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kaitsawamura · 3 years

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would you like to stay forever?

SUMMARY⎮ Sparring with Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro in his private gym at his home doesn't seem like a bad idea if you don't count the fact that you really, really like him.

STATS⎮ minors do not interact, 18+ ⎮ Rating: M (for mature) ⎮ WC: 5525 ⎮ Pairing: Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro x Fem!Reader ⎮ Tags: Aged Up Character(s), Friends to Lovers, Sparring, Smut, Fluff, Age/Experience Gap (if you really squint) ⎮ AO3

NOTES⎮ Thanks to @spacelabrathor for listening to me scream about this and to @some-kindofgnome for fueling my Kiri fever dreams. Yes, that title is based on a Mulan quote. This whole fic was based on THIS POST and Kirishima seemed like the perfect character for this pwp. Hope y'all enjoy! (Also please for the love of God, click on the banner to see in HD if you’re on mobile, it looks so much better lol)

It was Saturday and even though you’re on your way to becoming a Pro Hero, you can think of several things you’d rather be doing with your one day off than going to Kirishima Eijiro’s house to spar. But here you are pulling into his driveway, going over combat moves in your head as if your life depended on it. They weren’t really serving their purpose which was to distract yourself. Kiri had offered up his personal gym, encouraged you to stop by with one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck as if he was nervous.

A couple of his friends had already taken him up on the offer. You were the only one he’d offered who hadn’t come over yet. He had texted you a couple of weeks later saying he was starting to take it personally… and then immediately texted with a laughing emoji just to clarify he was only giving you a hard time. It brings a smile to your face now as you remember it. Yesterday he had also clarified it would just be the two of you if you were self-conscious sparring in front of other people. You’d have the whole place to yourselves. Like that should mean something. Which it did. It does , you realize with butterflies growing in your stomach. Kiri doesn’t need to know that though.

The two of you had been toeing around something since you had been hired at Fatgum’s Agency a year ago. Neither of you had made a move. Kirishima, the Red Riot, was a big Pro Hero and while you took pride in your quirk, it didn’t hold a coin to some of the others you’d come in contact with. It had surprised you when Toyomitsu had brought you on. But he had mumbled something about “liking your spunk” and that he thought a teleportation quirk would be a useful one to add to his agency. The first day you had shown up, Kiri had immediately caught your eye. Not for the obvious reasons. Obvious reasons being the fact that he was climbing the Pro Hero charts or the fact that he had a dynamically interesting quirk or that at twenty-five he was already built like a brickhouse.

Those were all valid reasons, yes, but what had pulled you in was his smile and his genuine interest in you outside of your quirk. But he was just like that you had quickly discovered. He knew everyone’s coffee order and what they liked for lunch. He knew when to push and when to back off. He knew when to talk and when to listen , knew when he still had a lesson to learn. The kids flocked to him. Even now you’re still entirely convinced that’s actually his quirk, getting people to like him. It’s not a difficult thing to do though.

Your brain stutters back to the present when a text notification pings from your cell phone as you sit in Kiri’s driveway, picking at non-existent lint on your gym shorts. The cute ones you’re still convincing yourself were your only clean pair and that’s the only reason you wore them.

KIRI : i saw u pull up, u gonna come in or what 😂

Had he been waiting for you to get there? You tapped out a quick response, one that hid the little flip in your stomach at the thought: creeper, you were watching for me lmao

Response bubbles immediately flash on your phone screen but you’re angling out of your car and shutting the door before he can reply.

Somehow, this house fits Kiri perfectly. It isn’t big. You had seen pictures of other top-ranking Pros’ houses. Enji Todoroki’s house, for example, was fucking ridiculous. But even without a massive floor plan, Kiri’s house is nicer than any you’d been in for some time. Clean, straight lines and lots of windows. In fact, you can see straight through the floor-to-ceiling windows out to his backyard when you reach the front door. Is that a pool ? Kiri had tons of fun showing pictures at the agency; it was a well-deserved investment for his already multiple years of service as a Pro. The pictures hadn’t done the place justice though.

Kiri comes to the door, throwing it wide open with a huge grin that shows off his sharp teeth. You ignore the way your mouth goes dry as he drags you in, babbling on like an excited little kid at you actually coming.

“I really thought you were gonna back out! I mean, that would have been fine, of course. I just can’t see the point of having the whole place to myself all the time.” He’s irresistibly cute, walking around showing you the living room and the kitchen and pointing out to the backyard where, yes, there is indeed a pool. “You can come over any time and use that too if you want!” You thank him, warmth pooling in your stomach at how incredibly nice he is.

“Uh, we should probably get in the gym. I have… stuff to do later,” you finish lamely. You don’t have anything to do later but very quickly you’re realizing how far out of your depth you are here. The familiar beginnings of the head over heels fall is washing over you in steady waves. But you’re coworkers and the thought of coming to work every day and having to see his adorable face and not doing anything about it is almost making you nauseous.

“Oh, yeah, it’s just down the hallway,” he rumbles, leading the way and you follow trying and failing miserably to calm the nerves flashing through your veins. You’re here alone with Kiri , the man you’ve been crushing on since you’d started working with him a year ago. And now your stupid brain isn’t just thinking about what it would feel like to run your tongue along his teeth or how his hands would feel between your legs. No, your stupid brain is thinking about what Kiri looks like when he first opens his eyes in the morning.

Your one-track mind is not getting any help, especially when Kiri walks through the doorway of the gym addition and immediately proceeds to pull his shirt up and over his shoulders and tosses it to the side. Shit. His back muscles ripple with the movement and when he turns to face you, it’s heart-wrenchingly obvious that he has no idea the effect he’s having on you. He has to know . Doesn’t he? From your end, it seems wildly obvious that someone as good-looking as him should know .

You glance around, eternally grateful for the fact that the gym is also attractive. Floor to ceiling windows span two of the walls here as well and there’s a large set of French doors leading out to the yard. You find yourself actually in awe when you get a better look at the landscaping. It’s so green . There’s a small patch of lawn but the rest is just artfully arranged native flora and fauna. Violets, tulips. Huge hosta plants. And cherry trees heavy with their signature sakura blossoms.

“Kiri, it’s beautiful!” He comes to stand beside you, looking out the French doors as well.

“You like it? I guess it is pretty nice, huh?” You glance up at him, your chest expanding on a lurch looking at his smile. You’d never noticed before but he has a light dusting of freckles across his nose.

“Yeah, really nice.” You look out again, letting the silence grow until it feels like the most comfortable thing in the world. After what seems like an eternity Kiri clears his throat, rocking back on the balls of his feet. “What are you thinking for today?” The question leaves your lips and you’re immediately regretting it; your stomach flips again when Kiri looks at you like you’re prey.

“Close combat, hand-to-hand combat. You did mention a while ago you wanted to strengthen that, right?” You throw your head back, rolling your eyes, and groan. The two of you make your way to the center of the mat.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d be scared to take me on too,” Kiri says, large hands on even larger hips. He isn’t as tall as some of the other heroes at six foot three inches but he’s wide , thick. You know for a fact you couldn’t wrap your arms around his waist and have your hands meet. He’s wearing the biggest shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen. The sharpened points of his canines are out and on prominent display. Famous last words you think as a snarl erupts on your face.

“I’m not scared , Kiri. I just don’t want to wear you out . You’re a Pro Hero. You’re on the job a lot more than I am. Plus, you’re getting kind of old. Is that a little gray I see coming in?” Kiri bares his teeth even more but it’s not lost on you that he quickly reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair. There isn’t any gray, obviously , but the thought has Red Riot distracted. Distracted enough that when you plant your feet and your fist connects with his face, your knuckles hit skin and not the reinforced rock of his quirk.

“ Shit.” Kiri takes a step back, reaching up to cradle his jaw. His tongue swipes out to lick at the blood on his bottom lip. His vermillion eyes find yours and if you didn’t work with him on a regular basis, you would have felt fear at this moment. You know he wouldn’t hurt you but even now, a thrill races through your veins like electricity. He looks as if he’s going to devour you. You take your own step back, readying your quirk, reaching out to it as your fists hold their position in front of your body. A dark chuckle spills from his chest as Kiri calls on his own quirk.

Now it was your turn to be distracted; you had always been fascinated by Kiri’s quirk, the way his body looked when it hardened up. The ripples of muscle still visible under the toughened skin. The divots and ridges and how they mapped their way across his shoulders and chest and abdomen. You knew how it felt to the touch in fake combat. The Fatgum heroes all took pride in maintaining a healthy routine; sparring was a common workout that was previously done at a local public gym. You wonder absently what it would feel like to touch him slow and at the moment. When you could give extra attention with extra time.

Kiri closes the space between the two of you at the moment your mind strays and you barely are able to teleport out of the way to avoid him crashing into you. You try to take a swipe at him as you materialize from in front of him to behind but this time he’s ready for you and he’s using his quirk. Instead of moving out of the way, he plants his feet and allows your punch to hit. Pain radiates up through your fingers and wrist. It always irritated you that you had to prepare yourself to strike Kiri when he was using his quirk. Otherwise, you’d be in for a whole lot of hurt every time you landed a punch.

Teleportation is a pretty handy quirk. It gives you a pretty good advantage the more you work on your close combat skills. The trick with Kiri was to keep going at him until he ran out of energy. You hadn’t gotten to that point yet; your quirk had its limits as well. You were only two years out of UA, Kiri was out by seven. His strength was already fairly unmatched; sparring with him was always good practice. You relish the thought of the day you can win a sparring session without tapping out. It surges through you like pure energy.

You teleport to stand in front of him again, shifting your weight into your hips and up through your right hook. This time your fist connects with Kiri’s side and he lets out a small grunt. Your fingers don’t hurt so bad this time and by the time Kiri is retaliating, you jump back a few feet. He hmms, a sound that reverberates from his chest.

“That’s all well and good but how do you expect to do anything if you jump that far away?” He lunges forward at a running start, leaping at the last second, sending his gloved fist into your stomach. You were fast, but still not always fast enough. You double over, the air rushing from your lungs and your pre-workout protein smoothie threatening to exit back the way it went in. Sweat is already beading on your brow and sliding under your tank top. You take a few breaths through your nose when an idea pops into your head; you stay bent over. “Hey, I didn’t hit you that hard. You good?”

Kiri comes to stand in front of you, leaving him vulnerable. He can’t see your smirk until it’s too late. You wail on him, using some of the basic combos he’s taught you before today. Satisfaction rolls through you when he actually takes a step back. But then he puts his arms up in front of him, clenching his abdomen and bending inward to protect his core. He drops just a fraction and before you realize what’s happening, he’s swiping his leg out to push through yours. You watch in slow motion as you see his laughing face then the ceiling of the gym as you flip and land on your back.

If you thought you were out of breath before… “Fuuu-.” It’s a wheeze that feels like it’s ripping your chest open. You’re seeing stars. Kiri stands over you, hands on his hips again. You stare at his face; the hero has his hair pulled back into a bun. You snort, rolling your eyes. Why does he still look so fucking good? The sweat has caused some of the pieces falling out of his hair tie to curl. His hair has curl to it? You’ve never noticed before, considering he always gels it into spikes. You like the curl. “Are you--are you gonna help me up, or what?” It was still painful to talk.

Kiri tilts his head to the side, just slightly, and crosses his arms. “I’m thinking not. Last time I let down my guard you got those good combos in.” You stare in stunned silence, sitting up so you’re supported by your elbows. Kiri shifts slightly and if you didn’t know better, you’d say he’s backing up to… get a better view.

“Is that any way to treat your student, Red Riot?” You know you get under his skin when he clicks his tongue against his teeth and holds out a hand with a begrudging eye roll. He pulls you up with ease, quickly enough that you almost lose your balance, swaying into his space. You look up, eyes moving back and forth between his.

He draws in a breath and drags his bottom lip between his teeth. “First of all,” he says as he places his hands on your upper arms, “I’m not your teacher. I’m not that much older than you. Secondly,” he mutters as he tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear, “our relationship isn’t that formal is it?” He’s so fucking close. This is getting dangerous. Dangerous because Kiri is within kissing distance. Dangerous because this gentle side of him is making you lose more breath than falling on your ass. Dangerous because the thought of Kiri taking you on the floor right now is almost too much to bear.

So you fall back on what you’re here to do. Fight. You flash him a wicked smile before rallying your quirk and teleporting a few feet away. His hand is still raised in mid-air and when his head whips to look in your direction, his crimson eyes are narrowed and his nostrils are flared. He laughs and rolls his neck, dancing on his toes.

“Okay. I see. I’m not gonna go easy on you, you know?” You snort and put your fists up in front of you again.

“As if you were going easy on me before, Kiri. Bring it on.” He smiles, the sharp points of his teeth enough to make your thoughts swerve again before you bring them under control. “Bring it on,” you whisper more to yourself as you brace for the fight.

Two hours later, you feel the strain in your muscles. Your quirk is running low on reserves and you know you won’t be able to use it much more. Kiri looks like he hasn’t wasted a breath but you can see he’s getting tired in the way his feet don’t move as sharply. And if the length of time he’s using his quirk is any indication to his state of mind, you know the two of you will be calling it a day soon. But you’re also both stubborn. And you’re dying to get one more good move in on him.

The cockiness the two of you had at the beginning of the sparring session hasn’t gone away but has burned hot into determination. No more smiles, only clear-headed concentration. The two of you are an arm's length from each other, throwing various punches and switching quickly between using your quirks and not. You’re breathing hard, sweat gathering at your brow as you throw another right hook that Kiri easily blocks.

“Get out of your head. You can be too predictable sometimes.” He doesn’t mean for it to come across as rude but the words strike a match to a guttering fire. You bare your own teeth at Kiri even though they aren’t sharp and probably don’t look nearly as threatening but it helps you feel powerful nonetheless. You drop without a second thought, lowering to your palms and sweeping your leg out in front of you in a wide arc. A grin spreads across your face when your calf meets Kiri’s ankle. He’s too physically dense for this move to work if he had seen it coming. But he doesn’t. And his solid 220 pounds of muscle falls hard.

You allow yourself the satisfaction of the moment for only a split second; Kiri’s recovery time is much shorter than yours so it isn’t long before he’s scrambling forward. He goes straight for your wrists to subdue you but with a smirk, you realize in his haste he’s put himself in the perfect position for you to possibly gain the upper hand. You scoot up away from him just enough to drag his arm forward and swing your legs around his neck. Then you elevate your hips and lock your core.

It’s over from there as you squeeze with every last ounce of strength left in your body. It doesn’t take long for him to tap out. You release as soon as you feel his loose hand tap your arm; he collapses over you and you’re too tired to move away or push him off. Now his breathing is rough and you feel a surge of pride. You reach up and place your hand on his head where his bun has come undone; he’s so heavy but it doesn’t feel bad. In fact, the feel of Kirishima resting his head and upper chest on your stomach is feeling nothing short of good . He’s still between your legs and suddenly the air is crackling with a new kind of energy when you gently comb your fingers through his hair.

He rises up, his hands on either side of you. His hips rest between your legs; the mingled heat radiating from both of you is almost more than you can take but there is no way you’re going to move anywhere. He leans forward, so close you can see the flecks of burnt orange in his eyes. If you moved forward just a little, you could close that space between you. He leans down more, his mouth right next to the shell of your ear.

“Maybe not always predictable. You did good today. Probably some of the best fighting I’ve seen from you so far. Keep it up.” He grunts, a shift of his hips allowing the curve of his cock to brush against your clothed sex through his gym shorts. He stiffens in what you think might be embarrassment. “Shit, sorry, let me just, uh--” The stuttering mess he becomes right before your eyes makes something lurch in your chest; you reach for his face without thinking.

“Kiri,” you whisper, rolling your own hips against his. His cheeks are burning a shade of red almost as vibrant as his hair. You bring up your other hand, holding his face between them and bringing him down to settle over you once more. Your lips meet his; he seems to war with himself for just a moment. A suspended second in time. But then he gives in, slipping his tongue against yours in a delicious sliding vision of what’s coming.

He reaches between you to slip his hand under your tank top; his hand is big and nearly encompasses your side. But it’s warm and gentle. Gentle. Who would have guessed that Red Riot could be so fucking gentle? But he is and when his hand moves lower to slide below the hem of your shorts, you give yourself to him with no reservations. His middle finger passes through the mess of your sex; a hissed breath rattles through his chest as your back arches on a ragged groan.

“ Shit. You’re so wet .” He slides his finger back and forth, gathering your slick on the thick digit. He takes his hand away and you mewl. “Can I?” He asks breathlessly as he hooks his hands on the hem of your shorts. You nod, eyes half-lidded. He pulls them down along with your underwear and the way he looks at you, at what’s between your legs, you don’t even have the wherewithal to feel self-conscious. Adoration. It’s the only word you can think of and it makes you wonder if you’d made a mistake waiting so long.

He’s on his knees when he takes your legs and drapes them on either side of his hips; this time he doesn’t hesitate in slipping his finger into your cunt. You nearly see stars just from that and if one finger is any indication, you’re in for it. Slowly, he adds another, his hand pumping into you in a steady rhythm. You’re grabbing for the ground, grabbing for him as a strangled noise pushes from your throat. He reaches out with his other hand to splay it across your sternum and it’s the only thing anchoring you as he adds the third finger before scooting down to put his mouth on your clit.

“ Kiri,” you keen, shoving your hips into his touch, frantically scrabbling for his wrist that’s on your chest just to have something to hold on to. He’s done this before, he’s had to. He’s too good. Too fucking good. Already there’s coiling in your gut as incomprehensible words tumble from your mouth. “Shit. Shit. Kiri I’m--I’m gonna--” He rumbles approvingly against your clit; the vibrations send you closer and closer to the edge and when it crests, your back arches near pain as you cry out, your voice echoing in the gym. It’s deep, roaring through all of your limbs but Kiri keeps going, fingers still pumping, tongue still swirling around your sensitive nub.

Another orgasm breaks over you sharp and quick and the overstimulation has your legs quaking as your arousal gushes over Kiri’s hand and tongue. But then he’s moving again, and you’re blearily aware that he’s shoving his own shorts and boxers past his hips to free his cock. You stare as it bounces back to sit near the planes of his stomach; it’s already leaking steadily with precum. Kiri looks back at you and when your eyes meet, you dart your tongue out between your lips to wet them. Another time, maybe.

Kiri leans forward to lift you up and the closer you get you can barely see any red in his eyes; his pupils are blown, his nostrils flared as he lifts you like you weigh nothing . He could snap you like a twig. But he won’t. You know without a doubt this is the safest you’ve ever felt, even as he lowers you slowly over his cock and it does feel like you’re being split .

“ Fuuuck…” You wrap your legs around him, your mouth dropped open, your hands gripping his shoulders. You try not to dig your nails in but it’s almost impossible with how you’re being filled. You knew Kiri was big but this was almost too much. His forehead drops to yours as he pants. But he’s not moving, won’t move until you tell him to. It makes your heart ache and your cunt floods, drunk on the affection thrumming through your veins. You roll your hips experimentally and the friction is bliss. “Oh fuck, ohfuck.” You move again, pushing yourself up and back down, listening to the hitch in his breathing. “ Kiri, please, ” you whisper. Those words… they’re enough.

Kirishima grips you by the hips, his fingers splayed and digging into the flesh; it’ll leave bruises and the knowledge cracks through you like electricity. Let him leave marks. Let him leave them everywhere. He’s moving you up and down his cock, grunting, mumbling. “Tell me, Kiri, tell me.” His eyes meet yours again and his own mouth drops open.

“Fuck, you’re so good. S’ tight. Jesus, I-- ” Kiri moves his hands from your hips to support you as he lays you down on the floor of the gym. The idea should be questionable but it’s not, it’s fucking not and you can’t concentrate on any other thoughts when Kiri grabs your wrists and pins them gently above your head with one hand while the other comes back to your hip. He thrusts into you at a brutal pace but… it feels like home and you think in that moment as your cunt begins to seize around his cock that you would give up forever to continue touching him.

“Yes, Kiri, yes. Right there, right--shit yesyes yes. ” He pistons up, the veins of his cock rubbing just right and when he releases the grip on your hands, they’re moving to wrap around him on instinct. He’s planting kisses along your jaw, mouthing up to your lips and back down to graze his teeth over your pulse point. “Do it, fuckin’ do it, let them know ‘m yours, ” you slur and when he bites down you crash over the edge on a groan that’s really more of a scream. Everything goes black but you're cradling him to you as his movements become more erratic. The snapping of his hips is getting sloppier by the second and a steady growl punches from his lungs with each breath. “Cum, Kirishima, cum inside me.”

He’s never heard those words before and it lights a fire in his veins. His head is buzzing and then he can’t hear anything as his cock releases and he’s spurting searing hot ropes of cum into your cunt. He goes until you’ve milked every last drop from him and he’d be lying if he said his world didn't suddenly feel whole. Finally, his body settles and his chest drops to yours. Everything slowly bleeds back into focus and somehow, everything seems more colorful than it did moments before. You’re still clinging to him.

“Kiri. Kiri, babe, I can’t breathe,” you say and he slowly rises, taking in your blissed-out expression. Your eyes can barely stay open, your cheeks are flushed. He backs up to see his handiwork on display, hyper-focused on the trail of the mingling cum dripping from the mess of your sex. But you’re smiling. Lazy and tired, completely at ease. “Wanna take a shower?” When you nod he doesn’t hesitate in standing to kick his underwear and shorts the rest of the way off his legs and then he’s grabbing you, scooping you into his arms and against his chest. He pads out of the gym and across the hall to his bathroom where he deposits you on your feet, only after he’s sure you can stand and only long enough to turn the shower head-on.

He puts his hand under the water, waiting for it to get warm. Steam billows from behind the glass door when he’s turning back to you to remove your tank top and your sports bra. Thank god you chose the front-closure one today; you didn’t think either one of you wanted to struggle to get one up over your head right now. When your breasts spill out of the high-impact fabric, you notice with tender amusement that his cock is half-hard again. His eyes go dark again and he leans in for a kiss. But it's slow and sweet.

"You're so fuckin' beautiful," he whispers. He ignores his arousal, ushering you into the stream of water. Your care is the only thing that matters to him right now. The heat slides across your body, and when Kirishima steps up behind you and begins soaping up your shoulders, it feels like heaven .

You take turns washing each other until you’re both blissed out in a different kind of way and the only thing either one of you can think about is sleep. But the afterglow is fading and doubt is creeping in. When you step out of the water, you stand awkwardly as Kiri hands you a towel. “You okay?” He’s actually concerned and you can’t put your finger on why you’re so fucking grateful for it.

“Yea, just tired. I should, uh, probably get going.” Kiri freezes and you think you’ve said something wrong, already crossed a line. Your brain is like a broken record as the stomach-curdling image of having to see him at the agency flashes across your eyes in vivid detail. But then he’s stepping into your space and pulling you in for a hug. A hug.

“Don’t go,” he whispers into the crown of your head and it has you smiling like an idiot against his chest. His skin smells clean and warm with a hint of spice. You bury your face further in as you nod against him. Then he’s leading you to his room, to the king-sized bed. He peels back the comforter and the white sheets and pulls you in beside him. Your back is against him and he hooks his foot around your ankles, bringing you even closer.

He doesn’t say anything more, just lets out a huge sigh as he wraps his arm around you. The last thing you notice before your eyes flutter shut is how your heartbeats are thumping at the same steady rhythm.

Late afternoon sunlight slants in Kirishima’s bedroom window, creating interesting patterns across his blanket. It’s pushed towards the end of the bed, your legs intertwined and tangled in the sheets. He’s still dozing, his breathing not quite that of someone sleeping but not of a person fully awake. You reach out to cup his cheek, stroke above his eyebrows, caress his lips with your thumb. A contented sigh leaves his chest as he grabs your hand and kisses your wrist. His eyes are open now and he watches you. You smile at him, snuggling closer, not wanting the moment to end.

“Hey,” he says quietly, suddenly serious. “I just want you to know, I don’t do this all the time. I mean, I’ve been with other people before but I don’t… I don’t really hook up .” Things start clicking into place as you realize what he’s trying to get across. He just fucked you stupid in his personal gym and somehow he looks bashful. And because you love it, you’re not going to help him along. You just watch, biting your lip to keep from giggling. “I just. I guess what I’m trying to say is I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. And normally I would have wined and dined you first but... Well. Here we are. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

That’s the last straw; your laughter comes bubbling out of you and Kiri is leaning back to look at you with a quizzical expression on his face. “Is something funny?” That just makes you laugh a little harder but the confused look he’s wearing has you leaning in to press your lips against his.

“I’ve liked you from the first day I met you, Kiri. I’ll one-up your offer and tell you that I might like to stay forever.” A grin rips across his face and your heart blooms with warmth and affection. The world seems full of possibilities but none of them matter except for the possibility laying right in front of you.

#kirishima x reader #kirishima eijiro x reader #kirishima eijirou x reader #kirishima eijiro #kirishima eijirou #pro hero kirishima #red riot #kirishima smut #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #kaitsuki writes #oh my god i had such brain block #writing this one #because i get too in my head writing smut #BUT i hope everyone still enjoys #we stan kiri in this house

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writingtoforgetreality · 3 years

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Faking To Pretend (Steve Rogers x Reader)

Request: cathy cathy cathy here i am with another request *sigh* i cant help myself your writing is just too good

i was wondering if i might request a steve rogers x reader fic where maybe reader and steve are paired up for a mission and have to pretend to be married (undercover) and some thing happen to kind of force them to admit their feelings for each other (maybe one of them gets injured? or kidnapped idk you do what you want to 😂) anyways LOVE YOU SO MUCH ❤️❤️ (by @msmarvelsmain), [Marvel-Masterlist]

Summary: Fake engagements, wedding plans & an undercover mission that jeopardized your well-being in the blink of an eye. Throughout it all, you somehow had to hide the fact that your feelings for Steve were just friendly, nothing more.

Words: 8,610

Warnings: language, angst, fluff, humor, argument, brief mentions of drugs, undercover mission (engagement & wedding plans), female pronouns used, that's pretty much it

[Mimi…this happens when our ideas get mixed up. LOVE YOU TOO!]

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

The familiar sound of a notification emanated from your phone. You deposited the book you had been immersed in onto the mattress & replaced it with the device. It confused you for a second when you noticed Tony being the one to message you. After all, you were literally in the same building.

Stark: meeting in 5.

(Y/N): you do know that you could tell me in person, right? just knock or something.

Stark: you’re too far away.

(Y/N): two doors, stark. TWO!

Stark: meeting in 4.

(Y/N): i hate you.

A loud sigh escaped through your lips. Typical Tony. Two could play that game. You planned on arriving right in time, not earlier. Maybe a few seconds too late. Anything to mess with him. At least he could get a taste of his own medicine that way.

“You’re a minute late.” Tony commented when he watched you walk inside the room. Your arms crossed over your chest as you leaned your shoulder against the door frame.

“You’re lucky I came in the first place.” you remarked. “Besides, I’m the first one here. Mission alone?” you questioned, raising your eyebrows while expectantly waiting for his answer. It was not usual for you to go alone. Except if the mission concerned grabbing pizza from the place down the block. You hoped for him that he did not pull that card, though.

“No but I wanted to discuss it with you before the others- oh, never mind.” Tony stopped talking when three more figures entered the room, brushing past your frame without paying too much attention to you. Sam. Bucky. Steve. What a damn combination. That was your team? Well, good luck. Everyone got seated on the chairs circling the big table but you stood your ground in the doorway. Steve patted the free chair next to his side, eyes flickering up to yours. A silent invitation you politely declined by shaking your head but you made sure that he could detect your small smile. Tony did not seem to mind & went straight ahead into explaining the mission you four had to perform. Most of the time, you zoned off though you really did try your hardest to stay focused. But when you glanced between the men in the room, you already knew the chaos that would come with them.

Basically, the team came across a signal emitting from the back of a small shop. From what you knew so far, it was some sort of a database that saved a whole lot of criminals. Some of them who you had fought in the past & some of them who you had never heard of but they sounded incredibly dangerous nevertheless.

“Question.” one of your hands raised & you waited for them to look at you.

“Go for it.” Tony pointed over to you, letting out a low breath because you were behaving as if you were in class & needed permission before speaking up.

“Why do Steve & I have to be the ones engaged?” normally, you would not care about undercover missions. But when said mission had you teamed up & fake-engaged to Steve? Well, you had a hard time separating work from personal feelings. Not that anything was going on between you guys but you would not lie if you said that you wanted to change it.

“What, do you want Sam & Bucky to be the couple in question?” Stark, in return, asked another question & you rolled your eyes.

“No, of course not.” that earned you disagreements from both, Sam & Bucky. Steve simply sat by, chuckling quietly while observing your conversation quietly.

“And Steve & you are close. It’ll be easier for you guys to pretend.” Tony casually stated & you had to fight the urge to avert your gaze. If you did, they sure as hell would realize something being wrong with you. And you were not about to be embarrassed in front of them. Maybe you already were but at least they did not know about it. After all, you were a fucking great actor.

“Uh-huh.” so you played it cool. As cool as the situation allowed you to be. “But why do we need Laurel & Hardy with us then?”

“Because I said so.” Tony used your most hated phrase & he damn well knew it. After a short pause, he turned a bit more serious again. “They’ll be Steve’s best men.”

“Wait.” your hand raised & you closed your eyes for a second. “Steve has two best men & I’m not allowed a maid of honor?” now everyone inside the meeting room was chuckling. Everyone but you.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Stark shrugged, brushing it off as nothing though he was aware that you were annoyed by his plan already.

“How is that fair?” you could not stop asking questions, somehow hoping that if you continued, you could get out of this successfully. Deep down, it was clear that the mission had been planned & you could not do anything to change it. Not even a single thing.

“It isn’t.” Tony admitted with a brief nod of his head. “But you’ll need Sam & Bucky on this one. So stop bitching around.”

“These are gonna be some long ass days…” you mumbled, putting your face in your hands in frustration.

“Enjoy!” & with that, Tony dismissed you, leaving you behind dumbfounded.

Sam & Bucky exited the room soon after. Steve & you were the only ones left.

“(Y/N)?” Steve’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Immediately, the frown was replaced by a genuine grin. You found yourself in this state whenever he looked at you like that. Whenever he talked to you, actually. “Everything okay?” his eyes showed concern. They usually did when he noticed you zoning off.

“Huh?” you asked before the words had processed. “Oh, yeah. Of course.”

“I’m sorry about.” his hands gestured wildly, searching for the most suitable words. “The mission being uncomfortable for you.”

“No, it’s not uncomfortable.” you tried to explain yourself. “Just, sometimes I feel like Stark just wants to mess with me.”

“Well, if it helps cheering you up…I’ll behave.” he winked at you playfully & you hated how your body reacted to such simple movements.

“I’m sure you will.” you snickered. “My true worries are your best men.” a sly smirk spread onto your face & Steve could not hold back a chuckle.

“Yeah, I can’t control them.” he agreed with you. “I’ll see you around.” he walked past you, turning around one last time. You simply nodded at him, not trusting your own voice. While you handled the situation as best as you could, you wanted to avoid an awkward goodbye. Besides, you would set out first thing in the morning. You needed some alone time before shit started going down. Not that you expected this mission to fail. The exact opposite, actually. The four of you worked incredibly well together. Compensating other’s mistakes & improvising fast if needed. Mostly, though, you ended up straying from the actual plan & that was what had you worried. Because if you did not stick to it, things could turn real uncomfortable real quick.

As if the mission itself was not demanding enough, the car ride to even arrive at your destination was ten times worse. Steve was behind the wheel & you were lucky that you occupied the passenger’s seat & did not have to sit in the back with either Sam or Bucky. They were children, really. Right now, it felt like Steve & you were the parents of two incredibly challenging kids who could not shut their mouths. Not even for a second. Steve succeeded with ignoring them & he was concentrating on the road so that gave him another thing to do. You, on the other hand, were stuck without any distractions except for the bickering that was currently going on in the backseat. But you knew better than to interrupt them because if you did, it would only turn worse. So you took a few deep breaths & settled further into your seat, closing your eyes to maybe rest a bit before your arrival. What you did not notice was Steve glancing over to your figure, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he recognized you attempting to sleep during the stress inside the car.

At least the hotel Tony checked you in was worth it. Fake-engagements had their perks. Especially if a luxurious suite was a part of it. Sam & Bucky were somewhere in another room but Steve & you, the two of you pretty much occupied an entire floor. That was how huge your room was. You did not even have to carry your own suitcases. There was an employee who helped you with that. What a nice way of living that was. If only you were not pretending. But why were you even thinking that way? You had a mission to perform & more importantly, you could not fail. And you would not if you solely focused on your task. It could not be that hard, right? You had done something similar multiple times before. It should be an easy one for you. But it was not. And the main reason was Steve. It was wrong of you to put the blame on him but how could you not if you literally had to pretend to be his fiancée? It felt like a secret wish you did not dare to voice. And yet he was here right in front of you, in the same room. A place you were supposed to share for the next few days. And you somehow had to play it cool. There was only one outcome. Burying your feelings deep down in order to not jeopardize the mission or your team. No matter how much your heart protested.

“(Y/N)?” you heard Steve’s voice as you were stepping out of the shower. Only a towel was covering your still wet body but you feared that, if you did not open the door right away, you were in danger somehow. That was your mind’s conclusion. Which really did not make any sense if you gave it a second thought. You opened the door a crack, risking a glance outside & eased when you only saw Steve on the other end. It was a natural reaction for you to push the door open wider. But you kind of forgot that you were not wearing any clothes except for that poor excuse of a hotel towel which was way too small for your liking. Steve’s eyes widened & he could not stop from letting them flicker up & down your body. You squirmed under his stare, arms coming to cross over your chest in order to keep the fabric in place. A few moments of awkward silence ticked by & you wanted it to end. So you coughed & gained his attention once more. His eyes were locking with yours & while you usually lost yourself in them, you were way more comfortable than having him eyeing your every part in great detail.

“You needed anything?” you stuttered out, hoping your voice did not sound all too weak but even to yourself, you were aware that you were failing.

“Um, yeah…” his cheeks turned rosy. One of his hands came up to scratch the back of his neck. “But I probably should’ve waited a couple minutes longer.” he should have but it was too late now anyway.

“If it’s nothing too important then I’ll go get dressed real quick, alright? I’ll take like two minutes.” you attempted an honest smile but it was underlined with a hint of embarrassment that was definitely detectable. Steve simply nodded, stepping back a bit so you could close the door once more. Your back rested against the wooden surface & you quietly sighed out with closed eyes. That was not what you expected. Fingers crossed nothing between you two would turn awkward from now on. But then again, he was your best friend & it was not like you were completely naked. Just barely dressed but covered enough so he did not see anything. You would be just fine.

With a decent outfit & regained confidence, you exited the bathroom & found Steve sitting at the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands where he shifted a small package between his fingers. His head snapped up when he heard your footsteps. You two exchanged a smile & it was then when you knew that your shamefaced encounter would not change the bond you shared. It was as if everything was the same old. And it was probably for the better.

“Was that why you needed something from me?” you gestured to the little box & Steve was brought back to reality. Right, there was a reason why he wanted to talk to you in the first place.

“Tony gave it to me right before we left.” he stood up & approached you with long steps. “Said it’d be more believable if you wore one.” Steve stretched out his hand so you could take the black package from him. With curious eyes & delicate fingers, you took it from him. Your eyebrows raised as your eyes met his but he only shrugged at you without giving you an actual explanation. Carefully, you uncapped the box & were shocked when you noticed the small, sparkling ring inside. The colors of the rainbow reflected in the diamond adorning the silver jewelry. It looked way too expensive for it to be a fake one.

“Tony wants me to wear an engagement ring?” you asked even though it was more than obvious. Maybe you just needed reassurance.

“Makes it more believable.” Steve repeated.

“It probably cost more than what I’ll earn in a lifetime.” you chuckled & closed the lid again.

“So you’re not gonna wear it?” he questioned cautiously. For a flicker, he turned insecure because maybe the reason why you refused to wear it was because you did not want people to believe he was your fiancé.

“Of course I’m gonna wear it! It’s stunning. Just…” you paused briefly & bit your bottom lip to contemplate your next words. “It’s expensive. I can’t risk losing it. I’ll put it on whenever we’re outta this room, though. I won’t be the one blowing our cover.” you assured & laughed because you were indirectly blaming Sam or Bucky to mess up. Steve silently agreed with you but did not say anything else as you situated the ring on the nightstand right next to the large bed. It was late, the moon already doing its job with providing a pleasant light that shone through the blinds & illuminated the gloomy suite. For tomorrow’s mission, you needed to be well-rested to fully function.

Steve insisted that you should occupy the bed on your own. He would be perfectly fine on the couch. The cushions of it were incredibly soft, Tony had paid a fortune after all, you still felt poorly for sleeping in the bed alone. Tomorrow would most likely bring him back pain. He was not the youngest soul, after all. Not that you would ever tell him. It was not meant as offending, though. If you were the one on the couch, your back would kill you as well. But you were too much of a coward to suggest that there was enough space for two people. That & you were scared that he did not even want to share in the first place. That could be an intelligible possibility. Your overthinking consumed quite a bit of time because when you heard Steve’s soft & even breaths, you knew that you were too late already. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe you could gain enough courage to ask him tomorrow. Why were you even so eager to have him beside you? What kind of question was that? You were very well aware why. The conversation you held with yourself in your mind came to an abrupt stop as exhaustion overcame & lulled you into a dreamless night.

Constant knocking stirred you awake. You groaned into your pillow because you were still tired but someone decided to shorten your rest. Assuming Steve was already up, you peeked over the blankets covering your body. You were right, he was opening the door. Appearing like he had not just got out of bed. Or off of the couch, in his case. Steve tried to be as quiet as possible, thinking that you were still passed out on the bed.

“G’morning.” you mumbled out & wiped your eyes with the back of your hands. Steve smiled at you. Right now, you looked cute. Pissed off because it was too early but that did not matter when you were all wrapped up in the blankets.

“Coffee?” he suggested & you immediately got into a sitting position at the mention of it. He had his answer then.

“Wait. What is this?” you gestured to the serving trolley Steve was pushing over to the bed. It was obvious what it was but you were bewildered because you did not expect him to order breakfast.

“Tony took our undercover mission very serious.” he shrugged, leaving the food next to you & wanting to grab a few things to eat by the table.

“No.” you shook your head & halted his movements. “I mean, come on. When was the last time you had breakfast in bed?” you patted the spot next to you. Steve paused for a second but after a short while of contemplation, he agreed & got seated on the mattress. Breakfast in bed. That itself would have been amazing but with Steve? It was almost as if a dream of yours got fulfilled. You needed to stop thinking that way. Undercover missions meant faking, pretending. Why were you struggling so much this time?

“I look like a bitch.” you commented once you got into your undercover outfit. Sam & Bucky were already in your suite & they complained about what a poor excuse their room was compared to yours.

“So what’s different?” Sam joked & earned a slap from you.

“First of all, if we don’t wear what Tony prepared for us, people will notice. And (Y/N)? You don’t look like a bitch, you’re good.” Steve commented & even though his words were not necessarily cute, they still did things to you.

“Woah, Steve. Nice ring you picked out there, pal.” Bucky spotted the diamond on your finger & could not help himself but tease you two about it.

“Could we all just focus on the mission?” funny thing that you were the one saying that. Considering that you probably struggled the most out of the four of you.

“Okay, got it. (Y/N) doesn’t look like a bitch but she acts like one.” Sam smirked & started sprinting through the suite when you took off to catch him. Steve & Bucky shook their heads & chuckled at your childish behavior. None of this was new, though. Things usually went that way when you were sent on a mission together.

“The signal comes from the back of this shop.” Steve whispered, all of you trying to stay undetected for the time being so you could discuss the plan further.

“It’s a pastry shop?” you pointed out & suddenly, three men were rolling their eyes at you. “What?”

“You expected something that sold knives?” Sam teased.

“Maybe, I don’t know.” you whisper-yelled.

“Sam, Bucky. You two enter the back while (Y/N) & I distract the guy.” Steve described your plan once more & you all nodded, each understanding their task. While you did not exactly know what you would do to grab the clerk’s attention, you were certain that you could think of something. Improvising was something you were skilled at, you simply hoped that Steve would not stand in the way.

“Welcome! What can I help y’all with?” the almost sweet voice of the man behind the counter was not what you would expect when you looked him up & down. At the same time, he really appeared out of place in a shop like that.

“Yes!” your enthusiasm, well fake-enthusiasm, was more than obvious & you wrapped your arms around Steve’s torso to get into character. “My fiancé & I are looking for some pies for our upcoming wedding.” Steve let you do the talking, his only response being a nod, underlined with a genuine smile.

“Ah, young love.” the guy clicked his tongue & shook his head slightly. “We have a variety of our best wedding cakes right here.” he pointed to a selection behind a class cabinet.

“No, no, no.” you contradicted. “We’d love to have pie at our wedding. I saw you have some delicious looking options over there.” you gestured to the other side of the shop.

“Pie at a wedding? Isn’t that a little unconventional?” the seller raised his eyebrows, seemingly suspicious & it looked like Steve noticed that as well.

“I think we’ll do fine with cak-“ but before he had the chance to finish, you nudged him with your elbow & shot him a look. “I’m sure your cake is great but pie reflects us better.” Steve corrected himself quickly once he realized what you were planning to do.

“Alrighty, then please follow me over there.” the place behind the counter was now free so Sam & Bucky had a clear path to enter. “Any preferences?”

“Anything, really.” you encouraged the man who opened the showcase. He was so busy with his task, Sam & Bucky had it easy to break in. The corners of your eyes spotted their figures. Now they just needed more time to successfully get the information you all needed.

“Can I ask y’all something?” the clerk spoke up after handing you yet another sample of pie. Truthfully, it was a dream come true. Spending time with Steve while eating pie after pie? If only you did not have to pretend. Did you pretend? Or did you fake to pretend? Your brain did not make sense anymore.

“Go for it.” Steve encouraged.

“You’re the first couple to ask for pie samples. What’s up with that?” the man asked curiously, no longer looking at you like you were suspicious but genuinely interested.

“Well.” Steve chuckled & you could not help but let your gaze flicker up to his face. “We are a very unusual couple. Pie at a wedding is unusual. It’s perfect.” while he spoke those last words, his eyes locked with yours & you could have sworn that time halted right then & there. But you had to snap out of it. For the sake of this mission. A look over the shop owner’s shoulder confirmed that you did not have to pretend too much longer. Sam & Bucky were already on their way out again, turning their heads in your direction to silently confirm that they were done. Successful? That you could not tell just yet.

A few minutes & another pie later, you looked at your watch on your wrist & gasped exaggeratingly.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Steve asked & you almost gasped again, though this time, it would have been for an entirely different reason.

“Um, it’s late, we need to head to the thing.” you were doing so well & now, at the end, you managed to slip.

“The thing?” Steve inquired & by the look on your face he could tell that you were overwhelmed & could not think of a proper excuse. “Oh, the fitting.” he quickly added, hoping nobody would ask which kind of fitting. Seemed like you two were lucky today.

“In that case…I’ll let y’all go. Do you want me to put the rest of the samples in a box for you to take home? That way you have more time to figure out which one to choose.” he reasoned & Steve & you nodded gratefully. Behind the counter, he worked quickly & handed you a paper bag in no time.

“Thanks, man. We’ll get back to you.” Steve waved, putting an arm over your shoulder as you exited the shop. The moment you were out, you could finally breathe again. Missions made you extremely nervous. Undercover missions such as this one, actually. During the others you were perfectly fine.

“Thanks for helping me out back in there.” you chuckled once you were out of sight.

“Pie? Really? Wouldn’t have surprised me if he just saw through us right away.” Steve said with a smile on his face. Good, so he was not mad at you.

“In my defense…The pies were at the other end of the shop so I helped Sam & Bucky.” you finished your sentence but it sounded as if you wanted to add something.

“And you love pie?” Steve did not even have to ask, he knew you well enough.

“And I love pie.” you repeated & laughed. Steve still had not let go of you, hugging you to the side of his body. You did not seem to mind so he kept continuing to hold you close.

Steve placed the paper bag on the small table right in the entrance area. Immediately, you went to the bathroom to rid yourself of that stupid outfit you had to wear & threw on something more comfortable. Once you exited, Sam was already in your suite. The four of you decided to have the meeting in your room because it was bigger & the others kind of wanted to move in with you.

“What’s in there?” Sam asked, pointing to the brown paper bag.

“Pie.” you simply answered without much thought. Sam hummed but did not say anything else. Steve & you were in the living room area, waiting for Bucky to show up so you could start discussing more about this mission. Specifically what they found out during their inspection. The creak of the door gained your attention & you looked up only to find Bucky entering. Your gaze then flickered to Sam who was hiding behind the door, pie in one hand, his free hand came to his mouth, telling you to be quiet. It all happened too fast, Bucky was in Sam’s sight & in an instant, there was a pie right in the super soldier’s face. Steve came right in time to watch the scene, his previous intention to greet his best friend completely forgotten now.

“Sam.” Bucky growled, way too quiet for your liking. But you could not focus on his warning right now. You glanced over your shoulder & noticed Steve’s almost sad expression. The only one who could not control his laughter was Sam. He was practically on the floor because he was laughing so hard. The only emotion running through you was anger.

“I. WANTED. TO. EAT. THAT.” you were seething & all three men turned their heads at your tone.

“Sorry?” Sam tried but you were having none of it.

“NO YOU’RE NOT!” you pretty much yelled.

“I’m gonna kill you.” Bucky whispered & Sam took that as his cue to run away, through that labyrinth of your suite. Bucky sprinted after him, leaving Steve to shake his head at their childish behavior.

“(Y/N)?” Steve’s voice was soft & yet it did nothing to calm you down. You really did love pie & you had been excited to eat the rest of it in bed tonight ever since you left that shop.

“WHAT?” you snapped back, only now realizing that it was not Steve’s fault. “I’m sorry.” you added almost inaudible.

“It’s fine.” he raised his eyebrows & opened his arms. You were not sure why but Steve wanted to hug you & you never declined one of his hugs. So you fell into his embrace, both of you silently knowing that this action was not because of a stupid pie. Though you had to admit that you were mad at Sam that you could not eat the rest anymore. This hug held a deeper meaning & for a few seconds, you let yourself enjoy it. Until a loud screech from the other room snapped you back into the present. Steve & you parted unwillingly. You had to, before Sam & Bucky ended up killing each other.

The four of you sat around the coffee table, you occupying the floor while the others each took a seat on the oversized couch. A pout was still very much present on your face. Yes, you were mad at Sam but you had other things, more important things, to deal with right now. Revenge could come later.

“So?” Steve was the one to speak up after nobody else made a move to do so.

“Sam & I managed to break in.” Bucky casually said as if you did not see that to begin with. That was the plan after all.

“But?” your tone was still harsh but you tried your hardest to push that aside.

“We couldn’t hack the system.” Sam finished. “That’s your specialty.”

“Okay, wait.” you closed your eyes briefly. “You wanna tell me that it took you what felt like an eternity to check out the back room only to sit here now & tell us that you couldn’t get the information?” you concluded with a loud sigh.

“In our defense…We know that we’re definitely looking at the right place.” Bucky commented, careful to not anger you any further.

“So what do you suggest?” Steve asked the two men.

“We’ll go there again tonight. All of us. (Y/N) here hacks the system & we’ll see what we can do after that.” Sam established the new plan & you nodded in understanding.

“I still hate you for wasting the pie on Bucky.” you crossed your arms over your chest.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you.” Sam chuckled though you knew he was not planning on keeping his promise.

“Alright, please go back to your room before I do something I might regret later.” you motioned for Sam & Bucky to leave & they did after arranging a time to meet again.

Since you had the brains in this group, it was an easy one for you to deactivate the security cameras without being seen. After that, you went on to the alarm system & turned it off as well. Which meant that you were free to go. It was the dead of the night, nobody was around. You could enter without a single soul watching you. Steve pushed his body weight against the back door. Once, twice. Until it opened.

“You do know that I could’ve picked the lock, right?” your voice made him spin around. It looked like he only now thought of that but he brushed it off, pretending that this was his plan & it worked out the way he wanted to. The room appeared rather normal. Nothing that caught your eye, nothing that was out of place. An office like you had seen multiple times. The computer was turned off so you changed that real quick, waiting for the screens to light up.

“Earlier today, it wasn’t protected by a password.” Sam furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah, dumbass. Because the computer was on already. Give me a second.” you opened various drawers to look for a sign as to what the password could possibly be. The others let you do your work, not daring to speak up to interrupt you. “There we go.” you found a small paper in between some notebooks. Not necessarily the safest place to keep secret things but you would not judge. The home screen showed up. Again, nothing special. Simply a picture of flowers. Weird for the guy who worked here but that was none of your concerns.

“And?” Steve broke the silence.

“There are some decrypted files…” you mumbled, sitting down on the office chair. This would take a bit longer, you assumed.

“Can you get access?” another question from Steve. At least the children were quiet for now.

“Of course I can.” you smiled triumphantly. “Give me a few minutes, though.” you were so focused on the screen, you did not see the others nodding. It was tough, you were not going to lie, but it was you who hacked into the system. You never failed with that.

“Huh.” you breathed out. Truthfully, you were overwhelmed with all the information you were receiving with one look only. Steve, Sam & Bucky each took a place behind you, staring at the screen curiously. “Guys? That’s…scary.” you chuckled uncomfortably.

“What is this?” Bucky mumbled quietly but since it was so silent in this room, everyone heard. This was way bigger than you initially thought. Once you made it back to your hotel, you needed to call Tony.

“(Y/N).” Steve shoved you away gently, taking the mouse in his hand to enlarge what caught his attention. You had to gulp at what you saw. What the hell were you doing on there? Steve’s muscles tensed, you could tell by one single look at him. It took a few deep breaths from your side until you started the process of transferring the information on your little flash drive. ”(Y/N).” Steve tried again, this time a bit louder.

“Yeah, I know.” you answered, ignoring your fast beating heart as much as it was possible. “I got everything, let’s head back.” it was clear that you wanted to leave this place behind & you were the first who made it out into the cool night air. Breathing worked easier out here.

“Hey, Tony.” by now, you were back in your hotel room, picking up your phone to call Tony once Steve went into the bathroom.

“(Y/N)! Successful?” he asked, already thinking that you finished this mission & started heading home.

“Not yet. Seems like this is bigger than we thought…” you trailed off at the end, not really wanting to explain what you found out.

“Bigger how? (Y/L/N), come on.” Tony urged & heard you sigh over the phone.

“It was at the back of the shop, that was correct. I hacked into the system & …it looks like it’s some sort of website where people can pay beforehand, assigning criminals for certain acts. It’s huge, Tony. Tons of people have an account & there are so many new assignments every minute…I’ll send you the data in a second, okay? We’ll check out the coordinates we found tomorrow. We think it could lead us to a very important member of this website. And maybe the guy from the shop has something to do with it, though I’m not sure which part he plays in all of that.” you left out a very significant detail & hoped he would not ask more questions.

“There’s something else.” he stated, knowing you better even though he could not read your body language like he usually did.

“That’s all. I promise we’ll finish this missi-“ your phone was taken from you but before you could complain about it, Steve continued the call with Tony.

“Someone instructed to eliminate (Y/N) because, & I quote, “She’s too pretty to be part of the Avengers”. That assignment was where we got the coordinates from. Means the guy from the shop probably manages all of that but he isn’t the one we’re looking for.” silence enveloped you two & you figured that Tony was talking on the other end. “Yeah, sure. That’s the top priority. We’ll work on that & you start looking into the website.” Steve ended the call & threw your phone on the mattress next to where you were sitting.

“What the hell, Steve?” you were furious because he acted differently. And not in a good way. The only response from him was a cold look. He then moved out to the balcony that was attached to your suite. It was unusual for him to be so distanced, especially when it came to you. And you were hesitant to follow him. Considering his body language, he was mad at you. Why? You had no idea. Did you do anything to piss him off? Your gaze fell to your hands in your lap. The diamond on your ring finger sparkled beautifully. You recalled how it felt to be next to Steve, in that small pastry shop where you ate pie after pie to pick the perfect one for your wedding. This was something that could never be. It was all pretending but why did it feel so real to you? Steve probably was not struggling as much as you were & you hated yourself for it.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. Steve eased when he found you standing next to him. The sun would begin rising soon but the both of you were not tired at all. Though the reasons were different. Steve’s mind was still occupied with the information that there was someone out there who paid an awful lot of money to have you eliminated. You, on the other hand, struggled with keeping your feelings buried. Your hands held onto the railing. The movement made Steve look down where the engagement ring was still adorning your hand. You had not taken it off yet. In fact, he only realized that now, you even wore it during your mission of breaking into the shop. Sam & Bucky did not comment on it & to Steve, it was almost…normal. But you did say you would not keep it on you unless you were outside, pretending to be engaged to him.

“What did I do?” your voice interrupted his racing thoughts.

“What?” Steve was confused that you believed you did something wrong.

“Ever since we got outta that shop, you’ve been distant & cold. Was it something I did?” you kept looking straight forward, not wanting to hold eye contact because you feared the worst. That you managed to mess up somehow & Steve was angry at you.

“You didn’t do anything.” his body faced yours & you could practically feel his eyes on you. His intense stare made your breath hitch up.

“You sure about that?” finally, you turned around. Your bodies were almost touching, you underestimated the distance between you two.

“You act as if you don’t care.” his statement had you furrow your eyebrows. He rolled his eyes but continued anyway. “Someone paid a huge amount of money. To have you killed. And here you are, pretending that it doesn’t matter. It’s something you’re really good at, huh? Pretending.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” your voice raised slightly but you still wanted to keep it down, you were outside, everyone could hear your conversation.

“See? You’re doing it again.” Steve called you out. “We found that piece of information by accident.”

“I’m aware.” you arms went to hug yourself. A distraction that barely did its job.

“So your life means nothing to you.” his words were harsh. And if you were honest, they hurt. A lot.

“I never said that.” you hated how your voice wavered. How you could not appear to be the strong woman right now.

“You act like it, though.” with each word he said, your heart broke a little more. If only he knew. “I understand. This whole pretending thing is something you’re good at. This mission showed that much. But this is real, (Y/N). So, for a second, stop pretending & act like you care!”

“STOP!” you yelled out of breath. Instinctively, Steve took a step back, eyes wide by your sudden outburst. “Just stop.” this time, you spoke it much softer. Your gaze flickered to the ground, head hanging low.

“I’m sorr-“ Steve was interrupted.

“I said stop.” you repeated. “Steve, we’re on a mission. We’re supposed to put a stop to this shit. None of this has anything to do with me pretending to be your fiancée or me pretending that I don’t give a damn about my life.”

“Are you sure about that?” he emphasized. One hand went to the diamond on your finger & slipped it off. You made a fist around it, though it was not with a lot of pressure. You did not intend to damage the ring.

“I might be good at pretending but I’m no professional.” you admitted. Steve grew more & more confused. He did not know you were talking about the fact that you were not pretending to be engaged to him. To you, it felt natural, it felt good. Right now, though, you did pretend that none of this faced you. But Steve could not tell the difference.

“Can I be honest with you?” he waited until your eyes met his.

“Go ahead.” you waved your hand for him to continue.

“I was cold towards you because once we found out about that, you didn’t say anything about it. And I can’t believe that you just don’t care about it. About your life. I can’t. You don’t have to pretend when you’re with me, you know that. We’re not engaged right now. No undercover mission. You & me. So please be honest with me.” he took your hands into his & you did not flinch back. The touch grounded you but it was no lie that you were having a hard time to be completely honest with him.

“Why do you care so much?” maybe not the smartest thing to ask. Steve’s reaction was proof enough. He let go of your hands, turned his back towards you & let out a breathless laugh. His hands raised to his hair, messing it up in the slightest. Seconds ticked by but it felt like hours until he spun around once more.

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!” it seemed like that confession made the both of you stop dead in your tracks. It was not the first time Steve said those words but his tone differed from the previous ones. Still, chances were high he addressed your friendship with that. Because you were friends. Simple friends. “Say something.” he grew desperate when you did not reply.

“I-I don’t know what you want me to say. That I love you, too? You know that, Steve.” your words were steady, calculated. It was too soon to get your hopes up.

“How far do I have to go for you to realize that I want you?” he approached you, hesitancy in his steps. “Didn’t it feel natural to you when we acted like a couple? Because, I can’t keep that up anymore, I can’t. Tell me you don’t feel the same & I’ll back off. We can forget this right now, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. But if you-“ his speech was cute but you had to be close to him now that he finally confessed that there was more between you two. You cupped his cheeks & pulled him in to kiss him. Steve was shocked at first but it did not take him too long until his hands rested on your waist, tightening his grip on you. After parting, Steve kept his forehead against yours. Both of you had your eyes closed, breathing the same air. You imagined this exact moment more than once. But never before had it played out like that. Not that you were complaining, your feelings were finally out there.

“You were wrong, you know?” as much as you enjoyed the silence, there was still something you wanted him to know.

“Wrong about what?” he opened his eyes to look at every feature of you. Because it was no longer forbidden, he was allowed to do that now.

“I didn’t pretend while we were in the shop pie tasting.” you admitted, a small smile playing at the corner of your lips. “I faked pretending, if that makes sense…But, after I saw the bounty on my head, I started pretending.” he nodded at you, squeezing your waist once to encourage you to keep talking. “Steve? I’m scared.”

“It’s okay.” Steve’s arms went around your shoulders, pulling you close once again. His chin on your head. If only that could dispose of all of your worries. The only thing he could do was letting you hold onto him.

Steve did not sleep on the couch that night. Not because he did not want to but because you insisted to have him close. It was not the first time you two shared a bed. Sometimes, when missions did not allow you anything else, you ended up next to each other. Tonight felt different, better. Because there was no longer a weight on your heart. Were you two in a relationship already? Maybe you had been for some time but the two of you were too oblivious to notice. There was enough time to label whatever this was as soon as this mission was over. Your focus should solely be on this mission. Tons of lives depended on it. Yours included.

“You’re stubborn. Do you know that?” the next morning came sooner than you would have liked. No time for cuddling in bed, no time for breakfast. Two hours of sleep was all you got. But you had never felt this rested in your entire life. The reason was a certain super soldier. Not that you would ever admit that.

“Would I have chickened out if I didn’t know they were after me? No. I can handle myself.” Steve suggested for you to stay behind because they were looking for you. It could bring on unnecessary danger & he obviously needed you to be safe.

“But we know now.” Steve tried reasoning but it was useless, you already made your decision.

“Right. So it’s time to put a stop to it. Come on, Sam & Bucky are waiting for us.” you were out of the door before Steve found enough time to argue with you.

The drive to the coordinates was tense. Not even the kids in the back were joking around. Possibly because this mission turned into something way more hazardous. The situation between Steve & you was the same. Hence why nobody commented on it. After all, you pretty much confessed before there was an actual confession. Therefore, it was the same old. The only difference was your gut feeling that did not give you a hard time anymore. That was not entirely true. You had a bad gut feeling but for another reason.

“That’s the house?” you gestured to the building after the car came to a stop.

“This is it.” Steve confirmed.

“I don’t know why I expected some sort of villa.” Bucky commented while glancing out of the window.

“Maybe that would be too obvious. I mean, we do know that they receive the money beforehand, right? And I’m sure that the order to eliminate me wasn’t his first one.” you spotted Steve tensing up when you talked about that assignment. Your hand squeezed his shoulder & you hoped that your smile was convincing enough. You were alright & you would be after this mission. With Steve, Sam & Bucky on your side, you had nothing to fear. If push came to shove, they would go out of their ways to keep you safe.

“Steve?” Sam spoke up. “You know we need him alive, right?”

“Of course.” Steve nodded though his mind was contemplating going further than that. Unfortunately, you still had to figure out who was the one to assign this to the criminal. Tony was onto that, checking if there was more to find out about that anonymous account who paid the money. “A few punches won’t kill him.”

It was the break of dawn & the neighborhood was completely empty. The silence inside the car was interrupted by Steve’s sign to make a move. All of you stayed close together, you were not about to make the same mistake people did in horror movies. Besides, you felt safer with them around. A noise made you spin around. It was coming from down the hallway. Steve took the lead, you right behind him. Sam & Bucky trailing behind after you. A gun was clutched in your hand but you were not intending to use it today. Hopefully there was no need to. Steve shot you a look over his shoulder, silently telling you to be prepared. When he pushed the door open with his body weight this time, you did not tease him about it like you did when you broke into the back of the pastry shop the other night. The sight you were met with was…unexpected. There was a man sitting behind his computer. The room smelled like drugs. A mixture of multiple things you could not identify & did not even want to.

“Woah, you’re the Avengers.” he slurred his words. So he was drunk as well. “Hey, I’m supposed to kill you.” he pointed at your figure & instinctively, Steve stepped in front of you. Shielding your body with his.

“You sure that’s our guy?” Sam leaned closer to you & whispered. Your shoulders shrugged & you pointed over to the desk where a name tag was proudly displayed. Seemed like he was not the smartest guy if he used the same name for his account on that website. Your heartrate slowed down because you knew you were not in danger. Not right now. Steve approached the man, coming to a halt mere inches away from him. His hand balled into a fist & after one punch in the guy’s face, he was on the floor, unconscious.

“Huh.” you breathed out. “That was almost too easy.”

“Yeah, if we forget about the website where thousands of people assign offenders every single day.” Bucky was right, of course. You stumbled across something way bigger. Hopefully Tony had good news once you returned.

The police was called. They inspected the room & that guy really was everything but intelligent. He horded a file full of his assignments. He would not see the sunlight again, that much was sure. Steve & you waited outside, leaning on the hood of the car. Sam & Bucky were busy talking to the officers.

“Hey.” you started & nudged Steve with your elbow. “Is it appropriate to thank that asshole?”

“What for? For wanting to kill you?” he answered with furrowed eyebrows.

“No.” you chuckled. “But…if it were not for him, we wouldn’t have confessed.”

“There was a possibility that he was dangerous. Maybe we just caught him at a bad time.” Steve mumbled the last part.

“Let’s not worry about that, alright? I’m fine. See?” you gestured to your body, a big smile adorning your features.

“I know.” he nodded but it was obvious that he was still careful about this entire situation.

“I love you.” that seemed to do the job. His eyes met yours, his expression less tense & softer.

“I know that, too.” he smirked when you playfully slapped his chest.

“Steve, you ruined a very roman-“ his lips were on yours before you could finish your complaint. Steve was aware what he was doing, because he smiled into the kiss which caused you to giggle.

“I love you, too.” his lips still ghosted over yours. You could feel as his words left them. “Romantic enough?”

“I’m sure you can do better.” you pulled away & winked at him, moving away to join Sam & Bucky. Steve’s eyes followed your body & he shook his head at you. Yes, he did love you. A lot. And he was already planning how to make his next move even more romantic.

Published (05/18/2021) by Cathy

✨MY Ko-fi PAGE✨

Tags: @zestyemby, @captainxholmes, @met4no1a, @bibliophilewednesday, @weareironmanbitches, @n3ssm0nique, @2bornot2b, @iaalien, @bibliophilewednesday (thanks for your support <3)

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tennessoui · 3 years

Note

33 obikin 🙏

bless i can't write anything straightforward or normal to save my life

33. Celebrity/Fan AU (modern AU, singer Obi-Wan)(1.8k)

Obi-Wan had only wanted to cook, really.

He’d decided on Tuesday night that he would take Friday off as a sort of self-care day. He needed it. In the midst of a world tour, finally with a week to breathe back in his home city, he’d wanted to relax for a day. One day without music or an audience of any kind, just him in an apartment filled mostly with dusty counters and almost expired foods.

He loves his fans, because of course he loves his fans. He loves the fact that people relate to what he writes enough to listen to his albums, although he has gone through several different sounds over the course of his career. He loves that he can be 39 and still touring the world, even though he started his career as a 13-year-old-child-actor turned teen-pop-sensation turned serious musician turned perhaps-washed-up-serious-musician turned very-much-serious-musician-actually-this-time.

If not for his fans, he wouldn’t be able to afford this house on the outskirts of his town. He wouldn’t be able to boast his performances in three-fourths of the world’s major cities. He wouldn’t be able to continue to have a career. No. He loves his fans.

It’s just that sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he just wants peace and quiet, a moment to himself, where he can float away without concerning himself with the flow of the setlist, the timing of the encore, the lyrics and rhythms of songs he wrote a decade ago when he was practically a different person.

It’s just such a shame that Obi-Wan leaves the handle of the wooden spoon too close to the stove’s open flame when he stirs and adjusts the heat to low for an hour so he can go soak off his stress in the bath.

It’s just such a shame that the smoke alarms from the kitchen cannot be heard over the music he’s playing in the master bath.

Obi-Wan sinks beneath the water, enjoying the unyielding pressure. He doesn’t want to retire, he tells himself. He has so many more songs to write. Sure, he hasn’t written an actual good song in two years and people are starting to notice. Sure, the intense scrutiny is driving him up the wall and killing anything creative that he’s ever harbored in his soul. Sure, his muscles and bones ache and he had almost had a breakdown the other day when he first walked through the door of his home and couldn’t remember if there was a bathroom on the first floor, but.

But he doesn’t want to retire yet. He just has to admit he’s waning, even to himself. Whatever inspiration he had has been used up or otherwise escaped. All he has now to his name are songs that have already been sung.

He doesn’t know how long he spends in the bath, really. Long enough that the album changes twice. Long enough that his fingers prune up and his eyes grow lax. Long enough that he tells himself that no matter how soothing the lavender essence is, it would be very dangerous for him to fall asleep in the bath because the news articles alone would be enough to raise him from the dead only to strike him down again.

(Long enough for the wooden spoon’s handle next to the pot to catch on fire. Long enough for that fire to burn down to the oil on the spoon itself. Long enough for the dishtowel it was resting on to ignite as well.)

The smoke alarm clues in before Obi-Wan does.

Luckily, Obi-Wan had paid extra for a smoke alarm that, when registering a certain threshold of smoke, sends a notification to the closest fire department.

Luckily, this all happens while Obi-Wan is unaware, but before he becomes in peril.

He actually remains unaware of the whole thing right up until the moment a fully-suited firefighter kicks through the door of his bathroom.

That’s when he jerks up, very unceremoniously. “Fucking Chr--what?” he shouts, raising a hand to cover his exposed chest for reasons unknown.

“Obi--??” the masked firefighter starts to say, in something akin to shock, but like Obi-Wan is going to give ground here and now. He’s cornered the market on shock on this occasion, thanks much.

“What the--”

“Your house is on fire!” the man yells over him, looking around the bathroom wildly until he sees a fluffy off-white bathrobe hanging by a hook near the door. He throws it at Obi-Wan, who just catches it before it can get wet.

“My house is what?” Obi-Wan splutters, standing automatically to put on the piece of clothing. The helmet of the firefighter turns away to give him privacy. Despite himself, he finds it rather endearing. He ties the belt around his waist tightly, stepping out of the tub.

As soon as he’s out of the water, the other man swoops him up and over his shoulder. Obi-Wan lets out a scream which he’ll probably be absolutely mortified about later.

But now, what’s more distressing is the way his body is responding to the hold he’s been placed in. He’s thirty-nine years old. He’s definitely too old for this. He should definitely know better than to be even slight aroused by such a display of...strength and stalwartness and--

The man walks him out of the bathroom and the very first thing he notices is the heat that hits his skin. “Oh!” he whimpers and then yells wordlessly in absolute panic as he realizes what this heat must mean. His house is on fire. Actual fire. Actually on fire. There’s a fireman here. Because his house is on fire.

He’s only a little ashamed to admit that there’s a fair amount of thrashing that happens immediately upon this realization.

Enough so, in fact, that the firefighter transfers him from over his shoulder to cradled in his arms, so as to hold tightly against the movement of his limbs. “Stop--moving!” the man says irritably. Obi-Wan wants to tell him to work on his bedside manner, seeing as how his house is on fire, but he doesn’t have time before they descend the stairs and he can see the actual flames.

The stairs themselves are fine, which makes sense. Hot air rises. The dining room, parlor, and entryway look like they’re absolutely covered in fire though, so really his fireman was just in time to save him.

The smoke is acrid against the back of his throat, and Obi-Wan buries his face against the textured shoulder of his rescuer's uniform just so he doesn’t have to look or breathe the air, although he feels the smoke already working its way through his lungs. Well. That might just be his imagination.

They’re out of the house in a matter of seconds, and Obi-Wan’s eyes water immediately at the difference in air quality.

The man who’s been carrying him sets him down gently on the lip of the fire truck, far enough away from the house that he’s not in any danger--though most of the place is fine still--but close enough that someone can keep an eye on him. He doesn’t know why he hadn’t remembered to grab his phone. That phone was very important. Hopefully the other firefighters will be able to stop the fire before it reaches his bathroom.

His firefighter seems intent on hovering close to him, even as there's a fire raging in the background. Obi-Wan supposes that there's around five firefighters on his property, including the one in front of him. The other four should probably be able to handle it, whether or not the fifth decides to join in or stay hovering around Obi-Wan like he's a sickly orphan.

“Are you okay?” An earnest voice asks him from under the helmet.

Obi-Wan opens his mouth to say he’s fine, that at most he just feels like an idiot for being stranded outside in his bathrobe as a group of public service officials fight a fire he certainly, most likely, probably caused.

But he starts to cough instead, and his firefighter steps forward immediately, placing one hand on his back and the other on his chest, both beneath his robe. He hopes the man can't feel his shiver. That would be even more mortifying than his current situation.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Obi-Wan wheezes after the coughs have passed. The helmet the man is wearing only shows a quarter of his face, but he looks awfully boyish. “Aren’t you a little young to be a firefighter?”

“Deep breaths, please,” the man (boy?) tells him, which isn’t a proper response. “There’s an ambulance already on the way--it’s protocol, sir--but yes, I’m trained in emergency medical response.”

“A man of many talents,” Obi-Wan says dazedly, rubbing a hand against his chest where it aches as he watches a few men run around his house with a house. “And here all I can do is sing.”

“Hopefully you still can, sir,” his firefighter responds. “Only I’ve got tickets for your show in two days, and my little sister has been excited for weeks over this.”

Obi-Wan laughs despite himself. He’s sure it sounds at least a little bit hysterical. “Would you like me to dedicate a song for you? The man who saved my life?”

Even the helmet can't hide the nice shade of red his firefighter blushes at those words.

“What’s your name?” Obi-Wan asks, smoothing down his still-damp hair. It feels important to know his name. It feels just as important to look his best, given the circumstances.

The firefighter ducks his head and takes off his helmet. Obi-Wan wonders if the man should be going back to work, or if he’s been assigned victim duty. Either way, Obi-Wan isn’t going to complain, definitely not after his firefighter shakes out his hair and turns to face him with a sheepish grin stretching across a handsome face. “‘M Anakin,” he says. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan is awfully aware that he’s dressed only in his bathrobe in front of a very pretty firefighter who seems to know who he is--who seems to have tickets for his upcoming show. “Call me Obi-Wan,” he tells him, already trying to remember his manager’s phone number so that he can bump Anakin and his sister’s tickets up to the VIP section. It’s the least he can do, after all. Anakin had just saved his life.

“Wish it was under better circumstances,” Anakin says with a shy sort of twist of his mouth. Obi-Wan gets the impression that it isn’t just his little sister that’s been excited for his concert. An impression that is solidified quickly as Anakin tacks on, “I’m a huge fan of your work.”

Obi-Wan laughs incredulously at this, at the entire situation, at the man in front of him, at the fact that some part of his brain has started composing a song the second his firefighter had smiled at him in his bathrobe with his tired face and wet hair, kitchen burning his house down because he’d forgotten basic fire-safety rules in favor of his own self-care soak.

“Well,” he says, patting his firefighter’s knee, “I don’t have to tell you that I’m a huge fan of your work as well.”

#later anakin gives obi-wan such a huge earfull about proper fire safety in the kitchen #never leave something unattended for more than like five minutes >:(#but also later obi-wan writes an entire album full of fire related songs and or songs about burning #only some of them would call to mind mustafar and theyre all anakins least favorite ones because they're sad break up songs #and anakins like >:0 every time he hears one of those in public #tries to contain the urge to be like 'my husband LOVES ME BTW and this song is A FICTIONAL WORK not based on ANY actual EVENTS #we're SO happy together and if he were here I'd MAKE OUT WITH HIM RN' just in case any gossip rags got any ideas from the new albm #ahsoka refuses to go out in public now with him just in case #so does obi-wan #asks #my fics #obikin #prompt fill

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skiesofthesketchy · 4 years

Text

Unsend {1}

JJ Maybank x reader

Summary: You accidentally sent your nude to your friend lol.

AN: Hi! Ummm... I wrote this. Idk lemme know if you like it and if you’d like to read a part 2!! Me.. over here obsessed with JJ baby. Ok thanks for reading love you :)

Warnings: lots of swearing, somewhat explicit descriptions, a smidge of blackmail...

Word count: 2.9k

Part 2: Send It

***

It was one of those days where you weren’t feeling particularly great about yourself. Nothing specific was the cause of such feelings, but today you just felt... bleh.

Your rattiest pair of sweatpants adorned your legs and you wore an extra large shirt on top. Your hair was pulled into something that sort of resembled a bun, your face was covered in a mud mask, which looked and smelled gross, but the packaging said it would make your skin soft. You usually didn’t mind your appearance, especially when you’re just lounging around at home, but today you didn’t feel pretty.

Pretty is not the most important thing in the world. Still, it felt nice to feel pretty.

This led you to go through some of your old photos. It always made you happier to look back on some of the amazing memories you’d made. Scrolling through your camera roll on your phone, you found pictures from instances you had totally forgotten about. Your heart melted when you clicked on one of you and your friends.

It was the first day of summer, and your squad spent the entire day surfing before hanging out at the Chateau afterwards. John B. and JJ had grilled up some burgers while you helped Pope make a fire in the yard. Kiara had been the designated DJ of the night, which was her excuse for not helping with dinner. You all sat in camping chairs and hammocks as you ate and listened to music, talking and laughing about anything that came up.

It was a pure moment, and you smiled at the photo. You had insisted on taking a picture to commemorate the amazing day, the first day of a wild summer ahead of you. You had set your phone on the porch with a timer, and yelled at everyone to quickly pose. They were already standing in somewhat of a formation, and as you ran to them to get ready for the picture, JJ grabbed you by the waist and spun you around so that he was holding you with your back against his chest.

“Say pogues for life!” Kiara shouted, and you all huddled closer together in a group hug, JJ smooshing his cheek against yours with arms around your waist as you all screamed at the top of your lungs, “Pogues for life!”

You saved the photo to favorites, the sight of it making you feel better already. Before scrolling again, you zoomed in on your face, your cheek squished against JJ’s, and it made you blush. Any time he held you close, it made your skin heat up and your insides turn to mush.

Sighing, you kept scrolling, and were surprised to find a handful of scandalous pictures you had taken. You remember this day too, and you were feeling extra great about yourself then. So great that you had decided to snap a few nudes. You hadn’t sent them to anyone, but figured it was nice to have a few photos of you looking sexy. You blushed as you looked through these, wondering if you’d ever have the courage to actually send them to someone someday.

Your screen still displayed one of your nudes when you got a text from Kie. For some unknown reason, your phone spazzed out and the screen froze. “Come on,” you mumbled, pressing on the screen and the home button several times. You tapped repeatedly on the screen, annoyed that nothing was happening. Then it seemed to have started working again, because it lit up and you were suddenly watching your photo being sent to someone.

“Oh my fucking god.” Your eyes widened. “What the fuck did I just do!?”

Panic surged throughout your whole body. Your phone seemed to be working just fine now, but did you actually just send your nude to somebody?! You rushed to your messaging app, and the first name at the top of the screen was none other than JJ Maybank.

“No!” you yelled. You clicked on his name and sure enough, your naked body was in the chat, underneath it, the word, ‘Delivered.’

You threw your phone onto the bed. “This cannot be happening to me right now.” ‘Shit, shit, shit,’ was all that was running through your head on a loop as you tried to think of what to do.

‘Maybe he hasn’t seen it yet,’ you thought. You quickly picked up your phone again and called JJ, praying he would pick up. You needed to tell him NOT to open his messages. To delete the whole chat right now before he sees the picture.

He didn’t answer, and you huffed, dialing his number again. You had to get a hold of him. If there’s any chance he hasn’t seen it yet, you were going to make sure he never does. You don’t know how you’d live with the humiliation.

The call once again went to voicemail, and you were on your feet in seconds. You still had hope, thinking if he wasn’t answering your calls, he didn’t even have his phone on him, which means he couldn’t have seen the picture yet.

You slid on some shoes and grabbed your backpack, not even bothering to look in the mirror before running out of your house. You knew JJ would be at the Chateau, and it was only a fifteen minute walk from your house. You figured you could make it in five if you ran.

Then you were sprinting down the streets like a mad woman, your face still painted with the brown mud mask, which was starting to melt off as it mixed with your sweat. You didn’t even care. You just needed to get to JJ’s phone before he did.

“I’m gon’ take a shower,” John B. muttered to JJ. JJ didn’t respond as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He found his phone resting on the couch as he sat down, taking a swig of Coors. He scrolled through the few notifications he had, the boy furrowing his brows when he saw two missed calls from you and a text.

He didn’t think anything of it when he clicked on your text message, but what he saw had him spitting out his beer all over his lap and the coffee table.

Your face wasn’t in the shot, but JJ knew it was you without a doubt. You were completely naked and laid across your bed. The frame showed from your collarbones down to your thighs, one of your legs propped up lazily, showing all of your most private parts.

JJ was stunned. He wasn’t thinking about why you had sent him this photo out of the blue. He was left ogling the picture in utter disbelief. Your tits were on full display, your nipples hardened into peaks, your skin looking flawless. JJ couldn’t help the grunt that escaped him when he zoomed in on your pussy. He had only dreamed of seeing you this way, but never in a million years thought that he actually would. Naughty thoughts started to swirl in his head when he heard the sound of rapid footsteps just outside.

It was you, panting wildly and your mind still racing. “JJ?” you yelled as you bounded up the porch steps. JJ quickly tucked his phone away on instinct, as if he already knew he shouldn’t have been looking at that photo.

You barged into the front door and stopped in your tracks when you found JJ standing in the living room. He chuckled as he looked you up and down. You were a complete mess, and it was plainly obvious that you had just been running for your life. “Y/N?” he asked.

“Where’s your phone?” You didn’t have time to explain, and you didn’t want to. You just needed to delete the photo without JJ knowing, and then you could forget this ever happened.

JJ decided to play dumb. He found the current state you were in more than amusing, and he thought about how his day has already gotten so much better. “Uh, I don’t know. Why?”

“Come on, J, where is it?”

“I said I don’t have it. What’s this about?” He had an idea of why you ran in demanding his phone, but he wanted to watch you squirm as you tried to explain it. He wasn’t going to let you know he had seen your nude just yet.

“Nothing, I just need it, okay?” You started frantically looking around, throwing pillows and blankets onto the floor. “Where is it?” you grumbled. You still looked like a crazy person, and JJ was enjoying the scene in front of him way too much.

“I’ll help you look if you tell me why you need it.” The man was smirking, which pissed you off but you were too busy panicking to care right now.

“I’ll just call it,” you said, before taking your phone out to call him. JJ took another swig of his beer as he watched you, totally unhinged. He knew he was about to be caught in his lie, but he was excited for it. This whole situation excited him.

His ringtone started blaring from his pocket and you looked at him in disbelief. “JJ, seriously? Gimme your damn phone.” You were now standing in front of him, still quivering with nerves but putting on an angry face for him.

“No,” he smiled, looking more like the devil than the JJ you know and love.

“I swear to god, JJ, I will murder you.” You reached for his pockets, but he had already slipped the phone out and held it above his head, out of your reach.

“Just tell me why you need it so badly!” He laughed as you jumped and yanked on his arm trying to get his phone. He easily kept it away from you, but you were putting in an admirable amount of effort.

“None of your business!” you yelled childishly, hitting him in the chest as you continued to reach for the phone.

“My phone, my business.” You shouted in anguish and jumped on him, making you both crash onto the couch with you practically laying on top of him. Being in this position with your friend would’ve made you embarrassed, but you had too much adrenaline pumping through your veins to care.

Your hands finally grabbed hold of the phone but he snatched it away from you and tucked it into the front of his pants. You looked at him again baffled. “Go on, take it,” he said. You wanted to slap the smirk right off his face.

“Don’t think I won't.”

“I hope you do, sweetheart.” His eyes burned into you in a challenging stare, his face only inches from yours. You knew he was just having the time of his life right now, teasing the shit out of you. You held his gaze, wishing you could burn a hole right through him.

“Fine. You win,” you sighed. It was a bluff. You weren’t going to actually stick your hand down his pants! You sat back in defeat, but that’s when you realized the position you were in. You were straddling JJ, your top half leaning over him and his stupid, cocky face right under you. Heat rose to your cheeks as you hurried to get off of him.

“Seriously JJ. I accidentally sent you something that you’re not supposed to see.” You decided to come clean, the embarrassment of the situation too much for you to handle any longer. You just needed to get this over with.

He sat up, deciding to come clean as well. “Oh, are you talking about the nudie?” he asked.

Your eyes widened until they were bulging out of your head. “You saw it?!” you screamed. This was your worst nightmare, accidentally sending a naked photo to someone. Of course it had to randomly be sent to JJ. You knew he would never let you live this down. You were right, this is utterly humiliating.

“Come on,” JJ laughed, still enjoying every second of this. “Don’t be embarrassed!”

“Of course I’m embarrassed, JJ!” you yelled at him. “You weren’t supposed to see that. It was an accident!”

“It’s nothing to get so worked up about. It’s a great picture, and I’ll cherish it forever.” The gleam in his eye had your stomach twisting in knots.

“Like hell you will. Fucking delete it.”

“You sent it to me. It’s mine now,” he smiled wickedly.

“JJ,” you warned, glaring at him. He didn’t take you seriously though, mud still on your face in patches.

“Y/N...” he teased.

The scolding approach wasn’t going to work, and you sighed. “Please JJ? Can’t you see how humiliating this is for me?”

“It shouldn't be. You’re hot as fuck and you should be flaunting it.” Your cheeks burned at his words and the butterflies you knew oh so well were set loose in your stomach. The butterflies that only seemed to appear when you’re with JJ.

“What? That-- that’s not the point,” you stuttered. “I don’t want a naked picture of me to be on your phone!”

“But I do,” he argued.

“JJ!” You didn’t let your mind drift to why he wanted the photo and only focused on getting the picture deleted. “You’re being a dick!”

“Fine, I’ll delete it,” he said after laughing at your pissed off expression, then standing up and retrieving the phone from his crotch. “On one condition.”

You hit him repeatedly in the chest, overrun by anger once again. “So you’re gonna blackmail me now? Are you fucking kidding me?”

He laughed, not affected at all by your assault. “I’m not above blackmail, sweetheart. Do you want to hear my condition or not?”

You crossed your arms over your chest with a huff. “Fine. What is it?”

He smirked, coming closer to you. As scary and seductive as he looked right now, you held your ground, eyes meeting his devilish stare.

“I’ll delete the pic if I get to see the real thing.”

“What?!” Your mind was spinning once again as heat rushed to your cheeks. “You-- You’re not serious!”

“Dead serious, Y/N.” He was shameless. Despite his attraction and feelings towards you, he knew you were off limits. No pogue on pogue macking was the rule. But today’s series of events had him thinking perhaps you weren’t as out of reach as he thought.

If you agreed to his condition, it would be the best day of his life. If not, he knew he’d have to deal with you hating him for a while until he finally made it up to you, but this was a risk he was willing to take.

You shook your head, turning away from him to hide your embarrassment. You didn’t understand why he would actually suggest such a thing. Was he really going to treat you like every other touron he picked up? Or did he like you? You couldn’t fathom the latter actually being true.

“That’ll never happen, JJ.”

He ignored the pain in his chest that was struck by your words. “Then I guess I’m the proud owner of one of your nudes,” he smiled.

“Come on, JJ. This isn’t funny.”

“I think it’s funny.”

“Well it’s not!” You eyed the phone in his hands and decided to take a chance. You pushed the man as hard as you could and when he crashed to the couch, you lunged for it.

“Ha!” you yelled, grinning ear to ear with his phone in your hands.

“Hey, give that back!” JJ got up, but you bolted out of the house, JJ running after you.

As you tried not to stumble over your own feet, you unlocked his phone and clicked on your message. “You better not delete it!” he yelled after you, catching up fast. Despite how serious you thought this situation was, it really wasn’t too big of a deal. He was laughing as he chased you, and you cheered in triumph when you finally managed to delete the photo.

‘Crisis averted,’ you thought. Except now you had to deal with the knowledge that JJ actually saw a naked photo of you. You were still embarrassed, but at least now there’s no evidence of this ever actually happening.

“Aw, come on,” JJ chuckled as he finally caught up to you. “I didn’t even have a chance to jerk off to it yet.”

“JJ!” You hit him in the chest. You didn’t think you could take much more of his teasing. Not today.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get my hands on it again someday,” he smirked. You rolled your eyes and started stalking away, ready to just go home now. He only laughed as he watched you retreat.

“Wait, Y/N!”

You turned around to find him behind you, looking as handsome as ever. “What?”

“It was sexy,” he said bluntly, as if his words didn’t just light your insides on fire. “You’re sexy.” He winked at you, then casually sauntered off back to the house, leaving you in a confused daze.

“Fuck you!” you yelled after him before running off into the direction of your house. ‘At least that’s over with,’ you thought, but you knew JJ was only going to continue teasing and flirting with you now that he saw how riled up you had become. How you were going to handle that, you didn’t know, but for some crazy reason, you smiled at the thought.

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part 2??

#jj maybank #outer banks #obx #rudy pankow #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank fic #jj maybank imagine #outer banks imagine #outer banks fic

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oh-for-fic-sake · 4 years

Text

New Beginnings Chapter Two

Masterlist Summary: You move on into your new role, but little did you know that accepting the new job would be so life changing. Warnings: Implied Smut, Swearing, Fluff, Angst??, Tony Bashing, Avenger Bashing, Clark is a cheeky little shit, A/N: So here it the second part to my three part Marvel Dc crossover and Clark is in this part I hope you like it xxx Taglist: @two-unbeatable-beaters @magdelen69 @iloveyouyen @sofiebstar @thefangirlsblog @harrysthiccthighss @loserrlauraa @cheeseman @isitmine @tinabean37

Bruce watched his phone carefully as the 'plane' glided through the air coming to a hover a good few hundred feet above the Newyork tarmac. Tony was pissed it was clear from the way he had contacted his lawyers...The very same lawyers that actually worked for a firm Bruce owned. Victor was scanning the calls and emails updating him on the situation as it unfolded. He scoffed so you had mentioned his child and other mistress? Well good on you! The man needed a kick up the ass. Tony was grasping at straws trying to get back at you, or get you back but that wasn't going to happen. You were theirs now. He leaned back a smile on his face he twisted his chair hands behind his head as he saw a late notification. A charge on his card of thirty five dollars in the restaurant he had sent you for dinner this evening. It was a treat but also a way to see if you'd back out at the last minuet. He gave a self satisfied smirk. You'd not only had the courage to leave the situation you were trapped in with out a clue as to what you were going to be doing, but you'd got a little payback aswell, it was more then he could have hoped for. "So our new member is on her way, her bags have just got to the strip and are being watched by Clark, he said she's just making her way past security now she should be there in a few moments" Alfred said sitting down as the aircraft stilled hanging high in the air over the private airstrip the low humming of the engines holding itself steady. "Good, everything is ready at the tower for her isn't it?" Bruce asked in a low voice watching out for the lights of the small cart thats would bring you out to the landing spot. Clark’s voice broke threw the com built in system halting what ever Alfred was going to say. "She's on her way, I'm off see you when you get back" Bruce gave a thanks over the radio but it was to late the kryptonian was out of range. He sighed heavy taking his finger off the button. Alfred smirked giving a small chuckle. "Irritating isn't it Bruce~" he offered up casually at the exasperated look on the mans face. "But as I was going to say yes everything is ready and clean, I even filled the fridge~" Alfred gloated making Bruce’s scoff shaking his head. "How kind of you to feed her, your generosity knows no bounds...Look here she comes now best start our descent." Alfred left to the front of the craft and started the slow vertical drop to the tarmac.

You sat in the cart, the driver didn't say much just that you'd be picked up my Mr Wayne out here, he was to drop you off and leave. You clutched your bag with shaky fingers, sweaty palms trying to cling to the faux leather. You were nervous, super nervous this was it your new start, the big leap of faith. Faith in a man you didn't know at all. You were worried this was a mistake deliberated all throughout your meal, but it was to late now. Its was trust Mr Wayne of become homeless and jobless. You'll admit it was nice to be rushed through the airport, recognised and pulled from the line at first you thought you'd done something wrong. You quickly crushed that thought when you were sped to the front and down a side hall to a small private check in...Well there wasn't much checking in more a quick check of your Id then carted straight onto the back of this small golf cart type vehicle and sped down the run way. Which was a little scary as your driver weaved in and around these huge air crafts. But after all the excitement you were unceremoniously dumped here in a far quiet corner of the air field you twiddled your fingers a little trying to calm your self down as the cart raced back down towards the terminal. It was quiet for a few moments then there was a low humm, an echoing rumble that was both eerie and awe inspiring. Then suddenly out of no where there was a large gust of warm air from above sending your hair twisting about in the air wildly. You could just see a huge black aircraft coming in to view shimmering with an opalescent sheen flickering with what you assumed was some type of cloaking barrier. You gasped watching at the wings folded upwards onto itself. It was a magnificent sight to behold, instantly all regret was washed away as you took a few steps to the side trying to take in as much of the craft as you could view. The huge craft as it twisted around directing the back almost cargo like door opening as it lowered. You were completely awe struck seeing Bruce standing holding the top of the door as it descended the last few feet and finally landed. "Y/n I'm so glad you choose to joins us!" He said walking down the ramp but you couldn't speak your eyes were glued to the matte black marvel of engineering in front of you. Bruce stood beside you looking up at it. "Shes a beaut isn't she?" He said with a chuckle. You pointed to it and faced him.

"The wings? They folded? Like how did you- surly thats not- I mean how do you maintain structural integrity when shes flying? I doubt she's slow? And what type of cloaking was that? Did it cloak the sound to? Like I didn't even hear it!" You asked the questions in quick succession excited as you tiptoed trying to drink in a much of her as you could. Bruce smiled and grabbed two of your suitcases making his way to the craft. "The cloaking? It's Atlantean" he called over his shoulder you all but squealed. "I KNEW IT!!" You jumped for joy quickly snatching your other suit cases running into the craft overwhelming Bruce with questions your curiosity had been triggered and you were now shaking with excitement at the prospect of being able to play with tech no one had ever seen before-well on the surface that it. Once inside Bruce managed to wrangling you into a seat the upper deck. You couldn't sit still far to interested in the spacious air carrier? Plane? What did you call this!? "Bertha" Bruce offered as he shuffled through some documents on the table counting page numbers of what you assumed was your contract. You frowned and went to ask but he seemed to be concentrating so decided not to ask. Alfred came out from a small automatic door with a tray carrying three cups of coffee. He was going to stay for the festivities. You thanked him as he place a small cup and sugar bowl next to you. "What Bruce meant was we call this old girl Bertha, its nice to see you again y/n" he added sipping his own drink. Suddenly Bertha's deep echoing thwums became a low hum and there was a tiny pull and it was then almost silent. "Holy shit it does!? The cloaking reduces sound even in here!?" Bruce tipped his head up and grinned nodding to you making you giddy, you knew you were right! Outside you couldn't hear a thing! He moved the stack of papers over to your side of the table between you. You gazed down seeing the familiar disclosure's and a lengthy contract below it. You swallowed time to sign your life away. "Id like for you to read through these..Most is about confidentiality...I can't stress enough that Its the most important thing in this project. It could cost us all everything it'd be catastrophic if anything was ever leaked...You'll understand more when you meet the team but...I need to trust that you will adhere to it before getting to that" you frowned as he explained this to you it was...Frightening the seriousness of his tone the look in his eyes as if lives were on the line. You nodded to him and sat back readying yourself for a long read. Bruce smiled patting your arm as he got up leaving you to look over the thorough contracts in peace. It was a good hour and a half you'd finally finished. The contract was lengthy but relatively simple...And required finger prints?...Apparently the lab you'd be working in that was constantly referred to as 'the tower' would keep records of your bio metric data for security in the form of eye scans and hand and finger prints and blood samples?. You have to disclose all history including medical and criminal. That made you pause for concern you did have a conviction for causing a social disturbance...And assault. Beating the shit out of a creep trying to force a young neighbors kid intl selling drug for him. Yeah you could probably explain that one. Apart from that it was fairly the same as anything you sighed for the Avengers. You'd get room and board for free but this time it was a 'luxurious apartment' that you were allowed to redecorate as you saw fit. Your pay was just over five hundred dollars a week which was 'non negotiable' you'd be expected to work thirty five hours a week and be on call for emergencies at any given time and always have your coms on-there was a coms system in the building so you wouldn't have to have an ear piece all the time. You'd get full access to any resources and labs and work shops and be able to pursue any projects that may be beneficial to the team. Which in all honesty sounded like a dream.And all they asked in return was that they have the only sole rights to use anything you create. But you would hold the patents. Apart from that there was seven different discretion declaration's. Each saying the same thing in a different wording making it abundantly clear that you will not ever talk about what happens in the tower to anyone. Or mention your colleagues or anyone seen within the tower itself. You had scribbled down a few questions to ask Bruce but apart from that it all seemed pretty solid. And you got some super expensive private health and dental!

"You done?" You jumped looking up at Bruce and smiled nodding as he placed a fresh coffee beside you. "I err yes its all done ..A few things though I wanted to ask before signing..If that was okay?" He smiled nodding and sat down. "I'd be more worried if you didn't have questions. Fire away" he said seemingly more then happy to ease your worries. You cleared your throat and looked to your list. "Well I err have a mark on my record...Criminal, I was charged with battery and had a fine...A drug dealer trying to get my neighbors kid to sell for him threatening him so I...Yeah he was hurt pretty bad and I got arrested..He charged me went to court and he got put away for dropping himself in it and I got a slap on the wrist." Bruce smiled they already knew that but it was a good show of character you admitting to it straight away. He nodded smiling. "Not a problem, we already know but thank you for being honest anything else?" He asked polity you looked down nodding swallowing relieved that your past wasn't really going to effect your job offer. "Err the erm this bit here... Being able to research my own projects as long as it can be useful? I just...That is vague I don't want to sign if I end up being pushed into something I'm not comfortable with...Again." he nodded he couldn't blame you for being careful especially after that shit show you were in before. He sighed leaning back arms crossed. "Our team is...An elite league of individuals who... Protect innocents... We don't want to use lethal weapons, in fact we have a very strict no tolerance policy, no guns or the like. Not a single life should be lost if we can help it. But we still need equipment thats where you come in. Sometimes create completely new gear or prefect old gear. You can work on weapons, barriers, Armour, maneuver gear anything you want...Tracking devices the lot...All we ask is its not designed to take a life and that we are the only ones with access to it....And occasionally name it because...Well we all have our quirks" you chuckled feeling much more relaxed and crossed off the question...He'd answered a few there in his explanation. You looked down at the list. That was it apart from... "I get to have a pet, I get lonely" Bruce chuckled and nodded "Fine a pet but a small one, that can live in a cage or terrarium... And you stop calling me Mr Wayne, call me Bruce" you giggled at his terms "...Fine Bruce...What about a house rabbit?" He laughed out of the side of his mouth and held ot a hand for you to shake. "House rabbit? I'll have it added to the contract. Deal!" You smiled giggling and shook his hand. Within moments you he signed all the papers which Bruce locked into a smart silver briefcase. And called Alfred to bring her in. You frowned at him weren't you still flying. "We've be hovering above the tower just inside the atmosphere all this time, give us a few moments and we will be landing...Oh and let me be the first to welcome you to the Justice league" you froze the fucking what what?....What?! Your face must have been a sight as he laughed out loud. "What?! Wait what- you but who?-are you?...Gotham... Shut up your not the bat!?" You stuttered as he smirked sipping his drink then shrugged throwing his hands out. "You caught me, you'll be privvy to all our identities so I had to be sure but...I think springing it on you at the tower would be a little mean" he added you blinked fast trying to catch up with your thoughts that raced a mile a minuet. You swallowed holy shit your going to be...With them? Access to the bats arsenal? Atlantean tech? kryptonian tech? Fuck you were giddy just thinking about it you tried to wipe the grin off your face but it wasn't happening all the new tech and discovery's the tinkering and playing about you could do?! It made your heart nearly burst! It was then that Bertha made the load hum once again and rocked as the suspension rocked lightly. "Want to go meet the team?" He asked standing up you took a breath following like an over excited puppy. He moved through to the back as the ramp lowered you each collected two cases and exited. You were in a huge cavernous room on polished concrete and aray of matte black vehicle's each angular in the typical 'bat man' finish looking all cool and displayed. "Nice garage~ I thought Tony's was impressive-" you said trying to fill the silence but regretted it as his name filled your chest with what felt like lead weights. Bruce eyed you slowing to walk beside you. "Tony's not worth it, despite everything he is still a selfish narcissist..You never know he may be coming to you for help one day~" he said trying to cheer you up it worked sort of, it had only been a week but the wound was still raw open...But not was raw as it should have been? I mean on the scale of things you were fuck buddies never went out, or to his place or anything..You were nothing more then a quiet fling. You came to a set of double doors that opened as you approached. Slipping through you were all smiles, it wasn’t as...Showy as Stark tower. Clean modern, contemporary with polished natural looking stone walls with little flecks of almost gem like facets that caught the light just right. It was large and overall modest...No large gaudy art pieces or blown up photos of the league. You soon can to a stop at an elevator Bruce place his hand letting it take his print and it opened he motioned you to enter. "We can go drop off your cases and put your prints into the system then you can meet everyone, They are all hanging around to meet you..Been waiting a long time" he announced snapping you out of your revere. You nodded dumbly letting him push a button, it was only when it began moving that you realized the back wall was glass overlooking the floors as you glided higher. On the way up you saw a gym and pool...Labs then a common room floor large and open...Everything seemed calm here.

Within moments Bruce had whisked you away gliding down a short hall that had one door which seemed strange you frowned as the 'glass' panel beside the door looked like oil? A multicolour rainbow shimmering in the light with its movements..It was on closer inspection to saw it wasn't moving like waster but...Sand?super fine sand like the type or 'magic dry sand' children play with in waster. It was black and reached out in tiny inch long spindles. Making you cringe it did not look pleasant. "This is err your floor, this pad here is the lock is...It's safe I promise uses hand print scanning sort of...It will give a small finger prick to register your dna...Its like a two step verification, if for what ever reason your hand and finger prints don't work it'll let you in by repeating the finger prick" you eyed him cautiously...That thing was going to do a blood test? You moved your hand slowly to the door panel fingers trembling and twitching but froze just out of the tendrils reach. Bruce put a hand on you reassuringly. "Its safe I promise once its taken it it wont need to again well its been a few years and none of us have had to verify again, the kryptonian's were pretty clever...And after your prints are in your in everywhere..You'll have unrestricted access so its just a one off" he explained further. Your face lit up kryptonian? Alien security inside the fabric of the building? My god you were going to love it here. You sucked in a breath planting you hand tentatively on the pad and hissed jumping as the sandlike material molded to your hand growing warm then a tiny pinprick on your index finger drawing a few drops of blood. The process took seconds and your hand was released with a slow swirl and once again the door opened showing a huge open plan apartment one whole length of it glass letting in natural light like on of those ridiculous ultra modern show homes. It took your breath away as you wheeled in your cases behind Bruce. "Now I know what your thinking but they are mirrored the other side and no one can see in...Well maybe Clark but he is to much of a gentleman to be a peeping tom~" he finished with a chuckle and turned around to face you as you made small steps into the place. You were in love, this beats the basic room with a view you did have.This could be home.you pulled yourself out of your snooping locking onto what Bruce said. "Clark?" Bruce smiled letting go of your suitcases leaving them in the open area by the kitchen and modern wood beam partition that cornered off the living room. "Supes, you'll get to call up by our given names...Any way lets get going the sooner they meet you the sooner they will stop whining in my ear...Giving me a fucking head ache-yeah alright we're coming! Jesus" you giggled and followed him out again into the elevator.

You quickly soared up into a huge room split in two halves, one a huge round table with enough seats for everyone then a tinted glass wall with the tell tale illuminations of monitors that would put nasa's ground control to shame. "This is our office? Slash mission room...I suppose you could call it? We never really get the time to sit here and discuss missions most of the time there isn't time but at least we get to use it now as a meet and greet" you tried keeping calm, you'd done this before-it was just like the Avengers don't worry they are people...Except for the alien amazonian Atlantean and a...Cyborg...yeah this was a little strange. "Everyone meet y/n new member of the team!" The was a small cheer which made you chuckle and wave nervously. They each wore their appointed suit's. You got a little starstruck to be honest this was The Justice League...A band of superheros who each shared your ideals. You swallowed dryly as wonder woman came over shaking your hand. "I'm Diana- that’s Arthur, Barry ,Victor, Clark and Barbra..It's nice to finally have you here" you shook her hand smiling.

"Finally, you make it sound like you were waiting" you huffed a laugh trying to break t through your nerves with humor.

"We were...We wanted you two years ago but...well Stark got there first but we were always going to snatch you away it was just a case of when" she replied with a kind smile nothing false or off. You smiled nodding to her "Well I assure you if I'd had known two year's ago I'd have been here instead trust me" you said as she moved of to the side letting the others come and greet you. "Yeah well you were caught by that dick wad- good call getting out" you chuckled at Arthur's frankness and moved again Barry shaking your hand "I err yeah it was a shit show there but I'm over it" you said to them all trying not to exclude anyone and be rude. Before you knew it you was eye to...Chest with Clark...Wow okay fuck how is he more intimidating then Thor? He grinned at you a charming smile. "Well we are just glad you saw sense and finally found your way home to us. We have waited a long while to have you here talent Iike yours shouldn't be disregarded you can help us save a lot of lives" you swallowed trying not to notice he was impeccably handsome he was but...That was near impossible. Oh fuck. "Ah no pressure then...Thanks for that big guy" you said sarcastically trying to battle your nerves with humor which didn't help as he laughed smiling showing off his once thought handsome now perfect features. Shit. Double shit. The last thing you needed was a fucking crush. "Don’t worry we will get you up to speed on our...Foreign technologies then you'll be off doing your own thing in no time, we wont working you into the ground" you shivered at your take on being 'worked into the ground' but smiled covering any indication you were slowly creating sordid fantasies about the man in blue...And not the cap- thank fuck though that did you a favor any rising libido gone in an instant. Whew that could of got sticky. "I'd appreciate it your...Security system all but shook me like how the hell does that even do that..." he laughed out loud twisting to the final pair you'd yet to meet then back to you shrugging a pink tint to his cheeks...Well that was new, super-buff-superhero shy. It was refreshing. "You know I'm not sure, I just find it and bring it back Bruce, Victor and Barbra do all the engineering and tech work..I do the heavy lifting" he said chuckling away rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed that despite it being tech from his home planet he didn't have a clue. "Yes Clark is pretty handy to have around in the labs, makes things go much smoother when he can lift things so you can fit...Our very own walking talking car jack..I'm Barbra you'll be with me and Victor most of the time we are the appointed geeks" you shook hands with a blonde woman in a wheelchair that must have been up at the screens and Victor the half Cyborg? You nodded polity. "So I'm going to be learning the ropes with you guys?" They nodded casually grinning probably happy to have someone else to 'speak geek' with, you can appreciate that. "We will teach you a thing or two..But I have no doubt you'll be ahead of us in no time I've read all your research, I was impressed. Tried to build on some when we thought we'd lost you for good but didn't get anywhere...Whats your take on the electromagnetic film shield? Did you drop it or?" Victor asked and you perked up. "Oh no I haven't dropped it..I got a little stuck on how to increase the human electrical impulses to control it without effecting the sinus node or nervous. I need a link..A pathway that can be activated at will, Its what I hoped to find at Stark tower similar to To-Mr Stark’s arch reactor?... But he said it was a pipe dream so never got that far" Victor lit up that was a viable option and tipped his head. "So implants? What sort of thing?" He asked looking genuinely interested. You sucked through your teeth and hummed. "Yeeesss...Sort of was leaning more maybe something less permanent..Something based on taser pins? you know tiny barbs that can be removed at will" you elaborated Barbra gasped face lighting up.

"OH GOD! I never thought of anything like that...That would be more convenient, you could use the own bodies impulses like a power source...A human battery!" She exclaimed the new theory excited her and the three of you suddenly found yourself exchanging ideas between you forgetting the others standing off to the side watching. "Well they seem to have....Clicked look at them go!" Barry said watching at the three of you started bouncing ideas of of one another already any nerves or tension dissipated as you Victor and Barbra began geeking out. It was clear that this was the start of an incredible collaboration.

You'd been here just over eight months and was finally happy. It was incredible how much things could change in a short space of time, life was now the best it had ever been. Your spot in the team was secure and you'd made strong friendships with everyone...You were a family, sister to the league and a mother figure to the youngsters. Always fretting over them and helping them out when need be, normally you were helping the peanut gallery; which consists of konner, Jon, Damien and Tim..Occasionally Jason if the mood strikes him avoid the wrath’s of their fathers. You even got a fucking chart going a community service type deal they fuck around then they are in the lab helping you for a few days. Girl talk with Diana was fun if not a little daunting at first but you soon relaxed with her, despite her tendency to want to kick ass for you. Arthur and Bruce were like protective older brothers checking in all the time making sure you were taking care of yourself which was sweet. Barry was that kid who you constantly had to feed and was always up for trying new recipes, you were trying to come up with healthier alternatives to his junk food... And you'd made him frozen meals each week to take home, he collected them every Tuesday. You, Victor and Barbra were three peas in a pod you were always chatting with one another during your work and pushing boundaries together each day exploring creating throwing theories around enjoying finally being understood.

Then there was Clark. You'd been dating for five months and even though it was quiet at first it wasn't because he didn't want to be seen it was more...Only Jason had caught you making out and the little twerp had kept his mouth shut. Good job as well that had been your first kiss with the man. You and Clark had been stealing kisses and sneaking quiet dates since. It had been slow going your first assumption of him being shy was true, he was shy...At first then he became quite the little flirt. It had started after about two weeks of being here? He spent a lot of time around you getting to know you. Helping you when he could the rest of the time happy to sit around the lab passing you things making small talk. Then from there it was hanging around the common room, having coffee then he showed you around Metropolis and stuff just generally hanging out getting along. You'd offhandedly mentioned you wanted to try the gym out and get fitter but didn't have a clue how anything worked. Clark had seen the chance and grabbed it with both hands, he offered to train you. He was a slave driver in the gym not letting you quit when your arms were about to far off but the work was paying off, you were becoming toner, not buff or bulky but you felt better in yourself healthier, happier. You'd noticed that you felt different? With Tony everything had been forced? He'd never ever forced you but the feelings had been forced lathered on thick, heavy and unrelenting. You were shocked that you'd managed to move on so easily, things with Clark flowed it was smooth and relaxed nothing rushed you took pleasure in just being around one another which was a nice change of pace. You'd had your first kiss in the gym just over a month into your stay. It was sweet and then heated no pressure or desperation...But he was eager in a gentle way, romantic even though it was hot. You'd never felt it before. Tony had been your first regrettably and he was always so pushy? Not really the word he just wanted to get his fix and leave. It was a rush quick array of sucks nips then he quickly rutted into you and left with out so much as a thank you pulling his zipper up on the way out. He wasn't affectionate with you, he never took his time with you or spent much time with you it was always so callous and sarcastic you now realize it's because you were the butt of a sick joke. But Clark he was just there happy as can be kissing you. Sure he squeezed your ass but its not like you minded. The first kiss had been a surprise, you were on one of the rock walls climbing more for fun then anything he was lifting weights when he heard a whizz of unwinding rope, your harness came loose you barley fell a few feet and he'd caught you. You were in his arms before you even heard his weights slam onto the floor. It had been an overwhelming moment, until then you'd never really seen him in action he didn't take his powers lightly you'd only seen him in flight twice. The first time you'd screamed bloody murder at him for making you jump as he made the loud echoing boom as he entered the atmosphere from above you...You swear it was like a fucking bomb going off being so high up on your balcony you'd felt it in your bones.

But this time there was no sound to his movement he was just suddenly there with you in his arms catching you before anything could happen. Well his arms was a relative term, he had in his panic curled under you making you land awkwardly slumped over his chest front first one leg between his the other over his hip, chin and torso sprawled out over his chest. He moved tipping his head down panting lightly. He pulled and arm around your waist holding you securely then froze staring you in the eye. Time stopped for a few breaths as you both saw the opening, the opportunity to take things further. Surprisingly Clark took it tipping his head one hand coming to the back of yours and he pulled gently bringing your lips to his in a sweet kiss. You melted whining softly letting him moved his lips against yours in delicate movements. He pulled back and grinned cheeks tinting pink. "You should be more careful, you could get hurt" you smiled flushing his tone was something you hadn't heard from the man before. It had a dark rasp under his usual smooth voice, a growl full of hidden promise and his eyes blown wide black devouring the blue and half lidded giving the perfect man the most beautifully delicious expression. You smiled and moved forward whispering across his lips. "I doubt you'd let that happen~" you smiled and moved again pressing your own kiss to him moving your hands to smooth down his chin the light stubble grazing your fingers. He hummed moving his hands down completely forgetting you were a good thirty feet up in the air cupping your bottom pulling you across him further making your other leg rise over his other hip effectively straddling him. He pulled tighter digging his fingertips into the cheek of your ass making you gasp as he pulled them apart slightly. You pulled away panting down at him. It was then you heard footsteps and a loud curse you snapped your gaze down seeing Jason. "Are you kidding? This isn't fair! How the fuck am I meant to compete with that!? Dad I could of beat but thats a joke bitch I'm out you win uncle Clark" he said making a stretching his arms out wide in a defeated motion. Clark laughed out loud as Jason turned tail an left with a quick 'clean up after~' you flushed and blinked at the hunk of male you were straddling. "What was that about?" You asked not really following he rose a brow at you incredulously. "You mean you haven't noticed the boy flirting with you?" You blinked at him again and shook your head. "Well yeah but he's a kid...Thought it was cute-like in a younger siblings best friend kind of way...He was serious?" You asked him eyeing the door where Jason had left in a huff. "Yes and he just bowed out gracefully looks like I've won my prize~" Clark chuckled and tipped your head back to face him a smug smile to go with hos self assured words. You gave him your own smirk wriggling your brows and moved closer to him lips a breath away from his. "Oh really Mr Kent" you kept your voice light and teasing letting your bottom lip just graze his as you spoke. Clark hummed low the sound reverberating in his chest like a purr of a big cat you felt it in your bones. "Well your straddling my cock so I'd like to think so~" he quipped innocently hands squeezing your ass as if to make a point for a second you stuttered unsure if you heard him correctly did the super cute cheeky farm boy just say cock? you looked down and noticed he was right and panicked. "Oh god sorry!" You cried flushing when you noticed you were in fact pressed tightly to his groin, body weight centered over his cock. Quickly you failed about moving only for his hands to come up supporting your hips holding you steady with a chuckle you were so flustered you'd forgotten where you were. "No no please don't apologize I'm quite comfortable like this, can think of no better place to have you~...You best hold on tighter though you might fall~" you gaped at him this had been the first time that the sweet, polite considerate gentleman had sounded like a horny hot blooded male. And you fucking loved it! You peeked over the side of the huge chest and saw you were still quite a way's up he hadn't lowered an inch staying perfectly still. You latched onto him for dear life legs locking around his waist digging your feet into the cheek's of his perfect ass. Arms hugging his neck once secure he placed one hand across your rear the other at you back and finally moved to hover upright. the tilt made you cringe you wasn't really one for heights, you could somewhat ignore it when you were climbing with the harness but that was about it you never really strayed to far out on your balcony either sticking close to the windows and door in case it decided to fail and crack away from under your feet. "Oh my god get me down! Please please Clark I'll do anything!" You panicked suddenly feeling queasy as he moved, being upright instead of sitting on him was a very different experience and you really wanted to be set down now. You missed the quick dark playful smile on his face as your words registered. "Anything? Then you wont refuse dinner with me tonight?" He asked quickly not missing a beat. You eyed him gasping at the cheeky grin and clung tighter as he made to move his hands away from you with a chuckle finding this amusing. "No no don't do that-Hold me dammit!!- wait and are You serious?! Now! Your asking me out now?" You panicked stuttering wondering where this new devious Clark had come from but you didn't have long to wonder as he tipped his head eyeing you mischievously biting his bottom lip trying to fight of some more chuckles. He couldn't help it you were just so cute trying to be angry when all flustered and panicked and he'd admit he really liked you clinging to him tightly. "Well no time like the present~" he added making you squint at him but smile shaking you head you couldn't help find him cute when he was like this. Like a naughty little boy all tricks and charm. He dropped a few feet with you then stopped again making you squeal and hold him tighter if possible your face now level with his at how close you held him around his neck. You looked down then back to his eyes nodding enthusiastically before crying out your answer heart ready to burst. "I FUCK !! NO I-Fucking hold me Clark!! YES- Dinner- yes yes I'll go to dinner with you just please get me down!" Your voice was high and you squeezed your eyes shut face scrunching up as you tried to hold on to the man for dear life. He huffed a laugh as you squirmed uncomfortably. "Seal it with a kiss?" You growled at him ready to yell at him for being an ass but was cut off by another kiss. He dipped his head this time devouring your mouth with merciless accuracy. He was making war with your tongue before you even realized you'd opened your mouth. You moan as he tilted down further trying to steal your breath, tracing the inside of your mouth with ease unhurried in his exploration as though he was drawing a map you grunted letting him so as he pleased falling under his intoxicating spell the man had a way with you it seemed. In a few quick movement's you were sure he could be your undoing. The kiss was more than anything you'd felt, a deeper connection then just tongues and teeth like you both just knew one another without trying tilting and suckling in a sweet yet eager embrace. You parted and blinked at him his cheeky grin greeting you eyes sparkling with glee. "There safe and sound and you thought I'd drop you~" he announced teasing you lightly it was then you realized he was standing firmly on the ground you squeaked and unhooked your legs placing your feet between his. But he didn't release your ass instead squeezing it for a few breaths then exhaled stepping away from you with a light pat on your rump making you flush. "Well I'm going to go have a shower and get ready for our date, I'll pick you up at six" he turned walking to the exit making you stutter a few words then finally you found your voice. "And I'd have gone to dinner with you anyway!! You didn't need to you know!" You yelled out to his back he laughed loud calling out 'I know' over his shoulder making you grumble. Clark was a lovable ass.? With a lovely ass. You noted watching the pert cheeks tense as he moved turning around the door frame. "I can see you staring!" he called from the hall making you blush and clench your fists turning around running to the door poking your head around it before shouting down the hall behind him. "Well you got to fucking squeeze mine so we're even!!" he laughed a loud belly laugh as he opened the door to the men's changing rooms shaking his head at you as he entered.

Since then it had been a dream Clark was everything you wanted in a boyfriend and then some. Dates were well planned and could range from cliché and romantic to adventurous and sexy and anything in-between. The relationship wasn't a secret for long perhaps five weeks maybe six? either way the League had soon found out when he'd out of the blue spun your chair round to face him stealing a deep embarrassingly hot kiss in front of them when you parted asking what that was for he just smirked and shrugged stating he just 'wanted to taste his woman' and left telling you to 'finish up soon' leaving you to stutter out an explanation to a very amused team that you were a couple. Bruce; who you suspected had known for a few weeks before, had been really amused noting that you should 'hurry up before he came back down for seconds' and to you embarrassment you did hurry up and scurry back to your apartment where he was already naked in the bedroom placing a juice bottle next your side of the bed knowing you always needed a little break to re hydrate as he demolished you mind body and soul~. As it turns out Clark had told Konner and Jon before hand and they both wasn't bothered at first trying to act all cool. It wasn't until a few weeks ago they had become excited at the prospect of maybe having their very own Ma. Well excited in a teenage sense of trying not to show they cared but in fact both just wanted you to snatch them up and give the two touch starved boy much needed affection and snuggles which you did on mothers day getting you mothers day present a little silver locket with photos of them which you wore every single day. They were so terrified about it they hadn't asked if you even wanted them you remember their faces deliberating as they handed you the box mumbling uncertain 'happy mothers day' looking at all the cards and chocolates their cousins had given you. The gift was the most precious thing and you couldn't help but cry as you hugged them kissing them both. There was anxiety and tears all around but in the end you all got the out come you wanted, whilst all the youngsters were 'yours' by default konner and Jon were your special boys, they were your sons. Your relationship was incredible your job was a dream and you had a family if that wasn't enough? there was your aforementioned sex life...Sex? My god! It was out of this world, the best sex you'd ever had Tony was said to be one of the best lays but he didn't have shit on Clark! Clark's strength and stamina meant he would always last he had once fucked you for six hour's straight....That's not a few rounds that was one! One fucking round and you'd passed out only to be woken by a mind numbing orgasm that left you a babbling incoherent puddle of wanton female desperation. All because you'd teased him about how long he could really last. Your answer days that mans cock could keep cumming for days and still not be satisfied. Safe to say you never questioned his stamina again. You were at it like rabbits you'd been caught 'with your pants down' by everyone...Everyone. But you didn't care you didn't get a chance to Clark to your was a very goal orientated lover, his goal was to leave you a complete bumbling sticky exhausted mess. He enjoyed watching you fall apart over and over until you couldn't speak let alone move. His favorite was when you tiptoed about the next day, slow steps, bow legged and sitting on cushions letting everyone see that he had all but destroyed you the previous night aftercare helped but you were pretty much fucking a god there were consequences that a good bubble bath couldn't fix. And once you were fully seated on him there was nothing that could deter him, not even konner waltzing into your apartment to steal your snacks. Clark just kept at it as your son passed the sofa you were being rawed on to get to our snack cupboard, the teen didn't even bat an eyelash!! As embarrassed as you was you couldn't deny finding Clark's complete disregard for modesty once inside you was fucking hot. Like he was in a trance so focused on fucking you into your next orgasm he didn't bother worrying about anything else. And even when you wasn't being ploughed by the man things were still great! He was sweet funny kind and you showered one another with affection something you'd never known you'd missed out on. Things were great and the others didn't seem to have any issues with it sure they poked fun sometimes as you acted like a couple of teenagers but thats to be expected. All in all life was fucking brilliant here and you couldn't wish for anything better.

You moved about the lab tweaking the...Well your not sure what it was to be honest...Clark had been shooting off into the galaxy again searching for the abandoned Kryptonian outposts and bringing you back bits and pieces anything from trinkets to tech. This time he brought back a hover krypto-bot guard thingy and thought you might be able to get it up and running to help you and Barbra around the lab. You grumbled tweaking the bot trying to get the last few pieces in place before powering it up, it worked from solar energy much like Clark. You giggled at the thought and looked over to him. And the view wasn't bad~ you twisted eyeing the fit as fuck resident Kryptonian. Today he was wearing some 'tad to small but you wasn't complaining' sweat pants and a fitted white tank top....Yum. He was standing tall one arm extended above him holding a few tonne bat mobile like it was a bed sheet. Bruce's bat mobile was getting a suspension upgrade as it could now crawl up walls with its new 'tires'. He said aiming is hard when he is being jostled about but you and Barbra knew it was just a case of him having a delicate ass and wants a smoother ride~ You gasped as the bot rose hovering above the floor you'd done it? You'd got it working? Fixed a fucking alien robot! Fuck yes go you! you hummed watching as it rose to hover a foot and a half sides opening and closing looking like it was flexing, stretching after a long nap..In a way it looked cute. "Any luck-whoa babe step back a bit" You looked up seeing Clark peer over his shoulder at you eyeing the bot that was hovering in front of you calmly you stepped back Clark had told you what one of these had done to Lois when they met. He motioned for Barbra to back up and put the bat mobile down onto the ground eyeing the bot waiting to see if it attacks. It did Clark was caught off guard as the bot bypassed you instead completely ignoring you turning completely around and gunning for Barbra. It took seconds but soon the bot was ripped in two on the floor. You didn't mind hard work or no that thing had gone for Barbra. "Fucking hell!? Barb you okay?!" You called out jogging the few steps to the shaken woman. she nodded smiling thanking Clark assuring you she was fine. You sighed and placed your hands on your hips huffing seeing the pieces scattered all over. You wasn't mad you just don't like cleaning up oil spills. "Why did it only attack me?...Like y/n was right in front of it and the thing didn't even flinch" she asked Clark you frowned and pondered that yourself from what Clark said it should had attacked the first human it saw is it was going to attack. You furrowed your brows deeper and turned to Clark who was looking between the two of you baffled uming and ahing. "Yeah I'm wondering that to didn't it attack Lois on sight?" Clark nodded which made you turn to Barbra trying to figure it out. "Yes so shouldn't it have gone for the closest human? like if it was gonna turn it should have been you? Weird" you both looked to the now dead robot frowning that didn't make sense and you didn't like things not making sense. "maybe...It sensed my dna inside you?" Clark offered with a slight wave of his hand grasping at straws you frowned completely lost..Dna you wasn't pregnant or anything so that didn't make sense. "Inside y/n?- Wait ew no tmi thank you very much!" Barbra called wheeling herself off to the side giving both you and Clark a wide birth as she made for the exit. you stood there stumped as she did so Clark had a cheeky grin on his face but you really didn't follow. "wait what dna? Clark?" he shrugged cheeks tinting pink and motioned to you in a vague show of hands motioning to you making you even more confused. "Well this morning..I did kinda you know flood your pu-" you cut him off when you realized just what he was getting at. A very satisfying morning romp. "OH! Right well that would be it thank you Clark you can stop now" you spoke quickly in a high pitch trying to shut him up asap as Barbra laughed from the other side of the lab running a diagnostics on the bat mobile for the new parts shes added. you flushed and Clark grinned he loved everyone knowing you were his a typical alpha male pea-cocking, flaunting his prize. you smiled a small impish grin and turned moving to collect the robot. Clark beat you to it and helped move it to one of the work benches. "..Well then, I'm going to...Take him apart and see if I can locate and remove that scanning unit, if it can scan and match dna then I might be able to incorporate it into the security system...No more finger pricks?" you inquired Barbra turned from the screen she was working on "Shit that would be good the systems been buggy with konner and Jon recently I think they are getting sick of spilling blood for their snacks" you smiled to her nodding those were your thoughts exactly you thought the system might be tripping with the half human aspect of them but..If that bot did in fact see Clark's... Residue then it should work for Konner and Jon. "exactly no one likes to many finger pricks" you called out happily Barbra nodded then you both deadpanned as Clark spoke up in a scoff. "Well maybe not you love~" you scowled at him but it lost its bite as you flushed a bright red as he winked quickly sucking in his bottom lip eyes flashing mischievously at you. You just shook your head knowing better then to argue with him in this mood. When Clark got like this and you argued you ended up wishing you'd just kept your mouth shut he was a teasing little shit. "What? like you complain about my fingers babe~" you shook your head biting your lip when really you wanted to cuss him out and throw something at him for embarrassing you. Throwing things was a waste of energy he dodged or caught them. "Okay right I'm going on a lunch break if you two fuck don't break anything!" Barbra called deciding to excuse herself knowing this was going to be a playful spat that'd end up with you bent over something. just as she got to the door it opened the rest of the team filing in not looking to happy. Bruce broke the silence. "We need to talk"

You looked up to Bruce unsure of your next move. this was just bad luck. really bad luck. You eyed everyone this was ultimately being left up to you. You knew them most and honestly you wasn't sure. your gut was telling you to let them come, to help them out. but in your mind you wanted to fuck them off and tell them to do one. by now you'd opened up to them about your time there apparently their surveillance only saw so much. It didn't see the biting words or laughter which at the time you thought was banter but it wasn't. you'd spent some time reflecting and you realized you was being laughed at not with. "Do you know what it could be?" you asked Bruce who had taken the call he shook his head. "Nope.. Apparently a peter quil brought it in for them...Kryptonians were apparently thousands of years in front of everyone with tech, they know its kryptonian but are not sure if it holds a weapon or not they want to collaborate after all we do have Clark" you nodded heaving a deep sigh Clark placed his arm around you hand on your hip squeezing lightly bringing you to him.

"You don't have to we can say no-" you shook your head interupting him "No..No we cant Tony has wanted kryptonian tech since you popped up, he will find away to crack it... he will bust it open it he has to." you said thinking far to hard trying to calm yourself ideally you didn't want to see any of them again but this could be serious. if it was a weapon you didn't trust them. and if it had kryptonite? you really really didn't trust them hell the only person you trusted with that stuff was Bruce...Even then you didn't really like it being on this planet. "Y/n I can find a way to sneak in and steal it- we could get it and no one would know-" you turned to Barry and gave him a smile. "No..No thats very sweet of you but they would know where to look, they would storm this place looking for it we don't need a civil war between two superhero teams...You'd die, you wont kill them but the avengers don't piss about they would kill you...Tony will do anything to figure out what's inside it... "I would rather it be here where we have at least some understanding of the kryptonian systems...That and if it has kryptonite we can store it away safely, let them come I will be civil and work with them but I'm not going to be pally pally with any of them, and do not let Tony or Bruce or peter be in any labs alone, Barbra can we section of the lower lab for what ever they have? I'm not having them looking at our work fuck them-Victor watch your back Tony will try to charm you into letting him scan you if he does riddle Friday with the worst worms and Trojans you can oh god wait no do a malware to or adware!-fuck him" Victor nodded laughing to you seeing the claws come out Barbra whistled with Barry who both asked if adware was a little harsh receiving a glare from you which shut them up pretty quick, you smoothed back your hair stressed about it already

"Arthur, Clark the same goes for you they will try to butter you up and-" you were cut off with a laugh from the ocean master.

"Don't you worry I'm not going to be falling for any of the douchbags tricks you just keep yourself sorted okay? we can watch them you just do your thing" He said Diana nodded it seemed everyone was in agreement they will watch them and you just focus on the task at hand. "Okay how about we can have everyone staying here so we have more eyes, I'm sure the boys wont mind a week off school" you nodded to him knowing that Bruce was going to try and make this easier. "That would be helpful Bruce thank you...Avengers stay in the lower levels and they don't get access to our floors or our labs, none of them get entered into the security system...They stay in the dorm rooms and they share a bathroom!" you exclaimed laying out your terms Arthur chuckled crossing his arms grinning at you shifting on his feet.

"Seems like someones getting a little pay back~" he said tipping his head raising a brow the others chuckled making you flush a little for getting so wound up but you tipped you head high and scoffed.

"Damn right they're coming to my house now bitch-fucking give them a taste of their own medicine" it was agreed the Avengers were aloud to come and stay you felt a little better after they all reassured you on the protocols they had in place it would seem Bruce had been anticipating this for a long time. suddenly the bat of Gotham cracked a smile chuckling making everyone pause waiting to hear what he found so funny he shook his head waving at them.

"It's just...I told you one day Tony would be here asking for your help, imagine his face when he sees what your achieving here...And he had you at a fucking desk!" everyone laughed seeing the irony you smiled giggling a little tucking yourself into Clark's side unconsciously looking for a little comfort you were anxious about seeing Tony again. he held you closer kissing your head knowing you were dreading this you'd rather not see him again.

"You'll be fine, you have all of us and the kids and I doubt Konner and Jon will let him near you...Could you imagine?" you huffed a small laugh but it was empty you were worried you could imagine...You'd seen what the avengers could do and you worried about your boys no doubt they wouldn't die but if they did come to blows...Your boys could get hurt.

"And if he brings his suit?" you asked in a small voice Clark wrapped his arms around you pulling you into his chest turning slightly so you had some form of privacy away from the others, he knew you didn't like being seen crying and it sounded like you were close. "You think he'd stand a chance? He does anything and he will be answering you me that suit wont help him I assure you..Trust me I'll protect you... We will protect you" you nodded but couldn't help the dark pit on your stomach...You didn't want any fights you only wanted to have them here in case what ever they found was a weapon...or Kryptonite either in Tony's hands would be used at some point. You closed your eyes as Clark smoothed your hair nodding to the others that he had this handled.

#clark kent x reader #clark kent imagine #clark kent x you #superman x you #superman x reader #superman imagine #dc x reader #dc x y/n #clark kent x y/n #superman x y/n #justice league x reader #dc marvel

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etherealvibespls · 3 years

Text

till the stars fall out of the sky

Hi. It's been almost two years but I hope you enjoy this short + messy krii7y piece :)

The thing about it being the end of the world is how little time there is to prepare. No matter how many people seem ready with their canned foods and underground bunkers, or even the discarded pamphlets scattered throughout the streets filled with government advice as if, maybe, those in power had an idea of what was to come, no one is actually prepared for what they’re faced with; the end of everything.

And it’s terrifying.

Smitty had so many plans. A few weeks ago those plans held some dread, had his heart skipping at just the mere idea of change, and yet now his heart only aches.

In front of him the website mocks him. The screen is dim to preserve the little battery he has left in his laptop, but the floor plan of the apartment is still too bright, painting a pointless fantasy for his eyes to gaze longingly at.

He should have moved by now, but his fear kept him back. Rooted him in what he’s familiar with.

Now it’s too late.

A quiet ding snaps him out of his haze and the second his eyes settle on the notification the knot in his chest loosens, smoothed out by the person miles and miles away.

John (10:02): so it turns out the world really is ending

Smitty snorts. To his embarrassment, there’s already a smile stretching across his face.

Smitty (10:03): you’re just now realizing?

John (10:03): i mean can you blame me? how was i supposed to know all those youtube videos were real? but today i actually left the house for the first time in like, two weeks and it looks like i’m in hell

John (10:04): at first i thought i was dead because what the fuck, right? the sky is fucking red, but then i saw someone walking their dog as if it were normal so now i’m assuming this is what everyone’s been talking about

Smitty (10:04): have i ever told you i hate you

John (10:05): uh hello? what the fuck

Smitty (10:05): i’ve been stressed out of my fucking mind and you’ve been clueless this entire time?? go fuck yourself john. like actually take that dildo you thought i forgot about and fuck. off.

John (10:06): HELLO ? you said you’d never bring that up

Smitty (10:07): the world is ending dickhead. i’m allowed to embarrass you one last time

Smitty bites at the inside of his cheek, suppressing the urge to laugh as he waits for his friend’s response. It takes longer for John to reply this time but he’s probably writing a paragraph that makes absolutely no sense and only serves to insult Smitty whichever way he can.

After a quiet minute, John finally responds.

John (10:08): don’t say that

Smitty blinks, not expecting such a short reply.

Smitty (10:08): don’t say what?

Half of him is still expecting this to lead into a snarky remark and he prepares for John’s little ha-ha, got you, but by John’s next message, it’s clear he’s no longer joking.

In an instant, the mood has not only shifted into something serious, but into pure heartbreak as well.

John (10:09): “one last time”

John (10:09): it makes it sound like you’ve already lost hope

Smitty (10:09): john…there’s nothing left for us. they’ve done all they can but there’s no fixing something so completely destroyed, and at some point you just have to accept that it’s over

John (10:10): this isn’t the end

A pause.

John (10:10): i still haven’t met you yet

Smitty releases a long, shaky breath. He’s tried so hard to not think of the mistake he made those weeks ago, yet it seems like there’s always something to remind him of it.

It’s possible John isn’t even mentioning it now, but Smitty is so consumed by guilt that his mind wanders there regardless. The end of the world hanging over everyone’s head has only made it worse, dug it up again and shoved it into his every waking thought, constantly reminding him of what could’ve been.

Mocking the opportunity he ruined.

Smitty (10:12): i’m sorry. i should be there.

John (10:12): you don’t have to keep apologizing, smit. you had your reasons

Smitty shakes his head in disbelief at the message, biting down hard on his lip the moment his eyes begin to burn, blinking back unshed tears.

He hates how nice John is. How even as they face down their last days on earth there isn’t a part of him that’s angry, or at the very least, disappointed.

Smitty (10:13): my reasons were selfish and stupid and it’s because of them that we have to message each other as the world literally crumbles around us

John (10:14): being alone does suck, and it would’ve been nice to have some company, but i still don’t blame you

It probably isn’t supposed to come across as tragic as it does, but Smitty’s shoulders sag with grief anyway.

Briefly his eyes flick over to the corner of his laptop, locking onto the battery life. His heart twists painfully, constricting tight as it flashes, down to its remaining minutes of life.

John (10:16): you know...i still look at it sometimes

John (10:16): it probably sounds so lame but sometimes i imagine how it would’ve been. i’m not a morning person but i think you could’ve made me one, and you hate staying up late but i think i could’ve shown you why sometimes i never fall asleep

John (10:17): i even imagine how it would’ve been decorated. like, from the pictures you’ve sent me of your place it looks so plain and i think about all the trips we’d have to go on before we could agree on some simple shit just for the living room. but i wouldn’t want you to feel bad about your taste or anything so i’d probably let you pick out a bunch of things anyway

Smitty presses his face into his shoulder for just a moment, overcome by so many emotions. A part of him can guess where this is going and his chest nearly caves in at the thought, knows why it’s happening now, of all times.

Smitty (10:19): ... i look at it everyday, imagining the same

Smitty (10:19): i was looking at it before you messaged earlier...can you believe it’s still available? how has no one else wanted it?

John (10:20): because it was always meant to be ours

Ours.

His gaze drifts back to the floor plan still on the screen, and not for the last time, he yearns. He thinks even after everything is said and done, his longing will ripple through the endless void of space.

Thinks heartache as great as his can never die, instead linger like a mournful ghost that will haunt even the brightest stars.

Smitty (10:21): i’m sorry i ruined it

John (10:22): i’m sorry i didn’t try harder

Smitty (10:22): john, none of this is your fault. it was my idea and i couldn’t even go through with it

Smitty (10:23): we had so many plans and i shattered them all because i was too scared to leave

John (10:24): but i wanted it more than i ever admitted, and instead of fighting to get you here i didn’t say anything

Smitty (10:24): i wanted this to happen more than you think, believe me. but we know how my thoughts can get, so i don’t think there was anything you could’ve said that would’ve change my mind

John (10:25): what about i love you?

Smitty startles, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t expect this. His stomach still does a silly little swoop, the butterflies that are always present when he talks with John suddenly coming to life, fluttering rapidly.

Smitty (10:25): john?

John (10:26): if the world is going to end no matter what, then fuck it right? i’ve been keeping my mouth shut for over two years and even if now is probably the worst time because i can’t see your face and my laptop is about to die, i can’t go out without telling you i’ve been in love with you for half the time i’ve known you

John (10:27): and the time before that i really, really, really liked you

Smitty chokes on his tears, stopped caring about holding them back the second he saw i love you.

Smitty (10:27): me too

Smitty (10:27): i think i’ve been in love with you since you first messaged me that stupid one-liner about artists

John (10:28): oh god, i forgot that was the first thing i sent you

John (10:28): in my defense i was extremely bored and your page was filled with memes, i thought you would’ve enjoyed it

Smitty (10:29): i fucking loved it

John (10:30): i regretted it the moment you sent me a pic of yourself for the first time, though

Smitty (10:30): what? why?

John (10:31): because you were prettiest person i’d ever seen and i hated that the first message i sent you was about dicks

Smitty laughs, the sound croaky and awful and usually he’d be embarrassed about the noise but he sits alone in his living room, completely consumed by the messages and the guy sending them.

Smitty (10:32): who would’ve known that would be the way into my heart

John (10:32): after about a week of talking to you i knew

John (10:33): i think that’s when i started falling in love

Smitty (10:33) god, i hate that we’re saying this now. i wish both of us said something sooner

John (10:34): yeah...it would’ve been nice to finally hold you, but i’m happy you finally know

John (10:34): and no matter what happens from now till...the end, i want you to know i love you

John (10:35): i always have, and i always will

i love you-

The screen flickers once before it fades to black, the battery completely drained. Smitty’s fingers hover over the keyboard, his pinky so close to hitting ‘enter’.

It takes longer than it should to register in his brain, and for a few minutes Smitty sits and stares at the screen. He blinks rapidly through his tears, can still see i love you every time he blinks but his heart beats wildly, aware of the inky darkness surrounding him and the deafening silence, no longer interrupted by the quiet dings of messages.

Like a dam finally unleashed, his tears fall at once and a sob racks through his body, forcefully pushed out of his quivering mouth. With his legs curled to his chest and his face buried in his bony knees, he cries out in anguish, fingers clutching his sweatpants like a lifeline.

He doesn’t move, stays curled in the corner of his couch long enough to see the last bits of sunrise fall over his furniture, and stays even longer to hear the shouts of panic outside his front door, aware but uncaring, of everything ending around him.

--------

Based off the prompt: “So the sky is still raining fire and meteors, and my laptop is running low on battery, but I wanted to say that I like you, a lot. Even though we haven’t ever talked in real life, if this is the end of the world then I’m really happy that I got to meet you.”

#krii7y #i was going through my old documents of fic ideas and prompts #and came across this one #and for some reason i couldn't stop thinking about krii7y #so even though i'm not really in this fandom anymore #and i haven't written a krii7y fic in actual years #i couldn't resist #this is also my first time writing angst in many #many years #idk what was going through my head #sorry #i don't think it was too bad though since it was pretty messy #but that's what happens when you don't write in forever #anyways #if you read the story #and you're reading these tags #i hope you enjoyed the story #writings

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spiders-hth-is-an-outlier · 3 years

Note

Possibly a big ask to get just out of the blue but: what are your Supernatural season opinions? Which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Did you watch long enough to have showrunner opinions? If yes, which showrunner is your favorite and which is your least favorite? If no, which season that you haven't seen most tempts you to get back in the Supernatural trenches? Answer exactly as many of these questions as you want to. Carry on.

You know, I am not sure how long this Ask has been sitting here, because my Tumblr notifications are borked -- I hope not long? If long, I apologize, I wasn't ignoring it on purpose!

Okay, so I have more than the average number of Supernatural opinions, probably, but I'll try to keep this to a dull roar! Inside Me There Are Two Wolves: one of them believes that only the original five seasons of Supernatural are worth defending in any way, the other really, really loves seasons 11 and 12. The Kripke Era had a lot of problems, particularly in its treatment of women as bodies without agency and its treatment of Black men as literal predators, but also for all its flaws, it had a kind of coherence and narrative drive that comes from being the product of a dude who obviously cared about it and had something to say. Taken on its own, seasons 1-5 are a brutal and compelling story about the traumas of being men in a universe that's been absolutely destroyed by its Fathers: on almost every level, it's about these abandoned and brutalized boys discovering that their entire reality is the product of an abandoning and brutalizing God, populated by authority figures who are universally demanding and arrogant, but also completely fucking useless. It's quite literally about Sam and Dean trying to hang onto their souls and their own agency when everyone around them wants them forced into shapes formed by conflicts that fell into place at the beginning of time. It's hard to remember, but back then even the Lucifer plotline was about that! It was about the damage fathers inflict on sons! Things were about things, in the Kripke era!

Then we get to the Gamble era, and. Woof. I actually -- don't hate 6 and 7? Like everything Sera Gamble touches, those two seasons are kinetic and memorable and funny and weird and hit some really, really great emotional beats. There are Some Problems, but Gamble was saddled with a pretty dire job, trying to find a way forward after everything about the series really had effectively wrapped up in Swan Song, and I think she did an okay job. People got mad at her for killing Castiel, but you know, damn, I give her this: that was a storyline. Like, this character who was fresh out of the cult he was raised in becoming disillusioned by how messy normal life is and deciding that maybe people need better authoritarianism instead -- the way he's driven to take too many risks by the fact that he's abandoned and desperate -- Crowley as a legitimately scary villain while still being charming af -- and the tragic resolution of Castiel being torn apart by both his hubris and his heroism. It's actually really good. I understand why people didn't want what Gamble was serving up -- and I'm able to like it because it was undone later, you know? -- but she really did commit to a full season of character arc and saw it all the way through to an earned ending, and I gotta respect that.

I genuinely hate seasons 8 and 9. I think everyone is a dick, particularly but not exclusively Dean, to the point where I just find it a bummer to watch. I mean, you get Benny, and I love Benny. You get, I dunno, bits and bobs of decent episodes, but overall they are very fucked up seasons in my opinion. So Carver era is on thin fucking ice with me, but I do think you start to get a rebound in season 10 with the Mark of Cain stuff, although I wish they'd managed to keep Cain around longer. All the really good Claire stuff starts happening, which is nice because Claire, but also because for once the show is really letting itself go back and deal with the mess these protagonists leave behind them constantly. Castiel and Claire have maybe the most interesting non-Winchester relationship on the show. Oh, and Rowena shows up around here too, right? Love her. So the back half of Carver, 10 and 11, are starting to really gain traction for me. The world is building outward, secondary characters are starting to be genuine characters in their own right, the politics of Heaven and Hell get a little richer and more interesting. The show is really starting to feel like it takes place in a universe, which is great because we love the Frigging Winchesters, but they shouldn't be the only thing going, right? We have 15 seasons to get through! Season 11 is basically bracketed by what are probably my two favorite Supernatural episodes: Baby and Don't Call Me Shurley. (I think I'm the world's only living Metatron fan; I fucking love that little dude.)

Dabb takes over in 12, and I really, really, genuinely love season 12. I fucking love Mary. There are so many episodes I adore -- Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox is a special favorite of mine, and I remain pissed off that the Banes twins never made it to recurring status, bluntly that feels wildly racist to me -- probably the best three-episode streak in the show is Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets to Regarding Dean to Stuck In the Middle (With You), three just almost perfect episodes. So I was poised to really love the Dabb era. I wanted to! My body was ready!

And I do really love the first chunk of season 13, the Widow Winchester arc. Obviously I'm a romantic, love that for me, but it's just also really good? The acting, the writing, the psychological complexity of Dean wanting Jack to be Bad so he has an outlet for his anger and Sam wanting Jack to be Good so he can retroactively parent himself and raise a Lucifer-tainted child who isn't crippled by self-loathing. Billie's great, and it looks like she's going to start being one of the major powers of the universe. Unfortunately -- with the occasional exception of this or that solid episode -- that's kind of the end of Pretty Good Supernatural. Season 13 kind of unravels; season 14 always feels like it's looking for itself (which is a bummer, because I wanted very much to care about Michael); season 15 is, idk. Idk about any of it, it's all pretty pointless. I feel bad complaining on some level, because the show's been on for like fourteen years at this point! It's kinda justified in feeling a little worn out. But the reality is that the later seasons systematically undo all the expansion that had excited me earlier -- the Wayward Sisters crew pretty much vanishes when the spinoff isn't picked up, Naomi and the angels stop doing anything, Crowley's gone, Mary's gone for much of it. We're just kind of futzing around with monsters who don't seem to matter (very much including Lucifer, who hasn't mattered in ages) and a lot of Jack, who. I try not to shit all over, because I know he's a popular character, but I find him just ungodly boring. Everything in the last two and a half season just feels like it's headed nowhere in particular, and also it bored me. The Empty deal is just sadness porn; it doesn't have any resonance or meaning in terms of Castiel's character, it's just him agreeing to die for his kid, which is okay, it means he's a loving dad, which he is, but there's no conflict there, ergo no real drama. It's just mean; it happens because it'll make us sad, and no other reason. Rowena is the only strong secondary character left, and her ending also doesn't feel particularly relevant to her, it's just a generic Sacrifice to Save the World. Everything just feels like they're autogenerating plotlines, rather than letting the actual needs and drives of the characters shape the narrative. So while I have this weird split personality with Carver where I either hate what he's doing or I love it, most of the Dabb era is just. There. It doesn't make me feel anything except kind of tired and embarrassed. Which is a bummer, because I have an inexplicable fondness for Dabb, probably just because of how much I love s12. I wanted to love his seasons! I did love his first season! I feel like maybe something happened when the CW rejected Wayward Sisters? I know that was kind of his darling, and it feels like maybe losing that kind of sucked the joy out of him, and he's kind of checked-out by the end. That's genuinely just my guess, however.

That's Professor Milo's Intro to Supernatural Studies, don't forget to fill out your course survey on the way out!

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sungie · 4 years

Text

lee minho ; thunderstorms

- - -

summer decided to take a rain check, and the skies are cloudy and rumbling, the rain outside rhythmically pattering against your window

and although you stayed inside all day, it was nice to take a break from the heat to relax and bundle yourself in knit blankets and fuzzy socks

you’re scrolling through your feed when a text message from minho makes its way across your notifications

minho 8:45 : how are u inside on a night like this

minho 8:46 : unbelievable

and first of all, rude, because minho is one to talk

minho is the epitome of i stay at home and do nothing because i’m tired and you’re boring

and second of all, bitch, of course you're inside ,, it's raining and stormy

you 8:52 : get tf out who even are you

minho responds not even a second later

minho 8:52 : the best thing that’s ever happened to you that’s what. but ig ur just not ready for that yet.

you 8:52 : *worst

you 8:52 : autocorrect really hyping you up there

minho 8:53 : fine, then. definitely not @me eating all this food by myself.

you sit up immediately

because minho isn’t? he’s not -- you peer outside your window, squinting as you try to make out something in the dark, but it’s kind of hard with the rain and your reflection against the glass.

you 8:54 : wait

you 8:54 : you’re not?

minho 8:54 : dumbass smh

you fly out your bed and run to the door, opening it with such force that minho stumbles and nearly crashes into you

it's raining outside, really raining, and you look up and blink to see minho holding a bag to his chest, which he’d apparently pressed against the door to stop it from getting wet

and sure enough, the one thing you immediately notice about minho today is that he looks so pissed

like, the level of pissed his cats get when he gives them a bath every so often

but when his eyes land on you, it’s like someone switched a flip and minho visibly softens

there’s obvious relief that flashes across his face for a millisecond

honestly, the only reason you know this is because you’ve been around him for so long and you can read him well

and then, because he’s such a tsundere, he ruins it by narrowing and rolling his eyes.

"i could've died, leaving me on your doorstep like that, the disrespect"

excuse me the audacity

“i didn’t know hyunjin invited himself over”

minho: ಠ_ಠ

but nonetheless, you quickly drag him inside and are genuinely concerned about his well-being

minho can't help but watch you with hidden amusement

you're trying to do so many things at once

turn on the crappy heater to your apartment, shut the door, try to find blankets, no, a towel so minho can dry off, maybe some extra hoodies you've stolen from him -- until minho has had enough and gently, but firmly, rests his hands against your shoulders to make you look up at him. "breathe, (y/n)."

you're suddenly all too aware of the close proximity between the two of you

and minho's eyes make you lose all train of thought

minho's always been attractive, but damn, he's really gorgeous up close

you suck in a breath and hope that minho sees it as just being overwhelmed, so you gesture to him wildly and hope that he can make something out of it, because you really can't figure out what to say

"i brought us take-out," is what minho finally says with a cheerful smile, and you can’t help the snicker that escapes your lips because his random cheerfulness always feels so fake but also teasing all at once, and you wanna smack him

"you're gonna catch a cold," is all you manage, still fussing over him

and this is exactly what minho was trying to prevent, but he just rolls his eyes and lets you take care of him, and shh, it makes his heart feel super warm because, god, you're so adorable, and he doesn't know how he got so lucky to have a best friend like you

you tug the jacket off his shoulders --

“if you wanted to get me out of my clothes, you could have just asked”

“MINHO”

-- and you dump it in the dryer, tossing minho a hoodie that you swear he left at one of these movie nights. even though both of you know very well, that you stole it from his closet

as you're busy finding blankets, minho pulls the take-out from the bag and opens to-go boxes, frowning when he realizes some of it is cold

he’s super focused about this and pours the cold take-out into a bowl and reheats it in the microwave for a bit to make sure it's warm again

because he won't have his baby best friend eating cold food, no, you're eating the best of the best if he has anything to say about it

afterward, when both of you are satisfied, it’s time to just crash on the couch and eat food, and minho always gets two different things (although they're suspiciously both your favorites), and he lets you take some of his food, too, if you want

while he simultaneously whines that he does so much for you

but you know he means nothing by it, because the smile that tugs at his lips when you get happy is everything to him

minho lets you choose the movie, and after a while, you realize he's not really watching the movie

because he doesn’t laugh as loud at his favorite part as he normally does which is already suspicious

and to test this out, you watch him out the corner of your eye

minho,, minho is really just gazing at you with the softest expression in the world

you’re shocked

he’s actual heart eyes whipped

when you turn your head to catch him in the act, he tries to play it off as being cool, and he actually accuses you of looking at him,, smh minho you ain't chill

but there's one thing minho hasn't taken into account, and that's the faint blush on his cheeks, and the way he can't meet your eyes again

“minho?”

"i might like you," minho whispers, and it's more of a statement than a question

you don’t respond, too busy gazing fondly at him

minho looks up, finally, and he knows as soon as he sees your face that you like him back

his soft expression turns into a smirk and he throws a crumpled up napkin at you. “i knew you were trying to get me out of my clothes earlier”

“minho.” >:(

minho just laughs, but you can tell he’s so happy, and when you fall over to rest your head against his chest, minho’s heart literally skips a beat

"ew get off me.”

and then, when he can’t keep his blank expression any longer:

“I knew you liked me," and he sounds so smug

"then why didn't you say anything idiot”

minho raises an eyebrow, “why didn’t you say anything?”

“because!”

“well, i’m not an idiot,” minho scowls

"you’re my idiot”

if someone told you that’s what it took to break minho, you would’ve laughed at them

but you literally do not understand how minho is unaffected by your mutual feelings, but is soft boy tm when you call him your idiot? like ,, make it make sense please

but cue cute, flustered minho

and the two of you continue to cuddle as you mindlessly watch the movie, but it's more background noise, as the two of you continue to eat the rest of the take-out while listening to the summer storm outside and gently smiling at each other

- -

continue your journey?

#lee minho reactions #minho reactions #lee minho hc #minho hc #lee minho x reader #minho x reader #lee minho scenarios #minho scenarios #lee minho x you #minho x you #lee minho headcanons #minho headcanons #lee minho fluff #minho fluff

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commander-rahrah · 4 years

Text

RESIDENCY: SECOND CHANCES (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART TWO

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan. Please note that both pairings are present in this fan fiction — off & on, at the same times, and the relationships do ebb & flow. Please keep this in mind. Thank you.

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: T (drinking, swearing)

Word Count: 5000+ (its a big one)

Description: Bryce and Jordynne have time together to explore what everything happening between them means, since Ethan is away in the Amazon finding his own answers.

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: Well this took much longer than expected! With everything happening in the world, I found it harder and harder to take that personal time for myself to get away and write. But I eventually carved out time for it, and it felt nice to get back into the perspectives of Jordynne, Bryce and Ethan. This fic has a lot of little moments and memories from Book 1 (and fic 1) that can turn into big moments for these characters in the future <3

As always any likes, reblogs and comments are very appreciated. If you would like to be added/removed from the tag list please just let me know! I have always had issues with the tag list as well (people not receiving notifications) so if you do receive a notification if you could let me know that would be great! Or if you have any tips for why it wouldn’t be working?

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374 @lahelable @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth @llamasgrl @timmagicktoad @lilyofchoices @msjpuddleduck @mfackenthal @paulfwesley @ccolz88-blog @mindlessdreaminxo @jooous @lapisreviewsstuff @choicesarehard @themingdynasty @omgjasminesimone @hopelessly-shipper @binny1985 @perriewinklenerdie @jens-diamondchoices @indiacater @chasingrobbie @writingsbymissy @dimitriwife @tacohead13 @amy-choices @violinet

Previous Updates: Residency — Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen Part Fifteen Part Sixteen Part Seventeen Part Eighteen Part Nineteen Part Twenty

Residency: Second Chances -- Part One

Chapter 2

The golden liquor coated her pink lips, turning them shiny. They pursed together, licking the excess off as she lowered the shot glass to the table with a loud bang.

The sound snapped Bryce back to reality — and he swallowed hard as she watched Jordynne throw her head back and laugh.

She was in full force tonight. Her big laugh echoing in the bar. Her perfect, wide smile drawing everyone in. Her wild, blonde hair being thrown over her shoulder.

Sometimes he wondered if she was really from this world.

“Let’s get more!” Her voice was much higher than usual — a good note that she was getting more and more intoxicated.

“C’mon Jordy, let’s pace ourselves.” He suggested, grabbing onto her wrist gently.

“Pace ourselves?! Do I look like a beginner to you? Come on!” She put out her bottom lip at him, looking up at him with giant puppy dog eyes.

It was like a punch to the gut — she could get whatever she wanted with that look. Dammit.

Before he could reply, Jackie came to the table with a tray of more shots and Jordynne greedily grabbed two of them.

“Whoa, Holland’s on a roll tonight,” Jackie said as she slid into the booth, passing out the remaining glasses.

“She’s on something.. that’s for sure,” Sienna said to them, a hand in front of her mouth.

At the sound of the next song coming on, she jumped onto her leather seat in the booth. “This song! This song!!”

He couldn’t even hear it over the crowd. But he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at her excitement.

She crawled over Sienna and jumped out of the booth, landing with surprising dexterity for the amount of liquor she had consumed. “Come on dance with me.” She stretched her tan fingers over to him, “Please.”

“Okay,” He agreed — maybe a little too easily.

He grabbed onto her warm fingers, letting her pull him to the dance floor with surprising strength.

He watched her jump up and down for a moment — her blonde hair flicking around wildly. He let out a laugh, before mimicking her movements — his tan arms raised above his head as they danced recklessly in the crowd.

She joined in with his laugh — flashing her white teeth at him in a brilliant smile. He gulped as she moved closer to him. He could still smell her, even in the old bar — orange blossoms, vanilla, and jasmine. He could get drunk off of that scent.

His heart fluttered as she grabbed onto him casually, pulling him into her to dance more closely. Bryce was suddenly overwhelmed being this close to her — he felt dizzy, and it wasn’t from the liquor.

Jordynne Holland was intoxicating. And addicting.

His dark eyes settled on her mouth, how much closer it was getting to his as she swayed in front of him.

“Jordy...” He breathed out, stepping away from her.

“What?” Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked up at him — her green eyes fluttering. She stepped forward and carefully wrapped her arms around his neck. “I just wanna have some fun. You’re fun. You like fun. Remember fun?” Her pink lips stretched into a smile.

He felt his stomach twist and tug and flutter all at once.

Bryce so badly wanted to give in — to crash his lips onto hers, to hold her back. But he didn’t know where all of this was coming from. Things were still so messy — and right now, she was messy. There had to be something that caused it.

“I know — I just —,” He hesitantly put his hands on her waist, steadying her movements, “Are you sure, you’re okay?”

“I’ve never been better Bryce Lahela. Now dance with me.” She replied, tightening her hold on him as she pushed her body up against his.

_____________________________________________________________________

Ethan watched the light through his window dim as the plane flew into a series of clouds — the pages of his book in his lap suddenly becoming harder to read.

Letting out a sigh, he put his head back on his headrest — leaning against it as he looked over his shoulder and out of the window.

He eyed the empty spot next to him — a placeholder for his leather bag this time. He tried hard to not go there — to think about the last time he was at the airport, on an airplane, who was with him. If he started down that road, it would make everything harder.

So he ignored the subtle reminder — repressing the memory and averting his eyes from the empty chair.

“Hi sir,” A brunette flight attendant pulled a cart up near his seat, “Due to the length of the flight you will be provided an in-flight meal. It will be arriving shortly. Would you like a beverage to go with it? Spirits? Wine?” He gestured to the cart.

Ethan swallowed as he eyed it — the little bottles of alcohol clinking together as the flight attendant shifted the cart.

It was tempting. It could be another way to repress memories in the long flight. To calm any gears that started winding.

He cleared his throat, putting on a polite smile, “Can I actually just have a coffee?”

“Of course, sir.” He poured the hot beverage and carefully passed it to him. “I’ll be back with your meal.”

Ethan took a sip and grimaced slightly. It was terrible. And he had to force another thought down as he thought of who else would grin and bear it with him.

But it was just a coffee. He’ll get over this.

He can get over this. He could do this.

_____________________________________________________________________

The slightest crack of one of her eyes caused Jordynne to groan in pain. Her head was pounding — and even the little trickle of light coming through the blinds was killer.

Blinking over and over, she finally was able to open her green eyes fully. She was in her bedroom — how she got there? She wasn’t entirely sure.

The previous night was a blur. She remembered taking an uncertain amount of tequila shots and dancing. So much dancing — her feet were killing her.

Letting out another groan, she shifted onto her side but froze when she felt resistance next to her. Moving her head, her eyebrows raised as she saw Bryce laying next to her — sleeping soundly. He was still wearing his jeans and t-shirt — his arms folded around himself carefully as he slept on top of her white duvet.

Her eyebrows furrowed together — a deep line forming in her forehead. Now that she didn’t remember. Peaking under the duvet, she realized she was still wearing clothes — her boyfriend briefs and shirt were clinging to her body. Her mind started whirling as she attempted to connect the dots.

“Hey,” Bryce’s groggy voice whispered next to her, “You okay?”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek — praying that it was too dark in the room for him to see how embarrassed she looked, “I’m— I’m pretty rough.”

“I would imagine so. You consumed enough tequila to get you, me, and Sienna drunk.”

“Ugh.” She groaned.

“And I’m sure spending two hours on your bathroom floor probably didn’t help.”

“Nooo...” Her face felt hot as it flushed with embarrassment.

He let out a quiet chuckle, “Oh yeah. Held your hair back and everything.”

She wasn’t sure if she had ever hated herself more then that moment. “Ugh, I’m so sorry Bryce.”

“Don’t be — I didn’t mind.” She gulped as she felt his practiced hand rub her shoulder.

“I’m sure that’s not what you signed up for when we decided to go out last night.”

“I mean, I went to hang out with you. And we did hang out..” His voice trailed off for a moment, “I just didn’t imagine it would be on your bathroom floor with your head hanging off your toilet.”

“Haha,” She hesitated for a moment, “Did we — Did I say anything? Or... I dunno, try anything?”

“Oh yeah,” He let out a little chuckle again, “Drunk Jordy is chaaaatty. And handsy.”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t — we didn’t do anything. You just tried to kiss me a couple of times.” He mumbled a little.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized again.

“People have done crazier things then try to kiss someone while drunk on Tequila.” He reassured.

“I know, I— But we never—“

He interrupted her, “S’okay Jordy.”

“Thanks for staying with me.” She whispered. And she meant it. As complicated as it was, she was glad Bryce was there. He was always there for her.

She felt the bed shift as he turned on his side to face her, “What kind of doctor would I be if I didn’t take care of you?”

“I live in a house full of doctors.” She could feel how close his face was to hers.

“Ha — right.” She could see his sheepish smile in the dim light. “I just needed to know you were okay.”

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” She lied — a little too easily.

“I just — I haven’t seen you like that before. You were drinking hard. Did something happen?”

She shook her head against the pillow, “I just wanted to let loose. Celebrate surviving my first week back. I just went a little bit too hard.”

“That’s the only reason?”

“Yeah.” She did her best to hide the lie, suppressing the memory of Ethan walking away in the parkade, “So what to do I gotta do to convince you to drag my ass out for some breakfast?”

“No convincing necessary.”

_______________________________________________________________________

He fell into a routine a lot easier than he thought he would. The repetition was nice — satisfying after the continuous curve balls life had thrown at him over the past year.

There was still chaos here — it was still a medical crisis. But it wasn’t anything that Ethan couldn’t handle.

He spent most of his days in their temporary clinic — diagnosing cases. In the evenings he would spend time with other team leaders, discussing measurements and tactics for preventing further cases. During their free time, he would usually see himself to his room — avoiding the socialization hours around the campfire. He rarely spoke to his colleagues in Boston, why would he do it in the Amazon.

One of the local doctors had told him his Portuguese was improving. A compliment that Ethan heartily took as he was teaching himself from the little pocketbook in his messenger bag and repetition with the locals.

Most nights by the time his head hit the pillow he was too exhausted to think. For the gears to start winding. For memories and thoughts to resurface from the far depths of his mind. And if they did — he forced them away. Closing his eyes with knitted brows, until sleep overcame him. And then he would wake up to do it all over again.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Wow, it’s been a while since I was in here,” Jordynne smirked as she stepped into a familiar supply closet.

Bryce had texted her during her break — asking to meet her there. She didn’t have to ask which one he meant — she knew. The supply closet from the first day they met. From where she had dropped all of her usual guards and kissed a stranger.

The smirk fell off of her face when she saw Bryce’s expression. It was serious — his usual megawatt smile was nowhere in sight. “Wh—what’s going on?”

He took a steadying breath before he spoke, “Jordynne, when did you know?”

“Know what?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

“That Ethan was gone. That he was leaving again.”

Her mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out. She didn’t know what to say.

He let out a sigh — taking her silence as an answer. “Is that why you got like that? At Donahue’s? You literally drunk enough to make yourself sick.”

“I— I was upset.” She explained, stepping a little closer to him, “I didn’t know what else to do — I just didn’t want to deal with it.”

“Have you dealt with it?” He asked back, his voice sharp, “You lied to me. I asked you what was really going on. And you lied.” His brown eyes stared deeply into her green eyes — studying her.

“I— I can’t talk to you about him, Bryce.” She wrapped her arms around her torso, folding in on herself. “I know you tell me I can but I— I just can’t.” Her eyes dropped down to her shoes.

“Why not?”

“Because it isn’t fair!” She raised her voice, her jaw clenched tightly, “Bryce, every time something bad happens with Ethan I run to you. When I didn’t want to admit to myself how I felt about him, I went to you. When he rejected me, when he quit, when he flew to a different continent literally just to get away from me. I keep boomeranging back to you Bryce. And it’s not fair.”

The small space of the supply closet turned quiet as they both thought.

Jordynne broke the silence as she finally looked back up at him, her voice croaking out, “So no I don’t want to talk to you about Ethan. Because it reminds me of what an atrocious person I am.”

“You’re not a bad person Jordynne.” Bryce shook his head at her, reaching a tan hand out and brushing a piece of her hair away.

She closed her eyes at his touch, doing her best to not lean into it, “I am Bryce. I have been to you.“

“I think... I think that you’re human. And things got complicated. And that I decided it was worth the complication — your feelings and relationship with Ramsey included.” He used a knuckle to raise her chin, putting her attention back on him, “But I need you, to be honest with me. Is there something between us? Or did I just invent that?”

“No.. of course there is Bryce. But I... but there’s something between Ethan and I too. Or there was.” She grabbed onto his hand, holding onto it as she took a deep breath. “You’re one of my best friends Bryce. And you’re more than that. And that’s why I need to say this. I think we should stop the “more” between us. For now. Until I — until I can figure how to stop complicating everything. And I can’t do that if we ...”

“Okay.” He said, interrupting her with his honey voice. He was nodding at her — his dark eyes focusing on her as he placed his steady hands on her shoulders.

She let out the breath she was holding, staring up at him in disbelief, “Okay? Just like that. Why are you so agreeable?”

“Puppy dog remember?” He gave her a half-smile, his long hair falling into his eyes as he looked down for a moment. “I’d thought you would’ve figured out by now I’m not going anywhere, Jordy.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Ethan hesitated for a moment — looking at the group of people sitting and chatting by the fire. He could join them — if he wanted.

Shaking his head, he plopped himself down on a stool on the edge of the campsite. Tucked away, and out of sight.

He pulled out the pocket-sized translation book from his chest pocket and started thumbing through it in the dim light from nearby lanterns.

“May I?” A voice asked from behind him.

Ethan stifled the sigh that almost escaped him. Straining his neck, he turned to see Dr. Adébáyọ̀ standing sheepishly, waiting for his response next to the empty stool beside him. He grunted in response, closing his book and slipping it back into his pocket.

The pair sat in silence for a moment, staring off at the distant campfire and taking sips of their drinks from their steel water bottles.

“Do you mind me asking why you came here, Dr. Ramsey?” The other doctor's voice broke the silence.

Ethan furrowed his brows, “Why?”

“I’m curious.” He shrugged, looking over to him.

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“But satisfaction brought it back.” The man retorted quickly. “Humor me.”

Ethan remained silent — keeping his eyes on the lid of his water bottle.

“Okay — I’ll go first. I came here to practice, of course. Help with research. But I came here for selfish reasons too.” Dr. Adébáyọ̀ settled into his seat as he spoke. “My family emigrated from Nigeria when I was 8. We lived in the UK, Canada, America. We traveled all over the world. But never South America. My father died last Spring. He always wanted to come here. So I signed up for him. It’s sentimental but — I’m glad I did.” He smiled up at the night sky that was glittering with white stars.

“I’m sorry about your father.” Ethan finally replied, looking over at his comrade.

“Me too,” He nodded, a sad smile on his face. “So are you going to tell me why the Ethan Ramsey left his fancy office in Edenbrook for tents in the Amazon?”

The Ethan Ramsey.

He hated that.

He hid his white-knuckled fists at his sides. “I am a diagnostician. I came to diagnose and treat Malaria and other ailments.” He used his practiced voice.

“And that’s it? You are a doctor and nothing else. What are you running from?”

Ethan remained silent for a long moment. He had been avoiding thinking about it this entire time. Why he had flown all the way out here. Abandoned his regular life to sit in a tent all day in the Amazon.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But he could feel his stomach twisting — a gnawing.

“Not what.”

“Hmm?” The other man was so shocked at him speaking, he barely heard him.

“Not what. Whom— whom I’m running from.” He let out a heavy sigh.

“I see. And this person... They are family?” Dr. Adébáyọ̀ asked with a raised brow.

He shook his head.

“Ah, I see. Matters of the heart.” He span around on his stool, so he was facing him more, “You are not together anymore?”

“We — we never got the chance to be together in the first place. Not really. She — we’re coworkers.” He admitted.

“That could be complicated.”

“And when I get back I’ll be her boss.”

“That’s more complicated.”

“Yes.” His voice was barely a whisper as he admitted this all out loud.

“What are you going to do? Coming here is doing what?” He questioned — his eyebrows furrowed as he studied Ramsey in the dim light.

“Delaying the inevitable.” He took a swig from his water bottle, gulping it down, “I’ll have to face her eventually.”

“And when you do?”

He avoided the question, “I just keep thinking to myself what if things were different. If she worked at a different hospital, if we met at a conference instead...”

“Do you want to hear something that was told to me? The universe sends us exactly what we need, right when we need it.”

Ethan let out a sad laugh, remembering Teresa saying the same words to him. “A patient told me the same thing once.”

“And is she? What you need, right when you needed it?”

Ethan thought to the past year. He couldn’t have handled Delores without her. She helped him process and navigate the Naveen situation. Hell, she saved the man too.

She grounded him — brought him back down to Earth. Yet had never had more ups and downs in his life before meeting Jordynne Holland.

He couldn’t have planned for any of it. But he wouldn’t take it back either.

“She — she’s everything I need that I never knew I wanted.“

“It sounds like you have an answer.”

“I don’t — because I’m not what she needs.” Ethan hung his head back for a moment, pursing his lips as he looked up at the inky black sky.

_______________________________________________________________________

She had forgotten how easy it was with Bryce Lahela.

How contagious his smile was. How infectious his laughter was. How easy it was to fall for him.

She was starting to remember why it had been so easy to make out with him in that closet after only knowing him for a few hours. What those early days were like — sneaking away together, watching movies in bed, remembering each other’s burger orders. Before she had made a mess of things.

The entire group was laid out on a couple spread out blankets at the park across the street from the apartment. They had packed some snacks and music — and were all basking in the sun, enjoying each other’s company.

Jordynne was sitting with her knees to her chest — smiling down at the blanket as she listened to Bryce’s warm chuckle reverberate through her. He was sprawled next to her, teasing Sienna about Danny.

Jackie, Elijah, and Aurora were in the blanket next to them — arguing over who has the best taste in music as they passed the speaker around.

She knew what she and Bryce had decided. And they had honored that over the past month. They were still friends — after everything the pair had gone through in the last year, she felt like she could always rely on that fact. They still hung out altogether, and a few times alone too. But sometimes she would catch herself staring at him a little too long, or laughing at his joke a little harder than anyone else.

The tune of an ice cream truck nearby snapped her back to reality as her friends buzzed with childlike excitement. “Ooo! Let’s get some for dessert!” Sienna jumped up, a wide smile on her face.

“Good idea,” Bryce stretched his arms behind him to push himself up, the hem of his shirt pulling up just enough that beginnings of his tan abs were revealed. Jordynne bit her lip as she watched him get up, “What does everyone want?”

“Chocolate!” Elijah said eagerly, his eyebrows raising up on his forehead.

“Gotta go classic — vanilla please Lahela.” Jackie gave him an unusually warm smile as she looked up at him.

“Got it. Mint chocolate chip Jordy?” He asked, looking down at her expectantly.

“Um, yeah. Thanks.” She blinked in surprise at him knowing before a small smile spread across her face. Bryce Lahela knew her way too well.

Once they had returned with their frozen treats, the group sat together in a circle. Eating fast as the treats started melting over their fingers on the sunny summer day. Bryce had sat next to her again — his bare knee touching hers as they sat crossed legged. It was comforting. And maybe a little distracting.

Jordynne dared a glance at him, to only find him already looking at her. Her breath caught a little as he let out a little chuckle.

“Oh, you gotta little’,” He pointed his finger at his mouth, indicating she had something on her own, “Here I’ll get it.

He reached forward, his hand moving up to her face — his thumb gently swiped at the corner of her mouth, wiping away the melted ice cream. Jordynne unconsciously parted her lips as his thumb traced the curve of them. Their eyes finding each other during the few seconds — holding each other’s gaze.

Sienna coughed awkwardly — breaking the moment.

“You get it?” Jordynne asked, blinking herself back to reality.

He smiled sheepishly at her, “Yeah, I did.” Her eyes fell to the ground before his did, her face flushing a deep pink.

Sienna grabbed onto Jordynne’s shoulder, turning her attention, “Hey Jordynne, I need to wash my hands. Come with me?”

“Oh,” She tried to hide the surprise on her face, “Sure.” She followed Sienna’s quick march to the public restrooms across the park.

“Uhhh, so I thought you guys were gonna cool it?” She asked with one eyebrow raised as they entered the restrooms.

“What? We are — nothings happened.” She shrugged in reply as she headed to the sink.

“Suuuuuure,” The word dragged on with a tone of disbelief, “You looked like you were about two seconds away from sucking each other’s face.”

She shook her head, “We’re just friends right now Sienna.”

“Mhmmm.” Her friend sounded like she still didn’t believe her.

“I mean it.”

She watched as Sienna turned on her heel and headed into one of the dark green stalls. “I’m just saying friends don’t look at each other like that.”

“You should talk. Aren’t you and Danny “just friends”?” She retorted. She grinned a little when she got no reply.

As she waited, Jordynne pulled out her phone from her back pocket. Her thumbs swiped over her keyboard quickly as she replied to the lengthy group chat between Kenzie, Carter and Jason. God, she missed them.

She started scrolling aimlessly through pictogram, liking photos of friends and scenery back home. Her homesickness was starting to become intolerable.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she scrolled passed a photo quickly — not quite believing what she saw. Scrolling back up, she felt a pang in her chest as she realized she saw it right.

It was Ethan.

The World Health Organization had posted it — whom she followed long before he volunteered with them and flown off to a different continent. He was in the corner of a white tent — his mouth pressed in a firm line as he listened to the slightly out of focus patient sat in front of him.

He looked more rugged — his stubble darker and longer than she had ever seen it. His skin had a golden tinge to it from spending time in the Brazilian sun. It was weird to see him out of his usual button-up shirt and jacket — he was wearing a soft henley instead, showing off the lines of his neck and shoulders.

She swallowed her feelings down as she realized the most important thing about the photo. He looked fine. His usual Ethan Ramsey self. He wasn’t torn up about leaving. He clearly didn’t look like he was having sleepless nights, worrying about what happened to them, what was going to happen to them.

Not that she was doing that anymore.

Well, not as often. She was trying.

Jordynne blinked away at the tears welling in her green eyes — staring up at the tacky fluorescent lighting in the public restroom.

“Hey — you okay?”

She felt Sienna’s warm fingers grab onto her wrist gently. Her coffee coloured eyes were filled with worry.

Jordynne mustered on a smile, squeezing her eyes shut to get rid of any lingering tears. “Oh, yeah yeah. I’m fine.” She reassured — sliding her phone back into her back pocket quickly, “Just my allergies with all the pollen.”

Sienna looked up at Jordynne, her eyebrows still meeting in the middle a bit from concern, “Okay.. you good to head back to the others?”

“Of course. Everything’s good.” She lied through her teeth, forcing a smile onto her face a lot easier then she thought she could.

_____________________________________________________________________

A couple of days off in the nearby port town did Ethan a lot more good than he had expected. Santarem was gorgeous — it had been a long time since he had been able to visit somewhere new as just that, a visitor. Not a doctor — he had no busy conferences or meetings or lectures to attend. And there were definitely no tents for taking RPDs for Malaria — thankfully he got to take a break from that.

He could barely remember the last time he had just gone somewhere to enjoy being there.

That’s why when he saw the sign for motorcycle rentals, he had marched straight towards the shop.

Now he was riding along the coastline — the wind wiping around him as the fine machine purred down the road. The green leather jacket he had purchased was still a little tight — it needed to be broken in. But he had liked the way he felt in. How he felt on the bike.

A little jolt of pain went through his face — and Ethan realized it was because he was smiling. So wide that it was hurting.

Pulling over on to the side of the road, he used the toe of his boot to put up the kickstand. Maneuvering around a few rocks he made his way to the shoreline.

He stood there for a moment — putting his hands into his jeans’ pockets and soaking in the Amazon river in all its glory.

Pulling out his phone he took a photo of the scenic view of the river. He hadn’t touched the device since he came to South America — airplane mode staying on constantly to stop any reminders of Boston to come creeping in. Then he twisted around and took a picture of his rented motorbike. The only photos of his trip so far — and they were moments he would want to remember.

Without the wind wiping around him, he felt hot in his leather jacket. Shrugging it off, he laid it out onto the sand and sat on it — his arms resting on his knees as he looked out at the water.

And then it hit him.

Miami.

Sitting on that beach with Jordynne — sharing the tiny space of his tuxedo jacket. Closing his eyes he could still remember the feeling and weight of her resting her head against his shoulder. Or the way her green eyes had stared into his — trying so desperately to read him, to see if he was feeling the same things as her on that quiet beach.

Snapping his eyes open again, he let out a loud sigh — his eyebrows furrowing in anger with himself. He had been enjoying himself — finally, he had a moment of solace and he let that memory creep in to ruin it.

Why had it taken him so long to find that solace? Over a month of being here — away from all of it, Boston, the hospital, Naveen, her. And still, he was battling it. Constantly — every day.

His body twisted with want, and anguish and frustration.

It — they — she had so much power over him still. Even 3200 miles away in a different timezone, a different continent. And that’s what scared him the most. It terrified him.

Ethan took a hard swallow, trying to stop the emotion that was climbing up his throat making it harder to breathe.

Part 3

#open heart #open heart fic #open heart fanfiction #choices #choices open heart #choices oh #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey fanfiction #ethan ramsey x mc #mc x ethan ramsey #bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #mc x bryce lahela

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carsontheleft · 4 years

Text

One sentimental moment

Summary: Gwilym and Ben know each other through an app and set up strict boundaries for their relationship - sex only, no feelings. When Gwil is hurt, Ben needs to figure out what he really wants.

Pairing: GwilxBen

Comment: I want to dedicate this to you, @laminy. I realize that this piece of writing is not really worthy of being dedicated to someone of your talent, but I wanted to do it since it were your stories that got me into writing again after quite some time. ITBASM means so much to me, really, Rami and Joe’s place in London, the flat in Aber, the boys and their cats feel like family, like home to me. I can reread the series a million times and still not be bored, I always cry with them, laugh with them, want to hit them over the head when they’re being stupid. And your snippets are glorious! You manage to answer a range of various prompts and every single one of them is so well-crafted, so full of feelings, I’ve actually turned on the notifications for your blog so I’ll never miss a post. If this is wildly inappropriate, if you don‘t like this one-shot at all, please feel free to ignore it. This is just something I wanted to say (and yes, I totally missed the deadline from the Appreciate the Queen Creators Day...). This blog has like 2 followers but I wanted to get this out here. I hope I can show my appreciation this way, because your writing (and subsequently you?) just mean so much to me. I hope you can somehow enjoy this <3

When Ben’s phone rings he’s on his way to the hospital. The caller ID says Sex on LEGS and he has to bite down on his lower lip not to laugh. It’s what Gwilym described himself as on the app they met on and frankly, he’s not wrong.

“Hey Gwil.”

“Ben”, Gwil just says, his voice is deep and rough, sounding like he just woke up and it sends tingles down Ben’s spine, settling right into his crotch. “Listen, uh, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it tonight.”

“Oh.”

That isn’t what Ben has hoped for. He thought Gwil is calling him to set the mood for their, well not date exactly, but their date. He is an expert at driving Ben to edge and leaving him hanging there for the rest of the day until they finally met up in the evening.

“Yeah, I- I’m really sorry, I’ll make it up to you, I promise – ugh”, there’s a rustling of sheets in the background and Gwil groans slightly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just a cold, Ben, I’m okay, it’s just a bit… not sexy.”

Ben can see him scrunching his nose, frustrated about his inelegant choice of words and has to stifle his laughter again. He also has to hold back on the offer to come over and look after Gwil for a bit.

What they’re having isn’t like that. It’s not a relationship, they’re not dating, it’s just sex for the sake of it. Mind-blowing good sex. The best sex Ben’s ever had. But nothing more. They’re probably not even friends. Ben knows what kind of rope Gwil prefers to use, but not his favorite movie. He knows the size of condoms he needs, but not if he’s still friends with his mates from uni.

Ben made himself swear to not get hung up about it. They even have a contract about the nature of their arrangement that clearly states that, if one should catch feelings for the other, he’s to tell immediately.

But Ben doesn’t have feelings for Gwil. He just likes him in a regular way, only with the bonus that he loves Gwil when he gives Ben orgasms that make him feel like the world is exploding. And he just doesn’t want him to feel bad. Like a normal, decent person does with their acquaintances.

So, no feelings.

“Okay, alright. Then feel better soon. How ‘bout you just text me when you’re better and we can set up a date or something?”, Ben cringes a little, that sounds like he’s talking to some random dude from Ebay that wants to buy his old TV.

“I’ll do that. Have a nice day, Ben.”

“Yeah, you too. See ya!”

He hangs up and fights the urge to bash his phone through his skull. Smooth, Jones, real smooth.

His cancelled date dampens Ben’s mood a bit when he visits one of his mates, who’s fallen down a ladder and managed to crack what seems like all of his ribs. But he’s trying not to let it show, tries to stuff it away and tells himself he’ll just have a cozy night in with a movie and some popcorn.

He’s leaving the hospital again when he spots a familiar figure limping down the street in front of him. It’s a bit embarrassing but no understatement to say that Ben would recognize the shape of this back, the long, slim legs and the warm hazel colored hair just about anywhere.

“Gwil?”, he calls running up to him and only now fully realizing that Gwil is using crutches, has a brace on his left knee and sports a generally disheveled look.

“Gwil!”

It takes Ben standing in front of him for Gwil to finally look up from his task of navigating himself through the busy street.

“Huh- Ben! Wha-What are you doing here?”

“What am I- Jesus, Gwil, why didn’t you tell me you were in the hospital?!”, Ben can’t stop himself from fretting, not with the way Gwilym looks. Angry red scabs are coating the right side of his face, just like his knuckles. The jacket he usually wears for running is torn up. There’s a flush to his face that indicates he really shouldn’t be out on the streets alone with whatever’s in his system.

“Well, I’m not. At the hospital, I mean”, the taller man indicates at the street with one of his crutches as clearly not the hospital, and stumbles forward when his legs don’t quite hold his weight.

Ben immediately steps forward to steady him with a tight grip on his shoulders, whereas Gwil tries for a dopey grin but winces when it painfully pulls at his road rash.

“Oh my god”, Ben mutters to himself. This is not okay, Gwil really shouldn’t be on his own right now. Fuck not caring, fuck this, them, being something akin a business partnership, this is more serious.

“Is someone picking you up?”

“I pointed at a guy and told the nurse he’s my roommate and here to pick me up.”

“And they just believed that? Without seeing you walk out together?”

Gwil shrugs and then hisses.

“She was busy”, he takes a deep breath and seems to sober up a bit. “But I can get home on my own, don’t worry Ben. It’s not long with the tube.”

“I know”, Ben frowns at him, then makes a decision. “I’ll take you home.”

“You don’t need to-“

“Consider it a service to myself, okay? ‘Cause I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight not knowing you made it home in one piece.”

Ben just plows over Gwil, because this aspect of him, this ‘I-don’t-want-to-inconvenience-you’-thing, that he knows and that he can handle.

“Okay.”

Gwil is surprisingly quiet, so Ben doesn’t waste any time and flags down a taxi and carefully maneuvers Gwil into it.

“How did this happen anyway?”, he asks after he’s given Gwil’s address to the driver.

“A cyclist ran me down yesterday morning. Ran a red light and right into me.”

“Shit, mate”, Ben bites his tongue, cursing his sheer stupidity. ‘Shit, mate’? Really? How much of an insensitive prick can one be?

Gwil doesn’t seem to notice his inner struggles, he’s closed his eyes, relaxing against the head rest.

“So, what did the doctors say?”

“That I’ve been lucky, he could’ve pushed me against another car or something. So it’s just scabs and bruises. They might operate on the knee, they wanted to see if it heals on its own first. Apparently, I’m young and fit enough for that to happen. Doesn’t feel like it at the moment”, Gwil scoffs. He’s kept his eyes closed while talking and Ben debates if he should let him sleep.

“Looks like it.”

He leaves it at that. Gwil dozes for the remainder of the drive while Ben keeps a watchful eye on him. It’s different to see him like this, soft and unguarded, for once not in full control of his surroundings.

But Ben doesn’t mind. Sure, having Gwil in control during sex, being able to let himself be completely at his mercy is nice, exhilarating even, but he finds he likes this too. Inside of him flutters the urge to care, to protect, something he would never have associated with Gwil, but it’s there and it nearly burns through the insides of Ben.

The taxi comes to a stop and Gwil startles awake, begins to look for his wallet or phone or anything to pay with, but Ben hands a few bills to the driver and climbs out of the car to help the other man getting out.

“So, ah, thanks for the ride, appreciate it. But please, don’t let me keep you, you were probably busy before you stumbled over me.”

“Actually, I’m not, took a few days off.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence and Ben can see the cogs turning in Gwil’s head as he figures out that Ben took time off to prepare for the evening they had planned and to recuperate from it.

His face turns apologetic and Ben uses his chance to butt in.

“Why don’t I help you settle in? Just get you comfortable with a cup of tea, you look like you need one.”

“I-“, Gwil is surprised by Ben’s sudden resolve and determination. “That’d be nice, thanks.”

Ben knows Gwil’s flat, technically. He’s been inside multiple times; he knows the cracks on the ceiling of his bedroom and the feeling of his sheets. The dark blue towels are familiar to him and he knows that there’s a toothbrush in the mirror cabinet if he wants to use one.

But being in Gwil’s kitchen in daylight, looking for tea and mugs, it’s something else entirely. Somehow it fleshes Gwil more out, makes him more of a person, a real person. Not that he hasn’t been before, but there is a difference between knowing someone as the person that ties you to the bedpost and seeing the person’s collection of destination mugs.

It takes a bit of the mystery away, but Ben really doesn’t mind that. It may paint a whole other picture of Gwil, but he’d be lying if he didn’t find it endearing.

When the tea is done, Ben returns to Gwil who’s sitting on his sofa and looking uncomfortable.

“Here’s your tea. I’m not sure how you like it.”

“Thanks.” His smile is tight and there are some lines around his eyes that betray how much he’s hurting sitting up like this. Before Gwil’s struggle to reach the milk on the coffee table draws out, Ben intervenes.

“Here, let me.”

He adds a splash of milk and hands the tea over to Gwil.

“You know, you really don’t need to do this. I can get by on my own, there’s no reason you should feel obligated to take care of me, I don’t expect this from our relationship”, Gwil says after some quiet minutes where they just sipped their drinks. On second thought he adds: “And I’m not sure if that came up during the negotiation, but I’m not really a fan this playing doctor thing, or up for it, so-“

“Jeez, Gwil, it’s not like that!”, Ben cuts in before Gwil has the chance to make this even more awkward. It hurts bit to know that Gwil sees their relationship just as sex and not more of a personal connection, but Ben deems that his own fault. He wanted sex without the added trouble of a relationship, and he got just that.

“Am I not allowed to be a decent human being and to make sure you’re alright?”, Gwil doesn’t seem convinced at all, so Ben decides, in a moment of some sort of mental blackout obviously, to go all in.

“I like you, okay? As a person with a character and not just with a great dick. And I don’t like the thought of you hurting and being on your own. You’ve taken great care of me these last weeks, I don’t think I’ve thanked you for that, so just let me take care you! Even if it’s in a different way.”

Gwilym says nothing to that. For some minutes that might as well stretch out into hours he just stares as Ben as if he just declared that the earth is flat and is breaking apart. It makes Ben so uncomfortable that he considers to either wave a hand in front of Gwil’s face to make sure he hasn’t checked out mentally or to just leave, this apartment, the city, the country, change his name, grow a beard and work as goat farmer on an isolated island in Greece.

“You do.”

“What?”

“You do thank me. Every time you orgasm. It’s a bit weird, actually.”

Ben blushes, honest to god blushes and the plans for the goat farm seem to be a really good idea.

“I, uh- I’m sorry? I didn’t know that. I just… yeah.”

“It’s sweet. And I’m sorry if I offended you, it’s just- I’ve been doing this a while now and the anonymity of the app lets some people forget their manners. Or decency. It’s…”, he sighs, and Ben can feel it in every inch of his body. “It’s generally safer not to expect anything. I’m beginning to think I might be the wrong person for ‘just sex’ after all.”

Okay, no. Ben’s gotta put a stop to this, it’s not fair to the both of them. They need to have this talk when they’re both in full possession of their mental capabilities and not doped up and/or in pain.

“Hey, we don’t need to talk about this right now. How about I’ll help you out of these clothes and into something more comfortable so you can rest?”

Gwil is soft and pliable, which makes changing his clothes easy, although his pants are a bit tricky. Ben needs to remove the brace, get the tight running pants off, the brace back on and only then he can stick Gwil’s ridiculously long legs into a pair of soft pyjama pants.

“You’re good at this”, Gwil remarks once they’re done in the bathroom and hobbling to his bedroom. He’s panting and a drop of sweat makes it slowly down his temple.

“I was training to be a nurse.”

Ben grunts a little when Gwil has to lean almost his whole on Ben in order to lower himself down on his bed.

“Why did you stop?”

“I couldn’t draw the line between the person and the patient”, Ben shrugs and rearranges Gwil’s pillows for him to lay down comfortably. “It was so hard to draw blood from kids. Even harder when someone didn’t make it. I loved it but I figured my job shouldn’t leave me crying almost every night.”

“Mhh”, Gwil hums, his eyes already closed when Ben covers him with the blanket. “Thanks, Ben.”

“Get some rest, Gwil.”

Upon waking, Gwil isn’t too sure of his surroundings. He’s in his own bed, yes, but there are noises outside, some clanking and a rushing. It takes some time until he realizes it’s someone in his kitchen making tea. But-

Ben.

Oh shit.

Oh no.

Gwil shoots up and doubles over immediately when his body screams at him in pain by the sudden movement. His groan is guttural, but that’s not even on the forefront of his mind, there’s Ben. Ben, who stumbled over him at the hospital, took him home and put him to bed. Ben, who, apparently, is currently in his kitchen making tea.

This is not okay, far from it, really. This goes against everything they agreed upon in their contract.

“You’re up!”

“Ben!”

The blonde needs only a second before he knows what’s going on.

“When I made the tea, I noticed your cupboards were pretty empty, so I went out to get some groceries. Just the essentials”, he holds up his hands, well, the one hand not holding a mug.

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“I know”, Ben sits down on his bed and looks at Gwil, a steely resolve in his eyes that Gwil hasn’t seen before, “But a thank you should be enough to make up for it.”

“Thank you.”

It’s more of a mechanic response, because what Gwil actually wants to do is insisting that he’s fine, that Ben really didn’t need to get him groceries, that he can get by on his own. But Ben seems to have another idea.

“Listen, I know what you want to say. Me being here with you like this is violating the contract and not the nature of our agreement. But I don’t fucking care. If me taking care of you means we can’t have sex anymore, fine. Well, not fine, obviously, but okay, I’ll take it. There’s nothing that could make me just leave you alone like this. If you’ll have me, of course.”

“I…”

Gwil is not sure what to say. Ben just said a lot of words and his sleep- and pain-addled brain is a bit slow on the uptake.

“Is there anyone you could call? Who’d come over for bit?”, Ben asks softly.

“No, not really”, Gwil doesn’t know why he’s ashamed of that but he can’t bring himself to meet Ben’s eyes. “My family doesn’t live here, and my friends, I don’t really- I wouldn’t want-“

“To bother them? You’re a moron, Gwilym Lee”, despite his words, Ben smiles at him. He reaches up and brushes a strand of hair out Gwil’s face. He can’t help but lean into the soft touch.

“Are you okay with me staying here with you?”

“Yes.”

And he really is, much to his own surprise. He likes Ben like this. In a soft sweater, with a mug in his hands. He might like him like this even more than he likes him naked.

“Do you want some painkillers?”

“Yes, please.”

Ben places the mug on the bedside table and opens the drawer to pull out a bottle of pills. He smirks at Gwil.

“I might not know how where you keep your sugar, but I do know where your painkillers are. And I’m okay with learning that other stuff.”

#harlee #ben hardy #gwilym lee #borhap cast #hurt/comfort #appreciation post #painkillers #accident

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tttinytrash · 5 years

Text

(Another skelesnake, I’m on a roll with them as of late. Most of the headcanons associated with how they work is still lifted from Shamedump, cause they’re neat. My demiromantic, ace ass found a lack of platonic noms, but if you wanna take this as a budding romance I won’t stop you. And I was also using this as an experiment with second person POV, since I’ve never used it. Anywho, I’ll shut up and get to the story.)

-----

God, you hated retail.

You let yourself plonk heavily into one of the cheap patio chairs provided in the break room, pulling out your phone. You glanced around the room as you wrestled your phone out of your pants pocket, and made the mistake of locking eyes with Jerry.

Every retail store has one. The one worker that’s slow, lazy, and all around a pain. No one ever knows how they keep a job but there they are. That’s Jerry. A spindly, older man that was made all the more bitter by never escaping retail, blaming everyone else when he was clearly the problem. You were saved an awkward conversation by the new hire walking in.

Well, slithering to be more accurate.

Sans was a naga skeleton. Monsters had been reintroduced to humanity a few years back. Thank God the laws were finally in place and the monsters’ citizenship finally granted after a legal battle that took far too long in your opinion.

Jerry’s open sneer proved he was aligned with those who had fought to deny that citizenship. Sans ignored you both (as he tended to ignore everyone unless specifically asked.) and went to his locker. He left right after, but Jerry leapt at the opportunity to talk to you since you were freshly alone again. Damnit.

“I can’t believe they let that thing work with people.” Jerry spat. This wasn’t the first similar sentiment you’d heard. Especially not from Jerry.

You tried to stay out of it, hoping your lack of engagement would shut the racist up.

No such luck. “The thing can’t even do it’s damn job! Can’t use a forklift, why do they let it stock shelves?! It’s a burden!”

“HE,” you put obvious emphasis on the proper pronoun, “uses his magic instead. He works alongside everyone else just fine.” You feel the anger boiling, especially after last week’s incident where Jerry nearly ran over Sans’s tail with said forklift on “accident.” (Not that corporate would do anything without “sufficient proof.”) You realize you’ve already said too much and try to bite your tongue.

“It shouldn’t be around people in the first place! Our ancestors sealed them away, why don’t we do it again?”

That does it! “My God Jerry, get a life. All you do these days is bitch about monsters. They’ve done nothing wrong! They’re people who just want to be left alone to live their lives, and I can’t believe you’ve taken up such issue with that. If you don’t like monsters so much, just leave them alone! Because I’m sure they’d all be happy to not have to deal with you, I swear!”

You feel the adrenaline wear off, and look back at a stunned Jerry. You decide that’s enough of a break, and storm out of the room.

As you exit, you see Sans on a lone patio chair out in the hall. Guess he was taking his own break, and elected to steer clear of Jerry. You feel the blush on your cheeks like fire as you immediately wonder how much he heard of your snap. You shuffle past in a rush and nearly trip when you hear Sans voice a casual “thanks.”

You stop long enough to look back to see him looking at you with a small smile, throw him and awkward one of your own coupled with a rushed nod, and continue your shuffle away back to the sales floor.

God, what’s HR gonna do with you?

-----

HR didn’t do much.

Not that that’s surprising, in retrospect. Jerry and you both got called in, given a verbal slap on the wrist, but neither one got a write up.

While that outcome was anticlimactic, you did get a positive result elsewhere. Sans had started talking to you at work, and eventually you two exchanged numbers. Nearly a year later, you were hanging out outside of work. It was a nice friendship you two had going, and you guess you had to thank Jerry for it, which was ironic.

You were both at your house, playing a video game together. It was a Co-Op game you both had interest in but no one else to play with, so this wasn’t the first time he’d been over for a gaming session. You both laughed when you fell off the stage and died, but the mirth was cut short by the power cutting out.

“the hell?” Sans voiced, conjuring a glowing red bone to cast at least some dim light into the dark room.

“Lemme see.” You respond, pulling out your phone. You check for scheduled outages or weather notifications. “Crap. The snowstorm that was supposed to brush by changed course. Whiteout.”

“welp. guess i’m sticking around, eh?”

“Yep. If you think I’m letting you leave in a white out you’re batshit. I’ll grab some blankets.”

-----

You’d decided to sleep downstairs to be a better host, and Sans had insisted you take the couch. He had a pillow nest on the floor using literally every pillow and plushie you owned save the one you were using. He swore he was comfortable in the pile, so you two had grabbed every blanket you had and divided the hoard in half. Both sufficiently burritoed against the chill settling into the house with the heater down, you tried to sleep.

You woke up who knows how long later, freezing.

You were shivering, and evidently the blankets and fuzzy PJs hadn’t been enough. Your toes were numb when you checked, but Sans seemed ok when you glanced over.

Maybe grabbing your heavy winter jacket would help. You got up to go hunting by the light of your phone but whirled around at the sound of abrupt motion behind you.

It was just Sans, he’d whipped up from his spot and had summoned a bone in his hand, looking around wildly before his eyelights settled on you. “jeez, kid.” he breathed in obvious relief. He let the bone disappear.

“Sorry, I thought I was quiet.”

“ya were. i sleep light, old habit from underground. couldn’t sleep?”

“I’m freezing my ass off. Well, more my toes. I was gonna grab a jacket. You doing ok temperature wise?”

“all good. perks of being a skeleton. in fact, c’mere.”

He adjusted a spot in his nest, looping his coils to leave a loose circle of tail.

“Y-you want me to lie there?” You ask, teeth already starting to chatter.

“i’m warm, you ain’t. seems obvious.” Sans shrugged, gesturing to the space he’d made.

You gingerly lay yourself where indicted, and he closes his coils around you loosely, then tosses the blanket over the both of you. You thank him, and apologize when he flinches away from the touch of your icy extremities. He brushes off the apology and instructs you to make sure to keep them in contact with the glowing red magic of his tail. You reluctantly do so after a bit feeling comes back as pins and needles, but you do feel better. You try to sleep again.

But can’t stop shivering enough to actually slip into sleep.

Eventually, after a few more apologies and the realization that you won’t be able to sleep the rest of the night settles in for both of you, Sans seems to have an idea. “kid, you trust me?”

“Yeah, why?”

“i have a solution. it’s no biggie for nagas, or it was at least before we were sealed away. quickly figured it ain’t so much for humans.”

“Now I’m curious. Spit it out.”

Sans laughed, “heh. more of a pun than you know.”

You just look at him confusedly.

“i could swallow you, kid.”

You tense up. “What?”

“relax. told you, it’s normal for nagas. before the underground, we’d do it with our kids or heal friends and family that way. shit, it’s even part of courting in the right context.”

“...And this context would be?”

“a friend is fuckin cold and i can help is the context, kid. unless you’re cool with not sleeping.”

You hesitated. “This is safe? You’re sure?”

“i did it to paps when he was a babybones, and he’s still around. been awhile, but yeah. it’s safe.”

You fiddled with your hands. You did trust him, even if your instincts were revolting at the idea of allowing yourself to be eaten. No, this was a stupid debate. You knew you were being irrational. You took a breath before nodding. “Ok. Let’s do it.”

Sans uncoiled from around you, and you found yourself already missing the heat. At his request you sat up straight in front of him, and gave him your hands. He guided them into his mouth, and you flinched when your fingers brushed against his tongue.

He let you flinch away, and waited for you to make the first move to start again. Shaking just a bit, you laid your hands back in his mouth. Given this go ahead he used his hands to guide them farther back until you felt the back of your hand touch what felt like a throat. How did a skeleton have a...?

You didn’t really complete the thought as a swallow drew your hands and upper arms into his gullet, and you were brought face to face with the monster. His jaw popped and unhinged, and he guided your head to duck under his sharp teeth and follow your arms into his maw.

He swallowed again and your head was now in his throat, and that sort of felt like the point of no return. Oddly, that brought a sense of calm over you rather than dread and your curiosity came to the forefront. The material around you was warm and fleshy like his tail, but just like his coils it didn’t quite feel “right” for flesh. It was slicker and almost felt like a heated waterbed with a thick rubber or silicone membrane.

That train of thought also died at another swallow, and now you could feel your hips balancing on his teeth. You were spared the spikes of his fangs by what seemed to be his tongue laid over them, which you were grateful for. His skull tilted back, and you sunk deeper into the tight confines. Simultaneously, your hands felt an even tighter squeeze before the pressure let up completely.

Another swallow above and you were pushed down past that same tightness before being released into an open chamber beyond. A final gulp and your legs joined you. You heard a deep breath around you, apparently that had taken some effort. You felt like you should be scared, but despite the adrenaline you felt more numb. Maybe it was just the dregs of fight or flight? Anyway, you used your heightened senses to take in all the stimuli around you. It was wonderfully warm, and the air was easily breathable. The area was more open than his esophagus for sure, but your body filled most of the available space. You used some of your limited movement capabilities to lightly push at the wall, to find it was pliable to pressure and your hand sunk in. It was slick and almost felt wet, but you could tell that your body was in no way damp. You felt Sans press in over the space your own hand was pressing out, and the odd numb feeling dissipated into calm.

“you ok in there, kid?” Sans finally asked, voice both close and muffled.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You were right, this is much warmer.”

“heh, told ya. aight, i’m gonna get comfortable myself.”

You felt movement around you, but it was brief. He seemed to coil back up in what was probably the nest and then movement ceased. You’d pulled your hand back when he’d started moving, but now curiosity had your palm back out, running it along the wall as a test of texture.

Red made an odd growling sound, and you clenched into a ball in reaction. “What’s that?” You ask in mild alarm.

“sorry, just me. couldn’t help it, ...that felt nice.” Sans answered, the latter half pretty reluctantly.”

“This?” You clarify, running your fingers down the wall in front of you again.

Sans didn’t verbally answer, but that growl came again.

“Are you... purring?”

“you ain’t gonna make me say that, are ya?” Sans sounded desperate and mortified, and you couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“yeah, yeah. get your laughs in kid.” Sans says with a chuckle, and you both seem happy for the newfound levity in such an odd situation (for you at least).

“What? You want me to stop?” You tease and rub at the walls more.

“shut up, you little shit.” His insult held no real bite, and only drew a giggle from you.

You let him off the hook though, just letting your hands explore around you. He seemed happy to concede the banter and just enjoy the quiet, and after a little time under your ministrations the tissue got softer under your hands. It seemed he was actually relaxing, which was gratifying.

After a bit the purring hitched as Sans yawned, and you surprised yourself by yawning in reply. Oh right, it was the middle of the night.

“you ok to sleep?” Sans asked.

You nod, before realizing your mistake and instead calling “Yeah, I am.” You pull your hands back again and adjust to a comfortable sleeping position. “Thanks, again.”

“don’t mention it kid. night.”

“Goodnight.”

You drift to sleep in record time, warm and safe.

#more effing vore shit of course #blame shamedump ok they're cool and totally at fault for this whole naga thing #undertail vore #clean vore #safe vore #soft vore

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flatstarcarcosa · 4 years

Text

they said love is grabbing blindly at a pit full of snakes

Summary: Three months ago, Slade died. Four days ago, be barged back into the house like a whirlwind, and for a moment all was right with the world. Reese has discovered strangers can wear familiar faces, and to top it off: There is another Slade greeting them over morning coffee and acting as if nothing is wrong.

How can there be two Slades, and what do either of them want?

(part one) (part two) (part three)

Ship: wilson&wilson Warnings: violence, swearing, slight depictions of gore? there’s a big fight is all im sayin. slade kicks his own ass, finally, his life long dream. sidenote: i decided to structure this piece similar to the comic. there’s titles between switches scenes, and the timeline isn’t entirely linear. i think it’s still simple enough to follow, but it was a neat exercise.

------------------------ 'The Man in the Mirror' At the Same Time

“You think you can let them run away and everything will be fine?” Slade asks himself, sneering under his helmet. “For the record, I'm not actually here for Reese. They just happened to be a nice bonus.”

“You talk too much to be me,” the other calls from his position behind the sofa. He's currently ripping the fabric on the bottom apart with his fingers, digging for the Glock hidden in the springs. “We both love the sound of our own voice, you know that!”

Slade scoffs, wrapping his hand around the comforting feeling of the gun. He doesn't bother to check it, there's no need: he knows it's hot. He manages to get two shots off before he has to duck again. One goes wide and ricochets off the far living room wall, and he manages to think that at least it's finally a good excuse to remodel the fucking room as he pops off the second. It hits his double in the chest, and bounces almost harmlessly off his armor. What the fuck is that? He thinks, followed by where the fuck can I get some?

“I'm surprised Joesph hasn't shown up yet,” says the Other. “You know he's always chronically trying to be a hero. It's a disappointment, honestly.” “Joe is never a disappointment,” says the Original. He winces even as he says it, realizing he's falling into his own psychological traps. His Other talks the same way he does, and he's not used to being on the receiving end of his own tricks. He reminds himself to stop being goaded into responding as he fires three more shots. They're not calculated, and he's pleased when his alter takes the bait and gets distracted with lunging to the left to dodge. The brief seconds allows him to slip the gun into his waist band and grab the sword he has hanging over the fireplace. It's not one of his usual weapons, and it's definitely not his reliable promethium blade. But it's battle ready and it's sharp, and it's solid in his hands and that's all he needs. He closes the distance between them in a single breath, and his alter barely has time to parry. He doesn't have the time to get his own blade up, and instead uses his forearm to protect his neck. “You know this won't end quickly,” says his alter. He grins behind the helmet, the gesture translating to his body language enough that Slade can't think of a time he's ever felt more disgusted with himself. “This doesn't have a happy ending. We don't get happy endings!” “Shut up,” says Slade. “You had a chance,” his alter continues. “And you've done nothing but piss on it, you just got lucky enough to trip into someone that's willing to believe it's rain.”

Despite telling himself not to be goaded, his temper gets the better of him. He shoves his body weight against the other man, knocking them both off balance as he reaches for the Glock. His double hits the ground first, and rolls back to his feet. Slade kicks the sword out of his hand, bringing the gun up and hoping like hell that from this close, it will do something against the helmet. He fires the last four rounds as quick as possible before putting space between the two of them again. Inside the helmet, his double lets out a strangled growl. The bullets barely scratched the paint, but the force of the impact is enough to make his teeth rattle and his ears ring. Slade turns on his heels, bounding up the stairs and making for his office. His double shakes his head, collecting his sword and giving chase. “Pointless,” he hisses. ---------------

'The Cavalry', Somewhere in Vermont

Wintergreen has several missed call notifications lighting up his phone screen, all of them from Reese. He furrows his brows as he opens his mailbox, holding the phone to his ear. He listens to them each in turn, growing more concerned as he does until he's almost running to his car as he dials Joey.

“Yeah, I know,” says Joey's electronically filtered voice. “I'm on my way now.” “No,” says Bill, “I don't think you do know.” “Dad has an evil clone, it tried to kill Rose and tore up half of New York,” says Joey monotonously. “The clone, or whatever this is, ended up in Vermont. He's with Reese,” says Bill. Joey falls silent. “Gotta go,” he says, terminating the call before Bill can say anything else. Bill swears as he turns the engine on. “Wilson Family Problems, am I right?” he mutters to himself. ----------------

'Ground Zero' Vermont Safehouse

Unable to stop his own momentum, Slade instead focuses on his landing as he crashes through the wooden railing and slams into the dining room table below. Something in his rib cage snaps audibly. He hisses, rolling to his his feet as his armored double lands firmly on the splinters.

“Why do you fight?!” he yells. “The same reasons you do, I'll bet,” he answers. “You will not win.” His double raises his sword. Slade grins at himself as he backs towards where the fighting began. The back door to the kitchen swings open as he does. “I wasn't trying to,” he says, “I was buying time. Knowing when someone isn't going to listen to you comes in handy, occasionally.” “Slade!” Reese yells. In their arms they hold his gear from his old armor, the sword made of Nth metal being the most important. “Pointless,” his double says again. Reese throws the sword, and it is in that moment that time stops proceeding correctly. Slade reaches out with one hand and catches it firm as his double closes in and raises his gun. The two of them slam into each other, Slade running the alter through the abdomen with his sword arm and pushing the gun out of the way with the other. He does not hear it go off. He does hear the other man begin to laugh. Suddenly, Reese gasps a watery, gurgling noise that seems impossibly loud in the sudden silence that's befallen the house. Slade's hold on his double loosens just slightly, and the other grins wildly. Reese hits the floor with a soft thud. “This seems familiar, huh?” he asks, almost jovially. “Looks like you gotta choose again. Finish me off, Reese dies. Save them, I get what I want and then I kill you both anyway. Time's a tickin' boy, better make your bets.” “No,” Slade breathes, and for a moment it is not Reese lying on the floor bleeding out, it's Joesph. The images flash back and forth like some fucked up highlight reel: Joey, Reese, Joey, Reese. Somewhere in the back of his mind Adeline's voice chanting 'you killed my son' changes into Reese. 'You killed me, just like we always knew you would.' It happens too fast and too slow all at once. Slade looks over at himself, at the older and more scarred copy that seems to be reveling in the situation like a mad dog with a bone. “No,” he repeats. “Not again.” Slade lets go, turning his back to lunge for Reese. He's not quick enough, and his copy's blade thrusts upwards and outwards. His Ikon suit will stop it, the weapon unable to penetrate the gravity sheath's force field. Except he's not wearing the Ikon suit, is he? He's wearing a normal pair of hospital scrubs, and he is once again as he was just a short time ago: unarmed, and unarmored. The blade plunges through his back, and his double's foot kicks him down as he pulls the sword back out. Slade hits the floor with a loud grunt. His abdomen is on fire as his blood begins splattering the floor. He staggers to his knees, all but crawling across the tile. “I won't fail again,” he says hoarsely. His vision is still flashing between two of the things he's ever loved more than life itself: his son, and his soul mate. He already failed his son, he can't fail Reese as well. He promised himself too many times he would die before he did. “You still don't get it,” his alter growls. He plants a foot on either side of Slade's back, reaching down and grabbing him by the hair. “This is what you do. This is all you ever do, all you ever will do.” “No,” Slade whispers. His double slams his face into the floor. One, twice, more. His vision begins to blur; from tears, from trauma. “Pathetic.” His double drops him, moving over to where Reese has landed in front of the cupboards. They hold their hands to their stomach, gasping. There's blood in their mouth, and they're fairly certain Slade's evil twin was using hollow points. They know enough to know neither of those things indicate a good prognosis. They are not going to be conscious long. The other Slade comes to a stop and kneels down in front of them. A quiet hissing fills the air as he removes his helmet, setting it on the floor and reaching out to brush his thumb against the side of their cheek. “You know when you said how my you died, it was similar to Joey?” he asks softly. Reese blinks, confusedly. “It's because I was lying.” “...w-what?” they manage to choke out. “I realized something the day I drowned Rose,” he says, casually, “I cannot be two men at once. I cannot love a family, and love my work. I don't get both. I had to choose, so I chose. I knew that I loved you too much to continue living like I had been.” He leans in and rests his forehead against theirs. “Do you know what you're supposed to do with the things you love?” “No...” “You set them free”, he whispers. His blade slices into them, and Reese screams at a pitch they did not know they could reach. The last thing they are aware of is the feeling of his lips on their cheek, and the sight of their Slade sprawled a few feet away, drowning in a pool of his own blood. Neither Reese nor Slade are conscious the moment Joey busts through the side of the house. He tackles his not-father to the floor before using his overwhelming telepathy, fueled by the 'gift' bestowed by Lex Luthor, to encase the man in a bubble and float him out of the house. Joey takes to the skies, raising them both higher and higher until the very Earth falls away beneath them. “It's time for a talk, pop,” he says. His voice echoes in the other Slade's ears loud enough to hurt.

#self shipping #reese.fic #ship: wilson & wilson at large #the trouble with doubles

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mf-despair-queen · 5 years

Text

Sun & Moon - Taeyong

Author: @mf-despair-queen

Pairing: Lee Taeyong/Reader

Word Count: 20,850

Summary: Never did you think that your pen pal could be the love of your life. You saw the sun when he saw the moon. How could you be together when you were so far apart? It was easier than you thought - you just had to realize it.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Protected Sex, Oral, Shower Stuff, kinda dirty Taeyong but I still love him.

Notes: I was supposed to write for Mitch. But. It’s Taeyong’s birthday (though I’m late by an hour). Happy belated Taeyong Day and I hope he had a wonderful day catching tiny froggies. The boys better have spoiled him with chocolate cake.

Greetings Taeyong,

Was that too formal? I hope not.

I’m sorry if my Korean isn’t the best. I’m still learning and I’m hoping to improve more because of this. That’s why I agreed to this pen pal arrangement. Learning from someone who speaks the language is ideal and I want to learn more about you, your culture. Just anything, I guess.

I never did introduce myself. And my stupid self-decided to write in my new green pen on this puppy stationary. So, let me start again I suppose. My name is Y/N. I am finishing high school here in Boston. For my last years of school, I wanted to experience something new, something challenging, and something interesting. So, I decided to take our newly offered Korean course with the hopes that one day, I can go to Korea and not look like a doofus.

I don’t know what else to say right now, but I guess I can say I look forward to writing to you over the next couple of months. I can’t wait to learn more about my new pen pal! That sounded creepy, so please ignore that I just wrote that.

Again, sorry for my horrible writing! I promise, I will get better!

Sincerely yours,

Y/N

Dear Y/N,

It’s a pleasure to meet you - I guess?

I’m glad that I was chosen to be your pen pal. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to communicate with someone far away. Now I can experience that with you! These coming months will be fun. I look forward to writing to you all the time, sharing the things I do and hearing about you.

Let me start with a quick introduction. My name is Lee Taeyong. I go to the School of Performing Arts here in Seoul. I once dreamt of being a fireman, but I guess my love for music steered me in a different direction. I was recently recruited by a company here called SM Entertainment to become a kpop idol. I begin training soon and I’m nervous. Can you tell by my writing?

My sister is yelling at me to go to bed now, so I should wrap this up. Thank you for the thoughtful message before, and the equally adorable stationary! I love dogs. I have one - her name is Ruby. But, that’s a topic for another time, I suppose.

I will leave you with this for your next letter to me tell me about yourself. You are so far away, but I want to get to know you. I don’t want to be just a pen pal. I want to be your friend. So, tell me everything there is to know about Y/N. What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? Do you like to take long walks on the beach? Tell me everything, Y/N.

Till next time,

Taeyongie

PS your Korean isn’t that bad, but I will help you improve, just like you want. I will help you as much as I can and before long, you will be an expert! Thank you for joining class TY!

You glanced up at the setting sun as you walked home from your work, chuckling when you heard your phone ding with the familiar tone from Kakao Talk. Six pm for you, but seven AM for him. It never ceased to fail. Morning here, night there, and vice versa, every day like clockwork. But it made you smile to know that you had something to look forward to once you got back to your pitiful, lonely apartment, a bag of cheap Chinese takeout in your hand. Your feet ached from the long day on the job, and you wanted nothing more than to change into the fluffy pajamas you owned and kick your feet up to watch Netflix all night.

The constant ring of your phone kept chiming, making your headache slightly. A groan of relief left your lips when your apartment came into view, praying the notifications would cease soon. Pushing past the door, you kicked off your shoes, yanking the infernal device from your purse on the way to your room. The Chinese was left on your coffee table while you changed, dropping your phone on the bed to scan the onslaught of messages that kept popping up.

Taeyong was blowing up your phone with short, one-word messages, some consisting of tiny sentences. You laughed at his persistence to get you to answer, shaking your head. Just as you pulled on a baggy hoodie, the phone rang again, this time two words, all caps, catching your eye.

CALL ME!!!

Your brow rose, pausing before you could dial his number. He sent one more message:

Video call, please.

With a roll of the eyes, you hit FaceTime, waiting for him to pick up on the other end.

“Helloooooooooo!~” he greeted cheerfully for someone who was awake at seven in the morning. His hand ruffled his newly dyed locks, his once black strands now a bright blonde that still suited his baby face. The same face with the dark brown eyes and the sharp jawline, the button nose and the plump pink lips that always got cherry red when he ate sweets. You couldn’t see much around him, or of him, but you could see he was wearing a loose tank top, one strap beginning to fall off his broad shoulders from being stretched out. A row of mirrors was behind him, indicating the location he was in: the SM dance studio.

His lips curled into a bright smile when he saw your face, your sleeve covered hand hiding your face. “Don’t look at me like that! I just got off work!”

“I know,” he hummed, combing his fingers through his strands as he talked. “That’s why I wanted to talk! Give you a nice way to start your evening!”

“Well, aren’t you sweet?” you teased, trudging towards the living room. “Aren’t you at practice right now? I could have sworn you mentioned before you went to bed last night that you had early practice today because of your upcoming comeback.”

“Yeah. We’re all here. We were just taking a short break before we get back to the dance. We’ve been in the studio practicing for about an hour already,” he informed you. You nodded at his answer, flopping back on the couch.

“Wait? Is Taeyong talking to noona?” you heard in the background.

Taeyong let out a yelp when he was tackled from the side, his phone yanked away. The group of boys tried to stuff their faces in the phone screen at once, all screaming their greetings in unison. Your face scrunched up, using your free hand to plug your ears.

“One at a time, boys!”

Mark grabbed the phone was from Haechan, the boy who successful tackled his leader and stole his phone in the first place. Mark grinned, giving a victory sign. “Morning, Y/N!” he greeted, ignoring the arguments that ensued around him.

“Evening, Mark,” you laughed. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. Dance practice, recording new songs for the upcoming album, wondering when you are finally going to come visit us in Seoul.”

Your face fell at his final words, pouting. “You guys know I want to. I’ve always wanted to.”

“We know. Taeyong told us that you’ve always wanted to since they day you guys started writing to each other.”

You sighed, reaching blindly for the egg rolls in your bag. “I just can’t afford the trip yet. It’s hard enough sometimes to pay my rent, let alone saving for a plane ticket and hotel there.”

“We could help!” Jaehyun cut in, pushing Mark aside, the younger male groaning and complaining. “We’ve all agreed to help pay for your flight here if it means we get to finally meet Taeyong’s best friend.”

Your cheeks visibly reddened at the title, shaking your head. “I can’t let you guys do that though. I’d feel horrible for asking you to help me pay for a plane ticket out there. It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Even if we want to?” Doyoung asked, peering around Jaehyun’s arm.

“Yeah,” you sighed. “If I’m going to come visit, it’s because I earned it. It’ll make the reward in the end even sweeter.”

The guys laughed, Jungwoo taking the phone. “Well, we hope you can come visit soon, noona! Especially Taeyong. He talks about you all the time, so we can’t wait for you to actually be here.”

You giggled when you hear a screech from behind, Taeyong flailing his way through the throng of boys to get his phone. “Alright, alright! Break’s over!” he called, earning a chorus of groans and whines. “No whining. Say bye.”

“Fine,” they all huffed in unison. From behind their leader, they all waved their arms wildly, giving bright smiles and victory signs. “Bye, Y/N!”

“Bye guys!”

Taeyong slipped from the room quickly, letting out a sigh. “Those guys,” he sighed, ruffling his hair. “Sorry about them. You know how much of a handful they are.”

“I know,” you laughed. “But I love getting to talk to them. Thank you for introducing me to your members forever ago.”

Taeyong laughed, tugging his lip between his teeth when he was done. “Well, I do have to get back to practice unfortunately. I’m sorry to cut this short. But I wanted to talk to you as soon as I got the chance. It makes the day much easier.”

“You know, you have always said that,” you chuckled. “You always said how receiving my letters while we were in school still always brightened your day and nothing could ever bring you down.”

Taeyong flushed, scratching his cheek. “I did, didn’t I?” he mused. He paused, passing his tongue over his lips briefly. “Would you… would you mind if I called you tonight when I get back from practice? I want to talk to you some more.”

You smiled shyly, nodding your head. “Of course, Yong. You can always call me, no matter what time it is.”

He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t tell me that. I might end up waking you up at some odd hours without realizing it.”

“I’d still wake up for you,” you uttered lowly, knowing your face was red. Taeyong mirrored your color, shying away from your gaze. “Get to practice, Yong. Work hard and never give up. Fighting!”

The idol rolled his eyes, pushing back into the practice room. “I should have never introduced you to the guys. They’re rubbing off on you.”

“No. It was my Korean teacher. Also known as Lee Taeyong. Also known as you.”

“I take no credit in this.”

“Whatever. Have a nice practice, Yongie.”

“Thanks, Y/N. Talk to you later.” Taeyong ended the call with a quick wink, the screen going black. In the dark screen, you saw your red-faced reflection. You heart beat wildly in your chest.

Sliding to the floor, you unpacked your food, mind wandering as you nibbled on the lukewarm chicken and vegetables. You recalled everything that had happened over the last seven years, leading up to where you were now.

Being pen pals with Taeyong could never have turned out better. Throughout your course, you exchanged letters with Taeyong what felt like every day. You were neck deep in adorable stationary that was used to increasingly long letters that would be folded neatly and sealed, shipped overseas. He began to return the gesture with cute drawings in the corners of his papers, decorating his replies to the point your heart leaped when the envelope appeared in your mailbox, wondering what he had done for you at that time.

You had quickly become close friends despite the distance. Never having met, he always felt like he was by your side, helping you when you needed it. The amount of things you had in common, from hobbies to foods, to the style of music you jammed to, was unprecedented. He helped you immensely with your Korean, teaching you things that were well beyond the class. In return, you taught him bits of English, sometimes finding short sentences crafted in your native tongue from the man. It was a match made in heaven.

So, when the program was ending, you both openly expressed your sadness.

Not wanting the friendship that you had built, you had agreed to keep in contact, even if it wasn’t for a grade now. Letters turned to emails, which eventually turned to phone numbers exchanged and text messages flowing daily. The first time you FaceTimed was such a vivid memory, seeing his face on the other side of the screen for the first time was unbelievable. Sure, you had seen photos he had sent you, but seeing him - hearing him talk in his deep, smooth and velvety voice - was something you could never forget. It didn’t stop the occasional, handwritten letter on newly bought stationary meant solely for each other from being sent overseas.

From there, you watched the man grow as an idol, meeting his group members along the way. You grew close to the boys you had never met personally, though the relationship wasn’t nearly the same as with Taeyong. He was definitely one of your best friends, if not the closest friend you had. Sometimes, it was mind boggling to think that your closest friend was someone thousands of miles away, more than twelve hours different, you left staring at the sun when he saw the moon.

It was obvious to you why you had developed a crush on the man.

Sighing, you pushed the empty tray away from you, glancing at your phone. Taeyong had sent you photos while they were practicing, making you laugh through a yawn. Leaving the used food dish be, you flicked the light off, headed for your room. Curling into the blankets, you fell asleep while staring at the many smiles of the NCT boys, mostly staring at the man you befriended through paper and pen years ago.

Your heart skipped beats the entire night.

You woke up to the ring of your phone, alerting you to FaceTime call you were getting. With a groan, you answered, rubbing your eyes sleepily. A smooth chuckle met your eyes, your eyes blinking open, the blurred image of Taeyong on the other side clearing up.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he let out, voice deep and husky. His blonde locks were in disarray, his broad shoulders and long arms now covered in an orange hoodie. He was seated outside, his face only lit by his phone.

“Good evening, starlight,” you yawned.

“Did I wake you?” he inquired, adjusting himself in his chair.

“Yeah,” you mumbled, sitting up in the bed. Taeyong cooed softly at the giant yawn you let out, your hands instantly covering your face. “Shut up. I’m hideous.”

“Impossible,” he laughed.

Ignoring the blush you had, you rolled out of the bed, grabbing a Starbucks mocha iced coffee bottle from the fridge. You unlocked the patio door, listening to Taeyong hum to himself on the other end of the call. You shut the screen behind you, headed out onto the patio to watch the sun rising over the water in the distance.

“Did you have a nice practice?” you asked the man, sitting in a cheap plastic chair you kept outside for times like this. The answer you got was a hum, making you giggle. “Some conversation here, Tae.”

“Sorry,” he laughed lowly. “It’s late and everyone headed to sleep because of the intense practice. I don’t want to wake anyone up.”

“You didn’t have to call, you know.”

“But I wanted to,” he confessed. “I always want to hear your voice. And I wanted to talk. The best part of my day when hearing from you.”

You blushed, smiling widely. “Aren’t you sweet?” Taeyong hummed again, pushing his hair back with his hand. “Is the moon out tonight?”

“Yeah,” he murmured, turning his phone to show the brightly lit moon in the starry sky over Seoul.

You smiled at the sight. “Beautiful,” you uttered. “The nights in Seoul must be beautiful all the time. I love seeing them, even if it’s just through this tiny screen.”

“Sometimes it’s weird to think we live under the same sky when we see different things all the time,” he said, turning the camera back to him. “I hate that you are so far away sometimes.”

“I know,” you sighed, sinking in your chair. “But I’m glad you are in my life. I didn’t think that being pen pals with someone because of a class in school could lead to something like this. When I agreed to do that pen pal program, I didn’t know I would meet my best friend in life.”

“Seven years now,” he chuckled. His lips pursed, rubbing together. “You know, you really have improved in your Korean since we first started talking. Both writing and speaking. You are so proficient now. It’s like you are a native here and have been speaking the language your entire life. I’m so proud of you, Y/N.”

“Thanks, Yongie. That means a lot coming from you,” you told him. Hugging a knee to your chest, your chin propped up on it. “So, what did you want to talk about? It’s late and you look tired. You should be sleeping, not talking to me.”

Taeyong hummed quietly, playing with the strings of his hoodie. “I just wanted to talk. That’s all. Is it a crime to talk to my favorite girl after a long day?”

You frowned at him, straightening in your seat to look at him better. His eyes avoided yours, staring at his lap. “Yong, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he retorted quickly.

“Lee Taeyong, we have been friends for seven years. Even if we’ve never met, I know when you are upset. I can feel it from here.”

Taeyong let out a sarcastic chuckle, biting at the nail on his thumb. “You know, sometimes I feel like you know me better than I know myself.”

“Same goes for you, bub,” you told him. “Now, spill. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know,” he whispered. A heavy breath left his mouth, making his chest rise and fall, and his nose flare. His brow was knit together, wrinkling his forehead cutely. His lips pouted, jutted out in his deep thought. “It’s just, lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. But only one thing goes through my mind. And I don’t get why it’s happening now.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“I just… I guess?” he sourly chuckled. His face turned red, mostly on the tips of his ears. “I can’t get this girl out of my mind.”

You heart stopped at his words, a sad smile rising to your cheeks. “T-that’s great, Tae.”

“You don’t sound too happy,” he chuckled weakly.

“No, no! I am! You know I want nothing more than for you to be happy, right?” you asked, watching him nod. “So, tell me more. You’re crushing on a girl, eh”

“Crush? That doesn’t even begin to explain it,” he stated, sinking in his seat. “This girl, she’s just too amazing to describe. Smart, beautiful, funny. She completes me, honestly.”

You stayed silent, keeping a straight face as you listened.

“You could say I’ve liked her for a long, long time now. And I’ve kept it secret for so long. I don’t understand why she’s all I can think about these days. Day in, day out, she’s always on my mind.”

“Maybe your mind is trying to tell you that you should tell her,” you offered, burying your broken heart. “I know it’s hard to think about a relationship when you are so busy with NCT, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. You want to finally tell this girl how you feel.”

“You think?” he mumbled.

Through the screen, your eyes met - his dark eyes stared into yours, filled with a mixture of emotions. Slowly, you nodded, answering, “yeah, that’s what I think. You should tell her how you feel, Yong.”

“Alright,” he breathed, biting his lip. His gaze dropped for a second before returning to yours. “Then, is it crazy to say that I like my pen pal from seven years ago?”

You froze, jaw dropping.

“Is it crazy to say that I like the girl I talk to everyday? The girl with the cute stationary? The girl that makes me laugh and feel whole?” he paused, combing his fingers through his hair. “That I like the girl on the other side of my screen right now?”

You bit at your lip, feeling him stare you down. You didn’t know what to say. Your heart had restarted, hammering against your chest. You picked at your nails unconsciously, unable to find the words you wanted to release.

“You can always say I’m crazy, Y/N. I know how weird it sounds. I have liked you for so long, but I've never had the courage to say anything. And just lately, my sister was talking about finding that right someone and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And now that I say it aloud, to you, it sounds ridiculous. Like, why would you like me back? We’re just friends-”

“But I do,” you said quickly. Taeyong stopped talking, a weighted silence forming between you. You bit at the inside of your cheek before continuing. “I’ve liked you for a long time, Yong. But I never said anything because it seemed…”

You dropped off, searching for the right word.”

“Unrealistic?” he finished. The nod of your head gave him confirmation. “Yeah. That’s why I never brought it up. I have been fighting these feelings for so long because I couldn’t justify it. How could I possibly be with the girl I like when she is thousands of miles away?”

Taeyong was close to tears at this point, using the back of his hand to wipe at his eyes. You weren’t much better, sniffling quietly. Your face buried in your knees, Taeyong frowning at your action.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“No, no. Don’t be,” you choked. “I get what you mean. Long distance is hard. And given or situation - we’ve never met, we live worlds apart. It’s day for me when it’s night for you. It doesn’t seem logical to pursue a relationship when everything is against you.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I guess part of me just wanted you to know exactly how I felt before I never got a chance. I know it’s not possible, at least right now, but I wanted you to tell you.”

“I appreciate it, Tae,” you whispered.

“I guess, for now, we just... go on with life,” he sadly said. “There isn’t anything we can do. I can’t tell you how mixed I am about this all. To hear you like me back is such relief, but it only broke my heart more because I know I can’t be with you right now.”

“Yeah,” you sighed. You blinked back tears, glancing at him. “We’ll still be friends, right? This isn’t going to change anything between us?”

Taeyong chuckled, shaking his head “Of course not. You are still my best friend and I’m not planning to let that change any time soon.”

“Good,” you laughed. Taeyong yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. That made you laugh more. “Go to sleep, bub. You need to rest. I don’t want you getting sick because you are exhausted.”

“Alright. I will,” he uttered. He smiled softly, the grin slightly lopsided, playing with the ends of his hair. “I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Sounds good to me. Sleep well, Yong.”

“Have a wonderful day, sunshine.”

The call ended, your phone dropped in your lap. A stray tear slid down your cheek, a staggered sigh released. Your heart cracked at the realization that your feelings, although reciprocated, were impossible. Your eyes stared at the light blue sky that was filled with wisps of white clouds, the sun rising above your head.

Across the world, in Seoul, Korea, sat the young man, tears leaking down his own cheeks. His eyes were glued to the starlit sky, the moon shining down on him, making his wet face glisten. He silently cried, wishing that it was possible. But, you were too far apart.

Even if you were both under the same sky, you were looking at two different things.

“Hello~” Taeyong sang as soon as he answered your call. You were snuggled on your couch, sucking on a cherry popsicle that made had turned your lips red. Taeyong began to couch, dropping his phone to his bed and disappearing from view while you licked the red, icy treat, pushing it in and out between your lips. “Oh my god!”

“You alright, Tae?” you asked, concerned.

“Fine, fine,” he choked, patting his chest to regain air. He grabbed at his phone, running his fingers through his hair. “Just didn’t expect to see that when I answered.”

“See what?” you inquired, cocking your head innocently. You weren’t sure what he was talking about. “I’m confused.”

“God, you’re adorable when you’re this innocent,” he murmured, shaking his head.

“What?”

“Nothing,’ he pushed, laying back on his bed. “Are you really eating ice cream this late? That’s not good for you, sunshine.”

“Neither is lying in bed when it’s almost noon,” you taunted. “You are an idol! Why are you in bed right now?”

“I want to be lazy,” he whined, rolling in his bed until he was completely wrapped in his blanket.

“Don’t blanket burrito right now!” you laughed. “Shouldn’t you be at practice? You have a comeback soon. You should be working hard, Yong!”

“We came back to the dorms to take a lunch break,” he hummed, curling further into his blankets. “We took some extra time though because Mark was going to record in the studio for some Station song. I don’t know much about it, but he sounds excited because he wrote the rap for it.”

“Aw, little Markie is growing up,” you laughed. “I’m sure he will do wonderful though. He is great at writing rap whenever you guys compose something together.”

Taeyong hummed in response, watching you eat your popsicle silently. His face, half covered by the blankets and hidden from your view, was bright red. His voice, when he decided to speak up, was somewhat muffled by his blanket, but still soft and velvety. “So, what brings about this lovely call from my dear best friend and former pen pal?”

“Former?“ you tsked. “I’m offended.”

“Don’t be! You graduated from pen pal to best friend! It’s a compliment!” he cried.

“I was teasing, Yong,” you giggled. You hugged your knees close to you, turning to place the stick aside with the popsicle gone. “I just… I needed advice.”

“Advice?” he asked, sitting up in his bed. His face turned serious, but you couldn’t help but to snicker. His blonde strands stuck upright, pointing in various directions. “Are you alright? What’s going on?”

“I’m fine. Just…” You paused, using your finger to trace shapes on your knee, deep in thought. “I met a guy recently. At the cafe I stop at every morning when I head to work.”

“Oh,” Taeyong murmured, face falling. “Is that so?”

“Yeah…”

You frowned at the halfhearted smile he gave you. “That’s great though! Tell me more about him.”

“His name is Jackson-”

“Wait. Like Jackson Wang? From Got7?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “No way. Even if I met Jackson Wang, there’s no way I’d be with him.” You stopped before you let out the words because he isn’t as good as you.

“Right, right. So, Jackson,” Taeyong asked, trying to remain focused as much as possible. The fake tone of his voice made you cringe, despite his best efforts to seem interested. “What’s he like?”

“He’s sweet,” you confessed. “We’ve been talking every morning. He’s working at the cafe while he finished up university. We just kind of hit it off, you know. And today, when I went in for coffee, he asked if I’d be interested in going on a date.”

Taeyong looked away for a second, biting at his nails. “That’s great, sunshine.”

“Are you ok?” you asked, biting your lip. “I can always say no, Taeyong.”

“No!” he nearly yelled, shaking his head and lowering his voice immediately. “No, please don’t do that, Y/N.”

“But, Taeyong-”

“Look, I won’t lie,” he said, almost bitterly. “I know it’s been a few weeks since I told you how I felt, and that hasn’t changed. I still like you, so much. But we agreed not to do anything because of this situation. We’re too far apart to justify being more than this.

“I’m not you boyfriend, so I can’t stop you from going out with someone. And as your friend, I’m going to encourage you to go for it. If you like him, go on the date. If you like him, date him. I’m not going to stop you because I care about you. I want you to be happy. And if your happiness isn’t with me, that’s fine.”

His voice crackled slightly, but he smiled.

“I want to see my sunshine happy because that’s what makes me happy. That’s all I want, Y/N.”

“Taeyong…”

“Please, don’t worry about me,” he urged. “I want you to try if you want to. I want to see you happy. And over time, I’m sure this crush will go away. No worries.”

“Are you sure, Taeyong?” you asked again. “I just…”

You froze. I like you still too.

“I don’t want to lose you, Taeyong. You’re my best friend and I don’t want some potential boy to ruin what we have.”

“He won’t,” Taeyong told you, biting his lip. “I’ll always be here for you. There’s no way you can get rid of me. We’ve been through too much for me to want to leave now.”

“You’ve put up with me for seven years,” you laughed.

“Sometimes, I wonder how I lived,” he teased. “I guess you won over my heart with that cute stationary and treats you’d send for my birthday. Those candies you’d pick up from that one place. Those were the best.”

“The way to Taeyong’s heart: chocolate and cute animals.”

“Not going to lie. It’s true,” he chuckled, burying his pain. “I should probably get going. I need to round up the kids before heading back to the dance studio. We are supposed to meet Mark back there soon.”

“Oh, alright,” you frowned.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he apologized. “I wish we could talk more. I miss talking to you all the time. This comeback practice is killing me.”

“It’s fine,” you told him. “I understand. You’re busy and that’s ok.”

“I really do miss you,” he confessed, giving a weak smile that you returned.

“I miss you too, Taeyong,” you sighed. “I think… I will try with Jackson. It can’t hurt to try, right?”

“Right,” he croaked. “I’m proud of you. Keep me updated, alright?”

“I will. Bye, Yong.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

You ended the call, headed straight for bed after a quick message to the man from the cafe, accepting his proposition from that morning. Your heart ached sending the message, but you shook it off, telling yourself it would be alright in the end.

For Taeyong, he wasn’t as smooth. His phone slipped from his hand, tears leaking down his cheeks as soon as the pain struck. The boys heard his wails - they weren’t subtle. Rushing to their leader’s aid, the seven boys crowded onto the bed, hugging their distraught friend as he cried. They knew he was hurting, listening to him utter his problems lowly. They were sad to hear what had happened, not moving from the bed the rest of the day.

Mark returned from recording to find his friends sitting quietly around their leader who had fallen asleep finally, red faced, eyes puffed and tears staining his delicate features. Mark frowned, dropping his stuff and instantly crawling into the crowded bed to support his friend, sighing to himself.

Why can’t they just realize they are meant for each other already? The Canadian wondered.

You frowned at your phone, finding the unanswered texts once more.

Weeks had passed, and you should have been happy. The date with Jackson had been a success, leading to more outings until he had popped the question, asking you to be his girlfriend. You were excited, accepting without much debate.

But something didn’t sit right with you.

You liked Jackson, but your mind always seemed to wander when you were with him. Something was holding you back, no matter how much effort you put in the relationship you were now in.

It didn’t help that you couldn’t contact the man you wanted to. You craved hearing his phone, seeing his words or just seeing his face. You wanted to hear about his day, listening to him tell you stories about practice with the boys or things that happened along the streets of Seoul. You wanted to share laughs, talking while the sun rose and the moon set.

Yet, you couldn’t seem to get a hold of the idol. Texts remained on ‘delivered’, occasionally changing to be ‘seen’. Every FaceTime call would ring and ring, a blank screen displayed on your phone, your pitiful image in the corner frowning at the small screen. The other boys answered your texts without issue, so you couldn’t fathom the reason Taeyong wasn’t getting back to you.

The idol you had known for near a decade plagued your every thought when really, he shouldn’t. You had a boyfriend, but Taeyong always had a way to slip into your thoughts. At night, you’d dream of him, unable to reach him when you tried. You’d think of him whenever you had the chance. It seemed odd that he was more on your mind now than ever before given your current circumstances.

You were a wreck because of it. Every unanswered call and unreturned text broke a piece of you further. You could feel your heart sinking into your stomach, agony in the form of stomach acid at the bottom for the broken pieces to settle in.

You placed your phone aside, beginning to pick at your nail polish as you waited. You were awaiting Jackson’s arrival for a movie date. A soft pink dress hugged your body to ready yourself for the warming weather, summer quickly approaching. Black flats were on your feet. A heart necklace hug around your neck, the reminder that your friendship with Taeyong existed at one point. He had sent the necklace to you from Seoul for your birthday three years into your friendship, and you hadn’t taken it off since. You had done your hair in cute curls that waved along your features, framing your face. Minimal make up covered your face but accentuated your natural beauty.

A knock on the door made you jump. You stuffed your phone, unanswered text and all, into your purse. Checking yourself in the mirror, you attempted to remove the disappointment you could see in your eyes, not wanting your boyfriend to worry. When you felt you were acceptable, you rushed to the door, opening it wide.

“Hey you! Are you ready?” Jackson greeted with a large smile. But the smile disappeared before you could even respond. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said, too quick for your liking. “I’m fine. Let’s get going, shall we?”

“Something is definitely wrong,” the young man sighed. “Can we go inside for a second and talk about this?”

“I’m fine, Jackson. I promise. Can we just go?” you pleaded.

Jackson denied, forcing you inside to the couch. He sat beside you, taking your hand in his. The feeling of his hand in yours felt foreign. It didn’t feel right against yours - your fingers didn’t mesh together perfectly, no sparks making your skin tingle. You wanted to squeeze his hand back, but you couldn’t will yourself too, especially with the thoughts of your phone in your bag and the messages you kept sending going unread.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded, studying the side of your face.

“I told you I’m fine, J,” you mumbled.

“Like hell you are,” he huffed. “I can tell that there is something on your mind. I’m your boyfriend, Y/N. I should be able to tell when you are unhappy. And I’d hope that you can trust me enough to tell me.”

You frowned, digging into your purse. You clicked on your phone, knowing his brow furrowed at the picture from your lock screen. It was a photo of Taeyong he had sent you from his dorm, using a silly snapchat filter to give him puppy ears. He was hugging Ruby to his cheek, giving a wink with his tongue out. When he had sent it, he said the him and Ruby matched, and it was too cute not to save.

“Who’s he?” Jackson asked.

“My best friend,” you admitted.

“Is he the issue?” Jackson asked, watching you nod. “What happened?”

“He hasn’t been answering my calls for weeks now. And I’m just starting to worry about it. I don’t know why he suddenly isn’t answering my calls or texts. We used to talk every day and now I can’t get him to answer a simple greeting.”

“Have you gone to see him?”

You bitterly laughed, shaking your head. “I wish it were that easy.” Jackson stared at you longer, waiting for more. “I’ve never actually met him in person. I met him through this pen pal program while I was in school and we quickly became great friends to the point that we kept in contact. He lives in Seoul.”

Jackson rubbed his lips together, his hand disconnecting from yours. Your hands sat in your lap while his linked together, his head leaning on them. An uncomfortable silence formed between you, the tension palpable. You couldn’t look at the quiet man beside you, not knowing what he would say.

Hearing him let out a heavy breath, you felt your heart drop, your blood running cold. You felt sick to your stomach, already knowing that whatever he was about to say was not going to be good. You were dreading the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

“Can I be honest with you?” he asked.

“Of course.”

He sighed, leaning back on the couch, eyes to the ceiling. “Since we got together, I’ve felt like something has been holding you back. Like there was a wall between us that I couldn’t get through. And, now I think I understand.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, gnawing at the inside of your cheek.

“Will you be straight with me on this?” he asked. You eyed him, mumbling a small ‘yes’ to him. “Do you like him? As in the childish like like. You have romantic feelings for that guy on your phone?”

You remained silent, making Jackson sadly chuckle.

“I didn’t want to believe there was someone else, but I had a feeling there was a reason I couldn’t ever get more out of you. I like you a lot, and I know you like me too. But you like him more. I don’t understand why you are with me when you like him. I’m sure he likes you too, right?”

“Yeah,” you squeaked, clearing your throat to ease the lump in it. “But there’s no way we can be together. He’s just so far away. He’s too good for me. There’s no way I would be enough to be with him. But he’s in Seoul, I’m here. How are we supposed to be together if we’ve never met? If we’re worlds apart?”

“If you want it to work, it will,” he said with a kindhearted smile. “Nothing can stop two people if they want to be together. If their desire is strong enough, if their feelings are strong enough, things will work out. We are all under the same sky after all. It shouldn’t matter how far away you are because if you are meant to be, it’ll happen. I know that long distance relationships are hard to fathom, and they get a bad rap, but you can’t just give up because of it. And honestly, if you ask me, if you guys have been this close just through phone calls, texts, whatever, then it would work. You guys are connected more than you think, or maybe want to admit. No matter what, he will be there for you if you accept it. If he didn’t, he’s an idiot, no offense.”

“How are you so smart about this?” you asked with a short laugh, wiping at the tears that threatened to spill.

“My parents lived long distance before having me. My mom lived in the UK while my dad was in LA. It’s not quite the same as you and your friend because they had been together before, but they were able to make it work because they were meant to be. They wanted to be together.”

“That’s pretty deep,” you laughed. Jackson joined you, wrapping a loose arm around your shoulders.

“I don’t want to say this, and I’ve been dreading the thought for a while because of this wall. But,” he stopped, sighing. “I think it’s best if we break up.”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the perfect girl for you.”

“You can’t help it if your heart belongs to someone else. Just don’t let him slip away from you. You need to decide if you want to try. Is he worth it?”

“More than you know,” you laughed, a wide grin growing at the thought of the man.

“Then don’t be afraid. I promise it’ll work out.”

“Thanks, J,” you said, turning in your seat to give him a powerful hug. His arms wrapped around your waist, crushing you to his chest. “You really are an amazing guy and I hope that you find the right girl someday.”

“I’m sure I will,” he chuckled, releasing you from his grasp. You walked him to your door, leaning on the frame after he stepped out. “Don’t be a stranger in the cafe though! I will always serve you that special iced coffee.”

“You better,” you laughed. “I’m sorry again, Jackson.”

“Don’t be. I’m sad, but I will move on. And I hope for the best for you and…”

“Taeyong. Lee Taeyong.”

“For you and Taeyong.”

Jackson winked, waving one last goodbye. The thunk of your door shutting was similar to the way your heart felt plummeting. Loneliness was present, lingering over you in the barren apartment. You suddenly felt cold, realizing that you were single once more and still without your best friend. Your heart felt heavy in your chest, frozen and unbeating, weighing down your body. A staggered breath left your lips, a few stray tears escaping down your cheeks that were promptly wiped away. Limbs felt like lead, holding you in the empty doorway for longer than you wanted, staring at the sealed door, knowing it wouldn’t open again.

Kicking off your flats, you rushed to your room, trying to escape the quiet space of your own home. Nothing was able to comfort the sadness dwelling in your chest, your body numbly laying on the bed, eyes glued to the ceiling. They traced the glowing star stickers that decorated the white top, the sight alone making you think of the man you desired. He loved the night sky just as much as you did, and every time you saw the stars and moon, he was first to plague your thoughts. Your eyes turned to the clock beside you bed, mentally calculating how late it was for him.

After midnight.

The longer you laid in silence, you more your heart ached. You needed to talk to someone, dialing the first number you could think of.

“Hello?” their voice rang, deep and husky, laced with hints of sleep. You felt bad instantly, gnawing on your lip before responding.

“Mark?” you asked quietly. Your low, cracking voice must have made him jump up. You could hear the shuffling of sheets and the squeak of the bed, a door opening and closing.

“Hold on,” he whispered.

Sitting up and curling into a ball while leaning against the headboard, you awaited, listening to the faint thud of footsteps on the other end. You hugged your knees to your chest, struggling to keep your emotions under control. You could hear a door slide open and shut, followed by a low curse in Korean before the phone line went dead. Your brow furrowed, pulling the phone away from your ear to check the battery.

Full.

You jumped when the phone suddenly went off again, falling to the blankets. The screen showed the face time with the boy you called, his silly face on display from the contact image. Swiftly, you fumbled to grab the phone, swiping to answer.

“Hey, sorry about that,” he said in English, voice low. Mark had a hoodie pulled over his head, his surroundings dark. He was sitting outside, like how Taeyong normal did. You could feel your heart sink at the thought, an inaudible sigh leaving your mouth. “What’s up? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you whispered. “I just… needed to talk to someone.”

“Alright,” Mark hummed, unconvinced. “Why do you look all dressed up? Did you have a date with… what was his name again?”

“Jackson,” you told him, feeling your hand curl into itself. “And yeah. I was supposed to have a date.”

“Supposed to?” Mark asked, messing with the front of his curly hair. “Did he cancel on you?”

“We broke up,” you said flatly. Mark frowned, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.

“I’m so sorry,” he finally croaked. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, I guess,” you admitted. “It hurts a bit, but that’s not what’s bothering me. That’s not why I’m calling. I’m just lonely is all.”

“Is that all?” Mark hummed.

“Yeah,” you let out, letting silence commence. You couldn’t think of anything more to say, Mark not prying at first.

“You’re not very convincing,” he chuckled. “What’s going through your mind, Y/N? You wouldn’t call this late for nothing. Lonely? Yeah, I believe that, especially after a break up. But there is something more that you aren’t telling me. You are still all dressed up, you’re ready to cry. So please, don’t keep doing this to yourself. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I…” you started, feeling a tear slide down your cheek. “How is he doing, Mark?”

Mark stayed silent.

“I just…” you sniffled, more tears flowing. “He won’t answer my calls. He won’t read my texts. I can’t get a hold of him. I’m so worried about him. I can’t help it. I just want to know that he’s alright.”

Mark stayed silent, his gaze bypassing the phone to the city of Seoul and the night sky overhead. His head turned back to the dorm where his friends remained asleep, his frown deepening. You watched him ponder, your stomach churning uncomfortably.

“He’s,” Mark started, sighing under his breath. “He’s not well. He’s in pretty bad shape honestly.”

“Mark, no,” you cried, shaking your head. “Don’t tell me that.”

“Would you rather I lie?” he asked firmly. You shook your head, hearing the young Canadian boy huff out a sigh. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true. He has not been himself since you got with that Jackson guy. He’s always unhappy, he’s not eating well, he’s not performing well in practice. We are all worried about him, Y/N.”

“I-”

“We are worried about you too,” Mark confessed sadly. You cringed at his words, steering your sight away. “We know that you guys liked each other. Taeyong told us everything. He told us because he was heartbroken that he couldn’t be enough for you. He always said how you were too good for him. And the whole distance issue, he didn’t want to keep you from having something special with someone you love because he couldn’t be there for you.”

“But he was always there for me,” you murmured.

“I know,” Mark stated. “He kept himself from having you, but he hurt himself by loving you. He’s in so much pain because he loves you with all his heart and knowing he couldn’t be the one to love you and make you happy broke him even more. He wants you happy, and it breaks his heart because he can’t be to one to make you happy in his mind.”

“But he does make me happy!” you scream, more tears streaming down your cheeks, makeup starting to run. “I’ve liked him for so long, Mark. I still like him. So much that it hurts. No matter what I do, all I do is think about him. When I sleep, I dream about him. When I walk down the street, I see things that remind me of him. I feel like he is always there, even if he is thousands of miles away. I can hear his voice, I can see his face, but none of it is real.

“I just don’t know what to do, Mark. I want to be with him so bad. I want us to be together because no one makes me happier than Taeyong has. He has always been there for me when I needed it. He makes me smile, he makes me laugh, he makes me cry. But I don’t know how to make that work. How can I be with him when he is out of my reach? I’m not too good for him - it’s the other way around. He’s too good for me. How could I possibly wish to be with him?”

“You both need to realize one thing,” Mark huffed, voice strict. “The distance - it doesn’t matter! You guys have been friends for how long? Seven plus years? Yeah, isn’t that enough to prove that you are connected? Every night when we leave work, Taeyong will smile up at the sky, looking at the moon, and say how the sun is rising for you. He always smiles brightest when he says that.

“Just because you don’t see the same thing doesn’t mean you are too far apart to make things work. It’ll be hard, but we are all in the same world, at the same time, under the same sky. Your hearts are connected, and you just have to figure out a way to make that work.”

“But how?” you asked, using the back of your hand to wipe at your tears. “He’ll never forgive me, Mark. He won’t answer my calls at all!”

“He’s hurt, Y/N. Not mad,” Mark chuckled. Using a hand to cover his mouth, he let out a stifled yawn, eyes fluttering to stay awake. “Here’s my suggestion. Think about what you really want, what the truth is to you. If you want to be with Taeyong, then figure out how to make it work. And when you’re ready, give us a call. We will gladly help you out because we want to see you both happy. And honestly, you are happiest with each other.”

“Figure out what my truth is?” you asked, Mark nodding. “You know, you’re still a child, Mark. You’re fresh out of Dream. How are you this wise?”

“I hang around with old men too much,” he chuckled.

“That’s a lie. You are all children,” you laughed. “Get some sleep, Markie. Sorry for waking you up.”

“It’s fine. You know we are always here for you, no matter what. If I was mad, I wouldn’t have answered. And the same goes for the others. You are family, Y/N. Please know that. It doesn’t matter to us if you are ten minutes away, or ten hours. Because we care about you.”

“Right,” you sighed. “Sleep well, Mark. And… please keep an eye on Taeyong for me.”

“Will do. Talk soon, babe.”

“Love you, bro,” you laughed slightly. Mark gave a quick wave before ending the call.

Dropping the phone aside, you laid flat to the bed once more, not bothering to change to clean yourself of the makeup. Rolling onto your side. You stared at the blank phone, resting a hand over it. You wished it would vibrate under your palm, chiming with a new message or call. But it remained still, cold under your touch. Your wish wasn’t going to come true anytime soon.

“Figure out what my truth is?” you mumbled to yourself. “What is it that I want? Do I want to be with Taeyong? He makes me so happy, but… how can we? He is so far away. Is it possible? Can we reasonably be together?”

Thoughts of him ran through your mind, every moment you shared together over the years flashing by my dreamlike memories. A smile curled up on your face, making your cheeks hurt. When your hand pulled away from your phone, you saw the familiar picture of the idol set as your wallpaper. The sight alone made your heart tremble, skipping a beat.

The tears began coming, unable to stop. The droplets clouded your vision, dripping to your pillow. Short hiccups left your mouth as you sobbed, clutching at your phone. “I want him so bad. He’s the only man to make me feel like this. Maybe Jackson and Mark were right and we are connected more than we know. Maybe we were being stupid because we believed we couldn’t be together. Maybe we can be happy together and stop fighting these feelings.

“How could I be so stupid to let this all happen? It was so obvious, and I let things fall through because of something as stupid as distance.

“How can I fix this?”

You fell asleep, pained with puffy eyes and red, wet cheeks, clutching to the phone like it was a lifeline that would ring to pull you back. The entire time, you dreamt of ways to fix this, to get back to the man you loved - the man that told you he loved you back and you let go. You weren’t going to be stupid a second time. You were going to get the man you desired, that made you happy and complete, not caring about anything that stood between you.

When you awake, sore bodied and numb inside, the first thing you did was compile a message, simple in structure and straight to the point. The recipients: eight boys that grinned eagerly at the message that made all their phones buzz, their ninth member unsuspecting.

I need to fix this.

You took a deep breath, stepping off the plane. Your footsteps were hurried, pushing passed people with mumbled apologies as you hurried to gather your luggage. You sent a quick text before leaving the airport, staring up at the bright sky overhead. You couldn’t help but smile. Something about the sky felt different than home, the fresh air that was breathed into your lungs setting something alight inside. You were light on your feet as you skipped forward, elation forming a bubble around you that couldn’t be burst.

You were bouncing as you traveled through the foreign city, eager to arrive at the destination. Your eyes twinkled at you watched the tall buildings pass by, snapping some pictures for yourself as you went. Your heart was pumping faster the closer you got, beginning to burst out of your chest when you felt the taxi stop in front of your destination.

The driver kindly helped you with your luggage before taking the payment you extended towards him, offering a multitude of thank you’s as gratitude for his service. You watched the car disappear down the road before letting out a ragged breath, turning to stare at the building. With luggage in tow, you made your way inside, the wheels of your suitcase thumping as you stepped through the building to find the place you needed to be.

Dry swallowing at the sight of security outside, you let out a shaky breath, unsure if you were able to do this. There was still a small line that you stopped at the end of, sending a quick message with shaky fingers. The slow-moving line prolonged your inherent agony, anxiety beginning to build up. Your stomach clenched with tight knots, wiping your sweaty palms to your jeans.

The security stopped you, asking for your pass to get in. “I-I don’t have one,” you admitted timidly, biting at your lip.

“Unfortunately, I can’t let you in, miss,” the man told you.

“You don’t understand. I’m friends with them-”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

You opened your mouth to explain further, but thankfully, your rescue had come. “She’s alright, guys. She’s my friend,” Mark said, slipping from his spot at the table, apologizing to the fans as he did. “Go ahead and let her in.”

The security guard nodded, letting you by. You smiled gratefully at the boy, not saying anything more so he could return to his seat, apologizing once more and resuming the conversation he was having with the girl in question.

You stared down the line while you had time, seeing all nine boys of NCT sitting in different spots. Mark, Yuta, Johnny, Jungwoo, Taeil, Haechan, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and last, but surely not least, the man you were truly here to see: Taeyong. Even from the distance, you could see how pale he looked, giving somewhat fake smiles to people. He looked partially exhausted and drained, the normal glow he radiated diminished to near nothingness. You pouted at the sight, disliking the scene at the end of the row of tables.

When the girl was gone, Mark gestured you forward. Before you could make it to the front of the table, he rounded it, giving you a tight hug. You were glad the others were distracted by their conversations and signings to see the quick gesture, Mark releasing you shortly after.

“You’re really here,” he said lowly, not wanting to alert anyone.

“I’m here. I told you I was,” you laughed.

“I know,” he chuckled. “But like… you’re here. In the flesh. I’m finally meeting you!”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Markie,” you giggled. “How has it all been?”

“Rough,” he claimed, ruffling his hair. “But it’ll get better now that you are here.”

“I hope.”

Mark grinned, leaning on the table. “Man, I can’t believe it. You’re actually here. I get to meet my sister finally! We’re going to have so much fun while you are here.”

“I’m only here for a week.”

“So, we will have fun!” Mark chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah,” you laughed, pulling out the latest cd you purchased and pushing it his way. “Now, to make this official and to actually follow the rules, I’d like this signed please.”

“I think I can do that,” he chuckled, doing as you said, though making a joke out of the signature in the end so you could have a laugh later. Mark gave you one last hug before you left his table, whispering, “I will see you after the signing, babe. Glad you could make it.”

Leaving your suitcase with Mark, you followed down the line, receiving a similarly warm welcome from each boy. Each boy gave you a hug across the table, expressing their delight that you were finally in Korea, standing in person before them. No longer was there a silly screen separating you and them. They were in the flesh, warm bodies clinging to you before you got them to sign the shiny album in your hands. You were glad you managed to come, meeting the group of boys you cared about so deeply.

Lastly, it was his turn.

Taeyong waved goodbye to the girl in front of you, combing through his hair briefly. You saw him exhale, his chest rising and falling with the deep breath and his nose flaring slightly. He leaned backwards in his seat to crack his back, having been sat for quite a while. You took a second to admire his beauty, in awe of his flawless physique in person. He was always handsome through the phone, even when he wasn’t trying, but before your eyes now - he was downright gorgeous.

He wore a simple red and black striped shirt with black jeans, holes in the legs and knees. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows to relieve some of the summer heat, a couple distinct arm veins running along his clear skin to his hands, running along the tops to his slender digits. His blonde hair was fluffy against his head, the ends of some strands curling upwards adorably. His dark eyes had yet to glance your way, long lashes shut against his cheeks as he relaxed for a single moment.

With one last sigh, you saw his eyes flutter open, asking who was next. His voice was just as smooth and velvety as you recalled, deep and clear with every word he said. Your heart pounded against your chest, waiting for him to see who was standing before him.

It was in slow motion. His head turned towards you, finding you waiting for him. His jaw dropped, and his eyes enlarged. He slowly stood from his seat, tear beginning to form in his eyes. You remained still in your spot, watching him round the table, standing feet before you. His mouth opened and closed, unable to make out words with his suddenly dry throat. When he managed to get them out, they came out as croaks of words.

“Y/N?” he got out at last. “I-Is that really you?”

“Hi Tae,” you murmured, giving him a small smile.

Taeyong let out a choked sob, covering his mouth to muffle it. His feet moved forward before you could react yourself, his long arms wrapping themselves around your smaller frame. Your bag slipped off your shoulder, and your newly signed album hit the floor between you, but that was the last of your worries. Tears sprung to your eyes as you wound your arms around his waist, burying your face in his chest. Taeyong burrowed into your hair, his body wracked with happy sobs.

“You’re here,” he whispered into your locks repeatedly, wetting them with his tears. “You’re really here.”

“I’m really here,” you repeated, giving him a tighter squeeze for the hug you shared. “I’m here, Taeyong. I’m here, bub.”

He backed away, keeping you within arm’s reach. His hands slid up your face, gently cupping your cheeks in his palms. His thumbs smoothed across your skin, wiping at the wet trails that stained them. His lips curled into a bright smile, teeth bared and all. His eyes continued to water, your image blurred but beautiful in his brown orbs.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, biting at his lip. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be home with your boyfriend?”

You shook your head in response, placing your hands over his. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Yong,” you admitted to him. “We broke up a couple weeks ago.”

He gaped at you, short, incomplete thoughts reaching your ears. “But… you’re... what… why…?”

“I’ve done a lot of thinking lately,” you said, feeling more tears coming. “And I realized that I was stupid for not realizing sooner just how much I love you.”

He choked back a sob.

“I was stupid for letting you go and for agreeing to not pursue anything. Because, Taeyong, you complete me. You make me happier than anyone ever has. I was stupid to think that something as silly as the places we live could keep us apart. I realized that it doesn’t matter because the world can’t keep us from each other. It doesn’t matter where we are, or how far apart we are. What matters is that our hearts-” your hand was placed on his chest, feeling the rapid storm of heartbeats hammering to his ribcage, “-are connected. That even when I see the sun and you see the moon, as long as we are under the same sky, nothing can keep us apart. What matters is that I want to be with you, Taeyong.

“And, I hope you want to be with me still too.”

The idol choked on his sob again, pulling you closer to him. Your foreheads met, the man slightly hunched over to meet yours, but you made it work. Your noses bumped against each other, his minty breath fanning over your lips. They were near each other, closing in with each second that passed. The idol leader darted his tongue forward to wet his lips before answering, voice cracking slightly, though remaining angelic.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he whispered. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.”

“I’m sure I can guess, because it was just as long for me,” you laughed. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize.”

“I’m to blame too,” he replied, chuckling lowly. “I let you go when I should have stopped you.”

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore. I made my choice,” you confessed, biting at your lip. “And I choose you, Tae. It’s always been you. There’s no turning back and honestly, I have no intention of changing my mind.”

“Good,” he said.

With that, his lips were on yours in a sweet kiss - something you had been dying for without realizing it. You sunk into him, pushing closer to him until your chests were pressed against one another. Your arms clung to his waist, his saying firm to your cheeks. His lips were soft, moving perfectly against yours in the blissful connection. His head tilted just enough to ensure your lips could mesh together perfectly. The second his lips touched yours, you felt a shock run through your spine, every red light in your mind working to releasing the fireworks.

When he pulled away, your lips were left tingling, craving more. His lips rubbed together, twitching into a shy, but excited grin. Your faces nuzzled together, refusing to move from the warm hug you were sharing.

“Tae?” you uttered softly, hearing him hum. “Happy birthday.”

He chuckled, shaking his head against yours. “You remembered?”

“Of course,” you laughed. “That’s partially why I worked to get here today of all days, especially knowing you had this fan signing.”

“Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift.”

His arms closed around you once more, nuzzling into the side of your head, inhaling your sweet scent. You hummed in delight, burrowing back into his chest, your joyous tears soaking into his tears. Your body was riveting with excitement, heart pounding, the sound in your ears, and stomach flipping with rampaging butterflies. For the first time in weeks, you were content, feeling an ease that hadn’t been present since the day your feelings were first confessed. To be in his arms was something you had dreamt of, and now to be here, you were reluctant to let go.

The ethereal moment was broken, unfortunately, but a group of rowdy boys behind you cheering at the top of their lungs. The eight boys didn’t hesitate to rush forward, wrapping their arms around you in tight hugs. You couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that escaping, hearing Taeyong doing the same. His angelic laughter rang in your ears, the sweet melody better in person. Taeyong’s arms stayed firm around you, clutching you to his person, while the rest of the idols gathered around you, enveloping you in unexplainable heat.

“Finally!” Johnny yelled loudly, the others protesting slightly at the sound.

“Too loud, Johnny,” Doyoung attacked, grimacing at the sound that was aimed directly in his ear.

“But seriously, guys. We are so happy for you. You are finally together! It’s about time you could be together without things to worry about,” Jaehyun chimed.

“Did you guys know about this?” Taeyong asked as the hug dispersed, his arms never leaving you. Even though you turned in his arms to look at the boys, all eight with pleased grins, the leader’s arms stayed tight around your waist, his chin on your shoulder.

“We may have had something to do with this,” Jungwoo sneakily hummed.

“She said she wanted to come visit and fix the things between you,” Taeil confessed. Your face lit up, feeling Taeyong’s stare into the side of your face.

“We just wanted to help!” Haechan continued. “We needed to see the ship sail!”

“You guys were always so happy together and when everything happened, you both got so down,” Yuta frowned. “We wanted to help make things better because you are best together.”

“I think what they’re all saying,” Mark cut in, “is that we are happy that you can finally stop fighting your feelings. You guys are so happy together and we only want to see that continue. You deserve to be happy and you deserve each other. Were glad you have stopped fighting your feelings and realized that it doesn’t matter as long as you are together.”

You knew Taeyong looked confused, so you turned to him. “Mark is oddly smart for his age.”

“Hey!”

“What? It’s true! You gave me some very good advice!” you exclaimed. “You are younger than me, Markie. Stop being so wise.”

“But, I’m still confused,” Taeyong admitted, his arms dropping from around you. You turned to look at him, noting his knit brows, wrinkled forehead and confusion laced irises. The other boys fell silent, waiting for their leader to continue. “Don’t misunderstand please. I’m thrilled you are here. I have wanted to meet you and hold you and… god, just you being here is my dream come true. But, I don’t get why. And how. Everyone is saying that we can be together, but you will have to go home eventually. I just… I don’t get it.”

You bit at your lip sharing a glance at the eight boys before facing Taeyong completely. “I wasn’t going to mention it until later because I wanted it to be a surprise. But as much as this trip is to meet you and tell you that I want to be with you, there is another reason I came.’

“What?” Taeyong asked, blinking.

“The office I work for,” you started, smiling growing unknowingly. “There is one here, in Seoul. It’s still fairly new, so they are still building. I expressed my interest to my boss, and he managed to set me up with some time to discuss with the manager here for me to transfer.”

“Wait. So, you might…”

Taeyong was at a loss for words.

“Yes,” you confirmed, giving him a bright smile. “If accepted, I will be moving to Seoul to work permanently. And as it stands, since I’ve talked to the manager already in phone conferences, it’s looking highly likely that I will be moving. The fact that I speak English and Korean, thanks to a certain idol, is a major draw for them. So, I will know more in a few days when I meet with them. They will tell me for sure what the plan is.”

Taeyong’s eyes filled with tears again, fling himself forward, encasing you in his grasp. He let out a cheerful laugh that brought to light your own stifled giggles, curling your arms around him, pushing into his hold. Rocking you back and forth, he lifted you off your feet, spinning you in circles.

“You’re staying,” he breathed, choking on his own laughs. “You’re really staying. You’re here and you’re staying.”

“Tentative,” you laughed, barely managing to speak. “But I’m confident in saying yes, I am here to stay.” once your feet touched the ground, you grasped his face, cupping his cheeks and smoothing your thumbs under his eyes. He had considerably brightened since you first saw him, color already returning to his paled face. He looked more like himself, even with the tear marks that streaked his cheeks. “I’m here to be with you, Tae. Because I’m tired of denying us. I want to be with you.”

“God, I’ve wanted to hear that forever,” he cooed, leaning forward. His lips hovered over yours, the smile contagious with the close proximity. “I want nothing more than to be with you. I’m sorry I was stupid before I let you go.”

“Don’t be,” you whispered. “Because we are here now. And nothing can keep us apart.”

Taeyong grinned, placing a second kiss to your lips - it was just as explosive as the first. Your eyes closed at the sweet connection, his lips harder to yours than before but just as careful. The tingling sensation returned, traveling throughout your body. Your fingertips itched, curling into his cheeks more. Your body pressed closer to him, one foot nudged between his, toes curling in your shoes. His lips dragged against yours, separating with a subtle smack before dipping in again for more, sharing multiple, short connections.

Your mind was blank, enjoying the sweet, supple taste of his lips. He tasted like honey, his lips luscious and plump against yours. They were a drug you never thought you’d want or have, the sugary taste he offered addicting.

“Alright well, I hate to break up this little romantic session you guys are having,” Jaehyun cut in, causing you and Taeyong to separate, panting slightly for lost air. “We should get going. We have things to do.”

“Yeah. If we wait, we’re going to miss all of the food!” Haechan cried, gathering his stuff.

Taeyong’s brow rose, slipping his hand into yours. “Don’t we have more things this afternoon? I thought we had a radio interview after this.”

“It was moved until later this week,” Johnny mused with a smirk. Taeyong blinked.

“But I thought-”

“It took a lot of convincing,” Doyoung cut in, placing his bag on his shoulder. “It took all eight of us to convince our manager to shuffle some stuff around so we could celebrate today.”

“It’s your birthday, hyung! Did you really think we were going to be busy all day?” Jungwoo joked.

Taeyong scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Well, yeah actually. We’ve had concerts on peoples’ birthdays. What would make today so different?”

“Y/N,” all eight said, making you laugh.

“With Y/N coming, we wanted to be able to have a nice afternoon where we could celebrate,” Taeil told the center.

“So, with a lot of begging and pleading, they finally agreed,” Yuta laughed with a bright, sunshine-like smile.

“What are we waiting for?” Haechan whined, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Let’s go! I’m hungry!”

“What are we doing?” Taeyong asked, leading you away by the hand so he could gather his stuff.

“Heading back to the dorm to have your birthday dinner,” Jaehyun told him.

“We’re grilling meat!” Jungwoo cheered.

“Taeyong-hyung, make us pork belly!” Haechan whined.

“Haechannie, be nice!” you scolded. “It’s Yong’s birthday.”

“But-”

“It’s fine,” Taeyong laughed. “I’ll grill.”

“Yay!” the youngest screamed, hopping off the ground in his joy.

“Well, let’s go already,” Mark chuckled, dragging your suitcase with him on his way out.

Taeyong took your hand, placing a kiss to your cheek before leading you after the rest of the boys, headed for the two vans that were parked, waiting to take you back to the NCT dorms. Taeyong kept your hand in his, fingers laced, until you reached the doors of the building. Not wanting fans to catch sight of your interlocked hands, he broke off from you, helping to place a black mask over your face and putting your sunglasses over your eyes. You giggled at his delicate nature, one last kiss left to your lips before rushing out to the awaiting cars, piling into them before people could really catch sight of the moving idols.

Upon arriving at the dorms, you were all ushered out back where the grill was already heating. Two tables were set up for eating, a white table cloth draped over the tops. Taeyong left your side regrettably to start cooking, Mark rushing inside to fetch the meats. You left him with a tender kiss, heading into the dorms to help prepare side dishes the leader enjoyed as a celebration of his big day.

Doyoung, Mark and Jungwoo gave you a quick tour of the dorms, having you leave your suitcase in Taeyong’s room for the time being. You admired their cozy living quarters, elated that you were there in person. The smell of Febreze still lingered in the halls from Taeyong’s early morning rounds, making his home smell of his favorite scent. Little trash was scattered from their late nights. Beds were messily made, but you didn’t expect much from them - they were boys and had a rigorous schedule to adhere to. They had rushed out early from what you were told, unable to properly clean before your arrival, not that you minded.

Aiding Doyoung in the kitchen, you helped to prepare plates of various sides - kimchi, cucumber kimchi, pickled radish, tteokbokki, japchae. All things to help feed the nine hungry boys you were with. To go with everything was kalguksu, one of Taeyong’s favorite foods. Jungwoo helped to prepare some small sides of rice, rice paper included with the meal. To finish off dinner was the dessert you had stopped to grab on your way to the signing that Mark, fortunately, kept hidden from Taeyong’s eye until later. A chocolate cake with strawberries, decorate with strawberry macarons, to satisfy the leader’s insatiable sweet tooth.

You figured if he knew it was in the dorm, he’d skip to the cake rather than eat a meal with everyone else. He always loved his sweets more than anything and wasn’t afraid to indulge in the rich chocolate over the delectable pork belly he was grilling.

You shared many laughs with the boys that helped to plate the dishes, carrying it outside to the table. Drinks had been brought out and poured. Smoke filled the darkening sky from the grill, the sun beginning to set in the distance. Lights were strung up around the small yard you were in, lighting the space. Music played from Taeyong’s phone, amplified by a speaker that was nearby. The delicious scent of grilled pork filled your nose, your mouth beginning to salivate.

Placing the pot of kalguksu on the table with the rest of the dishes, making your way towards the grill where Taeyong stood. Small flames licked the grates as he flipped the meats, letting them cook on the other side. Gloves covered his hands, a hat pulled over his head to keep his hair back as he cooked. He held the long tongs in his hand, scissors placed aside so he could cut the meat when it was done.

Your arms wrapped around him from behind, hands running along his chest. Your face buried into his neck, smelling the smoke from the grill that was pressed into the fabric. Taeyong chuckled, a large smile on his face.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just leave me be for a second,” you whispered to him, hugging him tighter. “I’ve wanted to hug you for so long, Yong. To feel you for so long. Just… let me do this for just a second.”

Taeyong blushed, biting his lip. The tongs were placed aside while the meat cooked, the man rotating in your hold to wrap his arms around you, hands left hovering in the hair so he wouldn’t have to change his gloves after. His face nestled into your hair, leaving tender kisses in the strands. A content sigh left you both, relishing in the peaceful moment under the soon-to-be night sky, the moon rising overhead to place a shimmering glow upon you.

Remaining by his side, you watched him pull the meat from the fire, cutting the strips into bite sides chucks. Carefully he lifted a piece of the cooked meat towards you, letting a quick, “say ah!” as he extended the food your direction. It was hot on your tongue when you opened your mouth, the meat placed between your cheeks. Despite the heat, you let out a squeal, the pork tender, melting onto your taste buds. You happily chewed the pork you were given, savoring the tangy selection.

Taeyong grinned, returning to the rest of the pork. “Good?”

“Oh, no. It’s not good,” you breathed out, swaying back and forth happily. “It’s amazing.”

“Is it?” he chuckled, watching you closely.

“Yes!” you exclaimed. “God, where have you been all my life? Why have I been missing out on this until now?”

“Well, I guess,” he mused, leaning closer towards you, a knowing smirk on his face. “I just gave you more incentive to stay here.”

You smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck, pushing yourself closer to him. “You’re making a rather compelling argument.”

“I can give you more reason, if you’d like.”

“Oh?” you cooed, your lips nearly on his. “Please, then. Give me more reason to stay here.”

“Because I’m here,” he cheekily replied. “And, I want you to be my girl finally.”

“Eh?” was your response, backing away slightly.

“I want you to be mine. Like, for real. I pushed you away enough, so no more. I want you to be my girlfriend forever and always.”

You blinked at him before placing your lips carefully to his, the kiss short and passionate. He let out a short whine when you pulled away, wanting more. But you smiled, weaving your fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp. “Of course, I will be yours, Taeyong.”

He grinned, kissing you once more, both of your sets of eyes closing. The passionate connection was growing more heated, needier, the longer your lips were pressed together. However, it didn’t last as long as you wanted when you heard a familiar boy’s scream.

“Hey! Stop lip locking and watch the food! If you burn the pork belly, I’m suing!” Johnny hollered, causing you both to break part. Taeyong was less than amused at the comments, the tall smirking man left running as tools went flying in his direction, clattering to the ground feet away. The leader huffed in annoyance, relaxing into your grasp when you resumed hugging him from behind, his focus returning to the food he had to finish.

The dinner was amusing, to say the least. Once everyone was seated and food began to get passed around, the jokes began flying, and laughter was a common sound heard amongst the group. The group of idols told you various stories you had never heard before, telling you about things that you missed in your absence. Guilt raided your body when you heard the different things that had gone on while you were busy trying to ignore the truth, trying to fight the feelings you had that never once diminished. You believed for so long that the distance would keep you from keeping happy, but the real heartache was from the denial that Taeyong was your true bliss.

Now, the euphoria of being committed to this man left you speechless, regretting the time you missed with them.

While you ate, your hand slide over to Taeyong’s lap, a hand resting on his thigh. No one could see it from where you were sitting, the plastic table covering hitting your laps. Five people sat on each side of the tables, you at the end of your side with Taeyong to your right. The sudden touch of your hand on his thigh made him choke slightly on his meat, glancing in your direction. You just sent him a sweet smile, giving his leg a firm squeeze.

Slowly, his hand laced with yours, but he didn’t just hold it. He pulled it further up his leg, resting on a certain, distinguishable bulge at the top. You blinked in confusion, seeing the faint blush that spread over his cheeks and an apologetic expression on his face.

“Sorry,” he whispered low enough for only you to hear. “I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it right now. I’m just…”

“It’s fine, Yong,” you told him, giving him a soft kiss. His breathing stopped mid kiss when your hand gave him a squeeze, caressing him through his dark jeans. The kiss broke with a low smack of the lips, Taeyong smiling widely. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Good,” he chuckled, moving his hand to your own thigh, ended dangerously high up. You fidgeted slightly, anxious to have his hands on you at all, but you didn’t say anything, cherishing his warm touch. You wanted nothing more than to feel him near you, so you weren’t about to let your nerves get the best of you. You smiled at him, giggling when he picked up another piece of pork belly, wrapped in a piece of kimchi, holding it towards you. “Now, say ah!”

You did as he obliged, letting out a content mewl of satisfaction at the taste. The ethereal taste made you dance in your seat, squeezing a bit more than intended. Taeyong had to let out a choked gasp for you to realize what had happened but covered it quickly with a chuckle.

“Man, you guys are so cute, it’s sickening,” Doyoung huffed across from you, sitting his water.

You cracked a smile at him, hiding it slightly behind your own cup. “Don’t even deny that you love it.”

Doyoung made a scrunched-up face that was supposed to resemble disgust, but the grin told you otherwise. And before he could spit a savage retort, Jungwoo cut in. “I love it.”

“At least Jungwoo is on our side!” you scowled playfully at Doyoung. Taeyong just chuckled, shaking his head.

“Calm down, children.”

“Hey! I am your girlfriend good sir! Don’t call me a child!” you huffed, bumping his shoulder. The idol laughed loudly, bumping you back.

“You’re my baby now,” he cooed, placing a kiss to your cheek that made you red.

The other guys laughed, fake gagging at the coupley actions they were forced to witness. The rest of dinner went just like that, laughter, jokes and plenty of teasing passed around the table, sharing good food and making memories you would never forget. And your hand never moved from him, a light blush on both yours and Taeyong’s faces from the intimacy that was going on under the table, unbeknownst to the rest of the boys.

The eight group members agreed to clean up while you spent time with Taeyong, wandering the courtyard you had reserved for the afternoon. Your hands were linked together, fingers intertwined and grasped tightly. His large hand covered yours perfectly, your hands matching like two pieces of the same puzzle. Your head rested on his shoulder as you walked, stopping at a bench away from the others.

Together you sat, staring up at the dark sky that twinkled with stars and the golden moon that seemed to smile down at you. Taeyong placed tender kisses to your forehead and temple, tracing his luscious, pink lips along your hairline. You could feel his smile, making your heart race.

“This is the first time,” he uttered lowly, resting his head on yours. “The first time we are seeing the same part of the sky together. The first time we can stare at the moon together. The first time you aren’t seeing something different than I am.”

“You’re right,” you hummed. “But, it doesn’t change anything. Nothing can keep us apart now.”

Taeyong chuckled, pulling you closer to his side. “You’re right. Whether it’s the sun or the moon, the world is ours, baby. And nothing will keep me from you ever again. I let you slip away once because of something stupid. Not again. I have you here, in my arms, and I’m never letting go.”

“Taeyong,” you whispered, waiting for him to respond. When you heard his low hm, you took his hand into you lap, staring at it. Your voices were clear, and your voice was strong, at the words you let out. “I love you.”

“I know,” he mumbled. He glanced at you, his dark brown eyes sparkling, glinting with emotion. “I love you too, Y/N. So much. I have for as long as I can remember. And I’m glad that you were my pen pal all those years ago. Because I was able to meet the most amazing woman on this planet. I feel in love with my best friend. It didn’t matter where she was because she held my heart from the day I got her first letter.”

Your heart skip a beat at the conviction in his voice, staring deeply at him. Slowly he closed in, his hand moving up to your cheek to draw you into him. His eyes fluttered closed, yours mirroring his. Your lips touched in a careful embrace, tentative at first. His lips dragged against yours, smacking when they pulled apart. Instantly, he was delving back in for another, confidence striking him like a chord. His lips pressed harder this time, tilting his head so sash them harder to yours. The kiss was firm and stronger than before, lips moving quickly against one another.

Your lips parted when his tongue slid along your sealed entrance, letting him bypass your lips to gain access between your cheeks. Your tongues playfully swirled around one another, Taeyong hesitant at first until your tongue poked out to find the intruder. Multiple hot, open-mouthed kisses were shared between you, your bodies inching closer together. His hands rested on your waist while yours were tangled in his fluffy blonde strands, tugging at them incessantly. Your moans were lost to the multitude of kisses, his groans trapped in his throat. Any that escaped were muffled, swallowed before they could fill the air.

The faint call of your names made you separate, lips swollen and faces red. Chests heaved with heavy pants, attempting to reclaim precious air that was lost. Your tingling lips rubbed together, savoring the taste of the man that lingered on them, letting your arms fall from him. A disappointed and annoyed grunt left his mouth, his hand tousling his hair before standing up, reaching for your hand.

“We should head back,” he claimed, obviously disappointed for being interrupted. You giggled at him, taking his hand. Your steps were slow heading back, not wanting to rush.

“I probably should actually head out,” you told him.

Taeyong halted, jaw ajar. “What? No. You can’t leave already. You said-”

“To my hotel, Tae,” you teased. His jaw snapped shut, staring at you blankly.

“Oh,” he let out slowly, exhaling in relief. Suddenly, his face lit up, turning to you. “Why not just stay here?”

“What?” You asked. “Tae, I couldn’t possibly.”

“Um, he might actually be right,” Mark cut in. His phone was in his hand and he had a sheepish grin on his cheeks. “Your hotel called and said they were full. Guess you can’t go.”

You glared at the young male, knowing exactly what he was pulling. Taeyong seemed oblivious to Mark’s true deeds as he bounced in his spot, looking like a kid in a candy store. “So, you can stay with us?”

“I guess I have no choice considering I have no other place to sleep tonight,” you sneered, glaring at Mark. You seethed at him through gritted teeth. “Thanks, Mark.”

“Just delivering the message,” Mark claimed with a sly wink.

Taeyong bounced more, placing a quick kiss to your cheek. “I will go check with Johnny to see if he is willing to give up his bed while you are here. He can take the couch or crash in Yuta’s room. I will meet you upstairs, babe!”

Taeyong took on running, leaving you with the young rapper. Once Taeyong was out of sight, your fist made contact with the Canadian boy’s ribs, whom groaned in pain at your hit. “I hate you.”

“Thank me later. I hope Taeyong likes the gift Johnny got him later.”

Mark ran off before you could strike again, your eyes wide. “Mark Lee! Get back here!”

You sat on Taeyong’s bed, waiting for him to finish cleaning the dorm to his liking. When you returned inside, the outside spotless from your night, you finished Taeyong’s birthday with a bang, eating the cake you got. The man drooled at the sight when it was placed in front of him, ready to devour the entire thing in one sitting. Thankfully, he agreed to share - though he seemed reluctant at that and divided the cake into ten equal pieces.

After the cake were presents, things ranging from gag items such as a pack of Febreze to practical items like a new camera and fabric markers for his fashion design hobby. One small box had contents unknown. All you knew was whatever was inside left his cheeks ablaze and the box tucked away into his room as soon as he opened it. He had bolted, stumbling over limbs and discarded gift boxes on his rush to his room.

Your fingers ran through your hair, grimacing at the oily feeling. After the long travel time and the heat of the day, you felt disgusting. But you didn’t want to do anything without permission. You waited until Taeyong walked back into his room, shutting the door behind him. Before the door shut, you noticed the lights were out, indicating that everyone had gone off to their respective rooms for the night.

Johnny had happily given up his bed for the days you were there, gathering clothes, pillow and blankets from his bed before carting them off to Yuta’s room down the way. You were thankful for his generosity, partially because you weren’t sure how comfortable it would be to sleep with your boyfriend for the first time in the same bed with someone else in the room, and partially because you were alone with Taeyong. That was nerve wracking enough.

Taeyong flopped onto his bed, wrapping his arms around your waist. His head settled into your lap, near purring when your fingers automatically combed through his hair, relaxing him. “You’re here,” he whispered happily, hearing you giggle softly. “You’re going to sleep with me tonight, right?”

You blushed, choking on your own saliva. “I-I mean…”

Taeyong corrected himself before you could finish. ‘I-I meant like… in the same bed! You won’t be sleeping in Johnny’s bed, right? You’ll sleep beside me, in the same bed, under my covers, while I snuggle you?”

“Of course,” you laughed. “But can I perhaps shower before bed? I feel gross after the flight and being out all day.”

Taeyong smiled up at you, taking your hand and kissing the center of your palm. The gesture made your lips twitch upwards, biting back a smile yourself. “Of course, babe.”

He led you to the bathroom attached to his room, shared by him and Johnny, and whoever stood on the other side of the opposite door, digging under the sink for a towel. The bathroom was rather large, glass shower, marble countertops, large mirror, sparkling clean toilet, probably due to Taeyong’s OCD. He had a box of cleaning supplies nearby to wipe everything down as needed. The fluffy green towel he pulled out was placed to the counter, pointing towards the shower.

“If you didn’t bring your own stuff, mine is the left, top shelf.”

“With the bottles neatly arranged, perfectly aligned, from shampoo to soap?” you teased. Taeyong chuckled nodding.

“You know me so well,” he breathed. A hot blush rose to his face, the idol clearing his throat. “If you need anything just holler.”

“I will,” you murmured. Your eyes followed Taeyong as he went to lock the door on the other side so someone wouldn’t accidentally walk in on you. He gave you a lopsided smile before headed towards his room. “Actually, Tae, wait.”

He paused, glancing back at you. You were fidgeting in your spot, nervous energy leaking from you. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“I just…” you started, glancing at the shower. “I’ve never used a shower in Korea. Can you show me?”

Taeyong chuckled, nodding his head. Leading you towards the shower, he stepped inside, clothes and all. “You just turn it like this and it’ll start right up. Best to warn you it does take a moment to heat up though. If you want to adjust the heat, turn this one here.”

“I see,” you uttered. You pressed against his back, Taeyong’s breath hitching in his throat. Your arms hesitantly wrapped around his waist, hugging him close. “Would you, perhaps, stay with me while I shower?”

Taeyong dry swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Oh?” was all he could muster. You nodded against his back, clutching his shirt tightly. Your face was hot, your stomach felt tight, and you were afraid of his answer. You had dared to ask him something so bold, and you weren’t sure how he would respond so soon into your relationship. Part of you thought you were rushing, but the other part said it was just right.

You wanted this.

“I-I was just thinking,” you began. “I’m new here and I’m kind of afraid to be alone. I was thinking someone could stay and… keep me company.”

Taeyong turned in your grasp, cupping your face. His thumbs brushed along your cheeks, smiling once before pulling you into a kiss. It was intense from the start, heating up until your lips were dragging along each other fiercely. He showed no signs of backing away, leaving you alone to shower. He pushed you for another kiss, sliding his tongue between your cheeks, tracing the inner linings.

Your hand flailed behind him, his feet stepping back from your weight pushing against him. Without looking, you found the knob for the shower, twisting it blindly until water was pouring over your forms, clothes and all. You both broke away with a gasp, the icy cold water hitting you. It was heating up, but the shock startled you, causing you to jerk back in surprise. Your eyes met Taeyong’s, and after a second of staring, you both burst out laughing.

Water dripped down your forms, clothes clinging to your limbs. Taeyong pushed his hand through his hair, the locks pushed back against his head. With the water droplets sliding down his face, dripping from his hair, and running along his hands, he looked gorgeous, your gaze unable to tear away from him. Water ran along his sharp jawline, dripping from his chin. His striped shirt was hugging his chest and arms, his dark jeans hugging his thigh and slim legs even tighter.

Taeyong grinned at you before peeling the wet shirt off his chest, over his head. He tossed the wet cotton into the corner of the shower with a wet, squishing thump, his torso left bare before you. He wasn’t the most muscular man around - Jaehyun had proven that more than once by walking around shirtless in the dorm while you were on a call with Taeyong. But you couldn’t stop admiring the lean build he did have. Muscles along his arms, abs that accentuated his lean physique, a small scar on the lower right side of his abdomen - your hands reached out to trace along his fine form, memorizing every inch of him.

He watched you silently before dipping his head down for a heated kiss. His lips ravished yours for a minute, placing multiple lip-smacking kisses to your lips. His hands ran along your sides until he found the hem of your shirt, giving it a small tug. His lips broke away from yours with a low smooch, biting his lip.

“It’s only fair,” he teased. Wordlessly, you rose your arms, giving him the answer he desired. The man pulled your shirt away from your body, tossing it with his in the corner of the shower. You shivered at the exposure, biting your lip. His prying eye made you self-conscious, left only in your bra that did nothing to hide your erect nipples from the shower you were in. He held your wrists before you could try to shield yourself, leaning forward to please loving kisses along your shoulder and collarbone. “Beautiful.”

With the shower raining over you, cascading down your topless bodies, Taeyong’s nimble fingers unhooking your bra with ease. With it discarded with the rest of the clothes, his breath hitched, swallowing thickly. His eyes asked for silent permission before proceeding, your nod allowing him to touch you.

His fingers brushed along the side of your breast before cupping it completely. The pad of his thumb swiped over your nipple, hearing you mewl at the pleasure it caused. He smiled at the angelic noise, wetting his lips with his tongue before delving in. His hand fondled the right breast while his mouth attacked the left, lips wrapped around the pert bud. Your hands wove through his wet strands, moaning louder than before.

His lips broke from your chest with a pop, gazing up through his lashes at you. “Quiet, babe. Don’t want to wake the guys.”

You nodded, tugging your lip between your teeth to stay silent. The idol leader resumed his assault, red suckling kisses littered across your chest. The man placed kiss after kiss to your taut bud, flicking it with his tongue and swirling it between his cheeks. Swapping after a bit, when one nipple was swollen and overly sensitive, he repeated his attack.

He pulled from your chest with a pop, moving up to your lips. Your bottom lip was indented from your teeth, soothed from the kiss he placed upon it. Amidst the kiss, he tugged at your belt loops. The kiss broke, Taeyong’s lips brushing yours as he spoke.

“It’s kind of hard to shower with jeans on,” he joked. You laughed at him, unbuttoning your jeans before reaching out to undo his. His dark brow rose, watching you quietly.

“You’re right, Yong,” you hummed. “So, let’s fix that.”

You tugged his pants down, gulping at the bulge in his black Armani underwear. You helped him peel the black denim from his legs, struggling from how much they stuck to his slender legs. Once they are off his ankles, you pushed them aside. Taeyong did the same to you, though he took longer to remove your pants. His lips laid kisses down your wet legs, letting out a staggered breath before dipping his face between your legs. A kiss was placed to your covered heat, a gasp leaving your lips.

“Tae,” you stammered, gripping his shoulders. He hummed below you, fingers wrapped around the sides of your panties. “Please.”

Your low plea told him to do it. He tugged them down, tossing them away unforgivingly. Now bare to him completely, your nervousness spiked, self-conscious before him. But he continuously uttered compliments under his breath, praising you without worry. Every word he uttered, you could hear his sincerity, elation rushing to your heart.

His lips met your moist core, your fingers digging into his shoulders, leaving crescent shaped indentures in his skin. Breathing became difficult in the heat of the shower, steam rising around you. His tongue flicked through your folds, kitten licking you a few times before sticking his tongue deep inside you. Despite his earlier warning, you moaned his name, slumping forward at the pleasure you felt.

His tongue swirled around your core, tracing your walls with the tip. His hands gripped at the backs of your thighs, holding you against him as he attacked your center, slurping up whatever you already released from the arousal that was building since the shower began. His tongue didn’t stay long inside you, exchanged for a single finger.

He was cautious at first, testing the waters of what worked for you, not wanting to do something you didn’t like. He uttered that he didn’t want to pressure you into anything, or make you uncomfortable, and that couldn’t be more admirable to you. The fact that he cared meant everything to you and solidified your conviction - you wanted this more than anything with him.

The single turned into a double after a few slick thrusts, your moans becoming uncontrollable. He gave you a glinted stare but didn’t slow his thrusts. They sped up instead, the tips curling and nails scratching pleasurably at your inner walls. Your legs felt weak, beginning to shake in his grasp. Your walls were spasming around him, hugging his two digits tightly. The thrusts made a squelching noise as he moved, filling and spreading you with the two slender phalanges.

When his lips met your clit, you broke. A loud moan of his names, and a hug of his fingers inside you, and you were releasing around him. You slumped forward even more, glad Taeyong was holding you up and you could use his shoulders for support. Otherwise, you could have been face first on the shower floor, the water pooling around your body instead of your feet.

Taeyong’s thrusts eased until you stopped shaking against him, pulling his fingers from you. His lips pressed to your pussy one last time, tenderly kissing it before standing. He placed a soft kiss to your lips, hugging you to his chest.

He grabbed his shampoo, rubbing it into your hair as you relaxed against him. He tilted our head back into the water, combing through your strands to get all the suds out. He repeated the process with the conditioner, sighing when he felt your lips press to his chest while scrubbing the conditioner into your hair. You did the same to him once your body could stand straight, listening to him laugh when you struggled to wash his hair. You had to stand on your toes to reach, falling into him a few times.

He ran his soap along your body, your giggles sounding when he passed over spots that tickled. The bubbles passed over to his limbs whenever your rubbed against each other, your hand reaching to take the soap from him. Your hands were slow to move over him, rubbing the soap to his body, admiring his perfect physique.

A groan left your lips when you realized he still had his underwear on, Taeyong chuckling under his breath. His fingers played with the band, hands covered in soapy bubbles, pushing he black fabric away from his body. His shaft was erect, making you blush hotly. You hand with the soap trembled, swallowing when you reach down to touch it. It twitched under the lightest graze, making you jump.

Taeyong chuckled, taking your hand, wrapping it around himself. “Like this,” he taught you, showing you how to stroke him. He pulsated in your grip, a throaty groan leaving his lips the more you stroked him, rubbing suds along his length.

“Sorry,” you told him when you pulled away, putting his soap back. “It’s just… been a while I guess.”

“That one drunken one-night stand doesn’t help much when you’re in a relationship,” he chuckled, making you sneer. “Hey! I know you told me that in confidence and I never told the guys! But you know I’m in the same boat!”

“Because you’re such a lightweight,” you giggled.

“Yeah. Never let me drink,” he chuckled.

“But I think I’d love to see that one day.”

“Soon, baby,” he hummed.

Rinsing off the soap and the remainder of the conditioner, Taeyong turned off the water, the last of the water that pooled around your feet disappearing down the drain. He rushed to grab the towel for you, wrapping it around your body for you before grabbing his own from under the sink.

He brushed through your hair for you before yelling you to head back to his room while he cleaned up. You laughed at his OCD, kissing his softly on the lips and doing as he requested. Taeyong went to work, diligently hanging the wet clothes to dry, while you sat on his bed, not bothering to seek out your pajamas. You sat in just the towel, hugging it to your chest, contemplating what to do next.

You were jetlagged from the flight, but you were tired enough to fall asleep immediately. You were still wide awake, and the only thing that could be causing that was the ache between your legs. Even after the shower activities, you were anxious and aroused, wanting to do more than you already had. Your heart was pounding in your chest, pumping blood to your lower region. Your body was heated, craving his delicate but sensual touch. You weren't ready to call it a night - not when Taeyong was still awake, dressed in a single blue towel.

Your head shot up when you heard the bathroom door shut, giving you privacy. Taeyong leaned against it, eyeing you like you were some sort of prey first. His hands were behind his back, one knee bent as he leaned backwards against the sealed doorway.

You gestured him forward with the curl of a finger, the man gladly striding over to you. His long legs carried him forward quickly, making short work on his advance, his footfalls brisk and nimble. His lips met yours before he even hit the bed, crawling over you instantly. Your back fell to the bed, returning the kiss he ignited. His body rolled against yours, hips grinding into you. The towel around his waist creating a wall between skin. Your own towel rode up from his movement, loosening the tie on the front.

Your tongues battled for a minute, open mouth kisses creating smacks that bounced off the walls, resonating in the confines of the bedroom. The man pulled away, dragging his lips down slowly, hauntingly sucking at your bottom lip before separating completely.

"What do you want?" He asked, voice deep, a velvety husk surprising you. His eyes cracked open to look down at you, a dark glint present in his orbs. "I don't want to do anything if you don't want it."

"I want you," you confidently told him, not bothering to hesitate.

"You're sure?" He asked.

"One hundred percent," you confided. "I have never been more sure than I am right now that I want you, Taeyong. I love you and I want nothing more than to show that to you."

"I mean, we don't have to do this to show that you love me, " he laughed. You scowled, slapping his chest. "But, the thought of making love to my beautiful girlfriend is something I surely want to make a reality. Because then, she knows I love her too. And I have no intention of loving anyone else."

Your hands laced with his, his lips pressing to yours.

"I'm giving you all of me, Taeyong. My heart - please take care of it."

"And I'm giving you all of me, Y/N. Though, you had me from the start, baby. So, it’s time to claim what is rightfully yours."

Your lips connected in a passionate kiss, your bodies rolling against his sheets. Your hips rolled together, grinding against each other without the physical contact of skin on skin. His cock was hardening under the towel - you could tell. Through the fluffy towel, you could feel it poking up at you. The towel that covered your body was pushed up more, riding up to your lower stomach, exposing your legs are aching core.

Taeyong ended up on top of you, gripping the tie of your towel. It had already begun loosening, so it didn’t take him long to rid you of your only cover. Your body wiggled against the bed so he could pull the towel away, dropping it to the floor to collect later. Gradually, his lips trailed down your body, repeating the things he did in the shower. His fingers toyed with your center, prodding at your core, while his mouth focused on your chest, placing suckling, lip-smacking kisses to your nipples.

The pleasure you felt made your eyes close, gasping for air. Mewls of happiness left your lips. You back arched off the bed, pushing further into him, earning a grunt that vibrated your chest. Your legs attempted to close, but his hand kept that from happening, fingers thrusting in teasingly. Your hands found the blonde tresses atop his head, weaving your fingers through them. Raking your fingers along his scalp, the man purred, a low pop sounding when he pulled away. The idol moaned at your touch, nuzzling into your chest, directly between your breasts, letting you pet his hair, focusing on his fingers between your legs.

“I love the way this feels,” he murmured. “I love the way you run your hands through my hair.”

“You do?” you uttered lowly, struggling to make words.

“Yeah. Now I know why you always said you liked the feeling.” His lips curled against your chest plate, sucking a loving kiss to it. His fingers sped up, drawing out a loud moan. “What about this? Do you like the feeling of my fingers inside you?”

You choked on your words, nodding hastily. Your lack of words made Taeyong chuckle, his fingers stilling and disappearing from inside you. The loss made you whimper at him, Taeyong chuckling. His body rolled to yours, his face directly before yours.

“You’re mean,” you whined. Taeyong grinned, kissing you softly. “Also, who knew you were so dirty. I’ve never heard you dirty talk before.”

Taeyong’s face visibly brightened, his eyes widening. “I-I…” he stammered, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Did you like it?”

“I did, actually,” you admitted, heating up. “I like seeing this confident side of you. You’re so sweet and soft and it makes me love you but… you’re a badass on stage. Confident, sexy, dominating. That’s what I’m seeing now, and I love it.”

“Well,” he mused, licking his lips. The corners curled up with a smirk. “How about I show you a good time now? This is our stage, baby. Let’s put on a good show.”

“For no one?” you teased.

The man pouted, crawling off you. “Way to ruin my smooth moment, babe. I was trying to be sexy and reference this on-stage persona you say I have.”

You giggled, crossing your arms over your chest, watching hi rummaging through his neatly organized closet, pushing his shirts, arranged by color, aside to find what he wanted. “You can’t deny that you act different on stage, Tae! You are the sweetest person, but your confidence during a performance is beyond me.”

“I don’t act different though!”

“You’re such a liar,” you laughed. “What are you doing anyway?”

“Finding something,” he told you, cheering when he found the box. You recognized the blue gift box - it was the gift Johnny gave him. He sat beside you, opening the box. “I thought it was a joke. Didn’t think I’d use it.”

You leaned on your elbow, keep a hand over your chest, hugging your breasts together. Inside the box was a handful of boxes of condoms, your face flushing. Taeyong pulled out a small note, showing you the message scribbled to the paper.

Better safe than sorry this year. Have fun, TY, but not too much fun. - Youngho

You laughed, dropping the note back into the box. “That Johnny, man,” you sneered, Taeyong nodding in agreement.

Placing the box on the ground, he held one box in his hand, taking a deep breath before pulling it open to retrieve the square packet. His flipped the sealed pack between his fingers, staring at it then you. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” you replied without hesitation.

“Good,” he grinned.

Your breath stilled when he tore the packet open with his teeth, grimacing slightly afterwards. You giggled at his instant regret but kept quiet. Taeyong stood from the bed, dropping his towel with yours, rolling the condom to his length. He pushed you onto your back, hearing you squeal in excitement, crawling between your legs.

“Well, hello,” you giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Hello, beautiful,” he grinned, kissing your lips multiple times, each kiss making a sloppy smack. His lips trailed down your jaw, your head tilting away as he neared your neck. “If at any point, you want to stop, you just need to say so.”

“I will,” you whispered.

Taeyong pushed up on all fours, using one hand to align himself at your core. Pushing forward, a sharp breath filled your lungs. Your walls were stretched, each inch of him sliding into you until he was fully seated. Stilling, he let out a sigh, burying his face in your shoulder, shaky breaths hitting your skin. He was pulsating within you, tightening the knot in your gut. You eased into his size, Taeyong growing accustomed to the warmth and moisture that seeped around him. He was sensitive, even though the rubber.

Carefully, he began pulling out, pushing back in swiftly before the head of his cock could escape. You moaned at the feeling, your body jerking, a jolt running up your spine. Steadily, his thrusts picked up, bucking his hips into yours. Skin slapping together filled the stale air of the room, hips rolling into each other.

Taeyong hovered over you, resting on his hands, staring down at you with dark eyes. His lip was tugged between his teeth, watching you contort in ecstasy, listening to you mewl at the feeling. The tip of his cock pushed deep into you, repeatedly hitting your sweet spot. Each thrust grew harder, pushing further into you, feverishly slamming into you. Sweat covered his forehead, making his face glisten.

“Do you like this?” he asked, panting heavily. Your nodded, wrapping your arms around him, dragging your nails down his back. He bucked deep into you, eliciting a loud moan from you. The noise made the idol grin, picking up his pace. His grin grew, reveling in the way your pussy held him tight, squeezing him as he pushed relentlessly into you. His length slide along your tight center, making your stomach tighten even more. The feeling of your nails clawing his back, leaving long, red scratches to his skin, was euphoric, his skin tingling, craving more from you.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he sassed, kissing along your face. His teeth nipped at your ear, never missing a beat with his thrusts. “I love hearing you moan, baby. I love knowing my girl is happy and enjoying how I make her feel.”

“Taeyong,” you whimpered, clinging to him.

“You like this, baby?” he asked again, feeling you nod. “Good. I’m never going to stop loving you. I’m never going to stop making you feel good. I’m going to make you feel like this for the rest of your life.”

“Oh god,” was all you could say.

Taeyong rolled you over, surprising you, your body situated over his. Your hands rested on his firm chest, his shaft still nestled deep inside you. His hands rested on your hips, circling himself under you. The smirk on his face made you hot, stomach clenching and core clenching.

“Come on, baby,” he hummed. “Show me your moves.”

“Tae.”

“Please?” he asked, biting his lip. “Give a guy a birthday treat and ride him.”

You choked slightly, shaking your head. “You and your sexy, on stage mode.”

“Are you arguing?” he mused.

Leaning forward, your chest pressed to his, you placed a tender kiss to his lips, smiling against them. Taeyong inhaled sharply at the kiss, following after you when you pulled away. “Of course not. I love it,” you told him. “I could get used to this.”

“Same,” he hummed.

Pushing up on his chest again, you rolled your hips into his, hearing his moans rumble low at first. They grew louder the faster your rolled against him, feeling him sliding in and out of your core. The new angle with you on top of him felt new, your own mewls mixing with his groans. You were tighter around him, and he was able to reach deeper into you. His tip pushed into new spots, hitting something different every time he slid into you.

Taeyong loved watching you bounce on him, exhilarated when he felt you fall forward, elbows on either side of him. You continued to push down onto him, splitting your focus between your hips and your lips. Kisses were placed along his sharp jawline, the idol leader doing as you did before - tilting his head to the side to you could pepper his slim neck with wet kisses.

Taeyong pushed his hips up, thrusting up into you. Your moans were pressed into his skin, feeling yourself nearing your high. Taeyong hugged you close, panting into your ear. He was desperately chasing his high, thrusts sloppy and erratic. The slapping of skin, the smack of hips colliding, amplified, ringing in your ears. But his silvery voice was louder, whispering sweet nothings into your ear that made your body hot.

“Cum for me,” he rasped, voice choppy yet smooth. “Cum with me.”

Your body went weak, collapsing completely against him. Your walls hugged him closely, the knot burning away in a fire within. Your juices spilled out around his rubber covered shaft, warming him. His heart beat unevenly, His lips pressing to the side of your head before the tight warmth and moisture became overwhelming. Strings of white shot from his tip, filling the gap at the end of the condom. His seed spilled out in bursts, the sticky fluid seeping out of the slit. Your walls milked every drop out, dribbles escaping as he came down from his high.

You shared a loving kiss, lips sensually pressed together. Smiles made their ways to both of your faces, sharing open-mouth kisses that smacked together loudly, lips dragging along each other. Your noses bumped, and your foreheads stuck together. Your bodies were sticky with sweat, regrettably peeling from each other so Taeyong could pull out before growing soft.

Waddling to the bathroom, the idol discarded the rubber in a tissue, grabbing a wet towel to wipe himself and you. Cleaning himself of the sweat and arousal that coated his shaft, mostly on the tip, he returned to help you clean up, kissing along your body to ease your aching limbs. While you finished up, he took a moment to pick up the discarded towels, straightening up his room.

You giggled, placing the towel aside, watching him freshen the room with a bottle of Febreze, original scented, spritz of the air fresher covering the heavy stench of sex that lingered. Taeyong placed the Febreze aside, grabbing fresh underwear and athletic shorts to sleep in. Upon your direction, he retrieved underwear for you, along with your sleep shorts and a baggy band shirt. He helped you get dressed, the two of you sharing laughs when your arms got caught and he slipped off the bed after you kicked him for tickling your feet.

The idol crawled into the bed with you, pulling the covers over your bodies. Your head laid on his chest, his strong arm curling around you. His nose burrowed in your hair, inhaling deeply. “Did you ever think that when you first sent me that letter, we’d be here now?”

“Honestly?” you hummed, tracing a finger along his bare chest. “I knew I’d come to Korea eventually. I always wanted to visit. But I didn’t think I’d be in the bed of my best friend, my boyfriend, the love of my life. I didn’t think I’d fall for this amazing guy far away from me. I thought that was impossible.”

“But, nothing is impossible,” he said, running his fingers through your hair. “I was stupid to even propose what I did. I didn’t want to hold you back because I was here, you were there. And it hurt me so much to try to let you go.”

“I was just as stupid, Yongie. I let it happen. But no more,” you laughed. “We won’t let that get in the way again.”

“Of course not,” he scoffed, hugging you tighter. “You’re here now and I’m not letting you go ever again.”

“You better not,” you laughed, trying to escape his grasp. “Now stop smothering me!”

“Never!” he screamed. Laughter broke out when you heard the other boys in the dorm screaming at you to quiet down, curling into each other again. The small window of his dorm room had a perfect view of the moon setting, the sun ready to rise in a few hours.

You fell asleep in his arms that night, under the same sky, the glow of the moon smiling down at you. You’d finally see both sides of the sky together, the sun and the moon no longer apart in your eyes. You had your pen pal, your friend, your love, and nothing could keep you away from that.

Together, you were one.

NCTzens Tag: @brien-odylan, @poppyshawn, @belleknows

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imnotinclinedtomaturity · 5 years

Text

Love Yourself: Chapter 35

title: Love Yourself summary: A lot of things about Dan’s life are pretty great. He gets to make the music he wants, he’s got a great fanbase, and his manager is his best friend. A few things about his life suck a bit more. He’s currently lacking inspiration, he’s rather lonely, and he’s stuck in a rut. Dan’s been going to the same coffee shop for years. It’s quiet, it’s quaint, it’s near his home. Most importantly: none of the employees give a shit that’s he a world-famous singer. Things change when he meets the new barista. chapter words: 5.5k story words: 289k (so far) chapter: 35/? rating: e warnings: language, alcohol, sex mentions, some bi/homophobia, eventual explicit smut, some depression, consensual d/s undertones genre: singer!dan, coffee shop au, barista!phil, slow burn [[ao3]] [[first chapter]] [[previous chapter]]

a/n: hello all! apologies for the VERY long wait. i had this chapter in basically this exact same condition a MONTH ago and didn't post because i intended to be nice and add to it. however, i kept NOT, because tbh i'd always planned to end the chapter here, and didn't want to end it here just because of the long wait, and then the wait became longer... and then it became a whole cycle.

but i had an impulsive moment tonight, and basically demanded the ever-lovely elizajane's attention and cleaned it up for posting. i knew i'd just sit on it for ages if i didnt post, and the odds of adding it to it was probably low. now that it's out there, the odds of me moving forward and writing shoot up dramatically haha.

thank you each and every one of you for your never-ending and ever-present support. i love how patient and enthusiastic you are, even when i make you wait literal months for a chapter. my work life has been very hectic lately (i'm applying for a big thing this fall and it's a lot of time and effort and writing), but i promise i'm dedicating actual time in the next week to actually sitting down and sketching out how i want to get from here to the intended ending. i want everyone to experience the ending i have in my head for this fic, and i wanna figure out how to make that happen for all of us.

***************

Taking a break from the world and enjoying each other’s company was a wonderful decision. And sure, they had spent half the day working, but they’d been working together. In bed. Alone.

This was a development that Phil was very okay with. For one, working in bed was a lot more comfortable than the chairs at B&G. And while skype calls were better than the coffee shop, where Phil was at least able to sit on his sofa instead of a stiff chair, they didn’t hold a candle to this setup. Because in this new arrangement, Phil had been able to reach out and touch Dan anytime he’d wanted. And Dan could touch him back — in fact, Dan had spent the majority of the day touching him back.

Plus, once they’d finished their work, they’d been able to set computers and journals and pens aside and focus on each other. Three hours, a nap, and another round of making out later, Phil was feeling… content. He couldn’t quite place the feeling. It was domestic and warm, nice in a way he hadn’t ever really experienced before. In a way he very much wanted to experience for as long as possible.

It had been a solid twenty minutes, maybe thirty — Phil couldn’t see the clock from his current position — since Dan had settled in Phil’s arms again, arm looped around Phil’s bare waist, head tucked into Phil’s shoulder. For a while, Dan had been tracing faint, tickling designs on Phil’s side, but somewhere along the way, the movements had stopped. Phil was beginning to wonder if Dan had fallen asleep again. It wouldn’t have been that surprising; in fact, it might have been the only explanation for Dan being this quiet and this still for this long. Quiet and still weren’t exactly Dan’s normal behavior.

Curious, Phil grazed his fingers up and down Dan’s arm, keeping his touch light enough that it wouldn’t wake Dan if he was asleep, but just enough that Dan would still be able to feel it if he was in fact awake. Phil was surprised when Dan let out a quiet hum. Stilling his fingers, Phil turned his head to peek at Dan’s face. His eyes were closed, but his lips were quirked up into a small smile, giving away the fact that he was undoubtedly awake. Awake — and maybe, just maybe, happy. Phil’s mouth twitched up into a small smile of his own — Dan’s happiness made him happy.

“That felt nice,” Dan murmured, just a smidge of petulance in his voice. Phil took the hint and resumed gently stroking Dan’s arm. “Good boy,” Dan mumbled, so quiet that Phil could barely hear him.

Chuckling, Phil bit back a quip about how Dan was the good boy here, because now didn’t seem like the right time for that. Now was too soft of a moment to have a serious conversation about it, and it certainly wasn’t the right moment to… derail with sex. It was too nice. So instead, Phil relaxed quietly and let his fingers draw aimless paths from Dan’s shoulder to his wrist, enjoying the moment.

“This is nice,” Dan murmured again, this time sounding nothing but pleased as he wiggled closer to Phil, his head burrowing ever so slightly deeper into Phil’s shoulder and his grip tightening just a hair.

“It is,” Phil agreed lowly, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the moment.

A beat of silence passed between them, and Phil wondered if Dan was just as reluctant to break the reverie as he was.

But the silence couldn’t last forever — Phil didn’t expect that it could. A few minutes later, Dan was tilting his head up to look at Phil, his eyes already filled with dread. “I’m beginning to feel a bit badly about ignoring the rest of the world, though.” Dan didn’t sound like he felt guilty, his voice the same serene, easy tone as before.

“Get up on the count of three?” Phil offered, stilling his hand on Dan’s bicep.

“I don’t feel that bad,” Dan whined with an exaggerated eyeroll.

Phil giggled at the adorable manchild in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of Dan’s head, his fingers once again resuming their path. “You can count at whatever pace you want, silly old bear.”

Dan’s gaze softened, and his lips shifted from an immature pout to a playful smirk. “Fine, but we’re starting at negative five,” he compromised smugly, sounding sure that he’d gotten the best of Phil.

“Deal,” Phil agreed readily. His desire to move Dan was half-hearted at best, really only driven by Dan’s ambivalent efforts to get up.

Dan, apparently satisfied with Phil’s response, settled his head back into the crevice of Phil’s neck, and looped his arm snugly around Phil’s stomach. Burrowing his head closer to Phil’s chest, Dan murmured a quiet and unconvincing negative four.

It took Dan fifteen minutes to count to zero, and another ten to get to three. True to their agreement, though, Dan pushed himself up and out of Phil’s arms as he called out the last number. Seeming to capitalize on his momentum, Dan swung his legs to the floor and climbed out of the bed, swiping both their phones off the nightstand.

“Is it time?” Phil asked, unable to curb his reluctance, even as he caught his phone when Dan threw it at him.

“It’s time,” Dan confirmed, still standing by the bed. He didn’t sound any more pleased about it than Phil felt, but he was already in the process of unlocking his own phone, so Phil figured there was no escaping reality at this point.

Pressing his thumb to the home button, Phil unlocked his phone, only getting as far as his home screen — where there were approximately fifty thousand notifications — before he was sidetracked by a sharp what the fuck from Dan.

For a second, Phil was torn on what to do first. It seemed like every app had at least a dozen notifications — and some had literally hundreds. His finger froze, debating if he should open his email or twitter or instagram or tumblr or messages or whatsapp or —

Jesus, even Phil’s calendar app had notifications. That never happened, not outside of previously-discussed meeting invitations at least.

“What in the actual fuck?” Dan muttered, drawing Phil’s attention up; Dan, and his confused distress, seemed like a better place to start than the notifications anyway. Everyone else in the world could wait — and not just because they weren’t right in front of Phil.

“What is it?” he asked, trying his best to keep the apprehensive fear out of his voice (and doing a bang up job of it, he was certain).

“I— someone— last night—” Dan stopped and started several times, his voice growing higher and higher pitched with every attempt, his eyes still focused on his screen. Each start gave no more insight to his increasing distress than the last.

“Dan,” Phil urged, his voice just this side of commanding. He was nervous and increasingly worried, and his anxiety was already getting the best of him.

“There’s— picture,” Dan finally spat out, voice strangled, panicked.

Realization — and his own fair share of fear — washed over Phil, a deep sense of dread churning in his stomach as his mind flashed through image after erotic image of what could have been photographed from last night: Dan blushing at the table while they talked about rimming, Dan straddling his lap in the club and grinding down, Phil pressing Dan against the bar and feeding him limes in the most suggestive way possible, Dan grinding his arse into his crotch and dancing on a crowded and anonymous dance floor…

Phil’s imagination was saved the effort of conjuring up more wonderful but wildly inappropriate memories by Dan thrusting his phone into Phil’s face, far too close for Phil to actually focus on the image on the screen. Calmly, or at least in some version of what Phil hoped seemed calm but probably wasn’t, Phil plucked the phone out of Dan’s hand and held it at a reasonable distance, preparing himself for the worst.

His eyes adjusted, and he took in the picture.

The first thing Phil noticed was that the photo was dark and grainy, but there was no mistaking it was them, not with Dan’s brown curls and dark clothes, and Phil’s dark quiff and brighter outfit. Still, it was far better than any of Phil’s fears — it wasn’t from the restaurant or the club or the dance floor, they weren’t grinding or kissing or teasingly touching each other.

The picture didn’t scream platonic friends, but at the same time, there wasn’t anything explicitly confirmatory about it. There were no obvious hickeys, no lips pressed against lips or throats or collarbones, no hands straying to explicitly private parts.

There was still a shred of plausible deniability.

Oddly enough, the picture seemed to capture the same thing Dan’s new lyrics had — the softer, more romantic and gentle part of the night, the part where they’d sunk into each other. The part where they were full of lust, but undoubtedly full of something else, too.

No, the photo wasn’t some dirty, grainy shot of them at their horniest. It was taken from the back, which explained why they hadn’t noticed the photographer — although the absurd amount of alcohol probably explained that equally as well. They were stopped at a crosswalk, standing side-by-side on the corner, their arms looped around each other’s waists.

Or, well, Dan’s arm was looped around Phil’s waist. Phil’s arm was a bit — a lot — lower. His hand wasn’t so much gripping Dan’s hip as it was the side of his arse.

The placement of Phil’s wandering hand wasn’t great, but compared to their faces…

Dan’s head was tipped sideways onto Phil’s shoulder, chin angled up so his mouth was very obviously accessible for Phil’s. Phil’s own face was turned to look at Dan, bent down at an unnatural angle, his expression a blurry picture of fondness.

Phil couldn’t help but wonder why the photographer — whoever they were — shared this moment, and not the one immediately after. The moment where Phil was nearly certain he’d closed the small distance between them and kissed Dan’s begging lips.

It looked coupley, of course it did, it couldn’t not. But there was room to spin it.

Probably.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Phil schooled his face into a neutral expression and lowered the phone — not that it mattered that much; it wasn’t like Dan’s phone was big enough to hide Phil’s entire face, and Phil was certain that his initial expression hadn’t been the most… composed of all reactions he could have had.

“Okay,” Phil said shortly. His one-word response was clipped, monotone. Drawing a deep breath, he tried his best to sound a bit more alive, a bit more positive, when he continued. “Could’ve been worse, all things considered.”

There. That was a true statement.

Dan raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, shrugging his shoulder in a noncommittal I guess fashion. He snatched his phone out of Phil’s hand and studied the picture for a second longer before looking back up to Phil.

“You can’t tell if either of us are hard, I guess that’s something,” Dan finally conceded. He pursed his lips, his mouth scrunching to one side as he stared harder at his screen.

“True,” Phil agreed, genuinely thankful for the small victory — he knew he’d been at least semi-hard for a large part of the previous night, and he was pretty sure the same went for Dan, too. Phil’s branding could handle some drunk walking and cuddling with a friend (or someone more, his audience didn’t need to know the specifics). He wasn’t sure how well his branding would mesh with stiff cocks and hot lips and groping hands, though.

Twirling his own phone between his thumb and forefinger, Phil trained his gaze on Dan’s face, carefully watching for any minute hint of emotion. Dan’s expression was steadfastly neutral, albeit pinched, though, making it nearly impossible for Phil to read what Dan was thinking.

“What next?” Phil finally relented when the silence went on for too long. The desperation to do something — whether it was responding to every single tweet they’d been tagged in or deleting every contact who’d messaged them about the picture — was gnawing at Phil’s nerves and his fingers were itching to do anything at this point.

Antarctica could be nice, Phil thought. At least penguins were cute. And probably easier to please than excited fans.

Dan sighed, dropping his attention back down to his phone. “I reckon we should start by seeing what people are saying,” Dan mumbled, already tapping about on his phone as he collapsed back onto the bed, his back leaning against the headboard, his side pressing up alongside Phil’s. “No point in talking ‘bout what we want to do until we know what everyone’s thinking.”

“Great,” Phil agreed, an uncharacteristic note of sarcasm creeping into his response — maybe it was from being around Dan so much, or maybe it was the only way he could cope with the severity of the current situation. “Reading through all my twitter mentions is exactly what I want to do right now,” he huffed, punctuating his complaint with an eyeroll.

Dan and his sass were definitely beginning to rub off on him.

Whining aside, both Dan and Phil opened their twitters. Phil swiped directly over to his mentions, impatience getting the best of him. Almost all of them mentioned Dan too, and a not-insignificant portion were in response to the original tweeted picture of them. Phil had learned from experience: the more people responded to the source of gossip, the more people the gossip reached.

As Phil scrolled through his tweets, he gathered that most people's reactions were positive — ranging from excited keyboard smashes to multi-tweet threads of encouragement, support, and firm warnings to respect his and Dan’s privacy. Somewhere in between the extremes, though, were a bunch of overly intrusive, speculative tweets that had Phil groaning. There were tweets that tried to guess at the context of the photo, tweet threads that in-depth speculated on the nature of his and Dan’s relationship, back-and-forth tweets arguing about the timeline of their romance.

It was too much to keep reading, and besides, Phil had well gotten the gist of it all by now. He glanced over at Dan, mainly to see his reaction, only to find that Dan was scrolling through a hashtag that Phil had only noticed in passing, not fully registering its popularity.

#Phanconfirmed

“There’s a hashtag?” Phil asked wearily, despite the fact that between his feed and Dan’s screen, the answer was obvious.

“It’s trending,” Dan confirmed, his voice still flat as he scrolled through page after page of tweets. “Worldwide,” he added.

“Fuck,” Phil mumbled, incapable of much else at this moment. Dan might have been hung up reading tweets in the hashtag, but Phil was pretty certain he didn’t have it in him at this moment in time. Closing out of the app, Phil switched over to his calendar, then his voicemail, then his messages.

Just from the badges on the apps, Phil knew it’d be bad. All things considered, though, he wasn’t nearly as prepared as he should have been. “I’ve got eight missed calls, five voicemails, and three virtual meeting invites from my manager,” Phil said, half to himself and half to Dan. “And a rather demanding text.”

And those weren’t even counting the ones from PJ and Martyn and his mum. Now definitely didn’t seem like the moment to deal with those.

“Shit,” Dan cursed under his breath. “I should probably check mine, too,” he conceded, this time a little louder.

Phil tore his eyes from his screen — he didn’t particularly want to keep staring at Marianne’s assertive call me asap message anyway — and watched as Dan tapped through his own phone and message apps.

“Sixteen calls, nine voicemails, and ten texts from Louise,” Dan read off unnecessarily, still sounding like he was in a state of shock. Tapping back to his full message list, Dan continued, “Adaline texted five times, too. I’m sure those aren’t hunting for gossip at all,” Dan huffed, dropping his phone and burying his face in his hands.

Phil made a sympathetic noise. His brother wasn’t much of a gossiper, but his whole family knew Martyn was more likely to get dirt out of Phil than anyone else, so he was willing to bet his brother’s texts had the same intentions as Dan’s sister’s.

Dan rubbed his face, clearly agitated. “Fuck, I don’t even want to think about what my parents are saying — I kind of put a moratorium on discussing my love life with them.”

As much as that statement piqued Phil’s interest, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on it right now; his mind was too focused on his own parents — and the fact that he'd barely gotten around to telling his mum anything. He’d shot her a text while they were waiting to board their plane to New York, just a vague message about how she might be seeing his name pop up in celebrity gossip columns and yes he was dating someone and no he didn’t have time to call her and regale her with the details right then. That definitely wasn’t enough anymore, not given the fact that there was now actual photographic evidence of Phil intertwined with a very obviously famous boy that his mum would definitely recognize. So Phil filed Dan’s stray comment about keeping his parents and love life separate into the discuss later part of his brain.

Turning his focus back to the problem at hand, Phil tried to search for a solution. “We should call them, right? Our managers, I mean,” Phil asked, uncertain and unconvinced with his own suggestion. “Or should we talk about this first, just us?”

Dan clicked his phone off, chucking it haphazardly into his lap, and rolled his head to face Phil. His face was still tense with stress, his eyes lit up with something far too close to regret for Phil’s comfort.

“I’m sorry I was all over you last night, I feel like this is my fault,” Dan lamented, his eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds. It wasn’t an answer to Phil’s question, it was just an… unnecessary apology.

“Hey,” Phil said softly, nudging his shoulder against Dan’s and tipping his head up with gentle fingers on Dan’s chin. Their gazes finally met, and Phil pressed a sweet kiss to Dan’s forehead. “Last night was just as much me as it was you,” Phil assured him.

“Yeah, but I was the sloppy, needy one who practically begged his boyfriend to take care of him,” Dan rebutted, his face still filled with far more remorse than Phil ever wanted to see on it.

“Shush,” Phil admonished kindly. “You may have been a bit needy, but I was more than willing to take care of you, baby. I don’t want you to ever feel bad for asking for what you need, I want to give it to you no matter what.”

Dan’s eyes snapped shut again, his breath coming a bit heavier than it had been a minute ago. A tense moment passed before he finally spoke.

“Fuck, Phil. You can’t just say shit like that,” he grumbled, eyes batting open and boring into Phil’s. “Not if you’re not willing to fuck me, anyway,” he added, a hint of a smirk toying at his lips.

“Later, babe, after we deal with this.” Phil kissed Dan’s forehead again, this time letting his lips linger for a few seconds before pulling back and letting Dan’s chin dip back down. Gaze trained on the top of Dan’s head and eyes tracing the messy curls, Phil’s mind drifted back to the problem at hand.

Fiddling with his phone in one hand as he searched for what to say next, Phil’s mind fumbled through vague, half-formed ideas. But before he could articulate any of them, the harsh, unexpected vibrating of his phone derailed his thoughts. Even as he glanced down, Phil could already guess that the call was from his manager — in hindsight, the buzzing really shouldn’t be that surprising, given all the other missed calls.

“I can let it go to voicemail,” Phil offered, making no move to answer the call. “That way we can talk first.”

“No, it’s fine,” Dan sighed. “Stalling won’t make things any easier. Just… figure out what she’s thinking and don’t agree to anything major, and I’ll do the same with Louise and then we can figure it out together.”

“Mmk,” Phil hummed in agreement, swiping to answer the call at the last second. “Hi, Marianne,” he greeted when the call connected. His voice had none of its usual enthusiasm, and his attention was only half focused on the call — the rest of it was watching Dan dial his own call, presumably to Louise, as he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door.

As much as Phil wanted to know what was happening with Dan’s conversation, the separation was probably for the best. Phil was certain that he wouldn’t be able to focus on his own conversation if Dan was still in the room.

Marianne didn’t beat around the bush; there were no pleasantries, no polite inquiries about his trip to the US. Instead, she jumped right into the crux of the drama.

“Phil, I didn’t push you to address the rumors when Dan came out,” Marianne said, her voice stern and leaving no room for discussion. “But you cannot ignore two scandals in a week.”

“I —” Phil started, intending to push back. But even as he pieced together his rebuttal, he knew she was right. His silence would only fuel the rumors, and besides, he felt like he needed to tell his audience something. In the past, he’d always been open about his friends, had always regaled his audience with tales of his travels, had always acknowledged any drama he was dragged into.

Phil sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he was definitely going to have to do something publically. “Fine, you’re right. What do you have in mind?”

“The sooner you respond, the better,” Marianne answered immediately, sounding like she’d already thought this through — and she probably had. Unlike Phil, she’d known about this for almost the whole day, not a handful of minutes. “I think you should move your liveshow up to tonight. You should probably start by saying that you’re in New York with Dan, even though that’s well obvious at this point.”

Phil huffed a laugh, but Marianne continued without pausing.

“You can let the picture come up naturally — I’m sure plenty of people will be asking about it. Don’t just answer the first one on a whim though, wait until you find one that you feel comfortable answering. One you think can be a good opening to the topic. And then you can tell your version of the story.”

“Okay,” Phil said slowly, his mind already fast-forwarding to the liveshow, spinning the story different ways and imagining how his audience might respond. Sighing, Phil asked the question he knew Marianne would answer anyway, but that he just wanted out of the way at this point. “I know you have an opinion about what I should say, so let’s hear it,” he mumbled, resigned. At this point, he had no idea what he should do, and he was open to just about any suggestion.

“Of course I do,” Marianne said. Phil bit his lip, waiting with bated breath to hear her assessment. “But,” she continued after a second’s pause, “this isn’t just about your career, it’s your life. And it’s Dan’s life, too. Whatever you say, it needs to be what’s right for the both of you, and I can’t answer that.”

“I — yeah. You’re right. Thanks,” Phil said gratefully before running through the logistics of the liveshow. One of his favorite parts about working with Marianne was that she wasn’t overly controlling, especially when it came to stuff that would actually impact Phil’s personal life.

“So…” Marianne broached tentatively. “Do you think you know what you want to do?”

Phil cast his gaze about the room, his eyes catching on movement from the hallway; the bathroom door was opening and Dan stepped out, one hand aggravatedly rubbing down his face.

“Not yet, Marianne,” Phil answered, his eyes trained on Dan. “I’ll figure it out before I go live tonight, though.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed politely. There was a brief pause before, “Phil?”

“Mmm?” Phil hummed in response, thrown off by the uncharacteristically tentative tone.

Marianne took a deep breath. “Do whatever you think is best,” she said, strong and sure. “You have my full support.”

“Thanks,” Phil murmured, taken aback by the sincerity of the moment — he always had known Marianne cared for him, she’d been his manager for years after all, but their relationship was always based on business. They weren’t like Dan and Louise, they weren’t friends first and professionals second.

The unconditional support, while perhaps surprising, was certainly welcomed.

“I’ll let you know what we decide,” Phil promised softly. After saying goodbye, he hung up and turned to Dan, who was already off the phone with Louise and hovering near the entrance to the bedroom.

Phil tapped his phone against his thigh, his nervous energy needing some outlet. He glanced down and saw that the screen had gone back to the last thing he was looking at before the call came through — twitter. “So Marianne wants me to—”

“Do your liveshow tonight,” Dan finished for him swiftly. He moved further into the room, sitting back on his side of the bed. “Yeah, I gathered.”

Turning his attention to his phone, Phil navigated back to his profile. He clicked on the picture and gave it a good, long stare, trying trying to analyze it objectively. Trying to see it through his audience’s eyes.

Trying to decipher his own feelings about it.

“What do I say?” Phil asked, holding his breath. His own indecisiveness aside, he needed to know where Dan’s mind was at. Phil knew Dan hadn’t wanted to get into the specifics with their audiences, but, well, things had clearly changed. And now, Phil had no idea what to expect — he wasn’t sure if Dan would want to hold onto that shred of deniability, or if Dan’s newly-loud bi-pride would mean he’d want to fully embrace the implications of the picture.

At this point, Phil wasn’t even sure how he wanted to handle the picture. Objectively, he knew the most on brand way spin it: find the most platonic, innocent angle and double down, deny any sexual or romantic implications. He didn’t need to say it out loud, didn’t need to hear Marianne say it, to know it was the most AmazingPhil reaction he could muster up.

But even as he played out the fabricated story in his head, he was pretty sure he hated it.

Phil glanced up at Dan, waiting with bated breath for his reaction. For several seconds, the world was silent; it was just Dan biting his bottom lip, his eyes trained on the photo on Phil’s screen, and his face betraying absolutely no indication of what was going through his mind. Finally, his gaze flitted back up to Phil, his eyes clouded and unclear. “That I was drunk and cold and you were taking me back.”

Phil quirked an eyebrow, a million follow-up questions immediately badgering his mind — the same follow up questions that everyone would have. Where were they before? What had they been doing that got Dan drunk? Were other people with them? Was Phil drunk, too? Had this happened before? Were they going back to the same room? Was Dan this touchy with everyone when he was drunk, or was that just Phil?

Dan shrugged but didn’t avert his gaze. “That’s enough of an answer. If people want to assume that back meant to a shared room, fine. If they assume it’s to a different room in the same hotel, fine.”

“Mmm,” Phil hummed noncommittally, just enough to show Dan he was listening.

Dan’s eyes shifted to the desk, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. Phil had known Dan long enough to recognize his thinking face, so he waited, swallowing back all the questions he was tempted to ask. Finally, Dan continued, once again meeting Phil’s gaze, a spark of resolution in his eyes. “I don’t want to lie,” he said firmly. “But also, the past few days have been… a lot. Significant. I wanted to… let them stand alone. And my relationships — I’ve always tried to keep my personal life private, but I also haven’t exactly ever been forced to ever own up or deny them.”

Phil nodded slowly. “That’s fair,” he agreed, his words like molasses. He understood Dan’s points, he really did. He was so, so thrilled that Dan didn’t want to hide this relationship — a distinct change from the relationships Dan had described having with other boys (and most girls, for that matter). Nervously, Phil cocked his head. “And, hypothetically, what if I’m forced to confirm or deny?”

It was an entirely unnecessary question, really. Phil was planning to do a liveshow — the audience was always entirely separated from him, there was never a way for them to know for certain which questions Phil had and had not seen. Unless literally every single question was about Dan, Phil’s hand wouldn’t be forced.

But still… Phil wanted to know. He needed to know where Dan stood, where his mind was at right now. So Phil stared at Dan curiously, brow cocked and head tilted, until Dan finally responded.

Once again, Dan shrugged, but this time it wasn’t as… apathetic. This time, it was just… resigned, maybe? Phil couldn’t quite tell; he didn’t like not being able to read Dan’s body language.

“I’m not gonna dictate what you should and shouldn’t say to your audience,” Dan said, lips pursed. “If you feel backed into a corner, say whatever you want. I know you’re not gonna fuck me over.” Dan rubbed his hands over his face, nervous energy lacing the movement. He dropped his hands and looked back at Phil. “Like I said, I don’t wanna lie, but I also don’t wanna make you feel like you have to tell your audience anything in particular.”

“So just to be clear,” Phil started, a smile creeping onto his face and into his voice. “If — for some reason — I have to say yes or no, it’s okay if I say either?”

“Phil.” Dan’s voice was low and uncharacteristically sincere, his pupils blown wide, and his hand twitching like it was fighting back the urge to reach for Phil’s. “I’m having an amazing time with you and I’m...I’m in this... for the long haul,” Dan’s gaze flickered to the side, resting on his black notebook next to his leg. His words were slow and deliberate, like he was carefully selecting each one.

Phil couldn’t tune out the butterflies that were beating against his stomach, and could barely bite back an overly enthusiastic me too.

But Dan ploughed on before Phil could say anything, and maybe that was for the best. “I’m having trouble imagining a world where it’s not eventually completely obvious what you are to me, so...” Phil’s mind jumped to all the possible whys behind that statement; he couldn’t help it. Dan’s lyrics and album theme flashed through his mind, but so did Dan’s instagram posts and flirty tweets.

Dan’s eyes finally shifted back to Phil’s, determined, tenacious. “So I’d rather not lie,” Dan said, sure and confident. “If they know something for certain, I’d rather it be the truth. Because I don’t want to spend the rest of — of —”

Dan’s gaze dropped again, and Phil bit his lips, holding back a smile as he imagined what the rest of Dan’s sentence might be, what it might mean. Everything Dan had said today seemed half shared, just a small portion of what Dan seemed to want to say. Phil didn’t want to be overly presumptuous, to pretend he knew what Dan was thinking, but he felt confident in his guesses to the end of at least a few of Dan’s sentences.

Dan opened and closed his mouth, over and over, not speaking. Finally, he sighed, and Phil expected him to say something, anything, concrete — more because Dan was strong willed, and less because Phil couldn’t predict what he might be thinking. But instead, Dan rose up off the bed and headed for the bathroom, halting just before the door. Eyes trained on the floor, Dan muttered, “If you have to say something, say whatever you want — I trust you. I’d just prefer it to be the truth.

#phan #phanfiction #phanfic #slow burn #singer!dan #barista!phil #phan au #coffee shop au #au #ly #mine #iminclinedtowriting #love yourself

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