue in a playful tut.

“You sort of look like one.” He sighs and, though I can’t completely tell if it’s a compliment, the way he looks me over, getting a good look before meeting my gaze, makes me realize he meant it in all the best ways.  “Nice, expensive clothes, hell you can pay for the rental houses down here- that’s impressive.”

“I’m here with my family.” I huff, acting like that makes it any different but it doesn’t.

“Ah, a family of Kooks.” He says in a singsong voice but decides to cut me some slack by switching the subject after a moment of my defeated smiling. “Is that your sister you were with?”

“You were watching me prior to spilling a drink down my shirt?” I gasp, feigning shock as I press a hand to my chest, eyes widening at him as he suddenly flushes, face paling at his accidental confession and he nervously pulls his cap off to run a hand through his messy hair.

“That gave me away didn’t it?” He whispers with an awkward smile.

“Cutely, it did.” He laughs as I nudge him with my elbow, unable to maintain eye contact with him out of fear that I’ll explode from how damn cute he is. He’s so frustratingly handsome and funny and sexy- woah.

“How long are you down here for?”

“Three weeks. We got here a few days ago.” I offer, knowing exactly why he’s asking me and I feel overwhelmed with a new sense of excitement regarding this whole trip. Katie is going to hate me for abandoning her but she’ll understand when she sees him. 

“Damn, well…” He pauses, hopping down from the counter and his bashful gaze stays focused on the ground.  “Plenty of time for us to bump into each other huh?” His flirtatious offer makes me grin ten times wider, watching his hand reach out to take mine in his, pulling me back into him before I can escape from him, return to the party and not see him for the rest of the night. 

But after this interaction, I’ll look for him everywhere I go while I’m on this trip. 

“Guess so.” I smirk softly, reaching out to pat his shoulder with my free hand, not ignoring the dense, toned muscle beneath my fingertips. “You’re slick, I’ll give you that.” I laugh bashfully, looking down at his hand that still holds mine as I allow him to walk us towards the party. His thumb brushes gently across mine and I don’t miss the protective gaze in his eyes as he looks around, making sure we’re not only safe but that no one is giving us any eyes for us leaving the bathroom, him lacking a shirt and me gaining one. I can only imagine how this looks.

“I am a self proclaimed ladies man.” 

“Self proclaimed huh?” I ask, brows pulling together teasingly.  “I’ll back that up then.” He smiles excitedly then leans in towards me, lips brushing against the shell of my ear and I nearly trip over my damn feet at the feeling.

“I’m going to need to record you agreeing to that.” He whispers and I burst out in laughter, head tipping back as we reach the bar, his hand finally leaving mine, cold and empty, at my side.

“Hey JJ!” A pretty girl appears at our right about ten feet away and JJ pales and gives me an awkward smile before flagging the bartender down, ordering a quick drink before giving me his undivided attention once more. 

“Shit I gotta go. Kie was expecting that drink like twenty minutes ago. Baby gets grumpy without her bottle.” He pouts playfully and I chuckle before motioning in her direction, feeling an evident pit in the bottom of my stomach at the thought of him possibly being taken.

“Girlfriend?” I ask nervously but he shakes his head with a wicked, devilish grin.

“Single.” He nods sternly, head tilting cutely at me as he asks, “boyfriend?”

“Also single.” I shrug, backing away from him slowly as he processes the new information, eyes swimming with mischievous ideas already.

“Alright… See you around Kook!” He sends me a polite tip of his hat with a teasing smile and, in return, I send him my middle finger and a wink.

“Not a Kook!"

[irisintheafterglow]

More Than It Seams (Chapter 3)

summary: you're a hero costume tech working for one of the biggest fashion companies in quirk society, and the days until the most important fashion event of the year are dwindling fast. if you weren't stressed enough, a certain half-and-half hero keeps appearing with rips in his suit. (pro!todoroki x reader)

word count: 3k

cw/tags: swearing, mentions of needles, probably inaccurate fashion design vocabulary, strangers to lovers, no specified pronouns for reader, mentions of food/eating, mention of character death/disappearance, arguing, working to exhaustion, hurt/comfort to angst

note: ohoho rising action + sassy shoto

likes/reblogs/feedback are appreciated :)

You spend the weekend texting back and forth with Shoto, with most of the conversation revolving around his Hero Ball appearance. You’d send a design sketched on a coffee shop napkin or an embroidery swatch held up to the light of your apartment with your pajama-clad roommate in the background; initially, he would respond with several messages detailing his thoughts on your idea, but it soon devolved into a one-word acknowledgment followed by a picture of a cat he had seen on patrol, or a flowerbed he found pretty. Eventually, your text chains stopped becoming work-related altogether, replaced by “Look at this cat,” “Have you eaten yet?” and “Let me know when you’re home safe,” and you weren’t sure who’d sent what message first. To date, one of your favorite interactions with him began with a message reading “Can I call you real quick? I have an important question.” Standing in the kitchen prepping dinner, you tuck the phone between your shoulder and your ear. 

“Shoto?”

“Hi,” he said softly. It sounded like he was smiling, and imagining the little quirk in the corner of his mouth made your heart feel light. 

“What’s going on? Are you safe?” 

“I’m fine, I promise. Do you know anything about cats?”

You leaned against the counter, throwing a hand towel over your shoulder as you reached for a spice from the top cabinet. “I mean, my roommate has one, but I don’t take care of it much. Why?”

“There’s a stray outside your office. It looks sad.” 

“Oh, poor baby. Does it have a tag?”

There was a slight crunching noise on Shoto’s end and you held back a chuckle as you heard him whisper gentle encouragement for the cat to come closer. “Uh, no. No tag.” 

“Okay, do you think you could call someone to bring it somewhere safe, then?”

“Why do you think I called you?” You blinked, dumbfounded. He wanted you to take care of the cat? The realization must have dawned on him at the same time it did for you. “Actually, I’m not sure why I called you.” You couldn’t help laughing as you imagined the puzzled look on his face, head tilted and staring down at some random cat in the alley by your building. “I’m sorry for bothering you, I don’t know why I–” The phone nearly drops from your grip as you panic to keep him on the line. 

“No, no. Don’t be sorry. It’s alright. I like listening to your voice.” The last part slips out before you could stop it, and smug pride radiated from the other side of the phone. “Shut up.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. 

He gives you that choked laugh and you grin like an idiot, covering your face even though you’re the only one home. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I can hear your stupid smirk.” 

“Would you prefer to continue listening to my pleasing voice, then?” He must have left the cat by your office, as the phone picked up a noise that sounded like the blowing wind. You figured he was probably heading home for the night or grabbing dinner. 

“I’d prefer you get your head out of your ass and answer my question from earlier,” you quip, pulling a knife from the block and chopping carrots into small chunks. 

There’s a moment of silence from Shoto, and you worry that your service is starting to glitch out. “What was the question?”

“If you could come in Monday afternoon so I can measure you real quick for your Hero Ball suit.” 

“Does Monday at 1:00 work?”

“Sure, but if I can ask, why so late? You tend to show up around 11:30.”

Oh, he was definitely getting a big ego now. “Do you pay attention to the exact time I arrive?” The chopped carrots aggressively plop into the pot as you all but throw them in at Shoto’s sass. 

“Only because you appear at the same time on the dot, like some weirdly programmed cyborg.”

“I assure you I am not a cyborg. But I would like to take you to lunch again on Monday, the same place as Friday.”

“Is that gonna be the first date, then?” Waves of heat brush against your hands as you stir the pot with a wooden spoon. 

“Absolutely not. It’s another–”

“Business meeting. Got it.” The spoon clanks against the edge of the pot as you rid it of excess sauce. 

“Are you cooking?”

“Mhmm.”

“What’s for dinner?”

“My roommate got these, like, free instant curry packets from work, so I’m trying one of those tonight.” 

“Huh. Sounds…interesting.” Your face is hit with hot steam as you pop open the lid to the rice cooker and scoop yourself a serving. 

“Are you making fun of me for eating junk food, Shoto?” 

“That’s not what I said.” 

“Responding with ‘interesting’ is a kind way of telling me you don’t approve of my meal choice.”

“Well, that I could have just told you outright.” 

“Go away and leave me to my curry.” 

“Don’t you mean your processed powder with enough fat to warm the North Pole?” 

“I didn’t ask for your sass tonight, Todoroki.” A low hum is all you hear from the other end, and you smirk at your temporary victory of catching Shoto off-guard. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have some very pressing streaming service matters to attend to.” 

“For your sake, I hope it tastes good.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” You roll your eyes and hang up on him, snuggling into your couch and fighting down the overwhelmingly happy feelings in your chest. 

Monday morning, the elevator doors ding at 11:30 exactly, and you can’t help but raise your eyebrows in amusement at him. He’d stopped bringing in parts of his suit for you to fix, and your staff came to expect the sound of the elevator every day like it was part of their routine too. The doors would sound, and your designer would swear under his breath, remarking how late in the morning it was already without looking at the clock. 

“You ready?”

“Yeah, just give me one sec. Need to finish this panel.” You glance up at him briefly with an excited look in your eye as you nod over to the sketch of his trenchcoat. Without any direction, his long fingers stretch themselves next to yours as he holds down the template panel you’d been cutting into the sleek black base fabric. Careful to account for seam allowance, you finish the large panel that would come to be the back of the coat. 

Lunch is just as easy and comfortable as it was on Friday, and you spend the entire time talking about mundane things that had no connection to your work. It was nice, spending time with him and being allowed to talk about other things besides work. You’d told him how your roommate was speechless that he’d taken you to lunch, and he needlessly corrected you when she said you’d gone on a date with a pro hero. 

“I know you don’t consider it a date, but everyone else in society would beg to differ.”

“Let them beg, then. I’m still right.” He sat back and crossed his arms, and it took all your willpower not to stare at the corded muscle pressing out from beneath his suit. 

It was much harder, however, a few hours later when you had to run measuring tape on them, close enough to Shoto to smell his rich cologne. He’d agreed to help you keep track of the measurements so you didn’t need to keep running back and forth to your pen and paper. A measurement would come out of your mouth and be repeated like a broken record by Shoto until you’d successfully scribbled it on a Post-It. 

All was going well until you had to measure the length from one shoulder to the other. He’d been the model of a perfect listener up until that point, when you were eye-to-eye and close enough to feel each other’s breath. You stutter out some number in inches and briskly walk over to your Post-It note, only to find Shoto frozen and slightly pinker around his high carved cheekbones. 

“Shoto? Did you hear me?”

“What? Sorry, I was…distracted.” You huff out a sigh and stand near him again, focusing on trying to read the number ticks and ignoring the way Shoto’s breath had sped up when you were nearer. He was so warm, and the muscle beneath your fingers was so sturdy that you wanted to bite it. You blinked the thought from your mind, trying not to think about being in Shoto’s proximity like this all the time. He wasn’t helping much, either. Unconsciously, his hand brushed up to pick a stray hair from your face and tuck it behind your ear, before clearing his throat and repeating the measurement you announced. 

“Perfect. That’s about all I need then if you have any other questions for me?”

“No, I believe that’s it.” You head toward the gate to walk him to the elevator, but you hear him rummage around in his belt for something behind you. “Wait, I almost forgot. These are for you.” He hands you a small box, and upon opening it you’re hit with the enticing aromas of curry, true curry– the kind you get in restaurants, not from a packet your roommate stole from her office. Tiny baggies of turmeric, cumin, garlic, and pepper sat neatly in the box with a card detailing different recipes and how much of each spice to use. 

“Shoto, this is– I can’t accept this.” 

“Why not?”

“You didn’t need to buy anything for me.” 

“I know I didn’t need to, but I wanted to.” You stutter out a thank-you and he gives you that small smile, eyes soft. “I figured that it’s better than what you were making the other night.” It surprised you that he’d remembered such a mundane conversation, much less would buy you something because of it. As he left and shot you that same dumb thumbs-up when the doors closed, your staff gave you knowing looks that you purposefully pretended not to see. 

Tuesday sang the same tune, Shoto taking you to lunch and shooting the shit for a needed break, but you’d started staying at work longer and longer into the night to get looks done on time. Though it was efficient to keep working outside of true opening hours, you knew it was getting extreme when both your roommate and your other designer said you look like a ghoul. It wasn’t that you wanted to work yourself to near-exhaustion; it was the only way you could have the pieces ready for Saturday without all of M’s vast resources. Your team was working themselves to the bone, too, and as the one M left in charge, you felt responsible for taking care of whatever they missed. 

“Hi, this is the stand-in supervisor for M; please give our office a call at your earliest convenience. Thank you.” You set down the phone and rubbed your eyes, leaning against M’s desk made of ridiculously vibrant bright pink plastic. Wednesday had proved to be chaotically uneventful, and you fought the urge to throw one of M's fake gold plants through the window. M’s office was separated from the rest of the work area, a small room with a closable door for privacy and a soft couch for when she needed “me time.” There were two soft thuds on the door before the other designer peeked his head in. 

“Knock knock, your boyfriend’s here.” 

You elected to ignore his implication. “What are the chances he brought the food here?”

“Very likely. Take a look.” As the door fully opened, you took in the sight of Shoto in his pro costume carrying a plastic take-out bag. The smell wafted to you and made your empty stomach rumble. It was like he’d read your mind, like he’d known that you couldn’t be pulled away from work for lunch anymore. He was so thoughtfully good. 

“Hey,” you say, giving him a tired smile. His eyebrows dip briefly as he takes in the bags under your eyes and your sore voice, but schools his face into blankness as he raises the bag of food. 

“I figured you wouldn’t have time for lunch.” 

“You figured correctly.” 

“Is it alright if I stop by and drop this off, then?” 

“You can’t stay?”

“Unfortunately not. My agency is preparing a raid and it took a lot of string pulling to get away for an hour.” 

“I appreciate you thinking about me.”

“Of course.” His hands delicately untie the knot of the bag handles, placing separate containers of soup and cold soba noodles on top of each other. “It’s your usual.” 

“Thank you, Shoto. I’m really happy you had time to visit.”

“What time do you get off tonight?” 

“Technically 5:00–”

“But they’ve been staying later!” Your fellow designer’s voice calls out from behind you, and you resist the urge to scold him for eavesdropping. You give him an incredulous look and are met with nods of sympathy from the rest of your seamstresses. 

“I’m fine! It’s not that late, a few hours at most–” 

“You texted me at 11:00 last night saying you were finishing up, and you clocked in at 6:40 this morning” his voice called again and you sighed in defeat. Whatever he was doing, he was determined to expose your messed up schedule to Shoto, who was looking at you in a way where you could see the gears in his brain turning. 

“I have to go. I’ll see you at 5:00.” His voice almost sounded…frustrated?

“Wait, no–” 

“Don’t. It’s not safe for you to go home alone at that time of night, and you look like you need rest.” 

Maybe it was the lack of sustenance in your stomach or maybe it was the restless night of sleep you’d had, but your words had more venom laced in them than you ever intended. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. This is my job.”

“And it’s my job to make sure you’re safe. We’re not having this conversation right now.” He turns sharply on his heel, avoiding eye contact with you infuriatingly as you fight back the urge to cry. 

For the rest of the day, you isolate yourself and disassociate into your work, running your thumb along fabric edges until it’s red from overuse and then switching to the other thumb. The world becomes white noise while you hand-sew beading, embroider great blue waves, rib corsets, and trim tassels. The quiet goodbyes from your staff run through one ear and out the other, including the apology from your other designer. You merely nodded, refocusing on the flowing ruffles of Pinky’s sleeves. 

The elevator dinging is louder when you are the only one in the office, and Shoto’s steps echo through the space as he approaches you, on the ground with your head in your hands as you mentally work through how to add sheer detailing to Dynamight’s jacket that had already been finished days ago. His stylist had finally left your office a message, communicating that Bakugo wanted something more breathable that could show off his muscles. Your face scrunched in dismay at the sudden change in plans, and you’d sat on the floor for ten minutes just imagining how you could pull it off. 

“It’s 5:00.” Shoto’s voice is even and patient, with no indication of your earlier confrontation. 

“I know,” you breathe, your voice barely a whisper as you shake your head. 

“I’m gonna take you home.”

“I know.” You finally look up to see his hand stretched out to you, helping you off the floor and allowing your hand to rest on his arm as he walks you out. The walk to your apartment is mostly silent, and you let your eyes take in the fading lights of the sunset, and how they reflected off Shoto’s face and hair. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier,” you say as you approach your apartment complex.

“It’s alright. I’m just worried about you. Like it or not, it’s my job to keep you safe; mentally, physically, emotionally, anything.” Despite your exhaustion, your heart still flutters at his concern. “Can I ask why you’re so worried about the ball, anyway? What you’ve created for me and everyone else is awe-inspiring.” 

You give him a wry smile. “I appreciate your appreciation, but I truly thought this year was finally gonna be the year I split off from M since I’m designing most of her stuff anyway. But I’m scared that if I form my own company, all our clients will stay with M because she’s a more established brand.”

“You have me.” He stops, turning to look at you on the sidewalk outside of your building. 

“Thanks, Shoto, but I–”

“I’ll tell my friends to work with you, too.” 

“No, wait, you don’t need to do that–”

“I know I don’t. But I want to.” You laugh in disbelief at his childish insistence, and his mouth quirks in that way you’d fallen in love with. You’d fallen in love with him. 

“You know, you’re really stubborn sometimes.” 

“I’m not stubborn; I just get what I want.” His eyes flick down to your lips and his fingers brush another stray hair from your face, gently tucking it behind your ear. Delirious, you unapologetically scanned his face, committing it to memory. You could tell he was doing the same to yours. Tension stretched between you two the longer you stayed there, unmoving on the sidewalk. There was an urgent need in your heart to kiss him, hold him close until you fell asleep with nothing to worry about but each other. 

But, that isn’t how life works. 

An alarm sounded from his phone in his back pocket, and he looked back up at you regretfully. He opens his mouth to say something, but you beat him to it. 

“Go. It’s okay.” Your hand gently caresses the side of his face, running your thumb over his scar. It was like his body was torn between staying with you and rushing to whatever emergency was happening. “I’m okay,” you assure him, sticking your thumb up encouragingly. What began as an embarrassing reminder of your first meeting had evolved into a secret joke between you and Shoto, guaranteed to make both of you smile and feel better every time. Without another word, he takes off down the street, ice blowing a frigid wind in his wake. You fall onto the couch in your apartment and cover your eyes with your forearm, finally processing that you could be considered close friends maybe even more with a pro hero.

But Shoto doesn’t come in at 11:30 on Thursday. 

Shoto doesn’t walk you home at 5:00. 

Shoto doesn’t answer any of your calls or messages at any point during that day. 

Shoto doesn’t see you crumple to your knees when you read the headline on TV:

“Pro Hero Shoto: Missing, Presumed Dead.”

[byeoltoyuki]

↳ Pairing: Changbin x You

❧ Genre : Fluff / rommates to lovers

❧ Words : +3k

“This can’t get any worse, can it?” “Sure it can - just give me a minute.”

Whoever said that going on a trip in the middle of the winter in mountains was a mind-blowing experience had it all wrong. Of course, when you saw pictures of mountains covered in snow, beautiful, blue, clear sky, you found it extremely pretty and appealing, therefore when your amazing (right in that moment you hated them) friends suggested to have a week in a wooden cottage you said yes without thinking twice. Better yet, when your hot, adorably annoying roommate for who you harbored a tiny (ridiculously big) crush said he would come, you were beyond yourself.

That of course didn’t last.

By the time all of you reached the cottage, after six long hours of driving, you realized that this little holiday could turn into a mess. It wasn’t that you didn’t love your friends or that you were scared of spending so much time with them, but some of them brought plus one which shouldn’t have bothered you as much as it did. But honestly, who could blame you when some of them were pretty girls and that your crush happened to notice it too.

“Damn she’s hot.” Changbin commented the moment he stepped out of the car and was greeted by a pretty brunette who came out of the cottage, smiling at him.

It was definitely not your fault that after six hours of car, this tiny, almost innocent comment drove you mad. It resulted in you scoffing loudly, attracting very unwanted attention on you. Both Changbin and the said pretty brunette looked at you with quirked brow. If the brunette (she did say her name but you didn’t bother to remember, yes, you were that petty) thought it was rude, she didn’t comment. Changbin, on the other hand, nudged you playfully. Sadly for you, the dude didn’t know his own strength which resulted in you almost losing your balance and falling face first.

“The hell, Changbin!” You whined

“Why so cranky, old woman?” He joked, unbothered and then turned back to look at the brunette. “Please ignore her. She’s old, she needs a moment to recover.”

“Asshole.” You cursed under your breath. That was it, you were so going to ignore his existence for the rest of this trip.

You lied, obviously. Your attempt at being petty and grumpy lasted approximately ten minutes, just the time to get to your room and realize in pain that there were two beds which meant that you had to share the room with someone else. Hopefully with one of your friend. Better yet, with Changbin.

Karma had a name. It was Mina, the pretty brunette and your new roommate. No, really, what kind of luck was that? You wanted to scream your frustration, instead, you ruffled your hair. Much less noise and still as dramatic.

Mina watched you in silence for a short moment, maybe trying to decide if you were some crazy woman or just someone who was having a mental breakdown. It was both, but she didn’t need to know that either.

She cleared her throat to grab your attention. “So,”

You were thankful, you weren’t facing her, like that she couldn’t see your wince. Obviously, you had to make small talk. You took a deep breath, put on your best smile and turned to face her. “About earlier, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to sound rude. Just got tired, I guess.”

Luckily for you, one of your (not so useful) talent was that you could control your face, your voice and play pretend without being caught. Well, minus Changbin who somehow always saw through you which shouldn’t be allowed.

At your words, Mina beamed, genuinely happy. Apparently, she wasn’t that bad which meant you were the bad guy here.

“It’s okay. No offense taken.” Then she looked at your bag, surprised with how little you had taken with you. “Is this all you have with you?”

You looked down at your bag, genuinely confused. “Yeah? I mean, we’re staying only a week.”

She chuckled at that and pointed at her suitcase near her bed. “I had to bring a whole suitcase. I mean, we never know what we might need.”

You blinked, once, twice. “Oh. Guess I’m practical?”

“Definitely more organized than me.”

**

By the time you all gathered in the main hall, it was already past nine in the evening. You had to admit that this place was amazing; it was big and accommodated easily the ten of you and leaving room for more. The main hall, despite being huge, felt cozy with its fireplace in the center, two big coaches, two armchairs and a big table.

The fire was burning brightly, warming the place and giving an atmosphere worth of a good Christmas movie. You sat in the armchair the closest to the fire, enjoying its warmth along with your glass of wine. It didn’t take long to all of you to start drinking, playing games and enjoying your time together. It felt nice, you could almost relax. But just almost.

You didn’t want to be that annoying friend that would get all grumpy in the corner of the room and you tried really hard to control your feelings, to control your face but the more you drank the harder it got. You couldn’t help but feel bitter as you watched from your place Changbin laughing with Mina. It was his right to get all comfortable with a girl, you were just roommates and friends. It wasn’t like you didn’t know about the girls he saw, you were very aware of his late night activities but you didn’t need to face them, to see it happen before your eyes.

Mina, apparently, wasn’t that indifferent to him either. She was smiling brightly, laughing at his jokes, not minding how loud he got. But your breaking point was when she put her hand on his strong arm - you saw red. You had to get out of there as fast as you could before you would betray how you truly felt, before you started something you could potentially regret later.

Without a word, you put your glass back on the table and left. You didn’t look back. You didn’t see how Changbin glanced your way, a deep frown on his face. You didn’t see him gently reject Mina’s touch. No, all you needed was some fresh air and clear your mind.

***

Maybe going outside in the middle of the night while it was snowing wasn’t your brightest idea. No, you could add it was even a catastrophic idea but at the moment it felt right. Now, to add to the list of the brightest (dumbest) thing you had ever done, you chose to go outside without your scarf and your beanie - clearly, you had a death wish.

You walked without thinking, without really checking your surroundings. All you cared about was how you felt and frankly the cold air and the falling snow did help to ease the burning sensation inside you. You weren’t feeling as dizzy as when you were inside the cottage watching your crush with another girl. You could almost say that your jealousy had vanished. Almost.

“Stupid Changbin.” You cursed as you walked. It was easy to blame someone who wasn’t at fault. You knew it was stupid of you but it didn’t make things better. “Stupid me.”

You sighed in defeat. No matter how much you appreciated your time alone, you had to go back and face reality. You came to this place to have fun and not to brood around.

There was no way of telling how long you stayed outside. Lost in your thoughts, you lost track of time and your way at the same time. And as the realizing of your situation had finally dawned on you, you groaned in despair at your own stupidity. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

You spun around yourself trying to find your footsteps in hope to find your way back except the snow had covered it. You were doomed. Completely, utterly doomed.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to regain composure. Panicking was pointless, you had to keep your head up and think of a way to get back to the cottage. You tried to see if there was any light that could indicate the way - there was none. You walked around but still no cottage in sight.

“I’m fucked.”

To add to the falling snow, the wind was getting stronger and so much colder. Quickly, you realized that it was getting dangerous for you to stay outside.

“Y/N?” A familiar and warm voice came from the woods.

Your heart missed a beat in both hope and happiness. He had come for you, you were saved. “I’m here!”

“Oh thank god!” The moment Changbin saw you, his face relaxed in relief. Without hesitation, you ran, jumping in his opened arms. Not only you were cold but you were also terrified of what could have happened if he hadn’t found you. He caught you easily and wrapped his strong arms around your body.

“You’re okay?” He asked, patting your head.

You sniffed and unwillingly let go of him. “Yeah. Just freezing.”

“Good.” He said and then the frown was back. He put his arms on your shoulders and squeezed - not hard enough to actually hurt, but enough to make his point. “What the hell were you thinking?! Do you know how dangerous it is by night? What if I haven’t found you?”

Now that he put it like that, your idea of having a moment for yourself was indeed very bad and stupid. A tiny part of you wanted to protest, to defend yourself but one look at Changbin’s face was enough to stop you from saying anything other than “I’m sorry.”

He huffed in return. “You better be.”

Changbin eyed you from head to toe and clicked his tongue in disapproval. Without a word, he put his own beanie on your head and wrapped his scarf around your neck.

“Come on. Let’s go back.” He took your hand and led the way.

**

Maybe thinking that Changbin was the perfect knight in shining armor was a mistake on your part. While you were so happy seeing him, you forgot a tiny detail: Changbin was not the kind of guy who thought things through.

You walked for what felt like an eternity and still no sight of the cottage. You didn’t want to make any comment in case Changbin would snap at you and remind you that this whole disaster was of your own making, but you were getting worried all over again.

“Changbin?” You tried, your voice coming out weaker than planned. You cleared your throat. “Are you sure you know the way back?”

“Of course.” He answered too quickly for your liking and didn’t look back at you.

You wished his answer was comforting but it wasn’t. After five more minutes of walking in the darkness, you finally tug on his hand and made him stop.

“Let’s be honest: we’re lost.” You stated the obvious.

“No, we’re not.”

“Changbin, we’ve been walking for a while and no cottage. We’re lost.”

“Fine!” He groaned, defeated. “Yes, we are. But I’m trying to find the way back. Once again, why the hell did you need to leave?”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?” You dared being sarcastic when really, it was entirely your fault.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m sorry! But you’re no better! Talking about a savior.” You muttered the last part.

It wasn’t your intention to snap at him but Changbin knew how to push all your buttons.

“Say that again.”

There was definitely something wrong with you. Instead of feeling intimidated as he definitely intended, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking that angry Changbin was hot. You shook your head, scolding yourself silently.

“Nope. You heard me the first time.” You finally said but stubbornly looked him in the eyes, daring him to call you out again.

Changbin ruffled his hair in frustration. “You’re driving me crazy and not in a good way.”

You shrugged (even if his comment brought some unholy images to your mind). “What can I say? I’m charming!”

**

If your first day on this vacation was already that bad, you couldn’t imagine what the rest would look like. You walked in silence some more, both freezing. Luckily for the two of you, you came upon a place that could, hopefully, save your life. It wasn’t your cottage but it looked like an abandoned cabin. It was small and a tad gloomy but at least it would protect you from the snow and the wind.

There wasn’t much inside, not to say there was absolutely nothing, but at least it had a roof and walls and enough space to make fire without burning the whole place. Changbin surprised you with how easily, and despite the darkness outside, he gathered the woods and made a small fire. It wasn’t perfect, far from it, but it helped to warm your frozen muscles.

After your little fight, the tension got so thick you could cut it with a knife. You, too stubborn and petty, while Changbin preferred to keep to himself until he calmed down. It didn’t last. The moment Changbin noticed how you kept shivering despite the fire, his resolution to ignore you crumbled.

“Come here.” He sighed and patted the spot next to him.

You knew, at least the rational part of you, that it was a good idea but the stubborn you refused to give in so easily after his accusations.

“Y/N, I swear to god,” Changbin’s patience was running thin. Usually, he would indulge you, but he was tired and cold – he was ready to snap at you. “Stop being so damn stubborn and come here.”

A ‘fuck you’ was on the tip of your tongue but you restrained yourself on time.

“Fine.” You accepted just because the spot beside him looked warmer than yours. You crawled as quickly as you could but Changbin got you by surprise. Instead of letting you sit beside him, he pulled you right between his legs. “What-“

You found yourself trapped in his arms, between his legs. Your back pressed against his chest, Changbin pulled his coat over your bodies. You couldn’t tell whether the sudden warmth was coming from the fire or the fact that you were pressed so hard against him.

“Better?” He hummed against your head.

For your body? Definitely. For your heart? Not so much. Scared that your voice would betray you, you chose not to answer and instead simply nodded your head and pressed yourself a little further against him.

“Good.” Changbin rested his head in the crook of your neck, nudging it gently with his nose. His warm breath fanning over your skin – you wanted, desperately, to feel his lips on your skin. There was no way you could survive spending the night in his arms. “This can’t get any worse, can it?”

You snorted at that. “Sure it can – just give me a minute.”

“Please, don’t.” And with that his hold on you tightened as if it could stop you from summoning another disaster.

“Now that you’re trapped – Mind to tell me what got you so pissed, you had to leave in the middle of a storm?”

The safest thing to do would be to get out of his arms (as if you were strong enough) and ignore his question. But truth to be told, it felt way too nice to be in his arms. In his arms, you could be delusional for a moment and pretend that he wasn’t just your roommate, that he wasn’t just your crush, but something more.

“Y/N…” You shuddered at the way he called your name. Dark with a hint of a warning. His lips were dangerously close to your ear, you could almost feel his teeth on your earlobe.

“It’s-it’s nothing.” You stuttered and you cursed yourself for being so affected with Changbin’s presence.

If you thought the cold would be the death of you, you were wrong. Changbin would.

“Nothing?” He repeated, not buying your little lie.

Changbin knew exactly what was wrong with you. He had known it for a while. It wasn’t his intention to trick you and make you believe that he was just a friend and nothing more but he had to admit that driving you crazy was a tad amusing and he couldn’t resist. Until tonight at least. The little game could have turned into a real disaster – he regretted it the moment you left the safety of the cottage.

“I think you don’t like Mina that much.” Changbin finally said. It was game over. “I think, you left because you saw her touching me.”

He placed a kiss right bellow your ear which gave you goosebumps all over your body – you completely froze in his arms, unable to breath, unable to think.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“Changbin-“

“But also, incredibly dumb for putting yourself in such a dangerous situation.”

“And the moment is ruined.” You groaned and tried to free yourself from his arm. For a second, he let you believe that you had the upper hand by letting you stand up. He quickly grabbed your hand and pulled you right on top of him. You were ready to protest, to curse him for being such a little shit, but your words died on the tip of your tongue as you realized that one, you were straddling his thighs and two he was hard.

“Why the hell are you hard?” You couldn’t stop yourself from commenting.

Changbin was torn between the wish to laugh at your comment or groan – and they said he was the slow one. “Why? Because, believe it or not, I’ve been dying to fuck your brain out.”

A part of you had heard him, loud and clear, however you couldn’t believe it. Changbin had never showed any sign of interest in you, right?

“Ha ha, very funny.” You averted your eyes from his face, unable to look at him without actually imagining what he could do to you. If only it wasn’t a joke.

Changbin groaned at your reaction. Before you could even think about pulling out of his laps, he gently grabbed your chin and forced you to look back at him. “You’re such a dummy.” And just like that he pressed his lips against yours. A kiss that took you completely off guard. In fact, you couldn’t believe it was happening. It was soft, gentle but so sweet.

“What-“ You tried to find your words but Changbin shut you up with another peck as if he had found the perfect way to shut you up and to make you speechless.

You blinked, realizing that he was half playing with you half teasing you. “Changbin!” Another peck. “Can you-“ and another. You groaned and threw your arms in the air in despair before grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer to you, crashing your lips against his for a much stronger and needier kiss.

Changbin’s hands went to the curve of your ass, giving it a strong squeeze that made you groan into the kiss, made you press yourself harder against him.

Overwhelmed, you broke the kiss, only to press your forehead against his. You closed your eyes to fully enjoy the moment. You were in his arms, kissing him. Maybe those holidays were a benediction.

“So,” Changbin started, “Are you going to admit that you were jealous?”

“Fine! Yes, I was. Happy?”

“Yes. Can we date now?”

[shemarmooresfedora]

A Beginner’s Guide to Trying

Summary: You call out Eddie for complaining about high school while also simultaneously not putting in enough effort needed to actually graduate. He asks to you teach him how to do the one thing he’s scared of…trying.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Content/Warnings: angst with happy ending, season 4 episode 1 spoilers, swearing, one sexual reference

Word Count: 3k

Masterlist

It all started with a comment you made at lunch. To say you sat with the Hellfire Club at lunch would be a misrepresentation. Sure, you sat at their table but you didn’t sit with them. You didn’t really associate with anyone much in high school and their table was usually the last crowded so it was your designated lunch spot.

You would listen to their conversations while skimming through whatever book you had that day. Although you had not talked to any of them before, it was just like an unspoken agreement that you didn’t bother them and they didn’t bother you.

However, Eddie was in one of his self-righteous moods today, triggered by the absence of Lucas Sinclair from their game tonight. He had just finished ranting about the cliques and how he couldn’t wait to graduate this year.

You’re going to regret this, Y/N, you thought to yourself.

But still, you couldn’t stop yourself from opening your mouth.

“You know with how much you complain about high school, you don’t seem all that motivated to actually finish,” you bit into your apple, looking towards Eddie who had just sat back down.

The whole table stopped moving and stared at you in silence. No one ever spoke back to Eddie before, he was their leader. That was never questioned.

Eddie only glared at you with an expression you couldn’t quite make out.

“I’m just saying,” you continued, much to the horror of the rest of the Hellfire Club, “You keep talking about how all you need is to not blow Mrs. O’Donnell’s final and then you’ll get to graduate. Well, have you even tried to study for it? Or are you going to do what Eddie does best and pretend not to give a shit and then be mad when you have to repeat the whole cycle over again?”

You already dug your hole so you might as well go a little deeper, “I’m sorry if I offended you but you’re a smart guy, Eddie. I know that for a fact. And it frustrates me that you just won’t apply yourself even just a little bit so you can at least get the hell out of here. Or else, you’re going to be stuck in this loop until you eventually drop out because you either learn the shit and pass or you don’t. Mrs. O’Donnell can’t force you to care enough to pass. That’s on you.”

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang just as you finished your sentence. You collected your trash into your brown paper bag and grabbed your books, leaving the table to head to math.

“Does anyone know who that chick is?” you heard Eddie whisper to his friends and you smirked.

Maybe, just maybe you gave him the push he needed to finally get his diploma.

-

I guess the library was probably more suited for you to begin with. You didn’t have to worry about finishing a book in the cafeteria and having nothing to entertain you for the rest of the lunch period.

You did miss the background noise that the Hellfire Club provided though. Despite never actually interacting with them, all the conversations you had eavesdropped in on made you feel like they were sort of your friends in a weird way. Like you knew everything about them and they knew nothing about you. You were essentially a fly on the wall for the Hellfire Club.

However, you couldn’t bring yourself to return after the events of yesterday. It’s okay though, you supposed, only a month left of lunches before you graduated and you were content to spend those alone in the library.

You were particularly engrossed in a certain chapter of your book that you didn’t notice the chair across from you pull out as someone seated themselves down in it.

“Hey,” Eddie spoke.

You didn’t register it, your eyes just continued to glide across the page while you munched away on a baby carrot.

“Um hellooo,” Eddie waved his hand in your view, snapping you out of your trance.

You flinched a little in shock.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Eddie grinned slightly.

“I apologize too, I’m not used to having that many people come up and talk to me in here,” you placed your bookmark in your book to not lose your page.

“You weren’t at lunch,” Eddie spoke.

“Figured you had had enough of me,” you replied, gesturing to the empty library around you, “Can’t bother anyone in here,” you shrugged.

“You were never a bother,” Eddie returned, “In fact, it was nice to have at least one girl at the table. Makes us all feel a little less like freaks and losers.”

“Don’t call yourselves that,” you bristled.

“Why not? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“No, it is most definitely not and besides, I don’t like when people are mean to themselves. What is the point in hating the one person you are stuck with for the rest of your life?”

“Huh, never thought about it like that,” Eddie leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.

“So what are you doing in the library, Eddie?” you questioned.

“Looking for you,” he answered.

“And may I ask why?”

“I really want to graduate,” he explained, “Like for real. Because if I don’t this year, I doubt I’ll make it through next year so I’ll drop out and all of these years will have amounted to nothing.”

“Well, I’m rooting for you,” you replied.

“You seem very studious,” he looked at your large stack of books, “Is there any way you could help me study? Like give me tips or something? I’ve never really tried before,” he seemed embarrassed at this confession, “I don’t really have all that much money to spare but I could pay you a little in cash. Or drugs, I do have a lot of drugs.”

You chuckled a little, “You don’t have to pay me, Eddie. I would be more than happy to help you for free.”

“Really?”

“Well yeah,” you shrugged, “I thought I made it pretty clear to you how upset it made me that you were wasting your potential. I would be a total hypocrite to not want to help you when you’re actually taking the step to seek it out.”

“Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me,” Eddie replied.

“Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you meet me in here for lunch and we’ll use that time to study for your final in Mrs. O’Donnell’s class. But you actually have to show up and try, Eddie, I’m more than willing to help but I’m certainly not going to drag you through this and force you to care.”

“Agreed, I want to learn,” Eddie nodded his head enthusiastically, “But I have one condition.”

“This is me helping you, Eddie. There is nothing for me to gain. What the hell could you have a condition about?” you asked, amused.

“You have to still sit with us at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” he grinned.

You rolled your eyes, secretly thrilled at the prospect of actually being missed by someone. Someone wanted you there, had purposefully invited you back.

“Come on,” he pressed, “I don’t like the thought of you being lonely in here all by yourself.”

“If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company,” you retorted, glancing up at him to see if he got the reference, it was clear he didn’t, “Jean Paul Sartre,” you finished.

“Pleaseeeeee,” he begged, clasping his ring-covered fingers together.

“Fine,” you relented with a small smile, “I will return to my corner of the Hellfire Club table.”

“Yes!” Eddie broke out in a wide grin, “We desperately missed our honorary member.”

“I never talked and haven’t even been gone for a full lunch,” you rolled your eyes.

“And you were missed nonetheless. In fact,” Eddie dug through his backpack, “Here,” Eddie slid a crumpled pile of fabric across the table towards you, “Please accept this as a token of my appreciation.

You held it up, it was a Hellfire t-shirt. You couldn’t help the small smile that erupted across your face.

“I love it, thank you,” you tucked it into your bag, knowing you would probably wear it to sleep tonight.

“See you tomorrow at noon, Y/N,” he smiled, pushing out his chair and standing up.

Finally when he exited the library, it dawned on you. How did he know your name?

-

Eddie took your lessons seriously. So seriously in fact, that you were surprised when he managed to correct you one time.

He was doing the readings that had been assigned throughout the year that he hadn’t paid attention to until now. He was asking questions on things he didn’t understand and taking notes to review. You even caught him making flashcards with a multitude of brightly colored highlighters one time, though he will never admit it.

Somehow, he was still embarrassed by the very notion of trying. It just seemed against his nature.

You were reviewing key terms of last week’s class, he was almost fully caught up to where the rest of classmates were, when a random guy approached the table.

“Sup dude,” the guy greeted Eddie, giving him a classic guy handshake.

“What are you doing in the library?” Eddie asked him nervously.

“I have to check with the librarian if I can serve my detentions in here. It counts as two if you help reshelve the books instead of just sitting there,” he spoke, glancing down at all the books open on the table, “Are you studying, Munson?”

“What? No?” Eddie pushed his book away, “Come on, man, you know me.”

“So what are you doing here with her then?” the guy pressed.

Eddie gulped, glancing nervously between this dude and you. He had a choice to make, his ‘reputation’ or you.

He looked at you with sympathy in his eyes and you could tell the decision he was about to make.

“Just trying to tap that,” he put on a wavering fake smile to keep up his appearance.

You slammed your book shut and began packing up your things.

The dude laughed at your anger, “Sorry, Munson, I may have messed that one up for you. But don’t worry, party at my place this weekend, you can do much better than this.

You finished zipping up your bag and raced out of the library, beelining for the girls’ bathroom.

You pushed open the big stall’s door and fumbled to lock it with tears blurring your vision.

You threw your backpack to the floor and sat next to it on the ground, clutching your knees to your stomach and resting your head on top.

You don’t know how long you sat there for. At least past when the end of lunch bell rang. You just sat there, completely defeated, letting the tears flow out.

There was a knock on the stall door.

“Occupied,” you replied, thinking they might wait, you added, “For a while so just….go away please.”

“Y/N?”

You looked up towards the stall door in confusion.

“Nancy?” you replied.

Nancy was nice. You always had at least one class with her since freshman year. You’ve been paired together with her on a few projects and you’ve always gotten along well.

“Um, I was headed to the bathroom anyways but Eddie stopped me right outside and asked me to check on you. He can’t come in cause well, you know, but he wanted me to tell you that he’s really really sorry. It sounded genuine too, if that’s any consolation.”

“Thanks, Nancy,” you sniffled, “But I don’t have anything to say to him. Could you please tell him to leave on your way out?”

“Of course,” Nancy replied.

A few minutes later when she left the bathroom, you heard the hushed angry whispers of Nancy laying into Eddie.

“If what you’re telling me is true and she really has been in there crying for the past hour and a half, then I doubt when she is ready to leave, she wants to talk to you when she specifically told me to tell you to go. Whatever you did to her isn’t going to be helped by you pestering her. Now, go,” Nancy shooed him away.

You’d have to thank her later for that.

After about another 30 minutes, you finally stood and peered out the bathroom door. Luckily, Eddie was nowhere to be seen in the halls.

You quickly headed down the hall to the nurse’s office, feigning a stomach ache that had been keeping you in the bathroom since lunch. The nurse let you lay down for a little and then wrote you a pass to go home early after calling your parents.

It was a Friday so you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Eddie until next week which was also your final week before graduation. Maybe, you should just skip that last week altogether. It’s not like anyone would miss you.

-

You stayed in bed all weekend with your ‘stomach ache’, even getting your parents to believe it was bad enough that you couldn’t go to school on Monday.

Eddie’s final was first period today so you doubted he would even show up the rest of the week. You hated that despite it all, you still wanted him to pass. You hated that he probably found a girl better than you at the party this past weekend just like the guy had claimed. And you hated most of all how you were still wearing your Hellfire T-shirt.

You must have fallen asleep because when you awoke to your mom gently knocking at your door, it was pitch black outside.

“Y/N, dear?”

“Yeah,” you answered.

“There’s someone here to see you,” she said it as if she didn’t even believe it herself.

You stood and opened your bedroom door, “Who?”

“A gentleman in a leather jacket with an…interesting hairstyle,” she stated.

“Tell him I don’t want to see him,” you crossed your arms.

“Honey, maybe just hear him out?” she proposed, “He’s holding a bouquet of flowers so big I’m scared his arms are going to fall off if you don’t get out there soon.”

“Fine,” you threw on some slippers and stomped down the stairs, not ready to face him but doing it regardless.

You pushed open the front porch door slowly to where Eddie was waiting. His eyes instantly snapped up to you.

“H-Hi,” he stuttered.

“How do you know where I live?” you immediately questioned.

“Um, I had to ask around but Henderson actually lives a few doors down so he knew,” Eddie replied nervously, looking down towards the ground and suddenly remembering he had flowers in his hand, “T-These are for you.”

He held the flowers out towards you but you made no attempt to reach for them.

“For what?”

“For everything,” he answered, “Mrs. O’Donnell told me she’d grade my final first and let me know since she knew how much was riding on it for me. She told me at lunch that I passed, my first ever A actually. I was ecstatic until I realized you weren’t there to tell.”

“Congrats,” you hummed.

“I’m really sorry for what happened on Friday, Y/N. I was a total asshole. You were helping me out of the kindness of your own heart and I threw it right back in your face. I don’t deserve you at all so please just take the flowers, it doesn’t mean you’ve accepted my apology or everything is okay because I still know I fucked up big time.”

“Fine,” you relented, accepting the comically large bouquet of flowers, “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Seriously, Y/N. I was so afraid of actually admitting I was trying and still failing,” he confessed, “Because if I try my hardest and still fail, then I have to admit to myself that I’m truly a failure. But, you pushed me, you believed in me, you helped me. No one has ever done that for me before and I know for a fact, that I wouldn’t be graduating without you.”

“Yeah, but you did all the hard work. I never forced you to care or learn. That was all you, Eddie. I’m so proud of you,” you spoke softly.

You saw tears in Eddie’s eyes at the compliment you knew he had heard far too few times in his life.

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you but I fucked it all up,” he admitted in a hushed whisper.

“Eddie, you broke my heart and I’m still wearing a T-shirt you gave me. I’d say there’s still a chance for redemption.”

-

“Eddie Munson,” Principal Higgins announced on the microphone as Eddie made his way across the stage in his cap and gown.

Eddie had been saying every year for the past four years that when he graduated, he would look Principal Higgins dead in the eyes and flip him off. Every student knew it at that point from how much he repeated it in the cafeteria.

The crowd watched with bated breath as Eddie accepted his diploma and politely shook hands with the principal. Then, he turned towards the crowd, searching for and spotting you.

He held up his diploma for you to see with a beaming smile. You laughed while clapping and cheering as loud as you could, giving him a thumbs up. He formed his hands into a heart and blew you a kiss before exiting the stage.

You were profusely blushing as heads turned to look at you. But, you couldn’t care less. He was all yours, high school diploma and all.

any comments, asks, reblogs are greatly appreciated! seriously they make me smile so much <3

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Day 3 -- Craig Boone

The (nsfw) details for Kinktober, Day 3 are just below the cut!

Minors, please don't interact.

Semi-Public Sex with Boone x F!Lone

So... this didn't end up on being too heavy on the "semi-public sex" thing, but idk, it's sex with Boone, its sweet and spicy and sassy in places, and I like it lol.

Please enjoy!

Here is the link to the Kinktober 2022 Event list so you can stay up-to-date, or re-visit these works as you please.

Included: Semi-public sex, blow jobs, fingering, wall sex, vaginal sex, creampie, (almost) discovery/being walked in on.

3k words.

--

“Hey.” Six whispered as she closed the door behind her, and Boone’s head turned to face her, his eyebrows knit together in concern. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“No.” She said quickly, “Does something have to be wrong for a gal to visit her partner at work?” 

He said nothing to that, just turned his head to look back out into the desert, hands tightening briefly on his sniper rifle as he took a breath. 

God, he’s just always tense, isn’t he?

“Thought you might enjoy some company, that’s all.” Six took another couple steps forward, stopping just behind Boone and placing her hands at his shoulders. “Plus, I… couldn’t sleep.” 

Her fingers began to rub at the tightness she found beneath his skin, working through the seemingly limitless knots of stress he’d acquired. 

“Shift’s almost over.” He murmured, “You can wait with me if you want, but I’ll be home soon.” Six smiled at that. 

Home. 

God, she loved the sound of that. So… domestic. But she knew how that kind of thing made him nervous. 

“I’ll stay with you.” 

Six bent down, her hands continuing their ministrations as she kissed his cheek lightly. 

God, she missed him. Sure, they got to spend the days together, but the nights were hard when she was alone, and she knew they were no easier for him. Sitting here… in the very place he’d been when he lost everything. She had promised him he’d never have to go through something like that again, but he’d only looked away and told her that it, unfortunately, wasn’t up to her. 

He was right, of course, but it still hurt to hear it. The wounds he carried would never heal, but she just wanted to make it not hurt anymore. In whatever way she could. 

Despite himself, Boone sighed at the feeling of her hands working over his tight shoulders, rolling his head back and closing his eyes just for a moment as he let himself unwind as much as he dared. He still had a job to do. 

And yet… The more indecent part of his mind churned with spine-tingling contemplation. He set his jaw firmly at the images that poured into his mind. 

“Thank you.” Boone’s head snapped up as he spoke, and he shifted his body forward in his chair, away from her contact and the thoughts that were muddling him. 

“I can keep going, if you want.” Six suggested, hands still poised to continue as though he’d never moved. 

“No, it’s alright.” He forced himself to say, “Why don’t you head back, I’ll be off in less than an hour.” 

Six could already see the glow of the sunlight just barely lining the horizon, a few of the duller stars beginning to fade from the night sky as it shifted to the paler morning glow. 

“I told you,” Six shook her head as she stepped around to face her partner, somewhat blocking his view of the landscape as she knelt down to be on his level. “I couldn’t sleep.”

His eyes met hers as she looked at him insistently, suggestively, even. 

Ever since the dinner they’d had before his shift started, where they’d eaten in dim candlelight and had a bottle of wine between the two of them, Six had just been so restless. Thinking of her partner, out here, all alone, and her, lying in their bed, just frustrated and longing to be by his side after all the romance of the evening, the touching, the shared kisses and handholding... No, Six hadn’t gotten a wink of rest, only a night of discontent. She aimed to change that. 

The sun’s not up yet. I still have time.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been able to focus.” She whispered to him. 

The pair had been so close when Manny’s hand had rapped against the door loudly, halting their heated activity and beckoning Boone up to his shift with a reluctant groan. They’d had to pry themselves away from one another, and Boone had gotten off the bed, readjusted his clothes, and went out the door with a promise to return and finish what they’d started. 

One hand crept its way back to Boone’s shoulder, Six’s fingers lightly dragging up his throat and to his cheek. 

“I've been trying.” Boone shifted his head, his eyes moving to look out over her shoulder and back at the land he was meant to be monitoring. Six tilted her head so it was in the middle of his line of sight. 

“And?” She asked, her fingers pressing to his cheek and jaw, pulling his gaze back to meet hers. She felt his jaw clench beneath her touch. 

“And… I’ve been failing.” 

She smiled at that, hand stroking over the smooth skin of his cheek gently.

“Well, how about you stop trying.” 

Six leaned forward, capturing his lips with hers and drawing Boone’s focus fully away from his assigned task.

“Shift’s almost over, then we can–” 

“Oh, Boone, enough about the damn shift. Everyone’s fine, look, the sun’s almost up, nothing’s going on.” 

He looked away and sighed. 

I’ll win him over yet.

“But if it means that much to you, I’ll wait. But I’m staying right here.”

Boone nodded at that as Six settled herself on the ground beside his chair, crossing her legs and setting her own gaze on the horizon. Her fingers were distractedly playing with the front of her sleep button-up, the nearly sheer fabric fluttering slightly over her chest with each small gust of wind into the dinosaur’s mouth. 

“Well…”

Boone started, cutting himself off with a tight snap of his lips and an embarrassed gulp. 

“... Well? Well what?”

“Nothing. Nevermind. It was… Just nevermind.” 

Six stared him down, Boone avoiding her eyes at all costs, gaze fixed to some far off point well beyond the physical realm. 

Come on. We both know what you were about to suggest. 

She gave him a few seconds, noting the sweat beading at his forehead despite the cool early morning air. 

Don’t make me say it, honey. 

“We just…” He started again, speaking slowly “We don’t have to wait until I’m off. Necessarily.” 

He cleared his throat afterwards, even as a broad grin spread over Six’s lips. 

“Funny. That’s just what I was thinking.” 

She sat up onto her knees as she spoke, scooting closer with each word.

“You don’t say.” He said, a rare humor shining in his gray-green eyes. 

A quick blush spread to Boone’s cheeks as Six’s hands descended upon him eagerly. Scooting her body in between his legs, she wrapped the fabric of his white cotton shirt in her grasp, pulling his lips to hers. 

She grinned as she felt him chuckle into the contact, her heart warming at the pleasant sound of his uncommon mirth. 

“I can’t believe you made me wait this long.” Six breathed between heated kisses, her hands working lower to tug at the fastenings of his belt. “You ass.” 

“It was Manny.” Boone refuted quickly, pulling away to help her with his trousers, a noticeable bulge already forming within the confines of the fabric at all of their frantic touching. “Bastard’s always to blame.” 

A dry laugh escaped her as Six managed to drag down his zipper.

“Alright soldier, that’s enough. Better keep watch.” She winked at him as she pulled his half-hard cock from its fabric prison. Boone hissed in a breath as the sensitive skin made contact with the cool air, the noise transforming to a contented sigh as Six took him in her hands and placed her warm lips delicately to the head of his cock. 

“Goddamn.” Boone’s head fell back, eyelids closing with the feel of her mouth and hands starting their good work to bring him to full arousal. 

“Hey.” Six pulled away for a moment, “Keep those sharp eyes on the horizon. Since you were so worried about it.” She mocked, before wrapping her lips around him once again. 

Six started off slow. Slower, perhaps, than her partner would’ve liked. 

But hey, he made me wait. Least I can do is give him a hard time.

She framed her lips around his swollen tip, pushing lower ever so slowly, reveling at the sound of his low gasp as she dragged her tongue over his slit, swirling it around him playfully. The faint flavor of him was musty and salty on her tongue, but Six would be lying if she said it wasn’t something she’d been craving. Wetness began to seep into her pajama bottoms as she continued to suck and bob her head slowly over him, and she felt his cock strain into her mouth, the thickness of his erection damn near invading her throat as he came to full hardness from her lewd attentions. A warm hand caressed her jaw as she continued to suck, lightly trying to push her away. 

“Hmm?” She looked up at him questioningly. 

“Up.” He told her, in a tone that wasn’t to be argued with. She did as he said, her heart giving an excited little leap in her chest at the sound of his commanding voice. 

Boone stood after her, grasping the back of his chair and shoving it to bar the door, lest anyone try and barge in on them. Though… As Six looked down over the side of the T-Rex mouth, she found herself wondering if it really mattered. 

If someone wanted to watch, all they’d have to do is step a couple dozen yards outside of town and look up. 

A shiver jolted up her spine. 

Her head turned back to look at Boone, but he was on her before she could even make out the sight of him. One hand grasped at the side of her face, pulling her mouth to press to his, while another got hold of her waist, guiding her body away from the edge to press against the back wall of the T-Rex’s maw.  

She grinned into the aggressive contact, already half-breathless by the evidence of her partner’s need as he grabbed hold of her firmly and pressed it against her thigh. Boone’s hands descended her body, both dipping low to tug at her soft pajama pants to pull them down to her knees. There wasn’t much time, not before the sun rose, before Boone’s shift was over, and even without all the other factors, Six needed him now. 

Her companion’s hands slid up her thighs, the short nails dragging pricking paths along the sensitive flesh before his fingers dipped down to her exposed center. He held her in place with one hand, his fingers grasping over her hip leaving small divots in her skin, while the other hand delved between her slightly spread legs, fingertips dragging between her lower lips. Boone groaned into her mouth as he felt her wetness collect over his probing fingers. 

“You weren’t kidding, huh?” He growled, pulling his lips away. “You really couldn’t wait any longer.” There was a certain type of smugness dripping from his words, one that was uncommon for her partner, and Six found herself grinning in response, a blush heating her face as her eyes closed in bliss. 

Finally, he was touching her, the way she’d been waiting for for hours, the whole night, hell, even since the last time he touched her like this. They never got as much time to themselves as she would want, so hell if she wasn’t gonna make this time count. 

Boone’s fingers dragged upwards, the calloused pads of them finding her sensitive clit with deft grace before rubbing tantalizing circles over her. Six pressed forward again, reveling in the feel of his solid body against hers as their lips met. Even with their clothing still mostly intact, she could make out the distinct play of muscle beneath his thin shirt, the rapid breaths that charged in and out of his chest casting warm air over her neck as he pulled back and delved lower, capturing her throat in a series of heated kisses. 

Boone’s hand was relentless, rough fingers picking up their pace over her clit until Boone was piledriving her towards her release. 

“Boone, fuck, please.” She whined, unsure whether it was a plea to cease his hand movement and finally seal his length inside her, or whether she was begging him to let her come undone right then and there. 

Boone didn’t seem to know the answer either, his own instinct causing his hand to pull away frustratingly before he plunged two digits through her entrance and immediately began to stroke in time with their rapid breaths. 

Six cursed at the way his fingers stretched her so suddenly, her hands gripping hard on Boone’s shoulders as her hips bucked away from the contact. Boone kissed her then, slow and long, tongue delving through the threshold of her lips to lavish her own in soothing strokes. His hand slowed, fingers going deep in to the knuckle before slowly drawing back out, the movement dragging deliciously over her sensitive walls and coaxing more wetness to seep from her. 

Six’s instinct told her to wrap a leg around Boone, to give him the wordless hint that, honey, this is great, but I need more, without pulling away from his lips, but the pants around her knees made that action impossible. Instead, she spread her legs wider, leaning back against the wall of the sniper nest and thrust her hips towards his groin, catching his hand in the middle and pressing his fingers even deeper inside her. 

Hopefully that was loud enough for him. 

Boone groaned into her, her hips throwing his wrist back to press against his erection at this particular angle, and thankfully, he pulled his fingers from her snatch. A lewd, wet noise followed the action, and Six tried to ignore the embarrassment the sound wrought, but if Boone noticed, he made no comment; merely grasped his wet hand around his cock and guided himself to her waiting entrance. His lips pulled away from hers for a moment, sweaty forehead pressing into hers as he pressed his head against her and pushed, plunging the entirety of his length inside her slick heat in one fluid motion. 

“Fuck.” He cursed under his breath, a soft groan leaving him involuntarily and sending a pleasured shiver up Six’s spine. She released her own gasp at the sudden feel of him filling her, her fingers grasping hard around his shoulders. 

“You feel so good.” Boone’s breath was hot against her neck as he spoke, and Six’s eyes closed tight, her own breath hitching as her partner buried himself to the hilt inside her, his thickness stretching her just enough to tow the line between pain and searing pleasure. 

“Mm.” She half-hummed, half-moaned at his words, and after a brief moment to allow her to adjust, he began to move. 

Boone picked up the pace quickly, the friction pulling a cacophony of breathy moans from each of their lips as their hips grinded wantonly against one another. They were racing against the sun, and the inevitability of the entire town slowly waking to hear and see them. See the way that they were writhing against each other, all sweat and desperation and shuddering relief that they’d both been craving all the hours of the night; hear their lewd moans and frantic pleading for the other to be closer, to move faster, listening as they shouted out their pleasure at the overwhelming peak of their union.

Six gasped as Boone thrust hard inside her, his hands grasping at her ass and hauling her up against the wall. Her arms tightened around his shoulders, her walls clenching tight over his length at the sudden movement. Her feet left the ground, pants falling to the floor, and Six opted to wrap her legs tightly around Boone’s waist. 

Her head fell back against the wall as he grinded into her, the head of his cock pressing to all of the right spots until she was seeing stars from behind her sealed eyelids. All of the sensations were slowly building inside her. The cool breeze on her skin, the dim light that was creeping over the horizon lighting the sheen on her partner’s skin, the hushed, throaty sound of Boone’s grunts as his hips pounded her back into the wall, the feel of him, around her, in her. He was all heat and rash desire. His hands clung to her hips and ass, kneading over the soft flesh while supporting her weight with nothing but his strong arms, and his mouth continued spilling hot breath over her neck and chest, lips and teeth meeting the flesh there periodically until she just knew he would leave a few marks. 

“Getting close.” He grunted, and she felt the way his rapid rhythm was growing sloppy. The low sound of his voice was just what she needed to realize that she was reaching her end as well, each press of him deep inside sending another pleasured shockwave up her spine. 

“Yeah. Me too.” Her own hips grinded into his, meeting each thrust with her own kind of desperation for him. The same such need that had been lingering beneath her skin since they were separated at dusk, finally about to be fulfilled just as the first rays of the sun crept over the horizon, setting the desert alight with a warm, orange glow. 

Boone’s hands tightened their grip on her, pushing her away and then jamming her pelvis into his with each long, hard thrust. Just as she began to lose herself, her walls clenching from the pressure building up and up inside her, a noise sounded from below, and Six’s eyes shot open wide. 

“Boone.” She tried, her voice more breathy than she’d meant it to be. 

He only grunted in response, his focus purely on their union and bringing it to an earth-shattering close, and there was nothing to be done but let it happen. 

But… if that’s Manny or Cliff, and they hear us… 

Six closed her eyes, her muscles clenching unwittingly at the thought and sending her tumbling over the edge. For Boone, that simple action seemed to be just what he needed to send him over after. Just as his mouth fell open in bliss, his hips stuttering as he spilled his release inside her, Six gained enough presence of mind to push forward and capture his lips in hers, silencing the groan of pleasure that left his throat as best she could. Boone relented easily, pushing hard into the kiss as he rammed her against the wall with each of his final thrusts. His movement prolonged the feeling of her own ebbing pleasure, and Six was finally able to pull away just as he finished riding out the end of his climax, his hips finally stilling as her body collapsed forward onto his. 

In the next moment, a thud sounded against the door to their right. 

“Hey?” Manny’s confused voice sounded from the other side, and Boone’s flushed face heated to a comical crimson. Whether it was from embarrassment or frustration, Six couldn’t yet tell, but she couldn’t care less. Not after all that. 

“Damn that man.” Boone growled, brows furrowing as he set his sights on the door. 

“Boone, you good, man?”

Boone rolled his eyes, and Six tried to stifle a laugh as he set her gently back down. 

“The one day he’s actually on time.” Boone shook his head as he helped Six get re-dressed, pulling his own garments back into place swiftly. 

“I’m fine.” Boone turned and told the door. “Just… having a smoke. Take a walk, I’ll be down in a minute.” 

Six bit her lip and grinned, the red on Boone’s face had lessened, leaving only a distinct look of unhindered annoyance that she just could not get enough of. Boone turned, grabbed his rifle roughly, and spat down out of the dinosaur’s mouth for emphasis, quickly pushing his shades back into place on his head. 

“He does something like this again, I really might just have to kill him.”

[snzysimper]

Alright, here we go. This is probably the longest thing I’ve written in such a short amount of time and been happy with. It’s probably not 100% what you are used to, but what matters is that it was fun for me to write. If this somehow magically happens to blow up, who knows? Maybe you’ll get more content like this.

I’m thinking about writing a different ending for this, just so that the people who enjoy more fluff can appreciate this.

Regardless, enjoy.

All Good Things Come to an End

3k words

CW: trauma(?), brief mention of character death, angst

Fandom: Eddsworld- Red Army

|| I am allowed to write what I want and I would appreciate you keeping whatever rude comments you may have to yourself ||

———————

It had been nearly a year since the falling out of Tord, otherwise known as “The Red Leader”, and his 3 former roommates. Everything had gone fine up until he nearly killed Tom, did kill one of the neighbors, and blew up the house. But that was ok. Who has time for friends when achieving world domination? The world isn’t going to take over itself, you know. Besides, he had other friends. Well, not exactly friends. More like people who were forced to obey him. Two in particular; Paul and Patryck. Not to say that they didn’t care about him. They were the ones who rescued him after his giant robot exploded. Although they obeyed Red Leaders every order, that doesn’t mean that they did so correctly. They were the ones who crashed a plane which resulted in a zombie apocalypse. Despite all of this, Red Leader finally accomplished his goal. With him in control, things slowly began falling apart. For civilians at least. For Red Leader and his army, everything was sunshine lollipops.

For the most part.

Recently, Red Leader often could be found thinking about his old friends. Especially Edd. He could live with never having to see Tom or Matt ever again, but not Edd. He was different. For some reason, he felt almost..guilty? The look of pure shock, sorrow, and betrayal on Edd’s face when Red Leader had said that they weren’t friends had haunted him for years. He longed to see him again, even if it were only for a second. Just to make sure that he was safe and hadn’t been killed off in the war. He would never forgive himself if he had indirectly killed his best friend. He kept this all to himself, but that doesn’t mean that no one noticed his change in attitude. Paul and Patryck sometimes asked him about what was on his mind. He eventually opened up and explained how he was feeling. He trusted the two of them more than anyone else. Despite him often being snarky and blunt towards them, they held a special place in his heart. They were the first people to join his army and were always the first to offer assistance with whatever he should need. While they did their best to comfort him, it didn’t help ease the pain much.

With fall rapidly turning into winter, Red Leader longed for Edd to be there with him. He was always so kind and nurturing during the cold days of winter. They would sit on the floor in front of the TV, wrapped in blankets, drinking hot cocoa to their heart's content, and spend time talking about whatever came to mind. Now it would never be the same.

“You have a fever.” Paul removed the thermometer from Red Leader’s mouth. 38.4°C. Red Leader got up from the couch where he had been sitting. “I’ll be fine.” He headed towards the door, but not before Patryck had seized him by the wrist. “No.” He began leading him back to the couch, but Red Leader wasn’t going down without a fight. “Get off me!” Patryck normally would have obeyed, but not this time. Not with his leader in such a state. Paul got up to assist Patryck in putting Red Leader back on the couch. His attempts to free himself from their grasps were all in vain. He just didn’t have the energy. He eventually gave in and allowed them to sit him back down. Red Leader crossed his arms and frowned facing the ground. “You are to stay on the couch until we say otherwise.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Red Leader looked up at Patryck with only his eyes. “I didn’t realize you were the one giving orders around here. I expect you would like me to go out and watch the prisoners for you as well?” Being low on energy wasn’t going to stop him from speaking to his men in a disrespectful manner. “Well, I am today.” He pointed at himself with his thumb. “And I will be until you are better.”

Red Leader sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” He fell over onto his side, his arms still folded. The Norski muttered some sort of foreign profanity under his breath. Patryck faced Paul. “Come on, we need to go get supplies.” Turning back to Red Leader, he very sternly said, “And you better stay put. I don’t care if we have to tie you down with rope. You are resting.” The two headed out of the base, leaving Red Leader alone in the common area.

It was just him and his thoughts with nothing to distract him. He once again began to think about old times with Edd. He was always so gentle and understanding when he was ill.

“Lay on the sofa. I’ll be back with some medicine. I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t worry, when I come back, you’ll have me all to yourself.”

Edd would never force him to do anything he didn’t want to, although he would heavily suggest doing so. He almost always would give in to Edd’s requests. How could he not? He was always so patient and kind. Red Leader shivered. He felt like he was outside in the snow with nothing but a t-shirt, despite having on his hoodie and his uniform. He aggressively rubbed his nose in an attempt to relieve the itching sensation. He tilted his head back slightly as his breath began to hitch. “Hhh hH-nkkt!” He held his nose shut as he sneezed.

“Come on. Don’t do that. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“So what? It’s better than me sneezing and getting you sick.”

“I don’t mind. Just as long as you’re feeling better. So please, don’t hold your nose. Besides, you’ll feel better if you let them out.”

He sniffled, not wanting to drip snot onto himself. “H’tkkchh!! H’kkccht!” He had to admit, not allowing his sneezes to come out at full force hurt his already pounding head. It hurt. Everything hurt. He ached all over, his throat was sore, his head was pounding. He was overall miserable.

“Here, I have some medicine for you.”

“snDff, th-thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to heat up some soup for you. Stay right here.”

What he wouldn’t have given to have been back home, his real home, curled up on the sofa with Edd, watching whatever happened to come on the TV. He sniffled, trying to think of something other than the already perfect life he’d once had. No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept going back to memories of him and his friend.

“Please take the medicine.”

“No, it tastes like chemicals.”

“And there’s probably a reason for that.”

“Case in point, I’m not taking it.”

“Your nose is so stuffed up, you probably won’t be able to taste it anyway. Please just take it.”

He couldn’t take it anymore. Memories of the strong relationship he’d once had had taken over his mind. He had bottled up his feelings of sadness for too long. He reached his breaking point. He began crying, tears rapidly running down his face. “God DAMNIT!” He grabbed a pillow from the sofa and chucked it full force at the wall. He brought his knees to his chest and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I-I-!!” He shouted in emotional pain as he lowered his head. He had no problem being loud and letting everything out. He was all alone. No one was there to see him as such an emotional wreck.

Right?

Having tired himself out from crying, Red Leader fell asleep for a good long time. Not to say that it helped much. When he woke up, he was still exhausted. Someone had thrown a blanket over him while he was asleep. He glanced out the window wondering how much time had passed. He looked around the room. Paul and Patryck still weren’t back? He groaned. His head was pounding and his nose was so stuffed up he could barely breathe. Upon further inspection there were some grocery bags on the ground by the door as well as a note that had been left next to him on the couch.

“ ‘There’s medicine, tissues, and some cough drops in one of the bags along with other supplies we needed. Be back in a bit.’

-Patryck”

He tossed the note off to the side. Where the hell would they have gone? Technically they weren’t permitted to leave the base without permission, but Red Leader was too tired to care. He mustered the energy to get up on the couch and walk over to the door and grab the supplies. He found several packs of tissues, cold and flu medicine, cough drops, and cans of soup. He rolled his eyes. Having to pay for guns, tanks and other various weapons and technology didn’t exactly leave them with much money for common household utilities. They didn’t even have a can opener, let alone a microwave. He staggered back over to the couch where he put the supplies on the couch next to him. He picked up one of the soup cans and attempted to open it with a knife. He eventually managed to make a big enough hole to be able to drink the broth. Despite this, his stomach still hurt from not having consumed any actual food. “Hhk’tcch!! Eh’schh!! H’mptch!!”

He tried to go back to sleep, but he was abruptly woken by chaos from outside the base.“Hold still, you’re only making things harder for yourself.”

“Get off of me. I didn’t do anything illegal.”

“You are being ordered to remain silent.”

Red Leader groaned. From what he could hear, Paul and Patryck had a new prisoner. The last thing he felt like was interrogating someone and finding a new cell to keep them in. After a bit more struggling, Paul and Patryck entered the base, leading a man with his hands and legs tied. A cloth had also been shoved into his mouth. From what he could see, Paul and Patryck had had to beat him up a bit in order for him to comply. “Jævla, what did you two do this time?” His already hoarse voice was even more shot from yelling and crying. Paul shoved the man to the ground causing him to fall to his knees. “We decided to hunt him down.” Red Leader groaned, getting up from the couch. Removing the cloth from the man’s mouth, Red Leader kicked him in the stomach, to which the man fall forward onto the floor. He might have felt like hot steamy shit, but for now, he had to look professional. He was about to carry out his usual routine of laughing and going through the whole process of what being held captive would entail, but he suddenly stopped.

“Edd?”

The man glared at him. “What the hell do you want?” It was clear that the man had no difficulty recognizing his former friend/roommate. Red Leader looked up at his men. He was suddenly filled with rage. “What did you do to him!!” He pushed Edd to the side with his leg so he could confront the two. “What is wrong with you? Why did you capture him! He hasn’t done anything bad.” Patryck had no problem retaliating. “What we did was bring you your precious friend. All you ever do now is mope around telling us how much you miss him. So we captured him and brought him to you.” Red Leader sighs. “Untie him.”

“Are you certain? He is most likely going to try and-”

“Now.”

“…yes sir.”

Patryck and Paul left so that the two could be alone. Red Leader glanced in his direction every so often. Edd had been tied down to a chair by Paul so that he had no chance of escaping. Red Leader took some time to study him. He had changed a lot since he had last seen him. He was taller and more muscular. He had a much paler complexion than he used to, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had grown facial hair, making him look older, despite only a few years having passed. “Edd-”

“Shut up.” The man glared at Red Leader, flipping him off. After a few more minutes of silence, Edd looked back up at him. “You’re a bastard, you know that?” Red Leader sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did.”

“Bullshit. You knew what you were doing. You would have killed us if you had gotten the chance to. You almost did kill us. You’ve killed so many other people. What’s to stop you from killing your friends too?”

“I-”

“Oh. Wait. You have none.”

The heater turned on, humming quietly. It had been a while since it had been used, so it was covered with a layer of dirt and dust. The air filled with the smell of burning dust. While Red Leader was happy that it was starting to get warmer, it came with a small price. He rubbed his nose, trying to be as discreet as possible, but Edd knew him too well. He sat quietly, waiting patiently. “H’ktcch!! Kt-CHss!” He did his best to be as silent as possible, but it would be near impossible to expel the irritant from his nose while doing so. “Hmpt’chh! Hh hhH-!! Hh’gGesshs!!” Damn it.

Edd smirked. “You’re pathetic. Just as weak as you always used to be.” Red Leader couldn’t help but agree with him. While Edd’s reaction to him showing signs of illness felt like a stab in the chest, he knew he had no right to complain. Not after all that he had done. “He’schh! H’chhs! K-tchiih!!” Edd rolled his eyes. “Are you quite finished?”

Nope.

“Hn’kkchh!! Hhm’pptcch!! Hek’tchh!”

“You disgust me, you know that? If I get sick because of your disease ridden ass, you will have hell to pay.”

After a short moment, the sneezing had subsided. For now at least. Sniffling, he thought about something he could do to try and make Edd not completely hate him. After a moment, he got up and walked over to the pantry where he dug around and found a can of cola. He stashed them in the back of the pantry. He walked up to Edd and put it in his lap, refusing to make eye contact. “I thought you outlawed this years ago. Or was it more of a direct target?” Edd looked down at the can of soda that lay in his lap. “You think this is going to change my view on you?” He looked back up at Red Leader. “You said it yourself, Tord: who needs friends when you have control of the world? For you everything has been perfect. No one in your way and being able to do as you please. Not for us though. Our lives have been nothing but hell. Even the slightest mistake can result in capture and being held hostage by you and your army.”

Damn, it had been forever since someone had called him by his true name. No one in his army even knew his name. He made himself clear that they were to refer to him as The Red Leader. Being called Tord almost hurt. Too many memories.

This was a mistake. He decided that having Edd there only made him feel worse. He wasn’t the same sweet, gentle, caring Edd he used to be. This whole thing was a mistake. Why couldn’t he have just been happy with what he had? All the time they spent together, all those adventures. They were nothing now. He had just taken it all for granted.

He pulled out his knife and walked over to him. Edd laughed. “What, you're going to kill me off as well? I wouldn’t put it past you.” Tord carefully sliced through the rope holding him to the chair. Before he could back up to let him stand, Edd shoved him out of the way, picking up the fallen cola can. “Good bye, old friend.” Opening the can of cola, Edd headed for the door. “Should we meet again, I hope you’re able to put up a better fight.” He slammed the door behind him, once again leaving Red Leader alone in the base.

“I’m sorry. It’s our fault.” Tord was curled up in the corner of the room, quietly sobbing. The two soldiers felt horrible. They thought bringing his beloved friend to him would help, but it only made things worse. Once Red Leader was over his cold, they would most certainly be punished. After a moment of thinking, Paul walked over to him, kneeling down. “Hey,” he smiled at him. “Why don’t we watch a movie? Then you can get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

Reluctantly, Tord nodded, getting up from the floor. Perhaps this was the start of a new friendship-

No. This wasn’t the same. And it never would be. Nothing could ever fill the empty space in his heart which had once been occupied by his dear friend. There was no fixing what had been broken.

As he slept that night, he dreamt of himself asleep with his head on Edd’s lap. Even if it was just a dream, it made him happy to be with the real Edd. The Edd that he knew and loved. The Edd that he had broken and destroyed. He would have loved to stay there forever. But all good things must come to an end.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It’s easiest to just wait it out. Besides, I don’t have to burden you with taking care of me.”

“You’re not a burden to anyone. Never say that about yourself. We’re best friends. We’ll always be there for each other! Now, try and take a nap, alright?”

“sNDDFf!! Ok.”

“Sleep well, Tord.”

END..?

[sopebubbles]

Intro: Serendipity

Summary: Yn has her dream job as a producer for Run BTS, but when she breaks the number one rule - to not get involved with any of the members - her life will change forever.

Pairing: BTS!Jungkook x female producer!reader

Genres: idol au, smut (18+)

WC: 3k

Warnings: I use the f word a lot, drinking, unprotected sex, fingering, jk is kind of an ass

Disclaimer: this is entirely a work of fiction. Although this is BTS, I don't in any way believe the members or their company would ever act in this manner. It was just an idea I had for a story. Don't get mad at me.

Master list ->

You had to give yourself a hand. The idea for the staycation episode of Run BTS at Josun Palace Hotel had all been your idea. One that the hotel jumped at since the publicity they would get from the boys being there would be great for business. And since you'd already rented out the hotel rooms, most of the crew and the members had decided to stay the night. Only those who had families to go home to had decided to pass on what Yoongi had correctly identified as the hotel's famous bar. 

You definitely did not fall into that camp, having been single for the last--well, long enough. It might be a stretch to say you're happily single, but you aren't unhappy, since it allowed you to focus on your career as an assistant producer for the show. You absolutely love working on the production, coming up with weird situations and games for the boys. Being the only female on the production team gives you an advantage in knowing what ARMYs want to see, which is basically as much of the boys being as cute and funny as possible. Not that the fact that you come up with the show's best concepts and work longer and harder than anyone else is making you even nearly as much money as any of your male counterparts, but that's the wage gap for you, and at least you get to do something you love. 

Something else you love? Drinking those same male colleagues under the table. It's become something of a point of pride for you to be able to keep up with the boys at work, and you're putting them all to shame in the hotel bar. Good thing you've all got rooms upstairs. Some of the guys are having to double up, but since you're the only woman you've got a room all to yourself, and as another one of your colleagues drops his head to the table you're ready to use it. 

Just one problem. You haven't been able to find your phone all night. And you're pretty sure you left it in Jeon Jeongguk's suite.

Namjoon and Seokjin had gone home hours ago to their families, eager to spend as much time as possible with them before they left for tour in a month. Hoseok had taken advantage of the hotel's spa amenities before going to bed early for his beauty sleep. Yoongi had actually gone down to the bar for a while and had a couple of glasses of whiskey with the crew before sinking into a blissful sleep. That was hours ago and now it's well past 2am. 

Ordering a couple bottles of soju and beer up to Jeongguk's suite had been Jimin's idea. It was a poorly veiled attempt to keep him from going out to a club and preying on the locals. Taehyung decided to join in since his girlfriend was out of town for work anyway. It was a night for them to reconnect as bros, Jimin said. 

It wasn't like they couldn't use it. As Tae had gotten more and more domestic with his girlfriend, not to mention the other two with their kids, and Yoongi spending more time producing, the boys had begun to drift a little. They still spent endless hours together working of course, but as the occupancy of the dorm thinned their bonding time grew less. With so many distractions in their lives on top of the pressures to continue to produce and perform as one of the top acts in the entire world, time to actually enjoy each other's company had severely diminished while the boys found other ways to relieve the pressure. 

Jeongguk's favorite way to blow off steam over the last couple years was to go out, get drunk, and hook up with random women. As the reins of the company--and perhaps more importantly Namjoon's influence--had begun to loosen, Jeongguk became eager to destroy the impression that he was the baby of Bangtan. While he never did stop working hard, he no longer attempted to maintain a squeaky clean reputation. He was rather more gratified by ending up in the tabloids than dampened by a half-hearted lecture by Namjoon or the managers. 

For his part, Jimin had been an early participant in Jeongguk's escapades, but he quickly tired of the idea of random hookups. He would have rather sought the kind of loving relationship other brothers had found, but no one caught his interest either. Nor did he appreciate the way the nights out affected his performance the next day-- something that somehow never slowed Jeongguk down. What he hated most though was going out with his friend only to go home alone. 

A night of drinking and hanging out, just the three chaotic maknaes was exactly what was needed. It had gone fairly well,  too. Everyone was happily toasted and ready for sleep when they'd reached the bottom of the soju bottle. 

Jimin and Taehyung are just giddily stumbling their way from Jeongguk's suite, still laughing as they lean on each other just as you step out of the elevator. They both greet you warmly as they pass you in the hall. 

You didn't want to disturb anyone, but you're glad that it seems Jeongguk is still awake. You had decided that if all was quiet on the top floor that you would wait to look for your phone until morning. Surely it's dead now anyway and won't bother anyone. But you're relieved that a hope remains of finding the device.

Seeing you come down the hall, Jeongguk decides to wait in the doorway, curious as to what could be bringing you in his direction since only the boys' rooms were down that way. You sway to the right as you make your way down the hallway but correct yourself just before you run into the wall. Your cheeks are tinged red from drinking and your hair is a bit out of sorts, but you smile brightly as you approach him. 

"Jeon Jeongguk," you greet, using his full name in a formal manner as you always do, without making it seem like you're beneath him. You've always made the distinction that you work for HYBE, not them. You work together to produce Run BTS. You're colleagues, but you're also not friends. 

"Y/n, you're always so formal. We've told you to stop that." He flashes you a smile he knows women find irresistible as he continues to lean in his door ways, muscular arms folded over an equally toned chest.

"Jeonggukie oppa!" You mock aegyo and he laughs.

"Yeah, you're right. That feels wrong," he laughs, not least because you're older than him. "What's up, Yn?" You don't notice the way his eyes appraise you, dragging over your curves. He never thinks about it much when you're working, but he admires your figure now. 

You bow your head with a sigh. "I think I left my phone in your suite earlier. Have you seen it?"

Jeongguk smirks. He'd never meant to set a trap. In fact, he normally enjoys a bit more of a hunt, but either way, he is a predator. Jimin had deprived him of a meal tonight, but now it seems all is not lost. 

"I haven't seen it." He has. "But you're welcome to come in and look." 

"Ah, thank you Jeongguk-ssi." You smile up at him and he pushes the door open so that you have to pass underneath his arm,  between his body and the door, to enter the room. In your state you think nothing of it and enter willingly. Jeongguk's smirk tilts upward as he catches a whiff of you passing by. 

"Do you have any idea where you left it?" Jeongguk asks casually as you walk right by the shelf it's sitting on. He grabs the phone and slips it into his pocket.

"I don't know. I was all over here, really." You wander into the bedroom of the suite, not really thinking. You try to mentally retrace your steps, but it was so many drinks ago.

Jeongguk leans in the doorway and watches you bend over to look under the bed. Maybe it fell under there. Nope. "What about the living area?" he suggests and smiles innocently at you as you walk by, but makes no show of trying to help you look so you can get out of here quicker.

"Maybe," you hum as you wander to the couch. You flip all the cushions up and then place them neatly back in their spot. Then you stand in the middle of the living room, turning in a slow circle with a confused look on your face. Where could it be? 

Jeongguk tries his best to hide his mischievous smile. "The last place would be over at the desk," he offers, still making no effort to even pretend to help look.

You shrug and sway your way past him once again to the side room where there's a desk and a dining table. He grins to himself once again as you bend over in front of him to check beneath the chairs and table. Seeing nothing on the floor, you go around the desk to check the elegantly decorated shelves behind, and Jeongguk follows you. 

"Ah, is this it?" Jeongguk asks, and when you turn to him he's got your phone pinched between his fingers. 

"That's it! Where did you find it?" you gasp. 

"In my pocket," he grins cheekily. 

You look up at him dumb founded. "What was it doing there?" It must be the alcohol making you this stupid. 

Jeongguk shrugs. "I was just holding it for you, so I could bring you here," he tells you as he steps closer. 

You swallow, watching him come toward you, his eyes intent on yours and just as glassy, too. "Why would you want me here?"

"You're very beautiful, Yn." You scoff at the non sequitur. "Really, Yn," he assures you, bringing his hand up to brush hair off your cheek. "We talk about it whenever we see you. You could've been an idol."

It's a line he uses on girls all the time, and even though you are pretty, he doesn't mean it in the slightest. But it's given him the chance to get even closer to you, and you're so shocked by the words that you hardly notice that he's pushed his body up against yours, pinning your backside to the desk that's behind you now. You haven't even taken your phone back from him. He sets it on the tabletop behind you and his lips hover a few inches from your face. 

"You're drunk," you try to laugh, but it's just air leaving your mouth and you look down to his chest because that's less intimidating than looking at his face. 

He won't let you get away that easily though, and he puts a finger under your chin, tilting your face up to look at him. "Sure, but I still know what I want, and that's you," he whispers low and you can feel his breath on your lips. 

He's so overwhelming.

Hell, Jeon Jeongguk is overwhelming from across a room. And here he is pressing himself against your body, telling you you're beautiful and looking at you like he wants to absolutely devour you. Now his hand is on your hip, moving slowly but firmly toward your ass. And yeah, this is one hundred percent sexual harassment, but you're drunk and he's him and frankly it's been ages since anyone has touched you or looked at you like this. So it doesn't take much for you to melt, especially when Jeongguk presses his insanely soft lips to yours.

The hand on your ass pulls you toward his hips while his other hand comes up to cup the back of your head and brings your face closer to deepen the kiss. Your head tilts automatically to let your lips fit perfectly together. Maybe you can't remember the last time you felt like this, but your body remembers what to do. Your hands grab onto his hips just as you part your lips to let his tongue into your mouth. He moans at the taste of liquor on your tongue as it glides playfully against his. It makes a loud smacking sound when he pulls his mouth away from yours only to place his lips against the skin of your neck, just below your jaw and you think briefly of a vampire!jk x reader fic you read last week. Fuck. Once you're able to breathe in enough air you briefly return to your senses. 

"Jeongguk, we can't," you pant as he presses his teeth into a particularly sensitive spot on your neck and you shiver. 

"Why not?" He hums after sucking gently on the spot. 

"Because… the company." You can hardly breathe, hardly think with the way his hot mouth melts your skin. 

"I won't tell if you don't," Jeongguk promises, his voice warm and husky against your damp skin. 

What remains of your rational mind loses to the alcohol and the feel of his large, tattooed hands on your thighs, making their way under the hem of your business casual dress, gripping you firmly to lift you up onto the edge of the desk. Your skirt rises all the way up to your hips as he makes room for his body between your legs, pushing them wide as you wrap around him. You raise your hands up to weave into the hair at the back of his head when he returns his lips to yours. One of the hands resting on your thighs inches closer to your core until his fingers stroke your clothed slit. He can feel the heat radiating from your center and he sucks on your bottom lip when your head tips back and you moan at his touch. 

"No one will ever have to know," he assures you when he slips his fingers under your panties to feel you. 

If you were sober you might feel embarrassed as the way you whine when his fingertips stroke your folds, but he smiles against your lips. He loves it. He probes his middle finger into your cunt and hums happily. 

"You're so fucking tight, Yn," he remarks. "Mmm but you'll have to be a little more wet for me if you want to take my cock." He palms himself through the soft material of his sweats. "You want my cock, don't you?"

You should take more time to think about it. Never in your wildest dreams have you actually thought about fucking the real Jeongguk. Sure you've read your fair share of smutty fanfiction, but you'd never really imagined it before. But you don't take any time to think at all. You merely whisper yes as you rub your aching pussy into his palm. 

"That's a good girl," he praises, keeping his hand pressed firmly against your core. He slips another finger inside, earning a small groan from you while you grind your clit needily against the heel of his tattooed hand. With one hand behind you on the table to steady yourself, the other grasps his neck and you pull his mouth to yours again. Jeongguk curls his fingers into your sweet spot, pleased to feel you get wetter around his fingers as you take what you need from him. You can feel the tension start to build in your lower abdomen and just as you start to clench around his two fingers he pulls them away. 

"Fuck that's such a good pussy," he groans as you're left feeling a little annoyed at the sudden emptiness. "I need to feel you on my cock," he nearly growls.

Jeongguk pushes his shorts to the floor and lets them pool around his ankles before he reaches to your hips and clutches at the smooth fabric of your panties. He doesn't make a meal out of removing them, opting instead to pull them quickly and harshly down your legs and leave them on the floor. Then he grabs under your knees and positions your legs so they're spread wide with your ass and your heels all perched at the edge of the desk. 

"Fuck, that's so pretty, Yn," he compliments quietly as he takes you in, stroking his cock. You lick your fingertips and reach down to rub circles around your perky nub, giving him more to look at. He groans softly, his hips pushing involuntarily forward, fucking into his own hand. He's seen enough. Now he needs to feel you. "Keep rubbing your clit, gorgeous," he instructs you as he lines up at your entrance. He pushes into you slowly, and you cry out, but he doesn't wait at all before he starts to move back and in again.

You let go so you can grip the bottom of his shirt and pull it roughly over his head. You're only gonna get one shot at getting fucked by Jeon Jeongguk, you might as well get your money's worth and enjoy the whole show, especially if you're gonna have to get yourself off. Not that he minds at all. He loves the way your eyes drag up his body from his cock that's fucking into you, over his washboard abs and bulging pectoral muscles before raking down his right arm covered in beautiful art. No he doesn't mind at all. He just buries himself in you. 

"Fuck, I knew you'd feel incredible," he mutters to himself. "Don't think I've ever felt a pussy this tight." 

You pull your dress over your head yourself, because fuck you're just that desperate to have his skin on yours. You give him an encouraging look when he lifts his hands to grope your breasts and your own hand returns to stroking your clit. With more than enough stimuli in front of you and his thumb on your nipple intensifying the white hot electricity filling your body, it's a matter of minutes before you're pulsing around him, crying out senselessly as your orgasm crashes through you. 

The moment your walls cease throbbing around his hard member, he pulls out and pulls you off the desktop as well, your feet just catching you. Luckily you've just enough strength in your legs to keep you from falling. Jeongguk spins you around so you're facing away from him and bends you over the table. Quickly, he's filling you with his length once again and it feels like there's more of him this time. Harder, longer, thicker as he plows into your soft warm pussy. The wet squelching sounds of his fast, needy thrusts into your depths fill the room along with your heavy breathing as you can do nothing but hold onto the desk and let Jeongguk have you, your breasts and tummy pressed flat against the cool table. His fingers dig into your fleshy hips as he rails you, desperately chasing his high while he once again admires your curvaceous ass. He forgets himself, losing sight of the fact that he didn't bother with a condom, and it's not long before he blows hot white cum against your walls, filling you up.

Jeongguk gives a few slow pumps before he's completely finished. Then he takes a step back in the small space available and after a deep breath, bends over to raise up his shorts to cover his lower half. You don't move until he clears his throat. The air in the room that was hot and humid with lust just a moment ago seems to have suddenly gone cold. You place your palms on either side of your chest and push yourself up to standing once again, but then you are still, feeling his eyes on your naked back. 

"You should probably leave, so no one catches you here," he says quietly but firmly, running a hand through his dark hair. 

His words have a wave of shame suddenly washing over you. Clearly he's got what he wanted and now it's time for you to leave. That's for the best, you think. Without turning, you reach for the dress you left on the desk and slip it back down your body. Then you grab your phone and slip your feet into your flats, and you turn to leave. You only make it a few steps before he calls you back.

"Yn?" 

You turn sheepishly in his direction and see him right himself after bending over.

"Don't forget these," he tells you, extending your underwear to you.

Anxiously you snatch them from his hand and scurry out of the room, already feeling his cum dripping past your entrance. You jump when you hear the door close heavily behind you, but you've already made it some distance down the hall. You hardly breathe until you're in your own room and then you throw yourself on the bed.

What the fuck have you just done?

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