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GAAP vs IFRS

Decoding US Accounting Rules: GAAP vs IFRS | Expert Insights in 2024

Navigate the GAAP vs IFRS debate in US Accounting effortlessly. Gain expert insights, make sense of regulations. Your guide to financial clarity.

The evolving landscape of accounting standards unfolds a nuanced debate between the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the International Financial Reporting Standards. These two frameworks, while sharing a common goal of transparent financial reporting, diverge in their approaches, giving rise to a multifaceted discourse with far-reaching implications for the financial world.

1. Introduction

The evolution of accounting standards has witnessed the crystallization of two dominant frameworks – General Accounting Accepted Principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. In the labyrinth of financial reporting, companies grapple with choosing between these standards, each with its unique history, principles, and global relevance. The debate surrounding GAAP vs IFRS is not a mere academic exercise but a pivotal consideration with implications for investment decisions, legal compliance, and the global financial landscape.

1.1. Evolution of Accounting Standards

The journey of accounting standards traces back to the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash when the need for standardized, transparent financial reporting became glaringly apparent. What emerged were the General Accounting Accepted Principles, designed to restore investor confidence by providing a reliable framework for financial statements. Over time, GAAP has become deeply embedded in the U.S. financial system, shaping the way companies communicate their financial health.

On the global stage, the International Financial Reporting Standards evolved as a response to the growing interconnectedness of economies. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) took the reins in developing IFRS, aiming for a standardized global language of financial reporting. This set the stage for a two-pronged approach to financial reporting standards – General Accounting Accepted Principles dominating in the U.S. and International Financial Reporting Standards gaining traction internationally.

1.2. The Crucial Role of GAAP and IFRS

GAAP stands as the bedrock of accounting standards in the United States, overseen by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Its principles, rooted in historical cost, revenue recognition, and matching, provide stability and a familiar structure for U.S. businesses. On the other hand, IFRS, under the stewardship of the IASB, operates as a global player, emphasizing fair value, substance over form, and materiality.

The significance of General Accounting Accepted Principles lies in its historical context and its alignment with the unique needs of the U.S. business environment. Its principles have served as a guiding light for American companies, offering a consistent framework for financial reporting. International Financial Reporting Standards, with its global perspective, caters to the interconnectedness of today’s businesses, providing a common language for multinational corporations.

1.3. Navigating the GAAP vs IFRS Dilemma

The choice between General Accounting Accepted Principles and International Financial Reporting Standards is not a one-size-fits-all decision. Companies grapple with a complex decision-making process, considering factors such as their geographical reach, industry nuances, and investor preferences. This debate is not isolated to boardrooms; it resonates in financial markets, legal proceedings, and regulatory landscapes, shaping the very fabric of financial reporting practices.

2. Understanding GAAP

2.1. The Foundation of GAAP

a. Historical Roots and Evolution

GAAP’s roots delve deep into the need for a standardized accounting framework post the 1929 stock market crash. FASB emerged as a response to the chaos that ensued, charged with the responsibility of establishing and improving financial accounting and reporting standards. The journey of GAAP has been one of continuous evolution, adapting to the changing business landscape and regulatory requirements.

b. FASB’s Ongoing Influence

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) stands as the guardian of GAAP, playing a pivotal role in setting and refining accounting standards. FASB’s mission goes beyond rule-making; it seeks to improve financial reporting, providing transparency and relevance in financial statements. The ongoing influence of FASB ensures that GAAP remains adaptive and responsive to the dynamic nature of business transactions.

2.2. Core Principles Anchoring GAAP

a. Embracing the Historical Cost Principle

One of the cornerstones of GAAP is the historical cost principle, dictating that assets should be recorded at their original cost. This principle provides stability and reliability in financial statements, allowing users to assess the financial health of a company based on the actual cost of its assets at the time of acquisition. While critics argue that this approach may not reflect current market values, proponents emphasize the prudence and consistency it offers.

b. Revenue Recognition as a Cornerstone

GAAP’s approach to revenue recognition centers on the realization and earned criteria. Revenue is recognized when it is realized or realizable and earned. This conservative approach ensures that revenue is not prematurely recognized, aligning with the matching principle. While this method may defer recognizing revenue until later stages in the sales cycle, it safeguards against potential overstatement and presents a cautious picture to investors.

c. The Significance of the Matching Principle

The matching principle is a guiding force in GAAP, emphasizing the alignment of expenses with the revenue they generate. This principle ensures that the costs associated with generating revenue are recognized in the same period as the revenue itself, presenting a more accurate portrayal of a company’s profitability. While adhering to the matching principle might result in lower reported profits during high-revenue periods, it provides a more realistic long-term view.

2.3. Scrutinizing Criticisms and Recognizing Limitations

a. Rigidity vs. Stability

One common criticism leveled against GAAP is its perceived rigidity, particularly regarding the historical cost principle. Critics argue that this approach may not capture the true economic value of assets, especially in industries with rapidly changing market conditions. However, proponents assert that this rigidity provides stability and consistency, allowing for easier comparison across periods and industries.

b. The Balancing Act of Revenue Recognition

The conservative approach to revenue recognition in GAAP has faced scrutiny for potentially understating a company’s immediate financial performance. Critics argue that this caution may not be reflective of a company’s true economic position, especially in industries where revenue realization is instantaneous. However, the balancing act lies in mitigating the risk of premature revenue recognition, ensuring financial statements maintain integrity and accuracy.

c. Challenges in Adhering to the Matching Principle

While the matching principle aligns expenses with revenue, critics contend that it introduces complexities in determining the direct association between costs and specific revenue streams. This challenge becomes more pronounced in industries with diverse revenue sources. Despite these challenges, adhering to the matching principle remains integral in presenting a holistic view of a company’s financial health, helping investors make informed decisions.

3. Embracing IFRS

3.1. IFRS: A Global Framework

a. The Rise of International Financial Reporting Standards

The emergence of IFRS marks a significant shift towards a globalized approach to financial reporting. As businesses expanded internationally, the need for a common accounting language became evident. IFRS, under the stewardship of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), rose to prominence as a framework that transcends borders, providing a standardized set of principles for companies operating on the world stage.

b. IASB’s Pivotal Role in Shaping IFRS

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) shoulders the responsibility of developing and maintaining IFRS. Unlike GAAP, IFRS operates under a principles-based approach, focusing on broad principles rather than detailed rules. This flexibility allows for easier adaptation to diverse business environments, making IFRS an attractive choice for multinational corporations seeking a harmonized approach to financial reporting.

3.2. Unpacking Core Principles of IFRS

a. Fair Value Measurement: A Paradigm Shift

One of the fundamental differences between GAAP and IFRS lies in the approach to asset valuation. While GAAP predominantly adheres to the historical cost principle, IFRS leans towards fair value measurement. Fair value reflects the current market value of assets, providing a more dynamic and responsive perspective. Critics argue that fair value introduces volatility, but proponents emphasize its relevance in capturing real-time economic conditions.

b. Substance Over Form: Emphasizing Economic Reality

In IFRS, the substance of transactions takes precedence over their legal form. This principle ensures that financial statements reflect the economic reality of transactions, promoting transparency and accuracy. While this approach aligns with the overarching goal of providing relevant information to users, it requires careful judgment and interpretation, potentially introducing subjectivity in financial reporting.

c. Materiality’s Role in Flexibility

IFRS introduces greater flexibility in materiality judgments compared to GAAP. Materiality refers to the threshold at which information becomes relevant to users. The more flexible stance in IFRS allows entities to exercise judgment in determining what information is material, considering both quantitative and qualitative factors. This flexibility, while enhancing the adaptability of IFRS, also raises concerns about potential inconsistencies in financial reporting.

3.3. Weighing Advantages and Drawbacks

a. IFRS Flexibility: A Double-Edged Sword

The flexibility embedded in IFRS is both its strength and weakness. Proponents argue that this adaptability makes IFRS suitable for diverse business environments, allowing for easier integration with various industries and legal systems. However, critics contend that this very flexibility can lead to inconsistencies and a lack of comparability, challenging the reliability of financial statements for investors and stakeholders.

b. Global Appeal vs. Application Challenges

The global nature of IFRS makes it an attractive choice for multinational companies aiming for consistency in financial reporting across borders. The common language of IFRS facilitates international transactions and fosters a seamless global financial landscape. However, the application of IFRS can pose challenges in jurisdictions with varying legal and regulatory frameworks, potentially leading to complexities in implementation and interpretation.

4. Key Differences Between GAAP and IFRS

4.1. Delving into Variances

a. Revenue Recognition: The GAAP-IFRS Divergence

One of the pivotal differences between GAAP and IFRS lies in the recognition of revenue. While both frameworks aim to depict the economic reality of transactions, their approaches diverge in certain key aspects. GAAP tends to be more prescriptive, providing specific guidelines for various industries, whereas IFRS adopts a broader principles-based approach, allowing entities more room for interpretation.

b. Inventory Valuation: Differing Approaches

The treatment of inventory valuation varies significantly between GAAP and IFRS. GAAP typically follows a specific set of rules for valuing inventory, such as the Last In, First Out (LIFO) or First In, First Out (FIFO) methods. In contrast, IFRS permits the use of various methods, including FIFO and weighted average, offering companies more flexibility in choosing an approach that aligns with their specific business dynamics

c. Consolidation Methods: Navigating Complexity

Consolidation methods, particularly in the context of subsidiaries and investments, showcase differences between GAAP and IFRS. GAAP often employs a more rule-based approach, specifying conditions for consolidation. In contrast, IFRS focuses on a principles-based approach, considering the substance of relationships rather than relying on rigid criteria. This variance introduces nuances in financial reporting, influencing how companies present their financial position and performance.

4.2. The Impact on Financial Statements

a. Shaping Investor Perception

The differences in revenue recognition, inventory valuation, and consolidation methods contribute to variations in financial statements produced under GAAP and IFRS. Investors, as key stakeholders, must navigate these differences to gain an accurate understanding of a company’s financial health. The choice between GAAP and IFRS significantly shapes investor perception, influencing investment decisions and risk assessments.

b. Decision-Making Dynamics

Companies, in choosing between GAAP and IFRS, must consider the implications on decision-making dynamics. The framework adopted affects how financial information is presented, potentially influencing strategic decisions, mergers and acquisitions, and capital-raising activities. Understanding the impact of these frameworks on decision-making is crucial for entities operating in dynamic and competitive business environments.

4.3. Global Adoption Trends: A Comparative Analysis

The adoption trends of GAAP and IFRS provide insights into the global dynamics of financial reporting standards. While GAAP maintains dominance within the United States, IFRS has gained traction in numerous jurisdictions worldwide. Understanding the factors influencing these trends, such as regulatory requirements, investor preferences, and global market integration, sheds light on the evolving landscape of accounting standards.

“Accounting isn’t just about profits and losses; it’s about sculpting the financial soul of a company.” Michael Johnson

5. The Evolution of Accounting Standards

5.1. GAAP’s Historical Odyssey

a. Post-1929: A Catalyst for Change

The stock market crash of 1929 served as a catalyst for rethinking the approach to financial reporting. The chaos that ensued prompted the establishment of standardized accounting principles, laying the foundation for what would later become GAAP. The primary goal was to restore investor confidence by providing a reliable framework for financial statements, reducing uncertainty and fostering stability in financial markets.

b. Amendments and Updates: Shaping GAAP’s Trajectory

GAAP’s journey has not been static; it has evolved through amendments and updates to address emerging challenges and align with changing business dynamics. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) plays a pivotal role in shaping GAAP, ensuring that it remains relevant, transparent, and responsive to the needs of companies and investors. The ongoing commitment to refinement reflects a dedication to maintaining the integrity of financial reporting.

5.2. Internationalization Efforts

a. Pioneering Attempts at Global Standardization

As globalization gained momentum, so did the recognition of the need for global accounting standards. Efforts were made to align U.S. GAAP with international standards, but achieving a universal standard proved challenging. The push for global standardization gained traction with the rise of IFRS, offering a framework that transcends national boundaries and facilitates consistency in financial reporting for multinational corporations.

b. The Challenge of Aligning U.S. Standards Globally

While the concept of global accounting standards gained support, aligning U.S. GAAP with international standards presented formidable challenges. The unique legal, regulatory, and cultural landscape in the United States posed hurdles to seamless integration. Despite these challenges, the pursuit of convergence and harmonization continued, reflecting the recognition of the interconnectedness of global economies.

5.3. Convergence Initiatives

a. The Ongoing Pursuit of Harmonization

Convergence initiatives aimed at harmonizing GAAP and IFRS gained prominence in the early 21st century. The objective was to reduce disparities between the two frameworks, fostering a more standardized global approach to financial reporting. While full convergence remained elusive, progress was made in aligning specific standards, reflecting a commitment to minimizing inconsistencies and facilitating ease of comparison for investors and stakeholders.

b. Prospects and Hurdles in a Unified Global Standard

The prospects of a unified global accounting standard remain a tantalizing goal, promising enhanced comparability and consistency in financial reporting. However, hurdles such as divergent national interests, legal complexities, and varying levels of standard-setting infrastructure continue to challenge the realization of this vision. Navigating these obstacles requires ongoing collaboration and a commitment to the overarching goal of global financial transparency.

6. Regulatory Bodies Influencing GAAP

6.1. FASB’s Pivotal Role

a. GAAP’s Guardian: The FASB Mandate

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) stands as the guardian of GAAP, wielding influence over the development and refinement of accounting standards. FASB’s mandate goes beyond rule-making; it encompasses a commitment to improving financial reporting, ensuring that standards are not only relevant but also responsive to the evolving needs of businesses and investors.

b. FASB’s Mission in Financial Reporting Improvement

FASB’s mission revolves around the improvement of financial reporting through the development of high-quality accounting standards. The board operates under a due process system, seeking input from various stakeholders, including investors, auditors, and preparers of financial statements. This collaborative approach ensures that GAAP remains a robust and adaptive framework that reflects the intricacies of modern business transactions.

6.2. SEC’s Watchful Eye

a. SEC’s Authority in Recognizing GAAP Standards

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plays a crucial role in the oversight of financial reporting in the United States. While the FASB sets accounting standards, the SEC has the authority to recognize and prescribe the principles used in the preparation of financial statements for publicly traded companies. This dual-layered system ensures a balance between industry expertise and regulatory oversight in shaping GAAP.

b. SEC’s Contributions to Financial Transparency

The SEC’s contributions to financial transparency extend beyond its recognition of GAAP standards. The commission actively engages in rule-making and enforcement to ensure that companies adhere to accounting principles and provide accurate and timely financial information to investors. The synergy between the SEC and FASB reinforces the integrity of financial reporting in the U.S. capital markets.

6.3. AICPA’s Industry Impact

a. AICPA: Nurturing Professional Standards

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) plays a vital role in shaping professional standards within the accounting industry. While not directly involved in setting GAAP, the AICPA contributes to the development of ethical and professional standards that guide the conduct of accountants. This commitment to excellence enhances the credibility of financial reporting, reinforcing the trust that stakeholders place in GAAP.

b. Industry-Wide Compliance through AICPA Guidance

The AICPA’s influence extends beyond standards development to encompass industry-wide compliance. The organization provides guidance on best practices, ethical considerations, and emerging issues within the accounting profession. This guidance ensures a cohesive and ethical approach to financial reporting, aligning with the principles embedded in GAAP and contributing to the overall reliability of financial statements.

7. International Bodies Shaping IFRS

7.1. IASB’s Global Mandate

a. IASB’s Significance in IFRS Development

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) holds a central role in the development and maintenance of IFRS. Unlike the FASB’s role in the U.S., the IASB operates on a global scale, aiming to set accounting standards that are applicable and relevant to entities worldwide. The IASB’s commitment to a principles-based approach reflects its recognition of the diverse needs of global businesses.

b. A Global Perspective in Standard Setting

The IASB’s global perspective is intrinsic to its standard-setting process. The board considers input from various regions, industries, and stakeholders, ensuring that IFRS reflects the nuances of international business. The principles-based approach allows for adaptability, catering to the diverse legal, economic, and cultural landscapes in which entities operate globally.

7.2. IFRIC’s Interpretative Role

a. Navigating Grey Areas: IFRIC’s Guidance

The International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) plays a crucial role in navigating interpretative challenges within IFRS. Given the principles-based nature of IFRS, grey areas may arise, requiring clarification and guidance. IFRIC addresses these challenges by providing interpretations and guidance, ensuring consistent application of IFRS standards across diverse industries and jurisdictions.

b. Consistent Application of IFRS Standards

Consistency in the application of IFRS standards is paramount to ensuring comparability and reliability in financial reporting. IFRIC’s interpretative role contributes to this objective by offering guidance on ambiguous or complex issues. This commitment to clarity and consistency aligns with the overarching goal of IFRS – to provide a common language for financial reporting that transcends geographical and industry-specific boundaries.

7.3. Monitoring Board’s Oversight

a. Ensuring Independence in Standard Setting

The Monitoring Board plays a crucial oversight role in ensuring the independence and effectiveness of the IFRS Foundation, which houses the IASB. Independence is a cornerstone of credible standard-setting, and the Monitoring Board’s role is to safeguard the integrity of the standard-setting process. This commitment to independence reinforces the trust that global stakeholders place in IFRS as a reliable and unbiased framework.

b. The Role of the Monitoring Board in IFRS Integrity

The Monitoring Board’s vigilance extends beyond independence to the broader integrity of the IFRS framework. By overseeing the activities of the IFRS Foundation and IASB, the Monitoring Board contributes to the credibility of IFRS as a global accounting standard. This oversight ensures that IFRS continues to meet the evolving needs of global financial markets and remains a trusted framework for transparent financial reporting.

8. Impact on Financial Reporting

8.1. Side-by-Side Comparison

a. Financial Statement Variances: GAAP vs IFRS

A side-by-side comparison of financial statements prepared under GAAP and IFRS reveals variances arising from differences in principles, approaches, and interpretations. These variances extend to revenue recognition, asset valuation, and consolidation methods, influencing the reported financial position and performance of entities. Investors and analysts must navigate these differences to glean accurate insights into a company’s financial health.

b. Interpretation Challenges for Investors

Investors face interpretation challenges when analyzing financial statements prepared under different frameworks. Understanding the nuances of GAAP and IFRS differences is crucial for making informed investment decisions. The ability to discern how specific accounting choices impact financial metrics empowers investors to evaluate risks, assess potential returns, and navigate the complexities of the global investment landscape.

8.2. Revenue Recognition Dynamics

a. The Nuances of Revenue Recognition

The nuances of revenue recognition under GAAP and IFRS reflect the underlying philosophies of each framework. GAAP, with its prescriptive guidelines, provides specific criteria for recognizing revenue in various industries. In contrast, IFRS adopts a broader approach, emphasizing the substance of transactions over rigid rules. Navigating these nuances requires a deep understanding of industry dynamics and the specific requirements of each framework.

b. Implications for Investor Decision-Making

The implications of revenue recognition dynamics extend to investor decision-making. Differences in when and how revenue is recognized can influence perceptions of a company’s immediate financial performance. Investors must factor in these nuances to make informed decisions, considering the impact on key financial metrics such as earnings per share, profit margins, and return on investment.

8.3. Asset Valuation Approaches

a. Valuation Philosophies: Fair Value vs. Historical Cost

The variance in asset valuation philosophies between GAAP and IFRS introduces complexities in financial reporting. GAAP’s adherence to historical cost provides stability and consistency, albeit potentially understating the current market value of assets. In contrast, IFRS’s emphasis on fair value introduces a more dynamic and responsive approach to asset valuation. Companies must navigate the trade-offs between stability and accuracy in presenting their financial position.

b. Balancing Accuracy and Stability in Asset Reporting

Balancing accuracy and stability in asset reporting requires careful consideration of the trade-offs between fair value and historical cost. Companies must weigh the benefits of presenting current market values against the potential volatility introduced by fair value measurements. Striking the right balance ensures that financial statements accurately reflect the economic reality of a company’s assets while providing stakeholders with a stable and reliable foundation for decision-making.

9. Challenges in Adoption

9.1. Corporate Resistance Factors

a. Unpacking Corporate Hesitations

The decision to adopt new accounting standards, whether transitioning from GAAP to IFRS or vice versa, is met with corporate hesitations. Companies fear the potential disruptions, costs, and uncertainties associated with the transition. Understanding these resistance factors is essential for regulatory bodies, standard-setters, and industry stakeholders to develop strategies that facilitate smoother adoptions and ensure widespread compliance.

b. Overcoming Corporate Resistance Challenges

Overcoming corporate resistance challenges requires a multi-faceted approach. Clear communication on the benefits of the new standards, comprehensive training programs, and support mechanisms can alleviate concerns. Regulators and standard-setters must collaborate with industry representatives to address specific challenges faced by different sectors, fostering a cooperative environment conducive to successful adoptions.

9.2. Implementation Costs

a. Financial and Operational Impacts

The implementation of new accounting standards incurs financial and operational impacts for companies. Costs associated with staff training, system upgrades, and adjustments to internal processes contribute to the overall financial burden. Companies must carefully assess these costs and develop comprehensive implementation plans to mitigate disruptions and ensure a seamless transition to the new standards.

b. Strategies for Mitigating Implementation Costs

Strategies for mitigating implementation costs involve proactive planning, phased adoption approaches, and leveraging technology. Companies can benefit from engaging with industry peers that have successfully navigated similar transitions, learning from best practices and challenges. Collaboration between standard-setters, regulatory bodies, and industry associations plays a crucial role in developing strategies that balance the need for improved standards with the practicalities of implementation.

9.3. Training and Skill Gaps

a. The Need for Specialized Training

The adoption of new accounting standards introduces the need for specialized training to ensure that professionals possess the skills required for compliance. Training programs must address the nuances of the new standards, focusing on changes in accounting principles, reporting requirements, and the application of new methodologies. Bridging skill gaps is crucial for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of financial reporting.

b. Collaborative Approaches to Skill Development

Collaborative approaches to skill development involve partnerships between educational institutions, professional organizations, and industry players. The goal is to create comprehensive training programs that equip professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful compliance. Standard-setters and regulators can play a pivotal role in promoting and endorsing such collaborative initiatives, fostering a culture of continuous learning within the accounting profession.

10. Legal Implications for Corporations

10.1. Legal Challenges in GAAP Compliance

a. Litigation Risks in GAAP Adherence

The legal challenges associated with GAAP compliance include litigation risks arising from alleged non-compliance. Companies adhering to GAAP must navigate the complexities of the legal landscape, ensuring that their financial statements withstand scrutiny. Implementing robust internal controls, engaging in transparent communication, and staying abreast of legal developments are essential strategies for mitigating litigation risks.

b. Strategies for Legal Compliance in GAAP

Strategies for legal compliance in GAAP involve proactive measures to minimize litigation risks. This includes fostering a culture of compliance within the organization, conducting regular internal audits, and seeking legal counsel to ensure alignment with evolving regulations. Companies that prioritize legal compliance contribute to the overall stability and trustworthiness of the financial reporting ecosystem.

10.2. Legal Battles in IFRS Adoption

a. Navigating Legal Challenges in IFRS Transition

The transition to IFRS introduces legal battles that companies must navigate effectively. Disputes may arise over interpretations of IFRS standards, potentially leading to litigation. Companies must engage in comprehensive risk assessments, understanding the legal implications of IFRS adoption, and implementing measures to mitigate potential legal challenges.

b. Legal Safeguards for Companies Adopting IFRS

Legal safeguards for companies adopting IFRS involve proactive steps to minimize legal risks. This includes engaging legal experts in the transition process, conducting impact assessments, and implementing robust governance structures. Companies that prioritize legal safeguards position themselves to navigate the complexities of IFRS adoption with resilience and integrity.

10.3. Risk Mitigation Strategies

a. Legal Safeguards: Mitigating Risks in Regulatory Compliance

Legal safeguards play a pivotal role in mitigating risks associated with regulatory compliance. Companies must implement effective risk management strategies, including regular legal audits, compliance training, and a responsive approach to legal developments. A proactive stance towards legal safeguards enhances a company’s ability to navigate the intricate landscape of financial reporting standards.

b. Strategies for Minimizing Legal Challenges in Reporting Standards

Strategies for minimizing legal challenges in reporting standards involve a holistic approach to risk management. This includes collaboration with legal professionals, staying informed about evolving regulations, and fostering a culture of compliance within the organization. Companies that prioritize these strategies not only mitigate legal challenges but also contribute to the overall reliability and credibility of financial reporting standards.

11. Investor Perspectives

11.1. Investor Preferences

a. Surveying Investor Preferences: GAAP or IFRS?

Understanding investor preferences is crucial in the GAAP vs. IFRS discourse. Surveys play a valuable role in gauging investor sentiment and preferences regarding financial reporting standards. The insights gleaned from such surveys inform standard-setters, regulators, and companies in aligning financial reporting practices with investor expectations.

b. Implications of Investor Preferences on Reporting Standards

The implications of investor preferences on reporting standards are far-reaching. Companies that align with investor preferences enhance transparency and communication, fostering trust and confidence. Standard-setters and regulators, informed by investor feedback, can shape standards that not only meet regulatory requirements but also cater to the information needs of investors in a dynamic and competitive market.

11.2. Impact on Investment Decision-Making

a. Investor Decision Dynamics: GAAP vs IFRS

Investor decision dynamics are influenced by the choice between GAAP and IFRS. Differences in financial reporting standards can impact the comparability of financial statements, influencing investment decisions. Investors must consider the implications of these standards on key metrics, risk assessments, and overall financial analysis to make informed and strategic investment decisions.

b. Strategic Impacts on Investment Choices

The strategic impacts of financial reporting standards on investment choices go beyond compliance. Companies that recognize the link between transparent financial reporting and investor confidence gain a strategic advantage. Similarly, investors who factor in the nuances of GAAP and IFRS differences in their decision-making processes navigate the complexities of the investment landscape more effectively.

11.3. Investor Education Initiatives

a. The Imperative of Investor Education

The imperative of investor education underscores the need for initiatives that enhance investor understanding of financial reporting standards. Educational programs, informational resources, and collaborative efforts between financial institutions and regulatory bodies contribute to a more informed investor community. An educated investor base not only demands higher standards of transparency but also actively participates in shaping the future trajectory of financial reporting.

b. Educating Investors on GAAP vs IFRS Implications

Educating investors on GAAP vs. IFRS implications involves demystifying the complexities of these frameworks. Providing accessible information, conducting investor workshops, and leveraging digital platforms for educational outreach are essential components. Investors empowered with a deeper understanding of financial reporting standards contribute to market efficiency and hold companies accountable for transparent and reliable reporting.

12. Ethical Considerations

12.1. Ethical Dimensions in Financial Reporting

a. Ethics in Financial Reporting Standards

Ethical considerations are integral to the formulation and adherence to financial reporting standards. The principles of integrity, objectivity, and transparency underpin ethical financial reporting. Standard-setters, regulators, and companies must navigate ethical dimensions to ensure that financial reporting serves the interests of investors and the broader public.

b. Upholding Integrity and Objectivity in Reporting

Upholding integrity and objectivity in reporting requires a commitment to ethical conduct. Companies must prioritize accurate representation over short-term gains, fostering a culture that values transparency. Regulators play a crucial role in setting the ethical tone, emphasizing the importance of unbiased and principled financial reporting in maintaining the integrity of capital markets.

12.2. Ethical Challenges for Accountants

a. Common Ethical Dilemmas in GAAP and IFRS

Accountants face common ethical dilemmas in navigating the intricacies of GAAP and IFRS. Issues such as revenue recognition, asset valuation, and disclosure requirements present challenges where ethical considerations intersect with professional responsibilities. Accountants must navigate these dilemmas with a commitment to ethical conduct, considering the broader impact on stakeholders and financial markets.

b. Navigating Ethical Challenges in Reporting Standards

Navigating ethical challenges in reporting standards involves equipping accountants with the tools and guidance needed for principled decision-making. Ongoing professional development, ethical training programs, and mentorship initiatives contribute to a culture of ethical awareness within the accounting profession. Companies, in turn, benefit from the assurance that financial reporting is not only compliant but also aligns with the highest ethical standards.

12.3. Regulatory Measures for Integrity

a. Regulatory Safeguards: Ensuring Ethical Conduct

Regulatory safeguards play a crucial role in ensuring ethical conduct in financial reporting. Regulatory bodies must establish and enforce ethical standards, conduct regular audits, and impose sanctions for non-compliance. A robust regulatory framework promotes integrity in financial reporting, reinforcing public trust in the accuracy and reliability of financial statements.

b. Maintaining the Integrity of Financial Reporting Standards

Maintaining the integrity of financial reporting standards requires a collaborative effort between regulators, standard-setters, and industry stakeholders. Periodic reviews, stakeholder consultations, and responsiveness to emerging ethical challenges contribute to the ongoing refinement of standards. The commitment to upholding ethical principles ensures that financial reporting continues to serve as a cornerstone of trust in the global business landscape.

13. Future Trajectories

13.1. The Evolution of Reporting Standards

a. Anticipating Future Changes

Anticipating future changes in reporting standards involves considering the dynamic nature of global business, technological advancements, and shifts in investor expectations. Standard-setters must adopt a forward-looking approach, engaging in scenario planning and staying attuned to emerging trends. The ability to anticipate future changes ensures that reporting standards remain relevant and adaptive to the evolving needs of the business environment.

b. Technological Innovations and Reporting

Technological innovations are poised to shape the future trajectory of reporting standards. The integration of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and data analytics introduces opportunities for enhanced accuracy, efficiency, and transparency in financial reporting. Standard-setters and companies must embrace these innovations responsibly, balancing the benefits of technology with the imperative of maintaining ethical and transparent financial practices.

13.2. Convergence vs. Divergence

a. Assessing Convergence Prospects

The prospects of convergence between GAAP and IFRS continue to be a topic of consideration. While convergence offers the promise of a more standardized global approach, challenges such as differing legal frameworks and regulatory philosophies persist. Assessing convergence prospects involves a nuanced examination of global trends, regulatory developments, and ongoing efforts by standard-setters to bridge divergences.

b. Navigating Divergences in Global Standards

Navigating divergences in global standards requires a pragmatic approach that acknowledges the unique needs of individual jurisdictions. The coexistence of multiple standards necessitates effective communication, education, and cross-border collaboration. Standard-setters can play a pivotal role in facilitating harmonization efforts, fostering a global financial reporting landscape that balances convergence with the flexibility needed to accommodate diverse economic and regulatory environments.

13.3. Sustainable Reporting Paradigms

a. The Rise of Sustainable Reporting

The rise of sustainable reporting reflects a paradigm shift in the broader understanding of corporate performance. Investors, regulators, and the public increasingly recognize the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Future reporting standards are likely to integrate sustainable reporting paradigms, providing a more comprehensive view of a company’s long-term value creation and societal impact.

b. Integrating ESG Metrics into Reporting Standards

Integrating ESG metrics into reporting standards requires a collaborative effort between standard-setters, regulators, and industry stakeholders. The development of clear guidelines, standardized metrics, and transparent disclosure requirements enhances the credibility of sustainable reporting. Companies embracing ESG considerations in their financial reporting contribute to a more informed and responsible investment landscape.

14. Conclusion

Financial reporting standards, whether grounded in GAAP or IFRS, serve as the bedrock of transparency, trust, and accountability in the global business landscape. The evolution of these standards reflects a journey of adaptation to changing business dynamics, regulatory landscapes, and investor expectations. While GAAP and IFRS diverge in certain philosophies and approaches, they share a common goal – to provide reliable and relevant information for decision-making.

As we navigate the complexities of GAAP vs. IFRS, it is imperative to recognize the strengths and limitations of each framework. GAAP, with its historical cost emphasis and rule-based approach, offers stability and comparability. In contrast, IFRS, operating under a principles-based approach, provides flexibility and a global perspective. Understanding the variances in revenue recognition, asset valuation, and consolidation methods is essential for investors, analysts, and companies alike.

Looking ahead, the trajectory of reporting standards involves a delicate balance – between convergence and divergence, between technological innovation and ethical considerations, and between traditional financial metrics and sustainable reporting paradigms. The future holds the promise of more standardized, adaptive, and responsible reporting standards that cater to the diverse needs of a dynamic global economy.

In conclusion, as the landscape of financial reporting continues to evolve, stakeholders must remain vigilant, adaptive, and collaborative. Whether one adheres to GAAP or IFRS, the shared commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability ensures that financial reporting remains a cornerstone of trust in the interconnected world of business and finance.

[rafesangelita]

…NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER AU

⋆𐙚₊˚👛⊹♡

NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER who first spoke on the phone with each other when bitchy!pogue!reader found nerd!rafe’s number in an ad that was posted on a bulletin board inside the only library on kildare island. she decided to give him a call when his flyer stated that he offered aid to those who required a little help enrolling in school, tutoring, and any other academic services that may be needed. seeing as bitchy!pogue!reader wanted to start going to school for fashion and business, she saved the piece of paper with rafe’s number and stuffed it at the bottom of her purse and forgot all about it until she got back home. “i would love to help you, would you say you’re available to meet tomorrow at the library around two o’clock in the afternoon?” he asked, scribbling down her information once she agreed to meet.

NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER who were both taken aback once they were sitting next to each other. bitchy!pogue!reader couldn’t help but flirt with him once she found nerd!rafe incredibly charming and sweet, the glasses sitting high up on the bridge of his nose making him look innocent and a tad bit shy. nerd!rafe on the other hand is absolutely enthralled and terrified at the same time when he saw a bombshell like bitchy!pogue!reader approaching him in nothing but a push-up bra, a bodycon dress, and pink pleaser heels adorning her feet. “are you rafe?” on top of him being star struck, he also loved the sound of her voice, its sugary sweet tone making his heart beat erratically in his chest. everything about her, from the body glitter sparkling against her skin, to the cotton candy scent of her perfume, he was obsessed.

NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER who began seeing each other everyday, both of them going over test prep, material checklists and enrollment forms. “do you have any tech equipment by any chance? you know, so you could do homework or get a headstart on any assignments?” she blinked at him, pulling out her outdated pink blackberry. “i just have this.” rafe nodded, eyes flickering between her glossy lips and the small device in her hands. “okay.. well, i’ll make sure that changes soon.” without knowing what he meant by that, she was in for the shock of her life when rafe surprised her the next day with a macbook pro and an ipad. “i don’t normally do this.. like ever— but i want you to have the proper learning tools to help you out. i truly believe you have so much potential.” bitchy!pogue!reader kissed him when she accepted the gifts, having never been supported like this before.

NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER who often get distracted from their studies due to bitchy!pogue!reader’s advances. yawning, she’ll reach back and stretch her arms up until the hem of her crop top reveals the underside of her tits, the pretty, plump swells of her breasts making nerd!rafe’s cheeks turn bright red. “i think we should take a break..” she’d suggest, resting her hand on top of his thigh underneath the table. rafe was a nervous wreck anytime she was in close proximity with him, let alone when her hands were on him, he couldn’t help the small beads of sweat forming on his forehead as her manicured fingers inched closer and closer to where he ached for her with need. “i-i don’t think that’s appropriate to do here— oh..” nerd!rafe panicked internally when she palmed the growing bulge in his trousers, a shaky breath leaving his lips as he surrendered to her touch.

NERD!RAFE X BITCHY!POGUE!READER who celebrate all of her academic victories; both big and small. “alright, let me see..” rafe would be scrolling through her school portal, her grades illuminating the screen as he looked over the numbers. pacing nervously behind him, she’d squeal in excitement when rafe would cheer her on, his chest filling with pride as she took a seat in his lap, pressing kisses to his cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “see how smart you are, doll? i told you that you could do it.” he’d praise her, his words melting her heart. bitchy!pogue!reader was so used to everyone telling her that she should just worry about what her next nail set should look like and not about going to school or starting her own little fashion line. “you’re the only person that has listened to my ideas and took me seriously..” she pouted up at him, “how could i ever thank you for that?”

[svtiddiess]

Prescription For Pussy

Synopsis: With Mingyu hidden under your desk as the intern keeps you occupied, you can’t resist the urge to tease him. But your playful antics only seem to fuel his desperation, turning him into a whimpering, eager puppy beneath you.

Pairing: husband!nurse!Mingyu x wife!doctor!reader ft. medical intern!Chan

Genre: smut, established relationship, non-idol!au, medical! au, mini-series

Rating: mature

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: petnames (puppy), public sex (Chan is in the room with them but can't see what they're doing), sub!Mingyu, dom!Y/N, oral (fem receiving), fingering, dry humping, Mingyu cumming in his pants, lemme know if I missed anything!

Note: Suprise! You thought the 1k celebration was done? Nope! Have another special bonus from me featuring the Sex Education couple. Enjoy!

Thank you so much to @seokgyuu, @gyubakeries, and @ylangelegy for beta reading!

And thank you to my twin @tomodachiii for helping me with the plot!

Click here to join my taglist!

Read on ao3

Reblogs are appreciated ♡

.ᐟMinors/blank/no age indicator blogs will be blocked.ᐟ

Raising an eyebrow, you fold your arms across your chest and fix Mingyu with a deadpan look as he casually makes himself comfortable on your desk.

"Don't you have better things to do than bother me?" you sigh.

"Nope," he replies, popping the 'p' with a playful grin, his legs swinging like a carefree child. "Finished all my tasks for my shift. The other nurses are doing their rounds, so I thought, why not spend some quality time with my lovely wife?"

Shaking your head, you let out another sigh and step closer. Placing your arms on either side of him, you trap him between you and the desk.

"Well, your lovely wife is a busy doctor with plenty to do, dear husband," you tease with a grin.

"My wife is so smart and successful," he says with a giggle. "I’m so proud she became a doctor."

You laugh softly and lean in, pressing a tender kiss to his lips. "Well, I was lucky to have the best tutor," you grin.

"And I was lucky to have a very hot student," he purrs in response.

"You were," you chuckle, wrapping your arms around his neck and resting them on the back of his head. "It was adorable how oblivious you were to my flirting," you tease, watching his cheeks flush red.

"I wasn’t oblivious," he whines.

"Then why were you acting like such a loser?" you prod, giggling.

"Because I was shy," he defends with a pout. "You were so pretty, and I didn’t want to ruin it by doing something stupid."

"You thought I was pretty?" you tilt your head, laughing softly.

"Mhm," he hums, pulling you closer by the waist. "Prettiest girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And luckily for me, I somehow managed to make her my wife," he whispers against your lips.

You giggle and close the distance, your lips meeting his in a warm kiss. Mingyu hums softly into it, the vibrations sending a rush of electricity through your body. You tilt your head, deepening the kiss, your tongues moving in perfect sync. The moment grows heated, the room suddenly feels much warmer. Mingyu’s hand sneaks down to your butt, giving it a playful squeeze that elicits a soft moan from you.

Just as the atmosphere turns steamy—

Knock, knock!

A sudden knock snaps you both out of the moment. You jolt apart, eyes wide in panic as the sound rings out again.

"Dr. Y/N, may I come in?"

It’s Chan, the intern. You glance at Mingyu, who looks equally alarmed, and in a flash of desperation, you grab him and push him under the desk. He shoots you a bewildered look, but you quickly whisper for him to stay put.

Smoothing out your shirt and skirt, you sit down at your desk and call out, "Come in!"

Chan peeks his head through the door, offering a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asks hesitantly.

"Not at all," you reply with your most professional smile, silently praying that the blush on your cheeks has faded. "Please, come in and have a seat."

Chan, a newly assigned intern at the hospital, is a bit naive but undeniably intelligent and brimming with enthusiasm for learning. As he starts asking questions from his recent rotation, you respond with a sense of gratitude, appreciating his passion for becoming a doctor.

Midway through answering, it dawns on you that Mingyu is still hidden beneath your desk. A mischievous thought crosses your mind, and you subtly slip your foot out of your heel, resting it on Mingyu. Feeling his hand wrap around your ankle, you fight to keep a straight face, resisting the urge to smirk.

You subtly move your foot toward his crotch, feeling him tense under your touch. Applying gentle pressure, you hear a soft groan escape his lips, and you bite your bottom lip to stifle a laugh.

While maintaining your conversation with Chan, you discreetly shift your chair back just enough to catch a glimpse of Mingyu in your peripheral vision. You spot him covering his mouth with one hand to muffle any sounds while his other hand guides your foot over his crotch, his expression betraying his struggle to stay composed.

You dig your heel into Mingyu's growing bulge, and you see Mingyu shut his eyes and throw his head back. A giggle slips from your lips, but you quickly disguise it with a light cough.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" Chan asks, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine," you reply with a smile. "Just a dry throat."

Without hesitation, Chan springs to his feet. "I'll grab you a bottle of water," he offers earnestly before hurrying out of the room.

The moment the door closes, you push your chair back slightly and glance down at Mingyu, a sly smirk playing on your lips.

Mingyu shifts his position and starts humping your leg. You laugh at his desperate state.

"Such a pathetic puppy, using my leg to get off," you mock him, and he responds with a soft whine. His movements get faster and faster, desperate to reach his high.

When you hear the door unlock, you quickly shift back to your original position, but Mingyu doesn't let up, continuing to hump your leg. Chan returns with a bottle of water, which you accept with a grateful smile. Taking a quick sip, you nod and encourage him to continue with his question.

Chan continues his questions, completely unaware of what's happening below your desk. Mingyu's movement starts to become erratic, accidental whimpers and moans escape his lips.

Chan pauses, looking around the room with a puzzled expression. "Dr. Y/N, did you hear that?" he asks.

"Hear what?" you respond, trying to brush it off.

"N-Never mind, I think I just imagined it," he says after a moment of hesitation.

You quickly shift the topic of conversation, and Chan soon forgets about the sound. You press your foot against Mingyu's groin as a warning, earning a muffled groan from him.

You feel Mingyu's hand kneading your thigh, and when you subtly glance down, you catch sight of a very hot and flustered Mingyu looking up at you with a pleading expression, silently begging you to wrap up the conversation and send Chan away. But you only smirk in return and move your leg against his crotch, causing his eyes to roll back and a silent moan to leave his lips.

As you glance back at Chan, your leg continues to brush against Mingyu's crotch, feeling his growing desperation for release. Suddenly, without warning, Mingyu's hands spread your legs apart. Your eyebrows knit together in confusion, but you maintain a calm demeanor. A shiver runs through you as his hand trails up your leg, leaving goosebumps in its wake, and you shift slightly, caught between surprise and anticipation.

You bite your bottom lip as Mingyu shifts your panties to the side, suppressing a shiver when the cool air brushes against your exposed core. Without warning, his fingers slide into you, drawing a sharp, surprised gasp from your lips.

"Dr. Y/N? Is everything okay?" Chan asks, his voice tinged with concern.

"N-No! It's nothing," you stammer, your voice trembling. "I just thought…I left the stove on at home. But then I remembered I didn't." Mingyu lets out a quiet chuckle at your pathetic excuse while Chan gives you a puzzled look. Thankfully, he seems to buy your lie and moves on with his questions, leaving you to deal with the heat rising in your cheeks.

Mingyu slowly slips his fingers in and out of your pussy, and you bite your bottom lip to try and prevent yourself from moaning. You try to close your legs but Mingyu's strong hand holds them open. He slowly picks up his pace, and you feel your body heat up; you really hope that Chan doesn't see the blush dusting your cheeks.

A soft whimper nearly slips past your lips as Mingyu slides another finger inside you. Your hands grip the edge of the desk, nails digging into the wood as you silently hope Chan doesn't notice the faint, wet sounds coming from beneath the desk. Your body tenses when Mingyu’s fingers brush against your G-spot, sending a jolt of pleasure through you that leaves you craving more.

"C-Chan!" you blurt out, cutting him off mid-sentence, then quickly clear your throat, flustered. "Can we, um, continue this discussion another time? There are a few things I need to take care of soon," you say, trying to sound composed as you urge him to leave.

"Oh! Of course, Dr. Y/N. I’m so sorry for taking up your time," Chan replies apologetically, quickly gathering his things and exiting the room. The moment the door clicks shut, you’re left alone with Mingyu once again, the tension between you palpable.

You immediately roll your chair back and grab Mingyu by his hair, yanking him closer as you lean down with a scowl. He meets your glare with a playful smirk, unfazed by your irritation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" you snap, your voice low and sharp.

"Just helping you get rid of Chan," he replies with a grin, his tone dripping with mischief. "And it worked, didn't it?"

You let out a scoff, tightening your grip on his hair until he lets out a soft whimper. "You're such an idiot," you mutter, though there’s a flicker of amusement in your voice.

"Maybe," he says, his smirk widening. "But hey, I might not be a gynaecologist, babe, but I know my way around your pussy."

Rolling your eyes, you tug harder on his hair, earning another whimper. "Oh yeah? Prove it, then, puppy. Make me cum with your fingers."

With a devilish grin, Mingyu picks up the pace, his fingers relentlessly targeting that spongy spot that turns your mind to mush. A string of curses spills from your lips as you throw your head back, spreading your legs wider to give him better access. The tension in your stomach coils tighter and tighter with every thrust of his fingers, the room echoing with the lewd, wet sounds of your arousal.

"I-I'm close," you whimper, your body trembling as it edges toward release.

Mingyu's free hand sneaks to your clit, tracing slow, deliberate circles over the sensitive nub. The sensation sends a sharp moan tearing from your throat as you finally tip over the edge, your body convulsing with waves of euphoria.

After a few more pumps, Mingyu pulls his fingers out and brings them to his mouth, sucking your juices off with a satisfied hum. "Always so sweet," he murmurs, his smirk widening.

"Yeah? Then you should have more," you growl, snatching his glasses off and tossing them onto the desk. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, you yank him forward, pressing his face firmly against your cunt.

Without hesitation, Mingyu dives in, eagerly lapping up your juices as his hands grip your thighs, spreading them even wider. Despite still being sensitive from your last orgasm, you tug sharply on his hair, pulling him closer as your body arches and writhes under his touch.

Shaky moans and breathless whimpers escape your lips as his tongue teases and prods at your entrance. Mingyu’s own muffled moans vibrate against you, sending jolts of electricity coursing through your body. Feeling the familiar coil of pleasure tightening once more, you lose yourself in the sensation, grinding against his face as if he’s nothing more than your personal fuck toy, desperate for that second release.

With a low growl, Mingyu hooks your legs over his shoulders, burying his face deeper into your slick cunt, determined to make you cum on his tongue. Your moans grow louder, his name spilling from your lips like a mantra as you teeter on the edge of release. Just as you’re about to tip over, his nose brushes against your clit, and that’s all it takes to send you spiralling.

His name becomes a chant, a desperate prayer, as your second orgasm crashes over you. Waves of pleasure ripple through your body, leaving you trembling and breathless. Mingyu moans against you, savoring every drop as he laps up your arousal, refusing to let a single one go to waste.

After a few final, lingering licks, he gently sets your legs down, pressing a soft kiss to your inner thigh before tugging your panties back into place. You glance down at him, noticing the unmistakable damp spot on his pants, and a sly grin spreads across your face.

"Looks like someone came in their pants without even being touched," you tease, your voice dripping with amusement.

Mingyu smirks up at you, unashamed. "Can't help it when I've got such a pretty pussy in my mouth." You let out a soft chuckle as you reach for Mingyu’s glasses, carefully placing them back on his face. With a gentle touch, you smooth down his disheveled hair and wipe away the remnants of your arousal from his skin.

The two of you sit there, catching your breath, exchanging fucked-out smiles. But just as the moment settles, a sharp knock at the door shatters the quiet.

"Dr. Y/N, may I come in?"

Your eyes meet Mingyu's, and the two of you share a mischievous grin. In a flash, he ducks back under the desk, and you quickly smooth out your skirt, scooting your chair closer to the desk.

"Come in," you call out, your voice steady despite the smirk playing on your lips. As the door opens, you feel Mingyu's lips already trailing kisses along your leg, and you can’t help but grin.

Taglist: @tinyelfperson @gyuguys @stay-tiny-things @unlikelysublimekryptonite @miyx-amour @iamawkwardandshy @codeinebelle @brownbunnyb @do-you-remember-summer-127 @sclovreina @theidontknowmehn @toplinehyunjin @gyuhao365 @mysticfairies @cherrylovescheol @cookiearmy @4shypotato @lxnnrobin @sashaaahh @xueisaaa17 @aeriyell @eshia16 @dreamingofpcy @archivistworld @kyeomiis @iwannakisspoutycheol @aliiikareed @jennwonwoo @cherrybb96

[camille-aurelie-deveraux]

Hi honey. Could I please request a Carlos story. Maybe the reader is working for the strategy team and is part of Carlos crew. Carlos is absolutely in love with her but reader is very obvious

Thank you ♥️

Head over heels on love

The Williams garage was a well-oiled machine, every team member moving with precision and purpose. Yn had been a part of this world since 2024, first as an eager intern, and now, a crucial member of the strategy team. She was good at her job—so good, in fact, that when Carlos joined the team at the start of the 2025 season, she was immediately assigned to his side.

At first, Carlos hadn’t thought much of it. She was bright, diligent, and clearly talented, but as time went on, he found himself watching her more and more. The way she smiled when Alex or Lily made a joke, the way her brows furrowed in concentration as she pored over strategy notes, the way she always had time to check in on the engineers even after long nights at the factory.

And then there was her laugh. That beautiful, musical laugh that had become his favorite sound in the entire paddock.

Carlos was a goner.

Yn walked into the paddock, balancing a laptop bag on one shoulder and a few notebooks in her arms. She barely made it two steps before Carlos appeared out of nowhere, plucking the books from her hands with ease.

“I’ve got these,” he said smoothly, giving her a warm smile.

Yn blinked. “Carlos, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he replied simply, adjusting the strap of her bag over his shoulder. “Where to?”

“My office,” she said, still a little surprised. “You really don’t have to carry everything, you know.”

He just smirked. “I like taking care of you.”

Yn huffed, shaking her head, but she didn’t argue. It wasn’t the first time he had done something like this. Over the past few months, he had developed a habit of showing up just when she needed help, whether it was carrying her things, bringing her coffee, or sneaking in snacks when she was too busy to eat.

She figured he was just being nice.

She was wrong.

Carlos made himself comfortable in her office while she worked on the next race’s strategy, going over tire degradation data and potential weather conditions. He placed a container of food on her desk, opened it, and took out a fork, spearing a piece of chicken before holding it up to her lips.

Yn blinked at him. “Carlos.”

“Eat,” he said, unwavering.

She sighed, knowing he wouldn’t let it go, and took the bite. He grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“You know, you don’t have to babysit me,” she said, swallowing. “I can feed myself.”

“But you don’t,” he pointed out, offering her another bite. “You get too caught up in work and forget. So, I remind you.”

She took the bite begrudgingly, but inside, her heart fluttered. Carlos was always like this with her—kind, attentive, affectionate. She just assumed it was his way of looking out for his team.

Carlos, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to be too obvious, though he suspected he was failing miserably. Every time she leaned in to take a bite from his fork, he had to resist the urge to kiss her. He wanted to—desperately—but he also wanted her to realize on her own how much he cared.

“Do you have everything you need for the race weekend?” he asked casually, watching her type out a few notes on her laptop.

“Yeah, I think so. Just need to finalize a few strategies and—”

Carlos reached over and shut her laptop. She turned to him with an incredulous look.

“Yn, it’s late,” he said, voice softer. “Go home. Sleep.”

She hesitated. “I just have a few more—”

Carlos shook his head, standing up and offering her his hand. “Come on. I’m walking you out.”

With a sigh, she relented, taking his hand as he pulled her to her feet. The moment she was standing, he pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her temple before resting his chin on her head.

Yn laughed softly, used to his hugs by now, but still, every time he kissed her temple or cheek, she felt a warmth spread through her chest.

She just didn’t think too hard about why.

The night before race day, the Williams team was gathered in the motorhome, going over final preparations. Yn sat at her usual seat, scribbling notes as Carlos, his engineer, and the rest of the strategists discussed potential scenarios.

When the meeting ended, Carlos lingered behind as everyone else filtered out. He leaned against the table, watching Yn as she absentmindedly tapped her pen against her notebook.

“You always work too hard,” he murmured.

She smiled, glancing up at him. “You always tell me that.”

“Because it’s true.”

Before she could respond, he reached out and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing her skin. Her breath hitched slightly, and Carlos felt his heart hammer in his chest. He had been patient, waiting for her to see what was right in front of her, but he was reaching his limit.

“Yn,” he said softly.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at him curiously. “Yeah?”

His gaze flickered to her lips before meeting her eyes again. He wanted to kiss her. God, he wanted to kiss her so badly.

But he held back. Just a little longer.

Instead, he leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek before pulling away. “Get some rest,” he whispered before walking out of the room, leaving Yn standing there, utterly clueless to the fact that she had completely stolen his heart.

🪼🦋🐳🪼🦋🐳🪼🦋🐳🪼🦋🐳🪼🦋🐳🪼🦋

Hello lovely people! Please enjoy this little piece. I would be very happy if you would send me some requests. See ya till next time!

-Cami🪼🦋🐳

[donat-senpai]

I enjoy ur Moamao x reader x jinshi series! I would love a part 3!

Hi, sunshine. Thank you! Appreciate the feedback 💙 (I haven’t replied to requests this fast in a while lmao). Part 3 is ready :3

Yandere!Maomao X Reader X Yandere!Jinshi Please don't read this if you are uncomfortable with the yandere! tw: Jealousy (nothing special anymore) I think this time, more attention was given to Jenshi. I'll try to write about Maomao next time. She's a sunshine and also deserves her happy time with the reader! (ﾉ･ω･)ﾉ

Part one, Part two, Part three

Minute of glory

— You want me to take part in the play? — you ask Jinshi in complete confusion. A thought creeps into your mind: has he lost his mind? As if agreeing with your thoughts, he gives you a confirming nod.

— You know I was assigned to organize the play. This performance is extremely important because the order comes almost directly from the Emperor. Everything has to be perfect. After all, it's a gift from the Emperor to the entire harem. There are only a couple of days left before the performance, but something happened that we weren’t prepared for. A few actors fell ill. Their roles are minor, but still crucial. We can't just remove them from the script, — Jinshi patiently explains the situation while your brain struggles to process it. He looks truly exhausted and tense. Organizing the event must have drained him. You start to feel a bit sorry for him, yet you still can't understand why he came to you with such a request.

— Just replace them with other actors.

— That’s impossible. All the actors are already involved, — Jinshi glanced at Gaoshun, who immediately joined the conversation.

— We also considered casting one of the concubines for the role, but one of the Emperor’s requirements was to keep the play’s storyline a secret until the main performance. We’re not sure whether the chosen concubine would be able to maintain that secrecy.

After Gaoshun’s words, things became a little clearer. You exchanged glances with Maomao. She had been quietly listening the whole time, stirring a mixture with a wooden spoon.

Jinshi took your hand in his and pressed it against his chest. The spoon in Maomao’s hand let out a desperate crack.

— Please, don’t refuse. I don’t know anyone else suited for this role whom I trust as much as you. I promise, everything will go smoothly. I’ll be right there with you. All we need to do is step onto the stage and perform a short dialogue. There’s still time before the performance. We can rehearse, — with each sentence, Jinshi moved closer. You barely noticed, too distracted by your own anxiety.

Performing in such an important play, in front of everyone—it was nerve-wracking. Oh, Emperor! What if you forgot your lines? But Jinshi was so serious, so certain that he would be by your side. Surely, he would help if anything went wrong. Your heart slowly softened. You wanted to help him.

— What’s the role?

— Lovers.

His answer struck like thunder in a clear sky. A loud crack echoed in the room. The poor spoon — it seems to have broken. You cursed internally. You should have suggested Maomao for the role instead. Such a golden opportunity, wasted.

---

You stand on an improvised stage set up in one of the large halls. A couple of eunuchs are busy checking the props. The main cast has gone on a lunch break. Jinshi said that the two of you should practice a few times on your own before joining the final rehearsal with everyone else later today.

Tense, you try to discreetly wipe your sweaty palms on your skirt. You can’t even imagine how you’re supposed to act. You’ve never experienced anything like this before. Unfortunately, no one thought to teach you acting skills between rounds of physical labor. The harem really should reconsider its system.

Right now, you’d gladly trade places with Maomao — not just for the sake of her and Jinshi’s bright future, but for your own peace of mind. You cast a helpless glance at the makeshift audience area. Maomao gives you an encouraging smile, trying to cheer you up. Gaoshun nods approvingly and gives you a thumbs-up. Your attention shifts back to Jinshi, who is patiently waiting. He’s too kind to pressure you, letting you take your time. You promised to help. There’s no turning back now.

Blushing slightly and taking a deep breath, you finally begin to say your lines.

— Ah, my beloved! Is fate not cruel? We come from different worlds! — you sigh dramatically, crossing your arms over your chest.

— Fate? I won’t let destiny decide for us! — With a sly smile, the man takes your hand and leans in, his lips almost brushing against your fingers.

To your surprise, Jinshi slips into his role effortlessly, as if he’s been acting his whole life. Watching his confident performance, you start to relax, feeling a little bolder.

— But what will people say?! What will my father say?! — You pull your hand away, turning your back to him, clenching your fists. Jinshi gently turns you back toward him, reaching for your chin and tilting your face up.

— Let them say what they will… You are all I need.

Maomao, watching the rehearsal, takes a hurried sip of tea, trying to hide the nervous twitch on her face. Was this cursed scene supposed to be this intense?

She knew. She felt it. No actor had actually fallen ill. That wretched eunuch had planned everything from the very start.

— Then… then kiss me, if your feelings are true! — you said, your lips trembling.

Jinshi smiles broadly and slowly leans in closer, enjoying the way Maomao grips her cup tighter. Gaoshun nervously swallows. It seemed like, any moment now, the apothecary might start killing. At the last second, you place your palm on Jinshi's face and suddenly pull back.

— No! I can't! — you cry out dramatically.

Maomao exhales in relief. Jinshi laughs, throwing a brief glance at her. With feigned regret, he delivers the final line.

— What a pity… I really tried so hard.

The eunuchs, who had abandoned their work somewhere during your rehearsal, suddenly clap. They enthusiastically mention that the passion between the lovers was played out so convincingly. Encouraged by their praise, you bow to them gratefully. As you finish, Jinshi places his hand on your shoulder.

— You did wonderfully… So, shall we do it again?

You mentally apologize to Maomao, feeling regret. How did it happen that you stole her shining moment? A crack of glass is heard. The poor cup… It seems to have broken.

[sweetromanova]

Crisis Management: Part One🖤

Natasha Romanoff x PR Handler!Reader

Summary: Your assigned to make Natasha Romanoff more ‘relateable’. Somewhere along the way you forget your job was to fix her image, not fall in love with it.

A/N: three parts coming your way and maybe a few extra if ever actually write something again!

Nothing says ‘serious business’ like a well-timed speech. 

Pepper Potts stood at the front of the briefing room, immaculate in a slate-gray suit that probably cost more than your car. Composed, poised, not a hair out of place for a woman, with such a difficult job and an even more difficult husband. With the slightest motion, just one perfectly manicured finger, she tapped the control panel. A hologram flickered to life, bold title blazing across the screen.

THE FUTURE OF HEROISM: STRATEGY & PUBLIC ALIGNMENT INITIATIVE.

You, meanwhile, were mentally rewriting your resume and wondering if your last boss would still be willing to lie for you.

“As SHIELD enters a reorganisation phase…” Pepper began. “It’s important we reinforce public trust. The Avengers Initiative is no longer just about defense, it’s also about presence. Visibility. Hope.”

Tony Stark coughed something that sounded suspiciously like branding.

“We want to reach people where they are.” Pepper continued, undeterred. “Schools. Fundraisers. Streaming platforms. We want to build a bridge between what they see on the battlefield and what they can believe in their everyday lives.”

Steve raised a hand. “This doesn’t involve dancing, does it?”

Silence, then a much quieter. “Not necessarily.”

He groaned. “That’s a yes.”

You tried to blend into the wall but it was too late. Her gaze already landed on you.

“This is our new Public Image Strategist. They’ll be working with each of you individually to build out personal brand campaigns, coordinate appearances, and help… shape the narrative.”

Tony gave a low whistle. Steve looked polite but wary. Clint squinted at you like you might be a new type of training dummy.

And then there was the empty chair.

Seat: Natasha Romanoff. Status: Unaccounted for.

Typical.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The meeting ended with you holding a folder full of schedules, press requests and enough NDAs to gag a lawyer. You managed to corner Pepper near the elevator. “I don’t mean to complain, but you assigned a lot of focus on Nat-“

“Natasha.” She said, crisply. “Yes. She’s the priority. People are more interested in the woman, naturally and she has ZERO presence when it comes to fan or press events.”

“She didn’t even show up to the meeting.”

“She doesn’t need to. You’ll find her.”

You blinked. “Shouldn’t she find me?”

Pepper smiled, the kind that meant you were already ten seconds into a losing battle. “She’s not a ghost. Just... persuasive about her time.”

The elevator doors opened. “And when you do find her.” Pepper added, stepping in. “Be patient. And wear black. She hates color-coordination.”

⋆⋆⋆⋆

Three hours later, you found Natasha in the gym.

Of course you did. Where else do assassins go to ignore the living?

She was hitting the punching bag like it owed her money. No music. No distractions. Just the thwack of fists and the low hum of tension hanging in the air.

“Natasha Romanoff?” You tried, internally berating yourself over how pathetic you sounded.

No response.

You stepped closer, adjusting your clipboard like it was a bulletproof shield. “I’m-“

“I know who you are.” She didn’t look up.

That was all she said for a solid thirty seconds. Then, still without meeting your eyes, she added. “Turn around and walk out. You’ll get paid either way.”

You paused. “I don’t walk out.”

She finally looked at you. “Do you prefer to be carried?”

“I prefer to do my job.”

Her eyes were cool and calm and terrifyingly amused. “Cute.”

“No, seriously.” You frowned, trying not to backpedal. “I’ve been assigned to help you. And before you tell me you don’t need PR, I’ve read every major article about your past ten years, and frankly? You desperately need PR.”

That got a her attention. 

She stopped hitting the bag so you pressed on. “Look, I know you’re not a fan of this ‘smile for the cameras’ thing. But I’m not asking you to be someone else. I’m asking you to control the version of you the world sees. Because right now, the version they see is… scary.”

She walked past you slowly, grabbed a towel and wiped down her hands.

“You think I’m scary?” She asked, almost curious.

“I think you’ve trained people to be afraid of you. That’s different.” Now she looked at you directly. “I’m not scared of you.”

A faint smirked appeared on her face, like she found your bravery endearing, then she said. “Fine.”

“…Fine?”

“I’ll give you one week. One press appearance. One outfit, one event, one pathetic little video or whatever it is you people do.”

You opened your mouth but she held up a finger.

“But if I hate it, if I get ambushed by reporters, if someone asks me which lipstick I’m wearing while the world is still on fire, you’re done. And I mean done.”

You nodded, slowly. “Fair.”

She leaned in just slightly, the edge of a smile tugging at her lips.

“You really should’ve walked out.”

And then she left you standing in the gym with a clipboard, a heart that’s beating out of your chest and the very distinct sense that your life had just become infinitely harder.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

You met her outside the Tower’s west exit at exactly 9:00am the next morning.

She was already there, leaning casually against the railing like she hadn’t just scared a State Department liaison into early retirement the week before. Dressed in what could only be described as ‘civilian casual’ for someone with a kill count, she wore fitted black jeans, ankle boots that had clearly seen both combat and cocktail parties and a leather jacket that managed to make her look more dangerous than full tactical gear. No weapons in sight, but it was Natasha Romanoff. She was the weapon.

“I said one event.” She warned flatly, eyes glued to her phone as her thumb flicked across the screen.

“And this is the one. You replied, lifting your tablet in a vaguely defensive gesture. “Daytime talk show. Live audience, five-minute interview slot. You smile, you answer a few softballs and we pretend you didn’t threaten three journalists in the last six months.”

Her lips quirked, barely. “Only two. The third one tripped.”

You tilted your head. “And landed on your elbow?”

“Gravity’s unpredictable.” She said, with a shrug. “How’d you know about that, anyway?”

“It’s in your file.”

“I have a file?”

You chose not to answer. 

Mostly because you could already feel the weight of her gaze pressing into your back as you turned and started walking. She didn’t follow immediately. She didn’t need to. You felt her assessing you, like she was running mental simulations of how fast she could incapacitate you, how much effort it would take, whether you were worth the paperwork.

You weren’t easily shaken. You’d sat across from CEOs with billion-dollar egos and reporters with blood in their eyes. But Natasha was something else. She didn’t need attention. She didn’t need to talk big. She existed with the unnerving confidence of someone who could take apart your entire day and maybe your spine, without raising her voice.

Still, you walked ahead with purpose, reminding yourself with every step that you were in charge of this assignment. You had the schedule, the briefing notes and the earpiece with a direct line to PR. She just had the ability to kill you with a paperclip.

Balance.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The car ride was quiet.

Not peaceful quiet, where you watch the world pass by outside the window. The kind of loaded quiet where you waited and waited and waited to see who’s going to crack first. Probably the Russian assassin. 

She sat across from you in the back of the sleek black SUV, legs crossed, gaze angled toward the window. Not watching anything in particular, just staring out like the city bored her. Like you bored her.

You risked a glance. Her profile was all clean edges and shadowed cheekbones, the kind of stillness that didn’t come naturally. It was trained, learned in silence. Perfected in sniper nests and interrogation rooms. She was beautiful, yes but in the way it was only meant to be observed from a distance.

It said ‘Look. Don’t touch.’

“So…” You said, the word awkward and brittle in the air. “Any topics you want to avoid during the interview?”

Her eyes slid to you, slow and flat. “Do I look like I do small talk?”

“You look like someone who’d rather chew glass than talk about childhood pets.”

That earned a flicker, just the slightest tilt of her head. “You think I had pets?”

You considered her. “I think you probably had to improvise. Like… a stolen lizard. Maybe some kind of Russian forest spider.

She actually laughed. Low, short, like it surprised even her. 

“Stolen lizard.” She said, repeating it like she wasn’t sure whether to be amused or vaguely insulted. “That’s new.”

“I try.”

The silence that followed wasn’t exactly friendly but it had softened around the edges. Not warm but not actively dangerous.

You marked it as progress, small but it counts. The kind you didn’t take for granted when your travel companion had a kill count higher than you could count on your fingers and a fan club in the intelligence community.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The talk show set was chaos. Controlled chaos technically but only just. Lights blazed overhead, camera rigs swung dangerously close to expensive haircuts and nervous interns sprinted in every direction, clutching clipboards like life rafts. Someone in a headset was shouting about a broken teleprompter. Someone else was crying over coffee spilled on a celebrity dog.

Natasha surveyed it like it was a war zone.

You watched her automatically scan for exits, track movements in reflections, clock every potential threat with surgical precision. You half expected her to start marking civilians and calculating blast radius. 

Leaning slightly closer, you said quietly. “No one here’s going to attack you.”

Her eyes didn’t leave the chaos. “You think that matters?”

You blinked. “You’re not on a mission.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “I’m always on a mission.”

You exhaled slowly and adjusted the lapel of your blazer. “Alright. Well. Mission: Public Relations is go. I’ll be right off-camera if you need extraction.”

She finally looked at you. That assessing stare again. “You’re good at this.” She said.

You raised a brow. “You sound surprised.”

“I’m not.” A pause. “I just don’t think you’ve had someone like me before.”

You smiled, tight but genuine. “You mean someone who growls at assistants and refuses to wear anything not black?”

“I mean someone who doesn’t care if people like her.”

You held her gaze. “That’s fine. I don’t need you to be liked. I just need you to be understood.”

That made her pause. Her expression didn’t change much but something shifted. A faint narrowing of her eyes. She looked at you like you’d just said something dangerous or useful.

“Careful.” She murmured. “You keep talking like that, I might start believing you.”

And just like that, you were off-balance again. Because you had no idea if that was a threat, a joke or something else entirely.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

“Okay, people!” The host swept into the green room in a cloud of aftershave, hairspray and effortless charisma. “Where’s my Widow? Is she here? Am I safe? Do I need to wear kevlar?”

You turned just in time to see Natasha’s expression flatten.

“This is him.” You said under your breath, trying to sound encouraging. “Play nice. He’s basically America’s favourite golden retriever personified.”

The host beamed and extended a hand to Natasha. “You must be the famously terrifying Natasha Romanoff. Wow. You’re even more intimidating in person. This is fun already.”

She stared at his hand like it had insulted her ancestors. 

Then, very slowly, shook it.

He laughed, nervously. “God, I love that. That vibe. So intense. I mean, what an energy. I’m sweating a little. Are you sweating? It’s hot in here, right? I’m sweating.”

“No.” Natasha deadpanned.

Silence.

You coughed into your sleeve to hide a laugh.

The host pressed on, undeterred. “Okay, okay, we’re gonna have a great time. Just a short segment! Little chat, couple light questions, maybe a joke or two. Nothing deep, nothing classified. Sound good?”

Natasha tilted her head. “I don't really do jokes.”

He pointed at her like she’d just made one. “That’s so good. You’re hilarious. This is gonna kill.”

She didn’t blink.

You gave her a subtle nudge toward the stage. “Smile. Or at least don’t stab him, please.”

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The interview itself went surprisingly well.

There was only one hiccup, if you could call it that, when the host asked about international diplomacy and Natasha, deadpan as ever, replied. “I don’t believe in it. Some people just need to be punched.”

There was a half-second of stunned silence before the host threw his head back laughing. “Oh my god, same!”

The audience roared. Social media exploded in real time. Within minutes, the clip had been turned into a dozen GIFs. X was already calling it ‘iconic’, ‘big mood’ and ‘girlboss energy’.

From your place just off-camera, you watched her deliver the rest of the interview with practiced stillness, the perfect counterbalance to the host’s bouncing enthusiasm.

She was sleek, calm, perfectly collected. Every answer tight and controlled. Every joke or near-joke landing better than it had any right to. You tried not to feel the flush of something dangerously close to admiration. 

Once the cameras cute, she ignored the host’s grateful thanks and his outstretched hand. Instead she walked towards you, expression unreadable.

“Well?” She asked, almost looking for validation.

You crossed your arms. “You survived. No casualties. Minimal PR fallout. The internet is liking you. Against all odds.”

“I still might punch the host later.” She adjusted her jacket. “But for now… not terrible. Also, liking?”

“Liking. We have work to do to make it loving.” You huffed a laugh, more relieved than you’d admit. “But I’ll take ‘not terrible’ as a win.”

She gave you a sidelong glance. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

But the moment lingered, her posture a little looser, the danger less immediate. And for the first time since this assignment started, you wondered if she was letting her guard down or if she just wanted you to think she was.

Either way, you counted it as another mark of progress.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

Back in the car, she didn’t sit across from you this time. She sat beside you.

Close enough that her shoulder nearly brushed yours every time the car turned, close enough that you were suddenly hyper aware of your own breathing.

For a while, the city passed in silence, all blurring light, traffic hum and the occasional shout from a sidewalk. She said nothing, but you could feel her thinking.

Then, without looking at you, she spoke. “You really think I can be understood?”

Her voice was low like she wasn’t sure she believed in the question, let alone the answer.

You turned toward her, a soft smile on your face. You looked at the flicker behind her eyes that told you the question mattered more than she wanted it to.

“I think you’ve spent so long surviving that you forgot what it feels like to be someone. Not just escape someone.”

You saw it her falter slightly. Not on her face, she was too good for that. But in the way her gaze didn’t shift. In the way her breathing changed, just slightly.

She didn’t respond. Just turned her head back toward the window. “That was deep.” She murmured, making you huff out a laugh.

“Maybe your intense energy is rubbing off on me.” 

“Maybe.” She smirked, letting the silence fill the car again. But this time, she was the one stealing glances, watching your hands twitch on your lap, running up and down paperwork and carving out the outline of your phone like they were itching to pick it up. You kind of were, leaving Tony Stark in charge of a ‘What I Eat In A Day’ was enough to raise your blood pressure.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The next day was officially ‘TikTok Bootcamp’.

The Avengers barely understood what that meant but apparently it was mandatory now.

Steve was standing near the set, eyeing the assortment of ring lights, tripods, and questionable props like they might explode. ““I’m sorry, what exactly are we doing?” He asked, dead serious as Bucky moved closer to him, almost using his body as a Shield.

“TikTok.” You said, forcing a smile that might have come off as a grimace. “It’s short-form video. Builds relatability. Everyone’s doing it. You’re Avengers, not relics.”

“I’d count those two super-grandpa’s as relics.” Tony, lounging in his trademark sweatpants and scrolling on his phone, laughed. “It’s basically the new battlefield. Less bullets, more followers. And memes.”

Clint was stretching like he was about to run a marathon. “I’m gonna blow out a knee. Sam owes me twenty bucks if I get more views than him.”

Sam smirked without missing a beat. “Dude, my last dance hit 2.4 million.”

Natasha leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking like she was mentally preparing to file a formal complaint. “I’m not doing this.” She said, flatly and with a hint of finality.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “Natasha, we agreed on five public engagement hours this week. This counts.”

“Dancing is not engagement.”

“It’s literally the most viewed content format on the planet.”

She tilted her head, unimpressed. “I don’t care.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Well, I do.”

That got her attention, her eyes sparked up like she’d been offered a challenge that only she could win.

“Look.” You sighed, at the group of adults stood around you. “Here’s the deal. We’re keeping it simple. No dances with more than six moves max. I’ll show, you copy. You don’t have to smile or enjoy it. Just follow.”

She gave you a slow once-over. “Is this painful for you?

“What?”

“Giving orders and not being obeyed.”

You grit your teeth. “No, what’s painful is organising this entire thing and having you stand there like a gothic gargoyle of sabotage.”

Clint wheezed from the couch. “Did she just call Nat a gargoyle?”

Steve, bless him, tried to intervene. “Hey, maybe we can just-“

“You-” You jabbed a finger at Natasha, ignoring Steve. “-are contractually required to participate.”

“And you-” She leaned in, voice low and wickedly calm “-are way more fun to watch when you’re a little off balance.”

You froze. The smug glint in her eye told you she’d done it on purpose.

Behind you, Tony muttered. “This is what the kids call a slow burn-“

“I got one of those from a chemical in Wakanda ones. I went four days before it blistered.” Bucky nonchalantly added, pointing out a little scar on the side of his elbow as Steve comforted him with a pat on the back. You had one thought running through your head . What the hell is going on right now?

“Ok.” You breathed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Ten minutes later, Natasha sat across from you like she was prepping for a tactical briefing, arms crossed, black hoodie pulled over a tank top, expression blank enough to scare a mirror.

“Okay.” You said, adjusting the camera. “Simple concept. I play you popular TikTok songs. You give your first reaction. Honest but light.”

She said nothing. Just stared at the tablet like it had insulted her ancestors. 

“Can you take that off?”

“My hoodie?”

“Yeah.”

Why?”

“You look less angry with your arms out.”

“You just want to see my arms.” She smirked but beying your order.

“No, I don’t but the fans will. So let’s get this done.”

You hit play on the first song ‘Good Luck Babe’.

Natasha listened with her usual poker face. Then, after a few seconds, she scoffed softly.

“Why does she keep talking about kissing men in bars all the time?” She grimaced. “Also I hate when people call each other ‘babe.’ I’m not a pig, thank you very much. This song is a waste of my time, next!”

You blinked, caught off guard by how blunt she was. “Natasha, can we maybe dial it back a bit?” 

“You wanted my honest reaction.”

“We want snarky, not savage.” You said, half-laughing.

She rolled her eyes. “Snark’s just polite savage.”

You sighed and tapped the tablet. “Okay, next we have ‘Espresso’.”

Fifteen seconds in, Natasha tilted her head. “Is this a real song or a torture device?”

You sighed. “Natasha-"

“Because I’ve interrogated people to better soundtracks. Actually, I’ve been tortured to better music.”

You paused the music. “Let’s maybe try a compliment sandwich, okay? Snark in the middle. Praise on either side.”

She blinked slowly. “That’s a real thing?”

“It’s literally in your media training.”

“I thought that was a threat.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Next one.” Your manicured finger hits play on ‘Break My Soul’.

The beat dropped on a club remix that had racked up millions of views. Natasha raised an unimpressed brow. “Did the producer get electrocuted halfway through?”

You snorted, despite yourself. “Okay. That’s not a compliment but it is kind of funny.”

“I’m adapting.”

You hit pause. “Could you just… say one nice thing? Anything.”

She pretended to think. “They… finished the song.”

“Natasha. It’s literally Beyonce, if you hate on her then even I can’t save you.”

She exhaled, long-suffering. “Fine. She has a great body.”

“I- What?”

“Look at her body.” Natasha’s tone dropped to a mock-serious lecture, eyes narrowing like a professor about to school you.

“Look, she’s strong. No wasted movement, curves where they need to be.” Natasha’s voice dropped just a little, a slow smirk creeping in. “And that ass, it’s basically a weapon.”

You blinked, caught somewhere between admiration and embarrassment. “Okay, okay, I get it.” You held up your hands, cheeks heating. “Once again, let’s dial it back!”

Natasha smirked, clearly enjoying your discomfort. “Oh, I’m just getting started.”

“Next is ‘Obsessed’, it’s a song about her boyfriend’s ex.”

“Weird thing to sing about but ok.” You click play and Olivia Rodrigo comes to life, Natasha listening intently.

“Ok… the song is garbage-“

“Natasha!”

“But I’m kind of impressed. Her recon would be very good, she’d be a decent agent with some training.”

“I’m sorry, what-“

“She has good instincts.” She shrugs, repeating herself. “Next.”

“Ok last one, we have Billie Eilish.” You click play on ‘Birds of a Feather’ and watch something in her face change for the first time.

She’s quiet for a long moment, like she’s analysing the lyrics. “I like this, it reminds me of Yelena.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“Your sister?”

“Yeah.” She confirms. “Can we have another one?”

“Sure. You want to pick?” You hand her the phone and watch her scroll for a second before she clicks on ‘Lunch’.

It just hits the chorus when Natasha’s eyes narrowed slightly, a slow smirk spreading across her face.

“Oh.” She said, deliberately slow. “’I could eat that girl for lunch.’” 

You blinked, suddenly aware of the way she was looking at you. “As she-“

Your throat went dry. “Okay, maybe stop quoting now.” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Why? I’m really thinking about the lyrics.”

“I need to keep this PG.” You excuse, heat crept up your neck.

Natasha’s smirk deepened.  “I like this one too.”

“You’re impossible.”

⋆⋆⋆⋆

An hour later, the videos are mostly edited and the first lot have been launched into the black hole that they call the internet. The team are gathered around, scrolling through their phones and reacting to the avalanche of thirst tweets and comments.

Tony was the first to burst out laughing. “Oh man, check this out ‘I’d let Steve split me in half like a pistachio!’ That’s hilarious.”

Clint snorted. “Someone said they want to use ‘Natasha’s thighs as earmuffs’.”

“It could be arranged.” Natasha shrugs, smirking as she looks to you out of the corner of her eye.

“What is girl boss and why do I have it?” Wanda questions, clearly enjoying making new internet friends.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. “Listen to this! ‘I don’t know who’s thirstier, the internet or Nat herself’.”

“I’m not thirsty. What-“

“It means hor-“

“Ok, that’s enough for one day.” You interrupt with anxious smile, getting up to collect your things. Natasha’s gaze sharpened slightly but she didn’t say more.

Tony swiped to another comment. “Oh, here. ’Is it just me or is the tension here chef’s kiss?’ On Nat’s video. You two are getting shipped already.”

“Shipped?”

“Where are they going?”

“Why are they kissing a chef?”

“I don’t like boats.”

You laughed at their comments, brushing it off but the colour in your cheeks showed Natasha there was something more. “Tony, what is shipped?”

“Listen guys, maybe it’s time to put the phones down, yeah?” You attempt but Tony has other ideas.

“Urban dictionary says to ship, ‘meaning that you either want them to become an item, kiss or enter into a romantic/sexual relationship or all of the above’.”

“Oh.”

“The internet loves to match-make…” You try to ease the tension as the rooms falls silent.

“Well I did call it a slow burn.”

“I still don’t understand what that is.”

“Don’t worry about it.” You half smile to Steve. “Seriously, stop with the comments. My team will be going through it, deleting hate comments so please don’t reply to any of those.”

“Who’d hate on us?” Sam scoffs, at the same time as Clint says.

“‘Sam’s the only Avenger, who needs a step stool to hang with Steve and Bucky’.” The room dissolves into light laughter and you felt a little less flustered. But you can still feel Natasha’s eyes on you, watching you cautiously from her place on the couch.

“For the third and final time, I’m leaving.” You declare. “Remember no replies to hate comments. That means you Sam-“

“They’re saying I’m 5ft 4!”

“It will be deleted when you refresh the page, my team is good.” You assure. “Get some rest guys.”

The team bid you goodnight, lowering their phones for only a second as you leave the room before bringing them back up, to doom scroll the endless reactions. Just as the elevator doors close, you hear Bucky’s confused tone.

“What’s a bussy?”

[yandereend]

Yandere Househusband

How he met his spouse

TW: usual yandere stuff, male yandere, obsessive behavior, yandere wants children

Please keep in mind that English is not my native language thanks💛

P. 1 please let me know if you want more

P.2💛

Doesn’t everyone just hope to one day find the perfect partner and settle down with them, start a family and live happily ever after. Thats exactly what our little Tyler always wanted.

Tyler came from a nice home, he was an only child but his parents had a lot of love for him, and even more for each other. He always admired his parents relationship, his father being the strong breadwinner and his mother being the docile housewife. It was the perfect relationship in Tylers eyes and there was nothing he wanted more than to have that too.

In school Tyler couldn’t care less about his grades, it’s not like he was incapable of learning, quite the opposite but he didn’t see a reason to spend his time learning about math or physics if he wanted to be a househusband anyways. Thats right my dear readers Tyler was just waiting to find the right spouse to settle down with.

So for that reason alone he always made an effort to appear put together and pretty in school, he was lucky to have enough confidence to not let others opinions about his appearance affect him. So he was always helpful, nice and friendly to everyone. But even with his best efforts he couldn’t find the one. Thanks to his obsessive nature he often over thought his love life and if he will end up alone. (Your in 10th grade chill dude)

All that until the greatest day of his life were he met you. You were the new student and he immediately volunteered to show you around, became your partner in assignments and your new best friend.

To be honest you were smitten by Tyler, nobody gave you that much attention before and it wasn’t long before the schools pretty boy was your boyfriend. Tyler was thrilled that everyone in the school knew that you were his and he yours. And oh dear how Tyler admired you, you were so attractive, strong, smart and capable. He was so excited to finally settle down (dudes only 17), after graduation.

And Tyler always wanted to impress you, he would join his mother while cooking making sure to pack your lunch, clean your room while he visited you and even did your laundry. Wait didn’t you have more underwear?

And in exchange he just wanted to be pampered back. He would give you his bag if it was heavy, would depend on you for homework and always expected you to stand up to the jocks when they made fun of his more feminine clothes.

And oh did I mention that Tyler was a little bit manipulative, just a tad bit but I mean why would you need friends, you can go shopping with Tyler. Your family goes on vacation? Ditch them and go with Tylers family instead, they have the money don’t worry. You should also consider his parents, they were so supportive of him and you, his dad even showed you the family business if you wanna inherit it.

So when your graduation day finally came you and Tyler hosted a party together, and after you had a few drinks Tyler dropped on his knee and asked the big question, to which you in your tipsy state happily agreed.

So don’t be surprised when 2 months later Tylers parents bought you two a house (yes they’re that rich), your Tylers dads new intern and your lovely fiancé plans the most romantic wedding ever. And hey, there’s no escaping now darling.

Thanks for reading please let me know if you enjoyed it 💛

[mysticmoosenger]

thinking about a tutor!gojo who has a massive crush on you, but you can’t stand him. the tension is insane.

cw: pining, gojo being annoying, lots of tension, organic chemistry, gojo is sexy asf

You had never thought you would be in this position, but here you are, in the corner of the library behind a shelf of old books with your assigned tutor’s tongue in your mouth. Ironically, despite the clear chemistry between you and your new tutor, you were still failing the organic chemistry class that you needed to graduate.

From the start of the semester you have had a silent cold war level of annoyance with the tall white-haired frat bro that sat in front of you. He had a habit of talking through the lectures and spinning his chair around to attempt to talk to you, resulting in your professor to get mad at both of you. several times.

Unfortunately your grades started to slip as you have never been very great with time management and studying, so you approached your professor and asked him to help you choose someone to tutor you. You were pretty much stuck with Gojo as the only option, as everyone else your professor had mentioned had too busy of schedules. Lucky for you, Gojo was not very involved in campus life other than his frat events.

You had never been a fan of Gojo as his ego was taller than Everest and he did not understand the concept of an inside voice. You dragged yourself to the library after your last class of the day to meet him and go over the lecture and reading material from the week. As soon as you entered you found his fluffy mess of a head of hair and walked over, sitting across from him.

Gojo was surprisingly good at organic chemistry. you would never have known, judging by the way he carries himself in class. he talks you through some of the more confusing topics, coming to sit next to you to draw out some messy diagrams to help you visualize some concepts. you both look up at each other at the same time, not realizing how close you were sitting to one another. your heart skips a beat as you make direct eye contact with his beautiful blue eyes. he faintly blushes and gives you a flustered smile, glancing down at your lips before quickly turning his head. internally, you know exactly what is happening. the tension from that point on had become impossible to ignore.

the tension had been so suffocating that despite your previous dislike for the man, you had started to develop a bit of a crush on him. suddenly you caught yourself thinking about how soft his hair must be, how sweet his lips must taste, how talented his fingers may be. you wondered about how he would be in bed, dominant or submissive? how his voice must sound angelic when he’s moaning your name…. fuck.

all of a sudden the glances became longer, the brief “accidental” touches lingered for an unnatural amount of time, the joking got a bit suggestive. you found yourself engaging in conversations about anything but organic chemistry. he would subtly invite you to his frat parties, ask you deeper questions, laugh at nothing. the poor man was obviously so into you, and you were too dense to notice it the whole semester. fuck, you barely noticed it now. you were too wrapped up in trying to decode your own feelings that you didnt take any time to analyze his.

After a few weeks the tension had reached a boiling point. you couldnt focus on anything but him. he could explain a topic to death and you would still not be able to repeat a single thing he said. you were too entranced by the way his soft lips move and how sexy his eyes look when he is focused. you were practically eye fucking him at this point, and he was certainly not oblivious to it.

Gojo was normally a confident and cocky guy but when he is around you all of that disappears. As midterms were approaching and break was just around the corner, he hyped himself up to try to make a move on you. to get your number, your snap, hold your hand, ask you to grab food with him… something. he just had to do something before the class ends for an excuse to keep seeing you. he knew that you were starting to enjoy your time with him, it was pretty obvious. Still, he found it very difficult to just make a move.

Midterms were in just a few weeks and it became crunch time to finalize your understanding of the concepts from earlier in the semester. the fifth floor of the library was almost completely deserted due to the late hour on a Friday night. once again, you were staring at him, not hearing a word he was saying. with a sudden, impulsive move, Gojo reaches forward and smashes his lips to yours, leaving you in slight shock for a second, before you begin to kiss him back.

Even Gojo cannot believe what is happening as he snaps back into reality, feeling your soft lips against his and your tongue brushing against his. He quickly breaks away and stands up, backing up a bit from the table, blushing heavily and apologizing profusely. “I’m so so sorry I-I dont know what came over me, oh my god, I’m sorry…” and a chain of other similar apologies leave his lips.

You also get up from the table, approaching him, and taking his fingers into your own, lightly grazing his hand and attempting to be as gentle and soothing as possible due to the sheer amount of stress this poor man looked like he was in. you get closer and catch his eyes, locking him into an intense, emotion-driven moment of crackling tension. You quietly breathe out, “…it’s okay ‘Toru, I liked it, please-“ you didn’t get to finish your sentence before he whipped you around and caged you against a long shelf of random books no one would look for, once again smashing his lips to yours in the most hungry, passionate kiss imaginable. his body presses to yours, aching to feel closer to you, to feel your heat and flawless body. his hard dick grinding small circles against you. one of his hands snakes up your side and into your hair at the base of your neck, controlling you through the rough kiss. his teeth graze your bottom lip as he lets out a quiet moan of satisfaction.

his kisses were making you dizzy, suffocating you with the urge to let him fuck you in the library, of all places. by the time he breaks the kiss, you are being held up by his knee between your legs. you both have a minute to catch your breath and process the status of your relationship now that a move has been made.

resting his head against yours he nearly moans, “my roommate isnt home tonight… would you want to come over?”

　˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

a/n: hey guys thanks for reading, I wrote this one at like 4am and I havent proofread so ignore anything that doesnt make sense please lol. I kinda liked where this fic was going so I might make a part 2 to it.

[academic-assistance]

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[eaterofman]

Yandere Harem Coworkers x New Hire Reader

Now with a part 2 <3

Good news: You landed your dream job! Bad news: Your coworkers are fucking insane.

CW: Yanderes, workplace harassment, possessiveness, implied stalking, power dynamics, dubcon touching

You hadn't expected a job like this to come so easily.

It really had been a dream job from the moment you laid eyes on the job posting, and they'd even offered you better during the interview! They'd even thrown in an extra sign on bonus! You couldn't believe your luck. You were finally going places.

Really, how could you say no?

Your interviewer was the HR manager, Leon Jacobs. He was a stern looking man, clearly in his late 40's, and didn't seem to have a single flaw in his appearance. His age showed in the beginnings of grey hairs atop his tidy, shortcut black hair, and the creases beneath his eyes. His appearance was beyond intimidating. Dark, scowling eyes picked you apart from behind his glasses as you fidgeted in your chair. Whatever nightmare of an interview you thought was coming, never happened. Instead, you were surprised when he almost immediately offered you not only the job, but an even better salary and bonus than was advertised. You were almost too stunned to speak, as he held out his hand to shake, his dark expression lifting with the slightest twitch of his lips. You took his hand shakily in agreement. In your excitement, you didn't notice the way his hand gripped yours a hair too tight, or how his touch lingered for a few moments longer than it should have. The way his gaze intently followed your figure as you walked out was also missed by you.

"We're so happy to welcome you to the team. Our team will make sure your time working here is as pleasant as possible."

Your trainer is a well respected man, Warren Pen. Warren is a huge man, easily towering over you. While he'd be otherwise intimidating at his size, his warm expression and demeanor quickly puts you at ease. How could you be afraid of him, with his warm brown eyes and bouncy red curls and gentle smile? You quickly learned that he must have a pretty high position in the company. His office alone was almost as big as your entire apartment! The office they give you is nearly as big, much to your surprise. Warren reassures you that it's not a mistake, that they just want you to be comfortable in your new position. You are so very important to the company, after all. As he helps you settle in, you're amazed by his generosity and kindness. You're too happy to question why there's such a big office space right next to his open for you, or why such a high ranking worker would be assigned to train a newbie. You're initially confused about why all your other coworkers seem to cower away from him... until you see him lose it on a poor intern. His demeanor changed from a gentle giant to a raging monster within the blink of an eye, screaming at the intern over a simple filing mistake. You find yourself suddenly on your toes around him, waiting for a verbal barrage over one of your mishaps, but it never comes.

"Don't worry, I'd never treat you like that. They deserved it. You're doing perfect."

Your department's boss is a man named Jax Wright. Jax is a charming man, and the childhood best friend of Warren. He's slim and tall, with black hair and a slightly rugged appearance. He always seems to be in a rush, hair usually rustled and a 5 o'clock shadow a constant on his face. Yet, he somehow takes time out of his busy day to visit you. Or, more accurately, he finds the time to corner you when you're alone or with Warren. You don't want to lose this dream of a job, so you don't mention the way the childhood friends always find a way to crowd around you in the more narrow hallways or the breakroom. They insist you have lunch everyday with them, why would you want to eat by yourself? You really shouldn't deny your superiors' lunch requests, y'know. You ignore the lingering touches as he leans in far closer than necessary to examine your work, hands placed possessively on your shoulders. He loves to give you overwhelming praise, even for the most minor of accomplishments. You're afraid your other coworkers will think the worst of you because of the special treatment, but they seem to be avoiding you nearly as much as they avoid Warren.

"Good job. You're exceptional as always. It's been an absolute pleasure to work with you. Keep being good and you're bound for a raise."

With the rest of the department seeming to avoid you like the plague, you start to believe that you're stuck with just the overbearing childhood friends to talk to. That is until the secretary, Jake Moor, begins to talk to you. Jake is flamboyant, to say the least. He's bright, from his beaming white smile to his wide array of cute, colorful ties he matches with his suit. He's young, in his early 20s, and his bright blonde hair only adds to his youthful appearance. He's almost too much, talking at light speed and somehow being more touchy than your boss. He always finds a reason to pull you into hugs, or rustle your hair playfully. It doesn't bother you much though, he's just being friendly, right? And you really don't want to lose one of the few friends you have in the department. He has some sort of treat for you everyday, usually a homemade meal or pastry you have to find the time to eat alone before you're coworkers steal you away to have lunch with them. His cheerful nature motivates you to stay with the company, he really is your "beacon of light". You even find yourself giggling to yourself as he sends you silly motivational cat pictures throughout your day. He's so cute you don't even question how he got your number when you never gave it to him yourself. You do find it a bit odd that he knows exactly where to go when your car breaks down one day and he gives you a ride home, but you'd told him you lived in those apartments on the east side, remember? He'd never use his position to look at confidential paperwork. Never.

"I brought you in some cookies I baked last night, and here, I even made some dog treats! I've never made them before, let me know how he likes them! How did I know you have a dog? ...you told me, remember? Silly!"

As the weeks pass, you start to become more accustomed to your coworker's odd mannerisms. They still wear on you, but the money is just so good. You need it, where else would you even go? There's no chance you'd find anything near as good, if you found anything at all. You needed this job, Jax and Warren's overbearing natures aside. At least you had Jake, who always seems to know exactly what you need whenever you need it.

You can tough it out... right?

[nastybuckybarnes]

Coal - Two

Pairing: Alpha!Simon 'Ghost' Riley X Omega!Reader

Summary: Adjusting to life with your Pack is hard, adjusting to the other Alphas on base is even harder.

Warnings: A/b/o dynamics, military inaccuracies, language, sexual themes, Angst, unwanted male attention,

Word Count: 3.1K

A/N: im not kidding i have 39 drafts currently and at least half of them are ready to be posted im just rotten <3

~*~

It's been a week since your arrival and you have yet to see your mate.

Soap has made a point to spend as much time with you as he physically can, Gaz joining more often than not.

Whether that's walking you to breakfast, showing you around, or persuading you to join them in an old storage room in the basement that's been repurposed and turned into a rec room exclusive to members of the 141. And now, to their Omega as well.

However, just because you haven't seen Simon doesn't mean he hasn't seen you.

He tries to keep to his regular routine, he really does, but it's hard to maintain when his other pack mates are busy with the new toy Laswell brought.

Sparring just isn't the same when he's by himself.

It's worse when Soap joins him, reeking of you.

Sweet sweet Omega, with soft eyes.

A jumpy thing, scared, no doubt.

Every morning he swallows the growls and frustrations of his inner Alpha.

He doesn't need an Omega.

Especially not one who's been groomed to serve. The last thing he needs is a handmaid.

"You could join them, you know."

Simon says nothing, just continues to watch as Soap and Gaz chat your ear off in the mess.

Price sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes on the Alpha and the internal battle that he's not hiding nearly as well as he thinks he is.

"Why do you torment yourself? She's yours, and she's right there. Take her."

With a hardly noticeable clench of his jaw, Simon turns on his heel and leaves.

Sighing once more, Price heads over to join the three of you at your usual table.

The moment he sits down you stiffen, smelling the other Alpha.

Instinctively, your head snaps to where the Captain came from, desperate to catch a glimpse of the big man to whom you belong.

He's gone.

Your shoulders slump forward the tiniest bit and you frown, your lighthearted conversation with Gaz forgotten as disappointment courses through your veins.

How are you supposed to help the man if you can't even see him?

"Don't mind him," Soap suddenly says, breaking the tense silence.

You bring your eyes up to his and are slightly surprised when you see nothing but honesty in them.

"He takes a while to come around, don't let it get ya down. He's a real softie once you get to know him."

You hum, dropping your eyes down to the table.

His words do little to make you feel better.

You're sure the Lieutenant isn't a horrible man when you get to know him. Once he lets you get to know him. And that is a luxury you're not sure will be extended to you.

Later that day, like so many others, Soap and Gaz are leading you downstairs toward the rec room.

They prattle on about something to do with their training, an approaching assignment, but you can't focus on that.

No, instead, your focus is on the intoxicating scent of the Alpha who refuses to claim you.

It's stronger down here than it's ever been, and when you step into the rec room you realize why.

There he is, standing tall by the bookcase against the far wall.

His shoulders tense when you enter the room, but he doesn't look at you.

You shrink in on yourself the tiniest bit and follow closely behind Soap as he heads to one of the two couches.

He collapses with an obnoxious groan, his eyes on the Alpha at the bookcase.

"Nice o' you to finally join us," he calls sarcastically, his hand sliding over yours soothingly when you take a seat beside him.

Simon says nothing, only turns to face the Beta.

The movement wafts his scent toward you and you can't help the soft whine that falls from your lips.

He's right there! Why isn't he coming closer? Why hasn't he scented you yet? Why hasn't he so much as lifted his eyes to your face?!

These questions tumble over each other in your mind only for everything to go quiet when he does, in fact, bring his eyes to your face.

His gaze finds yours, holding it despite your innate desire to look away.

He forces you to look into his eyes and you feel exposed, vulnerable, afraid, almost.

A low growl rumbles in his chest, and then he's leaving the room without a word.

His quick departure leaves you breathless, and you bite your bottom lip hard enough to draw blood in your attempt at fighting tears.

A wave of disappointment and anger rolls toward you, and you can't help but shrink in on yourself even more.

Unhappy. Alpha is unhappy. Alpha is angry.

The rational part of your brain tries to drown out your inner Omega, reminding you of Laswell's words.

It's not you. It's not you. He's unhappy with the arrangement, Alpha is not unhappy with you.

You repeat the words silently to yourself like a mantra, until Soap's long fingers winding around your wrist pull you from your thoughts.

"You a'right in there, little one?" He asks softly.

You're nodding before he's even finished speaking.

"Omega," he warns, a frown on his face.

The use of your title sends a jolt through your body and you straighten up, dropping your head forward in submission.

"You're going through a lot, honey. It's okay if you're not okay. Your entire life has been uprooted and your Alpha isn't exactly making it easy for you here," Gaz whispers gently, taking a seat on your other side.

You swallow hard and take a few deep breaths before speaking.

"I just... don't understand," you finally whisper.

Gaz and Soap both lean in, each pumping out their own fair share of comforting pheromones and successfully drowning out the sour scent of your anxiety.

It's instinctive, something Betas are naturally trained to do when an Alpha or an Omega seems to be in distress.

It's part of what makes them so crucial to a strong pack dynamic.

"Not many understand the Lt, little one. Don't beat yourself up over it. He just... needs time."

You nod, trying your best to believe his words.

Time, the Alpha needs time.

A small part of you can't help but scoff at the very notion of it.

He needs time.

He needs time to adjust.

What about you? What about your need for adjustment? He's not the one who's been taken from one of the only homes he's ever known. He's not the one who needs to adjust to four new people, an entire pack.

He's not the one who's very nature demands he serve and obey.

But he's the one preventing you from doing that which your nature demands.

Lifting your eyes to Gaz's and then over to Soap's, you give each of them a weak nod.

"Okay."

Your eyes drop down again and the two Betas exchange glances.

Your words and your scent are telling different stories.

They can smell your displeasure and what seems to be annoyance, but they say nothing. Instead, Soap is changing the subject and Gaz is following along with an almost practiced ease.

~*~

That night, long after you've called it a night, Soap finds himself playing the role of personal punching bag to his Lieutenant.

Simon's shoulders are tense, his punches sloppy, but he makes up for that with the force he puts behind them as he spars with the unfortunate Beta.

"Somethin' botherin' ya, Lt.?" The cheeky Scot asks, ducking around a punch and dancing around the bigger man.

"You know bloody well," Simon grits out, glaring at the Beta.

Soap opens his mouth to speak but finds himself on his back on the mats, the air knocked from his lungs.

Simon growls warningly in his chest as the man sucks in a breath.

Finally, he speaks.

"Like it or not, she's a part o' the pack now. She's your Omega. As long as you're still employed here, she's your mate and you know that. 'Ve already heard Laswell talkin' about you sharing barracks sooner to force proximity before your next rut."

A shiver runs down the Alpha's spine at the idea of taking his pretty Omega during his rut. Knotting her nice and full, pumping her belly full of pups.

He shakes the thoughts from his head and glares down at the Beta.

"The last thing any of us needs is a fucken liability. And you mark my words - that's all she's gonna be."

With that, he turns on his heel and leaves the gym without another word.

He means to head straight to his quarters, he really does, but a familiar scent on the way catches him off guard.

Against his better judgement, he follows it. Follows the trail down the stairs and into the rec room with a sort of silence that he's mastered.

And there you sit, curled up in a ball in the corner of the couch with a book in hand.

There you are, in his corner of the couch, with one of his books in your hand.

He stands there for several minutes, watching you, watching as, with every flip of a page, you bring the book to your nose and take a sniff.

You shouldn't be down here alone. Shouldn't be wandering around alone and unclaimed.

The thought shocks him, and he takes a half-step out of the room.

The sound of movement makes you drop the book, spinning on the couch and facing the door only to see both nothing and no one.

With a frown on your face, you pick the book back up and hold it to your chest.

Maybe some things are better done with your two Betas.

Quickly, you exit the room, only to be smacked with a wall of the scent that you've been sniffing the pages of Mrs. Dalloway looking for.

A whimper leaves your lips.

He was here.

He was right here.

And you missed him.

Your face screws up with confusion.

What was he doing down here so late?

A small part of you, the tiny part that is still hopeful that there's a happily ever in store for you, whispers that maybe... just maybe... he was down here because you were.

Maybe he was coming to talk to you, scent you, accept you.

Those thoughts are squashed by the reality of the situation.

He was down here and now he's not.

Clutching the book to your chest, you scurry back to your quarters with your head down.

Eyes follow you the entire way, making sure you get there safely. Last thing he needs is extra paperwork if something were to happen to you.

At least, that's what Simon tells himself.

The next day (really, later that morning), Captain Price is walking you to breakfast like he has every day since your arrival.

He plates your food for you, chatting softly to you about this or that, anything to try and create an air of familiarity.

He even pulls your chair out for you when you freeze a few steps away from the table.

The three men act as though nothing's changed, and you try to follow their lead, swallowing hard as you take a seat across from the Lieutenant.

He pays no attention to you, keeping his focus on whatever Soap is prattling on about.

The Scot pauses his conversation, however, to bid you a cheerful 'good morning'.

You smile warmly at him, "good morning."

Simon stiffens slightly at your warm, honey-sweet voice, but otherwise makes no indication of noticing your presence.

"Think you can clear some time in your busy schedule today?" Gaz asks, nudging your foot under the table.

Your attention snaps to him, your shoulders relaxing.

"I'm sure I can juggle some things around."

Price lets out a soft huff that you're pretty sure is supposed to be a chuckle, and Gaz grins at you.

"Perfect. You're gonna join Johnny and I in the gun range today."

You set your fork down and raise your brows at him.

"I'm sorry?"

Soap gives you a toothy smile and nods his agreement.

"After breakfast. We figured y'could use a change. 'Sides, wanna show off."

Gaz snorts, "we know who the better shot is, Johnny."

"Aye, m'glad we're in agreement, then."

Their banter, somehow, makes you feel more relaxed, something that does not go unnoticed by them.

Breakfast is finished swiftly after that, with Price cleaning up your stuff while Gaz and Soap each rush over to take one of your arms.

You can't help but giggle, allowing both of them to escort you out of the mess and toward the gun range.

You feel so comfortable with the two of them that you don't notice the third man until he's pushing into the gun range behind you.

He notices the way you tense upon realizing his presence, but he says nothing. Instead, he keeps close to the wall while Johnny chats your ear off as he and Kyle gather their equipment.

He doesn't hear a word the Scot says. His attention is too focused on you. He stares without shame, watching every movement, every twitch on your face, every muscle that works to pull your lips back over your teeth in what could be one of the most beautiful smiles he's ever seen.

He can see the strain in your neck as you fight the urge to turn and look at him. Can see the way you fidget, fingernails scratching at your palm, picking at a loose string on your sleeve, anything to keep them from being still.

Good, he thinks. You should be nervous.

He's not sure why, though.

The bang of a gun breaks him from his thoughts, and he shoots a glance at the target only to scoff and roll his eyes.

Soap gives him a pointed glare, and lines up another shot, only to miss the target once more.

You watch with intrigue as Gaz pushes Soap out of the way to line up a shot of his own, only to miss.

"Sloppy," Simon chimes in, his thick arms crossed over his broad chest.

"I'd like to see you try, Lt. S'hard to focus around somethin' so sweet," Soap whines, a hand finding your waist as he nuzzles his nose into your hair.

The sudden brazen contact in front of him has your heart skipping a beat, a soft gasp falling from your lips.

"Shouldn't make a difference," the Lieutenant barks. "Go stand in front of the target."

It takes you a minute to realize he's talking to you, only piecing it together when your eyes find his after no one else moves.

He raises his brows as if asking what you're waiting for, and you quickly obey.

Soap helps you climb over the barrier, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze.

He knows Simon wouldn't put you in harm's way. He may not be the most accepting of the new life you share, but the man isn't a monster. He wouldn't be doing this unless he was absolutely certain of his aim.

You, however, don't know him like Soap knows him.

Your footsteps echo in your ears as you approach the target, and the roaring of your blood drowns out all other sounds when you come to a stop, turning to face the three men.

Every heartbeat is audible, every breath slow and shaky as you lift your eyes to your Alphas.

If this is a test, you intend to pass it.

If this is where you meet your end, then sobeit.

Simon raises his eyes to yours, those deep browns so full of ice as he looks at you, and then he's taking a gun from Gaz and aiming toward you.

The image of him standing strong, tall, gun in hand and pointed toward you, is not one you think you'll forget anytime soon.

Your jaw flexes and you take another deep breath, trying to stay as steady as you can while this man, your Alpha, glares at you over the barrel of a gun.

He wouldn't hurt you, you try to tell yourself. And even if he did, maybe death wouldn't be so bad.

A shot rings out and, seemingly at the same time, the bullet thumps into the target just above your head.

You can't help but jump, squeezing your eyes shut for a brief moment then huffing a breath out through your mouth and bringing your eyes back to his.

He keeps his gaze focused on yours as he takes another shot, and then another, then another until he's emptied the clip.

Each bullet gets closer and closer, but not a single one so much as nicks you.

Finally, he lowers his arm, setting the weapon down and glancing at his comrades.

After so much noise, the silence feels deafening.

"That's enough playing. Get your heads back on the right way and meet me in the gym."

With that, he turns on his heel and exits, leaving you alone and a little shaken against the target.

Soap and Gaz exchange glances, and then Soap is following after your Alpha while Gaz climbs over the barrier and makes his way toward you.

"You okay, little one?"

Refusing to show your fear, you nod, stepping away when he reaches out to touch your arm.

"Which way to my room?" You ask quietly, voice trembling the tiniest bit.

Kyle's heart breaks a little but he gives you the directions, watching as you scurry away without another word or look in his direction.

You keep your head tucked as you move through the hallways, letting out a sharp gasp when someone suddenly steps in front of you.

"You smell like a dream."

Your heart drops and you take a half-step back.

"C'mon, don't be like that," The Alpha tries again, reaching for your wrist.

You shake your head and take a step around him, picking up the pace and hurrying away.

You don't lift your eyes from your feet until you're safely in your room, and then you can't help but hyperventilate.

This is NOT what was supposed to happen.

Trembling fingers clutch your phone and you glare through foggy eyes until you find Laswell's number.

Hovering over the contact, you stare for a few minutes before finally shutting your phone off and tossing it aside.

Everything is fine, you decide.

You aren't hurt, and no one has really tried to hurt you. You're being dramatic.

This is the military. The Alphas here are the exact ones you learned about at the Shelter. All you need to do to survive is follow orders and keep your head down.

That's it.

And eventually, maybe Lieutenant Riley will put a mark on your neck and a pup in your belly so you can stop worrying about drawing attention from other Alphas.

[yohanseyebrowmole]

Indelible | Jacaerys Velaryon

(adj. impossible to erase or forget)

Pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x fem!reader

Sum: Jacaerys realises he should have listened to you and told everyone about the two of you too late...

Or was it too late?

or in which

Jacaerys breaks up with you two years after secretly dating you, and you get wind of his potential engagement to your cousin the heir to your family's company.

Word count: 3,692 (give or take:/ I edited it and wasn't bothered to recheck the wc)

Warnings: idk nothing much. I tried to avoid using y/n but ended up using it like thrice (I think)

a/n: Reader's mother is the second child of a huge businessman and took on her husband's name upon marriage, but has business ties (her maiden name is Dayne but its not a big deal). Reader's father is a well-respected lawyer but it's not relevant. Jace is heir to the Targaryen family business. He's a little slow and doesn't connect dots until later on lol.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

☆ Loving Jacaerys Velaryon was easy.

Keeping the fact that you loved him a secret was the hard part.

Two years.

For two years, you loved Jacaerys, and now you are hearing that his family was actively trying to set him up with your cousin.

What’s worse is that it makes perfect sense for them to get together.

Jacaerys is set to inherit the family company from his mother and your cousin is set to inherit your family's company from your uncle.

Why did he want to keep your relationship a secret in the first place? You didn't know, but you respected his decision nonetheless.

But two years of not being able to tell anyone?

You wanted to tell your parents and your older brother, you wanted to gossip with said cousin about your relationship, but Jace remained steadfast in his decision not to tell anyone.

He probably got fed up with you asking to become public and broke up with you, at least that was what you originally thought.

Two years of dates and I love you's gone just like that, all because Jace wanted to keep your relationship a secret and you were tired of not being able to tell anyone.

You had no interest in your mother's family company to be honest. No care for business or the likes, your interest is and will always lay within anthropology.

You loved it.

It was the perfect balance of history, science and mystery and everyone who knew you knew how much you loved a good mystery.

You loved the drama and the slight chaos whenever you got called in, and they say they found a body and having to find out what happened to it.

What was their story? What were they like? What was their life like? How did they end up like this?

Sometimes, it was a simple burial. Sometimes, it was an accidental death.

The murders were always the most interesting.

Of course, as an intern, you were usually not always assigned to the murder cases, but you always accepted any that came your way.

You loved the hunt, your curiosity always getting the best of you and the sense of relief, pride and justice that filled you once you found the identity of who was lying in front of you and who was responsible for it was always worth it.

You loved finding clues that helped catch the one responsible for the person's death, and being able to give families closure after their loved ones went missing was rewarding to you.

Yes, it was confronting and disgusting at times like the time a body was found at the landfill and you had to sift through weeks of rubbish to find missing bones (you were sure you would never be able to smell anything other than rotten food ever again) but you loved it regardless.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

You were once again sitting in the library at your corner.

It was one of your favourite spots on campus.

The window provided a perfect distraction when she needed a little break from her work. It was far enough from the other tables that no one bothered her but close enough that she could watch people go about their day when she was bored.

The shelfs also obscured their line of view of the table giving you privacy was always an added bonus. 

“Having fun, pretty girl?”

You blink, shifting your gaze away from the window where you had been watching what seemed to be a very heated fight between a couple. You smile at your boyfriend. 

“Hey,” You said. “You're here earlier than normal.”

Jace sits down next to you, letting his bag drop from his shoulder onto the floor.

“Finished early.”

“You look tired,” you said, taking note of the light dark circles under his eyes. 

“Cause I am,” Jace groans, leaning into you. He practically shoves his face into the crook of your neck.

You shift sideways so he can rest his head comfortably and run your hand through his hair gently undoing any notes made from the wind outside.

“You should go home and sleep if you're tired, Jace.”

“Don’t wanna,” Jacaerys responds, not bothering to move his head from the crook of your neck. “Just wanna be here with you.”

You can’t help the upward tug of your lips.

“Careful Velaryon, someone might assume that you're obsessed with me.”

Jace huffs out a laugh, finally lifting his head and sitting back. 

“They would assume correctly. What are you doing later?”

“I don’t know,” You shrug. “But it seems like you know what I’m going to do.”

Jace grins, grabbing his bag from the floor and digging around it before pulling out two tickets. “You are going to go visit that new exhibit at the museum with me.”

“You got tickets?" You can't hide your excitement. "How? I tried getting them for weeks but they were sold out, I even asked mum if she could pull some strings.”

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Jace smiles. "You were going to ask your mum to get you tickets?"

You shrug lightly, grabbing the tickets from him, inspecting them before you all but throw yourself at him, hugging him. You pull away but grab one of his hands intertwining your fingers with his. 

Jace nods along to your random facts about Egyptian history as he watches your eyes light up as you giggle and ramble on about the exhibit, squeezing your hand, bringing it up to his lip and kissing the back of it. 

You barely react to the affection, already gotten used to the gestures and continue talking about Ramesses the great and his military accomplishments.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

Your first thought was that it was your fault.

Clearly, you must have done something wrong for Jace to break up with you.

You rack your brains for weeks afterwards to try and figure out what you've done wrong, but as you sit there in your little corner of the library, you realise you've done absolutely nothing wrong.

So then you wonder, why would he break up with you?

Was it because you brought up the fact of a public relationship more often than not these days? Did he suddenly think you weren’t pretty enough? Or were you and your random rants now annoying to him?

The tip of the pencil you had been using to draw snaps.

You thought it would be easy to get over him. After all no one knew you two were together so you weren't getting constant pity glances.

Turns out it was harder. Way harder.

You didn't have anyone to rant to, no one to lean on or cry to and you were practically at the end of your patience, about to call your brother and spill everything to him when you heard someone call your name.

"Oh my god finally!"

You turn only to be met with your best friend Baela, who coincidentally was also Jace's cousin. You smile at her, forcing yourself to push your previous thoughts to the back of your mind.

"What's got you so excited?" You ask her.

She plops down on the seat next to you.

“Why are you so hard to find?”

You laugh. “I’m always here Baela. You know that.”

She rolls her hands before leaning forward. You notice the glint in her eyes. Mischief. Her eyes were basically the same as Jace’s aside from the colour difference.

“It’s Jace,” she said. “Mum told me that Aunt Rhae was trying to set him up with Elise Dayne.”

You freeze slightly. “What?”

“I know! I was shocked as well!” Baela smiles, not realising the bombshell she had just dropped on you. 

“Elise Dayne?”

Baela nods and rambles on about how she had seen Elise and Jace on a date the other day and how cute they had looked together. You smile and nod along but all you can think about was this was why he broke up with you.

Baela leaves to go to class but only after after telling you everything.

She leaves and you sit there for what felt like hours trying to wrap your head around what she had told you.

Jacaerys had broken up with you only to get together with your cousin. 

You gather your things and walk to your car.

With your hands on the wheel you scream before you start laughing.

The laugh turns into choked out sobs as you let yourself cry for the first time since Jace left you.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

Seeing Jacaerys walk into your family home with his family had not been in your plans for tonight.

Frankly, if you had known this very important and must not miss family meeting was to officially announce his engagement to your cousin, you would have accepted that case on the unknown skeleton they found last week or gotten your professors to make something up so you could have an excuse not to turn up.

Instead, here you are, forced to stand and watch Jace smile and greet your cousin and her parents. 

You stand in a corner next to your brother, tongue poking the inside of your cheek in slight annoyance.

You can tell the exact moment Jacaerys notices your presence. 

You send him an overly sweet smile and watch him falter, confusion and something else flashing in his eyes before he blinks and puts his mask back up, turning and shaking your mother’s hand.

He had always been good at that, pretending that nothing was bothering him.

Your mother smiles and turns to you and your brother. Your brother nudges you, and you quickly plaster a pleasant smile on your face.

“This is my daughter and my oldest.”

Your brother shakes Jace’s hand and introduces him. Jacaerys turns his attention to you. 

“Hi,” you smile, reaching out and shaking his hand. “Y/n. Pleasure to meet you.”

You watch him gulp, smile and greet you back.

You keep your distance and stay quiet the entire time the two families eat. You know your brother has noticed because he keeps sending you odd looks, but you brush them off, not bothering to pay him any mind or explain your current predicament to him.

What does bother you is Jace.

He keeps looking over at you, most of the time it’s short glances but sometimes you can feel his gaze boring into the side of your head as you answer the questions his brothers, Lucerys and Joffery ask about your degree, his mother occasionally asking a few of her own.

You make sure to keep your answers brief. Your degree was hardly dinner conversation, and you didn't want anyone's dinner resurfacing in any way.

You make sure to turn to him and give him a smile. He snaps out of his daze every time, blinking a couple of times before tuning back into whatever your cousin was talking about.

At some point in the night, you get up, telling your brother you needed to get something from your room.

You don’t notice Jace’s eyes following you as you walk away, and you sure as hell don’t hear him excuse himself to go to the bathroom.

You startle slightly as you feel someone grab your wrist. You don’t even need to turn around to realise who it was.

The soft scent of sandalwood tells you enough.

“What are you doing?” you hiss under your breath, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen the both of you before pulling him into your room. 

Jace looks around, taking in his surroundings.

He can’t really help it. It was the first time he had been in your room. He notices the photo wall full of polaroids you told him about making and the string of fairy lights you had bought together after convincing him to go shopping together. 

“I didn’t know you were related to her,” Jace said.

“I told you who my mother was,” you scoff. “It was pretty fucking obvious Jace.”

Neither of you notice the person standing by the door, listening in on the conversation through the slight crack.

“Well you could have straight up told me,” Jace argues.

“You're arguing with me because I didn’t give you my mother’s government name? Are you serious? I told you her name, where she worked and what she did. I even told you she was helping coordinate that joint event with your mother! I couldn’t have been more obvious, it’s not my fault you couldn’t put two and two together!”

Jace opens and closes his mouth. It's not like she was wrong.

“This,” you whisper. “This is why you broke up with me? If you had known, would you have stayed? Would you have let me tell everyone that we dated?”

Jace winces at your harsh tone but otherwise stays silent, giving you your answer. 

“I can’t believe you.”

“You think I wanted this?” Jace said. “You think I knew my parents were gonna set me up with her?”

“Clearly you did since you refused to tell anyone about us.”

“That’s not -”

“Don’t,” you cut him off. “Just don’t.”

You sigh and shake your head.

“You need to go. Leave first, and then I can follow after a couple of minutes.”

Jace grabs your hand before you can push him towards the door. “Wait, just -”

“You need to go,” you repeat. “If you haven’t noticed your fiancé-to-be is down the hall along with the rest of my family and we both have better things to do then stand here and argue over a topic we already know our stance on. Also, I have somewhere I need to be.”

With that, you pull your hand away from his and walk away. He follows you into the hallway, hears you say bye to your family, and watches you turn to leave.

Fuck.

How was he going to fix this?

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

Looking back on it, Jacaerys really didn't know how he didn't put two and two together.

He had met your mother on numerous occasions considering that she worked with his mother for joint events and whatnot.

You were practically a carbon copy of your mother as well. 

The hair, the eyes, the intellect. Everything about you screamed Dayne and his stupid brain couldn’t piece together the fact that you were related. 

How the fuck did he not know?

All those times when you had told him your mother was away on business and he had commented that his mother was gone as well. 

He groans, running a hand down his face. 

Rhaenyra, who had been standing by the doorway for the past five minutes watching her son have what looked like a mental breakdown, finally decides to make her presence known.

It was time to talk some sense into her son.

“Jace.”

“Mother.”

“Can I come in?” His mother asks. 

Jace nods and she walks into the room.

“Want to tell me what’s on your mind?” she questions. “Luke is complaining about your constant groans.”

Jace normally would have laughed but all he can do is sigh. 

“What’s wrong, Jace?” his mother asks again.

“I messed up,” Jace mutters. “Really bad, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

His mother nods, walking forward and sits beside him on the bed. 

“Why don’t you tell me everything so I can help?”

Jace looks at her, hesitates for a moment before the flood gates open, and he tells her everything. 

He tells her about how you two met, about your first date, about how he wanted to keep your relationship a secret, and you had been okay with that for a while.

He tells her how he broke up with you because she wanted him to get together with your cousin. 

He doesn’t leave anything out, and his mother just sits and listens to everything. 

When he’s done she stays quiet.

“Jace,” she asks softly. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Jace forces himself to hold back the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

“I don’t know. I don’t -” he shakes his head. “I was afraid that you wouldn’t approve, and I didn’t want to lose her, but I guess it’s too late for that now.”

Rhaenyra reaches out and holds his hands. 

“If I had known you loved someone like that,” she said. “I wouldn’t have set you up. I would never deny you your happiness. Even if she wasn’t what I envisioned for you, I wouldn’t have made you leave her, Jacaerys.”

His bottom lip wobbles. “What do I do now?”

Rhaenyra smiles and whips away a stray tear from his cheek.

“Jace?”

He hums.

“Do you like her?”

“What?”

“Do you like her?”

“I love her,” Jace said. “A lot.”

His mother smiles. “Then what are you doing here?”

He stays quiet, blinking at his mother.

“If you love her, why aren’t you with her?” His mother said. “Go get her back, Jace. If you love her, fight for her.”

Jacaerys stands up quickly and nods. He grabs a jacket from his chair and is gone the next second.

Rhaenyra watches him leave shaking her head with a soft smile.

That foolish boy.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

You were on campus, specifically at the building where your professors kept the unidentified bodies that had been sent over after being found.

You weren't allowed to have phones near the workstations or the bodies and even if you were you would have never bothered to bring it up with you.

Who in their right mind wants to touch their phone with people juice on their hands, regardless of whether or not you were wearing gloves?

Not to mention that you would have kept having to change your gloves as well, and that would do your head in. 

Your phone was in your bag, which in turn was in your personal locker outside, which meant you had no idea that Jacaerys had been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour.

You had no idea that he was calling you or texting you to ask for your whereabouts. 

Luckily for him, you were slightly predictable. 

You had just finished writing down your notes for the Jane Doe in front of you and making sure her bones were locked away and secure. 

You swiped your student card into the security slot, and the doors outside opened. Smiling and waving to the security guards stationed outside the lab, you grabbed your bag from the the opposite wall, holding the lockers.

You push open the door and stop short.

It was raining, because of course it was. 

You put your notes in your bag and started walking to your car, which was conveniently parked at the far end of the parking lot. 

You had been too busy re-reading and protecting your over your notes while speed-walking to your car to realise that Jacaerys had been waiting outside waiting for you.

You couldn’t hear him call your name over the sound of the rain.

When the rain suddenly stops falling on you, you look up only to be met with the slight of an umbrella. 

You turn confused and are met with a panting Jacaerys.

“You walk really fast,” he said, slightly bent over as he caught his breath.

You just stare at him. “What are you doing here?”

He stands up straighter. 

“Uh, I came to apologise.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” Jace said. “For everything. I’m sorry for being stupid and not putting two and two together. For keeping us a secret and breaking up with you. I’m sorry.”

“Where is this coming from?” you question.

“I came to a realisation,” Jace answered. “I can’t live without you.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

“I hate the fact that we aren’t together anymore. I hate the fact that I didn’t tell anybody we were together,” Jace said. “I hate being away with you. I hate not being with you. I hate not being able to hold and tell you I love you every day. I’ll do better this time. I swear it.”

“Careful Velaryon,” you say, stepping forward. “People could assume you are obsessed with me.”

Jace’s lips tug upwards, and he nods, closing the gap between the two of you completely, leaning down.

“They would assume correctly.” 

The world around the two of you fades into the background as he leans forward, his lips brushing against yours. 

The air around the both of you seemed to warm. You don’t know who leans in first, and you don’t care. 

All you cared about was the fact that Jacaerys was kissing you again. That he was yours again.

Your eyes flutter close as your lips meet, and the umbrella protecting the two of you from the rain drops to the floor as he pulls you closer.

You don’t register that you drop your bag to hold onto his collar and pull him even closer. 

You could have sworn lighting flashed through the sky as your lips met, but maybe that was you imagining things. You had almost forgotten what it felt like to kiss him. 

Those sparks when your lips touched his, that feeling of something more.

Of something real.

Your heart skips a beat

“You know you’re stuck with me forever now right?” Jace said as he pulled away smiling.

You laugh and Jace sees that familiar sparkle of light in your eyes. The ones that remind him of stars.

“I think it’s you that’s stuck with me.”

He grins leaning in to kiss you again. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” you smile into the kiss.

A particularly cold and harsh gust of wind coupled with the booming sound of thunder breaks the moment and you shiver.

Jace goes to pick up the umbrella that had fallen. Luckily, the wind hadn't carried it too far off.

Your eyes follow him before they fall on your wet bag on the floor. The bag that had your notes. The bag that held the notes that you had been painstakingly working on for the past few hours. 

You scream, causing Jace to jump.

“You little shit! You made me drop my notes! I take it back! I hate you!”

Jacaerys laughs as you pick up your bag and hit him with it. He runs away as you chase him in the rain, cursing him out for letting you ruin your notes. 

You really wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Well, except maybe with dry notes. 

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

Thank you to my bby girl @icarusignite for pre-reading this and thirsting over Jace to an almost unhealthy degree with me ily<3

Go read her fics or else (this may or may not be a threat)

Written by Yor <3

[solxamber]

Reaper's Guide to Romance - Idia Shroud x reader

When reaper Idia Shroud is assigned to collect your soul, he can't help but come up with increasingly ridiculous excuses to spare you.

Idia Shroud wasn’t having a good time. He never expected to enjoy being a grim reaper, of course. But this? This was torture. Every time he was assigned to take your soul, something in him short-circuited, and he’d find the dumbest, most illogical reason not to do it. And now, his reaper colleagues had started keeping a list—an actual, physical list—of his increasingly absurd excuses.

Today, they were gathered in their usual spot—an ethereal break room (don’t ask)—and once again, Idia was trying to justify why you were still, you know, alive.

Riddle Rosehearts, the epitome of order and rules, was glaring at Idia with a look that could melt steel. His clipboard (obviously) was ready, quill poised for judgment.

"So, Idia, why didn’t you reap this time?" Riddle asked with a sigh, clearly running low on patience.

Idia’s hair flickered with nervous blue flames. "W-Well… they were having a tea party!"

Riddle blinked slowly. "And?"

"And, you know, you can’t just interrupt a tea party. It’s like, super rude! Imagine, they’re just about to take a sip of perfectly steeped tea, and bam! I swoop in with my scythe, just ruining the whole vibe!" Idia flailed his arms, wide-eyed. "It’d be chaos!"

Riddle’s eye twitched as he wrote down: Excuse #101: Tea party interruption is ‘chaotic.’

"You… can’t be serious," Riddle muttered, but with Idia, this was business as usual.

"It’s a thing! You know, tea etiquette! I figured you’d get it!" Idia added defensively.

"That is the most ridiculous—" Riddle started, but Idia quickly mumbled something about ‘strict standards’ and slinked away before Riddle could go on another tirade about tea etiquette versus grim reaper duties.

Leona was next, leaning against a pillar, his usual half-lidded gaze fixed on Idia with a mix of amusement and disdain. "So what’s the deal this time, Shroud? Too busy playing video games or something?"

Idia groaned, rubbing his temples. "N-No! I had a valid reason this time!"

"Uh-huh. Let’s hear it." Leona’s smirk was all too ready.

"They were napping!"

Leona blinked, his smile vanishing. "Napping?"

"Yeah!" Idia nodded enthusiastically. "I mean, come on. Napping is sacred! You of all people should get it! Would you want to be woken up by some creepy reaper dude hovering over you like, ‘Oh hey, time to die, sorry about your nap?’ It’d totally ruin their REM cycle."

Leona snorted, shaking his head as he scrawled on the list. "Excuse #102: ‘Napping is sacred.’ You’re unbelievable, Shroud."

"It’s just… common decency, man!" Idia whined, knowing full well Leona was probably internally agreeing but couldn’t resist giving him a hard time.

Leona waved him off. "Next time, just bring a pillow or something."

Azul was perched behind a desk, his fingers steepled in that smug way he did when he was about to make Idia squirm. "Let me guess, you’ve come up with another… creative justification, Idia?"

Idia winced. He really didn’t want to get into this one, but here he was. "W-Well, they were in the middle of a… negotiation."

Azul’s eyes gleamed. "Negotiation?"

"Yeah, you know, like, a super important deal! I couldn’t just cut in and ruin that!" Idia blurted, waving his hands around. "You of all people should get it, Azul! I mean, contracts and deals? Imagine, they’re about to secure the best terms, and then I show up like some kind of… death interruptus. I’d be killing their vibe!"

Azul smiled, entertained. "Killing their vibe, Idia? Or their chance at a good deal?"

"Both!" Idia exclaimed, a little too loudly.

Azul chuckled as he scribbled down the next entry: Excuse #103: ‘Interrupting contract negotiations would kill the vibe.’

"Honestly, Idia, if you spent as much time reaping as you making excuses for them, you’d be the most efficient reaper of us all," Azul teased.

Idia mumbled something incoherent and slunk off, hating how right Azul was.

When Kalim found out about the list, he was nothing but sunshine and encouragement. He didn’t even seem to mind that Idia was epically failing at his job.

"So what happened this time, Idia?" Kalim asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, excited as ever.

"They looked… too happy," Idia muttered, cringing.

Kalim’s smile widened. "Aww, that’s sweet! You didn’t want to take away their happy moment, right?"

"Y-Yeah, exactly! How could I just roll in and ruin it? They were, like, glowing! Not literally, I mean, but they had that look, you know?" Idia stammered, running out of words to explain himself.

Kalim beamed. "That’s so thoughtful of you, Idia! Good vibes are important!" He turned to the list, which was rapidly filling up. Excuse #104: ‘Couldn’t ruin the happy vibes.’

Idia, still flustered, muttered, "It’s not like I wanted to let them live…"

Vil stood there, arms crossed, looking like he’d just tasted something unsatisfactory. "So, Idia, what excuse do you have this time?" His tone was all but dripping with disdain.

Idia hesitated. This one was even more ridiculous than usual. "W-Well, they were in the middle of their skincare routine."

Vil’s perfectly arched brow shot up. "Their… skincare routine?"

Idia nodded furiously. "Yeah, like, you know the ten-step thing? They were deep in it—cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, all that jazz. You can’t just take someone’s soul mid-routine! Their skin would freak out from the stress. I’d be responsible for, like, eternal breakouts."

Vil stared at him in utter disbelief. "You’re telling me you let them live because of… skincare?"

"Hey, good skin is a serious commitment!" Idia defended, folding his arms.

Vil sighed, jotting down the next entry: Excuse #105: ‘Interrupting skincare would cause eternal breakouts.’

"I’ve never heard something so… absurd, yet strangely respectful," Vil muttered, rubbing his temples.

Finally, Malleus stood before Idia, arms crossed and looking ever so regal. He tilted his head slightly. "So, Shroud… what is your reason this time?"

Idia stammered. This one was, without a doubt, the dumbest excuse he’d ever come up with. "U-Uh… I got lost."

Malleus blinked. "Lost?"

"Yeah! There were… gargoyles."

"Gargoyles," Malleus repeated, deadpan.

"Look, I got distracted by their craftsmanship, and then I, uh, took a wrong turn," Idia said, voice shrinking by the second.

Malleus, maintaining his composure, glanced at the ever-growing list. "I see. Excuse #106: ‘Got distracted by gargoyles.’ A most… unique excuse."

Idia could feel his soul slowly withering under Malleus’s cool gaze.

Idia had managed to avoid reaping you so many times that even you had started to notice something was up. You weren’t sure why the world’s most awkward reaper kept showing up and then… not doing his job, but it had gotten to the point where you couldn’t help but laugh about it.

One day, after catching him lurking around awkwardly—again—you decided to confront him.

"Okay, I have to ask," you said, leaning casually against a tree. "Why do you keep sparing me? It’s not like you’ve been subtle about it."

Idia flinched, his hair flashing a bright blue as he tried to think of a response. "I-I don’t… what? N-No! That’s not…!"

You raised an eyebrow. "You didn’t take me because of tea parties, naps, gargoyles, and skincare routines, didn’t you?"

Idia froze, his mouth hanging open as he realized you somehow knew everything. "H-How did you—?"

"Lucky guess," you said, grinning. "So, what’s the real reason?"

Idia shuffled awkwardly, avoiding your gaze. "I-I just… I couldn’t… I’m not good at this, okay?! Reaping, or talking to people, or…" He trailed off into his usual nervous mumbling.

You chuckled, stepping closer to him. "Well, you know, if you keep sparing me, I’m gonna start thinking you like me or something."

Idia’s hair flared bright pink at your teasing, and he backed up a step, nearly tripping over his own feet. "W-What?! Like you?! No, no, that’s… that’s crazy! I mean, sure, you’re… cool, or whatever, but that doesn’t mean—"

You grinned wider, cutting him off. "So, you like me?"

His face flushed redder than his hair had ever glowed, and he stammered incoherently, "N-No! I mean… Y-Yes? I… I don’t know! It’s not like I’ve done this before!"

Your laugh rang out through the quiet air, and Idia looked mortified. You couldn’t help but find his awkwardness endearing. "Wow, Idia, I didn’t know grim reapers could be this cute."

"C-Cute?! Don’t… call me that!" He looked like he was ready to melt into the ground, but he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

You stepped closer, smiling mischievously. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop messing with you. But if you’re that bad at taking souls, maybe you should stick to something you’re better at."

"Like what?" Idia asked, blinking in confusion.

"Like… taking me out for dinner instead," you suggested, your voice playful.

Idia’s eyes widened, and he gaped at you, absolutely dumbfounded. "D-Dinner?! You’re asking me out?!"

You laughed again, the sound light and teasing. "Well, you’ve spared my life at least ten times now. I think I owe you one."

For a moment, Idia just stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. His brain seemed to be buffering. "A-A date? With me?"

"Yeah, with you," you confirmed with a wink. "Unless, of course, you’d rather finish your job and reap my soul?"

Idia practically jumped. "N-No! I-I mean, yes! I mean… I’d rather not… do the reaping thing. I-I can’t believe this is happening…"

You smiled softly, watching him fidget nervously. "So? What do you say? Dinner?"

Idia’s mind was racing, and his hair was flickering wildly between blue and pink. "I… I guess… y-yeah? Yes! Yes, I-I’d like that…"

As he stumbled over his words, you couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head fondly. "Great. It’s a date, then."

Idia’s heart was practically doing somersaults in his chest, and he could hardly believe what had just happened. As you walked away with a cheerful wave, he stood there, frozen in disbelief.

Lilia, who had been quietly observing the entire thing from the shadows, stepped out with a gleeful smile. "Ah, young love! Isn’t it wonderful, Idia?"

Idia groaned, burying his face in his hands. "L-Lilia, please don’t…"

But Lilia was already laughing, delighted beyond words. "It’s about time you stopped making excuses, my boy! Now go get ready for your date! You’ve got a life to live—or, at the very least, a dinner to survive."

Idia mumbled something about how his life was over, but despite his grumbling, there was a small, awkward smile on his face. After all, he’d just managed to get a date without even trying… even if it had taken about a hundred failed reaping attempts to get there.

Masterlist

[midorimooon]

bad timing | hawks x sidekick! reader

word count - 1.5k notes - just a drabble featuring reader as hawks's sidekick. no plot, just these two flirting and having inappropriate work relations. warnings - suggestive, no smut! just humor and banter. allusion to erection.

Something pelts your shoulder, plopping at your feet.  Clicking your tongue, your bleary eyes blink at the hacky sack on the floor.

You look up, frowning. “Can I help you?”

A red feather plucks up the hacky sack and drops it onto Hawks’s palm. He tilts his head, assessing you. “What’s with the slow motion? You look tiiiiired.”

On cue, a yawn slips out before you can stop it. Between the late-night patrol and reporting back to Hawks’s agency at the crack of dawn, your sharp motor skills have turned to cotton, leaving you exhausted. Sidekick duties never seem to end. 

You shrug, failing to cover another, more hefty yawn. “I’m fine.”

Hawks snorts a mimicry of your own voice. “’I’m fine’. Says someone who’s dead on her feet.”

“I’m fine,” you echo, rubbing the corner of your eye. “Just a little sleepy. I’ll wake up in a bit.”

Ice rattles as a full cup of coffee is shaken before your face. Hawks urges you to take his drink. “Here, this’ll help.”

Your nose wrinkles and you inch away. “Don’t like coffee.”

Hawks sips on the straw, smacking his lips. “Then sleep.”

Another yawn springs forth. “Right...I'll just snooze while on the clock."

"Who cares? Have a nap." He gestures to the couch, beaming with mischief. “It’s big enough for the both of us. Did you know I’m a good cuddler?”

Your frown deepens. “Don’t you have paperwork? Or a meeting elsewhere? Interns to train?”

Unfazed, Hawks shrugs. “All of the above, but those can wait. I’m more concerned about my sidekick. She needs my attention right now…” His voice drops into a playful purr as he motions forward. 

You step backward, maintaining an HR-appropriate distance. It’s obvious where Hawks wants this to go. You can decipher his tells at a distance—how his eyes rake up your body, snagging on your lips as he bites his own, all without shame too. Then comes the crooning in his voice, the pride whenever he says my sidekick, and how he knows you’re just as shameless as he is. 

The corner of your mouth curls, proving him right time and time again.   

Is it professional? Of course not. But you both have a pulse, unable to ignore that sweet, sexual tension that’s been brewing since you signed with his agency. 

You’ve both mastered this dance between boss and subordinate. It’s always business in front of others. Strictly maintaining a professional and platonic façade with the public wasn’t hard either.

What’s hard was the endless close proximity to him. On assignment, there were other sidekicks tagging along, and the occasional intern from UA. 

Still, that never stopped either of you from exchanging heated looks and sometimes touches when no one was looking. The rare moments when there was no one around often tested those professional boundaries, like right now. 

Because despite it all, there remains that fine line you’ve yet to cross. Him on one side, you on the other. Only time will tell when and who will be the first to throw caution to the wind and cross over. 

You know it won’t be you. At least not now…

“Hawks…” The back of your legs hit the couch’s armrest, only aware that Hawks had led you there with every forward step. 

If he wants to (you want, too, but you keep that to yourself), Hawks could coax you on your back with his charm. But you stay resilient, pretend that your pulse isn’t racing. “That paperwork’s not gonna do itself.”

He quirks a brow, taking your chin in his gloved hand. “Neither am I.”

The double-meaning behind his words is almost enough to have you break. 

Before his lips could mesh with yours, you turn away, yawning loudly, and ruining the mood. “I should catch up with the others.”

Hawks expels a dramatic sigh. “Why do you hate me?”

You laugh. “Who said that?”

“It’s true. You’re always running off to hang with them.” His fingers trail the neckline of your uniform. “What about me? I get lonely too.”

You lift a brow. “They are in the same pay range as me. And you—” You poke a finger to his toned chest to no avail. “Have a laundry list of shit to do today.”

Hawks takes your hand, pressing it against the side of his face. “Later. Got other priorities.”

“Hawks, I’m fine.”

“You’re tense and tired.” He nuzzles into your palm, kissing your fingertips. “Let me help you relax. My sidekick needs to blow off steam and I want to help her.”

“What about your other sidekicks? They could use some of your TLC too,” you tease. 

“They’re fine,” Hawks muses, running your fingers along his lips. “Don’t tell them this.” Suddenly his voice drops to a murmur. “But you’re my favorite.”

You roll your eyes to mask the heat crawling up your neck. Of course, you knew that already, but it still made you weak-kneed to hear him say it. 

“So? What do you say?” He perks up, hopeful and charming. “Let your hero Hawks help you…”

Before you could reiterate the bad timing, a gasp rushes out of you. 

Hawks had managed to slip your middle finger into his mouth, biting down to interrupt you. “I can start with tongue,” he mumbles, sucking on your finger. 

For a moment, you’re spellbound, gawking at his plush lips wrapped around your finger. Your mind blanks, elusive to all thought. 

“Have I convinced you yet?” Hawks bites down again, sharper than before. 

You hiss, reeling your hand free so abruptly, you fall back. 

Soft leather catches your fall. You get a glimpse of the overhead lights before Hawks crawls over you, wings fanned out and a halo limns behind his head. 

“Look at that, you changed your mind after all,” he croons with a noticeable edge. Despite the ramifications, you’re relieved when bears down to kiss you. 

It’s not a soft kiss either. It’s full of vigor and desperation—

Fury.

After months and months of toeing the line between hero and sidekick, this is how your first kiss with Hawks should feel. 

Tossing caution to the wind, you match his rhythm. It’s a stroke of tongues, an exchange of desperate noise, an all-consuming hunger to devour the other. 

You break apart for air, a thin thread of saliva tethering your lips to his. “Hawks…”

“Keigo,” he growls. “As cool as Hawks sounds, I’d rather you hear you moan my name.” 

Your skin heats both at his authority and the intimate request. “Keigo…” you husk, watching his eyes darken. 

Something akin to satisfaction flashes behind his eyes. He leans in again.

As his lips ghost yours, a loud buzzing rumbles against the couch’s cushion. Seconds later, another noise joins the first.

You recognize them to be your phones, alerting you both of an emergency nearby. 

Hawks groans, sinking his face into your shoulder. “Why?”

The buzzing persists, urgent and dire, you know neither of you can wait any longer.

“Rain check,” you say, shifting under Hawks’s weight. 

He shakes his head, keeping you pinned. “Five minutes…” He slots his mouth over yours like he won’t get this chance again. 

All you hear is the rush of adrenaline in your ears until—

Knock, knock, knock. 

“Hawks!” a voice calls out from behind the office doors. “We received the emergency alert.”

Bless his new intern, Tsukuyomi. 

“Bad timing, birdman.” You manage to slip away, and Hawks begrudgingly lets you. 

He huffs, sending his feathers to gather his visor and headphones. He does a quick a onceover on his phone to assess the emergency and gets on his feet. 

“I’ll lead Tsukuyomi and the others,” you offer, heading towards the door. 

“I’ll come with you.” Hawks follows but you stop him. 

“No, you get a head start and take the window.” 

“The window?” Hawks’s brows furrow together, clueless for a second, then follows where your eyes have drifted to. He puffs out a shameless laugh, reminded of his raging erection, visible beneath his belt. “Ah…right. Should take care of this…”

Hero work can be so cruel. 

You’re equally disappointed. Finally, giving in to temptation and the world decides to burn. 

Now that you’ve had a sample, you couldn’t care less anymore about the ramifications. You and Hawks could deal with all that at a later date. 

You reach out to stroke his jaw, admiring how your touch makes his throat roll in a slow gulp. “I’m off at 7p, remember?”

His eyes are alight. “Meet me here.”

He tries to steal a kiss, but you dodge it, reminding him, “Emergency now. That couch…later.”