#and I was already running behind so I’m glad the universe took pity

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

kid hit my car this morning while I was parking for work and he looked fucking terrified coming up to me despite the fact that he was like 6’3 💀 he kept apologizing and it genuinely seemed like this was the first time something like this had ever happened to him cause he looked 2 seconds away from bursting into tears 😭

luckily it was just some scratches so I told him not to stress about it cause I’m not abt to give him a mental breakdown over something that I could literally paint over and he was like “are you sure?? are you positive??” and I was like “yeah dude it’s not like my rear bumper’s falling off, no worries!!” and he looked like he was abt to drop to his knees from relief he really said “god bless you” 😭😭😭

[arts-and-drafts]

Minecraft Championships

(Another fic for my Hermit Tommy AU, set when Tommy finally joins MCC again! Enjoy :)c)

-

Tommy stared at the white portal buzzing in front of him. It was time for Minecraft Championships, an event he hadn't attended since before his exile.

Familiar fear tingled in the back of his mind. He almost certainly would run into the old members of the Dream SMP on the other side of the portal. He spent so long trying to heal from the scars the SMP ripped into him, both physically and mentally. He didn't want to dig up old memories after he tried so hard to move past them.

But his hand was clenched over his compass, something he'd only recently felt safe enough to carry with him outside of his ender chest.

Tubbo could be on the other side. His Tubbo.

But if he was, what would Tommy say? What would he do? Tubbo threw him out, but he was still the most important person in the universe to Tommy. That was one thing from his past he refused to leave behind.

Did Tubbo even feel the same? Would he be glad to see him again?

Did he even care?

Grian's hand touching his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts.

"...You don't have to go if you don't want to." Grian offered, a knowing but gentle look in his eyes. Tommy took a breath.

"No, I--it's okay. I'll come." Tommy replied, tucking his compass back under his shirt. "You all suck without me anyway." He grinned at Grian, who glared mockingly in response. "Oh, I'm sure you bring so much to the table." He commented dryly.

"MCC is my bitch." Tommy declared confidently, dodging Grian's swipe at him with a high pitched laugh. "Watch it, or I'll tell Scar to make you restock Scara again." Grian smiled.

The hermit offered his hand, and Tommy took it. They stepped through the white portal together.

-

Tommy downed his glass bottle of water in one big swig, wiping his forehead with his other arm. They were halfway through MCC, and finally got a chance to break and reconvene with their teams.

Grian, Ren, Tommy and False were chosen to represent Hermitcraft in MCC, and they were killing it, scoring 2nd place as a team so far in the games. On top of that, Tommy hadn't seen anyone from the SMP. He was just having a good time, winning a championship with his friends.

Tommy listened to the hypnotizing chatter of the hundreds of contestants in the lobby, his group having fanned out during the break. Grian had left to socialize with a multitude of outer-server friends, while Ren and False were talking with a green skinned player on another team that Tommy didn't recognize.

Tommy quickly averted his eyes. That guy looked too much like-

Without warning, something grabbed Tommy's arm and violently pulled him off the bench he was resting at, his yell of surprise quickly drowned out by the crowd. Tommy tried to swing at his assailant, but went rigid as soon as he looked up.

"You shouldn't have run." Dream hissed, dragging Tommy to his feet by the arm. Tommy's blood turned to ice as he was suddenly flung back to Logstedshire, to exile, to bitter loneliness, turning out his pitiful supply of resources to his warden for fear of being killed.

Tommy couldn't do anything to defend himself as Dream started to pull him to the portal back to the SMP.

"They don't need you. I've told you I'm your only friend. I'm the only one that cares." Dream growled, his voice dangerously low with fury. "Friends don't abandon friends. I thought Tubbo already taught you that."

Tommy flinched. His breath was trapped in his lungs, paralyzed as Dream dragged him closer and closer to the past he tried so hard to escape.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking?!" Dream continued, his tone scalding. "A YEAR, Tommy!! You ran away for a fucking YEAR!!"

Dream's voice had a layer of desperation lying underneath. It was then that Tommy clicked.

Dream needed him.

He needed Tommy to be broken, to be hateful, to be ostracized and abandoned by everyone he loved. Dream needed the conflict, the chaos, the malice.

But Tommy did not need him. Tommy was not alone like Dream was.

"HELP!!" Tommy's cry exploded from his chest, fueled by all the fear and resentment he'd kept pent up for so long. "GRIAN!! HELP ME!!"

Dream halted his unwavering path to his SMP to snap back to Tommy, instantly clapping his gloved hand over the boy's mouth before he could scream anything else, but the damage was already done. Tommy struggled against Dream's arms, punching and kicking and squirming to escape, continuing to scream despite Dream's hand muffling his voice.

For the first time since L'manburg, Tommy fought back with the same ferocity that burned inside him all those years ago.

Tommy saw a flash of enchanted blue, and suddenly Dream's grip on his arm and face was released. He was immediately pulled into the arms of Ren with a gasp, safe and warm and secure. Tommy clung to the hermit for dear life, daring to open his eyes to see what had become of Dream.

Dream was on the ground, carefully still. His mask lay sliced clean in half beside him, a razor-thin cut bleeding down the middle of his face. Tommy's eyes widened.

False and Grian stood between Dream and Tommy, False with her diamond sword poised to Dream's throat with deadly accuracy. Grian's wings were extended to their full wingspan, an intimidating wall of gray feathers trembling with fury.

"Get out." False ordered, low and dangerous. A violent expression crossed Dream's face, Tommy could see his face, he could see the look in his eyes, but he said nothing. False flicked her sword up, wordlessly repeating her demand.

Dream slowly got to his feet, his eyes moving to the crowd of people who were now silent, watching. Dream pulled his hood tighter around his head in a pitiful attempt to hide his naked face as he backed up to the SMP portal.

Dream locked eyes with Tommy before he stepped through, and Tommy was turned to stone by the sheer amount of hatred that was visible in his former captor's expression.

The connection was broken by Grian storming towards Dream, his fists balled so tightly that Tommy could see his white knuckles. For the first time in Tommy's life, he saw real terror in Dream's eyes.

Dream stepped through the portal quicker than he'd ever moved before right as Grian cleared the distance.

"DON'T COME BACK!" Grian roared, reeling back his fist to bring it clean through the portal.

The doorway shattered on impact, breaking the SMP's connection to the MCC lobby with the force of a ghast's fireball. Stunned silence followed, broken only by Grian's heaving breaths as he tried to calm himself.

Tommy didn't realize how tightly he was holding Ren until the werewolf shifted uncomfortably under his grip. He quickly released his friend's shirt.

Then Grian and False turned back to Tommy, their anger dissipating into concern as quickly as it came. They ran to him and pulled each other into a shaking embrace, Tommy at the center of his three saviors.

"Gods, oh Tommy--" Grian stammered, squeezing Tommy tighter and burying his face into his hair. "I'm so sorry, we didn't know he would--"

"Are you okay?" False asked feverishly, her fingers flitting nervously over the arm where Dream grabbed him. "Did he hurt you? Do you need a medic?"

"No, no--" Tommy tried to say, but he was interrupted by Ren. "What did he want from you? Is he dangerous?"

"Guys," Tommy said, raising his voice to silence their questions. "I'm--I'm okay now. Thank you for saving me," he assured, his voice catching on the last word. He tried to wipe away tears that he just noticed were flowing down his face.

"I-I want to go. Please." Tommy begged, his voice very small. The crowd of contestants watching them were now suffocating instead of comfortable.

Tommy expected his friends to hesitate, but he was surprised by how quickly they unanimously nodded. "Of course, no problem." Ren affirmed, helping Tommy to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

"But--" Tommy tried to oppose, looking at the scoreboard.

"Don't worry about MCC." False cut him off. "There's always next year."

Tommy's words lodged in his throat, gratitude and relief swelling in his soul. He let himself be guided back to the portal to Hermitcraft, his bandaged hands gripping Ren and False's arms like a lifeline as Grian's wing laid a comforting weight on his back.

As the group disappeared into the white tear in reality, a figure watches in silent shock from the other side of the lobby, a finally still compass gripped in shaking hands.

END.

[river-bottom-nightmare]

zatanna said the word anchor point, and that's where she lost dick. anchor points and multiversal constants and universal stability. galaxies shattering into pieces behind his eyelids before swirling together tighter and more whole, before dick would inevitably wake, the lights from that goddamn recurring dream still flashing in his mind.

constantine was looking at him with sympathy, pity. dick wanted to wipe that look off his face with bleach. with acid. he normally wouldn't consider fighting john constantine, since he's always been able to sense the sheer power bubbling under the man's drunken and sloppy exterior. though, apparently, that ability to sense was what could possibly give him the edge in the fight he was imagining, but would never happen.

there were only a few people in the room, but someone would rip him off the man. maybe clark, whose features were painted with worry and concern. that, and the lights from the galaxies outside the watchtower windows, the eternity of the galaxy covering the entire room in a gentle wash that dick had been able to ignore for all of his life, excluding the past couple of hours. maybe diana, who was starting to look at dick with a bit of fear. not of him, but for him, and for everybody else. dick couldn't blame her. she had more than enough experience with powerful men who made themselves god. the only difference was that dick would rather let himself burn up from the flame that was inside of him before becoming whatever they said he was.

it's not about becoming, raven whispered in his mind. her presence was gentle, familiar. it took a certain length of self control for dick not to latch onto her, about the length of rope needed to make a noose. you already are. there are no new powers or abilities or anything that will happen to you. you always were a nexus being, and you always will be. it's just a part of you.

"just a part of him." just a part of him? like how wally's slowly failing heart had just been a part of him? or how jason's pit-induced fits of rage were just a part of him? or how cass' assassin training she fell back on no matter how hard she tried to override it was just a part of her?

bruce hadn't said anything. actually, zatanna had stopped talking, not that dick had been fully listening in the first place, and everyone was lost in their own quiet thoughts. but bruce's silence had been the most stomach-churning, the most horrific.

dick knew bruce didn't like metas. knew it because of the sighs he used to make due to the league's foolishness back when dick was robin, running a hand through dick's ruffled hair and telling him he was so glad you're not like them, dick, they're exhausting. he knew it because of bruce's fury every time someone powerful fought in gotham and destroyed the city, rubble on the ground as they went off, completely unconcerned of the damage they left behind. he knew it because of the extensive files in the batcomputer detailing each league-affiliated and known meta's weakness, or how their strength could be flipped like a playing card, until dick was almost convinced being a meta made one weaker. (according to bruce, it did.)

bruce didn't like metas. and dick wasn't a meta, but no one knew what he was anyway. no one but the magic users, whose vague explanations told them they weren't really sure what he was either.

"you're connected to the universe, dick," zatanna sighed. "the multiverse comes together in you. and as much as i don't like it, we need you."

all eyes were on him. dick was looking at his feet, but he could still feel them. that was one of his new "powers," right? knowledge of the multiverse? a gross misuse and bitter accusation, dick knew. but he couldn't get the fear out of his mind, and fear left unchecked grew fuzzy with mold until it disintegrated into anger.

"you need me?" dick said hoarsely. "the multiverse, what, comes together in me? you do realize what utter bullshit that sounds like?"

"i know it don't seem all that good, but trust me," constantine said. "it's a thing. it's real. you are one."

"you said these people are supposed to be beings of power," dick argued back. "so why aren't you a nexus being? or raven? or fucking ra's al ghul. i'm sure as hell not a being of power. i'm human."

"i suppose that's exactly what makes you one," diana murmured. "i have met many powerful men in my life. i've found the ones that i respected the most were the ones that were most in touch with their humanity."

this was crazy. this was crazy. dick felt like the particles that came together to make him were blowing away in confusion until he was one big cloud of unrecognizable light, before he was scattered in every direction. how the hell was he supposed to be one of the things that kept the universe together when he couldn't even keep his own damn self together?

avoiding bruce wasn't working. dick just felt like he was about to fray at the edges. so, gathering up his courage, dick turned to face the man and quietly, in a voice more delicate than china, said, "b?"

batman didn't look at him. batman didn't even look up. but batman did speak.

"alternate universe superman. he called you the multiversal constant. the one thing he could depend on."

out of the corner of his eye, dick could see clark nodding a little.

bruce continued. "you named yourself after a mythological figure who was known as the catalyst of change. or the great rebuilder. and kryptonians we've met have said how well you embody the role."

"it's...it's just a name, bruce."

"you, of all people, know it's not," clark said.

"so what am i supposed to do, huh?" dick whirled around. "fight this battle zee's recruiting me for that's entirely above my skill level. become some sort of, what did you say, universal anchor? i don't know the first thing about this shit, and i don't know what it'll do to me!"

"you're scared," bruce said, always willing to cut right to the chase with everyone but himself.

dick didn't answer.

"raven, establish a mental link between me and nightwing."

raven nodded, then with a flutter of her hands, dick felt a presence inside his head. it scared him to realize how easily he accepted it, how easily he had always accepted it. he never understood how unusual that was until now.

of course i'm scared, dick whispered into the mind link. i've gone my entire life knowing exactly who i was, what i could do, what i strive to be. and in the span of one day, that's all gone.

then what do you plan to do about it? bruce asked.

he said it so simply, so easily. like discovering something this monumental about himself was just another tricky case or difficult puzzle to solve. dick would have an easier time plucking each and every star in the galaxy and making a mosiac out of them.

raven's hood was lowered, but dick could still feel her eyes on him. constantine's features were still dripping in pity, zee looked imploring. diana was looking at him with hesitating acceptance, bruce was unreadable as always.

but clark. clark was looking at him with steady eyes and and a kind smile. he looked knowing, quietly vindicated. it was as if he'd known there was something...off about dick. something two hopscotches and a backbend away from "special," but close enough. something that had led to clark giving dick a piece of his people's legacy, and trusting him to fulfill it to the best of his ability.

clark wasn't scared of him at all. but clark couldn't make up for bruce.

"will you help?" zatanna asked.

everything inside dick was itching to say yes. jumping at the chance to help his friends, aching to be useful. it was a response he'd carefully cultivated years ago, and pushing it down was an almost physical ache.

but the stardust behind his eyes wasn't so easily forgotten. the hook behind his navel that seemed to drag him into the fabric of a universe that dick couldn't comprehend still dug into him. the world was spinning and the stars were turning and the earth was tumbling over itself, all of them in an effort to stop their twisting and turning and to right themselves once and for all. but dick wasn't moving. dick was completely, utterly still.

"i don't know," he said.

Dick Grayson Anniversary Week ‘21, Day 6: Universal Constant

"i don't know," the author says, because she truly has no idea what the fuck she just wrote. i started imagining nexus dick grayson and this just spilled out onto the page. it makes absolutely no sense, but there are some nice sentences in there that i don't want to get rid of, so hopefully yall can somewhat make sense of this ramen soup of a fic.

tag list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan @screennamealreadyused @subtleappreciation @bikoncon @catxsnow @pricetagofficial @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @dickgraysonweek

[sugar-quilled]

when stars align

a/n: this is fluff wrapped in unnecessary plot. my bad.

summary: star gazing date

genre: fluff

word count: 1.8k

pronouns: she/her

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

Spring came very suddenly this year. Many students had feared that there wouldn't be sunny weather to look forward to after exams ended, but the clouds parted on the last day, and there was a great hurrying to the castle grounds and enjoy a well deserved break. Quite a few students had taken to soaring around the Quidditch pitch, throwing around a Quaffle and chatting about summer plans. As you made your way out to the courtyard, absolutely determined to forget about the entirety of your Astrology exam, a very handsome owl came swooping down from a tree nearby to land on your shoulder. You quickly accepted the very small square of parchment clamped in its beak, and recognized it as Draco's eagle owl. You smiled at the bird, gave it a quick pet on the head, and turned the parchment piece around. In very tidy writing, it read:

Meet me at the courtyard? 8 pm. Send an answer back - Draco

"Date night?" a voice behind you said. You swung around to see Daphne Evergreen's eyes peering over your unoccupied shoulder and grinned.

"Seems like you know the answer to that question already, Daph."

"Sure do. Will you let me do your hair? I saw a Ravenclaw with a really beautiful half up half down kind of look and it'll really be gorgeous on you. Pity I could never pull it off."

"Don't lie to yourself," you said, swinging your bag off your shoulder, "bangs do grow out you know. And yes, absolutely." The owl readjusted its footing and tugged on your hair, as if telling you that it didn't have all day to listen to two girls talk. You walked quickly off the path, said goodbye to Daphne with the promise of meeting her in the dormitory in a few minutes, and dug around your school bag for a quill and ink. Unscrewing the bottle, you sat down on the grass and wrote back,

Answer is yes, pretty boy.

Draco's owl immediately snatched the parchment out of your hand, and took off towards the owlery.

time skip to 7:50

"Daphne you're brushing too hard," you muttered as she tugged forcefully on your hair. You two had been planning your outfit for about 4 hours now, taking a 30 minute break at 5 to shovel down perhaps the fastest dinner you had ever eaten and running right back up to the dormitory.

"I've never ever seen your hair with this many knots. Have you been crawling around some underbrush? There's a twig in here. How could you have possibly gotten a twig in your hair?"

"I don't know? Maybe it was Draco's ow- OW! Daphne, please, my head's attached to the other end of those strands! Couldn't you just use some Sleekeazy's? There should be a bottle in my drawer."

"NO! It'll ruin your natural waves!" she cried, frantic. "It's 7:52 already! You're due in 8 minutes! And we've still got earrings to choose and you didn't say which shoes yet!"

"I'll do without earrings! And I thought I said the oxfords were fine!" you answered, tears welling up in the corners of your eyes as Daphne tugged harder still.

"Hang on, just give me one second, I'm nearly there, you've just got this big lump that I've been trying to get through this past half hour."

With the hardest tug yet, Daphne undid the knot, pulling out quite a few hairs in the process, and let out a very tired cheer. You stood up straight and turned back at her.

"Okay, well you've got your top," she said, dropping the brush and moving forward to tuck the black scoop neck into your jeans, "jeans, necklace looks fine, hair looks gorgeous, and do you want to borrow my purse? It'll fit th-"

"Daphne I'm just going to the courtyard! What do I need a bloody purse for?" You half-yelled, massaging a very sore spot on the back of your head.

"You're right, you're right," Daphne said as you stepped into your oxfords, "well then off you go! It's 7:56, you've got plenty of time. Tell me all about it when you get back!"

"Yes, of course. Bye, Daphne!" You shouted, already half-way out the door.

The trip out to the courtyard seemingly took less than a minute, but in your hurried state, there was no way you counted the seconds properly. It was almost completely empty, with only two or three pairs of students still playing gobstones. You spotted Draco, and immediately felt a rosy color creep over your cheeks.

Draco was wearing a white button down and some neatly pressed black pants, an attire that looked suspiciously like his school uniform without a cloak. No complaints were had though, as he looked impossibly handsome.

A large, grayish green picnic blanket had been set down on the floor. Several puffy pillows had been layered down on top of it, alongside a very big, very fluffy blanket.

He turned around, a very expensive looking bouquet of flowers in hand, and gave you a quick smile before striding towards you, wrapping his arms around your waist, and pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.

You blushed and placed a kiss below his jawline before entwining your hand in his. He gestured towards the blanket—"after you, dear"—and the two of you sat down.

"This set up looks lovely, Draco" you said, readjusting to face him.

"I'm glad you're impressed by my effort" he replied, handing you the bouquet. It was a darling little thing of daisies, baby's breath, and lavender. Pixie dust sparkled on each flower. "I'm sure you want to know what I have planned for today?"

You leaned closer to him, and answered mockingly, "What is it dear Draco? Do tell me!"

"Star gazing."

You leaned back and and noticed a small telescope placed beside a pillow to your right. Knowing his absolute disdain for Astrology, you smiled. "Why the sudden change in interest?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's supposed to be romantic. And anyways, stars are pretty when they aren't for analyzing. Come here, the sun's about to set." He pulled you fully onto his lap, facing away from him, and wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

The sky was indeed dimming, brilliant strokes of orange turned pink, then purple, and finally gave way to an inky night sky. You had settled very comfortably, head against his chest, as his chin rested on the top of your head. The big blanket covered you both, and as you sat up, reaching towards the telescope to get a closer look at what seemed to be Scorpius, a very sharp "Malfoy!" startled the both of you. Professor McGonagall was storming towards you.

"What do you two think you're doing? It's nearly a quarter past ten and I feel the need to remind you that that is past your curfew. 5 points from Slytherin, and you best both be hurrying back to your dormitories."

Completely abandoning the picnic things and apologizing briefly to McGonagall, you two ran back towards the Slytherin common room, slowing only when you reached a familiar stone wall.

"Serpentine," you muttered to the wall, which then rumbled and shifted so that a corridor that lead to the common room appeared. As you walked down the passage, you thanked Draco for the flowers and date.

"It did get cut short, but it was very enjoyable. Thank you for planning it." You gave him a smile, a peck on the cheek, and made to turn for the girls' dormitories, but Draco grabbed your hand and was dragging you towards the boys'.

"Dray, what are you doing?" You hissed, "Goyle, Crabbe, Theo, and Blaise are probably sleeping by now."

Draco looked back at you with a signature smirk and continued to drag you up the stairs, leaving you with no choice but to follow.

He opened the door to his dormitory to show it completely empty.

"They've got detention today. Convenient."

"Draco! You gave them detention?"

"Well, I didn't really give them detention, I just gave them the opportunity to be given det-"

"Alright, alright," you muttered, coming to the conclusion that one nights' worth of detention for the boys couldn't be that bad. You drew open the curtains next to Draco's bed, revealing a tall, arched window and the starry night sky, framed like a painting behind the glass.

"This view is incredible," you breathed, snuggling into Draco's bed, which smelt like cologne and mint, resting your head against the headboard, and watching Draco rest himself beside you and lay his head on your chest. He turned so that you both were facing the window, and then wrapped his arms securely around you. One hand tangled in his hair, the other resting on his lower back, you turned to look at the stars with him.

Each was dotted with precision into the inky background, looking nothing like a nature of the universe and everything like a craftsman's work of art. You'd heard so many people marvel at those that shone brighter, more captivating to the eye, but to you, it was the small little specks that were worth more. They filled the gaps that the larger ones couldn't, and made the skies irregular and breathtakingly beautiful. Stars move, so that no night sky is ever the same as the previous, and maybe it was that Draco was by your side, but no combination of stars had ever presented such a beautiful picture before.

"Draco, you see those four stars? How they're in a line?"

Draco looked up sleepily at the window, muttering "pretty" before slumping down again.

"Prettier than me?" You laughed, pushing a few strands of hair off his forehead.

"Nothing's prettier than you, baby, you know that." He muttered drowsily, rolling onto his back so that he could look straight up at you.

You leaned over and brushed the tip of your nose against his. He hummed softly in response and wrapped two arms around your neck, bringing you into a kiss.

"I love you," you whispered after breaking away, shifting yourself out from under Draco so that you two were now eye to eye.

He pulled you onto his chest. "I love you too baby. And I'll get you another bouquet tomorrow since todays' is probably wilting as we speak."

You giggled softly, and with the promise of, you both promptly fell asleep.

pov switch

When Goyle, Crabbe, Theo, and Blaise entered their dormitory after two hours worth of scrubbing the floor, they found Draco entwined with a certain girl, her hand in his hair, his wrapping her close and snug against his chest. The curtains next to Draco's bed were still drawn open, so that the uncountable stars winked down at the couple. The boys knew better than to wake them up, so Goyle drew the drapes around the four poster closed, and they headed off to bed.

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Cozy Sweaters

Jackson Neill x Reader

Sequel to Cold Hands, requested by @detectivebarba​ & written for @storiesofsvu​’s Fall Bingo! 

Warnings: Angst. Angst. Angst. Fluff? 

Summary: Oh my god they were roommates.

3,350 words

September 8th

The living room of your apartment—what used to be your apartment—was abuzz with heated voices.

“We’re sorry, but you said you were moving out!”

“So you just gave away my room?! I’m allowed to change my mind!”

Your roommates glanced between each other, awkwardness thick in the air.

“Ed is moving here all the way from England on the promise that he would have a room. He already bought his plane ticket. We’d really be screwing him over.”

“But… where am I supposed to go?”

Jenny sighed and shook her head. “Listen, if this wasn’t so last-minute, I’d understand, but you were supposed to move in with your boyfriend next week. We already made plans to fill your spot…” She really was sorry, in other words, but you were stuck.

“Can’t you still move in with him?” Todd added, and Jenny shot daggers from her eyes.

“He cheated on me!”

“Yeah, but you said he didn’t want to break up, right? Just work things out.”

“I am not,” you hissed through gritted teeth, “ever taking him back after what he did.”

September 13th

Every one-bedroom apartment listing in the greater NYC area was out of your price range. You tapped your friend group, colleagues, and acquaintances for roommates and came back empty. You went on Craig’s List and met with a few strangers seeking roommates. The ones who weren’t terrifying never called you back.

Meanwhile, Jackson Neill had been blowing up your phone.

Well, not blowing up—the first night he got drunk and filled your inbox begging you to come back, sobbing and slurring into your voicemail, spamming indecipherable text messages. The next morning, a single text read: “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate, and it won’t happen again.”

And it didn’t.

But he sent another message a few days later telling you he’d found some more of your stuff, if you’d like it back. That you were always welcome to talk if you wanted to. He wanted to be there for you. You didn’t message him back.

September 14th

It was a cold, rainy day on campus, so you risked taking a shortcut to the dining hall. You turned the corner of an old brick building, and there he was, walking out of the Department of Religious Studies, jacket collar pulled up over his neck because the forgetful fool could never remember his umbrella.

He froze at the same time you did.

All you could hear was your pulse drumming inside your skull like rain. You knew you’d run into him eventually, but you hadn’t decided how to react, and your body wasn’t offering any suggestions.

He gave you a pitiful smile and lifted his hand. “Hi.”

“Hey.”

One leaden foot shuffled in front of the other, and you kept walking. He nodded with a wan smile and sad eyes and didn’t chase you.

The outdoor seating was closed because of the weather, so the dining hall was crowded and buzzing. You snatched a small two-seat table just as another student left, brushing a stale French fry off it onto the floor. Sinking down to enjoy your cheap sandwich, you glanced around the crowd.

A middle-aged man with a soggy jacket and salt-and-pepper hair, who had no right to be so breathtakingly handsome, was searching desperately for a seat while precariously balancing a tray of soup and coffee.

He felt your gaze on him, and you were fixed with a beam of frozen green eyes.

You waved him over.

“I wasn’t following you, I swear.”

“I don’t know, eating lunch? At lunchtime? That can’t be a coincidence.”

The corner of his lip wanted to smile, but he didn’t seem entirely sure you were joking.

“Just sit down and eat,” you sighed. “There’s nowhere else.”

He sat.

Silence crackled between you like the sky before a thunderstorm as you ate your lunches.

“So,” Jackson started cautiously, “how have you been?”

You gave a dry snort. “Oh, just fucking peachy. I’m going to be homeless in two days, thanks to you.”

“What?!”

Jackson listened with a deepening frown as you told him about your roommate plight. Then he offered you a room at his house.

“Go to hell. I’m not going to move in with you like nothing ever happened!”

“No, it wouldn’t be like that. I have a spare bedroom. It’s a big house, and I could use help with the bills. Please—it’s the least I can do. Just until you get back on your feet.”

September 17th

It wasn’t like you had much choice.

You moved into Jackson’s house as originally planned, albeit under different circumstances. Instead of sharing his bed, he cleared out the spare room he’d been using, in theory, as a “gym,” and in practice as a storage closet. There was plenty of space, and with how late he always worked at the university, you’d barely see him anyway.

This might just work out.

September 20th

This was never going to work.

Your heart broke all over again every morning you walked downstairs and saw Jackson in the kitchen making pancakes, because every time, you had to fight the urge to come up behind him and wrap your arms around his waist like you used to do.

God, you wanted him back. If only you could erase the image of him with her from your mind.

October 7th

Jackson begged you to take him back.

One thing after another had gone wrong after he publicly confronted the Meyerist Movement. The cult pressured the publisher to pull his book. The university put him on leave while they investigated his alleged relationship with a student. You wandered into the living room that night and found him curled up on the couch, and his resolve broke.

There were tears in his eyes as he tried to pull you into a hug, and when you jerked away, they cascaded down his cheeks. He kept saying he was sorry over and over.

“Please. I need you. Everything is falling apart—if I could at least have you to hold onto… just one thing that wasn’t broken. Please, just tell me how to make it up to you. Haven’t I done enough? If I could take it all back, I would. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me? Please let me hold you?”

This was hard for you, too. Part of you wanted to give in, tell him it was all OK, let him kiss you, and see him smile. The worst part of all of this was that you still loved him, but you could never trust him again. He put on such a sweet, innocent act—he was a wonderful boyfriend—but now you knew he was a manipulative liar.

You should never have moved in.

“There’s no undoing the past. We both need to move forward, not back. I’m going to start looking for other places to live.”

October 8th

Morning brought a more sober Jackson knocking at your door. Dark circles hung under his eyes, but he hadn’t been crying recently.

“Please don’t feel like you have to leave. I can get my shit together. I’m calling a therapist today.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Yeah.” He stared at his feet, shifting on the hardwood floor.

“Jackson… I’ll only hurt you if I stay. This is too hard on you.” For us. “Besides, I can’t freeload here forever.”

“You do pay rent, you know.”

“I know, but—”

“I only have the kids every other weekend, and it’s a big house. It gets lonely. You’re doing me a favor being here.”

November 10th

In the last month, Jackson convinced you there was no hurry to move out.

He was a great roommate. He cooked, cleaned, respected your boundaries. He was a truly decent man, if an unfaithful lover, but since you were just friends now, it didn’t matter who he fucked. The biggest concern was that he wanted you back, and living together was a constant source of emotional pain. But on that front, he finally seemed to be moving on.

Whenever the topic came up, he assured you that you were welcome to stay as long as you wanted.

“It’s just so hard to find a decent place in my price range.”

“I mean it,” Jackson reiterated, adding emphasis. “If you want to stay, I enjoy having a roommate.”

You searched for hidden motives in his voice, his expression. Was this part of a long game to get you back? But his tone was friendly and open. Knowing how quickly he jumped from his ex-wife to you to Sarah, there was no way he didn’t already have his eye on someone new. At this point, you were just roommates.

“You mean permanently? Isn’t living with an ex a recipe for disaster?”

He chuckled. “The last few years with my wife were much worse than this, trust me. We were trying to stay together until the kids went to college, but emotionally, we were already divorced. It was awful… sharing a room. Constant fighting.” His eyes took a dull, faraway look as he remembered.

Worry lines creased your brow. “Are you sure you want to put yourself through that again?”

He grinned, snapping out of it, and patted you on the head like you were one of his kids. “You are nothing like her. We’re friends.”

You liked the sound of that. Friends.

November 14th

The sound of screams greeted you as you opened the front door and hung your keys on their hook next to your jacket. Jackson was watching a scary movie marathon in the living room, apropos of the foggy autumn weather.

“Candyman. Care to join?” He patted the cushion beside him.

You stayed up past midnight in your pajamas, sharing popcorn, laughing, and hiding your eyes from the gory parts. Jackson remained on the opposite side of the couch, careful not to touch you.

November 19th

You caught Jackson having lunch with an attractive student. It made your blood freeze, then boil when he walked with her back to his office.

Alone.

Fists clenched, you pressed your ear to the closed door, and heard… an essay on the role of religion in perpetuating homophobia. He was helping her edit a paper. Like professors do.

You followed them all the way from the dining hall just for talking.

When did you become a crazy ex? Why would you care if he was schtupping a hot student? You wanted him to move on—you were glad he didn’t tear up every time you walked into the kitchen anymore. But you knew then that you weren’t over him yet.

If you saw him out with someone new, it would sting like he was betraying you all over again. So you tried hard to be the one to move on first.

November 30th

A car honked outside.

“Oh, that’s my date,” you apologized to Jackson. “Gotta go.”

You got a little rush of schadenfreude from the kicked-puppy look that flashed across his face as you left him mid-conversation, sitting at the kitchen table across from your abandoned teacup. It felt like a big fuck-you, letting him know you’d be fucking someone else. A dare: let’s see if you really meant it when you said we could be friends.

But the look had barely contorted his features when he swallowed it down and smiled, “Be safe.”

He was probably going on plenty of dates himself and just didn’t tell you out of consideration for your feelings. He didn’t want you to feel used, betrayed, and immediately replaced. You were both moving on.

After a string of Tinder hookups, you felt like Jackson was out of your system, romantically speaking.

December 17th

A light dusting of snow floated down through the pale morning air. Jackson woke up on the left side of the bed, as he did every morning, and as he did every morning, turned to his right hoping to find you there. The blankets were cold.

He shivered.

You had a date last night and didn’t come home. He waited up, but never heard your car in the driveway, your keys in the door. Since you weren’t there to see his red eyes, he allowed himself to cry.

February 14th

A dull, rhythmic thumping carried through the walls. The creaking of a mattress. You cried out a name, voice cracking as you came for the second time.

It was the same guy again.

Casual hookups he could handle, but it had been the same guy for weeks now. Jackson told himself he deserved this. This was what he did to you, only while you were together. When you trusted him not to. He deserved to hear the one he loved being taken by another man.

As much as he wanted you to be his, you weren’t. He had no right to feel burning bile rising in his stomach at each of your moans and gasps. You were doing nothing wrong.

“You live here. Of course you can have dates over. No, it’s not awkward. We’re friends.”

A hot tear slid from his eye as he buried his head in a pillow.

This guy better take care of you.

May 1st

He didn’t have a roommate anymore. Not really. You spent all your time at Rodney’s apartment.

Soon you would move out, and he’ll have lost you forever.

He wanted to warn you not to move so fast, but what right did he have to judge? He let you move at the same pace with him. Let you trust him, fall in love with him, have a spare toothbrush on his sink within a few months. All the while, he figured a little action on the side wouldn’t hurt. Did he think he could chase two of you at once and get to keep the winner?

Idiot.

Sinner. That’s what his mami would say.

The few times you were home, he didn’t express his concerns about your boyfriend. He would only sound jealous, and it would push you away. If he wanted to be someone you would still answer the phone for when you moved out, he had to be a good friend, not a jealous ex.

Fuck. He hoped it worked out between you and Rodney. He really did. He hoped you were happy.

October 2nd

You came home for the first time in weeks crying. Heavy tears rolled down your face, legs shaking as you crawled up the stairs to your bedroom. Jackson was off the couch in an instant, spring up to follow you.

“Hey… Hey, what’s wrong?” He gingerly touched your shoulder, palm spreading out to make comforting circles when you didn’t shake him off. “Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it?”

You shook your head, sniffing as you slumped down onto your bed. Jackson sat beside you, worry etched into his features. He was so cute. After all this time, he still cared about you. You thought about all the times he’d begged for you back, in the beginning, desperate to hold you again. Fuck, you just wanted to feel that wanted again.

“Rodney and I broke up,” you mumbled.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear th—”

You gripped the hair at the back of his head and tugged him roughly into a kiss. Every muscle in his neck and shoulders tensed. A surprised noise was muted between your crushing lips. You could have sworn, for a moment, he started kissing you back, but then his big hands clamped like two vices on your shoulders, and he pushed you away.

“What are you doing?” His eyes were wide.

“What does it look like?” you purred, fingers clawing at the buttons of his cardigan. “I want you to take me, Jackson.”

His hands stopped you from leaning close again. “No. Stop it.”

“Come on, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“We can’t… I won’t take advantage of you like that. You’re just upset, and—”

“Fuck you! So you’ll fuck anyone and not give a shit—you’ll fuck around on me and break my heart, but you won’t fuck me when I’m asking you to?! The one time I just need you to be there, and now you’re on your high fucking horse, pretending to be a good guy?! I bet you’d screw Sarah! Fuck you. Fuck you!”

Your shoulders shook as your tirade broke down more and more into sobs. Deep down, you knew he was right. You’d regret it in the morning. But you couldn’t he just… want you?

“Why? Why not? Am I that… am I that unlovable?”

“Because you crying.” Tears were shimmering in his eyes as he said it, softly wiping a tear from your cheek. “You’re crying.”

With a gasp, you threw yourself down on the bed and buried your face in a pillow. You screamed into it, your own breath hot and wet against your face. Jackson’s weight shifted the mattress beside you, and your hand shot out in panic, blindly groping toward the movement. You felt pathetic. Needy. But you didn’t want to be alone.

“Don’t go.”

The mattress sank back down under him. “I’m not going anywhere. I won’t take advantage of you, but if you want me to stay, I’ll stay. As long as you want.”

That was all you wanted to hear in that moment, to know someone wouldn’t abandon you. His warm hand rubbed your back in slow circles as you wept, patiently listening as you told him everything in disjointed, broken pieces. How you were just being paranoid—invading Rodney’s privacy when he left his phone unlocked. You were paranoid because your last boyfriend cheated. Then you found the lewd messages, and it didn’t seem real. Plans to meet at a bar downtown. You didn’t believe it until he was toweling off, telling you something came up with his mom, and he’d be out for a while. And you followed him down to the bar and saw them together.

“He was an asshole,” Jackson said.

“Am I doomed? Cursed? Why does everyone cheat on me? Is it my fault?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Shut up! You did it, too,” you snapped. “I’m just not special enough to hold anyone’s attention. I’ll never be enough.”

“No,” he growled with a ferocity that startled you, “You’re wonderful, and anyone would be lucky to have you. That guy was an asshole, and so was I for taking you for granted. You did nothing to deserve this. One day you’ll find someone who appreciates you… who learns to treat you the way you deserve to be treated before they lose the best thing to ever happen to them.”

You shifted to press yourself closer to him. The tears didn’t stop, but a warmth spread through your chest. Jackson felt like a cozy sweater—warm and familiar. Easy to cry into. His arms were surprisingly solid and thick, but gentle when they closed around you.

He was a comfortable old sweater you could slip back on after leaving it in the closet for a year.

***

Hours passed by, and you had no more tears left. No energy left to move. Jackson was still beside you, keeping watch, as promised. You were curled up with your head in his lap, his fingers in your hair.

When he was sure you were asleep, he carefully extracted himself from under you, gradually shifting your head onto the pillow so you wouldn’t wake up. He breathed, heart aching as he looked down at your sleeping form. You deserved better than tear-stained cheeks. He knew he had no right to be so angry, but he couldn’t stand seeing you hurt again.

You wouldn’t have been if he had just…

He let his tears fall silently. This was about you, and he didn’t want to make you console him, but you were asleep now. He could let go.

He ran his fingers through your hair one last time. Then, with a furtive glance, he bent and pressed a tender kiss to your forehead.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I never stopped.”

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● •

Tags: @beccabarba​ / @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ / @thatesqcrush​ / @dianilaws​ / @permanentlydizzy​ / @mrsrafaelbarba​ / @madamsnape921​ / @astrangegirlsmind​ / @neely1177​ / @onerestein​ / @dreamlover31​ / @isvvc-pvscvl​​  / @shroomiehomie / @storiesofsvu​ / @welcometothemxdhouse​​ / @feedthemadness-sweetie​ / @law-nerd105​ / @amelia-song-pond​ / @michael-rooker​ / @xecq / @madpanda75​ / @alwaysachorusgirl​ / @bananas-pajamas​ / @leanor-min​ / @mad-girl-without-a-box​ / @katierpblogg​ / @worldofvixen​ / @sassyada​ / @detectivebarba​

[enjennie]

Take Care.

pairing: jaehyun x reader (x juyeon)

genre: angst. bestfriend!jaehyun and boyfriend!juyeon. one-sided love :[

word count: 1.4k

warnings: alcohol intake, cheating (i guess), kinda frustrating choices were made, not a happy ending for jh.

a/n: hi to any deobizens, sorry this wasn't that good but I had fun writing it :> enjoy!

The keys jingle in your hand as you twist its body into the keyhole, turning the doorknob once and successfully letting yourself into the tenth floor boys’ dorm. It was quiet, a rare thing to see in the usually chaos-filled house of the five boys.

On any other day, you would appreciate the quietness but today you came looking for it. The boys’ presence helped you forget any worries you had, and you wanted nothing but to spend the night with your best friends, preferably by drinking.

“Anybody home?” you called into the quiet house. It’s not long until you hear shuffling coming from the hallway, signifying signs of life before Jaehyun’s sleepy face comes into view. He squints at you in the dark, hair a mess with his pyjama set on.

“Y/N?” he finally recognizes you, eyes probably having adjusted to the dim room.

“Happy hearts day, Jae,” you give him a rather sad and unenergetic greeting as you kick your heels off to the side and close the door behind you.

The bottles of alcohol you bought from the nearby grocery mart found their place on the dining table along with a half-eaten take out cake you ordered from your favourite café.

Your favourite café which your boyfriend had just ditched you in.

“That’s a lot of soju,” your best friend comments, switching the kitchen lights on. “And aren’t you supposed to be with Juyeon?” he quizzically looks at your face.

It takes the boy at least a minute to catch on. “What? Again?”

You nod, beer already in hand and popping it open with the opener you found lying on the counter.

Jaehyun was grabbing his own bottle, and you toss him the opener. “What was the excuse this time?”

Taking a big gulp, you sigh when the bottle leaves your lips. “He’s got a schedule,”

Jaehyun’s face looked bitter as he pulled the bottle away from his mouth, gulping down a good amount of its content.

“Bullshit,”

A smile comes up to your lips at your best friend’s frank judgment. In the 7 years you’ve worked in SM, Jaehyun has been by your side the entire ride. From rookie days to debut, you and the rest of SR15B have been the closest of friends. They’ve watched you succeed, fail, enter and leave relationships and were there to celebrate or mourn with you.

“Jae, come on. He’s a great guy,” was your only defense.

You’ve been dating Juyeon of The Boyz for quite some time now. He was hot, charming and sweet. Everything you’d want in a man, and more. But maybe you didn’t cut it, because in the 8 months you’ve been seeing each other, he’s flaked on dates not just once but countless of times. Usually using excuses like schedule conflicts or practice and recordings.

This was getting way too repetitive already, even for you. The rest of the 127 boys have had enough of having you around after you’ve been snubbed by your boyfriend.

“Anyway, let’s forget it. I haven’t seen you in a while, and where are the others?” you crept around the living room, expecting to see its usual inhabitants Yuta or Mark watching TV. Empty, the living room was dark.

Jaehyun follows behind you and gets comfortable on the couch. “I’ve been filming for Dear.M, and they all went out for barbeque but I was too tired to go,” he replied. Jaehyun pats the spot beside him and you slip into his arms easily, cradling the bottle like a baby.

“That’s a pity, but I’m glad I caught you,” you expressed. He hums in agreement, pushing on the remote control button and watching the TV come to life. You've spent numerous nights like this, cuddling up to your best friend.

And yet, it's never led to anything. Feelings, or even kisses. Tonight, something felt different.

As if the universe hated you, your boyfriend’s face comes on the TV which has you choking on the drink that’s halfway down your throat.

Jaehyun pats your back to soothe the liquid down, before you settle back on the couch with him. “Well, at least he wasn’t lying,” you shrug. You couldn’t see it, but Jaehyun’s annoyance was evident on his face. The boy took a deep sigh, rolling his eyes.

"Y/N, that’s pre-recorded. We were at this event," he points at the TV screen. “Look, it doesn’t indicate that it’s live,”

You weren’t an idiot, you just hoped Jaehyun didn’t notice and would pity you less.

The truth was, you knew Juyeon simply didn’t want to spend time with you, so he’d stay at his members’ dorm... or someone else's place... to avoid your presence. Juyeon didn’t have the heart to dump you, especially since you’ve done nothing but give him love and support.

To make matters worse, you have 9 best friends at your aid who are the textbook definition of intimidating. Which was sometimes the reason why you found it hard to see other people. The 127 boys have always been so protective over you.

The ball was in your court, and it was your move. You knew that breaking up with Juyeon would be the only option, but you loved the boy so much it made it hard. Your heart ached. You didn’t want to think about it, after all you came here to forget.

“Y/N,” Jaehyun’s voice pulls you out of your deep thinking. You tilt your head up to look at the boy, and he meets your eyes.

“Hmm?” your eyebrows raise themselves in question. You weren’t listening to what he was saying anymore. Suddenly, his lips became the most interesting thing in the world.

The way it moved as he spoke, his words came in one ear and out the other. Jaehyun closes his mouth, realizing that you weren’t listening anymore. “I’m gonna kiss you,”

You snapped out of your train of thoughts, pulling away from him in panic. “What?” your voice had raised a tone higher. Jaehyun chuckled, bringing the bottle back up to his lips and taking a sip.

“Anyway, now that I have your attention back,” he says. You knit your eyebrows together, perplexed. It’s way too early to be saying such things, you’re both only on your first bottle of soju. But then again, Jaehyun was a bit more lightweight.

“I was saying… leave him,” Jaehyun states, eyes dilated and cheeks red. Yup, he was tipsy already.

You set aside your nearly empty drink, and take his from his hands. Or at least you try. He doesn’t let go, but instead pulls you by the wrist. You’re jolted close to his face and you let out a small gasp, heart racing.

“Jaehyun, give me the bottle,” you try to free yourself from his rather firm grip, which only causes the boy to pull you closer. “Y/N, I can treat you better,” his voice had dropped low, almost to a whisper.

At this point, you were pretty sure it was the alcohol talking. It wasn’t unusual for the boys to be saying careless things when under the influence, but Jaehyun was never this way. The words he was speaking didn't seem to be from drunken thoughts, but instead from his sober subconscious.

Your heart was beating out of your chest, going faster than it ever has on any workouts you’ve done. Only Jaehyun had this effect on you, and it was wrong on so many levels. Your eyes drift down to his lips, just as you’d done earlier.

Juyeon. The picture of your boyfriend appeared in your head, which made you jump up from your seat and out of Jaehyun’s grasp. This was getting all too much for you to handle, you’ve only had one bottle of Soju.

“You’re freaking me the fuck out, Jae,” you grab your bottle from where you’d placed it on the floor, frantically downing the rest of its content before heading to the kitchen to grab another. Jaehyun gets on his feet, taking you by the hand this time. Sparks. You face him, and he towers over you. “I’m sorry. Can I be selfish for once?” he asks, and you’re frozen in place.

Jaehyun answers his own question by dipping his head lower to meet your lips in a kiss. His lips are soft, and gentle against yours. It doesn’t take a second longer before you were moving your lips along with his, and the bottle had fallen from your hands and you've taken purchase of his shirt, using it as a leverage to keep you from falling. His kiss was intoxicating enough to have you stumbling back and losing your balance.

Juyeon.

Your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach as your boyfriend comes to mind again. You push Jaehyun away from you, guilt immediately washing over you like a wave. He looks at you, hurt and sadness clear in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you run your hands through your hair in frustration. “I have to go,” you don’t spare Jaehyun another glance as you make your way back to the door, not bothering to go back for the cake or any of the alcohol you very badly wanted in your system.

The door closes shut behind you, leaving Jaehyun alone in the living room ironically enough listening to the song of the man you’d just left him for.

The next time you see Jaehyun is on Inkigayo. Coming to congratulate your boyfriend for their comeback’s first win, it felt like a slap to Jaehyun’s face seeing you there for someone else.

He’d left you a series of texts after that night, apologizing and asking to talk. All of which you ignored, as you wallowed in your own guilt at your own choice. Yes, he initiated the kiss but you kissed him back.

“Congratulations!” you wore your brightest smile, walking towards your boyfriend and his fellow members with a cake in hand after their stage. They all cheer and excitedly huddle around you to blow the single candle on the cake.

Since it was in the lobby, it was Jaehyun’s terrible luck that he had to catch sight of Juyeon’s arm coming around your waist and pulling you closer before planting a kiss on your cheek. Juyeon makes sure to let his eyes hover over Jaehyun as he did so. You told him everything the next day.

The rest of the people in the lobby cooed for the cute couple, while Jaehyun felt everything with a sting on his heart.

As your eyes wandered the crowd, your gaze lands upon your best friend. The one who taught you love, the one you would have chosen over anybody in the world. Time seemingly stopped, and it was at this moment that you saw Jaehyun give you the smallest of smiles.

If he makes you happy…

He turns to leave. Clearly, you’ve made your choice. And it wasn’t him.

I’ll let you go now.

[sunshinepunches]

Tomura gets a kiss at the kissing booth

Warning: Major character death i’m serious

Shigaraki/reader Words: 1.7k

Also posted on ao3 😳😏

————

His first kiss.

He was gonna get a kiss today at the University open day and that was gonna be it. Then those whore bastards, Dabi and Takami, couldn’t say anything ever again. Well, they could still make fun of his virginity, but not his kiss virginity. How was he gonna do it, you ask? The cheerleading club had opened up kissing booths to raise funds for charity. That’s how he was gonna do it.

There were several booths, all with cute girls in them, they were the cheerleading squad after all, in their cheerleading outfits too, tight tops and tiny skirts. He nearly chickened out, but stood in line at the nearest one before he could. He quivered excitedly on the spot. The girl at the counter was cute. That being said they were all cute.

When he reached the counter the girl took one look at him, “Oh ew,” she said.

Tomura panicked. Ah. He didn’t think it was that bad? Was it his face? He showered yesterday?

“Look, I’ve already gone overtime, and I really don’t wanna touch anymore compsci nerds like you.” She looked harried and Tomura had no idea how she knew he did compsci, “where the fuck is Y/N?” She pulled a University branded sweatshirt over her tiny top, “God, I can’t believe they’re whoring us out like this,” and flounced off, clearly very over it.

Thus leaving Tomura, horrified, stuck to the spot. Had that really happened? Had a kissing booth girl denied him a kiss? He felt far too ashamed to join the other line. Some of the students were eyeing him with mixed amusement and pity. God, he just wanted to disappear. He started to stiffly walk away, scratching his neck anxiously, when he heard you.

“Wait! Oh my god. Wait, just wait! Please don’t leave.” You dove heroically behind the stand, dragging your sweatshirt over your head, messing up your bouncy hair.

Tomura goggled. It was you. Cheer squad captain. 3rd Year Bachelor of Physiotherapy. One heck of a Big Deal on campus and an Absolute Bombshell of a woman. Saved a cat from being run over once, rumours said you stopped the car with your bare hands, other rumours said you picked the car up off the cat’s broken body and set the bones yourself.

“Y/N” Tomura whispered.

“Yeah, Oh dear god you know me. I am so, so sorry.” You bowed your head deeply at him. “I am,” you looked at your arm which didn’t have a watch on it, “like, really late.”

“That’s ok,” said Tomura tightly. He had an erection seeing you take the sweatshirt off and he hated himself for it. Your hair looked so soft, he wanted to die in it.

“And oh gosh, I- have seen you around campus haven’t I?” You sure had. He knew exactly where the cheer club did their weekly training, next to the swimming pool, on the oval and he’d always sit himself on the bench looking very hard at the flipping skirts while tapping away at his code. Once, you sat down next to him, sweaty after yelling out instructions at your team and bent down to retie your shoelaces. You smiled at him mindlessly and flung your messy hair back up into a ponytail, sweat dripping down your neck. It was the best moment of his life, and he figured that was the closest he’d ever get to a girl. He didn’t even make it home, he had to limp off into the pool bathrooms and jerk one out right there.

“And, sorry, your name was?”

Tomura wasn’t jerking off in the pool bathrooms, he was standing there, staring at your tits. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, Tomura?”

You smiled. It was as beautiful as that time on the oval. Tomura melted a little bit. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He already felt himself getting stiff.

“Well, Tomura, would you like a kiss?”

Would he like a kiss? He could die happy just being offered one. He would get run over in place of that cat for a whole kiss!

“It’s for charity,” you continued brightly as if you read his shellshocked arousal for hesitation, “We’re raising funds for kids with cancer at the local hospital. We’re even gonna have our mascot go to the hospital for the sick kids! I think that’s really nice, it’s something fun for them to get their mind off things!”

Tomura was glad those kids were dying from cancer because it meant this opportunity. He shakily took out his wallet and dropped a fifty into the donation jar.

Your perfect mouth o’d at the donation. “Oh, how generous Tomura! Thankyou so so much, hopefully we can reach our target sooner.”

You were so sweet, he would pay a thousand if it meant you never kissed anyone else ever again. But his heart was beating very fast and it was seemingly getting unbearably hot.

He swallowed, mouth dry, “yeah, uh, goodluck. Hope you guys get it.”

You smiled again, it was brighter somehow than the damn sun. It was blisteringly hot actually. Wasn’t there a cool breeze before? He was sure of it because he was looking at skirts all day. And what was up with his heart slamming against his chest? Well he was kinda about to kiss a Big Deal so that was normal.

You looked concerned at him. Noo he didn’t like seeing you frown. Your lips seemed to be moving slower than your words, “Are you okay? Tomura?” Oh, you were worried about him, that was super cute actually. You could frown a bit more if it was over him.

He found he couldn’t reply, but actually he couldn’t breath either. It really was so hot and blurry, and it wasn’t just because you were hot. Everything was hot and blurry.

Tomura passed out.

————

Tomura came to pillowed on a soft lap and a tender hand stroking his sweaty forehead with a cool handkerchief. Cheerleaders tittered above him and hovered about, curious. He could see up their skirts...

“Everyone! If we could give him some space please!”

No he didn’t need space, he needed a face full of hot cheerleader ass. Your spandex bound tits came into view, actually he decided he didn’t need other girls. “Tomura? Are you alright?” You gently stroked his hair, and he pushed into it weakly. It felt really nice. And he was right next to pussy. It was going straight to his cock.

“I had the nurse check up on you and it seems like you had a panic attack. Oh you poor thing,” you murmured at him, eyes glistening with pity. You had such nice manicured hands and they were just scratching his scalp in a delicious way. He needed to cum.

“Oh, the nurse said to hydrate you.” You proffered a pink bottle, “Oh sorry, it’s mine, I hope you don’t mind.” He shot up and snatched it from you and took several greedy gulps.

You giggled. Tomura thought it was a nice sound.

“Seems like you’re feeling better.”

Tomura sunk back down onto your lap and meekly handed the bottle back. “Just thirsty, still don’t feel good,” he half lidded his eyes, and breathed in your flowery perfume. He hoped you bought his excuse. He’d like to stay forever.

“Aw, ok,” you sounded genuinely disappointed. “I just thought I could give you your kiss if you were up to it.”

Tomura’s ear twitched.

You continued playfully, “but if you’re not feeling up to it then...”

Tomura opened his eyes with a snap and narrowed them at you, “I feel well enough for a kiss-,” he said snappishly, then caught himself and coughed as if ill, “I think,” he corrected, pretending to struggle to get up. You pushed him down again, getting on top of him, pushing your plush tits to his chest.

“You really think so?” You said, licking your lips. “I don’t wanna hurt you again.”

“No, no, this is good, this is fine.” He nodded eagerly, hoping you weren’t feeling his rock hard stiffie. Oh, you were, you were grinding on it, that was hot.

“Okay then” you breathed. You touched your lips to his tenderly, belying the fact that you were grinding your hot core against his zippered erection. Tomura grunted, opening his mouth, enjoying the wet hot slide and the perfect way your mouths slotted together. And oh, you had his lower lip between your teeth. Tomura was sure he would faint again. You only nipped him gently before returning to your passionate makeout session. The hotness of it was giving Tomura enough courage to run his hand up your sides. You whimpered and grasped his hand, shoving it under your skirt. Tomura’s head combusted. He could feel the swell of your thigh and the slick slide of your tongues against each other, he didn’t know what to focus on at all. You ended the kiss with a gross pop and Tomura could see there was still a drip of saliva connecting your mouths. “Oops,” you giggle, diving in for a naughty peck which broke the saliva string. You twirled a finger through your long gorgeous hair, “Got a little carried away.”

Tomura nodded in agreement. “Yeah same.” And at that point he decided he could die happy.

————

You couldn’t believe it. Tomura fainted. He gave you fifty bucks and passed the heck out, twitching disturbingly on the ground and frothing at the mouth.

You’d called an ambulance immediately of course. A man just went down! How could you not?

They’d been fussing around inside for almost an hour now. And it wasn’t looking good.

A tired looking nurse emerged from the back of the ambulance, “Sorry, are you family? Anyway, uh the kid’s dead, sorry,” he told you, “He had a heart attack.” Your team tittered behind you, gasps and other noises of horror.

Some guy yelled unhelpfully “Y/N just killed a guy!!”

Dear God, you supposed you had. That wasn’t a rumour you’d live down so easy. Not after the cat incident. And the poor guy didn’t even get his kiss.

But you were keeping the fifty.

[pinkhairedlily]

Every Glance A Step Closer

Prompt: Glances | AO3 link here. Connect with me on Twitter. Happy SS Month everyone! 🌸🍅🥗 @ssskmonth

“This one barely goes out of her laboratory. I swear to god she smells like formaline.”

“He smells like the dust and cobwebs in the library. I cannot even pronounce what he’s doing – archi…something. I just know he handles lots of old papers and books. B-o-r-i-n-g.”

“So anyway, Haruno Sakura meet Uchiha Sasuke.”

This was her one free day in her experiment period week, but she needed to steam off for a night and so she allowed her friend to tug her along for a chill night drink. What Sakura didn’t expect was to socialize with a small group of people in their year and to suffer the cold indifference of the guy in front of her.

To her another surprise, he held out a hand to her. “Hello there.” She took it, slightly conscious whether she used her formaline-cancelling hand lotion. A brief and firm shake and he quicky turned away.

“Sasuke finally speaks.”

“That hello sounded a little spicier.”

“Oh my, that hand holding definitely had some electricity.”

The cajoling and teasing finally stopped when the first round of beers came in. Local university gossip was the go-to conversation opener, from the open secret student-teacher relationships to recent couple break-ups. It eventually led to Sasuke and his list of confessions.

“I heard you turned down Mio from fashion design department.”

“No way. I heard she was approached by Celine for a gig.”

“Really Sasuke? That makes her the fifth girl you dumped for this week alone.”

“You never actually had a girlfriend, did you?”

Sakura stared at him doe-eyed, genuinely curious of his answer. He returned her gaze and raised one brow. “I have high standards.”

Oh wow, what a douche, Sakura thought. Hoots erupted in their table but only for a few seconds. While the drinking and the exchanges went on, Sakura found herself wanting to go home early. She was bored and her neck was tired from not looking at him. Under the guise of stretching her already strained neck, she stole a glance, hoping to have a brief moment to take in all of his features and remember his face.

But he was already looking at her. His eyes went to the door of the restaurant then back to her. Bored? He mouthed.

Sakura looked at the door, knowing perfectly what he meant. She chugged her supposedly last bottle of beer and made a small gap with her thumb and index finger. He caught her signal and started to stand up. Their group was tipsy enough not to notice their sudden movements as they shuffled out of the door.

She halted after a few steps, Sasuke’s figure already paces in front of her, wondering whether she should say goodbye or just walk towards the opposite direction back to her apartment. She didn’t think too much of it and quickly chose the latter.

She had to get ice cream first though, a sugar rush to help jolt her senses awake. She was choosing between chocolate and strawberry when a large figure stood beside her.

“A vanilla one, please,” Sasuke said, looking smug with his hands both in his pockets. “Your treat.”

Sakura felt weirded out by the fact that he actively kept on engaging her. His reputation preceded him, but she decided to humor him for tonight. “So library science and you’re an archivist.”

“Intern archivist actually. So you actually know me.” There was arrogance in his voice that made Sakura almost choke on her ice cream.

“Process of elimination. There is no male major in our year in the History department.” She glanced at him and saw that smug look slowly transition into a slight flush of embarrassment. Cute.

“And what if it was a hobby?” Sasuke fiddled with his still unopened vanilla ice cream.

“There was a job posting in the bulletin specifically calling for Library Science students.” Their feet led them to the park still bustling with university night life and settled on a bench under the canopy of a fully bloomed dogwood tree. “See, I’m not your admirer.”

“Well, that’s a downer,” he smirked.

They talked like that for a while, fleetingly exploring related topics to their degree programs, the usual prominent teachers, the busy schedules, until Sakura finished her chocolate and strawberry popsicles. It was on her way home, finally this time, that she realized he never ate his ice cream.

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

She next saw him on their building’s rooftop with a group of friends, a piece of unsmoked cigarette in between his fingers. He quickly met her eyes, did a brief nod, and looked away. She inadvertently expected more than that but she wasn’t here for a smoke break, and it wasn’t her intention to take it further. She was here for a quick getaway from her microscope and to appreciate the city view dotted with the flowers of spring.

He kept glancing her way, however. He would be in the middle of a conversation and his eyes would stray to her, and she would catch it in her periphery, trying not to notice it. She got tired after a few repetitions of this, and the next time he glanced, she caught his gaze.

Stop it, she mouthed.

I’m bored, he mouthed back. Walk with me. His fingers mimicked the gesture, his fingers walking in the air.

She put her hands together and slightly bowed in apology. Next time, she winked at him before running back to her laboratory, a small smile painted on her lips.

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

It became like this for the next few weeks; they conversed through glances and awkward gestures whenever they were in public with their friends. When it was time to come home, they would walk in separate ways and meet again in the park under the same dogwood tree and they would converse for hours. It was mostly Sakura word-vomiting about her experiments while Sasuke would look at her with abandoned fascination.

“Stop doing that,” Sakura called him out one time.

“Stop doing what?” Sasuke asked, his ember eyes never leaving her face.

“You stare too much I feel like I’m melting.”

Sasuke made a small grunt and wore his hoodie over his head to mess with her more. He waved his hands on both sides of his face, and she immediately understood the reference of a horse having its blinders on. “Good because usually I’m the one being stared at.”

Sakura reached out to his hoodie and tightened the strings around his neck. “You’re hopeless.”

He leaned forward, almost touching her lips, his face still between her palms. “Hmm, maybe I am.”

Sakura moved away just as quickly as he moved into her personal space, a hot flush creeping to her cheeks. She hated this particular situation since blushing always made her look like a cherry tomato.

“Cute.” Sasuke apparently said his thoughts aloud because he was taken aback the moment she glanced back at him. “Cool, I said cool.”

She laughed this off just as he completely covered his face inside his hoodie.

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

She visited the basement section of the library for reference materials. Her writeup was due tomorrow and she was missing a section on historical evolution of vaccines and dosages for the viral DNA she uncovered. The small library slip in her hand, she made her way to the dimly lit rows on Biology. The shelves were twice taller than her, but there were spaces in between stacked books.

Would make it very easy to spot a ghost, Sakura chided to herself. A shadow moved along the row adjacent to the Biology section, but she dismissed this as the library staff. Her fingers traced the spines of ragged books and examined the list of recommended titles in her hand. When she raised her head, ember eyes stared back at her between the spaces of the opposite row.

Hi, Sasuke mouthed. He glanced around and seeing no one, he whispered, “Can I come over to your side?”

She found it hard to stop her grin from rising. “More eyes, the better.”

It took only a few minutes for Sasuke to find all the titles in her list, but they littered around, walking in between shelves, taking one random book and flipping its pages, stopping when they find something interesting. When heavy footfalls were heard on the stairs, Sakura inclined her head, gesturing she needed to go.

Sasuke seemed to misunderstand as he pulled her through the sleeve of her cardigan to the area further behind the room, and as the shadows grew darker, and the noise became more muted, she heard the racing beat of her heart.

Finally reaching the wall, Sasuke slumped to the floor and patted the space beside him. Sakura followed suit, consciously leaving a space between them as she was slowly becoming hyper-aware of their proximity.

“How are you faring so far? Done with the requirements?” Sasuke asked, his voice low but audible enough for her.

Sakura nodded, and after beat, rolled her eyes at him. “Shouldn’t you be out there assisting others?”

“I believe you need more immediate help.” Sasuke pulled his knees in to rest his chin on and trained his eyes on her. “Sakura.”

“Sasuke.”

The longest minute of silence hung between them, tension strung by the stare, until Sakura broke it off with her eyes shifting to the floor. “What are you doing?”

“Flirting,” he said like it’s a matter-of-fact. “This is what they usually do to me.”

“And what should I do?” She let the words roll out of her mouth, unsure why she asked, uncertain also of what he felt. She met his gaze again.

And in that moment, he just sincerely looked at her. “Flirt back.”

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

Sakura was done for the school year. She will be officially graduating in a month, and to celebrate, she went out with their group for a sem-ender discotheque clubbing. She was gonna shoot her shot for a one-night stand with literally anyone who had chemistry with her – haha she was just kidding. As this seemed to be the final cap-off to her university life, she went all out with her clothes Sakura-style – basically a boxy cropped tea, high waisted jeans, and old heels her best friend gave to her in pity.

This was actually her first club experience, but she was glad to be with veteran friends. The first few minutes inside a closed space with bass boosted, unfamiliar crowds, and lots of skinship made her very uncomfortable. Her only reprieve was the free-flowing drinks – ironically she can handle alcohol well. The disco lights would have made it difficult to spot faces, but she found him in the dark, on the corner directly across her group, his eyes already glued on her.

She wondered if he ever forgave her for scrambling out of his presence in the reference section last time, explicitly avoiding his request to flirt back. It seemed like she worried for nothing since Sasuke raised his glass to her and mouthed congratulations. She raised her glass back, resolving to mind her own business tonight. But he kept looking, a smirk etched on his beautiful face, urging her to meet him halfway.

She didn’t need to look for an excuse as her friends suddenly pulled her into the harmless mosh pit of friendly grinding. Sakura allowed herself to move to the beat, enjoying the bubble offered by the club to lose herself for a few seconds. But she kept glancing towards his direction, his eyes looking for her in the mass of bodies. At first, the glances were mischievous, like playing hide-and-seek, then they held gravity, heavy lidded and palpable.

Sasuke was impatient, and soon enough, at her next spin on her heels, he was right behind her, his hands hovering over her arms, seeking consent to touch. Sakura turned to face him, one part shy, other parts unnerved, and she slowly encircled her arms around his neck, her eyes a definite yes. His hands went to her waist, and he brought her closer to his embrace.

“You don’t have your hoodie though,” Sakura said, a little louder over the crooning of Carly Rae Jepsen to Gimmie Love. “Someone will definitely see you.”

Sasuke closed whatever distance was between them and brought his lips to her ears. “That’s a relief then. I want to be seen with you.”

“Simp,” Sakura teased. “You’re probably expecting a confession out of me, aren’t you?” This was a long time coming and she wanted to get it over with tonight especially when she had alcohol buzzing on her side.

“I am actually,” Sasuke said. “I was hoping to beat you to it in the library last time, but you ran away. Coward.”

“What?”

“What? Didn’t you hear me?”

“You like me.” Sakura said in realization. She edged her face away from his hold to take a good look at his embarrassed face. “Oh, you really do.”

“You could be dense sometimes, Sakura.” Sasuke poked her forehead playfully, and he was rewarded with a bubbly laughter from her.

Their friends finally noticed them and the intense skinship happening. The yells and woots started to drown out the speakers.

“That took you two long enough, huh?”

“They really waited for the end of the school year to do their big reveal.”

“As if the whole school doesn’t know already.”

“What?” Sasuke and Sakura asked in unison.

“It was the constant eyesmex.”

“Really, they do it every time with no shame. It gives me secondhand embarrassment.”

“Right? Sometimes I think I need to yell get a room.”

“Maybe they’ll get a room tonight.”

“Oh my god, shut up."

🌸 It's my first time participating actively for SS Month so please go easy on me haha. Work is loosely inspired by Nevertheless webtoon (which now has a Netflix adaptation). Hope you enjoyed reading!

[alilpunkrock]

If it’s meant to be

College!Drew

I’ve been obsessed with the college!Drew or rafe concept!

As always, feedback is appreciated! 💕

“So are you going to see him again?” Maddie asked me as we walked down the hall to her boyfriends apartment.

“I don’t know, I mean the sex was amazing but I never got his number or his name so..” I shrugged off the sprinkling of disappointment in my voice.

“If it’s meant to be you’ll run into him again.” She slung here arm around my shoulders and opened Chases front door.

I’ve hung out with Maddie and her boyfriend a few times, mostly just them, but this time Chase was having a small party with their group of friends. Maddie knew I’d be alone in my own apartment tonight if she hadn’t invited me.

“Hey! You brought Y/N!” Chase called out over the already loud living room. I waved at the familiar faces I knew from campus. “Come get a drink!”

••••••

The tiny apartment was packed and the “small” party turned into everyone bringing a plus 3. I squeezed my way through dancing bodies trying to get to the kitchen. I found Maddie and Bailey taking shots at the counter.

“Hey! There you are!” Maddie slurred. “There’s someone here you haven’t met yet and I want to introduce you two!” I almost dropped my half full cup of Malibu and cranberry juice as she pulled me back into the room I tried to escape.

“Chase! Where’s Drew?!” She yelled to her boyfriend. I swear they’re connected at the brain because he has no problem understanding exactly what she was asking. The blonde pointed at the other side of the room and Maddie followed his finger. Two men leaned against the wall, one wearing a black hoodie with messy blonde hair, I recognized him as Rudy. And the other had his back to me, he wore a blue tie dye t-shirt with black jeans and chucks. He must’ve been about 6’ and was telling some kind of intense story by how animated he was.

“Drew!” Maddie yelled in my ear. I was mid drink when he turned around and I almost spit the alcohol all over him. His eyes were as wide as mine when he recognized me.

“Y/N, this is Drew! He’s a homebody like you so he’s never around! Drew this is my best friend!”

The silence between us confused Rudy and Maddie, who I definitely forgot were still there. I opened my mouth to say something but Drew beat me to it.

“Long time no see, Y/N..” Drew flirted, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

“It’s nice to finally know your name..” I flirted right back.

That sentence made something click inside Maddies drunk brain and she hit my arm.

“Drew was the no name hook up you had amazing sex with?!” I stared blankly at her, hoping she understood what she just said out loud. I could see Drew smirking from the corner of my eye and I grabbed Maddies wrist.

“We have to go.” I said leading her off into the closest room, which happened to be the bathroom.

“Mads, what the fuck?!” I said as soon as the door was closed.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking when I started talking!” She facepalmed.

“I’m so fucking embarrassed, I literally can’t go back out there!” I paced the floor of the small hall bathroom.

“Babes, look at it this way! I said earlier if it’s meant to be, then you’ll run into him again, maybe this is the universe pulling you guys together again?” She sounded crazy, but may also be onto something.

“I don’t know Maddie, you just told him I said the sex was amazing!” I pointed out.

“Hey at least he knows now you had a good time. Go talk to him, maybe he’ll show you another amazing night.” She winked and reached for the door handle. I rolled my eyes and let her leave.

Huffing, I took a seat on the closed toilet, still shocked at what Maddie said in front of everyone. A knock on the door pulled me out of my self pity.

“Occupied!” I yelled to the stranger.

“I think two can fit in here.” My head shot yo at the voice that walked in. Drew stood in front of me, no beer in hand, and a soft smile on his face. “Ugh, as if I couldn’t get more embarrassed.” I said out loud.

“Don’t be embarrassed, I’m glad it was amazing enough you told your friend, or our friend.” He chuckled, taking a seat down in front of the toilet.

“To be fair I didn’t know you were friends with my friends.” I laughed. We at in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“I’d like to input that you were amazing as well, and I- I haven’t even thought of anyone else since that night.” My eyes met his, as a blush rose to my cheeks.

“Me either..” I said quietly.

“How about, we do it again but this time, we know each others names.” Drew suggested, lifting his hand to rest on my knee.

“I’d like that.” I agreed.

The smile on his face melted my heart and before I realized what was happening he and I were both leaning in. Before our lips touched I spoke up,

“Lock the door.”

Drew smiled, reaching behind him and locking the door before he connected our lips. Drew made sure I knew his name that night.

Bonus!

“Do you think they’re fucking?” Rudy whispered to the group after they all watched Drew enter the bathroom you were in.

“Well, the fact that they’ve been in there for more then 10 minutes now, I’m going to said yes.” Bailey confirmed.

“Ugh gross! I’m making them clean the bathroom after they’re done.” Chase groaned and removed himself from the group trying to see through the door.

[celestialices]

QUEST!

Greek Mythology x Haikyuu

Haikyuu!Ensemble x Reader

Summary: You were just a perfectly normal student at The University of Tokyo, when suddenly a bunch of 'normal boys', as they call themselves, appeared in your life and started to squeeze themselves into your life. Always saying something like "You're a goddess, we need to take you back to Olympus" (you brushed it off, saying that it was just a silly compliment) and even absurd sentences such as "You got Medusa's eyes" and "You're really Medusa's daughter!"

You really want a peaceful school year, but the universe beg to differ.

005: JOURNEY TO EARTH

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Kuroo could never get use to Underworld’s atmosphere. It is currently his second time visiting this week, it was unsettling. He never visits the Underworld unless it is need to, which is usually once a year.  The air was rotten and stuffy, contrasting to Mt. Olympus’ refreshing winds, it makes it hard to breathe. The acid red-blooded lakes, tall trees without leaves hiding the eerie sinners, and nerve-racking animals who seems to watch his every step. It was a hair-raising place. Although Kuroo can’t lie, it is the perfect abode for evil-doers.  “Where the... Where’s Suna?” Kuroo complains, he’s getting fidgety for standing in one place. Unlike the stares he gets in Mt. Olympus, he doesn’t enjoy this at all. It feels like they’ll eat him alive any time by now. “I’m here.” Suna appeared before his eyes, making Kuroo quiver in fear. Suna snickered, totally enjoying scaring deities off using his helm of invisibility. “Sorry, got caught up with Cerberus.”  “It’s fine. Let’s go to Asami before we leave.” Kuroo suggested. Today was the day where they’ll descend on Earth. Everything feels rushed; they just started discussing this matter three days ago. Kuroo feels like they’re catching time, but he accepts the hurry, after all, Medusa’s daughter is dubbed to be a dangerous goddess.  It took a lot of walking to get to Asami’s ‘prison.’ Oddly enough, it was not placed in Hades’ Palace, but next to Nyx’s cave. He doesn’t really understand why, but it’s probably for the better security, is it not? Nyx is one of the most powerful goddesses, Zeus even feared her himself. Because of her mysterious and dark aura, a lot see her as more of a villain frame than she ever seem to be. She is actually kind and loving, so Kuroo didn’t be inquisitive about it any longer. He sighs. My mind never got to relax in the past three days. As soon as they reached Asami’s (hopefully) temporary accommodation, Suna knocked at the door. Not even a minute passed, Nyx opened the door. It made the two stiffened, totally not expecting to face the goddess of night. “Visiting Asami?” Her voice is low and sinister, terrifying enough to make the two gods rethink their decisions and just run away. She glanced at Kuroo, who just sheepishly smiled at her. The two bowed, saying their greetings. Nyx is actually a respected goddess, a beautiful one, may I add. She made an impact to everyone, whether good or bad.  “Come in, Asami would be happy to see you.” Nyx smiled and made a way for them to enter.  “Thank you, Goddess Nyx.” Kuroo said, the amount of respect he has for her was immeasurable. Despite being portrayed as a dangerous goddess, it was all baseless rumors. If only she’d visit Mt. Olympus, maybe the deities impression of her would’ve been different.

“No worries. I thank you for visiting Asami. Poor girl, really.” She uttered, sorrow all over her voice. The two god could see the sincerity in her face. She really cares. “I’ll be going now. Pay her a visit whenever you please, Akagi will take you here.”  “I could never get use to Nyx’s kindness.” Suna said shortly after Nyx left. Hearing made up stories about her since he was young took a toll on how he sees her, so when he really met her after straying away from Persephone, he was shocked. 

“Yeah. She’s really kind-hearted.” Kuroo admiringly remarked. “Let’s go in, Asami is probably waiting for us.”  Kuroo and Suna entered the dark and strange house, staring at each accessory displayed. Dead flowers in a vase, paintings of Cerberus, Nyx and the Underworld, and the pale walls were not helping. How could one live in this?  “Tetsuro? Rintarou?” The two gods stopped in their tracks and stared at Asami before them. She actually looks good and healthy, a clear evidence that Nyx is taking good care of her. “Asami.” Suna called and stretched out his arms, asking for a hug.  Asami sprinted into Suna’s arms, the tight hug made it evident on how they’ve missed each other. It’s been a rough week for the both of them, oh how they’re glad to see a familiar face again.  “Thank you for visiting.” Asami expressed how happy she’s feeling with a smile. “Kuroo, you’re here again.” Beaming, she hugged Kuroo for a minute, already missed his presence despite the fact that they saw each other yesterday.  “We’re just here to say that..” Kuroo hesitated for a bit, unable to find the right words in such manner where Asami won’t get hurt or worried. “We’re leaving today, after we visit you.”  Silence.  “Oh.” Asami couldn’t hide her disappointment, but it was for the best. Finding the real daughter of her mother.. of Medusa was the top priority. She should still feel glad that they made time for all. Even if she’s just a mere human with no connections to the deities at all. “Oh! I wish you the best of luck.” She says, genuinely  Immediately sensing her dismay, Kuroo held her hand. “It’ll be better soon, Asami. Plus, I told Kenma and the others to visit you often, you won’t be lonely.” He assured her.  “We’ll handle this quickly, Asami. Then you’ll be free to wander around Mt. Olympus again.” Suna added. At the end of the day, Asami is always their top priority. No goddess could absolutely replace her. “I promise we’ll be back as soon as possible,” Kuroo grinned, ruffling Asami’s shining hair in the process. “We’ll chat with you for a while before we leave. But first of all, are you doing well?”  Asami giggled. “I’m doing great because of Nyx. How about the two of you? How is Mount Olympus? How’s my siblings? How’s.. Father?” She was dying to ask these questions, but restrained herself.  “Mount Olympus is fine. The information of Medusa’s.. daughter on Earth is kept within the superior gods, and some of our friends. It’s better that way.” Kuroo answered. It’s supposed to be kept within the superior gods only, but the news spread like a wildfire, until Zeus stepped in. “Your family is good. Shimizu said she’ll make time to visit you soon.” He glanced at Suna, motioning for him to continue.  “Iwaizumi is one of the deities to look for.. her.” Suna awkwardly mentioned, still not used to this whole ‘Asami-is-not-a-deity’ situation. “Kuroo, Suna. They’re already looking for you.” Nyx appeared out of the blue, startling the three of them. Seriously, what’s with the goddesses appearing out of nowhere? “My apologies for interrupting.” “No, not at all, Goddess Nyx.” Kuroo glimpsed at Asami before sighing. “Thank you for informing us. Suna, we better go.”  Suna only nodded, embracing Asami for the last time. “Take good care of yourself.”  They started walking towards the door, when Asami suddenly spoke.  “If you ever find her...” 

Kuroo and Suna looked at her with curious eyes, waiting for her to continue.  “Take good care of her, okay?”  Iwaizumi never felt more uneasy in his whole life. Kuroo and Suna returned from the Underworld a few moments ago, and after what Asami just said? It was upsetting. Asami doesn’t deserve the treatment she’s getting right now. “She’ll be okay.” Oikawa whispered to Iwaizumi. He knows empty words like “she’ll be fine” will not help at all, but at times like this, no one can ever be too sure. “Come on, we all know Asami.”  This at least made Iwaizumi feel a bit better. “I know.” Iwaizumi answered, feeling a bit bummed out that he pitied Asami for a moment. Out of all deities, he should’ve been the first to know that she’s a strong girl.  “The Olympians will arrive soon. We better prepare ourselves.” Kita announced, loud enough to let the other eleven hear. Everyone has been anxious for the past week, all because of the Medusa’s daughter issue. Especially the Twelve Greek Gods who were assigned to find the wanted goddess who’s currently living on Earth.  The wanted goddess who is either aware of who she is or has been raised as a human all her life. A goddess who might probably surpass Zeus’ powers with her ability to stay hidden. Everybody is afraid, no one can tell how things will turn out.  “They’re here.”  Suna sensed the immense ambience coming from the Olympians behind doors. It was powerful, so much energy gathered in one place that could destroy the human world.  The Olympians entered the chambers, all in their glory. Zeus with Hera beside him lead the group, making their way to the long table prepared for them. Their slow walking, in all probability that they’re thinking this as a red carpet, only caused distressed to the other deities present.  After what felt like a whole year, the Olympians finally made their way to their assigned chairs. Their chosen representatives stood before them, just like how they’re asked to. The only ones without someone behind them was Artemis. “Just as planned, what we discussed a few days ago will immediately relied to Sakusa Kiyoomi.” Athena started, a chorus of ‘yes’ was followed. “Do your best, gods. Earth is placed into your hands.”  “Make sure to take care of yourselves.” Hestia worriedly said. “Kunimi, come back right away if something that’s out of your hands happens. I’ll be with you right away.” The representatives’ hearts warmed because of what Hestia said. She truly lives up to her name.  “I forgot to mention.” All eyes were pierced to Zeus in a second. “The deity who’ll get her back here first will be rewarded.”  The representatives frowned. “A.. reward?” Kageyama Tobio, the representative of Aphrodite, asked. He’s unsure if he had heard it right, actually everyone is. He’s a brave soul for asking on behalf of them. Rewards were uncommon for deities, they’re the ones who usually gives rewards to humans. So hearing that is a bit..  “Yes, a reward.” Zeus repeated himself. “I will tell you once things settle down. For now, focus on your quest.” He reminded. His voice was clear and authoritative, it sent shivers to Kageyama’s spine.  Hades (replaced Hephaestus since the god didn’t send any) peeked at his son, both of them sharing a knowing glance at each other. Hades nodded at him before looking away. Even though he, too, doesn’t know what reward Zeus was talking about, he still wants Suna to win it. As long as Suna wins, he’ll be happy.  “As expected, my son, Kuroo, will take the lead.” Hera declared. No one really wants to go against her, so her companions stayed silent, letting her do what she wants.  “Shouldn’t we.. leave now?” Sugawara murmured to Akaashi who has beside him. Every time the Olympians gather was like stepping into Underworld. It is extremely suffocating.  Akaashi looked like he was uncomfortable too. He slowly leaned to Ares’ ear, “Father, you should suggest that we leave now if they want to find her sooner.” He reasoned, hopefully it’ll work on Ares.  Ares cleared his throat after Akaashi finished what he was saying. “My incredibly smart son wants to leave now so the search would be done in a heartbeat.” Ares boasted. Akaashi internally screamed, embarrassed by his father’s actions.  “I suppose you’re right, Keiji.” Aphrodite replied. “Go on now. Kunimi, do your thing.” She added, referring to the portal Kunimi will create in order to get to Earth. Hermes could do it too, but they agreed to let Kunimi practice his abilities.  Kunimi Akira stepped forward, claiming the center. He closed his eyes for better concentration, and slowly moved his hand in a circle motion in order to start the portal. You already practiced this, Kunimi. Calm down.  The blue circle Kunimi was creating gets bigger and bigger, a glimpse of trees is already showing. It is working! His concentration was broke for a bit, but immediately prioritized his attention to the portal he’s making.  A few minutes passed before Kunimi completed making the portal, him sighing in both relief and satisfaction because of what he did. He’s already pretty good at this, he’ll ace it in no time. “Well, it’s time.” Poseidon announced. “Do well, chosen ones.” Each deity entered one by one, from Kunimi to the last one, Iwaizumi. He’s walking towards the portal but didn’t forget to give a glance to his father one last time.  “I’ll bring her back.” 

A/N:  I just edited the previous chapters a while ago, but you don’t have to re-read it! I only added a few more sentences and details (that will be mentioned in the upcoming chapters) here and there, nothing important.  Again, comments, notes, and reblogs are very much appreciated! It motivates me to know that you are enjoying my story :) Forgive me if there are typographical errors in this chapter. :3  Send an ask if you have any questions! I’d be happy to answer them. Thank you so much for reading! I hope everyone stays safe and stay healthy. Take care of yourselves <3

[colorfullfalls]

Me & You

Summary: Calum’s best friend internally pinned after him for years. At a party she finds out that Calum is seeing someone and her heart breaks. Except Harry Styles is there to make her feel better.

Calum and Y/N. A phrase heard so much to the people that knew them. Growing up as neighbors, they were the definition of a team. Y/N was the one who taught Calum how to whistle, he taught her how to ride a bike. Childhood memories engraved in their minds bonded the two together like magnets.

Calum took Y/N with them when they left as a band. She had a rough life at home and he wanted her out of there. Since then the Hood’s and the band became her family.

“Y/N, what are you doing? That is not how to hang up a balloon.” Calum laughed out, pointing to the balloon that was only half taped on.

She blew hair out of her face, her hands falling to rest on her waist. She gave him an exasperated look, “How else do you suppose to do it, Hood? You can’t put a tack in it, it’ll pop!”

Calum playfully pushed her out of the way and tacked the part that was tied off to keep the air from zooming out. He successfully completed the task and gave her a smug grin.

“It’s almost like it worked...”

She shoved his shoulder as she walked past him to stir the Buffalo dip in the crock pot, “Fuck off mate, I really tried my best.”

Calum paused at her words. He knew she was joking and her tone matched, but he did feel sort of bad. When he called her to ask about throwing a surprise party for Ashton’s birthday, she immediately was on board. She bought decorations, the cake, and helped him invite everyone. She really was trying her best.

“You are the most wonderful friend I’ll ever have.” He softly said, turning her to bop her nose before giving her a hug.

Her insides fluttered at the way his voice sounded so honest. She already loved him with all of heart and him saying shit like that didn’t help it. Because she over thought things- well everything. Especially when it came to them and their friendship.

All the other boys in the band had serious girlfriends that they were building their life with. Sure, Cal had girlfriends along the way- much to her dismay, but he wasn’t seeing anyone and hadn’t in about two years or so. Maybe he was holding out for her? She knew it was a outlandish idea but was it really? They grew up together, did everything together, and she developed feelings so was it too wild if he did too?

She relished the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. He smelled so nice all of the time and the scent was uniquely just him. Her trust in people was hesitant due to her parents but Calum was the one true person who she was completely vulnerable to. The boys were close but not to the level of trust she gave to the man in front of her.

He pulled away when he heard the bell ring, “People are arriving, my lovely Y/N. Shall we go greet them?” Calum mocked in a posh accent.

An hour later everyone was finally at the party, well besides Ashton. Y/N saw that Harry Styles was there and she offered him a smile as he walked up next to her. He gave her a warm hug, his hands resting comfortably against her back. His warm skin burned through her shirt and she mentally sighed when he pulled away.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen eachotha love.” He said, offering his boyish grin that killed his fans.

Her and Harry hung out during the tour when 5sos joined them. While the boys were playing on stage, he would stand and watch with her. During that tour they became pretty good friends, and he did his best to keep up with her. Only a few noticed, but Harry always kept his eye out for her, but it was hard to get her without Calum.

“Last I saw you, you were just about to release Fine Line.” She spoke.

“I remember, ran into you while walking home. Have you listened to any of it?” He asked almost sheepishly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Y/N now just noticed how nicely dressed he was. His black flowy pants went well his nice long sleeve butto up baby blue shirt. The first couple buttons were undone to reveal his beautiful chest. She felt her eyes drift, but quickly looked up at his green eyes.

She wasn’t stupid, Harry was absolutely beautiful. His beauty radiated and his personality amplified that by one thousand. He was mature, deep, and kind but also had a playful boyish side. And sass, lots of sass added to it. He made sure to check up on her weekly and she knew that he would help her with anything she asked.

She’d fall for him if it wasn’t for Calum.

“Harry, who hasn’t heard that whole album in it’s entirety? It’s amazing, man! Cherry melted me in the best way. Putting Camille’s voice in it? Genius. You put your heart into your music and it really shows...” you blushed slightly as you realized that you just gushed over him.

He shrugged his shoulders at your praise in the humble way that only Harry Styles could. His green eyes twinkled in the light at the idea of Y/N adoring his album. Songs that were a part of him.

He wanted to admit that Sunflower, Vol 6. and Golden were about her. That she inspired him to form lyrics that made people feel the same love he felt. She was his muse and she didn’t even know it. Harry wanted to tell her, but he wasn’t blind. Something was between her and Calum.

He respected Calum and didn’t want to interfere, but it was hard when his feelings never went away. And not there she stood so pretty in front of him, telling her that she listened to his music. That she loved Cherry. It was ironic that she mentioned the one about his ex but not the the two written solely about his thoughts surrounding her.

“Means so much to me that you enjoy it. I was actually wondering if you wanted to co-write a song with me for my next album?” He said, his left hand playing with the rings on his right.

Her lips quirked into a pure smile, “Me? Harry..”

“Don’t be bashful, I know you help write with the boys, even if you don’t let the public know.. Ash told me about it when we got drunk a year ago.” He admitted.

She scoffed, “I’m gonna hurt him....”

“So, what do you say? It can literally be about anything. It’ll be perfect. I’ll even buy you dinner over it.”

She paused before replying. Helping Harry with a song sounded fun and like a good opportunity to actually work with other artists, but it was a vulnerable thing. Sure, the two have had deep talks while high or drunk, but this would be a whole different thing. The last song she had worked on was Best Years and she thought of Calum the whole time writing it. That’s why it was so easily to spill out because he was across from her the whole time.

“If I write a song with you, do you promise to make sure I don’t get too drunk tonight? Because I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow and doing that hungover would just suck...” she said, making Harry clap in excitement.

“We have a deal, love.”

He extended his hand and they shook on it.

Y/N glanced over to where Calum was when she saw an unfamiliar woman standing beside him. She didn’t recognize her and honestly she was confused. Calum always told her when he met someone and he never told Y/N about her.

Harry followed her gaze and noticed the woman too, “Who’s that?”

Y/N crossed her arms, “No freaking clue...”

Calum caught their eyes and waved before grabbing her hand and brining her to them. Y/N’s eyes widened at their intertwined fingers, emotional pain twisting around her guts.

“Hey guys, this is my girlfriend, Maya.”He said, raising their joint hands as they both smiled from ear to ear. Y/N wanted to puke.

Maya was wicked beautiful. Her short baby blue hair matched Harry’s button up shirt. The color suddenly seemed unappealing to Y/N. Not only was Maya’s hair cool, but she had a dope septum piercing and had piercings and tattoos. Her beautiful hazel eyes smiled with genuine kindness and Y/N wanted to run away.

Calum was dating someone, but it wasn’t her. Y/N scolded herself for not preparing herself for this exact situation. Calum Hood was a beautiful man with a beautiful heart and wicked talent, of course he would find someone. She had just been dumb enough believe it would’ve been her.

Calum sensed Y/N’s unease and he suddenly felt bad for not giving her a heads up. He started seeing Maya two months ago and wanted to make sure it was solid before he had her meet the people so dear to him. He realized that was a mistake.

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” Harry stated what Y/N wanted to but couldn’t.

Calum sheepishly shrugged as he looked at the hurt on his best friend’s face, “Sometimes things are better kept a secret.”

Anger swirled around Y/N like quicksand encapsulating her entire body. She wanted to punch him. Couldn’t he see the pain in her eyes and he had to joke about it and say something stupid like that? How could he be so daft about how she felt for him? He was her world.

She loved him with all of her being; however, at this moment she wanted to never see him again. She wasn’t the best at handling her emotions, so this pain transferred to anger.

Y/N rolled her eyes, “Sometimes friendships aren’t what you think they are. It was nice meeting you, Maya. Come on, Harry.”

She grabbed Harry’s hand and stalked off to the balcony of the house. The British lad followed silently behind her, willing to do anything she needed. As selfish as it was, he was glad to be the one she seemed comfort from.

Crocodile tears slipped out of her eyes as she wiped at them in an embarrassed and frustrated manor. She looked out at the hills of California and grumbled under her breath about love being dumb. Harry quietly shut the sliding glass door and walked over to lean on the railing beside her.

“You’re in love with him.” He softly stated.

She let out a pitiful laugh, “That obvious?”

He didn’t reply for a moment. Instead he took the time to observe her, and his heart stung at the sight in front of him. Her eyes were no longer the vast universe before him that made him believe that life was eternal, instead they were a sunken wasteland filled with sorrow.

Her knuckles were white from how hard she was making fists and her leg was bouncing up and down with anxiety. Harry recalled the one other time he saw her like this. It was when they got a late dinner together and her mom somehow called her.

He hated seeing her upset then and he hates it even more now.

“If you don’t show that you care about someone, you’re not human. Calum is your best friend that has been by your side, it’s natural to catch feelings. And you shouldn’t feel ashamed about it either, hun. Your feelings are valid, it’s understandable to be crushed right now.” His hands gently took hers and flattened them out so that hers would no longer be in fists.

“I’m in love with him.” She choked out, turning to maneuver herself into his embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her back and she clutched tightly to his shirt. She felt the skin of his chest against her cheek as she nuzzled into him.

Sobs shook her body as his left hand rose to lovingly play with her hair. Y/N was glad that Harry was there for her in this time. She knew she couldn’t go to one of the boys because it wasn’t fair to put them in the middle of this.

“I know, I know.” He muttered, glancing inside the house to see that Calum was standing with Luke and Michael. The three boys were starting back at him, all of their faces held regret.

“I-I thought that maybe he loved me too. Every song we wrote, I thought of him. His little gifts and sudden spurs of adventure he whisked me away on, I thought that it was special between us..”

Harry’s heart felt like it got punched. The girl he was head over heels was currently heart broken over his friend. He wanted to tell Calum off for missing out on what he absolutely wished he could have. Calum had his dream girl wrapped around his finger and the dude didn’t even know it.

Harry himself was surprised that Calum wasn’t in love with her too. She was just.. the best. She was adaptive to their life style, good with the fame aspect of their life, she was nerdy in the best ways, so humble and grateful that it was intoxicating to be around her, and she was so genuine. Calum was a fool to not see what was right in front of him. Blind not to see that such a wonderful human being loved him with every fucking inch of her soul.

He saw Calum move towards the door and Harry felt an instinct to get Y/N the hell away from him. He didn’t want her to have to see him and he knew that he couldn’t even look Calum in the eyes without feeling anger even if it wasn’t exactly fair.

Calum hesitated when he saw the death glare that Harry was unknowingly giving him.

Calum knew that Harry was smitten with his best friend. It was apparent that Harry always went out of his way to call her or get drinks when he was home. Hell, Harry had sent her a gift when he went to Japan because he knew it was her favorite place when she went with the band. It was zero surprise that he would feel protective over a crying Y/N.

Calum just wanted to talk to her.

Luke and Michael walked over with somber eyes as they noticed that this situation would not be dealt with tonight.

“Calum, don’t go out there. She’s hurt, man. Give her some time.” Luke gently warned, grabbing his arm.

“I feel so bad. I know she’s hurt but I didn’t think she would be this hurt from me not telling her that I met Maya. I thought maybe she would be a bit happy for me..” he trailed off at Luke’s facial expression.

“She’s fucking in love with you, mate. Why are you the only one who doesn’t see that?” Luke raised his hands in an exasperated manner.

“What?! No? Y/N? She’s not in love with me. It’s not like that.” Calum defended, glancing over at his best friend in the world sobbing in Harry’s arms.

“Seriously Cal?” Michael deadpanned, “You can’t be that stupid.”

Calum rolled his eyes, “Wouldn’t I fucking know if my best friend was in love with me?”

Michael laughed sarcastically as Luke awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets. Calum sighed at their behavior.

“Apparently not mate. You know how it’s obvious to us that Harry fancies Y/N? Well we could tell when it came to her with you.” Michael explained.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why couldn’t I tell?” Calum asked.

Luke blew air out of his mouth as he tried to think of how to explain it, “Cal, it wasn’t for us to say. God, you and Y/N pick the worst times to be in love with each other.”

Calum’s tongue poked out to wet his lips. He was annoyed that Luke even brought that up. Growing up Calum was enamored by his beautiful Y/N and he knew that he was in love with her when he was about sixteen years old. She was so supportive and always there, and she made the rough times optimistic and fun.

Unluckily for him, at the time he realized they were on tour with one direction and she went off with Harry a lot. Calum felt like he couldn’t compete so he didn’t say anything. Plus he felt sick at the idea of scaring her off. Over time he got over it and moved on because he was sure she didn’t feel the same way.

Now years later she falls in love with him?

“Things would’ve been easier if I would’ve went for it as a teenager... huh?” Cal asked, dumbfounded.

“Probably. Do you... do you still feel the same way? Because you got Y/N out there crying and Maya over there trying to talk to people she doesn’t know.” Luke pointed over to Maya.

Calum couldn’t help but smile over at his girlfriend. He felt so warm and fuzzy around her. She was so fucking cool, and he was proud that she was here with him. But that feeling was dulled down when he looked out on the balcony. Seeing Y/N cry could ruin his happiness at any time.

But it wasn’t because he was in love with her. He used to be, but now he fiercely loved her in a family kind of way. He forced himself to move on from her and the damage was already done. He desperately wished that she would’ve felt the same back in the day because maybe things would’ve worked out. But now he has a girlfriend and she’s out on his balcony crying.

“I’m not in love with her, but I care about her more than probably anyone else.” Calum admitted, “It fucking hurts to see her so upset.”

The door opened up and Ashton walked in, his hand came up to his chest from being startled at how many people were in the apartment. He grinned as Calum walked over and gave him a hug.

“Happy birthday, mate.” He said.

Ashton giggled, “You fucker!” He pulled Calum into a tight hug of appreciation.

Y/N stopped crying when she saw Ashton walk inside. Ashton deserved this party and she wasn’t about to ruin it. He was the type of friend that would do anything for anyone. He was the sun coordinating the planets, making them more efficiently. At the same time he was the moon, luring over loved ones in dark times to offer any sort of help; emotional or physical.

Ashton deserved all the good in this world and she wasn’t about to fuck it up over crying over a man. She thought about all the tik toks joking about gagging after crying over men, and that made her feel a bit better.

Y/N would suck it up for now and go give Ashton a hug because he was worth it.

Harry pulled away slightly when he saw that Ashton arrived too. He glanced down at Y/N and she gave him a small nod and a smile.

Harry once read that your body naturally rejects a potential mate that isn’t a match. Effects are; nervousness, unease, and weariness. Apparently the theory goes that if someone is right for you, being around them gives off a sense of contentment and peace. You don’t have to get overly excited around them to the point that you feel sick. Rather you sense of feeling at home with them.

That’s how Harry felt with Y/N. His past girlfriends he loved-sure. He was heartbroken when things ended with Camille, but he didn’t have that sense of calmness with her. Not like he had around Y/N.

He was utterly fucking stuck on her. She was the one.

He managed to feel this way for years without it ever going away. That had to mean something. His mom once told him that shit happens for a reason. Calum not loving her back like that could shift her to Harry. And as fucked up as that idea was, and how down right cruel it was, he hoped it was true.

“I need to go see Ash..” she paused, glancing up into his green eyes. Right then Harry knew that she was about to ask him to go along with her.

“Let’s go, c’mon love. I’m right here with ya.” He soothingly assured, grabbing her hand.

Together the pair made their way inside to where the party was happening. Y/N noticed that Maya was standing beside Calum, his arm wrapped around her waist. She clutched tightly onto Harry’s hand as a sharp pain zapped her in the chest. His thumb rubbed against her skin in reassurance.

“Y/N’s coming.” Michael whispered to Calum. He immediately dropped his arm from around his waist and shot a look to Maya saying that he would explain at a different time.

He tried to offer a smile to his sad friend but she refused to meet his eyes. Instead she moved to stand by Ashton, causing the groups attention to go to her. No one failed to notice Harry’s hand was gripping Y/N’s.

Harry seemed like a protective guard dog that was on edge when a stranger walked past its owner.

“There you are! I was wondering where the hell you were! Also, I’m gonna kill you, Cal said you did most of the work for this.” Ash teased, making Y/N’s lips quirk into a genuine grin.

“You’re gonna kill me? No buddy, it’s the other way around! You told Harry that I helped write your albums.” She accusingly joked, jabbing the black haired man in front of her on his chest.!

Ashton burst into laughter, “Harry, mate, that was a secret. Cant trust no one..”

Harry smiled in his charming boyish way, his red nails on show as he lifted his hands to shrug as if it was no big deal, “Maybe I wanted a share of her writing talent.”

Michael looked at Luke with wide eyes. Holy shit, Harry just pulled out a wild card. Could the British man not even hide how enamored he was with their friend? Michael admired his confidence to ask Y/N to write with him. Writing was something you had to have complete trust in with a person, and the proccess undoubtedly bonded souls.

Y/N blushed after Harry’s claim that her writing held any sort of talent. She usually went with the flow and the words poured out.

“You gonna do it? Help him write a song?” Luke asked

“She said yes. Unless she was fuckin’ with meh.” Harry said, side eyeing the woman next to him. He saw her laugh and he internally gave himself bonus points for being able to do that while she was so down in the dumps.

“Dinners involved with the deal so I jumped on it.” Her attention turned to Harry, “As long as it’s not Chick-tik-A. Their food sucks and they’re a company against homosexuals.... that’s a no from me dawg.”

Harry smiled, knowing that Y/N was feeling better.

“That’s great, bub. I’m super proud of you. I know the song will be a fucking hit.” Calum said, shifting his head to look at her.

For the first time she raised her eyes and sadly smiled at him, “Thanks Cal...”

****************

Months later and Y/N was truly doing better. Her heart still hurt a bit from Calum but she was gradually getting over it. Seeing him wasn’t to the same point of familiarity as it used to be, but the two friends were working it out as best as they could.

And truth be told, Y/N liked Maya. Maya was honestly a good match for Calum, as annoying as it was.

And Y/N didn’t have time to be upset because Harry had her too busy with constant adventures and late nights. She appreciated it. She appreciated him.

Tonight he took her to the poetry cafe that they liked. It’s small little place at the end of L.A. He said he found it one day when he was walking alone, pretty sad and feeling alone. Stumbled across the joint and found a deep connection to it. He explained how much it meant to him and it soon became important to her too.

The dim glowing lights brought upon a comforting blanket of support and trust to whomever dared to enter such a vulnerable place. Those who stood on the pedestal of expression compiled their feelings into a glorious ballad.

Harry and Y/N sat at the small table in the back, matching style ball caps sat upon their heads. His a pretty purple and hers a yellow. He told her that it would be better if they kept their identies more hidden.

Their chairs were moved to sit closer next to each other so that their hands could intertwine. They held hands a lot because it was comforting and felt so so so right. His thumb rubbed against her hand as another young woman stood up to go.

I was alone

Felt like no one cared

Ate dinner for one and cried tears enough for two

But something changed in my life

Because there was you

Y/N stopped listening as the woman’s words soaked past her skin, muscles, bones, and swirled to embed into her soul. These words were ones that she personally related with. Sure she had friends but she was so lonely when it came to romance. Until recently.

She wasn’t certain what was going on with her and Harry, but she felt herself caring more and more until the point that he became her number one. She talked to him the most, saw him the most, and for fucks sake she thought about him the most.

He seemed to always be on her mind. If she found a cute sweater she would think about how Harry would wear it with his pearl necklace. Saw a dog? Awh, he would love to pet it. Tasted red wine? She’d think about the time that he spilled it on his counter and acted surprised when she licked it off, claiming that it couldn’t go to waste. If she looked at anyone attractive, she couldn’t help compare them to Harry.

It was exciting. Moving on from Calum and to Harry was new and it brought upon a lot of foreign feelings. As great as all that was, there was a worrisome idea lodged in her head. Could Harry just be acting as a good friend like Calum had? She wasn’t sure and she was too much of a wuss to figure it out.

Harry detached his hand to start clapping along with the crowd as the woman said her thank you and walked off the stage. Y/N blinked back to reality as Harry turned to her.

“That was beautiful, really raw and genuine.” He spoke, offering a smile that showed his perfectly arranged white teeth.

“Yeah, it- it really was.” She was doing a horrible job at convincing him that she actually paid attention to it.

“Love, I’m not incompetent , I know you weren’t listening- you’re too caught up in ya head. What’s going in there?” His fingers slotted within hers, his blue nails the same shade as hers. She painted both sets last night when she went over for dinner.

How could a woman look at a man and explain that she was falling in love with him, but she was scared because last time she was in love she got hurt- she thinks she loves him but she doesn’t want him to think he was a rebound.

She felt humiliated, her eyes avoiding his. The open sign on the window was suddenly the most amazing thing to look at.

“Y/N, dear? Talk to me.” His lips were so close to her ear that she could feel his breath when he spoke.

“My heart is in your hands and that’s fucking terrifying to me because, well, we saw how that went last time.” She muttered, still not looking at him but rather the other people there with their significant others.

Harry was suddenly standing up and pulling her out of the small cafe during a poetic interpretation about being bound to your family.

Her heart dropped to her stomach as the wind bit at her soft skin. She fucked up. She really stupendously fucked this good thing that was going on between them. She must’ve misinterpreted his good nature for feelings and was a stupid bitch that fell for it.

He pulled out the outside patio chair and sat her down. She gave him a quizzical look as he moved her legs apart so that he could sit in between them on the concrete.

Reseda green windows to the soul gazed into her, tears pooling around them. His cheeks were puffy and red. He was visibly upset.

“I’m so sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean to make you cry like this, I shouldn’t have said anything to you-“ she rambled in desperate need to fix this situation before she lost him completely.

“Shhh. Not the least bit upset, ‘m crying because you’re my soulmate.”

Her eyes widened in shock, a forceful cough ripping out of her throat at his confession. He soothed her, handing her his water to take a sip. She waved his hand away to signal that she was fine.

“Mum told me that Buddhists say if you meet somebody and your heart pounds, your hands shake, your knees go weak, that's not the one. When you meet your soul mate, you'll feel calm. No anxiety, no agitation. First time we shared a conversation i only felt peace and contentment. When I’m not with you, my mindset is off. I don’t like being away from you for long. I worry if you’re okay or I wonder if you are reading a book that’s making you sad. You get so into your books, love. The empathy doesn’t stop when it comes to characters.”

She slightly laughed as she recalled the time he waltzed in on her crying because your character in your book was alone on their birthday. He immediately was making her a cup of tea and bugging her about if something happened with work.

“I’ve been waiting for you for years. Honestly was hopelessly pinning after you. Like everyone knew but you. So when you admit you feel the same way...I got emotional.” He softly said, playing with the rings on his hand.

Her hands itched to be the ones twisting his fingers around. So she did. His hands melted into the skin of hers as he grabbed them. Her thumb twirled his left middle finger’s black band. He blushed at the feeling. She did tend to do this when they were submerged in a deep conversation.

“You’re an emotional man, Har. Endearingly so. I admire it more than you’d think.” She retorted.

Harry sat up so that he was sitting more on his knees so that he was closer. His face closer to hers. She could smell his cologne infiltrate her senses. She wished she could bathe in his sun-like presence forever.

“I happen to admire that you admire me.” He teased, blinking as more tears fell down his godlike sculpted face.

“You’re still crying, you’re gonna make me emotional.” She laughed as tears were starting to build up in her own ducts. This was really intimate and she was getting mushy.

“Can’t help it. Jus’ soft cuz of you.”

Her hands shifted to grab the collar of his coat, pulling it until his lips were melting into hers He hummed is satisfaction, his hands shifting to cup Y/N’s face to bring her closer. It was a desperate kiss, the kind where emotion tries to convey the feelings not able to form into words.

His lips molded to her, trying to memorize the taste for the rest of his days. His nose was shoved against her cheek as he slipped his tongue in, sliding it against hers greedily, finally doing this after dreaming of it for years. She pulled away for air, his lips chasing hers in a drunken daze.

“Let me breathe for a sec.” she gently pushed him away with her palm pressed against his face. He laughed, leaning back.

“Used to think singing on stage was the best feeling, but that was before I got to kiss those sweet lips. Just one more peck?” He made kissy faces in her direction.

“Thank you.”

His face scrunched up in confusion, “what?”

“Thank you for.. being there. Taking care of me like you do. Making me laugh by being dumb. Especially for buying pizza rolls in bulk. I know you don’t like them as much as you let on. But I do and you do it for me. Means a lot.”

“Anything for you, m’love,” He stood up and led out a hand, “Me and you. Please let that be the rest of my life.”

Y/N decided in that moment that Calum Hood getting a girlfriend was the best thing to ever happen to her.

Part 2?

[baepop]

PRIVATE // 8

Jennie moves in with you. You and Jungkook have a much needed talk.

Word Count: 6.7k

Pairing: Jungkook x You x Jennie

Genre: Smut, Angst, Some fluff if you squint

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Incessant pacing threatens to take center stage in the middle of your action-packed dream. You were driving a car down a steep hill, slowly losing control of the vehicle yet you weren’t in a panic, you were too focused on trying to find the eject button on the dashboard because, of course, the car was now a space ship.

Pat Pat Pat.

Your eyes crinkle then ease open as the morning light floods them, causing you to sigh and turn into your pillow.

Pat Pat Pat

You push your cotton-blend pillow case against your ear lobes to no avail, you’re already awake.

“Jennie, what the fuck.” You croak out as you try to remember what your dream was even about.

“Oh, sorry.” The anxious girl stops mid-step to regard you warily from the middle of the room. Once you sit up and stretch your arms out, she approaches the bed and places herself at the edge ever so gracefully.

You rub your eyes roughly with your fists then take another look at her. It was strange how both familiar and alien it felt to wake up with her like you used to.

“What time is it?” You yawn and turn your head to avoid the rude sunbeams assaulting your dilated pupils. The blinds were collapsed all the way, letting the entire world see into your bedroom.

“I don’t know, 7 AM… I think. I’m so glad you’re awake. I’m freaking out over here.”

You suddenly remembered the shocking news she delivered to you in person last night. Taking in the sight of her knotty hair, worn finger beds and heavy eyebags, you couldn’t help but have some sympathy for the poor girl.

You placed a firm hand on her shoulder after yawning one more time. “Relax. Being poor isn’t the end of the world. I’ll show you the ropes.” You were hoping your lighthearted remark would calm her down, but it only seemed to scare her more. “...I take it the full weight of the snap decision you made last night is hitting you now?” She nodded at you wordlessly with widened eyes. You sighed and climbed out of the bed, last night’s worries coming to fruition. You dragged your feet to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth, then to the kitchen to get started on the coffee, making sure to make it extra strong. Jennie followed on your heels the entire time, watching everything you did like a hawk. You paused before pouring the fresh coffee into one of your chipped mugs, looking over at her with a smirk. You felt a little guilty for finding so much humor in this situation, but you couldn’t help it, the irony was just too good. You handed her the mug. “You know, Jennie, it’s okay if you want to take it back.” You offered her a smile which seemed to snap her out of her reverie.

“Why would I do that?”

“Well…you’re clearly not very happy with your decision, I just wanted you to know that it’s okay if—”

“Y/N, I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time. Yeah, I’m scared as hell but…I know it’s going to be okay, as long as you have my back. You do, don’t you?”

You cracked another smile and embraced her tightly, much to her surprise. She blushed as she buried her head in the crook of your neck, setting the mug on the counter to hold you properly with both arms. You began letting go to tell her you forgave her for everything, but she clung onto you for dear life, so you chuckled and held her for a few moments more.

As you swiped your palm across her backside in soothing strokes, you felt her jostle under your embrace and looked down to see if she had had enough of the hug only to find her leaning into your face. You swallowed thickly at her rapidly approaching lips mere centimeters away from your own. Your throat went dry as your mouth hung open. You froze in place, unsure of whether this was something you wanted or not. When you didn’t back away or let go of her, she inched in closer, humming and breathing deeply as she closed her eyes. You willed your mouth to swallow a second time, taking turns looking in between her long eyelashes strewn across her cheek bones and her puckered pout, paralyzed with indecision.

As if the universe had taken some kind of pity on you, three loud knocks on your front door jolted both of you out of what could’ve been, much to Jennie’s annoyance and your relief. You cleared your throat and tip toed towards the door, checking the blinds to see who could possibly be visiting at such an hour. When you dipped your finger in between the plastic shells and bent down for a closer look, you were able to make out Jungkook anxiously checking his watch on your doorstep with a bouquet of flowers in hand. Your heart squeezed at the site as you suddenly remembered it was only a few hours ago since you said goodbye right where he stood. You smiled down at yourself and backed away to open the door, but your fingers hesitated when turning the doorknob. Did he know about what Jennie did? Was that the only reason for the grand romantic gesture? You were starting to feel like the other woman who had to settle for only having a relationship whenever your boyfriend’s wife wasn’t available.

You sighed and opened the door. Jungkook’s head snapped up with the most dazzling smile that threatened to put the vibrant morning sun to shame. It was so heartwarming and full of joy that you couldn’t help but smile in return despite your initial look of concern.

He extended the flowers to you and you took them, but neither of you broke the ice for a few moments more. Eventually, Jungkook cleared his throat and began, “So…I know we just saw each other but I just had to tell you something important—”

“Jennie already told me the weddings off.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened. “O-Oh! Umm, okay…wait when did she tell you?”

“Last night, why?”

“She called you?”

“No, I came over. Guess we both had the same idea.” Jennie’s words came from right behind you as she rested her chin on your shoulder and snaked her arms around your waist. Jungkook’s expression turned sour at the site of his ex-fiancé hugging his girlfriend in matching oversized t-shirts.

You sniffed the flowers and gave him another shy smile. “These are really beautiful, seriously thank you. But um…you didn’t come here thinking we’d be back together just because the wedding is off, did you?” Jungkook’s mouth opened and closed in confusion. It was clear that was exactly what he thought. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly disappointed about the news, but what happens when your parents arrange the next marriage for you. And the next? Being your mistress isn’t exactly end goal for me, and frankly, you deserve better too, Jungkook. We all do.” You smiled at him again and backed up to begin closing the door, but he quickly leapt up the rest of the steps and caught the door before it could close. He sighed deeply and held the door wide open, ignoring Jennie’s piercing glare.

“No, I…I know. I just… Let me take you out. We can talk about everything and take things step by step. I at least owe you that much after everything I put you through,” Jungkook paused to tuck a stray curl behind your ear and caress your check with his index finger, leaving a blushing streak in its wake. You looked up into his warm eyes, feeling your iciness melt away. God, he was good, really good. His finger continued on its path down to your chin and tipped your head up, “And if you want nothing to do with me after that then you have my word, I’ll let you go. For good this time.” You felt a dagger piercing through your heart at his words. Although it was no different than what you’ve told him in the past, it felt different coming from him. Having him out of your life may be simpler, but it’d hurt so much, and you weren’t sure you were ready for that.

You nodded solemnly and offered him a weak smile. “How about tomorrow night?”

“Why not today?”

You smiled even bigger at his hopeful doe-eyed stare, but before you could respond, Jennie beat you to the punch. “We’re busy today, Jeon. Lots of stuff to do so if you could hurry and leave that would be great, you’re kind of holding us up.” Jennie’s bitchy attitude towards Jungkook had you rolling your eyes yet stifling a giggle.

You looked back at Jungkook and offered him an apologetic smile, “She’s right actually, we’ve got some stuff to do today but I’ll make sure I’m free tomorrow.”

Jungkook shot your friend a glare before looking back down at you and softening his expression. “Okay, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight.” Jungkook debated on going in for a goodbye kiss, but seeing as how Jennie was ready to pounce at any moment, he decided to go for your hand instead. Lifting it to his lips, he placed the softest of kisses on the back of your hand, brushing his lips against the thin soft skin before squeezing your hand then letting you go. If you weren’t blushing before, you definitely were now. You uttered a silent prayer as you watched him walk away, hoping to find the strength you’d need to say goodbye to him a second time if it came to that.

Jennie helped you close the door all too enthusiastically. When you turned your attention back to her, she awaited your elaboration to the days’ plans eagerly.

“Why don’t you get a shower now? I’ll make us some breakfast and then we can run some errands.”

“Errands such as…?

“Such as going to the campus’ admission’s office and then going into town to see who’s hiring. It’s summertime now, there’s bound to be a few places looking for seasonal employees at least. We can also see if there are any places for rent nearby that you can afford. There might be a few vacancies open now that graduation is over,” You spoke absentmindedly as you busied yourself getting all of the ingredients together to make chocolate chip pancakes, “Trust me, Jen, as soon as you get the hard parts out of the way you’ll feel less stressed out.”

Jennie hummed as you spoke, letting you know she was still listening as she got the shower started. Before she got in, she peeked her head into the kitchen again. “You know, I can think of a more immediate way to release my stress, if you catch my drift…” Your hand paused on the whisk immersed in the gooey batter and snapped your head in her direction. She quirked her eyebrow at you, making your face heat up for the second time that morning.

Attempting to dispel the sexual tension in the air, you scoffed, “Between you and Jungkook hitting on me constantly, solitary confinement doesn’t seem like such a bad endeavor.” You stuck your tongue out at Jennie in time to catch her eye roll. She slipped out of her oversized t-shirt and purposely dropped it on the floor for you to see on her way into the bathroom. You gulped at the flash of her naked body before quickly turning back towards your batter that had now turned soupy from whipping it too harshly for too long. You uttered another silent prayer, but this time, it was for your libido not to cost you a precious friendship.

By the end of the day, you had Jennie enrolled in photography classes for the Fall semester at a local community college as well as gotten her face to face meetings with the managers of a few boutiques downtown. You were both confident she’d get a call back or two once they sat down to review her resume later this week. It was overly decorated given all of the opportunities her family had thrown her way, so you were hoping none of them would give her the bullshit “overly qualified” excuse. You also both had time to stop by her apartment and get a few things of hers to bring back to your apartment.

House hunting on the other hand, did not go so well. There were quite a few places available to move into within the month, but Jennie refused to look at any of the ones downtown. She insisted she’d settle on one of the two in your neighborhood, but when she found the listings were for renting a single room in a house full of roommates, she all but ran out of each apartment in disgust.

You two had squabbled on the bus ride home, her insisting she couldn’t possibly share a house with anyone and you insisting she was being a stubborn brat seeing as how she had no issues sharing an apartment with you.

Nonetheless she settled the argument by promising to be more open minded about any other listings you two might see. Satisfied with her promise, you assured her she could stay with you as long as she needed to.

And as you both settled in later that night to watch a movie, you knew it wouldn’t be hard at all to live with Jennie for a while, seeing as how you were both painfully domestic. You both loved staying inside with something good to watch and a bowl of popcorn. You both loved sleeping in and you both shared the same level of cleanliness. She checked all of your perfect roommate boxes as far as you were concerned. Besides, as you looked her way while she scrolled through the Netflix movie recommendations, you couldn’t help but feel grateful for her presence. Despite the rocky turn your relationship had taken, you still missed her like hell, especially now that school was done so the only human contact you were getting was from your boss and your patronizing clients.

When Jennie finally settled on a movie, she ran to her belongings and came back with her nail polish stash. You were so happy for once in your life to have some girl time that it almost brought tears to your eyes. She made fun of you for it, but you couldn’t be bothered, holding out your hands for her to manicure as she scolded you for biting your nails, as always.

The movie was interesting, but you were both so tired from running around all day that you both nodded off on the couch without finishing the film. You awoke at three in the morning to find Jennie drooling on your lap. Nudging her awake, you led her to your room by the hand where you both slept until noon the next day in a warm embrace. But before you could both drift off into unconsciousness, Jennie called your name softly to see if you were still awake.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Mm…yeah?” You hummed sleepily against your pillow.

“I really am sorry… about everything. You’ve always been so good to me, even now after everything that’s happened. I just want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, and I’ll move on…I promise.”

You hummed along, partially responding from within your vivid dream, unable to understand what she was saying but only knowing that she was talking.

Your impending date with Jungkook had time moving by quickly, but only because you were so nervous about it. Your day at the suit shop had whizzed by and before you knew it, you were dissecting outfits in front of your mirror while Jennie gave either a hum of approval or groan of distaste. Your satin dress with lace detailing paired with a t-shirt underneath and knee-high boots had gotten the best reaction of all, a combination of eyebrows shooting up along with a high-pitched noise, so you decided to go with that one.

Although Jungkook had stressed you were meeting up to talk, you couldn’t help but feel as if you were going on your first date all over again. As you gingerly applied mascara from your old and dried out tube of product, you wondered if this was how mistresses felt once their boyfriends divorced their wives and took them out in public for the first time. Then you shook your head, knowing you shouldn’t be so dramatic. This thing with Jungkook was supposed to be fun and carefree after all, void of any labels and pressure. Somehow it had turned into everything but that.

“Honestly Jen, I’m surprised I haven’t heard any rude remarks or objections on your behalf. I was expecting at least a why are you wasting your time comment of some sort.” You thought your impression of her would at least earn a giggle, but she continued flipping through her June issue of Vogue as if she hadn’t heard you.

“I almost said something of the sort, but I meant what I said last night. So, I’m holding my tongue on the matter. Aren’t you proud of me?”

You had to take a moment to figure out what she was talking about. You recalled her faint words spoken softly in the darkness: I’ll move on, I promise. It dawned on you for the first time what she meant. You looked into your bedroom to see her sprawled out on her stomach, nonchalantly swinging her feet as she flipped through pages of glossy fashion spreads. You sighed and focused back on your now chunky eyelashes, cursing yourself for not buying any new makeup lately. You decided not to dwell too much on her words. Knowing Jennie, she’d just try to scheme her way into your favor some other way.

You put it all behind you as you read Jungkook’s text from your lit phone screen.

8:06 pm – Come out

You smiled and gave yourself one last look in the mirror, “Okay, I’m leaving now Jen. I’ll see you in an hour or two!”

You heard Jennie scoff as you opened the front door. “Knowing you two, I won’t wait up!” You rolled your eyes and closed the door behind you.

You noticed Jungkook immediately as he stood with his back towards you. He was wearing a striped henley tucked into tight black jeans. When he turned around, his eyes swept over your figure, eliciting a whistle from his puckered lips.

You smiled bashfully and rotated so he could get a full view. “Like what you see?” You curtsied goofily, something you always used to do whenever he’d make a big deal about your outfits.

Jungkook approached you and slid a hand around your waist while the other pulled on a loose curl. “Always.” He hummed and buried his nose in your hair, taking his time to revel in the scent of your hair care products he always loved so much.

You blushed but didn’t recoil from his touch. If anything, pulling back from his affections would be a learned behavior, since things like this had become second nature between you two. You looked up into his eyes, placing your hands on his pecks and letting your eyes trail south towards his mouth. Normally you’d kiss him by now, but you reminded yourself that you had to be all business tonight, so you cleared your throat instead and gently pushed him away.

“So, where to?”

“Well, I was going to take you to a nice restaurant, but I figured we’d go old school if this is potentially our last date.” He looked back at you and extended his hand. You took it hesitantly but walked side by side for a while, wondering where you were going. Soon, your university’s baseball stadium came into view and you smiled up at him.

“Are we…?”

“Yep. I know a way to get in when everything’s locked up. Though, we can still go somewhere else, since you’re wearing that.” Jungkook pulled on the spaghetti strap of your dress until it snapped against your shoulder”

“You know, if you’re nervous to play against me you don’t have to make excuses.”

This time it was Jungkook’s turn to roll his eyes. He chuckled and pulled on your hand until your body collided with his side. He took hold of you and squeezed tightly, whispering closely into your ear since he knew how ticklish it made you.

“What’s that now? Who’s nervous?” You laughed and squealed, trying to squirm your way out of his iron grasp. You two had reached the back entrance by now, and with a swift kick to the lock, the gate swung open. You stared at him in awe, wondering how he learned to do that.

Jungkook led you past the dugout and into the field. The blades of grass were emerald green with thin sections illuminated by the purple sunset as chunks disrupted the pretty sand and chalk outlines of the baseball diamond, no doubt evidence of the school’s willingness to save a penny wherever they could.

Jungkook walked up to the field and picked up a stray ball left on the pitcher’s mound. He took turns throwing it up and catching it before turning to you and lobbing it in your direction. You caught it then feigned a fast throw at the boy which had him wincing out of the way with his trained reflexes. When he realized you hadn’t thrown the ball at all, he shot you one of his scary looks that only meant one thing, you were dead meat.

You dropped the ball and giggled as you began hauling ass towards the bleachers. You picked up your dress so you could better hop the benches, but it was no use. Jungkook had quickly caught up to you taking two bleachers at a time and caught your wrist just as you made it to the middle of the stands. You squealed as he sat down and whirled you around by the hand, pulling you onto his lap with your back facing him.

“You think that’s funny?” Jungkook kept up his angry façade which only spurred you on further.

“Yeah, actually, I do!” Jungkook growled and took hold of both of your wrists with one hand, keeping them pinned at the small of your back. You tried to wriggle free, but it was no use. Still, you weren’t willing to relinquish control so easily, even while being in the most compromising position.

Jungkook tsked, disapproval heavy in his tone as he surveyed your backside. “Now, what am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to let me go.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I said so?”

Jungkook tsked again as his other hand found your inner thigh. It slid up into your dress at a decrepit rate. “Not good enough.” You felt a tingle at his soft touch, a shiver wracking your body. It’d been so long since you two had been together that your body was actively craving his attention, willing to cave in at the slightest sign of arousal no matter how hard your mind objected. Your legs instinctively closed in on his hand to stop him from moving further. He stilled his hand on your mid-thigh then looked up towards you.

“Jungkook…we’re here to talk, remember?”

“I know, but do you know that? Given by how your thighs are rubbing my hand raw, I’d say we’re both feeling the same things right now.”

You blushed and halted your legs from moving, not realizing what you had been doing. Fuck. He was right. You were turned on as hell right now, and you knew he was too. If things were different, like they were before, you’d both be ripping each other’s clothes off by now. You gulped and looked up behind you. Jungkook’s dark gaze remained on your face, but you were able to make out the growing bulge in your peripheral that had your mouth watering already. Your mind raced to make a decision before the electrified moment between you two could slip between your fingers. Your breath grew shallow as your gazes continued to bore into each other, each of you remembering the fine details of your faces in vivid detail. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You faced forward and parted your thighs slightly to allow his hand to travel further up, biting your lip in anticipation. When his hand didn’t budge, you looked back at him, noticing the torn look that adorned his angelic features. After a moment, he let go of you completely so that you could sit up and off his lap. You reluctantly did so, giving him a questioning look. Jungkook slouched as he placed his elbows on his knees, leaning forward and staring out at the vast empty field.

“I never want you to regret being with me, not even a little. You’re on the fence about me, so hooking up is probably not a good idea,” Jungkook paused then looked over at you before continuing, his expression somber, “I also told you I loved you and you haven’t really responded, so I don’t want you to feel obligated to do anything with me out of pity.” Jungkook shot you a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “I’ll shut up now so you can have the floor to talk.”

You stared at Jungkook in awe. It wasn’t unlike him to be so gentlemanly with you, but you couldn’t find it in you to respond. You hadn’t even thought about his confession to you after discovering Jennie in your apartment two nights prior. You felt like the biggest asshole in the world not bothering to consider Jungkook’s feelings amidst all of this craziness. An unexpected sob threatened to make its way to the surface, so you turned away from him, trying to compose yourself. You couldn’t believe your eyes had the nerve to betray you at such a cruel moment, but the weight of everything was hitting you hard now. Between Jungkook calling this your last date, Jennie vowing to get over you, you finding out you’re the reason their engagement is broken and to top it off, the boy you had been pining over telling you he’s in love with you, you just couldn’t help the wave of emotions flowing through you.

“I—I’m so sorry, Jungkook, that I—” Your voice cracked and Jungkook immediately wrapped his arm around you, bringing you into his chest so you could let your tears flow privately. Once the initial sob left you, it was easy to quickly wipe away your silent tears and get it together, though you weren’t in a hurry to move away. Jungkook began tracing circles into your curly head of hair which soothed you entirely. He shushed you and cooed, assuring you that you didn’t have to apologize for not returning his feelings.

“No, that’s not it. I’m sorry that you’ve been waiting for me to respond appropriately. There’s just so much going on. But, fuck Jungkook, I really do miss you,” you sniffled and sat back up to face him, “I already forgave Jennie for everything, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t forgive you too. And if I’m being completely honest, you’re right. I told you I wanted to keep things casual, but I just didn’t want to admit that I was already catching feelings for you. So…when I found out about the engagement it really tore me up. But still,” You punched Jungkook in the arm and he keeled over dramatically while rubbing the spot of your assault, “you should’ve just been honest with me from the start. I wouldn’t have let myself get in so deep with you.” You sighed and shook your head.

Jungkook sat back up, smiling down at his lap. “It’s funny to me that you think you’re so in control. I do admit that complete transparency is always the best way to go, but we were already falling for each other since day one. There’s no stopping this gravy boat, baby.”

You burst into a fit of giggles. “Gravy boat? I can’t stand you.” You both chuckled, settling backwards into the bleachers to watch the last of the sun’s rays die out in the cloudless indigo sky.

“I really am sorry though, about everything.”

“I know.”

“And I’m sorry that I tried to coerce you into being my mistress. I just really didn’t want to lose you, but you’re right, we both deserve better than a not-so-secret affair.” You smiled, nodding as he spoke. You felt a weight lifted off of your shoulders now that you two were on the same page again. Still, you wondered what awaited you two after this. Would you both go your separate ways amicably; would you try and salvage your relationship? It was now pretty clear to the both of you that you had strong feelings for each other the likes of which surpassed anything casual, but was it really possible to turn back the clock and be together?

Once the sky was completely void of warm tones, you both turned to each other, unsure of what to say. You weren’t sure who leaned in first, but it wasn’t long before your lips were pressed up against each other. It was a short kiss to test the waters. When you parted and looked into each other’s eyes, silently confirming the spark you both still felt, you draped your arms around his neck and went in for another, more passionate kiss that took both of your breaths away. Jungkook was taken aback at the eagerness that clung at the edge of your unrelenting lips on his. His hands reached out and took hold of your waist as you climbed onto his lap without separating your lips. Hesitantly, he pulled away from you and looked up in bewilderment.

You sat back on his lap and looked at him in confusion for the second time.

“Y/N… are you sure this is okay? I mean…what does this mean? For us?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t gotten that far. All I know,” You grinded down on his bulge as you replied, staring at his lips hungrily while you did so, “Is that we both have strong feelings for each other, yet we can’t exactly be together. So essentially, not much has changed from before.” You smiled at him wickedly while he struggled to maintain his composure. His knuckles turned white as he gripped your hips in place. You could see a prominent vain popping out of his neck as he sat back, so you leaned in and began sucking on it. A slew of curses escaped the boy’s mouth, his hips involuntarily bucking into your clothed mound as he fought himself for control.

“So, what? We just go back to being friends with benefits?” You hummed in agreement, nipping the skin on the crook of his neck then laving at it with your wet tongue. He hissed and let out a groan which had your underwear flooding with arousal. His hands snaked into your hair and tugged roughly on the root of your strands, effectively yanking your head back and exposing your neck for his mouth to assault in turn. He talked in between kisses, trailing them hungrily down your neck as you broke out in goosebumps. “But we both know that we want more. Or else my almost getting married wouldn’t have been so painful for us.” Jungkook’s lips dragged on the surface of your flesh as he bit down on the exposed part of your shoulder. You whimpered and circled your hips onto his bulge once more.

“But your parents would never let us be together, especially not after everything that’s happened.” You closed your eyes and inhaled sharply as Jungkook’s hand left your waist in favor of flicking your hardened nipples that were now poking through the thin fabric of your clothing. You were both thankful in that moment that you decided to show up sans bra. “And until the day you decide it’s worth pissing them off just to be with me, I’m afraid this is the extent of what we have.” You grinded on his covered cock extra sweetly, drawing out another string of curses from the fucked-out boy.

“Fuck, Y/N, what are you doing to me?” He whined and threw his head back with his eyes crinkled shut in pure torture as his hands returned to your waist, but this time, he was helping them along in their relentless assault against his rock-hard member. When his head snapped back up, his irises were completely blown out. He took hold of your cheeks as his lips returned to yours ravenously. He led the kiss tongue first, and you opened your mouth in submission, letting him have his way with you. Every inch of you begged to have his touch set you ablaze as it had time and time again. Your hands clutched at his chest, bunching up the fabric of his shirt as your legs trembled from the stimulation of his jeans rubbing furiously on your thinly veiled sex.

Jungkook bit down on your bottom lip and dragged it out slowly, his hold on you still strong. Your grunts intermingled and disturbed the cool quiet night as you both lost yourselves in the rhythm of your hips grinding against each other.

When you licked a thick sloppy stripe up the side of his neck, Jungkook cursed one last time before beginning to desperately fumble with his belt buckle. You smiled down towards his crotch in anticipation, hiking your dress up to better spread your legs for him. Once he managed to free his member through the hole in his boxer briefs, you lifted yourself and hovered over his dick, pulling the thin fabric of your lacy underwear to the side to give him entry. Just as the tip of his penis was pushed up against your sopping wet entrance, you pulled your dress down around you to dissimulate as you sank slowly down onto him. You both let out rather loud moans, despite being in a very public setting. The only resistance his dick met was from how tightly wound your core had become as of late, despite being completely flooded for him. It was difficult to maintain your cool, since you both had been craving each other for so long.

You sat on his lap for a spell, enjoying the feeling of him bottoming out inside of you. When you put your focus back to Jungkook, you noticed how strands of his hair were now sticking to his forehead with the dew that was growing on the surface of his skin. His breathing was shallow, his gaze focused on the dip in your dress that concealed your sinful activities. You looked around for the first time and grew pleased to find that there wasn’t a single person or car out and about, and even if there was, you two weren’t easily seen given the positioning of the bleachers facing the field and not the street. Still, you loved the thrill of the danger of being caught in public with Jungkook. Your veins felt alight with adrenaline pumping through them.

Slowly and sensually, you began rocking your hips back and forth in the perfect rhythm that wouldn’t look too suspicious to any onlookers you may not have noticed. It was also the perfect rhythm to drive Jungkook absolutely wild. He bit his lip and threw his head back as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His hands returned to your waist once more to halt your movements altogether.

“Fuck, I’m gonna bust if you keep going like that. Give me a minute.” You both chuckled breathlessly and resumed making out. But as your tongues began wickedly swirling around in between your mouths, Jungkook quickly grew hungry for more and began fucking up into you suddenly. His hands unabashedly palmed and kneaded your ass roughly under the fabric of your dress. Your kiss stifled your sharp moans as each thrust hit your g-spot perfectly, much to your surprise. Your legs instantly began trembling, but Jungkook was not willing to go easy on you. He held the back of your head to keep your moans muffed as you kissed while his other hand that laid on your bottom roughly bobbed you up and down his drenched shaft. You placed your hands on his shoulders, feeling your walls quickly tightening and releasing in succession as your orgasm threatened to hit.

Jungkook parted from your lips only to look up at you as your face contorted in pleasure. He was deliciously vocal whenever you weren’t kissing which made you want to cum for him that much quicker. Yet as his own moaning and groaning grew in frequency while you chased your high determinedly, he stopped you from moving yet again with a strong grip on your waste.

“Jungkook—” You leaned forward and whimpered into the crook of his neck as your core continued to spasm. He chuckled with a dark timbre, bringing his hands to your thighs and rubbing them softly.

“I want to enjoy this for a bit longer, can’t let you cum just yet.” Feeling merciful, he loosened his grip on your waist, allowing you to rock back and forth on his cock to bring stimulation back to your needy cunt. You resumed your moaning without siting back up, knowing full well what it does to Jungkook to hear you moan directly into his ear. The boy bit his bottom lip aggressively, losing himself in the sensations as he began bucking up into you again while closing his eyes and focusing on the sweet sounds entering his ear lobe.

“Yes, Jungkook…just like that.” You stuttered each time the tip of his head hit that sweet spot inside of you that made you see stars over and over again and made his hands grope your ass cheeks every time your voice became high-pitched. Jungkook began cursing again as your walls squeezed the life out of the head of his shaft. He involuntarily began cumming inside of you despite his best efforts. He panted, speeding up his assault on your g-spot while remaining at full mass to hear you moan again and again in the way that drove him absolutely mad.

“Yes, Jungkook, fuck, fuck!” You panted as a flood of release left your body and with it went all of the tension from the last few months. You felt his cum coating your walls as ribbons continued spurting out of him from over stimulation. Looking up at him in gratitude, you placed a sloppy tired kiss on his opened mouth then rested your head o his chest while you both caught your breaths. He held you close to him, rubbing your back soothingly while you listened to his erratic heartbeat slow down. After a minute, you lifted yourself to adjust your underwear and give him room to zip his pants back up.

“Fuck Y/N…” He buckled his belt thoughtfully. Even though you could easily choose to believe he was congratulating you on being the seductress he felt you were, you knew deep down he was referring to your convoluted relationship status. You wrapped your arms around his neck again and waited for his attention to be back on you again.

“I appreciate you wearing your heart on your sleeve for me. We might not have everything figured out just yet, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you or lose you completely. That’s a good start for us, right? Maybe we can figure this out as we go, as long as we promise not to hurt each other anymore.”

Jungkook smiled and nodded in agreement though he didn’t seem overjoyed. Pecking your lips and helping you up to your feet, Jungkook was pensive the entire way home as you both walked hand in hand with you supplying most of the conversation. When you reached your doorstep, neither of you wanted to be the one to let go first.

After your third kiss goodbye, Jungkook seemed tortured.

“What’s wrong?” You slid your arms from around him and backed up to get a better look at his face. The boy stuck his hands in his pockets and shut his eyes tightly with regret before deciding to just come out with what he was thinking.

“Can I come inside? To hang out with you…and Jennie?”

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

Fire Keeper: Bonus Chapter #1: Halloween

Douxie x fem!reader

Masterlist in bio!

Summary: It's Halloween in the Fire Keeper Universe!

Requested?: Yes! This was inspired by @catuskat666 's request:

Could you do like a fluffy Halloween or like Christmas chapter?

Fandom: Tales of Arcadia

Warnings: Blood, injury, y/n tried to take on a small army of goblins alone.

A/n: It’s weird posting this after Halloween, but oh well. Anyways, this takes place right before Claire and Present Danger(chapter 6) because that's around the time that halloween canonically happens...so yeah. Hope you enjoy it!

It may have been a little cliche for you to be going as a witch for Halloween, but you wanted to so you were. Jim was going in his armor and Toby was going as a robot. The three of you were dressed to impress.

Unfortunately, you weren’t getting dressed up to go trick or treating. Well, you might go, but the main goal of tonight was to keep all the children of Arcadia safe. There had been tons of goblins running amuck recently and even a few demons. It was the Trollhunter teams’ job to take care of it.

“So we’re going to the haunted house?” Toby asked as you strolled through the suburbs.

You nodded. “The goblins have been pretty active by Arcadia Oaks Academy. Blinky said that they’d be drawn to any fear, so it only makes sense they’re gonna check out the haunted house.”

“Are you sure?” Toby asked nervously. “Maybe they’d want some candy instead.”

“We’re not going inside Tobes, we're just gonna check out the area,” Jim soothed.

“And place some more traps,” you added, yawning. You had spent all of the previous night setting up magic traps. They wouldn’t keep the goblins away, but they would capture them.

“What about the other areas?” Toby asked. “It’s not like the goblins and demons are gonna stick to one area tonight.”

“I made sure to put traps there and Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and Draal are patrolling the less crowded areas,” you explained as you turned onto the street by the Academy.

There was already a long line of excited people standing in the chilly air outside the school and you could hear screams through some of the open doors and windows.

There were even more people walking through the closed off street from house to house. You knew this was a popular area, but you hadn’t expected this many people. Whenever you, Jim, and Toby went trick or treating before this, you stuck to the less crowded areas.

“We should split up,” Jim suggested and you nodded. Toby immediately walked towards the houses and Jim took the street while you went off towards the school.

You circled the block, trying to look for the less crowded areas that the goblins would try to get in from and eventually you were rewarded. Behind the school one of the manhole covers was gone and a steady stream of goblins was coming out of it. You slinked back into the shadows, pulling out your phone to call Jim and Toby.

Jim arrived first and Toby followed with a full bag of candy. “You ready to take care of these guys?” You asked, your hands already glowing orange.

“Good luck!” Toby called as you and Jim ran into the street. Jim grabbed his sword and the goblins immediately attacked. You blasted a few, but found it was much easier if you just Levitated a bunch of them for Jim to take care of. With that method, it didn’t take long before the goblins had retreated and the street was empty.

You looked at Jim—who like yourself was covered in green goop—and gave him a high five. “Go team!” Toby cheered, setting down the excess rocks he had thrown at the goblins.

“What now?” You asked, taking a piece of candy Toby offered you.

“We need to check and see if any of them got inside the school,” Jim said.

“Wait, go inside the school?” Toby asked, giving the building a wary look.

“You can stay outside and keep investigating. Y/n and I can handle it.”

“No, I’ll go in. I heard the theme this year is witches and since I know an actual witch it shouldn’t be scary,” Toby reasoned.

“That’s the spirit,” you encouraged, getting in line.

“Do you think there’ll be any demons here too?” Toby asked.

“No, demons aren’t that common and I took care of one last night so I think we should be good.”

“We’ll be fine Tobes, we’re just here to take care of some goblins,” Jim soothed as the three of you were ushered inside.

For a while you followed the main hallway that was surprisingly well decorated. There were tons of fake spiderwebs and it was a bit of a struggle getting around them.

“A little help here?” Toby asked as he struggled to crawl under one. Jim pulled him to his feet as you came to a turn.

“Which way?” You asked.

“Right,” Jim said and you led the way into another hallway. This one was much darker and you heard a door slam up ahead, causing Toby to jump. Another door near you opened and you heard a cackle and footsteps behind you before another door slammed. The pattern repeated itself and you smiled at how well thought out this haunted house was.

You went up a set of stairs and you yelped as an actor jumped out in front of you. You were about to continue forward down the main hall when you heard scuffling claws to your left.

“This way,” you called to the guys, hoping they’d be able to follow your voice. The lighting in the hall was done in spot lights and you saw a green blur run through one. A door by the dim spotlight creaked open and you sighed. Goblins were always so dramatic.

You walked through the open door into a classroom with a horde of goblins waiting for you. You moved into the room so Jim and Toby could follow you, but their footsteps never came.

“I guess I’m on my own,” you muttered, getting ready to blast some spells. You hit one and another jumped on your shoulder, yanking your hair. You whimpered, falling backwards into a group of desks. Quickly you levitated the little beast off and blasted it before it hit the ground.

This only angered the goblins more. You were cornered by the teachers desk and you searched for something to use as a weapon.

A goblin leapt out at you and your hand curled around a ruler. You raised it like a sword, whacking the goblin away. Another came your way and you blasted it.

There couldn't be too many left and they must have realized their chances of coming at you alone and winning weren’t so good. You stood up as three goblins advanced on you, all jumping at once. One scratched your face and you cried out, staggering towards the whiteboard. The second one tore your sleeve while the third tried to go for your neck. You reacted slowly, feeling sharp claws cut your skin.

An orange light bloomed from you, creating a shield that forced the goblins off of you. You coughed and tried to catch your breath while they pounded on the bright orange dome protecting you. You did your best to look meek and when the goblins backed away to charge the shield, you dropped it and blasted them.

From there, slowly but surely you took care of the rest of the goblins in the room, making enough noise to wake the dead. You were rather surprised that no one had come to check on all the commotion.

You set the ruler back where you found it and quickly left the room. Now that you were back in the main hallway you decided to retrace your steps and found yourself walking into someone.

“Oh, sorry,” a voice you just so happened to recognize apologized.

“Douxie?” You coughed.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?”

“Oh you know, checking out the haunted house with my brother and his friend who I’ve lost.”

“Oh, let me help.” He grabbed your arm. “This is the way out.”

Douxie led you out into a courtyard that opened onto the street. The area had much better lighting and you were glad you could finally see. You looked around for Jim and Toby, but it appeared they hadn’t come out yet.

“Bleeding balroths! Y/n, are you alright?” Douxie asked, staring at your scratches and the blood.

“I, uh, cut myself,” you stated lamely, too tired to give a better explanation.

“You know what, wait here, I’ll get a first aid kit.” Douxie was gone before you could argue and was back in record time.

He took your hand and led you to a bench. You sat down on the cold stone and watched as he got out what he needed.

“May I?” Douxie asked and you nodded. He raised a hand to brush your hair out of your face and kept it there, practically cradling your face as he used an antiseptic wipe.

“Douxie, I’m fine,” you protested, but the cry you let out when he used the wipe to clean a scratch proved otherwise.

“I don’t mind,” Douxie said, throwing away the wipe and getting out a new one. This time, you bit your tounge as Douxie cleaned the deeper cuts on your neck.

His eyes filled with pity and you knew he felt bad about the pain you were feeling. “Do you need a ride home?” He asked.

“I need to find my brother, but thank you.”

“I’ll help you find him when I’m done,” Douxie promised, getting a bandaid out.

“Thanks Douxie, it means a lot.”

“Glad I could be of help,” Douxie said, smoothing the bandaid above your eye. “There, all better.”

He helped you to your feet, wrapping an arm around your waist when you swayed. You hadn’t moved far though when Jim and Toby burst out of the exit, covered in fresh green goop.

“Y/n/n? What happened?” Jim asked, taking you from Douxie.

“I cut myself,” you repeated.

“I did my best to help, but those ones on her neck look bad, maybe you should see a doctor,” Douxie suggested and Jim nodded.

Your brother moved to help you out of the courtyard, but you turned to Douxie. “Thanks.”

He gave you a charming smile. “Any time.”

**** 

Here ya go, it's the first bonus chapter!! I hope y'all enjoyed reading this and have a fantastic day/night and stay safe!!

P.S. I am open to requests!!!!!

P.P.S. If you want to be on the taglist feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

[jadekitty777]

On Your Six, Chapter 7

Only one chapter left after this one! It may not get posted tomorrow though as I’m still working on it. 

Day 7: Homesick for @taiqrowweek 

Rating:  T for this chapter, M for overall

Words: 3.5k

Summary: Qrow was what most of society would call a small-town criminal. But to those oppressed, he hoped only to be a healer. In an effort to make a change in the world, he moves from kingdom to kingdom, searching for branded omegas in need. His goal? To turn the derogatory words the reformatories forced them to bear on their skin into works of art.

Then one day, his past catches up to him in the form of Taiyang, his former best friend, with a brand of his own stained onto his skin and a plea for help in his eyes. Qrow has no choice but to answer, even if it means he’d have to face his mistakes once and for all.

[An ABO-style universe in a modern-day style Remnant. No Grimm, because people are the real monsters in this one]

Ao3 Link: On Your Feet

~

When Qrow was twenty, he made the biggest mistake of his life.

“You’re leaving?”

He turned away. Couldn’t stand looking at Tai, hurt and confused, knowing he was to blame for it.

Scowled, because why should he care anymore when the other hardly spared him the time?

“’Course I am.” He finally snipped, shoving more socks into a duffel. “Have you seen my face?”

He had to resist the self-conscious urge to touch the cotton bandage on the right side of his forehead, hiding the stitches holding the three-inch gash together.

The beer bottle had shattered on impact. It was a wonder he didn’t get fractures. Small miracles. Though he was pretty sure some memories had been knocked askew because most of the night was a haze. He was only certain of the things that had become routine at that point: coming home to crack open a few with his old man while they watched prime time television and bitched about the state of things. An argument started, over what he couldn’t say, and Qrow never saw the swing coming before he was out cold on the floor.

When he woke up, it was with the hard realization it was time to get out.

Too bad his best friend didn’t get the memo. Tai perched on the edge of his bed as he had a thousand times before, pressing on, “But to the capital city? You don’t have to go so far.”

“Tch. You got any better ideas?” The hangers rattled against one another as he yanked down more shirts.

“Why not stay with me and Rae? We can make room.”

That made him pause, looking over. “Why?”

“Why not?” Was the simple counter as if it were as simple as that. Then, Tai rose his hand to his stomach, fondness smoothing his features, “Besides, then you’ll be close when the baby comes along.”

Fucking, of course. The rush of fury that flooded his system was white-hot, jealousy snapping at the end of every nerve. “So you get yourself knocked up and suddenly it’s my problem?”

“W-What?”

An alarm went off in the back of his head, trying to tell him to pull back – but the words were already leaving his mouth, spiteful and petty and mean, “I’m not sticking around to be your damn nanny. If you can’t handle it, then maybe you shoulda kept your damn legs shut.”

The reaction was instantaneous, Tai immediately on his feet, both taken aback and furious, “Qrow, what the hell?! I brought it up because I figured you’d want to be involved in your niece or nephew’s life! Not-” He threw his hands up. “Whatever the hell you’re implying.”

He knew he was way out of line, but any guilt he had was being held down by a vitriolic sludge of grief and regret that had been leaking, unchecked, out of his broken heart the day he learned Tai and Raven had bonded. An ache that had chipped away at his stability until there was nothing left but a hurricane of outrage and wrath inside him. Thing about hurricanes was, when they blew in, their only purpose was to destroy everything in their path.

That’s how Qrow felt now as he stalked towards the omega, venom spitting out of his throat, “Oh cut the virtuous bullshit already. I was in the hospital for two days. Sure didn’t bother to visit me then. But now that you need something, you come knocking?”

“I came here because I was worried about you!” Tai’s voice rose. “Raven didn’t tell me-”

“Oh-ho-ho there it is. Raven didn’t tell you. Far be it for you to check in on your own best friend once and awhile, huh?” He spat. “Or maybe I’m just the idiot here. Are we even friends anymore?”

This close, he could smell the souring in the other’s scent, his distress palpable. “Of course we are. The only one not acting like one right now is you. Look, I’m sorry about what happened and I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. And I get that your mad but you don’t get to take it out on me, alright?”

“You don’t get it! That’s not what this is about!”

“Then what is it about?!”

Qrow opened and shut his mouth nothing coming out. A coward, even when he’d already lost his chance. He spun away with a snarl so Tai couldn’t see the well of emotion in his eyes, storming to the other the side of the room and kicking his desk hard enough the back of it hit the wall. “Fuck!”

He was so tired of this. Of being unhappy and angry all the time. Of having any and every little thing set him off because it seemed like everything nowadays just made him irritated or sad. When was the last time he’d gone out just for fun? When was the last time he’d laughed?

Qrow buried his head in his hands, disgusted with himself over how close he was to tears. “I hate this.”

“Qrow…”

He heard footfalls behind him, then Tai’s scent was all around him. It was a natural omega response, the cloying sweetness surrounding the air meant to comfort and soothe when emotions were running too high, much like a purr.

It only made him feel worse.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m here for you, okay?” Tai’s hand rested onto his shoulder. “Just tell me what I can do to help.”

Qrow couldn’t take this anymore. “You want to help? Then get out.”

“But-”

He knocked the other’s hand away and whirled, his tone shifting into a growl as he pushed his own alpha influence outwards, “I said Leave!”

It was almost disturbing, seeing the way the omega stumbled back, eyes wide, a bit of a tremor in his knees. Usually, the reaction wasn’t so extreme, especially when they were already in the middle of a fight, but he’d never growled at Tai before. Around him, sure – especially if he and Raven were having one of their sibling moments, then the dominance display tended to be a given.

But never at him. It was like he’d broken some sort of unspoken rule.

Try as he might, Tai’s voice shook when he spoke, clearly rattled, “Is that really what you want?”

Some of the guilt finally started to puncture through but it was too little, too late.

“Yes. I can’t deal with this right now.” He looked away. “Just, go. Please.”

A tense, silent few moments passed. Then finally, resigned, Tai said, “Alright then.”

Yet as he headed for the door, he hesitated in the threshold. Stopped to look back, hoping to convey something more than just words.

Years later, Qrow still regretted never meeting his eyes.

“Just, remember I’m here when you need me Qrow. Call when you’re ready, okay?”

He never did.

~

They were sitting at the table, mugs in either hand. It felt like a mirror image of that very first day six months ago, except this time it was Qrow who couldn’t look up.

“That’s why you were so distant back then.” Tai finally said, an undercurrent of something in his voice that he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Qrow swallowed hard. “Yeah.” His fingers clutched his cup harder. “I know I should have said this back then but… I’m so sorry.”

“Oh Qrow. I forgave you a long time ago.”

He head jerked up, mouth agape. “What?”

Tai’s smile was gentle. “I knew something was going on with you. You’d been weird ever since we graduated. And when I found out you were moving away, I figured it was because you’d been feeling lost. I was so frustrated because I didn’t know how to help you.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. Now Qrow could see what he hadn’t before: regret. “I just never put the pieces together that I was the problem.”

“You weren’t-! I mean…” He grimaced. It was time to stop lying. “Yeah. Being around you was killing me. I needed to get away, from everything. It wasn’t until I was entirely alone, I started to get my head back together. Took even longer to admit to myself that it was my fault things fell apart because I was too busy wallowing in self-pity to see anyone else. By that point, it had been so long, I didn’t feel like I could go back.” He sighed. “I’m a real moron. If I had just been honest with you, maybe things wouldn’t have ended the way they had. No matter what though, it doesn’t excuse the things I said.”

“Oh yeah, you were a total dick.” His friend laughed. “But take it from a guy who’s had his heart broken twice now: sometimes when you’re hurting that much, you’ll often be left with the ugliest side of yourself.”

Qrow arched a brow. “Oh yeah? What’s ugly Tai look like?”

“I think the way my dad put it was ‘robotic’.” Tai rubbed at a sharpie mark on the table as if he was trying to erase the black marks on his own life. “If it wasn’t sorrow or anger, then I didn’t really feel anything at all. It was all just numb to me and it made everything else feel like a chore. Even the littlest things, like showering or eating, were just too much. Some days, I even struggled to get out of bed. Heh.” His shoulders slumped. “It was pathetic.”

He supposed there was something to be said about being the person watching the show instead of being the one playing the part. “Hey, if I’m allowed to skip off to an entirely different continent, then you can stay in bed for a few extra hours.”

“Okay, you got me there.” He conceded. “Still, I can’t imagine how long I would have been stuck like that if it weren’t for my girls giving me the strength to move forward.”

“Well I’m glad you have them.” Qrow said, and for the first time, he knew he was saying it with full sincerity. A sense of calm had fallen over him, one he’d never felt before.

After his rut had happened a few weeks ago, he’d thought things would have grown awkward between them. Unbearable, even, now that the truth was out in the open.

As always, Tai surprised him as Qrow had started to stumble over himself to make amends.

(“I don’t even know where to start. There’s a lot you probably want to know.”

“There is. But that doesn’t mean you have to tell me.”

“W-What? But you said…”

“I was wrong. Especially when I… accidentally forced that confession out of you.”

“…”

“Look, just because these are your feelings for me, doesn’t suddenly mean I have ownership of them. Whatever you want to tell me, you do it in your own time. And if you never want to speak of this again, then we won’t.”

“Then, we’re… okay?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.”)

True to his word, Tai never pushed after that day. Qrow waited for the tension to grow, for something to give. But it never did – and he started to think maybe those over-dramatics only happened in sitcoms and romantic dramas.

Whatever it was, the blissful return to normalcy gave Qrow the breathing space he needed to come to terms with his secret being out. Eventually, the stories came next. Not everything, of course. Some things were just too locked into his heart to give away. Still, the more he did share, the better he felt. No longer did he have to hold in his feelings, never giving them a chance to resolve and leaving turmoil in his heart. Now, he could finally look forward without a ‘what if’ hanging over him.

Maybe he’d never have the life he always dreamed about with Tai. No house with a gaggle of pups running around the yard. No coming home to the omega’s smile being his and his only. But at least he’d always have this. A friendship that had lasted through the ages and against the odds. That had weathered the worst storms and built up stronger after they’d passed. That’s foundation remained strong with the support and care they both gave to one another.

He’d always love Tai. On that, he had little doubt. But it was these past few months that really taught him what it meant to truly love someone. It wasn’t a trade-off. To give something so precious with only the expectation of an exchange for the same in return cheapened the value.

Love was a gift. An offering freely handed over with no intent beyond the desire to see the happiness it provided.

After bearing witness to one of Tai’s lowest points, he’d discovered just how integral that latter part was. He would move mountains and rearrange the stars if it meant bringing that smile back onto Tai’s face.

Even if those mountains being moved were just pictures on a phone and the stars were being moved by a needle-tipped pen that spread an aurora of color over the dark sky.

Qrow finished his tea, getting to his feet. “Alright, story time’s over. Let’s get the last one finished up.”

~

The buzzing that had permeated the space between them for months on end stopped for the final time.

Qrow set the needle aside, giving the tattoo its finally look over. Made sure every line was in place, every color perfect, every shade drawn.

It was with a heavy heart he realized there was nothing left to do, nothing left to add, nothing left to say except, “It’s done.”

“Really?” Tai turned his head, still trying to mimic an owl after all this time.

“Yep.” He snapped a shot with his scroll. “Take a look.”

The device was handed over, Tai sitting up as he gave it a critical scan. “It’s perfect.” He decided, but his smile was weak.

“You don’t look happy about it.”

“It’s not that. It really is everything I wanted.” He assured, stronger than before. He thumbed at the edge of the scroll, shoulders falling some. “I’m just sad. I’m going to miss this.”

Qrow rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the anchor in his own chest. Before things could get too gloom and doom though, he insisted, “Well hey, don’t go sobbing into my pillow yet until you see what I brought for a celebration.”

“Qrow you know you shouldn’t be buying frivolous things-” Tai cut himself off as Qrow whipped open the nightstand drawer, pulling out two perfectly round, prepackaged cupcakes. “Except those.”

He laughed, tossing Tai one and sliding from the recliner onto the bed beside him. It felt just like old times, tearing into the plastic and taking that first, overly sugary bite of chocolate and frosting. It reminded him of grand adventures on the playground and binge fests during movie marathons and sleepovers.

Qrow chanced a glance over. “So, Friday’s the day?”

“Yeah.” He replied, nibbling a ring around the cupcake like the weirdo he was, saving the vanilla crème filling for last. “I’m… pretty nervous.”

He pressed his shoulder against Tai’s. “Hey. It’s fine. You’re gonna be fine. And just think, once you pass those bastards final eval, you’re going to be getting your kids back.”

That brought his smile back in full. “Yeah. You’re right. Besides,” He nudged him back, “You’ll finally get to meet them.”

Qrow’s lungs shriveled up in his chest, leaving only enough air for a quiet, “Guess so.”

“I know the girls are just gonna love you.”

“Maybe.” He cleared his throat, snapping, “And will you finish eating already? You’re getting crumbs all over my bed!”

“Sorry!”

They finished up their treats – but any sweetness left in Qrow’s was gone.

~

It was rather remarkable, how much two men could stall against the inevitable. It was pushing nearly one in the morning by the time they were shuffling towards the door, both of them trying to hide yawns.

“Maybe I should just stay over again?” Tai suggested.

Qrow rolled his eyes. “And have you trigger another rut? No thanks.”

“Oh, it’s my fault. I see how it is.” All things considered it probably had been. Between the unintentional courting with homemade dinners and the two of them sharing the bed, it really was just a recipe for disaster.

Still, it was nice to joke about it. “Glad to see you’re taking responsibility. More seriously though, no need to risk things when you’re so close to the finish line.”

“Yeah. Guess you’re right.” He mimed a phone to his ear. “I’ll keep you in the loop. And hey, when me and the girls head back to Patch, maybe you can come with us. Start working out of there for a while.”

There it was. The conversation he’d been trying to avoid all night. He shifted on his feet, trying to remain ambivalent, “I mean, maybe. I still have a lot of clients here I’m finishing up with.”

But Tai hadn’t been his best friend for two decades not to see through his bullshit. Most of it, at least. “Qrow. Don’t you dare.”

“I-”

Before he could even try, Tai was clutching onto his forearms, tone frantic, “You were gonna disappear, just like before, weren’t you?”

“That’s not exac-”

Just as quickly, he was hopping back, holding up his hands placatingly. “Wait, it’s me again, right? Whatever it is, we can talk it out. Right now, if you want.”

“Tai-”

“I know that’s not really fair, but, look. I’ll do whatever you want in return for it. Just please. Don’t do this to me again. I can’t lose you too.”

Qrow watched as Tai struggled and lost the fight against tears, a prevalent reek of fear becoming known. It only occurred to him right then that after so many losses, maybe his friend was starting to develop a serious issue with separation anxiety. He ran a hand over his face, grumbling, “I’m such an ass.” Before walking forward and catching the other in a tight hug.

Those powerful arms hugged back so hard, it nearly broke his sternum. “I-I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry.” He buried his fingers into blond hair. “I should have talked to you about this before.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, pulling back enough to look up at him. He reached around, thumbing away some tears. “I’m not trying to run off again, I swear. But this isn’t exactly a ‘day until I retire’ job. It’s a ‘only a matter of time’ one. If I stay close to home, then you’d probably be tagged as an accomplice.” He met his gaze, resigned and resolute. “I’m not going to put you through losing your children a second time.”

Somehow, that only seemed to make Tai cry more. “Why are you so fair to everyone but yourself?”

“Heh. Guess the privileged lifestyle never suited well.” He joked weakly. “Look, I ain’t dropping off the face of the planet. I’ll keep in touch, promise. And visit, when I can. So can you cut it with the waterworks? You know I’m awful with ‘em.”

Tai sniffed, stepping back so he could dab at his eyes with his sleeve. “Only ‘cause you don’t want to cry too.”

“Semantics.” Qrow waved off.

“And you better keep that promise, or I’ll… I don’t know what I’ll but I’ll do it!”

He crossed an X over his heart. “I will. Even if they threaten to scratch out my eyes.”

“Good.” Tai nodded, seemingly satisfied. “I… guess I better get going.”

“Probably want some sleep to handle that tromp of monsters tomorrow.”

The omega gave him a light jab. “Rude. I’ll talk to you soon, eh?”

“You’ve got my number.” Qrow replied, as the other opened the door, only to hesitate. His fingers started to nervously tap along the doorknob’s surface. “Tai?”

“Qrow I-” He spun around, another sharp spike to his scent. “I want you to know that I… I…”

Qrow breathed in a bit, confused as he recognized the hint of anxiety. Was he still that worried? “Youuu?” He urged gently.

The tapping increased, as did the scent. Then Tai shook his head, smiling brightly, “Just that I’m… really proud of you.”

“E-Eh?” Okay, now he was really lost.

“What you’re doing, you have no idea the impact you’re having. It’s changing lives.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “It certainly changed mine.”

Qrow felt his face flame up, flustered as he tried to duck his head. “Dude, I can’t do this at one in the morning.”

“You need me to tell you again at noon?”

“No!”

Tai burst into chuckles. “I just wanted you to know that.” The hand squeezed gently. “And how glad I am you’re part of my life.”

“Okay, okay. I get the point.” He pat his wrist placatingly. “I love you too, now please stop trying to cause an aneurysm.”

That caused another puzzling spike, Tai’s second laugh more jittery. “Ah what’s the fun in that?” Nevertheless, he did pull back, stepping out. “I’ll see you ‘round.” With a final wave, he started off down the hall.

“See ya.” He called after.

As Qrow shut the door, he couldn’t shake the lingering sense that he had missed something.

[missdawnandherdusk]

Isn’t It Delicate?

Draco X Gryffindor!Reader

Part One    Part Two    Part Three    Part Four    

Part Five    Part Six    Part Seven    Part Eight

Summary: Will Draco find the courage to ask you out? And what happens when you two have class or lunch together? How will your worlds collide? 

A/N: More of a intermediate chapter but ya know it’s still cute and a bit saucy toward the end. I love you guys so so much! Please don’t stop with your comments likes and reblogs, they mean so much to me you have no idea. Also don’t be afraid to come and chat! I’m mostly always here. Love you guys. Stay safe and creative. 

Tags: @un-limiteddd @geekysimmerthings @coffee-addicti @ilikestuffproductions @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18 @whygz @crazywritingbug @dolphincommander @bisexualbumblebeesstuff @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @jillanaholland @shookyungsoo @savingdraco @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald @chaotic-good-gemini @memalfoy-spidey @theres-a-dog-outside-omg​ @queenfeatherwings​ @fanficflaneuse​ @go-whovian-universe​ @spicyshenanigans @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise​ @dietkiwi​ @katsukink​ @takemetothekingdom​

I was glad that Hermione was my partner in Herbology. I had forgotten to go over today’s lesson last night and I wasn’t ahead or prepared as I normally was.

“This is the only time I letting you slide on this.” Hermione warned. “Draco or not, you still need to keep up on your studies,”

I nodded and watched as she handled the flutterby bush, pruning it successfully. I followed her suit, mimicking exactly what she did and reaped the same results. Professor Sprout seemed pleased with both of us and awarded Gryffindor ten points for each of us.

I watched Harry and Ron struggle across from us, and giving in, I went over to help. Harry’s eyes met mine and something passed between us: a truce of sorts.

With the end of herbology came lunch: when I would see Draco again. The three seemed to realize that.

“Are you going to sit with him then?” Hermione asked innocently.

“I’m... not entirely sure. I mean we do have Creatures together after so... maybe? If he asks?” I offered. “He could always sit with us,” I commented.

I could tell that both Ron and Harry had something to say about that but refrained from it.

“He’d be more welcome at our table than I would be with the Slytherins,” I pointed out. “And I’d rather not get into it again with Pansy,”

They both muttered agreements and I felt that it was a small step in the right direction. 

“Has he asked you yet?” Ron changed the topic. “To the ball, ya know?”

“No,” I sulked. “I think he tried this morning though,”

“What? Did he chicken out?” Harry snickered.

“Yes, I think he took a page from your book Harry,” I smirked. “Are you ever going to ask anyone?”

Harry and Ron both looked down, grumbling their answers.

We entered the Great Hall that was buzzing with the usual chatter. AS every year, it was decorated for the upcoming holidays that held a certain warmth and excitement to them.

My eyes scanned for Draco, not seeing him. Feeling a bit defeated, I sat at the Gryffindor table, half-heartedly making my way through the warm soup that was served for the chill of the day.

________________________

Draco almost stumbled into the Great Hall, his History of Magic class having run late because apparently the goblin uprising was more importing than a time schedule or a bell.

And he saw you, sitting at the Gryffindor table, laughing with your friends as if you didn’t have a care in the world, despite what was hovering over them both. He paused a moment, watching you before your gaze followed Ron’s and your eyes met his, an amused smirk on your face; caught staring.

“Are you okay?” You mouthed.

He nodded and recovered, making his way over to you, his nerves growing with every step. He was determined to ask you to the Yule Ball if it was the last thing that he did today.

He could do this. What were you going to do? Say no?

Well, you could totally do that and well, he’d have to accept it, but you wouldn’t say no would you?

As he neared your table, you stood, untucking yourself from the bench and facing him. 

“Hi,” You breathed out. “You’re late,” There was mischief in your eyes.

“Binns,” It was more than enough of an explanation as your face scrunched up in pity. 

“Sorry,” You sympathized. “Another goblin war then?”

He nodded; words caught on his tongue.

“Do you want to sit with us for lunch?” You looked to him earnestly, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, but... before that.” He grabbed your hand. “I... I wanted to ask this morning but didn’t.”

He took a deep breath, distracted by you catching your bottom lip between your teeth. Did you know you were trying to kill him when you did that?

“Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?”

A laughed bubbled through your lips as you lit up.

“Yes, of course I’ll go with you,” You threw a side glance to Ron and Harry, and he felt as if he was missing something.

You didn’t let go of his hand as the two of you sat at the Gryffindor table and had lunch together. His nerves were eating him on the inside; he didn’t belong at this table... he was hated at this table if anywhere.

Yet, with you by his side, no one said a word to him that had malice intent behind it. Instead the conversation shifted and flowed between classes, and homework, the upcoming Ball, the Triwizard cup.

He didn’t speak up as much as he would have in his group of friends, but he eagerly watched you animate the conversation. It was different, watching you up close, and being a part of your own little world here at school.

Every once in a while, you’d squeeze his hand and pull him from his thoughts, or simply reassure him.

Traitor, his father’s voice hissed.

He had a sinking feeling in his chest when he thought about his father and that no doubt, he already knew about what he had been doing and that he had been with you, defending and choosing you over all else. It was a box of anxiety that he kept locked tight to worry about at a later date.

Walking down to Care for Mythical Creatures, he still held your hand, and, in the snow, you huddled closer to him, fearing the cold around you.

“Afraid of a little chill?” He teased.

You gave him a sharp look, your teeth all but chattering and your nose and cheeks flushed red.

Be a gentleman, His mother scolded.

He stopped you, tugging your hand and momentarily set his bag down and slipped his robe off, draping it around your shoulders, all the while you protested.

“I-I’m okay,” You shivered. “You don’t have t-too.” “Wear it,” He nearly ordered. “I’ll be okay. I’m used to the cold,”

You pouted a moment but gave in, slipping your arms into his Slytherin robe and almost curled up into it. He didn’t want to admit it, but he loved seeing you in Slytherin colors.

“You’re staring,” The quip left your lips as you took his hand wand continued with the rest of the students down to Hagrid’s.

“You look good in Slytherin,” He retorted, smirking when you turned a deeper shade of red. 

_________________________

In Creatures, I all but huddled into Draco, feeding off of his warmth, now that mid-winter was approaching quickly the weather turned for the worse. His arm was around my shoulders, shielding me from the cold, rubbing now and again when I shivered too much for his liking.

I could see the glances exchanged between the Gryffindor’s and Slytherin’s at the two of us together—and me in his robe no doubt, but I was too keen on listening to Hagrid and trying to get something (anything) useful from it.

Getting nothing from Hagrid’s lesson, my mind drifted to the upcoming exams on Friday and I zoned out, trying to figure out the best study plan on the subjects that I was struggling with, moving Herbology to the top of the list since I had missed today’s lesson’s notes and had to do double tonight. No doubt Potions should be high on the list, next to the dates and people of History of Magic, but I had that subject understood pretty well—save the dates.

“Maybe he isn’t too bad,” Harry muttered as we entered the Gryffindor common room. 

“It was nice of him to give you his robe wasn’t it,” Hermione sighed dreamily.

My cheeks flushed again as I stayed quiet.

The week passed and I honestly don’t remember most of it. It was hell: studying, working on essays, the weather not letting up. I was shivering more than not, and it was hard to concentrate. It left me in the warmth of my room, dreading to go anywhere in the drafty castle other than class and some meals.

~

Y/n,

You haven’t been to dinner in three days, please come down and eat with me. I’ll meet you outside your common room in ten minutes.

I’m worried about you, 

Draco, ~

The letter came Thursday evening as I was once again reading through the Goblin Revolutions trying to keep the dates straight. I had most of them down but kept mixing up a few of them and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get them straight.

Giving up, I closed the books and ordered my notes before slipping on a sweater and changing my socks before slipping down to the common room where Draco was waiting.

“You need to eat,” He scolded, handing me his scarf, knowing that I’d be cold.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, wrapping it around my neck, reveling in its warmth and how it smelled strongly of him.

“No, you’re not. Now stop being stubborn. You can’t study all the time. You need breaks Y/n,” He sounded truly concerned, his fingers weaving through mine.

“I can’t fail these tests Draco,” I insisted, feeling warm with the seconds that passed. 

“And you’re not going to. But you have to take care of yourself too.”

I huffed as we entered the Great Hall. It was lulled and almost silent, many students studying or overworked from the exams already taken.

“Hey Malfoy!”

I stiffened as I recognized the voice. It was Pansy.

We both turned, his grip on my hand tightened and I wasn’t sure if it was in reassurance or if he was holding me back. It could have been both.

“Still hanging with her I see,” Pansy sneered. “I don’t see why you bother. We all know how this is going to end. You’ll realize she’s not worth it and this madness will end.”

“I thought I told you to leave her alone,” Draco hissed.

“What? She can’t take a little teasing? Isn’t that what the two of you always did? She didn’t mind it then...” Pansy grinned wickedly. “Why should she care if I do it?

“Because you don’t hold a candle to who Draco is,” I snapped.

“Oh, and you’re so confident that you know who he is?” She laughed something that sounded like a hyena. “You don’t know anything about him princess. Your mommy hid you away from the real world for too long.”

“She took me away from freaks like you. I guess she didn’t want me to grow up to be a bitch,” I sneered, and Draco chuckled beside me, tugging on my hand.

“Let’s go,” He murmured.

My eyes met his and I could see the same fire behind them. He wanted to lash out as much as I did, but something stopped him, and I wasn’t sure what it was...

I took a deep cleansing breath and nodded. She wasn’t worth the time to ruin my night with Draco.

We took our seats at the Gryffindor table, far from Pansy and her posse and had a quiet dinner for once. We only exchanged a few words, talking about our two exams tomorrow. My thoughts resided with what Pansy had said.

After dinner, Draco led me once more to the Astronomy Tower where we watched the stars side by side. I was in his robe again, shielded against the chill that the night brought.

“You know she’s wrong,” Draco piped up. “I’m not going to leave you.”

My eyes didn’t leave the vastness of the sky. Sometimes it was nice to imagine words like that were real, and promises could be kept...

“Y/n,” He pressed.

“What if she’s right?” I mumbled. “I... I didn’t grow up like you did... I don’t know you that well, other than...” I shrugged and gestured vaguely.

“What do you want to know?” He pulled me closer and spun me so that we were face to face.

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “What does it mean to know a person?” My hands wrapped themselves around my midriff.

Draco rolled his eyes and tilted my chin up with his hand. My eyes met his.

“My birthday is June 5th,” He smiled, his face pensive. “I never really had a favorite color... my middle name is Lucius,”

I giggled into the back of my hand, giving into his attempt to cheer me up. 

“What, is that funny?” He raised an eyebrow.

“A little bit.” I admitted. “It must be a pure-blood thing. My middle name is a family name too.”

“Oh? Would you care to tell me?”

“Nope,”

“And why not?” He almost pouted. “Am I not allowed to know?” He shifted so that I was pressed against the window ledge and he was a few inches before me, his hands on my waist.

“I mean, sure,” I drawled.

“Well?” He asked, drawing closer to me so that I could feel the warmth of his breath fan across my face; electricity flowed between us again, the same nervous potential energy.

“It’s not Magdalene is it?” He asked, his lips brushing against mine.

It was a good thing that I was leaning against the window ledge, because I was all but putty in his hands.

“No,” I breathed out, my hands running up his arms as my fingers laced themselves together behind his neck.

“Won’t you tell me?” Another soft fleeting kiss. 

I shook my head, my voice gone with his kiss. 

“Please?”

His lips captured mine before I could answer. The kiss lingered and grew to something stronger. One of his hands left my waist and caressed my cheek before sliding into my hair, cradling my head. My hand followed suit, running into his hair, pulling him closer.

A gentle gasp had his hot breath mixing with mine because he used his hand that resided on my waist to pull me flush against him before lifting me so that I was propped up on the ledge. His hand moved to support my back, but I wasn’t afraid to fall with him near. And despite the chill of the air, cold was the last thing that I was in that moment.

As the kiss deepened, I made a soft sound, my hand trailing down his shoulder and chest. He hummed a response, pulling away softly.

“This is coercion,” I murmured into his lips. He was so close; it was hard to find a place in my mind where he didn’t exist.

“Is it?” He mused, pressing his lips back to mine, picking up where we left off.

“Yes,” I breathed out, cupping his face, my thumb stroking his cheek softly.

“Is it working then?” He chuckled.

I pressed my lips back to his, kissing he deeply for a moment more before totally giving up and giving into him.

“Elizabeth,” I whispered.

.

.

Part 10

[stayforya]

[6:02pm]

your thoughts are quite blurred, but the kiss – which is the part you really would like to forget – is very vivid. it was a friday night and you were exhausted because of work. during the last weeks, you were working like crazy because a co-worker resigned and his job was split between you and a friend. to be honest, after all the stress, all you wanted was to go home and rest during the whole weekend watching rom-coms. however, your friends invited you to a party that night and since you were also craving for some fun, you didn’t decline.

the party was in a fancy restaurant that you had never been to before, even though your friends had already invited you several times. the night was supposed to be like any other, after all you just wanted to have fun and forget about work. but, of course, nothing happens as it should when all you need is peace of mind. it is as if life has a film production behind the scenes that writes the script and needs a climax at times. so, the following events were kinda messy.

it had been months since you had seen your ex. the breakup was not the easiest, you cut off all contact and moved on. you were sure that if he saw you anywhere, he would come and talk to know how have you been. but honestly? you didn't want to say a word, it was weird to talk after the fiasco that was the breakup.

that’s why when you saw him across the restaurant, you knew you wouldn’t be able to hide until the end. you also knew that if your friends saw that he was there, they would start commenting and he would see, because you were not so far from his sight. your thoughts started to come too fast, you were barely listening to the ambient noise because your own head was too loud. then a voice cut your thoughts and the person touched your shoulder.

“hey, can I take this seat?”, a guy you didn’t know said. he was all dressed up in suit and tie, probably having a very important meeting. he wanted to sit in the chair that you put your purse on.

“yeah, sorry”, you said, taking your purse. you were standing next to the suit-and-tie-guy and next to your friends, but you were barely talking. your attention was always on your ex so you could escape if he approached. 

“are you hiding?”, the suit-and-tie-guy asked.

“huh?”, you were startled by his voice and then you giggled weirdly, “no, I’m fine”.

“it looks like you’re hiding”, he took a sip of his drink while looking at the same direction as you.

“sorry, do we know each other?”, maybe you were not in your right mind, but you didn’t have the patience to strangers in that moment.

“I’m seokjin”

you frowned, “I’m y/n.”

“well, now we know each other. are you hiding?”

he wasn’t willing to give up.

“why does it matter?”, you laughed, “it’s not like I can hide for too long”

your friends were also meeting some people here and there so they didn’t exactly notice you were chatting with someone, but they were still there next to you. you wanted to tell them you needed to go to the bathroom and sneak out, but it would be too obvious. and it was a matter of minutes until your ex see your group of friends.

“is he your boss or something?”

“I wish, at least I wouldn’t hide. he’s my ex”

“ooh, that’s bad”, seokjin grimaced. “how long has it been?”

“months, actually. I haven’t seen him since the day we broke up”

you two watched your ex being the pleasant guy he was with everyone. he laughed, he hugged people and then he stood up. when you felt your eyes meeting his, that was, for sure, one of the most scary moments of your life. it happened in slow motion: he saw you, his face changed from surprised to a smile, he started walking in your direction. you had no idea how your expression was, but you definitely didn’t look as glad as him. 

he was still coming, waving at your friends too. they looked at you, waiting for confirmation that it was okay to talk to him. he walked between the tables, still greeting someone he knew along the way. you were no longer looking at him when seokjin said:

“you don’t look okay”

an idea came to your mind like a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I need you to play along”

“what?”, he whispered.

“I can’t believe this!”, your ex arrived, smiling brightly, “this must be my lucky day!”

he was annoying, honestly. you looked at him and wondered how did you date such an annoying guy. he was all over the place, always pretending to be nice to everyone, but you knew he didn’t like everyone because he spoke evil against some people to you before. 

it was certainly exhausting for him to be like that, because you remembered that at the end of the day he was exhausted and there was nothing left for you. only indifference.

“how have you guys been?”, he looked at all your friends but his eyes stopped on you. 

“we’re great!”, one of your friends saved the moment, “so unexpected to meet you here”

he smiled, “I know, right, I came for a meeting. oh, sorry, bro, are you with them?”, he asked seokjin with that pity face he always put on as if he doesn’t want to leave anyone out.

“yes”, you said right away. “he’s with me”

your friends eyes widened and your ex looked surprised, but he quickly smiled not to show the surprise.

“nice to meet you”, he held out his hand but seokjin didn't take it, just nodded back to him.

“same”, seokjin said. 

“so, I have been working a lot, that’s probably why you guys didn’t hear of me lately”, the ex kept talking. your friends weren’t paying much attention to him anymore and it was clearly time for him to leave, but since he’s inconvenient and thinks that everyone is always interested in what he has to say, he didn’t leave.

you looked at seokjin and he looked at you, both annoyed by that guy. you didn’t think too much and that was probably the problem, because being impulsive will only make you regret things later. you had just met seokjin and you knew nothing about him unless that he was very attractive and didn’t like your ex. 

you put your hand on his neck, coming closer. he wasn’t expecting, but he agreed to play along, right? so he did. he held your waist and you two kissed deeply. you never did that, you weren’t a big fan of public displays of affection (and you didn’t even have affection for that guy?!), but you just kissed him and it felt... good. it was supposed to make your ex leave you and your friends alone, but in the middle of the kiss, you forgot what was the first intention. 

seokjin knew how to play along and more than that, he knew how to kiss very well. his lips tasted like cherry even though he wasn’t eating or drinking anything with cherry before. the kiss was pretty soft and you didn’t want to let go of his touch not even for a million dollars. his hands on your waist became arms on your waist, which made you closer to him. your ex probably left already, your friends were definitely shocked, but you were in another universe at that moment. you touched his face before letting go, he looked around and whispered “I think we’re safe now”. 

you were absorbed. you didn’t answer him right away because your mind was still trying to deal with what was happening, but he was right – your ex left already, you two were safe and didn’t have to pretend anymore. his hands slowly let go of you and you didn’t have the courage to look at his face. your face was burning and you wished he didn’t notice. 

“thank you for playing along”, you smiled awkwardly.

“as long as you’re fine...”, he said and you felt that his eyes weren’t upon you anymore, so maybe it was time to run. 

“thank you again and I’m sorry for this”, you didn’t let him say anything because you just walked towards the bathroom and went to the exit. you sent messages to your friends when you were in a taxi going home, still thinking about what you did.

[three days later]

monday. after spending the whole weekend at home trying to forget about the kiss (and failing because all the movies you watched were rom-coms), you were ready to fill your mind with work again. you arrived earlier than ever, even your colleagues were surprised. 

since your boss was not there yet, you decided to tell your friend what happened the last friday. you two went to get coffee at the machine, but the joy was short lived. your boss arrived smiling, entering through the wide door with someone else beside him. a tall boy in suit and tie, and when you looked up you immediately recognized. you almost choked on the coffee you were drinking. of course, all eyes focused on you, including his – seokjin’s.

“good morning. this is our new hired member, seokjin”

seokjin greeted everyone while you were still recovering from the coffee choking.

“wow, he’s fine”, your friend whispered, “anyways, what did you have to tell me?”

“that’s the big problem. what is this guy doing here?”, you turned your back on him, trying to hide.

“do you know him? no way!”

“I wish I only knew him. I kissed him.”

“WHAT”, her voice came out louder than expected. 

you felt someone coming towards you and your friends eyes didn’t lie. it was him standing beside you.

“hi, I’m seokjin. they said you’re supposed to guide me today so I can understand where I should start from.”

you turned to him, “alright, seokjin, I’m y/n. welcome to the company. please, follow me”

when no one was around and you two got to his work space, he whispered:

“what are the odds, miss. I-have-a-crazy-ex-so-kiss-me-in-front-of-him?”, he was enjoying the unexpected meeting, his face couldn’t lie.

“let’s forget what happened, ok”, you muttered.

seokjin put his stuff on the table and looked at you.

“I wasn’t intending to forget, but if that’s what you want...”, he smirked. 

you stared at each other for seconds until someone called your name and you went back to your table. but his words – and the kiss – didn’t seem to leave your mind.