#an old thought that came up because of the valentine post

[witch-of-bears]

I generally don't think there are "wrong" sexuality headcanons and I'm fine with everything, but aroace Grizz feels special to me. It'd be easy to write off a character like him as "too dumb/naive to understand relationships" (something people really did for aspec hc), but you know it's not the case. He gets feelings and relationships just fine, he's the best at it in the family actually, and even gives Panda tips and heads-up about flirting. He has the confidence to speak with everyone he'd like. He understands romance, he's just not interested in it, and he's still so so full of love in different ways. He'd be top tier aroace rep.

[pupyuj]

→ “long overdue.” || kim jiwon (liz) x reader.

— jiwon reunites with you, her old fling, at her brother’s bachelor party and with the sparks still in the air, you don’t waste any time to get familiar with her once more…

word count: 5.2k.

dynamic: dom!bottom!liz x sub!top!reader.

warnings: age gap (it's not much!), unnie kink, fwb to lovers, nipple play, oral fixation, cunnilingus, fingering, thigh riding, orgasm denial, edging.

a/n: FINALLY! a jiwon fic from moi 😭😭 this was supposed to be posted earlier on valentine's day but alas 💀 i really do wish i could've dropped something for feb 14th but back then i was bitter, lonely, sad, and angry so trying to write something cute and lovey-dovey was just not ideal LMAO but anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this fic 💚 only one more member and i will have officially written a fic for each of the ive unnies! WE CAN DO IT!! 😤✨ also i'm pretty sure i'm missing some warnings/tags but i'm too sleepy to remember them so...

jiwon doesn’t know why she agreed to chaperone her grown brother to his stupid bachelor party. as far as she knew, it was a boy thing. according to her brother, however, she was an exception and so, jiwon finds herself seated at the farthest corner of the bar in what might be the most expensive nightclub she has ever set foot in. she hasn’t even downed her first drink yet—she merely made a tiny tornado with the small umbrella while keeping an eye on her little brother and his ridiculous group of friends.

some of them were familiar to her, some weren’t. and some have repeatedly asked for her number in the past two and a half hours they’ve been in the place. it was after the eleventh time it happened that jiwon decided to go on her lonesome and sat on that one corner of the bar, silently waiting for the little party to end so she could get her nice, long and certainly well-deserved, sleep. jiwon really wished that she came up with some boring excuse to avoid this event. unfortunately, she couldn’t say no to her brother who was so kind to include her! 

perhaps he knew that jiwon needed to look at something that wasn’t the view from the big windows of that fancy condominium where she lives. on top of all that, jiwon has been working harder than usual. but that’s only because she quite literally has nothing else to do in her life. all of her friends were busy, she was busy, and it’s not like she can just hit up her coworkers for a quick drink after work when she barely knew them. in hindsight, jiwon sort of needed this!

jiwon raises her glass to her lips, but stops midway when something curious catches her attention. a girl, a bit younger than jiwon herself, confidently marches up towards her brother and does a very familiar handshake with him before hugging him tightly. jiwon watches as the girl and her brother chat a bit. they exchanged a few jokes here and there, the girl hands him a small bag (a gift to his soon-to-be wife, possibly), then her brother whispers in the girl’s ear as he exchanges glances with jiwon, and suddenly both of them were looking at her from across the nightclub.

jiwon nearly drops her glass when she sees the girl’s face clearly. it was you—(y/n) (l/n), her brother’s former roommate and best friend all throughout college! jiwon has met you before! back when her life was a goddamn mess and her entire family thought that you were her brother’s girlfriend. but then it turns out you were more like… his sister from a different family and so that was when you and jiwon started getting to know each other.

perhaps you got to know each other a bit too well… because jiwon remembers all those times when the two of you would hang out in her room for hours and f—

“jiwon-unnie!”

the blonde haired girl springs up from her seat and waved as you squeezed through multiple crowds of people until you got to her. wow, you were beautiful. taller, older, and obviously so much prettier than the last time jiwon saw you.

which was in between her le—

“i missed you so much!” you engulfed jiwon in a crushing bear-hug which she awkwardly returned. “oh wow, unnie, you’re gorgeous! blonde fits you so well.” you were saying as you pulled away, taking in all of jiwon’s features and even threading her soft hair from behind. jiwon got goosebumps under your touch—how the fuck was she supposed to act normal in this situation?

“i am so glad you’re here because as much as i love him, i’m not as much of a boys girl anymore.” you pulled jiwon back to her seat, taking the empty one right beside hers and immediately telling the bartender about your favorite drink. jiwon finds herself completely speechless. literally. you were vibrant, you were chatty, you were so charming—everything jiwon remembers that you were all those years ago.

“mmm. never gets old.” you said after taking the first sip of your drink. you then turned to jiwon who flinched upon making eye contact with you. “what have you been doing these days, unnie? i know you’re like, some kind of big deal at this rich-people company you work for but you know… what else?” you eyed jiwon up and down before smiling at her. not even the darkness and the nearly seizure-inducing lights of the nightclub could hide that familiar glint in your eyes, but jiwon chose to ignore them.

she couldn’t help but glance at how your skirt is hiked up after you’ve put one leg over the other though.

“um, i haven’t been doing much, really. just… work and making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” jiwon said, nodding her head to her brother who was pretty buzzed at this time.

you laughed, “you guys never really changed, huh? glad to see it.” you took another sip of your drink.

“only this time i’m helping him with his road to being a husband instead of a project due in thirty minutes.” jiwon shakes her head at the memory, and she likes the way it makes you smile brightly.

“right… and are you still with wonyoung-ssi?” you asked with caution. yet you stared at jiwon as you did so, making sure she sees your ulterior motive through your eyes. jiwon feels herself crumbling under the weight of your stare, as much as she tries to put up a fight of her own.

“no… no, that’s been over for a while now.” it was a good breakup. one that ended with laughter rather than tears and anger. jiwon still talks with wonyoung to this day. why, only a week ago, wonyoung had called jiwon about her brother’s wedding! she expressed her regret about not being able to attend it due to scheduling conflicts—the life of an acclaimed supermodel was busy after all!

you looked significantly happier with the news, now gulping down your drink with a smile on your face. “h-how about you? he never told me what you did after you guys graduated…” jiwon attempts to have some control of the situation—sitting up straight, staring back at you with the same intensity, and all. was she successful? no. jiwon’s blushes as you held your stare with hers, an amused smirk now on your lips before you flipped your hair over your shoulder.

shiiit, jiwon remembers how perfect your neck looks while covered with marks left by her… oh gods, what is wrong with her?!

“well, after college, i did try getting my career started… but that didn’t work out. i ended up going back to my hometown to get back in touch with my heart and all that sentimental bullshit, and it actually worked,” you giggled, your hand brushing across your hair. “i know what i want to do in my life, but for now, i’m just…” you trailed off, raising your drink as well as quirking your eyebrow. “having fun before i can’t.” now your glass is finally empty.

“that’s good. and i’m glad the two of you are still friends. i was worried you’d grow apart.” it always made jiwon smile when she came home after a rough day at her old job and seeing you and her brother in the house, chatting and fooling around as if you weren’t burdened by all your commitments and responsibilities. it had always been refreshing seeing you, and it still is.

you propped your elbow on the table and put your chin on your palm, flashing jiwon a teasing smile, “did you miss me, unnie?”

and just like that, every ounce of confidence jiwon built up evaporates into nothing. she laughs awkwardly, hiding behind her drink, “o-of course! it was weird not seeing you guys together all the time, you know!” another awkward laugh. jiwon felt ridiculous and childish.

“no, unnie,” you moved closer, putting your hand on jiwon’s arm. she turned her head to look at you again and there you were, staring at her with clouded eyes. you then leaned closer and put your other arm behind her, your lips ghosting above her ear. shitshitshit, that’s too close. “did you miss me?”

what happened moments later isn’t exactly what jiwon would say was… a mistake. hell, it was far from it.

being trapped between the door of your hotel room and yourself while getting her neck marked up and her clothes slowly stripped down is the most eventful jiwon’s night has been.

jiwon could feel her brother’s worry all the way from here… well, it’s mainly because she knew that all the buzzing that her phone was doing in her pocket was because of him mass texting her about her whereabouts. she couldn’t be bothered to text him back right now though, not when you were already trailing your hand up her thigh and sliding it underneath her skirt. this felt familiar, and it felt good. feeling you gently rub her wet cunt through her panties felt good, feeling you softly biting on her collarbone felt good, seeing those cute eyes of yours asking for permission while you tugged on her panties felt good.

how long has it been since jiwon felt this kind of rush in her life? too long, she’d say. so why not make the most out of it?

jiwon cups your cheeks and crashes her lips into yours for the first time that night. your lips tasted like blueberries (from whatever you were drinking earlier), and jiwon loved the way you kissed her rather clumsily as if you didn’t expect her to do it first. jiwon couldn’t get enough. she pushes you further inside the room, discarding you of your jacket while doing so. she sits you down on the edge of the bed before separating from your lips and suddenly walking off, leaving you confused and slightly light-headed.

turns out, jiwon only went away to turn the lampshade on, illuminating the room with a warm orange glow before going back to you. she stared you down with hooded eyes, lust replacing the kind look in her irises that you knew and loved, and then she gently grabs your jaw, tilting your head up. you squeezed your thighs together, trying to soothe that ache in your core. god, you missed her.

“make this worth it, (y/n).” jiwon says coldly. even jiwon herself was surprised at her tone, but something in her brain liked how you crumbled under her stare. compared to the timid, nervous jiwon from earlier, bossy and demanding and… kind of harsh jiwon just did something right to you.

“you’ve always been worth it.” you pulled jiwon towards you by her hips, making her sit down on your lap. you feel her brushing your hair with her fingers, allowing you to release the tension on your shoulders and just melt into her. you’ve missed her warmth, and she’s missed yours. jiwon didn’t understand why you left when you did… but that was a question you were going to answer for her later.

much, much later.

jiwon moans softly as you start kissing her neck. your hands get busy with the remaining buttons on her shirt, revealing more of her skin for you to mark up throughout the night. you’ve already left some earlier, and they were starting to show across her chest but that wasn’t enough. you slowly pull off her shirt and let it drop to the ground, then your hands travel lower on jiwon’s body, stopping at the waistband of her skirt.

you were eager to touch her—unzipping her skirt and whining to get her to stand up and let it fall at her feet before you pulled her back into you. jiwon couldn’t help but laugh while you kissed her hungrily, and then she giggled even more when you rolled around and made her lay on her back on the bed.

you pouted cutely as you observed her and her baby pink lingerie, “hmm… were you expecting to sleep with someone in that club, unnie? you looked prepared.”

jiwon thought it was the perfect time to tease such a normally confident girl like you. so she nodded with a shit-eating grin, “the lady bartender was cute actually.” she laughs when you suddenly hop off of her abdomen, choosing to sit on the side of the bed instead. you were taking off your shoes, setting them aside before starting to discard yourself of your jewelry and putting them on the bedside table. jiwon watches you intently, her desire for you only growing by the second.

“come on, get in here already.”  jiwon tugged on your sleeve, more than ready to feel your lips on her skin once again. she decided to sit up and help you with your dress though, reaching for the zipper and slowly pulling it down. she didn’t waste the opportunity to leave kisses on the back of your neck, all the way down to the middle of your back, making sure that her lipstick sticks on your skin and smiling satisfied once she sees that it did.

finally, jiwon could see all of you after all these years, and you were just as beautiful as the last time she saw you. jiwon couldn’t resist immediately grabbing your face and kissing you as you climbed into the bed—she longed to feel your skin against hers again and now that you were here, she doesn’t think she ever wants to let you go like she did back then. so, jiwon holds onto you tightly, letting you settle yourself on top of her once again while your hands impatiently explore her perfect body. your hands reach behind jiwon, unclasping her bra and throwing it aside, your hands quickly finding themselves busy fondling her soft breasts.

it was cute to see that you still adored her tits as much as you did back then. you did that thing you always did when you were intimate with jiwon, kissing all over her chest, making sure to cover every inch of skin while still massaging her tits. jiwon caresses your hair as you did your job, laughing softly in an adoring way, her smile only widening when you look up at her with your own grin.

“you’re so pretty, jiwon-unnie.” you gave the older girl one last quick kiss on the lips before leaning down and taking her nipple in your mouth. jiwon gasps at the feeling of your warm tongue slowly swirling around her nipple. it was familiar, like all of the other things you’ve done to her so far, but it also felt new at the same time. because this time, the two of you were much older, and you were doing this purely out of your true feelings for each other rather than a decision made on a whim. jiwon moans loudly when you softly and carefully bite on the hard bud, but she was quick to regain composure when she notices something quite… well, interesting.

jiwon sees how you humped the mattress slightly, trying your best to soothe that buzzing in your core on your own. jiwon decides to swiftly slide her thigh in between your legs and press it against your wet cunt, feeling all satisfied when you whine and start slowly grinding on her thigh for further stimulation. your hand that was pinching her other nipple was now gripping the sheets as you started riding jiwon’s thigh faster, whining even more as you feverishly sucked and nipped on her tit. jiwon grins, loving how she hasn’t lost her special little talent of reducing you to her obedient pet. she starts meeting your little thrusts by raising her thigh—somehow, the sight of you like this had her soaked, but you haven’t noticed at all. you were too busy trying to get yourself off!

you had to let go of jiwon’s nipple eventually, now hugging her close and whining at her chest because you were feeling so good. you’ve started shaking and your moans were shorter and higher—it only meant one thing! jiwon takes a fistful of your hair and pulls your face up to make you look at her, ignoring how you winced at the pain.

“don’t cum.” she says strictly, her grip on your hair tightening by the second the more you thrust into her thigh.

“b-but..! hnng.. i’m s-so close…! so close…” the pout, the tears, that desperate tone in your voice… jiwon almost wanted to fold, but she wasn’t in the mood for that.

“you don’t get to cum before me ever, remember? be good.”

as much as it upset you, you slowly decreased your pace until you were merely sitting on her thigh. jiwon smiles—she was happy to know that she still had some sort of hold over you. she knew she always did! why, you were always clingy towards jiwon whenever her brother invited you over, and that was even before the two of you started sleeping with each other. she always used it to her advantage, mostly in bed, of course. something else jiwon always liked: that pitiful look on your cute face when she denies you of your release. you’d always look so timid after, afraid that if you spoke incorrectly, jiwon might stop the whole thing entirely.

but jiwon was never that cruel. she’d tease you, sure, but she would always make sure to give you what you want. just as long as she gets hers first.

“look,” you watched as jiwon’s hand traveled down from her stomach to her panties. she was drenched; your fault. “do something.” she demands. shit. the dark tone in her voice and the stern look on her face was enough to get you to move lower. you pulled off jiwon’s panties, your heart beating so fast for no goddamn reason. it has been a very long time since you have seen jiwon, let alone like this. acting like this, looking at you like this. it’s got you weak.

you stared at jiwon’s pussy. soaked, tight, perfect, and most importantly, all for you.

“how cute. you’re practically drooling.” jiwon impatiently puts her hand atop your head and brings your face closer to her needy cunt. you hoisted her legs over your shoulder, then you started leaving kisses along her inner thighs—deep and sensual kisses, slow and careful right up until your lips barely ghosted above her pussy. jiwon stares at you with anticipation, you stare back at her; your eyes now dark and hungry. you keep eye contact as you licked up her cunt once, smirking while you felt jiwon’s entire body shiver at the feeling. she pushes your head a little closer, so fucking desperate that you almost wanted to be petty and tease her, but she would probably hit you for that.

and so, you give her what she wants. within seconds of your lips touching her cunt once more, you were practically making out with it. goosebumps appeared along your skin as your tongue slowly got familiar with jiwon’s taste again. it felt right, like the stars have finally realigned themselves after years of floating about the expansive universe, lost. you put your hands to use, spreading her lips apart and pleasuring her clit.

“g-good…! there… mmhn.. (y/n)-ah…!” jiwon grabs a fistful of your hair again, pushing you impossibly closer to her cunt, practically grinding it against your face. you wrap your lips around the sensitive bud, sucking softly and moaning at jiwon’s sheer taste. fuck, it was all too good. you use one hand to grip one of her thighs, sinking your nails down to her skin, and spreading it further so you could have room.

“fuck..! i want to cum, (y/n)… m-more, more..! please…” jiwon’s back arches right as you flick the sensitive bud. you slipped your tongue inside her cunt, making jiwon moan just a tad bit louder than the hotel room walls would recommend her to. the next rooms most likely heard that—good. everyone needs to know how amazing you make her feel. how you’re the only one who can make her feel this way. and everyone’s going to know it again; you used your free hand to rub jiwon’s clit since your tongue was too busy inside her.

normally, this would’ve made jiwon cum. but she was strong this time around. “fucking—god, (y/n)…! more.. more…” jiwon pleads while on the verge of tears. you free her thigh of your grip and hold her hand instead, at least it helped her ground herself at least. the more you used your tongue inside her, the more you felt her clench. her grip gets tighter, both on your hand and on your hair. you briefly glanced upwards and saw her closing her eyes shut—she was close. but you found yourself being torn between letting her reach her climax now, stall a bit longer, or… make her orgasm just a lot stronger.

you pulled out your tongue from her cunt. jiwon hisses and nearly hits you on the head for slowing down and going back to sucking on her clit as you previously did. she glared at you, but was immediately back to being at your mercy when you unexpectedly inserted two of your fingers inside her. god, she was still tight. you stared in awe as you fucked jiwon in an excrutiatingly slow pace, merely watching as her pussy clenches around your digits. you pushed further, now knuckle-deep inside jiwon. you could cum from the sensation of her spongy walls brushing against your fingertips alone but you had to keep her rule in mind.

“m-mouth… use your mouth, (y/n).. ah!” and happily you did! your mouth and fingers worked in unison on jiwon’s pussy—every time you pulled out, you’d suck and lick her clit, the routine now going back to you. you’re remembering all the things she liked done to her, even down to the tiniest details. like eye contact. your eyes fluttered open, peering at jiwon through your fringe. she was already staring at you, her face contorted to show much pleasure you were bringing to her. jiwon has never once tried to conceal her noises and she wasn’t going to ask you to slow down or anything either. you both needed this, and unfortunately for this entire damn hotel, they were going to know just how much.

jiwon loosens her grip on your head once she realizes just how tight she was holding it, now threading your hair and only gently nudging you closer whenever she thinks your mouth isn’t doing enough. you curled your fingers inside her, making her tense up once more and bring her to that familiar edge. “please, please, please…!” jiwon whispers desperately like a prayer with a single tear running down her cheek. you increased your pace and buried your face in her cunt, not caring about making a mess of your face. all you cared about was satisfying your jiwon-unnie, and that you were successful when you brought her to a mind-blanking orgasm with a single flick of your tongue.

a long moan escapes jiwon’s lips as you continue to eat her out through her climax. god, she was delectable. you were determined to not waste a single drop of her cum, lapping her up like a dog and once more relishing at the taste of her juices on your tongue. you pull out your fingers as well, making sure jiwon sees you sucking on it to show her just how much you enjoy how she tastes. jiwon was beyond flustered and she was feeling all sorts of things—overwhelmed, weak, and perhaps most importantly of all, so fucking desperate to make you feel just as good.

you don’t hear her at first. jiwon was speaking in a small voice since she was still weak from everything you did, but you do hear her later on. “come here, baby,” the nickname practically sends you scurrying over on top of her again. jiwon wipes your chin clean with her hand, smiling brightly at you as she pulls you in for a sweet kiss. she can taste herself on your lips and your tongue, and a part of her understands why you’re so addicted. “unnie’s turn, hm?” she whispers against your lips… but her kisses have sent your brain elsewhere, hence your surprised gasp when you felt her gently rub your clit through your panties.

“hah… you’re still super sensitive here?” jiwon asked.

“t-that’s my clit, unnie.. of course, i’m—ahh—sensitive there…” cheeky. even when you’re the one at her mercy now. you pulled your panties off, throwing over to the pile of clothes on the carpeted floor. jiwon was teasing you: tracing your lips with her fingers, barely letting her fingertips touch your entrance, and not even giving your clit the attention it needs now. you whine as you grind down on jiwon’s hand, desperate for more contact but she refuses to touch you.

“aww, what’s with that face?” jiwon coos, laughing slightly. you had a mix of desperation and irritation on your face. it was annoying how she was being annoying, especially at such a crucial time but you knew the exact thing you had to do to get her going.

“unnie. please. i need you…” you pleaded. jiwon leans back on the pillow behind her, finding it so amusing to watch you slowly lose every ounce of self-respect just so you can cum. fuck, if jiwon wanted to be cruel, she could! she could make you beg all night, see those pretty eyes of yours shine with tears as you cry… the sick part of jiwon really wanted it all to come true, but she’s missed you too much to prolong this any further. and so, she pushes your face closer to her by the back of your neck, kissing you passionately just to get you to calm down.

one word jiwon would use to describe how she felt for the events that followed? relieving.

it was relieving to feel your warmth around the three fingers she inserted in your pussy at once, to feel your tongue inside her mouth, to bleed slightly from the way you held onto her arms so tightly, and it was most relieving to hear you say her name so sweetly. you can have such a dirty mouth with so many vulgar words to say, especially from years before when you were younger, but whenever you were with jiwon, you were a different person. jiwon was one of the only people who you allowed to see you like this: soft, weak, and so endearing. it seems like you haven’t changed that aspect about you, and that fact within itself was relieving to jiwon.

“unnie…!” you buried your head on the crook of jiwon’s neck as you felt every inch of her fingers brush against all of your sweet spots. as expected, things were always different when it came to jiwon. being so vulnerable to other people terrified you to the point where it was almost impossible to let your heart open to them, but jiwon made it so simple. but now that you were right here, looking at jiwon and feeling her everywhere, maybe it wasn’t just simply her that made it possible for you to let yourself fall.

wait… fall?

yes. fall. all this time—you’ve fallen for jiwon but too many things made it complicated for you to fully embrace it. but now you are ready.

“i’m so happy, (y/n),” jiwon’s voice felt like a dream. you almost couldn’t hear her properly due to how much her fingers overwhelmed you. the older girl used her free hand to lift your chin, making you look at her, before kissing your lips—it has always been her favorite thing to do. “i’m so happy you came back to me. i don’t know how to express how much i missed you… surely not with words, not even with this…” jiwon plunges her fingers deep, shushing you while you moan loudly. god, she knew you too well. knew which spot to hit to get you to lose your mind, knew the exact words to whisper in your ear when she notices you were slipping away from reality, and knew exactly how to make your heart beat like it never has before.

jiwon pulls her index finger out, now fucking you faster than she ever has with the only fingers she has inside you. “good girl. god, baby… you’re getting me wet again.” jiwon locks one of her legs around yours, keeping you in place. her palm slams against your sensitive clit, bringing tears to your eyes even though you grinded on her hand desperately to feel it over and over again. part of the reason why jiwon always needed to be the one to be fucked first is because you get so tired after your turn that you just pass out, and you never got out of that habit it seems. jiwon sees how the light was escaping your eyes, it was only a matter of time before you were too exhausted to keep yourself awake.

“hm, we have to be careful, huh? can you handle it, love?”

you nodded frantically, afraid that she’d slow down had you answered otherwise, “y-yes..! ahh, yes, i can. i can, unnie.. i can—mmhn..! i can take it…” you started moving your hips, riding jiwon’s fingers just to get closer and closer for that climax you’ve been chasing after the entire night. jiwon was thoroughly amused at how determined you were. normally, you’d give up or tap out if you found it all too much, but jiwon knows you want to be good for her. especially after all this time.

“you’re so cute… but don’t worry, baby,” jiwon places a sweet, deep kiss on your damp forehead. “we have all the time in the world now.”

a curl of her fingers later and you were cumming on jiwon’s hand. the older girl stopped her movements, afraid of overstimulating you. she whispers sweet words into your ears as you let yourself go, at least that's what you think she’s doing. you could barely keep your eyes open, let alone hear. but despite your consciousness slowly slipping away from you, you still felt jiwon gently lay you down on the spot next to her. she holds you close enough that she is within kissing distance.

she was so perfect—how could you have left her?

“unnie…” you tucked a piece of her behind her ear. her laugh makes your ears tingle. you faintly hear her ask if you’re feeling okay, to which you nodded weakly at. you can see her lips move, she was saying a few things, but you can’t hear her over the sound of your heartbeat. you cup her cheek, lean close, and kiss her. maybe it was your favorite thing to do, just like her. and then, words that have always been expected to be unsaid leave your lips. some feelings that have been kept hidden, secrets that you were afraid of letting slip.

“i love you, jiwon-unnie.”

long overdue, sure. even jiwon felt it before you ever said it to her. but she thinks that your bashful smile, the way you shyly looked away from her, and your precious reaction to her saying it back made it all worth the wait.

[strwbrryeyes]

𖦹°｡⋆ tendou as a best friend

⟡ cw: fluff, friends to lovers, tendou feeling insecure, lmk if i miss anything

⟡ a/n: hey i feel bad for not posting so thought i'd quickly do tendou rq (i feel like im doing shiratorizawa dirty im so sorry my shiratorizawa friends </3)

⟡ best friend series: semi, ushijima || masterlist

best friend tendou who you met youre second year of high school when you were assigned to be partners to bake a cake in your cooking class.

best friend tendou who you argued with because he wanted to bake a chocolate cake while you wanted vanilla.

best friend tendou who you got closer to when he surprised you with a recipe for a marble cake so that you could both get what you want.

best friend tendou who invited you over to his dorm on campus to share the cake after being graded (perfect score obvi).

best friend tendou who introduced you to his other best friend ushijima. he scared you at first but tendou told you not to worry and that ushijima was glad to meet you.

best friend tendou who invited you to his volleyball practice match so he could show off how good he was at guessing the opponent's next moves.

best friend tendou who impressed you so much that you were left speechless after the game.

best friend tendou who helped you make chocolates for your homeroom for valentine's (you're very fond of the holiday).

best friend tendou who pulled you into a massive bear hug when you surprised him with chocolate you made on your own. they weren't the best but he ate them all anyway.

best friend tendou who in your third year of high school mostly focused on volleyball (because he wanted to make it memorable for ushijima) but still made time to hangout with you on weekends when he didn't have practice.

best friend tendou who was confronted with his feelings for you when ushijima came up to him and asked how long the two of you been dating. "we aren't dating" "i thought you two were, it looks like you are with how affectionate you both are".

best friend tendou who ran around the gym after thinking about it for a few minutes because he realized he in fact did love you but was worried about what you thought about him (my poor insecure boy </3).

best friend tendou who got some old man advice from ushijima. he took it with a grain of salt.

best friend tendou who still refused to ask you out because he was scared of rejection so he just finished the year acting as normal as he could.

best friend tendou who assured you he was okay when he lost nationals but was actually crying when he turned away from you.

best friend tendou who you got into culinary school with because you both loved cooking so much.

best friend tendou who lived in a dorm across the hall from you and would always drag you to the community kitchen to bake seets or cook dinner every night.

best friend tendou who got an offer to go to paris for more experience in chocolate making.

best friend tendou who you encouraged to go to france because he was having doubts about not being good enough and because he was scared of being judged.

best friend tendou who you kissed in the middle of his ranting to shut him up before reassuring him that he would be okay because he was an amazing person and that you loved him so that means other people would definitely love him.

best friend tendou who said he loved you too and cried tears of joy because he never thought anyone would love him this way.

best friend tendou who is now boyfriend tendou who goes off to paris but sends you post cards every week all while video calling you every day telling you about all the plans he has for you both once you move to paris with him in a few months after you finish culinary school)

[farfromstrange]

Mismatched Bridesmaid | Matt Murdock x F!Reader

PART 2 of The Vault

See this post for more information on my Valentine's Day Special & Follower Celebration, but these fics can be read separately!

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Summary: Deciding to go to your old college roommate's wedding turns into a bad idea when you suddenly have to function as a bridesmaid until you're paired with a very handsome groomsman.

Warnings: Fluff, attempt at humor, SMUT (18+ MINORS DNI), oral f!receiving, use of "good girl", One-Night Stand, shameless flirting, kind of "horny at first sight", so cheesy it might make you hate cheese

Word Count: 4.3k

A/n: I was wondering why this didn't post until I saw that I hit "save draft" instead of schedule, so this may come on time for some and too late for others, but I'm still awake, so it counts as the 15th. Also, when I wrote this it was after hinting at it on here, and I was excited at first, but I'm not too happy with it now because it's just silly and falls a little flat, in my opinion. This is why I went back in and edited a hell of a lot, adding some things, etc. Nevertheless, I promised to clear out the vault for this event, so this is it. I got inspired by seeing the She-Hulk clips when the episode with Matty came out. It may or may not be noticeable. We're also working with the Nelson, Murdock & Page narrative. Enjoy!

You are not made for white-veil occasions. 

While weddings, in their essence, symbolize unity while covering different facets of romantic beauty, they are also inherently stressful for nearly everyone involved in the proceedings. Over the years of adulthood, you’ve found that weddings tend to end in disaster when you attend—and you are not particularly fond of engaging in drama.

When your old college roommate sent you an invitation to her wedding in June, you considered responding with no. You’ve been close for a few years, but then you graduated, found separate careers, and then never talked again. You weren’t sure why she would send you an invitation until you called the number on the back of the card and you began catching up. She told you that she wanted to invite you because you were a vital part of her early twenties, and it reminded you that you are both adults and you have both grown beyond what you thought possible, so you couldn’t find it in yourself to tell her that you couldn’t make it to her wedding. Instead, you told her that you wouldn’t miss it for the world. That answer though seemed to have turned destiny against you. 

You were excited when you arrived at the chapel this morning, but as soon as your foot touched the holy ground, everything went wrong. Maybe it is because you’re an atheist and God hates you, or maybe Karma just really fucking loves toying with you. Either way, when your friend’s maid of honor—also one of the few people you hung out with during your wild college days—came up to you, looking pale and panicked, you knew that the curse you always bring to weddings was only continuing to wreak havoc. 

She said to you, “One of the girls got into a car accident on her way here. Don’t worry, she’s not dead, just a broken wrist, but that means we are one bridesmaid short. I need someone to step in before Janet finds out and cuts off my head for ruining her wedding day,” and she was deadly serious about it, too.

You knew that it was a mistake to come to this wedding, especially without a date or a plus-one to fall back on. 

You were so focused on marveling at the beautiful white and golden decorations living the aisle, fantasizing about the day you might be walking down one of those that you didn’t think anything could go wrong since everything had been going so right. You should have known better than to trust that treacherous feeling of excitement that you made sure to nurture before breakfast so you could enjoy the ceremony and the party afterward without making it dependent on the open bar—although that fact did help.

Instead of dreaming about free drinks though, you’re being squeezed into a satin green dress with a low cut in the front, and someone you don’t know is slathering burgundy lipstick onto your lips. They are purposely trying to turn you into a copy of all the other bridesmaids, and you hate it. You hate it so much you get the sudden urge to scratch your eyes out and tear the skin off your lips. 

Janet, the maid of honor, comes back up to you. She’s aged at least ten years since you last saw her when she pulled you away from the aisle. You feel for her. The entire weight of this wedding rests on her shoulders. 

She eyes you, checking your outfit, before giving you a curt nod. “Thank God, you’re hot,” she mutters. You’re not sure if you were supposed to hear it. 

“Thank you?” you answer awkwardly. 

“Alright.” She fixes the corners of your lipstick. “We need to pair you with a different guy than Miss I-Don’t-Know-How-To-Drive was supposed to walk down the aisle with. Your looks don’t match. You’ll get Kathy’s partner,” she says. “And we need to line up, like, now because shit is happening in five minutes, not a second later. We can’t give Bridezilla the time to kill us all.”

With a frown, you ask, “Is she aware at all of what’s happening?” 

Janet shakes her head. “No, and it’s better this way. Trust me.”

You stop questioning her. She knows what she’s doing. 

When she guides you outside to line up, you’re not sure what to expect. You don’t know the groom, and you don’t know his friends. You’re here on your own, and now you’re part of a bridal party that you are also barely familiar with, wearing a dress that you were forced into for the sake of aesthetics. You hate when something is reduced to aesthetics because beauty has many facets, and you would have walked down that aisle with anyone as long as you could get it over with. 

Until you see him. Strikingly dark hair in a perfectly cut tuxedo that underlines the muscles hiding underneath the fabric. His eyes are hidden behind round, red glasses that reflect the sunlight coming in through the already stained glass of the chapel’s windows. In his hands, he’s holding a white cane, leaning his entire weight on it as he waits. And he waits for none other than you. 

Janet paired you with the most beautiful man on this planet, you can’t deny that. The way he stands there, his sharp jawline on full display—he looks ethereal. Just looking at him makes you sweat, and you’re starting to panic. What if she made a mistake? You can’t do this. You can’t—

“Matt,” she says and shoves you beside him into the line of bridesmaids and groomsmen. 

Janet introduces you, and then she’s gone. She pushes you into the cold water, forcing you to learn how to swim. 

He tilts his head in your direction. “Hi,” he says. The sound of his voice resembles the purr of a black cat as it reverberates, but his grin reminds you of the Devil himself. 

Fuck. Me. 

You either did something very wrong to land here, or you did everything right. 

“Hi,” you stammer. One look at him, and the blood rushes to your cheeks. Your face is burning. 

He offers you his hand. “I’m Matt,” he says as if Janet didn’t already expose that to you.

Still, you take his hand. It’s the polite thing to do. “And I’m not supposed to be here.” Mentally, you curse yourself for being so stupid.

Matt chuckles. Even his laugh sounds bittersweet. Like dark chocolate. “I, uh, gathered as much.”

“I’m sorry,” you bite your lip, “I’m not—this is really weird. I don’t even know what to say.” You pray for the ground to open up and swallow you whole, maybe that will make it less embarrassing.

His features soften. There is no judgment. You can’t see his eyes, but there is a certain softness about him that throws you off guard, but you no longer feel like you’re drowning. “If it helps, I’m only here because I helped the groom graduate law school by writing his essays, and he feels like he owes me, so…I also don’t want to be here,” he says, and he reaches up to adjust his glasses. You get a small glimpse of his eyes. They’re hazel. Beautiful. He has an aura that draws you in; it’s not just his physical beauty that strikes you.

This man—this magnetic force of a man called Matt—is a stranger. He’s a man you were paired with to walk down the aisle even though you were never meant to be a bridesmaid in this wedding in the first place. So many things are happening to and around you at once, and you can feel the flames starting to burn and sizzle away at your skin. 

You should pull yourself together. You shouldn’t stare at him. You shouldn’t listen to your heart which is hammering against your ribcage. But the emotions are already running high and you can’t possibly focus on anything else. He’s like a lifeline to you.

And God, you want him to put those calloused hands on your skin and take you to bed. But that’s not something to think about in a place of God. On the day of someone else’s wedding. Except that you can’t think of anyone else, and his proximity isn’t making the situation any better for you.

Another blush threatens to take over your features. “Oh, you’re a lawyer?” you ask.

“Yeah,” he says. “I have a firm. Nelson, Murdock & Page.”

“Here in New York?”

“Hell’s Kitchen, yeah. Me and my associates just reopened our doors to the public after a rough year.”

“Oh, that’s...cool. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. And what do you do, if I may ask?”

His interest takes you off guard, but you don’t hesitate to answer his question. You tell him your profession, and how you met the bride, and he listens without another word. No man has ever paid you this much attention before.

Though Janet meant it when she said that you will have to start walking in exactly five minutes, not a second longer. She passed by everyone, handing out bouquets. Green with hints of red and gold. It fits the theme. They’re beautiful, but the flowers within the bouquet become a problem when she hands you your own set. 

“Janet,” you stop her from leaving. “I can’t take these.”

“The fuck you can’t,” she retorts. 

“Seriously, I can’t. I’m allergic to Jasmines. I’ll sneeze.”

She glares at you. “Then fucking hold it.”

There is no arguing with her, and she passes by you to continue putting everyone in their places. You stare down at the bouquet, your nose already starting to itch. The smell alone is enough to make you nauseous.

To your surprise, Matt reaches for the flowers. “May I?” he asks, but he has already grabbed a hold of them.

“Sure,” you answer, curious about where he’s going with this.

“Hold this.” He guides the top of his cane into your hand.

His fingers feel along the red ribbon. He takes a whiff. There are so many scents that would be overwhelming even to someone without heightened senses due to a lacking fifth one, so you’re even more surprised when he finds the Jasmines without a struggle. He traces the petals just to make sure, and he quickly pulls the flowers out of the bouquet, tightening the ribbon around the now smaller girth in the process.

Tossing them behind one of the pillars in the corridor, he hands them back to you. “Here,” he murmurs. “For you.”

Words elude you. 

“Are you allergic to anything else?” The question is valid, considering you’re still not making a move to take the bouquet from him. 

You exhale a shaky breath, reaching for the flowers, and answer without missing another beat, “Weddings.”

That elicits a giggle from him. The sound is enough to make your heart melt. Does he know what he’s doing to you?

Matt opens his mouth to respond, but the sound of heels clicking against the marble floors stops you both dead in your tracks.

Your entire body recoils when the bride’s voice rings out, echoing, “Who the fuck mismatched my bridesmaids?”

A hand rests on your bicep, and you don’t even have to look down to know that it is Matt’s. He’s the only one standing to your right, anyway. He squeezes as though to let you know that you won’t lose your head, but you’re not so sure now that your college roommate is glaring at you in a white dress that reminds you of a pastry, and her eyes are full of fury. He can’t see it, but he would cower in fear if he did.

Thankfully, Janet pulls her aside, explaining the situation to her. 

“She what?!” she screeches. “On my wedding day? Are you kidding me?”

“Yes, because car accidents respect timing when it comes to special occasions,” Janet counters.

You snort. Matt beside you digs his teeth into his bottom lip, but even he can’t hide his amusement.

“Oh, snap,” you mutter under your breath. 

“Shots have been fired,” he says.

“I think we’re witnessing a double homicide.”

“I’m not a very credible witness. I can only describe how it sounded, unfortunately.”

Your snort turns into a laugh. The bride’s head snaps around, and you go quiet. “Sorry. I’m sorry,” you choke out.

“If she decides to throw a punch at your pretty face,” Matt’s breath tickles your ear, “I can be your attorney and sue her ass.”

This time, you’re conscious enough to slap a hand in front of your mouth to stifle your reaction. “How do you know I’m pretty?” you whisper back between little giggles.

He shrugs with a smirk of his own. “I just know.”

He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, and you have no choice but to submit.

Janet manages to bring some calm back to her friend eventually, and then it’s showtime. Right on the second, it’s time for you to walk down the aisle, and you have never been happier about a strict schedule and someone adamant about keeping that schedule for the sake of all of your lives.

Your roommate has always been a very dominant personality, so you’re aware of the things she can do when she doesn’t get what she wants. 

An 80s pop ballad begins to play. You make sure to match your pace to everyone else but also make sure that you’re not running away from your partner.

You may have been a mismatched bridesmaid, but you can’t complain about the company. 

Against all odds, the service is beyond beautiful. It’s not often you get to stand so close when two people who seem to truly love each other make a vow to be there for each other for the rest of their lives. You can’t help but shed a tear. They complement each other perfectly. Is that ever in the cards for you? Will you ever be able to have what they have? Or will you always feel like you’re not worthy of this kind of unconditional love and endless devotion—of someone wanting to spend the rest of their life with you?

You look over at Matt. The hint of a cross necklace is starting to peek out underneath his dress shirt. Of course, he’s Catholic. 

He carries himself with such a grace that puts everyone else in this room to shame. Does he know that you’re staring at him? You hope not.

After the ceremony, you lose sight of Matt in the masses. He doesn’t owe you a goodbye, but you still feel a little disappointed when you return to the dressing room and finally peel the satin dress off of your very sweaty skin. 

At the party afterward, he’s still nowhere to be found. You give up. Not that you want to spend the evening with him anyway, but you kind of do. You drown your sorrows in a glass of vodka cranberry and a bowl of olives. They taste like rotten meat, but there are too many people by the buffet for your liking. The last thing you want to do is mingle and get asked stupid questions by people you don’t even know. So, you stay back, and you watch from afar as everyone is having the time of their lives not so far away from you, but far enough for you to breathe.

“And here I thought weddings were supposed to be a joyous occasion,” Matt pipes up beside you, and you twirl around in your chair to face him with wide eyes.

You didn’t expect to see him back here. “Hi!” you exclaim. “What’re you—I thought you left.”

“Nah,” he says. “I just had to take care of some things.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what?”

He smirks. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yes, that’s why I asked.”

Folding his cane, Matt lowers himself down on one of the chairs beside you and orders himself a beer with the bartender. “Let’s just say that I have an important court case coming up and I had to make a call.”

You take another sip from your drink. “That sounds a lot more exciting than my life, to be honest.”

“You are sulking at a wedding. Thinking about an ex?”

“More like life in general.”

“Ah, yes, the eternal fear of dying alone.” He raises his bottle to yours. “I’ll drink to that.”

A laugh escapes you. “That was cynical,” you say.

“And you’re not?”

He beats you at your own damn game, and he finally gets that smile he has been vying for. 

“Are you smiling?” his voice is barely above a whisper. 

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips. “Maybe.” But the smile is audible in your voice, giving you away.

Matt smirks, nodding his head. “Good girl.” 

The sharp vodka runs down the wrong pipe. You cough. Did he just—

He did.

He pats your back, and his hand lingers a lot longer than it should. He looks so smug. Pleased with himself. That part of him is stupidly attractive to you, even though you would usually hate such cockiness in any other man. But Matt isn’t like any other man.

You apologize for your reaction, but he should be the one apologizing to you for throwing you off your game. What is he doing? You can’t read him. You wish you could because that would make this so much easier, but that’s probably the point. He wants to tease you. He wants to mess with your head. He’s a dick. A fucking attractive dick that could tell you to do just about anything and you in your flustered state would go along with it without hesitations. That’s the kind of control he has over you, and you just met. It feels like a twisted form of destiny, but you can’t quite believe it. Yet.

“Do you always do that?” you dare to ask.

He frowns. “Do what?”

“Flirt with women who were forced to be bridesmaids even though they were only supposed to be guests?”

A playful smirk plays on his lips.  

“It’s been known to happen,” says Matt.

You poke your tongue against the soft tissue of your cheek. “Cheeky,” you murmur.

“That’s also been known to happen.”

“What, being cheeky with—”

“—with women who were forced to be bridesmaids even though they were only supposed to be guests? Yes.” He’s catching on quickly.

You laugh and nod. “Yeah, that.”

“I do have to say though,” he adds, and for a second you think he might ruin the joke instead of playing it out further, but Matt is full of surprises, “Out of all the mismatched bridesmaids I’ve met in my thirty-something years of, um, living, you’re my favorite so far.”

With your hand, you start fanning your face rather dramatically. “I feel honored,” you say. 

Again, he chuckles. “You should be.”

“Why, because you’re so irresistible?”

“I was going to say that I don’t like a lot of people because, you know, they’re dicks, but that works too.”

“Wow.” You take another sip. The liquor burns its way down your sore esophagus. “You have balls, man.”

“Is that a problem?” he counters with a question.

The answer comes naturally. “No,” you say. “I like it.”

“Good.” Hearing you clink the ice cubes against your empty glass by swirling it around, Matt concludes that you need a refill. “Can I get you another drink?” he asks.

The question sounds so innocent, but the look on his face renders you speechless. His hand inches dangerously close to yours on the counter, his knee brushing yours, and the heat shoots straight to your neglected cunt. 

Fuck this.

“You could do that, or we could skip that part and just…you know.”

One brush of your hand against his thigh, that’s all it takes for him to know. 

Pushing you through the door to his apartment a few minutes later, his lips are on you. The door falls shut with a loud bang, and he presses you against the wall of his hallway. 

His lips feel like a silky cloud of lewdness. The way he kisses you is utterly erotic. Your lips part in a delicious moan that he swallows with a grunt of his own. He swallows it all, shoving his tongue into the tight confines of your mouth, and exploring every inch he can reach. He tastes you. He consumes you. 

His hands desperately search for an ounce of bare skin. He’s tugging at your clothes, sliding and tearing them aside. Once his fingers finally brush over the bare skin of your stomach, he melts. 

You tangle your fingers in his hair, pulling him impossibly closer. Your leg hooks around his waist. You can’t wait. He has ignited a fire within you that no one has been able to light before. He’s touching you with a precision that puts your former lovers to shame. He’s paying attention to your every breath and heartbeat, and with every touch, he asks, “May I?” 

You don’t even make it to the bedroom. Once he has successfully removed the bottom half of your clothes, he falls to his knees. He is a sight to behold. The disarray of colors that shines into his apartment illuminates his face, bathing it in a selection of hues that bring out his best features. 

Matt has yet to take off his glasses, and you take the opportunity to tear them away from his face. You’re gentle though. You ask him, “May I?” mirror the question he has been asking you throughout the night, and after a thick swallow, he nods.

You caress his cheek as you remove his glasses, and when you finally see his hazel eyes in all of their glory, you have to bow down to capture his lips in a soft kiss. 

“You’re beautiful,” you whisper. “So fucking beautiful, Matt.”

He whimpers. You could have sworn to have imagined it, but when you stroke his cheek with such a gentleness it almost makes him recoil in anguish, you know that you didn’t imagine the sound from his lips. You kiss it away. You kiss all of his insecurities away. You want him to feel as good as he is making you feel. You don’t know him, but you want to get to know him, and if he’s ready to surrender himself to you, you are more than ready to do the same for him. He can feel that with every brush of your fingertips and every kiss you deliver to his plump lips that taste like heaven and hell in itself.

Your words don’t leave him cold. His cock is aching in his pants—you take note of his impressionable size, which only makes you more excited for what’s to come—but he refuses to take it out. Not until you’re fully satisfied. To be honest, you could come just from staring at him on his knees in front of you, looking like he would lay the world to your feet and kill everyone who has ever dared to hurt you, but that is not enough for him. 

He needs the experience. Feeling your skin, tasting you, and breathing in all facets of your natural scent mixed with the artificial one from your shampoo. He can’t get enough of it. Of you. Of everything about and within you. He’s as attracted to your body as he is consumed by your soul. You’ve got him in a deadlock, but he would never complain about that.

You gasp when Matt grabs your thigh and throws it over his shoulder. Your panties are gone within seconds, torn on the floor somewhere. You’re completely bare to him. 

You want to warn him that you didn’t shave, but he doesn’t care. 

Before you know it, he has flattened his tongue against your pussy, and he licks a long stripe from your hole to your clit. 

“Fuck!” you cry out, reaching for support on the wall behind you.

He flicks the sensitive bundle of nerves with the tip of his tongue, testing the waters before he sucks it into his mouth. 

His grip on your thigh becomes bruising. Matt eats you out like he has been starving for years and you are his first and last meal. He sucks on your clit, and he fucks you with his tongue. Your pussy is the altar he worships at. Your arousal is his holy water. He dives deeper and deeper into the wetness between your thighs, and he moans loudly when you pull at his hair.

“Fuck, Matt–” You’re clawing at whatever you can find. It feels so good. You’re higher than you have ever been.

The sound of his mouth working your slick folds toward eternal bliss is obscene and utterly sinful. His stubble scratches against your inner thighs. The pain grounds you in the here and now, making you focus on the tidal wave that is about to crash into you and tear you to shreds. 

You can’t even warn him before your orgasm takes over, and it takes you into another dimension. You come with a shout of his name. It’s nothing short of explosive. The orgasm drags on through his mouth on your clit, relentlessly sucking until the nerves jump, and you’re begging him to stop. 

His face glistens. With every kiss up your body, Matt marks you. By the time he has reached your quivering lips, he still tastes like you.

“You did so well,” he whispers. “Such a good girl for me.”

You exhale. Without his shoulders to hold onto, you would probably lose your footing. “You’re crazy,” is all you can say. 

He smirks. “In a good way, I hope.”

“Yes. Fuck.”

“Regret coming home with me?”

“Absolutely not.”

That’s all he needed to hear. He lifts you with ease. “Then I’m going to make it worth your while.”

And when your back hits the soft mattress and silk sheets of his bed, you don’t doubt that he is going to make good on his promise. 

Matt Murdock Smut Tag List: @acharliecoxedfan @gpenguin666 @linamarr @mcugeekposts @itwasthereaminuteago @norestfortheshelbywicked @yarrystyleeza @littlenerdyravenclaw @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @amberritonicole @ravenclaw617 @pigeonmama

[intrepidacious]

a million summers

summary: Something shifts between you and Bucky when he comes back home from college.

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

word count: 3k

warnings: modern AU; childhood friends to lovers; alcohol consumption; making out; the rare occurence of me writing something that's almost exclusively fluff. please note that my blog is rated 18+. minors dni. ageless/empty blogs will be blocked without warning.

prompt: @allcapsbingo O1: "You've changed."

a/n: i didn't plan on posting anything today but something came over me. happy valentine's day, everyone!! this one's for @jesterstrange – remember when you sent me two songs for my sleepover and i completely ignored one of them? this is why 💛

masterlist | read on ao3

The air in the car is buzzing with late night heat and the crackling of the radio rapidly switching between stations, but you can’t seem to mind. Your heart is pounding in tune because less than two hours ago, you were kissing Bucky Barnes.

The Bucky Barnes, whose hand is currently gripping the steering wheel just a little too tightly. Valedictorian, baseball legend, first boy you ever fell in love with, prodigal third of your trio, Bucky Barnes.

Shit, if Steve found out about this, you’re not sure if he would laugh or kill both of you.

You wonder if the same thing is currently going through Bucky’s mind, because when you steal a sideways glance at him, he’s biting the inside of his lip, like he always does when he’s wrapped in thought.

It’s funny, in a way. You’ve noticed these little things about him since you were eleven years old, innocently collecting tiny facts about James Buchanan Barnes in your mind like other children kept pebbles or leaves they found on a walk. Like how his hair would stick up and begin to curl in his neck when it was about to rain. Or how he always got the first splatter of freckles in May, after months and months of them hiding away from the cold.

They’re there now, dancing across his cheekbones and down the bridge of his nose, and when the sunrise hits them at the right angle, they point out all the places you want to kiss; underneath his eye and on the tip of his nose, and, most importantly, right at the corner of his mouth, where his smile starts.

Your heart still can’t believe he’d actually let you do just that.

(He would, he would. He has.)

Your phone vibrates again and you ignore it. Reality might be on the other end, and you’re not ready for that quite yet.

There’s a slight tick in Bucky’s jaw when you peek at him again, barely noticeable to anyone who doesn’t know him quite as well as you do, and it sets your cheeks on fire. You roll the window down to feel the wind in your hair. Maybe it’ll cool your face a little.

You haven’t talked to each other at all ever since you got in the car, Bucky concentrating on the road, you counting the cars you pass. There’s not a lot of them, not at this hour, so the activity doesn’t exactly help to calm your mind, but you don’t trust your voice enough to start a conversation quite yet.

(Still, he hasn’t let go of your hand since you got in the car, either.)

It’s strange, this silence between you, not uncomfortable but unusual, because even though you’ve filled countless hours just quietly doing your own thing next to one another, it’s never been with this tension that’s making the air between you thick enough to cut.

The radio finally settles on a station, and there’s a spark of recognition at the song that manifests in Bucky squeezing your hand a little more tightly, and you finally break the silence with a quiet laugh and a warning, "Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything," Bucky says with a smile in his voice.

"Your thoughts are very loud."

"My thoughts are none of your business." He lifts your hand to his lips and presses a small kiss to your knuckles. Your breath hitches. "Besides, you were very cute."

"Slow down," you say, "I want to throw myself out of the car."

Bucky has the audacity to laugh. "Come on. Everyone had a phase in middle school."

"Everyone who knew me in middle school needs to die," you groan.

"Is that a threat, Y/L/N?"

You take in his cocky grin, tapping a finger against your chin in fake contemplation. "Maybe."

"Oh yeah?" he says, and you swear his smile grows even more crooked as you echo his words back at him.

(You want to trace it with your fingers and then taste it again.)

"So this is what we’ve come to," he says, his face exaggeratedly appalled as he shakes his head. "You’ve changed."

"I’m afraid there can’t be any exceptions," you say, squeezing his hand. "Especially not if this 'short drive over' takes much longer," you say, turning to the window again. The clouds look heavy with the reminder of rain.

Bucky rubs soft circles into the back of your hand with his thumb, and the gentleness of the action makes you press your lips together to hide the giddyness threatening to spill over. "Almost there," he says, and continues driving.

A little faster than before, maybe.

***

You’d seen this look in Bucky’s eyes before, but it’d never been directed at you. Pupils blown wide, hair sticking to his forehead, gaze unwavering and so intense you felt like you were being stripped naked in the middle of the crowd.

(And during his own homecoming party, no less.)

You forced your gaze away, trying to focus on whatever story Wanda was telling intently, but it was impossible to do anything other than nodding and humming and taking another sip of your drink whenever there was a breath for you to do so.

When you dared another glimpse in his direction, Bucky was still watching you, even though he was doing a much better job at pretending to listen, one of Steve’s arms still slung around his shoulders, his lips widening into a smile at the same time the rest of the group started to laugh while you were just out of sync with everyone else.

Not that you were staring at his lips.

It’d been so long since you’d last seen him in person. He was supposed to go off to college with Steve, but instead ended up going to an entirely different part of the country, and despite the fact that the three of you once shared every spare minute, there was only so many lagging phone calls at odd hours a friendship like the one you used to have with Bucky could take.

It broke your heart, of course, but maybe it was for the better. After all, your feelings for him had been drifting towards something different to friendship for a while at that point, something softer and more precious, something hidden away in stolen glances and late night journal entries.

Him literally being out of reach had made it easier, in a way, even though you’d never quite managed to move on from the color of his eyes.

(How could you have?)

Now, seeing him right in front of you again, they seemed so much brighter than they did in your memories; like someone had broken off two pieces of a clear summer sky and put them in the center of his face. It was honestly unfair.

You managed to steal away to the upstairs bathroom for a few minutes, not bothering to turn the light on, splashing your face with cold water to try and get a grip on. You weren’t quite drunk, but tipsy enough to recognize the light haze in your eyes as you stared at your reflection in the mirror, angling yourself in the thin strip of moonlight falling in through the window, trying to see if there was anything different about you.

Anything that Bucky might have picked up on tonight, of all nights.

There was a knock at the door, so you quickly fixed your hair with a small sigh and mentally prepared to continue the night with a smile, determined to enjoy yourself, weird and totally not heart palpitation inducing looks from former best friends be damned.

As soon as you swung the door open, though, your confidence was immediately shattered when you almost barreled into someone standing right on the other side, leaning against the frame, hands in his pockets, smile blinding.

Like he’d been waiting for you.

"Y/L/N."

(Your name still sounded like honey on his tongue.)

"Barnes." You raised your eyebrows when he didn’t move to let you pass. "Can I help you with something?"

"Maybe," he said, and then he pulled you back into the room with him, locking the door behind the two of you.

You leaned against it, arms crossed in front of your chest, swallowing heavily. Bucky hovered very close by for a moment before he retreated, pushing both hands through his hair and then hiding them in the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Right," you said, your head spinning slightly. "This isn’t ominous at all."

Bucky chuckled quietly, his eyes searching for something. "You look great," he finally said.

With a snort, you tilted your head and looked at his feet, not really believing his compliment. Your fingers were itching to unlock the door and just slip back into the party on the other side, but at the same time, you found you couldn’t move.

(You’d never been able to move away from him.)

"Look at that," you said, nudging your shoe against his. "You haven’t changed."

"Not really."

There was a strange edge to the smile in his voice, like he was trying to swallow something down. Maybe it was more clear on his face, but you couldn’t look up at him.

It was strange, the small details you remembered from years ago. Even when you and Bucky had begun to drift apart (because bottling up your feelings all the time could only ever have gone well for a short while), you would still spend most lunch breaks with him and Steve. How many times had you joined them on the tiny, dried up shrivel of lawn next to the library, being silly together and trying to stretch those thirty minutes into infinity, your sneakers always, always untied.

Steve had sprained his ankle in college when he tripped over his own feet, and so he’d started to tie them like the proper adult he pretended to be, and because the two of them had a habit of always copying the other, you’d just assumed that Bucky would have eventually grown out of the whole thing as well.

(Unlike you.)

Seemed like some things had stayed the same, after all.

And as if that stupid little observation had returned both of you back to the days that were, talking was suddenly so easy. You drifted closer to each other and apart again, like you were moving to a song much slower than the one still audible through the bathroom walls.

Later, you wouldn’t even be able to recall what you’d said. Some teasing remark, probably, a snarky comment like the ones you used to hide your feelings behind when you were fifteen and he was the prettiest boy you’d ever seen.

Whatever it was you’d said, Bucky chuckled again. As if he thought you funny. "I can’t believe I …" He trailed off, shaking his head, dragging a hand through his hair again.

Your eyes tracked the movement. A single curl kept sticking up near the top of his head, like it always had when you both were younger. "You what?" you said, almost entranced by it.

"Nothing," he said, looking over his shoulder like he expected someone to come up to him. There was no one there, but he kept moving like he was struggling against some unseen force.

"You what?" you laughed, thoroughly intrigued now.

He shook his head, but it spilled out anyway, like some tidal wave he couldn’t keep contained. "I used to have a crush on you in high school, alright?"

A pause, a break, a screeching record halt.

"No, you didn’t."

(He didn’t.)

"Uhm, yeah I did." He sighed heavily. "Look, you were never supposed to find out."

Your heart was pounding so loudly you could feel it in your ears. "Why not?"

"Because you’re …. You were my best friend. That was more important." The past tense really shouldn’t have broken your heart the way it did, because you’d known. Of course you’d known.

"And what about now?" you said, your hands clutched tightly around yourself." We’re not best friends anymore, are we? So … what are we now?"

He stared at you very intently, and his voice broke a little when he said, "I’m not sure what you want me to be."

There was a pause, and you realized Bucky’s face had turned even redder. You could barely look away from his eyes, though. It was almost impossible to make out their color in the semi-darkness of the bathroom, but there was a softness to them that made your skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Are you drunk or something?" you asked, feeling very, very sober yourself.

"What?" he said, almost offended by your suggestion. "Of course not."

"Good."

You stared at him for a moment longer, and then you kissed him.

You’d imagined kissing Bucky Barnes so many times before, but the real thing was so much better than even your wildest dreams could have predicted. He kissed you like he had all the time in the world and still didn’t want to waste a single second. Your hands circled around his waist to press him ever closer to you, and he made a noise at the back of his throat that made your brain short-circuit.

His hands trailed across your shoulder blades, gently pulling you with him as he took a step backwards and his back hit the wall with a low thud, his mouth never once leaving yours. He tasted like coffee and salt and something that was so distinctly him it took your breath away.

When you finally came up gasping for air, Bucky whined in disapproval, peppering smaller kisses along your cheeks, your jawbone, your neck. You grabbed his shoulder for support as your knees threatened to buckle, the fingers of your other hand grabbing a fistful of his hair.

"Shit, Y/N," he mumbled against your pulse, and the low timbre of his voice was enough to make your eyes flutter shut again. "You’ve got no idea how long …"

He didn’t finish talking, his lips finding yours again with a hum that made your grip on him tighten involuntarily, his hands large and solid around your middle. There was no telling how much time you lost to that kiss. Hours, maybe, an eternity of both of you trying to get as close to each other as possible.

At one point, Bucky tapped your thigh, as if he was trying to get you to jump and wrap your legs around his waist, and you were about to, honestly, but just then you were interrupted by a sudden and incessant knock at the door.

"Whoever’s in there, can you hurry up? There’s a line out here!"

You broke apart with an embarrassed snort. "Just a minute!" you called, somehow managing not to sound quite as short-winded as you felt. You steadied yourself against Bucky’s chest, feeling his heartbeat drum a mad rhythm underneath the thin fabric of his shirt. "I do not wanna go out there," you mumbled.

"Neither do I," he said, and his voice sounded so low and so wrecked you had to kiss him again. Just a small peck on the lips, this time, but you still came up light-headed. "Wanna get out of here?"

(More than anything.)

"I can’t," you sighed apologetically. "Nat’s not even here yet and I told her I’d help with the cake."

"I don’t give a shit about the cake."

You giggled. "I promised, though"

Bucky groaned, pressing his forehead against yours. The person on the other side of the door started knocking again. "She has an hour," he mumbled and sealed it with a quick kiss before you could say anything else. "Tops."

You left that bathroom with your head held high and an incredulous smile on your face. Outside, a clash of thunder shook the window panes.

***

It crosses your mind, then, when the car slows and the gas gauge finally stops blinking, that your younger self would have killed to be in your shoes. Or rather, bare feet pulled up on the passenger seat, Bucky’s fingers entertwining with yours, feeling tired and wide awake at the same time as nervous excitement curls up in your chest.

How many summer night did you use to lie awake in bed, imagining a scenario just like this?

(A million, at least.)

The summer air carries the smell of the ocean, and if you looked out the windscreen, you could probably see the waves crashing against the shoreline as the sun starts to rise, a picture perfect view like something out of a fucking dream. You’re still not quite convinced you haven’t fallen asleep on Wanda’s shoulder earlier in the evening, your subconscious making all of this up out of some long buried yearning from years ago.

You don’t want to look outside, though. You don’t want to look anywhere but at the boy beside you, whose hair is still tousled from your touch and who looks at you like he’s on cloud nine and absolutely terrified at the very same time.

"Do you feel kinda nervous or is it just me?" Bucky says, and you laugh.

"Yes. What’s up with that?"

It’s like the manic, pent up energy that made your kiss in the bathroom feel like you got struck by lightning has vanished from your bodies, making room for something more quiet. More anxious. A question whispered at the back of your mind that makes your hold on his hand tighten.

What now?

(Reality stopped calling a while ago, but it’s only a matter of time.)

"I guess it’s a good sign." Anticipation makes the blue of his eyes shimmer. "Means neither of us wants to fuck this up."

You smile tentatively. "Is there something we could potentially fuck up?"

Bucky swallows, tilting his head. "I hope there is."

(You want to run away with him. You want to stay with him. You’d wait a million summers more to get here.)

"Me too."

When he leans in this time, it’s sweeter than before, slower, less a declaration and more a promise. Neither of you would have to wait anymore.

thank you for reading!! if you want to see more of my writing, check out my masterlist or follow @intrepidacious-fics for update notifications!!

[tojiscrack]

•°. *࿐ 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐋𝐄

tw: swearing, mention of nipples, arguing (counts as bantering), just chaos tbh

pairing: satoru gojo x reader

notes: the way i was bawling my eyes out for the new jjk ep that came out today whilst also trying to simultaneously stay happy for my husband’s birthday. had to distract myself, so here’s my gojo!birthday post! enjoyyy <33

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

certain events were taken very seriously in your household. it would be extremely unnatural if you missed something as simple as the first day back to school or the last day of school, even.

to be fair, as much excitement as you held for little events such as those, your partner’s excitement was enough to accustom every other member of your house (there were three of you, excluding satoru gojo).

seriously: he had only recently thrown a child-like tantrum because you’d forgotten the anniversary of your first sparring session three years ago — who even remembers shit like that? what happened to the normal, memorable events like valentines day, mothers day, or fathers day?

or birthdays.

now that was one you took extremely seriously. that was one you’d understand if satoru threw a tantrum over forgetting something as important as the day commemorating the year the world turned upside down by the birth of satoru gojo himself (it would have been nice if you were given a warning — putting up with him was forced labour, you firmly believe that you deserve to be paid).

and getting a gift for satoru was easy as pie. the man was so full of sunshines and daisies that he accepted nearly everything. it came to a point where you’d been under the impression that he was simply pretending for your sake, that you tried giving him one of nanami’s weird old pointed shoes during his 17th. needless to say, he was not pretending to like your gifts, and that was proven very well when the strongest sorcerer in the world held up the pair in one large hand, teary eyed with his lips wobbling.

drama queen, you thought in your head.

this year, you had much planned: the dinner table where you usually forbid a number of more than four candies or sweets were now filled with enough to diagnose him with diabetes and at least twenty cavities.

that was not all.

sometime last month, satoru had bought a pretty, blue dress for tsumiki (no special occasion, it was ‘speaking’ to him, apparently — his words, not yours) but it ended up being a size too small. you, wisely, suggested returning it, but the idiot came up with something… unique.

“just let megumi wear it!” he’d said with a giant grin.

megumi did not take that too well. despite the fact that you were already on his side, scolding satoru for constantly teasing the innocent boy, megumi had run back into your shared bedroom and returned with one of your own pretty blue dresses.

satoru looked down at him, his opaque, round glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose to reveal his scarily-blue eyes.

“oh?” he’d said, brows raised. “i mean i see why you’d want to wear that one, but —"

“i don’t want to wear it, creep,” snapped megumi, dropping the dress at satoru’s feet. the height difference was comical, megumi barely reached higher than the snow-haired man’s knee. “it’s for you.”

your eyes narrowed.

“now wait just a minute —”

“i’ll wear tsumiki’s dress the day you wear that one,” scoffed megumi, who knew very well that satoru would never stoop that low. he did not wait for another response before walking away.

you and satoru watched him leave; you looked at satoru, who shrugged at you, and before either of you could blink, megumi was at satoru’s knees again.

“wha—”

kick!

“ow!”

the dark haired kid ran off without a word, leaving satoru to rub at his knee with his glasses askew on his face.

“the kid can seriously kick, huh?” he grunted, bouncing on the heels of his feet as you had approached him with a scowl.

“that’s what you get for even saying such a stupid thing,” you told him as you pinched his arm to stop him from bouncing around. his face came to level with yours and you took the opportunity to fix his glasses before flicking him on the forehead. “put my dress away.”

satoru grinned at you.

“i’ll skin you alive if i see you in that.”

“i paid for it.”

“and you’ll do that again if you wear it.”

so that brought you to the present day, where you found yourself actually pleading with megumi to… wear the dress.

“no,” he said, glaring at you (a rare sight, because despite your obvious similarities in humour with satoru, megumi still preferred to side with you in every situation). “it’s ugly.”

“you didn’t say it was ugly when tsumiki said she liked it.”

“tsumiki’s —” started megumi, looking at you as if you’d grown three different heads. “tsumiki’s a girl! why is — what’s wrong with you people?”

“it’ll look funny!”

“exactly.”

“he’ll be here in a couple of minutes, megumi. just for a minute… please?” you reasoned, hands clasped in pleading. “i want to make sure his birthday is perfect.”

“at my expense.”

you stared at him. “why does a kid like you even know those words?”

tsumiki had walked in the room by that point, a party hat sitting on top of the braids you had expertly done for her that morning.

“he reads non-fiction books,” she answered your question easily, placing her own wrapped gift on the table with very little room due to the pastries and goodies.

“of course,” you sighed. “because that’s so normal for a seven year old kid. you know, forget the dress. want me to take you to a doctor instead?”

“you’re not normal either,” megumi shot back grumpily.

“i am!” you argued back, unaware of the fact that satoru was now in the process of unlocking the door. “aren’t i, tsumiki?”

the girl, though hesitant, nodded enthusiastically. you’ll take it.

“see, megumi? i’m norm— what are you staring at?”

megumi’s face had paled, his pupils growing smaller and smaller with whatever view behind you he was met with. your eyes darted to tsumiki, who also looked visibly shocked, but you knew her well enough to analyse the fact that she also looked very… amused.

what was so amusing?

“I’M HOOOOME!” sang satoru, his voice smooth as silk and loud as though he’d spoken through a megaphone.

but satoru wasn’t that shocking. satoru was just satoru. satoru was…

you turned around.

satoru was wearing a dress.

your dress.

the one you’d forbidden him from touching.

the one you’d explicitly threatened him with.

the one he knew was off-limits.

the one he had now stretched and ripped due to his broad shoulders, his muscular frame, his tall body.

satoru seemed blissfully unaware of the issue at hand, pouting as his blue eyes darted from you, to megumi, to tsumiki.

“what, no birthday songs? you know i love your singing, y/n —”

“is infinity on?” you asked slowly, voice shaky with frustration.

satoru blinked.

“huh?”

“is. infinity. on.”

“i mean — yeah — but —”

“okay,” you smiled, walking over to the table and presenting all the treats you’d bought for him. you picked up a cinnamon roll with your bare hands, ignoring the way the sugary icing was now dripping down your skin.

“oh! those for me? i knew you’d come through! remember that shoe you gave me back when —”

splatter!

it was a good thing you were known for hitting your targets every time: satoru’s — your — dress was now tainted with the mess only a delicious cinnamon roll could cause. it dropped to the floor after sliding down his front for a good five seconds as you, him, and the kids watched with interest.

he stared at the wasted treat, mouth forming an ‘o’ shape at the disaster. he looked back up again, ready to protest when he found you holding another one of his treats: it was kikufuku — edamame and cream flavour, also known as, satoru gojo’s favourite.

“hey, wait —”

smack!

square on the nose. target hit. mission… accomplished? no, not quite yet. that was not enough compensation for your previously, well-crafted, beloved dress.

the idiot tried catching it, only for it to slip between his unnecessarily long fingers and fall sadly onto the wooden floor.

“no!” he shouted dramatically, voice cracking with despair. “that was —”

“your favourite?” you finished off, head tilted mockingly. “i know. that was my dress.”

satoru shook his head vigorously; it would have made you laugh if not for the fact that the dress he was wearing belonged to you.

“it still is!” he stated desperately.

“it’s not even a dress anymore you stupid man-child!”

“i know it looks a little… weird —”

“just weird?”

“and… a little ripped —"

“a little?”

“but it’s still yo— put my kikufuku down right now!”

the next five minutes had been an unpleasant sight for all: you were trying to get him out of your ruined dress, he was trying to get his favourite treat out of your hand, not to be tragically wasted like the previous one. tsumiki had made one or two attempts to calm all the tension down, but megumi had hissed at her to stop interfering.

tsumiki knew it was because if the arguing had been an issue of the past, megumi and his claim that if satoru wore your dress then he’d wear tsumiki’s small one, would be an issue of the present.

satoru, with his arms wrapped around your body (somehow) to prevent you from grabbing another one of his goodies, looked over his shoulder to send a menacing glare to megumi.

“you’re not off the hook either, mister,” he said loudly, “get the dress on.”

you pushed satoru off of you with an impressive amount of strength seeing as he practically towered over you and bested you in physical strength any day.

“no, forget it megumi. he doesn’t deserve to see you in a dre—”

the rest of your sentence had been muffled by satoru’s large hand slapping over your mouth, making you stumble back in surprise and anger.

“ignore her megumi, put the damn dress on.”

you pulled at his already-dishevelled hair sharply. he bit back a high-pitched scream his inner girl had wanted to release.

“he doesn’t want to anyway, he’s not gonna listen to you!”

satoru tried pushing you with his chest away from the dinner table so it would be easier to hold you back. he’d decided that you wouldn’t give up on this, therefore creating some space between you and his beloved sugary treats would be ideal in this scenario.

“oi, i did what the little brat wanted me to do,” he hissed with fury. his hands closed around your wrist, he looked over his shoulder at megumi again. “and i feel like shit right now —”

“— no swearing in front of the kids —”

“— i feel like poop right now,” satoru obediently corrected himself without looking back at you. “now do your dad a favour and put the dress on —”

megumi gave him a look of disgust and did not hesitate to share his thoughts.

“ew you’re not my dad.”

and sometimes you genuinely believe that satoru has some mild form of adhd, for his attention diverted quickly from his physical battle with you to the random one picked up by megumi.

“what the hell?”

but it still seemed as though one side of his brain was still working, he hadn’t let go of your wrists just yet.

“oh my god,” you sighed, looking over at tsumiki as though she could help you in any way: the young girl shrugged, fiddling with the little bands that went round her face in order to keep her party hat in place.

“pause, this is getting really serious right now and i don’t like it,” said satoru, and then quickly turned his head to face you with a glare. “not that you wasting my food isn’t serious.”

you struggled with his iron-tight grip on your wrists.

“i paid for all of that,” you reminded him charmingly.

“and i paid for this dress.”

“and you also wrecked it,” you snapped, eyeing what once used to be your beautiful blue dress that now looked like something you’d seen peasants wear in a movie.

“i’ll buy you a closet full of dresses if that’s what you want!” satoru argued back.

“i don’t want a closet full of dresses,” you retorted, and then paused, looking up thoughtfully. “but i’ll hold you to that.”

satoru blinked at you, confused; you shook your head and focused.

“i want that dress!” you demanded angrily, the battle continuing despite yourself. “and you didn’t heed my warning, so your kikufuku and everything else i bought you gets it.”

“you’re evil —”

“and you look like a fool!”

satoru did not deny that, so with his eyes still trained on you, narrowing them slowly, he exhaled through his nose.

“megumi, i won’t ask again. wear the dress.”

before you could go for the dinner table again, satoru ducked and lifted you by your waist, using his long legs to make large strides towards the couch. you protested, your hands had instinctively held onto his shoulders, and without them, you could not fight back. you opted to dig your nails into him instead — he hissed but made no complaints as he continued to quickly jog you over to the couch.

“megumi!” you called out loudly: the boy still remained where you had last spoken to him, by the chairs of the table with a party hat he’d been fiddling with beneath his chin. “don’t —”

you were interrupted by your own gasp when your back harshly met the soft cushions of the couch. you did not have to focus that hard to hear megumi’s quiet ‘wasn’t planning on it’.

“one down, another to go!” cheered satoru, way too joyful for your liking.

your gaze hardened, taking a cushion and dashing it at the back of his head with as much force as you could gather. of course, you never missed, but it did little to stop satoru from approaching megumi (other than the offended look he sent you in that ridiculous dress you tried so hard not to laugh at).

megumi remained stagnant, his glare hardening with each step satoru took to get closer to him.

“clown,” muttered megumi, jumping off of the chair he’d been sitting on and running to his room.

“oh, good plan!” satoru called after him with a smile. “you go and get the dress and i’ll stay and wait here!”

tsumiki coughed nervously. “erm — i don’t think he’s going to get th—”

she cut herself off when she saw you get back up and charge towards satoru. he turned around a second too late, you’d pushed him back and grabbed a handful of random pastries and sweets, throwing them at him without another thought.

“you’re gonna have to use hollow purple to stop me,” you said over his shouts of protests.

“jokes — jokes on — oh my god, no! — jokes on you, i — stop! — could just use infinity!”

“what’s the point? the food gets wasted anyway, genius.”

the food war (and physical battle, when satoru had decided that enough was enough and the only way to pacify you was to beat you in a clash of strength) had gone on for at least another ten minutes. you were growing exhausted, but satoru? satoru, that monster, was still fighting you as if your attacks were nothing.

stamina now seemed like water on a dry desert for you.

but you refused to give up.

“i can see your nipple, you pervert, ew!” you shouted from underneath him.

it was an odd mix of your limbs. you were trying to flip him over but the stretch his body when you twisted his torso somehow only caused the fabric across his chest to tear, revealing one of his nipples.

“you see it every night,” satoru shot back with a grin.

you wanted to slap the smug look on his face badly.

“that’s why i tell you to stop sleeping shirtless every night —”

“why are you complaining? any other woman would be glad to —”

“what are you guys doing?” tsumiki’s soft voice interrupted you like the smooth spread of butter on toast.

the two of you looked up; your jaws dropped.

tsumiki had taken the time that you guys spent fighting to change out of her simple, regular dress and put on one of the new ones satoru had bought for her sometime last week. it was a similar shade to the blue he’d wanted megumi to wear (for some odd reason, the weirdo?) but was definitely much more flattering. much, much more prettier.

and it was her size.

“get off of me, you —"

“— no swearing —"

“you woman fetishise-r —”

“what’s that?” asked tsumiki, as you both got to your feet and dusted yourselves off.

“yeah, what’s that, y/n?” satoru cheekily repeated, staring at you as if he needed the answer or he’d die a sad and painful death.

“it’s —” you began sharply, trying not to kill him with your death stare before looking back at tsumiki with a smile, “it’s not important. the real question is: what’s that?”

“…it’s a dress,” said satoru unhelpfully. he was looking at you as if you had discovered new learning difficulties.

“another peep out of you and you’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” you threatened him quietly.

you did not need to look at him to know that he was pouting like a kicked puppy. at least he was mute, but not for long, it seemed.

“you’d do that to me on my birthda—”

“i’ve done a lot to you today, don’t push it,” you said, still eyeing tsumiki’s dress with obvious amazement and interest. you approached her, bending down to her height and tucking back some of the flyaways on her head. “it makes you look like a princess —”

“and it stopped you guys from fighting,” she smiled… like a princess.

satoru glared down at you, well aware that you could not see him.

“yeah i’m still not done with her —”

“i’ll make you sit in the naughty chair, gojo,” you said menacingly.

he wanted to let out a long, exaggerated sigh, but the sound of tsumiki laughing at your… mutual banter (?) had drawn his attention away from your backside to her and her new dress.

“ah,” sighed satoru, rubbing the back of his neck, “still wanted to see megumi in a dress.”

“can it, gojo.”

“i did!” he responded, sounding like a child getting scolded by their mother. he looked down at tsumiki and brushed her party hat aside to ruffle her hair (though not enough to mess her neat braids up). “i mean — you look so pretty with it on, i just wore this stupid dress for nothing now.”

“mhm,” you nodded, rising to your full height to raise a brow at him.

he shrugged, picking up an unwrapped lindor bar from the table. “can i at least get a picture of myself?”

“no,” you rolled your eyes. “your entire thought about putting megumi in a dress was just plain dumb, satoru.”

tsumiki blinked up at you. “but you spent all day trying to get megumi to agree to —”

your eye twitched as you felt satoru’s amused and interested stare directed at your cheek. you refused to look back at him.

you loved tsumiki, you really did. but just like any other kid, she had a tendency of speaking about something when it was very clear that it was simply not required. in other words, she spoke to make matters worse for you — unknowingly, of course. it stung a little more seeing as being proven wrong against the smug bastard that is satoru gojo is enough to make you want to jump into a big, black hole and never return again.

the idiot was just that cocky.

“a dumb idea, huh?” you heard him say.

you closed your eyes, as though they were the source of your hearing.

“mhm…” you hummed, irritated.

“that so?” said satoru, and when you did not respond, he took it as an opportunity to go on, and on, and on.

“aw, you did that for me?”

“just for me?”

“and she spent all day doing that, did she?”

“of course she did, look at all those treats for me!”

“i mean — not out of the ordinary for her to be bugging megumi but for me?”

“you know what?” you interrupted him loudly. you faced him with a frown. “i want a divorce!”

satoru stared down at you, glanced at tsumiki, before blinking down at you again. he raised his snow-white brow at you, acting as though you’d said something that deserved ten years in jail.

“we’re not even married!”

“and whose fucking fault is that?”

“language!”

“happy birthday!” you stated angrily, reaching up and kissing him on his cheek before storming out of the room, unaware of the dazed look he sent after you, unaware of the pink dusting his cheeks, unaware of the dreamy sigh he let out when the door slammed loud enough to shake the rest of the house.

soon, that argument could never be used against him, especially not by you.

[hyperfixiation-station]

Sorry, I meant Ghost in a fight/discussion with reader 😭 Still, I did love your take

CW: Fighting, emotional abuse, light swearing I am so sorry anon 😭😭 I am literally the dumbest person to have ever existed lmaooo Also apologies for length, I am moving and wanted to get you something cause I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again. To whoever asked, I am making a pt.2 so send me an ask if you want to be notified :)

As always, no beta, please lmk of any mistakes!!

A lot of ‘fights’ you guys have are one sided, where you concede quickly, not wanting to argue, and he just keeps going and going. He, like a lot of ND’s, gets a thrill from fighting, and he will pick fights about everything. You just disagree once with what he says and he goes off.

Fem!Reader: Anytime he is upset/angry with you/thinks you are disrespecting or ignoring him, he'll call you 'woman'. 

"I'm still talking woman!" "Watch your mouth woman" "Woman I am talking!" 

He does not love bomb. He does not come after arguing with you with flowers and chocolates and showering you with love to make up for it. 

Don’t get me wrong, this man does bring you flowers, just not to make you feel better after a fight. He’ll get you flowers for valentines day and your birthday and your anniversary and any time he feels like you deserve flowers, but he does not give them to you after fights. 

And you guys don’t fight too often. At least, not fights where he feels bad and has lingering guilt. Very rarely will he realize(or at least admit) That he was wrong, especially not in front of your kids, if you guys have them. However, if he does realize and admit he is wrong(typically after you sleep in a different room or don’t talk to him except for the bare minimum) he will apologize in private.

One very memorable fight for you was back in the early days of your relationship, just after you had started living together. He had left his gear just piled on the front table, and you had folded it and moved it to the bedroom so that it wasn’t cluttering up the front room. He came home and, well, freaked. He screamed at you, punched a hole through a door, and you still remember him telling you ‘Go to hell then woman” when you said you had just wanted the space to be clear. 

He gets pissed off about the stupidest stuff. Your guy's 10-year-old daughter bought a Stanley? He’s mocking him for the next 3 weeks about wanting to be popular. Your teenage-daughter wears ripped jeans to a concert? He’s telling everyone about how she must have bought them at half-price since so much cloth is missing. 

One interesting thing is that he respects fighting back, to an extent. You watched in borderline horror as your eldest got into a screaming match with him that lasted hours and ended with no victor. And yet, since that day, you’ve never seen Simon scream at them again. 

Hearing this, he sounds toxic, yeah? And he is, to an extent. But you stay with him because he knows he has issues, and he actively works on bettering himself. You’ve been with him for a decade now, and you can see so many differences in the way that he acts. He no longer screams and throws things and punches holes in the walls. He is more willing to admit when he is wrong, hell, there's even been a few times when he’s said sorry in front of your kids. 

You understand his trauma, you understand why he responds and acts the way he does, and most importantly He does too, and he is working on bettering himself for his family, because he loves you, and he hates that his explosive reactions hurt you and your kids.

I am going to make a pt. 2 to this so that I can go more in depth, but again, I’m moving and not sure when I will be able to post again so I wanted to at least give you something. lmk what ya'll think :)) ALSO: If you think I am mischaracterizing Ghost please let me know, and I will either explain my reasonings or you will change how I think of him. Either way, I would like to know yalls thoughts so please do not hesitate to say something

[aphinthestars]

FINALLY FINISHED MY CHARACTER SHEET FOR MY SPIDERSONA! 💜😭 After quite literally nine months of working on it! Don't expect something as detailed from me ever again though lol.

I'll talk a little about her lore and character wise in this post if you are interested! (Quick TW Since Aph's story deals with quite a bit of death, self hate, suicidal thoughts etc, etc, you get the gist just be careful reading, also heads up both my friends Didi and Nico wrote their spidersonas with mine so their lores intertwine also also heads up for a quite a bit of an age gap since my spidersona is shipped with Miguel sooooo)

Aph Stella or better well known as Constellation Weaver, the Spiderwoman of Earth-117.

Her powers are basically the normal Spider-Man powers with a few exceptions, she is based on stars, starlight, shooting stars etc, so for example her webs are made out of stars holding onto each other like constellations, like stars being made out of fire, her webs are extremely irritating to the normal human skin, the closest injury to it being a quimical burn.

As well as her webs she can charge her stars on the palms of her hands to cause damage to enemies.

Cons to her powers are that she didn't get the normal super strength that everyone else does, instead she got double the resistance, think of it as she is meant to protect not fight, though she can more then handle herself with the villains in her universe.

Like on Madoka Magica she needs a recharge period on her powers or else something horrible might happen to her, though instead of having a jewel like on Madoka Magica, her body slowly gets filled with a star pattern, that's actually why her suit has pieces of her skin open, so she knows she is not overusing her powers.

The city she lives instead of being New York is named Nueva Lunaria, situated in the late 2020s

She is 26 years old, became Spiderwoman at age 21 but all her canon events only started happening a year or two before the events of ATSV.

Her height, like her creator, is 1.52 cm or 5'2 feet.

Came from an emotional abusive household but lived the first 4 years of her life with her grandmother May until she eventually died of old age and she had to go on back to live with her parents.

After leaving her parents' home she quickly moved in with her two best friends since childhood Didi and Nico.

Because of Aph being the oldest she always was a substitute mom to the both of them.

Nico and Didi helped create Aph’s suit so it's an emotional piece for her.

Aph got bitten in her job as a freelance artist for her universe's version of NASA, Aph would take any job that anywhere would throw at her as she needed the money, being the oldest she felt the need to support Nico and Didi through their careers (Both ended up graduating, Nico as an art preschool teacher and Didi as a nurse which helped Aph heal her injuries in the right way)

Aph got bitten in her job by a rogue entity that they had brought from outer space, specifically from an endeavor to the moon, the only way the people in that ship could describe it was a spider.

Aph got bitten while working on drawing said description of the spider for the research team.

Aph quickly quit her job after she noticed she was becoming Spiderwoman because she was afraid of getting experimented on or worse.

From then on she promised to use her powers responsibly and with kindness just as her Nana May would've wanted.

Sadly both Didi and Nico were Aph's canon events.

Nico dies at the hands of the Lizard in Aph's universe, thrown off a building after the Lizard stopped toying with her, Aph tried to catch her with her webs in a panic but because of her injuries done by the Lizard and the injuries that she got from Aph's webs, she didn't survive, she dies on the beginnings of December before Aph's 26th birthday in January.

Aph's birthday on January 17 that year was the only one she has ever not celebrated in her life.

Didi dies on Valentine's day the year that Aph became 26, done with not being able to help Aph fight villains she makes a deal with what she didn't know at the time was the Green Goblin, making her into a praying mantis hybrid that Aph had to defeat.

Aph blames herself for both their deaths thinking they were preventable.

She lives in a shoujo manga/magical girl inspired world (Think Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica)

A lot of her lore was deadass taken or inspired by Madoka or Sailor Moon so bare with me lol.

Because of Didi's and Nico's deaths Aph can no longer pay for the rent for her apartment and goes back to her parents' home.

Her parent's try to arrange a marriage for her with the Doc Ock of her universe and that's her last straw.

She plans to commit suicide that night but never gets the chance.

That night a orange portal appears in her childhood bedroom, everything floating up and then falling back.

From there emerges Miguel O'Hara recruiting her to the society.

She cuts his speech and says that yes she will join him without hesitation as she sees this as a signal from the universe to keep living and do good in other places.

Much like Gwen she pretty much abandons her universe and lives full time in Earth-928 on the society thanks to Miguel.

Miguel finds out about what she was about to do in her universe and makes sure she gets help.

What Aph doesn't know at the time is that their are Spiderman versions of Didi and Nico in the society, Didi is the adoptive daughter of Miguel and Nico as well as Aph can't go back to her universe.

Miguel hides this information from Aph to protect her but she finds out anyway, they talk it out and Aph understands why he did it, he wanted to make sure Aph didn't try to see this Didi and Nico as replacements of her own.

She eventually is alright enough to be friends with them though.

Miguel in my AU is 35.

Aph and Miguel have a 9 year difference.

Aph and Miguel quickly become close because they feel as if they both lost people in their lives that were important to them in similar ways.

Since Aph is on Nueva York at least for the near future, like the bracelet that Miles wears when he comes into the spidersociety, Miguel turns Aph's star shaped earrings into stabilizers so she can be there without the clunky watch (Though she still needs it to go to other dimensions)

Miguel also quickly finds out that Aph has basically been fighting blind as a bat, she wears glasses on her daily life another perk she didn't get from the spider, but she didn't know how to add the graduation that her glasses have to her mask so she had been fighting blind.

Miguel finds out by seeing her fight, seeing how she normally overshots her hits, when he finds out he berates her but quickly fixes the problem and updates her mask.

Aph makes sure Miguel takes proper breaks and often brings him food from the cafeteria or pastries she makes herself.

She hangs out with him a lot on his lab since she doesn't like that he is cooped up there with no one to talk to or even just have in his presence.

After a heart to heart and Aph basically confessing her feelings to Miguel after she almost died , they get together and Miguel gives Aph a promise ring that like her earrings stabilizes her without the need of the watch.

They call each other mi luna y mi sol.

When the events of ATSV happen, Aph is reluctant to go to Miles' side, but she knows that the person she once knew as her partner is doing something wrong that he'll eventually regret.

She eventually goes back to Miguel after an apology to Miles and him fixing everything up.

In the future Miguel and Aph have four children including Didi, they had difficulties having them surprisingly nor because of the difference in dimensions but because both their genetics are FUCKED in opposite ways, at first they thought they would have none, then oldest biological daughter, Minerva, Minny for short came along after they almost gave up, eventually four years later they had Javier, Javi, who was a very sickly boy so they thought they would never have another one because the other two were already a fucking miracle, and finally six years later when Aph is 38 they have Mateo, the youngest and quite literally their oops baby since Miguel is 47 by then lmao.

AND THAT'S IT! That's Aph's story and design at least for this post, I'll post more about her story and drawings as I make them, I'll also be posting old ones that are in my procreate, mainly with Miguel.

And one last thing props to my friend who made the design of Aph's logo on her bow! Originally she wouldn't have one since I didn't know where to put it but my friend came through, though they didn't want to be tagged I still want to credit them in some way!

Tag list: @sweetimpurity @sweetimpurityloves @bluemadnessstuff

[zalrb]

Kill {elena/stefan/katherine fic pt. 6}

The gif limit is so irritating LOL. Hope you enjoy it.

Link to part 1: https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/707929608286240768/toxic-elenastefankatherine-fic

Link to part 2: https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/709460774203064320/valentines-day-elenastefankatherine-fic-pt-2

Link to part 3: https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/709838031967879168/choices-elenastefankatherine-fic-pt-3

Link to part 4: https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/710274615200628736/blood-elenastefankatherine-fic-pt-4

Link to part 5: https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/710584105290579968/boundaries-elenastefankatherine-fic-pt-5

Katherine was cackling. “Damon, did I ever tell you, you’re my hero?” 

            “Shut up,” he snapped.

            “No, I mean it. You tried to kill me to get your girlfriend back and ended up shooting your girlfriend instead? You’re phenomenal.”

            “Shut up!” This time it was Stefan who spoke but he hadn’t turned away from Elena. 

He held her gaze and Elena found herself sinking into him as he drew into her, everything else, everything around them irrelevant or nonexistent. Like always. She barely felt it when he took the arrow out of her leg. 

            “Are you in pain?” he asked gently.

            She shook her head.

            “Oh give it a rest, she’s a fucking vampire,” snapped Katherine. 

Stefan didn’t bother responding. He touched the side of Elena’s face. A natural response when he wanted to comfort her. She held onto his wrist.

Damon watched the two of them, unsure of what hurt more, the fact that they never stopped sharing this kind of intimacy or the fact that they couldn’t help but display it whenever they were around each other. That that had always been the fact of them. He was glad that the two bottles of whisky he drank had somewhat numbed him.

Katherine watched Damon’s observation and pushed further.

“Of course, even if you had managed to kill me,” she said. “It wouldn’t change that the love of your life is in love with the love of mine.” 

“SHUT UP!” 

All three of them shouted. And still, Katherine observed, Elena and Stefan hadn’t looked away from each other. She felt something in her rise.

“But, Damon, you can be honest with me,” she said, walking closer to him. 

“Get closer at your own risk,” he said. 

            “Elena isn’t the only reason you came here tonight, is she?” she said, ignoring his warning. “Part of you can’t stand it. Me and Stefan together.” 

            Damon made a noise of disgust. “Don’t make me sick.” 

            Katherine smiled and started tracing her finger across his chest. He slapped her hand away. 

            “Have you ever thought about why you’re so angry with me? Why you try so hard to kill me?”

            “Because the world would be a better place with one less evil slut in it?”

“Witty,” she said.

“Just telling it like it is.” 

“Humour as a defense mechanism gets a little old, Damon. Food for thought,” she said, already getting bored of the subject of her seduction. But he wasn’t the target. 

“But you won’t let yourself think about it, won’t you?” She started brushing his hair. He clenched his jaw but didn’t move. “Why do you kill people, Damon? Lexi. Zach. Reminders of your humanity? There’s a part of you deep down that still wants me. That will always want me. And it kills you that Stefan gets to have me.” 

            With each word she spoke, Katherine could see something in Damon unravel. She glanced over to see if Stefan had looked away from Elena, to see if saw her and Damon together. He hadn’t turned away from her. 

Stefan parted his lips to ask Elena another question and then suddenly ---

Searing pain. He cried out and then looked down to the source of his pain. The arrow was now speared through his leg.

            “Now you can both have matching injuries,” said Katherine as she dug the arrow into Stefan’s flesh so that he grunted in pain. “Wouldn’t that be cute?”

“STOP.” Elena got up to charge at her but Damon blocked her. She pounded against him and he held her, carrying her over to the side.

“DAMON, LET ME GO.” 

“She’ll tear you apart.”

            Katherine bent down to whisper in Stefan’s ear. “Remember what I said about being ignored?” 

            He glared at her. She withdrew the arrow from his leg and tossed it to the side. Katherine sauntered down the hall but Stefan, furious, called out after her.

 “KATHERINE.” 

She stopped.

“I don’t know what mood you’re in,” he said. “I don’t know what point you’re going to go out and make but leave Matt out of it.” 

Katherine smirked at the gravity of his tone. “Matt,” she said. “Now, there’s an idea.” 

And then she sped off. 

Damon was brushing Elena’s hair to the side and trying to see if she was OK.

            “I’m fine, really,” she said patiently. 

“Well I’m not,” said Stefan, getting up and pushing Damon against a wall.  “What the hell were you thinking?” He shook him slightly. “You could’ve killed her!”

“I didn’t know she was going to be here!” He glared at Elena. “I didn’t know that a day after we broke up, she would go and stalk my brother at his fuck buddy’s apartment.” 

“You could’ve had it worse,” said Stefan harshly. “Speaking from experience.” 

Elena looked at him. “Stefan…” 

He shook his head. “I should make sure Matt’s OK.” 

Damon scoffed. “She’s not going to Matt Donovan. He’s… Matt Donovan. She made her point with him, she’s not --- no way.” 

Stefan looked at him wearily. “Damon, don’t try to kill Matt just because he’s the latest pawn in whatever sick game Katherine’s playing.” 

“I’m telling you, she’s moved on.” 

“Right.” 

Elena was running her hand through her hair. “Stefan, I want to continue our conversation.” 

“Your conversation?” Damon asked her incredulously. “What about our conversation?” 

“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this, Damon,” said Elena. “Like, how much did you drink?” 

“I am perfectly capable of having a conversation about---”

“About what? The conversation where we broke up and you almost break Matt’s wrist? The conversation where I saw ‘we need to break up’ and you don’t say anything, you just leave, and I have to warn everyone I’ve ever known to watch out for you because I don’t know what kind of rampage you’re going to go on?” 

“But I didn’t go on a rampage!” said Damon “I came here! I came here to end all of your problems.” 

“And you got so drunk to do it that you shot me!”

“I thought you said you forgave me for that!”

Elena closed her eyes. “My point is, this is not the right time for us to talk!”

            Damon laughed harshly. “But it’s the right time for you and Stefan?” 

            “No,” said Stefan. “I have to make sure Katherine doesn’t ---”

            Elena put her hand on either side of Stefan’s face and brought his gaze to hers. “Follow her. Or come with me,” she said.

            Damon watched them and snorted. “You can’t even fucking help it, can you?”

            They turned to look at him and Damon shook his head. “It’s always the fucking same.” 

                        *

They decided to speak outside. When they made it out of the building, Stefan stopped walking. Elena continued for a few steps then realizing he wasn’t keeping pace, she turned around and saw him looking at her, pissed off and distressed.

“You said you didn’t know why you came here, you were just here, but what am I supposed to do with that, Elena? What are you doing?” 

She continued toward him. “Fighting for you.” 

Stefan closed his eyes. “Well, don’t.” It’s only getting you hurt. I can’t stand it.

She shook her head. “Old habits, I guess.” 

Stefan scoffed. “Yeah,” he said in disbelief. Elena glared at him. 

“Don’t rewrite history just because it makes you feel better.” 

He looked at her then. “I have nothing to feel guilty about.” 

It was true, he didn’t. And yet that was all he felt now. All he felt whenever he saw Elena after he saw Katherine.  

Elena was inches from him now. “But you’re not happy with her.” 

“Maybe that’s not what I’m looking for right now.” 

Elena cocked her head, bewildered. “I can’t even fathom that.” 

“I never remember asking you to try,” said Stefan calmly. 

“You know this is bad for you,” she said.      

“Elena, I’m not looking for your approval.” 

She wasn’t listening. She pointed toward the apartment building. “You know she is bad for you.”

Of course he knew that. “Can’t you just stop?” 

“No,” she said.

It was Stefan’s turn to be surprised, his expression a mixture of exasperation and desperation. “This has nothing to do with you.” 

“I don’t care.” 

Stefan looked at her sharply and felt a pang, an ache, at seeing the sincerity in Elena’s eyes. 

“Giving up is not what we do, Stefan. We don’t stop,” said Elena, holding his gaze so he could understand how serious she was. “I didn’t stop when you went off the deep end with Klaus. You didn’t stop when Jeremy died.” 

“I haven’t lost my humanity.” 

Elena snorted. “No, just your mind.” 

“Sleeping with Katherine doesn’t constitute an emergency.” 

“Doesn’t it? After all the shit she’s pulled over the years---” 

“She did what she had---”

“Don’t defend her!” 

“Why shouldn’t I?” he yelled back, words rushing out before he could stop himself. “After all the energy we spend defending Damon, holding up the lie that being with you has reigned him in, the fantasy we’ve constructed for ourselves just so we could all feel better about your choice? 

“Wow,” she said, her eyes getting teary. “How long have you been holding that one in?”

            Stefan closed his eyes and sighed. “I just want to know when you decided you were the only one who got to have a pass on who you sleep with.” 

Elena shook her head. She wasn’t going to let him rationalize. “You know why I couldn’t stop at the time.” 

“Yeah, because you didn’t want to,” he said harshly.

“I explained what was happening with me. I explained why I felt like I had to continue. I explained myself, Stefan. I explained why I couldn’t stop. Why can’t you? Do you love her?” 

            Stefan threw his head back in anguished frustration. “Stop asking me that, you know it isn’t that.”  

            “And you know what it is,” she said, her voice getting louder. “So tell me!”

“What do you want to hear, Elena?” He was shouting. “You want to hear that it makes me sick? Well it does! But the rush I get? I can’t ---” He took a deep breath. “I can’t stop! Is this what you mean? This is what you want to hear?” 

            His words shattered her but Elena wouldn’t back down. “It’s only fair isn’t it? You had to hear what I felt about Damon even though it was against my will. It’s your turn.”

            He shook his head. “I’m not doing tit for tat.”

“It’s only fair.”

“I’m not hurting you because you hurt me.” 

“I am demanding that we talk about it!”

“Fine!” He roared.

“Fine, let’s talk about it! Let’s talk about how good the sex is, that I’ve had her every which way for hours on end and it’s still, somehow, not enough!  Let’s talk about how it feels like I’m addicted to her, like I’m hooked on the high I get when I’m around her! Let’s talk about how right now, I can’t see an end in sight! You really want to talk about that? You really want to hear that? Really? Do you want me to go on?”

Stefan burrowed his face in his hands, unable to bear the expression on her face. 

“It’s toxic,” she said finally. “She’s toxic.” 

“I know,” he said, looking up at her. He shrugged dejectedly.  “I don’t seem to care.” 

Elena couldn’t hide the tears brimming her eyes and Stefan shook his head. “I can’t -- I’m done. I’m done talking.” 

            Elena nodded. “Fine, Stefan,” she said. “Whatever.” 

            She walked away and Stefan took a shaky breath. 

*

Elena was halfway to her dorm before she turned around and headed back to Katherine’s building.  She didn’t know what she expected to find when she broke into her apartment. Katherine? Katherine and Stefan together? But it was empty. She looked around the living room, unsure of what she was searching for, what evidence she wanted to torture herself with, until she found it.  The mirror Stefan broke hours before, when she heard him groan and sigh because of another woman. She put a hand to her stomach like she was going to be physically ill. 

“You know you’ve broken his heart a thousand times, I guess he gets to do it to you just once.” 

            Elena turned to see Katherine standing by the window, watching her inspect the apartment. 

            “I came back looking for you,” said Elena. “But you weren’t here. Where were you? With Matt?” 

            Katherine shrugged. “Maybe I was with Stefan.” 

            Elena narrowed her eyes.

            “I could give you the tour,” Katherine continued. “There isn’t an inch of this place where I haven’t taken him.” 

            Elena felt herself teetering on some kind of emotional edge.

“I could even show you the balcony door he smashed just to get to me.” Katherine’s tone was light, as if she were making casual conversation. “I wonder if you’ve ever seen him that wild with arousal, that … determined.”

Elena knew what his determination felt like and remembered, with painful clarity, the weekend she and Stefan had gone to her parents’ cabin. The night the wolves had attacked, and the fight they’d gotten into after.

“A hundred and sixty-two years I have lived, and you've barely begun, and now you want to let yourself get killed? That's not heroic. It's tragic.”

            He’d walked away from her, angry and anguished, but he hadn’t left the cabin. He wasn’t going far, not after the attack. He’d stayed around, making sure they were safe inside, making sure she felt OK, making her tea, getting her blankets, but he was quiet and contemplative, silently agonizing over their conversation, a desperation, a wordless indignation at what she’d revealed to him about her deal with Elijah. And when they’d gotten into bed, Stefan lying on his side, facing away from her, Elena staring up at the ceiling, she lay next to him for exactly five minutes before shaking her head and sighing.  

“I can’t go to sleep like this,” she said. “With you angry at me. I--” She turned so she could face him, though all she saw was his back. “Stefan, please try to under---” 

            He’d rolled over and kissed her with an earnestness that moved her to immediately put her arms around his neck.

His hand slid up her back and he pressed her forward, closing the small gap between them, pulling her into him, bringing her firmly against his body so that her leg curled around his hip. He was taking great care with his strength -- she could feel his urge to tighten his hold and crush her to him, to make absolutely sure there was no space between their bodies, and him having to restrain his needs ignited her. She massaged his tongue with hers and his hand went from her back to her face, taking a hold of her chin and guiding her mouth to his for a deepened kiss that was both desperate and possessive and that made Elena shiver and crave more.

He tugged her bottom lip with his teeth. She wrapped her leg around him tighter and when she felt his ever-moving, ever-present hold beneath her, pressing her into him so she could feel his hardness, she moaned in his mouth and turned so that he was on his back and she was on top.

She kissed him again, her hips moving so that she rubbed against him, eliciting strangled sounds from him and she moved to his neck, gently biting, feeling his lips on her shoulder, his hands gripping her tank top, threatening to rip it apart. She skated her lips along his face, placing gentle kisses on his forehead. He sucked and kissed her throat, making her sigh and smile and sway with more vigor. 

It killed her to pull away but she did it to see his face, drink in his expression, and as she did, Stefan took her hand and slipped it under his shirt. She lightly grazed her fingernails along his stomach, luxuriating in the tautness of his torso, living for the way her touch made his skin jump and turned his breathing shallow. Staring up at her, he guided her hand upward to his chest, and kept it there, kept his hand atop hers. She felt his heart racing beneath her palm, and her lips parted. His eyes, serious and wild, peered into hers, and she knew they were continuing their conversation, he was making his case, making her feel his plea.

It was excruciatingly intimate, the boldness of his vulnerability and Elena was so overcome with emotion, she started to tremble. But she didn’t look away from him, didn’t move her hand because she wanted him to know her choice wasn’t despite him, wasn’t excluding him, it was because of him, because of this. How could she feel this, how could he make her feel this, and expect her not to do everything in her power to keep him safe? How could he ask her to do that? She swallowed hard, opening and closing her mouth a few times before speaking. 

“Stefan---”

He raised his head and kissed her again, groaning as he claimed her mouth, and turned so that she found herself lying on the mattress beneath him.

He was quick, sliding off her tank top and kissing his way downward to her waistband slipping off her shorts. He was between her thighs, his tongue making her bow off the bed, her face pushed into a pillow that she bit and whimpered into. She raised his head and moved forward, sitting up to help him take off his shirt, to kiss his stomach, to run her tongue along his skin, to make him pant and sigh.

He kissed her again, burrowing back into the bed, gripping and massaging the contours of her body, nibbling and clutching so that she was gasping and shaking and lightheaded and feeling, just feeling how her body responded to him, the claim he had over her.  They were entwined yet not joined and him against but not inside her maddened her. She could feel the intensity of his arousal, and whether to give him some relief or to torture him as much as he was torturing her, she reached down and felt him. He made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sob, like this would be the last time they would ever be together like this. 

His voice was strangled, his words incoherent. “Please…I have to … I have to…” 

Elena was gasping. “If you don’t I’ll kill you.” 

The way he moved, as if he were physically trying to make them one, made her warble and cry out. 

His determination to make her feel him, feel what it was to be alive, had her grabbing at him, pulling at the sheets, whimpering and begging, answering his pleas with pleas of her own. He’d awakened every atom in her body to him, and feeling his heart beat wildly against her chest had in turn made her wild and overwhelmed --- a mess of sensations. She was overcome with the singular feeling that she could never, ever give this up, she never wanted to live without this. He rocked into her deeper and deeper as if to say, So then stay with me, stay with me, stay with me … 

“It must kill you to want him back and know he wants nothing to do with you,” said Katherine now.

Elena walked over to Katherine’s bar and poured herself a drink. That memory was a shard in her chest and she had to take the edge off. “Yeah.” She took a sip.  “Do you want to know what makes it worse?” 

Katherine raised her eyebrows. “Elena Gilbert tells all.”  

“He loved me. He loved me so much.” Elena did her best to keep her tone steady. “That kind of love, it…changed everything for me. It saved my life.” 

Katherine felt slightly nauseous, her words echoed what Stefan had told her once, back when he thought she was Elena: “When we were together, every atom in my body told me that we were the right fit, it was the perfect match, and that kind of love,  it can change your whole life.” 

“And now he’s gone,” said Elena simply. “I didn’t think about that, not really, because I’ve never thought of him being gone, never thought about how much that would …” She took another sip so the vodka would burn away the anguish she felt. She paused, as if she were trying to gather her words. “I think the only thing that would be worse is being with him and never being loved by him.” She looked at Katherine, her eyes hardened. A harshness twisted her face. 

“So you should tell me, how does that feel? Do you think it’s worse?” 

Katherine’s eyes flashed. She hadn’t anticipated such precise cruelty. Rather than acting on her impulse to slam Elena’s head in the wall, she tried to play it off with a scoff. “How predictably boring that you think everything is as black and white as love. What we have transcends."

Elena laughed. Cackled. With a hint of craze. Whatever edge there’d been, she’d teetered off it. Katherine furrowed her eyebrows in partial annoyance and confusion. 

“You sound like a donkey,” she said. “Are you having an aneurysm?”  

“Sorry, it’s just, it’s just,” Elena continued to laugh.

“You think that you and him actually have something. You think it’s, oh my God,” she put her drink back down, walked across the room and reached out to touch Katherine’s shoulder, “you think it’s special.” 

Katherine removed Elena’s hand from her shoulder and clenched her wrist, her fingers grinding into her bones. “I think I reach a part of him, a base, animalistic part of him--” Elena was determined not to wince at the words “-- you’ve never, could never touch.”

“Right,” said Elena, nodding frantically, ignoring the pain both physical and emotional. “Even if that was true, you wouldn’t be the only one. You wouldn’t even be the first.” 

Katherine flung Elena’s hand away. “Oh please.”

“You stalked him for years, Katherine, he told me what you said to him the night of the masquerade ball. You’re telling me you don’t remember Chicago? You don’t remember Rebekah?” 

Katherine’s eyes narrowed and Elena felt a terrible glee. 

“I had him before Rebekah,” said Katherine. “I had him before anyone.” 

“I don’t know where you’ve been --- oh that’s right, hell --- but you’re wrong. Valerie did.”

An anger started to simmer within Katherine, Elena could see it. She relished it. She was past jealousy, past heartbreak, and had plummeted to a venomous, exhilarating spite that pushed her to spew words she knew would cut, would wound. 

“But you don’t care about that,” said Elena. “You care about the part of him only you can reach but I’ve read his journals.” 

Elena did her best to ignore that the imagery she was conjuring, that the thought of Stefan with Rebekah, with anyone else, the thought of him giving another woman even a sliver of what he’d given her at the cabin, hurt her just as much.

“He’s a descriptive writer. Especially about the, um -- how did he describe it? -- oh yeah, ‘crazy sex’ they’d have, the limits she would push him to, but you, you probably saw it.”  

She wanted to inflict damage. Katherine had pushed her to this. Katherine and Stefan together had pushed her to this.  

            “Did you see when Rebekah jerked him off at a full booth in Gloria’s? Or after, when he bent her over the hood of his car?” This was the last thing she wanted to think about and yet she couldn’t stop. “Or were you there for the knife play?“ It occurred to her that she could maybe understand some of Stefan’s sentiment. She could barely recognize herself in this moment and picturing the things she was speaking of made her want to break something, but seeing Katherine struggle to keep her face impassive was an addictive exercise. She could see how she could become an addiction.

“He did none of that with you,” she said finally. “If you are special to him, Katherine, it’s for all the wrong reasons. You’re the bitch who ruined his life.”

“No,” said Katherine, inching closer to Elena, staring her dead in the eye. “I’m the only one he’s sleeping with right now. I’m that bitch.” Katherine didn’t know if it was rage or heartbreak that flickered in Elena’s eyes but it was enough to satisfy her. “You can let yourself out,” she said as she slipped out of the living room. 

Elena overturned the coffee table and smashed a lamp.

*

Katherine had taken a few steps into Stefan’s room when she was suddenly pushed to the floor and a glowering Stefan was hovering over her, pinning her down by her wrists. 

“You touch her again, I’ll put you in the ground.” 

“And I thought you would’ve cooled off by now. It’s been a day.” 

“Do you understand?”

            “This is nothing you haven’t said before,” said Katherine casually. 

Stefan lowered his head so she couldn’t escape his gaze even if she wanted to. His face was etched with a protective rage that she’d only ever seen when it came to Elena. “I will kill you. I am not joking.” 

He wasn’t. Katherine could tell. He wasn’t threatening her, he was explaining the realities of the situation. When he felt like they understood each other, he released her. Katherine stood up and started straightening out her clothes. Stefan walked to the other side of the room and started to pace. Interesting, she thought. He would kill her for Elena but he wasn’t kicking her out of his room now. Katherine regarded him and contemplated the conundrum of a situation they were in. 

She could have anyone. She’d had. It was a particular gift of hers --- getting men to die for her, to kill for her, to worship her, revere her, to do anything and everything for her, and dozens of them had over the years just for the promise of being with her. 

And none of it mattered.

All she’d wanted, all she’d ever wanted, was Stefan. He had her completely. He always had. She had no pride when it came to him, to her desire for him, the fact that she was still here after that threat was proof of this, but she had to pretend that she had pride now. It was a game. To make him blink. Make him flinch. To get him to worship her, get him to need her.  To get him on his knees before her, to make him hers, even for a moment, even for a second, to obliterate the unrelenting, nagging tie to that bland, self-righteous, lesser version of herself.  She had to make him scared of losing the feeling he got when he was with her, the pleasure, the power. She had to make him scared of losing her. 

“So then maybe we shouldn’t do this anymore,” said Katherine, examining her nails.  

Stefan looked at her from across the room and then laughed. 

Katherine quirked her eyebrow. “I don’t believe I said anything funny.”

“On the contrary, I find false threats quite amusing.” 

“We all have our limits, Stefan.” 

“Not you. Not with me.” 

His dark tone aroused her but instead of letting him see that, she narrowed her eyes. “You really think that I can’t cut myself off from you? I have other avenues for fun, for pleasure.”

Stefan paused briefly before speaking. “That where you’ve been?” 

Katherine tried not to grin but Stefan’s not-so-hidden jealousy energized her in a way that nothing else did. 

“Are you asking if I fucked Matt?” 

His face was impassive. “Did you?” 

Katherine giggled. “As you’ve made so painfully clear to me, you and I are not together. So I don’t think what I do on my own time is any of your business.” 

“Mm,” said Stefan, scratching his chin. “Well, he’s too good for you and he knows better.” 

Katherine smiled. “So do you, remember?” 

Stefan glared at her. 

“Me, on the other hand, I think I’m finally smartening up.”

“Meaning you’re ending this.” 

Katherine shrugged. “Why not?” 

Stefan sped over to her, a breath of a gap between them.

“Katherine,” his voice was low, soft. It made her quiver. “You and I both know that if I told you to get on your knees right now you’d do it.” 

She would. God, she would. “Rules have changed.” 

He pressed his lips against her ear. “I thought there were no rules.” He nipped the bottom of her earlobe.

Katherine’s breath hitched and without thinking, she grasped the back of his head. She felt him grin against her. She wouldn’t stop him from kissing her, nuzzling her neck. She couldn’t. But she could stop herself. From going further. Unless --- 

“I want the part of you she never got.”

He stopped. “I gave her everything,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“Stefan---”

He looked at her now. “I. Gave her. Everything.” His eyes were blazing. Her suggestion angered him. Katherine was beyond irritated. It was one thing to keep protecting her but even now, even after everything, he was still protective of his bond with her. She wanted to stab him again, rip him to shreds, tear him apart for being so predictably foolish. It was also what made her want him more. 

 She closed her eyes in an effort to tamper her jealousy, her anger, her incredulity. She had to remind herself that she’d expected this. In fact, she’d counted on it. She’d needed it for what she was going to propose next. She couldn’t get swept up in the immediacy of her indignation.

“Fine,” she said, opening her eyes to look at him. “So then fight for me. Keep me from walking out that door. Make me stay here.” 

            Katherine’s eyes glinted with a primal kind of malice.

This was the part of him, the piece of him neither Elena nor Rebekah got. Because they’d never been in a position like this, a position where Stefan had to admit to wanting something he would do anything not to want. Elena may have gotten his love and Rebekah may have gotten his chaos, but he would give her his defeat and begrudgingly, he would delight in it. Relish in it. And only she would feel that in his body, in his movements, in how he decided to take her.

“Tell me that you want this,” she continued. “Tell me you’ll go crazy without it.” She traced his lips with her finger. “Tell me you crave me.” She held his gaze, her eyes turning steely with a dark desire as she gritted her teeth. “Beg me.” 

            He glared at her. He hated this game. He loved this game. 

            “Beg me and I’m yours.” 

            He raised an eyebrow. “Who told you that I wanted you to be mine?” 

She touched him through his jeans and he couldn’t help it. He closed his eyes. She grinned.

            “You did,” she said, rubbing him. “Your body can’t lie.” 

He sighed. 

She moved her hand in earnest. “If you could have me in a cage, you would.” 

He made a soft, desperate sound. 

Faster still. Katherine raised her eyebrows. “Liking that imagery?” 

            “I fucking hate you,” he whispered.

            “But you love fucking me.” 

            His jaw clenched.

            “Say it.” 

He stayed tight-lipped. His defiance was as hot as it was frustrating. 

Katherine shrugged. “Fine.” 

She walked out of his room but then found herself backing into it again. Stefan had intercepted her in the hallway, blocking her path, and started walking, guiding her back to where they were a moment ago. His expression was dangerous. Katherine’s skin tingled. He was doing what she told him to. Keeping her from leaving. But she needed the words. She needed his surrender. 

“You want me to stay here,” she said. “Say it.” 

He took a hold of her, his grasp tight enough to break the bones of a human, and kissed her violently, bruising her lips, thrusting his tongue in her mouth, making her knees buckle and head swim.

There was no affection, just an angry passion. She pulled her mouth away and slapped him hard across the face, splitting his lip, her fingernails clawing his skin with one sharp rake that left scratches on his cheek. His eyes reddened and veins darkened his face, his upper lip curled as fangs descended. Katherine grabbed him by the back of his head and forced him to her, kissing him again, pushing him to a wall. She bit his tongue, making him wrench away. Reacting instinctively, he grasped her throat and lowered her to her knees. She looked up at him with excitement, her eyes daring him.  

He blinked rapidly and his irises were back to their normal green, the veins disappeared from his face, his fangs were gone. Now that his senses had returned, he let go of Katherine but his hand, trembling, still hovered around her neck, as if itching to continue. This, Katherine thought triumphantly, he’d never do, never have to do, never feel with his precious Elena. Or that wench Rebekah. This battle within himself, that belonged to her.

Katherine started unbuckling his belt, undoing his fly, but then stopped and looked up at him. “If I refused you right now, it would kill you,” she said. “Say it.”

He glowered down at her, breathing heavily.

“Say it, Stefan.” 

He gritted his teeth.

“Say it.” 

She kissed just below his navel, teasing to go lower. He furrowed his eyebrows  and threw his head back. Katherine felt the tension in his body, felt his legs straining with anticipation. But he remained silent.

Fine again. She stood up and pushed him away, making him stagger backwards from the force of her strength. She started toward the door again. He grabbed her by the wrist and whirled her back to him, sinking his teeth into her neck. Her body jerked with pleasure. He grunted. His hands explored her body, gripping and grabbing, holding her to him in a way that made it feel like he wanted to break her to possess her. He hated her. He wanted her. He’d have her then. He’d have her and nothing else until he succumbed. 

 Katherine pushed him onto the bed and climbed atop him, her knees rested on the mattress on either side of his face. She held onto the headboard as he gripped her thighs and pleased her so that she clenched and trembled and panted, grinding against the movement of his tongue. Everything in her heated with a carnal delight that had her murmuring and begging and racing to the climax, and it wasn’t until she half out of her mind and until sweat misted her skin, until she was gripping his hair, pushing his face deeper into her, until she couldn’t take it anymore, until her body was wound so tight and was begging for the kind of release only he could ever give her in all of the centuries she’d been alive that she realized that Stefan was punishing her.  

Because he knew. He knew that more than wanting him to please her, she wanted to hear her name on his lips, hear the noises she could elicit from him. She wanted his body at her mercy, wanted him concentrating on no one, nothing else but her, she wanted him in her web and he was testing to see who could outlast who. 

It was too late for her to turn back now, she couldn’t bring herself to stop, to make him stop, they had to keep going, the pleasure was too agonizingly exquisite, too powerful  for her not to feel it in its full force. If she didn’t get the release, she would die. She was sure of it. 

When she finally came apart above him, Stefan unseated her so that she collapsed onto the bed, spent and aroused and irritated. He got up and started to leave the room. She scrambled off the bed too.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” 

In a second, he was in front of her. He held her by the chin, forcing her head up so she could look her directly in the eye. 

“You have to decide, Katherine, what’s more important, having your pride or having me.” 

            Katherine glared, yet her skin, her blood, her body was still humming from the climax he’d just given her. It was odd feeling completely satisfied and entirely annoyed at the same time. This wasn’t how the game was supposed to go. He looked down at her smugly. She’d been playing him. But he’d been playing her.                    

It was Stefan’s turn to shrug. “OK.”

            He left. He almost made it to the stairs and then was slammed down onto his back, a vice grip on his throat, a finger in his mouth that he instinctively started to suck. Katherine had a chip on her shoulder now and ravished him accordingly. At least, at the very least, she would make him call out for her like she was some kind of higher power. Fuck him for ruining her game, fuck him for thinking he won. She would make him submit, she would enslave him with pleasure. She took him and he bucked and writhed and swore, squirming from the feel of her mouth on him, he was thrusting his hips and begging her not to stop and cursing her name, frantic and wild and helpless because he couldn’t lie, couldn’t pretend that she didn’t do this to him.

            His voice came out in clipped hisses.“God, I hate you… I … Katherine …”

An anguished intake of breath. A realization. “Am I hearing what I think I am?”

Damon stood in the foyer of the Salvatore Mansion, his phone out, on speaker, Elena on the other end. 

            “No mistaking that, babe.”

Damon hadn’t wanted Katherine to be right. He’d convinced himself since meeting Elena that she was nothing to him, a lapse in judgment, a terrible mistake. But when he came home to hear her with Stefan, he felt a misery settle in on him that he was all too familiar with, that he’d spent over a century living with, that had altered and deepened and intensified in more contemporary times when he’d hear the laughing and moaning and poorly made attempts at quiet pleasure in this house, with his most current ex girlfriend. Hearing Katherine and Stefan together had triggered in him a tumultuous urge to source out his pain, raze everything around him and who better to start with than the other woman who could trigger this feeling, who had triggered this feeling before, who had broken up with him because of his brother who was too busy making these sounds that were causing him misery to want anything to do with her. The irony of that was too sweet to keep to himself. 

“From the sounds of it, they’re in the hallway.”

The line remained silent. All that could be heard were the moans and the grunts and the cries of pleasure from the two vampires entwined upstairs.

 Damon continued.  “Like they know other people live here but they just don’t give a shit. At least you two kept it to the bedroom. I guess I could forgive them, I’ve been shacking up with you the last few days, maybe they didn’t think I’d be home.”

Still silent.  

“I wonder how often they do this.” 

Silent.

“I’m pretty sure he’s bending her over the banister right now.” 

“Bye, Damon.” 

Elena hung up the phone. For a second, she thought that being at The Grill would be enough incentive to calm her nerves, keep her from reacting strongly, but then Stefan’s voice hungry with need came back to her, the way he said ‘Katherine’ ringing through her head, the way she heard his moans when she’d showed up to the apartment,  and she threw her phone against the wall, then the glass she was sipping from, watching it break into pieces. A few patrons looked nervously at her.

“Whoa, what did I miss?” said Caroline, sitting next to her.

“Just Katherine and Stefan fucking each other senseless.” 

            Suddenly, there was a crash and Elena and Caroline turned to see that Matt had dropped a few bottles. His face was contorted with pain. Elena shook her head, contrite.

“Oh, Matt, I’m sorry--”

He didn’t say anything and just walked through the swinging doors to the kitchen. Elena threw up her hands.

“Is that really the effect that she has? What does she have, a magical vagina? Matt swears nothing happened between them and she still has him so twisted up, what is the deal?”

            “Mm. Some could say the same about you,” Caroline muttered.

            Elena turned to her. “What?” 

            “Nothing,” said Caroline. “It was a joke. Sort of.” 

            Elena was too miserable to continue. “Where’s Bonnie? I thought she was the one who wanted to meet.”

            “Yeah, I think she found something in her Grams’ books that she wants to share.” 

            “The timing couldn’t be better because with Stefan…”

            Caroline looked at her, vaguely sympathetic. “You two are in a weird place, huh?”

“I keep fighting with him,” she said. “I’ve never fought with him this much. She’s ruining everything.”

            Caroline looked at her tentatively. “Then maybe you should give him space until we figure out how to get rid of her.” 

            “I know I should,” said Elena. “I just can’t.”

            “He probably gets that,” said Caroline. 

“I don’t know. The things he said about her, about them… He knows she has her claws in him and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care anymore.” 

“It’s a phase.” 

Elena snorted and took another sip of her drink. “Some phase.” 

“Elena, he loved you …” Caroline paused as if she were remembering “so completely and you left him for his brother. And not just any brother. Damon.”

“Are you trying to make me feel like shit?” 

“I’m just saying that’s going to have some kind of effect. Maybe he’s lost right now.” 

“And Katherine’s the answer?” 

“He’ll figure out the answer,” said Caroline. “On his own. At least for now.” Caroline looked at Elena to see if she would show some sign of understanding. “I’m going to check on Matt.” 

Elena nodded in acknowledgement as Caroline headed into the kitchen. She mulled over her words and decided they were irrelevant. 

She was going to pull Stefan back. Even if it killed her. 

[illym]

Justice needs more friends.

A kind of precursor to my other post featuring these guys, to explain how that happened. The Valentine siblings are like... 9 months old here, so they're physically roughly 8 and dressed like it.

ID in alt.

I noticed that a lot of Bridget's canon designs give her a veil / back-of-head-and-neck covering, so I'm trying to find a good one to give her.

Most of this au is locked up behind story developments that I'm writing as fast as I can, but I'll take questions about whatever I post (lol).

Bonus Jack-O + why I designed the kids that way:

ID in alt.

Jack-O is transmasc in my au, and while I didn't put too much thought into his outfit here (I just kinda went 'her outfits a jumpsuit, that was an 80s thing, the 80s had a heck of a lot of glitter and sparkles, maybe I'll give him a disco-ish suit') but I honestly love how it came out. I'll tinker with it more, change the jacket, but he looks good.

Sylv's sock garters look way weirder without xer.... socks. Whoops.

Elphelt: I feel like Elphelt would've been a really girly kid. You know how some little girls dress super girly, frilly skirts and cute socks and whatever? That's Elphelt. I gave her some bows for that, and long hair.

Jack-O: I felt that a tank-top and shorts would fit pretty well. Jack-O feels like a pretty active kid who runs hot and plays messy, so a simple outfit that is easy to pull off when getting hosed down to clean up for dinner seemed like a good idea. Plus some hideously colored high-top shoes, since that's utterly kid-clothing-core.

Ramlethal: I gave Ramlethal a jacket and long pants. Ramlethal is transfem in this au, but being raised by the people she's raised by (primarily Justice, with long visits to Bridget, Sylv, and Robo-Ky for human socializing) I don't think she would experience much dysphoria from gender expectations growing up. This is a long winded way to say that the jacket is just because that's what the broken up lines looked like and she's in the back so she was hard to design (lol). If I draw more of the Valentine kids while they're young, I'll definitely work harder at styling Ramlethal.

[asterrrific]

Sunsets and Class Rings

-Mingyu x Reader

-fluff fluff fluff (and some angst?)

-warnings up for some profanity

Scenario: Y/N just "graduated" from her short term for the last academic year in the university when she went to her daily routine of going to the beach at sunset to read her book. Studying to become a teacher is hard, but for her love of literature, she applied for a short term to pick up a few electives.

Mingyu on the other hand, like y/n, is finally on his last year in the academy as a Maritime student. In a few days, he'll be boarding a ship to fulfill his duties as a cadet before graduation. He came home before leaving the ground and living on the ocean aboard a boat for a year, when he saw y/n again for the 10th time this week.

This time, he had to courage do what he should have done years ago.

Y/N's pov

It's been years since the last time I saw Mingyu. We were in our senior year then... a few weeks after graduation. We stayed at school during summer, finilazing our thesis as a class, then after that, we went our separate ways for College.

Mingyu and I aren't THAT close during senior year, but we were friendly. We knew each other since 6th grade, since we both joined radio broadcasting contests back then. I was a scriptwriter and reporter while he was a DJ.

Funny because I used to have a crush on him during those days too. Then when we met again during highschool as classmates, I thought I saw a spark between us... a "could have been something." But I guess it was just me.

Could you blame me though? He gave me chocolates and a blue teddy bear for Valentine's. OUT OF NOWHERE.

He even gave me a golden retriever pup for my 18th. "My noona was friends with your hyung back in highschool and they told me to give you one of Lana's pups for your birthday." he explained. But when I went to thank his sister, she said she and my older brother had nothing to do with it and it was all Mingyu's decision.

But WE never happened.

I mustered the courage to ask him about us... about what exactly did WE have... but he said we were just friends. I would be lying if I say it didn't hurt... it did. Because I hoped for something...

Though amidst that, I'm grateful that even if we didn't end up the way I wanted to, we still ended up being good friends. At least we still had each other in our lives.

It's been so long, but sometimes, I find myself relapsing everytime his dad and sister posts pictures of them. He wasn't loud on social media, but his family sure is. That's how I still felt connected to his life somehow even if we barely talk on the phone.

That's why I was shocked shitless when he tapped me on the shoulder, called me by my surname like he used to, and gave me a hug while I was reading by the beach a few minutes ago.

"What the- Gyu? Mingyu!" I exclaimed in realization as I tried to give him a fistbump like old times. He quickly grabbed my hand though, spinned me towards him, and draped an arm around me. Only after that, he whispered.

"Hey love, long time no see, but right now, I need you to stay calm, alright? I'm gonna be stirring you away from your reading spot. From here on out, just follow me and try to act natural."

Now I'm SCARED shitless.

But I just did what I'm told, though my conscience was screaming at me at the realization that this man just called me LOVE.

"I told you I could've just picked you up. You didn't have to take a taxi here, love." He said, obnoxiously loud, for whatever reason, I could only wonder.

"I didn't wanna bother you. You said you were busy with some stuff. Besides, I'm perfectly fine being here first." I smiled at him while the braincells in my skull wrecked havoc in my overthinking mind.

He grinned at me, his eyes and nose crinkling together as he nuzzled my hair. I flinched, though praying he wouldn't notice for whatever stage he's trying to play right now.

"Hmm. No you're not," he whispered while still awfully, physically close to me that my heart hammered on my chest. "There are a bunch of guys a few meters behind you and they're DEFINITELY interested."

I leaned away from him as I looked him in the eyes. I was about to turn to the direction he mentioned but he pulled me to the sand, pretending to help gather my chair and other stuff.

"Y/N, I'm a guy, and I know what guys look like when they're interested at someone. And those guys look like trouble. They're drunk." he explained as he finished gathering all my stuff in his arms, leaving me with just my book.

"Let's go?" he asked cheerily, shifting my load to one arm and offering me his other arm to hold on to.

I linked my arm with his and dared to look behind me. Sure enough, the guys behind me were throwing daggers at Mingyu's back. He whipped around and grinned slyly at them, pulling me even closer to him.

It's been 3 years since we graduated highschool. We're seniors in our own colleges now, and somehow, dead butterflies started to flutter inside my ribcage again as I let myself be pulled away by Kim Mingyu.

---

Mingyu's pov

I was a nutless jerk for telling her we were just friends all those years ago, even if I know within my heart that I wanted to be more than that with her, even to this day.

My heart and mind has been restless ever since we all parted ways. But when I saw her at the beach today, like the past few days, it was like my whole being came back to life.

Her hair flowed with the wind, though it's shorter now than the last time I saw her. Her skin glowed golden as the setting sun kissed her.

Damn, I still like her lots.

Maybe that's why when I noticed the bunch of guys having drinks just a few meters behind her, my protective instinct kicked in.

I mustered all my courage and recalled all the extra self defense training I learned at the academy as I tried to confidently stroll towards her like I do it everyday.

I swear, she almost hit me with her damn book when I hugged her from behind. If she ever landed it on me, I wouldn't regret it.

She beamed in recognition when we locked eyes after that, and I soared up to cloud 9 when I heard her say the nickname she called me with.

"Gyu!" she screamed. Her voice harmonizing with the element that I'll soon be calling home.

I explained the situation to her and was currently looking for a new spot to take her to as a comfortable silence sat between us.

It's a relief that I decided to go out today before I get on the ship for my internship before graduation. If I didn't, I wouldn't have seen her again.

My senses triggered again when I recalled what the guys behind her looked like. Hungry dogs ready to pounce, just looking for a chance.

I remembered back in highschool when she was stuck with something similar. We were on a bus on the way home from school, when I noticed the guys behind her were taking pictures of her and whispering nasty shit about making a move.

When a passenger got down, I called her over to sit next to me. She was shaking so bad from the experience and fear that I let myself hold her. I even let myself pass my house so I could see her go home safe that day, then I waited for the next bus to go back the other way to go home.

That was the day I knew I was really inlove, but didn't want to admit it.

"Gyu, here looks nice." she suddenly says, pulling me from my thoughts. We reached a place on the beach where there's more people on either side, but at least this one's a safer crowd.

I helped her set up her picnic mat and chair, then stood awkwardly beside her after.

"Well sit down on the mat, you silly goose." She chuckeled. I gladly obliged.

"Thanks for saving my butt there." she started after a few moments of silence. Her book was back in her bag, and I realized she didn't want to read for a while anymore, but to talk.

I followed her gaze towards the open water. Hearing the waves made me feel calm and excited but now, also nervous.

Maybe I shouldn't have met y/n today. She could be the reason why I won't be able to board the ship in three days time.

"Nah, it's nothing. I gotchu always." I teased. She nudged me.

"It's been so long. How are you? Are you about to board soon?" She sighs as she curiously looked at me.

Of course, she'll ask that question.

"In three days. I came home last week to process a few documents and my passport. I'm going back to the city the day after tomorrow." I explain, letting my eyes wander towards the waves again.

My heart ached. It was like I'm anchored to her again but I couldn't bring myself to admit it out loud.

What if I tell her about my feelings now? Would it be too sudden? I don't want anything holding me back from my internship, especially if it's y/n... I wouldn't be able to handle it.

But would I be able to handle a confrontation if I confess out of the blue? After years of not seeing each other?

"Wow. Then, I'm glad you're still able to go out to distress." She smiled. Her smile warmed me more than the setting sun did, and still, I involuntarily shivered. I hope she didn't notice.

"Well... I've been coming here these past days every sunset..." I admitted.

"...and everyday, I lingered just a few steps behind you, afraid I'll scare you away." I wanted to admit.

It's true. I've been visiting the beach everyday since I got home. And I continued to ever since I saw her here with her book every sunset.

She chuckled and the sound tickled my heart like tiny bells.

"Dummy. You'll be seeing beautiful sunsets once you board that ship. Will you be doing domestic or international?"

"Sunsets on the ship won't matter as much because I won't be seeing you with it." I wondered to myself as I looked at her.

"International." I simply answered.

"Wow, look at you big shot. Bring me souvenirs?" She requested like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like we've been doing it forever.

Since meeting her again last week, though it was from afar, even if she didn't ask me today, I would've still sent her the postcards she loved to collect, and little trinkets and magnets for the desk she loved to decorate.

"Sure baby." I answered. Like it was the most normal thing for me to say.

She went silent after that, but there's no mistaking that angry blush on her cheeks so I grabbed that chance to tease her.

"Look at you, blushing like a cherry. Do you have a crush on me?" I bravely teased.

In my head, I wanted to punch myself. Even if it was years ago, she probably still held grudges when we confronted about what WE had...

She swatted at my hands as I tried to tickle her but I was no match for her.

Until her chair collapsed and she fell on top of me, wrestling me on the mat and rolling us into the sand.

Now I was no match for HER. I'm suddenly a gradeschool kid with a crush.

"Shit- I'm sorry. You okay?" I laughed as she did too. I was relieved when she found the situation funny.

Maybe I shouldn't have just brought the topic up.

"What if I tell you that I still like you though?" she suddenly said, still laughing.

The laughter died nervously on my throat.

"What...?"

She crawled on to my other side, away from my grasp, and she sat down on the sand, facing the waves.

"I'm afraid I never "unliked" you, Kim Mingyu." she admitted. Her voice suddenly blue.

I faced her then, even though her gaze wasn't on me.

"I-"

"Nah, it's fine. I'm glad we're still buddies after all this time though." she smiled, bravely facing me as she gave me a friendly punch to the shoulder.

I held her hand there.

"What if I tell you that I want to be more than just buddies?" I finally said.

I FINALLY said.

This time, it was her turn to be silent.

I pulled her hand toward me and gently caressed lazy circles at the back of her palm.

"Y/n, I don't have any valid excuse towards being a jerk all those years ago. But I liked you. I guess, I just didn't have it in me to say it out loud." I finally admitted.

"Please don't do this, Mingyu. Not when you're boarding soon." she said. Her voice scared.

"Oh, baby, no. I'm not saying this to play with you. I'm saying this to get it off my chest and so you'd have peace of mind." I tried.

"But Gyu, how would I have peace of mind now, knowing that it wasn't one sided? Knowing that after whatever this conversation right now is, you'll be boarding soon, and I wouldn't see you again for a year or two." she sputtered, tears threatening to fall from her hazel eyes.

God, I didn't want those tears to fall.

I wasn't able to answer her immediately and she had another question to challenge me.

"Mingyu, after all these years... do you happen to still like me then?" she bravely asked. Her voice almost a whisper among the sea breeze and crawling waves.

"Yes." I answered. How idiot of me to admit it just like that when she deserved something more grand.

Someone like her deserved something more than just an explanation and a lousy yes from a scaredy-cat like me.

She pulled her hand from me and angrily wiped the tears that finally fell from her eyes. I gently stopped her and dared to caress her cheek, chasing her tears myself.

"I'm sorry y/n..."

"Don't be." she said. It scared me because I didn't know how she meant it.

I held her like a fragile pearl. I didn't want to let her go.

"You don't have to be sorry, Gyu." she said after a few beats. Her hand finding its place on top of the one I have left cupping her cheek.

She felt my class ring on that hand. I never took it off after our ceremony.

"You don't have to be sorry. I won't force you into something you don't feel like doing."

"Oh please, y/n, don't say it like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're not someone worth taking risks for." I firmly told her.

Gently, I forced myself to remove my hand on her cheek.

I removed my class ring.

The supposed symbol of loyalty to my fellow cadets, the academy, and the seven seas that I'll soon be able to see.

I played with it on my hands, tossing it and catching it.

"Y/n... we don't have to rush it. Will you give me a chance to set things right? As they should have been, three years ago?"

She looked at the ring in my palm, then at the sea.

"What are you doing, Mingyu?" she seriously asked, a hint of nervousness tinted her voice.

"Taking a fucking risk for someone who deserves the world and a man who's not a nutless jerk." I teased though my voice was hopeful.

She locked gazes with me, and after a solid minute, she gave me a tiny nod.

I felt a fire start in my chest.

"Y/n?"

"Will you let me wait for you?" she finally asked.

"Damn it y/n, someone like you doesn't deserve to wait." I nervously laughed.

She chuckled. "Well, you big dummy, apparently, our situation will require us to wait."

"Well... will you wait for me then?" I asked her, my voice obviously hopeful but I couldn't care anymore.

"I hoped for this to happen all those years ago, Gyu. And deep down, I still think of what could have happened if what I hoped for came true."

I held her hands, the ring sandwiched between our palms.

"Will you let me make it happen?" I asked.

"So suddenly?" she laughed.

I know it was stupid and true, but I nodded.

She looked down at our hands and grabbed the ring, sliding it back to where it's supposed to belong on my hand.

"Go out and explore the world, cadet. And come back to me." she finally said.

I feel like I fucking won a cruise of a lifetime.

I grinned like an idiot and removed my class ring. Then, I hastily removed the seaglass necklace I had on.

I slipped the ring on to the necklace, then showed it to her.

She smiled as if she knew what I was about to do even before I was deciding to do it.

I knelt on the sand and went behind her to secure the necklace on to her neck. I couldn't help but kiss the top of her head when she finally let down her hair after I've locked the necklace.

I sat back on the sand, facing her, as she admired the blue seaglass and the silver class ring on her neck.

Again, tears started falling from her eyes.

"Oh come on, y/n!" I teased as I pulled her towards me. She let me hug her to my chest as I rubbed her back when she finally sobbed into my shirt.

"It's so unfair though. All of this happens but we won't be seeing each other again for a year." she cries.

"I know, love. I'm sorry." I whispered in her hair.

"Again with the sorry, Gyu." she managed to laugh amidst her sniffles.

"I'm sorry I was scared. I'm sorry I was late." I whispered still, shutting my eyes as tears started to form on the corners of my own as I remembered how I regretted not doing this sooner when we could have had more time.

She must have sensed it, because tear stained as she is, she leaned away and cupped my face on her slender hands, and bravely faced me with determination all over her face.

"Don't be sorry. I already swore I'd wait for you." She said firmly. I took the necklace on my hands and caressed my class ring dangling from it, thinking about the cost of buying another one to replace it since we're not supposed to really remove it, especially since we're boarding soon.

"I'll wait for you like you waited for the time that you decided you're not scared anymore." She teased and I laughed, stray tears leaving my eyes.

Gently she wiped them away, then brought her forehead on top of mine, her nose grazing the tip of my own.

"God, I waited to be this close to you." she whispered with her eyes closed.

I closed my eyes and dared to kiss her nose.

She giggled and I took it as a good thing. My heart soared.

"I'll send you postcards at every dock we hop on." I promised her and she continued to giggle. I kissed her forehead.

"And I'll send you seven rings from the seven seas until I could finally ask you to be my girlfriend." I swore. I kissed her cheek.

"And after that, I'll come back to you. And after that, I'll court the rest of your family. Then I'll let another few years pass on another fucking ship then I'll come back and marry you here." I swore boldly, kissing her other cheek.

She slapped my chest playfully.

"Now, now, sailor. Don't get ahead of yourself." she laughed.

"Someone once told me that if you say your wishes to the sea, the waves will carry it out for you until they happen." I softly told her, as I guided her back to my chest.

"I wonder who that someone is. They sound wise." she teased, knowing it was her who said it when we were in highschool and she bought me the same seaglass necklace I had on and gave her with my ring. She got it for me during our class trip to Jeju.

"Oh, I trust that someone. I trust that her words ring true." I boasted, resting my head on hers.

She then looked up at me and smiled, and I felt like swimming into the ocean and challenging our class ship to a fucking race.

I leaned in to kiss her forehead again as if I've been doing it for years, even if I was only able to find the guts to do it a few minutes ago.

I'm glad she's letting me.

I lingered there for a bit, then rested my cheek on top of her head. I faced the sea with her, the waves calling me out of my daydream as I realized that I have to leave her after tomorrow.

I closee my eyes and forced myself to bask into this moment and memorize every second of it so I can survive at sea with memories of her.

Slowly, I felt her shift, and dumbly, I looked at her as I realized that she's taken a brave step by kissing me on the jaw.

I stared even more dumbly at her when she giggled.

"A good luck charm for the cadet. Since I can't kiss you here yet." she teased, as she tapped my lips with her finger.

God, she's a tease.

"I'll have to tattoo that on my jaw then, sweetheart." I teased her back, as she had the audacity to guffaw at my face.

With courage I never knew I had in me, I gently placed my thumb on her lips.

Then I kissed her there.

"A promise for my return. Since I can't kiss you here yet." I teased her back, as I gently swiped my thumb over her soft lips, her face cherry red from shock of what I just did.

"HOW DARE YOU." she exclaimed, swatting at my chest. This time, I guffawed in front of HER face.

Eventually, she got tired of hitting me. Eventually, she melted back into my arms and into my chest. Her body fitting comfortably snug against mine.

And then, silence enveloped us again as we watched the last of the sun sink into the horizon, knowing that tomorrow is our last day in another long while, but at the same time, a new chapter for the both of us to look forward to.

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A/N

Hi hiii!

Been a while since the last time I made a one-shot🥹 I was inspired by my visit to the beach today, and I saw a lot of groups enjoying the sea. Then Mingyu went live tonight too, so I thought of making him the character here.

I know it's pretty long, but if you reached this point, then thanks for staying by to finish it😭🩷🙏🏻 I enjoyed writing this so much, I hope you enjoyed reading it too!

As usual, thanks for your support!🙌🏻

Also, if you want to and if you can, please reblog this so other readers can also see my works🥹🙏🏻🩵

Thanks again, and Happy 3000 days, SEVENTEEN!

Lablab~

[bisexualfemalemess]

*HSMTMTS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*

Question; Is it already appropriate to stop putting a spoiler warning on my posts? lmao

Anyway, Let’s talk about 4x05 specifically, Ricky’s line “Last summer, I was terrified, when I realized i had real feelings for gina.”

Because maybe this will put the pw/rini fans down and help them accept that rina is and was supposed to be endgame no matter what happened with liv and josh. Also, I’ve literally never seen anyone talk about this and maybe i’m just exaggerating lmao.

I think Ricky could have just as easily said something along the lines of “when i realized i had feelings/ when i realized i developed real feelings for gina” but he didn’t. Because he knew he liked Gina from the moment she kissed his cheek in that orange bug after homecoming, we’ve seen them flirt and we’ve seen him shoot a shot several episodes after that and I don’t know about you but i don’t give a spin hug to my friends. He stopped pursuing Nini as soon as gina came into the picture and that’s a fact, they didn’t bring the rickyxnini couple storyline back until after Gina moved, he didn’t actively pursue nini until Gina told him to stop calling and even then he kept texting her and we see him distracted throughout the next episode, the almost kiss didn’t happen until after Gina had replied and told him they were leaving early, only once he knew gina was completely out of the picture, did he go back to nini. He said it himself, he reverted back to his old self because he didn’t have gina in his life anymore and when gina told him she wouldn’t quit on them if she wasn’t moving away he genuinely looked upset about it as well. In episode 1 of season 2 at Ashlyn’s new years even party, that boy did a Triple Take when gina went to get a root-beer, the feelings were still there, they were just buried because he didn’t think he would see Gina again when he made his confession to Nini so he held on to what he used to know and who he used to be, because we all know that ricky bowen is not good with change. Now, in episode three of the season, the iconic valentines episode, The way he looks at her, the way his voice softens while talking to her, his line “I think you’ll get yours too.” After gina told him that every girl likes a sweet gesture, THE NEXT SCENE BEING THE CHOCOLATES, the fact that ricky got messages from nini and gina only seconds apart but he only looked onto his face once gina’s message came on, all of these things hint towards ricky’s feelings, even in 2x04 when Nini came to surprise the group in the bomb shelter, Ricky and Gina looked like they just got caught cheating even though all they did was talk and laugh. Last point, Episode five and six, He was in awe of gina when she was dancing (gina porter effect) and only went to gina for advice on nini because she had helped him the previous two times when he hadn’t even actually asked for advice in 2x04 and 2x03, The boy probably thought she was trying to get over him. In the next episode even though she had already tried to break off contact with him, he still asked to partner up with her and smiled at her when she looked at him while saying she doesn’t know what her heart desires. Even during Ashlyn’s retention of home we see ricky look at gina when he comes back in. RICHARD BOWEN HAS ALWAYS HAD FEELINGS FOR GINA PORTER, THE SEASON 3 PLOT LINE WAS NOT RANDOM OR CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. Ricky just finally realized what he could’ve had if gina didn’t move away once he lost it. RINA WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND BE ENDGAME. THEY DIDNT COME OUT OF NOWHERE OR ONLY HAPPENED BECAUSE OLIVIA LEFT. Because, fact-check Season 2 was filmed before the drivers-license drama, they did not break them up because things between liv and josh got tense. Your ship was not supposed to be endgame.

(In tomorrows post i will rant about the people who say that rina copied rini and portwells scenes And that gina is the new nini because literally where?)

[midwestmade29]

Memories of You ❤️‍🩹

I was in the mood to break a few hearts so this story came to life…don’t hate me 😂🫣 ✧ Valentine’s Day writing prompt: #5 (Valentines Day break up. Sometimes relationships don't make it on the day of love) ✧ You can find @madhatterbri’s complete list of prompts here 🙂 ✧ Word count: 1,408 ✧ Divider by: @firefly-graphics

Disclaimers: Just sadness mostly. The story goes over a breakup and the feelings that come with it. Read at your own discretion.

GIF is not mine. Credit goes to the original creator.

This is a standalone story. There will be no continuations or a part 2.

This is the first Valentine’s Day you’re spending without Christian…

This Valentine’s Day looked a little different than it had the last 2. You were spending it alone instead of with him. This would be the first time in the last 2 years that you weren’t waking up to good morning kisses, the first time in 2 years that you weren’t spending it in the comfort of his arms. You knew there was no chance in hell that you were leaving your apartment on a holiday devoted to all things love! You had prepared for this day a few days prior when you went to the store to buy yourself a cliché heart shaped box of chocolate and 2 bottles of your favorite wine. You had purchased all the ingredients you needed to fix a homemade meal along with some self-care items. You made a promise to yourself that you would avoid social media so you wouldn’t see everyone’s mushy posts about them and their loves. The iPhone sitting on the coffee table was the enemy today because you knew you weren’t going to be getting the “I love you texts” you always looked forward to so much. This day was all about you now and you were going to spend it doing the things that you enjoyed to help take some of the sting from the day away.

“I’m fine. I swear I’m really doing fine,” was the reply you sent to your friends in the group chat you all shared. They had asked how you were holding up, checking in with you and offering their love and support because they knew even if you wouldn’t admit it out loud, you were missing Christian. Once you were done fixing dinner, you sat yourself down on the couch and began watching one of your favorite movies. Time was moving forward at a decent pace, which you were grateful for. The bottle of wine you had opened was about halfway gone when you paused the movie to clean up your dirty dishes and apply a face mask. On your way back to the couch, an old familiar box that sat on a bookshelf caught your eye. You tried your best to talk yourself out of opening it, but the contents inside of it called out to you. You hesitated when your hands reached out to grab it, but here you are sitting it down on the coffee table in front of your couch. Your face mask had another 10 minutes left before you could take it off, so you tried to get engrossed in the movie again. Periodically you would glance over at the box, almost giving into temptation but you refrained.

You removed your face mask when it was time and polished off your 1st bottle of wine. Your head was a little unsteady from it, but you weren’t too far gone. The heart shaped box of chocolates was half eaten with most pieces placed back into the box after you bit them in half to taste their flavor. You decided to rip off the band aid after you poured another glass of wine and go ahead and open the box. You had done so well all night not going down memory lane, but it turns out you’re a glutton for punishment! With your legs crossed as you sat on the floor, you took a deep breath and pulled the top off the box. The smell of Christian’s cologne danced around your nose when you pulled out one of his old wrestling shirts. The scent caused a rush of memories to overtake your thoughts as you remembered all his matches that you were ringside for. It took you back to all the times he wore this cologne for any special occasion that required him to wear a suit and tie and how he looked so fucking handsome in them. It was the same cologne he was wearing on the night you broke up. Sometimes you feel like the scent is embedded on his side of your bed. You sat the t-shirt on the floor and moved onto the next item in the box.

The paper tickets that Christian printed out were what you pulled out next. They were from the first hockey game the two of you went to together! You remember how into the game you were and how he looked at you in astonishment because of how well you fit right in with the rest of the hockey fans. Your cheers and curses made Christian laugh, and you encouraged him to let loose too! There was no good reason why either of you shouldn’t be your authentic selves around each other, even if that meant losing your minds over a hockey game. A piece of paper that you had Christian sign during one of his meet and greets caught your eye next. You decided to play a joke on him that day by standing in line and pretending to be a crazed fan just dying to see him. Your theatrics were over the top when you rushed up to him pretending to be his biggest fan. Onlookers thought you were bat shit crazy for your behavior, but Christian thankfully smiled when he noticed it was you causing the commotion. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It’s really you! Captain Charisma. The Instant Classic. The Patriarch of AEW!” you cried out, barely able to keep a straight face. “What are you doing here, Y/N?” Christian asked while shaking his head at you. He signed the note you had slid to him on the table, and he grinned from ear to ear as he read over what you had written on it:

“I love you baby! I’m so glad that you’re mine. I’ll see you at home after the event!

P.S.-I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much”

Up next were random trinkets that you had collected from your travels together. A keychain from Las Vegas when you were there for Double or Nothing. A few seashells from your favorite beach vacation you went on. Beer bottle caps from the bar you went to after he won the TNT Championship. You pulled out a half a dozen pennies that Christian picked up for you whenever he found one on the ground because he knew they reminded you of your grandfather who collected coins. The very last thing that remained at the bottom of the box were pictures of the two of you throughout the course of your relationship. You gulped down the wine in your glass as if it would help you get through the next set of memories. A few tears escaped your eyes when you looked at every photo. Each picture was different, ranging from silly and cheesy, to happy with the both of you displaying the brightest smiles! There were candid photos that you had taken of Christian when he wasn’t aware you were taking them and there were some that were like that of you too. Pictures of sunsets, you both with each other’s families and friends, underwater pictures of you snorkeling, the two of you snuggling on the couch together. You finally pulled out your favorite picture of the two of you covered in flour and other ingredients, sitting on the island in the kitchen after a small food fight you had.

You found yourself sitting on the floor with memories of what used to be spread out all around you. Tears stained your cheeks the more you thought about Christian and what he might be up to tonight. The stroll down memory lane made you feel sad and brought up things you were trying to hard to forget, but it was good for you. It was good for you to feel all the feels and release them. It was good for you to acknowledge your pain and let it go. The tears you shed made it feel like some of the weight you had been carrying around with you since your breakup was a little lighter. Once you dried your tears, you packed everything back inside the box, except Christian’s wrestling t-shirt. You placed it over your shoulder and got yourself ready for bed. While you were still in the process of moving on, it was still okay to hold onto some of the happy from your relationship with him. That night you fell asleep wearing his shirt, the smell of him that was still remaining on it lulled you to sleep.

[liaromancewriter]

This Little Bunny

Premise: The kids are out trick-or-treating, but there’s one bunny too many for Max to handle.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Sienna Trinh x Max Valentine (M!OC); feat. OC children Rating/Category: General. Fluff. Words: 1,650

A/N: Ages ago, I received a prompt from @jerzwriter about any of my characters losing their kids while out and about. Finally found the inspiration for it. I'm using @choicesflashfics week 57, prompt 3. Submission to @choicesprompts Flufftober.

Amelia Valentine was excited for her first Halloween. Her siblings had done it millions of times, but then they were older than her. Of course, it wasn’t really her first Halloween; she was four years old, after all. But she didn’t remember the last ones on account of being too little. So, as far as she was concerned, they didn’t count.

Her big brother Noah boasted about all the candy he was going to get, but Amelia was more excited about Daddy taking them trick-or-treating and her costume. The white bunny with big blue eyes and floppy, pink ears was her favorite character from an old children’s movie.

Amelia squirmed in excitement, her eyes locked on the furry bunny suit laid out on the bed. She was already wearing thick leggings and a thick sweater since it was cold out. She didn’t want to wear a coat on top of her costume because then no one would see it.

“Hold still, Melly,” scolded Mommy as she brushed the tangles out of her hair.

“Is Daddy home yet?” Amelia asked, trying to hold herself still, but her body was vibrating with excitement. “He promised to take us trick-or-treating!”

“Yes, he came home while you were taking a bath,” Sienna Valentine said, rolling her eyes at Amelia’s apparent preference for Max.

What am I, chopped liver? Sienna thought in amused exasperation. Still, she was well used to females of all ages falling for her husband’s charm. Their daughters were hardly an exception.

She tightened her hold to keep the little girl still while she finished making her hair. Amelia was the only one of their children to have blonde curls, and taming them was an exercise in patience.

“There, all done,” Sienna said, sighing in relief. “Now, let’s turn you into Snowball.”

Amelia stepped into the jumpsuit, and Sienna zipped up the front and adjusted the hood with its floppy ears over her head. She applied a little gloss on her lips, drew thin whiskers with an eyeliner and dabbed some blush on the tip of her daughter’s nose to complete the look.

“Look,” she said, turning Amelia around to face the mirror.

When Amelia gasped in delight, preening at her reflection, Sienna smiled and snapped a picture on her phone. She would post them on the family group chat shortly for both sets of grandparents to gush over.

At the last minute, she remembered to pin a card with her name and phone number behind one of the ears. It was probably not needed, but she’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Cute bunny ears,” Max commented as they joined him and the other kids in the foyer. Amelia ran toward him, and he lifted her up in his arms for a hug. “Ready for trick-or-treating, Amelia Mai?”

“Are you sure about this?” Sienna pursed her lips worriedly as they stepped into the outside hallway.

With two of Belle’s friends joining them, Max would be responsible for supervising five children under the age of ten. Usually, Sienna would go trick-or-treating with them, but the baby was running a slight fever, and she didn’t feel right leaving him with the nanny.

“Please,” Max scoffed, raising one brow arrogantly. “I run a multi-billion dollar company. I can handle five kids. Piece of cake.”

A short while later, Max waited for the light to change and gripped Amelia’s hand in his as they crossed the street. He glanced at the gradually darkening skies and hoped the rain would hold off for another couple of hours.

Noah and Belle walked ahead of them with their friends, heads together, planning their route for optimal candy collection. His son was dressed up as Nick Fury, declaring him the coolest character from the Marvel universe. Belle was still in her princess phase and wore a tiara and poofy gown under her thick coat.

They reached a section of their neighborhood that had been closed off to traffic for the evening. Here, the houses were decked out for Halloween, from the macabre to the absurd.

The air was filled with the sounds of children shouting and running around and music from a band of musicians dressed like ghouls that had set up in the center of the street.

“Look, Daddy, there’s another Snowball.” Amelia tugged at his hand for attention.

Max glanced at the other trick-or-treaters on the pavement. There were a number of animal costumes, including several white bunnies, clearly a popular choice this year.

“My costume is better,” she sniffed dismissively.

He smirked at the hint of competitiveness in her tone. She could be shy at times, but Amelia was a Valentine through and through, he chuckled.

Letting go of her hand so she could join her siblings, he followed close behind while they visited the first few houses. He remarked on their candy haul, carried Amelia’s bag when she got tired after the third house and snapped a few pictures to send to Sienna.

It was all going well until they reached the sixth house. While the kids did their thing, Max leaned against a wrought iron railing and scrolled through the messages on his phones.

A few minutes later, the kids came tumbling down the steps, and he spied a white bunny out of the corner of his eyes. He absently grabbed Amelia’s hand, finished sending a text with one hand and pocketed the device as they continued down the street.

Two or three houses later, Max glanced down at the top of Amelia’s covered head and wondered why she was so quiet.

“Everything okay, honey?” he asked, frowning when she didn’t reply. “Amelia?”

He placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place while keeping one eye on the four walking up ahead.

“Noah, Belle, hold up,” Max called out and saw the older kids stop and start to walk back.

He crouched down on his haunches, turned Amelia around to face him, and almost fell on his ass when a stranger stared back at him from below the hood.

“Who are you?” Max whispered, his voice coming out strangled.

“Tommy,” the other boy said, scrunching his nose as he shrugged.

Max peered intently and realized it was a little boy roughly Amelia’s age and height. Given the similarity in their costumes, he reasoned it was an easy enough mistake to make. Not that it mattered. Sienna was going to kill him anyway!

“Dad, where’s Melly?” Noah asked, staring at the little boy in the white bunny costume. Max held up one hand in a gesture for Noah to wait.

Max tamped down the fear gripping his heart. It was a useless emotion. What he needed right now was to focus, find his daughter and return Tommy to his parents. He would have plenty of time later to relive this nightmare.

“Do you know your parents’ names, Tommy?” Max kept his tone gentle so as to not scare the kid. He sighed in relief when Tommy nodded and plopped a thumb in his mouth.

“What are their names?” Max prompted.

Tommy removed the thumb and whispered, “Mommy and Daddy.”

Okay then, Max thought, trying to hide his amusement at the response. “Did you come trick-or-treating with them?”

“Daddy brung me,” Tommy said.

“Let’s go find him. Okay?”

Formulating a plan, Max rose from the pavement, took Tommy’s hand and gazed at his son, who was looking worried.

“Noah, it’ll be alright. Please get Belle, Emma and Amy and follow me. And stay close,” he added when Noah turned to do as he asked.

Keeping all five kids in tow, Max retraced his steps to where he thought the switch might have occurred.

He remembered being distracted on his phone a few houses down and grabbing hold of what he thought was Amelia. But he hadn’t seen her face under the costume, and she hadn’t come running down the steps to show him her candy as she’d done before.

They were halfway there when his phone started ringing. He saw Sienna’s name on the screen and accepted the call, signaling the kids to stop and stand off to the side.

“How’s it going?” she asked, amusement coloring her voice.

“Oh, you know, fine,” Max stalled, sending a silent prayer that she couldn’t see the panic in his eyes.

“I see,” she said neutrally. “So, the phone call I just got from Tommy’s dad was a hoax, and he doesn’t have our daughter?”

Crap, crap, crap. Max closed his eyes briefly.

“I’m sorry, Si,” Max said, sighing deeply. “I’ll explain when we get home, but I’m pretty sure I know how this happened.”

“I can’t wait to hear this story. I’ll have the wine waiting,” Sienna laughed. “I’m texting you the dad’s number so you can meet up. If it’s any consolation, he’s just as embarrassed as you.”

A few minutes later, Max met up with Tommy’s dad and made the exchange. Both hemmed and hawed as they explained how they’d made a mistake, but they were also relieved at averting disaster.

The father and son waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd of trick-or-treaters.

Noah and Belle surrounded Amelia, asking lots of questions, but Max plucked her into his arms and hugged her tight.

“Daddy, that’s too tight,” she complained against his neck.

“You really scared me, kiddo,” he said, loosening his hold to gaze into her eyes. “I’m so sorry I lost you.”

Almost an hour later, and after dropping Belle’s friends off, Max unlocked the front door and shepherded his kids inside. They rushed into the living room while he hung up his coat in the hall closet.

He walked in to find them gathered around Sienna, who was nodding and smiling as they narrated their adventures and showed off their bags of candy and snacks.

She glanced at Max, her eyes brimming with mischievous laughter. “Piece of cake, huh?”

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

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @headoverheelsforramsey @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @lady-calypso @mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Max & Sienna only: @aallotarenunelma @storyofmychoices @kyra75

[whumping-valentine]

🦌 Fawn and Hunter - Part 2 🦌

"Hunter's Cabin"

Content: hunter whumper, whumpee caught in bear trap, carewhumper, creepy / intimate whumper, non-con touching (non sexual), vegan whumpee forced to eat meat, whumper has Killed People

About 1,400 words

I have no idea where all my inspiration for this mini series came from but I'm obsessed and it broke me free of my writer's block, so I'm going to make the most of it! I literally have 30 parts planned for this and shit is going to go OFF THE WALLS. I dare you to predict what's going to happen. Do it. You'll never guess it right.

I'm determined to write a part a day, so excuse my writing quality. I view this as a challenge! 30 days to write (or at least draft) a novella.

But anyways, here's part 2! It'll be typical whump stuff for a while before the wild shit, so enjoy! Once this mini series is complete and off my chest, I'll finally post stuff on Valentine, Vittoria and Rosa!

       The deathly quiet woods caused whumpee's heart to drop, and a chill ran through their veins. The forest running quiet was no good sign, and always meant grave danger... So, where was it?

       Whumpee could only stare down at the leaves that scattered the ground as the hunter carried them off through the woodland. The weight of the trap bore down on them and their poor ankle, pulling and shifting with each step whumper took. As time ticked on, they turned their head to the side, and spotted a disheveled wooden cabin. Whumper approached the building, unlocking the old door with a set of jangling keys.

       The door creaked open, and the rancid stench of meat and death filled the air. Paired with the present scent of cigarettes, it caused a less than favorable array of smells. Whumpee tried their best not to barf down the hunter's back, pinching their nose and covering their mouth. Flies were all over the house, buzzing and zipping around, landing on the deer carcasses that hung on hooks from the ceiling. Throughout the wooden walls were all kinds of guns and mounted animal heads on display. Whumpee felt like they were suffocating… but maybe that’s just because they were holding their breath.

       Each step the hunter took caused the wooden floors to loudly creak and crack, some of the only sounds next to the flies. Finally, they turned on a lamp with a click, then set whumpee down on a hard wooden chair. Whumpee’s face was flushed from tears both from pain, and from irritation from the smell and air quality. Whumper sat in a chair across from them.

       Using tools, they pried the heavy metal trap free from their leg, causing a built up breath of relief to leave whumpee as silent tears continued to fall from their cheeks, their heart racing. Whumper removed their torn, bloodied boots and socks, and rolled up the pants of their overalls. They proceeded to wipe their still bleeding wounds clean, which went deep, even cutting into bone. Whumpee braced themself as they saw the hunter pull out disinfectant, wincing as the chemical sting burned into their flesh.

       “Healing hurts, doesn’t it?” The hunter broke the silence, their tone almost malicious, just like the slight smile that crossed their face.

       “I… I guess?”

       Whumper chuckled at the response, “How cute. Hold your leg up.” They said, and pulled out a roll of cloth bandages, wrapping it around their foot, ankle, and leg, finishing their work with a pat, causing a jump and a yelp from whumpee, and another chuckle from whumper. They stood up from their chair, not looking away from whumpee as a small smile stayed plastered on their face. It almost looked… admirable?

       “Why… why do you keep looking at me like that?” Whumpee asked, looking up at them with wide, big, scared eyes.

       Whumper tilted their head, “Oh how could I not? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

       Whumpee was so frightened they couldn’t move. They were always told they were cute, but they never thought the same. They've always hated their appearance. They would've never thought they’d be practically kidnapped over it…

       Their hair was a soft, muted auburn color, a mix of red and brown. It was short and messy, in the awkward mullet stage of growing it out. They had big, green eyes and wore circular glasses atop a blushed red nose, their cheeks covered in freckles. They were wearing a baggy brown sweater, which was now drenched in sweat and covered in dirt and leaves. They were only about 5 feet tall, but under whumper’s watching gaze, they felt even smaller.

       Whumper was much taller than them, maybe even a whole foot taller, and it made whumpee very nervous. Their hair was long, dirty, and greasy, and whumpee wondered when the last time they showered was. They had lots of greys in their hair, and big, dark circles underneath their brown eyes.

       “You seem frightened,” whumper said, a slight tilt to their head, "what's the matter?"

       "What do you mean what's the matter? Y— you— you— you've— you—!"

       "Don't hurt yourself, now." Whumper condescended, "Though I will say your jitteriness makes you look extra cute."

       “Well… it… it's not my fault, I— I have GAD… Like— you know— anxiety. And— and I have to take medication for it— and—!” Their hands started shaking, their fingers twitching. The nerves in their palms flared, and they tried to massage the feeling away with their thumbs.

       Whumper grabbed their wrists, causing whumpee to let out a gasp. They sat down in their lap, and moved their hands from their shaking wrists to their shoulders, pushing them back firmly against the chair.

       They whispered in their ear, “You should feel lucky that you’re pretty, else you wouldn't be breathing."

      A shiver went down their spine. "What... what do you mean?" They asked, heart continuously racing.

"I don't take kindly to strangers is all. But I think I could to the cute ones like you."

Whumpee stared at them, confused as they furrowed their brow, "Who even are you?"

       "Who knows? Not you, that's for sure. You'll call me Hunter. I'll call you Fawn. Sound fair?"

       “I— I have a name...”

       “I don’t care.” Hunter said, firm but not harsh. "I'll call you whatever I please. I think I've earned the right to name you, no?"

       "What makes you think that?"

       "Well, you stepped into my trap, did you not? I think then, by the rules, that makes you mine. So I get to name you."

       "You— you're crazy!"

       "I've lived by myself in the woods for 10 years, I'd be shocked if I were sane." They said, then stood up, and ruffled the captive's hair before fixing it. They brushed their hand down their face to their chin, forcing the stiff, tense Fawn to look up at them. "You hungry?"

       "… No… not… particularly." Not in these circumstances.

       "Mm, that's too bad. You'll be eating once a day regardless, but it's hardly time for dinner yet. You can help me make it in the meantime, wouldn't that be fun?"

       Fawn wanted to argue back and say no, but couldn't find the strength nor bravery to let out a single word. Hunter grabbed them by the wrist and pulled them to their foot, making them hop to the kitchen where they sat them in another chair. Thankfully Hunter's definition of "help" seemed to be "sit and watch me do it" but that didn't mean the scene in front of them didn't disgust them.

Fawn was forced to watch Hunter skin a deer, cut it up, and cook it. A thousand things flew around there head, but among one of them was their earlier statement. If Hunter hadn't found them attractive, would they be in the deer's place? Were there others before them who were?

They were so lost in thought they didn't realise Hunter had tried to talk to them. They looked up at them, "Huh?"

Hunter looked displeased, and repeated themself, "It's time for dinner," they gestured to the table.

       "Oh. I, um. I— I don't eat meat."

       "Well, you're either going to eat it, or you're going to slowly starve to death." Hunter stabbed a piece with their fork, and held it up to Fawn's face, "Which will it be?"

       Fawn stared at their captor before reaching out for the fork with soaking hands. Hunter pulled it away.

       "Ah-ah-ah! Nope! Hands down." 

       Fawn blinked their eyes and reluctantly pulled their hand back. They were flushed red with anger and embarrassment as Hunter fed them. The taste on their tongue nearly made them barf on the spot, nevermind having to chew it. Hunter sat down with them, satisfied. Bite after bite, sharing the same fork, the both of them slowly worked though the plate in front of them.

      "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Whumper cooed as they fed them the last bite, relishing in delight at the disgust and shame that covered their captive's face. Fawn refused to speak.

       "Well, it's getting late, little fawn. I think it's time we get you to bed." Hunter said, standing up. "Lift your arms." They commanded, and Fawn obeyed. Hunter picked them up like they were nothing more than a toddler, carrying them towards another door. To Fawn's dismay, it was a door to a basement. They felt Hunter's grip on them tighten as they felt them tense up.

       Hunter's heavy boots stomped down the stairs as the two went down into darkness. Fawn was suddenly dropped from their arms, letting out a scream as they collided with a firm, tattered mattress that sat on the concrete floor.

       Hunter caressed their scared face, leaving a kiss on their forehead before leaving, going back up the stairs, shutting the door. Fawn hears the click of a lock, and is left in both total silence and complete darkness, all alone.

A/N: Fawn having GAD and being on meds is 100% self-inspired. I have no idea how I ever functioned before medication, anytime I forget to take them I feel like I'm running a marathon. Also does anyone else get in anxiety in their hands? I never know how else to describe it, I just know people look at me like I'm nuts when I say "my hands are anxious" lmao. I also get "nose-freezes" rather than brain freezes.

[use-your-imagination98]

GH Couples Inspired By Taylor Swift Songs

Had this in my drafts for FOREVER. thought it was a good time to post it haha. 

Alan and Monica: The Last Great American Dynasty

And they said

"There goes the last great American dynasty"

"Who knows if she never showed up, what could've been"

Luke and Laura: My Tears Ricochet

Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe

All the hell you gave me?

'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you

'Til my dying day

Luke and Tracy: Better Man

I know

I’m probably better off all alone

Than needing a man who could

Change his mind at any given minute

Laura and Scotty: New Year’s Day

Please don't ever become a stranger

Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

Laura and Kevin: Lover

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue

All's well that ends well to end up with you

Kevin and Lucy: Delicate

This ain't for the best

My reputation's never been worse, so

You must like me for me

Frisco and Felicia: Closure

Yes, I'm doing better

I know that it's over, I don't need your

Closure

Mac and Felicia: Ours

And life makes love look hard

The stakes are high, the water's rough

But this love is ours

Robert and Anna:  It's Nice to Have a Friend

Call my bluff, call you "babe"

Have my back, yeah, everyday

Anna and Valentin: Sparks Fly

My mind forgets to remind me, your a bad idea

You touch me once and it's really something

You find I'm even better than you, imagined I would be

Sonny and Brenda: The 1

But we were something, don't you think so?

Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool

And if my wishes came true

It would've been you

Sonny and Carly: Haunted

​​You and I walk a fragile line

I have known it all this time

Sonny and Alexis: Blank Space

So hey, let's be friends

I'm dying to see how this one ends

Stone and Robin: Sad Beautiful Tragic

We had a beautiful magic love there

What a sad beautiful tragic love affair

Robin and Patrick: This Love

This love is good

This love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

Lucky and Elizabeth: Tolerate It

While you were out building other worlds, where was I?

Where's that man who'd throw blankets over my barbed wire?

I made you my temple, my mural, my sky

Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

Nikolas and Emily: Happiness

There'll be happiness after you

But there was happiness because of you

Nikolas and Elizabeth: Dress

Our secret moments in your crowded room

They've got no idea about me and you

Ned and Alexis: Stay Stay Stay

You took the time to memorize me

My fears, my hopes and dreams

I just like hanging out with you

All the time

Alexis and Julian: Death By A Thousand Cuts

I get drunk but it's not enough

'Cause you're not my baby

I look through the windows of this love

Even though we boarded them up

LuLu and Dante: Wildest Dreams

Someday when you leave me

I bet these memories

Follow you around

Sam and Jason: It’s Time To Go

15 years, 15 million tears

Begging 'til my knees bled

I gave it my all, he gave me nothing at all

Then wondered why I left

Sam and Dante: Cardigan

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone's bed

You put me on and said I was your favorite

Chase and Brook Lynn: Mastermind

Once upon a time, the planets and the fates

And all the stars aligned

You and I ended up in the same room

At the same time

Spencer and Trina: Invisible String

And isn't it just so pretty to think

All along there was some

Invisible string

Tying you to me?

Cameron and Jossyln: Karma

Addicted to betrayal, but you're relevant

You're terrified to look down

'Cause if you dare, you'll see the glare

Of everyone you burned just to get there

Elizabeth and Franco: Red

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes

Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go

Maxie and Nathan: Enchanted

My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again

These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon